Digital technology revitalizes Jingdezhen's ancient porcelain tradition

16:24, December 18, 2025 By Wang Dan ( People's Daily

Tourists visit the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute in Zhushan district of Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi province. (Photo/Zhang Feng)

Imagine creating a unique piece of pottery without any prior experience in ceramics. What is the solution? Today, a ceramic 3D printer can bring your creative vision to life. At a ceramic 3D printing experience center in the Taoxichuan cultural and creative block in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi province, digital files are used to layer clay, crafting intricate porcelain objects.

Jingdezhen, recognized globally as China's porcelain capital, is witnessing a revitalization of its traditional ceramics industry, propelled by the seamless integration of digital technology. The shift from conventional manufacturing to smart manufacturing, where age-old techniques meet modern advancements, allows Jingdezhen ceramics to preserve the warmth of its historic kilns while embracing a future that is intelligent and personalized.

"Jingdezhen porcelain is famous worldwide, but it's largely the work of master artisans. Would this place really embrace new technology?" This question led American ceramic artist Michael May to Jingdezhen over a year ago. After traveling to more than 20 countries, he decided to settle here, drawn by the city's potential to merge tradition with technology.

In May's studio at the Taoxichuan cultural and creative block, visitors are greeted by a towering ceramic jar, its surface adorned with petal-like impressions made by 3D-printed stamps. The piece exudes a luminous, flowing quality. May's work is a testament to the harmonious integration of modern technology with traditional ceramic art.

"First, you translate the design into a digital drawing, then upload it into a program, which feeds it into the 3D printer," May explained.

Previously, creating unconventional ceramic shapes was constrained by time-consuming and labor-intensive methods, often yielding unsatisfactory results. However, 3D printing has expanded the boundaries of possibility, vastly enhancing both creativity and efficiency. Today, May not only creates art in Jingdezhen but also teaches courses that use new technologies to redefine ceramic art.

"I initially thought Jingdezhen might resist new technology," May said. "But I was surprised to find 3D printing factories everywhere, even in rural villages where you can rent equipment." The city's openness and inclusiveness ultimately convinced him to remain and continue exploring new creative horizons.

At the showroom of Micro Ceramic Technology (Jiangxi) Co., Ltd., also known as Cerawei, located in Jingdezhen's Changnan New Area, rows of uniquely shaped ceramic products created via 3D printing are neatly displayed.

"3D printing enables designers to quickly transform ideas into physical products. It's a critical bridge between concept and realization," said Huang Wancheng, the company's general manager.

"Some designs are too complex for traditional handcrafting, but 3D printing allows us to bring them to life. Our printing technology can maintain dimensional accuracy within 0.2 millimeters," Huang added.

While enabling personalization, 3D printing is also driving the ceramic industry toward standardized production. "In the past, it might have taken 30 days to move from design to mass production," Huang noted. "Now, 3D printing has shortened that cycle to around three days."

Advancements are also evident in materials. Jingdezhen Lanyinzi Ceramics Co., Ltd., a high-tech enterprise in the Jingdezhen High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, combines intangible cultural heritage with modern materials.

"We've created a 'digital glaze color database' containing more than 300 traditional glaze formulas," explained Zhao Lei, the company's general manager. "Through an intelligent proportioning system, we've raised color replication accuracy to 99 percent. This has transformed ceramic color matching from a skill based on experience to a standardized and precise process."

By refining traditional glazes, the company has increased the thermal stability of high-temperature monochrome glazes by 40 percent. With more than 60 design patents, a 12,500-square-meter smart manufacturing base, and an annual production capacity of 1.2 million pieces, Jingdezhen's ceramics industry continues to thrive.

In 2024, Jingdezhen's advanced ceramics industry generated an output value of 25.32 billion yuan ($3.59 billion), marking a 111.16 percent year-on-year increase, and driving the total ceramic industry output to surpass 90 billion yuan for the first time.

Digital technology is also playing a crucial role in preserving Jingdezhen's ceramic cultural heritage, supporting research, revitalization, utilization, and collection across a wide range of contexts.

"These samples were all chosen from ceramic shards unearthed during archaeological excavations," said Tong Yuting, a researcher at the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute. "We first document the archaeological information and create 'gene samples,' extracting core data such as shape and decoration, along with extended information from museum collections, historical records, and academic research, to build a comprehensive database."

In recent years, the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute has introduced three innovative restoration techniques: 3D-printed pattern infill, transparent material infill, and porcelain-to-porcelain restoration. These methods aim for meticulous, craft-level excellence, ensuring that historical ceramic artifacts are restored to their former glory.

Wu Lang, president of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Research Institute, noted that the deep integration of digital technology not only enhances the preservation of traditional ceramic techniques but also injects new energy into the inheritance and innovation of this ancient cultural heritage, allowing the millennium-old ceramic tradition to shine anew.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
48 South Sudanese students receive Chinese ambassador scholarship

Xinhua) 09:34, December 19, 2025

JUBA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan on Thursday awarded scholarships to 48 students at the University of Juba in South Sudan.

The Chinese Ambassador Scholarship will cover one year of tuition for eligible students at a leading public university.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba Robert Mayom Deng said that the awards came at a time when many students were struggling to pay tuition due to the prevailing economic hardship caused by years of conflict since 2013.

He commended the Chinese embassy for its commitment in supporting various initiatives at the university, such as the establishment of an electronic learning center, donation of books and computers, as well as the construction of the computer learning center.

Sylvester Pio John Faki, a sixth-year medical student and beneficiary of the scholarship, said that the timely support from the Chinese embassy would relieve the financial burden on their families, hence leaving them to concentrate on their academic studies.

"The scholarship is really a great opportunity for us because most of us are facing financial challenges. This is going to reduce the burden on us and make us focus mostly on academics and other activities," Faki said.

"It makes great contributions to the nation's economic, scientific, cultural and educational advances, serving as a key driver of South Sudan toward peace, stability and prosperity," said Ma Qiang, Chinese ambassador to South Sudan.

"This year witnessed the inauguration of the China cultural center, and a flow of visits to China by faculty and students from the University of Juba. In August, 13 Chinese scholars and experts visited South Sudan and were warmly received by the university," Ma added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Rows of data center equipment and server racks inside an industrial facility. Photo: Ismail Enes Ayhan / Unsplash

(The Center Square)  A Democrat and a Republican lawmaker in Ohio are pushing back against President Donald Trumps plan to take power from the state when it comes to artificial intelligence regulations.

The two join a chorus of other state lawmakers and governors pushing back against Trumps executive order that enacts national AI regulations and cracks down on states with stricter rules.

State Sen. Louis Blessing III, R-Colerain Township, and Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, introduced a resolution condemning the executive order they say limits states rights.

In a statement, Blessing called it unconstitutional and insulting.

It is not up to the White House to determine what state laws are good and which are bad, Blessing said. Not only is it blatantly unconstitutional, but its also deeply insulting. It implies that only the White House knows what is best in terms of AI policy, strong-arming Congress into rubber stamping its agenda, and ultimately brow-beating SCOTUS into blessing it as constitutional when the lawsuits reach that level.

The two-term Republican senator also called on Congress, other state legislatures and the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge Trumps order, saying America is no longer a Republic.

If members of Congress and the state legislatures, as well as SCOTUS, cannot be bothered to push back, or worse, attempt to ratify it in an embarrassing display of obsequiousness, then that is fine, Blessing said. In that case, we should refrain from describing America as a Republic, as it will have clearly ceased to be one. Do not cry foul when future administrations, irrespective of party, understand that they can steamroll legislatures, Congress, and the courts through executive order.

Cockley has introduced legislation to stop AI systems from encouraging self-harm and to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence in therapy decision-making.

The regulation of AI is not a partisan issue, Cockley said in a release. "State government works closely with its constituents, are better positioned to understand local needs, and more capable of responding quickly to emerging issues. This executive order freezes progress and prevents states from doing the work they are uniquely equipped to do."

Trumps order takes aim at states with laws that the administration says harm innovation. Those states would lose access to crucial broadband funds and could even face lawsuits from the U.S. Attorney Generals newly established AI Litigation Task Force.

The order also directs Congress to ensure that there is a minimally burdensome national standard for AI and requires that whatever congressional framework emerges forbid state laws that conflict with the policy set forth in this order.

The ultimate goal, the White House says, is to protect American AI innovation from an inconsistent and costly compliance regime resulting from varying state laws.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said his state can regulate AI how it wants, despite the Trump order.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne chatting with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, left, during a visit in Guyana. (Office of the Prime Minister of Antigua)

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica will face new restrictions on entry into the United States after President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a partial travel ban to include 15 new countries as of Jan. 1.

In adding the two eastern Caribbean nations to the list, Trump cited concerns about their Citizenship by Investment, or CBI, program, which allows foreign nationals to obtain a passport in exchange for financial investments.

The Trump administration said both nations have offered CBI without residency  a claim Antigua and Barbudas ambassador disputes  which poses challenges for screening and vetting purposes.

An administration proclamation also argues that CBI programs can allow foreign nationals from restricted countries to obtain passports from third countries not subject to travel restrictions, enabling them to apply for U.S. visas and circumvent the ban.

United States law enforcement and the Department of State have found that, historically, CBI programs have been susceptible to several risks, the proclamation said. These risks include allowing an individual to conceal his or her identity and assets to circumvent travel restrictions or financial or banking restrictions.

Antigua and Barbudas ambassador to the U.S., Sir Ronald Sanders, said he was alarmed by his countrys inclusion because his country had already amended legislation based on suggestions from U.S. officials about his countrys CBI program.

So the fact that this has come out now is rather curious, he said. I really dont understand it.

Separately, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said we are deeply disappointed by his twin-island nations inclusion, especially considering theyve spent the past year working closely and constructively with several departments of the United States Government to strengthen safeguards within our Citizenship by Investment Program.

We have engaged in good faith, accepted practical suggestions, and taken concrete steps to ensure that our program presents no risk whatsoever to the security of the United States., he said in a statement he shared with the Miami Herald.

Browne said he plans to write directly to President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, offering the full engagement and cooperation of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to address any concerns and to take all reasonable steps necessary to allow for the restoration of all visa categories.

Dominicas government said it is seeking to obtain formal clarification on the cope of the measures, the basis on which they were taken and the specific implications for Dominican travelers, students, families and other legitimate holders of U.S. visas.

The Government of Dominica acknowledges the decision of the Government of the United States of America, announced by the White House on December 16, 2025, to impose partial travel restrictions affecting Dominican nationals, effective January 1, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy said in a statement. This matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency.

Besides the two Caribbean countries, the expanded list of nations include Angola, Benin, Cote dIvoire, Gabon, the Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

All but Tonga have majority-Black populations, and all except Tonga and the two Caribbean nations are located on the African continent. The proclamation states that most of the countries identified, as well as others, continue to exhibit woeful inadequacies in screening, vetting, and provision of information.

Others countries in the region that were already subjected to a partial or full travel ban were Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti.

The latest presidential proclamation also expands a U.S. travel ban to additional countries and narrows exemptions for family members of U.S. citizens. In addition to the previously restricted countries, the expanded ban prevents nationals of Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria and individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority from entering the United States.

In a statement, the International Refugee Assistance Project, which advocates for people around the world seeking safety, condemned the decision, noting that families could be separated indefinitely, including from their spouses and children. Additionally, Tuesdays announcement comes amid an indefinite pause on the adjudication of all immigration applications and petitions for people from those countries, as well as the re-examination of those approved during the Biden administration.

Many of the nationals from affected countries were also targeted by previous government actions, such as the termination of Temporary Protected Status, which leaves hundreds of thousands of individuals at risk of deportation to countries the U.S. government itself has deemed unsafe.

Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president of U.S. Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said the organization condemns the Trump administrations escalating crackdown on immigrants from Muslim-majority and non-white countries. This expanded ban is not about national security but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from.

She added:Subjecting more people to this policy is especially harmful given the administrations recent invocation of the travel ban to prevent immigrants already living in the United States from accessing basic immigration benefits, including pulling them out of line at citizenship ceremonies. This racist and xenophobic ban will keep families apart, but we are prepared to defend our clients, their communities, and the American values of welcome, justice, and dignity for all.

Baffling decision

The Trump administration began targeting CBI-countries in the Caribbean earlier this year when it leaked that Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela would be placed under some travel ban. After the names of four of the five countries offering the CBI program in the region leaked, regional governments began engaging U.S. officials in discussions about their concerns. None of the other three countries, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia, have been placed under restrictions.

I dont understand why this is happening, because Antigua and Barbuda has been working with the United States  with the Treasury Department, Homeland Security and the State Department  to resolve any concerns about the Citizenship by Investment program, Sanders, Antiguas ambassador to the U.S., said.

Sanders said he has sought clarification from administration officials.

I have not been able to speak with anyone in the State Department or in the White House who could give me any further information, at least not now, he said. So I suspect Im this is going to be my activity over the next couple of days.

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and Browne are two of the most vocal supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro within the Caribbean Community. The other was Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Gonsalves recently lost his countrys general elections to Godwin Friday and his New Democratic Party. While Gonsalves had long been publicly opposed to CBI, Friday touted it as an option ahead of the vote.

Skerrit, Browne and Gonsalves have all encouraged dialogue and diplomacy in the ongoing U.S.-Venezuela conflict to prevent an escalation of a military crisis in this hemisphere.

This is primarily to bring attention to the unintended consequences of military conflict on the small, vulnerable OECS islands, to include Antigua & Barbuda, Browne told the Herald, referring to the seven-nation Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. We made this statement in promotion and protection of our own national interest. The statement is far from being offensive and should not provoke the ire of anyone.

In the case of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, the proclamation states that the entry into the U.S. of nationals as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on visitors and student visas, which include B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.

Consular officers shall reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals, of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica to the extent permitted by law.

Exceptions apply for certain travelers, including athletes, U.S. lawful permanent residents and individuals granted waivers on a case-by-case basis.

Under the restricted travel ban, individuals who do not have a valid U.S. visa or who qualify under one of the exceptions will be barred from entry.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech at the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., U.S., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defense policy bill, despite provisions providing new aid to Ukraine and reining in his ability to dial down U.S. involvement in the defense of Europe.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than Trump requested.

The sweeping legislation determines everything from how many ships, aircraft and missile systems are bought, to a pay raise for the troops, to how to address geopolitical threats.

The White House announced he had signed it. It was a quiet affair, with no Oval Office ceremony attended by reporters.

The measure is a compromise, combining separate measures already passed in the House of Representatives and Senate before it was passed this month.

In a break with Trump, whose Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate, the NDAA includes several provisions to boost security in Europe.

Trump has been cool to bolstering European security, feeling the allies should pay their own way. His recently published National Security Strategy is seen as friendly to Russia and a reassessment of the U.S. relationship with the continent.

The fiscal 2026 NDAA provides $800 million for Ukraine - $400 million in each of the next two years - as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which pays U.S. companies for weapons for Ukraine's military.

It comes as Trump's team is locked in negotiations with Ukraine and Russia in a bid to bring about a halt to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The defense law also authorizes the Baltic Security Initiative and provides $175 million to support Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia's defense. And it limits the Department of Defense's ability to drop the number of U.S. forces in Europe to fewer than 76,000 and bars the U.S. European Commander from giving up the title of NATO Supreme Commander.

The White House said in a statement that Trump backed the bill because it codifies into law aspects of many of his executive orders, including funding the Golden Dome missile defense system and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Pentagon.

Members of Congress have passed the NDAA every year for 65 straight years, though that streak almost ended during Trump's first term.

Trump vetoed the NDAA in December 2020, because he objected to its call to rename military bases and other facilities named for Confederate figures and disagreed with its approach to legal protections for tech companies, among other issues.

However, Congress overrode his veto in January 2021, just before he left office, the only veto override of Trump's first term.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Chizu Nomiyama and David Gregorio)
A potential deal to fund large swaths of the federal government, including the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services, collapsed Thursday night after Colorado senators demanded that Congress stop President Trumps efforts to dismantle a key climate agency.

A Democratic senator involved in the negotiations over passing a five-bill package of appropriations bills before Christmas said Trumps attempt to break up a premier weather and climate center based in Boulder, Colo., was like a stick of dynamite that exploded any chance of a bipartisan breakthrough on spending.

Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and John Hickenlooper (D) objected to moving forward with the so-called minibus spending package that, if enacted into law, would result in 85 percent to 90 percent of the federal government being funding through September 2026.

We need to fix this problem, Bennet said, explaining his opposition to moving forward with the spending package. Well have to work together. Well have to work together to figure out how to do this.

We have to find a way together to fix this problem, he added.

Bennet said his Republican colleagues know how critical the center is to providing scientific analysis of weather patterns.

Everybody on that floor knows what an excellent job [it] does, he said, pointing to the Senate floor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) made a herculean effort to get the spending package passed before Christmas, and it looked earlier in the day as the Senate might be on track to clinching a deal after conservative GOP senators dropped their objections to the bill.

But Bennet and Hickenlooper took the lead in bringing the package to a dead halt by objecting to an agreement to set up date and amendment votes on the Senate floor.

They were infuriated by the Trump administrations announcement Wednesday that it plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, a leading research institution specializing in climate science.

We just want to take the money thats in the budget for it, we want to make sure that money is used to keep it open [and] we dont cancel it, Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper said the centers grant funding is at risk of being cut by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

What the National Science Foundation is saying is Were cutting your budget, dramatically. Were going to cut it by 30 or 40 percent. Enough so youre threatening the viability of the research facility, he said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, thought a deal on the funding package was coming together until it was suddenly derailed by the fight over the atmospheric center.

It blew everything up, she said, noting she had solved objections to the portion of the package funding the Department of the Interior, which she oversees.

We were all talking well. I navigated some things on Interior that we didnt think we would be able to do and we did, she said.

A second senior member of the Senate Appropriations panel said the Trump administrations announcement sank the chances of passing the appropriations package before the new year.

The timing of the announcement was not helpful, the lawmaker grumbled.

Russell Vought, the director of the White House budget office, announced in a post on the social platform X that the NSF will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, calling it one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country.

That spurred a strong backlash from Senate Democrats.

Bennet and Hickenlooper had strong support from other Democrats in their decision to block the spending package unless Republicans agree to ensure the continued operation of the climate center.

What the president did in Colorado is disgusting and our Republican colleagues ought to get him to change it, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a leading Democratic voice on the climate issue, called the research a global crown jewel of science that helps us learn a great deal about weather which matters a great deal to everyone.

Murkowski acknowledged the research center is important to her home state, where the fishing and tourism industries are major economic engines.

For us in Alaska, this atmospheric research is a big deal for us, she said.

The funding package appeared to have momentum Wednesday night and early Thursday after conservative holdouts  Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)  dropped their holds after working out understandings with Thune.

A bipartisan group of senators gathered on the Senate floor Wednesday evening to talk about a path for passing the bill before leaving for Christmas, or at least voting to begin consideration of the package so it would be teed up for final passage in early January.

One GOP senator familiar with the talks said Republican senators had agreed to a list of eight GOP amendments to consider on the Senate floor.

Democrats initially had a list of 40 amendments they wanted to be considered and eventually worked their demands down to a list of 12 amendments by Thursday afternoon.

But Bennet and Hickenlooper informed colleagues late Thursday that they wouldnt just settle on a vote to protect the National Center for Atmospheric Research. They wanted Republicans to guarantee that they would add language to the bill to protect the centers funding and future operation.

Updated at 11:28 p.m. EST

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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President Donald Trump points to a reporter for a question after he signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, December 18, 2025, in Washington. - Evan Vucci/AP

Susie Wiles recently published interviews in Vanity Fair are remarkable for a multitude of reasons. But perhaps leading that list was what the White House chief of staff said about Venezuela.

After all, were talking about killing people on the high seas and possibly going to war with another country. And Wiles suggested the administration has obscured its true motivations.

He wants to keep on blowing boats up until [Venezuelas Nicolas] Maduro cries uncle, Wiles said of Trump.

That is  not what the administration has said publicly about its strikes on alleged drug boats. Its said those attacks are about stopping drugs from reaching the United States, not applying pressure on Maduro. And its largely danced around the concept of regime change in Venezuela, even as President Donald Trump has said the leaders days are numbered.

Yet here was Wiles, as far back as early November, saying all of it was tied together, and it was really about bringing Maduro to heel.

The administrations shifting justifications for its actions are no small thing. You dont have to look too far back to see how disastrous it can be to lead the United States into war on false pretenses.

And yet, the administration has taken remarkably little care to craft anything amounting to a consistent message.

Indeed, Wiles comment wasnt even the only shift that emerged in the administrations commentary this week.

Lets review the key examples of its evolving rhetoric.

The purpose of the boat strikes

The administration has been adamant that the boat strikes, which many experts argue are illegal, are about protecting Americans from the scourge of drugs. Theyve labeled their targets narco-terrorists and deemed them worthy of summary execution without due process.

Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America, Trump said when he posted video of the first strikes in early September. BEWARE!

A week later, Fox News asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth what the mission was.

Core national interest, the safety of the American people, stop the killing, stop the poisoning of the American people, Hegseth said. Its as simple as that.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was about drugs and securing our maritime borders.

Wiles comment to Vanity Fair put a very different spin on this.

He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle, Wiles said. And people way smarter than me on that say that he will.

Where that first drug boat was headed

If youre going to summarily kill people, you had better know a lot about them.

But when it comes to the strike that we know the most about  that first one  the administration has struggled to tell a consistent story.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the day of the strike, September 2, that the boat was probably headed to Trinidad or some other country in the Caribbean.

But the next day, Trump said it was coming to the United States, while Rubio amended his comment to say it was headed towards, eventually, the United States.

Fast forward to this month. After news broke that this first strike actually left survivors who were later killed  a potential war crime  the administration was forced to explain. CNN reported that the military official who oversaw the mission, Adm. Frank Mitch Bradley, told lawmakers in briefings that the boat was actually headed somewhere else. He said it was due to link up with a larger vessel that was headed for Suriname, another country on South Americas northern coast.

Thats a big deal. And not just because it suggests the administration didnt actually know or tell the full story about this boat, but also because Suriname is generally a transit country for drugs headed to Europe, not the United States.

The purpose of the threats to Venezuela

Similar to the boat strikes, the administration initially claimed its pressure campaign against Venezuela  including Trumps repeated threats of land strikes  was geared toward combatting drug trafficking.

But there was a problem with that, and thats that Venezuela is a pretty small player in the drug-trafficking game, at least compared to its neighbors. If your goal is really about drugs, it doesnt make a ton of sense to focus on Venezuela first.

Here too, further developments and the administrations comments undermine that claim. And this time, its not just Wiles.

The administration has alternatively pointed to Venezuela sending criminals and other bad people to the United States. Trump two weeks ago cited how Venezuela had sent us killers, murderers  drug dealers at the highest level  [and] gang members and people from their mental institutions.

And after initially downplaying other motivations  like oil and regime change  the administration now seems to be admitting to them.

For example, after Colombian President Gustavo Petro last month suggested this was really about oil, a State Department spokesman instead emphasized the administrations counter-drug operations in the Caribbean and its commitment to protecting Americans from the Maduro regimes deadly poison.

But in the weeks since, the administration has seized an oil tanker off Venezuelas coast. And now Trump and others are talking frequently about oil.

On Tuesday, the president wrote on Truth Social that he aimed to reclaim the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us. (This was apparently a reference to when Venezuela decades ago nationalized an oil industry that the United States and others helped create.)

They took our oil rights, Trump added at another point. We had a lot of oil there. As you know, they threw our companies out and we want it back.

Similarly, theres been an evolution on how the administration has talked about possible regime change.

Rubio and Hegseth punted on that question when asked earlier this year and after the first boat strike, respectively. And others have declined to take a firm position on it.

But Trump initially downplayed this as a goal.

On September 5, he said of regime change, Were not talking about that.

By September 18, he said there had been no discussions about possible regime change in Venezuela.

But Wiles comment indicates that, just a month-and-a-half later, it was basically the goal.

And Trump leaned into the idea in a Politico interview this month. Asked whether he wanted to see Maduro out, Trump said, His days are numbered.

What it all means

When it comes to things like regime change, its certainly possible that the administrations goals changed over time.

But a skeptic might suggest the administration obscured its goals here because they have not been popular. After all, regime change still has pretty negative connotations in American politics, and war for oil might be even more unpopular.

Stopping drugs sounds a lot better politically, to that extent you can make it stick.

Two recent polls show the boat strikes are double-digits unpopular. And a Quinnipiac University poll on Wednesday showed voters opposed military action in Venezuela 63%-25%.

Clearly, the administration has done a poor job selling both. And a big part of that is the lack of transparency and consistent messaging.

Trump is fond of throwing things at the wall and does it routinely. But thats a terrible way to build a case for war.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that his country was "not seeing the willingness from Ukraine" to negotiate a peace deal, again blaming the country he ordered a full-scale invasion of nearly four years ago for the continuation of a war he's refused even to acknowledge is a war.

Putin said he was open to a negotiated end to what he calls a "special military operation," but only on his terms, insisting, as he has for years, that Ukraine must accept a massive, formal forfeiture of occupied territory and some degree of national demilitarization  both terms that Kyiv has rejected.

The Russian president said his forces had "fully seized strategic initiative" in the conflict and would take even more ground along the roughly 600-mile front line in eastern Ukraine before the end of the year.



"Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," Putin said during the live, wide-ranging end-of-year news conference that has been a hallmark of his tenure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Dec. 19, 2025. / Credit: Alexander NEMENOV/AFP/Getty

His remarks came as Ukraine claimed a dramatic new blow against Russia, but also as divisions among European nations over how to keep supporting Kyiv  fueled, many believe, by Moscow's pressure tactics  were laid bare.

Putin's latest casting of blame for the war at both Kyiv and its backers in Europe also came as a senior Russian envoy prepared to meet again for talks with Trump administration officials in Florida this weekend. The White House is pushing hard for a negotiated resolution to the conflict that President Trump had vowed to end quickly when he took office.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called proposals being negotiated with the U.S. "very workable," suggesting they could be finalized in a matter of days, allowing American officials to discuss with their Russian counterparts.

Ukraine claims drone strike on Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in Mediterranean

Ukraine has been defending itself with the support of the U.S. and its European partners, and as Putin spoke in Moscow, Kyiv claimed a significant expansion of its wartime resistance, with a first purported attack on an oil tanker said to be part of Russia's sanctions-violating "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean.

In a statement, Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said Friday that it had "struck a tanker belonging to Russia's 'shadow fleet' in neutral waters in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time," touting it as an "unprecedented special operation more than 2,000 km [1,200 miles] from the territory of our state."



The SBU said it used aerial drones to disable the Oman-flagged oil tanker Qendil, which it said was empty at the time, and thus "did not pose any threat to the ecological situation in the region."

An image taken from video shared on Dec. 19, 2025, by Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency, shows what the SBU claimed as a first-of-its-kind drone strike to disable a vessel in Russia's (Handout/Security Service of Ukraine (SBU))

The SBU shared a black-and-white video, seemingly captured by a drone, of the purported strike that shows several explosions on the deck of a tanker.



"Russia used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine," a source in the SBU told CBS News. "Therefore, from the point of view of international law and the laws and customs of war, this is an absolutely legitimate target for the SBU. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike it anywhere in the world, wherever it may be."

Ukraine has long targeted fuel tankers and infrastructure in Russian ports and on land as part of its efforts to undermine Moscow's war funding, but only this month has Kyiv acknowledged attacking vessels outside Russia's territorial waters. CBS News reported on the first such strikes, targeting tankers off the coasts of Turkey and West Africa, just over a week ago.

The SBU said the new strike had disabled the Qendil, which ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com confirmed was located in the eastern Mediterranean as of Friday afternoon. According to MarineTraffic, the vessel  which has not been listed by the U.S. Treasury among the Russian shadow fleet ships subjected to sanctions  was sailing from the Indian port of Sikka to the Russian port of Ust-Luga.

The U.S. government has sanctioned many vessels and maritime companies in an effort to crack down on Russia's shadow fleet, ships with often murky registration and ownership that Moscow allegedly uses to evade heavy Western sanctions on its energy products, providing vital revenue for its war effort.

The Trump administration accuses several major oil producers, including Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, of using a global fleet of such ships, and just last week, U.S. military forces seized a sanctioned 20-year-old oil tanker after it left a port in Venezuela, sources told CBS News.

Armed personnel approached in helicopters and boarded the vessel, which was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury three years ago for its alleged role in an oil smuggling network that helped fund the Iranian military and its proxies in the Middle East.

Asked Friday about the strike on the Qendil during his news conference, Putin was dismissive, but vowed to respond.

"They're pursuing some utilitarian purposes," the Russian leader said, without confirming any specifics. "They want to raise insurance premiums, but this will not bring about the result they desire. This is not going to disrupt the supplies. This would only create additional threats, and Russia is certainly going to respond."

Despite divisions, EU agrees on financial lifeline for Ukraine

The European Union, meanwhile, stepped up overnight to offer a support package for Ukraine worth more than $100 billion  but the bloc could not agree on proposals pushed by leaders to use frozen Russian assets to do it.

After failing to agree on specifics, the EU ended up taking out an interest-free loan for Ukraine, against its own budget, intended to fund the country's military and economic needs for two years.

EU leaders wanted to finance the aid package with the frozen Russian assets, but there was always resistance to that idea among some members  most notably Belgium, where much of the ringfenced Russian money is held.

Putin renewed threats in his remarks on Friday that there would be severe consequences for European nations that chose to use the Russian money, held as part of the sanctions against Moscow.

He said any such move would have been "daylight robbery."



"Why can't this robbery be carried out? Because the consequences could be grave for the robbers," he said Friday.

Russia has been accused repeatedly in recent months of waging a hybrid war against Ukraine's European partners, with a series of unclaimed drone incursions, including around airports and military bases, Russian warplanes violating European  and NATO  airspace, and other acts of alleged sabotage targeting vital infrastructure.

"If Europe had walked away today without an agreement, we would not only have failed Ukraine, we would have failed ourselves," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Friday, putting a positive spin on the agreement that was reached.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also hailed the agreement for a "zero-interest loan" for Ukraine, and leaving room for the Russian assets to be leveraged in the future.

Ursula von der Leyen (right), President of the European Commission, stands next to Antonio Costa, President of the European Council and Mette Frederiksen (left), Prime Minister of Denmark, during a news conference after an EU summit that focused on EU support for Ukraine, Dec. 19, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium. / Credit: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty

"These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come," Merz said, noting that the frozen Russian assets will remain blocked unless and until Russia pays reparations to Ukraine for the huge damage inflicted during the war.

"If Russia does not pay reparations, we will  in full accordance with international law  make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan," the German leader said.

Ukraine's government welcomed the deal, but made it clear that Kyiv still feels Russia's frozen assets should be accessed in support of its defense.

"Indeed, there are moments when one should keep in mind that 'Perfect is the enemy of good,'" Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya said. "It was a long night for European leaders, but they were able to come up with a workable result."

Person of interest identified in deadly Brown University shooting

What to expect from Trump's address to the nation

John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois sign off after their last "CBS Evening News" broadcast
Vice President JD Vance hasn't declared he'll run for president in 2028, but he's already getting an early boost from Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Erika Kirk endorsed a Vance presidential campaign during a Turning Point USA event in Arizona on Thursday, Dec. 18, saying she will work to make him the 48th president of the United States.

"We are going to get my husband's friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," said Kirk, who took over leadership of Turning Point after her husband was killed.

See Erika Kirk at Turning Point's AmericaFest 2025 in Arizona Erika Kirk took the helm of Turning Point USA after her husband, conservative activist Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed Sept. 10 at a Turning Point event. On Thursday, she took the stage at Turning Points sold-out conference in Phoenix, Ariz.  the first Turning Point USA summit since the death of Charlie Kirk. Erika Kirk said she will not shy away from a fight, acknowledging the right's bitter feuds that erupted in the wake of Charlie Kirks death, per The Arizona Republic, part of USA TODAY Network. See her appearance during AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on Dec. 18, 2025.

Vance had a close relationship with Charlie Kirk, who advocated for President Donald Trump to pick the then Ohio senator as his running mate. The vice president accompanied Kirk's casket on Air Force Two to transport his body back to Arizona after Kirk was killed at a Utah event this year, spoke at his memorial and hosted his podcast after he died.

Turning Point has significant sway within the conservative moment, and having the group behind him is an early sign of strength for Vance, who as vice president already is viewed as a leading contender to take Trump's mantle and lead his MAGA movement.

While the presidential contest is still three years away, jockeying around the race already is in full swing as both parties eye potential candidates. Trump told reporters Aug. 5 that Vance is the "most likely" heir to his political movement.

"He's doing a great job, and he would probably be favored at this point," Trump said.

Yet the president also has praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other potential GOP candidates have emerged, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Both Rubio and Cruz ran for president against Trump in 2016.

Trump predicted during a December Cabinet meeting attended by Rubio and Vance that the next GOP presidential candidate is "going to be somebody thats probably sitting at this table."

"It could be a couple of people sitting at this table  could be a couple of people running together sitting at this table," Trump added.

VP Vance attends Turning Point USA event with Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk in Miss. Attendees wait for the start of the This is the Turning Point event inside the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., on October 29, 2025.

Vance has repeatedly deflected when asked about his 2028 plans, saying he is focused on his current job, not running for president.

"If that door opens later on, we'll figure it out then," Vance told USA TODAY in August.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk's widow, backs JD Vance for president in 2028
Wisconsin-based Judge Hannah Dugan arrives for the first day of trial, in which she's accused of helping a migrant appearing in her courtroom evade a planned immigration arrest, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. December 15, 2025. REUTERS/Sara Stathas

By Andrew Goudsward and Diana Novak Jones

Dec 18 (Reuters) - A Wisconsin judge was found guilty on Thursday of helping a migrant evade a planned immigration arrest outside her courtroom, a U.S. Justice Department official said, a victory for President Donald Trumps administration in its effort to deter interference with its hardline immigration tactics.

Media reports said the federal jury delivered a mixed verdict on Hannah Dugan, 66, an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, acquitting her of one of the two charges she faced. She was convicted of obstructing a federal proceeding and cleared of a lesser charge accusing her of concealing a person from arrest, the reports said.

Dugan had pleaded not guilty. A spokesperson for her legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account - even those who wear robes," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post.

The unusual case put a judge on trial for actions she took in her courtroom while overseeing cases and reflects tensions over the Trump administrations use of courthouses to stage arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The prosecution stemmed from a directive by the Justice Department ordering prosecutors to pursue cases of alleged obstruction of ICE enforcement by local activists and officials resisting Trumps drive for mass deportations.

Prosecutors alleged that Dugan intended to help a migrant from Mexico, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, escape an immigration arrest when he was scheduled to appear before her on domestic violence charges. They said she diverted federal agents and escorted the man and his attorney out of a non-public exit of her courtroom.

"She was focused on orchestrating Flores-Ruiz's escape," prosecutor Keith Alexander said in court. "She knew what she was doing. She did it anyway."

Dugan's lawyers had argued that she was following a policy directing staff to alert a supervisor to the presence of ICE in the courthouse. They argued that the incident took place at a time of confusion and uncertainty following two prior ICE arrests in the courthouse.

"All she did was send him out into the hallway with his lawyer," Dugan's lawyer Steven Biskupic told the jury during the trial.

DUGAN DIVERTED ICE AGENTS, PROSECUTORS SAY

Agents from ICE and other agencies, dressed in plainclothes, planned to arrest the man in a hallway outside Dugan's courtroom following his hearing.

Dugan angrily confronted the agents and directed them to the chief judge's office after learning that ICE was present, according to witness testimony in the case. She then dealt privately with Flores-Ruiz's case and directed the man and his attorney through a private "jury door," prosecutors alleged.

Flores-Ruiz walked through a public hallway and was arrested outside the courthouse following a brief foot chase.

Dugan was first elected as a county judge in 2016, and before that served as head of the local branch of Catholic Charities, which provides refugee resettlement programs, among other services.

She spent much of her early career as a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, which serves poor people.

Justice Department officials touted the case as an example of prosecutors' willingness to pursue powerful public officials. The Trump administration has escalated immigration enforcement at state and local courthouses, viewing them as a reliable and safe venue to make arrests.

Activists and some judges have criticized those efforts, arguing the presence of ICE agents undermines trust in the legal system and could dissuade people from seeking justice.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Diana Novak Jones; editing by Scott Malone and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Dave Ramsey and Jade Warshaw

After getting married or moving in together, many couples pool at least a portion of their finances in a joint account. But Sarah, a newlywed from Virginia  and the breadwinner  is worried about what will happen if she combines finances with her financially unfaithful husband.

Must Read

Theyve been married three months, and shes discovered he wasnt as financially responsible as shed thought. And he has been secretive about his debt, she told The Ramsey Show (1).

Sarah purchased a home in 2023 and is working to get herself out of debt, which includes paying off her car in the next year and tackling a few other debts. But her husband wants to merge accounts and shes worried that will send them deeper into debt.

But Dave Ramsey says combining their finances is the only way to get transparency and accountability on where every dollar is going. Heres why.

Building a foundation of trust

Its important to note that while Ramsey believes the merging of finances in a marriage is necessary, there are other experts like Kevin OLeary who advise against it. In fact, OLeary believes that everyone should get a prenup, something Ramsey believes dooms a marriage.

The majority of American couples keep at least some of their money separate, according to a Bankrate survey, which found that 34% of couples have both separate and joint accounts and 27% keep totally separate accounts (2).

The same survey, however, found that 40% of adults who live with their partner (either married or common-law) have committed financial infidelity. That includes overspending (and not telling their partner), having secret debt or keeping a secret bank account or credit card.

Sarah, for example, told The Ramsey Show that her husband said he paid the gas bill, but when she called the gas company, he still owed a balance of $1,200. However, its unclear from the call if shes dealing with financial infidelity or someone whos disorganized.

Financial infidelity isnt necessarily the sign of a pathological liar. Shame and guilt could be reasons for hiding debt or bad spending habits.

One longitudinal study from 2023 found that couples who merged their finances tended to have a stronger relationship during their first two years of marriage than those who kept their money separate (3).

Read More: This $1B private real estate fund is now accessible to non-millionaires. Heres how you can get started with as little as $10

While there could be several reasons for this, Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, financial therapist and author of The Financial Anxiety Solution, told NPR that a joint bank account decreases the likelihood of financial infidelity (4). Having a fully joint account means couples are able to spend and save and talk about that very openly.

Sarah is the breadwinner, earning an annual salary of $62,000. Her husband works for a cable company for $12 an hour and makes an inconsistent income; one week he might make $300 and another week he might make $500.

While Sarah may be afraid of losing financial control if they open a joint account, shed also know exactly how much hes making, how much hes spending and if hes actually paid the bills. If they keep their finances separate, she may always wonder if hes being financially unfaithful  and, without a foundation of trust, that could put an enormous strain on their marriage.

The primary reason people get divorced [is] when contempt rolls in, so youve got to solve for that or this marriage isnt going to make it, Ramsey told Sarah.

How to merge finances

Sarah and her husband are seeing a marriage counselor, but there are some other steps they can take to get on the same page with their finances. They could take a yours, mine and ours approach, with a joint account for shared expenses and separate accounts for personal expenses.

This can work well when the bulk of your money is shared, Bryan-Podvin told NPR. You [can use your joint account to] make sure your bills and rent are paid on time and save toward future goals together.

They could start by creating a budget, pooling at least a portion of their income into a joint account and ensuring that both contribute to the bills.

Setting up regular meetings (say, once a month) to discuss their budget  whats working, whats not  can help them adjust where necessary and work toward future goals. A budget should be considered a living document that can change with time (say, if her husband gets a higher-paying job).

In instances where one partner makes significantly more money than the other (like Sarah and her husband), it often doesnt make sense to split everything 50-50. Rather, they could each contribute a proportionate amount of their overall income to bills. If her husband tends to forget paying the bills, they could set their bills to auto-pay, which also takes some pressure off Sarah.

If they pool all of their money in one account and both agree where every dollar of their income will go each month, then he has agreed to his spending level and you have too, before it occurs, Ramsey told Sarah. If he does otherwise, youre dealing with someone who cant keep a contract now with his wife.

And thats a different kind of problem.

Sarahs situation may also serve as a cautionary tale for others: make sure you fully understand your partners financial picture before you get hitched.

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

The Ramsey Show/YouTube (1); Bankrate (2); Journal of Consumer Research (3); NPR (4);

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
In 2025, the U.S. saw a reduction in Chinese goods, which were slapped with steep 40% tariffs, and an increase in ASEAN imports, which had lower tariffs averaging 10%. (BLOOMBERG)

Within a year of taking office, U.S. president Donald Trump turned global trade on its head. His sweeping tariffs took effect on Aug. 1, and have since upended countless trade relationships countries built through years of diplomacy. Yet despite the U.S. tariffs, global trade has been more resilient than expected, say Macquaries analysts in their 2026 global economic and market outlook (which was released in December). Theyve even benefitted an unlikely group: Southeast Asian economies.

This is because many Chinese exporters turned to transshipping to reduce tariff paymentsa process that led them to route goods through ASEAN countries before shipping them to the U.S.

Consequently, in 2025, the U.S. saw a reduction in Chinese goods, which were slapped with steep 40% tariffs, and an increase in ASEAN imports, which had lower tariffs averaging 10%.

President Trump, meanwhile, sought to diversify U.S. supply chains by inking trade deals with four ASEAN countriesThailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnamand pledging Americas commitment to the region.

Our message to the nations of Southeast Asia is that the US is with you 100% and we intend to be a strong partner and friend for many generations to come, Trump told leaders at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 26, noting that two-way trade between U.S. and Southeast Asia had reached a record of $453 billion in 2024.

China too, has sought to deepen ties with their Southern neighbours, signing an upgraded Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA 3.0) with ASEAN at the same summitand cementing its position as Southeast Asias largest trading partner.

This has translated into steady growth for the ASEAN region.

ASEANs growth in 2025 (+4.8%) turned out to be resilient and largely unchanged from 2024, Maybanks analysts say in their ASEAN Macro 2026 Year Ahead report, adding that the fog of uncertainty from tariffs has dissipated.

Maybank also noted that ASEAN countries negotiations with the White House resulted in tariff rates that were much lower than the ones Trump initially threatened, which were as high as 46% for Vietnam and 36% for Thailand. Meanwhile exemptions for tariff categories like electronics, pharmaceuticals, energy and minerals further reduced the bite of the tariffs.

An ongoing shift to dealmaking

But with the U.S. midterm elections looming in Nov. 2026, Trump will likely shift his focus to dealmaking and reducing economic uncertainty, Macquaries analysts say.

This shift has already begun in recent months, they add, with the U.S. inking a bilateral framework agreement with the EU in July, and a deal to lower tariff rates for China in late October. Several partners have also signed similar tariff-slashing deals, including the UK and Japan.

Looking ahead, we suspect the dealmaking approach to persist in 2026, Macquaries analysts say, adding that notable potential deals include those with Mexico and Canada, which constitute 27% and 32% of U.S. exports.

Despite this, experts say that relations between the US and China will likely remain tense. Relatively high tariffs on China could result in a further diversification of supply chains across Asia, with Chinese manufacturers shifting additional production to economies in the region, Macquaries report reads.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Law enforcement officials say the same gunman who opened fire at Brown University also shot and killed an MIT professor two days later. The suspect in both shootings has been identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente.

Authorities said he was found dead in New Hampshire Thursday night following an intensive manhunt. An autopsy report released Friday indicates that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and that he's estimated to have died on Tuesday, Dec. 16  two days before he was found.

Two students were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting at Brown, in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. Then MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was gunned down at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Monday.

Investigators believe the suspect acted alone, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

Here's what we know so far about the suspect.

Who is the suspect in the Brown University and MIT professor shootings?

The suspect in the shootings was identified by authorities as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts posted a photo of Neves Valente on social media late Thursday night.

Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting, in an undated image released on Dec.18, 2025. / Credit: U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (U.S. Attorney Massachusetts)

He was a Portuguese national whose last known residence was in Miami, Florida, officials said during a news conference Thursday night.

He studied at Brown as a grad student in 2000-2001 and then moved to the U.S. in 2017 after receiving a green card through a visa lottery program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post late Thursday.

Where was the suspect found?

Officials said Neves Valente died by suicide at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where he had rented a unit. A satchel and two firearms were found with him.

"We are 100% confident that this is our target, and that this case is closed from a perspective of pursuing people involved," Neronha said.

But so far the motive remains a mystery.

"I don't think we have any idea why now, or why  why Brown? Why these students? Why this classroom? That is really unknown to us. It may become clear, I hope that it does, but it hasn't as of right now," Neronha said.

How was the suspect identified?

Security footage and hotel, rental car and storage unit records all helped in the case. And police said information from a tipster who encountered the suspect near Brown University was key to making the identification.

Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts, provided a timeline at a news conference Thursday night.

She said the suspect stayed in a hotel room in Boston in late November, and then on Dec. 1 he rented a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates from a car rental agency in Boston and drove "to the vicinity" of Brown University. Providence is about an hour's drive from Boston.

Claudio Neves Valente, suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, at an Alamo Rent-a-Car on Nov. 17, 2025, in this screen grab from CCTV footage released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS

His car was "observed intermittently" between Dec. 1 and Dec. 12 in the area of Brown University, Foley said. The shooting took place on Saturday, Dec. 13, and suspect then returned to Massachusetts, where MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was shot at his home in Brookline on Monday, Dec. 15.

A tipster known as "John" in a Providence police affidavit reported that he encountered a man near Brown resembling the person of interest. John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that police should look into "possibly a rental" gray Nissan.

Following up on that tip "blew this case right open," Neronha said.

"Investigators identified the vehicle that he had rented in Boston and drove to Rhode Island," Foley said, and they also obtained footage of him from the rental car location. She said a financial investigation also linked him to the car and hotels.

Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University shooting, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent-a-Car in this screen grab from CCTV footage released in an affidavit by the Providence Police on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Providence Police/Handout via REUTERS (Providence Police)

Security footage also showed the suspect within a half-mile of Loureiro's apartment, and there was footage showing him entering "in the location of the professor's apartment," Foley said.

About an hour later, he was seen entering the storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire.

When he was found dead Thursday he was dressed in the same clothes that he was seen wearing right after Loureiro's murder, Foley said.

"We found records, with the help of the FBI and others, that that was his storage area," Neronha said.

What was the suspect's connection to Brown University?

Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown University from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, Brown's president, Christina Paxson, said. He was admitted to the graduate school to study in a PhD physics program.

Paxson said he took a leave of absence in April 2001, before formally withdrawing on July 31, 2003.

He was only enrolled in physics classes while at the school, which were held in the same building where the shooting took place.

"The majority of physics classes at Brown have always been held at the Barus & Holley classrooms and labs," Paxson said.

What was the suspect's connection to the MIT professor?

Both the suspect and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro were from Portugal and attended the same university program there.

In a statement, the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Portugal confirmed that Neves Valente had been a student at its Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion, studying for a degree in Engineering Physics between 1995 and 2000. Loureiro took the course during the same period, the institute said.

"My understanding is that they did know each other," Foley said.

They were close in age  the suspect was 48 and Loureiro was 47  and both studied physics. Loureiro went on to become a prominent scholar in the field of fusion energy research and was director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

Loureiro was shot multiple times at his home Monday night and died the next day.

Person of interest identified in deadly Brown University shooting

John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois sign off after their last "CBS Evening News" broadcast

Trump administration official says only part of the Epstein files will be released today
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Erika Kirk speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry), Image 2 shows US Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2025. The 31-year-old Kirk was killed on September 10 when hit by a single bullet in his neck while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem. Turning Point USA announced that a memorial service for Kirk will take place in a football stadium near Phoenix, Arizona on September 21, which US President Donald Trump confirmed he will attend. (Photo by Doug MILLS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by DOUG MILLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Erika Kirk threw her support behind Vice President JD Vance for president during her opening night address at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest Thursday night  and revealed that the conservative nonprofit will return to college campuses next year in the wake of her husband Charlies assassination.

Were going to ensure that President Trump has Congress for all four years, she told attendees at the Phoenix Convention Center.

We are going to get my husbands friend JD Vance elected for 48 [sic] in the most resounding way possible.

Erika Kirk backed JD Vance for president during her remarks at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix on Dec. 18, 2025. AP

Vice President JD Vance hosts an episode of the Charlie Kirk Show days after the 31-year-old conservative activist was gunned down during a speaking event on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10, 2025. POOL/AFP via Getty Images

It appears that Kirk meant to say 28, and had previously signaled that TPUSA was leaning toward backing Vance in the next presidential election.

The 36-year-old widow of assassinated TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk also vowed to carry on with her husbands work in fighting for Republicans to prevail in the 2026 midterms.

The mother of two was forced to ad-lib the opening of her address after her prepared remarks vanished from her iPad.

The enemy has thrown a lot of curve balls at us today, she said at the top of her speech after realizing her prepared remarks were gone. And one of them is the fact that my entire speech has been wiped because my iPad wont even turn on.

So thats a fun technical difficulty that we can figure out. So were just going to wing it.

Undeterred, Kirk carried on with her speech, riffing about various anecdotes from her late 31-year-old husband. At one point, a staffer brought over a sheet of paper with some stats she intended to read.

The 36-year-old widow of assassinated TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk also vowed to carry on with his work in fighting for Republicans to prevail in the 2026 midterms. REUTERS

Russell Brand speaks during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since Charlie Kirks assassination in Phoenix on Dec. 18, 2025. REUTERS

After bouncing around different anecdotes while walking around on stage in her sparkling gold attire, the widow began to delve into the stats about TPUSAs recent successes and data about AmericaFest.

All 50 states represented, she said, referring to the events attendance. We have 25 countries represented, plus Puerto Rico. But I have the list here. Dont worry, guys, Egypt is not on the list.

The joke was a not-so-subtle knock at right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, who has peddled conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirks assassination, including her eyebrow-raising claims that an Egyptian plane was tracking Erika.

Oh, how funny. I say Egypt and my iPad turns on, Erika remarked after finishing rattling through the stats.

Erika met with Owens privately on Monday in Nashville to discuss the rightwing podcasters bashing of Turning Point USA in the weeks that followed Charlies murder.

The meeting also replaced a planned rebuttal that producers of The Charlie Kirk Show initially planned for Monday to dispute some of the bonkers claims that Owens has peddled.

After Erikas speech came back up on the screen, the Turning Point USA CEO began reading some of the conservative grassroots organizations major announcements, including plans to return to campus next year.

Kirk also took jabs at right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, who has peddled conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirks assassination, including her eyebrow-raising claims that an Egyptian plane was tracking Erika. Getty Images

An AmericaFest attendee holds a Socialism Sucks flag. REUTERS

Charlies love for debate will always be the DNA of Turning Point USA, because we believe in truth, and we believe in civil discourse, and we believe that truth can withstand scrutiny, she said.

So that is why well be launching the Pick up the Mic initiative and getting back on campus for Prove Me Wrongs and campus tour events this spring and fall of 2026.

Over the past few of months, Erika helped ensure that her late husbands The American Comeback Tour was completed after he was fatally shot in the neck at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

An AmericaFest attendee holds a Socialism Sucks flag. REUTERS

During an interview with podcaster Megyn Kelly, Kirk recounted that one of her final conversations with her late husband was how intentional he was about supporting JD for 28.

Earlier this month, at the New York Times DealBook summit, Erika refrained from endorsing Vance for the 2028 race, though she stressed how her late husband backed him for Senate in 2022.

I adore JD, and my husband was very vocal about supporting him, she said. I will enjoy the fact that my husband worked so hard  so hard for this past election. And I think it would behove us to appreciate that hard work and enjoy the fact that we do have a president in office that we voted for.
Federal Funding For Food Assistance Programs To Run Out Starting Nov. 1, Due To Government Shutdown  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

United States Attorney Leah Foley of the District of Massachusetts announced Wednesday that two Haitian immigrants to the United States were facing food stamp fraud charges.

Antonio Bonheur, 74, of Mattapan, and Saul Alisme, 21, of Hyde Park, were each indicted on a single count of food stamp fraud over a scheme that bilked over $7 million in benefits from two bodegas in the Boston area, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) release. Foley described how the bodega owners ripped off taxpayers during a press conference. (RELATED: Food Stamp Recipient Complains She Cant Buy Junk Food With Your Tax Dollars)

These defendants exchanged SNAP benefits for cash, which they pocketed. Bohneur, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti, owned the Jesula Variety Store. Alisme, a lawful permanent resident also from Haiti, owned the Saul Mache Mixe Store, Foley told reporters. These two businesses were co-located within a single storefront in Boston. To be certain, these were not supermarkets. They were not full-service groceries. It would be a huge stretch to even call them convenience stores.

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In fact, the only thing convenient about these stores was how easy it was to commit SNAP benefit fraud. To put this in perspective, the Jesula Variety Store is less than 150 square feet in size, smaller than some bathrooms. The Saul Mache Mixe Store was approximately 500 square feet in space, Foley continued. By contrast, a supermarket can be 20,000 to 60,000 square feet in size, have a dozen or more registers, and employ numerous employees. Both the Jesula Variety and Saul Mache Mixe stores had one register, no carriages, no hand baskets, and very little food for sale.

The DOJ said in the release that the two small stores operated by Bonheur and Alisme were redeeming as much as $500,000 in benefits per month, compared to $82,000 for one supermarket in the same neighborhood.

One legitimate supermarket in the same area as these stores redeems approximately $80,000 in SNAP benefits per month, Foley said during the press conference. Over the last 20 months, the Jesula Variety Store was redeeming between three and six times that amount monthly, with nowhere near the space, inventory, customers, or infrastructure to support it. The Saul Mache Mixe Store redeemed over $120,000 in SNAP benefits in the last six months.

Simply put, there is no plausible way SNAP-eligible food could have been purchased from these stores for this long, Foley continued. Yet these two stores are alleged to have illicitly trafficked nearly $7 million in SNAP benefits. (RELATED: Stephen Miller Says Somali Fraud Scandal Could Create Unprecedented Milestone In US History)

Welfare fraud allegations have garnered national attention since state employees accused Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota of engaging in systemic retaliation against whistleblowers who warned of the fraud schemes being run by Somali migrants in the state on Nov. 30. At least $1 billion in fraud has occurred and allegations that some of the stolen funds went to the radical Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabaab prompted a probe by the Treasury Department.

Allegations of similar fraud schemes tied to Somalia have since been raised by whistleblowers in Maine and Ohio.

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Jimmy Lai at a protest in Hong Kong in 2014 | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Liau Chung-ren/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

There are many interesting tidbits about the life of the political prisoner Jimmy Lai. He hid in the bottom of a fishing boat to escape mainland Communist China for Hong Kong at the ripe age of 12. He built a garment empire after spending his adolescence working, and sleeping, in garment factories. Without media experience, he started several successful news venturesmost notably the plucky and irreverent Apple Dailywhich forcefully advocated for democracy and free speech. And he may be sentenced to die in prison in connection with his efforts promoting liberty in China.

But the most interesting fact, by far, is that Lai is a citizen of the United Kingdom (U.K.).

The dissident was convicted in Hong Kong earlier this week of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and one count of publishing seditious materialcharges stemming from his crusade against illiberalism, a fight he has been waging for decades. Lai finding himself in trouble was not a surprise. That's especially true amid the backdrop of Hong Kong's "national security" law, which sought to cripple dissent, that took effect in 2020. He was arrested in August of that year and released on bail; authorities revoked it four months later. Lai has been in custody since.

That he would probably end up in prison, however, was never really in doubt. Which brings me back to his U.K. citizenship.

Lai did not have to stay in Hong Kong as the walls closed in on him. The self-made business tycoononce a billionaire before the government froze his assetscould have fled to a residence abroad. His friend Mark Clifford, formerly the editor in chief of the South China Morning Post, told me in an interview earlier this year that many people in Lai's circle urged him to do just that.

He declined. "Everything I have was given to me by Hong Kong. I won't be leaving," Lai told Radio Free Asia in June 2020. "I'm going to stay here and fight to the bitter end."

Lawmakers would go on to formally approve the national security law, essentially a foregone conclusion, about three weeks later. The legislation broadly criminalized political dissent and hamstrung the civil liberties that once distinguished Hong Kong from mainland China. A defense of those freedomswhich were already under increasing attackhad come to define Lai's legacy. Lai not only unapologetically advanced democracy and free expression in the region, but he also met with thenVice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; at trial, Lai testified that he had asked them to voice their support for Hong Kong. He knew the law was coming, and he knew what it meant for him.

But some things, he decided, are more important than personal freedom. In this case, the absence of it was more importantin part to show the world what happens when an authoritarian government severely curtails basic liberties.

In some sense, there was no better person than Lai to send this message. His Cinderella story is impossible to divorce from Hong Kong itself. There, he was able to find refuge from the Chinese Communist Party, which had imprisoned his mother, deemed a "class enemy," in a labor camp. But he was also able to make something from nothing: from living in factories, while rats scampered across his body, to running them. His story came full circle. It demands people ask: Do you prefer Hong Kong's past? Or its future?

The post Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom appeared first on Reason.com.
From left: Peter Arnett, Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergen and cameraman Peter Jouvenal pose for a photo in 1997. - Courtesy Peter Bergen

It was a bitterly cold night in March 1997 in a mud hut high in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan and we were surrounded by well-armed al-Qaeda fighters.

Peter Arnett asked their leader a simple question: What are your future plans?

Osama bin Laden replied, Youll see them and hear about them in the media, God willing,

It was bin Ladens first TV interview, and he and his team had chosen Arnett and CNN to conduct it, an interview I produced.

In the following year, bin Laden made good on his chilling threat with al-Qaedas near-simultaneous attacks on two US embassies in Africa that killed more than 200 people. In 2000, his men bombed the USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 American sailors. Then, of course, there were the 9/11 attacks which killed almost 3,000 people and resulted in a Global War on Terror.

I first got to know Arnett, who died on Wednesday, in 1993. He was then one of the worlds most famous people and certainly its most well-known foreign correspondent. It was only two years after the first Gulf War and Arnetts brave decision to remain in Baghdad after other Western reporters left, while American bombs were raining down on Saddam Husseins regime in Iraq, transformed CNNs standing among viewers around the world. And it turned Arnett into a global celebrity.

You often heard Arnett before you saw him coming; a stocky man with a booming New Zealand-accented voice that could cut through glass. And then you saw the man himself: Larger than life does not do him justice; Arnett was a newsmans newsman, full of tales of derring-do in Vietnam and many other wars around the globe.

I was thirty when I first met Arnett and Id never been to a war zone. And soon, we were flying into Afghanistan in the middle of the civil war there. Kabul, the capital, was in ruins resembling Dresden after World War II; various warlords were fighting block to block. Child soldiers were a common sight. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Afghan prime minister, had the distinction of likely being the only prime minister in history to shell his own capital on a daily basis.

Peter Arnett, left, and Peter Bergen, third from right, meet with Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, in Afghanistan in 1993. - Richard Mackenzie

Arnett interviewed all the major players in the civil war for CNN including Hekmatyar, Hekmatyars main opponent Ahmad Shah Massoud  who would be assassinated by al-Qaeda two days before 9/11  and Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani who was killed by the Taliban in 2011.

During the Afghan civil war, shells were dropping constantly on Kabul and various ethnic and sectarian militias were battling each other in continuous firefights, yet Arnett seemed completely content. He wanted to be where the action was and Afghanistan in 1993 had action aplenty.

One piece of advice Arnett gave me then has stayed with me: Never do anything for fun in a war zone, which struck me as wise counsel.

We were in Afghanistan because we were tracking the bombers of the World Trade Center in 1993, a group of men  some of whom had fought in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s or had supported that effort  who had parked a van packed with explosives in the basement aiming to bring down the Twin Towers. They failed to do so but six people were killed.

Peter Bergen and Peter Arnett make a phone call with a satellite telephone, in Afghanistan in 1993. - Richard Mackenzie

In 1997, I spent weeks negotiating with a group of bin Laden associates living in London to try and secure an interview with the al-Qaeda leader. We believed that bin Laden might have had a role in the 1993 Trade Center bombing. (We didnt know it then, but Ramzi Yousef who masterminded the 1993 bombing, was the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaedas operational commander of the 9/11 attacks.)

Other networks were also pursuing an interview, including the BBC, and CBS 60 Minutes. I believe that Arnetts reputation for fairness in covering the Gulf War was crucial in CNN securing the interview.

Back on the Afghan mountaintop, Arnett asked bin Laden why he was declaring a jihad, holy war, against the United States.

Bin Laden gave a long answer critiquing American support for Israel and US allies in the Middle East such as Saudi Arabia.

This reply undercut President George W. Bushs frequent later claims after 9/11 that the United States was attacked because of its freedoms.

In his CNN interview four years before 9/11, bin Laden said his rationale for jihad against the United States was American foreign policy in the Middle East.

It was a privilege to spend many weeks in Afghanistan with Arnett in 1993 and then again four year later producing the first TV interview with bin Laden.

Arnett was a man who fear seemed to have no hold over. And Ive never done anything for fun in an active war zone since.

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The Freedom Tower is the USA's tallest building. Siegfried Layda/Getty Images

Every state has a highest building, whether it's a modest church or a super-tall skyscraper

We ranked the highest buildings in all 50 states.

The tallest building is 15 times larger than the smallest.

While tall buildings are concentrated in the larger cities in the US, every state has its own tallest building.

We found the tallest building in each state using data from The Skyscraper Center, a database maintained by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

Here's how every state (and Washington, DC!) stacks up against each other in terms of height.

51. Wyoming: Wyoming Financial Center, 148 feet

The Wyoming Financial Center. Google Maps

The Wyoming Financial Center, located in Cheyenne, was sold in 2024 to Laramie County for repurposing as a government building, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

50. South Dakota: The CenturyLink Tower, 174 feet

dustin77a/Shutterstock

The CenturyLink Tower in Sioux Falls has just 11 floors.

49. Vermont: Grace Church, 199 feet

The Grace Congregational United Church of Christ. Google Maps

This church is located in Rutland.

48. Maine: Saint Joseph's Church, 235 feet

Saint Joseph's Church. Google Maps

The congregation is located in Biddeford.

47. North Dakota: North Dakota State Capitol, 242 feet

Photo taken August 18, 2013 shows the state Capitol building of North Dakota at Bismarck KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

An urban legend in North Dakota posits that no building in the state can be taller than the 19-story capitol, but there's no such law.

46. Montana: The First Interstate Center, 272 feet

Google Maps

The 18-story office building is located in the heart of downtown Billings.

45. New Hampshire: City Hall Plaza, 275 feet

John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Manchester's City Hall Plaza has 20 floors and 219,700 square feet of space.

44. West Virginia: West Virginia State Capitol, 293 feet

Archive Photos/Getty Images

The golden dome of West Virginia's capitol in Charleston is larger than that of the capitol in Washington, DC.

43. Alaska: The Conoco-Phillips Building, 296 feet

Kevin G. Smith / Design Pics via Getty Images

The Conoco-Phillips building is located in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, and is part of a three-building complex. It has 21 floors.

42. Idaho: Eighth & Main, 323 feet tall

Joe Jaszewski for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Eighth & Main, located in Boise, opened its 18 floors in 2014.

41. Washington, DC: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 329 feet

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Jon Bilous/Shutterstock

It's the patronal church of the Catholic Church in the US.

40. Mississippi: The Beau Rivage Casino Hotel, 347 feet

Night Skyline of Biloxi, Mississippi. fasthorses/Shutterstock

The beachfront hotel has 32 floors. It's located in Biloxi.

39. South Carolina: Capitol Center, 349 feet

Richard Cummins / robertharding via Getty Images

Capitol Center has 25 floors and is located across the street from South Carolina's capitol in Columbia.

38. New Mexico: Albuquerque Plaza, 351 feet

Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Albuquerque Plaza, also known as the US Eagle Building, has 22 floors.

37. Delaware: 1201 North Market Street, 360 feet

1201 North Market Street. Google Maps

1202 North Market Street, located in Wilmington, has been open since the '80s. Its 23 floors contain offices.

36. Kansas: The Epic Center, 385 feet

Wichita Kansas and Arkansas River Skyline Tyler Mabie/Shutterstock

The Epic Center in Wichita has 24 floors and 250,000 square feet.

35. Rhode Island: The Industrial National Bank Building, 428 feet

Richard Cummins/Getty Images

The building is known as the "Superman Building" to locals due to its resemblance to the Daily Planet, the newspaper where Clark Kent works in the comics.

34. Hawaii: The Central Ala Moana, 435 feet

The Central Ala Moana. Google Maps

The Central Ala Moana, located in Honolulu, is a residential building with 43 floors. It was completed in 2021.

33. Utah: Astra Tower, 450 feet

Astra Tower. Google Maps

The Astra Tower had its ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2025. The 41-story building is located in downtown Salt Lake City.

32. Arizona: The Chase Tower, 483 feet

Hotel San Carlos and Chase Bank Tower. Phoenix, Arizona, United States, North America Richard Cummins/Getty Images

The 40-story building sold in May 2018 for $79 million. A few months later, it was sold again for $107 million. It was bought by Vincent Viola, the owner of the Florida Panthers.

Since then, the Phoenix skyscraper has sat empty.

31. Virginia: The Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, 508 feet

Google Maps

The hotel underwent a renovation in 2018 and features an 8,332-square-foot ballroom.

30. Maryland: 100 Light, 529 feet

100 Light. Stoniko/Shutterstock

You might know this building by its unofficial name, the Transamerica Tower. This Baltimore office building has 40 floors.

29. Connecticut: City Place I, 535 feet

Porter Gifford/Liaison via Getty Images

City Place I has been the state's tallest building since the '80s and has 38 floors.

27 (tie). Arkansas: Simmons Tower, 546 feet

Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

Simmons Tower in Little Rock was built in the '80s. It has 40 floors.

27 (tie). Oregon: The Wells Fargo Center, 546 feet

Richard Cummins/Getty Images

Unsurprisingly, the Wells Fargo Center also has 40 floors and "panoramic views of downtown Portland, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and the Willamette River," according to its website.

26. Kentucky: 400 West Market, 549 feet

LOUISVILLE, KY, USA - JULY 23, 2018: 400 West Market is one of the most famous landmarks in the downtown Louisville area with its beautiful 35-story architecture John Burgee with Philip Johnson/Shutterstock

Louisville's 400 West Market was completed in 1993 and has 35 floors.

25. Wisconsin: The US Bank Center, 601 feet

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The 42-story Milwaukee skyscraper won a Distinguished Building Award in 1974 from the American Institute of Architects upon completion.

24. Missouri: One Kansas City Place, 624 feet

KANSAS CITY, UNITED STATES - JUNE 25, 2013: One Kansas City Place building in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the tallest building in Missouri at 624 ft (190 m). It was completed in 1988. Tupungato/Shutterstock

One Kansas City Place has 42 stories and 1.3 million square feet of space.

23. Iowa: 801 Grand, 630 feet

f11photo/Shutterstock

Des Moines' 801 Grand has 44 floors and is 630 feet tall. It also has more than 2,000 steps.

22. Tennessee: AT&T Building, 632 feet tall.

Broadway and AT&T Building (Batman Building) Rainer Grosskopf/Getty Images

Nashville locals know it as the "Batman Building" due to its striking resemblance to Batman's mask with the two spires on either side; however, the design was actually supposed to emulate cellphone antennae.

21. Nebraska: The First National Bank Tower, 634 feet tall.

Morning in Omaha - skyline of the city. Omaha, Nebraska, USA Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock

This 46-story building also has two underground tunnels to combat frigid Omaha winters.

20. Louisiana: The Hancock Whitney Center, 697 feet

New Orleans, LA - Sep. 24, 2017: One Shell Square - a 51-story, 697-foot skyscraper. It is the tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. jejim/Shutterstock

New Orleans' Hancock Whitney Center opened under its new name in January 2019. Previously, the 51-story building was known as One Shell Square.

19. Colorado: Republic Plaza, 714 feet

Luis Castaneda Inc./Getty Images

According to Republic Plaza's website, the building features 56 floors and offers views of Denver and the Rocky Mountains.

18. Michigan: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, 727 feet

MAY 25: Renaissance Center, home of General Motors and Marriott Hotel in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 2018. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The hotel has 70 floors and 1,298 rooms.

17. Nevada: The Fontainebleau Las Vegas, 735 feet

The Fountainbleau Las Vegas. BalkansCat/Shutterstock



The Fontainebleau opened in 2023. According to Eater, it took 16 years for the construction to be completed. It has 67 floors and 3,644 rooms.

Stratosphere Tower is technically taller, but according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat , freestanding observation towers that are not inhabitable structures are not considered "buildings."

16. Alabama: The RSA Battle House Tower, 745 feet

Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images

The Mobile building has 35 floors and features both office spaces and apartments.

15. Massachusetts: John Hancock Tower, 790 feet

Stefan Ugljevarevic/Shutterstock

Boston's John Hancock Tower, also known as 200 Clarendon, depending on who you ask, is the tallest building in New England, reaching a height of 790 feet.

14. Minnesota: The IDS Center, 792 feet tall

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The IDS Center has towered over Minneapolis since its completion in 1972, and has 57 floors.

13. Indiana: The Salesforce Tower, 811 feet

Indianapolis - Circa June 2017: Indianapolis Downtown Skyline on a Sunny Day including the Salesforce, BMO Harris, Regions Bank, and KeyBank towers III Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

The Salesforce Tower is 48 stories tall  and Salesforce itself occupies 12 of them.

12. Oklahoma: Devon Energy Center, 850 feet

Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

The building's three-sided design "evolved in part from Devon's desire to not 'turn its back' on any part" of Oklahoma City, according to Skyscraper Center.

11. Florida: Panorama Tower, 868 feet

Google Maps

Panorama Tower literally towers over Miami  it has 85 floors.

10. North Carolina: The Bank of America Corporate Center, 871 feet

Scott Olson/Getty Images

The Bank of America Corporate Center, located in Charlotte, was constructed in 1992 and stands at 60 stories.

9. New Jersey: 99 Hudson Street, 900 feet tall.

99 Hudson Street. Just dance/Shutterstock

99 Hudson Street took the crown from the Goldman Sachs Tower (a fellow Jersey City building) when its construction topped off in late 2018, at a height of 900 feet. It opened its doors in 2020.

8. Washington: The Columbia Center, 943 feet

John & Lisa Merrill/Getty Images

The Columbia Center in Seattle is home to the Skyview Observatory on the 73rd floor of the building, making it the highest observatory deck in the Pacific Northwest.

7. Ohio: Key Tower, 947 feet

Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images

Key Tower has 57 floors and is attached to the Cleveland Marriott Downtown.

6. Texas: The JPMorgan Chase Tower, 1,002 feet

JB Manning/Shutterstock

The Houston building has 75 floors and is the tallest five-sided building in the world, per its website.

5. Georgia: Bank of America Plaza, 1,023 feet

Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

The tallest building in Georgia is located in Atlanta and has 55 stories and 1.3 million square feet of space.

4. California: The Wilshire Grand Center, 1,100 feet

Mitch Diamond/Getty Images

The 73-floor skyscraper is home to the Hotel InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.

3. Pennsylvania: The Comcast Technology Center, 1,121 feet

James Leynse/Getty Images

The 60-story Comcast Technology Center was Philadelphia's first "supertall" building, which is defined as anything above 1,000 feet, according to Curbed.

2. Illinois: Willis Tower, 1,451 feet

FEBRUARY 26: View of Willis Tower on February 26, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Equity Office

It's 1,730 feet tall, including the building's antennae.

While it might technically be called Willis Tower, both Chicago locals and tourists alike can agree that this 110-floor building will always be the Sears Tower in our hearts.

1. New York: One World Trade Center, 1,776 feet

The Freedom Tower. haveseen/Shutterstock

America's tallest building, New York City's One World Trade Center (also known as the Freedom Tower), is intentionally 1,776 feet tall to honor the year the United States was founded.

Read the original article on Business Insider
BELGIUM-EU-POLITICS (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP via Getty Images)

European Union leaders will gather in Brussels Thursday for a summit that could expose deep fractures in the bloc.

The Trump administration has pressured allied governments to abandon a plan using 210 billion in frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine. White House officials have pushed European governments they consider friendliest to reject the proposal, four EU officials told Politico.

They want to make us weak, a senior EU official with knowledge of the transatlantic relationship said.

The American influence campaign has largely bypassed Brussels, with White House officials instead backchanneling directly with capitals. Italy, Bulgaria, Malta and Czechia have joined Belgium in opposing the asset plan. (RELATED: Trump Admin Reportedly Gives Europes Militaries Kick In The Pants)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned the EU would be severely damaged for years if leaders fail to reach a deal.

We will show the world that, at such a crucial moment in our history, we are incapable of standing together and acting to defend our own political order on this European continent, Merz said in a German TV interview.

The White House dismissed accusations of meddling.

Spitballing from anonymous sources who were not present for these discussions should not be taken seriously, deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said. The United States only objective is bringing peace to this conflict.

Ukraine faces a budget shortfall of 71.7 billion next year. Without funding by April, Kyiv will have to cut public spending, potentially weakening morale and its ability to defend against Russias invasion.

Manfred Weber, leader of the European Peoples Party, offered a blunt assessment Tuesday.

The U.S. is obviously no longer leader of the free world, Weber told reporters.
At least three people were killed and five wounded at the city's main station in an attack whose motives are still unclear. The perpetrator, a 27-year-old Taiwanese man known to law enforcement, was killed in a scuffle with police. President Lai Ching-te said that security was tightened across the island.

Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Three people were killed and five wounded when a young man armed with a long knife sowed panic this evening in downtown Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, before falling to his death from a building during a police chase.

According to Premier Cho Jung-tai, the man threw smoke bombs into Taipei's main train station and then headed to a nearby subway station in a busy shopping district, attacking people along the way.

The attacker is believed to be a 27-year-old Taiwanese man with a criminal record and outstanding arrest warrants, Cho told reporters.

We will investigate his background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other connected factors, he said, identifying the man only by his last name, Chang.

Taiwanese media had previously reported that at least nine people had been injured after a man threw smoke bombs at Taipeis main station, the city's busiest.

He later attacked people with a knife near the Zhongshan subway station. The suspect was also wearing what appeared to be protective armour and a mask.

It appears he deliberately threw smoke bombs and wielded a long knife to carry out indiscriminate attacks on the public, Cho added.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in a Facebook post that security measures have been tightened across the island.

He added that a full investigation will be conducted and that the government will make every effort to ensure public safety.

Lai also urged people not to forward unverified messages, while the motive for the killing remains unclear.
Today's headlines: violent protests in Bangladesh over the death of young leader Hadi. UNHCR: 3 million Syrians have returned home after Assad; lifting of US sanctions encourages increase. Japan reiterates no to nuclear weapons after contrary statements by official. Indonesia works on subsidy plan for victims of Cyclone Senyar.

AUSTRALIA

The Australian government has announced a programme to buy back and destroy firearms held by citizens in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack, the deadliest mass shooting in decades. This is the most extensive programme of its kind since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, which killed 35 people and prompted Australia to introduce world-leading gun control measures. Last Sunday, 15 people were killed and dozens were injured. It is estimated that there are over 4 million firearms in circulation in the country.

BANGLADESH

Police and paramilitary troops have been deployed in Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh after violent overnight protests over the death of popular youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha, a critic of India and participant in the protests that ousted Sheikh Hasina. There are fears of further unrest ahead of the national elections in which he was expected to stand as a candidate. Hadi was killed by a shot to the head by masked assailants. In Dhaka, videos posted on social media showed crowds vandalising the offices of the country's largest newspaper, Prothom Alo, and the Daily Star.

SYRIA - UNITED STATES

The UNHCR reports that, overall, more than 1 million refugees and nearly 2 million internally displaced Syrians have returned to their homes since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. And the decision by the United States to lift sanctions against Syria could encourage more refugees to return to their country of origin. The US Senate has voted to permanently abolish the so-called Caesar Act sanctions, introduced in 2019.

JAPAN

Japan has reaffirmed its decades-long commitment to never acquire nuclear weapons, after local media reported that a senior security official had suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors. The official reportedly said that Japan needs nuclear weapons due to the worsening security situation, but also acknowledged that such a move would be politically difficult.

INDONESIA

Indonesian Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said the government is considering a programme of daily subsidies of 10,000 rupees (0.60) for each displaced victim. Victims of the recent deadly floods on the Indonesian island of Sumatra - caused by Cyclone Senyar - could receive government support, including compensation of 15 million rupiah (6) for the families of those killed in the disaster, which claimed more than 1,000 lives in three provinces.

ARMENIA

Armenia's National Assembly has approved the compulsory medical insurance law, which will come into effect on 1 January 2026, as stated by Health Minister Anait Avanesyan, calculating the taxes paid in recent months and then applying the system to the vast majority of the population by 2029, ensuring first aid and other services in consecutive stages over three years.

RUSSIA

The Moscow Duma has approved amendments to the Civil Code, which requires chats in residential assemblies to be conducted on the patriotic messenger Max, which will in fact increasingly be equated with identity cards and the means of access to all public services. and by 19 December, all secondary schools will have to submit a report on the effectiveness of Max for communications between students, parents and teachers, which they do not particularly welcome.
by Gregory

The regime has ordered churches in the northern state, home to a large Christian community, to celebrate Christmas Mass by 20 December. Any public event related to the holiday is prohibited on the 25th. Officials justify the measure citing logistical difficulties. Anger and frustration are widespread among the faithful. They oppress us with weapons, and now they try to oppress our spirit, said one.

Yangon (AsiaNews)  Myanmars ruling military junta wants to bring forward Christmas celebrations in northern Myanmar, where there is a significant Christian presence, so as not to hinder elections scheduled for late December or January.

In a decision that has sparked great outrage and deep resentment among believers, the ruling military council has ordered churches in Kachin State to hold Masses, celebrations, and other Christmas-related events to stop a few days before the holy day to encourage voting.

Sources close to the government have confirmed that Christmas celebrations should end tomorrow in the regional capital Myitkyina, as well as Putao, Tanai, and Nawng Mun townships where elections are set for 28 December.

The directive effectively bans public celebrations on 25 December, the sacred date traditionally associated with the holiday.

Local government officials justify the measure as a logistical necessity. Its because of the election. If its held normally on December 25th, it will be too close to the election, a member of the General Administration Department in Putao Township told local media.

For ethnic Kachin, who are predominantly Christian, the juntas order is not a logistical adjustment, but a deliberate act of control and repression. The military seized power in February 2021 by ousting the democratic-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was arrested.

A Christian resident in Tanai Township expressed deep frustration, comparing the order to a forced and fake birthday celebration.

"This feels like a religiously oppressive act. I have never experienced this in my entire life as a Christian," she said. "It is like being told to celebrate your birthday party not on your actual birthday, but earlier. Who would be happy if their birthday was treated that way? This is the most sacred festival for every Christian."

The restriction has put the clergy in a difficult position. Fearing repercussions, most churches have complied, scheduling services for 18 or 19 December.

A former district administrator in Myitkyina noted that, while no specific punishment has been announced, the threat is implicit.

It is certain that if someone holds it close to the election on the 24th or the 25th, they will arrest or block them, citing disobedience or rebellion against government orders," he said.

Mung Aung, a local Catholic catechist, slammed the restrictions as a violation of religious freedom and symptomatic of the junta's broader war against the country's ethnic and religious minorities.

"It is very odd, and deeply painful, that we cannot celebrate Christmas in public on the actual holy day due to this restriction," he said. "The military government treats our faith as an inconvenience to their political theatre.

In his view, By forcing us to move the birth of our Saviour to suit their schedule, they show their complete lack of respect for the Kachin people and the Christian minority.

He added: They oppress us with weapons, and now they try to oppress our spirit by dictating when we can pray. But while they can control the dates on a calendar, they cannot extinguish the faith in our hearts."

The controversy comes as the military council plans to hold elections in "stable" townships on 28 December.

Political parties, including the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National Unity Party (NUP), have reportedly already begun campaigning in these areas.

By contrast, in townships where elections will not be held, the Christmas holidays are expected to proceed as usual, creating a sharp divide within the state.

Observers stress that the forced rescheduling of Christmas risks exacerbating animosity and tensions between the military regime and the Kachin community, who have long suffered from army attacks and systematic discrimination.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

One year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Moscow no longer plays an active role in Syria. But al-Sharaa went to Russia to meet Putin and relations between the two countries are marked by pragmatism, with Damascus still dependent on Russian oil and wheat. The issue of air bases and the port of Tartus.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - A year ago, Islamic rebels in Syria overwhelmingly overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power in Damascus for almost a quarter of a century, ending a civil war that had been going on since 2011 and decades of violent dictatorship.

However, Ahmed al-Sharah's new government still has a long way to go, as Syria's many problems have certainly not been resolved, and even the presence of the Russians, former supporters of Assad who is now resting in Moscow, has not yet completely disappeared.

On the evening of 8 December, the centre of Damascus and many other Syrian cities was lit up with lights and fireworks, festive music resounded everywhere, and hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the first anniversary of liberation in the streets.

The celebrations continue for days, in an attempt to forget the government's struggle against the ongoing outbreaks of inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflict and the enormous difficulties of the social and economic conditions of the population.

Fourteen years of civil war, in which many external powers have taken part, have claimed no less than half a million lives, and millions of Syrian refugees are scattered throughout the world.

Syria's current leaders are still trying to figure out how to rebuild the entire country, much of which has been reduced to a pile of rubble, and above all how to restore state and local institutions in order to govern the approximately 25 million Syrians who remain in their homeland (and alive).

The new president, al-Sharah, has travelled the world in search of aid, from Saudi Arabia to Turkey, from France to the United States, where in 2013 he was described as one of the most dangerous wanted terrorists, with a million bounty on his head for even the slightest information about him.

He has now met his new friend Donald Trump twice, obtaining the cancellation of many sanctions, and speaking at the UN in September, the first Syrian president to do so in 58 years.

Finally, in October, he travelled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, staying for two and a half hours of talks without making any comments. According to information subsequently released in Damascus, the Russian president made it clear that he wanted to keep the military air bases in Syria at Hmeimim and Qamishli, continuing to use the port of Tartus on the Mediterranean, locations considered strategic for Russia towards Africa, where Russia's presence and influence on the governments of several countries appears increasingly intense.

Apparently, Russia has no active role within Syria, and most of its soldiers have left the country. The military bases and various commercial projects dependent on Moscow seem to have been completely abandoned, while the port of Tartus under Assad was effectively controlled by the Russians, and now the few Russians remaining have to ask for permission for any movement or activity.

However, a certain Russian presence has remained, even though al-Sharah could have forced everyone to leave. The new Syrian leader is demonstrating remarkable pragmatism in this regard, rising above ideological dictates and memories of the civil war, in which the Russians defended the Assad regime.

Russia was and remains the main supplier of oil and wheat to Syria, which are imported at huge discounts compared to other countries. Russia remains a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and the weapons circulating in Syria are mostly Russian, and al-Sharah still needs Moscow to guarantee the security of his government.

One problem that cannot be solved without Russia's support is compliance with the 1974 convention on the division of forces between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, which the Israelis broke immediately after Assad's fall, occupying several border territories long defended by the Russians.

One of al-Sharah's main advisers is his older brother, Makher al-Sharah, a doctor who studied in Russia and is married to a Russian woman, Tatiana Zakirova, and who now handles relations with Moscow on behalf of the Damascus government.
18 December 2025 22:57 (UTC+04:00)

The court proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other grave crimes, continued on December 18.

The open court hearing held at the Baku Military Court, presided over by Judge Zeynal Agayev, with judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samedova), ensured that the accused was provided with an interpreter in the language he knows, namely Russian, as well as a state-appointed lawyer for his defense.

At the beginning of the court session, the accused Ruben Vardanyan stated that he wished to speak with his defense counsel in the courtroom.

The presiding judge granted his motion. After the accused spoke with his defense counsel Emil Babishov, the prosecution delivered its speech.

In his address, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev recalled that the judicial investigation in the criminal case concerning the charges against Vardanyan Ruben Karlenovich had been completed. Over the course of nearly a year, numerous court hearings were held, documents and evidence were examined, and victims and witnesses were questioned. The prosecution believes that, based on the evidence presented, the guilt of the accused in committing numerous criminal acts in the current proceedings has been confirmed.

The prosecution stated that crimes committed both before and after R. Vardanyan joined the criminal organization formed by Armenia in the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan it had occupied would be addressed. V. Aliyev said: All this is important because when Ruben Vardanyan joined the said criminal organization, he understood the social danger of his actions, knew what crimes had been committed by this criminal organization against the Azerbaijani state and people, and continued the commission of those crimes at subsequent stages.

It was emphasized that between 1988 and 1994, the Armenian state and the criminal organization it formed occupied the city of Khankendi of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the districts of Kalbajar, Shusha, Lachin, Khojaly, Khojavend, Zangilan, Jabrayil, Gubadli, the village of Kerki in the Sadarak district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the villages of Baghanis Ayrum, Ashaghi Askipara, Kheyrimli, Barkhudarly, Sofulu, Gizilhajili, Yukhari Askipara of the Gazakh district, the district centers and a number of villages of the Aghdam and Fuzuli districts, and several villages of the Tartar district. As a result, these territories were destroyed, burned, looted, and damaged in other ways, private property was harmed, and people were forcibly displaced from their homes.

Continuing his speech, the prosecutor referred to the inspection protocol dated October 26, 2023, regarding the inspection of R. Vardanyans office located in the city of Khankendi, as well as to operational information and other documents, stating: These documents confirm that the accused joined the criminal organization in early December 2020.

In his speech, the prosecutor defending the state prosecution also addressed R. Vardanyans links with Vartanov Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich (Levani), the founder of the terrorist organization known as VoMa, which took part in military operations against the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as their communications via the WhatsApp mobile application. It was noted that VoMa was established on January 11, 2013, and operated as an organized armed group as a structural unit of a criminal organization in the Republic of Armenia, as well as in territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan that had previously been under occupation.

It was established during operational measures that Vardanyan, who maintained regular contact with Vartanov, discussed within the framework of the VoMa terrorist organization the training of fighters and instructors, the organization of training sessions, and thus the commission of terrorist acts and participation in combat operations by remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed groups against the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, and that Vardanyan assumed responsibility for financing this terrorist organization and its members.

The prosecutor stated that another charge brought against R. Vardanyan concerns the illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the indictment, in September 2022, acting in line with the common criminal intent and objectives of the criminal organization, as part of an organized group belonging to the criminal organization, and as a foreign national, he illegally crossed the guarded state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan from the territory of the Republic of Armenia toward the Lachin district, outside official state border checkpoints, entered the territory of Azerbaijan, and settled in the country. The prosecution considers that the commission of this act has also been confirmed by the evidence examined during the judicial investigation. Thus, the protocol dated September 27, 2023, on the inspection of items found on Ruben Vardanyan at the time of his detention shows that among other items and documents in his black bag, an Armenian Republic foreign passport No. AU319012 belonging to the accused and his drivers license were discovered and examined.

In addition, during the ongoing inspection it was established that after illegally arriving in the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan in early September 2022, Vardanyan left the country several times to travel to various countries and later illegally returned again to the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The document did not reveal any record, stamp, or other indication confirming his lawful entry into the Republic of Azerbaijan.

It was also stated that after Vardanyan arrived in Khankendi, mine-laying operations began within the boundaries of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian occupation during the Patriotic War as a result of his financing. Those mines were transported from Armenia to the formerly occupied territories of Azerbaijan via the Lachin road. Armenians living in Khankendi reported that mine-laying activities significantly expanded after R. Vardanyans arrival.

Furthermore, as a result of Vardanyans financing, military depots were established around Khankendi. These depots were operated by servicemen he hired from Armenia and by fighters selected from Karabakh. A large number of weapons and ammunition brought by R. Vardanyan, as well as quadcopter drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, were placed in the depots.

It was noted that another charge announced against R. Vardanyan and confirmed by the evidence examined at the court hearing concerned his initiative to launch the Nemesis-2 terrorist operation.

In addition, it became known that in September 2023, in line with the common criminal intent and objectives of the criminal organization, and with the support and supervision of Armenias political and military leadership, R. Vardanyan engaged in activities aimed at acquiring Malloy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with a payload capacity of 180 kg and an operating range of 70 km, for the purpose of equipping armed units belonging to the said criminal organization that were operating illegally and in violation of international law in the formerly occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Continuing his speech, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev voiced the proposals of the prosecutors defending the state prosecution regarding the punishment to be imposed for each criminal act with which the accused is charged.

During his address, Aliyev also proposed to the court the removal of certain clauses from the charges brought against the accused and, in comparison with some of the charges, the reclassification of the accuseds actions under provisions of criminal law providing for a lighter liability.

It was proposed that Vardanyan Ruben Karlenovich be sentenced to life imprisonment by absorbing the lesser punishment into the more severe one for the crimes stipulated by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including planning, preparing, initiating and waging an aggressive war; attacking persons enjoying international protection; forcible transfer of population; persecution; enforced disappearance of persons; unlawful deprivation of liberty in violation of international law; torture; mercenarism; violations of the laws and customs of war; violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflict; intentional homicide; illegal entrepreneurship; terrorism; financing of terrorism; creation of a criminal organization; illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and carrying of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosive substances and devices; acts posing a threat to aviation security; violent seizure and retention of power; violent change of the constitutional order of the state; creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by legislation; and illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The sentence is to be served in prison.

The start of the term of punishment is to be calculated from the time of his detention, September 27, 2023. The preventive measure of arrest chosen in respect of him is to remain unchanged until the verdict enters into legal force.

The next court hearing has been scheduled for December 26.
19 December 2025 15:54 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

War crimes were presented here. To be honest, I got to know most of them here, the accused Arayik Harutyunyan said during his closing statement at the Baku Military Court, where the trial of criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia is ongoing, Azernews reports.

Harutyunyan stated that despite considering himself well-informed, a number of serious incidents were revealed to him only during the hearings. I am a very informed person. But I learned about the Tunnel incident in Kalbajar here. For example, I learned about the Beylik Bagh incident here, he said.

He further acknowledged the gravity of the acts discussed during the trial, stressing their criminal nature. Of course, these are war crimes and have their own perpetrators. If the perpetrators are not punished in this world, they will be punished for their actions in the next world, Harutyunyan added.

It should be noted that the trial concerns crimes committed as a result of Armenias military aggression against Azerbaijan. The defendants are accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, and the forcible seizure and retention of power, along with numerous other criminal acts. The court proceedings continue.
19 December 2025 14:07 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

In recent months, amid growing fractures within the European Union and against the backdrop of the Ukraine-Russia war, a range of new interpretations has emerged regarding NATO and the Western camp. Frances increasing drive towards militarisation and the legalisation of private military structures now openly signals Pariss intention to challenge cohesion within the Western alliance, including NATO, an organisation that is over seventy years old. In reality, Frances tensions with the Western bloc are not new. As early as September 15, 2021, when France was excluded from the AUKUS security pact and responded with decisions that contradicted allied unity, deeper and more risky strategic ambitions became visible. Today, new information sheds further light on the dangers inherent in Frances evolving security policy.

At the centre of this shift lies Frances move to formalise the role of so-called trusted operators within its defence framework. Legislative amendments adopted recently allow the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to engage selected private organisations and companies for international military cooperation, training, support missions and foreign operations. Although Paris avoids the explicit term private military companies, the substance of the policy suggests precisely that. The rebranding appears designed to reduce political backlash while expanding Frances operational flexibility abroad.

Under the new framework, contracts with these trusted operators may last up to ten years. These entities would be authorised to take part in military operations in support of third countries facing a crisis or armed conflict. Their remit would include training, operational assistance, technical support and logistics. Their activities would extend across land, sea, air and cyber domains. This scope closely mirrors that of private military companies operating in other global theatres, from Africa to the Middle East.

The legalisation of such actors marks a strategic departure for France. It enables Paris to project power indirectly while limiting formal accountability. Unlike the French Foreign Legion, which remains an official component of the French armed forces and operates openly under the national flag, trusted operators provide plausible deniability. This distinction is critical. It allows the French state to distance itself from direct responsibility while still shaping outcomes on the ground.

The timing of this policy is not accidental. In November 2025, President Emmanuel Macron announced a declaration of intent to sell up to one hundred Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine over a ten-year period. Training Ukrainian pilots to operate these advanced aircraft would take considerable time. In this context, trusted operator companies could provide a convenient solution. French pilots and retired officers could be deployed through private structures to train Ukrainian personnel. The possibility that they could also participate directly in combat operations cannot be ruled out.

Such an arrangement would allow France to maintain a public narrative that its official armed forces are not engaged in the conflict. This would support claims that NATO is not directly intervening in Ukraine. In turn, it would reduce the legal and political grounds for Russia to justify retaliatory military action against France. The use of private military actors thus becomes a strategic tool to manage escalation while still influencing the battlefield.

This approach reflects a broader trend in contemporary warfare. States increasingly rely on indirect means to advance strategic interests while avoiding formal thresholds that trigger collective defence obligations or international retaliation. For France, trusted operators represent a way to assert influence without the constraints imposed by alliance politics and public opinion.

However, this strategy also carries risks. It weakens transparency and undermines established norms of state responsibility in armed conflict. The blurred line between state and non-state actors complicates accountability under international law. It also raises ethical concerns, particularly when private entities are granted authority to operate across multiple domains, including cyberspace, where attribution is already difficult.

The implications extend beyond Ukraine. France maintains close relations with Armenia, a country that has become increasingly militarised following its regional conflicts. Armenia already hosts various private military-style organisations, such as VOMA. It is not implausible that French-trusted operators could establish cooperation with Armenian counterparts. Through lobbying networks and political connections, such collaboration could develop with limited public scrutiny.

If France were to provide military support to Armenia through private structures, it would further illustrate how this model can be used to influence sensitive regional conflicts while avoiding diplomatic costs. This could destabilise already fragile balances in the South Caucasus and increase tensions with regional powers. Once again, the use of trusted operators would allow Paris to deny direct involvement while shaping outcomes in line with its strategic preferences.

The French government may present this policy as a pragmatic adaptation to a changing security environment. Yet it also reflects a deeper ambition to act independently of collective Western frameworks. By creating parallel instruments of force projection, France signals dissatisfaction with existing alliance mechanisms and constraints. This risks further fragmentation within NATO and the European Union at a time when unity is already under strain.

Historically, France has pursued strategic autonomy. From its withdrawal from NATOs integrated military command in the Cold War era to its more recent disputes with allies, Paris has consistently sought freedom of manoeuvre. The trusted operator model fits neatly into this tradition. It allows France to maintain influence without full alignment, cooperation without subordination, and intervention without overt responsibility.

Nevertheless, the long-term consequences may be destabilising. The normalisation of private military actors by a major European power sets a precedent. Other states may follow suit, further eroding international norms governing the use of force. Conflicts could become more opaque, more fragmented and harder to regulate.

In conclusion, Frances move to legalise private military activity under the guise of trusted operators represents a significant shift in European security policy. It reflects a desire for strategic flexibility and political insulation but also exposes deeper fractures within the Western alliance. In the context of the Ukraine war and broader geopolitical competition, this approach may offer short-term advantages. Yet it also risks undermining collective security structures and accelerating the privatisation of warfare. The challenge for Europe lies in recognising these dynamics before they reshape the security order in irreversible ways.
19 December 2025 17:39 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

A jubilee event has been held to mark the 25th anniversary of the inclusion of Baku's Old City (Icherisheher), together with the Maiden Tower and the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex, in UNESCO's World Heritage List, Azernews reports.

The event was opened with an introductory speech by host Rahib Azeri. In his remarks, he stressed that one of the most vivid examples of the work carried out in the protection and promotion of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage is precisely Icherisheher.

"I believe that regardless of where we were born, Icherisheher is an extremely important place for each of us. It is no coincidence that we often say 'Icherisheher is a museum under the open sky.' This expression carries deep meaning, for sometimes the buildings, streets, and courtyards we pass by every day embody such a rich history and memory that they can be rediscovered anew," the host said.

Rahib Azeri added that promoting such cultural centers, conveying their significance to a wider audience, and highlighting their contribution to world civilization is of utmost importance. According to him, the preservation of Icherisheher, the restoration work carried out there, and its continued existence as a living and functioning environment are crucial for safeguarding these values.

In his speech, Chairman of the Board of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve, Rufat Mahmud, noted that on December 2, it was exactly 25 years since this unique heritage site was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

He pointed out that the jubilee is not only a memorable date but also an important opportunity to review the work done, evaluate the results achieved, and determine future directions.

Rufat Mahmud emphasized that inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List is a rare and high expression of trust shown to any country, since only cultural heritage sites of outstanding universal value are included in this list.

He explained that Icherisheher's inclusion was determined not only by its ancient history but also by its unique urban structure formed at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations, the preservation of medieval architectural traditions in their entirety, and the uninterrupted continuity of its living environment over centuries. Precisely for these features, Icherisheher has been internationally recognized as an outstanding example of human creativity and a rare urban space that embodies various historical periods and cultural influences.

Rufat Mahmud particularly emphasized that the inclusion of Icherisheher in UNESCO's World Heritage List became possible during the presidency of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, thanks to his special attention and farsighted policy toward the protection of national cultural heritage. He added that today, preservation and development of Icherisheher continue consistently under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and with the care and attention of the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva.

Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusifova stated that independent Azerbaijan's position in the international cultural arena is the result of a consistent policy aimed at preserving national and spiritual values and presenting them to the world as universal heritage. Thanks to the strategy implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan today is recognized as one of the most active and influential countries within UNESCO.

She underlined that inscription in the UNESCO lists is not merely a formal status for Azerbaijan:

"It is a confirmation of our identity as a people, a message to the world about the antiquity of our statehood traditions and the creative spirit of the Azerbaijani people."

She noted that the number of Azerbaijan's nominated sites within UNESCO continues to grow. Currently, the country's tangible cultural heritage sites are represented in the World Heritage List, while mugham, ashig art, carpet weaving, Novruz holiday, and other elements are included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In total, 24 heritage elements of Azerbaijan have been registered in these lists.

Head of the State Service for the Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the Culture Ministry, Sabina Hajiyeva, remarked that Icherisheher is a native place for every Azerbaijani:

"Icherisheher is our living space, our source of pride, and one of our most beloved corners. It is a historical site that reveals itself anew each time, shows a new face, and preserves its secrets."

She added that despite ongoing scientific research, restoration, and conservation efforts, Icherisheher still holds many unopened pages:

"I am confident that over time these secrets will be studied more deeply, and new facts will emerge. This will not only enrich society's knowledge but also further strengthen our sense of pride."

Secretary General of the Romualdo Del Bianco Foundation, Simone Giometti, noted that in recent years significant work has been carried out in the protection of monuments, strengthening international cooperation, and developing intercultural dialogue. He emphasized that such world heritage sites unite people and serve peace.

In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, Mustafa Shabanov, outlined that this issue has caused serious concern both domestically and internationally. According to him, the matter was not about protecting individual historical buildings, but about safeguarding the entire cultural environment of Icherisheher, which is one of the main symbols of Azerbaijani statehood and an inseparable part of the capitals historical identity.

He stressed that thanks to the political will and direct attention of President Ilham Aliyev, the protection of Icherisheher was elevated to one of the priority directions of state policy. In a short time, effective management mechanisms were established, and Icherisheher was placed under systematic state protection.

Shabanov added that within the new management model, scientifically grounded conservation and restoration programs were prepared and implemented step by step, measures were taken to eliminate risk factors, transport load and urban pressure were limited, systematic monitoring and research of monuments were organized, and compliance with protection standards was strengthened.

The event continued with a vibrant concert program. A congratulatory video prepared for the 25th anniversary of this significant occasion was also shown.

Note that Baku's historic center, Icherisheher, stands out for its rich cultural heritage formed over millennia, its unique urban structure, and rare architectural monuments.

Located on the shores of the Caspian Sea and covering an area of 22 hectares, this ancient settlement is one of the few unique examples of medieval urban culture in Azerbaijan preserved to the present day.

Historical sources and archaeological research show that settlements existed in the territory of Icherisheher as early as the Bronze Age. The street network formed over centuries, the planning structure surrounded by fortress walls, and the consideration of the sea factor in urban development turned Icherisheher into an example of highly developed urban planning art.

The Maiden Tower, the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex, fortress walls, mosques, caravanserais, and residential houses together form the architectural integrity of this historic site.

The Old City of Baku (Icherisheher), together with the Maiden Tower and the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex, was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2000.

This marked the first time a site in Azerbaijan was recognized as having outstanding universal value by UNESCO.
19 December 2025 13:12 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijan National History Museum has hosted the presentation of the project "Ethnographic Map of the Iravan Fortress-City" and its dedicated website, organized by the Baku Art Center Experimental Creativity Public Union, Azernews reports.

The project was implemented with financial support from the Azerbaijan State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Within the framework of the project, visual materials reflecting the centuries-old ethnic landscape of the Iravan fortress-city, as well as information about religious and public sites that once existed within the fortress, were collected.

For the first time, such a map has been prepared using a scientific-ethnographic approach, by comparing visual and written archival sources. The materials compiled cover the period from the founding of the Iravan fortress in 1509 up to the occupation of the fortress-city by the Russian Empire in 1827.

At the event, Rafael Gulmammadov, head of the Baku Art Center, stated that the aim of the project is to visually reconstruct the ethnic landscape and architectural infrastructure of the Iravan fortress-city based on scholarly sources. He noted that extensive information was gathered about architectural structures that existed within the fortress at different times.

According to him, in addition to clarifying toponyms, the names of individual architectural monuments were matched with visual images, their geolocation coordinates were identified, and they were systematized on the map.

The research involved a wide analysis of decrees of Shah Ismail I, sources related to the SafavidOttoman wars, notes of Eastern, European, and Russian travelers, descriptions of monuments, engravings of city panoramas from the 17th19th centuries, as well as topographic maps.

Rafael Gulmammadov emphasized that the newly prepared map enables the visual and objective reconstruction of Iravans historical and ethnic heritage.

The results of the project serve as an original source that can be used both for academic research and for raising public awareness.

The event also featured the presentation of the project's dedicated website.

Note that Baku Art Center Experimental Creativity Public Union is a non-governmental organization engaged in the preparation and implementation of projects in the fields of cultural heritage, history, art, and social initiatives.

The Union carries out projects aimed at presenting historical research to the public on a scientific basis, preserving and promoting cultural heritage, and supporting new initiatives.
19 December 2025 14:43 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

A fascinating concert program was presented at the State Academic Philharmonic Hall as part of the Uzbekistan Culture Days, Azernews reports.

The event carried special significance, strengthening cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan while showcasing the depth of mutual creative collaboration.

The Uzbekistan State Symphony Orchestra captivated music lovers with a performance of remarkable artistry. Under the baton of artistic director and principal conductor Kamoliddin Urinbayev, recipient of the Friendship Order of the Republic of Azerbaijan and People's Artist of Uzbekistan, the evening unfolded with exceptional professionalism and refined taste.

The concert opened with M. Hajiyev's "Bayram uverturas", whose festive spirit and dynamic musical language immediately set a vibrant tone, drawing the audience into its celebratory atmosphere.

The program continued with Honored Artist Sahib Pashazade (tar), who joined the orchestra for the second and third movements of H. Khanmammadov's Concerto No. 2 for Tar and Orchestra. The performance, marked by perfect harmony between soloist and ensemble, combined technical mastery with emotional depth, earning enthusiastic applause.

Next, People's Artist and soloist Yegana Akhundova (piano) delivered a brilliant interpretation of the final movement of F. Amirov and E. Nezirov's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra on Arab Themes. The work's vivid colors, melodic richness, and virtuosic piano passages added a distinctive highlight to the evening.

The concert program concluded with one of the great masterpieces of world symphonic music  N. Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Op. 35. Performed in four movements, this magnificent work brought to life the poetic imagery of Eastern fairy tales.

The orchestra's precision, clarity, and rich timbral palette left a lasting impression on the audience, closing the night on a triumphant note.
18 December 2025 23:58 (UTC+04:00)

On December 18, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of the IDEA Public Union, met with Robb Butler, Special Representative on Climate and Health of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe.

At the meeting, Leyla Aliyeva was presented with a special award of the World Health Organization in recognition of her effective services in the field of climate and health, her active participation and awareness-raising activities within the framework of COP29, as well as her support for the activities of the WHO Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health.

During the meeting, detailed information was provided on the projects implemented by the IDEA Public Union aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. They discussed possible cooperation opportunities between WHO and Azerbaijan in this area.

The parties exchanged views on the potential environmental and human health impacts of the decline in the Caspian Sea level, and discussed opportunities for joint initiatives and strengthening international calls in this direction, including the prospects for Azerbaijans accession to the WHO Healthy Cities Network.

Additionally, discussions focused on the impact of clean air on human health, the mitigation of air pollution, and the strengthening of awareness-raising activities in this field.
19 December 2025 00:05 (UTC+04:00)

An event marking the 10th anniversary of the ASAN Mektub social program was held on December 18 at the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder and head of the IDEA Public Association, attended the event.

The event, attended by ASAN volunteers, children in need of social care, and other guests, began with a familiarization tour of the ASAN Service and Bilim Baku centers. Guests were informed about the activities of Baku ASAN Khidmet Center No. 7, as well as innovative solutions applied in ASAN service centers and public services. It was noted that Azerbaijans intellectual products are currently exported to more than 30 countries.

Leyla Aliyeva undertook one of the letters placed on the ASAN Mektub tree.

During the familiarization with the mobile ASAN service bus, it was emphasized that the main goal is to provide public services to everyone in a more convenient, innovative, and accessible manner.

The activities of the Bilim Baku center were also highlighted. It was noted that the center focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of students aged 614 in the fields of technology, innovation, science, and entrepreneurship, aiming to increase interest in these areas and equip students with skills that meet modern requirements.

The official part of the event began with the screening of a video highlighting the 10-year activity of the ASAN Mektub social program. The program, implemented by the ASAN Volunteers Organization since 2015, aims to fulfill the wishes of children aged 314 in need of social care and bring them joy, attention, and care. To date, wishes corresponding to 10,512 letters across 56 regions have been fulfilled.

Guests were also informed about the You Warm a Heart Too project. Within the framework of the project, with the support of citizens, the wishes of children aged 314 in need of social care are fulfilled throughout December. So far, the wishes of more than 2,500 children in various regions of the country have been realized.

This was followed by musical and dance performances presented within the framework of the Cultural Herald program of the ASAN Volunteers Organization.

Leyla Aliyeva also visited the ASAN Mektub, Green ASAN, and ABAD stands.

The event continued with a tree-planting campaign organized in the courtyard of the State Agency.

As part of the event, various gifts were presented to children from Childrens Homes No. 1, 2, and 3 and from Social Service Centers.
19 December 2025 12:10 (UTC+04:00)

Akbar Novruz Read more

The Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan is set to adopt an official statement in response to the European Parliaments resolution targeting Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

The matter was discussed during todays plenary session of the parliament. Speaking at the session, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova announced that a special commission has been established to prepare and adopt the statement.

Shahin Ismayilov was elected as the chairman of the commission, while Fazail Ibrahimli, Bahruz Maharramov, Zaur Shukurov, and Parvana Valiyeva were appointed as its members.

During the session, members of the Milli Majlis delivered speeches strongly condemning and rejecting the European Parliaments resolution, describing it as biased and unacceptable.

Following the discussions, the chairman of the commission, Shahin Ismayilov, read out the text of the Statement.

The document was then put to a vote and officially adopted by parliament.
19 December 2025 13:28 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

ADA Universitys newly established School of Design and Architecture has organized a series of seminars within the Azerbaijan Urban Planning Awareness Campaign to strengthen the exchange of scientific and practical knowledge and to create a platform for intellectual dialogue ahead of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF 13), to be held in Baku in 2026, Azernews reports.

Lectures delivered by the Schools professors  Angel Ampuero Cordero, Ermes Invernizzi, Melania Vicentini, and Dina Jovanovic Lombardo  brought together academic and professional audiences to explore themes such as the interaction between architectural spaces and human experience, the relationship between collective memory and national identity, the role of new technologies in the preservation and management of cultural heritage, and user participation in spatial design.

The seminars also focused on the application of user-centered and participatory design approaches in shaping contemporary work environments, as well as examining the role of emerging technologies in protecting and managing cultural heritage. These discussions encouraged the adoption of multidisciplinary approaches in Azerbaijans design and architecture sector, strengthening constructive dialogue between international expertise and local context.

The School is also committed to expanding cooperation with international academic and creative networks. Professor Tijen Rosko from the University of Manitoba in Canada delivered a guest lecture, speaking about innovative and sustainable design practices, the relationship between academia and the creative industries, and sharing her professional experience on international creative platforms with young designers and students.

In 2026, ADA Universitys School of Design and Architecture will continue this series of seminars to support the development of innovative, inclusive, and globally informed design and architecture education in Azerbaijan.
19 December 2025 13:17 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's State Roads Agency has been initially allocated 1.4 million manat ($820,000) for major repairs to roads in the settlements of Hokmali and Gobu in the Absheron region, Azernews reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed the relevant decree.

According to the decree, 1.4 million (one million four hundred thousand) manats ($820,000) from the amount specified in subparagraph 1.19.21 Distribution of funds intended for state investments (investment expenditures) in the state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2025, approved by Decree No. 445 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated January 10, 2025, was initially allocated to the State Roads Agency of Azerbaijan for the overhaul of roads in the settlements of Khokmali and Gobu in the Absheron region.

Funding in the amount specified in part 1 of this decree should be provided by the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall include the financial resources necessary to continue the major repair of the roads specified in Part 1 of this Order in the distribution of state capital investments in the draft state budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan should make decisions on issues arising from this decree.
19 December 2025 12:55 (UTC+04:00)

President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of Your birthday, I have the honor to extend to You my sincere congratulations and best wishes.

Under our strategic leadership, ChinaAzerbaijan relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership are developing rapidly. Political mutual trust between our two countries continues to strengthen, and mutually beneficial cooperation is steadily advancing, with international interaction being implemented fruitfully.

Over the course of this year, we have met twice, and the important agreements we reached are being effectively and comprehensively put into practice.

I attach great importance to the development of relations between China and Azerbaijan and am ready to make every effort with you to achieve new results in our comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries.

I wish you good health and well-being.

Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China'' the letter reads.
19 December 2025 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Azernews reports.

"His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

Please accept my warmest congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

I take this pleasant opportunity to express my conviction that, as a result of our joint efforts, the strategic partnership and excellent relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to actively develop and deepen in the future.

I recall with pleasure our meetings over the past few years, which always took place in a constructive and friendly atmosphere, during which the strategic relations, the expansion of the fruitful contacts, and the active political dialogue between our two countries have been reaffirmed in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

I hope that your long-delayed visit to Bulgaria, in connection with the opening of Shusha Park in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, for which we have made such great efforts with you, will be possible to take place in 2026, regardless of the current political crisis in Bulgaria.

Following the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), to the successful holding of which your personal commitment and participation undoubtedly contributed, I remain ready to continue the dialogue at the highest political and state levels between our two countries in 2026, including during the Summit, which Azerbaijan will be organizing for the first time within the framework of the upcoming 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).

Wishing you good health, prosperity, and success in your highly responsible endeavors, please accept, esteemed Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Rumen Radev

President of the Republic of Bulgaria," the letter reads.
19 December 2025 13:23 (UTC+04:00)

Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports.

"His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday.

Your political career reflects the path of a leader who moves forward boldly, demonstrating principled stances, decisiveness, and responsibility for the fate of your country, while inspiring like-minded people and supporters with your energy.

Thanks to your many years of dedicated work, Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable results in socio-economic development, strengthening statehood, and enhancing its authority on the international stage.

I am grateful for your consistent attention to expanding Russian-Azerbaijani parliamentary dialogue. I particularly fondly recall my visit to Baku in March 2025 and deeply value your kind attitude toward me.

I wish you robust health and continued success in your important activities for the benefit of the friendly people of Azerbaijan.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Valentina Matvienko

Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation" the letter reads.
19 December 2025 15:15 (UTC+04:00)

The First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has addressed a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of his birthday, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

In the interests of the country, you have worthily fulfilled the expectations of your people and of your great father.

Thanks to your far-sighted policy, Azerbaijan's international prestige has grown, and a new stage of peace and mutual trust has been established in the region.

I wish your country continued prosperity and new achievements.

I particularly value the respect that has developed between us and fondly recall all our meetings and conversations, which took place in a spirit of friendship and mutual respect.

On this momentous occasion, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I wish you robust health, success in your noble endeavors, and prosperity and further achievements for the fraternal people of Azerbaijan"
19 December 2025 21:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Toyota Motor Corp. has announced plans to launch three American-built vehicles in Japan starting in 2026, Azernews reports, citing foreign media.

The Camry sedan and Highlander SUV will make a return to the Japanese market after being discontinued earlier, while the Tundra pickup truck will be introduced for the first time in Japan. These launches are part of a broader initiative to strengthen trade ties between the United States and Japan.

By bringing these three popular American models to Japan, Toyota aims to meet the diverse needs of a wide range of customers while also supporting stronger JapanU.S. trade relations, the company said in a statement.

Industry analysts note that this move reflects a growing trend of global automakers leveraging their international production networks to tap into new markets. The introduction of the Tundra in particular is expected to attract enthusiasts seeking larger, American-style pickups, a segment that has been relatively niche in Japan.
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.
Restaurant review: Fuss-free Belfast cafe is proof that good, honest food will never go out of style
The annual trip brought together families from across Northern Ireland

Leo McAfee (12) who was on the trip with mum Lisa

More than 80 families embarked on the trip to Lapland this week

A once-in-a-lifetime trip to Lapland for children with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions was a gift beyond words, the mother of one participant has said.

More than 80 children and their families jetted off to see Santa Claus as part of the trip organised by the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust (NICLT) on Wednesday.

The trip marked the charitys seventeenth year of the annual tradition, which brings joy, respite and cherished memories to children and families facing some of lifes toughest challenges.

Over those years, the charity has brought the wonder of Lapland to more than 1,800 local children.

Its unbelievable, you almost have to pinch yourself

Accompanied by a parent or carer, the children flew to Rovaniemi, the official hometown of Santa Claus on the Arctic Circle, where they enjoyed an enchanting day of reindeer and husky rides, mini skidoo adventures, magic sleigh rides, snowmobile safaris and a magical meeting with Santa himself.

Lisa and Leo on a sled at Lapland

Among the children who went on the trip was 12-year-old Leo McAfee from Rasharkin, Co Antrim, who has severe learning difficulties and lives with ADHD and autism.

Mum Lisa said the whole experience had been magical.

Every child was beaming. Leo absolutely loved it, it was his first time flying as well so he was a bit nervous, but it was so well organised, she told the Belfast Telegraph.

"We got a phone call one day to say Leo had been nominated by someone to go and everyone was so excited for us.

"Its unbelievable, you almost have to pinch yourself. You are seeing all the scenery, the snow in the trees when youre on the bus ride, it was all so magical for the adults, never mind the children.

"Even the plane was like a party, you had streamers and party horns and they were all playing games. All the medical staff were there too in case you needed them.

More than 80 families embarked on the trip to Lapland this week

"Leo has been telling everyone about it since we got home. He keeps saying Santa Claus from Lapland is coming in six days. It is impossible to put into words how magical it was.

The trip is the culmination of a full years fundraising and planning and is made possible with the support of TUI, Belfast International Airport, Swissport, Finavia, Rovaniemi Airport and Santa Park.

Colin Barkley, Chair of NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust, said seeing the joy on the childrens faces made all the hard work worthwhile.

It inspires us to do even more for deserving children in the years ahead, he said.

"We are deeply grateful to our partners, fundraisers, volunteers and supporters whose generosity makes this magical trip possible and continues to bring light and happiness to these families.

More than 80 families embarked on the trip to Lapland this week

News Catch Up - Friday 19 December

Charlotte Brenner, Marketing Manager at TUI, said being involved in the programme was an enormous privilege.

"Were delighted we can lend our support once again and help to make this a joyful experience that will create wonderful lasting memories, she added.

The children were seen off from the airport by a festive performance from Newry-based The Choir Studio who filled the terminal with Christmas cheer and excitement.

Kathy McCaughey from the choir said: We are so privileged to lend our voices to something so special! This is the true meaning of Christmas for our choir family.
RVH medics drive to help equip eye unit in Rwanda with modern surgical machine

Belfast doctor aims to raise 28,000 for specialist device used in cataract operations

Katheirine McGinnity in theatre in Rwanda

Gabrielle Swan Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 07:21

An ophthalmologist from the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast is working hard alongside colleagues to purchase a modern cataract machine for Rwanda  with over 14,000 already raised.
Speaking during the last broadcast of The Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio, he said: I will be on the move, I am moving away to different pastures, you will have a new host and youll be in safe hands.

My new opportunities allow me to be home more which I was angling for and am so happy it was able to be made possible.

Tubridy will host a new standalone YouTube channel, The Late Show, looking back at the the lives of the biggest stars in film, music, sport and television, with journalists and authors. The show will also be broadcast on Times Radio.

The broadcaster will also host a new, and improved weekend show across the Onic network in Ireland to include Dublins Q102, Corks 96FM, Limericks Live 95 and LMFM across Louth and Meath.

Tubridy is also developing a new show for TalkSPORT in the UK, with further details to be confirmed in the future.

In a statement he said: I am extremely excited about todays news and the opportunity to work again in the world of speech radio, with YouTube channels and with the Onic network in Ireland."

He added: As we saw earlier this week with the Oscars Ceremony moving to YouTube, the media world is changing so fast and this is an opportunity to do what I do best with the best content creators in the world.

It is with great gratitude that I finish my two years at Virgin Radio UK, where I had the time of my life with the greatest bunch of people.

They made me feel welcome and valued which I will never forget, but I cant wait to get started on these shows. Heres to 2026!

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News Catch Up - Friday 19 December

Earlier this month Tubridy married Dr Clare Kambamettu married at Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden.

Responding to a texter who congratulated him on his wedding, he responded: Its been a busy few months.

A statement from Tubridys agent said the couple were surrounded by close friends and family during the ceremony.
Two legal challenges taken against the Government over super junior ministers have failed in the High Court.

The politicians said that they would decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court after reading the full judgment over the Christmas period.

A case against the Taoiseach, the Government of Ireland, and the Attorney General had been taken in relation to whether the coalition had breached the constitutional limit of 15 ministers by appointing super junior ministers  or junior ministers who can attend confidential Cabinet meetings.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy had argued that the attendance of super junior ministers at Cabinet is inconsistent with the Constitution which states that the government shall consist of not less than seven and not more than 15 members.

Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly challenged the Governments appointment of super junior ministers (PA)

He had argued that four super junior ministers had attended Aras an Uachtarain with the 15 senior ministers who received their seal of office from the president in January.

Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly had challenged the Governments appointment of super junior ministers on the basis that it caused issues for Cabinet confidentiality as well as an issue of expenses and allowances paid.

Reading out the judgment on Friday, president of the High Court Mr Justice David Barniville said he and his two colleagues had rejected the arguments made by Mr Daly and Mr Murphy in their entirety.

He said that just 15 ministers from the present Government were appointed by the president, despite the attendance of four junior ministers at the Aras in January.

He said the suggestion by Mr Murphy that super junior ministers are not subject to Dail scrutiny in the same way as senior ministers was justiciable.

He said it was accepted by Mr Murphy that if there was a vote on a decision at Cabinet, super junior ministers would not take part and so their attendance would not undermine the decisions taken by the members of the Government.

He also said that at incorporeal meetings of government, only the 15 members of Government are telephoned.

He said: Ministers of State (including super junior ministers) are never telephoned and asked their views at an incorporeal meeting because they are not members of the Government and have no decision-making role.

In relation to the Cabinet confidentially issue challenged by Mr Daly, the judges said there was no limit to who can attend Cabinet meetings of 15 ministers.

They said: We are satisfied that there is no constitutional provision, express or implied, which limits the attendance at meetings of the Government to the 15 ministers who were appointed by the president (including the Taoiseach).

The judges said there was no constitutional provision, express or implied, and so no disregard of any constitutional provision by the regular attendance at Cabinet by ministers of state or super junior ministers.

As no disregard  and certainly no clear disregard  of the constitutional parameters to the exercise of government power or breach of the constitutional provisions concerning the Government has been established, we are satisfied that deputy Dalys claim must fail and he is not entitled to the declaratory relief which he seeks in these proceedings, they said.

Speaking outside the Four Courts after the judgment, Mr Murphy was asked whether the judgment meant even more junior ministers could attend Cabinet meetings.

He said respectfully to the court, that does seem to be the case.

It seems to be saying that there is no limit, that effectively  we were talking inside  that every member of the Dail and Seanad could be invited to participate in Cabinet discussions. I think thats problematic, he said.

But again, we need to read the full decision and study the judgment.

He and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said they would consider whether to appeal the case to the Supreme Court over the Christmas break.

Ms McDonald said that when a record number of super junior ministers had been appointed in January, they knew we had to seek clarity on this question.

It remains our firm position that nobody in political life should have the opportunity to play fast and loose with the Constitution and with its rules in order to secure political outcomes that they desire, and thats the reason we brought this case, she said.

Mr Murphy said: The central issue here is whether the Constitution can simply be got around, as Leo Varadkar suggested successive governments have been doing.

Well read the judgment over Christmas. Obviously, we have a decision to make in the coming period about whether we pursue this and appeal this to the Supreme Court, and well make that decision in the cold light of day, having fully considered all thats in the judgment.

The case is back before the courts on January 15.
A notorious British fraudster who conned an ex-girlfriend out of her life savings while posing as an MI6 agent and Swiss banker has been ordered to pay her 125,000.

Mark Acklom, 52, previously admitted five counts of fraud against Carolyn Woods, from Gloucestershire, and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in 2019.

For more than five years, prosecutors have been using Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) legislation in an attempt to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods.

On Friday, Bristol Crown Court heard that Acklom, who now lives in Spain with his wife and two children, has been ordered to pay 125,000 or face two years in prison if he does not comply.

A brochure for a Georgian property in Bath which Ms Carolyn Woods rented with the intention of living with Mark Acklom (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)

It appeared that Acklom was listening to the hearing via videolink, but he did not speak or turn on his camera.

Prosecutor John Hardy KC told the court that the figure by which Acklom benefited from his crimes was 710,000, but the available amount is 125,000.

Judge Martin Picton said: Im very grateful to the parties for being able to navigate a way to an agreed position so far as a resolution in these Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are concerned.

He added: At the heart of the case is a victim who has lost a very, very great deal of money.

Carolyn Woods was drawn into the web of fantasy and deceit.

The judge said that Acklom was determined to bleed her dry and exercised quite extraordinary powers as a conman.

Judge Picton added that he has the greatest doubts that the money will be recovered, but said that Acklom will effectively be unable to return to the UK because he will fear the consequences of prison time if he does.

During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and was involved with secret MI6 missions.

Acklom duped Ms Woods into lending him her life savings by misleading her into thinking they were in a committed relationship despite him already being married.

The conman  using the alias of Mark Conway  accepted a marriage proposal from Ms Woods in February 2012, just one month after they met in a boutique in Tetbury where she worked.

He duped her into lending him 299,564 of her life savings in 2012 for renovation work at a number of properties in Bath, Somerset, as well as to buy a Porsche and rent a Georgian manor in the city.

An unused wedding dress Carolyn Woods bought for her marriage to Mark Acklom (Avon and Somerset Police/PA)

He later left the country and was named as one of the UKs most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Captura, a multi-agency initiative involving the National Crime Agency and Crimestoppers to track down British fugitives abroad.

The serial conman was later tracked down to Switzerland and extradited back to Britain in 2019, when he was jailed.

When he was sentenced that year, Ms Woods, a divorced mother of two, said she suffered total financial ruin and had been hounded by debt collection agencies after cashing in her pension and using savings to pay her bills.

In a victim impact statement at the time, Ms Woods said she suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder, calling Ackloms crimes an act of the utmost cruelty, designed to destroy my life for his personal gain.

Acklom was extradited to Spain in 2021  having fled the country in 2016 midway through a fraud sentence  and served a further two years in prison before his release in 2023.

In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, received a four-year custodial sentence for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after he posed as a City stockbroker.

He also spent 11,000 after stealing his fathers credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000 and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company.

Andrew Kerrigan, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: Mark Acklom was a calculating, persistent fraudster who exploited a victim into believing that he was involved in foreign espionage and was a wealthy banker and needed loans to fund property renovation work on his string of properties.

But this was simply not true, and he acted in a calculated and premeditated manner, which led to the victims total financial ruin.

We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly and identify his available assets. We are determined to disrupt and deter fraudsters like Acklom.
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Rabbi Michael M. Cohen is the rabbi emeritus of the Israel Congregation and the Director of Community Relations for the Friends of the Arava Institute. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Blockbuster video, which had 9,000 stores worldwide at its peak in 2004, had a chance to buy Netflix for $50 million in 2000. It declined, and its stores are virtually extinct; Netflix is worth $450 billion. Appointment TV-style meetings are similarly going out of style.
The growth spurt of the one and two-story ma and pa owned motels with convenient parking at each unit and basic amenities, continued into the 1960s. On the Pittsfield  Lenox Road joining the five earlier built motels, three more were added as this next decade progressed.
A celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights organized by Chabad of the Berkshires is planned for Dec. 7, and a menorah display is expected to go up on or around Dec. 1 .
You are the owner of this article.
Zydus Lifesciences partners with US-based Myriad Genetics to launch cancer-risk assessment diagnostic tests in India

December 19, 2025 | Friday | News

Globally trusted cancer-risk assessment for personalised, evidence-based cancer care

Ahmedabad-based Zydus Lifesciences has signed an agreement with US-based Myriad Genetics, a leader in molecular diagnostic testing and precision medicine company.

Pursuant to the agreement, Zydus will be introducing MyRisk Hereditary Cancer Test, MyChoice HRD Plus, Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) Test and Prolaris Prostate Cancer Prognostic Test to patients, clinicians, and healthcare systems across India.

With the increasing incidence of cancers globally, the MyRisk Test can help people safeguard their health and take precautionary steps and lifestyle changes that can minimise the risk of cancer. In patients suffering from prostate and ovarian cancers, the Prolaris Test and MyChoice HRD Plus Test, respectively, can help patients understand the disease progression and inform the right treatment path.

As part of this agreement, Zydus will exclusively market, create awareness, access and engage clinicians on three of Myriad Genetics broadly validated diagnostic platforms, MyRisk Hereditary Cancer Test, MyChoice HRD Plus Test for ovarian cancer, and Prolaris a gene expression Prostate Cancer Prognostic Test. These tests have been widely adopted in the North America, Europe, and major global cancer centres, and will now empower Indian oncologists with cutting-edge genomic decision-support tools.

The MyRisk Test is a germline multigene panel for individuals with personal or family history suggestive of hereditary cancer. It detects pathogenic variants in high, moderate and emerging-risk genes to estimate lifetime cancer risk and inform personalised prevention strategies.


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CareDoc workers have ended their strike over a pay dispute.

On Thursday evening, the Health Minister and CareDoc announced the dispute had been resolved.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) confirmed on Friday morning that they had received a formal offer from CareDoc late on Thursday night.

They said that the strike was suspended at midnight following consultation with their members.

A spokeperson for INMO said: "We have sought a meeting with CareDoc management [on Friday] morning to discuss the offer in greater detail and seek clarification on certain points. We will then be in a position to ballot members on the proposal.

Some 270 workers, represented by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and SIPTU, went on strike on Thursday in Carlow, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, and Tipperary.

Unions said that HSE has provided more than 600,000 to the company to fund an eight per cent increase, but staff claimed it had not been applied to their wages.

Strikes have also been threatened over Christmas if the pay dispute is still not resolved.

A spokesperson for INMO said that the union have not yet decided on planned strike days for the next two weeks.
An Irish grandmother who has been held in a US immigration detention centre since July will be released in the coming days following a court hearing on Thursday.

Donna Hughes-Brown, a 58-year-old US green card holder, has been a permanent resident in the US since she was 11, reports the Irish Times. She filed a bond after an immigration judge ruled that she should be released.

According to the Irish Times, her husband, Jim Brown, said after the court hearing that she was no longer deportable, and that the Department of Homeland Security could still appeal the decision, although they "doubt" that will happen.

Mrs Hughes Brown was detained in July this year, when she was apprehended at an airport in Chicago while returning to the US after a visit to Ireland.

Her record showed she had signed two bad cheques, totalling less than $80, over a decade ago.
A man in his 40s who was arrested on Wednesday after gardai seized a large quantity of drugs in Tuam, Galway has been released without charge.

Gardai from the Galway Divisional Drugs Unit seized cocaine with an estimated street value of 50,000; cannabis with an estimated value of 40,000, and ecstasy with an estimated value of 7,000.

The man was arrested and detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act, 1996.

A follow-up search was conducted at another house in Tuam, and a further quantity of cannabis was recovered.

The seized drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.

Investigations are ongoing.
A patient who was injured when a ceiling collapsed on top of him in a critical care unit has settled a High Court action.

Hugh O'Donnell (76) was in the critical care unit of St Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny, last August when part of the ceiling fell onto his bed.

The elderly man ended up covered in water and debris and was in some distress when found by hospital staff.

His counsel Niall Flynn BL, instructed by Whelan Law solicitors, told the High Court that the incident happened on August 15th this year but the action before the courts had been case-managed so it could be brought on faster because of Mr ODonnells general health.

Counsel said Mr ODonnell had been in the critical care unit for treatment for respiratory sepsis and other infections. He said that part of the ceiling which had become saturated with water gave way and collapsed on Mr ODonnells hospital bed.

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Counsel said the water continued to flow and Mr ODonnell was in distress and his bed was saturated when he was found by staff. He had also suffered abrasions and lacerations to his head. The ODonnell side also contended there were psychiatric injuries.

Counsel said that liability had been conceded early in the case and St Lukes Hospital accepted that the incident was very distressing for Mr ODonnell. The HSE in correspondence said it regretted the incident that occurred.

Counsel said that the HSE had a patient safety open disclosure meeting with the ODonnell family, which is believed to be the first such meeting under the new framework.

Mr ODonnells family, he said, were grateful for the way the case had been met.

Hugh O'Donnell who resides in a nursing home in Urlingford, Co Kilkenny had sued St Lukes Hospital and the HSE.

In the proceedings, it was claimed there was a failure to take any reasonable care to see Mr O'Donnell was reasonably safe while on the hospital premises.

It was also claimed that the premises had remained in an unsafe condition, causing a source of danger or a trap to those using it.

It was further claimed that the ceiling had been permitted to remain in a dangerous, hazardous and defective condition.

It was also contended that there was a failure to ensure that the ceiling was attended to in a timely manner to ensure it would not constitute a source of danger to those on the premises.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was delighted to hear the case had been resolved with such expedition. The details of the settlement are confidential.
A student nurse has avoided jail after she admitted helping a Congolese national enter Ireland illegally through Dublin Airport using a bogus identity card.

Mireille Mumpuni, 44, also originally from Congo but now an Irish citizen, pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to facilitating illegal entry into Ireland, an offence under the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act.

Judge Treasa Kelly said there had to be a deterrent and refused to spare her a criminal record or impose a fine. She imposed a two-month sentence, suspended on condition that she did not reoffend within the next year.

Detective Garda Karen Barker from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) gave evidence that on May 29th last, the accused was stopped by the Border Management Unit at Dublin Airport after flying back from Spain.

She presented an Irish passport card and was pulled aside for a secondary check; a man then came off the same flight with a lookalike genuine Spanish ID card. The GNIB detective said he was obviously not the person in the photo.

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Mumpuni said she had travelled to Spain to meet a friend and then returned to Dublin with the man.

The Congolese man provided several identities and then gave another name, claiming to be Congolese and that he had come here to claim asylum.

Mumpunis bag was searched, and officials found his phone. She told them she had met the man earlier that day, and he asked her to help him with his boarding card to travel to Dublin, and that she helped him because she was also originally Congolese.

She later explained that they met the night before, and she assisted him at the request of a family member because the man knew her deceased father.

It later emerged that she knew he travelled on a Spanish ID card, with evidence on her phone showing his genuine Congolese passport and visa.

The Director of Public Prosecutions authorised that the case be dealt with in the District Court if she pleaded guilty; otherwise, it would have proceeded to the Circuit Court, which has wider sentencing powers.

She had a single prior conviction in 2014, resulting in a 150 fine.

Detective Garda Barker agreed with defence solicitor Michael Kelleher that she was pleasant to deal with and she was forthcoming. She also accepted it was not done for commercial gain but for personal reasons.

The accused came to Ireland in 2008 and is now studying to become a mental health nurse. She had no further charges pending and was very worried about the prosecution.

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Ireland 119 gardai escort 52 deportees on 190K charter flight as families sent home Read more

Mr Kelleher said the man she assisted has since made an asylum application. Pleading for leniency, he submitted that the evidence distinguished her case from a person doing it for commercial advantage, which was far more sinister and serious.

The solicitor stressed that she had taken years to obtain citizenship, that she was contributing to society and working to qualify as a nurse at a time when there was a huge shortage in that profession, and that she had rebuilt herself after personal relationship difficulties.

He also said the outcome of the case would impact her vetting applications in the future.

Judge Kelly said it was a very serious charge, the State took it very seriously, Mumpuni had been in Ireland for over 10 years, and she understood the system. She said the accused assisted the man in circumventing it, and it was not by lawful means to get him into the country.
The trial of an Irish man who allegedly murdered an American nurse in Hungary last year is to begin next February.

Mackenzie Michalski, 31, from Fredonia, New York, was on holiday in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, and was last seen alive at a nightclub in the city in the early hours of Tuesday, November 5th last. She was listed as missing by Budapest Police Headquarters later that day.

A 38-year-old Irishman, who worked in marketing, has allegedly admitted to killing Ms Michalski, a nurse practitioner, accidentally, after claiming they became intimate at a rented apartment while on holiday.

The arrested man allegedly informed police after his arrest that he attempted to conceal her body in a suitcase along with her handbag and credit card, which he transported her in the boot of his rental car to a marshy area in Szigliget in western Hungary.

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The Metropolitan Court of Budapest has extended his detention on several occasions while investigations were carried out.

Detectives have also said they found numerous alleged incriminating online searches on a computer and allege that the detained Irish suspect cleaned his apartment.

It is alleged that the Irish man met Ms Michalski at a nightclub on the evening of November 4th last year, where they drank and danced together. They allegedly went to the mans apartment, where the defendant assaulted and strangled the woman during sexual intercourse.

It is further alleged that the man then tidied up the apartment, left, bought a large suitcase, and put the womans body in it. He then hid the suitcase in a wooded area near Lake Balaton, in western Hungary.

The Budapest Metropolitan Court held a preliminary hearing on Wednesday last and heard that the prosecution proposed a 12-year prison sentence without parole and expulsion from Hungary for 10 years if the defendant made a confession and waiver of trial.

The court then referred the case to trial. The proceedings will continue on February 13th next, according to the Hungarian News Agency and Daily News Hungary. The Irish man was remanded in custody by authorities.

A memorial candlelight vigil was held in Budapests Liberty Square on Tuesday night.

Ms Michalskis family flew from the US to Budapest for the court hearing and vigil.

In a social media post Ms Burek Michalski said that her daughters short, amazing life was important and impacted so many. We love you. Endlessly. Always and forever. To infinity and beyond.
A German court jailed a man on Friday for repeatedly drugging his wife, sexually assaulting her and posting videos of the attacks online, in a case that has drawn comparisons with a high-profile French trial last year.

The 61-year-old defendant, identified only as Fernando P. in accordance with German privacy laws, was sentenced to 8-1/2 years by a regional court in the western city of Aachen that found him guilty of aggravated rape and bodily harm.

He was also convicted of violating his wife's intimate privacy for making recordings and distributing them online, the court said.

The case has drawn comparisons in German media to the 2024 trial of Dominique Pelicot in Avignon, France, who was sentenced to 20 years for drugging and repeatedly raping his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to abuse her unconscious body.

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A spokesperson for the court in Aachen said: "Between 2018 and 2024, the defendant repeatedly sedated his wife in their former home and then sexually abused her. He is also alleged to have uploaded videos of these acts to chat groups and internet platforms, thereby making them available to other users."

The defendant's court-appointed defence lawyer declined to comment.

The Pelicot trial prompted France to overhaul its rape law this year, introducing an explicit requirement for "freely given and informed" consent  a standard comparable to Swedish, Spanish and British legislation.

Ireland Man jailed for coercive control and repeated sex assault of wife during Covid lockdown Read more

Germany revised its rape law in 2016 to make it easier to prosecute assaults, but some activists say it still stops short of a fully consent-based approach.

The verdict in Aachen was delivered in open court, but most of the trial was held behind closed doors to protect the victim's privacy, the court said previously.

A lawyer representing the victim said the court had handled the case in a highly sensitive manner, adding that her client "really has had a voice in this trial".

The lawyer, however, declined to comment on the sentence, which she has yet to discuss with her client. - Reuters
A US judge has voided the conviction of one of the two men found guilty of the 2002 killing of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, ruling that there was not enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill the hip-hop luminary.

Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, the decision came from the same Brooklyn federal judge who presided over the trial. In Fridays ruling, US District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall granted Karl Jordan Jr an acquittal on the murder charges.

An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the pioneering DJ  his own godfather  in his Queens recording studio on October 30 2002.

We are really happy for Mr Jordan and his family that justice was served Lawyer John Diaz

But Jordans lawyers had argued that the evidence did not support prosecutors claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, as revenge for a failed drug deal.

We are really happy for Mr Jordan and his family that justice was served, one of his lawyers, John Diaz, said in an email. Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.

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A message seeking comment was sent to prosecutors.

Separately, the judge denied co-defendant Ronald Washingtons bid for an acquittal or a new trial.

One of his lawyers, Susan Kellman, noted that he can pursue further appeals.

Washington and Jordan were tried together, and witnesses gave evidence that Washington blocked the door during the shooting and ordered one of the DJs aides to get on the ground.

A jury could reasonably infer that Washington was excluded from a potentially lucrative Baltimore deal and sought to retaliate against Mizell for his exclusion Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall

But the judge concluded that the evidence about a drug-row motive was stronger against Washington than against Jordan. There was evidence that arguments between Washington and a Baltimore-based drug seller torpedoed a potential six-figure cocaine deal involving Jordan, Washington and Mizell.

A jury could reasonably infer that Washington was excluded from a potentially lucrative Baltimore deal and sought to retaliate against Mizell for his exclusion, the judge wrote in the papers released on Friday.

But, she asked, from what evidence, then, could the jury have reasonably inferred that Jordan sought to retaliate against Mizell for the failure of the Baltimore deal? There was none.

Run-DMC  the first rap group to notch gold and platinum albums and to have a video in rotation on MTV  spoke out against drugs in lyrics, a public service announcement and shows. But after the group peaked, Mizell got into debt and dabbled as a cocaine-market middleman, according to prosecutors and trial testimony.

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Neither Washington nor Jordan testified at the trial, where their defence rested largely on questioning key prosecution witnesses credibility and their memories of the long-ago shooting.

Washingtons lawyers also questioned why he would have any reason to kill an old friend who helped him financially. Mizells sister even was letting Washington sleep on her couch.

Jordans lawyers also urged jurors to consider a third man, Jay Bryant, who was charged in Mizells killing in 2023, well after Jordan and Washington. Prosecutors have said Bryants DNA was found on a hat at the shooting scene, and Bryants uncle testified that his nephew told him he shot Mizell.

Bryant has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Jam Master Jay worked the turntables in Run-DMC as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as Its Tricky and a fresh take on Aerosmiths Walk This Way.
Tourists who want to get close to Rome's Trevi Fountain will soon have to pay a 2 fee, the city mayor said on Friday, as authorities look to profit more handsomely from Italy's many attractions.

Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters the new payment system would start on February 1, adding that the measure was expected to raise 6.5 million a year.

"Two euros isn't very much ... and it will lead to less chaotic tourist flows," Gualtieri said, stressing that citizens of Rome will continue to have free access to the fountain.

Tourists will have to pay if they want to get onto the stone steps surrounding the fountain's basin, while the small surrounding square offering a view of the imposing monument will remain open for everyone.

The Trevi Fountain, where tradition dictates that visitors toss a coin into the water to guarantee their return to Rome, has long been a major tourist attraction, even for visiting world leaders.

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Completed in 1762, the monument is a late Baroque masterpiece depicting Oceanus, the god of all water, and symbolising the varying moods of the world's seas and rivers.

It has received nine million visitors so far this year, Gualtieri said, suggesting that he expects many people will opt to view the fountain from afar in future, rather than pay to get near the water.

Visitors on Friday said they would be willing to pay if the money was put to good use.

"If it means that money is used to keep it maintained, then yeah, that's fine," said British tourist Yvonne Salustri.

Gualtieri said five other relatively unknown sites in Rome that are currently free will start charging five euros for access from February, continuing the recent trend aimed at squeezing profits from Italy's cultural heritage.

In 2023, a 5 entrance fee was introduced for Rome's ancient Pantheon. As a result, the square outside is often crammed with people waiting for their turn to pay and enter.

Venice has introduced a tourist entry-fee system during the peak travel season, while Verona this month began charging for access to the balcony in the northern Italian city that is associated with Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". - Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was hopeful but clear about the challenges facing the Trump administrations Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas peace efforts and defended increasing US military pressure on Venezuela during an end-of-year news conference on Friday.

Over more than two hours, Mr Rubio offered no predictions for timing or success on any of those three issues.

He also said he was proud of President Donald Trumps radical overhaul in foreign assistance and that the administration was working to reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan in time for the new year.

Mr Rubios lengthy appearance in the State Department briefing room came as key meetings on Gaza and Russia-Ukraine are being held in Miami on Friday and Saturday after a tumultuous year in US foreign policy.



US Secretary of State Marco Rubio answered questions from reporters at the State Department (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

Mr Rubio has assumed the additional role of national security adviser and emerged as a staunch defender of Mr Trumps America First priorities on issues ranging from visa restrictions to a shake-up of the State Department bureaucracy.

He spoke about peace efforts as national security officials from Britain, France and Germany were taking part in talks in Florida with Ukraines lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the latest iteration of Mr Trumps Ukraine-Russia peace proposal.

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A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner, who is Mr Trumps son-in-law, also would see Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari officials on Friday for talks on how to get to the next phase of Mr Trumps plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Progress on Mr Trumps Gaza ceasefire plan has moved slowly since it was announced in October.

US officials have been pushing to get the plan implemented by setting up a Board of Peace that would oversee the territory after two years of war and create an international stabilisation force that would police the area.

I think we owe them a few more answers before we get there, Mr Rubio said when asked about contributions to the stabilisation force.

After establishing the Board of Peace and a Palestinian technocratic group to govern Gaza, that will allow us to firm up the stabilisation force, including how its going to be paid for, what the rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarisation.

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In a whirlwind of diplomacy, Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner are also set to meet on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putins adviser Kirill Dmitriev in Miami, officials said. Mr Rubio, who will be at his home in Florida for the holidays, said he would probably attend the meeting.

Both sides will have to make concessions if youre going to have a deal. You may not have a deal. We may not have a deal. Its unfortunate Marco Rubio

But he said there would be no peace deal unless both Ukraine and Russia can agree to the terms, making it impossible for the US to force a deal on anyone. Instead, the US is trying to figure out if we can nudge both sides to a common place.

We understand that youre not going to have a deal unless both sides have to give, and both sides have to get, Mr Rubio said.

Both sides will have to make concessions if youre going to have a deal. You may not have a deal. We may not have a deal. Its unfortunate.

The US proposal has been through numerous versions with Mr Trump seesawing back and forth between offering support and encouragement for Ukraine and then seemingly sympathising with Mr Putins hardline stances by pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to territorial concessions.

Kyiv has rejected that concession in return for security guarantees intended to protect Ukraine from future Russian incursions.

On Venezuela, Mr Rubio has been a leading proponent of military operations against suspected drug-running vessels targeted in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September.

The actions have ramped up pressure on leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US.

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Mr Rubio defended Mr Trumps prerogatives on Venezuela and said the administration believes nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war.

He added: We have very strong legal opinions.

In an NBC News interview on Friday, Mr Trump would not rule out a war with Venezuela.

Mr Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have publicly maintained that the current operations are directed at narco-terrorists trying to smuggle deadly drugs into the United States.



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a rally (Ariana Cubillos/AP)

Mr Maduro has insisted the real purpose is to force him from office. Mr Rubio sidestepped a direct question about whether the US wants regime change in 2026 in the South American country.

We have a regime thats illegitimate, that co-operates with Iran, that co-operates with Hezbollah, that co-operates with narco-trafficking and narco-terrorist organisations, Mr Rubio said, including not just protecting their shipments and allowing them to operate with impunity, but also allows some of them to control territory.

Mr Trump has spoken of wanting to be remembered as a peacemaker, but ceasefires his administration helped craft are already in trouble thanks to renewed military action between Cambodia and Thailand as well as Rwanda and Congo.

Mr Rubio, however, said those deals created a list of commitments that can now be used to push the parties back to peace.

Those commitments today are not being kept, Mr Rubio said of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, which now threatens to reignite following Thai airstrikes.

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The work now is to bring them back to the table.

Since taking over the department, Mr Rubio has moved swiftly to implement Mr Trumps America First agenda, helping dismantle the US.Agency for International Development (USAid)and reducing the size of the diplomatic corps through a significant reorganisation.

Previous administrations have distributed billions of dollars in foreign assistance over the past five decades through USAid.

Critics have said the decision to eliminate USAid and slash foreign aid spending has cost lives overseas, although Mr Rubio and others have denied this, pointing to ongoing disaster relief operations in the Philippines, the Caribbean and elsewhere, along with new global health compacts being signed with countries that previously had programs run by USAid.

We have a limited amount of money that can be dedicated to foreign aid and humanitarian assistance, Mr Rubio said. And that has to be applied in a way that furthers our national interest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscows troops are advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine, voicing confidence that the Kremlins military goals willl be achieved nearly four years after he ordered troops into the neighbouring country.

Speaking at his highly orchestrated year-end news conference, Mr Putin claimed that Russian forces have fully seized strategic initiative and would make more gains by the years end.

In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraines forces managed to thwart an attempt by Russias larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital Kyiv.

But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles and Moscows troops have made slow but steady progress over the years. Mr Putin frequently touts this progress  even though it is not the lightning advance many expected.



Russian President Vladimir Putin has been answering questions (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors, Mr Putin said at the annual live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians the opportunity to ask questions.

Mr Putin, who has ruled the country for 25 years, has used the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs.

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This year, observers are watching for his remarks on Ukraine and the peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump. Despite an extensive diplomatic push, Washingtons efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands by Moscow and Kyiv.

Mr Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlins tough conditions for a deal.



Questions were asked about the Ukraine war (Pavel Bednyakov/AP)

Earlier this week, he warned that Moscow would seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlins demands.

The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognised as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscows forces have not captured yet  demands Kyiv has rejected.

The Kremlin also insists that Ukraine abandon its bid to join the Western Nato military alliance and warns it will not accept the deployment of any troops from Nato members and will view them as a legitimate target.

He has repeatedly said that Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language  demands he has made from the onset of the conflict.
Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a new family photograph, chosen for the couples 2025 Christmas card.

The image, released on Kensington Palaces social media, shows William and Kate sitting on the grass amid spring daffodils surrounded by their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Charlotte, 10, is resting her head on her fathers shoulder and holding onto his arm, a relaxed Louis is leaning back sitting between Williams legs, and Kate has her arm around George.

The post reads: Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas.

The family snapshot was taken by photographer Josh Shinner in Norfolk in April.

It appeared to be the same photoshoot used to capture portraits for Georges 12th and Louis seventh birthdays.

The Waleses are spending the festive season together and are expected to be joining Britain's King Charles and rest of the royal family at Sandringham in Norfolk on Christmas Day.

The Prince of Wales, Prince George, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and the Princess of Wales at Kates Together At Christmas carol service in Westminster Abbey (Chris Jackson/)

The family-of-five experienced a major change just a few weeks ago when they moved into their eight-bedroom forever home, Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park.

The change is seen as a fresh start for the Waleses after Kates recovery from cancer, which she announced at the start of 2025, following what William branded a brutal 2024.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on Friday.

Mr Zelenskys visit is intended to ensure that relations with key ally Poland remain stable, regardless of any change in power in Warsaw.

It has taken more than four months after Mr Nawrocki was inaugurated in August for a meeting with Mr Zelensky to happen.

That is long considering the symbiotic relationship between the two countries since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Poland needs Ukraine to keep Russia at bay, and Ukraine needs Poland to ensure deliveries of military aid.



Karol Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelensky speak, during their meeting (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

Poland will also be crucial in any set-up providing Western security guarantees for Ukraine if a peace deal is finalised.

Polands current government is a solid backer of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk acting as one of the most visceral advocates of Kyiv in international fora.

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But presidential election results indicate that the previous, nationalist governing party Law and Justice might return to power in 2027.

And Mr Nawrocki, who won elections with the backing of Law and Justice, has been playing hard to get.

In words that echoed the attitude of US president Donald Trump, Mr Nawrocki said that he expected Mr Zelensky to express gratitude for the significant military and humanitarian aid Poland has provided and will continue to provide to Ukraine.

I have consistently demanded symmetry in relations between Poland and Ukraine, he said in early December.

Mrr Nawrocki has said Ukraines accession to the European Union could not be unconditional and that Poland spends too many resources on Ukrainian refugees at the expense of Poles.



Karol Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelensky attend an official welcome ceremony (Czarek Sokolowski/AP)

He has especially criticised Kyiv for blocking the exhumation of Polish victims lying in mass graves in the Ukrainian region of Volhynia, after being brutally killed during the Second World War.

Polish authorities estimate tens of thousands of Poles were murdered.

During the Second World War, Polish-Ukrainian relations in the Nazi-occupied regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were marked by violent inter-ethnic conflict.

Armed formations on both sides, including the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Polish underground forces, were involved in attacks and reprisals that led to large-scale civilian casualties among both Poles and Ukrainians.

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The historical tragedy has been a major source of tension between the two countries.

In January, however, Poland and Ukraine reached an agreement under which Ukraine will allow the exhumation of some Polish victims, which was considered a major breakthrough.

Exhumations have already taken place this year in the village of Puzhnyky in Ukraines western Ternopil region, uncovering the remains of at least 42 people believed to be victims of the Volhynia massacres, and at Lviv-Zboiska.

Further permissions were granted by both sides for exhumations at other locations.

Even so, Mr Nawrocki, whose promise to Poles is to put their interests first, will likely want to extract more promises from Mr Zelensky on Friday.
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Sponsored BusinessCompaniesBulls N' Bears Gateway zeroes in on emerging large-scale WA gold system near Wiluna Brought to you by BULLS N BEARS Rowena Duckworth December 19, 2025  3:02pm 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

Gateway Mining has opened a promising new chapter at the companys flagship Yandal gold project in Western Australia after early results from a 44,000-metre aircore drilling campaign pointed to the emergence of a large-scale gold system at its Mustang prospect. Initial aircore drilling across wide-spaced reconnaissance lines has identified multiple zones of anomalous gold associated with favourable structural settings around the companys intrusive targets, dubbed Colt, Pony and Haflinger. Gateway says the results suggest Mustang could host an extensive mineralised system with significant scale potential and multiple high-priority follow-up targets. Geologists analysing Gateway Minings aircore drilling data at its Mustang prospect, part of the companys Yandal gold project near Wiluna in Western Australia. The standout feature is the newly defined Colt target, which extends for at least 1.4 kilometres along strike and up to 600 metres in width. Notably, mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth, highlighting considerable upside as drilling progresses. Gateway says it believes the gold mineralisation may to be linked to large-scale structural flexures developed around a series of intrusions. These target zones comprise stacked mineralised gold lodes developed along shared contacts between intermediate volcanics, mafic volcanic units and intrusive margins  a setting known to host high-grade gold elsewhere within the Yandal belt.

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Initial results from the first three aircore lines indicate the emergence of an extensive system at Mustang. Gateway Mining executive chairman Andrew Bray The Yandal project is strategically sits 85 kilometres northeast of Wiluna, spanning a vast 1,780 square kilometres on the eastern flank of the world-class Yandal Greenstone Belt. The belt is one of Australias most prolific gold-producing regions and is home to Northern Star Resources 6.4 million -ounce Jundee mine, which lies close to Gateways tenure. Jundee has been a cornerstone operation in the region since mining commenced in 1995, producing gold from both underground and open-pit operations. Its success has long underlined the prospectivity of the Yandal Greenstone Belt, particularly for Archaean, high-grade, narrow-vein lode-style deposits. Gateways broader Yandal project already hosts 8.17 million tonnes at 1.52 grams per tonne gold for 400,400 ounces. The resource is centred on the Horse Well Gold Camp and the Dusk til Dawn deposit, providing a solid foundation for ongoing exploration success. At Mustang, anomalous gold has also been intersected along a key mafic-intermediate contact, mirroring high-grade mineralisation elsewhere on the project. The contact is shaping up as a prime target for follow-up reverse circulation and infill drilling, with programs scheduled to restart in late February.

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Gateway Mining executive chairman Andrew Bray said: Initial results from the first three aircore lines indicate the emergence of an extensive system at Mustang, as anticipated. Multiple mineralised structures are beginning to be identified across these wide-spaced reconnaissance lines, representing strong follow-up targets for RC drilling in the new year. The Mustang prospect is distinguished by its structural complexity, particularly where the Celia Shear and Mustang Shear corridors intersect and flex around the Pony, Haflinger and Colt intrusions. The complexity is further enhanced by northeast-trending cross structures that create dilational zones considered highly prospective for gold deposition. Historical drilling in the area, largely carried out by Eagle Mining in the mid-1990s, consisted of shallow, wide-spaced RAB and aircore holes that failed to penetrate transported cover. As a result, the underlying primary mineralised structures were never properly tested. Gateways current campaign represents the first systematic attempt to drill through cover and test the basement geology along the Mustang-Pony corridor. With extensive strike potential and minimal modern exploration, the area offers a compelling opportunity for new discoveries. Backed by a bulging wallet and a stash of liquid listed shares following recent capital raisings, Gateway appears well placed to press the accelerator on exploration across its underexplored Yandal portfolio and potentially deliver meaningful resource growth - a move sure to catch the punters eye. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au

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BusinessMarketsTrump's White House He has confidence in what I tell him: The billionaire who has Trumps ear Eric Lipton and Rebecca F. Elliott December 19, 2025  4:30pm 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

The executives dining at the White House to celebrate President Donald Trumps $US300 million ($450.8 million) ballroom  and their role in financing it  were a whos who of American industry. Seated among them was billionaire Harold G. Hamm, founder of an oil company  Continental Resources  that is little known outside energy circles. Donald Trump and Harold Hamm together in 2019. The New York Times Not long ago, it seemed as if Hamm and his allies in the oil industry were losing. They were out of favour in Washington  and on Wall Street  shunned for contributing to climate change and failing to deliver the returns investors wanted. But with Trump back in power, Hamm is, too.

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The alliance between the two is now playing a big role in American energy. Together, they have remade federal policy to benefit oil and gas companies, including Hamms Continental, and put off the transition to greener alternatives such as solar power and batteries. Related Article Opinion

Oil Americas new sanctions on Russian oil may be biting too late Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist Hamm was among Trumps earliest oil industry backers, and that loyalty  paired with more than $US2 million in campaign contributions  has earned him outsize influence. Hamm, who recently adopted the title of chair emeritus as he stepped back at Continental, has used that influence to position loyalists for top administration jobs. They include Chris Wright, a longtime fossil fuel executive and former director of an oil industry lobbying group that Hamm co-founded. Wright is now Trumps energy secretary. The interior secretary job went to Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor and close ally of Hamms whose family has leased land to Continental for drilling.

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Trumps return to the White House is paying off handsomely for Continental, which has said it expects to benefit from expanded tax breaks. The company also recently secured long-sought permits from the Trump administration to drill for oil and natural gas in Wyoming. At the same time, the Trump administration and Congress have moved to undo or weaken policies that threatened oil and gas, including fuel-efficiency standards, methane emissions regulations, and tax credits for electric vehicles and renewable power. Such rollbacks have helped offset the industrys frustration with low oil prices and higher tariffs, which have squeezed profits this year. Hamm and Continental declined interview requests and did not respond to written requests for comment. A White House spokesperson said in a written statement that Hamm was among the oil industry executives who offered Trump advice. The president frequently listens to the recommendations and concerns of many top stakeholders and business leaders to ensure Americas oil and gas industry has the adequate resources and capabilities to DRILL, BABY, DRILL and deliver for the American people, she said. The Hamm-Trump partnership was birthed in 2012, when Trump, already flirting with a presidential run, invited Hamm to visit him at Trump Tower in New York.

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The two men, so different on paper, had much in common. Both were contrarians. Both used symbols of American patriotism to boost their own pursuits. The oilman pledged his support should Trump run for president. Harold Hamm (centre) at a fund-raising dinner for President Trumps ballroom at the White House in Washington. The New York Times I think he has a great deal of confidence in what I tell him, Hamm told a Washington Post reporter in 2016. That year, Hamm was among the first oil and gas executives to endorse Trump, declaring at the Republican convention that President Trump will fuel Americas future and become the first president to achieve American energy independence.

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Trump's White House The truth of Trumps terrible November? His weapons are losing their potency Melanie La'Brooy Writer Born a few months after the end of World War II, Hamm moved around as a young boy before settling in Enid, Oklahoma. In his early 20s, he started a one-truck oil field services company and eventually began drilling his own oil wells, building Continental into a major player in the West. A breakthrough came in March 2004, on the edge of an oil and gas deposit known as the Bakken in North Dakota. Hamm had a hunch that if he applied new drilling techniques  now known as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing  he could squeeze oil out of the ground where others had failed. He was right. Continentals success helped propel North Dakotas oil output, ushering in the fracking boom that would transform the United States into the worlds top producer of oil and natural gas. Hamm took the company public in 2007, by which point he was a wealthy man with growing influence in Oklahoma City, where Continental is based. After Trump took office in 2017, Hamm was not shy about leaning on the administration and Republicans in Congress.

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On one visit to Washington, in June 2018, the oilman used his clout to push for weakening automotive fuel-efficiency standards. Hamm told House lawmakers that the rules were archaic and onerous. Not long ago, it seemed as if Hamm and his allies in the oil industry were losing. Bloomberg The Trump administration soon rolled back the US fuel efficiency rules. That was just the start. Hamms lobbying group, the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, worked to weaken protections for threatened species such as sage grouse. It also lobbied the Trump administration to cut regulations intended to curb air pollution near oil drilling sites.

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Both the air pollution and wildlife protection measures were curtailed. Before long, however, Hamm found himself in the cold. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, oil demand shrivelled and prices plunged. Continentals market valuation dropped below $US4 billion, from about $US22 billion 18 months earlier, wiping out a large chunk of Hamms wealth. He held about 80 per cent of the companys stock at the time. Meanwhile, concerns about climate change were growing. Partly under pressure from environmentalists and some policymakers, big investors began to squeeze public corporations to curb fossil fuel use and production. After Joe Biden took office in 2021, Congress encouraged electric vehicle purchases, invested billions of dollars into charging stations and subsidised battery manufacturing.

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By this time, many larger oil companies had begun committing themselves to cleaner energy. Hamm took the opposite tack, shielding Continental from investor pressure by taking the company private in 2022. Related Article Billionaires Billionaire CEO branded as Putins puppet cashes out By April 2024, Hamm was marshalling support for Trump. He helped to organise many oil and gas executives to dine with Trump that northern spring, including Wright, then CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy. Trump pressed the group at that dinner to raise $US1 billion for his campaign, in return for his promise to do away with a laundry list of regulations. (In the end, oil and gas interests gave about $US75 million to Trumps re-election effort.)

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It is a dream team of unimaginable proportions, Hamm said after Trump tapped Wright as energy secretary and Burgum as interior secretary. A mechanical humming, mixed with the clanking of steel, echoed one recent evening in central Wyoming. This site, where mule deer and pronghorn antelope outnumber humans, is where Continental and others hope to drill up to 5000 wells. Perhaps no place better demonstrates what Hamm has accomplished since Trump returned to office. The Interior Department first approved the project in late 2020. But after local groups sued, a federal judge blocked any new permits, saying the government had failed to adequately evaluate how drilling would affect the environment. (The federal government owns many underground oil and gas deposits and therefore controls permitting, even though private individuals often own the land.)

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This was more than just a frustration for Hamm: The Bakken in North Dakota, Continentals lifeblood, was in decline, and the company needed new targets. With Trump back in power, Continental and others quickly moved to get around the roadblocks. They had submitted a report from a consultant they hired that concluded that oil drilling would not affect groundwater. On a second front, Continental and its allies had asked the Interior Department to open up more federal land for lease in Wyoming and elsewhere and accelerate related environmental reviews. The Trump administration and Congress have moved to undo or weaken policies that threatened oil and gas AP Hamm, of course, had a close supporter in Burgum, who as interior secretary oversees oil and gas leasing.

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This past northern spring, barriers to Hamms ambitions suddenly lifted. In April, the Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management in effect endorsed the industrys groundwater report. That same month, Burgum announced that his agency was slashing what had sometimes been a multiyear review of permits on federal lands nationwide to no more than 28 days. Were in a very good spot in the US. We are in the era of abundance. Harold Hamm The department said it did no special favours for Hamm. Efforts to improve permitting efficiency are long-standing and based on agency policy  not on any individual or company, Alyse Sharpe, an agency spokesperson, said in a statement. She also said that agency specialists had independently reviewed the industry-funded groundwater data. The benefits for Continental were clear. In August, the Interior Department began to issue Hamms company dozens of new permits to drill in Wyomings Converse County.

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Continentals production in Wyoming hit a record as of late this year. The push has brought mixed reviews from longtime residents. The problem is, when there is oil, no one in my lifetime has decided to just leave it in the ground, said Maria Katherman, who grew up on a nearby ranch and is now part of a group suing to block the new project. These permits to drill are just the start. A special Biden-era fee on methane emissions  which penalises companies that emit large amounts of the pollutant  has been put on hold, saving oil companies such as Continental hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming decade. Other items high on Hamms wish-list included rolling back policies that forced vehicle manufacturers to build more electric and hybrid vehicles; and increasing tax breaks for oil companies to pump carbon dioxide underground to extend the life of ageing oil fields, as in North Dakota. Trump has also helped expand exports of natural gas.

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EnvironmentClimate changeDonald Trump Trump threatens world-leading forecasting and climate research centre Lisa Friedman , Brad Plumer and Jack Healy December 19, 2025  2:56pm 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: The Trump administration said it will be dismantling the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the worlds leading Earth science research institutions. The centre, founded in 1960, is responsible for many of the biggest scientific advances in humanitys understanding of weather and climate. Its research aircraft and sophisticated computer models of the Earths atmosphere and oceans are widely used in forecasting weather events and disasters around the country, and its scientists study a broad range of topics, including air pollution, ocean currents and global warming. US President Donald Trump, who has labelled climate change a con job, has relaxed emissions standards and wiped out the fines for carmakers for breaching fuel-economy standards. AP But in a social media post announcing the move late on Tuesday, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, called the centre one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country and said that the federal government would be breaking up the institution. Vought wrote that a comprehensive review is under way and that any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

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USA Today first reported on the White House plans. Scientists, meteorologists and lawmakers said the move was an attack on critical scientific research and would harm the United States. The National Centre for Atmospheric Research was originally founded to provide scientists studying Earths atmosphere with cutting-edge resources, such as supercomputers, that individual universities could not afford on their own. It is now widely considered a global leader in both weather and climate change research, with programs aimed at tracking severe weather events, modelling floods and understanding how solar activity affects the Earths atmosphere. For decades, the centre has operated with the freedom to develop outside-the-box ideas that have advanced weather forecasting. Its researchers identified atmospheric patterns that meteorologists rely on today to predict the weather. In the 1970s, NCAR scientists Roland Madden and Paul Julian discovered a pulse of clouds and rain that circumvents the equator every 30 to 90 days. This phenomenon, now known as the Madden-Julian oscillation, fundamentally changed the field, helping forecasters predict weather patterns weeks to months in advance.

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NCAR scientists also developed GPS dropsondes, instruments that are dropped from aircraft to gather crucial data about a cyclones strength and centre. This data became pivotal for the computer models used to predict hurricane paths today. Related Article Renewables Trump blew up Americas offshore wind industry  now hes blowing up ours The centres research has often proved useful in unexpected places, such as when its studies of downdrafts in the lower atmosphere in the 1970s and 1980s led to the development of wind shear detection systems around airports that helped address the cause of hundreds of aviation accidents during that era. Those systems still protect planes today. The lab is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of more than 100 universities, but the vast majority of its funding comes from the federal government, including through hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the National Science Foundation. Scientists said dismantling the centres climate research would do irreparable damage to cutting-edge meteorology and advances in weather forecasting.

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Its the beating heart of our field, Kim Cobb, a climate scientist and the director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, wrote in a post on Bluesky. Generations of scientists have trained there, and almost everyone I know relies on deep collaborations with NCAR scientists. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, wrote on social platform X that the institution is quite literally our global mothership. She said nearly everyone who researches climate and weather around the world has worked at or with NCAR. It supports the scientists who fly into hurricanes, the meteorologists who develop new radar technology, the physicists who envision and code new weather models, and yes  the largest community climate model in the world, she wrote, adding, Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet. President Donald Trump routinely mocks climate change as a hoax, and his administration has labelled virtually all efforts to study climate change, reduce the level of dangerous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or protect communities from the impacts of global warming as alarmism. The administration said the centre had supported what it called frivolous and ideological issues, such as research on how to protect wind turbines from hurricanes and a project to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into studies of how climate change would affect coastal communities.

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Yet experts said much of the centres activities focused on basic atmospheric science that had little to do with political debates over climate change. Related Article Climate policy Interstate refugees: Why more Aussies are moving south If you asked me where youd find the most politicised elements of climate research, NCAR would be way down that list, said Roger Pielke Jr, a political scientist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute who has often criticised climate researchers elsewhere for engaging in activism. A lot of what NCAR does is atmospheric science beyond climate change, like improving short-term weather forecasts, added Pielke, who worked at the centre early in his career. Destroying it makes no sense. Putting the facility on the chopping block would also be an economic blow to Colorado. Trump has feuded with Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, in recent days, calling him a weak and pathetic man and accusing the governor with no evidence of being run by Venezuelan gang members.

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The dispute stems from the case of a former state election official in Colorado, Tina Peters, who was convicted of multiple felonies after she gave Trumps supporters unauthorised access to voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Trump has pardoned Peters, but Colorado officials have countered that presidential pardons do not apply to state crimes. A senior White House official, who declined to be identified, said in response to the announcement that Colorado constituents would be better served if Polis wanted to work with the president. Polis said in a statement that the federal government had yet to inform the state of its plans. If true, public safety is at risk, and science is being attacked, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Get to the heart of whats happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.
Australian gun buyback scheme announced following Bondi Beach terror attack

Anthony Albanese has announced sweeping gun reforms in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, bringing in the largest buyback scheme in almost 30 years.
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NationalBondi shooting Opinion Dont let this barbaric assault on my home  my happy place  tear us apart Nick Bryant Journalist and author December 20, 2025  4:00am

December 20, 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

On the morning after, the walk down to Bondi became a solemn procession. Locals who usually head to the beach with towels slung casually over their shoulders cradled flowers in their arms. The flags at Icebergs already were at half-mast. After the gunshots, screams and sirens of Sundays murderous mayhem, a quietude descended. A soulful silence. Knowing glances replaced words. Bereaved families were locked in tearful group hugs. An expanding carpet of floral tributes outside the shut gates of Bondi Pavilion became a measure of community and national sorrow. On the shoreline of Australias most charismatic crescent of surf and sand came wave after wave of grief. Illustration by Simon Letch Too many times on too many continents have I covered the aftermath of mass shootings and terrorist massacres, but never before in a setting cherished by so many as a happy place. A sanctuary from the pressures of everyday life. A safe haven from the troubles of the world. No wonder we are all so shell-shocked. No wonder emotions are so raw. This, at the risk of sounding platitudinous, was an attack on a cherished idea in Australia: that the centuries-old conflicts of distant lands should not be fought on this soil. This was also an attack on the Australian way of life. Just as the Twin Towers were totems of American might, so Bondi has always been an emblem of the Australian mindset. Laid-back. Egalitarian. Fun. Grateful. That fabled democracy of the beach.

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Today I write not so much as a columnist but as a community member. Bondi is our home. We live alongside Jewish neighbours whose houses at this time of year are adorned with Hanukkah decorations. Were we listening attentively enough to their fears? Did we as a nation do enough to safeguard Australian Jews? The answer, clearly and collectively, is no. A woman sits on Bondi Beach before a paddle out to pay tribute to the victims. Kate Geraghty As we reflect on the enormity of Sundays atrocity, and vest it with broader meaning, never should we lose sight of the prime targets: above all, this was an attack on Australian Jews. Bondi, a suburb that in postwar years provided a haven for so many Holocaust survivors seeking to put as much geographic distance as possible between themselves and the horrors of the gas chambers, became a killing field. A Holocaust survivor, 87-year-old Alexander Kleytman, was among the first named victims. Understandably, words of incomprehension have come to all our lips. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Unbelievable. Unfathomable. But the reaction in the Jewish community has been quite different. I have to say that Ive been holding my breath, fearing that something like this would happen because it hasnt come without warning, said Jillian Segal, the envoy to combat antisemitism appointed by Anthony Albanese. The writing was on the wall, said Alex Ryvchin, from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. That writing came, daubed large, in antisemitic graffiti scrawled on walls and cars in the eastern suburbs. The suspected arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. The attack on the office in Melbourne of the Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns. The anti-Jewish chants at that pro-Palestinian protest on October 9, 2023 on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The brandishing of a portrait of Irans Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, a spewer of antisemitism, near the front of the March for Humanity on Sydney Harbour Bridge in August this year  a gathering, it should also be noted, of overwhelmingly well-intentioned people.

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The announcement from the government in late August that the Iranian regime was behind arson attacks at a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher deli in Sydney contributed to the downplaying of the home-grown threat. The allegation of foreign interference was both alarming and allaying. It shifted the blame. Perhaps we took succour from thinking the poison of antisemitism had been imported, and was a non-native venom. Julian Assange and Craig Foster (front) in the pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3. In the background, a protester carries a picture of Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Getty Images Certainly, the self-congratulatory story we have told ourselves since the gun laws enacted after Port Arthur also lulled us into an unjustified sense of security. After the Westfield Bondi Junction attack  which many initially thought bore hallmarks of an antisemitic attack  how many of us expressed a measure of almost smug relief that the murderer was carrying a knife and not a semi-automatic rifle. I know I did. Maybe we have become complacently isolationist, thinking that our geographic detachment offers us inalienable protections  a trait magnified by benefiting for the past 30 years from a near recession-proof economy and by shuttering the portcullis of Fortress Australia during COVID. We relocated as a family to Bondi  partly to escape the scourge of American gun violence.

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The two years between the October 7, 2023 atrocities committed by Hamas and the Bondi massacre of December 14 have also demonstrated how binary is our thinking, and how angrily tribal has become our political, media and online culture. Have those who not unreasonably condemned the excesses of the Netanyahu governments brutal war in Gaza done enough to condemn antisemitism here at home? Have those naturally horrified by Hamas terrorism on October 7 shown sufficient empathy for the tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians killed in the Israeli governments response? Have we become so captive to the algorithms of animosity that we have lost the capacity for nuance, balanced thinking and empathy? I fear we have. Dopamine-driven division runs the risk of turning us into a continent-sized Tower of Babel. Related Article Bondi shooting Antisemitism laws to push constitutional limit, says Burke We relocated as a family to Bondi four years ago partly to escape the scourge of American gun violence. Our kids had reached the age when they realised school lockdown drills were not in preparation for hurricanes but rather a hail of bullets. Yet another reason we left was to get away from the polarisation of the misnamed United States: a country now defined by mutual loathing. American disunion has deep historical roots, but it was accelerated and aggravated at the start of the 21st century because the country squandered the chance of national unity offered by its own darkest day, September 11, 2001. After a fleeting coming together, the war on terror became politicised and polarised. Judging by the heated rhetoric of the past few days, Australia is racing through those gears quicker than America did after 9/11.

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The partisan point-scoring and personalised finger-pointing, in a polity that has become so relentlessly oppositional and nasty, comes as little surprise. It shows how much the political culture has changed for the worse since Port Arthur, when John Howard, who was so fiercely critical of the present-day prime minister this week, benefited from patriotic bipartisanship. In such an emotionally charged moment, politicians  such as Pauline Hanson, who was applauded when she visited the floral memorial at Bondi this week  might eye vote-winning opportunities. The tabloids, staying true to their business model, will stoke division. Its time to stop all this bullshit about harmony was the headline in the Melbourne Herald Sun the morning after. But do we really want to fall into the trap of further ripping the social fabric, especially when the widespread revulsion at what happened at Bondi presents an opportunity to repair it? I covered America in the aftermath of 9/11. I watched the US tear itself apart. Bipartisanship broke down. Voices of moderation were drowned and driven out. Politics not only became oppositional but nihilistically destructive. Again, I write as a permanent resident in the process of becoming an Australian citizen: dont let that happen here. Surfers gathering on Friday to paddle out at Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the victims. Kate Geraghty Since the first time I came to live here almost 20 years ago, I have seen enough of this country to know the decent-minded and community-spirited make up the overwhelming majority: Australias reasonable people. We saw that this week. In the tens of thousands who donated blood. In the admiring response to the heroism of Ahmed al Ahmed, who was only granted Australian citizenship in 2022. In the measured words of the envoy to combat antisemitism, Segal, and other Jewish figures. In the impressive leadership of local politicians such as state member and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, NSW Premier Chris Minns and federal MP Allegra Spender. I have not used their political affiliations for a reason. They did not matter. State and local politicians, in collaboration with faith and community groups, will probably be more constructive over the coming months than federal politicians. Practical rather than performative, they conduct politics at a lower temperature. Ultimately, it is for us to decide. We all have agency. Do we want this atrocity to become a bloody milestone along the path of further polarisation, or the moment where we chose comity over mutual hate?

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Bondi has always had convening power. Multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multi-generational, multilingual, it is a place where modern Australia gathers en masse. It is still a place that can draw us together. I saw that for myself on that hushed morning after, when I took the short walk to the beach. Nick Bryant, a regular columnist, is a former BBC correspondent and 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.
Jade carving thrives in county in E China's Jiangsu

People's Daily Online) 09:37, December 19, 2025

Although it is not a jade-producing region, Pizhou, a county-level city administered by Xuzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, has cultivated a jade-carving industry with an annual output value exceeding 8 billion yuan ($1.14 billion).

Jade professionals gather at a jade fair in Pizhou, a county-level city administered by Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, in October 2025. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Hantian)

Modern jade carving in Pizhou dates back to the 1970s, according to Liu Yinqiang, deputy director of the Pizhou Jade Carving Association. The industry started with a jade processing factory that trained a generation of skilled professionals. In the early 1990s, however, the factory closed due to slow business. Over 200 employees went on to start their own businesses, passing on their skills through apprenticeships and forming a tight-knit community of jade-carving specialists.

Today, the number of jade artisans in Pizhou has grown from a few hundred to nearly 100,000. The city has developed five specialized jade trading markets, creating a complete industrial chain.

Jade buyers check the quality of raw jade at a jade fair in Pizhou, a county-level city administered by Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Hantian)

At the newly built 50,000-square-meter Huaihai Hanyu Cultural and Creative Park, 200 digital carving workshops run around the clock.

"Ten years ago, a single intricately carved jade pendant would take a master a full week to complete, with labor costs alone reaching 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. Today, combining computer-aided design with hand finishing, the same piece costs only a few hundred yuan," Liu said.

Thanks to digital technology, production is now nearly 15 times more efficient, and custom orders have grown by 40 percent. This shift has not only delivered benefits but also unlocked new markets for jade carving.

A woman sells jade products during a livestreaming session in Pizhou, a county-level city administered by Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Pizhou Municipal Committee)

In 2024, online sales of jade carvings exceeded 2.5 billion yuan, accounting for a third of the industry's total revenue.

Liang Chuanxing, president of the Pizhou Jade Carving Association, said the city has been actively reshaping its jade-carving brands in recent years.

In 2023, the association partnered with Pizhou Museum to launch a line of creative cultural products, combining Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) craftsmanship with modern design concepts. The first batch of products generated more than 10 million yuan in sales within just three months.

A young professional uses a carving machine to design jade products. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Hantian)

Today, workers under 35 make up 30 percent of Pizhou's jade-carving workforce, up from just 15 percent five years ago.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
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Graphic content NationalNSWCourts Man jailed for decades for murdering Sydney mother inside her apartment Clare Sibthorpe December 19, 2025  11:49am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A

A man has been jailed for more than four decades for murdering 28-year-old Dayna Isaac inside her apartment in Sydneys west, with a judge describing the terror she would have felt in her final moments. Described as an amazing mother and life of the party, Isaac was killed by 35-year-old Paul Jason Sultana inside her Penrith unit three years ago. He murdered her out of rage that she did not want to be with him, fled in her car and took his mother to the crime scene. Dayna Isaac wasd murdered by Paul Sultana. At the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, following a judge-alone trial, Justice Peter Garling sentenced Sultana to 44 years jail with a non-parole period of 33 years. Intimate partner violence is a scourge on civilised society. The offenders conduct is to be denounced completely, Garling said.

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[Sultana] displayed significant jealousy and controlling behaviours in the week leading up to the murder. The Crown had argued for a life sentence without parole. When the judge delivered his guilty verdict in September, dramatic court scenes unfolded as Sultana stabbed himself in his arm with a sharp object inside the courtroom. He was taken to hospital. Damage to a wall found inside Dayna Isaacs Penrith home, following her murder. NSW Police Sultana met Isaac through his brother in 2018. The pair formed a friendship, which developed into an intimate relationship in 2022.

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At the time of the murder, Garling said, their relationship was as at a developmental stage with a varying level of commitment. Tension brewed as Isaac refused to agree a fuller, more settled relationship. He was intent on taking her life her last minutes are ones in which she must have been terrified. Isaacs father Garry English testified that his daughter repeatedly told him she wanted to be friends, and had expressed frustration the day before her death that he was moving his belongings into her apartment, despite not having a key. Dayna Isaacs father, Garry English. Kate Geraghty On the morning of January 16, 2023, Isaac had completed a trial for a potential new job, when Sultana cycled to her apartment with rope and tape, and forced his way in.

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A neighbour later heard an argument from inside the unit, including a man yelling dont and stop, loud thuds and a woman crying out. The neighbour described it as one of the worst screams shed ever heard. Sultana brutally bashed and fatally strangled the mother of two young children, as she pleaded with him to stop, Garling said. He was intent on taking her life  her last minutes are ones in which she must have been terrified. His DNA was later found on her clothes, her body and a cord wrapped around her neck. The neighbour witnessed Sultana flee in Isaacs car. His mother, Janet Tsiliris, later told police he had called her and said: Its bad, its bad, its bad.

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Dayna Isaacs burnt-out car was found in bushland near her Penrith apartment. He drove his mother to the murder scene. She said she saw Isaac covered in blood and ran out, screaming, Oh my God, what have you done? You cant fix this. I cant be here. Sultana set Isaacs car alight in bushland and burnt his clothes inside a metal drum. He was arrested after his mother reported him to police. He has been in custody since. A fellow inmate of Sultana testified he had made admissions while in custody on remand, telling him Sultana forced his way into the house and violently assaulted Isaac. The defence argued an unknown person murdered Isaac while Sultana was asleep in her unit.

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While a doctor suggested that Sultana suffered from schizophrenia, Garling noted this opinion was given after the murder. The judge could not determine whether he was mentally ill at the time or whether any potential illness contributed to his behaviour, but found he was likely to have been affected by enduring impairment in decision-making and emotional regulation. He said victim impact statements outlined the significant harm and distress caused by Isaacs death. As Garling delivered the sentence, he said to the court officers, Take the prisoner away. Sultana, who had shown no regret or remorse, will be eligible for parole in January 2056.

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If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114, beyondblue on 1800 512 348, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Police release seven men arrested by anti-terrorism police yesterday

New South Wales Police have released seven men without charge, after they were arrested by anti-terrorism police in Sydney's south west, yesterday afternoon.
Victorian government warns people planning to protest in Melbourne

The Victorian Government has warned anyone who protests in Melbourne in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack will be "dealt with by police".
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WorldEuropeCourts French anaesthetist Dr Death killed 12 patients to feed his thirst for power Henry Samuel December 19, 2025  5:30pm 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

Paris: A French doctor branded one of the worst criminals in history has been sentenced to life in prison for poisoning 30 patients in an attempt to feed his thirst for power. Frederic Pechier, 53, worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon, when patients went into cardiac arrest in suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017. Twelve of the victims died. Prosecutors described Pechier as one of the worst criminals in history who used medicine to kill. French former anaesthetist Frederic Pechier arrives at Besancons courthouse this month. AFP His youngest victim, a four-year-old boy called Teddy, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016. Pechiers oldest victim was 89.

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You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer, prosecutors at an earlier hearing said. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard. Related Article Crime Baby-murdering nurse to die in prison after being given life sentence An investigation was launched in 2017 after suspicious cardiac arrests during operations on patients otherwise considered low-risk. At the end of a three-month trial, the Doubs assize court handed out a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years, as well as a permanent ban on practising medicine. Pechier, who denied wrongdoing and had not been detained since the start of the investigation, appeared impassive as the verdict was read out. You will be incarcerated immediately, said the presiding judge, Delphine Thibierge.

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The judges and jury found that Pechier had deliberately contaminated intravenous fluid bags and syringes with potassium, lidocaine, adrenaline and heparin, triggering sudden heart attacks or haemorrhages during routine procedures. Its a relief, a liberation, because shame has changed sides, said Stephane Giuranna, a lawyer for several civil parties. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard. Prosecutors at an earlier hearing He has been found guilty of all the charges, making him the biggest criminal in French legal history. I have no doubt that there will be a retrial, and we are ready to face it, he said. Prosecutors argued that Pechiers motive was not mercy but power; he aimed to psychologically damage colleagues with whom he was in conflict by engineering medical disasters on their watches.

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They painted a picture of a man obsessed with control, who derived satisfaction from watching others panic or fail, and then intervening to save the day to feed his thirst for power. Long seen as the star anaesthesiologist of Besancon, prosecutors said his uncanny ability to administer a life-saving injection, sometimes outside of recommended best practices, eventually became suspect. Pechier worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon. Getty Images His too-good clinical intuition was tied to his knowledge of the true problem facing the patient, the investigating judges said. Several doctors testified to careers ruined by unexplained collapses on operating tables, while families described loved ones who had entered clinics for minor surgery and never came home.

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One lawyer for the civil parties said Pechier had turned hospitals into cemeteries, adding that patients were drawn at random to serve a private vendetta. He wanted hearts to stop, one investigator said during the trial. The life of the patient did not matter. Editor's pick LGBTQ Junk science: RFK Jr moves to eradicate gender-affirming care for trans youth While he eventually accepted that an unidentified individual must have contaminated perfusions in at least one of the clinics, he insisted that he was not responsible. I am not a poisoner, he repeated in court. His defence lawyer, Randall Schwerdorffer, pleaded judicial error, accusing investigators of building a theory around the doctor as a common denominator rather than proving guilt beyond doubt.

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He likened his clients plight to that of Patrick Dils, the Frenchman wrongly convicted as a teenager of murdering two children. Coincidences exist, Schwerdorffer told jurors. He argued that no one had seen Pechier poison a patient, that some incidents occurred when he was not present, and that his reserved, taciturn manner had been wrongly construed as a lack of empathy. Is there an instrument that measures empathy? he asked. After the verdict, the lawyer said he would appeal. Im not at all convinced by the prosecutions case and remain convinced of Frederic Pechiers innocence, he said. He is facing this new ordeal with his head held high.

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The story of today is really what is not in the files released by the US Department of Justice, rather than what is in them.

We havent got grand jury evidence and transcripts, we havent got internal FBI memos, we havent got names of alleged co-conspirators  something the politicians pushing for the release of these documents were expecting (or wanting) to see.

Or perhaps we have, and we just cant see them. The level of redaction in these files is huge. Ive just seen a 100-page document that is entirely blacked out  you cant even tell what the document was supposed to contain.

A 100-page document in the release, which has been entirely redacted. US Justice Department

Its far from the only one. Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, who led the push for the files release, said there was a 119-page document of New York grand jury testimony that was completely redacted. This release fails to comply with the law, Khanna said.

His Republican colleague Thomas Massie, who also led the push for transparency, agreed the document dump fails to comply with both the spirit and of the law that President Donald Trump signed 30 days ago.

Deputy attorney-general Todd Blanche has said there will be more documents released over the coming two weeks, so we await those to (hopefully) learn more.

Ro Khanna, left, and Thomas Massie pushed for more transparency on the Epstein files last month. AP
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STAFF at Caredoc in the southeast completed a 24-hour work stoppage this morning over an unpaid pay increase, with unions maintaining the dispute remains unresolved despite government claims to the contrary.

Around 270 workers, including 150 INMO nurses and 120 SIPTU members working as drivers, call takers and receptionists, withdrew their labour from 6pm yesterday until 9am today in the first of several planned strikes over the Christmas period.

The industrial action closed Caredocs out-of-hours GP services and treatment centres across Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and South Wicklow. Pickets were mounted outside Caredoc clinics in Carlow, Clonmel, Wexford, Waterford and Kilkenny.

The unions are seeking implementation of an 8% pay increase due to their members under an October 2023 Workplace Relations Commission agreement for Section 39 organisations. The HSE has already provided 647,834 to Caredoc to fund this increase, but workers claim the money has not been applied to their salaries.

On Thursday evening, the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill issued a statement saying matters between Caredoc and the HSE have been resolved by agreement following mediation, and expressing hope this would create the conditions for Caredoc as employer to respond positively to the concerns of their staff.

The HSE told The Nationalist that following on from the minister's statement, it would not be commenting further on the matter. The Nationalist has also reached out to Caredoc for comment.

However, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation responded that unions have not received a formal offer from the company, stating the dispute is not resolved. The unions said they would await details of discussions between the HSE and Caredoc that they were not party to.

As of the morning of Friday 19 December, further work stoppages are scheduled for Tuesday 23 December, Saturday 27 December, Monday 29 December, Tuesday 30 December and Friday 2 January in the absence of a resolution but it is understood that all parties are currently meeting to work towards a resolution.

SIPTU Health Division Organiser Ger McNally said in a statement published on the SIPTU website this morning that members had remained available to engage with management throughout the process but were left with no alternative in the absence of meaningful proposals.

Caredoc management knows what is needed to resolve this dispute, Mr McNally said. We call on Caredoc and the HSE to use the remaining time to bring forward proposals that will resolve this dispute.

Caredoc out-of-hours GP services will resume as normal at 6pm this evening. The company has apologised for the inconvenience and disruption, describing the action as outside its control.
Gordon Deegan

Dublin City Council has given the green light to home-builder, Cairn Homes for its revised 295 million apartment scheme for former RTE lands at Montrose, Donnybrook in Dublin 4.

In giving the 510 apartment scheme the go-ahead, the Councils planners report states that the proposed changes to this development have resulted in a higher quality residential amenity for future occupiers of the development.

Previously, Cairn Homes Montrose Ltd secured planning permission from An Coimiusin Pleanala (ACP) for 608 units at the site in July 2023, and the new proposal reduces the scheme by 98 units to 510.

The new scheme also omits all 'Build to Rent' apartments that were part of the previous 2023 scheme.

The new Large Scale Residential Development (LRD) scheme comprises 326 two-bedroom apartments, 125 one-bedroom apartments, 51 three-bedroom apartments, and eight studios, all located across eight apartment blocks.

Three of the apartment blocks will rise to 10 storeys in height.

As part of 19 conditions attached to the permission, the City Council has ordered the Cairn firm to pay 5.43m towards the provision of public infrastructure.

The grant of permission comes more than eight years after Cairn Homes agreed a 107.5m deal with RTE in June 2017 to purchase just under nine acres of land at RTEs Donnybrook headquarters.

Two previous applications have been the focus of strong local opposition, but only one objection was lodged against the new scheme.

Brian and Orla Murphy from Stillorgan Rd, Donnybrook, D4 were the only locals objecting and told the Council that "the scale, mass and density of the proposa,l even at the marginally reduced scale in the resubmitted plans, is excessively overdevelopment".

The Murphys said, finally we would like to say that we do appreciate that the developer wants to maximise the return on their investment, but surely a better plan could be found for this landmark site that would create a community where people can live for many years with their families.

The Murphys opposed the previous 608-unit permitted scheme by Cairn for the RTE site and were one of seven parties to lodge appeals with An Coimisiun Pleanala against the Dublin City Council grant of planning permission in December 2022 for the scheme.

If the Murphys do decide to appeal to ACP, it will not unduly delay the project, as ACP is meeting its statutory targets in deciding LRD cases within 16 weeks.

An Bord Pleanala granted planning permission in July 2023 for the 608 apartments, and the current permission in place was Cairn Homess second attempt to build on the lands where a previous planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanala was quashed by the High Court arising from an action taken by three Ailesbury Rd residents.

The 2023 permission was a split decision where permission was refused for Block no 5, a 16-storey landmark tower to contain a hotel and the new application states that the approach taken to the refused Block No 5 "will be the subject of a separate planning amendment application.

In complying with its social housing obligations, Cairn Homes has put an indicative price tag of 28.58m on 51 apartments it is planning to sell to Dublin City Council from the permitted scheme for social housing.

The indicative prices for the apartments range from 644,896 for a two-bedroom unit to the cheapest at almost 500,000 at 482,436 for a one-bedroom unit.

The final price per apartment will be agreed between Cairn Homes and the City Council after the final grant of planning permission has been issued for the revised scheme.
TWENTY five new car parking spaces have been made available to the public in Bagenalstown, just in time for the lead up to Christmas.

The spaces, available from today, Friday 19 December are in St Mary's Church of Ireland following discussions between Carlow County Council and the church committee.

The agreement will be trialled for six months and is in response to concerns raised about a lack of car parking spaces in Bagenalstown.

Cllr Daniel Pender, one of the councillors who supported the move for extra parking spaces in Bagenalstown, said: This is being introduced at one of the busiest times of the year for local businesses. Encouraging people to shop local must go hand in hand with making it easier for residents to access their local shops. The parking spaces in St Marys Church are free of charge.
Case Studies 02 Feb 2026

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Furno Materials, a specialist in sustainable and modular cement production, has signed a strategic agreement with Maschmeyer Concrete Company of Florida to evaluate the deployment of a localised cement supply chain in the state. The collaboration aims to convert Maschmeyers waste concrete into domestically produced, high-performance cement, reshaping how cement is sourced and manufactured in the US.

Under the agreement, Maschmeyer plans to utilise Furnos proprietary kiln technology to upcycle around 90,000t of waste concrete annually. The initial project targets production capacity of approximately 50,000tpa, with potential for future expansion. The partnership adds 50,000t of annual capacity commitments to Furnos portfolio, bringing total committed production to 295,000t across announced and unannounced projects.

The collaboration supports Furnos mission to decentralise and decarbonise cement manufacturing by enabling family-owned ready-mix producers to become cement suppliers themselves. By onshoring production, the model reduces reliance on imported cement and volatile global supply chains, while improving supply security and sustainability.

Furno and Maschmeyer are currently conducting site analysis and feasibility studies for the Florida project. Commercial deployment is linked to the successful commissioning of Furnos first commercial-scale reactor in Chicago with Ozinga. The agreement marks Furnos second public partnership with a major ready-mix producer, highlighting growing market demand for localised, low-carbon cement solutions.
Now that the $500,000 grant to produce beautiful colorful charts (and other data) is being spent to get the Chattanooga Choo Choo passenger trains back on track, the topic of choice lanes is not being discussed as prominently as in the past.

To appease the naysayers who may have gotten stuck in traffic on the daily I-24, I-75 nightmare route, the highly scientific public opinion poll conducted by this publication on November 8, 2024, is revealing. The viewing public responded to the seminal question of Will you use 'Choice Lanes' in Tennessee that provide special lanes available to those who pay? A resounding 28 percent of the 1,237 votes cast said they would! The other 72 percent dissidents evidently would prefer to breathe the aromatic vapors of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles and tractor trailer rigs.

In August of 2024, a creative investigative reporter for a Davidson County television station discussed the proposed public-private partnership relationship to alleviate the 26-mile bottleneck between Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Proponents quickly pointed out that the stretch of I-24 between the two boroughs will not be a toll road (everybody pays) but will be a user of Choice Lanes who opt to pay for the privilege of motoring on the four new lanes of traffic in the center of the (two in each direction) popular interstate.

In a release dated May 22, 2024, the Tennessee Department of Transportation defines the traffic congestion solution as follows:

Choice Lanes are priced managed lanes that use pricing to proactively manage demand and provide travel-time reliability. Choice Lanes allow motorists to maintain consistent travel speeds even when the adjacent existing lanes are congested. Choice Lanes are new lanes and typically operate at around 45 mph during rush hours.

The cost figure of over $5 billion in a public-private joint venture was further discussed in greater detail in an article dated September 26, 2025, in Government Market News by writer Candace Barnette. It presents the usual rosy picture as how to solve a complex problem by a simple solution - money!

(Whether the project will be as cost efficient as the Chickamauga Dam locks project is beyond the scope of this article!)

With the return of railroad passenger service being reinstated after a brief hiatus since 1968, and the adoption of Choice Lanes on the freeways, travelers should have smooth sailing in the Volunteer State! Now, if we can just get that dam lock finished!

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If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact him at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Residual biomass from tomato production is turned into climate-friendly aviation fuel. The aim of the EU ToFuel project is to develop a waste-free and CO-neutral biorefinery concept that produces sustainable and economically competitive aviation fuel.



Waste from tomato processing will serve to power aircraft. Under the leadership of Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), the EU project ToFuel is developing a new biorefinery concept that will convert tomato residues into sustainable aviation fuel as well as into fertiliser, animal feed and nutritional oil. The research team is aiming for a waste-free and climate-neutral process that is also economically competitive and thus makes an important contribution to the defossilization of air transport.

Residual material as a valuable resource Tomatoes are the second most consumed vegetable in the world after potatoes. The EU is the third largest producer with around 17 megatonnes of tomatoes harvested. However, tomato production produces large quantities of residual biomass  plant material such as flowers, leaves and stems, peel, seeds and tomatoes of inadequate quality. Most of these residues are incinerated as agricultural waste or disposed of at high cost.



At the same time, the goal of European climate neutrality and the associated reduction of CO emissions in the aviation sector is largely dependent on the production of competitive and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from renewable raw materials. According to estimates, around three per cent of the sustainable aviation fuels required in Europe by 2030 could be covered from the amount of tomato pomace produced throughout the EU, i.e. the residues from tomato processing, explains project manager Marlene Kienberger from the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology at TU Graz.

From plant to oil to aviation fuel In order to turn tomato waste into a high-quality fuel, the biomass must first be processed so that microorganisms can utilise it efficiently. ToFuel is investigating two modern fractionation technologies. During extrusion, the biomass is treated under heat and pressure and then broken down into its cellular components by an abrupt drop in pressure. This creates an optimally digested biomass for the subsequent fermentation process, in which microorganisms produce lipids that are later processed into aviation fuel. In the second fractionation technology, hydrothermal liquefaction, the biomass is converted into bio-oil and biochar under high pressure and at high temperatures.



Before the extracted bio-oil can be refined into aviation fuel, it must be purified of mainly nitrogen-containing interfering ions. These unwanted ions would otherwise have a negative impact on the subsequent conversion into a sustainable aviation fuel. The corresponding fractionation, biotechnological and purification processes are being developed by the Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG) in Lisbon, TU Graz and the University of Zagreb in close cooperation.



The lipids and bio-oil are then converted into a fuel that fulfils the international quality standards for sustainable aviation fuel using the HEFA process at the University of Leoben. HEFA stands for hydrogenated esters and fatty acids and is a process for producing sustainable aviation fuel from vegetable, animal or recycled fats and oils.



The processes developed in the project are gradually being scaled up to a pre-industrial scale and comprehensively tested. Consortium leader Marlene Kienberger emphasises: Our clear goal is to produce sustainable aviation fuel based on tomato waste at a competitive sales price. Ultimately, sustainable aviation fuels simply have to be economically viable. The project team is also analysing the ecological, economic and social impact of the technologies. The utilisation of tomato residues also creates new sources of income for food processing companies.
Seven Eritrean church leaders who have been imprisoned for over 20 years | Photo credit: Voices4Justice

A recent prisoner release in Eritrea included several Christians, yet seven prominent church leaders continue to be held after more than 20 years in detention without charge or trial, according to a report from a Christian watchdog group.

Open Doors, an organization that monitors global persecution of Christians, said this week that Eritrean authorities freed a group of detainees believed to include Christians, along with business figures and political prisoners. However, the group confirmed that none of the seven long-imprisoned senior church leaders it has consistently advocated for were among those released.

The seven church leaders still imprisoned are Rev. Dr. Tekleab Menghisteab, Rev. Million Gebreselassie, Rev. Kidane Weldou, Rev. Gebremedhin Gebregiorgis, Dr. Kuflu Gebremeskel, Dr. Futsum Gebrenegus and Rev. Haile Naizge. Each has been detained for more than two decades without any known legal proceedings.

According to Open Doors, the men have been denied basic legal rights throughout their imprisonment. They have not been allowed to see their families, consult legal counsel or appear before a court.

The prison system in Eritrea is widely criticized by human rights organizations for its harsh and inhumane conditions, including prolonged solitary confinement, overcrowding and lack of medical care.

Earlier this year, Open Doors International Global Advocacy Director Tiffany Barrens warned that large numbers of detainees, including those jailed for religious reasons, remain behind bars without legal representation or access to family members.

Open Doors spokesperson Jo Newhouse welcomed the recent releases but cautioned that serious concerns remain. She said the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of those freed is uncertain after years of detention and emphasized the need for sustained international pressure on behalf of those still imprisoned.

Three of the detained leaders  Menghisteab, Gebrenegus and Gebregiorgis  were arrested on Nov. 19, 2004, for their involvement in a renewal movement within the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the four religious groups officially recognized by the state, according to Christian Daily International. None of the three has been charged or tried since their arrest.

Naizge and Gebremeskel were detained during early-morning raids on May 23, 2004. At the time, Naizge served as chair of the Full Gospel Church, while Gebremeskel led the Eritrean Evangelical Alliance and worked as a visiting lecturer. Both are reportedly being held incommunicado at the Wengel Mermera detention facility.

Another church leader, Gebreselassie, headed the Rhema Evangelical Church in Massawa and worked as an anesthetist at a local hospital. He was arrested at a police checkpoint on June 3, 2004, held for two months at Asmaras Second Police Station, and later transferred to Wengel Mermera.

Weldou, the most recently detained of the seven, was abducted in Asmara on March 18, 2005. He was serving as senior pastor of the Church in Asmara and was also a member of the Executive Committee of Gideons International in Eritrea.

Eritrea officially recognizes only four religious groups: the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Sunni Islam, the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. While other religious groups are technically allowed to apply for registration, the U.S. Department of State reports that no new religious registrations have been approved since 2002.

According to estimates from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, approximately 51% of Eritreas 6.3 million people are Sunni Muslim, while about 41% belong to the Eritrean Orthodox Church. Roman Catholics account for roughly 5% of the population, with Protestants, Bahais, atheists and adherents of traditional religions making up less than 5% combined.
American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout. | Photo credits: (left) AfricanGuide.com; (right) screenshot via YouTube/CBN News.

Nearly two months after an American missionary pilot was abducted from his home in Niamey, Niger, concern is mounting among local Christians who say there has been little public information about efforts to secure his release.

[This] leaves a feeling of apprehension, fear and uncertainty, Father Augustine Anwuchie, a Nigerian Fidei Donum priest serving in the Diocese of Maradi, told OSV News in a recent interview. This case seems to be taking longer, and no one knows the culprits nor the whereabouts of the victim.

The kidnapped missionary, Kevin Rideout, is a 48-year-old husband and father who was serving with the U.S.-based organization Serving In Mission (SIM) when he was taken in October.

According to Radio France Internationale, Rideout was reportedly abducted on Oct. 21 by three men near the Grand Bravia Hotel in central Niamey, just a short distance from the presidential palace, despite the areas heavy security.

According to The Christian Post, a source working with SIM in Niger, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that information has been limited even among colleagues on the ground.

Until now, we havent heard [much about] the news of the kidnapped pilot. We only heard he was kidnapped.  We dont know the name of the group that kidnapped him yet, the source said.

Officials with the U.S. State Department in Niamey have previously described Rideouts release as a top priority for the Trump Administration, but The Washington Post reported last month that strained diplomatic ties with Niger  a predominantly Muslim nation facing growing Islamic State influence  have complicated rescue efforts.

Rideouts long history of humanitarian aviation work in West Africa was highlighted in a 2014 profile by The Wellesley Townsman, which noted that both Kevin and his brother Ian served as pilots with SIM, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The brothers fly mission personnel and equipment and supplies within Niger and across west Africa, helping to facilitate the work of numerous organizations in one of the world's least developed countries, the report said.

Their work involves supporting drilling wells to provide clean water; aiding refugees from war-torn countries; reforestation and land reclamation projects; hospitals; aiding flood victims; teaching literacy; enabling widows to start micro enterprises or caring for orphans, all bringing hope to people across the region.
Suspected Brown University shooter Claudio Neves-Valente, who was found dead | Screenshot: YouTube/ LiveNOW from FOX

Law enforcement officials say the man believed to be responsible for last weekends deadly shooting at Brown University has been found dead in New Hampshire.

During a Thursday evening press briefing, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez said investigators located the suspect after tracing a vehicle connected to a Massachusetts rental company, which ultimately led them to a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Authorities identified the suspect as Claudio Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown University student originally from Portugal, whose most recent known address was in Miami, Florida.

Police said he was found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators are also examining whether the Brown University shooting may be connected to the killing of Nuno Loureiro, a plasma physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Loureiro, who served as head of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot inside his Brookline, Massachusetts, home and later died at a nearby hospital, officials confirmed.

The Brown University attack occurred Saturday afternoon when a gunman entered the Barus & Holley building in Providence and opened fire on students.

Authorities later identified the two victims who were killed as Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, while nine additional people sustained gunshot wounds.

Police initially questioned a person of interest shortly after the campus shooting but later released that individual. In the aftermath of the violence, Brown University announced the cancellation of all remaining classes and exams for the semester as the campus community mourned and authorities continued their investigation.
Home News Woman suffers dangerous camel kick during megachurchs Christmas Spectacular

The annual "Christmas Spectacular" produced by the multi-campus Champion Forest Baptist Church in Texas turned into a nightmare for one patron earlier this month after she appeared to be kicked in the face by a camel while watching a procession of performers from an aisle seat in the sanctuary.

A video of the kick shared on Facebook by Grizzys Hood News shows the camel kicking the woman while it was being led down a narrow aisle by a performer. The woman can be seen in the video slumping sideways in the pew before onlookers rushed to her aid.

According to an update shared by Grizzys Hood News, the woman was treated at a local hospital for undisclosed injuries. She has since been released and is continuing her recovery.

The churchs website describes the "Christmas Spectacular" as a 90 minute, family friendly show celebrating the birth of Jesus and the joy of the holiday season!

This cherished tradition combines Broadway-scale songs, stunning dance performances, dazzling lights, and special effects that will captivate all ages, the church states.

The production started on Dec. 9 and ended on Dec. 14.

Champion Forest Baptist Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Christian Post about the incident on Friday. Church communications director Steven Miori told NBC News in a statement that the kicking incident was unexpected.

Champion Forest regrets that this happened," Miori said. "Our team responded immediately, and emergency services were engaged."

The church has been in contact with the family and no longer walks animals in the audience seating areas after the incident, Miori stated.

While the exact nature of the unidentified womans injuries remains unclear, a study published by the National Library of Medicine states that a camel's kick is extremely dangerous and the leading cause of camel-related injuries to humans. A camels kick is powerful enough to cause high morbidity or death.

Patients with a kick-related injury had a significantly higher rate of maxillofacial fractures compared with other mechanisms, the study states.

In the 2022 research report "The nature and consequences of camel-related injuries: A scoping review with special reference to Arab Middle Eastern countries," researchers note that [a]ttacks involving kicks are more common in the breeding season when male camels become more aggressive and violent."
Home News Catholic chaplains return to Walter Reed after contract expiration sparked outrage

Franciscan priests and friars are once again ministering to patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center two months after the news of their contract's expiration led to an outcry among Catholic leaders and religious freedom advocates.

In a statement released Tuesday, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, Timothy Broglio, announced that the U.S. Defense Health Agency awarded a five-year contract to the Franciscans at Holy Name College and Friary in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The priests served as chaplains at the Bethesda, Maryland-based hospital for nearly 20 years before their previous contract expired earlier this year and was awarded to another organization.

He described it as "a source of great joy that the Franciscans have returned to the medical center [to] care for patients and staff there."

"I am very grateful to the Army Chief of Chaplains, Chaplain Thomas L. Solhjem, MG, USA, for his personal intervention and interest in resolving the question of Catholic pastoral care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center," Broglio added. "He moved quickly to assure the presence of additional Catholic priests from the Army Reserves as soon as the contract with the Franciscan Friars ended. He also made certain that the needs of Catholics were addressed in the renegotiation of the contract."

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is one of several medical centers within the Department of Defense and the DHA whose pastoral care lies within the ecclesial jurisdiction of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, "the only Catholic authority for endorsing and granting faculties to Catholic priests and chaplains to serve in the U.S. Military."

The archdiocese is headquartered in Washington, D.C., not far from the Walter Reed campus.

The new contract with the Franciscans, awarded on June 8, enables five friars to take turns ministering to hospitalized Catholics at Walter Reed six days a week.

The new contract comes two months after the non-renewal of the Franciscan friars' previous contract with Walter Reed in favor of a contract with a for-profit secular defense contractor made headlines.

The previous contract with the Franciscans expired on March 31, which caused the Archdiocese of Military Services great concern because Holy Week was slated to begin two days later.

While Walter Reed insisted that it was a "welcoming and healing environment that honors and supports a full range of religious, spiritual, and cultural needs" that featured an "ordained Catholic priest on staff," the archdiocese countered that the Catholic military chaplain in question was "in the process of separating from the Army."

Mack Global LLC, the secular agency awarded a contract with Walter Reed instead of the Franciscans, listed the services it provides as "chapel support, religious education coordinators, non-personal chapel support, hospice chaplains, and other religious staff."

The company employs "ordained ministers and experienced leaders as pastors, priests, musicians, teachers, trainers and volunteers who favorably pass the background check application according to the Department of Defense Instruction." Archbishop Broglio maintained that the company "cannot provide the necessary service" of Catholic ministry.

In response to the backlash from the archdiocese, the First Liberty Institute and the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Walter Reed told Catholic News Agency that it was "reviewing the contract and unable to provide specifics."

Tuesday's statement from the Archdiocese of Military Services indicated that the USDHA "reopened bidding in May," and the bidding process culminated last week in the form of a new contract with the Franciscans.
Home News Family of 6-year-old Christian girl under pressure to drop charges against Muslim rapist

A Pakistani Muslim man who sexually assaulted his Christian neighbor's 6-year-old daughter is pressuring her family to withdraw their police complaint and reach a settlement.

Saleem Masih, an impoverished mason and Salvation Army church member, said his daughter was being tutored by the sister of the Muslim man who is in his early 20s, Muhammad Uzair Riaz Dogar, at the Muslim familys home when Dogar sodomized her on Dec. 10.

Masihs daughter had been studying with the suspects sister for nearly four months at the home in Jaranwala, Faisalabad District, Punjab Province, but on that day the tutor left her and other students with her younger brother and went to do some household chores, he said.

The accused allowed all the Muslim students to leave except my daughter, whom he then forcibly took to another room and raped her, Masih told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.

When Masihs daughter failed to return home from the tutoring center at the Muslims home on the same street as his house, her mother went to get her  only to find her sitting near Dogars home crying in pain, her clothes soaked in blood, Masih said.

My wife was devastated when my daughter told her that the accused had assaulted her, he said. Her condition was such that she couldnt even walk, and my wife had to pick her up and bring her home.

The family called the police who took the girl to a hospital where an examination confirmed that she had been sodomized, Masih said.

Police then took Dogar into custody, but his family has been pressuring the Christians with threats to reach a settlement, forcing them to leave their village, Masih said.

They had the audacity to tell us that we are poor Christians, and we should be thankful that their son had only sodomized the child, not raped her, which would have brought dishonor and shame to us, he told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. They also threatened that if we do not reach a settlement with them, they would make our lives miserable and no one would stand with us.

Masih said he had resolved to continue the pursuit of justice for his daughter despite the threats and intimidation.

Muslims think that they can commit any crime against us, and no one would dare oppose them, he said. The same accused had previously assaulted another Christian girl of the village, but her family kept silent due to the threats. But we are not going to back down from our case, come what may.

He said the family was grateful to Christians True Spirit (CTS) for providing free legal aid and shelter to them and encouraging them to take a stand against the influential Muslim family.

CTS Executive Director Katherine Sapna said police had charged Dogar under Section 376-iii of the Pakistan Penal Code, which prescribes death or a life sentence for those guilty of raping minors or the mentally/physically disabled.

Many poor Christian families tend to shy from taking legal action against their powerful oppressors for fear of social stigma and threats to their lives, but we were encouraged by the Masih familys resolve to take a stand for their child, Sapna said.

In view of the threats to the Masih family, CTS has decided to keep the Christian family away from their home in the village until police file a chargesheet in court, she said.

Its very unfortunate that this family has been forced to relocate from their village just days before Christmas, Sapna said. However, we think it is important to keep them safe so that the accuseds family and friends cannot force them in any way to reach a settlement.

Pakistan, whose population is more than 96% Muslim, is ranked No. 8 on Open Doors 2025 World Watch List of the most difficult countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian.

This article was originally published at Christian Daily International-Morning Star News
Home News Presbyterian rear admiral becomes first woman to serve as chaplain for US House

A retired rear admiral who once addressed the general assembly of Presbyterian Church (USA) has become the first female chaplain of the United States House of Representatives.

Margaret Grun Kibben, who formerly served as chief of chaplains in the U.S. Navy and chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps, was named to the position last Thursday, making her the first woman to serve as chaplain for either house of Congress.

In a statement released on New Years Eve, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explained that Kibben was approved for the position by a bipartisan group of congressmen.

Kibben brings decades of decorated experience in the military and the ministry, as a retired Rear Admiral who served as the U.S. Navys Chief Chaplain and the chaplain of the Marine Corps, stated Pelosi.

Her integrity, experience and patriotism will serve the Congress and the Country well, as she ministers to the needs of Members. This historic appointment was made possible by the values-based leadership of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, and I thank him and all Members of the bipartisan group leading the search.

Kibben will be replacing a retiring Father Pat Conroy, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church who had served in the position of House chaplain since 2011.

Kibben has an extensive military background, entering active duty in 1986 via the Navys Theological Student Program. She has been on five deployments and received multiple honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal on three occasions and the Navy Commendation Medal on three occasions.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goucher College of Towson, Maryland, a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Masters in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 2018, she gave a speech before the 223rd General Assembly of PC(USA) regarding her experiences as a military chaplain, noting that chaplains were called to care for each soul in our command and our service.

Many men and women we deal with have never darkened the door of a church, a mosque or a synagogue, stated Kibben at the time, as reported by Presbyterian News Service.

We have access to every space, every place and every office where people serve, and can come alongside them.

Kibben previously served as a guest chaplain for the House of Representatives, giving the opening prayer for a House legislative session in December 2015.
Home News Greg Locke threatens lawsuit after former pastors allege 'spiritual abuse,' lack of accountability

Outspoken Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke has mentioned the possibility of taking legal action as he faces allegations from former pastors of the Lebanon-based Global Vision Bible Church that he inflicted spiritual abuse on church employees and has not been transparent with the use of church finances, a claim he denies.

Locke, an author with a large online following, didn't mince words during Sunday's service as he addressed allegations laid out in a letter published earlier this month by former pastors Justin and Kasey Greenwell, who announced their resignation and are working on a book about their experiences at the church. Locke says he has "zero to hide" and suggested he has spoken with his lawyer about potentially moving forward with a lawsuit.

If you think youre going to drag this church through the mud, draw people out of it and then publicly besmirch my wife for no reason, do not think for a second as a shepherd Im going to take that laying down," Locke said.

In a Facebook post published Dec. 9, the Greenwells announced their resignation and posted a copy of the letter they sent to Locke and his wife, Tai. They cited what they called a lack of true biblical accountability within the ministry." Insisting that The New Testament church operated under a plurality of elders, shared leadership, and collective discernment, the Greenwells claimed their experience at Global Vision Bible Church was marked by the absence of such structure.

Decisions were not shaped by a functioning board or council of elders," they wrote. "There was no system in place for shared governance or mutual accountability. Instead, the weight of leadership and decision making fell entirely on you and Pastor Tai, creating an atmosphere where correction was impossible, disagreement felt dangerous, and accountability simply did not exist."

This lack of covering left staff spiritually exposed, emotionally vulnerable, and without a safe or biblical structure to process concerns or conflicts.

The Greenwells claimed that Locke had "promised" to "establish a board, open the financial books, and allow the staff to take part in major decisions that shape this ministry."

That day never came," they told Locke. You lied to us.

The fruit of that broken word has revealed where the priorities of this ministry truly lie, the Greenwells added. When accountability is denied and transparency is avoided, it communicates something devastating: that money is being protected more fiercely than integrity, more fiercely than the people who sacrificially tithe, trust, and give to this house.

The letter contained allegations of mismanagement of funds, as some members have questioned why the church failed to close on a multi-million-dollar real estate deal in 2024 that would have allowed it to move from a white tent in Mount Juliet to the Love's Way Church in Lebanon. After that sale fell through, the church began leasing a 32,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Lebanon in November 2024.

I personally know from answering the phones for the church that you borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from congregants online in the form of loans for the new church that never came to pass," the Greenwells wrote in their letter. "When we asked to see the books, we were denied. When we inquired about spending decisions: the museum purchases, extravagant travel, and unexplained expenses, we did not receive clear or direct answers.

The fact that the planned purchase of a new church fell through loomed large throughout the letter. In addition to raising concerns about money management, the Greenwells suggested that Global Vision Bible Church may have broken the law.

Federal guidelines for charitable organizations exist for a reason: to protect donors, congregants, staff members, leadership, and the integrity of the ministry, they stated. A 501(c)(3) requires a functioning board, transparent decision making, documented oversight, and clear separation between personal preference and organizational stewardship.

The Greenwells insisted that their concern is not rooted in accusation but in the sobering reality that without these structures, everyone involved becomes vulnerable: legally, ethically, financially, and spiritually.

The letter included additional details about what the Greenwells viewed as spiritual vulnerability, decrying a culture of hierarchy and emotional manipulation" that they say staff and congregants "regularly endured."

[M]any of us experienced what can only be described as control dressed in spiritual language," they asserted, stating that unity was equated with silence," honor was equated with suppressing concerns and loyalty was equated with surrendering discernment.

This environment cultivated fear, anxiety, confusion, and a form of emotional dependency that Scripture never endorses, the letter stated. The letter also accused Tai Locke of practicing favoritism and said employees were discouraged from building genuine relationships with one another.

The Greenwells characterized the prevailing environment at Global Vision Bible Church as a form of spiritual abuse, specifically an emotional, physical, and spiritual misuse of authority that damaged the hearts of those who served within this ministry with sincerity. The climate extended beyond church leadership into the congregation itself, they added.

Many hearts within the congregation have grown confused, disoriented, and weary; not because they lack hunger for God, but because they have been taught to depend on a flawed system instead of the living Christ. People have been equating Gods presence with a building, equating spirituality with performance, equating unity with silence, and equating honor with suppression, the Greenwells wrote, adding that these distortions create spiritual infants instead of disciples and produce dependency on man instead of devotion to God.

The Greenwells urged church leadership to repent and expressed disappointment that they themselves had not done so earlier.

Responding to the allegations laid out in the letter on Sunday, Locke said he has "zero to hide" and questioned why he would steal money from a church to which he donates more than is given. Over the last three years, he claims he and his family have donated all of his book sales royalties to the church, totaling over $800,000. He also claimed that his company, Locke Media, donated over $1.2 million to the church from proceeds of the 2023 film "Come Out in Jesus Name."

Bank statements dont lie, Locke asserted as he proclaimed his innocence, saying that the money raised for the hope of purchasing Love's Way was completely separate from the funds donated by businessmen to help him buy a new home after his previous home was shot up in September 2024 with one of his children inside.

The IRS, who weve been turned over to multiple times, said the last time they met with us and I quote Youve given us over and above the information that average organizations do, he proclaimed. Anybody thats a giver in our church that actually contributes can look at these books anytime they want to, Locke declared as he defended his churchs transparency.

Addressing the Greenwells comments about accountability, When people say silly things like well, hes not accountable, what they mean is Im mad because hes not accountable to me. He pushed back on the idea that the church does not have a board, saying there has been a "board set up in this church for years."

"One of them is standing up and clapping right now," he said. "Men of God all over this nation who have done more for the Gospel than Greg Locke has ever imagined to."

He also pointed to a full-time lawyer on staff and an outside accountant who is not affiliated with the church.

To say that Im just flying by the seat of my pants and have no authority whatsoever is a lie, he said. Locke described the Greenwells as deceptive because they were writing a book about [the] church while on its payroll.

Locke appeared to acknowledge the allegations of spiritual abuse in the letter, but insisted that he had already "repented" for being a "lousy pastor."

"Everything that was in that was mentioned in that letter was from a previous dynasty, the tent era. And I've already repented for all of that stuff," he said. "I don't have to double repent. If God got over it, why can't people get over it? I don't have to keep repenting for things that I've grown out of. I've already repented for the way that we have treated people in the tent days. I've already repented for being a lousy pastor in the tent days. I'm not going to fall on the sword twice just because you think I should."

Locke never mentioned the Greenwells by name during his remarks to the audience, saying, I wish them no evil, I wish them no harm.

At the same time, Locke recounted a conversation he had with his lawyer, who assured him, Weve been given everything that we need if we need to move forward with a lawsuit. Locke prefaced his discussion with his lawyer by noting that he had never instigated lawsuits before, although the church had won eight lawsuits.

"Now, I'm not saying I am," he said of filing a lawsuit against the Greenwells, but seemed to suggest he might be open to the idea.

"Whenever that nonsense takes place, it will keep taking place until somebody says, 'Dear God, that is enough,'" Locke said. "I'm tired of people in this church believing lies."
Home News Hegseth calls for overhaul of military Chaplain Corps, eliminates 'New Age' 'spiritual fitness guide'

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says he is planning a significant overhaul of the military's Chaplain Corps by refocusing it on religious ministry and eliminating what he called secular influences.

Pledging to "make the Chaplain Corps great again, Hegseth announced the initiative in a video message posted Tuesday, highlighting the historical role of chaplains in the military, citing President George Washington, who established the Chaplain Corps in 1775 as one of his first actions as general of the Continental Army.

Quoting Washington's general orders, Hegseth said, "The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger."

For nearly 250 years, Hegseth argued, chaplains served as the "spiritual and moral backbone" of the forces, ministering to service members' souls in times of hardship. However, he contended that in recent decades, "as part of the ongoing war on warriors," the corps has been degraded.

The 45-year-old Hegseth referenced the "Army Spiritual Fitness Guide," a 112-page document released in August 2025 that frames spiritual fitness as key to force readiness. "In well over a hundred pages, it mentions God one time. That's it, said Hegseth. It mentions feelings 11 times. It even mentions playfulness, whatever that is, nine times. There's zero mention of virtue."

The guide, described on the Army's website as a "groundbreaking resource" equipping soldiers to build inner strength regardless of religious beliefs, emphasizes diverse sources of purpose, including God, family, patriotism or personal growth for religious and non-religious troops alike.

A CP review of the document confirmed that it contains a single reference to God and makes zero references to Christianity.

New Age terms like consciousness (43 times) and mindfulness (15 times) appear more frequently than religious references in the document. The word Jewish," for example, is used once, while Islam also appears once under the documents reference list.

Hegseth described the guide as relying on "New Age notions," defining a soldier's spirit as consisting of "consciousness, creativity, and connection," and accused it of alienating religious troops  which, according to the document, make up around 82% of active military members  by "pushing secular humanism."

"In an atmosphere of political correctness and secular humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers," Hegseth said. "Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care."

Calling the document unacceptable and unserious, Hegseth said he signed a directive to "eliminate the use of the "Army Spiritual Fitness Guide" effective immediately," adding, "These types of training materials have no place in the War Department."

Since his nomination by President Donald Trump last November, Hegseth, who identifies as a Christian, has been a target for controversy over his faith and politics.

In October, Hegseth addressed military leaders in Quantico, Virginia. He began his speech by noting the recent name change of the agency he oversees, declaring, The era of the Department of Defense is over. He also pledged to eliminate DEI initiatives and other woke garbage from the Pentagon.

During a voluntary event at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in May, Hegseth led a prayer acknowledging Jesus as King and invoking His wisdom for guidance, prompting critics to accuse him of violating the U.S. Constitution.

"King Jesus, we come humbly before you, seeking your face, seeking your grace, in humble obedience to your law and to your Word," Hegseth prayed. "We come as sinners saved only by that grace, seeking your providence in our lives and in our nation."

Tracing its origins to the Revolutionary War, the Chaplain Corps was founded by George Washington in July 1775 during his time as general of the Continental Army, when the Continental Congress authorized one chaplain for each regiment of the Continental Army.

The Chaplain Corps has approximately 1,300 active duty Army chaplains representing five major faith groups and over 120 denominations.
Home News House passes bill to ban sex-change surgeries, puberty blockers for minors

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation banning so-called gender transition procedures for minors, but the measure looks likely to stall in the closely divided U.S. Senate.

The Republican-controlled lower chamber voted 216-211 on Wednesday to pass the Protect Childrens Innocence Act. The measure subjects anyone who knowingly performs, or attempts to perform genital or body mutilation on another person, who is a minor to a fine and the possibility of up to 10 years in prison. The legislation also subjects individuals who assist in the performance of the life-altering procedures to the same penalty.

Support for the legislation fell mainly along party lines, with most support coming from Republicans and most opposition coming from Democrats. Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Mike Kennedy, R-Utah, and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., joined most Democrats in voting against the bill while Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Don Davis, D-N.C., and Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, joined most Republicans in supporting it.

In addition to banning sex change surgeries that remove healthy body parts that align with an individuals sex and the creation of artificial body parts that align with an individuals stated gender identity, the bill also prohibits chemical castration in the form of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones.

The bill must pass the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate before it can reach President Donald Trumps desk for his signature. While Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, most legislation requires 60 votes to pass. Since seven Senate Democrats are not expected to back the Protect Childrens Innocence Act, it faces long odds for passage in the U.S. Senate.

Twenty-seven states have already enacted policies banning some or all types of gender transition procedures for minors based on concerns about their long-term impacts: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

As stated by the American College of Pediatricians, side effects of puberty blockers can include osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment, and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility. Meanwhile, cross-sex hormones can cause youth to experience an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan.

The long-term side effects of sex-change surgeries were a significant focus of a press conference hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday, where detransitioner Chloe Cole shared the emotional anguish she experienced as a result of undergoing life-altering procedures as a teenager only to regret doing so at an older age.

Because she had her breasts removed as a teenager, Cole said she will never be able to breastfeed a child and condemned such surgeries as unscientific medical abuse that violates every tenet of medical ethics.

This ideology is festering at an unimaginable scale within our hospital systems, our culture, our communities and too many within our own families, she said. There are tears that I dont show the world.

Theres grief, every single day, I carry with me silently, Cole shared. The only thing in the world that makes me angry is knowing that this is continuing to happen to children all across the United States and throughout the globe.

Thursdays press conference featured Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing that his agency submitted a proposed rule that would withhold federal funding from hospitals that perform gender transition procedures on minors. The Trump administration has made halting the performance of the life-altering procedures on minors a top priority.

Just a week after taking office, Trump signed an executive order into law that establishes the policy of the U.S. as to not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called transition of a child from one sex to another and rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit these destructive and life-altering procedures.

Laws prohibiting the performance of gender transition procedures on minors have withstood constitutional scrutiny, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year in United States v. Skrmetti that Tennessees ban on gender transition procedures for minors did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

In recent years, European medical bodies, such as those in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway, have reevaluated their approaches to treating children with gender dysphoria.

Last year, the U.K.'s National Health Service instructed gender clinics to pause first appointments for kids under 18 after a formal review of how the government service treats youth with gender dysphoria led by Dr. Hilary Cass, the retired former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Cass found there is "no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress."
Home News Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces HHS crackdown on 'sex-rejecting' surgeries for minors: 'Malpractice'

WASHINGTON  Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is taking steps to push back against what he described as "sex-rejecting" transgender procedures for minors.

"So-called 'gender-affirming care' has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people," Kennedy said during a roughly hour-long press conference. "This is not medicine; it is malpractice."

Today, @SecKennedy signed a declaration stating that sex-rejecting treatments on children do not meet professionally recognized standards of health care. pic.twitter.com/5gaLhzQBCY  HHS (@HHSGov) December 18, 2025

Kennedy said the proposed HHS rules, which are subject to a 60-day comment period, would bar hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid from performing transgender procedures on children, citing risks of irreversible harm such as infertility, impaired sexual function, bone density loss and altered brain development.

"Sex-rejecting procedures are neither safe nor effective treatment for children with gender dysphoria," he said.

The presser also featured remarks from HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Brian Christine, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya and Chloe Cole, a prominent detransitioner who has testified about her story before on Capitol Hill.

'Tip of the spear'

The conference, which came a day after the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to ban transgender procedures for minors and the same day another bill passed to ban Medicaid reimbursement for such interventions, took place across the street from the U.S. Capitol in the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, the headquarters of HHS that was named for former President Lyndon B. Johnson's vice president.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who serves as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, condemned transgender ideology as a "dishonest narrative" that "treats children like lab mice." During his remarks, he appealed to a quote from Humphrey that adorns the entrance of the HHS building.

"The moral test of government is how that government treats those in the dawn of life, the children; those in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped," reads the quote from Humphrey, which Oz suggested continues to govern HHS under its present leadership.

"You know what you get when you mix politics and medicine?" he asked. "Politics; there's no medicine left. We witness that with bizarre statements, predatory actions and many other activities that I think have forced children to the tip of the spear, where they have to [bear the brunt] of this toxic combination."

Oz, who said children confused about their sexuality are especially vulnerable to "fast-track" pharmacological and surgical interventions, went on to blame medical professionals and the mainstream media for pushing a destructive narrative.

"We've been told that permanently altering bodies of children  and the children are told this, as well  will bring them lasting peace," he said. "But few have achieved the inner peace promised by the charlatans and the talking heads  the media, personalities, the social media posts  all these have created a dishonest narrative."

He likened such invasive procedures to "a Band-Aid on a much deeper pathology, a much deeper problem; the underlying issue of gender dysphoria."

"It denies patients the opportunity to be seen for who they really are," he added.

He urged doctors to use "the least invasive possible" approaches to treating gender dysphoria, going on to add that the HHS' proposed regulations will save the government hundreds of millions over the next decade by preventing a lucrative "grotesque laundry list" of procedures to remove healthy reproductive organs and fashion fake ones.

"It's shameful that clinicians have profiteered off this," he said. "I do not understand how this could possibly have been tolerated by the leadership of these institutions, but it will no longer be funded."

Oz questioned if such professionals, who he said claim to be "so die-hard desirous at helping children," will continue to be interested in performing such procedures if they don't get paid.

"I think we know the answer," he said, later adding: "American taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for ideological experiments on our nation's youth."

'Tears that I don't show'

Chloe Cole, an activist who detransitioned after undergoing surgical procedures pushed on her when she was struggling with gender dysphoria as a minor, offered an emotional testimony during the press conference regarding what the medical industry did to her.

Cole, whose voice remains irreparably deepened from the hormones she took at the behest of doctors when she was 13 years old, said she was honored to be speaking "on behalf of American children whose innocence and health are being compromised, whose lives are being ripped apart by ideologically driven medical experimentation."

"I represent a community of people who have been harmed by these procedures, and yet are largely ignored by the same doctors, the same clinics and medical systems that harmed them," she said.

Cole, who shared that she removed her breasts when she was 15 years old, said she will never be able to breastfeed a child and that "gender-affirming care" is not care at all, but rather "unscientific medical abuse that violates every tenet of medical ethics."

"This ideology is festering at an unimaginable scale within our hospital systems, our culture, our communities and to many within our own families," she said, going on to note that the adults and medical professionals in her life drove her to believe that God's image within her as a woman was mistaken because of her tomboyish tendencies.

"There are tears that I don't show the world," she said. "There's grief, every single day, I carry with me silently. The only thing in the world that makes me angry is knowing that this is continuing to happen to children all across the United States and throughout the globe."

Responding to a question from The Christian Post regarding what impact the HHS' recent actions might have on other nations struggling with such issues, O'Neill noted that the Trump administration renewed a joint initiative earlier this year with Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda to push back.

"Under President Trump's previous term, we launched a Geneva Consensus Declaration, which was a multilateral organization of many other member states that support each other on this issue, as well as other social issues," O'Neill said.

"I just had the honor of speaking at the annual meeting of the Geneva Consensus Declaration about six weeks ago, and there's a lot of support, as you've heard," he said.

"There's been a lot of references to scientific studies in other countries here. I think the report we've all talked about today, that was published here, will be read around the world and translated. So there is a lot of cooperation between many nations."
Home News St. Andrew's Chapel, founded by RC Sproul, votes overwhelmingly to leave PCA

St. Andrew's Chapel, which was founded by the late theologian R.C. Sproul in 1997, overwhelmingly voted earlier this week to leave the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) after just two years in the denomination.

The Sanford, Florida, congregation, which has more than 1,100 members and was one of the largest in the PCA, voted 669-108 Sunday in favor of "[dissolving] its ecclesiastical connection with the Central Florida Presbytery," according to a letter the stated clerk of session sent to the PCA's Central Florida Presbytery.

The elders of St. Andrew's Chapel, which joined the PCA in 2023, issued a statement to byFaith, the PCA's flagship online magazine, about the congregation's decision.

"On December 14, 2025, Saint Andrews Chapel held a congregational meeting in accordance with BCO 25-2 and 25-11 to decide whether to withdraw from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)," they said.

"After the Session provided an update and recommendation, the congregation voted by paper ballot to withdraw, with 669 in favor and 108 against. As a result, Saint Andrews Chapel is no longer affiliated with the PCA, and the Central Florida Presbytery has been duly informed."

The elders expressed gratitude for their time within the PCA.

"We gratefully acknowledge the support from many within the PCA and value the faithful members of the denomination who have contributed to our shared commitment to Reformed theology. We recognize the range of emotions during this significant transition and remain committed to shepherding with care, maintaining the peace and purity of the Church, and proclaiming the Gospel."

"We trust Jesus Christ, as King and Head of the church, to guide, lead, and protect His flock as we live each day coram Deo [before the face of God]," the elders added.

The church's withdrawal follows its senior pastor, Rev. Burk Parsons, being suspended from the pulpit earlier this year after a church judicial commission found him guilty of three charges that included exhibiting a "a harsh, ungentle, and unkind" attitude toward those under his care, being "autocratic" and "pugnacious" in his leadership style and slandering "other servants and churches of our Lord."

Parsons subsequently appealed the decision.

According to a Dec. 5 letter obtained by MinistryWatch that was sent to members announcing the congregational meeting during which they voted to leave, the session of St. Andrew's Chapel cited "significant and sobering developments" in the Central Florida Presbytery that moved them to push forward the meeting, which was originally planned for January following the outcome of Parsons' appeal.

They claimed leaks to the media by "an unknown [Central Florida Presbytery] teaching elder" about the allegations brought against the church "before any judicial review could occur" allegedly "inflicted pastoral and reputational injury on our church and leadership."

The church said they intend to remain independent "while studying potential future fraternal relationships with other churches for mutual accountability and encouragement, rooted in the Westminster Standards and open to cooperation with other confessional Reformed bodies," according to MinistryWatch.

St. Andrew's Chapel did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week from The Christian Post.

Sproul, who died in 2017, was an influential theologian and pastor from Pennsylvania who founded Ligonier Ministries in 1971, which became a major teaching outreach that popularized Reformed theology through books, conferences and the daily radio program "Renewing Your Mind."
Home News Texas AG Ken Paxton sets up 'tip line' to help public report 'mentally ill men' in women's restrooms

A new initiative launched by the Texas Office of the Attorney General is aimed at helping citizens stop mentally ill men from entering women's restrooms in public spaces.

Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), known as the Texas Womens Privacy Act, which took effect on Dec. 4, requires state agencies, political subdivisions, public schools, charter schools, and higher education institutions to designate multiple-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms and similar private spaces for use by one sex only, based on biological sex. Institutions must take reasonable steps to prevent entry by individuals of the opposite sex.

The law imposes penalties on institutions rather than individuals: $25,000 for a first violation and up to $125,000 per day for subsequent ones. Churches, restaurants, gyms and other private facilities are not affected by SB 8.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday the launch of an online complaint form to provide Texans who believe that a state agency or political subdivision has violated SB 8 at any time after Dec. 4 a way to help support enforcement and compliance with the law.

The form requires that any complaint be accompanied by specific details of the alleged violation, including the location of the violation and the public agency associated with that location.

Paxton's office says it only investigates complaints after they are first submitted to the accused agency. Any individuals affected by violations can also pursue legal action.

"The Texas Womens Privacy Act was passed to ensure that women and girls in Texas are protected from mentally ill men wanting to violate their basic right to privacy in places like restrooms and locker rooms, said Paxton, a Republican and staunch ally of President Donald Trump. Its absolute insanity that action like this is even needed, but unfortunately in the day and age of radical leftism, it is.

An option to submit photos to the tip line has drawn criticism from opponents who say it could lead to a violation of a Texas law prohibiting the use of a camera inside a restroom.

Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza can proceed with an investigation into a 2023 photo taken inside a bathroom at the Texas Capitol by now-Williamson County Republican Party Chair Michelle Evans after she posted a photo of a man in the womens restroom.

Despite just taking effect this month, SB 8s impact is already being felt beyond public restrooms.

At the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), administrators relocated students from mixed-gender dorm suites  where residents often share common bathroom areas  to comply with the law, affecting those sharing facilities with someone of the opposite sex. The university has also encouraged students to report any potential violations to a compliance hotline.

Known as the Texas bathroom bill and authored by Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton, SB 8 passed in September with bipartisan support, making Texas the 20th state in the nation to enact legislation protecting restroom privacy for women and girls.

Opponents of the bill, however, have voiced concerns about over-enforcement and potential public harassment by people they deride as bathroom monitors."
Home News Universitys Gay in a Manger performance mocks Nativity, roils Christians

York St Johns University has been accused of discriminating against Christians by allowing the performance of a gay-themed Nativity play.

In the play, Jesus is described as the coming King of the Gays, while his parents are a lesbian couple named Mary and Jo. The play, called "A Gay in a Manger," is the work of the university LGBTQ network.

A preview of the play states, Mary and Jo packed their pride flags and set off on the long journey to the best gay club this side of the Red Sea  Heaven. But when Queen Herod heard of the new King of the Gays, she began to plot for his downfall for only she could be the Queerest Icon in the Land.

Christians on campus have described the play as not only blasphemous and offensive, but discriminatory, on the grounds that no such play would be allowed if it mocked the beliefs of Muslims.

Josiah Diamond, 21, a student and former Muslim, told The Telegraph, This portrayal is not only blasphemous in a direct sense, but of a particular offensive and violating nature to adherents of the faith and openly opposing doctrine.

He added: There cannot be a distinction between religious groups and between the rights and privileges of differing religious groups. We are amazed that York St John supports such an approach. I am certain that you would not allow Muslims at the university to be so treated. I believe that you are discriminating against Christians.

The university and the student union have said that no action would be taken to prevent the performance, arguing that it was a matter of artistic expression.

We understand that it can be frustrating for students to face views and perspectives that do not reflect their own values or beliefs. However, freedom of speech within the law is a core principle of university activity. Following a thorough review, we have found no evidence that this event is unlawful or contravenes our legal duties," they said.

The law rightly prohibits speech that incites violence, terrorism and hate, but does not prohibit speech that others may find upsetting or offensive. We are an inclusive university, welcoming students from all faiths and none. It is not our role to censor or stifle lawful expression when there is disagreement with the views being expressed.

Donna Smith, CEO of the student union, refused to speculate on the hypothetical scenario of a similar play mocking Islamic beliefs and stated that There is no differential treatment of religious groups.

This article was originally published at Christian Today
Trumps Year-End Address, Brown University Suspect Search, Dallas Theological Seminary Arabic Curriculum

link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 06:31 06:31

Top headlines for Friday, December 19, 2025

In this episode, we cover the latest developments in the search for a Brown University shooting suspect as authorities release an enhanced image of a person of interest. We also look at a Dallas suburbs decision to reject a proposed mosque and Islamic community development, and explore how Dallas Theological Seminary is expanding its reach with the launch of its first Arabic-language curriculum.

00:11 5 highlights from Trump's year-end address

00:54 Police release image of person who might help catch Brown shooter

01:39 City planning committee denies proposal for Islamic development

02:27 NASCAR champion Greg Biffle and family perish in plane crash

03:14 Archdiocese of New York agrees to sell land under historic hotel

04:01 DTS marks first semester of Arabic-language courses

04:49 'I believe in Hell': Kirk Cameron clarifies position
Home Opinion Maria Corina Machado is truly a heroine for our time

Maria Corina Machado is truly a heroine for our time. She has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025. After going through a harrowing escape journey from Venezuela, she made it to Oslo.

Ms. Machado, now a Nobel Laureate, is a brave and principled opposition leader to Nicolas Maduro, the despicable despot and drug king who is the dictator of Venezuela.

Ms. Machado courageously led a grassroots election campaign in last years presidential election. In spite of widespread violence and intimidation by the Maduro government, Ms. Machado won a landslide victory, which has been recognized as legitimate around the world by freedom-loving countries.

Her victory forced her to go into hiding in Venezuela, where she has continued to denounce Maduros human rights abuses and blatant abuse of power through videos. Her courage and unwavering commitment to the restoration of freedom and democracy in Venezuela have made her the most popular political figure in her country.

As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, it is inspiring and encouraging to witness the flame that was lit so long ago in Philadelphia continues to inspire people around the world to embrace and be willing to die for the freedoms guaranteed when the principle that All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are put into practice.

The authority of government comes from the consent of the people, and they have the right and the duty to hold the government to account to not betray those principles.

Ms. Machado gave a powerful and moving Nobel Laureate address, delivered by her daughter in her absence. In this address, Ms. Maduro speaks glowingly of her and her peoples love for freedom.

She began her speech by telling the story of her countrys long march toward freedom. She points out that,

In 1811, we wrote the first constitution in the Spanish-speaking world, one of the earliest republican constitutions on Earth, affirming the radical idea that every human being carries a sovereign dignity. This constitution enshrined citizenship, individual rights, religious liberty, and separation of powers.

She described the blessings that came with the massive oil discoveries beginning in 1922. She then related how even the strongest democracy weakens when its citizens forget that freedom is not something we wait for, but something to become.

She went on to confess: My generation was born in a vibrant democracy, and we took it for granted. We assumed freedom was as permanent as the air we breathed. We cherished our rights, but we forgot our duties.

She recounts how oil wealth corrupted the government. She explained that massive oil money became a tool to purchase loyalty abroad while at home criminal and international terrorist groups fused themselves to the state.

Corruption led to the collapse of the economy, and poverty passed 80%. Over 9 million Venezuelans fled the country, reducing the population to 28 million.

She recounts how the Venezuelan government sought to divide society by ideology, by race, by origin, by way of life pushing Venezuelans to distrust one another, to silence one another, to see enemies in one another. They smothered us, they took prisoners, they killed us, they forced us into exile.

So Ms. Machado and many of her fellow countrymen led a brave and noble effort to hold a nationwide election, in spite of government attempts at suppression and intimidation. Ms. Machado was banned from the general election after winning the primary handily. She was forced to go into hiding, yet her partys candidate won in a landslide in the general election.

Of course, the dictatorship refused to recognize their defeat and they increased their oppression of the people. In the 16 months since the suppression of the election, the people have continued to resist.

And then she shared stirring words with the Nobel Prize audience:

What we Venezuelans can offer the world is the lesson forged through this long and difficult journey: that to have democracy, we must be willing to fight for freedom. And freedom is a choice that must be renewed each day, measured by our willingness and our courage to defend it. For this reason, the cause of Venezuela transcends our borders. A people who choose freedom contribute not only to themselves, but to humanity.

Her speech glows with confidence in the ultimate victory of her nations quest for freedom:

Venezuela will breathe again. We will open prison doors and watch thousands who were unjustly detained step into the warm sun, embraced at last by those who never stopped fighting for them. We will see our students debate ideas passionately and without fear, their voices rising freely at last. We will hug again. Fall in love again. Hear our streets fill with laughter and music. All the simple joys the world takes for granted will be ours.Because in the end, our journey towards freedom has always lived inside us. We are returning to ourselves. We are returning home.

The flame of freedom still burns brightly and has lost none of its power to inspire human hearts and spirits. What began 250 years ago in Philadelphia on that first July 4thd continues to lift the human spirit. May we all draw inspiration and courage from it.
CIOs are facing rising expectations to improve outcomes across the organization, at a time when the digital workplace is becoming more complex to manage. Hybrid work has expanded the number of tools, devices and dependencies that IT must manage, increasing the strain on teams that still rely on operating models designed for simpler, office-based environments.

Invisible IT is emerging as a practical way for CIOs to minimize disruption and improve the performance of the digital workplace. At its simplest, its an approach that prevents many issues from becoming problems in the first place, reducing the need for users to raise tickets or wait for help.

As ecosystems scale, the gap between what organizations expect and what legacy workflows can deliver continues to widen. Lenovos latest research highlights invisible IT as a strategic shift toward proactive, personalized support that strengthens the performance of the digital workplace.

Fragmentation is slowing progress on CIO priorities

While the expansion of digital ecosystems has enabled faster collaboration and more flexible work, it has also created operational complexity that slows progress on core priorities. Research from MuleSoft indicates that enterprises typically use 897 applications, while Salesforce reports that only 28% are integrated. This lack of connection forces teams to work around gaps in their tools, which adds unnecessary steps and slows the flow of work across the organization.

Employees navigate a mix of channels such as email, chat and portals when seeking IT help. Each follows different processes and contains varying levels of detail, making it harder to maintain a consistent experience. Industry research adds another layer. One-third of organizations in the UK and Ireland cite too many monitoring tools and siloed data as a barrier to achieving full-stack observability. Without a unified view of their environment, CIOs lack the visibility needed to move from reactive fixes to strategic improvement.

Disconnected systems have become a major barrier to productivity and overall workforce effectiveness. When teams are stuck dealing with day-to-day operational challenges instead of improving performance, CIO priorities lose momentum.

Why reactive support models hold organizations back

In a workplace where devices, applications and services operate across different locations and conditions, this approach leaves CIOs without the early signals needed to prevent interruption. Faults often emerge gradually through performance drift or configuration inconsistencies, but traditional workflows only respond once the impact is visible to users.

Lenovos research shows how deeply this reactive pattern is embedded. Detection still occurs late in the cycle, with 19% of organizations stating they rely on manual identification and 65% detecting issues only after they occur. Only 16% identify disruptions ahead of time. Resolution follows a similar structure, with 21% resolved manually and 55% only after an incident has already affected users. Just 24% resolve issues proactively. These cycles increase hidden operational cost, slow productivity and make resource planning difficult.

Another constraint is the limited use of personalized support. Only 27% of organizations adjust assistance to match how employees actually work. Without aligning assistance to real working patterns, problems take longer to resolve and users may face more incidents than they should.

What invisible IT looks like for CIOs

Invisible IT draws on AI to interpret device health, behavioral patterns and performance signals across the organization, giving CIOs earlier awareness of degradation and emerging risks.

Predictive, lower-friction operations

When early indicators surface, automated actions can stabilize systems or route the issue with full context. Lenovos 2024 pilot testing show the potential of this approach:

40% of issues resolved before a ticket is created

30% reduction in support costs

50% faster onboarding for new employees

These improvements strengthen operational resilience.

Support aligned to real work patterns

Invisible IT uses AI-driven personas to understand how employees work, which tools they depend on and where friction occurs. Assistance adjusts accordingly, creating more consistent experiences across hybrid and distributed teams and helping people stay productive wherever they are.

Strengthening capability, not cutting headcount

This maturity shift elevates IT teams rather than shrinking them. Only 12% of leaders expect headcount to fall. Automation manages routine tasks, giving IT teams more capacity to focus on long-term transformation, culture change and continuous improvement.

What CIOs can prioritize next

Lenovos research shows that fragmented systems are the single biggest barrier to change, cited by 51% of leaders. Addressing this requires a coordinated shift in how information flows through the digital workplace.

Build a unified view of the digital workplace

Connecting device, application and support data creates the conditions for proactive operations. When signals are consolidated, CIOs gain a clearer picture of where new automation can deliver value.

Develop the next generation of IT capability

Roles in IT are shifting away from queue-based resolution toward work that reduces disruption before it reaches employees. CIOs can enable this transition by helping teams build confidence in interpreting early signals and by redesigning workflows so routine faults no longer require manual intervention. As teams become more comfortable with AI-generated insights and automated processes, the organization is better equipped to adapt to the growing complexity of the digital workplace.

Use partners to embed new operating practices

Expert partners can help integrate data sources, test predictive models and validate early outcomes. This reduces the risk associated with modernizing the operating model and helps CIOs embed new ways of working more quickly and consistently.

Practical actions to apply now

Identify the top ten recurring pain points and apply pre-ticket detection to reduce noise.

Nominate a single leader responsible for proactive support metrics.

Update incident taxonomies so AI can classify problems accurately.

Pilot one invisible IT use case with a business unit to demonstrate value before scaling.

A more proactive future for digital leadership

Invisible IT gives CIOs a clearer path to shaping a digital workplace that strengthens productivity and resilience by design. By shifting from user-reported issues to signal-driven insight, CIOs gain earlier visibility into risks and greater control over how disruptions are managed.

Adopting this model also frees technology leaders to focus on long-term transformation, culture change and strategic improvement rather than day-to-day firefighting. Organizations that invest in proactive capabilities now will be better positioned to guide the next phase of digital workplace evolution.

To explore the full findings and recommendations, read Lenovos latest Work Reborn report.
copyright Parliament

The government has been urged to ensure that charities and state bodies have the resources they need to implement the Civil Society Covenant.

At a discussion in Westminster this week, Hampshire council leader Nick Adams-King said short-term funding for local authorities had made it incredibly difficult for them to support voluntary organisations to plan, invest and retain staff.

At the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on charities and volunteering, Adams-King said: Too often voluntary organisations are brought in late, or superficially, or simply to tick a box.

True partnership is transformation, it's not just about commissioning  its about co-production, shared ambition and mutual respect.

Geethika Jayatilaka, London Plus chief executive, said improvements to some public commissioning processes were being held back because theres no sustainable resourcing.

The covenant itself, there was such optimism when it was launched, we need to make sure that some of those changes are now filtering down to the way that different organisations are actually delivering, whether thats local government or the NHS or public sector bodies, she said.

Portsmouth council cabinet member Chris Atwell said that smaller local organisations often lack the capacity to engage with larger or complex authorities.

He said: From our experience, the covenants principles require cultural change, and that doesnt happen by itself.

Organisations and the people in them will need supporting and that means resources.

The APPG was also attended by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham who said that the community and voluntary sector should be absolutely at the heart of public sector reform.

Some welcome progress

The calls for government resources came after chancellor Rachel Reeves was urged by Mental Health Matters to introduce a 20m central implementation fund for the covenant ahead of her November budget.

Commenting on the APPG discussion, NCVO chief executive Kate Lee said early and sustained engagement from the government with the charity sector was needed to ensure the covenant delivers real change.

Lee said: There has already been some welcome progress.

The next step is for the covenants structures to be set up as a priority, so government can begin engaging meaningfully with civil society on its implementation.

Lee added that the Civil Society Council, which she will chair, would play a central role in informing perspectives on what resources charities need to make the most of the covenant.

Besides the council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also working on a local covenant partnerships programme.

This programme is intended to encourage more cross-sector secondments and deliver new locally-led covenant agreements.

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Shelter

Employees of homelessness charity Shelter have voted to accept a reduced working hours deal after previously planning strike action over a breakdown in negotiations.

Last month, around 550 Shelter staff members voted to take industrial action after the charity withdrew from discussions over a potential four-day working week, which it deemed unviable.

Shelter offered a new deal at the start of the month, including a shortening of the working week from 37 hours to 35 hours, which workers represented by trade union Unite have now accepted.

Unite said the deal, effective from 1 January 2026, equates to a more than 5% pay rise and also includes two extra days of annual leave.

Strikes would have been hugely disruptive

The unions regional officer Peter Storey said: Christmas is a historically busy time of year for Shelter and any strike action would have been hugely disruptive to services.

Through extensive negotiations, we were offered a much-improved deal which members overwhelmingly voted to accept.

We are pleased to have avoided industrial action and look forward to working with management to negotiate further improvements to jobs, pay and conditions at Shelter.

Shelter previously said that it hoped to agree a deal with employees before Christmas.

On the deal being agreed, its chief operating officer Tim Gutteridge said: We are pleased that the agreement we had reached with union representatives on this years pay offer has now been accepted by all members.

Our ambition has always been to compensate colleagues fairly while ensuring we can keep delivering our frontline and campaigning work.

While we couldnt offer a four-day week the trade union wanted, we have reached an agreement on reducing our working week to 35 hours, with no loss of pay.

While we transition to these new ways of working, staff will continue to receive the same amount of annual leave as under the old system for a limited period. This will equate to two additional days of annual leave per year.

What unites us at Shelter is a steadfast commitment to defending the right to a safe home, and that is what we will continue to do.

Unite members at Shelter previously took strike action over the Christmas period in 2022 before accepting a pay offer the following January.

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,
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For most of his 2024 campaign, Donald Trump distanced himself from Project 2025, the sweeping Heritage Foundation policy proposal for a conservative presidency. But the nine-hundred-page document, officially titled Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise and released more than two years ago, has been nothing short of a blueprint for his second term, calling for measures from ending DEI programs to enforcing the death penalty, enlisting local and state law enforcement to detain immigrants, and cutting foreign aid.

The Mandate defined the media, along with Washington, DC, and academia, as a center of Leftist power. It called for gutting federal media agencies, making it easier to subpoena journalists, and grabbing power in the White House press room, all of which have happened since Trump took office.

Take the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Launched in 1994 as the Broadcasting Board of Governors and renamed in 2018, the agency was charged with disseminating news and information and representing US interests in countries with low levels of press freedom through Voice of America (VOA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia, and the Open Technology Fund.

Mora Namdar, who worked for the State Department under both Trump administrations, wrote the Mandates section on USAGM, in which she accused the agency of grave mismanagement, espionage-related security risks, and using anti-U.S. talking points to parrot Americas adversaries propaganda. She called for it to be reformed or shut down.

President Trump has opted for the latter. In February, he brought in Kari Lake, a longtime ally and former gubernatorial and Senate candidate in Arizona, to oversee the agencys dismantling. In March, a presidential executive order eliminated USAGM as a whole, leading to most full-time staff being placed on administrative leave and freelance contracts terminated. The changes prompted a series of lawsuits from journalists at VOA and other news organizations, and many judges have ruled in the plaintiffs favor, but the courts have been too slow to stem the damage. Since March, VOA has gone dark except for a few hours of weekly broadcasts in Mandarin, Farsi, Dari, and Pashto.

The far-right One America News (OAN) has been providing content for VOA, circumventing USAGMs political firewall, which the Mandate criticized. In May, OAN also took over the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and its flagship Radio Marti, a Miami station that has broadcast into Cuba since 1983. Radio Free Asias broadcasting has been paused since October. While RFE/RL continues to operate in most countries, Lake shut down its Hungarian branch in November for being critical of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. This is right in line with the Mandate, which stated that the agencys Hungarian-language service falls outside the intended scope of RFE/RLs charter by targeting a democratically elected, pro-American European and NATO ally.

Trump took a more straightforward path dismantling the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), another goal clearly outlined in the Mandate. All Republican Presidents have recognized that public funding of domestic broadcasts is a mistake, Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, wrote. [T]he next conservative President must finally get this done and do it despite opposition from congressional members of his own party if necessary. After an executive order in May, the House passed a rescissions package cutting 1.1 billion dollars in funding for the CPB, which Trump signed into law in August. The cut has led to mass layoffs and made public broadcasting unsustainable, particularly in rural, remote, and tribal communities.

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The Mandate called for making it easier to subpoena journalists during leak investigations. The Department of Justice should use all of the tools at its disposal to investigate leaks and should rescind damaging guidance by Attorney General Merrick Garland that limits investigators ability to identify records of unauthorized disclosures of classified information to the media, it read. In April, the Justice Department reversed a Biden-era policy that made it nearly impossible for federal attorneys to force journalists to testify and share their phone records.

Persistent and ominous but less clear-cut were the Heritage Foundations suggestions for restructuring relations between the White House and the press. The Mandate noted that the White House press secretary must be quick on their feet, which means, when appropriate, deftly refuting and rebutting correspondents questions and comments, and tasked the communications director with navigating the mainstream media to ensure that the Presidents agenda is conveyed effectively and accurately. Karoline Leavitt and Steven Cheung might have been taking notes.

No legal entitlement exists for the provision of permanent space for media on the White House campus, and the next Administration should reexamine the balance between media demands and space constraints on the White House premises, the Mandate added, urging the next administration to examine the nature of the relationship between itself and the White House Correspondents Association [sic] and consider whether an alternative coordinating body might be more suitable.

Unlike his colleague across the Potomac, Trump hasnt yet ousted the White House press corps, but he did kick out the Associated Press for refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America (the APs lawsuit is ongoing). In January, Leavitt took over credentialing from the White House Correspondents Association, allowing MAGA-friendly reporters to access press briefings, the Oval Office, and Air Force One. She also restricted journalists access to some areas in the West Wing, and both she and Trump have made headlines for insulting reporters.

With lawsuits and legal threats against CBS, the BBC, and other outlets, the deportation of journalist Mario Guevara, and a journalists Hall of Shame on the White House website, Trump has arguably overdelivered on Project 2025s media goals. The year will soon be over, but the chill is likely to persist into 2026 and beyond.
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So long! Farewell! Adieu, adieu, adieu!

The Children von Trapp

It was around ten months, or seventy thousand words, ago that the Columbia Journalism Review launched Laurels and Darts. This was actually something of a relaunch: its predecessor, Darts & Laurels, had been on a ten-year hiatus. Im now about to take off for several months, to embark on a special project that will keep me away from CJR headquarters. (More on that later.) So, like the Sound of Music brood, I am here to tell you so long and farewell. Out of mercy, I will do so with words and not song.

Setting out on this column, we established a few ground rules. We wouldnt go crazy over errant headlines or tweets, wed stick mostly to news coverage (rather than editorials or op-eds), and wed try to ensure that wed regularly include stories that hadnt crossed everyones radar. We also encouraged readers to send in nominations; to the many of you who did, thank you.

Doing these columns has left me encouraged, enthralled, amazed, andmore than oncereally pissed off. There is a lot of excellent, courageous reporting out there, and then there are some journalists who do not do, shall we say, consistently good work. Here are a few of the highlights and lowlights:

Who doesnt love a very small news org that does a very big thing? A number of these showed up in Laurels and Darts, but my favorite was the Kerr County Lead, a website that Louis Amestoy founded in 2021 and that was at the epicenter of the tragic Texas floods last summer. Amestoy is editor and publisher, which, as anyone whos worked at a place like this knows, means you do everything that has to be done. In five days, he (with some AI help) wrote forty-four stories, while shooting photos, posting on Facebook, and dealing with his communitys devastation. A few weeks later, he put out a one-time print edition, providing a physical copy of the many obituaries that followed the rising waters.

Student journalists show the way. The Independent Florida Alligators Garrett Shanley examined the former University of Florida presidents dubious expenses, then followed that up with sterling coverage of the states surgeon general, who has a largely no-show job in Gainesville. Over in the Hoosier State, staffers at the Indiana Daily Student saw their print edition get whacked by dim-witted administrators, so their rivals at Purdue came to the rescue with their own special edition.

Local TV and radio journalists often do stellar work. A Buffalo crew dug into prison abuse, a trio at a Minneapolis station uncovered Medicaid fraud, public radio stations in Louisiana and Alaska teamed up on a climate change package, a reporter at an Oregon TV station uncovered a nugget in a long interview with President Trump, and Oklahomas Spencer Humphrey snagged two separate laurels for his coverage of immigration enforcement and state spending.

Startups are breaking big stories. Ever heard of the Flatwater Free Press? Me neither. Its an investigative site in Nebraska, and it revealed why the states drug-death numbers look so low. (Hint: its not because Nebraskans dont abuse drugs.) Two reporters at NOTUS dug into a seventy-three-page RFK Jr. treatise on healthcare, and found tons of errors and fictitious citations. I dont even know what the hell that is, Trump growled about the sites name, telling the reporter to get yourself a real job. Looks like they already have a real job.

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Some solo practitioners know their stuff as well as or better than beat reporters. Want to know whats up at SCOTUS? Youd better be reading Steven Vladeck. Did a Trump pick for surgeon general look a little dodgy to you? Check out Tony Clarks coverage. Up for a thirteen-thousand-word expose on a man unjustly accused of child sexual assault? Then you should read what Radley Balko found after he spent more than two years digging into files and interviewing witnesses. And one of the best pieces of writing Ive seen all year came from Kyle Kingsbury, a software consultant who described the violent immigration crackdown in Chicago.

And yes, big news organizations do tremendous work. Good luck finding a better lede than Michael Phillipss beauty in the Wall Street Journal. When Elon Musk and Marco Rubio started making drastic cuts in foreign aid, Nicholas Kristof went to South Sudan and Kenya to chronicle the death toll for the New York Times. The Washington Posts scoop on the killing of the Caribbean survivors still reverberates weeks later, while Bloombergs examination of eighteen thousand emails from Jeffrey Epsteins account is a model of meticulous reporting and transparency. ProPublica teamed up with Oregon Public Broadcasting to delve into why progressive policies in the Pacific Northwest are stymying green-energy production. NPR found itself in the crosshairs of FCC chair Brendan Carr, and faced cutbacks pushed by the White House, but it didnt flinch in its coverage of the Trump administration.

I am just a little obsessed with media screwups, and there are always plenty to write about. A lot of the press, including the New York Post and The Telegraph, went nuts when reports emerged that a horde of herpes-infected monkeys had escaped an overturned truck and were rampaging beyond the crash site. Fortunately, the Mississippi Free Press was here to pour cold water on it. They accomplished this by making more than one phone call.

Journalists are as prone as anyone to bad ideas, not all of which are stories. The Society of Professional Journalists asked college newspapers to publish the most unethical edition they could muster. Yes, that was bad. So is the University of Georgias plan to charge students thousands of dollars for a two-week Introduction to Travel Journalism trip to Orlando that appears to be about as rigorous as, well, two weeks at Disney World.

You can learn a lot about news organizations broad policies by examining specific stories. The Denver Post doesnt allow government spokespeople to be anonymous, as evidenced in Homeland Securitys futile efforts to get a comment into a story about deportations derailing criminal cases. The Red Bank Green in New Jersey wont remove accurate stories from its site, even in the face of a bogus criminal complaint. The New York Times said it would stop making endorsements in local elections, then switched gears after Zohran Mamdani gained ground in the New York City mayoral race. (The Times opinion editor told me that her earlier statement on the ban was imprecise.)

Its no longer funny to say I became a journalist because Im bad at math. CBS News reported that Trumps speech to Congress was a huge hit with the public, but that assessment relied on a viewer sample that was 51 percent GOP, 20 percent Democratic. Harry Enten, CNNs data whiz kid, claimed in October that the Democrats chances of retaking the House next year had gone plummeting down! He was basing that on a prediction market, not an actual voter survey, even as polls show its the Republican Party thats facing tough odds.

Transparency is good; more news orgs ought to try it. The Dallas Morning News failed to cover a big protest, even though it was announced in advance and local TV was all over it. In response, the managing editor publicly acknowledged the oversight and vowed to do better. The Guardian used a quote from a classmate of Charlie Kirks alleged killer that indicated he was a leftist, but later removed that viral section from the story. When I called for comment, a Guardian editor explained how this happened.

Before you crow about your scoop, make sure you were first with the scoop. Ken Klippenstein boasted that hed been leaked a State Department memo about student visas. In fact, that story was broken a few days earlier by Marisa Kabas, another independent journalist. Ive tried many times to get Klippenstein to comment, to no avail.

And finally: Were competitors, but were also all in this together. The countrys most visible journalists are White House reporters who are seen daily, posing questions in the briefing room and doing standups on the lawn. Time and again, the president has insulted or degraded a reporter who asks a legitimate question, and time and again, the rest of the press corps has just moseyed along. Time and again, the president has made outrageous, easily checkable claims, and time and again, the press corps has just traipsed on to its next question. There are a lot of reasons why many Americans dont trust the news media. Their reluctance to stand up for each other, and for the facts, is one. Perhaps its because some of them are timid, or because they dont want to lose their Oval Office access, or because they dont want to become the story. Whichever is the case, journalists build trust by showing that they will stand up for the truth, and for their fellow truth-tellers. Its never too late to do that.

Now, as for me: I am headed to Utah, where Ill be joining the staff of the Salt Lake Tribune for several months. I see the decline of local journalism as being at the heart of a lot of our problemsin the news business and in our democracy. One exception to that trend is the Tribune, which became a nonprofit several years ago and is eliminating its subscription wall while expanding in southern Utah and working with other news organizations statewide. I want to understand what journalists need to do to rebuild local editorial and business models, and the best way to do that is, well, to do it.

And this doesnt mean that Laurels and Darts is going away! It will return in January with a new columnist: Susie Banikarim, who you might remember from that great audio series on the downfall of Ozy Media, which she produced for CJR last year with Josh Hersh. Susie has worked all over the news industryfrom major networks to journalism startupson articles, documentaries, and podcasts. She has been a media executive in scrappy organizations and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. Shes deeply knowledgeable about the way journalism worksand just as curious about what is going on across the transformations in news. Ill be interested to see where she takes the column. Until next time, so long, farewell.

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.
If negotiation is the job, as Ronald Morrison wrote in the first article of this series, then the first offer is often the moment that defines success.

Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky first described the anchoring effect in 1974the tendency for initial numbers to pull subsequent judgments toward them, even when the starting point is arbitrary.

In insurance negotiations, this bias is not theoretical. Its the gravitational force that shapes every later discussion about value, reasonableness and fairness.

Every demand letter or opening offer is an anchor. It establishes a frame: whats high, whats low, whats reasonable. Once that frame exists, even seasoned professionals unconsciously adjust around it. Thats why skilled negotiators try to control that frame early. Whoever sets the first credible number usually sets the boundaries for the eventual outcome.

The plaintiff bar has understood this for years. Their opening demands are not just numbersthey are narratives designed to define the story of loss and responsibility before the defense even speaks. Too often, defense teams start reactively, allowing the plaintiffs anchor to define the playing field.

Its time to reclaim that space.

Why Going First Usually Wins

If youve been in claims long enough, youve heard it or said it yourself: Lets ask them for a demand, then maybe propose mediation.

It sounds prudent. It feels safe. Waiting seems like a way to preserve flexibility and avoid revealing our hand too soon. But in negotiation science, this instinct to wait and react is often a costly illusion.

Study after studyacross corporate dealmaking, salary negotiation and litigation settlementconfirms that the first credible offer creates psychological inertia. Once a number is stated, every subsequent discussion, every compromise, every justification revolves around it. Even experienced negotiators adjust toward that first figure more than they realize.

Our minds rarely start from zero. The first number gives us that somewhere to start from, and the rest of the negotiation becomes an act of adjustment. Behavioral researchers have identified a tendency of insufficient adjustment, and its remarkably consistent. People rarely move far enough away from an initial anchor, even when they know its unreasonable.

Thats why plaintiffs counsel almost always go first. They understand that the first offer doesnt just influence the numberit defines the story of the case. It establishes the moral tone, the emotional scale and the perceived magnitude of loss. Once that frame is accepted, even implicitly, its difficult to dislodge.

Related article: Injury Severity and the Power of the Anchor: Swiss Res Juror Analysis

In contrast, many claim teams and defense attorneys hesitate to go first because they fear appearing unreasonable or being boxed in. They worry an early offer may set the floor too low or reveal too much. The truth is almost the opposite: The first offer is what gives you room to move strategically.

A well-reasoned opening creates context for concessions later, allows you to demonstrate flexibility and keeps the conversation within a range you define. It shifts you from passively reactive to a position of leadership and influence.

When we lead with a defensible, evidence-supported offer, were not being imprudent. Were being proactive architects of reasonableness. Were setting the reference point for fairness before someone else does it for us.

Moreover, going first does more than shape numbers; it shapes tone. It communicates confidence, preparation and authority. It signals that our side has done the workthat we understand the exposure, weve evaluated the evidence, and were not guessing.

The party that appears most certain about value often becomes the reference standard, even in the opposing counsels own discussions with their client.

Anchoring early is not about domination; its about framing. If we fail to set the first credible anchor, we are effectively negotiating inside the other partys version of reality. When we do set it, we invite them into ours.

Thats why leaders should encourage and train their teams to go first when the case warrants it. Its not reckless; its informed. The goal isnt to win the opening round but to control the context in which every round thereafter is fought.

When to Lead  and When to Counter

While anchoring research favors the first mover, practical wisdom adds nuance. There are moments when restraint is strategic.

Lead with the first offer when:

You have a strong evidentiary foundationvaluations supported by comparables, expert reports or quantifiable damages.

The information environment is symmetrical; both sides know the key facts.

You (or your organization) hold recognized authority and credibility.

The emotional tone is stable, and early framing can shape expectations before escalation.

Hold back and counter when:

Key facts or damages remain uncertain.

Your position could be easily attacked or undermined.

You need diagnostic insightto see how the opponent values the case.

The optics of an early low offer could appear insincere or create bad-faith exposure.

The opposing party is highly reactive and predictably rejects early proposals out of hand.

The decision to go first or respond isnt philosophical; its situational. Skilled negotiators gauge defensibility, information symmetry and emotional climate before deciding who should draw first.

The Written Offer: Anchoring With Evidence

The first article of this series, Negotiation Is the Job: Reframing Defense Work in an AI-Enhanced Era, emphasized the importance of the written word. Nowhere is that truer than in anchoring.

A written offer package isnt just a courtesy; its a strategic tool. It allows you to:

Explain your theory of value. Dont just name a numbershow your reasoning.

Visualize exposure. Use forensic evidence, verdict data, charts or medical cost summaries to make the logic visible.

Preempt emotional framing. Facts and logic can neutralize narrative-driven demands.

Create permanence. Written arguments can be shared, studied and absorbed long after the call ends.

In many files, the defenses written offer is the only message the plaintiffs attorney reads carefully. That moment deserves design. Anchoring with evidence turns a number into a story of thoughtful analysis and fairness.

Offer Packages as Strategic Tools

A persuasive opening offer package has structure and sequence. Think of it as a mini-brief designed to move minds, not just numbers.

Chronology  Outline the factual sequence that frames causation logically. Liability Analysis  Summarize defense strengths clearly and respectfully. Exposure Discussion  Present non-economic and special damages realistically. Venue Data and Comparables  Ground your valuation in empirical context. The Offer Itself  Present it as the rational and natural conclusion of your analysis.

Each section supports the same goal: to make your anchor feel inevitable.

A well-built offer package reframes risk perceptionshifting focus from emotion (what happened) to probability (what outcomes are likely).

The Psychology of Counter-Anchoring

Even when the other side anchors first, all is not lost.

You can re-anchor by introducing competing frames:

Reference objectivity: Settlement data in this venue shows a median outcome near $x.

Reframe probability: Even assuming liability, the chance of damages being awarded as claimed is low.

Redirect focus: Shift discussion from dollar amounts to decision pointsliability apportionment, causation arguments or coverage issues.

Counter-anchoring works not by rejecting the initial number but by redefining what reasonable means.

Practical Techniques for Claim Professionals

Prepare before numbers are exchanged. Establish internal valuation ranges early. Practice anchor inoculation. Role-play extreme demands to strengthen calibration. Avoid echoing the opponents anchor. Say were not in that range, not were not near your $5 million demand. Use mediators strategically. Let neutrals reposition midpoint expectations toward your frame. Debrief every negotiation. Ask: Did our anchor hold? Was it credible? Did we concede too soon?

The Ethics and Optics of Anchoring

Anchoring isnt manipulationits structured advocacy.

About the Series This is the second article in a series titled Negotiation Reclaimed, conceived by Taylor Smith, founder and president of Suite 200 Solutions. Smith introduced the idea that negotiation has become an overlooked skill for claims professionalsand one that is often delegated to outside defense counsel insteadin his recent CM article, Taking Back Negotiation: Why Claim Professionals Must Lead the Next Chapter

When supported by evidence and presented in good faith, a strong first offer promotes transparency and efficiency. The ethical risk isnt in anchoring; its in letting unreasonable numbers dictate the narrative unchallenged.

Anchoring ethically means being transparent about your rationale, using verifiable data and respecting the other sides decision-making process.

Controlling the Frame

Anchoring is inevitable. The only question is whose anchor will define the frame.

In todays environmentwhere plaintiffs use data science, narrative design and AIthe defense cannot afford to start second.

Anchoring early, credibly and in writing transforms negotiation from reaction into leadership. It reclaims control of perceptionand, ultimately, of outcomes.

Because in negotiation, the first number isnt just a proposal.

Its the story of what fair, reasonable and accurate looks like.

Ken Carter, MAOL, CPCU, is the chief risk officer and chief claims officer for Concert Group, a hybrid fronting and specialty program insurer. Carter has 36 years of experience managing all aspects of multiline claims operations. Prior to joining the Concert leadership team, he held various management positions at Merchants Insurance Group, including senior claims officer, senior corporate casualty manager and litigation manager. Carter began his insurance career at Allstate as an adjuster trainee, subsequently rising to the level of casualty claim manager. Carter has engaged extensively with claims and legal professional associations as a trainer, speaker and contributor to industry publications.
Wells Fargo & Co. was sued by a former manager who says he was fired for pushing the bank to create a more diverse workforce and objecting to its practice of interviewing minority applicants for jobs that were already filled.

Joseph Bruno claims in the lawsuit filed Thursday he tried for years  and often failed  to persuade the banks executives to live up to the companys stated diversity and inclusion goals.

He was the first person to publicly claim in 2022 that Wells Fargo had been conducting sham interviews of minority candidates. The bank did this, he said, so executives could say they were making concrete efforts to diversify its workforce.

Related: Wells Fargo Whistleblower on Sham Interviews Wins Right to Sue

The allegations raised by him and others led the US Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into whether the bank had violated civil-rights laws. The probe was later closed without charges being brought, the bank said in a regulatory filing.

Wells Fargo didnt immediately respond outside regular business hours to a request for comment. The bank has previously called Brunos claims baseless and has said the fake interviews werent widespread, if they happened at all.

Bruno, who lives in Florida, was a financial adviser who rose through the ranks to become a regional manager overseeing 14 Wells Fargo branches, according to the complaint.

He claims that over the years, his supervisors pushed back on his efforts to hire more minority applicants, telling him that he was going too far.

In 2021, the bank fired Bruno after alleging that he retaliated against an employee who he claims accused him of favoring Black applicants, according to the suit. His complaint accuses the bank of defaming him with untrue descriptions of his ouster.

Bruno says he was also criticized by one of the banks regional presidents for not sufficiently defending Wells Fargo Chief Executive Officer Charles Scharf against accusations of racism that erupted after a Zoom talk with Black employees.

During the talk, Scharf asserted the banks commitment to diversity and inclusion, but added: The unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of black talent to recruit from. Scharf later apologized.

When Bruno initially complained that he was wrongfully fired, the bank tried to force him into closed-door arbitration proceedings. But last month, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said he could pursue his claims in open court.

In the suit, Bruno alleges discrimination and retaliation in violation of federal civil rights law and seeks unspecified monetary damages.

The case is Bruno v. Wells Fargo & Company, 25-cv-10808, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).

Top photo: A Wells Fargo bank branch in New York. Bloomberg.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
HUNTING VALLEY, Ohio

Follow-up investigation, stolen firearm recovered: County Line Road

Police have returned a collectors Colt Python .357 revolver to its rightful owner following a house burglary over 30 years ago.

Police Chief Mike Cannon met with a detective from Stratford, Ontario, on the Peace Bridge in Niagara Falls, NY, Dec. 9 to take custody of the weapon, valued at $5,000.

The gun was actually recovered three years ago, found inside the wall of a fire-damaged Canadian hunting cabin undergoing renovations after a lightning strike.

Upon making the discovery, the owner turned the weapon over to Stratford police who ran the serial number and found it listed as stolen 28 years earlier.

From there, the gun was sent to a crime lab in Canada where, like the U.S., ballistics testing on old revolvers is limited in scope to determine whether they may have been used in subsequent crimes.

Once Canadian authorities could release the weapon, Cannon met them at the border. From there, he set up a meeting with the owner, 90, who is now in hospice care.

The woman with his power-of-attorney rights said that while not in the best of health, the owner was not suffering from dementia.

On Dec. 14, Cannon met with both of them.

When asked if he recognized it, the owner stated he did, that it was one of the stolen guns from back in 1994.

After a background check, Cannon turned the gun over to the legal representative and closed that section of the case, although numerous other firearms were taken from the collection at the time of the burglary.

Traffic complaint: Chagrin River Road, Route 87

Police responded to a report of a bus driving slowly along South Woodland Road at 7:53 p.m. Dec. 9, with other motorists concerned about the bus driver.

The bus driver explained it was in response to road conditions at the time.

Assist other agency: Chagrin Boulevard, Addison Lane

Hunting Valley police assisted patrol officers in Moreland Hills with a welfare check on a car crash where no one was still around on Dec. 9 just before midnight.

Disabled motor vehicle: Hillbrook Drive, County Line Road

Police responded to the scene of a car that had slid off the roadway around 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13. With no accident report needed, officers assisted the driver getting home.

Damage to public property: SOM Center Road, Fairmount Boulevard

After a caller reported a Flock Safety camera pole leaning on Dec. 10, police explained they were aware and addressing the issue.

This did not involve a similar license plate reading camera that was struck in October along Route 91 at Old Kinsman Road.

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Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee  Country music superstar Jelly Roll, who has been open about his troubled criminal past, received a full pardon Thursday from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee.

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, was one of 33 people to receive pardons Thursday from Lee, who for years has issued clemency decisions around the Christmas season.

In April, the Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously recommended a pardon for Jelly Roll.

His story is remarkable, and its a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for, Lee said Thursday.

He was convicted of robbery at age 17 and drug charges at 23. He was sentenced to serve a year in prison and additional time on probation. In 2008, police on patrol found both marijuana and crack cocaine in his car. He was sentenced to eight years of court-ordered supervision.

He also has two misdemeanor offenses for driving without a license and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hes now a major star on the country music scene who also is known for speaking at prisons, rehabilitation programs and schools, talking about how he overcame his troubled past. In October 2023, he met with youths in the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center before a concert in Columbus.

Jelly Roll has said the pardon will make it easier for him to travel internationally for concert tours and to perform Christian missionary work without filling out burdensome paperwork.

I want to be an inspiration for people who are now where I used to be  to let them know that change is truly possible," Jelly Roll said to the parole board in April. One of the reasons Im asking for your recommendation for this pardon is because Im looking to take my message of redemption through the power of music and faith through the rest of the world.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
WASHINGTON - - The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Ohio native Jeremiah Workman to serve as the Department of Labors assistant secretary for Veterans Employment and Training, elevating a decorated Marine combat veteran and former Ohio political candidate to a key federal post overseeing employment programs for Americas veterans.

Workman, a Marion native who ran for Ohio lieutenant governor in 2022 and briefly pursued the GOP nomination for governor in 2023, will now lead the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), which administers programs with a budget exceeding $300 million annually.

The position requires him to oversee job placement services, transition assistance, and employment rights enforcement for military veterans nationwide.

The full Senate vote on his nomination comes after the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee advanced his nomination in June, by a 13-10 tally.

A war heros journey

Workman told Veterans Affairs committee he enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17, and on the morning of September 11, 2001, he was in a barber shop at Parris Island.

In December 2004, during Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Iraq, Workman participated in one of the fiercest urban battles of the Iraq War. During a house-to-house clearing operation, his team engaged more than two dozen insurgents fortified inside a safe house. His actions that day earned him the Navy Cross, the Navys highest award for valor.

U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, who introduced Workman at his confirmation hearing, recounted how Workman fought with a ferocity only a few who have been under fire can understand, saying his bravery that day earned him the Navy Cross and a place of eternal honor in the halls of Marine Corps lore.

After leaving active duty, Workman spent 11 years working for the Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Regiment and the Department of Veterans Affairs before returning to Ohio. He has also written a book about his military service and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a Marine Corps combat veteran, Ive experienced firsthand both the immense pride of military service and the complex challenges of transitioning back into civilian life, Workman told the committee. Ive also seen the untapped potential that every veteran carries with them after service. Our nation owes these men and women more than gratitudewe owe them an opportunity, dignity, and a pathway to purpose, post-service."

Workman entered Ohio politics in 2022, running for lieutenant governor as Republican Joe Blystones running mate in a campaign that attracted grassroots support. He faced Jon Husted, now a U.S. senator, in that primary race. Workman later announced a gubernatorial bid in 2023 but discontinued that campaign.

Mission and vision

In his testimony before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Workman outlined his priorities for his new job, emphasizing that employment represents more than economic security for veterans.

He acknowledged the job challenges many veterans face, particularly those with service-connected disabilities, and said disability should not be a disqualifier.

Employment is more than a paycheck  its a sense of identity, purpose, and contribution, he said in his prepared statement. Its one of the most powerful protectors of mental health.

He pledged that if confirmed, every decision we make at VETS will start with one question: What does this mean for the veteran? That will be our guiding principle.

VETS oversees several major programs, including Jobs for Veterans State Grants, the Transition Assistance Program delivered at military installations worldwide, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, and enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

We will ensure that veterans are not only welcomed in the workforcebut that they are prepared, empowered, recruited, and valued," Workman pledged.

Sheehy praised Workmans philosophy, stating: Jeremiahs work is not focused on veteran handouts or benefit programs. It is focused on empowering our former service men and women to achieve new heights after their time in uniform.

America is lucky to have men like Jeremiah on the battlefield, and now we will be lucky to have him as a leader in our government, said Sheehy.
I flew to Ukraine last month to finish a renovation I started years ago: a childrens hospital in Stryi, a city in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine, that had been left incomplete when the war began. It was my fourth trip since the invasion, and I thought it would be my last until peace was restored. I was wrong.

When I first visited Stryi, the region was consumed by uncertainty. The hospital, housed in a World War IIera building, was the only childrens facility in the area. I couldnt walk away. Slowly, tile by tile and dollar by dollar, it transformed into something that resembled a modern clinic. With support from donors, partner organizations, and people who simply cared, we eventually raised enough to finish the final piece: the kitchen.

This time, though, my mission was different. I didnt want to experience Ukraine alone. I wanted others, including my two children, Leo (10) and Lilly (8), to see the country as I had come to know it. For a $5,000 fee, I opened the trip to the public. Many inquired. Five committed. Two ultimately came: a seasoned nonprofit executive and a young chef with a hunger for meaning. A 30-hour journey carrying medical supplies on trains is not for everyone, but for those who feel the pull, it can be life-changing.

Chef Brandon Chrostowski with his son Leo, 10, and daughter Lilly, 8, at the Kyiv train station during a visit to Ukraine in November 2025. (Photo by Iryna Karpinska) Iryna Karpinska

Because Ukraine means something different to everyone.

On American television, its a war zone.

To those who live there, its home.

To some, its a tragedy.

To others, a political talking point.

For many, it is a prayer.

To me, it is a place to serve.

And so, the question became: What is your Ukraine?

Leading others through Ukraine has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I watched adults and children discover the country in real time, its beauty and its pain, its culture and its courage. In the cities of Kyiv and Lviv, we stood before architecture so majestic that it felt like stepping into a painting. We walked through churches filled with incense and history. One moment, in awe. The next, my daughter asking why sandbags covered the windows.

That is Ukraine: an emotional range from appreciation to anger, from fear to bravery. Gratitude mixed with grief.

We tasted bograch, a Carpathian-style meat soup, and uzvar, a fruit and berry drink often served at Christmas, that warmed the soul. We heard a bandura player fill St. Sophia Square with the most breathtaking melody Ive ever encountered. Minutes later, the soundtrack shifted to generators humming, air raid sirens echoing. My children began to understand a truth many never learn: Life is precious and fragile, but people are strong.

On our third day, we visited the Superhuman Center in Morshyn, where amputees and veterans work to rebuild their lives. Walking into a gym filled with men missing arms and legs hits you in the chest. Sadness mixes with gratitude for your own freedoms. I asked a translator to tell them how thankful we were, and that we traveled here to meet real heroes.

In another room, veterans learned to use a kitchen again. As I watched my children take in the sight of a man with half his face damaged while a nurse wrapped what remained of his arm, I thought: This is war. But, this is resilience. This is Ukraine.

Later, we celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the renovated childrens hospital in nearby Stryi. A priest blessed the building. Staff prepared a long table of food and drinks to show their gratitude. We left feeling appreciated, connected, part of something bigger.

And in the Carpathian Mountains southwest of Lviv, in Klymets village, I led a cooking class for 28 orphans. For a few hours, food became its own language. They laughed, stirred, chopped, and hand-built lasagna with an ease that reminded me that children, no matter where they are, are wired for joy. Watching them problem-solve together, I realized: Theyre going to be OK. They have each other, and they have a country determined to rebuild around them.

Chef Brandon Chrostowski with orphans from Pidhirtsi village in Ukraine who enjoyed a cooking class with him in the Carpathian Mountains in November 2025, during Chrostowski's most recent visit to Ukraine. (Photo by Iryna Karpinska) Iryna Karpinska

Every time I visit, I fall more deeply in love with Ukraine -- its land, its people, its spirit. They say anything will grow in Ukrainian soil. I believe anything can grow in Ukrainian hearts. At the Ukrainian Catholic University, I spoke to students who were among the most thoughtful, empathetic, intellectually sharp young people I have ever encountered. Ive lectured at Ivy League schools; none compared to these students emotional intelligence and moral clarity. They know what they are fighting for, and what they are fighting to become.

Despite the war, I felt a quiet certainty that peace is coming. Kyivs streets were full. Restaurants were lively. Trains brand new. A resilience you can feel in the air. Ukraine reflects humanity at its best when the world is at its worst.

So I ask you: What is your Ukraine?

When your life is shaken, when your values are tested, when your world is under threat  how does your heart respond?

What will you build?

Whom will you lift up?

What gift will you give the world?

Because Ukraine forces a question each of us must answer: When everything is uncertain, what remains certain in you?

Brandon E. Chrostowski is the founder of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute in Cleveland, a nationally acclaimed program that provides formerly incarcerated adults with comprehensive training in the culinary and hospitality industries, along with housing, legal support, medical care, job placement, literacy programs, and a network for long-term success. A 2025 James Beard Impact Award winner, 2016 James Beard Award finalist, CNN Hero, and IFMA Silver Plate honoree, Chrostowski established EDWINS to create real pathways to opportunity and dignity for individuals returning from prison.

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Central China's Changsha to launch direct flight to Jakarta

Xinhua) 09:42, December 19, 2025

CHANGSHA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, is set to launch a direct passenger air route to Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 22, the Hunan Airport Management Group said on Thursday.

The round-trip service will operate once a week, with a single trip taking about five-and-a-half hours.

Indonesia is the largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and maintains close economic, trade and cultural ties with Hunan. The new route is expected to facilitate cross-border collaboration for Hunan enterprises, while also providing efficient travel options for tourists heading to Jakarta and the surrounding areas.

In addition to the new air route, the Changsha airport plans to launch a direct route to the resort island of Bali during the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush.

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun)
Nike stock sank Thursday evening, even after the sportswear maker delivered better-than-expected quarterly results. While management said it is in the middle innings of its turnaround, severe issues in China and a weak outlook discouraged investors. Total revenue in the company's fiscal 2026 second quarter increased 1% year over year to $12.4 billion, topping Wall Street expectations of about $12.2 billion, according to analyst estimates compiled by LSEG. Earnings per share fell 33% from the year-ago period to 53 cents, beating the consensus of 38 cents, LSEG data showed. NKE YTD mountain Nike YTD Shares of Nike dropped nearly 11% in after-hours trading to below $60 each, marking their lowest level since June. We, however, are keeping faith. Bottom line Turnarounds are challenging, and Nike's numbers Thursday evening showed how uneven progress can be when juggling multiple brands across different geographies. When Elliott Hill came out of retirement and took over as CEO 14 months ago, he made fixing the company's largest business, North America, his top priority. The headway here has been encouraging, and all signs suggest his pivot back to embracing the wholesale channel and focusing on innovation instead of relying too heavily on classics is working. Sales in North America were much better than expected, and profitability is recovering, even as tariff pressure weighed on margins. If you only looked at North America, it would be clear that the company's "Win Now" initiative and "Sport Offense" plan have been a home run. The "Win Now" initiative prioritizes Nike's best-performing categories across its main geographies, New York, Los Angeles, London, Beijing, and Shanghai. The "Sport Offense" brings the company's organization closer to the athletes it serves. China was a major issue. Hill and his team have been upfront about the challenges there and have repeatedly said the turn in China would take time. However, we had expected to see some progress, and instead we got a significant setback. Nike went from sales down 9% year over year in its fiscal first quarter to down about 17% in the second quarter. Nike is stuck in a negative cycle of promotional activity and markdowns, and management is calling for a full reset in how they approach China to fix the business. The company can use its learnings from North America and apply that playbook to other geographies as the company slowly works its way back to its goal of double-digit EBIT margins, but it's going to take time. EBIT, also known as operating profit, stands for earnings before interest and taxes. Turnarounds never happen in a straight line and can test our patience. We like where Nike's underlying trends are headed, with North America on a path to sustainable profitable growth and inventories in a much better spot than a year ago. We're maintaining our buy-equivalent 1 rating but lowering our price target to $75 from $80 to account for the weakness in China. Quarterly commentary By region, all of the quarter's upside came from strength in North America, where sales increased about 9% year over year to $5.6 billion, beating analyst estimates of about $5.1 billion. The rest of Nike's geographies missed the mark. The largest offender was Greater China, where sales dropped the aforementioned 17% to $1.4 billion, missing estimates of $1.57 billion. The weakness was across all channels, with direct revenue down 18%, digital down 36%, and Nike stores down 5%. Wholesale revenue fell 15%, with EBIT plummeting 49% on a reported basis. Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) sales increased about 2%, while Asia Pacific and Latin America fell about 4%. By channel, wholesale revenue increased 8% on a reported and currency-neutral basis to $7.5 billion, with strength primarily in North America. That's a solid acceleration from the 5% growth in the first quarter and is a sign that the strategy pivot is working. Nike Direct revenue dropped 8% on a reported basis and 9% on a currency-neutral basis to $4.6 billion, reflecting a 14% decline from digital and 3% decrease in Nike-owned stores. Management previously guided gross margins to fall 300 to 375 basis points year over year, and the company in fiscal Q2 delivered at the better side of that range at 40.6%. Tariff-related costs took out a big chunk of those profits, with Nike's cost of sales increasing 6% year over year. Nike is facing an annualized cost headwind of $1.5 billion due to tariffs, resulting in a gross headwind of 320 basis points to the fiscal year. The company thinks it can reduce this impact to 120 basis points through supply chain and cost increase actions, but it's taking time. The tariff picture could change dramatically if the U.S. Supreme Court were to rule the levies illegal. A decision on the matter is expected early next year. Management did not address this on the post-earnings conference call. As for inventories, Nike reported a 3% decline to $7.7 billion, reflecting a decline in units but an offset from increased product costs due to tariffs. Management believes its inventory positions in North America and the EMEA region are "healthy and clean," which we think should result in gross margin tailwinds in the year ahead. Guidance The fiscal 2026 third quarter outlook was disappointing, with management guidance on revenue and gross margin below expectations. Revenue is expected to decline by low single digits, with "modest growth" in North America and declines in Greater China and with the company's Converse brand. This outlook is worse than the FactSet consensus estimate of about 1.3% growth. Gross margins are forecast to decline approximately 175 basis points to 225 basis points year over year. That's a big miss versus the FactSet consensus estimate of a 60 basis point improvement. Excluding the impact of tariffs, the company said gross margins would be positive in fiscal Q3. Selling, general, and administrative (SG & A) expenses are seen increasing in the low single digits due to higher demand creation and investments. That's roughly in line with the consensus. Why we own it Nike is undergoing a turnaround under CEO Elliott Hill. With Hill in charge, Nike is focusing on its most important categories across its three main geographies and five major cities. After too much attention on its direct-to-consumer business, Nike has pivoted back to key retail partners to drive sales. Competitors: Adidas , Puma , Lululemon , On Holding , Deckers Outdoor Last buy: Nov. 18, 2025 Initiation date: Sept. 26, 2025 (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long NKE. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
There may be trouble ahead for stocks. Bank of America's Bull & Bear indicator, a gauge of sentiment in markets, rose to 8.5 this week, from 7.9. That puts it in "extreme bullish" territory and signals investors to sell. These indicators are not to be taken lightly. BofA strategist Michael Hartnett pointed out that this measure has flashed a sell warning 16 times since 2002. Subsequently, the MSCI All Country World Index has fallen by 2.4% on average in the next two months, while the S & P 500 averages a 1.2% decline. .SPX YTD mountain SPX year to date Stocks have struggled lately as investors worry about valuations on artificial intelligence-related names. The S & P 500 is down 1.1% in December, on pace to snap a seven-month advance. The S & P 500 tech sector, the biggest by market cap weighting, is down 2.5% month-to-date. Yet, the S & P 500 remains 15.2% higher for the year and set a record closing high earlier this month. On top of that, inflows into equities remain strong. Hartnett noted that equity ETFs raked in $145 billion this week, a record. Money flowing into U.S. stocks alone reached $77.9 billion, the second-most ever. But if BofA's track record is any indication, along with the S & P 500 struggling to stay above key technical levels, investors may want to at least pare positions heading into the new year.
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the accused Brown University mass shooter, and alleged killer of an MIT professor Rhode Island Attorney General's Office

The man suspected of the shooting at Brown University that killed two students and injured nine others last Saturday, and then of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor days later, was found dead from suicide on Thursday, authorities said. "There's no longer a threat to the public," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston said in a statement. The suspect in the shootings was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national who had been a graduate student in physics at Brown in the early 2000s. Neves Valente most recently lived in Miami. Authorities announced his identity and suspected role in the Brown shooting hours after his body was discovered in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, with guns found at the scene.

Video grab showing Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University shooting on Dec. 13, 2025, shows him at an Alamo Rental Car in Boston, Massachusetts, on Dec. 1, 2025. Source: Rhode Island Attorney General's Office

Providence, Rhode Island, police had obtained a warrant for Neves Valente's arrest charging him with two counts of murder, and multiple assault and firearms counts related to the shooting Saturday afternoon in an auditorium at Brown's Barus & Holley Building, where a group of students were taking an exam review for Principles of Economics. The MIT professor, Nuno Gomes Loureiro, 47, was found shot in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Monday, and died at a hospital on Tuesday.

Authorities said they had identified Neves Valente as their suspect on Wednesday after a man who noticed him hanging around Brown's campus, and who had had a confrontation with him before the shooting there, described their interactions to police. "He blew this case right open," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said of that witness, at a press conference. "Earlier this evening, law enforcement tracked Neves Valente to a Salem, New Hampshire storage unit," the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office said in a statement. "After obtaining a federal search warrant for the unit, authorities entered and found Neves Valente deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Salem, NH - December 19: The Extra Space Storage facility on December 19, 2025, the day after the Brown University shooting suspect was found dead there. Dylan L. Ryan | Boston Globe | Getty Images
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Tween retailer Claire's is facing legal challenges from some of its Asia-based suppliers over millions in unpaid debts as it tries to emerge from a second bankruptcy under new ownership, according to claims the suppliers filed in Hong Kong. The clash with vendors comes as private equity firm Ames Watson navigates its first holiday season as Claire's new owner and works to ensure it has the right merchandise in stock after buying the mall retailer and about 1,000 of its stores out of bankruptcy for $140 million in September. Since acquiring Claire's, Ames Watson has been trying to rebuild what co-founder Lawrence Berger previously told CNBC is a "broken business." Its bid to get the company back to profitability will hinge in part on a successful holiday season and its ability to stock popular merchandise moving forward. The retailer's sprawling supply chain, made up of longtime vendors equipped to handle the rigorous safety standards governing children's products, has long been considered the company's "secret sauce," former Claire's CEO Ron Marshall told CNBC. Without the support of those suppliers during its first bankruptcy in 2018, the retailer's holiday season would've been a "nightmare," said Marshall, who led the company from 2016 to 2019. The dispute with suppliers adds another challenge for Ames Watson as it tries to fix the long struggling retailer. As the U.S. hits the final days of peak shopping, Ames Watson said "Claire's has inventory in place for the holiday season."

A clash over orders

Claire's disputes with its suppliers in Asia surround orders placed in the months before the retailer's second bankruptcy filing in August, when it was still owned by hedge fund Elliott Management and having financial difficulties. Claire's ordering volume for one supplier had dropped by 79% in March and 76% in April compared to the prior year, records reviewed by CNBC show. Then ordering ramped back up to the company's regular cadence in May and June, with volume down only 2% and 3% in those months, respectively, compared to 2024, according to the records. At the time Claire's increased its orders again, the company was running out of cash, considering outright liquidation and looking for a buyer to save its business, according to a declaration Claire's CEO Chris Cramer filed with the court after the company filed for bankruptcy. While the vendors, including those who are now pursuing legal action against the retailer, were aware the company was navigating financial difficulties when the orders were placed, they expected to be paid as they had been during the retailer's first bankruptcy filing, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.

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But by the time the vendors finished manufacturing the body jewelry, nail polish and friendship bracelets Claire's had ordered ahead of the holiday shopping season, the retailer had filed for bankruptcy protection and the vendors weren't paid for some orders, the people said. When Ames Watson acquired the company, some of the vendors who were owed money agreed to keep working with Claire's without getting paid for those debts, concerned they'd lose one of their largest clients and potentially their business, the people said. But others refused, and have taken legal action against Claire's Hong Kong-based sourcing office RSI International, over millions in unpaid debts, according to claims the suppliers filed in the local court. Meanwhile, about a week after Ames Watson announced it would acquire Claire's out of bankruptcy, RSI International filed a notice to transfer its assets to a new entity. The business transfer gave creditors 30 days to file a claim to recoup unpaid debts, after which transferors aren't responsible for the obligations under Hong Kong Law. In a statement to CNBC, Ames Watson didn't comment on RSI International. It said it was "not involved in the operation or purchasing decisions made prior to the acquisition." "Since then, we have focused on responsibly stewarding the business and engaging suppliers in good faith as we strengthen Claire's for the long term," the company said. "We are excited about the company's direction in 2026," it added. Hedge fund Elliott Management, which owned Claire's at the time the orders were placed, declined to comment.

The holiday stakes
U.S. crude oil prices rose on Friday after President Donald Trump told NBC News that he will not rule out war with OPEC member Venezuela.

"I don't rule it out, no," Trump told the news outlet in a phone interview. He declined to say whether overthrowing President Nicolas Maduro is his goal.

"He knows exactly what I want," Trump told NBC. "He knows better than anybody."

The oil market right now is not indicating a major risk of a supply disruption. U.S. crude oil rose 51 cents, or 0.91%, to close at $56.66 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent gained 65 cents, or 1.09%, to settle at $60.47.

The U.S. benchmark fell to four year lows earlier this week as traders priced in the possibility of a peace agreement in Ukraine that would bring more Russian crude into a well supplied market.

Trump has been ramping up pressure on Maduro. He ordered a blockade of sanctions oil tankers off the South American nation's coast after seizing a vessel a last week.

The U.S. has staged a major military buildup in the Caribbean and launched deadly strikes on boats that it claims are trafficking drugs to the U.S. The legality of those strikes is disputed and has been the subject of scrutiny by Congress.

Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC and has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. It is exporting about 749,000 barrels per day this year with at least half that oil going to China, according to data from Kpler. Venezuela exports about 132,000 bpd to the U.S., according to Kpler.
Demonstrators holding flags of Ukraine and the European Union on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris, France on Feb. 23, 2025.

European Union countries will allocate 90 billion euros ($105.5 billion) in aid to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, EU Council President Antonio Costa said on Friday.

"We have a deal," Costa wrote on social media platform X, confirming the package had been approved.

EU governments had been debating whether to use 210 billion euros of frozen Russian assets, most of it held in Belgium, to support a so-called reparations loan for Ukraine.

"I am grateful to all leaders of the European Union for the European Council's decision," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X, adding that it was important that "Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years."

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy had urged EU leaders and partners to increase support and decide on using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, saying a sustained backing was vital to keep the country resilient and to deter Russia from pressing on with the war next year.

Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever had said his country needed concrete guarantees before supporting the use of Russian assets to fund the loan to Kyiv, citing legal uncertainties and potential litigation risks, Reuters reported.

EU leaders ultimately opted not to tap Russian assets to finance Ukraine's support package. Instead, the bloc agreed to raise money through joint borrowing backed by the EU budget.

"Ukraine will only repay this loan once Russia pays reparations," Costa said in a statement. "The only way forward is a ceasefire and a negotiated peace. Our political and financial support to Ukraine will not falter."

Under the Ukraine Facility and related programs, the EU has already delivered several tranches of financial assistance, including around 6 billion euros in bridge-financing, or short-term loans or advances provided to help Kyiv cover urgent budget needs. Ukraine has also received 18.1 billion euros in loans under a Group of Seven, or G7, led scheme this year.

The agreement provides a financial backstop for Ukraine, while underscoring Europe's push to shape U.S.-led peace negotiations to end Russia's conflict with Kyiv.

Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2022, the European Union support to Kyiv has reportedly exceeded 187 billion euros.

In late November, U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Geneva to work on a refined peace framework aimed at narrowing disagreements over a U.S.-proposed plan to end the conflict.

That plan, Reuters reported, included provisions on territory and security that reflected some Russian positions, including freezing current front-line control and recognizing changes to control over occupied areas, as well as measures affecting Ukraine's military and NATO aspirations, which Kyiv found difficult to accept.
U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services | Handout | Reuters

The Department of Justice on Friday released some  but not all  of its investigative files about Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious sex predator. The release came on the deadline set by the recently signed Epstein Files Transparency Act for the DOJ to release all of the files. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who led the effort that forced a vote on the bill that became that law, said that the DOJ's production of the files "grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law." The DOJ's website features a new page titled "Epstein Library," which has a search box to look for keywords in the newly released files. The material included hundreds of photographs, some of which featured Epstein and his former girlfriend and convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as images that appeared to show parts of his home and other locations. Epstein died in a jailhouse suicide in 2019. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term for crimes related to her procuring underage girls for him to sexually abuse. It was not immediately clear how much of the released material was not previously publicly available through other sources. The search box did not immediately appear to work, as searches for words including "Epstein" generated a message saying: "No results found. Please try a different search." "This site houses materials responsive under the Epstein Files Transparency Act," the site says. "This site will be updated if additional documents are identified for release." In a letter to members of Congress detailing the partial release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the material included evidence collected in a 2018 criminal probe of Epstein by the FBI; a 2019 probe of Maxwell; "the FBI Miami investigative file for the 2006 Epstein criminal case for child prostitution; the FBI Miami, the FBI New York investigative file for the 2019 Epstein death investigation;" as well as court records from civil and criminal cases involving Epstein, Maxwell and the Epstein estate. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Friday that Congress could hold impeachment hearings about Attorney General Pam Bondi and Blanche if the released documents do not meet the law's requirements. "What we need is a clear timeline of when the rest of the documents will be released and an explanation for why they did not release all of them today," Khanna said at a press conference after the DOJ posted the documents. Several photos showed former President Bill Clinton, including one featuring a smiling Clinton with a young woman wearing a white tank top perched on the arm of his chair. Her arm is draped over his shoulder, and his left hand rests near her hip.

Photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department showing Bill Clinton with an unknown woman. Image redacted by the U.S. Justice Department. Date and context unclear. Source: U.S. Department of Justice Epstein Documents release.

Another photo shows what appears to be shirtless Clinton sitting in a hot tub, his hands clasped behind his head. A third photo features Clinton and Epstein wearing shiny dress shirts. It was not clear when any of the photos were taken or their locations. CNBC did not alter the photos. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. His spokesman, Angel Urena, more than six years ago said, "President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York." On Friday, Urena responded to the files being released with a post on X. "The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton," Urena wrote. "This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want but this isn't about Bill Clinton." "There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light," Urena said. " The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats."

In a 1997 photo, Jeffrey Epstein, left, and Donald Trump pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Davidoff Studios Photography | Archive Photos | Getty Images

Among the documents released Friday was an address book, which included a listing for President Donald Trump, who had been a friend of Epstein's for years before they had falling out in the early 2000s. The address book appears to be identical or substantially similar to an address book of Epstein's that was previously made public. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has denied being aware of Epstein's serial sexual abuse of underage girls and women. The released files were notably light on images showing Trump, in contrast to the multiple images of Clinton. Trump is seen in images recently released by congressional Democrats after they were obtained from Epstein's estate. One photo that was released by the DOJ on Friday shows an array of photos and other items. Trump's face can be seen in an image that is among those photos.

Photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department shows photos with prominent people including a Pope, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump. Image was redacted by CNBC. U.S. Department of Justice

Blanche, the deputy attorney general, earlier Friday told Fox News, "I expect that we're going to release several hundred thousand documents today." "I expect that we're going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand, and then over the next couple weeks," Blanche said. "I expect several hundred thousand more." Blanche said the DOJ was reviewing each file to redact names and identities of Epstein's victims.

Photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department showing Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein. Date and context is unclear. U.S. Department of Justice

"There's a lot of eyes looking at these, and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials that we're producing, that we're protecting every single victim," he said. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, in a statement, said, "The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history." "By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committee's subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epstein's Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have." "And while President Trump is delivering on his promises, Democrats like Hakeem Jeffries and Stacey Plaskett have yet to explain why they were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein after he was a convicted sex offender," Jackson said. "The American people deserve answers."

Photo from the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department shows Bill Clinton in a hot tub with an unknown person. Image redacted by the U.S. Justice Department. Date and context is unclear. U.S. Department of Justice

Democrats in Congress slammed the partial release plan and Trump. "Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law," Rep. Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin said in a joint statement. "We are now examining all legal options in the face of this violation of federal law." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the DOJ, Blanche, and Attorney General Pam Bondi after the interview, saying, "This is nothing more than a cover up to protect Donald Trump from his ugly past." "The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be  the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some," Schumer said in a statement. "Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth," he said. The text of the Epstein Files law says: "Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall, subject to subsection (b), make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices, that relate to: (1) Jeffrey Epstein including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters. (2) Ghislaine Maxwell." CNBC is reaching out to the people identified in the photos or mentioned in the latest release of the Epstein files. This article will be updated with their responses. A person being mentioned in the release of documents and photos does not imply any wrongdoing. Blanche is the second-highest-ranking DOJ official, after Bondi. Blanche previously served as a criminal defense lawyer for Trump. Garcia, D-Calif., and the Maryland Democrat Raskin, in their joint statement, said, "For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committee's subpoena." "The Department of Justice is now making clear it intends to defy Congress itself, even as it gives star treatment to Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell," they said, referring to the fact that Maxwell was transferred to a less restrictive federal prison earlier this year after sitting for a two-day interview with Blanche. The files' ordered release comes after months of controversy over the Trump administration's decision to renege on past promises by top law enforcement officials to make the documents and other evidence public. In November, Congress overwhelmingly voted to compel the DOJ to release the Epstein files, and Trump signed that legislation despite having urged Republicans in Congress to oppose it.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a press conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, DC, October 15, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images

Trump, who had been friends with Epstein for years before the two men had a falling out in the early 2000s, had called demands to release the files a Democratic "hoax." But some of the leading voices in favor of making the documents public were his fellow Republicans. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has denied having been aware of Epstein's serial sexual abuse of underage girls and young women over the years. The files set to be released are related to federal investigations of Epstein over many years. The first of those probes ended in 2008, when he agreed to plead guilty to state charges in Florida related to prostitution of a person under age 18. The deal allowed him to avoid harsher federal charges. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar shakes hands with President Donald Trump during an event to announce a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to reduce the price of GLP-1 weightloss drugs during an event in the Oval Office at the White House, Nov. 6, 2025.

Among the 10 largest biopharmaceutical companies in the Stoxx 600 health index, five have a majority of their total sales from the U.S.: Roche , Novo Nordisk , GSK , Argenx , and UCB .

But exactly how exposed are Europe's biggest pharma companies to the U.S. market?

President Donald Trump has pushed for lower drug prices for Americans through so-called Most Favored Nations drug pricing, whereby the prices in the U.S. are set at the lowest price paid by other wealthy countries. That could have a tremendous impact on companies' balance sheets.

As the largest single market for most pharma and biotech firms, higher drug prices in the U.S.  often nearly three times as costly as in other countries  are a key factor in the industry's reliance on American sales, with branded drugs commanding even steeper premiums.

Drug pricing has emerged as one of the biggest issues for pharmaceutical companies this year, as the U.S. looks to dramatically reduce the costs paid by consumers.

Argenx is the most exposed, with 85% of total sales originating in the U.S. in its last reported period.

The least exposed are Germany's Merck KGaA and Bayer , with about 30% of sales coming from the U.S. Both Merck and Bayer have diversified businesses that go beyond pharmaceuticals while Roche also has a sizeable diagnostics division.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca , the FTSE 100's largest company, generates 42% of its sales from the U.S., and is aiming to boost this share as it targets $80 billion in revenue by 2030. In its third-quarter earnings report, the company, which has a broad portfolio of blockbuster drugs comprising cancer, respiratory, and diabetes medicines, said it is delivering on its strategy to strengthen operations in the U.S. to "power growth."

The Cambridge, U.K.-based company has also pledged significant investments in the U.S., just like peers Novartis , Roche, and GSK, since Trump took up his second presidential term.

Making deals

Trump's push for slashing drug prices has led many firms on both sides of the Atlantic to make deals with the administration.

In May this year, the president signed an executive order establishing MFN drug pricing. He has also sent letters to 17 major drugmakers, calling for them to slash U.S. prescription prices to levels paid overseas.

At the same time, Trump has made a push for onshoring production of various goods, including pharmaceuticals, and threatened triple-digit tariffs for drugmakers that fail to invest in U.S. manufacturing  further ramping up the pressure on companies to make deals with his administration.

AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and other U.S. pharma giants have already made deals with Trump to lower prices of their medicines in the country, although analysts say it may not have a significant impact on their bottom lines due to the way the deals were structured.

"[AstraZeneca's] MFN deal is more benign than appreciated, but EU countries may see access to drugs reduced," said Jefferies analysts in November.

Late Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that heavyweights Roche and Novartis  the two biggest European pharma companies by market value  were closing in on drug pricing deals with the Trump administration, which may be announced as soon as Friday.

Both companies told CNBC they supported the administration's goal of lowering drug costs for Americans but declined to confirm an imminent deal. Novartis said it was "in discussion with the Administration."

 Carolin Roth contributed to this report
Oracle has been a poster child for "AI profit taking" after nearly being cut in half since trading up to $345 on September 10. The euphoria in Oracle came after investors celebrated the news of their massive backlog of AI-related business. Evaluating the oversold conditions in ORCL, coupled with the encouraging TikTok news Friday for Oracle, I believe it is time to own this essential AI product and service behemoth. I want to use options to leverage the opportunity of a potential low having been made by Oracle. TikTok has finally signed agreements with three major investors (Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX) to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring that Americans will keep the ability to waste time scrolling 'cat and dog' memes on TikTok. Larry Ellison, Oracle's co-founder, remains Executive Chairman of the Board and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), continuing to play an influential role in the company's strategy, especially around AI and cloud. Ellison is also a close confidant of President Trump. Oracle is aggressively building AI-ready data centers and multi-gigawatt infrastructure, seemingly much faster than competitors. Oracle's Remaining Performance Obligations (RPO) hit a record $523 billion in its second quarter fiscal 2026 earnings released last week, up almost 500% year-over-year, revealing massive locked-in future revenue from AI and cloud contractsif it can deliver in a timely manner. ORCL 6M mountain Oracle common over the past six months. A strategic partnership with Nvidia in 2025 has vaulted Oracle up the AI innovation ladder, with Gen2 cloud infrastructure gaining traction for scalable, high-margin deployments. That all being said, is the bottom in? Not sure but, with an RSI level of 30, the stock is in oversold conditions, and I believe now is the time to define your risk and be bullish on this non-Mag 7 name. The Trade (Selling a Risk Reversal) Sold the 2/20/26 $180 ORCL Put for $9.25 Bought the 2/20/26 $200 Call for $10 This spread will cost an investor $0.75 or $75 ORCL was trading around $189 when the trade was executed. An investor must be comfortable (and have the cash) available in case the put option sold is exercised at $180. DISCLOSURES: Kilburg is long ORCL and sold the Risk Reversal above. All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer.
Only Congress can set immigration policy, meaning the president doesn't have the power to create or destroy a visa program. So to create the "Gold Card," Trump is effectively adding a new fee model to two existing programs  known as EB-1 and EB-2  experts explained to CNBC.

Trump last week announced the start of applications for the "Trump Gold Card," a new investment visa for foreign nationals. In exchange for $1 million and a $15,000 processing fee, "Gold Card" applicants will get full-time residency in the U.S. in "record time," according to the program's website. The website also offers a "Corporate Gold Card," allowing companies to pay $2 million to secure a "Gold Card" for an employee, and a "Platinum Card," which offers special tax benefits and may eventually be offered for $5 million.

President Donald Trump's new "Gold Card" visa program uses a novel definition of wealth as a job skill to allow the overseas wealthy to bypass immigration rules and secure citizenship, according to immigration attorneys.

The EB-2 is for researchers, scientists and others whose skills are useful to help solve national problems, like a leading cancer researcher developing new treatments, or a top energy scientist who can help expand the power grid.

The EB-1 and EB-2 programs are both employment-based programs aimed at attracting award-winning or celebrated professionals. The EB-1 program, nicknamed the "Einstein Visa," is aimed at those with "extraordinary abilities"  such as scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, athletes and professors who have achieved "sustained international or national acclaim."

Immigration attorneys, however, say that replacing highly skilled or celebrated talents with foreign nationals whose sole qualification is writing a $1 million check distorts the intent of the EB-1 and EB-2 programs. Not everyone with $1 million payment is a high-achieving businessperson or entrepreneur, they say. Some may have borrowed the money from friends, family or a lender. Others may have inherited their fortunes but have scant job skills.

"Why shouldn't we expedite the people who are willing to step up, to give the United States $1 million," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC last week . "Let's bring in the top of the top, the best. Why should we take people who are below average?"

White House officials say that the $1 million payment is proof that "Gold Card" holders are successful business people who meet the requirements for exceptional abilities. Anyone with $1 million to spend on a visa is likely to be a productive addition to the American economy and society, they say. Entrepreneurs who started companies overseas can come to the U.S. to expand or start new ventures, creating more jobs. Spending by the "Gold Card" wealthy is also expected to help real estate, the service economy and other industries.

The Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank is your weekly guide to high-net-worth investors and the industries that serve them.

"Having $1 million has nothing to do with your value as a person of extraordinary ability," said Emily Neumann, an immigration attorney with Reddy Neumann Brown PC. "It doesn't mean you are able to provide value to the United States of America. These categories were supposed to be reserved for people who can foster innovation and contribute to the economy and create jobs. There is no requirement that "Gold Card" holders have a track record of any of those things, just because they happen to have $1 million."

While "Gold Card" applicants can't legally skip the current waiting line for EB-1 and EB-2 holders, some attorneys fear the White House will give "Gold Card" applicants priority. Neumann said she has an Indian client who's a leading expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning and is working on AI applications for doctors to better diagnose patients. He's approved for the EB-1 but is still waiting on a green card, which could take years.

"They're using up a limited number of green cards meant for people who have done wonderful things," she said. "It's a very different standard."

Using the EB-1 and EB-2 programs for the "Gold Card" program has created other potential hurdles. While Trump has said he would sell "millions" of "Gold Cards," and Lutnick said sales could raise $1 trillion in revenue, the two programs are capped at around 28,000 a year. Individual countries are capped at 7% of the total, which is why the the waiting list for E-1 and E-2 applications from India and China already extends for several years.

Immigration attorneys say India and China would be largest sources of demand for "Gold Cards." Yet because of the waiting lists, few are likely to apply.

"If 'Gold Card' holders will be allowed to jump the queue, there will likely be lawsuits from those currently on the wait list," said Reaz Jafri, an immigration attorney with the international law firm Withers. "And if not, who will want to pay the $1 million and then wait for three years?"

The unanswered questions and legal risks surrounding the "Gold Card" have caused potential buyers to hold off on applying, attorneys say. Dominic Volek, group head of private clients at Henley & Partners, said a number of his clients in Taiwan, Vietnam and Singapore are interested in the "Gold Card" but are waiting for proof that the program works.

Some are also worried about paying the $1 million and then having their visas overturned by a court or a future Democratic administration.

"They want to see the dust settle and see if there are any major legal challenges," Volek said.

Another concern is the structure of the fee. While some national investment visas are more expensive  such as Singapore's at nearly $8 million or New Zealand's at nearly $3 million  they're structured as investments rather than non-refundable payments. Without an explicit guarantee of a green card, the overseas wealthy are reluctant to pay the $1 million.

"It's not clear if you make the payment once it's approved or you provide the payment as evidence, or if it's kept in escrow during the process," Jafri said. "They haven't addressed so many basic questions."

Proof of funds is proving to be another hurdle for the overseas wealthy. In order to screen for money laundering or criminal activity, the U.S. government typically requires proof that the $1 million fee didn't come from illegal or illicit sources. Many potential applicants from Asia, Africa and the Middle East are already balking at the demands, since financial documentation is not as thorough.

"The biggest sticking point for a lot of clients is being able to document the source of money," Jafri said. "In certain parts of the world it's not so easy to document."
UnitedHealth Group on Friday released the first results from a sprawling independent audit of its business practices and committed to a wide range of steps to track and implement improvements in three specific areas.

The health-care giant said it has adopted 23 ongoing "action plans" to put in place and monitor recommended improvements, with oversight by its internal audit and advisory services team. Around 65% of those actions will be complete by the end of 2025, while 100% of those plans will be finished by the end of March next year.

The results come as private insurers try to rebuild trust with the American public after fierce, pent-up backlash over their practices and the broader U.S. health-care system. Critics say insurer business tactics have made it harder for some patients to access and pay for care. The company owns UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest and most powerful insurer.

While the announcement on Friday is a step toward improving the business, it's unclear how much it will change the public's view on the company and the broader industry.

UnitedHealth in July announced that two independent consultancies had launched a third-party review of its business policies and performance metrics. That same day, UnitedHealth also confirmed that it is facing Department of Justice investigations over its Medicare billing practices.

The independent audit marked one of Steve Hemsley's earliest steps as CEO after he took the reins in May, following the abrupt departure of Andrew Witty.

"We hope that you see these assessments as a commitment to setting a new standard of transparency for the health care marketplace, as we believe that you and every person who engages with our health system deserves to understand how we go about our work," Hemsley said in a letter Friday.

"We know that our actions and decisions have significant impacts on patients, care providers and the broader health system, and we are determined to hold ourselves to the highest standard," he added.

FTI Consulting reviewed UnitedHealthcare's approaches to risk assessment operations within its Medicare Advantage programs, which refers to how the company rates the health status of members in those privately run plans. The firm also examined the company's care services management policies, procedures and processes.

Consulting firm the Analysis Group also assessed the policies and processes of Optum Rx  the company's pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM  for ensuring prescription discounts from drug manufacturers are "accurately collected and distributed to clients." PBMs are middlemen who negotiate rebates with drug manufacturers on behalf of insurers, create lists of medications covered by insurance and reimburse pharmacies for prescriptions.

Hemsley said the firms determined that the company's policies and practices are "robust, rigorous and generally sound; and, in many respects, industry leading." But he noted that they also provided recommendations for improvements.

For example, a review by the Analysis Group found that OptumRx has "implemented a comprehensive and well-structured framework that governs all stages of manufacturer discount administration."
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a House Homeland Security hearing entitled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. Dec. 11, 2025.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was suspending the diversity visa program at President Donald Trump's direction, saying the man suspected of killing two students at Brown University and a MIT professor had been granted one.

Noem posted on X late Thursday that she had instructed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the (DV1) program "to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program."

On Dec. 13, two students died and nine others were injured when someone opened fire at the physics building at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Police later identified Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, as the suspect.

Valente was a former student at the university and had been enrolled in a Ph.D. program in physics in 2000, the university's president, Christina H. Paxson, said. Valente is also suspected of having killed MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days after the Brown shooting. Valente and Loureiro are believed to have attended the same university in their native Portugal.

Authorities announced the suspect's identity hours after Valente was found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility on Thursday, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said. Guns were also found at the scene.

"There's no longer a threat to the public," the U.S. attorney's office in Boston said in a statement after Valente's death was confirmed. Authorities believe Valente acted alone and have not disclosed a motive for the killings.

Noem said that Valente entered the U.S. through the DV1 program in 2017 and was granted a green card.

"In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people," she wrote on X.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) allocates up to 50,000 immigrant visas every year, according to the USCIS website.

The program is a lottery. Visas are randomly allocated to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.

 Dan Mangan contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chips, five sources said, making good on his pledge to allow the controversial sales.

Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidia's NVDA.O H200 chips to China, with the U.S. government collecting a 25% fee, and that the sales would help keep U.S. firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese chips.

The move drew fire from China hawks across the U.S. political spectrum over concerns the chips would supercharge Beijing's military and erode the U.S. advantage in artificial intelligence.

But questions have remained about how quickly the U.S. might approve such sales and whether Beijing would allow Chinese firms to purchase the Nvidia chips.

The U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees export policy, has sent license applications for the chip sales to the State, Energy and Defense Departments for review, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the process is not public.

Those agencies have 30 days to weigh in, according to export regulations.

One of the sources, an administration official, emphasized the review would be thorough and "not some perfunctory box we are checking."

But under the regulations, the final decision rests with Trump.

The start of the inter-agency licensing review has not been reported previously. The Commerce Department and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A White House spokesperson did not comment on the review, but said "the Trump administration is committed to ensuring the dominance of the American tech stack  without compromising on national security."

Biden had banned advanced AI chip sales to China

The Biden administration had imposed a raft of restrictions on advanced AI chip sales to China and countries it feared could become conduits for smuggling into the rival nation, citing national security fears.

Trump's move represents a departure from that policy and a dramatic reversal from his first term, when he drew international attention by cracking down on Chinese access to U.S. technology. Back then, he cited claims that Beijing steals American intellectual property and harnesses commercially obtained technology to bolster its military, which Beijing denies.

Exporting large numbers of the chips to China would be "a significant strategic mistake," said Chris McGuire, a former White House National Security Council official under President Joe Biden and senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.

McGuire described the chips as "the one thing holding China back in AI."

"I cannot possibly fathom how the departments of Commerce, State, Energy, and Defense could certify that exporting these chips to China is in the U.S. national security interest," he said.

Led by White House AI czar David Sacks, several members of the Trump administration now argue that shipping advanced AI chips to China discourages Chinese competitors like Huawei from redoubling efforts to catch up with Nvidia's and AMD's AMD.O most-advanced chip designs.

Reuters reported last week that Nvidia was considering an increase in production of the H200, the immediate predecessor to its current flagship Blackwell chips, after initial orders from China outstripped the current capacity.

While the H200 chips are slower than Nvidia's Blackwell chips at many AI tasks, they remain in wide use in the industry and have never been allowed for sale in China.

Trump had previously opened the door to sales of a less-advanced version of Nvidia's Blackwell chips, its cutting-edge offering, but backed away from the move and approved sales of the H200 instead.
China has filed a case at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) challenging Indias tariffs on information and communications technology (ICT) products and subsidies for photovoltaic manufacturing, Chinas commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday, December 19.According to Reuters, the ministry said the Indian tariffs and subsidies give domestic industries an unfair competitive advantage and harm Chinese interests, alleging that the measures are in violation of WTO rules.China also urged India to take corrective action. We once again urge India to abide by its relevant commitments at the WTO and immediately correct its erroneous practices, the commerce ministry said.Separately, the Chinese commerce ministry said it has raised concerns over Indias telecom tariff practices, calling on New Delhi to correct what it described as wrong practices in the sector.The developments add to trade frictions between the two countries, with the WTO dispute marking the latest challenge to Indias tariff and industrial policy measures.Earlier this month, in a major step to boost ties between the two Asian giants, India reformed its business visa regime to ease movement for Chinese professionals, ending chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians.
Security researchers have flagged a coordinated credential-based campaign targeting VPN authentication endpoints from Cisco and Palo Alto Networks.

Over just two days in mid-December, attackers launched large-scale automated login attempts against Ciscos SSL VPN and Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect services.

A GreyNoise analysis noted that the campaign does not exploit software bugs, but instead relies on churning through username and password combos at scale.Consistent infrastructure usage and timing indicate a single campaign pivoting across multiple VPN platforms, the researchers said in a blog post.
Can it really be true that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are agonising over a tug-of-love dilemma? Whether to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham or with their father Andrew at Royal Lodge in Windsor before he moves out?

How could they have any doubt about what to do? How could they possibly contemplate leaving Dad alone at Christmas?

However disgraced Andrew is, whatever the shame he has dumped on the monarchy, he is their father. A father being chucked out of the home he loves, and which happens to be where they were both brought up.

Yes, they may have been invited to Sandringham by the King But surely Christian charity and daughterly duty demand they turn that invitation down  I really hope they do.

I may be wronging them, but my fear there is not a hope in hell they will choose Daddy over the King. In fact I would bet each of the Princesses grace-and-favour homes  inhabited at greatly reduced rents courtesy of the Crown Estate  that they abandon Andrew this Christmas.

After all, these two privileged princesses, neither of whom are working royals, will surely be determined to secure and strengthen their special relationship with Charles in order to continue to make the most of the royal status.

Andrews biographer Andrew Lownie has said both of them have been earning large sums of money in the Middle East, while there have been claims that the sisters received money from a Turkish millionaire linked to Andrew.

Whether true or not, there is no doubt being royal  and in particular the HRH title which even Diana was stripped of after divorce from Charles  gives them earning powers beyond ordinary folk like you and me.

Beatrice, right, and Eugenie are facing a dilemma about whether to spend Christmas at Sandringham or with Andrew at Royal Lodge

If the princesses have a shred of decency, theyd remember the years and years Andrew spoilt them rotten before his fall from grace, writes Amanda Platell

So, for them, that link with King Charles and Prince William is crucial  its something they can monetise even if it continues to bewilder the diminishing ranks of us loyal monarchists.

Lets not forget it was only in October this year that Princess Beatrice HRH, as she styled herself, hosted a womens business-leaders tea at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, Saudi Arabias capital.

It was at the same Ritz-Carlton in 2017 that 400 of the Saudi establishments old guard  princes, tycoons and ministers  were rounded up and detained, some even tortured, in what became the most contentious purge of power in the countrys history.

What on earth was Princess Beatrice doing fawning over some of the richest people on the planet in the very building where the purge took place? What was she thinking?

Did she attend out of the goodness of her heart, or was she paid to grace the occasion with her presence? We will never know as her personal finances, like that of her fathers, are private and not publicly disclosed.

Which provides us with another uncomfortable truth. Why are the princesses, both married to wealthy men and both having their own fortunes, still sponging off the royal purse?

As recent investigations into the royals household accommodations revealed, Princess Beatrice retains a grace-and-favour apartment in St Jamess Palace, while also living in a private home in the Cotswolds.

Meanwhile, Eugenie has Ivy Cottage within Kensington Palace, as well as her Portugal home.

Which takes us back to the original question. Will the two princesses this Christmas choose to suck up to the King this Christmas  or prove themselves loving daughters to their fatally flawed father who adores them and gifted them privilege and prosperity their entire lives?

If Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, have a shred of decency, theyd remember the years and years Andrew spoilt them rotten, before his fall from grace.

For them even to consider their choice of Christmas venues a tug-of-love dilemma would be unforgivable. Surely the least their father can now expect is that they do not leave him home alone at Christmas.
Oh come off it! Pull the other one, darling. Its got bells on. In trying to justify their decision to cancel elections next year, the Labour Government has just descended to complete absurdity.

As far as I understand Sir Chris Bryant, the minister responsible  and a man hitherto most famous for baffling the internet by posing in his underpants, the decision is no longer in the hands of the Government. It is being delegated to local people.

And, er, which local people will be entrusted with working out whether or not local councillors should be subject to election next year? Its the local councillors themselves! Genius!

What do you think they will decide to do, given the choice? They can stay in office for another year and continue to luxuriate in the perks and privileges of the job. They can hope that something will turn up in the 12 months that follow, and that their poll ratings will improve.

Or else they can submit now to the rigours and embarrassments of an election campaign, followed by brutal ejection from office.

Tough one, eh? On the whole, I expect that most of them will decide that Labour is right and that these elections are a tiresome distraction.

The whole thing is absolutely outrageous. There has been nothing like it in peacetime history.

Asked by one interviewer to explain what the hell was going on, Sir Chris reminded him that there had been no elections in the UK throughout the Second World War. Well, Pants-man is right about that  but unless I have missed something, this country is not at war.

Sir Chris Bryant reminded one interviewer there were no elections during the Second World War

We do not have millions of men and women under arms, or overseas. We are not in the midst of a pandemic, or anything else that might prevent people from getting to the polls.

Yes, we are going through one of our regular reorganisations of local government  but nothing that should prevent the sovereign people from voting.

I have a background in local government, and I remember that the May 2012 London Mayor elections were extremely difficult. We were in the final throes of trying to get our great capital ready for the Olympic Games. It was highly complicated and time-consuming work.

Did I want to down tools, and fight an election? Not on your Nelly. We were at the height of pre-Olympic public fury with the whole thing  the expense, the disruption, the Zil lanes for the worlds sporting bureaucrats.

To make matters worse, we Tories were about 15 points behind in the London opinion polls, and we had just had an omnishambles Budget that put up taxes on Cornish pasties, among other injustices.

Of course I would have loved to postpone the election. Of course, it would have been more comfortable to sort out the Olympics, and then go to the polls, bathed in the afterglow of success. But the idea didnt even cross our minds.

It was unthinkable  because it would have been so obviously anti-democratic. One of the many things that make this country so wonderful is that we do not  or at least not until now  allow elections to be cancelled for the convenience of politicians.

The Labour Government says that the cancellation is necessary, to allow the creation of unitary council authorities. What rubbish. In the 80 years since the Second World War we have had umpteen reforms, with all manner of tiers of government called into being or destroyed (it always ends in tiers!).

Labour are cancelling next years local elections because they think those elections will go badly against them, and that Keir Starmer will finally lose his grip on power, writes Boris Johnson

We have had a dizzying variety of regional and local authorities and assemblies and parliaments. We have constantly rejigged the boundaries  and yet we have never cancelled an election because of a reorganisation of councils.

In 2019, under the admittedly uber-punctilious Theresa May, we even asked the British people to vote in the elections to the European parliament, when Britain had just voted to leave the EU. Those elections were absurd, and pointless, and yet we went ahead.

So why are we cancelling these elections  which affect our schools, our roads, our drains, our council tax, our daily lives? It is not as if the administrative changes are hard to implement, because these reforms are not even especially bold or imaginative. They will do nothing to address the biggest problem of local government, namely the chaotic interface between the NHS and social care provision.

Local councils live in a permanent state of resentment of the NHS, because they have to make provision for the unpredictable but always huge and growing number of elderly people who are discharged into their care.

Meanwhile, hospital managers always blame local government for the acute sector beds that are full, right now, of elderly people who do not need to be there, but who cannot get the right social care provision. Until we fix that fundamental problem  that we have a national health service, and local social services  then all local government reform is just deckchair-shuffling. No, my friends: Chris Bryant can say what he likes, but the public can see what is really going on here. Labour has chosen to postpone these elections because they are terrified, rightly, of the thrashing that the electorate would otherwise deliver.

They are running away from the voters. They are frit. They are cancelling next years local elections  and depriving perhaps ten million people of the vote, in as many as 63 authorities  because they think those elections will go badly against them, and that Keir Starmer will finally lose his grip on power.

This isnt being done for the sake of local government reform, or for the voters themselves. It is being done for the sake of the Labour Party  and it stinks to high heaven.

It makes me furious, because if we postpone elections, for the advantage of the ruling party, then what is the difference between the UK and Senegal, or Mali? There are people around the world  and not just JD Vance  who say we are already starting to look like Putins Russia.

I have been in Japan and was dismayed when a highly knowledgeable woman claimed that Britain and Russia were now equally bad at upholding free speech. Common sense tells us that this is just not true. On any rational assessment the two political systems are completely different, and ours is infinitely better.

Whatever his faults, Starmer does not cause journalists to be shot; he does not murder his opponents or send them to forced labour camps.

But is it any wonder that people around the world  even lifelong fans of Britain  are starting to get muddled?

Our police now regularly arrest people just for saying things on Twitter, when they should be jailing shoplifters. We have a national broadcaster that has been caught bang to rights in an attempt to doctor the words of the US President.

And now we have a Labour Government that is blatantly cancelling elections in May next year because they think that they will lose.

Thats what dictators do. Thats the kind of thing Putin does. In trying to pretend that this is some kind of bureaucratic necessity, Bryant is guilty of an infuriating attempt at deception.

It wont work. This time he not only looks ridiculous. This time his pants are visibly on fire.
Brooke Bailey had just started working at a Pennsylvania nail salon in March when she started experiencing an 'aching, throbbing' pain in her left hip.

At first, Bailey thought nothing of it. But when the pain worsened and radiated down her leg and into her ankle, she sought medical help.

Her doctor suspected she had tendinitis - inflammation of the thick cords that attach muscle to bones.

While the condition, which affects hundreds of thousands of Americans every year, can come on suddenly after injury, most develop it from repetitive motions.

Doctors blamed the suspected tendinitis on the 23-year-old being 5ft 9in tall and sitting in a salon chair all day.

'The doctors had mentioned that it could be because of my job,' Bailey said. 'Some days were worse than others, and I tried to figure out what was triggering it, but at the time I didn't know what it was.'

Doctors referred her to physical therapy, but the pain worsened and left her unable to do the exercises. It took multiple doctor appointments over seven more months before a physician ordered an MRI scan.

Finally, in October 2025, the MRI revealed Bailey had two tumors: one in her femur and one in her groin. Soon after, she was diagnosed with stage four Ewing sarcoma - a rare cancer that grows in bone cells and the soft tissues surrounding the bones.

Brooke Bailey, a 23-year-old nail technician from Pennsylvania, suffered hip pain for months, which doctors insisted was due to her height and sitting at her job

Bailey sleeps as she receives cancer treatment in hospital. Doctors will determine in January whether she needs surgery alongside her chemotherapy plan

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'I never thought in my mind that it was cancer, so it was scary, but I kind of felt relieved, too, because I was like, "I'm not crazy. There is something wrong and I knew it the whole time,"' Bailey said.

'I was like, "What's next? I'm ready to start the healing process because I want my life back."'

Ewing sarcoma affects just 200 to 250 children and adolescents in the US every year. It's unclear exactly how many annual deaths there are because the cancer is so rare, but experts estimate there are several dozen.

The overall five-year survival rate is 81 per cent, according to the American Cancer Society. If it spreads to other organs from the primary site (known as stage four), that rate drops to 41 per cent. Bailey's cancer likely spread from her femur to her groin area.

Symptoms include bone pain, fractures, swelling or tenderness near the affected areas. Some patients may also feel a lump in their arm, leg, chest or pelvis, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Bailey is now undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and will be assessed in January to determine if she needs surgery as well.

Her mother, Marissa Koons, has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for reproductive egg retrieval, as chemotherapy can destroy them and lead to infertility. The fundraiser also covers travel and accommodations for the procedure.

Bailey's scan shows she has two tumors (circled) - one in her femur and another in her groin

Bailey's mother (left) set up a GoFundMe to help with her daughter's reproductive egg retrieval. They wanted to do the procedure so she can possibly have children in the future

Bailey is encouraging other young people to seek a second opinion if they feel something is wrong

'We used that money for the egg retrieval because the insurance didn't cover that at all,' Marissa said. '[The fundraiser] exceeded the goal, and we're at over $7,000 now, which has helped us to pay for the egg retrieval without me going into my credit card debt.

'I had to stay at a hotel for this round of chemo, the travel, prescriptions. It really did help, but most of it went to the egg retrieval because that needed to be taken care of.'

In the meantime, Bailey is encouraging other young people to look for a second opinion if they are repeatedly dismissed by their doctors.

'I've learned that you really are your biggest advocate for yourself, and if you don't like what one person says, go see somebody else,' she said. 'I wish that's what I had done. You are your [own] person, and you need to take care of yourself.

'You really need to be kind of forceful when it comes to [advocating for yourself with doctors], which is sad. But if you know that there's something wrong with you, then you know. I knew that there was something wrong with me. I didn't know that it was cancer, but I knew deep down inside that there was something wrong.

'I think the biggest takeaway from this is to listen to your body.'
Scientists have determined that nobody, not even a centenarian, dies of old age.

The traditional view is that old age is a cause of death; that as a person gets older, their systems gradually decline and they die.

But new research from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases posits that old age isn't actually a true cause of death; it is just a time on a biological clock when specific diseases overwhelm the system and a person dies.

Researchers propose that the famous 'Hallmarks of Aging,' like lingering dead cells, damaged DNA and worn out chromosome caps might not be the direct killers, but rather the symptoms of the deeper aging process and a state of increased vulnerability to deadly diseases like heart failure.

An analysis of 2,410 human autopsy reports identified the circulatory system as the body's primary point of failure. The overwhelming cause of death was cardiovascular disease, heart attacks specifically, often undiagnosed until autopsy, accounting for 39 percent of all cases.

Even among centenarians, people 100 years and older, seen overall as healthy, autopsies revealed that they didn't die of 'old age'. Nearly 70 percent died from cardiovascular causes, a quarter from respiratory failure, and smaller percentages from other specific organ failures.

This theory deals a major blow to the longevity industry, arguing that increasingly popular anti-aging drugs do not slow aging; rather, they merely delay one particular disease.

Even in people over 100 who seemed healthy, autopsies showed 70 percent died from heart problems, 25 percent from lung failure, and the rest from other specific causes. Not one died from 'old age' (stock image)

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While heart attacks caused 39 percent of deaths, general heart or lung failure was behind 38 percent of deaths, stroke nearly 18 percent and blood clots in the lungs caused 10 percent. A major artery rupture accounted for just under 10 percent of deaths.

These percentages add up to more than 100 percent because many people had a combination of these issues; a heart attack led to heart failure, for instance.

For humans, the Achilles' heel isn't aging, it's the failure of the circulatory system.

The hallmarks are not the direct cause of death on a death certificate.

Instead, they are indicators of a body in a weakened state, which is then more likely to succumb to a diagnosable fatal disease like a heart attack, stroke or organ failure.

The researchers said: Aging research has long been shaped by assumptions that may not fully account for the complexity of the aging process. One of the most persistent assumptions is that extending lifespan equates to slowing aging.

However age-related mortality is often determined by a narrow set of life-limiting pathologies rather than by a generalized, systemic aging process.

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'As a result, lifespan extension frequently reflects the delayed onset of specific diseases rather than a slowing of aging per se.

The researchers argued that the foundation of anti-aging science is built on flawed logic.

When they reviewed the key studies used to validate the 'Hallmarks of Aging,' they found that 57 percent to 100 percent of the experiments had only been tested in already-old animals, leaving a major gap in proof about whether targeting these hallmarks can actually slow aging from the start.

Scientists, they argued, cannot tell if something slows aging or just treats symptoms in the already-old. Most studies only treat old animals, conflating disease treatment with aging modification.

In the few studies that included young animals, the treatment helped both young and old animals equally 72 percent of the time. This means it was just a general health boost, not something that changed the rate of aging.

For instance, one major hallmark is zombie cells, which refer to damaged cells that stop dividing but do not die and instead linger in the body and release inflammatory chemicals, contributing to aging and diseases like Alzheimer's, arthritis, cancer and diabetes.

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The claim is that these cells are a primary driver of aging itself. If true, removing them should not just make old bodies less sick, it should fundamentally slow down the rate at which multiple organs deteriorate over time.

To effectively study these interventions ability to slow the systemic deterioration that leads to disease-related deaths, the researchers argue that scientists should give experimental treatments to animals in middle age so that they can track decline as they age, not just when theyre already old and frail.

Biological clocks have emerged from this space, promising to predict peoples biological age and mortality risk based on data patterns, like DNA changes that turn certain genes on and off, that correlate with age.

But the researchers say that these clocks track biomarkers that change alongside aging, not necessarily ones that drive it. Changing ones clock score might mean they have altered a sign of aging, but not necessarily the underlying process.
'Lip King' Jordan James Parke has remained working in the cosmetics industry despite being linked to the death of a mother-of-five after she has a curve-enhancing non-surgical BBL, an investigation has found.

Footage shows the beautician from Dudley welcoming an undercover reporter posing as a client for a surgical lip lift.

Cameras also capture him leading her into a cramped living room where a notorious backstreet beautician is performing cosmetic surgery.

The environment appears non-sterile and completely unregulated.

Experts today slammed the 'absolutely disgusting' practices that were found in the 5 News probe.

They also warned Brits contemplating getting non-surgical procedures to choose carefully and only ever opt for experienced practitioners.

Mr Parke and a second suspect were dramatically arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after Alice Webb, 33, died shortly after undergoing a non-surgical BBL in Gloucester, on September 24 last year.

She was rushed to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after falling unwell but died in the early hours of the following morning in what is believed to be the first 'liquid BBL' death in the UK.

Footage shows the beautician from Dudley welcoming an undercover reporter posing as a client for a surgical lip lift

In a surgical BBL, fat is taken from elsewhere on the body and inserted into the buttocks.

But a cheaper non-surgical procedure - referred to as a 'liquid BBL' - sees dermal fillers, the same material used to fill lips, directly injected.

In the 5 News probe, the reporter set up an appointment with Mr Parke via his Instagram account.

Prices for procedures included a 700 upper eyelid blepharoplasty  a procedure to remove excess skin, fat and muscle from the upper eyelids.

Typically the treatment costs between 3,000 and 5,000 at registered clinics in the UK.

A lower facelift, meanwhile, cost 1,600 and vaginal rejuvenation 1000, according to the list seen by 5 News.

The cost of a lower facelift can vary significantly by surgeon experience, clinic and location but often begins at around 5,000.

Equally, vaginal rejuvenation costs around 500 to 1,200 for non-surgical treatments and upwards of 4,000 for surgical procedures.

Cameras also capture him leading an undercover reporter into a cramped living room where a notorious backstreet beautician is performing cosmetic surgery

Experts today slammed the 'absolutely disgusting' practices that were found in the 5 News probe

When the undercover reporter entered the residential property in Manchester to undergo a lip lift, she found there were no medical checks or evidence of clinical oversight.

Patients were having surgery in a converted living room and she allegedly was told they were fully booked on that day.

After informing the Department of Health of their investigation findings, the Government department said they would look into it and that the Government would be tightening regulation.

Ashton Collin, director of campaign group Save Face, also said of the findings: 'It's absolutely disgusting and I'm so shocked by it.

'When I started Save Face 10 years ago, I didn't think in my wildest dreams that we would see people carrying out surgical procedures in people's living rooms.

'It is something we are calling upon the Government to urgently clamp down on.

'To either get a really disastrous outcome or a complication that could cost you your life - these cut-price treatments are just not worth going for.'

Mr Parke was approached for comment and offered a chance to speak by 5 News but he did not respond.

Mr Parke and a second suspect were dramatically arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after Alice Webb, 33, died shortly after undergoing a non-surgical BBL in Gloucester, on September 24 last year

He was arrested on suspicion of Ms Webb's manslaughter last September. He is still on bail but hasn't been charged.

He described himself on social media as 'The Plastic Surgery Advocate' and is not a qualified surgeon but had carried out the filler BBL, which is not classified as surgery.

The Kim Kardashian fanatic appeared on Botched in 2015 and again in 2019.

He asked doctors if they could help fix his 'leaking lips'.

Doctors on the show also refused him a second nose job due concerns that his desired 'pinched' nose would affect his ability to breathe.

Liquid BBLs are often advertised on social media as a 'risk-free', 'cheaper' alternative to the surgical counterpart.

Non-surgical BBLs are not illegal in the UK.

The popularity of non-surgical BBLs has increased significantly but there is no standard licensing scheme in England for businesses offering the procedure.
A Chinese national on a visa in the US has been charged with allegedly smuggling a deadly bacteria into the country.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Friday that Youhuang Xiang, a post-doctoral researcher on a J-1 visa, was charged with allegedly smuggling Escherichia coli (E.coli) into the country and making false statements about it.

A J-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows eligible international candidates to travel to the US and gain experience by participating in work- and study-based programs.

Patel wrote on X: 'This is yet another example of a researcher from China - given the privilege to work at a U.S. university - who then allegedly chose to take part in a scheme to circumvent U.S. laws and receive biological materials hidden in a package originating from China.'

It was not revealed where Xiang was allegedly smuggling the bacteria in to or for what purpose, but in his post, Patel thanked FBI offices in Indianapolis and Chicago. Xiang's attorney, James Tunick, told Daily Mail Xiang was legally working in the US at Indiana University.

There are many strains of E.coli bacteria and it is not known which specific strain Xiang was allegedly attempting to bring into the US.

Patel continued: 'The FBI and our CBP partners are committed to enforcing U.S. laws put in place to protect against this global threat to our economy and food supply. If not properly controlled, E. coli and other biological materials could inflict devastating disease to U.S. crops and cause significant financial loss to the U.S. economy.'

E.coli typically comes from undercooked meat, unpasteurized dairy and raw produce like apples, cucumbers and sprouts. People can become infected with E.coli by consuming contaminated water or food, through contact with animals or their feces and via contact with feces of an infected person.

FBI Director Kash Patel (pictured) said Friday that a post-doctoral researcher on a J-1 visa was charged with allegedly smuggling Escherichia coli (E.coli) into the country and making false statements about it

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Estimates on how many people are infected with E.coli are difficult to compile because many people go undiagnosed. However, the CDC estimates that some strains of the bacteria cause more than 260,000 illnesses, 3,600 hospitalizations and dozens of deaths.

The bacteria is often used in research because it is inexpensive, grows quickly and is easy to manipulate genetically, allowing for a wide array of experiments to be performed using it.

Researchers in a 2022 Special Series published in the Journal of Bacteriology said E.coli is 'likely the most studied organism and was instrumental in developing many fundamental concepts in biology.'

Symptoms of an infection with E.coli include vomiting and diarrhea, blood in the urine, a high fever and dehydration. The bacteria can cause a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure and death.

Patel continued on X: 'The FBI will not tolerate any attempt to exploit our nations institutions for illegal activity - as we have seen in this case and the three Chinese nationals charged in Michigan in November for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. on several occasions.

'The FBI and our partners are committed to defending the homeland and stopping any illegal smuggling into our country.'

Foreign nationals can apply for a J-1 visa as an au pair, camp counselor, college and university student, intern, government visitor, doctor, professor, research scholar, teacher or trainee.

Around 300,000 foreign visitors from 200 countries and territories come to the U.S. through the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program each year, according to the National Immigration Forum.

A J-1 visa typically lasts from a few weeks to several years depending on the category. Short-term researchers may only be allowed to stay for as little as one day, while physicians may be permitted to remain in the US for up to seven years.

The status and category of Xiang's visa was not immediately made known.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Xiang but has not received a response.

Tunick told Daily Mail: 'Youhuang Xiang was legally working in the United States on a J-1 visa with a professor from the Biology Department at Indiana University to better wheat crop production in the United States.

'The allegation that Youhuang smuggled E.coli into the United States is completely false and is not even charged by the United States Department of Justice.'

Patel added: 'To all universities and their compliance departments: Please be vigilant of this trend. Ensure your researchers know that there is a correct and legal way to obtain a license to import/export approved biological materials, and it must be followed without exception.

'Our continued partnerships will help to better secure our nation and ensure all parties are held accountable.'
Into the Groove is available now from the Mail Bookshop

Into The Groove: The 1980s  The Ultimate Decade in Music History by Justin Lewis (Elliott & Thompson 16.99, 272pp)

THIS has got more Eighties pop facts than you can shake a Walkman at, from the reason for the title of Q Magazine (it referred to cueing up a CD) to the original name of the Pogues (Pogue Mahone, which is Gaelic for kiss my a**e, hence the BBC refusing to use it).

Even if youre a confirmed vinylista, I guarantee there will be facts in here that you didnt know.

I was aware, for instance, that Ronnie Scott played the saxophone solo on the Beatles Lady Madonna, but I wasnt aware that he performed the same function on I Missed Again by Phil Collins.

And as with all the best trivia, the passage of time brings a whole new perspective.

The 1989 episode of Robert Kilroy-Silks BBC1 programme discussing acid house parties was no doubt interesting enough in itself. But its all the more intriguing now, as we note that one of the participants was a young lawyer from the National Council for Civil Liberties by the name of Keir Starmer.

John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie (Faber 25, 432pp)

Its more than 50 years since the Beatles split up, and nearly 70 since John Lennon and Paul McCartney met, yet still there are books being written about the biggest band ever and the relationship at its heart.

Theres always something new to tickle your Fabs fancy. In this book we learn that on their trip to Paris in 1961, John and Paul couldnt afford to go up the Eiffel Tower, so contented themselves with lying on the grass underneath and staring up at it. (The same holiday contained Johns 21st birthday  Paul bought him a hamburger and a Coke.)

We learn that John passed his driving test on the same day he recorded Ticket To Ride, and that for the famous never-ending chord at the end of A Day In The Life, the pair (together with Ringo Starr, producer George Martin and roadie Mal Evans) stood up so they could maximise the force with which they hit the piano keys.

And we learn that Johns last words to Paul, in a phone call, were think about me every now and then, old friend.

Live Forever is available now from the Mail Bookshop

Live Forever: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Oasis by John Robb (HarperNorth 22, 432pp)

For their first foreign gig, Oasis took the ferry to Holland. They paid for their champagne and Jack Daniels with fake 50 notes, while Liam Gallagher ran around the casino throwing chips in the air.

It isnt specified whether these were of the gambling or edible variety, but either way, as soon as the ferry docked the band were sent straight back to the UK. Noel Gallagher rang their record company boss to inform him of events. He didnt say, You will never work again, remembers Gallagher. He said, F*****g brilliant . . . normally we have to make stories like that up.

Antics of this nature, and some of the most memorable songs of the decade, made Oasis rulers of the 1990s. This biography analyses their supersonic journey in microscopic detail.

For example, the reason Liam is lying down on the cover of their first album Definitely Maybe is that the photographer had just seen an exhibition of Egyptian mummies in Manchester Museum. Meanwhile, the red wine in the shot is actually Ribena  it photographed better.

The Colonel and The King by Peter Guralnick (White Rabbit 35, 624pp)

Guralnick knows Elvis Presley like no one else  hes the king of the King. His two-volume Presley biography (1994s Last Train To Memphis, followed five years later by Careless Love) is seen as definitive.

Now comes this book about the stars relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (no military service was involved  the Dutch immigrant Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk invented both his title and his new name).

Elvis and his music came to mean so much to so many people: Frank Skinner says he remembers trying not to blink as he watched the famous 1968 Comeback Special programme, so scared was he of missing anything.

Its sad, then, to be reminded of just how much misery Presley and Parker experienced on the inside of the tale.

Parker was a hopeless gambler, losing as much as $800,000 (600,000) at a single sitting.

And Presley died at 42, bloated and drug-addicted. Would he have preferred never to have found fame?

Even in the early days of his success, he said how much he envied a dog he heard howling in the night: That dog has a life of his own. He goes out at night, and hes doing this, and hes doing that, and nobody knows what hes up to, but hes having more fun  and when the sun comes up hes back under the porch sleeping, and nobody knows what a wonderful life hes living during the night.

John Williams is available now from the Mail Bookshop

John Williams: A Composers Life by Tim Greiving (OUP 31.99, 640pp)

In early 1977, the director George Lucas showed several of his friends an early cut of his new film Star Wars.

Their reaction was so negative that Lucass wife ended up sobbing. A few weeks later, after the first day of recording John Williamss music for the movie, Lucas began to recover his confidence.

It was like the sun came out again, said a friend. He was the old George.

Play that theme in your head (I bet you can, without having to look it up), and youll understand Lucass reaction.

Williamss film scores have been the soundtrack of most of our lives, from Jaws and E.T. to Jurassic Park and Harry Potter.

Greivings expansive biography documents the composers life, revealing the secrets behind some of the most listened-to music of the past 50 years.

That Star Wars theme is in B-flat major, because George Lucas insisted on opening the film with the old 20th Century Fox searching spotlights sequence, and Williams wanted the keys to match.

Chris Columbus, director of the first Harry Potter film, was dying to see what John would do with Quidditch . . . a sporting event that doesnt exist, that we have to visually invent. Its a quote that makes you realise just how much weight is carried by a films music.

Williamss daughter now says that her father is Harry Potter, and Greiving agrees: A mild-mannered wizard with glasses, who casts spells and enchants the entire world.
IKEA named a nostalgic hue as its 2026 Colour of the Year

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A sweet hue has been tipped as one of the hottest colours of 2026, bringing back an unexpected trend from a decade ago.

IKEA announced its Colour of the Year for 2026 as Rebel Pink, which is very reminiscent of the girly hue, millennial pink, that was all the rage in the mid-2010s.

Luxury interior designer Jo Hamilton, from London, admitted she thought the choice was 'strange' but offered her expertise for those who want to incorporate the shade in their home in a mature and modern way.

She told the Daily Mail home style lovers should avoid pairing the blush pink with pale greys, whites and pastels as they could risk their space looking 'overly sugary'.

However, the London interiors guru recommended going with deep browns, soft charcoals or warm neutrals to give the ditsy shade some 'grounding'.

IKEA's Rebel Pink came as a surprising contrast to Pantone announcing the chalky white Cloud Dancer hue as its 2026 Colour of the Year, but it was a welcome relief for those who crave a bit more vibrancy.

Reactions from fans to Pantone's pick were mixed; however, some home lovers are very excited to hop on the Rebel Pink trend train, saying they're 'obsessed' with the nostalgic shade.

In its heyday, Millennial or Tumblr pink would have been married with things like rose gold metallics, fake marble and geometric patterns - three styles that are unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon.

IKEA announced its Colour of the Year for 2026 as Rebel Pink, which is very reminiscent of the girly hue, millennial pink, that was all the rage in the mid-2010s

IKEA is attempting to give the pastel rose pigment a modern makeover in 2026, calling it a shade that is 'full of energy and sparks joy in any space'.

'It's powerful, playful and brings a bold splash of colour into the home,' the Colour of the Year announcement read.

The Swedish retailer is launching the GREJSIMOS (a Swedish colloquial term meaning 'thingamajig') collection, which includes an adorable fuzzy chair cover in the playful pink tint, available in February 2026.

Jo, who specialises in high-end residential and commercial projects, was surprised by IKEA's colour choice but shared how she would make Rebel Pink look luxurious.

'It feels quite at odds with where interiors are heading, which is more towards calm, material-led, restorative space,' she said.

'Rebel Pink might be seen by some as bold and playful, but for me it lacks subtlety and feels difficult to place within a more considered, long-term scheme.

'I can understand it as a branding statement, but from a design perspective, it's not a colour I'd naturally gravitate towards or use in my own work.'

She said those who were Rebel Pink fans should use it sporadically throughout their homes if they want their space to feel elevated.

Interior designer Jo Hamilton (pictured) admitted she thought the choice was 'strange' but offered her expertise for those who want to style the shade in a mature and modern way

'I'd suggest using it sparingly - as a small accent, perhaps within artwork, a sculptural accessory, or even tucked away somewhere unexpected, like the inside of a cupboard or drawer,' Jo said.

'Any sense of elevation would come from using it with a clever palette of contrasting tones, rather than from the colour itself. It would work best when allowed to be a moment, rather than the whole story.'

Rebel Pink could 'quickly feel juvenile or novelty-led' is used on walls, large upholstered pieces or anything structural, according to Jo.

'To keep it feeling grown-up, it needs to be anchored by earthy textures and a very calm surrounding palette. Without that balance, it could quickly dominate a space,' she said.

Jo added that pastel pinks need 'grounding' to work.

'Deeper, more serious tones such as deep browns, soft charcoals or warm neutrals, can help counterbalance its sweetness,' she said.

'I'd avoid pairing it with other light or playful colours - pale greys, whites, pastels - as that's where it can start to feel overly sugary.'

10 REBEL PINK-INSPIRED HOMEWARE FINDS FROM THE HIGH STREET
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As much as wed like to play it humble and say theres nothing on our Christmas list this year - it would be an entirely pointless lie to all those who know us.

Plus, as I'm sure you can imagine, for people working in fashion there is an ever-growing roster of garments and accessories that we covet throughout the year (provided we havent already caved and indulged ourselves).

So come the Christmas season, after insisting to our nearest and dearest they needn't buy anything and we want for nothing, the following list inevitably comes rolling out.

From simple accessories to a glamorous silky dress, here are the top 10 items on our fashion team's Christmas lists - that we think should be on yours, too.

Amy Kester, Deputy Fashion Editor

I love coats but one style Im missing is something suede. As soon as I tried on Barney's suede trench in chocolate brown, I knew I wanted it. Its the perfect combination of smart-casual and something I know will last a lifetime.

As someone who lives in jeans, I tend to buy them myself as I'm very particular when it comes to picking the right style and size. However, theres one pair of jeans Ill be adding to my Christmas wish list this year that I know will fit perfectly, and thats a pair of Frame flares. Ive had my current ones for years and can safely safe Ive worn them hundreds of times. This is the first year Ive started to notice some wear and tear, so Ill be wishing for a new pair wrapped up under the Christmas tree.

Youll never be disappointed unwrapping anything cashmere and Ive had my eye on this Jigsaw jumper for a while. The soft, fluffy texture combined with my favourite colour, dark green, is a worthy investment.

Boots can come with a hefty price tag and they're not often something you buy on a whim. Ive always wanted a pair of boots from Essen and Im hoping this year might be the year I finally get my hands on a pair. Their glove boot in chocolate nappa leather are so sleek and stylish.

I always love finding new jewellery brands, especially when its something not everyone else is wearing. DTP Antwerp offer affordable diamond jewellery and these small yellow gold plated hoops caught my eye. They feel like an upgrade from my tarnished huggies and the three natural white diamonds add a hint of sparkle without being OTT. A great gift that looks more expensive than is.

I love wearing jewellery whether Im at home or on set. And what better way to keep all my jewels organised than with a trendy jewellery case from Daisy London? Ill be buying it myself if it doesnt make the cut.

A few years ago I fell in love with DeMellier handbags and only want to add to my collection as they keep bringing out new shapes and colourways. This suede shoulder bag in my one of my favourite colours, chocolate brown, is top of my list.

Who doesnt love homeware? Im a sucker for a new candle or vase but what my bedroom is really missing is a rug. I recently attended an event for Ruggables new design collaboration with fashion brand Rixo. I instantly fell in love with all the designs and wish I could have one in every room. This is the perfect grown-up gift.

A few of my friends have LED face masks and since trying theirs Ive decided I want one too. My job can be demanding and certainly takes its toll on my skin, with early starts and late finishes, so this is the perfect device - especially over party season. Some are a steep investment but Therabodys new Theraface Mask Glo comes in a reasonable price - and I know its something Ill get a lot of use out of.

If theres one beauty product I keep going back to year after year, its Sunday Rileys C.E.O. glow face oil. I use it religiously so a new bottle is always welcomed.

I can't go anywhere without my trusty steamer. Holidays, events, photoshoots... it's always needed. I love Steamery and when I saw it'd launched a travel steamer, I knew I needed one. It's far more compact and lightweight compared to my regular model, meaning I can fit more in my case - a win-win.

Getting my nails done is such a treat, but after spending all my money on Christmas presents and festive outings, there won't be much left over for self-care come January. So receiving a gift card for my favourite salon, Townhouse, would be a welcomed gift.

Kathryn Winter, Fashion Writer

Sexy, silky and slinky - this Claudie Pierlot dress feels like something Eartha Kitt would have asked for under her Christmas tree in the 1950s song Santa Baby. I must confess, I have tried it on, and it is every bit worth the price. The way the soft fabric clings to just the right parts of the body, with a leg slit and Victorian style collar that smartens the style. Im very much hoping to unwrap this one.

Receiving jewellery at Christmas is always special, but when its a vintage piece it feels that little bit more precious. London-based brand SOH Vintage have the most timeless offerings at surprisingly reasonable prices. Their 1980s Crystal Necklace has been on my list since it first caught my eye earlier this year.

Every year I receive new hair scrunchies because I'm notorious for losing them. Recently Ive been loving the giant type - when tied around a bun it instantly makes you look chic and put together with minimal effort. Clementine & Mint have the perfect size in a velvet chocolate brown to match my hair colour.

Easy yet elegant going out tops are something I seem to lack in my wardrobe. So when I came across this Mango velvet halter-neck I knew it had to go on my Christmas list. Its simple enough to go with a multitude of trousers or skirts, yet super flattering and striking thank to its tailored fit and toggle neck feature.

A rather quirky piece, I know, but its the fun indulgent items youd never buy yourself that you most appreciate receiving. This fuzzy caramel vest is just the sort of thing I live in: its flattering at the waist, super comfortable and the exaggerated shoulders add drama - how could I resist?

A new pair of sexy yet wearable boots would most definitely put a big smile on my face on Christmas morning. Ive seen dozens of brown suede heeled boots in all sorts of price ranges, and this H&M pair feels the best value for money. A comfortable height, good length for under skirts and trousers with a flattering chisel toe - and well under 100! Ill be buying them for myself if someone else doesnt.

Fairfax and Favor has the most chic yet practical wear - something I dont come across often. So as far as top-tier gifts go, this belted biker-style jacket is a winner for me. Not only uber-trendy in black leather, the lining is warm and comfortable to wear. Ill be beyond excited to open this on the big day.

Anything to add a little interest to an everyday outfit always catches my eye. Reiss has some fabulous belts that do just this, but their gold chain twist style is the one that stands out to me the most. I would throw this on with any plain pair of trousers to instantly upgrade my look, or around the waist of a blazer for a more tailored and stylish touch.

Something to wear on New Years Eve always ends up on my Christmas list, and this pair of statement earrings from Sicilian jewellery brand Soru is my top pick for this year. Their new square tigers eye gemstone studs feel a worthy contender as they'll definitely become a staple that'll also go with most day and night outfits throughout the year.

Donna Ida is known for its denim jumpsuits, and the Cassandra style has the dream fit. Snug around the bottom, cinchable at the waist and nicely flared on the leg, every woman Ive seen wear this has pushed me closer to buying it. So, if theres any room left on my list, this one wouldnt go unappreciated.
A woman has shared the shocking reason why people should always schedule a surgery at the start of the week.

Paige Lennox, who was a registered nurse for 30 years and founded Canadian Health Advocates Inc., shared the video to her TikTok, urging people to rethink when they schedule their operations.

In the clip, she claimed that people who opt to have procedures near a weekend or holiday have a higher chance of complications following it.

'Your doctor wants to schedule your surgery for a Friday,' she said. 'It seems convenient, you can recover over the weekend.'

'Don't do it,' she advised, blaming it on something she calls the 'weekend effect.'

'Studies have shown that patients who have surgery on a Friday have a higher risk of complications and even death,' she said.

Lennox said this is because hospitals run on a skeleton crew over the weekend.

'There are fewer experienced staff, fewer specialists available, and diagnostic services are limited,' she explained.

Content creator Paige Lennox shared the video to her TikTok, urging people to rethink when they schedule their surgeries (Stock image)

'If you have a complication on a Saturday, you might not get the immediate, expert care you need,' she explained.

Instead, Lennox said to try to request a surgery at the start of the week.

'This gives you the full weekday team to monitor you and your recovery in the crucial first 48 hours,' she said.

'It's a crucial change that could save your life,' she said.

Lennox's comments section was filled with people agreeing with her advice.

'Likewise, don't schedule surgery for the day before a holiday,' one person advised.

'I did mine on a Tuesday and at 6am the first appointment of the day so I had the surgeon's fresh rested mind and hands,' wrote someone else.

'As a registered nurse this is so accurate!!!!' exclaimed another.

Lennox explained that hospitals run on a skeleton crew over the weekend and health issues may not be picked up (stock image)

A fourth said: 'I absolutely agree. Weekends are dead times in the hospital. Good advice.'

In March, JAMA published a study that found that patients treated before the weekend are at increased risk of complications.

The study, carried out in Ontario, Canada, analyzed adults undergoing one of 25 common surgical procedures between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019, with one year of follow-up.

The study compared the patients' dates of surgery, which were either the day before the weekend (usually Friday or the day before a long weekend) or the day after the weekend (usually Monday or the day immediately after a long weekend).

They found that patients who underwent surgery immediately preceding the weekend had a significantly increased risk of complications, readmissions, and mortality compared with those treated after the weekend.
The director of Melania Trump's upcoming documentary is back in the spotlight as past sexual misconduct allegations against him have resurfaced.

Brett Ratner was once considered one of Hollywood's most in-demand directors, but was caught up in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when a Los Angeles Times expose revealed that six women - including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge - had accused him of sexual misconduct.

Ratner, 56, denied the allegations 'categorically' at the time and was never charged.

After being out of work for several years, the shunned star is now gearing up for the release of his documentary, Melania, on January 30  but not without the allegations coming back to haunt him.

Alyssa Farah Griffin brought the allegations back into the public sphere during a conversation about the upcoming film on The View.

Speaking on Thursday's episode of the ABC talk show, she implied that the claims about Ratner overshadow the 55-year-old First Lady's project.

She said: 'What bothered me about this doc, the director has been accused of sexual misconduct by many prominent actors.

'He denies all allegations, but I wouldn't, as a staffer, put the first lady in a position of working with somebody who had that history. It's a distraction from it.

Melania Trump's upcoming documentary was directed by Brett Ratner

Ratner was caught up in the #MeToo movement in 2017 when a Los AngelesTimes expose revealed that six women had accused him of sexual misconduct. He denied all allegations.

'That makes me on the cusp of even wanting to watch it.'

Despite her comments, Farah Griffin, 36, did say that she would consider watching the documentary when it arrives on streaming.

In 2017, Ratner was accused of an array of acts, including harassment, inappropriate touching and forced oral sex. He denied all allegations.

His attorney said at the time: 'Brett Ratner vehemently denies the outrageous derogatory allegations that have been reported about him, and we are confident that his name will be cleared once the current media frenzy dies down and people can objectively evaluate the nature of these claims.'

Besides the allegations that arose during the #MeToo movement, Ratner was also accused of rape by Hawaii resident Melanie Kohler in 2017.

The law firm representing Ratner told DailyMail.com at the time: 'Mr Ratner does not know Ms Kohler and does not recall ever meeting her.

'From the beginning, Mr. Ratner has denied Ms Kohler's allegations of sexual assault. In fact, after Ms Kohler published her allegations in the media, Mr Ratner sued her for defamation in federal court in Hawaii, where she resides.'

Ratner launched a defamation case against Kohler after she made the allegations public, but he dropped it one year later in 2018.

Alyssa Farah Griffin said Ratner's involvement in the documentary doesn't sit well with her

Ratner had not directed a project for a decade when he was tapped for the Melania doc

In 2023, Rebecca Romijn claimed she had major issues with Ratner while working on X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006.

The actress 'didn't feel' she needed to speak up about her #MeToo experiences but admitted she had problems with two filmmakers she has worked with, one of whom was her X-Men: The Last Stand director.

She told The Independent: 'I don't want to throw anyone under the bus... Except for Brett Ratner.

'I was not happy working with him. But he's been canceled. I haven't spoken up about anything with regard to #MeToo, because I had two major issues with two directors I've worked with  and both of them already got theirs, one of them being Brett Ratner.

'I kind of just... I didn't feel like I needed to say anything. I know the two people that I worked with had it coming, and they got theirs.'

She added: 'I'm not gonna... I don't need to say anything else.'

Ratner had not led a film for a decade when he was tapped for the Melania project.

A source told Masters that Melania was a fan of his, and that she even liked the idea he had been 'canceled.'

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Melania for comment.

In February, it was reported that Secret Service agents were 'uneasy' about the filming of the documentary amid Ratner's past controversy.

A source with knowledge of the production spoke to Puck's Kim Masters, after the outlet's founder, Matthew Belloni, was the first to report that the streamer had paid $40 million for the film.

They revealed how Hollywood outcast Ratner was given unprecedented and 'unfettered' access to the Trump White House. The director filmed there for more than 30 days, according to the source.
A man who burned 73 percent of his skin in a horrific fire accident when he was six years old has recalled the brutal bullying he faced over his scars.

Terry McCarty's life was changed forever after a mistake by his brothers resulted in his whole body going up in flames.

What came next was years of grueling pain and extensive surgeries as doctors tried to fix the damage.

But almost as bad as the physical impact was the mental impact, as adjusting to his new body was extremely difficult for McCarty. All the while, he faced cruel comments from his peers and constant stares in public.

Even so, when McCarty entered adulthood he decided to face his 'trauma' head on and became a volunteer firefighter.

McCarty, now 39, from Spokane, Washington, spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about the horrifying ordeal and his lengthy journey afterwards.

McCarty explained that the incident occurred in 1992 after he went outside to tell his two older brothers, age 10 and 12, that it was time to come in for dinner while they were out walking the neighbor's dog.

He found them playing behind a nearby house with a dog bowl... but it turns out, they had filled the bowl with kerosene and were lighting it on fire as part of what they thought would be some innocent fun.

Terry McCarty's life was changed forever after a mistake by his brothers resulted in his whole body going up in flames. He's seen before the incident

He burned 73 percent of his body and what came next was years of grueling pain and extensive surgeries as doctors tried to fix the damage

'I got down there about the same time that they were successful at lighting this bowl of kerosene on fire,' he explained.

'But when it caught fire it scared them so they kicked the bowl. What they didn't know is that they kicked the bowl in my direction.

'The bowl flew at me and hit me in the chest, wrapping the flames contents around me.'

Even now, more than three decades on, McCarty said he remembers the moment distinctively.

At first, he didn't realize he was on fire, but said it felt like 'everything around him was on fire.' But then, the 'pain kicked in.'

'It was immense,' he shared. 'I tried to do what came to mind first and that was to stop, drop and roll but that didn't quite work for me as kerosene is not that easily extinguished.'

A neighbor who was getting out of his car noticed McCarty on fire and thankfully grabbed a sleeping bag from his trunk and threw it on top of him, which put out the blaze.

He was rushed to the hospital where he learned that 73 percent of his body had been burned.

Recovery was long and painful. He was in the hospital for an entire year and has had a whopping 58 surgeries

He recalled spending over five hours a day changing his bandages, and being covered in scars meant he constantly dealt with stares in public and cruel comments from classmates

And when he finally was allowed home, adjusting to his new body was extremely difficult. He recalled spending over five hours a day changing his bandages

Recovery was long and painful. He was in the hospital for an entire year and has had a whopping 58 surgeries.

And when he finally was allowed home, adjusting to his new body was extremely difficult.

He recalled spending over five hours a day changing his bandages, and being covered in scars meant he constantly dealt with stares in public and cruel comments from classmates.

'I started to really get a lot of bullying and teasing and was getting made fun of,' he admitted.

'[And] a lot of people would stare at me [in public]. I mean I still get people that stare at me today but back then I had a lot of staring and the name calling.

'I've been called everything from Michael Myers to Freddy Krueger to burnt toast, all sorts of names.

'It was a very difficult transition for me to process because here I am thinking to myself, "Oh my God I actually survived all of this and I've gone through all these surgeries and I've had to overcome all of these things" and people don't understand those things.

'They don't understand the pain, the trauma and the process of what it means to be a burn survivor.

Being covered in scars meant he constantly dealt with stares in public and cruel comments from classmates

As an adult McCarty became a volunteer firefighter and came 'face to face' with flames a lot

'It took me a long time to really get a grasp on trying to accept that people were like that. I couldn't figure it out for a long time.'

As McCarty entered into adulthood, he struggled to find a job, which he believes was because of the accident.

'People would constantly look at me and treat me like a victim and I even had people tell me that I would be a liability to go work for them at their company,' he said.

'I got really tired of just continuously getting this label of victim and I thought to myself, I need to do something that will stop all these people in their tracks and just give me a fighting chance.'

So he did something unexpected: he applied to become volunteer firefighter.

'I did it mainly out of spite,' he reflected. '[It felt like] my one shot to take myself from being a victim to being a survivor.'

McCarty had to come 'face to face with fire' a lot during his training, but admitted that it was 'not triggering for him at all.'

He spent two and a half years working as a volunteer firefighter before he left to work full-time for a non-profit organization that supports children who are burn victims like him

In fact, he believes that his past made him a better firefighter as he had a strange 'fondness' and 'respect' for fire after seeing what it could do first hand.

'[That training] helped me confront any remaining fear that I may have had within myself... I really confronted the last frontier of my demons and I was able to move forward without any kind of issues,' he said.

He spent two and a half years working as a volunteer firefighter before he left to work full-time for a non-profit organization that supports children who are burn victims like him.

And now, he is a certified peer support specialist who works with people going through addiction recovery.

He is extremely outspoken about what he went through in the hopes that it'll give strength to others who may have gone through something similar.

'You are not what happened to you. You are what you choose to become after trauma,' he concluded.
A long-rumoured migraine cure hack involving a specific McDonald's combination has now been explained  and, to an extent, approved  by a neurologist.

Chronic migraine sufferers may have heard whispers about how a Macca's large fries and large coke seem to ease severe migraine symptoms.

Colloquially, it's even known as 'the McMigraine combo'.

Now, an American neurologist has weighed in to explain why this unlikely fast food order might speed up migraine recovery.

Dr Jessica Lowe, a board-certified neurologist and epilepsy specialist, said this food hack is 'relatively well known in the migraine community'  and for good reason, as there's actual science behind it.

'The order is a large coke and large fries. And this somehow miraculously makes migraine go away. This can be easily explained,' she said in a recent online video.

The neurologist, who is widely known on social media for her Doctor Brain Barbie Instagram and TikTok accounts, detailed why the nutrient components of the combination have this migraine-relieving effect.

'First of all, a large coke from McDonald's has about 80 milligrams of caffeine in it,' she explained. 'That right there is probably enough to stop your migraine in its tracks.'

Dr Jessica Lowe (pictured), an American board-certified neurologist and epilepsy specialist, analused the McDonald's migraine hack in a video posted to her popular Doctor Brain Barbie social media account

Chronic migraine sufferers may have heard whispers about how a Macca's large fries and large coke seem to ease severe headache symptoms. Colloquially, it's even known as 'the McMigraine combo'

She continued that adding salty Macca's fries introduces another chemical reaction. 'McDonald's is well known to have some of the saltiest fries around. Salt [equals] electrolytes. Easy,' Dr Lowe explained.

'And then of course, fries are carbohydrates,' she continued. 'A lot of people have migraines that are provoked by hunger or just their glucose starting to drop.'

'Those carbs are certainly going to help out in that department,' she added. 'So, that's the McDonald's migraine hack explained by a neurologist.'

While Dr Lowe's explanation offers scientific justification for this migraine hack, she also offered a note of caution.

She explained that while the large coke and large fries combination makes sense from a chemical perspective, as a doctor she would suggest there are other ways to achieve the same result  without resorting to fast food.

'Are there healthier ways to accomplish this? Yes,' she stated in the video shared to her @doctorbrainbarbie account, which has been viewed over 8.7 million times.

She then detailed one alternative for achieving this outcome: taking a caffeine-rich migraine relief medication alongside an electrolyte drink, such as Gatorade.

'Then, it's not hard to find a carbohydrate that's healthier than deep-fried potatoes. So go for gold,' she explained.

The McDonald's migraine hack analysis video was shared to the Dr Lowe's @doctorbrainbarbieaccount and has been viewed over 8.7 million times

However, as a chronic migraine sufferer herself, Dr Lowe acknowledges there are also reasons beyond science why this McDonald's combo might appeal when you're feeling unwell.

'We are all human  and when you are feeling unwell, sometimes you just want some comfort food. I get it. Not knocking the hack,' she said.

'Just don't make a habit of it, because as we know, fast food and deep-fried food is unhealthy [and associated with] increased risk of heart attack and stroke. You guys know the spiel.'

According to McDonald's Australia nutritional information, a large size Coca-Cola contains 380 calories, 100g total sugars, 20mg potassium and 95mg sodium.

It doesn't list how much caffeine the drink contains, but generally fountain Coke has around 10mg of caffeine per 100ml. With a large coke in Australia being over 500ml, this would equate to over 50mg of caffeine per beverage.

McDonald's Australia large fries contain 389 calories, 373mg sodium, 43.3g carbohydrates, 20.5g total fat and 6.1g protein.

Dr Lowe's viral video has amassed thousands of comments, with the vast majority of responses coming from people who felt vindicated by a medical expert explaining why the hack works as a migraine alleviator.

One person said she would revert to 'a McMigraine combo once in a while' to ease a strong headache, while several others agreed it always did the trick.

Although Dr Lowe (pictutred) explained the reason behind why the combination of a large coke and large fries may alleviate migraine symptoms, she ultimately recommended that the same checmical outcomes could be achieved without consuming fast food

Similar combinations were also discussed among the replies, with many claiming a bottle of regular coke and a packet of salty crisps were their go-to.

Others were simply thankful Dr Lowe had taken the time to offer medical insight on why the McMigraine combo can be effective.

'I do get migraines and it's super cool to understand them better,' replied one.

'For all of us migraine sufferers, we applaud any info we can get to help relieve a migraine,' agreed another.

However, some replies were incredulous about a doctor apparently recommending McDonald's food.

To this, Dr Lowe herself chimed in: 'This is a migraine hack described by thousands of migraine patients, which I  as a neurologist  was asked to explain,' she said. 'Not recommending McDonald's, [but] explaining the pathophysiology of a well-known migraine hack and suggesting alternatives.'

But the most humorous response to the video came from one person who cheekily replied: 'Oh no, I think I feel a migraine coming on.'
The CEO was caught cozying up to the human resources executive in July

He sent shockwaves around the globe after he was seen cozying up to his colleague on the kisscam at a Coldplay concert.

But Andy Byron, the married ex-Astronomer CEO, has remained silent about the romantic scandal that saw him caught in an intimate embrace with human resources executive Kristin Cabot during the Boston concert on July 16 - before they quickly separated and attempted to hide after realising they had been seen.

As recently as September, he has even been spotted enjoying a romantic beach picnic with his forgiving wife, in photos obtained by the Daily Mail - with neither spouse having filed for divorce in Massachusetts or Maine, according to court records.

Meanwhile this week when Cabot, 53, broke her silence to claim that she was not in a sexual relationship with her boss, 51, claiming it was a one-time, alcohol-fuelled mistake.

'I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss,' she told the New York Times. 'And it's not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. That's the price I chose to pay.'

While he has not made any public statements himself, Byron's actions behind the scenes reveal just how life is going for the former CEO since his fame, with hints suggesting that he and his wife Megan, 50, are working on their marriage.

In the immediate aftermath, both Byron and Cabot resigned from their roles. Megan changed her social media name to her maiden name, Kerrigan, and left the marital home in Northborough, Massachusetts.

Megan remained out of the spotlight, holed up at their luxury beach house in Kennebunk, Maine, while being supported by family, with 'no trespassing' signs erected around the property in the wake of the scandal.

Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot caused a storm online after they were seen cozying up to one another on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert in Boston back in July

As recently as September, he has even been spotted enjoying a romantic beach picnic with his forgiving wife

However, fast forward to September and the Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the pair appeared to be working on their marriage, after they were spotted for the first time in months on relaxed outings together near their coastal getaway  notably still wearing their wedding bands.

And neither spouse had filed for divorce in Massachusetts or Maine, according to court records viewed by the Daily Mail.

On the bright Friday evening, the pair appeared content during a cozy sunset picnic at the beach, with the public storm seemingly a distant memory.

Seated on deck chairs with sweaters warming their knees against the sea breeze, the casually dressed pair watched the sunset and enjoyed sodas and treats.

Things took another turn a couple of months later in November, when the couple quietly sold their Manhattan apartment for $5.8million.

The luxury full-floor condominium in Tribeca boasted four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and an expansive, open kitchen.

The couple purchased the property three years ago from the building's developer for $5.4million.

The apartment was never publicly listed for sale, and according to the deed, Andy and Megan are still wed.

Cabot was reported to have resigned from the company just a few days after Byron stepped down as CEO

Meanwhile, Cabot has been shamed online, mocked by celebrities, and branded an 'adulterer' by strangers she bumps into at public places, she explained in the recent New York Times article, adding that she received upwards of 60 threats on her life.

She admitted that she had a 'crush' on Byron and was excited to introduce him to her friends, but claimed that before that night, the pair had not even kissed.

Although they shared tequila cocktails, danced together and exchanged a kiss in their VIP balcony seats at the concert, Cabot said that was the first and only time.

But she regrets what she described as a 'cliche' moment, adding: 'I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don't have to be threatened to be killed for them.'

Cabot's ill-fated decision to duck and hide when the camera panned to her and Byron cuddling went viral after it was called out by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

'Either they're having an affair or they're very shy,' Martin told the crowd. Byron, seeing himself on the big screen, appeared to mutter, 'F****** hell, it's me.'

Cabot recalled how she instantly felt 'embarrassed and so horrified', with both her and Byron rushing back to the bar in the immediate aftermath.

She was concerned about two things: her career and her estranged husband, Andrew, who was at that very concert with a date of his own.

She told the NY Times how she did not want to humiliate her ex. She and Andrew had been married for two years, but were separated at the time of the scandal.

Cabot also knew how poorly it looked to be seen snuggled up to her boss. 'I'm the head of HR and he's the CEO It's, like, so cliche and so bad,' she recalled.

She shared how she and Byron, in an apparent state of shock, sat at the bar with their heads in their hands and began to devise a plan for moving forward.

They went to her Boston apartment together and decided they needed to inform the Astronomer board about what happened.

They prepped an email, but by the time they sent it the next morning, footage of their exchange had already gone viral on TikTok.

Both Byron and Cabot were immediately placed on leave by Astronomer as the company carried out an investigation into the incident.

Soon after, Byron resigned as CEO; Cabot's resignation followed his.

Cabot said she has been looking for another job, but was allegedly told she is now 'unemployable'.

As the scandal worsened, Cabot hired communications consultant Dini von Mueffling to help manage the fallout of the affair. Von Mueffling previously represented both Monica Lewinsky and Virginia Giuffre during their respective crises.

'I think as a woman, as women always do, I took the bulk of the abuse. People would say things like I was a "gold-digger" or I "slept my way to the top", which just couldn't be further from reality,' she told the Times.

She explained that throughout her career, she had to swat men away when they placed their hands on her body without invitation and dismiss their inappropriate remarks.

'I worked so hard to dispel that all my life and here I was being accused of it,' she said of the adultery accusations she faced.

Cabot filed for divorce from Andrew on August 13. He confirmed, in a statement at the time, that they had plans to end their marriage prior to the concert.

She told the NY Times that Andrew - who has stayed quiet about the incident, citing wanting privacy for his family - has been 'nothing but a gentleman' in the wake of everything that has happened.

Their teenage children, who at the height of the scandal feared for their mother's life, are now in therapy and were met with kindness upon their return to school.

Similarly, Cabot has started leaving her house again, seen improvement in her own mood and even resumed some of her former hobbies.

She and Byron remained in contact throughout the summer, but in September ceased all communication after agreeing their speaking made it 'too hard for everyone to move on and heal', Cabot told the newspaper.
Somewhere in my house, stuffed in a box, at the back of a cupboard, there's a picture of three carefully drawn stick figures.

It's a picture that speaks thousands of words, all of them too terrible to hear. Each figure has long, spindly legs, dots for noses and falling teardrops.

Just like any mother with a young family, there's no shortage of cherished childhood artwork like this in our house. But the six-year-old artist of this picture isn't either of my children  it was me. And it's far from cherished.

I picked up those felt tip pens 24 years ago when asked by a counsellor to express my emotions about the cancer I was suffering  and the fact I'd probably die soon.

I can remember exactly how I felt: scared, confused and deeply sad at the thought of leaving my family, friends and puppy behind. I also desperately hoped that heaven would be just as beautiful as everyone promised.

The idea of a young child dying is so shocking, so unnatural, that it strikes horror into the heart of everyone, especially every parent  or so you'd think. Except I know that isn't always the case.

My own mother  the one who was supposed to love and protect me above all others  was revelling in my illness and adored the attention and sympathy that having a child with a terminal diagnosis was bringing her.

How do I know this? Because she made the whole thing up.

Hannah with her mother Teresa Milbrandt, who convinced everyone her daughter was seriously ill

My 'cancer' was a complete lie, a disgusting fabrication, done not only to fleece money out of generous-hearted people, but also feed her sick craving for validation and respect.

Today, I look at my beautiful children, my four-year-old daughter, and my son who's the same age I was when I drew that picture, and I'd give my life for theirs in an instant.

The idea of harming them in any way is revolting to me. But this is exactly what my callous mother, Teresa Milbrandt, did.

In 2003, she was sentenced to six-and-half years in prison for child endangerment, grand theft and theft. She conned 65 people and businesses into donating $31,000 (23,000) for my fictional illness.

Her decisions destroyed my life for years, undermining my ability to trust anyone or anything, including my own body. It is only through determination and the love of my father, husband and children that I am still here today.

My happiest childhood memories are spending time with my dad, Bob, now 64. Warm and loving, we both adored playing board games.

Teresa was the total opposite.

She was cold and distant, with a nasty temper  not that she ever showed that to other people. To everyone in our small town of Urbana, Ohio, she was the perfect mother  a district nurse, no less.

Mornings began with a cocktail of medications that made Hannah feel groggy and dazed, with near constant headaches. Then, every week, her mother would drive her to her chemotherapy sessions

But on the whole, I was a happy child  and a healthy one. Dad travelled a lot with his job for a printing company, and was away the day in 2001 when, aged six, I came down with a cold.

It was just a runny nose and sore throat, but the next thing I remember is being examined in the GP's office and then being wheeled into a scary MRI scanner, and no one was telling me why.

After a tense drive home, during which my mother still hadn't told me what was happening, I walked back into our living room to find Dad sitting there, with one of my much older half-sisters, my grandparents and our neighbour all waiting, their faces white.

Mum began speaking: she had some terrible news. I had cancer.

Being so young, a lot of her words didn't make sense. She talked about leukaemia, a small tumour on the base of my spine, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which sounded like very bad things.

I instantly looked at Dad and, even at such a young age, I could see the devastation in his face was real.

Mum, meanwhile, was calm and emotionless, as if she was a teacher speaking to a class.

In the end Dad took me up to my bedroom, pulled out a favourite game and set it up. As we played, I listened to him say that, yes, this was scary, but we'd figure it out, that I was strong and that everything would be OK. I desperately wanted to believe him.

My life took on a strange, new rhythm. Mum took on my care, which made sense given her medical training and the fact Dad was away a lot.

Mornings began with a cocktail of medications that made me feel groggy and dazed, with near constant headaches. Then every week Mum would drive me to my chemotherapy sessions. They always went the same way: a trip to the local ice cream shop for a drink, after which I'd fall asleep on the journey to hospital and wake up on the ride home.

I'd feel lethargic, with a thumping headache, and a new plaster on my chest or arm, and Mum would tell me what a brave girl I'd been.

At school everyone knew what was happening to me. Mum insisted I wore a face mask when I left the house to protect me from germs, and there was a mini fridge in the classroom for my special snacks to eat alongside the medication Mum had told the teachers to give me throughout the day.

Hannah with her parents. Her father was constantly pale and anxious, working round the clock to pay the medical bills

I hated being the centre of attention, but Mum absolutely thrived on it. She became a different person, even behind closed doors. Now she was openly affectionate, with hugs and kisses, constantly holding my hand and calling me 'her poor baby'.

Living in a town of only 11,000 people, news of my illness had spread fast, and my mother lit up whenever anyone stopped us on the street to ask how we were doing and tell her how amazing and strong she was.

Her fundraising for my healthcare costs also started immediately. As well as taking in individual donations from friends, family and strangers, our local fire department had a fundraising dinner.

One day I walked into the supermarket and saw fundraising cans with my face on them, which was mortifying. My mother, of course, lapped it all up.

One morning, around two months after my diagnosis, I looked in the bathroom mirror and screamed: I was completely bald! My mother soothed me as I sobbed, telling me that, as she had warned, hair loss was to be expected following chemotherapy, and showed me the pretty new hat I could now wear.

At the time I was so distressed I didn't wonder why I hadn't seen any hair on my pillow, despite having gone to bed with a full head of hair. It felt as if a vital piece of me was gone.

Mum tried to cheer me up by organising for my school to have a sponsored 'Hats for Hannah' day.

Through it all, I felt lethargic and ill, and Dad was constantly pale and anxious, working round the clock to pay the medical bills.

Seven months after my diagnosis, Mum gave me the terrible news. The treatments weren't working, she said, and the cancer was growing rapidly. I might only have a few weeks left to live.

Living in a town of only 11,000 people, news of Hannah's illness spread fast and she started fundraising for her daughter's healthcare costs. As well as taking in individual donations from friends, family and strangers, the local fire department had a fundraising dinner

I felt torn. On one hand I knew that I was going to Heaven, which Mum told me was a happy place. But I was devastated to be leaving my family and confused about why this was happening to me. Why wasn't I going to grow up and have a family? Why did God choose me for this? It was such a scary time.

Mum arranged for me to have what she called 'death counselling', to see a professional I could talk to. It was there, in her office, that I drew those three weeping stick figures.

I'd wake every morning thinking, 'Is today the day I'm going to Heaven?' I remember blowing out my birthday candles that August for my seventh birthday, thinking it would be the last time  and wondering if I'd get a cake in Heaven next year.

A month later I was in class when in walked the school nurse, school counsellor and a police officer, asking me to follow them.

They began asking about Mum. Was she a good mum, did she take good care of me? What was my doctor's name?

My confusion grew as my maternal grandparents suddenly appeared, took me to their house and began pacing about in a frenzy. The picture was no clearer when Dad arrived that evening and silently drove me home.

Then he sat me down and said quietly: 'Hannah, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that Mum has done something very bad. She's been lying. The good news is that you don't have cancer and you're not going to die.'

My immediate reaction was joy. I wasn't sick! I was going to live! I was going to grow up and blow out the candles on my birthday cakes, for ever! Utter bewilderment followed.

What did he mean, Mum had been lying? Lying about what? And where was she?

For a second there was silence. Then he said: 'Mum's been making this all up, pretending that you were sick. You're not sick and she's in very big trouble.'

I realised he was both terrified and angry, an emotion I'd never seen from him before. It made me even more confused and scared. My stomach churned. Where was mum? 'In the hospital', he said. I didn't know it then, but it was a psychiatric hospital  because she was attempting to plead insanity.

However, a few days later she was back at home. I was so relieved. Mum was herself again, I wasn't dying and life would go back to normal. I went to sleep in their bed and felt safe.

Hannah's dad maintained his innocence throughout the court case, but he couldn't face the ordeal of giving evidence at trial, and so pleaded guilty to child endangerment, and served four years and 11 months in prison

Yet, my joy was short-lived. The next morning Dad was shaking me awake; we'd all been asked to attend the police station. Next thing, Dad was taken into another room.

I was screaming, pleading with the police not to take him, but the door closed and he was gone. A woman  who turned out to be my new foster parent  told me to stop crying and took me away. Nothing was explained to me.

For the next year, I was looked after by foster carers while the police began building a case against both my parents, who were in jail as they awaited trial, facing charges of theft and child endangerment  though I believe my dad knew nothing of my mother's deception.

Everyone did their best to shield me but gradually, over time, I learned the devastating truth: my mother had fabricated my entire illness; I'd never actually been to hospital or seen a specialist.

She'd been feeding me unneeded medications and sleeping pills, then when I woke up, simply told me I'd had chemotherapy. As for my hair, she'd shaved it off, presumably while I was sedated.

She'd been caught when the counsellor I'd been seeing tried to put me forward for a charity that grants wishes to terminally ill children. She needed the name of my doctor for the application, only to discover the hospital had no records of me. That's when the police became involved.

Finally, Mum admitted charges of child endangerment, theft and grand theft, and was jailed for six and a half years. I've no idea what happened to all that money.

I later learned that in a statement read at the trial she said: 'I'm truly sorry for the pain I've inflicted. I only pray some day you can forgive me.'

As for Dad, he'd maintained his innocence throughout, but he was also adamant I shouldn't face the ordeal of giving evidence at trial, and so pleaded guilty to child endangerment, and served four years and 11 months in prison.

I was devastated. I believed then, and still do today, that Dad did nothing wrong, that he was manipulated by Teresa and played no part in my abuse.

The emotional and psychological impact of it all was devastating. I immediately felt guilty that this had somehow been my fault, that I hadn't been a good enough daughter and so Teresa had done it to make me more loveable.

Just before the sentencing, I was taken to see her in a prison visitation centre. She pretended everything was fine. As she tried to read me a story from a children's book, I looked at her and thought, 'I hate you'.

Teresa Milbrandt was sentenced to six-and-half years in prison for child endangerment, grand theft and theft. She conned 65 people and businesses into donating 23,000 for Hannah's fictional illness (pictured, donation jars filled with coins)

There was the agony of missing Dad, shame at the constant comments and stares, and shock at a body that no longer felt ill. The pain, headaches and lethargy that had plagued me for nine months were gone, my hair grew back, yet I didn't feel happy or free.

After my year in foster care I was allowed to live with my aunt, my dad's sister. I desperately missed Dad and struggled with depression. The slightest sniffle or headache would send me spiralling. Did I have some dreadful illness or was it all in my head?

I was 12 when Dad was finally released, and he went to live with my grandma during his probation. He wasn't allowed to see me for a year, until he could prove he was 'fit' to have contact with me.

I was so nervous on my first visit to see him, but we fell into each other's arms crying.

Talking to him reinforced what I already believed; Dad had been duped, too. Teresa had planned all my appointments for days when he was away or altered them at the last minute so he couldn't attend.

Dad wasn't allowed to change any of my bandages because she was the one who was medically trained. In my eyes he was blameless and had gone to prison to protect me, although he says he still blames himself for not spotting the scam and stopping her.

He has since divorced my mother and remarried in 2013. Mum was released in 2010, when I was 14. Part of me wanted to confront her in order to get answers, but at the same time I didn't want her in my life. I decided I never wanted to see her again.

I now realise her behaviour showed all the signs of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where a parent either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look as if their child is sick, in order to gain attention and sympathy.

When I was 19, I met Tanner, a student at college where I was studying to be a teacher. The kindest, most loving and patient man I'd ever met, we married seven years ago when I was 23.

Although I'd always wanted children, part of me was too scared. First was the deep-rooted fear of all the medical appointments that a pregnancy would involve, and once I had a baby, how would I be able to handle it if they became ill? Or if I thought they were ill, and no one believed me?

Then, of course, how could I be sure I'd be a good mother when I'd had no template for one? Yet when I held my son in my arms in August 2019, I felt such a wave of love and healing. This beautiful boy was like the missing puzzle piece that healed my heart.

Alongside the love was the overwhelming instinct to protect him, and the pain of what Teresa had done flooded back. How could someone take a beautiful, innocent child, and do to them what Teresa did to me?

But as every mother knows, you can't protect children from every knocked knee and tummy bug. And as my son, now six, and his sister, four, have grown, those moments have been hard.

I've seen Teresa just a couple of times in the years since. Once, she walked into the restaurant where I was working as a student.

When I asked her what the hell she was doing there, she actually looked shocked. 'I came to see you,' was all she could say. Then I realised it was Mother's Day  as if she still had any right to call herself that.

'You need to leave right now,' I managed to say, before walking away and asking my manager to get rid of her.

I saw her again a few years later, in the supermarket. This time I was able to walk past with almost total indifference and that felt like a triumph. I wasn't going to let her have any control over my life.

As far as I know she is still living in the same area. But I don't know anything else about her life, and I don't want to.

I don't hate her because I don't have room in my heart for that. It is too full of the love of my dad, my husband and our incredible children.

But forgive her? I don't think I will ever be able to do that.
A popular restaurant has abruptly shut its doors just days before Christmas - leaving loyal customers devastated and the hospitality industry reeling.

Thermidor Oyster Bar and Brasserie is a relaxed dining venue on the waterfront that had been operating in the heart of the NSW coastal city of Newcastle for the past two-and-a-half years.

But in an unexpected turn of events, co-owner and chef Josh Gregory and his wife Jess announced they were closing their doors permanently, officially hosting their final guests on December 6.

'With heavy hearts, we need to share that Thermidor will be closing its doors as of today,' the restaurant said in an Instagram post dated on December 11.

'This wasn't the timeline we expected, but unforeseen circumstances mean our journey ends sooner than planned.'

When Daily Mail contacted the establishment, the owners confirmed that their decision was not made lightly and came as a result of an 'infinite number of factors that slowly add up to the decision to shut'.

'It has been a challenging couple of weeks as we wrapped up the last pieces of our business after two-and-a-half years of our lives spent doing nothing else... Hospitality and the restaurant industry at the moment is no joke,' Josh told Daily Mail.

'The average guest sits in a beautiful venue, they're served by warm and friendly staff and they hopefully enjoy delicious plates of food; what they don't see is the crippling costs of labour, tax, ingredients, rent and utilities.'

Thermidor Oyster Bar and Brasserie's husband and wife co-owners Josh and Jess Gregory made the heart breaking decision to shut their Newcastle restaurant

The hospitality industry veterans went on to explain that they - like many small Australian restaurants at the moment - have been devastated by a myriad of financial issues.

'There is an absolute onslaught of bills for restaurants now, with no real support from the government in terms of taxation or relief,' Josh explained.

The restaurant co-owners said they were certainly not alone in this struggle, suggesting that 'around 80 percent of new restaurants close within the first year and nobody seems to be talking about it.'

'If 80 percent of any other industry failed within the first-year people would march on the streets,' Josh explained.

'While a restaurant may look simple on the outside, it lives and dies on knowing your numbers like any other business.

'After keeping a close eye on our numbers these last six months we came to the realisation that we just weren't seeing the amounts that we needed to bring in through summer to survive the coming winter.

'For Jess and myself, we had to make a decision that was best for our family and our future.'

Despite the unexpected shutdown, the owners hinted at a possible comeback.

'We are both definitely taking a bit of a breath before we launch into new projects. Hospitality runs in our veins so I'm sure we will be yearning to scratch that itch again very soon,' Josh told Daily Mail.

The popular relaxed dining venue restaurant enjoyed a prime position on the Hunter River waterfront

Chef and co-owner Josh (pictured) along with wife and co-owner Jess ultimately came to the decision that shutting the restaurant was what's best for their family

The recent online announcement offered a heartfelt thanks to past patrons.

'Thank you for every booking, every celebration, every oyster, every moment shared in our dining room. Your support has meant more to us than we can express.'

The announcement also expressed gratitude to the 'incredible staff' who have 'been the soul of Thermidor'.

The notice concluded with an update that the restaurant owners would be in contact with any guests who had held bookings for the upcoming festive party season.

The post quickly attracted heartbroken replies from fellow hospitality industry professionals.

Hydro Blue Mountains Executive Chef Konstantin Putkin wrote: 'Devastated for you mate.'

Popular Sydney food content creator @isaac_eatsalot also added: 'I'm so sorry to hear this guys. It was an honour to be guests in your home.'

The founder of Newcastle Food Month shared a poignant tribute, writing: 'When one of our best moves on, it moves us all. These decisions aren't made lightly, we know. Please take a bow; what you brought to Newcastle dining was next level. Until we meet again take care.'

Thermidor Brasserie was renowned for its oyster bar and seafood-driven menu offering

Loyal customers also expressed their disappointment about no longer being able to return to the beloved venue.

'Will be very very missed!' replied one past patron. 'We enjoyed some great meals and memories here. All the best for whatever amazing thing you do next!'

'Nooo,' said another. 'I am so saddened to hear this! My favourite restaurant!'

Thermidor Oyster Bar and Brasserie previously offered a menu described on their website as 'inspired by the great coasts of the world'.

Their offering included an oyster bar with a range of options and a seafood-driven snack menu featuring taramasalata, kingfish ceviche and 'moules frites' (mussels in garlic butter with shoestring fries).

Main dishes included a variety of pastas as well as meat and fish-based meals.
A guest at the luxurious Plaza Hotel in New York City was left outraged after discovering her ice cream sundae cost nearly $500.

Fans of the beloved 1992 movie Home Alone 2 can relive the famous scene from the holiday classic in which Kevin McAllister (played by Macaulay Culkin) ordered an extravagant dessert while staying there.

But the treat comes at an eye-watering cost.

The dessert is priced at almost $500 - and one woman was not happy about it after her mother-in-law ordered the dessert without telling her about the steep price.

In a now-viral clip, Jully Patel is seen sitting in a white robe with her mother-in-law inside their hotel room at the Plaza as a waiter enters with a cart filled with goodies.

It contains a massive silver tray featuring a total 16 scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in the center of a big bowl, topped with whipped cream.

Surrounding it was an array of toppings like sprinkles, M&Ms, brownie bits and cherries, and various sauces like fruit sauce, caramel sauce and chocolate sauce.

But when Patel was handed the bill, she was stunned to see the total: $477.98.

'My mother-in-law ordered a $500 ice cream sundae to the room without telling me the price,' she said. 'When the waiter handed me the bill, that's when I realized.'

A guest at the luxurious Plaza Hotel in New York Citywas left outraged after discovering her ice cream sundae cost nearly $500. The sundae is seen in a previous video shared in January

Fans of the 1992 movie Home Alone 2 can relive the famous scene from the holiday classic in which Kevin McAllister ordered an extravagant bowl of ice cream while staying at the Plaza

She first shared the video back in September, but it recently went viral after a popular X (formerly Twitter) account reshared it on the platform earlier this week.

'You can now order Kevin's Hone Alone 2 ice cream sundae at The Plaza Hotel, is it worth almost $500?' they captioned the post.

It sparked a heated discussion about the cost of the treat, as viewers rushed to the replies to share their thoughts.

'I don't even get how they think that price tag is justifiable,' one user wrote.

'That's ridiculous,' penned another, while someone else pointed out: 'You can make this at home for $25.'

'I wouldn't pay that much for ice cream,' announced a different person.

'Wow that looks amazing but $500? That's just insane. Nope,' read a fifth tweet.

'$500 for a gallon of ice cream with candy and sauce topping is RIDICULOUS,' said a sixth.

Join the debate Would YOU pay $500 for ice cream?

Back in January, two guests at the Plaza also went viral after they shared their reaction to the sky-high price of the sundae, seen here

In Home Alone 2, Macaulay Culkin's character mistakenly boards a plane to New York while his family flies for Christmas vacation to Florida and he checks into the Plaza Hotel (stock image)

In Home Alone 2, the sequel to the 1990s smash hit Home Alone, Culkin's character mistakenly boards a plane to New York while his family flies for Christmas vacation to Florida.

While in the city, the lost Kevin McAllister checks into the Plaza using his dad's credit card, where he orders the now-famous ice cream sundae.

The hotel also offers a Home Alone: Fun In New York package, with the perks including a limousine ride, a large cheese pizza, and the 'Home Alone Sundae.'

The price varies 'depending on the room type' but it's been said it has a starting price of around $2,000 plus tax.

Back in January, two guests at the Plaza also went viral after they shared their reaction to the sky-high price of the sundae.

Friends Amira Harvey and Jenna Sinatra were enjoying a luxurious night at the lavish New York hotel when they ordered the dessert, unaware of how much it cost.

'Amira was so excited for the 16-flavor ice cream from the Home Alone movie,' Sinatra said in a now-viral TikTok video about it.

In the clip, room service arrived at their door with the massive ice cream dish, before a shocked Sinatra signed the check.

In a comment, she said that while the dessert was 'good, no ice cream is worth $500.'
China, Sri Lanka reaffirm commitment to friendship, cooperation

Xinhua) 09:50, December 19, 2025

COLOMBO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Sri Lanka have reaffirmed their commitment to further develop and expand bilateral cooperation during a visit by a delegation of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18.

The delegation was led by Wang Dongming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, who met with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and held talks with parliament speaker Jagath Wickramaratne.

China and Sri Lanka are neighbors that enjoy long-lasting friendship, said Wang. He noted that China is willing to work with Sri Lanka in pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and enhancing exchange and cooperation between the two countries' legislative bodies, as well as in various other areas.

He also expressed the Chinese side's willingness to advance the China-Sri Lanka strategic cooperative partnership and build a China-Sri Lanka community with a shared future.

Commending Sri Lanka-China relations as enduring and vibrant, the Sri Lankan side expressed gratitude to China for providing timely disaster-relief assistance amid the severe adverse weather that Sri Lanka endured recently.

It stressed its firm adherence to the one-China principle and willingness to further advance friendly cooperation between the two countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
New York Times columnist David Brooks, who criticized Democrats for releasing Jeffrey Epstein files, was pictured in the documents released today.

On Thursday, the Democrat-run House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform shared a slew of new pictures related to the investigations into the notorious sex offender over the years.

Among the 68 photos, all shared without context, were two images featuring Brooks, who has worked at the NYT for more than two decades.

In one of the snaps, Brooks was seen mingling with Google co-founder Sergey Brin while seated together at a table at an event for high profile individuals.

The other image depicts the 64-year-old columnist alone, smiling into the camera.

Both pictures are from the same 2011 'Billionaires' Dinner' event, which Epstein - who had been released from prison for the first time two years earlier - also attended.

The dinner event was hosted by New York literary agent John Brockman's Edge Foundation in Long Beach, California.

Brockman not only rubbed elbows with Epstein, but also opened up his elite network of scientists, tech moguls and other wealthy individuals to the predator.

At the 'Billionaires' Dinner,' Edge welcomed prominent individuals including Brin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, BuzzFeed News previously reported.

Pictured: David Brooks (right) and Sergey Brin (left) seen at the 2011 Edge Foundation event

Epstein died in prison awaiting trial in 2019 (pictured: Epstein at the 2011 event)

Of the 20 named guests, Brooks was the only journalist in attendance.

The NYT and Brooks have both denied that his presence at the gathering was related to any alleged ties to Epstein.

'As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event,' a NYT spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

'Mr Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely attended dinner.'

While Brooks has not responded to the Daily Mail's request for comment, he told BuzzFeed News in 2019 that he did not even know who Epstein was at the time.

He claimed he was invited to the event by Brockman and only learned about Epstein in 2018, following the explosive Miami Herald investigation into his heinous crimes.

Brooks noted that he was 'surprised' at the 'high-powered group of people' who attended.

David Brooks is seen on Meet the Press in 2014

The release of the documents featuring Brooks comes just weeks after he published a column titled The Epstein Story? Count Me Out.

He slammed House Democrats for releasing information pertaining to Epstein, who killed himself in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019.

Brooks even compared Democrats interested in the Epstein files to far-right individuals who believe in the QAnon conspiracy.

He wrote in the November 21 opinion piece: 'I know a thing or two about the American elite, ahem, and if youve read my work, you may be sick of my assaults on the educated elites for being insular, self-indulgent and smug.

'But the phrase "the Epstein class" is inaccurate, unfair and irresponsible. Say what you will about our financial, educational, nonprofit and political elites, but they are not mass rapists.

'If I were a Democratic politician (this role-playing is kind of fun) Id add that America cant get itself back on track if the culture is awash in distrust, cynicism, catastrophizing lies and conspiracy mongering.

'No governing majority will ever form if were locked in a permanent class war.'
Members of the MAGA faithful engaged in open infighting at the first Turning Point USA AmericaFest conference since the death of founder Charlie Kirk.

Erika Kirk - Turning Points new chief executive - tried to keep the peace by taking the stage first while pleading for unity Thursday night.

Two of the night's headliners, however, quickly sent the event into chaos.

Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson both took shots at each other during their respective speeches, battling over conspiracy theories that have swirled since Kirk's death.

Shapiro kicked things off by criticizing Carlson for hosting far-right commentator Nick Fuentes on his show in October.

He also collectively slammed Carlson, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon as 'frauds' and 'grifters.' Kelly and Bannon - as well as several other prominent conservatives - are set to take the same stage later this week.

Shapiro warned 'the conservative movement is in serious danger' thanks to these conservative 'charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty.'

Owens, who was not present, was criticized for her repeated suggestions that Israel may have played a part in Kirks death, which, at least at first, cast a somber tone over the occasion in Phoenix, Arizona.

Ben Shapiro criticized fellow speaker Tucker Carlson at the first Turning Point USA AmericaFest conference since the death of founder Charlie Kirk in Phoenix, Arizona, Thursday

Carlson responded with some barbs of his own, sending the event off the rails

But Shapiro was first to send things off the rails.

He urged the audience: 'We have an obligation to clarity and to honesty. This means that we actually have to be clear in the language that we use. We should not traffic in generality. We should not say things like, "They shot Charlie without specifying whom we mean by they."'

'The person who allegedly shot Charlie Kirk and whom all the evidence points at all of it is a gay trans-loving furry,' he went on, referring to the 22-year-old suspect in the Kirk assassination, Tyler Robinson.

It was Carlson, though, who received the harshest treatment, as Shapiro continued to slam Owens, who has spearheaded some of the most viral and incendiary content about Kirk's death, including claims that staff at Turning Point USA 'betrayed' their boss.

Shapiro said: 'The people who refused to condemn Candaces truly vicious attacks - and some of them are speaking here tonight - are guilty of cowardice. Yes, cowardice.

'The fact that they have said nothing while Candace has been vomiting all sorts of hideous and conspiratorial nonsense into the public square for years is just as cowardly.'

Referring to Carlson, he said: 'If you host a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse like Nick Fuentes The person who said that Charlie Kirk was a, quote, "idiot"... you ought to own it.'

'There is a reason that Charlie Kirk despised Nick Fuentes and indeed even chided Dinesh D'Souza for debating him.'

Both men mentioned Candace Owens, who has repeatedly suggested that Israel is may be to blame when it comes to the killing of Kirk back in September

Carlson responded with his own barbs from the same stage.

'That guy is pompous,' Carlson began, panning Shapiro's serious tone.

He said he laughed while watching snippets of Shapiros speech backstage.

'Calls to deplatform at a Charlie Kirk event? Thats hilarious.'

Carlson also assured the crowd that he was not antisemitic after hosting Fuentes.

'Antisemitism is not just naughty, its immoral,' he announced.

He also complained about cancel culture, saying, 'I have a right to question your motives. Actually, why can't you answer the question? Why do you have to imply that some college kid is like some kind of Hitler-ite or something because he's asking about an event? Like what?'.

Carlson asserted: 'It is okay to ask questions. And I thought that was, like, the whole reason we were against the left. They're not going to force you to get up there and make ritual denunciations.

Join the debate Is the MAGA movement divided irreparably?

Erika Kirk, now the CEO of Turning Point USA, unsuccessfully attempted to keep the peace

Owens responded to remarks from Shapiro afterwards, as cracks in the Republican party continue to emerge

'Because this isn't my religion. It's politics.'

The tone of the summit was a far cry from that of last year's, where both Shapiro and Carlson asserted the US was entering its 'golden age'.

At the time, Donald Trump has just won the election, and Republicans had won both the House and Senate.

'We are going to get my husbands friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,' Erika promised to start the event.

Days before, at a CBS News town hall held by Bari Weiss, the widow begged Owens to stop spreading conspiracy theories about her husband.

Owens, one of the most watched personalities in the world, responded to the remarks from Shapiro in a post to X Thursday night.

'Ben only cares about Israels interests. So Israel is involved,' she wrote.

Speakers set to take the stage Friday and over the weekend include Vice President Vance, Fox News' Jesse Watters, Tulsi Gabbard and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

More than 30,000 attendees gathered for the hectic opening night of the four-day event.
CBS Evening News anchors Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson delivered an emotional last broadcast together just days after the network's new editor-in-chief announced the show will soon have a new host.

Both took a defiant tone at points during the signoff, tearing into the administration and 'the powerful who don't like being held to account'.

Dickerson, 57, was seen choking back tears during the Thursday broadcast.

Dubois, 60, began by confirming: 'Tonight, this is our last night anchoring the CBS Evening News, and we want to leave you with some farewell thoughts.'

The former CBS New York host called the 10-month stint 'the honor of a lifetime'.

The pair succeeded Norah O'Donnell less than a year ago at the behest of since-resigned execs Wendy McMahon and Bill Owens. Both left in protest of actions from the network's parent company, Paramount, earlier this year.

Dubois and Dickerson announced their exits after Paramount CEO David Ellison installed anti-woke journalist Bari Weiss as CBS's new editor in chief.

In her first major move, Weiss, 41, announced CBS Mornings' Tony Dokoupil would replace DuBois and Dickerson last week.

Thursday's installment of CBS Evening News was an emotional one. Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson offered viewers a farewell while sharing the desk one last time

Both men resigned following the appointment of anti-woke Free Press founder Bari Weiss to the top spot at CBS News in October

DuBois said he was thankful to have met some 'really, really good people' during the network's failed two-anchor experiment.

'I've traveled the country to cover communities dealing with unspeakable tragedy and loss,' DuBois said. 'But shining brightly always was the heart and soul of everyday people.'

He recalled citizens 'crying out for our leaders to do better to protect them' while playing footage of Palestinian CBS producer Marwan Al Ghoul reporting from war-torn Gaza.

'They were deeply moved to discover how warm and kind and great everyday Americans can be. And what has always made CBS great is its dedicated team of journalists.'

A behind-the-scenes clip of the Evening News team followed DuBois thanked the team as it played.

'For the relentless work of the entire team who've been fulfilling our commitment to following the facts, not opinions, and accurately informing you. I cannot thank this team enough.'

At this point, DuBois turned to Dickerson to tell him he was 'an outstanding journalist' and 'an even better person'.

'Proud to call you not just a colleague, but a friend,' he said, leaving Dickerson teary-eyed.

Dickerson, 57, was seen choking back tears. Both men appeared to take shots at the Trump administration

'Thank you, Maurice. You know, a year-and-a-half ago we didnt even really know each other. And youve become a model for me and a trusted friend,' the CBS veteran said. 'So, thank you.

'What the viewers don't know is that long before they could see us, we were thinking about you, the viewers. Planning for months in a conference room, we talked about your attention, how precious it was, and how we would honor it.

'That question has guided the decisions you saw and many you didn't,' he continued, before showing a clip of Donald Trump insulting a CBS News report.

'Correspondents who follow the facts into war zones into countries where they could be jailed into shar exchanges with the powerful, who don't like being held to account.

'Including a president who insulted them for it.'

Dickerson, in turn, told DuBois: 'It has been an honor to put the work of our correspondents, producers, editors, and writers before you,'

'And to work with my partner, Maurice, who put his heart into our shared concern, doing right by you  your expectation has been our responsibility and our reward.'

A clip of the president insulting CBS reporters was flashed on-screen during the broadcast

The two are set to be replaced by CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil early next year

Both McMahon and Owen left in protest of parent company Paramount's recent direction.

Disappointing ratings from Dickerson and DuBois dashed their dream of a two-person desk within weeks of its rollout.

Dickerson revealed he was leaving CBS in October after 16 years with the network days after Weiss was handpicked to lead the station by Ellison in October.

Ellison, the son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison, took the reins following Paramount's merger with Skydance over the summer.

The deal drew the spotlight after receiving FCC approval just days after CBS announced the cancellation of its own late-night host, Stephen Colbert.

Dokoupil, meanwhile, received attention for a fiery interview with pro-Palestinian writer Ta-Nehsi Coates that aired on CBS Mornings in October 2024 where he accused her of being an 'extremist.'

Weiss's website, The Free Press, broke the story at the time. She is a staunch supporter of Israel.

Then-CEO McMahon reprimanded Dokoupil for his behavior during the interview at a meeting with several senior CBS News staffers, the Daily Mail reported at the time.

Dokoupil is Jewish, and his ex-wife and children live in Israel. Weiss has also hired former ABC and Jerusalem Post reporter Matt Gutman to be the network's chief correspondent.

Thursday was Dickerson's last day at CBS.

DuBois will remain on the desk until early next year.
Labour has been warned it is not doing enough to protect Britains industrial crown jewels after it emerged that Rolls-Royce could build new engines overseas.

Industry body ADS said the government must step up the pace of support or risk damaging the UKs world-leading manufacturing businesses.

It comes after the Daily Mail revealed that FTSE 100-listed Rolls-Royce could build a new range of jet engines in Germany or the US instead of Britain.

The aerospace giant is being actively courted by politicians in Berlin and Washington over a programme that will create 40,000 jobs across the company and supply chain.

Any decision by Derby-based Rolls-Royce to launch build new jet engines outside the UK would be seen as a major blow to Labours faltering growth hopes.

It comes as surging energy costs  blamed on Ed Milibands Net Zero drive  are making it harder to make money from manufacturing in Britain.

The programme will create 40,000 jobs across the company and supply chain

An ADS spokesperson said: This really underlines how competitive the global market is  we have a desperate need to make and sustain the UK as an attractive place to do business.

ADS said proposals to funnel more government funding to aerospace research and to tackle high energy costs could be pivotal in achieving this.

However that may not be sufficient in aerospace particularly where geographic sourcing decisions in the next two years will have huge consequences for decades and we must ensure we maintain our market position, the spokesperson added.

Our world leading manufacturing businesses are a jewel in the UKs crown, but they will suffer without the appropriate regulatory, political and societal support.

The measures taken - or rather, announced - by this government so far are helpful; but its time they are delivered on at pace.

Derby-based Rolls-Royce is looking to re-enter the narrow-body engine market - worth 1.6trillion globally - for planes used on shorter-haul flights.

It is in talks with the Government over financial support for the programme  which Labour has identified as a key part of its industrial strategy.

And it is understood that developing the engines in Britain is the preference of boss Tufan Erginbilgic, who has led a turnaround of the UK manufacturing giant.

But insiders believe there are plenty of options outside the UK.

And without the taxpayer support it is seeking - in the hundreds of millions of pounds - it will weigh up building the engines in Germany or the US, two countries where it already has manufacturing sites - and where energy is much cheaper, the Daily Mail understands.

The company is seeking financial backing from the UK towards some of the projects 3billion research and development costs. But it estimates the business could generate more than 100billion for the UK economy.

For Rolls-Royce to launch such a major manufacturing business overseas would be seen as a body blow to Britain. It would echo other Labour setbacks, such as AstraZeneca scrapping a 450million vaccine plant on Merseyside.

Last month, the operator of the Channel Tunnel said it had cancelled future investments in the UK thanks to its soaring tax bill - further adding to fears that Keir Starmer's government is driving business away.
Banks can introduce their own contactless payment limits for customers from March under new plans from financial watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The FCA will allow firms with 'strong fraud controls' to decide if and when they want to raise the contactless payment limit beyond 100 from 19 March 2026.

Shoppers can currently make payments of up to 100 per transaction when using physical contactless cards. This was upped from 45 five years ago.

The regulator said it wants to give card providers the flexibility to decide the right limit for them and their customers.

However, customers will fear that if a card is stolen, the criminal can go on a far bigger spending rampage with a no-capped limit.

But the FCA says the only banks granted permission will be those with strong fraud controls when processing contactless transactions.

Banks will be able to set their own contactless payment limit if they wish from 19 March 2026 under FCA proposals

The FCA believes greater flexibility with the contactless limit will incentivise firms to strengthen their fraud prevention.

Banks that change the contactless limit will need to communicate the changes to their customers under the Consumer Duty rules, the regulator said.

Some banks already allow customers the ability to set their own contactless limits or turn off contactless functionality on their card altogether.

The FCA is encouraging payment firms to continue to allow their customers to do this.

Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and Santander allow customers to set both their own contactless limit up to 100 and also opt out of 'tap and go' payments.

If you are with a bank which allows you to set or scrap your contactless limit, you can do this in your mobile banking app.

Based on industry feedback, the FCA said most banks and payment service providers are likely to maintain their existing contactless limits for the foreseeable future, even after the changes come in.

Santander says it has no plans to implement its own single transaction contactless limit for card transactions.

It supports the current position in the UK of a common single transaction contactless limit of 100 and at this time do not see a need to change this approach.

Lloyds regularly reviews its function which allows customers to set their own limit in 5 increments up to 100 to see how customers are making use of it, but does not have an update on changing the limit currently.

There have been concerns that introducing unlimited contactless payments could lead to a wave of fraud as fraudsters could potentially spend larger amounts of money with stolen cards.

It is up to firms to implement strong controls to detect and prevent fraud from taking place.

The FCA may monitor whether banks have strong fraud controls by supervising the firms and through regular reporting.

The FCA said contactless card payments come with the same protection as any other card payment, meaning banks and payment firms must reimburse unauthorised fraud cases, such as when somebody's card has been lost or stolen.

Often, a card has a contactless payment limit before a PIN is required - usually five transactions, or a total amount of 300.

A UK Finance spokesman says: 'There are things like the cumulative limit that sit in the background  this means you have to enter your PIN once you hit a certain amount of spend. That is a protection measure in place.'

David Geale, executive director of payments and digital finance at the FCA, says: 'Contactless is people's favoured way to pay.

'We want to make sure our rules provide flexibility for the future, and choice for both firms and consumers.'
Crime scene established and three in hospital

Police are on the scene after a person allegedly attacked several others with an axe.

Emergency services were called to an address on Riverstone Road in Riverstone, in outer north-west Sydney, on Saturday.

Officers found two injured people who were understood to have been treated by paramedics on sight before they were taken to hospital.

A third uninjured teenager is believed to have also been taken to hospital in a state of shock.

A crime scene has now been established at the property as police work to find out what happened earlier in the day.

Photos from outside the property show a bloodied front door with a smeared red handprint left by one of the people from the scene.

Investigations are ongoing.

More to come

Three people are believed to be in hospital after an alleged bloody axe attack took place in Sydney on Saturday
NSW Premier Chris Minns has hit back over concerns police 'froze' during their response to the Bondi Beach shooting.

During a press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday morning, Minns was asked about reports that police seemed reluctant to fire back on one of the gunmen.

'I'm not going to speculate on that right now,' he said.

'There's two NSW police officers in critical condition in NSW hospitals who could have lost their lives last night.

'I'm not going to go into the circumstances of police officers that returned fire, but I can tell you their bravery, their courage in these circumstances saved countless lives and I would urge everyone not to jump to conclusions.'

He said there will be a 'full and comprehensive' investigation into the attack, but it was important to 'not run down the police at this early hour.'

It comes as eyewitnesses shared footage online of the moment a man bravely disarmed one of the attackers by grabbing his gun and turning it on him.

He was later identified by his relatives as father of two Ahmed al Ahmed, who is a fruit shop owner from Sydney's south.

NSW Premier Chris Minns was reluctant to comment on the police's response to the Bondi Beach attack

Shocking footage captured the moment hero Ahmed a Ahmed confronted one of the gunmen and grabbed his gun, before pointing it at him as the gunman crawled away

Mr Ahmed's family said he remains in hospital where he has undergone surgery for bullet wounds to his arm and hand.

His heroic actions have been praised around the world.

On Monday morning, NSW authorities confirmed the gunmen involved in the horror attack were father and son.

Naveed Akram, 24, suffered critical injuries and remains in hospital under police guard. His 50-year-old father was shot dead by police.

Police later raided two homes in Campsie and Bonnyrigg in Sydney's south-west.

15 innocent people, including a 10-year-old girl and a rabbi, were killed in the attack, with authorities warning that people may need to be prepared for the death toll to rise.

38 people remain in hospital, with seven people in a critical condition, while another four are in a critical but stable condition.

NSW authorities also confirmed there will be an increased police presence in Jewish places of community.
The long-awaited release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein's network is here.

The Justice Department was forced to publish hundreds of thousands of documents on Friday on the full trove of documents related to the convicted child sex offender after Congress promised this year to deliver it to the American public.

And while the documents are officially published on the DOJ's website, users complained online that the webpage continuously crashed as they attempted to access the release.

The drop comes on the final day allowed by law to release the files.

But top brass at President Donald Trump's DOJ admit that they were not able to fully meet the deadline, and that there are still hundreds of thousands of documents yet to be released.

'I expect that we're going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks. So today, several hundred thousand  and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Friday morning.

The case around the notorious and deceased pedophile has been entangled in years of conspiracy theories, finger-pointing and ceaseless demands for answers from Democrats, Republicans and victims of the predator's crimes.

Sleuths immediately got to work paging through the thousands of files, despite a line to access the webpage and 10-minute window to access the documents before getting booted from the DOJ website.

The Department of Justice finally released hundreds of thousands of files related to disgraced financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

Much of the documents were already out in the public, but the Justice Department drop on December 19, 2025 reveal an image of Jeffrey Epstein with a redacted woman holding a giant check from Donald Trump for $22,500

The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the files from DOJ and Epstein's estate and Democrats on the panel started releasing a trickle of evidence  including dozens of images (like the one above)

The hundreds of thousands of pages are expected to reveal brand new information, and include images, texts, emails and other documents.

But officials cautioned that a significant portion of what is unveiled may be redacted in order to protect victims of Epstein's crimes.

'We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected,' Blanche told Fox News just hours ahead of the deadline.

Congress voted last month for all of the files to be reviewed and published to the public. Trump, who initially opposed the release, signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19 and gave his DOJ a 30-day timeline for the release.

The mandate was carried out to the exact specified deadline date of December 19, 2025.

Politicians, legal experts and members of the public are now scrambling to comb through the documents and find new information tucked in the thousands of pages.

But many warned ahead of the release that there wouldn't be any bombshell revelations and outrage ensued over the limited release.

The legislation forcing the Epstein files publication allows the DOJ to redact or withhold details 'which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.'

But prosecution of Bondi or any other DOJ official would likely still be possible in the extraordinary event of intentional obstruction or destruction of evidence.

'There's no penalty for selective redactions,' historian and American University professor Allan Lichtman told BBC.

\An initial review indicates the documents released today originate from three separate investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes against young women.

Many of the files appear to stem from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a federal probe that culminated in Epstein's controversial 2008 plea deal.

Others relate to a later investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019 - a case that was never finished after Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial.

The Epstein files is one of the most controversial sets of documents in US history, and arguments over its release led to a series of political stunts.

This included Attorney General Pam Bondi convening conservative influencers at the White House in February and handing them binders labeled 'Epstein Files: Phase 1'  though it contained no new information and led to a slew of criticism.

One image shows a table of Epstein's framed pictures, including a decades-old one of himself with Donald and Melania Trump

Images show several of former President Bill Clinton, including one of him partying in a hot tub

Another shows Bill Clinton swimming in an indoor pool

The never-before-seen images released by the Justice Department also show former President Clinton with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross

And it almost led Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino, a right-wing conspiracy theorist, to quit the administration following reports of tensions with Bondi over the handling of the saga.

Differing opinions regarding release of the files also caused the high profile political breakup between Trump and one-time MAGA darling Congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene last month.

On July 7, 2025, the FBI and DOJ released a statement ending the Epstein files review.

Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel concluded that no further prosecution was warranted  even though many Americans wanted to see others prosecuted for involvement in Epstein's crimes.

The review also shut down any conspiracies that Epstein was killed in prison as it confirmed his August 2019 death was self-inflicted.

Controversy ensued after that conclusion was released as internet sleuths found faults in surveillance video from outside the cell  including a missing minute of footage.

It's known that Donald Trump and other high profile politicians and businessmen associated with Jeffrey Epstein  especially before his 2008 conviction and 13-month jail sentence for prostitution with a minor

But Democrats were also caught in the crosshairs of the release. The Oversight Committee released an image signed by Bill Clinton showing the former president with Jimmy Buffet, his wife Jane Slagsvol, Epstein and longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell

Attorney General Pam Bondi tried to appease those pushing for answers on Epstein by inviting MAGA influencers to the White House on February 27, 2025 and handing them a binder labeled 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1'

Another image released ahead of the full files drop shows Epstein with filmmaker Woody Allen, who has faced allegations of sexual assault but never been convicted

Here Epstein poses for a mirror selfie with Trump advisor Steve Bannon

Trump repeatedly denounced the files as a 'Democrat hoax' he claimed is a left-wing effort to link him to the disgraced financier. He was adamant about having no contact with Epstein after he was kicked out of Mar-a-Lago in 2007 for allegedly being 'a creep.'

He told reporters on Air Force One that he had a 'very bad relationship for many years' with Epstein and said it wasn't necessary for all of the documents to be released after his DOJ reached its conclusion upon review of the files.

But his tune changed once Democrats started to release a trickle of evidence from the investigation linking Trump and other high profile businessmen and politicans to Epstein.

Trump said he would have his DOJ release all information from the files so that all Democrats with connections to the offender could be revealed.

But House Democrats beat him to the punch.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed the Justice Department and Epstein estate for its files earlier this year  appearing to do so under pressure from Democratic members of the panel.

In response, the Kentucky Republican subpoenaed former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, as well as multiple former attorneys general, for depositions. Former Trump AG William Barr is the only one who has so far provided testimony.

One image from the estate shows Epstein and Maxwell meeting Pope John Paul II

Once Democrats on the Oversight panel got a copy of the documents in August, they started reviewing and releasing a trickle of images, videos and correspondence it found linking prominent individuals to Epstein.

The latest drop came just one day before the full release and included images of passports, text messages with demographics of women and parts of women's bodies with excerpos from the novel Lolita written on them.

Another drop this week showed images of Epstein with Trump, former President Bill Clinton, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, actor and director Woody Allen, Prince Andrew, Bill Gates and others.

And a release on December 3 included harrowing images of Epstein's deserted private island Little St. James. Those images did not include any individuals but showed a creepy dentist office with masks of men's faces lining the walls, a dried-up steam room and a library with redacted words written on a chalk board.

The images were part of 95,000 the committee said it reviewed.

Comer set a December 17 and 18 deadline for the Clintons to testify before Congress or schedule a time to appear in January. Neither have appeared despite the threats.
A town has backed its MP in declaring war on balaclava-clad yobs who terrorise their community on souped-up e-bikes.

Residents of Darlington, County Durham, and the towns that surround it, are plagued by gangs of youths on off-road and electric bikes who cause havoc while disguising themselves behind balaclavas and ski masks.

The issue has become so prevalent that traffic cops have coined the term the 'Balaclava Club' as they wage a daily battle to keep the public safe from riders as young as 12 years old.

There was a warning that the danger riders are modifying standard electric bikes, buying kits online that can make them go at double their intended speed.

Darlington's Labour MP Lola McEvoy last week demanded an immediate clampdown, urging the local authority to raise 100 fines for anyone wearing a balaclava or face covering to harass or intimidate others.

Under her proposed public space protection order (PSPO), face coverings worn for religious reasons would be exempt.

Councils in Surrey, Essex and the West Midlands have recently taken similar action as part of a balaclava crackdown.

In Darlington, fed-up local people backed their MP's tough stance.

Alison Brydon, 61, said: 'I agree with her completely, I don't like the town any more after living here for 40 years.

Police apprehend a masked e-bike rider racing through the streets of Darlington, Co Durham

This is the moment police laid a trap to bring balaclava-clad youths to a stop in Darlington

Over the past six months, the residents of the quaint town of Darlington have been terrorised by groups of balaclava-clad teenagers who harass and intimidate people - including young families

'It's concerning to see kids roaming around on bikes intimidating people as they go about their business.

'Nothing seems to stop them, they're not scared of authority so how do you make it stop? I think the fines is a good idea although I expect it will be the parents who end up paying them.

'Something has to be done because people are sick of their town being ruined by antisocial behaviour.'

Politics student Jessica Morgan, 20, said her neighbourhood, Branksome, is plagued by masked bikers.

She said: 'It's really dangerous, not just for people on foot that they might crash into but for the kids on the bikes themselves.

'They ride around on these bikes wearing nothing but a balaclava to protect them and when you come across them in a car you can sometimes barely see them in the road.

'I'm often concerned that I might hit one of them, because they ride so recklessly.

'At night you will even see groups of them come riding into the centre of town as if they own the place. I think the MP has got it exactly right, something urgently needs to be done.'

Graeme Huston, 59, manager of the Wheelbase bike shop in Darlington, warned that the young bikers were modifying standard electric bikes to make them faster.

He said: 'Electric bikes are quite powerful machines but they're restricted to a top speed of about 15 and a half miles per hour.

'But we're aware that these bikes are being derestricted using kits that can easily be bought online to allow them to travel faster.

'So if you have a bike that's capable of doing perhaps 25 to 30mph you suddenly have a much more dangerous situation.'

The youths ride through Darlington, often on electric-powered bikes or quad bikes, zigzagging in and out of traffic while doing wheelies and other dangerous manoeuvres

Residents in Darlington (pictured) have backed their local MP to ban balaclavas in the town

Police are seen chasing balaclava-clad youths through Darlington, Co Durham

Jim Cunningham, 64, said: 'Wearing balaclavas not only gives them anonymity, they also give them bravado.

'You will invariably see these young men zigzagging in and out of traffic on these electric bikes, it's incredibly dangerous.'

Ms McEvoy sparked the debate at the weekend, saying: 'So many residents have brought [balaclava-clad youths] up with me and that in parks and across the town they are using balaclavas to hide from the police and it's intimidating, people don't want to go to the park with their kids. I want to see action taken on it.

'The police said there's been 100 incidents last year where balaclavas were mentioned and that's in the town centre alone. There's been 800 cases of anti-social behaviour in Darlington between July and October this year.'

In regular posts, Durham Roads and Armed Policing unit (DRAP) keep the public updated on their encounters with masked yobs.

One recent account came after a balaclava-clad rider refused to stop on a disused former rail track in Willington, near Darlington.

The DRAP team said: 'Earlier this afternoon the rider of this off road bike failed to stop for one of ouroff road motorcycles on the old lines in Willington.

'After efforts to remove the rider were initially unsuccessful, a pursuit was engaged in along the lines before going back on road at Hunwick.

'Thankfully the member of the Balaclava Club decided to introduce himself to the pavement so we didn't have to. He was then apprehended.

Police are cracking down on balaclava-clad youths. Here, a masked rider goes flying in May this year

Graeme Huston (pictured), 59, manager of the Wheelbase bike shop in Darlington, warned that the young bikers were modifying standard electric bikes to make them faster

'Bike seized, rider off to court for numerous offences including failing to stop and not wearing a helmet. Another that should just have stopped.'

In another incident near Darlington town centre two teens were pursued for 15 minutes.

The DRAP team said: 'A suspected stolen moped went by our off road motorcycles, two up, both wearing balaclavas and the reg plate snapped off.

'They failed to stop and a 15 minute pursuit was engaged in where they road dangerously on and off the road.'

The stolen bike was eventually stopped with the use of a Stinger device which punctured its tyres.

The DRAP spokesman concluded: 'Two teenage members of the Balaclava Club were arrested and are now in custody.'

Inspector David Littlefair, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: 'We have received complaints from residents who say they feel intimidated by people who wear balaclavas and cause antisocial behaviour.

'The culprits are mainly youths, and they wear these masks to try and conceal their own identity. While they may not always be actively participating in criminal behaviour, their actions are making people feel unsafe and unable to use public spaces comfortably.

Alison Brydon (pictured), 61, said: 'I agree with her completely, I don't like the town any more after living here for 40 years'

'Police officers can ask people to remove a face covering under existing legislation, but this is only temporary and is more associated to people who are actively committing a crime.

'We are in the very early stages of discussions with Darlington Borough Council to explore the options available to us.

'We are also looking at whether initiatives banning the wearing of balaclavas and face masks, which have been introduced in local authority areas across the country, have been beneficial in reducing antisocial behaviour.

'Everyone has a right to feel safe where they live, and we share the views of most people who believe that this behaviour has no place in our communities.

'We welcome any new initiative that could tackle antisocial behaviour and I look forward to having further discussions with the council.'

Darlington Borough Council said it was working with the police to address people's concerns.
As is customary in their Jewish faith, director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele would have hoped to be buried within 24 hours of passing.

But of course, their bodies  having been slashed to death in the early hours of Sunday morning  remain in police custody, pending a murder investigation into their own son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner.

And so, it is understood that on Monday the couple's famous friends gathered for an impromptu memorial anyway  to honor their wish of a prompt send-off.

Comedian Albert Brooks hosted the gathering at his mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Also in attendance were actor Billy Crystal, his producer wife Janice, and comedians Larry David, Bill Hader and Conan O'Brien. They've all known the Reiners for decades.

And they had all also been at O'Brien's now infamous holiday party on Saturday night, which the Reiners had attended with Nick in tow, reportedly telling friends they were 'scared' of what he might do if left alone.

Nick had been living in the guesthouse of the Reiners' own Brentwood mansion, after years of substance abuse issues, at least 18 stints in rehab and some periods of homelessness.

On Monday, the Reiners' famous friends gathered for a impromptu memorial. Comedian Albert Brooks hosted the gathering. Also in attendance were actor Billy Crystal (pictured with Rob Reiner), his producer wife Janice, and comedians Larry David, Bill Hader and Conan O'Brien

They had all also been at O'Brien's now infamous holiday party on Saturday night, which the Reiners had attended with Nick (pictured) in tow

Nick had been living in the guesthouse of the Reiners' Brentwood mansion, after years of substance abuse issues and some periods of homelessness. (Pictured: Rob and Michele Reiner with children Jake, Romy and Nick)

At the O'Brien party, it is now known that Nick was acting erratically and disturbing fellow partygoers. And at one point in the evening, he was reportedly introduced to Hader by his father, before Nick then awkwardly 'interrupted' the SNL comic.

Hader is said to have then told Nick that he was 'in the middle of a private conversation', which prompted an angry outburst.

Nick stood motionless and 'stared' before 'storming off,' a source claimed to NBC News.

Hours later, of course, prosecutors claim that Nick went on to kill both his parents.

But, in a bombshell revelation, an insider now tells the Daily Mail that, during Monday's impromptu memorial, further details about the blow-up at the O'Brien party were discussed.

As one of the gathered A-listers told it, minutes after Nick stormed out, Rob became emotional, going over to a group of friends and saying: 'I'm petrified of him [Nick]. I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me.'

It is understood that, upon hearing this, many of those at Monday's memorial were left in tears.

Of course, it won't have been lost on anyone present how hauntingly portentous Rob's words were given what is alleged to have come next.

The Daily Mail has requested comment from representatives for all the stars in attendance at Monday's memorial.

One denied that Rob had made the comments about Nick at O'Brien's party.

Reiner, 78, and Crystal, 77, in particular had enjoyed a decades-long closeness after first meeting in 1975 on the set of hit sitcom All In The Family, for which they were cast as best friends.

Crystal went on to star in Reiner's smash-hit 1989 film When Harry Met Sally  and their two families have remained close ever since.

On Sunday, the actor was seen with his wife Janice, 76, outside the Reiners' LA mansion, after reportedly having being called to the home by the couple's 27-year-old daughter, Romy, who tragically found her parents' bodies at around 3.30pm local time that afternoon.

Crystal was seen wiping away tears as law enforcement descended on the property.

He joined with other notable comedy legends and stars in a statement shared with the Associated Press on Tuesday evening.

The friends and colleagues who included Brooks, David, Martin Short and director Barry Levinson, among others, praised Reiner as 'a great comic actor' and 'a master storyteller'.

At the O'Brien party, it is now known that Nick was acting erratically and disturbing fellow partygoers. (Pictured: Rob with When Harry Met Sally stars Meg Ryan amd Crystal)

And at one point, Nick was reportedly introduced to Hader (pictured, left, with O'Brien), before Nick then awkwardly 'interrupted' the SNL comic. Hader is said to have then told Nick that he was 'in the middle of a private conversation', which prompted an angry outburst

But, in a bombshell revelation, an insider now tells the Daily Mail that, during Monday's impromptu memorial, further details about the blow up at the O'Brien party were discussed. (Pictured: Albert Brooks, O'Brien and Rob)

As one of the A-listers told it, after the blow up with Nick, Rob became emotional, going over to a group of friends and saying: 'I'm petrified of him [Nick]. I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me.' (Pictured: Rob and Larry David)

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office revealed that Rob and Michele's deaths had been caused by 'multiple sharp force injuries'.

Their son Nick was arrested at around 9pm Sunday and has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his parents.

He made a brief court appearance on Wednesday, wearing an anti-suicide vest, where he did not enter a plea.

He has hired famous defense attorney Alan Jackson, who asked the judge for a continuance, saying that he 'needed more time' to prepare his case.

Nick's arraignment was pushed to January 7. He will be held in jail without bail.
Do you know more? Email Jonica.bray@dailymail.com.au

A Sydney teenager has been arrested after allegedly making antisemitic threats towards a Jewish passenger on board a packed flight from Bali.

Nazih Chahine, 19, from Condell Park, faced NSW Local Court today, is accused of threatening violence towards a member of the Jewish community during the international flight on December 17.

However, his father, Wael, told Daily Mail the teen has been unfairly targeted during the alleged confrontation, which unfolded in front of families returning from holidays.

'The story is twisted, that's all I have to say,' he said.

'I can't say anything until after the court proceedings.'

Wael said he was 'disappointed' the allegations had been made public and said he was hopeful the matter would go 'well' during the court process.

The Australian Federal Police allege the teen made antisemitic threats and violent hand gestures towards a male passenger he knew to be affiliated with the Jewish community.

The AFP were alerted to the situation mid-flight when concerned cabin crew requested assistance during the six-hour journey.

A Sydney teenager has been arrested after allegedly making antisemitic threats towards a Jewish passenger on board a packed flight from Bali

Once the plane touched down at Sydney International Airport, armed officers were waiting

Once the plane touched down at Sydney International Airport, armed officers were waiting.

Nazih was arrested as passengers disembarked and spent the night behind bars after being refused bail.

He has since been charged under section 80.2BB(2) of the Criminal Code with threatening force or violence against members of a group or their close associates.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment.

Footage of the arrest shows Nazih as he is escorted down a corridor by two officers.

One officer can be heard telling him to 'watch his head' as he is lowered into the back of a police vehicle in an underground car park.

Nazih's arrest comes just days after a mass shooting in Bondi during a Hanukkah event on Sunday, where members of the Jewish community were targeted, leaving 15 innocent people dead.

Police insist there is no ongoing threat to the wider community.
An X user who was jailed for anti-immigration posts viewed only 33 times was reported to the police by his own brother-in-law.

Luke Yarwood was handed an 18-month prison sentence for stirring racial hatred with tweets following the Magdeburg Christmas Market attack in December 2024.

In one post, he called people to go to the hotels housing migrants 'and burn them to the ground' in response to tweets about the car attack, where six were killed.

The 36-year-old's posts had been reported to his local force by his own brother-in-law, Kevin O'Callaghan, with whom he did not get along.

His 'extremely unpleasant posts' had the potential to spark disorder at one of the three high-profile migrant hotels, local to him in Bournemouth, the court heard.

His defence counsel argued his posts 'were the 'impotent rantings of a socially isolated man' and had 'no real world' consequences with both combined having been viewed just 33 times.

But Judge Jonathan Fuller said Yarwood's 'odious' tweets were designed to stir up racial hatred and incite violence, sentencing him to a year and a half behind bars.

The case has been compared Lucy Connolly's - a Tory councillor wife who was jailed for calling people to 'set fire' to asylum hotels after the Southport attack in July 2024.

Loner Luke Yarwood, 33, from Dorset, has been jailed after posting two 'odious' anti-immigration tweets that were viewed just 33 times

The 36-year-old's posts had been reported to his local force by his own brother-in-law, Kevin O'Callaghan (pictured), with whom he did not get along

Bournemouth Crown Court heard Yarwood from Burton, Dorset, made a series of anti-Muslim and anti-immigration posts between December 21, 2024 to January 29, 2025.

His post started the day after the Christmas market attack in Germany, when online misinformation suggested the person responsible was an Islamic extremist.

Yarwood responded to a post that stated thousands of Germans were taking to the streets and they wanted their country back.

'Head for the hotels housing them and burn them to the ground,' he wrote, the court was told.

Meanwhile, further posts by him displayed a 'rabid dislike' for foreigners, particularly Islam, these did not stir up racial hatred or incite violence.

The 36-year-old wrote about the number of foreign people in Bournemouth, stating: 'Walking for ages and not hearing a word of English.'

He also expressed his disgust at seeing 'asylum seekers outside the hotel staring at young college girls'.

The second illegal tweet was made in response to a post by GB News.

Join the debate Should people be jailed for hate speech online?

Judge Jonathan Fuller said Yarwood's 'odious' tweets were designed to stir up racial hatred and incite violence, and jailed him (Pictured: Yarwood leaving Poole Magistrates' Court at an earlier hearing)

Nick Tucker, defending, said Yarwood was feuding with his sister and brother-in-law (pictured), who reported his posts to police

'I think it's time for the British to gang together, hit the streets and start the slaughter,' he wrote.

'Violence and murder is the only way now. Start off burning every migrant hotel then head off to MPs' houses and Parliament, we need to take over by FORCE.'

Ms Linsley said that while the two posts in question had minimal views, other posts Yarwood made in the same period had been viewed over 800 times.

'So there would have been some awareness that he was not merely shouting into the void,' she said.

'He was also replying to bigger accounts that have more followers, such as GB News.'

One of GB News's posts that he replied to had one million views, Ms Linsey told the court.

'In posts over this one-month period the defendant plainly demonstrates a rabid dislike of those he regards as 'non-British' - immigrants, Muslims, as well as other minority groups within society.

'The two specific posts were aimed at immigrants or asylum seekers, housed in government hotels.

'This wasn't reckless behaviour, this was a pattern that happened over a month. It was rooted in his belief. He was angry about the presence of Muslims and foreigners in Britain.

'These two posts bookended a series of extremely unpleasant posts between December and January.'

Ms Linsley drew comparisons with the Lucy Connolly case, saying that although the high risk of disorder was not the same, the atmosphere 'around these hotels and asylum seekers remains an extremely contentious one'.

'There are ongoing protests daily around asylum hotels up and down the country that are having to be policed,' she said.

'We are not in immediate risk of widespread disorder, but the atmosphere is not one of calm in this country around this issue.

'The whole country is aware of the disorder that took place after the Southport killings, including an arson attack on a hotel and he was encouraging others to overthrow Parliament by force and head to MPs homes.'

Nick Tucker, defending, said: 'The current climate is such that this sort of activity has the potential to fuel serious disturbances. Thankfully this was viewed by an extremely limited audience.

'There is no evidence that it had any real world consequences. They are the impotent rantings of a socially isolated man with fragile mental health.'

Yarwood was in a feud with his sister and brother-in-law, who reported his racist posts to police, he said.

At the time, the 36-year-old was stressed, at a low point and no longer held his 'extremist views', his defence said.

He also said Yarwood's ill health would make custody very difficult for him and prevent him seeing his son and sought to persuade the judge to suspend the jail term.

'He acknowledges the views he expressed were uneducated, ignorant and odious,' he added.

Yarwood had a 'preoccupation with immigrants and particular obsession with Islam and some extreme Right-wing views', Bournemouth Crown Court heard

'The defendant is not at heart a racist, he simply found this to be a convenient channel for his discontent.

'That's not an excuse but to draw a distinction between a dyed in the wool idealogue that thinks those of other races are inferior and not welcome in this country and someone disaffected, ill-educated and misinformed who reaches for the most convenient subject for his rather inarticulate rantings.'

Judge Fuller said the matter was so serious only immediate custody was appropriate.

He said Yarwood had a 'preoccupation with immigrants and particular obsession with Islam and some extreme Right-wing views'.

'This is not a court of politics but law. You are entitled to express your views, but freedom of speech is not an absolute right, it's a qualified one,' the judge said.

'What the law prohibits is the stirring up of racial hatred.

'The continuing safety and stability of our communities are undermined by actions such as yours.

'The tweets speak for themselves, they are odious in the extreme. There could be few clearer examples of words specifically designed to stir up racial hatred and incite violence.

'They are serious offences that could have had serious consequences and can only be marked by a sentence of immediate imprisonment.'

Mr O'Callaghan declined to comment.
A woman suspected of kidnapping her daughter more than 40 years ago has been sensationally arrested outside of her home in an altercation captured on police body camera footage.

Police confronted Debra Newton, 66, in Florida last month while she was walking her dog with a friend in their retirement community.

When a Marion County police officer revealed there was a warrant out for Debra's arrest, the pair thought it was a joke.

'Uh oh, they're coming for you,' her friend said, laughing at the thought.

Newton is accused of kidnapping her three-year-old daughter Michelle from her Louisville, Kentucky home in April 1983 and assuming a new identity to raise her.

The mother and daughter had not been heard from in decades, despite Newton once being among the FBI's 'Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives.'

The case was unsolved until a Crime Stoppers tip directed the Marion County Sheriff's department to Newton's new life as 'Sharon' in The Villages.

'They're messing with you, Sharon,' her neighbor said in the video. An officer assured her they were not and sent the neighbor home.

Newton had remarried, retired, and completely reconstructed her life in the almost 43 years her daughter had been 'missing,' per Fox 35 Orlando.

'I didn't do anything,' Newton said in the bodycam footage as her husband came out of the house to assess the chaos. He looked equally bewildered by Newton's arrest.

Debra Newton (center) was arrested in late November after being the main suspect in her daughter's kidnapping for nearly 43 years

Debra Newton is now facing charges of custodial interference, which have no statute of limitations

Officers handcuffed the suspect and loaded her into a patrol car, leaving her husband in shock with their dog in tow.

After she was arrested, Newton was extradited to Kentucky where a family member posted her bond.

She voluntarily appeared in court on December 8 and pleaded not guilty to felony charges of custodial interference.

Police said the charges do not have a stature of limitations, allowing prosecutors to move forward with the decades-old case.

More than 40 years ago, Newton and her husband Joe were packing up their Louisville, Kentucky home to move to Georgia for Newton's new job.

Michelle and her mother left early for the family's new adventure, but instead vanished. After one final phone call in 1985, Joe thought his daughter was gone forever.

Michelle Newton was just three years old when she and her mother vanished in 1983

Michelle and her father, Joe, reunited after her mother's arrest. They last saw each other in 1983 when the family was preparing to move to Georgia

'Wouldn't you want your child back at least to see her grow up,' he told WLKY at the time.

Police remained on high alert, searching for Michelle for 17 years before dismissing the case in 2000.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's office reopened and reindicted the case in 2016.

It wasn't until this year that a courageous amateur detective 'identified a possible match for a 66-year-old woman using a different name,' authorities said.

The US Marshal Task Force compared a 1983 image of Newton and a DNA sample from her sister to find a 99.9 percent match and end her alleged 43-year ruse.

Court records show Debra pleaded not guilty to the charges and she is now out on bond

Jefferson County Police found Michelle, 45, in a completely different state under a brand new name, unaware that she may be a victim.

They called Joe to let him know his daughter is alive and well. The pair reunited at his home in Louisville.

'She's always been in our heart,' he told WLKY.

'I can't explain that moment of that woman walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter.'

Newton is due back in court on January 23. Both Joe and Michelle reportedly attended her initial hearing.

The Daily Mail contacted the Marion and Jefferson County Sheriffs' Offices for more information.
A Pennsylvania elementary school's water supply has tested positive for cancer-causing 'forever chemicals' after a seedy landfill with no filtration leaked into the system.

The Boyertown Landfill served as a dumping ground for Boyertown's office trash, construction debris, sewage treatment plant and industrial waste for decades.

The small town sits less than 50 miles northeast of Philadelphia. It has a population of just over 4,000 people.

One of the town's two elementary schools is just 3,000 feet from the disgusting dumping ground.

The unsealed, 30-acre landfill has been used since at least the 1950s. It stopped accepting waste in 1985.

Because it was created so long ago, the dump operated without an impermeable bottom which keeps toxic liquids from leaking out into nearby water supplies.

Due to the oversight, a public well used by Gilbertsville Elementary School tested positive for the existence of 'forever chemicals' known as PFAS, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer.

The elementary school opened its doors in 1996, after the landfill had closed.

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection released the numbers on December 10. Water at the elementary school reportedly contained 6.7 parts per trillion of PFAS.

A well used by Gilbertsville Elementary School tested positive for a harmful supply of chemicals thanks to a nearby landfill

Boyertown Area School District Superintendent informed parents about the chemicals in a letter on Monday

One person even alleged that some results showed levels 'over 14', according to The Mercury.

State standards stipulated that water must have less than 14 pars per trillion PFAS.

However, the federal standard that supersedes state law goes into effect in 2031 and demands water levels have less than 4 parts per trillion.

The man-made chemicals were prolifically used in the 1940s.

Boyertown Area School District superintendent Scott Davidheiser informed parents about the PFA compounds in a letter on Monday, per the Inquirer.

Davidheiser told families that the district 'remains committed to safety in all areas, including water safety.'

The school district is working with Suburban Water Technology Inc. to lower the PFAS levels to federal standards. They will reconvene to discuss the plan in January.

The Enquirer reported that water sampling from 2024 and 2025 showed multiple locations in the landfill were chock full of PFA compounds.

The PFAS leaked out of a retired 30-acre landfill just 3,000 feet away

The EPA is currently evaluating whether or not to designate the landfill as a Superfund site. This designation would allocate federal funds to help clean it up.

According to the state website, it was named a hazardous sites cleanup program site in 2001.

Polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS managed to leak out into nearby residential neighborhoods as well.

State officials already provided filtration systems and water bottles for Boyertown residents within in a half mile radius of the landfill whose water tested above four ppt.

However, The Mercury reported the DEP will no to do the same for Gilbertsville Elementary because it is operated within a public system.

The lasting affects of PFAS are still being researched. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the manufactured chemicals can increase risk for prostate, kidney and testicular cancers.

They can also affect the immune system and interfere with hormones.

The Daily Mail contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Boyertown Area School District for comment.
The deadly Pacific Palisades fire, which tore through wealthy celebrity enclaves in Los Angeles, took hold in an area where firefighters had restricted access as part of woke laws protecting endangered plant species.

A class action lawsuit involving more than 3,000 claimants revealed text messages and avoidance maps in court, showing that state parks officials were concerned about endangered plants when responding to the Lachman Fire on January 1, 2024.

This blaze was believed to have been extinguished in Topanga State Park until six days later, when it reignited into the Palisades inferno, which started on January 7 and burned for 24 days through the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.

The blaze killed 12 people, destroyed 7,000 homes, caused damage worth $150 billion, and occurred simultaneously to the deadly Eaton fire nearby, wreaking havoc on Los Angeles and stretching resources beyond their limit.

Attorneys alleged that the state park officials directly interfered with LAFD's mop-up operations of the Lachman fire in an effort to preserve endangered milkvetch plants, which were growing in the region.

In messages seen by NewsNation, state park employees discussed their plans to protect the plants during the Lachman fire.

'There is federally endangered astragalus along the Temescal fire road. Would be nice to avoid cutting it if possible,' one state park official wrote.

'Do you have avoidance maps?'

New details have emerged after texts show State Park Officials were worried about endangered plants during the initial response of the Lachman fire

The State Park Officials were protecting the milkvetch plants which were growing in the region

'I have a couple of READS on standby. I'll wait to deploy them until you get on scene and assess the situation.'

The official added: 'Definitely will want to send them down if heavy equipment arrives.'

These maps laid out where the designated avoidance areas were, and firefighters, as part of the state's wildfire mitigation plan, are instructed to restrict operations in the region in an effort to preserve the sites.

The Palisades Fire reignited within one of the restricted avoidance areas, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Governor Gavin Newsom's office denied that state park employees were in charge at the burn site, instead blaming another agency.

'The notion that State Parks favors plants over people is ludicrous,' a spokesman for California State Parks said in a statement to the LA Times.

'State Parks never hinders an active firefighting response, and firefighting decisions are up to the responding agency.

'In this instance, the fire in question was deemed by LAFD to be fully contained a few hours after an arsonist started it.'

Join the debate Should protecting endangered plants ever take priority over saving homes and lives during wildfires?

Governor Gavin Newsom's office initially denied that any California officials were on the scene until changing their response to that they were not in charge

Contradictory photos shows state park officials at the Topanga State Park with firefighters

One of the text read: 'There is federally endangered astragalus along the Temescal fire road. Would be nice to avoid cutting it if possible'

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with starting the catastrophic blaze that destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.

But Attorney Roger Behle, representing the 3,000 claimants, refuted the state's claim to NewsNation: 'The state's narrative that they had nothing to do with it, and it's some other agency's fault, it's their responsibility, it's not ours, flies in the face of the evidence.'

Behle cited photo evidence contradicting Newsom's office's claims.

The suit also alleges that the state of California failed to monitor the Lachman fire adequately.

More revealing texts indicated that firefighters warned it was 'a bad idea' to leave the smoldering fire. However, they were ordered to leave the scene.

The damning evidence joins a laundry list of failures alleged against the state's response to the fires.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, was charged with starting the catastrophic blaze that destroyed thousands of homes

The Lachman fire was believed to have been extinguished until six days later, it reignited into the Palisades fire which killed 12 people

The California State Parks denied the allegations to the Daily Mail: 'This is false. As part of its general management of parks, State Parks identifies avoidance areas where endangered species and other sensitive archeological and cultural resources exist with the goal being to preserve these areas if at all possible, from disturbance.'

'The Lachman Fire was deemed by LAFD to be fully contained a few hours after it started, and it was not until well after containment that Parks scientific staff came to evaluate the park for impacts caused by firefighting activities.'

'No one from State Parks interfered with any firefighting activity (suppression or mop-up) nor influenced LAFDs decision to not use bulldozers as part of the firefighting response to the Lachman Fire. LAFD independently determined bulldozers were not required.'

The Los Angeles Police Department released an embarrassing report on its response to the fires, putting pressure on city leaders.

Cops released their findings on November 4 after a damning inquiry, which found breakdowns in communication, specifically with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The 92-page review sought to identify areas for improvement but also noted the courageous efforts of emergency responders.

The findings were presented to the Police Commission at the civilian oversight panel's public meeting on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The report found firefighters lacked enough resources and struggled to communicate clearly in the first 36 hours of the blaze, and that those challenges hampered their response during a critical time.

It said the department did not pre-deploy enough resources despite warnings of severe winds.

The Palisades fire went on to become one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles' history.

The Eaton Fire broke out the same day in the community of Altadena, destroying more than 9,400 homes and killing 19 people.
Distressing video has emerged of customers brawling with employees behind the counter of a Chipotle in Connecticut, sparking a police investigation.

The fight broke out on December 13 between two customers and a pair of staff at the New Britain Avenue location in West Hartford.

In the footage, one of the customers appeared to hurl an unknown object at one of the female employees who was standing behind the register.

Other patrons standing in line watch on in horror as the situation unfolds, as even other staff members find themselves unable to look away.

The employee attempts to strike back, picking up something from the counter and throwing it back.

Another item is then thrown by a male wearing a green jacket and a beanie as the female he is with forces herself behind the counter.

In that instant, the two women resort to physical blows as the server is dragged to the ground.

Moments later, the woman's male companion joins her behind the counter, dragging a male staff member to the floor in the melee.

The man that could be seen n a dark green jacket and beanie can be seen bull rushing a staff member and taking him to the ground

The other woman with the man also took an employee to the ground until the fight made its way back on to their feet where the women pulled each others hair until the video ended

The video shows the moment an employee appears from behind and bear-hugs the man, who still manages to land a couple of punches on the Chipotle worker.

Simultaneously, the female customer was also standing above the woman behind the counter, as another employee tried to intervene.

The women were seen pulling each other's hair before the footage finally ends.

Authorities are investigating the shocking incident, but at this time no arrests have been made.

'At Chipotle, the health and safety of our employees and our guests is our highest priority, Chipotle Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer Laurie Schalow told the Daily Mail.

'We have zero tolerance for guests who mistreat our employees and fail to give them the respect they deserve.'

It's unclear at this time what caused the altercation.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the West Hartford Police Department for comment.

The brawl took place at New Britain Avenue location in West Hartford, Connecticut

A similar incident at a Chipotle broke out almost exactly a year ago when an angry customer launched a violent attack on a Chipotle employee and threatened to stab him after alleging the restaurant messed up her order.

Video showed the enraged female customer walking behind the counter at a Chipotle in northeast Washington, DC, on December 21, and began making her own burrito bowl.

She pushes workers aside as she piles food into the bowl, shaking and screaming at the staff as they try to intervene.

Employee Roberto Hernandez tried to grab the bowl from her arms, but the woman pulled it back and slapped him across the face, sending food flying around the counter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Anthony Albanese of ignoring his warnings about rising antisemitism ahead of the Bondi Beach shooting.

In a blistering interview, Netanyahu said the attack was preventable and accused his Australian counterpart of failing to act despite explicit warnings months earlier.

He said lives would have been saved if Jewish community events had been sufficiently protected, describing current restrictions as reckless and outdated.

Asked whether Albanese ignored his calls to take action on antisemitism, Netanyahu replied: 'I'm afraid he did.'

'It was bound to reach these tragic outcomes, just as I warned Prime Minister Albanese,' he told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

'In my letter to Prime Minister Albanese a few months ago I stated clearly you're going to have this uptick, it's going to happen, there's no question about it.

'I say now to the Australian government: damn it, wake up! You don't need any more warnings, you've already received enough.'

Netanyahu said the Albanese government's decision to formally recognise Palestine effectively rewarded Hamas for the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) said Australia had failed to protect its Jewish population against the rising threat of antisemitism despite repeated warnings

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied his treatment of Palestine in any way contributed to the kinds of violence against Jewish people seen at Bondi Beach on Sunday

The move sent a dangerous signal internationally and domestically, he said.

'The message that was heard by this action was 'Kill Jews, you'll get rewarded',' he said.

Netanyahu said the consequences were now being felt in Australia, where he claimed authorities failed to respond to clear warning signs.

Albanese rejected any link between Australia's treatment of Palestine and the Bondi Beach terror attacks after Netanyahu raised the idea in a speech earlier this week.

'No, I don't,' he told the ABC's 7.30 program when asked if he accepted any link between the two. 'Overwhelmingly, most of the world recognises a two-state solution as being the way forward in the Middle East.'

Netanyahu said Jewish communities around the world were being targeted precisely because attackers knew they were vulnerable and often unprotected.

He said that was why Bondi Beach was chosen by alleged gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, who opened fire on a Jewish event on Sunday night, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more.

'These terrorists are now looking for the places where Jews are vulnerable.'

Bondi Beach became the scene of Australia's deadliest mass shooting in decades on Sunday, when alleged gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, (pictured) opened fire

The Bondi Beach terror attacks have left deep scars on the Jewish community, both in Australia and abroad. Mourners are pictured at a makeshift memorial on Monday

Jewish security groups in NSW had requested permission to carry firearms at high-risk public events, including Chanukah gatherings.

The NSW Government rejected those requests outside authorised places of worship, such as synagogues and schools - though Premier Chris Minns has confirmed looser restrictions are on the table since Sunday's attack.

Netanyahu said armed guards had prevented hundreds, if not thousands, of terror attacks in Israel.

He said even a small armed presence at Bondi could have saved lives.

'You cannot fight with your bare hands against someone who comes with a Kalashnikov or automatic rifle, it's impossible,' he said.

'Just imagine, if you had on that beach, on that Chanukah gathering, several armed people, several armed guards, 10, 15, even five, it would have been over.'

Netanyahu said the deaths of a 10-year-old girl, Holocaust survivors and others could have been prevented with proper intelligence action and security planning.

He urged Australian authorities to crack down on radical Islamist cells and restrict pro-Palestinian 'hate' marches.

Ten-year-old Matilda (pictured) was the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach terror attacks

'For terror, for genocide, for wanton murder, there has to be limits on this and limits on this in the public square,' he said.

Netanyahu warned terrorism would not stop unless governments actively pursued those responsible.

'You cannot sit back and let terrorism continue because it will hunt you down,' he said.

'You have to hunt the terrorists down and you have to prevent them from carrying out their poison.'

The Islamic State terrorist group has praised the alleged actions of the Bondi Beach shooters, describing the father-and-son as 'a source of pride' in its weekly bulletin on Friday morning, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

While it stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack, it suggested the alleged gunmen may have been 'inspired' by the group's teachings.

'Today, the Jews are bleeding in the streets of Australia after the zealous ones answered the call and implemented the recommendations to target holidays and gatherings,' the statement read.

Daily Mail has contacted Albanese's office for comment.
Donald Trump's Department of Justice is working around the clock to redact thousands of pages from the Epstein files before their legally required release Friday.

White House officials are bracing for the release of the files after Trump has been the subject of rampant speculation about his connection to Epstein.

Also believed to be in the files are former President Bill Clinton, the former Prince Andrew, and others.

There are fears that the same rushed workflow and deadline could lead to similar mistakes to the release of the JFK assassination files, which unintentionally revealed the social security numbers of more than 200 people.

Pam Bondi's DOJ lawyers are worried that the the Justice Department's National Security Division don't have the proper guidance on how to provide the most information legally possible.

Attorneys for the DOJ are reportedly working on over 1,000 documents per week to get the files ready in time to meet their deadline, CNN reported.

They must be able to edit the files to protect the victims of the late billionaire pedophile and meet executive and legal privacy requirements. Many are preparing for more to be redacted than is legally necessary.

'Either they're going to screw it up or they're going to withhold things. It wouldn't surprise me. Some of it may be incompetence as much as deliberate,' a non-DOJ lawyer awaiting the release said.

The DOJ has asked additional counter-intelligence specialists to drop everything else they were doing to process the files. Some refused the assignment.

Donald Trump's Department of Justice is working round the clock to redact thousands of pages from the Epstein files before their legally required release Friday. Pictured: Attorney General Pam Bondi

Anticipation about what those files will show is running high after they have been the subject of conspiracy theories and speculation about his friendships with Trump, former President Bill Clinton, the former Prince Andrew, and others

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.

House Democrats have already released dozens of photos from Epstein's estate showing Trump, Clinton and Andrew, who lost his royal title and privileges this year amid scrutiny of his relationship with the wealthy financier.

The latest batch of documents, which are being made public after the pedophile's death in 2019, include disturbing images of women's bodies and pictures of famous figures.

One set of photographs showed an unidentified woman's body parts inscribed with quotes from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, a novel about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a young girl, which is also pictured in the background.

Billionaire Bill Gates has again appeared in photos from the files, this time in two pictures next to women whose faces have been redacted.

The Microsoft founder was previously pictured alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, and one of Epstein's private pilots in photographs from the files.

Gates, who has previously admitted to seeking contributions from the financier for his philanthropy efforts, described his association with Epstein as a 'huge mistake' in a 2021 statement.

A picture of a dinner shows Epstein flanked by director Woody Allen, businessman Thomas Pritzker and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak as magician David Blaine appears to perform for them.

Join the debate What do you think should matter most: protecting privacy or exposing powerful connections?

There are fears that the same rushed workflow and deadline could lead to similar mistakes to the release of the JFK assassination files, which unintentionally revealed the social security numbers of more than 200 people

The latest batch of images, which have been made public after the pedophile's death in 2019, showed disturbing images of the financier with multiple women

Also among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight. The photos do not implicate any of the individuals in Epstein's crimes.

Democrats have selectively released the 68 pictures along with dozens of others in recent weeks, all of which have been pulled from a collection of 95,000 unseen images from Epstein's estate.

Disturbing pictures from the latest release show a woman's chest with a Lolita quote scrawled across it.

'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth,' it reads, while another shows a woman's back with the words 'She was Dolores on the dotted line,' another quote from the controversial novel.

Epstein's notorious private jet, which ferried him and VIP guests to his infamous island and around the world, was nicknamed the Lolita Express.

Passengers on the $80million Boeing 727-100 included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew, according to recently released flight logs.

Epstein regularly hosted famous friends at his residences, including Woody Allen, who often attended gatherings at the financier's Upper East Side townhouse. Epstein is pictured with his arm around the filmmaker in one of the new photos.

The new tranche of pictures also includes a snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019.

Billionaire Bill Gates has again appeared in a photo from the files, this time next to a woman whose face has been redacted

Among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight

It features a page which has a notice stating that the passport bearer 'is a registered sex offender who 'was convicted of a sex offence against a minor'.

Another image from the latest release shows a Ukrainian passport belonging to a woman, with all identifying information blacked out.

Meanwhile a screenshot of text messages from an unknown sender seems to refer to an 18-year-old from Russia and mentions a person asking for '1000$ per girl'.

'I will send u girls now,' one of the messages reads, followed by another which says: 'Maybe someone will be good for J?'

Other images show Russian, Lithuanian and Czech passports and a South African identity card, all of which appear to belong to women and also have the identifying details redacted.

It is possible that the travel documents belonged to Epstein's trafficking victims.

His partner Ghislaine Maxwell would confiscate passports from the girls they trafficked while they were on Epstein's private island, victims testified during her trial.

Another one of the images shows medicine to treat a urinary tract infection, with the details of the person who was prescribed the drug redacted.

Gates is seen pictured next to another woman, whose face has also been redacted, in an undated photo

The new tranche of pictures includes a snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019

Further images from what appears to be a conference meeting in a large room with a kitchenette.

Epstein and group of unidentified men appear deep in conversation, with a chalkboard in the room scribbled with mathematical equations.

The latest release comes a week after more than a dozen new photographs were released showing Epstein parading with Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and other powerful politicians and celebrities.

It is unclear why House Democrats have chosen to release the specific photos they have disclosed so far, but they have said that a review of some 95,000 photos turned over by Epstein's estate is ongoing.

The estate provided no context for any of the images, which it turned over as part of lawmakers' investigation into Epstein.

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, vowed to continue to make files from Epstein's estate 'to provide transparency for the American people.'

'As we approach the deadline for the Epstein Files Transparency Act, these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession,' he said in a statement.

'We must end this White House cover-up, and the DOJ must release the Epstein files now.'

Epstein regularly hosted famous friends at his residences, including Woody Allen, who often attended gatherings at the financier's Upper East Side townhouse

Trump, who was a longtime associate of Epstein's from the 1990s to early 2000s, has repeatedly called the Epstein files a Democrat 'hoax' in recent months - despite campaigning on a pledge to release the documents once in office.

Mounting pressure from both Republicans and Democrats forced the Epstein bill to be passed by Congress on November 19. It was signed by Trump on the same day.

Epstein was indicted on sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell the following month while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.
Conan O'Brien stopped a friend from calling 911 during an explosive fight between Rob and Nick Reiner at the comedian's Christmas party  just hours before the director's son allegedly cut his parents' throats, guests have revealed.

Multiple attendees have reported witnessing Rob, 78, and wife Michele, 70, having a heated argument with 32-year-old Nick at O'Brien's Los Angeles mansion on Saturday night.

Nick is said to have been behaving erratically all evening, but one source familiar with the party has now told the Daily Mail the spat grew so intense that at least one guest suggested calling the cops to intervene.

'They got in an argument, the father and son. It got so bad and loud someone wanted to call the police to report it,' the insider claimed.

'But Conan stepped in and said, "it's my house, my party, I'm not calling the police." He talked them out of calling the police.'

O'Brien, 62, did not respond to the Daily Mail's requests for comment.

Another source corroborated the account, saying party guests had raised concerns about Nick's mental state and suggested contacting the cops before O'Brien shut the idea down.

'When the s**t was hitting the fan, somebody said we need to call the police. The conversation was about getting this kid put into a mental-health hold,' the second source told the Daily Mail.

Conan O'Brien stopped a friend from calling 911 during an explosive fight between Rob and Nick Reiner at the comedian's Christmas party

Multiple attendees have reported witnessing Rob, 78, and wife Michele, 70, having a heated argument with 32-year-old Nick at O'Brien's Los Angeles mansion (pictured) on Saturday night

One source familiar with the party said the spat grew so intense that at least one guest suggested calling the cops to intervene

'Conan O'Brien stepped in and said, "no, I don't want the police at my house". It makes sense; who wants the cops showing up creating a scene?' the insider added.

'But the argument between Rob and Nick was pretty intense.'

A source close to the Los Angeles Police Department said there were no 911 calls from O'Brien's house on Saturday night.

And despite partygoers' concerns, nobody predicted what would happen next: that Rob and Michele Reiner would be found dead from knife wounds less than 24 hours later.

'Only the murderer is responsible,' the first source said.

'But it must be gut-wrenching for Conan to learn that this is how things turned out. I'm sure that night is replaying for him over and over.

'It's just so awful and sad.'

In another haunting revelation, the Daily Mail has also learned that Rob Reiner had confided to friends at the O'Brien party about being scared of his own son.

The beloved filmmaker, 78, and his wife Michele Reiner, 70, were found dead at their Brentwood home on Sunday December 14

'They got in an argument, the father and son. It got so bad and loud someone wanted to call the police to report it,' one insider claimed. (Pictured: Albert Brooks, O'Brien and Reiner in 2024)

'I'm petrified of him. I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm afraid of my son. I think my own son can hurt me,' Reiner allegedly said immediately after his altercation with Nick.

Those comments resurfaced at an impromptu memorial attended by Hollywood A-listers on Monday, where the details of the party were discussed, according to a source.

The insider told the Daily Mail that several attendees were left in tears upon hearing what Rob had said.

The Daily Mail contacted representatives for all the stars in attendance at Monday's impromptu memorial. One spokesman denied that Rob had made the comments about Nick at O'Brien's party.

TMZ first reported that Reiner had had a 'very loud argument' with his son at the holiday party, after which the legendary movie director and his wife left.

The Reiners had reportedly brought Nick to the star-studded event to 'keep an eye on him.'

Nick had been living in the Reiners' guesthouse at their Brentwood mansion, after years of substance abuse issues, at least 18 stints in rehab and some periods of homelessness.

Sources have also told TMZ that he was suffering with worsening schizophrenia and became 'erratic and dangerous' when doctors changed his medication weeks before the tragedy.

Guests at the A-list packed party say Nick displayed 'antisocial behavior', such as staring at attendees and repeatedly 'asking people if they were famous,' according to reports.

Nick was in court Wednesday wearing a blue anti-suicide vest, it was his first appearance since the death of his parents. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder

A source told NBC News that at one point Nick 'interrupted' comedian Bill Hader, who then told Reiner's son that he was 'in the middle of a private conversation'  prompting an angry outburst.

'Nick just stood there and stared before storming off,' the witness said.

Hours later, Rob and Michele Reiner were found dead at their home.

Their bodies were discovered on around 3.30pm on Sunday afternoon by their youngest daughter Romy, 27, who lives across the street from her parents' property.

The couple were found in bed with their throats cut and may have been asleep when they were murdered in the early hours of the morning, a source close to the investigation claimed to the Daily Mail.

Nick, who lived in his parents' guest house, was arrested around 9pm Sunday night 15 miles away.

He had earlier checked in to The Pierside Santa Monica hotel, where staff reportedly later discovered a shower 'full of blood', a trail of blood leading off of his bed and bedsheets covering the windows.

Nick, who has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, is now being held without bail.
It seems that Christmas decorations are emerging earlier and earlier each year, but for once, Easter appears to be hot on the heels of Christmas.

Typically, Easter decorations appear in supermarkets around the end of February or the beginning of March.

But shoppers at a B&Q were horrified to see Easter decorations in store on display where Christmas once sat.

Customers visiting the North Shields, New Castle B&Q looking for last minute Christmas decorations were left disappointed to find Christmas stock has been replaced with Easter items, despite the festive season still being months away.

Among the Easter decorations included bunnies, Easter eggs and different types of flowers.

The Daily Mail has approached B&Q for comment.

On Wednesday, Morrison's customers were furious and threatened to boycott the supermarket after all its Christmas decorations were taken down.

The festive decorations around the checkout area at the Atlas Mills store in Bolton, Greater Manchester, were removed last Saturday after locals claimed the shop received complaints that the decorations were 'offensive'. .

Easter decorations on full display with what's left of Christmas supplies in the background including wrapping paper

On display include bunny rabbits with carrots, lambs and bundles of Easter eggs

Different bundles of flowers were also amongst the mix of Easter decorations

An Easter egg garland on display where the Christmas decorations once sat

Plenty of bunny rabbits to be seen at North Shields B&Q but barely any Christmas decorations

In a statement, Morrison's said the removal of the Christmas decorations was down to 'miscommunication'.

'Following a miscommunication some were removed, however they have been reinstated and the store and our colleagues are excited to continue to help our customers celebrate Christmas.'

The spokesperson added that they were 'looking into' the miscommunication and said they would not be providing 'any further comment' at this time.

The response led to a backlash on social media, with shoppers expressing their anger.

One person wrote on social media: 'Why do people think Christmas decorations will upset anyone?'

One comment read: 'Whatever the miscommunication was, the decorations should have stayed up.

'This country helps celebrate all religions. At this time of year, we should all embrace.'

One wrote: 'This boils my blood. It's Britain, we celebrate Christmas.'

Another said: 'Won't be shopping at Morrisons or any supermarket that doesn't support Christmas.'

The local councillor, Susan Priest, waded in and said: 'Bolton is a multi-faith place. We celebrate it all.

'I want to see seasonal decorations going up for all of the different celebrations throughout the year, including Christmas.

'That's what makes Bolton a great place.

'I think it's probably been blown out of proportion, to be honest.'
Alleged Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram could spend the rest of his life restrained, isolated and under constant supervision in one of the country's most secure prison environments if he is found guilty of Australia's worst terror attack, according to a former senior corrective services officer.

The 24-year-old faces 59 charges, including terrorism and 15 counts of murder, after he and his father, Sajid Akram, allegedly opened fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah near the iconic beach on Sunday evening.

Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Domenic Pezzano, a former superintendent who served 35 years with Corrective Services NSW, said Akram could be designated as an 'extreme high-risk inmate' and imprisoned at the High Risk Management Correctional Centre in Goulburn, commonly known as 'Supermax', if he is found guilty.

The supermax jail was recently upgraded to house 75 inmates.

'He would be transferred down to the High Risk Management Correctional Centre at Goulburn,' Pezzano said.

'They call it the Supermax, but its proper name is the High Risk Management Correctional Centre.'

The prison, once dubbed the most secure facility in the Southern Hemisphere, holds some of Australia's most dangerous criminals including Sydney crime gang leader Bassam Hamzy, and murderer Malcolm Naden.

If imprisoned, Akram would almost certainly receive an AA security rating, the highest prisoner classification in New South Wales, which is reserved for individuals considered a grave threat to public safety and national security, Mr Pezzano said.

Alleged terrorist Naveed Akram (pictured)

Officers outside the high-security jail in Goulburn, NSW

'Those with an AA security rating can only be housed in the High Risk Management Unit at Goulburn,' Mr Pezzano said.

He added that if jailed, Akram could receive the 'ultimate classification' which is the National Security Interest classification given his alleged threats to the national security community in general.

He would be alone in a single cell, with little to no interaction with other inmates for years, and possibly for the rest of his life.

'He would be on his own. He wouldn't have any contact with anyone, and even if that changes down the track, it would take years,' Mr Pezzano said.

'Even then, it would be extremely controlled, probably just one-on-one association.'

If Akram was designated an EHRR (Extreme High-Risk Restricted), his movements would be handled by specialist teams.

Goulburn High Risk Management Correctional Centre is also known as Supermax

Domenic Pezzano (pictured) is a former senior NSW Corrective Services official

'Those designated as EHRR are only escorted by the Court Escort Security Unit (CESU), which has a specialist 'High Security Escort' unit,' Pezzano said.

'Those inmates are restrained using a security belt around their waist, secured to handcuffs and also ankle cuffs.'

The former correctives officer added that if found guilty, Akram would be immediately classified as a 'Serious Offender', placing him under the supervision of a dedicated management committee.

The alleged murderer's movements, both inside and outside the prison, would be tightly controlled.

'If there's any external movement, medical appointments or court appearances, transfers would be the highest level of security,' Mr Pezzano said.

'I wouldn't be surprised if they had an escort with a helicopter. The main priority is preventing escape, but there's also the risk of retribution from outside.'

The Goulburn supermax (pictured) previously housed Australia's worst serial killer Ivan Milat

Mr Pezzano said if jailed in supermax, Akram would have access to medical care, three meals a day, chaplaincy, psychology services, and legal visits - all under strict supervision.

If he was deemed a suicide risk, he would be placed in an observation cell monitored by a specialist team.

'He could be put in a suicide gown, without access to belts or shoelaces, and monitored under strict regimes,' Mr Pezzano said.

Mr Pezzano added that if found guilty, Akram would never leave the facility.

'He would probably be there for the rest of his life,' he said.

'He won't see outside of that facility.'
A woman who vanished with her elderly mother for seven months before they were found has been charged with her murder.

Lorna Nightingale, 70, was found dead at an address in Walthamstow, east London, on Thursday December 11.

Metropolitan Police arrested her daughter, Emma Nightingale, at the scene and she has since been charged with her mother's murder.

The women made headlines earlier this year when they were both reported missing.

Last February, Lorna disappeared in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Then, her daughter - 36-year-old Emma - also vanished in Colchester in June.

Following an extensive police search the woman were both found 'safe and well' in September 30.

In another dramatic turn of events, Emma appeared at Thames Magistrates Court on December 13 charged with her mother's murder.

Lorna Nightingale, 70, with her daughter Emma Nightingale. Emma has now been charged with the murder of her mother

She is now due to appear at the Old Bailey on January 9.

In a previous statement the Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers were called by the London Ambulance Service at around 10.14am on Thursday, 11 December to reports of an unresponsive woman at an address on Blackhorse Road, Walthamstow.

A 70-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Emma Nightingale, 36 (13.06.1989), of Blackhorse Road, has been charged with murder. She was remanded in custody.
Two mothers and a third unnamed woman died together in a horror car crash as a 37-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

The single-vehicle crash happened in the early hours of the morning on December 13 after the blue BMW 5 Series they were passengers in left the A46 between Thrussington and Sileby.

Emergency services arrived at the scene after another passenger in the car raised the alarm shortly after 1am.

But mothers Neeru Patel, 42, and Bhamini Karsan, 42, both from Leicester, tragically died in the accident.

The family of a third woman who died in the crash asked that she remain unnamed, while a fourth person in the vehicle suffered minor injuries.

Police have now arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The suspect had initially been released by police while they continued to investigate, the Sun reported.

The bereaved families paid tribute to the mothers and released photographs as they hailed them as 'devoted' parents to their children who will be remembered for their kindness.

Neeru Patel's family described her as living a life 'rooted in love', 'quiet faith' and being 'devoted to her family'

Bhamini Karsan's family paid tribute to her by saying: 'Bhamini was a loving and devoted mother, wife, and daughter, remembered for her warm and bubbly personality and her kindness to others'

Ms Patel's family said in a heartbreaking tribute: 'Neeru lived a life rooted in love, compassion, and quiet faith, devoted above all to her family and to caring for others.

'Though she is no longer with us, her love, her kindness, and her values live on through her two beautiful children and in the hearts of all who knew her.'

Ms Karsan's family said: 'Bhamini was a loving and devoted mother, wife, and daughter, remembered for her warm and bubbly personality and her kindness to others.

'She was deeply loved by her family and cherished by friends and the wider community.'

Detectives from the serious collision investigation unit said at the time: 'This is a tragic incident with three people losing their lives.

'We know the car was travelling on the A46 from Nottingham. I'd like to speak to anyone who was driving in the area who may have witnessed events leading up to the collision.

'I would ask that people view their dashcam footage between 12.30am and 1.05am to help police with their enquiries.

'We are working to understand what led the car to leave the carriageway and any information from witnesses may be helpful in establishing this.'
A wealthy sausage firm tycoon is suing her former friend for nearly half a million pounds following a bust-up over a bungalow they bought together to renovate and sell on for a profit.

Tracy Mackness, the boss of The Giggly Pig gourmet sausage company, went into the property venture with Maria Chilton when the friends invested in a two bedroom bungalow in Battle, East Sussex, six years ago.

She claims they planned to renovate it together and sell it on.

But 61-year-old Ms Mackness has accused her former friend of going back on their agreement, claiming she was living in the property rent-free for the last two and a half years and leaving her to pay the mortgage on her own.

Relations between the two women have got so bad that they are no longer speaking and so Ms Mackness is suing Ms Chilton.

It is not the first time Ms Mackness has been in the news. She made headlines when she was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to import 4million of cannabis in 2007.

After leaving prison she managed to turn her life around and built up her bangers empire.

She now runs a company which turns over half a million pounds a year and is based round an 800-head pedigree Saddleback pig farm and shop near Romford.

A wealthy sausage firm tycoon is suing her former friend for nearly half a million pounds following a bust-up over a bungalow they bought together to renovate and sell on for a profit. Tracy Mackness (pictured) went into the property venture with Maria Chilton when they invested in a two bedroom bungalow in Battle, East Sussex, six years ago

She claims they planned to renovate it together and sell it on. But 61-year-old Ms Mackness has accused her former friend of going back on their agreement. Their dispute centres on the the bungalow they bought for 290,000 in August 2019

It is not the first time Ms Mackness has been in the news. She made headlines when she was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to import 4million of cannabis in 2007. After leaving prison she managed to turn her life around and built up her bangers empire

Their dispute centres on the the bungalow they bought for 290,000 in August 2019.

Ms Mackness put in 100,000 while her then friend stumped up 80,000. They got a mortgage for 150,000 from Metro Bank so the remainder of the cash could be used for home improvements.

The property has since been refurbished, but rather than being able to sell it on for a profit, Ms Chilton has apparently not contributed towards the mortgage since September 2022.

She now values the house at 650,000 - more than double the original purchase price - and is claiming 450,000 in damages.

The property was remortgaged with Birmingham Midshires in March 2021 for 232,745, court papers say.

After expenses, Ms Mackness held the sum of 80,034 and currently pays mortgage interest repayments of 443 a month.

She believes that the bungalow could bring in rent of 1,250 a month if it was let on an assured shorthold tenancy.

The two women started to have arguments over money in October 2023 and their friendship irretrievably broke down in April 2024.

Ms Mackness now runs a company which turns over half a million pounds a year and is based round an 800-head pedigree Saddleback pig farm and shop near Romford

She set up The Giggly Pig upon her release and the successful business now turns over half a million pounds a year, and has been featured on Countryfile, The One Show, and radio

Ms Mackness is now bringing the dispute to the High Court in London to force through a sale of the property with proceeds divided between them - 74.63 per cent and 25.37 per cent in her favour - as well as payment of occupation rent.

When approached by the Daily Mail, Ms Chilton was reluctant to go into details, but said: What Tracy is saying is untrue, but I dont want to say anything further until Ive spoken to my solicitor.

Ms Mackness took a qualification in pig husbandry while working with the animals on a farm at East Sutton Park Open Prison in Maidstone, Kent.

She set up upon her release and the successful business now turns over half a million pounds a year, and has been featured on Countryfile, The One Show, and radio.

As well as a range of 40 different speciality sausages, she offers hog roasts and catering services, and sells her pork products at farmers markets.

Her remarkable story is told on the companys website, in her public speaking, and in her book Jail Bird = The Life and Crimes of an Essex Bad Girl.

The High Court action against Ms Chilton is the second time she has found herself involved in a legal battle with one of her nearest and dearest, having been sued by her own mother four years ago.

Caroline Mackness, 77, took her daughter to court in 2021 over an agreement that she would sign over her house to her daughter.

The pensioner claimed she had no clear idea what she was doing when she gifted her 550,000 house in Harold Wood, Romford, to Ms Mackness back in 2016, and had been left 'a guest in her own home'.

Her daughter argued the property transfer went through with her agreement and was designed to protect her from having to sell her home to pay for care costs in future while giving her the right to stay there for life.

During a four-day trial, Judge Mark Raeside QC ruled that Mrs Mackness senior lacked sufficient mental awareness to understand what she was doing, and that the property gift was also 'procured by undue influence'.

However he also ruled that Ms Mackness junior was 'not in fault' and 'was not trying to obtain her mother's property, but acting in what she thought was her mother's best interests' when the house was transferred to her.
Anthony Albanese's latest defence for his absence from the public after the Bondi Beach massacre is, in essence, that nobody has asked him to attend funerals.

Seriously. He won't attend funerals unless explicitly invited, even though the protocol for political leaders is to quietly make the request before attending to pay their respects.

That's what other politicians are doing, including the Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, and Albanese's own frontbencher Tanya Plibersek.

Albanese's excuse for his absence might sound respectful; however, it's anything but. The PM is outsourcing basic leadership to grieving families and exhausted organisers, before hiding behind the lack of a formal invite.

It's also a neat way of ensuring the cameras never capture the one thing he appears most determined to avoid right now: resentment.

At the first of the victims' funerals, the NSW Premier turned up. The federal Opposition Leader turned up.

A former prime minister turned up. An Albanese minister was there too. But the PM wasn't, because grieving families didn't go out of their way to reach out to him in their time of need. You couldn't make this up.

Here is the unvarnished reality of public life: political leaders do not wait passively for an invitation when the nation is in shock.

Anthony Albanese's latest defence for his absence from the public moments after the Bondi massacre is, in essence, that nobody has asked him to attend funerals

They reach out, privately and respectfully, and offer to attend. They make the request so the family does not have to. They accept 'no' without complaint if that's the response.

If the answer is 'yes,' they turn up, quietly, without turning grief into a stage-managed photo opportunity.

That is what paying respects actually means, and it's what real leaders do. It is not a marketing tactic; it's a duty.

Albanese knows this. In opposition, during the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, he made a point of being present - visiting affected states, getting briefed, and talking about what he was hearing on the ground.

He also pressed Scott Morrison publicly on national coordination and pushed for formal parliamentary recognition of victims and firefighters.

Back then, Albanese understood what he seems to have forgotten now: leaders don't get to opt out of the hard days.

So why the sudden allergy to showing up?

Because this time he isn't the outsider throwing stones. He is the one in charge, under pressure, and the now PM has plainly decided that the safest course is to minimise the risk of a scene.

The vigil at Bondi Pavilion has grown into a sea of flowers as people pay their respects

He watched what happened to Morrison during the fires: heckled, with a handshake refusal becoming an enduring symbol of a prime minister on the nose.

Albanese appears determined not to generate the Bondi equivalent to his own political detriment, so he's prioritising that over being present.

Today he spoke from the comfort of Parliament House in Canberra, far removed from the horrors of Sydney - which is where he should be this week.

Afraid of a grieving crowd turning its back on him, a shouted rebuke, a protest banner in the background - moments that risk puncturing his carefully cultivated image.

Morrison was often criticised for his marketing approach, but it now seems he had nothing on Albanese.

The irony is brutal. Morrison, for all his faults, still turned up. He copped it. He didn't get to airbrush the anger out of the story by pretending the invitation got lost in the mail. Albanese is doing the opposite.

Yes, he says he's meeting people privately. Fine. Private meetings matter. But private condolences are not a substitute for public duty during a national trauma.

Let's not pretend there is no calculation being made here by Albanese and his coterie of taxpayer-funded spin doctors.

Avoid the funeral, avoid the vigil, avoid the shrine, avoid the rawness - because attending would be unpredictable. It might include grief. It might include rage. It might include protest.

It might include the kind of unfiltered reaction that doesn't fit neatly into a government's daily messages.

That is not leadership; it's image management - exactly what the public hates most about what some politicians focus on. So he instead looks precious waiting for an invite from grieving families, hoping that in doing so he won't be called out.

How is that better?
President Donald Trump has delivered a Christmas gift to federal employees with an additional two federal holidays.

Trump announced on Thursday he had signed an order ensuring federal employees would get both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas off from work.

'All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, the day before and the day following Christmas Day, respectively,' the order stated.

While past presidents have nominated to give either December 24 or December 26 as an additional holiday for federal workers, it is rare to announce both.

During his first term in office, Trump granted federal workers Christmas Eve off three years in a row - a tradition Joe Biden carried on.

In 2014, under the Obama administration, Christmas fell on a Thursday and the president opted instead to give workers December 26 off, leading into the weekend.

Trump's announcement comes after a record-breaking 43-day government shutdown earlier this year, during which federal employees were either told not to come to work, or forced to show up each day without pay.

The shutdown left 42 million Americans with no access to their SNAP benefits, forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and left more than a million federal workers without an income.

Trump announced on Thursday that he had signed an order ensuring federal employees would get both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas off from work

President Donald Trumphas delivered a Christmasgift to federal employees with an additional two federal holidays

Certain agencies and departments will still have the authority to demand employees show up to work on December 24 and 26 for operational purposes under the order.

His announcement also comes on the back of outspoken criticism about the number of national holidays.

Back in June, right before Juneteenth, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed.

'The workers don't want it either! Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'

After that, he adjusted the National Park Service's free entrance days, removing both Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day from the approved list.

The National Park Service instead added Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, the 110th Birthday of the National Park Service, Constitution Day, and Theodore Roosevelt's birthday to the list of approved free entrance days.

Flag Day, which falls on Trump's birthday of July 14th, was also made free.

The holiday proclamation was one of several executive orders Trump revealed on Thursday, earlier announcing relaxed regulations on marijuana despite pushback within his party.

While past presidents have nominated to give either December 24 or December 26 as an additional holiday for federal workers, it is rare to announce both

'I promised to be the president of common sense and that is exactly what we are doing,' Trump said.

He said that 'so many people' reached out to him to endorse the idea, particularly from people suffering from the pain as a result of cancer.

'It doesn't legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form,' he said. 'And in no way sanctions it's use for a recreational drug,' Trump said.

The president pointedly repeated his opposition to the use of illegal drugs.

'I always told my kids don't take drugs,' Trump said, telling America's youth to 'just don't do it.'

Trump's executive order reclassifies marijuana from a Schedule I drug with 'no currently accepted medical use' to a Schedule III drug, primarily to free up the plant allowing it to be researched.

Marijuana business stocks spiked on Wall Street as news of the president's decision on the issue was made public.

Traditional conservatives are generally not supportive of legalizing or streamlining any use of marijuana, warning of the societal and health consequences of doing so.

Several House Republicans protested the president's decision, issuing a letter on Thursday morning warning Trump from sending the wrong message on marijuana.
A 24-year-old British skier has died after he fell 'almost 300m' down a steep off-piste slope in the French Alps.

Local media is yet to name the Brit but it is understood they were among a group of skiers who went off-piste in Les Arcs 2000 in the French ski resort of Savoie.

Two members of the group tried to ski down a steep slope but one of them lost his footing and careered out of control down the almost 300m slope before he crashed over a rocky ridge.

Other skiers raised the alarm and two ski patrollers rushed to his aid where he was found unconscious, having suffered a cardiac arrest.

An air ambulance was sent from Courchevel - situated 34km from the resort - and reached the victim about half an hour after the initial alert.

A doctor and two police rescue workers sought to revive the man but tragically he was declared dead.

The resort said 'its most sincere thoughts to the family and the friends of the victim'.

The second skier, whose nationality has not been revealed, was found trapped at the top of the slope unable to move.

Skiers in the French Alps. A 24-year-old British skier has died after he fell 'almost 300m' down a steep off-piste slope in the French Alps

He was later rescued by a police helicopter.

According to The Times, the deadly slope was wide at the top but narrowed towards the bottom before ending on the ridge, which was covered in a small quantity of hard snow, increasing the risk of accidents.

Resort managers have urged skiers to avoid steep off-piste slopes when the snow is hard.

In total 29 skiers died in accidents in France in the 2023-2024 season

This is a breaking news story more to follow.
Billionaire investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has branded carbon tax 'the most idiotic tax in the world' in a bitter broadside against Labour.

His remarks come a day after the Government stepped in to rescue his chemical plant, which was under threat from high costs.

Around 500 jobs were at risk at Grangemouth, in Scotland, the UK's last producers of ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics used in manufacturing and the automotive and aerospace industries.

The Manchester United investor, who owns petrochemical giant Ineos, said this week's 120 million lifeline was 'only a start in reestablishing a competitive manufacturing base for the country'.

In a statement, Ratcliffe said: 'We now must scrap carbon taxation, the most idiotic tax in the world.

'It simply squeezes the life out of home production as there is no cash left for investment and we end up replacing home-produced goods with imported products from places that still burn coal!'

He described the levy on carbon emissions as 'an utterly ridiculous tax that kills industry and increases global CO2 emissions'.

Ineos shut its Grangemouth oil refinery this year, with more than 400 job losses. The firm also operates the Breagh gas field and Clipper South rig in the North Sea.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe described the levy on carbon emissions as 'an utterly ridiculous tax that kills industry and increases global CO2 emissions'

Ratcliffe sends strong message to chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who has recently been criticised for creating a budget that is anti-business

Ratcliffe said: 'We must maximise output from the North Sea which still has abundant reserves. If the Government simply applied corporation tax rates to North Sea production, investment would rise and output would grow.'

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband hiked taxes on North Sea producers' earnings from 75 to 78 per cent - making the duty one of the highest in the world.
Outspoken Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad has broken his silence, claiming there's 'no evidence' he had a relationship with the prime suspect in the Bondi terror attack.

Haddad delivered antisemitic lectures at an Islamic centre frequented by alleged Bondi shooter Naveed Akram, who has been charged with 15 counts of murder.

Akram, 24, is understood to have attended Al Madina Dawah Centre before allegedly carrying out Sunday's massacre with his father, Sajid Akram.

Haddad, who is not suggested to have had any prior knowledge of the attacks or any involvement, denied claims that Naveed was one of his followers.

The Islamic preacher shared a statement via encrypted messaging app Telegram on Thursday evening.

'This claim is undefined and misleading,' Haddad wrote.

'The term "follower" is not explained and could refer to something as minimal as a social media follow, which does not establish endorsement, influence or a personal relationship.

'No evidence has been produced showing any personal, organisational, or instructional link between Naveed Akram and Wissam Haddad.'

Outspoken Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad has broken his silence on the alleged Bondi gunman

Suspected Bondi killer Naveed Akram (above) has been charged with murder

Haddad also said claims his lectures were 'provocative' amounted to 'subjective opinion.'

'Australia brands itself as a liberal democracy where controversial or unpopular speech is lawful unless it breaches specific legal thresholds,' he said.

Haddad also denied reports he was a 'spiritual leader of ISIS in Australia,' pointing out 'there is no evidence to support this allegation.'

The Al Madina Dawah Centre issued a statement on Monday saying Haddad had no role there other than 'occasional invitations as a guest speaker.'

Earlier this year, Haddad was ordered by a Federal Court judge to take down a series of 'fundamentally racist and antisemitic' sermons.

Haddad was also successfully sued by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry over speeches he gave at the Al Madina Dawah Centre at Bankstown in November 2023, which were also posted online.

Haddad made vile remarks that Jewish people were 'vile,' 'mischievous' and 'treacherous' people who were the 'descendants of pigs and monkeys.'

Haddad, who also told his followers to 'spit on Israel,' made a video which featured a sword prior to the Federal Court legal action in which he warned, 'we are not going to come unarmed, we're going to fight them with everything that we have.'

Haddad asserted the Jewish people were 'vile', 'mischievous' and 'treacherous' people who were the 'descendants of pigs and monkeys'

Naveed was a follower of Islam as far back as 2019

The preacher's comments came after a video of accused gunman Naveed preaching on the streets of western Sydney emerged.

'Assalamualaikum [peace be upon you], brothers,' Naveed says the selfie video posted to social media in June 2019.

'We're here at Bankstown Station, spreading dawah [invitations], doing the work of the prophet, continuing the work of the prophet.

'We need to spread the message that Allah is one, and Muhammad is the last messenger of Allah. Guys, spread dawah wherever you can.

'Spread the message that Allah is one wherever you can. Spread the message by pamphlets, whether it be raining, hailing or clear sky.'

'Allah will reward you for whatever action you do in his cause.'

On Wednesday, Naveed was charged with 59 offences including 15 counts of murder.

The attack occurred just before 7pm on Sunday, when Naveed and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people and injuring 40 more.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said no others were expected to be charged

Haddad (above) has distanced himself from Naveed Akram

Akram, who allegedly shot at a crowd of hundreds alongside his father Sajid - was charged after he spent two days in a coma after being shot by police.

The charges against him include one count of committing a terrorist act, one count of discharging a firearm in public, one count of causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist symbol, one count of placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm, and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder.

'Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,' NSW Police said in a statement.

'Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia.'

His father, Sajid, was fatally shot by police during the nine-minute attack.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said no others were expected to be charged.

'There is no evidence to suggest other individuals were involved in this attack, however, we caution that this could change given it is early in our investigation,' she said.
Farmers are 'bewildered and frightened' about the future because of Labour's family farm tax, a report reveals.

A long-awaited review of the industry found that farmers considered changes to inheritance tax (IHT) to be the 'single biggest issue' they faced.

But its author - the former National Farmers' Union president Baroness [Minette] Batters - was blocked from investigating the tax and its expected effect. 'Nearly all the responses to this review have cited inheritance tax as the single biggest issue regarding farming viability that they face,' she said.

'The farming sector is bewildered and frightened of what might lie ahead.'

The changes were causing 'significant ongoing concerns' to farmers, she added, with some 'questioning viability, let alone profitability.' Despite this, 'it has been made clear in my terms of reference that is not for me to offer proposals to the Government on IHT'.

Her comments will pile pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to reconsider the tax which some farmers fear could ruin them.

They are furious after Labour announced, in the Budget last year, plans to subject their assets to inheritance tax for the first time. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she would levy a 20 per cent inheritance tax on farmers' assets worth more than 1million from next April.

It came after the PM suggested to MPs last week that he was aware of reports that terminally ill farmers were considering suicide before the tax comes in.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Farmers are 'bewildered and frightened' about the future because of the Chancellor's family farm tax, a report reveals

Farmers protesters in Whitehall ahead of the Budget in November. A long-awaited review of the industry found that farmers considered changes to inheritance tax (IHT) to be the 'single biggest issue' they faced

Asked whether he agreed that nobody should feel they would be 'better off dying', he said: 'No, of course. But governments have to bring about sensible reform.'

Asked about farmers' fears yesterday, Ms Reeves said she 'welcomed' the report and said the tax was necessary to fund the NHS.

In her review of the profitability of the farming sector, Lady Batters called for a 'new deal for profitable farming' that recognises the true cost of producing food and delivering for the environment.

She also voiced concerns about the post-Brexit plan for agricultural payments and suggested that the Government had significantly underestimated the value of Britain's farming sector.

Agriculture is valued at just 0.6 per cent of the country's GDP. However, Lady Batters said this excluded the impact of food processing. If this were included, the farming sector would be worth as much as 80 per cent more, she said.

Conservative environment spokesman Victoria Atkins said: 'Baroness Batters admits that the farming sector is "bewildered and frightened of what might lie ahead" because of the vindictive Family Farm and Family Business Taxes.

'No wonder that the Government have buried this report until after their disastrous Benefits Street Budget, and sneaked it out on the last day of term.'

Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron said: 'This devastating review must be the final nail in the coffin for the hated family farm tax.'

NFU president Tom Bradshaw backed the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' priorities for delivering on the review, but also raised concerns about the 'pernicious' tax.

Country Land and Business Association president Gavin Lane said: 'Many farm businesses are marginal or loss-making, yet will soon be hit with unaffordable inheritance tax bills, which in many cases will dwarf their annual profit.'
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to tackle 'rampant Islamism' in a 'timid' Government response to antiSemitism.

The Prime Minister admitted in a new report that antiSemitism has been 'rising in recent years', in many cases driven by 'hatred of the world's only Jewish state, Israel'.

He said that some people have used protests against the Israeli government's response to the October 7 atrocities as a 'despicable excuse to threaten British Jews and stoke division and hate in our communities'.

Sir Keir admitted many Jewish people have told him that antiSemitism has been 'normalised' and they now have to 'hide their Jewish identity'.

In a list of actions to tackle antiSemitism and protect Jews, the report said the Government would continue to guarantee the 18million a year Jewish Community Protective Security Grant but has also provided an extra 10million in the wake of the 'horrendous terrorist attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester' in which two Jewish men were killed.

The new Crime and Policing Bill will aim to allow police to stop protests outside places of worship, as well as banning face coverings at marches.

Another 7million has been committed to tackling antiSemitism in schools, colleges and universities including a fund to tackle misinformation online.

A 'rapid review' has also been launched into antiSemitism in the NHS after Jewish patients and their families 'reported feeling unsafe or unwelcome'.

Members of the Jewish community comfort each other outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. In the wake of the October terror attack, the government will provide an extra 10million to guarantee the safety of the Jewish community

An armed police officer outside the Hebrew Congregation synagogue in October. The Prime Minister admitted in a new report that antiSemitism has been 'rising in recent years', in many cases driven by 'hatred of the world's only Jewish state, Israel'

Extremists convicted of hate crimes will also be barred from serving as charity trustees after 'too many shocking cases where extremists have tried to exploit charities to spread hate and division'. But critics pointed out that since last year's election the Labour Government has failed to ban Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, as had been hoped.

The party's manifesto had listed the group in a list of 'threats from hostile states or statesponsored groups' and vowed: 'Labour will take the approach used for dealing with nonstate terrorism and adapt it to deal with statebased domestic security threats.'

A spokesman for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'This is a very disappointing document which does not rise to the gravity of the situation that we find ourselves in after over a decade of inaction by successive governments. This document does not even refer to proscribing terrorist organisations that operate freely here in the UK, which was a manifesto promise that the Government seems to have quietly dropped since it was elected.

'Extremism and radicalisation have been allowed to take hold to such an extent in this country that the medicine will not be easy to swallow. Tackling problems such as rampant Islamism and twotier policing requires a recognition that these problems actually exist.'

Sir Keir Starmer lights a candle during a Downing Street event to mark Hanukkah. The PM admitted many Jewish people have told him that antiSemitism has been 'normalised' and they now have to 'hide their Jewish identity

The spokesman added: 'This is not an abstract debate about policy. People are dead and it will take more than wellmeaning ideas like an 'innovation fund' to turn things around.'

And Lord Walney, the Government's former independent adviser on political violence and disruption, told the Daily Mail: 'This strategy is too timid at a time when Britain's besieged Jewish communities are crying out for bold action.

'It is ironic that the Government's own strategy says 'we must be more robust in calling out the hateful ideologies that seek to divide us' but then completely avoids mentioning the Islamist extremism on display at the Gaza marches.

'Ministers must stop ignoring the Islamist elephant in the room.'
Britain is prepared to share the risks with European allies of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, Downing Street indicated on Thursday.

The development comes after Belgium said it would only back a loan for Ukraine if it receives assurances it will be shielded from Russian retaliation.

At a crunch summit in Brussels, European leaders are discussing whether to use the Russian money to underwrite a loan to fund Kyivs military and economic needs.

The EU sees Russias war as a threat to its own security and wants to keep Ukraine financed and fighting.

The leaders are also keen to show European countries strength and resolve after US President Donald Trump this month called them weak.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday: Now we have a simple choice  either money today or blood tomorrow.

And I am not talking about Ukraine only, I am talking about Europe. All European leaders have to finally rise to this occasion.

Most of the 185billion of Russian assets are held in the Euroclear bank based in Belgium, whose prime minister Bart De Wever has so far resisted using them to finance Kyiv. He has called on other European nations to share the risk.

Downing Street indicated on Thursday that Britain is prepared to share the risks with European allies of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured left) with President of Ukraine Volodomyr Zelenskyy (right) on December 8

Sir Keir Starmers official spokesman was repeatedly asked if the Government was willing to accept Belgiums requests to share the burden.

He told reporters: I think its evident within the Governments actions that what we want to see is those immobilised assets used to support Ukraine.

'We believe that delivering these funds sends a very clear signal to Putin that he cannot outlast the support of the UK and our allies. That is what we remain focused on.

Earlier, Mr De Wever told Belgiums parliament: Give me a parachute and well all jump together. If we have confidence in the parachute that shouldnt be a problem.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that he had told European leaders at the summit that his country needed a decision quickly on the frozen Russian assets to plug Ukraines budget gap.

Our partners have been informed that the decision must be made by the end of this year, he added.

He warned that, without the loan, Ukraine would have far fewer drones than Russia and would not be able to conduct its long-range strikes on Moscows energy facilities.

It came as a Kremlin envoy will travel to Florida to discuss the US-proposed plan to end the war.

Kirill Dmitriev, who heads Russias sovereign wealth fund, will meet Donald Trumps envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami tomorrow.
TV presenter Davina McCall is newly married and enjoying wedded bliss with her hairdresser husband Michael Douglas.

However, it can be revealed that her previous husband Matthew Robertson, 56, has been struggling.

The former Pet Rescue presenter was married to Davina from 2000 to 2017 and they have three children, Holly, 23, Tilly, 21, and Chester, 19. They met when she was out walking her dog.

Robertson had been working as an adventure holiday guide but his business went under during the pandemic.

He is now running an organisation, Momentum Men, which offers guided trips but also produces podcasts and has a mission to uplift and energise men via the power of the outdoors.

The venture was born after Robertson suffered a crisis as he was struggling after his split from Davina.

On the Momentum Men website, he explains: In recent times my mental health crumbled in the wreckage of losing my father, a divorce, and a business crushed by Covid.

Conditioned stoicism and male pride stopped me from seeking help, and desperate to silence the storm in my head, I contemplated a tragic choice.

Davina McCall pictured with her first husband, Matthew Robertson, in London in 2013

Davina recently married hairdresser Michael Douglas (the couple pictured at The BRIT Awards earlier this year)

But the outdoor place I planned that tragic event emerged as a catalyst when nature unexpectedly became my guide on a journey back to health.

In a podcast, he explains further how he reached rock bottom. He said: There was a time when I nearly took my life and I believe that my late father stopped that from happening. In that moment I believed that he was there.

Records at Companies House show that Momentum Adventure went bust with debts of 408,500 in August 2021. It is due to be dissolved on January 24 next year.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support.
Labour minister Bridget Phillipson is blocking the publication of new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on women-only spaces after branding the proposals 'trans-exclusive'.

The Women and Equalities Secretary has refused to sign off the draft guidance more than three months after receiving it, despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling that sex under equality law means biological sex.

The EHRC guidance was drawn up following the court's decision in April and would require businesses and public bodies to protect single-sex spaces such as women's lavatories, changing rooms and hospital wards.

However, in a submission to the High Court, Ms Phillipson criticised the draft guidance and made clear she does not support its approach, arguing that it would unfairly exclude transgender women.

She described the proposals as 'trans-exclusive' and warned that banning biological males from women's facilities could have unintended consequences.

Ms Phillipson claimed the guidance could prevent women from taking their infant sons into swimming pool changing rooms and said there were 'many entirely plausible exceptions' to single-sex rules.

She also argued that the Supreme Court ruling was primarily concerned with maternity protections rather than blanket restrictions on access to women-only spaces.

Labour minister Bridget Phillipson is blocking the publication of new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on women-only spaces after branding the proposals 'trans-exclusive'. Pictured: Women's Rights supporters protest outside the What Is A Woman trial at the Supreme Court in London

The Women and Equalities Secretary has refused to sign off the draft guidance more than three months after receiving it, despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling that sex under equality law means biological sex

Because the guidance has not been approved, hospitals, businesses and other public bodies remain without clear instructions on how to apply the ruling, with no requirement currently in force to exclude biological males from women's spaces.

Sir Keir Starmer initially welcomed the Supreme Court judgment, saying it provided 'clarity' by confirming that 'a woman is an adult human female', but the EHRC's code of practice has still not been laid before Parliament.

Sources have accused Ms Phillipson of insisting on additional bureaucratic steps that have delayed the process, effectively blocking the guidance from coming into force.

A Government spokesman denied she was obstructing the guidance, saying the document was legally complex and needed careful scrutiny to avoid placing service providers at risk of legal challenge.

However, Conservatives accused the minister of failing to uphold the court's ruling. Shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho said the Government was 'doing everything it can to deny women the right to single-sex spaces'.

Ms Phillipson's opposition to the guidance emerged in court papers filed as part of a legal challenge brought by the Good Law Project against an interim version of the EHRC's recommendations.

In those papers, she argued that 'common sense' exceptions should apply, including allowing pregnant women to use men's lavatories to avoid queues or permitting other case-by-case exemptions.

The EHRC submitted its full 300-page draft code to ministers in September and urged approval 'at speed', warning that organisations urgently need clarity following the Supreme Court ruling.

A ruling in the High Court case is expected soon, amid growing pressure on ministers to explain when - or whether - the guidance on women-only spaces will be approved.
Jewish Australians have unleashed after it emerged that alleged Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram is receiving taxpayer-funded Legal Aid.

Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, questioned why public money is being used to fund the legal defence of a man accused of carrying out one of the deadliest terror attacks in Australian history.

'Taxpayers will be outraged to discover that they are footing the bill for the alleged terrorist. There needs to be a discussion about law reform surrounding Legal Aid funding.'

The NSW Government provides the largest share of Legal Aid NSWs funding, with the Australian Government also contributing substantially through national legal assistance agreements - meaning the service is funded by taxpayers.

To be eligible for Legal Aid, applicants must meet income and assets criteria.

'Legal Aid is a government initiative that provides funding and assistance to people who need legal representation and cannot afford a private lawyer,' explained Fourtree Lawyers.

'To be eligible for Legal Aid, you will need to meet their merit and means test. The merits test looks at whether you have a reasonable prospect of success and whether providing legal assistance will benefit you.

'The means test looks at your income and assets.'

Naveed Akram, 24, is facing 59 charges over the attack at Bondi Beach

Having woken from a days-long coma, Naveed Akram was charged on Wednesday with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, one for each victim, and one count of committing a terrorist act.

He remains in hospital under police guard and was represented by a Legal Aid lawyer for his first court appearance on Wednesday, which took place via audio-visual link in a virtual court before Magistrate Daniel Covington.

The 24-year-old did not appear or apply for bail during a brief court hearing.

The maximum penalty for committing a terrorist act and murder is life imprisonment.

He and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, are accused of using long-arm guns to fire at a crowd of people celebrating the Jewish festival of lights at Australia's most famous beach on Sunday night.

Naveed is also charged with 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder and single counts of discharging a firearm in public, causing a public display of a prohibited terrorist symbol, and placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm.

Australian-born Naveed was critically injured after being shot by police.

His father, a licensed gun owner who arrived in Australia on a student visa in 1998, died at the scene.

Authorities have previously confirmed Naveed came to the attention of ASIO in 2019 over his associations with others.

Naveed (pictured) woke from a coma on Tuesday night

The terrorist attack at Bondi beach killed 15 innocent people, aged between 10 and 87 (pictured, the memorial at Bondi Beach on Tuesday)

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has previously said officers found two home-made Islamic State flags in a car registered to Naveed.

'Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,' NSW Police said in a statement confirming the charges.

Investigators were forensically examining 'significant digital material' and further search warrants would be executed, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said.

The case was adjourned until April 8.

Forty-one people, including four children, were taken to hospital with injuries sustained in the incident.

Seventeen people remain in hospital, including one in a critical condition.

Four others are critical but stable, including Constable Scott Dyson, who underwent surgery on Wednesday after being wounded in the attack.
As a doctor who eloquently revealed the dignity and humanity of patients struggling with the most debilitating neurological disorders, Oliver Sacks was venerated across the world.

On his death, aged 82, from terminal cancer in 2015, he was hailed as the 'Poet Laureate of contemporary medicine'.

In bestselling popular science books such as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, which were made into films, plays and even operas, the British neurologist movingly showed he was able to unlock the inner secrets of seemingly impenetrable minds.

Whether his patients were suffering from profound deafness, memory loss, Tourette's syndrome or encephalitis lethargica (also known as sleeping sickness, which left them in a catatonic state for years), Sacks managed - where other experts had failed - to allow them to communicate with the outside world.

Awakenings, his 1973 account of how he revived a group of patients who'd been unconscious for decades due to sleeping sickness, was hailed as a masterpiece by the poet WH Auden. A 1990 film version starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro followed.

Sacks - who left Britain in 1960 for a new life in the US where he felt his homosexuality was more accepted - reinforced his image as a refreshingly unconventional scientist with the fact that he was also a bodybuilder, compulsive drug user and leather-clad biker who rode with the Hells Angels.

Now, however, Sacks' legion of admirers has had to reconsider whether he was, after all, quite so commendable following shocking revelations that he fabricated details about his patients.

The case studies which formed the core of his books were heavily embroidered with things they never said and feats they were never able to perform, according to an investigation in the New Yorker magazine, for which Sacks regularly reported his case studies.

On his death, aged 82, from terminal cancer in 2015, he was hailed as the 'Poet Laureate of contemporary medicine'

Bestselling popular science books such as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, which were made into films

Although the august and self-regarding title (whose supposedly rigorous fact-checking department, shamefully, never managed to unearth its contributor's lies in his lifetime) is too polite or embarrassed to spell it out - he was a fraud. Though not, however, an unrepentant one, as his diaries reveal he felt guilty about the deceptions.

Some of the fake details, it appears, were drawn from his own life. 'I write out symbolic versions of myself,' Sacks admitted. Others were completely invented as pure 'fairy tales'.

The New Yorker obtained the damning evidence after being given access to the writer's huge trove of correspondence by the Oliver Sacks Foundation.

Such revelations will come as a rude shock for the masses of people who revered Sacks and helped turn him into an institution - particularly the political Left who applauded his emphasis on the importance of showing empathy for the marginalised.

Awakenings, for instance, was turned into a film, a Harold Pinter play (A Kind Of Alaska), a ballet and even an opera.

However, his peers in the neurology world may be less surprised by the New Yorker's findings about how much he - in the magazine's mealy-mouthed words - 'reshaped patients' reality' in pursuit of a good yarn. They complained that they couldn't replicate his astonishing findings and, some said caustically, that he was a better writer than a clinician.

But he insisted that the only details he changed about his patients were minor ones in order to protect their privacy. He wanted to be remembered, he piously told a reporter, as someone who 'bore witness'.

Awakenings, for instance, was turned into a film, a Harold Pinter play (A Kind Of Alaska)

But in 1985, by which time he'd written four best-selling books that, gushed the New York Times, had established him as 'our modern master of the case study', he admitted in his private journal that he had some 'hard confessing to do'.

He said he felt 'a sense of hideous criminality' about his work in which he had given his patients 'powers (starting with powers of speech) which they do not have'. Some details, he added, were 'pure fabrications', although he insisted he hadn't done this for fame and attention but out of 'purer and deeper' motives which he called 'a sort of autobiography' which he regarded as self-therapy.

Sacks didn't go into precisely what he'd fabricated, but the New Yorker - by comparing what he revealed about his patients in his diaries and to friends with what he claimed about them in his books - has been able to produce various examples.

His 1985 book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, was one of his most acclaimed works. But Sacks privately described it as 'fairy taleshalf-science, half-fable' that he'd written 'to keep MY demons of boredom and loneliness and despair away'.

The 'most flagrant example', he admitted, was his astounding account of two institutionalised autistic twins, aged 26, who spent their days rolling off an endless series of prime numbers.

But no other researchers who'd studied the pair had ever noticed such an impressive ability.

In fact, it was Sacks himself who had spent hours in his childhood reciting prime numbers.

Meanwhile, the patient who provided the same Sacks book with its memorable title was so impaired by visual agnosia, which made it impossible for him to recognise everyday objects, that he once tried to lift his wife's head off and place it on his own because he mistook it for a hat.

At least, that's what Sacks claimed. However, the wife, it's now revealed, 'privately disagreed' with him over this depiction.

In his book Awakenings, Sacks wrote about a patient he calls Leonard L (played in the film adaptation by De Niro). Other doctors had dismissed Leonard and his fellow sleeping sickness sufferers as 'hopeless' cases, but Sacks say the 'living statues' came alive when he gave them a drug called L-dopa, which elevates the brain's dopamine levels.

He wrote how Leonard, pointing to letters on a blackboard, told him he felt 'caged' and 'deprived' - like Rilke's 'Panther'.

He was referring to a poem by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. But, it now emerges, Sacks had repeatedly told friends in letters that he felt caged 'like Rilke's Panther' while struggling to write his first book.

Leonard knew such poetry, Sacks made clear, because he was a 'man of most unusual intelligence, cultivation and sophistication'. However, in his own memoirs, written after the L-Dopa treatment allowed him to move and communicate, Leonard revealed he was nothing of the sort, instead gloating about how he'd raped several young girls.

The rapes were never mentioned by Sacks, whose determination to portray his patients in the most flattering light surely explains why - as the New Yorker notes - so few of them ever complained about his inaccurate depiction of them.

Sacks also wrote in Awakenings of how another patient was so sexually aroused by the drug he gave them (which was one of its side-effects) that she told him: 'My blood is champagne.' It was an unusual and lyrical phrase - and, sure enough, one Sacks had used himself to describe a previous love affair in his largely celibate life.

Another patient, Rebecca, had an IQ of just 60 and despaired of life. But Sacks wrote how she later joined a theatre group and 'became a complete person, poised, fluent'. In reality, there was no theatre group and no happy ending.

As they 'awaken' to Sacks' dishonesty, some of his admirers will no doubt say that it doesn't really matter if he gilded the lily in making a wider point about the resilience of the human spirit.

His critics, however, will wait with relish for book shops to banish his lionised tomes to the fiction shelves.
Construction workers in Sydney can put down their tools and walk off the job as a scorching heatwave sends temperatures past 38C.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union said its members are within their rights to stop working when the temperature reaches 35C.

'Once the temperature reaches 35 degrees or a humidity level above 75 per cent, there will be an orderly cessation of work and preparations for safe completions of critical tasks currently underway,' the CFMEU said.

'During periods of hot weather, if there are areas of the workplace that are below 35C, work shall continue as normal.

'If the on-site temp hits 35C, it's your right to stop work. Working in the heat and humidity is dangerous.'

The union also said that at temperatures below 35C, workers are to be relocated out of direct sunlight where the work environment creates a serious risk to their health and safety.

Employers must provide sunscreen, cool, clear drinking water, air-conditioned site sheds, hard hat brims, and sunglasses where required.

CFMEU reminds workers of their rights: Stop work if temps hit 35C or humidity exceeds 75%. Employers must provide sunscreen and water

Symptoms of heat illness include nausea, dizziness, and weakness
Brittany Higgins has left her top PR job just five months after declaring she was ready to 'get on the tools and be a working person again.'

The former Liberal staffer, who was bankrupted by her former boss Linda Reynolds last week, was appointed director of public affairs at independent agency Third Hemisphere in May.

Her appointment was announced in a sprawling interview with the Australian Financial Review in June, during which she said: 'How long do I have to be the story for?'

The story provided no context for Higgins' comment, but she was referring to a barrage of television interviews, speeches, and years-long court cases over her rape by former colleague Bruce Lehrmann in Parliament House in 2019.

Lehrmann was found on a civil balance of probabilities to have raped Higginsa finding which was upheld in a court of appeal earlier in December.

Higgins shared the article on Instagram along with the caption, 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!'

However, the celebration was short-lived.

She is now absent from the agency's website, and her own LinkedIn profile indicates she left the company in October.

Brittany Higgins is pictured with her husband David Sharaz and their son, Freddie

Ms Higgins shared her new job Instagram in June, with the caption: 'Your girl is finally back in the workforce!'

Pictured: A screenshot of Brittany Higgins' LinkedIn profile, indicating she left the PR firm in October. She is not named on the agency's website

The reason for her departure is unclear, but it came just two months after she lost her defamation case against Ms Reynolds, forcing Higgins and her husband David Sharaz, who conceded defeat in his own defamation proceedings, into bankruptcy.

Mr Sharaz joined the same PR firm in March and is still listed on the agency's website as a director.

According to the Australian Financial Security Authority, the couple would have to make contributions to Ms Reynolds if they earned an annual salary worth more than $87,396.

If Mr Sharaz had to support two dependents, Higgins and their son, he would be able to earn $94,062.42 before anything was given to Ms Reynolds.

Speaking about her new job in June, she told the newspaper that her move to Third Hemisphere followed a connection with the firm's founder and CEO Hannah Moreno, who is a rape and domestic violence survivor.

'There was this general feeling of 'how long do I have to be the story for?' At what point do I get to put it to rest... and have my own identity outside this narrative of Brittany Higgins,' Higgins said.

'I also have a brand reputation and I don't want to align myself in a corporate sense with someone that could be doing something untoward.'

Higgins said the role would be her first steps in following her role models, including Governor-General Samantha Mostyn, Indigenous social activist and business executive Tanya Hosch, and business executive Christine Holgate.

Linda Reynolds is pictured outside the WA Supreme Court in August, after winning her defamation case against Brittany Higgins

Bruce Lehrmann was found on a civil scale to have raped Brittany Higgins in 2019, which he denies

Her role involved working with clients on reputation management and strategic advocacy, stakeholder engagement, media relations, and public affairs initiatives that create public discussion.

Bankruptcy proceedings following her defamation loss came in August.

Ms Reynolds successfully argued that a series of social media posts by Higgins and Mr Sharaz in 2022 and 2023 damaged her reputation and impacted her health.

Justice Paul Tottle found the posts wrongly implied Reynolds engaged in a campaign of harassment against Higgins, mishandled her rape allegation, and engaged in questionable conduct during Lehrmann's criminal trial in 2022.

Higgins was ordered to pay $340,000 in damages and interest, along with 80 per cent of the senator's legal costs, worth an estimated $1 million, as well as her own legal costs, worth an estimated $600,000.

Mr Sharaz conceded defeat in early 2024 and was ordered to pay $85,000.

It came almost three years after she landed a $2.45 million settlement following her civil case against the Commonwealth, launched over the way her rape complaint was handled by Ms Reynolds and her former chief of staff, Fiona Brown.

She was diagnosed as medically unfit for any form of employment, and had been given a very poor prognosis for future employment, according to her draft statement of claim.

Pictured: Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz's old house in France

Brittany Higgins is pictured at her former home in France, when she was pregnant with Freddie

More than half of the sum was in respect of her loss of earnings, while the rest was made up of medical expenses, legal costs and '$400,000 for hurt, distress and humiliation'.

The couple purchased the house in France using the proceeds of the settlement, of which she said she retained about $1.9 million.

Ms Reynolds has been highly critical of the settlement because she was not allowed to defend herself against the untested claims against her.

Following the settlement, Higgins and Mr Sharaz went on a series of holidays, rented a Gold Coast property for about a year, dressed in designer gear, bought a house in France, and spent more than $100,000 on their Australian wedding.

She then sold her house in France to cover her legal costs associated with the defamation case, gave birth to her first child, and relocated to Melbourne.

By the time bankruptcy proceedings commenced, the court heard Higgins' estate was worth about $10,000.

Third Hemisphere and Higgins have been contacted for comment.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Ms Higgins was sacked due to the bankruptcy.
The hero who bravely tackled and disarmed a gunman has been labelled a 'traitor' by followers of a Palestinian news website, despite almost certainly saving the lives of many during the Bondi massacre.

Vision of Ahmed Al Ahmed, 42, leaping from behind a car to disarm terrorist shooter Sajid Akram, 50, was circulated around the world, and garnered him $2.5million in donations.

Many described the southwest Sydney tobacco store owner as the 'hero of Bondi'.

However, after Palestinian outlet Ramallah News posted Mr Al Ahmed's story on Facebook, the majority of the hundreds of comments were hostile.

'Treason comes to you from the closest people' and 'he sold himself and his life for the safety of the Jews' were among the vile comments.

'I wish it the bullet hit your heart,' another wrote.

Another added: 'May Allah not heal you.'

Ramallah News has millions of followers and is one of the most popular Palestinian news sources.

Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed has been labelled a 'traitor' for saving Jewish lives

Vision of Mr Al Ahmed, 42, leaping from behind a car to stop terrorist shooter Sajid Akram, 50, was circulated around the world

Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with murder

The outlet also posted coverage of the Bondi shooting that attracted hundreds of comments making false allegations that Israel was behind the attack.

The 'traitor' comments came after Mr Al Ahmed was handed a cheque of more than $2.5million for his actions which have been praised by locals, politicians and celebrities.

Mr Al Ahmed appeared in a video where he thanked the more than 43,000 donors who raised $2,533,585 after his heroics.

'I deserve it?' Mr Al Ahmed asks in the video.

When asked what he would say to the people who donated, Mr Al Ahmed said: 'To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad ... and keep going to save life.'

'When I do save the people, I do it from the heart. Because it was a nice day everyone enjoying, celebrating with their kid, woman, man, teenager, everyone was happy and they deserve to enjoy and it's their right.

'This country (is the) best country in the world, best country in the world, but we're not going to stand and keep watching  enough is enough.

'God protect Australia. Aussie, Aussie Aussie.'

The tobacco store owner did not say what he planned to do with the money.

Mr Al Ahmed is recovering in hospital

Mr Al Ahmed is helped after he was shot in the Bondi attacks

American billionaire Bill Ackman contributed the maximum allowed $99,000 for Mr Al Ahmed's mammoth crowdfunding campaign.

'In a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed Al Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation,' the GoFundMe page reads.

'His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety.

'Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the process while protecting others. This GoFundMe has been created to show our gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated incredible courage when it mattered most.'

Mr Al Ahmed was shot twice during the attacks and remains in hospital.

The father, who is from war-torn Syria, first arrived in Australia in 2006 and is the owner of Cigara, a tobacco shop in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland.

Mr Al Ahmed also said he 'appreciated the efforts of everyone' while speaking in Arabic from his hospital bed.

'May Allah reward you and grant wellbeing,' he said in Arabic.

'Through Allah, I went through a very difficult phase, only Allah knows it. I ask my mother, the apple of my eye, to pray for me.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's daughter branded TSA 'unconstitutional' after she refused to go through a body scanner and almost missed her flight.

Evita Duffy-Alfonso railed against the agency on social media Thursday for subjecting her to an 'absurdly invasive' full body pat down in lieu of the scanner.

Duffy-Alfonso, 26, waited 15 minutes to complete her mandatory security screening.

'Im pregnant and didnt feel like getting radiation exposure...' she wrote on X.

'The agents were passive-aggressive, rude, and tried to pressure me and another pregnant woman into just walking through the scanner because its safe."'

TSA requires all passengers to complete security screening. Anyone who opts out of digital scanners must complete a physical screening from an officer of the same sex.

Still, Duffy-Alfonso claimed she had been 'treated like a terrorist in [her] own country.'

After the whole ordeal she 'barely' made her flight.

'All this for an unconstitutional agency that isnt even good at its job,' she wrote.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's daughter Evita Duffy-Alfonso criticized TSA after a run-in at the airport

The 26-year-old mother-to-be slammed the administration for requiring her to wait for a pat-down when she refused to go to through a body scanner

Duffy-Alfonso called TSA an 'unconstitutional agency' and said pat downs were 'absurdly invasive'

Duffy-Alfonso also went on to criticize the private security company CLEAR for taking passengers' 'biometric data' for the sake of a smoother security process.

'Is this freedom?,' Duffy-Alfonso continued, pulling the author of dystopian novel 1984 author into her diatribe.

'Travel, brought to you by George Orwelland the privilege of convenience based solely on your willingness to surrender biometric data and submit to radiation exposure?'

According to the TSA, all airport screening equipment is safe for all travelers, including pregnant people.

Walkthrough medical detectors reportedly do not use X-Rays to scan passengers. Instead they employ non-ionizing electromagnetic waves that reflect off the body.

The CDC explained non-ionizing radiation 'does not add to a person's ionizing radiation dose.'

TSA advised those who may want to opt out should give themselves plenty of time to go through to their gates.

Duffy-Alfonso noted in the comment section of her tirade that she arrived at the airport one hour and 10 minutes before her flight.

Most airlines recommend arriving at least two hours before departure.

Duffy-Alfonso claimed that if her father were in charge of TSA he would work to have it abolished

Duffy-Alfonso refused to go through the full body scanner because she is pregnant

The transportation secretary's daughter went as far as to say TSA should be abolished altogether.

'If [Sean Duffy] did have TSA, hed radically limit it and lobby Congress to abolish it,' she responded to a comment telling her to take up the issue with her father.

TSA is under the Department of Homeland Security, run by Kristi Noem.

A spokesperson for the TSA told the Independent that they were aware of the incident.

'TSA takes complaints about airport security screening procedures seriously and investigates complaints thoroughly to ensure the correct procedures are applied,' they wrote.

In October, South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace made headlines for her own run-in with the agency.

A police report claimed the 47-year-old MAGA loyalist had a meltdown at Charleston International Airport after she waited six minutes to be escorted through her security gate.

Officials alleged that she called a TSA employee a 'f***ing idiot' and 'f***ing incompetent' in a report that she dismissed as falsified.

Duffy-Alfonso wrote that her father would 'radically limit' TSA and 'lobby Congress to abolish it'

The 26-year-old said she was 'treated like a terrorist' after being subjected to security screening

TSA required all passengers to be subjected to security screening. Those that decline body scanners must receive a pat down

As the right wing rails against TSA, thousands of agents just came off of working without pay during the longest government shutdown in history.

During the 43-day blackout, US airports saw more than 10,000 delays and 2,7000 cancellations.

Republican leaders blamed Democrats for security delays, missed checks and travel chaos while TSA workers handled the brunt of travelers' frustration.

Now right-wing voices like Duffy-Alfonso are calling for their positions to be removed altogether.

'The "golden age of transportation" cannot begin until the TSA is gone,' she concluded.

The Daily Mail contacted TSA for comment.
A Wisconsin judge has been found guilty of obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade ICE in a victory for Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migration.

Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan with obstruction, a felony, and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, in April.

The indictment accused Dugan of 'knowingly' concealing an undocumented migrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, so he wouldn't be discovered and arrested by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dugan allegedly helped Flores-Ruiz evade arrest when he appeared in her courtroom on April 18 for a pretrial hearing in a domestic abuse case.

The jury acquitted her on the concealment count, but she still faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction count, a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

The jury returned the verdicts after deliberating for six hours.

The Trump administration branded Dugan an activist judge and Democrats countered that the White House was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation.

Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters.

Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan (pictured center) has been found guilty of obstruction for helping a Mexican immigrant evade ICE in a victory for Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal migration

The indictment accused Dugan of 'knowingly' concealing an undocumented migrant, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz (pictured), so he wouldn't be discovered and arrested by officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Steve Biskupic, her lead attorney, later told reporters that he was disappointed with the ruling and didn't understand how the jury could have reached a split verdict since the elements of both charges were virtually the same.

US Attorney Brad Schimel denied the case was political and urged people to accept the verdict peacefully.

He said courthouse arrests are safer because people are screened for weapons and it isnt unfair for law enforcement to arrest wanted people in courthouses.

'Some have sought to make this about a larger political battle,' Schimel said. 'While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day, a single bad day, in a public courthouse. The defendant is certainly not evil. Nor is she a martyr for some greater cause.'

US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche praised the verdict on X, saying nobody is above the law, even judges.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended Dugan in May, claiming it was in the public interest to relieve her of her duties as she faces the federal charges.

Flores-Ruiz was accused of punching someone 30 times in the face after they complained he was playing loud music.

He was charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery for allegedly assaulting three people on March 12.

The long-time judge was indicted on May 13 on charges of obstructing a federal agency and aiding 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz's escape. Pictured: Surveillance footage shows Dugan outside her courtroom on April 18, confronting federal agents who were there to arrest Flores-Ruiz

The Trump administration branded Dugan an activist judge and Democratscountered that the White House was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation

Flores-Ruiz is a migrant from Mexico. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security said he was deported in 2013 and never sought legal permission to return.

ICE agents in Milwaukee were then alerted to Flores-Ruiz's hearing on April 18, and agents showed up at the courthouse to arrest him.

Six ICE agents described as wearing 'generally plain clothes' arrived at the courthouse and presented their identifications to a security guard, according to a criminal complaint.

Dugan was then allegedly notified of the agents and 'became visibly angry,' calling their presence 'absurd,' and left the bench.

'Witnesses uniformly reported that Judge Dugan was visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor,' the criminal complaint stated.

Dugan then allegedly asked the officers to leave and informed them they needed a judicial warrant to arrest Flores-Ruiz.

The Wisconsin judge was then accused of directing the agents to the chief judge and helped Flores-Ruiz and his attorney leave through a 'jury door.'

The affidavit stated Dugan told the migrant and his attorney, 'wait come with me' before they left the courthouse, directing them to a back jury door.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves court in May after pleading not guilty to obstruction and concealment charges

This courtroom sketch depicts Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan in court this week

The courtroom deputy told investigators that the door is only used for deputies, juries, court staff, and defendants already in custody.

They added that defense attorneys and defendants who weren't in custody 'never' used that door.

Dugan allegedly adjourned the case without the state attorney's knowledge, according to the criminal complaint.

Flores-Ruiz and his attorney allegedly took an elevator and left the courthouse before ICE agents followed them.

ICE agents saw him outside the courthouse, and he ran away when they approached him.

Flores-Ruiz was apprehended by ICE agents, and Dugan was arrested and charged with obstructing a proceeding of a federal agency and concealing an individual to prevent arrest.

Prosecutors worked during Dugans trial to show that she directed agents to the chief judges office to create an opening for Flores-Ruiz to escape.

An FBI agent who led the investigation testified that after agents left the corridor, she immediately moved Flores-Ruiz's case to the top of her docket, told him that he could appear for his next hearing via Zoom and led him out the private door.

Prosecutors also played audio recordings from her courtroom in which she can be heard telling her court reporter that shed take 'the heat' for leading Flores-Ruiz out the back.

Her attorneys countered that she was trying to follow courthouse protocols that called for court employees to report any immigration agents to their supervisors and she didnt intentionally try to obstruct the arrest team.

The US Department of Homeland Security announced in November that he had been deported.
Thousands are expected to gather at mass rallies in Sydney and Melbourne this Sunday calling for the dismissal of the Albanese government.

This is despite calls from NSW Police and Premier Chris Minns to abandon public protests in the wake of last Sunday's Bondi Beach terrorist attack, which left 15 people dead.

Put Australia First organisers described the rallies as a stand against government complacency and failed leadership.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who recently defected from the Nationals to One Nation, will headline the Sydney event in Hyde Park, which will include a march through the CBD.

Organisers argue that the Bondi attack targeted not only Jewish Australians but also liberal values, peace, and harmony, leaving the wider community fearful and angry.

They also accuse the federal government of failing to address years of growing hostility towards Jewish communities, saying the massacre has deepened grief and that warnings were ignored.

The rallies are in response to what organisers describe as 'treason' over immigration policies they claim could 'destabilise Australia's peace, freedom and prosperity'.

'Hate, intimidation and violence have no place in Australian society, and we condemn our leaders for allowing it to go unchecked for far too long,' an event statement read.

A Put Australia First rally will be held in Sydney this Sunday, despite pleas from authorities for it not to go ahead

NSW Police has warned against participating in large-scale assemblies or protests in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack last Sunday

Organiser Morgan Jonas told news.com.au: 'It is at odds with our way of life  Australian lives at risk does not advance the soul of our nation, and I would classify such decisions in relation to that type of immigration as treason.

'If people are serious about saving this country, preserving our culture and way of life, and the freedoms Australians know and value, then they need to get very serious about their political involvement, who theyre voting for, and the future that will flow from those decisions.'

On Friday, Premier Minns announced plans for new police powers to block public assemblies during 'high-risk times,' including terrorist incidents.

The proposed changes would allow the NSW Police Commissioner, with ministerial approval, to declare zones where all gatherings are banned, even those authorised in court.

'We hope this will send a strong signal that assemblies in public spaces are unsafe or discouraged during a period of mourning, division or terrorism,' Minns said.

NSW Police later warned against participating in large-scale assemblies or protests in the wake of Sunday's Bondi terror attack.

'NSW Police is urging everyone in the community that now is a time for healing, unity and supporting one another,' a statement read.

'While NSW Police recognises people may want to protest due to recent events both here and overseas, we are asking the community to choose other ways to come together peacefully.'

Put Australia First organisers have also organised a Melbourne rally for this Sunday

NSW Premier Chris Minns (centre) and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon (right) warned people against participating in large-scale assemblies or protests in the wake of Sunday's Bondi terror attack

Police added they were aware of a number of planned unauthorised gatherings around NSW this weekend which have not gone through the formal legal process.

'We strongly encourage those planning or attending these events to reconsider. There will be a significant policing response to any large-scale public gatherings, and this is not a time for large gatherings that may heighten tension or create further risk to the safety of the community,' the statement added.

'Anyone considering violence, retribution or vigilante behaviour, should know that police will respond swiftly and decisively.'

With the proposed legislation flagged by Minns not yet in effect, Put Australia First rally organisers insisted they have followed current processes and intend to proceed.

'Today we march to say clearly: hatred is not normal, it is not acceptable, and it will not define who we are as a nation,' the event statement added.

Event marshals will be present, with a strict zero-tolerance policy for racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia or violence.

The Jewish community has also offered its support and encouraged Australians to unite against extremism, according to rally organisers.

Barnaby Joyce (pictured in Bondi this week with One Nation leader Pauline Hanson) is set to be one of the headline speakers at the Put Australia First rally in Sydney this Sunday

Joyce's attendance at the Sydney rally is set to be a major drawcard, marking one of his first significant appearance since joining One Nation earlier this month.

His involvement highlights the heightened political tension surrounding these rallies, described by organisers as a crucial moment for Australians demanding accountability and leadership change.

'This was an attack against all Australians, and the very people who should be keeping us safe have let us down. Our leaders must be held accountable, underscoring the urgent need for collective action,' the statement reads.

Organisers expect several thousand people to attend in Sydney and Melbourne, with the necessary authorisation underway and security teams instructed to cooperate with police.

'If people are serious about saving this country, preserving our culture and way of life, and the freedoms Australians know and value, then they need to get very serious about their political involvement,' the statement said.
Reform UK will not be investigated over allegations that the party overspent on leader Nigel Farage's general election campaign last year in Clacton.

Essex Police said the force has assessed the claims but said it falls outside the one-year statutory time limit, so 'no investigation can take place'.

A former Reform councillor and member of Mr Farage's campaign team, Richard Everett, was said to have submitted documents to the Metropolitan Police showing the party spent more than the 20,660 limit in the Essex constituency.

Reform previously strongly denied breaking the law on election spending, and accused Mr Everett of being a 'disgruntled former councillor' who was expelled from the party 'several months ago'.

According to previous reports in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Everett claims Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office.

He alleges that the party's official returns report that it came just 400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap.

Mr Everett - whose role included the monitoring of election expenses and escorting Mr Farage around during the campaign following his defection from the Conservatives - reportedly said he believed Reform exceeded the spending limit by about 9,000, but he added that Mr Farage was 'blissfully unaware' of the omissions.

Under electoral law, campaign spending is highly regulated and is divided into expenditure by a national political party and by individual candidates.

Reform UK will not be investigated over allegations that the party overspent on leader Nigel Farage's general election campaign last year in Clacton

Mr Farage speaks to the crowd as he arrives in a land rover to deliver a stump speech to supporters on July 3, 2024 in Clacton-on-Sea, England

National parties have higher spending limits and, while they can buy materials used locally, they must not directly promote a specific candidate using a photograph or the name of a particular area.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: 'We have assessed a report relating to an allegation around misreported expenditure by a political candidate in connection with the general election in July 2024.

The report had been made on December 5, the force added.

The force said: 'Having regard to the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states any prosecution for such an offence must commence within one year, it has been concluded that this report falls outside of the stated statutory time limit, and no investigation can take place.'

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said on Thursday: 'We have responded to Anna Turley MP's correspondence which raised questions about Reform UK's spending at the 2024 general election.

'After carefully considering the information presented in the letter, we did not identify any expenditure relating to Mr Farage's election campaign in Clacton that should have been declared in Reform UK's national expenditure.'

Mr Everett, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an Independent councillor.

A Reform spokesman previously said: 'These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor. The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.'
A teen who stabbed a young father-to-be to death in front of shocked crowds at Sydney's Royal Easter Show could be eligible for parole as soon as next year.

The then 14-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, stabbed Uati 'Pele' Faletolu, 17, in the chest on April 11, 2022.

On Friday, the teen, who is now 18, was sentenced to seven years in prison, with a minimum term of four years and three months.

Based on time already served in custody, he is eligible for parole on October 14, 2026.

The NSW Supreme Court found him not guilty of murder as he did not have the 'necessary intention' to kill when he confronted Uati.

The teen pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month.

Judge Peter Garling said the teen carried a knife with him as a 'form of protective security blanket.'

The court heard the boys were associated with rival gangs from western Sydney - Uati with the '67' gang from Doonside, and his killer with the 'Ready For Anything' (RFA) from nearby Mount Druitt.

Uati died on the way to hospital after he was stabbed while working at the Royal Easter Show

Footage of the brutal attack was shared widely across social media, including from the killer

Uati was unarmed when he was confronted by a group of RFA members while he was working at the showground.

He had been at the showground working as a Break Dance ride attendant when he became caught up in a vicious brawl.

The court heard that the killer was standing behind two of his associates when he reached through a gap, stabbing Uati once in the chest in a 'sudden and quick movement... something in the order of ten seconds', according to Judge Garling.

Footage of the brutal attack was shared widely across social media with the killer even recording a short video of himself at the showground while saying, 'GG 67 motherf***er... you thought you could pull us up motherf***er ha ha.'

Police later found a series of poems and raps on the teen's phone describing how he killed Uati, including the lyrics, 'Should have worked at Maccas. Now he's dead. We smoke him up.'

The judge slammed the teen as being 'boastful about the success of his endeavour' and 'disrespectful to the deceased and his family.'

The court was also told the teen had a 'fascination with knives' and gave his weapons names including 'Barbie' for the knife used in the killing.

Uati was months away from becoming a first-time father, pictured with girlfriend Taylor

The knife has never been recovered.

Just days after the fatal attack, it was revealed that Uati had recently learned he was months away from becoming a father.

His pregnant girlfriend Taylor Piliae told mourners at his funeral that he signed up to work at the Easter Show to earn some money for the baby's arrival.

'I wish I had 10 more minutes with you to tell you how much you're appreciated. You would have been the best dad,' she said.

Uati was remembered by his mother as a happy young man with a big heart

Mourners performed a haka at Uati's funeral, as his casket was being driven away

'I promise I'll take care of our baby.'

Ms Piliae gave birth to their son seven months later in November 2022 and named him Uati, in honour of his father.
British tourists were among more than a hundred foreign travellers rescued after a ferry capsized on the Mekong River in Laos, forcing passengers to scramble for their lives as the vessel partially sank.

The boat was carrying around 120 passengers when it struck a rock on its way to the historic city of Luang Prabang on Thursday afternoon.

The impact caused the ferry to tilt sharply before taking on water near Tam Ting Cave in Pak Ou District, a popular stretch of the river for tourists.

Terrified passengers climbed onto the roof of the stricken vessel before being rescued by a passing barge and nearby boats.

Dramatic video footage from the scene shows travellers being pulled from the water and standing on the overturned ferry as they attempted to retrieve bags before they disappeared beneath the surface.

In the background, survivors can be heard asking each other whether their belongings were gone.

Despite strong currents in the Mekong, no one was swept away, and there were no reports of serious injuries.

Traveller Kob Phommachan said the accident happened at around 3pm during the final leg of the multi-day journey.

The group had set off from Huay Xay, stopped overnight in Pak Beng, and was heading towards Luang Prabang when disaster struck.

More than a hundred passengers, including British tourists, were left scrambling for their lives when their boat capsized in Laos

Frightened passengers were recorded being pulled to safety from the Mekong River

'There were around 120 foreign tourists on board and about 10 local villagers who boarded along the way,' Kob said. 'I was the only Lao backpacker on the ferry.'

Passengers included backpackers from the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and the Netherlands, according to those on board.

Kob described the moment the ferry hit the rock, saying it suddenly tilted before partially sinking.

He said: 'Everyone was shocked. At that moment, I even thought I was going to die. Luckily, we were all rescued safely. No one was injured, but most of our belongings were lost.'

He estimated that as much as 70 to 80 per cent of passengers' luggage sank into the river as the boat went down.

In the video, one traveller can be heard saying: 'I think I lost my backpack and I will never see it again, while another added: Its gone. In the river. Its sunk to the bottom.'

Local residents and passing boat operators rushed to help, ferrying survivors from the riverbank to Luang Prabang town.

Sisuphan Phommala, a pilot who was nearby at the time of the incident, said he immediately intervened when he saw the ferry in trouble.

'I was passing by when I saw the boat sinking,' he said. 'I immediately took passengers onto our boat and helped bring them to safety.'

Before the incident, the boat was on its way to the historic city of Luang Prabang on Thursday afternoon

Authorities in Laos have launched an investigation into what caused the ferry to strike the rock and whether safety procedures were followed during the journey.

Boat capsizes on the Mekong River have resulted in the deaths and disappearances of tourists and locals.

In 2015, BBC picture editor Johanna Powell died after a boat struck rapids near Pak Beng.

Last year, a small boat with at least 40 Myanmar workers capsized on the river in the Golden Triangle region between Myanmar and Thailand. Over 20 people who were missing were feared dead.

Officials have warned that strong currents are part of the major hazards in the region.
The horrifying cause of death of Emile Soleil has been revealed over two years after his disappearance from the French village of Haut-Vernet.

The latest expert report also revealed disturbing details about how the toddler's body may have been stored by the killer.

Two-year-old Emile vanished from his grandparents' home on July 8, 2023, and despite days of searching, the child was not found.

His remains were then discovered nearly a year later by a hiker in March 2024, only 1.7km from the village.

According to Le Parisien, analysis of the bones has now revealed an injury on the cheekbone area, next to the right zygomatic bone.

The new report's leading hypothesis is that the lesion occurred from a deliberate blow causing 'violent facial trauma,' potentially inflicted using an object.

In addition, pollen and insect examinations revealed that the child's body had been kept 'for many months in an enclosed space, sheltered from the elements, but not very airtight'.

Places fitting this description could include a barn, stable or a similar agricultural setting.

Two-year-old Emile vanished from his grandparent's home on July 8, 2023

His remains were discovered nearly a year later by a hiker in March 2024, only 1.7 km from the village

The yellow t-shirt Emile had been wearing when he disappeared showed no signs of organic decomposition, and only pollen found in the Haut-Vernon area was detected.

This may suggest that the toddler's body was undressed very soon after his death.

Detectives had previously said they believed the remains of Emile were likely preserved in a protected, almost sterile environment like a freezer before being moved and found.

The new report comes as Emile's grandparents, aunt and uncle have been questioned for the first time since he vanished.

His grandparents, Philippe and Anne Vedovini, and two of their children, Maximin and Marthe Vedovini spoke to the investigating judges of the criminal division of Aix-en-Provence on December 9.

According to local reports, each family member was heard for an hour as civil parties by the two magistrates in charge of the case.

On March 25, 2024, the group of four were taken into custody for 'voluntary homicide' and 'concealing a corpse', before being released 48 hours later without charge.

But the public prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence, Jean-Luc Blachon, said the possibility of a family connection has not been ruled out. Since then the family members have filed civil suits in the case.

The new report comes as Emile's grandparents, aunt and uncle have been questioned for the first time since he vanished

The group of four were taken into custody for 'voluntary homicide' and 'concealing a corpse', before being released

The Vedovini family reportedly fell out with Father Gilliot after he shared a photo of Emile with the media

'This is obviously a very important step for my client, given that her last hearings were conducted while she was in police custody.This time, she was being heard as a civil party,' Anne Vedovini's lawyer, Julien Pinelli, told Le Parisien.

The mystery surrounding Emile's disappearance and death deepened as it emerged in March this year that the family's Roman Catholic priest who baptised Emile before he went missing had 'taken his own life', according to reports.

Father Claude Gilliot, 85, is said to have died from a 'massive overdose' at his home in Aix-en-Provence, French media reported.

Claims have been made that he fell out with the Vedovini family before his death after providing a photo of the little boy to the media.
A key witness at the centre of an investigation into whether wealthy tourists paid thousands to kill unarmed civilians in Sarajevo during the city's siege in the 1990s has died unexpectedly.

Slavko Aleksic, a Bosnian former militia leader, died in the city of Trebinje, despite having been in good health, The Times reports.

His sudden death comes after an investigation was launched last month in Italy following allegations of 'human safari' sniper trips during the Balkan wars - a bloody conflict that left more than 11,000 civilians dead.

Aleksic, 69, commandeered a Jewish cemetery above Sarajevo used by snipers, and according to Serbian lawyer Cedomir Stojkovic, 'he would have been a crucial witness' because 'he could have said who did the shooting and who organised it'.

Croatian investigative journalist Domagoj Margetic added: 'In November, Aleksic was apparently in good health  and now he has suddenly, and very conveniently, died.'

Last month, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic was accused of being involved in Sarajevo's 'human safari' sniper trips, an allegation he denies.

On November 24, Aleksic gave an interview on Serbian television and insisted the president had had no involvement in sniper activity.

'Aleksic was alive and well then, did not announce a fatal illness and, on the contrary, said he would testify in favour of Vucic,' Margetic said.

A Bosnian soldier returns fire as he and civilians came under fire in 1992. It has been alleged that tourists from Italy, the US, Russia and other countries paid thousands to hunt innocent people

A video of a Toyota allegedly used by militia leader Slavko Aleksic, with a human skull from a Bosnian corpse, during the siege of Sarajevo

On December 12, Aleksic told a radio show that he was in hospital in Belgrade, according to Margetic, after reportedly being taken from Bosnia to Belgrade's military hospital by Serbia's secret service.

Meanwhile, Stojkovic said: 'It's reasonable to think Aleksic's death was linked to the 'human safari' probe and that Serbian intelligence was involved'.

Margetic has appealed to war crimes prosecutors to stop any cremation or burial planned for Aleksic, and to hold a post mortem to check the body for poison.

His death also came shortly after a macabre video resurfaced of a car allegedly used by him featuring a human skull on the bonnet - said to be extracted from a Bosnian corpse - wearing a UN helmet.

The investigation into Sarajevo's mass killings followed a 2022 documentary called 'Sarajevo Safari' directed by Miran Zupanic, which made the claim that elite gun enthusiasts from Russia, Canada and the U.S. made weekend trips to the hills of Sarajevo to shoot at innocent civilians for fun, paying more to target children.

Survivors of the Sarajevo massacres have since said they want the death penalty for the sick tourists who allegedly paid to shoot at civilians during the war.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has denied any involvement with the 'human safari' sniper trips during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, when wealthy tourists allegedly paid to shoot at unarmed civilians in the besieged city of Sarajevo

Locals now hope the new inquiry launched in Milan could finally expose whether foreigners travelled to the front lines to take potshots at trapped residents.

Prosecutors acted after Italian journalist and writer Ezio Gavazzeni filed a formal complaint claiming that visitors paid Bosnian Serb fighters between 70,000 to 88,000 for trips to sniper positions.
The gunman who murdered two students at Brown University was also suspected of killing a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, police have revealed.

It comes after a frantic search for the suspect in last weekend's mass shooting at the university in Providence, Rhode Island, ended at a New Hampshire storage facility where authorities discovered the man dead inside.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine other people in a Brown lecture hall last Saturday, then killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro two days later at his home in the Boston suburbs, nearly 50 miles from Providence.

The suspect, who studied at Brown 20 years ago, was on the run from the police for days, but his eventual demise came when a Reddit post flagged his suspicious activity outside the Ivy League campus.

Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.

'He has no current affiliation with the university,' she said.

'Even though the suspect was found dead tonight our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered,' FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who attended Brown University from 2000 to 2001, was found dead Thursday night

Married father-of-three Nuno FG Loureiro (pictured), 47, was gunned down at his home in a leafy Boston suburb at 8.30pm on December 15

Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.

Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal's premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page.

The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school's then-president in February 2000.

Neves Valente had come to Brown on a student visa and eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017.

It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017.

His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.

Authorities revealed that gunman's original target was Loureiro but it was unclear what the shooter's motive was or what his relationship with Loureiro had been.

Armed police officers gathered outside of a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on Thursday, where a vehicle that was rented to Neves Valente was found abandoned

There was a heavy police presence outside of the storage facility

There are still 'a lot of unknowns' in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

'We don't know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom,' he said.

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts shootings.

Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for providing a crucial tip that led to the suspect.

After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness - known only as 'John' in a Providence police affidavit - recognised him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit.

'I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving,' the post from December 16 read.

'It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke [Street] side.'

Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

John said he had encountered Neves Valente hours earlier in the bathroom of the engineering building where the shooting occurred and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit.

He again bumped into Neves Valente a couple blocks away and saw him suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.

'When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name,' Neronha said.

His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates.

That enabled Providence police to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

Those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.

After leaving Rhode Island, Providence officials said Neves Valente stuck a Maine license plate over his rental car's plate to help conceal his identity.

Investigators found footage of Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro's in a Boston suburb.

About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where he was found dead after a six-day manhunt.

He had with him a satchel and two firearms.

Authorities had earlier said they had identified the shadowy figure caught on surveillance footage near the scene of Saturday's shooting, whose face they had been attempting to find with the help of grainy surveillance footage.

He had also been caught on surveillance footage near the professor's apartment, and was seen on camera entering the storage center in New Hampshire wearing the same clothes that he was pictured in in Rhode Island, according to Leah Foley, the US attorney in Massachusetts.

Authorities had said they had identified the shadowy figure caught on surveillance footage near the scene of Saturday's shooting, whose face they had been attempting to find with the help of grainy surveillance footage

Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, had joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the school's Plasma Science and Fusion Centre, one of its largest laboratories with more than 250 full-time researchers.

The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

A neighbour of Loureiro told the Boston Globe she heard gunshots and found the academic lying on his back in the foyer of their building, before calling for help alongside his wife.

'This family is so amazing. I cant imagine anyone wanting to kill him,' the neighbour, Louise Cohen, said.

Loureiro was taken to hospital but died the next day.

His neighbors remembered him as a kind-hearted, 'wonderful man', while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory.

MIT paid tribute to him as, 'a lauded theoretical physicist and fusion scientist'.

The two Brown students killed during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.

Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans.

Umurzokov's family immigrated to the US from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.

As for the wounded, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras.

And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn't capture footage of the person.

Authorities identified the suspected Brown gunman as Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, at a news conference on Thursday

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore at Brown University and a vice president of the school's Republican club, was identified as one of the two students killed in Saturday's shooting

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, the second Brown University victim killed on Saturday, has been remembered by his roommate as an aspiring neurosurgeon and 'ball of joy'

Foley said Thursday night that Neves Valente rented a hotel from November 26 through November 30, and then rented a vehicle on December 1 - which had been seen around Brown University through the day of the shooting on December 13.

Police were ultimately able to track him down after a homeless witness came forward.

An affidavit from Rhode Island detailed how a custodian at the school noticed a suspicious person wearing a surgical mask who walked with a limp and stopped in the bathroom of the Barus and Holley Building on December 13.

After authorities discovered the mysterious Reddit post, a man identified as 'John' told police he first encountered the suspect inside the Barus Holley bathroom at around 1.45pm to 2pm.

John described the suspect's clothing as 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather,' wearing a baggy jacket with at least two undergarment shirt layers.

The witness also 'described the pants and shoes as kitchen/restaurant worker style, of poor quality or would be associated with Walmart (John cast no judgment as to the quality),' the affidavit said.

The suspect then kept switching directions every time he saw John, the witness, who described the pattern as a 'game of cat and mouse'.

After exiting the bathroom, John said he watched the suspect unlock a gray or silver Nissan sedan, before he walked away from the vehicle.

But eventually, John said, he was able to catch up to the suspect, asking him: 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

The suspect then reportedly responded, 'I don't know you from nobody' and repeatedly asked John, 'Why are you harassing me?'

When detectives then showed John two images they obtained of the suspect's vehicle, he replied: 'Holy s**t, that might be it!'

Authorities on Thursday said John's testimony was critical to finding Neves Valente.

'That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence that matched the satchel that we see here in Providence,' Neronha said.

The big break in the case then came when authorities investigating the Brown shooting saw a call-out from Massachusetts police probing Loureiro's murder - and realised a vehicle of interest in that case was just like the one they were looking for.

It was the same make and model, but the license plates were different, law enforcement officials told CNN.

A witness then provided a license plate to authorities probing the Brown shooting, who then investigated the vehicle and its past drivers - which police say ultimately led them to confirm the two vehicles were the same.

Police now say the unidentified suspect employed a series of countermeasures to avoid being tracked beyond swapping the license plates, as he apparently planned to avoid surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology by making himself unidentifiable.

He even used a cellphone that obfuscated his location and credit cards that were not in his name, Foley said.

But officers in Massachusetts were able to determine that the Google email he had used to check into a hotel in Boston logged in from an IP address half a mile away from Loureiro's home on December 14.

The following night, a surveillance camera also captured a blue or gray Nissan Sentra about a mile from the physics professor's home and footage showed him entering a nearby apartment building.

About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, dressed in the same clothes that he was seen wearing right after Loureiro's murder, Foley said.

Loureiro's neighbors remembered him as a kind-hearted, 'wonderful man', while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory, as shown in the photograph above

Loureiro obtained a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005, before starting post-doctoral work at Princeton later that year

He would later be found dead inside the storage facility.

Victims Umurzokov and Cook were in a study session at Brown's School of Engineering Barus and Holley Building when the gunman burst in shortly after 4pm on Saturday and opened fire.

He then fired 40 rounds, killing the two students and wounding 12 more.

The building had been unlocked for exams, Paxson admitted, though she denied that a lack of cameras hindered the investigation.

Two days later at around 8.30pm on Monday, Neves Valente also fatally shot married father-of-three Loureiro inside his Boston home, nearly 50 miles away.

He specialised in nuclear science, engineering and physics. He leaves behind 'many devoted students, friends, and colleagues', according to his MIT obituary.

His academic career started at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal, where he gained a physics degree.

Loureiro obtained a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005, before starting post-doctoral work at Princeton later that year.

He also worked at the UK Atomic Energy Authoritys Culham Centre for Fusion Energy between 2007 and 2009.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth acknowledged that the beloved professor died in the wake of the Brown University shooting just two days before.

'This shocking loss for our community comes in a period of disturbing violence in many other places,' she said in a statement.

'Its entirely natural to feel the need for comfort and support.

'If you or anyone you know would like counsel or just a listening ear, I encourage you to make use of our many campus resources.

'In time, the many communities Nuno belonged to will create opportunities to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.'
Terrifying footage has emerged of Christmas shoppers fleeing for their lives after part of a roof caved in at a busy Sydney shopping centre.

Emergency services were called to Lidcombe Shopping Centre in the city's west on Friday afternoon following reports that a collapsed ceiling had left shoppers 'trapped and injured'.

Significant flooding was also reported, as one person was rushed to hospital.

Authorities said that the collapse may have been linked to a sprinkler head activating in the ceiling space. The exact cause is yet to be determined.

A shopping centre spokesperson told the Daily Mail on Friday night that the centre remains closed and was unable to say when it will reopen as the massive clean-up continued.

'We are working closely with emergency services to get the centre reopened as soon as possible,' it posted online.

Five Fire and Rescue NSW trucks and specialist rescue crews were dispatched after multiple triple-0 calls shortly before 2pm.

'Almost immediately after that activation, triple zero calls began reporting a ceiling collapse and injuries,' Inspector Steve Brown told 7News.

Shoppers ran for their lives after hearing a 'massive bang' as the ceiling collapsed onto the top floor

One patient was taken to Auburn Hospital with a shoulder injury.

Terrifying footage shared on social media, showed water streaming from the roof as shocked shoppers scrambled to safety.

Sirens were heard blaring throughout the centre before a large chunk of the ceiling plummeted onto the second storey.

Separate footage shared online showed the food court copped the brunt of the collapse, with tables and chairs toppled over and discarded meals abandoned by lunchtime shoppers.

Shoppers 'feared for their lives' and initially thought it was a terror attack as the 'massive bang' sounded like gunshots.

'What's just happened in the week, obviously everyone is on edge, so everyone just ran. I asked what happened, some people couldn't tell me, they were just running with their kids,' one woman said.

Shoppers who were sat in the food court appear to have been hit hardest by the collapse

Lidcombe Shopping Centre remains closed as crews work to repair the ceiling

'It was quite scary. But police responded pretty quickly.'

Locals commented online that the shopping centre had been experiencing issues with the leaking roof 'for ages'
This is the extraordinary moment a police helicopter narrowly avoided a collision with a US fighter jet as it searched for drones above an RAF base.

New footage released by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) shows the terrifying incident involving the F-15 jet - which can reach speeds of up to 1,650mph.

The recording captures the aircraft circling close to the police chopper over the American airbase, RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, on November 22 last year.

The helicopter and jet at one point came within 1,900ft of each other.

The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, concluded the helicopter pilot had misidentified red flashing lights belonging to the F-15 Eagle.

Its report said the NPAS helicopter had made several transmissions to air traffic control to explain their movements and what the 'drones' were doing.

However investigators highlighted how the crew on board the helicopter had not been told by RAF Lakenheath of the F-15's presence.

They noted that while the fighter pilot knew where the helicopter was, 'it may have been particularly beneficial for the situational awareness of the EC135 pilot if the Lakenheath Approach Controller had passed reciprocal traffic information to them'.

Video grab shows the extraordinary moment a fighter jet almost crashed with a police helicopter above an RAF base

Picture shows F15 fighter jets landing at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk (file photo)

A screengrab of the helicopter video shows a small object, which appears as a tiny blob on the infrared camera, slowly moving towards the top right of the screen

RAF Lakenheath is the largest US Air Force base in Europe and is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which provides combat power for NATO and European defenses.

Police call logs from November 22 and November 27 last year reveal that missions had to be withdrawn after helicopters came close to suspected drones.

The unmanned aerial devices were first spotted on November 20 at four air bases in the UK including RAF Mildenhall, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell in Norfolk.

Around 60 British troops were drafted in to help the United States Air Force investigate the mystery aircraft.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed last month its investigation into the drone activity had concluded.

Accountable Manager at NPAS Chief Superintendent Vicki White said: 'At NPAS, safety remains our foremost priority.

'It is imperative that any concerns raised by our crews are reported without delay and thoroughly investigated to determine any potential risk to aviation safety.

'The crew demonstrated professionalism and sound judgement in identifying a potential hazard.

The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, concluded the helicopter pilot had misidentified red flashing lights belonging to the F-15 Eagle (file photo of police helicopter)

RAF Lakenheath (pictured) is the largest US Air Force base in Europe and is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which provides combat power for NATO and European defenses

'With no traffic information provided and no situational awareness regarding the presence of the F15 aircraft, the crew correctly returned to base as a precautionary measure.

'We note the UK Airprox Board's conclusion that there was no risk of collision.

'NPAS remains committed to supporting the highest standards of aviation safety and to working collaboratively with our partners across the sector.'

The Daily Mail previously obtained a short video from the police chopper showing a small object, no more than a blob on the infrared camera, slowly moving towards the top right of the screen.

A UK military source said there was more to the incident than a close brush with a fighter jet.

'In the 30-minute video with pilot audio, nobody mentions F-15s,' they said.

'They only talk about the drones. How they're basically mirroring the helicopter's movements.

'How fast the drones are going. That they're basically forcing them out of the area.'

The source added that the footage shows one object pursuing the craft performing maneuvers impossible for a fighter jet.

'A fixed-wing craft is caught on the video, where you can see a corkscrew move,' the insider said. 'An F-15 cannot make a small corkscrew turn like that.'
Investigators have revealed that the gunman responsible for killing two students at Brown University also killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later.

The motives of 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente for both attacks remains unclear, but federal prosecutors on Thursday disclosed an interesting detail about the relationship of the killer to one of his victims.

Nuno F.G. Loureiro, the 47-year-old MIT professor, was fatally shot at his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline by his former classmate.

Neves Valente had previously attended the same academic programme in Portugal as Dr. Loureiro, from 1995 to 2000.

Dr. Loureiro graduated with a degree in physics from the Instituto Superior Tecnico in 2000. He worked as a researcher at the institute until 2016, when he moved to the United States to join MIT as a professor of nuclear science and engineering.

The same year Dr. Loureiro graduated from Portugal's premier engineering school in Lisbon, Neves Valente was let go from a position, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school's then-president in February 2000.

The Portuguese national entered the United States via a student visa, enrolling briefly in a graduate physics programme at Brown, until the spring of 2001.

Neves Valente revisited his former university in Providence, Rhode Island on December 13 and fired at least 44 rounds from his 9 mm pistol, killing two students and injuring another nine.

Two days later, he travelled 50 miles and fatally shot Dr Loureiro, a father of three, at his home in the Boston suburbs before disappearing, triggering a five-day manhunt.

He was found dead Thursday night in a storage rental facility in Salem, New Hampshire, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who attended Brown University from 2000 to 2001, was found dead Thursday night

Married father-of-three Nuno FG Loureiro (pictured), 47, was gunned down at his home in a leafy Boston suburb at 8.30pm on December 15

Despite the links between Dr. Loureiro and his killer, Neves Valente, authorities said that his motive in the attacks remains a mystery.

With the gunman's death, the authorities said that both cases in Providence and Brookline were closed.

'He is the person responsible not only for the Brown shootings, but for the Brookline shooting,' the US attorney in Massachusetts, Leah Foley, said in a news briefing on Thursday evening.

'We hope that this outcome tonight brings an increased sense of safety for our community,' said Christina Paxson, the president of Brown.

'I don't think we have any idea why now, or why Brown, or why these students, why this classroom,' said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Dr. Loureiro was appointed the director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Centre in 2024, one of the schools largest labs with more than 250 full-time researchers.

MIT paid tribute to him as 'a lauded theoretical physicist and fusion scientist', who had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

His neighbour and friend, Louise Cohen, said she discovered his body after hearing shots disturb the peace of their beautiful area on Gibbs Street.

Cohen said she was lighting a menorah candle when she heard gunshots fired. She rushed to the hallway of their building and found Dr Loureiro lying on his back.

The professor's heartbroken wife was also in the entry along with another neighbour, and they scrambled to dial 911. Dr Loureiro was taken to hospital but died the next day.

His neighbors remembered him as a kind-hearted, 'wonderful man', while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory.

'This family is so amazing. I cant imagine anyone wanting to kill him,' Cohen told the Boston Globe.

MITs president, Sally Kornbluth, sent a university-wide letter expressing 'great sadness' over the death of the professor.

'This shocking loss for our community comes in a period of disturbing violence in many other places,' said Kornbluths letter, released after a weekend defined by the deadly mass shootings at Brown and at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Dr Loureiro obtained a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005, before starting post-doctoral work at Princeton later that year

Dr Loureiro's neighbours remembered him as a kind-hearted, 'wonderful man', while students flocked to the candle-lit vigil in his memory, as shown in the photograph above

Neves Valente came to Brown on a student visa and eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017.

It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017.

His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery programme that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.

'This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X late Thursday.

Noem said she would 'immediately' implement a directive by President Trump to pause the green-card lottery 'to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme'.

On December 1, nearly two weeks before the shooting, the gunman rented a Nissan Sentra sedan from an Alamo rental agency in Boston and drove to Brown University.

License plate readers captured the car in the Ivy League university's vicinity in the days leading up to the campus shooting.

As he made his way across the states, the killer took pains to hide his identity and whereabouts, including changing the rental cars Florida license plate to an unregistered plate from Maine and using a mobile phone that concealed his location.

'He was sophisticated in hiding his tracks,' Foley said.

The car was seen around the Brown campus until December 12, the day before Neves Valente opened fire on an auditorium full of students reviewing for final exams.

The two Brown students killed during the study session were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.

Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans.

Umurzokov's family immigrated to the US from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.

They were in a study session at the Ivy League's School of Engineering Barus and Holley Building when the gunman burst in shortly after 4pm and opened fire.

As for the wounded, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras.

And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn't capture footage of the person.

Dr Loureiro specialised in nuclear science, engineering and physics

Armed police officers gathered outside of a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on Thursday, where a vehicle that was rented to Neves Valente was found abandoned

There was a heavy police presence outside of the storage facility

Foley declined to provide many details about the evidence linking Neves Valente to Dr Loureiro's murder, but said video images showed a rental car the shooter was driving near Dr Loureiro's home.

The IP address associated with Neves Valente's phone was known to have accessed the internet in the vicinity of the slain professor's home on the day he was killed, Foley added.

Within hours of shooting Dr. Loureiro, Neves Valente drove to Salem and entered a security facility, where he was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound days later.

Police were unable to comment on how long he might have been inside the storage unit.

'Even though the suspect was found dead tonight our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered,' FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said on Thursday, adding that the agency had deployed approximately 500 agents to assist local authorities in the investigation.

There are still 'a lot of unknowns' in regard to motive, Neronha said.

Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for providing a crucial tip that led to the suspect.

After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness - known only as 'John' in a Providence police affidavit - recognised him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit.

John said he had encountered Neves Valente hours earlier in the bathroom of the engineering building where the shooting occurred and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit.

He again bumped into Neves Valente a couple blocks away and saw him suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.

'I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving,' the post from December 16 read.

'It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke [Street] side.'

Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

'When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name,' Neronha said.

His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates.

That enabled Providence police to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

Those cameras track license plates and other vehicle details.

The witness saw Neves Valente unlock his rental car and gave police a description of that vehicle and its license plate, Providence police chief Oscar Perez said.

Police reviewed video, found the images of Neves Valente's car, and from there could trace it back to the rental agency.

The rental agency's security video included Neves Valente's face and showed him wearing the same clothing worn by the suspect in footage from the Brown University shooting.

Investigators obtained his name from the car rental agreement, and they noted that license plate readers showed Neves Valente had been in the vicinity of the university from December 1 until nearly two weeks later when he carried out the shooting.

Investigators in Providence had said that Neves Valente, whose face was covered by a mask in video from the day of the Brown shooting, escaped on foot into nearby streets after carrying out the campus killings.

That prompted a search that relied heavily on residential security footage because of a lack of surveillance cameras in the classroom building and surrounding area.

Police released images and video of a man believed to be the shooter, based on survivor accounts, and repeatedly sought the public's help in identifying him.

The footage showed the suspect walking in a nearby neighbourhood both before and immediately after the attack.

Authorities had said they had identified the shadowy figure caught on surveillance footage near the scene of Saturday's shooting, whose face they had been attempting to find with the help of grainy surveillance footage

Officers were able to secure a search warrant for a unit believed to have been rented by the suspect, and found Neves Valente dead on Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an unoccupied unit.

He had two firearms on him at the time of his death, Neronha revealed.

'He was found dead with a satchel, with two firearms and evidence in the car that matches exactly what we see here in Providence,' he added.

Authorities on Thursday said John's testimony was critical to finding Neves Valente.

'That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence that matched the satchel that we see here in Providence,' Neronha said.

An affidavit from Rhode Island detailed how the custodian at the school noticed a suspicious person wearing a surgical mask who walked with a limp and stopped in the bathroom of the Barus and Holley Building on December 13.

After authorities discovered the mysterious Reddit post, the man identified as John told police he first encountered the suspect inside the Barus Holley bathroom at around 1.45pm to 2pm.

John described the suspect's clothing as 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather,' wearing a baggy jacket with at least two undergarment shirt layers.

The witness also 'described the pants and shoes as kitchen/restaurant worker style, of poor quality or would be associated with Walmart (John cast no judgment as to the quality),' the affidavit said.

The suspect then kept switching directions every time he saw John, the witness, who described the pattern as a 'game of cat and mouse'.

After exiting the bathroom, John said he watched the suspect unlock a gray or silver Nissan sedan, before he walked away from the vehicle.

But eventually, John said, he was able to catch up to the suspect, asking him: 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

The suspect then reportedly responded, 'I don't know you from nobody' and repeatedly asked John, 'Why are you harassing me?'

When detectives then showed John two images they obtained of the suspect's vehicle, he replied: 'Holy s**t, that might be it!'

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore at Brown University and a vice president of the school's Republican club, was identified as one of the two students killed in Saturday's shooting

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, the second Brown University victim killed on Saturday, has been remembered by his roommate as an aspiring neurosurgeon and 'ball of joy'

The big break in the case then came when authorities investigating the Brown shooting saw a call-out from Massachusetts police probing Loureiro's murder - and realised a vehicle of interest in that case was just like the one they were looking for.

It was the same make and model, but the license plates were different, law enforcement officials told CNN.

A witness then provided a license plate to authorities probing the Brown shooting, who then investigated the vehicle and its past drivers - which police say ultimately led them to confirm the two vehicles were the same.

Police now say the unidentified suspect employed a series of countermeasures to avoid being tracked beyond swapping the license plates, as he apparently planned to avoid surveillance cameras and facial recognition technology by making himself unidentifiable.

He even used a cellphone that obfuscated his location and credit cards that were not in his name, Foley said.

But officers in Massachusetts were able to determine that the Google email he had used to check into a hotel in Boston logged in from an IP address half a mile away from Dr Loureiro's home on December 14.

The following night, a surveillance camera also captured a blue or gray Nissan Sentra about a mile from the physics professor's home and footage showed him entering a nearby apartment building.

About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, dressed in the same clothes that he was seen wearing right after Dr Loureiro's murder, Foley said.

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Dr Loureiro specialised in nuclear science, engineering and physics.

He leaves behind 'many devoted students, friends, and colleagues', according to his MIT obituary.

His academic career started at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal, where he gained a physics degree.

Loureiro obtained a doctorate in physics from Imperial College London in 2005, before starting post-doctoral work at Princeton later that year.

He also worked at the UK Atomic Energy Authoritys Culham Centre for Fusion Energy between 2007 and 2009.

In her university-wide letter following the beloved professor's death, MIT President Kornbluth offered students a list of mental health resources.

'Its entirely natural to feel the need for comfort and support,' she wrote.

'If you or anyone you know would like counsel or just a listening ear, I encourage you to make use of our many campus resources.

'In time, the many communities Nuno belonged to will create opportunities to mourn his loss and celebrate his life.'

'Its not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanitys biggest problems,' Dr Loureiro said upon being appointed to direct one of the universitys largest labs, according to Kornbluths letter.

'Fusion is a hard problem, but it can be solved with resolve and ingenuity  characteristics that define MIT.

'Fusion energy will change the course of human history. Its both humbling and exciting to be leading a research centre that will play a key role in enabling that change.'
A husband and wife died after a fire broke out inside their sauna room and they were left unable to escape because of a 'faulty' door handle.

Tokyo police are now investigating whether the handle prevented the couple escaping from the room at Sauna Tiger, located in the city's Akasaka district, local media reported.

Investigators also found there was no power to the alarm system inside the room - and according to an employee had 'not been turned on' for the last two years, Japanese outlet Asahi Shimbun reported.

The victims were named as Yoko Matsuda, 37, a nail technician, and her husband Masanari, 36, who ran a beauty salon.

They were found by emergency services collapsed on the floor on top of each other, with their heads close to the door, after a smoke detector outside the sauna was triggered on Monday at around 12.25pm local time.

Both were rushed to hospital, but died later from their injuries.

Masanari was found to have burns across his body and on both shoulders, while his wife had burns on her right shoulder.

Neither of their injuries were though to be life threatening and an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death.

A husband and wife in Tokyo, Japan, died after becoming trapped inside their sauna room after a fire broke out because of a 'faulty' door handle (file pic)

In a statement on its website, Sauna Tiger said: 'We offer our deepest condolences... and our heartfelt sympathies for the deep grief and pain that cannot be expressed in words.'

Investigators told local media that there was evidence of a fire having broken out inside the sauna - a bench and the walls inside the room on the third floor were found to be partly charred, alongside a burnt towel.

Police are looking at whether the fire could have started after the towel touched the hot sauna stones.

Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department also said they believed the couple had become trapped inside the room after the fire broke out.

According to the police, when firefighters arrived they found the door handle detached and lying on the floor, which would have prevented it from opening.

There were also signs inside the room that the couple had tried to press the emergency alarm as the cover had been removed - but investigators found there was no power connected to it.

According to the Minato Public Health Center, the sauna first opened in July 2022 and was inspected in April 2023 - with 'no major deficiencies found in the equipment' at that time.

An employee told police that the device had allegedly been switched off 'since around 2023'.

Sauna Tiger said it was cooperating with investigators and was taking the incident 'very seriously'. The venue would remain 'closed for the time being'.
A newly released cache of images linked to Jeffrey Epstein has sparked renewed outrage after several photographs showed disturbing quotes from the controversial novel, Lolita, scrawled on a woman's body.

The images were made public on December 18 by Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee and are part of a vast archive of around 95,000 photographs recovered from Epstein's estate.

Lawmakers have been releasing material from the collection in stages, intensifying calls for the full set of Epstein-related files to be disclosed ahead of a December 19 deadline.

Several of the photographs focus on a single disturbing theme - handwritten excerpts from Lolita scrawled across a woman's body. The novel, written by Vladimir Nabokov and published in 1955, centres on a middle-aged man's sexual fixation on a 12-year-old girl. The late financier's private jet was infamously known as the Lolita Express.

Among the images highlighted by lawmakers are close-up shots of a woman's chest, foot and neck, each bearing passages lifted directly from the novel.

The text across the woman's chest reads: 'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.'

Another photograph focuses on a woman's foot, with the line: 'She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.'

Further images show additional passages traced onto a woman's body. One reads: 'She was Lola in slacks'.

The pictures were made public on December 18 by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee

In one photograph, the words: 'She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock' is scribbled on a mysterious person's foot

Another shows text that reads: 'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth' on a person's chest

Another shows: 'She was Dolly at school' written on a woman's neck, while a separate image captures the line 'She was Dolores on the dotted line' running down a woman's spine.

A copy of Nabokov's Lolita is also visible in the background of one of the photographs, reinforcing the deliberate nature of the references.

While often defended by literary scholars as a critique of obsession and manipulation, the book has long been criticised for how it has been misused and misunderstood, particularly by those who fixate on its subject matter rather than its intent.

The novel was later adapted into films, most notably Stanley Kubrick's 1962 version and a 1997 remake, both of which sparked fierce debate for attempting to visualise a story rooted in child sexual abuse.

Over time, the name 'Lolita' has entered popular culture as a shorthand for sexualised youth, a distortion that Nabakov's wife, Vera, has strongly rejected, saying she was a defenceless victim.

Disturbingly, the term has also been used in the marketing of pornographic films depicting the vile representation of young girls.

Additionally, sick paedophiles have used it to characterise the sexual abuse of underage girls.

Against that backdrop, the decision to inscribe Lolita quotations onto a woman's body in Epstein-linked photographs has been described as especially chilling.

Beyond the Lolita images, the latest batch of photographs also features a number of powerful and well-known figures.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates appears in one image posing with a woman whose face has been blurred.

Linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky is pictured aboard a private jet alongside Epstein.

Several images referencing Lolita were found in the Epstein cache

A 1997 remake of the film, Lolita, starring Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain caused controversy

In the newly released pictures, Microsoft founder Bill Gates appears alongside a female whose face has been blurred

Gates has previously acknowledged his association with Epstein, admitting it was a 'huge mistake'.

Other images show Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump, seated at a desk opposite Epstein. Author and New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks appears in multiple photographs.

The release also includes images of passports and identification documents, with personal details redacted.

They appear to belong to women from several countries, including Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Epstein's US passport is also pictured.

One screenshot shows a text exchange from an unidentified sender discussing an 18-year-old from Russia.

The messages read: 'I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today', followed by 'But she asks 1000$ per girl'. Subsequent texts say: 'I will send u girls now', and 'Maybe someone will be good for J?'.

Another photograph depicts Epstein seated at a desk with three females whose faces have been obscured. One hand is visible on his chest beneath his shirt, while another person crouches beside a laptop.

A third appears to be receiving help from Epstein as he fastens a bracelet around her wrist.

Also included in the release is an inmate request form from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, dated December 25, 2008.

The name and date of birth are blacked out, but handwritten notes on the form reference Paris, Dubai, and include the words 'I love you'.

In recent weeks, several photographs have been released by US officials, including one of former president Bill Clinton and Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell aboard the Lolita Express.

Another image includes Epstein seated at a desk with three females whose faces have been blacked out

Noam Chomsky is pictured on a private jet with Epstein in the newly released files

One of the pictures show messages from an unidentified sender saying: 'I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today', followed by 'But she asks 1000$ per girl'

Photos released have shown former US president, Bill Clinton and Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell aboard the late financier's jet

The newly released images have added to mounting pressure on the Trump administration to disclose the remaining Epstein-related material held by the government.

In recent months, details have emerged of the friendship between the two men. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

For years, Epstein cultivated relationships with politicians, royalty, billionaires and academics, presenting himself as a well-connected money manager and philanthropist.

That carefully constructed image unravelled in the mid 2000s.

Epstein's crimes centred on the sexual exploitation and abuse of underage girls. Prosecutors said he recruited teenagers, some as young as 14, under the guise of offering money for massages.

Many of the girls later said the encounters escalated into sexual abuse and that Epstein used his wealth, intimidation and network to silence them.

In 2008, Epstein struck a highly controversial plea deal in Florida. He pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution, serving just 13 months in jail.

The case resurfaced in 2018 and 2019 following investigative reporting and renewed scrutiny of how Epstein had avoided federal prosecution.

Epstein was known for his connections to some of the most powerful men in the world

In July 2019, he was arrested by federal authorities and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors.

Prosecutors alleged that his abuse spanned years and involved dozens of victims across multiple locations.

Epstein pleaded not guilty and was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan while awaiting trial.

On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found unresponsive in his jail cell. He was pronounced dead at the age of 66. The official ruling was suicide.
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A 'nightmare' neighbour with more than 140 criminal convictions has left a couple terrified to leave their own home due to an 18-month-long campaign of harassment.

Christopher and Amy Masterson from Forth in Scotland say they are living in fear of Peter Ferguson, 47, who regularly shouts abuse at them and their visitors.

Footage captured on their doorbell camera shows him calling Ms Masterson a 'f***** 'w****' and ringing their doorbell late at night before running off.

They claim the abuse has got so bad they have even had to barricade themselves inside their own property with luggage and white goods.

Mr Masterson has also started sleeping in the living room for fear the house might be set on fire during the night.

Ferguson was given an ASBO last year for anti-social behaviour but the Mastersons say his behaviour has only got worse after they reported him to police.

The couple have also been fighting to evict him but he has remained in the council property while they wait for the proceedings to be heard in court.

Mr Masterson said: 'Ferguson started verbally abusing my wife for no reason.

Footage captured on their doorbell camera shows Peter Ferguson calling Amy Masterson a 'f***** 'w****' and ringing their doorbell late at night before running off

Chris and Amy Masterson (pictured) claim they have been harassed by neighbour for more than a year

The couple have used luggage to barricade their door at night for fear of a break-in

'Then he started abusing our visitors, and it's continued to escalate ever since.

'After he threatened to petrol bomb our car, the council took him to court to get an ASBO - which he's broken many times.

'He's rang the doorbell at half past one in the morning, and a few seconds after that, our car windscreen was smashed.'

Mr Masterson, who suffers from ill health following a stroke, says he barricades the front and back doors at night in fear of a break-in attempt.

He has also been sleeping in the living room - in case a fire breaks out at the home.

Ms Masterson, 42, told the BBC: 'The front door would have ladders, a suitcase, a washing pole thing, and the letterbox taped up, just in case anybody could put something through it.

'It's not really good fire regulation, but it was the only way we could feel safe.'

'Unfortunately, Amy had to get put on antidepressants because of this,' said Mr Masterson.

'I believe he's picking on us because I can't defend myself because of my ill health.

'Any time Amy leaves the house, I keep an eye on things on the video doorbell.

Ferguson is seen harassing Ms Masterson at their home

Image shows damage to Ms Masterson's windscreen

'My mobility is poor, so I can't look out the window - I keep an eye on the doorbell to see if he's going to start abusing her or be violent towards her.

'He's a ticking time bomb.'

The couple moved to Forth with their two children in 2016 and said it was an idyllic rural village with friendly neighbours until the harassment began in 2024.

In the time since, they have been forced to consider selling the property to get away - but were told a sale would be difficult thanks to Ferguson's ASBO.

'It was absolutely brilliant here,' Mr Masterson said.

'Neighbours would come and chat with you, we'd clear the paths for elderly neighbours in the winter.

'Now it's got to a point where I spoke to my mortgage advisor.

'He said that it wouldn't be ideal because we'd need to declare that he has an ASBO to the new buyer, and we'd sell the house at a loss.'

The couple have appeared in court 18 times for various hearings relating to Ferguson's behaviour, and hope that steps are taken to evict him soon.

Mr Masterson said: 'We've had it quite tough over the last few years, but we've stuck together and got on with things.

Ferguson was given an ASBO last year for anti-social behaviour but the Mastersons say his behaviour has only got worse after they reported him to police

'We don't think this should be dragged through the courts for so long.

'It's affected my wife's mental health, our daughter's mental health. I was on the verge of having another stroke. It's toxic.'

South Lanarkshire Council said it had been actively pursuing legal action and was currently waiting for eviction proceedings to be heard in court.

A spokesperson told the BBC: 'We have every sympathy with anyone who suffers from anti-social behaviour and we have robust methods in place to deal with this type of behaviour.

'We have been actively pursuing legal action and have no control over the court timescales or any delays.

'We are currently waiting for the eviction proceedings being heard at court..'

Paperwork shows Ferguson was given an ASBO in 2024 where he was banned for three years from shouting, swearing or banging doors or playing loud music or TV at his home.

He was also banned from threatening any persons, carrying an offensive weapon or causing fear or alarm or damaging property.
Rachel Reeves pleaded with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to stay in the north west, as he continues to be linked with an attempt to depose Sir Keir Starmer.

The Chancellor used a media interview to suggest the former Labour cabinet minister should serve out a full term running the city until 2028.

The remarks will be seen as a clear warning to Mr Burnham and his soft left Labour allies to stay in his lane.

Despite twice failing to be elected Labour leader before quitting the Commons to become a local politician, Mr Burnham has repeatedly refused to rule out trying to make a pitch for Sir Keir's job.

Polls have suggested that he is the favourite with voters - if not party members - to replace Sir Keir.

The Mail On Sunday reported that Commons allies of the mayor had said they had found him a seat which was 'likely to come free' in the coming months.

Rumours of a potential leadership challenge have intensified in recent weeks, with a Labour briefing war over suggestions of a coup last month focusing attention on the Prime Minister's position.

But Ms Reeves told Channel 4 News: 'He said that when he stood for mayor that he would serve a full term - and I think that is the right thing to do'.

The Chancellor used a media interview to suggest the former Labourcabinet minister should serve out a full term running the city until 2028.

Despite twice failing to be elected Labour leader before quitting the Commons to become a local politician, Mr Burnham has repeatedly refused to rule out trying to make a pitch for Sir Keir's job.

Polls have suggested that he is the favourite with voters - if not party members - to replace Sir Keir.

She added: 'Every election I commit to being a Parliamentarian, to being an MP for that Parliament. And that's the commitment that Andy's made to the people of Greater Manchester as well.'

Strategists working for Mr Burnhamhave drawn up a shortlist of potential target seats in the North West, including the Greater Manchester seat currently held by former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne.

Mr Gwynne denies he plans to stand down to allow Mr Burnham to run in his seat. But he has been suspended from the Labour Party since February following The Mail on Sunday's revelations that he sent racist and sexist WhatsApp messages  and is not expected to resume his Westminster career.

On Saturday, a Labour MP who backs Mr Burnham said: 'It's happening. We are on the brink of securing a seat which is likely to come free shortly and where the polls say Andy would beat Reform.'

Under the Burnham leadership plan, the mayor would apply for selection in a seat made vacant for him, with the by-election held on or before the elections for local councils and devolved parliaments in May.

Those elections are expected to be so disastrous for the party that Sir Keir is likely to face a challenge to his leadership within weeks.

The Prime Minister could block Mr Burnham's selection through the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) but to do so would be seen as a humiliating admission of weakness.

However the PM is believed to be lining up the State Opening of Parliament for May 12 or 13 - less than a week from the polls.

One government source told the BBC that the King's Speech would blunt an expected backlash against Sir Keir's agenda.

'It will be much harder for somebody to challenge the PM and say we need to go in a different direction when the King is about to come to parliament to announce what we're doing for the next year,' they said.

Downing Street refused to comment on 'speculation', saying the date will be announced 'in the normal way'.


Vladimir Putin has backed Donald Trump over the US President's $10 billion lawsuit of the BBC over a Panorama documentary which edited his speech before the January 6 riot.

The Russian leader insisted 'Trump is right' when asked about it during his annual and wide ranging end-of-year press conference.

President Trump has followed through on his threat of legal action by filing claims at a federal court in Miami for $5 billion in damages for defamation plus the same amount for violating trade practices to equal $10 billion in total.

Putin also praised Trump's 'sincere' and 'serious' efforts to end the Ukraine war and likened Europe's leaders to 'robbers' following a failed plan to use frozen Russian assets.

The Russian president boasted the EU's plan fell through because they feared the 'grave consequences' of taking Russia's money.

Putin also told the nation he is 'ready and willing' for peace talks with Ukraine but doesn't feel the Ukrainians are prepared and that Russian troops are close to making gains across the battlefield.

The backdrop of Putin's speech shows a massive map of Russia which noticeably includes the outline of Crimea as well as four Ukrainian regions annexed in 2022; Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

This live page has closed but for a full recap see below:
An elderly British passenger was wheeled onto an easyJet flight from Malaga, Spain, to Gatwick when she was already dead, horrified holidaymakers have claimed.

The 89-year-old was helped on board the aircraft by five of her relatives who, witnesses say, told airline staff she was unwell and had fallen asleep.

But just before take off, cabin crew were alerted that the woman had passed away. The plane was turned around before it left the runway - and the flight was delayed by 12 hours.

Fellow passengers told how the body had been pushed by a wheelchair to the group's seats at the rear of the aircraft and lifted into her seat, assisted by five members of her family.

They claimed the group had only been permitted to get onto the plane because they told a boarding clerk, who had questioned the woman's apparent ill health, that she was 'just tired'.

One passenger even claimed to have heard one of the group tell the clerk: 'It's OK, we're doctors'.

The plane then started taxiing to the end of the runway  but then dramatically stopped moments before take-off when the suspicious cabin crew realised she was dead, witnesses said.

EasyJet today insisted that the concerned passengers were wrong, the passenger had a fit to fly certificate - and was alive when she boarded the plane.

Passenger Petra Boddington said: 'easyJet, when did you start letting dead people onto planes? Seriously!

Passenger Petra Boddington (pictured) took to Facebook to claim that the elderly British passenger was 'clearly not ok' when she boarded the flight from Malaga to Gatwick

Elizabeth Rowland and her partner who sat three rows in front of the woman on the plane says her family were talking to her and 'acting as if she was alive'

Ms Rowland's partner and other passengers waited in the terminal for their flights to be rescheduled

'I know it's not funny because somebody did actually die, but easyJet ground staff actually allowed someone that looked completely dead onto the plane and then funnily enough, just as we were about to take off, they died.

'Called back to the terminal, whole flight cancelled, everybody pulled off the plane.

'They wouldn't let you on if you were drunk but apparently, it's OK if you're dead and you look dead, and she really looked like she was dead, in a chair, being pushed by her family.

'And apparently the family were questioned by the ground staff and said she was absolutely fine. She was not absolutely fine.

'Everybody that she went past went like, "Oh my God, she looks dead", and she was dead. So, easyJet, you should be ashamed of yourselves, your ground staff were appalling today.'

She wrote in the caption that ground staff asked the woman's family five times if she was alright, to which they insisted she was.

'To the naked eye, she looked like she was already dead, slumped unconscious in a wheelchair,' Ms Boddington explained.

'So why would she be allowed onto the flight and then disrupt everyone's plans purely to save the family repatriation?

'Disgusting and prepare yourselves for the refunds and complaints coming!'

Elizabeth Rowland, 19, who lives in Marbella and was flying to England with her partner to visit family, told the Daily Mail she was sat in front of the woman and her two relatives at the gate and only three rows in front of them on the plane itself.

She said from the first moment she saw the woman, who was in a wheelchair and wearing a neck brace, supported by a neck pillow, she knew she 'wasn't with us'.

But Ms Rowland said before boarding: 'Her family were trying to wake her up and saying, "Can you hear me? We're going to get on the flight now, we're going to board now", and trying to give her something to drink...

'They were talking to her and acting as if she was alive.'

And she explained when the plane turned back to the terminal, and paramedics rushed onboard: 'None of the family seemed upset or like they were panicking, they weren't crying or shocked - they were completely calm and talking to the paramedics.'

Join the debate Did airline staff fail basic safety checks here?

Passengers were left waiting at the airport after the discovery of the woman

Another passenger, Tracy-Ann Kitching (pictured) claimed that she believed that the woman, 89, was already dead when her family wheeled her onto the the plane

EasyJet said the woman had a fit-to-fly certificate and insist she had been alive when she was pushed onto the flight by five relatives who told cabin crew that she was 'tired' and 'unwell'

She continued: 'They showed not one ounce of emotion. They seemed like they were trying to make everything seem normal.'

Emergency workers took the woman into the back of a plane and plugged her into some kind of medical machine, she said, which 'did not make any sound' - and Ms Rowland knew the lady was already gone.

While passengers waited in the terminal for their rescheduled departure time, everyone in the airport came to know about the incident by its nickname 'the famous flight', letting any passengers who said they were on it quickly move past in any crowded spaces.

And though easyJet, once they eventually reboarded, gave passengers a free hot drink and snack, the food and drinks voucher they gave them while biding their time in the terminal was of an unclear amount, could not be used at every restaurant and did not even cover the cost of Ms Rowland and her partner's meal.

Another passenger who didn't want to be named, said: 'Everyone on the plane thought she looked dead when she arrived - she should never have been passed as fit to fly.'

And another, called Tracy-Ann Kitching, took to social media to express her outrage.

She wrote on Facebook: 'easyJet  you are unbelievable! Why did you let a dead person on our flight?!

'Special assistance [the service for boarding passengers with a disability or reduced mobility] are responsible too; they should have raised the issue.'

'I saw her wheeled onto the plane; someone was holding her head as they went past me! An actual doctor onboard [confirmed] she was already dead when they put her in her seat.'

She went on: 'However I must show empathy for the poor person who died and the family as well as your cabin and ground crew; what a terrible situation for them.

'I must also praise the First Officer [co-pilot] who came out and patiently answered our questions. He was professional and personable  thank you.'

She said, of the party who brought the dead woman onboard: 'I hope the Spanish authorities throw the book at them!'

Ms Kitching continued: 'We've just seen the family looking very sheepish as they b****y should. Should have been removed in handcuffs.'

She went on to explain that the co-pilot told passengers he would write a report on the events of the flight, using their testimonies.

It is not known what happened to the woman's body after it was removed - or to the family members with her, though they are not believed to have been arrested after the woman's mortal status was discovered.

The flight had been scheduled to depart from the Spanish holiday destination at 11.15am, landing around two hours later at 1.10pm.

But after the strange incident passengers suffered delays of almost 12 hours, with the flight not finally departing until 10.47pm local time, finally landing at Gatwick at around midnight.

There is ordinarily complex protocol to follow to transport human remains across borders.

They would often be taken on cargo rather than passenger planes and stored in a specialist casket in the hold rather than in the cabin and the death needs to be registered and certified.

One firm which provides repatriation services from Spain to the UK cited the estimated cost of the process as between 3,500 and 4,500.

It is also a complex process, which involves registering and certifying the death abroad, informing UK authorities, arranging repatriation with a British funeral director or cremation or burial abroad, and eventually cancelling the deceased's passport when back home.

If the death was suspicious, relatives may also potentially have to find a lawyer to appoint and wait for a postmortem or police examination, which can take time.

The travel insurance company the deceased person was registered with also has to be contacted, as firms can often help cover any medical, legal, interpretation or translation costs.

But if the individual did not have insurance, their loved ones will have to independently pay and appoint either a funeral director from the foreign country for a cremation or burial there, or an international funeral director in the UK to bring the person's body back to Britain.

Other passengers complained that all they had for the long delay was food and drink vouchers.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga confirmed officers had been called onto the plane because of an elderly British woman, adding: 'She was pronounced dead on the aircraft which had been due to leave Malaga for London just after 11am yesterday morning.'

An easyJet spokesman said: 'Flight EZY8070 from Malaga to London Gatwick returned to stand prior to departure due to a customer onboard requiring urgent medical assistance. The flight was met by emergency services however the customer sadly passed away.

'Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the customer, and we are offering support and assistance at this difficult time.

'The wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority and we would like to thank passengers for their understanding for the delay.'
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has been accused of blocking trans guidance to protect women-only spaces from being published.

The Cabinet minister, who also holds the women and equalities brief, argues in a statement to the High Court that they are discriminatory, according to reports.

She is yet to sign them off more than three months after receiving the rules which would force business and public bodies to protect women-only spaces.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance was drawn up following a Supreme Court ruling that only biological women are women under equality law.

In her submission, Ms Phillipson is said to have described them as 'trans-exclusive' and claims they discriminatory.

She is also claimed to have argued that banning transgender women - biological males - from women's lavatories would also mean women could not take their 'infant sons' into changing rooms at swimming pool.

But sources close to the minister have insisted she is not blocking the guidance.

Now, you can vote in the Daily Mails poll on whether such a move would be right.

In yesterday's poll, we asked: 'Is Britain right to rejoin the Erasmus EU education scheme?' Out of more than 27,000 votes, 83% of you said 'no' and 17% said 'yes'
The father of two young girls who were killed in Australia's deadliest mass shooting says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's new gun buyback scheme should go ahead - despite costing taxpayers an estimated $1billion.

Walter Mikac's daughters, Alannah, 6, and Madeline, 3, and his wife Nanette were among 35 people killed in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre that shocked the world.

Mr Mikac wrote to the then-Prime Minister John Howard, successfully lobbying for stronger gun laws and became one of Australia's strongest advocates on the topic.

On Friday, Albanese announced plans to establish a national gun buyback scheme in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack on a Hanukkah celebration that left 15 dead, in the same way Howard did after Port Arthur.

Mr Mikac has since written to the Prime Minister to commend him on his 'national leadership', in contrast to many voices who have attacked Albanese and the government over allowing anti-Jewish sentiment to go unchecked.

'Your government's swift and decisive action to reduce the number of guns in the Australian community through a national buyback scheme will help save lives,' he wrote.

'The horrific terror attack at Bondi Beach last Sunday is a devastating reminder that strong gun laws must evolve to address new risks - not be weakened or undermined.

'This attack was fuelled by hate, but guns allowed that hate to be weaponised as terror.'

Walter Mikac's daughters Alannah, six, and Madeline, three, were killed at Port Arthur in 1996

Mr Mikac wrote to the Prime Minister about gun buyback scheme announced on Friday

Albanese attended a service at the Great Synagogue in Sydney on Friday night

Mr Mikac labelled the gun buyback scheme as an 'important community safety milestone' as he paid tribute to the youngest victim killed at Bondi - 10-year-old Matilda.

'My heart goes out to the many lives lost, including the life of beautiful 10-year-old Matilda, on what should have been a day of joy, community and celebration,' he wrote.

'I know all too well the heavy weight of grief and the pain of loss at the hands of violence and hate  and I will continue to advocate for Australia's gun laws to be responsible, safe and strong so that no other family has to face such tragedy.'

It comes as Albanese confirmed the scheme will target surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms.

While more details are expected to be ironed out next week, Albanese said the Commonwealth would split the cost of the buyback with the states and territories on a 50-50 basis, with states also expected to manage collection and compensation.

The Australian Federal Police would then destroy the firearms.

One of the alleged Bondi Beach gunmen, Sajid Akram was licenced to own six firearms used in the attack, despite his son - and fellow alleged shooter - Naveed, having previously been investigated for terrorism links.

Naveed, 24, remains in custody charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder.

'There's no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns,' Albanese told reporters on Friday.

In the decades since, Mr Mikac has called for tougher gun reforms across Australia

The buyback scheme, set up after Port Arthur, collected 640,000 guns across Australia

'There are now more than four million firearms in Australia  more than at the time of the Port Arthur massacre nearly 30 years ago.'

It's estimated the cost of the buyback scheme could reach $1 billion while others claim it could total as much as $15billion, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

States and territories have been told they must agree to the new gun law reforms no later than March 2026, with legislation to be pushed through no later than July 1.

Albanese attended a service at a synagogue in Sydney on Friday night, amid growing criticism from the Jewish community over his government's response to the terrorist attack and antisemitism in recent years.

Albanese attended the Great Synagogue with wife Jodie Haydon - the first Jewish sabbath since the attack - to honour the 15 innocent lives lost.

He was pictured shaking hands and talking to with members of the Jewish community, including children.

'Tonight at the Great Synagogue in Sydney, we honour the memory of those lost,' he tweeted.

'We stand with their families and the Jewish Australian community in this time of grief.

'All Australians stand together against antisemitism and hatred.'

The chief rabbi to the UK and to the Commonwealth, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, also attended the service , having travelled from London.

It comes as Albanese came under fire for not attending any of the victims' funerals this week, after suggesting he wouldn't attend those that he wasn't invited to.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and wife Jodie Haydon spoke with Jewish leaders at The Great Synagogue in Sydney on Friday night

Rabbi Mendel Super, whose brother Yaakov was seriously injured in the terrorist attack, said the move was 'utterly shameful'.

'There is so much anger and frustration in the Jewish community that representatives of the government are nowhere to be seen,' Rabbi Super told the ABC.

He added that even if Albanese wasn't welcomed by all, attending funerals 'would have been the right thing to do'.
Ukraine has struck a Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker with drones in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, Kyiv revealed today.

The cargo ship was sailing in an undisclosed location around 1,243 miles from Ukraine's borders when it was hit in a 'new, unprecedented special operation', a source in the Security Service of Ukraine said.

The source claimed that the tanker, called the Qendil, had 'sustained critical damage and cannot be used for its intended purpose'.

The explosive attack on the empty vessel was the first of its kind in the Mediterranean and a dramatic development in the near four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian news agency RBC-Ukraine published black and white footage, purportedly showing the tanker being struck with explosives.

Estimated to include up to 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear, Russia's shadow fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite curbs on exports.

Experts and several European leaders also believe some vessels have been used by Russia to conduct hybrid warfare across the continent.

The attack was announced by Kyiv while Vladimir Putin was taking part in his marathon end-of-year news conference and will be interpreted as a major embarrassment for the Russian President.

The cargo ship was sailing in an undisclosed location around 1,243 miles from Ukraine's borders

The attack on the empty vessel, called the Qendil, was the first of its kind in the Mediterranean

It was hit in a 'new, unprecedented special operation'

Putin vowed to retaliate following the humiliating attack.

'Its done with one purpose only, to raise insurance payments,' he said.

'Attacks on Russian civilian ships will not lead to the expected result.

'And a response from Russia will inevitably follow.'

The Ukrainian source said the cargo ship was empty at the time of the attack and there was no environmental threat resulting from the operation.

The source however did not give further details of the attack, including how the SBU deployed a drone in the Mediterranean, from where it was launched, or which countries the drones could have flown over.

The source said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Russia's war chest, and claimed the attack was 'an absolutely legitimate target'.

'The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will strike them anywhere in the world, wherever they may be,' the source added

Kyiv, which has been fending off Russia's invasion for almost four years, has claimed similar hits on Russia-linked tankers off Turkey's Black Sea coast, after two empty oil tankers were hit by explosions.

The SBU confirmed the hit in a statement: 'The SBU for the first time hit a tanker of the Russian "shadow fleet" in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea.'

According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but the precise location of the vessel when it was hit could not be immediately verified.

Putin, Russia's paramount leader since the last day of 1999, is today leading his televised an end-of-year news conference and call-in with the population.

At the 'Results of the Year' event, which the Russian leader has held in different formats most years since 2001, he fields dozens of questions on everything from price rises and his own future to nuclear weapons and what the Kremlin calls the 'special military operation' in Ukraine.

Attendees had to undergo a COVID test - still routine for meetings involving Putin, 73, several years after the end of the pandemic.

Putin has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Moscow will seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks were to fail.

He also said he did not feel personally responsible for the tens of thousands of people killed since Moscow launched its 2022 offensive, which has become Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

'We did not start this war,' he said, repeating a frequent narrative pushed by Moscow throughout the conflict.

'We do not consider ourselves responsible for the loss of life,' he added.

He also denied dragging out settlement talks and turning down proposals - claiming Moscow had agreed to 'some compromises' - without going into detail.

'The ball is now fully and completely on the side of our Western opponents... first of all the head of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors,' Putin said.

He also warned of 'severe' consequences if EU powers followed through on proposals to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund Ukraine's recovery and defence, after Brussels failed to approve a plan to tap the funds during late-night talks.

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Join the debate Is Ukraine gaining ground in the war?

The source said the tanker was used to circumvent Western sanctions and fund Russia's war chest

According to VesselFinder, the Russian shadow fleet tanker was en route to Port Said, Egypt, but this could not be immediately verified

Russian President Vladimir Putin pictured at his annual end-of-year press conference and phone-in in Moscow, Russia December 19, 2025

Putin denied dragging out settlement talks and turning down proposals - claiming Moscow had agreed to 'some compromises' - without going into detail

The Ukrainian attack comes after three Russian FSB border guards allegedly crossed the control line between Russian and Estonian territory on a breakwater in the Narva River, near the village of Vasknarva.

The soldiers, seen in grainy footage moving through mist, arrived on a security service hovercraft and proceeded on foot along the river barrier.

They then returned to their aircraft and crossed back to Russian territory.

Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro condemned the incident.

'The illegal border crossing has been documented, and we have it on video from the surveillance camera that detected the crossing,' he said.

'There was no immediate security threat, but the [Estonian] police and border guards have significantly increased their presence and patrols.'

Checks were carried out to ensure that Russians had not planted anything suspicious in Estonia.

'Naturally, our units went to investigate, but the illegal border crossers were no longer there,' Taro said.

'They had left Estonian territory and returned to their own. Traces were found, and the area was checked to ensure nothing was left behind.'

He added that low-grade FSB officers may have been to blame for the intrusion on Wednesday morning.

'What we have observed in recent years is that the quality of border guard personnel on the Russian side varies greatly.

'Obviously, the aggression against Ukraine affects their structures, as they have likely redirected a number of more competent people elsewhere, probably to the front lines or that region.'

It may be that the guards drafted in 'have no understanding of where they are, what they are doing here, or the nuances of the terrain'.

This is a breaking news story with more to come.
Some witnesses to the Brown University mass shooting say they heard the killer make a 'barking noise' before he gunned down students taking their final exams in a lecture hall last Saturday.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a six-day manhunt.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.

There are still 'a lot of unknowns' in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a disaster press conference Thursday.

Neronha did, however, reveal the strange sound Neves Valente allegedly made as he walked into the classroom and unloaded more than 40 rounds, killing two students and injuring nine others.

'There are some witnesses who said he said nothing. There are some that say he made a barking noise,' he said, adding: 'Don't ask me. I don't know why. And that's it. There is no other spoken word beyond that, that we are aware of.'

Law enforcement have come under fire not identifying and locating Neves Valente quickly enough to prevent Loureiro's murder, with critics blasting the FBI after a Reddit user 'cracked the case' before they did.

'They're awfully self-congratulatory given the dead MIT professor,' conservative commentator Megyn Kelly slammed online. Her tweet was met with an echo of support by outraged X users who believe investigators failed Loureiro.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, (pictured) a former Brown University student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe he is responsible for the Brown shooting and murder of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro

Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car facility on November 17, 2025

Authorities said information from a Reddit user who had several strange encounters with Neves Valente on a sidewalk outside Brown University was key to police identifying the suspect.

Known only as 'John' in a Providence police affidavit, the source is being hailed by investigators as the key figure who gave law enforcement the details needed to determine who was behind the Brown shooting, as well as the killing of Loureiro.

After police posted images of a person of interest, the witness recognized him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit.

But it took days before police say they interviewed him and only after publicizing a video where Neves Valente appeared to run away from the other man.

'It's hilarious that a Reddit user cracked the Brown/MIT case before Kash Patel's FBI and shows how incompetent they are,' one X user wrote.

'Pathetic given their initial bungling of bringing in the wrong person and after many hours then releasing him which gave this scumbag the time he needed to murder the MIT professor,' another said.

Others branded John as being 'incredible,' while also blasting officials for having 'nothing to do with solving the case' and 'failing the students and the professor.'

Some even went as far as blasting Neronha's press conference as being 'tone deafness' and overly 'self congratulatory'.

Investigators believe Neves Valente killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro (pictured) in his Massachusetts home two days after he carried out the Brown University mass shooting

A crowd of people holding candles gather outside the home of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts

Authorities said information from a Reddit user who had several strange encounters with Neves Valente on a sidewalk outside Brown University was key to police identifying the suspect

Brown University students Ella Cook (left) and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov (right) were killed in the mass shooting last weekend

'They make these news conferences about themselves,' one wrote, to which another replied: 'I found it obnoxious.'

'It's like Oscar acceptance speeches,' another user echoed.

'This need to publicly praise themselves for doing the job they WERE HIRED TO DO is getting old. Congratulate yourselves after you complete a successful mission. Until then all we want to hear from you are facts,' another added.

According to police, John had several encounters with Neves Valente before Saturday's attack.

As police posted images of a person of interest - now identified as Neves Valente - John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognized the person and theorized that police should look into 'possibly a rental' grey Nissan.

Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did. The police affidavit said they learned about the tip on December 16, three days after the shooting and a day after the tip line was created.

Up until that point, the police affidavit says officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter.

That detail led them to get more video of a Nissan Sentra sedan with Florida plates and enabled Providence police officers to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

Law enforcement have come under fire not identifying and locating Neves Valente quickly enough to prevent Loureiro's murder, with critics blasting the FBIafter a Reddituser 'cracked the case' before they did

The affidavit says John gave investigators additional critical details: he encountered Neves Valente in the bathroom of the engineering building just hours before the attack, where John noted the suspect's clothing was 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.'

John also bumped into Neves Valente outside, mere blocks from the building, where John watched Neves Valente 'suddenly' turn around from the Nissan when he saw John.

What ensued was then a 'game of cat and mouse,' according to John's testimony - where the two would encounter each other and Neves Valente would run away.

At one point, John says he yelled out 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

'The Suspect responded, "I don' know you from nobody," then Suspect repeatedly asked, "Why are you harassing me?"' according to the affidavit.

John told police he eventually saw Neves Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

'Respectfully, I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people,' John wrote on Reddit Wednesday night.

Investigators look at a grey Nissan car at a storage facility where the Brown University shooter, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, took his own life in Salem, New Hampshire

FBI Evidence Response Team Agents gather at Extra Space Storage at 10 Hampshire Road in Salem, New Hampshire on Thursday

A vehicle is processed by FBI agents at Extra Space Storage and is towed away from the scene with a tarp cover at 10 Hampshire Road in Salem, New Hampshire

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.

'He has no current affiliation with the university,' she said.

Neves Valente and Loureiro - who is also Portuguese - previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.

Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal's premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page.

The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the schools then-president in February 2000.

Neves Valente studied at Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017.

It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.
A homeless Reddit user led police to the Brown University shooter after playing a chilling game of 'cat and mouse' with the killer.

The tipster, known only as 'John,' was previously identified by investigators as someone they wanted to speak to after he was believed to be 'in proximity of' the college shooter, police confirmed to the Daily Mail.

John encountered gunman Claudio Neves Valente in the bathroom of Brown's engineering building just hours before the deadly attack, according to the police affidavit. He also noticed Neves Valente's clothing was 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.'

John later bumped into Neves Valente outside, mere blocks from the building. He 'suddenly' turned around from the Nissan when he saw John, the tipster said.

The two then faced off in a 'game of cat and mouse,' according to John's testimony, where the two exchanged words before Neves Valente fled.

At one point, John says he yelled out 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

Neves Valente responded 'I don't know you from nobody' and then repeatedly asked John, "Why are you harassing me?"' according to the affidavit.

John told police he eventually saw Neves Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

This is John, the homeless Reddit user who led police to the Brown University shooter Claudio Neves Valente. John had several encounters with Neves Valente before Saturday's attack

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, (pictured) a former Brown University student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe he is responsible for the Brown shooting and murder of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro

John previously attended Brown University, but is now homeless. He frequently sleeps in the basement of the Barus and Holley building, a law enforcement source told Fox News.

As police shared images of the person of interest in the shooting - now identified as Neves Valente - John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognized the suspect.

He theorized that police should look into 'possibly a rental' gray Nissan. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

'I'm being dead serious,' John's Reddit post said. 'The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental.'

'I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it and then something prompted him to back away,' he wrote.

'When he backed away, he relocked the car. I found that odd so when he circled the block, I approached the car that is when I saw the Florida plates.'

Police learned about the tip on December 16, three days after the shooting and a day after the tip line was created, the affidavit said.

Up until that point, the police affidavit says officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter.

Investigators believe Neves Valente killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro (pictured) in his Massachusetts home two days after he carried out the Brown University mass shooting

Brown University students Ella Cook (left) and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov (right) were killed in the mass shooting last weekend

This is John's Reddit post, which police said led to the break in the case

That detail led them to get more video of a Nissan Sentra sedan with Florida plates and enabled Providence police officers to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

It also helped them identify Neves Valente as the person responsible for gunning down Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.

'He blew this case right open,' said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha of John. 'When you crack it, you crack it.'

John, in a Reddit post Wednesday night, wrote: 'Respectfully, I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people.'

Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national, was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine other people in a Brown University lecture hall last Saturday.

He then killed Loureiro, who was also Portuguese, two days later at his Brookline, Massachusetts home, nearly 50 miles from Providence.

As far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled there as a graduate student studying physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001.

'He has no current affiliation with the university,' she said.

Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car facility on November 17, 2025

A grey Nissan car is parked at the storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire where Claudio Neves Valente took his own life

Law enforcement officers are seen outside the Salem, New Hampshire storage facility where Claudio Neves Valent was found dead on Thursday, December 18, 2025

Neves Valente and Loureiro - who is also Portuguese - previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.

Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal's premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page.

The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school's then-president in February 2000.

Neves Valente studied at Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017.

It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.
Zohran Mamdani's newly-hired director of appointments resigned Thursday after it was revealed she made antisemitic social media posts more than 10 years ago.

Catherine Almonte Da Costa was chosen for the role by New York City's mayor-elect the day before she stepped down due to the posts that were slammed by the Anti-Defamation League of New York/New Jersey.

'Her social media footprint includes posts from more than a decade ago that echo classic antisemitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people,' the ADL wrote on X.

In a January 2011 tweet from a now-deleted account, she wrote: 'Money hungry Jews smh.'

In June 2011, she wrote: 'Woo! Promoted to the upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps.'

At the time of her post, she was working at Lens Lab Express in Astoria, Queens, as a receptionist and a sales associate, according to her LinkedIn.

In July 2012 she returned to social media with yet another post, writing, 'I always think its (sic) strange that orthodox Jewish women cant expose their hair so they wear wigs. I guess that it beats wearing a head scarf.'

'Far Rockaway train is the Jew train,' she wrote in a separate post.

Catherine Almonte Da Costa gives a speech at a press conference on Wednesday, the day she was selected to be Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani's Director of Appointments

Pictured: One of Da Costa's antisemitic tweets, which were originally uncovered by Judge Street Journal, a Substack newsletter that covers New York politics

On Wednesday, Mamdani, 34, proudly announced that Da Costa was joining his incoming mayoral administration.

'Welcome to A New Era, Catherine Almonte Da Costa!' he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. 'Cats spent over a decade in public service and personnel management, building strong teams across government.'

Da Costa spent three years working in former Mayor Bill DeBlasio's office, starting as an intern in March 2014 before working her way up to an executive assistant and then the deputy director of scheduling.

The Judge Street Journal, a Substack newsletter that covers New York politics, was the first to report on Da Costa's tweets.

The outlet, run by Timmy Facciola, claimed that Da Costa deleted the account that had the antisemitic tweets after she was approached for comment.

'As the mother of two Jewish children, I deeply regret and apologize for these tweets from well over a decade ago,' Da Costa said in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'These comments do not in any way, shape, or form reflect who I am or my views and beliefs today.'

Her husband, Ricky Da Costa, also addressed her tweets, calling them 'dumb'.

Mamdani proudly announced Da Costa's appointment before promptly accepting her resignation the next day

'I dont come back to this awful place much these days but as the Jew who married Cat, I can guarantee she has grown so much since some dumb tweets when she was 19,' wrote Ricky, who himself has worked in Bill DeBlasio's office.

'Her remorse, like everything else about her, is deeply genuine & she works so hard for a NYC where everyone is safe.'

Mamdani accepted Da Costa's resignation and told the Daily Mail that 'Catherine expressed her deep remorse over her past statements.'

Mamdani himself had troubles during his campaign with accusations of antisemitism, his critics repeatedly slamming him for not condemning the phrase 'Globalize the Intifada.'

It has become a rallying cry for Palestinian activists opposed to Israel's war in Gaza.

Mamdani has stopped short of condemning the phrase, but in a meeting with prominent business leaders in New York City over the summer, he told them that he would 'discourage' its use.

Da Costa would have been responsible for overseeing who joined Mamdani's ranks at City Hall.

Mamdani and Da Costa declined to comment beyond the statements already given. The ADL also declined to comment further.
A woman has spoken out about how her decision to transition to a male between ages of 12 and 16 caused irreversible health affects.

On Thursday, de-transitioner Chloe Cole, 21, spoke in favor of new restrictions aimed to protect children from 'sex-rejecting procedures.'

She appeared alongside HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials Thursday as the department unveiled policy updates and regulatory measures that would cut funding to hospitals performing gender transition procedures.

The proposed rules stem from President Donald Trump's January executive order directing the agency to protect children from what he called 'chemical and surgical mutilation.'

Cole began taking puberty blockers at age 12 and received a double mastectomy at age 15 to transition from female to male. After regretting her decision, she de-transitioning back to female at age 17.

In her speech, she said that once gender became part of the discussion, doctors and psychologists stopped asking the critical questions that might have changed her and her parents' minds.

'The entire focus was on my feelings and what I wanted, not what I truly needed,' she said.

According to her, what she needed was love and affirmation for who she was: 'a young, tomboyish little girl.'

Instead, Cole claimed doctors emphasized the 'benefits' of halting female puberty and starting testosterone injections - such as body hair, muscle growth, and fat redistribution - while failing to explain the risks.

Chloe Cole, 21, appeared Thursday with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy as the department announced policy changes cutting hospital funding for gender-transition procedures

'There was nothing they could say to me that would make me understand the gravity of what I was about to go through, because I was still growing up,' said Cole.

'I had very little experience in the world, and I simply would not be mature enough to be equipped to undergo such a life-changing procedure in every way.'

She said her parents never believed she was transgender but felt pressured to support her wishes.

'There were no resources that spoke to the reality of transgenderism for children,' Cole said.

'Most people were not aware then that this was something that was even happening in our hospital systems.'

She noted that her 'legal guardians were forced to decide under duress,' noting they were warned she might commit suicide if they refused.

'No parent or adult should have the right to consent to chemically sterilizing or mutilating a child,' she said.

Now, Cole said she faces lasting consequences. Her fertility is uncertain, and she will never breastfeed after having a double mastectomy.

'As an adult, I'm grieving,' she said, adding that skin grafts from her surgery began failing two years later, forcing her to wear bandages every day.

'My quality of life is still being impacted.'

Cole has spoken out about testosterone injections, puberty blockers, and undergoing a double mastectomy has left her with irreversible anatomical damage

In 2023, Cole filed a lawsuit through the Center for American Liberty (CAL) against hospitals, alleging they pushed her into what she calls 'medical mutilation.'

Mark Trammell, executive director of CAL, told Fox News Digital that Thursday's HHS announcement 'represents a critical acknowledgment that experimental medical interventions on children with gender distress have failed to meet basic standards of safety and effectiveness.'

'It signals that medicine must return to its core ethical obligation: First, do no harm,' Trammell added.

'We will continue fighting to ensure accountability for the institutions that promoted these practices and to secure justice for the children and de-transitioners whose lives were forever altered.'

Dr Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also spoke at the event.

He argued that such procedures were prohibitively expensive, citing JAMA data that put the cost of a vaginoplasty, a surgery that rearranges genital tissue to create a vaginal canal and vulva, at about $60,000.

He further estimated that a phalloplasty, in which a penis is constructed using tissue from other parts of the body, could cost as much as $150,000.

Both procedures, he claimed, harm children while financially benefiting providers.

Chloe Cole seen here pictured with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

'We're not gonna let taxpayer money go to hurt these children, and no children will no longer be hurt by this ideology,' Oz said. 'We know that inflicting these procedures on young people costs them and the Medicaid system countless dollars, not just in medical bills, but all kinds of downstream issues, while providers reap the rewards.'

Cole said she hopes children questioning whether to transition take time before making any big decisions.

'While there are only two sexes, there are a million different ways that you can be yourself,' she added. 'God is there for you. He is the one who has created you this way, and you can seek his counsel.'

'You can continue praying, and I think ultimately it's connecting with your family, building your purpose in this world, and looking to the gospel and up to God,' she added.

Cole's testimony comes as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new federal actions aimed at curbing what the Trump administration calls invasive and irreversible gender procedures for minors.

The measures would restrict the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries for children, particularly within federally funded or regulated healthcare systems.

Officials said the goal is to prioritize child safety, informed consent, and evidence-based medicine.

Cole said her parents acted 'under duress' as there were little resources to inform her and her family of the risks that come with gender affirming care

'This is not medicine, it is malpractice,' Kennedy said while outlining the policy direction.

He argued that children lack the developmental capacity to consent to irreversible transgender medical decisions and that the federal government has a duty to intervene when vulnerable populations face permanent harm.

Supporters argue that cases like Cole's show the medical system rushed to treat childhood distress with drugs and surgery.

They contend that children struggling with body discomfort and gender dysphoria often need time, counseling, family support, and reassurance, not irreversible medical intervention.

New data has show a sharp decline in trans and queer identification among Generation Z since 2023, with the share of students identifying as non-binary or transgender nearly halving in two years.
A Michigan woman alleges hospital staff lost a chunk of her skull during surgery and attempted to compensate her with a $25 gas station gift card.

Edna Burton, 61, of Detroit, suffered a stroke and underwent emergency brain surgery at Ascension St. John Hospital in 2023 - the very same operating room where she worked for more than two decades, according to a lawsuit reviewed by Daily Mail.

Medical staff removed a 'chunk' of her skull during during the operation. But when the time came to reattach it, doctors realized the bone was gone - allegedly because the hospital confused her with another patient.

Although surgeons replaced the gap with a prosthetic plate, family members say Burton's health has rapidly deteriorated since.

'She stopped talking, stopped eating, bed-bound, she has bed sores,' Burton's daughter, Erica Burton, told WDIV News.

Court documents revealed that hospital administrators attempted to make things right with a $25 gas card - an offer the family described as 'insulting.'

'They could say that it all, what she's going through, stemmed from the stroke, but how do we know?' Erica told the outlet.

'You threw her bone away. You didn't even give her the chance.'

Edna Burton, 61, of Michigan, alleges hospital staff lost a chunk of her skull during surgery and attempted to compensate her with a $25 gas station gift card

It came after Burton suffered a stroke and underwent emergency brain surgery at Ascension St. John Hospital in 2023 - the very same operating room where she worked for more than two decades, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday

On Tuesday, The Oliver Bell Group filed a lawsuit for the Burton family, asserting that the mother's life was forever changed due to the hospital's severe mishandling, according to a news release.

'Our client deserved dependable medical care during a life-threatening emergency,' Founding Partner and Attorney Alyson Oliver said. 'Instead, she suffered an avoidable and life-changing injury due to simple negligence.'

On June 14, 2023, Burton was admitted to the hospital for a stroke and required 'urgent treatment,' as she was fighting for her life, according to the complaint.

Just five days later, she underwent a decompressive right hemicraniectomy with Dr. Chin Yuen To to ease swelling in her brain.

Essentially, a piece of her skull - known medically as a bone flap - was removed so the swelling brain would have room to expand, preventing potentially severe impairment.

'The surgeon was clear that the skull was to be preserved so it could be reattached after the swelling subsided,' the law firm said.

Burton returned to the operating room on March 4, 2024, at the same hospital - now Henry Ford St. John Hospital - where Dr. To was set to reattach the bone flap to her skull. Not long after, staff realized her removed bone had disappeared.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. To's own medical notes read: 'Her brain swelling has gone down and now I recommend replacement of her bone flap using her own bone.'

Burtons daughter, Erica Burton (pictured), said the hospitals attempt to compensate for their alleged mistakes with a gift card was 'insulting'

Surgeons replaced the gap with a prosthetic plate, but Burtons family says she is now unable to talk or eat without a feeding tube, requires around-the-clock care and remains bed-bound

Attorney Cameron Bell (pictured), who is representing the family, told WDIV: 'We think it's asinine that they're suggesting she's better off with the artificial skull compared to her natural God-given chunk of her skull'

'However, her bone was lost by the hospital so we are using a prosthetic plate of skull that the hospital paid for as replacement to reimplant,' it added.

The medical team allegedly told the family that the hospital had mixed up her skull with that of another patient, named Edna Brown.

'We think it's asinine that they're suggesting she's better off with the artificial skull compared to her natural God-given chunk of her skull,' Attorney Cameron Bell, who is representing the family, told WDIV.

The law firm said that staff offered a $25 gift card shortly after the obvious blunder, which the family has since called 'adding insult to injury.'

'What should have been a step toward recovery became a frightening ordeal that continues to affect her daily life, health, and safety,' the firm wrote.

The legal team is now aiming to hold the hospital responsible and pursue full compensation to support Burtons care, as her family says her life has been forever changed since the prosthetic was implanted.

'Her physical therapist said Im not going to continue to do physical therapy because were torturing her with how much pain shes in,' her daughter Erica told WDIV, adding that her mother now requires around-the-clock care and a feeding tube.

According to the suit, the amount in controversy exceeds $25,000.

'Its not even about the money. You dont know what you took from us,' she added.

'I got a 20-month-old baby, a 5-year-old daughter, and an 8-year-old son. Its like, please let them remember their nana.'

Henry Ford Health, which assumed control of Ascension St. John Hospital in 2024, is reportedly trying to have its name removed from the lawsuit in favor of Ascension, according to Law & Crime.

'Providing safe, reliable, high-quality healthcare for every person who walks through our doors is always our highest priority,' a Henry Ford Health spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

'While we cannot comment on pending litigation, it's important to point out the alleged activity outlined in this lawsuit occurred more than a year before Henry Ford Health assumed operations of St. John Hospital.'

Henry Ford Health did not immediately respond to Daily Mail's request for comment.
A college professor has been accused of murdering his pregnant mistress and her dog after she refused to get an abortion.

Matthew R. Sierra, 38, of Genoa, Wisconsin, is sitting in jail on a $1million bond after he allegedly killed his on-and-off-again girlfriend, Alexis Pickett, 27, and her dog before setting her house on fire on November 13.

During their tryst, Sierra had fathered a child with Pickett behind his wife's back, prompting Pickett to become pregnant with their second child.

Pickett's friend, who was only identified in the complaint as LM, told investigators that Sierra had wanted his girlfriend to get an abortion, but she refused.

He had threatened to take custody of their son, two, if she didn't get the medical procedure, according to the complaint seen by the Daily Mail.

'All I know is that they have been on and off and they have been constantly fighting because he found out she was pregnant with his kid and he didnt want anything to do with it,' LM told police, per the complaint.

Pickett's autopsy found that she had an 'absence of soot in Pickett's mouth, throat, and lungs.' She also tested low for carbon monoxide, indicating that she died prior to the fire.

Officers arrived to her Taylor Street home, which was public housing, around 3:30am to find the building ablaze. After putting out the fire, first responders located her body on the second floor of the home and the dog behind the toilet.

Matthew R. Sierra, 38, of Genoa, Wisconsin, is sitting in jail on a $1million bond after he allegedly killed his on-and-off-again girlfriend, Alexis Pickett, 27, (pictured) and her dog before setting her house on fire on November 13

The pair share a child together and Pickett was pregnant with their second child. Sierra, a mechanical design professor at Western Technical College, allegedly wanted her to get an abortion and she refused

Surveillance footage showed Sierra, a mechanical design professor at Western Technical College, allegedly arriving to Pickett's home around 12:45am before leaving roughly two hours later.

Audio from the camera picked up on a dog barking around 2:30am. Fifteen minutes later, a smoke alarm could be heard going off inside the home and Sierra was seen leaving the residence.

Text records showed the couple had been texting around 9pm that night, with Pickett messaging him: 'Well imma head to bed here in about 30 min got a few things to do in the morning. Feel free to come in at night tonight and slide your c**k in me while I'm sleeping if ya get the chance lol.'

His phone data also showed he did not use his phone at all between 11:28pm and 3:33am, the time frame where the crime took place.

In an interview with police, Sierra admitted to having a turbulent relationship with the mother-of-two and that they had recently rekindled the week before the murder.

Sierra admitted to being at the residence around midnight until 2am and had parked around the corner in case she 'texts him back' before leaving to go to his Genoa home.

However, phone data showed his cellular device had been in Genoa the whole time.

Sierra told investigators his spouse was aware of where he was asked if she knew he was being intimate with Pickett, and he said: 'Yeah.'

Sierra began crying in front of police and said he went to bed after returning home.

He was allegedly seen on surveillance footage entering her home around 12:45am and leaving roughly two hours later. Smoke alarms can be heard going off in the home as he left

Her autopsy report showed she had no soot in her lungs and low levels of carbon monoxide. The medical examiner ruled her death as happening prior to the fire

His wife told police she was unaware he had left the house in the middle of the night and 'assumed he went to bed,' the complaint said.

She also admitted to knowing about the affair and avoiding Pickett at all cost as she 'had to spend a bunch of money on extra therapy that basically hypnotized her to not think about Matt and Pickett having sex.'

His wife said that 'she would be pretty sure if she saw Pickett in person all that would go down the crapper,' the complaint read.

The husband and wife gave conflicting information about Pickett's pregnancy to investigators, with Sierra telling officials he believed she knew about the baby. However, his wife, named only as ES, told investigators she didn't think Pickett was expecting.

'God, I hope not, why is this happening to me, f**k,' she told investigators, according to the complaint.

Sierra was charged with first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child and intentional homicide, arson of a building, and mistreatment of animals.

Pickett's friends were quick to take to Facebook to complain about Sierra, with Malyssa Weaver writing: 'Everyone knew deep down this [piece of s**t] was the cause [of] my friend Alexis' murder, all because he wanted her to get an abortion that's fucking [bulls**t].

'How could someone do that to the mother of his own child and child to be? Alexis was so excited to have this baby.'

Pickett and Sierra had an on-and-off-again relationship, which allegedly picked up again a week before her death

Sierra's wife told investigators she was unaware that Pickett (pictured) was pregnant, but was aware of the affair

Another friend wrote: 'I'm sorry, Alexis, I'm so sorry. I wish I could have saved you, I wish there was something someone could have done.

'We all knew it, we all did and I am beyond grateful the[y] finally figured it out.'

Linaya Marie Mavis wrote: 'Really wish you would of listened to all of us when we all kept saying Matt wasn't a good guy and that he gave off bad vibes.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to friends and family for comment.
Keir Starmer has been condemned by the elections watchdog over his latest bid to dodge a Labour council bloodbath.

The Electoral Commission has taken the rare step of rebuking the government after 63 local authorities were invited to postpone contests from May.

The votes are widely seen as a critical test of the PM's teetering leadership, with Reform expected to make major gains.

The government argued that more time is needed to complete a controversial overhaul of devolution.

Up to 10 million voters could be affected, many of whom have already had their democratic moment postponed by a year.

Electoral Commission chief executive Vijay Rangarajan said: 'We are disappointed by both the timing and substance of the statement. Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances.'

The commission is concerned by the prospect of elections being delayed, and even more so at the possibility of those already deferred from 2025 being further postponed, he said.

'As a matter of principle, we do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections.

'Extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision-making and damaging public confidence.

'There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters,' he said.

He also noted that new decisions on delaying polls will be taken only months before voting is due to take place.

'This uncertainty is unprecedented and will not help campaigners and administrators who need time to prepare for their important roles,' Mr Rangarajan said.

'We very much recognise the pressures on local government, but these late changes do not help administrators. Parties and candidates have already been preparing for some time, and will be understandably concerned.'

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In an extraordinary move last night, ministers invited 63 councils to postpone the contests - widely seen as a critical test of Keir Starmer's (pictured) teetering leadership

Which councils might postpone their elections next year?

Adur District Council

Basildon Borough Council

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Brentwood Borough Council

Broxbourne Borough Council

Burnley Borough Council

Cambridge City Council

Cannock Chase District Council

Cheltenham Borough Council

Cherwell District Council

Chorley Borough Council

City of Lincoln Council

Colchester City Council

Crawley Borough Council

East Sussex County Council

Eastleigh Borough Council

Epping Forest District Council;

Essex County Council

Exeter City Council

Fareham Borough Council

Gosport Borough Council

Hampshire County Council

Harlow District Council

Hart District Council

Hastings Borough Council

Havant Borough Council

Huntingdonshire District Council

Hyndburn Borough Council

Ipswich Borough Council

Isle of Wight Council

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Norfolk County Council

North East Lincolnshire Council

Norwich City Council

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council

Oxford City Council

Pendle Borough Council

Peterborough City Council

Plymouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council

Preston City Council

Redditch Borough Council

Rochford District Council

Rugby Borough Council

Rushmoor Borough Council

South Cambridgeshire District Council

Southampton City Council

Southend-on-Sea City Council

St Albans City and District Council

Stevenage Borough Council

Suffolk County Council

Tamworth Borough Council

Three Rivers District Council

Thurrock Council

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Watford Borough Council

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

West Lancashire Borough Council

West Oxfordshire District Council

West Sussex County Council

Winchester City Council

Worthing Borough Council Advertisement

Councils have been signalling they will take advantage of the government's offer to delay elections despite Reform fury.

Local authorities in East and West Sussex are among those backing pushing back votes from May to 2027, while Thurrock is also considering the move.

Around a third of the town halls are controlled by Labour and they are the biggest party on others, meaning Sir Keir could dramatically limit his potential losses.

Eleven of the councils are run by the Conservatives, and 13 by the Lib Dems.

Reform does not hold any of the affected councils but was looking to make deep inroads against Labour and the Tories in May.

The latest YouGov opinion poll on national voting intention, published this week, showed Reform with a 10 point lead over Labour, with the Tories and Greens a point further behind.

Ministers want to abolish the two-tier system of county and district councils in favour of new unitary authorities, which are expected to be up and running in 2028.

The 63 local councils have been given until the middle of next month to lodge a request for a 12-month-delay to their elections scheduled for 2026.

This includes county councils in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hampshire, East Sussex and West Sussex, who previously postponed elections from this May to next year.

The leaders of Essex and Hampshire CCs have said they intend to go ahead with elections, while others such as Norfolk are still considering.

Labour's leader of Thurrock Council, Lynn Worrall, hinted it could support a delay. The authority is due to be merged with others in Essex.

'The Government will be aware of the complexities around local government reorganisation and devolution, which previously led to them postponing this year's elections in some areas including Thurrock,' she told the local newspaper.

'It is for them to weigh up the arguments for and against holding local elections for councils that will not exist in two years' time.'

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council - which is run by a minority Conservative bloc - told the Local Government Chronicle it had 'argued for the postponement'.

It said ministers were 'listening to local leaders and has heard the case for focusing our resources on delivery in East Sussex, particularly with devolution and reorganisation of local government, as well as delivering services to residents'.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has likened the move to the actions of a 'dictator'.

'Only a banana republic bans elections, that's what we have under Starmer,' he said.

Fellow Reform MP Lee Anderson said the Prime Minister was 'frit'.

Tory elections spokesman Sir James Cleverly said Labour was 'running scared of the voters', adding: 'They thought they could completely overhaul local government and stack the deck in their favour. They were wrong.

'Earlier this month, Labour cancelled mayoral elections and now they are at it again with council elections, fiddling the democratic process to serve their own political interests.'

Richard Wright, chairman of the District Councils Network, said the normal four-year election cycle 'should be broken only in the most exceptional circumstances'.

He added: 'This has the potential to undermine faith in our cherished local democracy.'

Allies of Sir Keir fear he could face a leadership coup within days of the elections if the results are as bad as polls suggest.

It emerged yesterday that the King's Speech could happen the week after the contests, which might hamper a leadership challenge by Labour rivals.

The proposals for delay follow a series of other measures branded authoritarian by critics, such as scrapping jury trials for many offences and introducing digital ID cards.

Downing Street is also facing a bitter backlash for axing briefings for Lobby journalists, in an apparent attempt to control media coverage of the government.

Join the debate Is delaying council elections a threat to democracy or a necessary step for reform?

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The PM's spokesman defended the idea of more election delays, saying councils were struggling to cope with elections at the same time as a massive reorganisation of local government started by Labour last year.

Dozens of councils are set to be abolished or merged as part of a push towards more unitary authorities.

Local government minister Alison McGovern told MPs last night: 'Many councils across the country, and of all stripes, have expressed... concerns about the time and energy spent managing elections to bodies that won't shortly exist, only to run an election a year later.'
'This is not a man and such people do not stop.'

With this text, the mother of Tatiana 'Tanya' Dokhotaru tried warning her daughter to get police protection from her ex-partner weeks before she died at his hands in her Sydney apartment.

Danny Zayat, 31, flew into a rage as he assaulted the much smaller woman in her Liverpool unit in May 2023 with three blunt force injuries to her head leading to a fatal brain haemorrhage.

Evidence was shown to a NSW Supreme Court murder trial he had viciously beaten 34-year-old Ms Dokhotaru for years before the murder, dragging her by the hair, choking her and giving her a black eye.

'This large muscular male is standing over a defenceless, diminutive woman having asserted dominance with his fists,' Justice Desmond Fagan said in sentencing Zayat on Friday.

'It is a picture of cowardice and cruelty.'

Zayat will serve a maximum sentence of 24 years for his crime, back-dated to March 18 when he was first taken into custody.

His 18-year non-parole period means he can apply for release on March 17, 2043.

Danny Zayat was jailed for a maximum of 24 years on Friday and will be eligible for parole in 2043

Tatiana 'Tania' Dokhotaru was found dead in her Liverpool apartment in Sydney's southwest

Justice Fagan found Zayat had persistently assaulted, stalked, threatened and harassed Ms Dokhotaru, failing to accept she wanted to move on.

'Fixation is a phenomenon of interpersonal conflict that is seen often in the court's lists,' the judge said.

'It is dangerous in a man who's female partner has rejected him and is trying to break free from him.

'The threat of a heavy penalty does not seem to penetrate the thoughts and actions of fixated controlling minds.'

Justice Fagan noted the abusive cycle Zayat engaged in with his ex-partner.

First threatening her with violence, he spied on her to ensure she was not seeing other men, carried out his threats and then returned proclaiming his enduring love.

His emotional abuse reached her even when she travelled to see family in Canada or go on a holiday to Thailand.

After killing her, Zayat took tens of thousands of dollars in cash Ms Dokhotaru had saved in a shoebox earned from her businesses of selling imitation designer goods online and renting out a tanning bed in her apartment.

Tatiana had called police from her apartment the night before she was found dead

The pair could be seen waiting for the lift to her unit in the hours before Tatiana was murdered

Less than an hour before she was murdered, she rang triple zero as he tried to steal the money.

'My ex-boyfriend's here and he's trying to kill me,' she told the operator.

She managed to disclose her street address but the call was terminated by Zayat before she could say which unit she lived at.

He then threw the phone off her 22-storey balcony before taking the lift and running out the front door with the cash.

He left a boy - then aged four - alone in the home for 12 hours with Ms Dokhotaru's lifeless body.

Police went to the apartment complex three hours after the call but did not know which unit she had phoned from.

Officers and paramedics only gained access the following day to find Zayat trying to give CPR to his ex-partner's deceased body.

He lied to police and the jury that she was affected by drugs or alcohol and had slipped, injuring her head.
The new leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV.

Bishop Richard Moth becomes the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, the Church confirmed on Friday.

He will replace the retiring Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who held the role for 16 years but has recently been embroiled in scandal after he was criticised by a report into sexual abuse within the Church.

The Bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015, Bishop Moth will be officially installed in his new role at Westminster Cathedral in London on February 14.

Archbishop-elect Moth said: 'I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the Diocese of Westminster.

'As I prepare to move to the diocese, I am so grateful for the support being given to me by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at this time. He has given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.

'Serving the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton has given me the wonderful opportunity of sharing the Church's mission with lay faithful and clergy, and I give thanks for the many blessings of these last 10 years.

'My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward now to serving them. With them, and building on the firm foundations that have been laid by so many down the years, I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the Church and witness to the Gospel.'

Bishop Richard Moth becomes the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, the Church confirmed on Friday

The new leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales was appointed by Pope Leo XIV (pictured)

Liverpudlian Cardinal Nichols turned 80 in November.

He had offered his resignation as is usual when cardinals reach the age of 75, but said the late Pope Francis had asked him to stay in office at that point.

He came in for criticism around that time over a damning report into child sex abuse allegations.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into the Catholic Church, published in November 2020, found Cardinal Nichols 'seemingly put the reputation of the church' above his duty to sex assault victims.

It added that he had demonstrated 'no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change'.

The report findings were met with calls for Cardinal Nichols to resign.

Asked at the time if he was the right person to lead the Church in England and Wales, despite the report's findings, Cardinal Nichols said: 'I do what I'm told. The Holy Father put me here and he tells me to stay here - that's enough for me.'

The report found that the Church repeatedly failed to support victims and survivors while taking positive action to protect alleged perpetrators, including moving them to different parishes.

Bishop Richard Moth (centre) is taking over from Cardinal Vincent Nichols (left), who was recently criticised in a report into sex abuse within the Catholic Church

Cardinal Nichols took part in his first conclave in Rome earlier this year to elect the Catholic Church's new Pope Leo, following the death of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Nichols, who said he had known the new pontiff for a few years, paid tribute to Leo as a gentle and calm person and said he would be a decisive figure going forward for the Church, as someone able to resolve difficulties 'in a way that didn't leave enemies behind him'.

In a statement on Friday, Cardinal Nichols said he was 'delighted' at news of Bishop Moth as his replacement, who he said would 'bring to our diocese many gifts and considerable episcopal experience from his years of ministry'.

He said: 'I am delighted at this news. Archbishop-elect Richard will bring to our Diocese many gifts and considerable episcopal experience from his years of ministry in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, and before that as Bishop of the Forces.

'I look forward very much to his Installation as our new Archbishop on Saturday, 14 February 2026. It is, of course, St Valentine's Day, as well as the Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, co-Patrons of Europe.

'I remember being present in Westminster Cathedral on 29 September 2009 for the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Richard as Bishop of the Forces. So today I can say: "Welcome back, dear Bishop Richard. You are most welcome indeed".'

Archbishop-elect Moth was the Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 until 2015.

Born in Zambia, in 1958, he was brought up in Kent and was ordained a priest in June 1982.

In 2015, he took over as Bishop of Arundel and Brighton after his predecessor, Kieran Conry, resigned amid allegations of scandalous amorous liaisons.

He was reported to have had two affairs with different parishioners - including a married mother-of-two - and was also linked to a third.

After his resignation in 2014, Moth was asked to take over the role, which he has held ever since.

He is also currently chairman of governors at St Mary's University in Twickenham and chairman of the department for social justice of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, as well as liaison bishop for prisons.

He is said to enjoy horse riding and walking in his spare time.
The mystery bystander who rushed to help confront the alleged Bondi Beach gunman has been revealed.

Israeli national Gefen Bitton, 30, was attending a Jewish Hanukkah celebration when Naveed Akram, 24, and his father Sajid, 50, allegedly opened fire.

As another hero bystander Ahmed Al-Ahmed bravely confronted and disarmed Sajid, footage showed Mr Bitton sprinting from the car park to help him end the attack.

He also confronted Sajid but was allegedly shot three times by Naveed moments later.

Despite his gunshot wounds, Mr Bitton managed to call his sister in Israel to say he had been shot before hanging up the phone.

She alerted his friends in Sydney, who launched a frantic search to track him down.

Mr Bitton was eventually found at St Vincents Hospital, where he was already undergoing surgery.

His father made a mercy dash to Australia and later recognised his son in social media footage as the man in a red shirt running from a car park to help Mr Al-Ahmed.

Israeli national Gefen Bitton (in red) is seen running to help bystander Ahmed Al-Ahmed after he disarmed one of the alleged gunmen

Gefen Bitton (pictured) remains in a critical condition

Mr Bitton remains in a critical condition in intensive care after undergoing four more operations.

He was shot in the lower abdomen, which shattered his pelvic bone and caused severe internal injuries and bleeding.

It remains unclear whether he'll regain full use of one of his legs.

'He knew exactly what he was doing, he was just set on a mission to help others,' friend Matthew Volpatti told Nine News.

'He's a soft soul who would do anything for anyone.'

Mr Bitton has been living in Australia for three years working a garage door technician.

He was at Bondi that night to celebrate Hanukkah with friends after he spent the day in the Blue Mountains hiking - one of his favourite pastimes.

'He's got a long road to recovery,' Mr Volpatti said.

'He's just a young man come from overseas to have a better life in Australia, and he's going to need everyone's support.'

Mr Bitton (left) was running towards one of the alleged gunmen to confront him when he was shot

The Israeli national had been living in Australia for three years

An online fundraiser to help with Mr Bitton's mounting medical expenses has already raised almost $65,000.

'Now in the ICU, Gefens put his own life at risk with his selfless actions,' the page states.

'Gefen - an unarmed Israeli civilian, living in peace in Australia - made a decision most of us couldnt even think of.

'He ran into the face of danger like only a hero does, guided by the values on which he was educated and raised.

'A true hero that deserves recognition.'

Other friends described Mr Bitton as the 'most spiritual guy ever'.

'He loves people and always turns words into action,' Tom Cohen told 7news.com.au.

'Hes such a good soul and he didnt deserve it. Nobody deserved it, but literally, he was such a good guy to everybody.'
A Florida stay-at-home mother is warning others about the risks of relying on a partner after her husband abruptly filed for divorce, leaving her and the children 'with no money.'

Courtney, a 37-year-old fitness TikTok creator from Delray Beach, shared in a now-viral video the 'terrifying' moment she realized her husband's push for divorce would leave her with 'no income' to support their two youngsters.

Her anxiety only intensified last month when her husband said he would cut off her credit card, stop paying the bills and demanded she handle the payments herself.

But after a decade as a stay-at-home mom, Courtney has no experience beyond managing her home and children - and now faces the grim reality of not knowing how she'll cover life's basic necessities.

'I have no income, I have no money. I use my husband's credit card and I use my husband's money,' Courtney said.

'This is the reality for so many stay-at-home moms, and nobody prepares us for it,' she added. 'Maybe this is why I've been drowning in anxiety and depression.'

Over the past few years, the mother of two has documented her weight loss journey on TikTok for her 74,400 followers, sharing workout routines, recipes and tips on female hormonal health.

In November, however, her content grew more personal, with videos detailing her mental health struggles as a mother and her ongoing marriage issues that she's been addressing with a counselor.

Courtney, a 37-year-old fitness TikTok creator, of Florida, warned others about the risks of relying on a partner after her husband abruptly filed for divorce, leaving her and the kids 'with no money'

Just a month later, she shared a dramatic update with her followers, revealing that her husband - seemingly out of the blue - had announced he wanted to proceed with an official divorce.

'Terrifying. I mean, I feel like a little girl who needs their mommy because I don't know how to take care of myself,' Courtney said at the start of her video.

A young mother to a seven and five-year-old, she repeatedly said she feels 'scared' about what lies ahead and admitted she doesn't know how to face it alone.

She opened up about the dangers of total financial dependence on a partner, noting that her husband suddenly said he would cut off her American Express credit card - her primary means of paying for everything.

Courtney explained that even though the credit card is in her name, her husband, as the primary earner, handles all the household bills.

'He told me he's going to cut it off, and I have to move all the automatic payments and stop using it,' she said in the video, adding that her husband told her she now has to rely on her own card.

'What card?' she added. 'I don't have a card. That is my card!'

The mother shared a few follow-up videos, in which she 'thanked God' that her husband is still letting her and the children stay in the house in the meantime.

'I say his house because it is his house, because when we got married, he told me that my name isn't going to go on the deed because he doesn't want to put that debt on me,' Courtney shared.

'Other than that, yeah, I have somewhere to sleep, but how do I feed my kids? How do I feed myself?'

Courtney wrote in the caption that she wanted to spread awareness and 'tell the truth,' hoping other women dealing with similar challenges won't feel 'scared and alone.'

'This isn't about blaming anyone,' she said. 'No one warns women what can happen when you give up your income to raise kids.'

'You're not crazy. You're not weak. You're not failing. You just weren't prepared - because no one prepared us.'

Her videos quickly racked up millions of views, and she was shocked at how many women shared the same uncertain fate.

'I watched my mom go through this and swore Id never follow in her footsteps. When my husband asked me to be a SAHM, I refused and continued to work he cheated on me and I was able to walk away & provide for my kids. I dont regret it at all,' one comment read.

Another person wrote: 'I used to think that being a SAHM would be so amazing until I heard the quote: If he can feed you, he can starve you. Be wise, young women!!'

'As a SAHM, nothing is scarier to me. After 5 years of no income of my own I am a little stressed, its time we stop glamorizing this role,' added a third.

One mother wrote: 'I was a stay-at-home mum too and one day I came from picking our daughters from schools and my ex threw us all out. I had no family or friends. No job no money I had to fight to keep us safe. Took me five years to be stable and move on.'

On Thursday, Courtney returned to social media, reflecting on the hundreds of women she connected with via Facebook divorce groups and social media and realized that sacrificing one's life to care for a family, only to be left with nothing, is far from rare.

'I thought these stories were rare. They're not. Different women. Different states. Same words: I have no money. I'm trapped,' Courtney captioned the video.

She emphasized that, particularly in the era of social media influencers, many women have embraced the 'tradwife' lifestyle, sacrificing their own careers to dedicate themselves entirely to managing the home and caring for their families.

What looks appealing online, Courtney warned, can leave some women with no resume and no support, struggling in poverty as single moms.
Women who survived Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking crimes are upset with how Democrats selectively leaked images of the disgraced financier over the last few weeks and gave them little-to-no heads up when more were dropping.

Multiple Epstein survivors expressed to the Democratic Women's Caucus in a video call their distress over the intermittent release of documents by members of their party on the House Oversight Committee, sources familiar with the call told CNN.

Democratic Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, who is on the Oversight panel, told survivors she would relay the message to Ranking Member Robert Garcia, the Democratic Party's designated strategist on the files.

Progressive Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, also a member of the Oversight Committee, agreed with her colleague that it was concerning how the panel was picking-and-choosing which photos to release, the sources recall.

'Oversight Committee Democrats have always informed the legal teams and representatives of the survivors before any release, and we will continue to do so,' Garcia's spokesman insisted in a statement. 'The privacy of all survivors is a priority for the committee and all of its members.'

One source said that survivors' lawyers were given a heads-up on Wednesday from Oversight Democrats about the Thursday release after members advocated to provide them with notice.

The latest drop  just a day before the deadline for the Justice Department's full Epstein files release  included redacted passports, text messages with demographic details of women and words written on women's bodies.

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes told lawmakers they were distressed over the House Oversight Democrats' selective release of images from the disgraced financier's estate

Democrats have released several images of Epstein, his high-profile friends and images with women whose identities are protected with black boxes over their faces

The latest drop came the day before the December 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release the full files

Before this, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee had already made public several batches of photos they received from Epstein's estate as they reviewed 95,000 images.

One release included harrowing and deserted images of Epstein's private island Little St James  featuring an empty dentist office with masks of men's faces lining the walls, a dried-up steam room and a library with redacted words written on a chalkboard.

Another drop included images of prominent individuals  like President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft founder Bill Gates  with women whose identities were concealed with black-boxes.

The images came after this fall Democrats on the committee released some redacted emails from the files that mentioned Trump and referenced Epstein's connections.

The trickle of information has led to criticism from Republicans accusing Democrats of politically cherry-picking information for disclosure.

Since the DOJ and Epstein estate turned over thousands of files to Congress, Democrats have pushed out smaller drops while Republicans have taken an opposite approach by compiling thousands at once for release to the public.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche admitted Friday morning that the tranche will not include the exhaustive list of Epstein files because there's no guarantee they would be able to protect victims on this timeline.

Instead, Blanche told Fox News that hundreds of thousands of pages will be published on Friday, with hundreds of thousands more to come in the next few weeks.

'We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected,' Blanche said ahead of the deadline.
At least nine people were injured in Taiwan's capital on Friday after a knifeman went on a violent rampage after throwing smoke grenades near a subway station.

The suspect then jumped from a building to avoid arrest, Taipei's mayor Chiang Wan-an said, and was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Dramatic footage showed how the man threw smoke grenades at the Taipei Main subway station near the city's main train station, sending pedestrians running.

The unnamed man then rode the subway one stop, exited the station and threw more smoke grenades on the street, according to footage carried by broadcaster EBC.

He was holding a knife and wielding it at pedestrians before running into a shop, causing people to scream, the video showed.

In a separate clip, paramedics can be seen tending to an injured person on the floor of a train station.

Mayor Chiang said four of the wounded were in a serious condition.

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said that one of the wounded was a pedestrian who fell to the ground after being attacked, and that person was already in cardiac arrest before being sent to a hospital.

At least nine people were injured in Taiwan's capital on Friday after a knifeman went on a violent rampage after throwing smoke grenades near a subway station

Armed police patrol at Taipei metro station following the knife rampage

Media members stand outside Eslite Spectrum Nanxi store near Zhongshan station as the entrance of the building is cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, following an incident in which several were injured after a person released smoke bombs and attacked bystanders, according to the government and local media, in Taipei, Taiwan, December 19, 2025

The smoke caused respiratory injuries to another person.

Cho said that authorities were still investigating the background of the suspect. They have requested police to increase security in train and subway stations across the island.

The terrifying incident comes a month after ten people were hospitalized in the UK following a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train.

The attack took place as the Doncaster to London Kings Cross train headed south toward Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university city of Cambridge.

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, responded quickly as the train drew into Huntingdon.

The attack was contained swiftly after the train arrived at the station, and police officers wearing forensic suits, with a police dog, could be seen on the platform.
Bill Gates has been dragged back into the scandal surrounding sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein following the latest tranche of evidence from the pedophile's estate.

The Microsoft founder was again featured in images released this week, part of an ongoing disclosure from House Democrats offering a new glimpse into Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful.

In undated images from the latest tranche, Gates is seen with two women whose faces were blurred.

An additional picture reveals that Epstein kept a framed photo of Gates on the wall at his mansion on his private island.

Days before, another image release showed Gates standing alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew.

Gates has persistently downplayed his ties to the sex trafficker in the past, however his place in the latest trove of Epstein evidence has cast fresh scrutiny on his claims they merely shared 'several dinners' together as he has previously suggested.

It comes as White House officials scramble to redact hundreds of thousands of Epstein files before midnight when the documents are legally required to be made public.

The records could contain the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades worth of government investigations into Epsteins sexual abuse of young women and underage girls.

In undated images from the latest Epstein files release, Bill Gates is seen with two women whose faces were redacted (pictured above)

Among those querying the fresh images was activist Jason Bassler, founder of libertarian organization The Free Thought Project.

'Newly released Epstein pictures show a framed photograph of Bill Gates hanging on his wall,' Bassler wrote on X. 'Strange way to honor a nobody."'

Gates's ties to Epstein first captured international headlines in 2019, when the New York Times reported that Gates first met the pedophile 'after Epstein was convicted of sex crimes.'

A bombshell Wall Street Journal report in 2023 also alleged Epstein threatened to expose Gates for an affair with a Russian bridge player in 2017, while he was married to now-ex-wife Melinda.

Melinda admitted that her marriage to Gates broke down because of his links to Epstein, and said after meeting him one time, she found him 'abhorrent' and 'evil personified'.

Yet Gates has brushed off any closeness with Epstein, and when he first addressed their relationship in 2021, he said he was 'hoping that what [Epstein] said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health, through contacts that he had, might emerge'.

'When it looked like that wasnt a real thing, that relationship ended,' Gates said at the time. 'But it was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there.'

Gates pictured with another anonymized woman in a photo released as part of the Epstein files

The Microsoft founder was also seen in a framed picture inside Epstein's mansion on his private island (lower left), leading some to question his past downplaying of their closeness

Gates was not pictured with Epstein in the latest round of images, but in another image releases on December 12, a younger-looking Gates is seen smiling next to a man who appears to be Epstein's longtime pilot Larry Visoski.

The picture features them posing up next to Epstein's private jet and casts doubt on Gates's explanation of their relationship, including in a 2023 interview with ABC Australiaw when he said: 'I had dinner with him, and that's all.'

Gates has so far only been pictured with Epstein once in 2019.

Earlier this year, Gates again addressed his regret over his past with Epstein, admitting it was a 'huge mistake' for them to have ever met.

'In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him. And he, sort of, got time with various people by spending time with other people,' he told the Wall Street Journal.

'So yes, I think I was quite stupid. I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that it was just a huge mistake.'

Following the New York Times report that claimed that Epstein threatened to expose Gates' alleged affair with a Russian bridge player, a spokesperson for Gates said it was a ploy by Epstein after their philanthropy didn't pan out.

'Mr Gates met with Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes. Having failed repeatedly to draw Mr. Gates beyond these matters, Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr Gates,' the spokesman said at the time.

'Mr Gates never had any financial dealings with Epstein. As Bill has said before, it was a mistake to have ever met him.'

The Daily Mail has contacted the Gates Foundation for comment on the latest files release.

Gates was also seen standing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - formerly Prince Andrew

Gates and Epstein seen in the only known image of the pair together, released in 2019

Gates was not pictured with Epstein, but in one released on December 12 he appears to pose up with Epstein's longtime pilot Larry Visoski

In other images from Thursday's release, Epstein was seen surrounded by a group of women as he sat behind a desk.

One set of photographs showed an unidentified woman's body parts inscribed with quotes from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, a novel about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a young girl, which is also pictured in the background.

A picture of a dinner shows Epstein flanked by director Woody Allen, businessman Thomas Pritzker and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak as magician David Blaine appears to perform for them.

Also among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight. The photos do not implicate any of the individuals in Epstein's crimes.

Democrats selectively released the 68 pictures along with dozens of others in recent weeks, all of which have been pulled from a collection of 95,000 unseen images from Epstein's estate.

Disturbing pictures from the latest release show a woman's chest with a Lolita quote scrawled across it.

'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth,' it reads, while another shows a woman's back with the words 'She was Dolores on the dotted line', another quote from the controversial novel.

A woman's foot is seen with a quote from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita - with the novel pictured in the background

The latest Epstein files release show a woman's chest and back with Lolita quotes scrawled across them

The new tranche of pictures includes a snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019

His passport includes a page which has a notice stating that the bearer 'is a registered sex offender who 'was convicted of a sex offense against a minor'

Epstein's notorious private jet, which ferried him and VIP guests to his infamous island and around the world, was nicknamed the Lolita Express.

Passengers on the $80 million Boeing 727-100 included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Andrew, according to recently released flight logs.

Epstein regularly hosted famous friends at his residences, including Allen, who attended gatherings at the financier's Upper East Side townhouse. Epstein is pictured with his arm around the filmmaker in one of the new photos.

The new tranche of pictures also includes a snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019.

It features a page which has a notice stating that the passport bearer 'is a registered sex offender who 'was convicted of a sex offense against a minor'.

Epstein regularly hosted famous friends at his residences, including Woody Allen, who often attended gatherings at the financier's Upper East Side townhouse

Among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight

Epstein is seen on a private jet with an unidentified young woman sitting next to him

A screenshot of texts from an unknown sender seems to refer to an 18-year-old from Russia

Another image from the latest release shows a Ukrainian passport belonging to a woman, with all identifying information blacked out.

Meanwhile a screenshot of text messages from an unknown sender seems to refer to an 18-year-old from Russia and mentions a person asking for '1000$ per girl'.

'I will send u girls now,' one of the messages reads, followed by another which says: 'Maybe someone will be good for J?'

Other images show Russian, Lithuanian and Czech passports and a South African identity card, all of which appear to belong to women and also have the identifying details redacted.

His partner Ghislaine Maxwell would confiscate passports from the girls they trafficked while they were on Epstein's private island, victims testified during her trial.
Vladimir Putin today admitted he is 'in love' - but refused to tell Russians the name of the woman who captured his heart.

In an apparently planted question by Russian state media during his annual end of year Q&A, he was asked: 'You said today that you believe love at first sight exists.

'Vladimir [Putin], are you in love?'

The divorced dictator - notorious for keeping his private life secret - replied to the question with a simple 'yes'.

It was not immediately clear if he was alluding to his 18-year secret relationship with Alina Kabaeva, 42, an Olympic gold-medal winning rhythmic gymnast.

The couple share two children who live under pseudonyms - Ivan Spiridonov, ten, and brother Vladimir Spiridonov, six.

They are believed to live with him in his hidden palaces in numerous locations around Russia. Yet he never speaks about them.

One theory is that Putin, 73, is aiming to come out and admit to his relationship and secret family after years of hiding them from the public eye.

During a press conference in Moscow on Friday, a journalist asked the Russian president if he was in love

Vladimir Putin responded by saying 'yes'

Another is that the hard-faced despot simply wanted to soften his image among his people by admitting that he is capable of showing love.

Yet it is reported that Putin had cheated on Kabaeva with an underage beauty pageant contestant.

The school-leaver was secretly smuggled to Putin - 58 at the time - when gymnast Kabaeva was away.

Alisa Kharcheva was 17 when she was first seduced by Putin, it is alleged in revelations this year by Russian investigative journalists.

'The girl visited the [then] prime minister regularly  these visits naturally coincided with the departures from the residence of Alina Kabaeva, who by then was already Putin's main partner,' stated independent Russian media, Proekt.

'His formal wife, Lyudmila, was no longer living with the prime minister.'

Later, in 2014 he and Lyudmila divorced. They had two children together, Maria, now 40, and Katerina, 39.

Alisa's visits were reportedly once every two weeks.

It was not immediately clear if he was alluding to his 18-year secret relationship with Alina Kabaeva, 42, an Olympic gold-medal winning rhythmic gymnast (pictured)

Putin also had a long affair with Svetlana Krivonogikh, now 50, a banker and striptease club owner.

This led to the birth of Putin's love child Luiza, 22 - real name Elizaveta Krivonogikh, who he never speaks about.

She now lives in the West - in Paris.

She recently told a Ukrainian journalist whose brother was killed by a Putin strike: 'I'm really sorry that this is happening.

'Unfortunately, I'm not responsible for this situation.

'I'm glad you had the courage to come up to me and talk, but unfortunately.'

A book recently told how Putin publicly espouses traditional marriages but for himself prefers 'free' relationships and sleeps with 'a multitude of women'.

Putin once said: 'I have a private life in which I do not permit interference.

'It must be respected.'

He deplored 'those who with their snotty noses and erotic fantasies prowl into others' lives'.
Meghan Markle has today released the clearest photo yet of Archie and Lilibet in a new family portrait posted on Instagram.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, shared the image of herself and Harry with their children alongside the caption: 'Happy Holidays! From our family to yours.

Harry, 41, is shown with his hands cupped protectively around Archie's head. Father and son are staring at one another lovingly, both with smiles on their faces.

Next to them on a bridge is Meghan and Lilibet. The Duchess is bent down to rest her forehead against her daughter's while holding both her hands.

In dappled California sunshine, Lilibet's face is covered by her strawberry blonde hair, which comes down to her shoulder blades. Archie is wearing jeans with a jumper or cardigan. His little sister is in a light blue dress, long white socks and gold shoes.

The photo was one of a number of carefully choreographed new glimpses of the young prince and princess on Friday.

Around two hours earlier the Sussexes published a 'Happy Holidays' video on their website - again featuring the six-year-old and four-year-old.

In the film Archie and Lilibet are shown helping their father push a trolley of food made to feed the poor in California on Thanksgiving this year - but again their faces are hidden.

Meghan follows them and the trays of cookies, while dancing a jig of joy at charity Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles.

The Sussexes also simultaneously released their own 'holiday card' - but unlike last year, their children are not featured.

Meghan, 44, and Harry, 41, are shown holding hands and smiling in the snow at the Invictus Games in Canada in February. There is no mention of Christmas in either release, instead they used the more American words: 'We wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year'.

Meghan has released this new family portrait on Instagram to mark the start of Christmas, although she used the word 'holidays'

A new glimpse of Archie (left in yellow) and Lilibet (right in tartan) as they push a trolley of food for the poor on Thanksgiving in a Happy Holidays video released by their parents today

The Sussexes have also released their Christmas card

Both King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales used the phrase 'Happy Christmas' in their 2025 cards, which appeared on Thursday.

The Sussex film and card were revealed as the couple announced that their Archewell Foundation will be renamed Archewell Philanthropies - five years after it was founded following Megxit.

In yet another personal rebrand, the couple say the charity name change marks a moment to expand their mission globally, with Archie and Lilibet.

Their Happy Holidays film, set to upbeat music, stars the couple and their two young children.

It also shows Meghan and Harry on their controversial trip to support victims of the LA fires and their work supporting families whose children have taken their lives due to online hate.

The Sussexes' pseudo-royal trips abroad to Nigeria and Colombia in 2024 also feature, along with their new logo for Archewell Philanthropies.

It ends with the message: 'On behalf of the Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Archewell, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year.'

It was released less than 24 hours after the Prince and Princess of Wales sent out their annual Christmas card featuring a new portrait of the future king and queen with George, Charlotte and Louis.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been famously private about their children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four - obscuring their faces in photos published online or only sharing pictures of them from behind.

Today's video is more of the same.

Meghan and Harry's trip to meet those caught up in the LA fires makes the holidays video

The Duchess of Sussex addresses women at an Archewell Foundation event

Meghan and Harry's trip to Colombia in 2024 also features

The Sussex film and card were revealed as the couple announced that their Archewell Foundation charity will be renamed Archewell Philanthropies. The statement said that the couple 'and their children' will broaden their work globally

The Duchess of Sussex had previously shared an insight into her family's life in California , including a rare peek at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's features at the start of November on Instagram.

While Meghan usually obscures her children's faces by only photographing them from behind, over Halloween the prince and princess could be seen more clearly in a video taken on an outing to a pumpkin patch.

However, a source claimed recently that Prince Harry is not happy with Meghan's recent 'social media displays'.

Harry and Meghan set up the Archewell Foundation, which follows the mission statement 'Show up, do good', after stepping down from their royal duties and moving to Los Angeles in 2020.

Now it will be known as Archewell Philanthropies.

This year, the charity has advocated for safer digital spaces and the responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI).

It has also funded support for children affected by conflict in Gaza and Ukraine.

The Archewell Foundation takes its name from 'arche', the ancient Greek work meaning 'source of action', and 'well', symbolising 'a plentiful source or supply, a place we go to dig deep'.

The Prince and Princess of Wales released a new family photograph for their Christmas card

The 2025 Christmas card for King Charles III and Queen Camilla was released on December 6

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: 'This next chapter allows Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, to broaden their global philanthropic efforts as a family, with meaningful reach and maximum impact, grounded in the same values, partnerships, and their commitment to show up and do good.'

Royal commentator Phil Dampier said of the name change: 'Archewell Philanthropies? Sounds like a chemist's. They have truly gone bonkers. Sorry, even more bonkers'.

Founded in 2020, the Archewell Foundation is the hub of the Sussexes' philanthropic focus.

Last year, it gave a total of 1,026,240 to charitable causes, and received 4,183,892 in grants  largely from one cash injection of 3,947,148, understood to have come from Fidelity Charitable, a US-based fund that also donated 789,415 the previous year.

The remaining income came from five anonymous individuals.

In February 2025, the Daily Mail revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have donated more than half a million dollars to Democrat-linked gurus, funds and charities.

Their Archewell Foundation handed 502,300 ($632,000) to individuals and groups that would likely frustrate Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised the couple and recently called Meghan 'terrible'.

The largest single payment, $250,000 (199,000), went to a charity run by Joe Biden's daughter Ashley, Archewell's tax documents in the US showed.

Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie helped bake cookies with their parents before Thanksgiving in a social media post last month. Today's video shows a little more from that event at Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles

Meghan Markle posted a sweet image of Lilibet to her Instagram to celebrate Day Of The Girl in early October

Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie could be both be seen in the back of a video shared by Meghan of Harry carving a pumpkin earlier this year

And multiple six-figure sums were handed to one of the Democratic party's go-to PRs who claims to be an expert in online 'integrity' and countering 'disinformation'.

While their charitable work echoes their previous royal roles, critics have accused the couple of trading off the family brand for commercial ventures.

In August, the couple's media company, Archewell Productions, announced it had agreed 'a multi-year, first-look deal' for its TV and film projects with Netflix.

The couple have already produced a number of projects for the streaming service including a documentary about their relationship and problems with the royal family, while recently it has broadcast Meghan's lifestyle show 'With Love, Meghan'

The charity's name change was revealed hours after it emerged that Harry and Meghan have quietly auctioned access to themselves to the highest bidder as a way of raising money.

It's said tickets to attend a dinner with the Sussexes go for around $100,000 (75,000) a plate, as they use the company CharityBuzz to raise funds for their charity Archewell.

Up to now the charity has relied on anonymous wealthy donors, which has allowed them to make grants to their selected good causes.

Last night, a spokesman for Archewell confirmed: 'We have partnered with numerous fundraising partners over the years and CharityBuzz has been one of them.'

A source explained that Archewell had used the company to support a fundraising dinner on World Mental Health Day.

CharityBuzz has raised $650million (485million) for charity since opening 20 years ago and has run charity events with George Clooney, Beyonce and Sir Paul McCartney.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's charity, the Archewell Foundation, will be renamed Archewell Philanthropies as it marks five years since being founded after Megxit

Paying to have dinner with  or access to  a working member of the Royal Family is seen as a no-no and one of Fergie's many solecisms was to offer access to the then prince Andrew for cash.

However, the Sussexes haven't been working royals since Megxit.

The access to Harry and Meghan appears not to have been advertised on the company website, so may have been offered privately to 'high rollers' who have previously paid to rub shoulders with celebrities.

A source said of their association with CharityBuzz: 'People will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have dinner with them.'

Current offers include having dinner with Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk for $10,000 (7,500) and platinum tickets to attend the Grammy awards for $50,000 (37,000).

Meanwhile, sources reveal change is afoot at the Archewell Foundation, with talk of staff 'restructuring'.

The spokesman commented: 'Yes, we are making some Archewell changes, and we'll be sharing exciting developments regarding how we will deliver our philanthropic work moving forward, when we choose to. We look forward to communicating more in due course.'
Left-wing activists have staged a protest targeting the King's throne in the House of Lords.

Campaigners clambered over barriers during a tour of Parliament before revealing a banner that said: 'Replace the Lords.'

They are believed to be from the recently formed protest group Assemble.

The group said some of its members were detained by the Metropolitan Police but later released.

Photos showed people trying to unravel their purple banners as police intervened.

One of the activists, named Rayal, was quoted as saying: 'After taking part in the creation of the Peoples Charter, I am inspired to share the idea with the people.

'They hold the power, not the Lords.'

Assembly's so-called 'People's Charter' is described by the group as 'a new democratic mandate for the UK'.

It demands the House of Lords be abolished and a permanent citizens' assembly be established.

Left-wing activists have staged a protest targeting the King's throne in the House of Lords

Campaigners clambered over barriers during a tour of Parliament before revealing a banner that said: 'Replace the Lords'

A spokesman for Assemble said: 'This is not a protest against the monarchy.

'The King has a symbolic role in government, but the Lords have real power, and theyre corrupt as hell.

'It's time to replace them with a fair and democratic citizens' assembly.'

The Assemble movement also includes protest groups such as Just Stop Oil, Take Back Power and Youth Demand.

A House of Lords spokesperson this afternoon said: 'Earlier today three members of the public who had accessed the Estate as part of a commercial tour briefly protested in the House of Lords chamber before security officers and police dealt with the incident and tours recommenced.

'The security of Members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority. While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective.

'These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review.'

The throne in the House of Lords is from where the monarch delivers the annual King's Speech setting out the Government's priorities for the year at the State Opening of Parliament.

King Charles is pictured here, with Queen Camilla, when delivering his first King's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Lords on November 7 2023

The King's Speech is delivered by the monarch but written by the Government - with King Charles (pictured here with Queen Camilla on November 7 2023) taking his seat on the throne

Four people were arrested earlier this month after activists smothered apple crumble and custard over a glass case containing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.

The campaigners, who identified themselves as members of Take Back Power, then unfurled a sign saying: 'Democracy has crumbled - tax the rich'.

Take Back Power said it was a new, non-violent civil resistance group demanding the UK government establishes a 'permanent citizen's assembly - a House of the People, which has the power to tax extreme wealth and fix Britain'.

The Metropolitan Police said four people had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage on July 6, while the Jewel House at the Tower of London was closed to visitors while officers investigated.

The glass case targeted contains the Imperial State Crown, which is worn by the monarch at the end of the coronation ceremony and at formal occasions like the State Opening of Parliament.

It was worn by King Charles at his coronation in 2023, and was seen atop of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin during her lying-in-state period and subsequent state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

The crown was originally made for the coronation of her father George VI in 1937 and contains 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, four rubies and 269 pearls and weighs over a kilogram.
David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher Harper Collins over allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour' towards women.

Mr Walliams, 54, is said to be accused of 'harassing' junior female employees at the firm.

One of the women who raised concerns about his behaviour was given a five-figure payout and has since left the company, The Telegraph reports.

Mr Walliams previously came under scrutiny following allegations of sexist remarks he is said to have made whilst a judge on ITV's Britain's Got Talent.

But it was revealed today that he was also at the heart of an investigation at Harper Collins last year.

A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.

Sources told the newspaper that the investigation led to several junior employees being kept away from the author and one being paid a settlement.

Former employees also described how they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and told not to visit his home.

David Walliams, 54, is accused of 'harassing' junior female employees at the firm, resulting in one staff member being offered a five-figure settlement

The children's author has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies

Allegations first emerged in 2023, prompting interviews with staff who worked with Mr Walliams, with the investigation reportedly involving an in-house lawyer.

But he is understood to have not been aware of the investigation at the time or been informed of its conclusions.

A spokesman for Harper Collins said: 'After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.

'HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.'

The decision to drop Walliams comes after the departure of former CEO Charlie Redmayne in October.

The children's author, who began writing books in 2008, has published more than 40 works which have been translated into 55 languages and sold more than 60 million copies.

Mr Walliams was once TV royalty, having had a decades-long career on screen and stage.

But things changed for the comedian after he left Britain's Got Talent when vile sexual comments he made about female contestants emerged.

David Walliams and Lara Stone in 2010 at Hampton Court Palace. The pair divorced in 2015

Walliams with son Alfred as they celebrated World Book Day in 2023

In 2022, a leaked transcript revealed that he called one auditioning contestant a 'c**' and said of another: 'she thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't'.

The comments, made in January 2020 during auditions at the London Palladium, were picked up on the programme's microphones.

Mr Walliams apologised at the time the comments became public and acknowledged they were 'disrespectful', adding they were part of a private conversation that was 'never intended to be shared'.

He has not truly returned to primetime since, despite his books continuing to be a hit and reportedly making up more than 40 per cent of revenue for Harper Collins' children's department.

The showbiz giant behind the show, Simon Cowell, is said to have since gone to great lengths to distance himself from Mr Walliams, with the pair 'no longer on speaking terms at all'.

In June this year, it was reported the author made two Nazi salutes during a recording of the Christmas edition of the BBC's comedy panel show Would I Lie To You?

The comedian apparently 'jokingly' made the salutes while Call the Midwife actress Helen George was telling a story from her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015.

The host, Rob Brydon, condemned Walliams and reminded him that the show went out before the watershed.

However, as George continued to explain her Strictly story, Walliams is said to have made the gesture for a second time, this time with a sexual twist.

Walliams's team captain, Lee Mack was said to have looked unimpressed while one audience member revealed the the salutes landed 'awkwardly'.

The former Little Britain star is now said to be facing Christmas alone and apart from his son, Alfred, 12.

He co-parents Alfred with ex-wife Lara Stone after the couple divorced in 2015 following a five-year marriage.

Mr Walliams remains single while ex Ms Stone has since found love with her property developer husband of four years, David Grievson.

Recent social media posts suggest he is currently enjoying a break in the Maldives.

Representatives for Mr Walliams have been contacted for comment.
The Government was accused today of covering up a Chinese hack of the Foreign Office in the midst of the Beijing spy scandal.

In an audacious cyber attack just weeks after the prosecution of two alleged spies for Bejiing collapsed, Chinese hackers targeted government servers to access thousands of confidential Home Office visa application records held by the Foreign Office.

The hack happened in October, but details only emerged today as ministers were accused of hushing up the unprecedented attack to prevent further embarrassment following a furore over the espionage case being dropped when Government advisers refused to call Beijing a national security threat.

The latest attack will raise questions about the decision of Sir Keir Starmer to make a historic visit to China next month to strengthen economic ties with Beijing despite growing security concerns.

He will be the first British prime minister to travel there since Theresa May in 2018.

The group responsible, known as Storm-1849, is a China-linked espionage outfit identified by Western agencies as part of Beijing's state-aligned hacking apparatus.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to travel to Beijing in January. He is pictured with President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in November 2024

The group has been accused of targeting politicians, parliamentary staff and organisations critical of the Chinese government, using phishing emails and cloud access to harvest sensitive political information.

Storm-1849 was named publicly in March 2024 when the Government formally blamed China for cyber attacks on MPs and the Electoral Commission.

The UK's election watchdog said it took three years and 250,000 to recover from the hack, in which details of 40 million voters were accessed by Beijing's spies.

The latest attack has raised concerns that China may be targeting visa details of Hong Kong passport holders and dissidents who had fled the UK.

It comes as ministers are under pressure over plans for a new 'superembassy' in central London.

Today, Business minister Sir Chris Bryant insisted the Government was 'very confident that in the investigation that we've done so far, that nobody, no individual will have been harmed or compromised by what has happened'.

He cited a number of recent cyber attacks by Russia and others saying: 'We've been engaged in an investigation since October, just as with [Jaguar Land Rover] and M&S, and the British Library and a whole series of other cyber attacks, it does take some time to get to the bottom of precisely what has happened.'

But Shadow Security Minister Alicia Kearns accused Labour of covering up the details ahead of the Prime Minister's visit.

She said: 'The Government has deliberately covered up a hack on confidential data by a Chinese agency to smooth the way for the Prime Minister's upcoming jolly to Beijing, and to avoid further embarrassment after the collapse of the Chinese espionage case in Parliament.

'Despite countless episodes of hostile Chinese interference in our democracy and society, Labour continues to claim we have to accept this pain to foster economic growth.

'Labour have tanked the economy and created a consequence-free operating space for China's intelligence services in the misguided hope of curing their self-inflicted economic woes.'

Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, warned: 'Efforts to downplay or contain the fallout in order to avoid embarrassing Beijing only compound the damage and undermine public confidence.

'If visa application data was among the material accessed, the implications are especially grave, given the potential risks to dissidents and others who rely on the UK for protection. We need urgent answers and some China realism from the UK leadership.'

Chinese hackers targeted government servers to access thousands of confidential Home Office visa application records held by the Foreign Office

In October MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum warned of 'escalating' state threats against Parliament, universities and the UK's critical infrastructure including hacks and espionage by Beijing.

Ministers have been accused of cosying up to China with a series of visits.

David Lammy travelled to Beijing and Shanghai in October last year as then Foreign Secretary, followed by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, in January to seek greater economic cooperation with the world's second largest economy.

David Miliband, the Energy Secretary, visited China in March 2025 for climate and energy talks followed by Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister's national security adviser, in July and November.

Earlier this week, the intelligence and security committee questioned whether security concerns were being 'overlooked in favour of economic considerations'.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said: 'They know very well who has done this. It's China. The reason they won't say is because they have this absurd nonsense of Keir Starmer going over to visit China next year.

'China is playing us for idiots. We look foolish and pathetic that we cannot even call out a hack.'
A notorious British fraudster who conned an ex-girlfriend out of her life savings while posing as an MI6 agent and a Swiss banker has been ordered to pay her 125,000.

Mark Acklom, 52, previously admitted five counts of fraud against Carolyn Woods, from Gloucestershire, and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in 2019.

For more than five years, prosecutors have been using Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) legislation in an attempt to recover the money stolen from Ms Woods.

On Friday, Bristol Crown Court heard that Acklom, who now lives in Spain with his wife and two children, has been ordered to pay 125,000 or face two years in prison if he does not comply.

Acklom was listening to the hearing via video link, but he did not speak or turn on his camera.

Prosecutor John Hardy KC told the court that the figure by which Acklom benefited from his crimes was 710,000, but the available amount is 125,000.

Judge Martin Picton said: 'I'm very grateful to the parties for being able to navigate a way to an agreed position so far as a resolution in these Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are concerned.'

He added: 'At the heart of the case is a victim who has lost a very, very great deal of money.

Pictured: Mark Acklom, 52, a notorious British fraudster who conned an ex-girlfriend out of her life savings while posing as an MI6 agent and a Swiss banker

Carolyn Woods (pictured outside Bristol Crown Court in 2019) was conned out of her life savings by Acklom, who misled her into thinking they were in a 'committed relationship' - despite him already being married

'Carolyn Woods was drawn into the web of fantasy and deceit.'

The judge said that Acklom 'was determined to bleed her dry' and exercised 'quite extraordinary powers as a conman'.

Judge Picton added that he has the 'greatest doubts' that the money will be recovered, but said that Acklom will effectively be unable to return to the UK because he will fear the consequences of prison time if he does.

During his relationship with Ms Woods, Acklom claimed he was friends with celebrities including Nicky Clarke and Chris Evans, had spoken to Hillary Clinton and knew fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and was involved with secret MI6 missions.

Acklom duped Ms Woods into lending him her life savings by misleading her into thinking they were in a 'committed relationship' despite him already being married.

The conman - using the alias of Mark Conway - accepted a marriage proposal from Ms Woods in February 2012, just one month after they met in a boutique in Tetbury where she worked.

He duped her into lending him 299,564 of her life savings in 2012 for renovation work at a number of properties in Bath, Somerset, as well as to buy a Porsche and rent a Georgian manor in the city.

He later left the country and was named as one of the UK's most wanted fugitives as part of Operation Captura, a multi-agency initiative involving the National Crime Agency and Crimestoppers to track down British fugitives abroad.

Acklom (pictured) now lives in Spain with his wife and two children, and has been ordered to pay 125,000 or face two years in prison if he does not comply

The serial conman was later tracked down to Switzerland and extradited back to Britain in 2019, when he was jailed.

When he was sentenced that year, Ms Woods, a divorced mother of two, said she suffered 'total financial ruin' and had been hounded by debt collection agencies after cashing in her pension and using savings to pay her bills.

In a victim impact statement at the time, Ms Woods said she suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder, calling Acklom's crimes an 'act of the utmost cruelty, designed to destroy my life for his personal gain'.

Acklom was extradited to Spain in 2021 - having fled the country in 2016 midway through a fraud sentence - and served a further two years in prison before his release in 2023.

In 1991, Acklom, then aged 16, received a four-year custodial sentence for a 466,000 mortgage fraud after he posed as a City stockbroker.

He also spent 11,000 after stealing his father's credit card, swindled a former teacher out of 13,000 and ran up a 34,000 bill with a private charter jet company.
JK Rowling has blasted Labour for blocking new transgender guidance which protects women's rights to female-only spaces.

The Harry Potter author hit out at the Government for claiming it wants to 'stamp out misogyny' after Bridget Phillipson blocked the publication of new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on women-only spaces.

The Labour Women and Equalities Secretary branded the proposals 'trans-exclusive', arguing it would unfairly discriminate transgender women.

Ms Phillipson has refused to sign off the draft guidance more than three months after receiving it, despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling that sex under equality law means biological sex.

She claimed the guidance could prevent women from taking their infant sons into swimming pool changing rooms and said there were 'many entirely plausible exceptions' to single-sex rules.

The Labour minister also argued that the Supreme Court ruling was primarily concerned with maternity protections rather than blanket restrictions on access to women-only spaces.

JK Rowling attacked Labour for claiming it was rooting out misogyny while 'fighting to remove women's and girls' rights to single-sex spaces'.

In a post on X, the author said: 'This government tells us in one breath that it wants to stamp out misogyny, and in the next that it will be fighting in the Supreme Court to remove women's and girls' rights to single-sex spaces.'

JK Rowling has blasted Labour for blocking new transgender guidance which protects women's rights to female-only spaces

The Women and Equalities Secretary has refused to sign off the draft guidance more than three months after receiving it, despite a landmark Supreme Court ruling that sex under equality law means biological sex

She also condemned a Labour social media post which described how the party is aiming to protect children from misogyny.

The post said: 'Every parent should be able to trust that their daughter is safe at school, online and in her relationships. With Labour, they will be.'

In response, Rowling said: 'As you're fighting to remove our daughters' rights to the privacy and safety of single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms, while poised to allow the unethical puberty blockers trial, perhaps children should be protected from @UKLabour.'

In April, the Supreme Court ruled that only biological women are women under equality law.

Ms Phillipson had argued that the Supreme Court ruling was primarily concerned with maternity protections rather than blanket restrictions on access to women-only spaces.

Because the guidance has not been approved, hospitals, businesses and other public bodies remain without clear instructions on how to apply the ruling, with no requirement currently in force to exclude biological males from women's spaces.

Sir Keir Starmer initially welcomed the Supreme Court judgment, saying it provided 'clarity' by confirming that 'a woman is an adult human female', but the EHRC's code of practice has still not been laid before Parliament.

Ms Phillipson has been accused of insisting on additional bureaucratic steps that have delayed the process, effectively blocking the guidance from coming into force.

A Government spokesman denied she was obstructing the guidance, saying the document was legally complex and needed careful scrutiny to avoid placing service providers at risk of legal challenge.

Ms Phillipson is blocking the publication of new EHRC guidance on women-only spaces after branding the proposals 'trans-exclusive'. Pictured: Women's Rights supporters protest outside the What Is A Woman trial at the Supreme Court in London

However, Conservatives accused the minister of failing to uphold the court's ruling. Shadow equalities minister Claire Coutinho said the Government was 'doing everything it can to deny women the right to single-sex spaces'.

Ms Phillipson's opposition to the guidance emerged in court papers filed as part of a legal challenge brought by the Good Law Project against an interim version of the EHRC's recommendations.

In those papers, she argued that 'common sense' exceptions should apply, including allowing pregnant women to use men's lavatories to avoid queues or permitting other case-by-case exemptions.

The EHRC submitted its full 300-page draft code to ministers in September and urged approval 'at speed', warning that organisations urgently need clarity following the Supreme Court ruling.

A ruling in the High Court case is expected soon, amid growing pressure on ministers to explain when - or whether - the guidance on women-only spaces will be approved.
A gym employee suffered gruesome injuries after he was punched in the face by a 'Karen' at a Planet Fitness in Miami.

Xray photos shared with the Daily Mail by the victim's attorney, Alecsander Kohn, showed that he suffered a broken nose after being attacked on December 12.

Kiara Bryant, 35, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct in connection with the violent spat.

The victim of Bryant's attack did not want to speak out or be photographed, according to his lawyer.

Video of the incident appeared to show Bryant punching the unidentified Planet Fitness employee in the face after he had allegedly asked her to be quiet.

An arrest report obtained by the Daily Mail said the Planet Fitness worker told Miami police that Bryant had been 'causing a disturbance in the locker room, yelling and being disorderly'.

The employee claimed he told Bryant she could not be yelling inside the premises and asked her to lower her voice or leave, or he would call the cops.

Bryant became incensed, leading to a confrontation with the worker that soon turned violent, per the arrest report.

A Planet Fitness staffer was left with a broken nose after being attacked while at work, according to an X-Ray shared with the Daily Mail

An arrest report obtained by the Daily Mail said Kiara Bryant, 35, had been 'causing a disturbance in the locker room'

She allegedly 'repeatedly' punched the gym employee in the nose with a closed fist, according to the document.

Bryant then left the gym and attempted to flee in her car, but was confronted by bystanders.

This made her step out of her vehicle and try to 'fight everyone,' the report said.

Police said Bryant told an officer that she 'came up to the victim, got in his face and flinched at him in an aggressive manner'.

That was because he told her 'she couldn't be disorderly inside the gym,' according to law enforcement.

Video appeared to capture Bryant jumping over the counter into an employeeonly restricted space while yelling cuss words and chasing after the employee she later punched.

She allegedly did this twice until the third time, when she finally connected with the worker's face and caused the horrific injuries.

Bryant was arrested without incident and later released from jail on a $150 bond.

Bryant was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct. She was released from jail on $150 bond

After Bryant's December 12 attack, Planet Fitness issued a statement saying they had 'cancelled the member in question'

Planet Fitness said they had cooperated with law enforcement and were committed to providing a safe environment for gymgoers.

A spokesman for the company said: 'We have zero tolerance for violence of any kind in our clubs.'

Bryant's membership was cancelled in the wake of her violent outburst, per the statement.

'The franchise group worked closely with local police and has cancelled the member in question,' it read.

Kohn, the victim's lawyer, told the Daily Mail that the victim was still waiting to see more doctors for a fuller prognosis.

Previously, he said the misdemeanors against Bryant were not strong enough.

'She took things too far, brutally battered our client, and ultimately, left him in the hospital with a broken nose and severe emotional distress,' Kohn told CBS Miami.

He said the violent case called for felony battery, as opposed to the current charges.

'Hopefully, through some strong advocacy, there will be a modification of the charges to reflect the severity of the injuries he sustained,' Kohn told the outlet.
Bill Clinton was seen frolicking in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell and partying with Michael Jackson in bombshell images from the latest Epstein files release on Friday.

The former president appeared numerous times in the tranche of documents on Friday, being seen taking a dip with convicted sex trafficker Maxwell and a woman whose face was redacted.

In another image, Clinton was pictured relaxing in a hot tub.

Michael Jackson was seen in one image smiling alongside Epstein, and another showed Clinton with actor Kevin Spacey.

In undated images from a dinner party attended by Epstein, rock legend Sir Mick Jagger was seen enjoying a meal with the pedophile, Maxwell and Clinton.

Inside Epstein's home, an infamous painting of Clinton wearing a blue dress was hung on the wall.

Clinton has since issued a blistering response, denying having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and accusing the White House of attempting to 'shield themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever.'

The huge trove of documents shared on Friday did not include dates or context from where they were taken. Being named or pictured in the files is not necessarily an indication of wrongdoing with Epstein.

Bill Clinton was seen frolicking in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell in bombshell images from the latest Epstein files release

Epstein was also seen cozying up to the former president in the image release on Friday

Rock legend Sir Mick Jagger was pictured enjoying a dinner, in between Clinton and Epstein

Clinton and Sir Mick appear to be seen at the same dinner with a redacted woman

Epstein seen with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph

Clinton and Jackson smile alongside Diana Ross in an undated image from Friday's release

Inside Epstein's home, an infamous painting of Clinton wearing a blue dress is hung on the wall

Clinton, Spacey and Maxwell were seen in other images at the Churchill War Rooms in London.

In one image shared Friday, the former president was seen with his hands on the shoulders of actor Spacey.

A beaming Clinton wearing a red hoodie could also be seen in another image alongside a woman whose face was redacted.

Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex on behalf of Epstein, is also pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street.

In another image, Maxwell pulled down the front of her top for the camera.

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs.

Join the debate Who are you most surprised to see in the Epstein photos?

In one image shared Friday, Clinton was seen with his hands on the shoulders of Kevin Spacey

A beaming Clinton wearing a red hoodie could also be seen in another image alongside a woman whose face was redacted

Clinton, Spacey and Maxwell, with three others, at the Churchill War Rooms in London

Clinton is seen with a redacted woman on his lap in a picture from today's release

Sex trafficker Maxwell is seen posing outside Number 10 Downing Street

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs

Friday's dump of documents also revealed that Epstein once received a novelty check for $22,500 from Donald Trump.

The handwriting appears rather different from the President's famous signature these days, but clearly says in the designated space 'D. Trump.'

The memo line was mostly covered by a redaction box and a similarly black-boxed woman stood beside a grinning check-wielding Epstein who donned a 'USA' crew neck.

The image is a black-and-white scan of a framed photo that repeatedly reads along the edges the phrase 'once in a blue moon.'

So far, it's the only piece of new information found linking Trump to Epstein.

There is a publication of Epsteins contact book, which includes a redacted entry for Trump. Its already known that the President was among those who appeared in the pedophile's contact list.

Justice Department Epstein files drop on December 19 reveal an image of Jeffrey Epstein with a redacted woman holding a giant check from Donald Trump for $22,500

Angel Urena, a spokesman for Clinton, wrote on X tonight: 'The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton.

'This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever. So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton.

'Never has, never will be. Even Susie Wiles said Donald Trump was wrong about Bill Clinton.

'There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first.

'No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that. Everyone, especially MAGA, expects answers, not scapegoats.'

Ahead of the files' release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche drew scrutiny as he suggested some materials could be withheld for weeks.

Although Blanche told Fox & Friends that the DOJ is 'going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks', the delay meant that the administration may violate a law signed by Trump in November ordering the full release of all unclassified materials about Epstein in the DOJ's possession within 30 days.

It comes after two prior drops this week, which showed Epstein and a number of rich and powerful individuals, including Bill Gates, Woody Allen and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - formerly Prince Andrew.

An initial review indicates the documents released today originate from three separate investigations into Epsteins crimes against young women.

Many of the files appear to stem from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a federal probe that culminated in Epsteins controversial 2008 plea deal.

Others relate to a later investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019 - a case that was never finished after Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial.

Epstein seen with billionaire Richard Branson in Friday's drop of pictures and documents

Epstein poses with Maxwell in kimonos in the latest release of files from his estate

Friday's release followed a separate release of Epstein estate images on Thursday, including one where Epstein was seen surrounded by a group of women as he sat behind a desk.

One set of photographs showed an unidentified woman's body parts inscribed with quotes from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, a novel about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a young girl, which is also pictured in the background.

In another image released on December 12, a younger-looking Bill Gates is seen smiling next to a man who appears to be Epstein's longtime pilot, Larry Visoski.

A picture of a dinner shows Epstein flanked by Allen, businessman Thomas Pritzker and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak as magician David Blaine appears to perform for them.

Also among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight. The photos do not implicate any of the individuals in Epstein's crimes.

In images from the previous files release on Thursday, Epstein was seen surrounded by a group of women as he sat behind a desk

Microsoft founder Bill Gates was also seen standing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - formerly Prince Andrew in the files release earlier this week

Among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight

Epstein is seen on a private jet with an unidentified young woman sitting next to him

The latest Epstein files release show a woman's chest and back with Lolita quotes scrawled across them

A woman's foot is seen with a quote from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita - with the novel pictured in the background

In one image released on December 12, Bill Gates appears to pose up with Epstein's longtime pilot Larry Visoski

A screenshot of texts from an unknown sender seems to refer to an 18-year-old from Russia

Disturbing pictures from the latest release also show a woman's chest with a Lolita quote scrawled across it.

'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth,' it reads, while another shows a woman's back with the words 'She was Dolores on the dotted line', another quote from the controversial novel.

Epstein's notorious private jet, which ferried him and VIP guests to his infamous island and around the world, was nicknamed the Lolita Express.

Passengers on the $80 million Boeing 727-100 included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Andrew, according to recently released flight logs.

Another image from the latest release shows a Ukrainian passport belonging to a woman, with all identifying information blacked out.

Meanwhile, a screenshot of text messages from an unknown sender seems to refer to an 18-year-old from Russia and mentions a person asking for '1000$ per girl'.

'I will send u girls now,' one of the messages reads, followed by another which says: 'Maybe someone will be good for J?'
Taxpayers face a potential 100million bill from a compensation bonanza following the Afghan data disaster.

A law firm today announced it has started legal proceedings on behalf of 1,200 people.

They were among those whose data was lost by bungling defence officials  leading to a massive secret evacuation scheme from Afghanistan which ministers hushed up with a super-injunction.

Now the Ministry of Defence has been served with a letter of claim by Barings Law seeking damages on behalf of its clients  said to include members of MI6 and UK special forces.

Sources estimated some could pocket up to 250,000 each in compensation, suggesting a total bill of between 100million and 300million.

The scandal began when the Government admitted it had put 100,000 people at risk of death from vengeful Taliban warlords by a catastrophic leak of a database of those who had applied to the UK for sanctuary.

There were fears it would be used as a kill list. British military service personnel including spies were identified on the lost list, many of whom had been involved in the process of checking the validity of applications.

As exclusively discovered by the Daily Mail, but kept hidden by a superinjunction, in 2023 ministers launched one of the biggest peacetime evacuations in modern British history - Operation Rubific - to rescue thousands and airlift them here in secret.

Hundreds of migrants file off a taxpayer-chartered jet at Stansted airport during the two-year covert rescue mission

A blunder by the British government put Afghans loyal to British troops at risk of reprisal attacks by Taliban revenge squads

The confidential database that the British government lost, putting '100,000 people at risk of death' and triggering the evacuations mission Operation Rubific

Last October, ministers in charge of the scheme agreed to spend 7billion of public money, with taxpayers neither asked nor told, the High Court heard.

Now the compensation bonanza could send costs soaring as law firms mount class action court cases for damages.

Barings Law, based in Manchester, said it had sent the MOD a letter earlier this week, ahead of a potential legal claim being filed at the High Court.

The claimants include Afghans and their family members, along with Britons who worked for MI6 and UK special forces whose data was also leaked, it was said.

The MOD, which has 14 days to respond to the letter, vowed to robustly defend against legal action or compensation.

Robert Whitehead, chairman of Barings Law, said the letter represented the first step towards holding the Ministry of Defence accountable for a catastrophic failure to protect personal data.

He said: The individuals affected were already at extreme risk, having applied for relocation to the UK because they feared reprisals from the Taliban.

We have evidence that people named on the leaked database, or those closely connected to them, have since been killed or subjected to intimidation and extortion by the Taliban, including threats made against their loved ones.

One of the unmarked planes landing at Stansted Airport carrying Afghans whose data was breached by the UK Government

How ministers signed up to a 7billion scheme to relocate Afghans to the UK, without asking or telling taxpayers or MPs. The MOD says the figure has since been revised to around 6billion

Afghans rescued by Britain land at Stansted Airport in Essex after being spirited across the border to Pakistan and airlifted to the UK

Mr Whitehead continued: Our clients include individuals who have managed to reach safety in the UK, as well as others who remain in Afghanistan and are still in hiding, living in constant fear.

It was the Ministry of Defence's responsibility to protect this information, and the consequences of that failure are profound.

This case is expected to test new legal ground around the rights of data breach victims where the harm extends beyond financial loss to issues of personal safety and loss of life.

The super-injunction was lifted in July this year, after the MOD commissioned a report by retired civil servant Paul Rimmer who concluded the threat to Afghans was not as high as feared and the injunction itself could have been making matters worse.

The MOD said: As we have consistently indicated, we will robustly defend against legal action or compensation.

The independent Rimmer Review concluded that it is highly unlikely that merely being on the spreadsheet would be grounds for an individual to be targeted, and this is the basis on which the court lifted its super injunction.
Bridget Phillipson has been accused of parroting the transgender lobby in her statement to a High Court case seeking to overturn new protections for women-only spaces.

The Equalities Minister described proposed guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on trans people using single-sex spaces as trans-exclusive.

It comes as Ms Phillipson faces accusations that she is blocking the human rights watchdogs guidance after she failed to sign it off for more than three months.

The guidance - drawn up following Aprils landmark Supreme Court ruling - will ensure that gyms, clubs and hospitals enforce single-sex spaces based on biology in order to comply with the law. It requires ministerial approval before it can become statutory.

Now the Equalities Minister has submitted a statement to a High Court case being brought by a campaign group that argues biological men should be able to use womens toilets.

Womens rights groups have accused Ms Phillipson of repeating talking points from trans activists in her submission to the court.

In it, Ms Phillipson suggests that banning trans women from women-only spaces would mean biological women cant take their infant sons into changing rooms.

This was the same argument made by a prominent trans activist and barrister in an interview with BBC Womens Hour following the Supreme Court ruling.

Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson has been accused of parroting the transgender lobby in her statement to a High Court case seeking to overturn new protections for women-only spaces

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has criticised Ms Phillipson, adding that 'perhaps children should be protected from Labour'

Robin Moira White told the broadcaster: I have a barrister friend with relatively young children. So can she now not take the young male children into the female facilities when she's at the cinema, or the beach or the supermarket?

And if she can, why are they allowed to be accommodated, and not a trans person who transitioned 20 years ago?

However the EHRCs draft guidance, which has been withdrawn pending the approval of the final version, expressly says that this would not be a problem

It stated that a woman is allowed to take her male child under the age of ten into the womens changing room because it is unlikely that young boys pose a threat to womens safety.

Maya Forstater, chief executive of Sex Matters, said she is dismayed to see lawyers for Ms Phillipson echoing legally flawed and partisan arguments made by transactivist groups.

She said: If the legal arguments put forward reflect current thinking among ministers, the decision to delay the EHRC guidance is about more than timing. We are in a gravely concerning situation.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling also slammed Ms Phillipson, posting on X: As youre fighting to remove our daughters rights to the privacy and safety of single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms, while poised to allow the unethical puberty blockers trial, perhaps children should be protected from Labour.

And former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies branded Ms Phillipson cowardly, adding: This Governments fear of its activists backbenchers is shocking.

Ms Phillipsons opposition to the EHRC guidelines is made clear in her High Court submission as an interested party in a case being brought by the Good Law Project, which is challenging the interim EHRC guidance published earlier this year.

Womens rights groups point out that Ms Phillipsons statement suggests that single-sex exceptions may not apply to mens and womens toilets, an argument that has been put forward by pro-trans groups including TransActual and Gendered Intelligence.

During a hearing in the case last month, the judge also noted that Ms Phillipsons KC appeared to be trying to rewrite the Supreme Court judgment in submissions on behalf of the minister.

A ruling on the case is imminent and there are growing fears that if the Good Law Project wins, Ms Phillipson could tell the EHRC to weaken protections for women-only spaces.

A Government spokesman insisted she was not blocking the guidance but simply wanted to ensure that the complex issues were legally sound.

The spokesman added: It would be catastrophic for single sex-services to follow guidance that wasnt legally sound and then place them in legal jeopardy again. That is why it is vital we get this right.
As she was banished from the hospital where she had worked for 25 years, a shocked Sandie Peggie was offered two things  a hankie, and the chance to leave by the back door.

The A&E nurse took the former without thinking, but had the presence of mind to refuse the latter.

'They said I could go out the back way to save embarrassment,' she recalls. 'I said, "No, I will go out the front." Why? I wanted to go out with my head held high. If I'd gone out the back door, it would have looked like I had done something wrong  and I hadn't. I still don't believe I did anything wrong. I would do it again.'

Since that day, in January 2024, Sandie, 52, has become one of the most famous nurses in Britain  her objections about sharing a women's changing room with a transgender colleague ('a man', she insists) turning her into a lightning rod in the culture war over sex, gender and women's rights.

A heroine to some  Harry Potter author JK Rowling has called her the woman who dared to break the 'spell' of the transgender cultists and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saluted her bravery  this is Sandie's first ever interview.

We meet in a hotel in Dundee the week after Sandie won a partial victory in one of the most extraordinary employment tribunals the UK has ever seen.

A tiny woman with size three feet, she visibly shakes as she recalls that walk out of Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, pinpointing her formal suspension as the moment her 'life was turned upside down'.

She thought she was going in for an informal chat where 'common sense would prevail'. 'But then suddenly they were telling me that my badge was going to be taken off me,' she says. 'I couldn't come into my work or access my emails. I had to stay away from the hospital entirely unless it was an emergency.

Sandie Peggie, 52, (pictured) has become one of the most famous nurses in Britain  her objections about sharing a women's changing room with a transgender colleague turning her into a lightning rod in the culture war over sex, gender and women's rights

Beth Upton (pictured), Sandie's transgender colleague who she objected to using the women's changing room

'I remember thinking, "What if there's a situation where a member of my family has a broken bone?" My motherinlaw had an appointment in the hospital the following day. I was thinking, "I can't take her. I'll have to get someone else to."'

Sandie was determined 'not to let anyone see me cry', she says, and held it together until she got to her car. 'Then I burst into tears,' she says. 'I probably used their hankie.'

What on earth had Sandie done? In her view, it is simple. 'I had tried to stand up for myself and for other women,' she says. 'And they tried to stamp me down. They tried to destroy me.'

During the interview, she uses words like 'squashed', 'belittled' and 'abandoned', but what comes through is a sense of hurt and bewilderment rather than blind fury.

'I feel let down  by managers, senior people, board members I've never even met. There has been no backing whatsoever. I've lost friends over this. They [her bosses] tried to destroy me. They went digging for dirt in my life. I was turned into a pariah.

'In the middle of all this, I went to a funeral for one of our ambulance drivers and later discovered my supervisor was going round telling people she didn't know how I had the brass neck to be there. I'm quite a strong person, I think, but that cut me.'

She adds: 'My family have been supportive. They are the ones who have seen me cry, but I feel bad that I have put them through so much. And I still don't know why I'm getting called a bigot because I don't believe I am one.'

Sandie insists she never went looking for a fight. When she realised there was an issue at work  a transgender colleague using the female changing room  twice she simply slipped out of the room without making a fuss.

She then 'had a word' with her superior, saying that the presence of a 6ft, 'fully intact' junior doctor was making her feel uncomfortable and was told 'something would be done'.

Sandie told the Daily Mail she felt let down by 'managers, senior people, board members I've never even met'

Sandie aged seven in a nurse's fancy dress costume that her parents gave her

On the third occasion, however, it was impractical to just take her discomfort out into the corridor. She had suffered a heavy menstrual bleed in the middle of a busy shift on Christmas Eve in 2023 ('yes, our busiest time') and had rushed to the locker room to change and found [the transgender doctor] Beth Upton there.

Sandie was mortified. 'Any woman will know how embarrassing that is,' she says. This time, she firmly made her discomfort known.

When she refers to Dr Upton, Sandie still uses he/him pronouns as she did throughout the tribunal. 'I told him that I did not think a biological man should be in the women's changing room,' she says. Dr Upton, who claimed to be a biological woman in the tribunal, disagreed.

'He told me that he had as much right as I did to be in there.'

She insists that there was no row, no raised voices.

'I told him I'd had previous bad experience with men. I didn't go into detail. I was just pleading with him to have a wee bit of understanding about why I was feeling the way I was. And it backfired.'

By the next day, Christmas Day, Dr Upton had made a formal complaint and Sandie was under investigation for 'serious bullying'.

What rankles Sandie is the speed at which blame was laid at her feet. There were two sides in this dispute and, she says, 'they sided with him. I was thrown under the bus because I wouldn't allow myself to be brainwashed into agreeing that a man was a woman just because he said he was one.'

Sandie insists she never went looking for a fight. When she realised there was an issue at work  a transgender colleague using the female changing room  twice she simply slipped out of the room without making a fuss

Sandie on her wedding day to husband Darren. Her family have been supportive of her during her campaign

She tells me how her parents, who bought Sandie her first nurse's outfit for Christmas when she was about seven years old, setting her on her life's path, reacted to her predicament.

'My elderly dad could barely walk, but he said, "I'll walk down to the hospital and tell them what I think." My mum said [of Dr Upton], "I'll make him into a woman!" They were trying to make me laugh, I suppose. None of us had any idea it would go as far as it did.'

For 18 months, Sandie had gross misconduct charges hanging over her. These charges were dropped in July 2025, but by then she had already sued NHS Fife herself and taken them to tribunal. Her father died in January, two days before the start of the tribunal.

She had nursed him until the end. 'I know my Dad was very proud of me,' she says. 'And he died knowing that he had raised a woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for herself.'

She reckons it is probably for the best that her father was spared one of the most 'ludicrous' moments of the tribunal, when Isla Bumba, equalities chief for NHS Fife, claimed she did not know whether Dr Upton was a man or a woman and could not be sure of her own gender, because she had never had her chromosomes checked  although she 'hazarded a guess' that she was female.

Sandie's face says it all. 'I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How can you work in a hospital and come out with such a thing?'

So how will Sandie's story be told in the history books? Her fans believe she will be another Pankhurst  an icon of our age. She has brought along a selection of the thousands of cards which were sent by wellwishers, many delivered to the hospital she wasn't allowed to enter.

A typical message reads: 'Thank you Sandie. The women of the world are behind you.' Her lawyers have had interview requests from all over the world and there is even someone who wants to make a Sandie Peggie musical.

She is the most unlikely heroine. Prior to all of this, she had led a quiet, unassuming life. She met her husband when she was 16 and they now have two daughters, Nicole and Emma, who are now in their 20s.

Sandie hugs her solicitor Margaret Gribbon outside the Edinburgh Tribunals Service after she won a claim for harassment in her employment tribunal case against a health board

Yes, she did do a skydive to mark her 50th birthday, which suggests some fearlessness, but this is not a woman who thought she would rock the boat. 'Although I guess I was always a feminist,' she says.

It's too early to say what her legacy will be  because her fight is ongoing. Only four of her complaints against NHS Fife  that she was harassed by her employers  were upheld. The others, of discrimination and victimisation, were dismissed and her legal team has confirmed that it will now go to appeal. Sandie's case progressed through the legal system at exactly the time as the Supreme Court, the highest in the land, clarified the law. References to 'sex' in the Equality Act were ruled to relate to biological sex, not gender identity. Consequently, a transwoman, being legally male, would not have the right to use a women's changing room.

Yet any hope that this would bring calm and clarity for Sandie were immediately dashed.

Not only did parts of the 312page tribunal ruling seem to be in direct conflict with the Supreme Court ruling, but serious factual errors were discovered in it, requiring amendments but which did not alter the conclusions.

There have now been calls for judge Sandy Kemp's resignation.

What has resulted is an unholy mess and an expensive fiasco. Legal experts predict by the time the case is over, 1million of public money will have been spent.

Sandie shakes her head. 'It's complete madness, lunacy. I think it's disgusting. There has been no common sense. I still don't understand why this could not have been sorted earlier.

'There were other places [in the hospital] he could have changed. There are toilet cubicles elsewhere that are huge. He could have been asked to use one of those.'

Sandie receives flowers from Maya Forstater who founded Sex Matters to stand up for single sex spaces

Nevertheless, Sandie is reluctant to 'get personal' in her criticisms of Dr Upton. 'What I will say is that I think all biological men who think they can just say they are women are delusional.' But she is angry that the doctor was 'allowed' to say that there had never been any issues with colleagues until Sandie came along.

During the tribunal, it was claimed that, in a previous job, Dr Upton had made a complaint about being misgendered by an elderly woman with dementia. There were also claims that Dr Upton had been 'keeping notes' on other members of staff.

'Yet lies about me were taken as if they were fact,' says Sandie. There was an accusation that her supposed issues with Dr Upton had led to patient safety being compromised, which was disproved during the tribunal.

We must stress that Sandie's complaints (discrimination and victimisation) about Dr Upton were not upheld. But it is hard to escape the conclusion that, because of NHS cackhandedness, both employees here were failed.

Several times, Sandie talks about what a close team it was in the A&E unit. But friendships were trashed in the fallout, as colleagues were called to give evidence against her and railed against being 'dragged into' the affair.

It would be wrong to portray Sandie as a saint. In the epic trawl through her thousands of WhatsApp messages sent between friends, several apparently racist jokes were unearthed.

Ditto the public retelling of a conversation she had with a friend about how she struggled with her daughter telling her she was gay. It was used to paint her as a bigot  entirely wrongly, said Nicole, the daughter in question, and her biggest cheerleader.

'It is horrible having your life turned upside down,' says Sandie. 'I think I'm probably less trusting now. I still believe what I did was right. It's women's rights that are being trampled over. This isn't about me.'

Sandie counts bestselling author JK Rowling among her supporters

She is a private person by nature. Yet here she is opening up about the most intimate parts of her life, to make a point.

That previous 'bad experience' with men she referenced in the changing room with Dr Upton? Sandie tells me it involved sexual abuse by a doctor.

She is not presenting this as a factor in what happened in that changing room. But in the wider sense of why single sex spaces are enshrined in law, it is significant.

Sandie was 17 when she went to her GP and asked to go on the Pill to regulate her heavy periods. But she felt increasingly uncomfortable as he carried out a lengthy, apparently 'essential', examination of her breasts. 'He did it himself, then he watched as I did it, to check I was doing it properly.

'He had his hand over mine and it went on for ages and I just remember thinking, "This isn't right." I felt so, so uncomfortable. He said I'd need to have this done every time I got a prescription and so I went back twice more  each time feeling horrible.'

She did not make a complaint and the doctor retired soon after. It was only years later, while talking to friends who pointed out this was not normal or acceptable, that she thought: 'Oh my God'

Sandie stresses that at no point was she afraid of or did she feel threatened by Dr Upton. But she says: 'I'm not the only woman who simply does not want to undress in front of a man.' She also abhors the accusation that she is simply an 'old bigot, out of touch'.

She tells me that just a few weeks before the changing room incident, she treated a 16yearold who had attempted to take her own life. Trans issues were a factor. 'Her father hadn't reacted well to it,' Sandie says. 'The mum was upset. I was triaging her and I remember saying to my colleagues, "This wee tot needs to be seen quickly."'

Her empathy was referred to at the tribunal.

During her threemonth suspension from work, Sandie's brother had a heart attack and she had to ask special permission to visit him in 'her' hospital. She isn't working at the moment (although she is technically still employed), but tells me she 'snuck in, through the ambulance entrance' to visit another relative recently. So she is no longer barred? 'No, but things are still... frosty.'

She misses her work. 'I feel a bit lost, I suppose. I miss that camaraderie. I miss that sense of purpose  and being a nurse is all I ever wanted to do. I never wanted any of this.' But if she had it all to do again, would she take the option offered of slipping out the back door and not making a fuss? 'No,' she says. 'I'd still go out the front.'

Sandie Peggie has not received any payment for this interview but asked for a donation to be made to a Scottish charity which supports survivors of rape and sexual violence.
Violent protests have broken out in Bangladesh following the death of a youth leader, as mobs set fire to newspaper offices and left journalists trapped inside the burning buildings.

Two major newspaper offices, Britain's Daily Star and the Bengali-language Prothom Alo, were set on fire late on Thursday night by the rioters.

Critics accuse the publications of favouring neighbouring India, where Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the 2024 uprising.

Staff stuck inside the blazing offices were rescued by firefighters, who brought the blaze under control early on Friday.

Staff trapped inside the Daily Star newsroom said the building quickly filled with smoke.

'I can't breathe anymore... You are killing me,' reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook, before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control and rescue the employees.

Sajjad Sharif, executive editor at Prothom Alo, called it 'an attack on freedom of the press, expression, dissent and diversity of opinion'.

It is the second straight day of protestors rallying in Bangladesh calling for the arrest of the gunmen who shot and killed a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising.

The Prothom Alo newspaper office in Karwan Bazar was ablaze after protestors set it on fire on Friday

The protests followed the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, 32 (pictured inset), who was a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising

Protestors held posters of Hadi, who was shot by a gunman and died in a Singapore hospital days later from his injuries

When news spread that 32-year-old student leader Sharif Osman Hadi died in hospital in Singapore on Thursday, crowds took to the streets in an outpouring of mourning and anger.

Several buildings were vandalised, including the offices of media outlets deemed to favour India - an old ally of Bangladesh's ousted leadership.

Hadi, a staunch critic of India, was shot by masked gunmen while leaving a mosque in the capital Dhaka last week. He was initially wounded and flown to Singapore for treatment, but eventually succumbed to his wounds.

UN rights chief Volker Turk called on Friday for a 'prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent' investigation.

In Dhaka, protester Sajid Al Adeeb told the AFP that 'people have gathered here demanding the swift arrest of those who killed Hadi.'

The 20-year-old student said the killers were 'currently in India' - a claim which New Delhi has not commented on.

'I urge the government to take immediate and appropriate steps to arrest those responsible,' he added.

'Above all, I want Hadi's ideals to live on.'

Military personnel stood guard in Dhaka amid the violent protests, which saw several buildings in the capital set on fire, according to authorities

People seen at the entrance of the Daily Star building as it burned on Friday. Critics accused the Daily Star and Protham Alo of favouring India, where Bangladesh's ousted prime minister has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka after the 2024 uprising

The aftermath of the blaze at the Prothom Alo newspaper

Burnt Daily Star newspapers made up the rubble the morning after the riots. Staff stuck inside the blazing offices were rescued by firefighters

Protests were also held in the cities of Gazipur, Sylhet and Chattogram on Friday.

Hadi's remains were brought to Dhaka on Friday evening ahead of a funeral planned for the following day.

The customary funeral prayer will be performed on Saturday in front of the parliament building, the government said.

Hadi's body will then be placed at the central mosque of Dhaka University to allow people to pay their last respects before his burial there.

Amir Hossain, Hadi's brother-in-law, told AFP that the family wanted justice.

'We don't need anything except justice. The perpetrators must be punished,' Hossain said.

The UN's Turk said in a statement that 'he was deeply troubled' by Hadi's killing.

'Retaliation and revenge will only deepen divisions and undermine the rights of all,' he said.

Protestors shouted slogans during the protests, which are in their second day following the death of prominent activist Hadi

Supporters blocked the Shahbagh Square, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a major intersection and cultural hub

'I urge the authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the attack that led to Hadi's death, and to ensure due process and accountability for those responsible.'

Ahead of the funeral, security has been beefed up in the capital with strict restriction on flying drones around the parliament building.

The US embassy in Dhaka urged its citizens to remain vigilant and 'remember that gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence'.

The interim government, led by the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, spoke to the editors of the two newspapers that were set ablaze on Friday and condemned the vandalism.

The government also urged citizens to resist all forms of mob violence which it said was committed by a few 'fringe elements'.

'This is a critical moment in our nation's history when we are making a historic democratic transition,' a government statement said.

'We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace.'

On Wednesday, before Hadi's death, protesters demanding Hasina be returned to Bangladesh marched toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, in the latest sign of strained ties between the neighbours since the fall of her autocratic government.

Hadi, a leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, was running for a parliament seat in the February 2026 national election.

Bangladeshi police said they had launched a manhunt for his killers.
Hospitals face being plunged into chaos while at their busiest after junior doctors announced a four-day winter strike.

Union BMA Scotland has accused the Nationalist government of backtracking on previous promises over pay.

Scotland has so far avoided the disruptive strikes seen elsewhere in the country, but now the NHS looks set to be hit with a wave of hugely disruptive strike action.

Junior doctors  who are now known as resident doctors and are paid as much as 71,549  backed the strike which will see them walk out next month.

But BMA Scotland, who have previously backed strikes only to relent at the last minute after a deal was agreed, said action was avoidable if they were given a credible offer.

Health Secretary Neil Gray and First Minister John Swinney were last night urged to stop the strike which could have catastrophic consequences and see the NHS collapse.

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, Scottish Conservative health spokesman, said: This is a terrifying development that risks pushing our broken NHS over the edge.

John Swinney and Neil Gray have pushed our health service to breaking point, with waiting lists spiralling out of control, vulnerable patients being treated in rammed corridors and a flu wave ripping through the country.

Scotland's NHS is already feeling the pressure this winter - a strike by resident doctors will compound the misery

Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was 'disappointed' by the vote - but critics said he and First Minister John Swinney had pushed the service to 'breaking point'

They need to do everything in their power to stop this strike action from going ahead. If doctors down tools at the height of winter, the consequences will be catastrophic.

The SNP leader has repeatedly gloated that Scotlands NHS is free from strike action, while our health service crept towards the brink, due to his governments mismanagement.

Excuses wont cut it this time. If John Swinney fails to stop this strike, our NHS will collapse and Scots wont forgive him.

In England, where junior doctors have walked out in protest over pay, thousands of operations and procedures have been cancelled.

The ongoing strike south of the border  which will continue until Monday  has been condemned as dangerous and utterly irresponsible by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

And there are now fears an already overstretched Scottish NHS could be put under even greater pressure by striking medics.

Dr Chris Smith, chair of the BMAs Scottish Resident Doctor Committee, said: The result of this ballot shows that resident doctors in Scotland are united in anger over the Scottish Government breaking the deal they agreed over pay just two years ago.

This is not where we wanted to be.

However, we have sent a message loud and clear  the Government cannot brazenly renege on its commitments without expecting to be held to account.

Instead of negotiating with resident doctors to make credible progress towards pay restoration, as they agreed to do, they have imposed a pay uplift that is the lowest average award received by resident doctors anywhere in the UK.

He said that with the Scottish Government turning their backs on the deal they had they were knowingly putting the NHS in Scotland at risk of disruptive strike action.

Winter is the busiest time for the health service and junior doctors, who make up almost half the medical workforce in Scotland, announced they would walk out of Scottish hospitals at 7am on January 13 and not return until the same time on January 17.

Out of the 5,185 entitled to vote in the strike ballot, some 58 per cent voted.

Of the 3,008 ballots returned the overwhelming majority, some 92 per cent, backed the walkout with just 8 per cent voting against.

Junior doctors range from those who are newly qualified to those with as many as 10 years experience.

Foundation doctors have a starting salary of 34,500, and resident doctors are paid a maximum of 71,549.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was disappointed they had voted for strike action and said he would meet with the union on Monday.

The SNP MSP said: Resident doctors in Scotland have received a 4.25 per cent pay uplift this year  as part of a two-year deal  the same accepted by nurses and other NHS staff.

This means by 2027 we will have delivered a cumulative pay rise of 35 per cent in four years.

Our top priority for our patients and the workforce is to improve waiting times, access to the NHS and positive outcomes.

Industrial action will put all that progress at risk.
One of Britains worst paedophiles has been freed from jail in the latest indictment of the SNPs soft touch justice system, the Mail can reveal.

James Rennie, ex-chief executive of a publicly funded gay and trans rights group for teens, was one of eight men exposed as members of a major paedophile ring.

The 54-year-old former Scottish Government adviser was jailed in 2009 after molesting the toddler son of unsuspecting friends.

He had been trusted to babysit the little boy  then recorded the abuse and shared it with other perverts.

During the police investigation, the boys parents were forced to watch a video of their baby son being violated by Rennie, who was boss of controversial LGBT Youth Scotland (LGBTYS).

Last night Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: Scots will be sickened that this predatory offender is back on our streets.

He should have spent the rest of his life behind bars.

His release is an insult to the victims and their families, especially with Christmas round the corner. This disgraceful case is yet another damning example of the SNPs soft-touch justice system, which constantly puts the needs of criminals first.

James Rennie, 54, was one of eight men exposed as members of a major paedophile ring

Rennie was one of eight men who were found guilty of a string of child sex charges at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2009.

He was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years in jail  but in 2011 appeal judges reduced that to a minimum of eight-and-a-half years before he could apply for parole.

In May, it emerged that Rennie and his 57-year-old accomplice Neil Strachan, who tried to rape a toddler, were walking the streets during leave from an open prison. Strachan remains in jail.

During their investigations, police recovered tens of thousands of still and moving images of the most vile child abuse.

Rennie, from Edinburgh, was able to reach a position where he could influence Scottish Government policy on child sexuality.

A trained teacher, he became the 40,000-a-year boss of LGBTYS.

Under his leadership, it backed proposals to allow gay adoption.

Rennie, from Edinburgh, was found to have used computers at the groups offices in Leith to pursue his sordid double life. He was suspended as soon as LGBTYS was told of his arrest in December 2007 and resigned soon afterwards.

LGBTYS, which has said its staff work to create safe, supportive and inclusive spaces for some of the most marginalised young people in Scotland, has been awarded nearly 500,000 for 2025-26 by the SNP Government. The Scottish Prison Service declined to comment on individual prisoners.
The overdue and over-budget CalMac ferry, Glen Rosa, has been delayed another six months as it is already in need of repair.

State-owned shipyard Ferguson Marine said the boat, which was meant to be ready in 2018, wont be delivered until the end of 2026.

The yard insisted it had to fix deterioration of the hull coating and corrosion of the tubes housing the propeller shafts.

The Scottish Tories said islanders had been betrayed by SNP incompetence and attacked the Government for breaking the news the day after MSPs started their festive break.

The latest hold-up is on top of a nine-month delay announced in May, which raised the estimated bill for the ferry from 150million to 185million.

As recently as August, John Swinney confidently predicted Glen Rosa would be in service and carrying passengers before Holyroods spring election.

Tory transport spokesman Sue Webber said: This dreadful news will be as welcome for islanders as getting a lump of coal in their stocking this Christmas.

They have been betrayed at every turn by the SNPs incompetence and this is the latest in a litany of broken promises.

The MV Glen Rosa at Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow

Its scandalous that this announcement on has been made on the sly  it means MSPs cannot hold the Government to account in parliament.

When Glen Rosa and its sister ship Glen Sannox were ordered from the Port Glasgow yard in 2015, the fixed price was 97million for a delivery in 2018.

But Fergusons went broke and was nationalised in 2019. The final cost to taxpayers for the two Clydeside ferries is now around 460million.

Ferguson Marines chief executive, Graeme Thomson, said the work was essential for compliance with safety standards.

But he offered his heartfelt apologies for the disruption and said he was determined to minimise any further delays.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: I apologise to those affected, particularly island communities who depend on ferries and whose lives and livelihoods are impacted by this.
Three criminals have been found guilty of killing a terrified man who jumped from a window in order to escape their attempts to extort cash from him.

Stephen Stewart, 52, Jennifer Souter, 40, and Victoria McGowan, 43, were convicted yesterday afternoon of the culpable homicide of Ryan Munro, 36, last year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the trio created an environment of menace and threats at the flat where they abducted Mr Munro in Morgan Street, Dundee. The three accused wanted Mr Munro to give them money.

They placed him in such an extreme state of fear and alarm that he jumped to his death from a window at the property on January 10, 2024.

The trio stood trial alongside the 37-year-old brother-in-law of former First Minister Humza Yousaf  Ramsay El Nakla, 37.

He stood accused of participating in the extortion of Mr Munro alongside Stewart, Souter and McGowan, as well as drugs charges. However, he was cleared of the allegations on December 12, 2025, after prosecutors accepted his not guilty pleas.

Yesterday, jurors returned guilty verdicts on the remaining trio on all charges. Stewart was also convicted of drugs charges, and his co-accused pleaded guilty to narcotics offences.

Following the jurys verdicts, it emerged that all three accused had lengthy criminal records.

Ryan Munro died after falling from a flat in Dundee

Ramsay El-Nakla, the brother-in-law of former first minister Humza Yousaf was acquitted of extortion and drugs charges

Stewart had a previous conviction for abduction and extortion and had previously served a five-year term for drugs offences.

Judge Lady Drummond remanded the trio into custody and called for reports into their backgrounds.

She told the accused: You can all expect a significant custodial sentence for these offences.

I will hear more about Ryan Munro, his life and the impact that his loss has on his family.

It is clear to me that he is deeply missed by all his family. Speaking about Mr Munros

family, advocate depute Alex Prentice, KC, added: They have struggled with this and found it difficult to deal with.

The trio will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on February 4, 2025.

The proceeds of crime actions against Stewart and McGowan will call at the High Court in Edinburgh sometime soon.

After being cleared, Mr El Nakla was called as a prosecution witness and asked by Mr Prentice if crack cocaine had taken over his life at the time.

He replied: Yes. Asked how much it was costing him in December 2023 and January 2024, Mr El Nakla replied: I spent 700, 800 in a day.
A friend of the gunman behind the deadly Brown University shooting revealed he was known to bully classmates and would, at times, refer to a Brazilian student as his 'slave.'

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a six-day manhunt.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later, killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.

There are still 'a lot of unknowns' in regard to Valente's motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a disaster press conference Thursday.

On Friday, Scott Watson, who described himself as the shooter's 'only close friend,' told The New York Times that while Valente could be 'kind and gentle,' he also had a darker side.

'I had to break up a fight once,' Watson told the outlet.

He described his former friend as 'brilliantly smart,' yet also a bully who called other students 'slaves,' and who was frequently unhappy and sometimes angry.

Watson, now a physics professor at Syracuse and a former classmate of Valente in Browns physics Ph.D. program, said Valente frequently complained that the coursework was too easy and the campus food was lacking.

A friend of the gunman behind the deadly Brown University shooting revealed he was known to bully classmates and would at times, refer to a Brazilian student as his 'slave'

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, the suspect in the Brown University shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, picks up a vehicle at an Alamo Rent a Car facility on November 17, 2025

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The revelation coincided with the unearthing of a hidden internet post allegedly written by Valente on a Brown physics message board after he dropped out in May 2001, according to the NYT.

The page, accessible only through the Internet Archive and not independently verified, appears to show Valente saying he was back in Portugal and listing an email for classmates to get in touch.

It also included a message written in Portuguese that, when translated, read: 'The greatest liar is the one who is able to lie to themselves. These exist everywhere, but they sometimes proliferate in the most unexpected places.'

Valente revisited his former university in Providence, Rhode Island on December 13 and fired at least 44 rounds from his 9 mm pistol, killing two students and injuring another nine.

'There are some witnesses who said he said nothing. There are some that say he made a barking noise,' AG Neronha said, adding: 'Don't ask me. I don't know why. And that's it. There is no other spoken word beyond that, that we are aware of.'

The two Brown students killed during the study session were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.

Two days later, he travelled 50 miles and fatally shot Dr Loureiro, a father of three, at his home in the Boston suburbs before disappearing, triggering a five-day manhunt.

He was found dead Thursday night in a storage rental facility in Salem, New Hampshire, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had two firearms on him at the time of his death, Neronha revealed.

Investigators believe Valente is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later, killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro

There are still 'a lot of unknowns' in regard to Valente's motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said

Scott Watson, who described himself as the shooter's 'only close friend,' told the NYT that while Valente could be 'kind and gentle,' he also had a darker side

Neronha said Friday that the suspect meticulously planned the attacks and attempted to mislead law enforcement, according to NBC News.

He said the suspect used voice over internet protocol, allowing calls to be made over the internet rather than through cell service, avoided 'traditional' credit cards and even changed the license plate on his rental car.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez told the outlet that the department had to return 'to the old-fashioned way of policing' to learn more about the suspects cryptic movements.

'Which was interviewing individuals, reviewing hundreds of videos and footage,' Perez said.

'This individual was strategic in every way, using apps to communicate, changing plates on vehicles, covering his face, the clothing that he used, the areas that he drove into,' he added.

The suspect reportedly used two separate firearms during the attacks, with the ATF now comparing ballistics.

Even with him attempting to cover his tracks, the attorney general said authorities tracked him down just a day after his identity became known.

However, law enforcement have come under fire not identifying and locating Valente quickly enough to prevent Loureiro's murder, with critics blasting the FBI after a Reddit user 'cracked the case' before they did.

The suspect's friend revealed that Valente frequently complained that the coursework was too easy and the campus food was lacking when they attended school together

The revelation coincided with the unearthing of a hidden internet post allegedly written by Valente on a Brown physics message board after he dropped out in May 2001

Valente was found dead Thursday night in a storage rental facility in Salem, New Hampshire, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had two firearms on him at the time of his death

The suspect, who studied at Brown 20 years ago, was on the run from the police for days, but his eventual demise came when a Reddit post flagged his suspicious activity outside the Ivy League campus.

Authorities said information from the internet user who had several strange encounters with Valente on a sidewalk outside Brown University.

Known only as 'John' in a Providence police affidavit, the source is being hailed by investigators as the key figure who gave law enforcement the details needed to determine who was behind the Brown shooting, as well as the killing of Loureiro.

As police posted images of a person of interest - now identified as Neves Valente - John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognized the person and theorized that police should look into 'possibly a rental' grey Nissan.

Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did. The police affidavit said they learned about the tip on December 16, three days after the shooting and a day after the tip line was created.

Up until that point, the police affidavit says officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter.

That detail led them to get more video of a Nissan Sentra sedan with Florida plates and enabled Providence police officers to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

The affidavit said John gave investigators additional critical details: he encountered Neves Valente in the bathroom of the engineering building just hours before the attack, where John noted the suspect's clothing was 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.'

John also bumped into Neves Valente outside, mere blocks from the building, where he watched Valente 'suddenly' turn around from the Nissan when they made eye contact.

What ensued was then a 'game of cat and mouse,' according to John's testimony - where the two would encounter each other and Valente would run away.

At one point, John says he yelled out 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

'The Suspect responded, "I don't know you from nobody," then Suspect repeatedly asked, "Why are you harassing me?"' according to the affidavit.

John told police he eventually saw Neves Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on X that, at Trumps direction, she is directing US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the green card lottery program that allowed the suspect into the country from Portugal.

Valente entered the US on an F-1 student visa in 2000 to attend Brown. In 2017, he was granted a 'diversity immigrant visa,' designed for nationals of countries with lower US immigration rates, according to USCIS.

According to a Providence police detectives affidavit, he gained lawful permanent resident status that year.
A picture of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sprawled across the laps of five women with Ghislaine Maxwell has been released as part of the Epstein files.

A trove of 300,000 documents were made public by the US government last night, revealing sickening scenes at Epstein's mansions, including countless images of naked young women.

In one of the images the former prince - donning a black suit and bow tie - can be seen lying across the five women, smiling with his face near the bare legs of one.

The undated new photo of Andrew appears to have been taken in front of the fireplace in Sandringham House's saloon room, where the Royal Family traditionally gathers after dinner on Christmas Day.

It shows the playboy prince in a dinner jacket lying across the laps of five smartly dressed women. Grinning for the camera, his cheek is just inches above the bare legs of one of the women, all of whom have had their identities protected by US government lawyers.

Presiding over this crude scene is Epstein's pimp Ghislaine Maxwell. Just visible to the left of her is the concealed door to the room in Sandringham House where George V broadcast his first Christmas radio message in 1932.

It is not currently clear when the photo was taken as the photos released are lacking context.

Andrew hosted a surprise birthday party for Maxwell, now 63, at the monarch's private country retreat in Norfolk in December 2000. He would later describe the event as a 'straightforward shooting weekend' in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019.

A picture of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lying across a row of women in a photo during a black-tie event with Ghislaine Maxwell has been released as part of the Epstein files

An undated photo released by the U.S. Department of Justice shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

The former prince has been dogged by allegations that he sexually assaulted then 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. He has always denied the accusations.

He stepped down from royal duties in 2019 but the publication of Ms Giuffre's posthumous memoir, and the US government's release of documents from Epstein's estate, brought more scrutiny over his relationship with the financier.

It is now six years since then, when the FBI asked Andrew to submit to questioning as a 'witness' to help its investigation into the crimes of Epstein.

In the 2000s, Andrew spent weeks as a guest at Epstein's 'House of Sin' villa in Florida where children were forced to dress in schoolgirl outfits and have under-age sex with the paedophile American financier.

Andrew has always vehemently denied accusations by Mrs Giuffre that she was forced to have sex with him three times.

In 2022, he paid her an undisclosed sum reported to be 12million to settle her civil claim for sex assault without any admission of wrongdoing.

Andrew, who stayed with Epstein at his mansions in New York, Florida and the Caribbean, and flew on the billionaire's private jet nicknamed the 'Lolita Express', has always insisted he never saw, witnessed or suspected 'any behaviour of the sort' that led to Epstein's arrest and conviction for child sex offences.

Some of the new photos give a stomach-churning glimpse into the 'decor' of Epstein's homes, which were covered in artworks featuring naked girls. One chilling and unexplained photo features a naked baby in a bathroom sink.

After Epstein died in 2019, Andrew made various pledges to help US investigators, but they accused him of stalling. American prosecutors made a public statement lambasting Andrew for giving 'zero co-operation'. Then they took the drastic step of asking the British Government to facilitate a formal interview with the then duke.

The Home Office was supposed to be 'processing' the 2019 request but nothing ever happened. The former duke has resisted calls from victims of Epstein to voluntarily submit to FBI questioning.

He was 'at least a witness' to the investigation into Epstein's crimes, former US attorney general William Barr said recently. There was no response to a request for comment from Andrew.

Another picture released on Friday shows Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson posing for a photograph with people on the street

The former Duchess of York poses with people on the street, in an image released by the Department of Justice

Sarah Ferguson sits on a sofa in an undated photograph releeased by the US Department of Justice

Bill Clinton was seen frolicking in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell in bombshell images from the latest Epstein files release

Clinton and Sir Mick Jagger are pictured with a redacted woman

Epstein was also seen cosying up to the former president in the image release on Friday

Rock legend Sir Mick was pictured enjoying a dinner, sitting in between Clinton and Epstein

Other pictures released on Friday also show Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, posing for a photograph with someone on the street and talking to a woman while sitting on a sofa.

In both images, she appears to be wearing the same outfit, although it is unclear if the photographs were taken on the same day.

Former president Bill Clinton also appeared numerous times in files, with one image showing him relaxing in a hot tub. In another, he takes a dip with Maxwell in a swimming pool.

Other high-profile names, including Michael Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Diana Ross, Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Richard Branson are also pictured in the files.

The trove of documents, including court records, footage and images, was uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of Justice website, which held users in a queue as it experienced an 'extremely high volume of search requests'.

The data dump came after US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said 'several hundred thousand' documents from the so-called 'Epstein files' would be released ahead of a legal deadline but the need to protect the sex offender's victims meant thousands more would be released over the coming weeks.

The US Department of Justice is legally obligated to make all files related to the investigation into the paedophile public by midnight on Friday following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The financier 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.

Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of the records related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

He signed the legislation last month to ensure the release of the files, despite previously resisting disclosure and claiming the issue was a 'Democrat hoax'.

Join the debate Who are you most surprised to see in the photos?

Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at a box at the Royal Ascot

Pictured right to left: Jeffrey Epstein, Caroline Stanley (in pink), Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in 2000

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Royal Ascot, Ladies Day, on June 22, 2000

Pictured left to right: Jeffrey Epstein, Caroline Stanley (in pink), Ghistlaine Maxwell (in green) and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

A wider image showing Ghislaine, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein at the Royal Ascot

A photograph of Maxwell pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street features in the dump

Epstein is seen with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph

Clinton and Jackson smile alongside Diana Ross in an undated image from Friday's release

Speaking ahead of the release, Mr Blanche told Fox News: 'I expect that we're going to release several hundred thousand documents today.

'And those documents will come in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr Epstein.'

Explaining why there may be a delay in releasing all the files, Mr Blanche told the broadcaster: 'What we're doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected.

'And so I expect that we're going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks.

'So today, several hundred thousand and then over the next couple (of) weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more.'
Jeffrey Epstein once received a novelty check for $22,500 from Donald Trump, the Friday dump of documents related to the disgraced financier reveals.

The latest tranche includes images that further link the convicted child sex offender to prominent figures  including the president and former President Bill Clinton.

The name in the signature line reads very different from Trump's famous signature these days, but clearly reads in the designated space 'D. Trump.'

The memo line was mostly covered by a redaction box and a similarly black-boxed woman stood beside a grinning check-wielding Epstein who donned a 'USA' crew neck.

The image is a black and white scan of a framed photo that repeatedly reads along the edges the phrase 'once in a blue moon.'

So far, it's the only piece of new information found linking Trump to Epstein.

There is a publication in the files of Epsteins contact book, which includes a redacted entry for Trump. Its already known that the president was among those who appeared in Epsteins contact list.

Any appearance or mention of individuals in the files does not tie them explicitly to any wrongdoing.

Hundreds of thousands of documents were published on the Justice Department website on Friday, December 19 at approximately 4:00 pm.

Justice Department Epstein files drop on December 19, 2025 reveal an image of Jeffrey Epstein with a redacted woman holding a giant check from Donald Trump for $22,500

Donald Trump is among the myriad of rich and powerful people with associated with the convicted child sex offender and disgrace financier

Internet sleuths are now combing through the files to find new information and ones that could reveal more about the extent of Epstein's crimes and his links to politicians and businessmen.

Trump is among those who power people who associated with Epstein in New York and Florida circles before his 2008 conviction and 13-month prison sentence for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

While the president has not disputed his previous links to Epstein, he insists the disgraced financier was kicked out of his Mar-a-Lago club in 2007 for being a 'creep,' and claims that they no longer associated after that.

Trump also insists they were never very close.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released a trickle of information they received as part of the Epstein estate and DOJ disclosure earlier this year. This included emails, texts, passports and images of women and high profile individuals with Epstein or on his island Little St. James.

The Justice Department on Friday, December 19, 2025 reached a deadline to produce the entirety of the Epstein files.

While hundreds of thousands of documents were released, officials admitted they would not be able to make everything public on that timeline. Attorney General Todd Blanche said hundreds of thousands of documents would continue to be release in coming weeks.
Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street in a photograph released as part of the long-awaited Epstein files.

Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex on behalf of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, is pictured in one photograph outside the Prime Minister's office in London.

The context in which the picture was taken is unknown, as is the date of the photograph.

Others pictured in the files released tonight include Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, Bill Clinton, and Mick Jagger.

Those pictured in the files have not necessarily been engaged in any wrongdoing. Many of those identified in previous releases have denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Maxwell had formally asked a federal court to throw out her sex trafficking conviction on Wednesday, just 48 hours before the Epstein files were expected to be published.

Maxwell claimed 'substantial new evidence has emerged' which shows she did not receive a fair trial, according to the filing reviewed by ABC News.

Maxwell wrote: 'This newly available evidence - derived from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, various financial institutions, and the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as from sworn depositions, released records, and other verified sources - shows that exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court.'

A photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street - the offices of the UK Prime Minister - has been released as part of the Epstein files tonight

The former Prince Andrew pictured lying across five women. The context of the photograph remains unknown, as does the date it was taken. (Maxwell pictured back row, left)

Jeffrey Epstein's madam is serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex on his behalf

The disgraced socialite's last-ditch effort, submitted without an attorney, comes after she has exhausted all of her direct legal appeals.

Hundreds of thousands of documents, including court records, footage and images, were uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of Justice website, which held users in a queue as it experienced an 'extremely high volume of search requests'.

The data dump came after US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said 'several hundred thousand' documents from the so-called 'Epstein files' would be released ahead of a legal deadline, but the need to protect the sex offender's victims meant thousands more would be released over the coming weeks.

The US Department of Justice are legally obligated to make all files related to the investigation into Epstein public by midnight today, Friday December 18, following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act one month ago, on November 18.

US President Donald Trump signed the legislation last month to ensure the release of the files, despite previously resisting disclosure and claiming the issue was a 'Democrat hoax'.

The paedophile financier 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.

The law has some exemptions tied to it, including allowing Attorney General Pam Bondi to withhold certain records if their publication could interfere with an active prosecution or criminal investigations.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 after prosecutors presented evidence that she procured girls as young as 14 for abuse by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida.
US forces unleashed a wave of airstrikes against ISIS in Syria on Friday, the White House confirms.

The move delivers on President Trumps promise to retaliate for the killing of two US Army soldiers and an interpreter during a terrorist ambush in the countrys central region last weekend.

American forces struck over 70 targets in the country linked to ISIS, a US official told Fox News.

'Because of ISISs vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation,' Trump said in a post on Truth Social Friday evening.

The bombardment is reportedly being carried out by US Airforce F-15E Strike Eagles and A-10C Thunderbolts alongside Army helicopters and artillery rocket systems.

Although officials said 'numerous' militants were killed, full casualty numbers were not provided on Friday evening.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posting on X, called it 'Operation Hawkeye Strike,' and labeled the actions as a 'declaration of vengeance.'

Military aircraft and artillery were reportedly used to level arms storage sites and other facilities associated with the group, an American source with knowledge told the New York Times.

US forces unleashed a wave of airstrikes against ISISin Syria on Friday

American forces carried out a wave of air and ground attacks in central Syria, striking numerous locations linked to ISIS

Islamic State fighter pictured waving a flag while standing on captured government fighter jet in Raqqa, Syria

'Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue,' Hegseth added.

Across Syria, social media accounts on X first reported explosions and across the country, heard from Palmyra to Deir Ezzor.

Strikes were also reported in the Eastern Raqqa desert.

The intended targets included weapons storage locations and ISIS infrastructure.

The soldiers who were killed last Saturday were the first Americans to die in the country since Bashar al-Assad was removed from power last year. They were helping fight the Islamic State near Palmyra, a city in central Syria.

US officials named the two troops who died in Syria as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, from Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa.

Fridays attacks by US forces point to a major step-up in military action in Syria, even as the administration maintains a much smaller footprint of roughly 1,000 troops --half of the US footprint since the start of the year.

Jordanian and Syrian Armed forces are reportedly helping out the US Air-Force and army in Friday's strikes.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa visited the White House last month in what was the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since 1946.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said Al-Sharaa supported the strikes.

The president said terrorists who threaten or attack the US 'will be hit harder than you have ever been hit before.'

Skeptical Democrats and liberal commentators were quick to suggest that the timing of Trump's air campaign was meant to distract from his Justice Department's release of the Epstein files, which dropped just hours before.

But US officials said the airstrikes built on ground raids in Iraq and Syria earlier in the week that captured or killed two dozen suspected ISIS-linked operatives.
Michael Jackson is seen partying with Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Clinton in the latest bombshell Department of Justice release from the notorious sex trafficker's estate.

The late pop superstar was pictured in undated images smiling alongside Epstein, and with Clinton on a private jet in other images.

The images were seen in the largest tranche of evidence from Epstein's estate, released Friday hours ahead of a a deadline for the full release of the files.

Clinton appeared heavily in the cache of images, including one where he swam with Ghislaine Maxwell and a redacted woman in a swimming pool.

In undated images from a dinner party attended by Epstein, rock legend Mick Jagger was also seen enjoying a meal with Epstein, Maxwell and Clinton.

The release on Friday included many redactions that have drawn scrutiny.

In one image shared Friday, Clinton was seen with his hands on the shoulders of actor Kevin Spacey.

A beaming Clinton wearing a red hoodie could also be seen in another image alongside a woman whose face was redacted.

Clinton, Spacey and Maxwell were seen in other images at the Churchill War Room exhibit in London.

Epstein seen with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph

Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson smile in an undated image from Friday's release

Bill Clinton was seen frolicking in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell in bombshell images from the latest Epstein files release

Rock legend Mick Jagger was pictured enjoying a dinner with Clinton and Epstein

Former President Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger seen with a redacted woman

Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is among those pictured in the release, including one outside Number 10 Downing Street.

Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex on behalf of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, is pictured in one photograph outside the Prime Minister's office in London.

In another image, Maxwell pulled down the front of her top for the camera.

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs.

Ahead of the files release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche drew scrutiny as he suggested some materials could be withheld for weeks.

Although Blanche told Fox & Friends that the DOJ is 'going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks', the delay meant that the administration may violate a law signed by Trump in November ordering the full release of all unclassified materials about Epstein in the DOJ's possession within 30 days.

The latest files release on Friday comes after two prior releases this week, which showed Epstein and a number of rich and powerful individuals including Bill Gates, Woody Allen and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - formerly Prince Andrew.

In one image shared Friday, Clinton was seen with his hands on the shoulders of actor Kevin Spacey

A beaming Clinton wearing a red hoodie could also be seen in another image alongside a woman whose face was redacted

Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is among those pictured in the release, including one outside Number 10 Downing Street

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs

Ahead of the release on Friday, President Trump refused to answer questions about the release of the documents after an event with pharmaceutical company executives in the Oval Office on Friday, saying he didnt want to spoil the event by allowing the media to ask questions having to do with anything else.

'I won't even take questions today, because there's no way I can take questions that are anywhere comparable to what you just witnessed, Trump declared.

An initial review indicates the documents released today originate from three separate investigations into Jeffrey Epsteins crimes against young women.

Many of the files appear to stem from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a federal probe that culminated in Epsteins controversial 2008 plea deal.

Others relate to a later investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019 - a case that was never finished after Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial.

Epstein seen with billionaire Richard Branson in Friday's files release

Epstein poses with Maxwell in kimonos in the latest files release

Justice Department Epstein files drop on December 19, 2025 reveal an image of Jeffrey Epstein with a redacted woman holding a giant check from Donald Trump for $22,500

Friday's dump of documents also revealed that Epstein once received a novelty check for $22,500 from Donald Trump.

The name in the signature line reads very different from Trump's famous signature these days, but clearly reads in the designated space 'D. Trump.'

The memo line was mostly covered by a redaction box and a similarly black-boxed woman stood beside a grinning check-wielding Epstein who donned a 'USA' crew neck.

The image is a black and white scan of a framed photo that repeatedly reads along the edges the phrase 'once in a blue moon.'

So far, it's the only piece of new information found linking Trump to Epstein.

There is a publication in the files of Epsteins contact book, which includes a redacted entry for Trump. Its already known that the president was among those who appeared in Epsteins contact list.
The release of the Epstein files has been met with a growing backlash after huge swathes of the documents were redacted.

The Department of Justice dumped hundreds of thousands of pages on Friday in line with last month's law compelling their release.

The legislation lays out specific guidelines on what could and could not legally be redacted in regards to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail cell in 2019.

One of the stipulations was that nothing could be withheld solely because it 'embarrassed' a government official or public figure.

President Donald Trump was rumored to feature heavily in the files, including by his former First Buddy Elon Musk and Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles.

But an initial review of the cache by the Daily Mail has turned up minimal reference to Trump, who was once friends with Epstein but has long claimed he cut ties before the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.

Several caveats were put in place ahead of the files' release to protect victims' privacy or national security, among other considerations.

As such pictures of abuse, victim identities, information relating to non-public figures or which could compromise active investigations were withheld.

But there is a growing discontent over the extent of the redactions including one document entitled, 'Grand Jury NY', which features 119 entirely blacked out pages.

A undated photo of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from Friday's tranche of documents from the Department of Justice

The DOJ has admitted that despite the huge dump, more documents will be published over the coming weeks.

CNN previously reported that officials had complained about the speed at which they were expected to redact.

Today's release revealed inconsistencies in redactions with some men's faces blurred in certain images but not in others.

House Democrats are among those criticizing the partial release.

'Technically they're not in compliance,' Democratic congressman Ro Khanna told The Guardian.

'The law calls for all the documents that are unclassified to be released. They have not done that. The law also calls for them to explain redactions. I haven't seen yet whether they've done that or not. My initial read is that they have a lot of redactions without explanation.'

Problems also arose with accessing the documents initially. The search function did not work at first, which meant viewers have to pore through hundreds of thousands of pages of materials.

Now, it is possible to enter terms like 'Ghislaine Maxwell' and get results. Though, searches of 'Donald Trump' or 'Bill Clinton' still turn up nothing.

Join the debate Do you think the government is hiding vital truths about Epstein and his powerful connections?

Social media users were outraged that many of the documents released by the DOJ were entirely redacted

Social media vented their frustration with the level of redaction.

'One of the Epstein documents is just 100 straight pages of entirely redacted pdf. Just black rectangles. No gaps,' one person wrote.

'The world is ran by a pedo elite but the general public will likely never know the full story. 90% of the released Epstein files are fully redacted,' another raged.

'No way this is real. The whole thing is [redacted]. This isn't 'releasing' anything, this is lack of transparency.'

Brian Krassenstein, a liberal influencer on X, said he opened a file about Ghislaine Maxwell's trial, only to find that it was redacted.

Social media users also pointed out that many images in the Epstein files are redacted as well.

Among the redactions were several explosive images featuring a host of famous faces. The DOJ did not provide any context for the pictures and there has been no suggestion those photographed are guilty of any crime.

They include one of former President Bill Clinton lazing about in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and sex trafficking accomplice.

Clinton was also seen in a photo with Epstein himself where both men were wearing satin shirts with loud patterns.

Clinton's spokesman released a statement in the wake of the new images.

'The White House hasn't been hiding these files for months only to dump them late on a Friday to protect Bill Clinton,' the spokesman said.

'This is about shielding themselves from what comes next, or from what they'll try and hide forever.

'So they can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be.

Epstein was also seen with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph. The late King of Pop was also seen with Clinton, though it was unclear if this was a different occasion.

The front man of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, was seen in a photo seated in between Clinton and Epstein at a table.

Billionaire Richard Branson was also seen in a photo with Epstein.

Bill Clinton was seen frolicking in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell in bombshell images from the latest Epstein files release

Photos of actor Kevin Spacey were also included in Friday's release, though none have emerged that show him in the vicinity of Epstein or Maxwell.

Maxwell, who is currently serving 20 years for her role in recruiting and sex trafficking minors for Epstein, is pictured in one photograph outside the Prime Minister's office in London.

In another image, Maxwell pulled down the front of her top for the camera. The context for many of these photos remain unknown.

One set of photos appear to be from one of Epstein's birthday celebrations, as he is wearing a party hat.

In another photo from what was likely the same day, given that he is wearing the same white bathrobe, his face is covered in a green clay mask.

The DOJ's document dump today was 30 days in the making. When President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, it gave the nation's top law enforcement agency a month to comb through millions of investigative materials to prime them for release.

Epstein was also seen cozying up to the former president in the image release on Friday

In one image shared Friday, Clinton was seen with his hands on the shoulders of actor Kevin Spacey

Sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is among those pictured in the release, including one outside Number 10 Downing Street

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs

Billionaire Richard Branson was also seen in a photo with Epstein

A photo that appears to depict one of Epstein's birthday celebrations

In this photo, that was likely from the same day given that Epstein is wearing the same white bathrobe, his face is covered in a green clay mask

During a press conference on drug prices that was scheduled ahead of the release, Trump refused to take questions about the subject.

'I think that is a very big statement, and what happened here is the biggest statement of all, because no one thought anything like this was possible,' Trump said.

'And I think based on that, I won't even take questions today because there's no way I can take questions that are anywhere comparable to what you just witnessed. You just witnessed drug prices that will go down at levels never thought even possibleNever thought even possible.'

Over the coming hours and days, many more revelations will be reported as news outlets continue to explore the truly gargantuan number of files.
Brown University and MIT gunman Claudio Neves Valente had been dead for two days before he was found by law enforcement, his autopsy reveals.

The body of Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was discovered Thursday evening after a six-day manhunt.

Investigators believe he is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F G Loureiro.

New Hampshire Attorney General John M Formella announced Friday that the state's chief medical examiner confirmed he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, ruled as suicide.

Additionally, the report estimated he died on Tuesday, around two days before he was discovered at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Neves Valente revisited his former university in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 13 and fired at least 44 rounds from his 9mm pistol, killing two students and injuring another nine.

'There are some witnesses who said he said nothing. There are some that say he made a barking noise,' AG Neronha said, adding: 'Don't ask me. I don't know why. And that's it. There is no other spoken word beyond that, that we are aware of.'

The two Brown students killed during the study session were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.

Brown University gunman Claudio Neves Valente was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire

Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a six-day manhunt

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Two days later, he travelled 50 miles and fatally shot Dr Loureiro, a father of three, at his home in the Boston suburbs before disappearing.

He was found dead in a storage rental facility in Salem, New Hampshire. He had two firearms on him at the time of his death, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha revealed.

Neronha said Friday that the suspect meticulously planned the attacks and attempted to mislead law enforcement, according to NBC News.

He said the suspect used voice over internet protocol, allowing calls to be made over the internet rather than through cell service, avoided 'traditional' credit cards and even changed the license plate on his rental car.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez told the outlet that the department had to return 'to the old-fashioned way of policing' to learn more about the suspects cryptic movements.

'Which was interviewing individuals, reviewing hundreds of videos and footage,' Perez said.

'This individual was strategic in every way, using apps to communicate, changing plates on vehicles, covering his face, the clothing that he used, the areas that he drove into,' he added.

The suspect reportedly used two separate firearms during the attacks, with the ATF now comparing ballistics.

Investigators believe Valente is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine others at Brown, and then two days later, killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno F G Loureiro

Even with him attempting to cover his tracks, the attorney general said authorities tracked him down just a day after his identity became known.

However, law enforcement has come under fire for not identifying and locating Neves Valente quickly enough to prevent Loureiro's murder, with critics blasting the FBI after a Reddit user 'cracked the case' before they did.

The suspect, who studied at Brown 20 years ago, was on the run from the police for days, but his eventual demise came when a Reddit post flagged his suspicious activity outside the Ivy League campus.

Authorities said information came from an internet user who had several strange encounters with Neves Valente on a sidewalk outside Brown University.

Known only as 'John' in a Providence police affidavit, the source is being hailed by investigators as the key figure who gave law enforcement the details needed to determine who was behind the Brown shooting, as well as the killing of Loureiro.

As police posted images of a person of interest - now identified as Neves Valente - John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognized the person and theorized that police should look into 'possibly a rental' grey Nissan.

Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did. The police affidavit said they learned about the tip on December 16, three days after the shooting and a day after the tip line was created.

Up until that point, the police affidavit says officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter.

Neves Valente (pictured) revisited his former university in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 13 and fired at students, killing two and injuring another nine

A Salem Police Department cruiser drives past the storage facility where the suspect behind the mass shooting at Brown University was found dead

That detail led them to get more video of a Nissan Sentra sedan with Florida plates and enabled Providence police officers to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety.

The affidavit said John gave investigators additional critical details.

He encountered Neves Valente in the bathroom of the engineering building just hours before the attack, where John noted the suspect's clothing was 'inappropriate and inadequate for the weather'.

John also bumped into Neves Valente outside, mere blocks from the building, where he watched him 'suddenly' turn around from the Nissan when they made eye contact.

What ensued was then a 'game of cat and mouse,' according to John's testimony, where the two would encounter each other and Neves Valente would run away.

At one point, John says he yelled out, 'Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?'

'The Suspect responded, "I don't know you from nobody," then Suspect repeatedly asked, "Why are you harassing me?"' according to the affidavit.

John told police he eventually saw Neves Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on X that, at Trumps direction, she is directing US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the green card lottery program that allowed the suspect into the country from Portugal.

Neves Valente entered the US on an F-1 student visa in 2000 to attend Brown. In 2017, he was granted a 'diversity immigrant visa,' designed for nationals of countries with lower US immigration rates, according to USCIS.

According to a Providence police detectives affidavit, he gained lawful permanent resident status that year.
Cambridge scholar decodes Shenzhen's 45-year rise in new book

10:01, December 19, 2025 By Wu Yuyangyang, Yan Xiaojing ( People's Daily Online

Recently, Prof. Alan Macfarlane of the University of Cambridge visited China with his new book, "The Mystery of Shenzhen," sharing his creative journey with readers.

Using a detective lens, the book explores the era-defining story of Shenzhen's 45-year rise, examining the city's development from multiple perspectives, including the economy, technology, education and urban planning.

At Central Shenzhen Book Mall, Macfarlane reflected on his deep connection with the city. He said he first visited Shenzhen with his wife more than a decade ago, and this was his fifth trip. The city's dramatic development over such a short period left him astonished. In his view, Shenzhen is not only a testing ground for China's reform and opening-up but also a beacon of the future world and a key to understanding China's rise.

Macfarlane said he has long been fascinated by detective work and has applied its methods to his academic research. In "The Mystery of Shenzhen," he conducts in-depth interviews with witnesses to Shenzhen's rise, such as architects, lawyers and scholars, to collect firsthand insights. By testing different hypotheses, he gradually uncovers the logic of the city's development, offering a distinct academic perspective on Shenzhen's transformation.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson was one of several high profile figures featured in photographs released in the Epstein files.

Fergie was among those pictured in the thousands of documents relating to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein that were finally published on the U.S Department of Justice's website on Friday.

The disgraced former duchess is seen posing for a photograph with a woman - whose face has been redacted - on the street in one photo and talking to another unidentified woman on a sofa in a second.

In both images she appears to be wearing the same outfit - a long purple coat and a black dress - although it is unclear if the photographs were taken on the same day.

The photographs do not show any wrongdoing and simply being pictured or named in these files is not proof of any wrongdoing.

Ms Ferguson lost her Duchess title when her former husband - who also appeared in tonight's tranche of files - was stripped of his after the pair came under intense scrutiny over their friendship with Epstein.

The Daily Mail revealed in September how weeks after publicly disowning Epstein, Ms Ferguson wrote him a gushing private email in 2011 calling him a 'steadfast, generous and supreme friend'  and admitting she only distanced herself from him to save her own reputation.

She 'humbly apologised' to the convicted sex offender for letting him down, and said she had been told to speak out if she wanted to save her career as a children's author.

Another picture released on Friday shows Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson posing for a photograph with people on the street

Sarah Ferguson sits on a sofa in an undated photograph releeased by the US Department of Justice

The former Duchess of York poses with people on the street, in an image released by the Department of Justice

She sent the grovelling message 'from the truth of my heart', less than two months after telling journalists: 'I will never have anything to do with [Epstein] again.'

Fergie has since been dropped from numerous charities as an ambassador and was even forced to withdraw the sale of her upcoming children's book.

A miserable year for her and Andrew ended with them losing the duke and duchess titles - and they are facing fresh scrutiny tonight after both appearing in the Epstein files.

Other high-profile names, including Michael Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Bill Clinton, Diana Ross, Mick Jagger and Richard Branson are also pictured in the files.

Ahead of the files' release, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche drew scrutiny as he suggested some materials could be withheld for weeks.

The delay means that the administration may violate a law signed by Trump in November ordering the full release of all unclassified materials about Epstein in the DOJ's possession within 30 days.

A trove of documents, including court records, footage and images, was uploaded on Friday night to the US Department of Justice website, which held users in a queue as it experienced an 'extremely high volume of search requests'.

Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at a box at the Royal Ascot

Pictured right to left: Jeffrey Epstein, Caroline Stanley (in pink), Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in 2000

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Royal Ascot, Ladies Day, on June 22, 2000

Pictured left to right: Jeffrey Epstein, Caroline Stanley (in pink), Ghislaine Maxwell (in green) and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

A wider image showing Ghislaine, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein at the Royal Ascot

The data dump came after US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche said 'several hundred thousand' documents from the so-called 'Epstein files' would be released ahead of a legal deadline but the need to protect the sex offender's victims meant thousands more would be released over the coming weeks.

The US Department of Justice are legally obligated to make all files related to the investigation into Epstein public by midnight on Friday following the passing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The paedophile financier 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.

Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of the records related to the investigation of Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

He signed the legislation last month to ensure the release of the files, despite previously resisting disclosure and claiming the issue was a 'Democrat hoax'.

Sarah and her ex-husband Andrew are being kicked out of their home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, and will have to move to a new property on King Charles' Sandringham Estate.

Marsh Farm, located seven miles west of his brother King Charles' lavish country retreat, is reportedly being eyed up for Andrew.

Nearby businesses have remained tight-lipped about the potential arrival of their new neighbour at the sprawling estate in Wolferton.

A picture of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lying across a row of women in a photo during a black-tie event with Ghislaine Maxwell has been released as part of the Epstein files

Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson smile in an undated image from Friday's release

A photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street - the offices of the UK Prime Minister - has been released as part of the Epstein files tonight

Former President Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger seen with a redacted woman

On Tuesday, Andrew was pictured riding his horse in the pouring rain while his daughters were hosted by the King at the Royal Family's Christmas lunch.

He looked miserable as he was caught in a downpour while riding around Windsor Park while his daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, made the trip to Buckingham Palace.

They joined the Prince and Princess of Wales, who were seen arriving with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their daughter Lady Louise were also spotted arriving at the Palace - as were the Duke of Kent, Lady Sarah Chatto and Princess Alexandra.
The images in the Royal Christmas cards are rarely taken in the winter months

It is a beloved tradition that dates back as far as 1923: the royal Christmas card.

A much-anticipated moment for royal fans worldwide, the annual season's greetings are unveiled in the build up to the festivities by key senior royals, including King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Yet while they are designed to spread festive cheer, there is a small and seemingly bizarre detail to the British Royal Christmas cards that has been noted over the last 102 years.

Rather than a scene of snowy mountains and Christmas trees, the image on the front of the joyful cards typically captures the royals against a sunny backdrop without a single winter coat in sight.

However, according to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the Firm's use of a brighter and less winter-themed card is deliberately symbolic, with a warmer image intended to convey optimism and strength as we enter into the new year.

'A royal card is invariably a photograph of senders. If they looked kitted for harsh weather, it might be viewed as symbolic, especially if the royal family has had a tough year,' Mr Fitzwilliams explained.

Describing the royal card as 'an important public relations statement', he added that the Firm undoubtedly 'take a lot of care in choosing their cards' and that the message conveyed 'must be positive'.

This week, the Prince and Princess of Wales's festive card was unveiled to the public, showcasing the royal couple with their three children: Princes George, 12 and Louis, seven, alongside 10-year-old Princess Charlotte.

This week, the Prince and Princess of Wales's festive card was unveiled to the public - with Prince William and Princess Kate captured beaming while sat on the grass amid spring daffodils with their three children

The heartwarming image, taken by Josh Shinner in Norfolk, shows Kate and William beaming while sat on the grass amid spring daffodils with their three children.

Delighting royal fans around the globe, the photograph appeared to have been taken in April and was posted on Kensington Palace's social media with the simple caption: 'Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas'.

Described by Mr Fitzwilliams as the 'perfect example of a Christmas card', he told the Daily Mail that the joyous image 'uses rural settings to convey charm and good tidings'.

While it does not necessarily scream Christmas, it offers a touching insight into the family's close bond, with Charlotte seen resting her head on her father's shoulder and holding onto his arm, while a young Louis is sitting between William's legs.

'A daffodil covered backdrop in the countryside has the feel of healing and rebirth which is an integral part of the festive season, especially when Catherine, who is promoting the merits of outdoor life to children, is in remission from cancer,' Mr Fitzwilliams added.

Last year, the Wales's Christmas card held extra special poignance - with the touching image a still from the heartwarming video released in September where Kate powerfully revealed that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment.

Captured in Norfolk in the summer of 2024, the Prince and Princess of Wales were captured smiling broadly with their children, who all donned shorts and t-shirts. Meanwhile, Kate opted for a white, floral-print midi dress by American designer Veronica Beard.

The Wales's choice to move away from the posed line-ups of the past towards a more relaxed style of photograph gave the nation a heartwarming insight into the young family amid what had been a particularly challenging year.

Last year, the Wales's Christmas card image was captured in Norfolk in the summer. The Prince and Princess of Wales smiled proudly alongside their three children, who all donned shorts and t-shirts, while Kate opted for a white, floral-print midi dress

King Charles and Queen Camilla released their Christmas card on December 6 which features a photograph of the couple taken in the grounds of Villa Wolkonsky, the British Ambassador's residence in Rome, during their Majesties' State Visit to Italy

In 2024, the monarch's royal Christmas card was also captured in April - with the bright foliage behind the royal couple seen in bloom and featured vibrant pink and purple flowers

However, the use of non-festive images is not strictly reserved for the Wales family, but is also reflected in King Charles and Queen Camilla's 2025 season's greetings.

Released on December 6, the heartfelt card features a photograph of the couple taken in the grounds of Villa Wolkonsky, the British Ambassador's residence in Rome, during their Majesties' State Visit to Italy.

Captured in April to commemorate the couple's 20th wedding anniversary, the image emulates the warmth of the Wales's card, with Mr Fitzwilliams noting that the 'charming image' is 'naturally taken in fine weather'.

In 2024, the monarch's royal Christmas card was also captured in April - with the bright foliage behind the royal couple seen in bloom and featured vibrant pink and purple flowers.

During the late Queen Elizabeth II's reign, she became renowned for her beloved Christmas cards and, throughout the years, used an eclectic range of images to wish the nation good tidings and Christmas cheer.

Described by Mr Fitzwilliams as a 'kaleidoscope of a unique reign', Her Majesty was said to have mastered the art of using 'a marvelous mix of the formal and informal, indoor and outdoor', with the images typically taken in the summer months.

Across almost every card, there was one resounding similarity: 'Bad weather is absent!' noted the royal expert.

Mr Fitzwilliams also suggested that by ensuring the Firm's season greetings do not focus too heavily on the festive season or 'traditional snowy scene', the royals 'avoid the cliches associated with Christmas' to create a timeless masterpiece.

Earlier this month, royal fans praised Princess Anne's humility after images of her and husband Sir Timothy Laurence's Christmas card were shared. The informal image of the couple riding in a carriage was taken during their landmark visit to Sark in May

During the late Queen Elizabeth II's reign, she became renowned for her beloved Christmas cards, with the images often captured in the summer months. Pictured: the Queen with Prince Philip, Charles, Princess Anne, former Prince Andrew and Prince Edward for the 1972 card

In 1957, the image on the front of the royal season's greeting was also captured in the summer, with the Queen captured outside alongside Philip, Anne and a five-year-old Charles

'Christmas cards are a tradition, and traditions should periodically be altered or they can become stale,' he explained.

Despite stepping back from their royal duties in early 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have continued the tradition of releasing a Christmas card each year.

One year after leaving the royal family behind, the Sussexes' 2021 Christmas card revealed Princess Lilibet's face for the first time. Rather than a woolly jumper, Archie wore a breezy white shirt while Harry and Meghan were barefoot.

To date, a season's greetings has not yet been released by the pair. However, their 2024 card featured several images from their four-day visit to Colombia in August of that year.

Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, were faced away from the camera - a stark contrast to previous years where their children were a key focus.

However, despite offering intimate insight into the couple's life in the States, Mr Fitzwilliams added that the unusual choice to use multiple images may have detracted from its poignance.

'Clutter should be avoided,' he remarked. 'Harry and Meghan's choice last year had the images fighting each other for space'.

Despite stepping back from their royal duties in early 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have continued the annual Christmas card tradition. Their 2024 card featured several images from their four-day visit to Colombia in August of that year

One year after leaving the royal family behind, Harry and Meghan's 2021 Christmas card revealed Princess Lilibet's face for the first time. Rather than a woolly jumper, Archie wore a breezy white shirt while Harry and Meghan were barefoot

Earlier this month, royal fans praised Princess Anne's humility after images of her and husband Sir Timothy Laurence's Christmas card were shared on the social media accounts of Dr Jeannette Young, Governor of Queensland.

Featuring an informal image of the couple riding in a carriage during their landmark visit to Sark in May, many noted the omission of Anne's 'princess' title in the sign-off.

Mr Fitzwilliams agreed with such sentiment, adding that the informal photograph of the couple sets the correct example for a royal Christmas card versus Meghan Markle's continued use of her titles despite quitting the Firm.

'It's the wrong way round, and it's ridiculously pretentious,' said the royal expert.
There's little worse than being struck by tummy trouble when you're trying to do your job  and even Roman soldiers could attest to that, a new study shows.

Scientists at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have found evidence that defenders of the Roman Empire at Hadrian's Wall nearly 2,000 years ago suffered from diarrhoea.

Analysis of drain samples at Vindolanda, the Roman fort close to Hadrian's Wall in northern England, reveal traces of ancient intestinal parasites.

Study author Dr Marissa Ledger, anthropologist and Cambridge PhD graduate, said chronic infections weakened Roman soldiers, making them not fully fit for duty.

However, at this important stone fortification, soldiers likely had little choice but to carry on with the job while being seriously under the weather.

'The three types of parasites we found could have led to malnutrition and cause diarrhoea in some of the Roman soldiers,' Dr Ledger said.

'While the Romans were aware of intestinal worms, there was little their doctors could do to clear infection by these parasites or help those experiencing diarrhoea, meaning symptoms could persist and worsen.

'These chronic infections likely weakened soldiers, reducing fitness for duty.'

A new analysis of sewer drains from the Roman fort of Vindolanda, close to Hadrian's Wall, has shown that the occupants were infected by three types of intestinal parasite. Pictured, third century baths and latrine block at Vindolanda, the Roman fort close to Hadrian's Wall

Although first built by the Roman army before Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda (located between Carlisle and Corbridge in Northumberland) became the wall's construction and garrison base. Pictured, aerial view of the latrine drain (top) and photos of the latrine drain during excavation (bottom)

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Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans in the early 2nd century AD to defend their province of 'Britannia' from attack by tribes from the north.

Excavations at Vindolanda  located between Carlisle and Corbridge in Northumberland  have already provided important evidence for life in Roman Britain, such as wooden tablets written with ink detailing activities like the acquisition of materials, military communications, and personal communications.

To learn more about health and hygiene, 50 sediment samples were collected from the length of a drain connected to a latrine at the bath complex of Vindolanda.

Measuring around 30 feet (nine metres), the drain historically carried waste from the communal latrine down to a stream north of the site.

Samples were split between labs at Cambridge and Oxford, where researchers conducted microscope analysis to hunt for the ancient remains of helminth eggs.

Helminths, also known as parasitic worms, are transmitted in human faeces and can cause nausea, cramping and diarrhoea.

Around 28 per cent of the samples contained either eggs from whipworms and roundworms  both of which cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.

One sample contained remnants of both whipworms and roundworms, so researchers analysed it using a bio-molecular technique called 'ELISA'.

Pictured, a roundworm egg from the analysis of sediment from the sewer drain leading from the latrine block at Vindolanda

These three parasites are all spread by ineffective sanitation, with contamination of food, drink or hands by human faeces. Pictured, whipworm egg

Who invented the toilet? According to the British Association of Urological Surgeons, Neolithic Scots produced the first indoor toilet in the settlement of Skara Brae in Orkney. Stone huts in Skara Brae were equipped with drains leading from recesses in the walls back in 3000 BC. Meanwhile, the Greeks constructed the Palace of Knossos (in 1700 BC) with large earthenware pans connected to a flushing water supply. By the Middle Ages, Brits dealt with their waste in an unsanitary manner - by throwing from pots out of the window, often with a shouted courtesy warning for those down below. Generally, credit for inventing the flush toilet as we know it goes to Sir John Harrington, an English courtier and godson of Elizabeth I. In 1775, Scottish inventor Alexander Cumming was granted the first patent for the design of a flushing toilet, which incorporated an S-bend to stop waste from reappearing. Advertisement

This yielded traces of Giardia duodenalis, a pear-shaped parasitic microorganism causing a diarrheal condition known as giardiasis.

This is the first evidence for Giardia duodenalis in Roman Britain  and it could have taken out large numbers of soldiers at Hadrian's Wall.

'Some soldiers could have become severely ill from dehydration during summer outbreaks of Giardia, which are often linked to contaminated water and can infection dozens of people at a time,' said co-author Dr Piers Mitchell at Cambridge.

'Untreated giardiasis can drag on for weeks, causing dramatic fatigue and weight loss.'

The team also found roundworm and whipworm in a sample from a ditch that was part of a an earlier fort constructed around AD 85 and abandoned by AD 91 or 92.

'Artefacts from these deposits included finely preserved leather shoes, leather bags and tent panels, some woven textiles, and a matt of yellow hair on the jawbone from a small dog,' the team say in their paper published in the journal Parasitology.

All three parasites found at Vindolanda are spread by ineffective sanitation, with contamination of food, drink or hands by human faeces.

Faecal-oral parasites have already been found at Roman military sites elsewhere, such as Carnuntum in Austria, Valkenburg on Rhine in the Netherlands and Bearsden in Scotland.

Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans in the early 2nd century AD to defend their province of 'Britannia' from attack by tribes from the north and remained in use until the end of the 4th century

Despite the findings, the Romans did have remarkably sophisticated sanitation systems, at least for the time.

Among their many inventions, they pioneered communal toilets with plumbing, running water and sewers  but seemed to lack an effective hand sanitizer.

Gruesomely, they used a communal 'tersorium'  essentially a sponge on a stick  to wipe their bottoms, which likely contributed to the spread of diseases.

It seems likely that soldiers unintentionally infected each other with these parasites, the researchers say.

Dr Ledger told the Daily Mail: 'We do not have a lot of evidence for hand hygiene or washing of hands after going to the toilet as part of regular practice in the Roman period, and certainly not with soaps or antiseptics as we do today.

'Fountains or wash basins might have been used but without proper soaps that would kill germs.'

Their results provide 'further evidence for the types of gastrointestinal diseases that Roman military units' which are 'remarkably similar to those found in other regions of the Empire'.

The team conclude: 'The sole presence of parasites related to sanitation conditions exemplifies the risk for infections transmitted by the faecal-oral route in Roman military settlements.'
A blind psychic, who allegedly foretold 9/11 and the Covid pandemic, shared several world-changing prophecies for 2026 before her death nearly 30 years ago.

Baba Vanga was a Bulgarian mystic and clairvoyant who became a cult figure among conspiracy theorists after several of her eerie pronouncements were proved true.

Her prophecies for next year have resurfaced, with the most shocking prediction that humans will make contact with a new civilization in November.

The claim speaks of a 'massive spacecraft' arriving on Earth, marking a historic turning point for humanity.

However, scientists remain highly skeptical about any near-term contact with alien life, and the US government has found no evidence of such beings.

Another alarming prophecy was the possibility of World War III, as she warned of rising tensions between major global powers, including China, Russia and the US.

One of Baba Vanga's most talked-about predictions involves a wave of catastrophic natural disasters.

She foresees massive earthquakes, violent volcanic eruptions, and extreme weather striking roughly 8 percent of the planet's land.

However, Baba Vanga, who died from breast cancer in 1996, reportedly also saw visions of world-changing breakthroughs, such as cancer blood tests and mining for energy in space.

Baba Vanga, who lost her sight at age 12, became a cult figure among conspiracy theorists after several of her eerie pronouncements were proved true

She left no written records of her predictions. Most of the accounts come from her niece, Krasimira Stoyanova, or other followers who documented her alleged visions after her death, and who have been accused of misinterpreting what she said.

Born in 1911 as Vangeliya Pandeva Dimitrova, she was a famous blind Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant, and herbalist known as the 'Nostradamus of the Balkans.'

She lost her sight at age 12 after being caught in a tornado, an event that coincided with the emergence of her purported psychic abilities.

After turning 30, her powers of foresight, healing, and fortune-telling became prominent, attracting believers who sought her guidance.

She made numerous prophecies, often vague, about natural disasters, political shifts and future technologies, some of which supporters claim foretold events like the Kursk submarine disaster, Brexit and the rise of ISIS.

While she has legions of followers, experts warn her prophecies are speculative and not grounded in fact.

Regardless, her predictions for 2026 are flooding the internet.

The prophecy of alien contact seemed to align with reports that President Donald Trump has been briefed about UFOs and alien life living among humans.

Join the debate Is the world ready for alien contact?

Her prophecies for next year have resurfaced, with the most shocking prediction that humans will make contact with a new civilization in November (file photo)

The claims have suggested that Trump could be the one to reveal such details to the world.

Along with alien contact, WWIII and natural disasters, she also foresaw AI taking over major industries, causing not only job upheaval but also complex ethical challenges, Sky History reported.

Industry experts have echoed the claims, saying the technology could advance to hyper-personalized AI agents acting as digital coworkers.

They also see new roles created, including chief AI agent officers.

While Baba Vangas prediction of mining energy from Venus is officially scheduled for 2028, experts note that space exploration is a long, gradual process.

If her forecast that humanity will begin harvesting energy from the planet by then comes true, preparations and groundwork could start as early as 2026.

One alarming prophecy was the possibility of World War III, as she warned of rising tensions between major global powers, including China, Russia and the US

She also predicted mass-produced synthetic organs by 2046, and 2026 could mark a crucial phase in their development toward that goal.

Progress may include gene-edited pig kidney transplants, building on programs that began in 2024 and 2025, early clinical trials for bio-artificial liver devices, and bio-printed living-tissue implants, such as 3D-printed ears.

These developments could lay the foundation for realizing her long-term vision of synthetic organ production.

Supporters credit her with foreseeing major medical breakthroughs, including improvements in cancer detection and treatment.

In 2026, multi-cancer early-detection blood tests could move from pilot programs to national screening initiatives in at least one major country.

This would help doctors catch hard-to-detect cancers, like pancreatic and ovarian, much earlier, while sparking debates over false positives, rollout costs, and which patients should be screened first.
Saturn's largest moon Titan has 'slushy tunnels' beneath its surface that could potentially harbour alien life, a new study shows.

Scientists at NASA and the University of Washington have analysed data captured by the Cassini space probe, which completed more than 100 targeted flybys of Titan.

They reveal that the faraway moon has 'a slushy highpressure ice layer' similar to the melting Arctic that could hide extraterrestrial life.

What's more, it means Titan may not have a waterworldstyle liquid ocean under its frozen surface as previously thought.

'Instead of an open ocean like we have here on Earth, we're probably looking at something more like Arctic sea ice or aquifers,' said study author Professor Baptiste Journaux at the University of Washington.

'[This] has implications for what type of life we might find, the availability of nutrients, energy and so on.'

Around 3,200 miles in diameter, Titan is described by NASA as an icy world whose surface is completely obscured by a golden hazy atmosphere.

It is the sole other place in the solar system known to have an Earthlike cycle of liquids raining from clouds, flowing across its surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky  akin to the water cycle of our planet.

The six infrared images of Titan above were created by compiling data collected over the course of the Cassini mission. They depict how the surface of Titan looks beneath the foggy atmosphere, highlighting the variable surface of the moon

Titan's frozen surface is thought to have water beneath it. According to the study, this is neither uniformly liquid, nor frozen solid, but slushy. This illustration shows the various ways Titan might respond to Saturn's gravitational pull depending on its interior structure. Only the slushy interior produced the bulge and lag observed in the new study

NASA's spacecraft Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in October 1997 and spent two decades observing Saturn and its moons.

As Titan circled Saturn in an elliptical (not perfectly circular) orbit, the moon was observed changing shape depending on where it was in relation to Saturn.

In 2008, researchers proposed that Titan must possess a huge ocean beneath the surface to allow such significant 'stretching and smushing'.

'The deformation we detected during the initial analysis of the Cassini mission data could have been compatible with a global ocean,' Professor Journaux said.

'But now we know that isn't the full story.'

For the study, scientists performed a reanalysis of radiation data acquired by Cassini using improved modern techniques.

Interestingly, they found that Titan's shapeshifting or 'flexing' occurs about 15 hours after the peak of Saturn's gravitational pull.

This time delay allowed scientists to estimate how much energy it takes to change Titan's shape, allowing them to make conclusions about the moon's interior.

Titan, imaged by the Cassini orbiter, December 2011. A thick shroud of organic haze permanently obscures Titan's surface from viewing in visible light

Cassini is depicted here in a NASA illustration. Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in October 1997

Titan: Basic facts Parent planet : Saturn

: Saturn Discovered : March 25, 1655

: March 25, 1655 Type : Icy moon

: Icy moon Diameter : 3,200 miles

: 3,200 miles Temperature : Around 297 degrees Fahrenheit

: Around 297 degrees Fahrenheit Orbital period : Nearly 16 Earth days

: Nearly 16 Earth days Mass : 1.8 times Earth's moon Advertisement

Essentially, the amount of energy lost, or dissipated, in Titan was 'very strong' and much greater than would be observed if Titan were to have a global liquid ocean.

'That was the smoking gun indicating that Titan's interior is different from what was inferred from previous analyses,' said study author Flavio Petricca at NASA.

According to the study, Titan's frozen exterior hides more ice giving away to pockets of meltwater (water formed by the melting of snow and ice) near a rocky core.

The model they propose in their paper, published in Nature, features more slush and quite a bit less liquid water on Titan than previously thought.

The discovery of a slushy layer on Titan has 'exciting implications' for the search for life beyond our solar system as it expands the range of environments considered habitable.

Although the idea of a liquid ocean on Titan was a promising indication of life there, researchers believe the new findings might improve the odds of finding it.

Analyses indicate that the pockets of freshwater on Titan could reach 68F (20C)  which is the optimal temperature for life on Earth to thrive.

Any available nutrients would be more concentrated in a small volume of water, compared to an open ocean, which could facilitate the growth of simple organisms.

Below Titan's frozen exterior is more ice giving way to slushy tunnels and pockets of meltwater (water formed by the melting of snow and ice) near a rocky core

More could be revealed about the moon's habitability after NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan launches in July 2028.

The Dragonfly lander is expected to launch in July 2028 and take six years to reach Titan, arriving by 2034.

Scientists are still reaping the rewards of the rich data obtained by the Cassini robotic spacecraft, which was active for nearly 20 years after launching in October 1997.

Cassini's mission ended in September 2017 when it was deliberately flown into Saturn's upper atmosphere before it ran out of fuel.

In 2019, Cassini data revealed that a lake on Titan is rich with methane and 300 feet deep.
The interstellar comet that has had scientists around the world mesmerised for months safely passed Earth this morning.

At roughly 06:00 GMT, 3I/ATLAS reached its closest point to Earth, coming within 168 million miles (270 million km) of our planet.

To put that into perspective, that is still nearly twice the average distance between Earth and the sun.

The comet is now whizzing towards Jupiter, where it will make a relatively close pass of the gas giant at a distance of 33 million miles (53 million km) on March 16, 2026.

From there, 3I/ATLAS will make its way past the orbit Saturn by July, without coming close to the planet, and cross the orbit of Uranus in June 2027.

In 2028, the interstellar object will travel beyond the last of the planets as it shoots by Neptune at 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h).

Astronomers predict that the comet will reach the orbit of Pluto in April 2029, before striking out into the outer reaches of the solar system.

Finally, 3I/ATLAS will wave goodbye to our stellar neighbourhood as it returns to interstellar space sometime in the mid 2030s.

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS safely passed Earth this morning, reaching its closest distance to our planet at 168 million miles (270 million km) away

3I/ATLAS was discovered in July and marks only the third time that astronomers have been able to find an object that formed around another star in our own solar system

3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile.

When scientists traced back the approaching object's trajectory, they made the startling discovery that it had arrived from outside the solar system.

This was just the third time astronomers had detected a visitor from another solar system, following 1I Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I Borisov in 2019.

Scientists believe that 3I/ATLAS formed around a distant star around eight billion years ago.

That makes the comet older than our solar system, and the oldest thing that we have ever been able to study close up.

On October 3, the comet reached its closest distance to Mars as it passed just 19 million miles (30 million km) from the Red Planet.

Then, on October 29, the interstellar object reached its closest point to the sun at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km).

While some immediately leapt to wild conclusions about alien spacecraft, this was actually a fantastic opportunity for scientists to learn more about the history of the galaxy.

Astronomers believe that 3I/ATLAS is around eight billion years old, making it older than our own solar system

All of the objects behaviour is consistent with that of a comet heating up and releasing gas and dust as it approaches the sun

3I/ATLAS' journey through the solar system July 1: 3I/ATLAS is discovered by the ATLAS telescope in Chile October 3: The object passes Mars at 19 million miles (30 million km) October 29: 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion, passing the sun at 130 million miles (210 million km) December 19: Object reaches its closest distance from Earth at 168 million miles (270 million km) March 16, 2026: 3I/ATLAS passes Jupiter July 2026: 3I/ATLAS reaches Saturn's orbit June 2027: Object crosses the orbit of Uranus 2028: The comet passes the last planet as it reaches Neptune's orbit 2029: The object passes Pluto and heads for interstellar space Mid 2030s: 3I/ATLAS leaves the solar system Advertisement

All that time, telescopes on Earth and out in space were redirected towards gathering information about the interstellar traveller.

NASA even used spacecraft orbiting Mars, normally used for recording the planet's surface, to capture data about the passing object.

Professor Chris Lintott, an astronomer from the University of Oxford, told Daily Mail: 'We've been scrambling to observe 3I/ATLAS with everything we've got since it was discovered.

'So far, it's a fairly normal, active comet - plenty of carbon monoxide, some water, a sprinkling of Nickel.'

As comets approach the sun, their outer layers of ice and dust evaporate into a glowing cloud known as a coma and several long tails stretching out in different directions.

The closer 3I/ATLAS got to the sun, the brighter and more active the coma and tails became, and the more layers of the comet's outer surface were burned away.

'Because it's being heated by the Sun, it's changing all the time, and it'll take some time to work out what it's really made of,' says Professor Lintott.

'One idea is that it's like a baked Alaska, with a crunchy outer layer affected by the billions of years it spent in outer space, surrounding a nice fresh ice core.'

Scientists have been 'scrambling' to observe the comet ever since it was discovered. This diagram shows all the spacecraft the European Space Agency has repurposed for investigating the object

NASA was able to use spacecraft in orbit around Mars to capture to spectrum of light coming from the glowing cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet (pictured)

And, while it might take scientists months to comb through all the data, researchers have already learned enough to decisively conclude that it is not an alien spacecraft.

All of the object's supposedly anomalous behaviours, such as changing trajectory or producing jets of sublimating gas, are entirely consistent with what we know about comet behaviour.

Dr Matthew Genge, an expert on near-Earth objects and astrobiology from Imperial College London, says: 'Suggestions that 3I/Atlas was an alien spacecraft on route to Earth have thus been shown to be very wrong indeed.'

However, one of the most important lessons that scientists have learned from this encounter is that we need to be better prepared for the next interstellar object.

Interstellar objects are not particularly rare, as scientists predict there are around a billion billion billion of them in the galaxy, we are just very bad at spotting them.

But as telescopes like the newly-completed Vera C Rubin Observatory start to survey the sky, we should start to find many more.

Professor Mark Burchell, a space scientist from the University of Kent, told Daily Mail: 'Now we know how to spot them, it gets easier each time.

'The next science goal to my mind is to prepare to see a 'fresh' comet from the outer solar system, which means parking a spacecraft in space in advance.'

Having passed Earth, 3I/ATLAS is now whizzing towards Jupiter, where it will make a relatively close pass of the gas giant at a distance of 33 million miles (53 million km) on March 16, 2026

Normally, it takes years to plan, build, and launch a new spacecraft - which isn't possible within the window we have to catch an interstellar object.

Yet with a spacecraft waiting out in space, scientists could simply redirect this interceptor craft to catch suitable comets when they approach.

Professor Burchell says this might be much harder to do with interstellar objects, since they are so much rarer than comets.

But if scientists were suitably prepared, the potential for learning about the formation of the galaxy could be incredible.
Do you have impeccable spelling, or do you always end up turning to spell check?

The answer may lie in how many of these words you can spell correctly.

Experts from WordUnscrambler.pro have revealed the UK's most misspelled words  with a surprising term at the top of the list.

According to their analysis, 'colour' is the word that Britons struggle with the most, followed by 'favourite'.

'Surprisingly most of the United Kingdom's misspelled words searched are not errors in spelling but alternative standard forms of British vs American English,' an expert from WordUnscrambler.pro explained.

'We found that many searches revolved around how to spell words in Ireland, Canada, America, UK and Australia.

'Words like colour, favourite, neighbour and behaviour reflect British English spellings while their American counterparts (color, favorite, neighbor, behavior) are also as correct.'

So, have you been writing these words correctly? Scroll down for the full list!

Do you have impeccable spelling, or do you always end up turning to spell check? The answer may lie in how many of these words you can spell correctly

For the analysis, the team used search data collected from Google Trends for 'how do you spell' and 'how to spell', from January 1  December 17.

The results revealed that 'colour' (109,200 searches) and 'favourite' (82,900 searches) top the list, with Brits seemingly confused between the UK and US spellings.

'Licence' had 59,000 searches, while 'diarrhoea' had 58,700 searches.

Other words that had Brits turning to Google included 'jewellery' (56,400 searches), 'definitely' (53,00 searches), 'queue' (22,800 searches), and 'necessary' (23,000 searches).

'Several commonly searched words like business definitely and necessary are frequently misspelled because English spelling does not consistently match pronunciation,' the expert explained.

According to their analysis, 'colour' is the word that Brits struggle with the most, followed by 'favourite'

The most misspelled words in the UK Colour* Favourite* License Diarrhoea* Jewellery Definitely Auntie* Weird Business Behaviour* Neighbour* Country Queue Gorgeous Necessary *alternative spellings are correct in the US Advertisement

'Then there are tricky words like "queue" (contains silent letters and an unusual vowel pattern) and "weird" (breaks the common "i before e" rule).'

Whether it's your phone or your computer, most devices now have an autocorrect tool installed.

While this is handy, it is also playing havoc on our fundamental writing skills, according to WordUnscrambler.pro.

'Availability of autocorrect in all devices results in misspelling common words,' their expert said.

'Studies suggest heavy reliance on autocorrect weakens spelling skills over time.

'Some researchers call it digital amnesia. We simply forget things that we delegate to technology.

'Misspellings might be on the rise not because we know less, but because we need to know less.'

The study comes shortly after experts revealed the commonly mispronounced words that infuriate Brits.

Two Irish names top the list  'Niamh' (searched for 124,800 times in the UK this year), and Saoirse (109,200 searches).

Meaning 'bright' or 'radiant,' Niamh is pronounced 'NEEV', while Saoirse  meaning 'freedom'  is pronounced 'SERsha'.

Next on the list is 'gyro'  a popular Greek dish, typically made with lamb, beef, or chicken. While many Brits pronounce this as 'GEEroh' or 'JEEroh', the correct pronunciation is actually 'YEEroh'.

'Our research about the most searched for mispronunciations gives an interesting insight into United Kingdom's culture,' a spokesman for Unscramblerer.com explained.

'Exposure to new words through media, music, pop culture and social platforms drives curiosity.

'People often look up pronunciations if there is a gap between how a word or name is spelled and how it sounds.'
Home Alone's villainous burglars are truly on-screen Christmas miracles, a doctor reveals.

Adam Taylor, a professor of anatomy at Lancaster University, calls the Wet Bandits 'medical impossibilities' for their ability to survive a barrage of brutal attacks.

In the real world, the booby traps set by Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin) would cause catastrophic neck injury, brain herniation, coma and death.

But the fact the two villains Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) get up and carry on 'without lasting injuries' is beyond the realm of reality.

'In short, Harry and Marv are walking medical impossibilities,' Professor Taylor says in a new piece for The Conversation.

'Even if they appeared outwardly fine, the internal damage would probably be devastating.'

The first two Home Alone films are widely considered among the most heartwarming of festive films  despite featuring scene after scene of brutal violence.

Harry and Marv endure countless assaults from paint cans, falling bricks, exploding toilets, electric wires and Kevin's homemade flamethrower.

In this scene from the first Home Alone film, Harry (Joe Pesci) is set alight with a flamethrower - a stunt that in real life caused the actor 'serious burns'

Piercing injuries also feature heavily such as a nail through the foot, which can damage nerves and soft tissues, fracture bones, and introduce bacteria deep into the wound, raising the risk of serious infection, including tetanus

In the two films, the villains are electrocuted, crushed by a shelf of paints, thrown onto the roof of a car, and burned on a scalding hot doorknob.

They're also ambushed with metal tools, fired at with stapes at close range, and set alight with a flamethrower (which caused Pesci serious burns).

Perhaps most shockingly, in the second film Marv is hit in the face four times with bricks thrown by Kevin from the roof of a building.

Instead of being knocked out cold, Marv writhes on the ground like a snake and emits a series of high-pitched squeaks before eventually getting to his feet.

According to Professor Taylor, such assaults 'involve levels of force that would be catastrophic in real life' and 'are not things a human body can simply shrug off'.

The academic takes one booby trap as an example  where Marv gets hit in the head by a 100lb (45kg) bag of cement connected to a rope.

'A rough calculation of the forces involved when a 100lb bag of cement strikes the head suggests instant fatal injury,' he said.

'The neck simply cannot absorb that level of force.'

From stepping on Christmas decorations to more severe impacts like four bricks to the head, Kevin puts the home invaders through different levels of pain

Home Alone injuries Four falling bricks to the head

Bag of cement to the head

Iron to the forehead

Staples to the face and rear end

Nail piercing the foot

Crushed by a shelf of paint tins

Falling down a flight of stairs Advertisement

Blows to the head from the likes of bricks and bags of cement also risk brain herniation, where swollen brain tissue is forced into spaces it does not belong.

'This can compress areas that control breathing and movement, often leading to coma and death,' the expert adds.

But head injuries are only part of the problem, as many of Kevins traps would place 'enormous stress on the chest and major blood vessels'.

'Falling forward from a height, being crushed by heavy objects, or being struck in the torso can cause severe internal injuries,' he said.

'These forces are commonly seen in high-speed, head-on car crashes.

'In extreme cases, the impact can rupture the aorta, the bodys main artery, which is almost always fatal.'

Being crushed by a shelf of tins full of paint, for example, could result in 'serious internal injury', while paint in the eyes can cause chemical burns and blindness.

Piercing injuries also feature such as a nail through Marv's foot, which can damage nerves and soft tissues, fracture bones, and introduce bacteria deep into the wound, raising the risk of serious and life-threatening infection, including tetanus.

In the two films, the villains are electrocuted, crushed by a shelf of paints, thrown onto the roof of a car, and burned on a scalding hot doorknob.=

Arguably, the pain inflicted on the villains in the second film 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' are even more sadistic than the original, such as electrocution (pictured)

Arguably, the pain inflicted on the duo in the second film 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' are even more sadistic than the original film  such as electrocution.

When Marv grabs taps attached to an arc welder, he is exposed to electrical current that causes his muscles to contract uncontrollably.

Again, the fact we see his skeleton is a cartoon-inspired touch that's not based in reality (electricity does not make the skeleton visible as there is no X-ray radiation).

Overall, surviving Kevin's festive booby traps would require 'extraordinary luck, immediate trauma care, and months of rehabilitation', according to Professor Taylor.

'Perhaps those lingering injuries explain why the Wet Bandits never made it back for another sequel,' he said.
Scientists have been baffled by a bizarre lemonshaped planet that 'defies explanation'.

The Jupitersize planet was discovered by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and is so strange that it challenges everything we know about how planets form.

Dubbed PSR J23222650b, the gas giant has an exotic carbon and helium atmosphere that is unlike any other known exoplanet.

Soot clouds float through the superheated reaches of its upper atmosphere and condense into diamonds deep in the planet's heart.

This unusual composition is made even stranger by the fact that this planet doesn't orbit a star like our sun.

Instead, this world orbits a type of neutron star known as a pulsar  the ultradense core of a dead star that compresses the mass of the sun into something the size of a city.

Located 750 lightyears from Earth, this pulsar is constantly bombarding its captive planet with gamma rays and stretching it under gravity into a unique 'lemon' shape.

This produces some of the most extreme temperature differences ever seen on a planet, with temperatures ranging from 650C (1,200F) at night to 2,030C (3,700F) in the day.

Scientists have been baffled to discover a bizarre lemonshaped planet that defies everything we know about planetary formation

Even by the standards of exotic exoplanets, PSR J23222650b stands out as exceptionally odd.

And, in a new paper, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers used the JWST to reveal that the planet is even stranger.

Coauthor of the study Dr Peter Gao, of the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory, says: 'I remember after we got the data down, our collective reaction was "What the heck is this?"

'It's extremely different from what we expected.'

Of the 6,000 or so known exoplanets, this is the only gas giant that orbits a neutron star.

This is hardly surprising given that neutron stars tend to tear their neighbours apart with gravity or evaporate them with a bombardment of powerful radiation.

PSR J23222650b is also extraordinarily close to its star at just one million miles (1.6 million km) away, compared to the distance of 100 million miles (160 million km) between Earth and the Sun.

That means a year on this strange world takes just 7.8 hours as it whizzes around the neutron star at incredible speed.

The planet, dubbed PSR J23222650b, orbits a type of neutron star called a pulsar  the ultradense core of a dead star that compresses the mass of the sun into something the size of a city

What are neutron stars? When a star eight or more times larger than our sun runs out of fuel, it collapses into an enormous explosion called a supernova. When this happens, the core is crushed under immense pressure until it collapses into something called a neutron star. Due to extreme pressure, the electrons and protons in normal matter fuse into pure neutrons. These are so dense that they may be up to 2.5 times more massive than the sun but less than 10 miles in diameter. Neutron stars often have extremely powerful magnetic fields and blast electromagnetic radiation out from their poles. Advertisement

But what really makes the planet a total anomaly is the composition of its atmosphere.

Coauthor Dr Michael Zhang, of the University of Chicago, says: 'This is a new type of planet atmosphere that nobody has ever seen before.

'Instead of finding the normal molecules we expect to see on an exoplanet  like water, methane, and carbon dioxide  we saw molecular carbon, specifically C3 and C2.'

This is really weird because, at temperatures as high as they are on the planet, carbon should bond with any other atoms in the atmosphere.

That means molecular carbon can only be dominant when there is almost no oxygen or nitrogen present.

Out of the roughly 150 planets that scientists have analysed in depth, not a single one has molecular carbon in its atmosphere.

However, scientists still genuinely have no idea how such a weird planet could have formed.

'Did this thing form like a normal planet? No, because the composition is entirely different,' says Dr Zhang.

This pulsar is constantly bombarding its captive planet with gamma rays and stretching it under gravity into a unique 'lemon' shape (artist's impression)

Likewise, the planet couldn't have formed by stripping the outer layers of a star since the nuclear reactions in stellar cores don't make pure carbon.

Dr Zhang adds: 'It's very hard to imagine how you get this extremely carbonenriched composition. It seems to rule out every known formation mechanism.'

Currently, the researchers' best theory is that carbon and oxygen crystallised in the planet's interior as it cooled.

The pure carbon crystals might have then floated to the top and mixed with helium, which is what the scientists would be seeing in their data.

However, coauthor Professor Roger Romani, of Stamford University, says that this doesn't solve all the problems.

He says: 'Something has to happen to keep the oxygen and nitrogen away. And that's where the mystery comes in.

'But it's nice not to know everything. I'm looking forward to learning more about the weirdness of this atmosphere. It's great to have a puzzle to go after.'
An urgent weather alert has been issued for thousands in Wyoming and Colorado, warning of a 'particularly dangerous situation' expected on Friday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said a strong wind event is ongoing across the region, with sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph and gusts up to 75 mph, creating extreme conditions for wildfires and potential property damage.

Red flag warnings have been issued, signaling that a combination of strong winds, low humidity, and dry fuels is creating a heightened risk for rapid fire growth.

Areas under threat include southern Wyoming's Laramie Range and most of Laramie County, as well as Colorado's Front Range foothills, nearby high plains, portions of the I-25 urban corridor, and some southern counties, all at risk through at least midnight.

The NWS designated a 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' for the southern Laramie Range and foothills in Wyoming, and for the Front Range foothills and adjacent lower elevations in northern and central Colorado.

That includes Boulder, Jefferson, Larimer, and parts of Douglas, Gilpin, Clear Creek and Park Counties.

The NWS warned that conditions mirror those that fueled the 2021 Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Colorado.

Red flag warnings are also in effect in the central and western Nebraska Sandhills, the eastern Panhandle and the southwestern Texas Panhandle.

Louisville, Colorado is in Boulder County is specifically mentioned as being under the 'Particularly Dangerous Situation.' Pictured is a home burning in a wildfire that sparked in 2021

Red flag warnings have been issued in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas

'This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation that poses a significant threat to life and property in the event of a wildfire start,' the NWS stated regarding specific regions in Wyoming and Colorado.

'Residents are urged to assemble an emergency supply kit and know their evacuation routes.

'In some cases, safe and timely evacuation may not be possible should a fire approach. Have multiple ways to receive instructions from emergency services, and evacuate if ordered to or if a fire threatens.'

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has imposed travel restrictions on several key routes. Interstates 80 and 25 are closed to light and high-profile vehicles in multiple areas, including I-25 from the Colorado state line to Whitaker Road, and I-80 from Rawlins through the Laramie Valley into Cheyenne.

A cold front moving through the region tonight is expected to ease conditions by Saturday afternoon.

It could bring mountain snow, prompting a winter weather advisory for affected areas.

In Colorado, this is the first time the NWS office in Boulder has issued 'A Particularly Dangerous Situation' alert for northwest Jefferson and western Boulder counties due to possible wind gusts of 85 to 105 mph.

The most dangerous conditions are expected on Highway 93 into the higher foothills. Coupled with single-digit relative humidity.

The NWS warned that conditions mirror those that fueled the 2021 Marshall Fire (PICTURED), which destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Colorado

For the northern Front Range, the strongest winds are expected west of I-25, reaching into the foothills. Along and east of the I-25 corridor, including the Denver metro area, gusts could reach 40 mph with humidity dropping as low as eight percent.

Meteorologists warned that the top wind gusts could be comparable to those of a Category 2 or 3 hurricane.

Multiple Red Flag Warnings across parts of Nebraska and the Texas Panhandle, warning that critical fire weather conditions are likely on Friday afternoon.

In Nebraska, Red Flag Warnings are in effect from 10am to 5pm local time for the eastern Panhandle and western Sandhills, and from 11am to 6pm for the central and western Sandhills, including areas near the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge and Nebraska National Forest.

In Texas, warnings cover the southwestern and northwest Texas Panhandle from 10am to 6pm local time.

Forecasters said gusty west to southwest winds of 15 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph, combined with low relative humidity as low as 10 to 20 percent and temperatures climbing into the mid-60s, could cause any fires that ignite to spread rapidly and become difficult to control.

Residents are urged to avoid outdoor burning and activities that could spark fires during the warning period.




Joe Rogan invoked three words that still haunt Americans more than two decades later while discussing how the country might react to an alien threat.

Speaking on his podcast, Rogan said such a world-changing event could evoke reactions similar to those seen 'after September 11th.'

'It was a horrible tragedy, but there was a beautiful result temporarily, where everybody was really united,' he said on Thursday.

'There were American flags on everybody's cars in Los Angeles. In New York, everyone was friendly.'

Rogan added that Americans had all decided that we were together and that we were faced with a real threat and that we had to be united, suggesting a similar reaction would unfold in the event of visitors from another world.

Along with the widespread displays of American flags, there were spontaneous memorial vigils, national unity under the 'United We Stand' theme, lawmakers singing 'God Bless America,' and a surge in support for military and first responders.

The discussion was sparked when Rogan referenced a famous moment from history, recalling Ronald Reagan's speech at the United Nations.

'Imagine how united we would be if faced with an alien threat from another world,' he said. 'We'd forget our differences and realize that, at the core, we're all connected.'

Joe Rogan released a new podcast on Thursday, where he shared his feelings about how Americans could react to an alien threat

Rogan said such a world-changing event could evoke reactions similar to those seen 'after September 11th'

Rogan's guest, Michael P. Masters, a professor of biological anthropology at Montana Tech, agreed, expanding on the idea by suggesting humanity may be linked by a deeper, shared consciousness, an idea he said some researchers associate with the UFO phenomenon.

'If we recognize that we are just fingerprints on the same hand, then we're all iterations of the same overarching consciousness,' Masters said.

'And there may be aspects of that reflected in the UFO phenomenon.'

Rogan has a long-standing obsession with the topic of extraterrestrial life and UFOs, and in his stand-up comedy.

He often expresses the view that aliens 'are out there' and that the government might be covering up the truth.

The podcaster also believes that, given the 'hundreds of billions of galaxies' and stars in the universe, it is mathematically certain that 'for sure there's something else out here.'

While often focusing on the physical evidence, he has also explored alternative theories with guests, such as the idea that aliens might be interdimensional beings or human time travelers from the future, which aligns with Masters' theories.

Masters, who holds a PhD in anthropology from The Ohio State University, has gained attention beyond academia for his unconventional theories about UFOs.

'Imagine how united we would be if faced with an alien threat from another world,' he said. 'We'd forget our differences and realize that, at the core, we're all connected.'

Rogan's guest, Michael P. Masters, a professor of biological anthropology at Montana Tech, agreed, expanding on the idea by suggesting humanity may be linked by a deeper, shared consciousness, an idea he said some researchers associate with the UFO phenomenon

In his books, including Identified Flying Objects and The Extratempestrial Model, he argues that some UFO encounters may not involve extraterrestrials at all.

Instead, Masters has proposed that the beings described in many sightings could be future human descendants traveling back through time, a hypothesis he has publicly discussed for years.

'The phenomenon may be our own distant descendants coming back through time to study us in their own evolutionary past,' he said in a 2019 interview.

While Rogan expressed confidence that something unexplained is occurring, Masters emphasized caution, noting that many claims surrounding UFOs and alien encounters require further study as stigma around the topic continues to fade.

Masters also argued the 'gray' alien archetype, large heads, big eyes, thin bodies, mirrors projected human evolution amid declining robustness, fertility issues and genetic engineering.

He linked abductions involving reproductive material extraction to future humans addressing fertility crises, citing cases like Jim Penniston's Rendlesham Forest message, claiming the need for genetic material.

Rogan and Masters touched on government reverse-engineering, whistleblowers like Bob Lazar, transmedium craft, and Peruvian tridactyl mummies resembling grays, with Masters cautious pending further study.

Rogan expressed conviction in the phenomenon, while Masters shared a personal sighting and childhood 'tasking' inspiring his research.

The episode framed UFOs as potentially intratemporal, urging discernment of encounter reports amid diminishing stigma.
The pilot of a private jet was left stunned after spotting a small, silver cylinder hovering near his wing thousands of feet above Rhode Island.

A newly released video of the live air traffic control (ATC) broadcast captures the tense moment, with the pilot telling the ground team, 'It appears to be standing still,' as the mysterious object floated beside him.

The object hovered near the wing tip, briefly pacing the aircraft, before drifting out of view.

ATC confirmed there were no other reports in the area and asked whether the object could have been a drone or a balloon.

Flying a Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II, which seats up to five passengers, the pilot said he could see no attachments on the object and described it as 'astonishing' while maintaining an altitude of roughly 3,500 feet.

Other pilots in the region chimed in over the radio, with one remarking, 'I want to believe him,' while ATC joked, 'Good luck with the aliens.'

No official FAA or NTSB report has been made public, a common occurrence for unexplained aerial phenomena unless they pose a direct hazard.

The video was uploaded to the YouTube channel VASAviation, run by a corporate pilot and certified flight instructor from Spain, which regularly posts ATC frequency conversations.

The pilot of a private jet was left stunned after spotting a small, silver cylinder hovering near his wing thousands of feet above Rhode Island (STOCK)

The clip, which has been viewed more than 14,000 times, was posted about a month ago, indicating that the sighting likely occurred around that time.

Recently, the broadcast made its way to social media, appearing on X this week, where it has quickly gone viral.

While the pilot did not believe the object was a balloon, some experts offered alternative explanations.

Mick West, a British-American science writer and conspiracy theory investigator, suggested that a weather balloon was the most plausible scenario.

Other social media users speculated that it could have been a military test of new technology.

'UFOs are a brilliant cover,' one X user commented, while another questioned, 'Do you think they'd really test it on a commercial flight?'

Michael Harrison added, 'Truthfully? Yeah, I do. It also has the benefit of keeping the UFO narrative fresh.'

Aviation enthusiast Anthony Dohrmann, founder and CEO of AI-powered virtual caregiver company Electronic Caregiver, offered a more grounded perspective.

A newly released video of the live air traffic control (ATC) broadcast captures the tense moment, with the pilot telling the ground team, 'It appears to be standing still,' as the mysterious object floated beside him. Pictured is flight data of the plane

Flying a Piper PA-32RT-300T Turbo Lance II (STOCK), which seats up to five passengers, the pilot said he could see no attachments on the object and described it as 'astonishing' while maintaining an altitude of roughly 3,500 feet

He suggested that the object could have been a weather balloon, which are often launched at night and carry cylindrical payloads.

'[They] have a kind of translucent material that can reflect city lights or catch sunlight higher up, making it hard to judge their true altitude,' Dohrmann explained.

He added that such balloons can appear to hover or rise slowly, sometimes at about 1,000 feet per minute, and noted that many are launched in nearby Massachusetts.

Dohrmann also pointed out that amateur hobbyists frequently experiment with balloons and other small devices at lower altitudes.

'They're supposed to go in a certain direction, but things don't always work like they're supposed to,' he said.

The broadcast incident comes just months after a veteran US fighter pilot broke his silence about a near-collision with a UFO that defied the laws of physics and left the Air Force in stunned disbelief.

Major Ryan Bodenheimer, a retired F-15 and F-16 combat pilot, revealed in a YouTube video that one of the 'wildest experiences' of his career involved a close encounter with a rectangle-shaped UFO as he flew with his squadron over southern Wyoming.

Bodenheimer, who served in the Air Force for 13 years, said the large craft suddenly appeared out of nowhere during a training mission and looked to be on a collision course with his plane.

'Then I realized we weren't going to hit, and all of a sudden it came more into view, and it was a rectangular shape. This was like essentially a perfect rectangle,' Bodenheimer revealed in his video on June 8.

The military veteran described the UFO as being 30 to 50 feet in height and appearing to be glowing around the edges of its bright white body as it flew alongside the Thunderbirds, the Air Force's elite aerobatic demonstration squadron.

Bodenheimer added that this craft had no visible vapor trail coming from an engine, no radar signal, and was traveling at approximately 400 knots (460 miles per hour).

'It really was defying any type of aeronautical laws that I've learned,' Bodenheimer said.

Major Ryan Bodenheimer (pictured) spent 13 years flying F-15s and F-16s for the US Air Force and revealed this summer that he had two encounters with unexplainable UFOs over the US

Bodenheimer then revealed that his report to air traffic control left officials in 'dead silence' before the entire matter was apparently dismissed as an 'anomalous object.'

The strange rectangle UFO got so close to Bodenheimer's F-16 Falcon at 30,000 feet in the air that he said he could make out every detail of the craft before it eventually flew off and was never seen again.

When air traffic controllers in Denver asked Bodenheimer if he could give them any more details about the UFO, he revealed that it had a cream-colored interior that became transparent or had a hole in its center.

'I know it sounds like I'm talking about a delicious pastry, but this was the wildest experience I've ever had,' the fighter pilot joked.

The only evidence of Bodenheimer's sighting was a report made by air traffic control saying that an object had been spotted in the area where the Thunderbirds were training that day, but he never heard from anyone about the incident again.
The long-awaited Epstein files were released on Friday, shedding new light on the inner world of the convicted sexual predator.

The Department of Justice posted the documents on its website, organizing the material into four datasets.

The trove includes images from Epstein's homes, including rooms adorned with nude photographs and distinctive bright blue carpeting. However, the DOJ did not provide any context for the images of people included in the files.

Other records detail Epstein's associations with high-profile figures such as Michael Jackson, Sir Mick Jagger, Kevin Spacey and other famous individuals.

Former president Bill Clinton features prominently in the files, appearing in photographs smiling at parties and swimming with women. He has since issued a blistering response, denying having any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

More than 600,000 pages related to the pedophile have now been released this year, prompting the Trump administration to describe itself as the 'most transparent in history' following Friday's disclosure.

An initial review indicates the documents released today originate from three separate investigations into Jeffrey Epsteins crimes against young women.

Many of the files appear to stem from a 2005 police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida, followed by a federal probe that culminated in Epsteins controversial 2008 plea deal.

Others relate to a later investigation launched by Manhattan prosecutors in 2019 - a case that was never finished after Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial.

Being named or pictured in the files is not necessarily an indication of wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

Bill Clinton is seen with his arm around Michael Jackson. The pair pose with Diana Ross

The files include pictures of what appeared to be a male dancer taking off his clothes

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is seen lying across women at a black-tie event with Maxwell at the royal estate in Sandringham, UK

The same fireplace from the photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor can be seen in this image

Jeffrey Epstein posing alongside Michael Jackson in an undisclosed location

Sir Mick Jagger and the former US president have their picture taken with a woman

Sarah Ferguson is photographed with a woman whose face has been redacted

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (centre) pictured at Ascot with Epstein and Maxwell

Billionaire Richard Branson is seen alongside Epstein, with two women pictured behind

Epstein pictured blowing out birthday candles with British politician Peter Mandelson

Epstein is seen at an undisclosed location, watching people meditate

Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured with David Copperfield, both wearing white robes

Clinton features prominently in the files, seen here relaxing in what appears to be a hot tub

Sarah Ferguson pictured sitting on a couch with a redacted woman

Pictured is an erotic device found among Epstein's belongings

Sex toys were among the erotic items pictured in the files

Multiple erotic toys were found among the late pedophile's belongings including penis-shaped soap

Massage table photos from Jeffrey Epstein's home

Epstein is pictured in a green face mask while wrapped in towels

A massage table with a stocked cabinet behind it is pictured in Epstein's home

A photograph of two woman without shirts features in the released files

Two unidentified young women pose in bikinis, with one smoking a cigarette

Clinton, wearing a red hoodie, is pictured with an unknown woman

A note written on personalised Epstein stationary reads: 'For a good time call' with further details redacted

Sex toys and what appears to be a tampon are pictured on a desk

A note written to 'Jean-Luc' was amongst the files released by the DOJ

A hanging art installation is pictured in the release from Epstein's estate

A dress-up nurse hat and stethoscope were among the items found in the predator's home

Epstein had multiple costumes and wigs among his erotica

An erotic book on Epstein's desk entitled 'Erotica Universalis'

Clinton, Sir Mick and Epstein smiling at what appears to be a dinner party

Ghislaine Maxwell appears to be pictured with two Russian soldiers

Sarah Ferguson is pictured holding a shopping bag that appears to be from Sotheby's, a fine art dealer

An image of a criminal complaint against Epstein, in which a young woman claimed Epstein stole photographs of her young sisters and sold them - before allegedly threatening to 'burn her house down'

Kevin Spacey (second from the right, next to Clinton) was also pictured in the files, seen here in the Churchill War Rooms in London. Ghislaine Maxwell is wearing a cream blouse

A series of photographs are pictured inside Epstein's Manhattan home

A male dancer poses with a cigarette in a series of photos released by the DOJ

Ghislaine Maxwell wears a green jumpsuit as she poses with a man wearing military uniform bearing the flag of Colombia

A man who appears to be French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel is also pictured in the Epstein files released on Friday

In one image shared Friday, Clinton was seen with his hands on the shoulders of Kevin Spacey

Clinton and Epstein smile in a photo taken at an undisclosed location

Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured with the former Colombian President Andres Pastrana while on a trip to the country

Epstein is pictured with broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite

Magician David Copperfield posed in robes with Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are pictured in fur hats as they pose for a photo

Epstein bundled up and smiling next to what appears to be French model scout Jean-Luc Brunel

An interior photo of Jeffrey Epstein's home shows nude artworks

Epstein's home also contained photographs of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe

An artwork in Epstein's home depicts a bride sliding down a rope

A camera (circled) is seen in one of Epstein's bedrooms in a photo released by the DOJ on Friday

A closet in Epstein's home contains female mannequins

The files included framed pictured from Epstein's estate, one of which appeared to be of Donald Trump and Melania

Clinton swims in a pool with Maxwell and an unidentified woman

Ghislaine Maxwell is seen wrestling and laughing with Jean-Luc Brunel

Epstein's foot is pictured beneath Ghislaine Maxwell's shirt on a private jet - also present is Jean-Luc Brunel

Comedian Chris Tucker poses at a table in one of the images released by the DOJ

Many of the images were of unidentified women, whose faces have been redacted

One photo released on Friday by the DOJ showed Epstein appeared to have a stuffed tiger in his New York home

There were also shocking notes released in the files, details of which were also redacted

A man who appears to be actor Chris Tucker was also seen in the newly release documents

Former president Clinton poses with an unknown woman

Maxwell is pictured alongside two men and a young woman

Image of a painting with naked women and children included in the Jeffrey Epstein document release by the Department of Justice

A pink-walled bedroom is pictured as part of the Epstein files

A handwritten letter attached to a wall, addressed to Epstein, claims: 'These girls new [sic] what they were doing you didn't put a gun to there [sic] head'

Clinton, Spacey and others huddled around a desk at the War Rooms in central London

A man, thought to be Epstein is pictured hiding beneath towels with sunglasses over his face

Dusty files, CDs and passports are pictured in Epstein's New York home

Pictured from the inside of Epstein's home included an Israel Defense Forces shirt

Photographs found inside Epstein's home were released on Friday

Among his belongings was a battered instructional book Massage for Dummies

Epstein is seen on the phone in sweatpants and a sweatshirt with a suggestively shaped cake

A naked woman poses for a photograph on a sofa - the image was released by the DOJ on Friday

Images from a scrapbook released on Friday appear to show the story of Epstein's relationship with a redacted woman - described as a 'little girl'

Further images from what appears to be a scrapbook showing Epstein's relationship to a young woman

Jeffrey Epstein's Manhatttan brownstone is pictured in a release by the Department of Justice

Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured at the wheel of a car while wearing a white robe

Epstein poses with a blue helicopter at an airfield in a photo released as part of the files

A black marble bathroom in Epstein's home is pictured in photo released by the DOJ

A younger Epstein posed with a cigar and multiple women

Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured covered in streamers

Convicted sex trafficker Maxwell is seen outside Number 10 Downing Street

Two men are pictured with a gun in images released from the Epstein files

Pictures of Epstein's home revealed what appeared to be a portrait of Clinton in a dress

Epstein in a framed photo posing with check signed by Trump

Epstein poses shirtless with what appears to be a child's foot in frame

Epstein is pictured in a helicopter with a redacted woman

Maxwell kisses Epstein's cheek in a photograph which appears to have been taken in France

Epstein was pictured sitting on a sofa with a temporary tattoo - a toddler's foot can be seen nearby

Clinton is pictured heavily throughout the Epstein files, but has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of the financier's victims

A massage table with lotion next to it and nude women on the walls are seen in Epstein's home

Epstein is pictured in a robe and a birthday hat eating a salad

Images of erotica were a theme in Epstein's home, with countless photographs or art depicting naked women

Ghislaine Maxwell poses in a red feather hat with her tongue out

A photograph from Epstein's Manhattan house shows a room filled with computer screens

Epstein pulls on a cord attached to a Yamaha jet ski while on board a marina

The interior of Epstein's New York mansion is pictured extensively in the files

A photograph of a child is framed on a wall in Epstein's home

Epstein had erotic images all throughout his home, including the bathroom

Ghislaine Maxwell is pictured next to an open fridge, believed to be in one of Epstein's properties

A framed caricature drawing in Epstein's home of himself and friends boarding a plane

Pictured is an unidentified woman lounging on a pool float

The context in which the pictures were taken is unknown, as is the date of the photographs

A barefoot Ghislaine Maxwell poses with a 'helicopter parking only' sign

A man is pictured carrying a flamingo in one of the images - no context is given

A scrapbook included photos of multiple women and the words 'Once upon a time... there was a clueless little girl'

One of the released images shows the kitchen in Epstein's home

Scrapbook images included pictures of Trump

Women in bikinis are pictured on a beach in files released by the DOJ

Paedophile Jeffrey Epstein pulls a pucker face for the camera

Images taken from his estate included cameras, with one seen in the top right of a bedroom

Epstein is seen lying on the floor barefoot, with a small dog nearby

Pictures of nude women were featured in a scrapbook in Epstein's home

The women appeared lounging on sun chairs and by the pool

Ghislaine Maxwell appears to be flying a helicopter in one of the photos

A spiralbound notebook contains the names of guests and staff members in Epstein's property

Statues decorate a staircase within Epstein's home

Images framed in Epstein's home included a photo of Pope John Paul II

Many pictures illustrated Epstein with young girls, whose identities have all been protected in the files

The data dump on Friday was intended to comply with a law overwhelmingly passed by Congress in November that mandated the disclosure of all Epstein files
Jeffrey Epstein rubbed shoulders with the world's richest men at a so-called billionaires' dinner - three years after he was convicted of sex crimes.

House Democrats released 68 photographs from Epstein's estate on Thursday, including images taken at the Edge Group's annual dinner in 2011.

The event, hosted by literary agent John Brockman's non-profit, was reportedly attended by some of the tech industry's most powerful people, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

Images: House Democrats released 68 photographs from Jeffrey Epstein's estate on Thursday, including images taken at the Edge Group's annual Billionaires' Dinner in 2011. Epstein is pictured at the event, seated with several other guests

The House Oversight Committee published images of Epstein, New York Times columnist David Brooks, former YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar, and Brin at the event.

Images of other attendees were not included in the files, and the committee did not provide any context for the images of the people at the event who were included. It comes a day before the deadline for the DOJ to release its Epstein files.

Some of the newly unearthed images exactly matched photographs published on the Edge website that were allegedly taken by Microsoft's former Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold, who was previously named in the Epstein files.

Guest: The newly released images included a picture of Sergey Brin. This image of the Google co-founder can also be found on the Edge Group's website

Other photos included in the dump are seemingly from the Epstein estate's personal collection, though they appear to be taken in the same style as Myhrvold's images.

Given that the late financier's estate handed over thousands of photos to the House Democrats without providing any context, it is unclear which photographer captured Epstein's photographs.

Epstein was a guest at the 2011 event, despite having already pleaded guilty to two prostitution-related felonies in Florida.

Chiefs: Former YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar (right) and David Brooks (left, background) were photographed at the 2011 dinner

After his arrest in 2019, the Edge Group - a non-profit that gathers scientists, philosophers, artists, and technologists so they can discuss cutting-edge ideas - scrubbed the record of him attending the dinner from its website.

The 2011 Billionaires' Dinner was held in New York City, with Epstein among the attendees of the star-studded event.

The House Oversight Committee released photographs of Epstein, Brin, Brooks and Kamangar at the event. They were the only attendees photographed in the file.

Present: New York Times columnist David Brooks (right) attended the dinner and was apparently seated near Sergey Brin (left, background) during the meal

It is unclear why they chose to publish this selection of images or if Epstein's estate turned over any other photographs from the dinner.

Other guests at the dinner allegedly included Musk, Bezos, and Microsoft's Craig Mundie.

Google was represented by Brin, software engineer Lori Park, and Marissa Mayer, who went on to serve as CEO of Yahoo from 2012 to 2017.

Snap: This photo of David Brooks was included in the House Oversight Committee's trove. The exact image can be found on the Edge website with Nathan Myhrvold as the credited photographer

Lucy Page Southworth, who has been married to Google co-founder Larry Page since 2007, was allegedly also in attendance.

Bezos, Mundie, Park, Mayer, and Page Southworth were featured in photographs from the dinner on the Edge website, but were not photographed in the Epstein files.

The dinner was also attended by leading minds in science, such as 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki, computer scientist Danny Hillis, and Tony Fadell, who is best known as 'the father of the iPod.'

Talking: Sergey Brin (left) and David Brooks (right) appeared deep in conversation is this photograph released by House Democrats

Musician Peter Gabriel, actresses Talulah Musk and Italian businessman Jean Pigozzi, who is an investor, art collector, and photographer, were among the artists in attendance.

Mexican businessman Ricardo Salinas Pilego, representing the Grupo Salinas television conglomerate, and literary agency CEO Max Brockman were pictured at the event, as was venture capitalist Zack Bogue.

Edge also published smiling photos of Jennifer Jacquet, an associate professor of Environmental Studies at the University of British Columbia, and Participant Media founder Jeff Skoll.

None of these individuals were pictured in the Epstein files.

Attendees: David Brooks (front, right) is pictured during the meal. He was apparently seated next to Sergey Brin (center, background)

Meanwhile, the Edge Group appears to no longer host its annual Billionaires' Dinner, with the last one having taken place in 2015.

Interest in the billionaires' dinner resurged Thursday after the House Oversight Committee released a trove of new Epstein files on Thursday.

The latest batch of documents included sickening pictures of the disgraced financier surrounded by women and disturbing images of handwritten messages on a woman's body, including 'she was Lola in slacks' and 'she was Polly at school'.

Upsetting: The latest batch of images also showed disturbing images of the financier with multiple women

The phrases are quotes from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, a novel about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with a young girl, which is also pictured in the background.

Other newly released images included billionaire Bill Gates posing with women whose faces have been redacted, and prominent philosopher Noam Chomsky on board Epstein's private jet.

The Microsoft founder was previously pictured alongside Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, in a released photograph.

Disturbing: A woman's foot is seen with a quote from Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita - with the novel pictured in the background

Torso: Pictures also show a woman's chest and back with Lolita quotes scrawled across them

Gates, who sought contributions from the financier for his philanthropy efforts, has described his association with Epstein as a 'huge mistake'.

The cache also includes images of filmmaker Woody Allen and former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon - both of whom featured in an earlier photo release.

The latest batch of photographs do not appear to depict any unlawful conduct by any of the subjects.

Boss: Billionaire Bill Gates has again appeared in a photo from the files, this time next to a woman whose face has been redacted

Disturbing pictures from the latest release show a woman's chest with a Lolita quote scrawled across it.

'Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth,' it reads, while another shows a woman's back with the words 'She was Dolores on the dotted line,' another quote from the controversial novel.

Epstein's notorious private jet, which ferried him and VIP guests to his infamous island and around the world, was nicknamed the Lolita Express.

Academic: Among those photographed is famous linguistics professor Noam Chomsky, who is pictured alongside Epstein on a private flight

Passengers on the $80million Boeing 727-100 included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew, according to recently released flight logs.

Epstein regularly hosted famous friends at his residences, including Woody Allen, who often attended gatherings at the financier's Upper East Side townhouse. Epstein is pictured with his arm around the filmmaker in one of the new photos.

The new tranche of pictures also includes a snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019.

Companion: Jeffrey Epstein is seen on a private jet with an unidentified young woman sitting next to him

It features a page which has a notice stating that the passport bearer 'is a registered sex offender who 'was convicted of a sex offence against a minor'.

But one screenshot - unrelated to The Edge event - shows a snippet of a text exchange in which an unknown sender appears to discuss recruiting young women.

The post reads: 'I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today. But she asks $1000 per girl. I will send u girls now. Maybe someone will be good for J?'

Document: A snap of Epstein's passport, issued just four months before his arrest in 2019

Criminal: His passport includes a page which has a notice stating that the bearer 'is a registered sex offender who 'was convicted of a sex offence against a minor'

The screenshot includes a partially redacted physical description and the line '18 y old,' but provides no names or clear indication of who is speaking.

Democrats have selectively released the 68 pictures along with dozens of others in recent weeks, all of which have been pulled from a collection of 95,000 unseen images from Epstein's estate.

The images released on Thursday come ahead of the legal deadline for the US Department of Justice to release the so-called 'Epstein files'.

Posed: Gates is seen pictured next to another woman, whose face has also been redacted, in an undated photo

The law, named the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requires the Justice Department to provide Epstein-related records to the public in a searchable format by Friday.

Tens of thousands of records relating to Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell have already been released through civil and criminal cases in the US.

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.
Corey Feldman claims in a new Apple TV documentary that he was molested by his late best friend Corey Haim.

In Corey Feldman vs The World, the actor, 54, alleges Haim, who died aged 38 in 2010, sexually propositioned him during the filming of 1987's The Lost Boys.

He said he was 16 when he appeared opposite Haim, then also 16, in the film.

Claim: Corey Feldman (pictured) has claimed he was molested by Corey Haim during their time filming The Lost Boys

Pals: Feldman (left) made the claim about Haim, right, in a new Apple TV documentary

Feldman said: 'When we did Lost Boys, Corey said to me, "Hey man, let's mess around". And I said, "What do you mean?"'

The actor said in the documentary that Haim told him: 'This is what, you know, what guys in the business do, right? You know, suck each other's d***s, or you f*** around - you do this stuff. And I said, "What are you talking about?"'

The Daily Mail reached out to representatives for Feldman for further comment.

Role: Feldman and Haim played the respective roles of Edgar Frog and Sam in the 80s classic

In the documentary, Feldman said Haim then initiated sexual activity while they were making The Lost Boys.

He said he was fully understanding of what Haim was looking for from him, and chose to oblige in an effort to make the behavior stop.

'I called [Haim] and said, "Come over",' Feldman said. 'But, you know, when you have got somebody that's trying to come onto you sexually, and you don't want that, and you are a kid and you are scared, you do whatever you can to stop it from happening.

'And that's what was happening. I was being molested by Corey Haim, truth be told.'

Death: Haim died from pneumonia in 2010 at the age of 38; Pictured in 2009 in Santa Monica

Haim's mother, Judy, slammed Feldman following the allegations.

Judy refuted the claims, telling TMZ that the actor is trying to 'keep himself relevant' and that her son was 'not into men'.

She said her son is no longer here to refute the claims, and alleged Feldman is 'creating another lie to poison people's heads and keep himself relevant'.

Response: Haim's mom, Judy, slammed Feldman following the allegations

No way: She insisted that 'there is no way in hell' that Haim molested Feldman

Judy insisted there's 'no way in hell' that Haim molested Feldman, questioning: 'Why would they be friends for so long if this happened? It doesn't add up.'

She further claimed that Feldman made the claims as he 'doesn't want people to focus on his own wrongdoings'.

Judy said her son liked women, not men, and would tell her: 'I don't care if someone is gay, but I am not gay or any of that stuff.'

Company: Judy claimed her son was always accompanied on set by his family

Feldman previously claimed he and Haim were victims of sexual abuse as young actors in Hollywood.

Judy went on to say that Feldman 'always talks about sex and blames my kids for things that he is not here to defend himself about'.

Furthermore, she said her son was always accompanied on set by either herself, his father, or his sister, including on The Lost Boys, which is why she believes his claims do not add up.

She is reportedly considering taking legal action against the actor.
Disturbing new details have surfaced in the death of Pulp Fiction star Peter Greene.

The actor, 60, was found dead inside his Lower East Side apartment in New York City in the late afternoon of December 12 with injuries visible on his body.

Law enforcement sources revealed on Thursday that Greene had 'some injuries but its undetermined what caused the injuries'.

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Disturbing: New details have surfaced in the death of Pulp Fiction actor Peter Greene.

The authorities said the medical examiner is still working to determine the cause and manner of death, and it remains unclear whether Greene died as a result of homicide, suicide, drugs, or another cause.

Sources also told TMZ that police were contacted after neighbors reported loud music coming from Greenes apartment for several days.

Officers then conducted a welfare check, used a locksmith to enter the unit, and one neighbor claimed Greene was found face down on the floor, with a handwritten note also discovered.

The neighbor told the New York Daily News: 'Peter was lying on the floor, face down, facial injury, blood everywhere'

The note reportedly said 'I'm still a Westie,' which appeared to be a reference to the Irish-American gang who had operated out of Hell's Kitchen from 1970.

Greene was found dead inside his Lower East Side apartment in New York City on December 12 with injuries visible on his body

Gregg Edwards, who was Greene's manager for over 10 years, told the publication that Greene - who was known for playing iconic villains - 'was a terrific guy'.

'Truly one of the great actors of our generation. His heart was as big as there was. I'm going to miss him. He was a great friend.'

He added that he had spoken with Greene not long before.

Edwards acknowledged that while Greene was sometimes seen as difficult to work with, he was a perfectionist who wanted each performance to feel 'right'.

Edwards added that Greene's performance as mobster Dorian Tyrell alongside Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask was 'arguably his best role'.

'He fought his demons but overcame them' he added.

Details: The medical examiner is still working to determine the cause and manner of death, and it remains unclear whether Greene died as a result of homicide, suicide, or drugs

Accounts: Police were contacted after neighbors reported loud music coming from inside Greenes apartment for several days; Seen in a still from Pulp Fiction

Greene also portrayed Zed, a sadistic security guard and killer, in Tarantino's iconic 1994 film Pulp Fiction.

'Nobody played a bad guy better than Peter. But he also had, you know, a gentle side that most people never saw, and a heart as big as gold,' Edwards told New York Daily News.

Peter, who also appeared in The Usual Suspects, was set to begin production in January alongside Mickey Rourke on an independent thriller titled Mascots.

Gregg said that when he informed the film's writer-director, Kerry Mondragon, of the actor's death he broke down in tears.

'They were very upset,' he shared.

Greene was also set to star in State of Confusion, a crime-drama written and directed by EB Hughes.

Filming was scheduled for late fall 2026 in Cape May, New Jersey, and parts of New York.

Peter's cause of death has yet to be determined, with an autopsy due to be carried out, though police do not suspect foul play.

His agent Gregg Edwards said that his performance as mobster Dorian Tyrell alongside Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in The Mask (1994) was 'arguably his best role'; Greene seen in a still

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Peter ran away at 15 and lived on the streets of New York City.

He later turned to drug use and eventually dealing, he told Premiere magazine in 1996.

He didn't begin acting until his mid 20s, and landed several film and television roles in the early 1990s.

After a suicide attempt in March 1996, he sought treatment for his addictions, according to the profile.

In 2007, Peter was arrested for possessing crack cocaine according to the New York Daily News.

With close to 95 acting credits, Greene's roles also included Laws of Gravity (1992), Clean, Shaven (1993), Blue Streak (1999), and Training Day (2001).

He is survived by a sister and a brother.
The daughter of late Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has been granted a five-year extension for her restraining order against an alleged stalker after he was witnessed trying to deliver flowers to her family in August.

Natalia Bryant, now 22, was originally granted a restraining order against Dwayne Kemp in 2022  two years after he allegedly began contacting the teenager.

On Monday, after what Bryant's attorneys described as Kemp's renewed attempts to contact Natalia, a Los Angeles County judge extended the order while amending it to protect Kobe's widow, Vanessa, as well as their other surviving daughters, Bianka and Capri.

Stay away: Natalia Bryant, now 22, was originally granted a restraining order against Dwayne Kemp in 2022  two years after he allegedly began contacting the teenager

Kobe and daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed in a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The other members of the Bryant family were not on board.

According to court files obtained by the Daily Mail, Kemp is accused of breaking the previous restraining order on August 24 by attending an event organized by Natalia and her employer.

A November filing from Natalia's attorney read: 'At the August 24th event, Kemp brought flowers that he intended to give directly to Ms. Bryant, but when he could not locate her, he instead attempted to deliver the flowers to Ms. Bryant's mother, Vanessa Bryant, with the intention that those flowers be delivered to Ms. Bryant.

'Kemp's effort to contact Ms. Bryant indirectly through her immediate family member, namely her mother, demonstrates his continued fixation and complete disregard for the [Civil Harassment Restraining Order's] prohibitions.

'Upon encountering security, Kemp admitted his conduct would violate the CHRO, but Kemp stated that his conduct was now permissible because he believed (mistakenly) that the order had expired.'

Too far: Kemp is accused of breaking the previous restraining order on August 24 by attending an event organized by Natalia and her employer. He allegedly tried to bring her flowers that day

Security images included in the court filings show a man, purported to be Kemp, holding a bouquet of flowers. A similar bouquet was also posted by Kemp online, as seen in those filings.

The filing read: 'Robert Lara stated that on August 24, 2025, while attending Kobe Bryant Event at LA Live/ Crypto.Com Arena he was advised that Suspect Dwayne Kemp was at the location with bouquet of flowers.

'Lara responded to the location where the Suspect was detained by security staff. He immediately recognized him as the Suspect that Victim Natalia Bryant has current restraining order against him.'

Scary interests: Adding to the Bryant family's concerns is Kemp's alleged affinity for firearms

The filing continued: 'During an interview the Suspect stated that he brought flowers for Vanessa Bryant (Victim's mother). He was hoping to give them to someone, to pass along to her on his behalf. During the interview the Suspect acknowledged that he knew that Vanessa Bryant was at the event but knew that the Victim was not there.

'He also stated that if the Victim was there he would have done the same thing. The Suspect also stated that he thought the restraining order had expired and that the event was open to the public.'

Adding to the Bryant family's concerns is Kemp's alleged affinity for firearms, which he has repeatedly discussed on social media. The filing claims Kemp has one registered firearm and includes photographs of him holding an assault rifle.

Young family: Kobe Bryant pictured with his daughter Natalia in 2004 after a playoff game in San Antonio

The Bryants' eldest daughter, Natalia was just 17 when Kemp began contacting her as a 30-year-old months after the tragic deaths of her father and sister, according to her attorney.

What allegedly began with direct messages over social media is said to have escalated to urgent attempts by Kemp to speak with Natalia. In one alleged incident, Kemp tried to make contact with her at her sorority.

A letter from the University of Southern California is included in the court filings, warning Kemp he will be 'subject to arrest and prosecution' if he returned to the campus.

United front: Vanessa and Natalia Bryant attend a Lakers game in October

Additionally, an LAPD letter addressed to Kemp from a Detective A Camarillo in 2022 warned Kemp to stay away from Natalia.

The letter read: 'Your behavior has caused Natalia Bryant concern and fear, prompting the Los Angeles Police Department's Threat Management Unit to initiate a police investigation into your communications with Natalia Bryant.

'Any actions by you toward Natalia Bryant will be evaluated, and charges brought.'

Bryant's attorney did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Attempts to contact Kemp have been unsuccessful thus far.
A major airline has updated its cabin crew uniform to allow employees to wear the hijab.

AirAsia has announced an update to its policy, which permits female crew members to wear the hijab while on duty if they wish to do so.

The airline's cabin crew have used the hijab as part of operations on select routes, such as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The latest update extends this flexibility to all female cabin crew members who choose to wear it.

The aim is for the new uniform to be rolled out by Ramadan in 2026, which is in February and March next year.

AirAsia's red cabin crew uniform will remain largely unchanged.

However, the new tailored hijab and trousers option will use the same design currently worn by crew operating on Jeddah routes.

Bo Lingam, CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group, said: 'I am proud that this latest update reflects AirAsia's growth and expansion as a global airline with a diverse workforce that mirrors the communities and cultures we connect every day.

AirAsia has updated its cabin crew uniform policy, so that employees are now allowed to wear a hijab

The red uniform will remain the same, with a hijab and trousers option allowed across flights

'Our uniforms have always reflected professionalism, safety and comfort, and this evolution builds on that foundation by giving our people the confidence to represent AirAsia in ways that align with their beliefs.'

Suhaila Hassan, group head of cabin crew department said: 'Our Allstars come from many backgrounds, cultures and beliefs, yet we are united by a shared commitment to deliver world-class service and care to our guests, as evidenced by our winning of major airline awards every year.

'This latest policy reflects that diverse and dynamic spirit that defines AirAsia.

'We will continue gathering feedback from our Allstars and work closely with them on the detailed design and implementation before rolling this out.

'We hope to start during Ramadan in 2026.'

AirAsia is a low-cost carrier operating in five countries - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia.

It was founded in 2001, it connects more than 130 destinations, with more than 200 aircraft.

The airline recently announced it will be launching five brand-new routes by AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia X Thailand.

Cabin crew can already wear the hijab on flights to destinations such as Jeddah

Starting this week, Thai AirAsia X has introduced three direct international routes from Bangkok Don Mueang to Sendai (Japan) with four flights weekly.

Also, there will be four weekly flights from Bangkok Don Mueang to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Bangkok Don Mueang to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia has expanded its routes with four weekly flights from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani.

It also launched routes from Bangkok Don Mueang to Luang PrabangHanoi.
A new night bus with seats modelled on aeroplane business class has been launched - and the chairs turn into full beds.

The long-distance night bus from Swiss company Twiliner is the first in Europe to offer seats that lie flat at the touch of a buttom.

The first routes are from Zurich to Brussels and Amsterdam, as well as Zurich to Barcelona.

The sleeper bus also has stops in cities such as Basel and Bern in Switzerland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Inside each bus, there are 21 reclining seats, described as 'business class comfort'.

Plus, there will be a spacious toilet, wardrobe, and snack bar with food and drinks.

Each seating area has electrical outlets, a table and reading lights.

There's also internet access and free coffee and water.

The bus stops at many European destinations, including cities in Switzerland

It's the first sleeper bus in Europe to have seats that lie flat at the touch of a button

There is a snack bard on board, and water and coffee are also provided to passengers

Tickets will begin from 150 CHF (140) - although they will vary depending on demand and timings.

The buses will run three times a week in each direction.

The seats were designed in collaboration with Airline Services Interiors.

Twiliner said: 'We want to make travelling beautiful again. Instead of mass processing and stress, our focus is on stylish, relaxed travel.

'Twiliner combines the business class comfort of flying with the sustainability of the night train. We are closing a gap for all those who want to travel through Europe in an environmentally conscious and rested way.

'A trip with Twiliner is as environmentally friendly as my train.

'Our goal is a network of comfortable night bus routes through Europe. We want to learn from the first routes and passengers and constantly improve our offer.

'In 2027, we would like to add more routes, for example to Rome, Cannes of San Sebastian.'

The seats are modelled on business class seats on planes, and provide comfort during journeys

The bus will also have luxurious bathrooms, a cut above many other sleeper buses

The route between Zurich and Amsterdam takes 12 hours and 15 minutes, and it will take around 14 hours and 15 minutes to travel between Zurich and Barcelona.

Sleeper buses with lie-flat seats are popular in Asia and South America with backpackers and budget travellers.

But they haven't seen as much of a boom in Europe.

Instead, sleeper trains are more prevalent, with options between many major cities on the continent.
Sleigh rides, huskies, and Father Christmas are all part of Saul Vendrig Castillo's job on a daily basis.

The TUI Lapland rep has opened up about his festive role in the Winter Wonderland where he is 'surrounded by snow, excitement and pure joy'.

Saul immerses himself in festive destination during his time there, including the local culture and cuisine.

He has even tried reindeer pizza sand recommends it for those who are feeling adventurous.

'Reindeer pizza is amazing, and much better than I expected! I also can highly recommend a liquorice cake with blueberry ice cream that I ordered a few days in a row as it was so good,' Saul reveals.

The rep is spending his second season in Lapland and during the summer, works in popular holiday destinations like Greece, Costa del Sol and Mallorca.

But the Christmas magic of the icy location is what makes Saul want to return and he says, 'The snow, the lights, the magic, the excited families always pulls you back. There's nowhere else like it.'

His day-to-day work in Lapland varies, sometimes he's greeting families off the plane and kitting them out with snowsuits, while other days are spent organising reindeer safaris, snowmobiling and husky sleigh rides.

Sleigh rides, huskies, and Father Christmasare all part of Saul Vendrig Castillo's job on a daily basis

The TUI Lapland rep has opened up about his festive role in the Winter Wonderland where he is 'surrounded by snow, excitement and pure joy'

'Kids step off the plane with their mouths open in amazement and you can feel the Christmas magic in the air. It's like working inside a real-life snow globe!' says Saul.

The rep also gets to be part of one of the most magical moments - when the children meet Santa Claus.

'When families visit Santa, it's really special. The children get to meet him in his cosy, twinkling cabin, tell him what they've been wishing for, and even receive a little gift to take home,' Saul says.

'The excitement in their eyes is priceless and it's magical for the parents to see too.'

He adds, 'Lapland is one of the only places on earth you can experience the magic of gliding through snowy forests, wrapped up warm, with a majestic reindeer leading the way.

'It's peaceful, magical and gives you time to soak up the Lapland winter wonderland.'

Saul enjoys other fun moments in the snow, too, including seeing families go on husky rides and children meeting a reindeer for the first time.

'The children get to ride in sleds pulled by a team of energetic huskies. The sound of their paws on the snow and the speed of the sled make it an unforgettable adventure. Everyone leaves smiling and talking about it for days,' he says.

He has even tried reindeer pizza sand recommends it for those who are feeling adventurous

The rep is spending his second season in Lapland and during the summer, works in popular holiday destinations like Greece, Costa del Sol and Mallorca

'When a child sees their first reindeer or throws their first snowball, that's the moment you realise how special this job is. Then you take them to meet the Big Man, and their faces light up in a way you never forget.

'Parents often tell me this is the Christmas they always dreamed of giving their kids, so it's really special to be a part of that experience.'

The Lapland worker shares his top tips for holidaymakers hoping to visit the festive destination.

He advises people pack plenty of warm layers and be prepared for shorter days with little light.

'Make sure you bring lots of loose layers to wear under your snow suit as they trap the heat, whereas tight clothes can make you colder fast. And once you feel the chill it's hard to get rid of it, some days it can get to 32 degrees,' Saul says.

'In December, we get just over two hours of daylight which means at 4pm it can feel like bedtime. Make sure you plan your activities with this in mind to really maximise those daylight hours'.

'For many people visiting Lapland their bucket list goal is to see the Northern Lights, and my one piece of advice is to always be patient with them. They can be unpredictable, but they really are a sight to behold when they appear in the evening'.
Lisbon is overturning restrictions on short-term rentals that have failed to ease rising housing costs in the city.

It comes as data shows short-term rental restrictions have failed to deliver on their promise of making housing more affordable, just as similar measures have in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Edinburgh, and New York City.

Portugal's capital began imposing restrictions on short-term rentals in 2019.

It introduced broader measures, like ending the Golden Visa for real estate and limiting new licenses, in popular cities like Lisbon and Porto.

In October 2024, Portugal rolled back some national restrictions, giving municipalities more control.

Since then, the annual growth rate of house sale prices in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area has nearly doubled.

Meanwhile, the annual increase in rental prices has accelerated from 5.7 per cent to 9.2 per cent.

Hotel prices have skyrocketed by 30 per cent between 2022 and 2024 alone.

Lisbon is overturning restrictions on short-term rentals that have failed to ease rising housing costs in the city

Restrictions on hosting in 18 districts will be eased, allowing a proportion of STR up to 10 per cent of the local housing supply across the city.

According to Airbnb, seven in ten Lisbon hosts share only one home and say that hosting is not their primary job.

However, in recent years, there has been backlash against mass tourism in Portugal, particularly in major cities like Lisbon and Porto.

This summer, locals across southern Europe rallied against overtourism.

In June, Lisbon joined coordinated protests under the 'Southern Europe Against Touristification' alliance.

According to the last Portuguese Census, carried out in 2021, there were more than 720,000 vacant housing units in the country.

In Lisbon, one of the cities with the greatest pressure on the housing market, it is estimated that 15 per cent of houses are empty.

According to Airbnb, the new rules will help diversify accommodation options and provide more affordable alternatives to hotels, which are concentrated in the city, with many more under construction

According to Airbnb, seven in ten Lisbon hosts share only one home and say that hosting is not their primary job

Sara Rodriguez, Head of Public Policy for Spain and Portugal, said: 'Lisbon's strict short-term rental rules have failed to make housing more affordable.

'Instead, they made the city less affordable for everyone, limiting earning opportunities for locals and driving up accommodation prices for visitors.

'In cities around the world, the root cause of housing challenges is a lack of available housing  not short-term rentals.

'We thank Lisbon City Hall for overturning its restrictions, which will provide more opportunities for locals to share their homes and boost their incomes.

'We hope more cities will follow Lisbon's lead.'

The results of Lisbon's short-term rental rules mirror outcomes in other cities that have tried to address housing challenges by limiting short-term rentals.

In Edinburgh, strict restrictions that led to a 22 per cent drop in short-term rentals were relaxed earlier this year after rents and hotel prices in the city hit record highs, rising twice as fast as in the rest of the country.

In Barcelona, restrictions  including a ban on new short-term rental licenses  have been in place for more than a decade.

According to Airbnb, the new rules will help diversify accommodation options and provide more affordable alternatives to hotels, which are concentrated in the city, with many more under construction

And while the number of short-term rentals in the city dropped during that period, rents and house prices soared to record highs, increasing by 70 and 60 per cent respectively.

In 2019, Amsterdam limited short-term rentals to 30 nights per year.

While the number of Airbnb listings dropped by 54 per cent from 2019 to 2024, rents increased by more than a third during the same period  rising faster than in the Netherlands overall, where rents increased by 13 per cent.

In New York City, the de facto ban on short-term rentals since 2023 has not increased housing availability or affordability as promised, with vacancy rates unchanged and rents continuing to rise, despite Airbnb short-term listings dropping by approximately 92 per cent. Meanwhile, hotel rates are at a record high.
This year I took 109 flights, travelling 233,000-plus miles, while visiting 29 countries.

I have been busy.

As the principal spokesman at The Points Guy, the worlds most trusted authority on points, loyalty and aviation strategy, 2025 took me on first flights and tested everything from economy to the worlds best first class cabins.

Knowing about the ins-and-outs of flying is my bread and butter, you might say, and I regularly report my discoveries to my 250,000 followers on Instagram and more than half a million followers on YouTube.

So heres my look back at all things aviation over the past 12 months  from the best cabins to the worst airline food and my top travel hacks.

Best moment of 2025: SAS Copenhagen auto landing

The cabin of the SAS flight Nicky caught into Copenhagen earlier this year

The ultimate AvGeek dream is to sit in a cockpit for landing, and this year, I got the chance to do this again but with a twist. On an SAS flight to Copenhagen, incredibly bad visibility meant an autopilot landing was mandatory. Listening to the altitude being announced, getting lower and lower, with only a view of fog in front was thrilling, before finally, at around 100 meters, getting the first glimpse of the runway lights.

Another huge highlight was a first for me, having the honour of being at the Airbus facility in Hamburg as it handed over the keys to Etihad for their brand new A321LR. I think I got to fly on this aircraft on its maiden voyage to its home in Abu Dhabi.

Best plane in 2025: Etihad A321LR

Etihad have done a stellar job decking out this narrow-body plane with long-haul comfort, says Nicky

Which leads us on to this award, that Etihad aircraft was my best of the year. While I would usually be far more excited by a wide-body aircraft, Etihad have done a stellar job decking out this narrow-body plane with long-haul comfort. They have also broken the mould by adding two first class seats at the front of the aircraft where a full first class service will be conducted.

Best cabin tried in 2025: New Air France La Premiere

The luxurious cabin on Air France La Premiere, which features two seats, two screens and five windows

Air France La Premiere was a fan favourite, without even needing an update, but a full cabin refresh took this already chic seat to the next level. After a launch event in Paris, I was lucky enough to join Air Frances CEO on the very first flight of the new La Premiere from Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York JFK. The suite with two seats, two screens and five windows combined with the exceptional ground service (think Porsche transfers to the door of the plane and Sisley spa treatments) deliver a product that youre going to want to earn Flying Blue status and fight for a heap of points to book.

Best airline food in 2025: Qatar Business: caviar service, dine on demand, delicious rice

The meal Nicky enjoyed on a Qatar Airways flight earlier this year

Qatars biggest competition in the passenger experience game is itself, and it continues to outdo its previous wins. The airline is unique in many respects, providing an almost first class level of service in business class, like dine on demand rather than sticking to strict timings, and a new-ish caviar service that you wont find in other airlines business cabins.

Best airline crew in 2025: Virgin Atlantic

Nicky with some of the Virgin Atlantic crew, who live and breathe the iconic brand and their attitude makes flying exciting and fun

Best crew is a clear Virgin Atlantic win for me for a second year, for very different reasons this time around. Virgins crew live and breathe the iconic brand and their attitude makes flying exciting and fun, but this year I got to experience them displaying the most important part of their job. On a flight from Miami to London, a medical emergency took place in the middle of the night. The crew sprang into action and I witnessed the most incredible show of professionalism, efficiency and skill attending to an incredibly unwell passenger. A full resuscitation and diversion to Gander airport followed where the passenger was taken by medical staff on the ground. I believe the crew saved that persons life that day and it made me look at crew in a different light, now knowing the skills that they possess that they thankfully rarely use.

Best overall flight in 2025: Swiss A350

Swiss Airlines new A350 plane, which has undergone a makeover in all cabins and features a very swanky first class

You cant beat new plane smell, so I was particularly excited this year by the chance to join Swisss very first transatlantic flight on their new A350s. The airline has introduced their new Swiss Senses product, with updates in all cabins and a very swanky new first class. It was great to see another legacy airline upping their game and an aircraft full of eager frequent fliers.

Best travel hack of 2025: Global Entry

Global Entry is still the hack of all hacks for US travel. For just over 100 British passport holders can apply for Global Entry for five years which reduces wait times at US immigration significantly. This year, on a trip to the US, where I had a tight connection through Miami, it was the only way I was able to make my second flight, while complying with the US need to clear customs and immigration at the first US port of arrival. As an added benefit you get TSA pre-check, speeding up your departure from US airports with a special TSA security line.

Best hotel youve stayed at in 2025: Waldorf Astoria New York and the Kisawa Sanctuary Mozambique

The Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique which Nicky says is the best hotel he's ever stayed at

Its a dual award for two very different hotels. First up, we were the first to stay in the reimagined, iconic Waldorf Astoria New York. With hundreds of millions of dollars of investment, it really has the wow factor and is seeped in history.

Kisawa stood out not only as a 2025 pick, but the best hotel I have ever stayed in. A luxury resort partnered with a marine research facility set on a stunning island in Mozambiques Bazaruto Archipelago and nestled among more than 700 acres of sand dunes and oceanside forest, theres really nothing else quite like it.

Best activity you did in 2025: Nurse shark swimming in the Maldives

Im a sucker for animals, and a safari took the prize last year, but this time around the ocean held the key. I experienced swimming among a swarm of nurse sharks and rays in the Maldives. The W Hotel provides a day trip, but even more incredible was the brand new JW Marriott Kaafu Atoll Island Resort which has a nurse shark station only minutes from the shores of the hotels beach.

Best travel moment in 2025: Abercrombie & Kent safari watching leopard/lion kills

On the theme of nature, back to land, I witnessed a movie play out in front of my eyes in Botswana. As the sun was setting we watched a leopard mother hunting, while trying to protect her cub against an incoming pride of lions, competing for the same prey. The leopard killed a warthog and hid the kill from the lions but in the chaos of the chase the rest of the warthog family chose the direction of the lions and met their end. It was nature at its most raw and I was mesmerised.

Most disappointing cabin tried in 2025: BA A380 Club World

The oldest style of British Airways business class seat remains on their fleet of 12 Airbus A380s, the largest passenger jet in the sky. The product is now uncompetitive compared to other airlines, and indeed their own excellent Club Suite business class seat. I dont hate the seat itself, I find it comfortable, especially for sleeping as you have a lot of space around the feet, but these aircraft are really showing their age. On my last flight, the storage bins were held together with stickers and tape and you needed an expertly positioned teaspoon to keep the IFE screen in front of you. There are huge improvements coming though, read on to the most looking forward to section, below.

Most disappointing airline food of 2025: Hawaiian

The meal Nicky had on his Hawaiian Airlines flight from Seattle to Seoul

The food itself wasnt terrible on Hawaiians Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but for a very long flight from Seattle to Seoul, I would have hoped for a much more plentiful offering.

Most disappointing flight of 2025: Airlink from Cape Town to Maun, Botswana

This was my very first flight of 2025. After significant confusion at the airport around baggage allowances because the tickets were booked on Airlink using United miles and no information of baggage had been shared between the airlines, we arrived at our destination to find no luggage. We were heading immediately out on safari and because of this, we didnt see our luggage for six days. During this time, I became ill with a bad virus, suffering from fever, stuck out in the bush without even the basics like paracetamol which was in my checked luggage.

Most disappointing hotel of 2025: Sonder Miami

Sonder has now crashed out of the Marriott family, and I am not surprised, based on my recent stay in October at the 17 West Sonder Miami property. Broken aircon, rude staff, an alarm that was going off in the lobby for our entire stay, lack of cleaning even after multiple requests and more, all came together to create a disastrous experience. To make matters worse, because of Sonders fall from Marriott grace, my complaint and feedback emails have now been met by a brick wall.

What are you most looking forward to in 2026?

Cabins: British Airways A380 retrofit programme with new first class and installation of Club Suites and a very exciting launch of Singapore Airlines new first and business class products, coming from an airline which is already among the leaders in premium cabins.

Flight: We edge ever closer to the launch of Qantass Project Sunrise flights which will provide direct, non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York with reimagined cabins on the Airbus A350 and also the launch of Alaskas new long-haul routes, utilised never-seen-before long haul aircraft which will include London and Rome for the first time ever.

New aircraft: United will bring its 787-9s to the market with a hotly anticipated new business class cabin and more.

New hotels: After the successful launch of Waldorf Astoria NYC, the Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch London will open its doors.

New travel hacks: Ensure you have the right apps to beat the competition  Flightradar24 or Flighty will get you ahead of the competition when chaos ensues.

For more from Nicky and The Points Guy team, visit thepointsguy.com; sign up to their newsletters here.

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For the best in aviation entertainment, head youtube.com/thepointsguyuk.
Love Island has become the most complained about programme in 2025 in the UK, Ofcom has revealed.

The hit ITV dating show, hosted by Maya Jama, saw a staggering 14,121 grievances made to the broadcasting regulator - compared to last year's 3,500.

The reality series brought drama at its finest on our screens, but several controversial scenes took five spots in Ofcom's top ten.

The episode to receive the most complaints of the year - 3,547 in total - was the alleged bullying of contestant Shakira Khan on July 24.

On July 22, 2,509 were raised to the regulator authority, while July 23 saw 2,002 more complaints, mainly about the perceived bullying.

Ofcom also said some viewers of the show took umbrage at Megan Forte Clarke's return after she had been dumped by the public's vote.

Love Island has become the most complained about programme in 2025 in the UK, Ofcom has revealed (Lauren and Harrison pictured)

The hit ITVdating show, hosted by Maya Jama, saw a staggering 14,121 grievances made to the broadcasting regulator - compared to last year's 3,500

Despite two more episodes reaching the top ten, also mostly focused on bullying concerns, the broadcasting regulator decided not to investigate.

Ofcom said the negative behaviour portrayed 'was not shown in a positive light', and fans would expect to see the highs and lows.

Daily Mail has contacted ITV's representatives for a comment.

Vanessa Feltz's Channel 5 show in June received 1,800 complaints about relating to a discussion on breastfeeding and its supposed benefits.

Vanessa interviewed Karen Millen, a fashion designer, and asked what she thought about breastfeeding a three-year-old child.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Karen replied: 'There's no benefit, is there, for a child to be breastfed beyond six months really. I think it's quite a selfish thing on the mother's part.'

The Ofcom's top ten also included the moment actor Mickey Rourke's homophobic and misogynistic tirade against JoJo Siwa.

The 72-year-old actor's actions sparked a huge backlash, ahead of his axe from the house, with a whopping 1,000 people complaining.

The episode to received most complaint - specifically 3,547 were filed - was the alleged bullying of contestant Shakira Khan (pictured) on July 24

Ofcom had also said some viewers of the show took umbrage at Megan Forte Clarke's (pictured) return after she had been dumped by the public's vote

The Ofcom's top ten also included the moment actor Mickey Rourke's homophobic and misogynistic tirade against JoJo Siwa

Vanessa Feltz's Channel 5 show in June received 1,800 complaints about relating to a discussion on breastfeeding and its supposed benefits

The Brit Awards, which aired on 1 March, made headlines for gripes over Sabrina Carpenters X-rated stage performance as well Charli XCXs sexy see-through dress.

Today With Samantha Washington on Sky News was also subject to controversy and complaints over a segment discussion on Gaza aid.

This year's chart comes after Ofcom received more than 300 complaints after Emmerdale aired harrowing murder and sex slavery scenes.

An ongoing county lines storyline involves April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) and Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle) being manipulated by drug dealers Celia (Jaye Griffiths) and Ray (Joe Absolom).

In particular, it has seen long-standing character April forced into drug dealing and child prostitution.

The episode aired on December 4 saw the regulator receive 297 complaints from disgusted Emmerdale viewers.

This followed a further 59 complaints being submitted following the instalment aired just two days earlier.

A spokesperson for Ofcom said: 'The majority of complaints related to the Celia/Ray storyline appearing pre-watershed.'
Rating:

Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge (ITV1)

The late Queen barely gave an interview in her life.

King Charles has been less reticent  but it was still jarring to see him being quizzed by cocky Steve Backshall as if he were merely some palace flunkey.

Granted an audience at the start of Steve Backshalls Royal Arctic Challenge, the naturalist did address the monarch as Your Majesty when they met, though his bow was more the sort of muted nod of acknowledgement one regular gives another across a crowded pub.

A moment later, he broke protocol (twice) by patting Charles on the shoulder and asking a question: How are you, sir?  probably just a pleasantry, though it sounded intrusive, given the Kings recent treatment for cancer.

After that, Backshall dispensed with deference. He bombarded Charles with questions about his visit, as Prince of Wales 50 years ago, to the Canadian far north.

Then he talked across the royal replies, and failed to address the King as sir even once more.

Perhaps his arrogance was a display of Dimbleby-esque contempt for the Crown, though I doubt it. I suspect hes simply a bumptious oik who doesnt know how to behave . . . though surely his producers briefed him on basic etiquette.

The King bore this rudeness with good grace. But I wish this film had been made a decade ago, with Prince Philip instead.

Cocky Steve Backshall quizzed the King as if he were merely some palace flunkey

The presenters insolence would certainly have earned him a flea in his ear, and possibly a boot in the Backshall backside.

Charless 1975 Arctic adventure is chiefly remembered now for the royal japes. After scuba diving below the sea ice, the Prince showed the shivering Press corp how his survival suit could be inflated and deflated at the touch of a button.

Waddling around with the suit blown up like an airship, he let the air out in one long hiss, crumpling with it until he was bent double - a rare glimpse of the real Charles and his delight in absurd humour.

His diving instructor, Dr Joe MacInnis, matched that silliness by donning a bowler hat and opening an umbrella underwater. He thought Id gone mad, chuckled Dr MacInnis, now 88.

But no, he got into the spirit, took the hat and the umbrella, and floated up towards the dive hole, trailing a stream of bubbles like Mary Poppins.

Sadly, that moment was not captured on camera. But the King was delighted to watch the archive footage and relive his Action Man era. Im afraid Ive always tended to live life dangerously, he mused.

Most of the two-hour special was devoted to Backshalls own Arctic expedition.

It should have been trimmed to 90 minutes: footage of a mother polar bear with her two cubs was magical, and the glacier landscapes were otherworldly, but watching scientists map the thickness of the ice to the nearest inch . . . well, Im afraid it left me cold.
Susanna Reid has revealed which of her Good Morning Britain colleagues she's going to miss after confirming she was going on an extended break from the show.

The TV host, who normally joins ITV co-star Richard Madeley on the breakfast news programme, revealed she would return to screens in 2026 earlier this week.

Appearing on Wednesday's instalment of the show, Susanna, 55, told fans she was 'saying goodbye for Christmas', adding: 'I will see you next year.'

And shortly after, she took to Instagram, sharing a selfie with the fellow ITV member of staff that she was going to 'miss' while on her break.

Smiling alongside make-up artist Heather King, who works behind the scenes on the series, Susanna wrote: 'My amazing make up artist and friend. Going to miss you.'

It comes after Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce revealed he would be stepping down from the programme after a decade-long stint.

Susanna Reid has revealed which of her Good Morning Britain colleagues she's going to miss after confirming she was going on an extended break from the show

Smiling alongside make-up artist Heather King, who works behind the scenes on the series, Susanna revealed she was going to 'miss' her 'friend' who works behind-the-scenes

The GB News presenter, who often appears alongside Kevin Maguire in segments of the show discussing current affairs, confirmed the news earlier this week.

Taking to social media, he said: 'It's the end of an era, after a decade of squabbling, fighting, and arguments with Kevin on Good Morning Britain, it's my last show.

'Because of the new schedules in the New Year means I can't be here for all of it, which means that's my last one, because I've got my GB News show to do.

'It's been a blast, I've had a great time on GMB, but onwards and upwards.'

Good Morning Britain is one of the shows affected by the scheduling shake-ups at ITV, which will come into play in the New Year.

The changes to the ITV daytime shows will see Lorraine move to a 30-week schedule with episodes cut to just half an hour from 9:30 to 10am.

This Morning will continue to air for two-and-a-half hours from 10am until 12:30pm, while Good Morning Britain will be increased by 30 minutes each day.

Loose Women will continue in its usual slot from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, but episode numbers will be reduced to a 30-week 'seasonal' based schedule.

Susanna normally presents Good Morning Britain alongside Richard Madeley

Daily Mail columnist Andrew Pierce revealed he would be stepping down from the programme after a decade-long stint this week

Earlier this year, a huge Loose Women cast update has revealed the fate of every panelist after a 'tense' few months of 'everyone feeling on edge' amid the ITV daytime cuts.

Back in May, fans were shocked to find out that the popular show, as well as Lorraine, are set to be AXED for half the year - after the channel announced a big shake up to its daytime schedule.

It has left many wondering who will be returning, and luckily the budget cuts will not be affecting those on our screens.

A source told The Sun: 'Its been a tense time since the changes were announced in May and everyone has felt on edge, like theyre singing for their supper. So its a relief that everyone will broadly remain.

'Its true there will be less shifts to go around but there is no intention for the cast to lose any faces.

'There will be job cuts across the daytime teams but it will be through merging production teams, not touching talent, in regards to Loose Women.'

An ITV spokesperson said: 'We always said we valued the Loose Women and that we wouldnt be changing the panel, so viewers can look forward to seeing the familiar line up in the New Year.'

The current presenters include Kaye Adams, 62, Ruth Langsford, 65, Christine Lampard, 46, and Charlene White, 45.

Lee Peart, a comedian and presenter, has been part of the Loose Women family since 2017, and helps get the crowd ready for the show ahead of it hitting screens on ITV

Lee confirmed that live studio audiences will have just two weeks to see him perform before the show, as he lamented it would be the 'last time' he worked alongside his panellist pals Ruth Langford, Gloria Hunniford and Kelle Bryan

They are joined by panelists Jane Moore, 63, Nadia Sawalha, 61, Coleen Nolan, 60, Denise Welch, 67, Janet Street-Porter, 78, Linda Robson, 67, Myleene Klass, 47, Gloria Hunniford, 85, Kelly Brook, 46, Brenda Edwards, 56, Kelle Bryan, 50, Judi Love, 45, Frankie Bridge, 36, Sunetra Sarker, 52, Katie Piper, 42, Dame Kelly Holmes, 55, Olivia Attwood, 34, Sue Cleaver, 62, Mariella Frostrup, GK Barry and Oti Mabuse.

It's already seen one Loose Women star confirmed to be waving goodbye, as Lee Peart, who serves as a warm-up act for the live studio audience behind-the-scenes of the show, admitted the 'goodbyes were starting' now in the lead up to the final show.

But he took to Facebook to announce that he was waving goodbye to the show as he posed for a photo with panellists Ruth Langford, Gloria Hunniford and Kelle Bryan.

Lee, a comedian and presenter, has been part of the Loose Women family since 2017, and helps get the crowd ready for the show ahead of it hitting screens on ITV.

He confirmed that live studio audiences will have just two weeks to see him perform before the show, as he lamented it would be the 'last time' he worked alongside his panellist pals.

He penned: 'Two weeks today will be my final Loose Women! A bittersweet end of an era the goodbyes are starting as it's the last time I'll work with Ruth, Gloria and Kellie in this capacity!'

Lee, 35, was showered in supportive messages by his fans, who admitted they were 'gutted' to hear he was leaving the show, which airs on weekdays on ITV.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
Alan Carr was on hand to comfort pal Amanda Holden as the Britain's Got Talent star burst into tears during a milestone Christmas moment.

The duo star in a hit BBC travel show, where they have carried out renovations in sunny destinations.

In a one-off Christmas special, the pair returned to Spain, where they attended a festive lights switch on in Malaga.

Amanda, 54, became visibly emotional during the event, first declaring 'I'm going to cry!', before adding: 'I feel like I'm at Disney.'

She then proceeded to bury her face in her hands as Alan, 49, pulled her into a hug for comfort.

He remarked: 'You love Christmas so much!', while Amanda described her emotional reaction as 'so silly'.

Alan Carr was on hand to comfort pal Amanda Holden after she broke down in tears during a Christmas moment

Amanda was visibly emotional during a particularly festive scene of the pair's one-off Christmas special

Amanda and Alan returned to Spain, where they attended a Christmas lights switch on in Malaga

She continued: 'I love Christmas, I feel like we're in our own Christmas movie.'

The BBC shared a clip of this scene on their Instagram page, with one fan commenting: 'Just adore these two. Such friendship and fun. Good souls x.'

Another added: 'I love the Amanda and Alan shows, really cheer you up.'

A third chimed in: 'Watched this and I loved it! Very happy programme and well done for a happy tonic for us all.'

While a fourth remarked: 'Love you @noholdenback!!!! You just keep on being silly.

'Thats one of the things I love most about you. Youre not afraid to show what youre feeling. Love you, @chattyman.'

Fans lapped up the sweet moment and showered the pair in praise

Last month, Alan opened up about how Amanda tried to help him with his dating life, but she was a bit 'naive' when setting up his account.

Their latest travel instalment, Amanda And Alan's Greek Job, sees the pair renovate a property in Corfu, Greece.

While in Greece, Amanda thought she would attempt to aid the comedian's love life after making him an account on a Greek app.

Speaking to The Sun Alan explained: 'Amanda put me on a Greek app, but I don't think she realised how much information the gays want!

'There were sizes, kinks: "Are you a train or a tunnel?" "Are you the letter or the letterbox?"'

He joked: 'She went "Alan, I love you to bits, but I've had to guess some of these."

'I think she was a bit naive and thought they'd be asking about eye colour, but it was quite intimate.'

The famous faces are close friends as well as colleagues, with Alan previously revealing Amanda had tried to help with his dating life

The funnyman previously wed Paul Drayton in 2018 , with pal Adele as their officiant, before announcing their split in January 2022 after being together for 13 years.

Last year, he exclusively confirmed to the Daily Mail that he's back on the market after his reported split from toyboy boyfriend Callum Heslop, 28.

Alan previously said he would never use apps as he shared the one condition he has while dating.

He told the Mirror back in January: 'I'm dating, I'm dipping my toe in, but that's all I'm doing. I won't do the apps, it has to be a friend of a friend.

'I'm just going on a few dates but they're unsuccessful. I mean, I'm never in the country, but I'm ready now for someone... anyone.'

Speaking about his type Alan quipped: 'I look for a rugby boy. I like them big, and chunky - chunky everywhere. If you catch what I'm saying.'

However despite his hopes of finding love the TV personality admitted he was not using any dating sites: 'How can I go on Grindr? I'm taking it easy at the minute.

'Do you really want this face popping up on a [dating] app?'
Emily In Paris fans have pointed out a glaring editing error just minutes into the new series of the hit Netflix show as it returned to screens this week.

The drama, which stars Lily Collins as Emily Cooper - an American marketing whizz who moved to Paris - made its highly-anticipated return on Thursday.

Since its launch in 2020, fans have been eagerly following Lily, 36, as Emily, as she struggles to make long-lasting romantic connections and find her feet abroad.

The last series ended with Emily and her love interest Marcello, who is played by Eugenio Franceschini, in Rome, and the new series picks up where things left off.

And as their romance continues to blossom, the duo head out on an autumnal walk in the countryside of Rome, after Emily relocated there to be with Marcello and his family.

While she's seen sporting towering green heels throughout the scenes, which are left muddied and ruined after the walk, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, fans have pointed out a major continuity error.

Emily In Paris fans have pointed out a glaring editing error just MINUTES into the new series of the hit Netflix show as it returned to screens this week (pictured: Lily Collins and Eugenio Franceschini)

The drama, which stars Lily Collins as Emily Cooper - an American marketing whizz who moved to Paris - made its highly-anticipated return on Thursday

As Emily joins Marcello on the woodland hike, one shot sees Emily, who is wearing a matching green shorts and blazer set, swap her heels for green wellies.

Though extremely quick, the shot shows Emily wearing knee-high boots, the same as those worn by the other female stars in the scene.

An eagle-eyed fan took to Reddit to explain: 'Only 12 minutes in the first episode and there's already a continuity error. Emily steps out of the car in her green heels...

'Then there's a birds-eye-view shot of them through the trees where Emily is wearing boots, then it cuts to tighter shot of her struggling in heels again. Nice one.'

Another viewer agreed: 'I thought I saw her in boots for a second!'

It comes after Lily Collins gave fans a sneak peek behind the scenes of Emily in Paris Season five on Thursday as the new series finally landed on Netflix.

The actress took to her Instagram to post several snaps of herself and her co-stars on set in Paris, as she thanked her team and fans for all the love and support.

In one sweet snap, Emily donned a chic black and white jumpsuit as she giggled uncontrollably with her co-stars Samuel Arnold, 34, and Ashley Park, 34.

As Emily joins Marcello on the woodland hike, one shot sees Emily, who is wearing a matching green shorts and blazer set, swap her heels for green wellies

As their romance continues to blossom, the duo head out on an autumnal walk in the countryside of Rome, after Emily relocated there to be with Marcello and his family

The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment sees Emily in her green outfit, wearing a pair of wellington boots

She also shared a photo of herself and Ashley posing for a silly selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Meanwhile, in another snap, Lily looked effortlessly chic in a black gingham off-the-shoulder top and a black pinstripe skirt with a slit, striking up a pose for the camera.

In another sweet on-set behind-the-scenes photo, Lily and her co-star Ashley giggled uncontrollably as they danced together, with the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop.

Meanwhile, in another outdoor snap, Lily cut a stylish figure in a white summer dress with a blue polka dot print, striking a sultry pose on a chair as she took a break from filming.

The actress also gave fans a glimpse of her lavish wardrobe, which was filled with a plethora of vibrant coloured heels and featured a rail full of chic clothing items.

She also posed alongside her new co-star, Minnie Driver, 55, in another shot, in which the duo wore similar ensembles.

Meanwhile, in another shot, her co-star Bruno Gouery, 50, beamed as Lily took a close-up photo of him beside a nude painting in France.

In one funny video, Lily can be seen running along as a team member threw what appears to be mini sandbags at her as she filmed a running scene.

Since its launch in 2020, fans have been eagerly following Lily, 36, as Emily, as she struggles to make long-lasting romantic connections and find her feet abroad

Lily Collins gave fans a sneak peek behind the scenes of Emily in Paris Season five on Thursday as the new series finally landed on Netflix (pictured with Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu)

Sharing the snaps to Instagram, Lily captioned the post: 'TODAY IS THE DAY! Season five is officially yours and so is this peek behind the scenes.

'Narrowing this down to 20 slides was nearly impossible... never a dull moment on set with this group.

'Feeling insanely grateful for my @emilyinparis family and for all of you who are binging it the moment it dropped. We wouldnt be here with you! ENJOY!'

It comes after Emily in Paris released a first look at its fifth season, with producers also teasing a possible exit by a major character.

Netflix released the trailer to fans earlier this month, ahead of the brand-new season's launch on December 18.

The clip shows Lily's alter ego Emily as she adjusts to her new life in Rome with Eugenio Franceschini's character Marcello.

Elsewhere, with Emily struggling to settle in, Gabriel appears as the pair have a heart-to-heart.

The character, played by Lucas Bravo, tells her he's excited by the future, and she should be too.

In one sweet snap, Lily donned a chic black and white jumpsuit as she giggled uncontrollably with her co-stars Samuel Arnold, 34, and Ashley Park, 34

She also shared a photo of herself and Ashley posing for a silly selfie in front of the Eiffel Tower

He's then seen boarding a train, with it not clear if he's exploring Rome or returning to Paris.

It further fuels speculation that Gabriel is being written out of the show following his split from Emily, after his absence from the initial trailer caused alarm amongst fans.

A synopsis for season five released by Netflix reads: 'Now the head of Agence Grateau Rome, Emily faces professional and romantic challenges as she adapts to life in a new city.

'But just as everything falls into place, a work idea backfires, and the fallout cascades into heartbreak and career setbacks. Seeking stability, Emily leans into her French lifestyle, until a big secret threatens one of her closest relationships.

'Tackling conflict with honesty, Emily emerges with deeper connections, renewed clarity, and a readiness to embrace new possibilities.'

Emily In Paris is available to stream on Netflix now.
This Morning welcomed a brand new face to its hosting panel today - and the new show star left fans open-mouthed in the process with a VERY rude introduction.

Dermot O'Leary has been joined by a variety of different faces on the ITV daytime show this week, after Emma Willis was forced to pull out of co-hosting the series due to a last minute illness.

On Monday, Dermot, 52, co-presented the series with familiar show face Josie Gibson, while during the week he was joined by Lorraine star Christine Lampard.

But on Friday's show, he was joined for the very first time, making her debut on the series, by Your Home Made Perfect star Angela Scanlon.

Angela, 41, was introduced by Dermot at the opening of the show, with the two sharing a friendly hug, laughing and joking about her ITV debut.

But the TV presenter left viewers at home in shock as she made a cheeky jibe about 'popping her cherry' just minutes into the latest instalment.

This Morning welcomed a brand new face to its hosting panel today - and the new show star left fans open-mouthed in the process with a VERY rude introduction

Angela, 41, was introduced by Dermot at the opening of the show, with the two sharing a friendly hug, laughing and joking about her ITV debut

Dermot began: 'Ladies and gentlemen, may I present... Angela Scanlon!'

To which Angela replied: 'This is wild, it's also so festive, I feel like this is the welcome that everyone should get, and I'm so happy to be popping my This Morning cherry with you, Dermot.'

As laughs could be heard from the crew off screen, the pair shook hands and Dermot said: 'We're old friends,' to which Angela continued: 'We're old pals!'

'Just the This Morning cherry, everyone, that's all, keep that to yourselves,' he joked.

Viewers took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to laugh about the cheeky euphemism.

One asked: 'Did she say popping her cherry with Dermot?' as another reacted, with a nervous emoji: 'Call me old fashioned!'

Noting how fellow show star Gyles Brandreth appeared to raise an eyebrow at Angela's choice of words, a third said: 'I dont think Giles was a fan of her phrase popping cherry...'

It comes after Dermot left fans of the show shocked as he leaned over and BIT his co-star Christine Lampard live on air as they hosted This Morning together on Wednesday.

TV presenter Angela left viewers at home in shock as she made a cheeky jibe about 'popping her cherry' just minutes into the latest instalment

Angela made a joke about 'popping her cherry' on the ITV series

The TV stars were discussing what was coming up on the latest instalment of the ITV daytime show when Dermot turned to bite Christine, 46, on the shoulder.

The host, who normally presents on Fridays alongside Alison Hammond, is standing in for Ben Shephard this week as he and Cat Deeley take a break.

At the opening of the show on Wednesday, Dermot and Christine took it in turns to reveal to audiences at home what would be coming up.

Revealing Red Eye stars Jing Lusi and Lesley Sharp would soon be taking to the studio, they went on to detail how there would be a 'Christmas shopping' segment later on in the show.

Christine said: 'If you still need a last minute Christmas gift, Steve Wilson is here...'

As the camera panned across the studio, it showed tables packed with gifting ideas -and when it cropped back to Dermot and Christine, he bit her on the shoulder.

'I know, it's stressful,' Christine reacted, brushing off the bite, as Steve showed off a 'stress ball' toy saying: 'This will relieve a bit of stress as well.'

Turning towards Dermot, Christine joked: 'There you have it,' to which Dermot replied: 'A member of the team would really appreciate that right now...'

Dermot O'Leary leaned over and BIT his co-star Christine Lampard live on air as they hosted This Morning together on Wednesday

The TV stars were discussing what was coming up on the latest instalment of the ITV daytime show when Dermot, 52, turned to bite Christine, 46, on the shoulder

Earlier this week, Emma Willis's appearance on This Morning was cancelled on Monday just hours before she was due on air, as it was revealed the star was unwell and unable to join co-star Dermot.

On Monday's show, Dermot and Josie, 40, were quick to reveal that the Love Is Blind host would not be appearing this week as planned, due to a last minute illness.

Dermot said: 'Look who is back with me, it's only miss Josie Gibson. Lovely to have you,' to which Josie replied: 'Thanks for having me!'

'For for disclosure, Emma was supposed to be with us this week, but Emma is feeling a little bit poorly,' Dermot continued, blowing a kiss at the camera.

'Sending her big love - and that was Emma's primary school, as well,' Dermot continued, as Josie added: 'Get well soon!'

It was not revealed what illness stopped Emma from taking to screens, and Daily Mail have contacted Emma's representatives for comment.

It no doubt came as a disappointment to fans, who previously begged for Emma to become a permanent fixture on This Morning after appearing as a co-host on the show alongside Rylan Clark.

Back in 2023, the duo filled in for the week leading up to Christmas, joining the revolving carousel of part-time presenters since Holly Willoughby's abrupt departure just months before.

Emma Willis' appearance on This Morning was cancelled on Monday, as it was revealed the star was unwell and unable to join co-star Dermot O'Leary (pictured with fellow This Morning star Rylan Clark)

Dermot, 52, was joined by fellow ITV host Josie Gibson , as Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard take a break from screens in the run up to Christmas

Previously, Emma emerged as the bookies favourite to take Holly's role on This Morning after impressing viewers with her consummate appearances.

And her undeniable popularity has been duly noted among bookmakers, with Ladbrokes giving her odds of 11/10 to claim the coveted presenting role full time.

Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: 'Emma Willis made a major impact on This Morning today and after instantly sparking a flurry of bets, she is the new favorite to replace Holly Willoughby.'

Elsewhere show regular Alison Hammond has odds of 2/1, Josie Gibson is 5/2 /1, Rochelle Humes, 6/1, Kate Garraway, 10/1, and Storm Huntley, 14/1, while Abbey Clancy and Angela Scanlon are tied at 16/1.

Earlier this year, Emma told fans she discovered she has had a hole in her heart since she was born and so had surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London in April.

Keyhole heart surgery involves making small incisions in the chest as opposed to the breastbone as in traditional open heart surgery. This meant she avoided an open-heart recovery and instead had a 'smooth' recovery, but has had to learn to adjust.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX.
The Celebrity MasterChef champion has finally been crowned after a 'showstopping and absolutely brilliant' feat in the BBC finale.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Ginger Johnson lifted the coveted trophy - becoming the 20th celebrity to win the dazzling prize as the series came to an end.

Ginger, the stage name of Donald Marshall, 37, beat rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones, and broadcaster Dawn O'Porter in the tense final episode.

Judges Grace Dent and John Torode, who have presided over the competition, crowned Ginger after delivery her best food to date.

Reacting to her win, Ginger said: 'I cannot believe this, Im so shocked. I really thought I was going to come here and have a laugh.

'I cant believe this is the end result of the competition. Its absolutely crazy! I cant wait to tell my mum and dad. Ive actually learned a real-life skill!'

RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Ginger Johnson lifted the coveted trophy - becoming the 20th celebrity to win the dazzling prize as the series came to an end

Ginger, the stage name of Donald Marshall, 37, beat rugby legend Alun Wyn Jones, and broadcaster Dawn O'Porter in the tense final episode

Grace Dent praised: 'Throughout this entire competition Ginger has delivered these intriguing, inventive, exciting, imaginative, difficult feats. Whats shes done is something really impressive.'

And John Torode added: 'With all the presentation, all the fun, the laughs, her food tastes delicious and she's an extraordinary cook. For me, thats why she is our champion.'

The final week saw the celebrities tasked with creating a three-course meal, within just three hours, to reflect on how far they had come in the series.

Their last chance to wow the judges, the stars had the opportunity to come up with their own menu to be presented to the judges.

Talking about her menu ahead of the challenge, Ginger revealed: 'This is showtime for me. The dinner table is a stage today and Im going to try and make the most fun, exciting, humorous food that I can.

'Im cooking the ultimate, contemporary 1970s dinner party. Surprise, surprise, I love the art, the fashion, the music and the culture.'

Ginger served up a Bloody Mary prawn cocktail, which featured prawns in a tomato, chilli and vodka sauce, with diced cucumber and Worcestershire jelly cubes, garnished with roasted prawns, lettuce, celery and olives.

The impressive dish was topped with celery-salted crisps and mayonnaise.

Judges Grace Dent and John Torode, who have presided over the competition, crowned Ginger after delivery her best food to date

The star served up an impressive three-course meal for the judges

Commenting on the dish, John said: 'This is showstopping, absolute brilliance.'

Ginger went on to serve up a Duck a l'Orange, a duck leg and vegetable pie with an orange and red wine gravy, served with garlic hasselback potatoes, purople carrot, a charred baby romanesco and kale.

The menu was completed with a Flaming Baked Alaska dessert, a Swiss meringue covered a sponge base, a caramelised pineapple ring, a glace cherry and a vanilla and cherry ice-cream.

The dessert was soaked and covered in rum.

After the menu, Grace told Ginger: 'Youve always put on a show and made us laugh, but at the root of it there is a serious cook.

'Theres never been a point when you havent tried take things and twist them to another level to impress us and excite us.'

Ginger, who lives with partner Vyv and their two cats, and is originally from County Durham, has been a drag performer since university.

The RuPaul's Drag Race UK star, who won the fifth series in 2023, said of her influences behind her menu: 'I have always been a big eater.

Ginger made it to the final of Celebrity MasterChef alongside writer Dawn O'Porter, and rugby star Alun Wyn Jones

Ginger, who won her series of Drag Race in 2023, took to the MasterChef kitchen in full drag, including her large ginger wig and glamorous make-up

'My mum would do the weeknight dinners and on a Saturday my dad would try something a bit special. That definitely inspired me to try lots of different things.

'So, Ive always had a real passion for eating, and now, for cooking.

'Being part of this competition has pushed me to be adventurous - trying to bring the creativity that I find in the rest of my life into food. Ive caught the bug for the food and the competition.'

Ginger joins an impressive cohort of winners, including Strictly's Vito Coppola, Wynne Evans, Lisa Snowdon, Kadeena Cox, Greg Rutherford and Kimberly Wyatt.

It comes after Ginger hit back at a troll who made vicious swipe at her 'absolutely ludicrous' appearance on the BBC One cooking competition.

She took to social media to hit back with a response to the nasty comment.

Ginger took to the MasterChef kitchen in full drag, including her large ginger wig and glamorous make-up, each week including the final.

It saw Ginger branded 'ludicrous' by one cruel viewer, who took to X, formerly Twitter, to hit out at her appearance.

The RuPaul's Drag Race star took to social media to hit back with a response to the nasty comment

'Ginger, you're not a "woman" you look absolutely ludicrous,' the nasty commenter penned, including the hashtag for the Celebrity MasterChef series.

Underneath the comment, Ginger hit back: 'Thank you, sweetheart! "Ludicrous" is exactly what Im aiming for. Have a lovely Christmas.'

Fans of the star were thrilled to see her clap back against the user, and flooded her with supportive messages telling her they 'love her'.

'Well youre succeeding beyond expectations dear, well done,' one wrote, as another chimed in: 'Theres something really funny about adding a hashtag to a hate post...'

Ginger made it to the final of Celebrity MasterChef alongside writer Dawn O'Porter, and rugby star Alun Wyn Jones, beating Uma Jammesh, Ashley Cain, Chris Hughes and Michelle Heaton.

She shot to fame in 2023 when she won RuPaul's Drag Race UK, and went on to co-present online breakfast show Wakey! and host her own BBC Three series, Ginger's House the following year.

Ginger has also written children's short stories Glamorous Gran and Other Tall Stories, which she has performed at the Southbank Centre.

Celebrity Masterchef is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
And the Academy Awards goes to... Love Island?

According to Deadline, producers behind the hit Peacock series are exploring ways to turn it into a feature film.

David George, CEO of the show's production company ITV America, said, 'This brand has a tremendous amount of value.

'We should be thinking about everything through the lens of how do we create something that creates peripheral value for us as a company.'

The US series has already spawned multiple spin-offs for Peacock, so the next step is a movie.

Producers behind Love Island USA are looking at turning the hit reality series into a film

'Why are we not taking Love Island and figuring out how were going to translate that into the movie world?' he said.

'There may be something going there. I cant even begin to tell you what it is, but there are those types of conversations.'

Love Island, which is based on the British reality series, was launched in the US in 2019 to a lukewarm reception.

However, the series truly broke out with its sixth season last year.

With Vanderpump Rules fan favorite Ariana Madix as the new host, season six broke viewership records on Peacock and became the No. 1 most-watched reality show in the US across all streaming platforms.

Due to the show's popularity, Peacock has forged ahead with the spin-offs Love Island Games, now hosted by Madix, and Love Island: Beyond the Villa.

Love Island is currently the most popular reality TV dating franchise in the world.

In addition to the UK and USA, the show is also incredibly popular in Australia, where it has aired seven seasons so far.

Seasons six and seven of Love Island USA have achieved record-breaking ratings on Peacock

In June, Madix was forced to hit back at bogus claims that the seventh season of Love Island USA was 'rigged'.

'You can have whatever opinions you want to have about the show itself, but I will tell you: Dont you start making up conspiracies,' she told The Wrap.

'As much as someone might try to gamify the show for themselves while theyre in there as an Islander, you cannot for 24 hours a day,' she explained.

In addition to hosting Love Island, Madix also landed a gig hosting the pre-show for The Voice finale on NBC.

She has a burgeoning acting career too with guest spots on St. Denis Medical and Will Trent, as well as a stint on Broadway last year.
South Korean disaster epic about the creation of a new humanity

Year: 2025

Certificate: 15

Watch now on Netflix

'Everything outside's a swimming pool,' says the little boy at the start of this South Korean disaster movie. That's called 'foreshadowing', folks - and when his mother opens the curtains on their high-rise home she's in for a shock. Everything outside really is a swimming pool, and so we roll into The Great Flood, Netflix's disaster epic for Christmas 2025.

In 2024 they brought us La Palma, if you remember - that series about the Norwegians whose trip to the Canary Islands was blighted by volcanoes and tsunami - but that took a while to actually get to the disaster. In The Great Flood, it's under way within the first ten minutes.

The flood is just the opening gambit, too - the film has plenty more up its sleeve as the mother, Gu An-na, is a research scientist and turns out to be crucial to the very survival of humanity. The flood is the result of an asteroid impact and our future, dear reader, is now in the stars... (108 minutes)
The organisers behind the Sydney premiere of Sam Worthington's new blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash have cancelled the event.

A spokesperson said that the red-carpet screening would not go ahead out of respect for the victims of Sunday's terror attack at Bondi Beach.

The Hollywood star, 49, and his wife, Lara Worthington, 38, were expected to attend the glitzy event, which was originally set for Monday night at the IMAX theatre in Darling Harbour.

Titanic director James Cameron, who helmed the new Avatar sequel, was also expected to show for the premiere alongside Australian actor Brendan Cowell.

Scheduled media interviews with the stars and Cameron have also been cancelled.

'Out of deep respect for the victims of the Bondi shooting, the planned Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere event today in Sydney has been cancelled,' a spokesperson for the event said in a statement.

The organisers behind the Sydney premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash have cancelled the event. (Pictured: Sam Worthington, 49, and wife, Lara Worthington, 38)

A spokesperson said that the red-carpet screening would not go ahead out of respect for the victims of Sunday's terror attack at Bondi Beach

'Our hearts are with the community, the victims, their families and loved ones.'

Organisers have yet to confirm that the premiere will be rescheduled, the Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

Worthington and his wife have been red carpet regulars over the past weeks after taking part in a global press tour for Avatar: Fire and Ash.

The couple have made numerous appearances in the US and Europe to promote the new film, which is a sequel to the original 2009 blockbuster Avatar.

It comes after witnesses said two men stepped out of a vehicle on Campbell Parade, near Bondi Pavilion, and opened fire about 6.47pm on Sunday.

Footage showed blast after blast on the tourist strip. Some witnesses reported more than 30 shots.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has confirmed that the incident was targeted at the Jewish community.

Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon formally designated the attack a terrorist incident.

Titanic director James Cameron, who helmed the new Avatar sequel, was also expected to attend the Sydney premiere. Pictured: Cameron and his wife, Suzy Cameron

The two alleged gunmen accused of shooting dead 16 people and injuring dozens of others were a father and son, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has confirmed.

Naveed Akram, 24, suffered critical injuries and remains in hospital under police guard.

His 50-year-old father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police.

Hollywood reacted in shock and grief following the devastating terror attack.

Stars including Rebel Wilson, Mandy Moore and Gal Gadot took to social media to condemn the violence.

They shared messages of solidarity with the Jewish community and mourned the lives lost during what should have been a night of faith and family.
When Christina Aguilera appeared on The Jennifer Hudson show last week some viewers were left doing a double take as she showed off her incredible, age-defying appearance.

Dancing to her 2002 hit Dirrty, the star - who celebrates her 45th birthday on December 18 - wore a tight white mini dress and red thigh-high boots while strutting her stuff in a way that was reminiscent of her 2001 Lady Marmalade music video.

Viewers afterwards remarked on X: 'Does she age? Wow!', 'Looking like 90s Christina'... 'She has never looked better OMG'.

Her recent appearances have left fans chattering about rumours that she might have undergone plastic surgery on her face to achieve her transformation - and now the Daily Mail has been given an exclusive insight into this from a top aesthetics doctor.

Her strikingly trim figure has also sparked rumors among fans who wondered if she may have turned to Ozempic-like drugs to help her impressive 50lb weight loss.

So how does she look better than ever as she celebrates turning 45?

When Christina Aguilera appeared on The Jennifer Hudson show last week some viewers were left doing a double take as she showed off her incredible, age-defying appearance

Her recent appearances and posts have left fans chattering about rumours that she might have undergone plastic surgery or be using weight-loss jab Ozempic

The star first sparked Ozempic rumors back in May of this year as she showed off her significant weight loss.

'So Christina Aguilera found an Ozempic pen and now she just needs to find a pen to give us a classic hit,' one fan penned.

However, others came to her defense, with one writing, 'All this talk about Christina Aguilera and her body is really gross. Christina has always been thin, she was naturally thin as a teenager.'

'Her body fluctuated throughout the years as it does when [one gets] older, live[s] and [has] kids. Ozempic or not. She looks amazing. Leave her alone, f***.'

In October she sparked concern with the weight loss as she attended Barry's Bootcamp, a workout studio in West Hollywood, for a collaboration and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her self-titled, debut album.

For the event, she slipped into a skin-tight bodysuit with knee-high, leather boots.

Shortly after, the Genie In A Bottle hitmaker shared her own footage from the event with a montage of fun clips of herself arriving at the studio and meeting attendees.

In the comments section, Instagram users flooded her comments section with remarks about her weight loss.

The star first sparked Ozempic rumors back in May of this year as she showed off her significant weight loss (seen right in 2012)

The star wore a tight white mini dress and red thigh-high boots while strutting her stuff in a way that was reminiscent of her 2001 Lady Marmalade music video

Some fans questioned if she actually exercised, asking what if she 'never stepped in a gym' and just used Ozempic to lose weight.

A clip from the function sparked widespread discourse on X, formerly Twitter, as fans speculated that she was taking her Ozempic usage too far and now looks like she's 'sick.'

Following the speculation, she has since commented on the 'media's obsession' with her weight over the years during an interview with Glamour in August.

'When you're a teenager, you have a very different body than when you're in your 20s,' she informed the outlet.

'I started to fill out, and then that was unacceptable because it was like, 'Oh, she's getting thicker.' Then I had industry people: 'They liked your body and how you were as a skinny teenager.''

However, as she has grown older, Christina revealed that she does not let comments about her weight affect her.

'I have a maturity now where I just don't give a f*** about your opinion. I'm not going to take it on.'

The mother-of-two added, 'It must be your responsibility to take up your space. Other people's opinions of me are not my business.'

'So Christina Aguilera found an Ozempic pen and now she just needs to find a pen to give us a classic hit,' one fan penned about her recently

Viewers afterwards remarked on X: 'Does she age? Wow!', 'Looking like 90s Christina'... 'She has never looked better OMG'

While Aguilera's weight has fluctuated over the years, her recent transformation has continued to fuel rumors of Ozempic usage (seen right in 2023)

In terms of cosmetic procedures, Dr Richard Devine, an aesthetic doctor and founder of Devine Clinic, has exclusively told The Daily Mail how she has achieved her look.

In terms of cosmetic procedures, Dr Richard Devine, an aesthetic doctor and founder of Devine Clinic, has exclusively told The Daily Mail how he thinks she has achieved her look.

Dr Devine made his conclusions after reviewing photographs of Christina, he has never personally treated her.

He told us: 'Christina Aguilera's transformation is a great example of how aesthetics can look natural and beautifully done when approached in the right way.

'Just a few years ago, her face appeared noticeably fuller and puffier, particularly through the lips and cheeks, creating that familiar 'pillowed' look often associated with too much filler.

'Looking back at older images of Christina, her underlying face shape has always remained the same. She naturally has a rounder face with contoured cheeks and a strong jawline. What changed over time was the level of volume, especially in the lips, which does suggest she had lip filler at some point.

'What's striking is how quickly she then moved away from that look. To achieve such a dramatic shift in a short space of time, the filler would almost certainly have needed to be dissolved rather than simply left to fade.

'Around the same time, Christina also appeared to lose a noticeable amount of weight, leading to speculation around weight-loss injections, which are known to affect facial fullness as well as body weight.

'Despite this, her face doesn't look hollow or tired, which is where the skill really shows.'

He added that while there has been speculation that her sharp jawline could be the result of a facelift, there are no obvious signs of the tell-tale scarring around the ears that you would normally expect.

He said that instead, the lift and definition could just as easily be down to non-surgical skin-tightening treatments or subtle structural support.

He added: 'Christina looks incredible, and her transformation is a reminder that the best aesthetic work doesn't shout. When it's done well, you don't see the treatments  you just see someone looking confident, refreshed and very much themselves.'

London-based aesthetics doctor Dr Jonny Betteridge - after looking at photographs of Christina but also not treating her - previously said he suspects the mother-of-two has undergone a face lift, eyelid surgery and extensive dental work.

'The change in weight in such a short period of time could be attributed to Ozempic use and I also think she would have dissolved all the filler in her face before then undergoing some surgical treatments,' he said.

In a recent viral TikTok video, the former emergency medicine doctor commented on the stark difference between Aguilera's look now, compared to her 'pillow face' appearance seen in 2022.

'A few years ago, she went through a phase of having too much dermal filler which gave a pillow face like appearance,' he said.

'We could predominantly see this in the midface, cheeks and lips.

In October she sparked concern with the weight loss as she attended Barry's Bootcamp, a workout studio in West Hollywood, for a collaboration

Christina is pictured in November 2012 in Los Angeles

'As time went on, a combination of too much dermal filler and an overall change in her weight led to this facial fullness.'

De Betteridge also added: 'If we compare her 18-year-old self to now at 43, the main changes I can immediately see are her nose  it's much sharper and lifted.

'She has more proportionate lips both in relation to the upper and lower lip so we can attribute this to filler and also the dental work as well, with veneers.

'Most notably an upper blepharoplasty to remove excess eyelid skin and I think an endoscopic facelift.'

An upper blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift, is an invasive procedure where surgeons make an incision along the natural eyelid crease to remove excess skin, giving a more taut look free of wrinkles.

Daily Mail has contacted Christina's representatives for comment.
Owning Manhattan's Jade Shenker has dished on a potential celebrity love interest now that she's newly single  and he also happens to be a reality star.

Netflix's Owning Manhattan delves into the personal and professional lives of Ryan Serhant's real estate agents in New York and has just launched season two.

Born-and-raised New Yorker Jade came into the Daily Mail's studio to spill the tea to Jessica Lessen on exclusive behind-the-scenes drama from the show and her personal life - including a potential suitor.

He might be almost 30 years her senior, but Shenker exclusively told the Daily Mail that Mauricio Umansky, 55, gave her his card, and she's interested in using it for pleasure rather than business.

The Netflix star, 29, said: 'He did give me his card. I wasn't sure because I think some people try to poach other agents.

'So, I wasn't sure if it was like a poach, or like, 'call me, wink, wink.' I couldn't tell if it was like that, but I do have his card.'

When asked if she was interested in dating him, Shenker said: 'If he called, then I would take the call and we would take it from there... I'm very open.'

They both work in the real estate industry and reality TV, and Umansky has already been spotted dating much younger women since his split from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards in 2023.

Owning Manhattan's Jade Shenker has revealed a fellow real estate star reached out to her

And the father-of-three now appears to have officially been given the green light to reach out to Shenker.

When it comes to the show, now in season two, Shenker didn't hold back when it came to her fellow real estate colleagues.

Jade called out one of her co-stars for 'wardrobing'  saying she buys designer clothing to film videos and then returns the items.

'Apparently she will go into like the Gucci store, buy something, wear it for the video, then return it,' Shenker said.

Jade came into the Daily Mail New York headquarters to dish on her personal life and the show

She also called out another colleague and co-star for an intimate rendezvous with another agent.

'I did hear she banged someone, another agent, in the bathroom one time.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for the agents named in Jade's claims, Owning Manhattan and Ryan Serhant and they all declined to comment.

Speaking about her own personal life, Shenker opened up on the serious toll her recent marriage separation took on her mental health.

She famously went through an alleged cheating scandal and split from her husband after claiming he was unfaithful during the first season of the Netflix show.

Mauricio Umansky, 55, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards split in 2023

'I went into a really dark place. Like terrible depression.'

'I had gotten a DM and this woman was like, 'so sorry to let you know, but I was out last night with your husband and see this...''

The woman claimed he had cheated with her earlier that night and Jade says she immediately confronted her husband in the middle of the night while he was sleeping.

'I woke him up and I was like, 'Did you kiss that one?' And his first reaction was like, 'She kissed me.' And I was like, 'No, we're not playing that. Don't waste my time.''

Jade says the couple tried to work on their relationship but ultimately decided to separate and Shenker has since moved into her own Upper West Side apartment.

She has dealt with the trauma by throwing herself into work and has started dating again.

(L to R) Jade Shenker, Tricia Lee, Nile Lundgren, Chloe Tucker Caine, Genesis Suero, Savannah Gowarty, Jordan March, Ryan Serhant, Jonathan Normolle, Jessica Taylor, Jessica Markowski, Jeffrey St. Arromand, Jordan Hurt from Netflix show Owning Manhattan

'There is one person who has been high in the rankings for me, but until I have an engagement ring I'm just receiving from the universe,' she said.

The realtor is clearly keeping the door open  perhaps for Umansky.

Shenker claims her estranged husband has also been dating and they have not yet divorced due to a number of joint financial assets.

'We still have investments together, so that's kind of complicated, because it's like when the investments are doing well, it's great, but when they're not doing well, [he's] like, 'send me money.''

Season two of Owning Manhattan is out now on Netflix.
Idris Elba looked delighted as he posed next to his lookalike waxwork at the unveiling of the figure at Madame Tussauds in London.

The movie star, 53, appeared stunned at the likeness as he stood next to his doppelganger.

Marking Idris' first waxwork at the Baker Street attraction, Idris said it feels 'really surreal to see another version of himself'.

The actor's double is kitted out in a long-sleeve version of the suit that he wore to meet the King in July 2024.

The figure is also wearing a pair of patent Christian Louboutin dress shoes, which have been donated to the museum by Idris.

Idris said: 'It's truly an honour to be recognised in this way and even more special to know this other version of me will be standing tall in London.

Idris Elba, 53, looked delighted as he posed next to his lookalike waxwork at the unveiling of the figure at Madame Tussauds in London

The Hollywood movie star appeared stunned at the likeness as he stood next to his doppelganger

'So, even when I'm away, a part of me is always at home.'

Idris, best known for his roles as Stringer Bell in The Wire and as TV detective Luther, has been involved with the attraction's artists for months.

He added: 'It's not dissimilar to prepping for a movie role - working with talented artists to flesh out the character, getting the costume just right, but this time it's for me.

'It's really surreal to see another version of me standing in Madame Tussauds London, it feels like a full circle moment.'

Most recently, Idris has been on screens in apocalyptic thriller A House Of Dynamite, and Disney's family film Zootopia 2.

The actor was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for his services to drama by Queen Elizabeth II.

He is also the face behind the Don't Stop Your Future campaign, launched in 2024, which aims to raise awareness of serious youth violence and knife crime in the UK.

Idris has since met with the King twice to discuss this matter and creating positive opportunities for young people.

Marking Idris' first waxwork at the Baker Street attraction, Idris said it feels 'really surreal to see another version of himself'

The actor's double is kitted out in a long-sleeve version of the suit that he wore to meet the King in July 2024

The figure is also wearing a pair of patent Christian Louboutin dress shoes, which have been donated to the museum by Idris

Idris said: 'It's truly an honour to be recognised in this way and even more special to know this other version of me will be standing tall in London'

'It's really surreal to see another version of me standing in Madame Tussauds London, it feels like a full circle moment', he added

Steve Blackburn, general manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: 'It's a privilege to be able to create Idris's first-ever figure right here in London, where it all began.

'His collaboration has been invaluable, and we're delighted to see his reaction to the finished figure.'

Idris' waxwork stands in the attraction's awards party zone, joining figures such as Gillian Anderson, Timothee Chalamet, Harry Styles, Zendaya and Lady Gaga.
Channel Nine has slammed rumours that weekend news anchor Georgie Gardner was 'reluctant' to host rolling coverage of the Bondi terror attack on Sunday.

Reports surfaced this week that the media veteran supposedly told producers that interrupting regular programming to cover the tragedy might appear 'alarmist', before she began hosting Nine's broadcast.

A spokesperson for the network told Daily Mail there was no basis to the claim.

Fifteen innocent people  including a 10-year-old girl  were killed during Australia's second-worst mass shooting on Sunday at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration, while 40 others were injured.

The alleged gunmen were quickly identified as father Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24.

Sajid was shot dead by police, while Naveed is recovering from bullet wounds in hospital. He has been charged with 59 offences.

Channel Nine has slammed rumours that weekend news anchor Georgie Gardner (pictured) was 'reluctant' to host rolling coverage of the Bondi terror attack on Sunday

A spokesperson for the network said there was no basis to the claim. (Pictured: Mourners at Bondi gather around a floral tribute)

According to News Corp, insiders had said Nine producers were discussing whether to shut down Sunday's programming in favour of covering the unfolding story in Bondi, when Gardner said she was concerned that the move might appear 'alarmist'.

'Nine is incredibly proud of its accurate, timely and factual coverage across our TV news, radio and publishing mastheads,' a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail, who added the story was inaccurate.

'Georgie is one of the most experienced, well-known news presenters in Australia and delivered rolling coverage of a horrific, unprecedented terrorist attack with compassion and composure.

'Georgie was supported by an incredible team of reporters, camera operators, editors, producers and crews both at the scene, in the studio and across our city,' they continued.

Gardner was covering for Pete Overton, who is currently on holiday, when the story broke that the Jewish Hanukkah celebration in Bondi had come under fire at 6.40pm.

Nine was the last of the major media organisations to go to air with rolling coverage of the Bondi massacre at 7.36pm after it had reported the terror attack during a bulletin at 6.57pm.

Rival Seven went live with the breaking story at 7.24pm, while Sky started their coverage at 7pm, with the ABC introducing their live report at 7.30pm.

Gardner is a presenter at Nine News in Sydney and reads the 6pm bulletin on Friday and Saturday nights.

Pictured: Gardner during Nine's coverage of the Bondi shootings on Sunday

Gardner joined the network in 2002.

In 2006, she replaced Leila McKinnon on National Nine News Morning Edition and would go on to work on Today for eight years.

She left her role at Today in 2014 to spend more time with her family.

In 2018, she replaced Lisa Wilkinson as co-host of Today alongside Karl Stefanovic.

She later co-hosted the show with Deborah Knight in 2019.
Stephen King has broken his silence on the death of Rob Reiner after the Hollywood director and his wife were brutally murdered by their son over the weekend.

King and Reiner were former collaborators, with Reiner directing two of King's most popular and acclaimed adaptations ever - 1986's Stand By Me and 1990's Misery.

Reflecting on their relationship in an emotional opinion piece for the New York Times, King recalled hugging Reiner after seeing Stand By Me for the first time.

'I was surprised by how deeply affected I was by its 89 minutes,' King wrote.

'When the movie was over, I thanked Rob and surprised the hell out of myself by giving him a hug,' he continued.

Stephen King has broken his silence on the death of Rob Reiner after the Hollywood director and his wife were brutally murdered

King recalled hugging Reiner after seeing his adaptation of Stand By Me for the first time

'I'm not ordinarily a hugging man, and I don't think he was used to getting them. He stiffened, muttered something about being glad I liked it, and we both stepped away.'

King then recounted being moved to tears by the film, which was based on his most personal and autobiographical novel, 1982's The Body.

'I went into the nearest men's bathroom and sat in a stall until I got myself under control,' he shared.

'When I came back from the mens, Rob and I had a more normal conversation. He asked me for notes; I had none. I had just let the whole thing wash over me. I marveled at what a good story the truth could make in the right hands.'

King also said that he was 'equally delighted' when he saw Reiner's Misery for the first time.

The 1990 thriller earned critical acclaim upon its release and earned a then-unknown Kathy Bates the Academy Award for Best Actress, making Misery the only film based on a novel by King to win an Academy Award.

King is notorious for disliking many adaptations of his work, so his support for Reiner's films is high praise from the picky novelist.

The Maine-born author famously dislikes Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, despite it being one of his most popular films.

'I was surprised by how deeply affected I was by its 89 minutes,' King said of Stand By Me, which moved him to tears

King also said that he was 'equally delighted' when he saw Reiner's Misery for the first time

King also hates 1984's Firestarter with a young Drew Barrymore, as well as The Lawnmower Man, The Running Man, and more recently, 2017's The Dark Tower.

It comes after Rob and Michele Reiner's cause of death was formally revealed after their son, Nick Reiner, made his first court appearance in the double murder case.

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said that the couple passed away after suffering from 'multiple sharp force injuries'.

Online records show the Hollywood legend and his photographer wife died on Sunday, the same day they were discovered in their $13.5 million mansion.

Both of their deaths have been ruled homicides, with the place of death listed as their residence. Their bodies are ready for release.

Nick was arrested on Sunday and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of his 78-year-old father and 70-year-old mother.

In addition to Misery and Stand By Me, Reiner's credits include This Is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride

Reiner and his photographer wife Michelle were murdered in their home by their son Nick

Prosecutors added special circumstances of multiple murders and use of a dangerous weapon, a knife, meaning, if he is convicted, Nick could face life in prison without the possibility of parole or even the death penalty.

The 32-year-old made a brief court appearance on Wednesday, wearing an anti-suicide vest, where he did not enter a plea.

Shortly after the hearing, the couple's other children, Romy and Jake, released a heart-wrenching statement on their deaths.

'Words cannot even begin to describe the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day,' the grieving siblings said.

'The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience.

'They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends. We are grateful for the outpouring of condolences, kindness, and support we have received not only from family and friends but people from all walks of life.'

The pair asked people for 'respect and privacy' and urged the public to treat any speculation with 'compassion and humanity'.

Jake and Romy said they wanted their father, a legend in Hollywood, and acclaimed photographer mother, to be remembered for the 'incredible lives they lived and the love' they gave.
Corey Haim's mother Judy Haim has slammed his Lost Boys co-star Corey Feldman after he alleged he was 'molested' by her son.

Judy refuted Feldman's, 54, claim on Thursday, alleging that he is trying to 'keep himself relevant' and that her son was 'not into men' while speaking to TMZ.

In a new Apple TV documentary about his life, Feldman claimed he was molested by his late best friend and confidante Corey  who died in 2010 at the age of 38  while they filmed the 1987 vampire thriller The Lost Boys. They were both 16 at the time.

Judy noted that her son is no longer here to be able to refute the claims, and alleged Feldman is 'creating another lie to poison people's heads and keep himself relevant.'

She insisted that 'there is no way in hell' that Corey molested Feldman, and questioned, 'Why would they be friends for so long if this happened? It doesnt add up.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Feldman's representatives for comment.

Corey Haim's mother, Judy Haim, has slammed his Lost Boys co-star Corey Feldman, 54, after he alleged he was 'molested' by her son; Judy seen with her late son Corey in 2007

Judy refuted Feldman's claim on Thursday, alleging that he is trying to 'keep himself relevant' and that her son was 'not into men' while speaking to TMZ; Feldman pictured in 2020

Judy further claimed that Feldman made the claims because 'he doesn't want people to focus on his own wrongdoings.'

Corey's mother went on to say that he liked women, and not men, and would tell her, 'I don't care if someone is gay, but I am not gay or any of that stuff.'

Feldman has previously claimed he and Haim were victims of sexual abuse as young actors in Hollywood.

Judy went on to say that Feldman 'always talks about sex and blames my kid for things that he is not here to defend himself about.'

Furthermore, Judy claimed Corey was always accompanied on set by either her, his father, or his sister, including on The Lost Boys, which is why she believes Feldman's claims don't add up.

Judy is reportedly considering taking legal action against the actor.

In Corey Feldman vs. The World, Feldman alleged Haim sexually propositioned him while they filmed The Lost Boys.

The Los Angeles native said he was 16 when he appeared opposite Haim, also then 16, in the film, which was one of their multiple cinema collaborations at the time.

She insisted that 'there is no way in hell' that Corey molested Feldman, and questioned, 'Why would they be friends for so long if this happened? It doesnt add up'; She is seen in 2011

Judy claimed her son was always accompanied on set by his family, including on The Lost Boys. Feldman claimed he was molested by Corey while they filmed the 1987 vampire thriller; Haim and Feldman pictured with co-star Jamison Newlander in a promo shot

In Corey Feldman vs. The World, Feldman alleged Haim sexually propositioned him while they filmed The Lost Boys, when they were 16; They are seen in 2007

Feldman said: 'When we did Lost Boys, Corey said to me "Hey man, let's mess around." And I said, "What do you mean?"'

Feldman said in the documentary that Haim told him, 'This is what, you know, what guys in the business do, right? You know, you s*** each other's d****, or you f*** around - you do this stuff. And I said, "What are you talking about?"'

In the documentary from director Marcie Hume, Feldman said Haim had then initiated sexual activity while they were making The Lost Boys, in which they played the respective roles of Edgar Frog and Sam.

Feldman made a reference to actor Charlie Sheen - who has past denied accusations that Feldman made, claiming Haim said Sheen sexually assaulted him when he was 13 on the set of the 1985 movie Lucas.

A rep for Sheen told Variety of the alleged Haim claims: 'These sick, twisted and outlandish allegations never occurred. Period.'

Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Sheen for further comment on the story.

Feldman said that he was fully understanding of what Haim was looking for from him, and decided to oblige him in an effort to make the behavior stop.

'I called [Haim] and said, "Come over,"' Feldman said. 'But you know, when you have got somebody that's trying to come onto you sexually, and you don't want that, and you are a kid, and you are scared, you do whatever you can to stop it from happening.

'And that's what was happening. I was being molested by Corey Haim. Truth be told.'

As well as The Lost Boys, Feldman and Haim headlined films such as 1988's License to Drive and 1989's Dream a Little Dream.

Hume said the interview with Feldman took place in late 2017, amid multiple accusations against powerful figures at the height of the #MeToo movement, marking an 'incredibly emotional moment.'

As well as The Lost Boys, Feldman and Haim headlined films such as 1988's License to Drive and 1989's Dream a Little Dream; Seen in a throwback image

Haim died from pneumonia in 2010 at the age of 38; Pictured in 2009 in Santa Monica

The director said that Feldman 'was almost reliving what that was like to live in this hypersexualized environment as child actors in Hollywood.'

The Lost Boys was directed by Joel Schumacher and also starred Jason Patric, Jami Gertz, Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest and Alex Winter. The film arrived in theaters in July of 1987.

Feldman in 1986 appeared in the late Rob Reiner's Stand by Me, playing the role of troubled preteen Teddy Duchamp.

An iMDb synopsis for the new doc reads 'Corey Feldman embarks on a surreal rock tour with lingerie-clad angels, facing disastrous events that compel him to confront Hollywood abuse allegations and personal secrets.'

Hume took to Instagram earlier this month to promote the project and let her followers know the amount of work that went into making it.

'Its been the longest, hardest road on a film that kept going places I never expected,' the director said.

She added. 'After filming on buses and in hotel rooms and flying all over the country with my Canon 5D, endless edits and screenings with @adamscottfranklin and @starlenbr, and @jimmycthatsmes fierce belief in seeing this through, today the COREY FELDMAN VS. THE WORLD trailer and pre-order link are available.'
Lisa Rinna is revealing how she braved a years-long rift between her model daughters Amelia, 24, and Delilah Hamlin, 27.

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum, 62, spoke about the difficult ordeal while appearing on this week's episode of the Las Culturistas podcast.

Rinna said the feud between her two girls, whom she shares with longtime husband Harry Hamlin, was 'uncomfortable' for the family.

While Amelia and Delilah have since mended their relationship, Rinna said the sisters weren't close 'for a minute,' according to TooFab.

'Those girls can fight, you know? Girls can love and then hate each other,' she explained.

'We went through a couple of years, and woo, very uncomfortable.'

Lisa Rinna is revealing how she braved a years-long rift between her model daughters Amelia and Delilah Hamlin; Lisa, Amelia and Delilah seen in November

Rinna did not share the exact reason for Amelia and Delilah's past rift, but she did confirm that the sisters are now 'very close.'

'They're sisters, you know what I mean? But super supportive of each other in this business they're both in which can be very tricky,' she explained.

Rinna and Hamlin, who have been married since 1997, are both 'proud' of their daughters and how they turned out.

'Both of us, Harry and myself, feel that whatever we did, we turned out some good humans, good human beings,' the mother-of-two said.

'Kind, compassionate, good girls. And I'm very proud of that.'

Delilah and Amelia are both forces in the world of modeling and have done multiple high-fashion magazine spreads together just this year.

Back in July, Delilah got to model with her 'built in best friend' Amelia for the cover of V Magazine.

'The cover of V magazine shot by Steven Klein with my sister like are you kidding me!?' she wrote via Instagram at the time.

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills alum, 62, spoke about the difficult ordeal while appearing on this week's episode of the Las Culturistas podcast; seen in January

Rinna said the feud between her two daughters, whom she shares with longtime husband Harry Hamlin, was 'uncomfortable' for the family; seen in April

Delilah gushed that the cover 'holds so much weight and meaning to both me and Amelia' because it 'shows the dynamic of our relationship perfectly.

'When I fall shes there to catch me and vice versa. I love this team and my sister so much I am feeling SO BEYOND GRATEFUL AND BLESSED,' she wrote.

Just one month later, the sisters joined forced for a jaw-dropping Vogue magazine spread.

Delilah eagerly shared the photos, captured by the legendary Steven Klein, to social media, writing: 'VOGUE WITH SISSY'

Last year, Amelia and Delilah starred together in Michael Kors' holiday campaign.

Rinna's comments about her daughter's relationship come shortly after it was confirmed that Amelia is now dating Nicolai Marciano, who is the heir to the Guess? Inc fashion empire.

His father is Paul Marciano, 73, the co-founder of the glitzy brand.

Marciano is the Chief New Business Development Officer for Guess? Inc and has also worked in brand partnerships and specialty marketing for the massive company.

'Those girls can fight, you know? Girls can love and then hate each other,' she explained; seen in 2024

Delilah and Amelia are both forces in the world of modeling and have done multiple high-fashion magazine spreads together this year; seen in 2024

Amelia split from Scott Disick in early September 2021 after nearly 11 months of dating.

The breakup followed drama surrounding DMs that Disick allegedly sent about his ex, Kourtney Kardashian. Disick and Kardashian have three children together: Mason, Penelope and Reign.

The reality TV star and model 'needed a break from one another, that was clear,' according to an insider with E! News. 'They are in different places and trying to figure out if it's time to move on and if they are really done.'
The blast radius of the It Ends With Us legal scandal extends beyond Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

Brandon Sklenar, who played Lively's love interest Atlas Corrigan in the controversial film, revealed he faced the wrath of netizens after he shared a statement asking everyone to 'be kind' as the drama unfolded online.

Sklenar, 35, posted the lengthy message to his Instagram account and quickly turned off the comments.

Now the actor is revealing the cruel messages he received after he uploaded the post.

'I wasnt damning anybody, but I was just like, Can we focus on the ethos of this whole f**king movie and not be so hateful to anybody? I thought it was a nice thing to say, but apparently a lot of people did not feel that way,' he told The Hollywood Reporter.

'"Youre a piece of s**t," "I hope you die," "I hope your career ends," things like that,' he said.

Brandon Sklenar has revealed the wrath he faced after he released a statement asking netizens to be 'kind' during the It Ends With Us drama

Sklenar played Blake Lively's love interest Atlas Corrigan in the controversial film

Sklenar's agent, whose clients include a celebrity who endured a similar situation, advised him to avoid going online - but his curiosity over what people were saying online was too tempting.

'But imagine youre walking down a hallway and theres a door to a room full of a hundred thousand people and theyre all saying something about you,' Sklenar said. 'You tell me youre not going to put your ear to the door?'

The legal can of worms all opened last year after the making of It Ends With Us, which starred Lively and Justin Baldoni.

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set and a retaliatory smear campaign - which he denied. He also sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and civil extortion, and the New York Times - which first reported on Lively's allegations - for defamation. A judge has since dismissed the lawsuits.

The legal battle remains ongoing, with a civil trial now scheduled for May 18, 2026.

In his lengthy statement uploaded to Instagram in August 2024, Sklenar urged fans not to 'vilify' the women in the film and focus on the messages of it.

At the time, the legal battle had not yet begun - but rumors of drama between Lively and Baldoni were already swirling.

'Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves,' he wrote.

'Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point.

Sklenar revealed he faced cruel insults such as 'you're a piece of s**t' in the aftermath of the post

The scandal started to simmer after the movie was released, with fans observing what they perceived to be tension amongst the film's stars

'What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It's been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.'

The actor went on to say someone close to him had been struggling with a relationship similar to Lily - played by Lively - in the film, and he felt a 'responsibility' to bring the story to life and 'spread the message further.'

'Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleen's book and subsequently this film with saving her life,' he continued.

'There isn't a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma - domestic abuse - or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see.'

He also called the film a 'harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s**t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions,' adding that it was 'meant to inspire,' and also 'validate,' 'recognize' and 'instill hope.'

Then, in late 2024, a can of worms was opened by Lively as she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign

'Ultimately it's meant to spread love and awareness,' Brandon continued in his message.

'It is not meant to once again, make the woman the "bad guy," let's move beyond that together.

'All I ask is that before you spread hate on the internet, ask yourself who its helping.

'Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be a part of something. Let's be a part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.'

He then concluded the heartfelt post with: 'Lead with love and please be kind.'

Sklenar turned off comments on the post not long after it was published.
Ash Trevino was arrested in the state of Texas on Wednesday for having outstanding warrants.

The 36-year-old media personality - whose full name is Ashley Lopez-Trevino - was booked into Ellis County Jail but later released on a $15,000 bond, per People.

Police chief James Groom of the Venus Police Department told the outlet that the controversial influencer had 'active felony warrants out of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office' - although details of those warrants are not yet known.

Trevino was met by a patrol officer in her own front yard on Wednesday around 7:50pm and was then taken into custody 'without incident,' Groom also told People.

The media star - who boasts over 400,000 followers on Snapchat alone - soon did a livestream to update her fans.

'I got me an attorney already and I got my bond,' Trevino said in a portion of the stream that was uploaded to TikTok by a fan. 'This morning, I'm already out. So, I'm blessed.'

Ash Trevino, 36, was arrested in the state of Texas on Wednesday for having outstanding warrants

The media personality whose full name is Ashley Lopez-Trevino - was booked into Ellis County Jail but later released on a $15,000 bond, per People; Trevino's mugshot seen above

She then gave insight to her upcoming plans to visit a casino 'next week.'

In a separate recording of the livestream, Trevino also referenced to her mugshot that was taken following the arrest.

'How did you like my mugshot though? I was trying not to smile,' she explained. 'But yeah, like they can't hold me down like what the f***?

'Like haters are going to pray on my downfall and watch, watch. I'mma fight this, watch,' the media personality continued while sitting inside a vehicle.

'I'm out!' she then exclaimed while grooving to upbeat music on the radio.

While laughing, Trevino added, 'I was locked up! I still ain't got my jewelry on, handcuffs gone bruising me. You should have seen me, I looked cute in those handcuffs.'

The influencer continued while fixing her lashes, 'I date inmates, I don't become an inmate. Now, I'm an inmate.'

Trevino is known for her controversial parenting style and how she prefers to date inmates.

Police chief James Groom of the Venus Police Department told the outlet that the controversial influencer had 'active felony warrants out of the Ellis County Sheriff's Office' - although details of those warrants are not yet known

'I got me an attorney already and I got my bond,' Trevino said in a portion of the stream that was uploaded to TikTok by a fan. 'This morning, I'm already out. So, I'm blessed'

Earlier this year in February, the influencer notably sparked up a bitter row with podcast host and OnlyFans model Camilla Araujo.

During the interview, Trevino revealed she refused to buy her daughters, aged 15, and 12, beds - despite spending a fortune on designer clothes and accessories.

The content creator was shocked to learn that the girls slept on mattresses - while their mother splashed out on a Louis Vuitton bag for herself.

During the episode, it was revealed the two girls live with their grandparents most of the time - but when they do visit their mother, they are forced to sleep on blow-up beds.

The admission left Araujo so shocked, she offered to buy the two girls a bed each for when they spend the night at Trevino's home.

During the podcast, the OnlyFans model asked the children if they have beds and they responded that they didn't.

Araujo then said, 'I'm going to give you money. I want a bed, mattresses, two of them, a headboard and two nightstands. I'm going to order that before you leave this house today.'

She then turned to the mother-of-two and confronted her over why her daughters didn't have proper beds.

During the interview, Trevino revealed she refused to buy her daughters, aged 15, and 12, beds - despite spending a fortune on designer clothes and accessories; seen above (left) with her daughters on Araujo's podcast

Trevino claimed that she was unable to go furniture shopping because she is constantly recognized in public.

She explained instead she was planning for her mother, the girls' grandmother, to go out shopping on her behalf.

Trevino said, 'My mom was actually going to look at a furniture store because I don't go anywhere publicly at all. If I go out, I'm going to get noticed. If I don't have my security guard I'm not going anywhere.

'My dad told my mom to go to a furniture store and I'd give them my card info because I have money, but she never did that and she doesn't stay with me.'

The Snapchat star added, 'I'm about to move because everything is just getting crazy and I don't have a guy to come build it.'

Araujo then offered to pay, 'I'll pay for it. You'll have two mattresses and a room makeover. Insert the receipt from IKEA. I'll let you pick it out.'

Trevino responded, 'Thank you. At my mom's house, they have a bed.'

But after the podcast clip went viral, relations appear to have soured between the pair, who locked in a feud which saw the OnlyFans star hurl insults at the mother-of-two on social media.

But after the podcast clip went viral, relations appear to have soured between the pair, who locked in a feud which saw the OnlyFans star hurl insults at the mother-of-two on social media

Hitting back at the model, Trevino branded her a 'clout chaser' and accused her of making her look like a bad mother.

She has also criticized the Bop House in Florida, where Araujo lives with seven other models.

Taking to social media, Araujo said, 'Ash has been going live talking about the Bop House 24/7, while also saying that I'm clout chasing even though I am yet to address anything about Ash in a video since the podcast.

'That woman's life is like a car that keeps crashing. She refuses to let me pay for her daughter's beds but won't even buy them herself.'
Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova set pulses racing as she enjoyed a night out at BeAtOne bar in London's Piccadilly on Thursday ahead of the BBC final.

The pro dancer, 36, showcased her incredibly toned abs in a tiny gold crop top which she teamed with an equally skimpy leather mini skirt.

Nadiya, who had been paired with ex rugby star Chris Robshaw before being eliminated in week four, strutted her stuff in thigh-high black boots and completed the eye catching look with an oversized blazer.

Accentuating her dainty featured with glam make-up, she added a little extra sparkle with statement diamond earrings.

Earlier this week the star overthrew her look entirely over the weekend as she unveiled a stunning new hairstyle.

The blonde beauty took to Instagram to showcase her fresh trim, complete with shoulder tickling waves and an image-transforming fringe.

Strictly's Nadiya Bychkova, 36, set pulses racing as she enjoyed a night out at BeAtOne bar in London's Piccadilly on Thursday ahead of the BB Cfinal

The pro dancer showcased her incredibly toned abs in a tiny gold crop top which she teamed with an equally skimpy leather mini skirt

Nadiya had been paired with ex rugby star Chris Robshaw before being eliminated in week four

She added a caption reading: 'The semi-finals @bbcstrictly The nerves, the passion, the belief. Cheering for everyone tonight every couple is amazing. Make sure you vote for your favourite'.

Nadiya was oozing glamour in the new pictures, with her new hair only adding to her stunning good looks and glowing make-up.

Her hair is not the only new part of her life, as earlier this year it was revealed she is said to be growing close to a West End star after her split from Kai Widdrington.

She separated from fellow dancer Kai in June 2024, and now appears to have moved on with Les Miserables star Ian McIntosh, according to reports.

The duo are said to have met back in March and attended the Les Miserables 40th Anniversary Gala together in London in October.

Posing for photos on the red carpet, Ian wrapped an arm around Nadiya's waist as they smiled.

Sharing a snap from the event to his Instagram account Ian wrote: 'What a glorious night.' In October, the pair were spotted enjoying a cosy coffee date in London.

A source told The Sun: 'Nadiya and Ian have a couple of mutual friends and were introduced, they hit it off immediately.

She strutted her stuff in thigh-high black boots and completed the eye catching look with an oversized blazer

Accentuating her dainty featured with glam make-up, she added a little extra sparkle with statement diamond earrings

Earlier this week the star overthrew her look entirely over the weekend as she unveiled a stunning new hairstyle

'They have attended a couple of red carpet events together and thought people might start noticing their relationship sooner. They have loads in common and just have a lot of fun together, it is lovely to see. Everyone is very happy for them.'

Daily Mail has contacted both Nadiya and Ian's representatives for comment.

Ian is known for playing Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, as well as Jesus in Tim Sheaders Jesus Christ Superstar

He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Barry Mann in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Kai has also moved on and went Instagram official with his new girlfriend Chloe Wells, nine months after their acrimonious split. Executive assistant Chloe, who hails from Essex, met Kai on a night out at a west London pub.

Strictly's first eliminated star of 2025, Thomas Skinner is reportedly suing the BBC after claiming bosses 'rigged' the public vote to boot him off the show amid a flurry of negative headlines.

The Apprentice star, 34, had already been deemed a controversial signing due to his outspoken Right-wing views, but the storm only grew when he confessed to cheating on his wife Sinead just weeks after they tied the knot.

However despite viewers claiming to be left 'traumatised' by Thomas' performance, he is said to be convinced that he can prove he received a larger share of the public vote, which should have saved him from the dance off.

The blonde beauty took to Instagram to showcase her fresh trim, complete with shoulder tickling waves and an image-transforming fringe (pictured right earlier this month)

Nadiya is said to be growing close to a West End star Ian McIntosh after her split from Kai Widdrington (pictured in October)

Thomas and pro partner Amy Dowden, 35, scored a dismal 29 out of 80 over two shows and landed in the bottom two with Chris and Nadiya, who was eventually saved by the judges.

A source said: 'The BBC is already facing a 7.5billion lawsuit from Donald Trump  now Thomas, a friend of Vice President JD Vance, is taking them on too'.

The president filed a $10billion lawsuit against the corporation after the embattled corporation was found to have doctored his speech in a Panorama episode.

They went on to tell The Sun: 'Thomas is adamant he got a larger share of the public vote and believes he has the evidence to prove it. He is determined to see it through, but theres no way the BBC will take this sensational claim lying down. Theyll robustly defend any kinds of claims that the voting was rigged or fixed'.

Before adding: 'Hes convinced the BBC was hell-bent on getting him out as soon as possible, no matter how many of his fans got behind him'.

Daily Mail have contacted Thomas' representatives for comment.

A BBC spokesperson said: 'Strictly Come Dancing's public vote is robust and independently overseen and verified to ensure complete accuracy'.
The mother of convicted rapist Tom Silvagni may be forced to step away from her role as the face of Chemist Warehouse as public fury grows over her son's crimes.

Jo Silvagni's TV future is unclear after her youngest son, Tom, was convicted of two counts of rape following a two-week trial in Melbourne's Victorian County Court.

The mother of three and wife of two-time Carlton premiership great Stephen Silvagni had her name kept out of the headlines for more than a year due to a non-publication order obtained by her son.

It appears her professional brand association as a health ambassador for Chemist Warehouse may hang in the balance after the conglomerate began deleting promotional videos featuring her.

Chemist Warehouse refused to comment when approached by the Daily Mail.

As recently as Thursday, a video featuring Ms Silvagni was deleted from the company's infomercial House of Wellness Facebook page.

It featured the former game show hostess giggling about receiving a car from her husband one Christmas and describing the family's massive festive celebrations each December.

In the now-deleted video, Ms Silvagni sings Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You and reveals that 'the best Christmas gift I've ever received is actually a brand new car (from) my husband' while the couple were building their three-storey Melbourne mansion.

Jo Silvagni has been the face of Chemist Warehouse for more than a decade

The well-known TV presenter supported her youngest son Tom during his recent rape trial

Backlash against Ms Silvagni has also broken out online, where angry Aussies, many of them women, have declared they will be boycotting Chemist Warehouse and 'shopping elsewhere' until the association ends.

While Ms Silvagni was not convicted of any crime and bears no responsibility for her son's criminal actions, the family's claims of Tom's innocence and their intention to appeal did not sit well with some Australians.

Ms Silvagni sobbed in the courtroom as the guilty verdict against her son was handed down.

Just as the woman finished her powerful statement to the court, the mother appeared to stare at her son's rape victim.

Walking to the front of the court and taking a seat about two metres away from the young woman, Ms Silvagni stared at her.

She was caught on camera lashing out at a TV reporter after her son Tom had just been jailed for six years and two months, with a non-parole period of three years and three months.

As she and her husband left the court, she shrugged off media questions, saying 'go away' and pushing one female TV reporter, saying, 'Do your job!'

Marketing expert and PR guru Max Markson believes Ms Silvagni's lucrative deal with the pharmacy giant can survive the current firestorm of bad publicity.

But Markson, who is Australia's most famous publicist, said that will take time and a certain strategy.

Join the debate Should public backlash over a family member's crime cost someone their career and reputation?

Max Markson, Australia's most famous publicist, says that it will take time and a certain strategy to counter the current backlash against the Silvagnis, which includes people calling for a boycott of Chemist Warehouse while it is associated with Jo Silvagni

Markson has worked with Kim Kardashian, Mike Tyson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has promoted everyone from world leaders to Australian celebrities and sporting stars.

'My advice to both Jo Silvagni and Chemist Warehouse may be best to not use her for the next three months,' he told the Daily Mail.

'Take her down over Christmas until everything calms down, and then put her back on air after the next three months and use her again.

'She's a fantastic talent, good, strong and the public love her. The people against her online are only the naysayers, that's what they do.

'Both can recover from it. It's a sad story.'

Ms Silvagni first appeared on TV between 1991 and 1993 as a spokesmodel alongside Glenn Ridge on Sale of the Century, and later co-hosted Channel Nine's lifestyle program Looking Good.

She also fronted TV ads for Zoot Review, speaking to Australian celebrities who spruiked products such as Cold Power, Ski yoghurt and Nurofen.

Her son had repeatedly denied that he digitally raped his friend's girlfriend at the Silvagni family home in the early hours of January 14, 2024.

Chemist Warehouse refused to comment on its future relationship with Jo Silvagni

The jury was told the woman had consensual sex with her boyfriend at the house, but that he organised an Uber and left the property shortly before 2am.

Silvagni then lied, telling the woman her boyfriend would be returning upstairs because his Uber had been cancelled.

But it was Silvagni who went into the dark bedroom a short time later and pretended to be the woman's boyfriend before digitally raping her twice.

In the days after, he doctored an Uber receipt to make it look like the victim's boyfriend had left the house after 2.30am.

Silvagni admitted forging the receipt but said he did so because he panicked after being falsely accused of rape.

The jury rejected his account, finding him guilty of two counts of rape.

He was jailed for six years.

His family has vowed to appeal his conviction.

'Jo and I, together with our family members and friends, are so disappointed with the outcome,' Stephen Silvagni said before breaking down in tears.

With his wife's arm around him, he continued to question the credibility of the victim.

'We all love and support our son Tom. Our son continues to maintain his innocence and we stand firmly behind him,' he said.

'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.'
Avatar: Fire And Ash (12A, 197 mins)

Verdict: I've had shorter mini-breaks

Rating:

There comes a point in the careers of most revered movie directors when nobody is brave enough to lay a restraining hand on their arm and remind them that 'less is more'.

Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese have both been guilty of bloated storytelling in the last few years, but James Cameron takes not just the biscuit but every packet on the supermarket shelf. His third Avatar film lasts well over three hours. I've been on shorter mini-breaks.

When a movie more conspicuously satisfies its director's ego than its audience, something is wrong. Which is not to say that Cameron can't dish up a spectacle. There are some breathtaking moments in Avatar: Fire And Ash, as we might expect of a film that reportedly cost over $400m to make. But they are not enough to stop boredom setting in, followed by despair, and a touch of cramp, and ultimately a kind of disbelieving exultation that the final credits are about to roll.

I liked the second picture in the series, 2022's Avatar: The Way Of Water, and noted at the time that Cameron cited David Lean's mighty Lawrence Of Arabia - 'good, old-fashioned, adolescent adventure storytelling' was how he put it - as a major influence.

But the greatest cinematic epics never feel artificially inflated in the way that Fire And Ash does. Seeing it in 3D, as Cameron intended, somehow compounds that sense of artificiality, even as it yields some amazing chase and fight sequences.

Zoe Saldana as Neytiri. Seeing it in 3D, as Cameron intended, somehow compounds that sense of artificiality, even as it yields some amazing chase and fight sequences

Oona Chaplin is a newcomer to James Cameron's epic franchise playing the character of Varang

Avatar, the first film, a global smash in 2009, introduced the story of humans in the year 2154, with Earth exhausted of its natural resources, infiltrating the blue-skinned Na'vi tribe on the distant, mineral-rich moon Pandora.

Now, in Fire And Ash, human-Na'vi hybrid Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his pure-bred Na'vi wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) set out to return their adopted human son Spider (Jack Champion) to 'his own kind', the so-called 'pink-skins'.

The ensuing story obeys many of the conventions of the Western, as a fantastical sci-fi version of a wagon train is attacked by a hostile tribe of 'ash people', the volcano-dwelling Mangkwan, led by the ferocious Varang (Oona Chaplin). This bad-tempered lot capture Jake and his family and prepare them for sacrifice, but there's a distraction.

Varang yearns to understand how 'to make thunder' - in other words how to use the deadly firearms brought to Pandora by the human invaders and adopted, reluctantly, by the Na'vi. Pointy ears notwithstanding, not to mention battles both in the sky and underwater, all this is stuff that John Ford and Howard Hawks would have recognised.

But Cameron overdoes it. The narrative becomes turgid and repetitive. Also, never mind the spirit of fire and ash that we keep hearing about, too much of the dialogue seems touched by the spirit of Monty Python. 'We do not suck on the breast of weakness,' declares Varang, which elicited a giggle from your critic, although I think respect was the intended response.

Sam Worthington as human-Na'vi hybrid Jake Sully. Avatar, the first film, a global smash in 2009, introduced the story of humans in the year 2154, with Earth exhausted of its natural resources, infiltrating the blue-skinned Na'vi tribe on the distant, mineral-rich moon Pandora

Jake's former commanding officer Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), meanwhile, seems very much of a mind to suck the breast of Varang, an unholy romantic alliance that bodes ill for the beleaguered Na'vi.

Quaritch certainly has some explaining to do to his boss, General Ardmore (Edie Falco, who should again be warmly commended for so emphatically distancing herself from her most famous role as Carmela in The Sopranos, but frankly looked a lot more comfortable in New Jersey bling than she does in military fatigues, preparing Pandora for full-scale human colonisation).

Whatever, after three hours and 17 minutes of all this, the stage is set for the fourth and fifth Avatar films that Cameron has promised us. It is a prospect to render some of us neither blue nor pink, but a little green, around the gills.

Avatar: Fire And Ash is in cinemas now.
Kata Hay, a former contestant on the Voice, has reportedly been arrested on a vehicular manslaughter warrant.

Hay (real name: Kata Huddleston) had been sought by the Goodlettsville Police Department in Tennessee, but she was arrested by the Osage County Sheriff's Department in Oklahoma, TMZ reported on Thursday.

The Osage County Sheriff's Department told the publication that one of its deputies had arrested Hay, 38, in its jurisdiction early on Wednesday morning.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives from the Goodlettsville Police Department  where Hay was wanted  and the Osage County Sheriff's Department, which arrested her, but neither has yet responded.

Records obtained by the Daily Mail indicate that Hay  who previously went to jail for making advances on a 16-year-old boy  is currently being held at the Osage County Jail in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, on a hold for the Goodlettsville Police Department and for allegedly being a fugitive from justice.

According to a press release from the Goodlettsville Police Department, Hay's vehicular homicide charge is related to a deadly crash on Long Hollow Pike, near Interstate 65 in Tennessee.

Kata Hay, a former contestant on The Voice, was arrested by the Osage County Sheriff's Department in Oklahoma on Wednesday due to a vehicular homicide warrant from the Goodlettsville Police Department in Tennessee; pictured in her mugshot

Hay, 38, was allegedly involved in a deadly crash on Long Hollow Pike, near Interstate 65 in Tennessee. Police said she was was 'traveling with a white male and quite possibly towing a large camper' while heading toward Oklahoma; pictured on The Voice in 2015

However, the authorities have provided few details about the nature of the reported crash.

The Goodlettsville Police Department previously issued a BOLO for Hay and said it had reason to believe she was 'traveling with a white male and quite possibly towing a large camper' while heading toward Oklahoma.

The Osage County Sheriff's Office told TMZ that Kay will see a district court judge on Monday, December 22, to sign an extradition waiver.

Online records for Davidson County in Tennessee obtained by the Daily Mail indicate that Hay has an open misdemeanor DUI case in the area.

It's listed as her second DUI case, following a 2016 misdemeanor conviction.

Hay also has open misdemeanor charges for leaving the scene of an accident with over $1,500 in estimated damage, as well as for allegedly having an open container.

Those offenses are listed as having occurred on Wednesday, December 10.

The latest vehicular crimes Hay is accused of come after she was arrested in 2022 for kissing a 16-year-old boy and forcing him to touch her inappropriately multiple times against his wishes, as well as touching him outside of his pants.

The Osage County Sheriff's Office told TMZ that Kay will see a district court judge on Monday, December 22, to sign an extradition waiver; pictured on The Voice in 2015

Hay also has an open DUI  her second  and warrants for leaving the scene of an accident with over $1,500 in estimated damage and for allegedly having an open container; pictured on The Voice in 2015

In 2022, Hay pleaded guilty to having sexual contact with a minor. She was accused of making sexual comments to a 16-year-old boy, before kissing him and touching him outside his pants. Hay was sentenced to 6 months in prison; pictured on The Voice in 2015

Hay was reportedly staying at a friend's home when she began making sexual comments about the victim in front of his parents.

The boy's mother  Hay's friend  subsequently told police she had confronted Hay about her son's claims and recorded their conversation, during which the Voice performer allegedly confirmed his allegations.

According to the boy's mother, Hay had been intoxicated at the time of the sexual incident.

Hay later pleaded guilty, though she insisted that the victim's story didn't reveal the full context of the incident, according to WKRN in Tennessee.

However, she was unable to provide more details, as she admitted that she had been drinking at the time.

'No, it was not a lie. Thats why I pled guilty, but it did not happen in that way,' she said while testifying.

Hay was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty.
Swifties have even more to look forward to this holiday season.

The final two episodes of Taylor Swift's docu-series The End Of An Era will now be available for streaming on December 23 - three days earlier than it's original December 26th drop date.

'As an early gift to fans around the world, the final two episodes will premiere early on December 23 at 12am PT, only on Disney+,' the streamer announced on X.

Disney+ made the surprise announcement as they shared a sneak peek of episodes three and four, which will highlight Swift's relationship with Kelce, her elaborate quick change routine, and performance with Sabrina Carpenter.

'Travis Kelce brings a lot of happiness to a lot of fans,' Swift's mother Andrea Swift says.

Kelce is then shown on stage during Swift's performance of I Can Do With a Broken Heart in London as the songstress describes the fan's adoration of her partner.

The final two episodes of Taylor Swift's End Of An Era docu-series will be released three days earlier

'I can safely say that was the loudest they ever got on the Eras tour,' Swift said.

A six-episode docu-series, End Of An Era gives an insight and sneak peek at what went on backstage during The Eras Tour between 2023 and 2024.

The first two episodes dropped on Friday, December 12, and episodes three and four are scheduled to hit the streamer on December 19.

The streamer's synopsis reads: 'The End of an Era is a six-episode behind-the-scenes docuseries event chronicling the development, impact, and inner workings that created the phenomenon that was Taylor Swift The Eras Tour.

'The illuminating docuseries gives an intimate look at Taylors life as her tour made headlines and thrilled fans around the world.

'In addition, the series spotlights performers, family members, and friends  including Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, and Florence Welch  offering never-before-seen insight into what it took to create a phenomenon.'

The Eras Tour, which ran from March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona through December 8, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada, set unprecedented records.

The overwhelming demand famously crashed Ticketmaster in late 2022 and pushed Swift into billionaire status, primarily through music earnings.

The tour spanned ten eras across her career with a three-hour, 40-song setlist that attracted A-listers, royals and millions of fans worldwide.

Join the debate Are YOU watching Taylor Swifts documentary?

The announcement was made along with a teaser of the upcoming third and fourth installment, which will show more of her relationship with Travis Kelce

Rather than December 26, episodes three and four will be released on December 23 at midnight

The upcoming chapters will also share her performance with Sabrina Carpenter

It will also explore her elaborate quick change routine

A six-episode docu-series, End Of An Era gives an insight and sneak peek at what went on backstage during The Eras Tour between 2023 and 2024

Over four million audience members attended in person, making it the highest-grossing tour ever recorded.

Taylor recently gave an insight into how she made sure to look after herself both before and after each mammoth three and a half hour-long show.

Speaking on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, she explained: 'After the show, you know that kind of feeling where you are just sort of like a flickering light bulb, like that just happens.

'It's crazy that these people are being so nice and wonderful and that's hard to go to sleep after.'

She continued: 'So I will go back to the hotel, you know, get out of the costume. Into the bath immediately, into the bath, mermaid time.

'And then I get the most amount of room service possible.'

Colbert asked if she orders french fries, to which she replied, 'Yes, everything, everything I want on that given night.

'I'm just like I need to power up for the three and a half hour show. It's the best.'
Into The Woods (Bridge Theatre, London)

Verdict: Deep dark woods

Rating:

The Brothers Grimm will be dancing with glee on top of their Berlin graves. Jordan Fein's revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical mashup of the Brothers' fairy tales is an absolute hoot  gorgeously dressed and designed by Tom Scutt and bottling all their stories' subversive enchantment.

Dark truths lurk in the composite tale of a childless baker and his wife who do a deal with a witch to secure a baby. They must go into the woods to find 'the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold' if the wife is to get pregnant. And from that you may deduce that Jack of the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella all get involved, too.

We may think we know the tales backwards, but Sondheim's restless, tricksy score, and Lapine's cheeky adaptation, turn them into a mischievous delight. No one catches that better than Kate Fleetwood's wonderfully mad, bad, sad old Witch, distressed by her dysfunctional relationship with her daughter, Rapunzel.

Her big number, Stay With Me, gives huge vocal wattage to her anguished attempts to protect and control her daughter.

Jamie Parker's Baker is similarly tortured: too fearful of bad karma to steal Red Riding Hood's cape. But Katie Brayben's Baker's Wife has no mercy. Relieving hapless Jack (Jo Foster) of his puppet cow, Brayben growls that 'the ends justify the beans'.

Katie Brayben stars as the Baker's Wife in Into the Woods

Scutt's gorgeous design ensures we hardly notice the themes of personal growth and moral compromise. Instead, we are seduced by his woodland that looks like a murky Old Master come to life.

My only complaint is the second half reminds us, needlessly, that happy ever afters are fiction. Tales of selfdelusion are musical theatre's stock in trade; there's no need to spell it out with a giant trampling all over fairyland. It's already in the stories  just ask the ugly sisters mutilating their feet to fit the slipper.

Into The Woods runs until May 30.

Christmas Carole Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave)

Verdict: Not the Dickens

Rating:

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is almost inescapable on stage this year. Thankfully, Mischief Theatre's 'Goes Wrong' spoof is a welcome antidote to the Victorian schmaltz.

The setting is the fictional Cornley Drama Society's annual festive fiasco. Director Chris Bean (Daniel Fraser) is Scrooge, but is under threat from Henry Lewis as selfassured thesp Robert Grove, aiming to seize the lead with his battle cry: 'I am laughter, I am joy, I am Christmas!'

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is almost inescapable on stage this year. Thankfully, Mischief Theatre's 'Goes Wrong' spoof is a welcome antidote to the Victorian schmaltz

The disasters run like a Third Reich railway timetable. Jonathan (Greg Tannahill) gets stuck in Marley's chains; Jonathan Sayers' dim Dennis empties a flask of wine while reading his Bob Cratchit lines off the base; Tiny Tim is reinvented as a giant, setcrushing doll.

The set features an accidental massive Maltesers box, and a lifesize Barbie kitchen (don't ask).

It could be sharper, but their fans will love seeing them lay waste to another institution. God bless them every one.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is on until January 25.

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The Red Shoes (Sadler's Wells, then touring)

Verdict: The Bourne supremacy

Rating:

Budding ballerina Victoria Page catches the eye of impresario Lermontov. Her freeflowing, expressive style is a world away from twee Forties ballet, when mincing male dancers were lifting machines for twirling, tutued ballerinas with pasteon smiles.

Lermontov also hears some thrilling potential in the bold compositions of a young pianist, Julian, from whom music bursts in a wild, soulful whirl.

Victoria steps into the spotlight in Julian's new ballet, The Red Shoes, based on Hans Christian Andersen's dark fairy tale in which a pair of enchanted red shoes forces a girl to dance, feverishly, unstoppably.

Sir Matthew Bourne's adaptation of Powell and Pressburger's classic film becomes a drama about possession. Everyone wants a piece of the young star with tragic results. As ever, Bourne makes bodies talk with a matchless eloquence.

At Sadler's Wells until January 18.
Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour were noticeably absent from the Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration event in New York City on Thursday.

The actress, 21, and Lily Allen's ex, 50, skipped the event, after recently putting on a united front at the Los Angeles premiere of the show, following Brown's bombshell bullying claims against him.

While other cast members gathered at the Paley Museum to celebrate the last season of the smash hit Netflix show, Brown and Harbour were not present.

Harbour missed out on the scheduled appearance following a reported kerfuffle he was allegedly involved in over the weekend.

The star is said to have snatched a man's hat at a gastropub in Encinitas, California on Saturday.

Meanwhile Millie recently revealed she sustained an arm injury after taking a fall, which could explain her absence.

Millie Bobby Brown, 21, and David Harbour, 50, were noticeably absent from the Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration event in New York City on Thursday; Seen in November

While other cast members gathered at the Paley Museum to celebrate the last season of the smash hit Netflix show, Brown and Harbour were not present

Many of their co-stars made the event, including Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, and Caleb McLaughlin.

They were seen happily posing with the show creators Ross Duffer and Matt Duffer on the red carpet.

Earlier in the day it was revealed that Harbour's name was absent from the website's page advertising the event, despite him being on the original line-up of stars set to attend.

A spokesperson for the Paley Center told People that Harbour will 'not be present due to a scheduling conflict.'

It's unknown when exactly Harbour dropped out of the event, which saw the cast and creators of Stranger Things convene for a conversation and screening of the show from the final season.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Harbour and the Paley Center for comment but did not immediately hear back.

On Monday, Brown missed her scheduled Good Morning America appearance and joined the show via video instead.

She explained to the audience and her co-star Noah Schnapp that she wasn't there due to an injury.

Join the debate What do YOU think of the bullying claims?

(L-R) Ross Duffer, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Jamie Campbell Bower, Maureen J. Reidy, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, and Maya Hawke were all in attendance

Natalia and Maya showed off their chic ensembles

Last month, Brown insisted she and Harbour are on good terms, after filing a bombshell bullying claim against him (pictured in November at a Stranger Things premiere afterparty)

The pair were the talk of the town at the LA premiere as they put on an 'OTT comedy double act for the cameras' just days after the bullying allegations came to light

'Hey, everyone at GMA, I'm really sorry I couldn't be there with you guys,' she said, adding, 'I took a fall,' while showing her arm in a sling.

Last month, Brown revealed her current relationship with Harbour, after filing a bombshell bullying claim against him.

The actress and her co-star were the talk of the town at the LA premiere on November 6, as they put on an 'OTT comedy double act for the cameras' just days after it was reported that she had filed a harassment and bullying claim. A week later David was notably absent from the London premiere.

In a new interview Brown insisted the co-stars are on good terms, and are prioritizing their show, which started streaming its final season last month.

'We love this show with everything, and we value our friendship more than anything,' Millie told the Hollywood Reporter.

'We've been doing that for the last ten years,' the actress added when asked why it was important she make a public show of unity with David after news of the filing emerged. 'I mean, we have always been united in that.'

The Daily Mail exclusively reported last month that the British actress filed 'pages and pages of accusations' against Harbour before filming began on the sci-fi series' final season.

The complaints did not include any allegations of sexual impropriety and so far, the outcome of the investigation is unknown.

Harbour missed Thursday's scheduled appearance following a reported kerfuffle he was allegedly involved in over the weekend. He is said to have snatched a man's hat at a gastropub in Encinitas, California on Saturday; Pictured December 11

Millie recently revealed on Good Morning America that she sustained an arm injury after taking a fall, which could explain her absence

Harbour has been a core member of the Stranger Things cast since it first aired in 2016.

Starring in the role of Jim Hopper, often referred to as Sheriff Hopper, hes one of the series most beloved personalities, loved for his complex character arc.

In the series, Hopper adopts Brown's supernaturally gifted character Eleven, after she escapes from a secretive government facility that conducted experiments on her as a child.

The fifth and final season sees the two characters reunited after they spent much of the penultimate series apart.

Harbour's absence at the event comes after TMZ reported on an alleged incident involving him in Encinitas, California. The website reported that Harbour was caught on video snatching a man's hat at a gastropub.

Video apparently exists capturing the mishap, however TMZ was only allowed to watch the clip and none of it was published on their website.

The video reportedly captures Harbour entering the Encinitas Ale House before emerging shortly thereafter, running outdoors with a white cap in hand.

The actor - who earlier this year split from wife Lily Allen - then reportedly shouted as he looked over his shoulder: 'C'mon, dude, f****** get me!'

A man is then reportedly seen walking outside of the bar, frustrated, and saying, 'What the f*** did I do to you, dude?'

A slew of people were then seen leaving the bar to catch the incident, and a female voice could be heard imploring, 'Don't get into a fight!'

In the Netflix series David portrays Jim Hopper, who adopted Millie's supernaturally gifted character Eleven, after she escapes from a secretive government facility

As she says that, the man returns to the bar with his hat. No physical altercation is said to have occurred between Harbour and the man and they parted ways.

A source told TMZ: 'David has always been honest about managing his bipolar disorder. Wouldnt be surprised if thats what hes dealing with here after working non-stop all year and having his personal life under public scrutiny. That would be stressful for anyone but even more so for someone who is bipolar.'

Harbour was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s but didn't speak publicly about his struggles until he found success as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things because he worried about being viewed as unreliable.

While appearing on Marc Maron's WTF podcast in 2019 he said: 'As an actor, you're worried about getting hired, but now I'm at a place where I can talk about this.

'Also, I'm in my forties, I may as well be myself, whether I get work or not.'
Pete Davidson has given a heartwarming name to his firstborn child, whom he joyously welcomed last week with his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt.

Hewitt, 29, announced the baby's arrival this Thursday, posting on Instagram that 'our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025 scottie rose hewitt davidson.'

Scott was the name of Davidson's father, a New York firefighter who died aged 33 with his entire unit while responding to the September 11th attacks.

Davidson was only seven years old at the time of the loss, a traumatic experience that he has often discussed in public and used in his work.

He remarked three years ago that he could not 'wait to have a kid,' so that he could 'be there' as a father and 'watch them have what I didn't.'

Now the 32-year-old comic has offered a moving tribute to Scott's legacy by adapting his name into a female version for his bouncing baby daughter.

Pete Davidson has heartwarmingly given the name Scottie to his firstborn child, whom he joyously welcomed last week with his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt

Scott was the name of Davidson's father, a New York firefighter who died with his entire unit while responding to the September 11th attacks; Scott pictured with little Pete

Davidson touchingly described how his own father's death had fueled his desire to have children, on a 2022 episode of Kevin Hart's talk show Hart to Hart.

'Since my dad died, I was like: "Oh, I can't wait to have a kid,"' said Davidson, who at the time was romantically involved with Kim Kardashian.

'I don't like saying corny s***. The reasoning was like: I don't want a kid to ever feel like how I feel right now,' the Saturday Night Live alum explained.

He noted his father's absence 'wasn't his fault; he passed away,' but added that he himself hoped 'just to be there so that someone doesn't have to feel like that.'

Davidson added that he was 'very excited' to have children 'to do that for someone and watch them have what I didn't.'

Hewitt broke the news of little Scottie's birth along with the first-ever photos of the newborn, including snaps of herself and Davidson doting on their baby in hospital.

She gushed in the caption that her little girl was 'my best work yet, i am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief. - elsie.'

She concluded the post with a comical message from Davidson, 32, that read: 'wu tang forever. - pete.'

Hewitt, 29, announced the baby's arrival this Thursday, posting on Instagram that 'our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025 scottie rose hewitt davidson'

Hewitt's photos included a touching image of Davidson holding his swaddled baby daughter in front of a window at the hospital where his girlfriend gave birth.

Another image, seemingly snapped shortly after delivery, showed Hewitt holding Scottie to her chest as Davidson leaned in to kiss her.

To protect their child's privacy, Hewitt made sure to obscure Scottie's face or conceal with an emoji in the photos shared to her Instagram.

Hewitt and Davidson, who began dating in March of this year, first confirmed the pregnancy news in July.

Just last month, the couple hosted an intimate baby shower attended by their close friends and loved ones.

Like Thursday's birth announcement, Hewitt also used Instagram to give fans a glimpse at the lavish shower.

The party was filled with plenty of activities - such as seeing who could put a diaper on a teddy bear the quickest.

In a short clip included in the latest post, Hewitt was filmed taking part in the fun competition with other guests.

After she completed the task of putting a diaper on the stuffed animal, she turned around as Davidson cheered her on and the couple shared a loving kiss.

Another image from the bunny-themed shower included Elsie flashing a cheerful smile as she showcased her growing baby bump.

Davidson could be seen holding his baby girl in one shot

Holding up a tiny bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce, Hewitt snapped a photo of baby Scottie resting while swaddled in a blanket

In a photo that looked to be taken shortly after delivery, Davidson leaned over to kiss Hewitt as she held their newborn daughter against her body

Another photo showed Hewitt gazing down at Scottie as she held her in front of a large window

The precious newborn grabbed one of her parents' fingers with her tiny hand

Hewitt also included a glimpse at her postpartum journey as she posted a photo of herself eating ice cream in a crop top

In the caption of the post, Hewitt penned: 'sweetest special-est day filled with love and cake and diapers and fwends and hugs and bagels and gifts for my lil bunny on the way.'

To announce her pregnancy in July, Hewitt had shared an Instagram photo series that showcased her baby bump for the very first time. She captioned the carousel of snaps to her followers with, 'welp now everyone knows we had sex.'

In one image, the couple could be seen cozying up together as Pete rested his hand on her stomach.

Elsie additionally included an ultrasound of their baby and other pictures showed the lovebirds celebrating the pregnancy.

The model donned a white cropped top as well as matching sweatpants while the comedian sported a white sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.

They paused for more pictures outside while each sporting pink and blue boxers underneath their ensembles.

At the time, a source told Us Weekly, 'Pete and Elsie definitely weren't planning on starting a family but are over the moon about it.

'They are so excited. Pete and Elsie have a really playful relationship, and things are going really well.'

Hewitt and Davidson first confirmed the pregnancy news in July

The couple have reportedly been dating since March of this year; seen in July

Despite dating for a 'short amount of time,' the pregnancy 'has brought them even closer. It's a healthy relationship for Pete.'

Last month, Hewitt took to her Instagram stories to get candid about the '24/7 agony' of her pregnancy.

She told her followers that she was in so much pain that she could 'barely walk.'

The model emotionally expressed, 'I'm in absolute agony pretty much 24/7. This morning, it's really bad.'

In regards to her symptoms, she admitted to trying 'everything' - such as acupuncture, exercise and steroid injections - but nothing has aided in alleviating her discomfort.

'At this point, if you can think of something that there is to do about the pain, I have tried it. I have tried everything, and it's only getting worse and I cannot walk.'

She added, 'I am just straight-up suffering and in so much pain every single day. I actually really don't know how it could get worse than this.'

Hewitt explained that she believes the pain is related to other her other health struggles including endometriosis and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) - which is a connective-tissue disorder that can affect joints, skin as well as mobility.

Just last month, the couple hosted an intimate baby shower attended by their close friends and loved ones

Like Thursday's birth announcement, Hewitt also used Instagram to give fans a glimpse at the lavish shower

The party was filled with plenty of activities - such as seeing who could put a diaper on a teddy bear the quickest

Another table inside the space had diapers from the brand Coterie and a sign that read: 'Happy baby shower Elsie xx Coterie'

She then reached out to her followers to gather any sort of advice or help.

'I would really like to speak to someone who has been through pregnancy and birth with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Did your pain go away after? Does it get better? Am I gonna die? I just really want to feel a little bit of hope.'

Hewitt has previously been open about her endometriosis diagnosis and told People last month in October she had been 'convinced that I was infertile and not going to be able to have kids.'

She later sent gratitude to the outpouring support and messages she received after her post.

'There are so many symptoms and things that I didn't realize can be attributed to Ehlers-Danlos,' she stated. 'I really didn't know.

'So I feel like I'm learning so much about myself through this experience, but I just wanted to say, I'm seeing the messages and it's, like, a lot of information because there are so many of them.'

Despite dating for a 'short amount of time,' the pregnancy 'has brought them even closer. It's a healthy relationship for Pete'

Last month, Hewitt took to her Instagram stories to get candid about the '24/7 agony' of her pregnancy

She told her followers that she was in so much pain that she could 'barely walk'

Before his relationship with Hewitt, Davidson was romantically linked to a long list of A-list Hollywood beauties, including Kim Kardashian; Davidson and Kardashian seen in 2022

Hewitt continued, 'But I'm really grateful. Like, really, really, really grateful. So thank you.'

Pete also recently shared that he 'knew' he was going to father Elsie's children while on their first date.

'When we went on our first date, like, we went out to dinner for the first time I was like, 'Okay, don't think that I'm crazy but I just know you're going to be the father of my children,'' Elsie told Bumble in November.

The comedian - who also took part in the interview - agreed by adding, 'Yeah. I was like, 'I know.''

Before his relationship with Hewitt, Davidson was romantically linked to a long list of A-list Hollywood beauties.

He famously dated Kim Kardashian in 2021 following her divorce from rapper Kanye West. They split after nine months of dating.

Davidson was previously engaged to Ariana Grande back in 2018 and has dated the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Kate Beckinsale, Kaia Gerber and Margaret Qualley.
They have recently been at the center of split rumors.

But Ariana Grande squashed the speculation by sharing a video of boyfriend Ethan Slater reflecting on his character's arc in Wicked: For Good.

It was a rare move for the star, 32, who seems to keep their relationship largely off social media.

While the video wasn't about their romance, it did shine a spotlight on Slater's process into getting into character.

Slater, 33, plays Boq, who is transformed into the Tin Man - a role he described as having a 'hard arc'.

'It was less that it was daunting to take on this role that everybody has a relationship to and more that I just kind of couldn't believe that I got to do it,' he said. 'It's a hard arc to play because it's so familiar.

Ariana Grande made the rare move of sharing video of boyfriend Ethan Slater amid split rumors

The couple star in the sequel to Wicked, the newly released Wicked: For Good

'You need to know what your relationship to that character is when you're making it your own or else you lose the heart.'

'Boq is trying to find his way,' Slater said. 'He's never forgotten those friends that have all left him, except for Nessa, who has sort of trapped him there. But unfortunately the world that he knows has fallen to the ground.

'I talked a lot about this with Jon, what it looks like for a broken heart to turn into rage, and how dangerous that can be, when you become so singularly focused that you lose the world around you.'

'Everything about him has changed and he has to learn how to deal with that. He's in a body that doesn't feel like his anymore, and there's few gifts as great to an actor as physically feeling the thing that your character is going through.'

The video was uploaded to Grande's Instagram Stories on Thursday, and came several weeks after Slater restarted the rumor mill about the state of their relationship.

Grande and Slater struck up a romance on the set of their two-part Wicked movie, the second of which hit theaters last month.

They were plunged into scandal on account of the fact Slater was married to his now ex-wife Lilly Jay, who shares a three-year-old son with him. Grande had also just split from her husband Dalton Gomez at the time.

In recent months, Slater and Grande were trailed by breakup speculation, inasmuch as they were not seen together from April until last month.

Last month, they appeared to quash the conjecture by posing side by side in cast group shots at the New York City premiere of Wicked: For Good.

Join the debate Do YOU think Ariana and Ethan are still going strong?

Slater described the character arc of his role in the behind-the-scenes video

Ethan played Boq, a munchkin who was transformed into the Tin Man

Slater said Boq has 'never forgotten those friends that have all left him'

'He's in a body that doesn't feel his own anymore,' Slater said of the role

However, Slater kicked up another dustcloud of rumors by uncomfortably dodging a question about his relationship with Grande on the Today show last month.

When he was asked about the experience of 'working with your girlfriend every day,' Slater sidestepped the subject and instead spoke in vague terms about how 'incredible' the 'entire cast' of his movie is.

Slater did call Grande 'brilliant' but also hailed her co-star Cynthia Erivo as 'remarkable,' rhapsodizing that seeing them both act 'from such a high level up close' was a 'pretty special' experience for him.

A source recently insisted that Slater and Grande are 'still together' despite the couple keeping their distance at the Wicked: For Good premiere in London.

They were said to have met up following the red carpet and screening.

The couple have been at the center of split speculation as they weren't seen together since April until last month

An insider said: 'Ariana and Ethan are still a couple but they've seen the chatter online and it's not been easy.

'They were both at the Leicester Square premiere and the after-party at Brasserie Zedel but made sure they weren't seen together.'

The source continued to tell The Sun how they are both reluctant for their relationship to play out in public.

They added: 'When Ariana left the after-party, she went back to her hotel suite.

'Not long after, Ethan was taken there and went up to see Ariana to spend time with her.'

The Daily Mail contacted representatives for Ariana and Ethan at that time.

Then last month, Grande and Slater were seen posing side by side in group shots at the New York City premiere of their new film.

In October, the Daily Mail told how Grande and Slater's plans for a wedding were put on hold, and while they haven't been pictured together since April, sources claimed they've been 'on and off' for several months.
After a whirlwind romance earlier this year, Tammy Hembrow was reunited with Bailey Smith in Sydney this week.

And the couple looked chuffed to be in each other's company as they were spotted leaving the Manly Pacific Hotel on Friday morning.

Tammy, 31, put on quite a busty display in a light pink, sleeveless tank top that also showed off her toned and inked arms.

The fitness maven also wore a pair of similarly coloured skin-tight leggings with a flared hem she paired with white sneakers.

She wore her blonde locks back for the morning meeting, while leaving her bangs loose to frame her face.

Tammy accessorised with a pair of black, tinted sunglasses and a brown leather bag she slung over her shoulder.

After a whirlwind romance earlier this year, Tammy Hembrow, 31, was reunited with Bailey Smith, 25, in Sydney this week

And the couple looked chuffed to be in each other's company as they were spotted leaving the Manly Pacific Hotel on Friday morning

She also carried a large takeaway coffee cup, obviously in need of an early-morning pick-me-up.

Despite her casual attire, Tammy finished her look with a deep ruby red shade on her lips and a subtle application of blush to accentuate her enviable cheekbones.

Bailey, 25, flaunted a similarly casual vibe, showing off his chiselled guns in a plain white tank top.

He also wore a pair of navy blue Adidas drawstring shorts, and finished his ensemble with strappy brown sandals.

While they looked comfortable in each other's company following their very short romance, it appeared the pair wanted to keep the meeting a secret.

As they emerged from the hotel, Tammy could be seen surreptitiously scoping the scene for potential witnesses to the reunion.

Bailey also looked to have brought some gifts to their meeting, with the AFL star seen stepping out of a car carrying what looked to be a box of bakery treats.

It comes after Tammy sparked romance rumours with a hunky reality TV star when they were spotted together at an event on the Gold Coast on Wednesday.

Tammy put on quite a busty display in a light pink, sleeveless tank top that also showed off her toned and inked arms

The fitness maven also wore a pair of similarly coloured skin-tight leggings with a flared hem she wore with a pair of white sneakers

She wore her blonde locks back for the morning meeting, while leaving her bangs loose to frame her face

She also carried a large take away coffee cup, obviously in need of an early-morning pick-me-up

Bailey flaunted a similarly casual vibe, showing off his chiselled guns in a plain white tank top

He also wore a pair of navy blue Adidas drawstring shorts, and finished his ensemble with a pair of strappy brown sandals

The fitness influencer shared a video to Instagram alongside former Love Island star and real estate agent Eoghan Murphy as they attended a dinner hosted by Snapchat.

In the post, Tammy almost risked a wardrobe malfunction in a tiny skirt and wrap top as she posed with Eoghan in the lift.

She showed off her trim and toned legs in the tiniest mini dress which almost revealed more than she had bargained for as she lifted her arm.

Eoghan also looked stylish for the event in beige trousers and a white button-up shirt as he smiled and posed close to the influencer.

The pair took photos together in an elevator before Tammy partied the night away with her sister Amy.

While they looked comfortable in each other's company following their very short romance, it appeared the pair wanted to keep the meeting a secret

As they emerged from the hotel, Tammy could be seen surreptitiously scoping the scene for potential witnesses to the reunion

Bailey also looked to have brought some gifts to their meeting, with the AFL star seen stepping out of a car carrying what looked to be a box of bakery treats

At one point, Tammy hid her eyes behind a pair of designer glasses
Erika Jayne has opened up about her divorce from estranged husband Tom Girardi.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, revealed why her divorce from the 86-year-old disgraced lawyer has not yet been finalized while appearing on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday.

Host Andy Cohen asked her a question from a fan, who wanted to know, 'Why havent you filed for divorce?'

'Oh, I have! You guys have got it so wrong,' the reality TV star corrected the fan. 'Yes, of course I have. I filed for separation.'

Erika filed for divorce from Girardi  who is battling Alzheimer's disease while serving a seven-year prison sentence for embezzlement  back in November 2020 after 21 years of marriage, right before they were sued.

'It's very difficult to get someone who's incompetent to divorce,' Erika explained, referring to the fact that Girardi was placed under a conservatorship in 2021. 'I have to ask the conservator. It's just not that easy. You guys, just stop with all that.'

Erika Jayne, 54, revealed the 'difficult' reason why her divorce from fraudster ex Tom Girardi, 86, is still not finalized, while appearing on Watch What Happens Live on Thursday

She filed for divorce from Girardi  who is battling Alzheimer's while serving a seven-year prison sentence for embezzlement  back in 2020, after 21 years of marriage; Seen in 2016

'Really?' Cohen asked in disbelief.

'Yes. Like, chill on that,' she replied.

Cohen then inquired if she has 'thought at all about seeing [Tom]' in prison.

'I have,' she replied.

'And?' Cohen inquired.

'No,' she simply said, before adding, 'It's too much. That's enough. Everything is... he's done. Like, it is what it is.'

The disbarred attorney was found guilty of embezzling more than $15 million from law firm clients, and was sentenced in June to a little over seven years in prison.

Erika has vehemently denied knowing anything about her husband's wrongdoings, and has never been indicted.

It comes after Erika said she hoped her ailing ex would pass away rather than experience the indignity of a prison sentence he won't likely outlive.

The Atlanta-born reality star chatted about the situation with co-star Sutton Stracke in a segment from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last Thursday.

Erika, who has since began dating again, said she remained 'heartbroken' over Girardi's fate after he was sentenced to prison following his 2024 conviction.

'I said this to somebody the other day, I just kind of hoped he'd die before he'd go to prison, just so he could get it over with,' said Jayne.

After host Andy Cohen asked her a fan question about why she hasn't filed for divorce, she said, 'Oh, I have! You guys have got it so wrong. Yes, of course I have'

'It's very difficult to get someone who's incompetent to divorce,' she explained, referring to the fact that Girardi was placed under a conservatorship in 2021. 'I have to ask the conservator'

Cohen asked if she has 'thought at all about seeing [Tom]' in prison. Erika admitted she decided not to. 'It's too much. That's enough. He's done. Like, it is what it is,' she said

It comes after Erika said she hoped her ailing ex would 'die' rather than experience the indignity of a prison sentence he won't likely outlive; The two seen in a still from RHOBH

The disbarred attorney was found guilty of embezzling more than $15 million from law firm clients, and was sentenced in June to a little over seven years in prison; Girardi seen in 2024

Jayne added that 'it f***ing sucks knowing that person and being married to that person for so long' to see him on a road that will likely result in his death while in custody.

'To see him walk down the courtroom steps like that knowing he's going to die in prison - that's heavy on any level,' Jayne said.

Jayne admitted to Stracke that she had mixed emotions about whether she wanted to bid farewell to her former spouse of more than two decades, as he entered a federal prison.

'I don't know, but I've thought that exact same thing: "What do I do?"' she said.

The star has since struck up a romance with retired US Army special operations sergeant major John McPhee, who is nicknamed 'Shrek.'

In July she opened up about her new boyfriend on an episode of her Diamonds In The Rough podcast, calling him a 'nice man' and stating, 'I enjoy my time with him.'

Meanwhile in August 2024, her ex was found guilty on four counts of wire fraud, following a trial that lasted 13 days.

Prosecutor said that Girardi had stolen more than $15 million from his clients over a decade-long span from 2010 to 2020.

Girardi, who was also fined $35,000 in ordered by U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton to pay $2.3 million to the people he embezzled the money from.

Girardi has dealt with personal health issues, as he was diagnosed in 2021 with Alzheimers disease, and placed in a conservatorship under the care of his brother Robert Girardi that year.

Last year, the judge said that Girardi had been mentally competent to face his sentence, as he had been to stand trial.

Erika has since struck up a romance with retired US Army special operations sergeant major John McPhee, who is nicknamed 'Shrek' (pictured)

Girardi denied embezzling any money while testifying in Los Angeles in 2024, according to Courthouse News Service.

Girardi told the court, The last thing I would do would be to take someones money - I wouldnt think of it.'

Girardi had made multiple appearances on the Bravo series during his marriage to Jayne.

Prior to his fall from grace - including a 2022 disbarment - Girardi had established himself as a high-profile injury attorney known to tangle with large corporations over major incidents.

A lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric utility resulted in a $333 million settlement, and was depicted on the silver screen in the 2000 Steven Soderbergh motion picture Erin Brockovich, which starred Julia Roberts in the title role.

Girardi said in his testimony of the film, 'That became an award-winning movie.'

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can be seen on Bravo Thursdays at 8/7c.
Jules Neale appears to have confirmed her marriage breakdown with AFL star husband Lachie Neale in a very telling post.

As reports emerged their relationship may be on the rocks, the WAG took to Instagram to tell followers she was trying to 'heal' following their split.

'I want to make it very clear that I am not "working through" anything,' she began in a brief message to her Instagram Stories on Friday.

'I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way. All I can do now is try to heal and do what's best for my children. Thank you for the love and support.'

The post comes just hours after reports emerged suggesting Lachie, 32, and Jules may be 'working through issues'.

The freelance hair stylist is no longer following her AFL star husband on Instagramalthough he is still following her account.

Jules Neale appears to have confirmed her marriage breakdown with AFL star husband Lachie Neale, 32, in a very telling post

Earlier this week, Jules also shared a gallery of photos to the platform celebrating their son Freddie's first birthday, without tagging or mentioning Lachie at all.

The last time the pair featured on each other's pages was in a shared post from November 10, in which they showcased their holiday at a Perth resort.

The couple, who have two children together, were married in November 2018, before they moved to Brisbane when Neale was traded from Fremantle to the Lions.

According to a source close to The Herald Sun, the couple are 'working through' a bump in their relationship, which was described as a 'private matter'.

The outlet added Jules may have also returned home to Perth.

Neale has featured on Jules' Instagram only a handful of times in recent months.

'In November, the family travelled to Palm Beach on the Gold Coast to holiday with relatives and friends.

The couple celebrated their son Freddie's first birthday two days ago.

As reports emerged their relationship may be on the rocks, the WAG took to Instagram to tell followers she was trying to 'heal' following their split. Both pictured

'I want to make it very clear that I am not "working through" anything. I have been... in the most unimaginable way,' she wrote

However, Jules did not include a picture of Lachie in any of the images from the celebration.

She wrote: 'Turning one today. This little man, and his beautiful big sister have taught me what real love, courage, and joy look like.

'You're the sweetest soul Freddie bear. Thank you for choosing me, for holding me up without even knowing it.

'I'm so lucky to be your mumma and I love you beyond words x.'

Daily Mail has reached out to Jules and Lachie for further comment.
Debbie Rush has shared her reaction to the Coronation Street cast offering their condolences, after her son's death on Wednesday.

The actress, who played Anna Windass on the soap, revealed her son William passed away on Wednesday at the age of 31, just a week before Christmas.

In an emotional post on Instagram, Debbie said she and her family have been left 'completely broken' by the news and are suffering an 'unimaginable grief' in the wake of his death.

The post sparked an outpouring of tributes from many of Debbie's former Corrie co-stars, with the star replying to one from Catherine Tyldesley saying they were 'devastated' by William's death.

Catherine commented: 'Oh love, I'm heartbroken for you all. I am so deeply sorry. I'm sending so much love and strength.

Debbie replied: 'Thank Cath. We're devastated.'

Debbie Rush has shared her reaction to the Coronation Street cast offering their condolences, after her son's death on Wednesday

The actress, who played Anna Windass on the soap, revealed her son William passed away on Wednesday at the age of 31, just a week before Christmas (pictured in 2018)

Angela Griffin wrote: 'Debbie, my heart breaks for you and all your family. I remember him with such fondness. So, so sad. Sending all the love and light possible to you.'

Jack P Shepherd wrote: 'Terrible to read that Debbie. Devastating news thinking of you all.'

Tina O'Brien posted: 'Sending you so much love, thinking of you all.'

Sacha Parkinson wrote: 'I am so sorry for you all Debbie, this is just awful news and I can't begin to imagine the pain. Sending love and strength to you all.'

Rebecca Ryan, who starred alongside William in Waterloo Road, commented: 'Debbie, I am so sorry sorry to hear this!! Sending you all the love. He was such an amazing light. Thinking of you and your beautiful family.'

Brooke Vincent wrote: 'Oh Debbie. I am so sorry for your loss!! I'm sending you all so much love.'

Sally Carman said: 'I'm so, so sorry Debbie. Thinking of you all and sending so much love.'

Joe Duttine posted: 'Oh my. I'm so sorry to be reading this, sending love to you and the family.'

The post sparked an outpouring of tributes from many of Debbie's Corrie co-stars, with the star replying to one from Catherine Tyldesley saying they were 'devastated' by William's death

Sally Ann Matthews posted: 'I can't begin to imagine your loss. Such a close, loving family. Your love for each other and pride in your family was clear and obvious.

'As a fellow Mum, I just wish I could find the words to make this easier. Sending love to you all.'

Also among the stars to offer their sympathies was Aimee Lou Wood, who wrote: 'Debbie, I am so so sorry. Sending you all my love.'

Debbie replied: 'Thank you sweetheart.'

William found on-screen stardom as schoolboy Josh Stevenson in BBC One's Waterloo Road between 2009 to 2013. He also starred in Vera, Casualty and had a long running role as Ali Duncan in Grange Hill from 2005 to 2007.

He followed in his mother's footsteps by appearing in an episode of Corrie in 2014.

William later appeared on X Factor in 2016 when he was 21. He performed a version of Zara Larsson's Lush Life and made it all the way to the third of four elimination stages.

Sharing her son's tragic death on Instagram, Debbie wrote: 'Our beautiful baby boy, William, passed away on 17th December. As a family, our hearts are completely broken, and there are no words that can truly capture the depth of our loss.

'Even in our darkest moment, William gave the most precious gift of all. Through being an organ donor, he has given hope and life to other families, thinking of others right to the very end. His kindness and love will forever be part of his legacy.

'We kindly ask that our privacy be respected as we navigate this unimaginable grief. William will always be loved, always missed, and forever in our hearts.'

Debbie joined the long-running soap as Anna Windass in 2008. Her most memorable storyline came in 2018, when Anna stabbed villain Pat Phelan, played by Connor McIntyre, to death.

William's sister Poppy is also an actress and, like her brother and mother, has starred in multiple episodes of Coronation Street.

In an emotional post on Instagram, Debbie said she and her family have been left 'completely broken' by the news and are suffering an 'unimaginable grief' in the wake of his death

Debbie married husband Andrew in 1989 and the couple share three children, Poppy, William and Tom.

William first got into acting after playing the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver at his school Bamford Academy. He also attributed the school's headteacher Cherie Rivero as his inspiration for becoming an actor.

'Without this school I wouldn't be acting,' he said in an interview in 2013. 'Ms Rivero made me do the play and that was what has influenced me into what I am doing now.

'Without her I wouldn't have the career I have now.'

William attended the Manchester School of Acting before landing his first on screen role in BBC's Shameless in 2007.

He then starred as Ali Duncan in seven episodes of Grange Hill from 2005 to 2007, but his most well known role came in 2009 when he landed a part in Waterloo Road.

William played the role of Josh Stevenson, the son of English teacher Tom Clarkson, for 70 episodes.
Adam Peaty overlooked his mother's milestone birthday celebration on Thursday after travelling to Finland with fiancee Holly Ramsay and his young son.

The Olympic swimmer has jetted to Scandinavia for a festive minibreak with Ramsay ahead of their lavish wedding at Bath's Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on December 27.

But his mother Caroline has been barred from the service following an increasingly toxic and inconveniently public row that began in November, when she was not invited to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law's hen party.

Taking to social media on Thursday, there was no reference to his mother Caroline as he shared his latest holiday update with Instagram followers, despite her milestone 60th taking place on the same day.

Peaty, 30, was also absent from the assortment of birthday messages shared by his mother, among them a birthday card addressed to 'mom' from 'the Peaty family,' suggesting he is yet to acknowledge her personal milestone.

The athlete appeared to have other things on his mind while out in snowy Scandinavia with Ramsay, 25, and five-year-old son George, his only child with former partner Eiri Munro.

Adam Peaty overlooked his mother's milestone birthday celebration on Thursday after travelling to Finland with fiancee Holly Ramsay and his young son

The Olympic swimmer has jetted to Scandinavia for a festive minibreak with Ramsay ahead of their lavish wedding at Bath's Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul on December 27

Peaty's mother Caroline has been barred from the ceremony following a public row with the swimmer and his fiancee (L-R: Holly Ramsay, Caroline Peaty and Adam Peaty)

Among a handful of holiday snaps, Peaty was pictured waist deep in heavy snow while sledding with his loved ones.

Elsewhere, George was seen being given a brief tutorial after climbing aboard a miniature snowmobile, while Ramsay was also pictured alongside Peaty during the outdoor excursion, which included a trip to the Northern Lights.

Taking to her own Instagram platform on Thursday, Caroline confirmed she was celebrating her 60th while sharing a handful of tributes from various family members.

One message read: 'Happy 60th birthday to one of the strongest woman I've ever met... thank you for everything you've done for us and the boys!

'Thank you for guiding me through the good and the bad... you've been there for me for 18 years and I'm truly grateful so please put your feet up, relax and enjoy your day.'

Elsewhere, Caroline's life from birth to the present day was documented in a picture collage by her aunt Janet and uncle Eddie, with the accompanying caption: 'It only seems like yesterday since you were born Caroline, a lovely Christmas present making me an aunty for the first time.

'Many happy returns of the day, happy 60th birthday to you.'

Taking to Instagram on Monday, Caroline admitted the last 12 months had been among the most difficult of her life, but vowed to bounce back in the new year.

Elsewhere, Peaty's son George was seen being given a brief tutorial after climbing aboard a miniature snowmobile

The family took to a sled during their outdoor excursion in Scandinavia on Thursday

Among a handful of holiday snaps, Peaty was pictured waist deep in heavy snow while out with his loved ones

She wrote: 'This year, I met the most broken version of myself but also the strongest. 2026, get ready, because I'm coming back stronger than ever.'

Caroline is demanding Netflix remove her from Gordon Ramsays new documentary because she doesnt want them cashing in' on her misery, it has been revealed.

It's understood that Caroline and husband Mark have sent the streaming giant, which is screening the celebrity chefs new series early next year, a cease and desist letter by signed delivery, a source has stated.

An insider told the Daily Mail: Caroline does not want Gordon or his family, which now includes her son Adam to profit from them.

There was no reference to Peaty's mother as he shared his latest holiday update with Instagram followers, despite her milestone 60th taking place on the same day

The trip to Finland gave them an opportunity to see the Northern Lights, with Peaty later sharing a photo on social media

Enough damage has already been done which has been devastating for them.'

The celebration was captured by the famous cooks production company and is due to be shown in Being Gordon Ramsay.

Someone from Gordons team leaked the news that Caroline had written to Netflix via his production team.

Why are they causing havoc just to promote a documentary, and why should they have the right to cash in on their misery?

They are using the family fallout as a selling point. It is disgraceful.'

A spokesperson for the Ramsay family told the Daily Mail that Adams family had attended the engagement party and were aware it was filmed.

Peaty's distraught mother celebrated her milestone 60th birthday on Thursday, less than a week before his lavish wedding to Ramsay goes ahead without her

Taking to Instagram, Caroline confirmed she was celebrating her 60th while sharing a handful of tributes from various family members
With Christmas just days away, it's no surprise that iconic festive film Love Actually is at the top of people's watch lists.

The film follows nine interconnected love stories detailed by writer-director Richard Curtis, set against the backdrop of a chaotic Christmas in London.

Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson, viewers see their individual stories unfold onscreen.

But there's many facts about Love Actually that might come as a surprise, to even the film's biggest fans.

From secret cameos, surprise filming techniques and hidden plot elements, some details might have gone unnoticed.

So, here's all the things you didn't know about Love Actually...

With Christmas just days away, it's no surprise that iconic festive film Love Actually is at the top of people's watch lists

But there's many facts about Love Actually that might come as a surprise, to even the film's biggest fans

It was shot in reverse!

As the film was shot in reverse, the iconic airport scene at the end was actually the first time everyone worked together.

In an interview, Martine McCutcheon explained the reunion scene at Heathrow Airport that involved all of the cast was the first time they all worked together, even though it would be the climax of the film.

Despite the strange running order, the actress believes it helped the cast to bond with each other quickly, saying everyone was 'genuinely excited' and that it made a great way to start the film.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster's role almost went to someone else

In the film, Thomas Brodie-Sangster played Liam Neeson's step-son Sam and his main character arc followed him learning the drums in a bid to impress his American classmate Joanna.

But the role almost went to someone else, Joe Alwyn.

Speaking on Live With Kelly And Mark in 2018, Joe explained how the opportunity came around when he was preparing for Zorro.

'I took fencing lessons, and they'll often send casting directors around to schools and community centres,' he said.

'So this local community centre where I took fencing lessons, this brilliant UK casting director, Shaheen Baig, she came around, and she saw me there.

'I didn't get it in the end, but I do remember meeting Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis and sitting around reading some stuff,' he added.

In the film, Thomas Brodie-Sangster played Liam Neeson's step-son Sam and his main character arc followed him learning the drums in a bid to impress his classmate Joanna

But the role almost went to someone else, Joe Alwyn

Jo Whiley stunned fans when she revealed she made a secret cameo in the festive classic during the iconic scene where Prime Minister David dances around 10 Downing Street

Secret Cameos

Jo Whiley stunned fans when she revealed she made a secret cameo in the festive classic.

Jo shared the tale while taking part in a festive quiz on her Dig It podcast with Zoe Ball with the duo also joined by their daughters for the Christmas challenge.

During the show, Jo revealed that Love Actually fans can actually hear her voice when she plays a radio DJ, and introduces the iconic scene where Prime Minister David dances around 10 Downing Street to Jump by The Pointer Sisters.

Jo said: 'I actually do the voice of the DJ in this particular scene,' before Zoe declared: 'You do! You're in Love Actually!'

The admission left Zoe's daughter Nelly, 16, stunned with Jo then reciting part of her famous line: 'So that's what the girls were just saying, a golden oldie for golden oldie, this one's for Prime Minister, and it's Hugh Grant.'

A visibly shocked Nelly said: 'Oh my God, I never realised that it's you!'

Jo's daughter India, 33, added: 'Definitely the coolest thing you've never done,' while her sister Coco, 17, agreed.

Zoe said: 'That IS the coolest thing you've ever done.'

In the famous scene, Love Actually fans hear Jo's voice as she introduces The Pointer Sisters' track, saying: 'It's almost enough to make you feel patriotic, so here's one for our a**e-kicking Prime Minister.

'I think he'll enjoy this. A Golden Oldie for a Golden Oldie,' with the PM then launching into an unlikely dance to the classic track.

Keira Knightley was forced to make a last minute costume change when she suffered an embarrassing problem

'I had a massive spot in the middle of my forehead,' she admitted. 'This is the problem with being 17 and being in films! So there was no choice but to find a hat to cover it' she revealed

Keira Knightley's last minute costume change

Keira Knightley was forced to make a last minute costume change when she suffered an embarrassing problem.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Radio 1, the actress revealed how her now iconic baker boy hat wasn't meant to be in the scene.

'I had a massive spot in the middle of my forehead,' she admitted. 'This is the problem with being 17 and being in films!

'It was humongous, so there was no choice but to find a hat to cover it, because there was no lighting or makeup that was going to cover it.

Its funny how you just remember extreme embarrassment. I remember coming in in the morning, being like, "Oh wow, Ive got another head on my head. What are we going to do?"

'Theres nothing we can do about this. But there is, because you can always put a hat over it!

'I was actually very grateful for that hat. I have a lifetime of gratitude for that hat.'

Martine McCutcheon has revealed a hidden message in what is still one of the nation's best-loved Christmas movies

In an interview she revealed that viewers were supposed to find the notion that Natalie is overweight ridiculous, highlighting how many women worry about their weight unnecessarily

Hidden message

Martine McCutcheon revealed a hidden message in what is still one of the nation's best-loved Christmas movies.

The actress played the role of the Prime Minister's assistant Natalie in the hit rom-com, in which her character was teased by her family - and her ex-boyfriend - for being chubby, despite the fact she's anything but.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan she revealed that viewers were supposed to find the notion that Natalie is overweight ridiculous, thus highlighting how many women worry about their weight unnecessarily.

'Her issues werent real issues,' she explained. 'Every woman thinks theres something wrong with them when in actual fact, they are perfect and lovely as they are. She was meant to be the embodiment of that

'You're meant to go: "No she's not [fat], I think she's lovely!" because that's how men think about a lot of women who constantly criticise each other and themselves.'

Martine also revealed that filmmaker Richard Curtis wrote the part of Natalie with her in mind - and that she's still in touch with many members of the cast from the hit film.

Olivia Olson had her first real-life kiss in the film

Olivia, who played 'the coolest girl in school' Joanna Anderson, shared her memories of filming the holiday hit with E! News.

And she revealed that she was squealing inside just as much as viewers were for her big kiss with co-star Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

In fact, the actress, said she had a crush on him at the time  making the fact that it was her first kiss all the more nerve-wracking.

'It was my first kiss and on-screen kiss too,' she said. 'I was really nervous because I kind of had a crush on Thomas back in the day and I was also worried because I was taller than him.'

Olivia, who played 'the coolest girl in school' Joanna Anderson, had her first real-life kiss in the film

Meanwhile, there was in fact a happy ending for Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman's characters, Karen and Harry, after his affair was revealed

Meanwhile, the idea behind Rowan Atkinson's fleeting appearance, when he over-wraps the betrayal gift, was originally intended as a tool to catch Harry out

Major plot secrets

While Love Actually may have left audiences with a warm, fuzzy feeling the world over; it's certainly left many with unanswered questions.

Scriptwriter Emma Freud later put some of those queries to bed when she tweeted during her husband - and the film's director - Richard Curtis's first cinema experience of the 2003 rom-com classic.

Addressing the patchy plot lines, Emma confirmed that there was in fact a happy ending for Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman's characters, Karen and Harry, since the film had left fans guessing whether the married couple made a go of it.

One fan asked, 'Can u please explain outcome for Emma and Alan's characters or must I remain eternally confused? I never did work that one out!'

'They stay together,' Emma confirmed on Twitter, 'but home isn't as happy as it once was.'

The final scene of the film shows Karen and Harry, who have two on-screen children, share an awkward kiss on the cheek as they are reunited at the airport for New Year.

Viewers watched as Harry was tempted by his young secretary Mia, only to be caught out by his wife when she discovered that the indulgent gold locket he's purchased for Christmas is intended for someone else.

And as script writer Emma, who worked with husband Richard 12 years ago on the British film, revealed behind-the-scenes secrets about the film, she was even prompted to clear up whether the infidelity had been a full blown 'affair' or a 'flirtation'.

She was asked: 'Did anyone ask if Harry ACTUALLY had an affair or was just tempted to? Alan Rickman villains are usually lovable but not this one!'

Emma replied: 'DEFINITELY had an affair. I begged Richard just to make it a flirtation, but no, the whole way.'
Jessie Buckley has confirmed she's welcomed her first child.

The fiercely private actress, 35, revealed she was pregnant in April when she showed off her baby bump at a red carpet event, yet did not announce the birth.

Now Jessie has revealed she had a baby girl, whose name she has not disclosed.

Speaking on The New York Times' Modern Love podcast, Jessie revealed that her new film Hamnet, in which she plays a grieving mother, brought out a maternal side to her that she hadn't realised was so strong.

Hamnet dramatises the marriage between Anne Hathaway (Jessie) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

She explained: 'Im not surprised I got pregnant a week after I finished filming because I had coaxed... it was also quite intense to have that need while I was in this place of absolute mother and it not be a real thing yet.'

Jessie Buckley has confirmed she's welcomed a baby girl and revealed she fell pregnant a week after filming Hamnet because it brought out an 'intense need to become a mother'

The fiercely private actress, 35, revealed she was pregnant in April when she showed off her baby bump at a red carpet event, yet did not announce the birth

Jessie continued: 'There was moments where it broke my heart because I was living this altered world, where I was absolutely that. Well, just be patient...

'I think when I was filming Hamnet, I deeply wanted to become a mother myself.

'And it was such a gift to move through this woman and her motherhood and her love and her loss before I became a mother myself.

'And I think even getting pregnant and throughout my pregnancy and how I was thinking about what kind of birth I wanted and how I would be autonomous in choosing that as much as I could was very empowering.'

Jessie also confirmed that she had welcomed a girl as she detailed the lessons she would like to pass onto her daughter.

'I think the thing I can hope to impart to her, and Im sure shes going to go on her whole own trajectory, and she should, is we have one life,' Jessie mused.

'And were always going to be  theres always going to be things in our life that are going to make us doubt or be afraid or feel like it would be safer to be smaller in some way.

'And I see this little life thats so new but so full and so untarnished by an idea or a projection of what were supposed to be. And I just hope that if I can pass anything onto her in the way that my mothers has passed on to me is that all the parts of you are not too much.

'The world needs all of you, and that means incubating the struggles, is like living through the struggles, the shadows. The things that are going to challenge you, you have to metabolize it and incubate it. And theres no too-muchness. Its only to be lived fully.'

Hamnet dramatises the marriage between Anne Hathaway (Jessie) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), and the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare's play Hamlet

Jessie also discussed Hamnet and motherhood on The Graham Norton Show

The Irish actress looked stylish in a Celine suit as she appeared alongside Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Michelle de Swarte and Tom Odell in the episode, which will air on Friday

Jessie also discussed Hamnet and motherhood on The Graham Norton Show.

The Irish actress looked stylish in a Celine suit as she appeared alongside Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Michelle de Swarte and Tom Odell in the episode, which will air on Friday.

Jessie said of Hamnet: 'It is a real peek behind the curtain of who the family man Shakespeare might have been. It's about love, loss, motherhood and storytelling. It was such a gorgeous shoot.'

Asked about it being a hugely emotional watch, she said: 'There have been some beautiful moments in putting it out into the world.

'I watched it first when I was eight months pregnant and I was not okay. It was so embarrassing to cry at my own film, but it was so beautiful.'

Jessie's pregnancy reveal came a year after she married her secret boyfriend - known only as 'Freddie'.

She has refused to reveal the identity of her mysterious partner - but it has now emerged that they tied the knot one year ago and he is a mental health professional who lives in Islington, north London.

The couple split their time between London and Norfolk where the actress moved to in 2022.

Jessie has largely refrained from publicly discussing her relationship status following her split from James Norton in pictured in 2017 (pictured together). Last year she announced she had married a man known as 'Freddy', she has not revealed any further details or a picture

Jessie announced last year during an episode of Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware that she tied the knot with her mystery man at their home in Norfolk and managed to keep their marriage under wraps for months.

She detailed a fun-filled wedding - which featured a keg of Guinness - their 'many moons' instead of one honeymoon and how the pair have been enjoying East Anglia.

Speaking about her husband, Freddie, she gushed: 'He is gorgeous!'

The couple split their time 50/50 between east London and Norfolk, where they have a home together.

Jessie and Freddie met on a blind date set up by mutual friend Marc Robinson, with whom she worked on her 2018 breakout film Wild Rose.

They initially considered settling down in Suffolk where they met due to their associations of falling in love in the place, but were won over by Norfolk.

Jessie's wedding came seven years after her self-described 'acrimonious' split from Happy Valley star James Norton, 40, whom she dated from 2015 to 2017.

She previously said: 'We have broken up, yes. It was acrimonious, but it's a tough job to have a relationship and he is a great man and we are great friends. That's it. How diplomatic can I sound?'

The Graham Norton Show airs Friday December 19 at 10.40pm on BBC One and iPlayer

Hamnet will be released in UK cinemas on January 9.
Ricky Gervais has insisted he will never be cancelled and free speech is 'the most important human right there is'.

The comedian, 64, moaned that people now 'look to be offended' as he joined Chris Stark, Jordan North and Sian Welby on Capital Breakfast on Friday.

Ricky is just days away from the release from his 'most honest and confessional show so far', Ricky Gervais: Mortality, which lands on Netflix on December 30.

Asked by Chris if he thought he is ever at the risk of being cancelled, Ricky said: 'We've got to work for someone who can cancel you because I don't know what me being cancelled is. What I'm not invited where? Where am I not invited?

'I don't know I think you've got to actually do something criminal to actually be cancelled or become less popular. I'm all for consequence culture.'

He went on to say that he think free speech is 'the most important human right there is'.

Ricky Gervaishas insisted he will never be cancelled and free speech is 'the most important human right there is' on Capital Breakfast on Friday

Ricky is just days away from the release from his 'most honest and confessional show so far', Ricky Gervais: Mortality, which lands on Netflix on December 30 (Seen in previous show Armageddon)

Speaking to the radio hosts, Ricky said: 'I also think that we're coming out of a phase now that feels like a bit of sunlight. It has been weird for the last ten years as a comedian going "will that get me cancelled? Can I say that? Is that okay now? Oh God, things are changing that thing I said a year ago will that be?"

'And now we are coming out of that because I think they pushed too hard and now people are over it. They complained about things that didn't deserve being complained about.'

He continued: 'And I thought of this as well, twenty years ago when I started, if I got a nice email from someone saying "oh, I didn't appreciate that" I would look into it and I'd ask "why didn't you like it?"

'Now if someone says I'm offended I go "yeah, I know we all are, don't worry about it you'll get over it" People look to be offended.'

Ricky added: 'As I say in the show, and I mean it, that free speech is the most important human right there is and it is the right for which all other rights come. Without free speech you can't have human rights and people shut you up because they don't like what you are saying and that is always suspicious.'

Gervais is no stranger to making controversial, profanity-laden jokes and often faces backlash for his 'offensive' comedy.

Ricky stirred up controversy as recently as May as he appeared to make a joke about sexual assault.

As he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he joked about being grateful to join some of the famous (or infamous) legends memorialised with a star in Hollywood as he named Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle  all of whom have faced accusations of sexual assault.

The comedian, 64, moaned that people now 'look to be offended' as he joined Chris Stark, Jordan North and Sian Welby on Capital Breakfast on Friday

'Thank you so much for this honor. It's a genuine thrill to be part of such an exclusive club,' Ricky said during his speech, per Variety.

'And just looking around earlier at all the other stars, absolute icons, you know? Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Fatty Arbuckle.'

All three went to trial for their alleged crimes but only Bill was convicted while the King of Pop and Fatty were acquitted.

The actor, who was also a co-creator of British TV sitcoms like The Office and Extras, previously stirred controversy with his 'offensive' jokes when he hosted the Golden Globe Awards five times  consecutively from 2010 through 2012, then again in 2016 and 2020.

Though he did not return for this year's ceremony, he did share some of the shocking jokes he would have told if the 82nd Golden Globes was hosted by him instead of fellow comedian Nikki Glaser.

For her first time Golden Globes hosting gig, Nikki even made a joke about Ricky during her monologue when she said she was 'not gonna go so hard that anyone's gonna be offended.'

Ricky had shared a video of some of his jokes ahead of the award ceremony as he said, 'It's been a pretty good year for material.'

He roasted Sean 'Diddy' Combs, joked about Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest and also showed off more of his caustic wit as he wisecracked about Hollywood's 'pedo ring' and The Vatican.

Ricky stirred up controversy as recently as May as he appeared to make a joke about sexual assault while receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Pictured)

Ricky is set to return to Netflixwith his highly-anticipated fourth stand-up special, Ricky Gervais: Mortality

His hosting gigs have always drawn mixed reactions as some of his wildest Golden Globe jokes included roasting Leonardo DiCaprio for the age gap between him and the women he dates as well as offending Caitlyn Jenner by using her deadname.

He also joked about Bird Box and working for Harvey Weinstein as well as the litany of celebrities who have undergone plastic surgery transformations.

Some of his most controversial and offensive jokes have been slammed for being 'homophobic' and 'anti-transgender rhetoric.'

Ricky is set to return to Netflix with his highly-anticipated fourth stand-up special.

Ricky Gervais: Mortality will explore his takes on his own mortality in a brutally honest and darkly funny programme about his life, death and the state of the world.

It follows on from the success of his previous specials; Humanity, Supernature, and the Golden Globe-winning Armageddon.

The Netflix special was filmed earlier this year at the London Palladium, during his tour.

Please credit: Listen to Capital Breakfast with Jordan North, Chris Stark and Sian Welby weekdays from 6am  10am across the UK and on Global Player
Lily Allen was spotted partying with billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch's 'wildchild' granddaughter Charlotte Freud.

The pop star, 40, who split from husband David Harbour, 50, last year, cosied up to the Charlotte, 25, at a Christmas bash this week.

Songwriter Charlotte shared a photo on her Instagram stories on Thursday night, showing the pair embracing at a party with their mutual friends.

'Merry Christmas you filthy animals,' Charlotte captioned the snap, referencing the classic line from the movie Home Alone.

Lily cut a relaxed figure in a cream knitted jumper adorned with pink floral embroidery, while Charlotte, who earned her 'wild child' label during her drug-fuelled teenage years, wore a low-cut black outfit.

Their festive outing comes just over a month after Lily was spotted enjoying a date night with Charlotte's older brother, Jonah, at the Michelin-starred Dorian restaurant in Notting Hill.

Lily Allen was spotted partying with billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch's 'wildchild' granddaughter Charlotte Freud

Their festive outing comes just over a month after Lily was spotted enjoying a date night with Charlotte's older brother, Jonah, at the Michelin-starred Dorian restaurant in Notting Hill (Pictured)

The pair chatted and laughed together for more than two hours before leaving the venue separately.

Charlotte and Jonah are the children of PR supremo Matthew Freud, the nephew of celebrated late artist Lucian Freud, and Charlotte Hutton.

Lily, who has two daughters with her first husband, builder and decorator Sam Cooper, has been spending more and more time with the Freud media dynasty following her split from Stranger Things star David, whom she wed in 2020.

Just a few weeks ago, Charlotte shared a playful TikTok video of the pair dancing to Lily's new song, West End Girl, as they hinted at a possible romance between Lily and Jonah.

The TikTok, which was filmed in a private room at the iconic Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles, also had a poignant reference to Charlotte's own brief marriage to British rapper Luke Storey, 40.

Charlotte captioned the clip: 'When last time you saw each other you were both married and now you're sisters.'

She wed rapper Luke at a star-studded Cotswolds ceremony in 2022 that resembled a scene out of Succession as as her media mogul grandfather Rupert helicoptered in wearing a striking white suit and red suede shoes amid his divorce from Texan bombshell Jerry Hall.

Guests at the nuptials included actor Woody Harrelson and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman.

Just a few weeks ago, Charlotte shared a playful TikTok video of the pair dancing to Lily's new song, West End Girl, as they hinted at a possible romance between Lily and Jonah

The TikTok also had a poignant reference to Charlotte's own brief marriage to British rapper Luke Storey, 40

However, Charlotte later revealed her husband relapsed on the way to their honeymoon.

The couple divorced in September 2023, with Charlotte explaining: 'It felt like there were three people in the relationship - me and him and our recovery.'

Following her divorce, Charlotte moved to Los Angeles where she struck up a romance with American actor Isaak Presley, 23, who starred in Netflix's Fuller House and Disney's Stuck in the Middle with Jenna Ortega.

The Daily Mail revealed last month that they had split up.

Charlotte, who grew up in the UK shifting between family homes in London and Suffolk, has spoken publicly about her addiction to drugs and alcohol, and recently marked her five-year sober anniversary.

Elsewhere Lily was spotted enjoying a cosy-looking dinner date with writer Jonah in a west London restaurant last month.

The pair looked cosy while chatting and laughing over dinner and are said to have spent more than two hours together before leaving the venue separately.

Stepping out of the restaurant, Lily - who is an old friend of the Freud family, made a low-key exit as she wrapped up in a black coat and scarf with a takeaway bag.

The pair were also pictured together back in September at an Oasis party held at the Chiltern Firehouse.
The Apprentice winner Tom Pellereau has split from his business partner Lord Alan Sugar after 14 years.

The TV star, 46, was the first contestant to become Lord Sugar's business partner after impressing him, Baroness Karren Brady, 56, and Nick Hewer, 81, on the BBC show in 2011.

After joining forces, Tom and the business mogul went on to build tech-beauty venture, company StylPro.

Now, Lord Sugar, 87, confirmed Tom has bought out his 50 per cent stake - which Lord Sugar secured after contributing 250,000 in return - in the business, taking it to a 100 per cent founder-owned company.

Praising the prosperous partnership, the Amstrad founder said in a statement: 'Fourteen years after investing in Tom, I have agreed with Tom's decision to purchase back my shares and return sole ownership to him.

'When I first met Tom, he was a naive inventor with ideas and drive, but he desperately needed my business help.

The Apprentice winner Tom Pellereau, 46, has split from his business partner Lord Alan Sugar, 87, after 14 years (pictured at StylPro launch event in September 2024)

The TV star, 46, was the first contestant to become Lord Sugar's business partner after impressing him, Baroness Karren Brady, 56, and Nick Hewer, 81, on the BBC show in 2011 (pictured on The Apprentice)

'He has gone on to build one of the UK's fastest-selling electrical beauty-tech brands. It's now the right time to part ways and allow Tom and his team to take the company to new heights.'

Tom - whose business specialises in electrical beauty technology, such as LED face masks, and is stocked in the UK, US, Europe and Australia - sang Lord Sugar's praises and thanked him for his wise guidance and help throughout this time.

'I will always be so grateful for the investment Lord Sugar made, and the potential he saw in me and my inventions,' he said.

'His time, knowledge and guidance have been invaluable.

'While now is the right time to regain full ownership of my business, I look back on the amazing journey we've taken together over the last 14 years with deep gratitude and happy memories.'

With the legendary show beginning in 2005, Tom was the mogul's very first business partner, with winners before him being handed a 100,000-a-year job with Lord Sugar's business, rather than investment into their own firms.

Tom previously admitted he and Lord Sugar have had 'some ups and some downs' during their time as business partners.

In 2024, Tom told The Sun: 'He has always put a lot of pressure on me to succeed. He's been like that kind of headmaster that just gives you a hard time.

After joining forces, Tom and the business mogul went on to build tech-beauty venture, company StylPro (pictured together at StylPro launch event in September 2024)

'Fourteen years after investing in Tom, I have agreed with Tom's decision to purchase back my shares and return sole ownership to him,' the business mogul revealed

Meanwhile Tom added: 'I will always be so grateful for the investment Lord Sugar made, and the potential he saw in me and my inventions'

Tom was the mogul's very first business partner, with winners before him being handed a 100,000-a-year job with Lord Sugar's business, rather than investment into their own firms (pictured together after his win in 2011)

'And people sort of say, 'You know, he does quite like you'. And you're like, 'Oh, he's got a very funny way of showing it'. But we've had some ups and some downs.'

In February, Daily Mail took a look at where the 18 winners of the BBC show are now.

The show began in 2005 as a groundbreaking series which featured some of the country's best young business minds hoping to secure a job with the then Sir Alan.

However, the programme has slowly turned into a more reality TV-inspired fare, with big personalities gloating irreverently about their skills in business.

The show's prize changed in 2011 with the candidates now competing for an investment into their business.

A handful have gone on to build business empires that are bringing in the money, including Tom, Ricky Martin, Mark Wright, Sara Lynn, Sian Gabbidon and Carina Lepore.
Sydney Sweeney shared some wild photos from behind-the-scenes of her latest movie, the thriller The Housemaid.

The eye-popping portfolio, which included her costars Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, was placed on Instagram on Friday.

The blonde beauty was taking a break from filming as she was seen in a satin bustier and jeans with blood splattered all over her.

The thespian in one shot was eating a sandwich with a side of potato chips and pickles in a kitchen as she smiled at the camera.

In the other image she stuck out her tongue seductively as she posed under a sign that said Hot Set. A hot set means filming is taking place.

This comes just as her director Paul Feig said that she likes being sexy.

Sydney Sweeney shared some wild photos from behind-the-scenes of her latest movie, the thriller The Housemaid. The blonde beauty was taking a break from filming as she was seen in a satin bustier with blood splattered on her. She was eating a sandwich with a side of potato chips and pickles

In the other image she stuck out her tongue seductively as she posed under a sign that said Hot Set. A hot set means filming is taking place

Sweeney is 'very proud of how she looks', according to Feig.

The 63-year-old Bridesmaids moviemaker worked with Sydney, 28, on new thriller The Housemaid and he's revealed the actress is very 'body positive' and isn't fighting 'insecurity' like other movie stars.

Feig told The Times newspaper: 'She's very proud of how she looks, and you should be. There are so many people I've encountered where you're fighting against their insecurity. She would say: "I love women's bodies," and that's so healthy.'

Sydney had to film intimate scenes with co-star Brandon Sklenar for the new movie and Feig insisted the pair didn't have any issues with stripping off on camera although nudity onset does make the director himself feel 'uncomfortable'.

He told the publication: 'There's nobody more uncomfortable with it [onscreen nudity] than this guy [me].'

Feig went on to praise the work of the film's intimacy co-ordinator, adding that the introduction of the role on film sets is a good thing for Hollywood.

He said: '[It's] the greatest thing that's happened in Hollywood. When you have a 63-year-old man amongst all these beautiful young people, you don't want to be the pervy porn producer, telling people to do stuff.'

Here the actress is seen with co-star Amanda Seyfried

In this image the star had on a striped top with blue jeans and a belt

With Seyfried and a child star, center

This comes just as her director Paul Feig, center, said that she likes being sexy

Sweeney is 'very proud of how she looks', according to Feig. The 63-year-old Bridesmaids moviemaker worked with Sydney, 28, on new thriller The Housemaid and he's revealed the actress is very 'body positive' and isn't fighting 'insecurity' like other movie stars

Feig told The Times newspaper: 'She's very proud of how she looks, and you should be. There are so many people I've encountered where you're fighting against their insecurity. She would say: "I love women's bodies," and that's so healthy'

Sydney had to film intimate scenes with co-star Brandon Sklenar for the new movie and Feig insisted the pair didn't have any issues with stripping off on camera although nudity onset does make the director himself feel 'uncomfortable'

He told the publication: 'There's nobody more uncomfortable with it [onscreen nudity] than this guy [me].' Feig went on to praise the work of the film's intimacy co-ordinator, adding that the introduction of the role on film sets is a good thing for Hollywood

He said: '[It's] the greatest thing that's happened in Hollywood. When you have a 63-year-old man amongst all these beautiful young people, you don't want to be the pervy porn producer, telling people to do stuff'

The Housemaid - which is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Freida McFadden - also stars Amanda Seyfried and she praised her co-star for how she's coped with the pressures of fame and success.

Amanda told Vanity Fair: 'I don't envy anything she's going through. I've spent a lot of time with her; we just hit it off immediately. She's a sweetheart.

'She's a very generous, kind person at her core. I have to be honest: I did not have a moment like she's having ever.

'[My Mean Girls co-star] Lindsay Lohan, we're buddies, and it's really, really, really harmful to people to have that kind of overnight spotlight.

'Because any press, good or bad, is still a blinding spotlight, and you have to manoeuvre and negotiate your way around it and outside of it. It's acrobatics that I don't think most people are capable of figuring it out at that age.'
Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori were spotted on a rare joint outing together in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The 48-year-old rapper - who was recently seen in Seoul with the Australian architect over the past weekend - arrived to the iconic Chateau Marmont alongside his wife before later meeting up with a pal.

Censori was seen donning a pair of white tights as well as a fitted white top and closed-toed white heels.

Her dark locks were swept up into an up do, allowing loose strands to border the sides of her face.

West - who also goes by Ye - kept it casual for the nighttime excursion in a denim jacket as well as a black hoodie underneath.

After spending time inside the historic hotel, the couple were later spotted heading to their next destination in the same vehicle.

Kanye West, 48, and his wife Bianca Censori, 30, were spotted on a rare joint outing together in Los Angeles on Thursday

Censori was seen donning a pair of white tights as well as a fitted white top and closed-toed white heels

The pair - who tied the knot in 2022 - were also seen over the past weekend as they arrived to an airport in South Korea after Censori's debut exhibition.

She opted to ditch pants as they strolled hand-in-hand and instead donned tiny black shorts and a fitted black top.

Censori also slipped into a pair of nude-colored, thigh-high boots and easily carried a smartphone in her left hand.

The Heartless rapper also opted for an all-black outfit which comprised of baggy leather pants as well as a Yeezy Season 10 hoodie.

The architect recently opened up about her risque looks - which has seen Censori opting for scantily-clad outfits in public.

Earlier this year in February, she went nude in a shocking stunt at the 2025 Grammy Awards alongside her husband.

The media personality opened up about the topic during a conversation with Interview Magazine, with a woman speaking for Censori.

The wife of West explained that she is aware of the backlash garnered for her daring ensembles, but said that attention has not been the 'goal' for her.

Join the debate Is Bianca's art empowering or demeaning?

West - who also goes by Ye - kept it casual for the nighttime excursion in a denim jacket as well as a black hoodie underneath

Censori and West's latest outing together comes shortly after her exhibition BIO POP (THE ORIGIN) was slammed

The architect recently opened up about her risque looks - which has seen Censori opting for scantily-clad outfits in public; the pair seen above at 2025 Grammy Awards in February

'A woman in the public eye is forced to watch versions of herself multiply without her consent.

'People project, people invent, people erase. So she sculpts the versions they create, the phantom selves,' the woman speaking for Censori told the outlet.

It was also added, 'This is not a confession of feeling trapped. This is an act of repossession. She is reclaiming the unauthorized clones. She's not trapped in her image. She's multiplying it until the original becomes myth.'

The woman said that Censori does not let negative comments on social media affect her, further expressing that she is aiming towards 'self-expression.'

'Bianca views social media neutrally, not as something she's emotionally invested in, but as a space where perception mutates quickly and publicly.'

The lady continued, 'She doesn't seek praise or backlash, but she pays attention to how both form and circulate.

'They're two sides of the same perceptual mechanism, and the contrast between them is useful.'

It was additionally noted that, 'Backlash isn't a goal, but it is revealing. It shows where cultural sensitivities sit and what people are unable or unwilling to name directly. Bianca's end goal is self-expression.'

The wife of West explained that she is aware of the backlash garnered for her daring ensembles, but said that attention has not been the 'goal' for her

The woman said that Censori does not let negative comments on social media affect her, further expressing that she is aiming towards 'self-expression'

Censori and West's latest outing together comes shortly after her exhibition BIO POP (THE ORIGIN) was slammed.

She debuted the bizarre exhibition and performance earlier last week on Thursday, which featured women posing in a variety of provocative positions on furniture.

The 'human furniture' was designed by the architect herself and touches on the theme of domesticity.

'Domesticity is the mother of all revolutions, because all others trace back to it,' per an official statement. 'Born in the domestic, the home molds the body, the spirit and its roles. Positions learned in private are worn in public.'

Censori also made an appearance during the performance while wearing a red latex bodysuit.

She also took part in a dining room scene that was unveiled which saw her sitting at a table while surrounded by her 'human furniture' and a red cake placed in front of her.

During a recent interview with Dazed, Censori offered insight into the exhibition while referring to herself in the third person as simply Bianca.

At one point, the star was questioned if her own 'public persona' had been an inspiration to the creativity behind BIO POP.

She debuted the bizarre exhibition and performance earlier last week on Thursday, which featured women posing in a variety of provocative positions on furniture

At one point, the star was questioned if her own 'public persona' had been an inspiration to the creativity behind BIO POP; seen with West in 2024 in Milan

In response, she said, 'Bianca uses herself as a symbol. The work exposes what resonates in other people's psyches.'

And as to why she chose to debut the piece in Seoul, Censori explained, 'Korea understands ritual, performance and futurism as one system.'

A follow-up installment, CONFESSIONAL (THE WITNESS), is scheduled for next year in 2026.

Another titled BIANCA IS MY DOLL BABY (THE IDOL) is also set for 2026 while additional works are scheduled to debut through 2027 and beyond.

The series is set to come to an end later in 2032 with BUBBLE (THE ASCENSION).

However, the exhibition has since been slammed for sexually exploiting women - with social media users sharing their thoughts in the comment section of an Instagram post Censori uploaded to give a glimpse at the art piece.

One penned, 'And why are people supporting this?' while another typed, 'Interesting. Women are sexualized objects? Let's turn men into objects.'

And as to why she chose to debut the piece in Seoul, Censori explained, 'Korea understands ritual, performance and futurism as one system

'Well that got REAL weird real quick. This monstrosity is a hard no from me especially working in health care!!' a follower wrote.

A fan added, 'How is this art?' and one commented, 'One of the most disturbing IG accounts out there.'

But others came to the defense of Censori, pointing out that the exhibition has similarities to other artists.

'Let's be clear about that this is artistically inspired by Anna Uddenberg, Vanessa Beecroft and Allen Jones,' an Instagram user also penned.
David Harbour looked distracted on Sunday in Los Angeles days before he was supposed to hit the Stranger Things premiere but ended up being a no show.

The Hollywood actor was barefoot with his sneakers propped up on a wall when outside the luxurious Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.

It is a very exclusive hotel where Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock can often be spied in the dining room. During Hollywood's Golden Age, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable stopped by.

The actor - who earlier this year split from wife Lily Allen - had on a black hoodie and dark slacks with a heavy beard as he kept his head down while pacing in front of the hotel by the valet stand.

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Harbour but did not immediately hear back.

On Thursday evening he did not attend the Stranger Things premiere which he blamed on a 'scheduling conflict.' His costar Millie Bobby Brown was also missing from the event.

David Harbour looked distracted on Sunday while in Los Angeles. The Stranger Things actor was barefoot when outside the luxurious Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard

His dark sneakers were propped up on the wall by the staircase to the right

A source has told TMZ that the 50-year-old actor battles with his mental health.

'David has always been honest about managing his bipolar disorder,' the insider told the site.

'Wouldnt be surprised if thats what hes dealing with here after working non-stop all year and having his personal life under public scrutiny. That would be stressful for anyone but even more so for someone who is bipolar.'

Harbour was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his twenties, but didn't speak publicly about his struggles until he found success as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things because he worried about being viewed as unreliable.

While appearing on Marc Maron's WTF podcast in 2019 he said: 'As an actor, you're worried about getting hired, but now I'm at a place where I can talk about this.

'Also, I'm in my forties, I may as well be myself, whether I get work or not.'

There was also a report from TMZ that Harbour allegedly grabbed a man's hat for apparently no reason when they were at a bar in Encinitas, California on Saturday.

The actor - who earlier this year split from wife Lily Allen- had on a black hoodie and dark slacks with a heavy beard as he kept his head down

He was pacing in front of the hotel by the valet stand. The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Harbour but did not immediately hear back

The website reported that Harbour was caught on video snatching a man's hat at a gastropub. The site was allowed to see the video but not publish it, it was explained.

The video reportedly captures Harbour entering the Encinitas Ale House before emerging shortly thereafter, running outdoors with a white cap in hand.

The actor then reportedly shouted as he looked over his shoulder: 'C'mon, dude, f****** get me!'

A man is then reportedly seen walking outside of the bar, frustrated, and saying, 'What the f*** did I do to you, dude?'

A slew of people were then seen leaving the bar to catch the incident, and a female voice could be heard imploring, 'Don't get into a fight!'

The actor was set to attend Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration tonight but he was a no show; seen with Winona Ryder

As she says that, the man returns to the bar with his hat. No physical altercation is said to have occurred between Harbour and the man and they parted ways.

An eyewitness at the bar told TMZ it all started after the man with the hat saw Harbour outside the bar and went out to say hello.

Harbour was with a friend who told the bar patron they were going to meet several woman, however the actor apparently suggested they head to the man's house instead - a response that perplexed him.

The man went back inside the bar and Harbour is said to have entered the establishment shortly thereafter. According to TMZ, Harbour grabbed the hat and quickly left.

Eyewitnesses told the site that Harbour 'spiked' the hat onto the floor, inquired about the Iraq War, before getting emotional and dropping down to a knee to pray.

Meanwhile, the actor split from wife Lily Allen earlier this year; seen in December 2023

The alleged hat incident comes after Harbour and Allen split following four years of marriage, with the songstress' new album West End Girl recounting the collapse of their union in painfully raw detail.

It also comes after The Daily Mail exclusively reported last month that Harbour's Stranger Things co-star Brown had filed 'pages and pages' worth of bullying and harassment claims against him head of shooting the show's fifth and final season in 2024.

Sources previously told the Daily Mail that Brown's complaints against Harbour did not include any allegations of sexual impropriety.

It was said that Harbour faced an internal inquiry as a result of Brown's complaints against him but the outcome of the investigation is unknown.

Netflix declined to comment about any investigation, but it is understood that Harbour's ex Allen, whose new album eviscerates Mr Harbour, claiming he cheated on her multiple times, steadfastly supported her husband throughout the brutal ordeal.

The Daily Mail exclusively reported last month that Harbour's Stranger Things co-star Millie Bobby Brown had filed 'pages and pages' worth of bullying and harassment claims against him head of shooting the show's fifth and final season in 2024; seen in November

A source said: 'Lily supported him throughout it all. It was a brutal time.'

Brown had a personal representative with her on set while filming the final series, which will start airing in the UK and US later this month, and is destined to be one of Netflixs most-watched shows ever.

Brown has since spoken about their 'close bond' and 'great relationship' during an interview with Deadline. 'Of course I felt safe [with Harbour],' she told the publication. 'We've worked together for 10 years. I feel safe with everyone on that set. You naturally just... you've been doing it for so long. We also play father and daughter so naturally you have a closer bond than the rest, we have had some intense scenes together.'

The star added, 'David and I have a great relationship, we work really closely together in the scenes and in preparing for the scenes.'
James Van Der Beek is addressing his weight loss after fans were shocked to see his frail frame months ago.

The 48-year-old actor, who is battling colon cancer, was forced to cancel a Dawson's Creek reunion appearance in September due to a separate illness.

Instead of attending in-person, he appeared virtually, but fans were surprised to see how thin he was.

Now he's revealed that he lost weight due to suffering a stomach bug at the time.

'I'd lost so much weight because of the stomach virus,' he explained to Today show's Craig Melvin in an interview that aired on Friday.

He clarified that the drop in weight was 'not cancer-related,' before adding, 'Although with cancer everything's like, "Why don't we super size that stomach virus?"'

James Van Der Beek is addressing his weight loss after fans were shocked to see his frail frame months ago; pictured with the Today show's Craig Melvin

The actor worried fans when he looked noticeably thinner as he appeared virtually at a Dawson's Creek reunion in September

The father-of-six also gave a positive health update on his cancer battle.

'I feel a little bit better every month. Its required more of me  more patience, more discipline.

'More strength than I knew I had. I knew I was strong, I didnt know I was this strong,' the star said in the emotional conversation.

Melvin took to Instagram earlier this week to tease the interview with behind-the-scenes outtakes.

The reporter captioned, 'Spent the day in TX on James Van Der Beeks ranch. Overcast and dreary outside but James is quite the ray of positivity these days.'

He added, 'It was refreshing and inspiring. We talked about where he is on his journey, the importance of cancer screenings, and how hes finding joy in family and faith. Our convo coming up Friday am on @todayshow.'

One social media user commented, 'Looking good! Great color, more weight! Prayers, Blessings, Love!!'

Van Der Beek and wife Kimberly Van Der Beek share daughters Olivia, 15, Annabel, 12 in January, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, seven, and sons Joshua, 13, and Jeremiah, four.

Melvin took to Instagram earlier this week to tease the interview with behind-the-scenes outtakes

The actor pictured with wife Kimberly and his father James Sr. in an image shared earlier this year

In late September most of the Dawson's Creek cast joined forces for a live reading of the show's pilot episode to benefit F Cancer.

Lin-Manuel Miranda joined Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, filling in for Van Der Beek.

Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps were also there.

'I have been looking forward to this night for months and months, ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,' Van Der Beek  who portrayed the character Dawson Leery in the teen drama  shared in a pre-recorded video at the time.

'I can't believe I'm not there. I can't believe I don't get to see my castmates, my beautiful cast in person,' he said.

'And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. From the cast to the crew to everybody who's doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you  you are the best fans in the world.'

'Thank you for coming. It's just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,' he added.
Chloe Madeley has recalled 'many incidents' where she has seen her father Richard naked after he admitted to not wearing underwear.

The breakfast TV host, 69, previously spoke about his decision to go underwear-free and left his Good Morning Britain viewers stunned.

Now his daughter Chloe, 38, has revealed her dad's love of going commando has led to many awkward encounters at their family home.

Appearing on Romesh Ranganathan Parents Evening, the father and daughter duo spoke about the run-ins.

Romesh asked Richard: 'Do you hang loose?'

Richard quickly replied: 'Yeah. It's just... I don't know why, in my early 30s, I just suddenly found that boxes, and budgy smugglers, and all of that, they just chafe.

Chloe Madeley has recalled 'many incidents' where she has seen her father Richard naked after he admitted to not wearing underwear

The breakfast TV host, 69, previously spoke about his decision to go underwear-free and left his Good Morning Britain viewers stunned

'Right? So I got rid of them. And I've never looked back.'

Attention then turned to Chloe, who shares Bodhi with ex James Haskell, as Romesh asked: 'Was that news to you that your dad doesn't wear underwear?'

Red-faced Chloe said: 'No, no, no. We had many, um, incidents with... You know.

'When I would walk into the kitchen late at night, and then immediately just walking straight back out again.'

Richard first met his wife Judy Finnigan in 1982 when they worked on separate programmes for Granada TV.

The couple tied the knot in 1986 and now have two children together, Jack and TV personality and personal trainer Chloe.

Richard recently shared how he made the decision to move in with Judy and become a stepdad.

Opening up to Matt Willis on a coming episode of the Busted star's On the Mend podcast, Richard said: 'Judy and I worked together for years before we even talked about the prospect of getting together.

Chloe, 38, has revealed her dad's love of going commando has led to many awkward encounters at their family home

Host Romesh asked Richard: 'Do you hang loose?' to which the presenter confirmed he does

'One of Judy's main concerns was obviously her kids. They, you know, came first front and foremost in any move that she might make.

'I remember her saying to me when it became clear that we were falling for each other and we were tentatively beginning to talk about maybe having a life together, "you've got to understand I come in a three pack - it's me and Tom and Dan".

'And I took that very seriously. And this is before This Morning [which they presented together] started.

'We'd been working and sharing our days together at the office for three years by then, and we were on the point of deciding to live together. We were both divorced.

'But Judy was really concerned that I knew what I was doing as far as being a stepdad was concerned because the boys were going to live with her.

'So I went off on my own. I went off to Greece for two weeks on a kind of a solo holiday to think about it because I didn't want to rush.

Richard and Judy married in 1986 and now have two children together, Jack and TV personality and personal trainer Chloe

'I didn't want to say with super confidence "Oh yeah, it'll be fine, I'm happy to be a stepfather".

'I needed to know that I could deliver and that I meant it, that I really meant it.

'So I went away for two weeks and just thought - basically sat on a beach for two weeks and just thought quite deeply about the future and about how I felt about it. And I felt very comfortable with it.

'And I went back and told her that. I mean, the boys were adorable. They were only seven at that stage, and they were absolutely adorable.'
Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd and his ex-wife Alice Evans are getting one last shot to resolve their bitter dispute over money and custody of their two daughters - or risk a costly nine-day trial.

Gruffudd appeared at the Santa Monica Courthouse on Friday looking composed, dressed in a tailored navy suit with matching slacks, a light blue button-up shirt and black dress shoes, finished with polarized designer sunglasses.

Evans, 57, was a no-show at the brief hearing.

The deadline for a resolution had originally been set for December 19, after Judge Michael Convey ordered the former couple, along with Gruffudd's attorney Joseph Langlois and Evans' lawyer Janina Verano, to attend a closed-door 'mandatory settlement conference' on December 4.

But after more than two hours of negotiations, the sides failed to reach an agreement on several contested issues - including Gruffudd's bid to end spousal support payments and extend a restraining order to stop Evans from allegedly stalking him and his wife, Bianca Wallace, 33, and attacking them online.

On the flipside, Evans is asking the court to order Gruffudd to cough up more than the $1,500 he's paying in monthly spousal support.

The judge overseeing the bitter dispute between actor Ioan Gruffudd and his ex-wife Alice Evans over money and their two daughters has given them one final chance to reach an agreement - or face a costly nine-day trial

Gruffudd and Evans, who share daughters Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, finalized their divorce in 2023 and have since been locked in a bitter dispute over restraining orders, custody and money

Gruffudd and Wallace recently welcomed their daughter, Mila, while the actor shares daughters Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, with Evans.

Despite the impasse earlier this month, the lawyers persuaded the judge to allow another attempt at a resolution, scheduling a second 'mandatory settlement conference' for January 6.

If no agreement is reached, the case is set to go to trial in February 2026, when the restraining order, spousal support and other disputes will be fully litigated.

Still, Langlois struck an optimistic tone afterward, telling DailyMail.com exclusively: 'We are still working on it, and we expect to settle, maybe in the next week or two.'

Over the past few months, Evans has filed court documents  uncovered by the Daily Mail  in which she claimed she was so impoverished that she had to borrow money from friends and set up a GoFundMe account that raised $18,000 in donations.

Evans also claims she and their daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, desperately need higher spousal support after being evicted from their LA home for failing to cover the $6,500 monthly rent.

Gruffudd was seen walking out of court Friday after his attorney, Joseph Langlois, successfully persuaded the judge, alongside Evans lawyer, to grant the embattled exes another 'mandatory settlement conference', now scheduled for January 6

Gruffudd is aiming to end spousal support and extend a restraining order to stop Evans from 'stalking' him and trashing him and his new wife, Bianca Wallace, 33, online; the couple welcomed their daughter Mila on November 2

She contended that she had to 'burn through' her savings to pay living expenses and legal fees.

And she insisted Gruffudd  who married Wallace in April  can afford to pay more than the $3,000 per month child support and $1,500 spousal support he now pays.

But Gruffudd has fought his ex's cash demands and in his own court filing, blasted her claims, saying that she 'purposely got herself evicted. intentionally ceasing paying rent and instead taking the children on a vacation trip to Europe'.

Her motive, he said, was to 'support her false public narrative of financial destitution in an attempt to further harm my reputationas a fraudulent way to strong-arm me into paying more support than I can afford.'

Gruffudd also maintained that subpoenaed bank records show that, far from being broke, Evans made more than $130,000 in 2024 and is expected to earn a similar amount this year, a claim that Evans called 'false and misleading'.

In one court filing, Gruffudd told how he was 'mortified' to have received 'dozens of stressed messages from our minor children in which they have parroted Alice's false and manufactured claims of becoming homeless in the immediate future.'

Evans argued Gruffudd, who tied the knot with Wallace in April, can easily pay more than the $3,000 a month in child support and $1,500 in spousal support he's currently handing over

The actor also alleged in a court filing that Evans manipulated their daughter into sending him texts expressing fear that they might be homeless in the future

But Evans denied manipulating the children into sending plaintive messages to their father.

'I absolutely did not ask the children to send messages to (Gruffudd) about our eviction and pending homelessness,' she said in court filings. 'The children are well aware of our financial distress and the eviction.'

Evans also attacked Gruffudd's accusation that his ex is still violating a three-year domestic abuse restraining order against her 'by physically stalking, ongoing harassment and publicly posting denigrating things about me on social media'.

She called the restraining order Gruffudd's effort 'to muzzle me and violate my First Amendment rights'.

And, she added: 'There is absolutely no evidence of stalking I have no idea where he and his wife live, nor do I have any interest in stalking them. This is plainly ridiculous.'

Gruffudd was granted the restraining order in August 2022 after telling the court how Evans had 'engaged in a smear campaign of hateful text messages, emails and social media postsaimed at intimidating me and my fiancee Bianca Wallace while alienating our two young children from me.'

Evans argues that she and their daughters, Ella, 16, and Elsie, 12, need an increase in spousal support, as they were recently evicted from their LA home after being unable to afford the $6,500 monthly rent

Gruffudd maintained that bank records show Evans isn't broke, earning more than $130,000 in 2024 and likely to make the same this year, a claim she denounced as 'false and misleading'

At a hearing last September, the restraining order against Evans was temporarily extended to March 6, 2026, the last possible day of the scheduled trial.

And at that hearing, he revealed that he's not only opposed to increasing the amount he pays former spouse, but he also wants to stop paying her altogether.

Gruffudd said he intends to 'request to terminate support based on Evans's continued violations of the restraining order'.

Evans and Gruffudd met on the set of the movie 102 Dalmatians more than 20 years ago. They fell in love in real life and married in Mexico in 2007.

Gruffudd filed for divorce in March 2021, after Alice announced on social media that her husband of 14 years was leaving her.

They were divorced in July 2023.
Gabrielle Carteris of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame made a rare sighting this week.

The actress  who turns 65-years-old on January 2 - appeared to be in good spirits as she enjoyed Christmas shopping in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Carteris was dressed down in track pants and trainers paired with a cozy green sweater with just a touch of jewelry to complement her look.

Oddly, her canvas bag appeared to have her former co-star Shannen Doherty's name on it. Doherty died from cancer in 2024.

Carteris is best known for playing Andrea Zuckerman in the Aaron Spelling-produced series. The character was the smart but socially awkward editor of the school paper West Beverly Blaze.

Carteris starred in the shows first five seasons and returned as guest star in seasons six, eight and 10.

She also participated in the BH90210 reboot in 2019, reuniting with her old co-stars including Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Doherty plus Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering.

Beverly Hills, 90210 star Gabrielle Carteris appeared to be in high spirits as she enjoyed a bit of Christmas shopping in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 17

The actress was dressed down in track pants and cozy green sweater for her outing - just two weeks before she turns 65 on Jaunary 2

Fellow cast member Luke Perry tragically died on March 4, 2029 after signing on to do the show.

Looking back to her earlier days on the wildly popular show, Carteris told People how she fibbed about her age to snag the role of 16-year-old Andrea. She told producers she was 21 when she was really 29.

'When I got the role, a lawyer told me I could sign a contract and state a different age, as long as it was over the age of 21,' she told the publication in 2019.

'When [my real age] did come out, the show was just starting to take off and my character was established enough that they did not fire me. But a producer did say to me, "Youre lucky we didnt know your age when we hired you."'

Carteris also recalled that the stars real lives were often incorporated into the storyline. When she had bunion surgery and had to use a wheelchair during recovery, the writers had Andrea in a serious car accident.

And when Carteris got pregnant  she was, by that time, married to Charles Isaacs  her teenage character also got pregnant.

'Before I got pregnant with my first child, I went to Aaron [Spelling] and said, "My husband, Charlie, and I would like to start a family, and Id like for you to write it in that Andrea gets pregnant because I dont want to hide my pregnancy. I want my baby to know I was proud and share it with the world,"' the actress-turned-activist recalled.

'Aaron was so shocked, but he said, "Yes, well do it." So, Andrea was full-blown pregnant.'

Gabrielle famously lied about her real age to snag the part of 16-year-old Andrea Zuckerman on the series that started airing in 1990; pictured with cast members, top L-R, Ian Ziering, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth and botton L-R, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green

When Gabrielle's real age did come out her character 'was established enough that they did not fire me'; pictured on January 30, 2020 at the Casting Society of America's Artios Awards in Beverly Hills

Gabrielle has said the cast's real life events were often written into the show's storyline including her bunion surgery and use of a wheelchair during recovery which turned into a car accident for her character Andrea; pictured April 4, 2021 during SAG Awards

When Gabrielle got pregnant with her first child, she insisted it be written into her character's storyline; pictured with husband Charles Isaacs at Golden Globe Awards in 1993

The couple, pictured in 2019 in Culver City, California, are still going strong after 33 years of marriage and two kids, daughter Kelsey, 31, and son Chase, 28

That didnt sit well with some people and there was some backlash.

'Somebody wrote an article about, "How dare Andrea get pregnant? Its high school, shes supposed to be a smart girl,"' Carteris remembered.

'I responded back in an editorial, "You know, smart people make mistakes. Smart people make decisions about the choices they make in their lives, and this is real life."'

At 90s Con 2024, Carteris admitted that she didn't want to do CW's 90210 reboot, according to People. That version lasted from 2008 to 2013 and starred Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty.

'I never wanted to [do it]. I was so shocked they were doing a new show. I was like, is it like, they long so much youre just going to try to reinvent it over and over?' she said.

However, most of the original main cast members reunited in 2019 for another revival, Fox's BH90210, in which they played fictionalized versions of themselves as they try to get a reboot of 90210 made.

Carteris said: 'It felt full circle, to be together as adults, having had our children, being able to work together. I thought it was probably one of those most impactful moments of my life.'

Speaking about the impact of the original show, she said, 'Instead of milk and cookies and kids are just good and should be listened to, they are real stories - and people want to be seen. People wanted to be heard.'

Addressing the audience at the nostaligic, pop-culture convention, Carteris added, 'Ive been very touched by those of you who come up to talk to me, when you talk about how it connected with you and who you were, that is the biggest tribute you can give. Its moving every time.'
Pete Davidson and girlfriend Elsie Hewitt announced the birth of their daughter on Thursday.

And the 29-year-old model later revealed via Instagram Stories that she lost a tooth shortly after childbirth.

She shared photos of her bandaged and swollen jaw, writing, 'Who else had to get a wisdom tooth removed directly from hospital the day after they gave birth?'

The new mom was bundled in a pale pink sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head while sitting in the backseat of an SUV.

Her newborn was safely strapped into a carseat next to her in the candid selfie.

Hewitt and the actor, 32, announced that they were expecting in July, just several months after going public with their romance.

Elsie Hewitt has revealed she lost a tooth the day after giving birth to her duaghter

Pete Davidson and his girlfriend announced the birth of their daughter on Thursday

Earlier this week Hewitt shared a slew of photos with the couple's baby girl and wrote, 'Our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025.'

She told her 1.1 million followers that he child's name is Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson .'

The gushing mother added, 'My best work yet, I am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief. - Elsie.'

Injecting his signature humor, the comedian contributed, 'Wu Tang Forever. - Pete.'

News of Davidson's romance with Hewitt emerged in March.

At the time, insiders described the British beauty as a 'non-celebrity' and unlike 'anybody else he's ever dated,' per Page Six.

The outlet added that his new lady 'respects Pete and his desire for privacy.'

Hewitt went Instagram official with the standup comic in spring, posting a brief video of him outstretching his arms to hug her.

They made their red carpet debut in May at the 13th Annual Blossom Ball.

And the star shocked fans in July when she shared a series of photos with her boyfriend, including a sonogram.

She jokingly captioned the post, 'Welp, now everyone knows we had sex.'

The new mom shared photos of her bandaged and swollen jaw, writing, 'Who else had to get a wisdom tooth removed directly from hospital the day after they gave birth?'

Earlier this week Hewitt shared a slew of photos with the couple's baby girl and wrote, 'Our perfect angel girl arrived 12/12/2025'

The new parents posed with their bundle of joy

In August the standup comic admitted he initially 'felt bad' that his girlfriend's pregnancy would be in the spotlight due to his fame.

While appearing on The Breakfast Club radio show, he explained, 'I feel bad for my girl because I bring a lot of s***. Anything I do or she does now is gonna be a thing.'

He noted, 'She's a very private person and she's the one doing all the work. It's supposed to be a beautiful experience.'

The actor then clarified that Hewitt had not complained about the circumstances.

He said: 'She's never made me feel this way or said anything but I feel so guilty and horrible that I could not allow her to have the ideal pregnancy that almost every woman gets to have and enjoy.'
One of Wall Street's AI darlings is turning into a nightmare for investors.

In just six weeks, CoreWeave  a tech company most consumers have never heard of  has shed 60 percent of its stock value, wiping out about $33billion in paper wealth.

That's sending a chill through the entire AI trade. Wall Street had already been on edge about a potential investment bubble.

CoreWeave is not an AI company like OpenAI or Anthropic, in that it doesn't build chatbots or video-generating apps for consumers.

Instead, the eight-year-old company buys massive quantities of Nvidia's highest-end AI chips, installs them in 32 energy-hungry data centers, and rents that computing power to trillion-dollar customers like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta.

At first, investors loved the company.

CoreWeave launched its IPO in March, valuing its shares at $40. Wall Street flooded the company with a shocking amount of cash, sending the stock's value to a peak of over $183 a share by mid-June.

The stock today is still up 67 percent from its IPO price due to the initial three-month boost, but has fallen 61.2 percent from its June high to just around $66.

CoreWeave hit the market in March with a $40 initial stock offering. It climbed to over $180 before crashing to $66 today

CEO Michael Intrator doesn't think his company is in a bad position. 'The world will find ways to finance an enormous amount of business,' he said

The firm's deep strategic ties to Nvidia  which is both an investor and hardware supplier  have sparked significant 'circularity' concerns among financial analysts.

The cycle begins with Nvidia injecting millions of dollars into CoreWeave.

CoreWeave then uses that investment to purchase back Nvidia's expensive H100 and Blackwell chips, effectively returning the money to the supplier and boosting Nvidia's reported sales.

To pay for the latest Nvidia tech, CoreWeave is taking on an estimated $18.8billion in debt, according to Company Market Cap trackers.

Wall Street's unease starts with how CoreWeave will pay all of that back. But the company's CEO, Michael Intrator, isn't worried about the balance.

'If you're building something that accelerates the economy and has fundamental value to the world, the world will find ways to finance an enormous amount of business,' he told the Wall Street Journal.

The company's wild ride has attracted some high-profile skeptics. Jim Chanos, an investor who famously predicted Enron's collapse, revealed a short position in CoreWeave, effectively betting the firm will drop even lower.

He's among a chorus of big Wall Street names that have grown worried about AI debt.

CoreWeave's stock has slumped since June, evaporating $33billion from the company's overall value

This year, major indexes have relied heavily on companies investing in AI. Nearly 30 percent of the S&P 500 is concentrated in five companies: Google parent Alphabet, Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon, according to CNBC.

Many of those companies are making enormous bets on firms with astounding amounts of debt and limited revenue  like OpenAI or CoreWeave  to build the infrastructure that powers AI.

The debt and limited revenue have worried investors about a potential bursting of the bubble, much like the dot-com bust in the early 2000s or the housing crash in 2008.

But few see those risks tipping the market toward an immediate crash, and investment heavyweights still advise Americans to hold on to their portfolios.

For example, Steve Eisman, a former portfolio manager who found fame when Steve Carell portrayed him in The Big Short, doesn't see a 2008-like crash coming to stocks today.

'Look at the speed of adoption of ChatGPT, which reached 800 million users in only three years,' he previously told the Daily Mail.

'The internet took 13. AI is already delivering.'

On Wednesday, CoreWeave's stock was down another six percent in early-morning trading. The company didn't immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment.
American Bank Inc. (OTCMKTS:AMBK  Get Free Report)s stock price fell 0.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $16.53 and last traded at $16.74. 1,052 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 114% from the average session volume of 492 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.79.

American Bank Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $109.98 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.25. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $16.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.80.

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American Bank (OTCMKTS:AMBK  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 10th. The company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.59 million during the quarter.

American Bank Company Profile

American Bank Incorporated operates as the bank holding company for American Bank that provides various banking products and services to consumer, business, institutional, and governmental customers. It accepts a range of interest-bearing checking and money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts.

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Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS  Get Free Report) President Juan Jaen sold 9,983 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.16, for a total transaction of $221,223.28. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 346,012 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,667,625.92. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Arcus Biosciences Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:RCUS traded down $0.26 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $22.02. The company had a trading volume of 1,175,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,200,446. The businesss fifty day moving average is $20.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 3.65 and a current ratio of 3.65. The firm has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 0.75. Arcus Biosciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $6.50 and a fifty-two week high of $26.40.

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Arcus Biosciences (NYSE:RCUS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported ($1.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.33) by $0.06. Arcus Biosciences had a negative net margin of 136.40% and a negative return on equity of 68.17%. The business had revenue of $26.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $19.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($1.00) EPS. Arcus Biosciencess revenue was down 45.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Arcus Biosciences, Inc. will post -3.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcus Biosciences

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Arcus Biosciences by 59.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,748 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 1,021 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Arcus Biosciences by 13,547.6% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 2,866 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 2,845 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 233.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,441 shares of the companys stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 3,810 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in Arcus Biosciences by 34.3% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 7,038 shares of the companys stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 1,796 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 440.3% in the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,597 shares of the companys stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 6,191 shares in the last quarter. 92.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

RCUS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wedbush set a $35.00 target price on shares of Arcus Biosciences and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Arcus Biosciences from $17.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arcus Biosciences from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $28.89.

View Our Latest Analysis on Arcus Biosciences

Arcus Biosciences Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Arcus Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes cancer therapies in the United States. The company's pipeline products include Domvanalimab, an anti-TIGIT antibody, which is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trial; and AB308, an investigational anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial to study people with advanced solid and hematologic malignancies.

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Shares of Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) rose 1.9% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $127.16 and last traded at $124.66. Approximately 5,368,286 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 9,793,389 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays reissued an overweight rating and set a $183.00 target price (up previously from $179.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Arista Networks from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Piper Sandler restated a neutral rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $143.00) on shares of Arista Networks in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Arista Networks from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Arista Networks from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $163.56.

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Arista Networks Trading Up 1.9%

The company has a market cap of $156.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.41. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $137.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.44.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.03. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.28% and a net margin of 39.73%.The company had revenue of $2.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. Arista Networkss revenue for the quarter was up 27.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kelly Bodnar Battles sold 422 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.15, for a total value of $49,437.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,052,007. This represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kenneth Duda sold 26,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.61, for a total transaction of $3,343,860.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 542,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at $69,758,064. This represents a 4.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 218,464 shares of company stock worth $30,309,988 in the last quarter. 3.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arista Networks

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its position in Arista Networks by 2,118.2% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 244 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in Arista Networks by 56.7% during the 3rd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 199 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arista Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 141.3% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 222 shares of the technology companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Arista Networks during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.47% of the companys stock.

About Arista Networks

(Get Free Report)

Arista Networks, Inc engages in the development, marketing, and sale of data-driven, client to cloud networking solutions for data center, campus, and routing environments in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Its cloud networking solutions consist of Extensible Operating System (EOS), a publish-subscribe state-sharing networking operating system offered in combination with a set of network applications.

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Standex International Corporation (NYSE:SXI  Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $264.00.

SXI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Standex International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday. Barrington Research reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $260.00 price objective on shares of Standex International in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. DA Davidson reissued a buy rating and set a $272.00 price objective on shares of Standex International in a report on Monday, November 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Standex International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Roth Capital upped their price target on Standex International from $205.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Standex International

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Standex International

In related news, CEO David A. Dunbar sold 18,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total transaction of $4,230,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 103,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,433,655. This represents a 14.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, CFO Ademir Sarcevic sold 1,823 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.12, for a total transaction of $419,508.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,341 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,149,550.92. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure . Insiders have sold 21,473 shares of company stock worth $5,024,509 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.52% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SXI. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Standex International by 62.4% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 866,830 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $135,642,000 after acquiring an additional 332,941 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Standex International by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 603,095 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $94,372,000 after purchasing an additional 12,544 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Standex International by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 286,756 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $44,877,000 after purchasing an additional 7,522 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Standex International by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 245,244 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $51,778,000 after buying an additional 4,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Standex International by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 209,316 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $33,782,000 after buying an additional 4,389 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.35% of the companys stock.

Standex International Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Standex International stock opened at $224.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of 51.44 and a beta of 1.10. Standex International has a 1 year low of $128.85 and a 1 year high of $252.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $235.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $201.45.

Standex International (NYSE:SXI  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.05. Standex International had a net margin of 6.29% and a return on equity of 14.20%. The company had revenue of $217.43 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $215.96 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 27.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Standex International will post 7.9 EPS for the current year.

Standex International Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Standex Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. Standex Internationals payout ratio is currently 31.19%.

About Standex International

(Get Free Report)

Standex International Corporation, together with subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of various products and services for commercial and industrial markets in the United States and internationally. It operates through five segments: Electronics, Engraving, Scientific, Engineering Technologies, and Specialty Solutions.

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Chemring Group PLC (LON:CHG  Get Free Report) insider Sarah Ellard sold 30,971 shares of Chemring Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 481, for a total transaction of 148,970.51.

Sarah Ellard also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Monday, December 15th, Sarah Ellard sold 42,838 shares of Chemring Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 481, for a total value of 206,050.78.

Chemring Group Stock Performance

Shares of Chemring Group stock opened at GBX 470.50 on Friday. Chemring Group PLC has a 12 month low of GBX 297.50 and a 12 month high of GBX 614. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.42. The stock has a market cap of 1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 29.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.68. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 520.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 543.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Chemring Group ( LON:CHG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, December 9th. The company reported GBX 19.70 earnings per share for the quarter. Chemring Group had a return on equity of 0.88% and a net margin of 0.64%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Chemring Group PLC will post 24.8815166 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CHG. Berenberg Bank increased their price target on shares of Chemring Group from GBX 630 to GBX 670 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a GBX 600 price objective on shares of Chemring Group in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Panmure Gordon lifted their target price on shares of Chemring Group from GBX 480 to GBX 537 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Chemring Group from GBX 530 to GBX 640 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of GBX 611.75.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on CHG

Chemring Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

We are a specialist manufacturing and technology business creating market-leading innovative solutions to meet our customers complex needs.

Using our extensive science and engineering expertise, we turn ideas into reality, designing and developing critical solutions that protect and safeguard in unpredictable environments in todays increasingly unstable world.

We achieve this by innovating at every stage of the value chain, from research and development (R&D) through to design, manufacture and in-service support, working closely with our customers to deliver products, services and solutions for mission-critical success.

Our customer base spans national defence organisations, security and law enforcement agencies, as well as commercial markets such as space and transport.

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Chiba Bank Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CHBAY  Get Free Report) rose 7.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $55.00 and last traded at $55.00. Approximately 120 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,544% from the average daily volume of 7 shares. The stock had previously closed at $51.0450.

Chiba Bank Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $8.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.36 and a beta of 0.14. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

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Chiba Bank (OTCMKTS:CHBAY  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.10. Chiba Bank had a net margin of 20.20% and a return on equity of 7.03%. The business had revenue of $709.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $369.05 million.

Chiba Bank Company Profile

The Chiba Bank, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides banking products and services in Japan and internationally. The company offers various deposit products, including savings, time deposits, currency deposits, investment trusts, bonds, and pensions; loans, which include mortgages, renovation loans, photovoltaic, vehicle, education, and other loan products; and insurance products, such as annuity, life, medical, student, death, and travel insurance.

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,079.26 and last traded at $1,056.57. 3,842,170 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 5% from the average session volume of 4,030,669 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,041.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LLY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Daiwa America upgraded Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. HSBC reiterated a hold rating and set a $1,070.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Berenberg Bank upped their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $830.00 to $950.00 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 Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,141.73.

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Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $951.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $826.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $998.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.37.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.18 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eli Lilly and Company

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 84.2% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 35 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Steph & Co. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

Eli Lilly and Company Company Profile

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Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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Fortis (TSE:FTS  Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by Scotiabank from C$74.00 to C$79.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday,BayStreet.CA reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on FTS. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Fortis from C$72.00 to C$79.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Fortis from C$72.00 to C$75.50 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. CIBC lifted their price target on Fortis from C$74.00 to C$75.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Fortis from C$72.00 to C$74.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Desjardins upped their price objective on Fortis from C$76.00 to C$79.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Fortis currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$74.85.

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Fortis Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Fortis stock opened at C$70.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 142.31, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of C$71.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$68.85. Fortis has a 1 year low of C$57.98 and a 1 year high of C$74.00. The company has a market capitalization of C$35.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.30.

Fortis (TSE:FTS  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported C$0.87 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$2.94 billion for the quarter. Fortis had a net margin of 14.53% and a return on equity of 7.48%. Research analysts forecast that Fortis will post 3.3419913 EPS for the current year.

Fortis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $0.64 per share. This is an increase from Fortiss previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Fortiss payout ratio is currently 73.21%.

About Fortis

(Get Free Report)

Fortis owns and operates 10 utility transmission and distribution assets in Canada and the United States, serving more than 3.4 million electricity and gas customers. The company has smaller stakes in electricity generation and several Caribbean utilities. ITC operates electric transmission in seven U.S.

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Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. (NYSE:HPP  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $11.47 and last traded at $11.5250, with a volume of 463940 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.06.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HPP. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties from $17.50 to $16.80 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (e+) rating on shares of Hudson Pacific Properties in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Hudson Pacific Properties from $21.00 to $17.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Hudson Pacific Properties to $14.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Hudson Pacific Properties from $21.00 to $15.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hudson Pacific Properties currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $19.23.

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Hudson Pacific Properties Stock Down 6.5%

The company has a market cap of $558.03 million, a P/E ratio of -0.61 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $15.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.36.

Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE:HPP  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.02 by $0.02. Hudson Pacific Properties had a negative net margin of 59.61% and a negative return on equity of 16.24%. The business had revenue of $186.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $186.05 million. Hudson Pacific Properties has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.010-0.050 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc. will post 0.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hudson Pacific Properties

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties during the second quarter worth approximately $729,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in Hudson Pacific Properties by 133.6% in the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 500,928 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 286,477 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Hudson Pacific Properties during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 73.0% during the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 33,782 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 14,257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hudson Pacific Properties by 1,150.4% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 260,599 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $769,000 after acquiring an additional 239,758 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.58% of the companys stock.

About Hudson Pacific Properties

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Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) is a real estate investment trust serving dynamic tech and media tenants in global epicenters for these synergistic, converging and secular growth industries. Hudson Pacific's unique and high-barrier tech and media focus leverages a full-service, end-to-end value creation platform forged through deep strategic relationships and niche expertise across identifying, acquiring, transforming and developing properties into world-class amenitized, collaborative and sustainable office and studio space.

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Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited (OTCMKTS:KGTFF  Get Free Report) traded up 9.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $0.9325 and last traded at $0.9325. 13,000 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 21,606 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.8492.

Krung Thai Bank Public Stock Up 9.8%

The stocks 50-day moving average price is $0.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $0.76.

Krung Thai Bank Public Company Profile

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Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited provides various commercial banking products and services. The company operates through three segments: Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, and Treasury and Investment. It offers various personal banking products and services, including current, savings, and fixed deposit accounts; time and foreign currency deposits; personal and housing loans; debit, travel, cash and top up, and credit cards; investment services; life, health, motor, accident, and non-life insurance products; money transfer, payment and top up, foreign exchange, and overseas education services; and e-banking services.

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Manulife Financial Co. (TSE:MFC  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MFC) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as C$49.92 and last traded at C$49.87, with a volume of 4484325 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$49.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MFC. UBS Group upgraded shares of Manulife Financial to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Manulife Financial from C$47.00 to C$48.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Securities upped their price target on shares of Manulife Financial from C$54.00 to C$57.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. CIBC lifted their price objective on Manulife Financial from C$49.00 to C$50.00 in a report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Desjardins set a C$55.00 target price on Manulife Financial and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of C$51.25.

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Manulife Financial Trading Up 1.6%

The company has a fifty day moving average price of C$47.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$44.32. The firm has a market capitalization of C$83.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.94.

Manulife Financial (TSE:MFC  Get Free Report) (NYSE:MFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported C$1.16 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$26.23 billion for the quarter. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 11.75% and a net margin of 12.52%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Manulife Financial Co. will post 3.6104452 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Manulife Financial

In other news, insider Rahim Hirji sold 25,048 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$48.25, for a total transaction of C$1,208,566.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 31,315 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately C$1,510,948.75. The trade was a 44.44% decrease in their position. Insiders own 0.03% of the companys stock.

About Manulife Financial

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Manulife provides life insurance and wealth management products and services to individuals and group customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. Manulife is one of Canadas Big Three Life Insurance companies (the other two are Sun Life and Great West Life). As of Dec. 31, 2021, Manulife reported assets under management or administration of about CAD $1.4 trillion.

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Shares of Nuvation Bio Inc. (NYSE:NUVB  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $9.01 and last traded at $9.0450, with a volume of 3975130 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NUVB shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Nuvation Bio from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. HC Wainwright raised their target price on Nuvation Bio from $10.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup restated a market outperform rating on shares of Nuvation Bio in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Truist Financial set a $11.00 price target on Nuvation Bio in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, JMP Securities set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Nuvation Bio in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $10.56.

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Nuvation Bio Trading Up 5.8%

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.08 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 8.48 and a quick ratio of 8.39.

Nuvation Bio (NYSE:NUVB  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.17) by $0.01. Nuvation Bio had a negative return on equity of 54.99% and a negative net margin of 813.07%.The business had revenue of $13.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.48 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that Nuvation Bio Inc. will post -0.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nuvation Bio

In related news, insider Dongfang Liu sold 150,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.82, for a total value of $1,173,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 18,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $140,760. This represents a 89.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Gary Hattersley sold 100,000 shares of Nuvation Bio stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.02, for a total value of $502,000.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 320,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,050,800 in the last three months. 29.93% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Nuvation Bio during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Rangeley Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nuvation Bio in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Nuvation Bio by 51.9% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,597 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in Nuvation Bio during the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Nuvation Bio during the second quarter worth $32,000. 61.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Nuvation Bio

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Nuvation Bio Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of therapeutic candidates for oncology. The company's lead product candidate is NUV-868, a BD2 selective oral small molecule BET inhibitor that epigenetically regulates proteins that control tumor growth and differentiation, including oncogenes comprising c-myc; NUV-1156, an AR binder Xtandi that address advanced stage prostate cancers with the potential to move into earlier lines typically treated with surgical prostatectomy; and drug-drug conjugate (DDC) platform which leverages a novel therapeutic approach within the drug-conjugate class of anti-cancer therapies to deliver anti-cancer therapeutics to cancer cells, as well as NUV-1176, a PARP inhibitor to address ER+ breast and ovarian cancer.

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Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH  Free Report) had its target price lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $850.00 to $869.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a hold rating on the industrial products companys stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on PH. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Parker-Hannifin from $960.00 to $1,006.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Parker-Hannifin from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a report on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Parker-Hannifin from $825.00 to $935.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Parker-Hannifin currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $911.65.

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Parker-Hannifin Stock Up 0.5%

PH opened at $867.42 on Tuesday. Parker-Hannifin has a one year low of $488.45 and a one year high of $908.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.25. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $817.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $756.26.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.62 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.94 billion. Parker-Hannifin had a return on equity of 27.23% and a net margin of 18.17%.The businesss revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.20 EPS. Parker-Hannifin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Parker-Hannifin will post 26.71 EPS for the current year.

Parker-Hannifin Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. Parker-Hannifins dividend payout ratio is 25.65%.

Insider Activity

In other Parker-Hannifin news, VP Berend Bracht sold 3,507 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $864.58, for a total transaction of $3,032,082.06. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,580 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,230,616.40. The trade was a 57.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Rachid Bendali sold 1,437 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $852.99, for a total transaction of $1,225,746.63. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,315,014.86. This trade represents a 34.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,432 shares of company stock valued at $6,484,116 in the last three months. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Parker-Hannifin

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 20.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,610 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,521,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 5.1% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,386 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $7,529,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich acquired a new position in Parker-Hannifin during the second quarter worth about $733,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Parker-Hannifin by 20.9% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,194 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Parker-Hannifin by 0.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,125,240 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $7,770,646,000 after acquiring an additional 101,476 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.44% of the companys stock.

Parker-Hannifin Company Profile

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Parker-Hannifin Corporation manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The Diversified Industrial segment offers sealing, shielding, thermal products and systems, adhesives, coatings, and noise vibration and harshness solutions; filters, systems, and diagnostics solutions to ensure purity and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors used in fluid and gas handling; and hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical components and systems for builders and users of mobile and industrial machinery and equipment.

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Synovus Financial (NYSE:SNV  Free Report) had its price objective raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the banks stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of Synovus Financial in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Synovus Financial from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Synovus Financial from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Synovus Financial from $65.00 to $58.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Synovus Financial from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $58.00.

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Synovus Financial Price Performance

SNV stock opened at $52.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $47.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.47. Synovus Financial has a 1 year low of $35.94 and a 1 year high of $61.06. The stock has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 9.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Synovus Financial (NYSE:SNV  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The bank reported $1.46 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.10. Synovus Financial had a return on equity of 16.13% and a net margin of 21.97%.The company had revenue of $612.79 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $604.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.23 earnings per share. Synovus Financials revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Synovus Financial will post 4.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Synovus Financial Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be paid a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Synovus Financials dividend payout ratio is currently 29.10%.

Insider Activity

In other Synovus Financial news, Director Gregory G. Montana bought 1,000 shares of Synovus Financial stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $45.37 per share, for a total transaction of $45,370.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 5,464 shares of the companys stock, valued at $247,901.68. The trade was a 22.40% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Synovus Financial

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SNV. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in shares of Synovus Financial by 664.8% in the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 543 shares of the banks stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Synovus Financial during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Synovus Financial in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Synovus Financial in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Synovus Financial by 1,817.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 863 shares of the banks stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 818 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.85% of the companys stock.

Synovus Financial Company Profile

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Synovus Financial Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Synovus Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking products and services. It operates through four segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Consumer Banking, and Financial Management Services. The company's commercial banking services include treasury and asset management, capital market, and institutional trust services, as well as commercial, financial, and real estate lending services.

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Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:TEVA  Free Report) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $28.00 to $35.00 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on TEVA. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, December 13th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued an overweight rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a research report on Friday, December 5th. They set a sector outperform rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $31.13.

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Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Stock Up 0.7%

Insider Activity at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries

Shares of NYSE:TEVA opened at $30.28 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $34.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has a 12-month low of $12.47 and a 12-month high of $30.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.95.

In other Teva Pharmaceutical Industries news, insider Mark Sabag sold 216,892 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.73, for a total value of $6,231,307.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 52,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,517,748.44. This trade represents a 80.41% 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. Also, VP Richard Daniell sold 115,468 shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.68, for a total transaction of $3,311,622.24. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 48,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,387,653.12. This trade represents a 70.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 622,060 shares of company stock valued at $17,076,965 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.49% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its position in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 9.4% during the third quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 41,295,244 shares of the companys stock worth $834,164,000 after acquiring an additional 3,533,800 shares in the last quarter. Ion Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Ion Asset Management Ltd. now owns 39,033,500 shares of the companys stock valued at $599,945,000 after purchasing an additional 2,383,500 shares during the last quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. increased its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Menora Mivtachim Holdings LTD. now owns 38,920,294 shares of the companys stock worth $786,190,000 after purchasing an additional 427,000 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 37,696,690 shares of the companys stock worth $761,455,000 after purchasing an additional 4,306,363 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 13.6% in the third quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 32,582,212 shares of the companys stock worth $658,161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,896,790 shares during the last quarter. 54.05% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Company Profile

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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.

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Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI  Free Report) had its price target trimmed by Wells Fargo & Company from $115.00 to $105.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the real estate investment trusts stock.

CCI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $112.00 price objective on Crown Castle and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Crown Castle from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $114.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Crown Castle from $114.00 to $107.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays restated an equal weight rating and set a $101.00 target price (down previously from $104.00) on shares of Crown Castle in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $111.35.

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Crown Castle Price Performance

Shares of CCI opened at $86.94 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.62. Crown Castle has a 1-year low of $84.20 and a 1-year high of $115.76. The stock has a market cap of $37.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.94.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. Crown Castle had a negative return on equity of 619.62% and a negative net margin of 95.37%.Crown Castles revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. Crown Castle has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.230-4.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Crown Castle will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Crown Castle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $4.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Crown Castles payout ratio is currently -39.98%.

Insider Activity at Crown Castle

In related news, EVP Daniel K. Schlanger sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.08, for a total value of $2,942,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 65,571 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,431,203.68. This trade represents a 31.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Crown Castle

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCI. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Crown Castle during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Crown Castle during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Crown Castle during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Crown Castle by 74.5% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 281 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Crown Castle in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. 90.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Crown Castle

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Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 90,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major U.S. market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service  bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

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Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS  Get Free Report) CAO Alexander Azoy sold 2,113 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.16, for a total value of $46,824.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 22,874 shares in the company, valued at $506,887.84. The trade was a 8.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Alexander Azoy also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Thursday, December 18th, Alexander Azoy sold 4,343 shares of Arcus Biosciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.25, for a total transaction of $96,631.75.

On Tuesday, December 16th, Alexander Azoy sold 2,376 shares of Arcus Biosciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.88, for a total value of $51,986.88.

On Wednesday, November 26th, Alexander Azoy sold 1,900 shares of Arcus Biosciences stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.00, for a total transaction of $49,400.00.

On Monday, September 29th, Alexander Azoy sold 2,831 shares of Arcus Biosciences stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.00, for a total value of $36,803.00.

Arcus Biosciences Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of RCUS opened at $22.02 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 0.75. Arcus Biosciences, Inc. has a 52-week low of $6.50 and a 52-week high of $26.40. The business has a fifty day moving average of $20.96 and a 200 day moving average of $14.04. The company has a quick ratio of 3.65, a current ratio of 3.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Arcus Biosciences ( NYSE:RCUS Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported ($1.27) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($1.33) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $26.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.89 million. Arcus Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 68.17% and a negative net margin of 136.40%.The businesss revenue was down 45.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($1.00) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Arcus Biosciences, Inc. will post -3.15 EPS for the current year.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a report on Monday. Bank of America raised their price objective on Arcus Biosciences from $17.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Arcus Biosciences from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. Truist Financial set a $30.00 price target on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a report on Friday, December 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $28.89.

View Our Latest Analysis on RCUS

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcus Biosciences

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,687,800 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,584 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Arcus Biosciences by 23.2% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 714,002 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,605,000 after purchasing an additional 134,379 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in Arcus Biosciences by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 20,202 shares of the companys stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 1,986 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 35.9% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 133,596 shares of the companys stock worth $1,049,000 after buying an additional 35,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 24.5% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 254,024 shares of the companys stock worth $1,994,000 after buying an additional 50,037 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.89% of the companys stock.

Arcus Biosciences Company Profile

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Arcus Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes cancer therapies in the United States. The company's pipeline products include Domvanalimab, an anti-TIGIT antibody, which is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trial; and AB308, an investigational anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial to study people with advanced solid and hematologic malignancies.

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BigBear.ai, Hut 8, Tempus AI, SoundHound AI, Upstart, Rezolve AI, and WhiteFiber are the seven Artificial Intelligence stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Artificial intelligence stocks are shares of companies that develop, sell, or heavily rely on AI-related technologies  such as semiconductor manufacturers, AI software and cloud service providers, or businesses that embed AI into their products and services. For investors, these stocks offer a way to gain exposure to the growth potential of AI adoption but also carry risks from high valuations, rapid technological change, and regulatory or ethical uncertainties. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Artificial Intelligence stocks within the last several days.

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BigBear.ai (BBAI)

BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. provides artificial intelligence-powered decision intelligence solutions. It offers national security, supply chain management, and digital identity and biometrics solutions. The company also provides data ingestion, data enrichment, data processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, and predictive visualization solutions and services.

Hut 8 (HUT)

Hut 8 Corp., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, builds, manages, and operates data centers for digital assets mining, computing, and artificial intelligence in the United States. It operates in four segments: Digital Assets Mining, Managed Services, High Performance Computing Colocation and Cloud, and Other.

Read Our Latest Research Report on HUT

Tempus AI (TEM)

Tempus AI Inc. is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence principally in healthcare. The company provides AI-enabled precision medicine solutions to physicians to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics.

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SoundHound AI (SOUN)

SoundHound AI, Inc. develops independent voice artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that enables businesses across automotive, TV, and IoT, and to customer service industries to deliver high-quality conversational experiences to their customers. Its products include Houndify platform that offers a suite of Houndify tools to help brands build conversational voice assistants, such as Application Programming Interfaces (API) for text and voice queries, support for custom commands, extensive library of content domains, inclusive software development kit platforms, collaboration capabilities, diagnostic tools, and built-in analytics; SoundHound Chat AI that integrates with knowledge domains, pulling real-time data like weather, sports, stocks, flight status, and restaurants; and SoundHound Smart Answering is built to offer customer establishments custom AI-powered voice assistant.

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Upstart (UPST)

Upstart Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform in the United States. Its platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit, and small dollar loans that connects consumer demand for loans to its to bank and credit unions.

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Rezolve AI (RZLV)

Rezolve AI Plc operates in the mobile commerce industry with its cutting-edge engagement platform powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It develops AI-based mobile commerce and engagement solutions, simplifying the purchasing process by providing relevant information and facilitating seamless transactions with a single tap.

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WhiteFiber (WYFI)

We believe we are a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure solutions. We own high-performance computing (HPC) data centers and provide cloud-based HPC graphics processing units (GPU) services, which we term cloud services, for customers such as AI application and machine learning (ML) developers (the HPC Business).

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AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $205.8929.

AVB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised AvalonBay Communities from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and reduced their target price for the company from $229.00 to $216.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on AvalonBay Communities from $218.00 to $205.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Colliers Securities restated a neutral rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $200.00) on shares of AvalonBay Communities in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of AvalonBay Communities from $213.00 to $193.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th.

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AvalonBay Communities Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:AVB opened at $181.18 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.12. AvalonBay Communities has a twelve month low of $166.73 and a twelve month high of $230.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $25.65 billion, a PE ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.74.

AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($0.06). AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.72% and a net margin of 38.78%.The company had revenue of $766.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $766.22 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.74 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AvalonBay Communities will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AvalonBay Communities Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. AvalonBay Communitiess payout ratio is currently 85.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AvalonBay Communities

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in AVB. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,800,375 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,639,876,000 after purchasing an additional 127,693 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,537,966 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,858,788,000 after purchasing an additional 92,467 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities during the second quarter worth $1,394,225,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,520,036 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,184,712,000 after buying an additional 367,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,215,821 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $814,376,000 after buying an additional 249,171 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.61% of the companys stock.

AvalonBay Communities Company Profile

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AvalonBay Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the development, acquisition, ownership, and operation of multifamily communities. It operates through the following segments: Same Store, Other Stabilized, and Development or Redevelopment. The Same Store segment refers to the operating communities that were owned and had stabilized occupancy.

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Flagstar Bank, National Association (NYSE:FLG  Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $14.00 to $15.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Barclayss price target suggests a potential upside of 10.58% from the stocks current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on FLG. Citigroup lifted their price target on Flagstar Bank, National Association from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Flagstar Bank, National Association from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their target price on Flagstar Bank, National Association from $13.00 to $11.50 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a buy rating and issued a $14.50 target price on shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $14.32.

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Flagstar Bank, National Association Trading Up 0.6%

FLG stock traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.57. The company had a trading volume of 2,998,868 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,932,092. Flagstar Bank, National Association has a 12 month low of $8.56 and a 12 month high of $13.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.81 and a 200 day moving average of $11.79. The company has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of -14.00 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Flagstar Bank, National Association (NYSE:FLG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $498.00 million during the quarter. Flagstar Bank, National Association had a negative net margin of 7.06% and a negative return on equity of 3.80%. On average, equities analysts predict that Flagstar Bank, National Association will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FLG. CWM LLC purchased a new position in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association during the second quarter worth $28,000. Financial Freedom LLC purchased a new position in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. acquired a new stake in shares of Flagstar Bank, National Association during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Flagstar Bank, National Association in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Flagstar Bank, National Association during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. 67.88% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Flagstar Bank, National Association Company Profile

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Flagstar Financial Corporation (NYSE: FLG) is a bank holding company whose principal subsidiary, Flagstar Bank, provides a range of financial services across the United States. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Flagstar combines commercial banking, mortgage lending and servicing, and deposit products to serve individuals, businesses and public entities. As a publicly traded company, Flagstar leverages its banking charter and national mortgage platform to deliver tailored financial solutions through both digital and branch channels.

The companys mortgage business is one of the largest residential originators and servicers in the nation, offering retail, wholesale and correspondent lending channels.

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BlackBerry (NYSE:BB  Get Free Report)s stock had its sector perform rating reaffirmed by Royal Bank Of Canada in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $4.50 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas target price would suggest a potential upside of 14.36% from the stocks previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research cut BlackBerry from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of BlackBerry in a report on Friday, October 3rd. TD Securities downgraded shares of BlackBerry from a buy rating to a hold rating and increased their target price for the company from $4.00 to $5.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded BlackBerry from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a hold rating and issued a $4.60 price objective on shares of BlackBerry in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $5.10.

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BlackBerry Stock Down 9.1%

BB traded down $0.40 during trading on Friday, hitting $3.94. 6,812,752 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,666,919. The stock has a market cap of $2.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -392.50 and a beta of 1.41. The businesss 50 day moving average is $4.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.21. BlackBerry has a fifty-two week low of $2.80 and a fifty-two week high of $6.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

BlackBerry (NYSE:BB  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.01. BlackBerry had a negative net margin of 0.60% and a positive return on equity of 6.07%. The company had revenue of $141.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $137.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.02 EPS. The firms revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. BlackBerry has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.140-0.160 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.030-0.050 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that BlackBerry will post -0.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Joseph Giamatteo sold 28,343 shares of BlackBerry stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.62, for a total transaction of $130,944.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 568,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,624,917.68. This trade represents a 4.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Mattias Eriksson sold 5,914 shares of BlackBerry stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.62, for a total value of $27,322.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 291,340 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,345,990.80. This trade represents a 1.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 88,565 shares of company stock worth $423,706. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BB. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BlackBerry by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,084,515 shares of the companys stock valued at $86,936,000 after purchasing an additional 218,684 shares during the last quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in BlackBerry during the first quarter valued at about $95,166,000. NewGen Equity Long Short Fund bought a new position in shares of BlackBerry during the second quarter valued at about $12,366,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of BlackBerry by 103.9% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 312,472 shares of the companys stock worth $1,431,000 after buying an additional 159,203 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lifted its stake in shares of BlackBerry by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 1,086,634 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,093,000 after acquiring an additional 71,057 shares during the last quarter. 54.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BlackBerry Company Profile

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BlackBerry Limited provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Cybersecurity, IoT, and Licensing and Other. The company offers CylanceENDPOINT, an integrated endpoint security solution; CylanceGUARD, a managed detection and response solution; CylanceEDGE, an AI-powered continuous authentication zero trust network access solution; CylanceINTELLIGENCE, a contextual cyber threat intelligence service; BlackBerry Dynamics offers a development platform and secure container for mobile applications; BlackBerry Workspaces a secure Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS) solution; BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) Enterprise, an enterprise-grade secure instant messaging solution for messaging, voice and video; BlackBerry SecuSUITE is a certified, multi-OS voice and text messaging solution; BlackBerry AtHoc, a secure networked critical event management solution; and BlackBerry unified endpoint management (UEM) solutions.

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BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $4.33, but opened at $4.08. BlackBerry shares last traded at $3.9050, with a volume of 4,920,212 shares trading hands.

Key Headlines Impacting BlackBerry

Here are the key news stories impacting BlackBerry this week:

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Analyst Ratings Changes

BB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of BlackBerry in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Securities downgraded shares of BlackBerry from a buy rating to a hold rating and lifted their price target for the company from $4.00 to $5.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. TD Cowen restated a hold rating and issued a $5.00 price target on shares of BlackBerry in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of BlackBerry from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and set a $4.50 price target on shares of BlackBerry in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, BlackBerry has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $5.10.

BlackBerry Trading Down 9.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.20, a current ratio of 2.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $4.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of -391.50 and a beta of 1.41.

BlackBerry (NYSE:BB  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $141.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $137.54 million. BlackBerry had a positive return on equity of 6.07% and a negative net margin of 0.60%.BlackBerrys quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.02 earnings per share. BlackBerry has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.140-0.160 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.030-0.050 EPS. Equities analysts expect that BlackBerry Limited will post -0.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Joseph Giamatteo sold 28,343 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.62, for a total transaction of $130,944.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 568,164 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,624,917.68. This represents a 4.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Mattias Eriksson sold 5,914 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.62, for a total value of $27,322.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 291,340 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,345,990.80. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 88,565 shares of company stock valued at $423,706. Company insiders own 0.37% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of BlackBerry

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Voya Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackBerry during the 1st quarter valued at $95,166,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BlackBerry by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,793,046 shares of the companys stock valued at $116,086,000 after purchasing an additional 517,715 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of BlackBerry by 18.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 18,592,150 shares of the companys stock valued at $90,730,000 after purchasing an additional 2,844,036 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in BlackBerry by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,799,334 shares of the companys stock worth $77,116,000 after purchasing an additional 209,448 shares during the period. Finally, Hood River Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in BlackBerry in the second quarter worth $52,441,000. 54.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BlackBerry Company Profile

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BlackBerry Limited, formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM), is a Canadian enterprise software and cybersecurity company based in Waterloo, Ontario. Since its founding in 1984, the firm has evolved from a pioneer in mobile devices into a specialist in secure communications, endpoint management, and embedded systems software. BlackBerrys core mission today centers on delivering security-first solutions that protect critical data and infrastructure across diverse industries.

At the heart of BlackBerrys offerings is the BlackBerry Spark platform, which combines unified endpoint management (UEM), secure communications, and artificial intelligencedriven threat detection into a single framework.

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DAC Technologies Group International (OTCMKTS:DAAT  Get Free Report) and Cadre (NYSE:CDRE  Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares DAC Technologies Group International and Cadres net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets DAC Technologies Group International N/A N/A N/A Cadre 7.33% 13.94% 6.27%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for DAC Technologies Group International and Cadre, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score DAC Technologies Group International 0 0 0 0 0.00 Cadre 1 0 4 1 2.83

Valuation and Earnings

Cadre has a consensus target price of $37.67, indicating a potential downside of 7.45%. Given Cadres stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Cadre is more favorable than DAC Technologies Group International.

This table compares DAC Technologies Group International and Cadres revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio DAC Technologies Group International N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Cadre $567.56 million 2.92 $36.13 million $1.12 36.34

Cadre has higher revenue and earnings than DAC Technologies Group International.

Volatility & Risk

DAC Technologies Group International has a beta of 267.03, indicating that its share price is 26,603% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cadre has a beta of 1.36, indicating that its share price is 36% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

44.0% of Cadre shares are owned by institutional investors. 31.5% of Cadre shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Cadre beats DAC Technologies Group International on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About DAC Technologies Group International

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DAC Technologies Group International, Inc. manufactures and markets consumer products for wholesale, retail, and OEM gun manufacturing markets. The company specializes in gun cleaning kits, gun safety devices, security items, and other outdoor products. It offers products in the categories of gun cleaning kits and accessories, other shooting and outdoor accessories, licensed products, gun locks, and safes. The company sells its products to mass merchants, retail chains, sporting goods retailers, distributors, and OEM gun manufacturers. It also markets its products through catalog companies. The company was formerly known as DAC Technologies of America, Inc. and changed its name to DAC Technologies Group International, Inc. in July 1999. The company was incorporated in 1993 and is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

About Cadre

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Cadre Holdings, Inc. manufactures and distributes safety that provides protection to users in hazardous or life-threatening situations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Distribution. It offers body armor product, such as concealable, corrections, and tactical armor under the Safariland and Protech Tactical brand names; survival suits, remotely operated vehicles, specialty tools, blast sensors, accessories, and vehicle blast attenuation seats for bomb safety technicians; bomb suits; duty gear, including belts and accessories; and other protective equipment comprising communications gear, forensic and investigation products, firearms cleaning solutions, and crowd control products. The company also offers third-party products, such as uniforms, optics, boots, firearms, and ammunition. It serves first responders, such as state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, emergency medical technicians, fishing, and wildlife enforcement and departments of corrections, as well as federal agencies including the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Corrections, the Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Waste Isolation Plant, and various foreign government agencies. Cadre Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ  Get Free Report) (TSE:CCO) shares were up 2.6% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $91.68 and last traded at $89.90. Approximately 6,128,426 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 28% from the average daily volume of 4,805,985 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.58.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CCJ. Glj Research restated a buy rating and set a $99.74 price target on shares of Cameco in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. President Capital upgraded Cameco from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, September 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Cameco from $95.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Cameco from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Cameco in a research report on Monday, December 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $117.25.

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Cameco Stock Up 2.6%

The firms 50-day simple moving average is $90.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $80.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 2.99. The company has a market capitalization of $39.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.53 and a beta of 1.07.

Cameco (NYSE:CCJ  Get Free Report) (TSE:CCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.17). Cameco had a net margin of 15.24% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The company had revenue of $313.74 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $531.72 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.01) EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was down 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Cameco Corporation will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Cameco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This is a boost from Camecos previous annual dividend of $0.12. This represents a dividend yield of 27.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Camecos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cameco

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cameco by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,938 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its stake in Cameco by 0.4% during the second quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 30,628 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,274,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Cameco by 1.2% during the third quarter. Lee Johnson Capital Management LLC now owns 10,770 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $903,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Cameco by 60.0% in the 3rd quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Alliance LLC grew its stake in shares of Cameco by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 10,036 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $745,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.21% of the companys stock.

About Cameco

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Cameco Corporation (NYSE: CCJ) is a leading producer of uranium and a supplier to the global nuclear power industry. Headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, the company is engaged in the exploration, mining, milling and sale of uranium concentrate, commonly known as yellowcake, which is used as fuel for nuclear reactors. Cameco also participates in services and activities that support the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including processing and marketing of uranium to utilities under longterm and spot contracts.

The companys operations have historically centered in Canada and the United States, where it operates and develops uranium mining and processing properties.

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Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Get Free Report)s stock price was down 3.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $17.10 and last traded at $17.15. Approximately 3,619,121 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 59% from the average daily volume of 8,879,580 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.80.

Conagra Brands News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Conagra Brands this week:

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CAG shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Conagra Brands from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a sector perform rating and set a $22.00 price objective on shares of Conagra Brands in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Conagra Brands from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Reduce and an average target price of $20.25.

Conagra Brands Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $17.68 and a 200 day moving average of $19.02. The firm has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.01. Conagra Brands had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 7.42%.The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Conagra Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.0%. Conagra Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total value of $223,659.09. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Conagra Brands

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quaker Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 202.3% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in Conagra Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Conagra Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 844.4% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,596 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,427 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC increased its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 522.1% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,373 shares during the period. 83.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Conagra Brands

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Conagra Brands, Inc is a leading packaged foods company based in Chicago, Illinois, with a broad portfolio of shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated foods marketed under familiar brands. The company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of consumer food products, serving both retail grocery and foodservice channels. Conagras product lineup includes frozen entrees, snacks, condiments, baking goods and desserts, providing convenient meal solutions for consumers across North America and select international markets.

Among its well-known brands are Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Marie Callenders and Banquet in the frozen foods category, as well as Hunts sauces, Orville Redenbachers popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks and Reddi-wip toppings.

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Coursera, Inc. (NYSE:COUR  Get Free Report) traded down 5.3% on Friday after UBS Group lowered their price target on the stock from $11.00 to $9.00. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Coursera traded as low as $7.86 and last traded at $7.7020. 354,332 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 2,488,794 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.13.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on COUR. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an outperform rating and set a $14.00 target price on shares of Coursera in a research note on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $14.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Coursera from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $12.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Coursera in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Coursera in a research note on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $12.45.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Coursera

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coursera

In other news, SVP Alan B. Cardenas sold 8,078 shares of Coursera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.17, for a total value of $65,997.26. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 237,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,943,054.76. This trade represents a 3.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, CAO Michele M. Meyers sold 3,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $10.27, for a total value of $35,945.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 234,295 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,406,209.65. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 16.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Coursera by 341.6% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,955,723 shares of the companys stock worth $34,612,000 after acquiring an additional 2,286,395 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Coursera in the second quarter valued at about $15,435,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coursera during the first quarter valued at about $7,764,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coursera by 84.2% during the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,319,515 shares of the companys stock worth $27,162,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060,288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Coursera by 231.5% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,447,125 shares of the companys stock worth $16,946,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,592 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.55% of the companys stock.

Coursera Stock Down 7.2%

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.74. The company has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.35 and a beta of 1.37.

Coursera (NYSE:COUR  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.01. Coursera had a negative net margin of 6.19% and a negative return on equity of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $194.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.33 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.10 EPS. The firms revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Coursera, Inc. will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coursera Company Profile

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Coursera, Inc operates an online educational content platform in the United States, Europe, Africa, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Consumer, Enterprise, and Degrees. The company offers guided projects, courses, and specializations, as well as online degrees; and certificates for entry-level professional, non-entry level professional, university, and MasterTrack.

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Dollar General (NYSE:DG  Free Report) had its target price boosted by Argus from $135.00 to $152.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. Argus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on DG. Barclays raised their price objective on Dollar General from $119.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Raymond James Financial restated an outperform rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Evercore ISI set a $130.00 target price on shares of Dollar General in a research note on Friday, December 5th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price target on shares of Dollar General from $118.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Dollar General from $117.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $131.73.

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Dollar General Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DG opened at $135.03 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.27. The companys 50-day moving average is $109.35 and its 200 day moving average is $109.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.17. Dollar General has a fifty-two week low of $66.43 and a fifty-two week high of $137.90.

Dollar General (NYSE:DG  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 4th. The company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $10.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.60 billion. Dollar General had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 3.03%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. Dollar General has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.300-6.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Dollar General will post 5.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Dollar General Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be issued a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 6th. Dollar Generals dividend payout ratio is currently 40.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dollar General news, EVP Rhonda Taylor sold 7,500 shares of Dollar General stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.89, for a total transaction of $1,011,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 73,492 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,913,335.88. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Roderick J. West sold 2,282 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.35, for a total transaction of $304,304.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 36,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,815,001.80. This trade represents a 5.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 48,897 shares of company stock valued at $6,390,501. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Dollar General

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Dollar General by 416.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,525,608 shares of the companys stock worth $259,759,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,573 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Dollar General by 116.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,714,972 shares of the companys stock valued at $310,538,000 after buying an additional 1,458,093 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Dollar General by 251.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,035,524 shares of the companys stock valued at $178,983,000 after buying an additional 1,456,549 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Dollar General during the second quarter worth $154,371,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Dollar General by 15,369.9% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,219,179 shares of the companys stock worth $139,450,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211,298 shares in the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Dollar General Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Dollar General Corporation, a discount retailer, provides various merchandise products in the southern, southwestern, midwestern, and eastern United States. It offers consumable products, including paper and cleaning products, such as paper towels, bath tissues, paper dinnerware, trash and storage bags, disinfectants, and laundry products; packaged food comprising cereals, pasta, canned soups, fruits and vegetables, condiments, spices, sugar, and flour; and perishables that include milk, eggs, bread, refrigerated and frozen food, beer, and wine.

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Gainplan LLC increased its position in shares of QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO  Free Report) by 68.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 212,680 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 86,458 shares during the quarter. QXO comprises about 1.7% of Gainplan LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Gainplan LLCs holdings in QXO were worth $4,054,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of QXO by 3,281.0% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 6,762 shares of the companys stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 6,562 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in QXO by 28.3% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 227,210 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,076,000 after purchasing an additional 50,088 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in QXO by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 829,496 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,231,000 after purchasing an additional 97,886 shares in the last quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in QXO during the first quarter worth $2,345,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC bought a new position in shares of QXO in the first quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors own 58.68% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on QXO. Benchmark upgraded shares of QXO to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of QXO in a report on Friday, September 5th. They set an outperform rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on QXO from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Zacks Research lowered QXO from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Loop Capital assumed coverage on QXO in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set a buy rating and a $31.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, QXO has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.71.

QXO Price Performance

QXO stock opened at $21.89 on Friday. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $18.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.94. QXO, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.85 and a 12 month high of $24.69. The company has a market cap of $14.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -49.75, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 2.42. The company has a current ratio of 3.06, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

QXO (NYSE:QXO  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. QXO had a positive return on equity of 3.70% and a negative net margin of 3.81%.The firms revenue was up 20726.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that QXO, Inc. will post -0.13 EPS for the current year.

QXO Company Profile

(Free Report)

QXO, Inc operates as a business application, technology, and consulting company in North America. The company provides solutions for accounting and business management, financial reporting, enterprise resource planning, human capital management, warehouse management systems, customer relationship management, and business intelligence.

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Grupo Televisa S.A. (NYSE:TV  Get Free Report)s stock price fell 8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $2.88 and last traded at $2.9150. 3,962,269 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 87% from the average session volume of 2,116,050 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Grupo Televisa in a report on Monday, October 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Grupo Televisa from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Grupo Televisa in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Grupo Televisa from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $5.07.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on TV

Grupo Televisa Stock Down 7.8%

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $2.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.31 and a quick ratio of 2.29. The firm has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.90 and a beta of 1.96.

Grupo Televisa (NYSE:TV  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The company reported ($0.19) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.22). Grupo Televisa had a negative return on equity of 9.49% and a negative net margin of 18.27%.The firm had revenue of $798.55 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.66 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Grupo Televisa S.A. will post -0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Grupo Televisa

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Grupo Televisa by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 22,426,972 shares of the companys stock worth $60,329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,367,578 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in Grupo Televisa by 2.0% in the third quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 18,921,985 shares of the companys stock valued at $50,900,000 after buying an additional 370,166 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Grupo Televisa by 32.9% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 10,222,182 shares of the companys stock worth $22,376,000 after buying an additional 2,533,311 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Grupo Televisa by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 7,090,600 shares of the companys stock worth $12,409,000 after buying an additional 294,300 shares during the period. Finally, GFS Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Grupo Televisa in the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,692,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.77% of the companys stock.

Grupo Televisa Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Grupo Televisa, SAB. is a leading Mexican multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Mexico City, specializing in the creation, production and distribution of Spanish-language content. The company operates free-to-air television networks, subscription pay-TV services, broadband and telephony under its cable arm, and a range of digital streaming platforms. Grupo Televisas portfolio spans news, sports, telenovelas, reality programming and original series, positioning it as one of the largest content producers in the Spanish-speaking world.

Televisas broadcast division includes flagship channels such as Las Estrellas and Canal 5, while its pay-TV segment features operations under brands like Sky Mexico and Izzi Telecom.

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IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones S.A. (NYSE:IRS  Get Free Report)s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $15.00, but opened at $15.91. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones shares last traded at $15.74, with a volume of 4,936 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on IRS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold.

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IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones Trading Down 1.0%

The stock has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 2.52. The stocks fifty day moving average is $14.53 and its 200 day moving average is $14.24.

IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones (NYSE:IRS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones had a net margin of 86.65% and a return on equity of 27.35%. The company had revenue of $93.69 million for the quarter.

IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th were given a dividend of $1.4151 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 24th. This represents a yield of 998.0%. IRSA Inversiones Y Representacioness dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.17%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Helikon Investments Ltd raised its stake in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 44.6% in the 3rd quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd now owns 3,423,977 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $40,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056,796 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 170.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 916,829 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $10,855,000 after purchasing an additional 577,280 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 9.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 865,448 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $11,164,000 after purchasing an additional 72,738 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 202.5% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 504,280 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,971,000 after purchasing an additional 337,570 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 9.1% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 386,440 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,575,000 after buying an additional 32,180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.46% of the companys stock.

About IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones

(Get Free Report)

IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anonima, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the diversified real estate activities in Argentina. It operates through five segments: Shopping Malls, Offices, Hotels, Sales and Developments, and Others. The company is involved in the acquisition, development, and operation of shopping malls, office buildings, and other non-shopping mall properties primarily for rental purposes.

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StrongBox Wealth LLC raised its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 24.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,988 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 4,881 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. comprises about 2.7% of StrongBox Wealth LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. StrongBox Wealth LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $7,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 609,867.5% in the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 72,897,211 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $21,133,630,000 after acquiring an additional 72,885,260 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth $10,295,209,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 28,813.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,785,584 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,866,309,000 after purchasing an additional 16,727,530 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP grew its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 86.1% in the second quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 4,042,034 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,171,826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,870,386 shares during the period. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the second quarter valued at $485,802,000. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, insider Robin Leopold sold 966 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.92, for a total value of $301,314.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 58,479 shares of the companys stock, valued at $18,240,769.68. This trade represents a 1.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the companys stock.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE JPM opened at $312.96 on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a one year low of $202.16 and a one year high of $322.88. The companys 50 day moving average price is $307.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $297.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $851.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.08.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.83 by $0.24. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.90% and a return on equity of 17.18%. The company had revenue of $47.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.37 earnings per share. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, January 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 6th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio is 29.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $339.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. DZ Bank reiterated a neutral rating on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $345.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b+) rating on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Monday. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $328.00.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company 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.

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Japanese right-wing politicians risk further undermining Japan's economic prospects

10:12, December 19, 2025 By Jin Xuan ( People's Daily

China and Japan, as close neighbors separated by a narrow strip of water, are deeply interconnected through extensive economic ties and integrated industrial and supply chains. These interdependencies have contributed significantly to promoting peace, development, prosperity, and regional stability.

However, recent erroneous remarks on the Taiwan question by Japan's incumbent top leader, which constitute a blatant interference in China's internal affairs, have severely undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations. These actions carry serious implications, further destabilizing Japan's already fragile economy.

Structural challenges compounded by short-term shocks have left Japan's economy beset by both internal and external difficulties. Japan's path to economic recovery has long been arduous and fragile, hampered by weak domestic demand, sluggish innovation, and demographic pressures such as aging population and declining birthrate. Government debt has reached approximately 2.5 times the country's GDP, among the highest levels among major economies, severely constraining macroeconomic policy space.

Meanwhile, amid tariff-related shocks, Japan's economy shrank an annualized real 2.3 percent in the third quarter of 2025, reflecting deepening vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, inflammatory statements by Japan's current leadership have strained bilateral relations, further darkening economic outlooks.

Some estimates suggest that the impact on tourism alone could reduce Japan's tourism revenue by approximately 2.2 trillion yen (about $14.2 billion) over the next year, dragging down Japan's real GDP by 0.36 percent.

Markets have shown little confidence in the cabinet-approved 21.3 trillion yen (about US$137.4 billion) stimulus package: Japanese government bond yields have repeatedly hit new highs, the yen has weakened significantly, and the Nikkei 225 index at one point surrendered all gains recorded since the new prime minister took office. The concurrent downturn in equities, bonds, and the currency has reinforced "sell Japan" expectations as investors retreat amid slowing growth and diminished political credibility.China holds irreplaceable importance for Japan's economy. As the world's second-largest economy and a major engine of global growth, China presents significant opportunities for Japan with its rapid development.

China is Japan's largest trading partner, the second-largest export destination, and the biggest source of imports. In 2024, bilateral trade reached $308.3 billion. Japanese companies have maintained a long-standing and deep presence in China, with more than 50,000 Japanese enterprises established in China and cumulative investment exceeding $130 billion. In the first three quarters of 2025, Japan's actual investment in China grew by 55.5 percent year on year.

Cross-sector exchanges remain robust: in the first 10 months of 2025, approximately 8.2 million visitors from the Chinese mainland traveled to Japan, accounting for about a quarter of total tourist spending and contributing significantly to employment and economic growth in Japan.

This positive trajectory of economic cooperation has been built through the joint efforts of the peoples of both countries and underpinned by political mutual trust between governments. However, recent erroneous remarks by Japan's leader, which contravene the one-China principle and the guiding principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, have seriously hurt the sentiments of the Chinese people and fundamentally undermined the political foundation of bilateral relations.

The Chinese people cherish peace, value good-neighborliness, and advocate for cooperation and mutual benefit over zero-sum games. However, on matters concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity, there is no room for compromise or concession.

Given the significant differences between the two countries in population, economic scale, industrial structure, and market capacity, any intensified volatility in such massive flows of trade, investment, and consumption would result in asymmetric and far-reaching consequences.

As Japan endeavors to revive its economic momentum, a small group of right-wing politicians, driven by short-sighted political calculations and indifferent to national interests and public well-being, risk pushing the country toward marginalization in the global economic landscape.

Cooperation and mutual benefit represent the prevailing trend of history, but such progress must be grounded in a stable political foundation. China's development presents significant opportunities for the world, particularly for neighboring countries such as Japan. China has already drawn a blueprint for its development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), and the continued expansion of the Chinese economy offers vast space for China-Japan cooperation, provided that a solid and stable political foundation is maintained.

We solemnly urge the Japanese side to honor its commitments, reflect on historical lessons, and uphold the four political documents between China and Japan, so as to safeguard the political foundation of bilateral relations and prevent extreme and misguided statements from hijacking and damaging economic ties.

We strongly call on the Japanese side to step back from the brink, acknowledge and correct its missteps, and cherish the dedication and efforts of statesmen and people from all walks of life who have worked to advance China-Japan relations. We also urge Japan to confront history with sincerity, embrace the future with responsibility, cultivate an accurate understanding of China, and return to the right track of peaceful coexistence and cooperative development, thereby contributing certainty and positive energy to a turbulent world.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Shares of LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (NYSE:LTM  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $54.73 and last traded at $54.5410, with a volume of 51641 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $53.57.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $58.50 price target on shares of LATAM Airlines Group in a report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of LATAM Airlines Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of LATAM Airlines Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 22nd. Zacks Research cut shares of LATAM Airlines Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $60.00 target price on LATAM Airlines Group and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, LATAM Airlines Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $59.25.

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LATAM Airlines Group Stock Performance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The companys fifty day simple moving average is $46.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.65. The company has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 3.91.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LTM. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of LATAM Airlines Group by 248.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,484,669 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $67,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,058,554 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in LATAM Airlines Group by 266.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,039,414 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $47,033,000 after purchasing an additional 755,997 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of LATAM Airlines Group by 89.7% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 954,224 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $43,179,000 after purchasing an additional 451,107 shares during the period. Burkehill Global Management LP bought a new stake in shares of LATAM Airlines Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,988,000. Finally, SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda raised its holdings in shares of LATAM Airlines Group by 3,884.5% during the third quarter. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda now owns 935,321 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $42,323,000 after buying an additional 911,847 shares during the last quarter.

LATAM Airlines Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

LATAM Airlines Group SA, 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.

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Montecito Bank & Trust purchased a new position in iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:IEMG  Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,245 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,005,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new position in iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Kentucky Trust Co grew its stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 68.8% during the 2nd quarter. Kentucky Trust Co now owns 908 shares of the companys stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Painted Porch Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Team Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Team Financial Group LLC now owns 1,079 shares of the companys stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period.

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iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSEARCA IEMG opened at $65.40 on Friday. iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a 12-month low of $47.29 and a 12-month high of $69.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.15 and a 200 day moving average of $63.70.

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Profile

The iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Emerging Markets IMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of emerging-market firms, covering 99% of market capitalization. IEMG was launched on Oct 18, 2012 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Montecito Bank & Trust bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 10,330 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $866,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. FOCUS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 25,466 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,589 shares during the period. Acropolis Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the third quarter valued at approximately $435,000. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 63.0% in the third quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,626 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 4,495 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 54,841 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,597,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 20,910 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,753,000 after acquiring an additional 2,731 shares during the last quarter. 75.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on WFC shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wells Fargo & Company from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, October 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a hold (c) rating to a buy (b) rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a moderate buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $92.04.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 1.3%

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $91.42 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $86.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $286.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a twelve month low of $58.42 and a twelve month high of $94.26.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.11 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.51% and a net margin of 17.18%.The businesss revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Companys payout ratio is 29.61%.

Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile

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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.

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Shares of National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG  Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $83.80.

Several equities analysts have commented on NGG shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on National Grid Transco in a report on Friday, December 12th. They issued an overweight rating and a $85.50 price target for the company. Zacks Research cut National Grid Transco from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 1st. BNP Paribas Exane cut National Grid Transco from an outperform rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of National Grid Transco from a strong-buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On National Grid Transco

National Grid Transco Stock Performance

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Grid Transco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in National Grid Transco in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in National Grid Transco during the second quarter worth $31,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in National Grid Transco during the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Grid Transco by 4,218.2% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 475 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. 4.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NYSE NGG opened at $76.37 on Friday. National Grid Transco has a twelve month low of $55.82 and a twelve month high of $78.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

National Grid Transco Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a $1.0657 dividend. This represents a yield of 284.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st.

National Grid Transco Company Profile

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National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and gas. It operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, UK Electricity System Operator, New England, New York, National Grid Ventures, and Other segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment provides electricity transmission and construction work services in England and Wales.

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Nordea Bank AB (OTCMKTS:NRDBY  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.65 and last traded at $18.58, with a volume of 27306 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.3760.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on NRDBY shares. Barclays restated an underweight rating on shares of Nordea Bank in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Nordea Bank in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Nordea Bank in a report on Monday, November 24th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Nordea Bank from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Nordea Equity Research downgraded Nordea Bank from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold.

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Nordea Bank Trading Up 1.1%

The stock has a market cap of $63.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.32.

Nordea Bank (OTCMKTS:NRDBY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The company reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $3.40 billion for the quarter. Nordea Bank had a net margin of 21.42% and a return on equity of 15.38%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Nordea Bank AB will post 1.4 EPS for the current year.

Nordea Bank Company Profile

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Nordea Bank is a leading financial services group focused on serving retail, corporate and institutional customers across the Nordic region. The banks core activities include retail and commercial banking, corporate and institutional banking, asset and wealth management, and related financial services such as payments, cash management and trade finance. Nordea delivers these services through branch and digital channels, aiming to provide integrated banking solutions for everyday consumers, small and medium enterprises, and large corporations.

Product offerings span deposit and lending products including mortgages and consumer loans, transaction banking and treasury services for corporate clients, investment and pension solutions through its asset management businesses, and wealth management services for private clients.

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:NBY  Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $2.95, but opened at $3.10. NovaBay Pharmaceuticals shares last traded at $4.2880, with a volume of 1,542,718 shares.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 84.6%

The businesss fifty day moving average is $1.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $686.25 million, a PE ratio of -0.57 and a beta of 0.57.

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NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st were given a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 3,791.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

About NovaBay Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NovaBay Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, C2C Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. C2C Wealth Management LLC now owns 98,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 43,000 shares during the last quarter. 23.25% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

(Get Free Report)

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing novel, non-antibiotic anti-infective products designed to regulate the innate immune response. Leveraging its proprietary Aganocide Technology, the companys synthetic antimicrobial compounds target and neutralize pathogens without contributing to antibiotic resistance. NovaBays research and development efforts concentrate on ophthalmic, dermatological and wound care applications, aiming to address unmet needs in infection control and inflammation management.

The companys primary commercial products include Avenova, an eyelid and lash cleaning solution indicated for managing chronic blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction, and NeutroPhase, a pure hypochlorous acid wound and skin cleanser used in acute and chronic wound irrigation.

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Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report)s share price rose 1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $48.80 and last traded at $48.0990. Approximately 10,599,786 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 13,092,534 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Novo Nordisk A/S this week:

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Positive Sentiment: Novo filed an NDA with the U.S. FDA for onceweekly CagriSema, a nextgeneration combination obesity injection that showed superior Phase III weightloss results  a potential major booster to its obesity franchise if approved. Article Title

Novo filed an NDA with the U.S. FDA for onceweekly CagriSema, a nextgeneration combination obesity injection that showed superior Phase III weightloss results  a potential major booster to its obesity franchise if approved. Positive Sentiment: Novo is pursuing a higher 7.2 mg Wegovy dose after data showed stronger weight loss  this could help reclaim share versus rivals (e.g., Eli Lillys Zepbound) if approved and commercialized effectively. Article Title

Novo is pursuing a higher 7.2 mg Wegovy dose after data showed stronger weight loss  this could help reclaim share versus rivals (e.g., Eli Lillys Zepbound) if approved and commercialized effectively. Positive Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces highlight upside from oral Wegovy development, supplychain fixes and restructuring that could materially improve margins and growth if execution continues. Article Title

Analyst/commentary pieces highlight upside from oral Wegovy development, supplychain fixes and restructuring that could materially improve margins and growth if execution continues. Positive Sentiment: Kepler Capital initiated/maintained a buy view (reported coverage), giving some buyside support to the shares. Article Title

Kepler Capital initiated/maintained a buy view (reported coverage), giving some buyside support to the shares. Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Neutral (Hold) rating and left its price target unchanged, signaling continued caution on competitive pressures despite product progress. Article Title

UBS reiterated a Neutral (Hold) rating and left its price target unchanged, signaling continued caution on competitive pressures despite product progress. Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces are reassessing Novos valuation after a steep, yearlong share decline; some see a longer runway to recovery while others point to durable competitive threats. Article Title

Commentary pieces are reassessing Novos valuation after a steep, yearlong share decline; some see a longer runway to recovery while others point to durable competitive threats. Negative Sentiment: Novo issued profit warnings and underwent a CEO change earlier this year and cut guidance, contributing to a large YTD share decline; that operational uncertainty remains a drag on investor confidence. Article Title

Novo issued profit warnings and underwent a CEO change earlier this year and cut guidance, contributing to a large YTD share decline; that operational uncertainty remains a drag on investor confidence. Negative Sentiment: Shares recently dipped more than the broader market after earnings/profitability concerns were flagged; shortterm volatility is likely to persist as investors weigh approvals vs competitive share losses. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $60.00 to $54.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 28th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an underperform rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC reissued a hold rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $53.33.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 1.0%

The firms 50-day moving average price is $50.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $214.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 0.67.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.25. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 32.76% and a return on equity of 73.50%. The firm had revenue of $11.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.98 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 4,190.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 13,984,789 shares of the companys stock valued at $776,016,000 after purchasing an additional 13,658,867 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 301,443.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 10,005,216 shares of the companys stock valued at $690,560,000 after purchasing an additional 10,001,898 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 17,713,424 shares of the companys stock worth $982,969,000 after buying an additional 6,092,192 shares during the period. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter worth $310,199,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,101.5% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,383,176 shares of the companys stock worth $132,242,000 after buying an additional 2,274,925 shares in the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsvrd, Denmark, best known for its leadership in diabetes care and metabolic health. The company traces its roots to early Danish insulin production in the 1920s and was established in its current form through a 1989 merger of predecessor companies. Novo Nordisk develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and devices that address chronic and serious diseases, with a strong emphasis on long-term treatment and patient support.

The companys core product portfolio centers on diabetes therapies, including a range of insulins and modern incretin-based treatments.

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Shares of Ralliant Corporation (NYSE:RAL  Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the twelve brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $57.8889.

Several equities analysts recently commented on RAL shares. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Ralliant from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ralliant from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of Ralliant in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Ralliant in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued an overweight rating and a $55.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Ralliant from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the company from $53.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Monday, December 8th.

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Ralliant Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE:RAL opened at $50.85 on Friday. Ralliant has a twelve month low of $40.70 and a twelve month high of $55.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.74 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.04.

Ralliant (NYSE:RAL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $529.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $519.14 million. Ralliant has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.620-0.680 EPS.

Ralliant Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Ralliants dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ralliant

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Westfuller Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralliant in the third quarter worth $26,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Ralliant during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Ralliant during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ralliant in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. acquired a new stake in shares of Ralliant in the third quarter valued at about $29,000.

About Ralliant

(Get Free Report)

Ralliant Corporation is a provider of precision technologies which specializes in designing, developing, manufacturing and servicing precision instruments and engineered products. Ralliant Corporation is based in RALEIGH, N.C.

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Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc lowered its position in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (NYSEARCA:XTEN  Free Report) by 69.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,941 shares of the companys stock after selling 67,029 shares during the period. Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc owned about 0.18% of BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF worth $1,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 44.8% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 763 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF in the first quarter worth about $50,000. Transce3nd LLC increased its holdings in BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 38.9% during the 2nd quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 1,503 shares of the companys stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management raised its position in BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 99.9% during the 2nd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,895 shares of the companys stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,275 shares of the companys stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the last quarter.

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BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of XTEN stock opened at $46.52 on Friday. BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF has a fifty-two week low of $43.92 and a fifty-two week high of $47.82. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $46.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.24.

About BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF

The BondBloxx Bloomberg Ten Year Target Duration US Treasury ETF (XTEN) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund is passively managed to invest in a portfolio of US Treasury securities with a target duration of ten years. XTEN was launched on Sep 13, 2022 and is managed by BondBloxx.

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KB Home (NYSE:KBH  Get Free Report) had its price target cut by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $59.00 to $54.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the construction companys stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price objective suggests a potential downside of 7.01% from the companys previous close.

KBH has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of KB Home in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised KB Home from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on KB Home from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $83.00 target price on shares of KB Home in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of KB Home from $63.00 to $53.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, KB Home has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $63.45.

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KB Home Stock Down 7.5%

KBH stock traded down $4.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $58.07. 949,432 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,383,009. KB Home has a twelve month low of $48.90 and a twelve month high of $72.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.96.

KB Home (NYSE:KBH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The construction company reported $1.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. KB Home had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 12.91%. KB Homes quarterly revenue was down 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.52 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that KB Home will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at KB Home

In other news, EVP Albert Z. Praw sold 20,284 shares of KB Home stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.08, for a total value of $1,218,662.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 104,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,252,044.96. The trade was a 16.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.89% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On KB Home

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in shares of KB Home in the first quarter valued at $209,000. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its position in KB Home by 199.9% in the 1st quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 6,001 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in KB Home in the 1st quarter valued at about $60,000. Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of KB Home by 0.4% during the first quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 492,440 shares of the construction companys stock worth $28,621,000 after purchasing an additional 2,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC lifted its position in shares of KB Home by 102.0% during the first quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 35,931 shares of the construction companys stock worth $2,088,000 after purchasing an additional 18,139 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.09% of the companys stock.

KB Home Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

KB Home operates as a homebuilding company in the United States. It operates through four segments: West Coast, Southwest, Central, and Southeast. It builds and sells various homes, including attached and detached single-family residential homes, townhomes, and condominiums primarily for first-time, first move-up, second move-up, and active adult homebuyers.

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HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA  Get Free Report) had its target price increased by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $482.00 to $525.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas target price would suggest a potential upside of 12.63% from the companys current price.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on HCA. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of HCA Healthcare in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of HCA Healthcare from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of HCA Healthcare from $470.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Mizuho raised their target price on HCA Healthcare from $505.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on HCA Healthcare from $423.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $479.00.

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HCA Healthcare Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE HCA opened at $466.13 on Friday. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $468.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $416.17. HCA Healthcare has a fifty-two week low of $289.98 and a fifty-two week high of $520.00. The stock has a market cap of $106.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.36.

HCA Healthcare (NYSE:HCA  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $6.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.64 by $1.32. The company had revenue of $19.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.55 billion. HCA Healthcare had a net margin of 8.53% and a negative return on equity of 792.25%. HCA Healthcares revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.90 EPS. HCA Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 27.000-28.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HCA Healthcare will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at HCA Healthcare

In other news, EVP Michael R. Mcalevey sold 3,892 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.79, for a total transaction of $1,843,990.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,487 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,652,105.73. This represents a 52.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of HCA Healthcare

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in HCA Healthcare in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in HCA Healthcare by 311.8% during the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 70 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of HCA Healthcare during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in HCA Healthcare during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. 62.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About HCA Healthcare

(Get Free Report)

HCA Healthcare, Inc, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates hospitals and related healthcare entities in the United States. It operates general and acute care hospitals that offers medical and surgical services, including inpatient care, intensive care, cardiac care, diagnostic, and emergency services; and outpatient services, such as outpatient surgery, laboratory, radiology, respiratory therapy, cardiology, and physical therapy.

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Bharti Airtel has promoted chief executive Gopal Vittal to executive vice chairman as part of a wider reshuffle of its senior leadership.

Vittal, who has served as managing director and CEO of the Indian operator for 13 years, will take up the new role on January 1. He will oversee Bharti Airtel and its subsidiaries, with responsibility for group-wide digital and technology operations, network strategy, procurement and talent.

In addition, Vittal will focus on overall group strategy as the company prepares for its next phase of growth.

Shashwat Sharma has been appointed managing director and CEO, effective from the start of the new year, and will report to Vittal.

The company also announced several senior finance appointments. India CFO Soumen Ray has been promoted to group CFO after four years in the role, while financial controller Akhil Garg will succeed him as India CFO. Joint company secretary and compliance officer Rohit Puri will take on the same responsibilities at group level.

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said he looked forward to working with Vittal and the wider management team as the company continues to expand its global operations.
PLDT reported a decline in cable and telecoms equipment theft across most of 2025, citing closer cooperation with local government units, police and community groups.

In a statement, the Philippine operator and its mobile unit Smart said the reduction followed an expanded rollout of its Bayanihan asset protection programme, which focuses on partnerships with barangays and local authorities.

Under the initiative, PLDT-Smarts asset protection and security team held coordination sessions with barangays in cities including Makati, Dagupan, Davao, Quezon City, Pasay, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos, as well as municipalities such as Liloan, Calamba, Rodriguez in Rizal and Dasmarinas in Cavite.

PLDT-Smart vice president and head of property Leo Gonzales said community involvement has been central to protecting network infrastructure and maintaining service continuity.

Security and central command head Romeo Basco said the partnerships have improved incident reporting and response times, helping to limit service disruptions caused by theft.

PLDT-Smart recorded nearly 1,000 theft-related incidents in 2024, most involving copper cables, with some areas of Manila experiencing incidents as frequently as every three days.

From January to November 2025, the company said apprehension incidents fell by 34% year-on-year, while the number of suspects apprehended declined by 24% over the same period, reflecting the impact of strengthened security measures.
Saudi Arabian telco stc group announced on Thursday that it has formed a a strategic joint venture partnership with Humain, a Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned AI company, to build AI data centres in the country.

Under the deal signed by Humain and stc group's digital infrastructure subsidiary center3, the JV plans to develop and operate next-gen infrastructure capable of hosting up to 1GW of AI workloads.

Stc group CEO Olayan Alwetaid said the JV will leverage center3s scale, data-centre leadership, and regional connectivity with Humains end-to-end AI capabilities to lay the groundwork for high-capacity, low-latency infrastructure needed to power the AI era.

Fahad AlHajeri, CEO of center3, added that the JV will support hosting of critical digital assets, foster an AI ecosystem and create a robust platform for the deployment of large language models (LLMs) and mission-critical AI applications.

Leveraging our expanding data-centre footprint, interconnected platforms, and proven operations, we will deliver the density, resilience, and availability required for next-generation AI computing, he said in a statement.

AI at scale requires purpose-built compute, efficiency, and resilience, added Humain CEO Tareq Amin. Through this joint venture, Humain and stc group are engineering infrastructure capable of meeting the most demanding workloads while designed to support future advancements.

Humain has been beefing up its AI solutions portfolio in the past few months. Last month alone it announced a flurry of deals with big-name companies like Adobe, Amazon Web Services, xAI and Luma AI. In October, Humain and AirTrunk, a data centre platform in the Asia Pacific region, established a partnership to build data centres in Saudi Arabia.
According to the latest "Telecom Billing Market Radar - 2025" released by Omdia, a globally authoritative consulting firm, Huawei Convergent Billing System (CBS) has entered the "Leader" quadrant for the first time, driven by its outstanding capabilities in AI-powered intelligent operations, all-scenario convergence, ultra-high carrier-grade reliability, and open ecosystem enablement.

The report comprehensively evaluates global billing solution providers across 11 core dimensions, including product functionality, AI capabilities, system reliability, delivery capabilities, and commercial implementation. It aims to provide operators with an objective basis for selecting partners.

Huawei CBS has entered the Leader Quadrant with a leading overall score, marking global authoritative recognition of Huaweis technical strength and market leadership in the carrier Billing domain. Huawei CBS has demonstrated leadership capabilities across the following key dimensions:

Intelligent Core: AI-Driven Business Growth Engine, Enabling Intelligent Operations

Leveraging a comprehensive AI-Native strategy, Huawei CBS deeply integrates AI into the entire billing and business operations process. By introducing the Offering Design Agent, the time to market for packages was reduced from the industry average of 3-4 months to just 5 days, significantly accelerating operators' business innovation and revenue realization. Throughout the billing process, Huawei CBS enables Intelligent Bill Run Management, Intelligent Invoice Agent, Intelligent Dispute Resolution, and Intelligent Dunning and Payment. This creates a Zero-Confusion billing experience for end-users, solidifying the foundation for sustainable business growth driven by superior customer experience.

Full Convergence Architecture: One Platform for All Business Scenarios

To address operators challenges of difficulty in multi-system coordination and fragmented service operations, Huawei CBS achieves end-to-end convergence across four layers: Network, Customer, Service, and Architecture. It provides seamless support for all mobile networks from 2G to 5G-Advanced and fixed-line services, unifying B2C, B2B, and B2B2X business models. Meanwhile, it realizes deep convergence of IoH (Internet of Humans) and IoT (Internet of Things) services, along with architectural unification of billing, accounting, and settlement systems. This fully converged platform enables operators to effectively reduce TCO while providing end users with a one-stop, transparent converged service experience, effectively resolving the industry challenge of siloed systems in traditional billing solutions.

Cloud-Native Foundation: High Reliability and Agile Iteration

With Huawei CBS Cloud-Native N-Live technology, the system enables zero-downtime upgrades and delivers 99.9999% ultra-high reliability. Leveraging CI/CD automated pipelines, version updates and deployments are reduced to 7 days, significantly faster than the 4-6 weeks required by traditional solutions. Through AIOps, Huawei CBS enables minute-level fault demarcation, localization, and automatic recovery, providing a solid guarantee for business continuity.

Open Ecosystem & Global Practices: Proven Solution Validated by Tier-1 Operators

Huawei CBS, built on the TM Forum Open Digital Architecture (ODA) standards, provides standardized Open APIs to enable seamless integration with surrounding systems, helping operators rapidly build differentiated service capabilities. Its technical maturity and open capabilities have been fully validated through large-scale global commercial deployment.

The report points out that with the deep integration of AI and the telecom industry, billing systems are evolving from supporting "infrastructure" to core platforms driving business differentiation and growth. In this transformation process, Huawei CBS will continue to deepen AI technology innovation, empower operators to achieve intelligent operations and accelerate the fundamental shift of billing systems from "functional platforms" to "growth engines."
Sri Lankan telcos Dialog Axiata and SLT-Mobitel commercially launched their respective 5G networks on Thursday, following years of trials, after the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) wrapped up its spectrum auction this week.

Dialog and Mobitel both secured blocks in the 3500 MHz band from the 5G spectrum auction, while Dialog also secured a 200 MHz block in the 27 GHz band. According to newspaper Daily FT, both telcos bid a combined LKR10 billion (US$32.3 million) for the spectrum bands.

Dialog Axiata group CEO Supun Weerasinghe said its 5G network is powered by over 220 live 5G sites serving over 1.5 million subscribers.

We are committed to investing US$100 million over the next two years to expand 5G connectivity across the country and ensure that individuals, businesses, and industries can fully participate in a digital Sri Lanka, he added.

Dialog believes its 27-GHz spectrum will give it an edge in the 5G race, as the mmWave spectrum capacity will support high-capacity, gigabit-speed use cases.

Dialog also claims to offer the widest 5G roaming network from Sri Lanka, supporting 5G connectivity across 76 countries through partnerships with 155 global mobile operators.

Mobitels launch announcement didnt go into detail about its network, with chief operating officer Sudharshana Geeganage mainly touting 5Gs chops as a game-changer and a critical enabler of digital transformation across sectors.

Mobitel said earlier this year it was trialling 5G-Advanced technology with radio equipment from ZTE.

The launch of 5G in Sri Lanka has been in the works for years, with Dialog and Mobitel offering pre-commercial 5G services on a trial basis as they waited for the TRCSL to allocate 5G spectrum, which it had been promising to do since at least 2021.
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Festival in a Van brought joy, music, and festive spirit to six residential care homes in Louth this December with its special Christmas programme, A Christmas Tapestrya magical weaving of stories and song to entertain, uplift, and brighten the winter season for residents and staff alike.

This special December tour was delivered in partnership with the Arts Office of Louth County Council and funded by Creative Ireland, supporting the shared goal of bringing high-quality arts experiences directly into local communities.

Travelling directly to the doorsteps of Nursing Homes, A Christmas Tapestry featured an exceptional line-up of artists.

Performances included Sonairi, the stunning soprano Aime Dyer and tenor David Corr, whose voices filled each venue with warmth and wonder.

Storyteller Steve Lally brought captivating seasonal tales, while traditional music duo Roisin Ward Morrow and Breifne Holohan offered lively tunes to lift spirits and stir memories.

The unique blend of storytelling and music made each visit truly special.

Festival in a Vans mission is to deliver high-quality arts experiences directly to communities that may face barriers to accessing live performances.

From care homes and rural communities to direct-provision centres and community groups, the organisations mission is

to bring arts, culture, and connection directly to local doorsteps.

Director Jackie Nowell explained: Our aim has always been simple: to deliver the joy of live performance to people where they live. The impact we seeespecially in care settingsis profound.

"You can feel the lift in the room. Music and stories bring people together, spark memories, and make a real difference to wellbeing.

Staff across the participating homes highlighted how valuable and meaningful the performances were.

Swapna Varghese, St Josephs Hospital, Ardee, said: The residents absolutely loved it.

"You could see the change in their faceshappy, animated, engaged. It brought the spirit of Christmas into the building in such a beautiful way.

Elaine Murphy, Curam Care Home, Dundalk, added: It was wonderful to have the arts come right to our doorstep.

"The music and stories lifted everyones spiritsresidents and staff alike. It was a truly special afternoon that stayed with

people long after the van pulled away.

Residents also expressed their appreciation, with many saying the performance had brightened their day and made them feel included in the festive season.

For more information on upcoming tours and programmes, visit www.festivalinavan.com.

For more information on the Creative Ireland Louth programme to go to www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/Louth/.
Business Students from Dundalk Institute of Technology have raised over 3,300 for the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA).

The third and and fourth year students raised the money through hosting two fundraising events for the IWA.

The first of the events was a 5k charity walk and roll. The "Run and Roll' event saw participants set of from DkIT and loop around the town.

The students then organised a Christmas quiz, hosted by one of the class members. The evening rounded off with a raffle, with prizes sourced completely by the students.

Read Next: New 5.6m dining facility among developments at Aiken Barracks in Dundalk

The IWA expressed its gratitude to the students of DkIT for their commitment and generosity.

"The funds they have raised will provide vital support to our work in the local community, helping to break down social isolation barriers facing people with disabilities and so much more.

It also shows the power of young people in driving inclusion and positive change. Thank you.

Leila Alaou, who was part of the fundraising group said the events were a "festive way to get people involved".

"We wanted the events to feel warm, social, and community-focused while helping us raise funds for a fantastic charity like the IWA," she said.
Louth Fine Gael TD, Paula Butterly, has said she welcomes the progress on development works at Aiken Barracks in Dundalk, which she said includes a new 5.6m dining facility among the developments.

Deputy Butterly said that the project is due for completion in 2026 and will replace existing catering infrastructure and will include a modern kitchen, dining area and storage for rations.

This project, she added, comes in addition to completed works on heating certification and EV charging points on site.

Deputy Butterly said These investments are a welcome upgrade for our Defence Forces Staff. Continued improvement works like these are necessary as we pursue more ambitious Defence goals in the future.

I want to acknowledge the hard work Minister McEntee has done upon assuming her new role as Minister Defence on this issue, alongside her predecessor and Tanaiste Simon Harris. I will continue to advocate for further investment in our Defence Forces in the future to uphold our islands security.

Read also: Lowest number of house commencements in Louth and nationally since 2016
Uisce Eireann have submitted a planning application for the "largest-ever water project in Irish history".

Water supply in the East and Midlands is currently under immense pressure as it relies on a single source to supply 1.7 million people.

The project will provide Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow with a secure water supply.

Crucially, it will open enable supplies currently serving Dublin to be redirected to Louth, as well as Carlow.

Uisce Eireann proposes that construction will start in 2028, with completion in five years.

The estimated budget for the project is between 4.58 billion to 5.96 billion.

The project will aim to bring treated water from the Parteen Basin, on the River Shannon, to Peamount in Dublin.

Read Next: "Stations are full" - Louth TD calls for a new station for North Drogheda

Minister for Public Expenditure and Infrastructure, Jack Chambers said the submission of the application is a "major milestone that will unlock housing in the Eastern and Midlands Region".

"This project is a vital piece of infrastructure to support Ireland's development, not alone in the delivery of new homes for young people, families and workers in our economy, but to sustain businesses and communities," he said.

Maria O'Dwyer, Infrastructure Delivery Director at Uisce Eireann said the need for the project is clear.

"The growing water supply deficit and lack of supply resilience in the Eastern & Midlands Region is simply not sustainable," she said.
Two legal challenges taken against the Government over super junior ministers have failed in the High Court.

The politicians said that they would decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court after reading the full judgment over the Christmas period.

A case against the Taoiseach, the Government of Ireland, and the Attorney General had been taken in relation to whether the coalition had breached the constitutional limit of 15 ministers by appointing super junior ministers  or junior ministers who can attend confidential Cabinet meetings.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy had argued that the attendance of super junior ministers at Cabinet is inconsistent with the Constitution which states that the government shall consist of not less than seven and not more than 15 members.

He had argued that four super junior ministers had attended Aras an Uachtarain with the 15 senior ministers who received their seal of office from the president in January.

Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly had challenged the Governments appointment of super junior ministers on the basis that it caused issues for Cabinet confidentiality as well as an issue of expenses and allowances paid.

Reading out the judgment on Friday, president of the High Court Mr Justice David Barniville said he and his two colleagues had rejected the arguments made by Mr Daly and Mr Murphy in their entirety.

He said that just 15 ministers from the present Government were appointed by the president, despite the attendance of four junior ministers at the Aras in January.

He said the suggestion by Mr Murphy that super junior ministers are not subject to Dail scrutiny in the same way as senior ministers was justiciable.

He said it was accepted by Mr Murphy that if there was a vote on a decision at Cabinet, super junior ministers would not take part and so their attendance would not undermine the decisions taken by the members of the Government.

He also said that at incorporeal meetings of government, only the 15 members of Government are telephoned.

He said: Ministers of State (including super junior ministers) are never telephoned and asked their views at an incorporeal meeting because they are not members of the Government and have no decision-making role.

In relation to the Cabinet confidentially issue challenged by Mr Daly, the judges said there was no limit to who can attend Cabinet meetings of 15 ministers.

They said: We are satisfied that there is no constitutional provision, express or implied, which limits the attendance at meetings of the Government to the 15 ministers who were appointed by the president (including the Taoiseach).

The judges said there was no constitutional provision, express or implied, and so no disregard of any constitutional provision by the regular attendance at Cabinet by ministers of state or super junior ministers.

As no disregard  and certainly no clear disregard  of the constitutional parameters to the exercise of government power or breach of the constitutional provisions concerning the Government has been established, we are satisfied that deputy Dalys claim must fail and he is not entitled to the declaratory relief which he seeks in these proceedings, they said.

Speaking outside the Four Courts after the judgment, Mr Murphy was asked whether the judgment meant even more junior ministers could attend Cabinet meetings.

He said respectfully to the court, that does seem to be the case.

It seems to be saying that there is no limit, that effectively  we were talking inside  that every member of the Dail and Seanad could be invited to participate in Cabinet discussions. I think thats problematic, he said.

But again, we need to read the full decision and study the judgment.

He and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said they would consider whether to appeal the case to the Supreme Court over the Christmas break.

Ms McDonald said that when a record number of super junior ministers had been appointed in January, they knew we had to seek clarity on this question.

It remains our firm position that nobody in political life should have the opportunity to play fast and loose with the Constitution and with its rules in order to secure political outcomes that they desire, and thats the reason we brought this case, she said.

Mr Murphy said: The central issue here is whether the Constitution can simply be got around, as Leo Varadkar suggested successive governments have been doing.

Well read the judgment over Christmas. Obviously, we have a decision to make in the coming period about whether we pursue this and appeal this to the Supreme Court, and well make that decision in the cold light of day, having fully considered all thats in the judgment.

The case is back before the courts on January 15.
Its 40 years since Churchfield man Tom Harrington took over the Burger Hut in Hollyhill.

But his love for the fast food industry dates back to 1981, when he started working at his wifes family business, well-known city haunt the Pickin Chicken.

In the midst of the 1980s recession, Burger Hut was a second job for the self-proclaimed proud Norrie, who also worked with the ESB until 1996.

We had one car when I started, Tom reminisces. So my wife would come down (to the ESB) with the twins in the car and wed drive home, drop them off and Id go to work in the Burger Hut.

Three decades later, these twins - Scott and Mark, now 41 - are taking over the family food business, rebranding as an independent pizzeria and chipper called TOMTOMS in honour of their fathers legacy.

It was actually Scott and Mark who inspired Tom to diversify into pizza back in the 1990s - calling the shots from a very young age!

We had four kids, says Tom, and when youd ask them what food they wanted, theyd say pizza.

So I saw, in my wisdom, that this was where younger people were going to be going, where traditional chippers were going to be going.

This was the impetus needed for Tom to purchase the Apache Pizza franchise in 2001 and bring it to Corks northside.

Under the franchise agreement, they were able to offer not just pizza, but also their original chipper menu - something for all the family. The model proved to be a great success, as Tom explains.

The way I saw it was that basically its the daddy who was paying for the food. So if he didnt like pizza, what could he get?

So in our place you could get a pizza for the kids, a fish supper for the daddy... It covered all ages.

The family expanded the Apache Pizza franchise south of the river to Douglas and Bishopstown.

Scott and Mark, who had both worked in the business in a part-time capacity for most of their lives, came on full-time in 2012 at the Douglas branch.

Tom had always envisioned a family business, but the twins needed to carve out their own paths first.

We went away and did our own thing, explains Scott. Then the recession happened in Ireland in 2007, 2008, when I was an electrician. So it was just kind of organic - the opportunity arose in Douglas and we said, Yeah, lets do it.

Mark had worked a variety of jobs before joining the family business full-time, including fixing catering equipment - a skill that proved invaluable when he joined his dad and brother at the restaurants. As Mark describes it: We knew the ins and outs from top to bottom.

Both twins brought an abundance of enthusiasm and new ideas to the business, with an eye on the shift in consumer tastes and expectations.

Twins Scott and Mark Harrington. Picture: Darragh Kane

Where Mark and Scott are way, way better than me is the social media marketing, online marketing - Instagram, Google, all that kind of thing, says Tom. Im kind of like a dinosaur with that.

Mr Harrington Senior is selling himself short here somewhat, as it was his traditional style of marketing that grew the business from scratch to begin with!

As he describes it: My marketing is meeting somebody, talking, that kind of thing.

That kind of thing worked in the 80s and 90s, and even with the digital revolution, it still works now, as Scott and Mark have found. They are keen for the business to retain its personal touch, especially in the current economic climate.

With the cost-of-living crisis, people are going to spend their money more wisely, considers Scott. You have to give good deals, hot food in good time, and a good customer experience all round - whether that be online, over the phone or in person. You have to be personable.

Despite the name change to TOMTOMS at the Hollyhill, Douglas and Bishopstown pizza restaurants - as well as the original Holyhill Burger Hut - the father and sons are keen to stress that the ethos of the family business remains the same.

The only thing that has changed is the name, explains Tom.

Which isnt to say that the business model at TOMTOMS wont be constantly evolving - indeed, that has always been the case from the moment Tom stepped behind the counter of Burger Hut in 1985.

Scott and Mark are now looking ahead, with a focus on establishing the new brand over the next 12 months.

Exciting developments are on the cards, with new products such as a pizza pocket on the menu, as well as a move into kebabs in response to more adventurous consumer tastes.

As Mark notes: Were going to have to be kind of innovative and come up with things, and see what the trends are going to be.

The vibe of the new brand is fun, young and uplifting, with a family focus and a strong digital presence.

While TOMTOMS remains a family business at its core, its number one priority is the wider family - that of the Cork community.

The Harringtons live in this community, where their shops are. We care about the food we give out, says Mark. Its kind of like youre representing the food as well, you know?

As Tom hangs up his apron for the final time, how does he feel about his sons carrying the business forward?

I would have no fears at all with them. Itll grow now.

He adds: Theyre my sons, theyre my friends, and theyre my business partners... Theres a great pleasure in seeing how your kids turn out.

To celebrate the rebrand, TOMTOMS is running a special offer this December of a large 14inch pizza for just 12 (online for delivery and collection). For more information on the restaurants, see www.tomtoms.ie.
A call for action has been made to the Department of Transport as more than 4,200 people were waiting to book a driving test at the Wilton test centre at the end of November.

According to figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), there were 4,207 applicants waiting to book a category B (car) driving test at the Wilton test centre at the end of last month, with an average waiting time of 14 weeks.

This average waiting time is four weeks longer than the 10-week target set by the Department of Transport earlier this year, which was due to be achieved by September.

While this figure represents a significant improvement on the average waiting time of 31.5 weeks that was seen in March, Social Democrats Cork South-Central TD Padraig Rice said concerns remain about ongoing delays and centre staffing levels.

Progress

I welcome the progress that has been made by the RSA and the Department of Transport. The fact that people were waiting over 31 weeks earlier this year to take a driving test in Wilton was absolutely ridiculous, said Mr Rice.

This is a public service that has to function, so certainly the improvements are welcome.

However, I am concerned that despite the department sanctioning additional permanent positions for driver testers in September 2024, to bring the number of testers nationally to 200, the RSA confirmed to me that there are currently only 194 testers employed.

While the recruitment campaign was a positive step, it is worrying that over a year later we have still not reached the target number of driver testers, he added.

While the numbers of people waiting are down, there are still over 4,200 people across Cork looking at over three months to secure a driving test slot.

These people who are stuck in limbo deserve better.

The minister needs to tell us when the RSA are going to meet the 10-week target, and what steps are being taken to get there.

The CSO figures further showed that at the end of last month, there were a total of 6,481 applicants waiting for a category B test across the four Cork testing centres, of which 1,437 were waiting at the Mallow centre, with an average waiting time of 13 weeks; 546 were waiting at the Skibbereen centre, with an average waiting time of nine weeks; and 291 were waiting at the Mitchelstown centre, with an average waiting time of seven weeks.
More than 500 people who applied to Cork County Councils homeless services were rejected in 2024, figures show.

A total of 563 people who sought help from the local authority were rejected in 2024, which was a 70% refusal rate out of the total number of applications that were made that year.

In 2023, 516 people who looked for help from Cork County Council homeless services saw their applications rejected, with this figure at 410 in 2022.

This is in contrast to the 92 people who applied to Cork County Councils homeless services that were rejected in 2019.

The information was revealed on foot of an FOI by a member of Cork County Council.

Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse has called for Cork County council to set up a supervised homeless hub in West Cork.

Raising the matter at the recent western divisional committee meeting, Ms Towse said that a homeless hub in West Cork would help to meet the most urgent needs of homeless people being refused emergency accommodation in the county.

Ms Towse said that the issue of homelessness in Cork needs to be tackled urgently.

Of the 563 people the council refused, I would also like to know how many were never given any housing support and why.

Im very concerned and distressed actually by the cases of people coming to me who are being refused emergency accommodation. That 70% figure is absolutely shocking.

But these are among the most vulnerable adults in society and I cannot accept that we are turning them away.

The kindest reason I can come up with is that the council dont have suitable accommodation to offer them.

Ms Towse added: While homeless figures are rising nationally, somehow West Cork figures are very low, but thats not surprising really when we are refusing so many.

The real homeless figures are much, much higher than what is measured.
Dangerous subsidence on a major national route in West Cork is causing vehicles to be pulled towards the ditch and will result in a serious accident unless the issue is addressed according to a local councillor.

Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton proposed a motion to the county councils West Cork municipal district recently.

The motion said: I am calling on Cork County Council to write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) requesting the immediate undertaking of essential road surfacing works on the N71 between the junctions with the L8016 Bohonagh and L8020 Knocknageehy, as matter of urgent road safety.

Mr Sexton said the road in question was subsiding to the left and right and warned that someone is going to be injured or hurt if the issue was not addressed.

Supporting the motion, Fianna Fails Joe Carroll said that he had attended a recent meeting between Cork councillors and TII officials in Dublin and was appalled at how we were treated.

Mr Carroll said it was his belief that the N71 and West Cork was not a priority for TII.

He said councillors could write to TII about the issue but they might as well be writing to Santa Claus.

Mr Carroll said that councillor Sexton was right to raise the issue and added that in his opinion the N71 was not fit to be called a national road.

Danny Collins of Independent Ireland agreed.

He said that plans for a bypass of Bantry had been discussed for 40 or 50 years adding: How much longer do we have to wait?

Area engineer John Ahern said: A meeting between TII officials and a deputation of Cork County Council including representatives from the West Cork [municipal district] took place at the end of October where it is understood that this matter was discussed.

While TII are aware of request, resurfacing works are undertaken on a priority basis as funding allows, continued Mr Ahern.

We await funding allocations for 2026.

Mr Sexton said he was disappointed but not surprised by the response.

He added: Perhaps the N in N71 stands for neglect.

When you have a road tapering to the ditch it needs action.

If Cork County Council were responsible for this road they would see to it.

That section is an accident waiting to happen. Its dangerous, its lethal.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
A new community hub aimed at supporting the homeless and vulnerable people of Cork has opened on Kyrls Quay.

Located near the Supermacs building at the former North Main St carpark, the hub will help to provide hot meals, refreshments and a friendly space for anyone that is in need, along with facilities including seating and charging points.

Primarily aimed at people sleeping rough, organisers including the Kindness Krew, a volunteer group in Cork city dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness and vulnerability, are keen to stress that the hub is also open to all.

This is including the elderly, isolated and vulnerable members of the community.

The hub will ensure that Corks most vulnerable residents have a warm and safe place to turn to, especially during the winter months.

Jade Millar from Kindness Krew told The Echo that the new community hub will make a very big impact to the lives of many people.

Our service users now can come into a building, where they are not going to be soaking wet eating their dinner.

They can sit down and enjoy eating their dinner, have a cup of tea, hot chocolate or charge their phone.

It is just brilliant. We are actually really emotional because we have for so long been outside the Savoy looking after them. Now we have a building so it is just amazing.

Dave OBrien, president of Cork Business Association, said that the new community hub will make a significant difference.

Cork Business Association welcomes the opening of the new community hub, providing a warm, safe, and welcoming space for people experiencing homelessness and vulnerability in our city. From a business perspective, bringing these vital services together in a dedicated hub is a positive and practical step.

Previously, supports were dispersed across very visible streets at night. This new approach improves the night time environment while ensuring people in need are cared for in a more appropriate, dignified and welcoming setting.
Anti-immigration activist Ross Lahive will be contesting the case against him where he is charged with harassment of a garda.

The case was adjourned until yesterday at Cork District Court for the accused to decide if he was pleading guilty or not guilty.

The DPP said it could be dealt with summarily at the district court on a plea of guilty, but that otherwise it would be a matter for trial by judge and jury.

Solicitor Diarmuid Kelleher said the accused was entering a not guilty plea.

On the application of Sergeant Gearoid Davis, Judge Mary Dorgan adjourned the case until February 12 to allow time for new directions from the DPP. A book of evidence will also have to be prepared.

Ross Lahive, aged 46, of Church Street, Shandon Street, faces a charge which states: On dates between October 9 2022 and February 6 2025 he harassed (the garda) contrary to Section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.

Det Sgt Christopher Cahill previously alleged that Mr Lahive engaged in a campaign of harassment against a member of An Garda Siochana. This member was on duty at a public event in October 2022 when he arrested Mr Lahive. His arrest was video-recorded and posted on Facebook.

In February 2023 it is alleged that the victim in this case was walking from Cork District Court having given evidence in a separate case.

He was approached by the accused and co-accused and a third person. He was verbally abused by him. He (the garda) said he did not consent to being recorded.

He was followed for a number of minutes and was afraid to get on the bus at the bus station in case his address would become known.

It is alleged that the accused went on to post videos of himself talking about this injured party.

The injured party was distressed. It had a negative effect on himself and his family.
Never has a nation so small inspired so much in another  President Barrack Obama, Irish America 250

From conception to birth, and from maturation to development, the history of the people of Ireland and the United States have long been intertwined.

As the story below will unfold, it could well be argued that there would be no United States of America without the people of Cork.

It is with our unmistakable spirit that the people of Cork will play a prime role in launching the 250-year celebrations of the United States. Irish America 250 has set out to take the people of Ireland and the United States on this journey in 2026.

What started as a small conversation amongst like-minded individuals across the U.S back in April, has evolved into Irish America 250. This bipartisan organisation seeks to place the Irish at the heart of the America 250 celebrations and showcase the contributions of the Irish in America these last 250 years.

It is with that intent in mind that Irish America 250 will celebrate General Stephen Moylan on both sides of the Atlantic in January, 2026. He was a native son of Cork, born in 1737, and his family had a business on Kyrls Quay. His brother Francis would ultimately prove to be more well-known at home, by becoming the Bishop of Cork and playing a prime role in aiding Nano Nagle upon her arrival in Cork city.

After his education in France, Stephen Moylan would go on to be an aide de camp to George Washington in the American revolutionary war. What makes Moylan stand apart from all other Irish Americans is that he is credited with being the first person to use the phrase the United States of America in a letter written on January 2, 1776, a full six months before the Declaration of Independence. And with that he will forever be recognised in the annals of American history, and as his story becomes more well known, as a true Cork legend.

Villanova University in Philadelphia, so often synonymous with athletes such as Eamon Coughlan, Ronnie Delaney, and our own Marcus OSullivan and Sonia OSullivan, will host a celebratory event for Stephen Moylan on January 14.

He was also the first president of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St Patrick, and it is the modern incarnation of this organisation, The Society of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St Patrick, with Irish America 250 that will celebrate Moylan at Villanova.

Corks own Dave McGilton has composed Philadelphia Fields: The Ballad Of Stephen Moylan which will be played, with remarks by the Cork Lord Mayor also set to be shared at the event. The Ballad Of Stephen Moylan has impressed so many that it was even sent on to the management of Philadelphias famous son Bruce Springsteen to listen to.

Not to be outdone, Cork City Council has collaborated with Irish America 250 to develop a similar recognition for Moylan. In-depth research of archives and records has identified his birthplace as being on Blarney Street, and the City Council plans to unveil a plaque there on January 30. Various dignitaries from a U.S and Irish dimension are likely to be invited.

The year ahead affords the Irish at home and in the US an opportunity to acknowledge the role played by the Irish in the events of 1776, but also our vast contribution to American culture and society in the 250 years since.

Irish America 250 has big plans that continue to grow on a daily basis. As a group that came together in April, it quickly gained support from the Irish government, Northern Ireland Executive, U.S Congressmen, Governors, and prominent Irish Americans.

A prime initiative that the group is seeking to build is the development of unsung Irish American heroes, with a goal to have commemorative plaques placed around the U.S recognising these individuals. Stephen Moylan is the first.

On February 1, St Brigids Day will be celebrated at home, but it will also be the day that Irish America recognises the role of the most heroic Irish American women of the last 250 years. From Matilda Tone (wife of Wolfe Tone) to Cork native Mother Jones (born 100 years after Moylan) and all the way to Eileen Collins the first female pilot of the Space Shuttle, Irish women will be recognised at the highest level from one of the earliest points of the year.

February 4 will see Georgetown University launch its Global Irish Studies Bridging the Atlantic Series. February 16 marks Presidents Day in the U.S and 24 presidents have claimed Irish lineage. Irish America 250 will be hosting events at a number of select locations around the U.S to recognise what will be titled Making Presidents Day Green.

March will kick off a whole series of events. The oldest St Patricks Day parade in the world was held on March 17, 1601, in St Augustine, Florida, and this day will be strongly celebrated in 2026.

The goal of Irish America 250 is to race into the new year before all other cultural organisations in the U.S, with a goal to placing the Irish at the centre of all celebrations.

March is the traditional month when the Irish take over the various Irish cities around the world, and 2026 will be no different in America.

Later in the year, a night celebrating Irish music, poetry and culture titled One Night in America is planned for the week before July 4.

With a large Irish concert planned at the home of country music in the Grand Old Opry in Nashville next autumn, Irish America 250 will have a busy year of adventures ahead.

It gives credence to the phrase that we were there at the beginning in 1776, but we are still there today.
It was a year dominated by talk of AI.

2025 ended with a Time magazine cover crediting the various architects of AI with their annual person of the year award. They opted to select tech leaders such as Musk and Zuckerberg while mentioning the huge influence AI is having in everything from the media and politics to the workforce. The truly cynical will tell you that Time magazine is owned by Marc Benioff of Salesforce, who is also heavily invested in AI.

One of the magazine covers, a homage to the famous 1932 photograph of construction workers on a steel beam above the RCA building in New York City, features the aforementioned tech Gods sitting on the beam. The AI-generated photo of these billionaires could be said to represent the antithesis of the ordinary workers from back in the day, but I guess thats the world we live in in 2025.

How did music fare in this new AI world this year?

Well, Timbaland, one of the most innovative and influential producers of all time, is now pushing an AI-created artist, TaTa, into the mainstream. In a move widely rejected as being uninspiring, it was one of the most high-profile AI moves this year. But like it or not, AI is here to stay. Timbaland, who made his name as a futurist, crafting timeless classics for Aaliyah and others that still sound fresh, is, at the very least, moving with the times. But the human element is certainly lacking, and the ethics are still controversial too.

Music was probably more fun in the 70s and 80s when Kraftwerk talked about the fantasy of a then burgeoning Computer World that we are now living in.

The man v machine argument will continue to flourish in 2026, and maybe the reaction against AI will bring more great music to the fore. There are many who now see this as a positive, and music that is quite obviously not AI will be seen as more authentic or valued to some. This follows on from my recent thoughts on streaming v actual physical product, and there is no doubt even younger music fans are searching for a more real connection to music in the digital age.

Regarding arguments of authenticity, we have seen this previously in reactions to the heavily synthesised 80s pop, metal and rock, which, in some ways, might have birthed grunge or other raw grassroots movements.

Over-familiar loops and sampling in R&B & New Jack Swing led to a more organic neo soul music that heralded the arrival of DAngelo, Erykah Badu and others, and there are many more examples of artists and movements reacting against the machine and the computer over the years.

DAngelo, who alongside former partner and collaborator Angie Stone was among the greats to sadly pass in 2025, was also very influenced by his peer Jay Dee, aka Dilla, whose innovative use of time signatures in producing hip-hop still remains hugely influential years later. This also came from a human touch, but it was often instigated by both the man and the machine working together to bring this non quantised live feel.

AI wont be able to recreate a Dilla or a DAngelo or a Prince, or even Roy Ayers or Sly Stone, two more great innovators who passed this year.

The human mistakes in the studio or at a concert are still to be cherished, and lots of the dialogue surrounding DAngelos passing was based on many of the outtakes and stripped down raw songs he banged together that were not on his proper albums. His music hero Prince was famous for this, and used to like nothing more than a jam with fellow musicians, even after a full two-hour concert elsewhere earlier that evening. Lots of the best music comes from jamming, and having fun, and at live gigs in 2025 we still want to hear an artist singing live and making mistakes and giving us an experience different to the studio.

I saw one of the all time greats, Beyonce, deliver a stunning three-hour show earlier this summer in London, and I couldnt help but think that she is one of the last real global superstars who will go to such an effort in a world where its easier to just coast by. That said, some of the best releases this year were by artists who are very real and very non-AI, such as Rosalia, Bad Bunny and Clipse, so perhaps we should be optimistic!
GOING OUT

Theatre

Saturday

Aladdin, Cork Opera House, 7pm: Whether youre young or just young at heart, this thrilling magic carpet ride will captivate and entertain audiences of all ages. Tickets 39.50.

Cinderella, The Everyman, 7pm: Expect outrageous laughs, dazzling costumes, and a fairy godmother with serious flair. Tickets 38.50.

The Improv Panto, Cork Opera House, 10.30pm: Uproarious, completely unscripted performance where the audience get to choose the story and who plays what character. Tickets 25.

Sunday

Aladdin, Cork Opera House, 1pm: Lunchtime showing. Tickets 39.50.

John Spillane and Friends, The Everyman, 8pm: After a series of sold-out shows, RTE Folk Album of the Year recipient Spillane returns for his annual Christmas concert spectacular. Tickets 30.

Music

Saturday

The Frank and Walters, Cork City Hall, 8pm: One of the most recognisable alternative rock bands hailing from Cork. Tickets 36.50.

Jerry Fish, Murrays, Macroom, 8pm: Jerry performs songs from the new album, alongside a selection of his greatest hits, in a celebration of his unique artistry. Tickets 27.79.

Sunday

Hermitage Green (Matinee Show), Live at St Lukes, 2pm: The band return to St Lukes for a run of nights again this December. Tickets 38.

Chasing Abbey, Cyprus Avenue, 7pm: The genre-bending power trio from Tullamore bring their signature blend of pop, dance, hip-hop, and traditional Irish flair to the stage. Tickets 22.

Other

Saturday

Rapunzel: A Cork Christmas Untangled, Scala Retreat and Conference Centre, 7pm: Joyful family pantomime performed by young people from across Cork, celebrating the vibrant youth arts community. The production brings together young performers from stage schools and drama groups across Cork, including the talented Scala Musical Theatre Group. Tickets 22.42.

Sunday

Christmas Craft Event, GUJI Coffee Paul Street, 9am: Your ticket includes a coffee or hot chocolate, a small acai bowl or fruit slider and Christmas decoration you can DIY and all painting materials. Tickets 38.52.

Aye Laugh Comedy, Aye, 4.30pm: Enjoy a wide range of drinks, a cosy atmosphere, and top-class comedy.

Our top 5 films at the cinema

1. Wicked - For Good: Elphaba and Glinda are back for one last trip on the yellow brick road.

2. Eternity: Gorgeous love triangle rom-com about eternal love.

3. Silent Night, Deadly Night: Christmas film and horror story. Lots of fun. Not for everyone.

4. The Running Man: Glen Powell turns full action star in this remake of the 80s classic.

5. Zootropolis 2: Animated fun for the whole family in this cartoon sequel.

STAYING IN

Television

Saturday

Strictly Come Dancing: The Final, BBC1, 7pm: The annual contest reaches its conclusion, and hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are also bowing out from the ballroom.

Sunday

How To Cook Well At Christmas With Rory OConnell, RTE1, 8.30pm: The Cork chef presents the first of a two-parter with ideas for edible gifts this Christmas. Burnt Caramel and Chocolate Truffles anyone?

Streaming

Emily in Paris, Netflix: The smash-hit comedy-dramas fifth season continues to follow the European adventures of Chicago native Emily Cooper.

Fallout, Prime: Second series of the post-apocalyptic drama based on a popular video game, starring Ella Purnell and Kyle MacLachlan.
PA

Two legal challenges to the governments appointment of super junior ministers have failed in the High Court.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy had taken a case against the Taoiseach, the Government of Ireland, and the Attorney General in relation to allowing super junior ministers to attend Cabinet.

Mr Murphy had argued that the attendance of super junior ministers at Cabinet is inconsistent with the Constitution, which states in Article 28 that the government shall consist of not less than seven and not more than fifteen members.

Sinn Fein TD Pa Daly had also challenged the governments appointment of super junior ministers on the basis that it caused issues for cabinet confidentiality, as well as an issue of expenses and allowances paid to super junior ministers.

Reading out the judgment, High Court President Mr Justice David Barniville said that there were just 15 ministers from the present government appointed by the president.

The three-judge panel rejected the arguments made by Mr Daly and Mr Murphy in their entirety.

As no disregard  and certainly no clear disregard  of the constitutional parameters to the exercise of government power or breach of the constitutional provisions concerning the government has been established, we are satisfied that Deputy Dalys claim must fail and he is not entitled to the declaratory relief which he seeks in these proceedings.

Politicians who took a case against the government over super junior ministers have said they will consider the judgment over the Christmas break.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said that after four super junior ministers had been appointed, they knew we had to seek clarity on this question.

It remains our firm position that nobody in political life should have the opportunity to play fast and loose with the Constitution and with its rules in order to secure political outcomes that they desire, and thats the reason we brought this case, Ms McDonald said.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said: The central issue here is whether the Constitution can simply be got around, as Leo Varadkar suggested successive governments have been doing.

Well read the judgment over Christmas. Obviously, we have a decision to make in the coming period about whether we pursue this and appeal this to the Supreme Court. Well make that decision in the cold light of day, having fully considered all thats in the judgment.

More to follow
Eimear Dodd

A man who used diplomatic passports to assist several women in entering the State has been jailed for four and a half years.

Abdallatif Mohamed (40), aka Hussein, used Somali diplomatic passports to help several women enter the State at Dublin Airport during a three-month period in 2024.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of assisting in the unlawful entry into the State of persons, contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice Act 2021. He has no previous convictions.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told that Mohamed was working in the diplomatic services at the time of his offending.

The court heard that a flight arrived from Abu Dhabi on November 26th, 2024. He was travelling with two women, who purported to be his wife and daughter.

They were all travelling on Somali diplomatic passports. These were genuine travel documents, but were not issued to the two women.

They were met at the door of the airplane, and gardai noted that the women were not the same as in their photos in the passports.

Mohamed was later seen at the offices of Garda National Immigration Bureau attempting to conceal the women's genuine passports in his clothing.

He was also found with two phones, $13,910 and small amounts of other denominations.

The women confirmed the passports found on Mohamed were their genuine passports. They both said they had paid him to bring them here.

One woman said she paid $14,000, while the other woman said she paid $15,000.

When interviewed by gardai, he outlined that he would explain that he had come into the State for a week's holiday and would present evidence at immigration of their intended departure.

Mohamed said he had a separate booking for him to leave the next day, while the women were intending to remain behind.

Mohamed's full admissions extended to include two further incidents of similar offending on September 30th and November 6th, 2024.

CCTV

Gardai used CCTV footage to confirm these incidents. The court was told Mohamed would arrive on a flight from Abu Dhabi with a woman, but would leave the plane alone and make his way through immigration, present the Somali diplomatic passport, and say he was here for a week's holiday.

The women would then present without travel documents and request international protection. Mohamed was carrying their travel documents, the court heard.

Imposing sentence on Friday, Judge Dara Hayes said this was serious offending and that the use of diplomatic passports was an aggravating feature.

He noted diplomatic passports have a particular status for good reason to protect diplomatic staff as they go about the world on their duties, not to assist with criminality.

The judge noted there is no suggestion that force or coercion was used against the women or that they were being trafficked for the purpose of forced labour, which would have a significant aggravating factor.

He noted the defence's submission that Mohamed was under pressure to get documents to help people travel abroad, as members of his family had been kidnapped, and that there is no evidence to confirm this.

'Operation for profit'

The judge said this was an operation for profit in which the defendant was centrally involved, but there is no direct evidence that the profit was for his personal use.

The judge said he took into consideration the mitigation, including the difficulties for foreign nationals serving a sentence here.

He said the presence of a significant quantity of cash would belie the explanation he was acting under the extreme pressure he suggested".

It seems curious that these people would allow him to travel with what could only have been a significant portion of profit, the judge said, adding there was no explanation why Mohamed was carrying almost $14,000 in cash.

He imposed a sentence of five years, with the final six months suspended on strict conditions, and backdated it to the date that Mohamed went into custody.
Behold Mark Zuckerberg: man of principle. Witness the Meta CEO's dedication to the most high-minded of causes: "currying favor with whoever's in charge." In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, Zuckerberg co-founded FWD.us, a pro-immigration advocacy group. For years, he vocally supported providing paths to citizenship for "the most talented and hardest-working people, no matter where they were born." Now, in 2025, with Donald Trump back in power and pushing draconian immigration policies, Zuckerberg's philanthropy organization has officially cut ties with the group. Who says Big Tech executives don't stand for anything?

On Friday, Bloomberg reported on the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) severing its ties with FWD.us. Zuckerberg's group provided no funding to the advocacy group for the first time this year. Up to that point, over half of the roughly $400 million donated to the nonprofit since 2013 had come from CZI.

In addition, CZI's chief of staff, Jordan Fox, resigned from the FWD.us board. No one else at CZI will fill the vacant slot, another first for the pro-immigration and justice reform advocacy group.

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In a statement to Engadget, a spokesperson for CZI said the change had been in the works for several years. Nearly five years ago, we shared that we were focusing on our core work in science, education, and supporting our local communities, the spokesperson said. As part of that transition, we committed foundational funding to FWD.us to continue their bipartisan work. We have fulfilled that financial commitment and wound down our social advocacy funding. She added that the couples Biohub initiative is currently their primary philanthropy.

Mark Zuckerberg listens attentively to Stephen Miller at Trump's January inauguration (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images)

In late 2024, Zuckerberg met with Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who reacts to brown-skinned humans being sent to foreign gulags the way my dog responds to a juicy steak. Among other topics during the exchange, Miller reportedly questioned Zuckerberg's ties to FWD.us.

Apparently, his words resonated with Zuckerbergs principles. In January, before Trump was sworn in for his second term, Meta unleashed an overhaul that reads like a Miller wishlist. The company ended its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. That same month, it ditched third-party fact-checkers, calling them "too politically biased." It also changed its policies to allow for "insulting language" on topics of immigration and LGBTQ+ issues. The company even added Trump backer Dana White to its board.

It fits a broader pattern of Big Tech bending the knee to Trump.

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"We're in the middle of a pretty rapidly changing policy and regulatory landscape that views any policy that might advantage any one group of people over another as something that is unlawful," Zuckerberg told the New York Times in January. "Because of that, we and every other institution out there are going to need to adjust."

"We now have a US administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning and that will defend our values and interests abroad," Zuckerberg said in a January investor call. "I am optimistic about the progress and innovation that this can unlock, so this is going to be a big year."

What a big year indeed.

US Chief Border Patrol Agent, Gregory Bovino and masked ICE agents in New Orleans (Ryan Murphy via Getty Images)

Now witness the contrasting words of one of Zuckerberg's chief rivals in Silicon Valley. "When you meet these [immigrant] children who are really talented, and they've grown up in America, and they really don't know any other country besides that, but they don't have the opportunities that we all enjoy, it's really heartbreaking, right?" the tech executive said. "That seems like it's one of the biggest civil rights issues of our time."

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That "rival," of course, was Obama-era Mark Zuckerberg in 2013.

Despite the funding setback, thanks to our principled hero, FWD.us will press forward. "We're thankful to our donors, past and present, and so grateful to the many new donors who have stepped up in the past few years  and particularly the influx of new supporters we have seen this year," FWD.us President Todd Schulte said in a statement. "This allows us to fight for immigrants under attack today and to build a better approach to immigration and criminal justice reform for many, many years to come."

Update, December 19, 2025, 1:19PM PT: This story was updated to include a statement from a spokesperson for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
SpaceX said it experienced an anomaly with one if its Starlink satellites that was likely caused by a small explosion. "The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km [2.5 miles] and the release of a small number of trackable low relatively velocity objects," Starlink wrote in a post on X. Orbital tracking company LeoLabs assessed that the issue was caused by an "internal energetic source rather than a collision with space debris or another object."

SpaceX said it's working with NASA and the US Space Force to track the remains of the object. "The satellite is largely intact, tumbling and will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and fully demise within weeks," the company said. It's trajectory is well below the International Space Station (ISS) so it poses no risk to the lab or its crew. Starlink has yet to say how many pieces it's tracking.

The incident happened just days after a Starlink satellite narrowly avoided a collision with a rival Chinese satellite from CAS Space last week. Starlink vice president Michael Nicholls said that the incident happened due to a lack of coordination between the two companies. "When satellite operators do not share emphemeris for their satellites, dangerously close approaches can occur in space," he wrote on X.

Starlink's constellation consists of almost 9,300 active satellites making up around 65 percent of all orbiting spacecraft, not including defunct units. That number grew by more than 3,000 this year alone, launched aboard 121 separate SpaceX missions  around one every three days.
A deal to spin off TikTok's US business may finally be nearing the finish line. (Photo Illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A deal to spin off TikTok's US business may finally be nearing the finish line. (Photo Illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Remember back in September when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seemingly finalized some of the terms of a deal to spin off TikTok's US business? Three months later, that same deal is apparently one step closer to being official.

According to Bloomberg, TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees that TikTok and ByteDance had signed off the agreement for control of TikTok's US business. It sounds like terms of the deal are roughly the same as what Trump announced earlier this year. A group of US investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will control a majority of the new entity while ByteDance will keep a smaller stake in the venture.

According to Chew's memo, the deal is expected to close January 22, 2026. Upon the closing, the US joint venture, built on the foundation of the current TikTok US Data Security (USDS) organization, will operate as an independent entity with authority over US data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance, he wrote according to Bloomberg. TikTok didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Notably, it's still not clear where Chinese officials stand on the deal. Trump said back in September that China was "fully on board," but subsequent meetings between the two sides have so far produced vague statements. In October, China's Commerce Ministry said it would "work with the U.S. to properly resolve issues related to TikTok."

If a deal is indeed finalized by next month, it will come almost exactly a year after Trump's first executive order to delay a law that required a sale or ban of the app front taking effect. He has signed off several other extensions since.
A Los Angeles judge has ordered Angelina Jolie to turn over emails and text messages related to the 2021 sale of her share of the Miraval winery, handing a significant discovery victory to Brad Pitt in the ex-spouses' continuing legal dispute.

According to RadarOnline, Superior Court Judge Lia Martin granted Pitt's request Tuesday, finding that certain communications Jolie withheld under claims of privilege were not protected. The judge gave Jolie 45 days to produce the requested messages between the actress and members of her business team and financial advisers.

Pitt sued Jolie in 2022 after she sold her 50% interest in Chateau Miraval to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler for about $67 million. Pitt alleges the sale violated an agreement between the former couple that neither would sell ownership interests without first offering the other the opportunity to buy them.

In court filings, Pitt's lawyers argued Jolie had improperly relied on a nondisclosure agreement and asserted attorney-client privilege to shield emails and texts that bear directly on whether the sale was discussed as a business transaction rather than purely legal advice. The filings, as per Los Angeles Times, say some documents bore extensive redactions that could obscure substantive business direction from Jolie or commentary by her business manager, Terry Bird, and aides Chloe Dalton and Arminka Helic.

Jolie's side has maintained that certain communications were necessary for her to receive legal advice and that redactions covered attorney mental impressions or privileged legal analysis. Her lawyers have called Pitt's suit "frivolous" in past filings.

Pitt's team also asked the court for unredacted communications between Jolie and financial consultants Marjorie Brabet-Friel and James Friel, contending they may show the economic rationale behind the transaction. The judge's order requires the production of communications that the court found were not protected.

A person familiar with Pitt's legal strategy said the messages could show Jolie "was disingenuous" about how the sale was handled. However, the person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Representatives for Jolie and Pitt did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The ruling does not resolve the broader dispute over ownership and whether the sale breached any agreement; it clears the way for further fact-finding in what has become a protracted legal fight between two high-profile actors who once jointly owned the Provence estate where they married in 2014.

Court proceedings related to the Miraval property have attracted attention because of the winery's high profile and the international dimensions of the buyer. The case will proceed with discovery, now expected to include the newly ordered communications, potentially shaping arguments over whether Jolie breached contractual duties or whether Pitt's claims should proceed.
Kanye West's wife, Bianca Censori, is opening up about life in the public eye and her approach to self-expression in a rare interview with Interview magazine.

The 30-year-old Australian architectural designer, who recently debuted her art performance "BIO POP (THE ORIGIN)" in Seoul, explained that she doesn't feel confined by public perception.

Instead, she views her work as a way to reclaim her narrative and challenge cultural assumptions.

Censori's latest project, featuring sculpted furniture and masked doubles of herself, explores the concept of doppelgangers.

According to Yahoo, she explained that these figures are not exact copies but "spillages"  representations of how her image evolves outside her control.

Through this work, Censori confronts what she calls "phantom selves," the multiple versions of herself that emerge in the public eye.

She clarified that this isn't about feeling trapped but rather about reclaiming agency over her image.

"The public sees versions of her without her consent. People project, invent, and erase," she said, noting that her performance is about sculpting these projections back into her own story.

Censori described the process as multiplying her image until the original becomes myth, turning what could be limiting scrutiny into a creative force.

Kanye Wests wife Bianca Censori has given her most revealing interview yet. Full story: https://t.co/IRba9FUGVC pic.twitter.com/Rs6gfWT1yC  news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) December 18, 2025

Read more: Kanye West Appears in Video Discussing Accountability With Rabbi After Antisemitic Outbursts

Bianca Censori Explains Her Bold Fashion

Much of the attention on Censori stems from her marriage to West, 48, and her often daring fashion choices.

She has frequently appeared in revealing outfits at public events, including a sheer gown at the 2025 Grammys, which sparked controversy.

However, she explained that her fashion decisions are rooted in art and perspective rather than provocation.

"The female body isn't inherently sexual. That's a cultural overlay," Censori said, adding that her bodysuits are designed to remove individuality and turn the body into a surface for expression, US Magazine reported.

Censori also discussed her relationship with social media, describing it as a space where public perception shifts quickly.

She said she isn't seeking praise or backlash but studies how attention circulates to better understand cultural sensitivities. Her ultimate goal, she emphasized, is self-expression.

While West has not publicly commented on "BIO POP," he has previously praised Censori's bold fashion choices.

In a tweet last year, he lauded her as "smart, talented, brave and hot," highlighting his support for her creative and public persona.
After the tragic murder of his parents, Nick Reiner, the son of filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, is weighing his options for a legal defense with some lawyers advising a plea of insanity and some others doubting the feasibility of such a plea.

Reiner attended his first hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 17, and he decided not to plead by waiver.

Per People, He spoke only when asked by Judge Theresa McGonigle if he understood his rights, responding, "Yes, your honor." He will remain behind bars without bail until his next court date in January and has until Jan. 7 to decide on his formal defense strategy.

Here are courtroom sketches of Nick Reiner. The judge did not allow media members to take video/pics of him today.



Sketches by Mona Shafer Edwards. @LawCrimeNetwork pic.twitter.com/0K2z3AXyJS  Chris Stewart (@CStewartNews) December 17, 2025

Famed trial lawyer Tony Buzbee, who has represented high-profile figures including Sean "Diddy" Combs and Shannon Sharpe, told Radar Online that an insanity plea could be Reiner's most logical option.

"I'd certainly look at that angle," Buzbee said, while noting that Reiner's attorney "knows what he's doing. I'm sure he's evaluating every angle at the moment."

He also praised Reiner's choice in counsel, adding, "No question he's one of the best. He's expensive, but all the good ones are."

However, not all legal experts agree that insanity is a strong defense.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Radar that proving the plea would be challenging.

"The defense may have an uphill battle trying to prove their case when all signs point to premeditated murder by the son of Rob and Michele," Rahmani said.

Rahmani pointed to Reiner's reported behavior at a recent holiday party hosted by Conan O'Brien as a potential liability for an insanity claim. "Insanity requires a psychosis, schizophrenia, or something similar, such that Nick doesn't even know he's killing his parents," she explained.

"If you're capable enough to have an argument with your parents at a Christmas party, you are not insane."

Other Legal Paths

Alternative defenses also appear complicated. Rahmani noted that self-defense could be difficult to prove, given the significant age difference between Reiner and his parents. "It's unlikely that a juror is going to believe that the son, who's much younger, is at imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury," she said.

She also said that a manslaughter defense, which is only for cases of killings in the heat of passion, will probably fail if it is shown that there was a time gap between the argument and the actual act.

Local police discovered the bodies of Rob and Michele in their bed with their throats slashed. It is a shocking crime news, which has caused a lot of attention from the media and the community. The family has been under a very heavy spotlight because of this tragedy.
Rapper Ice Spice is in trouble after going to a New York City screening of The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants in a see-through white lace dress by Bluemarine with a matching thong. The outfit caused a lot of controversy on social media because it was so revealing at a children's event.

The dress, as per WWD, featured a fitted bodice, long sleeves, and a flowing mermaid skirt. She wore a cross necklace that sparkled, and her wavy hair and makeup added pastel pink highlights to the monochrome look.

Ice Spice completed her all-white ensemble with bold platforms resembling Amina Muaddi's Salma style, featuring a tall, rounded base with a slightly upturned front, minimalist intersecting X-shaped straps, and a peep-toe design.

The rapper also showcased the latest white-hot shoe trend in a striking pair of chunky white platform heels. The shoe's towering stiletto heel aligned with Ice Spice's known preference for Amina Muaddi platforms.

Ice Spice, 25, is known for her daring fashion choices, but a lot of people on social media didn't like that she wore that outfit to a family-friendly movie premiere. According to HotNewHipHop, comments ranged from shock to calls for accountability, with some questioning how the look was approved by her stylist.

"Dressed like that at a kids premiere is so INSANE!!" one Instagram user wrote. Another added, "Fire the stylist  not one person in the room thought to say anything?" Some commenters expressed concern about the message it sends to children attending the event.

In addition to her appearance at the screening, Ice Spice makes her voice acting debut in the new SpongeBob film and contributes a song titled "Big Guy" to the soundtrack. She has not publicly responded to the criticism regarding her outfit.

This incident follows recent controversy involving Brooklyn rapper Kyle Richh, who accused Ice Spice of copying his style during an Instagram Live rant earlier this month. The feud ignited after Ice Spice released her track "Thootie," featuring Tokischa. Ice Spice has yet to address these accusations publicly.

Ice Spice continues to be a prominent figure in hip-hop, known both for her music and outspoken presence in pop culture debates.

.

Originally published on Music Times
(The Center Square)  Wisconsins Republican Assembly leaders say they will begin impeachment proceedings if Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan does not resign from her post immediately following a felony obstruction conviction Thursday evening.

Dugan was found guilty of obstructing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were attempting to arrest a defendant in her court outside of the courtroom.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, sent a statement Friday noting that the last Wisconsin judge was impeached in 1853 but that the Assembly would begin impeachment proceedings if Dugan doesnt resign.

Dugans legal team indicated Thursday that she would appeal the jurys decision.

Under a 1976 Attorney General Opinion, Democrat Bronson La Follette stated that when a State Senator was convicted of a felony, a vacancy was created, and the Senator was effectually divested of any right or title to the office. His status with reference to the office was fixed at the time of his conviction, the leaders wrote. Such is the case here, and Judge Dugan must recognize that the law requires her resignation.

Wisconsinites deserve to know their judiciary is impartial and that justice is blind. Judge Hannah Dugan is neither, and her privilege of serving the people of Wisconsin has come to an end.

The jury found Dugan not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of concealing related to defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was later arrested on the street outside the courthouse and has since been deported.

The obstruction charge could lead to up to five years in prison.

The Assembly leaders cited the Wisconsin constitution, which says [n]o person convicted of a felony, in any court within the United States, no person convicted in federal court of a crime designated, at the time of commission, under federal law as a misdemeanor involving a violation of public trust and no person convicted, in a court of a state, of a crime designated, at the time of commission, under the law of the state as a misdemeanor involving a violation of public trust shall be eligible to any office of trust, profit or honor in this state unless pardoned of the conviction.

While we are disappointed in todays outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugans name and show she did nothing wrong in the matter, her legal team said after the verdict was read. We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning.
The term cowboy is often reserved for cattle ranchers with deep roots in the American West, where livestock graze across hundreds of acres. In Ohio, where cropland far outweighs grazing land, the title isnt inherent. Except, perhaps, for Hayden Johnson.

The sheep showman and recent animal science graduate from Richmond, Ohio, left the States in June to work on a family ranch running thousands of Brangus cattle in Queensland, Australia.

Rolling down red-dirt roads on motorbikes and ATVs, his days involve traversing hectares of land to check cattle, inspect water points and assist with the artificial insemination of heifers.

Finding his way to the other side of the world wasnt a distant dream. He grew up hearing stories about his father working on Australian farms after college.

As graduation got closer, I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture, specifically livestock, but I didnt know the exact path, Johnson said. He ended up following his fathers footsteps, an adventure of a lifetime repeated one generation later.

Finding his way

With help from Ohio State Universitys Delta Theta Sigma alumni, Johnson connected with Gidyea Brangus Farm and the Forrest family, who now host him.

Ive had a lot of opportunities to do everything theyre doing, he said.

From June through the coming spring, his environment looks far different from Americas ranching front. The 3,000-head commercial herd focuses on building seedstock for feedlotters and processors. Doing that in Queensland means facing extreme summer temperatures, often 105F.

His companions in the outback include kangaroos, emus and other wildlife that roam the same land as the livestock  many of them able to match a persons speed or height.

There are plenty of snakes, too, he said.

The region resembles the rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, with 65% of its land used for cattle. But unlike the Rockies, Queensland sits on Australias east coast. Split into paddocks and pasture by long stretches of dingo fence, the areas immense land base makes cattle production possible at a scale the U.S. population density cant match.

Were a lot more population-dense in the U.S., so we dont have as many options, he said.

In the outback, Johnson works with the Forrest Family and their three sons when theyre home from boarding school in the closest city. Like many ranching operations, the ranch is family-run, but Australias nearly 10 million-head cattle inventory is often leaving the country, heavily supplying the grass-fed export market.

In the U.S., were in the high 90% range for grain-finished beef. Over here (Australia), its significantly less  around 40% of steers end up grain-finished. Its all about consumer preference, Johnson explained.

Before processing, he said, cattle are moved to special paddocks of legume-grass forages like Leucaena. Known for being drought tolerant, highly productive and the nutritional equivalent of clover, it helps produce fatter cattle with shinier coats. The country is also known for its massive sheep population, roughly 60 million more than the U.S.

But the energy of the livestock marketplace is visible everywhere, he noticed.

You can be watching the nightly news and therell be bull sale commercials scrolling across the TV, he said something he rarely sees at home.

Dominant breed

As a certified Brangus operation, the ranchs genetics hold high value. While most of the herd is Brangus, ultra blacks also make up the herd, seedstock with a higher percentage of Angus.

College training at Ohio State helped Johnson contribute to the operations breeding program, which included 120 Brangus stud females. In Australia, he explained, producers are allowed a wider range of reproductive techniques.

One thing that really surprised me  something I didnt even think would be different  was their regulations on synchronisation drugs and hormones, he said, which are less restrictive to account for the Brahman breeds longer postpartum recovery.

In August, Johnson participated in the artificial insemination of 500 heifers, in addition to the ranchs annual bull sale. While this wasnt his first international experience  he previously visited the livestock industry in Scotland  each trip, he said, helps him think about what we can do differently at home.

Its a perspective that he said communities in all rural areas need.

What Ive found between here and home is that no matter what someone in agriculture is doing, theyll always talk about it, show you how theyre different, and want to figure out how they can change.

Outside of work, Johnson has explored the Great Barrier Reef, national parks and many of the same adventures his father once experienced. Hell return home to Ohio this spring with new AI skills, grass-fed beef experience and a little red dirt in his boots.

Seeing agriculture from a new angle, it kind of opened my eyes to my true love for the livestock industry, he said.
A Chinese photographer's quest to preserve WWII histories

10:40, December 19, 2025 By Zheng Keyi, Liu Ziyi ( Xinhua

HANGZHOU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- In a museum in eastern China, the photos about the tribulation of Chinese people speak louder than words.

In September 2025, William Ross Kantenberger, grandson of a U.S. airman from the 1942 Doolittle Raid, stood before a series of black-and-white portraits at the Yuandao Museum in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. The photographs show elderly Chinese civilians who survived Japan's biological warfare during World War II (WWII).

The images were taken by Han Qiang, a former Chinese fighter pilot turned documentary photographer. For Han, the encounter reflected the convergence of two wartime histories -- one of civilian suffering, the other of cross-border rescue -- linked by a shared past that continues to shape lives decades later.

Han retired from the air force in 1997. In 2011, he picked up a camera with a specific aim: to document historical truths before they vanish with the last witnesses.

That mission came into sharp focus in Quzhou, a city deeply scarred by Japan's biological warfare during the war. Between 1940 and 1944, Japanese forces carried out three aerial attacks, releasing bacteria including plague, cholera and anthrax in the region. According to Chinese records, more than 300,000 people were infected and over 50,000 died, and many survivors left with lifelong illnesses, known locally as "rotten leg disease."

In 2012, at a museum commemorating victims of Japan's biological attacks in Quzhou, Han photographed Yang Dafang, then head of a local victims' association, as he denounced the atrocities. The image, later titled "Accusation," captures Yang mid-gesture -- bent with age, arms raised, mouth open -- confronting a crime committed decades earlier.

That same day, Han followed Yang to visit survivor Hong Fufu, who contracted the disease as a teenager and was never able to walk again. In a dim, earthen-floored room, Hong sat motionless on a wooden stool, his legs swollen, ulcerated and blackened. Stunned by what he saw, Han raised his camera, capturing a close-up of the legs.

"The war ended, but for the victims, the pain never did," Han said. "If this history isn't recorded, it will fade."

That conviction grew into a project spanning more than a decade. Han documented survivors until their deaths, photographing empty stools, abandoned canes and silent homes. The images, he said, are not only portraits, but evidence.

Before his death in 2017, Yang told Han that he lived so others would remember the victims of biological warfare. Han promised the elderly man that he would continue telling their stories.

He has since taken tens of thousands of photographs, donating them to public archives in Quzhou and Yiwu, a nearby city in Zhejiang. His work has appeared in exhibitions at home and abroad.

In 2018, "Accusation" was shortlisted at the 125th Toronto International Salon of Photography, a recognition Han believed mattered less for prestige than for international acknowledgment of a little-known chapter of the war.

Han's lens in 2014 turned to another wartime narrative, the "Doolittle Raid" and the Chinese civilians who rescued American airmen after their planes crash-landed in 1942. Of the 75 U.S. crew members, most survived with local help, while Chinese communities paid a devastating price in Japanese reprisals, as many locals suspected of sheltering the Americans were tortured or slaughtered by Japanese forces.

"For Americans, it's a heroic mission," Han said. "But the Chinese cost is rarely remembered."

Working with Zheng Weiyong, a bank employee with a long-standing interest in uncovering the history of the "Doolittle Raid," Han traced crash sites, interviewed elderly villagers and documented commemorations.

His photographs capture moments of remembrance like American descendants visiting villages, collecting soil from landing sites, and embracing families whose parents once took care of foreign airmen. These images, now used in people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States, tell "a friendship forged in war."

Han sees photography as a form of historical testimony. At exhibitions, he often quizzes visitors about that history. Most answer vaguely. He responds by pointing to the images.

"These images are evidence," he said.

Looking ahead, Han plans to document stories along the WWII "Hump Route," the Himalayan air corridor used to supply China during the war, where hundreds of aircraft were lost.

"Each crash hides untold stories of Chinese villagers rescuing American crews," he said. "This history is fragmented. I want to piece it together, using my knowledge of flight to unearth these overlooked details."

As the world marks 80 years since the end of WWII, Han continues his work, convinced that photographs can preserve what time erodes, capturing both suffering and sacrifice as well as the bonds that connect people across borders.

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun)
RAVENNA, Ohio  The Portage County Farm Bureau will host Temple Grandin on May 15 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Ravenna High School Auditorium, 6589 N Chestnut St., Ravenna.

Grandin will discuss animal behavior and her humane methods of handling animals for processing. In North America, roughly half of cattle are handled in a Grandin-designed system, including chutes, loading ramps, corrals and stockyards for local farmers like Bonner Farms Beef and Market (Portage). She has also designed systems for Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster as well as national and international producers like McDonalds, Texas Pride Processing and clients in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

Book and autograph signing will take place from 6-7 p.m., followed by the speaker presentation from 7-8 p.m. and questions from 8-8:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $20 for farm bureau members and students and $40 for non-farm bureau members. Tickets the day of the event (cash only) are $30 for farm bureau members and students and $50 for non-farm bureau members.

To buy tickets, call the Portage County Farm Bureau office at 330- 456-4889.

To become a farm bureau member, call 330-456-4889.
WEST SALEM, Ohio  Northwestern-Wayne FFA had three students participate in the District 3 Job Interview CDE Nov. 10 at Smithville High School. The Job Interview CDE allows the students to learn proper interview skills for the real world, as well as apply for a job later in the students lives. Emma Connelly, Clara Saal and Torrie Wurst were the participating members. Emma Connelly placed second at the district level in division 4; Torrie Wurst placed first in division 2 and Clara Saal placed second in division 3.

Torrie Wurst then participated in the state preliminary Job Interview CDE Nov. 22. She ended up placing eighth place in division 2.

WEST SALEM, Ohio  The Northwestern FFA Chapter partnered with the school on Nov. 11 to host a Veterans Day event focused on service, education and honoring those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Students rotated through multiple stations throughout the day, each designed to help them learn more about veterans, military traditions and ways to give back.

One of the service stations involved creating tie blankets that were donated to a veterans home in Lodi, Ohio. Students worked together to complete the blankets, which will be given to veterans as a gesture of appreciation and support. Another station featured the Missing Man Table, where students learned the meaning of each item and how it represents service members who are missing in action or prisoners of war. In the English hallway, students wrote cards and letters for veterans and deployed soldiers. These cards will be sent out to show gratitude and remind service members that they are remembered by our school community.

Rob Nupp led a station on proper flag etiquette, demonstrating how to correctly fold the American flag and how to retire it respectfully after it becomes worn or damaged. The History Department organized a digital timeline trivia game covering major events, wars and key moments in American history. This activity allowed students to test their knowledge while learning more about the nations past. Kevin and Joyce Keener spoke about Wreaths Across America and introduced the schools new Husky Salute Squad.

Students also had the opportunity to hear from six veterans who visited the school to share their experiences, stories and insight into the structure of different military branches. The veterans included Corey Leighty, Steven Carozza, Kobe Estel, Chris Topovski, Michael Woodall and Adam Krueger.

Mrs. Runkle also spoke about her son, Staff Sgt. John M. Runkle, who was killed in the line of duty. She shared how his service and sacrifice continue to impact their family and expressed their pride in everything he accomplished for his country.

In addition to the school-wide activities, the entire district participated in a Battle of the Buildings fundraiser, where each school collected donations to purchase additional wreaths for the community cemetery. The final total raised district-wide was $766.48 which will cover the cost of about 45 wreaths, all of which will go toward honoring local veterans through Wreaths Across America.

The event provided students with a meaningful opportunity to honor veterans while gaining a better understanding of military service, patriotism and community involvement.



FAYETTEVILLE, Ohio  Thirteen Fayetteville FFA members attended the Ohio FFA Leadership Night on Nov. 18 in Wilmington, Ohio. This years theme was Cooking Up Leadership. Three state officers led a series of activities and workshops. The chapter thanks the Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association for sponsoring the event and the Wilmington FFA chapter for hosting.



SULLIVAN, Ohio  Black River FFA recently finished first in the sub-district Parliamentary Procedure Career Development Event at Smithville High School. Black Rivers Advance team included President Colton Roberts, Secretary Olivia Bailey and members Rylee Howard, Savanna Landrum, Jayden Young and Addison Flynn. The team will move on to the district competition.



MILLERSBURG, Ohio  The West Holmes FFA Chapter held its annual Greenhand Lock-In on Nov. 7 and had 20 freshmen in attendance: Leland Turner, Harlie Curry, Tyler Tope, Lane Burgett, Tori Bell, Khloe Schafer, Ron Tomilson, Tim Mittman, Taylor McDonnell, Jocelyn Olney, Emily Ogi, Austin Long, Breck Sheldon, Macie Sours, Clayton Beckett, Tori Kaufman, Una Holasek, Connor Allison and Jensen Lorentz. Presenters included officers Madison Ringwalt, Emma Eberhard, Courtney Crider, Mia Spencer, Shane Lorentz, Natty Lint, Makenzie Mast, Wyatt Troyer, and Seniors: Grady Hawkins, Jarrett Schafer, Cassidy Holasek, Rowan Holasek, Dylan Sours, Sophia Stitzlein, Bri Poventud, Logan Van Dalen, Jenna Zimmerly, Emily Manges and Claire Drzazga, who all helped plan and conduct the activities for the night.

The Lock-In began with name games and then the freshmen attended a State Officer Workshop presented by State Officers Carter Boyd and Bella Nardecchia. The night continued with a variety of activities, including an FFA escape room where the Greenhand members had to find and solve FFA questions to be the first to escape. After the escape room, Greenhand elections took place.

The 2025-2026 Greenhand Officers are President, Emily Ogi; Vice President, Jensen Lorentz; Secretary, Harlie Curry; Treasurer, Una Holasek; Reporter, Tori Kaufman; Sentinel, Jocelyn Olney; Student Advisor, Taylor McDonnell and Historian, Breck Sheldon. Everyone was released at 7 a.m. to go home and get a good days sleep.



SULLIVAN, Ohio  The Black River FFA chapter continued its tradition of hosting a Thanksgiving brunch for the Black River High School staff. This annual event is one of the chapters favorite ways to give back to the teachers, support staff and administrators who dedicate their time and energy to helping Black River students succeed.

FFA members worked together to prepare a warm, homemade brunch. The meal offered students the chance to express their gratitude directly to the staff members who guide, mentor and support them every day.
A Cornish farmer has been fined after repeated cattle attacks on a popular coastal footpath left walkers fearing for their lives and a 75-year-old man seriously injured.

The incidents took place on the South West Coast Path at Park Head, near Porthcothan, where members of the public were attacked by the same herd of cows with young calves kept in a field crossed by a public right of way.

The most serious attack happened on 30 June 2024, when Brian Gregory, 75, was walking his labrador, Molly, while on a caravanning holiday in Cornwall.

As he passed through the field, he was suddenly charged by the herd. Although he released his dogs lead, allowing the cattle to chase the dog away, he was trampled and butted before he could escape.

Mr Gregory was assisted by passing walkers and returned to his caravan, where his partner raised the alarm. He spent five days in hospital and required surgery after suffering a severed artery and other serious injuries.

The farmer responsible for the cattle, Beverley Chapman of Tembleath Farm, St Columb Major, was told about the attack the same day. Despite this, she did not remove the cattle from the field and instead added more cows and calves to the herd, increasing its size. Some of the calves were just 42 days old.

Around a month later, two local residents walking their dogs along the same route were also attacked by the herd. They avoided serious injury only by taking shelter in gorse bushes close to the cliff edge, but one of their dogs was badly injured and later required surgery.

Even after this second incident, the cattle were not removed immediately and remained in the field for a further four days. They were only taken off the path after a Cornwall Council public rights of way officer formally instructed that action be taken.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that cows with calves, which are known to be protective and unpredictable, had been kept in a field with public access despite safer alternatives being available. The farmer had access to other enclosed fields without public rights of way that could have been used instead.

At Bristol Magistrates Court on 16 December 2025, Beverley Chapman pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. She was fined 5,260 and ordered to pay 4,650 in prosecution costs and a 2,000 court surcharge.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Jones said: Cattle are extremely protective of their calves and even calm cattle can become aggressive if they think their calves may be threatened.

He added: Given the nature of the cattle attack, it is fortunate that the injuries sustained by Mr Gregory werent fatal. On this occasion, Mr Gregory took all the right precautions while out walking.

Jones said the farmer had failed to act despite repeated warnings. Despite being made aware of attacks on walkers on two separate occasions, Mrs Chapman failed to take action to remove the cattle or control risks by separating them from walkers on the South West Coast Path, he said.

The HSE said the case highlighted the serious risks posed when cattle with calves are kept in fields crossed by public rights of way, particularly where earlier warnings are ignored.
Leading environmental groups have resigned from the Scottish governments farming policy process, warning that it has failed to deliver meaningful reform and is undermining efforts to help farmers and crofters tackle climate change and nature loss.

Representatives from organisations including Scottish Environment LINK and RSPB Scotland have stepped down from both the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) and its accompanying Policy Development Group.

The bodies were established by ministers in 2021 to advise on the development of Scottish farming policy following the UKs departure from the European Union.

In a letter to the First Minister, the organisations said they were walking away after losing confidence in the process, which they argued had failed to deliver genuine co-design and was unlikely to meet the governments own ambitions for sustainable agriculture.

They said strong evidence pointing to the need for a major overhaul of farm support payments was being overlooked, leaving farmers without clear direction at a time of mounting climate and economic pressure.

The groups warned that continued delays and unclear policy signals risk leaving farmers and crofters without the tools or certainty needed to respond to climate change and biodiversity loss, which they said were already affecting food production and farm businesses.

Scottish Environment LINK, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and RSPB Scotland, together representing thousands of people across Scotland, have long called for a more ambitious approach to agricultural policy and faster progress towards a just transition.

They want the majority of farm funding redirected towards helping farmers and crofters take action for nature and climate, including support for collaboration, supply chain development, advice, training and knowledge transfer.

A central concern, they said, was that just 5% of public funding for agriculture is spent on nature and climate friendly farming, while most funding continues to be delivered through base payments that disproportionately benefit larger farms with better quality land.

The organisations also urged the next Scottish government, following the election, to draw a line under what they described as a failed policy development process and begin again.

Deborah Long, chief executive of Scottish Environment LINK, said her organisation had engaged constructively since the outset but had seen little evidence that views raised through ARIOB were shaping decisions.

We see little evidence of this, she said. We are no longer willing to participate in a process in which we do not have confidence. She said there was no clear sequencing of agendas and discussions, with uncertain timelines and evidence being ignored in subsequent policy decisions.

Mike Robinson, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and an ARIOB member, said the organisations supported ministers stated vision for sustainable and regenerative agriculture but warned current policy would fall short.

The system is broken and needs a major overhaul, he said, adding that climate change and nature loss were already affecting food production and farm businesses.

Robinson said a just transition for farmers and crofters was essential, but warned this could not be used as a reason for slow progress.

Vicki Swales, head of land use policy at RSPB Scotland and a member of the policy development group, said the process had been marked by constant frustration and shifting sands.

She said ministers had failed to establish key baseline evidence at the outset, including the scale of environmental and food production challenges and the principles that should guide the use of 650 million of public funding each year.

Without a clear sense of what it is trying to do and where it is trying to get to in policy terms, it is constantly losing its way and making unhelpful decisions, she said.

With key environmental organisations now walking away from the process, pressure is mounting on ministers to rethink how Scotlands future farm policy is developed and how public funding is used to support farmers through the climate and nature transition.
UK supermarkets selling Christmas dinner vegetables for as little as 5p a bag have been warned that deep festive discounting risks undermining domestic food production, as NFU Scotland calls for an end to aggressive price cutting.

Several major retailers have sharply reduced the price of staple Christmas vegetables in recent weeks. Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl have all cut the cost of key festive produce to 5p per item, extending a trend seen in previous years when discounting intensified during the Christmas period.

Aldi and Lidl led similar promotions last year, while Morrisons confirmed that until 26 December, loyalty card customers can buy a range of vegetables  including carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and swedes  at the heavily reduced price.

The union has written to major food retailers across the UK calling for an end to deep price cutting on key food products, particularly vegetables, during the Christmas period.

In its letter, NFU Scotland said aggressive promotions risk devaluing food, setting unrealistic expectations for consumers and weakening the long-term sustainability of domestic production.

Alongside concerns over pricing, NFU Scotland highlighted evidence from its ShelfWatch initiative, which continues to show a heavy reliance on imported vegetables across many major supermarkets.

The union said this raises wider questions about food security and supply chain resilience, particularly when British produce is available.

NFU Scotland also reiterated its support for the timely rollout of Fair Dealing Obligations under the Agriculture Act 2020, arguing that future legislation must protect good practice and ensure promotional pricing agreements are fair, transparent and equitable across the supply chain.

NFU Scotland president Andrew Connon said artificially low prices were damaging for producers and consumers alike. Artificially low prices are not sustainable for any element of the supply chain, he said.

Aggressive discounting devalues food, contributes to waste, and widens the disconnect between consumers and the realities of food production.

He warned that horticulture businesses were especially exposed. Horticulture production costs are particularly high, and while promotions can sometimes be used to help manage supply, it is essential that processes and subsequent agreements are fair and transparent, he said.

Connon added that NFU Scotland was urging retailers to adopt pricing strategies that reflect the true value of food, support fair pricing across the supply chain, and champion domestic production.

The union said ShelfWatch data has strengthened its engagement with retailers, enabling it to challenge sourcing decisions, press for stronger commitments to British produce and improve transparency for consumers.

This has included more direct dialogue with supermarkets, including visits to retailer headquarters to meet senior representatives and advocate for fairer treatment of producers.

While NFU Scotland acknowledged that progress has been made during 2025 in building a more sustainable food supply chain, it warned that continued reliance on aggressive festive discounting risks undoing those gains.

The union said retailers now face a choice between supporting domestic production or continuing practices that could weaken grower confidence and long-term food resilience.
UK-based rural services business H&H Group has more than doubled its annual profits to 3 million and boosted shareholder returns, marking a decisive step forward for the rural services business.

The group reported profits of 3 million for the year ending 30 June 2025, up from 1.3 million the previous year. After interest costs, losses on the sale of a subsidiary and revaluation adjustments, profit before tax reached 1.7 million, driven by strong trading across its core operations.

The stronger performance is enabling directors to increase investment in physical assets and infrastructure, much of which has seen limited upgrade in recent years. A programme of improvements is already under way across the business.

Despite that investment, the Board unanimously recommended a final dividend of 20p, in addition to the 8p paid earlier in the year, recognising shareholder support.

Chief executive Richard Rankin said the results marked a turning point for the group. This years strong results mark a significant moment for H&H, reinforcing the effectiveness of our long-term strategy and positioning us for continued growth in a changing rural economy, he said, describing the performance as the result of a long period of strategic planning and careful transformation.

Over the past seven years, H&H Group has focused on stabilising the business and integrating previously separate trading arms under a single brand. Mr Rankin said this had created a strong platform for more proactive and ambitious thinking, supporting continued investment in facilities, technology and people.

The groups livestock trading division, Harrison & Hetherington, delivered an outstanding year, supported by higher livestock prices across the industry. H&H marts across the North of England and the Borders recorded strong activity and returns for farming customers.

H&H Land & Estates performed in line with expectations, continuing to advise rural and agricultural clients across planning, sales and consultancy. The division operates from offices spanning the Borders to North Yorkshire and is increasingly recognised for combining local knowledge with a national standard of service.

Property is becoming a more important part of the groups overall business model. Investment at Carlisle is expected to generate steady long-term income, strengthening financial resilience and supporting reinvestment elsewhere across the group.

H&H Insurance Brokers continued to develop during the year, although returns on recent operational investment have yet to reach their full potential. The group said the foundations laid were expected to deliver stronger results ahead.

People remained central to performance, Mr Rankin said, highlighting a renewed focus on management development following a group-wide engagement survey. It is fantastic to report that managers across the group have responded to this upskilling by investing time in developing others, he said.

All employees received a bonus in recognition of the years results, reflecting what the group described as their commitment, professionalism and resilience.

Looking ahead, Mr Rankin said the business was well placed for the next phase of growth. At the close of this financial year, I believe we stand at the cusp of being one of the most integrated and progressive rural service businesses in the UK, he said.

While further work remains, the group said it was moving forward with confidence, focused on turning plans into action and delivering long-term value for shareholders, customers and the rural communities it serves.
Welsh sheep farmers taking part in a genetics programme are seeing average annual margin gains of more than 50,000, as new data highlights the growing economic and environmental value of genetic improvement across the sector.

A 2025 review of the Welsh Sheep Genetics Programme shows it is delivering strong financial returns, with 87 flocks and more than 14,500 ewes now involved across Wales.

Participating farmers are seeing average gains of 0.91 per ewe each year, equating to around 3.50 per ewe annually and a margin uplift of about 50,750 per flock.

Flocks involved have also recorded productivity gains, including an average increase of 1kg in lamb weight and a 3% improvement in lamb survival rates, delivering further financial benefits for farm businesses.

Welsh sheep farmer Will Sawday, from Hay-on-Wye, said long-term performance recording had been central to improving flock genetics. We have been performance recording for 30 years and it has become an integral tool for our genetic improvement, he said. For maternal traits, we have found that using solely your eyes as a measure is not good enough.

He said the programme had expanded what his business was able to measure and improve. I am so pleased and grateful to be a part of this programme.

"It has brought so much value to our business in allowing us to record for many more traits and collect much more data that I otherwise wouldnt have done, he said. I can already see the genetic improvements.

Sawday added that the programme was helping future-proof businesses by broadening the scope of data collection. The WSGP has allowed us to take our performance recording to another level, he said.

We are not only collecting more of the same data, improving genetic progress in our current traits; but we are also collecting data on new traits such as methane emissions that will improve future business resilience for our customers.

The review also highlights Wales growing role as a global leader in sheep genetics. In June 2023, the programme introduced Genomic Estimated Breeding Values (GEBVs) into sheep flocks, marking the first time genomics has been applied in this way worldwide.

Data generated through WSGP now accounts for around 70% of the UKs national sheep genotype database, with more than 77,000 genotypes recorded to date.

Alongside productivity gains, the programme is developing genetic tools to address major industry challenges. These include breeding animals less susceptible to gastrointestinal parasites through the Parasite Plus Estimated Breeding Value, and exploring the potential to select sheep with lower methane emissions.

Mentera said while early results are encouraging, genetic improvement remains a long-term strategy, with newer flocks now reaching the stage where the first recorded lambs are entering breeding cycles and delivering visible benefits.

Eirwen Williams, director of service delivery for rural programmes at Mentera, said: Genetic improvement is a proven, effective means of improving the sustainability of our hill and maternal flocks.

She said Welsh government support through Farming Connect had enabled farmers to make rapid progress. The financial support through Farming Connect has meant our team has been able to help Welsh farmers make progressive leaps forward in the field of sheep genetics, she said.

Williams added that collaboration across the industry had been key to progress. The progress made in farmer engagement, data collection and the introduction of cutting-edge genomic tools is a testament to the effectiveness of the WSGP, she said.
A big box-office clash is expected on March 19, 2026, as the Telugu film Dacoit, starring Adivi Sesh, is scheduled for release alongside Ranveer Singhs Dhurandhar 2 and Yashs Toxic. The simultaneous release of these highly anticipated films, which coincides with Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, and Eid, has generated huge buzz in the film industry and among fans.

During the teaser launch event for Dacoit in Hyderabad, Adivi Sesh commented on the emerging competition with Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic. He said, I gave this statement in 2022 also. Back then, Major came alongside Kamal Haasan sirs Vikram and Yash Raj Films Samrat Prithviraj. I faced the same question during that time, and my answer remains the same. There might be many big fish in the sea, but we are the goldfish.





Dacoit stars Adivi and Mrunal Thakur in leading roles. The teaser, which was released yesterday, provides a glimpse into the film's storyline. In the movie, Adivi plays a thief who develops a strong affection for Mrunal's character. He faces challenges from a police officer, played by Anurag Kashyap.

Adivi shared the teaser on social media, writing, A racy glimpse into the world of #Dacoit with a new twist to #DacoitTeaser out now. Dhurandhar 2 will star Ranveer in a sequel to the widely discussed spy action thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar. The first part, which recently released on December 5, has been praised for its impressive scale and intensity. This film will also see R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun reprising their roles from the first part.

Meanwhile, Yash's film Toxic has drawn attention, particularly after the actor's release of a poster featuring a dark and moody visual. All three films are slated for a simultaneous release during a festive period, which has increased anticipation for the upcoming box-office clash.









Also Read: Dacoit Teaser: Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakurs Film Looks Slick








Haseen Dillruba stars Taapsee Pannu as Rani Kashyap, a woman whose husband Rishabh, played by Vikrant Massey, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. The police discover a charred body in their house, which is identified as Rishabhs through a severed hand. As the investigation progresses, Rani becomes the prime suspect. The narrative moves between the present-day police questioning and flashbacks that explore Rani and Rishabhs marriage. Through these flashbacks, it is revealed that that there was a growing emotional distance and misunderstanding between the couple and Ranis closeness to Rishabhs cousin, Neel (Harshvardhan Rane). It is directed by Vinil Mathew and written by Kanika Dhillon.

In This Article

Badla (2019)





Badla is a 2019 film directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Taapsee Pannu plays a successful entrepreneur accused of murdering her lover, Arjun (played by Tony Luke). She meets a senior lawyer (portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan) to prepare her defence and narrates what happened on the night of the murder. As she tells her story, details keep changing and different versions of the truth emerge. What makes Badla a thriller is not action but uncertainty. Every version of the story contradicts the last, and the tension comes from not knowing who is manipulating whom.

Haseen Dillruba (2021)





Haseen Dillruba stars Taapsee Pannu as Rani Kashyap, a woman whose husband Rishabh, played by Vikrant Massey, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. The police discover a charred body in their house, which is identified as Rishabhs through a severed hand. As the investigation progresses, Rani becomes the prime suspect. The narrative moves between the present-day police questioning and flashbacks that explore Rani and Rishabhs marriage. Through these flashbacks, it is revealed that that there was a growing emotional distance and misunderstanding between the couple and Ranis closeness to Rishabhs cousin, Neel (Harshvardhan Rane). It is directed by Vinil Mathew and written by Kanika Dhillon.

Looop Lapeta (2022)

Looop Lapeta is the Hindi adaptation of the German film Run Lola Run. Directed by Aakash Bhatia, is a fast-paced thriller built around a ticking clock. Taapsee plays Savina, a woman who has just a few hours to arrange money after her boyfriend Satya (played by Tahir Raj Bhasin), loses cash belonging to a crime boss. The film uses a time-loop structure, revisiting the same events with slight variations. It takes place over a single night and as Savina runs across the city trying to fix the situation, and time keeps looping back, forcing her to relive the same moments with slight changes each time.

Dobaaraa (2022)



Anurag Kashyap's Dobaaraa is a science-fiction mystery thriller in which Taapsee plays Antara, a nurse. During a thunderstorm, she realises that she can communicate through her television with a young boy who lived in the same building years earlier. As she becomes invested, she tries to change the boy's fate. However, her attempts to interfere with the past begins to alter her present in unexpected ways. Relationships, memories, and events start shifting, leaving Antara to deal with the consequences of trying to rewrite time.

Baby (2015)

Baby is a high-stakes espionage thriller centred on counter-terrorism operations. Taapsee appears as an undercover agent working with a covert intelligence unit led by Akshay Kumar. The film follows the team as they track terrorist threats across borders, using surveillance, deception, and tactical missions. The tension comes from real-time operations, close calls, and the constant risk of exposure, placing the Neeraj Pandey directorial within the spy-thriller genre.

Naam Shabana (2017)





Naam Shabana, directed by Shivam Nair, is a spin-off and prequel to Baby and focuses entirely on Taapsee Pannu's character, Shabana Khan. The film traces her journey from being recruited by the intelligence agency to undergoing intense physical and psychological training. As she prepares for her first major assignment, the story shows the personal sacrifices and hard work required to become a field operative.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba (2024)

The sequel of Hasseen Dillruba, this film is directed by Jayprad Desai and written by Kanika Dhillon. Taapsee and Vikrant Massey reprise their roles as Rani and Rishabh respectively, with Sunny Kaushal joining the cast as Abhimanyu. Set after the events of the first film, the story follows the couple as they attempt to move on with their lives while staying ahead of suspicion. However, unresolved secrets and new developments threaten to expose their past, pulling them back into a dangerous cycle of lies and manipulation.



Also Read: Throwback to the Bachchans starry Diwali party
Filmmaker Arun Matheswaran has officially wrapped the schedule of his upcoming film DC, marking a key milestone for one of the most talked about projects in Tamil cinema. The director, known for his atmospheric storytelling and rugged visual sensibilities, announced the update on his social media, sending fans of both his work and that of Lokesh Kanagaraj into an eager tizzy.



Arun Matheswaran completes filming on his ambitious new drama



DC brings together two of the industry's most distinctive creative voices, this time on opposite sides of the camera. Lokesh Kanagaraj, celebrated for his craft as a director and fresh off the mammoth success of Coolie headlined by Rajinikanth, steps into a full-fledged lead role for the first time. The film takes its title from its principal characters Devadas and Chandra. Wamiqa Gabbi plays Chandra, marking her return to Tamil films in a performance that is already being touted as a stylish pivot for the actor.



The project is backed by Sun Pictures who collaborate with Lokesh for the second time following Coolie. With the banner ramping up its slate with star driven spectacles, DC arrives as an intriguing mix of new territory for its leads and a continuation of Arun's increasingly ambitious directorial trajectory.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by Arun Matheswaran (@thatswatitis)



A striking star cast with a seasoned technical crew



The film's world is being shaped by a strong technical lineup. Mukesh G serves as director of photography and is expected to bring the brooding tonal palette he has become known for. GK Prasanna steps in as editor while S Kannan handles production design that is likely to give DC its textured, lived in aesthetic. The stunt choreography is helmed by PC Stunts who have consistently delivered high impact action blocks for some of the biggest titles in the South.



Arun Matheswaran last directed Captain Miller starring Dhanush, which hit theatres in 2024 and cemented his position as a filmmaker who blends scale with sharp narrative edges. His move to DC signals a creative continuation, though this time with the added spotlight of guiding Lokesh Kanagaraj in his first major acting outing.







Wamiqa Gabbi, who has swiftly become a pan Indian presence, was most recently seen in Bhool Chuk Maaf. She is currently awaiting the release of multiple Hindi projects including Pati Patna Aur Woh Do, Bhooth Bangla, Tiki Taka, and Genie. With DC, she adds yet another varied character to her growing roster of performances.



Lokesh, meanwhile, carries only minimal on-screen experience despite his formidable directorial fame. Apart from a cameo in Vijay's Master and a brief appearance in Shruti Haasan's music video Inimel, he has remained largely behind the camera. DC is set to change that narrative entirely and industry watchers are keen to see how he translates his creative energy into a leading role.



With filming now wrapped, anticipation shifts to the next wave of updates. For fans of Arun, Lokesh, and Wamiqa, DC is shaping up to be one of the most exciting releases on the horizon.





Also Read: Sonu Sood, Wamiqa Gabbi and More Lend Support to IndiGo Ground Staff Amid Chaos
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / Just days before the holidays, Gordon Philanthropies?is delivering a significant boost to schools across Los Angeles County with a $100,000 donation?to support students and families facing escalating economic hardship.

The funds will allow schools to respond immediately to urgent needs in their communities. Many plan to use the grant to purchase gift cards for food, clothing, and other necessities, offering a lifeline to families who may otherwise go without during the holiday season. Other schools will invest in essential books and academic resources, ensuring students have the tools they need to continue learning well into the new year.

"This gift could not come at a more critical time," said Sylvia Beanes, Executive Director of Gordon Philanthropies. "Across Los Angeles, families are struggling, and schools have become the first and sometimes only place where students feel supported and seen. We want them to know they have not been forgotten."

The donation reflects the foundation's mission that education is not only a pathway to opportunity but also a stabilizing force for children whose families are navigating financial instability. Gordon Philanthropies selected partner schools that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to student well-being, allowing the support to be deployed quickly and strategically. As part of the initiative, each participating school will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $5,000, based on their specific needs and student population, with full discretion to utilize the funds to support students during the holiday season.

"Our educators play a central role in the network of support that surrounds every child," said Daniel Gordon, Founder of Gordon Philanthropies. "Their daily work strengthens not only classrooms but entire communities. We're honored to partner with them and to help bring a measure of hope and joy to families navigating extraordinary challenges. Their dedication inspires us."

The foundation encourages community members, partners, and leaders to join in recognizing the dedicated educators and school staff who work tirelessly to support students throughout the year.

Media Opportunity

WHAT: Media Opportunity

WHEN: Friday, December 19th, 2025 at 8:00 a.m.

WHERE: St. Raphael Catholic School

924 West 70th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90044

DETAILS: Media will have the opportunity to interview the principal and staff. Gordon Philanthropies Executive Director, Sylvia Beanes, will also be available for interviews.

CONTACTS:

Catherine Reyes-Higueros

Communications and Digital Marketing Manager

creyes@gordonphilanthropies.org(424)385-2202

Sylvia Beanes

Executive Director

sbeanes@gordonphilanthropies.org(562)544-3157

SOURCE: Gordon Philanthropies, Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/education/gordon-philanthropies-donates-100-000-to-bring-holiday-relief-and-community-support-to-un-1119276
Completed the acquisition of a 100% interest in the Adelita Copper-Gold-Silver Project in the prolific Sonora-Arizona copper belt.

Effective at market opening on or about December 23, 2025, the common shares in the capital of Algo Grande Copper Corp. are expected to commence trading under the symbol "ALGR" on Tier 2 of the TSX Venture Exchange, upon satisfaction of all conditions of the company's reactivation.

Strengthened leadership and board, including appointment of Gord Neal, a key executive in the value creation of MAG Silver has joined the board of directors.

Project anchored by the high-grade Cerro Grande skarn discovery, which remains open along strike and at depth.

Inaugural drilling program underway, targeting depth extensions of high-grade skarn mineralization and refining the Cerro Grande porphyry-skarn system.

Fully permitted for exploration, including a 20-year underground mining permit over the Cerro Grande Skarn zone.

Modern reprocessing of IP, VTEM and Magnetic data has defined porphyry targets at Mezquital and below the Cerro Grande Skarn, outlining a possible Porphyry-Skarn system.





Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 18, 2025) - Algo Grande Copper Corp. ("Algo Grande"), formerly Kenadyr Metals Corp. (TSXV: ALGR) (OTC: KNDYF), announces the successful acquisition (the "Acquisition") of 100% ownership of the 5,895-hectare Adelita Copper-Gold-Silver Project (the "Project"). Algo Grande acquired an 80% stake in the Project from Infinitum Copper Corp., and the remaining 20% interest from Minaurum Silver Inc. (TSXV: MGG) (OTCQX: MMRGF). The Project is in the Sonora-Arizona Copper Belt, anchored by the high-grade Cu-Au-Ag Cerro Grande skarn discovery, multiple untested skarn targets along a 6 km corridor, and a 4.5 km porphyry anomaly.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/278651_d8ce447514ae199e_001full.jpg

Enrico Gay, CEO of Algo Grande Copper Corp., commented: "Completing the acquisition of 100% of the Adelita Project and securing our reactivation marks an important milestone for Algo Grande. Over the past months, our team has undertaken a rigorous technical review: reprocessing legacy geophysics, rebuilding the geological model, and integrating new data into a modern exploration framework. With this foundation in place, we are now executing a disciplined, data-driven program designed to delineate the scale of both the high-grade skarn system and the porphyry potential at depth. Supported by strong in-country operational partners, and a growing team we are entering this next phase with confidence and clarity of vision."

Conversion of Subscription Receipts

Algo Grande confirms, further to news releases dated August 18, 2025, September 15, 2025, September 26, 2025, and December 15, 2025, that the escrow release conditions for the conversion of 10,198,402 subscription receipts of Algo Grande (the "Subscription Receipts") offered at a price of $0.375 per Subscription Receipt, have been fulfilled. Each Subscription Receipt has converted into one common share of Algo Grande (each a "Share") in accordance with its terms. The proceeds of the Subscription Receipt financing (the "Financing") were being held in escrow pending satisfaction of the escrow release conditions. The proceeds have now been released from escrow and will be used to fund payment obligations and exploration expenditures relating to the Project and for general working capital purposes.

Acquisition of the Project

Algo Grande completed the Acquisition pursuant to the terms and conditions of (a) a share purchase agreement dated June 13, 2025 (the "Infinitum Agreement") with Infinitum Copper Corp. ("Infinitum), pursuant to which Algo Grande acquired 100% of Exploraciones Margarita S.A. de C.V. ("EM"), a private Mexican company holding an 80% interest in the Project, and (b) an asset purchase agreement dated August 12, 2025 (the "Minaurum Agreement") with Minaurum Silver Inc. and Minera Minaurum Gold, S.A. de C.V. ("Minaurum"), a private Mexican company, pursuant to which Algo Grande acquired the remaining 20% interest in the Project from Minaurum.

Under the terms of the Infinitum Agreement, Algo Grande acquired EM in exchange for:

$100,000 in cash; and

1,842,719 Shares, which are subject to voluntary resale restrictions with releases occurring over a period of 18 months.

Infinitum will also receive a post-closing payment of an additional 901,600 Shares in connection with the completion of the Financing.

Under the terms of the Minaurum Agreement, Algo Grande acquired the remaining 20% interest in the Project in exchange for:

313,953 Shares; and

a 1% net smelter return royalty from the sale of any ores, minerals, mineral substances, metals, or concentrates derived from the Property.

All securities issued pursuant to the Acquisition are subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months plus one (1) day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

Reactivation on the TSX Venture Exchange

The completion of the Acquisition was one of the conditions required by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for Algo Grande's reactivation from the NEX Board of the TSXV onto Tier 2 of the TSXV (the "Reactivation"). Algo Grande expects to receive final approval of the Reactivation upon completion of the remaining filings with the TSXV. The Shares are expected to commence trading on the TSXV on or about December 23, 2025 under the symbol "ALGR" and Algo Grande's classification will change from NEX to Tier 2.

Board and Management Changes

In connection with the Reactivation, Algo Grande wishes to announce changes to its executive leadership team and board of directors (the "Board"). As previously announced, Enrico Gay has been named the Chief Executive Officer of Algo Grande. Additionally, Algo Grande welcomes the appointment of Gord Neal to the Board effective on closing of the Acquisition. Mr. Neal has more than 30 years of management experience in the metals and mining sector, beginning his career as VP of Corporate Development at MAG Silver Corp. and has raised over $750M for various resource companies.

About The Adelita Project

The Adelita Project is anchored by the Cerro Grande Skarn discovery, a high-grade copper-gold-silver system that remains open along strike and to depth. The project benefits from more than US$8 million in historical exploration, including ~7,000 metres of drilling, license-wide VTEM, IP, and magnetic surveys, surface sampling, and detailed geological mapping. Recent reprocessing of these legacy datasets, combined with new modelling, indicates that the skarn system likely continues down-dip beyond 350 metres and extends around a structural fold toward the northwest, outlining a potential 1.2 km mineralized trend from the currently defined 300 m corridor.

Importantly, multiple technical indicators-including potassic feldspar veining, feldspar-porphyry dikes, a high-resistivity magnetic core beneath the skarn, and zoned geochemistry suggest the presence of a porphyry feeder system at depth beneath Cerro Grande. This aligns with classic porphyry-skarn architectures found across northwestern Mexico, including at nearby Piedras Verdes and Alamo Dorado.

To advance this potential, Algo Grande is executing a triangulated Phase 1 program that integrates:

Oriented-core drilling to define structural controls and geometry;

A detailed ground magnetic survey to map magnetite-rich horizons and intrusive centers;

A 5050 m soil geochemistry program to refine near-surface targets and identify concealed skarn extensions; and

Reprocessed 3D geophysical inversions to strengthen porphyry target definition.

These datasets will collectively be used to design a Phase 2 drill program planned for Q2 2026, aimed at materially expanding high-grade skarn mineralization along strike and at depth, while also conducting the first deep tests of the interpreted porphyry source. With multi-system potential across a district-scale land package-including skarn, porphyry, and hydrothermal Cu-Zn-Au targets-Adelita represents a rare, underexplored opportunity in the prolific Arizona-Sonora copper belt.

Figure 1. Schematic Block Model of the Skarn-Porphyry Systems.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11660/278651_d8ce447514ae199e_002full.jpg

As a result of completion of the Acquisition, Algo Grande is now in the process of making the necessary filings with the Mexico Public Registry of Mines to update the registrations for all of the concessions located on the Project (the "Concessions"), which are currently under the name of Minaurum, or in the case of two of the Concessions are registered in the name of a third party. There are no limitations on Algo Grande accessing or doing work on the Concessions pending the updates to the registrations, and other than the payment of standard mining duties, Algo Grande does not anticipate any issues with updating the registrations.

Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Lorne Warner, an independent, Qualified Person for Algo Grande as defined in NI 43-101, and the author of the Technical Report.

Investor Relations Agreements

Algo Grande has entered into consulting agreements with the following entities which will become effective upon completion of the Reactivation.

Euroswiss

Algo Grande has entered into a consulting services agreement (the "Euroswiss Agreement") with Euroswiss, a Switzerland based company. Euroswiss specializes in the fields of business development, financial consulting, and Internet strategy on the European markets.

The Euroswiss Agreement has an initial term of 12 months, with the option for Algo Grande to renew and extend if both parties agree to. Pursuant to the Euroswiss Agreement, Euroswiss has agreed to provide consulting services to Algo Grande, and Algo Grande will pay Euroswiss an total engagement fee of $90,000. The Euroswiss Agreement is subject to approval from the TSXV.

Euroswiss will provide advice, consultation, information, and services to Algo Grande regarding general business development, financial consulting, and Internet strategy, with a focus on increasing Algo Grande's recognition in the European markets.

Euroswiss and Algo Grande are not related parties and operate at arm's length. Neither Euroswiss nor its principals have any interest in Algo Grande's securities, directly or indirectly, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest.

GoldInvest

Algo Grande has entered into a Sponsorship Agreement with GoldInvest (the "GoldInvest Agreement"), a German based company. GoldInvest assists companies in increasing their public awareness and online presence in Germany.

Pursuant to the GoldInvest Agreement, GoldInvest shall provide a sponsorship agreement to publicize Algo Grande throughout its entire publication network, including GOLDINVEST.de, the German portal for precious metals and mining stocks, for increased awareness of Algo Grande in the German speaking financial community. The sponsoring entitles Algo Grande to GoldInvest's expert editorial services, video productions services, European distribution network, and social media channels.

The GoldInvest Agreement has a term of 8 months. Pursuant to the GoldInvest Agreement, Algo Grande shall provide GoldInvest a one-time fee of 28,000 EUR. The GoldInvest Agreement is subject to approval from the TSXV.

GoldInvest and Algo Grande are not related parties and operate at arm's length. Neither GoldInvest nor its principals have any interest in the Algo Grande's securities, directly or indirectly, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest.

Fairfax Partners

Algo Grande has entered into a Services Agreement with Fairfax Partners (the "Fairfax Agreement"), a British Columbia based company. Fairfax specializes in helping companies engage shareholders, improve visibility, and manage their investor communications. Pursuant to the Fairfax Agreement, Fairfax shall provide services to Algo Grande, in the areas of Infrastructure Communications, Investor Relations Management, Digital Marketing, and related services.

The Fairfax Agreement has an initial term of 6 months, following the initial term the Fairfax Agreement shall continue on a month-to-month basis, unless terminated by either party. Pursuant to the Fairfax Agreement, Algo Grande shall pay Fairfax a monthly fee of $5,000, to be paid of the first day of each month, and a budget up to $250,000, to be allocated at the Algo Grande's discretion over 6 months. The Fairfax Agreement is subject to approval from the TSXV.

Fairfax and Algo Grande are not related parties and operate at arm's length. Neither Fairfax nor its principals have any interest in Algo Grande's securities, directly or indirectly, or any right or intent to acquire such an interest.

Option Grants

Effective upon completion of the Acquisiton, Algo Grande granted a total of 2,870,000 stock options ("Options") to certain directors, officers and consultants of Algo Grande under the stock option plan dated February 17, 2022 (the "Plan"). Each Option is exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of $0.375 per Share for a period of two years from the date of grant. 20% of the Options granted will vest immediately and 20% of the Options will vest every six months from the date of grant. All Options are subject to the terms of the Plan, and applicable TSXV hold periods.

A technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Adelita Project, Sonora/Sinaloa, Mexico" dated effective August 15, 2025, was filed by Algo Grande on December 15, 2025 (the "Technical Report").

About Algo Grande Copper Corp.

Algo Grande Copper Corp., is a growth-focused mineral exploration company advancing the Adelita Project - a district-scale, multi-system copper-gold-silver opportunity positioned in the prolific Arizona-Sonora copper belt.

The company is dedicated to unlocking the full mineral potential of this under-explored corridor through disciplined data-driven exploration, technical excellence, and a firm commitment to value creation for shareholders. The 5,895-hectare Adelita Project is anchored by the high-grade Cerro Grande Cu-Au-Ag skarn discovery, which exhibits strong continuity along a defined corridor extending over 6 kilometers. Reprocessing of legacy geophysical data and field mapping indicate the presence of a potential porphyry system at depth, suggesting a classic skarn-porphyry mineralization model similar to major deposits found throughout northwestern Mexico.

ON BEHALF OF ALGO GRANDE COPPER CORP.

Enrico Gay

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

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.

This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Algo Grande to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the proposed use of proceeds of the Financing, the registration of title to the Concessions, business development, results of operations, and those listed in filings made by Algo Grande with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca). Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Algo Grande's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on Algo Grande's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward- looking statements. Algo Grande does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278651

Source: Kenadyr Metals Corp.
Tamarack, Minnesota and L'Anse, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - December 18, 2025) - Talon Metals Corp. (TSX: TLO) (OTCID: TLOFF) (together with its subsidiaries, "Talon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a share purchase agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX: LUN) (Stockholm: LUMI) ("Lundin Mining"). The Share Purchase Agreement provides for a transaction (the "Transaction") that will result in the combination of Lundin Mining's producing Eagle Mine and associated Humboldt Mill with Talon's interest in the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project (the "Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project") and a prospective exploration land package of over 400,000 acres in Michigan, which includes the Boulderdash nickel/copper discovery 8-miles from the Eagle Mine, and Talon's proposed North Dakota Beulah Minerals Processing Facility (the "BMPF").

KEY TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Talon will acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill operations.

Talon will issue 275,152,232 common shares to Lundin Mining, representing 18.73% of the Company on a non-diluted basis after the Concurrent Private Placement by the Lundin Family Trust. Together with Lundin Mining's ownership interest in Talon before the Transaction, Lundin Mining will own 19.99% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

A concurrent Private Placement with the Lundin Family Trust for approximately US$5.6 million in gross proceeds, will result in the Lundin Family Trust owning approximately 1.26% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining will join the Talon Board.

Lundin Mining will maintain all financial assurances for the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill reclamation until Talon's Board approves development of a new mine, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

CREATING A UNIFIED, MULTI-ASSET U.S. NICKEL PLATFORM

"This transaction brings together the positive cash-flow-generating Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the proven operating experience of the Eagle and Humboldt teams, and Talon's in-house exploration capabilities to create the only operating primary nickel-copper company in the United States with expansion potential," said Henri van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer of Talon. "The integration enables our combined team to advance our four strategic priorities in parallel - extending the Eagle mine life, accelerating exploration in Michigan and in Minnesota, advancing permitting at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and the Beulah Minerals Processing Facility, and progressing engineering towards feasibility study and construction."

The unified Talon team will deploy the positive cash flow from the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, together with an estimated US$27 million of cash and cash equivalents, towards:

Extending Eagle Mine Life Through Modern Practices

The Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill exemplify modern mining, built and operated to the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Ongoing efficiency improvements and optimizations has the potential to extend the mine's life to maintain full capacity at the Humboldt Mill.

Accelerating Exploration in Michigan and at Tamarack

With the Humboldt Mill ideally positioned to process ore from Talon's Michigan discoveries such as Boulderdash - just 8 miles from the Eagle Mine - Talon's in-house exploration team, responsible for five discoveries in five years, plans to execute its most ambitious exploration program to date in 2026.

Advancing Tamarack and BMPF Environmental Review and Permitting

Building on the successful permitting and exemplary environmental performance of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the unified team combines Eagle's operational experience with Talon's environmental specialists to advance the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project through environmental review and permitting towards construction.

Progressing Engineering for the Future Tamarack Mine and BMPF

Following the iterative design process of the proposed Tamarack mine, driven by two years of collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and participating Tribal governments, Talon is proposing a "mine of the future" with all potential environmental impacts expected to be controlled within one fully enclosed facility. The proven Eagle team, with its track record in mine design, engineering, construction, and operations, will now integrate with the Talon team to complete the feasibility study in conjunction with environmental review and permitting, improving confidence in the design and long-term operability of these assets.

"Over the last decade, American policymakers have recognized that dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals is a national security risk," said Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO. "This transaction is a direct response, uniting modern nickel mining and processing operations with the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and exploration assets, including the Boulderdash discovery 8-miles from the Eagle mine, to ensure a domestic supply of nickel and other critical minerals for defense, energy and advanced technology manufacturing."

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon will acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Lundin Mining US Ltd. ("Lundin SubCo"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lundin Mining, which owns the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, in exchange for: (i) 275,152,232 Talon Shares which will result in Lundin Mining increasing its interest in Talon from 1.57% to 19.99% of the outstanding Talon Shares on a non-diluted basis, based on the number of Talon Shares that are issued and outstanding as of the date of the Share Purchase Agreement (and assuming the issuance of Talon Shares pursuant to the Concurrent Private Placement); and (ii) the grant of a production payment royalty (the "Production Payment Royalty") on ore from sources other than the Eagle Mine that is processed through the Humboldt Mill at a rate of US$1.00 per tonne, up to a maximum aggregate payment of US$20.0 million, representing 20 million tonnes of ore.

The Share Purchase Agreement also provides that, concurrently with closing of the Transaction, Talon and Lundin Mining will enter into an investor rights agreement (the "Investor Rights Agreement") and a lock-up agreement (the "Lock-Up Agreement"). The Investor Rights Agreement will provide Lundin Mining with certain board nomination rights, as well as participation rights in respect of future equity issuances by Talon to allow it to maintain its ownership interest, for so long as Lundin Mining has beneficial ownership of at least 10% of the Talon Shares. The Lock-Up Agreement will provide for limitations on sales of Talon Shares by Lundin Mining during the two-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement. The Lock-Up Agreement will also provide that Lundin Mining will not acquire beneficial ownership of more than 19.99% of the Talon Shares during the one-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.

In addition, Lundin Mining has agreed to maintain and bear the cost of all financial assurances provided in respect of mining and reclamation operations of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill until the board of directors of Talon (the "Talon Board") makes a "Positive Final Investment Decision" in respect of developing a mine on any of Talon's properties, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

Director and Officer Changes

At closing of the Transaction, the Talon Board will be reconstituted to consist of ten directors, including Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining and seven of the eight directors currently on the Talon Board. Darby Stacey, the current Managing Director of Eagle Mine, will be appointed to the Talon Board and appointed as CEO of Talon, overseeing the operations of the combined assets, with Henri van Rooyen being appointed Executive Chairman. On closing of the Transaction, Warren Newfield will be stepping down from the Talon Board and as Executive Chairman of Talon.

Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO said: "On behalf of Talon, I would like to sincerely thank Warren Newfield for his many years of support as Executive Chairman, during which Talon achieved numerous important milestones that created significant value for shareholders."

Concurrent Private Placement

Concurrently with the signing of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon signed a subscription agreement with a trust settled by the late Adolf H. Lundin (the "Lundin Family Trust") pursuant to which the Lundin Family Trust agreed to purchase 18,555,783 Talon Shares, at a price of C$0.4194 per Talon Share (the "Issue Price"), which is the deemed value of the Talon Shares to be issued to Lundin Mining in connection with the Transaction, on a private placement basis for gross proceeds of approximately C$7.8 million or US$5.6 million (the "Concurrent Private Placement").

The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement will be used to fund transition costs, due diligence costs, acquisition costs, and integration costs.

The Concurrent Private Placement is expected to close concurrently with the closing of the Transaction. It is also expected that Talon and the Lundin Family Trust will enter into an agreement in connection with the closing of the Concurrent Private Placement that provides the Lundin Family Trust with a contractual right in respect of future equity offerings by Talon, so it has the ability to maintain its ownership interest in Talon.

Share Consolidation

Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon agreed to complete a consolidation of the Talon Shares (the "Consolidation") as soon as practicable after the closing of the Transaction. The Consolidation would be on the basis of one post-consolidation Talon Share for every ten pre-consolidation Talon Shares, as approved by the shareholders of Talon at the annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 25, 2025. The Talon Board has approved the Consolidation and the date the Talon Board has determined to implement the Consolidation will be announced in connection with closing of the Transaction, together with additional details about the Consolidation.

Additional Transaction Details

The Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement are anticipated to close in early January, subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"), as well as the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.

Further information regarding the terms of the Transaction are set out in the Share Purchase Agreement, which will be publicly filed by the Company under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Advisors

Canaccord Genuity Corp. was engaged as financial advisor to the Company. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Dorsey & Whitney LLP are acting as legal counsel to the Company.

ABOUT TALON

Talon is a TSX-listed base metals company in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in central Minnesota. Talon's shares are also traded in the US over the OTC market under the symbol TLOFF. The Tamarack Nickel Copper Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with additional high-grade intercepts outside the current resource area. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60% of the Tamarack Nickel Copper Project and currently owns 51%. Talon has a neutrality and workforce development agreement in place with the United Steelworkers union. Talon's Beulah Mineral Processing Facility in Mercer County was selected by the US Department of Energy for US$114.8 million funding grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the US Department of War awarded Talon a grant of US$20.6 million to support and accelerate Talon's exploration efforts in both Minnesota and Michigan. Talon has well-qualified experienced exploration, mine development, external affairs and mine permitting teams.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the Transaction and Concurrent Private Placement, including the impact and anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the anticipated timing of the completion of the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement; the grant of the Production Payment Royalty, entering into the Investor Rights Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreement, and the agreement in connection with the Concurrent Private Placement, and the terms thereunder, and the timing thereof; changes to the Talon Board; the use of proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement; implementing the Consolidation and the effective date thereof; future exploration work, including future drill holes, drill results, assays, geophysics and geological interpretations. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278652

Source: Talon Metals Corp.


EQS Newswire / 19/12/2025 / 10:00 UTC+8



Dubai, UAE - December 19, 2025 - ( SeaPRwire ) - Kamil Magomedov, an investment-focused real estate broker at Provident Estate, has released a new market outlook analyzing Dubai's next phase of residential development, identifying Expo City Dubai, Dubai Islands, and the Dubai Water Canal corridor as emerging growth areas shaped by long-term master planning and infrastructure expansion. Dubai broker Kamil Magomedov anticipates demand, guiding investors to strategic properties by analyzing city master plans. His methods set him apart among industry peers as he prioritizes long-term residential gains and connects investor goals with urban growth and future infrastructure enhancements.

Photo Courtesy of Kamil Magomedov

Kamil Magomedov, a leading real estate expert and broker based in Dubai, is helping investors succeed by applying deep knowledge from city-building and investment strategy. While many brokers respond to press releases, Magomedov studies Dubai's master plans to spot high-growth opportunities before they enter mainstream conversations. With years of experience as the former head of a government agency for investment development in Russia and as a national project leader responsible for the master plan of a city for 300,000 residents, Magomedov finds potential where others see untouched land.

"When you've been on the side designing a city, you look at Dubai very differently. You see the logic before the buildings appear, the footfall, the infrastructure, the lifestyle ecosystem that will shape value," says Magomedov.

A recent example is Expo City Dubai. When His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved its master plan, much of the market doubted the future of the former Expo 2020 site. Magomedov, however, recognized a blueprint for one of Dubai's most important future growth centers. He promptly informed his investor base and guided purchases in top locations near the entrance to the exhibition centre, areas mostly overlooked by agents. When major events and the World Trade Center relocate to Expo City by late 2026, the demand for residential units will significantly outnumber available options. This creates an opportunity for strong rental yields for Magomedov's early-entry investors.

"We entered early. By the time others realised why Expo City mattered, our investors were already holding the prime inventory, properties that will deliver 15-18 percent rental yields once events move in," he says.

Magomedov uses the same strategy on Dubai Islands along the waterfront. Here, he advises investors on Mr Eight, Rixos Residences, Imtiaz Beachwalk 1 & 3, and Grande, which offer daily amenities for residents, not just visitors. He notes, "Beach-access homes built for residents are in massive scarcity. Most beach projects were made for short stays. Dubai Islands change that, it brings everyday infrastructure to the shoreline." Choosing highly walkable micro-zones on the islands, in his view, supports long-term value and rental performance.

Further north along Dubai Water Canal, Magomedov sees the start of what will be Dubai's "Mayfair or Fifth Avenue," where prestigious properties like Muraba Veil and The Rings by PMR set new benchmarks for luxury living. "Not many understand that each city has the most valuable strip of land with the most valuable projects, and in Dubai that place is just emerging," he notes. Magomedov continues to put his clients in properties along the Canal, suited to lasting value rather than fast turnover.

Magomedov approaches real estate through the lens of urban logic rather than only numbers. While many agents focus on price per square foot, he considers the future residents, how infrastructure will support them, and demographic and visitor projections to calculate long-term value. "The average broker looks at today's floor plan. I look at tomorrow's skyline. Because I've built cities, I know how cities grow," Magomedov says. This way of working, shaped by practical experience in planning and investment, has resulted in some of Dubai's most lucrative property deals, often completed quietly, but noticeable in market results.

His formula for success stays simple: Read the master plan, not the marketing brochure; invest before a location is accepted by the wider market, especially in places others doubt but where planning provides a future; and choose homes based on what future residents will want, not just what is currently popular. This lets Magomedov consistently "see the city before it's built."

Dubai's investor mix is also seeing change. Magomedov remarks on the movement from quick-flip buyers to thoughtful, rational buyers, including family offices and European investors from the UK, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. "They want to know exactly what they're paying for, why, and how that property fits the city's long-term direction. That's why the master-plan approach resonates," Magomedov explains.

Magomedov believes Dubai's next in-demand areas will be those where long-term livability meets liquidity. He adds, "The smart investor today buys into the city of tomorrow. That means choosing projects that make sense ten years from now, not ten weeks," he says.

With over twelve years spent in leadership and urban planning, Kamil Magomedov's property market analysis is widely followed for translating complex city plans into practical investment moves. His YouTube channel offers steady guidance for investors exploring Dubai's emerging areas such as Expo City, Dubai Islands, and Dubai Water Canal, and has grown into a widely-trusted resource for understanding the city's property market.

Kamil Magomedov is investment-focused real estate broker at Provident Estate in Dubai. He specializes in guiding international investors, offering strategic property solutions across residential, commercial, and luxury segments while drawing on a strong background in city planning and investment management.

Media Contact

Company: Provident Estate

Contact: Kamil Magomedov

Telephone: +971501610143

Email: kamil@providentestate.com

Website: https://providentestate.com
SINGAPORE, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Galatek, a fast-growing Singapore-based automation and artificial intelligence (AI) startup, announced today that it has secured approximately US$30 million in Series A funding. The funding will accelerate the company's development of innovative products in life sciences and advanced semiconductor manufacturing, strengthen its global supply chain, and deepen local expertise in key markets across Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

As AI continues to accelerate digital transformation across industries, Galatek addresses critical challenges in life sciences and semiconductor manufacturing. The company provides automation and AI solutions that are reshaping smart labs and advanced packaging - key sectors where precision and intelligence define the next generation of innovation. Based in Singapore's innovation hub, Galatek combines its agile, globally-connected R&D with localized commercial presence in strategic markets, positioning itself as an essential enabler of industrial progress in the AI era.

Galatek is strategically focused on two high-demand market areas where significant technology gaps remain:

In Life Sciences

The company is pioneering the smart laboratory of the future. By deeply integrating AI into R&D and service workflows, Galatek empowers scientists to accelerate and de-risk discovery across complex applications, including diagnostics, NGS sequencing, 3D cell & organoid culture, drug development, and synthetic biology. This is further enhanced through Galatek's Abio software platform, an integrated AI-driven solution that unifies ELN, LIMS, SDMS and advanced automation to transform scientific data into actionable insights, streamline robotic integrations, and support customizable, cloud-agnostic smart lab operations through its extensible architecture. Galatek has forged strategic partnerships with top-tier global pharmaceutical firms and research institutions and has co-created next-generation smart labs with world-renowned academic partners like the National University of Singapore, building a pipeline for sustained technology leadership.

In Semiconductors

Galatek is also focused on AI-driven innovation and implementation for advanced packaging. With deep integration of vision AI and motion control algorithms, it is meeting extreme demands for precision and reliability. The company provides critical process equipment and solutions ranging from front-end metrology and inspection to back-end advanced packaging. Core solutions include fully automated overlay measurement systems, deep learning-based automatic optical inspection (AOI) systems, and precision wafer dicing equipment. Galatek is currently collaborating with several leading global semiconductor manufacturers, demonstrating end-to-end commercialization capabilities from technology breakthrough to scaled delivery.

Galatek's business model, "Global Supply Chain + Localized Service," combines the competitive advantages of Asian supply chains with company-owned delivery centers in Malaysia and the United States, creating a resilient global logistics network. In key markets, local teams in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia provide proactive, customized support across the entire customer journey, from sales and technical service to compliance, ensuring clients receive a seamlessly integrated offering.

"The global industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by artificial intelligence and automation," said David Tian, CEO of Galatek. "The need for smart laboratories in life sciences and the innovation imperative in semiconductor advanced packaging are not just sector-specific needs - these are critical junctures where we are focused. Galatek's mission is to be a reliable infrastructure partner in this transformation. By combining world-class supply chain capabilities with local resources, we are confident in delivering the innovative solutions that global clients need - solutions that are often difficult for traditional providers to deploy rapidly. This Series A funding accelerates our journey to fulfill that role at scale."

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/sg-based-startup-galatek-raises-30m-series-a-to-accelerate-ai-powered-automation-in-life-sciences-and-semiconductor-manufacturing-302646549.html
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.



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FUKUOKA, Japan, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Route to WEST JAPAN, a tourism initiative by Fukuoka City, is a comprehensive platform dedicated to showcasing the culture, nature, and distinctive travel experiences of western Japan and Kyushu, is delighted to announce an exclusive new campaign in partnership with Airalo, one of the world's largest and most trusted global eSIM providers.

This collaboration aims to enhance the travel experience for international visitors by offering 10-15% off Airalo's eSIM products, allowing users to stay connected easily and affordably while exploring the diverse destinations along the Golden Route.

Airalo is a global service available in 53 languages, making it an accessible and traveler-friendly solution for visitors from around the world. With the rapid increase in eSIM usage globally, contemporary travelers expect seamless connectivity throughout their journey.

By bringing Airalo's convenient eSIM technology directly to travelers interested in western Japan, the Golden Route initiative aims to remove common communication barriers and support hassle-free journeys across the region. This is also an important milestone for Airalo, as it marks the company's first-ever partnership with a regional tourism initiative in Japan.

The Golden Route to WEST JAPAN platform connects travelers with curated itineraries, cultural insights, and recommended points of interest spanning cities including Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, and Nagasaki. From UNESCO World Heritage sites to hot springs, the region offers visitors an increasingly popular alternative for visitors looking for more off-the-beaten-track experiences.

Through the new campaign, travelers can access a special discount code via the official Golden Route to WEST JAPAN website. By applying the code when purchasing an eSIM through Airalo, users will immediately receive 10-15% off the standard pricing. This partnership encourages visitors to make the most of their time in Japan by staying connected from the moment they arrive, without the need for physical SIM cards.

The featured campaign page, titled Experience West Japan Without Limits: Golden Route to WEST JAPAN  Airalo, highlights the key benefits of the partnership. The campaign emphasizes flawless travel, digital convenience, and the freedom to explore western Japan with reliable mobile connectivity supporting every step.

Travelers are invited to take advantage of this exclusive offer and discover the incredible diversity of western Japan through the Golden Route platform. For campaign codes and further details, please visit the official Golden Route to WEST JAPAN website: https://japan-west-goldenroute.com/browse-content/experience-west-japan-without-limits-the-western-golden-route-x-airalo/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2848588/Credit_Fukuoka_City.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/golden-route-to-west-japan-partners-with-airalo-to-launch-exclusive-travel-connectivity-campaign-302646517.html
New attendance record at the New York session, bringing together nearly 60 experts from the spine sector, including over 40 surgeons

Regulatory News:

SMAIO (Software, Machines and Adaptative Implants in Orthopaedics Euronext Growth Paris, ISIN: FR0014005I80 Ticker: ALSMA), a French-American player specialized in complex spine surgery, offering an integrated pre, intra, and post-operative solution based on a 3D planning software, adaptive implants and related services, today announced the success of its fourth American Think Tank (exchange program on sagittal balance), held in New York on December 11, 2025.

SMAIO continues to place surgeon training at the heart of its international development, particularly in the United States, a market of strategic interest. For this fourth edition, the company brought together, in New York, more than 40 spine surgeons along with spine industry professionals, for a total of nearly 60 people-a record level of attendance that confirms the growing interest among experts in the holistic approach offered by SMAIO.

The internationally renowned surgeons were able to use two flagship products from the i-Kontrol realignment ecosystem: the KEOPS Balance Analyzer 3D surgical planning software, based on big data technologies, and the Kheiron Spinal Fixation System. This hands-on experience enabled them to understand how to accurately plan and perform spinal realignment surgeries based on real-life cases, with live analysis and surgical simulation, before using the Kheiron system on realistic simulators.

Industry representatives were able to observe how surgeons interacted with the KEOPS-4ME open platform, designed for the North American market and enabling other spine companies to benefit from patient-specific custom rods in combination with their proprietary implant portfolios. They were able to experience the flexibility of the planning process and how easy it is to deploy in future customer hospitals.

These meetings have become the cornerstone of disseminating SMAIO's expertise and reinforce surgeons' commitment to adopting its solutions in their daily clinical practice.

Philippe ROUSSOULY, Chairman and CEO of SMAIO, comments: "The continued success of our Think Tank courses perfectly illustrates SMAIO's strategy, which focuses on innovation, medical expertise, and knowledge sharing. As we undergo a phase of rapid expansion, these meetings enable us to objectively assess the value of our innovations for patients within the North American and international medical community. Each edition is an opportunity to stimulate scientific reflection and promote the adoption of innovative solutions that transform clinical practice. This year, we are delighted to have brought together nearly 60 spine experts from different countries, including more than 40 surgeons, many of whom are regular users of our solutions. We are convinced that these discussions are essential to supporting healthcare professionals in improving patient care while stimulating our development in the United States, the world's leading market for spine surgery."

To watch a video of this day of discussions, click on this link or on the image below.

Upcoming financial event:

Annual revenue for 2025: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 (after market close)

About SMAIO (www.smaio.com)

A precursor in the use of clinical data and imaging of the spine, SMAIO designs global solutions for spine surgery specialists. The Company has recognized expertise thanks to KEOPS, its Big Data management software that has become a global reference with more than 100,000 patient cases documented. SMAIO offers spine surgeons a comprehensive platform, I-Kontrol, incorporating planning, implants and related services, enabling them to treat spinal pathologies in a safe, effective and lasting way. The Company's open platform deployed in the United States, KEOPS-4ME, is designed to deliver a personalized and data-driven approach to complex spine surgery, enabling SMAIO to partner commercially with major U.S. surgical companies and provide their surgeon clients with patient-specific implants. Based in Dallas (United States) and Lyon (France), SMAIO benefits from the skill and expertise of more than 40 highly specialized staff.

For further information, please visit our website: www.smaio.com

Listing market: Euronext Growth Paris

ISIN: FR0014005I80

Ticker: ALSMA

Disclaimer

This press release contains non-factual statements, including, but not limited to, certain statements regarding future results and other future events. These statements are based on the current views and assumptions of the Company's management. They incorporate known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. In addition, SMAIO, its shareholders and affiliates, directors, officers, advisors, and employees have not verified the accuracy of, and make no representation or warranty regarding, the statistical information or forward-looking information contained in this press release that is derived from or based on third-party sources or industry publications. Such statistical data and forward-looking information are used in this press release for informational purposes only.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251218728992/en/

Contacts:

SMAIO

Philippe Roussouly

Chief Executive Officer

Renaut Fritsch

Chief Financial Officer

investors@smaio.com

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky

Investor Relations

smaio@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 92

NewCap

Arthur Rouille

Media Relations

smaio@newcap.eu

T.: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Metavista3D Inc. (TSXV: DDD) (FSE: E3T) ("Metavista3D" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will showcase a range of advanced 3D display technologies at CES 2026, taking place January 6-9, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CES, the world's premier technology event, will spotlight breakthrough innovations, with artificial intelligence and quantum technologies expected to be among the key themes.

Metavista3D will exhibit at Booth #4179 in the West Hall, located next to the West Broadcast Tower-one of the show's highest-traffic areas. The West Hall is the primary hub for the automotive sector and features global leaders including Great Wall Motors, Hyundai Motor, John Deere, Caterpillar, LG Display, and BOE. Metavista3D's cutting-edge display and visualization solutions are highly relevant to these sectors.

At CES 2026, Metavista3D will unveil the following 3D displays:

27" 5K 3D Display with Multiview and/or Tracking Technology - Delivers stunning 3D effects with perfect 2D readability and the ability to demonstrate multiple types of content simultaneously.

13.3" 4K 3D Display with Tracking and Unity SDK - Offers a unique experience where content shifts dynamically based on the viewer's head and eye position.

13.3" 4K 3D Display with Multiview and Real-Time Mono Camera - Powered by an embedded NVIDIA Jetson, this solution converts 2D to 3D in real-time, allowing customers to continue using standard mono cameras without upgrading to stereo systems. This solution can be used for an E-mirror setup.

13.3" 4K 3D Display with Multiview and Real-Time 2D-to-3D AI Conversion - Demonstrates AI-driven conversion of any 2D content into a fully immersive 3D experience.

13.3" 4K 3D Display with Tracking and Fixed-Focus Stereo Camera - Delivers real-time, high-quality 3D video for customers leveraging stereo camera infrastructure. This solution can also be used for an E-mirror setup.

Metavista3D's Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Carlson, and Chief Operating Officer, Neil Hide, will attend CES 2026 to engage with key customers and partners.

For more information about CES 2026, please visit https://www.ces.tech.

About Metavista3D

Metavista3D Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary psHolix AG, is developing AI-driven, pseudo-holographic display technologies aimed at enabling glasses-free 3D visualization of spatial content. The Company holds a portfolio of over 20 patents related to this technology. For more information, visit www.metavista3D.com.

Metavista3D's shares are publicly traded and listed in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol DDD, and on the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt and others under the ticker symbol E3T.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information with respect to, among other things, the CES and the Company's displays thereat, the development and expansion of the Company's technology and the Company's business objectives. This information involves 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 information. Such information reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking information included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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 this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278674

Source: Metavista3D, Inc.
Recent developments at SYNBIOTIC have sharpened the company's strategic realignment. A combination of additional equity financing, a portfolio consolidation and a new strategic investor should help to make the equity story more robust going forward, in our view.

Portfolio "clean up". SYNBIOTIC discontinued financial support for its Austrian subsidiary Bushdoctor GmbH, which subsequently filed for insolvency. The decision followed an internal review of the subsidiary's operational and financial performance, revealing it was no longer aligned with the group's strategic priorities. As a result, SYNBIOTIC has effectively removed a loss-making, non-core business from its portfolio, reducing cash outflows and allowing management to concentrate resources on higher-potential areas such as medical cannabis and industrial hemp.

Additional equity. SYNBIOTIC executed two small cash capital increases without subscription rights, issuing a total of 387k new shares at prices of  1.60 and  1.70, raising gross proceeds of up to  0.64m. The resulting dilution stands at roughly 5%. The capital will be used to support growth initiatives, including product development and operational execution across the group's core segments.

Strategic investor entry. As part of one of those capital increases, SYNBIOTIC secured an anchor investment from CANSOUL, a specialised equity fund investing across the entire global value chain of the hemp and cannabis industry. Its holistic investment approach covers cultivation, research, technology, extraction and distribution through to pharmaceutical development. Importantly, this deal initiates a long-term strategic partnership (e.g. access to further capital, CANASOUL's network), highlighting the strength and appeal of SYNBIOTIC's diversified platform.

Our view: Overall, the recent measures represent tangible progress in stabilising SYNBIOTIC's financial and strategic positioning. The recent FY25 guidance cut reflects the currently challenging regulatory situation within the company's key end market. Following this year's strategic realignment, SYNBIOTIC should be able to return to higher growth from next year onwards (carried by medical cannabis and industrial hemp), in our view. Until FY27e, we model  25m sales, implying a 16% CAGR. With that, SYNBIOTIC should be able to return to profitability as early as FY26e.

BUY with a  5.50 PT (old:  6.00) based on DCF.

ISIN: DE000A3E5A59
Bittium announced two significant defense-related order intakes, underlining the strengthening momentum in its Defense & Security segment and increasing international traction for its software-defined radio (SDR) and tactical communications portfolio.

Firstly, Bittium received orders from the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) with a total value of approximately  15.9m, of which  12.4m relates to deliveries of next-generation Bittium Tough SDR handheld and vehicular radios, with the remainder covering software development and related services. Deliveries and development work are scheduled across 2025/26.

The radios will gradually replace the FDF's legacy analogue tactical radios and earlier-generation digital systems, providing materially improved performance and broadband tactical communications. Importantly, the radios are fully compatible with Bittium's Tactical Wireless IP Network (TAC WIN) backbone already deployed by the FDF, reinforcing Bittium's position as a long-term strategic supplier. The order was issued under the partnership agreement running through 2025-2036, providing long-term visibility and a structured framework for recurring annual purchases.

Secondly, the company received a  18.5m purchase order via its Austrian partner Cancom Austria AG to expand the Austrian Armed Forces' tactical communications network. The order covers product deliveries during 2025/26, while associated life cycle services will extend through 2038, supporting revenue visibility well beyond the initial delivery phase. This contract builds on a multi-year relationship that began in 2018 and further expands the installed base of TAC WIN, Tough Comnode devices and related accessories. The inclusion of long-term support, maintenance and test systems highlights the stickiness of Bittium's solutions once embedded at system level.

Our take: Together, the two announcements represent roughly  34m in orders, a meaningful addition relative to Bittium's current Defense & Security segment sales (9M:  40.6m). We view the orders as clear evidence of growing confidence among European defense customers in Bittium's SDR technology, particularly in environments with heightened electronic warfare requirements. Mind you, the company is already supplying several countries such as Finland, Estonia, Austria, Croatia and Sweden.

Importantly, we expect newsflow around Defense & Security order wins/intake to remain strong during the foreseeable future. In fact, we would regard potential first orders from its Spanish partner Indra as likely within the short- to mid-term. Keep in mind, that Spain cut ties with Israeli suppliers including Elbit Systems, one of Bittium's most relevant competitors for tactical SDRs. First indications suggest that the Spanish government's potential contract value to Indra and Bittium could be around  770m (not yet included in our estimates).

We confirm our BUY rating with a new  26.50 PT (old:  23.50) based on DCF.

ISIN: FI0009007264
LEXINOVA Trading Center has released a new brand positioning strategy emphasizing global regulatory alignment, operational transparency, and institutional-grade infrastructure as part of its long-term development roadmap.

JERSEY CITY, NJ / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / LEXINOVA Trading Center, a global digital asset trading platform, has released its latest brand positioning strategy, placing a strong emphasis on global regulatory alignment, operational transparency, and the development of institutional-grade infrastructure. The strategy reflects the platform's long-term commitment to responsible growth and its intention to establish a trusted presence within the evolving digital finance ecosystem.

Strengthening the Brand Core: Compliance, Transparency, and Integrity

As regulatory frameworks governing digital assets continue to mature across global markets, LEXINOVA Trading Center has adjusted its brand focus toward long-term sustainability and compliance-oriented operations. The platform's vision extends beyond technological advancement, aiming to position itself as a transparent, accountable, and responsibly operated digital asset marketplace serving a diverse international user base.

This repositioning underscores an emphasis on operational integrity and structured regulatory engagement, reinforcing the platform's objective of building durable trust within the broader financial system.

Multi-Jurisdiction Compliance Strategy Supporting Global Expansion

LEXINOVA Trading Center has completed its registration as a U.S. Money Services Business (MSB) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), providing a regulatory foundation for compliant operations in the United States.

In parallel, the platform continues to advance regulatory alignment initiatives across European markets as part of a broader multi-jurisdiction strategy. This approach is designed to ensure lawful operations across different regions while maintaining flexibility as regulatory standards evolve.

Institutional-Grade Security and Technology Architecture

The platform's infrastructure development strategy centers on resilience, transparency, and risk oversight. Key components include:

Segregated custody mechanisms designed to maintain clear separation between client assets and platform operational funds

Automated AML and KYC frameworks supporting identity verification and ongoing compliance monitoring

Audit-ready transaction tracing and risk oversight systems, utilizing data analytics to identify irregular activity patterns

Distributed global system architecture, supported by localized technical operations to enhance performance and system stability

By integrating regulatory technology (RegTech) principles with scalable security design, LEXINOVA Trading Center aims to support both established and emerging markets with consistent operational standards.

Aligning Compliance and Innovation for Long-Term Development

Future development efforts will continue to focus on aligning technological advancement with regulatory expectations. LEXINOVA Trading Center plans to maintain ongoing engagement with regulatory stakeholders, infrastructure providers, and industry participants across multiple regions to support transparent and sustainable growth.

The release of this updated brand positioning strategy represents an important step in the platform's evolution toward a compliance-oriented, globally structured digital asset trading institution.

About LEXINOVA Trading Center

LEXINOVA Trading Center is a global digital asset trading platform focused on building secure, compliant, and resilient financial infrastructure. Through regulatory alignment, institutional-grade system architecture, and an emphasis on transparency and risk management, the platform supports both retail and institutional participants seeking access to structured digital asset trading environments across multiple jurisdictions.

Media Contact

Company Name: LEXINOVA

Contact Person: Calvin Thornton

Email: service@lexinova.com

Website: https://lexinova.com/

SOURCE: LexiNova Digital Asset Exchange INC

msb_registration -LEXINOVA DIGITAL ASSET EXCHANGE INC

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/blockchain-and-cryptocurrency/lexinova-trading-center-releases-new-brand-positioning-strategy-focus-1119379
HYDERABAD, India, Dec. 19, 2025, today announced the release of its Sustainability Report for 2024-25. Aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative.

Commenting on the release, Krishna Kanumuri, MD & CEO, Sai Life Sciences, said: "Reliability with responsibility is central to the CRDMO mandate and deeply embedded in how we operate at Sai Life Sciences. Over the past year, we translated this commitment into action through progress across climate actions, circular economy initiatives, people-led HR transformation, and tech-enabled innovation. Going forward, we are focused on scaling these efforts to build a resilient, science-forward, and sustainability-led operating model that delivers enduring value to our partners and stakeholders."

The report outlines how the company's sustainability strategy is anchored in nine strategic pillars that collectively guide its approach to responsible growth. These elements span water stewardship, climate action, circularity, biodiversity, sustainable procurement, human capital, governance and ethics, community engagement, and customer co-creation. Together, they constitute a cohesive framework that embeds sustainability priorities into every stage of the company's operations. By aligning these elements with business objectives and stakeholder expectations, Sai Life Sciences positions sustainability as an intrinsic part of how it innovates, collaborates, and delivers impact.

During the year, the company advanced its internally defined Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which outline a clear roadmap for meeting its sustainability commitments by March 31, 2027. The report highlights ongoing progress in greenhouse gas reduction, a significant increase in renewable energy usage-with 96% of the API manufacturing unit in Bidar powered by renewables-and reductions in specific water consumption across facilities. It also documents significant community impact, with the company surpassing its commitment to provide education and livelihood opportunities for 8,000 individuals from underprivileged communities. Strengthening its people agenda, the organisation saw steady growth in diversity, with women representing 14% of the workforce.

The 2024-25 Sustainability Report reflects the company's long-term view-one that places science, responsibility, and collaboration at the centre of its growth ambition. As Sai Life Sciences continues to expand its global footprint, sustainability remains both a compass and a catalyst for shaping resilient, future-ready operations.

About Sai Life Sciences

Sai Life Sciences is a full-service Contract Research, Development & Manufacturing Organization

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/87f46966-eb1f-406b-a2c6-7d5eab5de73a

For further information, contact: Sriram Gopalakrishnan Vice President, Corporate Communication Sai Life Sciences Limited Ph: +91 9121295355 sriram.g@sailife.com
The benefit-risk ratio of Vueway considered positive in children from birth

MILAN, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Bracco Imaging S.p.A., a global leader in diagnostic imaging, announces that on 11 December 2025 the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended an extension of the approved indications of Vueway to pediatric patients below 2 years of age.(1)

Vueway (gadopiclenol) is a macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) approved in 36 countries and used to provide contrast enhancement in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) examinations, thus helping doctors find certain pathologies in patients in whom this would not be possible otherwise.(2)

In the European Union (EU), Vueway was approved in December 2023 for its use in adults and children aged 2 years and older for contrast-enhanced MRI to improve the detection and visualization of pathologies with disruption of the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and/or abnormal vascularity of the brain, spine, and associated tissues of the central nervous system, as well as contrast-enhanced MRI of the liver, kidney, pancreas, breast, lung, prostate, and musculoskeletal system.(3)

On 11 December 2025, the CHMP adopted in EU a positive opinion for the extension of the existing indications to infants and young children, including neonates, reinforcing its established safety and diagnostic performance. (1)

Vueway (gadopiclenol) is a highly stable, macrocyclic GBCA with the highest values of longitudinal relaxivity (r1) among all the currently approved GBCAs. (4) Large, multicenter clinical studies have shown that Vueway delivers comparable diagnostic efficacy at half the gadolinium dose of gadobutrol (5), a GBCA widely used in clinical practice across the world. Lower-dose imaging offers important benefits in terms of reduced exposure of patients to gadolinium. (6)

"The ability to reduce exposure to gadolinium without affecting the diagnostic performance of MRI examinations is important for all patients receiving GBCAs," said Alberto Spinazzi, Chief Medical & Regulatory Officer, Bracco Group. "This is particularly important when GBCAs have to be used in special patient populations, such as neonates, infants and toddlers, whose brains and body tissues are still maturing, and potential long-term effects of retained gadolinium are still unknown. Therefore, the positive CHMP opinion on the extension of the use of Vueway from birth addresses a critical need."

The positive CHMP opinion was based on the results from study GDX-44-015 (study information and results are available here.)

About gadolinium-based contrast agents

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are widely and routinely used to enhance the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. Gadolinium is a rare earth metal that has unique magnetic properties that make it useful for the use in MRI imaging.

About Bracco Imaging

Bracco Imaging is a global leader in diagnostic imaging, dedicated to improving people's lives by shaping the future of prevention and precision medicine. With a strong passion for innovation, the company develops and provides a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products for diagnostic imaging: contrast agents for X-ray, Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), as well microbubbles for Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS), and Molecular Imaging through radioactive tracers and novel PET imaging agents, alongside specialized medical devices and related services.

The company is committed to advancing radiology by sharing knowledge to cultivate future thought leaders, linking today's practice with tomorrow's progress. Since 1927, Bracco Imaging has grown to more than 3,800 employees and now supports patients and radiology professionals in over 100 countries.

Discover Bracco Imaging at www.bracco.com.

The Guerbet and Bracco Imaging collaboration

Bracco Imaging and Guerbet in December 2021 entered a worldwide collaboration on Gadopiclenol manufacturing and research and development activities. Gadopiclenol will be commercialized independently under separate brands. Both Guerbet and Bracco Imaging each own valuable intellectual property on Gadopiclenol. Furthermore, after an agreed transition period when Guerbet manufactures Gadopiclenol for both Guerbet and Bracco, both companies will manufacture the Gadopiclenol active ingredient and finished product.

The strategic collaboration is expected to accelerate access to Gadopiclenol and deliver innovation, as well as better care to patients and caregivers alike.

Media Contact:

Bracco Press Contact:

Carolina Bargoni

Bracco Imaging, Communications Director

Carolina.bargoni@bracco.com

References

CHMP post-authorisation summary of positive opinion for Vueway (EMAVR0000249008). Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/smop/chmp-post-authorisation-summary-positive-opinion-vueway-emavr0000249008_en.pdf. Accessed on December 17, 2025. Vueway (gadopiclenol). Overview. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/vuewayoverview. Accessed on December 17, 2025. Vueway (gadopiclenol). Summary of Product Characteristics. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/vueway-epar-product-information_en.pdf. Accessed on December 17, 2025. Robic C, Port M, Rousseaux O, Louguet S, Fretellier N, Catoen S, Factor C, Le Greneur S, Medina C, Bourrinet P, Raynal I, Idee JM, Corot C. Physicochemical and Pharmacokinetic Profiles of Gadopiclenol: A New Macrocyclic Gadolinium Chelate With High T1 Relaxivity. Invest Radiol 2019; 54(8):475-484. Hao J, Pitrou C, Bourrinet P. A Comprehensive Overview of the Efficacy and Safety of Gadopiclenol: A New Contrast Agent for MRI of the CNS and Body. Invest Radiol 2024; 59(2):124-130. Kanal E, Maki JH, Schramm P, Marti-Bonmati L. Evolving Characteristics of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents for MR Imaging: A Systematic Review of the Importance of Relaxivity. J Magn Reson Imaging 2025; 61(1):52-69.

GL-VW-2500057

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Company announcement

No. 21/2025

Inside information

Aquaporin A/S

Nymllevej 78

DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby

aquaporin.com

Company registration no.: DK28315694

KONGENS LYNGBY, Denmark, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, December 19, 2025 - The Board of Directors of Aquaporin A/S ("Aquaporin" or the "Company"), an innovative water technology company dedicated to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology, hereby updates on its strategic review and provides preliminary 2026 guidance and certain information on its mid- and long-term strategy.

Update on strategic review

In August 2025, Aquaporin announced its initiation of a strategic review to explore multiple opportunities to raise capital, including through equity and/or a strategic transaction or partnership. The Company's current financial position entails that additional capital is needed from the beginning of 2026 to fund the Company's operations and support Aquaporin's growth targets.

At an extraordinary general meeting held on December 1, 2025, the Company's shareholders approved to authorize the Board of Directors to issue new shares in either a rights issue or a directed issue without pre-emptive rights. Following a thorough strategic review process in which FIH Partners A/S has acted as financial adviser to the Company, and which includes constructive dialogues with a group of existing shareholders and potential new investors and partners, the Board of Directors has today resolved to carry out a rights issue aiming for gross proceeds of up to approximately DKK 78 million to provide a focused funding of the Company's short-term capital requirements towards second quarter 2027. The terms of the rights issue will be announced in a separate company announcement today. Should the rights issue not be completed or raise gross proceeds to the Company of significantly less than expected, there will be material uncertainty as to whether the Company can remain a going concern, and the Company may have to implement material changes to its business plan, including adjusting the pace of execution thereof, implementing measures to reduce costs, and/or seeking alternative opportunities to secure funding, including potentially in the form of partnerships or divestment of certain assets or business segments, or raise new equity or debt sooner than expected.

The Company will as part of its ongoing strategic review continue to explore multiple opportunities in parallel to raising equity capital to execute on its strategy and support stronger commercial development as well as to provide the Company with flexibility to explore and pursue strategic options for further funding until profitability in the mid-term.

Preliminary 2026 guidance

For the financial year 2026, Aquaporin expects to approximately double revenue compared to the revenue to be generated in 2025, with EBITDA (before special items) expected to be a loss in the range of DKK (40)-(50) million. The preliminary 2026 guidance is based on the Company's preliminary budget review procedures, customer indications, and a number of assumptions, including completion of the rights issue in early 2026 to secure short-term funding, expected revenue growth in Residential Drinking Water and Forward Osmosis, and an overall stable cost base.

Mid- and long-term targets

As part of its strategic review, the Company has implemented an updated mid- and long-term strategy, which includes key targets to achieve group level profitability and reach break-even on EBITDA (before special items) in the mid-term.

The Company assumes it will be able to grow revenue by an average annual growth rate in the mid double-digit range in the short- to mid-term, following which the average annual revenue growth rate is assumed to stabilize around 25%. During that same period, the Company targets to improve its gross margin to the lower-to-mid double-digit range, with a positive EBITDA (before special items) towards the end of the mid-term driven by a shift in product mix and cost-competitive outsourcing, supported by the planned launch of second-generation Aquaporin Inside technology membranes.

In the longer-term perspective (10+ years), the Company aspires to reach revenue in the DKK 1 billion range, achieve further gross margin improvements from scaling effects, and deliver a double-digit EBITDA margin (before special items).

The targeted mid- and long-term revenue growth is primarily driven by the expected launch and commercialization of the Company's second-generation Aquaporin Inside technology, which is currently under development with targeted launch during 2027 and 2028. The Company expects that its generation 2.0 technology will lead to increased efficiency within Reverse Osmosis products and unlock Forward Osmosis at an industrial scale in the short- to mid-term.

All three business segments are expected to contribute to revenue growth. Industrial Water and Forward Osmosis based on the second-generation Aquaporin Inside technology is expected to drive a greater share of growth towards the end of the mid-term and into the longer-term.

The Company expects to maintain disciplined cost control with operating expenses (OPEX) and organizational size maintained close to current levels in the mid-term. Further, the Company expects to maintain R&D investments at current levels. In the longer term, following profitability, the Company expects its working capital requirements to increase in line with revenue growth and that OPEX will at that time increase annually by an average of 10%.

The Company's guidance for the mid- and long-term is subject to a number of assumptions including securing short-term funding in connection with the contemplated rights issue. In addition, additional capital is expected to be required before the second quarter of 2027 to support execution of the Company's current business plan and strategic priorities, with the exact amount dependent on the development of the Company's business and prevailing market conditions applicable at that time.. The Company's actual and future results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the guidance presented.

For further information, please contact:

Ulrik Lund Jakobsen, Chief Executive Officer

Klaus Juhl Wulff, Chief Financial Officer

+45 25 63 39 90, [email protected]

About Aquaporin

Aquaporin is an innovative water technology company with operations in Denmark (HQ), Singapore, Turkey, the United States, and China. We are committed to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology to solve global water challenges. By combining three disciplines from the world of natural sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, we have created the unique, nature-inspired Aquaporin Inside technology which we embed into all our membranes and solutions. Our technology is based on Nobel Prize-winning research and is used to clean and reuse water in industries, in our homes, and even by NASA in space. We work with customers and partners around the globe to responsibly treat industrial wastewater, concentrate food and beverage products in a natural way, and enhance drinking water quality and accessibility.

Forward-looking statements

Certain matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and that can be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should", and similar expressions, as well as other statements regarding future events or prospects. Specifically, this company announcement includes information with respect to projections, estimates, and targets that also constitute forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this company announcement are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, and other important factors include, among others: limited experience in commercialization of the Company's products, failure to successfully implement strategies, dependence on third parties for manufacturing certain product components and the supply of certain raw materials, manufacturing disruptions, strategic collaboration, protection of the Company's intellectual property rights and other risks disclosed in Aquaporin's annual reports and company announcements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations, projections, estimates, and targets expressed or implied in this report by such forward-looking statements. The information, opinions, and forward-looking statements contained in this company announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Aquaporin expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/r/aquaporin-updates-on-strategic-review-and-sets-mid--and-long-term-financial-targets,c4284549

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/22362/4284549/3852409.pdf 21-2025 - Aquaporin updates on strategic review and sets mid- and long-term financial targets https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/i/aquaporin-ar2024-cover-no-text,c3497308 Aquaporin AR2024 Cover no text

SOURCE Aquaporin A/S
Solwers Plc, Press Release 19 December 2025 at 10:30 EET

Solwers' Swedish subsidiary, WiseGate AB, has signed an agreement to acquire the entire share capital of Odigo Consulting AB. The company will later be integrated into WiseGate Consulting AB and reported as part of the Solwers Group starting from 1 December 2025. The companies will begin cross-selling immediately.

With this acquisition, Solwers strengthens its service offering in automation, industrial consulting, and long-term expert resourcing services. Odigo is a Swedish consulting and expert services company specializing in technical services for the manufacturing and process industries. The company mainly operates in the Blekinge and Skane regions. Its clientele includes well-known manufacturing companies in southern Sweden, such as NKT, Saab Kockums, and Dynapac. Additionally, Odigo is a certified partner of Danish Universal Robots and collaborates with various robotics suppliers.

Founded in 2012, Odigo employs 18 people. Its turnover for the financial year ending 30 June 2025 was 23.9 million Swedish kronor, with an operating profit of 3.0 million Swedish kronor.

"Odigo's strong market position in southern Sweden, as well as its expertise in automation and industrial consulting, excellently complement Solwers' service portfolio. Integration into Wisegate immediately enables a broader service offering for Odigo's customers and accelerates our growth in Sweden", comments Leif Sebbas, Chair of the Board at Solwers.

"Becoming part of a larger group offers us new opportunities to develop and grow. For our employees, this means access to a global organization, more opportunities for professional development, and exciting future assignments. Together with other group companies, we gain a stronger brand and increased credibility in the market. We will retain our local culture and identity, but we will receive support and strength to grow and become even more competitive," says Emil Borgman, Managing Director of Odigo Consulting AB.

Further information:

Leif Sebbas, Chair of the Board, Solwers Plc, leif.sebbas@solwers.fi, tel. +358 500 44 77 44

Jasmine Jussila, Chief Communications Officer, Solwers Plc, jasmine.jussila@solwers.fi, tel. +358 40 500 4760

About Solwers Plc

Solwers is a growth-oriented group of expert companies that serves as a growth platform for its subsidiaries and challenges traditional practices in the built environment consulting sector. The 29 operational Solwers companies offer a wide range of design and project management services, employing around 750 experts in Finland and Sweden. | www.solwers.com
Hyperscale customer leases entire 78 MW campus in Westpoort, Amsterdam

Over 1 billion to be invested, creating more than a thousand jobs.

LONDON, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pure Data Centres Group (Pure DC), the designer, developer, and operator of hyperscale cloud and AI data centres, today announced it has signed 2025's largest standalone hyperscale data centre lease in Europe. A hyperscale customer is leasing the entire 78MW campus, situated in Westpoort, Amsterdam with Pure DC investing over 1 billion to develop the site.

As part of the lease deal, Pure DC has purchased a site, secured planning permissions, and 100MVA of power via a private substation. The land was purchased on a long leasehold from the Port of Amsterdam. Securing, the site, combined with permitting approvals, power, and supply constraints within Amsterdam required complex negotiations and creative partnership over many months to secure the deal.

This major infrastructure investment is set to play a pivotal role in supporting the region's digital growth and energy resilience. As well as the Euro investment by Pure DC, the development will directly provide over 1,000 jobs and support many more roles through the extended supply chain. This will drive demand for skilled positions, utilising local companies wherever possible. Once complete, the data centre will provide approximately 80 permanent skilled jobs including engineers, maintenance, security and administrative staff.

Designated AMS01, Pure DC's data centre campus will comprise of three 85-metre towers, powered by a private substation with a firm connection into the 50kV grid. Each of the three towers will house 26MW of data halls, designed to support high density compute with high efficiency cooling achieving the Netherlands energy efficiency target PUE of 1.2. The private substation is already constructed and live, with development of the data halls expected to begin in January 2026.

"Amsterdam is one of Europe's most constrained markets for digital infrastructure and Pure DC has again demonstrated its ability to unlock new low-latency, high-quality capacity. This deal demonstrates how our specialist teams have the creativity and approach to deliver compelling proposals for even previously distressed assets - delivering solutions for local authorities, potential customers, and our supply chain", explained Dame Dawn Childs DBE FREng, CEO, Pure Data Centres.

Pure DC is committed to working with local communities near current and future operational locations. In Amsterdam, Pure DC aims to replicate programs running in its other projects, including working with local schools and universities to provide training, career guidance, and outreach programs, supporting local charitable organizations, and working with community partners on environmental conservation projects.

For more on Pure DC go to www.puredc.com

For media enquiries please contact: puredc@pagefield.co.uk

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ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Miral, the leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences in Abu Dhabi, has announced the Miral Impact Fund, in partnership with the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an, Abu Dhabi Government's official channel to receive social contributions. This fund strengthens Miral's commitment to delivering measurable social and environmental impact across Abu Dhabi and marks an evolution of its CSR strategy while reinforcing Ma'an's role in advancing sustainable social responsibility throughout the community.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

https://www.multivu.com/miral/9373451-en-impact-fund-launched-partnership-with-authority-of-social-contribution

Attended by H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development - Abu Dhabi, and H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Miral, the agreement for the Fund's establishment was signed by H.E. Abdullah Al Ameri, Director General of the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an, and Dr. Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, Group CEO of Miral.

The Fund is designed to be a catalyst for responsible growth and community development. It will focus on four key pillars: Conservation, Art & Culture, Health & Wellbeing, and Education & Skills Development, each delivering measurable social impact through dedicated programmes and initiatives. Representing a key step in addressing Abu Dhabi's evolving priorities, the Fund embodies Miral's commitment to shaping a sustainable and inclusive future. It also provides a transparent platform for corporate and community contributions, creating lasting value.

Dr. Mohammad Abdalla Al Zaabi, Group CEO of Miral, said: "Launching the Miral Impact Fund marks a defining moment in our journey to shape destinations and create a positive legacy. Over the years, we have embedded social responsibility within our business, and this fund is the natural next step in turning our CSR strategy to measurable action. Aligning with Abu Dhabi's Vision 2030, our partnership with The Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an will channel collective contributions towards real social and environmental impact, from conserving our marine life and environment to empowering our communities and inspiring future generations."

The Fund's inaugural initiative, 'Guardians of the Arabian Gulf' will be led by the Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue Center Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, aiming to protect marine ecosystems and endangered species while training future conservation leaders.

His Excellency Abdullah Humaid Al Ameri, Director General, Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an, said: "As the official channel to receive social contributions, the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an raises and deploy funds to partners to support projects across various sectors including the environment sector to directly impact the community. We are dedicated to working with the private sector to support them in achieving their Corporate Social Responsibility goals by connecting them with projects that address social priorities and support community development. Through this partnership, we continue to direct community contributions toward initiatives that empower communities, preserve our environment, and advance Abu Dhabi's vision for a sustainable and inclusive future."

The Fund is governed by a joint Miral and Ma'an Steering Committee, supported by an advisory group that ensures transparency and the effective use of contributions. Members include Dr. Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi?, Group CEO of ?Miral, as Chair; Taghrid Alsaeed, Executive Director of Marketing, Communications & Events at Miral, as Vice Chair; Mahmoud Abu Alhaija, Executive Director of Finance, Miral; H.E. Maysa Alnuwais, Executive Director of Community Engagement and Volunteering, Ma'an; H.E. Faisal Alhmoudi, Executive Director of the Social Investment Fund, Ma'an; and Elie Daher, Committee Secretary.

The Miral Impact Fund invites partners, organisations, and individuals to join in building a more sustainable future.

Contributions and proposals can be made through the fund's webpage: miral.ae/miral-impact-fund

IMPORTANT NOTES TO EDITORS:

Pillars of the Fund:

Conservation : Protecting natural ecosystems and promoting sustainable practices including seagrass research, sea-turtle and bird-of-prey rescue and rehabilitation, and fostering future conservation leaders under the Guardians of the Arabian Gulf initiative, while strengthening community awareness and environmental stewardship across Abu Dhabi.

: Protecting natural ecosystems and promoting sustainable practices including seagrass research, sea-turtle and bird-of-prey rescue and rehabilitation, and fostering future conservation leaders under the initiative, while strengthening community awareness and environmental stewardship across Abu Dhabi. Art & Culture : Nurturing local talent, preserving heritage, and strengthening creative communities to enrich Abu Dhabi's cultural identity.

: Nurturing local talent, preserving heritage, and strengthening creative communities to enrich Abu Dhabi's cultural identity. Health & Wellbeing : Enhancing community health through preventative care, active lifestyles, and mental health awareness.

: Enhancing community health through preventative care, active lifestyles, and mental health awareness. Education & Skill Development: Developing future talent and capabilities, needed for a knowledge-based economy and lifelong learning.

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2846903/Miral.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2846904/Miral.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2846893/Miral_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/miral-impact-fund-launched-in-partnership-with-the-authority-of-social-contribution--maan-to-champion-environmental-stewardship-and-social-impact-302646763.html
ISKRA Jewelry Brings the Art of Meaningful Luxury to the U.S.

THE WOODLANDS, TX / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / The U.S. is flooded with fast fashion and "blink-and-it's-over" trends. This is why ISKRA Jewelry launched here with a singular mission: to bring the European philosophy of "quiet luxury" to the American jewelry box.

Moving away from mass production, ISKRA Jewelry specializes in Modern Heirlooms. The collection features birthstones, simple initial engravings and stackable rings, designed to be worn daily and cherished for generations - without losing the special sparkle. The brand combines the understated aesthetic of European design and the sentimental connection of family heritage.

"Americans are used to jewelry that shouts," says Vuk, Founder of ISKRA. "We believe that jewelry should whisper. Our pieces aren't designed to follow a trend; they are designed to tell your story and include your loved ones in it."

Their debut collection focuses on "The Art of the Stack" - a staple of European style where two or three delicate pieces are layered to create a personal signature rather than a loud statement. The launch features three core pillars:

The Monogram Edit : Moving beyond classic stamping, these pieces feature a deep-set serif engraving on polished gold discs, hearts or clovers. The collection covers the classic pendant necklace as well as a matching signet ring, stud earring and a bracelet.

The Colorful Stack : Colors, designed to be stacked. Their stackable rings allow wearers to build a custom look with meaning.

The Birthstone Series : By reimagining birthstone jewelry, this line features gem-halo clusters and open-circle "karma" designs. The "halo" silhouette represents the encircling love of family, offering an alternative to traditional birthstone settings.

All collections by ISKRA are available as necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings.

In a time of mass-produced accessories, ISKRA Jewelry offers a return to personal connection. It is European heritage reimagined for the modern American family.

The collection is available now at iskrajewelry.com

About ISKRA Jewelry: Founded by jeweler Vuk, ISKRA brings European craftsmanship to the US market. The brand is rooted in family values, and creates understated, meaningful pieces designed to be worn, loved, and passed down.

Contact:

Vladimir Pajic

E-mail: hello@iskrajewelry.com

Tel:+1 847-942-6688

SOURCE: ISKRA Jewelry

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/the-european-%22anti-trend%22-has-arrived-1119195
HIAB CORPORATION, STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE, 19 DECEMBER 2025 AT 12:00 PM (EET)

Proposals by Hiab's Shareholders' Nomination Board to the Annual General Meeting 2026

Number of members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders' Nomination Board ("Nomination Board") of Hiab Corporation ("Hiab" or "the Company") proposes to the Annual General Meeting to be held on 24 March 2026, that the number of members of the Board of Directors is confirmed as seven (7).

Composition of the Board of Directors

The Nomination Board proposes that the current members Eric Alstrom, Raija-Leena Hankonen-Nybom, Casimir Lindholm, Jukka Moisio, Tuija Pohjolainen-Hiltunen, Ritva Sotamaa and Luca Sra would be re-elected. Ilkka Herlin has informed that he is not available for re-election. Jukka Moisio is proposed to be re-elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors and Casimir Lindholm re-elected as the Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors. The proposed members of the Board of Directors are presented on Hiab's webpage: www.hiabgroup.com/governance.

All the Board member candidates have given their consent to be elected. All candidates have been assessed to be independent of the Company's significant shareholders. Furthermore, all of them, with the exception of Casimir Lindholm, the Company's former President and CEO, have been assessed to be independent of the Company.

With regard to the selection procedure for the members of the Board of Directors, the Shareholders' Nomination Board recommends that shareholders take a position on the proposal as a whole at the General Meeting. This recommendation is based on the fact that in Hiab, in line with a good Nordic governance model, the Shareholders' Nomination Board is separate from the Board of Directors. The Shareholders' Nomination Board, in addition to ensuring that individual nominees for membership of the Board of Directors possess the required competencies, is also responsible for making sure that the proposed Board of Directors as a whole has the best possible expertise and experience for the Company and that the composition of the Board of Directors meets other requirements of the Finnish Corporate Governance Code for listed companies.

Remuneration of the members of Board of Directors

The Nomination Board proposes fixed annual remuneration to the Board members as follows:

Chair of the Board: EUR 170,000 (2025: 160,000)

Vice Chair of the Board: EUR 100,000 (95,000)

Other members of the Board: EUR 85,000 (80,000)

An additional fixed remuneration is proposed to be paid to the Board members that are elected as members of committees as follows:

EUR 22,000 (2025: 20,000) to the Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee

EUR 11,000 (10,000) to each member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee

EUR 16,000 (15,000) to the Chair of any other committee constituted by the Board

EUR 6,000 (5,000) to each member of any other committee constituted by the Board

In addition to the annual fees, meeting fees for attending Board or Committee meetings are proposed as follows:

EUR 1,000 (2025: 1,000) for meetings held in the Member's country of residence or attended remotely

EUR 2,000 (2,000) for meetings held in a different country from the Member's residence

EUR 3,000 (3,000) for meetings held on a different continent from the Member's residence

The Nomination Board further proposes that the annual Board and Committee fees are to be paid in the Company shares and cash so that 40 (2025: 40) percent is to be paid in the Company's class B shares to be purchased on the Board members' behalf from the market at a price determined in public trading, and the rest in cash.

The shares will be purchased within two weeks of the publication of the interim report for the period 1 January 2026-31 March 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter in accordance with applicable legislation. The company will pay any costs and transfer tax related to the purchase of company shares.

Expenses related to travel and accommodation, as well as other costs directly related to Board and Committee work shall be reimbursed in accordance with company policy.

If the term of a member of the Board of Directors terminates before the Annual General Meeting of 2027, the Board has a right to decide upon potential reclaim of the term fees as it deems appropriate.

Composition of the Shareholders' Nomination Board

The Nomination Board consists of four (4) members. According to the Charter of the Nomination Board, the members of the Nomination Board are appointed as follows: the two largest shareholders of class A shares are entitled to appoint one (1) member each, and the two largest shareholders of class B shares who do not own any class A shares, are entitled to appoint one (1) member each.

According to the Charter of the Nomination Board, the number of votes held by each shareholder of all shares in the Company are determined based on the shareholders' register of Hiab as per the situation on the first banking day of June each year.

In accordance with the above, the members of Hiab's Nomination Board are:

Ville Herlin, Chair (appointed by Wipunen varainhallinta oy)

Ilona Herlin (appointed by Mariatorp Oy)

Markus Aho, Deputy CEO, Chief Investment Officer, Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company (appointed by Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company)

Rami Vehmas, Chief Equity Officer, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company (appointed by Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company)

In accordance with the Charter of the Nomination Board, the Chair of Hiab's Board of Directors, participates in the Nomination Board's work as an expert without having the right to participate in the decision-making of the Nomination Board.

For further information, please contact:

Taina Tirkkonen, EVP, General Counsel, tel. +358 50 317 4000

Further information for investors:

Aki Vesikallio, Vice President, Investor Relations, tel. +358 40 729 1670



Hiab


DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Agronomics Limited ("Agronomics" or the "Company") (LSE:ANIC), a leading listed company focused on clean food, reports that the board and shareholders of its portfolio company Meatable B.V ("Meatable"), have resolved to dissolve the legal entity and its related group companies and to terminate all operating activities.

Throughout 2025, Meatable has been subject to a variety of foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and uncertainties, which have had an impact on the company's ability to execute its strategy and deliver its expected performance. In particular, the company was unable to obtain continued funding from either existing shareholders or from new investors. Following a thorough review of strategic options, the board and shareholders have concluded that an orderly wind-down of the business is the most appropriate course of action. The winding-up of Meatable will be conducted in accordance with the applicable statutory liquidation procedures.

To date, Agronomics has invested a total of 7.9 million in Meatable, which prior to this news was carried at 11.9 million and will now be written off to zero. This position represented c.8.10% of Agronomics' last stated Net Asset Value as at 30 September 2025.

Jim Mellon, Executive Chair of Agronomics, commented: "While this outcome is disappointing, we believe the decision has been taken responsibly and in the best interests of all stakeholders. Agronomics continues to actively manage its portfolio and remains focused on supporting its wider portfolio of businesses with strong long-term growth potential."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

ENDS

About Agronomics

Agronomics is a leading London-listed company focused on investment opportunities within the field of cellular agriculture. The Company has established a portfolio of over 20 companies developing technologies that produce food and materials historically derived from animals, offering solutions for improved sustainability, human health, and food security.

A full list of Agronomics' portfolio companies is available at www.agronomics.im.

For further information, please contact:

Agronomics Limited Beaumont

Cornish Limited Cavendish Capital

Markets

Limited 33Seconds

Limited The Company Nomad Joint Broker Public Relations Jim Mellon

Denham Eke Roland Cornish

James Biddle Giles Balleny

Michael Johnson Jack Ferris

Amber Carr +44 (0) 1624 639396

info@agronomics.im +44 (0) 207 628 3396 +44 (0) 207 397 8900 agronomics@33seconds.co

Nominated Adviser

Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish") is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any matter referred to in it.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Agronomics Limited

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/agriculture/agronomics-limited-announces-dissolution-of-meatable-1119386
Simplified judicial liquidation of Avendator and launch of emergency appeal proceedings

Paris, 19 December 2025, 12:00 pm

AVENTADOR (Euronext Growth Paris - ALAVE - ISIN FR001400IV58), a listed holding company on Euronext Growth, informs the market that, by judgment dated 3 December 2025, the Commercial Court of Bourg-en-Bresse decided to convert the judicial reorganisation proceedings opened in favour of the Company into simplified judicial liquidation proceedings.

The firm MJ Synergie, represented by Maitre Desprat, has been appointed as judicial liquidator.

Following this decision, the Company has entered an appeal before the Lyon Court of Appeal.

By way of reminder, AVENTADOR, formerly known as ALGREEN, was founded by Mr Patrick Marche and previously held several investments, notably in Les Toques Blanches du Monde, Naka and Uni Fish Food, which were subsequently placed into judicial liquidation.

In this context, a new management team was appointed to present a recovery plan and relaunch AVENTADOR's activities. As part of this process, a substantial restructuring plan was implemented.

Despite these measures, the Commercial Court of Bourg-en-Bresse considered that the Company continued to face significant difficulties and a material level of liabilities, notably relating to financial commitments entered during prior periods, and deemed these elements sufficient to justify the opening of judicial liquidation proceedings.

The management of AVENTADOR was therefore surprised and disappointed by this decision, particularly given that the Company has no employees, did not generate any additional liabilities during the observation period, and that this period was fully funded through cash injections totalling 170,000 (see press release dated 26 September 2025).

In addition, a merger project is currently under review by Euronext and is supported by equity financing commitments of 1,250,000, confirmed by the depositary banking institutions.

It is also recalled that, during the hearing, the public prosecutor requested an extension of the observation period in order to allow this project to proceed.

Gilles-Emmanuel Trutat, Chairman, expressed his disappointment with the decision and reaffirmed the management's commitment to defending the interests of the Company and its numerous shareholders as part of the appeal proceedings.

About AVENTADOR

AVENTADOR is a holding company specialising in the management, development and financing of profitable businesses. With an approach focused on sustainable growth and the support of companies with a clear strategic vision, AVENTADOR actively supports the development of its portfolio companies in order to enhance their value, notably through a range of financial, accounting, tax, legal and IT optimisation processes.

Press and Investor Contact

AELIUM - Finance & Communication

aventador@aelium.fr

+33 1 89 70 76 89

AVENTADOR (Euronext Growth Paris, Ticker: ALAVE, ISIN: FR001400IV58)

www.aventadorholding.com

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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-95657-20251219_pr_aventador_liquidation_appelrefere-en.pdf
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Gunnison Copper Corp. (TSX: GCU) (OTCQB: GCUMF) (FSE: 3XS0) ("Gunnison" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Collaboration Framework Agreement ("CFA") with Lunasonde Inc. ("Lunasonde"), a defense and mineral exploration technology company focused on next-generation subsurface remote sensing using Airborne Georadiotomography (aGRT) Technology.

Under the agreement, Lunasonde will deploy its proprietary remote sensing technology to conduct an initial high-resolution subsurface survey over a defined portion of Gunnison's mineral property portfolio within the Company's Cochise Mining District in southern Arizona. The work program is expected to include test and calibration flights, followed by data processing and analysis to generate three-dimensional subsurface imaging of identified anomalies with the potential to host critical minerals.

The collaboration is intended to evaluate the potential application of Lunasonde's technology as a complementary exploration and targeting tool across Gunnison's land position, which hosts multiple known copper deposits within close proximity to existing infrastructure and operations.

"This collaboration reflects Gunnison's disciplined approach to innovation and data-driven decision-making," said Stephen Twyerould, President & CEO of Gunnison Copper. "We are continuously evaluating advanced technologies that have the potential to enhance our geological understanding, improve targeting efficiency, and support long-term value creation across the Cochise Mining District."

"Our partnership with Gunnison is a pivotal first step towards deploying aGRT for mineral exploration across the globe and securing our nation's critical mineral supply" said Jeremiah Pate, Founder and CTO of Lunasonde.

Lunasonde's technology is designed to identify subsurface features from aerial and space-based platforms, offering a non-invasive method of data acquisition that may complement traditional geophysical and geological datasets. Results from the initial survey will be assessed alongside Gunnison's existing technical information to determine potential future applications.

The Company also announces that it has received a third conversion notice from Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund I LP ("Nebari") pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Second ARCA"). See the Company's press release dated April 24, 2025 for further details of the Second ARCA. The conversion benefits the Company as it reduces the principal amount of the Second ARCA. With a full conversion of the convertible principal amount by Nebari, and the intention to use the proceeds to be received from sale of the previously announced 48C tax credits to repay the remaining convertible portion of the Second ARCA, the Second ARCA could be repaid in full.

The third conversion is for US$500,000 at the conversion price of US$0.2097 (converted from C$0.30), resulting in the issuance of 2,384,358 common shares. Nebari have advised that they are converting for the purpose of sale and may convert further amounts.

ABOUT GUNNISON COPPER

Gunnison Copper Corp. is a multi-asset pure-play copper developer and producer that controls the Cochise Mining District (the district), containing 12 known deposits within an 8 km economic radius, in the Southern Arizona Copper Belt.

Its flagship asset, the Gunnison Copper Project, has a Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource containing over 831.6 million tons with a total copper grade of 0.31% (Measured Mineral Resource of 191.3 million tons at 0.37% and Indicated Mineral Resource of 640.2 million tons at 0.29%), and a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") yielding robust economics including an NPV8% of $1.3 billion, IRR of 20.9%, and payback period of 4.1 years. It is being developed as a conventional operation with open pit mining, heap leach, and SX/EW refinery to produce finished copper cathode on-site with direct rail link.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and 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. There is no certainty that the conclusions reached in the PEA will be realized. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

In addition, Gunnison's Johnson Camp Asset, which is now in production, is fully funded by Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto Venture, with a production capacity of up to 25 million lbs of finished copper cathode annually.

Other significant deposits controlled by Gunnison in the district, with potential to be economic satellite feeder deposits for Gunnison Project infrastructure, include Strong and Harris, South Star, and eight other deposits.

For additional information on the Gunnison Project, including the PEA and mineral resource estimate, please refer to the Company's technical report entitled "Gunnison Project NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment" dated effective November 1, 2024 and available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Dr. Stephen Twyerould, Fellow of AUSIMM, President and CEO of the Company is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Dr. Twyerould has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information contained in this news release.

For more information on Gunnison, please visit our website at www.GunnisonCopper.com.

ABOUT LUNASONDE

Lunasonde Inc. is a defense and mineral exploration technology startup dedicated to revolutionizing subsurface sensing using its novel radar system capable of discerning underground features from aerial and space platforms. Their mission is to address the scarcity of critical minerals and life-sustaining natural resources by delivering rapid, high-resolution subsurface data via aerial radar combined with advanced processing pipelines. The company's solutions support commercial, defense, and humanitarian applications-enabling resource mapping, recurring monitoring, and exploration in environmentally sensitive or politically challenging areas on Earth, and, ultimately, celestial bodies.

For more information, please visit www.lunasonde.com.

For further information regarding this press release, please contact:

Gunnison Copper Corp.

Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Such forward-looking statements relate to the intention to deploy the Nuton technology at the Johnson Camp mine and future production therefrom; the continued funding of the stage 2 work program by Nuton; the details and expected results of the stage two work program; future production and production capacity from the Company's mineral projects; the results of the preliminary economic assessment on the Gunnison Project; plans to fully retire the remaining Nebari debt; the terms and benefits of the transaction with Lunasonde; and the exploration and development of the Company's mineral projects.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, Nuton will continue to fund the stage 2 work program, Nebari will convert the remaining principal amount of the Second ARCA, the availability of financing to continue as a going concern and implement the Company's operational plans, expectations regarding the receipt of 48C tax credits, the estimation of mineral resources, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs (including the price of acid), the availability of labour, material and acid supply, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks related to the Company not obtaining adequate financing to continue operations, Nebari not converting the remaining principal amount of the Second ARCA and the Company not having sufficient funds to repay such amount, the Company receives less 48C tax credits than expected, Nuton failing to continue to fund the stage 2 work program, the breach of debt covenants, risks inherent in the construction and operation of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not be sustained at the Gunnison Copper Project, risks related to the delay in approval of work plans, variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions on the Company's business, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, risks related to the ability to access acid supply on commercially reasonable terms, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the construction or mining process, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information is made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278649

Source: Gunnison Copper Corp.
ABU DHABI, UAE, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) 2025, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council concluded after a momentous week of dynamic discussions, announcements, and visionary collaboration that further rooted Abu Dhabi's stature as a leading global financial hub.

As Abu Dhabi's flagship financial and investment event, organised by ADGM with ADQ as Headline Partner, ADFW 2025 brought together an unprecedented 35,000+ attendees with more than 30% international participants, representing 175 nationalities, across 68 events and 394 thematic sessions. The event convened 819 influential speakers and over 69 global and regional partners, including Hanwha as a Strategic Partner.

For the first time in the event's history, the total assets represented during the week surpassed USD 62 trillion - equivalent to 53% of global GDP - as international capital leaders, investors, regulators, and innovators amalgamated in Abu Dhabi to shape the future of global finance.

Commenting on ADFW's most successful edition, H.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM, said, "ADFW has been recognised as one of the world's most influential financial gatherings. This record-breaking edition demonstrated Abu Dhabi's ability to convene global capital at a meaningful scale, with decision makers representing more than USD 62 trillion in assets coming together to shape the future of finance. ADFW has evolved as Abu Dhabi's own global platform, enabling deal-making and capital formation by uniting capital, policy, and innovation with confidence and precision. As the "Capital of Capital", Abu Dhabi is not only hosting global financial dialogue but actively engineering the architecture that will define the next decade of global growth."

Impactful Dialogue and Transformative Announcements

This year's edition catalysed strategic progress across global finance. Among the most consequential developments, ADGM welcomed 11 global financial institutions managing over USD 9 trillion in AUM, in the run-up to and during the fourth and largest edition of ADFW, marking a historic presence of global capital in Abu Dhabi's thriving financial ecosystem. In 2025, in the run-up to ADFW, global giants such as UBS Group, KKR, Julius Baer, HarbourVest, Madison Realty Capital, Partners Group, DWS and Monroe Capital announced setting up within ADGM's jurisdiction. Additionally, during the four-day event, entities such as Cantor Fitzgerald, Circle Internet MEA, BBVA, 'Arab Bank (Switzerland) Middle East Ltd, Gulf, Plenary ME Infrastructure Partners, iCapital and Eurasian Development Bank unveiled the opening of offices in Abu Dhabi's international financial centre.

In a powerful convergence of finance and philanthropy, a USD 1.9 billion global commitment to eradicate polio was pledged during a high-level moment convened by the Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) Foundation for Humanity, with the participation of Bill Gates, as well as global, regional, and local donors.

In a major regulatory milestone, Binance became the first crypto exchange globally to receive a global licence under ADGM's regulatoryframework, setting a new global benchmark for digital asset oversight and reinforcing Abu Dhabi's leadership in financial innovation. ERM,the world's largest specialist sustainability consultancy, announced the opening of its new office within ADGM, highlighting the financial centre's expanding role in advancing the global sustainability agenda.

Abu Dhabi Ranked MENA's No. 1 Financial Hub

An inaugural Financial Centres Competitiveness Index (FCCI), unveiled during ADFW by the Stern School of Business at NYU Abu Dhabi (Stern at NYUAD), ranked Abu Dhabi as the top financial centre in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and 12th globally. This achievement further strengthens the UAE capital's reputation as one of the world's most influential financial hubs through ADGM.

ADFW 2025 has Engineered the Capital Network

The record-breaking edition of ADFW 2025 was anchored by the theme "Engineering the Capital Network," and demonstrated Abu Dhabi's continued emergence as a global financial epicentre as well as ADGM's role in shaping the future architecture of global finance by connecting capital, technology and policy in new and transformative ways.

The event witnessed the announcement of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and strategic collaborations among global, regional, and local entities. This year, 82 MoUs and partnerships were signed during ADFW, further strengthening cross-border alliances and innovation pipelines in the coming year. Top entities that leveraged ADFW's strategic platform to announce their collaborations include BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Mubadala, Mastercard, Hanwha, Swiss Re, RIQ, Kitopi Global, Kresus, Zelo, MarcyPen Capital Partners, Tether, Crypto.com, Zodia, Presto, PCP, Warner bros. Discovery, Global World Gold Council, Bain Capital and more.

The next edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week will take place from 7-10 December 2026, building on the momentum of ADFW 2025 and reinforcing ADFW as the region's leading global financial gathering.

For more information, please visit: www.adfw.com

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Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release, publication, distribution or dissemination, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / KALO GOLD CORP. (TSXV:KALO) ("Kalo", "Kalo Gold" or the "Company") announces that it will implement the consolidation of its common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") on the basis of four (4) pre-consolidation Shares for every one (1) post-consolidation Share (the "Consolidation") effective as of December 23, 2025.

The Company name will remain unchanged after the Consolidation. The new CUSIP number will be 48344L305 and the new ISIN number will be CA48344L3056 for the post-Consolidation Shares.

The total issued and outstanding number of Shares post-Consolidation will be approximately 78,611,027, subject to rounding for fractional Shares.

No fractional Shares will be issued in connection with the Consolidation. In the event a holder of Shares would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional Share in connection with the Consolidation, the fractional Share will be cancelled if it is less than one-half (1/2) of a Share, and will be changed to one whole Share if that fractional Share is equal to or greater than one-half (1/2) of a Share.

The exercise or conversion price, and the number of Shares issuable under any of the Company's outstanding convertible securities, if any, will be proportionately adjusted upon the effectiveness of the Consolidation.

Registered shareholders who hold physical Share certificates will receive a letter of transmittal requesting they forward pre-Consolidation Share certificates to the Company's transfer agent, Odyssey Trust Company in exchange for new Share certificates representing Shares on a post-Consolidation basis. Shareholders who hold their Shares through a broker or other intermediary and do not have Shares registered in their own name will not be required to complete a letter of transmittal.

About Kalo Gold Corp.

Kalo Gold Corp., a gold exploration company, focused on epithermal gold deposits on the Company's Vatu Aurum Project, located on Vanua Levu (North Island). Kalo holds 100% of two Special Prospecting Licenses covering 367 km, encompassing a regional back-arc basin with volcanic calderas. Historical and ongoing exploration has identified numerous priority epithermal gold targets.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Kalo Gold Corp.

Terry L. Tucker, P.Geo.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Kevin Ma, CPA, CA

Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and Director

For more information, please write to info@kalogoldcorp.com.

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 press release.

Forward Looking Statements Disclaimer

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") related to the closing of the Offerings, use of proceeds and other such future events and Kalo's future business, operations, and financial performance and condition. Forward-looking statements normally contain words like "will", "intend", "anticipate", "could", "should", "may", "might", "expect", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential", "project", "assume", "contemplate", "believe", "shall", "scheduled", and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions, and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable, and appropriate in the circumstances. Although management believes that the forward-looking statements herein are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Kalo's business. Additional material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, the impact of general economic conditions, and unforeseen events and developments. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect the Company's forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the control of Kalo. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as at the date hereof, and Kalo undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in its most recent management's discussion and analysis. They are otherwise disclosed in its filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE: Kalo Gold Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/kalo-gold-announces-effective-date-of-consolidation-1119347
THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

WHITE ROCK, BRITISH COLUMBIA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Athena Gold Corporation (CSE:ATHA)(OTCQB:AHNRF) ("Athena Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases of November 17, November 24, December 9, and December 15, 2025, the Company has closed the third and final tranche of its private placement financing (the "Offering") and has received proceeds of CDN $502,002.98 through the issuance of 7,142,900 flow-through units (the "FT Units") at CDN $0.07 per FT Unit and 33,333 non-flow-through units (the "NFT Units") at CDN $0.06 per NFT Unit.

A total of CDN $3,500,028.99 was raised in the Offering, of which CDN $2,727,526.03 was raised in the first tranche, CDN $270,499.98 in the second tranche and CDN $502,002.98 in the third tranche.

Each FT Unit is comprised of one flow-through common share (a "FT Share") and one-half of a non-flow-through share purchase warrant (a "FT Warrant"), with each whole FT Warrant exercisable for one non-flow-through common share at an exercise price of CDN $0.09 for a term of 24 months after closing subject to an acceleration clause. If, at any time after the date that is 4 months and one day after the date of issuance of the FT Warrants, the average volume weighted trading price of Athena's common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is at or above CDN $0.14 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days (the "Triggering Event"), Athena may at any time, after the Triggering Event, accelerate the expiry date of the FT Warrants by giving ten calendar days' notice to the holders of the FT Warrants, by way of news release, and in such case the FT Warrants will expire on the first day that is 30 calendar days after the date on which such notice is given by Athena announcing the Triggering Event.

Each NFT Unit is comprised of one non-flow-through common share and one non-flow-through share purchase warrant (a "NFT Warrant"), with each NFT Warrant exercisable for one non-flow-through common share at an exercise price of CDN $0.09 for a term of 24 months after closing subject to an acceleration clause. If, at any time after the date that is 4 months and one day after the date of issuance of the NFT Warrants, the average volume weighted trading price of Athena's common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is at or above CDN $0.14 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days (the "Triggering Event"), Athena may at any time, after the Triggering Event, accelerate the expiry date of the NFT Warrants by giving ten calendar days' notice to the holders of the NFT Warrants, by way of news release, and in such case the NFT Warrants will expire on the first day that is 30 calendar days after the date on which such notice is given by Athena announcing the Triggering Event.

The FT Shares forming part of the FT Units will qualify as "flow-through shares" of the Company as defined in section 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada). Proceeds will be spent on the Company's Laird Lake and Oneman Lake Projects located in Ontario, that will qualify as "Canadian Exploration Expenses" as that term is defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada), which will be renounced to the purchasers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2025.

The proceeds from the sale of the NFT Units will be used for additional exploration work on the Company's properties and for general and administrative expenses and working capital purposes.

In connection with the closing of the third tranche, the Company paid finder's fees of $30,000.18 in cash and 428,574 in non-transferable finder's warrants (the "Finder's Warrants"). Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share of the Company for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issuance at an exercise price of CDN $0.09. No insiders participated in the third tranche.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a four-month and one-day hold period.

None of the foregoing securities have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable 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 (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Athena Gold Corporation

Athena Gold is engaged in the business of mineral exploration and the acquisition of mineral property assets. Its objective is to locate and develop economic precious and base metal properties of merit and to conduct additional exploration drilling and studies on its projects across North America. Athena Gold's Laird Lake project is situated in the Red Lake Gold District of Ontario, covering over 4,000 hectares along more than 10 km of the Balmer-Confederation Assemblage contact, where recent surface sampling results returned up to 373 g/t Au. This underexplored area is road-accessible, located about 10 km west of West Red Lake Gold's Madsen mine and 34 km northwest of Kinross Gold's Great Bear project. Meanwhile, its Excelsior Springs Au-Ag project is located in the prolific Walker Lane Trend in Nevada, where it us currently under option by Firetail Resources Limited. Excelsior Springs spans over 1,500 hectares and covers at least three historic mines.

For further information about Athena Gold Corporation and our Excelsior Springs Gold project, please visit www.athenagoldcorp.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Koby Kushner

President and Chief Executive Officer, Athena Gold Corporation

For further information, please contact:

Athena Gold Corporation

Koby Kushner, President and Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 416-846-6164

Email: kobykushner@athenagoldcorp.com

CHF Capital Markets

Cathy Hume, CEO

Phone: 416-868-1079 x 251

Email: cathy@chfir.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US. securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding future exploration plans, future results from exploration, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: "believes", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", 'plans", "may", "should", 'potential", "scheduled", or variations of such words and phrases and similar expressions, which, by their nature, refer to future events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this press release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that there will be investor interest in future financings, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration and development of the Company's projects in a timely manner.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this press release or incorporated by reference herein, except as otherwise stated.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulation services provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Athena Gold Corporation

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/athena-gold-fully-funded-for-drilling-with-3.5-million-non-brokered-private-place-1119368
TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Roxmore Resources Inc. (formerly, Axcap Ventures Inc.) (CSE:RM)(OTCQX:GARLF) ("Roxmore") is pleased to announce that its common shares have begun trading today on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol 'GARLF'. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their U.S. investors. For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the U.S. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws.

Along with trading on OTCQX, common shares of Roxmore will continue to trade on the CSE.

About Roxmore Resources Inc.

Roxmore is focused on developing its flagship, Converse Gold Project, the largest undeveloped gold deposit not owned by a major mining company in Nevada, USA. The Converse Gold Project is located within the prolific Battle Mountain trend containing 5.57Moz Au of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources and 0.42Moz Au Inferred Mineral Resources (238mt at 0.539g/t Au for 4.13Moz Measured Mineral Resources; 92mt at 0.487g/t Au for 1.44Moz Indicated, 25mt at 0.528g/t Au for 0.42Moz Inferred Mineral Resources). With decades of expertise in Nevada and globally, our Board and management are focused on unlocking the potential of this project. For further details please refer to our technical report entitled "Amended and Restated NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Update, Converse Property, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA" dated effective February 13, 2025 (the "Technical Report"), which is available on our website at www.roxmoreresources.com and on our SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person

Vance Spalding, P.Geo., who is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed and approved of the technical disclosure contained in this news release related to Roxmore. Mr. McLaughlin is an officer of Roxmore and therefore not independent pursuant to NI 43-101.

For further information please contact:

John Dorward

Chief Executive Officer

JDorward@roxmoreresources.com

Tel: + 1 905-961-4727

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward- looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "will", "estimates", "believes", "intends" "expects" and similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements concerning the Converse Gold Project, including the mineral resource estimates contained herein and the development thereof.Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and the actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, assumptions and expectations, many of which are beyond the control of Roxmore, including expectations and assumptions concerning Roxmore. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Roxmore. Please refer to Roxmore's public disclosure record on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for further details on risks and assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements contained herein, including, but not limited to, the Technical Report. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, as such information, although considered reasonable by the management of Roxmore at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statement. Except as expressly required by securities law, Roxmore does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Roxmore Resources Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/roxmore-resources-begins-trading-on-the-otcqx-best-market-in-the-uni-1119064
Listing provides enhanced liquidity for investors - Next stage of drilling at Maestro planned for 2026

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd. (TSXV:QZM) ("Quartz" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its common shares have been uplisted from the OTCQB Venture Market ("OTCQB") to the OTCQX Best Market in the United States. The Company's shares are now trading on the OTCQX under the symbol "QZMRF", providing investors with enhanced liquidity in the US public market, while Quartz will continue to maintain its primary listing on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "QZM".

Bob Dickinson, Quartz's Chairman comments, "As Quartz continues to make strong progress, the transition to the OTCQX Best Market significantly improves accessibility for U.S. investors at a time when our gold, silver and copper discoveries are gaining increasing attention. The value we are building at Maestro in particular is illustrated by our most recent drill results at the Prodigy zone. Three sequential phases of drilling have produced impressive gold and silver results. Trading on the OTCQX will enhance liquidity by providing current and future U.S.-based investors with a more transparent trading platform, while increasing the Company's visibility and access for U.S. investors. This represents a meaningful step forward as we broaden our reach in North America's largest capital market."

Quartz is committed to creating exceptional value for shareholders and the transition to the OTCQX provides additional opportunities for U.S. investors. The Company expects to support the OTCQX listing with an enhanced investor outreach program in 2026 in the U.S.

The Company recently reported assay results (News Release: November 3, 2025) from drill programs conducted on its Maestro property located 15 km north of Houston, British Columbia. Quartz is targeting exciting precious metal mineral systems that occur up to several kilometers outboard of the large Lone Pine molybdenum deposit, all within the extensive Maestro Property. The Company's phased drill programs are currently focused on delineation drilling of its Prodigy Au-Ag-Mo-Cu discovery. Quartz's sequential drill programs at Prodigy now total 8,346 meters across 13 holes. Quartz is funded to mobilize Phase 4 drilling in 2026 to continue further systematic delineation of Prodigy.

Shareholders of existing U.S. listed Quartz Mountain shares that were previously traded on the OTCQB Venture Market will now trade on the OTCQX with no further action required by shareholders. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for Quartz on www.otcmarkets.com.

The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.

About Quartz

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Quartz Mountain Resources (TSXV:QZM)(OTCQX:QZMRF) is a well- funded public company whose successful mine-finding management team is focused on discovering and transacting important-scale gold, silver and copper projects in British Columbia. The Company owns 100% of the Maestro high grade gold-silver project and 100% of the Jake porphyry copper-gold-silver project. Both projects are permitted by the British Columbia government for drilling activities with access to infrastructure and high potential for the development of substantial resources for significant future transactions.

Quartz is associated with Hunter Dickinson Inc. (HDI), a company with over 35 years of successfully discovering, developing and transacting mineral projects in Canada and internationally. Former HDI projects in British Columbia included Mount Milligan, Kemess South and Gibraltar -- all of which are porphyry-copper  gold deposits with current-producing or former-producing mines. Recently, Amarc Resources, an HDI associate, with funding from Freeport, announced the exciting discovery of the high grade AuRORA gold-copper-porphyry deposit also in British Columbia. Other well-known projects with HDI involvement include Sisson and Prosperity in Canada, Pebble and Florence in the United States, and Xietongmen in China.

Quartz is committed to the advancement of important-scale, critical and essential mining assets while following responsible mineral development principles, including a mandate to employ best-practice approaches in the engagement and involvement of local communities and meeting rigorous environmental standards.

Qualified Person

Farshad Shirmohammad, M.Sc., P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Minerals Projects, who is not independent of Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd., has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Robert Dickinson

Chairman

For further information, please contact:

Bob Dickinson

Email: robertdickinson@hdimining.com Ph: +1 604-684-6365

or:

Roger Blair

Email: rblair@acuityadvisorycorp.com Ph: +1 604-351-0025

or

Jeff Wilson

Email: jwilson@acuityadvisorycorp.com Ph: +1 604-837-5440

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. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking-statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking-statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking statements include the following: the Company's projects will obtain all required environmental and other permits, and all land use and other licenses, studies and exploration of the Company's projects will continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur. Though the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking-statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are subject to future events and third party discretion such as regulatory personnel. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include variations in market prices, continuity of mineralization and exploration success, and potential environmental issues or liabilities associated with exploration, development and mining activities, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and tenure and delays due to third party opposition, changes in and the effect of government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and exploration and development of properties located within Aboriginal groups asserted territories that may affect or be perceived to affect asserted aboriginal rights and title, and which may cause permitting delays or opposition by Aboriginal groups, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, and the risks and uncertainties connected with its business, investors should review the Company's home jurisdiction filings at www.sedarplus.ca and its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov

SOURCE: Quartz Mountain Resources Ltd.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/quartz-commences-trading-on-the-otcqx-best-market-under-the-symbol-qzmrf-1119257
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Verdent AI today announced major updates to its standalone desktop app, an AI-powered coding tool designed to help human developers juggle parallel tasks with unrivaled speed and clarity. Engineered to support the way developers naturally think and work, the app preserves full context across tasks, enabling seamless, instant, switching between codebases, features, bug fixes and experiments, without losing progress or momentum. This release marks a significant leap forward in developer productivity, establishing Verdent AI as a key enabler of faster, smarter, and more human-centered software creation.

"At Verdent, we believe the future of software development is both more autonomous and more human," said Zhijie Chen, co-founder and CEO of Verdent AI. "Developers shouldn't have to fight their tools. They should be supported by AI that understands complex workflows, keeps every thread of context alive, and works alongside them like a true partner. Our standalone app is smarter, faster and fundamentally more intuitive."

Key features of the desktop app include:

Seamless multitasking with context reservation: Modern development rarely happens one task at a time-and Verdent is built for that reality. The standalone app allows users to move effortlessly between multiple projects, features, and fixes while keeping every detail in mind. With Verdent's context-preserving AI, each task remains fully "alive," so when users switch focus, they can continue exactly where they left off-without reloading files, retracing logic, or mentally starting over.

Run parallel tasks without interference: Intelligent workspace orchestration ensures each agent functions in its own isolated environment. Developers can explore different approaches, test alternatives and merge the best results, without conflicts or cross-contamination. No more tangled dependencies or accidental overwrites. When the user is ready, they can easily compare outcomes and merge only what works best. It's experimentation with confidence, and iteration without compromise.

Parallel agent execution acts as a personal dev team: The system deploys multiple agents simultaneously across different tasks, functioning like a coordinated micro-team. Processes that would take a single agent hours can now be completed in minutes, accelerating complex project cycles 10x times faster than previously. It's like adding more hands to a user's workflow-without adding complexity. The user stays in control, while Verdent handles the heavy lifting in the background.

Additional resources:

SWE-bench Verified Technical Report

What impact will AI have on the software industry?

How do we see the four levels of AI SWE?

Callout: "Developers should be supported by AI that understands complex workflows, keeps every thread of context alive, and works alongside them like a true partner." - Zhijie Chen, co-founder and CEO of Verdent AI

Further details are available in the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZvkq8UWNhU.

About Verdent AI

Verdent AI is an AI-native software company developing agentic coding tools that empower human developers. Founded in 2025 and led by Zhijie Chen, Verdent AI is pioneering a more autonomous future of software development, where AI handles the grunt work so people can focus on creativity, innovation and building what's next.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278679

Source: 41Caijing
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Golden Rapture Mining Corporation (CSE: GLDR) is pleased to announce that it has launched a financing for gross proceeds of $500,000.

The offering will consist of non-flow-through (NFT) units and flow-through (FT) units, with pricing and breakdown as follows:

6,250,000 NFT Units. Each unit consists of a $0.04 common share with a full common share purchase warrant. Each whole common share purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.05 for a period of 2 years from closing; and

6,250,000 FT Units. Each unit consists of a $0.04 flow-through share with a one half of one common share purchase warrant. Each whole common share purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.05 for a period of 2 years from closing.

Non-flow-through gross proceeds are expected to be used for corporate G&A costs. Flow-through funds are expected to be used for eligible exploration expenses at Golden Rapture's NW Ontario projects, including the newly acquired Northern Queen Mine Property located adjacent to the Nexgold Goliath Gold Deposit with the eastern section of the property being located on the border of the Dryden Gold claims.

The Offering is subject to all necessary regulatory approvals, including acceptance from the Canadian Securities Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be 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 Company may pay finder fees to eligible finders at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Richard Rivet said, "We are proud to have assembled a strong portfolio of four gold projects, encompassing a total of 24 historical underexplored mine shafts, which are also located near gold producers. Having access to our own small portable hydraulic drill is also a game-changer, giving us the luxury to drill our properties at any time and at our own speed. With gold prices hitting record highs this year, we're excited to explore our highly-promising properties in what continues to be a very favourable market environment for gold explorers."

ABOUT GOLDEN RAPTURE MINING CORPORATION

Golden Rapture Mining is a newly listed exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of high-potential projects. Golden Rapture became listed on March 14 of 2024, and presently has 38,269,390 shares issued.

Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections, and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration programs and drill programs and potential significance of results are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. 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. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital, and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials, and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events, or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278671

Source: Golden Rapture Mining Corporation
ANAHEIM, CA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Phoenix Motor Inc. (OTC:PEVM) ("PhoenixEV" or the "Company"), leader in zero-emission commercial transportation, today announced a new strategic alignment with Powers Parts, a leading provider of OEM-approved electric-bus components and aftermarket service support. This alliance expands parts availability, enhances service responsiveness, and strengthens aftermarket support for customers throughout North America and Canada.

Under this agreement, Powers Parts will distribute OEM-approved replacement parts and provide expanded service support to PhoenixEV customers, reinforcing PhoenixEV's commitment to delivering safe, reliable, and high-quality electric bus performance.

As demand for battery-electric buses continues to grow, ensuring timely access to critical components is essential for maximizing uptime and maintaining operator satisfaction. By partnering with Powers Parts, PhoenixEV leverages an established national distribution network, deep industry knowledge, and proven leadership to better support transit agencies, fleet operators, and retail customers.

"This partnership reflects our commitment to delivering a superior ownership experience," said Josh Selin, VP of Global Operations, PhoenixEV. "By collaborating with a reputable service and parts provider, we can respond to customer needs more quickly and more effectively-without compromising the quality standards PhoenixEV is known for."

"Powers Parts has become the trusted, authorized channel for multiple OEM suppliers in the electric-bus space, and we continue to expand those partnerships. Our purpose is to support the agencies and operators who depend on these vehicles every day. This alignment with PhoenixEV reinforces our shared commitment to keeping fleets operational and ready to serve their communities," added Allison Powers, Founder & CEO, Powers Parts.

PhoenixEV will continue to maintain and administer all factory warranties as the OEM, while this alignment provides customers with an additional, highly qualified channel for parts and service support, enhancing speed and accessibility across the market.

PhoenixEV looks forward to building on this relationship and continuing to expand its service and support network across North America.

About Phoenix Motor Inc.

Phoenix Motor Inc. is redefining commercial transportation with smart, zero-emission electric vehicles. Through our two brands - PhoenixEV (America manufacturing for America market) and EdisonFuture (International resources for international market) - we deliver a full range of heavy-, medium-, and light-duty EVs, from transit and shuttle buses to delivery vans and trucks.

With cutting-edge electric drive systems and seamless integration of autonomous driving technologies, Phoenix is driving the future of sustainable transit, logistics, and community mobility - in the U.S. and beyond. To learn more, please visit: phoenixev.ai.

About Powers Parts LLC

Powers Parts LLC is a woman-owned EV-transportation parts and supply-chain company headquartered in Florida. The company specializes in sourcing, distributing, and supporting high-value components for electric transit buses-including battery systems, drivetrains, inverter modules, and power electronics. Powers Parts is the authorized distributor for multiple leading OEMs and serves major transit agencies across the United States and Canada.

Learn more at: https://powersparts.com/about-us/

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that involve significant risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements can be identified through the use of words such as "may," "might," "will," "intend," "should," "could," "can," "would," "continue," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "predict," "outlook," "potential," "plan," "seek," and similar expressions and variations or the negatives of these terms or other comparable terminology. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from the Company's current expectations depending upon a number of factors. These risk factors include, among others, those related to our ability to raise additional capital necessary to grow our business, operations and business and financial performance, our ability to grow demand for our products and revenue, our ability to become profitable, our ability to have access to an adequate supply of parts and materials and other critical components for our vehicles on the timeline we expect, the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the effects of the outbreak and actions taken in connection therewith, adverse changes in general economic and market conditions, competitive factors including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions, uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and market changes, risks associated with managing the growth of the business, and those other risks and uncertainties that are described in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's annual report filed on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to revise or update any forward-looking statements.

Contact:

IR@phoenixev.ai

Dave Gentry, CEO

RedChip Companies, Inc.

1-407-644-4256

PEV@redchip.com

SOURCE: Phoenix Motor Inc.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/automotive/phoenixev-announce-strategic-partnership-with-powers-parts-1119788
All monetary amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Highlander Silver Corp. (TSX: HSLV) ("Highlander Silver") and Bear Creek Mining Corporation (TSXV: BCM) (OTCQX: BCEKF) (BVL: BCM) ("Bear Creek") are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") whereby Highlander Silver and Bear Creek have agreed to combine their respective businesses by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). The combined company will be managed by the Highlander Silver executive team, supported by key Bear Creek personnel.

Corporate Highlights

Creates a leading growth company in the silver sector by adding the Corani silver project (the "Corani Project"), one of the largest primary silver deposits in the world, to a foundation supported by the bonanza grade San Luis gold-silver project

Leading management team with proven expertise in delivering rapid growth while advancing projects in South America in partnership with community and government stakeholders

Combined company's strong shareholder base includes global institutions and strategic shareholders, Augusta Capital, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott; Highlander's balance sheet remains well-capitalized and debt free post-transaction

Flagship Assets

San Luis Gold-Silver Project - Ancash, Peru

Hosts Indicated Mineral Resources of 356 koz gold ("Au") at 24.4 g/t Au and 8.4 Moz silver ("Ag") at 579 g/t Ag, ranking among the 10 highest grade projects globally in both gold and silver categories

Rapidly growing Bonita zone discovery has returned robust drilling results, recently including 23.9m of 20.82 g/t Au and 31.53 g/t Ag (BOD-023); 23.6m of 15.56 g/t Au and 74.49 g/t Ag (BOD-021); 23.4m of 11.70 g/t Au and 26.10 g/t Ag (BOD-022) 1

Geophysics and drilling plans to be released in the New Year and set the stage for the next phase of growth at Bonita while permitting advances

Corani Project - Puno, Peru

One of the largest primary silver deposits in the world, with permitting well advanced and supporting community agreements in place

2019 Feasibility Study (as defined below) using US$18/oz silver: US$532m NPV5% and 22.9% after-tax IRR; 9.6 Moz average annual silver production over LOM at AISC 2 of US$4.55/oz silver

Proven & Probable reserves of 229 Moz silver; measured and indicated mineral resources (inclusive of mineral reserves) of 323 Moz silver, and additional inferred mineral resources of 84 Moz silver

Growth opportunity that has not seen exploration drilling in the last decade with exploration opportunities to the north, northeast and south, and a related gold zone and porphyry target to pursue

Mercedes Gold-Silver Mine - Sonora, Mexico

Operating underground mine with underutilized 2,000 tpd processing plant and associated infrastructure; 2024 production of 40,220 oz gold and 217,676 oz silver

Large and highly prospective land package of 69,284 ha within prolific belt; main corridor of veins open under cover for over 6km of largely untested prospective strike, with numerous other targets to pursue across multiple styles of mineralization

Represents an attractive gold asset with significant upside that Highlander will seek to align with a well-funded responsible operator which can prioritize investing in its long-term future

Daniel Earle, President and CEO of Highlander Silver, commented, "I am delighted to present this transaction to our shareholders, which allows us to scale into the emerging structural bull market for silver beyond our bonanza grade San Luis project. The Corani Project is already one of the largest primary silver deposits in the world yet still offers robust growth and discovery potential. To Bear Creek Shareholders, I'd like to extend a warm welcome and commit to honour the legacy of your company as a trailblazer in Peruvian silver exploration by surfacing the full potential of the Corani Project within our portfolio."

Eric Caba, President and CEO of Bear Creek, commented, "I am extremely excited to realize the combination of Bear Creek with Highlander Silver, which will result in a robust, silver-focused enterprise with a significant mineral inventory, a clean balance sheet and a clear path to growth lead by our flagship Corani Project."

Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, Chair, and Peter Mitchell, Special Committee Chair of Bear Creek, respectively, add, "The Highlander Arrangement is a comprehensive solution that first and foremost provides exciting future opportunities for Bear Creek Shareholders to realize value from the Corani Project and participate in Highlander's San Luis project, and secondly provides an elegant solution that eliminates their substantial exposure to Bear Creek's liquidity and debt issues. After a thorough and disciplined strategic review process, engaging with numerous potential counterparties and carefully considering multiple alternative offers, we are extremely pleased to have negotiated the Arrangement with Highlander Silver, which provides the best path forward for our shareholders."

Bill Heissenbuttel, President and CEO of Royal Gold, commented, "With this transaction, Corani is moving into the hands of a well-capitalized company with a management team that has experience advancing large-scale projects in Latin America. I am pleased to see this transaction materialize, as it increases Royal Gold's exposure to the potentially large-scale and long-life Corani Project, and also furthers our objective of simplifying the portfolio we acquired with Sandstorm Gold by converting non-core assets into interests that fit our business model."

Bear Creek Strategic Review and Benefits of the Arrangement to Bear Creek Shareholders

Bear Creek undertook a formal comprehensive and thorough strategic review process (the "Strategic Review") over the past nine months to explore and evaluate the strategic and financial options available to Bear Creek with the ultimate view of restoring balance sheet strength and enhancing value for shareholders. Bear Creek's Special Committee, with the assistance of its legal and financial advisors, engaged with more than 100 parties and carried out an exhaustive analysis of multiple incoming proposals including joint venture, asset and corporate transactions. The Special Committee determined the Highlander Arrangement to be the superior offer in the best interests of the shareholders of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Shareholders").

Benefits to Bear Creek Shareholders

Continued Exposure to the Corani Project: Creates a near-term and executable pathway to construction and operation of the Corani Project - one of the world's largest fully permitted silver polymetallic deposits with 229 million ounces of silver and 4.4 billion pounds combined lead and zinc in proven and probable mineral reserves - unlocking long-underappreciated value for Bear Creek Shareholders.

Complementary Assets: Combines the Corani Project's substantial silver mineral reserves with Highlander's rapidly-advancing San Luis gold-silver development property to establish a top tier precious and base metal inventory and an organic pipeline of projects in Peru providing near and long term growth.

Stabilizes Bear Creek's Working Capital: Private Placement (as defined below) in the common shares of Bear Creek ("Bear Creek Shares") by Highlander Silver provides immediate liquidity and demonstrates Highlander Silver's confidence in the Arrangement.

Sound Financial Footing: Participation in a financially robust pro-forma company with a strong cash position, no debt, and a strong group of supportive shareholders including the Augusta Group, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott. The Arrangement eliminates Bear Creek's debt and stream burden (totaling US$121 million as at September 30, 2025) and significantly reduces liquidity and going concern risk for Bear Creek Shareholders.

Enhanced Capital Markets Profile: Participation in a growth-oriented company with increased critical mass, having a combined equity market capitalization of approximately $625 million, which will benefit from increased liquidity and the potential to amplify market exposure and normalize price to net asset value ratios.

Insider Support: All directors and officers of Bear Creek, as well as Bear Creek's largest shareholders, Royal Gold, Inc. ("Royal Gold") and Equinox Gold Corp. ("Equinox"), have signed voting support agreements in favour of the Arrangement, representing approximately 34% of the outstanding Bear Creek Shares.

Debt Restructuring: Outstanding debt obligations with Equinox and affiliates of Royal Gold are restructured in a manner which preserves Bear Creek Shareholders' exposure to the Corani Project.

Details of the Arrangement

Bear Creek and Highlander Silver entered into a definitive Arrangement Agreement on December 18, 2025, pursuant to which Highlander Silver will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

Bear Creek Shareholders will receive 0.1175 common shares in the capital of Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Shares", and such ratio being the "Exchange Ratio") in exchange for each Bear Creek Share held immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement. Upon completion of the Arrangement, existing holders of Highlander Shares ("Highlander Shareholders") and former Bear Creek Shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the total issued and outstanding Highlander Shares, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis.

Highlander Silver expects to issue an aggregate of approximately 34,450,672 Highlander Shares to the Bear Creek Shareholders, based on the Bear Creek Shares outstanding as at the date of this announcement. Highlander Silver may also issue up to approximately 346,253 additional Highlander Shares subject to, as part of the Arrangement, the conversion into Bear Creek Shares of certain convertible securities of Bear Creek at the effective time of the Arrangement. In-the-money stock options (as determined to be "in-the-money" as at the date of the Arrangement Agreement), restricted share units (the "RSUs") and deferred share units (the "DSUs") of Bear Creek outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement will (whether vested or unvested) immediately vest and be converted, as a step in the Arrangement, into Bear Creek Shares and the holders thereof will receive the number of Highlander Shares to which they are entitled for such Bear Creek Shares under the Arrangement based on the Exchange Ratio. Out-of-the-money options of Bear Creek (as determined to be "out-of-the-money" as at the date of the Arrangement Agreement) will be cancelled without any payment and such out-of-the-money optionholders will cease to have any rights under such cancelled options.

The outstanding warrants of Bear Creek will be treated in accordance with their terms and are expected to continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") under the symbol "BCM.WT". After giving effect to the Arrangement, Bear Creek warrants will become exercisable into Highlander Shares.

In addition, Highlander Silver has also entered into agreements with affiliates of Royal Gold and Equinox to settle all of Bear Creek's outstanding indebtedness owing to such parties, subject to the completion of the Transaction (the "Debt Settlement Arrangements" and together with the Arrangement, the "Transaction").

The Transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to the receipt of all required court, regulatory and stock exchange approvals. Following completion of the Arrangement, the Highlander Shares will remain listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Bear Creek Shares will be delisted from the TSXV.

Debt Settlement Arrangements

Highlander Silver has entered into definitive agreements to: (i) settle outstanding debt obligations owing by Bear Creek to Equinox and certain affiliates of Royal Gold; and (ii) terminate the gold and silver stream obligations between Bear Creek and an affiliate of Royal Gold under the Mercedes streaming arrangement.

Royal Gold will receive cash consideration of US$6.2 million, an incremental 1.75% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project and an unsecured 2% net smelter return royalty on the Mercedes mine, together with certain parent guarantees from Highlander Silver. Royal Gold's existing 1% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project will remain in place, such that Royal Gold will hold an aggregate 2.75% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project (the "Corani NSR"). Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.5% of the Corani NSR for US$25 million until the earlier of: (i) January 1, 2033; and (ii) the date that is 6 months after a final investment decision ("FID") is made. If the FID is obtained before December 31, 2028, Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.75% of the Corani NSR for US$30 million.

Equinox will receive US$1.6 million of cash consideration and a 0.5% unsecured net smelter royalty on the Corani Project (the "Equinox NSR"). Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.167% of the Equinox NSR for US$8.3 million until the earlier of: (i) January 1, 2033; and (ii) the date that is 6 months after an FID.

The Debt Settlement Arrangements are conditional upon closing the Arrangement.

Concurrent with execution of the Arrangement Agreement, both Royal Gold and Equinox have agreed to extend the interest accrual period on Bear Creek's convertible debts owing to both parties from December 31, 2025 to the earlier of (i) the closing date of the Arrangement and (ii) the termination of the Arrangement Agreement in accordance with its terms (the "Interest Deferral"). As at September 30, 2025, approximately $3.9 million of interest was accrued and payable to the parties. The fixed gold delivery obligations to Royal Gold under the Mercedes streaming arrangement will continue until the closing of the Arrangement.

Each of Royal Gold and Equinox is a "related party" of the Bear Creek and the Debt Settlement Arrangements and the Interest Deferral constitute "related party transactions" (as each term is defined in the policies of the TSXV and MI 61-101). Bear Creek intends to rely on the specified markets exemption from the formal valuation requirement set forth in subsection 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 and intends to seek approval from disinterested shareholders of Bear Creek, excluding for this purpose the votes held by any person required under MI 61-101 at the Bear Creek Meeting (as defined below).

Concurrent Non-Brokered Private Placement

Concurrently with the entering into of the Arrangement Agreement, Highlander Silver has entered into a subscription agreement with Bear Creek pursuant to which Highlander Silver will subscribe for 50,000,000 Bear Creek Shares at a price of $0.36 per Bear Creek Share for gross proceeds of $18 million to acquire approximately 14.6% ownership stake in Bear Creek (the "Private Placement"). The proceeds from the Private Placement will be used by Bear Creek for bonding, site investigation, exploration and studies at the Corani Project and for general working capital purposes at Mercedes. Closing of the Private Placement is expected to be completed on December 30, 2025 and is not contingent on the completion of the Arrangement.

The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSXV and other customary regulatory approvals. No finder's fee is payable in connection with the Private Placement. The Bear Creek Shares issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period, pursuant to securities laws in Canada. The Bear Creek Shares issued under the Private Placement have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Bear Creek, nor shall there be any offer or sale of any securities of Bear Creek in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, Bear Creek Shares held by Highlander Silver will be cancelled in accordance with the terms of the Arrangement Agreement and no Highlander Shares or other compensation will be issued in connection with such cancellation.

Transaction Conditions and Timing

The Arrangement will be effected by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and will require the approval of: (i) at least 662/3% of votes cast by Bear Creek Shareholders, (ii) 662/3% of the votes cast by the Bear Creek Shareholders and holders of the stock options, RSUs and DSUs (collectively, the "Bear Creek Securityholders"), voting together as a single class, and, if required, (iii) a simple majority of the votes cast by disinterested shareholders of Bear Creek, excluding for this purpose the votes held by any person required under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions.

The Arrangement will require approval of a simple majority of votes cast by Highlander Shareholders.

The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations and warranties for a transaction of this nature as well as customary interim period covenants regarding the operation of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's businesses. The Arrangement Agreement also includes customary deal protections in favour of each of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek. With respect to Highlander Silver, these protections include fiduciary-out provisions, non-solicitation covenants, and a right to match any superior proposals. With respect to Bear Creek, these protections include a fiduciary-out provision. The Arrangement Agreement includes a termination fee of $8 million payable by Bear Creek in the event the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances and a reverse-termination fee of $8 million payable by Highlander Silver in the event the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances.

In addition to securityholder and court approvals, the Arrangement is subject to applicable regulatory approvals, stock exchange approvals and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the Arrangement are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

Further details of the Arrangement, will be included in separate management information circulars to be prepared by each of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Circular") and Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Circular") that will be delivered to Bear Creek Shareholders and Highlander Shareholders, respectively, in advance of the meeting of Bear Creek Securityholders (the "Bear Creek Meeting") and the meeting of Highlander Shareholders (the "Highlander Meeting"), each of which are anticipated to be held in February 2026. A copy of the Arrangement Agreement will be made available on Bear Creek's and Highlander Silver's SEDAR+ profiles at www.sedarplus.ca. The Bear Creek Circular and Highlander Circular will also be made available on Bear Creek's and Highlander Silver's SEDAR+ profiles in advance of the Bear Creek Meeting and the Highlander Meeting.

Boards of Directors' Recommendation

The board of directors of Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Board"), after consultation with its outside financial and legal advisors, unanimously approved, among other things, the Arrangement, the subscription for Bear Creek Shares under the Private Placement and the Debt Settlement Arrangements. The Highlander Board has determined the Arrangement is in the best interests of Highlander Silver and the Highlander Board unanimously recommends that the Highlander Shareholders vote in favour of approving the Arrangement at the Highlander Meeting.

Based on the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent directors of Bear Creek (the "Special Committee") and after consultation with its outside financial and legal advisors, the board of directors of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Board") unanimously approved the Arrangement and has determined the Arrangement is in the best interests of Bear Creek, and that the consideration to be received by Bear Creek Shareholders is fair, from a financial point of view, to Bear Creek Shareholders. The Bear Creek Board unanimously recommends that Bear Creek Shareholders vote in favour of approving the Arrangement at the Bear Creek Meeting.

BMO Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. have provided fairness opinions to the Bear Creek Board in connection with the Transaction.

Voting Support Agreements

Each of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's directors and officers support the Transaction and have entered into customary voting support agreements agreeing to vote their Highlander Shares or Bear Creek Shares, respectively, in favor of the Arrangement. Royal Gold and Equinox have also entered into a voting support agreement with Highlander Silver to vote their Bear Creek Shares in favour of the Arrangement, resulting in approximately 34% of all issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares and 31% of all issued and outstanding Highlander Shares being subject to voting support agreements to support the Transaction. The voting support agreement may be terminated in certain circumstances, including, without limitation, upon termination of the Debt Settlement Arrangements (in the case of Royal Gold) or the Arrangement Agreement.

Advisors and Counsel

Canaccord Genuity Corp. and Minmetals Securities Co., Ltd., headquartered in China, are acting as financial advisors to Highlander Silver. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is acting as legal advisor to Highlander Silver.

BMO Capital Markets and BLB Advisory EIRL are acting as financial advisors to Bear Creek. Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. is acting as independent financial advisor to the Special Committee. Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is acting as Canadian legal advisors to Bear Creek.

About Highlander Silver

Highlander Silver is primarily focused on advancing the bonanza grade San Luis gold-silver project that is located adjacent to the past-producing Pierina mine in Central Peru. San Luis hosts Indicated Mineral Resources of 356 koz Au at 24.4 g/t Au and 8.4 Moz Ag at 579 g/t Ag and ranks among the 10 highest grade projects globally in both gold and silver categories3. Highlander Silver's significant shareholders include the Augusta Group, which boasts an exceptional track record of value creation totaling over $4.5 billion in exit transactions, and strategic shareholders, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott.

About Bear Creek

Bear Creek is a precious metals producer with a fully permitted development asset, the Corani Project in Puno, Peru, one of the largest fully permitted silver deposits in the world which is highlighted by its substantial mineral reserves and mineral resources, low estimated operating costs and overwhelming community support. The Mercedes mine in Sonora, Mexico is a cash flow generating gold mine with operational upside and exciting exploration potential.

Early Warning Disclosure - Royal Gold

Royal Gold beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, or exercises control or direction over 58,381,399 Bear Creek Shares representing approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares on a non-diluted basis.

Bear Creek's head office is located at Suite 3200, 733 Seymour Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 0S6, Canada. Royal Gold's head office is located at 1144 15th St., Suite 2500, Denver, Colorado, 80202, United States.

The Bear Creek Shares are held for investment purposes. Subject to the voting support agreement, Royal Gold and its affiliates may, from time to time, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction over securities of Bear Creek through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise.

An early warning report will be filed by Royal Gold on Bear Creek's SEDAR+ profile and may also be obtained by contacting Royal Gold at 1144 15th Street, Suite 2500, Denver, Colorado, 80202, United States, Attention: Alistair Baker, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Business Development, Tel: (303) 573-1660.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release contains the performance measure all-in sustaining costs (AISC) which is derived from the 2019 Feasibility Study that is not defined under IFRS (the "Non-GAAP Financial Measure"). Bear Creek believes that this Non-GAAP Financial Measure, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the Corani Project.

The Non-GAAP Financial Measure is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of performance. The Non-GAAP Financial Measure does not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers with similar descriptions.

Scientific and Technical Information

Scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the Corani Project are taken from the technical report entitled, "Bear Creek Mining Corani Project NI 43-101 Technical Report" dated December 17, 2019 (the "2019 Feasibility Study"). Scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the Mercedes mine are taken from the technical report entitled, "NI 43-101 Technical Report Mercedes Gold - Silver Mine Sonora State, Mexico" dated September 30, 2024.

Technical information contained in this news release with respect to Bear Creek has been reviewed and approved by Donald Mc Iver, Fellow SEG and Fellow Aus-IMM. Mr. Mc Iver is Vice President, Exploration and Geology of Bear Creek Mining Corporation, who is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ('NI 43-101').

Unless otherwise noted, scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the San Luis Project are taken from the technical report entitled, "Technical Report on the San Luis Property" dated January 15, 2025.

Technical information contained in this news release with respect to Highlander Silver has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration, Highlander Silver, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements regarding: the proposed acquisition by Highlander Silver of all of the Bear Creek Shares pursuant to the Arrangement and the terms thereof; the receipt of necessary shareholder, court and regulatory approvals for the Arrangement; the anticipated timeline for completing the Transaction; the treatment of the Bear Creek warrants and the continued listing of the same; the timing of the Bear Creek Meeting and Highlander Meeting and mailing of the management information circulars regarding the same; the Interest Deferral and Debt Settlement Arrangements; the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Transaction will be completed, if at all; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction; and the anticipated filing of materials on SEDAR+. These forward-looking statements are no guarantees of future results and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements.

In respect of the forward-looking statements, Highlander Silver and Bear Creek have relied on certain assumptions that they believe are reasonable at this time, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court, shareholder, stock exchange and other third party approvals and the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the Transaction. This timeline may change for a number of reasons, including unforeseen delays in preparing meeting materials; inability to secure necessary regulatory, court, shareholder, stock exchange or other third-party approvals in the time assumed or the need for additional time to satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the Transaction. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include but are not limited to: the risk that the Transaction or the Private Placement may not be completed on a timely basis, if at all; the conditions to the consummation of the Transaction or the Private Placement may not be satisfied; the risk that the Transaction or the Private Placement may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; the possibility that legal proceedings may be instituted against Highlander Silver, Bear Creek, and/or others relating to the Transaction or the Private Placement and the outcome of such proceedings; the possible occurrence of an event, change or other circumstance that could result in termination of the Transaction; risks relating to the failure to obtain necessary shareholder, court and stock exchange approvals; other risks inherent in the mining industry. Failure to obtain the requisite approvals, or the failure of the parties to otherwise satisfy the conditions to or complete the Transaction, Private Placement or Debt Settlement Arrangements, may result in the Transaction, Private Placement or Debt Settlement Arrangements not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. In addition, if the Transaction or Private Placement are not completed, the announcement of the Transaction and the Private Placement and the dedication of substantial resources of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek to complete the Transaction and the Private Placement could have a material adverse impact on each of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's share price, its current business relationships and on the current and future operations, financial condition, and prospects of each of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek.

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 news release.

Corani Project Mineral Reserve and Resource Statement

The mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates of the Corani Project set forth below have been taken from the 2019 Feasibility Study, a copy of which is filed on Bear Creek's SEDAR+ profile. Mineral Resources below are not mineral reserves and, as such, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Category Tonnes Silver Lead Zinc Silver Lead Zinc Mt g/t % % M oz M lb M lb Mineral Reserves Proven 20 59.7 1.00 0.60 39 450 269 Probable 118 49.9 0.88 0.55 190 2,292 1,426 Proven & Probable 139 51.3 0.90 0.55 229 2,742 1,694

Notes:

The Mineral Reserves have been estimated using the definitions of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The Mineral Reserves have been estimated using the following metal prices: US$20.00/oz silver, US$1.00/lb zinc, US$0.95/lb lead using a revenue factor 1.00 pit shell as a basis for the pit design. Only pre-mineral tuff type of material has been considered as reserves. NSR Cutoff grades used are equal or higher than: US$10.79/t. The effective date for these Mineral Reserves is 5 November 2019. Totals / Averages may not add up due to rounding of individual tonnes and grades. The tonnes and grades shown above are considered a Mineral Reserve because they have been demonstrated to be economically viable through the Corani Project financial model using the following metal prices: US$18.00/oz silver, US$1.10/lb zinc, US$0.95/lb lead.

Category Tonnes Silver Lead Zinc Silver Lead Zinc Mt g/t % % M oz M lb M lb Mineral Resources (inclusive of Mineral Reserves) Measured 31 50.0 0.79 0.49 49 534 329 Indicated 208 40.9 0.64 0.43 274 2,933 1,985 Measured & Indicated 239 42.1 0.66 0.44 323 3,466 2,313 Inferred 73 35.5 0.40 0.30 84 641 484

Notes:

Cutoff Value: US$10.79/tonne covers process and general and administrative costs. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves The Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and, as such, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

1 See press releases: 'Highlander Silver Reports New Discovery of Kusy Zone at Bonita Returning Highest Grades to Date: 23.6m at 15.56 g/t Gold and 74.49 g/t Silver' - October 6, 2025 and 'Highlander Silver Reports Record Results and New Discovery: 23.9m at 20.82 g/t Gold and 31.53 g/t Silver and 23.4m at 11.70 g/t Gold and 26.10 g/t Silver in Shallow Drilling' - December 1, 2025

2 Non-GAAP Financial Measure, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures"

3 S&P Global rankings including the San Luis gold-silver project.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278670

Source: Bear Creek Mining Corporation
CMT is honored for advancing crash technology and shaping the future of mobility ecosystems through industry-leading telematics, AI-driven insights, and connected claims innovation.

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that Cambridge Mobile Telematics ( CMT ), the world's largest telematics service provider, has been given the 2025 Global Market Leadership Recognition in the telematics insurance and connected claims sector for its outstanding achievements in sustainability, driver engagement, behavioral improvement, operational efficiency, and social impact. This marks the second consecutive year CMT has earned Frost & Sullivan's highest recognition in this category. This recognition highlights CMT's consistent leadership in driving measurable outcomes, strengthening its market position, and delivering customer-centric innovation in an evolving competitive landscape.

Guided by a long-term growth strategy focused on building a mobility ecosystem and elevating customer engagement, CMT has shown its ability to adapt and lead in a rapidly evolving environment. The company's strategic agility and sustained investment in crash detection and mobile telematics innovation have enabled it to scale effectively across global markets, expanding its impact on road safety and insurance transformation worldwide. "Frost & Sullivan commends CMT for advancing crash detection technology with unmatched precision, expanding coverage through strategic integrations, and delivering scalable solutions that set new standards for safety and insurer value," states Parduman Satpal, Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Innovation remains central to CMT's approach. Its suite of solutions-including crash detection, driver engagement, embedded insurance capabilities, digital claims enablement, roadside assistance activation, real-time weather alerts, and proactive engagement tools-addresses the full spectrum of mobility and connected claims needs. These capabilities are powered by compliant and scalable platforms, AI-driven analytics, and flexible deployment models, enabling insurers, mobility providers, and drivers to improve safety outcomes and reduce claims costs.

CMT's AI leadership is driven by DriveWell Atlas, a suite of telematics foundation models that learns the underlying physics of motion, force, and trajectory across CMT's global dataset. This provides new levels of context, precision, and insight for insurers, mobility providers, and drivers.

CMT's DriveWell Fusion platform unifies sensor data from smartphones, connected cars, proprietary Tags, dashcams, and third-party devices, delivering a harmonized and highly accurate view of driving behavior, crash events, and risk.

CMT's unwavering commitment to customer experience further strengthens its position in the global market. By streamlining service delivery, embedding real-time safety tools, and maintaining consistently high platform availability, the company continues to meet the needs of insurers, drivers, and mobility partners worldwide. Its collaborative approach, privacy-first framework, and strong global partner network have been essential in delivering long-term value across diverse market segments.

The measurable safety impact of CMT's platform has been significant. Programs powered by CMT have lowered distracted driving by 20 percent, reduced hard braking by 9 percent, and cut injury claims by more than 5 percent. To date, CMT's technology has helped prevent more than 100,000 crashes and 54,000 serious road-related injuries.

"CMT exists to make the world's roads and drivers safer, and that mission drives every decision we make," said William V. Powers, Co-Founder and CEO of CMT. "Our teams are building technology that reduces crashes, protects people in critical moments, and delivers new mobility experiences at a global scale. We're expanding into new markets, partnering across industries, and pushing innovation forward from every angle, from advanced AI to next-generation safety services. We're humbled by Frost & Sullivan's recognition."

Frost & Sullivan commends CMT for setting a high standard in competitive strategy, execution, and market responsiveness. The company's mission-driven culture, innovation pipeline, and customer-first philosophy are shaping the future of telematics insurance and connected claims, driving tangible safety and efficiency results at scale.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Market Leadership Recognition to a company that demonstrates outstanding strategy development and implementation, resulting in measurable improvements in market share, customer satisfaction, and competitive positioning. It recognizes forward-thinking organizations that are reshaping their industries through innovation and growth excellence.

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



Camila Tinajero

E: camila.tinajero@frost.com

About Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) is the world's largest telematics service provider. Its mission is to make the world's roads and drivers safer. The company's AI-driven platform, DriveWell Fusion, proactively identifies and reduces driving risk, leading to fewer crashes and injuries, making mobility safer. To date, CMT's technology has helped prevent over 100,000 crashes worldwide. CMT partners with insurers, automakers, commercial mobility companies, and the public sector to measure risk, detect crashes, provide life-saving assistance, and streamline claims. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, CMT operates globally with offices in Budapest, Chennai, Seattle, Tokyo, and Zagreb. Learn more at www.cmt.ai.

Contact



Erica Camilo, erica@connexacommunications.com , +1 610 639 5644

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cambridge-mobile-telematics-receives-frost--sullivans-2025-global-telematics-insurance-and-connected-claims-market-leadership-recognition-for-excellence-in-mobility-ecosystem-innovation-302646562.html
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2025, a global leader in media, social, and consumer intelligence, has been recognized with three Comparably Awards underscoring the company's continued commitment to building a strong culture, investing in leadership, and creating an environment where employees can do their best work.

Based entirely on anonymous employee feedback, Meltwater received recognition in the following categories:

Best CEOs

Best Company Culture

Best Company Compensation





"We're proud to have our commitment to people, leadership, and total rewards recognized by Comparably," said Peyton O'Connor, Chief People Officer at Meltwater. "This honor reflects the work we do every day to build a collaborative, inclusive culture. That effort starts at the top with our CEO, John Box, whose commitment to transparency, respect, and accountability helps create an environment where employees are not only supported, but inspired to grow, contribute, and thrive."

These awards reflect Meltwater's commitment to providing a workplace culture grounded in collaboration, trust, and shared values. By investing in career growth, Meltwater's leadership ensures that every team member has the resources and support needed to perform meaningful work.

With a presence in 50 locations across 25 countries, Meltwater's global culture is rooted in the belief that when the right people are in the right environment, great things happen. Regardless of location, the company is dedicated to providing employees with opportunities to make an impact, learn daily, and receive the support needed to advance their careers.

In total this year, Meltwater has received 13 Comparably awards including Best Career Growth, Best Leadership Teams, Best Engineering Teams, Best HR Teams, Best Product & Design Teams, Best Sales Teams, Happiest Employees, Best Company Perks & Benefits, and Best Company Work-Life Balance. Meltwater remains committed to supporting employee well-being and engagement, recognizing their critical role in the company's long-term success.

Comparably Awards are determined by sentiment feedback from current employees who anonymously rate their employers on Comparably.com . The data for these awards was collected over the past 12 months, ensuring an accurate representation of employee experiences.

For more information, please contact:

Stacy Slayden

pr@meltwater.com
TSXV: PGZ | OTCQB: PGZFF | FRA: 2EU

Highlights include 1.26% copper, 0.01% tin, 2.3 g/t silver over 6 meters and 1.01% copper, 0.16% tin, 4.5 g/t silver over 5 meters

Downhole electromagnetics indicates that higher-grade La Romana copper mineralization extends and plunges to the northwest a further 125 meters

Maiden Escacena Mineral Resource Estimate progressing and to be announced upon completion

VANCOUVER, BC , Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pan Global Resources Inc. ("Pan Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: PGZ) (OTCQB: PGZFF) (FRA: 2EU) is pleased to announce positive results for six step-out drillholes at the La Romana target ("La Romana"), in the Company's 100%-owned Escacena Project ("Escacena") in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain. These drillholes targeted extensions of the mineralization for inclusion in a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. A total of 192 drillholes totalling 38,734 meters have been drilled to date at the La Romana copper-tin-silver deposit.

Drill highlights

Drillhole LRD189 2.0m at 1.63% CuEq 1 (1.55% Cu, 0.01% Sn, 11.2 g/t Ag) from 86m, and 5.0m at 1.46% CuEq 1 (1.01% Cu, 0.16% Sn, 4.5 g/t Ag) from 185m, including 1.0m at 3.02% CuEq 1 (2.47% Cu, 0.19% Sn, 9.2 g/t Ag)

Drillhole LRD191 6.0m at 1.31% CuEq 1 (1.26% Cu, 0.01% Sn, 2.3 g/t Ag) from 122m, including 1.0m at 4.77% CuEq 1 (4.63% Cu, 0.03% Sn, 9.6 g/t Ag)



"The La Romana mineralized trend shows excellent continuity extending over 1.7km east-west. The latest drill results extend the higher-grade copper-tin mineralization down-dip, confirming that it remains open to the north and northwest. Copper mineralization identified in the hanging wall and footwall of the main mineralization body could potentially be captured in a conceptual open pit. Additional step out drilling planned for 2026 is expected to further extend the strike of La Romana mineralized trend," said Tim Moody, President and CEO.

The Company is progressing with the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Escacena Project and will announce the results upon completion.

Key results:

Step-out drilling focused on testing for extensions of higher-grade copper mineralization down-dip and along strike to further delineation of the deposit for a maiden resource

The results confirm copper-tin mineralization continues and extends down-dip on several sections

Drillholes LRD191 with 1.26% Cu over 6m, and LRD189 with 1.01% Cu, 0.16% Sn, 4.5 g/t Ag over 5m, both confirm the high-grade copper and tin mineralization continues a further 50m down-dip and remains open

Results also confirm additional near-surface copper intercepts in the hanging wall and in the footwall to the main mineralization

Higher-grade copper mineralization in the western extension is indicated to plunge to the northwest a further 125m based on downhole electromagnetics

Table 1 - Selected Drill Results from La Romana (LRD187 to LRD192); intervals are downhole lengths; all holes approx. true thickness

Drillhole From To Interval CuEq1 Cu Sn Ag Pb Zn m m m % % % g/t ppm ppm LRD187 104.00 107.00 3.00 0.44 0.41 0.01 1.2 16 89 including 106.00 107.00 1.00 1.14 1.09 0.02 2.2 41 143 and 142.00 147.00 5.00 0.20 0.18 0.01 <0.5 4 52 LRD188 40.0 43.0 3.00 0.25 0.24 <0.01 1.3 24 71 and 89.0 94.0 5.00 0.28 0.26 0.01 0.5 2 26 and 147.0 150.0 3.00 0.47 0.33 0.05 0.8 5 58 and 164.0 180.0 16.00 0.26 0.03 0.08 <0.5 6 60 including 172.0 180.0 8.00 0.34 0.05 0.11 <0.5 7 59 and 188.0 189.55 1.55 0.18 0.15 0.01 <0.5 1 77 LRD189 39 43 4 0.30 0.29 <0.01 1.2 25 25 and 56 58 2 0.47 0.45 <0.01 2.2 192 248 and 86 88 2 1.63 1.55 0.01 11.2 98 613 and 98 99 1 0.38 0.36 0.01 1.4 36 109 and 185 190 5 1.46 1.01 0.16 4.5 318 932 including 189 190 1 3.02 2.47 0.19 9.2 162 620 LRD190 155 170 15 0.18 0.15 0.01 0.5 16 83 LRD191 34 35 1 0.35 0.31 <0.01 6.4 573 1300 and 122 128 6 1.31 1.26 0.01 2.3 16 108 including 127 128 1 4.77 4.63 0.03 9.6 39 217 and 171 177 6 0.41 0.31 0.04 0.4 13 56 LRD192 68 72 4 0.86 0.83 <0.01 2.9 23 106 including 68 72 3 1.06 1.03 <0.01 3.6 27 105 and 214 222 8 0.31 0.27 0.01 1.6 145 434 and 220 222 2 0.34 0.32 0.00 1.8 87 432 and 249 270 21 0.25 0.17 0.03 2.2 248 690 including 249 253 4 0.56 0.34 0.07 4.6 556 1261 including 268 269 1 1.22 1.10 0.04 3.9 210 577

1 Copper Equivalent = CuEq. CuEq is calculated using Cu, Sn, and Ag grades. Metallurgical recoveries include 86% for Cu, 68% for Sn and 56% for Ag, based on preliminary studies performed by Wardell Armstrong International and MinePro. The CuEq calculation uses US$8,693/tonne Cu, US$ 29,069/tonne Sn and US$23.72/oz Ag, corresponding to the three-year monthly price averages to July 2023. The effective formula is [CuEq %] = [Cu %] + 2.6440 * [Sn %] + 0.0057 * [Ag ppm]

Table 2 -Drillhole Collar Information (Total 1,525.20m)

Hole ID Easting2 Northing2 Azimuth () Dip () Length (m) LRD187 735722 4152959 180 -55 220.70 LRD188 735515 4153031 180 -55 189.55 LRD189 736394 4152863 180 -66 283.70 LRD190 736136 4152852 180 -60 293.20 LRD191 735822 4152926 210 -70 220.50 LRD192 736666 4152851 180 -55 317.55

2 Coordinate system: UTM29N ERTS89

About the Escacena Project and Escacena South areas

The Escacena Project and recently added Escacena South area comprises a large, contiguous mineral rights land package controlled 100% by Pan Global in the east of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The area has been expanded from 5,760-hectares to more than 10,000-hectares with the award of the Flores, Rosario and Girasoles mineral rights in September 2025. Pan Global has also submitted four additional Investigation Permit applications covering 3,888-hectares (Inmaculada, Santa Isabel, Santa Micaela I and Santa Micaela II) that will further increase the mineral rights holdings in the Iberian Pyrite Belt to more than 13,900-hectares. Escacena is located near the operating mine at Riotinto and is immediately adjacent to the former Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mines where Minera Los Frailes (Grupo Mexico) is commencing a new underground mine development beneath the former Los Frailes open-pit mine. The Escacena Project hosts Pan Global's La Romana copper-tin-silver deposit, the Canada Honda copper-gold discovery, and a number of other prospective targets.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively exploring for copper-rich mineral deposits along with gold and other metals. Copper has compelling supply-demand fundamentals and outlook for strong long-term prices as a critical metal for global electrification and energy transition. Gold is also attracting record prices.

The Company's flagship Escacena Project is in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt mine trend in southern Spain, where a favourable permitting track record, excellent infrastructure, mining and professional expertise, and support for copper as a Strategic Raw Material by the European Commission collectively define a tier-one low-risk jurisdiction for mining investment. The Company's second project, at Carmenes in northern Spain, is also an area with a long mining history and excellent infrastructure. The Pan Global team comprises proven talent in exploration, discovery, development, and mine operations - all of which are committed to operating safely and with utmost respect for the environment and our partnered communities. The Company is a member, and operates under the principles, of the United Nations Global Compact.

To learn more about Pan Global Resources, please visit the Company's Curation Connect showcase and explore AI-generated responses to your enquiries at https://app.curationconnect.com/company/Pan-Global-Resources-44037?utm_source=pg_mediareleases

Qualified Persons

Alvaro Merino, Vice President Exploration for Pan Global Resources, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Merino holds a BSc in Geology, is a Mining Technical Engineer, and a registered member of the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), with the EuroGeol designation. He has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this media release. Mr. Merino is not independent of the Company.

Sampling details and ?QA/QC

Core size was HQ (63mm) and all samples were  core. Nominal sample size was 1m core length and ranged from 0.5 to 2m. Sample intervals were defined using geological contacts with the start and end of each sample physically marked on the core. Diamond blade core cutting and sampling was supervised at all times by Company staff. Duplicate samples of  core were taken approximately every 30 samples and Certified Reference materials inserted every 25 samples in each batch.

Samples were delivered to ALS laboratory in Seville, Spain and assayed at the ALS laboratory in Ireland. All samples were crushed and split (method CRU-31, SPL22Y), and pulverized using (method PUL-31). Multi-element analysis was undertaken using a four-acid digest with ICP-AES finish (method ME-ICP61). Over-grade base metal results were assayed using a four-acid digest with ICP-AES (method OG-62). Tin (Sn) were analyzed by lithium borate fusion with ICP-MS finish (method MS85), which provides a total digestion of resistant mineral phases.

www.panglobalresources.com

Forward-looking statements

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this media release are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental, and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products, and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

The forward-looking information contained in this media release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this media release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this 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.

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Prometheus Investment Alliance celebrates its fifth anniversary with the introduction of a fifth-generation AI trading system integrating artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data to advance the future of intelligent investing.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, DE / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Prometheus Investment Alliance, founded and led by Dr. Achim Falkenberg, marks its fifth anniversary with a major technological milestone: the introduction of Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0, a fifth-generation AI trading system that combines artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data analytics to shape the next era of intelligent wealth management.

Five Years of Innovation and Purpose

Since its establishment in 2020, Prometheus Investment Alliance has grown into a symbol of responsible investing and continuous technological progress. Guided by Dr. Falkenberg's vision of connecting wealth, love, and hope, the Alliance has built a platform that unites financial intelligence with human values.

"Investing is not merely about growing capital; it is about responsibility - the ability to create hope and opportunity for others," said Dr. Achim Falkenberg, Founder and Chief Vision Officer of Prometheus Investment Alliance.

Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0 - A New Chapter in AI Trading

The Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0 represents the result of five years of research and development in intelligent trading. It employs neural networks and adaptive learning mechanisms to analyze market trends in real time and autonomously adjust trading strategies.

Key Features:

Self-Learning Intelligence: Continuously absorbs and refines strategies inspired by global market behavior.

Instant Decision-Making: Dynamically adjusts portfolios based on real-time market changes.

Personalized Strategies: Tailors investment approaches to individual goals and risk profiles.

The system is designed to meet a range of investor needs through three planned editions:

Enthusiast Edition - For beginners, offering guided trading assistance and educational tools.

Wealth Management Edition - For long-term investors focused on portfolio optimization and stability.

Professional Edition - For experienced traders seeking advanced analytical capabilities and execution precision.

"With Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0, we view technology not as a replacement for human intelligence but as its natural extension - a trusted partner in decision-making," added Dr. Falkenberg.

Technology as a Carrier of Hope

The creation of this system is closely linked to Dr. Falkenberg's personal journey. After the financial challenges of 2020, he redefined the purpose of wealth - not as accumulation, but as a means to restore confidence, stability, and hope.

Today, Prometheus Investment Alliance stands for a modern investment philosophy - one that integrates technology and empathy to help investors align prosperity with purpose.

Looking Ahead

To commemorate its fifth anniversary, Prometheus Investment Alliance will continue expanding its international development initiatives alongside the rollout of Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0.

Future plans include:

Establishing an international education platform for AI-driven investing,

Introducing ESG-oriented portfolios linking performance with positive social impact,

Developing personalized financial solutions for families and institutions worldwide.

About Prometheus Investment Alliance

Prometheus Investment Alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, integrates financial technology, behavioral economics, and artificial intelligence to create sustainable investment strategies centered on both performance and human values. With the introduction of Genialer Intelligenter Roboter 5.0, the Alliance reinforces its mission to make investing an act of intelligence, responsibility, and hope.

Media Contact

Company Name: Prometheus

Contact Person: Claudia Meier

Email: support@prometheus-alliance.de

Website: https://prometheus-alliance.de/

SOURCE: Prometheus Investment Alliance

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/prometheus-investment-alliance-launches-genialer-intelligenter-r-1119432
Keepit was honored in Cloud Security, Data Loss Prevention and Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity for the second year in a row

Keepit, a global provider of a comprehensive cloud backup and recovery platform, is proud to announce it has been recognized at the prestigious 2025 Security Today CyberSecured Awards. The company secured top honors in three categories: Cloud Security, Data Loss Prevention, and Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity.

Immutable backups as the last line of defense in the age of AI

Security Today, a leading source for security professionals, has recognized Keepit's outstanding contributions to the cybersecurity landscape. The CyberSecured Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in cybersecurity solutions.

The Keepit platform currently protects thirteen key SaaS applications, including Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace and more. Through unrivaled SaaS security, the Keepit platform helps companies mitigate risk of data loss due to human error or cyberattack.

"With the increasing use of SaaS applications and AI in critical business operations, immutable backups and rapid recovery are at the center of modern data resilience. We're honored that the Keepit platform was selected as a winner by Security Today's CyberSecured Awards a recognition that underscores our commitment to security, reliability and best-in-class data protection for our customers", says Michele Hayes, CMO at Keepit.

The Keepit platform received multiple accolades in 2025, including multiple category wins at the Global Infosec Awards at RSA, "Business Continuity Cyber Solution of the Year" in the 2025 Cybersecurity Breakthrough Awards, and a 2025 Stratus Award for Security.

You can view a full list of Keepit's industry awards on our website.

About Keepit

Keepit provides a next-level SaaS data protection platform purpose-built for the cloud. Securing data in a vendor-independent cloud safeguards essential business applications, boosts cyber resilience, and future-proofs data protection. Unique, separate, and immutable data storage with no sub-processors ensures compliance with local regulations and mitigates the impact of ransomware while guaranteeing continuous data access, business continuity, and fast and effective disaster recovery. Headquartered in Copenhagen with offices and data centers worldwide, more than 20,000 companies trust Keepit for its ease of use and effortless backup and recovery of cloud data.

For more information visit www.keepit.com or follow Keepit on Linkedin.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219391828/en/

Contacts:

RedIron PR for Keepit

Kari Ritacco

kari@redironpr.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Las Vegas Sands

On Nov. 1, the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) debuted its Trade School Readiness Boot Camp at the College of Southern Nevada to assist more than 100 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students and parents in evaluating vocational school options and provide guidance on pursuing skill sets in students' chosen fields.

Funding from Sands Cares enabled ACDC to host the first-time event, which has been a long-term goal of the organization as part of its quest to serve a greater number of youth in career planning. Sands' support for this event complements the company's funding for ACDC's College Readiness Boot Camp, which has been held annually since 2015.

"The Trade School Boot Camp has been our goal for a very long time, and we're grateful that Sands saw value in providing insights into trade and vocational career opportunities for youth in our community," ACDC CEO and founder Vida Lin said. "We want to help all youth realize their goals, and the knowledge and tools presented at the boot camp will give a greater number of community members the opportunity to pursue successful careers."

ACDC kicked off the boot camp with remarks from Lin, who outlined the breadth of opportunities available through trade schools.

"We want you to have choices," Lin told attendees. "We want you to discover careers that are hands-on, high-paying, and meaningful - careers where you can use your talent, build something real and go home proud of what you accomplished. Your success does not need to look like anyone else's. I want you to choose a future that brings you joy, not just tired feet. We are proud to be here with you today, and even more excited for everything you will become."

The first session featured a panel discussion with representatives from The Culinary Academy; CSN's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) program; the NateOvation Institute of OSHA Safety, Welding, Forklift and Electrician School; and Nevada Partners, a nonprofit organization that offers comprehensive services in housing, education, health and career development. The discussion covered insights into specific trades as well as information on obtaining certifications and credentials.

Following the panel, a series of guest speakers covered career and financial planning. Herbie Walker, founder of Walker College Consultants, spoke about financial aid and the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process and forms. Mae Calilung, a home mortgage sales consultant with Wells Fargo, discussed personal banking basics and financial literacy topics. Finally, Roselyn Noriega of EmployNV, the state's largest job database, outlined workforce opportunities.

Sands has supported ACDC's youth programs for the past two years, along with providing funding for the organization's API Language Link service since 2021 and the HAPI Medical Center since in 2022. Sands increased its youth program contribution in 2025 to enable ACDC to launch the trade school boot camp.

"The trade school boot camp is a natural fit with our commitment to workforce development and economic empowerment, particularly as a hospitality company," Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and global affairs, said. "Our industry is built on trade and vocational jobs, so this new boot camp aligns perfectly with our goal to help build a strong and capable workforce in hospitality as well as in our region."

Sands' support for ACDC's youth development programs addresses the company's priorities on education and building the workforce of the future. To learn more about the Sands Cares community engagement program, visit https://www.sands.com/responsibility.

To learn more about the Asian Community Development Council, visit https://acdcnv.org/.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Las Vegas Sands on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Las Vegas Sands

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/las-vegas-sands

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Las Vegas Sands

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/travel/asian-community-development-council-debuts-trade-school-readiness-boot-camp-with-support-fro-1119437
Full-scale prototype completes ten flights as part of transition programme

Majority of the transition envelope successfully expanded

UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) grants Vertical additional regulatory privileges

Vertical Aerospace ("Vertical" or "Company") [NYSE:EVTL], a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering electric aviation, today announced significant progress in its piloted transition flight testing phase, achieving key milestones since receiving its Permit to Fly from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on 13 November 2025.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219805325/en/

Vertical's piloted full-scale prototype during flight testing

The full-scale prototype has completed ten flights since this Permit to Fly was issued, expanding the majority of the transition envelope, including acceleration and deceleration through a wide range of speeds and tilt positions.

With the final 10% of tilt transition remaining after all test phases to date, full piloted transition is expected in early 2026. This reflects the structured progression of the test programme alongside limited flight-test windows and weather constraints at this stage.

Recent flights are delivering valuable data as the team expands the flight envelope and refines the flight-control and EPU software. Several first-time achievements have been completed, including in-flight deployment and stow of the rear propellers, spin-up during wingborne flight, and prop-hold functionality, marking meaningful steps forward in validating the aircraft's behaviour through the transition regime.

Vertical is conducting piloted transition testing under full CAA oversight and has recently been granted additional privileges by the regulator to approve Flight Conditions and issue its own Permits to Fly under defined circumstances.

Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said:

"Our team continues to make excellent progress as we close in on full piloted transition flight. Achieving this level of performance under CAA oversight is a major validation of our engineering approach and a critical milestone as we move toward certification. These results give us real confidence in the aircraft's capabilities and in the path ahead as we prepare for the next phase of testing in the new year."

About Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace is a global aerospace and technology company pioneering electric aviation. Vertical is creating a safer, cleaner, and quieter way to travel. Valo is a piloted, four-passenger, Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with zero operating emissions. Vertical is also developing a hybrid-electric variant, offering increased range and mission flexibility to meet the evolving needs of the advanced air mobility market.

Vertical combines partnerships with leading aerospace companies, including Honeywell, Syensqo and Aciturri, with its own proprietary battery and propeller technology to develop the world's most advanced and safest eVTOL.

Vertical has c.1,500 pre-orders of Valo, with customers across four continents, including American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow, GOL and Japan Airlines. Certain customer obligations are expected to be fulfilled via third-party agreements. Headquartered in Bristol, UK, Vertical's experienced leadership team comes from top-tier aerospace and automotive companies such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, GM, and Leonardo. Together, they have previously certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements as contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the piloted test programme phases including transition flight on the intended timeline or at all; the certification and the commercialization of the Valo aircraft and the timing thereof; the design and manufacture of the Valo aircraft; the features and capabilities of the Valo aircraft; the business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations; the assumptions underlying the Company's goals, including Flightpath 2030; the differential strategy compared to our peer group; expectations surrounding pre-orders and commitments, as well as statements that include the words "goals," "targets," "objectives," "plan," "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe," "project," "forecast," "estimate," "may," "should," "anticipate," "will," "aim," "potential," "continue," "are likely to" and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are not a guarantee of future performance. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, among other things, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's business, industry performance, the regulatory environment, and general business and economic conditions, as discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 11, 2025, as such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company's other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219805325/en/

Contacts:

For more information:

Justin Bates, Head of Communications justin.bates@vertical-aerospace.com +44 7878 357 463

Samuel Emden, Head of Investor Affairs samuel.emden@vertical-aerospace.com +447816 459 904
Morehouse Student Marcus Blash Jr. Named Grand Prize Recipient

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Montlick Injury Attorneys, in partnership with FOX 5 Atlanta and Portia, proudly announce the finalists and grand-prize winner of the inaugural 40 for the Future - HBCU Scholarship Program, honoring outstanding students from Georgia's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The initiative, created to commemorate Montlick's 40th anniversary, recognizes HBCU students who exemplify academic excellence, leadership, and community impact. A total of $40,000 in scholarships was awarded by Montlick Injury Attorneys, with each of the seven finalists receiving $5,000, and Marcus Blash Jr. of Morehouse College earning $10,000 as the overall winner.

As part of its 40-year milestone anniversary, Montlick demonstrated its ongoing commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders and advancing representation within the legal field. While 13% of Americans are African American, only 5% of licensed attorneys nationwide are Black - a disparity that highlights the need for expanded access and opportunity. By uplifting Georgia's HBCU students, Montlick continues its long-standing mission to invest in equality, strengthen communities, and empower young people who will go on to shape the future of law, medicine, education, public service, and beyond.

2025 Finalists

Marcus Blash Jr. - Morehouse College - Grand Prize Winner

Hallelyah Herriot - Fort Valley State University

Quontez Sherfield - Morris Brown College

Lapri Rigsbee - Clark Atlanta University

MiMi Harris - Albany State University

Aziyah Harps - Spelman College

Norman Thomas - Morehouse College

Each finalist was featured on FOX 5 Atlanta and Portia, where viewers learned about their achievements and voted online to select the grand prize winner. The celebration concluded with a special episode of Portia announcing Blash Jr. as the top honoree.

"We're honored to celebrate these remarkable students who represent the future of leadership and service," said Nikki Montlick, President of Montlick Injury Attorneys. "For over 40 years, Montlick has been dedicated to protecting families and giving back to the community - and this scholarship program continues that legacy."

"As an HBCU alum myself, I'm thrilled to partner with Montlick to spotlight these amazing students," added Portia Bruner, host of Portia. "Marcus and each of the finalists embody the resilience, brilliance, and purpose that define HBCU excellence."

About 40 for the Future - HBCU Scholarship Program

Created in celebration of Montlick Injury Attorney's 40th anniversary, the 40 for the Future - HBCU Scholarship Program recognizes outstanding Georgia HBCU students through a partnership with FOX 5 Atlanta and Portia, with the law firm awarding $40,000 in scholarships to empower future leaders.

About Montlick Injury Attorneys

Founded in 1984, Montlick Injury Attorneys has been committed to exceptional legal service and community outreach for over 40 years. Learn more at Montlick.com .

About Portia

Portia is a daily lifestyle and talk show on FOX Soul and local FOX stations hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Portia Bruner. Known for her authentic storytelling, compassion, and uplifting approach, Portia engages viewers with meaningful conversations that highlight community voices, celebrate everyday heroes, and inform audiences on issues that matter. The show features inspiring guests, expert insights, and stories of resilience, making it one of the most trusted and relatable daytime programs.

Media Contact:

Jenny Harty

Montlick Injury Attorneys

770-265-7404

jharty@montlick.com

SOURCE: Montlick Injury Attorneys

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/montlick-injury-attorneys-and-fox-5-atlanta-announce-winners-of-1105383
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Herbal Dispatch Inc. (CSE: HERB) (OTC Pink: LUFFF) (FSE: HA9) ("Herbal Dispatch" or the "Company") a leading Canadian cannabis e-commerce platform specializing in small-batch craft cannabis, today shared insights from CEO Philip Campbell regarding President Trump's landmark decision to shift cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

"This development stands as a transformative breakthrough not just for U.S. cannabis, but for the global industry at large. By reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III, it reinforces a worldwide recognition of its medicinal potential and calls for balanced, pragmatic governance that transcends borders.

In the U.S., this move narrows the divide between federal policy and public opinion, where close to 90 percent of citizens endorse some degree of legalization and 74 percent live in states with active programs. Yet its ripple effects extend internationally, fostering avenues for collaborative medical research across nations. It honors the trailblazing initiatives of policymakers worldwide, including in Canada, who have established rigorous, consumer-focused cannabis systems.

For Herbal Dispatch, this rescheduling unlocks exciting new pathways for growth and expansion. As a leading e-commerce and distribution platform, we stand to benefit from increased harmonization between U.S. and Canadian markets, allowing us to explore strategic partnerships, broaden our product reach into emerging U.S. segments, and leverage improved capital access for technological advancements in our supply chain and customer platforms. This shift not only bolsters our operational efficiencies but also positions us to capitalize on rising global demand, driving long-term value for our shareholders and stakeholders.

We applaud President Trump for this progressive step and are steadfast in our mission to cultivate a credible, innovative, and expansive cannabis platform that serves communities around the world."

Further, to provide additional information required under CSE Policy 7, Sections 7.2 and 7.3, in relation to the disclosure of promotional activities in its previous press release dated December 11, 2025, and to ensure full compliance with CSE policies, the Company is clarifying the start and expected end dates of the promotional activities, the details of the persons or companies involved in conducting these activities, and a description of their relationship with the issuer. The compensation for each firm is restated below for clarity.

All providers remain arm's-length to the Company, have no prior relationship with Herbal Dispatch, and to the Company's knowledge hold no securities except as disclosed. None of these engagements involve Investor Relations Activities that require registration. All agreements are subject to CSE acceptance where required. All promotional materials will prominently disclose that the providers have been engaged and compensated by the Company, in full compliance with applicable securities laws and CSE policies.

Paper Street Capital

Start Date: December 12, 2025

Expected End Date: March 12, 2026

Address: 13885 SW 42nd St, Davie, FL 33330, USA

Email: digital@jedifin.com

Telephone: +1 (307) 204-7655

Compensation: USD $112,000.





Start Date: December 12, 2025 Expected End Date: March 12, 2026 Address: 13885 SW 42nd St, Davie, FL 33330, USA Email: digital@jedifin.com Telephone: +1 (307) 204-7655 Compensation: USD $112,000. EnterMaurs Incorporated

Start Date: December 12, 2025

Expected End Date: March 12, 2026

Address: 525 Daytona Dr. Fort Erie, ON L2A 6E4, Canada

Email: admin@entermaurs.com

Telephone: +1 (905) 933-0096.

Compensation: CAD $50,000.





Start Date: December 12, 2025 Expected End Date: March 12, 2026 Address: 525 Daytona Dr. Fort Erie, ON L2A 6E4, Canada Email: admin@entermaurs.com Telephone: +1 (905) 933-0096. Compensation: CAD $50,000. Marfafa Inc. (SmallCapBulls)

Start Date: January 1, 2026

Expected End Date: December 27, 2026

Address: 9450 Southwest Gemini Drive, #7105, Beaverton, OR 97008, USA

Email: contact@smallcapbulls.com

Telephone: +1 (786) 442-2334

Compensation: US$35,000 + 150,000 cashless warrants (25% immediate vesting, remainder monthly over 12 months).





Start Date: January 1, 2026 Expected End Date: December 27, 2026 Address: 9450 Southwest Gemini Drive, #7105, Beaverton, OR 97008, USA Email: contact@smallcapbulls.com Telephone: +1 (786) 442-2334 Compensation: US$35,000 + 150,000 cashless warrants (25% immediate vesting, remainder monthly over 12 months). Altura Media Co Inc.

Start Date: December 12, 2025

Expected End Date: March 12, 2026

Address: 1055 W. Georgia St #1500, Vancouver, BC V6E 4N7, Canada

Email: contact@alturamedia.co

Telephone: +1 (800) 456-4782

Compensation: CAD $150,000.

ABOUT HERBAL DISPATCH INC.

Herbal Dispatch owns and operates leading cannabis e-commerce platforms in Canada, dedicated to providing top-quality cannabis and related products to informed consumers at affordable prices. The Company's flagship marketplace offers exclusive access to small-batch craft cannabis and a wide array of other products.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

Certain statements in this news release, including statements or information containing terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "may", "could", "will", and similar expressions constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events, or developments that the Company or a third party expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, and business prospects and opportunities are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to the Company. These statements require the Company to make assumptions it believes are reasonable and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties.

Actual results and developments may differ materially from the anticipated results and developments discussed in the forward-looking statements as certain of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the Company's control. These risk factors are interdependent and the impact of any one risk or uncertainty on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release and the key assumptions and risk factors involved in such statements include, but are not limited to, the Company's view that the reclassification of US cannabis to Schedule III can lead to market opportunities for the Company in the US. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including industry competition, and future customer demand for the Company's products, among others.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected effects on the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities legislation, the Company assumes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent information, events, or circumstances.

THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE (THE "CSE") HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. NEITHER THE CSE OR ITS MARKET REGULATOR (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE CSE) 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/278690

Source: Herbal Dispatch Inc.
Terra Firma Energy (TFE), a UK owner and operator of flexible generation, today emphasised the critical role that fast-start, dispatchable capacity will play in keeping Britain's electricity system secure and affordable as the country transitions to a predominantly low-carbon grid.

The UK is entering a period where the volume of always-available ("baseload") generation is structurally declining, while electricity demand is expected to rise as transport, heat and industry electrify. Recent analysis and policy publications underline the scale of change required, including substantial growth in flexibility and operability services to manage a renewables-heavy system.

At the same time, Britain's legacy firm generation fleet continues to retire. The closure of the UK's last coal-fired power station in September 2024 marked a historic milestone, but also removed a source of firm capacity from the mix. In parallel, the nuclear fleet faces a well-documented "cliff edge" during the late 2020s, despite recent life extensions.

"Flexible generation is the shock absorber of the power system," said Zach Dodds-Brown, Development Director at Terra Firma Energy. "As we build more wind and solar, we also need reliable capacity that can respond in minutes, to cover forecast error, sudden plant outages, low-wind cold spells, and the increasingly sharp ramps that come with high renewable penetration. That is how we protect consumers and keep the system resilient during the transition."

Capacity Market signals a tightening outlook with volatility risk from late 2026

TFE noted that the Capacity Market (CM) continues to provide a strong signal of the value of firm, dependable capacity in a changing system. Government publications reiterate the CM's role as Great Britain's key mechanism for ensuring sufficient capacity margin at least cost, particularly for stress events such as cold, still periods with high demand and low wind.

Clearing prices for Delivery Year 2026/27 reached historically high levels, 63/kW/year, reflecting increasing competition for dependable capacity and the growing importance of security of supply.

"These high-value CM contracts coming into effect towards the end of 2026 are a clear market signal," Dodds-Brown added. "They point to the start of a more volatile period for Britain's power supply, not because clean power is the wrong direction, but because the transition demands much more flexibility, much faster delivery of enabling infrastructure, and a pragmatic approach to keeping firm capacity available while the system transforms."

Supporting Clean Power 2030 with dependable flexibility

TFE welcomed the Government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, including the recognition that security of supply must be protected during the build-out of renewables and networks, with reserve and balancing capability remaining essential through the decade. TFE also pointed to NESO's work on Clean Power 2030 pathways and Future Energy Scenarios, which consistently identify flexibility and operability as core enablers of a secure net zero pathway.

About Terra Firma Energy

Terra Firma Energy constructs, owns and operates flexible power generation plants across the UK. With three operational sites and additional sites under construction totalling 116MW, the company is expanding through development and acquisition to support the UK's transition to a resilient, flexible, low-carbon energy system.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219200928/en/

Contacts:

Terra Firma Energy Limited

Helen Aletras

Head of PR and Communications.

Tel: +44 (0)203 890 3116.

Helen.aletras@terrafirmaenergy.com
By Cristina del Canto

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / For the past decade, Entergy New Orleans has hosted its annual Operation Secret Santa event for our customers visiting the Canal Street Customer Care Center for billing assistance.

During the event, customers arriving for what they believe to be a standard appointment are met with a delightful surprise. Santa Claus, accompanied by Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans president and CEO, and Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy vice president of corporate social responsibility, happily announced that their electric bills had been paid in full. This initiative is made possible through Entergy's The Power to Care program, designed to provide emergency bill payment assistance to older adults and customers with disabilities during their time of need.

"This event is about meeting our customers where they are and offering a little extra support during the holidays," said Rodriguez. "Through The Power to Care program, we're able to provide meaningful relief and support to customers when they need it the most."

The Secret Santa response from customers was heartwarming, with many expressing gratitude and relief during an already challenging time of year. Now an annual tradition, the event remains one of the most rewarding moments of the year and reflects Entergy's commitment to supporting our customers and strengthening the communities we serve.

Through The Power to Care program, Entergy collaborates with local nonprofits, dedicated employees, and generous customers to offer emergency bill payment support year-round. Since its inception in 2008, the program has raised over $50 million, assisting more than 250,000 customers in need.

As the holiday season approaches, we invite everyone to join us in extending a helping hand to our neighbors in need. Your support can play a vital role in ensuring that those struggling can keep their lights on during this chilly winter season.

Discover how you can contribute to keeping the power on for someone in need this holiday season.

View original content here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Entergy Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Entergy Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/entergy

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Entergy Corporation

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/utilities/entergy-new-orleans-spreads-holiday-joy-to-customers-at-secret-santa-event-by-covering-th-1119456
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Sego Resources Inc. (TSXV: SGZ) ("Sego" or "the Company") is pleased to report a new discovery on the Miner Mountain Project.

Sego Resources is pleased to report that a new copper porphyry within the existing South Gold Zone target has been discovered in recent drilling.

Four drill holes were drilled in the South Gold Zone, DDH25-66, DDH25-67, DDH25-68, and DDH25-69, as shown in Figure 1. Three of the drill holes in the South Gold Zone had intervals with copper porphyry mineralization, drill holes DDH25-66, DDH25-68 and DDH25-69. Drill hole DDH25-69 contained the most extensive mineralized copper porphyry environment.

The new copper porphyry is hosted in potassic (potassium feldspar) altered microdiorite and monzodiorite to monzonite, and less in volcaniclastic rocks (crystal tuffs and lapilli tuffs to ash tuffs), associated with these intrusions. The potassic (K-feldspar) alteration ranges from patchy to extensive in the mineralized areas. The zones are mineralized with chalcopyrite mostly within and around the areas of potassium feldspar alteration. Between the porphyry style mineralized segments, the core maintains geology similar to other South Gold Zone holes. Chalcopyrite was also tested using the Niton XRF analyzer, with assays to follow. Potassium feldspar (K-feldspar) is one of the key alteration minerals in porphyry copper deposits.

Four drill holes were drilled in the South Gold Zone as per the recommendations of SRK Consulting Canada (see news releases from May 23, 2024, September 24, 2024, and November 12, 2025). The purpose of these drill holes was to infill a gap in the previous South Gold Zone drilling.

In previous work, Sego had thought that the South Gold Zone might be near a copper-gold porphyry, but had no indication that it would be observed in these holes.

The new copper porphyry will be followed up with extensive drilling in the next program, given the nature of this discovery.

The samples are prepared for shipping to the lab in Calgary.

Drilling of a deep hole in the Cuba Zone continues.





Figure 1. Four drill holes at the South Gold Zone, drilled in 2025 (DDH25-66, DDH25-67, DDH25-68 and DDH25-69). Also shown are gold grades (Au), from earlier drill holes drilled in 2021 and 2022 and the boundary of South Gold Zone mineralization (red), based on previous results, on a geological base map (Sego Resources November 22, 2022, news release base map).

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1056/278694_d240c2a9b4042b48_002full.jpg

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Goran Markovic, M.Sc., P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by NI 43-101, and is an Independent Consulting Geologist commissioned by Sego Resources Inc.

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. No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release.

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statement of historical facts that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects re forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278694

Source: Sego Resources Inc.
ROME, ITALY / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Avio has signed two Launch Service Agreements with two different customers (one European and one non-European) to launch multiple satellites aboard a Vega C launcher.

The name of the customers and of the satellites remains undisclosed and will be announced in due course by the customers.

Giulio Ranzo, Chief Executive Officer of Avio, commented: "Avio is proud to have signed these two contracts as a result of commercial activities in Europe and with export customers carried out by its new commercial team under the new responsibilities as Vega C launch service provider. This win undoubtedly demonstrates Vega C competitiveness in both the European and export markets. We look forward to impressing our customers and deliver against their expectations".

The satellites to be launched will be used for Earth observation, environmental monitoring and resource management purposes for civil and scientific applications, providing high-resolution imagery as well as best-in-class geolocation accuracy. The passengers will feature a mass ranging from more than 400 to more than 1,000 kilograms and will be deployed into a ~500 km Sun-synchronous orbit.

These contracts totally secure over EUR 100 million for launch services to be scheduled between 2028 and 2031.

Avio is a leading international group engaged in the manufacturing and development of space launchers and solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems. The experience and know-how built up over more than 50 years puts Avio at the cutting-edge of the space launcher sector and defense program. Avio is present in Italy, France, United States and French Guiana, employing more than 1,500 highly qualified personnel. Avio is the prime contractor for the Vega program and a sub-contractor for the Ariane program, as well as a leading solid rocket motor subcontractor for the design and manufacturing of major European tactical missile programs.

For further information:

Investor Relations contacts:

nevio.quattrin@avio.com

Media Relations contacts:

francesco.delorenzo@avio.com

carlotta.calarese@avio.com

SOURCE: Avio S.p.A.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/aerospace-and-defense/avio-announces-two-vega-c-launch-service-agreements-for-over-100m%e2%82%ac-1119440
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Critical Minerals Americas Inc. ("CMAI" or "the Company), a Canadian private company focused on the development of its vast Alberta based critical minerals and rare earth elements project is pleased to announce the appointment of Kenneth Bradley Strategic Advisor to CMAI.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Ken brings extensive experience from both the public and private sectors, with a career spanning senior leadership roles in government and industry.

Ken has held several senior positions with the Government of Alberta, including:

Assistant Deputy Minister for Research and External Relations in the Department of Energy.

in the Department of Energy. Vice Chairman of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology Research Authority (AOSTRA), (responsibilities subsequently incorporated into Alberta Innovates) where he was responsible for evaluating and funding oil sands technology initiatives, as well as managing the Government of Alberta's oil sands intellectual property.

(responsibilities subsequently incorporated into Alberta Innovates) where he was responsible for evaluating and funding oil sands technology initiatives, as well as managing the Government of Alberta's oil sands intellectual property. Assistant Deputy Minister, International Marketing and Regional Development in the Department of Economic Development.

While serving the Government of Alberta, Ken also:

Served as a Governing Board Member of the United Nations UNITAR Centre for Heavy Oil.

of the United Nations UNITAR Centre for Heavy Oil. Acted as Vice-Chairman of the China-Alberta Petroleum Training Centre in Beijing.

of the China-Alberta Petroleum Training Centre in Beijing. Represented Alberta in numerous federal-provincial initiatives.

Worked closely with senior officials in the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Prior to his work with the Government of Alberta, Ken gained experience with the Government of Canada in Ottawa, holding positions within the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Labour.

Denis Clement, CEO of CMAI states; "The addition of Ken Bradley to CMAI as a core member of CMAI's Alberta based leadership team provides CMAI with the critical advice and input on its strategic business planning to advance its significant Critical Minerals and Rare Earths SBH project in Alberta. Ken will also assist Serving as chief architect for defining, designing and overseeing CMAI's relationship-building with the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Federal government and other western governments and interested entities to create and sustain awareness of CMAI and the SBH Project and its capacity to assist in creating a meaningful and strategic domestic supply of Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements."

Senior Management and Advisory Team

CMAI is managed by a strong management and technical team with over 80+ collective years of exploration discovery, and mine development experience in Canada and overseas as well as extensive prior familiarity with the Project and operations of the Company.

Denis Clement, - President and CEO, Director and Founder:

Mr. Clement is a highly experienced international business executive with over 40 years' experience in finance, M&A, banking and management, primarily in the finance, oil and gas, mining and tech industries having raised over $1 billion in debt and equity in various industries including the mineral resource business. Mr. Clement has been a founder and Director of a number of successful resource, technology and finance companies. In particular, he was the founding President of CGX Energy Inc. and founder of Omai Gold Mines, ("OMG.V"), both TSX-V listed companies, and has been involved in finance and business in numerous different international jurisdictions. Mr. Clement specifically has over 15 years' experience on the Company's current Alberta project and was former Chairman and Director of DNI Metals Inc. Mr. Clement also practiced international and commercial law at Smith Lyons LLP, now Gowling WLG. Mr. Clement is a member of the Law Society of Ontario (ret.) and has a B.Comm. from Concordia University, an LLB from the University of Ottawa and an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London.

John MacKenzie, - Chief Financial Officer, Director and Founder

Mr. MacKenzie is a founder, director and former CFO of Evergreen Environmental Inc., a processor of organic waste producing Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). After spending ten years in the Entrepreneurial Services Group at EY/CG, Mr. MacKenzie spent fifteen years as founder and CEO of at the time Canada's largest international large jet cargo airline All Canada Express (ACE), now part of Cargojet (TSX: CJT) and six years as a COO at ORNGE, Ontario's air ambulance provider. Mr. MacKenzie was former CEO of New Ruby Mining Corporation and Bronte Gold Corp. exploration companies and has been an advisor to numerous domestic and international clients in the mining, financial services, energy, aviation, technology, and emergency medical services.

Daniel Leroux, M.Sc., P.Geo. - Vice President of Exploration

Mr. Leroux is a professional geologist with over 30 years of experience in geology and mineral exploration in Canada and internationally in Africa, Europe, South America and Russia. He has been involved in project management, resource-reserve estimation, PEA to feasibility studies, due diligence studies, valuation studies, and has extensive corporate and operational experience. Mr. Leroux was the President and CEO and Director of Zodiac Gold Inc. from January 2021 to March 2022 where he was responsible for the planning and discovery of the Arthington gold target area which is emerging as one of the most promising gold discoveries in West Africa and held senior executive positions for various private mining companies from 2011 to 2017. From 2017 to 2019, he was the Global Business Manager for SGS Geological Services whereby he led the day-to-day management and operation of SGS's global geological and mining services. From 1993 to 2017, Mr. Leroux was the co-owner (2003-2017) and Vice President and Principal Geologist of A.C.A. Howe International Limited, a Toronto-based geological and mining consulting firm. From 1988 to 1990 and in 1991, Mr. Leroux was employed by Inco Limited and Placer Dome Limited in various supervisory roles as a geologist, working on base and/or precious metal projects in Canada and internationally principally in drilling and resource definition stages. Mr. Leroux has both a Masters and Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology from Laurentian University. Mr. Leroux is a registered P.Geo in the provinces of Ontario, and Saskatchewan, Member of the Society of Economic Geologists and a Member of the PDAC. Mr. Leroux has been involved in the exploration of the SBH Project and surrounding areas in the past for gold and kimberlite diamond exploration.

About Critical Minerals Americas Inc.

Critical Minerals Americas Inc. is a private company engaged in mineral exploration and development in the province of Alberta. CMAI holds 100% interest in a 466.66 sq km critical minerals and rare earth elements hosted black shale project called the SBH Project. The Project is located approx. 120 km northwest of Fort McMurray Alberta in the Athabasca region. CMAI is advancing the development of long-term domestic supplies of critical minerals and rare earth elements.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and/or "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "aim", "target", "contemplate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "propose", "might", "may", "will", "shall", "project", "should", "could", "would", "believe", "predict", "forecast", "pursue", "potential", "possible", "capable" and similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the use of the proceeds of the Private Placement and the anticipated development and prospective nature of the Company's property interests.

These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific. Risks exist that forward-looking statements will not be achieved due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, the receipt of applicable shareholder and regulatory approvals, availability of financing, the impact of changes in the laws and regulations regulating mining exploration, development, closure, judicial or regulatory judgments and legal proceedings.

Although management of the Company considers the assumptions contained in forward-looking statements to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company, those assumptions may prove to be incorrect. When making decisions with respect to the Company, investors and others should not place undue reliance on these statements and should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events.

The Company does not undertake any obligation to release public revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued forward-looking statement constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on forward-looking statements is at investors' own risk.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278691

Source: Critical Minerals Americas Inc.
TwentyFour Income Fund Limited - Issue of Equity

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 19

19 December 2025

TwentyFour Income Fund Limited

Re: Issue of Equity

TwentyFour Income Fund Limited (the "Company"), the FTSE 250 listed investment company targeting less liquid, higher yielding UK and European asset-backed securities is pleased to announce that, to satisfy market demand and to raise money for investment in accordance with the Company's investment policy, 1,500,000 ordinary shares of 1 pence each in the capital of the Company were issued at a price of 113.43 pence per share under its blocklisting facility, raising 1,701,450.00 (before costs and expenses).

Following the issue, the Company's issued share capital will comprise 820,055,296 ordinary shares. This figure may be used by shareholders 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 share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

For further information, please contact:

Deutsche Numis:

Matt Goss +44 (0)20 7260 1000

Hugh Jonathan

TwentyFour Income Fund Limited:

Alistair Wilson +44 (0)20 7015 8900

The Company's LEI is: 549300CCEV00IH2SU369

About the Company:

The Company is a FTSE 250 listed investment company, which aims to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns, principally through income distributions, by investing in a diversified portfolio of UK and European asset-backed securities.

Visit the Company's website at www.twentyfourincomefund.com for more information.
Rightmove Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, December 19

19 December 2025

Rightmove plc

Share buy-back programme

Rightmove plc - transactions in own shares

Rightmove plc ('Rightmove'), announces that today it purchased 289,777 of its 0.1p ordinary shares at a volume weighted average price paid per share of 523.771p. The highest price paid per share was 526.400p and the lowest price paid per share was 521.200p. Rightmove purchased these shares through UBS AG London Branch.

The number of shares purchased represented 0.0380% 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 545,772,253 ordinary shares.

The total number of ordinary shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) following this announcement is 762,528,333. 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: Michelle Palmer, Assistant Company Secretary

CompanySecretary@rightmove.co.uk

Schedule of Purchases - Individual Transactions
A new HR-focused platform will launch in February 2026 to examine workplace transformation, AI-driven change and the evolving role of people leaders.

LONDON, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Workplace transformation is entering a defining phase as organisations respond to rapid AI adoption, skills shortages and shifting workforce expectations. Many view AI as a key tool for addressing these pressures - recent analysis from McKinsey shows that only 1% consider themselves mature in AI integration, despite 92% of them planning to increase investment in the technology. As these demands intensify, HR leaders are taking on a broader strategic role within global organisations.

In response to this shift, BizClik will launch HR Chief in February 2026 as a global platform focused on the future of work, leadership and organisational culture. HR Chief will examine how major organisations are redesigning work in an era shaped by generative AI, hybrid operating models, new regulatory demands and talent competition. Coverage will include data-led reporting, in-depth reporting and interviews, executive insights and timely analysis of the people strategies influencing global business.

Workplace Transformation Enters a Defining Phase

Across global markets, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) and HR teams are navigating profound change, including advances in AI-driven HR technology, new regulatory pressures and the need to build resilient, high-performance cultures.

HR Chief will provide reporting and insight across six core editorial pillars:

Leadership & Culture

Insight into how leaders build purpose-driven, values-led organisations, with interviews from CHROs, CEOs and culture executives shaping global people strategy.

AI, Data & HR Technology

Analysis of how automation, generative AI, predictive analytics and emerging workplace technologies are transforming HR operations-from hiring and L&D to performance, engagement and workforce planning.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

In-depth reporting on DE&I strategies, measurement frameworks, inclusive leadership practices and case studies from global organisations driving meaningful progress.

Talent Strategy & Workforce Transformation

Deep dives into recruitment, retention, reskilling, succession planning, skills intelligence and the shifting dynamics of global talent markets.

Employee Experience & Wellbeing

Coverage of workplace experience design, wellbeing programmes, culture-building initiatives, flexible work strategies and psychological safety.

Future of Leadership

Features on next-generation leadership skills, transformational leadership and the new capabilities CHROs need to shape organisations in an era of disruption.

Stacy Green, Chief People & Sustainability Officer, BizClik Media, said:

"HR leaders are operating in one of the most complex and consequential periods the profession has ever faced. The convergence of AI, shifting workforce expectations, regulatory pressure and persistent skills shortages means people strategy is no longer a supporting function; it is a core driver of business performance.

With the launch of HR Chief, we're creating a global platform that reflects the true strategic influence of today's people leaders. This is about moving beyond theory and surface-level commentary to deliver practical insight, data-led analysis and real-world perspectives from CHROs who are actively reshaping how organisations lead, perform and scale in an AI-driven world."

A Strategic Addition to BizClik's Global Media Portfolio

HR Chief will join BizClik's market-leading brands, including Business Chief, Sustainability Magazine, Procurement Magazine, Technology Magazine, FinTech Magazine and Supply Chain Digital, all of which collectively reach millions of executives every month.

As part of BizClik's ecosystem, the platform will benefit from:

A global distribution network

An established executive readership

Multimedia production capabilities

Access to BizClik's international event platforms

Opportunities for brands to engage through video, webinars, interviews, and roundtables

HR Chief will also complement BizClik's Sustainability LIVE , Net Zero Summit LIVE , Data Centre LIVE event series, enabling deeper integrations between editorial, digital media, and live experiences.

February 2026 Launch

The platform will debut with its first digital issue featuring:

Exclusive interviews with global CHROs and workplace innovators

Reports analysing workforce transformation and AI adoption

Expert-led commentary on leadership, wellbeing and organisational design

Pre-launch partnerships, editorial submissions and advertising packages are now available.

About BizClik

BizClik is one of the fastest-growing digital media and event companies in the UK. Through its portfolio of industry-leading brands, digital platforms, and global event series, BizClik connects decision-makers, delivers thought leadership, and helps businesses tell their stories on a global stage.

Media Contacts

Izzy Hutchin - PR Executive, BizClik

Izzy.hutchin@bizclikmedia.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2848689/HR_Chief.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hr-leaders-face-new-era-of-workplace-transformation-as-new-hr-chief-platform-launches-by-bizclik-media-in-february-2026-302647114.html
3D-printed prosthesis from America's No. 1 digital dental lab offers streamlined delivery and predictable outcome.

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Glidewell has launched Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials, a digitally designed and 3D-printed flexible partial denture engineered to give patients the comfort, esthetics, and reliability they expect - while helping dentists save chair time, reduce remakes, and deliver faster results.

Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials are the latest innovation in Glidewell's ongoing commitment to delivering digitally driven removable prosthetics. With vertical integration spanning materials, hardware, and software, the digital dentistry leader standardizes partial denture workflows and is able to reduce costs for dentists - all while ensuring cases meet the highest quality standards.

Key product features include:

Proprietary flexible polymer engineered for strength and resiliency can be used for single-tooth solutions, unilateral or bilateral partials, temporary options during implant healing, or long-term wear

Fully digital design reduces chair time, pressure spots, and post-delivery adjustments

3D printing workflow enables a fast three-day turnaround time

Improved fit and tissue comfort stem from controlled digital accuracy and flexible gingival elements

Natural-looking esthetics with enhanced shade matching and tissue characterization produce predictable results

Clinical education opportunities online or in Glidewell's state-of-the-art, on-campus operatory provide easy practice implementation

"With Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials, we're giving dentists a solution that's not only more comfortable and esthetic for the patient, but also significantly more predictable for the practice," said Dzevad Ceranic, executive vice president of lab operations at Glidewell. "This product maximizes digital accuracy and speed."

Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials are ideal for patients who present with a limited edentulous span. They can also be used as a transitional solution when patients have had an extraction and are waiting for an implant to be placed or integrated.

"I prescribe Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials as a temporary solution for esthetically driven patients, both young and old, particularly when replacing anterior teeth," said Dr. Danielle Brown, staff dentist at Glidewell. "They're comfortable, look great, and are made out of flexible material, so there are no metal clasps."

The Simply Natural line also offers a wide range of complete denture solutions, including digital, handcrafted, reference, duplicate and immediate dentures. For digital dentists seeking to help partially edentulous patients, Simply Natural 3D Flexible Partials are now available throughout the United States.

For more information, visit glidewell.com/flexpartialdenture or call 800-854-7256.

About Glidewell

Glidewell, based in Irvine, California, is an industry-leading provider of custom laboratory services, innovative technology and clinical education to dental professionals nationwide.

Contact:

Eldon Thompson

Sr. Director of Marketing

mail@glidewelldental.com

SOURCE: Glidewell

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/glidewell-introduces-simply-naturaltm-3d-flexible-partials-1118125
Michelin SmartWear and SmartLoad applications will demonstrate how extensive experience in tire analytics transforms in-vehicle data into predictive insights that enable extended tire life and safer journeys

Michelin, a pioneering tire manufacturer and innovative expert in composites, together with Sonatus, a leader in intelligence-driven software-defined vehicle technology, will demonstrate the latest developments of predictive tire health and maintenance at CES 2026. The collaboration highlights how Michelin's proven SmartLoad and SmartWear technologies, deployed via Sonatus AI Director, deliver real-time insights into tire performance directly within the vehicle.

Traditional tire monitoring systems often rely on pressure sensors or mileage-based estimates, which do not capture inputs like braking intensity, vehicle load, cornering forces and other dynamic conditions that are hard on tires. Michelin's SmartLoad and SmartWear models analyze these high-frequency vehicle signals to provide continuous, accurate insights into the actual health of a vehicle's tires, enabling fleets and drivers to optimize tire usage, improve safety, and reduce operational costs. Software-based tire monitoring has the potential to replace legacy sensor hardware and associated costs, effectively virtualizing the sensors and reducing the bill of materials (BOM), which the analyst firm Frost Sullivan estimates could contribute to cost savings of $1.68 billion by 2030.

Michelin's expertise in tire physics, modelling and data, combined with Sonatus's advanced in-vehicle AI orchestration, demonstrates how Michelin Tire Digital Twin, being used for predictive maintenance, can be operationalized at scale. Sonatus Collector AI enables Michelin to calibrate its algorithms for new automakers, while Sonatus AI Director provides secure, containerized deployment across diverse electronic control units (ECU). Together, these technologies allow Michelin's proprietary models to run at the edge in-vehicle reducing reliance on the cloud and protecting sensitive data.

Showcasing Powerful Deployment of Virtual Tires in Next-Generation Vehicle Architectures at CES 2026

"Our demonstrations at CES 2026 showcase how software-defined vehicle platforms can operationalize advanced partner solutions," said Alexandre Corjon, senior vice president of engineering, Sonatus. "By showcasing Michelin's SmartLoad and SmartWear through Sonatus Collector AI and Sonatus AI Director, we are illustrating how predictive tire maintenance can be integrated into the vehicle environment, providing a clear view of the potential for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mobility."

Michelin Vice President of Michelin Tire Digital Twin, Ali Rezgui confirms the project's ambitions by stating that, "Michelin SmartLoad and SmartWear showcase how our expertise in tire physics and modelling turns complex data into clear, predictive insights. These solutions help automakers and fleets extend tire life, improve safety, reduce costs, and support sustainable mobility. Michelin SmartWear and SmartLoad are the first building blocks of a full portfolio that will enable the OEMs to have Tire Digital Twin in their vehicles. As the tire is the vehicle's only link to the road, its digital twin must be unique, versatile, and integrated with most vehicle dynamic software functions."

At CES 2026, Michelin's predictive tire intelligence will come to life through a dynamic demonstration around a 1970 Ford Bronco retrofitted with Sonatus technology. Guests will experience how SmartLoad and SmartWear move beyond traditional monitoring with real-time insights and see, via Michelin's MyTires application, how these models transform raw vehicle data into actionable insights that enable safer journeys, longer tire life, and reduced operating costs.

Michelin's SmartLoad and SmartWear applications will be shown at CES 2026 at the Sonatus booth (#5439) in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center from January 6-9, 2026.

For more information about Sonatus technologies, visit www.sonatus.com. For more information about Michelin's software solutions, visit https://www.michelin.com/en/media/magazine/michelin-innovative-connected-solutions.

About Michelin:

Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies, and healthcare. The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries and employs 129,800 people. (www.michelin.com).

About Sonatus

Sonatus is a leading technology provider for intelligence-driven software-defined vehicles that are scalable and upgradable. Our AI solutions and software-defined technologies empower OEMs and suppliers to reduce costs, speed time to market, and deliver uncompromising quality. Founded in 2018, Sonatus is privately held, backed by leading investors spanning the automotive, semiconductor, and venture capital sectors, and its technology is in more than 6 million production vehicles from leading global automakers. Sonatus is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. (Silicon Valley), with regional headquarters in Dublin, and offices in Bangalore, Detroit, Frankfurt, Krakow, Paris, Pune, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.sonatus.com.

Sonatus and the Sonatus logo are trademarks of Sonatus, Inc. that are registered in the United States and are registered or pending in other countries. 2025 Sonatus, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219320794/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts

Leslie Clavin

Head of Public Relations, Sonatus

E: leslie.clavin@sonatus.com
2025-26 HALF-YEAR EARNINGS

PROFITABILITY GROWTH AND ENCOURAGING OUTLOOK

During the Board meeting on December 18, 2025, the Directors approved the half-year financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2025.

First-half key highlights

During the first half of FY 2025-26, GECI International continued its strategic transformation around its two high-potential business segments:

Digital Transition, including High Performance Computing (HPC) and numerical simulation in France, driven by subsidiary AS+, as well as IT outsourcing and financial IT services provided by EOLEN; and Smart City solutions in Brazil, delivered by AS+ Do Brasil, a well-established brand in the region.

As part of this shift, EOLEN initiated a strategic repositioning to expand its redeployment toward higher value-added digital services such as 24/7/365 international service centers. This transformation is supported by a strengthened organizational structure, including the hiring of additional sales engineers and the upskilling of the service-center teams.

The strong growth of AS+ Do Brasil (+17%) and AS+ in France (+10%) offset the slowdown in EOLEN (-27%), whose transition is stabilizing.

The half-year period also saw continued improvement in profitability, reflecting tighter cost discipline, reduced overheads, and a sharper focus on the Group's highest value-creating activities. Lower debt excluding IFRS 16 further strengthened the Group's financial position.

Half-year results

m 2025-26 2024-25 Change 2024-25 (6 months) (6 months) m % (12 months) Revenues 9.31 9.61 - 0.30 - 3.1 % 18.2 Current operating income (0.14) 0.10 - 0.24 - 238 % (0.5) Operating income 0.26 0.14 + 0.12 + 90 % (0.3) Pre-tax current income 0.13 (0.05) + 0.17 + 374 % (0.6) Consolidated net income 0.03 (0.23) + 0.26 + 114 % (0.8) Net income (Group share) 0.02 (0.26) + 0.27 + 106 % (0.9)

As of September 30, 2025, revenue totaled 9.31 million, split between Digital (43.8%) and Technology (56.2%). International operations accounted for 55.7% of total activity, confirming strong growth momentum.

Operating income increased by 90% to 0.26 million, supported by solid gross margin performance - despite recruitment investments - tight cost control and a marked reduction in general expenses.

By Business Segment:

Digital : operating income of 0.29 million, an improvement of +0.23 million year-on-year, driven by growth in structurally higher-margin HPC activities and efficient cost management in other business lines undergoing repositioning.

: operating income of 0.29 million, an improvement of +0.23 million year-on-year, driven by growth in structurally higher-margin HPC activities and efficient cost management in other business lines undergoing repositioning. Technology: operating income of 0.33 million, down year-on-year due to significant commercial investments aimed at strengthening future growth in Brazil.

m H1 2025-26 H1 2024-25 Digital Technology Holding Total Digital Technology Holding Total Revenues 4.08 5.23 9.31 4.64 4.97 9.61 Operating income 0.29 0.33 (0.36) 0.26 0.06 0.57 (0.49) 0.14 % of revenues 7.0% 6.4% - 2.8% 1.3% 11.4% - 1.4%

After factoring in financial expenses (0.1m) and tax charges (0.1m), net income (Group share) breaks even, compared with a 0.3m loss the year before.

Financial structure

Shareholders' equity (Group share) amounted to 4.9 million at September 30, 2025, unchanged from March 31, 2025.

At September 30, 2025, consolidated financial debt totaled 3.7 million, versus 3.2 million at the end of March 2025. The increase is mainly due to the IFRS 16 adjustment related to the transfer of the headquarters to Boulogne-Billancourt, and to a shareholder current account contribution. Excluding these items, Group debt decreased by -16.8% year-on-year.

The debt structure is as follows:

0.43m in financial debt (including overdrafts), vs. 0.53m at the end of March 2025.

0.91m in factoring advances, vs. 0.82m.

1.18m in net debt from simple bonds with attached warrants (OBSA 2 ), vs. 1.68m (the Group obtained a 10-month repayment deferral).

), vs. 1.68m (the Group obtained a 10-month repayment deferral). 0.22m in shareholder current account contributions, vs. a non-material amount at the end of March 2025.

0.93m in IFRS 16 lease liabilities, vs. 0.16m.

After deducting available cash (0.22m), net financial debt came to 3.4m, representing 70.2% of shareholders' equity (55.8% excluding IFRS 16).

Post-closing event

After the half-year closing, GECI International recorded a final decision concerning the long-standing dispute with the Grand Est Region.

On December 3, 2025, the Court of Cassation issued its ruling - a partial reversal without remand - confirming that the second of three guarantees, issued in 2011 for the second advance to Sky Aircraft, was unenforceable against the Company, due to the absence of required Board authorization under Article L.225-35 of the French Commercial Code.

Accordingly, no repayment of the 6.1 million advance can be, nor should have been, claimed from GECI International.

With the first guarantee no longer required since the initial ruling, only the third advance of 5 million remains, of which 4 million has been withheld since 2014. Repayment of the remaining 1 million is strictly capped at 10% of the annual net income of the holding company GECI International.

This agreement and the Court's ruling allow GECI International to close a legal dispute dating back more than ten years. However, in line with the prudence principle, the Group will continue to report the remaining exposure in the notes to its financial statements under "Off-Balance-Sheet Commitments".

Outlook

GECI International enters the second half with enhanced ambition. The Group aims to accelerate the development of its core businesses in order to strengthen its positioning in the most promising technologies and high-growth markets.

In France, AS+ confirms strong momentum in its HPC business, supported by a robust pipeline with major industrial and institutional clients (CEA, EDF, Safran, Airbus, Total). The subsidiary is benefiting from growing demand for its expertise in architecture audits, application optimization, and premium data center maintenance services. This momentum is further reinforced by a highly favorable market environment, driven in particular by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and the substantial infrastructure requirements it generates.

At the same time, AS+ is pursuing an ambitious R&D program, notably focused on the development of agentic AI systems and Large Language Models (LLMs) dedicated to automating HPC infrastructure maintenance, with the objective of enhancing the productivity of its solutions. The subsidiary is also stepping up its positioning efforts within the quantum computing ecosystem. The acceleration of demand for application optimization, HPC/AI maintenance and sovereign solutions thus confirms AS+'s role as a leading reference player in the French HPC market.

This momentum supports robust growth prospects for the HPC division, expected to deliver double-digit growth over the year.

EOLEN continues its shift toward higher value-added digital services. The activity decline observed in H1 remains contained and is part of a controlled transition supported by strengthened organizational structures. Targeted hiring, team upskilling, and overall profile enhancement should support the scaling of 24/7/365 international service centers amid increasing automation. This is accompanied by strengthened DevOps and software-upgrade capabilities.

EOLEN is also expanding into new verticals and actively diversifying its client base in banking and insurance. With renewed focus on technical and qualitative excellence, this repositioning should allow a return to growth as early as the second half.

In Brazil, AS+ Do Brasil continues to benefit from a buoyant environment, driven by recurring contracts and the expansion of its service offering toward higher value-added maintenance activities. Since 2024, the subsidiary has strengthened its presence in the telecommunications sector, reinforcing partnerships with leading players such as Vivo, Huawei and Ericsson, and delivering operational excellence across the entire deployment cycle of 4G/5G mobile networks and microwave links.

In 2025, AS+ Do Brasil is entering a new phase of investment and innovation, with the development of a "Data & AI" offering to address the growing demand for data processing and valorization, alongside the rollout of a connected PPE[1] project aimed at securing and optimizing field operations. The subsidiary is also considering extending its customer support across South America and exploring the Brazilian fixed networks market, including IP, communications, and optical transport solutions. These initiatives confirm its strategy of consolidation, innovation, and expansion, supporting sustainable growth expected to reach double-digit levels for the full year.

Finally, the rationalization plan launched in 2024-25 continues to deliver results. Cost optimization, organizational simplification, and improved resource allocation are sustainably strengthening the Group's operational efficiency. These efforts should support sustained profitability and improved net income for the full year.

Driven by a vision of responsible and sustainable innovation, GECI International reaffirms its ambition to address major technological, economic, and societal challenges through a resilient, value-creating, and forward-looking business model.

The half-year financial report is available on the Company's website (www.geci.net).

NEXT DATE

Full-year revenue 2025-26 - May 15, 2026 (after market close)

ABOUT GECI INTERNATIONAL

__________

"Smart Solutions for a Smart World"

GECI International is a key player in the fields of Digital and Technology. Since 1980, the Group has been committed to designing and delivering smart, high-value-added solutions for the Research, Industry, and Services sectors.

Present in Europe and Brazil and backed by a team of over 600 highly skilled professionals, GECI International operates in High-Performance Computing (HPC), Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and other emerging technologies. The Group's model is based on recognized expertise, tailor-made offerings, and a robust ecosystem of strategic partners.

GECI International is listed on Euronext Growth Paris. ISIN: FR001400M1R1 - - Ticker: ALGEC.

__________

GECI International - Investors Relations

Tel: +33 (0)1 46 12 00 00

relation.investisseurs@geci.net ACTUS Finance et Communication - Cyril Combe

Tel: +33 (0)1 01 53 67 36 36

geci@actus.fr

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CRANBROOK, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:EPL)(OTCQB:EGPLF), (the "Company") shareholders approved all matters put before them at the Company's Annual and Special Meeting held on December 19th, 2025 at the Company's offices in Cranbrook, BC.

Elected the following directors of the Company for the ensuing year: Charles C. (Chuck) Downie, Timothy J. Termuende, Jesse T. Campbell, Glen J. Diduck, William R. (Bill) Bennett and Paul Reynolds; Appointed Crowe MacKay LLP as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year; Passed a resolution approving the renewal of the Company's Stock Option Plan;

Eagle Plains remains active in the junior mining space, with steady project acquisitions and ongoing exploration projects underway targeting a variety of commodities located in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. The Company remains financially healthy and currently holds ~$8.1M cash in treasury, over $2,400,000 in investments, ~$1,500,000 in real estate and hard assets and carries no debt. TerraLogic Exploration Inc., EPL's 100%-owned subsidiary, continues to generate significant revenue through its mineral exploration consulting activities for third-party clients in addition to providing valuable intellectual capital to Eagle Plains.

About Eagle Plains Resources

Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains is a well-funded, prolific project generator that continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada, with a focus on critical metals integral to an increasingly electrified, decarbonized economy.

The Company was formed in 1992 and is the fourth-oldest listed issuer on the TSX-V (and the only one of these four that has not seen a roll-back or restructuring of its shares). Eagle Plains has continued to deliver shareholder value over the years and through numerous spin outs has transferred over $110,000,000 in value directly to its shareholders, with Copper Canyon Resources and Taiga Gold Corp. being notable examples. Eagle Plains latest spinout, Eagle Royalties Ltd. (CSE:"ER") was listed on May 24, 2023, and on October 30, 2025, ER shareholders overwhelmingly approved a three-cornered amalgamation that resulted in a reverse takeover of Eagle Royalties by Summit Royalty Corp. The resulting issuer is named Summit Royalties Ltd. and trades under the symbol SUM on the TSX Venture Exchange.

On October 2, 2024, Eagle Plains announced the formation of a separate division within the Company that will give Eagle Plains' shareholders direct exposure to strategic opportunities in Canadian green energy transition. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Eagle Plains, Osprey Power Inc. ("OP") will focus on identifying and advancing innovative and diverse clean energy project portfolios in target markets throughout Canada, with an initial focus on Western Canada.

Eagle Plains' core business is acquiring grassroots critical- and precious-metal exploration properties. The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team.

Expenditures from 2010-2024 on Eagle Plains-related projects exceed $39M, the majority of which was funded by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 50,000m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development.

Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Eagle Plains

"C.C. (Chuck) Downie, P.Geo"

President and CEO

For further information on EPL, please contact Mike Labach at 1 866 HUNT ORE (486 8673)

Email: mgl@eagleplains.com or visit our website at http://www.eagleplains.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.

SOURCE: Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/eagle-plains-shareholders-approve-all-matters-at-annual-general-meeting-1119550
San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - January 11, 2026) - National shareholder rights firm Hagens Berman is notifying investors in StubHub Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: STUB) of the upcoming January 23, 2026, lead plaintiff deadline in a pending securities class action. The firm is investigating whether StubHub's September 2025 Initial Public Offering (IPO) documents failed to disclose critical known trends that resulted in a 143% collapse in free cash flow, as alleged in the pending suit.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR STUBHUB LOSSES

Investors who purchased StubHub (STUB) securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's September 2025 IPO and suffered significant losses are encouraged to contact the firm.

Case Summary at a Glance

Key Detail Information for STUB Investors Ticker Symbol STUB (NYSE) Lead Plaintiff Deadline January 23, 2026 Class Investors in STUB Sep. '25 IPO Core Allegation Failure to disclose adverse vendor payment trends affecting liquidity Financial Impact 143% decline in Free Cash Flow (FCF) Contact Email STUB@hbsslaw.com / 844-916-0895

The StubHub Securities Class Action

The suit challenges the transparency of StubHub's disclosures in its IPO Registration Statement. While StubHub's IPO documents allegedly touted its financial health to prospective investors, the lawsuit alleges the company was already experiencing significant changes in the timing of payments to vendors.

On Nov. 13, 2025, StubHub reported its first quarterly results as a public company, revealing that Free Cash Flow had plummeted to negative $4.6 million-a stunning 143% decrease from the prior year. The company admitted this was primarily due to "changes in the timing of payments to vendors." Following this revelation, StubHub's stock price dropped over 20% in a single day and has since traded as much as 56% below its $23.50 IPO price.

"We are investigating whether StubHub's IPO documents should have disclosed the vendor delayed payment issue," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the firm's investigation of the alleged claims in the pending suit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the StubHub (STUB) securities lawsuit about? The litigation alleges that StubHub's IPO documents should have disclosed that StubHub was experiencing changes in the timing of payments to vendors and that those changes had a significant adverse impact on free cash flow, including trailing 12 months free cash flow.

What is the lead plaintiff deadline for STUB? The deadline to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff is January 23, 2026. You do not need to be a lead plaintiff to share in any potential recovery, but as a lead plaintiff, you can help direct the litigation.

If you'd like answers to other frequently asked questions about the StubHub case and the firm's investigation, read more 

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding StubHub should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email STUB@hbsslaw.com.

# # #

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation firm focusing on corporate accountability. The firm is home to a robust practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and other wrongdoings. Hagens Berman's team has secured more than $2.9 billion in this area of law. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/280005

Source: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
Lusaka, Zambia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Makor Resources, an Australian-based, Zambia-focused copper exploration and development company, is advancing the Muli Copper Project as a district-scale copper opportunity in Zambia's Central Province - an emerging copper corridor of growing relevance to global supply security, electrification, and long-term industrial growth.





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The Muli Copper Project comprises a large, contiguous, and underexplored land position located within a regionally significant intrusive and structural setting interpreted to be prospective for intrusive-related copper systems. Situated in one of the world's most established copper jurisdictions, the project offers scale, geological continuity, and long-duration development optionality at an early stage of the district's modern exploration cycle-attributes that are becoming increasingly scarce as competition for high-quality copper exposure intensifies.

As global investment accelerates toward electrification, energy transition, and infrastructure resilience, copper has re-emerged as a strategically critical material. Zambia continues to strengthen its position as a cornerstone supplier of responsibly produced copper, supported by a clear national mandate to expand output, attract longterm capital, and support downstream industrial development.

District-Scale Validation and Strategic Context

The Muli Copper Project is located within a fertile intrusive and structural corridor in Zambia's Central Province, approximately 30 kilometres from the Sinomine developed Kitumba Copper Project. The advancement of Kitumba has reinforced the presence of large-scale, long-life copper systems within the broader district, while contributing to improved infrastructure readiness, increased regional data density, and growing institutional recognition of the corridor.

Within this evolving district context, Muli represents a rare early-cycle opportunity to establish exposure to system-scale copper potential within a geological setting transitioning from underexplored to strategically significant, while competitive intensity for large, contiguous land positions remains relatively low.

Disciplined, System-Scale Exploration Approach

Makor is advancing the Muli Copper Project through a phased and technically disciplined exploration strategy designed to evaluate intrusive-related copper systems at scale. The approach prioritises integrated geological interpretation, geophysical and geochemical analysis, and corridor-scale target generation across multiple prospective domains.

This strategy is deliberately focused on early technical de-risking and the preservation of strategic optionality, rather than short-cycle exploration outcomes. The objective is to establish a robust system-level understanding capable of supporting multiple future development pathways, aligned with the long-duration investment horizons increasingly favoured in the global copper sector.

Jurisdictional Strength and Responsible Development

Zambia remains one of the world's most established copper jurisdictions, combining a stable regulatory framework, export-ready infrastructure, and a deeply experienced mining workforce. Copper development continues to form a central pillar of national economic strategy.

Makor's operating model integrates early-stage community engagement, transparent stakeholder alignment, and governance discipline as core components of licence security and long-term development viability, supporting responsible growth as projects advance.

"In today's copper market, assets with genuine scale, jurisdictional security, and the potential to support long-life development are becoming increasingly scarce," said Ricus Grimbeek, Executive Chair of Makor Resources.

"What gives Muli credibility at this stage are the fundamentals: a large, contiguous land position in a proven copper jurisdiction, location within an intrusive-related corridor capable of supporting long-life systems, and emerging district validation. Muli stands out as a district-scale copper position where disciplined, system-led exploration can unlock value over time. Our focus is on advancing the asset with the technical rigour, governance standards, and long term perspective required to support credible development pathways."

"Muli reflects how Makor approaches asset formation from the outset," said Brooke Bibeault, Chief Executive Officer of Makor Resources.

"We focus on jurisdictions where long-life copper development is supported at a national level, and on projects where scale, geological integrity, and stakeholder alignment can be built deliberately and responsibly. In Zambia's Central Province, we see the opportunity to advance a district-scale copper asset with the discipline, credibility, and long-horizon perspective required to create enduring value for the country, investors, and the global copper supply chain."

About Makor Resources

Makor Resources is a copper-focused exploration and development company operating in Zambia, with Australian capital markets experience. The company operates across the early and mid-stages of the mining lifecycle, applying geological discipline, governance rigour, and strategic foresight to advance assets of long-term institutional relevance.

MEDIA CONTACT

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278562

Source: GYT
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Costa Rica has evolved from exporting primarily four traditional products in the early 1980s to placing more than 4,000 goods and services in nearly 150 international markets by 2024, according to a study prepared by the Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of Costa Rica (PROCOMER). The study analyzes the evolution of Costa Rica's export model and documents one of the most profound productive transformations in the country's economic history. This four-decade process has influenced economic growth, job creation, and Costa Rica's capacity to integrate into high-value global supply chains.

The analysis shows that over the past decade, Costa Rican exports grew at an average annual rate of 8% (2014-2024), alongside a structural shift in the composition of the export offering. Advanced manufacturing currently accounts for 84% of the industrial goods macro-sector, while knowledge-intensive services represent 58% of exports within that segment. This evolution reflects a transition toward activities that require greater sophistication, specialized talent, and compliance with international standards.

The study also highlights the impact of foreign trade on the labor market. By 2024, exports generated more than 709,000 jobs, with women representing 43% of total employment and a significant presence outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, where nearly 19% of export activity is located. These figures confirm that export-led growth is not concentrated solely in urban centers or within a single productive profile.

Commenting on this long-term process, Laura Lopez, CEO of PROCOMER, noted that the country's export evolution is the result of sustained decisions and a shared vision between the public and private sectors. "Moving from just four main export products in the early 1980s to more than 4,000 today is evidence of an economy that learned how to transform itself, innovate, and compete in increasingly demanding markets. This study shows how diversification expands opportunities, creates jobs, and strengthens economic development across all regions of the country," she said.

From a historical perspective, the document illustrates how Costa Rica gradually reduced its dependence on traditional exports. By the late 1980s, more than 90% of shipments corresponded to traditional goods; today, that pattern has reversed, with a clear predominance of non-traditional exports linked to advanced manufacturing, differentiated agro-industry, and specialized services. This shift enabled the country to broaden its export portfolio and respond more efficiently to external demand.

Product diversification has been accompanied by a sustained expansion of export markets. The study notes that Costa Rica maintains a solid presence in North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with positive performance in regions that demand higher value-added goods and services. While the United States remains the country's main export destination, growth recorded through September 2025 in Europe (+18%) and Asia (+39%) underscores the importance of a strategy focused on market expansion and reduced concentration.

The analysis identifies opportunities associated with nearshoring, digitalization, the transition to clean energy, and the growth of knowledge-based services-areas in which Costa Rica already has established capabilities. In this context, the study concludes that the country is entering a new stage of its export development, with a broader and more sophisticated productive base and stronger conditions to respond to the demands of international trade in the years ahead.

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/from-four-to-more-than-4-000-products-in-40-years-the-evolution-of-costa-ricas-export-model-302647188.html
Strada, a people, payroll and technology leader that simplifies international workforce management, today celebrates a series of major achievements that made 2025 a defining year for the organization. Following its divestiture in 2024, Strada closes 2025 as a fully independent business with momentum and a clear path into 2026.

As Strada moved through its first full year as an independent organization, clear steps were taken to position the business for long-term growth. To support this next phase, Strada strengthened its leadership team with the following key appointments:

Matt Bolson, Chief Revenue Officer

Jonathan Schembor, Chief Product Officer

Rick Patterson, Chief Information Security Officer

Gautam Mekala, Chief Information Officer, now leading a unified Product Technology organization

Strada also accelerated the expansion of Strada Pay, its proprietary cloud-native global payroll engine, throughout 2025, extending coverage to more than 30 countries, with additional markets planned for 2026. Across all Strada payroll platforms, more than 75 million payslips were delivered globally during the year. Of these, 300,000 were processed through Strada Pay, reflecting the growing adoption of the platform.

This momentum was supported by continued customer growth, with Strada welcoming new customers such as ALS and Sligro while continuing to serve a broad, multinational customer base across a wide range of industries. Strada also reinforced its market presence with the opening of its new headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, and the launch of its elevated brand platform, From Pay to Possibility, reinforcing its commitment to clarity, confidence, and long-term value for customers.

"2025 has been a pivotal year for Strada," said Colin Brennan, CEO of Strada. "We completed our technology separation and stood up as a fully independent organization with a clear focus on our customers. What we've built this year the momentum, the innovation and the clarity of purpose gives us a strong foundation for the years ahead. Our focus for 2026 is simple: keep improving, keep listening and keep delivering for our customers

This growth was matched by continued progress across Strada's partner ecosystem. New collaborations were launched with Nayya and Syndio, and key projects were advanced through long-standing partnerships with SAP and Workday, supported by expanded certifications, broader geographic coverage and joint innovation.

At the center of Strada's momentum is a commitment to product innovation. Throughout 2025, Strada delivered AI-enabled enhancements across Strada Pay, Workday and SAP, alongside platform improvements designed to increase clarity, accuracy and confidence throughout the pay cycle. These delivered capabilities were complemented by a forward-looking product roadmap that reinforces Strada's long-term AI direction. Key advancements included:

Strada Pay

Strada.AI Assistant (Pilot): An AI-powered assistant that enables employees to self-resolve payroll and HR queries with accurate, real-time answers by securely interpreting payroll data and policy information. Available 24/7 to support global workforces, it reduces reliance on first-line support teams while improving speed, clarity, and consistency of employee responses.

An AI-powered assistant that enables employees to self-resolve payroll and HR queries with accurate, real-time answers by securely interpreting payroll data and policy information. Available 24/7 to support global workforces, it reduces reliance on first-line support teams while improving speed, clarity, and consistency of employee responses. Country Expansion: Now available in 30+ countries, with further markets planned for 2026.

Workday

Benefits Administration: Launch of enhanced benefits administration capabilities for Workday customers.

Launch of enhanced benefits administration capabilities for Workday customers. Automated ACFR: Ensures faster, more accurate compliance and reporting, with the debut of AI Agents planned for early 2026 to streamline narrative drafting and editing.

Ensures faster, more accurate compliance and reporting, with the debut of AI Agents planned for early 2026 to streamline narrative drafting and editing. Strada Verify: Streamlined validation workflows that strengthen audit trails and controls.

SAP

SAP Business AI Enablement: New capability enabling customers to adopt SAP Business AI, including Joule and ad-hoc BTP applications.

New capability enabling customers to adopt SAP Business AI, including Joule and ad-hoc BTP applications. First Joule Deployment: Successfully delivered for a Spanish customer.

Successfully delivered for a Spanish customer. Early Adopter Status: Selected for SAP's new Smart Recruiters module, with upgrades planned from H2 2026.

Selected for SAP's new Smart Recruiters module, with upgrades planned from H2 2026. Triple Certification: SAP Certified in SAP SuccessFactors solutions operations, BPO Operations and BTP Operations (works with RISE and SAP).

Strada closes the year with a growing global footprint, a strengthened leadership team, and a clearly defined innovation roadmap that will introduce the next wave of AI-powered capabilities in 2026. The company remains focused on delivering intelligent, simplified and unified people, payroll and technology services that drive meaningful outcomes for organizations worldwide.

About Strada

Strada is a people, payroll, and technology leader that simplifies international workforce management. Across 180 countries, Strada designs and delivers people-first solutions powered by cloud-based technology that help organizations grow and enable workforces to perform at their best. www.stradaglobal.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251219335767/en/

Contacts:

Media contact

Claire Watson

Communications Director

Claire.Watson@stradaglobal.com
Novartis agrees to take actions aimed at meeting US Administration priorities for drug pricing





Additional Novartis medicines will be made available through direct-to-patient platforms in 2026





Company remains committed to investing in markets that value innovation and implement policies that support broad and fast access to medicines



Basel, December 19, 2025 - Novartis, a leading global innovative medicines company, today announced it has reached an agreement with the US government that aims to lower the price of innovative medicines in the US and support continued US investment in manufacturing, and research and development.

Novartis has voluntarily agreed to take actions aimed at meeting the US Administration's drug pricing priorities, including:

Launching future medicines with comparable prices across high-income countries

Building direct-to-patient platforms for Mayzent (siponimod), Rydapt (midostaurin) and Tabrecta (capmatinib). These new platforms will be accessible through TrumpRx

(siponimod), Rydapt (midostaurin) and Tabrecta (capmatinib). These new platforms will be accessible through TrumpRx Applying to participate in the GENEROUS (GENErating cost Reductions fOr U.S. Medicaid) Model aimed at further improving access to medicines in the US Medicaid program

Supporting efforts to address the global imbalance in investment in pharmaceutical innovation

"This agreement continues our long-term partnership with the US government to advance the development and manufacturing of breakthrough treatments for patients in the United States," said Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. "We are committed to working with governments worldwide to ensure innovation is appropriately valued and that our medicines reach the patients who need them most."

Earlier this year, Novartis committed to investing $23 billion (https://www.novartis.com/us-en/about/investing-americas-health) in expanding its US R&D and manufacturing infrastructure over 5 years. Since announcing this investment in April, the company:

Announced a new $1.1 billion biomedical research hub in San Diego, CA

Broke ground on a new flagship manufacturing hub in North Carolina, including three new facilities, in the Raleigh/Durham area. The hub will enable end-to-end manufacturing capabilities to produce medicines across the company's technology platforms

Opened a new radioligand therapy (RLT) manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, CA, enabling coast-to-coast manufacturing of RLTs

Advanced plans to build new RLT manufacturing facilities in Florida and Texas

In recognition of this investment, Novartis expects to receive three years of tariff relief.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "may," "could," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release; or regarding potential future revenues from such products; or regarding our agreement with the US government aiming to lower the price of innovative medicines in the US; or regarding discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions, including discussions regarding our continued investment into new US R&D capabilities and manufacturing. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. Neither can there be any guarantee that the expected benefits from the agreements and investments described in this press release will be achieved in the expected timeframe, or at all. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people's lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach nearly 300 million people worldwide.

Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.com (https://www.novartis.com/) and connect with us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/novartis/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/novartis/), X/Twitter (https://twitter.com/Novartis) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/novartis?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==__;!!N3hqHg43uw!pjp8z253J5NjaOYrW65UbAAlHeHRdQ-w0m4ezZxEQEl0ptafXN2M99VRIk39pf49PAc8NbK93Pxp3uaSBQkAf8oEnzWXG8Sk$).

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - AE Fuels Corporation (TSXV: AEF) (formerly, Cavalry Capital Corp.) ("AE Fuels" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced transaction (the "Transaction") with Advanced Energy Fuels, Inc. ("Advanced Energy"). In accordance with the terms of the Transaction, the Company has acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Advanced Energy in exchange for 20,579,938 common shares of the Company issued to the shareholders of Advanced Energy on a one-for-one basis, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the share exchange agreement dated July 17, 2025 (the "Share Exchange Agreement") between the Company, Advanced Energy and the shareholders of Advanced Energy. As a result of the Transaction, Advanced Energy became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Transaction constituted the "Qualifying Transaction" of the Company, as such a term is defined in Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

The Company is expected to recommence trading of its common shares on the TSXV as a Tier 2 mining issuer on or about December 29, 2025 under the new trading symbol "AEF". The Transaction remains subject to the final acceptance of the TSXV.

Gary Lewis, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company said: "Completion of the Qualifying Transaction represents an important milestone for our Company, and I would like to thank our advisers and the AEF and Cavalry teams for their hard work and diligence over the past six months. We start life as a public company with a strong balance sheet and an asset base perfectly positioned to maximize opportunities in US critical minerals supply chains. We remain focused on creating long-term value for our shareholders through strategic collaborations, clear technical milestones and advancing development of our projects, and I look forward to keeping investors updated as we move into 2026."

The Company has filed a filing statement dated December 12, 2025 (the "Filing Statement") on SEDAR+ under its profile relating to the Transaction. Investors are encouraged to review the Filing Statement, which provides detailed information about the Transaction and the Company.

Name Change and Consolidation

Immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name to "AE Fuels Corporation." (the "Name Change") and consolidated its common shares (the "Consolidation") on the basis of 1.66 pre-Consolidation common shares for each post-Consolidation common share (a "AE Fuels Share").

Letters of transmittal providing instructions on exchanging pre-Consolidation share certificates for post-Consolidation share certificates or Direct Registration System (DRS) Statements to be issued in the name of "AE Fuels Corporation" will be mailed by Computershare Investor Services Inc. to the Company's registered shareholders holding physical share certificates. Registered shareholders are encouraged to send their share certificates, together with their letter of transmittal, to Computershare Investor Services Inc. in accordance with the instructions in the letter of transmittal. Beneficial shareholders holding common shares in the capital of the Company through an intermediary should be aware that the intermediary may have different procedures for processing the Consolidation and are encouraged to contact their respective intermediaries in this regard. No fractional common shares will be issued as a result of the Consolidation. Where the Consolidation would otherwise result in an entitlement to a fractional common share, the number of post-Consolidation shares issued will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole number of common shares. The Name Change and Consolidation are subject to the final approval of the TSXV.

As a result of the Transaction, the Company has an aggregate of 41,433,479 AE Fuels Shares issued and outstanding. The CUSIP number for the AE Fuels Shares is 001024108 and the ISIN is CA0010241085.

Exercise of Option for the South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project

Immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction, Advanced Energy exercised the option (the "SWWM Acquisition") to indirectly acquire a 100% interest in the South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project located in the Pilbara Region, and the Company issued 6,000,000 AE Fuels Shares to Trek Metals Limited (ASX: TKM) ("Trek"), which when added to the 2,000,000 AE Fuels Shares issued to Trek pursuant to the Share Exchange Agreement, total 8,000,000 AE Fuels Shares. In connection with the SWWM Acquisition, the Company entered into an amended and restated investor rights agreement with Trek pursuant to which, among other things, the Company granted Trek a right to nominate one member to the board of directors of the Company and a pro-rata participation right in future financings of the Company for as long as Trek maintains ownership or control over at least 5% of the issued and outstanding AE Fuels Shares, as well as certain information rights.

The 2,000,000 AE Fuels Shares issued to Trek pursuant to the Share Exchange Agreement are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on April 20, 2026 in accordance with applicable securities laws.

See the Filing Statement for further information on the SWWM Acquisition.

Concurrent Financing

On November 20, 2025, the Company completed a non-brokered private placement of 10,960,468 subscription receipts (each, a "Subscription Receipt"), at a price of $0.25 per subscription receipt, raising aggregate gross proceeds of $2,740,117 (the "Concurrent Financing"). On the closing of the Transaction, each Subscription Receipt was converted into one unit, each comprised of one AE Fuels Share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable by the holder thereof to purchase one AE Fuels Share at an exercise price of $0.35 per share until December 19, 2027. The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Financing less certain deductions were released from escrow to the Company concurrently with the completion of the Transaction. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Concurrent Financing as described in the Filing Statement. The securities issued to purchasers in connection with the Concurrent Financing are subject to a four-month hold period expiring on March 21, 2026 in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSXV. The Concurrent Financing is subject to the final approval of the TSXV.

In connection with the Private Placement, the Company paid aggregate cash finder's fees of $102,275 and granted an aggregate of 409,100 non-transferable finder warrants of the Company (each, a "Finder Warrant") to arm's length finders of the Company. Each Finder Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one AE Fuels Share at an exercise price of $0.35 per share until December 19, 2027. The Finder Warrants and the AE Fuels Shares issuable upon exercise thereof are subject to a four-month hold period from the date of issuance of the Finder Warrants in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Board of Directors and Management

Following completion of the Transaction, the board of directors of the Company has been reconstituted to consist of the following five directors: Gary Lewis, Melissa Sanderson, Mitchell Smith, Derek Marshall and Brandon Bonifacio. The officers of the Company are Gary Lewis as Chief Executive Officer and President, Melissa Sanderson as Chair, and Jack Cartmel as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary.

Early Warning Disclosure for Trek Metals Limited

Trek, a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, acquired 8,000,000 AE Fuels Shares pursuant to the Transaction and the SWWM Acquisition, which represent more than 10% of the issued and outstanding AE Fuels Shares. Accordingly, Trek is providing the following disclosure pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 - The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues ("NI 62-103").

Immediately prior to the completion of the SWWM Acquisition and the Transaction, Trek did not own, or have control or direction over, any securities of the Company. Immediately after the closing of the SWWM Acquisition and the Transaction, the Trek beneficially owns, and has control and direction over, 8,000,000 Shares, representing approximately 19.31% of the outstanding AE Fuels Shares on an undiluted basis.

The AE Fuels Shares were acquired by Trek for investment purposes only, and in the future, Trek may acquire additional securities of the Company, dispose of some or all of the existing securities it holds or will hold, subject to the certain escrow release conditions, or may continue to hold its current position, depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and other relevant factors. The AE Fuels Shares issued to the Trek are subject to the Form 5D - Escrow Agreement dated December 19, 2025 (the "Escrow Agreement") that was entered into on closing of the Transaction and is filed on SEDAR+ under the profile of the Company.

An early warning report will be filed by Trek pursuant to NI 62-103 on SEDAR+ under the profile of the Company. To obtain a copy of the early warning report, please contact Gary Lewis, CEO and President of the Company at c/o Suite 1400 - 1050 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3S7, or by telephone at +61 422 880 055.

Early Warning Disclosure for Gary Lewis

Gary Lewis acquired 5,833,334 AE Fuels Shares and 200,000 Warrants pursuant to the Transaction and the Concurrent Financing, representing more than 10% of the issued and outstanding AE Fuels Shares. Accordingly, Mr. Lewis is providing the following disclosure pursuant to NI 62-103.

Immediately prior to the completion of the Transaction, Mr. Lewis beneficially owned, and has control and direction over, 400,000 Subscription Receipts held by Lewis Superannuation Fund, representing approximately 3.99% of the outstanding AE Fuels Shares on a partially-diluted basis (assuming the conversion of the Subscription Receipts, and including the AE Fuels Shares issuable on exercise of the Warrants issued to Lewis Superannuation Fund). Immediately after the closing of the Transaction, Mr. Lewis beneficially owns, and has control and direction over, 5,833,334 Shares and 200,000 Warrants, representing approximately 14.08% of the outstanding AE Fuels Shares on an undiluted basis and approximately 14.49% of the outstanding AE Fuels Shares on a partially-diluted basis (including the AE Fuels Shares issuable on exercise of the Warrants held by Lewis Superannuation Fund). Of these securities, 650,000 AE Fuels Shares are held directly by Gary Lewis, 1,333,334 AE Fuels Shares and 200,000 Warrants are held by Lewis Superannuation Fund, and 3,850,000 AE Fuels Shares are held by ACT2 Pty Limited.

The AE Fuels Shares and Warrants were acquired by Mr. Lewis for investment purposes only, and in the future, Mr. Lewis may acquire additional securities of the Company, dispose of some or all of the existing securities he holds or will hold, subject to the certain escrow release conditions, or may continue to hold his current position, depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and other relevant factors. A total of 5,433,334 AE Fuels Shares owned and controlled by Mr. Lewis are subject to the Escrow Agreement.

An early warning report will be filed by Mr. Lewis pursuant to NI 62-103 on SEDAR+ under the profile of the Company. To obtain a copy of the early warning report, please contact Mr. Lewis at c/o Suite 1400 - 1050 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 3S7, or by telephone at +61 422 880 055.

On behalf of the board of directors of the Company:

Gary Lewis,

President and CEO

About AE Fuels Corporation

AE Fuels Corporation (AEF) is a battery materials company focused on the extraction and purification of minerals critical for the batteries that power electrification and energy storage. AEF has a multi-asset portfolio strategically located in tier one jurisdictions with manganese projects in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia and fluorspar prospects in New Mexico in the United States. Manganese and fluorspar are essential raw materials to multiple high-growth industries and are designated critical minerals in Australia, US and EU due to their importance to energy security and clean technology supply chains. AEF is advancing development activities aimed at delivering reliable, allied-sourced supply of these materials to reduce US dependence on high-risk or non-aligned jurisdictions.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities law and may not be offered or sold in the "United States", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act, unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration requirements is available.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, the final acceptance of the TSXV to the Transaction, the Private Placement, the Consolidation and the Name Change, and the anticipated date for recommencement of trading.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to risks related to regulatory approval. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statement will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipate in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278721

Source: Cavalry Capital Corp.
Despite challenging framework conditions such as high energy prices, the international introduction of tariffs, and bureaucratic requirements, Saxony-Anhalt is drawing a positive balance for 2025: leading companies have announced or begun substantial investments this year. The federal state, with around 2.14 million inhabitants, is characterized by short distances and fast decision-making and has further strengthened its image as an innovative industrial and technology location. With a diverse mix of high-tech, pharmaceuticals, logistics, chemicals, and mechanical engineering, the state is well positioned for the future-and is expecting important openings in 2026 that will continue its growth trajectory.

MAGDEBURG, Germany, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Among the most significant projects is Novartis' decision to build a new production facility for radioligand therapies in Halle (Saale). The technology is considered groundbreaking in personalized cancer medicine. With this new site, the state not only strengthens its life sciences sector but also gains additional international visibility. Saxony-Anhalt's Minister for Economic Affairs, Sven Schulze, emphasizes: "This investment shows the great confidence in our state's innovative strength and reinforces our ambition to be a leading location for future industries." Proximity to excellent research institutions, access to Leipzig/Halle Airport, and modern logistics structures were decisive factors for the choice of Halle.

In addition to cutting-edge medical technology, the industrial sector is also evolving dynamically: Wintipak is already realizing the third construction phase in Star Park Halle and expanding its capacities for aseptic packaging solutions. The investment creates additional space for office, technical, and storage functions and supports the long-term stability of the European production network. With this step, the company explicitly commits to the region and focuses on sustainable, efficient production processes.

A milestone in logistics is taking shape in Bernburg (Saale), where Avnet is establishing a high-performance distribution center for electronic components, including semiconductor electronics, with an investment volume of more than 225 million euros. Operations are scheduled to start in spring 2026-with up to 700 new jobs and the capability to ship tens of thousands of parcels worldwide each day. Sustainable energy supply and modern automation make the center a flagship project for the entire region.

With regard to semiconductor-related industries, Mercury is also taking an important step: The Irish company is building an engineering and manufacturing center in Schonebeck. The opening is likewise scheduled for spring 2026. About 200 skilled professionals will provide innovative engineering services for European high-tech customers. The decision was driven by the strong quality of the location and its central position within Germany.

Another project of supraregional importance was realized in Halberstadt: Daimler Truck's new Global Parts Center-the largest spare parts hub of its kind in Europe-was completed in just two years and has created more than 650 jobs. Daimler Truck is also setting new standards for sustainable logistics with its CO2-neutral energy concept.

Successful mid-sized companies like the electric ship motor manufacturer Ramme Electric Machines from Osterwieck also demonstrate how innovation "Made in Saxony-Anhalt" resonates worldwide. The Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park continues to grow as well: Campo Amargo is expanding its production of specialty reagents, strengthening the state's chemical and biotechnological expertise. At the same time, Merz is investing 50 million euros in additional capacities for highly specialized active ingredients at the Biopharmapark Dessau-Rolau.

All this shows: Saxony-Anhalt is building on its success and heading for further milestones in 2026. The state is an attractive location for companies seeking growth, innovation, and future readiness.

More Information:

Novartis Deutschland

Wintipak continues to invest in Halle | WINTIPAK

Avnet Distributionszentrum Bernburg | Avnet EMEA

Mercury marks significant milestone at new 25 million engineering and Offsite Manufacturing facility in Germany - Mercury Engineering

Halberstadt, Daimler Truck Global Parts Center | Daimler Truck

Home - RAMME

Oligonucleotide Synthesis Reagents | High Quality

Home - Merz

Contact details:

Sabine Kraus

Mobile: +49 172 3221 694

Sabine.Kraus@img-sachsen-anhalt.de

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2847543/IMG_Novartis_Foto_Andreas_Lander.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2847544/IMG_Wintipak.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2847545/IMG_Ramme_Production.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2847542/Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/img-saxony-anhalt-2026-in-sight---saxony-anhalt-sets-the-pace-for-future-industries-302647261.html
LAFAYETTE, CA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Uptime USA, the high-quality managed IT and Cloud service provider for small to mid-size organizations since 1990 has just announced their merger with 415 IT, founded in 2005, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses. 415 IT capabilities complement Uptime's focus as a "super regional" provider with a national reach.

"In some ways, this is a merger of equals," explains IT industry veteran Keenan Phelan, CEO of Uptime who will remain CEO of the merged company. "Our teams are about equal in size, so from the customer's perspective this represents a doubling of available resources, while maintaining our all-important standards for client intimacy"

"Both companies also bring deep experience gained over decades in market," adds Dan Stevens, CEO of 415 IT who will remain with the company as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Technical Escalation Lead. "The Uptime management team comprises over 100 years of management experience in the managed services provider (MSP) market."

"Uptime adds several necessary departments that we have not built," continues Stevens, "including a Project Management Office (PMO), an innovative Client Experience (CX) Department, and a Security Operations Center (SOC) operating 24/7/365. Our Bay Area and Northern California clients will benefit tremendously from those."

Improvement Through Growth

"As we prepare to support both our small and midsize organizations with services enhanced by AI, increased scale and additional advanced technical skill sets benefit our combined client community" explains Phelan. "This merger is the true definition of synergy. While both companies are highly expert with extraordinary reputations, together we are a far more formidable organization."

The merger was also facilitated by the fact that both companies agree philosophically about how IT managed services should be delivered. "Customers need smart, proactive technology," explains Phelan. "Full around-the-clock availability is a must when delivering help desk and remote support for IT implementations."

"Together," agrees Stevens, "that's exactly what we bring."

The Customer Experience

One of the innovative approaches Uptime brings to the merger is their Customer Experience Department (CX), bringing a level of operational maturity, and a focus on customer satisfaction. "The establishment of the CX function gives our clients a focal point for business related communication, enabling our technical teams to focus on technical solutions and client outcomes", explains IT industry veteran, Angel L. Pineiro, Jr., Dir. of Client Experience. Pineiro continues, "As the technology landscape rapidly changes, the security threat environment continues to evolve, CX will provide a level of communication and recommendations to our small and medium-size clients typically only available to enterprise scale organizations"

Both companies have long ago removed sales roles from their staffs, recognizing that customers are best served when they can deal directly with knowledgeable technology professionals. "We don't need to sell to our customers," explains Keenan Phelan. "When we're recommending strategies and solutions that will clearly deliver a return that improves their profit performance, it just makes sense to them to invest in our services."

It's All About Uptime

The combined organization will operate under the Uptime name generally but retain the 415 IT for the foreseeable future. Phelan closes, "We like to say that what we really provide is peace of mind, maximizing our clients use of their information technology to achieve their mission, our mission is to provide world-class support resulting maximum uptime for our clients"

Contacts

Angel L. Pineiro, Jr.

apineiro@uptimeusa.com

646.596.0855

SOURCE: Uptime USA

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/two-trusted-bay-area-it-service-providers-become-one-forming-a-su-1119653
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PBM) "Pacific Bay" or the "Company") reports that the Company's proposed acquisition of the Pereira Velho project in Alagoas State, Brazil, as initially disclosed on January 7th, 2025, will not be proceeding. The vendor, Appian Capital Advisory LLP, has optioned the property to another buyer.

"Pacific Bay remains upbeat on Brazil and continues to look for quality gold properties to acquire in that country," said PBM President & CEO David H. Brett. "We have assembled a highly skilled and experienced Brazil team and look forward to looking at new opportunities as they arise."

"The Company is also pleased with renewed investment interest in BC's Critical Minerals sector, particularly in the northwestern part of the province," continued David Brett. "PBM's 100% owned Haskins-Reed Critical Minerals project along Highway 37 in northwest BC positions the Company well to leverage surging metal prices and regional focus."

The Company also announces that the financing announced September 25, 2025 will not be proceeding.

About Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd.

Pacific Bay's flagship, 100% owned Haskins-Reed Critical Minerals Project in northwestern BC is one of the leading exploration projects in the Cassiar Region. Located next to Cassiar Gold Corp. on Highway 37, Haskins-Reed hosts tungsten, copper, bismuth, silver, lead, and zinc in multiple high-grade polymetallic zones, over 125 drill holes, underground workings, and significant exploration potential. The Company also owns 100% of the Weaver Gold project in southern BC and is seeking to acquire gold projects in Brazil.

The technical disclosures in this news release were reviewed and approved by David Bridge, P.Geo., a Qualified Person, as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

www.pacificbayminerals.com

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Weaver Gold, Haskins-Reed property and acquiring projects in Brazil. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Pacific Bay will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition, results of exploration activities, and the ability of the Company to raise equity financing. Although Pacific Bay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in 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 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. Pacific Bay does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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/278728

Source: Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd.
~Country's earliest assessment-driven awards program honoring excellence across manufacturing, digital transformation, and sustainability~

MUMBAI, India, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan successfully hosted the 2025 edition of the India Manufacturing Excellence Awards (IMEA) and the Sustainability 4.0 Awards, bringing together leading industry professionals for an evening of celebration, benchmarking, and inspiration.

The event took place at ITC Grand Maratha, Mumbai, underlining Frost & Sullivan's continued commitment to fostering manufacturing excellence and sustainability in India.

The 2025 edition reaffirmed the importance of aligning business excellence with long-term, sustainable strategies, especially as India's manufacturing landscape rapidly evolves with digital transformation, supply chain complexity, and environmental considerations.

Driving Manufacturing Excellence: IMEA 2025

Now in its 21st edition, IMEA remains India's earliest and the most recognized and respected assessment-based manufacturing award. The 2025 framework evaluated organizations on manufacturing capability, extended supply chain reliability, and technology adoption, reinforcing Frost & Sullivan's commitment to holistic operational excellence.

At the heart of the awards is Frost & Sullivan's rigorous assessment methodology, refined over more than 2,000+ manufacturing sites, which provides participating organizations with detailed facility scorecards, benchmarking, and actionable insights for continuous improvement.

Key Highlights:

His Excellency Mohammed Saeed Mohammed Abdulla Al Raqbani, Head of the Sustainability Committee at Dubai Investments and General Manager, Dubai Investment Industries, delivered the opening keynote address.





Head of the Sustainability Committee at Dubai Investments and General Manager, Dubai Investment Industries, delivered the opening keynote address. MOU Exchange Ceremony - As a significant step toward our 2026 vision, we witnessed the MoU Exchange Ceremony between Frost & Sullivan and the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) - a strategic alliance driven by a shared purpose, national impact, and long-term value creation.





- As a significant step toward our 2026 vision, we witnessed the MoU Exchange Ceremony between and the - a strategic alliance driven by a shared purpose, national impact, and long-term value creation. Introduction of a new category of awards, CEO Of the Year and the very first award recipient was Mr. Gurpratap S. Boparai, Suzlon Energy Limited

The evening celebrated major strides in digital manufacturing, Industry 4.0 implementation, and process optimization.





Executives and thought leaders from diverse sectors came together to discuss how innovation and resilience can co-exist in India's industrial landscape.

IMEA 2025 Apex Winners:

Indian Corporate of the Year Award: Hindalco Industries Limited





Indian Manufacturer of the Year: Vedanta Limited





Indian Manufacturer of the Year 1 st Runner-up: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited





Runner-up: Smart Factory of the Year: Utkal Alumina International Limited

IMEA's legacy continues to inspire manufacturing firms across sectors - automotive, metals, FMCG, pharma, engineering; to scale their operations, build future-ready systems, and deliver sustainable value.

Celebrating Sustainability Leadership: Sustainability 4.0 Awards

The 16th edition of the Sustainability 4.0 Awards underscored Frost & Sullivan's dedication to recognizing organizations that integrate purpose, people, planet, and partnership into their core business strategies.

These awards spotlight enterprises that are not just financially successful, but also socially responsible and environmentally conscious, those paving the way for a more sustainable India.

Key Highlights:

Recognition of systemic sustainability strategies across both service and manufacturing sectors.





Leaders in ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) initiatives shared best practices and future roadmaps.





The awards reinforce the critical role of sustainable innovation in driving long-term business resilience.

Sustainability 4.0 Awards 2025 Apex Winners:

Sustainable Factory of the Year: Royal Enfield (A Unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.)





Sustainable Factory of the Year 1st Runner up: Hindalco Industries Limited, Belagavi Works

Aroop Zutshi, Global Managing Partner & Executive Board Member, Frost & Sullivan, welcomed the gathering, saying, "The future of Indian industry will be defined by organizations that combine operational excellence with transformational growth. Together, IMEA and Sustainability 4.0 provide a structured roadmap to help enterprises lead this transformation. As India advances toward becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, success will depend not just on scale and efficiency, but on how intelligently and sustainably value is created across the ecosystem."

Rahul Sharma, Vice President & Global Head, Digital Transformation & Sustainability, highlighted, "The next phase of manufacturing excellence will be defined by using analytics and AI to embed sustainability and decarbonization into core operations. IMEA and Sustainability 4.0 together provide a structured pathway for intelligent, responsible growth. As Indian industry scales globally, leadership will be determined by how effectively data, digital technologies, and decarbonization priorities are translated into measurable outcomes across the manufacturing value chain."

The awards program was supported by Dassault Systemes as Technology Partner, Cavin InfoTech as Next-Gen Digital Transformation Partner, emotii.ai as Emotionally Intelligent Multilingual Communication Partner, andMedeon as AI Startup Partner. The official media partners for the event were: MOTORINDIA + EV Tech News, Industrial Automation, ESG News and Sustainability Next.

Supporting Frost & Sullivan's vision for IMEA and Sustainability 4.0 Awards for the fourth consecutive year, Mr. Chinmaya Hardas, DELMIA India Sales Director at Dassault Systemes India, says, "As a Technology Partner for Frost & Sullivan's India Manufacturing Excellence Awards & Sustainability 4.0 Awards, Dassault Systemes reaffirms its commitment to advancing digital transformation and sustainable growth across India's manufacturing ecosystem. The collaboration reflects a shared vision for building future-ready factories driven by innovation and intelligence."

Ms. Usha Guru, Managing Director & Business Head at Cavin Infotech Pvt Ltd. believes, "Our partnership with Frost & Sullivan reinforces Cavin Infotech's vision to be a trusted digital transformation partner. By combining strategic consulting with our implementation expertise, we deliver measurable, technology-led outcomes across industries."

Mr Sumit Sachdeva, Founder and CEO at emotii.ai, also took the opportunity to say, "Partnering with Frost & Sullivan for the IMEA & S4.0 Awards aligns with emotii.ai's vision of connecting innovation with inclusion. The collaboration highlights how technology can break communication barriers and enable deeper understanding across global organizations."

For more information on the 2026 editions E-mail: nimisha.iyer@frost.com

About Frost & Sullivan

YOUR TRANSFORMATIONAL GROWTH JOURNEY STARTS HERE

Frost & Sullivan's Growth Pipeline Engine, transformational strategies and best-practice models drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth opportunities. Is your company prepared to survive and thrive through the coming transformation? Join the journey.

Media Contacts: -

Shannon Gable, South Asia Corporate Communications

shannon.gable@frost.com

Nimisha Iyer, Director - Marketing Communications, MEASA

nimisha.iyer@frost.com

Social Media: -

Twitter: @Frost_Sullivan & @FrostSullivanIN (Event Hashtag: IMEA2025Sustainability40)

LinkedIn: Frost & Sullivan India LinkedIn

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Tower Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TWR) ("Tower" or the "Company") announces that it has entered into a market-making agreement with ICP Securities Inc. ("ICP Securities") and a separate capital markets consulting agreement with Insight Capital Partners Inc. ("Insight"), each dated December 17, 2025 (collectively, the "Agreements"), subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange").

ICP Securities Inc. is the sole provider of market-making services to the Company. In accordance with Exchange policies, ICP Securities will trade the Company's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange and other permitted trading venues with the objective of maintaining an orderly market and improving liquidity. ICP Securities will receive CDN$7,500 per month for its market-making services.

Insight Capital Partners Inc. will provide capital markets consulting services only under its agreement and will not provide market-making or trading services.

The Agreements have an initial term of four (4) months and will automatically renew on a month-to-month basis thereafter unless terminated by either party upon thirty (30) days' written notice. The Agreements contain no performance-based compensation, and neither ICP Securities nor Insight will receive shares or options as compensation. At the time of entering into the Agreements, neither ICP Securities nor Insight, nor any of their respective principals, held any direct or indirect interest in the securities of the Company.

About ICP

ICP is a Toronto based CIRO dealer-member that specializes in automated market making and liquidity provision, as well as having a proprietary market making algorithm, ICP Premium, that enhances liquidity and quote health. Established in 2023, with a focus on market structure, execution, and trading, ICP has leveraged its own proprietary technology to deliver high quality liquidity provision and execution services to a broad array of public issuers and institutional investors.

About Tower Resources

Tower is a Canadian based mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects in the Americas. The Company's key exploration assets, all in B.C., are the Rabbit North orogenic gold and porphyry copper-gold project located between the New Afton copper-gold and Highland Valley copper mines in the Kamloops mining district, the Nechako porphyry-associated gold-silver project near Artemis' Blackwater project and the More Creek epithermal gold project on the critical "red line" structural zone connecting the mineral deposits of the Golden Triangle.

Reader Advisory

This news release may contain statements which constitute "forward-looking information," including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company's future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

Neither 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 this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278727

Source: Tower Resources Ltd.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Sharp Therapeutics Corp. (TSXV: SHRX) (OTCQB: SHRXF) ("Sharp" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that the non-brokered private placement to raise gross proceeds of not less than US$10,000,000 (the "Offering") previously announced on October 14, 2025 has been updated. The placement will consist of common shares in the capital of the Company priced at not less than US$2.50 per share. The Company expects the offering to close in the first quarter of 2026. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used for general working capital purposes.

STX Partners, LLC ("STX"), Sharp's largest shareholder, and an insider of the Company, has executed a letter agreement to increase the total commitment to purchase of not less than 1,600,000 common shares at per share price of US$2.50 representing approximately US$4,000,000 in gross proceeds to the Company, contingent upon: (i) the Company successfully raising not less than US$6,000,000 from other current or new investors; and (ii) the closing of the Offering occurring not later than March 15, 2026. Other insiders of the Company will also be participating in the Offering.

The participation of the Company's insiders in the Offering will constitute a related-party transaction for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. The Company is exempt from the requirements to obtain a formal evaluation or minority shareholder approval in connection with the insider participation in reliance on sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as neither the fair market value of the securities issued, nor the fair market value of the consideration for the securities issued will exceed 25 per cent of the Company's market capitalization (as calculated in accordance with MI 61-101).

John Hathaway, Managing Partner of STX, stated that, "Sharp continues to deliver meaningful scientific progress, and we're increasing our investment commitment because we believe their best work is still ahead of them. The scientific breakthroughs we're seeing from this team represent exactly the kind of innovation that creates lasting value."

Scott Sneddon, Sharp's CEO, said, "The Company is very pleased to have one of its largest shareholders increase their significant investment commitment. We continue to move forward compound '901, our candidate for Phase I trials in Gaucher disease. The increased commitment by STX would allow Sharp to focus on generating key data in the trial supporting the effectiveness of '901, an oral, CNS penetrant treatment for all forms of Gaucher as well as other lysosomal storage disorders."

All securities to be issued will be subject to a four (4) month hold period from the date of issuance and subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. The securities offered have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

Gaucher Program Update (901 Program)

The company also announces further progress on its GBA1-Gaucher program with key pre-IND studies in dogs showing that the '901 compound is well tolerated at doses far in excess of those used in earlier animal efficacy studies. "We continue to be impressed with the pharmaceutical properties of '901, which bodes well for it to potentially become front-line therapy in all forms of Gaucher disease," said Sneddon. The company also filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for '901 and over 250 related analogs. Finally, the company expects to file for Orphan Drug Designation for '901 with the US Food and Drug Administration in the first quarter of 2026.

Other Matters

The Company also announces it has granted an aggregate of 200,000 stock options of the Company ("Options") to certain directors of the Company on May 21, 2025. Each Option entitles the holder to acquire one common share at an exercisable price of CAD$1.48/US$1.07 per common share until May 21, 2035. Options are subject to a 3-year vesting provision, 33.33% vesting at one-year, with the remaining 66.66% vesting in twenty-four (24) equal portions monthly.

The Company also announces it has granted 225,000 Options to an officer of the Company on December 17, 2025. Each Option entitles the holder to acquire one common share at an exercisable price of CAD$2.21/US$1.60 per common share until December 17, 2035. Options are subject to a 3-year vesting provision, 33.33% vesting at one-year, with the remaining 66.66% vesting in twenty-four (24) equal portions monthly.

About Sharp Therapeutics Corp.

First-Choice Therapies for Genetic Diseases

Sharp Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage company developing first-choice small-molecule therapeutics for genetic diseases. The Company's discovery platform combines novel high throughput screening technologies, with compound libraries computational optimized based on the physics and biology of cellular trafficking defects and allosteric activation of proteins. The platform produces small molecule compounds that restore activity in mutated proteins giving the potential to treat genetic disorders with conventional pill-based medicines.

For additional information on Sharp, please visit: www.sharptx.com.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect Sharp's current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to Sharp, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. Should any factor affect Sharp in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, Sharp does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and Sharp undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law.

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.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278742

Source: Sharp Therapeutics Corp.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Steep Hill Inc. (CSE: STPH) ("Steep Hill" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing transaction with Good Purpose Investments Inc. ("Good Purpose"). Good Purpose is a privately held British Columbia corporation that operates a business engaged in the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of textiles made from recycled plastics under the trade name "Waste2Wear." Through its subsidiaries, Good Purpose develops and supplies innovative textile products utilizing proprietary material analysis and traceability technologies.

Steep Hill previously entered into an amalgamation agreement (the "Amalgamation Agreement") dated effective November 12, 2025, with Good Purpose and 1561117 B.C. Ltd. ("Subco"), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, pursuant to which the Company will, by way of a three-cornered amalgamation and through Subco, acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Good Purpose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Amalgamation Agreement (the "Transaction"). The Transaction will constitute a "Fundamental Change" of the Company, as defined by the policies of Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

Pursuant to the terms of the Amalgamation Agreement, on the closing date of the Transaction, Good Purpose will amalgamate with Subco pursuant to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). The amalgamated entity will continue as one corporation and will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (on a post-closing basis, the Company is referred to herein as the "Resulting Issuer").

The Company has reached an agreement with Good Purpose to amend the Amalgamation Agreement such that Good Purpose shareholders will exchange all of the common shares of Good Purpose ("Good Purpose Shares") for post-Consolidation (as defined below) common shares of the Resulting Issuer ("Resulting Issuer Shares"), based on an exchange ratio equal to one Resulting Issuer Shares for each one Good Purpose Share (the "Exchange Ratio") to a maximum of 30,818,614 Resulting Issuer Shares.

In connection with the Transaction, the Company intends to: (i) change its name to "Good Purpose Investments Inc." or such other name as the Company and Good Purpose may mutually agree (the "Name Change"); (ii) change its stock exchange ticker symbol to a symbol to be determined between the parties and acceptable to the CSE; (iii) consolidate its issued and outstanding common shares on the basis of one post-consolidation common shares for every six pre-consolidation common shares of the Company (the "Consolidation"); and (iv) reconstitute its board of directors and management team as further described below.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of terms and conditions customary for transactions of this nature, including, among other things, Good Purpose having completed the Good Purpose Financing (as defined below), receipt of all necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals contemplated in the Amalgamation Agreement, the execution of related transaction documents, and listing approval of the CSE.

The Transaction will constitute a "Fundamental Change", as defined by the policies of CSE, and must be approved by the CSE and the security holders of the Company prior to completion. In accordance with CSE policies, the Company will file a listing statement with the CSE regarding the Transaction, which will include disclosure regarding Good Purpose. The Company will also seek approval of the Transaction, the Name Change and the Consolidation at a meeting of the Company's shareholders. In addition, the Transaction must be approved by not less than 662/3% of the votes cast at a meeting of shareholders of Good Purpose, which will be held to consider, among other things, the Transaction.

Certain securities issued in connection with the Transaction will be subject to escrow requirements of the CSE, mutually agreed upon escrow conditions, and hold periods as required by the CSE and applicable securities laws.

Resulting Issuer Business

The Transaction will result in a reverse takeover of the Company by the shareholders of Good Purpose upon completion. Following completion of the Transaction, the Resulting Issuer is expected to be listed on the CSE as an investment issuer with objective of generating long term value by developing and acquiring businesses that offer meaningful environmental impact, commercial viability, and the ability to scale responsibly.

Good Purpose Financing

In connection with the Transaction, Good Purpose intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement offering of subscription receipts (each, a "Good Purpose Receipt"), at a price of $0.75 per Good Purpose Receipt, for aggregate gross proceeds of a minimum of $3,000,000 and a maximum of $10,000,000 (the "Good Purpose Financing").

Funds from the Good Purpose Financing will be held in escrow pending completion of the Transaction. Immediately prior to completion of the Transaction, each Good Purpose Receipt will be converted into one Good Purchase Share and the funds will be released to Good Purpose. The Good Purpose Shares issued upon conversion of the Good Purpose Receipts will subsequently be exchanged for Resulting Issuer Shares in accordance with the Exchange Ratio at the time of completion of the Transaction.

Board and Management

Upon completion of the Transaction, and subject to the approval of the CSE, the directors and management of the Company are expected to be reconstituted to consist of the following:

George Tsogas, Chief Executive Officer

George Tsogas is the Chief Executive Officer of Good Purpose and brings over twenty years of retail, logistics, and operational leadership experience to the Company. Mr. Tsogas completed his Operations Management Diploma at BCIT in 2003 and began his professional career at lululemon, working within logistics and supply-chain functions. Over his twelve year tenure, he progressed through roles of increasing responsibility and ultimately served as Vice President, Global Logistics, overseeing international operations and infrastructure development.

In 2015, Mr. Tsogas joined Kit and Ace as Head of Logistics, Product Management, and Retail Operations. In 2017, he assumed ownership of the company and served as Chief Executive Officer, overseeing corporate strategy, brand management, and operational execution within the technical apparel sector.

George's experience includes scaling logistics platforms, managing global vendor networks, and leading large cross-functional teams. He has also been involved in leadership development initiatives and mentorship within the retail and consumer sectors.

Melissa Kinnoch, Chief Financial Officer

Melissa Kinnoch is an experienced CFO with fifteen years in finance and accounting, having held roles at Ernst & Young, lululemon, and Kit and Ace. Her financial background, combined with business ownership experience, provides both technical expertise and an entrepreneurial perspective.

She has led financial strategy and planning functions that support long-term operational and commercial objectives. During her tenure as co-owner of Kit and Ace, the business achieved year-over-year EBITDA improvement, reflecting disciplined planning, budgeting, and resource allocation.

Melissa's capabilities span financial planning and analysis, including budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, and delivery of financial insights to executive stakeholders. Her communication and collaboration skills support effective leadership and cross-functional coordination. Her experience includes oversight of financial systems and IT migrations, supported by an understanding of financial technology and data-management processes. Melissa's background across retail and ecommerce provides operational insight relevant to growth-oriented organizations.

Monique Maissan, Chief Development Officer and Director

Monique Maissan is the Founder of Waste2Wear and serves as Chief Development Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Good Purpose. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Delterra, a global environmental organization originally founded by McKinsey & Company to advance circular and sustainable waste-management systems worldwide.

Monique has more than 25 years of experience in textiles, manufacturing, and sustainable product development. She established Waste2Wear to commercialize recycled textile solutions and has led the company from early R&D and material development through to international operations, supply-chain formation, and brand partnerships.

Her background includes extensive work in recycled-fiber innovation, manufacturing oversight across multiple jurisdictions, and the implementation of traceability and verification technologies in textile production. Prior to founding Waste2Wear, Monique held leadership positions in textile sourcing and product development across Europe and Asia. Monique contributes deep sector knowledge in sustainability, materials innovation, and global supply-chain management to Good Purpose's long-term strategy and platform development.

Max Whiffin, Director

Max Whiffin leads corporate development at NorthBay Capital, a merchant banking firm based in Vancouver. In this role, Max supports portfolio companies on corporate finance, business development, capital planning, and public-market advisory. His work includes transaction preparation, investor engagement, and strategic planning across multiple sectors, including sustainability, consumer products, and healthcare technology.

He has been involved in structuring and supporting early-stage and growth-stage companies through equity financings and go-public readiness initiatives, including listing preparation, disclosure development, and capital-markets strategy. Max works closely with management teams on operational planning, presentation materials, and due-diligence processes.

He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia, with specializations in Urban Studies and Economic Geography.

Hani Zabaneh, Director

Hani Zabaneh is a business consultant specializing in growth funding, mergers and acquisitions, and transitioning companies to public markets. For over twenty years, Hani has held both officer and board positions in numerous public companies. Hani currently sits on several boards of public companies.

Previously, Hani was the Vice President of Corporate Development at Eventbase Technology Inc., where he played a key role in securing Series A financing from a U.S.-based venture capital firm. He was also Vice President of Administration at MetroBridge Networks Corp., managing its transition to a public company and subsequently leading its sale to a major industry participant. In addition, Hani held the position of Chief Operating Officer at StockHouse Media Corp, overseeing a workforce of more than 200 employees across eight offices worldwide.

Sameet Kanade, Director

Sameet Kanade is an experienced business executive, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Steep Hill since February 2022. He holds an MBA from Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and is an Associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Post-MBA, Mr. Kanade worked at several independent investment banks in Toronto, within the equity research and investment banking departments. He has acted as advisor to several start-ups in the areas of capital markets, strategy and resource planning and optimization.

Listing Statement

In connection with the Transaction and pursuant to the requirements of the CSE, the Company will file a listing statement in CSE Form 2A on its CSE issuer page and issuer profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca), which will contain details regarding the Transaction, the Company, Good Purpose, and the Resulting Issuer.

Additional Information

All information contained in this press release with respect to Good Purpose was supplied by Good Purpose, and the Company and its directors and officers have relied on Good Purpose for such information.

Trading in the common shares of the Company is currently halted and will remain halted until such time as all required documentation in connection with the Transaction has been filed with and accepted by the CSE and permission to resume trading has been obtained from the CSE.

None of the securities issued in connection with the Transaction will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), and none of them may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act. 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 in any state where such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.

About the Company

Steep Hill Inc. is a publicly traded company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange that has no current operations and is focused on seeking and evaluating potential transactions.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated completion of the transactions described herein, including the Transaction and the proposed related Consolidation and Name Change. Factors that could cause actual results to vary from forward-looking statements or may affect the operations, performance, development, and results of the Company's business include, among other things: failure to obtain the approvals required in order to complete the transactions described herein; failure by either the Company or Good Purpose to complete the conditions to the Transaction; and general economic and business conditions. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are deemed to be forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and, except to the extent required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements made herein or otherwise, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary note.

The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved the contents of this press release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278731

Source: Steep Hill Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Supreme Critical Metals Inc., (CSE: CRIT) (FSE: VR6) ("Supreme" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed the final tranche of its non-brokered Flow-Through Unit Private Placement (the "Financing"). In the first tranche the Company raised proceeds of $733,250.19 through the sale of 3,410,466 Flow-Through Units at a price of $0.215 per Flow-Through Unit (the "FT Units"). The second and final tranche the Company raised proceeds of $30,100 through the sale of 140,000 Units.

Pursuant to the terms of the Financing, each FT Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one-half (1/2) of one common share purchase warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one additional common share at an exercise price of $0.30 for 24 months, subject to the Company's right to accelerate expiry if, at any time, the 20 day Volume-Weighted Average Price ("VWAP") of the Company's Common Shares is greater than $0.60 per Common Share for 10 consecutive days, including days where there is no trading. Each FT Unit will qualify as a "flow-through share" under subsection 66 (15) of the Tax Act.

Securities issued pursuant to this closing are subject to trading restrictions until April 20, 2026.

Proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration on the Company's properties.

The securities of the Company 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 absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there by any sale of the securities referenced in this press release, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Supreme Critical Metals Inc.

Supreme Critical Metals Inc. (CSE: CRIT) (FSE: VR6) is a publicly traded, diversified exploration company advancing a portfolio of high-potential silver, copper, uranium, and gold properties across North America. The Company follows a disciplined, data-driven acquisition strategy focused on mining-friendly jurisdictions with established infrastructure, predictable permitting, and supportive regulatory frameworks.

Additional information about Supreme Critical Metals is available on the Company's website at www.supremecriticalmetals.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Supreme Critical Metals Inc.

"Glen R. Watson"

Glen R. Watson

President & CEO

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Forward-looking information in this release includes statements regarding the expected closing date of the Offering and future exploration programs. This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Such forward-looking information is provided to inform the Company's shareholders and potential investors about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Any such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "anticipate", "proposed", "estimates", "would", "expects", "intends", "plans", "may", "will", and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking information contain these identifying words.

More particularly and without limitation, the forward-looking information in this news release includes expectations regarding the Company's business plans and operations. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions that have been used to develop such information, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the Company's current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs based on information currently available to the Company.

Whether actual results, performance, or achievements will conform to Supreme's expectations and predictions is subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from Supreme's expectations. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

###

/THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278751

Source: Supreme Critical Metals Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Atomic Minerals Corporation (TSXV: ATOM) (FSE: D08) (OTCQB: ATMMF) ("Atomic Minerals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company's common shares (the "Shares") have commenced trading on the OTCQB Venture Market (the "OTCQB") effective December 11, 2025, under the symbol "ATMMF".

"Listing on the OTCQB positions Atomic Minerals with increased visibility among the American investment community and improved liquidity for its current and prospective shareholders," stated CEO, Clive Massey.

The Company's Shares are eligible for book-entry delivery and depository services of the Depository Trust Company ("DTC"), providing shareholders cost-effective electronic clearing and guaranteed settlement of the Company's shares in the United States.

The Shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") under the symbol "ATOM" and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "D08".

Marketing Services Agreement

The Company has entered into a marketing services agreement with 1123963 B.C. Ltd. d.b.a. Capitaliz to provide digital marketing and investor awareness services. The agreement is for an initial term of three months, subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange, with a marketing budget of up to $200,000 CAD. Capitaliz is compensated in cash only.

About Capitaliz

Capitaliz (1123963 B.C. Ltd. d.b.a. Capitaliz) is a Vancouver-based digital marketing and investor communications firm specializing in investor awareness and content distribution services for public companies. Capitaliz is an independent contractor and does not provide investment advice.

Annual General Meeting results

The Company is pleased to announce the results of its 2025 annual general meeting of shareholders, which was held on November 21, 2025 (the "Meeting"). All resolutions presented to shareholders were approved. Clive Massey, Alexander Helmel, Matthew Schwab, James D. Romano and Richard Dorman were elected to the Company's board of directors. Crowe MacKay LLP, Chartered Accountants, were re-appointed as auditor of the Company.

Omnibus Incentive Plan

Shareholders ratied, conrmed and approved a new form Omnibus Incentive Plan (10% Stock Options and 10% Restricted Share Units) is attached as Schedule "B" to the Information Circular for the Meeting and which has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange. This Omnibus Incentive Plan replaces the Company's 2023 Stock Option Plan which was approved by shareholders at the Company's February 21, 2024 annual general and special meeting. All existing Options of the Company issued under the 2023 Stock Option Plan shall be amended such that they are governed by the terms of the Omnibus Incentive Plan and will no longer be governed by the 2023 Stock Option Plan. A copy of the Omnibus Incentive Plan can be accessed under the Company's SEDAR+ corporate prole at www.sedarplus.ca.

Shareholder Rights Plan

Shareholders ratied, conrmed and approved the Company's shareholder rights plan dated effective October 14, 2025, which has been approved by the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company issued and SEDAR+ led a news release dated November 19, 2025 announcing the adoption of the shareholder rights plan effective October 14, 2025, with a summary of the provisions of the shareholder rights plan, subject to ratication of the shareholders at the Meeting. On November 18, 2025, the Company SEDAR+ led a conformed signature shareholder rights plan under the Company's SEDAR+ corporate prole at www.sedarplus.ca, which is the same form of shareholder rights plan as was attached as Schedule "C" to the Information Circular for the Meeting and as approved by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Atomic Minerals Corporation

Atomic Minerals Corp. is a publicly listed exploration company on the TSX Venture Exchange, trading under the symbol ATOM, led by a highly skilled management and technical team with a proven track record in the junior mining sector. Atomic Minerals' objective is to identify exploration opportunities in regions that have been previously overlooked but are geologically similar to those with previous uranium discoveries. These underexplored areas hold immense potential and are in stable geopolitical and economic environments.

Atomic Minerals' property portfolio contains uranium projects in three locations within North America, all of which have significant technical merit and or are known for hosting uranium production in the past. Three of the properties are located on the Colorado Plateau, an area which has previously produced 597 million pounds of U3O8; Three others are in the prolific Athabasca Basin region and nine uranium projects are located Northern Saskatchewan, encompassing a total exploration area of 6,495 hectares.

For additional information about the Company and its projects, please visit our website at www.atomicminerals.ca

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Clive Massey"

Clive H. Massey

President & CEO

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor their 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 certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Atomic Minerals Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Atomic Minerals Corporation management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Atomic Minerals Corporation undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278745

Source: Atomic Minerals Corp.
Amid the legal battle, a source was quoted saying, Emails would prove Jolie has been disingenuous since the start regarding her true intentions about selling her share of the business.

Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who split in 2016, are engaged in a legal battle over their French winery for a long time. But in the recent development, the F1 star has scored a major victory over the actress and her former wife.

An insider was quoted saying to Page Six, Emails would prove Jolie has been disingenuous since the start regarding her true intentions about selling her share of the business.

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Paul Murphy said, The courts ruling violates that law, undermines Ms. Jolies fundamental right to a fair trial, and represents yet another manifestation of Mr. Pitts years-long effort to harass and control her. We will appeal.

The legal battle between Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are involved in an ugly court battle over their French winery Chateau Miraval.

The duo had bought Chateau Miraval together in 2008. Two years after marriage, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016. The Fight Club actor held his share of the winery in a company called Mondo Bongo. The Maleficent star kept her shares in a company named Nouvel.

As per Us Weekly, Jolie said in 2021 that she wanted to sell her shares in the French winery, leading to Pitt and his team offering $55.4 million for her stake.

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In February 2022, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star sued Jolie for selling her shares in the winery to Stoli Group. He claimed she went ahead with the sale without his approval, which was required. Pitt called the move a vindictive attempt to get back at him during their bitter divorce.

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As per the Bullet Train actor, he and his ex-wife began negotiations so he could purchase her out. But the talks fell apart after they began fighting over the custody of their six children  Maddox Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox.
Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos showcases Vir Das in a never-seen-before avatar as a perfectly, imperfect spy on a mission. As the story unfolds, he lands in trouble, leading to a lot of chaos that looks absolutely fun

Aamir Khan Productions announced their upcoming quirky spy film Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos in a truly unique and playful manner, leaving everyone guessing about what was coming next. Directed by and starring Vir Das, alongside Mona Singh, the films announcement arrived as a humorous treat, generating immense buzz and quickly becoming the talk of the town. Now, amid the soaring excitement, the trailer of the film has been released, and it promises fun like never before.

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The trailer of _Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos_ is finally out, and it takes the fun to another level. With its high humour quotient, the trailer features several entertaining and quirky moments, promising a thoroughly entertaining film. As both director and actor, Vir Das brings a refreshing brand of quirky comedy that is sure to deliver plenty of laughs. Packed with energy, charm, a youthful vibe, a lot of twists and surprises, the trailer further heightens the excitement for the films release.

Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos showcases Vir Das in a never-seen-before avatar as a perfectly, imperfect spy on a mission. As the story unfolds, he lands in trouble, leading to a lot of chaos that looks absolutely fun. Mona Singh certainly stuns with her raw avatar, unlike anything she has portrayed on screen before, while Mithila Palkar adds her own distinct charm. Aamir Khans completely different avatar brings an extra punch to the narrative. Overall, the trailer is nothing less than a rollercoaster ride of fun and madness.

Aamir Khan Productions has always ventured into unconventional storytelling with utmost finesse. Having delivered remarkable films like Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Dangal, and Secret Superstar, this marks yet another attempt at presenting unique cinema.

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Interestingly, they are collaborating with the renowned stand-up comedian Vir Das, who has not only performed globally with his acclaimed comedy specials but has also acted in films like Go Goa Gone, Badmaash Company, and Delhi Belly. This film marks Virs second collaboration with Aamir Khan Productions after Delhi Belly.

Produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, Happy Patel is directed by Vir Das and is slated to release in theatres on 16th January 2026.

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A video showing chaotic scenes at a Bengaluru nightclub owned by Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra had gone viral on social media, sparking fresh controversy and crowd safety concerns

Recently, IT raids were conducted at Shilpa Shettys home and her chain of restaurant Bastian in Bengaluru over charges of tax evasion. The actress lawyer has now issued an official statement clarifying no such news is true.

The advocate was quoted saying-

On behalf of my client Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra I can confirm that there is no Income Tax  Raid  of whatsoever nature against my client .

There is a routine verification by the income tax officials pertaining to follow up with my client Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra .

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Whomsoever has mischievously claimed in public domain that these developments have anything to do with the alleged Economic Offence Wing case shall face legal consequences before the appropriate court of law .

At the cost of repetition my client Mrs Shilpa Shetty Kundra states that there is no income tax  RAID  at her place.

Advocate Prashant Patil.

When Shilpa Shetty landed in trouble as brawl erupted in actress-owned Bengaluru nightclub

A video showing chaotic scenes at a Bengaluru nightclub owned by Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra had gone viral on social media, sparking fresh controversy and crowd safety concerns. The incident, which unfolded late Saturday night at Bastian Pub and Kitchen in Koramangala, captured patrons rushing out of the venue and a visibly tense atmosphere as staff and security tried to control the situation.

According to witnesses and social media posts, the disturbance began after a power outage and subsequent technical issues with music and lighting, which escalated into confusion. Clips shared online show people pushing past one another to exit the pub, with some reportedly slipping on the stairs amid the commotion. No official reports of serious injuries have emerged so far.

The alleged Rs 60 crore fraud case

Shilpa Shetty Kundra also denied recent allegations involving her and her husband, businessman Raj Kundra, while also responding to legal trouble tied to a restaurant she part-owns in Bengaluru.

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In a statement shared on Instagram, Shetty categorically rejected claims that the Mumbai Polices Economic Offences Wing (EOW) invoked Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code against her and Kundra in a Rs. 60 crore fraud case, calling the allegations baseless and motivated. Shetty said the issues are being portrayed as criminal without lawful basis and noted that a Quashing Petition is pending before the High Court.

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Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardaris video at an event has gone viral on social media. The politician can be seen seated on stage while FA9LA, a viral song by Bahraini artist Flipperachi, used in the mega-hit Bollywood spy film Dhurandhar, purportedly plays in the background. The Hindi movie is banned in Pakistan and some Gulf countries. But why?

Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is making headlines in India. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman, whose party has filed a legal challenge against the Bollywood spy thriller Dhurandhar, was purportedly welcomed at an event while a popular song from the film was playing in the background.

The Ranveer Singh-starrer blockbuster movie has been banned in Pakistan for its portrayal of the country and government. Despite the ban, the film is reported to have caught the attention of Pakistanis.

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We take a look.

Dhurandhar song at Bilawal Bhuttos party

A video of PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto sitting on a stage at an event has gone viral on Indian social media. The clip shows the Pakistani leader chatting with men as FA9LA, a viral song by Bahraini artist Nawaf Fahed, aka Flipperachi, purportedly plays at the party.

The song has become a viral sensation after it featured in Dhurandhar. Actor Akshaye Khanna, who has received widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Pakistani don Rehman Dakait in the film, makes his entry on this song as he attends a Baloch wedding. The clips have gone viral, with Khannas performance making waves.

Dhurandhars viral song being played at an event attended by Bhutto has led to ridicule. X users are mocking the Pakistani politician and for the use of the song despite a ban on the film in the South Asian country.

A song from #Dhurandhar was played during the entry of Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto  and that alone says a lot.



On one hand, cases are being filed against this film in Pakistani courts.

On the other hand, theyre openly playing its songs at public events. 



From films pic.twitter.com/0iKROdlsL6  CineAlpha (@CineAlpha1) December 17, 2025

One user wrote, Cases against Dhurandhar in Pakistani courts, yet Bilawal enters to its beats! Our Bollywood is so epic, even they cant resist!"

Another commented, FIR in the morning, playlist in the evening."

His party, PPP, has reportedly filed a petition against Dhurandhar in a Karachi court for using images of the late Benazir Bhutto and sought an FIR against the cast and crew of the film.

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The Hindi movie shows a fictional PPP rally, with party flags and images of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

A party leader called the film a malicious distortion for suggesting that the PPP was sympathetic to militants.

Dhurandhar shines in Pakistan despite ban

Islamabad banned Dhurandhar for its supposed anti-Pakistan stance. The Aditya Dhar-helmed movie is loosely based on the gang wars of Lyari, a historic locality of Pakistans Karachi.

The movie blends real-life events with fictional storytelling, portraying longstanding hostilities between India and Pakistan. Ranveer Singh plays an Indian secret agent who infiltrates Pakistans criminal network to dismantle terror networks, which are shown to be backed by Pakistans intelligence agency, the ISI.

Dhurandhar merges the Lyari storyline with the 2008 Mumbai attacks. For this, the film has been criticised for factual inaccuracies.

The editorials, including in Pakistans Dawn newspaper, have condemned the negative portrayal of the country.

Dhars decision to depict real Pakistani political figures had also stirred debates.

Sumeta Afzal Syed, a spokesperson for the Sindh government, condemned the unlawful use of Benazir Bhuttos image. The PPP has been a frontline victim of terrorism, she wrote.

#BreakingNews | Sources tell CNN-News18 petition has been filed against 'Dhurandhar' in a Karachi court against the director and lead cast



Exclusive story by @manojkumargupta @akankshaswarups shares more details and Major General AK Siwach shares his views@GrihaAtul | pic.twitter.com/ASyHB1VYFF  News18 (@CNNnews18) December 18, 2025

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Not just Pakistan, six Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, have also reportedly banned Dhurandhar over the films perceived anti-Pakistan narrative.

Despite the ban in Pakistan, the Indian film has reached the neighbouring country. As per an IANS report, _Dhurandhar_ has been illegally downloaded at least two million (20 lakh) times in Pakistan.

Besides Singh and Khanna, the star cast of the movie also includes Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi.

Pakistans film to counter Dhurandhar

Days after Dhurandhars release, the Sindh government has announced a counter movie titled Mera Lyari.

The new movie would tell the authentic story of pride and prosperity to counter Indian propaganda.

The counter film is directed by Abu Aleeha and produced by actor Ayesha Omar, who also stars in the movie. Popular actors Dananeer Mobeen and Samiya Mumtaz will also star in the Pakistani film.

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As per media reports, Mera Lyari will focus on authentic storytelling and the production aims to highlight the neighbourhoods arts, music, sports, and daily life while avoiding stereotypical or negative depictions.

Misrepresentation cannot erase reality. Lyari stands for culture, peace, and resiliencenot violence. While Dhurandhar spreads propaganda, Mera Lyari will soon tell the authentic story of pride and prosperity. #MeraLyari movie releasing in January 2026. Indian propaganda against Lyari will never be successful, the Sindh government wrote on X.

With inputs from agencies
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold an annual end-of-year press conference today in Moscow to highlight the progress within his country this year. He will also hold a Q&A with the press during which citizens can ask him questions directly. Friday marks the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the unclassified Jeffrey Epstein investigation files

It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day.

Firstly, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold an annual end-of-year press conference today in Moscow. Meanwhile, the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the unclassified Jeffrey Epstein investigation files is today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to arrive in Warsaw in a bid to set good relations with Polands new leadership. President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a major address in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth.

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Here is all that will take place on this day across the world.

Putin annual press conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold his annual end-of-year press conference today in Moscow. This has been a constant in his 25-year tenure.

He will also hold a Direct Line Q&A session. The event will use a hybrid Results of the Year format, merging the traditional large-scale press conference for journalists with the Direct Line call-in show where ordinary citizens ask questions directly.

Now nearing its fourth anniversary, the Special Military Operation remains a primary focus. Putin is expected to reinforce Russias objectives in the Donbas and comment on recent Western diplomatic pressure. Putin is anticipated to highlight Russias economic resilience under Western sanctions.

Deadline to release the Epstein files

Today marks the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release the unclassified Jeffrey Epstein investigation files. This deadline was established by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law on November 19.

US financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry in 2017. File image/Reuters

The release must include all unclassified records, communications, and investigative materials related to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

In preparation for the deadline, federal judges in New York and Florida have recently ordered the unsealing of grand jury transcripts and other secret evidence related to the case.

Zelenskky in Poland

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit Poland today in a bid to reset relations with Polands new leadership. The trip marks his first face-to-face meeting with President Karol Nawrocki since Nawrocki took office in August 2025.

The two leaders will focus on three primary pillars, namely, regional security, bilateral economic cooperation, and sensitive historical issues. The Ukrainian leader will visit the Polish parliament (Sejm), where he will meet with Marshal Wlodzimierz Czarzasty.

Trump rally in North Carolina

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a major address in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, today. The event will be held at the Rocky Mount Event Center, which is a critical stop in his America First tour as he works to defend his second-term economic record ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

US President Donald Trump will hold a rally in North Carolina. File image/Reuters

Some of the events on which Trump will be focusing include Trumps recently announced one-time $1,776 bonus for 1.45 million active-duty military service members, with checks intended to arrive before Christmas. Trump is also expected to speak on the economic situation in the country, which saw a 4.6 per cent unemployment rate in November. He is likely to speak on aggressive housing reform plans for the new year to address affordability.

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Intersteller comet closest approach to Earth

The rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is likely to make its closest approach to Earth today. At its nearest point, 3I/ATLAS will remain at a very safe distance of approximately 1.8 astronomical units (roughly 168170 million miles or 270 million kilometres) from Earth.

This celestial event marks only the third time a confirmed object from another star system has passed through our neighborhood, following the famous visitors 1I/Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.

Unlike local comets that orbit our Sun, 3I/ATLAS is travelling on a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it is just passing through once and will eventually exit our solar system forever.

With inputs from agencies
On December 19, 1998, the US House impeached President Bill Clinton. Adolf Hitler assumed direct control of Germanys army in 1941, Britain agreed to return Hong Kong to China in 1984, and Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol was published in 1843

US President Bill Clinton waves to reporters as he and first lady Hillary Clinton depart the White House, January 20, 1999. File Image/Reuters

On December 19, 1998, the United States witnessed a rare constitutional moment when President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives.

Decades earlier, Adolf Hitler consolidated military power by taking direct command of Germanys army during World War II.

In Asia, Britain and China reached a landmark agreement in 1984 to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty.

And in 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, a work that reshaped the spirit and social meaning of Christmas across generations.

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We take a brief look at these events as part of Firstposts ongoing History Today series.

Bill Clinton is impeached

On December 19, 1998, the United States House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton, making him only the second president in American history  after Andrew Johnson in 1868  to be impeached.

The impeachment stemmed from allegations that Clinton had lied under oath and obstructed justice in connection with his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Though Clinton would later be acquitted by the Senate, the impeachment marked one of the most consequential political crises in modern American history.

The impeachment was the culmination of a series of investigations that initially had nothing to do with Lewinsky.

Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr had been appointed in the mid-1990s to investigate the Whitewater real estate controversy involving Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Over time, the scope of Starrs investigation expanded to include other allegations, including Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton.

It was during the Jones case that Clinton was questioned under oath about any inappropriate relationships with government employees. In January 1998, reports emerged that Clinton had engaged in a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

Clinton publicly denied the allegations, famously stating that he did not have sexual relations with that woman. Evidence later contradicted this claim.

In September 1998, Kenneth Starr submitted a report to Congress outlining 11 possible grounds for impeachment.

The Starr Report alleged that Clinton had committed perjury before a grand jury, perjury in the Paula Jones deposition, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and abuse of power. The report, which included explicit details, was made public.

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While Clinton admitted to having an inappropriate relationship with Lewinsky, he maintained that his statements were legally accurate and denied any criminal wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the House Judiciary Committee moved forward with impeachment proceedings.

On December 19, 1998, the Republican-controlled House voted on four articles of impeachment:

Perjury before a grand jury  approved

Obstruction of justice  approved

Perjury in the Paula Jones deposition  rejected

Abuse of power  rejected

The approval of the first two articles formally impeached Clinton. The votes largely followed party lines, showcasing the deep partisan rift in Washington.

Despite the gravity of impeachment, public opinion remained surprisingly supportive of Clinton.

Throughout the scandal, his approval ratings remained high, driven in part by strong economic performance, low unemployment, and budget surpluses.

Many Americans viewed the impeachment as excessive or politically motivated, while others argued it was necessary to uphold the rule of law.

The 1998 midterm elections, held weeks before the impeachment vote, resulted in losses for the Republican Party  an unusual outcome for a party out of power.

The impeachment moved to the Senate in January 1999, where Chief Justice William Rehnquist presided over the trial. Senators served as jurors, and House impeachment managers presented the prosecution case.

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On February 12, 1999, the Senate voted to acquit Clinton on both charges. Neither article reached the required two-thirds majority for conviction.

Clinton completed his second term, remaining in office until January 2001.

The Clinton impeachment also set a modern precedent for impeachment proceedings, shaping how future cases  including those involving incumbent US President Donald Trump  would be interpreted and conducted.

Hitler takes over the German Army

On December 19, 1941, Adolf Hitler assumed direct command of the German armed forces, removing Field Marshal Walther von Brauchitsch as commander-in-chief of the army.

This decision came at a critical moment during World War II, shortly after Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union had stalled and following the United States entry into the war.

Hitlers move concentrated military and political authority in his own hands, bypassing professional military leadership.

From this point onward, strategic decisions were increasingly shaped by ideology rather than military pragmatism. Hitler issued rigid orders forbidding retreats, even when tactical withdrawals might have saved German forces.

Historians widely regard this centralisation of command as a major factor in Germanys eventual defeat. The decision deepened internal dissent within the Wehrmacht and eroded the armys operational flexibility.

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Britain returns Hong Kong to China

On December 19, 1984, Britain and China signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration, formalising the agreement that Hong Kong would be returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

The agreement ended over 150 years of British colonial rule and established the framework for Hong Kongs future under the one country, two systems principle.

Under the declaration, China committed to preserving Hong Kongs capitalist system, legal autonomy, and civil liberties for 50 years after the handover. The deal was registered with the United Nations, giving it international standing.

At the time, the agreement was seen as a pragmatic compromise that balanced sovereignty with stability. In later decades, tensions over Beijings interpretation of the agreement would fuel political unrest in Hong Kong.

A Christmas Carol is published

On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, a novella that would become one of the most enduring works of English literature.

Written in response to social inequality and poverty in Victorian Britain, the story follows Ebenezer Scrooges moral transformation after encounters with three Christmas spirits.

The book was an immediate success, selling out its first print run within days.

Beyond its literary impact, A Christmas Carol reshaped cultural perceptions of Christmas, emphasising generosity, compassion, and social responsibility.

Dickens work influenced charitable practices and helped revive Christmas traditions that persist today. More than a century later, the novella remains a staple of global culture, adapted into countless films, plays, and retellings.

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With inputs from agencies
Bangladesh has been witnessing widespread protests since the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a former critic of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who espoused anti-India views. Amid growing anger, newspaper offices were vandalised, the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram was targeted, and a Hindu youth was lynched in Mymensingh

The name board of Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star lies on the floor amid rubble after its office was vandalised by protesters following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, in Dhaka. PTI

Bangladesh is in turmoil.

The country is witnessing widespread protests following the killing of a youth leader, who was also a critic of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India.

Sharif Osman Hadi, lead organiser and spokesman for the Inqilab Manch, died after being shot by motorcycle-borne assailants in broad daylight in Dhaka.

The development occurred a day after Bangladeshs Election Commission formally announced the schedule for next years parliamentary elections. Bangladesh interim government adviser Mohammad Yunus has said he will step down once the elections are conducted.

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Hadi, who was rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the shooting, was later transferred to Singapore for treatment. Then, on Thursday night, Yunus announced that Hadi had died as a result of his injuries. His passing represents an irreplaceable loss to the nations political and democratic sphere, Yunus said. Hadis death resulted in an outpouring of anger, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets across Bangladesh.

Many of the protesters were chanting Hadis name as well as emotionally charged slogans invoking his memory. The protesters insisted that their movement would continue and that they would have justice for his death. Some of the protesters also claimed that Hadis attackers had fled to India, which the Bangladesh Police has denied.

Lets take a closer look at how the protests are escalating.

All-night protest, attack on newspaper offices

As soon as the news of Hadis death broke, thousands of people took to the streets of Bangladeshs capital, Dhaka. The Shahbag intersection witnessed an all-night protest from supporters and activists of the July Moncho, as well as members of the public. The protest, which began at 11 pm, continued well into Friday morning.

The Inqilab Manch, in a statement, had called on people to show up at Shahbagh, saying that if Osman Hadi responds to the call of his Creator and joins the ranks of martyrs, then the citizens of the country must work together to safeguard sovereignty.

People gather at intersection near Dhaka University campus in Dhaka late Thursday. PTI

The protesters were joined by members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), an offshoot of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led last years protests.

Meanwhile, the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka witnessed vandalism and arson. Hundreds of people chanting slogans marched from Shahbagh towards Kawran Bazar, surrounded the office of the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo and vandalised it. A witness said hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the office of Prothom Alo by 11 pm. While police attempted to calm the protesters, their efforts were in vain.

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According to reports, the attack commenced around 11.45 pm. Protesters, many of them armed with sticks and rods, vandalised the office and broke many window panes. Protesters also took out tables, chairs and important documents, which were set ablaze on the street. This meant many of the newspapers staff remained trapped in the office.

The crowd then moved towards _The Daily Sta_r offices, also in Dhakas Kawran Bazar, and set them ablaze. This resulted in journalists in the building being trapped and their lives being put in jeopardy.

Protesters vandalise the office of Bangladeshs newspaper Prothom Alo amid widespread outrage over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi. PTI

I cant breathe anymore, The Daily Star reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook. Theres too much smoke. Im inside. You are killing me, she added. The staff had to evacuate to the terrace to save themselves.

All The Daily Star staff have just been successfully evacuated to a safe place, thanks to the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service, Mahmud Hasan, a member of the staff, wrote on Facebook. Special thanks to an army major whose valour today matched that of Major Rana, the iconic fictional hero from the Masud Rana series created by Kazi Anwar Hossain, for leading the evacuation operation, he added.

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In all, it took members of the army and fire service over four hours to evacuate two dozen staff members of the newspaper. According to reports, Bangladeshi army personnel have now been positioned in front of The Daily Star building. Videos online show Editors Council president and New Age editor Nurul Kabir being first heckled and then beaten by a crowd.

Since the offices of two newspapers were being attacked, I went there out of a sense of responsibility as the president of the Editors Council to investigate. Then some young people, who may not know me, attacked me, Kabir was quoted as saying by BBC Bangla.

Firefighters inside the charred office of Bangla newspaper Prothom Alo. PTI

_Prothom Alo_ released the following statement: Due to a large-scale attack, vandalism and arson at the Prothom Alo office last night, it has not been possible to maintain normal operations. As a result, todays printed edition of Prothom Alo could not be published. Its online portal is also temporarily unavailable. We sincerely apologise to our readers for this inconvenience. We are working to restore the damaged technical systems as quickly as possible and will resume publication of Prothom Alo in print and online at the earliest. We seek our readers cooperation in this matter.

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The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre was also subjected to vandalism and arson.

Indian High Commission surrounded, officials targeted

Protesters also surrounded the offices and homes of members of the Indian High Commission in Khulna and Chattogram. Protesters hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram around 1.30 am. However, there was no damage. Police dispersed the crowd after firing tear gas and lathi-charging the mob. Police have also detained a dozen protesters, and senior officials have reassured that the Assistant Indian High Commissioner is safe and that proper security has been provided. In Rajshahi, protesters attempted to march on the home of an Indian diplomat but were halted in their tracks by police.

Security personnel stand guard as people gather to protest after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, late Thursday. PTI

Dhanmondi 32, the home of Bangladeshs founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was set ablaze yet again. The structure had been partially demolished earlier this year after being vandalised by protesters. The office of Chhayanaut, an institution focusing on Bengali culture in Bangladesh, also came under attack. Its main office in Dhanmondi was vandalised and set ablaze.

Hindu youth lynched

In Bhalukas Mymensingh, a Hindu youth was lynched after being accused of blasphemy by a mob. The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Square Master Bari Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka upazila. The mob beat the victim, Dipu Chandra Das, to death, hung his body from a tree and set it ablaze.

Das, who worked at a local garment factory, was living in the area. On Thursday around 9 pm, an enraged crowd caught him and beat him to death, accusing him of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet. They then set the body on fire, duty officer Ripon Mia told BBC Bangla.

Many of the protesters were chanting Sharif Osman Hadis name as well as emotionally charged slogans invoking his memory. PTI

Police arrived at the scene after receiving word of the incident. Dass body has been sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. No case has been filed thus far. We are looking for his relatives. If they come forward and file a case, action will be taken in accordance with the law, Mia was quoted as saying.

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Protesters also demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi with an excavator. The home of Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, former education minister in the previous Awami League government, was vandalised and set ablaze by protesters. This was the home of Nowfels father, the late Chattogram mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury. In Bandarban, the home of former Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing has been torched.

With inputs from agencies
US House Democrats on Thursday (December 18) released a fresh batch of photos from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein ahead of the Friday deadline. The images, undated and lacking context, show several elites, including billionaire Bill Gates, filmmaker Woody Allen and philosopher Noam Chomsky. There are also pictures of lines from the controversial Lolita novel written on different parts of a womans body

Photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein feature Noam Chomsky and Bill Gates. Image Courtesy: House Oversight Democrats

A new batch of photographs from the estate of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by US House Democrats on Thursday (December 18), shows high-profile figures and elites. The images, including those of billionaire Bill Gates and filmmaker Woody Allen, are undated and lack context.

They are part of about 95,000 images that the US Congress obtained from Epsteins estate and has been releasing to the public in trickles. The latest pictures have further increased pressure on Donald Trumps administration to release the broader Epstein files before the December 19 deadline.

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Lets take a closer look.

Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky & more

Several high-profile and powerful men feature in the photographs from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that were published by the minority Democrats in the House Oversight Committee.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is seen posing with a woman whose face has been blurred.

Renowned linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky is pictured aboard a private plane with paedophile financier Epstein.

There have been reports that Gates and Chomsky knew Epstein. Gates previously said he made a huge mistake in meeting with the disgraced financier.

He told CNN that the two had several dinners about a philanthropy project, which did not materialise and their relationship ended.

Steve Bannon, Trumps former adviser, is captured sitting at a desk across from Epstein. David Brooks, the author and New York Times (NYT) opinion columnist, appeared in multiple photos.

The images show him attending a lunch or dinner event. Brooks is shown seated next to Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google.

The New York Times said in a statement that the event took place in 2011, three years after Epstein had pleaded guilty in Florida to charges of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.

The NYT said that Brooks did not have any further contact with Epstein.

As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event, an NYT spokeswoman was quoted as saying by The Guardian. Mr Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner.

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The timing of the release is crucial. Last month, Brooks published a column in the NYT expressing disinterest in the Epstein scandal. He has also denounced public fascination with the case.

The Epstein estate photos released last week also showed United States President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton, film director Woody Allen, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, attorney Alan Dershowitz, former British prince Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, and others.

It has to be noted that appearing in these pictures does not necessarily indicate evidence of any wrongdoing.

What else do the latest pictures show?

The images released by the House Oversight Committee also show what appear to be quotes from Vladimir Nabokovs novel Lolita written on different parts of a womans body.

A copy of the book, which is about a mans sexual obsession with a child, can be seen in the background of one of the photographs.

One image shows lines written on a womans chest, saying: Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.

Another photo depicts text written on a womans foot: She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.

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The images show quotes from Vladimir Nabokovs novel Lolita written on different parts of a womans body. Image Courtesy: House Oversight Democrats

Other images show the words She was Lola in slacks written on a womans body, and the passage She was Dolly at school on a womans neck. Another photo shows the line She was Dolores on the dotted line scrawled on a womans spine.

The batch also shows pictures of several foreign passports, with the information redacted, along with Epsteins US passport.

They are photos of female passports and identification documents from various countries, such as Lithuania, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine.

NEW: Oversight Dems are releasing additional photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate to the public.



We will continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people. Its time for the Department of Justice to release the files. pic.twitter.com/ZGAvxVLCUq  Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) December 18, 2025

There is also a screenshot of text messages from an unknown sender referring to an 18-year-old from Russia. The sender says, I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today, adding, But she asks 1000$ per girl. The following messages read: I will send u girls now, and Maybe someone will be good for J?.

Another photo shows Epstein sitting at a desk and surrounded by three female figures whose faces have been redacted. One persons hand is on Epsteins chest under his shirt, while the other is crouching to look at a nearby laptop. Epstein seems to be helping the third person put on a bracelet.

A picture of an inmate request form, dated December 25, 2008, from the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office is also among the published 68 photos from the Epstein estate.

The form features a name and date of birth, both of which have been redacted. The section titled State the reason for submitting this request shows a collection of handwritten words. This includes references to Paris and Dubai and the words I love you.

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There is also an image of a person holding a prescription bottle of the medication Phenazopyridine, a pain reliever used to treat discomfort caused by infection or irritation of the urinary tract.

A picture of two bows is also in the latest batch.

The latest release also shows what appears to be a site plan for Great St James island in the US Virgin Islands, as per BBC.

Epstein bought the Great St James in 2016 for $22.5m. These photos signal that he had plans to develop the 161-acre island by building multiple homes, offices and a pool.

Pillsbury Sound, a waterway in the US Virgin Islands, is marked on the bottom right of the drawing.

Red pen markings have been used on the site plan and a notes section is used to label different parts of the property.

There are also what seem to be nine other site and construction drawings, including plans for dock shelters.

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Pressure on US govt to release Epstein files

Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee did not provide context for the photos. However, they described the latest images as passports of women whom Jeffrey Epstein and his conspirators were engaging, photos of rich and powerful men in Jeffrey Epsteins orbit, and concerning text messages about recruiting women for Jeffrey Epstein.

Oversight Democrats redact images and personally identifiable information from victims and survivors, and of young women when it is unknown whether they are a victim of Epsteins abuse.

Photos were selected to provide the public with transparency into a representative sample of the photos received from the estate, and to provide insights into Epsteins network and his extremely disturbing activities, the statement issued by the Democrats after the release said.

It added that the committee has thousands of images in its possession from the Epstein estate, both graphic and mundane.

Top Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia, said these new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice [DoJ] has in its possession.

We must end this White House cover-up, and the DoJ must release the Epstein files now, he said.

The Epstein files are used to refer to the information held by the Justice Department from two criminal investigations into the disgraced financier.

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Republicans, who are in the majority on the committee, have earlier accused Democrats of cherry-picking photos and making targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump.

With the latest batch, the pressure on the DoJ has increased to release the files on time and before the looming deadline.

The calls for releasing the Epstein files are coming from both sides of the political spectrum, with prominent Maga figures also backing the demand.

The Justice Department has so far maintained silence on whether it will meet Fridays deadline, set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed last month with bipartisan support.

The law requires the DOJ to publish the Epstein-related materials while safeguarding victims identities.

With inputs from agencies
On the day terrorists attacked Bondi Beach, several bravehearts tried to stop the massacre. One of them was Amandeep Singh Bola. The Indian-orgin Sikh man reportedly pinned down Sajid Akram, one of the gunmen. This allowed a policeman to arrest the second assailant, Naveed Akram

One of the heroes was a Sikh man of Indian-origin, Amandeep Singh Bola, who tackled Sajid Akram. Image Courtesy: @manjeet_sehgal/X

Last Sunday, when two terrorists fired at a gathering of Jewish faithfuls near Bondi Beach, some ordinary people turned heroes. They sprang into action and did everything they could to thwart the attack that claimed 16 lives. One of them was a Sikh man of Indian-origin, Amandeep Singh Bola, who tackled Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old gunman who was firing at people along with his son, Naveed Akram.

Enjoying kebabs at the famous Sydney beach, Bola sprinted in the direction of the gunfire and pounced on Sajid Akram, who was later shot dead by a police bullet. Here is his story.

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Who is Amandeep Singh Bola?

Amandeep Singh Bola is a Sikh man born to Indian and Kiwi parents in New Zealand, reported local news broadcaster SBS News. Currently, working as a personal trainer in Australia, the 34-year-old has roots in Punjabs Nawanshahr.

Speaking to The Times of India, he stated that his great-grandfather, Puna Singh Bola, relocated to New Zealand in 1916, making him one of the first Sikh immigrants in the island country. He added that his grandparents, Mahan Singh Bol and Parkash Kaur, also lived there and that his father, Manjit Singh Bola, was born and raised in New Zealand. His mother, Harvinder Kaur, hails from Ludhiana and lives in New Zealand. Bola said that he moved to Australia six or seven years ago.

How Bola confront the terrorist on Bondi Beach

Bola was eating kebabs at Bondi Beach when gunshots were fired. Initially dismissing the sound as that of firecrackers, he continued to enjoy watching the sunset, but realised things were serious when the beachgoers around him began running in fear.

I was having a kebab when I heard the gunshots. At first, I thought it was firecrackers, but soon I saw men and women running away in fear. I started running in the direction of the gunfire. On the way, I tried to ask some people what happened, and figured out that two gunmen were shooting at people on the beach," Bola told The Times of India in an interview.

Floral tributes left by mourners are seen at the promenade of Bondi Beach in Sydney to honour victims of the shooting that took place there on December 14. File image/AFP

As gunfire broke out on a bridge, Bola made the courageous choice to run toward danger. He reportedly intercepted Sajid Akram, deciding to tackle him and kick the weapon out of reach before pinning him down and locking his arms to ensure he couldnt fire again.

I jumped on top of (the shooter) and grabbed his arms. The police officer helped me and said not to let him go, he told SBS News. He further said, I wanted to help get one of (the alleged shooters) down, or just help anybody that needed help.

In the viral video, Bola is seen in plain clothes, a white T-shirt and shorts, choosing to maintain a firm grip on Sajid Akrams arms while sitting on his back. His decision to stay in the fight allowed the lone policeman nearby to opt for the immediate arrest of the second shooter, Naveed Akram.

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Once the tackle was over, he lay down to control the adrenaline. Speaking to SBS News, he said, I lay down for a bit because the adrenaline was wearing off, and I was feeling pretty bad.

He recalled how those around came to assist him later.  A French guy gave me coconut water, two Africans remained by my side until I got comfortable, and a few others also stayed around, just to be close.

What do we know about the other Bondi heroes?

The story of Ahmed Al Ahmed, the shopowner who disarmed Sajid Akram, grabbed international headlines. He was hailed as a hero by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and earned praise from US President Donald Trump. After sustaining two gunshot wounds, he is now recovering in the hospital.

Ahmed, you are an Australian hero.



You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist.



In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that's exactly what we saw on Sunday night.



On behalf of every Australian, I pic.twitter.com/mAoObU3TZD  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 16, 2025

Another Bondi Beach hero was Reuven Morrison. The Jewish businessman hurled bricks at Sajid Akram as he retreated toward the footbridge. A video of him and another man trying to distract the terrorist to save the others from the community has gone viral. However, the 62-year-old was later killed.

When his daughter, Sheina Gutnick, saw the footage of her father charging the shooters, she recognised him at once. Thats my dad, she was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

A couple, Boris and Sofia Gurman, also attempted to stop Akram, even before he started firing his gun. The were walking along the Campbell Parade boulevard when Sajid Akram emerged from behind the Islamic State flag on his car.

The couple knew something was amiss. Dashcam footage shows 69-year-old Boris tackling the terrorist onto the road and snatching the rifle from his hands. Frightened, the others took cover behind the bus stop; Boris picked up the gun and aimed it at Sajid Akram.

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Boris looked like he had the upper hand for a bit; his wife joined him to force the gunman to retreat. However, Sajid Akram had another rifle, with which he executed the couple.

There were other heroes, too. They may not have taken on the gunmen, but they tried to protect those around them. Lifeguards, parents, and volunteers. As Australia comes to terms with the horrors of the attack, these stories provide a silver lining.

With inputs from agencies
TikTok, which is owned by Chinas ByteDance, has inked an agreement to sell a majority of its US business to three investors. The deal, which is slated to close on January 22, 2026, brings to an end years of contentious back-and-forth between the United States and China over control of TikTok. US President Donald Trump had first attempted to ban the app in August 2020

Chinas ByteDance has inked an agreement to sell a majority of its US business to three investors. AFP

The TikTok deal is nearly done.

The firm owned by Chinas ByteDance has inked an agreement to sell a majority of its US business to three investors.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in a memo, told employees that the joint venture would operate as an independent entity with authority over US data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance.

Chew added that US entities of ByteDance-controlled TikTok will manage global product interoperability and certain commercial activities, including e-commerce, advertising, and marketing separately from the joint venture.

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The deal, which is slated to close on January 22, 2026, brings to an end years of contentious back-and-forth between the United States and China over control of TikTok. US President Donald Trump had first attempted to ban TikTok in August 2020.

But who owns TikTok now? What do we know about the deal?

Lets take a closer look.

Who owns TikTok

First, it is important to note that there will now be two TikTok entities  the Chinese one and the American one.

The US entity is called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. It will be majority owned by a consortium comprising Oracle, which is owned by Trump ally Larry Ellison, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX. Each of these companies is taking a 15 per cent stake in the new entity.

The deal values TikTok at $14 billion (Rs. 1,255 billion), which is below the estimates of analysts. Meanwhile, some of ByteDances existing investors will hold a 30.1 per cent stake in the new company. ByteDance itself will be holding around 19.9 per cent. This is to comply with the provision under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a federal law which mandates that no Chinese person or company can own more than 20 per cent of TikTok.

The deal values TikTok at $14 billion (Rs. 1,255 billion), which is below the estimates of analysts. Reuters

Congress passed the law in 2024, which was signed off by then President Joe Biden and later upheld by the Supreme Court. TikTok in January 2025 went offline for a few hours after failing to comply with the deadline. However, Trump, who had returned to office, issued a series of executive orders delaying the banning of the app while he tried to get it sold to US investors.

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TikTok said in the memo that the deal will allow over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community.

How it will work

The joint venture will be governed by a board of seven directors. A majority of seats will be held by Americans, while ByteDance will likely have one board member.

According to the memo, the US entity will handle data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance. It will be responsible for retraining the content recommendation algorithm on US user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation.

Oracle will serve as the trusted security partner responsible for auditing and validating compliance, including safeguarding sensitive US user data, which will be stored in a trusted and secure cloud environment in the United States run by Oracle, TikTok said. The information will also be stored locally.

Congress had passed the law requiring ByteDance divestment after many raised concerns about the data of millions of Americans being shared with the Chinese Communist Party.

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The ByteDance-controlled TikTok will generate revenue, while the new joint venture will receive a portion of the revenue for its technology and data services, sources said.

TikTok Globals US entities will manage global product interoperability and certain commercial activities, including e-commerce, advertising, and marketing, the memo added.

Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on China, said previously he would host the leadership of the new TikTok entity at a hearing in 2026.

The US entity is called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. It will be majority owned by a consortium comprising Oracle, which is owned by Trump ally Larry Ellison, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX. AFP

Rush Doshi, who served at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden, said it was unclear whether the algorithm had been transferred, licensed or was still owned and controlled by Beijing, with Oracle merely providing monitoring.

In September, it was reported that ByteDance would maintain ownership of TikToks US business operations but would cede control of the apps data, content and algorithm to the joint venture.

TikTok has become a bargaining chip in the wider USChina relationship, Alvin Graylin, a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the BBC. With recently softening tensions, Beijings sign-off on the structure and algorithm licensing now looks less like capitulation and more like calibrated de-escalation, letting both capitals claim a win at home.

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It must be noted that the deal is yet to be approved by Chinese regulators.

Trump said in September that he had spoken with Chinas President Xi Jinping over the phone about the deal and that he had a very good talk with President Xi and he gave us the go-ahead.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in October claimed that the US and China had reached a final deal on TikTok.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday: As for the specific question, Id refer you to the competent Chinese authorities. Chinas position on the TikTok issue is consistent and clear.

Warren slams TikTok deal

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said there were many unanswered questions over the deal.

Trump wants to hand over even more control of what you watch to his billionaire buddies. Americans deserve to know if the president struck another backdoor deal for this billionaire takeover of TikTok, she said on X.

Warren was joined by Senate Democrat Ron Wyden of Oregon, who said it would not do a thing to protect the privacy of American users. Its unclear that it will even put TikToks algorithm in safer hands, Wyden added.

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Larry Ellison, the chair and chief technology officer of Oracle, is a supporter of Donald Trump and has regularly appeared at the White House. AP

Trump has credited TikTok with helping him win re-election last year and has more than 15 million followers on his personal TikTok account. The White House also launched an official TikTok account in August.

Trump has a close relationship with billionaire and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and his family. Paramount Skydance is trying to acquire Warner Bros Discovery in a hostile takeover bid with the financial backing of the Ellison family.

Trump said in September that Michael Dell, the founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies, Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of Fox News owner Fox Corp and newspaper publisher News Corp, and probably four or five absolutely world-class investors were involved. It remains unclear whether Dell and Murdoch participated in the final deal.

With inputs from agencies
Bangladesh is witnessing fresh unrest after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure of the 2024 uprising and an independent election candidate. Shot during his campaign and later dying in Singapore, Hadis killing has triggered violent protests, attacks on media houses, and renewed anti-India anger ahead of the February 2026 elections

Protesters shout slogans in front of the premises of the Prothom Alo daily newspaper after news reached the country from Singapore of the death of a prominent activist Sharif Osman Hadi, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 19, 2025. File Image/Reuters

Bangladesh has been plunged into one of its most volatile phases since the July Revolution in 2024 following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a youth leader and outspoken critic of both India and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

His killing, days after launching his election campaign and barely weeks before the country is scheduled to head into national polls, has unleashed violence, paralysed parts of the capital Dhaka, and sharply escalated diplomatic tensions with India.

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Who was Sharif Osman Hadi?

Sharif Osman Hadi, aged 32, emerged as a prominent face of the July-August 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina after 15 years in power.

He was a spokesperson and leading organiser of Inquilab Mancha, a radical political and cultural platform that gained traction during the mass protests and later positioned itself as a defender of what it called the July warriors  those who participated in the uprising.

Hadi was widely described as a frontline figure during the movement, frequently mobilising youth groups and students, and articulating a political narrative of anti-establishment rhetoric with strong nationalist and anti-India positions.

In the months following Hasinas removal and her departure to India, Inquilab Mancha steadily transformed from a protest platform into an influential political actor.

The group played a central role in campaigns demanding the dismantling of the Awami League, accusing it of authoritarianism and human rights violations.

In May earlier this year, the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus formally disbanded the Awami League, barring it from contesting the upcoming elections.

According to PTI, Inquilab Mancha has since spearheaded efforts to arrest what it calls all terrorists associated with the former ruling party, from senior leadership down to grassroots levels, while also pressing the government to guarantee the security of activists linked to the 2024 uprising.

Hadi was also preparing to transition from activist politics into electoral politics. He had announced his decision to contest the February 12, 2026 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate from Dhakas Bijoynagar area.

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His campaign was framed as an extension of the uprisings goals  dismantling what his supporters described as fascist remnants and resisting foreign influence, particularly from India.

How did Hadi die?

On December 12, just a day after Bangladeshs Election Commission formally announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary elections, Hadi was shot in central Dhaka while initiating his election campaign.

The timing of the attack immediately raised alarms, according to police, the shooting took place in the afternoon in the Bijoynagar area.

A Dhaka police spokesperson told PTI, Osman Hadi was shot at 2:25 pm in front of DR Tower on Box Culvert Road at Bijoynagar. We have initially learned that three assailants on a motorcycle shot him and fled the scene.

Other accounts said Hadi was riding in a rickshaw when he was followed by attackers on a motorbike, one of whom opened fire before escaping.

He sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where he was placed on life support due to the severity of his injuries.

As his condition deteriorated, the interim government announced that he would be airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment.

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Despite intensive care, Hadi remained on life support for nearly a week. On Thursday night, December 18, news broke that he had died in a hospital in Singapore, triggering immediate and violent reactions across Bangladesh.

How did Yunus government respond to Hadis death?

Yunus addressed the nation following confirmation of Hadis death, describing it as a major blow to Bangladeshs political transition.

He announced a day of state mourning on Saturday, with national flags to be flown at half-mast across government, semi-government, autonomous offices, educational institutions, private buildings, and Bangladeshi missions abroad. He also said special prayers would be held at all places of worship on December 19.

I am deeply saddened by the tragic killing of Sharif Osman Hadi. May Allah grant his soul forgiveness and place him in Jannat. This untimely death is a grave reminder of the human cost of political violence.



Hadi was a brave political activist and a clear, fearless voice who pic.twitter.com/UOJKZrvnRi  Tarique Rahman (@trahmanbnp) December 18, 2025

Yunus promised accountability and issued a warning to those behind the killing, stating that No leniency will be shown to Hadis killers. He also urged citizens to remain calm and avoid being misled, advising people to stay away from propaganda and rumours, and refrain from any rash decisions.

At the same time, Yunus also described Hadi as an enemy to the defeated forces and fascist terrorists, an apparent reference to the now-disbanded Awami League.

Their evil efforts to frighten the revolutionaries will be completely thwarted, he said.

Earlier, reacting to the initial attack, Yunus had linked the shooting directly to the electoral process, warning, The objective of the conspirators is to derail the election. This attack is symbolic  meant to demonstrate their strength and sabotage the entire electoral process.

In a later televised address after Hadis death, Yunus said, His passing represents an irreplaceable loss to the nations political and democratic sphere.

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VIDEO | Bangladesh's interim government chief Muhammad Yunus appeals for peace as Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising and a spokesperson of the Inqilab Manch who was shot last week, died on Thursday night while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital pic.twitter.com/nej9SUJs3h  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 18, 2025

He reiterated that violence would only undermine Bangladeshs path toward a credible election and appealed for restraint.

How did protests turn violent across Dhaka?

News of Hadis death spread rapidly across Bangladesh on Thursday night, setting off large-scale protests that quickly turned violent.

Thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Dhaka, chanting slogans invoking Hadis name and demanding immediate justice. Many vowed to continue protests until those responsible were arrested and punished.

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The demonstrations escalated into arson and vandalism in several parts of the capital.

Buildings housing Bangladeshs two largest newspapers  the Bengali-language Prothom Alo and the English-language Daily Star  were attacked by mobs. Fires were set inside the premises, trapping journalists and staff members working late into the night.

A spokesperson for the Fire Brigade and Civil Defence confirmed at least three incidents of arson early Friday, according to AFP.

Around 30 journalists were reported to be stuck inside the Daily Star office during the blaze. All were later rescued, but both newspapers were forced to suspend publication on December 19.

A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader who had been receiving treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 19, 2025. File Image/Reuters

Footage circulating on social media showed protesters vandalising offices, breaking windows, and setting fire to property. Soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed outside the newspaper buildings, but witnesses said they did not immediately intervene to disperse the crowds.

Security officials were seen attempting to persuade protesters to leave peacefully as firefighters worked to control the flames.

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One Daily Star journalist, Zyma Islam, posted from inside the burning building, writing on Facebook, I cant breathe anymore. Theres too much smoke.

As unrest spread, authorities moved to reinforce security across Dhaka and other sensitive areas. The army was deployed in parts of the capital to assist law enforcement in maintaining order.

Security was tightened citywide ahead of the arrival of Hadis mortal remains, which are scheduled to be flown back from Singapore later in the day.

Protest groups including Inquilab Mancha, the July Revolutionary Alliance, and the Private University Students Association of Bangladesh issued calls for further demonstrations, raising concerns about additional flashpoints.

How did the protests focus on political targets?

The violence was not limited to media institutions. The house of Bangladeshs founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi-32  a site of deep historical and symbolic significance  was vandalised and set on fire once again.

The property had already been attacked twice before, in February and August last year, reflecting the deep anger directed at symbols associated with the Hasina family.

In Dhaka, the premises of Chhayanaut, a prominent Bengali cultural organisation, were also vandalised and torched. Elsewhere, protesters targeted Awami League infrastructure.

In the northwestern district of Rajshahi, demonstrators used a bulldozer to demolish a party office, while in several other districts protesters blocked major highways, disrupting transport and commerce.

Violence was reported in multiple cities, including the port city of Chittagong. There, protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission and set fire to a house belonging to a former Awami League education minister.

Why have the protests turned anti-India?

Protesters in Dhaka and other cities raised slogans accusing India of sheltering Hadis attackers and demanded their immediate extradition.

Political offshoots such as the National Citizen Party claimed that the assailants had already fled to India after committing the shooting. They called on the interim government to take drastic steps, including shutting down the Indian High Commission in Dhaka until the suspects were returned.

Sarjis Alm, a key leader of the NCP, said, The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war!

Earlier in the week, hundreds of demonstrators under the banner July Oikya (July Unity) marched toward the Indian High Commission, chanting anti-India slogans and demanding the return of Sheikh Hasina from India.

On December 14, Bangladeshs Foreign Ministry summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma to convey its serious concern over what it described as incendiary statements made by Hasina from India.

During the meeting, Bangladesh sought Indias cooperation in preventing the suspects in Hadis case from crossing the border.

The Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry said, The Ministry further sought Indias cooperation in preventing the escape to India of the suspects involved in the recent attempted assassination of Bangladeshi political leader Sharif Osman Hadi and, in case they manage to enter Indian territory, to ensure their immediate apprehension and extradition to Bangladesh.

India, in turn, summoned Bangladeshs envoy earlier in the week to express condemnation over statements suggesting Indian involvement.

What next for Bangladesh?

Bangladesh has been governed by an interim administration since August 2024, when Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising that spiralled into nationwide protests.

Yunus took over as chief adviser three days after her ouster, promising reforms, accountability, and free and fair elections.

However, the interim government has faced mounting challenges, including protests over delayed reforms, accusations from Hasinas supporters that it has enabled the rise of Islamist forces, and concerns raised by international organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International over human rights violations.

The Awami League has been barred from contesting the February 2026 elections, a move that has further polarised the political environment.

Last month, a Bangladeshi court sentenced Hasina to death on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 uprising, a verdict that has deepened divisions at home and complicated relations with India.

Against this backdrop, Hadis killing has become a rallying point for these multiple grievances.

Also Watch:

With inputs from agencies
A mutated version of the influenza A (H3N2) strain dubbed subclade K is spreading in the US and Canada after the UK. Some are calling it the super flu. How deadly is this variant, which is sending people to hospitals this holiday season?

Britain and other European countries grappling with a severe flu season and health authorities warning of increasing cases driven by a mutated strain of the virus. Reuters

Christmas is around us, but a mutated strain of the influenza virus is stealing cheer for many in the US, Canada and the UK. Cities across the three countries have been hit with a new variant of influenza A (H3N2) called subclade K, which emerged earlier this year. Its dubbed the super flu.



The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described it as a seasonal respiratory infection caused by the virus. The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, body aches, and headaches, among others.

What is super flu, a strain of influenza A H3N2?

The super flu is a mutated version of the influenza A (H3N2 )strain called subclade K. This new variant emerged earlier this year and is spreading rapidly in several countries, like the US, Canada, and the UK.

An associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, Dr Simon Clarke, decodes that the H and N (of H3N2) refer to haemagglutinin and neuraminidase, two proteins on the surface of the virus, reports The Telegraph. The numbers simply classify which versions of those proteins are present. It also helps us categorise strains. H3N2 just happens to be the variant dominating this year.

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Medical experts raise concerns, saying that this influenza virus is constantly evolving and evading our immune system. A professor of molecular and cellular virology at the Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Ed Hutchinson, was quoted by the publication as saying, We have had it and already recovered well, but a lot of people are getting infected.

While immunity around this time of year is weak among populations, this flu is circulating faster than usual, according to medical experts.

Flu vaccinations are displayed in a pharmacy window, as hospitalisations rise, with Britain and other European countries grappling with a severe flu season. Reuters

Dr Scott Roberts, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the Yale School of Medicine, told the New York Times that this subvariant of the virus will likely spread more than in previous years, leading to more infections overall, because it may be more adept at avoiding immunity from vaccines and previous infections.

According to him, last years flu season was the roughest in nearly a decade, and he added that there generally arent two consecutive bad flu seasons. But a lot of us are concerned that with this new, slightly more-mutated-than-usual subclade K strain, we may see that, Dr Roberts warned.

However, some argue that calling the virus a super flu is misleading. Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, told the BBC, Its just a flu variant that is clearly a little bit more infectious than normal, but its misleading and a bit frightening to call it super flu.

What are the symptoms and risk factors?

Despite a new variant, the typical symptoms of this flu are similar to the seasonal flu: Sudden high temperature, tiredness and weakness, a headache, general aches and pains, a dry, chesty cough, sore throat, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, stomach pain, feeling sick and being sick, a runny or blocked nose and constant sneezing.

But the NYT report points out that the super flu affects patients faster than other respiratory viruses. There is a gradual progression of runny noses and aching throats with Covid, but super flu patients experience all the signs of the flu, such as fevers, congestion, chills, and full-body aches.

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Doctors raise red flags to watch while being infected. Difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, persistent high fever, severe dehydration, or symptoms that suddenly worsen are serious signs, Dr Aslam told The Telegraph.

Children under five (especially under two), older adults, pregnant women and those suffering from medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, weakened immune systems, or neurological disorders are at higher risk of serious flu-related complications.

What can be done to prevent the super flu?

The UKs National Health Service (NHS) has recommended some preventive measures to help people recover more quickly: Rest, enough sleep, staying hydrated, paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower temperature, and avoiding work or school until disinfected.

Dr Clarke was quoted as saying by The Telegraph that there was no magic bullet. Basics work such as handwashing, avoiding crowded indoor gatherings, and staying home when unwell.

There are lessons from the pandemic that still need to be implemented, such as masking and working from home.

Vaccination helps, especially for children, as they catch and spread flu easily.

How is flu spreading in the US, UK and Canada?

According to Fox40, the new variant is spreading across the United States, but New York City is the worst hit. In the first week of December, local health officials reported around 14,000 flu cases, a 460 per cent increase in infections. Last year, the city recorded 2,500 cases.

Dr Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, told NewsNation, We see the sudden spike in New York because of their more dense population. Theyre at the centre for international as well as domestic travel."

An infectious disease specialist, Dr Andrew Pekosz, asserted that data show how this super flu is spreading everywhere. During a public health briefing on Tuesday (December 16), Pekosz asserted, Colorado, Louisiana and New York are that are experiencing really fast increases in influenza. In places like Maryland, the subclade K virus seems to be the dominant one.

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In the UK, an average of 3,140 patients were in hospital with flu in England last week, according to figures published on Thursday (December 18). Cases are up 18 per cent compared to a week ago, but its a smaller increase than the 55 per cent jump seen the week before, reports the BBC.

A shopper wearing a face mask walks through a store, as hospitalisations rise, with Britain and other European countries grappling with a severe flu season. Reuters

The rate of increase is also slowing in Wales, and the number of hospital flu cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland has dropped. However, it is still too early to say if flu has peaked, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

The H3N2 flu strain is rapidly increasing in Canada, with many landing in hospitals. Children are among those being hit hard, with most infections being detected in people under 19, according to Health Canada, reports Globe News.

Dr Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told TODAY.com that the variant had caused a surge in infections in Japan. It had declared an influenza epidemic after witnessing a harsh flu season.

With inputs from agencies

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As Goa Police grill the Luthra brothers over a nightclub fire that killed 25, investigators probe safety violations, expired licences and systemic enforcement failures in the states nightlife sector.

Goa nightclub fire: Officials say the process to deport Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra back to India has already begun so that they can face trial. Image courtesy:instagram, X

The arrest and remand of Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Goas Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, has proved to be a turning point in the investigation into one of the states deadliest fire tragedies.

Once accustomed to a life of luxury, the brothers spent Wednesday night in the Anjuna police lock-up, sleeping on the floor without mattresses or blankets and eating a simple meal of rice, dal and pickle as police intensified questioning over the December 6 inferno that killed 25 people.

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A North Goa court has sent the Luthras to five days of police custody, giving investigators time to piece together how alleged safety lapses, illegal operations and managerial decisions may have contributed to the disaster. The case has also sharpened scrutiny on enforcement failures in Goas nightlife hubs, where packed venues, temporary structures and fire shows have become common despite repeated warnings from safety authorities.

Intensive questioning and custody battle

Goa Police have begun a detailed interrogation of the brothers, questioning them on more than 80 points related to the clubs operations, financial arrangements, event permissions and the roles played by associates, managers, organisers and other partners. Investigators are seeking to establish who authorised the fire show on the night of the blaze, how safety clearances were handled, and whether commercial considerations overrode basic precautions.

During their court appearance, the Luthras sought medical assistance, claiming health issues and requesting a mattress while in custody. Through their lawyer, P V Pavithran, they argued that Saurabh suffered from a spinal disc problem while Gaurav had a tailbone fracture. Judicial magistrate Puja Sardesai directed police to take both men to the North Goa District Hospital for a medical examination.

Doctors declared them fit, following which the court rejected their demand for special facilities in the lock-up. Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi, who lost four family members in the fire, said the accused were seeking special consideration despite the scale of the tragedy. He said the court had taken note that the case involved the deaths of 25 people and refused to grant any additional comfort to the accused.

From Phuket to police lock-up

The brothers arrest followed a dramatic effort to trace them after they fled the country hours after the fire. Goa Police secured an Interpol Blue Corner Notice after learning that the Luthras had travelled to Thailands Phuket. They were subsequently deported and brought to Delhi on an emergency certificate, before being flown to Goa under police custody.

Upon arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Goa Police completed the necessary legal formalities before presenting them in court. Their return has allowed investigators to move beyond documentary evidence and survivor accounts to directly question those who allegedly controlled the nightclubs operations.

Safety lapses under scrutiny

The December 6 blaze, North Goas worst fire tragedy, broke out at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora during a crowded weekend event. Survivors told investigators that flames spread within minutes, leaving little chance of escape. A temporary structure made of palm leaves and wood is believed to have caught fire after electric firecrackers used during a performance struck the ceiling.

Preliminary findings by the police and the Directorate of Fire Services indicate that the club was operating in violation of mandatory fire safety norms. Investigators allege that the licence had expired and had not been renewed since 2024, and that the venue had been functioning illegally for nearly 18 months.

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The nightclubs location in the backwaters of the Arpora river, with narrow access roads and limited entry and exit points, further worsened the situation. Fire brigade vehicles were unable to reach the site directly and had to park around 400 metres away, delaying rescue efforts.

The Luthra brothers now face charges of culpable homicide and negligence, with the investigation expected to widen to include possible regulatory failures and the accountability of officials who allowed the club to operate despite apparent violations. As police custody continues, the case has become a litmus test for whether Goas thriving nightlife industry will finally be forced to reckon with long-ignored safety norms.
Barack Obamas favourite books list of 2025 has been revealed. The annual reading catalogue highlights fiction and non-fiction shaping global discourse. It is a perfect inspiration for readers updating their 2025 reading goals.

American novelist Ernest Hemingway once said, There is no friend as loyal as a book. While many of us may still be catching up on our reading goals for the year, theres always inspiration to be found in the booklists curated by avid readers. One such much-awaited list is Barack Obamas Favourite Books of 2025.

The former US Presidents annual recommendations are known for their range and relevance. The 2025 list features a compelling mix of award-winning literary fiction and critically acclaimed non-fiction, spanning genres such as memoirs, US politics, journalism, history, climate change, and pressing civic issues.

Obama began the tradition of sharing his favourite reads during his time at the White House, and it has since become a ritual eagerly followed by readers around the world. A strong advocate of reading as a lifelong practice, he often speaks about books as essential to understanding society, democracy, and the human experience.

Whether youre a casual reader or a committed bibliophile, Obamas 2025 book recommendations offers thoughtful, timely picks, making it well worth bookmarking.

1. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America

Author: Beth Macy

Release Date: October 7, 2025

Publisher: Penguin Press

Paper Girl is a gift of courage, empathy, and insight. Beth Macy has turned to face the darkness in her family and community, people she loves wholeheartedly, even the ones she sometimes struggles to like. She has found sparks of human dignity that she has used to light a signal fire of warning but also of hope.

2. Flashlight

Author: Susan Choi

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Publisher: Penguin Random House Ireland

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Long-listed for the Booker Prize, the novel has been termed as almost impossibly heartbreaking, by New York Magazine. The astonishing story of one family swept up in the tides of the twentieth century, ranging from post-war Japan to suburban America and the North Korean regime

3. We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution

Author: Jill Lepore

Release Date: September 16, 2025

Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation (US edition)

In this landmark, lavishly illustrated book, Harvard professor of history and law Jill Lepore argues that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. The Economist in its review says, An arresting chronicle of Americans strivingif sometimes failingto remake their republic.

4. The Wilderness

Author: Angela Flournoy

Release Date: September 16, 2025

Publisher: Mariner Books (an imprint of HarperCollins)

The Wilderness is Angela Flournoys masterful and kaleidoscopic follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut The Turner House. A generational talent, she captures with disarming wit and electric language how the most profound connections over a lifetime can lie in the tangled, uncertain thicket of friendship.

5. There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America

Author: Brian Goldstone

Release Date: March 25, 2025

Publisher: Crown (an imprint of Penguin Random House)

In this gripping and deeply reported book, Brian Goldstone plunges readers into the lives of five Atlanta families struggling to remain housed in a gentrifying, increasingly unequal city.

6. North Sun

Author: Ethan Rutherford

Release Date: March 11, 2025

Publisher: A Strange Object

North Sun is the finalist for the 2025 National Book Awards for Fiction. With one foot firmly planted in the traditional sea-voyage narrative, and another in a blazing mythos of its own, this debut novel looks unsparingly at the cost of environmental exploitation and predation, and in doing so feverishly sings not only of the past, but to the present and future as well.

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7. 1929: The Inside Story of The Greatest Crash in Wall Street History

Author: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Publisher: Penguin

This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that this time is different. Its about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming, only to be dismissed until it was too late.

8. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Author: Kiran Desai

Release Date: September 25, 2025

Publisher: Penguin Random House

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people. They navigate the many forces that shape their country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next.

9. Dead and Alive

Author: Zadie Smith

Release Date: October 30, 2025

Publisher: Penguin Group

Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times.

10. What We Can Know

Author: Ian McEwan

Release Date: September 18, 2025

Publisher: Jonathan Cape (UK edition)

Shortlisted for the NERO Book Awards (Fiction 2025), What We Can Know is a fictional tour de force, a love story about both people and the words they leave behind. A literary detective story which reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost.

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11. The Look

Author: Michelle Obama

Release Date: November 18, 2025

Publisher: Mitchell Beazley

In this celebration of style, from the moment she entered the public eye during her husbands U.S. Senate campaign. Michelle Obama shares how she uses the beauty and intrigue of fashion to draw attention to her message.
For India, Oman is a reliable gateway to the Gulf, devoid of the hyper-political baggage that often accompanies ties with larger regional powers

PM Modi in a bilateral meeting with the Sultan of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said at Al Baraka Palace in Muscat, Oman on December 18, 2025. Image- PIB

If one were to seek a symbol for the enduring relationship between India and the Sultanate of Oman, the dhow would be it. For millennia, these timbered vessels have ridden the monsoon winds across the Arabian Sea, stitching together the fortunes of the subcontinent and the Gulf. It is a maritime intimacy so old that seals from the Indus Valley Civilisation have been unearthed at Ras al-Jinz, tracing a commercial lineage back four millennia.

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India and Oman also have a more recent living memory. Until 1970and lingering in transition until 1975the currency in the pockets of Omani merchants was the Gulf rupee, issued by the Reserve Bank of India. That a sovereign nation used anothers currency till so recently speaks to a friendship steeped in history that few bilateral pairings can claim.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modis recently concluded visit to Muscat the nature of this voyage is changing. The dhow, once laden with dates and spices, is being retrofitted with the steel of modern strategy. PM Modis visit marks the orientation of an ancient relationship towards a hard-nosed strategic future. The sentimental ties of the past are being fortified by the realities of a volatile Indian Ocean, where both nations now find themselves in the same boat, navigating rougher geopolitical seas.

Strategic Ballast

The most potent signal of this shift is the military. The strategic convergence is bringing the grit of logistics and jointness. Oman has quietly offered the Indian Navy logistics access to the port of Duqm, a facility sitting astride the vital sea lanes of the northwestern Indian Ocean. For India, seeking to project power and secure energy lines, Duqm is a geopolitical anchor.

This logistical embrace is matched by operational muscle. The two militaries have become frequent partners, drilling together in the dusty heat of Rabkoot and the skies over Masirah. Recent exercisesAl Najah for the armies, Eastern Bridge for the air forces, and Naseem Al Bahr for the navieshave honed a shared capability in counter-terrorism and desert warfare.

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In a region often beset by sectarian squalls, Omans famed stability and Indias security imperatives have found a common cause. Both capitals view Gulf stability as a prerequisite for their economic survival. India has also bought 20 retired Jaguar fighter jets from Oman recently to use their spare parts for its desperately ageing wing.

The Ledger of Prosperity

If security provides the hull for this relationship, commerce provides the cargo. The visit is set to seal a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that promises to overhaul the bilateral ledger. Trade between the two nations already stood at $10.6 billion in the 2025 fiscal year, but the new pact aims to uncork bottlenecks that have long stifled potential.

For India tariffs vanish on some $3 billion worth of exports. The winners will be the weavers of textiles, the cutters of gems, and the manufacturers of automobiles and agrochemicals. Currently, 80 per cent of Indian goods crossing the Omani border face a 5 per cent tariff; the FTA slashes this, levelling the playing field.

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In return, India, already Omans third-largest market for non-oil exports, will continue to absorb the Sultanates aluminium, limestone, and fertilisers. It is a deal that looks beyond the traditional exchange of hydrocarbons for labour, eyeing instead a future built on renewable energy and investment flows.

Sailing Ahead

The timing of Indias Oman embrace is no accident. Under Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Oman is modernising its economy and diversifying its partnerships, moving with a flexibility that belies its conservative reputation. For India, Oman is a reliable gateway to the Gulf, devoid of the hyper-political baggage that often accompanies ties with larger regional powers.

As PM Modi and Sultan Haitham have concluded their talks, the metaphor of the dhow returns, but with a new urgency. The vessel is seaworthy; its hull is proven by four thousand years of travel. But it is the flexibility shown by the Sultan and the strategic commitment from New Delhi that now provide the fresh winds to its sails. In a turbulent world, steady sailing is a prize in itself; India and Oman seem determined to catch the breeze together.

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(The writer is a senior journalist with expertise in defence. Views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of Firstpost.)
Pakistani assertions linking India to the Bondi Beach attack are gaining little traction globally, but every opportunity, however tenuous, is being used, as Senator Sherry Rehmans post shows

Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took to the social media platform X on December 17 to associate India with terrorism. She wrote, The #BondiBeachTerrorAttack continues to raise layers of questions about Indian links while the allegations made on Pakistan by Indian/Israeli media are backfiring at warp speed. Perhaps @FATFWatch should also look into growing support from India for terrorist groups operating internationally. The fingerprints are piling up.

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Sherry Rehmans remarks are a crude and futile Pakistani attempt to put India in the dock on terrorism. They are part of Pakistans desire to demonstrate that India sponsors terrorism. This motivation springs from a never-to-be-achieved wish to shift the international communitys focus of sponsorship of terrorism from Pakistan to India.

The fact is that the world continues, on the basis of solid evidence, to hold that Pakistan harbours terrorist groups and uses them in a calibrated manner against its neighbours. It also knows that these terrorist groups attract disaffected foreigners and indoctrinate them in Islamist thinking and train them to carry out terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings.

Sherry Rehmans remarks obviously refer to Sajid Akrams continuing to carry an Indian passport even though he had left his hometown, Hyderabad, in 1998 for Australia. Sajid Akram is 50 years old, while his son Naveed Akram is 24. He was born in Australia and is recovering from his injuries in a Sydney hospital. He is an Australian national. The father-and-son duos heinous attack on the Jewish group celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on December 14 is most worrying. It left fifteen persons dead. Sajid Akram was killed by the Australian police while carrying out the attack.

The fact that the perpetrators were father and son made it unique. This writer cannot recall a similar terrorist attack by a father-and-son twosome. There is no doubt that Indian intelligence agencies will fully cooperate with their Australian counterparts to get to the bottom of Sajid Akrams antecedents. India needs to know if he had any connection with any individual or group in this country. However, that seems most unlikely.

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The Telangana police, who have examined Sajid Akrams family members, including, as per media reports, his mother and brother, who continue to live in Hyderabad, have publicly stated that he was radicalised in Australia. Indeed, media reports also indicate that he had very little contact with his family in India.

The Philippines immigration authorities have confirmed that Sajid and Naveed were in the country from November 1 for a period of four weeks. They arrived in Manila and travelled to Davao, which is located on the island of Mindanao in the southern part of the country.

Philippine authorities are emphasising that there is no evidence of their receiving military training in the Philippines. They are also asserting that the Mindanao Islamist insurgency has been severely degraded. All this may be true, but Mindanao has always been home to Islamist thinking, and a full investigation is required to examine why the Akrams stayed for almost a month in Davos and then, a fortnight after their return, carried out this terrible terrorist attack. Similarly, the Australians need to examine the inroads made by Islamist thinking leading to violent extremism in their own Muslim community.

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Now, to return to Sherry Rehman and her social post.

Sherry Rehman began life as a journalist and achieved success at an early age. Later, she hitched her star to Benazir Bhutto and became close to her. After her death, Rehman remained a member of the PPP. The party came under the control of Bhuttos husband, Asif Ali Zardari, and Rehman continued to do well politically. She became a minister and also had a term as leader of the opposition in the Senate.

Sherry Rehman takes an active interest in foreign affairs and also served as Pakistans ambassador to the US. She is involved in India-Pakistan track two diplomacy and has led Pakistani groups to dialogue with their Indian counterparts on this circuit. While subtlyand sometimes aggressivelypropagating Pakistans viewpoint, she always projected an interest in the improvement of India-Pakistan relations.

Like other members of her countrys political class, she has always found it difficult to witness Indias progress and rise on the global stage. Hence, she has never missed an opportunity to cast aspersions on India and its democratic credentials. This has been particularly so since the coming to power of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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The Pakistani political class has relentlessly attacked the Modi governments policies towards the minorities and what it asserts is the rise of communalism in India. This has been especially so after the constitutional changes in Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019. At that stage Prime Minister Imran Khan was in power, and he spewed venom on the Sangh Parivar. That should not be forgotten as his sisters try to enlist sympathy among Indians for the way the army under Field Marshal Asim Munir is treating him.

Sherry Rehmans post also provides an occasion to note that the Pakistani political class has always supported the military establishments policy of using terrorism against India. This writer recalls telling the well-respected Pakistani politician and academic Mubashar Hasan in 1998 that as the two countries would engage in the Composite Dialogue, his country should give up the use of terrorism. His reply was shocking. He said, If we do that, why should you talk to us?

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Thus, the Pakistani establishment always leads the political class on the countrys India policy. They act in concert, and currently the attempt is to show that India is sponsoring terrorism. These assertions are finding little traction in the world, but every opportunity, howsoever tenuous, is being used, as Sherry Rehmans Bondi Beach post shows.

Unlike Pakistan, India has had no terrorist groups. Not only Pakistanis but foreigners too have been indoctrinated and trained to carry out terrorist attacks by groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Hizb-e-Mujahideen. These groups are able to do so because of the patronage of the Pakistan state. Besides, misguided youth of Kashmir also have been connected with these groups and went to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) to undertake lessons in militancy and terrorism.

Pakistans self-esteem has always been deeply hurt by the FATF actions against it. It has been in the financial watchdogs grey lists thrice since 2008: in 2008-2010, 2012-15 and 2018-2022. It escaped going on the groups blacklist because it received support from some Islamic states and China. Objectively, its involvement in terrorism and terrorist financing merited that it should have been on the blacklist. Naturally, the FATF listings profiled its connections with terrorism.

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Now the Pakistani establishment and the political class would want the FATF to look adversely at India. That simply will not happen, but Sherry Rehmans post shows the direction Pakistani propaganda is taking.

It is necessary for the Indian government to investigate Sajid Akrams contacts with India completely, closely and quickly. It needs to come out with an official response so that its findings are on record. That would be the right response to posts such as that of Sherry Rehman.

(The writer is a former Indian diplomat who served as Indias Ambassador to Afghanistan and Myanmar, and as secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
For India, the partnership with Ethiopia provides a trusted anchor in the Horn of Africa, a region marked by instability but also strategic opportunity

Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmeds warm gestures in personally receiving PM Modi at the airport, driving him to places and seeing him off were quite noticeable. Image: X/ @narendramodi

Prime Minister Narendra Modis December 2025 visit to Ethiopia marked a watershed moment in India-Africa relations and, more specifically, in India-Ethiopia ties. It was not merely a ceremonial visit, nor only an exercise in historical goodwill.

Instead, it represented the conscious elevation of a long-standing, people-centric relationship into a forward-looking strategic partnership, anchored in development cooperation, security, technology, and a shared vision for the Global South.

The prime ministers address to a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament, admired by a long-standing ovation, underscored both the civilisational depth of the relationship and the practical roadmap for its future.

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Cementing a Strategic Partnership

The most consequential outcome of the visit was the elevation of bilateral ties to the level of a strategic partnership. This reflects the maturity of India-Ethiopia relations and acknowledges Ethiopias rising geopolitical and economic significance in Africa. With a population of nearly 130 million, one of Africas fastest-growing economies, and its role as a diplomatic hub hosting the African Union, Ethiopia is central to Africas political and strategic landscape.

For India, the partnership provides a trusted anchor in the Horn of Africa, a region marked by instability but also strategic opportunity. For Ethiopia, India offers a development partner that brings technology, capacity building, and investment without political conditionalities. The strategic partnership framework institutionalises cooperation across trade, defence, technology, health, education, and global governance, giving political direction and continuity beyond individual projects.

Economic and Developmental Gains

A major achievement of the visit was the reaffirmation and expansion of economic cooperation. Indian companies are already among the largest foreign investors in Ethiopia, with investments exceeding $5 billion and generating over 75,000 local jobs.

Modis interactions highlighted Indias readiness to deepen this engagement, particularly in manufacturing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, mining, and renewable energy. A separate meeting with the Indian business community wouldve been encouraging, but a packed schedule prevented such a meeting.

The signing of the Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters is a practical step to facilitate trade, improve transparency, and reduce transaction costs. It signals an intent to move beyond goodwill to the nuts and bolts of economic integration.

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Equally significant was the MoU on debt restructuring under the G20 Common Framework, which provides Ethiopia much-needed fiscal space and underscores Indias responsible role as a development partner sensitive to African economic realities. Ethiopia has been among the main users of Indian lines of credit in Africa.

Technology and Digital Public Infrastructure

One of the most forward-looking dimensions of the visit was cooperation in digital public infrastructure (DPI). Modi highlighted Indias experience in building inclusive, scalable digital systems for identity, payments, and service delivery. Ethiopias decision to partner with India for establishing a data centre at its Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflects trust in Indias technological capabilities and governance model.

As Ethiopia advances its Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy, Indias support in digital governance, fintech, artificial intelligence, and e-government can be transformative. This cooperation goes beyond technology transfer; it is about sharing a development philosophy that uses digital tools to empower citizens, reduce corruption, and enhance state capacity. In strategic terms, it positions India as a norm-setter in digital development in Africa.

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Education, Skills, and Human Capital

Education and capacity building formed the moral and emotional core of the visit. Prime Minister Modis speech paid tribute to generations of Indian teachers who contributed to Ethiopias education system long before large-scale development assistance became fashionable. Building on this legacy, India announced the doubling of ICCR scholarships for Ethiopian students and specialised short-term courses in artificial intelligence under the ITEC programme. Ethiopia has over 900 PhD students in India. Ethiopia was the crucible where the Pan African e-network project had its pilot run.

These measures directly invest in Ethiopias youth and align with Africas Agenda 2063 and Indias Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. By focusing on skills, technology, and human capital, India positions itself as a long-term partner in Ethiopias transformation rather than a short-term commercial actor.

Health and Social Sector Cooperation

Healthcare cooperation was another tangible achievement. Indias commitment to augment the capacity of the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Addis Ababa, particularly in maternal and neonatal care, reflects a people-centric approach. Indias role as the pharmacy of the world and its support to Ethiopia during the Covid-19 pandemicwhen it supplied over four million vaccine doseswere recalled as examples of solidarity in times of crisis. The hospital was provided to the city of Addis Ababa by the Indian community in 1948. An eye clinic was also provided by Indian companies in 2010.

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The expansion of cooperation in pharmaceuticals, telemedicine, traditional medicine, and healthcare training strengthens Ethiopias health security while reinforcing Indias reputation as a reliable humanitarian partner.

Defence, Security, and Peacekeeping

Strategically, the visit consolidated defence and security cooperation. Ethiopias location at the crossroads of Africa and Indias central role in the Indian Ocean make them natural partners in regional stability. The implementing arrangement for cooperation in UN peacekeeping training builds on both countries strong peacekeeping traditions and reinforces their commitment to multilateral security.

Prime Minister Modis appreciation of Ethiopias solidarity against terrorism and the emphasis on zero tolerance for terrorism add a clear political dimension to security cooperation. In a volatile region, such alignment enhances mutual trust and strategic convergence.

Global South and Multilateral Cooperation

Beyond bilateral gains, the visit had broader geopolitical implications. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to amplifying the voice of the Global South and reforming global governance institutions to reflect contemporary realities. Ethiopias recent entry into Brics and Indias support for its membership in the New Development Bank strengthen South-South cooperation. Modi invited Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali to the artificial intelligence summit in February and the Brics summit later this year.

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Modis references to the African Unions inclusion in the G20 and Indias support for Africas rightful place in global decision-making underline a shared vision: a multipolar world where development priorities of the Global South are not marginalised.

Civilisational and Symbolic Resonance

The Prime Ministers address to the Ethiopian Parliament was rich in symbolism, drawing parallels between ancient civilisations, shared values, and democratic aspirations. References to Adwa, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Medemer (a book by Abiy), and environmental stewardship through initiatives like the Green Legacy and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam reinforced the idea that the partnership is rooted as much in values as in interests.

This narrative dimension matters. It builds domestic legitimacy in both countries and ensures that the strategic partnership resonates with citizens, not just elites.

Conclusion

Prime Minister Modis visit to Ethiopia achieved far more than a set of agreements or ceremonial honours. It elevated a historically warm relationship into a structured strategic partnership with clear political direction, economic substance, and moral purpose. By combining development cooperation, technological collaboration, security engagement, and a shared Global South vision, India and Ethiopia have positioned themselves as partners in shaping a more equitable international order.

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Abiys warm gestures in personally receiving Modi at the airport, driving him to places and seeing him off were noticeable. The award of the Great Honour Nishan to Modi was symbolic of the mutual respect of Ethiopia for India.

In an era of uncertainty and fragmentation, the India-Ethiopia strategic partnership stands out as a model of South-South cooperation rooted in trust, equality, and long-term thinking that could shape bilateral and regional dynamics for years to come.

(The writer is a former ambassador to Germany, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Asean, and the African Union, and the author of The Mango Flavour: India & Asean After 10 Years of the AEP. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Firstpost.)
The Islamic State has described the recent attack in Syrias ancient city of Palmyra, which killed two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, as a major strike against American forces and their Syrian allies.

Islamic State hails the deadly Palmyra attack as a strike against US and Syrian forces amid renewed concerns over its resurgence.

The Islamic State group has described the killing of American military personnel in Syrias ancient city of Palmyra as a significant strike against United States forces and their local allies. This marks the groups first public reaction to the assault, which left several people dead and wounded, reigniting concerns over its lingering influence in the region.

Islamic States response

In a statement published on its Telegram channel on Thursday, the Islamic State referred to the Palmyra attack as a moral victory. It portrayed the assault as a symbolic act meant to strengthen the faith of its followers and challenge what it called the united front of American and Syrian fighters arrayed against it. Although the group praised the attacker and framed the incident in religious terms, it did not directly claim responsibility for the killings.

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Details of the attack

According to the United States military, two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter lost their lives on Saturday when a convoy of American and Syrian forces came under attack in Palmyra. The assailant opened fire before being shot dead by security personnel. Three other American soldiers sustained injuries during the confrontation.

The attack has shaken confidence in the relative stability that had been gradually returning to central Syria after years of conflict. Palmyra, a historical site known for its ancient ruins, has repeatedly been a flashpoint during the Syrian civil war, witnessing fierce battles between government forces and extremist factions.

International reaction

US President Donald Trump condemned the incident, describing it as a terrible act and warned that a response would follow. His statement signalled Washingtons continued commitment to countering extremist violence in Syria, where American troops remain deployed as part of a broader international coalition.

Syrian investigation and arrests

Syrias Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that five individuals suspected of involvement in the attack had been detained. Authorities identified the deceased attacker as a member of the Syrian security apparatus believed to harbour sympathies for the Islamic State. The arrests were reportedly conducted through joint efforts between Syrian units and coalition partners operating in the region.

Continued presence in Syria

Although the Islamic State lost territorial control in Syria and Iraq by 2019, the group continues to wage sporadic assaults, mainly targeting security forces and coalition allies. The latest attack underscores the ongoing volatility in Syrias central provinces and the enduring challenges faced by international forces seeking to maintain order and contain extremism.

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In a message to Coast Guard personnel, acting commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday said the revisions had been completely removed from the policy manual

The US Coast Guard has reversed course on its new workplace harassment policy, deleting language that had downgraded swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to potentially divisive.

In a message to Coast Guard personnel, acting commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday said the revisions had been completely removed from the policy manual.

A copy of the updated document reviewed by The Washington Post shows the relevant chapter blacked out in the table of contents, with readers directed instead to a separate manual outlining the services civil rights policies. Lunday also said a directive he issued last month explicitly banning swastikas and nooses remains in full effect.

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Lawmakers lift holds after reversal

The move appeared to satisfy Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Jacky Rosen, who said they lifted their holds on Lundays nomination to serve as the Coast Guards full-time commandant following his announcement. Both had cited objections to the policy earlier this week when explaining why they blocked the nomination.

Lundays decision capped weeks of turmoil for the service after The Washington Post reported on plans to include the contentious language in the new manual, the Coast Guards pledge to reverse it amid widespread backlash, and its unexpected retention when the policy took effect earlier this week.

In late November, responding to the initial reporting, Lunday issued an order condemning and categorically prohibiting swastikas and nooses, saying the directive would supersede any other policy language. However, for reasons that remain unclear, that order was never incorporated into the manual.

Background, criticism and DHS response

The hazing and harassment policy became an early focus of Lundays tenure after the Trump administration, upon taking office in January, fired his predecessor, Admiral Linda Fagan, the first woman to lead a US military branch, citing, among other things, her excessive focus on diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Within days, Lunday suspended a prior policy that explicitly listed the swastika among symbols whose display would constitute a potential hate incident, a category that also included nooses and the Confederate flag. Lunday was later nominated by Trump to lead the service.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said in a social media post that the language was being removed so no press outlet, entity, or elected official may misrepresent the Coast Guard to politicise their policies and lie about their position on divisive and hate symbols.

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Neither DHS nor the Coast Guard has said whether Lunday had authority to change the manual on his own or whether DHS approval was required. The delay, particularly amid rising antisemitism, angered lawmakers from both parties, including Republicans who said Lunday had promised the wording would be cut before the policy took effect.

Several lawmakers objected to an official US government document describing swastikas, inseparable from the murder of millions of Jews in World War II, and nooses, a symbol of racial terror, as potentially divisive.

Sen. James Lankford was among those voicing disapproval over what his office called the Coast Guards conflicting policies, with a GOP aide saying Lankford raised the issue directly with the Trump administration and urged officials to revise the manual.
Suspect in Brown University shooting and MIT professor killing found dead

Xinhua) 16:33, December 19, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Police in the U.S. state of Rhode Island on Thursday night identified the suspect in last week's mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of a professor two days later as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who was found dead.

The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

According to authorities, investigators tracked Valente through surveillance footage and a vehicle, which led them to a car rental company in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Police obtained a copy of the car rental agreement bearing the suspect's name, as well as video matching the appearance of the suspect on the Brown University campus on the day of the shooting.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said Thursday night that Valente was also responsible for the fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Nuno Loureiro at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Dec. 15.

"There is video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professor's apartment," Foley said.

"It is believed that in Lisbon that those two individuals attended the same university in Portugal," Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston field office, said at a news conference.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Valente enrolled in a Brown graduate physics program in 2000 and withdrew less than a year later. He had no current affiliation with the school.

Paxson noted that most physics classes at Brown University have been held in the Barus &Holley building, which was the site of the shooting.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente initially entered the United States on a student visa and was granted permanent resident status in 2017.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said Valente was a native of Portugal with a last known address in Miami.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A river in northern Alaska has turned orange as thawing permafrost releases heavy metals, raising alarms over toxic pollution, ecosystem damage and the accelerating impacts of climate change in the Arctic.

A river in northern Alaska has begun flowing a striking orange, alarming scientists and local communities and signalling a deeper environmental shift underway across the Arctic.

Researchers say the unusual colour is not a natural seasonal phenomenon but the visible result of rising heavy metal pollution, driven largely by thawing permafrost and rapid climate warming. The change is increasingly being seen not as an isolated incident, but as part of a broader transformation affecting Arctic rivers, ecosystems and livelihoods.

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The discolouration, caused by iron and other metals oxidising when exposed to air and water, has turned stretches of once-clear waterways rusty orange. Scientists warn that while the colour itself is dramatic, the chemical changes beneath the surface pose a far greater threat.

Permafrost thaw unleashes buried metals

At the heart of the phenomenon is permafrost  the permanently frozen ground that underpins much of Alaskas Arctic landscape. As temperatures rise, permafrost that has remained frozen for thousands of years is thawing, releasing minerals and metals that were previously locked safely underground.

Studies cited by researchers show that thawing exposes sulfide-rich rocks, which react with oxygen and water to produce sulfuric acid. This process, similar to acid mine drainage, leaches metals such as iron, zinc, copper and nickel into nearby rivers and streams. When iron oxidises, it gives water its distinctive orange hue.

Scientists monitoring these rivers say the changes are accelerating. Federal and academic reports indicate that dozens of rivers across Alaska have shown rising metal concentrations in recent years, with some waterways becoming acidic enough to threaten aquatic life. Unlike pollution from industrial accidents, this process is driven by climate change and is far harder to contain or reverse.

Ecological and community risks grow

The implications for Arctic ecosystems are severe. Fish species that rely on clean, oxygen-rich water are particularly vulnerable to acidic conditions and heavy metals. Researchers have warned that even low concentrations can disrupt fish development, reduce reproductive success and alter food chains.

For Indigenous and rural communities that depend on rivers for fishing, drinking water and transport, the changes raise serious concerns. In remote parts of Alaska, rivers serve as lifelines, and contamination can quickly translate into health risks and food insecurity. Some communities have already reported declines in fish populations and changes in water taste and clarity.

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Scientists stress that these orange rivers are an early warning sign. What were seeing is a toxic shift in what was once considered pristine wilderness, researchers have noted, pointing out that Arctic regions are warming at several times the global average. As glaciers melt and permafrost continues to thaw, more waterways are likely to be affected.

A climate signal with global consequences

The phenomenon has caught the attention of federal agencies and climate researchers because it underscores how climate change can trigger cascading environmental effects. Unlike oil spills or industrial discharge, permafrost-driven pollution emerges gradually and spreads over vast areas, making mitigation extremely challenging.

Recent federal assessments of Arctic change have highlighted that melting glaciers, thawing ground and changing hydrology are fundamentally reshaping northern landscapes. Orange rivers, scientists say, are part of the same pattern that includes collapsing coastlines, methane emissions and shifting wildlife habitats.

There are also broader implications beyond Alaska. The Arctic plays a critical role in regulating the planets climate, and chemical changes in its rivers can affect coastal waters and the Arctic Ocean. Increased metal loads may alter marine ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles, with consequences that scientists are only beginning to understand.

Researchers are now expanding monitoring programmes to track metal concentrations and acidity across Arctic watersheds. However, they caution that adaptation, rather than prevention, may be the only realistic response in many areas. Once permafrost thaws, refreezing it on a large scale is virtually impossible.

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As northern Alaskas rivers turn orange, scientists say the colour serves as a stark visual marker of a warming world, a reminder that climate change is not only melting ice, but also unlocking hidden pollutants with lasting ecological and human costs.
As mobs are running amok in Bangladesh, burning down newspaper offices and attacking whoever they wish to, former information minister Mohammad A Arafat has said there is no law and order in the country and these mobs are after all things secular.

In an interview with CNN-News 18, Arafat said that mobs are not just targeting political opponent but cultural centres of Bangladesh.

Flagging attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers and cultural centres, Arafat said, They attacked Chhayanaut, which is cultural centre of Bangladesh. They attacked Mohibuls father [former education minister]. They are targeting liberals. Anything represents secular political values they are against it. Younis is backing this group. Any voice against radicals is being attacked.

Arafat said that there is no place for Bangladesh in Yunus-run Bangladesh. He added that the spirit of the 1971 independence movement was under attack as Islamist mobs run amok on the streets.

Even critics of Awami League are attacked now. The spirit of 71 is under attack now. Pro-Pakistan elements are strong now. When we were in power, people wanted change. They thought they will get better but see what they got. Extremists. They dont believe in democracy, said Arafat.
Overnight unrest erupted in an already unstable Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of the countrys 2024 pro-democracy uprising

Overnight unrest erupted in an already unstable Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of the countrys 2024 pro-democracy uprising. Thousands took to the streets of the countrys capital, Dhaka, on Thursday and early Friday, demanding justice for the slain activist.

Hadi died in a hospital in Singapore after succumbing to gunshot injuries sustained in an assassination attempt last week. Violent demonstrations rapidly spread from Dhaka to other parts of the country, with protesters raising "anti-India" slogans.

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Some even marched toward the Indian diplomatic premises and attacked properties linked to the former ruling Awami League. Protesters in the southwestern city of Rajshahi tried to march toward the office of a regional Indian diplomat. However, the Bangladeshi police soon stopped the procession.

Videos of the unrest spread like wildfire online, with protesters seen pelting stones near the Indian Assistant High Commission office. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, hundreds conducted a demonstration in Dhaka and attempted to gather outside the Indian diplomatic premises.

We are in a war

The demonstrations in the capital prompted local authorities to use tear gas to disperse the crowd. In the midst of all this, members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), a major offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led last years protests, joined the demonstrations, chanting anti-India slogans.

The party alleged that Hadis assailants had fled to India after the killing. The protesters called on the interim government to shut down the Indian High Commission until the suspects were returned.

The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war! PTI quoted Sarjis Alm, a key leader of NCP, saying.

Awami League office and media houses targeted

In the recent overnight protests, several buildings in the capital were set ablaze by the demonstrators. This included the offices housing the countrys two largest newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Fire officials confirmed that at least three instances of arson were reported in the capital.

Journalists and staff were trapped inside the buildings as firefighters battled through the flames. Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building, PTI quoted a witness, who added that the protesters then set the Daily Star office on fire.

Meanwhile, the riot-like situation soon spread beyond the capital with protesters torching an Awami League office in Rajshahi and vandalising properties linked to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The erstwhile Bangladeshi premier fled to India after her government was toppled due to last years protests.

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Demonstrators also blocked a key highway connecting Dhaka with Mymensingh and attacked the residence of a former minister in the southeastern city of Chittagong, PTI reported. India is yet to respond to the recent clashes in the neighbouring state.

With inputs from PTI.
The West misread Bangladesh and helped Islamist extremists take over the country that caused the hollowing out of politics, normalisation of persecution, and destabilisation of an entire country, according to former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao.

A protester vandalises a mural of Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with paint, demanding her resignation at Teacher Student Center (TSC) area of University of Dhaka in Dhaka, on August 3, 2024. (Photo: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)

The West misread Bangladesh and helped Islamist extremists that ousted then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and plunged the country into instability and systemic persecution, according to former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao.

In a post on X, Rao said that the West believed that Bangladesh was a liberal democracy like Denmark where a populist movement against a longtime ruler could lead to a better future. But that was an incorrect reading that helped radical elements.

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Rao said Hasinas foreign opponents viewed the situation in Bangladesh from a narrow lens of elections that did not meet Western democratic aesthetics, long incumbency, centralised power, and human rights concerns.

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While these were real flaws of Hasinas term, they were stripped of the countrys sociopolitical control, according to Rao.

Bangladesh was judged as if it were Denmark with a turnout problem, not a fragile, densely packed state with a violent Islamist history and a traumatised political culture, said Rao.

Her foreign opponents fixated on #SheikhHasina through a narrow lens: elections that didnt meet Western democratic aesthetics, long incumbency, centralised power, human rights reports. All real issues, but treated in isolation, stripped of context. Bangladesh was judged as if it  Nirupama Menon Rao  (@NMenonRao) December 19, 2025

The remarks came at a time when Bangladesh has been rocked by massive political violence and anti-India campaign following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure in last years movement that ousted Hasina and propped Muhammad Yunus as the countrys unelected ruler.

Since the news of the death broke on Thursday, mobs have attacked the house of Indias Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram, set on fire the house of former minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi, attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers, and targeted journalists.

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Three things that West got wrong about Bangladesh

In its misreading of Bangladesh, the West got three things wrong, according to Rao.

Firstly, while Hasina had been around for a long time, she was a stabiliser, not a revolutionary hero, and a state-builder in a hostile environment, as per Rao.

Hasina kept Islamist radical groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and its offshoots contained, maintained civil-military balance, protected minorities better than any realistic alternative, and kept Bangladesh economically and geopolitically predictable, Rao said in her post.

In her absence, radical Islamist groups including the Jamaat have plunged Bangladesh into cyclic violence against political opponents and religious minorities for more than a year. With no pushback from Yunus, they have had a free run.

Secondly, the West overestimated the democratic opposition in Bangladesh, according to Rao.

There was no credible, unified, liberal alternative waiting in the wings, Rao noted.

Removing pressure from Hasina didnt empower democrats. It empowered street power, radicals, and actors who thrive precisely when institutions weaken, Rao said.

Thirdly, the long-held view that overthrowing or delegitimising a longtime ruler would automatically make way for pluralism failed yet again in Bangladesh, Rao pointed out.

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History says the opposite. In divided societies, power vacuums dont fill with moderates. They fill with the loudest, angriest, and most organised forces. Often religious, often violent, said Rao.
A mob stormed the office of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, the countrys premier anti-communal, progressive cultural group, in Dhaka today and set it on fire. This is the latest attack on cultural and media institutions in the ongoing mob violence across the country.

The photograph shows the Dhaka office of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, the country's premier anti-communal, progressive cultural group, in Dhaka on fire on December 19, 2025. (Photo: X/Siddhant Mishra)

In the latest attack in the ongoing wave of nationwide street violence in the country, a mob stormed the office of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, the countrys premier anti-communal, progressive group, in Dhaka on Friday evening and set it on fire.

Locals said that a group of people arrived at the Udichi Shilpigosthis office on Topkhana Road around 7 pm and set it on fire after vandalising it, according to Dailu Sun newspaper.

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It was not immediately known if there were any casualties in the attack.

This is the latest attack on cultural and media institutions in the ongoing mob violence across Bangladesh. Mobs on Thursday night set the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers on fire. They also set on fire the office of Chhayanaut, an organisation dedicated to Bangla culture.

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Fire at Udichi Office on #Dhaka



A fire broke out at the office of Udichi Shilpi Goshthi on Topkhana Road in the capital Friday evening.



According to locals, around 7 pm a group of people stormed the office, vandalized it, and set it ablaze. Panic spread inside the premises as pic.twitter.com/7WdSwNHumq  Siddhant Mishra (@siddhantvm) December 19, 2025

Bangladesh is currently in the grips of nationwide violence after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure in last years movement that ousted then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on Thursday. He was shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka last week.

Since the news of Hadis death broke, mobs have attacked the house of Indias Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram, set on fire the house of former minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi, and attacked cultural centres and media offices.

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ALSO READ: Hasina gone, Bangladeshs extremists dismantle 1971 foundation to become East Pakistan again

Since the rise of anti-Hasina movement last year, Islamist groups have often attacked Bangla cultural institutions. Analysts have said that Islamist forces that ousted Hasina are working to systematically change Bangladeshs character as a nation. From a nation founded on the basis of shared Bangla culture, they want to reshape Bangladesh as per their extremist vision of an Islamic state.

There were always two ideas of Bangladesh and the one aligned with Pakistan appears to be getting stronger by the day, according to Deep Halder, a Bangladesh watcher and author of Being Hindu in Bangladesh: The Untold Story and Inshallah Bangladesh: The Story of an Unfinished Revolution.

One was the idea that led to the foundation of Bangladesh in 1971. It envisioned the nation as a sociocultural entity centred around language and culture. Under this idea, people would rise above religion. The second idea was that of East Pakistan that imagined the nation strictly in religious Islamic terms. This second idea now appears to be getting stronger by the day, Halder previously told Firstpost.

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The Islamic State is a group comprised of Sunni Muslims that found its roots in Iraq and Syria and quickly created a caliphate, declaring its rule over all Muslims and largely displacing al Qaeda

A Hanukkah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 15, 2025. (AFP)

Islamic State, the group linked to Australias Bondi Beach shooting, has said that the massacre that killed 15 people is a source of pride, but fell short of claiming responsibility for the attack.

Earlier this week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the mass shooting was "motivated" by the Islamic State ideology. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed opened fire on Jewish crowds thronging the famous beach for Hanukkah on Sunday evening, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more.

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What is the Islamic State?

The Islamic State is a group comprised of Sunni Muslims that found its roots in Iraq and Syria and quickly created a caliphate, declaring its rule over all Muslims and largely displacing al Qaeda.

At the height of its power from 2014-2017, it held swathes of the two countries, ruling over millions of people. It had a base only a 30-minute drive from Baghdad, and also held the city of Sirte on Libyas Mediterranean coast.

After being ousted from its bases in the Syrian city of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, the group took refuge in the hinterlands of the two fractured countries.

It retains a significant presence in Syria and Iraq, parts of Africa, including the Sahel region, and in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Fighters are scattered in autonomous cells, IS leadership is clandestine and its overall size is hard to quantify. The UN estimates a membership of 10,000 in IS heartlands.

Islamic State wants to spread its extreme form of Islam, but has adopted new tactics since the collapse of its forces and a string of other setbacks in West Asia.

It is now a disparate group often operating through affiliates and sympathisers.

Australia cracks down on hate speech

The Bondi Beach attack in Australia has prompted the government to strengthen hate speech laws that are used to target religious preachers and create laws to screen visas of those who spread hate and division."

Albanese on Thursday announced the measures as a response to the deadly mass shooting incident during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.

The country has already been under immense pressure to tackle cases of antisemitism, with Albanese conceding that he could have done more to combat anti-Jewish sentiment in Australia following Hamass October 7 attack in Israel.

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Albanese convened the national security committee on Thursday morning and said that the government supports Australias special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, in this endeavour.

With inputs from agencies
National Cabinet has also agreed to introduce caps on the number of firearms an individual can own, tighten licensing by ending open-ended permits, limit the categories of firearms that are legal, and require Australian citizenship to hold a firearms licence

Mourners gather at a tribute at the Bondi Pavillion in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 15, 2025. (AFP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday announced a gun buyback scheme following the deadly shooting in Sydneys Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, sending shockwaves across the nation.

The scheme is the largest of its kind since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, where 35 people died, prompting the introduction of world-leading gun control measures in Australia.

Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We cant allow that to continue. Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six, Albanese said.

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Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We cant allow that to continue.



Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six.



But thats exactly what one of the terrorists from the weekend had  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 19, 2025

National Cabinet has also agreed to introduce caps on the number of firearms an individual can own, tighten licensing by ending open-ended permits, limit the categories of firearms that are legal, and require Australian citizenship to hold a firearms licence.

Work to establish a national firearms register will be fast-tracked, alongside improved access for firearms regulators to criminal intelligence.

PM unveils new measures to curb hate speech

The Bondi Beach attack has also prompted the government to strengthen hate speech laws that are used to target religious preachers and create laws to screen visas of those who spread hate and division."

Albanese convened the national security committee on Thursday morning and said that the government supports Australias special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, in this endeavour.

The prime ministers decision to emphasise tighter gun control laws in the immediate aftermath of Sundays shooting has drawn criticism, including from former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who argued the move was an attempt to deflect attention from an inadequate response to rising antisemitism.

Measures announced include a new aggravated hate speech offence targeting preachers and leaders who incite violence, tougher penalties for hate speech that promotes violence, and making hatred an aggravating factor in sentencing for online threats and harassment.

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The committee tabled its report on the Future of IndiaBangladesh Relationship in both houses of Parliament a day after the MEA summoned the Bangladeshi envoy

Indias Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs has flagged Chinas growing footprint in Bangladesh through infrastructure development, port expansion, and military cooperation. The concerns come amid Bangladeshs Chief Advisors anti-India rhetoric that has strained the countrys ties with India.

The parliamentary committee on external affairs tabled its report on the Future of IndiaBangladesh Relationship in both houses of Parliament a day after the MEA summoned the Bangladeshi envoy to convey concerns over the worsening security situation in the neighbouring country.

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What does the report say?

The parliamentary panel mentioned Chinas role in helping Bangladesh build the Mongla Port and the Lalmonirhat airbase. The report also highlights Beijings increasing activities in the chickens neck or the Siliguri Corridor, the region that connects Indias strategic northeast to the rest of the country.

Chinas increasing presence in Bangladesh, especially through infrastructure, military cooperation, and port developments, has been of concern, the report said.

In response to the committees questions on developments at Mongla port and the Lalmonirhat airbase, the external affairs ministry said the government remains vigilant about Chinas presence in Bangladesh and the nature and implications of Chinese projects currently under way.

The report added, When asked about the strategic implications of these developments on India, particularly in relation to the Siliguri Corridor, the ministry stated that the government continues to monitor developments having a bearing on Indias national interests and takes all necessary measures to safeguard them.

The external affairs ministry told the panel that while Bangladesh signed a government-to-government agreement with China in March 2025 for a $370 million expansion of Mongla port, India has been ahead of the curve by financing a key rail connectivity project, the KhulnaMongla railway line, to improve the ports links with the hinterland. India also has an agreement with Bangladesh for transit access through the Mongla and Chattogram ports.

India shuts visa centres in Bdesh

Meanwhile, the latest developments in Bangladesh have further strained its relationship with India.

India on Thursday shut visa centres at two locations in Bangladesh after pro-Yunus groups began protesting outside the Indian High Commission.

The Indian Visa Application Centre in Bangladesh issued a statement saying, In view of the on-going security situation, we wish to bring to your kind notice that IVAC Rajshahi and Khulna will be closed today (18.12.2025). All applicants who have appointment slots booked for submission today will be given a slot at a later date.

According to News18, protesters associated with pro-Yunus groups started marching towards the Indian mission office in Rajshahi earlier on Thursday. The march was organised by a group called Bharityo Adhipotto Birodhi July 36 Mancha.
The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas will make a rare close approach to Earth on 19 December, giving astronomers and stargazers a chance to observe one of the few known visitors from beyond our solar system.

A rare visitor from beyond our solar system is set to dazzle sky watchers this week. The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas will make its closest approach to Earth on Friday, 19 December, coming within about 170 million miles. That distance is roughly twice that between Earth and the Sun. It will be only the third interstellar object ever confirmed, after Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019.

A rare interstellar traveller

Astronomers have established that 3I/Atlas originated outside the solar system, though its exact point of origin remains uncertain. The comet is travelling at a striking speed of around 130000 miles per hour, making it the fastest interstellar object recorded so far. Experts believe it has been wandering through the galaxy for billions of years. David Jewitt, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, described observing it as catching sight of a speeding bullet for a fraction of a second.

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When and how to observe

Stargazers eager to see this cosmic visitor can look toward the eastern horizon before dawn on Friday. NASA advises using binoculars or a small telescope, where the comet should appear as a faint, glowing light beneath Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Those unable to view it in person can watch an online broadcast by the Virtual Telescope Project starting at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, 18 December, if weather conditions permit.

Discovery and scientific study

The comet was first identified on 1 July by a telescope in Chile that forms part of the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System, supported by NASA. Since its discovery, space researchers have monitored it closely as it travelled past Mars and near the Sun. Several NASA missions, including Hubble, have captured images of it. The comets close passage gives scientists a rare opportunity to study its structure and chemical makeup. Early data suggests that 3I/Atlas has a high concentration of carbon dioxide compared to water vapour, implying it may have formed in extremely cold regions far from its original star.

A unique cosmic messenger

Astrophysicists consider 3I/Atlas an important clue for understanding how and where comets form across the universe. Darryl Seligman of Michigan State University wrote that this object might show that many comets are born much farther from their stars than previously thought. Alternatively, the solar system itself may once have produced such distant comets that were later ejected into space.

The International Asteroid Warning Network, a global organisation with more than eighty observatories, is also tracking the comet and will publish its findings next year. After passing Jupiter in the spring, the visitor will continue its endless journey back into deep space, offering humanity one brief but valuable look into the mysteries of the cosmos.

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Russia carried out cyberattacks against infrastructure and websites in Denmark in 2024 and 2025, Danish authorities say in a new assessment published this week describing new cases not previously reported.

Russia carried out cyberattacks targeting Danish infrastructure and government-linked websites in 2024 and 2025, Danish authorities said in a newly released assessment that details incidents not previously made public.

Denmarks Defence Intelligence Service said on Thursday that Moscow was behind destructive and disruptive cyber operations, including an attack on a Danish water utility last year and a wave of denial-of-service attacks that knocked multiple Danish websites offline ahead of regional and local elections held last month. The affected water company said the cyber intrusion caused pipes to rupture, temporarily cutting water supply to some homes.

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Jan Hansen, head of the Tureby Alkestrup Waterworks near Copenhagen, said the incident underscored the risks of underinvesting in digital security. He advised other companies not to reduce cybersecurity spending and to ensure they are covered by cyber insurance. Hansen said the breach occurred after the waterworks moved to a cheaper cybersecurity system that proved less robust than its previous setup.

The intelligence service said the attacks form part of Russias broader hybrid warfare campaign against Western countries, aimed at sowing instability and punishing nations that support Ukraine. Russian hackers have previously been blamed for similar attacks on water infrastructure elsewhere in Europe, including a Norwegian dam, where authorities said hackers opened valves and allowed water to spill out.

Torsten Schack Pedersen, Denmarks minister of resilience and preparedness, said the attacks resulted in limited damage but had serious ramifications.

It shows that there are forces capable of shutting down important parts of our society," he said during a news conference Thursday, as reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

Schack Pedersen added that the cyberattacks show that Denmark is not sufficiently equipped to handle such situations, DR reported.

The attacks are among a growing number of incidents that Western officials say are part a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. An Associated Press database has documented 147 incidents, including the two cases reported by Denmark this week.

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Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign  waged since President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in 2022  aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europes weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.

The Danish agency said pro-Russian group Z-Pentest carried out the destructive attack on the water utility company in 2024 and that a separate group, NoName057(16), was responsible for the cyberattack on Danish websites ahead of the recent elections. It said both have links to the Russian state.

The Russian state uses both groups as instruments of its hybrid war against the West. The aim is to create insecurity in the targeted countries and to punish those that support Ukraine, the statement said. NoName057(16) acted, authorities said, in November to disrupt the elections, according to DR.

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The Tureby Alkestrup Waterworks serves several villages some 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Copenhagen. The waterworks said the hackers changed the water pressure, which caused a pipe to burst. It said about 50 households were without water for around seven hours while around 450 houses had no water for one hour.

In Germany, meanwhile, authorities summoned Russias ambassador in Berlin on Dec. 12 after the foreign ministry accused Moscow of carrying out sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference.

That included a 2024 cyberattack against German air traffic control, German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said.

With inputs from agencies
The European Union is delaying a massive freetrade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and lastminute opposition by France and Italy threatened to derail the pact, seen by its backers as an important geopolitical move for both continents.

EU delays long-awaited Mercosur trade deal after protests by farmers and fresh opposition from France and Italy.

The European Union is delaying a massive free-trade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and last-minute opposition by France and Italy threatened to derail the pact, seen by its backers as an important geopolitical move for both continents.

Top EU officials had hoped to sign the EU-Mercosur deal in Brazil this weekend, after 26 years of negotiations. Instead, European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho confirmed that the signature had been put off until January.

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Experts say the delay could dent the EUs negotiating credibility globally as it seeks to forge new trade ties amid commercial tensions with the U.S. and China. Once ratified, the trade deal would cover a market of 780 million people and a quarter of the globes gross domestic product, and progressively remove duties on almost all goods traded between the two blocs.

French farmers unions, who fear the deal would undercut their livelihoods, welcomed the postponement. France had led opposition to the deal between the EU and the five active Mercosur countries  Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. Italy raised new reservations Wednesday.

Thursdays agreement for a delay was reached between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on the sidelines of an EU summit with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, on the condition that Italy would vote in favor of the agreement in January, an EU official said.

The decision came hours after farmers in tractors blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels to protest the trade deal, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannons.

The farmers brought potatoes and eggs to throw and waged a furious back-and-forth with police. Protesters burned tires and a faux wooden coffin bearing the word Agriculture. Their fire unleashed a black cloud that swirled with white tear gas. The European Parliament evacuated some staff due to damage caused by protesters.

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We are fighting to defend our jobs, said Armand Chevron, a 23-year old French farmer.

Hundreds of farmers like Pierre Vromann, 60, had arrived on tractors, which they parked to block roads around the key institutions of the EU.

The Mercosur deal would be bad for farmers, bad for consumers, bad for citizens and bad for Europe, said Vromann, who raises cattle and grains in the nearby Belgian city of Waterloo.

Other farmers came from as far away as Spain and Poland.

French President Emmanuel Macron dug in against the Mercosur deal as he arrived for Thursdays EU summit, pushing for further concessions and more discussions in January. He said he has been in discussions with Italian, Polish, Belgian, Austrian and Irish colleagues among others about delaying it.

Farmers already face an enormous amount of challenges, he said, as farmer protests over the trade deal and a cattle disease roil regions around France. We cannot sacrifice them to this accord.

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Worried by a surging far right that rallies support by criticizing the deal, Macrons centrist government has demanded safeguards to monitor and stop large economic disruption in the EU, increased regulations in the Mercosur nations like pesticide restrictions, and more inspections of imports at EU ports.

Italys Meloni told the Italian Parliament on Wednesday that signing the agreement in the coming days would be premature.

This doesnt mean that Italy intends to block or oppose (the deal), but that it intends to approve the agreement only when it includes adequate reciprocal guarantees for our agricultural sector, Meloni said.

Von der Leyen is determined to sign the agreement, but she needs the backing of at least two-thirds of EU nations. Italys opposition would give France enough votes to veto von der Leyens signature.

In Greece, farmers have set up roadblocks along highways across the country for weeks, protesting delays in agricultural subsidy payments as well as high production costs and low product prices that they say are strangling their sector and making it impossible to make ends meet.

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Supporters say the EU-Mercosur deal would offer a clear alternative to Beijings export-controls and Washingtons tariff blitzkrieg, while detractors say it will undermine both environmental regulations and the EUs iconic agricultural sector.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said ahead of the Brussels summit that the EUs global status would be dented by a delay or scrapping of the deal.

If the European Union wants to remain credible in global trade policy, then decisions must be made now, Merz said.

The deal is also about strategic competition between Western nations and China over Latin America, said Agathe Demarais, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. A failure to sign the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement risks pushing Latin American economies closer to Beijings orbit, she said.

The political tensions that have marked Mercosur in recent years  especially between Argentinas far-right President Javier Milei and Brazils center-left Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the blocs two main partners  have not deterred South American leaders from pursuing an alliance with Europe that will benefit their agricultural sectors.

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Lula has been one of the most fervent promoters of the agreement. He was betting on closing the deal Saturday and scoring a major diplomatic achievement ahead of next years general elections. He said he was surprised by Italys hesitancy, and had spoken about it directly with Meloni.

At a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Lula was clearly irked by Italy and Frances positions.

If we dont do it now, Brazil wont make any more agreements while Im president, Lula said, adding that the agreement would defend multilateralism as Trump pursues unilateralism.

Milei, a close ideological ally of Trump, also supports the deal.

We must stop thinking of Mercosur as a shield that protects us from the world and start thinking of it as a spear that allows us to effectively penetrate global markets, he said some time ago.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
The agreement  which came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels  offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russias war

The European Union has reached an agreement to provide a loan of $106 billion to Ukraine to help the country catch up on its budget shortfall. However, the decision to use Russian frozen assets has been put on hold for now.

The agreement  which came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels  offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russias war.

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We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved, EU chief Antonio Costa wrote on X. We committed, we delivered.

Why are Russian assets not used?

While the priority had been to get a consensus on using some 200 billion euros of Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU to generate a loan for Kyiv, the scheme fell through after Belgium showed resistance.

Belgium holds the vast majority of the Russian assets, and the country demanded guarantees on sharing liability that proved too much for other countries.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had pushed hard for the asset plan  but still said the final decision on the loan sends a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

How much funding does Ukraine need?

The EU estimates Ukraine needs an extra 135 billion euros ($159 billion) to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky had told EU leaders at the start of the summit on Thursday that using Russian assets was the right way to go.

Russian assets must be used to defend against Russian aggression and rebuild what was destroyed by Russian attacks. Its moral. Its fair. Its legal, Zelensky said.

While Kyiv may be left disappointed that the EU did not take the leap to use the Russian assets  securing financing another way will still be a relief.

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With inputs from AFP
The ongoing political violence and anti-India protests in Bangladesh appear to be managed to create an atmosphere of fear and instability ahead of the elections to make way for delays and help Islamist forces in the country, according to sources tracking the developments.

The ongoing wave of political violence and anti-India protests in Bangladesh appear to be managed to create an atmosphere of fear and instability ahead of the elections to help Islamist forces in the country, sources tracking developments on the ground told CNN-News 18.

Sources have said that vested interests are deliberately worsening the security situation in Bangladesh to delay elections by building a narrative that elections are unsafe. They added that such a delay would allow radical elements to consolidate themselves in the country.

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Bangladesh is currently in the grips of widespread violence after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure in last years movement that ousted then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and propped Muhammed Yunus as the countrys unelected ruler. He was shot by unidentified gunmen in Dhaka last week.

More from World Why Washingtons Bangladesh gamble could ignite a new Islamist surge in South Asia

Since the news of Hadis death broke, mobs have run amok in Bangladesh and targeted Indian diplomats, Hasinas Awami League party, and the media.

Mobs have so far attacked the house of Indias Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram, set on fire the house of former minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi, and attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers.

The violence broke out a week after the Election Commission of Bangladesh announced elections and a national referendum on July Charter on February 12.

Protests after Hadis death part of larger plan

Violence appears to be deliberately promoted in Bangladesh at a time when the ability of Yunus regime to manage law and order and conduct credible elections is already in tatters, according to sources.

For more than a year, Yunus has presided over cyclic attacks by Islamists on political opponents and religious minorities like Hindus across the countries. Instead of cracking down on them, the regime has continued to release Islamist hardliners and mainstream forces like Jamaat-e-Islami that were once on the fringes.

The violence in the aftermath of Hadis death is part of the campaign to create managed instability" where isolated incidents and deaths are rapidly politicised and weaponised by radical groups to mobilise mass protests, according to sources.

As a result, these groups seized upon Hadis death to trigger coordinated demonstrations across major cities including Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, and Rajshahi, and escalate protests into widespread violence that included arson, vandalism, and direct street clashes.

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The eventual objective of all elements involved in the plan is to strengthen Islamists in Bangladesh. Consider these facts: Yunus regime has banned Awami League, the countrys largest political party; Yunus has done everything to bolster Jamaat-e-Islami and other hardliner Islamist forces; the Islamists and Yunus have indirectly weakened the hand of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well, a longtime Awami League opponent and friendly to Pakistan.

If elections would be delayed, these Islamist forces would have more time to consolidate themselves and further marginalise mainstream political parties like the BNP and squeeze the chance of Awami Leagues return to electoral politics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscows troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence that the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv fails to agree to Russias conditions in peace talks.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on December 19, 2025. - AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the ball to end the war in Ukraine was in the Wests and Kyivs court, denying that Moscow was dragging out negotiations and turning down proposals on the almost four-year conflict.

The ball is entirely and fully on the court of the head of the Kyiv regime and its European sponsors, Putin said during his end-of-year press conference, adding that Moscow had accepted some compromises in a US-proposed deal.

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Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference, Putin declared that Russian forces have fully seized strategic initiative and would make more gains by the years end.

In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraines forces managed to thwart an attempt by Russias larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscows troops have made slow but steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress  even though it is not the lightning advance many expected.

Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors, Putin said at the live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leader.

Russia did not start war, says Putin amid rising casualties in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he was not taking any responsibility for deaths in the Ukraine war, a conflict that has killed tens of thousands on both sides.

We do not consider ourselves responsible for the loss of life. We did not start this war, Putin said during his annual press conference in Moscow, repeating his frequent narrative that Ukraine and the West are to blame for the conflict that started with Russias assault in February 2022.

Russian demands remain unchanged

Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlins tough conditions for a deal.

Earlier this week, Putin warned that Moscow would seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlins demands.

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The Russian leader wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscows forces havent captured yet. Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.

The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join the Western NATO military alliance and warned that it wouldnt accept the deployment of any troops from NATO members and would view them as legitimate target.

Putin also has repeatedly said that Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language  demands he has made from the onset of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraines bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the same time, he has emphasized that Ukraines preference remains NATO membership as the best security guarantee.

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The United States dont see us in NATO, for now," Zelenskyy said this week. Politicians change.

With inputs from agencies
Earlier today, the EU reached an agreement to provide a loan of $106 billion to Ukraine to help the country catch up on its budget shortfall. However, the decision to use Russian frozen assets has been put on hold for now

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned against the use of frozen assets, saying that there would have been severe consequences for the European Union if it had approved such a move to fund Ukraine.

Asked about the assets during his annual press conference, Putin said to follow through with the plan would have been a robbery and added, But why cant they carry out this robbery? Because the consequences could be severe for the robbers.

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Earlier today, the EU reached an agreement to provide a loan of $106 billion to Ukraine to help the country catch up on its budget shortfall. However, the decision to use Russian frozen assets has been put on hold for now.

The agreement  which came after more than a day of talks at a summit in Brussels  offers Kyiv a desperately needed lifeline as US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end Russias war.

We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved, EU chief Antonio Costa wrote on X. We committed, we delivered.

Why are Russian assets not used?

While the priority had been to get a consensus on using some 200 billion euros of Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU to generate a loan for Kyiv, the scheme fell through after Belgium showed resistance.

Belgium holds the vast majority of the Russian assets, and the country demanded guarantees on sharing liability that proved too much for other countries.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had pushed hard for the asset plan  but still said the final decision on the loan sends a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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How much funding does Ukraine need?

The EU estimates Ukraine needs an extra 135 billion euros ($159 billion) to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky had told EU leaders at the start of the summit on Thursday that using Russian assets was the right way to go.

Russian assets must be used to defend against Russian aggression and rebuild what was destroyed by Russian attacks. Its moral. Its fair. Its legal, Zelensky said.

While Kyiv may be left disappointed that the EU did not take the leap to use the Russian assets  securing financing another way will still be a relief.

With inputs from agencies
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said efforts to end the Ukraine war are not about imposing a deal, as Ukrainian negotiators prepare for fresh talks with U.S. and European officials.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he speaks during an end-of-year press conference in the State Department Press Briefing Room in Washington, DC on December 19, 2025.- AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that efforts to end the war in Ukraine are not about imposing a deal on anybody, adding that progress has been made but much work remains as Ukrainian negotiators prepare for a new round of talks with US officials.

Rubios end-of-year appearance coincides with a series of high-level meetings in Miami on Friday and Saturday focused on Gaza and the RussiaUkraine war, following a turbulent year for US foreign policy.

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In addition to his primary duties, Rubio has taken on the role of national security adviser and has positioned himself as a firm advocate of President Donald Trumps America First agenda.

He has backed policies ranging from visa cancellations and tighter immigration and deportation measures to sweeping changes in foreign aid and a restructuring of the State Departments bureaucracy.

The head of Kyivs delegation, Rustem Umerov, who is in the United States for the talks, also said on the Telegram messaging app that Kyivs European partners would be involved.

We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side, Umerov said.  Ukraines security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term.

U.S. President Donald Trumps administration is pushing to bring an end to nearly four years of the war.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine and the United States had agreed on several documents, including a 20-point peace framework, and security guarantees and a reconstruction plan for Ukraine. But he said that no aligned final proposals had been agreed, adding that the territorial issues remained unresolved.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin offered no compromise on Friday on his terms for ending the war in Ukraine, saying the onus was on Ukraine and Europe to make the next move.

Witkoff and Kushner also plan to meet a Russian delegation in Miami this weekend, a White House official said.

With inputs from agencies
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged unity between Ukraine and its ally Warsaw and warned that Moscow would attack Poland if Russias invasion was not stopped.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called for strengthened unity between Ukraine and its ally Poland, warning that Moscow could target Warsaw if Russias invasion is not halted.

Without Ukraines independence, Moscow will inevitably turn its attention to Poland. That is why it is vital that we continue to exist, that you continue to exist, and that both Ukraine and Poland endure. It is crucial that we stand together, Zelenskyy said during a joint press conference with Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki.

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Zelenskyys visit to Warsaw is intended to ensure that relations with key ally Poland remain stable, regardless of any change in power in Warsaw.

Polands current government is a solid backer of Ukraine, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk acting as one of the most visceral advocates of Kyiv in international fora. But presidential election results indicate that the previous, nationalist governing party Law and Justice might return to power in 2027. And Nawrocki, who won elections with the backing of Law and Justice, has been playing hard to get.

Zelenskyy also said his country could offer advice to Poland on how to defend against drones and ensure better security in the Baltic Sea region.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Zelenskyy also invited Polish businesses to participate in Ukraines reconstruction. He invited Nawrocki to visit Kyiv, adding that Ukrainian and Polish ties should remain strong amid Russias ongoing war in Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies
Attacks at metro stations in Taipei on Friday involving smoke bombs and stabbing killed at least three people, the fire department official said, adding that the suspect was also dead.

This picture taken and released by Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) on December 19, 2025 shows police patrolling at a metro station in Taipei, after attacks at two stations in the city.- AFP

A series of attacks involving smoke bombs and stabbings at metro stations in Taipei on Friday left at least three people dead, with authorities confirming that the suspected attacker also died, a fire department official said.

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said the incidents at Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan Station were intentional, though the motive behind the attacks remains unclear.

In a statement, Cho said the suspect was wearing a mask and hurled five or six gasoline bombs or smoke grenades at Taipei Main Station.

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The Taipei City Fire Department later confirmed that four people, including the suspect, were killed in the attacks, while five others sustained injuries.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said the suspect appeared to have jumped from a building in an apparent attempt to evade arrest. He added that one of the victims was killed while trying to intervene and stop the attack at Taipei Main Station.

Sadly, he was attacked and lost his life. This is something that deeply saddens us all, Chiang told reporters.

The mayor said authorities believe the suspect died by suicide after jumping from a building and that his death has been confirmed.

Cho earlier said three people suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the attacks, and several people had injuries from stab wounds and blunt force trauma to various parts of their bodies.

Authorities said they were ramping up security across the island in response to the attacks.

All important locations including railway stations, highways, subway stations and airports are maintaining a high level of alert and vigilance, Cho told reporters.

Images released by Taiwans Central News Agency show a canister on the ground at the Main Station, with officers examining potential evidence at the scene.

A video posted on social media shows a thick cloud of white smoke covering an underground section of a metro station, with some people standing at a distance.

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President Lai Ching-te said Taiwanese authorities will quickly clarify the details of the case. There will be no leniency and we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our citizens.

Violent crime is rare Taiwan, though an attack in 2014 horrified the normally peaceful island when a man went on a stabbing spree on Taipeis metro, killing four people. He was executed for the killings in 2016.
TikTok signed a landmark deal on Thursday to sell its US business to three American investors  Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX - ensuring that the popular video-sharing platform continues to operate in the United States.

The future of TikTok in the US is likely to be discussed when Trump and Xi meet. File image/Reuters

TikTok signed a landmark deal on Thursday to sell its US business to three American investors  Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX - ensuring that the popular video-sharing platform continues to operate in the United States. According to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press, the deal is expected to close on January 22.

In the memo, the TikTok chief executive officer, Shou Zi Chew, said that ByteDance and TikTok signed binding agreements with the three investors. The new TikTok US joint venture will be 50 per cent held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, with 15 per cent each.

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Another 30 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, and 19 per cent will be retained by ByteDance itself, the memo stated. Meanwhile, White House officials said Oracle, which was co-founded by Trumps key ally Larry Ellison, will license a copy of TikToks recommendation algorithm as part of the deal. This will expand on Oracles existing management of TikToks trove of data collected about its US users.

A controversial move

It is pertinent to note that Ellisons role in the new venture raised concerns over the decreasing share of media firms not under the control of pro-Trump billionaires. Ellisons son, David, is now driving wholesale changes at CBS, is in control of X, formerly known as Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg is overseeing both Instagram and Facebook, and Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

The agreement is also coming after a long delay. In September this year, Trump said that he had spoken with Chinas President Xi Jinping over the phone about the deal and he had a very good talk with President Xi and he gave us the go-ahead.

In October, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US and China reached a final deal on TikTok. Interestingly, back in 2020, during his first term in office, Trump had threatened to ban TikTok in retaliation for Chinas handling of COVID.

In 2024, the US Congress eventually passed a ban on the app over security concerns, which was signed into law by former US President Joe Biden. The ban was set to take effect on 20 January 2025. However, the implementation was pushed back multiple times by Trump while his administration worked to develop a deal to transfer ownership.
Are you a white male whos experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? the acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Andrea Lucas, wrote on X this week

US President Donald Trump dances as he leaves after delivering a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the US Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka in October. File image/AFP

President Donald Trumps administration is encouraging white men to file workplace discrimination claims  the latest salvo in its campaign to mothball diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Are you a white male whos experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex? the acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Andrea Lucas, wrote on X this week.You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws, she wrote.

The EEOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating ALL race and sex discrimination  including against white male employees and applicants.

The EEOC is a federal agency created under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to tackle sexism and racism in the workplace. The wider law sought to combat segregation of Black Americans.

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But since returning to the White House in January, Trump has sought to dismantle DEI programs across the federal government and threatened companies that practice such policies, saying they hurt Americas white majority.

The EEOC now emphasizes DEI-related discrimination on its website, and Trump has rolled back affirmative action policies of past administrations.

Many DEI programs  created to support minorities who were victims of discrimination  are now tagged as woke, and thereby unacceptable, by American conservatives.

Under Lucas, the EEOC is also taking on what it calls discrimination against American workers.

Many employers have policies and practices preferring illegal aliens, migrant workers, or non-immigrant guest workers (guest worker visa holders) over American workers  in direct violation of federal employment law, she said in a statement last month.

And media reports suggest the agency has stopped investigating complaints of workplace discrimination against transgender people, who have been in the Trump administrations crosshairs.

Deliberate discrimination

Lucass call to white men was shared by Vice President JD Vance.

In a separate post, Vance included a column by a Hollywood screenwriter, who claimed he was refused work because he is a young white man.

Above the link, Vance wrote that DEI as a concept was a deliberate program of discrimination primarily against white men.

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Lucas said he was absolutely right, adding: And precisely because this widespread, systemic, unlawful discrimination primarily harmed white men, elites didnt just turn a blind eye; they celebrated it.

According to a study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the proportion of African American employees who file complaints with the EEOC is 195 times higher than among white employees.

And last year, women earned an average of 85 percent of what men earned, according to Pew Research Center data.
The Trump administration has launched a review that would make way for the sale of Nvidias second-most powerful AI chips, H200, to China.

US President Donald Trumps administration has launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidias second-most powerful AI chips, five sources said, making good on his pledge to allow the controversial sales.

Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidias H200 chips to China, with the US government collecting a 25 per cent fee, and that the sales would help keep US firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese chips.

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The move drew fire from China hawks across the US political spectrum over concerns the chips would supercharge Beijings military and erode the US advantage in artificial intelligence.

But questions have remained about how quickly the US might approve such sales and whether Beijing would allow Chinese firms to purchase the Nvidia chips.

The US Commerce Department, which oversees export policy, has sent license applications for the chip sales to the State, Energy and Defense Departments for review, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the process is not public.

Those agencies have 30 days to weigh in, according to export regulations.

One of the sources, an administration official, emphasized the review would be thorough and not some perfunctory box we are checking.

But under the regulations, the final decision rests with Trump.

The start of the inter-agency licensing review has not been reported previously. The Commerce Department and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A White House spokesperson did not comment on the review, but said the Trump administration is committed to ensuring the dominance of the American tech stack  without compromising on national security.

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Biden had banned advanced AI chip sales to China

The Biden administration had imposed a raft of restrictions on advanced AI chip sales to China and countries it feared could become conduits for smuggling into the rival nation, citing national security fears.

Trumps move represents a departure from that policy and a dramatic reversal from his first term, when he drew international attention by cracking down on Chinese access to US technology. Back then, he cited claims that Beijing steals American intellectual property and harnesses commercially obtained technology to bolster its military, which Beijing denies.

Exporting large numbers of the chips to China would be a significant strategic mistake, said Chris McGuire, a former White House National Security Council official under President Joe Biden and senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.

McGuire described the chips as the one thing holding China back in AI.

I cannot possibly fathom how the departments of Commerce, State, Energy, and Defense could certify that exporting these chips to China is in the US national security interest, he said.

Led by White House AI czar David Sacks, several members of the Trump administration now argue that shipping advanced AI chips to China discourages Chinese competitors like Huawei from redoubling efforts to catch up with Nvidias and AMDs most-advanced chip designs.

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Reuters reported last week that Nvidia was considering an increase in production of the H200, the immediate predecessor to its current flagship Blackwell chips, after initial orders from China outstripped the current capacity.

While the H200 chips are slower than Nvidias Blackwell chips at many AI tasks, they remain in wide use in the industry and have never been allowed for sale in China.

Trump had previously opened the door to sales of a less-advanced version of Nvidias Blackwell chips, its cutting-edge offering, but backed away from the move and approved sales of the H200 instead.

(This is an agency story. Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem on Friday announced on X that, at the order of US President Donald Trump, she has instructed the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program

A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Reuters

The US government has paused the green card lottery program after the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings was found to be a beneficiary of the system.

Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem on Friday announced on X that, at the order of US President Donald Trump, she has instructed the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program.

This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, she said of the suspect, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente.

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Who was the suspect?

Earlier today, authorities found Velente dead at a storage unit in New Hampshire, along with two firearms. He died by suicide, Providence police chief Oscar Perez said.

Valente was a 48-year-old man from Portugal who had studied at Brown University, officials announced at a press conference today.

Meanwhile, the motive of the double mass shootings is still unclear. Valente, who had been a permanent US resident since 2017, is believed to have acted alone.

He is also accused of killing a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) two days later.

Tonight, our Providence neighbours can finally breathe a little bit easier, Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters.

How did the police find him?

After days of manhunting with a bounty of $50,000 from the FBI, authorities were finally able to track down the suspect on Friday.

The groundwork that started in the city of Providenceled us to that connection, Perez said.

In Boston, federal prosecutor Leah Foley, the US attorney for Massachusetts, explained how Neves Valente had been sophisticated in hiding his tracks.

He switched the plates on his rental vehicle at one point and was using a phone that investigators had difficulty tracking, but eventually the pieces started falling into place.

Authorities initially detained a different man in connection with the shooting, but later released him.

With inputs from agencies
The move would pave the way for a pilot program to reimburse Medicare patients for products containing CBD, a widely used cannabis-derived compound that does not cause a high

US President Donald Trump signs an executive order on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. File image/Reuters

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order moving marijuana out of the most restrictive drug category. The move is likely to relax the limits of cannabis for research purposes and some restrictions, but it still does not make it legal nationwide.

Im pleased to announce that I will be signing an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance with legitimate medical uses," Trump said at the Oval Office.

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He added, This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments. Its going to have a tremendously positive impact.

What will change?

The move would pave the way for a pilot program to reimburse Medicare patients for products containing CBD, a widely used cannabis-derived compound that does not cause a high.

Under the order, marijuana would be reclassified from Schedule I, alongside drugs such as heroin, to Schedule III, a category that includes ketamine. Senior administration officials told The New York Times that the change would not legalise marijuana nationwide or alter how law enforcement agencies handle marijuana-related arrests.

Being under Schedule III would mean that marijuana would be placed with certain pain medications that are given on prescriptions, while keeping recreational use illegal at the federal level. The order still has to go through the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) approval and rule-making. The reclassification could facilitate scientific research and provide relief to legal cannabis businesses by easing federal tax penalties and improving access to banking services.

Common sense

A senior US official told reporters it was a common-sense decision.

Trump, who was surrounded by white-coated medical experts for Thursdays announcement, added that the order is not the legalization of marijuana.

The teetotal 79-year-old added: Ive always told my children, dont take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from drugs.

Cannabis companies were trading higher on the New York Stock Exchange after the announcement  although they were already up this week in anticipation of the news.

As of 1910 GMT, Aurora Cannabis was up 8.62 per cent, Canopy Growth was up 10.94 per cent, and Tilray was up 6.40 per cent. Canopy Growths share price has jumped nearly 90 per cent in just one week.

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US presidents cannot unilaterally reclassify a drug, but Republican Trumps order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to expedite the process.

With inputs from agencies
Ukraine, European allies, and US officials meet in the United States to discuss Kyivs war with Russia as Vladimir Putin claims Moscow will press on and blames the West and Kyiv for stalled talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C-L) speaks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a EU summit in Brussels on December 18, 2025.- AFP

Negotiators from Ukraine and its European allies will hold a new meeting with US officials in the United States on Friday on Kyivs war with Russia, said top Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov.

Today, in the United States, together with Lieutenant General Andriy Gnatov, we will begin another round of consultations with the American side. At the invitation of the American side, European partners are also involved in this format, Umerov said on social media.

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Russias Vladimir Putin on Friday said the ball was in the court of the West and Kyiv in talks to end the war in Ukraine, while hailing Moscows recent battlefield gains and threatening more.

Speaking during his annual end-of-year news conference  a staple of his 25-year rule  Putin told Russians that Moscow was intent on pressing on in Ukraine, striking a confident tone.

The 73-year-old repeatedly says that Moscow will seize the rest of Ukrainian land he has proclaimed as Russian by force if talks fail.

Putin said Friday he did not feel personally responsible for the tens of thousands of people killed since Moscow launched its offensive, which has become Europes worst conflict since World War II.

We did not start this war, he said, repeating a frequent narrative pushed by Moscow throughout the conflict.

We do not consider ourselves responsible for the loss of life.

Putin ordered the all-out assault in Ukraine in February 2022, sending troops and tanks towards Kyiv.

He also denied dragging out settlement talks and turning down proposals  claiming Moscow had agreed to some compromises  without elaborating.

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The ball is now fully and completely on the side of our Western opponents first of all the head of the Kyiv regime and their European sponsors, Putin said.

The United States, Ukraine and Europeans have been refining a proposal first put forward by Washington last month that many saw as heeding most of Moscows core demands for how the conflict should end.

With inputs from agencies
Ukraine has struck a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyivs attacks on Russian oil shipping.

This handout photograph taken on December 17, 2025 and released on December 18, 2025 by the press service of the 24th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces, shows dammages in a residential area of the Donetsk region frontline town of Kostyantynivka, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.-AFP

Ukraine said on Friday that it had struck a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker using aerial drones in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, marking its first such attack in the region since the war began nearly four years ago.

The so-called shadow fleet, estimated to comprise as many as 1,000 vessels, regularly changes flags and operates with opaque ownership structures. The ships have allowed Russia to continue exporting crude oil and generating vital revenue despite international embargoes.

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MarineTraffic data showed the tanker was positioned off the coast of Libya at around 1330 GMT. A Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to specify the exact location of the vessel at the time of the strike or when the attack occurred.

European leaders and security experts have also raised concerns that some of these vessels have been used by Russia to carry out sabotage and other hostile activities across Europe.

Aerial footage supplied by the source showed a minor explosion on the deck of a tanker. Reuters verified that the vessel in the video was the Qendil by matching it with archival images, though it was unable to independently confirm the timing or precise location of the footage.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries throughout 2024 and 2025, and in recent weeks has expanded its campaign. Kyiv has struck oil platforms in the Caspian Sea and claimed responsibility for sea-drone attacks on three tankers in the Black Sea.

Those tankers as well as the Oman-flagged Qendil are part of Russias so-called shadow fleet  unregulated ships that Kyiv says are helping Moscow export large quantities of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has threatened to sever Ukraines access to the Black Sea in response to the attacks on tankers, which he has derided as piracy.

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There was no fresh comment from Moscow on the latest attack.

The Qendil was en route to the Russian port of Ust Luga in the Baltic Sea from the Indian port of Sikka, MarineTraffic data showed.

India is a major consumer of Russian oil, although it has faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to curb its purchases to reduce the oil revenue that Ukraine says is fuelling Russias full-scale war.

We understand that it is returning to a port that is currently unknown, an official from a European Union country told Reuters.

MULTI-STAGE MEASURES

The strike on the Qendil is notable not only because it was further away in the Mediterranean but also because it used aerial drones.

This development reflects a stark expansion of Ukraines use of uncrewed aerial systems against maritime assets associated with Russias sanctioned oil export network, British maritime risk-management group Vanguard said.

The Ukrainian official did not say how the drones reached the ship, but said the operation involved multi-stage measures.

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The SBU, the vast security agency behind the attack, has conducted highly sophisticated attacks against Russia, smuggling in dozens of drones for an operation to destroy strategic bombers at air bases far beyond the front in June.

There have also been a string of unexplained blasts on tankers that have called at Russian ports since December 2024.

Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in them, but maritime security sources suspect Kyiv is behind them, some involving limpet mines on vessels in the Mediterranean.

Two crew members of the Russian-flagged tanker Valeriy Gorchakov were killed this week in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southern Russian port of Rostov-on-Don.

With inputs from agencies
A man suspected of the deadly shooting at Brown University was found dead at a storage facility in New Hampshire on Thursday, as the authorities continue to investigate the case

Police officers remain on the scene of a shooting that killed two and wounded at least eight at Brown University on December 13, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (AFP)

A man suspected of the deadly shooting at Brown University was found dead on Thursday as the authorities continue to investigate the tragic case. According to The Washington Post, the shooters dead body was found in a New Hampshire storage facility.

On Thursday evening, a massive law enforcement presence was seen surrounding the storage facilities in Salem, New Hampshire. The Salem police issued an advisory for residents, urging them to look out for any individuals on foot who appear out of place, unfamiliar to the area, or behaving in a manner that seems unusual or suspicious.

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The police noted that there is no risk to the public and the matter is under control. By Thursday evening, officers tracked the suspect to an Extra Space Storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, near the Massachusetts border.

The long hunt

Federal, state and local law enforcement have spent almost a week scouring the region to hunt down the gunman. The shooter killed two Brown students and injured nine others at a study session for an economics exam on Saturday afternoon.

The prolonged search sent thousands of scared students home and cast a pall over Providence, a tight-knit city where gun violence is rare. It is pertinent to note that in most mass shootings in the United States, suspects are either killed or captured quickly, making the violence at Brown stand out.

Local news conferences started to become contentious every day as police provided bare-bones updates and asked for the publics help identifying blurred images of a person of interest. Frustration grew further after authorities briefly detained a person of interest on Sunday.

However, he was released without charges, saying their evidence showed he was not the shooter. Soon after the incident, students spent the night locked down in dorms and university buildings, barricading themselves and trying to find out if anyone they knew had been shot or killed.

Meanwhile, two slain students were Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama who was studying math and French, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Virginia who was an aspiring brain surgeon.

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With inputs from agencies.
Hadi, a member of the anti-Hasina platform Inqilab Manch and known for his outspoken anti-India views, was campaigning in central Dhakas Bijoynagar area when he was attacked

An activist holds a poster of Sharif Osman Hadi, senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, who was shot outside a mosque, during a demonstration to condemn the attack in Dhaka on December 15, 2025.- AFP

The US Embassy in Bangladesh issued a statement on Friday, mourning the loss of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who died in Singapore while being on treatment after an assassination attempt back home.

The U.S. Embassy joins the people of Bangladesh in mourning the loss of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi and offers our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters, the US mission said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy joins the people of Bangladesh in mourning the loss of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi and offers our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. pic.twitter.com/gpkdn2njqD  U.S. Embassy Dhaka (@usembassydhaka) December 19, 2025

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Hadi's death was announced by the Singapore Foreign Ministry late on Thursday. He was flown to Singapore for treatment after unidentified assailants shot him in Dhaka, while travelling in a battery-powered auto-rickshaw on Culvert Road in the Paltan area.

Catch all the live updates on

Hadi, a member of the anti-Hasina platform Inqilab Manch and known for his outspoken anti-India views, was campaigning in central Dhakas Bijoynagar area when he was attacked. He is contesting as an Independent from the Dhaka-8 constituency. Police said the attackers fired multiple rounds before fleeing the scene.

Protests erupt across Bdesh

Overnight unrest erupted in an already unstable Bangladesh after the death of Hadi. Thousands took to the streets of the countrys capital, Dhaka, on Thursday and early Friday, demanding justice for the slain activist.

Hadi died in a hospital in Singapore after succumbing to gunshot injuries sustained in an assassination attempt last week. Violent demonstrations rapidly spread from Dhaka to other parts of the country, with protesters raising "anti-India" slogans.

Some even marched toward the Indian diplomatic premises and attacked properties linked to the former ruling Awami League. Protesters in the southwestern city of Rajshahi tried to march toward the office of a regional Indian diplomat. However, the Bangladeshi police soon stopped the procession.

Videos of the unrest spread like wildfire online, with protesters seen pelting stones near the Indian Assistant High Commission office. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, hundreds conducted a demonstration in Dhaka and attempted to gather outside the Indian diplomatic premises.

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The status quo on Venezuela is intolerable and must change, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday, brushing aside Moscows support for Caracas amid Russias grinding war in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during an end-of-year press conference in the State Department Press Briefing Room in Washington, DC on December 19, 2025.- AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington is not worried about tensions escalating with Russia over Venezuela, even as the Trump administration increases its military presence in the Caribbean.

The United States has deployed thousands of troops to the region, along with an aircraft carrier, warships and fighter jets, as part of the buildup.

Were not concerned about an escalation with Russia when it comes to Venezuela, Rubio told reporters.

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He said the United States has long expected Moscow to offer verbal backing to President Nicolas Maduros government, but stressed that such support does not influence Washingtons approach. Thats not a factor in how we look at this situation, Rubio said.

Rubio described the current situation in Venezuela as intolerable and said it must change, downplaying Russias support for Caracas as Moscow remains heavily engaged in its war in Ukraine.

Its clear that the status quo with the Venezuelan regime is unacceptable for the United States, he said, adding that Washington is not concerned about provoking Russia on the issue because they have their hands full in Ukraine.

Russias Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it hoped the Trump administration would avoid making what it called a potentially disastrous decision on Venezuela, and said it was worried about US actions that could threaten international shipping.

While Venezuela and Russia have close ties, a recent strategy document from Trump said the United States will reassert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere and argued that the U.S. should revive the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which declared the Western Hemisphere to be Washingtons zone of influence.

The Trump administration has also carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region, seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and declared a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

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Trump has also repeatedly said that strikes on land in Venezuela are coming soon.

Democratic lawmakers have said that the Trump administration has provided limited information about the operations in the region.

Nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war, Rubio said.

With inputs from agencies
Bangladeshs interim ruler Muhammad Yunus has vowed action against mobs running amok in the country. But the pledge may turn out to be hollow as many of these mobs are from same groups that ousted Sheikh Hasina and propped him as the countrys unelected ruler.

Amid ongoing political violence and anti-India protests, Bangladeshs interim ruler Muhammad Yunus on Friday vowed action those responsible.

However, Yunuss pledge may turn out to be hollow as these mobs are the same groups that ousted then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year and propped him as the countrys unelected ruler. Moreover, he did not address the targeted violence against Indian diplomats at all.

In a statement issued by his office, Yunus referred to attacks on Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers' offices, attack on journalists, and a lynching of a Hindu man, and strongly and unequivocally condemned the violence. He blamed a few fringe elements for these attacks.

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Yunus further said, Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice. We wholeheartedly condemn lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crimine [sic] will not be spared.

ALSO READ: As post-Hadi violence makes Bangladesh election unsafe, is there a plot to delay polls?

But Yunus did not say anything about violent demonstrations targeting the Indian High Commission and attack on the residence of an Indian diplomat. With such a selective pledge, which does not appear to be backed by any real action against mobs, the confidence in the pledge is bound to be low.

Statement of the Interim Government



DHAKA, December 19: The government urges all citizens of Bangladesh to resist all forms of mob violence committed by a few fringe elements.



We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of  Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh (@ChiefAdviserGoB) December 19, 2025

There are also concerns that the ongoing violence could further delay elections that are supposed to be held in February.

Plot to delay elections & help Islamists?

The ongoing wave of political violence and anti-India protests appear to be managed to create an atmosphere of fear and instability ahead of the elections to help Islamist forces in Bangladesh, sources tracking developments on the ground previously CNN-News 18.

Sources said that vested interests were deliberately worsening the security situation in Bangladesh to delay elections by building a narrative that elections were unsafe. They added that such a delay would allow radical elements Islamists like the Jamaat-e-Islami to consolidate themselves in the country.

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OPINION  Bangladesh at a crossroads: Between street unrest and a soft state

The latest round of violence in Bangladesh erupted after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure in last years movement that ousted Hasina and propped Yunus as the countrys unelected ruler. He was shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka last week.

Since the news of Hadis death broke, mobs have attacked the house of Indias Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram, set on fire the house of former minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi, and attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers.

Prothom Alo not published for first time

For the first time in its 27 years of operations, Prothom Alo was not published on Friday as a mob burnt down its office the previous night, the newspaper said in a statement.

The Bangla-language daily is among the most-read newspapers in the country.

In the statement, the newspaper dubbed it was a subject of a deliberate and organised terrorist attack.

At the time of the attack, on-duty journalists were engaged in operating the online news portal as well as preparing the print edition for 19 December. In the face of this terrorist attack, Prothom Alo employees were left completely unprotected and their lives were put at serious risk. The attackers extensively vandalised the office building and then set it on fire. Due to the prolonged blaze, the building was gutted and the assets and valuable documents stored there were reduced to ashes, the statement read.

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Along with the published edition, the digital operations of the newspaper were also suspended, the statement read.

The Prothom Alo linked the attack with an attack on Daily Star newspaper and called it a black day for journalism in the country.

There are reasonable grounds to believe that a vested interest group deliberately carried out these attacks by exploiting the tragic killing of Sharif Osman Hadi. This was a black day for independent journalism. Through these incidents, there was not only an attempt to derail the upcoming election, but also a clear intent to severely damage Bangladeshs image on the international stage, the statement read.
Monday Night

Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming cloudy with a mix of light rain and snow after midnight. Low around 35F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 40%.
Chairman Crawford Statement on Status of Committee's AHI Investigation

US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Washington, December 18, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (AR-01) issued the following statement on the status of the Committee's ongoing investigation into the IC's handling of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs).

"As we go into this holiday season, it is important for me to publicly acknowledge the one-year mark of my interim report on the Intelligence Community's handling of Anomalous Health Incidents, in which we found direct evidence that the 2023 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on AHIs was developed in a manner inconsistent with analytic integrity standards and facts.

"Fast forward to today, our investigation continues on pace, more aggressively than ever before. Upon becoming Chairman, I hired a new, highly-experienced investigations team to carry on this investigation and picked a Subcommittee Chairman, Dr. Jackson, whom I knew would move the ball forward actively. Dr. Jackson has been engaged and leaned in on the investigation.

"When I first discussed AHIs in 2017 and watched the Committee work, I felt strongly that there was more that needed to be done from an oversight perspective. I remain very thankful that my predecessor, Rep. Mike Turner, authorized the investigation in the 118th Congress, which led to the first interim report last December.

"I want to assure all those impacted, whether directly by these attacks or those who have come forward to speak with our Committee to share their experience or expertise, that we are committed to seeing this investigation through and remain focused on transparency, where appropriate.

"I stand by my original statements from last year that the 2023 ICA was developed in a manner inconsistent with analytic integrity standards, and I strongly encourage my colleagues in the Executive Branch and the IC to reassess the ICA."

###

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OIC General Secretariat Condemns Attack on UN Headquarters in Sudan

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

15-12-2025

The OIC General Secretariat expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the attack that targeted the UN headquarters in the city of Kadugli in the Republic of Sudan.

The General Secretariat renewed its call for an immediate end to the war, an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people, and the preservation of Sudan's unity, sovereignty, security, stability, and territorial integrity.

The General Secretariat called for compliance with the provisions of the Jeddah Declaration signed on May 11, 2023, and for ensuring the protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access for those in need.

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"This is how we ensure allied forces remain prepared and capable of prevailing against any potential threat." NATO Exercise LOYAL DOLOS 2025 - a powerful demonstration of allied cohesion and interoperability

NATO Allied Land Command

Dec 16 2025

Story by Public Affairs Office at JFTC

Approximately 1,500 soldiers and civilians across multiple European locations worked side by side to assess the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece and its capabilities as a NATO Warfighting Corps. With dynamic play, day-and-night operational scenarios, Exercise LOYAL DOLOS stood out as a flagship event in NATO's 2025 training program, showcasing allied vigilance, readiness, and the ability to respond with speed and precision to any challenge the Alliance may face. The exercise ran from 2 to 11 December.

"This is how we ensure allied forces remain prepared and capable of prevailing against any potential threat," said Col Andrea Stover, Head of the Training and Exercise Division at the NATO Joint Force Training

Centre and Chief Exercise Control for LOYAL DOLOS 2025. "Our Exercise Control team, directing the event from the Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland, ensured the exercise was challenging, dynamic, and realistic," Col Stover added.

More than 600 military and civilian experts formed the Exercise Control team, keeping the training audience fully engaged throughout the event. Under the expert guidance of Lieutenant General (ret.) Leonardo di Marco, Senior Exercise Control Advisor, and the leadership of Major General Bogdan Rycerski, Commander of the NATO Joint Force Training Centre and Director of LODO25, participants faced complex tasks and demanding operational dilemmas.

Designed to refine and validate the Alliance's ability to operate seamlessly across multiple domains, Exercise LOYAL DOLOS 2025 focused primarily on land operations while also integrating other domains in line with NATO's commitment to a more interconnected and adaptive force. Lessons drawn from Russia's war against Ukraine were incorporated to prepare the training audience to fight and win in a rapidly evolving environment. This was also the first time Ukrainian experts were directly involved in the execution phase of this type of NATO exercise.

With Allied Land Command acting as the Officer Scheduling the Exerciseits Deputy Commander, Lieutenant General Jezz Bennett, working closely with Exercise Controland with support from the Multinational Corps South-East and the 1st United Kingdom Division, all participants received truly rigorous and ambitious training.

Throughout the exercise, the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece, the primary training audience, demonstrated its ability to plan and conduct multi-domain operations against a peer adversary, reaffirming its readiness to contribute to the defence of the Alliance.

Story by Public Affairs Office at JFTC

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NATO innovation range advances defense technology integration in finland

NATO Allied Land Command

Task Force X - Eastern Flank Deterrence Line Pilot #2

Press Release WED 17DEC

By Allied Land Command Public Affairs

Riihimaki, Finland -- 8-10 December NATO Innovation Range hosted its first demonstration of advance defense technologies, focused on data fusion between uncrewed systems to national and NATO command and control networks. NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) and NATO's Defense Industry, Innovation, and Armaments Division in partnership with the Defence Innovation Network Finland (DEFINE) ecosystem organized the event held at the DEFINE Innovation hub.

"Using data to enhance our decision advantage is a critical component of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line," said U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, LANDCOM Commander. "Shared real-time data enables both national commands and NATO to make real-time decisions to outthink and outpace any adversary," Donahue continued.

Over three days, military representatives from 16 NATO nations engaged with 19 companies chosen from 60 applicants by DEFINE to present solutions across four key challenge areas:

 Resilient connectivity

 AI-enhanced decision support

 5G/6G and non-terrestrial network (NTN) integration

 Mission assurance under extreme conditions.

"The High North is an important region for NATO, with unique challenges, which is why we chose Finland for Task Force X EFDL Pilot #2," Donahue noted.

The weather conditions during the unmanned systems demonstrations underscored the need for resilient technologies capable of operating in extreme environments, ensuring commanders have reliable operational data to make decisive decisions.

"This exercise demonstrates our ability to work with industry to rapidly test, integrate, and field new capabilities to seamlessly share data and maintain our decision advantage in any environment as we protect the Alliance's one billion people," Donahue further explained.

Task Force X - Eastern Flank Deterrence Line pilot series, led by LANDCOM, focuses on strengthening deterrence and defence along NATO's Eastern Flank using existing scalable, NATO-compliant technologies. Integrated with Allied Command Transformation, the pilot series reflects NATO's commitment to identifying solutions that meet both current and future operational requirements.

LANDCOM, headquartered in Izmir, Turkiye, leads the land component of NATO's Joint Forces. As the focal point for land operations, it coordinates and synchronizes land forces across the Alliance's area of responsibility. The command develops, integrates, and coordinates land capabilities to deter and defend against any threat, as outlined in NATO's Strategic Concept for a resilient and responsive Alliance.

For more information on NATO's Allied Land Command, please visit https://lc.nato.int/.

Story by LANDCOM Public Affairs Office

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Irregular warfare threats during multi-domain operations in the Indo-Pacific region topic of latest CASO Panel

By Jessica Brushwood, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Public Affairs Office December 18, 2025

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kansas -- The U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Cultural and Area Studies Office hosted the second panel of the academic year to discuss irregular warfare threats during multi-domain operations in the Indo-Pacific Dec. 15, 2025.

"Irregular warfare has proven a critical aspect of the United States security policy across a wide variety of conflicts and war," Col. Ethan Diven, commandant, CGSC, stated during opening remarks.

Moderator and CASO Director, Dr. Mahir Ibrahimov shared a graphic outlining the complexity of military strategy that integrates space, cyberspace, and special operations forces to enhance deterrence and operational effectiveness before turning the discussion to the panelists.

Panelists were faculty members of CGSC who shared their multi-faceted research on IW and discussed military strategy implications.

This panel is part of a seminar series discussing issues of operational and strategic importance to the U.S., which CASO conducts regularly in coordination with CGSC, universities, think tanks, interagency and other partners.

Dr. Dan Cox and Dr. Luke Herrington, School of Advanced Military Studies, CGSC, presented their research on the social media platform TikTok as a potential current and future weapon.

"We quickly discovered that Chinese cognitive warfare was a problem far greater than a single social media platform. We assert that China is offering the United States two forms of warfare, one kinetic and the other cognitive," Cox stated.

Evidence of intentionality was found around data harvesting, data privacy, and as a weapon of mass distraction that can be used for domestic social control and global information operations.

Dr. Herrington highlighted the variety of data TikTok has been known to access including SIM card content, tax and social security information, and biometric data.

While western social platforms also practice surveillance capitalism, Herrington explained that U.S. adversaries have weaponized this TikTok data, including virtually stalking reporters to identify sources who had spoken critically of the company.

"We know that it has already been used in Chinese multi-domain operations. In particular while the People's Liberation Army Navy was engaged in kinetic activities off the coast of Taiwan, TikTok was being used to pepper the island with propaganda about the operation at the same time," Herrington explained.

Cox described additional shopping, gaming, and artificial intelligence apps that have aggressive malware, access to sensitive user information, or feed the user propaganda.

Poison the well operations, such as China's Operation Shadow Play that occurred on YouTube in 2022/23, make legitimate information hard to find, promote pro-Chinese and anti-American narratives on many political topics.

Mr. Joseph Donalbain, instructor, Department of Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Operations, CGSC, presented a case study of IW tactics used by North Korea during the Korean Demilitarized Zone conflict and the conditions that enabled their effectiveness.

"Irregular warfare seeks to disrupt, degrade, or discredit an adversary and sew discord among allies," Donalbain explained.

Tactics used by North Korea, including an assassination attempt on the South Korean president at the executive mansion and seaborne attacks on the border, were effective in causing panic in the population and mistrust of the government's ability to protect them.

Donalbain warned of conditions today that could enable success of similar tactics with potential outcomes, which was underscored by fellow DJIMO instructor Lt. Col. J. Thompson.

Thompson spoke to IW basics such as planning and execution as laid out in a book chapter, he co-authored with Maj. John Wirge titled, "Irregular Warfare within Multi-Domain Operations: Focusing on the Fundamentals."

"IW is not separate or a secondary effort, it is a critical component especially during the competition and crisis phase aspects of the continuum that may precede or accompany open conflict," Thompson explained.

The war in Ukraine provides examples of the spectrum of activities found in IW, including civil military operations, information warfare, and proxy actions which shape the battlespace as much as conventional maneuver.

Thompson and Wirge's chapter will be part of a larger anthology.

The anthology is the third of its kind sponsored by CASO in support of U.S. national security and senior leadership's priorities.

The full panel can be viewed on the CGSC YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbLdSL03Jak.

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Swiss Government

Press release

Published on 18 December 2025

Bern, 18.12.2025 -- Switzerland and NATO have defined the objectives of their cooperation for the period from 2025 to 2028. The Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) is drawn up within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP), in which Switzerland has been participating since 1996. The agreed activities are in line with the Federal Council's intention to intensify international cooperation in security policy.

Switzerland has been participating in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme since 1996. The PfP provides the institutional framework for bilateral cooperation between NATO and its partner countries. It enables Switzerland to cooperate with NATO on specific security and defence policy issues based on jointly agreed objectives. This allows Switzerland to cooperate with NATO and its members in accordance with its needs and interests, and to contribute its strengths. In this way, Switzerland is able to strengthen its own defence capabilities and contributes to stability and security in Europe.

Cooperation between Switzerland and NATO from 2025 to 2028

The Federal Council determines the thematic priorities for cooperation with NATO in view of the ITPP. Within these thematic priorities, Switzerland and NATO work together to develop ITPP-objectives for a four-year period. The ITPP is not legally binding.

The ITPP for the period from 2025 to 2028 includes general objectives such as continuing political dialogue and improving the interoperability of the Swiss Armed Forces. The ITPP also contains specific objectives such as developing cooperation in the areas of space, resilience or arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. Several objectives relate to strengthening interoperability, for example in the air force or communications systems. The activities are compatible with Switzerland's neutrality.

Intensification of international cooperation

The ITPP is a key instrument for intensifying international cooperation on security policy with our closest partners in Europe. International cooperation forms an essential part of Switzerland's security policy strategy 2026.The Federal Council also reaffirmed this intention in the 2022 supplementary report to the 2021 Security Policy Report.
NATO Support and Procurement Agency - Stinger Service Life Extension Program Components, Parts, and Services

NEWS | Dec. 18, 2025

Media/Public Contact: T_Outreach_PM@state.gov

Transmittal No. 25-97

WASHINGTON, December 18, 2025 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency of Stinger Service Life Extension Program Components, Parts, and Services and related equipment for an estimated cost of $136.1 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) manages the Stinger Service Life Extension Program on behalf of Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, and has requested to buy additional booster pellets; flight motors; gas generator cartridges; Stinger warheads sections; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; technical documentation; and other related elements of logistics and program support that will be added to a previously implemented case whose value was under the congressional notification threshold. The original Foreign Military Sales case, valued at $50.7 million, included the following non-MDE items: booster pellets; flight motors; gas generators; Stinger warheads sections; and U.S. Government and contractor engineering and technical services. The estimated total cost is $136.1 million.

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of NATO Allies for political stability and economic progress.

The proposed sale will improve NATO Allies' capability to meet current and future threats and enhance interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces. This proposed sale will contribute to U.S. and NATO defense goals by increasing readiness and enhancing the air defense capabilities of NATO Allies. Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into their armed forces.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The principal contractors will be PTI Technologies Inc., located in Oxnard, CA; and L3 Harris, located in Camden, AR. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.

Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to NSPA.

There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.

The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded.

All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's

Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Political-Military Affairs Outreach, at T_Outreach_PM@state.gov.

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European Council conclusions on the Middle East, European defence and security, next multiannual financial framework, enlargement and reforms, migration and other items

European Council / Council of the European Union

European Council

CONCLUSIONS

18 December 2025 19:50

II. MIDDLE EAST

4. The European Council welcomes the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 on the establishment of the Board of Peace and of a temporary International Stabilisation Force, as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. It calls on all parties to implement the Resolution in its entirety, and in line with relevant international political and legal principles. It recalls the need to stabilise the security environment in Gaza, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803, including by ensuring the permanent decommissioning of weapons from Hamas and other non-state armed groups.

5. In this context, the European Council reaffirms the EU's strong commitment to international law and to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders. The European Union will contribute to all efforts towards this solution.

6. The European Union is committed to contributing to this implementation, including through an enhanced mandate for the European Union Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EU BAM Rafah) and the European Union Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOL COPPS), as well as through engagement in the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC). It stands ready to support the establishment of the Board of Peace and will actively engage with partners on the next steps.

7. Recalling its previous conclusions, the European Council stresses the need for the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout Gaza, including via the Cyprus Maritime Corridor to supplement land routes, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and also stresses the need for the UN and its agencies, and humanitarian organisations, to be able to work independently and impartially. In this respect it calls on Israel not to implement the NGO registration law in its current form. The European Council calls in particular for essential items, such as shelter, winterisation supplies and medical items, to be allowed into Gaza.

8. The European Council underlines the need for international and regional stakeholders to provide support for the reconstruction and development of Gaza, in line with international law. Building on the first meeting of the Palestine Donor Group on 20 November 2025, the European Union will engage with all partners to contribute to recovery and reconstruction efforts and continue to support the Palestinian Authority, including in its ongoing reform agenda. In this respect, the European Council reiterates the importance of implementing the reform programme of the Palestinian Authority so that it can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. It calls on Israel to urgently release withheld clearance revenues and extend the correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks, both being necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the Palestinian Authority and the delivery of essential services to the population.

9. The European Council strongly condemns the massive increase in settler violence against Palestinian civilians, including violence against Christian communities, and the policies and threats of forcible displacement and annexation, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It urges the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and protect the Palestinian population of the occupied territories. It calls on the Government of Israel to reverse the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law. The European Council reiterates its call for the preservation of and respect for the Status Quo of Jerusalem's holy sites. It also reiterates its call on the Council to take work forward on further restrictive measures against extremist settlers and entities and organisations that support them.

Lebanon

10. The European Council calls for de-escalation in the wider region, and underlines the need to preserve stability in Lebanon. It reiterates its support for the stabilisation of Lebanon's economic and security situation as well as its reconstruction, and supports the Government's efforts to establish the State's monopoly on holding weapons. The European Council reiterates its unwavering support for the fundamental role of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The European Council condemns the recent attacks against UNIFIL and calls for a thorough investigation. Such attacks against UN peacekeepers constitute a grave violation of international law, are totally unacceptable and must stop immediately. The European Council reiterates its call on all parties to respect and implement the terms of the 27 November 2024 ceasefire agreement and for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In this respect, it calls for the full disarmament of Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in Lebanon. The European Union will continue to support the Lebanese State's sovereignty, territorial integrity and State-building efforts, including by contributing to the strengthening of the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Syria

11. One year after the fall of the Assad regime, the European Council reiterates its support for a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria and underlines the importance of protecting the rights of Syrians from all ethnic and religious backgrounds without discrimination. It expresses concern about foreign interference in Syria's transitional process and urges all actors, both domestic and external, to fully respect Syria's unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with international law.

III. EUROPEAN DEFENCE AND SECURITY

12. The European Council strongly condemns all recent hybrid attacks against the European Union and its Member States. In the light of Russia's and Belarus' intensified hybrid campaign, it calls for accelerated efforts to strengthen resilience, protect critical infrastructure, and prevent, deter and respond to hybrid attacks throughout the Union, using all relevant policies and instruments, including through further restrictive measures against those countries.

13. Recalling that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions for European and global security in a changing environment constitute an existential challenge for the European Union, the European Council took stock of progress in the implementation of its previous conclusions on European defence and security aimed at decisively ramping up Europe's defence readiness by 2030, reducing strategic dependencies and addressing critical capability gaps, including in the area of space, with a 360 approach. Further to the presentation of the European Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, it reviewed ongoing work related to Member State-led capability coalitions, to priority capability areas and to launching concrete projects in the first half of 2026, including with the support of the SAFE and European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP) instruments, as well as work related to strengthening the European Defence Agency. It welcomes initiatives in this regard, including the holding of the Eastern Flank summit in Helsinki on 16 December 2025.

14. The European Council welcomes the adoption of the Regulation as regards incentivising defence-related investments in the EU budget and the presentation of the Defence Industry Transformation Roadmap. The European Council calls for work to be intensified on all strands identified in October 2025. It also calls on the co-legislators to take work forward on relevant legislative proposals as a matter of priority, such as the Defence Readiness Omnibus and the recent proposal to facilitate military mobility. The European Council welcomes the agreement found on the participation of Canada in the SAFE instrument.

15. The above is without prejudice to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States, and takes into account the security and defence interests of all Member States, in accordance with the Treaties.

IV. NEXT MULTIANNUAL FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK

16. Following the intensive preparatory work carried out during this semester, the European Council took note of the presentation of the draft Negotiating Box developed by the Danish Presidency and held an exchange of views on the future Multiannual Financial Framework.

17. It calls on the incoming Presidency to continue the work, with a view to a timely agreement. An agreement before the end of 2026 would allow for the adoption of legislative acts in 2027, which is necessary to ensure that EU funding reaches beneficiaries without interruption in January 2028.

V. ENLARGEMENT AND REFORMS

18. The European Council held a strategic discussion on the way forward on enlargement, including aspects related to internal reforms.

19. Recalling its previous conclusions, the European Council stresses the continued importance of enlargement as a geostrategic investment in peace, security, stability and prosperity. It is a driver for improving the economic and social conditions of European citizens, reducing disparities between countries, and must foster the values on which the Union is founded. Looking ahead to the prospect of a further enlarged Union, both future Member States and the EU need to be ready at the time of accession. Aspiring members need to continue their reform efforts, notably in the area of rule of law, in line with the merit-based nature of the accession process and with the assistance of the EU. In parallel, the Union needs to lay the necessary internal groundwork and reforms. This will make the European Union stronger and enhance European sovereignty.

20. As the enlargement process is moving forward, the European Council invites the Commission to present its in-depth policy reviews so that this work advances in parallel.

VI. MIGRATION

21. Recalling its previous conclusions, and following the recent letter from the President of the Commission, the European Council took stock of progress in their implementation. In this light, the European Council calls for intensified work on all strands to continue as a matter of priority, in line with EU and international law.

VIII. OTHER ITEMS

Pact for the Mediterranean

23. Thirty years after the Barcelona Process was launched, the European Council welcomes the Council conclusions of 20 November 2025 on the Pact for the Mediterranean (One Sea, One Pact, One Future). The Pact is an opportunity to reshape the EU's relations with its Southern Mediterranean partners through renewed political commitment. The European Council calls for its swift and efficient implementation, supported by the mobilisation of relevant EU policy tools and through synergies with the Union for the Mediterranean, to address common regional challenges and opportunities in a spirit of co-ownership, mutual interest and joint responsibility.

Fight against antisemitism, racism and xenophobia

24. Following the recent antisemitic attack in Sydney, the European Council extends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims and stands in solidarity with Australia and with Jewish communities worldwide. The European Council reiterates its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of all forms of antisemitism and hate, intolerance, racism and xenophobia, including anti-Muslim hatred. It looks forward to the upcoming presentation by the Commission of an anti-racism strategy.

25. The European Council invites the Commission and the Member States to intensify the follow-up to the Council declaration on fostering Jewish life and combating antisemitism of 15 October 2024, including as regards the protection of Jewish institutions.

Fight against disinformation and against foreign information manipulation and interference

26. Following the Joint Communication on the European Democracy Shield, the European Council recalls the importance of strengthening Europe's democratic resilience. It stresses the need to tackle disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and to protect free and pluralistic media. In this context, the European Council highlights the legal responsibility of platforms in fighting the dissemination of disinformation and illegal content. The European Council reaffirms the EU's regulatory autonomy in the digital sphere.

Macro-regional strategy for the Atlantic

27. The European Council invites the Commission, in cooperation with Member States, to develop an EU macro-regional strategy for the Atlantic by June 2027, taking into account the existing Atlantic Maritime Strategy and the Atlantic Action Plan.

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European Council: Press remarks by High Representative Kaja Kallas upon arrival

European External Action Service (EEAS)

18.12.2025

Brussels, Belgium

EEAS Press Team

Check against delivery!



Good morning, everybody.

We are going to have a very intense meeting today, a lot of issues.

First, of course, Ukraine; we see a strong push for peace, but it is one-sided. We have not seen any willingness from the Russian side to move or seriously talk about peace. Even the ceasefire for Christmas was rejected. Clearly, we need to put the pressure on Russia, so that they would go from pretending to negotiate, to actually come to the table, and really negotiate.

And of course, we have the discussions on the reparations loan. Now, the proposals that we have been working on are also addressing Belgium's concerns. I think to go for the legislative proposal means that we all take the risk, because it is a European proposal, so the risk and the burden is shared equally. I think the issues that Belgium has raised, we have also addressed. I hope that we get this over the finish line. Putin is banking on us to fail, so we should not give them that.

We also discuss European competitiveness and how we can be a stronger economic power. And there, it is very important to have diversified trade deals, and therefore the Mercosur agreement is equally important, to have opportunities for our companies, for our prosperity in this very dangerous world where we have actors that are weaponising trade, that are weaponising supply chains. We need to be more independent in this regard.

So, a lot of topics. And it is going to be a long meeting.

Q&A

Q. How will you reassure Brussels today?

Belgium? Well, as we have had over the weeks and days, the negotiations to address the concerns that they have. I understand Belgium is under a lot of pressure from Russia, from European countries, but also from the United States. And in order to get off that pressure, actually, we should have a European proposal. Then Belgium will just abide by the law and whoever has any concerns, can go to court against the European Union. But I think the fundamental issue is that Russia is causing the damage in Ukraine, so they should also be responsible for the reparations, and this reparations loan is based on that very idea.

Q. What happens if you fail?

We have to work on the plan A that we have, and we really need to have a solution, because, like I said, Putin is banking on us to fail. We just cannot afford to fail. We have to show that we are strong. Of course, we are 27 democracies. That takes time and discussions take time, but in the end, unity is our strength, and we need to have a solution.

Q. [inaudible]

Security guarantees, the talks are going in the right direction. Ukraine really needs tangible security guarantees so that it is clear if they are attacked again, who comes in with the troops, who gives capabilities. So that it is assurance, not on paper, but really with real means. And there is important that also United States is a part of these security guarantees.

Q. Do frozen assets jeopardise the US peace deal?

The peace deal is jeopardised by Russia that has not accepted anything. Again there is strong push for peace, but it is one sided, as Russia has not agreed to anything. So that is the main risk. Russia is the one who has started the war, who is doing the bombing, harming the civilians. They can also stop this war, and we need to do everything that they will. That is why we have the pressure. That is why we have the sanctions, and that is why we are also working on the reparations loan, so that there will be funding for Ukraine for the next two years.

Q. [inaudible]

We will also discuss enlargement. Yesterday already had discussions with the Western Balkan countries. I think this is also a pivotal moment that we have to use in order to really build our geopolitical power. When there are voices who are saying that Europe is no good, then there are a lot of countries who want to join Europe so definitely we have something good and we have to make use of it, but we are also moving on so that the countries will come and join European Union.

Q. [inaudible]

We are supporting Georgian people, but we are not supporting Georgian government. Georgian Government is taking Georgia to the wrong direction that goes, not in the direction of European Union, and that is why our strong message to the Georgian people is that we stand with them, but as long as the government is making wrong steps, we are not going to go on with the candidacy.

Q: Is the reparations loan the most viable option?

It is the most viable option. The reparations loan is the most viable option right now on the on the table. We need to work with that, as we have tried other things before. We have taken these negotiations quite far also to address the issues that Belgium has had to take down the concerns; I really do hope that we get this over the finishing line.

Q: [inaudible]

The discussions are ongoing, but it is not where I am really involved.

Q. [inaudible]

This is very important because it sends a strong signal to Russia that they cannot outlast us. It sends a strong signal to Ukraine that there is a funding for the next two years, and it also sends a strong signal to all the other actors that Europe is taking the decisions and is strong in this sense. The reparations loan is based on the principle that the one who is doing the damage has to also pay for this. Clearly, this is something that is the most viable option that is right now on the table.

Q. What will happen if there is no agreement today?

We will concentrate our efforts to have the agreement today, or at least during this meeting. Maybe the meeting will not end today, but we will stay here as long as we have a solution.

Q. [inaudible]

Russia wants us to think that they can outlast us, and that is why it is important that we show that this is not the case. We know that the Russian economy is not doing well and they are clearly banking on us to fail, so we should not give them that.

Q. [inaudible]

Of course we have seen strong push for peace, but it is one sided, as we do not see Russians also wanting peace. Even Christmas truce was rejected by Russia. Therefore, our approach has been, we have to put the pressure on the aggressor so that they would go from pretending to negotiate to actually come to the table and really negotiate. We are not there.

Q. On the frozen assets, what does it mean for Belgium to be able to agree?

They have expressed their concerns on various topics, and various issues have been also replied and taken into account regarding their worries. But I think what is important is to understand that if we do this European proposal, we actually take the pressure off from Belgium, because then the whole of Europe is responsible and not Belgium being under the pressure. The concerns that they have had, we also have had amendments to address those concerns. I really do hope that we get this agreement today.

Q. [inaudible]

The reparation loan is for Ukraine, and Ukraine is in war. Russia is bombing Ukraine every day, so that is why the reparations loan is needed for Ukraine, to be able to defend itself and the financing for Ukraine. That is what is at stake right now.

Q. Will you move on without Belgium?

Many Member States have said that Belgium's consent is very important. I do not think that we are going to move on without Belgium feeling comfortable.

Q. What are the chances?

I agree with Friedrich Merz. It is 50/50.

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Chinese FM stresses ceasefire as top priority in phone talks with Cambodian, Thai counterparts

Global Times

By Wang Qi Published: Dec 18, 2025 11:54 PM

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday held separate phone calls with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow. Both the Cambodian and Thai sides briefed Wang on the latest developments regarding the Cambodia-Thailand border clashes and expressed their willingness to de-escalate tensions and implement a ceasefire.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that, as a friend and close neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China least wants to see the two sides engage in armed confrontation and is deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

He noted that the intensity of this round of clashes far exceeds previous incidents, and that allowing it to continue would benefit neither side while also undermine ASEAN unity. The top priority, Wang stressed, is to make a prompt decision to cease fire, stem losses in a timely manner, and rebuild mutual trust.

A special envoy for Asian affairs from China's Foreign Ministry has already set off for Cambodia and Thailand to conduct shuttle diplomacy, Wang said, noting that China will continue to play a bridging role and make constructive efforts to promote the rebuilding of peace between the two countries.

We hope both countries will take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese projects and personnel, and remain vigilant against anyone spreading false information to smear the friendly relations between China and the two countries, Wang said.

Prak Sokhonn and Sihasak Phuangketkeow highly appreciated China's objective and impartial stance and its role in facilitating dialogue and promoting talks. They welcomed the shuttle mediation by China's special envoy and expressed hope that China will play an even more important role in de-escalating the situation and rebuilding peace, according to Xinhua.

The roots of the Cambodian-Thai border conflict lie in a history of enmity over competing territorial claims. Since May of this year, tensions between Cambodia and Thailand have persisted in their disputed border regions. In July, the conflict escalated briefly into intense armed clashes lasting five days. In October, during the 47th ASEAN Summit, the two sides signed a joint declaration on peace on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

The Cambodia-Thailand border conflict has reignited since December 7, less than two months after the two sides signed a joint peace declaration. Both sides accused the other of initiating the attack. As the conflict escalated into the use of fighter jets and rocket strikes, the two sides also traded accusations over operations targeting civilian zones, according to Xinhua reports.

On Thursday, Thailand's First Army Area launched an attack on military targets in Poipet, a key economic city in Cambodia, Thai media outlet The Nation reported. It added that Poipet is known as an economic hub driven by casinos and scammers, with many casino buildings and scam syndicate offices in the area.

The Royal Thai Army has confirmed the deaths of four more soldiers in the ongoing border conflict with Cambodia, bringing the total number of casualties to 21 since December 8, The Nation reported on Thursday.

The Cambodian Defense Ministry's Undersecretary of State and Spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said that from Wednesday midnight to Thursday morning, Thai military forces had continued to attack several positions in Cambodian territory, per Xinhua.

Cambodia's Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said in a press briefing on Thursday morning that as of Wednesday at 6 pm, the total number of Cambodian civilians killed in the conflict had reached 18, and the number of injured has risen to 78, according to Xinhua.

He added that the total number of displaced people has increased to 144,066 families, with 476,179 individuals, including more than 240,000 women and 130,000 children.

Despite hypes that Thai troops seized Chinese-made anti-tank missiles and other equipment from Cambodian forces during the conflict, the Thai Army said on Tuesday there is no evidence at this stage to prove that China has been secretly resupplying Cambodian forces with weaponry, according to the Thai PBS.

In response, Jiang Bin, a spokesperson from China's defense ministry, said on Thursday that China has long been engaged in defense cooperation with Cambodia and Thailand, including the arms trade, which does not target any third party, fully complies with international law and established international practices, and has nothing to do with the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict. We hope that relevant parties will refrain from subjective speculation and malicious hype, he said.

"We hope that both sides, proceeding from the peace and stability of their shared border and the common interests of their peoples, will exercise the utmost calm and restraint, achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, and return to the track of resolving differences through dialogue and consultation," Jiang said.

China maintains close and friendly relations with both Cambodia and Thailand simultaneously, giving it unique influence in mediation, Ge Hongliang, Vice Dean of the ASEAN College at Guangxi Minzu University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China's diplomacy efforts will play a constructive role in maintaining open communication channels and prevent further escalation, contributing more predictability to promoting a resilient peace and regional security, Ma Bo, an associate professor at the School of International Studies at Nanjing University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Major Thai and Cambodian media outlets, including The Nation, Bangkok Post, and Cam News reported Chinese envoy's trip. They mentioned previous mediation trips to Cambodia and Thailand in September made by envoy Deng Xijun, who stressed that peaceful coexistence and cooperation for development serve the common interests of Cambodia, Thailand, and their peoples.

Joint efforts needed

On Wednesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs ASEAN this year, said that Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to an ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on December 22, a Malaysia- and ASEAN-initiated effort aimed at easing tensions and preventing further escalation along the Cambodia-Thailand border, the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) reported.

According to Anwar, both Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to the deployment of an ASEAN observer team. In addition, Malaysia's engagement will continue across multiple channels, including communications between leaders, foreign ministers and the respective armed forces chiefs, and a meeting between ASEAN foreign ministers.

The US is also a major stakeholder in pushing for peace since the conflict initially broke out.

On December 13, US President Donald Trump claimed that Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to go back to the cease-fire deal reached in October in a social media posting, following his calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to an AP report.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on December 12, Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Cambodia and Thailand if the two countries do not stop their war.

According to Ma, ASEAN can bring both Cambodia and Thailand to the negotiating table and ease the situation, but it lacks mechanisms with binding enforcement power. On the US side, economic and trade pressure can force both parties to reach a temporary compromise, but it lacks constructiveness in addressing the root causes of the conflict between the two sides, thus lacking sustainability.

"The characteristic of China's mediation is low-key and pragmatic, striving within the ASEAN framework to achieve a solution acceptable to both sides in a way that avoids interfering in their internal affairs as much as possible," said Ma.

China emphasized long-term trust building and procedural continuity through discreet diplomacy and regional institutions, offering gradual but potentially more sustainable progress, Ma said.

The expert believed that the key to achieving long-lasting peace lies in all parties conducting multi-level coordination and communication through bilateral channels, small multilateral settings, and within the ASEAN framework, so as to create more opportunities for reaching a sustainable peace agreement.

"The Cambodia-Thailand border dispute has persisted for decades, posing challenges not only to the two countries but also to regional economic and security dimensions," Ge said. "It is believed that Cambodia and Thailand, as well as other regional countries, share a strong political will to resolve longstanding grievances and defuse the conflict."

Li Weilin contributed to the story

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ICC strongly rejects new U.S. sanctions designations against two ICC Judges

International Criminal Court (ICC) / Cour penale internationale (CPI)

Press Release: 18 December 2025

The International Criminal Court deplores the announcement of new designations for sanctions by the US administration against Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze (Georgia) and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin (Mongolia). These additional designations follow the earlier designation of nine elected officials of the Judiciary and the Office of the Prosecutor, drawn from all regional groups.

These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions.

Such measures targeting judges and prosecutors who were elected by the States Parties undermine the rule of law. When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.

As previously stated, the Court stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities. It will continue to carry out its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes.

The ICC values the consistent demonstrations of solidarity of States Parties, civil society and all those who support the rule of law and justice for the victims of international crimes. The Court will continue its work, with all partners, to ensure the effective and independent implementation of its mandate.

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Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties regrets additional U.S. sanctions targeting ICC elected officials

International Criminal Court (ICC) / Cour penale internationale (CPI)

Press Release: 18 December 2025

The Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties notes with deep concern the additional sanctions announced by the Government of the United States against two Judges of the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court. These measures, in addition to earlier designations of nine elected officials of Court, are regrettable attempts to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions in full conformity with the Rome Statute.

This escalation by the US administration in the use of sanctions against the Court's elected officials undermines the independence of the Court and the integrity of the Rome Statute system. Such actions risk undermining ongoing investigations and impeding global efforts to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. Sanctions against the Court's elected officials not only threaten the integrity of the Rome Statute system but its efforts to bring justice to victims of the most serious crimes known to humankind.

We reiterate our solidarity with the Court, its officials, and all those who contribute to the fulfilment of its judicial mandate. We applaud States Parties and stakeholders in the Rome Statute system for their steadfast commitment to upholding the principles of international justice and for remaining united in defending the Court, its elected officials, its personnel and those cooperating with it. Through our collective commitment to the rule of law, we can ensure that no one is above accountability.

The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute.

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Military personnel of Lithuania has been mandated to deploy to 14 multinational operations next year

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2025-12-18

International cooperation | Security and defense policy

Today the Seimas has approved draft resolution developed by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and tabled by the President mandating military and civilian personnel of the National Defence System of Lithuania to be deployed to 14 multinational missions and operations in 2026-2027. The maximum number of posted Lithuanian representatives was set to 412.

"Geopolitical security challenges remain, therefore Allied effort towards global peace and stability remain an important and relevant mission as well. Over three decades of contributing to multinational missions and operations is a consistent proof that we respect our obligations to international security and we are reliable Allies and partners. Like the previous year, we will continue supporting the implementation of the objectives laid out in the NATO Strategic Concept, the Common Security and Defence Policy, UN peacekeeping efforts, as well as multilateral and bilateral cooperation," says Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas.

The latest mandate includes two new multinational missions: the European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina Operation Althea and the European Union Training Mission Somalia (EUTM Somalia).

The Seimas Resolution also opens the door for Lithuanian expert deployment with cyber rapid responds teams (CRRTs) to EU missions and operations. The CRRTs are eligible as support to EU member states, Union institutions, missions and operations, and EU partner countries in cyber incident response or IT vulnerability testing if requested. Lithuania currently takes part in several EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) projects and leads one, the Cyber Rapid Response Teams and Mutual Assistance in Cyber Security. The CRRTs were formed as part of implementation of this project.

In 2026-2027 Lithuania will maintain contribution to the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR), European Union Training Mission in Central African Republic, the EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) - Operation ATALANTA and Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM Mozambique), the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) and the United Kingdom-led Operation Interflex.

Lithuania also gears up to continue the National Military Training Operation in Ukraine, on NATO and EU members states' soil for Armed Forces of Ukraine training purposes in response to invitations of the respective countries to do so. Lithuania will have troops available for deployment to Alliance-led or Alliance-conducted operations compliant with the goals and principles of the United Nations and norms of international law in the Indo-Pacific.

The mandate approved by the Seimas sets out limit numbers of military and civilian personnel of the National Defence System that may be contributed to concrete multinational operations, while factual contributions will depend on circumstances such as the capabilities and other commitments of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, requirement in the concrete operation and security situation in the country the Lithuanian personnel is deployed to, and the capacity of the Allies to integrate Lithuanian troops into their contingents.

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Gitanas Nauseda at the European Council: Security of the EU's eastern border has to become a shared responsibility for the entire EU

President of the Republic of Lithuania

December 18, 2025

At Thursday's European Council meeting, President Gitanas Nauseda emphasized that European security and defense have to be a priority in all EU decisions, considering the growing military and hybrid threats.

The Lithuanian leader stressed the need to strengthen the security of the EU and NATO's eastern flank without delay. The President called for the implementation of the Eastern Flank Watch and the European Drone Wall initiatives proposed by the European Commission, and noted that the security of Europe's eastern border has to become a shared responsibility of the entire European Union.

Gitanas Nauseda drew attention to changes in the tactics of Belarus's hybrid attacks, including the instrumentalization of smuggling networks using contraband balloons, which pose a threat to civil aviation and public safety. Since the beginning of this year, Lithuania has recorded more than 600 such incidents, which have disrupted hundreds of flights and affected tens of thousands of passengers. The President thanked EU partners for their solidarity, and stressed the need to maintain pressure on Russia and its ally Belarus by preparing a new package of sanctions.

Addressing the next Multiannual Financial Framework, the President welcomed the progress achieved during the Danish Presidency in preparing a negotiating package. Gitanas Nauseda emphasized that, in light of the threat posed by Russia, the security of the EU's eastern border must be recognized as a priority throughout the Multiannual Financial Framework, ensuring adequate funding and a defense industry component.

"Today, Europe is experiencing a decisive moment in history. That is why we particularly need the spirit of solidarity that has strengthened the European Union on many occasions. The time has come to rise above narrow national interests and assume joint responsibility for Europe's common security. Only a comprehensive, bold, and unified approach to the Multiannual Financial Framework will enable the creation of effective deterrence and defense instruments," the President said.

The Head of State also stressed the need to maintain the scope of the Multiannual Financial Framework proposed by the European Commission, ensure sufficient and clearly separated funding for the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, and complete the convergence of direct payments in order to guarantee fair conditions for Lithuanian farmers.

EU leaders will continue negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034 next year.

The President's Communication Group

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NATO warships sharpen readiness during High North deployment

NATO Allied Maritime Command

Dec 18 2025

High North -- Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) reinforced its operational presence in the High North for the second time this year, conducting activities aimed at enhancing readiness, cooperation, and maritime situational awareness in a strategically significant and demanding environment.

A central element of the deployment was SNMG1's participation in the Royal Norwegian Navy exercise Arctic Advance, where the group supported the Norwegian Submarine Commanders Course. Operating in complex Arctic conditions, SNMG1 provided realistic and challenging training opportunities focused on Anti-Submarine Warfare, further strengthening Allied interoperability and operational proficiency.

SNMG1 also patrolled the Norwegian sea, with particular emphasis on improving situational awareness around critical infrastructure. As part of its routine maritime presence, the group also professionally monitored several Russian units in close coordination with the Norwegian authorities.

The Task Group further enhanced its capabilities through joint training with Norwegian F-35 fighter aircraft. During the exercises, the F-35s conducted simulated attacks against the task group, providing realistic air defence training for SNMG1 crews and significantly strengthening operational readiness in the High North.

Commander SNMG1 Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Arjen Warnaar said this deployment has demonstrated the strength and flexibility of SNMG1 while operating under challenging High North conditions.

During the deployment, SNMG1 also conducted three port visits to Bod, Hammerfest and Troms demonstrating NATO's presence in the region, while conducting courtesy calls with local authorities and replenishing all units.

SNMG1 is one of four standing NATO maritime groups under Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) providing continuous maritime presence and readiness in peacetime, crisis and conflict. Deployments like this contribute to Allied assurance measures, enhance interoperability and demonstrate NATO's ability to operate across the entire North Atlantic, in the Baltic sea and the Arctic approaches.

Story by Public Affairs Office at MARCOM

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Secretary General visits NATO Forward Land Forces in Poland

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

18 December 2025

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Poland on Thursday (18 December 2025), where he met President Karol Nawrocki, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. The Secretary General visited the Bemowo Piskie training area, where he had the opportunity to meet and thank personnel serving as part of NATO's Forward Land Forces.

"As well as US troops, this base hosts troops from Romania, Croatia, the UK and of course Poland. And indeed, many of them will spend the holiday period away from their families, standing watch. Keeping us all safe, and enhancing our deterrence and defence posture on NATO's eastern flank," he said at a joint press conference with Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Mr Rutte commended Poland for its significant contributions to Allied security. "On the land, at sea and in the air, Poland's military continues to grow stronger. You are showing leadership by investing over 4.5% of GDP in defence, with that number set to rise even further in 2026," he said.

The Secretary General also highlighted that support to Ukraine is something we are all committed to. "Not only as the push for peace continues, but well beyond. Ukraine's security is ours - Poland knows this well," he said. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Poland has allocated more than 4 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, including 100 million dollars to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirement List (PURL), providing essential US equipment to Ukraine. Poland hosts a logistics hub for NATO's support to Ukraine, as well as the Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) in Bydgoszcz.

In response to repeated incursions into NATO airspace on the eastern flank, including in Poland, NATO launched Eastern Sentry in September. Much like Baltic Sentry, this activity has strengthened NATO's collective defence, said Secretary General Rutte: "It adds flexibility and resilience to NATO's posture on the eastern flank and sends a clear message: as a defensive Alliance, we are ready to deter and defend, from the Black Sea to High North - and beyond."

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Japan and the Netherlands sign Agreement on security cooperation

Netherlands Ministry of Defence

News item | 18-12-2025 | 16:15

The Netherlands and Japan will soon be able to exchange military goods and services more rapidly. This has been formalised in the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which governs procurement and the mutual provision of services. The document was signed today by Netherlands Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans and Japanese ambassador Rokuichiro Michii.

Japan and the Netherlands already enjoy strong defence cooperation. During his visit to Japan in April 2025, Prime Minister Schoof pledged to further develop the strategic security partnership between the two countries. The ACSA negotiations were officially started at the NATO summit in The Hague. The agreement was signed in the same year that marks 425 years of diplomatic ties between Japan and the Netherlands.

Security developments

Security developments in Europe are directly linked to those in the Indo-Pacific. For instance, North Korean troops are fighting against Ukraine, and their government supplies materiel to Russia. Japan plays a leading role with regard to security in the Indo-Pacific, making it a key partner for the Netherlands in the region. Japan also consistently supports Ukraine.

Consequently, military contacts between Japan and the Netherlands have become increasingly common in recent years, at various levels. Netherlands Chief of Defence General Eichelsheim met his then-counterpart General Yoshida in Japan in April 2023. At the time, both were already in the same view that the situation in the Indo-Pacific required more attention and cooperation. Earlier this year, General Yoshida visited the Netherlands on a reciprocal trip.

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Turk alarmed by spiralling Thai-Cambodia conflict and impact on civilians

Press releases

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

18 December 2025

GENEVA -- UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said widening Thailand-Cambodia hostilities and the use of air strikes and heavy weaponry in and around populated areas raises serious concerns regarding protection of the civilian population. He called for an immediate end to the fighting.

"I am alarmed by reports that areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery," Turk said.

"Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount," the High Commissioner warned.

Since fighting reignited on 7 December, Cambodia has reported 18 civilian fatalities, while Thailand has reported one civilian death. Strikes have increasingly been reported further from the border and into each other's territories.

Casino buildings and sites of alleged scam centres in Cambodia have also been reportedly struck. A survivor of an attack in O'smach, Oddor Meanchey, on 8 December told the UN Human Rights Office that one civilian was killed and two others injured in the strike.

Trafficked individuals of various nationalities are forced to carry out fraud at scam centres in Southeast Asia, including in Cambodia, and are now exposed to further risk by the fighting, Turk said, calling for the evacuation of those held there.

He said international humanitarian law clearly spells out that any attack must comply with the fundamental principles of distinction, necessity and proportionality and for precautions to be taken to protect civilians. Any credible reports of unlawful attacks should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated.

The conflict has forced some 750,000 people to flee their homes in border areas.

"Ensuring the safety of civilians and enabling their safe return home is vital," Turk said. At the same time, he stressed the importance of protecting Thai and Cambodian nationals in each other's territory, including their freedom of movement and to safely return if they choose.

Turk also reminded Cambodia and Thailand of their obligations under the Ottawa Convention which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines.

"I urge both sides to cease fire immediately and return to dialogue," he added, recalling a Joint Declaration to de-escalate the conflict reached by the two countries in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October. "My Office stands ready to assist with confidence-building measures, and to ensure that protecting the lives and welfare of civilians is the priority.

"Thailand and Cambodia have built a strong foundation of cooperation over many years, rooted in shared history and values, including their commitment to human rights. This conflict stands in stark contrast to that legacy of partnership. Both nations have the tools and the ties to chart a path back to dialogue and lasting peace."



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Chinese aggression in WPS well-documented - DND spox

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 18, 2025, 10:01 am

MANILA -- The Philippines is not exaggerating reports of repeated Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, as the incidents are well documented, a Department of National Defense spokesperson said Thursday.

"The Philippines is not hyping the issue, the facts speak for themselves. These are aggressive, excessive, and dangerous actions of an encroaching state," DND spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong said in a statement.

"No amount of rhetorical reframing changes the reality that ordinary fishermen were harmed while fishing lawfully within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and that the CCG (Chinese Coast Guard) deliberately disrupted our humanitarian efforts."

He is reacting to a statement from China's defense ministry accusing Manila of distorting details regarding the Dec. 12 incident in Escoda Shoal (also known as Sabina Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea, where three Filipino fishers were hurt following water cannoning and other harassment.

"The facts are not distorted. They are documented, timestamped, and corroborated by video recordings, vessel logs, and on-site reporting by the Philippine Coast Guard," he added.

The latest incident also included blocking maneuvers and cutting of anchor lines, damaging the fishing boats of the fishers.

"We will not be intimidated from benefiting from our resources by China's constant bullying, prevarication, or so-called effective measures. What truly threatens peace is the persistent, unsafe behavior that endangers civilians and demonizes any form of resistance against an abusive neighbor," Andolong said.

He added that the CCG publicly admitted implementing "control measures" which confirms their interference with civilian fishing boats and PCG vessels providing aid to injured civilians.

The Philippines will continue to protect its people, uphold international law, and assert its rights calmly, professionally, and transparently, Andolong said. (PNA)

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Chinese peacekeeping force to Lebanon completes 23rd rotation

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China

Source China Military Online

EditorLi Weichao

Time2025-12-18 19:27:03

By Qu Fatong and Zhang Boyu

BEIJING, Dec. 18 -- On December 15, 2025, local time, the 23rd and 24th Chinese peacekeeping forces to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) held a handover ceremony at the Chinese peacekeeping camp in southern Lebanon, marking the 23rd successful rotation of the Chinese peacekeeping force to UNIFIL. Representatives of UNIFIL, Lebanese officials, and friendly peacekeeping troops attended the ceremony.

"Since their full deployment, the Chinese Contingent has carried out every task with professionalism, precision and determination. You brought hope as much as assistance. In a few words, you really made a difference. Thank you all for this!" Major General Diodato Abagnara, Force Commander of UNIFIL, commended the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping force to UNIFIL, and welcomed the incoming 24th Chinese peacekeeping force to perform its duties.

During the past year, facing the complex security situations, the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping force to UNIFIL reinitiated demining operations along the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon, which had been suspended for two years, cleared nearly 7,000 square meters of minefields and neutralized over 300 mines and other unexploded munitions.

In addition, the Chinese peacekeepers efficiently completed 64 annual tasks including shelter construction, removed 51 roadblocks, cleared more than 3,200 meters of roads, and repaired 44 defensive facilities. They also conducted more than 40 humanitarian assistance activities such as medical outreach, serving more than 4,000 local patients. All the members of the 23rd peacekeeping force to UNIFIL have been awarded the UN Peace Medal of Honor, representing the extensive recognition from UNIFIL and the local people.

Currently, the 24th Chinese peacekeeping force to UNIFIL has fully taken over the duties, and the 23rd Chinese peacekeeping force will return to China soon.

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China urges Cambodia, Thailand to exercise calm and restraint, come to ceasefire

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China

Source Xinhuanet

EditorLi Jiayao

Time2025-12-18 21:29:12

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday called on Cambodia and Thailand to remain calm and exercise restraint and achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, while rejecting speculation arising from the reported use of Chinese weapons.

Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when responding to a media query, saying that China has long carried out defense cooperation with both Cambodia and Thailand, including military trade. He stressed that such cooperation is not targeted at any third party, complies fully with international law and international practices, and is of no relation to the border conflict.

He said that China hopes relevant parties will refrain from subjective speculation and malicious hype.

As a friendly neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China is following the developments of the border conflict closely, and is deeply saddened by the casualties suffered by the people of the two countries, Jiang noted.

He expressed the hope that both sides will act in the fundamental interests of border peace and stability, as well as the well-being of their people, and that they will maintain the utmost calm and restraint, achieve a ceasefire at an early date, and return to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation.

China will continue working to promote peace talks, and will play a constructive role in facilitating a ceasefire and in rebuilding peace between Cambodia and Thailand, Jiang said.

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UAE exposed as secret buyer in huge arms deal with Israel: Report

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 7:36 PM

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been identified as the undisclosed buyer behind a $ 2.3 billion contract signed last month by Israeli arms maker Elbit Systems, a report states.

The report by Intelligence Online, published on Thursday, stated that the $ 2.3 billion deal between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv involves the delivery of advanced military systems over eight years.

The outlets placed the agreement among a series of major arms exports by Israeli arms companies in recent years.

Elbit earlier announced the contract without naming the purchasing state or disclosing the systems involved.

The exposure of the UAE as Elbit's mystery client comes amid mounting condemnation from human rights organizations over Israel's genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.

International organizations such as Oxfam have warned that the transfer of advanced military systems risks enabling serious violations of international law and further civilian harm.

The revelation comes after a quiet expansion of UAE-Israel cooperation maintained throughout Israel's genocide in the blockaded Palestinian territory, including progress on a cross-regional transport corridor kept largely out of public view.

Last month, Israeli media reported that construction of the so-called "Peace Railway," designed to move goods from India through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to Haifa for onward export to Europe and the US, has already reached an advanced stage, with Emirati and Israeli authorities agreeing to establish a joint administration to manage the route.

In October, Israeli military firm Controp Precision Technologies opened its first UAE subsidiary in Abu Dhabi to produce, sell, and service Israeli electro-optical surveillance systems under Israeli oversight, further embedding the Emirati defense market into Israel's arms industry.

The deepening relationship has also extended into the diplomatic sphere, as the UAE purchased land worth tens of millions of Israeli shekels (NIS) to construct its first permanent embassy in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories back in October.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, in late October briefed members of the world body's General Assembly on how more than sixty governments, most importantly Western powers and several Arab states, have been enabling the Israeli regime's "genocidal machinery" in Gaza.

European states among Israel's most lucrative arms markets

Elbit Systems reported record profits in November, fueled by arms sales during Israel's genocidal war in the besieged Palestinian region.

According to Intelligence Online, the scale and secrecy of the UAE agreement mirror Elbit's earlier $1.63-billion contract with Serbia, signed in August,

The five-year Serbia deal includes long-range precision artillery rockets, unmanned aerial combat platforms and drones, advanced intelligence, surveillance, electronic warfare systems, and upgrades to combat vehicles and military platforms.

In November, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported that Israel and Albania signed an arms deal in September led by Elbit Systems to supply artillery, mortars and tactical drones.

Back in August, Private Eye reported that the British Ministry of Defense was moving toward a $2.7-billion contract with Elbit Systems that would see Israel's largest arms firm train up to 60,000 British troops annually and become a strategic partner to the UK military.

The largest of these was Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) sale of the Arrow 3 system to Germany in 2023 for $3.5 billion.

The developments come as Israeli arms firms continue securing contracts worldwide despite Israel's genocide in Gaza.

A series of reports has already exposed the complicity of the US, Western states, and their regional allies in Gaza

Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 70,667 Palestinians, the majority being women and children, with 171,151 others injured, in Gaza.

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Qatar warns Israel's ceasefire violations pushing Gaza truce toward collapse

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 11:04 AM

Qatar's prime minister has warned that relentless Israeli breaches of the Gaza ceasefire are jeopardizing the entire agreement, as winter storms deepen a humanitarian catastrophe and Tel Aviv continues to obstruct aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani sounded the warning on Wednesday, stressing that daily Israeli violations of the US-brokered ceasefire threaten to derail the deal altogether, calling for the immediate launch of the second phase of the deal aimed at halting Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

Speaking after talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, Al Thani warned that "delays and ceasefire violations endanger the entire process and place mediators in a difficult position," stressing that humanitarian aid must enter Gaza unconditionally.

The remarks came during the seventh US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue as the fragile truce continues to fray amid a worsening humanitarian emergency.

According to reports, the talks focused largely on pressuring the occupying entity to halt its violations, alongside discussions on forming an international stabilization force that could include Indonesian and Turkish troops, despite Israel's objections to Turkish involvement.

Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israel has violated it at least 738 times, killing at least 394 Palestinians and injuring 1,075 others.

The development comes as Gaza's humanitarian situation has grown desperate as winter storms batter the war-ravaged territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to shelter in flimsy tents or unsafe and bombed-out buildings.

Israel has compounded the crisis by blocking essential supplies, including mobile homes, tents and blankets, while tightly restricting aid deliveries, with Gaza's Government Media Office reporting that only 39 percent of approved aid trucks have reached their destinations.

The United Nations says around 30,000 children have been affected by storm damage to shelters, as Israel continues to bar vital winter assistance and nutritious food.

Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, for his part, has warned that ongoing Israeli violations threaten the viability of the agreement, urging US President Donald Trump to force Tel Aviv to comply, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends continued killings by accusing Hamas of rearming.

The second phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan concerns Hamas disarmament, the further withdrawal of Israeli forces, the unveiling of a new governing body in Gaza, and the launching of an "International Stabilization Force" in the strip.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 70,667 Palestinians, the majority being women and children, with 171,151 others injured, in Gaza.

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Hezbollah warns it won't disarm, says patience running out

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 10:16 AM

A senior Hezbollah official has warned of mounting threats to the Arab nation, stressing that the Lebanese resistance movement's patience is running out while Israeli attacks continue in violation of the ceasefire.

Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chairman of Hezbollah's political council, said that the group would not surrender its weapons under any circumstances and vowed it would never retreat from its role as a deterrent force defending Lebanon against Israeli aggression.

He cautioned that Lebanon's very existence and survival are at risk, adding that Hezbollah forces will not fully withdraw from areas south of the Litani River and will maintain a presence there.

Qamati emphasized that Hezbollah is prepared to confront any act of aggression. "If the resistance group runs out of patience, it will no longer argue with anyone," the senior Hezbollah official said.

The remarks come as Israel's Channel 12 reported on Wednesday that the occupation military is preparing a list of potential targets against Hezbollah, in anticipation of Tel Aviv's decision to launch a large-scale aggression against Lebanon.

According to the report, these targets include Hezbollah's infrastructure, senior and junior members of the party, members of the "missile unit," and weapons depots, to limit the group's capabilities.

The Israeli channel said, "Israel is aware that Hezbollah still possesses long-range missiles and other means that it can use in decisive battles. At the same time, it continues its efforts to strengthen its power, and for this reason, Israeli forces may conduct strikes deep inside Lebanon to harm the party."

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

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

Lebanese authorities have warned that the Israeli regime's violations of the ceasefire threaten national stability.

In the latest violations of the ceasefire, two separate Israeli airstrikes targeted vehicles in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. An Israeli drone strike hit a car on a road between the towns of Markaba and al-Aadaissah in the Marjayoun district, killing one person.

In a separate attack, another Israeli drone targeted a pickup truck in the Sebline area along the Mount Lebanon coast, killing one person and injuring five others, according to the Health Ministry.

Despite almost daily Israeli airstrikes and ongoing breaches of Lebanese airspace and sovereignty, Hezbollah continues to be the sole credible military entity capable of challenging the occupation and thwarting additional Israeli intrusions.

As demands from Washington and Israel to disarm the Lebanese resistance group intensify, numerous individuals within the Arab nation contend that such attempts overlook the fundamental problem of Israel's ongoing infringements on Lebanese sovereignty.

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US House votes down measures aimed at limiting Trump's Venezuela aggression

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 10:12 AM

The US House of Representatives narrowly voted down two Democratic-sponsored resolutions aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign toward Venezuela.

Trump has ramped up his "maximum pressure" campaign against Venezuela under the guise of a war on drugs, with reports saying Washington plans to seize control of the Latin American nation's oil production.

The increasing American military buildup near Venezuela and attacks on boats have sparked condemnation from inside the US, with some lawmakers trying to rein in Trump. However, on Wednesday, the two resolutions were voted down.

The first measure rejected was a resolution sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It sought to bar the US armed forces from engaging in hostilities with "any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere" unless authorized by Congress. Lawmakers voted it down, 216 to 210.

The second bid was a resolution sponsored by Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee. The resolution directed the president to end the US forces' hostilities against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. The Republican-majority House voted 213 to 211 against this bid, as well.

House Republicans and Democrats voted almost exclusively along party lines. Two Republicans voted with Democrats for the first resolution, and three backed the second. Two Democrats opposed the first resolution, and one voted no on the second.

The rejection came as Trump had ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers leaving and entering Venezuela, while US troops have carried out more than two dozen strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 99 people.

Political and diplomatic sources cited in multiple media reports suggest the United States is seeking greater control over Venezuela's oil sector. Even a Trump aide has confirmed this.

Stephen Miller claimed on Wednesday that Venezuela's oil belongs to Washington, describing the nationalisation of the South American country's petroleum industry as "theft."

His comments have raised new questions over the Trump administration's claim that drug smuggling is its primary source of tensions with Venezuela.

In 2007, under the late left-wing President Hugo Chavez, Caracas took control of assets left by the Americans and nationalized the remaining foreign assets in Venezuela.

"American sweat, ingenuity, and toil created the oil industry in Venezuela," Miller wrote in a social media post. "Its tyrannical expropriation was the largest recorded theft of American wealth and property."

Earlier, Trump had made a similar comment, echoing Miller's claim that Venezuelans had stolen oil from the US.

"Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America," Trump wrote.

"It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before - Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."

Legal experts, however, have rejected the Americans' claim to ownership of Venezuelan oil, saying under international law the sovereign nation's resources belong to the Latin American country.

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Statement on announcement of new sanctions against International Criminal Court judges

Spain - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

PRESS STATEMENT 126

18 Dec 25

Spain deplores the announcement of new sanctions adopted by the United States against two judges of the International Criminal Court.

These sanctions represent a new attack on the independence, integrity and impartiality of the International Criminal Court, seriously affecting its work.

The International Criminal Court plays an indispensable role in ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes against humanity and in contributing to the reparation of victims.

Spain reaffirms its unequivocal support for the Court and expresses its full solidarity with the judges, prosecutors and all ICC staff affected by these decisions.

Spain will continue to fully comply with its commitments under the Rome Statute and international law, respecting and guaranteeing the full exercise of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.



-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-

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China Backs Venezuela's Request for Urgent UN Security Council Meeting Over US Actions

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China opposes any unilateral acts of intimidation and supports Venezuela's request to convene an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to US actions, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a press briefing on Thursday.

"China opposes all acts of unilateralism and bullying, and supports countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity," the spokesperson said.

He added that Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other nations.

"We believe the international community can understand and support Venezuela's stance of protecting its own legitimate rights and interests. China supports Venezuela's request for holding an emergency session of the UN Security Council," Guo added.

The presidency of the UN Security Council, currently held by Slovenia, confirmed Venezuela's request for the meeting and is consulting with other Council members.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened Venezuela with an unprecedented shock, demanding that Caracas return what he described as "stolen" US oil, land, and other assets. These statements were made alongside promises to soon commence strikes against drug traffickers on land as part of Washington's broader anti-narcotics campaign in the region.

Venezuelan Permanent Representative to the UN Samuel Moncada has likened current US policy to the actions of aggressors during World War II, accusing the Trump administration of destabilizing international relations.

 Sputnik

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Maduro Discussed US Threats Against Venezuela With UN Secretary-General

Sputnik News

20251218

UN/MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres by phone to warn of the escalation of threats against Venezuela and their dangerous consequences for regional peace, the Venezuelan government said.

"Nicolas Maduro Moros spoke by phone today with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to warn of the escalation of threats against Venezuela and their serious consequences for regional peace," the statement said.

For his part, Guterres, according to the document, reaffirmed his commitment to the principles of international law and the UN Charter, expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people, and stressed the need to prevent escalation.

He said an armed conflict in the region is unjustifiable and could have grave consequences for the stability of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Amid the escalating situation around Venezuela, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called on the United Nations to take an active role and prevent possible bloodshed, reaffirming Mexico City's commitment to the principles of non-intervention and peaceful resolution of conflicts.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he designated the incumbent Venezuelan government as a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a "complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela.

US journalist Tucker Carlson said on Wednesday a member of Congress told him that President Trump would declare a war against Venezuela during his evening address, but Trump did not mention tensions with Venezuela in his address.

 Sputnik

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Russia Advocates for Normalizing Dialogue Between US, Venezuela - Foreign Ministry

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia consistently advocates for normalizing dialogue between the United States and Venezuela and steps to deescalate the situation in the Caribbean region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"We consistently advocate for normalizing dialogue between Washington and Caracas. We are convinced that steps are necessary to deescalate the situation and find constructive solutions to existing problems and disagreements, respecting international legal norms," the ministry said in a statement.

The US is continuously and deliberately escalating tensions around Venezuela, the ministry also said, adding that unilateral decisions that pose a threat to international shipping are causing concern.

"We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of the trials they are experiencing and our support for the [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro government's course aimed at protecting the national interests and sovereignty of the homeland," the statement read.

Moscow hopes Washington will refrain from escalating tensions around Venezuela, which could have unpredictable consequences for the Western Hemisphere, statement added.

 Sputnik

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Fourteenth U.S.-Vietnam Political, Security and Defense Dialogue

US Department of State

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

December 18, 2025

Senior Bureau Official for Political-Military Affairs Fleet White welcomed Vice Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang in Washington, D.C., December 18, 2025, to discuss security cooperation and regional security challenges at the fourteenth U.S.-Vietnam Political, Security, and Defense Dialogue.

The U.S. delegation, which also included representatives from the Department's Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, as well as senior officials from the Department of War, built on the success of our previous dialogue in 2024, as well the Vietnam-U.S. Defense Policy Dialogue held in Hanoi earlier this year. These productive talks further promoted the robust and growing bilateral relationship between the United States and Vietnam and reflected America's commitment to building alliances and strengthening partnerships in a free and open Indo-Pacific region that will be the bedrock of security and prosperity.

For further information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Outreach Team at T_Outreach_PM@State.gov.

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Sanctioning ICC Judges Directly Engaged in the Illegitimate Targeting of Israel

US Department of State

Press Statement

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

December 18, 2025

Today, I am designating two International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia, pursuant to Executive Order 14203, "Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court." These individuals have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel's consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC's ruling against Israel's appeal on December 15.

The ICC has continued to engage in politicized actions targeting Israel, which set a dangerous precedent for all nations. We will not tolerate ICC abuses of power that violate the sovereignty of the United States and Israel and wrongly subject U.S. and Israeli persons to the ICC's jurisdiction.

Our message to the Court has been clear: the United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and therefore reject the ICC's jurisdiction. We will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to the ICC's lawfare and overreach.

All targets are being designated pursuant to section 1(a)(ii)(A) of Executive Order (E.O.) 14203.

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Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York

18 December 2025

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

** Guest Today

Good afternoon.

In a short while, I will be joined by World Food Programme (WFP) Palestine Representative, Antoine Renard.

He will join us from Gaza City to brief on the situation there.

** Occupied Palestinian Territory

And speaking of Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) tells us that UN agencies and more than 200 international and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) issued a statement yesterday urging the international community to take immediate and concrete actions to press the Israeli authorities to lift all impediments to NGO operations and humanitarian access across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially in the Gaza Strip.

They warned that restrictive policies  including a new registration system for international NGOs that relies on vague and politicized criteria  are undermining relief efforts and risk the collapse of the humanitarian response.

They also stress that many essential supplies such as food, medicine, hygiene items and shelter materials remain stuck outside Gaza  and that dozens of international NGOs face deregistration and forced closure by year's end. The loss of NGO capacity would severely disrupt life-saving services including healthcare, nutrition treatment, water and sanitation, and emergency shelter at a time when needs are acute and alternatives cannot fill the gap.

The UN and our partners continue our efforts to scale up assistance across the Gaza Strip despite these challenges, with a focus on providing winter support to mitigate the impact of harsh weather conditions.

Our partners say that since the ceasefire came into effect in mid-October and as of Tuesday, they have distributed multipurpose cash assistance to nearly 139,000 households, compared with over 40,000 in September.

Each household received digital payments equivalent to about US$378. Altogether, more than 305,000 households in the Gaza Strip have received at least one payment this year.

Our partners providing education services report that on Tuesday, they distributed hygiene materials to more than 90 temporary learning spaces across the Strip, benefiting nearly 115,000 school-age children. These supplies are particularly critical during the winter rainy season, as they improve sanitation conditions and reduce health risks in overcrowded spaces.

Also on Tuesday, three new temporary learning spaces were established in northern Gaza  two in Gaza City and one in North Gaza governorate  bringing the total number of operational learning spaces across the Strip to more than 400. Several multipurpose tents were also installed to foster safer learning environments for enrolled students, many of whom are receiving education for the first time.

Finally, our health partners report that constraints affecting the entry into Gaza of emergency medical teams have eased somewhat in recent weeks. Denial rates have fallen to about 20 per cent, compared with 30 to 35 per cent before the ceasefire. There are currently more than 340 emergency medical team staff in Gaza.

** Colonialism

The General Assembly this morning observed the sixty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. And it also observedthe International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations.

The Secretary-General, in remarks delivered by Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Elizabeth Spehar, said that the United Nations helped more than 60 territories  home to over 80 million people  pursue self-determination and emergeas independent States. But he added that the legacy is unfinished, with 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories remaining.

And he added that the Security Council, the international financial system and other pillars of global governance bear the imprint of a world that no longer exists  a world of empires, not of equals. He said we must end colonialism in its traditional forms and dismantle its remnants wherever they endure.

** Security Council  Syria

This morning, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, briefed Security Council members on the situation in Syria. She said that Syria has made significant progress over the past year, including restoring State institutions and enabling large-scale returns of refugees and internally displaced people. She warned, however, that the situation remains fragile.

Ms. DiCarlo stressed that inclusive dialogue, security sector reform and sustained international support are essential, and reaffirmed that the United Nations stands ready to support the Syrian people throughout this transition.

For her part, Joyce Msuya, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, told the Council members that Syria's transition from humanitarian aid to recovery and reconstruction will require broad partner support for Government-led efforts. She added that supply routes are normalizing as cross-border operations wind down. But with the 2025 humanitarian appeal only 30 per cent funded, millions remain without help, forcing reductions, disruptions and difficult prioritization decisions, while needs will remain immense next year.

** Sudan

Turning to Sudan, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights today called for an impartial, thorough and effective investigation into the attack on the Zamzam internally displaced persons camp in April.

According to a report published today, at least 1,013 civilians were killed during the offensive from 11 to 13 April in what the report describes as "a consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law".

The report details widespread killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and abductions committed during the three-day offensive by the Rapid Support Forces on the Zamzam camp.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said those responsible for serious violations of international law must be held accountable through fair proceedings.

Meanwhile, we and our partners in Tawila continue to support people displaced from the state capital, El Fasher, and surrounding areas, as well as the Zamzam displacement camp, but needs remain overwhelming, resources scarce and insecurity continues to hamper the response.

Across the Kordofan region, our humanitarian colleagues tell us they are deeply concerned by reports of escalating drone attacks and shelling that continue to harm civilians and drive new displacement.

In South Kordofan State, multiple drone strikes and shelling have reportedly hit civilian areas in recent days, including the town of Dilling and the state capital, Kadugli.

The violence has forced families to flee Dilling on foot towards Kadugli, along routes where landmines and other dangers have been reported. The journey is especially perilous for the most vulnerable  including children, pregnant and lactating women, and older people.

More than 50,000 people have been displaced since late October from locations across the Kordofan region due to heightened insecurity, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In South Kordofan, our partners report that more than 1,900 people have arrived in the locality of Abu Jubeihah in the past three days. They are now sheltering in temporary settlements and urgently need food, nutrition, safe drinking water, health services and protection, at a time when humanitarian assistance remains severely overstretched and access is limited.

In North Darfur State, local sources report that drone strikes in recent days caused civilian casualties and displacement in the localities of Kutum, Melit, Um Baro, Tina and Saraf Omra.

The impact of drone attacks is also being felt beyond front-line areas in Sudan. In the early hours of today, drone strikes on power stations in Atbara, in River Nile State, triggered widespread blackouts  disrupting electricity supplies across multiple towns.

With just a couple of weeks left in the year, Sudan's humanitarian response plan is only 36 per cent funded, with $1.5 billion received out of the $4.2 billion required. We urgently call on donors to step up support to close the funding gap and sustain life-saving assistance.

** Haiti

Turning to Haiti, this morning in Port-au-Prince, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Nicole Kouassi, launched the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026.

The Plan seeks $880 million to support 4.2 million vulnerable Haitians out of 6.4 million people who need aid and are bearing the brunt of violence at the hands of armed groups.

Internal displacement triggered by armed violence has doubled in a year. In September 2025, nearly 1.4 million people were internally displaced, representing 12 per cent of Haiti's total population.

Widespread insecurity in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and its gradual spread to regional zones have caused displacement, stifled Haiti's economy and limited people's access to food. Some 5.7 million people, which is half of Haiti's population, are currently going hungry every day. That number is expected to increase to 5.9 million people during the lean season that runs from March to June.

The impact of armed violence on women and girls has been devastating. Our partners have recorded an average of 27 new cases of gender-based violence per day between January and September 2025. More than half of those are cases of sexual violence. Worse still, collective rapes account for two thirds of reported cases of sexual violence.

Ms. Kouassi underlined that despite the immense scale of the needs, the $908 million Haiti humanitarian appeal for this year is only 23 per cent funded, with $206 million mobilized.

She calls for renewed, substantial, and sustained international support.

** Venezuela

We informed you yesterday about the Secretary-General's phone call from Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan President, regarding the current tensions in the region.

During the call, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the United Nations' position on the need for Member States to respect international law, particularly the United Nations Charter, exercise restraint and de-escalate tensions to preserve regional stability.

** Aviation

The United Nations and the Government of Ukraine held their second annual Aviation Talks yesterday. The meeting took place virtually.

The two parties highlighted the strong cooperation between the United Nations and Ukraine-registered civil aviation service providers in implementing UN mandates. Discussions covered regulatory oversight, aviation safety and future outlooks for UN aviation activities.

The meeting reinforced the technical working relationship between respective aviation specialists, aiming to further enhance the quality and safety of air transportation services for the UN. Both parties agreed to continue this dialogue on a regular basis.

** International Days

Today is International Migrants Day. Since 2014, nearly 70,000 migrants have died or gone missing along land and sea routes. As borders tighten, smugglers and traffickers thrive, and women and children face the greatest risks.

In his message, the Secretary-General says migration drives progress and development, but when poorly governed it fuels fear and puts lives at risk. He urges solidarity, safe pathways and respect for migrants' rights.

And today we honour the Arabic language  a language of history, culture, and dialogue. On World Arabic Day, we say: may its words continue to connect people and build bridges across the world.

** Questions and Answers

Deputy Spokesman : Any questions for me before we turn to our guest? Yes. Namo?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. Today, [United States] Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio announced that the United States was sanctioning, like, two more ICC (International Criminal Court) judges for engaging in what he called politicized and illegitimate actions against Israel. Does the Secretary-General have any comment on this?

Deputy Spokesman : Yeah. What I can tell you is that the Secretary-General expresses serious concern about the designation of two additional judges of the International Criminal Court to be sanctioned under the executive order, as well as the ongoing designation of other International Criminal Court and United Nations officials. While the UN and the International Criminal Court are separate institutions with separate and distinct mandates, the UN considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice, and the Secretary-General respects its work. The Secretary-General also emphasized the importance of the basic principle of judicial independence. The UN remains committed to cooperating with the ICC in accordance with the relationship agreement between the UN and the ICC, which was approved by the General Assembly in 2004.

Question : One more question on the phone call with Maduro. How long did it last?

Deputy Spokesman : We don't time the phone calls. It was a call received... it was a call from the President, who had called to the Secretary-General. Yes, please, Minlu?

Question : Thank you, Farhan. The US has approved a package of arms sales to Taiwan that is one of the biggest ever, worth up to $11 billion. What is the UN's position on this decision?

Deputy Spokesman : We don't comment on [bilateral] arms sales as a matter of policy. Regarding Taiwan, of course, you're aware of the position we've taken on the "one China" policy and the relevant UN resolution from 1971. Okay. If that's it, then I will turn to our guest.

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Civilians at risk amid escalating Thailand-Cambodia conflict: UN rights chief

18 December 2025 - Intensifying air strikes and heavy artillery fire across Thailand and Cambodia have left civilians increasingly at risk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Thursday.

"I am alarmed by reports that areas around villages and cultural sites are being struck by fighter jets, drones, and artillery," he said.

"Under international humanitarian law, it is very clear that protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure is paramount."

Renewed fighting

Since fighting reignited on 7 December, Cambodia has reported 18 civilian fatalities, while Thailand has reported one civilian death.

Strikes have increasingly been reported further from the border and into each other's territories.

The development comes after intensifying border clashes between the two countries over the summer that were the most serious escalation in a decade.

To date, some 750,000 people have fled their homes, said Mr. Turk.

Exposed to further risk

Casino complexes and suspected scam centres in Cambodia have reportedly been hit.

In O'smach, a town in northwestern Cambodia, an air strike on 8 December killed one civilian and injured two others, according to a survivor.

Many trafficked foreign nationals forced to work in such scam operations are now at greater risk from the fighting, the High Commissioner warned, urging their evacuation.

"Ensuring the safety of civilians and enabling their safe return home is vital," Mr. Turk said.

Return to peace

He urged the sides to end the fighting and return to dialogue.

"Thailand and Cambodia have built a strong foundation of cooperation over many years, rooted in shared history and values, including their commitment to human rights," he noted.

"This conflict stands in stark contrast to that legacy of partnership. Both nations have the tools and the ties to chart a path back to dialogue and lasting peace."





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World News in Brief: UN to evacuate Kadugli base in Sudan, celebrating migrant contributions, ending colonialism

18 December 2025 - The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) will evacuate its logistics base in Kadugli, Sudan, in the wake of the "heinous attack" this past weekend that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and seriously injured eight others.

"The decision, which was communicated to the relevant authorities, follows an extensive assessment of the prevailing security situation in Kadugli which has disabled the capacity for the UN to function in the area," the Mission said in a statement on Thursday.

UNISFA was established in 2011 in Abyei, the disputed oil-rich region between Sudan and South Sudan. Its mandate includes monitoring and verifying the redeployment of forces from the region, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and protecting civilians.

Last month, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa Martha Pobee told the Security Council that progress on the political track has been slow since the start of the Sudan war in 2023 and increasing political stability in South Sudan.

She also said the operational environment in Kadugli "has become untenable" and the fighting was putting peacekeepers at risk.

UNISFA underlined commitment to the implementation of the mandate of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM).

The Mission is "closely monitoring the developments on the ground" and "will reconsider the resumption of our activities in Kadugli when the situation permits."

International Migrants Day: Celebrating contributions, highlighting challenges

Venezuelans living in other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean contribute more than $10.6 billion every year to local economies mostly through spending on food, education and healthcare.

The finding comes in a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) published on Thursday, International Migrants Day.

The analysis is based on research conducted since 2021 in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Aruba.

Other findings show that Venezuelans make valuable tax contributions, representing approximately just over one per cent of total tax revenue in these countries. In Colombia alone, this has exceeded $529 million in a single year.

Globally, there are more than 300 million migrants, according to UN estimates.

Millions forced to move

While the International Day provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on their invaluable contributions, it also highlights the increasingly complex environment in which migration occurs.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that conflicts, climate-related disasters and economic pressures continue to drive millions to seek safety or opportunity outside their homelands.

"This past year saw record levels of internal displacement, rising humanitarian needs across ongoing and new crises, and, tragically, the highest-ever death toll of migrants in transit," he said in his message to mark the Day.

"By supporting regular pathways for migration, we can enable opportunities for migrants, better protect their rights, and contribute to greater prosperity in the countries migrants come from and those that host them."

General Assembly marks first International Day against Colonialism

Meanwhile in New York, the UN General Assembly observed the first-ever International Day against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations which supports the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, adopted 65 years ago.

Since then, the UN helped more than 60 territories - home to over 80 million people - pursue self-determination and emerge as independent states.

However, "that legacy is unfinished," said the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, Elizabeth Spehar.

Today, 17 non-governing territories remain and "vestiges of colonialism persist - not only on maps, but in the architecture of global power."

Institutions like the Security Council and the international financial system "bear the imprint of a world that no longer exists - a world of empires, not of equals," she said.

Ms. Spehar, who spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General, recalled that the UN was created 80 years ago to save succeeding generations from war, uphold human rights, and advance progress in larger freedom.

"Let us renew that promise - not only by ending colonialism in its traditional forms, but by dismantling its remnants wherever they endure."





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Today's top news: Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria, Sudan, Haiti

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Occupied Palestinian Territory

UN agencies, NGOs urge immediate lifting of impediments to aid operations

UN agencies and more than 200 international and local NGOs issued a statement yesterday urging the international community to take immediate and concrete actions to press the Israeli authorities to lift all impediments to NGO operations and humanitarian access across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially in the Gaza Strip.

They warned that restrictive policies - including a new registration system for international NGOs that relies on vague and politicized criteria - are undermining relief efforts and risk the collapse of the humanitarian response.

They also stressed that many essential supplies such as food, medicine, hygiene items and shelter materials remain stuck outside Gaza - and that dozens of international NGOs face deregistration and forced closure by year's end. The loss of NGO capacity would severely disrupt life-saving services - including healthcare, nutrition treatment, water and sanitation, and emergency shelter - at a time when needs are acute and alternatives cannot fill the gap.

On the ground in Gaza, the UN and its partners continue their efforts to scale up assistance across the Strip despite these challenges, with a focus on providing winter support to mitigate the impact of harsh weather conditions.

Partners say that since the ceasefire came into effect in mid-October and as of Tuesday, they have distributed multi-purpose cash assistance to nearly 139,000 households, compared with over 40,000 in September.

Each household received digital payments equivalent to about US$378. Altogether, more than 305,000 households in the Gaza Strip have received at least one payment this year.

Partners providing education services report that on Tuesday, they distributed hygiene materials to more than 90 temporary learning spaces across the Strip, benefiting nearly 115,000 school-age children. These supplies are particularly critical during the winter rainy season, as they improve sanitation conditions and reduce health risks in overcrowded spaces.

Also on Tuesday, three new temporary learning spaces were established in northern Gaza - two in Gaza city and one in North Gaza governorate - bringing the total number of operational learning spaces across the Strip to more than 400. Several multi-purpose tents were also installed to foster safer learning environments for enrolled students, many of whom are accessing education for the first time.

Finally, partners working on health report that constraints affecting the entry into Gaza of emergency medical teams have eased somewhat in recent weeks. Denial rates have fallen to about 20 per cent, compared with 30 to 35 per cent before the ceasefire. There are currently more than 340 emergency medical team staff in Gaza.

Syria

Deputy UN Relief Chief urges Security Council to "seize the moment" to support recovery

Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, told the Security Council today that vigorous and diligent international support remains vital as Syria continues to navigate immense opportunities and complex challenges.

She noted that those returning to the country - as well as the millions of people who remain displaced - will continue to rely on humanitarian aid, especially during the cold winter months.

Ms. Msuya stressed that although the current moment has given Syria the opportunity to finally bring down needs, action is required from the Security Council and wider international community for that to happen at pace and at scale.

The Assistant Secretary-General called for attentive diplomacy to de-escalate and resolve ongoing flashpoints, and to prevent new fighting, noting that beyond the immediate humanitarian impact, such violence robs Syria of the stability that will enable desperately needed investments in development.

She also appealed for support for such investments, as well as to sustain and expand the flow of humanitarian assistance in the near term, with needs set to remain immense next year.

"It is rare that a crisis of Syria's magnitude is presented with such a potential turnaround," Ms. Msuya concluded. "The past year has provided cause for encouragement for us to redouble our efforts. We must seize the moment."

Sudan

Drone strikes, shelling imperil civilians in Kordofan

OCHA is deeply concerned by reports of escalating drone attacks and shelling that continue to harm civilians and drive new displacement in Sudan, particularly across the Kordofan region.

In South Kordofan State, multiple drone strikes and shelling have reportedly hit civilian areas in recent days, including the town of Dilling and the state capital Kadugli. The violence has forced families to flee Dilling on foot towards Kadugli, along routes where landmines and other dangers have been reported. The journey is especially perilous for the most vulnerable - including children, pregnant and lactating women, and older people.

More than 50,000 people have been displaced since late October from locations across the Kordofan region due to heightened insecurity, according to the International Organization for Migration.

In South Kordofan, partners report that more than 1,900 people have arrived in the locality of Abu Jubeihah in the past three days. They are now sheltering in temporary settlements and urgently need food, nutrition, safe drinking water, health services and protection, at a time when humanitarian assistance remains severely overstretched and access is limited.

Meanwhile in North Darfur State, local sources report that drone strikes in recent days caused civilian casualties and displacement in the localities of Kutum, Melit, Um Baro, Tina and Saraf Omra.

The UN and its partners in Tawila continue to help people displaced from the state capital El Fasher and surrounding areas - as well as the Zamzam displacement camp - but needs remain overwhelming and resources scarce. With just days left in the year, Sudan's humanitarian response plan is only 36 per cent funded, with $1.5 billion received against the $4.2 billion required.

The impact of drone attacks is also being felt beyond front-line areas in Sudan. In the early hours of today, drone strikes on power stations in Atbara, in River Nile State, triggered widespread blackouts - disrupting electricity supplies across multiple towns.

OCHA once again calls for an immediate end to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as full respect for international humanitarian law.

Haiti

UN, partners appeal for $880 million to support over 4 million Haitians next year

The Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Nicole Kouassi, launched the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2026 in the capital Port-au-Prince today.

The plan seeks $880 million to support 4.2 million vulnerable Haitians out of 6.4 million people who need aid and are bearing the brunt of violence at the hands of armed groups.

Internal displacement triggered by armed violence has doubled in a year. In September 2025, nearly 1.4 million people were internally displaced, representing 12 per cent of Haiti's total population.

Widespread insecurity in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and its gradual spread to regional zones have caused displacement, stifled Haiti's economy, and limited people's access to food. Some 5.7 million people - half of Haiti's population - are currently going hungry every day. That number is expected to increase to 5.9 million people during the lean season that runs from March to June.

The impact of armed violence on women and girls has been devastating. Partners have recorded an average of 27 new cases of gender-based violence per day between January and September 2025, of which more than half are sexual violence. Collective rapes account for two thirds of reported cases of sexual violence.

Ms. Kouassi underscored that despite the immense scale of needs in Haiti, the $908 million humanitarian appeal for this year is just 23 per cent funded, with $206 million mobilized. She called for renewed, substantial and sustained international support.*

*Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in need in Haiti with urgent support.

Posted on 18 December 2025

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2026 Humanitarian Response Plan Launched in Haiti Seeks to Assist 4.2 Million People

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Port-au-Prince, 18 December 2025 -- The Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, Nicole Kouassi, officially launched the Haiti Humanitarian Response Plan (HNRP). With a budget of US$880 million, the Plan seeks to assist 4.2 million people who rely on life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Armed group violence has forced 1.4 million people, around 12 per cent of the population, to flee their homes. Severe food insecurity affects 5.7 million people every day, placing Haiti among the world's six most severe hunger crises. Attacks on essential services continue, with health facilities and schools regularly targeted and forced to close.

"I am deeply concerned by the relentless cycle of violence and the extreme brutality that Haitians continue to endure," said the Humanitarian Coordinator. "Every day, 27 women and girls suffer gender-based violence, most often rape, including gang rape. Armed actors forcibly displace thousands of innocent civilians, if they do not kill them, and destroy homes and critical infrastructure. Armed groups also forcibly recruit children and young people, who now make up as much as half of their ranks."

The 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan prioritizes urgent, multi-sector interventions in the departments of Ouest, Centre, and Artibonite, where armed violence and migrant deportations drive severe humanitarian needs. The response aims to reduce immediate risks to affected populations, stabilize households most impacted by repeated shocks, and restore access to essential services. In more stable areas of the Grand Sud and the Grand Nord, which host large numbers of internally displaced people, humanitarian partners will support local integration, ease pressure on host communities, and prevent social tensions, working closely with development actors.

"I call on all humanitarian and development partners, donors, and the Haitian authorities to support the 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan," said Nicole Kouassi. "Together, we can protect lives, uphold dignity, and ensure that hope remains possible for future generations in Haiti."

Posted on 18 December 2025

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Russo-Ukraine War - 18 December 2025 - Day 1394

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 in total, 183 combat encounters have taken place since the beginning of this day. Ukrainian defenders are decisively intercepting the Russian attempts to advance deep into Ukrainian territory, giving him a fiery impression.

Today, Russian troops launched 49 aviation strikes, dropping 111 controlled air bombs. In addition, 2409 kamikaze drones were involved in strikes and carried out 3104 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

In the Northern Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, Ukrainian soldiers repelled four Russian assault actions since the beginning of the day, two clashes are ongoing. In addition, the Russian enemy launched one air strike by dropping three controlled air bombs, carrying out 150 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements, seven of which were from reactive systems of salvage fire.

In the south-Slobozhans komu direction, the Russian enemy eight times attacked the positions of Ukrainian units near Starica, Prylipka, Vovchansk and in the direction of Ohrimivka and Dovgen ky.

In the Kupiansk direction, the Russian aggressor carried out offensive actions nine times in the direction of the settlements of Kurilivka, Pishnetna, Petropavlivka, Glushkivka, Novoplatonivka and Kupiansk. One fight is still going on.

In the Lyman direction, Russian invaders nine times attacked the positions of Defense Forces in the direction of Red Pond, Pond, Drobishevogo and in the areas of settlements Novoyegorivka and Zarichne. Two clashes are underway.

Three enemy attacks repelled Ukrainian defenders in the Slovak direction - the Russian occupiers tried to advance in the areas of Serebryanka and Zvanivka.

In the kramators komu direction at the moment boezitknen  is not recorded.

In the Konstantinivka direction 24 times Russians attacked the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas of settlements Kleban-Bik, Pleshiyivka, Cherbinivka, Oleksandro-Shultine, Rusyn Yar and towards Konstantinovka, Ivanopil, Stepanivka and Sofiyivka.

In the Pokrovsky direction since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupiers 46 times tried to advance on the position of Ukrainian units. The Russian enemy attacked in the areas of settlements Chervony Lyman, Rodins ke, Mirnograd, Kotline, Udacne, Molodetske, Philia and towards Toretsky, New Shahovoy and Novopavlivka. In the two locations, the fights have not subsided yet.

According to preliminary data, today 123 Russian invaders were defecated in this direction, 101 of them - irrevocably. Also Ukrainian soldiers znezkodili seven bpla, three units of automotive equipment, three motorcycles and one unit of special equipment. In addition, Ukrainian defenders hit 11 ukrittiv for personnel.

In the Oleksandrivsky direction, the Russian enemy tried 22 times to break through the defense of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of settlements Tolstoy, Oleksandrograd, Stepove, Privilne, Verbove, Krasnogirsk, Zlagoda, Ribne and towards settlements Andriyivka-Klevtsove, Ivanivka, Lisne, New Zaporizhia . Air strikes controlled by air bombs suffered Lisne, Oleksandrograd and Gavrilivka.

In the direction of Gulyaipil, the Russian enemy 17 times attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the area of Sweet, Green, Gulyaipol and towards Varvarivka and Dobropilla. Russia's aviation struck Gulyajpol and Ternuvatom.

In the Orihiv direction, the Russian occupiers tried to enter the direction of Novoandriivka, Primorsky and in the area of Plavniv three times, but received a cut off. The Russian enemy dropped air bombs on nuts, balabyne and malokaterinivku.

In the Pridniprovsky direction today, the Russian enemy carried out two unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of Antonivka.

In the rest of the directions, there were no special changes.

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

Units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted losses on units of one jaeger brigade of the AFU and one national guard regiment near Alekseyevka, Ryzhevka, Varachino, and Shostka (Sumy region).

In Kharkov direction, units of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade have been hit near Prilipka, Vilcha, Stary Saltov, Veliky Burluk, and Volchanskiye Khutora (Kharkov region).

The enemy lost up to 150 troops, an armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, two artillery guns, two electronic warfare stations, and an Israeli-made RADA radar station.

The Zapad Group's units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one assault brigade of the AFU and one national guard brigade near Blagodatovka, Podoly, Kovsharovka, Boguslavka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, Nechvolodovka (Kharkov region) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 200 troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, two Turkish-made Cobra armoured fighting vehicles, 13 motor vehicles, two electronic warfare stations, and two ammunition depots.

The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Strikes were delivered at formations of two mechanised brigades, one airmobile brigade, two mountain assault brigades of the AFU, one marine brigade, and one national guard brigade have been hit close to Reznikovka, Zakotnoye, Kirovo, Minkovka, Konstantinovka, and Kramatorsk (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy has lost more than 195 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, including two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, two electronic warfare stations, and three ammunition depots.

The Tsentr Group's units continued to neutralise the encircled AFU formations in Vostochny and Zapadny districts of Dimitrov (Donetsk People's Republic). Russian troops are mopping up the AFU scattered groups in the settlements of Rodinskoye and Svetloye (Donetsk People's Republic).

Attempts of the AFU assault groups to break through forest belts from the direction of Shevchenko to the northern outskirts of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People's Republic were thwarted. In addition, 42 militants and 14 pieces of military hardware were neutralised.

Manpower and hardware of one mechanised brigade, one airmobile brigade, one infantry brigade, one air assault brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, one marine brigade, two national guard brigades, and one Azov Special Operations Brigade have been hit close to Kutuzovka, Sergeyevka, Grishino, Volnoye, Toretskoye, Belitskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Novopavlovka, and Novopodgorodnoye (Dnepropetrovsk region).

The enemy losses amounted to more than 545 troops, five armoured fighting vehicles, 10 motor vehicles, and two artillery guns.

The Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defence. Russian troops inflicted damage on formations of one assault brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, and one territorial defence brigade have been hit close to Andreyevka, Gavrilovka (Dnepropetrovsk region), Gulyaypole, and Kosovtsevo (Zaporozhye region).

Up to 245 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, and three materiel depots have been neutralised.

Units of the Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on units of one mountain assault brigade and one coastal defence brigade of the AFU close to Tyaginka, Nikolskoye and Dneprovskoye (Kherson region).

Up to 70 troops, 21 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, including one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and two materiel depots have been destroyed.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have inflicted damage on energy infrastructure in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, long-range attack drone teams and storage areas, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed groups and foreign mercenaries in 149 areas.

Air defence systems shot down 216 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 669 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 103,758 unmanned aerial vehicles, 640 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,591 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,633 MLRS combat vehicles, 31,994 field artillery guns and mortars, and 49,358 units of support military vehicles have been neutralised.

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Press conference - Parliament House, Canberra

Transcript

Thursday 18 December 2025

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

The Hon Anthony Albanese MP

Prime Minister of Australia

The Hon Tony Burke MP

Minister for Home Affairs

The Hon Jason Clare MP

Minister for Education

Krissy Barrett APM

AFP Commissioner

Jillian Segal

Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I'll make some comments and then be followed by the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, Commissioner Krissy Barrett, Minister Tony Burke, and then Minister Jason Clare. And then we'll be happy to take questions. There is no place in Australia for antisemitism. It is an evil that tears at the fabric of our country. It puts the peaceful, free and equal society that we cherish at risk. Sadly, since the terrible events of October 2023, we have witnessed an increase in antisemitism, which is of course an ancient hatred. We have seen a series of appalling attacks targeting Australia's Jewish community. That culminated on Sunday in one of the worst acts of mass murder that this country has ever seen. The terrorist atrocity that killed 15 innocent people, including 10-year-old Matilda, who will be buried later today, was an attack on our Jewish community. But it was also an attack on the Australian way of life. Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more.

Our Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, has delivered a report that sets out further steps we can take. The Australian Government adopts and fully supports the plan to combat antisemitism. We have already legislated for hate speech, hate crimes, hate symbols, outlawing doxing. We've already undertaken education action, including appointing the first ever Student Ombudsman and the development of the Envoy's report card on universities. We'll continue to work through the implementation of the thirteen recommendations in consultation with the Jewish community and the Envoy, and of course the first recommendation was the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism that the Government adopted.

Today, I'm announcing a significant number of additional actions to build on the plan. Firstly, the Attorney-General and Minister for Home Affairs will develop a package of legislative reforms to crack down on those who spread hate, division and radicalisation. The National Security Committee has agreed that changes will include the following five points. Agreed changes will include: one, an aggravated hate speech offence for preachers and leaders who promote violence. Secondly, increased penalties for hate speech promoting violence. Thirdly, making hate an aggravating factor in sentencing crimes for online threats and harassment. Fourthly, developing a regime for listing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech promoting violence or racial hatred. And fifthly, developing a narrow federal offence for serious vilification based on race and or advocating racial supremacy. The Minister for Home Affairs will also have new powers to cancel or reject visas for those who spread hate and division in this country or would do so if they were allowed to come here.

David Gonski has agreed to lead a 12-month taskforce which will include the Envoy to ensure the Australian education system prevents, tackles and properly responds to antisemitism. The eSafety Commissioner, the Special Envoy and the Department of Communications will work together to provide online safety advice to address antisemitism. This builds on the extension in MYEFO as well. All of these measures, funding to provide overall security support to the Jewish community including at places of worship. I can also announce today the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements will be triggered in response to the attack. So, the Commonwealth and New South Wales will share the financial burden of the recovery. This is the first time that the DRFA has been used for a terrorist attack. This will provide support to victims, their families and small business impacted in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack. Over the coming days, I'll have more to say about the Government's response to Sunday's atrocity, including on gun control. And I note that New South Wales is moving on that next week.

Every Jewish Australian has the right to be proud of who they are and what they believe. And every Jewish Australian has the right to feel safe, valued and respected for the contribution that they make to our great nation. The terrorists, inspired by ISIS at Bondi Beach, sought to turn Australians against each other. Australians have responded to that act of hatred with love and sympathy for those in mourning. Australians responded to that act of cowardice and violence with bravery and with kindness. And we saw a coming together last night at St Mary's Cathedral of interfaith communities that was really uplifting. It is now up to all of us to honour the courage of those Australians, the heroes of Bondi, in the most meaningful way possible - by eliminating the evil of antisemitism from our society. I'll ask the Envoy to make some comments and then Commissioner Barrett.

JILLIAN SEGAL, SPECIAL ENVOY TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: Thank you, Prime Minister. Obviously, we gather to consider my report and the implementation of it, adoption and implementation of it, in the shadow of the Bondi massacre, which has been an unbelievable tragedy for the community. I have been overwhelmed by support from members of the community, both here and from overseas and from all other Envoys around the world. So, we stand, I think, at a very important moment, not only for our community but for fighting antisemitism around the world. This more formal response has been a long time coming, but of course it does build on a range of activities and work that started as soon as the report was delivered. It is an important next step. There are a number of urgent initiatives the Prime Minister has announced relating of course to law reform and visa and immigration work. I'm encouraged by some of the medium-term actions that will take place over this next year relating to education. I think they are incredibly important. We have to lay foundations for the future of the nation. And there will be ongoing work across all the sectors in the report, longer term. And my office will be engaged in many of them. For example, the work that will take place in relation to online hate. That is an issue all over the world, and we will need to consult more broadly. We have done a lot of work already in that space, but there is a lot to do to bring it to some conclusion. But I am looking forward and I expect the full cooperation of the Government, as the Prime Minister has announced, with this ongoing implementation. And it was always envisaged - as you know, the report is quite a high-level report. It always envisaged that there would be more detailed implementation plans, and so I'm very grateful for the support that we will have ongoing to implement it.

KRISSY BARRETT, AFP COMMISSIONER: Good morning. This morning I'll provide a brief update on Operation Arques and then provide some broader commentary. Yesterday, a Bonnyrigg man was charged with allegedly committing a terrorist attack at Bondi beach, where 15 people were lethally shot and 49 were injured on 14 December 2025. He has been charged with 59 offences, including one count of committing a terrorist act; 15 counts of murder; 40 counts of causing wounding grievous bodily harm to person with intent to murder. In the coming days, the New South Wales Joint Counterterrorism Team will execute further search warrants to support our investigation. There is a lot of material to be examined, and the AFP continues to work with both domestic and international partners to build a more-complete picture of the movements and who the alleged offenders had contact with, both in Australia and offshore. I can also reveal the AFP has ongoing investigations into people who have been described as hate preachers. These individuals who spew hatred and cause fear are on my radar, and I have had the Counterterrorism and Special Investigations Command reviewing information and other material in relation to these individuals since I became the Commissioner.

I would now like to make some broader comments. I've just returned from Sydney, where the weight of grief hangs heavy, because hatred and violence struck a peaceful and loving Jewish community. Every day, we see the beautiful and joyful faces now lost, and in them we see our own loved ones. Today is the funeral of little Matilda. She was so young. She was so innocent. And my heart is so heavy for her family. I offer my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the families who are mourning and who continue to bury loved ones. One funeral is one too many, but the reality of this cruel attack is that some families will attend more than one. I want to reiterate this today - as AFP Commissioner I say to Jewish Australians, you do not share this grief alone. I will share the weight of this unfortunate grief with you, not just as a police officer who is dedicated to protecting and serving our country, but also as a wife, as a mother, a sister and a daughter. The AFP is resolutely determined to protect Australians. We will be visible and we will use all of our resources and capabilities to identify and target those who want to do us harm.

TONY BURKE, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: Thanks, Prime Minister and thanks to Jillian Segal, who I've been working closely with throughout her appointment, and to Commissioner Barrett for the extraordinary work that she is doing. In addition to the work that we have already been doing, the Prime Minister's announcements today take Australia into new legal territory, creating new offences that have never before existed in Australia. The areas that we have already legislated on - hate crimes, hate speech, hate symbols - the Prime Minister has made references to where penalties would be increased and aggravated offences would be involved. But for too long, there have been two sorts of occasions where people have gone right to the limits of the law but have managed to stay on the legal side of it. There have been organisations which any Australian would look at and say their behaviour, their philosophy and what they are trying to do is about division and has no place in Australia. And yet, for a generation, no government has been able to successfully take action against them because they have fallen just below the legal threshold. Today, we're announcing that we're shifting the threshold. We have no time for organisations where their mission is to hate Australia and to hate fellow Australians.

Secondly, there have been individuals who have managed to exploit a nation that had different principles of freedom of speech and have gone right to the limits of language that is clearly dehumanising, unacceptable, having no place in Australia, but have not quite crossed the threshold to violence. We all know the gateway to violence that sort of language provides. They haven't met the legal threshold to date on many occasions, notwithstanding the work that the Commissioner and the Australian Federal Police continue to do. So, we're announcing that we're working on the legislation now to lower those thresholds. Australia is a good country. People have a right to be safe and to feel safe. And those who hate Australia will have new legal consequences that will change the sense of what it is to be safe in this country.

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Children aren't born antisemitic. Children aren't born racist. Children aren't born with hate in their hearts. This is something that's taught, this is something that's learned. There's lots of things that we need to do to tackle and weed out antisemitism, but what we do in education is an important part of that. In preventing it, in tackling it, in responding to it. That includes work that we do right across the system, from early education, to our schools, right through to universities. In our schools, it includes teacher training and the work that is being led by the Special Envoy with the support of UNESCO but also with the support of my department and the support of the states and territories rolling out teacher training from the start of next year. But in addition to that, extra resources for teachers, more investment in the sort of programs that we know that work in schools, like Together for Humanity - it's run by Rabbi Zalman Kastel, a dear friend of mine, and, I know, Tony's and all of us - but also the work we can do on the National Curriculum. The Curriculum already has in it holocaust education, but there is more that we can do here to make sure that we embed in it an understanding the evils of antisemitism, of the horrors of the Holocaust, and the importance of Australian values.

In addition to that, there's more work we can do in universities as well. The fact is, Jewish students have been made to feel unwelcome on campus. And there are important things that we have already done, like for the first time ever, establishing a National Student Ombudsman. And from next year, the Special Envoy report card work will commence. And as I announced back in September, next year, we'll introduce legislation to increase the powers and the penalties available to the tertiary education regulator to enable them to act where universities don't. But in addition to that, we're announcing today the establishment of an antisemitism education taskforce to be chaired by David Gonski. And that will also include the Special Envoy, Jillian Segal, it'll include the states and the territories as well as the key regulators in education, in early education, in school education and in higher education that report to me. David Gonski is a towering Australian. He understands the education system inside and out, and I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart for agreeing to chair this taskforce, and it will meet for the first time tomorrow morning.

PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: The warnings around hate speech and hate preachers long predate this horrific terror attack on Sunday. People grieving right now might reasonably ask why these changes to the threshold around these laws have taken so long. And do you take some responsibility for that delay?

PRIME MINISTER: We are the first government to legislate on hate speech. We did that. We've outlawed Nazi symbols. What we know is that there's more that we can do. So for example, the discussion we're announcing today to develop a regime for listing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech, promoting violence or racial hatred. The idea there is that you will have a different threshold from declaration about terrorist organisations, and we've worked through that. This will require complex legal work as well from the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of the Attorney-General as well.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I ask in the context too of Matilda's funeral being held in just a few minutes, on top of the action you've announced there, is there a part of you that regrets not acting earlier with more strength and conviction to try and do more earlier? And for the pain that Jewish Australians and all Australians are feeling right now - do you apologies for that?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, my heart goes out to Jewish Australians. Is there more that can be done? There is always more that can be done. Always. And quite clearly there's more to do. And on top of these announcements, there'll be more to do as well. What we have been doing is working through the report of the Special Envoy, implementing a range of measures, but always indicating there will be more to do. And I indicate here as well, there will be more to do to stamp this out.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the hate speech point - your government, when it was looking at hate speech laws last year, was initially looking at a vilification element which you've just announced today. And the government decided against that at the time. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry did say that the laws didn't go far enough. So, I guess, should you have put these in place a year ago when it was on the table? And is this the main that's changed to get you to take that action today?

MINISTER BURKE: Let's start with the context that for about a decade, the main argument that was happening in Australia was about weakening hate speech laws. And that's, that was the debate that was happening in this building. This government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been strengthening hate speech laws. Going the next step in the reference, you're referring to was effectively a proposal of mimicking the WA legislation. We need to remember the heads of power here are complex. This is not simple drafting. And when that amendment was proposed directly on the floor, I was the person who responded to it and referred to the willingness for the government to look at it. But the fact that the drafting, as it was put, was not something that we were going to be able to accept and we certainly were not going to do anything to delay the legislation that was in front of us right then, which was to have the toughest laws on hate speech Australia had ever had. The direction now is very much to continue on that pathway, and I think all Australians, when they look at some of these comments they've seen online, no one sees that and sees freedom of speech. They think it's unacceptable and the people who are arguing about freedom of speech and the need to weaken our laws ten years ago have gone very silent on that point now. And I'm glad that Australia is at a point that yes, it would have been great to be here 20 years ago. The decision now has been made, and Australia will be better for it.

JOURNALIST: When the terrorist threat level was raised in August last year, Mike Burgess said the threats are becoming harder to predict and identify the drivers of radicalisation and extremism are growing, interacting in ways we've not seen before. If that's the case, should ASIO and the AFP have received more resourcing at that time? And if I could ask Commissioner Barrett, do you need more resourcing to adequately staff up your CT operations?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll make this point. ASIO has never had more funding than they have today under my government. And we have provided for each of the security agencies, including the ones that you mentioned, the AFP, ASIO, but also the Australian Signals Directorate that deal with some this online and cyber issues as well, have never had more funding than they have today. And every single request from a security agency has been granted by my government.

COMMISSIONER BARRETT: Thank you. As you've said, the Director-General and I, both of us have been on the record many times, particularly over the last two years in relation to the operating environment, how quickly it has changed and how complex it is for us. That means we are constantly assessing, reassessing and prioritising where were put our resources and what we put our resources to. That is very similar to all of my colleagues around the world in law enforcement at the moment. We are all faced with increasingly complex environments where that constant reprioritisation and where I do need more resources, I do and will have those conversations with government.

JOURNALIST: Will the CT be downgraded? Was it adequately funded given the espionage workload?

COMMISSIONER BARRETT: We would never downgrade CT. It is far too important and far higher priority for the AFP.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, what's the timeline around this new legislation? Will you recall Parliament over summer to get these laws passed?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, these are quite complex. To make sure as well that they stack up in any legal challenge to them. So, we are open to that. But we want to make sure that we get it right. We want to also consult to make sure that there is broad support across the Parliament for this. One of the tenants of antisemitism, the Envoy has said, across the board needs to be, to put it above politics as well. And we're hoping that's achieved.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is the Special Envoy's report, the recommendations being adopted in full by the government? Including the things like funding for cultural organisations, media monitoring, and will the definition of antisemitism be legislated here?

PRIME MINISTER: Here is the report. We are fully supporting and adopting the report. Included in that, cultural institutions were funded, $18 million for the Jewish arts sector in Victoria in Melbourne. We have increased funding for the Sydney Jewish Museum. That construction is underway now. New funding in Perth. Here in Canberra, importantly, having a National Centre of Holocaust Education will be really important. And as you be aware, everyone in this building knows that every primary school in the country comes here at some stage. And having that centre so that people will visit Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, Questacon and that Centre will be a really important step forward.

JOURNALIST: The definition of antisemitism though, are you going to legislate it?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have adopted it, as a government.

JOURNALIST: Thank you, Prime Minister. You said more can be done. You didn't say more could have been done. Putting aside partisan voices, I think the Jewish community feels that they did make these threats, they warned people of them. They've talked about them for a long time. Do you think part of the healing is offering a statement of contrition? Whether it's a broader one from society or your own, would move some of those people, you know, help some of those people?

PRIME MINISTER: Of course, more could have always been done. Governments aren't perfect. I'm not perfect. We have engaged in a constructive way. We've done - including, there wasn't a Special Envoy on Antisemitism before this government came to office. There wasn't hate speech legislation. I've been in this place long enough to have been a part of a debate, including with leaders of the Jewish community, about anti-discrimination legislation and making sure the 18C and these provisions be maintained. I've been a part of working with people like Peter Wertheim to overturn BDS when it was implemented by my local council. I've been a part of campaigning with Jewish students, when I was a student myself, establishing, one of the people who established Students Against Racism. Could we have done more? Of course you could always do more. And you know, my heart goes out to what is a community that are suffering, that have been targeted. This is very different from Port Arthur or other atrocities, the murder of the police officers by so called sovereign citizens in Queensland and Melbourne. Because this was targeting based upon hate, based upon, what is clear, is based upon ISIS ideology, a terrorist ideology of hate that has been around for some time. For some time. So, I of course acknowledge that more could have been done and I accept my responsibility for the part in that as Prime Minister of Australia. But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation. Because what people are looking for at this time isn't more division. They are looking to come together. I've sat in homes in Sydney, as well as having formal meetings with members of the Jewish community. They're hurting and I think all Australians hearts goes out to them at this time.

JOURNALIST: There are changes to education, to litigation standards and to punishments. Was any consideration given to changes to migration in particular to thresholds for deportation and for character tests?

MINISTER BURKE: That's one of the things the Prime Minister announced. I didn't refer it in my remarks, but it was in the Prime Minister's announcement that we will be changing the law to make visa cancellation and visa refusal easier. One of the things - I have refused and cancelled visas on the grounds of antisemitism in a way that very few predecessors have. I don't resile from that. And I've made clear on the balance of bigotry versus freedom of speech. I think Australians share my view that people who come here to hate, we just don't need them. The process within the department of making up one of those cases and getting through them, it is a hard threshold. I've been reaching it, I've been doing it, and we've been winning in the High Court when we've been challenged. We want to make that easier, to make a very clear message of our expectations. If someone's on a visa, they're a guest in Australia.



JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you say you could have done more. Can you explain why you haven't done more until now?

PRIME MINISTER: We could always have done more.

JOURNALIST: But why haven't you done more?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I have done my best to respond. Do I regret? Anyone in this position would regret not doing more and any inadequacies which are there. But what we need to do is to move forward. We are taking action. We have taken action. Previously, since I've been Prime Minister, we have taken action. We'll continue to do more and today as well won't be the end. This is an evolving process. I want the Antisemitism Envoy to be a permanent feature of our landscape in this country. And we'll continue to engage in these issues. Antisemitism has been around, it's an ancient hatred. It's been around for a very long period of time. We need to make sure that we continue to engage in those issues, just as right across the board.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, after the Port Arthur massacre, John Howard went to rallies. He engaged face to face in the community. Even after the bushfires, Scott Morrison, you know, went down to the south coast and got some tough feedback. My question is why haven't you attended any of the funerals? Why have you been saying that you weren't invited? Generally, the process is that the Prime Minister's Office reaches out to the families and asks permission respectfully to attend. And will you be returning to Bondi to meet with the victims face to face, even if that means receiving some really tough criticism?

PRIME MINISTER: I have done that. I was in - I haven't just been down in Bondi on Monday morning, when at what is now the large memorial, very early on, I met with police, I've met with members of the community. I've been to homes in Bondi. Just on Tuesday I visited the home of Rabbi Mendel Kastel, met with families grieving, going through complete trauma and I understand that.

JOURNALIST: Have you asked to attend?

PRIME MINISTER: I met with the families there and have spoken to them. I certainly, you know, I respect the wishes of families. I respect the wishes of families and I will continue, continue to engage with community. I met with the community leaders and members last night. On the night before I was with grieving families as well and community leaders at Admiralty House. Each and every day I've met face to face with people who are going through the worst of grieving processes as well. And I'll continue to engage with them.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, these hate speech changes, will they capture slogans like, 'from the river to the sea' and 'globalise the Intifada'?

MINISTER BURKE: The hate speech laws, obviously will set a test, and I'm not going to be in the business of that. But if I put it in these terms, we have all seen vision of hate preachers where we are shocked that that is happening in Australia. It is not representative of what people expect in Australia and they're certainly not representative of the Muslim community in Australia either. There have been repeated checks as to whether they have crossed legal thresholds. They haven't. The thresholds are changing.

JOURNALIST: A question to Commissioner. Thanks, Commissioner. Just a two-part question. Would your job and that of your organisation have been made easier had these changes announced today been implemented earlier, like two years ago? And secondly, do you have any indication whether the Akrams undertook military training in the Philippines? The Filipino Government says they didn't.

COMMISSIONER BARRETT: So, to answer the first part of your question first, which is in relation to the legislation, we have had a significant number of investigations since the legislation came into force, both through Operation Avalite, which was stood up 12 months ago, specifically to target antisemitic alleged offences, and also through our National Security Investigations teams, which I set up when I started as the Commissioner. And unfortunately, those teams have been extremely busy. There's a lot of work for them to do. So, we have had time to work with the legislation and some of the prosecutions. That's how we find out where the deficiencies or the vulnerabilities are in the legislation. So, we've now had some time to work through that and of course, we then provide advice back to government in relation to how the legislation is working. As the Minister has commented on quite strongly, for us, the challenge has been around some of the thresholds and we certainly welcome the reform around the thresholds, which will allow us to apply the legislation. To your second part of the question, I'm not in a position, unfortunately, to answer that. We now have a matter before court. Last I checked, there was still a suppression order in place as well. So, I unfortunately can't answer that question.

JOURNALIST: Commissioner, some commentary of your observation that these attacks were not about religion. Do you care to expand on that or what exactly you were trying to say?

COMMISSIONER BARRETT: So, what we know, and I'll be careful again, because we've got matters before court and I don't want to go into detail, this was about extremism, this was ISIS inspired. We know ISIS distorts and corrupts Islam, which leads to radicalisation. The point I was making is that these two we know were inspired by ISIS.

JOURNALIST: In terms of radicalisation. We've heard from the ASIO Director-General that the speed is increasing a lot. Are you able to speak to how fast some of these people were radicalised? Whether we're talking months or years, given that property was transferred, there's reports that property was transferred. And also, do you suspect any third nation involvements like Iran?

COMMISSIONER BARRETT: To answer the first part of your question, our investigation is still in its very early stages, so there is a lot to work through and that will form part of it. I will just make a general comment about radicalisation in general. Again, Director-General and I have both been on the record talking about the pace with which we are seeing particularly young people be radicalised in the current environment. And that is a challenge shared again by our overseas partners as well. The legislation in relation to violent extremist material has been an extremely useful piece of legislation for us since it came into effect, because what that has allowed us to do is to get in early on the radicalisation pathway and put people either before court or disrupt their behaviour at a very early stage.

JOURNALIST: There's been discussion about protests. Josh Frydenberg and others have said that some of these demonstrations that have happened over the last couple of years shouldn't have occurred. They shouldn't occur in future. Obviously, Chris Minns, on a state issue, announced plans for legislation upcoming to curtail demonstrations, large public gatherings after a terror designation. Could I ask you, do you believe the tenor of any of these procedures, protests, demonstrations, contributed to what we saw on the weekend? And do you personally have any concerns about demonstrations occurring in the near future?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, hatred starts with language and then moves to action and vilification and then can lead to an escalation of it. I certainly have been concerned and have expressed continually my concern about some of the language that is used during this, some of the misinformation as well, which is there. Australians want overwhelmingly - one of the things about this country is what they want is when people come to Australia, you leave old divisions and hatreds at the door. At the door. When you come to Australia, you are here to support our society, which is diverse, but that diversity is a strength. And that is what overwhelmingly Australians want to see. And certainly, some of them, the rhetoric - you know, I have an office that is closed on Marrickville Road, where people were attacked, vilified, people just trying to get help with Medicare or social security. Now, that's been very difficult, but nothing like the difficulty of families who - on Tuesday I was at a home in Bondi Junction where a woman spoke about to me, about going shopping with her son on a Sunday into Sydney and being attacked and harassed. That's not the Australian way. That's not the Australian way. And Premier Minns, I know has tried to - I called for on the day of the Opera House demonstration, I thought was completely reprehensible. I called for it not to go ahead on the Monday and condemned it on the day after. That does nothing to advance any cause. We need to be able to have political discourse in this country which is respectful and to respectfully disagree. But a line has been crossed over and over again in the way that some of this debate has been conducted.

JOURNALIST: Off the back of Sam's question, as you mentioned before, today is the funeral of Matilda, the 10-year-old shooting victim. Sussan Ley and the Shadow Attorney-General are currently there right now. Can I confirm once again, did either you or yourself, your office, request to attend her service or the service of any of the other shooting victims?

PRIME MINISTER: We have, I've reached out to families. I've made it clear, today I've chaired the National Security Committee here. We are acting, but I have met with families, I've spoken on the phone with families, and I will continue to engage.

JOURNALIST: You said at the very top that you were angry and you understood people's anger, and you said just previously that you have a responsibility to lead and unite. How difficult has it been to fulfil that responsibility given the anger in the community? You've said, you've outlined a number of private meetings and conversations you've had with families and the Jewish community. But there hasn't been, you know, publicly, you know, talking, staying at the Bondi thing, talking with lots of people there. People haven't seen, seen you doing, fulfilling that responsibility to stand and unite. Has that been made quite difficult this week?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think last night my understanding is that the St. Mary's Cathedral event was broadcast. I engaged with people there for some time, at Admiralty House the night before, the other meetings that I've had. I understand that people are grieving and I respect that. I respect that. And I've had some difficult conversations. But my job isn't difficult here. The difficulty is with the families who are grieving, of these victims. That's who my sympathy is for, because it is them who are going through an incredibly traumatic experience. People who were attending Chanukah on the first evening, which is a festival of light. And what we saw was an attempt to extinguish light and promote darkness. That is what terrorism does. My job is to continue to reach for light. That is what I'll continue to do. Thanks very much.

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Justice Department Highlights Nationwide Crackdown on Tren de Aragua

Thursday, December 18, 2025

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice announced the unsealing of multiple indictments against more than 70 individuals, including leaders and members of designated foreign terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA), linked to various violent crimes inside and outside the United States, including murder, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, and controlled substance trafficking. These actions include indictments across five U.S. Attorney offices, including the District of Colorado, District of Nebraska, District of New Mexico, Southern District of New York, and the Southern District of Texas.

Since January 20, 2025, the Department has federally indicted over 260 members of TdA.

"Immediately upon taking office, I directed the Department of Justice to fiercely pursue the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "This latest multi-state series of charges underscores the Trump Administration's unwavering commitment to restoring public safety, dismantling violent trafficking networks, and ridding our country of Tren de Aragua terrorists."

"Tren de Aragua is a terrorist cartel that exploits our borders to bring murder, drugs, and chaos into American communities," said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. "This Department is crushing their leadership, dismantling their networks, and cutting off their money across the United States. There will be no safe haven here. If you cross our border to commit violent crime, we will find you, prosecute you, and put you away."

"The FBI is committed to investigating members of violent transnational gangs whose actions violate our laws and put American lives at risk," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "The existence of TdA is a direct threat to our national security, and we will not allow such a dangerous criminal organization to take root in our communities. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level, we are working to bring these ruthless criminals to justice."

"Tren de Aragua is a ruthless, highly organized, and rapidly expanding foreign terrorist organization that thrives on chaos and human suffering," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. "They exploit alliances with other terrorist-designated groups and transnational networks, including the FARC, ELN, and Cartel de los Soles, fueling instability, corruption, and violence across the region while endangering American communities. DEA is confronting this threat by relentlessly targeting their leadership, financial networks, and infrastructure. Those who align with TdA are standing against the United States and will face the full force of federal law enforcement."

"The United States Marshals Service makes this point clear to all members of gangs like Tren de Aragua, we are coming for you," said Gadyaces S. Serralta, Director of the United States Marshals Service. "We will not give you a moment of rest. We will find you. We will arrest you. You will be made to answer for your crimes. We will continue to work with all of our federal partners, to rid you from our country. Together, we are making the communities of America safer."

"The foreign terrorist organization known as Tren de Aragua has used illicit firearms to maintain and expand control of its criminal enterprise, and imparted untold violence, widespread narcotics addiction, and death in American communities," said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Deputy Director Rob Cekada. "The men and women of ATF, along with our federal law enforcement partners, have worked tirelessly to bring the members of this organization to justice. We will continue to systematically dismantle Tren de Aragua and other foreign terrorist organizations to ensure our communities are protected from harm. The days of Tren de Aragua running roughshod over the American public, preying on, and profiting from American citizens is over."

"These actions reflect the strength of our partnerships and our determination to dismantle criminal networks like Tren de Aragua," said BOP Director William K. Marshall III. "The Federal Bureau of Prisons is proud to support this mission by providing critical intelligence and secure management of offenders, ensuring justice and safety for our communities."

A case summary is below:

DISTRICT OF COLORADO:

Two alleged leaders of TdA have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a series of crimes in Colorado. These defendants are facing several charges including a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) conspiracy. The indictment alleges that from May 2024 through on or about March of 2025, the defendants conducted activity for TdA through a pattern of racketeering activity that included robbery, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and controlled substance offenses. The defendants are also charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and two counts of Hobbs Act Robbery and firearms offenses in connection with the armed robberies of two jewelry stores in the Denver, Colorado area in June of 2024.

DISTRICT OF NEBRASKA:

A grand jury returned two indictments charging a total of 54 individuals, some associated with TdA, for leading and facilitating a large-scale conspiracy to use malware to steal millions of dollars from U.S. financial institutions by hacking ATMs. Charges against some of the defendants included conspiracy to provide material support for terrorism, in addition to conspiracies to commit bank fraud, money laundering, bank burglary, and computer fraud and abuse.

DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO:

Federal prosecutors have indicted 11 alleged members and leaders of TdA on racketeering charges, accusing them of kidnapping, brutally interrogating, and strangling a victim in an Albuquerque apartment, before burying his body in a remote desert grave. Some defendants were also directly involved in an armed confrontation at an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, during which rival groups exchanged gunfire and a victim was killed.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK:

An indictment has been unsealed charging Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, a/k/a "Nino Guerrero," in connection with a leadership role in TdA operating throughout North America, South America, and Europe. For over a decade, Guerrero Flores has served as either the leader or co-leader of TdA, acting as the mastermind over TdA's expansion across the Western Hemisphere. While operating from Venezuela and elsewhere, Guerrero Flores ordered, directed, facilitated, and supported acts of violence and terrorism transcending national boundaries, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and maiming against victims located inside and outside the United States, and facilitated the transport of tons of cocaine from Venezuela to the United States. Guerrero Flores is currently at large, and the U.S. Department of State is offering rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS:

A six-count superseding indictment has been unsealed charging four Venezuelan nationals, including multiple alleged high-ranking members of TdA, for conspiring to provide and providing material support to TdA, and for conspiracy and distribution of cocaine in Colombia intended for distribution in the United States. According to court records, two of the defendants are some of the topmost TdA leaders, with one allegedly exercising command and control over all of TdA's criminal operations, including the illegal importation and smuggling of gold and narcotics, extortion, and murder. The two other defendants are also high-ranking TdA leaders who operate out of multiple South American countries and direct operations to include gold smuggling, narcotics export and violent crime.

These cases are part of Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created in 2019 to eradicate MS-13 and now expanded

at the direction of Attorney General Bondi to target Tren de Aragua. JTFV is comprised of U.S. Attorney's Offices across the country. Those include Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of Texas; Western District of Oklahoma; Northern District of Indiana; and the District of Nevada; as well as the as well as the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys Department of Justice's National Security Division and the Criminal Division. Additionally, the FBI, DEA, HSI, ATF, USMS, and the Bureau of Prisons are essential law enforcement partners with JTFV. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division's Office of Judicial Attache in Bogota, Colombia, has also provided significant assistance.

TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization that originated as a prison gang in Venezuela in the mid-2000s. TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States. TdA's criminal activities include a variety of violent and criminal offenses, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization's criminal activities. TdA has also developed an additional source of revenue stream through financial crimes that target financial institutions throughout the United States, including using jackpotting to steal millions of dollars in cash.

An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Components: Office of the Attorney General

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

Office of the Deputy Attorney General

USAO - Colorado

USAO - Nebraska

USAO - New Mexico

USAO - New York, Southern

USAO - Texas, Southern

U.S. Marshals Service

Press Release Number: 25-1207

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Mexican Cartel Leader Sentenced to Over 11 Years in Prison for International Money Laundering

Thursday, December 18, 2025

For Immediate Release

Office of Public Affairs

A foreign national and a leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) was sentenced today to 140 months in prison and three years of supervised release for an international money laundering offense.

"Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa epitomizes the arrogance of the cartels - laundering millions in drug profits, stockpiling cash and ghost guns, kidnapping military officials, and believing he could live in luxury and anonymity on American soil," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. "He was wrong. Today's sentencing sends a clear message: DEA is dismantling CJNG piece by piece - the financiers, the lieutenants, the safe houses, and the pipelines that sustain these narco-terrorists. We are targeting their money, their leadership, and their infrastructure, and we will not stop until these organizations are eliminated, and American lives are no longer threatened by their greed."

"Cristian Gutierrez-Ochoa laundered money for one of the most violent and prolific cartels in Mexico and funded his lavish lifestyle  including luxury homes, cars, watches and jewelry  with its drug trafficking proceeds," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Cartels like the CJNG traffic substantial quantities of illegal drugs into the United States, profiting from their distribution at the expense of people's lives and the safety of our communities. Gutierrez-Ochoa's sentence demonstrates the Criminal Division's commitment to disrupting and dismantling dangerous drug trafficking organizations, including CJNG, and keeping our country safe."

According to court documents, Gutierrez-Ochoa, 28, of Michoacan, Mexico, worked with other CJNG operatives in Mexico and the United States to launder millions in U.S. currency of CJNG drug proceeds, including to purchase a luxurious residential property in Riverside, California. Gutierrez-Ochoa lived in that residence under a fictitious identity for at least a year with the daughter of the CJNG leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho. The residence was purchased under the name of a Mexican company owned and controlled by the CJNG. Gutierrez-Ochoa admitted to keeping over $2.2 million of drug proceeds in bulk cash at the residence and possessing two untraceable firearms in furtherance of the underlying money laundering offense. Gutierrez-Ochoa also used CJNG drug proceeds to purchase items of value, including jewelry, watches and vehicles.

Gutierrez-Ochoa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder CJNG's drug proceeds. As part of his plea agreement, Gutierrez-Ochoa agreed to forfeit the residence and the seized bulk cash, jewelry, watches, vehicles and other items of value.

Gutierrez-Ochoa allegedly entered the United States illegally in part to avoid arrest in Mexico. Specifically, in late 2021, Gutierrez-Ochoa allegedly kidnapped two members of the Mexican Navy to force the Mexican authorities to release El Mencho's wife from custody.

The DEA's Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit Los Angeles investigated the case. The Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance.

Trial Attorneys Kaitlin Sahni, Lernik Begian and Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF) prosecuted the case. Trial Attorneys Stephanie Williamson and Chelsea Rooney of MNF assisted with the forfeiture proceedings.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Homeland Security Task Force and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Topic: Drug Trafficking

Components: Criminal Division

Criminal - Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section

Criminal - Office of International Affairs

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

Press Release Number: 25-1219

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PH maintains 'vigilant, intel-driven' counter-terror program - NSA

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno

December 18, 2025, 10:00 am

MANILA -- National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Ano on Wednesday dismissed claims that the Philippines is a "hotbed" for terrorism, saying the country will not allow its territories to be used for such purposes.

Ano, who is also National Security Council (NSC) director general, said the government is maintaining a vigilant, intelligence-driven counter-terrorism program.

He said the Philippines is also working "closely with international partners to ensure that Philippine territory is not used for terrorism purposes."

"The NSC emphasizes the importance of evidence-based reporting and responsible public discourse. We remain committed to regional and global security and stand ready to support Australia and the international community in addressing terrorism in all its forms," the NSA said.

Ano said the Philippine government is investigating the travel to the country of two persons involved in the Bondi Beach shooting incident in Sydney, Australia, over the weekend.

"We are also coordinating with our counterparts in the Australian government for information and intelligence sharing in order to determine the purpose of their visit to the Philippines," he added.

The NSA said the terror suspects travelled via Manila to Davao City on Nov. 1-28, 2025. Suspects Sajid Akram travelled on an Indian passport while his son Naveed used an Australian passport.

Ano said there is no valid report or confirmation that the two received any form of military training while in the country, and no evidence supports such a claim at present.

"A mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have allowed for any meaningful or structured training," he added. (PNA)

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PARLIAMENT QUESTION: FUNDS FOR ISRO PROJECTS

India PIB

Department of Space

Posted On: 18 DEC 2025 3:22PM by PIB Delhi

The details of the funds sanctioned (Budget Estimates), released (Revised Estimates) and utilized for ISRO projects since 2020-21 is enclosed as Annexure-1.

The release of funds is not pending for any project since the year 2020-21.

No project(s) were stopped due to lack of funds and No project(s) have been delayed due to paucity of funds.

****

NKR/AK

Annexure 1

Financial Years 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 (Rs. in lakhs)

Sl. No. Name of Project 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 BE RE Actuals BE RE Actuals BE RE Actuals 1 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - Continuation Project 65000.00 30000.00 35499.15 20000.00 15000.00 14852.45 7000.00 7000.00 6949.35 2 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (Phase-6) 25000.00 10000.00 10000.00 50000.00 70000.00 67494.41 48000.00 30500.00 35996.86 3 GSLV Continuation Project 15000.00 9000.00 3998.96 15000.00 11000.00 15367.52 17000.00 7807.00 7299.30 4 GSLV Continuation Programme (Phase 4) 6000.00 2500.00 1500.00 5000.00 5500.00 16491.14 20000.00 7452.00 6451.94 5 GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme (Phase-1) 23000.00 23000.00 27925.73 25000.00 35000.00 34996.37 35000.00 35000.00 37477.25 6 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) 4000.00 5000.00 5299.68 5000.00 4000.00 2963.06 4000.00 4000.00 3160.83 7 RLV-TD Orbital Re-entry Experiment 3500.00 822.00 814.75 4000.00 650.00 814.18 7500.00 4706.00 4714.25 8 Semi Cryogenic Stage Development 8500.00 5500.00 5897.99 20000.00 11200.00 11200.00 20000.00 10500.00 10127.00 9 Semi Cryogenic Engine Development 21000.00 16000.00 16595.20 30000.00 11500.00 12500.00 20000.00 5000.00 4118.47 10 Trisonic Wind Tunnel Project 9000.00 9000.00 8996.09 15000.00 12100.00 9779.26 9400.00 9400.00 3674.36 11 Realization of Second Vehicle Assembly Building 1000.00 1000.00 999.94 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12 Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant 8000.00 5000.00 5499.88 8000.00 6500.00 6299.99 3500.00 3900.00 3899.98 13 PSLV Integration Facility 11000.00 6000.00 5499.70 8000.00 4500.00 3679.14 4000.00 4000.00 3246.07 14 Network for Space Object Tracking & Analysis 3500.00 1113.00 721.43 10000.00 450.00 726.14 12500.00 2387.00 893.84 15 Launch Pad for SSLV 10000.00 584.00 78.74 11700.00 15482.00 15549.63 10000.00 1000.00 1172.99 16 Joint ISRO NASA Mission to ISS 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 17 Manned Mission Initiatives/(Gaganyaan) 120000.00 71000.00 70980.26 190000.00 110000.00 97017.41 200000.00 95000.00 87693.91 18 Navigation Satellite System 20000.00 8000.00 6974.23 20000.00 18150.00 17598.63 20000.00 8550.00 7479.35 19 Geo-Imaging Satellite 2900.00 2575.00 2166.28 350.00 400.00 386.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 20 CARTOSAT-3 6500.00 7000.00 6970.54 3500.00 3850.00 3848.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 21 RISAT-1A 3750.00 10000.00 9921.09 1100.00 1100.00 1095.98 100.00 100.00 99.21 22 Oceansat-3 & 3A 10000.00 4200.00 4110.52 2500.00 6470.00 6727.28 10000.00 2500.00 2982.06 23 RISAT-1B 10000.00 4400.00 5212.83 14500.00 17550.00 20209.18 15500.00 9600.00 8358.77 24 NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission 9000.00 8625.00 8490.34 10800.00 9000.00 9284.72 4600.00 2600.00 2823.55 25 Resourcesat-3S & 3SA 9000.00 5200.00 4413.90 6000.00 7000.00 8486.41 6500.00 4200.00 3699.26 26 Resourcesat-3 & 3A 9000.00 4200.00 4117.25 6000.00 6300.00 6292.93 7000.00 1500.00 1906.91 27 High Resolution Satellite (HRSAT) Constellation 10000.00 4300.00 4954.69 5000.00 7945.00 8284.17 6500.00 2000.00 1997.63 28 Opto Quantum Communication Program 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 29 G20 Satellite Mission 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 30 Technology Demonstration Spacecraft-02 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 31 Dev. of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 32 Third Launch Pad 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 33 Augmentation of Infrastructure towards enhancement of launched capacity of LVM 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 34 Earth Observation Applications Mission 50.00 24.00 25.41 5.00 4.00 3.19 200.00 107.00 10.73 35 National Natural Resources Management System 1150.00 800.00 619.20 1000.00 800.00 641.25 1500.00 1560.00 1522.68 36 Disaster Management Support (DMS) 1800.00 963.00 352.11 1800.00 1950.00 1484.47 2500.00 1200.00 1031.87 37 Sensor Payload Development/Planetary Science Prog. 200.00 100.00 104.56 400.00 140.00 51.50 140.00 20.00 20.00 38 RESPOND 4800.00 1500.00 1607.71 3500.00 3500.00 3677.53 4000.00 3500.00 3127.14 39 Indian Lunar Mission - Chandrayaan-1 & 2 1000.00 3100.00 3111.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 40 Small Satellites for Atmospheric Studies & Astronomy 110.00 0.00 0.00 150.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 41 ADITYA-L1 7000.00 4625.00 4495.97 4400.00 3600.00 3196.40 2750.00 1700.00 1495.17 42 X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (Xposat) 2000.00 600.00 576.66 700.00 700.00 695.99 700.00 500.00 499.69 43 Space Docking Experiment 3700.00 1600.00 1672.99 3000.00 1800.00 1797.04 2100.00 550.00 546.47 44 Climate & Atmospheric Programme 2200.00 1071.00 1189.60 2500.00 2100.00 1653.88 3220.00 850.00 819.43 45 Space Science Promotion 480.00 125.00 113.60 400.00 400.00 130.60 500.00 380.00 321.90 46 Chandrayaan-III 5000.00 6130.00 5853.05 12400.00 8940.00 7832.87 7200.00 4200.00 4582.72 47 TRISHNA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 48 Venus Orbiter Mission 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 49 Chandrayaan-4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 50 Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 51 Mars Lander Mission 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 52 INSAT-3 Satellites 150.00 100.00 20.43 100.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 10.00 2.76 53 GSAT 20 Satellite 10000.00 17500.00 18693.93 5000.00 6850.00 4687.05 5000.00 3500.00 1458.27 54 GSAT 30/31 Launch Services 600.00 325.00 257.20 0.00 123.00 122.20 0.00 0.00 0.00 55 GSAT 22/23/24 Satellites 14000.00 10000.00 9964.49 5000.00 5800.00 4692.41 10000.00 2500.00 2292.50 56 GSAT 29 Satellite 1200.00 500.00 396.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 57 GSAT 30/31/32 Satellite 13000.00 13000.00 13394.95 5000.00 8450.00 8199.10 5000.00 1850.00 1451.13 58 Indian Data Relay Satellite Series 15000.00 15000.00 14276.18 15000.00 11870.00 11098.74 12000.00 9000.00 8379.64 59 GSAT 12R / CMS-01 9000.00 9000.00 9048.94 2000.00 3600.00 3561.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 60 Technology Demonstration Spacecraft - 01 (TDS 01) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1575.00 1572.95 8959.00 6350.00 5843.02

Financial Years 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26 (Rs. in lakhs)

Sl. No. Name of Project 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 BE RE Actuals BE RE Actuals BE Actuals

(Nov 25) 1 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - Continuation Project 10000.00 4600.00 8245.54 10000.00 3000.00 2962.38 2000.00 833.55 2 Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (Phase-6) 40000.00 45400.00 45284.12 40000.00 47700.00 45296.15 30000.00 19545.99 3 GSLV Continuation Project 15000.00 10548.45 10309.87 15000.00 13930.00 13996.38 15000.00 8872.51 4 GSLV Continuation Programme (Phase 4) 15315.00 8079.32 5593.80 20000.00 10982.00 10959.78 20000.00 10261.21 5 GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme (Phase-1) 35000.00 34500.00 34852.09 37500.00 35000.00 32393.53 35000.00 20065.63 6 Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) 4670.00 2547.00 2029.67 2500.00 2500.00 2686.38 982.00 789.17 7 RLV-TD Orbital Re-entry Experiment 10000.00 3000.00 1875.72 7675.00 4700.00 4232.84 7500.00 2311.79 8 Semi Cryogenic Stage Development 15000.00 8800.00 9081.31 10000.00 8000.00 8562.54 10000.00 5380.11 9 Semi Cryogenic Engine Development 10000.00 2200.00 2302.20 9000.00 3500.00 3499.90 5000.00 1928.83 10 Trisonic Wind Tunnel Project 3500.00 2857.00 1922.47 5000.00 6279.00 4998.61 100.00 0.04 11 Realization of Second Vehicle Assembly Building 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 12 Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant 2450.00 2450.00 2106.13 550.00 700.00 499.39 100.00 50.38 13 PSLV Integration Facility 4000.00 1500.00 711.41 2280.00 1700.00 930.91 100.00 100.00 14 Network for Space Object Tracking & Analysis 1700.00 1810.00 1186.41 2650.00 1011.00 311.23 1800.00 1.67 15 Launch Pad for SSLV 10000.00 1000.00 36.78 10883.00 16270.00 13896.56 30000.00 8602.01 16 Joint ISRO NASA Mission to ISS 0.00 0.00 0.00 71500.00 41200.00 41331.44 13500.00 11123.79 17 Manned Mission Initiatives/(Gaganyaan) 118050.00 109000.00 103967.01 120000.00 84735.00 82696.24 120000.00 67790.64 18 Navigation Satellite System 19015.00 8800.00 8747.76 7500.00 7300.00 7388.26 12000.00 6487.93 19 Geo-Imaging Satellite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 20 CARTOSAT-3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 21 RISAT-1A 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 22 Oceansat-3 & 3A 4000.00 1650.00 1894.87 3000.00 2767.00 2477.48 4000.00 3169.42 23 RISAT-1B 10000.00 7500.00 8860.33 7499.57 7300.00 7970.37 4600.00 4025.32 24 NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar Mission 2000.00 1600.00 1753.51 1800.00 1250.00 1404.32 1000.00 345.23 25 Resourcesat-3S & 3SA 3500.00 2500.00 2720.44 5000.00 5600.00 5578.47 5000.00 3937.35 26 Resourcesat-3 & 3A 4000.00 1650.00 1727.27 3000.00 3400.00 3391.96 5000.00 3919.79 27 High Resolution Satellite (HRSAT) Constellation 1500.00 500.00 434.05 4000.00 1800.00 894.88 4000.00 2771.28 28 Opto Quantum Communication Program 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 100.00 0.00 4000.00 67.56 29 G20 Satellite Mission 0.00 0.00 0.00 375.00 3375.00 3273.08 3400.00 635.74 30 Technology Demonstration Spacecraft-02 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 75.00 73.23 4000.00 405.06 31 Dev. of Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 300.00 85.19 15800.00 328.88 32 Third Launch Pad 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 0.00 33 Augmentation of Infrastructure towards enhancement of launched capacity of LVM 3 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2375.00 151.41 34 Earth Observation Applications Mission 32.00 173.00 6.60 144.00 5.00 4.96 0.00 0.00 35 National Natural Resources Management System 500.00 947.00 677.13 631.00 310.00 171.55 2000.00 959.86 36 Disaster Management Support (DMS) 2000.00 1473.67 1133.55 2400.00 916.00 642.72 5500.00 805.90 37 Sensor Payload Development/Planetary Science Prog. 100.00 35.00 0.00 40.00 28.00 0.00 1500.00 431.90 38 RESPOND 4000.00 3800.00 2409.76 5000.00 4800.00 3846.36 7500.00 6056.11 39 Indian Lunar Mission - Chandrayaan-1 & 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 40 Small Satellites for Atmospheric Studies & Astronomy 0.00 0.00 0.00 250.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 41 ADITYA-L1 2650.00 2300.00 2135.62 1300.00 1300.00 1395.33 0.00 0.00 42 X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (Xposat) 150.00 150.00 124.54 100.00 85.00 56.03 0.00 0.00 43 Space Docking Experiment 1500.00 750.00 723.25 1000.00 1600.00 2514.48 1000.00 195.18 44 Climate & Atmospheric Programme 2000.00 2172.13 1563.84 2455.00 1500.00 693.81 2000.00 1066.19 45 Space Science Promotion 480.00 430.00 221.32 462.00 530.00 275.42 700.00 240.82 46 Chandrayaan-III 2999.30 4200.00 3644.06 1000.00 1850.00 1226.55 0.00 0.00 47 TRISHNA 0.70 150.00 128.37 1650.00 821.00 785.13 4000.00 2610.32 48 Venus Orbiter Mission 0.00 0.00 0.00 100.00 210.00 0.00 5000.00 499.86 49 Chandrayaan-4 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 15000.00 2447.43 50 Chandrayaan-5 (LUPEX) 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 200.00 22.55 51 Mars Lander Mission 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 200.00 0.00 52 INSAT-3 Satellites 100.00 300.00 287.24 100.00 100.00 91.29 0.00 0.00 53 GSAT 20 Satellite 3000.00 4050.00 3102.67 4000.00 4063.00 4043.07 4000.00 3182.03 54 GSAT 30/31 Launch Services 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 55 GSAT 22/23/24 Satellites 10000.00 4349.60 3531.90 500.00 511.00 471.95 100.00 0.00 56 GSAT 29 Satellite 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 57 GSAT 30/31/32 Satellite 5000.00 1800.00 1776.58 500.00 500.00 491.64 100.00 0.00 58 Indian Data Relay Satellite Series 15000.00 9000.00 7343.93 9375.00 7825.00 7444.61 8000.00 3194.87 59 GSAT 12R / CMS-01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 60 Technology Demonstration Spacecraft - 01 (TDS 01) 10000.00 5000.00 4152.00 5000.00 4845.00 4770.07 4000.00 2364.70

***

(Release ID: 2205847)

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Oreshnik Missile System Put on Combat Duty in Belarus on December 17 - Lukashenko

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced on Thursday that the new Oreshnik missile system was put on combat duty in Belarus on December 17.

"The first positions are equipped with the Oreshnik missile system; we received it yesterday and it is now on combat duty," Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during a session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Belarus and Russia are implementing a set of strategic deterrence measures for defense, Lukashenko said.

"Our military cooperation, primarily with the Russian Federation, also ensures strategic defense. Therefore, Belarus and Russia are implementing a set of strategic deterrence measures. This includes the deployment of the Russian component of a regional troop group on our territory. In the event of an escalation of the conflict, it is stipulated that the armed forces, several tens of thousands of personnel in western Russia, will immediately join the military struggle as a second echelon. Belarus will be the first to act, and Russia will support us further," Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Belarus and Russia should always be together, the president added.

"I emphasize once again: cherish this friendship [with Russia]. God forbid we should succumb to these foreign messages - that will be the beginning of the destruction of our state," Lukashenko added.

On Relations with Other Counties

Belarus is building constructive relations with the United States, Lukashenko said, adding that this is a dialogue between the strong and the strong.

"There is nothing wrong with having excellent strategic relations with Russia and China, and having begun to build a constructive dialogue with the leadership of the United States of America  one of the most important centers of power. Yes, the dialogue is sometimes tough and persistent, and yes, every detail matters, but these are negotiations between the strong and the strong," Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Alexander Lukashenko also said that Belarusian interests are at the core of negotiations with the United States, adding that he will not sell out the country.

"I am telling [the US administration] directly that we have our own interests, and as president, I must express these interests. The interests of the Belarusian people are the foundation of our negotiations. Do not worry, this is not the time for President Lukashenko to sell you out," Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Lukashenko said that Washington did not raise the issue of cooperation between Belarus and Russia during negotiations with Minsk.

"We are negotiating with the Americans. I must say frankly - never, except during the first meetings, have they raised the issue of cooperation between Russia and Belarus. I stated there frankly: Russia is sacred," Lukashenko said in his address to the people and parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

The Belarusian president said that he agreed with Putin to help each other for the benefit of the two peoples.

Alexander Lukashenko also assured the Russian ambassador that Minsk is not negotiating with the United States to the detriment of Russia's interests.

"I want the Russian ambassador to hear this ... 'Oh, the Belarusians are negotiating with the Americans.' And I can now tell him in response, 'You are negotiating with the Americans too.' Well, we are not negotiating at Russia's expense. We are doing the opposite," Lukashenko said in his address to the people and parliament of Belarus during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Lukashenko also said that he is against any confrontation with neighboring countries, including Lithuania.

"Most of all, the military does not want war because they understand what it could lead to ... No confrontation whatsoever. Any war does not begin with gunfire," Lukashenko said in his address to the people and parliament of Belarus during the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

It would not take much time to win Lithuania militarily, but the war must not be started, Lukashenko added.

On Energy and Trade

The Belarusian opposition wants Belarus to join the European energy system and pursue widespread privatization, Lukashenko said.

Opponents of the authorities who have left Belarus want to surrender the country's economic sovereignty and the collapse of its economy under external control, the president added.

"Just a month ago, [the opposition] presented another high-profile plan, 'Revival of the Belarusian Economy.' It has four main points. The first is connection to the European energy system. They will come to power and connect [to their] energy system. Energy tariffs [in Belarus] will increase at least four to five-fold. The second is widespread privatization and the sale of state property. Comments are unnecessary. Apparently, they are supported for this purpose by grants and the manual control of Western intelligence agencies," Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

Belarus trades with 190 countries despite Western sanctions, which failed to take into account that the world is huge, Lukashenko also said.

"We set the target for increasing exports to $50 billion, and as a result, we not only got this figure but also continued to conduct trade relations with almost 190 countries around the world. The West did not take into account one thing: the world is huge. No one will dance to the "colonial tune" anymore," Lukashenko said in his address to the people and parliament during the meeting of the All-Belarusian National Assembly in Minsk.

The Belarusian economy is stable, and the debt burden is decreasing, while gold and foreign exchange reserves are growing, Lukashenko said, adding that the experience of implementing joint import substitution projects with Russia was successful.

The West, when imposing sanctions, failed to take into account that no one would dance to a neo-colonialist tune, Lukashenko said, adding that there are currently four poles in the world, but given discord in the European Union and hysterical demands, the bloc could lose this status.

Belarus has plenty of unresolved economic issues, including ensuring technological sovereignty, especially in the context of sanctions, Lukashenko added.

On Ukraine

Lukashenko said that Ukraine is sending unprepared people to the front who have not undergone combat training.

"The army is fighting on the Russian side. And all of Ukraine is there. They grabbed him off the street, gave him a gun, and sent him to the front. But he is unprepared. There is no combat coordination  no squad, no platoon, no company, and so on. Where, how, who the commander is  they have no idea. They grabbed him and sent him to the front... You are sitting in a trench, firing back... So how long are you going to fire back, you untrained man?" Lukashenko said in his address to the nation and the parliament during the session of the All-Belarusian People's Assembly in Minsk.

 Sputnik

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Mixue to open first store in LA as more Chinese food, beverage brands tap into US market

16:48, December 19, 2025 By Liu Yang ( Global Times

An increasing number of Chinese catering brands from tea cafes to food stores are putting down roots in the US market, with Chinese beverage company Mixue becoming a fresh example, as it announced plans on Thursday to open its first store in Los Angeles.

According to its Sina Weibo account, Mixue said that it will open the first US store on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. As of June 30 this year, the global number of its stores surpassed 53,000.

A user of Xiaohongshu with the account name Vs' Diary of Life in America, who now lives in Irvine, California told the Global Times on Thursday that the store started trial operations, and she has made a pre-order and tried its products.

According to a video post by the user, after entering the store, one can hear Mixue's classic theme song in an English version. She and her family tried four drinks plus ice cream, and her favorite was the lemon water.

"It's both delicious and affordable, and the key thing is that it tastes exactly the same as in China," another Xiaohongshu user named kaleyouka based in California told the Global Times on Thursday.

The opening of Mixue's first US store serves as a microcosm of the growing success of Chinese food and beverage brands in the American market.

On October 3, Naisnow's first store in the US officially launched. The company told the Global Times that in the first three days of operation, its first American store achieved nearly $87,000 in revenue and sold close to 13,000 products, setting a new opening-day sales record for Naisnow stores worldwide. On October 24, the company's second store in the US opened in Long Island City, New York, where long queues formed in front of the new location.

In addition to Naisnow, Chinese tea brand Chagee entered the American consumer market in May. HeyTea, another tea chain, has opened more than 30 stores in the US since 2023, covering economic hubs such as New York, Silicon Valley and Boston, according to media reports. Luckin Coffee, which owns more than 20,000 stores across China, also has five self-operated stores in the US.

Haidilao, a popular hot pot brand in China, has several restaurants in major metropolitan areas including California, New York, and others, the company told the Global Times via e-mail.

Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Thursday that Chinese catering brands going global not only demonstrates the confidence of Chinese enterprises, but also brings overseas consumers richer, more diverse choices and innovative consumption experiences.

"More importantly, these brands introduce China's high-efficiency operational philosophy and management practices to foreign markets, helping raise the standard of the local service industry," Zhang noted.

When any brand goes global, it should carry out genuine localization, and even personalized adaptation, based on the target market's consumer habits, cultural context, and price sensitivity. Only by understanding consumers' needs, can brands truly win over local consumers, the expert said.

"Introducing hot pot to customers who may be less familiar with this dining format naturally comes with a learning curve. To help guests better understand how to enjoy hot pot, where raw ingredients are cooked directly in the simmering broth at the table, we present clear English-language guides and in-store explanations tailored to local reading habits. We also made thoughtful menu adjustments, such as refining the spice levels of certain broths and expanding our selections of beef cuts to reflect local preferences," Haidilao told the Global Times.

Recently, some foreign media outlets have noticed the trend. In an article headlined "Tidal wave of Chinese tea brands place bets on winning over American tastebuds," Reuters on Thursday cited Chinese beverage chain Ningji Lemon Tea, saying that despite the challenges, companies ranging from Chagee Tea House and Chahalo to Molly Tea and Auntea Jenny have within the past year opened US stores or announced expansions.

They have been buoyed by their success in China's modern tea-drink market and propelled by flavor innovations, fresh brands and rapid store rollouts, the report said.

On December 1, the New York Times reported that "The economic relationship between the US and China is as fraught as it has been in recent memory, but that has not stopped a wave of Chinese food and beverage chains from moving aggressively into the US for the first time."

Zhang said that more foreign media outlets have reported on Chinese catering enterprises' entry into the US market, which reflected the expansion of the influence of Chinese culinary culture.

In addition, their overseas expansion has transcended mere dining consumption and evolved into a comprehensive vehicle for spreading China's culinary culture and lifestyle. The fact that consumers are willing to queue for hours and return frequently reflects not only their love for the flavors, but more importantly, a genuine curiosity about and growing acceptance of the Chinese culture these brands represent, the expert said.

Despite facing cultural differences and potential geopolitical factors, the interaction of the food and beverage sector between China and the US also represents a positive component of the current exchanges between the two countries and open more possibilities for China and the US to explore broader space for cooperation, Zhang said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Regular Press Conference of the Ministry of National Defense on November 27, 2025

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China

Source Ministry of National Defense

EditorLi Jiayao

Time2025-12-18 22:26:37

By Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, Spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense (MND) at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

(The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.)

Jiang Bin: Good afternoon. Welcome to today's regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Jiang Bin: I have one thing to announce at the top.

The military's inaugural report meeting of a lecture tour on the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was launched in Beijing on November 3. Zhang Youxia, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the CMC, and Zhang Shengmin, Vice Chairman of the CMC, met with the lecturers and listened to their reports.

After the meeting, the lecturing team will be divided into five groups to give 20 lectures across the military. The lecture series will expound on such topics as the guiding principles, major objectives, strategic tasks, significant measures, and fundamental guarantees of economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan Period, and will also delve into the important strategy for modernizing national defense and the armed forces over the next five years.

The Party, the country, and the military have secured significant new achievements continuously. The officers and soldiers have gained a profound understanding that we owe all these remarkable achievements to President Xi Jinping, who has been at the helm charting the course, and to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which has provided sound guidance to advance our cause. Two Affirmations are the greatest certainty, confidence, and guarantee for us to prevail over all difficulties and obstacles. The officers and soldiers have proactively translated the political enthusiasm gained from studying the plenum spirit into concrete actions to excel in their duties, maintaining a sustained drive in military training and combat readiness.

The blueprint has been drafted, and it is time to forge forward. We will thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military and the military strategic guideline for a new era, focusing on high-quality development and prioritizing the political loyalty of the armed forces. We will also make efforts to speed up the development of advanced combat capabilities, modernize military governance, and consolidate and improve integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities. By doing so, we will keep modernizing national defense and the armed forces and enhancing our military's strategic capacity to defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Journalist: It was reported that the Chinese government just released a white paper titled China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in the New Era. Could you please give us more information about it?

Jiang Bin: China has played a constructive role in global security governance and promoting international arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation, contributing significantly to world peace and stability. The white paper titled China's Arms Control, Disarmament and Nonproliferation in the New Era is the first of its kind on arms control issued since the 18th CPC National Congress. It is a concrete step taken by China to actively implement the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, serving as a declaration of China's commitment in the new era to safeguard global peace and security, uphold the post-WWII international order, and advance the multilateral arms control process.

The newly released white paper gives a comprehensive explanation on a series of President Xi Jinping's major and innovative visions, concepts and propositions on global security governance and international arms control. It outlines China's position and propositions regarding arms control in traditional security domain as well as security governance in emerging fields. Furthermore, it expounds on China's arms control policies in the new era, provides a strategic assessment of the current international security and arms control landscape, and details the country's concrete efforts to advance international arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation. The document thus underscores China's firm resolve and sense of responsibility to strengthen arms control, maintain strategic stability, and reduce the hazards of war.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, China stands ready to work together with all peace-loving countries to strengthen global security governance, uphold global fairness and justice, advance multilateral arms control, safeguard global strategic stability, inject more certainty and positive energy into a fluid and turbulent world, and join all parties in building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, the Chinese and US militaries held the second working group meeting and the annual session of the Maritime Military Communication Agreement (MMCA) from November 18 to 20 in Hawaii. How does the Chinese side evaluate the current China-US military-to-military relationship? Are there any other planned exchanges between the two sides in the near future? Secondly, the Japanese side claimed that a plan to station medium-range surface-to-air missiles at the Yonaguni Island 110 kilometers east of Taiwan is making steady progress. According to Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, the deployment will lower the risk of Japan being attacked, and it will not intensify regional tensions. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: On your first question, representatives from the Chinese and US militaries held the second working group meeting and the annual session of the Maritime Military Communication Agreement (MMCA) in Hawaii from November 18 to 20. The meetings were held to implement the consensus between the Chinese Defense Minister and the US Secretary of War on strengthening communication and exchanges between troops on the ground to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation, manage risks and crises, and add positive factors to building a stable and positive mil-mil relationship featuring equality, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. As for exchanges in the near future, the two sides maintain contact at the working level. We will release information in due course.

As for your second question, the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China. How to solve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese, and has nothing to do with Japan. This year marks the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration. Instead of repenting for its war crimes of invading and colonizing Taiwan, Japan is taking an extremely wrong approach by suggesting military intervention into a so-called Taiwan contingency. This dangerous approach will uproot the post-WWII international order, and lead Japan to repeat the mistakes of its militarist past. The PLA has strong capabilities and reliable means to defeat any aggressors. Should the Japanese side dare to cross the red line and invite troubles to itself, it is destined to pay a heavy price.

Journalist: The PLA started military operations in the waters of the northern Yellow Sea near the Bohai Strait on November 23 and the operations will run through until December 7. Are these exercises intended to warn Japan? Recently, the Chinese military sent messages through multiple channels about its readiness to fight and win at any time. Given that the Japanese side rejected to retract relevant remarks, will the PLA take more actions to pressure Japan in the next step?

Jiang Bin: The root cause for deteriorating relations between China and Japan lies in that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi blatantly made erroneous remarks relating to Taiwan. Since Japan's surrender in 1945, it was the first time for a Japanese leader to publicly clamor for something like "what's happening in Taiwan is directly linked to Japan" and relate it to the right of collective self-defense. Such claims revealed for the first time Japan's intent to have armed intervention in the Taiwan question. It was also the first-ever threat using force against China made by Japan. Relevant remarks, which blatantly challenge China's core interests, are extremely wrong, dangerous and egregious. It is the Chinese military's sacred duty to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We will show no mercy to any aggressive moves and crush them with a head-on blow.

Journalist: It was reported that the PLA National University of Defense Technology hosted the 4th China-ASEAN Mid-and-junior Level Officer Exchange. Please share more details about the event.

Jiang Bin: The 4th China-ASEAN Mid-and-junior Level Officer Exchange was held in China from November 17 to 24. More than 30 mid-and-junior level officers from ASEAN countries participated in the event, and exchanged views with their Chinese counterparts on historical memories, regional security and cooperation methods. They toured Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Kunshan, and visited military and civilian installations, gaining a first-hand experience of the speed and outcomes of the Chinese path to modernization.

The China-ASEAN Mid-and-junior Level Officer Exchange serves as an important platform for the two sides to enhance mutual understanding and trust, and to carry forward the traditional friendship. Since its inception in 2019, the event has been widely welcomed and acclaimed by ASEAN countries. Participating mid-and-junior level officers have strengthened their sense of the common responsibility to safeguard regional peace and stability, thereby injecting positive energy into building an even closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Journalist: It was reported that the Japanese government sold its domestically produced Patriot air-defense missiles to the US. It was the first export of deadly weapons since Japan relaxed controls on its arms export. Besides, the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan has started discussions on revising its three security documents, including the revision of its three non-nuclear principles and increasing its defense spending. What's your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: It is an ironclad fact that Japan was a defeated country in WWII. International treaties and instruments such as the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, explicitly ban Japan from rearmament. The international community must be on high alert against Japan's revisionist attempts to break away from the restraints of its pacifist Constitution by brazenly expanding its military build-up, drastically increasing its defense budget, expediting the revision of its security policies, relaxing restrictions on weapons export, and attempting to revoke the three non-nuclear principles. It is even attempting to intervene militarily on the Taiwan question. These moves pose serious threats to regional peace and stability.

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. People around the world, especially those from China and other victimized countries in Asia, will never forget the catastrophe brought by Japanese Fascists. The specter of Japanese militarism must never be allowed to haunt the world again. We urge the Japanese side to fully repent for its war crimes and immediately abandon dangerous attempts in constitutional revision and military build-up. Any attempt to repeat the evil path of aggression and expansion and undermine the post-WWII international order will not succeed.

Journalist: According to Japanese media reports, a JSDF representative noted that if the Chinese aircraft carrier PLANS Fujian were to engage in military actions in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese and American forces would be able to destroy it. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: A simple response to such ignorant remarks: sheer illusion. One should never overestimate its own strength.

Journalist: After China took countermeasures against Sanae Takaichi's provocative remarks, the head of Taiwan's so-called external affairs department alleged that Taiwan would support Japan at critical moments as the mainland is bullying Japan through economic coercion and military threats. Lai Ching-te posted pictures on social media of himself eating Japanese food to show his support for Japan. What's your comment on this?

Jiang Bin: Lai Ching-te has already been disgraced for fawning over Japan. This time, he is so obsequious that he's even licking Japan's boots. We warn the DPP authorities that any attempt to pursue "Taiwan independence" by soliciting support from external forces is doomed to fail. Anyone who betrays the nation and seeks to divide the country will be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Journalist: According to media reports, the Armed Forces of the Philippines posted on social media that the Philippine side co-hosted another multilateral maritime operation with the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force at the "West Philippine Sea". It claimed that such cooperation was a testament to ever-growing solidarity and cooperation in the region. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: Recently, the PLA Southern Theater Command organized a joint maritime patrol in the South China Sea. We warn the Philippine side to stop stirring up troubles in the South China Sea by soliciting external support. The Chinese military will keep on high alert and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea. Any attempt of infringements or provocations will not succeed.

Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, according to media reports, US Ambassador to Japan and Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State both mentioned this month that the US-Japan Security Treaty applies to the defense of the Diaoyu Dao. Some analyzed that the US intends to counter China's increasing pressure on Japan. What's your comment? Secondly, as was reported by Taiwan media on November 23, Taiwan's Marine Corps sent an established battalion for the first time to the US to participate in a military exercise this October. The battalion, with full manpower and equipment, traveled to the Guam for "joint forcible entry operations" by Taiwan's landing craft Yushan. During the exercise, participants from Taiwan played the role of the "PLA attacking force", while the US Marine Corps acted as the defending force. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: On your first question. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made blatant and erroneous remarks on Taiwan. Those remarks implied the possibility of Japan's armed intervention in a Taiwan contingency, which triggered outrage and condemnation from the Chinese people. Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territory. No matter what the US or Japan say or do, this fact will not change and China's resolve in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not be wavered. Certain individuals in the US should act in ways that befit their positions and contribute to regional peace and stability, instead of provoking tensions and stirring up chaos.

On your second question, the Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no foreign interference. We firmly oppose any form of military collusion between the US and the Taiwan region. We warn the DPP authorities that any attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" by soliciting support from external forces or reject reunification by force is doomed to failure.

Journalist: An investigation reveals that in recent years, Japan has spent over 13.1 billion yen in Taiwan on cultivating pro-Japanese influencers and relevant propaganda efforts. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: During its colonial rule of Taiwan, Japan aggressively enforced the so-called Kominka (Imperial Subject) Movement. Today, it is investing heavily in a more covert campaign of ideological and cultural infiltration targeting the people of Taiwan. This is an attempt to whitewash its own history of aggression and to strip the island's younger generation of their national and cultural identity as Chinese. History must not be distorted, nor can family ties be severed. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait must heighten their vigilance against Japan's political manipulation, resolutely oppose any betraying acts of fawning over Japan and forsaking one's ancestors, and be proud and upright Chinese.

Journalist: It was reported that the DPP authorities launched a massive mailing campaign to distribute civil defense handbooks to households across the island from November 19, marking an effort to strengthen public preparedness for emergencies, including the possibility of a military attack from the Chinese mainland. An official of the DPP authorities said that it shows Taiwan's determination to defend itself and people across the Strait should understand that there will be a huge cost if the Chinese mainland makes the wrong decision. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: The so-called handbooks concocted by the DPP authorities are packed with lies. They spread fear of war and create a tense, impending-war atmosphere, inciting confrontation and hostility across the Strait. This runs completely counter to the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, which desires peace, development, exchanges, and cooperation. It fully exposes the DPP authorities' malicious intent to seek "Taiwan independence" by force and military buildup. We believe that our fellow Taiwan compatriots will see through the DPP authorities' true nature of harming Taiwan and will take active actions to jointly oppose the separatist forces' reckless attempts for "Taiwan independence", safeguard their own security and well-being as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We hope the compatriots on both sides of the Strait will work together to achieve national reunification and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Journalist: I have two questions. First, a major fire broke out in a residential building in Tai Po District of the New Territories, Hong Kong. Various sectors of society have provided assistance. May I ask whether the PLA Hong Kong Garrison has any plan to offer help? Second, according to reports, the Pentagon suggested that Chinese companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and BYD should be added to a federal list that tracks firms aiding the Chinese military. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: On your first question, we express our deep condolences to the deceased and the firefighter who lost his life, and sincerely convey sympathies to the families of the victims and the affected residents. The PLA Hong Kong Garrison will follow orders and fulfill their duties to safeguard Hong Kong in compliance with the law.

On your second question, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already given a response. We oppose any groundless hype of the so-called China military threat.

Journalist: According to reports, the task group consisting of PLANS Fujian, PLANS Yan'an, and PLANS Tongliao, recently conducted training on group navigation, ship-aircraft joint search and rescue (SAR), and takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft. This is the first maritime live training for PLANS Fujian since it was commissioned earlier this month. Please tell us more about that.

Jiang Bin: PLANS Fujian is China's first electromagnetic catapult-assisted aircraft carrier. It is a milestone for the PLA Navy in its course towards transformation and leapfrog development. Shortly after being commissioned, PLANS Fujian's first live training at sea tested its capabilities for electromagnetic aircraft launch and recovery, deck operations, and ship-aircraft adaptability. PLANS Fujian is making steady progress towards the generation of the formation's integrated combat capability.

Journalist: I have two questions. Firstly, the recent maiden sea trial by China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, PLANS Sichuan, has attracted international attention. Could you please brief us more on the major improvements of the Type 076 compared to its predecessor, Type 075, in terms of combat capabilities and core technologies? Additionally, does the PLA Navy have a clear plan for mass production and systematic deployment of amphibious assault ships? Does the rapid advancement of naval equipment signify a shift in the PLA Navy's strategy toward far seas operations? Secondly, some Japanese scholars said that the Taiwan-related remarks of Sanae Takaichi is a preview of war to China. Will the Chinese military take further steps against continuous provocations of the Japanese side over China-related sensitive issues?

Jiang Bin: On your first question, as a new-generation amphibious assault ship, PLANS Sichuan will play a significant role in advancing the PLA Navy's transformation and modernization, as well as enhancing its capabilities of far seas operations. China's independent research and development of amphibious assault ships and other military equipment serves China's national security and supports the overall development of the PLA Navy. The goal is to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to better protect peace and stability in the region and beyond.

On your second question, it is the Chinese military's sacred duty to safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. We will show no mercy to any aggressive moves and crush them with a head-on blow.

Journalist: Lai Ching-te announced a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion over the next eight years, claiming that the mainland intends to use force to "coerce reunification, compel surrender and annex Taiwan". He also proposed two security action plans. What's your comment? Besides, he said that the mainland would complete preparations for reunification by force in 2027. What's your comment?

Jiang Bin: Taiwan is a province of China, and there is no such thing as president in the region. Separatist actions for "Taiwan independence" and interference from external forces constitute the biggest threat to peace across the Taiwan Strait. The DPP authorities keep generating war scares, constantly devising new and costly schemes under the guise of soliciting external support for "Taiwan independence" or seeking "Taiwan independence" by force. These so-called plans are completely futile. They cannot stop the historical trend of national reunification and will only accelerate the demise of the "Taiwan independence" separatists.

Jiang Bin: As there are no more questions, I'd like to bring this press conference to a close. Thank you.

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Chinese embassies, commissioner's office of Chinese FM slam G7, EU statement on Jimmy Lai case

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 18, 2025 11:07 PM

China's diplomatic missions on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to a statement issued by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries and the EU High Representative, in which they made irresponsible remarks on the conviction in the Jimmy Lai case and smeared and vilified the national security law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

A spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR said the statement disregarded facts, turned black into white, and openly voiced support for anti-China and destabilizing elements, constituting gross interference in Hong Kong's rule of law and China's internal affairs. The spokesperson expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition.

The spokesperson said Jimmy Lai has long acted as a "lackey" of external forces seeking to destabilize Hong Kong, with criminal facts of inciting subversion and separatism and endangering national security being clear and evidence conclusive.

The entire trial process was conducted openly and transparently, with both prosecution and defense fully presenting and examining evidence, and the verdict was based entirely on facts and evidence, leaving no room for criticism. The ruling has received broad support across Hong Kong society, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson of the office stressed that certain countries deliberately ignored the 855-page verdict, instead portraying Lai as a so-called "democracy fighter" or symbol of "press freedom", which amounts to a blatant trampling on the spirit of the rule of law. He added that Western politicians' professed concern over Hong Kong's "rights" and "freedoms" in fact reflects their frustration that proxies they cultivated have been held accountable and that their attempts to infiltrate and undermine Hong Kong have failed, calling the so-called statement "nothing more than a piece of waste paper."

The spokesperson stressed that today's China has long since left behind the humiliating past of being trampled by foreign powers, and that today's Hong Kong is moving forward with confidence on a new path from stability to prosperity. Any attempt by a group of countries, no matter how many, to pressure China into submission, the spokesperson said, is futile and comparable to "a mantis trying to stop a chariot or an ant attempting to shake a tree", and will ultimately end in failure in the face of the united resolve of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots.

Separately, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Canada on Wednesday also voiced strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the statement, calling such acts a crude interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of the basic norms governing international relations.

Jimmy Lai is a principal planner and participant in a series of major anti-China, destabilizing activities in HKSAR. His crimes are well documented and the harm he has caused is grave, said the spokesperson.

HKSAR is a society governed by the rule of law, where everyone is equal before the law. The judicial authorities of the HKSAR have performed their duties in accordance with the law, upheld the authority of the law, and safeguarded national security. This is reasonable, lawful, and beyond reproach, said the spokesperson.

Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs and brook no external interference. Since the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, Hong Kong society has maintained stability, and the rights and freedoms of its residents have been solidly protected, said the spokesperson.

We urge the relevant parties to respect China's sovereignty and Hong Kong's rule of law, and to immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's judicial affairs and China's internal affairs, said the spokesperson.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK also issued a statement through its spokesperson on the erroneous statement on Hong Kong by G7 foreign ministers and the EU High Representative. "We firmly oppose and strongly condemn the so-called statement and interference by the G7 countries and the EU," the spokesperson said.

"The National Security Law for Hong Kong is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity, and it brooks no slandering or smearing. Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law, and no one is above the law," the spokesperson said.

"Jimmy Lai's crimes are substantiated by ironclad evidence, and he will naturally face punishment under the law," the spokesperson added.

"The G7 and the EU should manage their own internal affairs, and have no right to point fingers at or interfere in China's internal affairs. The aforementioned statement only further exposes their hypocrisy and double standards, and will further strengthen China's determination to implement the National Security Law, crack down on anti-China rioters bent on destabilising Hong Kong, and safeguard Hong Kong's stability and prosperity. All attempts by external forces to interfere in Hong Kong's judicial affairs are doomed to failure," the spokesperson said.

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MOFCOM has received and approved some general export license applications for rare-earth-related items: spokesperson

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 18, 2025 04:19 PM

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has received and approved some general export license applications for rare-earth-related items submitted by Chinese exporters, a spokesperson for the MOFCOM said on Thursday, when asked whether the ministry can confirm EU officials' claim that China has begun issuing longer-term rare-earth export licenses to European companies.

"To my knowledge, we have received and approved applications for general export licenses for rare-earth-related items submitted by some Chinese exporters," said He Yadong, the spokesperson.

Since the implementation of export controls on rare-earth-related items, the relevant Chinese authorities have briefed Chinese exporters on the policies. With the accumulation of relevant export and compliance experience, some Chinese exporters have initially met the basic requirements for applying for general licenses, the spokesperson said.

Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission's trade chief, who claimed that "China has started granting licenses with lengthier terms to allow European companies to obtain critical minerals essential for industries including clean tech, vehicles and defense."

On December 9, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular press conference that "competent authorities of China have shared information on work regarding export controls on rare-earth-related items more than once. China is handling relevant issues in accordance with the laws and regulations."

Guo's remarks were made in response to a question about whether China made any commitments on ensuring the supply of rare earths to Europe or did it promise that it would provide any general licenses for rare earths. Several European leaders have visited China in recent days expressing concerns about the supply of rare earths from China to European countries.

MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong on December 4 also stated that the Chinese government carries out export controls on rare-earth-related items in strict accordance with laws and regulations.

He Yadong's remarks came after a question about a flash survey by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, which claimed that a majority of respondents had been affected by China's rare-earth export controls, citing increased costs and extended delivery times.

"All compliant export applications for civilian purposes have been promptly approved by the Chinese government. At the same time, the Chinese government actively applies facilitation measures such as the general license to promote compliant trade in dual-use items and to safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains," said He Yadong at a regular press conference on December 4.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's Regular Press Conference on December 18, 2025

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

Updated: December 18, 2025 17:53

Shenzhen TV: It's reported that amid China's military activities, a land lease deal was signed on December 15 by Japan's Defense Ministry on the easternmost island of Okinawa for the deployment of a mobile surveillance radar unit to monitor Chinese aircraft carriers and airplanes in waters between Okinawa's main island and the Miyako Island, the sources said. Construction work is expected to begin next year, where around 30 people are expected to be stationed for the mission. What's China's comment?

Guo Jiakun: We noted the reports. It needs to be stressed that countries enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight in relevant waters and airspace in accordance with the international law.

Due to Japanese militarists' history of aggression and other reasons, Japan's moves in military and security areas have been closely watched by its Asian neighbors and the international community. The Japanese side kept strengthening targeted military deployment near China's Taiwan region and even claimed it will deploy mid-range missiles. This time, it went even further by deploying radar unit and troops to secretly monitor its neighbor. Given the erroneous and dangerous remarks made by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan, we must question: Is the Japanese side making trouble and provocations at one's doorstep to find a pretext for its military buildup and missions overseas? Is the Japanese side once again going down the wrong path of militarism to a dead end laid out by the right-wing forces? We urge the Japanese side to learn from history.

Bloomberg: The U.S. has announced a package of arms sales to Taiwan worth up to US$11 billion, making it one of the largest sales. I wonder if the Foreign Ministry have any comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: The U.S. blatantly announced its plan to sell massive advanced weapons to China's Taiwan region. This move grossly violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, infringes on China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island attempt to advance their independence agenda and resist reunification through military buildup, squander the taxpayers' money to purchase weapons, and even risk turning Taiwan into a "powder keg." Such moves will not reverse the inevitable failure of "Taiwan independence," and will only push the Taiwan Strait into the danger of military conflict at a faster pace. For the U.S., assisting the "independence" agenda by arming Taiwan will only backfire, and using Taiwan to contain China will never succeed.

The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. No one shall underestimate the firm will and strong capability of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. China urges the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, act on its leaders' serious commitments, and immediately stop the dangerous act of arming Taiwan. China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

NHK: Facing more pressure from the U.S., Venezuela has requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council. Given the ongoing tensions, how does China view and assess the current developments? What role will China play? (Similar question from Reuters)

Guo Jiakun: China opposes all acts of unilateralism and bullying, and supports countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity. Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries. We believe the international community can understand and support Venezuela's stance of protecting its own legitimate rights and interests. China supports Venezuela's request for holding an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

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New UK-France Nuclear Steering Group met for the first time in Paris.

Elysee - President of France

Posted on 18 December 2025

New UK-France Nuclear Steering Group Meets to Advance Cooperation Under Northwood Declaration

At the UK-France Summit in July 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron affirmed their commitment to strengthening the UK-France nuclear relationship. They signed the Northwood Declaration which established the UK-France Nuclear Steering Group in order to provide political direction and coordinate bilateral work across nuclear policy, capability and operations.

On 10 December, the Nuclear Steering Group met for the first time in Paris, jointly chaired by senior officials from the UK Cabinet Office and the Presidency of the French Republic.

They were accompanied by senior military personnel and officials from Defence and Foreign Ministries to discuss Euro-Atlantic security issues and coordination of their respective independent deterrents. They discussed their approach to strengthening deterrence in Europe and confirmed their ambition for bilateral co-operation on nuclear deterrence.

They also observed operation POKER which was the first time foreign officials were given access to this demonstration of France's Strategic Nuclear airborne Component.

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Transcript of Special briefing by Secretary (CPV&OIA) on Prime Minister's visit to Oman (December 18, 2025)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

December 18, 2025

Namaskar and Good Afternoon,

On the last leg of his visit to three nations, Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi arrived in the Sultanate of Oman yesterday, on the afternoon of 17 December 2025. The Prime Minister visited Oman on 17-18 December, at the invitation of the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik.

At the Muscat airport, the Prime Minister was received by Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs of Oman, His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said. The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by other Cabinet Ministers and senior officials of Oman. A Ceremonial Guard of Honour was accorded to the Prime Minister.

An official dinner banquet was hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs in honour of the Prime Minister on the evening of 17 December.

Prime Minister had a bilateral meeting with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik today on 18 December. There was a tete-a-tete between the two leaders followed by delegation level talks. It may be recalled that His Majesty the Sultan of Oman visited India in December 2023. This is Prime Minister's second visit to Oman after his last visit in February 2018. This visit is of special importance as India and Oman are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During their interaction today, the two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the excellent state of bilateral relations between India and Oman. They felt that the strategic partnership between the two countries was strengthening in several areas covering trade, investment, defence, security, technology, education, energy, space, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people ties. They also reviewed the implementation of the Joint Vision Document, which was adopted during the visit of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman to India in December 2023. Both leaders noted that the relations have transformed into a multi-faceted partnership today.

In view of the long-standing historical ties and civilizational linkages between India and Oman, His Majesty Sultan Haitam bin Tarik conferred the order of Oman on the Hon'ble Prime Minister.

The two leaders further exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. While expressing concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and calling for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians, the two leaders welcomed signing of the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan, and reiterated their support for it. The leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations reaffirming that no justification can ever be accepted for terrorist acts.

The Prime Minister also thanked the Sultan of Oman for taking care of the welfare of more than 675,000 Indian community members in Oman.

During this visit, India and Oman signed several agreements and MoUs. The signing of the India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during this visit is an important milestone in the bilateral economic relations between the two countries. It is expected that this agreement will help in creating a favourable environment for the growth of trade between the two countries and unlock new economic opportunities. A Joint Statement was also issued at the end of the visit. His Majesty the Sultan of Oman hosted a lunch in honour of the Prime Minister.

Earlier today, the Prime Minister addressed the India - Oman Business Forum which was attended by business leaders from both the countries. The forum witnessed participation by business representatives from both India and Oman covering several sectors, such as energy, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, manufacturing, education, health, and connectivity.

Following his address at the business forum, the Hon'ble Prime Minister graced a community event where he interacted with the students and Indian community members in Oman. The event was attended by more than 3000 people, including more than 700 students. The Prime Minister addressed the Indian community at this event.

Following the conclusion of his highly successful visit to Oman, the Hon'ble Prime Minister departed for India on the afternoon of 18 December. Thank You.

Muscat

December 18, 2025

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Raksha Mantri meets Netherlands' Foreign Minister in New Delhi

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

India and the Netherlands highlight shared commitment to a free, open, inclusive & rule-based Indo-Pacific region

Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation inked between the two nations

Posted On: 18 DEC 2025 3:05PM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh met with the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Mr David Van Weel in New Delhi on December 18, 2025, reaffirming the strong and growing defence partnership between the two countries. Both Ministers discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including priority areas for co-development & co-production of defence equipment. They reaffirmed the commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation with a focus on developing defence cooperation as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership.

The discussions highlighted the shared commitment of India and the Netherlands to a free, open, inclusive, and rule-based Indo-Pacific region. The Ministers emphasised on the need for a closer defence partnership and connecting the defence industries from both nations, especially in the field of niche technology. A Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation was exchanged between Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh and Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Ms Marisa Gerards, in the presence of the two Ministers.

Both countries intend to explore the possibilities of defence cooperation in identified areas for the mutual benefit by developing a Defence Industrial Roadmap for technology collaboration, co-production and co-development of platforms & equipment. Shri Rajnath Singh stated that people-to-people ties between both countries are very strong with a large Indian diaspora in the Netherlands serving as a living bridge and strengthening the bonds of friendship.

*****

VK/Savvy

(Release ID: 2205823)

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Operation Sindoor demonstrated India's high-impact, short-duration operational capability: Raksha Mantri at Air Force Commanders' Conclave

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

"IAF is a technologically advanced, operationally agile, strategically confident & future-oriented force, safeguarding national interests in today's times"

Shri Rajnath Singh urges Commanders to take lessons from Operation Sindoor, and stay ready to deal with every future challenge

"21st century warfare is not just a war of weapons, it is a war of ideas, technology & adaptability; Govt is commitment to further strengthening security apparatus"

Posted On: 18 DEC 2025 12:56PM by PIB Delhi

"India's high-impact, short-duration operational capability was demonstrated during by the Armed Forces during Operation Sindoor," said Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, as he described the Indian Air Force (IAF) as a technologically advanced, operationally agile, strategically confident and future-oriented force which is safeguarding national interests amidst the constantly-evolving global order. He was addressing the Air Force Commanders' Conclave in New Delhi on December 18, 2025.

Raksha Mantri praised the courage, speed & precision with which the IAF destroyed the terror camps during the operation, and effectively handling the "irresponsible reaction" from Pakistan after the strikes. Highlighting the people's trust in the Armed Forces, especially the air defence capability, he said "Usually, when enemy attacks, people hide. But, when the Pakistani forces tried to target Indian installations, the people of India remained calm and continued with their daily routines. This is the proof of the trust of every Indian in our operational preparedness". Underscoring the importance of thoroughly understanding the enemy's offensive and defensive capabilities to maintain a decisive advantage, he urged the Commanders to take lessons from Operation Sindoor, and stay vigilant and ready to deal with every future challenge.

Reflecting on the changing nature of warfare, Shri Rajnath Singh stated that the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israel-Hamas war, Balakot air strikes and Operation Sindoor are proof that air power has emerged as a decisive force in today's times. He stressed that air power is not just a tactical asset, but a strategic instrument, and speed, surprise & shock effect are its inherent characteristics. "Air power gives any leadership the capability to deliver a clear strategic message to the adversary that every step will be taken to uphold national interests. Through speed, reach, and precision, air power has become an effective tool for aligning the nation's objectives with military means," he added.

While Raksha Mantri commended the performance of India's air defence system and other equipment effectively used during Operation Sindoor, he reiterated Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-led Government's commitment to further strengthening the security apparatus of the country. "21st century warfare is not just a war of weapons. It is a war of ideas, technology, and adaptability. Cyber warfare, Artificial Intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles, satellite-based surveillance, and space-enabled capabilities are fundamentally changing the future of warfare. Precision-guided weapons, real-time intelligence, and data-driven decision-making are no longer optional; they have become basic requirements for success in modern conflicts. Those nations which master the trinity of technology, strategic vision, and adaptability will move towards global leadership," he added.

Shri Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that Sudarshan Chakra, which was announced by PM Modi during his Independence Day speech this year, will play a crucial role in protecting national assets in the coming times. He added that the development of indigenous jet engines has become a national mission, and the Government is fully committed to achieving this objective.

Raksha Mantri pointed out that the Government is working in collaboration with the private sector, including start-ups & MSMEs, to further the modernisation of the Armed Forces, inviting young minds into defence manufacturing through initiatives such as iDEX and ADITI. He informed that, as on November 2025, out of the 565 challenges given under iDEX, a total of 672 winners have emerged, including 96 winners from the 77 challenges related to the IAF. This achievement demonstrates that the interest of young people, especially from the private sector, is growing rapidly in the defence sector, he said.

Describing Operation Sindoor as a shining example of Tri-service synergy, Shri Rajnath Singh underlined the importance of jointness in today's rapidly changing times. "Jointness among the three Services is crucial as it would further strengthen our security system, and enable us to deal with our adversaries even more effectively," he said.

Raksha Mantri lauded the IAF for their Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief efforts, both domestically and internationally. "Whether at home or abroad, IAF has consistently provided critical support during natural calamities. Many of the missions were executed in extremely challenging situations which has increased the trust of the people in our air warriors," he said.

The conclave was attended by the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and senior commanders of IAF. Upon his arrival, Raksha Mantri was received by the Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, and was subsequently briefed on the IAF's operational readiness. The conclave provides a strategic platform for IAF leadership to deliberate on operational priorities, address emerging challenges and advance Aatmanirbharta in defence capabilities, steering the force towards excellence.

***

VK/Savvy

(Release ID: 2205755)

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The hypocritical claim of concern for the Iranian people by the US government is deceitful and despicable: Foreign Ministry

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 18, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran stated that the hypocritical claim of concern for the Iranian people by the US government is both "deceitful and despicable."

The Ministry made the remarks on its official account on X on Thursday.

It wrote that military aggression against Iran, complicity with the genocidal regime of Israel in the killing of Iranian citizens, the imposition of illegal sanctions, and the abuse of the privilege of hosting the United Nations are all of the same nature, which is nothing but the US's blatant disregard for moral and humanitarian principles, international law, and the UN Charter.

This statement followed the continuation of US unlawful actions exerting pressure on the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New York.

The Ministry added that the US State Department's attempt to cover up these violations under the hypocritical guise of concern for the Iranian people is deceitful and despicable. It emphasized that the illegal sanctions against the Iranian people and the unlawful restrictions imposed on their representatives at the United Nations directly violate fundamental human rights and diplomatic norms.

The statement further noted that this behavior demonstrates the misuse of the UN hosting position as a tool of bullying foreign policy, aimed at intimidating member states through harassment of their representatives.

It concluded by stressing that observance of UN hosting obligations is not a favor, but a binding legal duty under the 1946 Headquarters Agreement.

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Araghchi: Stronger Tehran-Moscow ties enhance efforts to counter Western sanctions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Dec 18, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi says that closer cooperation between Moscow and Tehran enables more effective action against the West's illegal sanctions.

"Building on our Strategic Partnership Treaty, Iran and Russia's foreign ministries have agreed on a three-year roadmap to regularize and elevate our cooperation and coordination," Araghchi wrote on his X account on Thursday at the conclusion of his trip to Russia.

He added, "Closer collaboration between Moscow and Tehran will enable stronger action against unlawful Western sanctions, promote regional stability, advance infrastructure projects, and block illegal measures in the UN Security Council."

"Our neighbors are our priority."

Following intensive consultations and at the conclusion of his trip to Belarus, Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Tuesday to meet and hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, as well as a number of political, parliamentary, and academic figures of the country.

On the first day of his visit to Moscow, Araghchi met and held discussions with officials from the State Duma and the Federation Council, the two pillars of Russia's parliament.

On Wednesday, Araghchi attended MGIMO University and delivered a speech to the faculty and students.

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Trump, Netanyahu quietly planned aggression against Iran since February: Report

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 7:34 PM

US President Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly coordinated the June war against Iran months in advance, while orchestrating a media campaign to portray Washington as opposed to Tel Aviv's plans.

According to sources cited by the Washington Post, Netanyahu met Trump in February and gave him four options for how an attack on Iran could happen.

"The Israeli prime minister first showed Trump what the operation would look like if Israel attacked alone. The second option was for Israel to take the lead, with minimal US support. The third was full collaboration between the two allies. The last option was for the US to take the lead," the report said.

The report added that "Trump wanted to give nuclear diplomacy with Iran a chance, but he continued intelligence-sharing and operational planning with Israel."

One day before the aggression, Trump indicated the US could potentially strike Iran but preferred a diplomatic solution.

"He and Netanyahu maneuvered to keep the Iranians unprepared for what would happen next," sources added.

In the lead-up to the war, Tel Aviv leaked information that Netanyahu's strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and Mossad chief David Barnea would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Although a round of US-Iran indirect negotiations was scheduled for 15 June, Israel launched an unprovoked aggression on Iranian military and nuclear facilities on June 13.

"Israel had decided to strike, as the US well knew. The planned diplomacy was a ruse, and officials from both countries encouraged media reports of a US-Israeli rift," the sources said.

According to sources, reports claiming that Netanyahu was not aligned with Witkoff or Trump were false. However, this perception was useful, as it allowed the planning to proceed without attracting much attention, the Post said.

Following Israel's aggression, Washington proposed a highly restrictive deal demanding Tehran renounce support for resistance movements like Hezbollah and Hamas and replace key nuclear sites with facilities that cannot enrich uranium.

Tehran rejected the proposal, and Trump subsequently authorized US strikes, according to a senior diplomatic source.

The US entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

On June 24, Iran managed to impose a halt to the aggression after conducting waves of successful retaliatory operations.

Hebrew media had also confirmed in June that Trump had publicly opposed an attack on Iran while secretly greenlighting Israel's aggression.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, US and Western media reports have frequently framed Washington as "frustrated" with Israel's actions, despite its military support for Tel Aviv.

Between October 2023 and September 2025, at least 46 Western media reports described former US presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump as being "frustrated" with Israel's operations.

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Iran condemns US hypocrisy, citing aggression, sanctions, restrictions

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 7:29 PM

Iran has cited the United States' long history of hostility toward it, ranging from military aggression to sanctions and the misuse of its role as host of the United Nations, sharply condemning Washington's hypocrisy in presenting itself as concerned for the Iranian people.

In a statement Thursday posted on X, the US Department of State described the historical and ongoing pattern of US conduct toward Iran, including its support for the Israeli regime in its war on the Islamic Republic in June and taking hostile measures against Iranian citizens and representatives to the UN.

"Military aggression and complicity with a genocidal regime in the killing of Iranians, the imposition of cruel sanctions, and the abuse of the privilege of hosting the UN are all of the same nature, reflecting nothing other than the US regime's blatant contempt for moral and human principles, international law, and the Charter of the UN," it said.

The ministry added a direct condemnation of Washington's framing of its policies as humanitarian concern.

"The attempt by the US Department of State to conceal these violations under the hypocritical pretext of 'concern for the Iranians' is mendacious and cheap; illegal sanctions against the Iranians and unlawful restrictions on their representatives at the UN directly violate fundamental human rights and established diplomatic norms."

The statement also criticized the US for using its UN host status as a political tool.

"Such conduct demonstrates the misuse of the UN's host status as an instrument of a bullying foreign policy aimed at intimidating Member States through the harassment of their representatives. Compliance with the obligations of hosting the UN is not a favor, but a binding legal duty under the 1946 Headquarters Agreement."

Earlier this month, Iran condemned the US for intensifying restrictions on the Iranian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, stressing that Washington's abuse of its host-country position undermines the UN's effectiveness and credibility.

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Pezeshkian warns of US attempts to use talks to 'weaken' Iran against Israel

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 8:47 AM

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Tehran will not accept "degrading conditions" for negotiations with the United States, warning of attempts to strip components of Iran's military power and "weaken" the country against the Israeli regime.

Speaking in a meeting with high-profile Iranian figures and political elites on Wednesday, Pezeshkian said enemies seek to "take away all the components of Iran's power and weaken the country against the Zionist regime."

"We seek peace, but we do not accept bullying," he added.

He noted that Iran was engaged in negotiations with the United States and ready to reach an agreement, but they disrupted the process and launched the war in mid-June.

"At present, they are setting forth degrading conditions for the continuation of negotiations, which I refuse to accept. We will neither bow to humiliation nor accept a weakened and fragmented Iran," Pezeshkian emphasized.

He reiterated that Iran does not seek to sow discord and has repeatedly announced that it has no intention to build nuclear bombs, stressing that Iran is ready for any verification activity.

The United States has set tough conditions for renewed talks with Iran, demanding zero uranium enrichment and limits on its missile program. Tehran has rejected them as unacceptable infringements on its sovereignty

Iran had held five rounds of talks on a replacement for the 2015 nuclear deal prior to the US-Israeli airstrikes on the country and its nuclear facilities in mid-June.

The United States and its European allies have repeatedly called for any future agreement to address not only Iran's nuclear activities but also its ballistic missile program.

Tehran has consistently rejected that demand, insisting its military capabilities are non-negotiable.

On August 28, the European trio invoked the "snapback" mechanism to restore UN sanctions, which had been lifted as part of the 2015 deal, further complicating diplomacy to resolve tensions.

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Iran's intelligence database on Israel enabled precise strikes in June war: IRGC

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 7:38 AM

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran had a "complete intelligence database" on Israeli targets during the June aggression, which enabled the Armed Forces to carry out precise retaliatory strikes.

Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini, a spokesman for the IRGC, said on Wednesday that whenever the Zionist regime struck a target in the course of the illegal assault of June, Iran answered by hitting a building with the same purpose, noting that not a single missile went astray thanks to Iran's farreaching intelligence.

"During the 12day war, Iran's intelligence database on the Zionist regime was comprehensive, and this information dominance enabled the precise targeting by Iranian missiles," he added.

Naeini also said that Iran destroyed 47 Israeli strategic centers, several science and technology parks, and 2 power plants based on the information obtained from inside the Israeli-occupied lands.

"Around 80 percent of Iran's operations in the 12day war relied on intelligence gathered in previous years; otherwise, such successes would not have been achieved."

Between June 13 and 24, Israel waged a terrorist act of aggression against Iran, killing at least 1,064 people and targeting the country's civilian infrastructure.

On June 22, the United States also joined Israel and bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. Two days later, the Islamic Republic managed to impose a halt to the criminal aggression through its successful retaliatory attacks.

The IRGC spokesman said that Israeli media warned of Iran's intelligence penetration and that the regime opened 60 related cases throughout the war.

Citing a postwar survey in the occupied territories, he said only 13 percent of Israeli settlers felt victorious, whereas in Iran the figure was about 80 percent.

"If the US had not come to the aid of the Zionist regime, it would no longer exist today. Just as in the eight years of the [1980s'] Sacred Defense, America once again supported our enemy," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Naeini stressed that the Israeli-US aggression significantly fostered unity within Iranian society and markedly increased the popularity of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The enemy sought to disintegrate Iran during the 12-day assault, which was not merely a military conflict, but a civilizational and identity struggle, he said. The war led to the victory of the discourse of resistance and strengthened the elements of Iran's authority.

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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks with Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abbas Araghchi

18 December 2025 09:51

2113-18-12-2025

On December 17, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Abbas Araghchi paid a working visit to Moscow, where he held talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The ministers discussed a wide range of issues related to Russian-Iranian ties, which have been elevated to a new level now that the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has entered into force. They noted the intensive and productive nature of the highest- and high-level political dialogue, as well as collaboration at the levels of government, agencies and regions.

The ministers focused on efforts to further expand trade, economic and investment cooperation, including the implementation of joint flagship projects in energy and transport. They discussed in detail the implementation of agreements reached during the December 12, 2025, meeting between the Presidents of Russia and Iran in Ashgabat, as well as preparations for the 19th meeting of the Permanent Russian-Iranian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, scheduled to be held in February 2026 in Tehran.

Sergey Lavrov and Abbas Araghchi exchanged views on key international and regional issues, including the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme, developments in the Middle East, the South Caucasus, the Caspian region and Afghanistan. They welcomed more active coordination at multilateral platforms, primarily the SCO, BRICS and the EAEU.

The talks took place in a trust-based and constructive atmosphere, which is characteristic of Russian-Iranian relations.

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Cracking Down on Iran's Shadow Fleet

US Department of State

Press Statement

Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson

December 18, 2025

Today, the United States is acting to stem the flow of the Iranian regime's revenue used to support terrorism and other illicit activities.

The Department of the Treasury is sanctioning 29 shadow fleet vessels engaged in the covert delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil and petroleum products. Among the entities sanctioned is a network of companies and vessels operated by Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr, an Egyptian businessman, and several companies active in countries including the UAE, India, the Marshall Islands, and Panama. This action further constrains Iran's ability to export petroleum and petroleum products through obscure and fraudulent mechanisms.

The United States will continue pursuing measures to implement National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 , which directs the imposition of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to deprive it of the revenues that fund its destabilizing activities. We will not hesitate to utilize all available tools at our disposal to counter those who enable Iran's illicit oil trade.

Today's action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which target Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors. It continues the robust sanctions campaign to restrict Iranian oil sales in support of NSPM-2 issued by the President on February 4, 2025. For more information on today's action, please see the Department of the Treasury's press release.

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Treasury Increases Pressure on Iran's Sanctions-Evading Shadow Fleet

U.S. Department of the Treasury

December 18, 2025

WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is placing further pressure on the Iranian shadow fleet, which exports Iranian petroleum and petroleum products through deceptive shipping practices. OFAC is targeting 29 shadow fleet vessels and their respective management firms that have transported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian petroleum products. Today's action also targets Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr, an Egyptian businessman whose companies are associated with seven of the 29 shadow fleet vessels included in this action, as well as multiple shipping companies.

"As President Trump has said repeatedly, the United States will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. "Treasury will continue to deprive the regime of the petroleum revenue it uses to fund its military and weapons programs."

TREASURY is SANCTIONING ADDITIONAL VESSELS IN the shadow fleet

OFAC is taking systematic actions against the shadow fleet that Iran relies on to evade sanctions and transport petroleum to end users in Asia. Since President Trump resumed office, his Administration has sanctioned more than 180 vessels responsible for shipping Iranian petroleum and petroleum products, driving up costs for Iranian oil exporters and reducing the revenue Iran receives for each barrel of oil sold.

This action was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13902, which targets Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors. It continues the robust sanctions campaign targeting Iranian oil sales in support of the President's National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 (NSPM-2), instituting maximum economic pressure on Iran.

Today's action includes vessels used to transport Iranian crude oil and a variety of Iranian petroleum products, including fuel oil, bitumen, naphtha, and condensate. These vessels are owned and operated by a group of companies that operate out of various jurisdictions and are largely established for the sole purpose of owning and managing their respective vessels. The following vessels are linked to years of Iranian petroleum shipments, including significant volumes in 2025:

The Palau-flagged NEBULA DRIFT (IMO 9233973) and AETHER SAIL (IMO 9277371), and the Panama-flagged TIDAL RHYTHM (IMO 9297101) and VOYAGER HAVEN (IMO 9271896),all managed and operated by United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Phoenix Ship Management FZE, have transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian petroleum products in 2025, including condensate, bitumen, and naphtha.

The Palau-flagged ARIHANT (IMO 9464156), owned, operated, and managed by Panama-based Arihant Shipping Inc., has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil and bitumen within the Persian Gulf since July 2025.

The Palau-flagged KURDOS (IMO 9236731), KURDOS II (IMO 9453729) and KURDOS III (IMO 9380570), all owned, operated, and managed by Panama-based Kurdos Shipping Inc., have transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil and bitumen within the Persian Gulf since early 2025.

The Panama-flagged KASSIA (IMO 9409986), owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered Adonis Shipping Inc, has transported over two dozen shipments of Iranian petroleum products, including fuel oil, since 2024.

The Cook Islands-flagged MAJESTY (IMO 9430715), owned by Marshall Islands-registered Concord Shipping Inc., has transported nearly a dozen shipments of Iranian petroleum products since early 2025.

The Barbados-flagged FLORA DOLCE (IMO 9258595), owned and managed by India-based Rukbat Marine Services Co, has transported millions of barrels of Iranian fuel oil since April 2025.

The Jamaica-flagged DIANA (IMO 9255945), owned and operated by British Virgin Islands-based Aleah Shipping Inc, has transported millions of barrels of Iranian fuel oil since May 2025.

The Cook Islands-flagged J M A (IMO 9246487), owned and operated by Panama-based J M A Shipping Inc., has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil since August 2021.

The Cook Islands-flagged S M A (IMO 9273002), owned and operated by Panama-based S M A Shipping Inc., has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian bitumen since June 2021.

The Cook Islands-flagged M K A (IMO 9269403), owned, operated, and managed by Marshall Islands-registered M K A Shipping Inc, has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian bitumen, fuel oil, and naphtha since January 2024. M K A has previously transported naphtha and gasoil that originated from Russia. M K A was previously operated and managed by the sanctioned Indo Gulf Ship Management LLC while it transported Iranian oil.

The Panama-flagged AUROURA (IMO 9262912), owned and operated by India-based Golden Gate Ship Management, has transported millions of barrels of Iranian petroleum products, including naphtha and condensate.

The Barbados-flagged RAMYA (IMO 9363182), operated and managed by India-based Darya Shipping Private Limited, has transported more than a hundred thousand barrels of Iranian petroleum products, including naphtha, since September 2025.

The Panama-flagged FOSHAN (IMO 9404572), owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered Sinostar Marine Group Limited, has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil and lubricants since June 2025.

The Palau-flagged HEMERA (IMO 9263954), owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered Hemera Lines Inc., has transported more than 150,000 barrels of bitumen since February 2025.

The Panama-flagged NOMIKI (IMO 9242443), owned and managed by Marshall Islands-registered Agape Shipping Inc, has transported millions of barrels of Iranian fuel oil in 2025.

The Cook Islands-flagged MARUTI (IMO 9546710), owned and operated by Marshall Islands-registered Maruti Shipping Inc., has transported hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian naphtha in 2025.

The unknown-flagged GOLDEN EAGLE(IMO 9255684), owned and operated by Liberia-based Everest Sea Navigation SA, has transported millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil in 2025.

The following companies are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy:

Phoenix Ship Management FZE;

Arihant Shipping Inc.;

Kurdos Shipping Inc.;

Adonis Shipping Inc;

Concord Shipping Inc.;

Rukbat Marine Services Co;

Aleah Shipping Inc;

J M A Shipping Inc.;

S M A Shipping Inc.;

M K A Shipping Inc;

Golden Gate Ship Management;

Darya Shipping Private Limited;

Sinostar Marine Group Limited;

Hemera Lines Inc.;

Agape Shipping Inc;

Maruti Shipping Inc.; and

Everest Sea Navigation SA

The following vessels are being identified as blocked property of the previously identified blocked persons:

NEBULA DRIFT, AETHER SAIL, TIDAL RHYTHMand VOYAGER HAVEN (Phoenix Ship Management FZE);

ARIHANT (Arihant Shipping Inc.);

KURDOS, KURDOS II, and KURDOS III (Kurdos Shipping Inc).;

KASSIA (Adonis Shipping Inc);

MAJESTY (Concord Shipping Inc.);

FLORA DOLCE (Rukbat Marine Services Co);

DIANA (Aleah Shipping Inc);

J M A (J M A Shipping Inc.);

S M A (S M A Shipping Inc.);

M K A (M K A Shipping Inc);

AUROURA (Golden Gate Ship Management);

RAMYA (Darya Shipping Private Limited);

FOSHAN (Sinostar Marine Group Limited);

HEMERA (Hemera Lines Inc.);

NOMIKI (Agape Shipping Inc);

MARUTI (Maruti Shipping Inc.); and

GOLDEN EAGLE (Everest Sea Navigation SA).

egyptian ENABLER OF IRANIAN PETROLEUM EXPORTS

UAE-based Egyptian shipping businessman Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr (Sakr) owns and operates multiple companies, including UAE-based Red Sea Ship Management LLC and High Seas Petroleum LLC, formerly known as Petrofleet Energy Trading LLC,that have been responsible for transporting large quantities of Iranian petroleum products in the Persian Gulf region, including in coordination with Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics-associated front company Sahara Thunder. Red Sea Ship Management LLCmanages and operates the Palau-flagged products tankers SKYLIGHT (IMO 9330020), KHADIGA (IMO 9321469), and INTAN PREMIER (IMO 9358802), each of which have transported Iranian petroleum products such as naphtha, bitumen, and fuel oil. The SKYLIGHT, previously known as the AL MOUSTAFA, was acquired by Sakr in June 2023. Immediately after acquiring the vessel, the SKYLIGHT was used for a ship-to-ship transfer of Iranian condensate in the interest of Sahara Thunder.

Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. Red Sea Ship Management LLC and High Seas Petroleum LLC are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Hatem Elsaid Farid Ibrahim Sakr. SKYLIGHT, KHADIGA, and INTAN PREMIER are being identified as blocked property in which Red Sea Ship Management LLC has an interest.

Sakr's companies transferred management of several vessels to UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management L.L.C (Qatrat Alnada), including at least three vessels that have transported Iranian petroleum products. Qatrat Alnada's vessels, including the Palau-flagged SEA WISE (IMO 9224570), SEAMULL (IMO 9204776), and SEA ROCK (IMO 9140451), have each transported Iranian petroleum products, including naphtha and gasoil, on multiple occasions. Qatrat Alnada also operates and manages the Palau-flagged tanker SEA CITRINE VI (IMO 9207273). All four vessels have made port calls to Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen.

Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management L.L.C is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13902 for operating in the petroleum sector of the Iranian economy. SEA WISE, SEAMULL, SEA ROCK, and SEA CITRINE VIarebeing identified as blocked property in which Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management L.L.C has an interest.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons 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 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 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 persons designated and any property identified as blocked property today.

###

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The Japan-Philippines Defense Ministers Video Teleconference

Ministry of Defense of Japan

(Press Release: Provisional Translation)

December 18, 2025

Ministry of Defense Japan

On December 18, commencing at 14:50 (Japan Time) for approximately 35 minutes, Minister Koizumi held a Defense Ministerial Video Teleconference with Philippine Secretary of Defense, Gilberto Teodoro.

At the outset, Minister Koizumi welcomed the opportunity to reconnect via video teleconference with Secretary Teodoro following the recent four-countries defense minister's meeting in Malaysia with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and United States (U.S.) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Both ministers reaffirmed the need to further strengthen and develop bilateral cooperation under the increasingly severe security environment surrounding both countries. The two Ministers also exchanged views on regional security issues. Defense Minister Koizumi briefed the radar incident on December 6 in which a Chinese military aircraft illuminated a Japan Self-Defense Force aircraft with radar and the Chinese-Russian bombers' joint flight from the Eastern Sea to the Pacific that occurred on December 9 and shared his grave concerns over these. They reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Furthermore, the two Ministers concurred on strengthening operational collaboration, including the Japan-Philippines RAA which came into effect in September of this year, and reaffirmed their commitment to further promote defense equipment and technology cooperation.

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Japan-Australia Vice Ministers' Meeting

Ministry of Defense of Japan

(Press Release)

18 December 2025

On 16 December 2025, Administrative Vice Minister Yamato held a meeting with Secretary of the Department of Defence of Australia, Greg Moriarty. The summary of the meeting is as follows.

Administrative Vice Minister Yamato and Secretary Moriarty discussed Japan-Australia defense cooperation including cooperation in various areas such as bilateral and multilateral activities and defense equipment and technology cooperation, based on the establishment of the Framework for Strategic Defence Coordination (FSDC) announced at the Japan-Australia Defense Ministers' Meeting held on the 7th this month, as well as exchanging views on regional situations. Administrative Vice Minister Yamato and Secretary Moriarty reaffirmed that Japan and Australia, as a central pillar of coordination among like-minded countries, will continue to work closely with the United States and other partners. Administrative Vice Minister Yamato and Secretary Moriarty concurred on further close cooperation, looking towards next year's 50th anniversary of the signing of the Australia and Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, based on the Japan-Australia Defense Ministers' Joint Statement announced on the 7th this month.

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Signing of the Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

December 18, 2025

On December 18, commencing at 10:45 p.m. Japan time (same day, 2:45 p.m. local time) in The Hague, the Netherlands, the Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Concerning Reciprocal Provision of Supplies and Services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands ("Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement", or ACSA) was signed by Mr. MICHII Rokuichiro, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Netherlands, and H.E. Mr. Ruben Brekelmans, Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Agreement establishes a framework such as the settlement procedures for the reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Agreement will facilitate the smooth and prompt provision of supplies and services between the Self-Defense Forces of Japan and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Agreement will also promote their closer cooperation and enable them to actively contribute to peace and security of the international community.

(Reference) Attached

Agreement (English (PDF)

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Japanese PM official claims 'Japan should possess nuclear weapons'; Chinese expert warns 'trial balloon' claim requires vigilance

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 19, 2025 12:46 PM

Remarks by an unnamed official from Japan's Prime Minister's Office, cited by Japanese media on Thursday, that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons" have continued to spark criticism within the country. Some figures in Japan's political and legal circles, including former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and House of Councillors member Taku Yamazoe, have stated that such opinions should not be expressed lightly. Political parties such as the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party have also voiced their opposition to Japan possessing nuclear weapons on social media.

Meanwhile, some Japanese media outlets such as Nikkei and Mainichi reported that such remarks were made during an off-the-record interview with the press.

Given Japan's "severe security environment," an official unnamed was quoted as saying in the Asahi Shimbun that he personally believes that "Japan should possess nuclear weapons." The official is responsible for advising Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on security policies and related matters, according to the report.

However, he also claimed that this does not mean that the Japanese government is currently advancing discussions on the issue, and achieving this goal would be extremely difficult considering Japan's obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) framework.

Nikkei cited this unnamed official claiming that the remarks were made during an off-the-record interview with the press. At the same time, the official noted that such a move is not practical in reality.

During the informal interview, when asked about his views on nuclear armament, the official reiterated that nuclear possession is necessary and explained, "In the end, we can only rely on ourselves," the official also added, "This is not something that can be done as easily as going to a convenience store," according to Nikkei.

The official was expressing only his personal view, Mainichi reported, saying that when asked whether the Prime Minister would reconsider the "Three Non-Nuclear Principles," he replied, "I'm not sure, as it hasn't been discussed, but I don't think the Prime Minister holds such a view."

The official also noted that the Japanese government is not currently considering the issue, according to Mainichi.

Responding to the reports, former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said on Friday that "this is not something to be discussed lightly. The government must respond appropriately, according to Japanese news outlet Kumanichi.

Calling the report "shocking," Japan's Social Democratic Party (SDP) said in a social media post late Thursday that "Precisely because Japan has experienced the devastation wrought by nuclear weapons, shouldn't we cherish and pursue peace even more?" the SDP said.

Reiterating its opposition to Japan possessing nuclear weapons, the party added, "Let us continue a peaceful postwar era in which no one kills and no one is killed."

This is shocking news, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Japan said on late Thursday evening on social media.

"Our country, upholding the Peace Constitution and adhering to the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, has built postwar society and earned the trust of other nations through peaceful diplomacy. Precisely because Japan has experienced the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, shouldn't we cherish and pursue peace even more?" SDP asked.

The SDP opposes Japan possessing nuclear weapons. Let us continue a peaceful postwar era where no one kills and no one is killed, it said.

House of Councillors member Taku Yamazoe said on social media that: The theory of nuclear deterrence is nothing but an illusion; nuclear weapons, which bring hellish devastation, can only be abolished. Those who do not hold this stance have no right to wield Japan's political power."

"Impossible. It should never be,"Japanese Communist Party said on Friday on social media.

Japanese attorney Masaki Kito also called on social media on Thursday night that such "trial balloon" articles should stop, and the identity of this senior official in the PM's office should be made clear.

In recent days, the Takaichi administration has continuously signaled a push to revise the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, and this Prime Minister's Office source who made the recent remarks reportedly participates in the cabinet's security policy formulation and is likely an insider or a figure of considerable influence, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

"His statements align with Takaichi administration's stance on revising the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and, objectively, serve to shape public opinion and test reactions from various parties. Such comments warrant vigilance from the international community," Da said.

In response to the Takaichi administration's negative moves on the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, the Chinse Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Lin Jian said in mid-November that China is seriously concerned over Japan's military and security moves recently.

While Japan claims to be a peace-loving country and advocates a world free of nuclear weapons, the Sanae Takaichi administration has been making ambiguous statements about the Three Non-Nuclear Principles and implying the possibility of quitting the principles. Japanese senior officials even claimed that Japan has not ruled out the possibility of possessing nuclear submarines. These fully reveal that Japan is making a major negative policy shift, which sends a dangerous signal to the international community, Lin said.

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Pakistan Navy announces launch of fourth and final Hangor-class submarine under construction in China

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: Dec 18, 2025 09:58 PM

The Pakistan Navy's fourth and final Hangor-class submarine under construction in China has been launched in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, according to a statement and a video released by the Pakistan Navy on Wednesday night local time.

A Chinese expert highlighted the China-Pakistan defense cooperation, saying it contributes to safeguarding peace and stability.

With the launching of fourth Hangor-class submarine, named the Ghazi, the Pakistan Navy has achieved another significant milestone where all four submarines under construction in China are now undergoing rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan, per the Pakistani statement.

Admiral Naveed Ashraf, chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, told the Global Times in a recent exclusive interview published in November that the first batch of Hangor-class submarines under a China-Pakistan cooperation project is expected to enter operational service with the Pakistan Navy in 2026.

Pakistan signed a contract with China to procure eight Hangor-class conventional submarines in 2015, with the first four to be constructed by China and the rest to be assembled by Pakistan, so as to improve Pakistan's technical capabilities, according to media reports. According to the plan, Pakistan will acquire eight advanced submarines between 2022 and 2028. The first Hangor-class conventionally powered submarine was launched in China in April 2024, while the second and third vessels were consecutively launched this year.

Ashraf spoke highly of this China-Pakistan cooperation project, saying that it reflects professionalism and close naval equipment collaboration between China and Pakistan.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that submarines are of strategic significance, representing a high level of strategic mutual trust and deep friendship between China and Pakistan.

Pragmatic defense cooperation contributes to safeguarding maritime security as well as peace and stability in the region, Zhang said.

The Hangor-class submarine is not the only recent defense project between China and Pakistan. According to reports by Pakistani media including The News in August, the Pakistani military has also inducted the Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopter.

When asked to comment on media reports that the Pakistani military has inducted the Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopter to advance the modernization of its defense equipment, Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said in August in a news release session that China is willing to share the achievements of its equipment development with friendly countries, including Pakistan.

China-Pakistan defense and security cooperation is not aimed at any third party and is committed to maintaining international and regional security and stability, said Jiang.

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Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson on Thursday, 18 December 2025

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

Welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Let me touch on few important and emergent issues.

Firstly, on the abrupt variation of the flow of River Chenab:

We observed abrupt variations in the flow of River Chenab during the past week (07-15 December), particularly 07 December onwards. Pakistan views these variations with extreme concern and seriousness. They allude to unilateral release of water into the Chenab River by India, without any prior notification or data, information sharing with Pakistan. Our Indus Water Commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matter, in accordance with the procedure enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agriculture cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods as well as food and economic security of our citizens. We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulations of river flows and fulfill all its obligations in letter and spirit under the IWT provisions.

Pakistan would like to reiterate that the IWT is a binding international agreement which has been an instrument of peace and stability in the region. Its breach or violation on the one hand threatens the inviolability of international treaties and compliance with international law. On the other hand, it poses serious threats to regional peace, principles of good neighborliness and norms governing inter-state relations. The international community must take notice of India's continued disregard of a bilateral treaty and counsel India to act responsibly in accordance with international law and established norms.

Pakistan remains committed to peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India, but will not compromise on the existential water rights of its people.

There has been an incident involving the mistreatment of a Muslim woman by the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Bihar, followed by the public mocking of the incident by a minister in Uttar Pradesh.

The forcible removal of a Muslim woman's hijab by a senior political leader, and the subsequent public ridicule of this act, are deeply disturbing and warrant strong condemnation. This action risks normalizing the humiliation of Muslim women. The conduct also demonstrates public disrespect of India's religious minorities, particularly its Muslim citizens. Such conduct reflects a broader and troubling pattern associated with Hindutva-inspired politics  namely, the alarming rise of religious intolerance and Islamophobia.

We urge all responsible stakeholders and the Indian Government to recognize the seriousness of this incident and to reaffirm their commitment to the protection of minority rights, respect for religious freedom, and the preservation of human dignity.

Now moving to the roundup of this week's activities:

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif undertook a two-day visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, last week to participate in the International Conference on Peace and Trust.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Prime Minister held meetings with the Presidents of Turkmenistan, Turkiye, Russia and Iran.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, accompanied the Prime Minister as part of his entourage to Ashgabat and held various meetings with counterparts and leaders who participated in the Conference, including Secretary General of ECO and the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Turkiye, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Upon the completion of his visit to Ashgabat, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister embarked on a visit to Abu Dhabi to participate in 16th Sir Bani Yas Forum from 12-14 December 2025, He was invited to the event by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE.

The Sir Bani Yas Forum is a high-level annual gathering that convened senior statesmen, policymakers, and global experts to deliberate on key regional and international issues, including peace, security, and economic cooperation.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister engaged with international leaders and experts on matters related to regional stability, sustainable development and the expansion of economic partnerships.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister held meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor of the UK; Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Ministers of Poland, Belgium and Luxembourg; Foreign Ministers of Egypt and Azerbaijan; President/CEO of International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister held a telephone conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Iraq, Dr. Fuad Mohammed Hussein.

Both leaders reaffirmed the brotherly Pakistan-Iraq relations, exchanged views on strengthening bilateral cooperation and highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges.

They also underscored their commitment to enhancing engagement across political and economic affairs, as well as promoting people-to-people ties.

On the storming of UNRWA headquarters by Israeli forces and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, our Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, along with the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the UAE, issued a joint statement last week to reaffirm the indispensable role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in safeguarding the rights and well-being of Palestinian refugees.

For decades, UNRWA has provided protection, education, health care, social services, and emergency assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees in its areas of operation, in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (1949).

The Ministers condemned the storming of the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem by Israeli forces, as this attack represents a flagrant violation of international law and the inviolability of UN premises. The attack also violates the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice dated 22 October 2025, which clearly states that Israel, as an occupying power, is under an obligation not to impede the operations of UNRWA and, on the contrary, to facilitate them.

In light of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Ministers underscored the essential role UNRWA plays in delivering humanitarian assistance through its network of distribution centers, ensuring that food, relief items, and basic necessities reach those in need fairly and efficiently, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2803.

Accordingly, the Ministers called upon the international community to ensure sustainable and adequate funding for UNRWA, and to provide the Agency with the political and operational space needed to continue its vital work "in all five fields of operations".

This week marked the eleventh anniversary of the abhorrent terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Pakistan solemnly remembers the innocent children and teachers who were martyred in an act of sheer inhumanity. Their sacrifice stands as an enduring symbol of the nation's resolve to confront and defeat terrorism in all its forms.

On the horrific attack at Bondi Beach at a religious gathering,

Pakistan strongly condemns this attack. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Australia.

Pakistan unequivocally condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

On the attack against UN peacekeepers in Kadugli, Sudan which resulted in the tragic deaths of six peacekeepers from Bangladesh serving with the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and injuries to several others,

Pakistan, in the strongest possible terms, condemns this heinous attack. We express our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Bangladesh on the loss of these precious lives, and we stand in solidarity with the bereaved families in this tragic hour.

UN peacekeepers remain at the forefront of international efforts to prevent conflict, protect civilians, and support peace under the UN flag. We pay homage to the ultimate sacrifice made by these Blue Helmets in the line of duty for peace and stability in the region.

I thank you all.

*

(Mateen Haider, We News): The UN Security Council, in its latest report on the presence of terrorists and their hideouts in Afghanistan, has debunked the claims made by the Afghan Taliban regime that no such havens exist in Afghanistan, thus, clearly validating and vindicating Pakistan's security concerns on the threat of cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. The report has also identified close linkage between the TTP and Al Qaeda. How do you view this development?

Spokesperson: The UN report on Afghanistan, as I understand, was also discussed in the UN Security Council where Pakistan made a statement. The report corroborates what Pakistan has been saying to the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul and to the wider international community all along - that the presence of these terrorist elements in Afghanistan not only poses a major threat to peace and security of the region but also undermines any efforts of development and state consolidation inside Afghanistan by the regime in Kabul.

The Security Council report also elaborates on the configuration of various terrorist elements inside Afghanistan, particularly with reference to the TTP/Fitnah Al Khwarij (FAK). This reaffirms Pakistan's assertion on major impediment to developing bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan with respect to the lasting ceasefire, the closure of border gates, closure of trade.

The findings of the report are in sync with Pakistan's official position, and this is heard loud and clear across international capitals.

(Zeeshan Syed, Neo TV): The report by the UN Security Council that Mr. Mateen Haider has alluded to also states that Noor Wali Mehsud currently resides in Kabul on a monthly stipend of $43,000 from the Afghan Taliban regime. In light of this report, which is based on evidence, has there been any contact between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime? If not, are there any prospects of dialogue between the two sides? A thousand ulema in Kabul also adopted a declaration last week. What are your comments on this?

(Asghar Ali Mubarak, The Daily Mail International): Iran hosted regional talks on Afghanistan which also urged the resumption of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan, Taliban regime. Has any progress been made in this regard?

Spokesperson: On the first question, I will neither comment on the individual terrorist nor would I say anything on the remunerations that he may be receiving from the regime in Kabul. There is sufficient evidence, including UN reports, which clearly states that terrorist elements inside Afghanistan enjoy the support of the Afghan Taliban regime. As regards the name of these individuals or the amount of money or "stipends" that they receive, there are certain credible reports on that account as well.

As for dialogue between the two sides, we have diplomatic channels. The ambassadors of both countries are in the respective capitals. These issues may be discussed in these diplomatic exchanges.

We participated in the regional talks of Special Envoys on Afghanistan hosted by Iran. Pakistan's Special Envoy, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, participated in the meeting. Issues, be it the particular issue of a certain terrorist element or otherwise, were discussed in a broader rubric of the presence of the TTP and other terrorist elements inside Afghanistan.

The meeting in Iran is one of the regional mechanisms. It is important to have such mechanisms, not only just for developing a consensus but also for facilitating discussions and exchanging perspectives on the situation inside Afghanistan. The meeting of special representatives of the neighboring countries in Tehran was part of one such mechanism. Pakistan remains supportive of continued regional engagements on Afghanistan.

(Azaz Syed, Geo News): I have two questions. Firstly, what is the status of ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan? Has it been extended? Secondly, there have been media reports claiming that the Chief of Army Staff/Chief of Defense Forces, Field Marshal General Asim Munir, is due to visit Washington in the near future where he is expected to hold important meetings, including with the President of the United States. Could you confirm the veracity of these reports?

Spokesperson: The ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan, as I have elaborated on in the previous briefings, should not be read or interpreted in the context of a traditional ceasefire that exists between two parties in war or in immediate aftermath of a conflict. This ceasefire was more on an understanding that terrorist attacks that emanate from Afghanistan into Pakistan would be stopped. As such, these terrorist attacks constitute as firing from Afghanistan. We have sufficient evidence to believe that these attacks are supported by the Afghan Taliban regimes' personnel and forces deployed across the border. So, the nature of the ceasefire is this. Terrorist attacks against Pakistan, emanating from Afghanistan soil, constitute a fire that needs to cease. That ceasefire, unfortunately, is not holding.

Pakistan, in good faith, had agreed to the ceasefire. This move by Pakistan has not been reciprocated with the same positivity from the Afghan Taliban regime.

As regards the visit of the Chief of the Army Staff and the Chief of Defense Forces, I do not have any information right now. I have seen the reports, but I have no information to share with you.

(Zafar Mehmood Malik, Mainichi Japanese): The Pak-Afghan border has now been closed for months for obvious reasons. However, there are reports of acute shortage of necessary medicines in Afghanistan. In light of these reports, is Pakistan considering to reopen the border for the flow of medicines into Afghanistan? Also, in a previous briefing, you stated that Pakistan, upon receiving requests from various UN agencies, decided to reopen the border for humanitarian aid to flow into Afghanistan. What is the latest update on this decision taken by Pakistan?

Spokesperson: Both of your questions are interlinked. Two weeks ago, we had allowed humanitarian assistance into Afghanistan. I had referred to a meeting between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce. The issue was resolved from our end. We gave clearance for the passage of the aid cargo to Afghanistan. I must mention here that the entire process of clearance was accomplished with the personal intervention and efforts of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister of Pakistan.

From our side, there is no hindrance in the dispatch of humanitarian aid. I recall, medicines constituted the first and the second batches of the aid convoy that was allowed to pass. Various UN agencies were also involved in the dispatch of that aid.

If there are any impediments to the flow of humanitarian assistance from the Afghan side, I am not aware of it. There was a statement from the Afghan Taliban regime that they are not willing to receive anything.

(Muhammad Anas Ahsan Malik, Capital TV): Last week, there was a whirlpool of media reports surrounding the Prime Minister's meeting with President Putin in Turkmenistan on the sidelines of the International Conference on Peace and Trust. Would you like to clarify the matter for the record? Moreover, you spoke about the Indus Waters Treaty in your opening remarks and the letter written by the Pakistani side to the Indian Indus Water Commissioner. Is Pakistan planning on invoking Article 9 of the Indus Waters Treaty on the settlement of differences and disputes? Earlier this year in April, India unilaterally announced to hold the treaty in "abeyance" but Pakistan did not invoke Article 9 then. However, in light of the latest development regarding River Chenab, are there any chances of Pakistan invoking Article 9 this time?

Spokesperson: The Prime Minister's meeting with the President of the Russian Federation took place in Turkmenistan. It was a very productive and positive meeting. The disinformation on its schedule, was actually aired by a news agency's office in India. The purpose behind this fake news was nefarious and a negative portrayal of our leadership. You must have also noticed that, subsequently, that news organization deleted its post on X, acknowledging that it was a misrepresentation of the facts. So, this is where the matter rests.

On the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), we have all options. Pakistan is fully committed to the various processes of dispute resolution under the IWT.

On the interpretation and downstream working of the treaty, including Article-9, we have all options available that can be exercised. For now, the particular concern is the disturbing pattern of the flow of Chenab River, the water of which legitimately belongs to Pakistan.

All options would be exercised to ensure that our water supply is not restricted by India. We would also ensure that India does not weaponize water, as this is a flagrant violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Right to Life, is linked with the availability of water. It is a fundamental human right. We would ensure its fulfillment.

(Shaukat Piracha, AAJ News): You have not negated the media reports, also published by Reuters, on the visit of the Chief of Army Staff/Chief of Defence Forces to the US. In the past, when General Zia ul Haq visited the White House, he was hosted by then US President Ronald Reagan and, as a result of the visit, Pakistan received a massive assistance package. Similarly, when General Pervez Musharraf was hosted by President Bush, Pakistan, again, ended up receiving a massive assistance package. Now that the Chief of Army Staff/Chief of Defense Forces is expected to visit the US, and you have not negated the reports on the visit, are there any prospects of Pakistan-US collaboration on the economic front, i.e.: trade enhancement or investment like the one announced for Reko Diq? Secondly, you spoke about fake news by the Indian media. A similar pattern followed in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack, where, for two days, Pakistan was defamed. Do any fora, at the global level, exist which Pakistan has approached to raise this issue of disinformation from India? Moreover, what is the status of Pakistan's participation in the International Stabilization Force vis-a-vis the Gaza peace plan?

Spokesperson: On the visit of the Chief of Army Staff/Chief of Defense Forces, as reported by the Reuters, I can contradict Reuters story in its essence that it seemed to suggest that the visit has been planned and there is a finality about it. So, I am contradicting that.

As stated, I do not have any information on the visit. We would wait for an official announcement from the Government of Pakistan in the event of such a visit. Our political and military leadership visits different capitals, and when an official visit is organized, an official announcement is made prior to it, which in this case, has not been made.

On Bondi Beach attack - the vilification of Pakistan, in the wake of the Bondi beach attack, was extremely regrettable.

We were very responsible when this incident took place. A certain name followed by a picture of a Pakistani origin individual were aired by the media. Then this gentleman came to the fore and contradicted the reports.

This incident was picked up by the Indian media to malign Pakistan. A constant conveyor belt of falsehood and disinformation went on for about 24 to 36 hours. Eventually, the individual turned out to be of Indian origin and Indian passport holder, and probably had traveled to another country on an Indian passport. So, this is not the first time that the Indian media, including its Indian mainstream media and analysts, jumped on the bandwagon of disinformation against Pakistan.

This is not the first time that Indian media has been egg faced on being proved wrong. They should reflect on their conduct - how they behave, and how their visceral hate for Pakistan exudes when such developments take place. The Indian media ought to act more responsibly.

On taking this matter to an international forum, yes, there are certain fora where such developments are reported.

The ultimate price that the Indian media pays for such disinformation is the loss of its own credibility, which has been considerable in the past six months, particularly during Operation Bunyan ul Marsoos, and now after this Bondi Beach terrorist incident.

About Pakistan's participation in the ISF, I mentioned previously as well, we have not taken a decision to participate in ISF as yet. We will inform you about any development that takes place in this regard.

(Khalid Mehmood, Express News): In a follow up to Mr. Piracha's question, not only was India involved in this disinformation campaign but Israel and Afghanistan were also complicit in their propaganda against Pakistan. Is there any mechanism to address fake news regarding terrorism? Secondly, according to reports, Naveed Akram has been arrested and, similar to the case of Kulbhushan Yadev, a RAW agent, when he was taken into custody by the authorities in Balochistan, the Australian authorities are currently in liaison with RAW. Do you see any parallels between the two cases?

Spokesperson: On the first part of your question about disinformation on the Bondi Beach attack, yes, the initial reports on the perpetrator's false identity were published by an Israeli newspaper. There were certain handlers on X and other social media from Afghanistan that were, indeed, involved. As stated, they do not have any credibility. It depicts that they want to stereotype Pakistan into a certain bracket through such false news.

On the similarity of this attack with other attacks - these are news reports on the roguish role of RAW in incidents in various parts of the world. I would not rule out RAW has its fingerprint deep into the crime committed at Bondi Beach. This is for the Australian authorities to investigate.

(Tahir Khan, NNI): Has there been any contact, visit or any backchannel diplomacy with the Afghan Taliban regime after the conflict of 12 October 2025? You have mentioned that the embassies are open in both capitals, can you share some more details on it? Moreover, yesterday, a meeting was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister at the Foreign Office to deliberate on foreign policy initiatives. Pakistan's foreign policy, traditionally has emphasized on good neighborly relations. Was this aspect of our foreign policy also revisited and reviewed during yesterday's meeting?

Spokesperson: On official contact with Afghanistan, the diplomatic channels exist. I am not aware of any backchannel diplomacy. During the regional talks on Afghanistan hosted by Iran last week, the Afghan Taliban regime did not send a representative. Had they sent a representative to the meeting, some exchange might have taken place.

About the meeting chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, it was not solely on Afghanistan. Wider issues, particularly with regard to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) of which Pakistan has assumed the chairmanship, were discussed. The Secretary General of the ECO himself is an ex-Foreign Secretary, Dr. Asad Majeed. So, the overall developments were reviewed. We stand by our foreign policy of good neighborly relations. Pakistan has not given up this objective. Our efforts for good neighborly relations will continue, despite all these challenges "Hum Parvarish e Loh-o- Qalam Kartay rahen gy".

(Syeda Qurat ul Ain, Independent Urdu): Last week, the Indian Cabinet approved the opening up of nuclear insurance sectors for private investment. I would like your comment on this matter.

Spokesperson: We have seen these media reports. There were remarks by the Indian Prime Minister and subsequent news reports. We monitor these developments very carefully, given India's troubling history of nuclear security lapses, including multiple incidents of radioactive material theft and unlawful sale of radioactive material reported since the 1990s. The involvement of private sector in handling of sensitive nuclear material and knowledge could be a matter of concern, this may pose a challenge to the global efforts for countering access of private individuals to sensitive nuclear materials. We hope that enough safeguards would be placed to prevent such eventuality.

(Khawaja Nayyar Iqbal, Media Today): 2025 is ending soon. What have we gained and lost on the diplomatic, defense, and economic fronts? Secondly, what are the outcomes of the visits of the Prime Minister and other Ministers during this year?

Spokesperson: We have a number of diplomatic achievements to showcase for 2025 and these achievements place at a pedestal where we hope that we would build on our achievements in 2026 and beyond. We will give you a comprehensive review of it close to the end of the year, or may be at the start of the next year.

(Syed Asif Ali, Din News): Pakistan has extended its ban on the use of airspace by India till 23 January 2026. Does Pakistan think that there is a threat of another misadventure from India? What are the initiatives are required before the reopening of airspaces?

Spokesperson: The status of Pakistan's airspace for India stays the same. It is reflective of the relations between the two countries, the threats that are brandished against Pakistan, including the statements being made by the senior Indian leadership about another wave of aggression against Pakistan. So, these factors continue to prevail in the decision to close the airspace. As regards the future, we remain committed to peace, dialogue and diplomacy. We will, however, not be coerced into a compromise by brandishing force or threats of aggression against us.

(Amjad Ali, EFE Spanish News Agency): Pakistan has not taken any decision on the deployment of its troops as part of the ISF to Gaza yet, but my question is whether the international community, especially the US, has asked Pakistan to send any forces to Gaza or not?

Spokesperson: The discussion on International Security Force is ongoing in certain capitals. I am not aware of any specific requests made to Pakistan on sending troops. As stated, we have not taken any decision on this subject, as yet.

(Afzal Raza, IRNA): Has Pakistan consulted any regional countries on ISF, like Iran and Saudi Arabia?

Spokesperson: Not to my knowledge. Broadly under the subject of Gaza and Palestine, ISAF may have come under discussion during our various interactions. But if you ask whether this was a specific agenda item for a meeting or a telephone call, I do not think so. Palestine remains an important issue of our discussions with all our regional partners, particularly relevant Arab-Islamic forum, UN and the UN Security Council.

(Amir Saeed Abbasi, Nukta News): In September 2025, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA). What has Pakistan contributed under the framework of this agreement?

Spokesperson: Pakistan-Saudi Arabia have ongoing defense cooperation. This cooperation existed before the SMDA and it will continue in the future. SMDA codifies and further elaborates this defence cooperation. This agreement should not be read solely in the context of deployment of troops. There are trainings, joint exercises etc. which are ongoing.

(Mateen Haider, We News): This month, Pakistan observed the anniversary of SAARC. Since SAARC is almost defunct and dormant, there have been media reports that Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, are closely engaged on the creation of a new regional bloc. What is the veracity of these reports? Secondly, what is the update on the participation of the Norwegian Ambassador to Pakistan in a proceeding at the Supreme Court of Pakistan? Was it a violation of diplomatic norms, i.e.: the Vienna Convention?

Spokesperson: I would reiterate the response I gave to a similar query on SAARC last week, i.e.: the blockade of SAARC is regrettable, and we would want it to be revived. We welcome the statement from Dhaka on ways of alternate regional cooperation mechanisms.

Pakistan remains committed to multilateralism, promoting regional development and connectivity, and in that spirit, we would be part of any initiative that would promote regional connectivity, including with the countries that you mentioned.

Regarding the Norwegian Ambassador's participation in the Supreme Court's proceedings last week, firstly, let me clear that this matter rests now. The Norwegian Ambassador was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We issued a statement. So, this matter rests.

We can talk about the broader principle of a diplomat's presence in court proceedings. In principle, the presence or attendance of an ambassador in a court of law is not their right. Ambassadors enjoy diplomatic immunity, and this comes with a certain responsibility. The presence of diplomats in a court, particularly if they meet or are greeted by a party to a case, can be seen to influence or as seeking to influence a judgment. This may undermine the judicial process. Moreover, the privilege of diplomatic immunity also necessitates that the presence of ambassadors/diplomats in court proceedings need to be regulated.

Therefore, in principle, diplomats wishing to attend a court proceeding anywhere in the country need to approach the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for approval. This approval would be processed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I also believe that diplomats wishing to attend a court proceeding may have to have their diplomatic immunity waived off. This matter is, as I said, in principle. These are the principles that I am telling you. I am not commenting on a particular case or on the case of the Norwegian Ambassador, which, as I said, rests now.

(Muhammad Anas Ahsan Malik, Capital TV): Tensions between the US and Venezuela are escalating. How does Pakistan view these developments?

Spokesperson: We hope relevant parties will resolve this issue through dialogue. At the heart of it is, I understand, the issue of Narcotics Control. We would want the parties to resolve this issue through peaceful, diplomatic means.

(Azaz Syed, Geo News): Whenever any ambassador to a country is appointed, they are handed over certain rules of conduct. Have any changes been made to these rules? Previously, ambassadors have attended open court hearings on high profile cases, such as Panama, Memogate, etc. How is the Norwegian Ambassador's participation in a court proceeding last week a violation, a move that has been defended by Norway?

Spokesperson: As I have stated before, the case of the Norwegian Ambassador's appearance in a court has been addressed. So, in response to your question, I can only talk of principle. Let's keep the Norwegian Ambassador incident out of this discussion and let that disclaimer stand out as a heading of our discussion.

On the rules of conduct of diplomats, I do not think that ambassadors/diplomats are handed over a particular set of dos and don'ts. This is part of the customary training of all diplomats across the world, which is why we have diplomatic training institutes that share cooperation agreements with one other, and they exchange the syllabi and teaching instructions. So, this is part of the diplomatic syllabus.

In principle, the fact is that ambassadors/diplomats seeking to appear in a court have to seek permission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. This is very clear. In previous instances of court cases that you referred, I do not know, they might have applied for permission from Foreign Office that may have been granted.

Court appearances are not automatic. It is not the right of a diplomat to just walk into a court and observe court proceedings and meet and greet one party or another. This has to be regulated. Such regulation is also essential because ambassadors/diplomats have the privilege of diplomatic immunity.

Let's assume a hypothetical situation where a court proceeding is going on and a diplomat goes, becomes rowdy or his behavior is untoward or tries to impede the proceedings. Can a court of law hold him in contempt? No. This is not a straightforward situation. I am sure you would appreciate the complexity of this issue. Ambassadors/diplomats cannot walk into a court like they would walk into a grocery store.

Therefore, anyone wishing to attend a court proceeding will have to come through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will have to see how far his diplomatic immunity needs to be waived off in order to allow him to take part in proceedings. This is principle. There is no new rule. It has always existed.

Drawing from my own experience in serving in various capitals, I myself have attended a court hearing in an important Supreme Court case in a country that I was posted. But that was at explicit approval at the invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the host country as they want diplomats to view their judicial processes. This is a customary diplomatic rule of engagement that has always existed. If our diplomats posted to other countries wish to attend a court hearing, they would have to go through the MoFA of the host government.

Thank you.

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Foreign ministry summons Russian charge d'affaires to deliver note on violation of the temporary control line between Estonia and Russia

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

18.12.2025 | 14:30

Today, 18 December, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian Federation's charge d'affaires to express protest and deliver an official note regarding the unlawful crossing of the temporary control line between Estonia and Russia that took place yesterday, 17 December.

The violation occurred on the Narva River at the Vasknarva breakwater, where Russian border guards were present on Estonian territory without authorisation. "We have increased monitoring in the area and are ready to respond," Tsahkna said, adding that the best answer to Russia testing borders is to continue providing support for Ukraine and increase political and economic pressure on Russia.

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The Kremlin Really Wants Russians To Switch To A New State-Backed Messenger App. Russians Really Don't Want To.

By RFE/RL's North.Realities December 18, 2025

One St. Petersburg woman quit her job at a municipal agency to avoid installing the app. Siberian university students were told they couldn't take final exams, or even threatened with expulsion, if they didn't start using it. A man lied to his bosses about it and said he might have to resort to buying a second device -- a burner phone.

Six months ago, to great fanfare, Russian authorities began rolling out something they hoped would transform the digital lives of citizens: a national, state-backed messaging app that would help people do everything from complaining about trash pickup to registering for school classes and making dentist appointments.

Called Messenger Max, it's a linchpin in a wider effort to build a "super-app" -- a one-stop-shopping tool, installed on every mobile phone, that ultimately will allow Russians to do myriad things under the watchful eye of state regulators and the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB.

Ads for Max are everywhere in Russia: billboards, pop-up windows on websites, TV commercials, shout-outs by government officials. Regulators have throttled more popular apps that are not under state control -- WhatsApp, Telegram -- to frustrate people and persuade them to switch.

So is it working? Are Russians switching?

In many cases, yes. But many are grumbling, and some are resisting.

"Max was the last straw," said Oksana Petrova, a woman who quit her job in St. Petersburg after she was ordered to download Max.

When she asked why she had to, and voiced doubts about its security, she was lectured about how "all social media is under surveillance," she said.

The Americans monitor WhatsApp, the French monitor Telegram, "but only the FSB monitors Max," she quoted her boss as saying. If she didn't install it, her boss told her, the FSB would take notice.

Petrova, like the other people RFE/RL's North.Realities spoke to for this story, asked to use a pseudonym, to avoid arrest or prosecution.

One woman named Anastasia complained that her son was recently barred by his teacher from joining a school field trip to see a movie, because Anastasia did not confirm her permission -- using Max. The boy came home in tears.

The teacher "said 'if you don't like it, transfer to another school. I don't use other messengers to communicate with parents; school order,'" Anastasia wrote in a comment to the social media app Threads -- a platform owned by Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Instagram.



Enter The Super-App

For years, authorities have struggled to find ways to control or monitor WhatsApp and Telegram, which was built by the Russian technology developer Pavel Durov.

Those efforts dovetailed with wider campaigns -- going back decades now -- to control how Russians use the Internet.

In addition to targeting Western Internet giants such as Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon, authorities have cultivated homegrown alternatives such as Yandex, VK, and Mail.ru and moved to control them outright.

Last year, VK, whose CEO is the son of the influential Kremlin adviser Sergei Kiriyenko, emerged as a leader in developing not only Messenger Max, but also an alternative to YouTube, the Google-owned video platform that is also hugely popular among Russians.

More than 15 years ago, the Digital Development Ministry rolled out an e-government service portal called Gosuslugi. It has simplified the lives of millions of Russians, streamlining many of the mundane tasks that Russian bureaucracies often made intolerable.

Since 2022, Gosuslugi has been moving to integrate more of its services into VK. National tech and media regulator Roskomnadzor used Gosuslugi to warn Russians about platforms like Instagram being blocked -- and encourage Russians to switch over to VK.

In June, the State Duma passed legislation authorizing the creation of Max. That same month, President Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the app, announcing that all government services should be transferred to it.

Since then, there's been a huge marketing campaign to get Russians to switch, a mix of threats or coercion.

"You have to acknowledge the resources being used to push this Max thing, by hook or by crook, including by Putin himself; that is, Putin himself has never promoted any other commercial organization -- except for Max," Mikhail Klimarev, an activist and director of the Internet Protection Society, told Current Time. "I think that's reason enough to simply stay away from it, stay away from everything."

In a public opinion pollconducted last month by the survey group Russian Field, 68 percent of Russians reported not using Max at all, while another 1 percent of respondents said they downloaded the app but did not use it. Those who do use it said it was mainly for chatting and messaging with friends and family, followed by official communications, including for schools.

School Daze

Last month, the Science and Higher Education Ministry sent a letter to all post-secondary institutions setting a series of deadlines for schools to register Max for official communication and to report how the app was being used.

At Kuban State University, students posted online photographs of a dean's order mandating students download Max -- and the requirement that they write "explanatory statements" if they refuse.

Similar orders were reported at other universities. In Voronezh, students were ordered to install the app or they would not be allowed to take final exams. In Yekaterinburg, students were threatened with expulsion.

At Kazan State University, the chemistry department told students that they would be physically blocked from even entering the building unless they obtained an electronic entrance pass using Max.



OVD-Info, an independent watchdog group that monitors police repression, said it had received more than two dozen complaints as of the end of November from students and teachers complaining about being forced to use the app.

But some students said they were indifferent.

"I don't have strong feelings about it. I have it installed. I've registered with it, but I don't use it," said Aleksei, a student at Pskov State University. "Other people are the same."

He said Max was more reliable, compared with other messaging apps too.

Viktoria Romanova, an activist with OVD-Info, said university administrators have skirted existing laws by using vague language to push students to use Max.

"Direct and overt threats like expulsion or firing, or not allowing students to take exams, are less common," she told RFE/RL. "Typically, they use vague statements about potential problems, threats of disciplinary action, and the creation of situations in which it's simply impossible not to install Max."

This past week, regulators floated the idea of requiring banks and their clients to use only Max -- rather than SMS messages -- for personal banking operations such as dual-factor authentication and transaction notifications.

Also this week, a number of Russians have complained about problems with Gosuslugi, the e-government portal. The news site Vyorstkareported that an electronic signature, known as GosKlyuch, which is used to sign and exchange legal documents within Gosuslugi, would now require using Max.



Aleksei, a shift supervisor at a municipal heating plant in St. Petersburg, said he lied to his boss that he had downloaded the app. Most of his colleagues did the same.

"People who are afraid of having their personal data being disclosed, I think, will buy devices and use them for accessing WhatsApp, to create new e-mail accounts, so they won't have to use Gosuslugi, Sberbank, or anything," he said. "That's how it is. It's disgusting."

With reporting by Current Time and RFE/RL Senior International Correspondent Mike Eckel

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-tech-internet-max- messenger-app/33626673.html

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

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What Happens To A Shadow Fleet Ship When It's Sanctioned?

By Ray Furlong December 18, 2025

A 58,000-ton oil tanker called the Mikati was ploughing through the waters of the Indian Ocean one day when it got some bad news from faraway Brussels: it had been added to a list of sanctioned vessels in Russia's shadow fleet.

The story of the Mikati, currently passing through the English Channel, illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of the European Union sanctions regime that now includes some 600 ships.

The EU listed the Mikati in July, following a similar decision by Britain in November last year. Built in 2003, its advanced age makes it a typical shadow fleet vessel -- as does the behavior that preceded its designation.

Suspicious Behavior

According to data provided to RFE/RL by Windward, a maritime intelligence company, the Mikati went through a series of name changes, was sold to an anonymous owner, and repeatedly turned off its AIS location transponders in the period before it was sanctioned.

This latter is regarded as a dangerous shipping practice by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and is only permitted under special circumstances. The Mikati also changed the flag it was registered under, switching to Sierra Leone.

"Sierra Leone's government outsourced management of its ship registry to a private company based in Cyprus," Windward analyst Michelle Bockmann told RFE/RL, adding that the country was "the flag registry of choice" for shadow vessels.

Taken together, these indicators were evidence enough to get the Mikati blacklisted. The EU included the Mikati in its 18th sanctions package against Russia on July 18. It had an immediate impact.

Two days later the ship arrived in waters off Kochi, home to one of India's largest oil refineries. But it did not unload the full cargo it had picked up in Russia's Barents Sea port of Murmansk a month earlier.

It's not clear if there was a hitch or if the Mikati was following pre-arranged plans.

"Sometimes ships are sanctioned when they're already under way, so someone will have to give the buyer a call and ask if the deal is still on," Benjamin Hilgenstock, a senior economist at the Kyiv-based KSE institute, told RFE/RL.

"They may be told 'we need to figure this out first, so maybe wait a bit' -- or 'we'll take your oil but only if you give it to us for a little less money,'" he added.

The Samoan Connection

In any case, something was stirring behind the scenes.

On July 25, the Mikati changed its registered owner and commercial manager, moving from Azerbaijan to Samoa, a nation of some 200,000 people in the South Pacific not known for having a thriving shipping industry.

The company listed, Alga Oceanic Ventures, appears to have no Internet presence.

Its address is a business complex called La Sanalele, where its neighbors have included another shipping manager, Faleola Nexus Ltd, operator of an oil tanker named Orion -- sanctioned by Britain and Ukraine for illicit trading in Russian crude.

Another neighbor was a Taiwanese company called Pro-Gain Group Corporation that was sanctioned by the United States in 2018 in connection with illegal dealings in North Korean coal and oil.

The Mikati's sudden ownership switch was followed by a new voyage, north along the coast to Mangalore. There, on August 3, it signaled that it had unloaded.

"The 11-day delay was probably related to its sanctions and having to get new insurance," Bockmann said. "That's a really good example of how EU sanctions are disruptive. But they have very little teeth."

Indeed, despite sanctions, the Mikati unloaded its oil and stayed in service. Sanctioned vessels can't visit EU ports or get Western insurance and have trouble finding professional crew. But they maintain the "right of innocent passage" through international waters.

An October study by kpler, a trade analytics company, found that "Russia has sustained its crude exports despite the logistical challenges posed by the recent escalation of sanctions targeting shadow fleet tonnage."

EU vs US Sanctions

Sanctions imposed by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) were deemed considerably more effective than by the EU.

"This data set shows that India is OK with accepting European- and UK-sanctioned vessels, but they don't want to accept the OFAC-sanctioned vessels. And probably this shows that India is a bit more reluctant to find themselves in prospects of secondary sanctions by the US," kpler analyst Panagiotis Krontiras told RFE/RL.

The kpler data details reductions in productivity, measured by the fall in kilometers traveled and tons of cargo carried, for ships under each sanction regime. For the US, there was a 70 percent average decline, for the EU -- 30 percent.

EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan told RFE/RL that "sanctions are always a bit leaky" and it was always possible to find "examples of a vessel that has nonetheless continued" to operate.

But, he added, "our figures show that once a vessel is sanctioned, it drops its ability to carry Russian oil by about 73 percent."

Furthermore, while O'Sullivan estimates the EU has now sanctioned two-thirds of Russia's shadow fleet, OFAC has hit around 40 percent, according to kpler data. While the EU has repeatedly added new vessels this year, OFAC has not added any since January.

The US Treasury did not respond to a request for comment.

In any case, while the Mikati has continued sailing, it has not been very productive. Windward data shows that after unloading in Mangalore, it sailed through the Suez Canal and anchored at Port Said for a week in August -- where it picked up oil in a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer from another blacklisted tanker, the Noctis. Such transfers are not illegal but are a frequent practice for evading sanctions.

'Loitering' Off China

The Mikati took the oil to Ningbo, China, arriving on September 29, but didn't discharge it until October 15. Again, the reason for the delay isn't clear. Bockmann noted that it "remained loitering around the port area for a protracted period of time," part of a pattern of "highly uneconomic behavior."

Again, this is typical of sanctioned vessels.

"Once you're sanctioned, you have two choices: either go Russia-India or Russia-China. And that's why there is this huge productivity drop," said kpler analyst Krontiras.

An unsanctioned vessel would seek to pick up new cargo somewhere rather than traveling home empty on what's known as a "ballast leg."

"But now they don't have this option...they have to go back to Russia, pick up another cargo, and this is a very long ballast leg," said Krontiras.

The Mikati did just that. Windward data also shows it once again switched off its transponders between December 10-12, near Russia's main Baltic crude export port, Uts-Luga. On December 18, it was heading southwest through the English Channel.

"Destination likely India or China, or even STS. No indication," noted Bockmann.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-tech-internet-max- messenger-app/33626673.html

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

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at the meeting of the United Russia General Council's Commission on International Cooperation, Moscow, December 18, 2025

18 December 2025 14:00

2116-18-12-2025

Colleagues,

We now convene for the eleventh meeting of the Commission of the General Council of the United Russia party on international cooperation and support for compatriots abroad. As you will recall, this body was established by decision of President Vladimir Putin and has consistently demonstrated its utility and relevance.

Our steady work (this is our eleventh meeting in three years) is itself a testament to the Commission's topical agenda. It has become a significant instrument of party and parliamentary diplomacy. I would also like to note that its membership includes not only representatives of United Russia, which initiated its creation, but also of other parliamentary parties. To all of you, I extend a warm welcome.

This collective effort enables us to forge a broad public consensus on the principal avenues of our foreign policy, as approved by the head of state. This spans a range of issues - from expanding our international and foreign economic ties to countering contemporary neo-colonial practices, a topic of particular urgency at this juncture.

One of the most egregious forms of neo-colonialism is interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. The West has never relinquished these methods, though they have evolved and become more superficially acceptable. Their essence, however, remains unchanged: to prosper at others' expense and to dictate how other nations should organise their governance and societies. The tools employed include coercive pressure, direct military intervention, orchestrating so-called colour revolutions, and covert (and at times overt) interference in electoral processes - attempting to manipulate the free expression of citizens' will and to dispute election results across a wide array of countries. Today, what we may rightly term "electoral neo-colonialism" poses a very real threat to the nations of the Global Majority.

The West maintains a particular focus on the post-Soviet space. For obvious reasons, President Vladimir Putin elaborated on this point just yesterday, at an expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board. He detailed our analysis of Western actions, both in the final years of the USSR and after its collapse, designed to weaken the Russian Federation and, ideally, to dismember and destroy our country.

To discredit and falsify elections (when their outcomes do not suit the West and align with the aspirations of Western elites), a whole arsenal of unscrupulous methods is deployed. These include funding so-called "independent" (in reality, pro-Western) media, brazenly promoting false narratives, aggressively backing Western-favoured candidates regardless of their meagre domestic popularity, and manipulating international observation mechanisms. Biased assessments of election results are then laundered through structures like the OSCE/ODIHR observation missions and presented as the "opinion of the international community." It is worth noting that this ODIHR office lacks proper founding documents, having been established merely by a declarative statement. The OSCE has various commissioners - on national minorities, human rights, freedom of the media - yet none of these institutions operates under a properly agreed mandate.

All our efforts taken since the end of the 1990s and focused on the election factor to reach an agreement on drafting a provision regulating the operation of the ODIHR, primarily in election monitoring, which was to be adopted by consensus at the OSCE, have been rejected by the West. As President Putin pointed out yesterday, at that time we still entertained the illusion that the West would play fair. Nothing of the kind happened. Fair play implies coordinating mechanisms and criteria. As it is, they declared that it was a matter of "the golden mean." This brings to mind a popular phrase attributed to Mark Twain: "If voting made any difference, they wouldn't let us do it." This is the kind of voting that fully suits the West.

In 2004, the Americans and the EU orchestrated mass protests in Ukraine because they wanted the other candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, to win. That is why the Constitutional Court was instructed to adopt a decision on the third round of the elections, contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine. None of those who wanted to stay in the Western track did not bat an eye.

The EU has openly intervened in the parliamentary election in Moldova in September 2025. Over 20 years have passed, yet nothing has changed. During their numerous visits to Chisinau before the voting day, European bureaucrats openly campaigned for Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity. They openly said that her party's victory would guarantee the continued financing of the country. They did not care for the voters' opinion. They tried to shape it by means of open blackmail. Cynicism is a quality that is increasingly coming to the fore in the Western politicians' statements and actions.

The other day, EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas publicly promised Armenia EU assistance "to fight the malign [foreign] influence, like [it] granted to Moldova." Her honesty looks like the admission of guilt.

The ODIHR I have mentioned has long become an instrument for political pressure. The reports that its election observation missions produce are motivated by geopolitical factors. If a pro-Western candidate does not win an election, the report is harshly critical and even demands a re-vote. If victory goes to the candidate who was actively promoted by the West, the election results are praised as the "triumph of democracy." These conclusions are prepared in advance, as everyone knows. The EU describes this as "the golden mean of election observation."

I was shocked by the "candour" of EU politicians when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen publicly cautioned US President Trump against interfering in European democracy a week ago: "It is not on us, when it comes to elections, to decide who the leader of the country will be, but on the people of this country. That's the sovereignty of the voters, and this must be protected. Nobody else is supposed to interfere, without any question."

Everyone remembers how it happened in Romania and Moldova, yet these people do not hesitate to make such "statements."

As for election technologies, our country has been in the spotlight and under the gaze of Western geopolitical spin-doctors.

We saw an unprecedented number of attempts at meddling during the Russian Federation's presidential election in March 2024, unprecedented in the variety of forms and sophistication of methods.

Most different methods were being used in an active way. The ill-wishers, who stood behind them, were attempting to discredit the free expression of people's will and call into question its legitimacy and conformity to law. More than that, this was the case at all stages of the election campaign, from its announcement, or maybe even earlier, to the official designation of timeframes, to the nomination period, to the registration of nominees, to the polling days, and to the election count.

Our services are aware that these actions and these campaigns already used AI technologies. If their own intelligence is not up to the mark, they obviously have to fall on modern scientific achievements.

As for the foreign vote, the March 2024 presidential election was greatly complicated by the fact that a number of Western states had drastically curtailed our diplomatic presence on their territory. They closed our missions in an absolutely arbitrary manner without explaining the reason. The implication was the following: we don't like that you work here, so shut up shop. In particular, this took place in densely Russian-populated localities, where there were general consulates. That work was, of course, greatly hampered over there. We were not allowed to open additional polling stations on a one-time basis.

The foregoing will be valid for the State Duma elections scheduled for autumn 2026. We must have no illusions on this count. Therefore, we should be ready for this and we will be ready.

Our foreign policy service, in cooperation with other agencies, has been opposing interference in Russia's internal affairs. We maintain cooperation with our lawmakers and political parties in this and all other areas.

Our methods include adding foreigners notorious for their anti-Russian agitation and activities to stop lists. But, let me repeat, modern technologies make an agent provocateur's physical presence in a country absolutely superfluous. We know of numerous such examples that emerge almost daily.

For this reason, we continue to focus on information support for voting in Russia and elsewhere, including with the use of most advanced technologies. During the March 2024 presidential election, Russian Federation missions abroad ensured a fault-free vote despite all the intrigues and obstacles put in their way. They for the first time gave full play to digital diplomacy to cover the electoral process abroad in a 24/7 mode for our compatriots to see how we were creating opportunities for the implementation of their legitimate rights.

At our online resources - available in various languages and in real time - we showcased the progress of voting across the globe. This included photographs, videos, and reports from correspondents in their countries of accreditation, as well as comments by staff of our embassies and consulates.

I believe a high level of coordination and transparency was ensured, which allowed us, in this informational endeavour, not only to demonstrate to the international community that the elections were exemplary but also to counter attempts at informational provocations and sabotage swiftly, literally instantaneously, and in real time. These were identified quickly. Anti-fake actions were undertaken promptly.

Naturally, we are pleased that in rejecting the destructive line of the West, including in the electoral domain, the majority of our partners and like-minded friends in the countries of the Global South and East stand in solidarity with us. It is not without reason that we all refer to ourselves not as "anti-West" but as the Global Majority.

We seek to shape the international agenda through positivity within the context of the objective trends of multipolarity. Our partners in the countries of the Global Majority increasingly understand the essence of what is happening - the geopolitical, geostrategic, and geoeconomic nature of the colossal tectonic shifts objectively occurring on the international stage.

We are actively working with our like-minded friends, partners, and allies through Eurasian structures. In November 2024, at the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly in St Petersburg - as you are well aware - recommendations were adopted to ensure and protect electoral sovereignty. This is a significant support to us when MPs create a legal normative framework for our joint efforts.

Previously, in 2022, recommendations were adopted to improve legislation to protect electoral processes and sovereignty - a lengthy but clear title - in the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. This decision was approved by the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in December 2022.

It is clear that work to strengthen what we call "electoral sovereignty" should be placed on a systematic footing. Much has already been done in this regard. This work already has a comprehensive character. This trend will undoubtedly continue.

In this regard, we welcome and actively support the efforts of the United Russia party in this direction, as well as those of other representatives of parliamentary diplomacy.

The conclusion of interparty agreements to counteract electoral neo-colonialism and protect sovereignty - also an initiative of United Russia - we believe will allow the development of common criteria for conducting impartial examinations of so-called democratic processes in the countries of the Global Majority, taking into account their civilisational diversity.

In my view, we need to engage more actively in this, to contrast the multiplicity of democratic forms of statehood and organisation of society with what Europeans are attempting to impose on the rest of the world through their neoliberal agenda.

The fact that the United States no longer desires such democracy as it is understood in Europe is a serious indicator. Not long ago, US President Donald Trump, commenting on the Ukraine situation, advised Vladimir Zelensky not to trample on democracy and to hold elections.

Another matter is how this can be organised and how the West, should this occur, would orchestrate these elections. However, the very reminder that "the people have already elected you for a certain period, and it is time to recognise that," or to ask the people once again to express their opinion about you - is telling.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky's interview with Izvestia

18 December 2025 11:00

2114-18-12-2025

Question: You have been appointed deputy foreign minister about four months ago. Have you already developed interaction with diplomats from the countries in your zone of responsibility? What are your main tasks on this track?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: The key tasks on the track in my zone of responsibility depend on the situation and the necessity to effectively ensure the implementation of the President's policy towards Western countries with unfriendly governments, both in the bilateral format and at multilateral platforms. Upholding and protecting our national interests in the new geopolitical realities is our unconditional priority.

My communication with foreign colleagues, including the diplomats accredited in Moscow, has convinced me that the domination of the "collective West" in international politics has faded from existence. The voice of the Global Majority countries is becoming stronger and more confident, which we wholeheartedly welcome.

Question: For the past ten years you were Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Austria. What difficulties did you have to deal with? For example, Ambassador to Britain Andrey Kelin said that British secret services had tried to recruit or intimidate Russian diplomats. Did this happen in Austria too?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: It is true that I have seen many different things during my term as Russia's ambassador in Vienna. During the past few years, I encountered a host of problems, many of which were unpredictable, from political issues to the daily routine of ensuring normal life for the personnel of our representative offices in Austria. There have been recruitment attempts and provocations against our personnel. Our diplomats have been expelled under far-fetched pretexts, and I received personal threats.

Over the past few years, our personnel had to operate in conditions of artificial visa blockades in virtually all European countries. We are denied the possibility to replace personnel. However, there is the principle of reciprocity in diplomacy, and we have responded to all unfriendly actions towards us. We do not always reciprocate in kind, but our responses are invariably painful.

Question: Austria, as an EU member, plans to completely phase out Russian gas by 2028. Yet in June 2025, the Austrian Ministry of Energy stated that the EU should be ready to resume imports of Russian gas after the end of the conflict in Ukraine. Why does Vienna leave this loophole for itself? Is Russia ready to resume gas supplies, and on what terms?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: Let me remind you that Austria, back in 1968, became the first Western country to sign a long-term natural gas contract with the Soviet Union. This arrangement contributed significantly to its stable economic development over the following 50 years. Such a partnership was also beneficial for Russia, which has always valued and continues to value its reputation as a reliable energy supplier.

However, in 2024, Austria unilaterally and abruptly terminated its long-term contract with Gazprom, which was valid until 2040 and offered very favourable conditions. That was their choice. Can one still speak of Austria's reliability as a trading partner after this? From my perspective, this matter is closed today, and all one can do is extend sympathy to Austrian and other European end consumers. Any questions or difficulties they face should be addressed to their own governments.

Question: In the Czech Republic, the opposition won the recent parliamentary elections. Is Russia ready to restore relations with Prague, and under what conditions?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: We have taken note of the results of the Czech parliamentary elections in October 2025. Naturally, we will continue to closely observe the steps of official Prague and make practical conclusions accordingly.

The escalation of tensions in bilateral relations, baseless accusations, the minimisation of diplomatic and other contacts, and a reckless policy aimed at undermining trade and economic ties have become an obsession among certain elements of the Czech political elite. Regrettably, public opinion in the Czech Republic has also been partly poisoned by this climate of hostility.

Nevertheless, there are early signs that, across the "collective West," Prague included, there is a slow, gradual awakening to the necessity of resuming dialogue with Russia. There is simply no alternative path to restoring stability and ensuring mutual security on the continent, although some hotheads continue to dream of our "strategic defeat."

We, for our part, have repeatedly emphasised in response to these unfounded scare stories that we have no intention of attacking anyone and remain open to dialogue, but it must be based on mutual respect. The language of ultimatums, threats or baseless accusations is unacceptable. Constructive engagement is impossible while potential partners continue to arm the Kiev regime for aggression against all things Russian, to kill our civilians and defenders, to fantasise about a "tribunal" against our leadership, and to recklessly spin the sanctions machine to their own detriment.

Of course, these remarks do not apply only to Prague. We have no illusions, and, I repeat, will judge solely by concrete actions.

Question: According to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission will propose, in early 2026, a complete and definitive ban on all EU oil imports from Russia. Will Russian energy supplies keep coming to Hungary and Slovakia despite the EU prohibitive measures? Can we generally boost trade with these two countries?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: Gas deliveries to Hungary and especially to Slovakia have dropped perceptibly after Ukraine stopped transiting Russian gas through its territory on January 1, 2025. Currently, gas comes to these countries from the TurkStream pipeline. Russian oil continues to be delivered to Slovakia and Hungary via the still operational Druzhba pipeline under the existing long-term contracts. As you may know, Ukraine has undertaken several attempts to blow up the pipeline, meeting thereupon with a resolute condemnation from both Budapest and Bratislava.

Given that the Russian energy supplies are of crucial importance for the normal functioning of Hungary and Slovakia's economies and social spheres, these two states have been dead set against the European Commission's RePowerEU plan to discontinue all energy imports from Russia by 2028. But generally speaking, it is out of the question to comment on an outlook for the future in a situation where the Brussels bureaucratic dictatorship is waging an energy war not only on Russia but also on the EU's own member countries, which are exposed to other forms of obstruction as well.

Question: Hungary and Slovakia also maintain political contacts with Russia. Apart from other things, Budapest is being considered as a likely venue for talks between the Russian and US presidents. Are there continued contacts with Hungary on the Budapest summit and is it still on the agenda? Are we planning new meetings with Hungary and Slovakia in 2026?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: Prime Minister Viktor Orban's recent visit to Moscow is an eloquent answer to your question.

We respect the Hungarian Government's honest and balanced foreign policy. Despite the heavy-handed pressure brought to bear by Brussels, it seeks to steer a pragmatic course and resolutely defends Hungary's national interests, including its sovereign position in a dialogue with Moscow. This helps to preserve the main focal points in Russian-Hungarian cooperation and continue an exchange of views during regular political contacts as well as further mutually beneficial collaboration on matters of interest for both countries. To a great extent, the same goes for the Government of Slovakia.

We appreciate Budapest's readiness to provide a venue for the possible Russian-US summit, when the conditions are ripe for one. I think that the statements made by the leaders of Russia and the United States leave no doubt on this score.

Question: What is your general vision concerning the results of the outgoing year in the European sector? Are there more threats for Russia? Do you see any prospects for an improvement in 2026?

Dmitry Lyubinsky: Our purpose-oriented efforts and our consistent line in the outgoing year have helped us to preserve a constructive dialogue with a number of nationally-oriented European capitals. The aggressive European Russia haters' dreams to isolate our country internationally have suffered a total fiasco. We have implemented at a decent level a broad range of undertakings devoted to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, this despite the persisting desire of certain well-known European countries to rewrite the history of World War II.

Next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia will continue to undertake all possible efforts to uphold Russian national interests. The atmosphere in and nature of relations with European nations will be determined primarily by their readiness to renounce their all-pervading, rabid Russophobia, come to their senses, and see the geopolitical reality. After all, the current European "leaders" have no other choice. History will put all things in their proper place.

Profiting by this occasion, I would like to wish you and your readers a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas.

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Any Actions to Expropriate Russian Assets in West to Receive Response - Kremlin

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Any actions to expropriate Russian assets in the West will receive a response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"We have repeatedly stated that any actions related to the expropriation of our assets will be met with a response," Peskov told the Rossiya 1 broadcaster when asked whether Russia is considering the possibility of retaliatory expropriation or freezing of Western assets in Russia.

Russia will use all legal mechanisms to hold accountable those responsible for possible expropriation of Russian assets, Peskov said, adding that those who made decisions and those who carried them out will bear responsibility for this.

He also noted that Moscow has not yet received any documents on the results of US work with Europe and Ukraine.

 Sputnik

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Russian General Staff Calls Collective West Main Source of Military Threats to Russia

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The main source of military threats to Russia is the collective West, which has not abandoned its goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday.

"The primary source of the growing military threats to the security of the Russian Federation is the collective West, which has not abandoned its stated goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia during a special military operation through comprehensive support for Ukraine's military potential," Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches.

NATO's Defender-Europe and Baltic Sentry exercises with non-aligned countries do not contribute to improving security in Europe, Gerasimov said, adding that the alliance maintains the scale and intensity of its training near Russia's borders and increases the speed of deployment of reinforcement troops. The US's exploration of the possibility of deploying missile systems with a range of over a thousand kilometers (621 miles) in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe is creating a new level of instability, Gerasimov also said.

Furthermore, the EU is increasingly floating the notion of extending the conflict to weaken Russia and give NATO time to rebuild its military posture for a future direct clash.

"The political statements of a number of European leaders suggest prolonging military operations, which, in their opinion, will exhaust our country and allow NATO to restructure its 'military machine' for an inevitable direct confrontation with Russia," Gerasimov said at a briefing for foreign military attaches.

The crisis in Ukraine is unfolding as a proxy war between the West and Russia, a key factor in shaping the military-political situation, Gerasimov added.

On Success of Russia's Troops

Russia's Tsentr battlegroup took control of 81 settlements, including major cities of Dzerzhinsk and Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), in 2025, Gerasimov said.

"The Tsentr group of forces, overcoming stubborn enemy resistance, liberated 81 settlements this year, including the major cities of Dzerzhinsk and Krasnoarmeysk," Gerasimov said at the briefing for foreign military attaches.

At the same time, Russia's Vostok battlegroup took control of approximately 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) and 89 settlements in the Zaporozhye direction in a year, Gerasimov also said, adding that the Russia's Dnepr group took control of 7 settlements and fully ensures the safety of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

"The liberation of Konstantinovka continues; more than 50% of the city's territory is controlled by Russian troops," Gerasimov said, adding that in about a half of Dimitrov is also under Russia's control.

The Russian army is engaged in street fighting in Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People's Republic, Gerasimov said.

On Foreign Financing of Ukraine

The volume of foreign financing for Ukraine has exceeded $550 billion in four years, of which more than $220 billion are military expenditure, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday.

"Over the past four years, the volume of foreign financing alone has exceeded $550 billion, of which more than $220 billion were for military needs," Gerasimov said at the briefing for foreign military attaches.

Ukraine received over 1,000 tanks, 200 aircraft, helicopters, and approximately 100,000 drones from foreign partners in the past 4 years, Gerasimov said, adding that over 224,000 Ukrainian military personnel completed training at European training grounds.

Ukraine's losses in Russia's Kursk Region amounted to over 76,000 of its most trained military personnel, Gerasimov added.

Desertion in Ukraine is becoming widespread, with up to 30,000 people deserting every month, Gerasimov said.

"Desertion is becoming widespread. According to official data alone, up to 30,000 people are leaving their duty stations without permission every month. Currently, more than 160,000 criminal cases have been opened against this category of Ukrainian Armed Forces service members," Gerasimov said at the briefing for foreign military attaches.

Collapse of Arms Control is Reshaping Global Security

According to Gerasimov, the total breakdown of the international arms control systems has become one of the key factors destabilizing global security:

The New START Treaty technically remains in force, but it expires on February 5, 2026  after that, no restrictions will remain in this sphere

Russia's proposal to voluntarily observe New START limits for one additional year, if the US does the same, has so far received no response from the United States

The General Staff of the Russian armed forces is taking into account the US position regarding the possibility of the resumption of nuclear tests

"We are taking into account the US position regarding the possible resumption of nuclear testing. We strictly adhere to our obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. However, if the US resumes testing, adequate retaliatory measures will follow. The consequences of the lack of restrictions on offensive weapons are clearly illustrated by the situation with the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles worldwide," Gerasimov said.

Russia continues to observe its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, but if US resumes tests, Russia will respond accordingly

The absence of restrictions on offensive weapons has already produced visible consequences, especially in the deployment of intermediate- and shorter-range missiles worldwide

After the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, Washington began exploring the deployment of mobile missile systems with ranges over 1,000 km in Europe and the Asia-Pacific  a move that creates new instability and triggers regional arms races

In response, Russia ended its unilateral moratorium on deploying intermediate- and shorter-range missiles in August of this year.

 Sputnik

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Bank of Russia Says Plans to Recover Losses From EU Banks in Russian Arbitration Court

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Central Bank said on Thursday that it still plans to recover losses from European banks in the Russian arbitration court due to the blocking of its assets.

"In connection with the ongoing attempts by the authorities of the European Union to illegally seize/use, without the consent of the Bank of Russia, its assets located in EU financial institutions, including through the establishment of indefinite immobilization of its assets, the Bank of Russia, in accordance with its previously stated position on ensuring the protection of its interests, announces that it will recover from European banks in losses caused by the unlawful blocking and use of its assets in the Russian Arbitration Court, in the amount of illegally held assets and lost profits," the regulator said in a statement.

The European Commission is seeking to get EU countries to use the Russian Central Bank's assets to finance Ukraine's war effort. On November 8, Belgian news agency Belga reported that around 140 billion euros in Russian money could be used as a so-called reparations loan, which Ukraine would only repay if it receives "compensation for material damage" from Russia. Belgium opposes the plan over fears of legal consequences.

Following the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and the G7 nations froze nearly half of Russia's foreign currency reserves, totaling approximately 300 billion euros ($350 billion). Around 200 billion euros are held in European accounts, predominantly in Euroclear, a Belgium-based securities depository.

 Sputnik

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Orban Says He Considers Idea of Confiscating Russian Assets 'Dead'

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that he considers the idea of confiscating Russian assets "dead" because there is enough EU countries to block it if it was voted on.

"In my opinion, the case of frozen Russian assets is dead. I saw last night that there are enough countries opposing this idea that there was a blocking minority when voting by a qualified majority," Orban told reporters in Brussels.

Even if talks ever resume, "there is no chance there will be more" supporters of compensation, the prime minister added.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said that he was going to "mobilize" a minority opposed to the confiscation of Russian assets at the EU summit.

"In the end, we must mobilize or try to mobilize the minority that supports blocking this decision, because otherwise it will be sad," de Wever told members of the Belgian parliament.

The European Commissions' proposal on the blocked assets of Russia can lead to disruptions in financial markets and capital flight, the prime minister added.

The use of Russian assets may violate international law, this has never been done, even during World War II, he said.

"This is a potential violation of international law. We have never done this before. Even during the Second World War, this never happened," de Wever told lawmakers, commenting on the possible use of frozen Russian assets.

 Sputnik

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UK cracks down on Russian oil sector as revenues plummet

Press release

UK announces 24 new sanctions against Russian energy and military supply chain targets.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Stephen Doughty MP

Published 18 December 2025

UK announces 24 new sanctions relentlessly targeting Russia's reeling war economy and oil industry.

Four of Russia's largest oil companies, with revenues over $20 billion are hit as UK doubles down on companies fuelling destruction in Ukraine.

UK action disrupts illicit networks trading in Russian oil and funnelling vital military supplies from Central Asia to Russia's front line.

A further hit on the Russian war economy lands today, as the UK imposes fresh sanctions on four more Russian Oil companies - tightening the screws on the Kremlin in the face of stalling tactics.

Today's action further erodes Putin's war chest, cracking down on sanctions evasion networks, and weakening Russia's military machine.

New measures directly hit Russia's largest remaining unsanctioned oil companies, PJSC Tatneft, PJSC Russneft, LCC NNK-Oil, and LLC Rusneftegaz Group. Together these companies bring in a combined revenue of over $20 billion and have been responsible for an increasing share of Russia's oil exports, now approaching 10% over the last six months. They have lined Putin's coffers for too long, fuelling destruction in Ukraine.

UK sanctions are squeezing Putin's revenues, and his creaking war economy has been in free fall since the UK and US sanctioned Russia's two largest oil companies in October. As a result, oil revenues have hit their lowest level since Putin launched his full-scale invasion, falling over a quarter in the last year.

As Russia desperately tries to find alternatives to its floundering oil industry, now is the time to keep up the pressure, targeting routes previously used to bypass western sanctions - sending a clear message that the UK, in lockstep with allies, will continue to act on evasion wherever it is found.

Sanctions Minister, Stephen Doughty said:

With Russian oil revenues in free fall, now is the time to tighten the squeeze on Putin's brutal war machine and bring Russia to the negotiation table. Our message is clear - the UK will not rest until Putin ends the bloodshed and there is a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The UK is cracking down on profit-hungry traders making millions off illicit Russian oil. Today's measures target billionaire oil tycoon Murtaza Ali Lakhani and companies in his shadowy network that have become some of the largest traders of Russian oil since 2022.

Today's action also clamps down on Central Asian supply chains of cotton pulp, a vital component of ammunition, explosives and missile fuel which Russia cannot produce at scale.

The UK's support for Ukraine remains resolute and today's action demonstrates our continued efforts to ratchet up pressure on Putin at every opportunity to ensure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

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On the Russian Federation's hybrid activities in the OSCE region: UK statement to the OSCE

Speech

Ambassador Holland highlights escalating reckless hybrid threats against the United Kingdom directed by the Russian Federation.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland

Published 18 December 2025

Location: Vienna

Delivered on: 18 December 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Thank you, Chair.

The United Kingdom has tabled this current issue today to put on record in this Council recent decisions the United Kingdom Government has taken to safeguard our security from growing hybrid activities by one participating State. I am doing so to provide this information to all States in the spirit of transparency and risk reduction.

By hybrid activities, I am referring to overt or covert actions by another State government which fall short of direct armed conflict with the UK but go beyond peaceful diplomacy and expected statecraft, by harming or threatening the safety or interests of the UK or our allies.

Firstly, I would like to update on the publication of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry on the 4 December. This Inquiry was commissioned on the circumstances of Dawn Sturgess' death during the Amesbury poisonings on 30 June 2018. The final report has confirmed what the UK Government has long assessed: that Russia's reckless use of a military grade nerve agent on UK soil led to the tragic death of a British citizen.

The Inquiry concludes that Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, is responsible. President Putin himself authorised the operation to poison Yulia Skripal and her father with deadly nerve agent Novichok. This Novichok was developed and held by Russia in contravention of the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which Russia is a member. This subsequently resulted in the tragic death of Ms Sturgess.

The UK Government condemns in the strongest terms the Russian Federation's use of an illegal nerve agent in a British city. This was irresponsible and reckless, with scant regard to the indiscriminate public health consequences.

Moreover, we condemn the Russian Federation's failure to take accountability since the Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings, and its repeated attempts to deflect blame, causing further suffering to those involved.

The UK has taken measures to respond. We have sanctioned the GRU in its entirety as well as 11 actors behind Russian state-sponsored hostile activity. Eight of these actors were cyber military intelligence officers who targeted the technology belonging to Yulia Skripal with X-agent malware five years before the attempted murder of her and her father.

Chair, this was not a single act of reckless and irresponsible behaviour seven years ago. Across Europe we are witnessing an escalation in hybrid threats - from physical through to cyber. Russian state actors are turning to proxies for their dirty work, including private intelligence operatives and criminals. In the United Kingdom we have experienced arson, sabotage and physical violence. Dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness. And having precisely the opposite effect to what the Russian state intends, in driving increased operational coordination with our partners across Europe and beyond.

Though reckless, this activity is not random. A 30% increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters in the past two years is a deliberate shift. Last month the Russian spy ship, Yantar, entered UK waters. Yantar crew directed lasers at RAF P-8 pilots, and Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset and other civilian ships in the area experienced GPS jamming. We take this kind of behaviour seriously and will not let it go unchallenged.

Last week, my Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, commemorated the centenary of the signing of the Locarno Treaties in London. As well as announcing further sanctions in response to Russian information warfare, including against Russian media outlet Rybar, she also underlined the UK's commitment to partnerships, co-operation and renewed multilateralism; to the notion that "we are stronger if we tackle shared threats together".

Chair, I would like to remind Russia once again of the principles each of our countries signed up to in Helsinki in 1975: sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, inviolability of frontiers. I could go on.

Our message to Russia is this: The United Kingdom is watching. We will defend ourselves and our international partnerships. Any attempts to undermine our security and threaten the safety of our citizens will be met with strong consequences.

Thank you.

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Doxing and Harassment of American Officials by the South African Government

US Department of State

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

December 18, 2025

The U.S. condemns in the strongest terms the South African government's recent detention of U.S. officials performing their duties to provide humanitarian support to Afrikaners. Furthermore, the public release of our U.S. officials' passport information is an unacceptable form of harassment.

This can only be seen as an attempt to intimidate U.S. government personnel in South Africa on official business. The United States will not tolerate such behavior toward its government's officials - or toward any of its citizens - who are legally and peacefully operating abroad. The public release of personal identifying information puts the official in harm's way.

Failure by the South African Government to hold those responsible accountable will result in severe consequences. We call on the Government of South Africa to take immediate action to bring this situation under control and hold those responsible accountable.



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Sweida violence reignites as Druze forces clash with HTS militants

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 4:21 PM

Intense fighting has erupted in Syria's southern province of Sweida between members of a Druze group and armed elements affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, leaving several individuals wounded, report say.

The clashes broke out between so-called Druze National Guard forces led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze religious leader, and HTS forces affiliated with former al-Qaeda commander and the Arab country's de facto president Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, al-Marsad news website reported.

The report, citing local sources in Sweida, added that several people from both sides sustained injuries during the fighting.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed fierce confrontations between Druze and Jolani's forces across Sweida province, with Syrian sources reporting that the clashes erupted in the early hours of Thursday, with both sides using heavy weapons and mortars.

The most intense fighting was reported in towns of al-Majdal and al-Mazra'a in the western parts of Sweida.

The clashes reportedly began after Jolani's forces and their allies carried out drone attacks, triggering heavy fighting in the area.

Additional heavy fighting was reported in the town of Tal Hadid in the Sweida countryside and the village of al-Mansoura in the al-Naql area northwest of the city of Sweida.

Sources also reported extensive military movements by both sides and efforts to reinforce their positions.

Tensions in southern Syria have been escalating since July 13, when clashes broke out between Druze fighters and armed Bedouin tribes over land and resources in the province.

The violence worsened significantly after the HTS military was deployed to the province on July 14 and entered Sweida city itself on July 15, according to residents, two war monitors and reporters on the ground.

Claiming to support the Druze, the Israeli regime carried out airstrikes on July 16 targeting key strategic sites in Damascus, including the Syrian army headquarters, and hours later HTS announced the complete withdrawal of its forces from Sweida under a ceasefire agreement.

Sweida experienced some of the deadliest violence, with a week of bloody clashes starting on July 13 leaving an estimated 814 to 1,653 people dead, most of them Druze.

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The UN has a vital role to play in supporting Syria as it enters the second year of its political transition: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Speech

Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Charge d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Kariuki CMG

Published 18 December 2025

Location: United Nations, New York

Delivered on: 18 December 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

This month we marked a year since the end of the Assad regime's brutal rule and the start of a brighter chapter for Syria.

During the Security Council's historic visit to Damascus to mark this anniversary, we met with the Syrian Government, civil society actors and religious leaders.

Across these engagements, we heard a strong message of collective determination to build a more secure, stable, prosperous and inclusive country.

I thank the representatives of Slovenia, Denmark and Alferia for leading this visit and the Syrian government and UN country team for such a strong welcome. We also heard of the challenges that remain Syria.

Humanitarian needs remain immense. Drought-like conditions on water supply and agricultural production is likely to lead to a further deterioration in food security levels. To address these challenges it will be crucial to ensure humanitarian operations in line with the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence are possible.

The appalling attack in Palmyra last week was a reminder of the enduring threat of terrorism in Syria.

We express our condolences to the families of the three US personnel killed. We welcome the Syrian Government joining the Global Coalition against Daesh - a clear commitment to tackle security threats and support international efforts against terrorism.

Instances of sectarian violence this year have deepened divisions and threatened the peaceful political transition. We call for a greater focus on social cohesion, and the protection of human rights to prevent violent events like this happening again.

As we heard powerfully from Ms Jalabi a successful transition needs to include representation from across Syria's diverse ethnic and religious communities as well as the full, meaningful and safe participation of women.

We welcome continued dialogue between Israel and Syria but remain we remain deeply concerned by Israel's ongoing attacks in Syria which risk further destabilising the country.

The impact of these attacks on civilians is unacceptable.

We again call on Israel to respect Syria's territorial integrity, and uphold its obligations to peace, stability and security under international law.

In Damascus we made clear that the UN also has a vital role to play in supporting Syria. We welcome the growing relationship between the UN and the Syrian Government, and support the UN's plans to move the Special Envoy's office to Damascus.

The easing of sanctions and increased investment from international partners have provided an important boost to Syria's recovery. The second year of Syria's transition will be pivotal: we should continue to offer our collective support, to drive progress towards an inclusive transition with Syrians able to live in peace, prosperity and security.

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Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria by Joyce Msuya, ASG for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, on behalf of Tom Fletcher, USG for Humanitarian Affairs

UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

New York, 18 December 2025

As delivered

Thank you, Mr. President.

Syria continues to navigate immense opportunities and complex challenges - many of which have just been set out clearly by Under-Secretary-General [Rosemary] DiCarlo.

But today, the hope that was kindled a year ago continues to radiate. Vigorous and diligent international support remains vital.

The success of Syria's transition will depend on many measures. Two of them stand out. The first is a reduction in the level of need in what has been, for more than a decade, one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. The second - linked to this - is a reduction in the size of what has for years been one of our largest humanitarian operations.

Today I want to acknowledge the real progress and opportunities we have seen along this path during the past year, but also the major work still to do.

Mr. President,

One of the most powerful signs of the hope - and confidence - that Syrians have for their future has been the steady flow of those returning to their homes after being uprooted by conflict for years.

Two million people displaced within Syria have returned - many after living for years in camps, in precarious conditions. Over 1.3 million more have returned from neighbouring countries.

Many of these families are returning to homes that are damaged or destroyed, and to communities with few basic services or job opportunities. They will continue to rely on humanitarian aid in the near term to meet basic needs.

Meanwhile, millions more remain displaced across Syria. A majority of those in camps are hesitant to return in the coming year, due to lack of adequate housing, basic services like water and electricity, and access to jobs.

They too will continue to rely on humanitarian aid - especially during these cold winter months.

Mr. President,

The current moment has given Syria the opportunity to finally bring down these needs, but for this to happen, at pace and at scale, we need three key things from this Council and the wider international community.

First, we need attentive diplomacy to de-escalate and resolve ongoing flashpoints, and to prevent new fighting.

Levels of violence have reduced dramatically in Syria, but sporadic hostilities continue.

Over 155,000 people remain displaced from their homes following fighting in As-Sweida in July.

At the end of November, 13 people were killed and 2,000 were impacted due to clashes and air strikes during an Israeli military operation in Bait Jin in Rural Damascus.

Last week's attack in Palmyra, and other suspected ISIL attacks in recent months, also illustrate the fragile situation in many areas.

Beyond the immediate human impact, such violence robs Syria of the stability that will enable desperately needed investments in development.

Second, we need support for such investments.

Syria has made remarkable strides reintegrating with the international community.

This includes the easing of unilateral sanctions by a range of countries.

Humanitarians have long been able to operate at scale in Syria, thanks to resolution 2664 and similar exemptions under most unilateral sanctions regimes. The easing of sanctions should further facilitate procurement and transactions for our operations.

More importantly, such steps are opening the door to Syria's economic reintegration with the region and the world, and to critical investment in its recovery and reconstruction. But such resources will take time and sustained political will to mobilize, and their impact will take even longer to unfold.

Mobilizing tangible and targeted development finance, including to ensure the most vulnerable are not left behind, and rebuilding confidence in Syria's legal, financial and security environment, will also be critical to bringing down humanitarian needs.

The transition from humanitarian aid to longer-term recovery and reconstruction will require support from a wide range of partners in support of Government-led efforts.

For the UN's part, a new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework is being developed to channel UN development and recovery efforts in the coming years, aligning support with Syrian national priorities. In the meantime, where we can, the UN and partners will continue to prioritize humanitarian activities that also advance recovery.

Mr. President,

Given the scale of the needs - and the time required for development efforts to take hold - we also need support to sustain and expand the flow of humanitarian assistance in the near term.

During the past year, we have been able to shift to more efficient ways of working. We have moved from a uniquely complex operation to a more streamlined response. All sub-national hubs now report to Damascus, and our new Humanitarian Coordinator arrived last week.

While we continue to bring in critical assistance from Turkiye, this month we will complete the shift from the previous cross-border operation to more standard use of commercial mechanisms, reflecting the normalization of procurement and supply routes in Syria. Let me extend my appreciation here to Turkiye for their facilitation of the cross-border operations - more than 65,000 UN trucks since 2014 - which provided a lifeline to millions of people in need.

Today, we are able to reach more people in more places, more easily. And we have strengthened regular and practical engagements with the Government in Damascus and at the local level on a range of areas, including making humanitarian procedures for the UN and NGOs more efficient; organizing more rigorous needs assessments; developing a national contingency plan; and technical support across a range of sectors.

Because of these improvements, and using this moment of change in Syria to focus our efforts in line with the Humanitarian Reset, we have been able to reach 3.4 million people per month - 25 per cent more than last year - despite lower levels of funding. This includes mobilizing to respond to new needs as well as existing ones.

But with our humanitarian appeal for 2025 only 30 per cent funded, there are millions more people that we cannot help. This shortfall continues to cause reductions or disruptions in critical assistance, and difficult prioritization decisions.

Donors continue to provide generous support - and here allow me to acknowledge the EU, the UK and the US as the largest donors to our humanitarian appeal this year.

Last week, the Emergency Relief Coordinator also allocated US$18 million for Syria through the Central Emergency Response Fund.

Our teams are completing a first country-wide multisector needs assessment - as well as updated food security and nutrition assessments - which will underpin an even more targeted and prioritized response plan for 2026 - which we will issue in the first quarter of the year.

But we know needs will remain immense next year. And without a reversal in the downward funding trend, more and more people will fall behind and the task for recovery will only grow.

Mr. President,

My colleagues in Syria recently spoke with Rawaa, a single mother who returned from Turkiye with her two children to her village in Hama. She dreams of starting a small business - with which, she said, she could finally offer her children the future they deserve.

Her story echoes those of countless more women across Syria who want to rebuild their lives and help their country recover.

We owe it to them to give them that chance.

It is rare that a crisis of Syria's magnitude is presented with such a potential turnaround. The past year has provided cause for encouragement for us to redouble our efforts. We must seize the moment.

Thank you, Mr. President.



18 December 2025



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One Year After Fall of Bashar Al-Assad, Security Council Speakers Praise Syrian-Led Reforms, Urge Vigilance to Resolve Sectarian Tensions, Terrorist Concerns

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

10072nd Meeting (AM)

SC/16256

18 December 2025

Marking a year since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria  and fresh off its first-ever visit to the country  the Security Council today weighed significant strides against the persistent threats of terrorism and sectarian strife, as delegates emphasized that all aspects of the country's future must be guided by Syrians themselves.

"The hope that was kindled a year ago [in Syria] continues to radiate," said Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator. "Vigorous and diligent international support remains vital" as Syria continues to navigate immense opportunities and complex challenges.

Success will depend largely upon two related factors, she said: reducing humanitarian need  "in what has been, for more than a decade, one of the world's largest humanitarian crises"  and scaling back the size of the UN's humanitarian operations in the country. In that regard, she said her Office is developing a new cooperation framework with Syria, and that its work has already become more streamlined and efficient, reaching 25 per cent more people in 2025 than in 2024 despite cuts in funding.

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, agreed that Syrians have made great progress in the last year. The Government restored State institutions, armed factions are now under a single command and a new Cabinet was formed. More than 1 million refugees and almost 2 million internally displaced persons have returned home, and many countries have lifted bilateral sanctions on Syria. Meanwhile, the Syrian Government and the opposition Syrian Democratic Forces reached an agreement relating to the security and political transition on 10 March.

90 Per Cent of Syrians Live under Poverty Line

However, she warned: "Years of conflict and decades of repressive rule and human rights violations exacerbated tensions along sectarian lines." Those tensions have also boiled over in the past year, with large-scale violence in the coastal region and clashes in the Druze-majority city of Swieda in July. Condemning such acts, she also cited a resurgence of the presence of ISIL/Da'esh and foreign terrorist fighters  including a deadly attack on United States forces earlier this month  and Israeli airstrikes and incursions in the southern city of Beit Jinn.

Mariam Jalabi, a civil society leader with the Syrian Women's Political Movement, also briefed the Council. "I address my words to Syrian men and women everywhere, and to those who have said 'no' in the face of injustice and paid a grave price," she said. Marking the first anniversary of Syria's liberation, she recalled the plight of Syrians whose lives were marked by fear, persecution and displacement for over a decade. "We now have a country we can finally call home," she said.

Despite significant progress, she warned that killings, gender-based violence and extreme poverty continue in Syria. "Over 90 per cent of Syrians live under the poverty line," she said, adding: "These are not just statistics  they are warnings." Urging the global community to continue to provide support, she went on to condemn external violations of Syria's sovereignty, including Israel's occupation of her own native Golan village.

Praise for Fragile Gains, with Calls to Overcome Sectarian Divisions

Council members, joined by several countries from the region, took the floor in the debate that followed.

"We convene today having recently marked one year since the fall of the brutal Assad regime  a turning point in the trajectory of Syria's long and rich history," said Slovenia's representative, Council President for December, in his national capacity. However, transitions do not happen immediately, and long-entrenched tensions remain. "In the aftermath of seismic change, divisions still persist and trust requires time to rebuild," he said, citing Europe's own post-conflict experience.

The representatives of Denmark and Panama echoed those sentiments, with the latter welcoming Syrians' decision to "open its doors to the world" despite deep, lingering wounds. Urging the transitional Government to preserve a spirit of collaboration and respect for human rights, he recalled that Panama understands from its own experience what it means to rebuild a country "from the ground up".

"One year ago, Syria entered a new chapter in its history, one marked by hope for freedom and prosperity, but also by serious challenges," said Algeria's delegate, also speaking for Guyana, Sierra Leone and Somalia. Emphasizing that violence can only be overcome through reconciliation and transitional justice, he added: "A Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process is not [just] a slogan." He strongly rejected any attempts to interfere in Syria's domestic affairs, as well as the resurgence of terrorist attacks and Israel's ongoing military operations on Syrian soil.

Many speakers, including the representatives of the Republic of Korea and Greece, underscored the importance of a nationwide reconciliation process in which all voices are heard. "Muslims, Alawites, Christians, Druze and Kurds deserve the same right of equal representation," said the latter, stressing the need for transitional justice and meaningful reform of Syria's security sector. She also welcomed the imminent appointment of a new UN Special Envoy for Syria and the plan to finally relocate that office from Geneva to Damascus.

Others focused on the Council's recent visit to Syria, which concluded just two weeks ago. The representative of the United Kingdom said the 15-member delegation witnessed immense humanitarian needs and physical devastation in Damascus, as well as drought-like conditions that are seriously impacting the water supply and agricultural production. Meanwhile, he expressed concern that instances of sectarian violence over the past year have deepened divisions and threatened Syria's peaceful political transition.

Several delegates, including the representatives of Pakistan and Iran, drew particular attention to Israel's recent military operations in Syria and rejected its longstanding occupation of the Golan Heights. The latter pointed to Israel's unlawful November incursion into the southern Syrian village of Beit Jinn, in the foothills of Mount Hermon, which killed 13 civilians. Declaring that operation a "grave war crime", he said Israel's actions represent a deliberate strategy to entrench its occupation and weaken Syria's national cohesion and urged the Council not to remain passive in the face of such violations.

Kuwait's representative, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, agreed that Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity must be respected. He condemned Israel's recent actions in the strongest terms, along with other worrying violence, such as the terrorist attack near Palmyra that killed several United States troops.

The representative of the United States, paying tribute to those fallen soldiers, condemned the attack as a "cowardly ambush" and pledged to pursue everyone involved in that heinous attack. She joined other speakers in marking the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime and voicing strong support for the Syrian population. "We honor their resilience, and we join them in celebrating the shared hope for a future that belong to the Syrian people," she said. In that regard, the United States has lifted most of its sanctions in an effort to give Syria a chance to rebuild its economy.

The representative of Turkiye welcomed Syria's pursuit of a responsible and peaceful foreign policy over the past year, while noting that the recent high-profile terrorist attack demonstrates the need to accelerate international support for Syria in building professional, armed security forces and strengthening its counter-terrorism capacity. France's delegate echoed those points, stressing that eradicating the terrorist scourge is a top priority  Syria must no longer be a staging ground for terrorism.

China'sspeaker also demanded "zero tolerance for terrorism", while emphasizing the need for all countries to fully respect Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territory integrity. Regarding sanctioned entities and individuals in Syria, he warned that sanctions committees should carefully consider requests for delisting and avoid making hasty decisions before conditions are mature.

The Russian Federation's delegate emphasized that Syrian authorities face large-scale socioeconomic challenges complicated by aggressive external interference of some neighbours, with the "most egregious violations" of its sovereignty being Israel's actions in the south. Citing the brutal attack in Beit Jinn and the Israeli Government "trotting out abhorrent demands" for the demilitarization of southern Syria, he also echoed deep concern over the threats posed by resurging ISIL/Da'esh and Al-Qaeda factions in Syra.

Israel Calls for Demilitarization, as Syria Points to Legal, Institutional Reforms

"Israel will defend its people on every border, including our northern border [with Syria]," said that country's delegate, rebutting many of the allegations made against Israel throughout today's debate. "After October 7, there can be no confusion and no room for error." What Israel is asking for is clear  and the minimum needed for deescalation  namely, the immediate creation of a demilitarized zone stretching from Damascus to the existing buffer area, including across Mount Hermon. "Israel will not allow Syria to become a safe place for terrorists," he said, adding that the responsibility to stop terrorism rests with the Syrian authorities. "If they do not, Israel will."

To that point, Syria's representative declared: "The new Syria is [...] built on rule of law and accountability." Highlighting his Government's transparent, organized and inclusive transition process, he noted that it established an independent investigative commission aimed at healing "collective wounds" and establishing accountability for serious crimes. One such public trial took place just this morning, in Aleppo.

To counter terrorism, he said, the Government has dismantled smuggling networks in cooperation with neighboring countries and has joined the international coalition to fight ISIL/Da'esh. However, even as Syria works to abide by international law and Council resolutions, "Israel turns a rough shoulder to this". The recent killing of 13 civilians in Beit Jinn makes it difficult to explain to ordinary Syrians that diplomacy is working, he stressed.

The representatives of Israel and Syria took the floor again to rebut each other's various accusations.

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Syria-Lebanon Visit Aimed to 'Build Trust', Reaffirm Support for Sovereignty, Stability in Both Countries, Delegation Co-Head Tells Security Council

Meetings Coverage

Security Council

10071st Meeting (AM)

SC/16255

18 December 2025

The Security Council's historic visit to Syria and Lebanon two weeks ago had one clear objective: "to build trust", the visiting mission's co-leads  Slovenia, Algeria and Denmark  told the 15-member organ today, detailing direct engagement with Syrian and Lebanese stakeholders.

The visit enabled Council members to witness the extensive destruction in a neighbourhood of Damascus while observing the hope Syrians demonstrate as they strive to rebuild their country, said Slovenia's representative, speaking also on behalf of Algeria and Denmark.

Covering a wide range of issues  including justice and reconciliation, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction, the political transition and counter-terrorism  the visit served as a clear demonstration of the international community's solidarity with the Syrian people. "We reaffirmed our strong support for Syria's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity," he stated, adding that several members expressed grave concern over Israeli violations.

Assurances from Government Welcomed, Inclusive Process Urged in Syria

He further welcomed assurances by the transitional Government that Syria would not pose a threat to the region or to the broader international community, as well as its stated commitment to peace and security. The Council also expressed hope to finalize an agreement on the reconfiguration of the UN presence in Damascus, which would enable the Organization to stand by the Syrian people.

"We met with victims' groups, Governors from Suweida and Dara'a and the coastal region, as well as representatives of the national investigation and fact-finding committees," he said, calling for an inclusive political process and transparent justice for atrocities committed over the past 14 years. He also highlighted the efforts to accelerate the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, and to ensure safety and security for all components of Syrian society.

Support Reaffirmed for Lebanon's Sovereignty, Reforms

Turning to Lebanon, he recalled that Council members met with President Joseph Aoun, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji for frank and substantive exchanges on the country's path ahead. Discussions focused on the Lebanese Government's decision to ensure a State monopoly over arms throughout its territory, as well as priorities related to strengthening the Lebanese Armed Forces, economic reform and the urgent reconstruction of southern Lebanon.

Voicing strong support for Lebanon's territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence, he said Council members reiterated their support for the full implementation of resolution 1701 (2006) and reaffirmed their responsibility to help restore calm along the Blue Line and secure a long-term solution. The Council also welcomed the additional deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to southern Lebanon.

He further underscored the importance of supporting Lebanon's economic and institutional reforms as a cornerstone for restoring confidence and unlocking international support for recovery and reconstruction. Lebanese interlocutors condemned the continued encroachments by the Israel Defense Forces on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the establishment of forward positions and buffer zones north of the Blue Line, as well as daily strikes inside Lebanon, which they noted constitute clear violations of resolution 1701 (2006).

"While challenges and risks remain, the Council left Lebanon with renewed optimism that the Government is striving to strengthen its institutions, extend its sovereignty, monopolize weapons outside its control and engage politically to consolidate the cessation of hostilities and ensure respect for resolution 1701 (2006)," he concluded.

The Council then heard from the representatives of the countries concerned.

'Historic' Visit Reflects New Syria's Openness, Determination, Diversity

Calling the trip "historic", Syria's delegate said it marked the culmination of positive international engagement in support of Syrians and embodied the diplomatic openness adopted by the new Syria. While citing Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty and the vast destruction left by the previous regime's war, he stressed the resilience and determination of the Syrian people. Acknowledging the difficulties inherited by the current authorities, he highlighted Government efforts to address them prudently, recalling a meeting with the President and Foreign Minister in a palace transformed from a symbol of isolation and injustice into one of openness at home and abroad.

Noting the "tireless efforts" of officials, governors, investigation committees and national bodies "working to confront and overcome" the challenges of the period, he emphasized the significant steps and improvement "not limited to the economic sphere, but extending to all aspects of life". Hailing a "new Syria that celebrates its religious and ethnic diversity as a source of strength and richness", he expressed confidence that visitors sensed its profound civilizational depth. Noting that "every stone and corner of Damascus" tells a story written by Syrians "with their own blood, pride and dignity", he stressed that today, more than ever, they are determined to complete that story.

Lebanon Calls for Council Support as It Seeks Stability

For his part, Lebanon's delegate said the Council's visit allowed members to hear the positions of his country's political authority at the highest levels and to see efforts to assert State authority, deploy the Lebanese army nationwide, ensure "the monopoly of arms", launch reconstruction and demonstrate a serious commitment to fully implementing resolution 1701 (2006). He expressed hope that meetings with army leadership and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) had provided a comprehensive view of the situation on the ground throughout Lebanon, particularly in the south, including the army's adherence to its deployment plan and "arms exclusivity" to implement government decisions and resolution 1701 (2006).

"Daily Israeli violations remain among the most pressing challenges," he continued, adding that such acts threaten to erode the Government's credibility and heighten grave threats of renewed escalation. He urged the Council to assume its responsibilities in safeguarding Lebanon's security, safety and sovereignty. "Lebanon has chosen negotiations with Israel," he added, arguing that "wars cannot yield positive results and that only negotiations can create the conditions leading to stability and security".

He also noted that a civilian was appointed as head of the Lebanese delegation to the enhanced mechanism, with the immediate focus on ensuring respect for the cessation of hostilities. These steps are meant to create space for parallel plans for political, economic, financial and social reforms, alongside reconstruction and the return of displaced Lebanese once Israel withdraws from the occupied area and releases prisoners and detainees.

While Beirut is committed to facilitating the orderly and safe withdrawal of UNIFIL in implementation of resolution 2790 (2025), he emphasized that the transition must "avoid any security vacuum in southern Lebanon or its territorial waters". Such a vacuum would not serve regional peace and security. He said that history and reality point to the necessity of maintaining an international force to guarantee and preserve the blue line, monitor and report on the resolution, help resolve the 13 disputed points, and support de-escalation while also urging increased support for the Lebanese army.

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China firmly opposes, strongly condemns US govt's approval of $11 billion arms sales package to Taiwan island: FM

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 18, 2025 04:22 PM

The US side has openly announced a massive arms sales package to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan, which seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, gravely infringes upon China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, severely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and sends a seriously wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in response to that the United States government has approved arms sales to Taiwan worth $11 billion, the largest amount on record.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island seek independence by force and resist reunification by force, squandering the hard-earned money of ordinary people to buy weapons and recklessly turning Taiwan into a powder keg. This will not save the doomed fate of "Taiwan independence"; it will only accelerate pushing Taiwan Straits toward heightened military danger and the risk of war. The US attempt to aid "Taiwan independence" through arms will burn itself, and using Taiwan to contain China will never succeed, said Guo.

Guo said that the Taiwan question is the core of China's core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. No one should underestimate the firm resolve and strong capability of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China urges the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, honor the solemn commitments made by US leaders, and immediately stop the dangerous act of arming Taiwan. China will take resolute and forceful measures to defend its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

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'Taiwan independence' separatist forces will meet firm response if they dare to cross red line: mainland spokesperson after DPP's claims about US arms sales

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Dec 18, 2025 07:13 PM

A spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said on Thursday that if "Taiwan independence" separatist forces dare to cross the red line, they will be met with firm response.

The remarks were made in response to that Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on Thursday "thanked" the US for a new round of arms sales worth about $11.1 billion that has been approved by US government. Taiwan's regional authorities claimed the deal demonstrates their "determination for self-defense" and their resolve to work with "like-minded countries" and firmly safeguard so-called "freedom and democratic values."

Chen Binhua, the spokesperson, said that the Taiwan question is at core of China's core interests, and constitutes the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. The US has brazenly announced a massive arms sales package to China's Taiwan region, grossly interfering in China's internal affairs, seriously violating the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquesespecially the August 17 Communique of 1982gravely undermining China's sovereignty and security interests, and sending a severely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this.

Chen said that we demand that the US immediately stop "arming Taiwan," stop indulging and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, honor the commitments made by US leaders, and handle the Taiwan question with the utmost prudence.

Chen continued to say that the DPP authorities stubbornly pursue "seeking independence by relying on the US" and "seeking independence through military means," repeatedly hyping up "defense determination." They are willing to turn Taiwan into a "powder keg" and an "ammunition depot," and to let the people of Taiwan serve as cannon fodder for "Taiwan independence," which will only bring grave disasters to Taiwan compatriots. This fully exposes their vicious nature as "saboteurs of peace," "manufacturers of crises," and "instigators of war."

All sectors in island of Taiwan should clearly recognize the DPP authorities' evil essence of bottomless "selling out Taiwan and provoking war." Chen said we solemnly warn the DPP authorities that the reunification of the motherland is unstoppable; if "Taiwan independence" separatist forces dare to cross the red line, they will be met with firm response, Chen noted.

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China urges U.S. to stop "dangerous act" following U.S. approval of massive arms sales to Taiwan

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 16:38, December 18, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States should immediately cease its "dangerous act" of arming Taiwan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday when commenting on the U.S. approval of a package of arms sales worth around 11 billion U.S. dollars to the Taiwan region.

The U.S. blatantly announced its plan to sell massive advanced weapons to China's Taiwan region, which grossly violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Guo said at a regular news briefing.

The U.S. move infringes on China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and sends a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, Guo said.

"China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it," he said.

The "Taiwan independence" separatist forces on the island attempt to advance their "independence" agenda and resist reunification through military buildup, squander the taxpayers' money to purchase weapons, and even risk turning Taiwan into a "powder keg," he said.

Guo said such moves will not reverse the inevitable failure of "Taiwan independence," and will only push the Taiwan Strait into the danger of military conflict at a faster pace. For the United States, assisting the "independence" agenda by arming Taiwan will only backfire, and using Taiwan to contain China will never succeed, he added.

Noting that the Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests, and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations, Guo said no one shall underestimate the firm will and strong capability of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, act on its leaders' serious commitments, and immediately stop the dangerous act of arming Taiwan, he said.

China will take resolute and strong measures to defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, the spokesperson added.

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US approves record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 18 December 2025 10:52 AM

The United States has greenlit a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, the biggest weapons sale in the Chinese island's history, as tensions persist between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on Wednesday that the package includes eight proposed deals covering howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius drones, HIMARS rocket systems, military software, and parts for other equipment.

The announcement of the deal by the administration of US President Donald Trump comes amid heightening tensions between Taipei and Beijing and a stated requirement by the island to allocate new "special" funding - worth about $40 billion - to bolster its defensive capabilities.

It marks the Trump administration's second arms sale to Taiwan, announced against the backdrop of mounting pressure from Beijing. Taiwan continues to reject Beijing's sovereignty over the island.

The Pentagon said in a series of separate statements announcing details of the arms deal that the weapons sale to Taiwan serves US national, economic, and security interests.

Washington has pressured Taipei to upgrade its armed forces to be able to wage "asymmetric warfare," using mobile, smaller, and often cheaper weapons that still pack a targeted punch, such as drones.

Chinese Taipei's Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo thanked the United States for the weapons.

"Our country will continue to advance defense reforms, strengthen the defense resilience of the entire society, demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves, and protect peace with strength," she said.

Chinese Taipei's separatist leader, Lai Ching-te, announced last month an additional defense budget of $40 billion for the period from 2026 to 2033. "There is no room for compromise on national security," she claimed.

China is opposed to the sales of weapons to Chinese Taipei, emphasizing that the move is against international law.

China has repeatedly expressed its opposition not only to arms sales but also to any form of official diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan.

Beijing has not reacted to the latest US announcement. However, on Wednesday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that it opposed efforts by the US Congress to pass bills "related to Taiwan and firmly opposes any form of military contact between the US and Taiwan."

"We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques: Stop 'arming Taiwan', stop reviewing relevant bills, and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," the office's spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in a statement.

Zhu said Taiwan's political leaders were pursuing "independence", and were "willing to let external forces turn the island into a 'war porcupine'," which could result in the population becoming "cannon fodder" and "slaughtered at will, which is despicable."

Beijing says under the internationally-recognized "One-China" principle, also accepted by the United States, Beijing is the only official representative of the Chinese nation.

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US Greenlights Biggest Arms Sale to Taiwan in History

Sputnik News

20251218

The US has signed off on a record-breaking $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, further militarizing the island that China sees as an inalienable part of its territory.

Announcing the weapons deal, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency claimed that the arms sales serve US national, economic, and security interests by supporting Taiwan's efforts to maintain a "credible defensive capability."

This marks the second Taiwan arms deal under President Donald Trump's current administration and includes:

Javelin anti-tank missile systems: ~$375 million

ALTIUS-600M/700M loitering munitions (unmanned systems/drones): ~$1.1 billion

Spare parts for AH-1W SuperCobra helicopters: $96 million

HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (including launchers and missiles): ~$4.05 billion

M109A7 (or similar) self-propelled howitzers/artillery: ~$4.03 billion

TOW anti-tank missile systems: $353 million

Harpoon anti-ship missile repairs and technical support: $91.4 million

Tactical software/command-and-control network (e.g., Tactical Mission Network Software): ~$1.01 billion

Chinese authorities, who consider Taiwan an essential part of the country's territory, have repeatedly warned that such weapons sales violate the one-China principle.

While formally adhering to the principle and refusing to recognize Taiwan's independence, the US continues to flood the island with weaponsall while amplifying the "China threat" narrative to justify it.

 Sputnik

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Trump signs NDAA bill authorizing US$1 billion in Taiwan defense funding

ROC Central News Agency

12/19/2025 02:12 PM

Washington, Dec. 18 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump has signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes authorization for up to US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative.

The NDAA, signed by Trump on Thursday after the Senate passed it 77-20 a day earlier, also expands opportunities for U.S. Coast Guard training teams to operate in Taiwan and has a provision supporting Taiwan's bid to join the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Passage of the NDAA, which authorizes the American government to spend more than US$900 billion on defense programs, does not guarantee that the funds will be appropriated.

The U.S. Congress must still pass separate defense appropriations bills for the funds to be allocated.

In signing the bill, Trump said it supported critical objectives, but he expressed concerns about specific provisions, including a joint U.S.-Taiwan plan for uncrewed and anti-uncrewed systems and support for Taiwan's IMF participation.

He argued that the provisions seek to "dictate the position of the United States in external military and foreign affairs," and that he, as commander in chief and the president of the U.S., will wield his constitutional authority over U.S. military and foreign matters.

Under the NDAA, the Pentagon is required to "enable fielding of uncrewed and anti-uncrewed systems capabilities" with Taiwan by March 1, 2026, including co-producing the system for the use of the U.S. and Taiwan army in compliance with the Taiwan Relations Act.

The US$1 billion authorized for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative would go toward expanding support for medical equipment, supply capabilities, and battlefield casualty care, according to the NDAA.

The legislation also directs the Pentagon to develop a plan for enhanced joint Taiwan-U.S. Coast Guard training and the deployment of U.S. personnel to Taiwan to bolster maritime security, law enforcement, and deterrence.

(By Elaine Hou and Lee Chieh-yu)

Enditem/ls

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Norway to purchase vital F-16 ammunition and air defence for Ukraine

Government of Norway

Press release | Date: 17/12/2025 | Last updated: 18/12/2025

The Norwegian Government is providing approximately NOK 3.2 billion in funding via the JUMPSTART mechanism (Joint Ukraine Multinational Program - Services, Training, and Articles Rapid Timeline) for the purchase of ammunition for F-16 fighter jets, laser-guided missiles for use by F-16s or ground-based air defence systems, and long-range missiles.

'We expect swift delivery of this package, which Ukraine relies on to repel Russian attacks and continue its fight for freedom. The long-term nature of the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine and the flexibility it offers put Norway in a unique position as regards support for Ukraine. Ukraine is dependent on ongoing military support from partners to uphold its freedom and sovereignty,' said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre.

The Prime Minister announced the new allocation in his half-yearly press conference on Wednesday. The Government recently published its multi-year Plan for Norway, in which the country's security, including support for Ukraine, is a key priority. The Plan reiterates that Norway remains steadfast in its political, economic and military support for Ukraine.

The JUMPSTART mechanism is based on the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, under which countries purchase complete military equipment and services from the US Department of Defense rather than from multiple subcontractors. Norway has long used the FMS programme in connection with procurements for the Norwegian defence sector. Norway has previously also provided funding via the JUMPSTART mechanism to support F-16 donations to Ukraine, including the procurement of spare parts and weapons.

'It is important for the Government that Norway's military support for Ukraine helps to deliver results on the battlefield in the short term and enhances Ukraine's capabilities in the medium and longer term,' said Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik.

New weapons package to be delivered soon

This latest weapons package comprises ammunition for F-16s worth just over NOK 1 billion. Norway is also financing the purchase of an advanced precision weapons system that converts low-cost missiles into precision-guided munitions for use by aircraft or ground-based air defence systems. In addition, just over NOK 500 million will be used to purchase S-300 surface-to-air missiles, which are widely used by Ukraine.

Norway has provided approximately NOK 10 billion via the US JUMPSTART mechanism in 2025. NOK 3 240 million has been disbursed in December, while NOK 6 703 million was disbursed earlier in the year. A total of NOK 9 943 million has been disbursed via the JUMPSTART mechanism in 2025. Norway has also financed the purchase of air defence equipment under the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which supplies Ukraine with critical equipment sourced from the US, in partnership with Germany and the UK, and has provided funding for NASAMS training in Norway.

Air defence and the protection of its airspace have been a strategic priority for Ukraine for some time and are key to protecting the population and military and civilian infrastructure, including the energy supply. Air defence is a priority area of Norway's military support for Ukraine.

Rapid delivery of low-cost weapon systems with high availability

'This equipment will be important in enhancing Ukraine's ability to defend itself against aerial threats. The systems procured under the JUMPSTART mechanism are primarily low-cost systems with high availability, which can be provided at high volumes and at relatively low prices. Ukraine's air defences are under pressure, and acquiring sufficient quantities of ammunition for the country's more advanced air defence systems is a challenge. Ukraine should have access to both low-cost weapons and more advanced long-range missiles that can be used to combat high-performance targets such as cruise missiles,' said Mr Sandvik.

'The Norwegian-made NASAMS air defence system, provided through donations from Norway and the US, has played an important role in Ukrainian air defence. At the start of 2025, Norway was informed by the US that it could help procure air defence equipment for Ukraine through the US JUMPSTART programme,' said Mr Sandvik.

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Sergiy Boyev discusses support for Ukraine in 2026 with the state secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

17 December, 2025, 12:45 PM EET

Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Sergiy Boyev, held a meeting with State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia, Aivars Purins, to discuss the development of joint defence industry projects and defence assistance for 2026.

First and foremost, the Ukrainian side briefed the Latvian delegation on the security situation in Ukraine and the current threats posed by the russian federation. Intelligence assessments indicate that the aggressor continues to expand weapons production on its territory, demonstrating an intention to continue the war.

"We recognise that 2026 will be a key year in many respects. We are actively preparing and are grateful to Latvia for its tangible support throughout the period. Partner support is vital to achieving a just peace," Sergiy Boyev said.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Latvian side for the 42 units of Patria armoured personnel carriers previously transferred.

The Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia discussed defence requirements for 2026. Sergiy Boyev emphasised the need for additional funding for Ukraine's defence industry and the full use of its capabilities. The parties also discussed steps to continue developing joint projects.

A representative of Latvia's Ministry of Defence emphasised the commitment to ensuring the most effective use of funds allocated to support Ukraine and readiness to involve Latvian defence companies in the production of Ukrainian drones.

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Government approved package of documents developed by Ministry of Defence to launch Defence City

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

17 December, 2025, 8:06 PM EET

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a package of documents developed by the Ministry of Defence to enable the launch of the Defence City special legal regime on January 5, 2026, as a state support instrument for defense industry enterprises.

"The special legal regime supporting Ukraine's defense industry will be open to enterprises of strategic importance to Ukraine's defense capability that comply with the established standards and criteria," Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized.

In particular, the approved procedure for obtaining Defence City resident status sets out the rules for maintaining the register of residents, the submission and consideration of applications for status, and the methodology for calculating the share of defense revenue (qualified income).

Mechanisms for monitoring compliance with the regime's requirements have been separately regulated. A procedure has been approved to monitor the use of tax-exempt profits, ensuring that such funds are used exclusively for the development of enterprises. A procedure has also been defined for residents' annual confirmation of compliance with the established requirements.

To reduce security risks to defense production facilities and supply chains, a mechanism for protecting sensitive information has been approved. A Defence City resident may submit an application to the Ministry of Defence identifying public registers and data for which access is to be restricted.

Under a separate decision, the Government approved the procedure governing relocation and the implementation of measures to increase the security of Defence City residents' production facilities. The document sets out mechanisms for coordination between central and local authorities and addresses issues of financing, monitoring, and reporting. Regional military administrations are required to designate officials responsible for coordinating these processes at the local level within one month. At the same time, overall coordination is ensured by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

A financial framework at the local level has been provided to support the implementation of these measures. The Law of Ukraine 'On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026' provides that 50% of the personal income tax paid by Defence City residents is credited to the special fund of the relevant territorial community's budget. These funds may be allocated to infrastructure development, relocation support, or measures to strengthen the security of production facilities.

The implementation of the Defence City special legal regime is expected to support the development of industry enterprises, expand production volumes, and establish predictable conditions for attracting investment into defense projects.

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Undersecretary Ratnik to Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Cirielli: Consistent support for Ukraine must remain our priority

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

18.12.2025 | 09:32

This week, on 16-17 December, Undersecretary for Economic and Development Affairs Mariin Ratnik visited Rome, where she met with Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Edmondo Cirielli. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral political and economic relations, supporting Ukraine, and discussing European security issues.

"Italy is an important partner for Estonia in the fields of economy, trade, tourism and security. For example, Italian fighter aircraft are currently participating in the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission at Amari, contributing to the security of Estonia and the wider region," Ratnik underlined. "We see several opportunities to deepen these relations further, particularly in developing mutual economic cooperation."

Discussing the security situation, Ratnik stressed that the European Union's support for Ukraine must remain unwavering. "Russia has not changed its objectives; instead, it has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, civilians and critical infrastructure," she noted. "This is why we must continue to support Ukraine comprehensively and implement measures that slow down Russia's war machine - including adopting a strong 20th sanctions package that further restricts Russian fossil fuel exports and increases customs duties on Russian and Belarusian goods."

Ratnik emphasised that the European Union now has a unique opportunity to demonstrate its longterm commitment to Ukraine by agreeing on a reparations loan backed by Russia's frozen assets, which would support both Ukraine's security and its economy while delivering a painful blow to Russia. "The aggressor must be held accountable for its actions, and violations of international law must not become the norm," she stressed.

On European defence capability, Deputy Secretary General Ratnik noted that the EU and its member states must remain focused on increasing defence spending and implementing crossEuropean defence projects.

During the visit, Ratnik also met with Davide La Cecilia, the Italian Foreign Ministry's Special Envoy for Ukraine's Reconstruction. Their discussion centred on opportunities to deepen Estonian-Italian cooperation in development cooperation. "As Estonia will host the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in 2027, Italy's experience and lessons learned from organising the 2025 conference will be invaluable," Ratnik said.

As part of the visit, the Estonian Embassy also hosted an briefing for Italian journalists and thinktank representatives to present Estonia's current foreign policy positions.

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Putin's 'Swine' Swipe: A Bid To Divide The West And Blame Europe If Peace Efforts Fail

By Steve Gutterman December 18, 2025

In combative comments at a high-profile military meeting on December 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to unspecified European leaders as "podsvinki," which roughly translates as young pigs or young swine.

Here's why he said it.

Ever since 1999, when he called Chechen separatists terrorists and vowed to "wipe them out in the outhouse," Putin has been using street slang and pungent, derogatory language to get messages across to the West, to the world, and to Russian people.

In the case of his latest comment, Putin was presumably counting on audiences in Russia -- and some elsewhere -- to welcome his words as a slap in the face of the Western leaders who are demonized daily on Russian state TV amid Moscow's war against Ukraine.

But there's more to it than that.

Echoing statements he's made in the past, Putin first pointed out that US President Donald Trump has said Russia would not have launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine if he, instead of Joe Biden, had been president at the time, in February 2022. And once again, Putin added that Trump may be right about that.

Old Narrative, New Twist

He then claimed without evidence that Biden's administration "intentionally" fomented the war and said, "I think it's clear why: Everyone believed they would destroy and dismantle Russia in a short period of time, and the 'European young swine' immediately joined the previous American administration in this effort, hoping to profit from our country's collapse."

Accusing the West of seeking to tear Russia apart and gobble up the pieces has been one of Putin's main narratives for more than 20 years: Following the hostage seizure at a school in the North Caucasus town of Beslan in 2004, which left more than 330 people dead after a botched rescue operation, Putin suggested that Western countries were helping militants in order to weaken Russia.

But in this case, Putin's "swine" comment had specific goals beyond repeating that assertion, which many Western leaders say is baseless.

For one thing, it was part of an effort to sow discord between the United States and Ukraine's European backers at a time when Trump is pressing forward with efforts to broker a peace deal. After the US made a proposal last month that critics said heavily favored Russia, European countries such as Britain, France, and Germany have helped Kyiv seek adjustments that would make a potential pact more agreeable for Ukraine.

Blaming Europe

The word Putin used does not just mean 'pigs' or 'swine.' It refers to young pigs -- but not cute piglets. Instead, it implies a lack of independence and a tendency to follow. This echoes repeated Russian assertions that EU and NATO countries are not their own masters and are under the thumb of the US -- but in this case, Putin specified he means these countries were beholden to the Biden administration.

Putin's remark may also have been aimed to aggravate divisions within Europe, in particular over whether and how strongly the European Union and others, such as Britain, should support Ukraine -- and pressure Russia. Putin spoke one day before an EU summit set to decide on a controversial plan to use frozen Russian assets to lend Ukraine tens of billions of euros to help it withstand the Russian onslaught.

In the same address, Putin repeated his vow that Russia will take Ukrainian territory it considers its own by force if any proposed peace deal that emerges from the current flurry of diplomacy does not meet Moscow's draconian demands.

So as is often the case with Putin's remarks, another goal of the "young swine" quip was to blame Europe in advance if the US-led peace efforts falter or fail to deliver a deal that pleases the Kremlin.

With reporting by Merhat Sharipzhan

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-talks-russian- assets-ukraine/33627675.html

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

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'Money Today Or Blood Tomorrow:' EU Leaders Meet On Ukraine Funding

By RFE/RL December 18, 2025

Leaders of the European Union have gathered in Brussels for a summit set to decide on a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years that Poland likened to a choice between "money today or blood tomorrow."

The EU summit on December 18 comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin crudely criticized the bloc's leaders, using a word that can be translated as "young swine," and reiterated assertions that Moscow will achieve the goals of its war on Ukraine by force if a US push for peace does not produce a deal that meets its demands.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Brussels and spoke at the meeting, telling the summit the current proposal of a loan backed by the frozen assets is preferable, but that ultimately it doesn't matter how the funds are utilized, just as long as a solution is found.

"If in the spring, Ukraine does not receive the corresponding tranche -- which, in the event of peace, will be used for the country's reconstruction, and in the event of continued war, for other priorities, above all drone production -- Ukraine's drone production will be reduced several fold," he told reporters at a press conference after addressing the summit behind closed doors.

Ukraine currently faces a foreign aid shortfall of some $53 billion to $59 billion next year, he added.

Western countries have supported the war-torn country with both direct budgetary support and military aid since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, but the upcoming period may be different.

The United States has signaled that it most likely won't send more cash, putting the onus on the EU and other G7 countries to step up -- and to do so soon.

Some 140 billion euros ($165 billion) of Russian state assets are being held in the Belgian-based financial markets company Euroclear, while an additional 25 billion euros of Russian state assets are held in banks across the EU, mainly in France but also in a Belgian private bank, Cyprus, and Germany.

The reparations loan is part of a wider financial package that is worth up to 210 billion euros, according to the European Commission. This also includes 45 billion eurosthat will be used to repay a G7 loan to Ukraine from 2024.

While most of the EU's 27 members are in favor of using the assets to back the loan, Belgium fears the plan could leave it legally vulnerable, and other countries including Italy have also expressed doubts.

"Now we have a simple choice - either money today or blood tomorrow. And I am not talking about Ukraine only, I am talking about Europe," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said as EU leaders arrived at the summit in Brussels.

"This is our decision to make and only ours."

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would not leave the summit without agreement on how to finance Ukraine over the next two years.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a stark warning earlier this week, saying failure would mean "the European Union's ability to act will be severely damaged for years, if not longer, and we will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history."

Swedish EU Affairs Minister added in an interview with RFE/RL in Brussels on December 18 that "we have to have some kind of agreement that really makes sure that we have a financing support for Ukraine."

"It's the most realistic option we have at the table, something we should be able to agree on. But it is also the solution that really means that Russia is also held accountable and must pay for the damage that they have caused Ukraine."

In a combative speech at an annual Defense Ministry event on December 17, Putin sought to blame Europe and Ukraine in advance for any failure of the peace efforts, saying that Russia will take more land by force if Kyiv and European leaders he described as "young swine" do not take the right approach to US proposals.

"If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," Putin said, pouring cold water on any proposal that calls for Moscow to make territorial concessions.

Moscow currently controls nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, and Russian officials have repeatedly said they won't compromise on the five Ukrainian regions that Putin baselessly claims are Russian.

A particular sticking point in the weeks-long flurry of negotiations involving the US, Ukraine, Europe, and Russia has been the portion of the Donetsk region that Ukrainian forces still hold.

Russia's top military commander, General Valery Gerasimov, kept up the attacks on Europe on December 18, saying the West is the "main source" of growing military threats to Russian security.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko in Brussels, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-talks-russian- assets-ukraine/33627675.html

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

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Ranking Member Shaheen Speaks on Senate Floor to Urging the Senate to Pass Legislation Pressuring Putin's War Machine

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Published: December 18, 2025

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor urging the Senate to advance bipartisan legislation she introduced and supported. This legislation would raise the cost of Russia's war in Ukraine by cutting off Vladimir Putin's access to the money and weapons that sustain his aggression and help fund Ukraine's resistance without burdening American taxpayers.

Senator Shaheen advocated for passage of two bipartisan bills that passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: the REPO Implementation Act, which would authorize the transfer of frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the United States into an interest-bearing account to fund Ukraine's defense and reconstruction without new cost to American taxpayers, and the STOP Russia and China Act, a bill that Senator Shaheen introduced with Senator Cornyn that would impose sanctions on entities and individuals in the People's Republic of China supporting Russia's defense industrial base.

You can watch her remarks here.

Key Quotes:

"To continue his war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin needs two things: he needs money and he needs weapons. Russia has hundreds of billions of dollars of assets frozen overseas, some of which are subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Moscow is fighting hard to gain access to that money because it would help sustain its war effort. But as we know, money alone is not going to be enough. Sanctions have significantly degraded Russia's defense industry. And to keep building weapons, Russia relies on outside supply chains. Much of that support now comes from Chinese entities providing the materials and technologies that keep Russia's war machine running. So, if President Trump is really serious about ending this war, those are the pressure points to put against Vladimir Putin."

"The Foreign Relations Committee has already reported out two bills that have had strong bipartisan support that would address each of these. One is the REPO Implementation Act, known as REPO 2.0. And I think that's particularly important because important because hundreds of billions of Russian sovereign assets have been frozen, including about $5 billion here in the United States, since the start of Russia's murderous invasion of Ukraine. Now, to help Ukraine beat back the Russian invasion and to eventually rebuild, seizing and repurposing those Russian frozen funds is the right place to start."

"But supporting Ukraine against Russia in this unjust war is important to America's national security. And one way to help ensure Ukraine has the support they need is to pass the REPO 2.0 act."

The Ranking Member's remarks, as delivered, are below.

Mr. President, my colleague from Virginia was very persuasive, I think, in pointing out the threat to national security that providing Nvidia's chips to China presents. Unfortunately, another area that has the potential to significantly undermine our national security is the efforts by this administration to try and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Now, don't get me wrong. I support ending the war in Ukraine. I think it would be in America's interests, in Europe's interests and in Ukraine's interests to do that.

But to do that in a way that undermines Ukraine for the long term, that gives Vladimir Putin access to the Ukrainian army, which is the largest army in Europe now, the most technologically advanced, and to do that in a way that would further undermine the future security of Ukraine is not in America's interests. But to continue his war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin needs two things: he needs money and he needs weapons. Russia has hundreds of billions of dollars of assets frozen overseas, some of which are subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Moscow is fighting hard to gain access to that money because it would help sustain its war effort. But as we know, money alone is not going to be enough. Sanctions have significantly degraded Russia's defense industry. And to keep building weapons, Russia relies on outside supply chains.

Much of that support now comes from Chinese entities providing the materials and technologies that keep Russia's war machine running.

So, if President Trump is really serious about ending this war, those are the pressure points to put against Vladimir Putin. The good news is the tools we need to apply that pressure already exist. The U.S. can deny Russia access to its frozen sovereign assets, and we can disrupt the supply chains that enable Russia to keep fighting.

The Foreign Relations Committee has already reported out two bills that have had strong bipartisan support that would address each of these. One is the REPO Implementation Act, known as REPO 2.0. And I think that's particularly important because important because hundreds of billions of Russian sovereign assets have been frozen, including about $5 billion here in the United States, since the start of Russia's murderous invasion of Ukraine. Now, to help Ukraine beat back the Russian invasion and to eventually rebuild, seizing and repurposing those Russian frozen funds is the right place to start. Senators Risch and Whitehouse led the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, known as the REPO Act, which I supported, to allow the frozen assets to ensure reconstruction and ensure a just and lasting peace. The partnership has worked again in this session of Congress to put in place an even stronger REPO 2.0 and that bill, which passed out of committee, promotes regular scheduled transfer of sizable amounts of these underlying assets to Ukraine to build pressure until Russia ceases its war of aggression and agrees to terms compensating Ukraine for war damages.

Now, I think it's particularly important for the United States to act because our EU friends have been working on this issue. They've had significant objections. Last year, when the first REPO Act was introduced, they raised a number of concerns, but this year, our European allies are working very hard to get this done in Europe where most of the Russian assets are actually being held. There's a meeting on this today in Brussels.

The question of freezing and then seizing and deploying Russian sovereign assets is a global security question. It should be discussed in a global security environment. Now, as I said, the Foreign Relations Committee adopted REPO 2.0 by voice vote in October. I'm confident that we will pass this legislation out of this Congress at some point in the next few months, if not today.

But supporting Ukraine against Russia in this unjust war is important to America's national security. And one way to help ensure Ukraine has the support they need is to pass the REPO 2.0 act.

###

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Russian Firepower Smashes Ukraine's Energy and Drone-Making Facilities

Sputnik News

20251218

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Armed Forces have unleashed massive strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and drone production sites, the Defense Ministry revealed in a statement on Thursday.

"Operational-tactical aviation, strike drones, missile troops, and artillery struck energy infrastructure facilities belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as workshops for long-range strike drones and storage sites," the statement said.

Russian firepower also hammered temporary deployment points for Ukrainian soldiers and foreign mercenaries in 149 areas, the ministry added.

The Russian armed forces eliminated 42 Ukrainian troops in the Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) area in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) over the past 24 hours

Russian forces also continue to wipe out encircled enemy groups in the Vostochny and Zapadny microdistricts of Dimitrov

Tsentr battlegroup has eliminated over 545 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day

has eliminated over 545 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day Vostok battlegroup has snuffed out as many as 245 Ukrainian soldiers

has snuffed out as many as 245 Ukrainian soldiers Ukraine has lost up to 200 military personnel in battles with Russia's Zapad battlegroup

Russian air defense systems shot down 216 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles

 Sputnik

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Russia's escalation of attacks deepen the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

Speech

Ambassador Holland highlights Russia's intensified attacks on Ukrainian civilians, unlawful detentionsincluding OSCE staffand systematic violations documented by ODIHR. The UK urges Russia to respect international law and end its campaign of aggression against Ukraine.

From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland

Published 18 December 2025

Location: Vienna

Delivered on: 18 December 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Thank you, Mr Chair.

As we conclude this year's work at the Permanent Council, the UK wishes to reiterate its profound concern at Russia's ongoing campaign against Ukraine, and the grave consequences for civilians, including the OSCE's own staff, and respect for international law.

This week's Eighth Interim Report from ODIHR documents a further intensification of Russia's use of explosive weapons with wide area effects in urban areas, resulting in a sharp rise in civilian casualties and widespread destruction of critical infrastructure. ODIHR's findings are clear: from June to November 2025, verified civilian casualties in Ukrainian Government-controlled areas increased by 40% compared to the previous six months. The report also details systematic attacks on humanitarian operations, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and conflict-related sexual violence perpetrated by Russian authorities. For instance, during the second half of 2025, ODIHR documented 21 testimonies of conflict-related sexual violence committed by members of the Russian armed forces or Russian authorities. For the first time, ODIHR documented evidence of female detainees being coerced by detention facility administration into sexual acts in exchange for food and cigarettes.

Russia has intensified its attacks even as peace talks continue, including strikes on medical facilities, schools, and energy infrastructure. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with access to water, electricity, and essential services severely restricted, particularly in Russian-occupied territories where independent international actors face significant barriers to access.

ODIHR's report highlights the arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians in Russian-occupied territories, which corresponds to the constitutive elements of hostage-taking. On this topic, Mr Chair, I want to reiterate the UK's concern about the continued unlawful detention of OSCE SMM staff: Vadym Golda, Maxim Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov. We urge the Russian authorities to release our OSCE colleagues - and all arbitrarily detained civilians - and allow them to return home to their families. Their continued detention is an affront to the principles of this organisation.

The path to peace requires Russia to cease its attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure, respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, end forced deportations and arbitrary detentions, and return to full compliance with international law, including the Helsinki Final Act.

Mr Chair, the UK hopes this is the last time we must address the Permanent Council against the backdrop of Russia's war. The only obstacle to peace is Russia's continued determination to wage a war of aggression. The suffering must end.

Thank you.

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The Foreign Ministries of Ukraine and China held next round of political consultations

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

18 December 2025 17:47

On 18 December 2025 in Beijing, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr. Sergiy Kyslytsya held the next round of political consultations with Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Mr. Liu Bin.

The parties discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda, outlined plans for high- and top-level contacts, discussed ways of enhancing trade and economic cooperation, and explored further collaboration within the framework of international organizations.

The interlocutors reaffirmed

that mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is a cornerstone of Ukraine-China relations.

The parties had a detailed exchange of views on the current situation around ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine, as well as on international efforts aimed at achieving sustainable and lasting peace.

As part of his working visit to Beijing, First Deputy Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya also held discussions with representatives of Chinese expert and analytical community, as well as members of diplomatic corps of partner countries.

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MoD briefs international partners on digital defence resource accounting

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

18 December, 2025, 2:31 PM EET

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine convened a meeting with NATO military attaches and other partners to outline the current status of digital defence resource accounting across Ukraine's military and present key priorities and plans for digital transformation.

The meeting was opened by the First Deputy Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk. He expressed gratitude to international partners for their support since the first days of the russian federation's full-scale aggression. He commended the Ministry of Defence team responsible for digital transformation.

"Openness and transparency are key factors in building trust and effective cooperation with partners. A fundamental principle of efficient logistics is the maximisation of digitalisation in processes and control. That is why the Ministry of Defence is actively implementing digital solutions in logistics. This ensures transparent accounting of defence resources and enables faster support for the needs of our units," he added.

Representatives of the Ministry of Defence demonstrated to partners how the digital accounting system operates, including the tracking of international military assistancefrom receipt to distribution and use by military units. Partners were shown how digital tools ensure transparency, clarity, and speed in logistics processes under full-scale wartime conditions.

"We are building a system where every defence resourcefrom equipment to spare parts and clothinghas a clear digital footprint. This enables efficient resource management, timely support to the military, and complete transparency for the state and our partners," emphasised Oksana Ferchuk, Deputy Minister of Defence for Digital Development, Digital Transformations, and Digitalisation.

"For Germany, as one of the largest donors of military assistance, it is of paramount importance to see that Ukraine ensures transparency in accounting. This event provided us with a clear understanding of the path each item of equipment takesfrom the donor country to the end user. Ukraine is demonstrating significant progress in digitalisation, and, in this regard, we, as partners, have much to learn from it. We highly appreciate the openness of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and its willingness to share experience," commented Brigadier General Joachim Kaschke, Head of the Situation Centre 'Ukraine' at Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence.

During the meeting, particular attention was paid to the overarching priorities of military digitalisationfrom modernising procurement and building a modern IT infrastructure to establishing a unified digital framework for resource management. Participants were also briefed on the current status and development plans of the IT Coalitionan alliance of 17 partner nations supporting Ukraine's military and the Ministry of Defence in the domains of IT, communications, and cybersecurity. It is the IT Coalition that serves as the primary platform for coordinating international support for digital projects in the defence sector.

Currently, approximately 1,000 military units are already using SAP-based digital accountinga data-driven resource management system used by more than 90% of NATO armies. This has reduced the processing time for unit requests from weeks to just a few days. The system allows tracking of resource movement at the serial number level and generates automated reports for state and international partners.

This is a long-term reform, with the Ministry of Defence planning to entirely eliminate paper-based documentation in logistics throughout 2026 and complete the transition to digital accounting. This will enable the military to make decisions even faster and use resources more efficiently.

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Denys Shmyhal and Czech Minister of Defence Jaromir Zuna discuss strengthening security cooperation

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

18 December, 2025, 4:55 PM EET

Ukraine's Minister of Defence, Denys Shmyhal, held a conversation with Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Jaromir Zuna.

Denys Shmyhal congratulated his counterpart on the appointment and expressed gratitude for the comprehensive support. The parties focused on avenues for developing defence cooperation to strengthen the security of Ukraine and Czechia.

In particular, Ukraine's Minister of Defence highlighted the importance of the 'Czech initiative' for the supply of ammunition.

"Our countries have substantial potential for deeper cooperation. We are prepared to share our experience and technological solutions and to establish joint enterprises, particularly in the field of cutting-edge drone technologies," the Minister of Defence of Ukraine stated.

The parties also discussed opportunities for cooperation under the European SAFE mechanism. Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine stands ready to jointly implement projects to strengthen the defence capabilities of the armies of both nations.

"Thank you for the constructive discussion and the readiness to advance strategic defence cooperation," he concluded.

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President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Belgium Discussed Mechanisms for Using Frozen Russian Assets

President of Ukraine

18 December 2025 - 16:34

In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever.

The Head of State thanked Belgium and the entire Belgian people for their support for Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale war and separately noted Belgium's contribution to the PURL initiative.

The key issue discussed during the meeting was the use of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he understands all of Belgium's concerns; however, a decision on the reparations loan must be made, as it is fair and will ensure long-term predictability for Ukraine.

In addition, the leaders discussed coordination with Europe and the United States in the negotiation process to achieve a dignified peace, Ukraine's future membership in the European Union, support for Ukraine's energy system, and reconstruction.

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Coordination with Europe in Diplomacy and Defense Support for Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Met with Pedro Sanchez

President of Ukraine

18 December 2025 - 16:30

In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez.

The leaders discussed coordination of positions and steps with Europe regarding the negotiation process with the team of the President of the United States to achieve a dignified peace. The Head of State emphasized that it is important for Europe to be involved at every stage, because peace must guarantee Ukraine's sovereignty and European security.

The President thanked Pedro Sanchez for the continued defense support, including the decision to provide missiles for IRIS-T, as well as participation in the PURL initiative and the SAFE instrument. They also discussed Ukraine's urgent needs, first and foremost the strengthening of air defense.

The Head of State also noted Spain's support for all sanctions packages of the European Union against Russia. Ukraine expects the 20th sanctions package to include tough measures against Russia's banking sector, its shadow fleet, dual-use technologies, Russian oligarchs, and propagandists.

The leaders also gave special attention to Ukraine's path toward membership in the European Union, which is another important element of security guarantees.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy: No Reward for the Aggressor - That Is the Key Principle of Peace

President of Ukraine

18 December 2025 - 16:20

The decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression is one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that can be made. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this while speaking at a meeting of the European Council in Brussels.

The Head of State thanked partners for their attention to and support for Ukraine, which has helped save so many lives since 2022. According to the President, Europe has achieved a great deal over this period, and the Russian leader has failed to break Ukraine.

"Europe has demilitarized Russia's gas weapon - the continent no longer lets Moscow manipulate it with energy. And this is a historic achievement to my mind- something that just a few years ago seemed almost impossible," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The President emphasized that Russia had hoped Europe would stop supporting Ukraine, would fail to scale up its defense industry, and would face political collapse due to a change in the U.S. administration - but none of this happened.

"The vast majority of Europeans still see Russia as the only one to blame for this war. And sure, some people in Europe still enjoy flying to Moscow. But let's be honest, most Europeans understand this - selling out moral values and European interests in Moscow will never become the European mainstream. It will always be the business of outsiders - not of real leaders," the Head of State noted.

The President stressed that Russia must not win this war. The decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression is one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that can be made.

"Just like authorities confiscate money from drug traffickers and take weapons away from terrorists, Russia's assets must be used to defend against Russian aggression and to build what was destroyed, exactly, destroyed by Russian attacks. It's moral. It's fair. And it's legal - confirmed by the expertise of many, many professionals," the Head of State said.

The President stated that if the war does not end through diplomacy in the near future and Russia continues to demonstrate its desire to prolong the war and intensify attacks next year, Ukraine will primarily use these funds for weapons.

"And if, on the other hand, diplomacy does succeed and Russia starts taking real steps to end the war, then the frozen Russian assets should be used for recovery after the aggression. And again, it's fair that Russia pays the price for what it has destroyed," the President noted.

The Head of State also emphasized that Russia can continue this war only as long as it has huge amounts of money to send more people to the front and to purchase equipment abroad.

"We know Putin can't keep attacking and keep social stability in Russia at the same time, and he doesn't have enough money for both. And we already see signs of this - Russia has started cutting war expenses. And they even reduced the payments for those they send to die," the President said.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this clearly proves that Russia must not receive any positive signals regarding this money; otherwise, it would be a misguided policy.

"Let's not give Putin hope - hope that he can fight for another year or two, and then Europe will reward him for it by giving back 200 billion euros. And if someone wants to invest in more Russian aggression - they should say it openly, not hide behind excuses," the Head of State emphasized.

According to the President, the European Commission's proposal on a reparations loan offers a reasonable and fair approach and should become a substantial contribution by the European Union to strengthening Ukraine's position at the negotiating table.

"If we know - and if Putin knows - that we can stay resilient for at least a few more years, then his reason to drag out this war becomes much weaker. And this is exactly how pressure on the aggressor should work - pressure that brings peace. The aggressor must pay for what was done," Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.

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Russia's Assets Must Be Used to Defend Against Russian Aggression and to Build What Was Destroyed by Russian Attacks - Address by the President to the Participants of the European Council Meeting

President of Ukraine

18 December 2025 - 15:50

Thank you so much, dear Antonio, dear Ursula,

Dear leaders,

I'm grateful to you for your attention to Ukraine and for the support that has helped us save so many lives since 2022. We have all come a long way - and yes, there were many, many, really many challenges and moments of doubt. But the fact remains - Europe achieved a lot, and Putin didn't break Ukraine, and he didn't make Europe look like a loser.

And in fact, on every major issue where Europe stood up to protect itself, its way of life, and Ukraine - Europe turned out to be right, and it delivered real results. Russia has lost - in literally everything it tried to use to threaten or break us, break Europe.

And Europe has demilitarized Russia's gas weapon - the continent no longer lets Moscow manipulate it with energy. And this is a historic achievement to my mind- something that just a few years ago seemed almost impossible. Russia hoped that Europe's defense support for Ukraine and the growth of Europe's defense industry would collapse - but that didn't happen either. Russia cheered and hoped for Europe's political downfall when the American Administration changed - but again, Russia failed. The EU's leadership and many, many national leaders did what was needed to protect Europe's interests. And Europe has learned how to neutralize the toxic political forces that Moscow funded for years to divide and weaken the EU. And yes, Russian hate propaganda is still out there, especially on social media. But it hasn't broken the most important network that holds Europe together - the network of solidarity. A solidarity that lives not just in official institutions or among leaders, but in people's hearts.

The vast majority of Europeans still see Russia as the only one to blame for this war. And sure, some people in Europe still enjoy flying to Moscow. But let's be honest, most Europeans understand this - selling out moral values and European interests in Moscow will never become the European mainstream. It will always be the business of outsiders - not of real leaders.

Dear friends,

If we've all achieved so much, then how can the European Union break now? And how can Russia be the one to win?

The decision now on your table - the decision to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression - is one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made. This decision reflects everything we have been saying, thinking, and - most importantly - feeling about this war for years. Not just us, but hundreds of millions of Europeans. And no one will ever be able to explain to them or to the people living in Ukrainian towns and our Ukrainian villages destroyed by Russian bombs and assaults why it would somehow be wrong to use Russian money to rebuild those homes. No one will ever be able to explain to a Ukrainian child whose parents were killed in this war that the aggressor is not to blame and should face no consequences. Not even Viktor's best speeches and videos could convince that child that Putin is innocent. No one will ever be able to explain to European voters why Europe should give 200 billion euros back to Putin - after everything he's destroyed, and after all the hard choices Europe had to make because of his war.

Just like authorities confiscate money from drug traffickers and take weapons away from terrorists, Russia's assets must be used to defend against Russian aggression and to build what was destroyed, exactly, destroyed by Russian attacks. It's moral. It's fair. And it's legal - confirmed by the expertise of many, many professionals.

It must be Europe that makes this decision, not someone out there - pressuring Europe or trying once again to sell out European interests in Moscow. And if - or when - this decision is made to fully use Russian assets to defend against Russian aggression, then, like other strong decisions Europe has made before, it will become clear to everyone over time - this was the right choice, and it made Europe stronger.

I want to be very clear - if the war doesn't end through diplomacy in the near future, and Russia keeps showing that it wants to keep fighting and attack even more next year, we will use these funds mostly for weapons. It's understandable. And a big part of that will be spent on European weapons - which means this money will support your industries. And of course, most of these funds should work for Europe - for European and Ukrainian weapon industry. But we also need to stay flexible and be able to buy what Europe doesn't produce yet. It's a pity, but it's a fact. That includes weapons from the United States, like air defense missiles and other systems - including through the PURL. And this is also a sign that America remains part of the process. And I know, I really know, dear leaders, that not everyone likes PURL program. But how else are we supposed to get through this winter? We need missiles for Patriot systems.

And if, on the other hand, diplomacy does succeed and Russia starts taking real steps to end the war, then the frozen Russian assets should be used for recovery after the aggression. And again, it's fair that Russia pays the price for what it has destroyed. That, too, means money for European companies - the ones that will help rebuild.

So if these funds can serve European security - by holding the aggressor accountable for its war against Ukraine and against Europe - then why would we leave Moscow with any hope or confidence that the money will still come back, no matter what it has done? And we must look at Putin and his decisions with complete clarity. He can keep this war going only as long as he has huge amounts of money - to send more people to the front and to buy equipment abroad. We know Putin can't keep attacking and keep social stability in Russia at the same time, and he doesn't have enough money for both. And we already see signs of this - Russia has started cutting war expenses. And they even reduced the payments for those they send to die. That clearly proves one thing - Moscow should not be getting any good signals about this money. Anything else would be a mistake in policy. And let's not give Putin hope - hope that he can fight for another year or two, and then Europe will reward him for it by giving back 200 billion euros. And if someone wants to invest in more Russian aggression - they should say it openly, not hide behind excuses.

And I know that Russia is intimidating different countries over this decision. But we should not be afraid of these threats - we should be afraid of Europe being weak.

Dear leaders,

One more question.

How can anyone truly believe in future security guarantees - the ones we're discussing a lot, and the ones written into Euro-Atlantic documents - if Europe can't deliver this one very important decision: a financial security guarantee for Ukraine, in a situation that is morally crystal clear and completely just?

And if there is no European decision now, then all the words we've heard for years - about our European solidarity, autonomy, and Europe's ability to defend justice globally - will be meaningless. If this isn't done now, the Russians - and not only them - will feel that Europe can be defeated. Defeat - that's definitely not what Europeans need. Your people need Europe to protect its own resources and stay at the center of global processes. Your people need Europe not to back down in front of aggressors. And Europe is - and will always be - the most important and most powerful democratic space in the world, and one of the strongest forces in the world standing for peace. No reward for the aggressor - that is the key principle of peace. And that is exactly what needs to be proven now. The European Commission's proposal for a Reparation Loan offers a smart and fair approach. And it should become a strong contribution from the EU to strengthening Ukraine's position at the negotiating table.

If we know - and if Putin knows - that we can stay resilient for at least a few more years, then his reason to drag out this war becomes much weaker. And this is exactly how pressure on the aggressor should work - pressure that brings peace.

The aggressor must pay for what was done. Thank you for your support.

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EU Agrees To $106 Billion Loan For Ukraine After Shelving Russian Asset Proposal

By Rikard Jozwiak December 19, 2025

Summary

EU leaders in Brussels fail to agree on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's military and economic needs.

Ukraine faces a foreign aid shortfall of up to $59 billion next year as US funding is unlikely to continue.

EU officials looking at interim solution of borrowing money directly for Kyiv, backed by the bloc's common budget..

The European Union will provide a 90 billion-euro ($106 billion) interest-free loan to Kyiv to help fund the war-torn country after failing to agree on a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years.

European Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on X on December 19 that the funds will be for 2026 and 2027.

"We committed, we delivered," he said.

EU officials began meeting on December 18 to agree on a solution for funding. The talks focused on a proposal to use tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian state assets to cover Ukraine's financing needs.

But legal concerns kept some EU members from signing on to the proposal. Instead, agreement was found for the loan, which will be based on borrowing on the capital markets backed by "EU budget headroom," a term used to describe extra borrowing capacity.

"After lengthy discussions, it is clear that the reparations loans will require more work as leaders need more time to go through the details," one EU official told RFE/RL.

Funding for Ukraine has become a major issue for the 27-member bloc, with the United States choking off its financial support while countries such as Hungary push for curbs on funding as well.

On the other side, Poland likened the situation to a choice between "money today or blood tomorrow."

The EU summit came after Russian President Vladimir Putin crudely criticized the bloc's leaders, using a word that can be translated as "young swine," and reiterated assertions that Moscow will achieve the goals of its war on Ukraine by force if a US push for peace does not produce a deal that meets its demands.

Putin is scheduled to hold his annual press conference later on December 19 where he is likely to talk about the asset proposal. Russia had threatened massive legal action over any usage of its frozen assets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the summit, telling leaders the proposal of a loan backed by the frozen Russia assets currently held in the EU is preferable, but that ultimately it doesn't matter how the funds are utilized, just as long as a solution is found.

"If in the spring, Ukraine does not receive the corresponding tranche -- which, in the event of peace, will be used for the country's reconstruction, and in the event of continued war, for other priorities, above all drone production -- Ukraine's drone production will be reduced several fold," he told reporters at a press conference after addressing the summit behind closed doors.

Ukraine currently faces a foreign aid shortfall of some $53 billion to $59 billion next year, he added.

Western countries have supported the war-torn country with both direct budgetary support and military aid since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, but the upcoming period may be different.

The United States has signaled that it most likely won't send more cash, putting the onus on the EU and other G7 countries to step up -- and to do so soon.

Some 140 billion euros ($165 billion) of Russian state assets are held in the Belgian-based financial markets company Euroclear, while an additional 25 billion euros of Russian state assets are held in banks across the EU, mainly in France but also in a Belgian private bank, Cyprus, and Germany.

The reparations loan is part of a wider financial package that is worth up to 210 billion euros, according to the European Commission. This also includes 45 billion eurosthat will be used to repay a G7 loan to Ukraine from 2024.

While most of the EU's 27 members are in favor of using the assets to back the loan, Belgium fears the plan could leave it legally vulnerable, and other countries including Italy have also expressed doubts.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would not leave the summit without agreement on how to finance Ukraine over the next two years.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a stark warning earlier this week, saying failure would mean "the European Union's ability to act will be severely damaged for years, if not longer, and we will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history."

In a combative speech at an annual Defense Ministry event on December 17, Putin sought to blame Europe and Ukraine in advance for any failure of the peace efforts, saying that Russia will take more land by force if Kyiv and European leaders he described as "young swine" do not take the right approach to US proposals.

"If the opposing side and their foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," Putin said, pouring cold water on any proposal that calls for Moscow to make territorial concessions.

Moscow currently controls nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, and Russian officials have repeatedly said they won't compromise on the five Ukrainian regions that Putin baselessly claims are Russian.

A particular sticking point in the weeks-long flurry of negotiations involving the US, Ukraine, Europe, and Russia has been the portion of the Donetsk region that Ukrainian forces still hold.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko in Brussels

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/eu-talks-russian- assets-ukraine/33627675.html

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

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December 18 - Total Metals Corp. ("Total Metals" or the "Company") (TSX-V: TT) (OTCQB: TTTMF) (FSE: O4N) is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases dated November 25, 2025 and December 8, 2025, it has closed the second and final tranche of its non-brokered private placement financing (the "FT Offering") consisting of Critical Minerals Flow-Through Units (each, a "CMFT Unit") and National Flow-Through Units (each, a "FT Unit") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$293,450.35 and with tranche 1, total proceeds of C$5,509,904.35 Additionally, and further to its news releases November 13, 2025 and December 2, 2025, it has closed the second and final tranche of its non-brokered private placement financing (the "Hard Dollar Offering"), consisting of Units of the Company (each, a "Unit") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$522,999 and with tranche 1, total proceeds of C$3,236,499.

Pursuant to the FT Offering, the Company issued an additional 40,000 CMFT Units pursuant to tranche 2 at a price of $1.15 per CMFT Unit. Each CMFT Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share") issued as a flow-through share designated as a "critical mineral flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each, a "CMFT Warrant"). Each whole CMFT Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $1.15 for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. Additionally, the Company issued an additional 235,667 Flow-Through Units at a price of $1.05 per FT Unit. Each FT Unit is comprised of one flow-through Common Share issued as a flow-through share designated as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada), and one-half of one warrant (each, a "FT Warrant"). Each whole FT Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at $1.15 for 36 months from the date of issuance.

Pursuant to the Hard Dollar Offering, the Company issued an additional 581,110 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of C$0.90 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share"); and one (1) common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), each entitling the holder to acquire one additional Common Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of C$1.15 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months following the date of issuance.

In connection with second tranche of the FT Offering, the Company paid a cash finder's fees totaling C$13,587.02 and issued 12,940 non-transferable finder warrants (each, a "FT Finder Warrant") to certain eligible arm's-length finders who introduced subscribers to the Offering. Each FT Finder Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share (a "FT Finder Share") at a price of C$1.10 per FT Finder Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

In connection with the second tranche of the Hard Dollar Offering, the Company paid a cash finder's fees totaling C$5,240 and issued 5,822 non-transferable finder warrants (each, a "Finder Warrant") to certain eligible arm's-length finders who introduced subscribers to the Offering. Each Finder Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share (a "Finder Share") at a price of C$0.90 per Finder Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The gross proceeds from the issuance of the CMFT Units and FT Units will be used to incur eligible "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures," and "flow-through mining expenditures," respectively, which will be renounced to subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2026, all in accordance with the Income Tax Act (Canada) and applicable provincial legislation.

The Company plans to use the net proceeds from the FT Offering for the advancement of the Company's wholly owned Electrolode Project, High Lake and West Hawk Lake Projects and the proceeds from the Hard Dollar Offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. The FT Offering and the Hard Dollar Offerings is subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day, expiring April 19, 2026.

About Total Metals Corp.

Total Metals Corp. is focused on its 100% owned Electrolode Project covering over 3,300 contiguous hectares in northwestern Ontario. The Electrolode Project is targeting high-potential critical mineral plus gold resources and targets in three favorable geologic trends, located near major mines in the Red Lake Gold camp and is strategically located between Kinross Gold's Great Bear Project and First Mining Gold's Springpole Project. The Electrolode Project is fully permitted for exploration drilling and hosts 10 historic mineralized zones with significant expansion potential plus new, untested targets ready for further exploration. Total Metals also owns 100% of the High Lake and West Hawk Lake Project covering 958 hectares in two gold properties located along the Trans-Canada Highway straddling the Manitoba / Ontario border. The Purex Zone on the High Lake property has significant exploration potential and will be the primary target for initial exploration and potential future mining activities. The West Hawk Lake property is comprised of a single mineral lease, located within southeastern Manitoba.

www.totalmetalscorp.com

Cautionary Statements

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in its policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

Tyler Thorburn

President and Chief Executive Officer

[email protected]

(416) 873-7662

Forward-Looking Information

This press release includes "forward-looking information" that is subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the TSX-V. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Tamarack, Minnesota and L'Anse, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - December 18, 2025) - Talon Metals Corp. (TSX: TLO) (OTCID: TLOFF) (together with its subsidiaries, "Talon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a share purchase agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with Lundin Mining Corp. (TSX: LUN) (Stockholm: LUMI) ("Lundin Mining"). The Share Purchase Agreement provides for a transaction (the "Transaction") that will result in the combination of Lundin Mining's producing Eagle Mine and associated Humboldt Mill with Talon's interest in the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project (the "Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project") and a prospective exploration land package of over 400,000 acres in Michigan, which includes the Boulderdash nickel/copper discovery 8-miles from the Eagle Mine, and Talon's proposed North Dakota Beulah Minerals Processing Facility (the "BMPF").

KEY TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Talon will acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill operations.

Talon will issue 275,152,232 common shares to Lundin Mining, representing 18.73% of the Company on a non-diluted basis after the Concurrent Private Placement by the Lundin Family Trust. Together with Lundin Mining's ownership interest in Talon before the Transaction, Lundin Mining will own 19.99% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

A concurrent Private Placement with the Lundin Family Trust for approximately US$5.6 million in gross proceeds, will result in the Lundin Family Trust owning approximately 1.26% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining will join the Talon Board.

Lundin Mining will maintain all financial assurances for the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill reclamation until Talon's Board approves development of a new mine, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

CREATING A UNIFIED, MULTI-ASSET U.S. NICKEL PLATFORM

"This transaction brings together the positive cash-flow-generating Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the proven operating experience of the Eagle and Humboldt teams, and Talon's in-house exploration capabilities to create the only operating primary nickel-copper company in the United States with expansion potential," said Henri van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer of Talon. "The integration enables our combined team to advance our four strategic priorities in parallel - extending the Eagle mine life, accelerating exploration in Michigan and in Minnesota, advancing permitting at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and the Beulah Minerals Processing Facility, and progressing engineering towards feasibility study and construction."

The unified Talon team will deploy the positive cash flow from the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, together with an estimated US$27 million of cash and cash equivalents, towards:

Extending Eagle Mine Life Through Modern Practices

The Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill exemplify modern mining, built and operated to the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Ongoing efficiency improvements and optimizations has the potential to extend the mine's life to maintain full capacity at the Humboldt Mill.

Accelerating Exploration in Michigan and at Tamarack

With the Humboldt Mill ideally positioned to process ore from Talon's Michigan discoveries such as Boulderdash - just 8 miles from the Eagle Mine - Talon's in-house exploration team, responsible for five discoveries in five years, plans to execute its most ambitious exploration program to date in 2026.

Advancing Tamarack and BMPF Environmental Review and Permitting

Building on the successful permitting and exemplary environmental performance of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the unified team combines Eagle's operational experience with Talon's environmental specialists to advance the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project through environmental review and permitting towards construction.

Progressing Engineering for the Future Tamarack Mine and BMPF

Following the iterative design process of the proposed Tamarack mine, driven by two years of collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and participating Tribal governments, Talon is proposing a "mine of the future" with all potential environmental impacts expected to be controlled within one fully enclosed facility. The proven Eagle team, with its track record in mine design, engineering, construction, and operations, will now integrate with the Talon team to complete the feasibility study in conjunction with environmental review and permitting, improving confidence in the design and long-term operability of these assets.

"Over the last decade, American policymakers have recognized that dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals is a national security risk," said Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO. "This transaction is a direct response, uniting modern nickel mining and processing operations with the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and exploration assets, including the Boulderdash discovery 8-miles from the Eagle mine, to ensure a domestic supply of nickel and other critical minerals for defense, energy and advanced technology manufacturing."

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon will acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Lundin Mining US Ltd. ("Lundin SubCo"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lundin Mining, which owns the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, in exchange for: (i) 275,152,232 Talon Shares which will result in Lundin Mining increasing its interest in Talon from 1.57% to 19.99% of the outstanding Talon Shares on a non-diluted basis, based on the number of Talon Shares that are issued and outstanding as of the date of the Share Purchase Agreement (and assuming the issuance of Talon Shares pursuant to the Concurrent Private Placement); and (ii) the grant of a production payment royalty (the "Production Payment Royalty") on ore from sources other than the Eagle Mine that is processed through the Humboldt Mill at a rate of US$1.00 per tonne, up to a maximum aggregate payment of US$20.0 million, representing 20 million tonnes of ore.

The Share Purchase Agreement also provides that, concurrently with closing of the Transaction, Talon and Lundin Mining will enter into an investor rights agreement (the "Investor Rights Agreement") and a lock-up agreement (the "Lock-Up Agreement"). The Investor Rights Agreement will provide Lundin Mining with certain board nomination rights, as well as participation rights in respect of future equity issuances by Talon to allow it to maintain its ownership interest, for so long as Lundin Mining has beneficial ownership of at least 10% of the Talon Shares. The Lock-Up Agreement will provide for limitations on sales of Talon Shares by Lundin Mining during the two-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement. The Lock-Up Agreement will also provide that Lundin Mining will not acquire beneficial ownership of more than 19.99% of the Talon Shares during the one-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.

In addition, Lundin Mining has agreed to maintain and bear the cost of all financial assurances provided in respect of mining and reclamation operations of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill until the board of directors of Talon (the "Talon Board") makes a "Positive Final Investment Decision" in respect of developing a mine on any of Talon's properties, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

Director and Officer Changes

At closing of the Transaction, the Talon Board will be reconstituted to consist of ten directors, including Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining and seven of the eight directors currently on the Talon Board. Darby Stacey, the current Managing Director of Eagle Mine, will be appointed to the Talon Board and appointed as CEO of Talon, overseeing the operations of the combined assets, with Henri van Rooyen being appointed Executive Chairman. On closing of the Transaction, Warren Newfield will be stepping down from the Talon Board and as Executive Chairman of Talon.

Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO said: "On behalf of Talon, I would like to sincerely thank Warren Newfield for his many years of support as Executive Chairman, during which Talon achieved numerous important milestones that created significant value for shareholders."

Concurrent Private Placement

Concurrently with the signing of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon signed a subscription agreement with a trust settled by the late Adolf H. Lundin (the "Lundin Family Trust") pursuant to which the Lundin Family Trust agreed to purchase 18,555,783 Talon Shares, at a price of C$0.4194 per Talon Share (the "Issue Price"), which is the deemed value of the Talon Shares to be issued to Lundin Mining in connection with the Transaction, on a private placement basis for gross proceeds of approximately C$7.8 million or US$5.6 million (the "Concurrent Private Placement").

The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement will be used to fund transition costs, due diligence costs, acquisition costs, and integration costs.

The Concurrent Private Placement is expected to close concurrently with the closing of the Transaction. It is also expected that Talon and the Lundin Family Trust will enter into an agreement in connection with the closing of the Concurrent Private Placement that provides the Lundin Family Trust with a contractual right in respect of future equity offerings by Talon, so it has the ability to maintain its ownership interest in Talon.

Share Consolidation

Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon agreed to complete a consolidation of the Talon Shares (the "Consolidation") as soon as practicable after the closing of the Transaction. The Consolidation would be on the basis of one post-consolidation Talon Share for every ten pre-consolidation Talon Shares, as approved by the shareholders of Talon at the annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 25, 2025. The Talon Board has approved the Consolidation and the date the Talon Board has determined to implement the Consolidation will be announced in connection with closing of the Transaction, together with additional details about the Consolidation.

Additional Transaction Details

The Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement are anticipated to close in early January, subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"), as well as the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.

Further information regarding the terms of the Transaction are set out in the Share Purchase Agreement, which will be publicly filed by the Company under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Advisors

Canaccord Genuity Corp. was engaged as financial advisor to the Company. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Dorsey & Whitney LLP are acting as legal counsel to the Company.

ABOUT TALON

Talon is a TSX-listed base metals company in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in central Minnesota. Talon's shares are also traded in the US over the OTC market under the symbol TLOFF. The Tamarack Nickel Copper Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with additional high-grade intercepts outside the current resource area. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60% of the Tamarack Nickel Copper Project and currently owns 51%. Talon has a neutrality and workforce development agreement in place with the United Steelworkers union. Talon's Beulah Mineral Processing Facility in Mercer County was selected by the US Department of Energy for US$114.8 million funding grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the US Department of War awarded Talon a grant of US$20.6 million to support and accelerate Talon's exploration efforts in both Minnesota and Michigan. Talon has well-qualified experienced exploration, mine development, external affairs and mine permitting teams.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the Transaction and Concurrent Private Placement, including the impact and anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the anticipated timing of the completion of the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement; the grant of the Production Payment Royalty, entering into the Investor Rights Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreement, and the agreement in connection with the Concurrent Private Placement, and the terms thereunder, and the timing thereof; changes to the Talon Board; the use of proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement; implementing the Consolidation and the effective date thereof; future exploration work, including future drill holes, drill results, assays, geophysics and geological interpretations. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/278652
Grafton Resources (CSE:GFT; OTCQB: PMSXF) ("Grafton Resources" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company, through a wholly-owned Chilean subsidiary, has entered into a definitive option agreement dated December 16, 2025 (the "Subsidiary Option Agreement") with Asesorias e Inversiones Sol SpA (the "Vendor"), an arm's length vendor, pursuant to which the Vendor has granted to the Company an exclusive option (the "Option") to acquire a 100% interest in the Alicahue Copper-Gold Project (the "Project" or "Alicahue"), located in the Valparaiso Region of Chile. The Project comprises 3,500 Ha of concessions, at an average altitude of 1,700 m. The Project is located 140 km by road to Santiago and 67 km from the coast. The Subsidiary Option Agreement dated December 11, 2025, together with a share consideration agreement dated December 16, 2025 entered into between the Company and the Vendor (collectively, the "Option Agreement") supersede the framework agreement entered into between the Company and the Vendor that was previously announced in the Company's press release dated October 28, 2025.

Campbell Smyth, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and a director of Grafton Resources commented: "Completing the acquisition of Alicahue is the first step in building a high-value portfolio of gold and copper projects that can give shareholders both momentum and leverage to this metals cycle. We will continue to add Chilean copper and gold assets to Grafton as we believe both metals remain in a structural bull market and that Chile is among the most stable and mining-friendly jurisdictions worldwide."

Merlin Marr-Johnson, Technical Advisor to Grafton Resources commented: "Alicahue offers Grafton a tremendous opportunity to explore several significant and newly-identified copper and gold targets within one project area. The project lies in the southern projection of the same metallogenic belt of Chile that hosts large porphyries such as El Salvador, Escondida, and Chuquicamata. The combination of geology and geochemistry points to the potential for a classic porphyry deposit at Alicahue. Ongoing mapping and sampling will be complemented by an airborne MMT geophysical survey in early 2026."

Option Agreement Terms

The Option is structured with a five-year timeline, the first four years of which will be designated for exploration work, and the final year of which will be designated for the preparation of a technical report and payment of the Option exercise payment (see below).

The Company is required to incur exploration expenditures of US$4,000,000 over the first four years (with no 12-month period seeing less than US$500,000 in exploration expenditures).

Upon successful completion of the exploration expenditure commitment, the Company is able to exercise the Option by making an exercise payment of US$3,000,000.

Upon exercise of the Option, the Vendor will retain a 2.0% net smelter returns ("NSR") royalty, and the Company will have the option to repurchase one-half (1.0%) of the NSR royalty for US$5,000,000.

The Company will also pay a resource payment to the Vendor on future resources defined on the Project, with such resource payment to be US$5.00 per tonne of contained copper equivalent metal using a 0.2% cut-off grade, based on measured, indicated and inferred resources as defined under a National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate as at the date of a construction decision.

The Company will also make the following payments and share issuances:

Timeline Cash Consideration Share Consideration On Signing of Option Agreement US$1,000 Such number of common shares equal to US$100,000. First Anniversary of Option Agreement US$74,000 Such number of common shares equal to US$75,000 Second Anniversary of Option Agreement US$75,000 Such number of common shares equal to US$75,000

Signing Payment and Finder's Fee

In satisfaction of the signing payment obligations, the Company has paid US$1,000 to the Vendor and issued 312,955 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Signing Payment Shares") to the Vendor at a deemed price of C$0.44 per Signing Payment Share.

The Company will also issue 1,450,400 common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Finder Shares") (representing a 7% finder's fee on the total value of the Option, assuming full exercise) at a deemed price of $0.50 per Finder Share to a certain arm's length finder (the "Finder") in connection with the Option Agreement. The Company has issued the first 500,000 Finder Shares, which became due upon signing of the Option Agreement. A further 500,000 Finder Shares will be issuable to the Finder upon the completion of a maiden drill program on the Project, and the last 450,400 Finder Shares will be issuable to the Finder upon the exercise of the Option.

The Signing Payment Shares, all additional common shares to be issued to the Vendor under the Option Agreement, and all Finder Shares will be subject to a four-month and a day hold period pursuant to Canadian securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "Exchange").

Correction to News Release dated November 27, 2025

The Company announces a correction to the finder's fee figures disclosed in its news release dated November 27, 2025 relating to the closing of its non-brokered private placement. The Company paid $137,784 in cash, and issued 275,568 non-transferable finder's warrants (each, a "November Finder's Warrant") to certain arm's length finders. Each November Finder's Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a purchase price of $0.80 per share until November 27, 2027. The Company will post an amended Form 9 - Notice of Issuance or Proposed Issuance of Listed Securities on the Exchange's website in order to reflect this correction.

About Grafton Resources

Grafton Resources is a Canadian exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), focused on the discovery and development of copper and gold assets in the Americas. The Company is committed to responsible exploration, strong community partnerships, and generating shareholder value through disciplined project advancement.

On behalf of Grafton Resources.

John Campbell Smyth

Interim Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and Director

For further information, please contact:

John Campbell Smyth

[email protected]

+61403203402

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release includes certain statements and information that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements and forward-looking information specifically include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to the Option, potential mineralization on the Project, future exploration plans on the Project and the timing and results of future exploration..

Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainty affecting the business of the Company. Such statements can generally, but not always, be identified by words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "forecasts", "schedules", "prepares", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. All statements that describe the Company's plans relating to operations and potential strategic opportunities are forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and are reliant on assumptions made by the Company's management, and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, including without limitation, risks related to the completion of the acquisition of the Option; the dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; actual exploration or development plans and costs differing materially from the Company's estimates; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; climate change and climate change regulations; fluctuations in exchange rates; the availability of financing; operations in foreign and developing countries and the compliance with foreign laws, remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure; fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; shortages or cost increases in necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and country risks, including local instability or acts of terrorism and the effects thereof; the reliance upon contractors, third parties and joint venture partners; challenges to title or surface rights; the dependence on key personnel and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss; adverse climate and weather conditions; litigation risk; and competition with other mining companies. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking information, actual results could materially differ from those currently projected, and there is no representation by the Company that the actual results realized in the future will be the same in whole or in part as those presented herein. the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. Readers are referred to the additional information regarding the Company's business contained in the Company's reports filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. For more information on the Company and the risks and challenges of its business, investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

The Company provides no assurance that forward-looking statements and information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statements, other than as required by law.


/NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA/

Freegold Ventures Ltd. (TSX: FVL) (OTCQX: FGOVF) (the "Company" or "Freegold Ventures"), is pleased to announce that, as a result of strong investor demand, the Company has increased the size of its previously announced brokered "best efforts" private placement financing (as upsized, the "Offering") to up to 38,461,500 common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of $1.30 per Common Share. The Offering will now be upsized for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $49,999,950 from $30,000,100, as was previously announced in the Company's news release dated December 18, 2025.

Paradigm Capital Inc. ("Paradigm") is acting as lead agent and sole bookrunner under the Offering on behalf of a syndicate of agents (together with Paradigm, the "Agents"). In connection with the Offering, the Company will no longer be granting the Agents an option to sell up to that number of additional Common Shares equal to 15% of the base Offering size, as was previously announced in the Company's news release dated December 18, 2025, so as not to exceed capital raising limits under the Listing Issuer Financing Exemption (as defined below).

The net proceeds from the Offering will be used to complete a Pre-Feasibility Study for the Golden Summit Project, to support ongoing exploration, and for general corporate and working capital purposes. Management believes that these funds will further strengthen the Company's ability to advance the Golden Summit Project as it moves the project through the pre-feasibility stage.

The Common Shares will be offered for sale pursuant to Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions, as amended by Coordinated Blanket Order 45-935 - Exemptions from Certain Conditions of the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"), to purchasers resident in each of the provinces of Canada (other than Quebec), and in other qualifying jurisdictions outside of Canada that are mutually agreed to by the Company and the Agents pursuant to relevant prospectus or registration exemptions in accordance with applicable laws. As the Offering is being completed pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption, the Common Shares issued in the Offering will not be subject to a hold period in Canada pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

There is an amended and restated offering document related to this Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.freegoldventures.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision.

The Offering is expected to close on or about January 6, 2026 (the "Closing Date") and will be subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, including listing of the Common Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The Agents will be entitled to, on the Closing Date, a cash commission equal to 5% of the gross proceeds of the Offering.

The securities 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 U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act and all applicable state securities laws or compliance with the requirements of an applicable exemption therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor may there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

About Freegold Ventures Limited

Freegold Ventures is a TSX-listed company focused on exploration in Alaska.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this press release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release, include, without limitation, statements regarding the receipt of TSX final approval for the Offering and the use of proceeds from the Offering. In making the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: availability of financing; delay or failure to receive required permits or regulatory approvals; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise. See Freegold's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed under Freegold's profile at www.sedarplus.ca, for a detailed discussion of the risk factors associated with Freegold's operation

SOURCE Freegold Ventures Limited
Featured

Sacred grove preservation: Local response to global climate crisis

Timothy Ngnenbe Opinion Dec - 19 - 2025 , 09:57 6 minutes read

Towering trees formed a dense canopy overhead, filtering the scorching sunlight into dappled patterns on the floor.

The noticeably cooler and humid air carried the earthy scent of decaying leaves and damp soil.

An array of birds flapped their wings and chirped heartily, with their melodious tunes filling the air in the forest environment.

This was the sight that greeted me when I got to the Yiwagu community sacred grove on the morning of October 15 this year.

Sacred groves are patches of natural forest or woodland preserved by local communities due to their spiritual and cultural significance.

In Ghana, these groves are scattered across the country, with estimates suggesting there are roughly 2,500 sacred groves nationwide, varying widely in size from a few hectares to larger tracts of forest.

One of such sacred groves is the one located at Yiwagu, a farming community of about 500 residents, which is about 15-minute drive from Savelugu in the Savelugu Municipality in the Northern Region.

Resting on 12 hectares of land, the sacred grove has been preserved for over 37 years. It hosts the community shrine known as Maltiti, to wit, make it well for us.

Maltiti is believed to be the spiritual embodiment of the people. People from far and near carry their burdens to the shrine, hoping to have them lifted.

If it was not couples seeking the fruit of the womb, it was litigants seeking favour to win their court cases.

When there is drought, we make sacrifices to our ancestors through Maltiti for rains to fall, and it happens, Gundana Abubakari Wmbei, one of the attendants, said.

To give Maltiti peace of mind, it is forbidden for anyone to enter the sacred grove to cut a tree or hunt any animal.

If anyone enters the sacred grove and cuts a tree or hunts an animal, they will be bitten by a snake or a strange disease will attack them; and until they come back to appease the gods, they will never be healed, he said.

Shaibu Pawuni, the Yiwagu community herbalist

Meanwhile, 58-year-old Shaibu Pawuni, the community herbalist, sees the sacred grove as the one-stop shop for endangered medicinal plants needed for the preparation of herbal concoctions to heal the sick and afflicted.

I inherited the role of community herbalist from my grandmother, and I get endangered herbs from this sacred grove to treat people, she added.

Science behind sacred groves

Beyond the traditional beliefs the people of Yiwogu and other local communities have in the sacred groves are their immense ecological and climate benefits.

By preserving the sacred grove where indigenous tree species and rich biodiversity thrive, the people of Yiwagu are contributing directly to save the worlds 8.2 billion population.

In the face of the global climate crisis, sacred groves are emerging as vital allies in environmental conservation and climate resilience by serving as critical ecological havens for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Their role in carbon sequestration and regulating local microclimates cannot be overemphasised.

Aside from serving as a refuge for biodiversity, these natural sites are a hub of endemic plant and animal species.

They also act as natural reservoirs of genetic diversity.

Again, sacred groves provide critical pockets of forest cover that help to maintain ecological balance, especially in the wake of increasing deforestation and land degradation that are exacerbated by climate change.

Paris Agreement

It is in recognition of the environmental and cultural value of sacred groves that the government incorporated provisions for their preservation within its climate action frameworks, including its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

The NDCs emphasise sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and community-based natural resource management as key strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience.

While the NDC does not single out sacred groves explicitly in all documents, it acknowledges the role of community-managed forest areas, which include sacred groves, in carbon sequestration and ecosystem services.

Specifically, Ghanas Forestry Development Master Plan (20162040) identified sacred groves as critical conservation sites that require protection and integration into broader landscape restoration efforts.

Despite their recognised importance, sacred groves and shrines face several challenges that threaten their existence and capacity to provide essential ecosystem services. These challenges range from increasing population pressures, expansionary agricultural practices, to illegal mining.

The Executive Director of Regional Advisory Information Network Systems (RAINS, a climate change non-governmental organisation in northern Ghana, Hardi Tijani, said the size of sacred groves in northern Ghana was diminishing because of encroachment by farmers and wild fires

Global efforts

At the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), held in the Brazilian city of Belem this year, the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was launched.

The TFFF is designed to provide long-term, predictable finance to countries that conserve tropical forests by paying them for verified forest conservation.

The initiative aims to mobilise $125 billion in blended public and private capital to provide about $4 billion annually in performance-based payments for maintaining low deforestation rates.

One striking feature of the TFFF is the provision that ensures that at least 20 per cent of payments go directly to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).

The Global Lead, Africa Centre for Nature-based Climate Action (AC4NCA), Samuel A. Jinapor, described the TFFF as a game-changer for Ghana and other African countries.

TFFFs dedicated 20 per cent allocation for local communities represents a paradigm shift: for the first time, indigenous peoples and forest-edge communities receive direct, predictable benefits.

These funds can support alternative livelihoods, payments for ecosystem services, sustainable agriculture, and community-led restoration, ensuring that conservation aligns with social development, he said.

Call to action

While Ghana looks forward to taking advantage of this fund for forest preservation, it is important for local resources to be mobilised to help protect sacred groves from destruction.

Ghana is yet to submit the third edition of NDCs (NDC 3.0) document to the UNFCCC as revision and consultations are ongoing.

Given the crucial role sacred groves play in conservation, there is the need to include traditional authorities in climate action planning.

NDC 3.0 must recognise that areas with traditional protection, like sacred groves, have demonstrably higher biodiversity and should be considered valuable conservation tools.

To that effect, it is important to involve traditional authorities, landowners, and communities in shaping and implementing climate action, including forest management and benefit-sharing.
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Featured

US suspends green card visa lottery scheme after Brown University shooting

bbc.com International News Dec - 19 - 2025 , 08:46 3 minutes read

President Donald Trump has suspended the US green card lottery scheme in the wake of a mass shooting at Brown University last week in which two people were killed.

The suspect, a Portuguese man who was found dead on Thursday, entered the country through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she has paused the visa scheme under Trump's direction to "ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme".

US officials said they believe the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, also killed Portuguese Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro earlier this week.

The programme makes up to 50,000 visas available each year through a random selection process among entries from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.

Writing on social media, Noem said Trump had previously "fought to end" the scheme in 2017 after eight people were killed in a truck-ramming attack in New York City.

Uzbekistan national Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic State supporter who is serving multiple life sentences for the attack, entered the US through the DV1 scheme, according to Noem.

Her comments come just hours after Neves Valente was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, from what police believe is a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said video evidence and tips from the public led investigators to a car rental location where they found the suspect's name and matched him to their person of interest, following a six-day multi-state manhunt.

He was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence in a car nearby matched to the scene of the shooting at Brown University in Providence, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League school from the autumn of 2000 to the following spring, and was studying for a PhD in physics.

He had "no current active affiliation" to Brown, she said.

Officials said they believe Neves Valente shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro, 47, on Monday at his home in Brookline, which is about 50 miles (80km) from Providence.

Both men had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s, police said.

Officials said the cases were linked when the suspect's vehicle was identified via CCTV footage and a witness at Brown University.

The same car was spotted near the scene of the professor's shooting, which happened just two days later.

Authorities have not provided any suspected motive for either of the attacks.

Two students were killed and nine others were injured as a gunman burst into Brown University's engineering building on 13 December and opened fire during final exams.

They have been identified as Ella Cook, 19, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American who had just started at the university.
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Frequent use of emergency contraceptives could affect fertility, youth warned

GNA Dec - 19 - 2025 , 12:34 2 minutes read

Ms Doris Ocansey, the Adolescent Health Focal Person at the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, has cautioned adolescents and young people against the frequent use of emergency contraceptive pills, warning that abuse could have adverse health implications.

She explained that emergency contraceptive pills contained significantly higher levels of hormones compared to standard daily contraceptives.

Ms Ocansey noted that while regular contraceptive pills were designed to be taken over a 28-day cycle, emergency pills were intended strictly for use within 24 to 48 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse.

She cautioned that repeated intake of such high hormonal doses, which the body did not require on a regular basis, could result in menstrual irregularities and possible fertility challenges.

Ms Ocansey emphasised the need for health personnel to continue promoting abstinence among adolescents and young people, even though many were sexually active.

She said that while condoms and other contraceptive methods were available, condoms remained the only option that provided dual protection against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. She added, however, that condoms did not offer 100 per cent protection.

According to her, abstinence remained the only guaranteed way of preventing both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Touching on defilement and rape, Ms Ocansey said healthcare providers were often the first point of contact for victims of sexual abuse.

She explained that while medical personnel provided immediate care, including testing and treatment for infections, responsibility for social interventions such as reporting cases to the appropriate authorities fell within the mandate of the District Social Welfare Office.

On abortion, Ms Ocansey highlighted the health risks associated with the practice, particularly among young girls.

Responding to questions about allegations of healthcare workers performing abortions privately in their homes, she clarified that such acts were illegal and constituted a criminal offence.

She urged health professionals to report colleagues found to be engaging in such unlawful practices.

Ms Ocansey advised young people against unsafe termination of pregnancies and encouraged them to seek care from recognised health institutions for their medical needs, rather than resorting to harmful concoctions and presenting at hospitals only when complications arose.
Featured

Biomedical engineers shortage threatens Ghanas medical diagnostics  GSBE President

Joshua Bediako Koomson Dec - 19 - 2025 , 06:57 3 minutes read

The President of the Ghana Society of Biomedical Engineers (GSBE), Dr George Boadu, has expressed concern over the shortage of biomedical engineers in the country, warning that the deficit is undermining the reliability of medical diagnostics and patient monitoring systems.

He said that less than 10 per cent of biomedical engineers required to keep hospital diagnostic and monitoring equipment functioning were currently at post.

Dr Boadu said that although the nation needed about 5,000 biomedical engineers to adequately support public healthcare facilities, only 415 were currently employed.

This significant anomaly overstretches the few engineers available and adversely affects service delivery. Modern health care depends heavily on technology to guarantee accuracy in diagnosis, disease management and monitoring, he added.

Dr Boadu was speaking in a panel discussion at the 10th anniversary celebration of Sysmex West & Central Africa, in Accra, on the theme: A decade of impact and future of synergies.

In attendance were key stakeholders from the health sector, academia, and industry who reflected on progress made and explored future synergies aimed at strengthening healthcare technologies in the country.

The company shared various initiatives it was undertaking, including the establishment of a local training academy, support for university laboratories, in-country technical support services, and the provision of diagnostic technologies suited to different healthcare levels.

Sysmexs contribution

The acting Deputy Director-General, Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, lauded Sysmex West and Central Africa for a decade of transformative contributions to diagnostic services, describing the companys interventions as life-saving and critical to improved health outcomes in Ghana and the sub-region.

She said the milestone was not only a celebration of innovation and impact, but also an opportunity to chart a future of deeper collaboration and shared purpose in strengthening health systems.

Over the past 10 years, Sysmex has become a pillar of diagnostic excellence across West and Central Africa.

Your contributions have strengthened laboratory systems, enhanced disease detection and improved clinical decision-making, she said.

Dr Reindorf Amissah noted that the impact of Sysmexs work in the country had been evident through the deployment of advanced haematology and clinical chemistry platforms, capacity building for biomedical scientists and laboratory technicians, as well as support for national screening programmes and outbreak response efforts.

She explained that the GHS, whose mandate included public health screening and disease surveillance, had benefited significantly from the companys diagnostic support in areas such as cervical and breast cancer screening, as well as the management of disease outbreaks.

We are currently dealing with outbreaks such as MPOX, and as a service, we partner with diagnostic institutions to support our response.

Sysmex has been in the lead in doing this.

These are not just technical achievements, they are life-saving interventions, She stressed.
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EOCO smashes online scam in Ghana, UK - Recovers $15.19m

Kester Aburam Korankye Dec - 19 - 2025 , 06:55 4 minutes read

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has recovered $15.19 million from an international online investment scam that targets Ghanaian and British citizens.

The recovery, described as groundbreaking in the fight against cybercrime and money laundering, involved tracing and seizing cryptocurrency assets held in offshore wallets.

The Attorney-General (A-G) and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, who announced this at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, also revealed that his office had formally requested the extradition of a former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and his former Chef de Cabinet, Ernest Darko Akore, from the United States to face corruption-related charges in Ghana.

The $15m Scam

Detailing the sophisticated online investment scam, the Attorney-General said a criminal network, predominantly of Chinese and Malaysian nationals, established a Ghanaian company in 2019 as a front.

The company, registered for "general trading and online trading and marketing", operated an e-commerce website.

Victims were lured into paying registration fees and purchasing investment packages ranging from GH770 to GH9,240, with promises of fantastic earnings from operating trading accounts and online shops.

The scheme, a classic Ponzi structure, encouraged victims to recruit others.

Payments were accepted via mobile money, cash and cryptocurrencies.

A crucial break in the case came from a "how-to" video produced by the criminals themselves, which helped EOCO analysts to trace the crypto wallets used to launder the proceeds.

Using advanced blockchain analysis software, Chainalysis Reactor, EOCO identified wallets held on the OKX cryptocurrency exchange, based in Seychelles.

OKXs own systems had flagged the cluster of transactions as potentially fraudulent, indicating that they originated from a single Internet Protocol (IP) address.

The Know Your Customer (KYC) information from OKX revealed the wallet was owned by a Chinese national resident in Ghana, who was also named by victims.

EOCO subsequently obtained a court order to freeze the wallets.

Faced with uncooperative authorities in Asia, EOCO collaborated with UKs National Crime Agency (NCA), and engaged UK-based firms, Comply Crypto Depository and Zodiac Custody, to secure, realise and repatriate the frozen virtual assets.

On May 27, 2025, an Accra High Court, presided over by Justice Gwendolyn Millicent Owusu, granted an order for the assets to be converted into fiat currency and transferred to EOCO.

The final sum of over $15 million was received into EOCOs Exhibit Account on November 19, 2025.

Dr Ayine hailed the recovery as a "clear warning that EOCO has developed the capability to investigate and recover virtual assets", and that "no foreign jurisdiction is too far from the long arm of Ghanaian law enforcement".

He stated that the second phase of the case would involve screening victims for restitution.

Ofori-Atta Extradition

On the matter of the former Finance Minister, the Attorney-General confirmed that a formal extradition request for Mr Ofori-Atta and Mr Akore was transmitted to the US Department of Justice via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 10, 2025.

This followed a request from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on November 19, 2025.

The A-Gs office had sought clarifications and supplementary documentation from the OSP, which were provided on December 9, finalising the request package.

"The request has been transmitted. At this point, it is left to the American authorities, especially the judicial authorities, to make a decision," Dr Ayine said.

Record-Breaking year

The A-G further disclosed that EOCO had a record-breaking year in asset recovery, exceeding its 2025 target of GH200 million.

Total recoveries currently stand at approximately GH337.48 million.

This comprises GH194.81 million in direct recoveries into its Exhibit Account and GH142.67 million in indirect recoveries paid directly to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Consolidated Fund.

Dr Ayine praised the EOCO leadership, particularly its Executive Director, Raymond Archer, and staff for their dedication.

He also extended gratitude to international partners, including the UKs NCA, and the Judiciary for their pioneering role in the complex cryptocurrency case.

"The success story of the EOCO shows that institutions matter, but institutional leadership is crucial," he said.
Featured

Parliament okays agreement for Accra-Kumasi expressway

Nana Konadu Agyeman Dec - 19 - 2025 , 09:57 4 minutes read

Parliament has approved the concession agreement between the government of Ghana and the Accra-Kumasi Expressway Ltd as the concessionaire for the Accra-Kumasi expressway project.

The six-lane expressway project will connect the national capital, Accra, and Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti Region, an important business hub in the country.

Intended to cut travel distance between the two cities by 50 kilometres, the project will reduce travel time from four to five hours to two hours between the two biggest business areas in the country.

A wholly government-funded initiative, the project will include eight interchanges at various intersections, rest stops and toll points.

The government has already made provision in the 2026 Budget for an allocation of GH30 billion for the project.

In addition, the allocation of GH13.8 billion approved under the Big Push programme in the 2025 financial year, which has been drawn down, has been ring-fenced to support the expressway project.

Executing agency

The Accra-Kumasi Expressway Ltd is a private limited liability company duly incorporated as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) established by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) with demonstrated capacity in large-scale road infrastructure development and expressway concessions.

The SPV, which will build and manage the expressway for 50 years, is wholly funded through budgetary allocation from the government of Ghana as part of the Big Push initiative.

The concessionaire is responsible for feasibility studies, selection of contractors and awards of contract for the construction of the expressway, and the supervision of the construction works in collaboration with the Ghana Highways Authority.

It is to also supply and install tolling systems, provide and manage ancillary road infrastructure, including fuel stations and rest stops, as well as manage, operate, repair and maintain project facilities and collection of tolls.

The concessionaire is expected to transfer the project to the Ghana Highways Authority on the expiration of the 50 years concession period.

The agreement was presented to the House by the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, last Tuesday, and was referred to the Committee on Roads and Transpiration, as well as the leadership of the Finance Committee for consideration.

Background

The Accra-Kumasi highway is one of the busy highways that links the two cities, with a vehicular traffic of over 10,000 per day.

The highway has long become a nightmare for commuters and, tragically, a death trap.

Despite serving as a critical artery connecting Accra with Ashanti Region, the Bono Region and all five regions in the northern part of the country, the current form of the road is riddled with potholes, uneven surfaces and the lack of adequate lighting systems, making it more of a death trap.

To improve travel in the corridor and in an effort to improve the countrys road infrastructure and to facilitate economic activity between the two cities, the government intends to construct the six-lane dual carriage expressway.

Benefits of project

Per the report of the Committee on Roads and Transportation that considered the agreement, the committee observed that the Accra-Kumasi expressway project was of strategic importance and possessed strong commercial viability, driven by high traffic demand and its location within a developing economic enclave.

The committee noted that the successful implementation of the expressway project will boost Ghanas economy by improving trade, reduce transport costs, create jobs, enhance safety and modernise infrastructure linking the capital with major commercial hubs like Kumasi for better connectivity, tourism and agricultural logistics, it said.

Accra-Kumasi highway not abandoned

Prior to the House okaying the agreement, Mr Agbodza allayed the fears of members of the House that the government would not abandon the construction of the Accra-Kumasi highway.

He said contractors were completely off-site before the 2024 election because the scope of work changed and the money made available for the project did not tally with the scope.

He said unlike 2017 when the government took and made it a policy to suspend road projects on the excuse that they were doing auditing, President Mahama's government had done the opposite.

We encourage all contractors to continue to work on every project that has been inherited to be continued, he said, citing projects such as the Ofankor-Nsawam and the Kasoa-Winneba roads where the contractors had resumed work.

President Mahama ordered the Finance Minister to pay almost GH800 million in the first payment, and today that project is going to be completed ahead of schedule.

Mr Speaker, on record, the almost GH6 billion that the Finance Minister paid for road projects, not one cedi has been paid for projects started by President Mahama as they all started before he came to government, Mr Agbodza said.

He added: So, if people say that we are abandoning, how do you pay GH6 billion for projects started by the previous government and you still talk about projects being abandoned?
Featured

Sam Jonah petitions Foreign Minister over illegal takeover of Nigerian investments

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson Dec - 19 - 2025 , 07:30 4 minutes read

Statesman and business mogul, Sir Dr Sam Jonah, has petitioned the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to intervene in what he describes as the unlawful attempt to deprive him of his investment in a housing project in Nigeria.

In a detailed petition, he said the intervention was necessary to protect the rights of Ghanaian nationals and Ghanaian-led investments.

The petition is based on a protracted dispute over the River Park Estate in the Nigerian Capital, Abuja, which Sir Sam and other investors started in 2007.

Apart from the petition to Mr Ablakwa, Sir Sam has also petitioned Nigerias foremost anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Federal Minister of Trade and Industry of Nigeria, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Muktar Tolani Shagaya.

The statesman stated that there was a deliberate and illegal attempt, orchestrated by an agent employed by the Directors of the company behind the estate, supported by some Nigerian police and government officials, to forcibly take over his interests in the estate.

Also, he accused the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria of illegally diluting and expropriating his shares in JonahCapital Nigeria, the company behind the project, in flagrant violation of the orders of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

Request to Foreign Minister

Sir Sam is, therefore, requesting the Foreign Minister to, among other things, engage the AttorneyGeneral of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to expedite his review of police reports on the issue and further direct the police to desist from taking further actions.

He is also asking the Foreign Minister to demand the Immediate Reversal of the unlawful alterations to preserve our assets from being dissipated while the court cases are being determined.

Again, he is requesting the minister to alert ECOWAS of the Breach of Regional Investment Protections.

He is further urging the Foreign Affairs Minister to engage the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, through the Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, who oversees the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Background

Giving the background to the crisis in his petition, Sir Sam said Jonahcapital Nigeria Limited was incorporated on October 13, 2006, with him (Sir Sam) having 40 per cent of the shares of the company, with two other individuals holding 30 per cent each of the company.

The company, he said, was set up to engage in mass housing development in Nigeria.

In 2007, JonahCapital invited a US-based investor (Houses for Africa Holdings Inc, USA, a Delaware-based Company (HFA, USA) to invest in its operations.

Consequently, Houses for Africa Nigeria Limited was incorporated on February 7, 2008, as a Nigerian Company Houses for Africa Nigeria Ltd, he said.

He explained that the new arrangement led to Houses for Africa Inc, Delaware, to become the majority shareholder of the new company with 80 per cent of the total shares.

It is instructive to note that the major financier of Houses for Africa Holding and Houses for Africa Nigeria was FMO Bank Netherlands.

However, in 2011, FMO withdrew its financial backing for both companies.

Consequently, on July 13, 2012, Sir Sam Jonah acquired 7,500,000 units of shares held by Houses for Africa Holding in Houses for Africa Nigeria vide a Completion Agreement executed between Sir Sam Jonah and HFA, USA, he added.

Sir Sam said the crisis started in 2024, when he (Sir Sam) demanded accountability from an agent of the company contracted by HFA to secure the approval of 330 hectares of land for the project.

He accused the agent of misrepresenting himself as the owner of the River Park Estate, when the agent was not a director or shareholder of the company.

He further stated that due to this misrepresentation, JonahCapital Nigeria Limited instituted civil actions against the agent and also petitioned the Inspector General of Police of Nigeria to investigate allegations of forgery against the agent.

Sir Sam accused the agent of circumventing the investigation process and also conspiring with public officials to illegally take over the company.
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Streetlight theft undermining Accras illumination effort  Regional Minister

Joshua Bediako Koomson Dec - 19 - 2025 , 09:57 3 minutes read

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, has raised concern about the persistent theft and vandalism of streetlight infrastructure, describing it as a major setback to efforts to keep Accra well-lit and safe, especially during the festive season.

She said that although her office met its target of fixing 70 per cent of streetlights within her first 50 days in office, ongoing theft of cables and control systems continues to reverse the gains made.

Just yesterday, when they went back to some areas, half of the lights were already off because of theft, she said.

The regional minister raised the concern last Wednesday during a monitoring exercise in selected parts of Accra, following a week-long clean-up directive from the Ministry of Local Government.

The exercise covered areas within the Madina, Adentan, La Dadekotopon and Ayawaso West Municipal Assemblies.

In all the areas visited, the assemblies task forces were seen sweeping, clearing and painting road medians and also clearing gutters.

The monitoring was aimed at ensuring sanitation standards were being enforced and that assemblies were taking responsibility for keeping their jurisdictions clean and orderly.

Mrs Ocloo said that theft remained the biggest challenge, with vandals deliberately disconnecting monitoring systems and destroying cables to avoid detection.

These people know the terrain.

They disconnect the system and destroy the cables so the lights cannot be monitored, she explained.

She appealed to the public to help protect government investments by reporting suspicious activities around streetlight installations.

If you see someone roaming behind poles or doing something suspicious, dont ignore it. You can arrest the person and send them to the nearest police station, she urged.

She stressed that safeguarding streetlights was a collective responsibility essential for improving security, road safety and the overall outlook of the Greater Accra Region.

Disregard for footbridges

The Greater Accra Regional Minister also expressed worry about pedestrians disregard for footbridges, noting that many people still crossed busy roads despite the availability of safe crossings.

We are begging citizens to use the footbridges. Even when they are available, people prefer to cross the road. Let us save lives, especially this Christmas, she appealed.

She disclosed that district and regional police commanders had been tasked to intensify traffic control and enforcement to reduce accidents and congestion.

According to her, police personnel had been deployed across major roads to ensure smoother traffic flow and pedestrian safety.

Sanitation enforcement

On sanitation enforcement, the regional minister announced that task forces in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) would operate 24 hours a day, with shifts divided between day and night operations.

We have directed the MMDCEs that if you have 100 task force members, 50 should work during the day and 50 at night, she said, adding that some arrests would be carried out to serve as a deterrent.
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UK High Commissioner commends Right To Information Commission

Daily Graphic Dec - 19 - 2025 , 09:57 3 minutes read

The United Kingdom (UK) has commended Ghana for the establishment and steady progress of the Right To Information Commission (RTIC).

It said the functioning of the RTIC had become significant because information remained the lifeblood of democracy and efforts aimed at ensuring its free and unimpeded access to the citizens must be encouraged to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance.

The UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Dr Christian Rogg, asserted at a Breakfast meeting organised by the RTIC for the diplomatic community, donor partners and stakeholders in the country as part of its end-of-year activities.

The Breakfast meeting, held at the residence of the British High Commissioner to Ghana, brought together representatives of key stakeholders, including the Canadian High Commission, Star Ghana Foundation, Centre for Law and Democracy-Canada, the German Society for International Development (GIZ), the Norwegian Embassy, the Ghana Development Community Association (GDCA), UNESCO and the French Embassy.

The ceremony was also used to launch two booklets of the commission: the Implementation Assessment of the Ghana Right To Information Act 2019, Act 989, Summary Report 2025 and the Medium-term Development Plan (MTDP) 2026-2029.

The UK High Commissioner said it was a different thing to establish a commission and another thing to keenly ensure its efficient functioning and thus commended the commission for the efforts put in within the five years of its establishment, to implement its mandate.

Dr Rogg said the UK and Ghana had shared interests in the promotion of democratic governance, and the high commission was proud to be associated with the activities of the commission and Ghana in the common quest for the enhancement of democratic governance.

Visibility

The Chairman of the Board of the RTIC, Dr James Kwaku Asante, commended the management and staff of the commission for their hard work under trying circumstances in the face of the teething challenges of the commission.

He said information remained the nerve centre of inclusive and sustainable democracy and stressed that the board under his leadership would work to enhance and uplift the visibility of the commission to let the people of Ghana and the world at large know what the commission did to solicit public understanding and cooperation.

The Executive Secretary of the RTIC, Genevieve Shirley Lartey, disclosed that in its relatively short life, the RTIC had made modest gains, leading to a growing public demand for information, a substantial increase in the RTI space and the drafting of a Legislative Instrument for the smooth and effective implementation of its mandate.

Ms Lartey commended the diplomatic community, civil and non-governmental organisations (NGO) and all other stakeholders for their support and partnership.
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Police step up security in Nalerigu following burning of two houses

Mohammed Ali Dec - 18 - 2025 , 19:18 2 minutes read

The Inspector General of Police has deployed reinforcement teams and armoured vehicles to Nalerigu and surrounding communities in the North East Region after two houses were set ablaze by some youth in the regional capital.

The action follows threats by the said group to burn more houses and attack residents, a situation that has raised tension in the area.

The Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the North East Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police Robert Anabiik Anmain, announced the deployment in a press release dated December 18, 2025, and issued from the Regional Police Headquarters in Nalerigu.

According to the police statement, the reinforcement is intended to restore calm, protect lives and property, strengthen security in affected communities, and support the enforcement of the curfew imposed on Nalerigu and its environs.

The teams will also assist the North East Regional Police Command to intensify patrols on major highways to improve safety for commuters travelling through the area.

In a related development, the Ministry of the Interior announced a curfew in Nalerigu and nearby areas on Wednesday. The directive takes effect on Thursday, December 18, 2025.

The curfew runs from 5.00 pm to 6.00 am and was imposed on the advice of the National Security Council through an Executive Instrument, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

As part of the security measures, a ban has been placed on the possession of arms, ammunition and offensive weapons within the affected areas. The ministry warned that any person found with such items will be arrested and prosecuted.

Other restrictions include a ban on the movement of motorbikes, the wearing of smocks, the sale of fuel in containers and all forms of unlawful assembly.

The Police Command said investigations into the attacks and the burning of the houses are ongoing and that those involved will be arrested and prosecuted.

The government has appealed to chiefs, elders, opinion leaders, the youth and residents of the area to exercise restraint and to use peaceful means to address their concerns.
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President Mahama pushes reparations, calls for united African front at diaspora summit

Pacome Emmanuel Damalie Dec - 19 - 2025 , 16:16 4 minutes read

President John Dramani Mahama has called on Africans and members of the African diaspora across the world to unite in the pursuit of reparative justice and the dismantling of false narratives about Africa.

He said the time had come for Africans to flip the narratives and the modus operandi of those who had distorted Africas story to suit their interests and divide the continent.

Anything in this life once stripped of its power will no longer work. That is true of stories, especially ones that are complete fabrications. Let's take the narrative of those who oppressed us and work it.

In fact, let's take their entire modus operandi and flip it and reverse it. I urge you, my brothers and sisters, let's be more intentional about our unity than they were about our division, he said.

President Mahama was speaking at the Diaspora Summit held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Friday, December 19, 2025, under the theme, Resetting Ghana: The Diaspora as the 17th Region.

The President expressed confidence that Africans and members of the diaspora would achieve their shared goals with a common purpose, regardless of past divisions.

We've always tried to find our way back to one another. Africans in the diaspora whose forebears were enslaved have kept us in their rhythms, he said.

He paid tribute to Pan-Africanists such as Marcus Garvey and Ghanas first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, for their roles in advancing unity between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora.

President Mahama said the Black Star, which features prominently on Ghanas flag, had become a defining symbol of the countrys national identity due to Pan-African ideals and underscored the rallying call for the unity of African people.

Notice to the UN, reparations

The President reaffirmed his commitment to move a motion at the United Nations next year for the recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the greatest crime against humanity.

He called on Africans and the diaspora to support the motion in the fight for reparations from those who benefited from historical injustices.

I know this motion will enjoy the utmost support from the entire African continent and the diaspora. Africa has suffered slavery, colonialism, genocide and apartheid.

We demand acknowledgement of these crimes against humanity. We demand the establishment of legal, institutional and international mechanisms to advance reparative justice, he said.

President Mahama said reparations must include tangible measures such as debt cancellation, monetary compensation, the return of stolen artefacts, institutional reform and transformative economic redress within the global economic system.

He said Africans and the diaspora were at a critical stage in their collective journey and must speak openly about past injustices to counter attempts to push the continent backwards.

They want us to develop some sort of amnesia about the blood that was spilled, the lives that were lost, and the years that were sacrificed in order to fight for our freedom. We are at a place in our journey where we do not have the luxury of forgetting, he said.

President Mahama argued that with some government officials now using words such as garbage and filth to describe Africans, there was no room for forgetting, excusing racist dog whistles or explaining overtly discriminatory and divisive statements made daily.

This is precisely the time when we must advance and begin the process of reclamation. This is precisely the time when we must speak loudly and clearly, naming what it is we have lost as well as what it is we hope to gain, he stated.

Reparations

For his part, the President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, Mr Faure Gnassingbe, stressed the need for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and colonisation, describing them as essential to Africas development and global stability.

He said recognising past crimes was not enough and called for concrete actions and institutions to transform memory into law and faith into progress.

President Gnassingbe proposed measures including debt cancellation, the establishment of multilateral funds for education and innovation, and new legal commitments at the United Nations.

He also underscored the importance of the African diaspora in achieving sovereignty and urged collective governance and healing to address historical wounds.

He called for a redefinition of Africas place in the world, anchored on economic sovereignty, the mobility of knowledge and sustained investment in youth and the diaspora.
Source your raw materials locally  Trade Minister urges manufacturers

GNA Dec - 19 - 2025 , 11:13 4 minutes read

The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has urged manufacturing companies operating in Ghana to prioritise the local sourcing of raw materials as a key driver of job creation and sustainable industrialisation.

Her call followed a decision by food manufacturing firm GB Foods to venture fully into commercial farming next year as part of efforts to source most of its raw materials locally.

Speaking to the media during a working visit to the company on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, Madam Ofosu-Adjare praised GB Foods for its high operational standards and plans to expand into commercial farming, describing the move as a model other manufacturers should emulate.

She said the initiative could see between 90% and 100% of the companys raw materials sourced locally by next year.

This is exactly what we are looking for. When raw materials are sourced locally, we can confidently say we are industrialising, she said.

If we enjoy the entire value chain, that is where the value lies. Local sourcing means jobs for farmers, jobs for transporters and benefits for everyone along the chain, she added.

The Minister also commended the company for maintaining high production standards, highlighting its laboratories and strict processing systems that ensure quality control before products reach the market.

Madam Ofosu-Adjare acknowledged the challenges confronting many manufacturing companies in the country and assured them of the governments commitment to addressing bottlenecks to enable the sector to thrive.

She further noted GB Foods growing export footprint, with products reaching markets such as Burkina Faso, contributing to Ghanas foreign exchange earnings.

Manufacturing in Ghana and exporting to West Africa and beyond is the future. With the African Continental Free Trade Area headquartered here, Ghana is the right place to invest and export, she said.

She reaffirmed the governments vision of positioning Ghana as a hub for industrialisation in Africa, citing the countrys stable democracy and investment-friendly environment.

As part of her tour, the Minister also visited Precious Textiles Company Limited in Tema, where she disclosed that the government had developed a draft garments and textiles policy and was preparing to establish three new garment plants across the country.

We are prioritising garments and textiles. As we prepare to roll out new plants, we are also looking at how existing factories like Precious Textiles can be supported to expand, she said.

She noted that the company has significant capacity but is currently operating at about 30% due to limited business opportunities and access to markets.

To address this, Madam Ofosu-Adjare announced plans for the government to prioritise local garment factories in the production of uniforms for security agencies, stressing the need to end the practice of outsourcing garment production while local factories struggle.

We are putting together a committee to ensure that all security agencies sew their uniforms in Ghana. Factories like this will be brought on board to benefit from these contracts, she said.

The days of sewing uniforms outside Ghana while our factories suffer are over. With the right contracts and leadership, these factories can be revived, increase employment and eventually compete internationally, she added.

Meanwhile, Dr J. Teddy Ngu, Director for Institutional Affairs and Agribusiness Africa at GB Foods, called for government support, particularly in addressing water supply challenges to help reduce production costs.

He disclosed that the company spends about 700,000 on water and relies on water tankers for nearly 90 per cent of its water supply due to inconsistent supply from Ghana Water Limited.

Dr Ngu also revealed that GB Foods is pursuing backward integration and has secured about 6,000 hectares of land in the Afram Plains for large-scale farming.

We are already growing tomatoes under a pilot phase, and some produce has been consumed locally, he said.

By next year, we plan to scale up to a 2,000-metric-tonne-per-day factory, supported by about 4,000 hectares of company-owned farms and 2,000 hectares cultivated by outgrowers, he added.

He said the outgrower scheme would include crops such as tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and turmeric, creating jobs while ensuring a steady supply of raw materials for processing and export.

With the company already exporting to Burkina Faso, Dr Ngu said GB Foods plans to expand exports to other African markets in the coming years.

Today, Ghanaians are seeing products exported from Ghana to Burkina Faso instead of imports. This is the Ghana-made, export-led economy we are working towards, he said.
Trade Minister urges manufacturers to embrace local raw materials

GNA Dec - 19 - 2025 , 17:14 3 minutes read

The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has called on manufacturing companies operating in Ghana to prioritise the local sourcing of raw materials as a key strategy for job creation and sustainable industrialisation.

She made the call during a working visit to food manufacturing firm GB Foods on Wednesday, following the companys decision to venture fully into commercial farming next year to support local sourcing of inputs.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare commended GB Foods for its high operational standards and described its move into commercial farming as a model for other manufacturers. She noted that by next year, between 90 and 100 per cent of the companys raw materials could be sourced locally.

This is exactly what we are looking for. When raw materials are sourced locally, we can confidently say we are industrialising, she said.

If we enjoy the entire value chain, that is where the real value lies. Local sourcing means jobs for farmers, transporters and everyone along the value chain.

The Minister also praised the companys strict quality control systems, including its laboratories and processing standards, which ensure product safety before reaching the market.

She acknowledged the challenges confronting manufacturers in Ghana and assured them of governments commitment to addressing bottlenecks to help the sector thrive.

Beyond domestic production, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare highlighted GB Foods growing export footprint, with products reaching markets such as Burkina Faso and contributing to Ghanas foreign exchange earnings.

Manufacturing in Ghana and exporting to West Africa and beyond is the future. With the African Continental Free Trade Area headquartered here, Ghana is the right place to invest and export, she stated, reaffirming governments vision of positioning Ghana as an industrial hub in Africa.

During a visit to Precious Textiles Company Limited in Tema, the Minister disclosed that government had developed a draft garments and textiles policy and was preparing to establish three new garment plants nationwide.

She noted that although the company had strong capacity, it was operating at only about 30 per cent due to limited business and market access. To address this, she announced plans for government to prioritise local garment factories in the production of uniforms for security agencies.

The days of sewing uniforms outside Ghana while our factories struggle are over, she said, adding that a committee would be formed to ensure local factories benefit from government contracts.

Meanwhile, the Director for Institutional Affairs and Agribusiness Africa at GB Foods, Dr J. Teddy Ngu, called for government support to address water supply challenges, noting that the company spent about 700,000 on water annually due to unreliable supply from Ghana Water Limited.

He disclosed that GB Foods was pursuing backward integration and had secured about 6,000 hectares of land in the Afram Plains for large-scale farming.

The company plans to scale up to a 2,000-metric-tonne-per-day factory by next year, supported by company-owned farms and outgrower schemes covering crops such as tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and turmeric.

Dr Ngu said the initiative would create jobs, ensure a steady supply of raw materials and support the companys plans to expand exports to other African markets.

Today, Ghanaians are seeing products exported from Ghana to Burkina Faso instead of imports. This is the Ghana-made, export-led economy we are working towards, he said.
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Where will delegates vote? NPP announces approved centres ahead of January 31 primary (FULL LIST)

Samuel Duodu Politics Dec - 19 - 2025 , 07:57 2 minutes read

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced the approved voting centres for its flagbearer election, scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

The Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) of the party, chaired by former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, released the list of centres in a statement.

Centres

In the Western Region there are 17 voting centres; Central has 22 voting centres; Greater Accra, 34; Volta,18; Eastern, 33; Ashanti, 47; Western North, nine; Ahafo, six; Bono,12; Bono East, 11; Oti, nine; Northern,18; Savannah, seven; Upper West, 11; North East, six and Upper East, 15.

The statement said the list of the approved voting centres across the 16 regions for the presidential primary had been given to all the five flag bearer hopefuls of the party contesting the election.

In the statement, the PEC expressed its appreciation to all presidential candidates, their representatives and stakeholders for their cooperation.

It assured the flag bearer aspirants and all stakeholders of a credible and transparent electoral process towards the election of the partys flag bearer for the 2028 general election.

Flag bearer hopefuls

Meanwhile, the flag bearer hopefuls: Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a former Member of Parliament for Assin Central; Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, a former General Secretary of the NPP; Dr Bryan Acheampong, a former Minister of Food and Agriculture; Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a former Vice-President, and Dr Yaw Adu Twum, a former Minister of Education, have intensified in-person, traditional and social media campaigns to win the votes of the delegates of the party with barely a month to the election.

Delegates

The NPP at its National Delegates Conference in July, this year, amended the partys constitution to expand the electoral college of the party, which now covers former constituency, regional and national executives, former Members of Parliament (MPs) and former MMDCEs, who would vote in the January 31, 2026 presidential primary to elect the partys flag bearer for the 2028 general election.

Over 200, 000 delegates will vote in the election, which the PEC, in an earlier engagement with the partys presidential candidates, has said only delegates physically present at polling centres would be allowed to cast their ballots.

That meant no proxy voting would be allowed in the election.

Proxy voting

Proxy voting is an arrangement that allows a registered voter to authorise another person to vote on their behalf when they are unable to be physically present.

Scroll through the full list of centres below;
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Troops, aid to Jamaica: Move reflection of Ghanas humanitarian commitment  Minister

Nana Konadu Agyeman Politics Dec - 19 - 2025 , 07:57 3 minutes read

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has described the governments decision to deploy 54 army engineers and five medical doctors to Jamaica as a reflection of Ghanas commitment to humanitarian calls.

The government also donated GH10 million worth of relief items to support the disaster-hit country.

Updating Parliament on the governments decision to deploy Ghanaian soldiers and the provision of aid to Jamaica, Mr Ablakwa said as a responsible and compassionate actor on the international stage, those humanitarian gestures were deliberate expressions of Ghana's diplomatic identity and values.

In a global environment marked by increasing humanitarian needs and diminishing international attention, Ghana's actions carry significant moral and diplomatic weight, he said.

The minister appeared before the House to give the briefing following a request by the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, for him to brief the House on the reasons behind such a decision.

He had accused the government of bypassing Parliament in key decisions relating to the countrys international aid and troop deployments, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

Mr Ablakwa explained that the deployment signalled Ghana's refusal to be indifferent to suffering and its determination to remain a responsible and compassionate actor on the international stage.

Such actions also serve to strengthen our bilateral relations, reinforce mutual trust and enhance Ghana's standing within multilateral fora.

By aligning humanitarian assistance with diplomatic engagement, Ghana demonstrates its foreign policy is both principled and pragmatic and it is rooted in values of empathy, solidarity, brotherhood and compassion while being attentive to global realities, he said.

Mr Ablakwa said the troops were drawn from the 48th Engineers Regiment and affiliated units and would assist with the construction and recovery efforts in Jamaica.

He said the mission's mandate also included the assessment and repair of damaged public infrastructure, emergency restoration of critical access routes, stabilisation works in landslide-prone locations and support shelter reconstruction.

The medical doctors will provide medical capacity in coordination with Jamaican health authorities and humanitarian health partners including primary care, emergency treatment and public health interventions to mitigate disease risks among displaced and affected populations, he said.

Responsible nation

Mr Ablakwa said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to work towards strengthening Ghana's capacity for timely humanitarian response, deepening partnerships with international and regional actors and ensuring that solidarity remained a defining feature of our foreign policy.

He explained that Ghana's humanitarian assistance since January 7, 2025 reflected who we are as a nation-principle, humane, caring and responsible.

He said in extending support to Palestine, Cuba, Jamaica and Sudan, Ghana had reaffirmed its belief that solidarity was not optional and that empathy was an essential instrument of diplomacy.

Ghana's foreign policy will be defined by not how much we can take from others but how much we can share with others, he said.

Appreciation to US govt

The minister expressed the governments gratitude to President Donald Trump, the government and the people of the United States of America for providing the C-17 special aircraft to transport Ghanas troops, medical staff and logistics, which included tents, refrigerators, generators and rations to Kingston.

This is yet another demonstration of the great relations between Ghana and the United States of America, he said.
Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio and Sen. Tina Muna-Barnes made it official on Friday night: Theyre running for Adelup in 2026.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my running mate, the next lieutenant governor of Guam, Sen. Tina Muna-Barnes, Tenorio said, standing on stage in front of a crowd of family and supporters at the Fort Apugan overlook in Agana Heights on Friday.

Tenorio was the first person to announce a 2026 gubernatorial bid, way back in 2023. With Fridays announcement, the Tenorio-Muna-Barnes team becomes the second Democrat team and third team overall to firm up a 2026 ticket.

Campaign chairman Franklin Arriola said the team had booked the Fort Apugan space for 300 people, but estimated about 700 or 800 had turned out, with chairs under a set of big tents filled and more folks standing in the back to hear the teams first address.

The road ahead will not be simple, but it is full of promise. We will lead. We will work hard, we will show up for those who need help, Tenorio told the crowd. We will meet tomorrows challenges with Gods grace and the tenacity that was passed down by Guams greatest generation, our elders.

Tenorio touted the strength of Muna-Barnes character, and her career in public service championing families and those who slipped through the cracks.

Muna-Barnes, taking the podium, said she was excited to begin this journey for a better Guam.

When people ask me why Im running with Josh Tenorio, the answer is simple, Muna-Barnes said. Over and over again, when Josh has been chosen, in crisis, under pressure, Josh has delivered, and right now, that is what every working family needs.

Muna-Barnes worked the crowd up into a cheer of the campaign slogan, Lets Go Guam, and Lets go Josh and Tina, before the pair linked arms and stood up before the crowd.

Arriola said the Friday announcement was just the start of the 2026 campaign, with a kickoff rally early next year, motorcades, village meetings, and more rallies down the line.

On the issues

Affordability was the big issue on both candidates lips on Friday night.

Tenorio said affordable housing and supply, already a priority, would stay at the forefront should he become governor.

Housing is not just about buildings. It is about having a place to call home, in safe neighborhoods, in villages that nurture our children for today and for generations to come, he said.

He said he planned to focus on wages, the cost of living, and keeping the economic engine of tourism, but also generational challenges like crime, addiction, and homelessness.

This means a Guam where paychecks go farther. A Guam where a flat tire or a medical bill doesnt break a family thats doing everything right. A Guam where power bills go down and not up, he said.

Muna-Barnes shared her own story, struggling to make ends meet with her late husband Jacob Barnes.

Paychecks were stretched and sacrifices were made. But even when things were hard, they didnt feel impossible, not the way they do now for too many families, she said.

Josh and I will work ourselves to the bone to make Guam affordable for our working families to raise wages and to strengthen opportunities, Muna-Barnes said.

'Remain united'

The Friday night event was a whos-who of administration cabinet members and prominent Democrats, with Sen. Will Parkinson, former delegate Robert Underwood, and former senator and Port Authority of Guam General Manager Rory Respicio among those in the crowd.

But the biggest endorsement of the campaign came from Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero herself, who appeared on stage with Tenorio and Muna-Barnes.

Leon Guerrero said that the team had worked to end payless paydays, pay out tax refunds on time, pay war reparations, raise wages for teachers, nurses, and police officers, and to stop letters to retirees telling them their health insurance policies were canceled.

I have witnessed Josh's strength, not just his resolve, but his working-class heart, his belief that everyone matters, that no one should be discarded, and that every person is deserving of dignity and respect, she said.

Tenorio led with accountability and stability, she said.

Also appearing on stage with the team was Democratic Party of Guam chairman and Inalahan Mayor Anthony Chargualaf, who thanked them for stepping up to run.

Chargualaf said he would support both Democrat gubernatorial teams as chairman, which was his job as head of the party.

Sen. Joe San Agustin and business and former Sen. Dwayne San Nicolas were the first team to firm up a ticket for the 2026 election.

Throughout this journey, prior to the primary, let's not do any mudslinging. Let's not do any attack. Let's be very positive. In order for us to remain united, Chargualaf said.

He asked supporters present Friday night to remain united in electing Democrats to the governors office, Legislature, and to Congress.

Continue to fight. We need to build our membership, our fellowship in the Democratic Party, he said.

The candidates

Tenorio has worked in the office of former Del. Robert Underwood, as deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Carl Gutierrez, and was the administrator of the courts for the Judiciary of Guam.

He was sworn in back in 2019 as lieutenant governor alongside Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, becoming the first Democrats to hold Adelup after 16 years of Republican administrations.

He is also the first openly gay lieutenant governor elected in the U.S.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero on Friday signed an executive order to give government of Guam employees additional days off on Dec. 24, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

It comes a day after Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio announced Dec. 26 will be a government of Guam holiday.

Leon Guerrero shared she would sign the executive order during an event at Adelup on Friday.

She said it was to show her and Tenorios appreciation to all of you not just here in Adelup, but through the whole government of Guam.

I want to you go out there and have fun, the governor said. Merry Christmas.

Executive Order 2025-09 declares Dec. 24, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 government of Guam holidays.

We wish for our community to celebrate this time of joy, goodwill, and togetherness with their loved ones, and extend compassion, generosity and kindness to the less fortunate, the executive order states.

The executive order states GovGuam employees have worked diligently throughout the year in the service of the people of Guam and it is appropriate to recognize their efforts and provide time for rest, family, and togetherness during the holiday season.

All executive departments and agencies of GovGuam will be closed on those days. The heads of the executive departments and agencies may determine certain offices and installations of their organizations must remain open and certain employees must report for duty on those three days, the executive order states.

Tenorio made the announcement during a Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency event marking the addition of 29 new officers following the graduation of the agencys 15th Cycle on Thursday at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort.

He made the announcement as many of the newly graduated officers are likely to be assigned to work on Christmas Day, which falls on a Thursday this year.

I was just telling the governor, I said, you know, governor, I really think that I should maybe announce that maybe we can share the burden, because we are going to have another holiday, and December 26 is going to be a holiday, Tenorio said.

He acknowledged the sacrifice required of officers scheduled to work during the holiday period, while pointing to a benefit tied to holiday duty.

The good thing, though, is this, when you have to sacrifice and work on the holiday, guess what? Youre working double pay, he said with a smile.

Adelup spokesperson Krysta Paco-San Agustin reacted to the announcement moments after it was made.

I think youve heard it first about the 26th holiday, and by the time I get back to the office, Ill be asked to verify it, she said with a smile on her face. So youre welcome and thank you, lieutenant governor.




Haiti - FLASH : Large-scale anti-gang operation by the Haitian National Police (PNH) supported by the FRG





On the night of Wednesday, December 18, 2025, a large-scale anti-gang operation was launched by the Haitian National Police (PNH), supported by the Gang Supression Force (GSF) with helicopters. The operation targeted the areas of Pernier, Torcelle, Tabarre, and Croix-des-Bouquets, and specifically targeted the terrorist group "Kraze Barye" led by Vitel'homme Innocent, for whose capture a $2 million bounty has been placed.



Residents of the affected areas experienced a night of panic, marked by more powerful than usual kamikaze drone explosions, the constant circling of GSF helicopters, and intense bursts of automatic gunfire.



On Thursday, the fighting continued. According to the PNH, the operations are proceeding normally, and the forces deployed on the ground will remain engaged for as long as necessary to achieve the established objectives. Several major roads, including the Freres road, are currently blocked.



No official information is available regarding the outcome of this operation. The Haitian National Police (PNH) reiterates that the operation is still ongoing and that it is premature to draw any conclusions.



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : Two Haitians charged in a fraud case involving nearly $7 million USD





The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts has indicted two Haitian immigrants for a fraud scheme that allowed them to defraud the government of nearly $7 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The indictment was announced in a federal indictment filed on December 17, 2025.



According to the indictment, Antonio Bonheur, 74, a naturalized Haitian citizen, and Saul Alisme, 21, a lawful permanent resident, also of Haitian descent, were accused of abusing SNAP over a period of approximately 20 months, a fraud that involved nearly $7 million in SNAP benefits.



The case involves two businesses, "Jesula Variety Store" and "Saul Mache Mixe Store" located in the same commercial space in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. According to the federal indictment, these stores were extremely small, measuring approximately 150 and 500 square feet respectively, and offered a very limited selection of food. These businesses displayed abnormally high SNAP redemption volumes, far exceeding what legitimate sales could reasonably support. The indictment alleges that one of these stores was generating over $100,000 per month and sometimes even as much as $500,000, prosecutors stated. According to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, "They turned a program designed to feed families into a multimillion-dollar criminal enterprise."



Investigators allege that undercover agents repeatedly observed customers using their SNAP cards and receiving cash instead of food, with store managers retaining a portion of the benefits. The prosecution also alleges that the stores sold items ineligible for the SNAP program, including alcohol, and sometimes resold donated food items not intended for retail sale. The indictment further alleges that funds from this fraud were channeled through multiple bank accounts to conceal their origin.



The two men are charged with food stamp fraud. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendants have not yet entered a plea, and all allegations in the indictment remain unproven at this stage.



Authorities stated that this case highlights weaknesses in the oversight of merchants participating in the SNAP program. They emphasized that the charges related to the alleged actions of these two individuals do not reveal a more widespread fraudulent practice within immigrant or Haitian communities.



S/ HaitiLibre


















IT professionals from North Korea are infiltrating Western companies under false identities. By working remotely, they generate revenue for the North Korean government, and occasionally collect regime-relevant data. Amazon.com has uncovered one such mole. The giveaway was keystrokes that were a fraction of a second slower.

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The data giant had outsourced the administrator job to a staffing agency. This agency believed it had hired someone in Arizona, and Amazon sent them a laptop. Security software installed on it raised an alarm: the latency of keystrokes transmitted to Amazon's servers was not in the range of a few dozen milliseconds, but 110 milliseconds.

This is what Amazon's Chief Security Officer Stephen Schmidt told the news service Bloomberg. The longer delay suggests that the user is not sitting in Arizona, as claimed, but far away. Amazon monitored the suspect's work for a few days, obtained their job application, and finally fired them.

The Arizona address turned out to be the household of a woman who had set up the laptop and connected it to the North Korean mole's server. She also received and forwarded the salary payments. This was not an isolated case: in a US criminal proceeding, she was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in July for infiltrating North Korean IT professionals into more than 300 US companies.

Increasing number of North Korean applications

"If we hadn't been looking for North Korean workers, we wouldn't have found him," says Schmidt. The perpetrator did not have access to relevant data. His application repeated patterns already observed in other North Korean IT moles. They have difficulty with certain idioms and articles in the English language. They also often list the same foreign educational institutions and former employers, which is not easy for US companies to verify.

Amazon states that it has already received a four-digit number of applications that it could classify as North Korean fraud attempts. This year, the number has increased sharply. Amazon has not yet discovered any secret North Koreans among its directly employed workforce. In November, five further supporters of North Korea pleaded guilty in the US.

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Don't miss any news  follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
Android smartphones, including those with Samsung's One UI, receive software updates through several channels: in addition to the larger system updates that are released once or twice a year, they also receive security updates (now approximately quarterly) and monthly updates via Google Play services. While the first two update variants continue to arrive reliably, there is currently a clear communication break with the Play services.

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As reported by, among others, the Dutch blog Galaxy Club, many Galaxy models are currently stuck on older Google system versions. Some are still on the July version, others at least on a version from August. A Galaxy S24 from the heise online editorial team, for example, is stuck on the September 1st version, even though it received an up-to-date security patch from December 1st. Ideally, all users should install the December security patch promptly if it is offered on their devices. This is because it closes actively exploited vulnerabilities.

Unlike Android versions and security patches, which are delivered by device manufacturers like Samsung, Xiaomi, or Honor, Google itself is responsible for Google Play system updates. The Android developer can thus partially supply certain system components with updates and new features itself, among other things, through a modular design of the operating system. The system updates also serve to close security vulnerabilities and fix errors for specific components, explains Google.

Paused Play System Updates on Samsung Not New

The fact that Samsung devices are currently no longer receiving service updates seems, at first glance, to be Google's fault. But why would Google deny its close partner Samsung system updates? If you believe Galaxy Club, there have been recurring problems with Google Play system updates in previous years during the release of new Android versions. Similar pauses occurred at the end of 2022 and the end of 2023, it is said. In a statement to the blog Sammyfans, Samsung explained that it is possible to pause these updates in consultation with Google. This could also be the case at the moment.

As Galaxy Club writes, the distribution of the update to One UI 8 based on Android 16 has now been completed for all devices, so Samsung could resume the distribution of Google system updates soon. In the past, update distribution resumed from January. Meanwhile, Google's Pixel models are already on the Play System version from January 1, 2026.

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We have inquired with both Google and Samsung about the large gap in Play system updates on Samsung devices. We will update the report as soon as we receive a response.

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Don't miss any news  follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
The decision, announced early Friday in Brussels after lengthy negotiations, will allow the EU to raise funds from capital markets using its common budget as collateral. Ukraine will only repay the interest-free loan if and when Russia pays war reparations. Until then, the Russian assets will remain frozen.

European Union leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion loan package to cover its financial needs for 2026 and 2027, after abandoning efforts to use frozen Russian central bank assets as a funding source.

This is a tolerable solution, even if not the one we hoped for, said Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, after the summit. The key objective was to secure Ukraines financing. That has now been achieved.

EU Council President Antonio Costa said the deal demonstrated that the bloc had fulfilled its promise to Kyiv. We committed, and we delivered, Costa said. He added that the EU reserves the right to make use of the immobilised assets to repay this loan.

The move came after months of debate about whether to use an estimated 210 billion in frozen Russian central bank reserves, 185 billion of which are held in Belgium. Legal and political concerns, particularly raised by Belgium, blocked consensus.

Belgiums Prime Minister Bart De Wever reiterated his countrys opposition during the summit, warning of financial and legal liabilities if Russian assets were seized. He welcomed the outcome as a way to avoid chaos and division.

Germany and Finland were among the strongest advocates for the original plan to tie Ukraines funding to reparations, but accepted the compromise following resistance from several member states. The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the final deal still upheld the principle of using Russian assets in the future.

We just changed the timeline a bit, Merz said. The assets remain a backstop. If Russia refuses to pay reparations, they will be used.

The EUs loan will be issued under the enhanced cooperation mechanism, allowing reluctant states to opt out. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic agreed not to block the decision after securing guarantees that they will not share the financial liabilities.

Their exclusion means they will not be responsible for interest payments on the loan, which will be covered by the EU budget. According to the European Commission, this structure ensures a fast and legally sound implementation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the agreement, calling it significant support that truly strengthens our resilience. In a post on X, he wrote: It is important that Russian assets remain immobilised and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years.

The funding is critical to avoid a financial collapse in Ukraine, with international lenders warning of a severe budget shortfall by April 2026 without new support. The IMFs future cooperation is also contingent on a firm EU commitment.

Russias envoy for economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev said the EU had been forced to abandon an illegal plan. Law and sanity won, he posted on Telegram, adding that warmongers led by Ursula [von der Leyen] failed.

The EU will now seek additional contributions from its allies. Brussels has called on partners including the United Kingdom, Norway and Canada to cover the remaining 45 billion needed to meet Ukraines estimated 135 billion in financial requirements for 2026 and 2027.

HT
Georgia man gets up to 49 years in prison for abduction and rape

Aaron Marquez Boyd

A 36-year-old Georgia man was sentenced to up to 49 years in prison after he pleaded guilty on Thursday to the forcible rape of a young woman he abducted from a fast-food restaurant at an I-26 interchange.

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Aaron Marquez Boyd, of Girard, Georgia, pleaded guilty to first-degree forcible rape, first-degree sexual offense, first-degree kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous weapon during a session of Henderson County Criminal Superior Court, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced.

According to the investigation report, on Feb. 10, 2022, a 24-year-old female was travelling through Henderson County on I-26 when she turned off the interstate to use the restroom at a restaurant off Howard Gap Road. As she returned to her car, Boyd aggressively approached the female while displaying a gun and told her to get into her car, or he would shoot her.

Boyd then got into her car and made her drive to a remote location where he sexually assaulted her. Afterward, the defendant told her to stay or he would shoot her, took her phone and drove off in her vehicle.

After watching surveillance footage at the fast-food restaurant, Henderson County sheriffs deputies took note of an abandoned grey Ford Taurus parked in the area where the defendant was observed to be, and were able to determine that the vehicle was registered in Georgia to Boyd. The victim was then able to identify the man who abducted and raped her from a Department of Motor Vehicles photo. Three days after the assault, officers located and arrested Boyd in Gulfport, Mississippi, who was driving the victims vehicle.

Superior Court Judge Peter Knight sentenced Boyd to defendant to 276 to 392 months for the first-degree forcible rape, a 72 to 99 months for first-degree kidnapping and 72 to 99 months for robbery with a dangerous weapon. The first-degree sexual offense was consolidated into the first-degree forcible rape. All the charges were ordered to be served consecutively for a total sentence of 35 to 49 years in prison. The defendant also must register as a sex offender upon his release.

Assistant District Attorney Doug Mundy handled the prosecution and sentencing. Murray thanked the Henderson County Sheriffs Office as well as Gulfport, Mississippi, police for their professional and thorough investigation of this case.
AN actress from Henley has returned to the stage having credited her GP for saving her life.

Lottie Bell, who lives in New Street, was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital last month with severe gynaecological pain.

The 26-year-old was found to have an ovarian torsion, caused by a 13cm sac of fluid on her fallopian tube.

Miss Bell, who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, had been having flu-like symptoms and shooting pains down her right leg for the month of October.

She attempted to manage the pain with painkillers as she was due to perform in the first showing of the play A Word, an intimate drama about friendship and denial.

But the night before her appearance at the Drayton Arms Theatre in London on November 9, the pain intensified and she was unable to find relief.

Miss Bell recalled: I started to experience period-like pain but I knew I didnt start my period for at least another week.

Normally, I dont really get pains beforehand, so I was very confused. It also felt a lot like when my appendix exploded.

I knew something was wrong but I needed to get through the next performance.

Miss Bell booked an appointment with Dr Nicole Doling, a partner at the Bell Surgery in Henley, the following day.

She said: I decided to go to the doctors the next day and get some co-codamol to really numb the pain. Dr Doling was very serious and very concerned that I was going to go and do the show, particularly as I was crying and writhing in pain on the floor.

Dr Doling, who qualified at Nottingham University in 2002 and moved to Oxfordshire six years later, said: As soon as she phoned up, I knew that she was poorly, so I brought her down immediately and saw her straight away.

Lottie was confused, completely pale and doubled over from the pain. She couldnt even stand up straight and was limping and holding on to the wall to support herself as she walked in.

Dr Doling insisted on transferring her to hospital straight away despite Miss Bells protests that she was needed on stage. She said: I knew it was a gynaecological problem because she was experiencing acute abdomen pain, so I knew she needed a surgeon and quickly.

She was in such a rush to get back to work, saying I have to be on the train at 4pm to go back to London, so I dont think she was recognising how poorly she was and was just wanting to carry on.

Miss Bell was taken to the accident and emergency department by her father, Graham Bell, the former Olympic skier and TV presenter. She woke up with three cannulas administering morphine after passing out in the waiting room before being seen to. Miss Bell recalled: I remember waking up in hospital and even though the morphine was travelling around my body, I could still feel the burning, stabbing pain that was travelling down my leg.

They found a 13cm cyst which was twisting one of my fallopian tubes and if it wasnt removed, I might have died and there was also a chance that I could have got sepsis if my immune system could not fight it off.

Im just so thankful to Dr Doling for saving my ovary and my life and persisting with me going to the hospital.

Miss Bell, a former Gillotts School pupil, said she had been reluctant to seek further medical help so as not to let the cast down.

She said: I didnt have an understudy and everyone would have lost their money. The director cancelled the show, saying I needed to look after my health and rest.

Miss Bell is still experiencing discomfort following the surgery but returned to the stage last Friday for the first of five shows of Potted Potter, a double Olivier-nominated play, at the Jersey Royal Opera House.

She said: Its a very chaotic, energised show, so I was quite worried I wouldnt be able to do it because Ive still got pain and some bleeding from the stitches but Im pushing through. I did have an understudy this time around, just in case.

Ive been trying to take the doctors orders as seriously as I can but theres a lot of running around and doing wild dancing things in the show, so Ill see how I get on. Patience is required in this process and thats what Ive taken away from this whole experience.

Miss Bell lives with her father and mother Sarah, who works as a librarian at The Henley College, and brother Louis, 32, who works at Waitrose in Henley.

In 2011, she landed the role of Dorinda Lane in a BBC remake of Just William aged 11 following her first ever audition and has gone on to appear in Tea + Cake (2015) and Leos Love Life (2023).

Miss Bell advises others not to prioritise their career over health concerns.

She added: In your twenties, your work and career take over you and your health gets pushed to the side. When doctors listen to you and give advice, dont ignore it. Trust your doctor.
China turns Hainan Island into special customs supervision zone in opening-up drive

Xinhua) 07:59, December 19, 2025

HAIKOU, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.

The move is widely seen as a landmark in China's efforts to promote free trade and expand high-standard opening-up amid rising protectionism worldwide.

Under the new arrangements, the tropical island, covering more than 30,000 square km and about a 1.5-hour flight from Hong Kong, has been designated a special customs supervision zone. This marks a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP, which enables freer flows of goods, capital, personnel and data, supported by zero tariffs, low tax rates and a simplified tax system.

Substantial progress has been achieved in developing the Hainan FTP, and the essential conditions for its island-wide special customs operations have been met, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said at the launch ceremony in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province.

The island-wide special customs operations should serve as an opportunity to deepen reforms in key sectors, steadily advance high-quality development, improve the risk prevention and control system, and build the Hainan FTP into a leading gateway for China's opening-up in the new era, said He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

A billboard for the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) is seen in Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

NEW STAGE

Officials describe the special customs system as offering "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland.

The share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP has been raised from 21 to 74 percent, expanding the list of related items from 1,900 to over 6,600.

Zero-tariff goods processed in Hainan may be sold to the mainland duty-free if their local processing generated an added value of 30 percent or more.

Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, said this move demonstrates China's push to expand institutional opening-up.

"It signals that China's doors will not close, but open wider," Chi said, describing the FTP as the "highest level of openness in the global economy."

As the policy came into force, major ports across Hainan saw a surge in activity on Thursday.

At Yangpu Port, one of the island's eight "first-line" customs ports, the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical imports, totaling 179,000 tonnes, arrived, with the shipment expected to save close to 10 million yuan (about 1.42 million U.S. dollars) in import-stage costs compared with before the launch.

Local authorities expect that on Thursday alone, key "first-line" gateways such as Yangpu and Sanya Phoenix International Airport are expected to clear a range of zero-tariff imports, including crude oil, medical equipment, aviation materials and food ingredients, with the total value exceeding 500 million yuan.

At Haikou Meilan International Airport, Jia Green Chocolate Works (Hainan) Co., a joint-venture chocolate producer based in the Hainan FTP, began shipping its products to Beijing and Hanzhong in northwest China after completing customs clearance.

"We have already benefited from the special customs operations of the Hainan FTP," said Wu Huijuan, general manager of the company's marketing department. "For this batch of chocolate products, we have cut costs by about 10 percent."

Staff members tie a mooring rope for a vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

OPEN DOORS WIDER

Once an underdeveloped frontier outpost, Hainan became China's largest special economic zone in 1988. A master plan released in 2020 set the goal of developing the island into a globally influential, high-level FTP by the middle of the century. The Hainan FTP Law has been implemented to provide a legal guarantee for the port's development.

Foreign companies can benefit from a business environment more closely aligned with international standards, lower tax and production costs, broader access to service sectors like healthcare and education, and use Hainan as a platform to tap into the vast Chinese market.

Official data showed that since 2020, more than 9,600 foreign-invested enterprises have been established in Hainan. To date, the province has attracted investors from over 170 countries and regions.

"For Dun &Bradstreet, these policies in Hainan are highly aligned with our business and development direction in China," said Andrew Wu, CEO of Dun &Bradstreet China. The United States-based commercial data and analytics firm registered a company in the Hainan FTP in 2022.

"We aim to establish a data hub in the Free Trade Port, with Hainan as the center for aggregating global data and building a digital economy ecosystem oriented toward the world," Wu said.

Next, China will support Hainan in aligning its institutional framework with a high-standard FTP, including support in areas such as trade administration, investment environment and cross-border data flows, said Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The island-wide special customs operations reflect the CPC Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which called for a broader opening-up to the world.

"The move will inject new momentum into China's pursuit of high-quality development and its goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035," said Xu Deshun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

Chinese economist Huang Hanquan said it also underscores the world's second-largest economy's opposition to protectionism.

The launch date, Dec. 18, coincides with the anniversary of a landmark CPC meeting in 1978, which was widely considered the start of the country's reform and opening-up era.

Over recent decades, China has established 22 pilot free trade zones, eliminated foreign investment restrictions in manufacturing, and expanded market access in sectors including telecommunication, healthcare and education.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Maisons et Hotels Sibuet is delighted to reopen Lodge Park, unveiling a thoughtfully reimagined chapter for one of Megeve's most storied addresses, following a year-long transformation. At the heart of this renewal lies the debut of the Longevity Spa, the first of its kind in the region, dedicated to deep restoration and vitality. Evolving from 49 guest bedrooms into 28 sumptuous suites and rooms, this new era for Lodge Park marks a deliberate refinement that enhances privacy, intimacy and the art of alpine living.

A Legacy Reimagined

Originally acquired by the Sibuet family in the 1990s, Lodge Park lies in the heart of Megeve village and reflects the family's intimate hospitality and signature sense of style and soul. Entirely refreshed while staying true to its warm conviviality, interiors blend noble materials, Ralph Lauren fabrics, Brin Emperador marble bathrooms, bespoke leatherwork and rich natural textures. The result is a modern expression of alpine charm where suites pair generous dressing rooms and inviting living spaces warmed by a roaring log fire, with private balconies featuring Nordic baths that encourage quiet moments beneath the night sky.

New for this season is the Beauty Room Service, allowing guests to transform their suite into a private spa. LED red light therapy face masks by NOOANCE PARIS stimulate collagen production and visibly rejuvenates skin by soothing redness and strengthening skin elasticity, complemented by a curated selection of Pure Altitude essentials - a natural skincare brand founded by Jocelyne Sibuet in 2009, extracting rare active ingredients from mountain plants - including the hydrating radiance sheet mask and eye-reviving anti-fatigue patches; the perfect antidote to dehydrated winter skin. Guests wishing to continue their at-home fitness routine can opt for private online sessions with MIAFIT across yoga, Pilates, mobility, strength training, sound baths and meditation from the comfort of their suite, complete with exercise mat, dumbbells, ankle weights, Pilates ball, yoga blocks and a resistance band.

The Longevity Spa: A Biohacking Sanctuary

The new Longevity Spa embodies the hotel's commitment to wellness and refined living. Here, the mountain expertise of Pure Altitude meets the longevity science of The Recode Club, to offer advanced therapies such as cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen, cryolipolysis, photobiomodulation and bespoke naturopathy consultations, alongside signature Pure Altitude treatments such as reflexology and cryodermy facials to nourishing hypothermal cryogen wrap and Tui Na energy massages rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine to restore meridian balance. Designed as a biohacking sanctuary, the spa features a 12-metre indoor pool, infrared sauna, hammam, Kneipp bath, ice room and dedicated recovery areas. Open to non-residents, the Longevity Spa positions Lodge Park as Megeve's new destination for advanced wellness and performance-led restoration.

Exceptional Alpine Dining

The celebrated Beef Lodge continues to showcase exceptional cuts from the finest farms, including Japanese Wagyu, Black Angus and Simmental. Guests can choose from a rare a la carte selection or the butcher's stall as Head Chef Christophe Cote draws on wood-fired smoking, cooking each cut over low temperatures for over 70 hours, before finishing in an Argentine oven for deeper flavour and tenderness. Dishes are paired with vintages from Domaine de Marie and an expertly curated wine list.

The lodge-inspired dining room marries dark woods and rich leather with hides and subtle rustic touches, nodding to the region's heritage to create a convivial brasserie spirit, while The Lodge Bar sets the stage for apres-ski DJ sets and a menu of indulgent favourites, including an innovative list of beauty boosting collagen-infused cocktails such as a frozen matcha collagen martini, extending the hotel's wellbeing approach into evening celebrations.

Looking Ahead: Summer and Autumn 2026

Lodge Park will close for the winter 2025/26 season on Sunday 22nd March 2026 and reopen for the summer season in early July. The property is also available for private buyouts during the off-season. Looking ahead, summer 2026 will see Lodge Park introduce a new outdoor swimming pool with a sun-drenched poolside terrace and summer kitchen, while autumn will welcome the arrival of a new three-bedroom chalet, La Grande Ourse, marking the family's ongoing evolution in Megeve.

Rates at Lodge Park, Megeve start from 968 per night, inclusive of breakfast / www.lodgepark.com

Hotel website
Chicago  As the hospitality industry looks ahead to 2026, First Hospitality, a national hotel operating and development company, is taking a proactive approach to potential economic headwinds with a sharpened focus on transparency, technology, and intelligent strategy. The company is navigating an increasingly complex travel landscape by leveraging real-time analytics, localized insights, and operational discipline to drive long-term performance.

The hospitality industry is evolving faster than ever, and success now depends on how intelligently and authentically we respond to that change, especially as we head into continued economic uncertainty. Our focus is to manage the economic and technological trends of 2026 by blending technology and AI with humanity; using data and innovation to stay ahead of guest expectations while ensuring every experience still feels personal and local. David Duncan, president and CEO of First Hospitality

AI and Tech Innovation: New Search and Operational Trends

One of the most significant trends reshaping hospitality today is the rapid rise of AI-driven search and decision-making. From Googles AI Overviews to ChatGPT and Perplexity, travelers are increasingly discovering hotels through news- and algorithm-driven pathways.

Alec Schraegle, senior director of digital marketing at First Hospitality, says this shift represents both a major opportunity and a major knowledge gap for hotels. AI is changing how guests search, evaluate, and ultimately choose where to stay, said Schraegle. Our focus is helping hotels understand whats happening so they can get ahead of it.

To help its properties meet this trend head-on, First Hospitality is rolling out a coordinated set of tools and resources designed to inform, guide, and future-proof hotel teams:

The GEO Playbook: A comprehensive, regularly updated guide that explains how AI-driven search tools work and what hotels can do to boost visibility within them. The GEO Playbook provides clear steps, best practices, and tactical recommendations to help properties adapt to evolving search behavior and capture new demand. The GEO Playbook will be regularly updated and refined as new technologies, tools, and insights emerge, ensuring First Hospitality and its teams stay ahead of the curve, said Schraegle.

A comprehensive, regularly updated guide that explains how AI-driven search tools work and what hotels can do to boost visibility within them. The GEO Playbook provides clear steps, best practices, and tactical recommendations to help properties adapt to evolving search behavior and capture new demand. said Schraegle. Operational AI & Tech Efficiencies: Supporting adoption on the operations side, First Hospitality offers First Analytics, a suite of real-time performance tools, including GM scorecards, daily KPI tracking, and guest experience insights. Property leaders and owners gain transparent, data-rich visibility, allowing them to respond quickly to market shifts informed by AI-driven trends.

Labor Market and Retention Focus

A key trend tied to ongoing labor market shifts is First Hospitalitys dual focus on retention and recruitment, ensuring stability across its teams and maintaining service quality amid industry-wide staffing challenges. In 2025, First Hospitality recorded more than 150 internal promotions and reduced time-to-fill for key field leadership roles to under 30 days. The company also maintains a 4.3/5 rating on Glassdoor.

Revenue Management: Navigating Macroeconomic Trends and Driving Rate Growth

As macroeconomic conditions continue to influence traveler behavior, from cautious consumer spending to reductions in corporate travel, First Hospitality anticipates modest RevPAR growth in 2026, driven primarily by strong ADR performance. This contrasts with industry expectations, as CBRE lowered its 2025 U.S. RevPAR growth forecast to 0.1%. In 2025, First Hospitalitys sales teams outperformed competitors, increasing occupancy by +3% and RevPAR index by +1.3% YTD, with Corporate Negotiated business up +8% across the portfolio, compared to a national average of -0.02%.

Were leveraging local market intelligence and data to negotiate higher rates while remaining competitive. Our strategic segmentation and sales-driven focus allow us to offset slower business travel with rate strength and targeted leisure demand. Jenna Fishel, CCO of First Hospitality

Fishel added, Even in a flat RevPAR trend, hotels can still create opportunity. The key is to stay hyper-aware of local market shifts, lean into segmentation strategy, and empower sales teams to drive negotiated business. Rate growth is still out there, and hotel companies just have to be more intentional about how to capture it.

Dining Trends: Mindful Drinking and the Return of Protein

Danny Py, vice president of restaurants and bars at First Hospitality, says 2026 will be defined by mindful indulgence, where flavor, balance, and creativity intersect. Guests are gravitating toward low-alcohol and spirit-free cocktails that still feel celebratory, along with menus that turn everyday dining into a special occasion. Theyre also seeking elevated bar menus that complement their beverage experience.

Py highlighted hotels such as The Lively Hotel in OKC as early adopters of these trends, offering craft mocktails, low-ABV drinks, and everyday luxury small plates like Cowboy Caviar with Frito Scoops. Rooftop venues including High Stakes Rooftop in Louisville, KY, and tapas-style Coa in Oakbrook, IL, are reviving tableside experiences with shareable dishes and carved proteins such as prime rib, that bring back social, celebratory dining. Py also noted a growing shift toward meat- and protein-forward dishes across restaurant menus.

Dining at the bar is really having a moment, said Py. It gives travelers a relaxed, affordable, and genuinely personal way to enjoy a night out with no reservation needed. For business travelers with per diems and leisure guests alike, pulling up a barstool is becoming a social, cost-friendly option that doesnt sacrifice quality. Restaurants, he added, are adapting accordingly.

Guest Experience: Personalized Touches and Everyday Luxury

A growing trend shaping traveler behavior heading into 2026 is the rise of the value economy. With continued uncertainty about rising costs across markets, guests are redefining what value means; prioritizing meaningful local connections, personalization, and thoughtful touches that make a stay memorable. Across First Hospitalitys lifestyle portfolio, the company is embracing this shift by elevating everyday guest touchpoints.

At The Hancock Hotel in Findlay, OH, guests are welcomed with lavender mist, hand-dipped dark chocolate pretzels from a local chocolatier, and handwritten notes from housekeeping.

2026 is shaping up to be the year of the story. With travelers looking beyond price, value becomes about a sense of place. Guests want more than a room, they want a connection. Our hotels are intertwining local culture, art, restaurant and bar offerings, and partnerships to tell authentic stories that reflect their communities. Christina Santarelli, Senior Vice President of Marketing

Santarelli pointed to the Lively Hotel on OAK in Oklahoma City, Tapestry by Hilton, offers guests more than just a stay, it brings forward an art-infused experience that captivates from the moment guests arrive. Creativity flows seamlessly throughout the hotel, with walls, ceilings, and even the smallest details that come alive with color, texture, ad form. Every corner of the hotel invites you to discover art in unexpected ways, making each stay a memorable journey into the world of visual storytelling. For those with a sense of adventure, the Unauthorized Secret Art Society sculptures offer an interactive journey through Lively Hotel. Six hidden, small-scale sculptures are carefully placed through the hotel encouraging curious explorers to take a second look. Each piece has been meticulously crafted to integrate into the hotels modern design adding an element of discovery.

Cloud Puncher, the main dining experience named after the Cloud Puncher sculpture that stands as the centerpiece of the hotels art collection, is a larger-than-life sculpture that spills onto the second-floor terrace, portraying a fearless cowboy lassoing a cloud. The Cloud Puncher reflects the hotels commitment to creativity, bold design and flavors and an atmosphere that visually sparks the imagination and truly tells a memorable story.

Housekeeping Teams: Becoming Ambassadors

Housekeeping teams are increasingly becoming true ambassadors of the property, championing wellness, safety, and sustainability in every guest interaction. As labor shortages continue to challenge the industry, these teams are taking on broader, more impactful roles. By embracing new efficiencies through technology, smarter workflows, and enhanced training, housekeepers are empowered to deliver a higher-quality clean faster than ever before. In doing so, they elevate the guest experience while personifying the standards and purpose of the brands they represent.

Housekeeping teams have become true ambassadors of our properties, which speaks to our People First culture. Were focusing on smarter workflows, technology, and advanced training to deliver a higher-quality clean faster than ever, and elevating the guest experience. Nick Johnson, Senior Vice President of Full-Service and Lifestyle Hotels

For more information about First Hospitality and its portfolio of hotels, please visit: firsthospitality.com.

About First Hospitality

First Hospitality is a top-ranking development, investment, and third-party operating company with a portfolio of branded, lifestyle and independent properties along with a portfolio of restaurants & bars located throughout the United States. Founded 40 years ago, the organization fosters opportunities for associates, investors, owners, and partners to prosper together. The foundation of First Hospitality's success is built on an individualized approach that puts people first, encourages a strong ownership culture, and consistently demonstrates astute business acumen. The company and its hotels are frequently recognized by the industry and media for high guest service and associate satisfaction, including accolades from Forbes, Conde Nast, TripAdvisor, and AAA. For more information, visit www.firsthospitality.com.
Rendering of the Cape Town EDITION Hotel



Marriott International and V&A Waterfront Holdings have signed an agreement to open The Cape Town EDITION at the V&A Waterfront by 2026.

Marriott International has announced a partnership with V&A Waterfront Holdings to open The Cape Town EDITION, marking the debut of the EDITION Hotels brand in Africa. The new hotel is scheduled to open in 2026 and will be located within the V&A Waterfront, a prominent destination in Cape Town.

The Cape Town EDITION will feature 142 guest rooms and suites. The development will also include a rooftop bar, spa, pool, and various meeting and event facilities. Additionally, the project will incorporate six private residences known as The Residences at The Cape Town EDITION.

The architectural design of the hotel and residences will be undertaken by Shanghai-based firm Neri & Hu, in collaboration with local architect and design firm StudioMAS. The design aims to blend modern style with local character.

The location at the V&A Waterfront offers views of the Atlantic Ocean, the City Bowl, and notable landmarks such as Table Mountain, Lion's Head, and Signal Hill. The V&A Waterfront is a popular destination in Africa, known for its attractions, dining, and retail, and for its proximity to the Granger Bay development.

The project represents a strategic expansion for Marriott International, introducing the EDITION brand to the African continent.
Oracle Extends Consumer Payment Solution with Charitable Giving at Checkout and New Location and Hardware Options



Oracle Extends Consumer Payment Solution with Charitable Giving at Checkout and New Location and Hardware Options

Oracle is enhancing how hospitality brands engage with guests and manage their operations, with new Oracle Payments features such as in-terminal charitable donations, expanded device offerings, and new location and regional coverage. These updates deliver secure, compliant experiences that make it easy for guests to pay with their preferred method and brands to operate with a trusted, no-fee-surprises payment platform whether they are serving fans at a stadium, diners in a restaurant, or making it easier for guests to check-in and pay for their hotel stay.

"Big Boy is committed to making a positive difference in our communities," said Matthew Gilmour, director of information technology, Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC. "With the new capabilities in Oracle Payment terminals, we're making it easier than ever for our guests to contribute to charitable causes right at checkout. This is a win-win for us and our customers to give back, while Oracle's secure and innovative payment solutions continue to simplify and enhance our daily operations."

New Oracle Payments capabilities include:

Availability in Canada: Oracle Payments is now live and certified to support local compliance, preferred payment methods, and local tax regulations in Canada. The solution will be available for hospitality customers in the coming months.

Oracle Payments is now live and certified to support local compliance, preferred payment methods, and local tax regulations in Canada. The solution will be available for hospitality customers in the coming months. New payment devices: VeriFone M450 multilane payment device features an 8" color touchscreen (supporting EMV, NFC, and mobile payments), and the AMS1 mobile terminal for seamless on-the-go checkout with Android 10, 4G/Wi-Fi connectivity, and PCI PTS6 compliance.

VeriFone M450 multilane payment device features an 8" color touchscreen (supporting EMV, NFC, and mobile payments), and the AMS1 mobile terminal for seamless on-the-go checkout with Android 10, 4G/Wi-Fi connectivity, and PCI PTS6 compliance. Simplified remote payments: Enable hotels to send secure, mobile-optimized payment links - no additional integration required - to help make remote, pre-arrival, and last-minute payments easier for guests.

Enable hotels to send secure, mobile-optimized payment links - no additional integration required - to help make remote, pre-arrival, and last-minute payments easier for guests. Integration with OPERA Cloud: Speeds the check-in process by enabling guests to check-in and pay through electronic registration and review and sign terms and conditions online.

Speeds the check-in process by enabling guests to check-in and pay through electronic registration and review and sign terms and conditions online. More venues: Now spas, gift shops, parking services, and additional on-site outlets can accept Oracle Payments outside of core hotel systems through unified terminals.

"Enabling charitable donations at checkout and expanding our payment capabilities globally, empowers brands to foster meaningful guest connections and support causes they care about," said Chris Adams, senior vice president, Industry Embedded Finance. "With flexible solutions like pay-by-link and unified payment experiences across restaurants, spas, parking, and more, we're helping our customers personalize service, drive operational efficiency, and make a positive impact with every interaction."

To see these solutions in action, join us at the Oracle Hospitality Summit, January 19-21st in London, UK; the Oracle Restaurants Summit, March 17-19th in Chicago, IL; or visit oracle.com.

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud companyushering in the new era of cloud computing.
Decoding the AI Bubble: Tulips, Dot-Coms, or Something Else? - Image Credit Unsplash+



Professors from Wharton and UCLA break down the latest research on generative AI and what it tells us about a potential AI bubble.

The following article was written by Shlomo Benartzi, professor emeritus of behavioral decision-making at UCLAs Anderson School of Management and senior fellow at Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, and Stefano Puntoni, Wharton marketing professor and co-director of Wharton Human-AI Research.

The rise of artificial intelligence, and generative AI in particular, has triggered a familiar debate: Are we living through the early stages of a technological revolution  or yet another economic bubble? Depending on who you ask, AI is either the engine of the next century of productivity or the most overhyped technology of all time. These competing narratives shape how capital is allocated and how business leaders plan for the future.

This leads to a central question: If AI is a bubble, what kind of bubble is it?

History offers two classic analogies. The first is tulip mania, a frenzy driven almost entirely by speculation, where prices detached from any real underlying value. (At the height of tulip mania in the winter of 1636, a single rare tulip bulb sold for the price of a house in Amsterdam.)

Its easy to laugh at tulip mania from a distance, but our era has produced its own versions. The cryptocurrency dogecoin, for example, increased in value by more than 200 times in the first few months of 2021, largely fueled by social media posts. The coin has since lost almost all of those gains. At least the tulip buyers received flowers for their trouble.

The second kind of bubble is the dot-com boom, where a genuine technological revolution collided with investor exuberance  producing short-term overvaluation but long-term transformation. Amazons share price, for instance, declined by 94% between late 1999 and late 2001, after the dot-com bubble popped. And while it took nearly ten years for the share price to bounce back, it is now 41 times higher than its dot-com peak.

Or consider Pets.com, which raised tens of millions of dollars in its IPO despite losing money on every bag of dog food it shipped. By the end of 2000  less than a year after its celebrated public offering and Super Bowl commercial  the website had exhausted its resources and was forced into liquidation.

Crucially, however, the premise of Pets.com  that consumers would eventually purchase pet supplies online  proved prescient. By 2025, 55% of all pet food sales occurred through online channels. The failure of the firm was not evidence against the potential of e-commerce, but rather a consequence of timing, execution, and premature speculation.

Understanding whether AI resembles tulips or the internet is essential for interpreting todays valuations and the expectations behind them. For executives allocating scarce capital, it is perhaps the most critical question of our time.

To help answer the question, lets start with a simple decision tree (see Diagram 1).

Thinking Architecture for Evaluating Bubbles

Diagram 1: Thinking Architecture for Evaluating Bubbles

Step 1: Is the Technology Providing Value to Enterprises?

Evaluating whether AI is in a bubble begins with a foundational question: Is the technology delivering meaningful value to firms?

Our three case studies (see below) suggest that AI is already creating significant, and potentially transformative, value. Of course, these success stories may be outliers. To better assess the overall value of AI, lets look at a new study by Wharton researchers Jeremy Korst, Stefano Puntoni and Prasanna Tambe, along with a team at GBK. According to their survey of 800 enterprise executives, roughly 75% indicate that generative AI has already improved productivity, enhanced decision-making, or streamlined tasks. While these improvements often stem from early-stage implementations rather than fully embedded systems, they nonetheless represent meaningful benefits.

Three AI Success Stories Consulting: A large-scale study by researchers at Harvard, MIT, and Wharton featuring more than 750 BCG consultants examined how generative AI affects professional-services work. The experiment showed that using GPT-4 for creative product-innovation tasks significantly boosted performance, with about 90% of BCG consultants improving and converging at a level roughly 40% higher than those working without AI. Financial Services: JPMorgan Chases asset-and-wealth-management arm reported that its use of artificial-intelligence tools helped it boost gross sales by about 20%, even amid recent market volatility. The bank said its Coach AI tool enabled advisers to find relevant research and client-data up to 95% faster, which allowed them to focus more on meaningful client conversations. The firm expects the adviser roster to expand by up to 50% over the next three to five years, leveraging AI to handle more clients and streamline supporting work. Accounting: A biotechnology company used Google Clouds Document AI to automate most of their invoice-processing workflow, cutting hours devoted to manual data entry by roughly 25%. The solution delivered an estimated 40x ROI. They also deployed the system in under three months, with a human-review fallback to ensure accuracy.

However, other research offers a different perspective. A recent study from MIT, looked at organizations that have attempted to integrate AI into core processes, redesign workflows, and measure the financial impact of the technology. The researchers apply a stringent definition of success, and focus on whether or not AI has already led to profit and loss (P&L) level gains. Under these criteria, only 5% of firms have achieved success with AI.

While these two studies appear to be contradictory, a closer look demonstrates that they are seeking to answer fundamentally different questions.

Wharton asks: Is AI useful today?

And the answer appears to be yes. Many organizations are benefiting from generative AI in tangible ways  streamlining tasks, enhancing productivity, and improving decision-making.

MIT asks: Is AI transforming businesses already?

And the answer so far is not yet. Only a small fraction of firms have the governance, the infrastructure, and redesigned workflows required to convert experimental value into durable financial returns.

Taken together, the studies indicate that AI is providing real value, but the depth and distribution of that value vary considerably (see Table 1). This is consistent with a technology in the early stages of diffusion rather than with speculative mania. In other words, AI does not resemble tulip mania: the underlying technology is creating observable benefits even if only a subset of firms have achieved large-scale P&L impact.

Table 1: Synthesizing Different Research Reports

MIT Study Wharton Study Sample 52 interviews with firms attempting real-world deployments; survey of 153 senior leaders. Longitudinal surveys of ~800 enterprise leaders, conducted over three years; broader sampling across industries, firm sizes, and adoption stages. Main Question Is AI transforming businesses already? Is AI useful today? Success Measure Quantifiable P&L impact Productivity improvements, even if localized; positive results from pilots or experiments; favorable sentiment among executives and teams. Key Results 5% of firms report a P&L benefit from AI 75% of firms report positive returns from AI

Step 2: Is the Value Created Commensurate with Market Valuations?

The second question in our thinking architecture shifts from enterprise outcomes to the financial markets. Even if AI is delivering value today, does that value justify its extraordinary market capitalization? Current valuations  across semiconductor firms, cloud providers, model developers, and AI-adjacent industries  implicitly assume substantial future productivity gains.

The simple answer is that we dont know whether AI is currently priced correctly. Even in a basic discounted cash flow model, small changes in assumptions can create massive differences in valuation.

Consider a simplified example: Suppose an AI company will generate $100 of value in five years, and the risk profile translates to a 10% discount rate. Under these assumptions, the company would be worth about $62 today (see Table 2).

But the truth is, we dont know when AI will deliver value, how much value it will generate, or how risky the path will be. If we instead assume the company will take twice as long to realize value, produce only half as much, and face double the risk, its present value falls to just $8  roughly one-eighth as much.

These inputs are guesses, and the range of plausible guesses is huge. Thats why its so easy to misprice AI, in either direction. It could be a bubble, it could be fairly priced, or it could even be undervalued.

Table 2: The Sensitivity of AI Valuations to Assumptions

Valuation Imputs Model A Model B Time 5 years 10 years Future Value $100 $50 Discount Rate / Risk 10% 20% Present Value $62.09 $8.08

Conclusion: What Kind of Bubble Is AI?

So what kind of bubble  if any  is AI? The evidence suggests that AI is not tulip mania: The value is real, observable, and already present across a wide cross-section of enterprises. Even modest pilot deployments are yielding productivity gains, and early adopters are beginning to integrate AI into meaningful parts of their operations.

While markets are pricing in a future defined by large-scale productivity gains and organizational redesign, firms are still contending with the early, difficult work of integration, which helps explain the limited P&L gains to date. In this environment, the critical question for business leaders is not whether AI will eventually create value  it will  but how long it will take for their industry to realize that value.

We cannot tell you how to allocate your personal investments, nor whether anyone should invest their IRA in Nvidia. But we can offer a simpler recommendation to executives: Invest your time. In many industries, effective generative AI deployment will be crucial to survival  not in the distant future, but in the competitive landscape emerging right now.

Takeaways

If we combine insights from the Wharton and MIT studies, a consistent pattern emerges: Most firms are experimenting with AI, but only a small minority have figured out how to turn experimentation into measurable P&L gains. To join that group, focus on three priorities:

Re-imagine: Run a true whiteboard exercise to rethink what your company should become in the AI era  not just how to bolt AI onto what exists, but how AI changes the very shape of your industry. Fuel growth: Dont use AI simply to make existing experiences cheaper. Use it to make customer experiences better. Efficiency matters, but growth is where the real value lies. Urgency: Act now. The pace of change is already extraordinary. Waiting increases the risk of falling behind, and catching up will only become more difficult.



This article originally appeared on Knowledge@Wharton.
Over Five Million Brits Expected to Travel Abroad During Holiday Season - Image Credit Unsplash



ABTA projects that more than five million individuals will travel abroad from December 19 to January 4, with December 19 expected to be the peak departure day.

ABTA, The Travel Association, estimates that more than five million people will travel internationally during the Christmas and New Year period, spanning from December 19 to January 4. December 19 is expected to be the busiest day for departures, while Christmas Day is predicted to be the least busy.

The holiday season is a popular time for international travel, particularly among families taking advantage of the school break. Destinations such as mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Portugal, and Turkey are seeing strong sales, according to ABTA members. Other favored winter sun locations include Palma de Mallorca, Dubai, and Sharm El Sheik.

Travelers seeking festive experiences are opting for Christmas market trips to cities like Tallin, Gdansk, Vienna, and Cologne. For those desiring a traditional snowy holiday, ski resorts in France, Austria, Switzerland, and Scandinavia are leading choices. Popular city break destinations for New Year celebrations include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Geneva, Milan, Paris, Prague, and Rome.

Major UK airports are reporting high passenger numbers, with Stansted expecting 700,000 departures, Luton 400,000, Manchester 750,000, Birmingham 250,000, and Bristol 225,000. Heathrow anticipates its busiest December and Christmas Day on record. Scottish airports, including Edinburgh, are also experiencing significant traffic, with over 120,000 expected to depart during its peak days.

In addition to air travel, a substantial number of travelers are crossing the English Channel by ferry and through the Channel Tunnel, or embarking on cruises.

ABTA advises travelers to plan for busy roads and potential public transport disruptions, recommending that they allow extra time for travel to departure points. The association also emphasizes the importance of appropriate travel insurance for those heading to ski destinations.

For further travel planning and preparation advice, ABTA directs travelers to its website.
Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin - Image Credit Rosewood Hotels



Rosewood Hotel Group has opened Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin, marking the companys first ski resort and its entry into the alpine hospitality segment. The opening brings the groups total number of property launches in 2025 to eight across three continents, according to the company.

Rosewood Hotel Group has opened Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin, marking the companys first ski resort and its entry into the alpine hospitality segment. The opening brings the groups total number of property launches in 2025 to eight across three continents, according to the company.

Located in Courchevel 1850 in the French Alps, the new property is the latest addition to Rosewoods global development pipeline. The company said the opening aligns with its broader strategy of expanding into new destination types while maintaining a focus on luxury hospitality and branded residential offerings.

Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin features ski-in, ski-out access and includes guest accommodations, dining venues, wellness facilities, and public spaces. The hotels lobby features an art installation by Olafur Eliasson, comprising suspended crystalline structures that evoke snowflake forms through mirrored surfaces.

The Courchevel opening follows seven other Rosewood Hotel Group launches in 2025. These include Rosewood Residences Beverly Hills, the companys first standalone residential property offered for sale in the United States, and the New World Jinzhou Hotel in China. Together, the openings reflect Rosewoods continued expansion across both hotel and residential segments.

In addition to its 2025 openings, Rosewood Hotel Group is preparing several new projects scheduled to open in the coming years. Among them is Rosewood AMAALA, an ultra-luxury resort under development on Saudi Arabias Red Sea coast, as well as Rosewood Red Sea, located on Shura Island as part of The Red Sea destination. Both projects are part of Saudi Arabias broader tourism development initiatives.

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The company is also planning its entry into Greece with Rosewood Blue Palace and Rosewood Residences Crete, a coastal development intended to integrate with the islands landscape and cultural heritage. In Italy, Rosewood Rome is under development in a group of early-20th-century buildings on Via Veneto, formerly occupied by Banca Nazionale del Lavoro.

Additional planned developments include Rosewood Calistoga and Rosewood Residences Calistoga in Californias Napa Valley; Rosewood Dubai and Rosewood Residences Dubai on the Peninsula Dubai waterfront; Rosewood Residences Turtle Creek in Dallas; and Rosewood Residences Lido Key on Floridas Gulf Coast.

Elsewhere in its portfolio, Rosewood has recently opened or announced properties in destinations including Doha, Amsterdam, Mexicos Pacific coast, Japans Miyakojima, and Beverly Hills. The company said these projects reflect a continued emphasis on geographic diversification and long-term development across high-growth and established luxury markets.

Rosewood Hotel Group operates a collection of luxury hotels, resorts, and branded residences worldwide under the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and New World Hotels & Resorts brands.
Clark Art Exhibition on French Artists Who Challenged Realism

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Clark Art Institute presents an exhibition on mid-nineteenth-century French artists who looked beyond realistic subject matter.

Their work encompasses the Gothic nostalgia of architectural photography, the social critique embedded in searing allegorical illustrations, and the literary connections with fantastical art. "Shadow Visionaries: French Artists Against the Current, 184070" is on view Dec. 20, 2025 through March 8, 2026 in the Clark Center lower level.

According to a press release:

Although Realism is often seen as the dominant aesthetic of mid-nineteenth-century France, many artists working outside of painting embraced imagination, dreams, and allegory instead. Working against the grain, figures such as Victor Hugo (18021885), Charles Meryon (18211868), and Rodolphe Bresdin (18221885)and a roster of early photographersoffered an alternate vision anchored in memory, fantasy, and longing. These "shadow visionaries" recognized the potential of prints and photographs to construct a spiritual consciousness in the art of mid-1800s France.

"This exhibition gives us a wonderful opportunity to explore some of the treasures in our works on paper collection, along with a wide group of special loans from key French and American museums, through a fascinating lens," said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. "The style and subject matter of the works included in the exhibition explore the strange and the surreal, but above all, they provide a rare opportunity to appreciate the singular beauty of the work these artists were producing."

The exhibition features some 95 prints, drawings, and photographs drawn from the Clarks collection along with important loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Yale University Art Gallery, and Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris among others.

"Realism has been a stubborn watchword for French art of the mid-1800s, so it is fascinating and surprising to examine a group of artists from that moment who embraced a radically different style. Despite (or maybe because of) feeling out of sync with their times, these artists found beautiful and original modes of expression, using printmaking and photography to represent interior visions rather than visible reality," said exhibition curator Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs.
PEDA Site 9 Preparation, Member Retirement

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The redevelopment of Site 9 for mixed-use in the William Stanley Business Park is set to take off.

Edward Weagle, principal geologist at Roux Associates, gave an update on the yearlong work to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority last week.

"It's been a real pleasure for me to work on a project like this," he said. "This is kind of like a project of a career of a lifetime for me, and I'm very pleased to see that we're just at the finish line right now. My understanding is that all the documents are in front of the commissioner, waiting for her to sign off."

Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use building that includes housing on the site. Roux, headquartered in Islandia, N.Y., was hired assist with obtaining grant financing, regulatory permitting, and regulatory approvals to aid in preparing the 16.5-acre site for redevelopment. Approximately 25,000 cubic yards of concrete slabs, foundations, and pavements were removed from the former GE site.

Once the documents are signed off, PEDA can begin the work of transferring 4.7 acres to Mill Town. Weagle said the closing on this project will make it easier to work on the other parcels and that he's looking forward to working on Sites 7 and 8.

PEDA received a $500,000 Site Readiness Program grant last year from MassDevelopment for Sites 7 and Site 8. The approximately 3-acre sites are across Woodlawn Avenue from Site 9 and border Kellogg Street.

In other news, the state Department of Transportation has rented the east side of the parking lot for CDL (Commercial Driver's License) training. This is an annual lease that began in September and will bring in $37,200 in revenue.

Lastly, the meeting concluded with congratulations to Maurice "Mick" Callahan Jr. on his retirement.

Callahan is a former chair and a founding member of PEDA, dating back to when the board was established in the 1990s. He has also served on a number of civic and community boards and has volunteered for many organizations in the Berkshires. He is the president of M. Callahan Inc.

"The one thing that's been a common denominator back is that you've always put others before yourself. You've served others well. You've been a mentor to two generations of Denmarks, and I'm sure many generations of other families and people within this city," said board Chair Jonathan Denmark. "We can never say thank you enough, but thank you for your services, for the creation of this board, your service to the city of Pittsfield, and to all the communities that you've represented and enjoy retirement."

"It wasn't always easy to be in the position that you were in Mick, but you handled it with so much grace, always respecting this community, bringing pride to our community," member Linda Clairmont said. "I could not have accomplished many of the things I did, especially here for this business part, without you all of the Economic Development discussions that we had really informed my thinking, and I'm so grateful."

Callahan left the team with a message as this was his final meeting, but said he is always reachable if needed.

"I also have to say that a lot of great people sat around this table and other tables before the current board, and the time that I had with Pam [Green] and Mike [Filpi] sticking around, the leadership of this mayor [board member Linda Tyer], and it really, it was always great synergy," he said.

"So don't be afraid to embrace change. And you know, you got a business model. It's been around long time. Shake it up. Take a good look at it, figure out where it needs to go, and you're lucky to have leadership that you have here."
Mount Greylock School Committee Discusses Collaboration Project with North County Districts

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  News that the group looking at ways to increase cooperation among secondary schools in North County reached a milestone sparked yet another discussion about that group's objectives among members of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee.

At Thursday's meeting, Carolyn Greene reported that the Northern Berkshire Secondary Sustainability task force , where she represents the Lanesborough-Williamstown district, had completed a request for proposals in its search for a consulting firm to help with the process that the task force will turn over to a steering committee comprised of four representatives from four districts: North Berkshire School Union, North Adams Public Schools, Hoosac Valley Regional School District and Mount Greylock Regional School District.

Greene said the consultant will be asked to, "work on things like data collection and community outreach in all of the districts that are participating, coming up with maybe some options on how to share resources."

"That wraps up the work of this particular working group," she added. "It was clear that everyone [on the group] had the same goals in mind, which is how do we do education even better for our students, given the limitations that we all face.

"It was a good process."

One of Greene's colleagues on the Mount Greylock School Committee used her report as a chance to challenge that process.

"I strongly support collaboration, I think it's a terrific idea," Steven Miller said. "But I will admit I get terrified when I see words like 'regionalization' in documents like this. I would feel much better if that was not one of the items we were discussing at this stage  that we were talking more about shared resources.

"And before we discuss regionalization, we would actually have some open discussions with members of our community. It was extremely challenging bringing together Williamstown and Lanesborough. There were a lot of issues to make regionalization work. And rather than spending time and resources on something like that, I would much rather see the efforts going toward shared resources."

Greene noted that regionalization is just one of the options that the consultant will be asked to look at.

"I appreciate the comment, Steve, and it's one that you've made pretty consistently," she said. "I think there is a shared understanding in this [North County] group that regionalization is something that may apply to some districts and not others. But there are ways in which we can all help each other figure that out.

"Mount Greylock may not be talking about regionalization at this point, but Hoosac and Drury might be, or the Northern Berkshire School Union and Drury might be. There are ways regionalization might make sense for some districts down the road and may not for others. But there are still opportunities for us to support each other in those conversations and offer experiences and feedback.  It's not meant to strike terror in your mind or others, quite honestly. But there are some districts for which the word 'regionalization' is important to bring up as a way to help them in the future  help them survive and help them to figure out better ways to educate the kids.

"That's what this is about, finding better ways to educate the students of Northern Berkshire County."

The RFP approved by the representatives from the four districts calls for the consultant to, "Develop at least four sustainability scenarios, such as shared services, grade reconfiguration, collaborative programming, and/or partial/full regionalization."

Greene said the options are not mutually exclusive.

"I suspect there will be a combination of options that bubble to the surface," Greene said. "But we can't lead with fear. I've said that before, and I'm just going to say it again. We have nothing to fear. We only have the best intentions, and I think we have enough wisdom around the table to understand what our limits are."

Each of the four member districts in the collaboration effort is set to finalize its four members on the Steering Committee by mid-January, Greene said.

In other business on Thursday, the School Committee heard a report from Mount Greylock Principal Jake Schutz on a draft program of study for the 2026-27 academic year.

Schutz said the changes were minimal in some departments and, in others, "more targeted to focus our support and interventions."

"The focus, overall, is on creating opportunities while maintaining the robust programming, which oftentimes are competing requirements," he said.

Faculty, counselors, administrators and the School Council were involved in the process of developing the proposed program of study presented on Thursday.

Some of the potential changes Schutz discussed included: seeing if there is student interest in a course in contemporary issues as a social studies course; combining college prep and honors classes, if needed, in English in grades 11 and 12; increased section offerings with smaller class sizes in math; and a Advanced Placement classes in Spanish literature and music theory.

And, on a related note, Superintendent Joseph Bergeron discussed recent announcements from Boston on potential graduation requirements for high schools in the commonwealth.

"If updated graduation requirements are adopted [in the summer of 2027], those most likely would be phased in," Bergeron said. "So we would be looking at a number of years for any of this to actually come to fruition."

Bergeron said that the program of study under discussion in Boston is, "pretty compatible with what we already do." An exception: Mount Greylock does not currently require two years of a world language or one year of arts in high school, but, "they are very common things for students to do."

Changing those to requirements would not be a heavy lift at Mount Greylock, but it could change the way students think about electives, he said.
Alexandra Padilla is the new owner of the Artful Jeweler on Ashland Street in North Adams. Some of Padilla's pieces. Stained glass ornaments by Cheryl Coppens' mother. PreviousNext

North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner



Cheryl Coppens put out a call for someone to take over the jewelry business she began last spring  jewelry maker Alexandra Padilla answered the call.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The Artful Jeweler has a new owner who is looking to expand its offerings.

Cheryl Coppens opened the jewelry store in May, showcasing local artists, offering fine jewelry, and jewelry repair.

But a new grandson in Texas, and the difficulties in flying back and forth to see him, had her looking to move closer to him.

Last month, she posted on the business's Facebook that she wanted someone to take over the space and continue the venture. Alexandra Padilla reached out to her and Coppens said she met all her criteria she was looking for in anew owner.

"You have to really want to be in retail. You have to want to be in this community, priced where people can afford it. Alex is native to North Adams. Her husband, she's got two great kids, so it just felt like they would be able to continue the store," Coppens said. "So the criteria really was somebody that would work the store, not somebody that would just come in and hire employees. I didn't want that."

Padilla started taking over the store in the beginning of December. She has been selling jewelry for about three years, and has an online shop, and has worked in wholesale jewelry for about 15 years.

"I always wanted to have my own thing on it, and I wanted to bring something new, and I want to involve my family, my kids do something, and I want to be independent," she said.

Now Padilla showcases her jewelry in the Ashland Street store and plans to keep some of the local artists' items, like stained glass made by Coppens' mother.

Padilla customizes jewelry and tailors pieces to her customers.

She plans to work around her job at Berkshire County Head Start so she can open store for more hours.

She also plans to redesign the store a little bit and bring in a couple more lines, like more rings and pearls.

The store is open on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays 9 to 2, Fridays 9 to 6, and Sundays 9 to 3. The store has also been open on Mondays 10 to 5 and Tuesdays 10 to 3 for the holidays.

Padilla thanks Coppens for trusting her and hopes customers continue to support the Artful Jeweler.

"Thank you for trusting me. I'm going to try and do my best and work hard to make it happen," she said. "This is our first time selling retail, so we hope the community supports us in here."

Coppens will be helping Padilla until she is comfortable operating the store on her own. She said it will continue to be a space of community support.

"Just being able to support people, to give them something special at a price that they can afford. ... Really that's why I wanted Alex here, because she will do the customized things that you just heard her say, trying to make sure that we're doing the right things for the community," Coppens said.
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China has threatened tougher military action around Taiwan and intensified combat training after the US announced its largest-ever arms package for the self-governed island, escalating tensions across one of Asias most dangerous flashpoints.

Chinas defence ministry said the Peoples Liberation Army would increase training and take forceful measures to defend what it calls national sovereignty, after Washington unveiled a planned $11.1bn (8.8bn) weapons sale to Taiwan.

Beijing condemned the move as a direct challenge, saying it had lodged stern representations with the US, demanding an immediate halt to arms supplies to the island.

The Taiwan independence separatist forces, at the cost of the safety and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, use the hard-earned money of ordinary people to fatten US arms dealers in an attempt to seek independence by relying on military force, the ministry said.

It warned the US that by backing Taipei, it was bound to get burned itself.

open image in gallery Washington announces one of the largest weapons packages for Taiwan as it seeks to deter a potential Chinese invasion ( AFP via Getty Images )

The ministry added: The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army will continue to strengthen training and combat readiness, take strong measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely frustrate attempts at Taiwan independence separatism and external interference.

The unusually blunt language underscores how Beijing increasingly frames US support for Taiwan as a provocation that could justify military escalation.

China has never ruled out using force to seize the island and regularly conducts large-scale air and naval drills near Taiwan, which many analysts view as rehearsals for a blockade or invasion.

The US arms package, announced by the Trump administration on Wednesday, covers eight categories of weapons and equipment, including Himars rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius loitering munition drones and spare parts.

open image in gallery China's president Xi Jinping in Beijing on 12 November 2025 and US president Donald Trump in Washington, DC on 22 November 2025 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Himars  High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems  are precision-guided launchers manufactured by Lockheed Martin and used extensively by Ukraine against Russian forces.

Washington has formal diplomatic relations with Beijing but is bound by US law, including the Taiwan Relations Act, to help Taiwan maintain the means to defend itself.

The White House says the sales are intended to deter conflict, not provoke it. The Pentagon said the package supports US national, economic and security interests by helping Taiwan modernise its armed forces and preserve a credible defensive capability.

The deal still requires approval from Congress, where backing for Taiwan is strong across party lines.

President Donald Trump on Thursday also signed into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defence policy bill, which fully funds the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative at $1bn and authorises continued US military training support for the island.

Taipeis defence ministry welcomed those provisions, saying they would strengthen combat capabilities and help ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait  the narrow body of water separating Taiwan from mainland China.

Taiwans democratically elected government rejects Beijings sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide their future.

Lai Ching-te, the islands president, has been branded a separatist by Beijing, which has rebuffed repeated offers of talks. His government has accelerated defence reforms aimed at asymmetric warfare  relying on mobile, survivable systems such as missiles and drones to offset Chinas numerical advantage.

Our country will continue to promote defence reforms, strengthen whole-of-society defence resilience, demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves, and safeguard peace through strength, said Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for the presidential office, thanking Washington for the weapons sales.

Mr Lai last month announced a $40bn supplementary defence budget covering 2026 to 2033, saying there was no room for compromise on national security.

Chinas foreign ministry echoed the defence ministrys anger, condemning provisions in the US defence bill as exaggerating threats from Beijing. Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson, said China was strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed and would take resolute measures to defend its interests.

In a separate statement on the arms sale, Mr Guo said: By aiding Taiwan independence with weapons, the US side will only bring fire upon itself; using Taiwan to contain China is absolutely doomed to fail.

The announcement followed an unpublicised visit by Taiwans foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, to the Washington area last week to meet US officials, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Some regional allies had feared US support for Taiwan might weaken under Mr Trump, who is planning a meeting with Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, next year.

US officials have sought to counter those concerns, saying they intend to raise weapons sales to Taipei beyond levels seen during Mr Trumps first term. The administrations new national security strategy explicitly commits to deterring conflict over Taiwan by preserving military overmatch against China, language welcomed in Taipei.

The document highlights Taiwans strategic position between north-east and south-east Asia.

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the USTaiwan Business Council, said systems such as Himars could be crucial in destroying an invading Chinese force.

This bundle of congressional notifications, a record in US security assistance for Taiwan, is a response to the threat from China and the demand from Mr Trump that partners and allies do more to secure their own defence, he said.
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A Japanese court has sentenced a woman to one year in jail, suspended for three years, for hiding her daughters body in a closet and later a freezer for nearly 20 years, calling it a heinous crime.

Keiko Mori, 76, was arrested in September after she confessed to concealing her adult daughters body in a freezer at her home in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. Her daughter, Makiko, was 29 years old at the time of her death and her decomposed body was found at the family home in Ami town.

The Tsuchiura branch of the Mito district court handed down the sentence on Thursday after prosecutors sought a one-year prison term, a relatively lenient punishment after the court found strong mitigating circumstances.

Judge Shizuka Asakura said Mori had initially kept her daughters body in a closet at her house and later moved it to a freezer in the kitchen after it began to decompose.

Mori told investigators that the smell from the body had filled the house, prompting her to buy a freezer and place the body inside it.

She was taken into custody and charged with concealing a corpse after she arrived at a local police station with a relative and confessed.

Investigators who went to Moris home found the body dressed in a T-shirt and underwear, kneeling face-down inside the freezer, police said.

Mori said she had kept the body there for about 20 years, since around 2005. Due to the length of time, police said the decomposition was advanced despite the freezing, and an autopsy was ordered to determine the official cause of death.

The court acknowledged Moris testimony that her daughter had struggled with illegal drug use and had been physically violent towards her parents, local media reported.

Makiko was killed by her father, Moris husband, who died in September, but the court noted that when he had tried to report the murder to police, he was stopped by Moris mother.

That point on, the court said, Mori was compelled to continue concealing her husbands crime, which ultimately led to her own offence.

This was a heinous crime, the court ruled, adding that the prolonged concealment of the body gravely violated societys religious and moral respect for the dead.

Makiko, born in 1975, would have been 49 or 50 years old at the time her mother went to police.
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Japan has reiterated its long-standing commitment to never possessing nuclear weapons, following reports that a senior security official had suggested the country should acquire them for deterrence.

Local media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that an unnamed official from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis office advocated for nuclear armament due to a deteriorating security landscape.

The official reportedly acknowledged the significant political hurdles such a move would entail.

In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed in Tokyo that Japans nuclear policy remains unchanged.

However, he declined to comment on the officials remarks or whether the individual would retain their government position.

A Reuters investigation published in August revealed a growing political and public appetite in Japan to reconsider its three non-nuclear principles, which prohibit the possession, development, or allowance of nuclear weapons.

open image in gallery At a regular press briefing in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan's nuclear policy had not changed, but declined to comment on the remarks or to say whether the person would remain in government ( AP )

This shift is partly driven by concerns over the reliability of US security guarantees under President Donald Trump, alongside escalating threats from nuclear-armed China, Russia, and North Korea.

Japan currently hosts the largest overseas concentration of US military forces and has maintained a security alliance with Washington for decades.

Some lawmakers within Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party have said the United States should be allowed to bring nuclear weapons into Japan on submarines or other platforms to reinforce deterrence.

Takaichi last month stirred debate on her own stance by declining to say whether there would be any changes to the three principles when her administration formulates a new defence strategy next year.

"Putting these trial balloons out creates an opportunity to start to build consensus around the direction to move on changes in security policy," said Stephen Nagy, professor at the department of politics and international studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

open image in gallery Discussions about acquiring or hosting nuclear weapons are highly sensitive in the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, and risk unsettling neighbouring countries, including China

Beijing's assertiveness and growing missile cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang are "creating the momentum to really change Japan's thinking about security," he added.

Discussions about acquiring or hosting nuclear weapons are highly sensitive in the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, and risk unsettling neighbouring countries, including China.

Ties between Tokyo and Beijing worsened last month after Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan that also threatened Japan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" and trigger a military response.
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Letting slip certain curse words may see you land in hot water at work or be sent off to wash your mouth out with soap by your parents.

But swearing could actually have real benefits, according to a new study published in the journal American Psychologist.

They found swearing can be a calorie-neutral way to boost peoples physical performance by helping them overcome their inhibitions and push themselves harder when taking part in demanding physical activities.

open image in gallery Scientists found people who swore while performing challenging physical tasks were able to push themselves further ( Getty Images/iStock )

In many situations, people hold themselves back  consciously or unconsciously  from using their full strength, said study author Dr Richard Stephens. Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and go for it a little more.

Previous research from the team suggested that when people swear, they perform better on many physical challenges, including how long they can keep their hand in ice water and how long they can support their body weight during a chair push-up exercise.

But Dr Stephens wanted to understand why it was that people could perform better when swearing. He believed that cursing could put people in a disinhibited state of mind, which in turn may allow them to push themselves harder.

We were working on the idea that one of the ways that swearing has these beneficial effects is because it makes us disinhibited in the moment and so we dont hold back, and dig deeper into the resources we have at our disposal, he told The Independent.

To test the theory, the researchers asked 192 people to repeat either a swear word of their choice or a neutral word every two seconds while doing a chair pushup. They were then questioned about their mental state during the task.

Researchers found that participants who swore during the chair pushup task were able to support their body weight significantly longer than those who repeated a neutral word.

open image in gallery Scientists said wearing is a calorie-neutral way to improve performance ( Getty/iStock )

They also measured several variables linked to disinhibition, and found increases in all of them.

One was distraction, so we wanted to know how distracting participants found repeating a swear word, Dr Stephens said. Being emotional language swearing does capture our attention so we dont have the bandwidth to process those more negative thoughts we might previously entertain. For that reason, we become disinhibited.

The team also found an increase in what they called psychological flow, a state of mind Dr Stephens described as being completely wrapped up in a task and not thinking about anything else.

Its a pleasurable state to be in  we feel in control of what we are doing, he said. We think that is because of an amplification of our outgoing mindset, stopping thoughts which might otherwise be there, meaning we experience more flow after swearing.

He found people also demonstrated increased self-confidence after swearing, allowing them to forget all the bad stuff and perform at their best.

These findings help explain why swearing is so commonplace, said Dr Stephens. Swearing is literally a calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance.

open image in gallery Researchers found participants reported higher self-confidence after swearing ( iStock )

The team now plan to research whether this boost from swearing works in other contexts, according to study co-author Nicholas Washmuth from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Our labs are now studying how swearing influences public speaking and romantic approach behaviours, two situations where people tend to hesitate or second-guess themselves," he said.

But Dr Stephens cautioned against using the findings to justify swearing at any occasion. Attitudes are changing around swearing, but youve got to be careful, he said.

Because once swearing stops being swearing, it will presumably stop having its effects. So its a bit of a balance.

It comes after a study found that those who swear more are more likely to be honest people. Researchers from the University of Cambridge, Maastricht University, Hong Kong University and Stanford studied 276 people in a lab, the social interactions of 73,789 people on Facebook and measured the average profanity scores against the integrity index for each US state.

They concluded a consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty; profanity was associated with less lying and deception at the individual level and with higher integrity at the society level.
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Watch live as Vladimir Putin holds his annual televised new conference on Friday (19 December).

The event, which is a Q&A session from both journalists and members of the public, has been held almost every year since 2001. According to state media, this year a record-breaking 2.5 million questions were submitted.

Some foreign journalists are at the event, though questions from there are often kept at a minimum.

It comes after European Union leaders struck a deal to give Ukraine a 90bn (79bn; $105bn) loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets.

The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa,We committed and we delivered to the loan, which will be paid back by Kyiv only once Moscow pays reparations.

Zelensky praised the deal as a sign of significant support that truly strengthens our resilience.

Reacting to the deal, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said that law and sanity prevailed after the leaders decided not to use Russias frozen assets.

Major BLOW to EU warmongers led by failed Ursula  voices of reason in the EU BLOCKED the ILLEGAL use of Russian reserves to fund Ukraine, he said on X.

Earlier this week, Putin blasted EU leaders as little pigs who want the collapse of Russia, and said that Moscow would liberate its historical lands on the battlefield if diplomacy fails.
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NASA has released a stunning new map of the cosmos, one that the agency says could help scientists solve some of the universes longstanding mysteries.

Taken using the agencys SPHEREx space telescope, the first all-sky map simulates the instruments three-dimensional view of the sky, including the burnt red cosmic dust, electric blue hydrogen gas and white, blue and green stars.

The panoramic view captures these and dozens of other colors using the telescopes ability to see infrared wavelengths of light, which are invisible to the human eye.

The colors allow astronomers to measure the distance from the telescope to hundreds of millions of galaxies, with the maps three-dimensional view measuring how the galaxies captured are distributed across the universe. Redder galaxies are farther away and closer ones appear blue, as light stretches or retracts, in a phenomenon known as redshift.

Scientists will use this data, collected since the telescopes launch into low-Earth orbit in March, to study how galaxies have changed over the universes nearly 14 billion-year history and potentially learn more about how key ingredients for life were made in our Milky Way galaxy.

open image in gallery NASA's SPHEREx mapped the entire sky in 102 infrared colors to reveal the different features of the cosmos. Blue stars and hydrogen gas, green and white stars and red cosmic dust are seen in this panoramic view. ( NASA/JPL-Caltech )

While not visible to the human eye, these 102 infrared wavelengths of light are prevalent in the cosmos, and observing the entire sky this way enables scientists to answer big questions, NASA explained in a release, including how a dramatic event that occurred in the first billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the big bang influenced the three-dimensional distribution of hundreds of millions of galaxies in our universe.

While the James Webb Space Telescope can see in infrared light, as well, its scope is thousands of times smaller.

open image in gallery This SPHEREx image shows a selection of the infrared colors primarily emitted by stars and galaxies ( NASA/JPL-Caltech )

To date, no mission has mapped the entire sky in as many colors as SPHEREx.

The SPHEREx telescope - also known as the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer - is currently orbiting roughly 400 miles above Earth.

It circles Earth approximately 14.5 times a day, taking about 3,600 images along one circular strip of the sky, and constantly shifting to capture the entire sky in 360 degrees.

open image in gallery An artist's conceptual image shows NASA's SPHEREx telescope orbiting in space ( NASA/JPL-Caltech )

It will complete three more all-sky scans during its two-year mission, collecting data on more than 450 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars in the Milky Way.

SPHEREx is a mid-sized astrophysics mission delivering big science, NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Dave Gallagher said. Its a phenomenal example of how we turn bold ideas into reality, and in doing so, unlock enormous potential for discovery.
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Police have received requests from ten-year-old girls to have armed officers guarding their Hanukkah parties in the wake of recent antisemitic violence, according to Manchesters chief constable.

Sir Stephen Watson from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said his force had received calls from groups of children whose fear had driven them to feel they needed police protection after the deadly terrorist attack on Bondi Beach on Sunday.

He also said his force had received reports of people in the UK celebrating the attack, which he labelled intolerable and sickeningly distasteful.

The speech comes just two months after a fatal attack at a synagogue in Manchester, which killed two people. Knifeman Jihad al-Shamie stabbed several people at the Heaton Park shul during a Yom Kippur service in October.

Two gunmen opened fire at Sydneys Bondi Beach last weekend, killing 15 Jewish people while they celebrated Chanukkah. Among those killed was 10-year-old Matilda, who was remembered as a ray of sunshine and loved animals and dancing.

open image in gallery Greater Manchester Police chief constable Stephen Watson said the force will arrest protesters who chant globalise the intifada ( PA )

Sir Stephen told an event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank: 'The fear, particularly amongst our Jewish communities, has got worse. And the grounds that underpin the fear have become more realistic.

It cannot be the case that you can for any reason fail to appreciate why it is that we are getting telephone calls into Greater Manchester Police, day in and day out over the recent days, where you have a group of ten-year-old girls wanting to go to a Hanukkah party, where they should be frankly interested in balloons and bicycles, are making a request for armed police officers.

You cannot say that is a ridiculous request, you understand from whence it comes.

He also described reports of people celebrating the attack on Bondi Beach: I know that I had reports that there were people in Manchester celebrating the Bondi attack in ways which is just sickeningly distasteful.

It seems to me that we need to get to the heart of that, we need to get behind that, because there is stuff which is lawful, but it is intolerable, and what is intolerable can, over time, become unlawful  and thats where politicians come in.

He added the intolerable has become normalised and has almost become accepted as the way things are.

On Wednesday, Sir Stephen and his London counterpart Sir Mark Rowley announced protesters chanting globalise the intifada will now be arrested because the context has changed in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

open image in gallery Sir Stephen and home secretary Shabana Mahmood following the attack in Heaton Park ( Reuters )

The heads of GMP and the Metropolitan Police said both forces will act decisively and make arrests, adding that the measures were designed to deter intimidation.

They said: We have consistently been advised by the CPS that many of the phrases causing fear in Jewish communities dont meet prosecution thresholds.

Now, in the escalating threat context, we will recalibrate to be more assertive.

Following the attack, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said it appeared to be motivated by Islamic State ideology. He later announced a crackdown on hate speech and a gun buyback scheme.

The proposed buyback will be the largest since reforms introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which prompted Australia to adopt some of the worlds toughest gun controls.

Surviving suspect Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist attack following the incident on Sunday.

Alongside his father Sajid, 50, he is accused of opening fire on crowds of more than 1,000 people. Sajid Akram was killed in an exchange of fire with police at the scene.
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The UK must brace itself for significant job displacement as artificial intelligence (AI) continues its rapid ascent, the Governor of the Bank of England has warned.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, Andrew Bailey suggested the widespread adoption of AI could mirror the profound societal shifts seen during the Industrial Revolution.

He highlighted that the earlier technological revolution also sparked considerable concerns over its impact on populations and employment.

Mr Bailey said: As you saw in the industrial revolution, now over time, I think we can now sort of look back and say it didnt cause mass unemployment, but it did displace people from jobs and this is important.

My guess would be that its most likely that AI may well have a similar effect. So we need to be prepared for that, in a sense.

Mr Bailey said it would likely be a lot easier for people looking for employment to secure a job if they had training, education, (and) skills around AI in place.

Andrew Bailey said the widespread adoption of AI could have a similar impact on the job market to the industrial revolution, when there were concerns over the impact of technology on populations ( Alamy/PA )

We do have to think about, what is it doing to the pipeline of people? Is it changing it or not? he said.

I think if its people working with AI, Im not sure it will change the pipeline, but I think were right to have a have an eye on that point.

He added AIs potential to improve the nations economy was pretty substantial, but stressed: How quickly it comes through is another question, history would suggest that it does take some time.

Microsoft previously identified job roles most at risk of being replaced by AI after assessing more than 200,000 interactions with its Copilot generative AI chatbot.

The workers whose roles were found to have the greatest overlap with AI were interpreters and translators, with 98 per cent of their work activities overlapping with tasks carried out by Copilot, often with a high degree of success.

Other workers who scored highly included historians (91 per cent), mathematicians (91 per cent), writers (85 per cent) and journalists (81 per cent).
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Pope Leo has appointed Bishop Richard Moth as the 12th Archbishop of Westminster, making him the new leader of Catholics in England and Wales.

Bishop Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton since 2015, replaces retiring Cardinal Vincent Nichols.

His installation at Westminster Cathedral will be on 14 February.

I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the Diocese of Westminster, Archbishop-elect Moth said.

As I prepare to move to the diocese, I am so grateful for the support being given to me by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at this time. He has given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.

He continued: Serving the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton has given me the wonderful opportunity of sharing the Churchs mission with lay faithful and clergy, and I give thanks for the many blessings of these last 10 years.

My first task will be to get to know the priests and people of Westminster and I look forward now to serving them. With them, and building on the firm foundations that have been laid by so many down the years, I look forward to continuing the great adventure that is the life of the Church and witness to the Gospel.

open image in gallery Bishop Richard Moth ( Diocese of Westminster )

Cardinal Nichols, from Liverpool, turned 80 in November.

He had offered his resignation as is usual when cardinals reach the age of 75, but said the late Pope Francis had asked him to stay in office at that point.

He came in for criticism around that time over a damning report into child sex abuse allegations.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into the Catholic Church, published in November 2020, found Cardinal Nichols seemingly put the reputation of the church above his duty to sex assault victims.

It added that he had demonstrated no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change.

The report findings were met with calls for Cardinal Nichols to resign.

open image in gallery Cardinal Vincent Nichols ( PA Wire )

Asked at the time if he was the right person to lead the Church in England and Wales, despite the reports findings, Cardinal Nichols said: I do what Im told. The Holy Father put me here and he tells me to stay here  thats enough for me.

The report found that the Church repeatedly failed to support victims and survivors while taking positive action to protect alleged perpetrators, including moving them to different parishes.

Cardinal Nichols took part in his first conclave in Rome earlier this year to elect the Catholic Churchs new Pope Leo, following the death of Pope Francis.

Cardinal Nichols, who said he had known the new pontiff for a few years, paid tribute to Leo as a gentle and calm person and said he would be a decisive figure going forward for the Church, as someone able to resolve difficulties in a way that didnt leave enemies behind him.

In a statement on Friday, Cardinal Nichols said he was delighted at news of Bishop Moth as his replacement.

He said the archbishop-elect would bring to our diocese many gifts and considerable episcopal experience from his years of ministry.

Archbishop-elect Moth was the Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 until 2015.

Born in Zambia, in 1958, he was brought up in Kent and was ordained a priest in June 1982.

Currently chair of governors at St Marys University in Twickenham and chairman of the department for social justice of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales as well as liaison bishop for prisons, he is said to enjoy horse riding and walking in his spare time.
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On Christmas Eve in 1944, as London was hit by the intense bombing of the Baby Blitz, John Moore was left abandoned on the street. Just days old, he was picked up by a policeman and taken to St Thomass Hospital  but his origins and details of his family remained a mystery.

Four years later, he was adopted into a loving family in Kennington, south London, where he lived a happy childhood. Between school and helping his neighbours with their market stalls on weekends, his busy life left little time for wondering where he had come from.

Little did he know that his biological father and his half-brother, Lucas Borg, who was born 11 years after Mr Moore, were living just a mile away in Kennington. The pair grew up within touching distance but remained unaware of each others existence until a Christmas present from Lucass daughter changed everything.

open image in gallery John Moore and his adoptive parents ( MyHeritage DNA )

I had a happy life, Mr Moore told The Independent. I had a wonderful mother and father and two brothers. My only concern growing up was: did my biological family know that I survived, that I was safe and had a good life?

I never really thought much about how to find my biological family, he explained. I wouldnt have known how.

Decades passed, and the two half-brothers each started their own families. The first inkling of their shared heritage came when Mr Moores son took a DNA test through his work and discovered he had Maltese heritage.

Curious about the revelation, Mr Moore decided to take a similar at-home test from a different provider to see if it gave him the same outcome. The results were definitive  one of his parents, who had always been a mystery to him, was from Malta.

open image in gallery John Moore as a child ( MyHeritage DNA )

Several years later, Mr Borgs daughter Ella received a MyHeritage DNA test as a Christmas present from her husband, Ryan. She was astonished to find a close match with a man she had never heard of  a man who also had Maltese heritage and had links to south London. It was enough to convince Mr Borg to take a test himself.

It came back a 50 per cent match with John, Mr Borg, now aged 70, said. It was a surprise because Id always wanted a brother or sister, but my mother couldnt have any more children.

It was such a shock.

open image in gallery John and Lucass biological father, George ( MyHeritage DNA )

Mr Moore, now aged 80, was also stunned to discover he had a family he had never known. I didnt expect anything from the DNA as regards to family because of the time factor, he said. You know, if anybody had been part of me, they could have now passed on. Its been so many years.

The pair reached out to each other and began to share stories and memories. On Easter Sunday this year, they met in person for the first time in what they described as an emotional and nerve-wracking reunion.

I was very nervous at first, Mr Moore said. I didnt know whether to shake Lucass hand or give him a hug because youve never met a person thats half your genes.

open image in gallery John and Lucas met for the first time on Easter Sunday ( MyHeritage DNA )

But conversation flowed, and they soon learnt they had striking similarities in their upbringing  from frequenting Manor Place swimming baths in Kennington, to the pie and mash shop where they were regulars.

Mr Moore discovered his biological father, George, had come to the UK from Malta when he was 18 with nothing but a piece of cheese and a slice of bread.

George, who couldnt speak English when he arrived, went on to serve in the Merchant Navy and is remembered by Mr Borg as a kind and humble family man.

open image in gallery John and Lucass father, George, with his wife, Lucass mother ( MyHeritage DNA )

The pair said it has taken time to go from feeling like strangers to brothers, but that they are glad to have been reunited through the DNA test.

Its quite incredible how close we were, but so far apart at the same time, Mr Moore said.

Its a shame that George, our father, didnt know that John was around, because he would have treated him as a son as well, Mr Borg added. He was that sort of person. He was a very nice person, and he would have embraced John as his son.
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Comedian and childrens author David Walliams has denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour after being dropped by his publisher Harper Collins.

The TV star, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain, strongly denies any claims and was not informed about or party to an investigation by HarperCollins, his spokesperson said on Friday evening.

A spokesperson for HarperCollins told The Independent: After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams.

It comes after The Telegraph reported the publisher made the decision after he was accused of behaving inappropriately towards young women. A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.

Former employees alleged to The Telegraph that they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and not to visit his home.

David Walliams is one of the UKs most successful childrens authors, having sold about 60 million copies worldwide ( Getty Images for MUBI )

A spokesperson for Harper Collins added: HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals, we do not comment on internal matters.

A spokesperson for Walliams said in a statement: David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.

Walliams, 54, rose to fame more than 20 years ago through the comedy series Little Britain, alongside Matt Lucas, and has since become one of the UKs most established and successful award-winning childrens authors, selling an estimated 60 million copies worldwide.

His books have been adapted for television by the BBC and are widely used in schools, with Harper Collins stating that they have been translated into 55 languages.

In recent years, Walliams has faced criticism after he was caught making obscene comments about contestants on Britains Got Talent.

In 2022, a leaked transcript revealed that he called one auditioning contestant a c*** and said of another: She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't.

The remarks were made during an audition at the London Palladium in early 2020 and leaked to The Guardian, with Walliams subsequently leaving his role.

At the time, Walliams said that he wanted to apologise for the disrespectful comments and that they were part of a private conversation which was never intended to be shared. His comments were picked up by the microphones on the desk and were seemingly not intended to be heard publicly  and he sued FremantleMedia, the production company that makes BGT, for the leaking of his private remarks. The matter was settled in November 2023.

He also sparked outcry after giving two Nazi salutes during a recording of BBC series Would I Lie To You?s Christmas special. He reportedly gave the offensive salutes while filming the episode with host Rob Brydon after an anecdote that was shared by Call the Midwife star Helen George.
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Specimens of rare species collected by the celebrated naturalist Gerald Durrell have been donated to National Museums Scotland.

The donation of more than 550 specimens and samples is now available for scientific research.

It includes a specimen of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, of which there were thought to be only 23 wild examples on Dominica in 2023.

Durrell, who died in 1995, was a conservationist and TV presenter who founded Jersey Zoo.

He was best known for his autobiographical book My Family And Other Animals, which described his childhood years.

This was adapted into an ITV series called The Durrells.

The collection donated to National Museums Scotland (NMS) also includes the skin of a zebra duiker, an endangered species of antelope, which Durrell received during a trip to Sierra Leone in 1965.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust donated the samples to NMSs natural sciences collection.

Professor Andrew Kitchener, principal curator of vertebrate biology at National Museums Scotland, said: Gerald Durrell was an influential champion for wildlife and his advocacy continues through the remarkable work of the trust.

This important donation represents an invaluable addition to our 300-year-old natural sciences collection and will enable researchers to learn more about the lives of endangered species, informing conservation efforts around the world.

Dave Houston of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust said: The trust is delighted to have been able to make such a significant contribution to the invaluable work of National Museums Scotland on this, the centenary of our founders birth.

We are excited to think that after a lifetime under the care of Jersey Zoo the contributions these specimens can make to conservation science will extend well into the future, underscoring the trusts continued commitment to saving species from extinction.
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A new German law will impose prison sentences of up to 10 years on people smugglers attempting to bring migrants to the UK.

The legislation, approved on Friday, aims to crack down on criminal gangs storing boats and engines in Germany before moving them to France for Channel crossings.

Coming into force before the year's end, the change will empower law enforcement and prosecutors, boosting information sharing between the UK and Germany.

This follows a deal agreed last December between the two countries to tackle illegal migration, including removing smugglers' social media advertising.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "This major change in German law is the result of our close partnership working to tackle illegal migration and organised immigration crime.

After a lull in the number of migrants arriving to the UK in small boats , good weather conditions have seen nearly 800 arrive in the last week. ( Getty )

"We will continue to ramp up our international co-operation to strengthen our own border security."

The UK Government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act became law earlier this month, allowing law enforcement agencies to use counter-terror-style powers to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

The Home Secretary has also announced reforms to overhaul the asylum system in a bid to deter illegal migration and make it easier to deport people with no right to be in the UK.

Shabana Mahmood said: "Together with our German allies, we are cracking down on the criminal gangs operating the illegal migration trade.

"I thank (interior minister Alexander) Dobrindt for Germany's strong co-operation with the UK in tackling this issue.

"This Government is restoring order at our borders by scaling up removals and removing the incentives that draw people here illegally."
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Love Actually stars Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis have supported calls to reinstate a vital visa route that would allow refugees to reunite with their loved ones in the UK.

Refugee family reunion was axed by home secretary Shabana Mahmood as part of her sweeping changes to the immigration system that were announced in November.

The visa route, which allows refugees to apply for their immediate family members to come to safety, was paused to new applications under Yvette Cooper but Ms Mahmood went further in November - confirming that it will be only be available in the most exceptional circumstances.

Under her plans, refugees no longer have an automatic right to family reunion. Instead only those who successfully enter a work and study visa route will become eligible. Even then they are likely to face high income requirements and English language tests.

The British Red Cross have been campaigning to reverse the changes, and a new Christmas campaign has re-enacted the iconic opening scene of Love Actually to show the pain separated families experience.

open image in gallery Hugh Grant (left) and Richard Curtis (right) have supported British Red Crosss campaign to reunite refugee families ( Getty )

Lending his voice to the campaign, actor Hugh Grant said: Christmas is when most of us hope to be with the people we love. Its heartbreaking that so many whove fled conflict and disaster remain separated from their families without knowing when they might see each other again.

Every family deserves the chance to be together safely.

Director and writer Richard Curtis said: The desire to be with your loved ones and see your family safe is something everyone can relate to. For more than a century, the British Red Cross has been working to bring families back together.

Proposed changes could effectively cut off a vital route to safety and increase the risk of people making dangerous journeys to reach family and sanctuary.

open image in gallery Conflict and political turmoil in Sudan led to Omer and Hiba having to flee the country. They were forced to leave Sudan at different times, tearing their family apart. ( British Red Cross )

At least 4,900 families - and 6,300 children - will be impacted by the suspension of the visa route between September 2025 and April 2026, according to analysis from Red Cross.

The charity, which has years of experience supporting refugee families to reunite in the UK, has previously warned that the crackdown may fuel more dangerous Channel crossings as women and children left languishing in war zones attempt to reunite with their loved ones in Britain.

One family supported by the charity, Omer, 33, and Hiba, 26, were able to reunite with their baby son in Heathrow Airport last year. Forced to flee conflict in Sudan, Omen and Hiba had to leave their son with Omers grandmother.

Omer said that, after the family were reunited, for the next two or three days we didnt leave our home, we just stayed inside with him and spent time with our child.

He added: Our home was filled with toys and we just played with him. It was an amazing day for us.

One Ethiopian computer science student, Umer Heyi, told The Independent of his heartbreak at missing the deadline to apply to bring his wife and two-year-old son to the UK.

Umer received his refugee grant on 4 September and tried to start an application for his family, but the scheme closed at 3pm that day.

Speaking about his son, he says: If I cant save him, if I cant protect him, then what have I got?

We just want the opportunity to save our lives and not stay separated.

Beatrice Butsana-Sita, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, said: No one wants to leave their family behind, but sadly many are forced to due to conflict and other crises. Family reunion has long been a cornerstone of the UKs refugee protection system - offering a vital, safe and managed route for refugees to reunite with the people they love.

We want family reunion to continue to be accessed by people separated by conflict, violence and persecution.
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Two out of three ambulance workers fear being attacked while on duty over the Christmas period, a new report has revealed.

A survey by the GMB union, encompassing more than 1,100 workers from ambulance trusts across the UK, showed that over 40 per cent fear being physically attacked, and more than half are worried about verbal abuse.

Three in four respondents also reported a negative impact on their mental health over the past year.

The GMB publicised its findings on the last Friday before Christmas, believing it to be the most popular night for workplace Christmas parties and one of the busiest nights of the year for ambulance and hospital workers.

Ambulance workers have urged partygoers to be mindful pof them during the festive period ( PA Archive )

Simon Day, a West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic, said: This Friday night will be wild.

People out celebrating, drinking, dancing, but unfortunately its a night when normally sensible people do very silly things.

Ultimately it will be left to us to pick up the pieces  it will be a gruelling, relentless struggle for ambulance workers right across the UK.

Morale is already at a low ebb due to rocketing workloads and staffing issues  its no wonder so many of us feel like were about to burn out.

Our message is have fun, celebrate, but please think of us ambulance workers before you do anything stupid.
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Natasha Walker can be certain that at least twice a year, someone will contact her claiming to be her missing sister, Katrice Lee.

Katrice vanished from a supermarket in Germany in 1981, when she was just two years old. In the decades since, her family has endured relentless abuse.

They are repeatedly targeted by impersonators, trolls and conspiracy theorists who, Natasha claims, really try and put the knife in.

When Natasha first began receiving messages from people claiming to be Katrice, she would question whether it might be her sister reaching out. She now just chooses to ignore them.

If you truly believe that youre someone who is missing, you go to the police and give them credible information as to why you think youre that missing person. You dont contact their sister and expect them to be able to deliver a DNA kit to you, Natasha said.

While The Independent and the Missing People charity aim to raise 165,000 to launch SafeCall, a service for the 70,000 children who go missing each year in the UK, we spoke to those who have had to suffer the additional torment of online abuse.

Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give 10 to Missing People  enough for one child to get help.

Since 2014, one woman has been jailed for harassing Katrices family, while another received an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, for malicious communications after using social media to impersonate the missing toddler. Natasha said abuse in general has become unrelenting and is now a grim routine in their lives.

This month alone, yet another person has contacted Natasha claiming to be her sister.

open image in gallery Natasha Walker says her family is repeatedly targeted by impersonators, trolls and conspiracy theorists ( ITV )

Some people genuinely believe they are Katrice, while others act with malicious intent, Natasha said. At one point, she was dealing with two women claiming to be her sister at the same time, despite both having DNA tests that proved otherwise.

In the end, one was talking to the other. I was like, You two can crack on and argue it out then, because you both cant be Katrice, Natasha added.

In todays social media age, families of missing childrenmust also contend with online trolls, armchair sleuths, malicious comments, imposter accounts, and even AI deepfakes.

For many with missing loved ones, this digital onslaught has become unavoidable. It can hinder investigations, create false hope, frighten families away from making public appeals, or even stop a missing person from coming home.

Amy-Kathleen Walker, the head of digital development at Missing People, has supported countless families exposed to harassment, including Katrices.

In her 14 years, she said she has seen all forms of hatred. When the missing person is a child, the judgement can often be harsher, she said.

open image in gallery The family of Katrice Lee, who went missing when she was just two, say they have been harassed by many following her disappearance ( MOD )

It has now become standard to warn family members of the harassment they may face. She said: Youre already in the worst place. You are so worried and so scared for your loved one.

Can I now also warn you that the world is not necessarily very nice? And people are likely to be horrible to you on social media. What a horrible conversation to have with someone whos already in the darkest of moments.

Beyond cruel comments and messages, some families face far worse. Kevin Gosden, whose son, Andrew, went missing when he was 14 years old in 2007, has had to wake up to AI deepfake videos of him and his son.

He described it as a feeling of absolute powerlessness and helplessness in what feels like a hugely dystopian world.

Many families experience fake social media accounts set up in the names of their missing loved ones, sometimes made to impersonate that person, and other times, made just to be malicious.

Ms Walker said that in many cases, the person behind the account truly believes they are that missing child, especially if it is a child who went missing at a young age. Even when it is proven untrue, they dont often go quietly, turning to trolling to try to convince the family otherwise.

She added: I would love a chance to actually talk to someone and ask them, Why did you do this? What were you hoping to achieve? Were you trying to give closure to these people, or did you just want to be horrible?

open image in gallery Jay Slaters mother is calling for Jays Law to stop grieving families from being abused ( Family Handout/LBT Global )

Other families are up against conspiracies and constant speculation around their loved ones disappearance. Sometimes, no harm is meant by it, but it can be really damaging for that missing person or their family, Ms Walker said.

It could also prevent people from coming back. Imagine if all of that is on the internet, all these conspiracy theories about you, and it never goes away, she added.

The mother of Jay Slater, who died after going missing in Tenerife last year, is calling for Jays Law to prevent people from facing the same abuse that she did.

Mr Slaters disappearance attracted a host of conspiracy theories, and Debbie Duncan, his mother, was accused of various things, including covering up a murder and setting up a fake GoFundMe page.

One content creator even said: How do you know its Jay that was in the coffin? He needs digging up, Ms Duncan told The Mirror. It hurts. They dont know our family or anything about us, but theyre allowed to say what they want.

Ms Walker said: Please remember before you hit send, before you upload that thing, that is someone's someone harm is not just bruises, harm is also words and intentions, so just be kind.

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
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A 25million restoration of a stately home destroyed by fire is under threat over claims it could destroy the natural habitat of an albino badger named Alberto.

The rare animal was rescued by wildlife volunteers in 2015 after it was attacked by other badgers due to its unusual blonde colour, and is now said to be living with its family in the quiet, undisturbed Millground meadow in Dorset.

However, plans have been submitted for a housing development on the grounds of the 16th-century Parnham House, which includes more than 80 high-end homes, which would fund the restoration work.

open image in gallery Plans have been submitted for a 25m renovation on Parnham House ( Dreweatts/YouTube )

The Grade I listed property was destroyed in 2017 by a fire, which is believed to have been deliberately started by its former owner, Michael Treichl. He was arrested on suspicion of arson but was found dead two months later.

The propertys new owner, former rave promoter James Perkins, has applied to build a parkland housing estate in the grounds, which would be inspired by Poundbury, King Charles model town built on Duchy of Cornwall land.

Mr Perkins intends to build 82 homes and two visitor accommodation lodges, as well as restore the buildings south wing as a private home with a hospitality offering.

The Dorset Natural Heritage Initiative, which is campaigning against the development, said: Millground meadow isnt just a green space, its home to one of the UKs rarest sights: a regular population of albino badgers.

open image in gallery Former rave promoter James Perkins is hoping to build 82 model homes in the parkland ( Dreweatts/YouTube )

Beaminster first grew attached to Alberto, an injured albino badger which was rescued back in 2015, but hes no longer alone.

These pale, pink-eyed badgers now rely on the meadows quiet, undisturbed habitat to survive  occasionally visiting the houses dotted along this stretch of the River Brit.

Badgers and other wildlife were the winners in the Covid lockdowns, taking advantage of the resultant peace and quiet to explore and thrive in their reclaimed territories. It now looks like that peace could be shattered forever.

A spokesperson for Parnham Park, which manages the house, said there was no evidence to support the claims.

Project manager Ed Grant said its ecological assessment was "thorough" and "robust".

He said: "We do indeed talk about otters on our website, and this is because there is evidence at the other end of the estate by Parnham Lake.

"The area the application refers to is much too shallow for otters to establish themselves.

"There is also no evidence of badgers within 30m of the proposals.

"As ever, we remain focused on saving this incredibly important John Nash Grade I listed building."
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Its that time of year again when the weather is getting colder, the knitted jumpers are coming out, and the nation is dreaming about a white Christmas.

But those hoping for snowflakes to cascade from the sky may have to wait a bit longer, as the Met Offices future projections show that a whiteout on Christmas Day is not very likely.

Tom Crabtree, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: High pressure is expected to build into next week, bringing drier and less mild conditions for the Christmas period.

Although temperatures will drop, they are not plummeting. Overnight frosts are likely, and some mist and fog is possible in places, but significant cold weather looks less probable.

Falling temperatures do bring the potential for some wintry showers in the east, but it is too early to discern details for any particular day over the Christmas period.

The threshold for a white Christmas, the Met Office said, requires just a single snowflake to be observed falling on Christmas Day, anywhere in the UK.

Last year, the Met Office predicted a grey Christmas, with patches of rain and cloud coupled with mild temperatures.

The last time there was technically a white Christmas in the UK was in 2023, when 11 per cent of weather stations recorded snow falling, but none reported any settled snow on the ground.

The last time there was widespread settled snow at Christmas was back in 2010. That was the UKs whitest Christmas on record, with 83 per cent of stations recording snow on the ground.

More than half of all Christmas Days since 1960 have met the threshold, with around half of those years seeing at least 5 per cent of weather stations reporting snow falling on the big day.

However, the chances of the snow actually settling are slim: that has only occurred four times, in 1981, 1995, 2009 and 2010.

For most parts of the United Kingdom, Christmas is only at the beginning of the period when it's likely to snow and we are more likely to see snow in January and February than in December, according to the Met Office.

Snow on average settles on the ground (snow lying) 3 days in December, compared to 3.3 days in January, 3.4 days in February and 1.9 days in March (1991 - 2020 long-term averaging period).

Met Office data shows the records of which regions have experienced a White Christmas since 1960 to 2024. They most commonly happen in The Highlands which had the highest occurrences of 175 snowy Christmases, followed closely by Aberdeenshire with 92 cases.

White Christmases were more frequent in the 18th and 19th centuries, even more so before the change of calendar in 1752 which effectively brought Christmas Day back by 12 days.

Climate change has also brought higher average temperatures over land and sea and this generally reduced the chances of a white Christmas.
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Nigel Farage will avoid a probe into his election spending after police revealed that an investigation cannot take place.

It was claimed that Reform UK had overspent on Farages general election campaign last year in Clacton, Essex.

The claims, reportedly submitted to the Metropolitan Police by former Reform councillor Richard Everett, alleged the party exceeded the 20,660 spending limit in the Essex constituency.

However, Essex Police confirmed its assessment found the report falls outside the one-year statutory time limit, meaning "no investigation can take place".

In a statement to The Guardian, Essex Police said: We have assessed a report relating to an allegation around misreported expenditure by a political candidate in connection with the general election in July 2024.

It said the report had been made on December 5, the newspaper adds.

The force said: Having regard to the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states any prosecution for such an offence must commence within one year, it has been concluded that this report falls outside of the stated statutory time limit, and no investigation can take place.

Reform previously strongly denied breaking the law on election spending, and accused Mr Everett of being a disgruntled former councillor who was expelled from the party several months ago.

The claims, reportedly submitted to the Metropolitan Police by former Reform councillor Richard Everett, alleged the party exceeded the 20,660 spending limit in the Essex constituency ( Jane Barlow/PA )

According to previous reports in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Everett claims Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office.

He alleges that the partys official returns report that it came just 400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap.

But he also said he thought Mr Farage himself had been blissfully unaware.

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley previously said: Nigel Farage needs to reassure the public that he and his party will co-operate fully with the police and put all the evidence they need on the table.

Electoral fraud is a very serious crime which fundamentally undermines our democracy.

All parliamentarians, including party leaders, must play by the rules so all candidates have a fair hearing with the public.

Nigel Farage needs to break his silence on this issue and demonstrate that he and Reform UK have followed the law at all times. Failure to do so will raise even more questions about what he has to hide.

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said on Thursday: We have responded to Anna Turley MPs correspondence which raised questions about Reform UKs spending at the 2024 general election.

After carefully considering the information presented in the letter, we did not identify any expenditure relating to Mr Farages election campaign in Clacton that should have been declared in Reform UKs national expenditure.

Mr Everett, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform last year, has since left the party and now sits as an Independent councillor.

A Reform spokesman previously said: These inaccurate claims come from a disgruntled former councillor. The party denies breaking electoral law. We look forward to clearing our name.
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The UK Foreign Office was hacked in October, a minister has admitted, raising fears that thousands of confidential documents and data may have been compromised.

While ministers are pretty confident that visa applicants details have not been accessed, they have admitted that they are not confident about the identity of the hacker.

Sources told The Sun that the group responsible for the hack in October was Storm 1849, a Chinese organisation that was named publicly in March 2024 in connection with cyber attacks on MPs and the Electoral Commission.

The newspaper reported thousands of confidential documents and data had been retrieved in the data breach.

Trade minister Sir Chris Bryant admitted that there certainly has been a hack, but he refused to say whether a Chinese-linked group was behind it, claiming that the wider reports were not completely true.

Speaking to Times Radio, Sir Chris said: Im actually going to take some of the details that youve just put out there off the table, because Im not sure that theyre necessarily accurate.

You just referred to potentially affecting thousands of visas. We are very confident that in the investigation that weve done so far, that nobody, no individual, will have been harmed or compromised by what has happened.

There certainly has been a hack, I can say that, Im not able to say whether it is directly related to Chinese operatives or indeed the Chinese state.

Chris Bryant confirmed that the Foreign Office had been targeted by hackers in October ( BBC Breakfast )

He added: Weve been engaged in an investigation since October, just as with [Jaguar Land Rover] and M&S, and the British Library and a whole series of other cyber attacks, it does take some time to get to the bottom of precisely what has happened.

News of the hack comes just weeks before the PM is due to visit China.

Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel accused the government of turning a blind eye to Chinas targeting of the UK and the national security threat Chinas autocratic regime poses to our country. From spies at the heart of Whitehall, to foreign interference, to the repression and human rights violations against Jimmy Lai and BN(O)s [British nationals (overseas)], to the unacceptable Chinese super spy hub Labour is supporting, Labour have shown a total inability to stand up to China. Starmer is putting Britain at risk and his pursuit of closer ties with Beijing is a clear threat to our security. If this data hack was carried out by China, he must act.

The latest reports come amid ongoing disquiet following the collapse of a Chinese spying case and warnings by MI5 of the threat posed by the communist state to UK national security, fuelling the governments difficulties as it seeks to ease tensions with Beijing.

Only last week, the parliamentary intelligence watchdog issued a stark warning over the threat posed by China, saying the government must stop dragging its heels over whether to add the country to the enhanced tier of its threat regime.

A government spokesperson said: We have been working to investigate a cyber incident. We take the security of our systems and data extremely seriously.
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The think tank that played a key role in Sir Keir Starmers campaign to become Labour leader has produced a new document which calls for much of Angela Rayners workers rights agenda to be abolished.

The unpublished paper by Labour Together criticises the reforms in the Employment Rights Bill, due to become law in January, saying they sap dynamism from the economy and that 80 per cent of them should be scrapped.

The think tank admitted it produced the paper but said it was a provocation for discussion, and was looking to the future rather than the present. A spokesperson said: Labour Together totally supports this weeks Employment Rights Act.

open image in gallery ( Getty )

But the proposals risk sparking a major row within the party amid suggestions that a challenge to Sir Keirs leadership after Mays local election results, widely expected to be disastrous, could see a battle for its future political direction.

Earlier this week Sir Keir praised the changes as the biggest upgrade to workers rights in a generation.

Union leaders hailed the reforms, saying they would ban exploitative zero-hours contracts, create sick pay for all and repeal anti-union laws.

But businesses have warned that they will lead to a decrease in employment and hold back growth.

The document said the reforms had left the governments economic agenda going backwards as it called on ministers to embrace easy firing while hiking taxes on firms and workers to fund higher unemployment insurance for those who lose their jobs, according to the Times, which reported that it had been circulated to some Labour MPs.

It said that the government should scrap 80 per cent of the Employment Rights Bill and build out unemployment insurance.

This could be funded by higher taxes on employers (cheaper than the compliance cost of ERB (Employment Rights Bill)) and small contributions from workers.

It also said new technology makes the creative destruction of job losses inevitable and urged the government to have the most flexible markets of superpowers such as the US and China, while easy firing means easy hiring which would benefit both companies and workers. The paper also suggests ending spending on infrastructure projects in the southeast of England, saying it can pay for its own stuff.

The brave churn of technology  a political economy for Labour in the 21st century, which has no listed author, opens with the words: Tony Blair was right.

It comes just a week after it emerged that Labour Together was canvassing party members on candidates to replace him, in another sign of trouble for the beleaguered prime minister.

open image in gallery Angela Rayner pushed for the changes ( PA Archive )

The think tank, previously run by Sir Keirs chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, asked activists for their opinions on Labour leadership contenders amid growing concern over the direction of the government and devastating approval ratings.

Alongside Sir Keir, eight Labour politicians were named, including cabinet ministers Wes Streeting, Shabana Mahmood, Bridget Phillipson, Ed Miliband and Darren Jones.

Also listed were former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell.

It came just days after Sir Keir said the hugely talented Ms Rayner would return to his cabinet amid growing speculation she could make a bid for the Labour leadership.

There have been reports that she could run on a joint ticket with Mr Streeting to challenge the prime minister.

open image in gallery The think tank used to be run by the Prime Ministers chief of staff Morgan McSweeney ( PA Archive )

When asked if he missed his former deputy, Sir Keir said: Yes, of course I do. I was really sad that we lost her. As I said to her at the time, shes going to be a major voice in the Labour movement.

Pressed as to whether she will be back in the cabinet, he added: Yes. Shes hugely talented.

Earlier this week, Sir Keir defended Ms Rayners reforms and said: I couldnt be prouder to lead the government that made this happen.

A Labour Together spokesman said: "Labour Together totally supports this weeks Employment Rights Act.

This paper was a provocation for private discussion about how to build a political economy centred on technological change and innovation.

It looks beyond current policy, exploring ideas for spreading innovation and investment outside the South East and how to support workers through technological change with a bigger welfare state rather than regulation alone.

But given the welfare state we inherited from the Conservatives, that is far away. The Employment Rights Act is the best way to give workers much more security now.
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Labour has created new barriers for those who would seek to oppose large developments in their area as its landmark planning bill becomes law.

Designed to enable homes and critical infrastructure to be built faster, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill has introduced several key changes to how new developments are passed.

Local campaigners will now have just one chance to bring a legal challenge against government-backed major infrastructure projects, rather than the current three, when cases are deemed hopeless.

Those who seek to block developments like this are often known as nimbys  standing for not in my back yard.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said: Britains growth has been held back by a sluggish planning system, slamming the brakes on building and standing in the way of fixing the housing crisis for good.

open image in gallery Labour has created new barriers for those who would seek to oppose large developments ( Gareth Fuller/PA Wire )

Today that changes. Our landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act will tear down barriers to growth, and this means getting spades in the ground faster, unshackling projects stuck in planning limbo and crucially unlocking a win-win for the environment and the economy.

Under current rules, anyone can challenge the governments decision to develop an infrastructure project by submitting a paper submission. Around 58 per cent of decisions are now subject to a legal challenge, Lord Frederick Ponsonby said in January.

These developments include projects like roads, railway lines, power stations, reservoirs, and wind and solar farms.

The Labour peer pointed out that, despite 30 challenges being brought forward, only four were approved  but each legal challenge takes 1.4 years to reach a conclusion. He added that the new process would stop hopeless legal challenges from slowing down projects.

These new rules mean that when a case is judged by the High Court to be totally without merit, it will not be possible to ask the Court of Appeal to reconsider.

open image in gallery Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed (Ben Whitley/PA) ( PA Wire )

The bill also introduces extra powers for development corporations to speed up delivery of large-scale projects, such as new towns and affordable homes.

Alongside this it will bring into law Labours pledge to give energy bill discounts of up to 2,500 over the next decade for communities hosting new pylons and transmission infrastructure  rewarding Yimbyism in these cases.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: We promised to grasp the nettle of planning reform  and were delivering. This landmark legislation ends years of dither and delay that has held back too many vital projects, like Lower Thames Crossing and Sizewell C.

And were not stopping there, this government will leave no stone unturned to get spades in the ground  building the homes families need and the infrastructure our economy needs to thrive.

Chief executive of National Highways, Nick Harris said: Englands motorways and major A roads are the backbone of the UKs economy, keeping businesses, communities and supply chains connected. The Act will help streamline delivery of the transport infrastructure needed to unlock housing, support economic development, and connect people to opportunities across the country.
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A Reform candidate who said the deputy prime minister David Lammy should go home to the Caribbean also suggested that the primary loyalty of at least eight other politicians is not to the UK.

The partys deputy leader, Richard Tice, declined to condemn comments by Chris Parry earlier this week, saying he was not familiar with the remarks by the Hampshire and Solent mayoral candidate.

The party is under pressure to drop Mr Parry, a retired Royal Navy officer, after it emerged he had posted on X (Twitter) in February: Lammy must go home to the Caribbean where [his] loyalty lies.

open image in gallery Chris Parry is standing as the Reform candidate in the Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election ( Reform UK )

Mr Lammy, who was born in and grew up in north London, the appalling racism he had to endure as a child and teenager.

It has now emerged that Mr Parry made a series of similar comments on X earlier this year about other politicians.

In June, commenting about footage showing the Labour MP Naz Shah taking her parliamentary oath using the Quran, he wrote: Thats OK, if she commits blasphemy by betraying the British people and demonstrating primary loyalty to another country.

In October, in response to a social media post by Your Party co-leader Zarah Sultana on a journalists comment that she should be deported, Mr Parry said: Its because your first loyalty is not to the British people. Nothing to do with your religion or background. We dont trust you to defend our interests.

open image in gallery Richard Tice said he was not familiar with remarks by the Reform UK mayoral candidate ( PA )

In the same month, above a post of footage showing London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and the MP Dawn Butler attending a Jamaica-themed party at Labours annual conference, he wrote: You really have to wonder where peoples primary loyalty lies.

And above a post on an interview in which the home secretary Shabana Mahmood discussed her Muslim faith, he said: Doesnt her religion require her to show loyalty to her fellow Muslims before any country? Genuine question.

On another post about Kaukab Stewart, the Scottish equalities minister, he said: Clearly her primary loyalty is not to Britain or Scotland.

Comments were also made about Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland, according to The Guardian.

open image in gallery David Lammy has been vocal about the racism he endured as a child ( PA )

Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said Mr Farage needed to throw Chris Parry out of Reform UK and drop him as a candidate nearly two weeks ago.

She added: The fact he didnt shows hes willing to turn a blind eye to racism in his partys senior ranks. It falls far below the standards the public expect of political leaders.

The fact that Farage has failed to take any action against Chris Parry despite his first racist comments being exposed 12 days ago, shows what a weak leader he is. He is dragging his party further into the gutter and is unfit for high office.

Reform declined to comment.
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A nearly century-old bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Iowa and Wisconsin is set for implosion this Friday, a rare event paving the way for a modern successor.

Known as the Mississippi River Bridge, or Black Hawk Bridge, it was finished in 1931, linking Lansing, Iowa, with Wisconsin.

Its distinctive cantilever design, featuring a central arch and two tower-like trusses, made it a local landmark.

Lansing Mayor Michael Verdon noted its deep connection: "It carries a lot of sentimental value to, I mean, literally tens of thousands of people."

The bridge, which ceased operations in October, served as the sole crossing for approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) in either direction, handling around 2,100 vehicles daily.

Drivers are currently using a ferry service while construction on the new $140 million replacement proceeds, anticipated to open in 2027.

Despite its cherished status, the bridge's narrowness often created challenging conditions when two large lorries met, Verdon explained. Furthermore, its piers and the river's geography meant barges occasionally collided with the structure.

open image in gallery The Mississippi River Bridge, also known as the Black Hawk Bridge, connects Lansing, Iowa, to Wisconsin

Officials are expecting a large crowd to witness the implosion, he said. A live video will be available online.

The center span will be imploded first, followed by the eastern section later in the day. The western section will be disassembled in the future because parts of the bridge extend over homes and the railroad.

Some parts of the bridge have already been removed, but an implosion is the most efficient way to remove the largest portions of the superstructure, Iowa Department of Transportation spokesperson Daniel Yeh said.

Residents plan to salvage material for keepsakes and to construct a tribute to the bridge in the city, Verdon said.

Lansing, which has a population of 968, has deep roots as a river town with a history of steamboats, fur trading and commercial fishing, the mayor said.
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A New York City woman is suing Chipotle, DoorDash and the dasher who delivered her food, after claiming she bit into a rodent lurking in her burrito bowl.

Gia Bernhardt, 24, says the experience caused her pain, shock and severe mental anguish, and that these injuries and their effects will be permanent, according to a civil complaint obtained by The Independent.

On January 11, Bernhardt ordered a burrito bowl and chips and guacamole from a Chipotle on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, via the DoorDash app, the complaint states. It says the meal was prepared and packed up at the store, then delivered to plaintiff for consumption.

The complaint goes on to contend that when Bernhardt tucked into the burrito bowl, she bit into a rodent contained within the meal she was consuming, causing her to suffer severe bodily injuries.

[T]he rodent was within the plaintiffs mouth after biting into the meal, according to the complaint, which was filed Monday in New York County Supreme Court.

open image in gallery A Manhattan Chipotle is under fire for allegedly serving a customer a burrito bowl with a rodent lurking within. ( Getty Images )

Chipotle knew or should have known that its product was dangerous to member(s) of the general public, Bernhardts complaint goes on.

Despite that knowledge, defendant, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., failed to warn plaintiff at any time of the substantial risk of injury or death from the ingestion of the burrito bowl, the complaint states.

It does not specify what Bernhardts physical injuries consisted of, and what type of rodent she discovered. The presence of the rodent created an unreasonably dangerous condition for Bernhardt, according to the complaint.

Attorney Charles Gucciardo, who is representing Bernhardt, told The Independent in a statement that his client bit into the meal and quickly realized that something was wrong.

An inspection by Ms. Bernhardt quickly determined that she actually bit into a partially cooked rodent located within the meal, Gucciardo said.

Bernhardt began vomiting, then composed herself enough to go to the Chipotle restaurant in person, where she was allegedly informed that what she had gotten was chicken, according to Gucciardo.

[T]he ears, nose and tail demonstrated otherwise, he said. ... The incident has left her scarred.

(The Independent obtained a picture of the alleged rodent, which is laid out on a Chipotle napkin next to Bernhardt's burrito bowl and photographed next to a fork for scale, but is not publishing it out of sensitivity to readers.)

open image in gallery Attorney Charles Gucciardo says the 'chicken' in Gia Bernhardt's burrito bowl in fact had a tail ( Getty Images )

Chipotle, for its part, told The Independent that it plans to push back firmly against the suit.

We strongly deny the allegations in this complaint, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against these claims, Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer Laurie Schalow said in an emailed statement. The health and safety of our employees and guests is our highest priority, and we have industry-leading food safety practices in place across our restaurants.

DoorDash, which did not respond to a request for comment, is named in the suit as a co-defendant, as well as the John Doe who delivered the burrito bowl and chips and guacamole on behalf of Defendants Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. and DoorDash, Inc. Bernhardts complaint says she was consuming the product in accordance with its intended use, but that Doe improperly and negligently delivered the product in an unsafe and unsanitary manner.

In 2020, a Chipotle in Upper Manhattan made headlines after four employees claimed they were bitten by massive rats that were eating the stores avocados and shut down its computerized ordering system by chewing through the wiring. Workers told the New York Post that they had killed dozens of the rodents by stomping on them, smacking them with broom handles, dropping boxes on them and various other medieval methods of extermination.

open image in gallery The Upper East Side Chipotle location which Gia Bernhardt claims sent her a tainted burrito bowl. ( Google Maps )

In 2017, diners at a Dallas Chipotle captured scenes on video of mice crawling around the floor, with one climbing one of the restaurants walls. One customer told the local NBC affiliate that three rats fell from the ceiling and nearly landed on her lunch. The location closed temporarily so it could be thoroughly checked out, according to Chipotle, which said the problem was limited to a few mice.

Last year, a Chipotle in New Haven, Connecticut voluntarily shut down for a period due to a rodent control issue, which the company blamed on the locations landlord.

Bernhardt says in her complaint that the allegedly tainted burrito bowl has caused [her] to incur, and will continue to incur, expenses for medical care and attention, and that, as a further result, [she] was, and will continue to be, rendered unable to perform [her] normal activities and duties.

Chipotle, the complaint argues, owed a duty of care to customers of its restaurant to provide food that is safe and sanitary for human consumption, and that defendants conduct in serving plaintiff food containing a rodent endangered plaintiffs physical safety and/or caused plaintiff to fear for her physical safety.

The fact that Chipotle served Bernhardt food containing a rodent was extreme and outrageous, according to the complaint.

Bernhardt is demanding a money judgment from Chipotle and DoorDash, including compensatory and punitive damages, to be determined in court. Her attorney, Steven Vaccaro, did not respond to requests for comment.
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A Virginia family flying KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from the United States to Europe claims their pricey business-class seats were crawling with bed bugs, which feasted upon the four of them en route and ruined their trip.

As soon as ophthalmologist Romulo Albuquerque and wife Lisandra Garcia realized what was happening, they immediately alerted the flight attendants, who urged them to keep their voices down to avoid a panic on the airplane, according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.

The bites produced large red welts on the childrens necks, torsos, legs and arms, the familys complaint states. Mrs. Garcia had similar rashes on her lower back and legs, and Mr. Albuquerque had a rash on his neck and torso.

Due to the visible marks on their skin and unrelenting itchy feeling, Albuquerque, Garcia, and their two sons were unable to enjoy their vacation, according to the complaint filed Thursday in Roanoke federal court.

It says the marks did not begin to fade until after the Albuquerque family returned home to Roanoke.

To this day, the complaint contends, Mrs. Garcia has scars on her lower back where she was bitten.

open image in gallery A Virginia family says their vacation was over before it even began, thanks to an alleged bed bug infestation aboard their plane. Now they're suing over their ruined trip ( US District Court for the Western District of Virginia; Getty Images )

The family booked their tickets through Delta; the flight was a code-share operated by KLM, on a KLM aircraft. Both carriers are named as defendants in the suit.

Attorneys Matt Broughton and Jared Tuck, who are representing the Albuquerques, told The Independent that their firm tried to settle the issue without going to court but that KLM and Delta have continued to ignore their attempts.

Therefore, we filed suit to assert this deserving familys legal rights, and we will continue to move forward until the family is treated fairly for what happened to them, they said.

In an email on Friday, Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant emphasized that the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Air Lines, and said the airline will review the complaint and respond accordingly in due course.

A KLM spokeswoman said the company was unable to comment on the specific allegations at this time, but will take it up via the appropriate legal channels.

open image in gallery Lisandra Garcia, Romulo Albuquerque, and their two children, before they realized they were getting eaten alive by bed bugs. ( US District Court for the Western District of Virginia )

On March 21, the Albuquerques departed Roanoke aboard Delta flight DL 5087, touching down about 90 minutes later at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the complaint explains. There, they would catch a KLM flight to Amsterdam, then connect to Belgrade, the familys final destination.

The four were going to visit family and friends in the Serbian capital, and Albuquerque, a frequent flyer with Delta, had booked the tickets, with a face value of $8,800, through the carriers SkyMiles program, according to the complaint.

The first leg of the journey went by without issue, the complaint continues. Next, it says, they boarded flight DL 9667 to Amsterdam, with Albuquerque and Garcia in seats 12H and 12K and their children seated in the row directly behind them.

Approximately two hours into the flight, Mrs. Garcia began feeling like bugs were crawling on her and that she was being bitten, the complaint states. It was at this point that she realized that bugs were crawling on her light-colored sweater.

When they notified the cabin crew, they shushed the pair so as not to cause a commotion, the complaint alleges. So, it goes on, the two snapped photos and took videos of the insects on Garcias clothing and in the creases of their seats.

During the flight, everyone in the Albuquerque family was bitten multiple times by the bugs that had infested the planes cabin, according to the complaint, which specifies that the bugs were indeed bed bugs. Prior to landing in Amsterdam, the flight attendants again urged Dr. Albuquerque and Mrs. Garcia not to tell anyone about the infestation because, if they did so, they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia.

open image in gallery The Albuquerque family says they were bitten all over, and are now seeking $200,000 from Delta and KLM. ( US District Court for the Western District of Virginia )

The flight attendants gave the family plastic bags for their personal belongings, and they boarded another KLM plane for the two-and-a-half-hour flight to Belgrade, the complaint says. When they sat down, the four were still feeling the discomfort and incessant itchiness of the bug bites, according to the complaint.

After arriving at their destination, the Albuquerques washed all of their clothing in boiling water in an attempt to kill the remaining bed bugs. A doctor friend advised them how to treat the discomfort of the multitude of bites, which covered expansive swaths of their skin, but the recovery process was slow, and wrecked the familys trip, the complaint states.

A week later, the Albuquerques took their kids to a pediatric clinic, which prescribed topical steroids and an antihistamine, according to the complaint. It says a doctor there confirmed the bites were from bed bugs, and recommended the family deploy bug bombs in their home and car, to ensure they killed any remaining insects.

The doctor also provided the children with notes indicating that they could return to school, noting that they were not contagious despite the visible bite marks and welts on their skin, the complaint states. As a direct and proximate result of the bite marks and rashes, [the children] suffered great embarrassment at school.

The Albuquerques do not know if the KLM crew ever told any other passengers about the alleged infestation, the complaint maintains. However, it says, they later learned that the flight attendants submitted a formal grievance about it to KLM.

open image in gallery Photos of the bed bugs, taken by the Albuquerque family, aboard the flight they say ruined their vacation ( US District Court for the Western District of Virginia )

Bed bugs aboard aircraft are more common on planes than people like to admit, one expert told Fortune earlier this year after Turkish Airlines passengers said they had found bed bugs on their planes. You get a lot of bedbugs and dust mites just because people are sitting on fabric. I mean realistically, it's a haven for them.

Last year, a passenger flying American Airlines from New York City to Detroit went viral on Reddit after claiming they discovered a bed bug crawling up their leg.

Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, recommends travelers choose a window seat over an aisle, because the odds of being exposed to bed bugs by other passengers walking by is lower.

Theres just less traffic over there, she told Fodors Travel.

As a result of their own bites, the Albuquerques have suffered rashes, discomfort, itching, pain and suffering, inconvenience, anxiety, mental anguish, anger, fear, humiliation and embarrassment, their complaint states. They have also incurred medical expenses to treat their injuries, and due to medical concerns had to dispose of their infested clothing and personal items.

The family is now seeking compensatory damages of $200,000, plus interest.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffys daughter, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, has railed against the Transportation Security Administration after she was given what she called an "absurdly invasive pat down at an airport security checkpoint.

I nearly missed my flight this morning after the TSA made me wait 15 minutes for a pat-down because Im pregnant and didnt feel like getting radiation exposure from their body scanner, Duffy-Alfonso wrote on X Thursday.

The TSA uses millimeter wave advanced imaging technology to screen passengers for any threats such as weapons and explosives that may be concealed under clothing.

The agency says the technology has no known adverse health effects and meets national health and safety standards. The scanners use non-ionizing radio-frequency energy, which is used by everyday electronic devices such as cell phones and Wi-Fi routers.

open image in gallery Transportation Secretary Sean Duffys daughter, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, has railed against the Transportation Security Administration after she was given what she called an 'absurdly invasive' pat down at an airport security checkpoint ( Eric Lee/Getty Images )

A TSA spokesman told The Independent, We are aware of the incident in question. TSA takes complaints about airport security screening procedures seriously and investigates complaints thoroughly to ensure the correct procedures are applied.

Duffy-Alfonso claimed the TSA agents she encountered were passive-aggressive, rude, and tried to pressure me and another pregnant woman into just walking through the scanner because its safe.

After finally getting the absurdly invasive pat-down, I barely made my flight.

The TSA says passengers generally have the option to decline the advanced imaging technology for a physical screening.

All this for an unconstitutional agency that isnt even good at its job. Perhaps things would have gone more smoothly if Id handed over my biometric data to a random private company (CLEAR). Then I could enjoy the special privilege of waiting in a shorter line to be treated like a terrorist in my own country, Duffy-Alfonso said.

CLEAR is a company that provides an opt-in service for passengers who want to expedite the identity verification process at the airport. Facial biometrics are used to verify their identity. This process comes before the screening process.

open image in gallery Evita Duffy-Alfonso says she almost missed her flight after waiting for the pat down since she declined to use the TSAs body scanning technology ( David McNew/Getty Images )

Duffy-Alfonso then evoked George Orwell  the author who penned the dystopian novel 1984 that has a focus on mass surveillance  in her rant.

Is this freedom? Travel, brought to you by George Orwelland the privilege of convenience based solely on your willingness to surrender biometric data and submit to radiation exposure? The golden age of transportation cannot begin until the TSA is gone, she said.

The Golden Age of Travel is a term the Transportation Department coined in November in a push restore courtesy and class to air travel, which for Duffy includes passengers leaving their pajamas and slippers at home.

The Independent has reached out to the Transportation Department for comment.

open image in gallery "The golden age of transportation cannot begin until the TSA is gone," Duffy-Alfonso said ( Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images )

One X user suggested Duffy-Alfonso contact her dad if she had a problem.

Maamyou know the Transportation Secretary pretty well. Perhaps you should run this by him, she wrote.

Duffy-Alfonso replied: He isnt in charge of TSA. TSA is under DHS, which is run by Kristi Noem. If he did have TSA, hed radically limit it and lobby Congress to abolish it.

Another X user suggested Duffy-Alfonso get to the airport earlier next time.

If you know you arent going through the scanner and will opt to wait for a pat-down, plan your time accordingly. Think of it as a lesson in developing the time-management parenting skills youll need going forward as you raise your child, they wrote.

Duffy-Alfonso said she got to the airport an hour and 10 minutes before her flight.

Officials recommend arriving at the airport two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights.
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A cancer patient staying at an Airbnb while he underwent chemotherapy at a nearby hospital came down with a deadly infection after spending just four nights in the home, thanks to toxic mold in one of the homes air conditioners, the mans grieving relatives contend.

Mohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was severely immunocompromised by acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, according to a $1 million-plus wrongful death lawsuit filed last week by his widow, Bebi, and adult son Imtiaz.

The disease, a blood cancer that starts in a persons bone marrow and spreads rapidly without treatment, has a five-year survival rate of about 70 percent. However, for someone suffering from ALL, being exposed to any mold/fungi [can be] life-threatening, the suit says, explaining that aspergillus, the specific mold allegedly present in the A/C unit, is especially dangerous for someone in Gafoors situation.

Gafoor came down with invasive fungal sinusitis as a result, bringing about his untimely demise, the lawsuit claims.

Attorney Philip Koelsch, who is representing the family, told The Independent that the Gafoors have endured a tremendous loss, and the circumstances detailed in the petition speak for themselves.

Our firm is appalled that the Airbnb property where Mr. Gafoor stayed during his cancer treatment was infested with mold  a dangerous condition that is often fatal for immunocompromised cancer patients, Koelsch said.

open image in gallery Mohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was 'severely immunocompromised' by acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to a $1 million-plus wrongful death lawsuit filed last week by his widow and adult son. ( Getty Images; Creative Commons 4.0 )

In an email, an Airbnb spokesperson said, The loss of a loved one is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the Gafoor family.

On July 19, 2024, Gafoor, a Florida resident, checked into the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to receive a course of chemo for his leukemia, according to his familys lawsuit, which was initially filed in Texas state court and removed to federal court on November 26.

It says Imtiaz had booked a month-long stay at Airbnb about a mile away from the hospital so he and his mom could be close by while Gafoor was there. The listing, for a cozy and warm second-floor condo in a luxury complex, seemed perfect for their needs, and Gafoor would join them for a spell at the two-bed, two-bath apartment following his treatment, the suit explains.

Gafoor spent roughly three weeks at MD Anderson, receiving lymphodepletion chemotherapy, Tecartus/CAR-T immunotherapy, and cell infusion to treat his leukemia, the suit goes on.

A very weak and severely immunocompromised Gafoor was discharged on August 8, 2024, and joined Bebi and Imtiaz that same day at the Airbnb, sleeping with Bebi in the units primary bedroom, the suit continues.

Chemo can be extremely debilitating, bringing with it all manner of side effects, and on August 12, 2024, Gafoor returned to MD Anderson complaining of a headache and eye pain, the lawsuit states. He was soon sent home, but went back to MD Anderson on August 16, 2024, saying that his headache and eye pain had intensified, according to the suit.

An MRI revealed that Mr. Gafoor was suffering from invasive fungal sinusitis, the lawsuit says.

open image in gallery The Gafoor family was staying at an Airbnb close to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Mohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He died after becoming even sicker by inhaling toxic mold lurking in one of the home's air conditioning units, the family claims. ( Google Maps )

Gafoor was immediately re-admitted to the hospital, it explains, and on August 20, 2024, a tissue culture test confirmed that aspergillus mold was the source of Mr. Gafoors fungal infection. At the same time, the precise source of the mold itself remained unclear.

On September 4, 2024, Gafoors health took a tragic turn for the worse, and hospital staff found him nonresponsive following a heart attack, the lawsuit states. By September 11, 2024, it says Gafoor, who was now intubated, was not only suffering from the invasive fungal infection, but also a bacterial infection, pancytopenia, ongoing encephalopathy with altered mental status, and difficulty with secretion clearance due to altered mental status.

Gafoor continued to deteriorate, and three days later, was critically ill, according to the suit.

Mr. Gafoors decline included worsening bacterial/fungal sinusitis, it emphasizes.

On September 15, 2024, Gafoors treating physicians told Imtiaz that his dad was not getting any better, and recommended the family let him pass away peacefully, the lawsuit states. Imtiaz then signed a do-not-resuscitate order, and Gafoor was transferred from Houston back home to Orlando for hospice care.

He died on September 18, 2024.

Significantly, Mr. Gafoors death certificate lists lymphoma and a fungal infection as his cause of death, the lawsuit states.

open image in gallery MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the top hospitals in the nation for specialized care. Gafoor's family says in a new lawsuit that he died not from substandard treatment, but from toxic mold at an Airbnb. ( Getty Images )

The origins of the fungal infection that hastened the end of Gafoors life were still unclear  until last December, when Bebi told Imtiaz that it may have come from mold in the Airbnb, according to the suit.

More specifically, Bebi told Imtiaz that the air conditioning in the master bedroom made her husband feel sick, it says. For this reason, Mr. Gafoor would often switch sides of the bed at night to be further away from the AC vent.

In March 2025, Imtiaz arranged to have the Airbnb tested by a mold assessment expert, who discovered the exact type of mold MD Anderson found in their tissue culture testing was present in the apartment, the lawsuit alleges.

An excerpt from the consultants report is included in the suit, asserting: The vent in the master bedroom, which showed the highest counts of Aspergillus/Penicillium, blows directly onto the bed located in the middle of the room where Mr. Gafoor slept. Based on the scope of magnitude of the mold it is my opinion the mold in the HVAC plenum and boot boxes was present when Mr. Gafoor was staying in the residence in August of 2024 from the 8th through the 16th.

The apartment, according to Airbnbs rules, was supposed to be free of health hazards (mold, pests, etc.), the lawsuit states, asserting, [U]nder the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, the Airbnb Defendants are vicariously liable for Plaintiffs injuries/damages resulting from [the hosts] failure to keep the Unit in safe condition during the Gafoors stay.

open image in gallery Gafoor's family is suing Airbnb after tests found toxic mold in the air conditioner in the primary bedroom of the home they rented. Gafoor, a cancer patient, died after becoming even sicker from the fungal spores,. ( US District Court for the Southern District of Texas )

It claims Airbnb allowed misrepresentations to be posted regarding the state of the apartment, calling it luxury, comfort, cozy, and warm, when it actually was infested with toxic mold.

There is nothing comfortable or cozy about mold, the lawsuit argues.

Airbnb has been slammed in the past for other dangerous conditions at rental units. Last year, the company was sued after three members of one family drowned in a lake at an Airbnb in Upstate New York.

We believe that this tragedy could have been avoided if proper precautions had been in place, one of the relatives told The Independent, and we are committed to ensuring that no other family has to endure what we have been through.

The Gafoor family is now seeking a minimum of $1 million for, among other things, loss of companionship and society, conscious pain and mental anguish experienced by Gafoor before his death, and funeral and burial expenses.

Koelsch, the familys attorney, told The Independent, We look forward to pursuing justice on behalf of Mr. Gafoors widow and son.
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Donald Trump has refused to rule out going to a war with Venezuela after ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from the country.

I dont rule it out, no, he said when asked about possible military action by NBC News.

The Trump administration has led a hostile campaign against Nicolas Maduros government in Venezuela, with the US president demanding that Caracas return all the oil they previously stole from us.

Washington recently seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and for months has carried out air strikes on so-called drug boats which Mr Trump claims are transporting illegal narcotics to the US through the Caribbean Sea.

open image in gallery Donald Trump has refused to rule out war with Venezuela ( AP )

More than 100 people have been killed in 28 strikes, including one double tap strike, which has been condemned by several members of Congress.

Asked whether there was a timeline for any future potential oil tanker seizures, Trump told the outlet: It depends. If theyre foolish enough to be sailing along, theyll be sailing along back into one of our harbours.

Mr Trump did not reveal whether ousting Mr Maduro was his goal, saying that the Venezuelan president knows exactly what I want, he knows better than anybody.

The US president is facing scrutiny over the huge buildup of military forces near Venezuela, after promising to be the President of Peace when he came to power. He was recently awarded the brand new  but widely discredited  Fifa Peace Prize.

open image in gallery It has been suggested that Trump is seeking to oust Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro ( AFP/Getty )

Announcing the blockade earlier this week, Mr Trump said: Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before  Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.

He did not clarify what oil, land and assets the White House believes Venezuela has stolen from the US.

The unusually large force amassed in the Caribbean Sea includes 15,000 personnel operating with the US Southern Command, and 11 Navy warships  including Americas largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford  along with five destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, and two cruisers. Do

On board those ships are multiple fighter jet squadrons, a variety of Marine helicopters, Harrier jets and Osprey tilt rotor aircraft, with the capacity to transport large numbers of marines and to strike land and sea targets.

A US Navy submarine is also operating in the broader South America area, capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.
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Ben Shapiro turned on his fellow MAGA podcasters in a fiery display at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference, amid a growing dispute over controversial firebrand Candace Owens.

Shapiros turn saw him tear into Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, while also blasting his friend Megyn Kelly over what he perceives as her cowardice over failing to condemn Owens.

His furious outburst was in response to Owens pushing of conspiracy theories about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September.

These people are frauds, and they are grifters, and they do not deserve your time, Shapiro raged at the event, which the Right Side Broadcasting Network broadcast.

Shapiro added that he had a moral obligation to call out Owens theories.

He claimed that Owens was spouting absolutely baseless trash implicating everyone from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlies murder, or a cover-up in that murder.

open image in gallery Ben Shapiro blasted his fellow MAGA podcasters for failing to condemn Candace Owens conspiracy theories ( REUTERS )

Currently, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson is the only suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk, which took place at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have claimed that Robinson allegedly carried out the shooting because of Kirks political activism.

Meanwhile, Owens has continued to allege that Israeli government agents were behind the shooting. She claims that Kirk was moving away from his well-documented support for the Jewish state, prompting agents to kill him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied the claims as a monstrous, big lie.

Owens is also currently mired in a lawsuit with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, whom the podcaster claims was born a man.

Owens recently opened up a second feud with France, after claiming that a French official told her that their country was behind Kirks killing and even claimed that plans were being made to assassinate her.

Erika Kirk, the wife of the Turning Point USA founder, has also condemned Owens theories and held a four-hour meeting with her on Monday.

open image in gallery Candace Owens has suggested that Israel or France could be behind the killing of Kirk ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images )

The people who refuse to condemn Candaces truly vicious attacks, and some of them are speaking here, are guilty of cowardice. Yes, cowardice, Shapiro said.

He named his friend Megyn Kelly in his rant, criticizing her for characterizing Candace as a young mother and thus shying away from condemning her actions or fibbing about them.

Kelly responded on social media to what she labelled an attack on yours truly.

Prob should have checked w/ @TPUSA & @MrsErikaKirk first, she wrote, referring to Shapiro. Im embarrassed for them.

Shapiro also railed against former Fox presenter Tucker Carlson for meeting with far-right commentator Nick Fuentes.

open image in gallery Shapiro also hit out at Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson ( SiriusXM )

He suggested Fuentes was a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse and that Carlson had built Nick Fuentes up by publicly interviewing him.

Tucker Carlson responded to Shapiros criticism during his own speech, joking that he had not watched the first part of the program.

He also jabbed that he did not think he missed anything meaningful, before adding that he did watch Shapiros speech and had laughed.

To hear calls for like deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, Im like, what?! Thats hilarious, he said.

The Independent has contacted Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro for comment.
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News anchor John Dickerson signed off for the final time Thursday night by emotionally bidding farewell to his CBS Evening News partner Maurice DuBois, who is also leaving both the show and the Tiffany Network amid Bari Weiss shakeup at the Tiffany Network.

The final broadcast of the two-anchor team comes just days after Weiss  the networks anti-woke editor-in-chief who was hired this past fall  announced that CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil was taking over as host of the perennially third-place nightly news program.

At the end of Thursdays telecast, DuBois  who jumped from the networks flagship New York station to the national weeknight show roughly a year ago  expressed his gratitude to the programs crew and his on-air colleague.

I cannot thank this team enough, DuBois declared. Ive walked out of here each night extremely proud of the work weve done together. And you, our viewers, I cannot thank you enough for placing your trust in us.

Turning to Dickerson, DuBois said he was an outstanding journalist and an even better person, adding: Ive learned quite a bit from working with you. Proud to call you not just a colleague, but a friend.

open image in gallery John Dickerson struggled to hold back tears Thursday night as he said goodbye to his on-air partner Maurice DuBois during their final broadcast together. ( CBS News )

Dickerson, meanwhile, grew somewhat emotional and began choking back tears as he replied to DuBois.

Thank you, Maurice. You know, a year and a half ago we didnt even really know each other. And youve become a model for me and a trusted friend, he said while his voice broke a bit.

It has been an honor to put the work of our correspondents, producers, editors, and writers before you, Dickerson continued. And to work with my partner, Maurice, who put his heart into our shared concern, doing right by you  your expectation has been our responsibility and our reward.

With DuBois returning his partners compliments, the pair then closed out the broadcast with CBS News legend Edward R. Murrows famous sign-off: Thank you for watching. Good night and good luck.

Shortly after Paramount chair David Ellison hired Weiss and purchased her center-right heterodox digital outlet The Free Press for $150 million, she began looking at revamping CBS Evening News  which had already been rebooted less than a year earlier. Late last year, it was announced that anchor Norah ODonnell would be replaced after five-plus years by the two-man team of DuBois and Dickerson, and the show would lean more into 60 Minutes-style programming.

Weiss, meanwhile, unsuccessfully tried to poach high-profile talent from other networks to lead the evening program, approaching both Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier and CNN mainstay Anderson Cooper (who also works as a 60 Minutes correspondent). Baier, however, is locked in a multi-year deal with Fox while Cooper was uninterested in the gig and re-signed with CNN.

Amid the new editor-in-chiefs overt efforts to replace them, both Dickerson and DuBois decided to preemptively announce their departures from CBS Evening News and the network as a whole.

Hes a huge, huge loss, one network staffer said in late October when Dickerson whod been with CBS News for 16 years and also helmed the Sunday show Face the Nation  announced he was leaving. Other network insiders said at the time that the network wanted him to fail.

DuBois would follow Dickerson a few weeks later, calling his brief co-anchoring stint the Honor of a Lifetime while saying hed filled with gratitude, cherished relationships and amazing memories.

open image in gallery Maurice DuBois and John Dickerson hosted 'CBS Evening News' for the final time on Thursday night. ( CBS News )

In the end, unable to get any of the big names she had courted externally, Weiss decided to give the job to Dokoupil, who had long been considered the top internal candidate  particularly due to his fervent pro-Israeli stance, which aligns with the self-described Zionist fanatic Weiss.

In fact, prior to Ellison installing her to lead CBS News, Weiss and The Free Press vehemently defended Dokoupil after he was reprimanded by the networks management for his contentious and combative interview with celebrated author Ta-Nehisi Coates over Palestine and Israel.

At the time, Dokoupil was admonished by CBS News executives Wendy McMahon and Adrienne Roarke  neither of whom are with the network now  for violating the networks editorial standards with the interview. In a series of articles, Weiss and The Free Press went to bat for the morning host while blasting CBS News actions against him.

The day before DuBois and Dickerson signed off for the final time, CBS News promoted Dokoupils debut as CBS Evening News anchor, noting that his run will launch with a Live from America 10-city, 10-day tour.

For his first night as anchor of the CBS EVENING NEWS on Jan. 5, Dokoupil will be in Miami, the kickoff for two weeks of the CBS EVENING NEWS broadcasts from the road. In a new city each day, Dokoupil will meet Americans face to face, the network declared in a press release. This road trip builds on Dokoupils more than two decades of journalism spanning the country and on the instinct that has defined his coverage: to follow the story, talking not only to newsmakers, but to the people most affected by the news.

In recent weeks, the news network has gone through an upheaval under Weiss leadership. Besides the network suffering through brutal layoffs that largely impacted people of color and women, which were already underway before Weiss was hired, CBS News has also axed several digital shows while revamping its weekend morning program.

At the same time, Weiss has taken heat for installing herself as an on-air personality when she served as the moderator for the networks much-hyped but poorly received town hall with Charlie Kirks widow Erika Kirk, who is now the leader of the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA.

Following the special, which was heavily promoted by CBS News but still pulled in less than two million viewers, the network announced that it was launching a series of debates and town halls called Things That Matter  and the first participant will be Vice President JD Vance.
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Dr Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, has warned against seeking gender-affirming care on price grounds, claiming it can cost as much as $150,000 to create a new penis.

Speaking at a Department of Health and Human Services event on Thursday at which the administration unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively block access to gender-affirming care for minors, the former TV personality claimed that LGBT+ ideology was harmful to children.

Were not gonna let taxpayer money go to hurt these children, and no children will no longer be hurt by this ideology, Dr Oz said.

We know that inflicting these procedures on young people costs them and the Medicaid system countless dollars, not just in medical bills, but all kinds of downstream issues, while providers reap the rewards.

He then cited a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association three years ago to argue that such treatment is costly.

open image in gallery Dr Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, speaks during an announcement at the Department of Health and Human Services on restricting transgender care for minors on December 18, 2025 ( Getty )

According to 2022 JAMA data  so its very recent  the typical vaginoplasty, a vaginoplasty, a procedure a child does not need, costs $60,000, he said.

Shockingly, a phalloplasty  the creation of a penis  costs, on average in America, according to this data, high-quality, $150,000 per child.

I do believe with doing some work that these prices have continued to increase with increasing manufactured demand. And I must point out that the creation of a vagina in that case of a phalloplasty or a scrotoplasty where you add testicles, thats extra.

This is a pathology that has afflicted the medical profession. It is shameful that clinicians have profiteered off this. I do not understand how it could possibly have been tolerated by the leadership of these institutions, but it will no longer be funded, he continued.

The Gender Confirmation Center puts the cost of a phalloplasty at between $35,000 and $50,000 and the price of a vaginoplasty between $23,000 and $24,500, well short of Dr Ozs figures.

The Singapore-based gender clinic GenderGP offers a similar estimate, placing the cost of a phalloplasty in the U.S. at between $23,255 and $39,160, making it one of the more expensive destinations to choose for surgery.

However, the clinic does add that more extensive procedures can climb to $158,795 when including all stages and if there are any complications experienced.

open image in gallery Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary attend the Department of Health and Human Services's 'Protecting Children' event on December 18, 2025 ( Getty )

For comparison, the same procedure can cost as little as $2,673 in Thailand and $3,743 in Turkey, according to GenderGP.

Such treatment is extremely rare for patients under 18 to receive genital surgery, Transhealthcare.org notes. At the same time, both the Gender Confirmation Center and the Boston Childrens Hospital Center say phalloplasties and vaginoplasties are not recommended to transgender children under eighteen years of age.

President Donald Trump has taken a strongly anti-trans position in his second term, claiming that opposition Democrats want transgender for everybody.

Thursdays announcement by his HHS included a plan to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding to hospitals that provide pediatric gender-affirming care and to prevent federal Medicaid funds from being spent on such procedures.

So-called gender affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on vulnerable young people, Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said at the event. This is not medicine. It is malpractice.

Dr Susan J Kressly, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was quick to hit back, responding: These policies and proposals misconstrue the current medical consensus and fail to reflect the realities of pediatric care and the needs of children and families.

These rules are a baseless intrusion into the patient-physician relationship. Patients, their families, and their physicians  not politicians or government officials  should be the ones to make decisions together about what care is best for them.
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In a surprise announcement, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik has withdrawn from the New York gubernatorial race and declared she will not seek re-election to Congress.

Citing a desire to prioritize her family, Stefanik stated on Friday that it was "not an effective use of our time" to remain in what was anticipated to be a challenging Republican primary.

Writing on X, Stefanik, a prominent ally of Donald Trump, expressed confidence in her prospects against Bruce Blakeman, a Republican county official from New York Citys suburbs. However, she emphasised her wish to dedicate more time to her young son and family.

"I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I dont further focus on my young sons safety, growth, and happiness  particularly at his tender age," she explained.

The decision marks an abrupt pause in what has been a notable political career for Stefanik. She made history in 2014 as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at the age of 30, quickly rising through the ranks to become chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021.

Initially perceived as a moderate upon her arrival in Washington, Stefanik's political stance shifted considerably as Donald Trump's influence grew within the party. Once hesitant to even utter his name, she transformed into one of his staunchest defenders during his first impeachment inquiry. Her alignment with Trump continued as she voted against certifying the 2020 election results, even following the Capitol riot on January 6.

Her expected primary contest against Blakeman, who also identifies as a Trump ally, was predicted to be contentious. Donald Trump had previously refrained from endorsing either candidate, telling reporters, "Hes great, and shes great. Theyre both great people."

Stefanik's withdrawal also follows a public disagreement with Speaker Mike Johnson, whom she accused of dishonesty before engaging in a series of media interviews criticising him. In one interview with The Wall Street Journal, she labelled Mr Johnson a "political novice" and suggested he would not retain his speakership if a vote were held today. While the early December episode appeared to de-escalate after Mr Johnson stated they had a "great talk," her criticisms remain visible. "I called her and I said, Why wouldnt you just come to me, you know?" Johnson recounted. "So we had some intense fellowship about that."

Despite this, a social media post from December 2, in which Stefanik accused Johnson of falsely claiming ignorance about a provision she championed being omitted from a defence authorisation bill, remains online. In the post, she called it "more lies from the Speaker."

State Republican Chairman Ed Cox acknowledged Stefaniks decision, thanking her for her contributions. "Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me," Cox stated. "Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain."
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The Department of Justice has published thousands of documents in another batch of files from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, marking the largest release yet, with many references to President Donald Trump.

Tuesdays newly released documents include hundreds of emails and other correspondence from law enforcement and prosecutors investigating Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein in the wake of his death in prison in 2019, which was ruled a suicide.

The files also reveal investigators identified potential co-conspirators whose names have not been publicly revealed, and the Justice Departments partial and heavily redacted release of materials has not yet advanced the publics understanding of the scope of Epstein's crimes and connections to an alleged sex trafficking ring accused of exploiting and abusing young girls.

Trump, who had a yearslong relationship with Epstein until the early 2000s, is not accused of wrongdoing in connection with his crimes, and ones appearance within the files does not suggest otherwise. The Justice Department immediately leapt to his defense Tuesday, claiming the files contain untrue and sensationalist claims that they suggested were used to influence the 2020 presidential election.

To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already, the statement said. Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epsteins victims.

open image in gallery Newly released documents and images from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell include a prosecutors claim that Donald Trump may have flown on the sex offenders jet many more times than previously known. ( via REUTERS )

Trump appeared many more times on Epsteins flight logs

In one message from January 2020, a federal prosecutor in Manhattan claimed that flight records showed Trump traveled on Epsteins private jet many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware), including during the period where prosecutors were preparing to charge in the case against Maxwell.

There were at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996 in which Trump was a passenger, according to the message. Maxwell was also present on at least four of those flights, according to an assistant U.S. attorney, whose name is redacted.

open image in gallery An email from 2020 discussing Jeffrey Epstein's private jet flight records mentioned Donald Trump ( Department of Justice )

Weve just finished reviewing the full records (more than 100 pages of very small script) and didnt want any of this to be a surprise down the road, the prosecutor added.

At various times, Trump traveled with Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric, according to the message.

On one flight in 1993, Trump and Epstein are the only two listed passengers, and on another, the only three passengers are Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old passenger whose name is redacted. On two other flights, two passengers were women who would be possible witnesses in a Maxwell case, the prosecutor wrote.

The messages did not include any details about the flights other than the passengers.

Mar-a-Lago factors into evidence

The documents include several tips collected by the FBI about Trumps involvement with Epstein and parties at their properties in the early 2000s. The messages do not state whether any follow-up investigations were pursued or if the allegations are corroborated.

A message from an investigator in June 2021 reported an image with Trump with Maxwell that was discovered on Steve Bannons phone. Bannon, the far-right media personality and former Trump adviser, is seen in several undated photographs alongside Epstein in documents submitted by the Justice Department.

open image in gallery Federal prosecutors subpoenaed Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in 2021 for employment records as they prosecuted Maxwell, documents show ( Department of Justice )

Federal prosecutors also subpoenaed Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort that year for employment records as they prosecuted Maxwell, documents show.

A subpoena request from October 2021 seeks any and all employment records related to a person whose name has been redacted.

Speaking from Mar-a-Lago in his first public remarks about the documents Monday night, the president said Epstein was all over Palm Beach and many people crossed paths with him.

You probably have pictures being exposed of other people that innocently met Jeffrey Epstein years ago, Trump said. A lot of people are very angry that pictures are being released of other people that really had nothing to do with Epstein, but theyre in a picture with him because he was at a party, and you ruin the reputation of somebody.

An unclassified document from the FBI in October 2020 also recounts allegations from a woman who attended a party in Palm Beach 20 years earlier. At the party, she was told that Trump had invited her and others to a party at Mar-a-Lago, but she was told it was for prostitutes.

Investigators looked into 10 Epstein co-conspirators

FBI Director Kash Patel testified to senators earlier this year there was no credible information that Epstein trafficked women and girls to anyone but himself, though members of Congress investigating Epstein identified at least 20 alleged co-conspirators whose names were provided by victims cooperating with law enforcement.

Newly released documents in the Epstein files reveal that investigators identified at least 10 co-conspirators in Epsteins sex trafficking case in 2019, none of whom have been publicly revealed.

Three of those alleged co-conspirators lived in Florida and were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury. There were others in Boston, New York City and Connecticut, according to emails from July 2019.

One is a wealthy business man in Ohio, according to one message.

open image in gallery A photograph of Maxwell and Trump is included in a batch of files from the Justice Department published December 23 ( Department of Justice )

After Epsteins death in 2019, prosecutors produced several memos determining whether to charge alleged conspirators in his case, according to the documents.

But the files released by the Justice Department only references the memos  not the documents themselves.

If made public, those memos could reveal the previously unreported decision-making among prosecutors that led to the sex trafficking cases against Epstein and Maxwell. So far, they are the only people to face criminal charges in connection with their abuse.

Epsteins fake letter to Larry Nassar mentions Trump

A letter from J. Epstein from Manhattan Correctional to Larry Nassar, the former women's gymnastics team doctor convicted of exploiting and sexually assaulting hundreds of young athletes, was among documents released by the Justice Department.

The letter is postmarked August 13, 2019, three days after Epsteins death. It was marked return to sender and discovered in a mailroom more than a month later.

open image in gallery Federal investigators were probing the authenticity of a letter from 'J Epstein' to 'Larry Nassar' while Epstein was incarcerated in 2019, according to documents from the Justice Department ( Department of Justice )

The existence of the letter was previously reported, and additional documents in the files showed investigators trying to authenticate it. It is unclear whether they reached a conclusion.

Hours after publishing the document, the Justice Department determined the letter is fake.

The writing does not appear to match Epsteins and was postmarked from Virginia, not New York, where Epstein was jailed, according to the Justice Department.

This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual, the statement said.

As you know by now, I have taken the short route home. Good luck! the postcard reads.

It continues: We shared one thing . . . our love [and] caring for young ladies at the hope they'd reach their full potential. Our president shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to grab snatch, whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system.

open image in gallery A composite of documents dated June 8, 2020, shows an email exchange between an unnamed lawyer from New York and former US attorney Geoff Berman, with regards to ongoing investigations related to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's association with Jeffrey Epstein ( Department of Justice )

Documents mention Royal Family

In a series of emails from 2001, Maxwell writes to a person identified as A or The Invisible Man who appears to be connected to the British royal family. A wrote to Maxwell in August 2021, saying, I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family.

Have you found me some new inappropriate friends? the email says.

Maxwell responds: So sorry to dissappoint [sic] you, however the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends.

A responds: Distraught!

open image in gallery An email between Ghislaine Maxwell and a person identified as The Invisible Man discusses the Royal Family ( Department of Justice )

The person in those messages has not been identified. But Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was introduced to Epstein in 1999 by Maxwell and has previously been identified in photographs and other documents connected to the pair. He has not been charged with any crimes in connection with Epstein and has denied any wrongdoing.

Another email exchange between an unnamed lawyer and former U.S Attorney Geoffrey Berman discusses ongoing investigations related to Mountbatten-Windsor's association with Epstein.

open image in gallery And undated photograph shows Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell near Balmoral ( Department of Justice )

Victims and investigators describe abuse

An undated statement from an alleged victim of Epstein and Maxwell include allegations that the financier and other men blindfolded and raped her in an underground room when she was 17 years old.

Another victim described Maxwell as a psychopath in a December 2020 statement submitted before Maxwell was convicted of participating in a scheme to groom and abuse young women and girls.

She has lived a life of privilege, abusing her position of power to live beyond the rules. Fleeing the country in order to escape once more would fit with her long history of anti-social behavior, the statement says. I believe that she is a psychopath She has demonstrated a complete failure to accept responsibility in any way for her actions and demonstrated a complete lack of remorse for her central role in procuring victims for Epstein. She was both charming and manipulative with me during the grooming process.

open image in gallery Survivors have criticized the Trump administrations handling of the files, including extreme redactions and failing to redact some victims identities ( AFP/Getty )

An assistant U.S. attorney in Florida also wrote to investigators February 1, 2008, after interviewing three of the girls in connection with an initial investigation into Epstein.

I wish you could have been there to see how much this has affected them, the prosecutor said.

One girl broke down sobbing so that we had to stop the interview twice within a 20-minute span. She regained her composure enough to continue a short time, but she said that she was having nightmares about Epstein coming after her and she started to break down again, so we stopped the interview, the person added.

More than a dozen abuse survivors have criticized the Trump administrations handling of the files, which were riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation when they were first published last week, according to their statement.

Many victim identities were unredacted, causing real and immediate harm, they wrote Monday.

While clearer communication would not change the fact that a law was broken, its absence suggests an ongoing intent to keep survivors and the public in the dark as much as possible and as long as possible, they added.

Prosecutors and investigators were growing frustrated

A bulk of the files include correspondence between investigators or prosecutors related to Epsteins 2008 nonprosecution agreement, his 2019 prosecution and the 2020 case against Maxwell.

But officials appeared routinely frustrated on how to move forward after Epsteins death in 2019.

In an email thread from 2020, investigators with the U.S. Attorneys office complained about the FBIs handling of evidence. The names are redacted.

They were left sifting through more than a million documents without much rhyme or reason, one person wrote.

Notwithstanding their many promises to us about quick and effective processing of the 60+ devices they seized, the FBI is completely f******* us on this, another message reads.

An official with the U.S. Attorneys office in Manhattan said they were not given guidance on how to proceed with the investigation.

We still have not heard back from [REDACTED] or anyone one what we should be doing, if anything, to gather and review material from the abandoned federal case against Epstein in Florida, the unnamed person wrote in a 2020 email.

On the list of things keeping me up at 3am, this is pretty consistently at or near the top, the person added.

open image in gallery Justice Department officials have defended the partial and ongoing release of the Epstein files despite federal law requiring all documents to be published by December 19 ( Getty Images )

The Justice Department failed to release all of the files related to Epsteins cases in its possession despite federal law signed by Trump requiring the administration to publicly disclose everything it had by December 19.

An initial round of long-awaited documents included heavy redactions, including dozens of pages of grand jury testimony and previously sealed court filings that were nearly entirely blacked out.

The law requires the release of potentially thousands of documents that are typically shielded from public view, including grand jury testimony, settlements, investigative notes and internal records related to the Epstein and Maxwell cases.

open image in gallery An email discussing a purported photo of Epstein and Trump on Steve Bannon's phone is shown in this image released by the Department of Justice ( Department of Justice )

After the initial release of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act , the Justice Department removed more than 20 files  including an image of a credenza inside Epsteins home, where a photograph of Trump with bikini-clad women was sitting in an open drawer.

Those images were later restored, but the Justice Departments violation of the legal deadline and the apparent removal of images only fueled outrage and demand for the full release of the files.

open image in gallery An image of a credenza inside Epsteins home, where a photograph of Trump was sitting in an open drawer, was removed from the Justice Departments database hours after an initial release. It was later restored ( AP )

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trumps former criminal defense lawyer, said the Justice Department needed time to make necessary redactions to protect survivors.

Youre talking about a million or so pages of documents  virtually all of them contain victim information, he told NBCs Meet the Press Sunday.

He said officials were not removing any mentions of Trump in the documents, more of which are expected to be rolled out over the coming weeks.

Members of Congress have suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi could be held in contempt for failing to release documents on deadline.
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The Trump administration and law enforcement agencies have faced enormous public pressure to release everything they have on deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Questions about Epsteins crimes, and suicide in prison while awaiting trial on trafficking charges, have fueled conspiracy theories and allegations that the well-connected financier was intimately involved with a wider network of powerful figures who preyed on young women and girls.

Thousands of documents in Epsteins cases, and the probe against his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, have already been made public by government officials, law enforcement and federal courts.

The Department of Justice is expected to release hundreds of thousands more Friday. A persons inclusion in documents or photographs does not indicate wrongdoing.

Here is what we know so far.

open image in gallery Thousands of documents surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epsteins cases have already been published by government officials, law enforcement and federal courts ( House Oversight Committee )

Lolita, passports and I will send u girls now text message

December 18, 2025

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have selectively published several batches of documents from Epsteins estate, including images of a womans body with handwritten text inspired by Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita, as well as a screenshot of an undated text message saying: I will send u girls now.

The redacted message then appears to list the height, measurements and other details of an 18-year-old girl from Russia. A photograph of a Russian womans passport is also included in the latest batch of documents from the committee.

There also are photographs of passports and other IDs for women from the Czech Republic, South Africa and Lithuania, as well as three women from Ukraine.

open image in gallery An undated screenshot from a text thread sent by Epsteins estate to the House Oversight Committee include a message reading: I will send u girls now ( House Oversight Committee )

open image in gallery Images obtained by the committee also include photographs of a womans body covered in apparent references to the book Lolita ( House Oversight Committee )

Grand jury documents unsealed

December 2025

Three federal judges overseeing cases against Epstein and Maxwell agreed to unseal grand jury materials following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act in December. However, judges appeared skeptical that the information would shed any new light.

Transcripts of grand jury proceedings from an abandoned federal case in Florida could reveal why federal prosecutors ultimately decided against moving forward with a case against Epstein in 2007.

Under a controversial plea agreement, Epstein agreed to plead guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. He was released after serving less than 13 months in state prison.

Officials had previously released interviews and other documents from Epsteins state case in Florida.

open image in gallery Epstein was photographed by Florida authorities for the states sex offender registry in July 2013 after he was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution ( Florida Department of Law Enforcement )

Clinton, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Trump condoms

December 12, 2025

Another batch of files from Democrats on the House Oversight Committee showed an undated photo of Trump with six women wearing leis whose faces have been blurred out by the committee. Another image shows a collection of condoms  going for $4.50 each  depicting a caricature of Trumps face above the phrase Im HUUUUGE!

Other images show Epstein with Steve Bannon, Bill Clinton, attorney Alan Dershowitz, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, Sir Richard Branson, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew.

Mountbatten-Windsor had his birthright title removed over his serious lapses in judgement for 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.

open image in gallery An undated image from Epsteins estate shows a collection of condoms depicting Trump ( House Oversight Committee )

Thousands of Epstein emails

November 12, 2025

The largest release of Epstein-related files yet included hundreds of emails from Epstein, including his claim that Trump knew about the girls.

Emails from 2011 to 2019 include messages to and from Epstein and others in his circle, such as his attorneys, journalists, author Michael Wolff, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Deepak Chopra, among many others.

Trump is repeatedly mentioned in messages to and from Epstein, including in correspondence with Maxwell. Epstein claimed to Maxwell that Trump had spent hours with a victim, whose name is redacted, at his home.

i want you to realise that that dog that hasnt barked is trump... [VICTIM] spent hours at my house with him...he has never once been mentioned, Epstein told Maxwell, according to the emails.

Other messages show Epstein labeling the president crazy and evil beyond belief.

I know how dirty donald is, Epstein wrote in one message.

Trump did not send or receive any of the emails, and the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

open image in gallery Emails from Epsteins estate include messages claiming Trump spent hours with a victim at Epsteins home ( House Oversight Committee )

Alex Acostas testimony

October 2025

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee released a transcript from a September interview with Alex Acosta, the federal prosecutor who reached the controversial plea deal with Epstein in 2008, finding that Trump was not involved with the case against the late sex offender.

Meeting schedules with Elon Musk and Peter Thiel

September 26, 2025

Documents, released by the House Oversight Committee, include Epsteins meeting schedules appearing to show appointments with Bannon and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during Trumps first term in office.

The documents also mention Musk joining a potential trip to Epsteins island in 2014.

Then-Prince Andrew also is listed in the documents as a passenger on Epsteins aircraft, with financial disclosures provided to the committee suggesting evidence of payments from Epstein to an individual listed as Andrew.

Video from Epsteins jail

September 2, 2025

Epsteins death in a Manhattan jail was ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner. The Justice Department previously released heavily scrutinized security camera video that officials claim prove that nobody entered Epsteins jail cell on the night he died, though the full footage released by House Democrats appeared to show a missing minute.

Trumps bawdy birthday message

July 17, 2025

A book later made public by House Democrats in September contains dozens of letters from friends for Epsteins 50th birthday in 2003  including a drawing of a naked woman bearing Trumps signature.

Trump sued The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the existence of the note, and administration officials insisted that the presidents signature is not his.

The book also included a message with Bill Clintons signature.

open image in gallery A book later made public by House Democrats in September contains dozens of letters from friends for Epsteins 50th birthday in 2003  including a drawing of a naked woman bearing Trumps signature. Trump sued The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the existence of the note, and administration officials insisted that the presidents signature is not his ( House Oversight Committee )

Ghislaine Maxwells jailhouse interview

August 2025

The Justice Departments transcripts and audio of interviews with Maxwell include her statement that Trump was never inappropriate with anybody. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence, was later moved to a lower-security facility in Texas.

Justice Department memo says no further document releases are warranted

July 2025

The Justice Department determined no further disclosures in the Epstein case would be appropriate or warranted, which only fueled scrutiny into the presidents relationship with Epstein.

Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino reportedly threatened to resign over the memo. In an apparent attempt to diffuse speculation about infighting within the administration, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he had personally worked with both Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel to craft the document.

All of us signed off on the contents of the memo and the conclusions stated in the memo, Blanche wrote. The suggestion by anyone that there was any daylight between the FBI and DOJ leadership on this memo's composition and release is patently false.

Two days before the Justice Departments deadline to release the Epstein files, he announced his departure from the bureau.

open image in gallery A group of far-right influencers were invited to the White House in February 2025 to receive binders full of documents on Epstein that were largely already publicly available ( AFP via Getty Images )

Binders handed out to far-right influencers

February 27, 2025

Far-right influencers including Jack Posobiec and the people behind the LibsofTikTok and DC_Draino accounts were invited to the White House and provided with binders marked The Epstein Files: Phase 1 and Declassified.

Most of those documents were already publicly available.

open image in gallery Deputy FBI director Dan Bongino allegedly threatened to resign over the Justice Departments decision against disclosing Epstein documents after Attorney General Bondi and FBI director Patel released a memo saying no further disclosures were warranted ( Getty Images )

Epsteins bank records

Beginning in 2022

Lawsuits against the banks that did business with Epstein have sparked congressional investigations and allegations of "suspicious activity that should have been alerted to federal authorities. JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank, which have not admitted wrongdoing, say they regret their relationships with Epstein.

Members of Congress are investigating those suspicious activity inquiries to map out the financial network allegedly supporting Epsteins crimes.

Virginia Giuffres deposition

2019

Giuffre, who accused Epstein of sexual abuse and trafficking her to other men, testified in a deposition in 2016 as part of a defamation suit she filed against Maxwell. They were partially made public three years later. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.

Epsteins flight logs and address book

2015

Partial passenger lists from Epsteins private jet became public in 2015 during litigation between the financier and lawyers representing his victims. Names and phone numbers from his address book showed his contacts before his first arrest in 2006. Both documents were released by Trumps Justice Department in February 2025.
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Republicans and Democrats have bashed President Donald Trump for moving the goalpost and only initially releasing some of the government documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the set deadline.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News earlier Friday that it would take a couple of weeks to release everything the Justice Department must produce. Federal law states all the files must be released by Friday.

I expect that were going to release several hundred thousand documents today, and those documents will come in all different forms  photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into, into Mr. Epstein, Blanche said.

So today, several hundred thousand, and then, over the next couple of weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more, he added.

Around 4 p.m. Friday, the Justice Department released thousands of documents and images from criminal investigations into Epstein.

open image in gallery Republicans and Democrats have bashed President Donald Trump for 'moving the goalpost' and only releasing some of the government documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by the set deadline ( Getty )

News that the government was withholding documents after a hard-fought battle on Capitol Hill to force the Trump administration to give the public more insight into the crimes and associates of the wealthy financier who was accused of sexually abusing women and girls for years has made lawmakers even more frustrated.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act is clear: while protecting survivors, ALL of these records are required to be released today. Not just some, Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, wrote on X. The Trump administration can't move the goalposts. They're cemented in law.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene  a Georgia Republican who recently had a public falling out with Trump, in part due to her support of the releasing of the Epstein files  wrote, My goodness, what is in the Epstein files? Release all the files. Its literally the law.

California Governor Gavin Newsoms press team asked what Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were hiding, and then called to RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.

White House Spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the governments handling of the Epstein files, telling The Independent, The Trump Administration is the most transparent in history. By releasing thousands of pages of documents, cooperating with the House Oversight Committees subpoena request, and President Trump recently calling for further investigations into Epsteins Democrat friends, the Trump Administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have.

open image in gallery Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News Friday that it would take a 'couple of weeks' to release everything the Justice Department must produce ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images )

House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia of California and House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland said in a joint statement that Trump and the Justice Department are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epsteins decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement, The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be - the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law. This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.

Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who led the charge with Democrat Ro Khanna to compel the Justice Department to release the Epstein files, simply shared a photo of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

The text of the law reads: Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shallmake publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorney's Offices, that relate to: Jeffrey Epstein...

open image in gallery Epstein, a wealthy financier, was accused of sexually abusing women and girls for years ( AP/John Minchillo )

Trump announced on November 19 via Truth Social that he had signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The president strongly opposed the legislation at first and has continued to call the controversy over the documents a hoax.

But after House Republicans signaled that they were going to support the measure when a vote on it was forced by Democrats and a few GOP congress members, Trump decided to back it.

There are some documents the Justice Department does not have to release, including anything that could reveal a victims identity, anything depicting the sexual abuse of children and anything that could jeopardize an active federal investigation.

In a follow-up X post Friday, Massie said, Times up. Release the files.

The Independent has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
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Erika Kirk, the CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028.

During a speech at TPUSAs Americafest conference on Thursday, Kirk told the delighted audience: We are going to get my husbands friend JD Vance elected 48 in the most resounding way possible.

Vance has not publicly announced any plans to run in 2028, though several polls indicate he is the leading favorite among Republicans. Being backed by one of the nations most influential conservative organizations could further strengthen his position.

Vance and Charlie Kirk shared a close friendship, dating back to 2017, and the vice president credited Kirk with playing a pivotal role in shaping his political career.

Charlie Kirk was a true friend, Vance wrote in a tribute following the conservative activists assassination in Utah on September 10. So much of the success we've had in this administration traces directly to Charlie's ability to organize and convene.

open image in gallery Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk and current head of TPUSA, endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028. ( Getty Images )

During a TPUSA event in October, Erika Kirk said no one will ever replace her deceased husband, but she added that she sees some similarities between him and Vance. When the vice president joined her on stage, the pair embraced, sparking rumors on social media about the nature of their relationship.

Kirk later addressed the incident on a podcast hosted by Megyn Kelly, who remarked that people went to the weirdest places after the two hugged.

Anyone whom I have hugged, that I have touched the back of your head when I hug you, I always say, God bless you, Kirk said on the show, adding that if anyone wants to take that out of context, they can go right ahead.

Vance is scheduled to speak at the Americafest conference, which is expected to have more attract more than 30,000 attendees, on Sunday.

open image in gallery Kirk embraced Vance during a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi in October. ( POOL/AFP via Getty Images )

open image in gallery Kirk met Trump in the White House in November for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed ambassador to India. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Kirks endorsement of the vice president comes amidst a period of MAGA infighting over her late husbands assassination and legacy  and these tensions were on center stage at the conference.

Speaking at Americafest on Thursday, conservative media commentator Ben Shapiro accused some MAGA influencers of platforming extremist voices who have promulgated conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirks death. He singled out Tucker Carlson, who has baselessly raised doubts about the governments investigation.

The conservative movement is  in danger from charlatans who claim to speak in the name of principle but actually traffic in conspiracism and dishonesty, Shapiro said.

Carlson, who has his own hugely popular online show, took the stage shortly after Shapiro. He said GOP leaders should resist the move to deplatform and denounce, stating that the rush to sideline those accused of bigotry is the number one reason I voted for Donald Trump.

Carlson, who said he supports Vance, added that he is engaged in a proxy war for the future of the conservative movement.

One prominent MAGA influencer who was notably absent was Candace Owens. The influential podcast host has consistently promoted conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirks death and accused Erika Kirk of displaying Meghan Markle syndrome, which she suggests is wanting publicity or privacy when it suits her.

Owens announced this week that she had an extremely productive four-and-a-half hour meeting with Kirk, adding that tensions were thawed. Kirk also described the meeting as extremely productive.

On Thursday, Kirk mocked several of the conspiracy theories about her husbands assassination, including one promoted by Owens claiming that Egyptian planes have been following her around.

We have 25 countries represented, she told a crowd of supporters. Dont worry guys, Egypt is not on the list.
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Many Americans are too dumb or too fat to serve in the military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a gathering of top recruiters at the Pentagon on Thursday, even as he celebrated recent positive recruiting numbers.

I know its not easy on the basic ingredients on recruiting, Hegseth said. Too many of our young people are too fat or too dumb  not dumb, thats wrong. You know, were just not educating them properly or theyve got criminal records, or ADHD, or all these other things.

Despite this claim, Hegseth went on to say the policies of the Trump administration, which recently included a warrior dividend bonus check for the troops, were driving a surge in recruitment, nonetheless, a sign that young Americans want to join a war-fighting entity, not a woke institution.

Hegseth has made a point of focusing on physical fitness throughout his time as secretary, competing in a pull-up challenge against Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and railing against fat generals in a September speech where he instituted wide-ranging new fitness testing.

Whatever impact the Trump administrations policies are having, the recruitment surge began before Trump took office.

open image in gallery Speaking with military recruiters on Thursday, Pete Hegseth said many young Americans are too dumb, fat, and saddled with criminal records to join the military ( Department of Defense )

In a dramatic turnaround from 2022, when the Army missed its recruitment goals by about 25 percent, all the service branches hit their targets by the end of fiscal year 2024.

Observers credit the change to a variety of factors, including the waning of the pandemic and the return of recruiters to school campuses, as well as programs like the Armys Future Soldier Preparatory Course, which assists marginal recruits to improve their test and physical fitness scores to qualify for service.

That momentum has continued since Trump took office.

The military is seeing its highest level of enlisted accessions in the past 15 years, the Pentagon announced on Thursday, and the military branches again hit their recruitment targets in the 2025 fiscal year, which ended in September.

open image in gallery The military branches have rebounded from a pandemic-era recruiting slump in recent years, a trend that predates the Trump administration ( Getty )

The Border Patrol has similarly seen encouraging signs and is training a record number of recruits.

The Trump administration has lavished immigration agencies like the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement with unprecedented funding and hefty recruitment bonuses to fuel its deportation crackdown, though the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly struggling to meet a 10,000-person recruiting goal for early next year because new hires are failing physical fitness requirements.
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Thousands of documents from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein have finally been released by President Donald Trumps administration after months of public pressure.

While an initial round of long-awaited documents includes a vast library of salacious images and photographs of high-profile figures, it remains unclear whether they shed any new light on Epsteins crimes and alleged connections to a sex trafficking ring implicating prominent officials accused of exploiting and abusing young girls.

Disclosures related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act include hundreds of undated photographs as well as heavily redacted images and case files, including 119 pages of grand jury testimony that have been totally blacked out.

Photographs submitted by law enforcement investigating Epsteins properties include sex toys and costumes, images of women exposing themselves, folders full of photographs of nearly naked women, and nude paintings and sculptures of womens breasts.

But Department of Justice officials acknowledged they are withholding documents and names of people inside them, and Fridays partial release is likely to continue fueling demands for the so-called Epstein files that the administration has fought for months to suppress.

open image in gallery The Department of Justice released thousands of Epstein files featuring heavy redactions and images of the sex offender and Ghislaine Maxwell with celebrities and young women ( Department of Justice )

Epstein, a wealthy well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, is accused of trafficking women and girls as young as 14 years old. His death in jail awaiting trial on trafficking charges in 2019 was ruled a suicide.

Last month, after growing demands for a full public accounting of Epsteins alleged abuse, the president reluctantly signed legislation compelling the Department of Justice, FBI and U.S. attorneys offices to publish everything in their possession by December 19.

The Justice Department launched a public-facing website Friday afternoon. But officials acknowledged that not all of the materials required under law have been released, and government lawyers are scrambling to make redactions. More than 200 attorneys helped review the documents, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche wrote to members of Congress.

More than 1,200 names were identified as either victims or their relatives, according to Blanche. Those names are being redacted. Protecting victims is of the highest priority for the Trump administration, he wrote.

open image in gallery Epstein is pictured with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph ( Department of Justice )

open image in gallery Another undated image shows Michael Jackson with Diana Ross and former president Bill Clinton ( Department of Justice )

The final stages of review remain ongoing and will be completed within the next two weeks, he said.

Democrats have threatened legal action to force the full and immediate release of the files, which have consumed Trumps second term thus far as he faces renewed scrutiny into his years-long relationship to the sex offender.

Photos with celebrities and Bill Clinton

The latest batch of documents includes intimate photographs of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as photographs with the pair alongside Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

Former President Bill Clinton is captured in dozens of images, including in an undated photograph showing him lounging in a hot tub alongside someone whose face has been redacted, images that the White House immediately pounced on.

open image in gallery Several images in the first wave of documents show Clinton with Epstein, Maxwell and a woman whose face is redacted ( Department of Justice )

open image in gallery Clinton also is pictured in a hot tub with Maxwell and a woman whose face is redacted ( Department of Justice )

Clinton is also pictured on a private plane with a woman sitting on his lap. That womans face has also been redacted.

A painted portrait of Clinton in a blue dress, lounging in an armchair, also was photographed hanging in Epsteins New York apartment.

open image in gallery Another undated image shows Clinton with Mick Jagger and a woman whose face is redacted ( Department of Justice )

open image in gallery A satirical portrait of Clinton in a blue dress was hanging in Epsteins New York apartment, according to photos taken by law enforcement ( Department of Justice )

Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someones name or images in files does not imply otherwise.

They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be, Clintons deputy chief of staff Angel Urena said in a statement.

There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light, he added. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.

Heavy redactions and failed search functions

Under the recently passed transparency law, the Justice Department was required to publish the documents on a website and make them downloadable and searchable.

But the search function did not turn up any results for Epstein, let along other prominent names that appeared throughout.

The files also include investigative materials and grand jury documents from several cases against Epstein and Maxwell, including what appear to be interviews with victims, though a substantial portion of those documents are redacted.

open image in gallery What appears to be a scrapbook-like card includes cut-up images of Epstein and a person whose face is redacted ( Department of Justice )

open image in gallery The card appears in a scrapbook discovered in 2019 at Epsteins home in Little St. James ( AP )

Those materials include what appear to be evidence folders featuring sex toys, pornography, underwear and rolls of film all collected as evidence by law enforcement in connection with criminal cases against Epstein.

Photographs feature topless and nude women whose faces are blacked out, as well as school portraits.

What appears to be a scrapbook-like anniversary card includes cut-up images of Epstein and a person whose face is redacted, with speech bubbles reading once upon a time... there was a clueless little girl.

Trump makes an appearance

Despite the administrations attempts to distance the president from Epstein, Trump appears in a handful of photographs that have already been made public, including images of the president with his wife Melania alongside Epstein and Maxwell.

In one image, which was taken inside a desk drawer, Trump appeared to be pictured alongside a group of smiling women in a grainy photograph. The women's identities are not redacted.

The White House has previously acknowledged that Trump appears in the documents, and his name appears dozens of times in emails released by members of Congress last month.

The president has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epsteins cases, and Trump has repeatedly claimed he cut ties with Epstein before he was under federal investigation.

open image in gallery Framed photographs of Donald Trump and Melania are included in files released by the Justice Department in connection with investigations into Jeffrey Epstein ( Department of Justice )

White House defends partial release as Democrats demand the truth

Following the release of the documents, the White House claimed the Trump administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the partial release, noting that the heavily redacted batch of documents reflects only a fraction of the whole body of evidence.

Senate Democrats are working to assess the documents that have been released to determine what actions must be taken to hold the Trump administration accountable, he said in a statement. We will pursue every option to make sure the truth comes out.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, among House Democrats who pushed for the release of the full files, suggested that he believes the administration is hiding things.

They have not been transparent, and thats why thats peoples biggest concern on this, that theyre hiding things, he said.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, among a small group of House Republicans who pushed for the release, said the Justice Department has grossly failed to comply with both the spirit and letter of the law Trump signed last month.

Khanna said House Democrats could hold impeachment hearings for Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche if it comes to that.

open image in gallery The files are heavily redacted, including more than 100 pages from a grand jury transcript that are completely blacked out ( REUTERS )

Maria Farmer, the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Epstein, said in a statement that she has waited three decades, over half my life, for this moment.

When I was ignored and hung up on by the FBI in 1996, my world turned upside down and I felt frozen in time, she said. I faced death threats, ridicule and mockery by some of the most powerful people on earth.

She said she is hopeful she can pick up where I left off at age 26.

Farmers name is redacted, but a complaint from 1996 appears in the files released Friday, claiming that Epstein stole nude images of her and her sister, then ages 16 and 12.

The report also claims Epstein had her take pictures of young girls at swimming pools and threatened to burn her house down if she told anyone.

Farmer now hopes the release of the documents is an important step for many of the survivors and to hold the government accountable for their grotesque law enforcement failure, one of the largest in U.S. history.

open image in gallery A complaint submitted to the FBI in 1996, a decade before Epstein faced federal charges, alleges he stole nude images of two young girls and threatened to burn their house down ( Department of Justice )

For more than a decade, Epstein and Maxwell worked together to recruit young girls and entice them to travel to Epsteins properties, according to federal prosecutors.

During a monthlong trial in 2021, survivors testified in Manhattan federal court that Maxwell had groomed them, taken their passports, and sexually abused them. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence for crimes associated with Epsteins decades-long scheme.

Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18 as part of controversial agreement to avoid a federal case in 2008. He was released after serving less than 13 months in state prison.

A decade later, in 2019, Epstein was found fead in his jail cell in Manhattan while awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges. He was 66 years old.
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After the majority of broadcast and cable news networks opted not to use the slideshow presentation that the White House prepared for Donald Trumps grievance-filled national address, the presidents economic adviser complained to Morning Joe about the omission because we spent so much time on them.

While grumbling about the lack of TV coverage for the White Houses PowerPoint presentation, Kevin Hassett confirmed earlier reporting by CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter that the administration had shared a set of slides with the networks and pressed them to air the graphics on screen.

In the end, the networks  outside of Fox News  decided against doing the slideshow, largely due to the White House not providing clear sourcing information.

Some of the slides that Fox News showed, which were labeled as White House graphic, actually tanked some of the presidents dishonest claims throughout his campaign-style address.

For instance, as Trump insisted that gas prices in much of the nation had gone below $3 a gallon, the conservative cable giant showed a White House-prepared slide that the National Average Gasoline Price was still roughly $3 per gallon.

open image in gallery White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett groused that the majority of networks refused to use Donald Trump's PowerPoint slides during his national address. ( MS NOW )

As Stelter noted, Fox captioned the slides as coming from the White House, seemingly as a signal to viewers that they had been provided by Trumps communications team. Meanwhile, Sean Hannity  the Fox News primetime host and close confidant to the president  also shared some of the slides during his program after Trumps speech.

During Thursdays broadcast of Morning Joe, co-host Jonathan Lemire confronted Hassett on the presidents repeated embellishment and outright lies during the address, only for the Trump adviser to take that opportunity to ding the mainstream networks for not utilizing his graphics.

Why the need to exaggerate? Lemire wondered, bringing up Trumps false claims about gas prices.

Id have to go back and look at the specific language but, you know, and I hate coming back with questions for you guys, Hassett responded. But the president, in order to make sure that everybody understood the facts and the facts were documented, spent a lot of time with us  with our team  preparing slides that showed the data for what he was talking about in the speech.

Noting that some networks showed the slides and some networks didnt, Hassett groused over how unusual that decision was from the outlets that refused to air the White Houses presentation.

open image in gallery Only Fox News aired the PowerPoint slides provided by the White House during Trumps address. ( AP )

I was expecting, when I was flipping around, to just see the slides everywhere. Gosh, we spent so much time  more time on them, he exclaimed. But, you know, I think that the president had documentation for the facts that he was saying they were in the slides. And so if theres a specific number youd like to talk about, maybe he misspoke or something. Im happy to talk about it. But I wonder, like, did you guys show the slides?!

After co-host Joe Scarborough said he wasnt sure if MS NOW (previously MSNBC) had aired the graphics during its coverage, Hassett encouraged Scarborough to get the slides and maybe show them to economic analyst Stephen Rattner  who had presented his own slides about the presidents speech and the economy earlier in the program.

The slides were fact checked by the Council of Economic advisers. And yeah, thats why I mentioned them, Hassett reacted, prompting Scarborough to suggest Hassett and Rattner come on the show later and compare their charts.

Meanwhile, the loud and angry speech left many viewers showing concern over the presidents sanity, likening Trump to Grandpa Simpson. Old man yells at cloud, at least one social media user noted.

At the same time, it wasnt just liberal critics of the president who mocked and blasted the address. That was perhaps the most pointless primetime presidential address ever delivered in American history, far-right podcaster Matt Walsh tweeted on Wednesday night.
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California Governor Gavin Newsom has continued to troll Donald Trump after the presidents eyes were seen drooping during an afternoon event with the press at the White House.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday to reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification, which would allow more research into the drug and perhaps expand its medical uses. The recreational use of marijuana is still banned at the federal level.

"We have people begging for me to do this. People who are in great pain, Trump said at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office accompanied by medical professionals in white coats.

During the event, Trump appeared to drift off while sitting at the Resolute Desk, giving Newsom an opportunity to poke fun at the president.

NAP TIME FOR THE BIG GUY, Newsoms press team wrote on X Thursday afternoon.

open image in gallery California Governor Gavin Newsom has continued to troll Donald Trump after the presidents eyes were seen drooping during an afternoon event with the press ( REUTERS )

open image in gallery NAP TIME FOR THE BIG GUY, Newsoms press team wrote on X Thursday afternoon ( Brandon Bell/Getty Images )

The press team followed up with another jab: SEND IN THE ADULTS!!! GRANDPA IS TIRED.

Referencing the professionals in white coats at the signing ceremony, the press team joked, Is Trump finally getting the medical attention he needs?

Democratic influencer Harry Sisson also commented on Trumps health, writing, Trump falling asleep in the Oval Office again while an event is taking place. Its so obvious to everyone that this guy is not well. 25th Amendment now, referring to the section of the Constitution regarding the vice president succeeding the president in the case of their removal.

Trump also appeared to doze off at a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the president was listening attentively.

open image in gallery Trump also recently appeared to fall asleep at a Cabinet meeting open to the press ( Getty Images )

Newsom, who has been trolling Trump online for months as he pushes back against his agenda, also made fun of the president following his Cabinet meeting with an edited image of the Presidential Walk of Fatigue.

The X post riffed off the so-called Presidential Walk of Fame in the White House's West Wing, but instead of photos, or an autopen signature, of past presidents, it was pictures of Trump with his eyes closed.

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

Trumps health has been a point of concern recently, with The New York Times claiming the 79-year-olds vigor has declined in recent months.

open image in gallery Trumps health has been a point of concern recently, with photos showing bruising on his hand ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images )

The NYT also found that Trumps official appearances have decreased nearly 40 percent and they are starting later in the day during his second term.

The president had scheduled a press event Thursday evening at 6 p.m. for the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act, but 30 minutes after it was supposed to start, it was announced there would be no public signing of the bill.

Trump has also been seen in public with bruising on his hands, which is typically covered with makeup. The White House has said its from constant handshaking and taking aspirin.

The president has baselessly accused the NYT of seditious, perhaps even treasonous behavior for its reporting and said, I work very hard, probably harder than I have ever worked before.

Trump has also said that he got PERFECT Marks on his medical examinations, which included an MRI scan for his cardiovascular system and abdomen in October.
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Twas the week before Christmas and all throughout the Peoples House, not a deal on healthcare was in sight, or a ban on members trading stocks or their spouse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson elected to send the House of Representatives home on Thursday without a vote to stave off the impending expiration of enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Acts marketplace.

This came even though four Republicans signed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffriess discharge petition to force a vote on a three-year extension for the tax credits, which expire at the end of the month.

This means the 22 million Americans who buy their insurance on the marketplace could see their premiums double or even triple.

open image in gallery U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) dismissed the House of Representatives early as the expanded tax credits for the Affordable Care Act expired. ( Getty Images )

Johnson told The Independent he would not advance the legislation because once a petition receives the requisite 218 signatures, it has to sit on the calendar for seven legislative days. With the House out of session until next year, the clock will resume once it begins again.

Because you cannot fast-forward the consideration on the floor of a discharge petition, Johnson said.

Of course, the speaker could easily keep the House in session to allow the legislative calendar to resume. Instead, hes sending the House home for Christmas without any solution.

Understandably, many Republicans are not happy about it. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) criticized Johnson for keeping the House out of session for almost two months during the government shutdown.

It was definitely a mistake for him not to bring one of these compromise measures to the floor, Kiley told The Independent.

Kiley has been angry at Johnson for a while, given how he handled the government shutdown, but also for the fact that Johnson did not come up with a congressional solution for redistricting, which allowed for Texas to redraw its map to favor Republicans. That led to California voting for Proposition 50, which allows a one-time partisan redraw of its congressional map, which now means Kiley could lose his race.

open image in gallery Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) criticized Johnson for keeping the House out of session and not trying to come up with a solution on health care. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Kiley also torched Jeffries for the way he handled the health care premium crisis.

But you could equally say that Jeffries didn't meet him halfway, because he said, No, I'm going to support this one and only one uncompromising, rigid proposal with no reforms that the Senate has already rejected and so has no chance of becoming law.

In Kileys defense, a three-year extension will not pass in the Senate. Republicans killed it last week. Kiley signed separate discharge petitions from a bipartisan coterie of lawmakers to force a vote.

Instead, the House voted only on a grab-bag list of health care policies cobbled together on Wednesday evening that did not include an extension of the health care premiums.

But Johnson prevented even a vote on amendments to extend the subsidies on the health care bill, driving those four moderates into the arms of Democrats and Jeffries. But that is cold comfort, as Americans fear their premiums will be unaffordable

It's also like the administration giving the middle finger to the American people, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) told The Independent.

But while Democrats are understandably steamed about the expiration of the tax credits, so are many of the Republicans in tough races. Letting the tax credits expire and letting premiums skyrocket is political suicide.

This explains why Reps Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York, both of whom represent districts that voted for Kamala Harris, signed the discharge petition. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania flipped two toss-up seats in 2024.

open image in gallery Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) faces a difficult re-election and has attempted to craft a health care compromise. ( Getty Images )

And Sen. Susan Collins, the only Republican from a state that voted for Harris, told The Independent that shes working on a bill. But Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thuneas well as President Donald Trumpseem perfectly content to sacrifice these frontliners and let the tax credits expire.

Its another piece of evidence of how Johnson has ruled the House with the dual focus of maintaining his own power by avoiding a conservative revolt against him and pleasing Trump. And Trump opposes an extension.

Rather, Republicans spent their last day in Washington passing anti-trans messaging bills that would criminalize providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth and ban Medicaid from covering care for transgender people younger than 18.

These bills will likely fail in the House or never receive a vote. But it shows that Johnson and Republicans care about throwing red meat rather than solving actual problems.

As Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) told The Independent last week, They're going to be sending huge lumps of coal home in stockings for people, and that's a big problem for them. And it will be a crisis of Republicans own making.
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TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. entity in a joint venture majority-controlled by American investors Oracle and Silver Lake, along with Abu Dhabi-based MGX.

Those firms are set to own 45 percent of the U.S. company, at 15 percent each, while roughly one-third will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors. Nearly 20 percent will be retained by ByteDance.

The closing date for the new entity, USDS Joint Venture LLC, is January 22, according to an internal memo. The joint venture will be majority owned by American investors  including tech giant Oracle and private equity firm Silver Lake  and governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, and subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security, according to CEO Shou Zi Chew.

The deal ends a long-running effort to force TikToks Chinese parent ByteDance to sell off the companys U.S. operations to American entities or lose the ability to run the popular video-based social media app in the country.

President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok to find a U.S. buyer by an additional 75 days in April to ensure all necessary approvals are signed while preventing the app from going dark in the United States.

open image in gallery TikToks US operations will be owned by a joint venture from US firms Oracle and Silver Lake along with Abu Dhabi-based MGX, with ByteDance investors and Bytedance holding minority shares ( REUTERS )

The joint venture will be responsible for user data, content moderation and software assurance, according to the memo.

Chew added that the venture will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure.

Oracle  whose founder Larry Ellison is a Trump ally  will be the companys trusted security partner against national security concerns.

The deal cements a major victory for the president, with one of the worlds most popular social media apps and a key messaging platform now in the hands of a key billionaire ally. Trump is also allied with Elon Musk, who owns X, formerly Twitter, while Mark Zuckerberg  whose Meta operates Facebook and Instagram  has dropped his adversarial relationship with the president and courted his administration.

TikToks prized algorithm will be free from outside manipulation, according to the memo.

open image in gallery Trump signed an executive order on a deal that would divest TikToks US operations from its Chinese owner ByteDance in September ( REUTERS )

The Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by Joe Biden in 2024 with bipartisan support.

Members of Congress and federal law enforcement agencies at the time argued that the app presents a national security threat that could allow the Chinese government to mine data from its millions of users and show manipulative content.

TikTok said in a statement at the time that the ban was jammed through Congress using flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people.

A federal appeals court turned down TikToks lawsuit seeking to block a deadline for the sale, teeing up a Supreme Court challenge.

In an unsigned opinion in January, hours before Trump entered office, justices upheld the law that forced TikTok to divest, arguing that Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns.

Trump  who appeared to change his tune around the app, which he had previously supported banning  later issued an executive order to approve a deal to transfer control of the app to a U.S. business group. In his first term in office, Trump issued an executive order banning the platform altogether, which the company successfully challenged in court.

At a signing ceremony in the Oval Office in September, Trump announced Chinese President Xi Jinping had approved a proposed deal that met American national security concerns and would be valued at around $14 billion.

Asked whether the platform would now recommend more MAGA-related content, Trump replied: I always like MAGA-related. If I could, Id make it a hundred percent MAGA-related.

But its not going to work out that way, unfortunately, he said. No, everyones going to be treated fairly.
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Work commenced on Friday to add Donald Trump's name to Washington's iconic Kennedy Center, a day after the institution's board voted for the change.

Blue tarpaulins were swiftly erected to obscure the work, though a large letter 'D' was briefly seen on the exterior, alongside workers on scaffolding.

Named for Democratic president John F. Kennedy, the center's board, chaired by Donald Trump, voted to rename it 'The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts'.

Critics, including Democratic members of Congress and historians, argue only Congress can change the name.

This follows the recent addition of Donald Trump's name to the U.S. Institute of Peace building. The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the decision on Thursday on X, attributing the change to the "unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation."

The president, who has previously jokingly referred to the venue as the Trump Kennedy Center, said he was surprised by the vote.

Critics, including Democratic members of Congress and historians, argue only Congress can change the name ( Getty Images )

Under current law, there I think is very little question that the Kennedy Center board cannot rename the Opera House after Melania Trump or pretty much anybody else and would need Congresss permission for anything like that, David Super, a Georgetown law professor, told The Washington Post earlier this year, as Congress was mulling renaming the center for the president or the first lady.  That statute is pretty unequivocal, and I cant really find any loopholes in it.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the centers board, said the name change vote was not on the agenda and that she was muted on the call where it was discussed and not allowed to voice her opposition.

This was not consensus, she wrote on X. This is censorship.
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President Donald Trump announced more drug makers have agreed to offer American customers the same prices for their prescriptions that are paid in foreign countries and make investments in American manufacturing facilities.

I'm thrilled to be joined by the leaders of nine of the world's largest pharmaceuticals ... its a great group to announce that they've agreed to offer many of their flagship drugs, really all of their flagship drugs, at heavily discounted Most Favored Nations prices, Trump said Friday.

This represents the greatest victory for patient affordability in the history of American health care ... this is the biggest thing ever to happen on drug pricing and on health care. This will have a tremendous impact on health care itself.

According to the White House, the manufacturers who are joining the presidents pricing scheme are Amgen Boringer, Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Merck, Novartis and Sanofi, bringing the total number of drug companies participating to 14. The plan brings down prices for common drugs to more in line with what are paid in other parts of the world.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters ahead of the Fridays White House announcement said the companies had also agreed to make $150 billion in combined new investment commitments in manufacturing and research and development here in the United States in addition to agreeing to lower prices paid by Americans.

The companies will also kick back a portion of foreign revenue to the U.S. as a way to defray costs to American patients.

The official said Medicaid would be the first to benefit from the pricing scheme. Americans will also be able to access the lower-cost prescriptions on the administrations Trump Rx website, which a White House official said is set to go live for use next month.

open image in gallery President Donald Trump announced more drug companies signed on to his prescription drug program in his push to lower prices. ( Getty Images )

Trumps most favored nation pricing model is aimed at making medications more affordable for low-income Americans, including those on Medicaid, by way of the yet-to-be-launched website.

This is what bold leadership delivers. Where others have talked President Trump is acting, and where the establishment, including industry, said it couldn't be done, the President has proved them wrong, and the days of American families subsidizing cut rate drugs for the rest of the world are ending, the official said.

According to the same official, the drug companies combined investment into American manufacturing will help the process of rebuilding American pharmaceutical might and contribute to more research on the next generation of live-saving drugs as well as to national security and more American independence.

He added that several of the companies will be donating ingredients to the governments Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Reserve.

Merck, for example, will donate a six-month supply of Erdopenem, a powerful broad-spectrum antibiotic indicated for treating serious infections, including pneumonia, abdominal infections and complicated skin infections ... when other common antibiotics fail.

Bristol Myers Squibb will also contribute a six-month supply of Apixaban, a blood thinner sold under the name Eliquis. And GSK will provide the reserve with a six-month supply of the asthma inhaler medication Albuterol.

What makes this particularly unique is these manufacturers are not only donating this API, they're also agreeing to convert these raw ingredients into finished medications when needed during emergencies, and to help distribute them to the Americans that need them most, the official added.

open image in gallery The companies joining Trump will now offer drugs at the Most Favored Nations prices. ( AFP via Getty Images )

Fridays announcement is the latest in a series of events in which Trump has boasted of securing cooperation from drug makers who traditionally charged lower prices to countries with single-payer health care systems that could use economies of scale to negotiate better wholesale costs.

Last month, the president said GLP-1 makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk were joining the phenomenal list of drug companies that have capitulated to his administrations demand that they offer their products on a most-favored nation pricing plan, bringing the cost Americans pay for their drugs down to a level on par with countries that pay lower prices through their single-payer health care systems.

For example, Trump said the cost of Wegovy would drop under the plan from $1,350 per month to $250 per month, with Zepbound dropping from $1,080 to $346. Once approved, Eli Lillys weight-loss pill will be available for $149.

Earlier this year, Trump announced deals with drug makers Pfizer, AstraZeneca and EMD Serono would also make their products available on TrumpRx and invest billions into the U.S. for research and development.

The president first pushed the idea of forcing drug companies to match prices offered abroad during his previous term but faced significant resistance from the industry, including pushback in a lawsuit that resulted in a federal court order blocking his administration from carrying the plan out because it had failed to follow proper regulatory procedures.

After returning to the White House, he revived the plan in an executive order he issued in May which directed his administration to take various actions to bring drug prices in the U.S. in line with prices negotiated between pharmaceutical companies and foreign countries that have single-payer health systems such as the British NHS.

In July, he sent letters to leading drug companies demanding that they bring down prices offered to Americans to match the negotiated prices available in foreign countries.

The president has often complained that Americans pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory and accused pharmaceutical companies of effectively subsidizing socialism abroad with skyrocketing prices at home.
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The U.S. military has carried out two more strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in the eastern Pacific, killing five people and bringing the total number of fatalities in the Trump administrations operation to over 100.

At least 104 people have now been killed in the series of strikes, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration, which began in September.

President Donald Trump has justified the aggressive action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States from what his administration claims are drug-trafficking boats in the Pacific and Caribbean.

On the order of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post Thursday evening that it conducted two strikes on two vessels it said were designated terrorist organizations on December 18.

Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations, the statement said. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel.

open image in gallery The U.S. military carried out two more strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in the eastern Pacific, killing five people on Dec. 18 ( @Southcom/X )

The post was accompanied by a video of the strikes, which blasted the boats out of the water before they burst into flames.

Four others were killed the day prior as the Trump administration faces increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign.

The strikes also are part of an apparent pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, labeled a terrorist and cartel leader by the Trump administration.

Trump escalated tensions further this week by calling for a total and complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela and placing hundreds of American troops and ships near the South American nations coastline.

It follows pressure on Hegseth and the Trump administration after a controversial double-tap attack on a vessel on September 2 sparked allegations of war crimes.

But Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that he had seen no evidence of war crimes as the GOP signaled it was drawing the inquiry to a close.

Rep. Mike D. Rogers of Alabama, who leads the House Armed Services Committee, also said that he was satisfied that the operation had followed a lawful process.

open image in gallery The social media post by the U.S. Southern Command was accompanied by a video of the strikes, which blasted the boats out of the water ( @Southcom/X )

On Sept. 2 the Trump administration targeted what it claimed was a Venezuelan narco vessel in the Caribbean.

After the first missile failed to kill everyone aboard, it later emerged that a second strike was ordered to kill the remaining two survivors.

Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley, a respected Navy SEAL officer who leads U.S. Special Operations Command, showed House and Senate members on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees footage of the lethal strikes and answered questions in a closed-door session on Dec. 4.

Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters the footage was one of the most troubling things Ive seen in my time in public service.

Despite mounting pressure, Hegseth said unedited footage of the Sept. 2 strikes would not be released.

Alex Woodward contributed reporting
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Australia will introduce a nationwide gun buyback scheme and tighten firearms laws after a terror attack in Sydneys Bondi area killed 15 people, the deadliest mass shooting in the country in almost three decades.

The announcement came days after two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, in Archer Park near Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. Dozens were injured in the attack, which authorities say was inspired by terror outfit Isiss ideology.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, prime minister Anthony Albanese said existing laws had failed to prevent the violence. The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets, he said.

The proposed buyback will be the largest since reforms introduced after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, which prompted Australia to adopt some of the worlds toughest gun controls. Mr Albanese said more than four million firearms are now in circulation nationwide  more than at the time of Port Arthur nearly 30 years ago.

We know that one of these terrorists held a firearm licence and had six guns, in spite of living in the middle of Sydneys suburbs, Mr Albanese said. Theres no reason why someone in that situation needed that many guns.

open image in gallery Surfers and swimmers prepare to swim out for a tribute at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, 19 December 2025, following last Sunday's shooting ( AP )

Under the plan, the federal government will purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, with costs split equally between Canberra and Australias states and territories.

The national cabinet has also agreed to cap the number of guns an individual can own, restrict open-ended licences, tighten the types of firearms that can be legally held, and make Australian citizenship a requirement for a gun licence. Work on a national firearms register will be fast-tracked, with regulators given wider access to criminal intelligence.

One alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, terrorism offences, placing an explosive near a building with intent to cause harm, and displaying a prohibited terrorist organisation symbol.

His father, Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene. Authorities say the pair acted together, though investigations remain ongoing.

open image in gallery Surfers and swimmers hold a tribute in the sea at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Friday, 19 December 2025 ( AP )

New South Wales Health said on Friday that 15 people were still receiving hospital treatment, with four in a critical but stable condition.

Police also confirmed they were preparing to release seven men detained in Sydneys south-west on Thursday under rarely used national security powers that allow suspects to be held for questioning for up to a week without charge. The men, who had travelled from Victoria, were intercepted after intelligence suggested a violent act was possibly being planned.

New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said there was no confirmed link between the group and the Bondi attackers, though investigators believe they shared elements of extremist Islamic ideology.

Only a knife was recovered and no firearms were found. Whilst the specific threat posed by the males is unknown, the potential for a violent offence was such that we were not prepared to tolerate the risk, Mr Lanyon said.

Deputy commissioner David Hudson added that Bondi had been one of several locations the men may have intended to visit, but said there was no proven intent at this stage.

open image in gallery Memorial in honour to victims of a mass shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney ( Reuters )

Security has been increased across Sydney, including at synagogues and mosques, as authorities seek to prevent further violence. Islamic State has described the Bondi shooting as a source of pride on its Telegram channel, though it has not formally claimed responsibility.

As police lifted the crime scene on Thursday, Bondi Beach and surrounding areas gradually reopened. On Friday, hundreds of swimmers and surfers paddled into the water in a large circle to honour those killed, while members of Australias Jewish community gathered on the sand for prayers. Names of the victims were read aloud in a show of solidarity.

Community leaders described the scenes as deeply moving amid heightened fears of antisemitism since the start of the Gaza war. Over the past two years, theres been a lot of people questioning whether were still welcome here in Australia, Rabbi Yosef Eichenblatt of Sydneys Central Synagogue told ABC News. So its been so heart-warming to see the outpouring of love and support.

Funerals have begun, including that of London-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a father of five. Addressing mourners, his father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, said it was unthinkable we talk about you in the past tense.

Tributes have also taken the form of record-breaking public support. More than $5m has been donated through verified fundraising pages, according to GoFundMe.

This includes A$2.5m (1.2m) raised for Ahmed al Ahmed, a Sydney shop owner who wrestled a firearm from one of the attackers before being shot twice. Presented with an oversized cheque at his hospital bed, Mr Ahmed urged people around the world to stand with each other.

Mr Albanese said Sunday would be observed as a day of reflection, with plans for a national day of mourning in the new year, organised in consultation with the Jewish community.
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Victoria premier Jacinta Allan said she was deeply shocked, disappointed and embarrassed after her husband was found drink-driving following a collision.

The Australian states leader said on Friday that her spouse, Yorick Piper, had been caught driving under the influence of alcohol and lost his licence as a consequence.

Mr Piper, 65, was reportedly going to buy groceries on Thursday morning when he was stopped for a breath test in Bendigo, the Guardian reported. Shortly before, his vehicle had collided with another car in a minor incident.

There had been that minor backend  a fender bender  when the cars came to a stop at the intersection, Ms Allan said. Details were exchanged, the other driver indicated they were OK, and both went on their way.

Shortly after, she said, Mr Piper was stopped for a random breath test which revealed that he was inebriated. It was a little bit further up the road towards Bendigo where Victoria police had established a roadside breath-testing operation where they were waving vehicles in three at a time, and he was waved in as part of that, and quite clearly, was quite willing to submit to a breath test, the premier added.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan departs after Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes delivered her first budget speech in the Victorian Parliament on May 20, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia ( Getty Images )

Police said Mr Piper was fined and his licence was cancelled for three months starting 16 January.

He made his own arrangements to leave his vehicle and left the site on foot, a police spokesperson said.

Police said they didnt receive any report about a collision before the random test of Mr Piper.

Ms Allan condemned drink driving as an incredibly serious issue and road trauma.

We recognise that and I am truly sorry," she said.

The premier said she and her family had celebrated their sons birthday at a pub the night before and Mr Piper was taking medication that could have added to his blood alcohol concentration.

As a result of the medication mixing with the alcohol from the night before, he simply should not have been driving the following morning," she said, according to ABC News.

He understands that, I understand that, and for this were both truly sorry.

She and her husband later made a donation of $1,000 (494) to the Amber Community, a charity supporting people affected by road trauma.
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Danish authorities have unveiled new details of Russian cyberattacks targeting the country's infrastructure and websites in 2024 and 2025, describing previously unreported incidents.

According to a statement from Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service on Thursday, Moscow orchestrated "destructive and disruptive" cyberattacks, including one on a Danish water utility in 2024 that reportedly caused pipes to burst, leaving homes temporarily without water, as reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

Additionally, a series of denial-of-service attacks overwhelmed Danish websites ahead of recent regional and local elections.

The intelligence service characterised these actions as part of Russia's "hybrid war" against Western nations, aimed at fostering instability.

It further stated that Moscow's cyber aggression forms part of a wider strategy to undermine and penalise countries supporting Ukraine.

Torsten Schack Pedersen, Denmark's minister of resilience and preparedness, acknowledged that while the attacks resulted in limited physical damage, their implications were serious.

open image in gallery Moscow's cyber aggression forms part of a wider strategy to undermine and penalise countries supporting Ukraine, including Denmark ( PA Wire )

It shows that there are forces capable of shutting down important parts of our society," he said during a news conference Thursday, as reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

Schack Pedersen added that the cyberattacks show that Denmark is not sufficiently equipped to handle such situations, DR reported.

The attacks are among a growing number of incidents that Western officials say are part a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. An Associated Press database has documented 147 incidents, including the two cases reported by Denmark this week.

Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign  waged since President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in 2022  aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe's weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.

The Danish agency said pro-Russian group Z-Pentest carried out the destructive attack on the water utility in 2024 and that a separate group, NoName057(16), was responsible for the cyberattack on Danish websites ahead of the recent elections. It said both have links to the Russian state.

The Russian state uses both groups as instruments of its hybrid war against the West. The aim is to create insecurity in the targeted countries and to punish those that support Ukraine, the statement said.

open image in gallery The attacks are among a growing number of incidents that Western officials say are part a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia ( Alamy/PA )

Z-Pentest's alleged actions affected the utility's water pressure and caused water pipes to burst near Kge, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Copenhagen, DR reported. Several customers were out of water as a result.

NoName057(16) acted, authorities said, in November to disrupt the elections, according to DR.

In Germany, meanwhile, authorities summoned Russia's ambassador in Berlin on 12 December after the foreign ministry accused Moscow of carrying out sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference.

That included a 2024 cyberattack against German air traffic control, German foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said.
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Egypt is doing all it can to prevent further escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tension between the two neighbors over the disarmament process of the militant Hezbollah group, the countrys prime minister said Friday during a visit to the Lebanese capital.

Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been working for months to deescalate the regional tensions and Prime Minister Mustafa Madboulys visit to Beirut comes after similar trips to the small Arab nation by Egypts foreign minister and intelligence chief.

Egypt will spare no effort in continuing its tireless endeavors to keep Lebanon away from any escalation, Madbouly told reporters during a joint briefing with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam.

Madboulys visit also focused on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing pressing regional developments.

Madboulys meetings in Beirut came as the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago held another meeting Friday.

Fridays gathering along the Lebanon-Israel border was the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border.

A statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said that military participants offered operational updates and remained focused on deepening the cooperation by finding ways to increase coordination through the mechanism. It added that all participants agreed that a strengthened Lebanese army, the guarantors of security in the border area known as the south Litani Sector, is critical to success.

The embassy added that civilian participants meanwhile focused on setting conditions for residents to return safely to their homes, advancing reconstruction, and addressing economic priorities. It added that they underscored that durable political and economic progress is essential to reinforcing security gains and sustaining lasting peace.

The embassy said meeting participants reaffirmed that progress on security and political tracks remain mutually reinforcing and essential to ensuring long-term stability and prosperity for both parties.

The Lebanese government has said that the army should have the whole border area south of the Litani River cleared from Hezbollahs armed presence by the end of the year.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.

Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then, mainly targeting Hezbollah members, but also killing 127 civilians, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Also Friday, the Israeli military said that a Hezbollah operative who was captured from Lebanon last year played a major role in the groups secretive maritime force. The military added that Imad Amhaz was trained in Iran and Lebanon to carry out maritime operations.

A Hezbollah official said the group will not comment on the video released by the Israeli military of Amhaz, describing him as a Lebanese citizen who was kidnapped. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
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The Louvre in Paris has fully reopened its doors after staff voted to suspend a strike that had caused significant disruption at the world-renowned museum.

The decision, reached during a general assembly of museum workers, was unanimous, with unions stating the pause was to allow visitors access once more.

The industrial action had led to a complete closure of the iconic institution earlier in the week, followed by a partial reopening on Wednesday.

Unions confirmed that the suspension of the walkout came after five meetings with Culture Ministry officials.

However, they stressed that progress remains insufficient, particularly concerning staffing levels, pay, and long-term security provisions.

Concerns were also raised regarding building deterioration and overall working conditions.

open image in gallery The Louvre in Paris reopened fully on Friday after staff voted to suspend a strike that had disrupted access to the worlds most visited museum ( Associated Press )

Union representatives criticised Louvre President Laurence des Cars, citing a perceived lack of engagement during the dispute, noting she neither met with staff nor addressed them throughout the mobilisation.

Workers are scheduled to convene another general assembly on 5 January to determine whether to resume strike action.

The high-profile robbery in October saw a gang flee with stolen goods worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million). The museum director subsequently acknowledged a terrible failure" in security.

The thieves took less than eight minutes to force their way into the museum and leave, using a freight lift to reach one of the buildings windows, angle grinders to cut into jewelry display cases, and motorbikes to make their escape.

open image in gallery Workers are scheduled to convene another general assembly on 5 January to determine whether to resume strike action. ( Associated Press )

The stolen items havent been recovered. It includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels tied to two 19th century queens, Marie-Amelie and Hortense, and Empress Eugenies pearl-and-diamond tiara.

Frances Court of Auditors and a separate administrative inquiry have since criticised delays in implementing a long-promised security overhaul.

The Culture Ministry announced emergency anti-intrusion measures last month and assigned Philippe Jost, who oversaw the Notre Dame restoration, to help reorganise the museum.

The move was widely seen as a sign of mounting pressure on Louvre leadership.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is anticipated to undergo a lung transplant following a significant deterioration in her health over recent months, the royal household confirmed on Friday.

The 52-year-old, the wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018.

The chronic disease causes scarring in the lungs, leading to a reduced oxygen uptake.

Recent tests have shown a "clear negative development" in the Crown Princess's health, according to a statement from the palace.

"I had hoped to keep this illness in check with medicines, and the progression has been quite slow, but now it's gone more rapidly than both I and the doctors had anticipated," Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK.

It has not yet been decided when she will be placed on the transplant waiting list, the palace said.

open image in gallery Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon with their family ( Getty Images )

"We are approaching the time when a lung transplant must be performed, and we are making the necessary preparations so that it will be possible when that time comes," Professor Are Martin Holm of the Oslo University Hospital's pulmonary unit said in the same statement.

Crown Prince Haakon said the family had noticed the change in Mette-Marit's condition.

"We have seen that she is struggling more to breathe," Haakon told NRK in the joint interview with his wife.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere praised the crown princess for being open about her condition and said it could help others suffering from similar problems.

"I think all of Norway wishes her all the best, and that she gets good treatment and a speedy recovery," Mr Stoere told NRK.

open image in gallery Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway will continue to carry out royal duties ( AFP via Getty Images )

Mette-Marit is in growing need of rest, but had expressed a "strong interest in continuing to carry out her duties", the palaces statement said.

"The Crown Princess official programme will be organised to adapt her activities to her health situation to the greatest extent possible."

Mette-Marit was 25, an unmarried single mother and a commoner when she met Haakon at a music festival in 1999.

It was the beginning of an unlikely royal romance that started with a media furore and ended up winning over the bulk of the nation.
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French police have raided the home and offices of culture minister Rachida Dati as part of a corruption probe relating to her time in European Parliament.

The National Financial Prosecutors Office said the raids were linked to an investigation into "active and passive corruption, influence peddling, embezzlement of public funds, concealment and laundering in connection with Ms Rachida Dati's mandate as a Member of the European Parliament.

She is accused of accepting nearly 300,000 (263,000) in payments from energy group GDF Suez without declaring them in 2010 and 2011, while she was a member of the European Parliament with the right-wing Republicans.

It comes at a critical time during the Paris mayoral campaign in 2026, with Ms Dati, a major figure in Emmanuel Macrons government, seen as a leading candidate to take the reigns in the capital.

open image in gallery She is seeking election as mayor of Paris in March 2026 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Allegations that she was lobbying on behalf of GDF Suez were first made more than a decade ago.

Ms Dati has previously denied wrongdoing, but neither she nor her lawyers could be reached for comment after the raids.

French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said in the wake of the raids that Ms Dati has every right to be in government.

"Rachida Dati has always proclaimed her innocence and Rachida Dati is obviously presumed innocent (...) There is no issue," she said on RTL.

Mr Macron has also given his steadfast support to Ms Dati, describing her as unsinkable earlier in the year in the face of other legal cases.

open image in gallery French President Emmanuel Macron's wife, Brigitte Macron, French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati and French journalist Stephane Bern ( Reuters )

In one of the separate cases, French judges in July ordered that Ms Dati and former automobile executive Carlos Ghosn stand trial for alleged corruption and abuse of power in a case focusing on consulting fees, a judicial source said.

She has denied irregularities in the fees she received during that time, and Ghosn, who fled Japan in late 2019 aboard a private jet to Lebanon, has denied allegations of misconduct against him.

Ms Dati will hope her legal woes can be brushed to one side by March, when she hopes to become the Paris second female mayor in a row by succeeding Socialist Anne Hidalgo, 66.

She has led some polls and been presented as the clearest challenger to the left-wing options on the ballot. An IPSOS poll for Le Parisien puts MS Dati on 27 per cent of the first round votes, seven points ahead of Emmanuel Gregoire, candidate for the Socialist Party.
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Russia has claimed that the new MI6 chief held a lengthy phone call with her Russian counterpart just two months after assuming the role, according to Russian media.

Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russian foreign intelligence service SVR, said he spoke to Blaise Metreweli, who took office as head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in October.

A few days ago, I had a rather lengthy telephone conversation with the newly appointed chief of MI6, [Blaise] Metreweli, Mr Naryshkin said, according to Russian news agency Tass.

He added that Russian intelligence officers worked officially in London and SIS officers were doing the same in Moscow.

open image in gallery New head of MI6 delivering her first major public speech at the headquarters of MI6 earlier this week ( PA )

No further details about the alleged call were provided by Mr Naryshkin, who has held several senior roles in Russian politics and led the SVR since 2016.

Military analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News that Moscow is trying to imply that the Brits are somehow appealing to them  because of the negotiations going on in Washington.

But the call comes just days after Ms Metreweli, who is the first female MI6 chief, warned of the growing threat posed by an aggressive, expansionist and revisionist Russia in her first major public speech in the new role.

Ms Metreweli said the UK is operating in a space between peace and war and that while the Ukraine conflict drags on, Russia is also testing us in the grey zone.

Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraines behalf will be sustained, she added.

The Independent has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.

open image in gallery Sergey Naryshkin has held several senior roles in Moscow, heading the foreign intelligence service since 2016 ( POOL/AFP via Getty )

Mr Clarke added that the Brits would never admit in public that this call had taken place because it is very, very sensitive stuff.

The British head  should never, ever reveal that theyve done that, and the fact that Naryshkin is doing it shows that hes got his own agenda, he added.

Mr Naryshkins comments emerged as European leaders held critical talks in Brussels over the future of funding Ukraines war effort.

While EU leaders could not approve a deal to use frozen Russian assets, they approved a 90bn deal to cover around two-thirds of Ukraines funding needs for the next two years.

Instead of drawing the funds from frozen Russian assets, the cash for the loan will be raised through joint borrowing by 24 of the EUs 27 countries, excluding Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia.

Vladimir Putin said Europe had failed to rob, due to grave consequences for the robbers in an end-of-year conference on Friday.
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A Paris court has ordered that online fashion giant Shein implement age verification measures for any adult products sold on its marketplace, imposing a 10,000 fine for each breach.

The ruling follows widespread outrage over the availability of childlike sex dolls on the platform.

Despite this order, the court rejected the French government's more drastic request to suspend Shein's entire website for three months, deeming such a measure "disproportionate".

This decision offers some relief to the Chinese online retailer amidst mounting pressure in France.

A Shein spokesperson welcomed the outcome, stating: "We welcome this decision. We remain committed to continuously improving our control processes, in close collaboration with the French authorities, with the aim of establishing some of the most stringent standards in the industry, and we have been intensifying these efforts."

They further affirmed: "Our priority remains protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations."

Shein has been at the centre of a scandal since France's consumer watchdog found banned weapons and sex dolls resembling children for sale on its marketplace, prompting a government attempt to suspend the platform ( PA Archive )

The company has been at the centre of a scandal since France's consumer watchdog discovered banned weapons and sex dolls resembling children for sale on its marketplace, which initially prompted the government's attempt to suspend the platform.

The French government began proceedings to suspend Shein on 5 November, less than two hours after its first ever physical store opened in the BHV department store in Paris.

Shein suspended its marketplace - where third-party sellers list their products - but its site selling Shein-branded clothing remains accessible. The company also stopped selling sex toys on its marketplaces worldwide.

France has also been cracking down on other online platforms, with consumer watchdog DGCCRF finding that AliExpress and Joom were also selling childlike sex dolls, while Wish, Temu, and Amazon failed to filter underage shoppers from adult content.

France previously took its fight to the EU, pushing for the European Commission to open a formal investigation into Shein over illegal products.
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Ukraine hit a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean on Friday in an unprecedented strike, one day after receiving a near 80bn loan from European allies to aid its war against Vladimir Putins forces.

Aerial drones caused substantial damage to the Qendil tanker off the coast of Libya, more than 2,000km from Ukraine, according to the countrys security service.

Grainy black and white footage showed flames billowing from the deck of the tanker, in the first attack of its kind in this conflict to have taken place in the Mediterranean.

Ukraine accused Russia of using unregulated ships to sidestep sanctions in order to fund the invasion, after EU leaders had failed to agree on a plan to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine.

Putin was quick to respond to the strike during his annual media address in Moscow: Another of our tankers in the Mediterranean Sea has been attacked ... This will never lead to the expected result, will not disrupt supplies, and, in the end, will only create an additional threat. A response from our country will follow.

The Russian president went on to reiterate that he would achieve his goals in Ukraine by force if diplomacy fails, while insisting Russia was ready to stop fighting immediately once it receives security guarantees.

open image in gallery Ukraine shared footage purportedly showing drone strikes on a tanker off Libya ( SBU/AP )

He was uncompromising in his demands for ending the war, saying the onus was on Ukraine and Europe to make the next move.

The Russian president also claimed that Europe had backed away from the plan to seize frozen Russian assets due to fear of grave repercussions.

He again blamed the conflict on Nato expansion, accusing the West of fighting a proxy conflict through Ukrainian nationalists and stressing that the root causes of the war need to be addressed to achieve a sustainable peace.

The phrase has become shorthand for his maximalist demands for Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, some form of regime change in Kyiv, and for Nato to back away from Russias borders.

The choreographed end-of-year conference with the public was unusually focused on the war in Ukraine, as US diplomats prepared to present the Kremlin with revised peace terms.

On the prospect of war with Europe, Putin said: Will there be new special military operations? There wont be if you treat us with respect and respect our interests, just as weve always tried to respect yours. Unless you cheat us, like you did with Natos eastward expansion.

open image in gallery The Russian presidents four-hour end-of-year conference focused on Ukraine ( AP )

The wandering four-hour conference invited carefully curated questions on a range of issues, but a number of unfiltered comments also showed up on a digital comments board, complaining about internet outages and social media bans.

One person asked: Why do ordinary people live worse than Papuans [citizens of Papua New Guinea]?

As Putin faced the frustrations of his public, Ukrainian peace negotiators met with their US counterparts to begin a new round of talks on how to end the war.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also plan to meet a Russian delegation in Miami this weekend, a White House official said.

The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, said on Friday that they had already held talks with European partners, who are vying to offer Ukraine comprehensive security guarantees.

We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side, Mr Umerov said. Ukraines security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term.

open image in gallery Ukraines president was welcomed in Poland on Friday ( AP )

News of the Miami meeting came after Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner held talks in Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week.

Europe dug deep to find an additional loan worth 90bn (79bn) for Ukraine on Thursday after many weeks of deliberation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday the EUs decision was a signal to Russia that there is no point in continuing its war because Kyiv is supported financially.

Mr Zelensky reiterated that the decision, reached in Brussels overnight, was a victory for Ukraine, despite leaders failing to agree on how to use 210bn of frozen Russian assets.

Kyiv faces a $45bn budget gap next year and plans to use the EU funds for social and humanitarian spending and to support its defence efforts.
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Gaza is no longer experiencing famine, a global hunger monitor has announced.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has attributed the improvement to enhanced humanitarian and commercial food deliveries following a fragile 10 October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants.

The announcement comes four months after the IPC reported that nearly a quarter of Gaza's Palestinian population  514,000 people  were facing famine, a claim that Israel disputed.

Despite the current reprieve, the IPC warned that the situation in the enclave remains "critical".

The monitor cautioned: "Under a worst-case scenario, which would include renewed hostilities and a halt in humanitarian and commercial inflows, the entire Gaza Strip (would be) at risk of famine through mid-April 2026. This underscores the severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that while famine had been averted for now, the gains were "perilously" fragile.

He told reporters on Friday that "far more people are able to access the food they need to survive", but stressed that "needs are growing faster than aid can get in".

open image in gallery Palestinians receive food portions from a charity kitchen in the southern Gaza Strip in August ( AFP via Getty Images )

Israel rejects IPC finding

Israel controls all access to the coastal enclave. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, says that 600-800 trucks have entered Gaza daily since the start of the truce and that food makes up 70 per cent of supplies.

Hamas disputes those figures, saying far fewer than 600 trucks a day have made it into Gaza.

COGAT rejected the IPC finding on Friday, accusing it of presenting "a false depiction of the reality on the ground" because it "relies on severe gaps in data collection and on sources that do not reflect the full scope of humanitarian assistance".

Israel's Foreign Ministry said that far more aid was going into Gaza than what was reflected in the report and that food prices there had dropped sharply since July.

Aid agencies have repeatedly said that far more aid needs to get into the small, crowded territory and that Israel is blocking needed items from entering.

Israel says that more than enough food gets in and that the problems are with distribution within Gaza.

open image in gallery Trucks carrying aid, which entered the Gaza Strip through the Karm Abu Salem crossing, drive past displacement tents at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on 14 October ( AFP via Getty Images )

Catastrophic conditions remain

The IPC  an initiative involving 21 aid groups, UN agencies and regional organisations funded by the European Union, Germany, Britain and Canada  said that five famines have been confirmed in the past 15 years: in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, Sudan in 2024, and most recently in Gaza in August.

For a region to be classified as in famine at least 20 per cent of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.

"No areas are classified in famine," the IPC said of Gaza on Friday.

"The situation remains highly fragile and is contingent on sustained, expanded and consistent humanitarian and commercial access."

Even if a region has not been classified as in famine because those thresholds have not been met, the IPC can determine households are suffering catastrophic conditions, which it describes as an extreme lack of food, starvation and significantly increased risks of acute malnutrition and death.

The IPC said on Friday that more than 100,000 people in Gaza were experiencing catastrophic conditions, but projected that figure to decline to around 1,900 people by April 2026.

It said the entire Gaza Strip was classified in an emergency phase, one step below catastrophic conditions.

Children still suffering from malnutrition

The IPC warned that over the next year nearly 101,000 children across Gaza, aged from 6 months to 5 years, were expected to suffer from acute malnutrition and require treatment, with more than 31,000 severe cases.

It added: "During the same period, 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women will also face acute malnutrition and require treatment."

In Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, doctors fear for Arjwan al-Dahini, age 4, and Yasser Arafat, 6. Both children are critically ill with severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous stage of hunger, said Dr Ahmed al-Farra.

Arjwan's mother, Hanin, said as the family struggled to find food, Arjwan stopped walking and growing and has lost around half her body weight.

Arafats brother already died of malnutrition, said Dr Farra, and his father is unwell and malnourished too. His mother, Iman, said the family had been unable to buy eggs or other high-protein foods.

The head of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Selmia, said malnutrition is still very widespread. Of 6,000 children screened by the Health Ministry, around 1,000 were malnourished and 100 of them required hospitalisation, he said.

open image in gallery Palestinians surround aid trucks that arrived after the ceasefire in October ( AFP via Getty Images )

A constant struggle

Antoine Renard, the top UN World Food Programme official in Gaza and the West Bank, said there were signs of improvement, with most people in Gaza now having two meals per day, though he added that it was "a constant struggle" to get streamlined access to Gaza.

The United Nations and aid groups also warned on Wednesday that humanitarian operations were at risk of collapse if Israel does not lift impediments.

"We need a truly durable ceasefire," Mr Guterres said on Friday.

"We need more crossings, the lifting of restrictions on critical items, the removal of red tape, safe routes inside Gaza, sustained funding, and unimpeded access."

The International Rescue Committee warned that the progress should not "be misread as a sign that the crisis is over".

"Hunger in Gaza remains at catastrophic levels, with families still struggling to access sufficient, nutritious food," Bob Kitchen, IRC Vice President for Emergencies, said in a statement.

"Without rapid and unimpeded and unhindered humanitarian access at scale, the risk of famine and preventable deaths will quickly return."
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Independent readers have reacted with frustration to the EUs new digital border scheme, which has led to delays of up to three hours at passport control.

Many criticised the schemes complexity, with fingerprinting and facial biometric registration adding time to already slow border checks.

As the Airports Council International in Brussels called for an urgent review of the entry-exit system (EES), rolled out across Europe in October, some readers criticised the EU for inefficiency, describing the new scheme as ineffective.

Others highlighted that delays were predictable and directly stemmed from the UKs decision to leave the EU, arguing that travellers must live with the consequences of Brexit rather than blaming the EU or its citizens.

A number of commenters shared personal responses, with some deciding to postpone trips to Europe until the system improves, while others witnessed delays being down to travellers being unprepared.

Heres what you had to say:

Brexit has failed

The EU has taken back control. The new EUUK treaty that takes Gibraltar into Schengen and a customs union is now also agreed text.

Brexit has failed.

Egregiously.

wolfie

Actions meet consequences

Here we go again!

This is what this islands elite DEMANDED as treatment for its subjects after running away from the EU.

This island suffers from the acute malady of never linking actions to consequences.

Betrayed-Brit

Holding off visiting Europe

It was always going to take the EU an age to get this system up and running properly, as it was bound to have teething problems, as now proved.

Therefore, my wife and I have decided to hold off visiting Europe until customs can get their act in gear and to book to visit countries (and spend our money) in countries that aren't part of this system, as have many of my family and friends.

We are all now expanding our horizons and deciding to visit countries we would never have considered before.

Rafpi1964

The UK got what it wanted

ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

We in the UK could and can live with that.

And now the strangest thing...

We didn't want the EU. We didn't want its customs union. We didn't want its free travel arrangement.

Blaming the EU for treating us as foreigners to the EU, as we called ALL EU citizens: foreigners.

I truly don't understand this discussion we're having here on this forum. The UK got exactly what it wanted: out of the EU, out of being EU citizens. And still, as if it were a mantra, we simply can't lose. We keep blaming the EU and its citizens for an amputation so nationally desired  even by Brits dwelling in Spain  still blaming the EU and Spain for being treated as foreigners, as their casted nationalistic vote came home to hunt them.

People grow up!

Live with the consequences of your vote, instead of this continuous complaining about it.

Brad

Registration

I noticed delays being caused by people not pre-registering and then having to do it when they got to border control. People who had registered their face photo and fingerprint on the machines before arriving at the border desk were quickly stamped through.

Dogsbrexit

Delays are inevitable

When you control border access, some delay and discomfort is always going to happen; greater in the beginning and reducing over time.

On the entire issue of border control, I suggest the UK and its society keep very, very silent.

Jonathan Mills

Inefficient and authoritarian

Just goes to show what an inefficient, ineffective organisation the EU is. The British people made the right decision, and anything done to subvert their will is authoritarian.

FaithofOurFathers

Another Brexit benefit

I've seen this system work with more efficiency than you'd ever see at a UK airport.

And if you do have to wait, please, just be grateful for yet another Brexit benefit. Where once you were a citizen, now you are a stranger who must be fingerprinted and photographed to be allowed in.

rEUjoin

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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The EU digital border scheme is causing three-hour waits at passport control as officials struggle with a 70 per cent increase in the time taken to carry out border checks, says the group representing Europes airports.

Airports Council International (ACI) in Brussels is calling for an urgent review of the entry-exit system (EES), which began its rollout across Europe in October.

During the six-month introduction, third-country nationals such as British travellers continue to have their passports examined and stamped by frontier staff. But in addition, the EES requires fingerprints to be registered and a facial biometric to be taken. Many airports have had kiosks installed for that purpose.

open image in gallery Simon Calder at an entry-exit system kiosk at London St Pancras International ( Elanor Forster )

At present, only one in 10 travellers is required to undergo digital registration. From 9 January 2026, the proportion will rise to 35 per cent.

But Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI in Europe, warned: Significant discomfort is already being inflicted upon travellers, and airport operations are being impacted, with the current threshold for registering third-country nationals set at only 10 per cent.

Read more: I am travelling to the EU. What has changed with the entry-exit system?

Unless all the operational issues we are raising today are fully resolved within the coming weeks, increasing this registration threshold to 35 per cent as of 9 January  as required by the EES implementation calendar  will inevitably result in much more severe congestion and systemic disruption for airports and airlines. This will possibly involve serious safety hazards.

The EES cannot be about mayhem for travellers and chaos at our airports.

ACI says the worst impact is being felt at airports in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

open image in gallery Czech checks: The line for non-EU citizens at Prague airport ( Stuart Linden Rhodes )

The group is calling for the rollout schedule  which is due to be completed by 9 April 2026  to be moderated. It highlights several operational issues with the deployment of the EES:

Regular EES outages undermining the predictability, regularity and resilience of border operations

Persistent EES configuration problems, including the partial deployment or unavailability of self-service kiosks used by travellers for registration and biometric data capture

Unavailability of an effective pre-registration app

Insufficient deployment of border guards at airports, which reflects acute staff shortages

A spokesperson for the European Commission said: The entry-exit system was successfully launched across member states in a progressive approach on 12 October 2025. Since its start, the system has operated largely without issues, and any initial challenges typical of new systems have been effectively addressed.

Member states have exceeded the initial 10 per cent registration threshold, even surpassing the next threshold, with already more than 50 per cent of estimated arrivals registered. Any concerns about potential issues at the 35 per cent registration threshold have therefore been disproven. Processing times have further improved as border guards are gaining experience and procedures are being refined.

To date, no significant queues at the external borders of the Schengen area have been linked to the EES, apart from in limited specific cases where the processing time for passengers slightly increased at certain airports.

In all other instances where queues have formed, member states confirmed these were due to other factors. To this day, no member state has reported or confirmed the claim that border-control processing times at airports increased by up to 70 per cent, with waiting times up to three hours during peak traffic periods, due to the introduction of the EES.

It is important to underline that, thanks to the progressive launch of the system, member states have the tools necessary to manage potential extended queues. It allows for partial or full suspension of the system in exceptional circumstances. This can be employed to address challenges, particularly during peak holiday periods, until processes are fully optimised.

The commission is monitoring very closely both the compliance with the legal bases and the operations of the EES at central level, and the impact at the borders at national level. We are also actively working with member states to facilitate the sharing of best practices.

Dr Nick Brown, a data scientist who has studied the entry-exit system in detail, told The Independent: The airports have had a long time to prepare, including an extra year (compared to the initial launch) during which they already had the kiosks and could have run any number of simulations and tests with volunteers.

Read more: Simon Calder tests the new EU entry-exit system  the questions, scans and fingerprints demanded at the border
Greystar buys two large student accommodation properties in Dublin and Galway

The two developments had a combined guide price of more than 115m

Mezzino apartments at Mayor Square, Dublin

John Mulligan Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

US-based property development and investment group Greystar has bought a portfolio of student housing in Dublin and Galway.
'If you buy an old boat for 40,000 and think that you're going to get a permanent home... that's just not possible'
Home Economics: Im executor of my uncles will  so why am I not allowed to put him into a nursing home?
The Indo Daily: Melania: The Movie  We saw it, so you dont have to...
Weeks into Nama trial, Frank Cushnahan and his lawyers took a big gamble which can only now be explained
Jailed money launderer with no income had Gucci luggage, Rolex watch and 18-carat gold chain when gardai raided home

Dean Finnegan declined to offer an explanation for his ownership of the items, court hears

Dean Finnegan

Eavan Murray Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

A Galway man with no income had no explanation how he came to own Gucci luggage, Christian Louboutin shoes, 18-carat gold jewellery and a Rolex watch, a court has heard.
One of the countrys most senior judges has pledged a crackdown on disruptive behaviour in courtrooms.

Mr Justice David Barniville, the president of the High Court, said action was necessary in light of an increasing number of incidents of extremely disruptive and, on occasion, violent conduct by some lay litigants and their supporters.
Sinn Fein activist arrested over 4m cocaine seizure

Man has previously come to the attention of gardai over a personal dispute

Gardai seized 58kg of suspected cocaine in raids on Wednesday. Image: Crime World

Ken Foy and Robin Schiller Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

A Sinn Fein activist has been arrested in relation to a 4m drugs plot involving smuggling cocaine into Ireland in horse boxes with the animals inside.
Marc Champion: Peace talks have found issue of Ukrainian territory a sticking point for good reason

There is no guarantee of long-term peace from concessions on land ownership

Ukrainian servicemen leave their dugout in the Donetsk region with a drone they later launched towards Russian troops. Photo: Reuters

Marc Champion Bloomberg Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

There are two main sticking points in getting a deal to end the war in Ukraine. There seems to have been a breakthrough on security guarantees, but territorial concessions are proving more difficult and its reasonable to ask why.
A Polish mother of three has been told she can thank her solicitor for being allowed to spend Christmas at home on bail, after receiving her 17th and 18th convictions for driving without insurance.
A man who gave Gardai a fake Brazilian driving licence after being stopped in Mallow, has been told by a District Court Judge that he was being a chancer.

Angelo Oliveira (38), with an address at Railway Road, Knockbrack, Abbeyfeale, Limerick, faced charges of driving without insurance, driving without a licence, and using a false instrument when he handed Gardai the fake licence, despite being in possession of a learner permit at the time.

Stock image

Today's News in 90 Seconds - Saturday, December 20.

When it was established that Mr Oliveira had the permit, the charge of driving without valid insurance was struck out, with the accused pleading guilty to the use of a false instrument under the advice of his solicitor, Maria Forde.

Gardai told the court that on March 16, they stopped the defendant at Ballydahin in Mallow at approximately 8.30am. Mr Oliveira then produced a licence which the Garda suspected to be false, and after further inspections, it emerged that the licence was not genuine.

Mr Oliveira had a learner permit on that date, but had given the garda a Brazilian licence that wasnt genuine, which Gardai said only came to light on the day of the court appearance.

Judge Colm Roberts asked Mr Oliveiras council whether they intended to plead guilty to the charge of driving without a licence, and after Ms Forde paused, the Judge interjected.

He was driving without a licence, not a licence but a permit. Permit, permit, permit, the Minister made it clear in the last few weeks that they are not the same thing.

You cannot drive without a full driving licence, said the Judge to Maria Forde.

There must have been some kind of confusion, he has since passed his test and has a full licence, Ms Forde told the judge.

If he was using a fake licence, why didnt he just produce a learner permit? asked the Judge.

Its called being a chancer, Ms Forde, the Judge said, remarking that the defendant was taking his chances on a provisional licence.

It wasnt the most well-thought-out thing, but thats the reality of most things that come before me, is that they arent well thought out, said the Judge, who asked Ms Forde her clients circumstances. Ms Forde said her client wasnt currently working.

A 20 reg car and a Hugo Boss jacket, hes doing very well for himself, commented the Judge.

He has five children, said Ms Forde, he has been in Ireland for 19 years. Had a good working record but had a shoulder issue which he is getting injections for.

Youre a native at this stage, the Judge told the accused.

Sergeant Linda OLeary told the court that Mr Oliveira had 27 previous convictions, including one for using a false instrument.

You obviously dont know him as well as you thought, said the Judge to his counsel.

I didnt realise he had all those previous, said Maria Forde.

He does, all in the same orbit, and even worse a previous for using a false instrument, said the Judge. The penalties for this are up to 12 months, he got 90 days last time? asked the Judge, which was confirmed by Gardai.

Would he do community service? Judge Colm Roberts asked Mr Oliveiras solicitor, to which Ms Forde asked whether he could be considered for community service at some point

Well, its now or never, Ms Forde, said the Judge, who ordered for the case to be left stand to see if the defendant was suitable for the service.

Youre very close to losing your licence again, but we can deal with it by way of community service, Judge Roberts told Angelo Oliveira, with Ms Forde assigned legal aid as her client is out of work.

Mr Oliviera was remanded on bail until February 3, with the probation service telling the court that they are awaiting a letter from his doctor to see if Mr Oliveira would be suitable for community service.
The Guaranteed Irish symbol is awarded to enterprises which support the local economy and contribute positively to the community

John and Eleanor Cronin celebrating their business's Guaranteed Irish status in Finuge.

The Cronins celebrating with Martina Skowronska of Guaranteed Irish at McCarthy's Bar in Finuge.

The founder of a popular Kerry cider was proud to see his business officially awarded the prestigious Guaranteed Irish symbol in Finuge this week.

John Cronin, the Finuge man who founded Cronins Cider, said the recognition represented a major moment for his growing family-run business.

Being recognised as Guaranteed Irish is a milestone, John said. But its also motivation.

"Were excited for the next chapter  and proud to be flying the flag for Kerry as we continue to grow nationally, he added.

Mr Cronin said the Guaranteed Irish mark is reserved for trusted businesses that support local jobs, communities and quality.

He believes the recognition represents far more than an industry accolade for him and his family, who have run the business with a commitment to excellence and steadily establishing the brand on the national stage.

Were absolutely delighted to join the Guaranteed Irish family. Cronins has always been about community, pride, and doing things the right way, Mr Cronin said.

Being recognised alongside other great Irish businesses means a lot to us  and to everyone involved in making Cronins what it is, he added.

The Cronins celebrated their companys recognition at home in Finuge, surrounded by neighbours, friends and supporters.

Martina Skowronska presented the certification to the Cronin family on behalf of Guaranteed Irish.

Ms Skowronska praised the companys achievement.

Cronins Cider is a wonderful example of a family business that represents the values of Guaranteed Irish  supporting local enterprise, creating employment, and contributing positively to their community, she said.
Protest over lack of rural housing by Duchas an Daingin in Dingle, February 2024

A Kerry councillor has threatened to fundamentally revise the councils planning framework over state agency Uisce Eireann holding the county to ransom as the housing crisis grows.

Councillor Deirdre Ferris proposed that the County Development Plan be amended to allow private water infrastructure in urban areas if the agency continued to achieve little progress in Kerry.

Housing development has stalled over the years in various parts of Kerry due to the lack of capacity in water and wastewater treatment, infrastructure now owned by Uisce Eireann.

To add to the difficulties, private water services are not allowed to be built in places with already existing public infrastructure, which includes most of the countys towns and major villages, thus leaving the local authority at the mercy of Uisce Eireanns national priorities.

Uisce Eireann cannot hold us to ransom like theyre doing. They are causing significant infrastructure problems when it comes to the housing crisis, said Cllr Ferris at a council meeting last week.

We cannot allow rural communities that are in massive declineto decline further because Irish Water are not doing their job.

There are exceptions to this rule, with 38 settlements in the county allowed to develop private wastewater services alongside the existing public service. While these include smaller clusters of houses such as Cromane, Camp and Scartaglin, there are no larger settlements in whitelisted.

Fenit is one such place that has not been included in the list but has public wastewater infrastructure at full capacity. In 2021 Uisce Eireann announced it would upgrade Fenits wastewater treatment plant, however little progress had been made.

With the plant at capacity, no new developments can take place despite the council owning land in the village.

Cllr Ferris said house prices in Fenit have blown up, with a recently sold house starting at 140,000 and being eventually sold for over double the price at 320,000.

Their failure to progress this project as an absolute priority in the middle of a housing crisis and the impact theyre having all over the county with wastewater services, is hindering our ability to build social and affordable housing, she said.

The local authority has land there and they cannot develop it because of Irish Water.

Dingle-based Councillor Breandan Fitzgerald highlighted the similar plight of Kerrys Gaeltacht areas, calling for a clear plan and urgent action from Uisce Eireann.

He said every village and small village in the Chorca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht had been shown to have no capacity for wastewater treatment and emphasised settlements could not grow without this vital infrastructure.

We are proud the Chorca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht and Uibh Rathaigh Gaeltacht are the heart of our language, but we must sustain vibrant communities by providing them with basic services needed for housing and development, said Cllr Fitzgerald.

Without proper water and wastewater infrastructure growth cannot happen. Planning permission is stalled, developments are delayed, and young families are left without homes. These investments are key to unlocking housing growth and opportunity.

Its a bloody embarrassment at this stage that we dont have basic infrastructure, added Councillor Robert Brosnan.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme
A woman in her 80s has been hospitalised with serious injuries following a five vehicle collision on the M1 northbound earlier today.

Emergency services attended the scene between junction 7, Julianstown, and junction 8, Duleek in Co Louth shortly before 12pm, with the nature of the crash requiring the full closure of the road.

A woman in her 80s was brought to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda for the treatment of serious injuries.

The technical examination of the scene was expedited by Gardai and the road has fully reopened, however long delays remain.

As traffic is rerouted off the motorway, increased congestion is expected on surrounding regional and local roads, including routes through Drogheda.

Motorists are being advised to avoid the area where possible and to use alternative routes.

Local TD Ged Nash said some frustrated motorists had been observed driving the wrong way up the hard shoulder in an attempt to return to Junction 7, describing the situation as absolute chaos.

First and foremost, lets hope everyone involved is safe. In the end, thats all that matters, he said.

Deputy Nash raised concerns regarding the lack of advance warning for motorists approaching the affected stretch of road.

No mobile signage was deployed at either Junction 7 or Junction 6 to advise motorists to avoid and divert, even though Transport Infrastructure Irelands X feed indicates the incident occurred some time before many motorists reached the area, he said.

Deputy Nash said he had contacted Transport Infrastructure Ireland and other relevant bodies seeking answers and updates, and added that when the road reopens, the toll should be lifted to help relieve pressure on Droghedas road network.

Road users are urged to allow extra time for their journeys and to follow directions from emergency services and traffic management personnel on the ground.
An application by Riverstown Locally Owned Turbine Limited had originally been lodged with Sligo County Council in October 2023 for the development of a renewable wind energy development of a one turbine wind farm. The development will comprise of one electricity generating wind turbine, which will have an overall maximum tip height of 180 meters, comprising a tower of nominally 112 meters high, and rotor diameter of up to 136 meters. The development will consist of permanent access tracks, hardstandings, an electrical substation building, an underground cable trench and ancillary site works. The maximum output capacity of the wind farm will be circa 3.5mw.

The application was approved by Sligo County Council in 2024 but that decision was appealed to An Coimisiun Pleanala by Tony Murray, Kilshalvey, Gurteen. Mr Murrays submission which included signatures from 20 individuals supporting him, argued, This project is being portrayed as locally owned, with all profits returned to local owners. There is no information as to the identity of the local owners or how locals may qualify to be owners.

"Riverstown Locally Owned Turbine Limited is a company registered in May 2023 with a registered address in Cork. There has been no prior consultation with residents in the area.

In its report An Coimisiun Pleanala stated, The proposed development would be in accordance with European, national, and regional renewable energy policies and with the provisions of the Sligo County Development Plan 2024-2030, would not have an unacceptable impact on the landscape and visual amenities of the area, the biodiversity of the area, geology and soil of the area, the water environment of the area, the residential amenities of the area, would not adversely affect the archaeological and cultural heritage of the area and would be acceptable in terms of traffic and road capacity and traffic safety, and would facilitate the generation of electricity to the national grid by means of renewable energy. The proposed development would, therefore, be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
The number of houses and apartments being offered for short term lets on websites such as Airbnb was raised at the December meeting of Sligo County Council with Labour Party representative, Cllr Ann Higgins, highlighting the difficulties created and asked the local authority what actions are being taken or planned against illegal short term lets.

In her motion before the meeting Cllr Higgins stated, A recent report by the ESRI highlighted that 80% of short term lets listed on Airbnb in Sligo are entire property listings. This accounted for 428 entire units being listed in Sligo which was a 30% increase between 2019 and 2013.

Cllr Higgins motion noted, The Residential Tenancies Act 2019 requires short term lets hosts in rent pressure zones to apply for change of use planning permission where they rent out their own principal private residence for more than 90 days per year or they let out any non-private principal residence for more than 90 days per year or they let out any non principle private residence property.

Addressing the meeting, Cllr Higgins said she was informed, I note that in the Sligo Drumcliffe area there were 16 applications and 11 were granted. I would suggest that the reality is completely different and there are multiples of that number operating across the county.

Outlining her personal experience, Cllr Higgins recalled, On a recent canvas with my colleagues I was struck by the number of apartments with lock boxes, indeed there was one row with five houses all short term lets. When we knocked on the door one gentleman was from Belfast and was in Sligo for one week. Another house was a gentleman over from London for two weeks work. While the owners of some of these properties may have be indeed be complying with legislation and have planning permission, I personally visited more than 11 houses in the Sligo Borough area alone that fall under this category so there is no doubt more owners are avoiding, I believe, their legal requirements.

Cllr Higgins continued, "However, I appreciate that there is currently not a short term letting register in operation and it is not due until May 2026 and that will be under the agency of Failte Ireland. While I welcome this measure to regularise the short term letting market I am a bit concerned that it might be too little and too late. We still have landlords who are obviously making more money on the short term lets and they are choosing that market over renting their property to those who are living here for any length of time. As a former head of tourism I am keenly aware of the importance of tourism as a key driver of the regional development. However, even the most ardent supporter of our tourism industry sees the perverse situation that this government has created where we have tourists staying in homes and we have families staying in hotels. In the middle of a housing catastrophe and Christmas just around the corner there are 5,274 children who will be spending it in emergency accommodation.

Last weeks figures show there are 16,766 people living in homelessness, thats 4,000 short of the population of Sligo town. Its a galling indictment of the governments failed housing policy. That's not to mention the multiples of thousands who are stuck on local authority housing lists, the hidden homeless who are couch surfing and those who are stuck in their childhood bedrooms. In terms of the short term lets, I wait to see if any will come back on the regular rental market and how the register will work and the enforcement measures once they come into effect in 2026.

Cllr Michael Clarke raised his concerns regarding the property market when he said, From talking to a lot of estate agents, the six year rule will prevent people getting into the property market and making homes available to families because of issues they see ahead of them because they are losing a lot of control and rights to their property.

A lot of estate agents and auctioneers are saying there is going to be a huge exodus from the rental market because of issues they see ahead of them. Cllr Clarke said the solution to the housing shortage is, We need more homes built and more land made available.

Cllr Donal Gilroy commented,

Sligo County Council Director of Service Emer Concannon said, We will be complying with the changes in the planning regulations in 2026. The guidelines that are being issued by the Minister in 2026 and we will be adhering to those guidelines but they haven't been issued yet so we will have to wait and see.

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Bunscoil Ris hosted a special Blue Star Assembly on Friday, welcoming MEP Cynthia Ni Mhurchu to celebrate the schools ongoing journey in the Blue Star Programme. The event showcased how pupils have been exploring European culture, history, geography, and the workings of the EU through creative, curriculum-linked projects.

The Blue Star Programme, managed by European Movement Ireland and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, encourages Irish primary schools to learn about Europe in a hands-on and engaging way. Schools design projects across four core themes including History, Geography, Culture and Creativity, and EU Institutions, by using research, presentations, and creative activities to deepen pupils understanding of Europes diversity and impact.

The assembly began with a welcome from school principal, Gerry Moran, followed by an introduction from Ms. Callaghan, who has led the programme in the school. She explained how pupils have been learning through projects, research, and interactive activities that complement the national curriculum.

A group of pupils spoke passionately about their experiences, sharing insights from their projects on European countries, the history of Europe including world wars, the foundation and development of the European Union, and the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe. They also highlighted how the programme has helped them understand EU institutions and how the work of the EU affects the lives of European citizens.

A highlight of the morning was the visit from MEP Cynthia Ni Mhurchu, who took part in a lively question and answer session with the pupils. These visits are a key part of the Blue Star Programme, giving students the chance to showcase their learning, ask questions about real-world European politics, and gain personal insights from those working in the EU, said Mr. Moran.

Mr. Moran said that the assemblys most magical moment came from the school choir, made up of pupils from 4th, 5th, and 6th classes, who performed an original composition titled One Blue Star, written specifically for the Blue Star Programme.

He continued: Under the direction of Ms. Tobin, the choirs heartfelt performance captivated the audience, particularly the lyrics of the chorus which are: We are one big star, shining in the blue From East Europe to the West, from the North and to the South, we are one song, one heart, one voice so loud, we celebrate our unity in Bunscoil Ris.

The lyrics encompass a celebration of unity, diversity, and collaboration across Europe and in Bunscoil Ris. The performance perfectly reflected the schools ethos of creativity, teamwork, and pride in learning, Mr. Moran said.

Throughout the assembly, the schools ethos of nurturing growth, celebrating diversity, and fostering curiosity shone through, while the pupils projects demonstrated creativity, research skills, and a deeper understanding of Europe, reflecting the school motto: Be the Best You Can Be.

Pupils then presented Cynthia Ni Mhurchu with a token of gratitude, including a hamper of local produce from Wexford Home Preserves and flowers, marking a wonderful celebration of learning, creativity, and European awareness at Bunscoil Ris.
An Arklow man who entered a retail premises carrying a hammer, and later caused damage at his parents home using a cavity block, has pleaded guilty to a series of offences before Arklow District Court.

Davy Harris (21), of Lamberton Heights, Arklow, Co Wicklow, pleaded guilty at a sitting of Arklow District Court to multiple charges.

An outstanding bench warrant was executed on Mr Harris by Garda Eamon Furlong of Arklow Garda Station.

The first charge, assault causing harm, occurred on February 6, 2023. The court heard that gardai responded to a call to a housing estate in Arklow where the defendant had assaulted a man, leaving him with bruising to his body.

The injured party refused medical treatment, but photographs of his injuries were handed into court.

On April 15, 2025, Mr Harris was charged with intoxication in a public place and possession of knives and other articles at Mr Price, Knockanrahan, Arklow.

The court heard that staff at the store contacted emergency services after Mr Harris entered the premises carrying a hammer and a bottle of wine. During questioning, Mr Harris told gardai that he had the hammer for his own protection, stating that people were out to get him.

Mr Harris also pleaded guilty to intoxication in a public place and criminal damage at Lamberton Heights, his parents home address. The court heard that at approximately 2.45pm on September 6, 2025, Mr Harris returned home from a night out and attempted to enter the house.

His father refused him entry, believing he had consumed drugs. Mr Harris then punched the door, threw a plant pot through a window and smashed his mothers car window with a cavity block, before kicking the panels of the vehicle.

Gardai located Mr Harris walking around the estate a short time later and arrested him.

The court was told that Mr Harris has two previous convictions. Solicitor for the defence, Sean John ODonovan, said the convictions related to incidents that occurred after the matters before the court.

He told the court that his client had previously lived in Australia and, given his age and limited record at the time, a probation report would be appropriate.

Judge David Kennedy agreed and adjourned the matter until March 15, 2026, for the preparation of a probation report.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Brussel sprout salad is one of the favourite Christmas dishes of Dan Ottaway, Executive Head Chef at Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort.

The executive head chef at Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort has shared his expert tips for one of his favourite festive dishes over the Christmas period, a Brussel sprout salad.

Dan Ottaway joined Tulfarris, which overlooks Blessington Lakes, in September, bringing a wealth of international experience and a prestigious culinary background to the four-star Wicklow resort.

He has worked in some of the worlds most renowned kitchens, including cooking for the royal family at Buckingham Palace, where he prepared daily meals for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and played a central role in state banquets and high-profile events attended by international dignitaries.

He also travelled extensively with the royal family, and has plenty of experience in delivering excellent cuisine in settings ranging from private dinners for two to grand banquets for over 250 guests.

In the final countdown to Christmas, Dan has shared his advice on how to make the perfect Brussel sprout salad to serve four people. He says that it is easy to make at home, and even those who generally shy away from Brussel sprouts may be pleasantly surprised. With sprouts in season from September to February, this Christmas-inspired dish is worth giving a try.

The ingredients required consists of 300g of Brussel sprouts, 50g pine nuts, 80g pancetta, 75g dried cranberries, 100ml orange juice, 300g baby gem lettuce, 80g pomegranate seeds, table salt, cracked black pepper, 50g extra virgin olive oil, 25g honey, 10g lemon juice and 25g apple balsamic vinegar.

Firstly, soak the dried cranberries in the orange juice for one hour, then drain.

Thinly slice the Brussel sprouts, steam them for one minute and then plunge them into ice water. Once cooled, drain them and pat dry.

Next you should wash and dice the baby gem lettuce and cut it into one-inch square pieces.

The pine nuts should then be toasted until they are golden. Cook the pancetta until it is crisp.

For the dressing, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, honey, lemon juice, apple balsamic vinegar, salt and black pepper.

That should be followed by mixing the cranberries, Brussel sprouts, baby gem lettuce, pine nuts and pancetta in a bowl. Add the dressing and toss gently to coat.

Finally, serve the Brussel sprout salad in a bowl and finish with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds on top, and you have the perfect start to your Christmas dinner.
David Walliams "strongly denies" allegations of inappropriate behaviour and was not informed about or party to an investigation by publisher HarperCollins, a spokesperson for the author and TV star has said.

Walliams (54), known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, was dropped by HarperCollins who said "after careful consideration" they would not be publishing any new titles from the award-winning children's author.
LATEST | Australia announces tougher hate speech laws in wake of Bondi terrorist attack

Federal police also confirmed further searches would be carried out in the coming days

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Jessica Coates Press Association Thu 18 Dec 2025 at 08:19

Australia will introduce reforms to tackle hate speech as police conduct further searches in the aftermath of the Bondi terrorist attack, the countrys worst massacre in almost three decades.
Bondi hero presented with 1.4m cheque in hospital bed

Australia has announced a gun buyback scheme in the wake of the massacre of Jewish people in Sydney

'Bondi Hero rewarded with 1.4m as he recovers in hospital'

Sarah O'Mahony Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 15:44

The man who wrestled a gun from one of the Bondi Beach attackers has received a cheque for more than A$2.5m (1.4m).
Im so sorry, my baby  Sydney mourns youngest Bondi victim as crackdown on hate speech promised

I am angry, says Australian prime minister Albanese after attack in which 10-year-old Matilda died

Mourners carry Matilda's casket at Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall in Sydney. Photo: Reuters

Christine Chen, Scott Murdoch and Alasdair Pal Reuters Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese promised a crackdown on hate speech in the wake of an attack on a Jewish holiday event at Sydneys Bondi Beach as the youngest of 15 people killed was laid to rest yesterday.
Nadene Ghouri: It is time for Andrew to come clean about all that he knows
Male bottlenose dolphins with strong friendships age more slowly compared to their more solitary peers, according to a new study that reveals the importance of social bonding for healthier ageing in mammals.

Bottlenose dolphins can form friendships that can last decades, similar to companionship seen in humans. Previous research has shown male dolphins of the species hang out, play together, surf waves for fun, rest side by side and form long-lasting, deep social bonds.
Farmers block roads in Brussels to protest over South American free trade deal

Farmers block roads in Brussels to protest against South America free trade deal

Sam McNeil Associated Press Thu 18 Dec 2025 at 18:22

Farmers in tractors have blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels outside a European Union leaders' summit, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannons as protesters rallied against a major free trade deal with South American nations.
French anaesthetist branded Doctor Death is jailed for life after 12 of his patients die from poisoning

Medic found guilty of poisoning 30 victims in a bid to feed his thirst for power

Frederic Pechier was described as one of the worst criminals in history. Photo: Getty

Henry Samuel Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

A French doctor branded one of the worst criminals in history has been sentenced to life in prison for poisoning 30 patients in an attempt to feed his thirst for power.
Odds the trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur will be signed in January appeared to improve slightly after a call between Brazils president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

Mr Lula, who had previously warned the window to complete the agreement would close in December, said Ms Meloni told him during their call yesterday that she would try to persuade Italians to accept the deal if Mercosur is willing to wait a bit longer. He added he will now consult the other Mercosur members about the delay.
Russian guards make illegal crossing into Nato territory in Estonia

Incursion at the Narva River comes after months of Russian drones and planes entering Nato airspace

The Narva River, which forms part of the border between Estonia and Russia. Photo: Getty

Alex Croft UK Independent Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Estonia has accused three Russian border guards of illegally crossing into Nato territory on a hovercraft without permission.
Members of the Palestinian Civil Defence carry a casualty during a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that collapsed on Tuesday in Gaza City. Photo: Reuters

The United Nations and aid groups have warned humanitarian operations in the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, were at risk of collapse if Israel does not lift impediments that include a vague, arbitrary and highly politicised registration process.
Donald Trumps $11bn Taiwan arms sale will only bring fire to US, says an angry China

Kremlin warns that Trump could make fatal mistake in Venezuelan oil blockade

Donald Trump in the White House. Photo: AP

Allegra Mendleson Associated Press Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

China has warned the US that its largest-ever weapons package to Taiwan will only bring fire upon itself.
New batch of photos in Jeffrey Epstein file released ahead of deadline

Democrats said they had thousands more images, both graphic and mundane

Noam Chomsky with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: Reuters

Nolan D McCaskill Reuters Fri 19 Dec 2025 at 06:30

Congressional Democrats released dozens of new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein yesterday, a day before the US Justice Department is required by law to release unclassified files from its investigation of the disgraced financier.




While a few cities have adjusted certain events for safety or logistics, the viral narrative of worldwide fireworks cancellations is largely misleading. Here is what is actually happening on the ground.



Paris New Years Eve fireworks explained Paris has not canceled its New Years Eve fireworks. What has changed is the scale of the surrounding celebrations. French authorities decided to cancel the large live concerts and extended events along the Champs Elysees due to crowd control challenges and elevated security concerns. Police cited difficulties managing large moving crowds in an already high alert environment.



Image credit : X/@douedesisasi_34 | Paris has not cancelled its New Years Eve fireworks



Australia, France and Germany have now all CANCELLED their usual New Years Celebrations









We all know why







But we're not allowed to say pic.twitter.com/cJ705xWbLh







 Basil the Great (@BasilTheGreat) December 19, 2025 Social media has been flooded with alarming claims ahead of New Years Eve 2025, suggesting that major global cities like Paris, New York and Sydney have canceled their iconic fireworks displays. Many of these posts link the supposed cancellations to security threats or political pressure, triggering panic and heated arguments online. Screenshots, half information and dramatic captions helped the rumors spread fast. But when the facts are checked, the reality looks very different.While a few cities have adjusted certain events for safety or logistics, the viral narrative of worldwide fireworks cancellations is largely misleading. Here is what is actually happening on the ground.Paris has not canceled its New Years Eve fireworks. What has changed is the scale of the surrounding celebrations. French authorities decided to cancel the large live concerts and extended events along the Champs Elysees due to crowd control challenges and elevated security concerns. Police cited difficulties managing large moving crowds in an already high alert environment.However, the midnight fireworks and video projection show at the Arc de Triomphe are still scheduled to go ahead. Officials have encouraged people to watch the event via broadcast if possible, but the fireworks themselves remain part of the celebration.

New York fireworks rumours debunked

Image credit : X/@tinnigage246 | Claims that New York has canceled its New Years Eve celebrations are false

Australia and Sydney fireworks reality

Image credit : X/@denisecaicedoo_2 | Sydneys world famous New Years Eve fireworks were never cancelled

If this doesnt rattle your skin to the core, I dont know what will?! This is for all the Liberal, Woke like people and @TheDemocrats of the world to process. HTF can you say youre American when you sit there in America  and continue to support this EVIL m, Islam.? https://t.co/zTt0QY2MCQ







 EmC-Trades (@TraderMaker82) December 18, 2025









The final verdict: What's the truth? The viral claims are mostly false. Paris adjusted its surrounding events but kept the fireworks. New Yorks main celebration was never affected. Sydneys fireworks went ahead as planned. No global cancellation took place.



As cities balance safety and celebration, online exaggeration continues to fuel unnecessary panic. The truth is far less dramatic than the posts suggest. The viral claims are mostly false. Paris adjusted its surrounding events but kept the fireworks. New Yorks main celebration was never affected. Sydneys fireworks went ahead as planned. No global cancellation took place.As cities balance safety and celebration, online exaggeration continues to fuel unnecessary panic. The truth is far less dramatic than the posts suggest.

Online reactions were split. Some users accused officials of giving in to fear, while others supported the move, saying public safety comes first. One comment summed it up simply: Scaling back is not canceling.Claims that New York has canceled its New Years Eve celebrations are false. The iconic Times Square Ball Drop is happening as usual on December 31, complete with live performances, confetti, massive crowds and the countdown into 2026. Times Square has never been centered around fireworks, so rumors about fireworks cancellations misunderstand how the event works.Some smaller fireworks shows in New York City parks have faced changes in past years due to weather or environmental issues, not security concerns. None of those affect the main New Years Eve celebration.Many New Yorkers pushed back online. Times Square never had fireworks to begin with, one user wrote. Another joked, People believe anything if it sounds dramatic enough.Sydneys world famous New Years Eve fireworks were never canceled. Earlier in December, there were concerns about possible transport disruptions due to planned strikes. Those issues were resolved, and the celebrations moved forward as planned.The Sydney Harbour fireworks lit up the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at both the family friendly evening show and the midnight display. Millions watched in person, with global broadcasts reaching billions.
Tragic shootings at Brown University and MIT

Image credit : X/ @MAGAVoice | Trump moves to end DV lottery amid security concerns

Diversity Visa program under scrutiny

Image credit : X/ @MAGAVoice | Deadly attacks spark Green Card program review

Image credit : X/ @KristiNoem | Noem highlights Trumps push to end DV program

So he was let in by Trump? Got it.





 PatriotTakes  (@patriottakes) December 19, 2025





Absolutely insane that we had this.







DV1 visas are a specific classification within the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, commonly known as the "green card lottery."







The DV Program annually makes up to 55,000 immigrant visas available to individuals from countries





 Apple Lamps (@lamps_apple) December 19, 2025





Implications for U.S. immigration

In a major policy move citing national security, President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate suspension of the Diversity Visa Program, widely known as the Green Card Lottery. The decision comes after a series of violent incidents involving immigrants, including last weeks mass shooting at Brown University.On December 13, 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente opened fire at Brown Universitys engineering building, killing two students and injuring nine others during final exams. The victims were identified as 19-year-old Ella Cook from Alabama and 18-year-old Uzbek-American student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.Just two days later, Neves Valente is suspected of fatally shooting Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F Gomes Loureiro at his Brookline home. The two had previously studied in Portugal in the late 1990s. Authorities linked the two incidents after identifying Neves Valentes vehicle on CCTV footage near both crime scenes. The suspect was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, ending a multi-state manhunt.Neves Valente came to the U.S. in 2017 through the Diversity Visa Program, which offers up to 50,000 green cards annually via a lottery to applicants from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates. Those selected undergo vetting and interviews at U.S. consulates before receiving permanent residency. For the 2025 lottery, nearly 20 million people applied, with over 131,000 selected, including spouses. Portuguese citizens received only 38 slots.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the suspension is aimed at ensuring no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program and highlighted that Trump had previously sought to end the lottery after the 2017 NYC truck-ramming attack by ISIS supporter Sayfullo Saipov, another DV1 entrant.The move has sparked strong reactions online. One user commented, So he was let in by Trump? Got it. Another said, Can we get ahead of all the other stuff that causes the loss of innocent lives now?? A third added, Absolutely insane that we had this. DV1 visas are a specific classification within the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, commonly known as the green card lottery. Another user demanded, Shouldnt this have been done sooner? All green cards issued under this program should be revoked.The suspension has reopened debates over U.S. immigration policy, merit-based vetting, and the importance of national security. Trump has consistently opposed the lottery, viewing it as a system that prioritises luck over merit. Following recent tragedies, his administration is moving aggressively to limit avenues to legal immigration, raising questions about the balance between opportunity, public safety, and legislative constraints.
Image credit : Netflix | The name Karen became shorthand for a specific stereotype: middle-aged white women with choppy haircuts, questionable political views, and a passion for demanding managers.

Goodbye Karen, hello Jessica





Image credit : Netflix | Karen culture stuck around for half a decade, fuelled especially by the pandemic era. But Gen Z believes it is time for a refresh.

TikTok has spoken





Image credit : Netflix | The shift builds on the legacy of viral moments that solidified the Karen meme in the first place, from a gun-wielding couple pointing weapons at protestors, to a woman calling the police on a Black man simply asking her to leash her dog.

Spare the Jessicas





If you thought the Karen era was finally winding down, the internet has some devastating news: Gen Z has found a replacement. TikTok users have collectively decided that the new go-to name for labelling someone entitled, rude, or aggressively privileged is not Karen anymore, it is Jessica. Yes, really.For years, Karen was the undefeated champion of online insults. The name became shorthand for a specific stereotype: middle-aged white women with choppy haircuts, questionable political views, and a passion for demanding managers. But as memes evolve and attention spans shrink, Gen Z wants a fresher label. And Jessica has apparently been nominated as the successor.Does that mean every Jessica alive is doomed to side-eye and suspicion? TikTok says probably.The shift builds on the legacy of viral moments that solidified the Karen meme in the first place, from a gun-wielding couple pointing weapons at protestors, to a woman calling the police on a Black man simply asking her to leash her dog. Karen culture stuck around for half a decade, fuelled especially by the pandemic era. But Gen Z believes it is time for a refresh.One viral TikTok post collected more than 20,000 comments debating the perfect new insult-name. Jessica dominated. A huge number of commenters insisted that Jessica should take the throne, with some offering alternatives like Ashley, but Jessica took the crown by popular vote.Multiple users shared their own opinions, with one saying they had never met a Jessica they found pleasant, while another joked that both Jessica and Ashley had traumatised them equally. Someone else claimed they have never met a Jessica who did not fit the Karen mould.Of course, internet consensus is not exactly scientific, but TikTok rarely cares about accuracy.The backlash and comedy have made life awkward for anyone called Jessica, especially since the name remains incredibly common. For every judgemental stereotype, there are hundreds of sweet Jessicas minding their business, definitely not screaming for middle-management intervention.Still, the online verdict feels sealed. Karen culture is apparently evolving, not disappearing, and Jessica is the new Gen Z-approved stand-in. Whether it sticks long-term remains to be seen, but the internet is already running with the joke. Jessicas everywhere: this is your warning. Behave angelically, or risk becoming the new meme.
Image credit : Netflix | The actress welcomed her first child earlier this year with husband Charlie McDowell, becoming a mother via surrogacy in January 2025.

Juggling nappies and Netflix cameras





Image credit : Netflix | While the world was swooning over her wholesome baby announcement, Lily was stepping into a brand new identity, and then stepping straight back into the whirlwind of Emily Cooper.

Goodbye perfection, hello reality





Image credit : Netflix | Filming for season five began just a few months later, and Lily has now admitted the process was far from effortless.

Emily Cooper who? Lily Collins is the real star of this season





If you thought Emily Coopers Parisian chaos was dramatic, Lily Collins has just revealed that filming the latest season came with even more emotional turbulence behind the scenes. Emily in Paris season five dropped on Netflix this month, bringing back the glitter, heartbreak and croissants, but for Lily, this chapter of Emilys story was filmed at a life-changing moment.The actress welcomed her first child earlier this year with husband Charlie McDowell, becoming a mother via surrogacy in January 2025. While the world was swooning over her wholesome baby announcement, Lily was stepping into a brand new identity, and then stepping straight back into the whirlwind of Emily Cooper.Filming for season five began just a few months later, and Lily has now admitted the process was far from effortless. She revealed that her daughter was only three and a half months old when shooting started, and life on set suddenly required military-level scheduling and stamina. She explained that everything from sleep to routine was turned upside down, and that she missed her baby constantly, even though the little one visited the Paris set.Lily shared that she felt she was still figuring it out in real time, and described the intense juggle between motherhood and work as a genuine struggle, the type you cannot prepare for by reading parenting books or memorising lines.The actress also confessed that motherhood forced her to abandon her lifelong tendency toward perfectionism. She asked the Emily in Paris team for patience this season, reminding them she was exhausted and might not be operating at her usual pace.She said she forgot lines more than ever, ended up in the blooper reel constantly, and had far more chaotic moments on set, but surprisingly, it made her happier. Stepping away from perfection, she said, allowed her to have more fun and feel more grateful, instead of constantly chasing immaculate performance.In a twist even the writers could not have scripted, Lily believes the shift in her personal life made her more like Emily this season than ever before. She explained that season one Emily was obsessed with meeting impossible standards, and she related to that, but now, Emilys evolution mirrors her own.Motherhood has changed everything. Work is harder. Life is messier. And Emily in Paris may have found its most authentic season yet.




Audiences are praising its dark tone, layered storytelling, and social commentary, with many calling it sharper and more unsettling than the 2020 original. While some note a slower start, word of mouth remains largely positive, with growing buzz around franchise potential.



What is Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders about? The film follows Inspector Jatil Yadav as he investigates the shocking murder of the wealthy Bansal family, owners of a powerful media empire. What begins as a locked room massacre soon unravels into a deeper story of greed, suppressed truths, and systemic corruption.



Image credit : Netflix | The film follows Inspector Jatil Yadav as he investigates the shocking murder of the wealthy Bansal family



X reactions praise the dark tone and gripping mystery Early reactions on X highlight how strongly the film has landed with viewers. A film trade analyst wrote that the sequel feels darker, more layered, and even stronger than the first part, praising its intelligent writing and franchise potential. Another viewer called it gripping from the very first frame, adding that Nawazuddin Siddiqui is fabulous and keeps the tension alive throughout Image credit : Netflix | Early reactions on X highlight how strongly the film has landed with viewers raat akeli hai: the bansal murders (2025, dir. honey trehan)







one of the best bollywood sequels. one of the best hindi movies of the year. a great neo-noir. undoubtedly a must watch pic.twitter.com/ngTMSNglts





 pramitheus (@pramitheus) December 19, 2025 suggest the crime thriller has struck a strong chord with viewers. Led once again by Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Inspector Jatil Yadav, the film dives into a brutal family massacre tied to power, media control, and class divide.Audiences are praising its dark tone, layered storytelling, and social commentary, with many calling it sharper and more unsettling than the 2020 original. While some note a slower start, word of mouth remains largely positive, with growing buzz around franchise potential.The film follows Inspector Jatil Yadav as he investigates the shocking murder of the wealthy Bansal family, owners of a powerful media empire. What begins as a locked room massacre soon unravels into a deeper story of greed, suppressed truths, and systemic corruption.As pressure mounts from senior officials to close the case quickly, Jatil senses that the obvious answers do not add up. Every survivor hides something, and every clue leads to uncomfortable truths about privilege, exploitation, and how narratives are controlled in modern India.Early reactions on X highlight how strongly the film has landed with viewers. A film trade analyst wrote that the sequel feels darker, more layered, and even stronger than the first part, praising its intelligent writing and franchise potential. Another viewer called it gripping from the very first frame, adding that Nawazuddin Siddiqui is fabulous and keeps the tension alive throughoutSeveral users mentioned that the unpredictable turns and chilling family massacre gave them literal goosebumps, with one post saying the murder sequence alone was enough to leave them shaken.

Nawazuddin Siddiquis performance steals the show

Chemistry that sizzles!





Radhika Apte and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are BACK together on screen and were HERE. FOR. IT! Two incredibly talented actors bringing magic to the screen. Cant wait to see what theyve got! In Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders, streaming 19th December only pic.twitter.com/t37aBgajst





 Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) December 16, 2025





Social commentary and class divide strike a nerve

Image credit : Netflix | Beyond the murder mystery, audiences are responding strongly to the films political undertones

Not all reactions are glowing but buzz remains strong

Weekend recco: "Raat Akeli Hai- The Bansal Family Murders" is a worthy sequel to an excellent original. Also Nawazuddin Siddiqui is solid as the lead of a good cast. Well worth watching.





 Critick Roshan (@Subhash_ati9) December 19, 2025

Across reviews, Nawazuddin Siddiquis portrayal of Inspector Jatil Yadav has emerged as the films strongest pillar. Viewers are praising his restrained emotions, controlled anger, and quiet intensity. Many on X noted how effortlessly he handles complex roles, making Jatil feel deeply human rather than heroic.One user described his performance as oddly comforting and haunting at the same time, while another said Nawaz brings back the feeling of Netflixs early golden era of Indian thrillers.Beyond the murder mystery, audiences are responding strongly to the films political undertones. Several posts pointed out how the story exposes the gap between the rich and the powerless, showing how media houses, money, and influence can bury uncomfortable truths.The way the police system is pressured to protect elites resonated with viewers, especially in the current climate. One critic noted that Netflix once again proves cinema can be deeply political without being preachy, using crime as a mirror to society.While most reactions lean positive, a few viewers felt the film starts slowly or becomes too linear in parts. Some also felt certain subplots could have been tighter.
Image credit : X/ @KatyPerryChina | Katy Perry and Justin Trudeaus first public appearance in Paris

talking about katy perry & justin trudeau when your ass divorced her on text message.. pic.twitter.com/XP7FeGDvB5





















 kanishk (@kaxishk) December 19, 2025

















Allegations and legal challenges for Brand

Image credit : X/ @thechristtjesus | Russell Brand and Katy Perry during their marriage

Perry and Trudeaus emerging relationship

Image credit : X/ @todaykatyp | Katy Perry and Trudeau visit Tokyo, meet Kishida and wife

Russell Brand has openly commented on his ex-wife Katy Perrys new relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister. On Thursday, December 18, at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, the 50-year-old English while addressing the crowd, spoke candidly about Perry and Trudeau.Look, I was married to Katy Perry. I love her still I was okay with Orlando Bloom, but Justin Trudeau? Come on, man! Dont put me in a category with that guy! That globalist stooge, Brand said. He added that he was glad that Perrys mother was present to hear him make these remarks.Brand and Perry were married from 2010 to 2012 before filing for divorce. Since then, Perry has been in the public eye for her personal life, particularly for her long-term relationship with actor Orlando Bloom. The couple first met at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2016, became engaged in 2019, and welcomed daughter Daisy Dove Bloom in August 2020. Their engagement ended in June 2025 after nearly a decade together.Russell Brand has also faced serious legal issues this year. In 2025, he was charged with five counts of assault and rape, following allegations made by four women. These claims, first publicised in September 2023 through a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4s Dispatches, include allegations spanning incidents from 1999 in southern England to 2001 in London, and between 2004 and 2005. Brand has consistently denied all accusations, stating he absolutely refutes the claims.Meanwhile, Perry and Trudeau have been publicly linked since July 2025, when they were spotted together in Montreal. Sources told at the time that the pair shared an instant connection. They are interested in each other, but it will take a while to see where this goes, the source explained. She is travelling around the world, and he is figuring out his life now that he is no longer the prime minister of Canada, but there is an attraction. They have a lot in common.The insider also added, Music is one of many things they can share. Both are idealists and still live in a world where they think they can make improvements, although it has gotten more difficult.Perry and Trudeau made their public appearance as a couple in October 2025, attending a cabaret show at Crazy Horse Paris to celebrate Perrys birthday, officially confirming their relationship to fans and the media.
Rapid reuse and record cadence

Image credit : X/SpaceX| Falcon 9s 1020 day turnaround sets a new standard for fast, frequent launches

China and India in perspective

Image credit : X/SpaceX| China and India lag behind SpaceX as ISRO plans to boost launch capacity with new rockets

Netizens react to SpaceXs 2025 feats

Image credit : X/SpaceX| SpaceX 2025 launches spark praise and debate online

Another awesome launch 



























Congratulations Space X team



























We are living in epic time, thanks Elon 



























 Shawna (@shahinayazi) December 18, 2025

SpaceX is on track to complete over 165 orbital launches in 2025, with two more missions planned before years end, potentially taking the total to 167, a new record. This surge highlights the companys dominance in global space activity, outpacing Chinas ~60 launches and far surpassing Indias limited pace of four major orbital missions this year. SpaceXs ability to repeatedly reuse Falcon 9 boosters allows it to launch satellites, crew missions, and commercial payloads at a cadence few can match.The Falcon 9s rapid turnaround, sometimes 1020 days between launches has redefined expectations for launch frequency. The majority of missions involve Starlink satellite deployments, along with NASA and commercial projects. SpaceXs high cadence has created a new standard in space operations, setting a competitive gap with other global players.China has increased its launch tempo but remains behind SpaceX, lacking the same level of reusability and rapid booster recovery. Indias ISRO conducted only four orbital missions this year, including GSLV-F15, GSLV-F16/NISAR, and LVM3-M5/GSAT-7R. Infrastructure limits and longer preparation cycles continue to restrict Indias launch frequency, though future targets aim to significantly increase cadence. ISRO plans to raise annual launch capacity to 50 missions by 202930, with private startups like Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos developing small launch vehicles to contribute to Indias growing space ecosystem.The public response on social media reflects a mix of excitement, admiration, skepticism, and frustration regarding SpaceXs operations. One user said with sheer enthusiasm, Another awesome launch. Congratulations Space X team.. We are living in epic time, thanks Elon.
Taylor Swift : The End of an Era

Image credit : Instagram/disneyplus | Episodes five and six will now arrive earlier than planned, transforming the docuseries' farewell into a surprise event.

Why fans believe the early release is no coincidence?

Stranger Things

Image credit : Instagram/taylorswift | Despite the mystery surrounding the decision, the new release timing has been confirmed.

Taylor Swift: The End of an Era episodes 5 and 6 release date and time

The global release times are as follows:

US: 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET

Canada: 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET

UK: 8 AM GMT

India: 12:30 PM IST

Singapore: 3 PM SGT

Australia: 6 PM AEST

New Zealand: 8 PM NZDT

The End of an Era episode release schedule explained

The End of an Era

Disney+ offers more Taylor Swift content for fans

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

The Tortured Poets Department

Even before many viewers have caught up with the latest chapters,has taken an unexpected turn. The pop superstar has officially moved up the release of the final two episodes, triggering immediate buzz across social media and sending fans into full speculation mode.Episodes five and six will now arrive earlier than planned, transforming the docuseries' farewell into a surprise event. For an artist known for carefully planted Easter eggs, the sudden schedule change has only intensified curiosity around what this early drop could truly mean.Following Swift's announcement on her social platforms, two dominant theories quickly emerged within the fandom. One suggests Disney+ is strategically avoiding a high-profile clash with Netflix, which is set to roll outseason five volume two during the same holiday window.The other theory leans into Swift's long-standing reputation for surprises. Many fans believe the accelerated release could be tied to an unannounced reveal, a hidden message, or a larger project waiting to be unveiled once the final episodes go live. Until then, speculation continues to build.Despite the mystery surrounding the decision, the new release timing has been confirmed. Episodes 5 and 6 will debut simultaneously on Disney+, arriving three days earlier than their original schedule.The docuseries has followed a two-episode-per-week rollout throughout its six-episode run, offering fans extended viewing sessions while maintaining weekly anticipation. With the final installment now arriving ahead of schedule, the series will conclude sooner than expected.Once episodes five and six premiere,will officially come to a close, marking the end of the docuseries weekly releases and fan-driven discussions.While the docuseries reaches its conclusion, Disney+ continues to house additional Swift-related content. The updated cut of, which now includesera, remains available for streaming on the platform.Disney+ also maintains its bundled subscription option with Hulu on an ad-supported plan, offering viewers a reduced monthly cost compared to separate subscriptions, though commercials remain part of the package.




The announcement immediately moved markets, with Trump Media shares jumping sharply in early trading. The merger, if completed, would create one of the first publicly traded nuclear fusion companies, signaling a dramatic change in direction for a firm best known for its social media platform.



Details of the merger and ownership structure Under the terms announced, shareholders of Trump Media and TAE Technologies would each own about 50% of the combined company. Trump Media has also committed to provide up to $300 million in cash to support TAEs expansion plans.



Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | Trump Media & Technology Group has announced a surprise $6 billion all-stock merger



The deal still requires approval from Trump Media shareholders. It is unclear whether additional regulatory clearance beyond standard Securities and Exchange Commission review will be required.



Why fusion, and why now Nuclear fusion has long been promoted as a potential clean energy breakthrough. The technology seeks to replicate the process that powers the sun by fusing atoms to release large amounts of energy, using hydrogen as fuel.



Fusion is viewed as nearly limitless, free of planet-warming emissions, and unlike traditional nuclear fission, it produces no long-term radioactive waste and carries no meltdown risk. However, despite decades of research, fusion has not yet been deployed at a commercial scale.



$DJT $6 Billion Deal





Shareholders of each company will own about 50% of the combined entity after the closing of the deal in mid-2026.





Trump Media and Technology Group will be the holding company for businesses including Truth Social, TAE Power Solutions and TAE Life pic.twitter.com/2cJDHCAyDY



 kristen shaughnessy (@kshaughnessy2) December 18, 2025 Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, is making a major shift far beyond social media. The company has announced an all-stock merger with TAE Technologies, a nuclear fusion firm, in a deal valued at more than $6 billion. The move places Trump Media at the center of a high-risk, high-capital energy sector that remains commercially unproven.The announcement immediately moved markets, with Trump Media shares jumping sharply in early trading. The merger, if completed, would create one of the first publicly traded nuclear fusion companies, signaling a dramatic change in direction for a firm best known for its social media platform.Under the terms announced, shareholders of Trump Media and TAE Technologies would each own about 50% of the combined company. Trump Media has also committed to provide up to $300 million in cash to support TAEs expansion plans.The merged company would be jointly led by Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes and TAE Technologies CEO Michl Binderbauer, who would serve as co-CEOs. Nunes and Donald Trump Jr. would remain on the combined companys nine-member board.The deal still requires approval from Trump Media shareholders. It is unclear whether additional regulatory clearance beyond standard Securities and Exchange Commission review will be required.Nuclear fusion has long been promoted as a potential clean energy breakthrough. The technology seeks to replicate the process that powers the sun by fusing atoms to release large amounts of energy, using hydrogen as fuel.Fusion is viewed as nearly limitless, free of planet-warming emissions, and unlike traditional nuclear fission, it produces no long-term radioactive waste and carries no meltdown risk. However, despite decades of research, fusion has not yet been deployed at a commercial scale.

Capital needs and strategic motivations

Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | US President Donald Trump

Trump Media  the Truth Social parent stock soars 25% after announcing a merger with TAE Technologies, a fusion power energy firm! The all-stock deal valued at ~ $6 billion is expected to close mid-2026! $DJT #socialmedia #tech #DataCenters https://t.co/UAK6cNp5dl pic.twitter.com/2TPG4pE0Xe



 AlphaBronze (@Alpha_Bronze) December 18, 2025







Market reaction, politics, and global competition Trump Medias stock had fallen sharply this year before the merger announcement, reflecting Truth Socials struggles to expand beyond its core user base. The merger announcement reversed that trend temporarily, sending shares higher in premarket trading.



President Trump, the companys largest shareholder, transferred his stake to a revocable trust controlled by his eldest son after winning the election last fall. He did not immediately comment on the deal.



Image credit : X/Maga_Trigger | Trump Medias involvement could provide TAE with political visibility



Trump Medias stock had fallen sharply this year before the merger announcement, reflecting Truth Socials struggles to expand beyond its core user base. The merger announcement reversed that trend temporarily, sending shares higher in premarket trading.President Trump, the companys largest shareholder, transferred his stake to a revocable trust controlled by his eldest son after winning the election last fall. He did not immediately comment on the deal. What comes next If completed, the merger would mark a complete transformation for Trump Media, shifting it from a struggling social media company into a player in the nuclear fusion race. Whether fusion can move from promise to production remains uncertain, but the scale of this bet underscores how urgently companies are searching for new energy solutions.



The success of the deal will ultimately depend on execution, capital access, and whether fusion technology can finally deliver on decades of expectations. If completed, the merger would mark a complete transformation for Trump Media, shifting it from a struggling social media company into a player in the nuclear fusion race. Whether fusion can move from promise to production remains uncertain, but the scale of this bet underscores how urgently companies are searching for new energy solutions.The success of the deal will ultimately depend on execution, capital access, and whether fusion technology can finally deliver on decades of expectations.

The renewed interest in fusion comes as electricity demand surges, driven largely by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data centers. These facilities require vast amounts of power, placing strain on existing energy infrastructure.TAE says it plans to begin construction of the worlds first utility-scale fusion power plant in 2026, though electricity generation is still expected to be about five years after construction begins.TAE Technologies has raised roughly $1.3 billion over its 25-year history and has built and operated five fusion reactors. It has also received backing from major investors including Alphabet, Chevron, and Goldman Sachs.Binderbauer has said that remaining a private company limits the speed at which capital can be raised. According to him, fusion development is a multi-billion-dollar effort where access to capital quickly is critical.Trump Medias involvement could provide TAE with political visibility, though it may also increase scrutiny, particularly if the company seeks federal grants, loans, or permitting approvals.
The viral restaurant confrontation

Image credit : Instagram/ @wendolynortizz | Wendy Ortiz reacts to sister's viral tipping incident

Wendy Ortizs response

Image credit : Instagram/ @evelynomadera | Evelyn Ortiz faces backlash for $5 restaurant tip

Social media divided

Im not a fan of tipping culture but if you cant tip 20% of your total then just maybe eat somewhere less expensive







 im here (@ixherx) December 19, 2025





it was $5 on $250?? I assumed it was like $5 on a $50 bill and the waitress was just being a drama queen.....but nah you deserve to get called out in that case 







 Sam (@ShlamDoubleU) December 19, 2025





A viral restaurant video has sparked widespread debate after Evelyn Ortiz, the sister of streamer Wendy Ortiz, was confronted by a restaurant server over a $5 tip on a $250 bill. The video spread rapidly across platforms, triggering sharp criticism, heated debates, and questions around tipping expectations in the United States. As backlash intensified, Wendy Ortiz stepped in to publicly defend her sister, offering a more measured perspective shaped by her own experience in the service industry.The controversy began when footage surfaced of a server approaching Evelyn Ortiz to question the size of her tip. The interaction, which many viewers described as uncomfortable and confrontational, quickly spread across platforms such as Instagram, X, and YouTube Shorts. While some users criticised the amount of the tip, others focused on the appropriateness of confronting a customer over a tip, particularly in a public setting.Addressing the situation in a video, Wendy Ortiz defended her sister while acknowledging the complicated culture of tipping. She explained that while she personally believes in tipping generously and often follows recommended tip percentages, tips should not be treated as an obligation. Drawing from her background as a waitress, Wendy highlighted that service quality matters and that confronting or attempting to shame a customer over a tip crosses professional boundaries.Wendy also criticised what she described as an extreme tipping culture in the U.S., noting that expectations around tipping are far more intense compared to other countries. While she admitted that her sister could have tipped more, she made it clear that publicly calling out a customer, especially during a live stream, was inappropriate and unprofessional.Online reactions reflected how polarising the incident became. One user said, It was $5 on $250?? I assumed it was like $5 on a $50 billbut nah, you deserve to get called out in that case. Another commented, The irony here is that streamers get tips from their audience. A third added, $5 on a $250 meal is diabolical; there is no real justifying that for someone with wealth lol. Others took a more balanced stance, with one user noting, Im not a fan of tipping culture, but if you cant tip 20%, maybe eat somewhere less expensive.What began as a single tipping dispute has grown into a wider conversation about service work, entitlement, and professionalism. Wendy Ortizs response redirected the conversation, shifting attention from outrage toward a more thoughtful discussion about fairness, boundaries, and the realities of tipping culture in modern society.
Image credit : X @MundoACR | Peter Greene reportedly had injuries when found dead.

Pete Greene had injuries on his body when he was

New York Daily News

Friends and the manager report no suicidal signs

Image credit : X @PSYCHOV3N0M | Peter Greene, 60, death raises questions.

Greenes career highlights

Pulp Fiction

The Mask, The Usual Suspects

Judgement Night

Image credit : X @PSYCHOV3N0M | Peter Greene death probe notes reported injuries.

Pulp Fiction star Peter Greene was found dead in his Lower East Side, Manhattan, apartment last week on Wednesday, December 12, with injuries visible on his body. Greene, 60, was discovered lying face down with a facial injury in what neighbours described as a gory scene. The Medical Examiners office has not yet released an official cause of death.Neighbours described the apartment as shocking, with blood everywhere, according to the. In addition, a mysterious note was reportedly found at the scene alongside Greenes body. The message read, Im still a Westie, referencing the 1970s Irish-American Hells Kitchen gang. The unsettling details of the scene raised many questions, though those close to Greene said there were no signs he intended to harm himself. Law enforcement sources told TMZ on Thursday, December 18, that the actors body showed some injuries, but its undetermined what caused the injuries.Despite Greenes past struggles with drug use and a previous suicide attempt, his former manager Gregg Edwards told Page Six that Greene showed no signs of being suicidal in the days leading up to his death. Edwards said, Not at all, adding that Greene was in good spirits on Wednesday, just two days before he was found.Friends confirmed that Greene had been making plans for New Years Eve. New York actor and musician Skam Dust said Greene intended to spend the holiday with him, along with friends Danny Diablo, also known as Lord Ezec, and graffiti artist MQ. Greene had envisioned renting a truck limousine for a night of bar hopping and restaurant visits, and his friends insisted, He wasnt suicidal.Peter Greene was best known for his breakout role in, and he built a reputation in Hollywood for playing memorable antagonists. He appeared in films such as, andEven shortly before his death, Greene remained engaged in planning both his professional and personal life. According to his manager, he had surgery scheduled to remove a benign tumour near his lungs in the coming days. Edwards noted that the actor was otherwise healthy and fit, adding context to the surprise surrounding his death.
European Union leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with a bridge loan drawn from unused budget funds, a stopgap measure Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed as a vital signal of continental solidarity.

Speaking after the summit, Mr. Mitsotakis said the loan

avoids immediate fiscal impacts on member states while legal experts continue to debate the use of frozen Russian assets.

"Europe stands firmly by its side," he told reporters, stressing that the deal covers Kyiv's immediate financing needs.

However, the prime minister warned of looming battles over the EUs next long-term budget. With defense spending rising, Mr. Mitsotakis vowed to protect cohesion funds and agricultural subsidies, noting that a "critical mass" of nations opposes cuts to these core pillars.

He indicated that Cyprus, which assumes the EU presidency in January, will likely present initial allocation proposals.

On foreign policy, Mr. Mitsotakis announced plans to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

He positioned Athens as a mediator capable of moving the region from a "fragile ceasefire" toward a broader peace plan, leveraging Greeces strategic ties with both sides.

Turning to domestic unrest, Mr. Mitsotakis urged striking farmers to end road blockades that threaten to disrupt the Christmas holiday.

While promising dialogue, he called on lawmakers to pass a controversial reform of the agricultural payments agency, OPEKEPE, arguing it ensures subsidies reach "those who actually deserve them" rather than vanishing into bureaucratic opacity.

   iefimerida.gr
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has declared a "new era" for Greek naval power as the national flag was raised aboard the Kimon, the first of three advanced frigates poised to anchor the countrys defense strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"The frigate Kimon is the best proof that our armed forces are now moving into a new era," Mr. Mitsotakis stated following the ceremony at the Naval Group

shipyards in France

The induction of the Belharra-class warship marks a pivotal moment in Greece's military modernization, a program accelerated by recurring tensions with Turkey over maritime boundaries and energy rights.

The Kimon features state-of-the-art radar and missile systems designed to establish air and sea control across wide areas.

Government officials emphasized that the vessel enhances deterrence and interoperability with NATO allies.

However, domestic opposition parties Syriza and PASOK, while acknowledging the necessity of the upgrades, have pressed Mr. Mitsotakis for greater transparency regarding the balance between defense spending and social needs.

The frigate is scheduled to arrive at the Salamis naval base in 2026 after completing final systems integration.

   iefimerida.gr
Greek National Economy & Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis said on Friday that he participated in a G7 finance ministers meeting, in his first meeting as president of the Eurogroup.

In a brief social media post, Pierrakakis represented eurozone countries.

"Today I participated in the last meeting of G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under the Canadian Presidency. I would like to thank Francois-Philippe Champagne for his leadership this year and I am looking forward to working next year with Roland Lescure under the French Presidency of the G7," he said.

   iefimerida.gr
DryDel Shipping has announced the further strengthening of its Capesize bulk carrier fleet, signing an agreement with Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for the construction of another new ship.

This is

DryDel strengthens its footprint in Capes -  
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has announced the defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yelwata, who is also from Plateau, announced his governors defection at the partys 14th national caucus meeting held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

Yelwata said with the defection of Governor Mutfwang, the entire North Central is now governed by the APC.

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The governor was elected under the PDP in the 2023 general elections and becomes the latest high-profile politician to dump the main opposition party.

The meeting was attended by President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, the principal leadership of the National Assembly, and the immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Governors of the APC, including Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State who recently defected to the APC, past governors, national leadership of the party, among other party stakeholders, attended the meeting.
The Federal Government has confirmed the release of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft and 11 soldiers detained in Burkina Faso after a forced landing.

Confirming the development on Wednesday night, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the aircraft and personnel had been released.

He said, Yes, they have been released.

The confirmation came after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yusuf Tuggar, on Wednesday met Burkina Faso junta leader, Mr Ibrahim Traore, in Ouagadougou.

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Tuggar, who led a Nigerian delegation, said during a press briefing that the visit was at the instance of President Bola Tinubu.

The incident occurred nearly two weeks ago when a Nigerian Air Force C-130 aircraft, with 11 soldiers on board, made a forced landing in Bobo Dioulasso while on a ferry mission to Portugal.

Director of Public Relations of the Nigerian Air Force, Mr Ehimen Ejodame, had explained that the crew observed a technical issue and carried out a precautionary landing at the nearest airfield, in line with international aviation protocols.

However, Mali junta leader, Mr Assimi Goita, speaking on behalf of the Confederation of Sahel States, had described the landing as an unfriendly act carried out in defiance of international law, warning that member states were authorised to neutralise aircraft violating their airspace.
The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has declared the Abuja Municipal Area Council as the first political battleground ahead of the February 2026 area councils election, following her defection to the African Democratic Congress.

Kingibe stated this on Thursday, barely 24 hours after she dumped the Labour Party for the ADC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The senator officially registered as an ADC member at her Wuse Ward in AMAC on Thursday, describing the defection as the beginning of an intense political contest rather than a symbolic exercise.

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Addressing journalists and party supporters after receiving her membership card, Kingibe said the party must set its sights on sweeping the FCTs six area councils, starting from her home base.

She said, We have a battle and a lot of work ahead of us. We have six area councils, Mr Chairman, that must be ours. It starts with AMAC.

There are some of these problems. First of all, let me tell you something. AMAC is my local government, and Wuse is my ward. Thats why we are taking the card here today.

The event also marked the formal unveiling of the ADCs chairmanship and councillorship candidates across the FCT, with party flags presented as a signal of readiness for the February polls.

Political observers believe Kingibes entry into the ADC could significantly alter the balance of power in the FCT, where the contest for grassroots control is expected to intensify ahead of the 2026 area council elections and the 2027 general polls.

Lending weight to the development, former National Chairman of the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, described Kingibes defection as a strong boost to the partys rising profile, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Nwosu, her decision reflected a broader national realignment driven by public dissatisfaction with the status quo.

He said, This is the FCT, and for the number one senator in Abuja to be declaring for the party is a very warm sign. And we are receiving her gladly. But the critical signpost is this: Nigeria must move on.

Almost everybody has decided that Nigeria must move on, and the party must be ADC. So, the ADC has become the leading party in Nigeria. And the journey weve started now, you can see with Senator Ireti Kingibe.

Nwosu, however, warned that the party would not throw its doors open indiscriminately, stressing that the ADC was cautious about admitting politicians driven purely by personal gain.

He added, We dont want all of these people whose stock in trade is all about money. Therefore, we want to move all the governors and everybody into ADC. No, we are picky. There are a lot of people who have already come in, very strong people.

The whole of the Labour Party has moved into ADC. Many PDP and APC members have also moved into our party. I can assure you, before December next year, more than 70 per cent of APC will also move into ADC. Our democracy has to change.

Also speaking, the National Treasurer of the ADC, Mani Ahmed, said the party was fully prepared for electoral contests at both local and national levels, citing widespread public discontent as a driving force.

He stated that the ADC was positioning itself as a clear alternative to existing governance patterns.

Ahmed said, The ADC is battle-ready to grab power at the centre and elsewhere because we have a lot of confidence and we have a lot of hope in our preparations. We have strategised very well.

A lot of the things happening in the country are not necessarily pleasant with our people. We are bringing about a situation where they will understand the difference between what we offer and what is currently the scheme of things in this country.

From the constituency perspective, Head of Senator Kingibes constituency office and national ex-official representing the FCT, Emmanuel Destiny, described the senators defection as the beginning of a new political chapter for residents of the territory, especially women and young people.

He urged women and youths to rally behind Kingibe despite the challenges of operating as an opposition force in the FCT, insisting that Nigerians were desperate for change.

Destiny said Nigerians need the change that is deserved, and ADC is the party. The people are tired of suffering, much starvation, and insecurity.
Eleven Nigerian soldiers and their aircraft have taken off from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, following their release after 10 days in detention.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday.

The Nigerian military aircraft and 11 crew members have taken off from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, a few minutes ago.

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Bravo to the Embassy of Nigeria in Burkina Faso and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, he said.

He further told PUNCH Online that the aircraft would first fly to Ghana before re-routing to Portugal, as it was not granted permission to fly over Malian airspace.

The aircraft will fly to Ghana and from there re-route the flight plan to Portugal. They were not granted a permit to fly over Malian airspace, so they had to re-plan the route, he explained.

The soldiers had been detained after their aircraft made an unscheduled landing in Bobo-Dioulasso on December 8 due to a technical issue shortly after departing Lagos en route to Portugal.

Burkina Fasos military authorities held the personnel and aircraft over alleged airspace violations, describing the incident as a breach of sovereignty.

Investigations by the Confederation of Sahel States and Burkinabe officials reportedly showed that the aircraft did not have prior authorisation to enter Burkinabe airspace.

After several days of diplomatic negotiations, President Bola Tinubu sent a team led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to Ouagadougou to engage with Burkinabe authorities.

On Wednesday night, Ebienfa confirmed the release to The PUNCH.

The soldiers have been released. I just confirmed with our Head of Mission in Burkina Faso, he said.

The Nigerian Air Force assured all that the crew remained safe and were treated courteously during their detention. It also emphasised that the precautionary landing was carried out in accordance with standard safety procedures and international aviation protocols.
Olivia Drasher, 20, died in a house fire that investigators believe was intentionally set at her family's home in Darby Township. Read more

A West Philadelphia man who set a fatal fire in the midst of a tumultuous breakup, killing his ex-girlfriends disabled sister, was convicted Friday of first-degree murder.

A Delaware County jury ruled that Aaron Clark, 20, set the the December 2022 blaze in Darby Township that killed Olivia Drasher, the wheelchair-bound sister of his ex-girlfriend, Amira Rogers. He was also found guilty of four counts of attempted murder, one each for the other occupants in the home at the time.

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The fire was set on the homes porch, directly below Drashers bedroom, just after midnight. At the time, Drasher, her sister, their mother and Drashers full-time nurse were sleeping inside.

Hours before the fire, Rogers ended her relationship with Clark after he choked her during an argument over his alleged infidelity, according to testimony during the five-day trial before Delaware County Court Judge Deborah Krull.

In his closing argument, Clarks attorney, Michael Dugan, accused prosecutors of having tunnel vision and building the case against Clark at the insistence of Rogers and her family.

This investigation began with a conclusion right from the jump, Dugan said. There was never any suspect, there was no investigation of anyone else, other than looking at this man.

Dugan urged jurors to acquit Clark of all charges, saying a lack of eyewitness evidence and inconsistent scientific rulings on whether the fire was set intentionally introduced too much reasonable doubt.

But jurors were not swayed.

Assistant District Attorney Danielle Gallaher challenged Dugans assessment, telling jurors not to let the veteran defense attorney mischaracterize the evidence.

This crime fits this defendant, she said. Arson is a very intimate crime, and its something a man who has been scorned would do.

Gallaher said Rogers ended her 10-month relationship with Clark out of fear that he would harm her further. She reported his abuse to her local police department, and even filed a complaint with the United States Postal Service, where the two worked together in Southwest Philadelphia.

But Clark, Gallaher said, could not stand to lose Rogers.

He tried to kill her and everyone she loved, a family who loved each other unconditionally, Gallaher said. The defendant wanted to take it all away because he cant comprehend that. He doesnt have an ounce of compassion in him.

Dugan told jurors that prosecutors had falsely painted Clark as homicidal and vindictive and noted that while the couple had a nasty argument two days before the fire, they had reconciled, posing for pictures in front of a Christmas tree hours later.

Thats not someone whos in fear of her life, Dugan said of Rogers. Thats just someone whos in a bad relationship.

Dugan characterized the prosecutions case as full of holes. One of Rogers neighbors, touted as an eyewitness, could not pick Clark out of a police lineup, he said. Arson experts said there was no evidence of any accelerant found at the crime scene.

But Gallaher said there was more than enough evidence to connect Clark to the crime. The pants he was wearing when he was arrested tested positive for a petroleum-based accelerant, and cell-phone tower data showed he was near Rogers home at the time the fire was set.

The most damning evidence, she said, were the text messages Clark sent Rogers in the hours before the fire, including telling her: hope you dont miss the show.

Hes telling her hes going to create a spectacle, she said. He wants her to know that whatever happens, hes responsible.

Believe him when he says that.

A conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Clark will be sentenced next month.
Flyers radio Pxp man Tim Saunders (right), pictured here in 2018, has been suspended for the next two broadcasts due to a "inappopriate comment." Read more

The Flyers return to the ice on Saturday against the New York Rangers (12:30 p.m.), but there will be a different voice on the call for the teams radio broadcast on flagship station 97.5 The Fanatic.

Thats because the Flyers and 97.5 have suspended play-by-play man Tim Saunders for two games after he made an inappropriate comment during the broadcast of Thursdays Flyers-Sabres game. The comment, a lewd joke which was sexual in nature, was aimed at color analyst and former Flyer, Todd Fedoruk. It came during a TV timeout in the third period, when Saunders believed he was no longer live on the air but was picked up by a hot mic.

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The Flyers announced the suspension with an official statement via X on Friday morning:

We are aware of the inappropriate comment made during last nights radio broadcast in the TV timeout of the Flyers-Sabres game.

These remarks do not reflect the standards of conduct or values we expect from anyone associated with our organization.

Effective immediately, the Flyers, along with our radio partners, 97.5 The Fanatic, have issued a two-game suspension while we address this matter with all parties involved.

We take this matter very seriously, and sincerely apologize to our listeners, fans, and all those affected by these comments.

Saunders released a statement on X on Friday afternoon:

During last nights game in Buffalo, I made an error in judgment with my comments that were made when I thought we were in a commercial break. I recognize how offensive my remarks were, and the harm it has caused.

I take full responsibility and sincerely apologize to the Flyers, 97.5 The Fanatic and all those affected by my remarks.

To all Flyers fans and listeners of our broadcast, I promise that I will hold myself to a higher standard moving forward to ensure our broadcast is a safe and respectful place everyone can enjoy.

If the suspension remains at two games, Saunders, who has called the Flyers games on the radio since 1997, would be eligible to return to the airwaves on Tuesday for the game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, head of the local Lubavitcher sect of hasidic Judaism, talks about a picture of the first official menorah on Independence Mall. (C.F. Sanchez / Staff Photographer) Read more

Outside the front door of Independence Hall, amid a wet and mild December in Philadelphia, a handful of devoutly orthodox Jews decided to add their light to the world.

Four men of the Lubavitcher sect of Hasidic Judaism, including renowned Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, gathered on Independence Mall on Dec. 14, 1974. Together they lit what is believed to be the first menorah, or Hanukkah candelabrum, ever illuminated on public property.

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And together they watched their light spread.

Philadelphia is where we started, the now-88-year-old Rabbi Shemtov told The Inquirer in 2014. Now its everywhere, in too many places to count.

So, the idea caught fire, he said, smiling through his long, gray beard.

Hanukkah is the Jewish celebration of light over darkness, and of faith and freedom over oppression and persecution. While its not the biggest holiday in the Jewish faith, its themes of perseverance and hope have been as synonymous with the winter solstice as any Christian tradition.

The most obvious reason that menorahs were traditionally not lit outside was because the flame would go out.

So on that breezy evening in mid-December, the flame stayed lit against all odds. Some might even call it divine intervention.

What you need to understand, Shemtov explained, is that Jewish tradition dictated that the candelabrum be lit at home, and placed at the spot the house shares with the outside, typically at the front door.

Our sages say outside is better, he said with a shrug. So, we brought it outside a step further.

In the years since, public menorahs have sprouted up across Europe and North America, from Revolution Square in Moscow to the White House in Washington.

The simple lighting ceremony in Philadelphia, wrote The Inquirers longtime religion reporter David OReilly, became the foundational story of public menorahs for most of the worlds Jews.

For centuries, menorah lighting had at times been a covert domestic ritual.

We lit the first candle. There was some singing and dancing. It was a private event in public, Shemtov said in 2014. But even so, in concept we were sharing the thing with the world.
WASHINGTON  The Justice Department released thousands of files Friday about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but the incomplete document dump did not break significant ground about the long-running criminal investigations of the financier or his ties to wealthy and powerful individuals.

The files included a small number of photos of President Donald Trump, sparing the White House for now from having to confront fresh revelations about an Epstein relationship that the administration for months has tried in vain to push past.

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It did, however, feature a series of never-before-seen photos of Bill Clinton from a trip that the former president appears to have take with Epstein decades ago.

Reaction to the disclosures broke along mostly partisan lines. Democrats and some Republicans seized on the limited release to accuse the Justice Department of failing to meet a congressionally set deadline to produce the Epstein files. White House officials on social media gleefully promoted a photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a person with a blacked-out face. The Trump administration touted the release as a show of its commitment to transparency, ignoring the fact that the Justice Department just months ago said no more files would be released. Congress then passed a law mandating it.

The records, consisting largely of pictures but also including call logs, grand jury testimony, interview transcripts, and other documents, arrived amid extraordinary anticipation that they might offer the most detailed look yet at nearly two decades worth of government scrutiny of Epsteins sexual abuse of young women and underage girls. Their release has long been demanded by a public hungry to learn whether any of Epsteins associates knew about or participated in the abuse. Epsteins accusers have also sought answers about why federal authorities shut down their initial investigation into the allegations in 2008.

Yet the release, replete with redactions. seemed unlikely to satisfy the public clamor for information given how many investigative records the department indicated it was continuing to withhold.

In a letter to Congress obtained by The Associated Press, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote that the Justice Department was continuing to review files in its possession and expected additional disclosures by the end of the year. The department also said it was withholding some documents under exemptions allowed in the law and was redacting names of victims. The department expects to complete its document production by the end of the year, Blanche said.

Bowing to political pressure from fellow Republicans, Trump on Nov. 19 signed a bill giving the Justice Department 30 days to release most of its files and communications related to Epstein, including information about the investigation into his death in a federal jail. The laws passage, which set a deadline for Friday, was a remarkable display of bipartisanship that overcame months of opposition from Trump and Republican leadership.

Limited details about Trump

The released files include a small number of photos of Trump, which appear to have been known for decades, including two in which Trump and Epstein are posing with now-first lady Melania Trump in February 2000 at an event at Trumps Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, before the pairs friendship ruptured.

Trump was friends with Epstein for years before the two had a falling-out. Neither he nor Clinton has ever been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someones name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said last month that she had ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate Epsteins ties to Trumps political foes, including Clinton. Bondi acted after Trump pressed for such an inquiry, though he did not explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate.

In July, Trump dismissed some of his own supporters as weaklings for falling for the Jeffrey Epstein hoax. But both Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) failed to prevent the legislation from coming to a vote.

Trump did a U-turn on the files once it became clear that congressional action was inevitable. He insisted that the Epstein matter had become a distraction to the Republican agenda and that releasing the records was the best way to move on.

After nearly two decades of court action and prying by reporters, a voluminous number of records related to Epstein had already been public well before Froday, including flight logs, address books, email correspondence, police reports, grand jury records, courtroom testimony, and transcripts of depositions of his accusers, his staffers and others.

New photos of Clinton

Senior Trump White House aides took to X to promote photos in the Epstein files that show Clinton with women whose faces are redacted.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, wrote Oh my! and added a shocked face emoji in response to a photo of Clinton in a hot tub with a woman whose face was redacted.

They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isnt about Bill Clinton, Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said in a statement.

There are two types of people here, he said. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships after that. Were in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.

The Epstein investigations

Police in Palm Beach, Fla., began investigating Epstein in 2005 after the family of a 14-year-old girl reported she had been molested at his mansion. The FBI joined the investigation, and authorities gathered testimony from multiple underage girls who said they had been hired to give Epstein sexual massages.

Ultimately, though, prosecutors gave Epstein a deal that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. He pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges involving someone under age 18 and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Epsteins accusers then spent years in civil litigation trying to get that plea deal set aside. One of those women, Virginia Giuffre, accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters, starting at age 17, with numerous other men, including billionaires, famous academics, U.S. politicians, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known as Britains Prince Andrew. Mountbatten-Windsor denied ever having sex with Giuffre, but King Charles III stripped him of his royal titles this year after Giuffres memoir was published after she died.

Prosecutors never brought charges in connection with Giuffres claims, but her account fueled conspiracy theories about supposed government plots to protect the powerful. Giuffre died by suicide at her farm in Western Australia in April at age 41.

Federal prosecutors in New York brought new sex trafficking charges against Epstein in 2019, but he killed himself in jail a month after his arrest. Prosecutors then charged Epsteins longtime confidant, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, with recruiting underage girls for Epstein to abuse.

Maxwell was convicted in late 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence, though she was moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after she was interviewed over the summer by Blanche. Her lawyers argued that she never should have been tried or convicted.

The Justice Department in July said it had not found any information that could support prosecuting anyone else.
Surveillance cameras outside Girard Beer Distributor captured the moment when, police say, Joseph Cini, fleeing Philadelphia Sheriffs Office deputies in his Nissan Maxima, collided with a red Jeep at 9th Street and Girard Avenue, seriously injuring an Uber driver and killing his passenger. Read more

Deputies from the Philadelphia Sheriffs Office appear to have made serious tactical errors while attempting to apprehend a wanted man at his workplace in North Philadelphia on Monday morning, which enabled him to speed away in his car, according to experts in fugitive apprehension.

Moments later, Joseph Cini, while fleeing the deputies in his Nissan Maxima, plowed into a Jeep Patriot at Ninth Street and Girard Avenue, police say, killing an Uber passenger and seriously injuring her driver.

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Cini, 35, ran from the scene but turned himself in to police Tuesday night. He is facing a slew of new charges, including homicide by vehicle.

Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has declined to answer any questions about the botched arrest. She released a short statement offering her offices condolences to the family of Angela Cooper, the 63-year-old woman who was killed.

The Inquirer, however, was able to partially reconstruct what happened based on statements the deputies have provided to Philadelphia police.

The six-person operation by the sheriffs office turned deadly when deputies from its warrant unit approached Cini, who was wanted for a probation violation, while he was still behind the wheel  rather than waiting until he got out of his vehicle.

Cini then backed up and, because the deputies had failed to box him in, started barreling down Girard Avenue. One member of the warrant unit, in fact, told police that he moved his unmarked vehicle to make way for the suspects vehicle to get by.

Four experts consulted by The Inquirer said the deputies statements could serve as a road map of what not to do during an apprehension. Such high-risk tactics, according to those experts, put the deputies and the public in more danger than was necessary.

A vehicle is like a gun, almost. It can be a two-ton weapon. said Craig Caine, a retired inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service. And it proved to be true in this case.

A plan gone wrong

Before sunrise Monday morning, a team of four deputies and two sergeants from the sheriffs warrant unit laid an ambush for Cini. They had received a tip he was working at a low-slung plumbing business next to a three-way intersection on the 900 block of Watts Street, just south of Girard.

After surveilling the business, the team learned that Cini was set to arrive around 7 a.m. A sheriffs sergeant and a deputy were outside the plumbing business, waiting to get a positive ID as others moved to block Cinis escape paths, according to statements they later provided to police.

But when the deputies received confirmation that Cini was approaching the business, they sprang the trap before he stepped out of the car.

One deputy told police she activated the emergency lights on her car, then she and another deputy approached Cini and told him to exit his vehicle.

A sheriffs sergeant on the team provided a similar account, telling police that the warrant unit closed in on Cini while he was still in the Maxima.

Instead of getting out of the car, Cini threw it in reverse and headed north on Watts.

As Cini backed up, a sheriffs sergeant quickly moved his own vehicle onto Cambridge, a cross street, to avoid a collision with Cini on Watts, he later told police.

The warrant unit regrouped and began heading after Cini, but he crashed into the Jeep only five blocks away, according to the deputies.

Stephen Thompson, 51, a pastor in Kensington who was driving the Jeep for Uber, was injured in the crash and is being treated at Temple University Hospital.

The impact pinned Cooper, a Peco employee who did homeless outreach, in the back seat of the Jeep. A deputy checked her pulse and found none. She was pronounced dead at 7:24 a.m.

Days later, debris from the crash remained in the middle of Girard Avenue.

At a news conference Thursday, District Attorney Larry Krasner described Cooper as a remarkable person who was active with her church and was always sacrificing for others.

We want the families and surviving victim to know our office will do everything we can to get justice and hold this defendant properly accountable for this terrible act, Krasner said.

Experts on fugitive tracking and apprehension say the crash was likely preventable.

Robert Almonte, who served as U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas during President Obamas administration, said it is unusual for a warrant unit to confront a wanted man while he is in a car if the officers had information on where he is going to be.

I would have waited for him to go into work and grab him there, Almonte said. Or, if the boss didnt want that to happen, Id go to Plan B: Let him walk toward the front door and grab him. But dont let him get back to the vehicle.

Caine, who worked on a fugitive task force in New York and New Jersey, agreed. A foot pursuit, he said, is much less dangerous than a car chase.

Wait for him inside. Dont have any suspicious vehicles within eyesight, Caine said, speaking generally about best practices. Take him at the door, or wait until he gets deeper into the building. Usually we were at the door. He comes in, boom, hes on the ground, in handcuffs, and we take him away, no danger.

If you have to confront a fugitive in a car, Caine said, make sure he has nowhere to go, if at all possible.

Surround the car. Box him in nice and tight, he said.

Krasner said Thursday that Cini may have somehow figured out he was about to be arrested, and then decided to flee. The deputies accounts to police, however, make no mention of that.

Regardless, Chris Burbank, an adviser to the Center for Policing Equity and the former police chief in Salt Lake City, said the operation was a failure that put lives at risk.

Its Law Enforcement Tactics 101, Burbank said. There is absolutely no reason to do anything while hes mobile. This was unnecessary.

Why was Cini wanted?

Since Monday, Philadelphia police and the sheriffs office have provided only vague explanations of why sheriffs deputies were attempting to arrest Cini in the first place.

Cini has a lengthy criminal history, racking up at least 24 priors in Pennsylvania and New Jersey between 2001 and 2022, including for theft, robbery, assault, and domestic abuse, according to police records.

The sheriffs office statement on Monday said only that deputies were attempting to serve a lawful warrant. A police department news release on Monday described it as a warrant for domestic assault, leaving the impression Cini was wanted for a crime not yet prosecuted.

But two members of the warrant unit told police that they were planning to arrest Cini for a probation violation.

The Philadelphia District Attorneys Office confirmed Thursday that Cini was being sought in connection with a 2018 case in which he had already been sentenced to jail time and probation. Assistant District Attorney Bob Wainwright said Cini was on probation at the time for a domestic violence strangulation case and had open warrants associated with that case.

Philadelphia law enforcement agencies have been under increased scrutiny about how they handle domestic abuse cases following the October killing of Kada Scott, allegedly by a former romantic partner.

At a City Council hearing this month, Bilal said her office was prioritizing cases linked to domestic violence.

We are no longer operating as a passive service agency, she said. We are now an active coordinator and a public safety partner in the citys domestic violence response network.

On Thursday, however, Bilal declined to discuss what went wrong in the Cini case.

At this time, we cannot comment on the initial findings as the matter remains under active investigation, Teresa Lundy, a department spokesperson, said in an email.

Our office is conducting its own review, Lundy said, and will await the conclusion of the Philadelphia Police Departments investigation before providing any further response.
Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at the 127th annual Pennsylvania Society dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown Manhattan last week. Read more

This weeks Shackamaxon goes to the Pennsylvania Society dinner in Manhattan, explores more Council shenanigans, and extolls an example of positive preservation.

Were all pals here

I made a rookie mistake while attending my first Pennsylvania Society retreat in New York City last week: I arrived far too late. Instead of attending the various parties hosted by lobbyists and law firms, which is where the real political news is found, I covered the signature gala at the recently reopened Waldorf Astoria.

Former Ed Rendell right-hand man, Comcast executive, and onetime Canadian ambassador, David L. Cohen, was honored with the nonprofit organizations Gold Medal. Both Cohen and Gov. Josh Shapiro gave speeches praising the value of bipartisanship. In fact, bipartisanship seemed to dominate the air at the event  despite the rising division in just about every other aspect of political life.

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Where was this bipartisan love over the summer, as Pennsylvanians waited for months for a state budget? Where was the political collegiality when local governments and school districts were forced to shutter services or take out loans, and transit riders faced brutal service cuts?

Apparently Champagne, cigars, cocktails, and filet mignon are a necessary component to talking productively with the other side.

Lacking these amenities in the General Assembly, Harrisburg politicians chose vitriol over working together. Beyond the infamous Joe Pittman speech where the Senate majority leader showed how much he resents the southeastern part of the commonwealth hes supposed to help lead, our local politicians also engaged in a blatantly partisan strategy to secure sustainable transit funding, one that ultimately failed.

In one of the most boneheaded political moves Ive ever seen, Pennsylvania Democrats openly bragged they hoped the brutal SEPTA cuts would help them make political gains. While they succeeded in forcing local Republican senators like Joe Picozzi, Frank Farry, and Tracy Pennycuick into making a bad vote to divert transit funding to roads in other parts of the state, this strategy only inflamed partisan tensions, making a deal less likely.

At it again

I really try to avoid having Jeffrey Jay Young, the City Council member representing North Philadelphias 5th District, make a weekly appearance in this column, but he makes that very difficult. His latest bad idea is to ban housing on and around the campus of what had been Hahnemann University Hospital.

To be clear, the loss of Hahnemann is an absolute tragedy. My eldest was born there, and the attentive care she and my wife received was excellent. Yet the hospital is closed, and it has been closed for more than five years at this point. There are no plans to reopen it. In fact, the property was sold earlier this year to Dwight City Group. The developer told my colleague Jake Blumgart they were avoiding high-end apartments.

With a location right next to a subway station, midmarket housing is an ideal way to ensure the property does not become a source of blight over time. The former hospitals neighbors include the Convention Center, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, a couple of highway ramps, and a ton of parking lots.

Young claims his bill is meant to promote job creation. Maybe for zoning lawyers, but not for anyone else.

Preservation done right

St. Johns Baptist Church at 13th and Tasker Streets has an interesting story that follows the demographic shifts of its neighborhood over the 132 years it housed a congregation. Thanks to a pragmatic local preservation law, the building should avoid demolition and remain standing for years to come.

In the late 1800s, immigrants from Europe, in particular from Roman Catholic Italy, were flocking to South Philadelphia for work and opportunity. Some viewed this trend with consternation. They saw Protestant Christianity as integral to being an American, and they sought to convert the new residents.

This process was called Christian Americanization. A cross-denominational effort led to the establishment of missions to reach these groups. St. Thomas, built in an Italianate style, was a part of this movement.

Originally a Reformed Episcopal Church, the building was later transferred to a Baptist denomination. The Baptists had bilingual Italian clergy and were thought to be better suited to evangelizing the new residents. In the 1950s, the church diversified. It became known as a house of prayer for all people, and welcomed its new, non-Italian neighbors to its pews  in particular, Burmese and Indonesian immigrants, many of whom came to America specifically to practice their faith.

The congregations last pastor was Tony Campolo, an evangelical leader who eschewed a megachurch pulpit and televised program in favor of the itinerant preaching popular among earlier leaders in that tradition. He exhorted his fellow Christians to set aside conservative politics in favor of social justice.

Campolo died last year, not long after the church closed its doors. A fuller history of the congregation can be found in its historic nomination.

While many houses of worship end up demolished after years of plans and negotiations fail to come to fruition, St. Johns will not join their ranks. Thats because of a 2019 law passed by City Council, which makes it easier to reuse historically protected buildings, like churches. While the project of turning a place of worship into apartments may seem daunting, other conversions in the city have worked out well.

If the purpose of preservation is to deepen the link between past and present, this pragmatic approach is the right way forward.
Gen X physicians can bridge the meaningful lessons of our past while centering empathy, values, missions, and ethics, writes Priya E. Mammen. Read more

Thanksgiving brought a revelation. I was sous-chef to my children and my mother, a sounding board for my son as he completed college applications and my parents as they navigated different doctors, and the planner working around the needs of my children, husband, parents, and in-laws. I now realize what it means to be part of the sandwich generation.

My generation is also squeezed between older and younger cohorts in the professional world  especially medicine and healthcare. I am solidly Gen X and lie squarely between the boomers and the millennials.

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These days, no matter where you turn, the realities of the U.S. healthcare crisis are impossible to ignore. From access to medications, availability of health insurance, affordability of medical costs, even trust and reliability in the messaging or directives we hear, the situation is daunting at best and overwhelmingly dark at worst.

Perhaps the canary in the coal mine has been the growing healthcare workforce crisis.

Physician burnout and moral injury, worsened by COVID-19, drove millennial and even Gen X doctors and nurses to leave the field. Adding to the dearth of primary care physicians as the U.S. population ages with worsened chronic diseases, the imminent retirement of a large cohort of boomers results in projections of a shortage of a combined 400,000 physicians and nurses by 2037.

I cant help but feel the weight and responsibility of my generation of doctors in the world of medicine, along parallel lines of my personal life.

When we were born and grew up shapes the decisions we make and the ways we manifest and execute them. In his book Birth and Fortune, Richard Easterlin, an economist and demographer who researched happiness, posits that the size of the cohort you are born into shapes your generational opportunity.

Large cohorts, such as the baby boomers, face competition, but they also get the benefits of institutions that bend to their size. Smaller cohorts in the shadow of the larger generation ahead of them often contend with fewer resources and less investment. Thats Gen X in a nutshell.

And it models my experiences in the world of Philadelphia medicine almost perfectly.

Even within these cohorts, Easterlin illustrates, there are differences and disparities. Resources and opportunities available to early boomers became scarce to the later boomers, as the systems were slow to meet their needs. Those returning from the Vietnam War later were more likely to feel this dearth of structures and resources  such was the birth of homelessness as we recognize it now.

I saw that firsthand in Philly as a member of the Homeless Death Review team  a small group of experts from across the city convened by the Medical Examiners Office. We reviewed every death of a person experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia.

From a systems-level view, it became clear that a lack of resources decades ago created a disparity that was perpetuated throughout the lives of specific demographics. They contributed to their premature deaths.

Boomers created the healthcare system we know today. Building on advances in science, research, and opportunity, they expanded and deepened training pipelines. They established medical specialties, subspecialties, and leadership roles.

They also continued long-standing practices anchored in hierarchy and compliance, where gravitas comes from the company you keep and not always the merit and competency you demonstrate.

A look across academic medical leaders in Philadelphia shows several with tenures that started in their 40s or early 50s and continued for well over 20 years, ongoing even now. Our citys medical leadership  whether it be the Philadelphia County Medical Society, Pennsylvania Medical Society, or the American Medical Association  shows many of these same individuals making decisions across organizations.

 READ MORE: As our central source of scientific guidance loses credibility, other experts step up | Opinion

The same voices, same perspectives, and same ideas have been echoing across institutions for years  even when not representative of the rest of us.

Take the American Medical Association. While being known for having the largest lobbying budget of all medical associations, it represents only 20% of the doctors across the country. The AMA designed and owns the Current Procedural Terminology  the five-digit codes that are commonly used in medical billing. That coding system creates an avenue for higher payments for procedures over primary care prevention with a percentage for them as middleman.

 READ MORE: Have we decided health is a perk? |Opinion

Years ago, I wrote about how my approach to being an emergency physician evolved as I saw a changing world of healthcare that was not meeting the needs of the patients who turned to me for help.

That same month, the Wall Street Journal reported on the shift among doctors from GOP stalwarts to Democratic voters. My Gen X brethren look different from the generation before us: more women, more people of color, a broader range of ethnicities and cultures. It makes sense that we vote differently, in line with our priorities, values, and missions. Just as it makes sense that we lead differently, as well.

As Gen X doctors, we trained under the old rules of loyalty, compliance, endurance, and strict hierarchy. We worked with paper charts, well before computers became the central source of our clinical work. We mastered clinical skills and memorized reams of information. We also understood how issues outside the exam room and beyond our control impacted our patients.

My cohort went on to learn to practice medicine as the corporatization of hospitals took hold and our profession took on the additional contours of a business. We met productivity quotas and metrics around how quickly we saw patients and moved on to the next. We eventually even learned to ask corporate conglomerates for permission to get the tests, procedures, and medications our training and expertise, together with our direct evaluation, told us our patients needed, through prior authorizations.

Boomers continued to adhere to their definition of an ideal physician over the last 25 years  fixating on their commanding expertise and a brand of patient care they developed. In the process, they ceded governance of medicine, including financial oversight and systems design, to non-medical stakeholders. They often treated these issues as beneath them.

I see us at a critical generational inflection point.

For the bulk of our careers, we Gen Xers were complicit  through our silent obedience and compliance. Many of us had learned from personal experience that speaking up or being seen as contrarian to those in power was overtly punished or covertly met with retaliation.

Now however, Gen X physicians are positioned to do something the generation before could not: carry medicines core values forward while shedding the destructive traditions and practices that broke the system.

We are facing AI in medicine, further decentralization of medical care, technology and innovation, unprecedented availability of our own health data through wearables, simultaneously with more difficult access to the doctors we have always turned to, and fewer hospitals in our communities.

I see us at a critical generational inflection point. And its time to assert ourselves in a few tangible ways:

Claim leadership by redefining it. We dont have to wait to inherit positions when those who have inhabited them for decades finally vacate. Gen X knows well that true leadership doesnt come through hierarchy or titles. In the words of my dear friend Jeremy Nowak: Power belongs to the problem solvers. Reclaim and own our voice. Our predecessors confused apolitical detachment with impartial professionalism. In the process, the discussions, decisions, and policymaking that shaped physicians reality excluded us. Its time we lean in unapologetically and stop waiting for permission. Reject passive compliance as a virtue. Our silence has helped no one. The courage we spent decades swallowing is exactly the courage we need now to right this ship. We must be intentional in how we define ourselves, our profession, and our value: clinical integrity, collaboration, dignity, empathy, humanity, all come to mind as our unmatched superpowers.

It feels we are standing at the precipice of the unfamiliar and unknown. Where technology and AI will redefine what is possible, but the needs of our patients will demand practical and accessible solutions.

 READ MORE: Rite Aid closures will create pharmacy deserts. And without pharmacies, public health unravels. | Opinion

Sustainable change will come from us  crammed in the middle. At the risk of making a sweeping generalization, Gen X believes in fairness, head-down work, and accomplishment. We have learned and adapted throughout our lives. Unlike the boomers and millennials on either side of us, we are raised analog, fluent digital, comfortable with a rotary phone and an AI dashboard.

We are the stewards of the medical profession  not its museum guards. We can bridge the meaningful lessons of our past with the awareness of today and the promise of the future, while centering empathy, values, missions, and ethics.

The silver lining is this: Our hard-earned lessons have become the foundation for a new kind of courage. Its one that refuses passivity, demands better, pushes into all the spaces that exclude us, and insists that we show up not just for ourselves, but for our colleagues, our patients, our community, and the generations coming behind us.

Priya E. Mammen is an emergency physician, healthcare executive, and public health specialist who helps the nations most impactful companies integrate clinical integrity at scale.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined other Trump administration officials Thursday to unveil their proposal to punish hospitals that offer gender-affirming care. Read more

President Donald Trumps administration proposed a sweeping set of rules Thursday designed to prevent hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to minors, a move that could have consequential implications for Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

CHOP runs one of the nations largest clinics providing medical care and mental health support for transgender and gender-nonbinary children and teens and their families. Each year, hundreds of new families seek care at CHOPs Gender and Sexuality Development Program, created in 2014. The information of CHOP patients who have sought gender-affirming care had been the target of a recent unsuccessful lawsuit from the Trump administration.

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The proposals constitute the most significant moves the administration has taken to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgical interventions for transgender people under the age of 18  including cutting off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children and prohibiting federal Medicaid dollars from being used to fund such procedures.

This is not medicine, it is malpractice, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, referring to gender-affirming procedures, at a news conference Thursday. Sex-rejecting procedures rob children of their futures.

CHOP, like most other hospitals in the country, participates in both Medicare and Medicaid.

CHOP declined to comment Thursday.

The renowned pediatric hospital treats children and teens with gender dysphoria  a medical condition in which a persons body does not match their gender identity. Its doctors prescribe hormone therapy and puberty blockers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other major medical associations, citing research, widely accept such medications as safe, effective, and medically necessary for the patients mental health.

CHOP has said its doctors do not prescribe any medication before its patients undergo extensive medical and psychological evaluations.

Gender-affirming care is legal in Pennsylvania, and states, not the federal government, regulate medicine and doctors.

But Trump has sought to criminalize this care for minors, saying doctors are engaged in chemical mutilation, akin to child abuse, and he has called the research junk science.

Just days into his second term in office, the president issued an executive order titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, which contains inflammatory and misleading descriptions of largely medically approved transgender care. Kennedy has followed the presidents lead, signing a declaration Thursday rejecting these procedures.

Other actions proposed Thursday include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issuing warning letters to 12 manufacturers and retailers for what an HHS news release claims to be illegal marketing of breast binders to children for the purposes of treating gender dysphoria.

The court battle over gender care for minors

In June, the U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas to CHOP and at least 19 other hospitals that treat transgender youth as part of an investigation into possible healthcare fraud. The federal subpoenas demanded patient medical records, including their dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses, as well as every communication by doctors  emails, voicemails, and encrypted text messages  dating back to January 2020.

The subpoenas touched off a wave of legal battles that continue to play out. Several hospitals around the country, including CHOP, filed motions asking federal judges to block the release of private patient information.

So far, federal judges in Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington state have sided with the hospitals, ruling the subpoenas were politically motivated.

In Philadelphia, U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney last month determined that the privacy interests of children and their families substantially outweighs the departments need to know such confidential and sensitive information. The federal government has 60 days to appeal the Nov. 21 ruling.

In September, patients and their parents joined the legal fight to limit the scope of the subpoenas issued to CHOP and UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh. The Philadelphia-based Public Interest Law Center (PILC) filed separate but similar legal relief on behalf of families with children and teens who have received gender-affirming care at CHOP and in Pittsburgh.

The federal judge presiding over the Pittsburgh hospitals case has yet to issue a ruling. Earlier this week, however, DOJ lawyers said they are willing to accept redacted medical records. They argued that would solve the dispute over patient privacy rights.

On Thursday, Mimi McKenzie, PILCs legal director, said the center strongly disagrees and would fight the release of redacted medical records.

These records are so deeply personal and contain such highly sensitive information about these young patients, McKenzie said. There is no anonymization or redaction that can protect their privacy interests.

McKenzie said the proposed federal rule to ban all federal funding to hospitals that treat transgender youth would face a myriad of legal challenges. She described gender-affirming care as lifesaving for many children.

The notion that our federal government would tell hospitals to pick which children you want to save  the children who need gender-affirming care or all the other children  is despicable. The cruelty of this administration knows no bounds.

Other institutions have recoiled in the face of the Trump administrations threats.

Earlier this year, Penn Medicine and Penn State Health cut back gender-affirming care for youth. Nemours Childrens Hospital in Delaware and UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh announced they will no longer provide gender-affirming care beyond behavioral health services to new patients.

All cited fear of federal funding cuts.
File photo of a mail carrier in Philadelphia in 2021. A state-contracted mail vendor, Capitol Presort Services, last month failed to send a months worth of agency mail, resulting in 3.4 million unsent letters, 1.7 million of which were from the state Department of Human Services  the state agency that oversees SNAP food assistance and Medicaid and is tasked with serving Pennsylvanias most vulnerable populations. Read more

Do you realize you are going to end my life by doing this?

Eliana Chernyakhovsky said she asked the question through an interpreter over and over again to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services last week, after her 24-hour, state-funded care was cut off without warning. Her meal provider was also cut off. How would she feed herself? What if her oxygen tank ran out?

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Fear had risen in my heart, Chernyakhovsky said in Russian during an interview through an interpreter on Wednesday. I was genuinely afraid.

Chernyakhovsky, 73, of Northeast Philadelphia, was born with spina bifida and has a number of physical disabilities associated with the condition, and uses a wheelchair to get around. She is among the Pennsylvania residents who say they have lost their government-funded services because a state-contracted mail vendor failed to deliver a months worth of agency mail.

That breakdown resulted in 3.4 million letters never getting sent, 1.7 million of which were from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services  the agency that oversees SNAP food assistance and Medicaid and is tasked with serving the states most vulnerable populations.

 READ MORE: Pennsylvanias unsent mail backlog now totals 3.4 million letters, including SNAP eligibility and health benefit info, officials say

Millions of letters from state agencies  including notices of health and SNAP benefit renewal, drivers license and vehicle registration renewal invitations, vehicle registration cards, and more  were never sent by a mail presort vendor, who was contracted by the state to tray and sort agency mail in order to save money on postage. The failure went undetected for a month until early December, when Gov. Josh Shapiros administration fired Harrisburg-based Capitol Presort Services and hired another vendor on a $1 million emergency contract to work through the backlog.

In Chernyakhovskys case, a letter dated Nov. 6 said she had failed to submit a renewal packet to continue receiving in-home care, said her attorney, Louise Hayes of Community Legal Services. Chernyakhovsky had 15 days to appeal to continue receiving services, or else her services would be shut off on Nov. 21.

But due to the monthlong lapse in state agency mail, Chernyakhovsky did not receive the letter until last week, after funding for her in-home nurses and food services had already been cut off, she said.

Chernyakhovskys home health aides opted to continue her care without pay, and with no assurance they would get paid for the time when her care was restored, because her needs are so great.

Her services restarted last week thanks to efforts by Community Legal Services while her appeal works its way through the system. As of this week, one of her home health agencies has still not received payment from her insurance company.

Alexander Aybinder, her day-shift nurse, said Wednesday it was still unclear when he would get paid. But he said he would still come to Chernyakhovskys home, no matter what.

I will come tomorrow, because she cannot stay without service. I will work, he said. Shes absolutely helpless.

DHS: Extended deadlines and additional flexibility

DHS spokesperson Brandon Cwalina said in a statement Thursday the agency will extend deadlines for appeals and provide additional flexibility for affected Pennsylvanians. Residents affected by the mail issue will receive notice of their appeal options and deadline extensions, Cwalina said.

Medicaid, CHIP, and TANF cash assistance recipients whose benefits were reduced or cut off during the mail delay will have their cases reopened, he added. These cases will be again reviewed to determine if the recipients received the necessary notification of a change in benefits. Renewals for the programs, originally due in December, are now due in January.

DHS cannot extend renewal deadlines for SNAP benefits due to federal guidelines, but affected SNAP recipients who submit the necessary documentation within 30 days of losing their benefits will be able to have them reopened and backdated, Cwalina said.

At least two dozen affected so far, with more expected

At least two dozen Community Legal Services clients have had problems with receiving their benefits because of the mail delay, said Maripat Pileggi, a supervising attorney at CLS. The delay affected state agency letters dated Nov. 3 through Dec. 3, officials have said, and all unsent mail should be received by residents in a few days.

And as the nonprofit legal agency has tried to help restore critical services to some of its most vulnerable clients, CLS attorney Lydia Gottesfeld said, legal advocates have struggled to reach the departments in DHS that could help them, with phone lines going unanswered or hour-long wait times.

Its been very difficult to get information about these delays, she added.

Cwalina said Thursday that any DHS appeal hearings that were missed due to the mail disruption are being reopened and rescheduled, and the agency maintains that its callback system is accessible to recipients.

Cases like Chernyakhovskys are among the first and most urgent that CLS has identified since the state said that a months worth of agency mail to residents from DHS and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was never sent. Residents like Chernyakhovsky who receive care through the Medicaid-funded home and community-based services program often have the most acute health issues and significant needs, meaning a loss in healthcare services can be catastrophic.

Gottesfeld expects that more residents will realize in the coming weeks that they lost services  such as food assistance or health insurance  because of missed hearings or deadlines the next time they visit the doctor or grocery store.

When people lose state-funded services, it is not usually because they suddenly no longer need them, Gottesfeld said. Rather, it is usually due to failing to submit paperwork properly, resulting in a loss of food assistance, healthcare, or other services.

Questions remain

It remains unclear how the state agency mail piled up for more than a month before officials noticed, how the backlog was discovered, or where the millions of agency letters were located after the vendor stopped sorting them.

The reported loss of benefits stemming from the mail delay also comes after several tumultuous months for people who receive public benefits, following a federal government shutdown that cut food assistance, new work requirements to maintain benefits, and future uncertainty under federal cuts passed earlier this year. Shapiro was at the forefront of Democratic opposition to federal cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and was a vocal critic when the department withheld benefits during the federal shutdown.

On Thursday, a group of 15 state Senate Republicans, including top legislative leaders, sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of General Services citing The Inquirers reporting and requesting more information about how the mail delivery failure was discovered, why it took a month to find the backlog, and more.

Given the broad scope of this mail delivery failure, it is critical to ensure every effort is made to minimize the impact on our constituents and the disruption it may cause in their lives, the senators wrote.

Shapiros administration is exploring all legal options against the fired vendor, Capitol Presort Services, Cwalina said.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker marked the halfway point of her term as mayor Friday by portraying the city as safer and more stable than when she took office two years ago, pointing to metrics like the plummeting homicide rate and cleaner streets.

During her second end-of-year State of the City speech, Parker also briefly acknowledged challenges she faced this past year, including the eight-day city worker strike and a spat with City Council over her signature housing plan.

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And she outlined a plan to address rising street homelessness heading into 2026, when the city will host several major events expected to draw more than a million visitors.

I am here today to proudly report to all of you, she said, that the state of our city is strong and good, and we are moving in the right direction.

Parkers announcement to add 1,000 shelter slots to the citys system was a stark reminder that  despite progress on public safety and a coming year ripe with opportunity for tourism and growth  some of the citys longest-term challenges remain unresolved.

Even as Philadelphia this year shed its long-held title as the poorest big city in America, the number of unsheltered people increased by 20% compared to last. While shootings have reached 50-year lows, the open-air drug market that has long plagued Kensington persists.

And after the mayor this year unveiled a long-awaited plan to build thousands of units of housing in the city, she hit roadblocks in City Council, where members rejected her vision to bolster the middle class in favor of a plan that prioritizes the poorest Philadelphians.

Still, Parker and members of her administration struck an optimistic tone Friday. During the highly produced event, top officials repeatedly proclaimed that the state of the city is strong, and they thanked municipal employees in attendance, like police officers and sanitation workers.

Parkers State of the City address last year was Philadelphias first. Traditionally, the mayors March budget address to Council was seen as the citys version of the presidential State of the Union speech in Congress. Parker plans to make the December event an annual tradition as well.

Here are three takeaways from Parkers speech Friday in North Philadelphia:

A homelessness plan is in the works for 2026

In the middle of her speech, Parker signed an executive order on stage, directing city departments to add 1,000 new beds to the existing shelter system by Jan. 31. That would represent a 35% increase in the number of beds citywide.

The move comes as city data shows homelessness in the city is rising. There were 1,178 unsheltered people in Philadelphia this year, a 20% increase over last year and the highest number recorded since at least 2018, according to city data.

In total, 5,516 people were considered homeless, a number that includes people who live in emergency shelters, are couch surfing, or otherwise lack an adequate nighttime residence. That number is up slightly from 5,191 last year.

Parkers executive order directs city agencies to increase outreach efforts to people living on the streets and to collaborate with the Philadelphia Housing Authority to move people from shelters to more stable housing.

We are seeking long-term solutions, she said, Solutions that will not only provide an expanded quality shelter system, but with more beds in safe, clean, and welcoming environments.

30,000-unit housing plan swells to 50,000

The mayors second year in office was in part defined by her plan to build, repair, or preserve 30,000 units of housing. In March, she unveiled her Housing Opportunities Made Easy, or H.O.M.E., plan, funded by $800 million in bonds.

Parker made clear that her plan would be aimed at uplifting the middle class and often vowed never to pit the have-nots against the have-a-little-bits. But City Council this month advanced its own version of the proposal, rejecting Parkers vision and directing more resources to the poorest Philadelphians.

It was the most significant break between Parker and the legislative branch of her tenure. But the mayor on Friday defended her strategy, saying the middle class should not be asked to wait for access to housing programs.

You want me to tell you why we shouldnt tell them to wait? she said. Because when I knocked on their doors and asked for their votes  and were running for reelection  we dont ask them to wait."

Of Councils 17 members, just four attended Parkers speech Friday: Anthony Phillips, a close ally, as well as Rue Landau, Jamie Gauthier, and Nicolas ORourke  three progressives who led the effort to amend her housing plan. They sat in the front row.

Parker struck a conciliatory tone, saying: We will work together to press forward together, and we wont let petty politics get in the way of us moving Philadelphia forward.

The mayor also made clear Friday that her 30,000-unit benchmark is separate from a plan being advanced by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, which is pursuing an ambitious expansion plan that Parker said would add an additional 20,000 units of affordable housing.

When you add our H.O.M.E. goal of 30,000 units with that 20,000, those are 50,000 units of housing, Parker said, and we shouldnt have to leave any neighborhood behind.

Parker acknowledges city worker strike

The most dramatic moment of Parkers second year was undoubtedly the eight-day-and-four-hour city worker strike, Philadelphias first major municipal work stoppage in four decades.

On Friday, Parker touted her administrations work negotiating new contracts this year for almost all of the citys major municipal unions. She acknowledged, but didnt dwell on, the strike by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 33.

We did have to endure an eight-day work stoppage, she said. But guess what we did? In true Philadelphia fashion ... we got through it. It wasnt easy, but we persevered together, and we found common ground, and we reached a fair and fiscally responsible agreement with both District Council 33 and District Council 47.

DC 33, the largest and lowest-paid union for city workers, called the strike when their previous contract expired at 12:01 a.m. July 1, the first minute the union was legally allowed to walk off the job. Union president Greg Boulware promised his members wouldnt return to work unless they won raises of 5% per year.

Over the next week, Parker piles of trash mounted across the city, and tensions mounted at picket lines. But Parker refused to budge.

Boulware eventually called off the strike and accepted a contract with raises of 3% per year, which is close to Parkers last offer before the strike. The deal also included $1,500 onetime bonuses for the unions roughly 9,000 members and the addition of a fifth step in the DC 33 pay scale, a benefit for veteran employees.

Parker also defended the citys treatment of DC 33 under her tenure. Repeating an administration talking point from the strike, Parker noted that the unions accumulated pay increases  combining raises the union won in a one-year contract during Parkers first year with the increases included in the new three-year deal  will be higher in her first term than under any other mayoral term since the 1990s.

Just for the record, I also need to affirm  because sometimes people [create] revisionist history  I want to be clear that they were historic pay increases for our city workers, Parker said. Its the largest in one term from any Philadelphia mayor over 30 years.
Philadelphia Councilmember Jeffery Jay Young introduced legislation at the last City Council meeting of 2025 that would ban residential development from the area that once housed Hahnemann University Hospital.

The bill would create a new zoning overlay  a hyperlocal patch on the code  covering the area bounded by the north side of Race Street, the east side of North 16th Street, the south side of Callowhill Street, and the west side of North Broad Street.

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That covers the area where developer Dwight City Group plans to convert two former Hahnemann University Hospital patient towers into 288 apartments, and other related properties including those owned by Drexel University and Iron Stone Real Estate Partners.

The project does not yet have building or zoning permits. The legislation would make the project impossible unless the developer could convince the Zoning Board of Adjustment to make an exception, if the law is passed.

Young pitched the bill as an employment-generating measure in the long term.

It is for commercial preservation in that part of our district, Young said last week. We want to make sure that area keeps producing jobs for our city.

Dwight City Group declined to comment on the legislation.

The developer is known for redeveloping old and underutilized buildings into moderately priced apartments.

In an interview earlier this year, the companys CEO Judah Angster said the apartments planned for the Hahnemann University Hospital patient towers would be moderately priced one- to two-bedroom units.

We stick with middle-market apartments, not super high-end, Angster said at the time. We like to believe that theres a lot of space for affordable luxury product in the area. Thats the only thing we do.

But he also cautioned that the redevelopment would take a while, saying the buildings might not be leased up until 2030.

City Council returns on Jan. 22. The earliest Youngs bill could be enacted is February. If Young proceeds with the bill, the tradition of councilmanic prerogative would likely guarantee its passage because other Council members are usually unlikely to vote against a district members bills that only affect their territory.

Developers, good government groups, and housing advocates frequently decry City Councils use of zoning overlays to create custom land use tweaks to specific corners of City Council districts, especially when they seem designed to help or hurt a particular project.

Choking housing supply isnt the direction that our city should take, said Mohamed Mo Rushdy, who is managing partner of the Riverwards Group and chair of the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp.

Overlays that prohibits housing units is generally a bad idea, Rushdy said. Overlays that target a specific project is, let me be politically correct here, is simply unwise and not right.

Young said his bill is simply meant to preserve the possibility of jobs, especially as a new 20-year tax abatement is considered next year for the redevelopment of old commercial, industrial, and public buildings into housing.

Next year, were going to be facing, potentially, a bill that will allow abatements for underutilized commercial properties, Young said. We want to make sure that those benefits that the property owners can reap, that Philadelphians see those benefits with the creation of jobs in those locations.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported that it has again cited an Easton, Connecticut concrete and earthwork contractor for willfully failing to protect workers from cave-in and excavation hazards

OSHA has proposed more than $1.2 million in fines after a follow-up inspection uncovered numerous willful violations at Sound Construction Inc..

In December 2023, OSHA officials responded to a workplace fatality at a New Canaan worksite that claimed the life of a worker. As a result of that investigation, OSHA cited the employer for two willful and five serious violations and entered into a settlement agreement. The agreement required the owner to submit monthly lists of active worksites and allow OSHA to randomly inspect them to determine trenching and excavation safety standard compliance.

On June 12, 2025, OSHA initiated an inspection at a Sound Construction site in Stamford and cited the employer for seven willful and four serious violations related to excavation hazards. OSHA inspectors said they found the employer failed to train workers on unsafe trenching and excavation hazards, provide adequate protection from cave-ins, require daily excavation inspections, follow trench shield installation standards, and backfill shields to prevent hazardous movement.

OSHA proposed $1,224,798 in penalties for violations found in the follow-up inspection.

Sound Cinstruxtion has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHAs area director, or contest the findings before OSHAs independent review commission. Penalties and citations may be adjusted throughout the course of the case process.

Source: OSHA

Topics Workers' Compensation Contractors
Elon Musks X Corp. sued a startup on Tuesday after it sought to cancel Xs Twitter trademarks so it can bring Twitter back as a new social media platform.

X said in the lawsuit in Delaware federal court that its Twitter brand is still alive and well and not ripe for the picking, and that Operation Bluebirds attempt to steal the name constituted trademark infringement.

Our cancellation petition is based on well-established trademark law and we believe we will be successful, Bluebird founder Michael Peroff said in a statement in response to the lawsuit. We are prepared to take this as far as we need to in order to achieve our goal.

Spokespeople and attorneys for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.

Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022 and rebranded the social media platform to X. He said in a 2023 social media post that the company would bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds.

Virginia-based Operation Bluebird asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on December 2 to cancel Xs federal Twitter trademarks, arguing the company had abandoned them. Bluebird said that it wanted to use Twitter-related trademarks for a rival platform called twitter.new, and separately applied to register its own Twitter mark.

The petition was filed by Stephen Coates, a former Twitter trademark lawyer who now serves as Bluebirds general counsel.

X told the Delaware court on Tuesday that it had not abandoned its Twitter trademark rights and that the brand continues to persist in many ways. The company said that millions of users still access the platform through twitter.com, users and businesses continue to refer to it as Twitter, and X still maintains and enforces its Twitter trademarks.

Twitter is one of the worlds most recognized brands, and it belongs to X Corp, the lawsuit said. Simply put, a rebrand is not an abandonment of trademark rights.

X also said that Bluebirds Twitter platform would cause consumer confusion and requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Lisa Shumaker)

Topics Lawsuits InsurTech Virginia
Ben & Jerrys independent board late on Wednesday said in a filing that its new corporate parent, the Magnum Ice Cream Company, is forcing three more directors to complete training and other requirements or face removal.

Ben & Jerrys, newly under the ownership of Magnum, this month removed the boards chair Anuradha Mittal and set term limits forcing out two other directors by the end of the year, unless they resign first.

Ben & Jerrys is also requiring three additional directors to complete training, sign what the board describes as an allegiance pledge and accept new eligibility and term limits by December 23, according to the filing, or else face removal.

The independent board is charged with overseeing the progressive brands social mission and product integrity.

If the three additional directors are removed, the board, which once had eight members, would be left with just two directors, Ben & Jerrys CEO and one member previously appointed by the brands prior owner Unilever.

The independent board said in the filing that the changes violate Ben & Jerrys 2000 merger agreement with Unilever. Unilever spun off Magnum, which also includes ice cream brands Cornetto and Walls, earlier this month.

Ben & Jerrys has been feuding with Unilever since 2021 over its stance on Israel and Gaza, a dispute Magnum has now inherited.

The premium ice cream brand says Magnum and Unilever are working to dismantle and remove the board.

In a statement, a Magnum spokesperson said there is no such thing as an allegiance pledge.'

The spokesperson said board members were asked to comply with its code of business integrity, which it says is formerly the Unilever code and has been in place since the 2000 acquisition.

The board is also asking a U.S. judge to update its 2024 lawsuit against Unilever by adding Magnum as a defendant. That lawsuit claims that London-based Unilever muzzled it from speaking out on social issues including the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and the war in Gaza.

The board also plans to ask the judge for an order stopping Magnum from removing the directors, according to the filing. It is seeking an expedited ruling in the next few weeks, since Magnum has already removed Mittal and the other directors face near-term deadlines related to their seats.

In a statement, Mittal said that Magnum and Unilevers actions are an end run around the merger agreement.

The case is Ben & Jerrys Homemade Inc v Unilever et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 24-08641.

(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Deepa Babington)

Photo: Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, Vermont, USA.
Alternative investment managers are starting to take a serious interest in catastrophe bonds tied to wildfires, moving into a risk category that just a few years ago was seen as too difficult to model.

More than $5 billion of cat bonds with some level of exposure to wildfire risk were issued by insurers and sold to investors this year, according to Artemis, a specialist in insurance-linked securities that tracks market trends. Thats more than twice the level in 2024, with previous years seeing just a smattering of individual bond sales in the tens of millions of dollars.

Though still small, wildfire bonds helped drive a record $23 billion bounce in overall 2025 cat bond issuance, Artemis says, putting the total market on track to end the year at around $60 billion. Acrisure Re, a reinsurance broker, says the shift in bond investor sentiment toward wildfire risk follows improvements in modeling, which it says have encouraged fund managers to move into a once untouchable risk category.

Read more: Catastrophe Bonds Huge Market Gains Put Reinsurers on Backfoot

Dirk Schmelzer, senior fund manager at Plenum Investments AG, says the development may point to a more fundamental shift in how some catastrophe bonds get structured in the years ahead, with the ferocity of wildfires leaving the insurance industry ever more reliant on capital markets.

Historically, wildfire exposure was included within a mix of earthquake and hurricane risk, Schmelzer said. Now its become such a big peril in the market, its worth placing that risk on a standalone basis.

Interest in wildfire cat bonds has been fueled in large part by developments in California, where severe back-to-back fire seasons have made reinsurance against such blazes prohibitively expensive. The flames that swept through Los Angeles in January destroyed more than 16,000 buildings and caused a record $40 billion in insured losses.

The LA fires were a major reason global insured losses from natural disasters soared past $100 billion in 2025, marking the sixth consecutive year in which that threshold has been exceeded.

Hardly any of those losses affected cat bond investors, however, with Fitch Ratings initial estimate indicating the setback they absorbed was less than $250 million in total.

But as climate-fueled urban fires become a more regular occurrence, insurers and utilities are increasingly looking for ways to offload their risk to capital markets.

Notable examples include a debut wildfire cat bond issued by the California FAIR Plan Association, the states insurer of last resort. The bond, which priced this month, is set to raise $750 million in wildfire cover, triple the initial target, according to a person familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Its the largest pure wildfire cat bond ever brought to market, the person said.

Other wildfire-prone regions are also weighing the use of cat bonds. Colorado lawmakers have put forward legislation that would open the door to using such financial instruments to manage growing wildfire risks in the state.

In Europe, where the fire season is also expanding, the European Central Bank and the regions insurance authority have backed using cat bonds to complement insurance facilities and provide prompt liquidity for reconstruction after disasters.

The ability to structure financial products around wildfire risk is improving thanks to upgrades to models produced by firms including Moodys Corp., Verisk Analytics Inc. and Karen Clark & Co. Artificial intelligence is also helping modelers crunch data to come up with more reliable loss estimates.

For cat bonds, it translates to more informed pricing and broader investor participation, which we have clearly observed in the surge of 2024-2025 wildfire-exposed deals, Acrisure Re said.

For now, though, risk premiums on wildfire cat bonds are considerably higher than those on more traditional bonds based on risks such as hurricanes. In 2025, wildfire cat bonds priced at six to eight times the estimated loss probability, compared with a multiple range of two to four for bonds targeting better understood risk categories such as wind storms in the US, according to Acrisure Re.

The models being used remain less mature and less empirically calibrated than those for major wind or quake events, according to Dirk Lohmann, vice chairman of ILS at Schroders. This holds particularly true for wildfire risk, he said.

The Broader Market

More broadly, cat bonds are expected to see tighter spreads in 2026, which partly reflects the fact that investors didnt suffer any major losses. Hurricane Melissa, which ripped through Jamaica and triggered the islands $150 million cat bond, missed the US and left the main market unaffected.

The Swiss Re Global Cat Bond Performance Index is up roughly 11% in 2025, compared with about 7% in a Bloomberg index tracking US corporate bonds, and 6% in US Treasuries. The S&P 500 Index is up about 15% this year. Continued demand for cat bonds also rests in their ability to act as a diversifier in portfolios. When markets tanked in response to tariff announcements in April, for example, cat bonds sailed through unscathed.

Primary issuance in 2026 is expected to be heavy, as lower spreads reduce the cost of issuance, according to Twelve Securis, an asset manager focused on insurance-linked securities and cat bonds.

The reinsurance market is also expected to push additional risks and so-called secondary perils into the capital markets, says Etienne Schwartz, chief investment officer of liquid strategies at Twelve Securis.

Whether we like it or not is a different question, he said. But that is the trend for 2026.

This year also saw the launch of the worlds first cat bond exchange-traded fund. The Brookmont Catastrophic Bond ETF (ticker ILS), which failed to get a lead market maker when it went public in April, has since started drawing in client money. Assets in the ETF have risen to about $30 million, according to Bloomberg data, exceeding the break-even mark of $25 million.

I think by the end of the first quarter we should comfortably be at $50 million, said Ethan Powell, chief investment officer of Texas-based Brookmont.

And King Ridge Capital Advisors is now planning to launch a cat bond ETF in Europe. According to Rick Pagnani, co-founder and chief executive officer of King Ridge, its an opportune time to pursue a European ETF.

Photograph: A firefighter hoses down a burning house during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California on Jan. 8, 2025. Photo credit: Michael Nigro/Bloomberg

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Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Indias long-awaited package of financial services reforms is setting the stage for a surge of foreign capital into the worlds fastest-growing major economy.

In the latest step, lawmakers passed a bill this week allowing up to 100% foreign ownership of insurance firms, bolstering an industry long viewed as under-penetrated and capital-starved. Regulators have also overhauled rules for banks, pension funds and capital markets as they aim to shift savings from idle assets such as gold and property toward equities, bonds and long-term investments to finance factories and infrastructure.

All these reforms come as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his administration want to make India a developed economy by 2047,a goal that requires economic growth of about 8% per year, and policymakers are betting on rapid industrialization and deeper capital markets to achieve this target.

The drive to attract foreign capital has gained urgency after US President Donald Trump slapped tariffs of 50% on Indian goods in August, one of the highest rates in the world. The move has crimped exports to Indias biggest market, potentially threatening its manufacturing ambitions.

The latest spate of reforms will help revive global investor sentiment amid tariff worries, said Pramod Kumar, chief executive officer of Barclays Plcs India business. Foreign investment flows are likely to increase, which should create more opportunities for banks like Barclays, he added.

A flurry of recent deals highlights the growing appetite for Indian assets. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. said Friday it is acquiring a minority stake in Shriram Finance Ltd. for $4.4 billion, the single biggest foreign investment in Indias financial services sector. This was days after Mizuho Financial Group Inc. agreed to buy a controlling stake in KKR & Co.-backed investment bank Avendus Capital. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. became the biggest shareholder of Yes Bank Ltd. in a landmark deal earlier this year.

In all, India recorded net foreign direct investment  typically long-term capital  of $7.6 billion from April to September, more thandouble the rate of a year earlier, according to data from the Reserve Bank of India.

The opening of the insurance and pensions sectors, new bank licenses and the big investments from Japan demonstrate deregulation in action, said Vivek Ramji Iyer, a partner at Grant Thornton Bharat.

The insurance move caps years of debate inside government and industry, and signals a willingness to let global players run insurers on their own if they commit capital and expertise. Firms including Allianz SE, AXA SA, and Nippon Life Insurance Co. have operated in India for years, but full ownership is expected to give companies greater flexibility to scale up investments and pursue growth opportunities.

The shift also applies to the $177 billion pension fund sector, paving the way for 100% foreign ownership of companies in that space, the top pension regulator said in an interview this week. Overseas investment in both industries had been capped at 74%.

The broad reforms may alert any foreign portfolio investors who have spent the past year holding off on allocating to India that now is as good a time as any to ensure they dont miss out on the next leg of growth in an economy that  arguably to a greater degree than ever before  is firing on all cylinders, said Andrei Stetsenko, partner at New York-based Farley Capital.

Bold Moves

For some market participants, the reforms are the boldest since the early 2000s, when India liberalized the telecommunication and electricity sectors and rolled out fiscal and foreign investment guidelines.

Pension and insurance money, whether domestic or foreign, tends to be patient  precisely the kind of capital needed for highways, power plants and industrial corridors. In a separate move this week, Indias parliament passed a bill that will open up its nuclear industry to private firms and unlock investment opportunities worth $214 billion. Modi has also enacted tax cuts and labor-law reforms to spur consumer and business spending.

Encouraging consolidation is also a central plank of Indias strategy. The total volume of transactions targeting Indian firms has climbed 15% this year to nearly $90 billion, with Japanese buyers involved in big banking deals.

Easier rules for mergers and acquisitions, combined with a more supportive stance from regulators, are aimed at helping Indian companies scale up. State-run banks, still dominant lenders, are now allowed a more active role in funding takeovers, giving them a chance to compete with their foreign counterparts.

Elsewhere, capital markets are also booming. Indian firms have raised a record $22 billion via initial public offerings so far in 2025, while the Nifty 500 Index  the broadest gauge for local stocks  has delivered total shareholder returns of 122% over the last five years, outperforming the S&P 500.

To enhance trading further, Indias securities market regulator this week reduced the fees paid by domestic mutual funds to brokerages, while also slashing the basic management charge, in one of the most sweeping changes ever to the industrys fee structure.

I do see positive impact of reforms but it will be slow, said Abhishek Thepade, Oslo-based portfolio manager at DNB Asset Management AS. The problem has been the lack of trade deal which dampens sentiment, he said.

Despite the reforms, local stocks have underperformed global rivals this year, with the Nifty 50 Index rising just 10% as valuations appear stretched. Foreign investors have withdrawn about $18 billion this year from equity markets, and are set to mark their biggest annual withdrawal on record. The rupees 5% slide this year, making it Asias worst-performing currency, is emerging as a near-term threat to a recovering stock market.

Still, the current volley of reforms, along with rate cuts and the relative underperformance, make the market more attractive, said Joshua Crabb, head of Asia-Pacific equities at asset manager Robeco. Reform is always good, but it takes time and impacts happen with a lag, he said.

Photograph: Buildings in Mumbai, India; photo credit: Abeer Khan/Bloomberg

Related:

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics India
In November, a train carrying almost 500 people came to a sudden halt in eastern Poland. A broken overhead line had smashed several windows, and the track ahead was damaged. Elsewhere on the line, explosives detonated under a passing freight train.

No one was hurt in either case and the damage was limited, but Poland, which blamed the attack on Russias intelligence services, responded forcefully: It deployed 10,000 troops to protect critical infrastructure.

The sabotage in Poland is one of 145 incidents in an Associated Press database that Western officials say are part of a campaign of disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. Officials say the campaign  waged since President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine in 2022  aims to deprive Kyiv of support, create divisions among Europeans and identify the continents security weak spots.

Read more: Poland Expects Russia to Escalate Sabotage After Rail Explosion

So far in this hybrid war, most known acts of sabotage have resulted in minimal damage  nothing compared to the tens of thousands of lives lost and cities decimated across Ukraine.

But officials say each act  from vandalism of monuments to cyberattacks to warehouse fires  sucks up valuable security resources. The head of one large European intelligence service said investigations into Russian interference now swallow up as much of the agencys time as terrorism.

While the campaign places a heavy burden on European security services, it costs Russia next to nothing, officials say. Thats because Moscow is carrying out cross-border operations that require European countries to cooperate extensively on investigations  while often using foreigners with criminal backgrounds as cheap proxies for Russian intelligence operatives. That means Moscow notches up a win just by tying up resources  even when plots arent successful.

Its a 24/7 operation between all the services to stop it, said a senior European intelligence official, who like the head of the European intelligence service and other officials who spoke to AP insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters.

Over the course of the year, AP spoke to more than 40 European and NATO officials from 13 countries to document the scope of this hybrid war, including incidents on its map only when linked by Western officials to Russia, its proxies or its ally Belarus.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AP that Russia doesnt have any connection with the campaign.

Spike in Arson and Explosives Plots

APs database shows a spike in arson and explosives plots from one in 2023 to 26 in 2024. Six have been documented so far in 2025. Three vandalism cases were recorded last year, meanwhile, and one this year.

The data is incomplete since not all incidents are made public, and it can take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. But the spike matches what officials have warned: The campaign is growing more dangerous.

The countries most frequently targeted, according to the map, border Russia: Poland and Estonia. Several incidents have also occurred in Latvia, the U.K., Germany and France. All are major supporters of Ukraine.

The European official, a senior Baltic intelligence official and another intelligence official said the campaign noticeably calmed in late 2024 and early this year. Their analysis showed Moscow likely paused the campaign to curry favor with U.S. President Donald Trumps new administration. It has since resumed at full pace.

They are back to business, the European official said.

Multicountry Plots Drain Resources

The man officials say was behind the attack on the Polish railway that carries supplies to Ukraine is Yevgeny Ivanov  a Ukrainian convicted of working with Russian military intelligence to plot arson attacks at home improvement stores, a cafe and a drone factory in Ukraine, according to court documents.

Ivanov, who left Poland after the attack there, worked for Yury Sizov, an officer from Russias GRU military intelligence service, according to Ukraines security service.

Ivanov was convicted in absentia in Ukraine but managed to enter Poland because Ukraine did not inform Polish officials of his conviction, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said. Ukraines security service said it closely cooperates with allies.

Staging plots that involve perpetrators from several countries or who have crossed borders drains investigatory resources from multiple authorities across Europe  one of Moscows key goals, according to Estonian State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas.

Over the last year, she said the profile of attackers in Estonia has changed from locals largely known to law enforcement to unknown foreigners. That requires increased cooperation among countries to disrupt plots or detain perpetrators.

For two attacks in January  fires set at a supermarket and a Ukrainian restaurant  the people hired had never been to Estonia before, Olev-Aas said.

At the restaurant, a Moldovan man smashed a window, threw in a can of gasoline and set it alight. Video showed his arm on fire as he ran away.

The man and his accomplice fled through Latvia, Lithuania and Poland before being caught in Italy.

Turning to Criminals

While Russian intelligence officers might be the masterminds of such operations, they frequently rely on recruiters  often with convictions or criminal connections  who assign tasks to saboteurs on the ground, the Baltic official said.

Outsourcing to people with criminal backgrounds, like Ivanov, means Russia doesnt have to risk highly trained intelligence operatives  agents Moscow often doesnt have recourse to anyway since European countries kicked out scores of spies as relations nosedived in recent years.

Russian criminal networks offer a ready-made alternative, the Baltic official said.

The European official said the man accused of coordinating a plot to put explosives in packages on cargo planes, for example, was recruited by Russian intelligence after involvement with smuggling guns and explosives. The man is linked to at least four other plots.

Other people are recruited from European prisons or soon after theyre released, the Baltic official said.

In one case, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, dedicated to the Soviet Unions occupation of the country, was set on fire by someone released from prison the previous month.

Greater Strain, Greater Cooperation

Even plots that are foiled are a win for Moscow because they test defenses and waste resources.

In 2024, a Ukrainian man, working on the orders of Russian military intelligence, dug up a cache of items buried in a cemetery in Lithuania, including drone parts and cans of corn filled with explosives.

Officials believe the plan was to rig the drones with the explosives. The plot was eventually foiled  but not before considerable resources were used to track down everyone involved, said Jacek Dobrzynski, the spokesperson for Polands security minister.

The sheer number of plots is overstretching some law enforcement agencies, but Moscows campaign has also fostered greater cooperation, the European official said.

Prosecutors in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have created joint investigation teams for attacks organized by foreign intelligence services, said Martins Jansons, a special prosecutor in Latvia.

In the U.K., front-line police officers are being trained to spot suspicious incidents that may be state-backed, said Cmdr. Dominic Murphy, head of the counterterrorism squad at the Metropolitan Police.

He noted a trainee detective flagged an arson attack at a warehouse in London after realizing the business was owned by Ukrainians and contained communications devices used by the military. Police determined the attack was organized by Russian intelligence.

But officials warn Russia is continually testing new methods.

Smugglers in Russias ally Belarus have sent hundreds of weather balloons carrying cigarettes into Lithuania and Poland, repeatedly forcing the Lithuanian capitals airport to shut in what authorities called a hybrid attack.

Nowadays they only carry cigarettes, Dobrzynski warned, but in future they could carry other things.

___

Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris, Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, and Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Photograph: This 2024 handout photo provided by the Metropolitan Police shows damage to a warehouse in east London that was storing goods for Ukraine, after a fire that prosecutors said was organized on behalf of Russias intelligence services. (London Metropolitan Police via AP, File)

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Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Europe Russia
Artificial intelligence is likely to displace British workers even as it makes the country more productive, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said in his most stark warning yet on the technologys impact.

Bailey said on Friday that the UK needed to prepare for workers being pushed out of jobs amid fears that it is already denting demand for many white-collar roles. He said it could hit the pipeline of talent that allows workers to climb the career ladder to more senior positions.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, the governor drew on historical examples of technology affecting jobs at least in the short term, from the knitting machine in the Elizabethan era to the industrial revolution.

We can now look back and say it didnt cause mass unemployment, but it did displace people from jobs and this is important, he said. My guess would be that its most likely that AI may well have a similar effect.

The head of Britains central bank is optimistic that AI can revive the countrys tepid productivity growth rates but believes that there could still be a bubble in global stocks exposed to the technology. The weak growth of recent decades is down to the economy being stuck between waves of innovation, according to Bailey, with AI a promising candidate to change that.

However, there is growing evidence that AI is starting to damage demand for certain jobs in the UK, particularly for young graduates and in professional roles.

It comes at a time when the labor market is already weakening given a subdued economy and rising employment costs after the Labour government increased payroll taxes and the minimum wage. Figures earlier this week showed unemployment rose to 5.1% in the three months through October, the highest in almost five years.

Bailey raised concerns about AI dampening the pipeline of young talent that would normally climb through the ranks to more senior positions.

We still need people to rise up through that to be senior consultants, senior lawyers, senior accountants, he said. I think we do have to think about, what is it doing to the pipeline of people?

He said that the country needs to train workers to be ready for the potential shake-up.

The really important element there is that we have training, education, skills in place, and that we positively encourage and foster that so that people can move into jobs that use AI, he said.

Photograph: Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey; photo credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence
American beef plants are under threat as the number of cattle destined for their facilities stays far below historical levels, reflecting the smallest herd in more than half a century.

Cattle placed in US feedlots, where animals are fed until ready to be slaughtered, are expected to have dropped in November to the lowest levels for the month since 2015, according to a Bloomberg survey of analysts. The data, to be announced later Friday by the US Department of Agriculture, comes after cattle placements for October  typically the strongest month  were at the lowest level on record for the period.

The situation, exacerbated by an ongoing halt of Mexican cattle shipments to prevent the spread of the deadly screwworm pest, is a major stress for beef processors that are operating at losses. Its also setting the slate for more expensive American steaks for longer, complicating President Donald Trumps efforts to bring down record beef prices.

Tyson Foods Inc., the countrys biggest meatpacker, underscored the difficulties for the industry last month as it announced it would close Nebraska beef plant and reduce operations to one shift at a facility in Texas roughly 450 miles from the Mexican border.

At least one other big plant and several more regional ones could close in the next 18 months as a result of the ongoing supply pressures, said Hyrum Egbert, an expert who has worked in the beef industry for nearly two decades. The pressures are likely to be more pronounced in the South, where plants typically source some live cattle from Mexico, but I dont think that anybody is exempt from it right now, he said.

The Trump administration has been tackling record beef prices with a bevy of actions, including the recent lifting of steep tariffs on Brazilian shipments. Yet even as beef imports are projected to jump 15% this year to satisfy Americans appetite for the protein, they still only account for about 17% of the countrys supply, according to the US Department of Agriculture. And most of those supplies are lean trimmings that get blended with US meat for ground beef.

Thats why many see the southern border as key to bringing down the price of steak, as shipments from Mexico would involve live cattle.

When talking about cuts of meat other than ground beef, thats going to require the opening of the southern border, said Darin Parker, president of meat distributor PMI Foods. Removing the ban is a consequential move the administration could make, he said.

Livestock shipments from Mexico, where the screwworm was first detected a year ago, have been blocked since July following on-and-off halts that began in November 2024. That has prevented the spread of a pest that can kill cattle within days and once ravaged the US industry before being eradicated decades ago. Three cases of screwworm have been detected in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico since September, according to the USDA.

The agency continues to lead an aggressive response to the screwworm on both sides of the border, a USDA spokesperson said. While we are making tremendous progress, there is still work to be done.

The US Food and Drug Administration earlier this year conditionally approved the first drugs to prevent and treat screwworm in cattle, a Zoetis Inc. injectable drug and a Merck Animal Health topical solution.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in an an interview with CNN last month that the main driver of higher beef prices is the issue of Mexican live cattle shipments and the size of the US cattle herd. As the agency moves back into a positive territory in containing the pest, the ports will eventually open back up and prices will come down, she said.

Others contend that imports  while important  arent the main issue for helping American consumers. Its not the silver bullet to addressing the cost of beef in America, Nate Rempe, chief executive officer of Omaha Steaks International Inc., said on Bloomberg Television in late November. Rebuilding that herd is the inevitable requirement for bringing supply up, and that is not a fast process.

In Texas, ranchers are still caring for some cattle shipped from Mexico when the border was open, but those numbers are dwindling pretty fast, said Laphe LaRoe, chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. He estimates those supplies will be nearly depleted by the end of the first quarter, putting even more pressure on feedlot operators and meatpackers.

Meat processors have been bidding up prices in order to secure the minimum supplies to keep operating. Tysons plant move, particularly in Texas, clearly recognizes the impact from the shortfall in supply, said Altin Kalo, chief economist at Steiner Consulting Group.

Photo: Empty corrals at the Union Ganadera Chihuahua cattle import facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico in June.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

Topics USA
Data center operators are fixated on the five nines  an expectation that theyll keep the infrastructure behind financial markets, e-commerce and artificial intelligence running 99.999% of the time.

So as news rippled out last month that a CyrusOne facility in Aurora, Illinois, that handles trillions of dollars in trading volume each day went down for 10 hours, industry insiders were stunned.

To them, it was an eternity, and the failure at the data center outside Chicago is a black eye for CyrusOnes backers.

KKR & Co. and Global Infrastructure Partners, now a unit of BlackRock Inc., announced their acquisition of CyrusOne in 2021 for $15 billion. They secured billions more in financing for the firm as they deepened their foothold in a booming industry increasingly dominated by the likes of Blackstone Inc. and Blue Owl Capital Inc.

Data centers, the physical embodiment of the AI revolution, are one of the hottest bets in private markets. But as the debate rages over whether the boom is a bubble  debt levels and valuations are climbing  the challenges for Wall Street can be much more tangible: from cooling the space to literally keeping the lights on.

KKR pursued the investment for years and was the driving force behind the deal as it worked to rope in various bidding partners.

CyrusOne touches several of the private equity firms major units. Last year, KKR led part of a $7.9 billion loan to the data center operator, co-arranged by its own capital markets team and funded by its Global Atlantic insurance arm alongside some of its clients. And KKR owns its CyrusOne stake through its infrastructure and real estate funds, as well as Strategic Holdings, a unit that holds long-term investments on the firms balance sheet.

All that cash wasnt enough to stave off disaster at Aurora, an older property in CyrusOnes portfolio of more than 55 operational data centers. A series of missteps by facilities workers at a site running on older systems led to a major outage for CME Group Inc. Such incidents typically require the data center operator to compensate the client, according to people familiar with the industry.

CME entered a 15-year lease at the Aurora data center in 2016, according to a prior announcement.

They will need to double down on becoming a resilient data center because this is a failure that happened and shouldnt have, said Andrej Danis, head of AlixPartners Americas telecommunications and digital infrastructure practice.

KKR and GIP said theyre confident in CyrusOnes strategy and that its poised to benefit from growing demand.

Under our ownership, CyrusOne has accelerated its expansion, enhanced its competitive position while deepening its commitment to innovation, and reinforced its standing as a premier developer and operator of mission-critical data centers, Waldemar Szlezak, KKRs global head of digital infrastructure and a CyrusOne board member, said in an emailed statement.

Will Brilliant, GIPs global head of digital infrastructure and a CyrusOne board member, echoed Szlezaks remarks in a separate statement.

We fully support CyrusOne, as we have done throughout our ownership, to invest significant resources to maintain a leading position as a provider of critical data center development and operations services for its customers, Brilliant said.

Key Focus

For Wall Street, the stakes are high.

Data centers are a key focus for KKRs infrastructure business, one of the fastest-growing and best-performing strategies for the firm, which is led by Co-Chief Executive Officers Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall. GIP, which announced in October that it was making a bet on developerAligned Data Centers, is central to BlackRock CEO Larry Finks ambitions to expand the $13.5 trillion money manager beyond its stock-and-bond roots into more lucrative realms.

n backing CyrusOne, KKR and GIP took on a dot-com-era company with a complex history.

Cincinnati Bell acquired the firm from Abry Partners, before spinning it off. CyrusOne then made strategic takeovers of data centers from other companies through deals with firms including Cervalis, Sentinel Data Centers and Zenium. The Aurora data center, acquired through a sale-leaseback transaction with CME, gave CyrusOne a foothold in financial services.

Knitting together assets from various deals was a complicated undertaking. As a public company, CyrusOne was wrestling with activist investor Jana Partners and leadership turnover.

After longtime CEO Gary Wojtaszek departed in 2020, the company was run by a variety of successors with short tenures. They include Tesh Durvasula, an interim CEO for less than a year; Bruce Duncan, who had no prior data center experience; and David Ferdman, a co-founder who was asked to return to lead the company through the latest ownership transition.

While CyrusOne received interest at various points from about a dozen parties, some prospective investors were discouraged by the management churn. Blackstone evaluated the company but never entered serious discussions, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks were confidential. Blackstone declined to comment.

After KKR and GIP swooped in, they took board seats and installed Eric Schwartz as CEO. Schwartz was comfortable maintaining a lower profile than other data center CEOs, industry associates said. And he stuck with decisions that had been made before him, including one to outsource facilities operations at roughly 50 North American data centers to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

That move, set in motion by Wojtaszek, divided top executives, according to a person familiar with the matter. Some argued it would help the firm offer a standardized playbook across properties, while others worried it would erode the quality of service, people said. Rivals such as QTS dont outsource facility operations, other people said.

Wojtaszek didnt reply to messages seeking comment.

Some would-be tenants opted to take their business elsewhere in part because they werent comfortable with CyrusOne having fewer in-house boots on the ground in case of an emergency.

CyrusOne maintains oversight of operations at its data centers while tapping third-party personnel for support, another person said. Other data center companies have such arrangements, too.

Industry executives said the shift showed how CyrusOne was moving further away from its roots as a data center operator to become more of an asset-gathering operation to benefit financial backers.

KKR and GIPs arrival accelerated changes at CyrusOne. The company focused on building from the ground up  and at scale. It benefited from a push by big technology firms to tap data center landlords for infrastructure and power to train AI models.

But even with the AI boom in full swing, CyrusOne fell behind in market share to more dominant players like QTS in recent years, according to some industry rankings.

Cascade of Errors

Things came to a head at the Aurora data center on Thanksgiving, when a cascade of missteps by workers there collided with the reality that the roughly two-decade-old facility ran on outmoded architecture and didnt automate critical functions.

A day earlier, onsite staff and contractors switched the data centers cooling towers, which keep the machines from overheating, to a new operating mode to prepare them for cold weather, according to a confidential report reviewed by Bloomberg. That transition failed to adhere with protocol and higher temperatures overwhelmed the cooling system.

A spokesperson for JLL did not have immediate comment when reached by email.

Initial remediation work only made the problem worse, according to the report. As heat built up, the chips and computers powering critical market functions couldnt operate.

Industry executives said the incident shows what can happen when data centers use outdated cooling technology and lack both the basic automatic controls for temperature and automation systems that can override human lapses.

Meanwhile, CME didnt have the ability to keep trading functions up and running seamlessly and opted against initiating a complex disaster recovery plan to shift operations to a secondary data center in the New York area.

The money managers behind CyrusOne remain all-in on the AI boom. KKR recently struck a deal with Compass Datacenters to take a stake in a pool of data centers.

Last year, the firm reached a $50 billion pact with Energy Capital Partners to develop data centers decked out with power sources so they can reduce their reliance on the grid. The duo announced earlier this year that their first project would be a $4 billion data center in Bosque County, Texas, built by CyrusOne and ECP.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
American International Group (AIG) said it has teamed up with specialty insurer Amwins and asset manager Blackstone to launch a Lloyds syndicate, using its relationship with Palantir to assist in assessing the portfolio.

AIG said Syndicate 2479 will start underwriting $300 million in premium, managed by AIGs Talbot Underwriting, on Jan. 1.

The portfolio is representative of a broad and highly diversified cross section of Amwins delegated authority premiums of about $6 billion. Palantirs Foundryan ontology operating systemwas deployed to build a balanced portfolio with specific characteristics for the special purpose vehicle.

Our partnership with Amwins and Blackstone represents the next level of innovation, technical modeling and use of [generative artificial intelligence] for portfolio underwriting, said Peter Zaffino, chairman and CEO of AIG, in a statement.

The formation of Syndicate 2479, which includes capital investment provided by Amwins and Blackstone, further advances our deployment of GenAI through a capability that can evaluate risk with more data and analytics at the individual level to optimize the special purpose vehicle, Zafino added. We believe this capability will unlock future opportunities for expansion and innovation in specialty and other lines of business.

In the long term, this novel structure will use Palantirs Foundry and large language models to determine whether Amwins program portfolio aligns with Syndicate 2479s risk appetite by evaluating risk characteristics. AIG said it has developed an ontology to enable the models to access more than four million industry data points to expand underwriting capabilities.

Palantirs CEO Alex Karp said the company is proud to partner with AIG in its visionary approach to transform the insurance industry.

AIGs deployment of Palantirs software helps drive new partnership opportunities and efficiencies as exemplified by this new SPV, he said in a statement.

Zaffino referenced the work AIG has done with Palantir and others during an August conference call during which he said it was the companys intent to create a digital twin of our business.

Related: AIG CEO Zaffino Highlights Integration of GenAI to Create Digital Twin of Business

In August, Zaffino said ontology would be the foundation to technical reviews, provide claims personnel with insight and tools, enhance decision-making, and improve service to clients.

In philosophy, ontology is the study of beingthe nature of existence. Ontology in AI provides concepts to help AI understand the data it is processing and leverage it to produce operational results. A blog on Palantirs website said ontology is about making decisions within an enterprise.

We are excited about this new partnership which allows us to invest aligned capital alongside our multiline dedicated underwriting portfolio, said Scott Purviance, CEO of Amwins. In addition, it will facilitate our ability to create new programs and build long-term sustainable capacity. AIGs underwriting knowledge and GenAI capabilities truly facilitated the creation of this new syndicate.

Related: AIG: Turning One Human Underwriter Into Five, Turbocharging E&S

Topics Excess Surplus Lloyd's AIG
UPS stole tens of millions of dollars in pay from seasonal workers who help the shipping giant deliver packages during the busy holiday season, forcing some to clock in well after their shifts started and deducting pay for lunch breaks they never took, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a lawsuit Monday.

Filed in state court in Manhattan, the lawsuit accuses UPS of repeatedly and persistently failing to properly compensate driver helpers, who assist with deliveries, and seasonal support drivers, who use their own vehicles to make deliveries. James estimated that in the last six years, UPS has deprived tens of thousands of seasonal workers of wages totaling about $45 million.

The lawsuit seeks back pay and penalties, plus a court order requiring UPS to end off-the-clock work and change its timekeeping and payroll practices. The company, known for its brown trucks and uniforms, delivered an average of 22.4 million packages a day and brought in $91.1 billion in revenue last year, according to its website.

We oftentimes dont think of these workers when were opening up our gifts for the holidays, James said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. And these individuals are struggling each and every day to make ends meet.

In a statement, Georgia-based UPS said it was aware of the lawsuit, takes all accusations of wrongdoing seriously and denies the unfounded allegation of intentionally underpaying UPS employees.

We offer industry-leading pay and benefits to our more than 26,000 employees in New York, and we remain committed to following all applicable laws, the statement said.

James, a Democrat, said she started investigating UPS in 2023 after an employee union, Teamsters Local 804, raised concerns about the companys treatment of seasonal workers. Those workers are employed on a temporary basis from October to January.

Josh Pomeranz, the unions director of operations, said that while there isnt evidence that the companys top management was involved in, aware of or condoning alleged wage theft, these are just certain practices that you have to actively ignore, not to see it happening.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits
Marsh McLennan, headquartered in New York City, appointed Mike Mathews as global digital infrastructure leader.

Based in Boston, Mathews brings over 25 years of specialized industry experience to this newly created position, having worked with companies and investors across key sectors, including data centers, advanced computing, digital mining, renewable energy, wireless networks and communication infrastructure. Mathews joined Marsh McLennans global insurance brokerage and risk advisory business, Marsh, in 2020, as a managing director focusing exclusively on serving digital infrastructure clients.

Loop Hired as AXA XL Head of Media Liability

Jeffrey L. Loop has been hired by AXA XL as the new head of media liability. He will report to Michelle Chia, chief underwriting, cyber, design & select professional.

Loop has two decades of legal and industry experience in media, privacy, intellectual property, and technology law, combined with extensive experience in underwriting and risk management solely focused on the evolving media landscape.

He will spearhead AXA XLs efforts to develop coverage solutions to address the expanding, more complex media risk landscape. His leadership will focus on tailoring policies to meet the needs of a diverse client base, including content creators, digital-first enterprises, and brands utilizing content marketing strategies.



Topics Leadership Liability AXA XL
Eleven firefighters and two other people were injured in a house fire explosion in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, officials said.

Salisbury Fire Chief Bob Parnell said firefighters did not have life-threatening injuries but were getting treated for contusions, concussions and smoke inhalation following the fire Monday evening. Two other people were taken to the hospital, but Parnell said he didnt know their conditions and couldnt confirm whether they were in the house at the time of the fire.

The Salisbury Fire Department responded to the single-family home around 5 p.m. and found it engulfed in flames.

Eleven of the 22 firefighters at the scene went inside the house to search for occupants and get water on that fire, which preceded the explosion, Panell said at a news conference.

It was enough force that the outside walls blew out, the roof came up and went back down, Parnell said.

An investigation of the fire and explosion is continuing by the state fire marshal and local fire and police. The North State Journal reported that a gas leak is suspected. Eight people lived in the home, and the Red Cross has provided some relief, Parnell told TV news.

Photo: Firefighters at the scene in Salisbury (WSOC via AP)

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics North Carolina
The former co-leader of a collapsed Georgia savings and loan, a lending firm that is now the subject of state and federal Ponzi scheme investigations, has been granted an insurance producers license in the state.

Edwin Brant Frost V, who previously worked at First Liberty Building & Loan with his father, now is a licensed insurance agent in Newnan, Georgia, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners license verification site. Frost obtained the license in August for life, accident and sickness lines, and has been appointed with several life and health insurers.

For months, news sites and court filings have indicated that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Georgia authorities have intensified their investigations after First Liberty imploded after the financial firm allegedly defrauded some 300 investors of more than $140 million. The operation was billed as a Christian, faith-based loan provider.

The SEC filed suit in federal court in Georgia in July, contending that the elder Frost, Brant Frost IV, had promised returns as high as 18%. But it was all a Ponzi scheme starting in 2021, and Frost IV allegedly used millions of dollars for personal gain and for political donations, the SEC complaint argues.

The elder Frost has accepted responsibility and has pledged to repay investors, according to news reports.

Frost V, the new insurance agent, is not named in the SEC complaint, but he has been subpoenaed by the Secretary of States office. He resigned from First Liberty in July and has declined to comment to news media, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and other sites reported.

Photo: The now-closed office of First Liberty Building & Loan in Newnan. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Read More About First Liberty: Georgia Commercial Lender Owner Charged With $140M Ponzi Scheme

How an Alleged Ponzi Scheme Left Republican Investors and Politicians in the South Reeling

Topics Agencies Georgia
High winds toppled trees and power lines across parts of Washington state and Idaho this week, killing one adult and critically injuring two children, knocking out power to thousands and compounding the damage already wrought by heavy rains and flooding.

Wind gusts reaching up to 85 miles per hour battered Pullman, Washington and the Idaho cities of Moscow and Lewiston. More than half a million power customers were without power in Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon, according to the website Poweroutage.us. Colorados largest utility cut power to about 50,000 homes and businesses to prevent downed power lines from starting wildfires.

A 55-year-old man died after a tree fell on his home in the northern Idaho town of Fernan, the Kootenai County Sheriffs office said. The tree hit the bed where the man was sleeping, according to a press release, and other people inside the home escaped without serious injury.

In southern Idaho, the Twin Falls County Sheriffs office said high winds caused several old, internally rotten trees to fall, knocking down power lines and critically injuring two children. Both children were under age 10, and were waiting for the school bus when the tree landed on them, the sheriffs office wrote in a press release. An older sibling was also at the bus stop, but was uninjured. An air ambulance was able to land at the scene despite the increasing wind, the sheriffs office said, and one child was flown to a nearby hospital while the other one was transported by ground ambulance.

Western Washington residents  many in communities already deluged by flooding  reported blown transformers, downed trees and power lines and damaged roofs in social media posts early Wednesday morning. Winds were expected to gust up to 90 mph (145 kph) along Colorados warm and dry Front Range, the region just east of the mountains where most of the states population lives. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy cut power to the region to reduce the risk of wildfires, and said it would work as quickly as possible to restore power after winds are expected to die down in the evening.

A barrage of storms from weather systems stretching across the Pacific dumped close to 2 feet of rain in parts of the Cascade Mountains, swelling rivers far beyond their banks and prompting more than 600 rescues across 10 counties.

As of Tuesday, there had been only one flood-related death  of a man who drove past warning signs into a flooded area  but key highways were buried or washed out, entire communities had been inundated, and saturated levees had given way. It could be months before State Route 2, which connects cities in western Washington with the Stevens Pass ski area and the faux Bavarian tourist town of Leavenworth across the mountains, can be reopened, Ferguson said.

Were in for the long haul, Ferguson said at a news conference. If you get an evacuation order, for Gods sakes, follow it.

It wont be until after waters recede and landslide risk subsides that crews will be able to fully assess the damage, he said. The state and some counties are making several million dollars available to help people pay for hotels, groceries and other necessities, pending more extensive federal assistance that Ferguson and Washingtons congressional delegation expect to see approved.

According to the governors office, first responders had conducted at least 629 rescues and 572 assisted evacuations. As many as 100,000 people had been under evacuation orders at times, many of them in the flood plain of the Skagit River north of Seattle.

Elevated rivers and flood risk could persist until at least late this month, according to the National Weather Service.

Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, Colleen Slevin in Denver, and Martha Bellisle in Seattle contributed to this report.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The mysterious sentence was written on the inside cover of my fathers most used book. The blue Virtues English Illustrated Dictionary from 1950-something. He would encounter a word on telly or in the paper and say: I must look that word up now  and come back newly armed.

Im not like that at all. Looking up words. Pfft. What a nerd! (Nerd either comes from a word made up by Dr Seuss, or backwards slang for drunk 'knurd', or from 'nert' meaning stupid).

The dictionary is still around. Like a lot of things from the 20th century era of Getting the Use Out of Things its a lot more battered than I remember it. It could be legitimately replaced. It doesnt have a lot of words that are current. 'Computing' is mostly calculating. A 'browser' reads or eats leaves. There is no 'wifi'. Or even 'hi-fi'.

The handwritten phrase on the inside says Groods the other night . A sort of stream of consciousness doodle meaning we had groods (or nice treats) to eat, some other night in the past week.





I think if he was born 50 years later, more skate-boardy and lived in the city, my father would definitely have been a graffiti artist whose enigmatic phrases would have got people wondering.

Because as well as writing childrens and dogs names into fresh concrete around the place, he would also put an obscure message on wall with leftover whitewash. A bored farmer with leftover whitewash  or even a penknife for metal signs  is a loose cannon.

A scribble in a dictionary was very much on-brand. Groods was his word for treats. I always thought it was just a name he made up. A pet-name.

Im not going to go into his petnames. That would just lead it to being shouted at me from passing cars.

I couldnt find groods in any dictionaries. Its a mystery, like 'pibus'  a word meaning a large forehead that seems to have only existed in Deerpark CBS in the class of 1995/1996 among a few classmates. (Im putting in the sidebar an appeal for anyone who might know why 'pibus' meant 'a big forehead'.)

Back to 'groods'... a woman called Evelyn Fennessy heard me on the telly and emailed me out of the blue last month. ('out of the blue' is short for a bolt out of the blue, meaning lightning in a clear blue sky).

She heard me on the telly, flogging my new book Gallivanting with Words. (I do that a lot) I was talking about how every family has a collection of family phrases that that are collected like fridge magnets across generations. But often the original context has been forgotten. Like groods.

Two years ago Evelyn published a book called The Lost Language of the Ballyhouras which collected the Irish words used in that part of Ireland. And on my fathers birthday it arrived in the post. In it there's an Irish word 'gruideal' meaning fancy treats.

Armed with the new spelling I went looking again and it turns up in the Duchas Schools Collection meaning "the solid particle left in the bottom of a vessel that contained 'broth'." So while its probably some nice meaty bits, its not quite as attractive as Taytos and opal fruits.

A reference to 'gruideal' in the Duchas Schools Collection  it is said to mean Grudal (nu b'fhearra) or Gruideal  the solid particles left in the bottom of a vessel that contained 'broth'. (Tiob. Ar.) = grudle and grudles

A small word that links a book about Ballyhoura, broth bits in Croom, and a scribble on the inside cover of a 70-year-old dictionary  a scribble made by a man who would have been 95 last Thursday  is hardly a Rosetta Stone connection. But I couldnt be more chuffed... the good kind (apparently chuffed once meant both pleased and displeased).

Its a small story. There are more interesting stories behind the weird words in your house  past and present that mark keep the memory. Write them down!

Now.. pibus?

Colms book Gallivanting With Words is in all bookish places this Christmas
Baby Luke

Two weeks ago, seven-month-old Luke Harty switched on the Christmas lights at CHI (Childrens Health Ireland), Temple Street.

It was a day his Galway-based parents Nicola and Robert Harty could not have dreamed of. We very quickly learned not to think beyond one day at a time, says mum of two Nicola, recalling the darkest days after Lukes birth last May.

Nicola and Robert Harty with baby Luke, six months, who had a brain surgery, pictured being home for his first Christmas, also their daughter Robyn, 3. Picture: Emilija Jefremova

Id had a perfect pregnancy, perfect scans, a beautiful delivery, and the labour went great. Luke arrived at 36 weeks and was brought to NICU to be on the safe side.

But he started having seizures  within a day and a half of his arrival he was transferred by ambulance from Galway to Temple Street for MRI.

It was another 24 hours before we sat down with doctors, and the lead neurologist said Luke had a really rare condition  one part of his brain had grown too big, it was malformed and causing seizures.

Nothing  no medicine  could stop these seizures. We only had one option  removal of the right hemisphere of his brain.

Nicola describes feeling utter shock. Id given birth just three days earlier. We were in Dublin, our daughter, Robyn, in Galway  being told theyre going to remove half his brain.

It was like standing, looking at ourselves from above, like we were physically crumbling, falling to the floor. We were just shattered.

The doctor said, Youll be here a year minimum. Thats all I could hear for weeks afterwards. We were told hed have weakness in the left side of his body after surgery. They couldnt guarantee he wouldnt still have seizures. I felt hopeless, that we wouldnt be able for this.

Nicola and Robert Harty with baby Luke, six months, who had a brain surgery, pictured being home for his first Christmas, also their daughter Robyn, 3. Picture: Emilija Jefremova

With doctors envisaging Luke would not be strong enough for surgery until he was six to eight months old, Nicola found the next weeks really tricky and hard, trying to process everything. And yet, even on the hardest days, an image persisted that had first come to her within a week of Lukes birth  of a little boy running around with Robyn on their farm in Ardrahan, Co Galway.

Despite the timeline doctors gave for surgery, Nicola still wondered about the earliest it could be carried out.

We just wanted it done, she says.

The couple had been told Luke might never breastfeed or feed orally. Id been pumping breastmilk from the beginning, which he got through an NG (nasogastric) tube. At five weeks, he latched on to the breast. It was amazing, exhilarating, a really big moment for us. It showed his determination  he was going to do everything his way. The doctors were thrilled, and we had lots of support from the nurses to make it happen.

It signified for me that Luke and I were a team, and we were going to survive this  we were doing it together.

By four months old, he was a good weight and had never been sick from an infection  doctors said they would perform surgery in two weeks time. We were overjoyed and terrified, it was really daunting but we knew it was the right thing, he needed this. The seizures were so bad, his body needed a break.

By mid-October  on Robyns third birthday  Lukes surgery was complete.

It was really successful. The surgeons were thrilled.

Nicola believes what helped her was never Googling his condition. I kept saying hes not on the internet, hes going to do what hes going to do, in his way. I believed so much in him that I didnt have to Google anything. He was kicking both arms and legs after surgery and breastfeeding within 24 hours.

During Lukes six-month stay in Temple Street, Nicola deleted thoughts of Christmas from her mind. I didnt let myself go there. Robert and I were on the same page  living one day at a time.

Nicola and Robert Harty with baby Luke, six months, who had a brain surgery, pictured being home for his first Christmas, also their daughter Robyn, 3. Picture: Emilija Jefremova

Until one day, Robert said, I see him home for Christmas. I said thats not going to happen, hes just had surgery  I wanted to pull Robert back, protect him.

And then, I started having a feeling: As long as there are no complications, well be home soon. Luke is doing all the baby things now and hasnt had any seizures.

We dont know what his life is going to look like. Because he was so young when having surgery, his brain was only developing  like any baby, there was still so much development to happen.

The other half of his brain is really healthy  weve been told that half will compensate for a lot.

Nicola and Robert have immense gratitude for the surgery and for Lukes medical care. Everything about Luke, his development, his drive, has come too from love, positivity and all the prayers people said for him. And there was so much love in the hospital for him, staff coming to visit him daily  that connection and love really helped him and us on the journey.

While Luke will now be under the care of his local hospital in Galway, Nicola says his time in Temple Street was special, and he was so popular it seemed very fitting he would turn on the Christmas lights before coming home.

Special guest Luke Harty from Galway with his family Robyn (3) dad Robert and mum Nicola from Galway celebrate as he gets ready to go home for the first time. Picture: Andres Poveda

Looking to Christmas, Nicola says: I just see Christmas calm, together, united  us and our two children  full of love. Presents have generally never mattered  now they really dont.

Baby Aoife

Last Christmas, Colleen and Toby Smith expected to bring their then 10-month-old baby, Aoife, home for the first time, for just a few hours on Christmas Day.

When Aoife was two days old, she needed surgery to remove most of her small bowel. It was twisting in on itself. Its rare, but it happens. We had loads of genetic tests but they all came back fine  its just bad luck, says Colleen.

Aoife Smith, who spent 19 months in hospital, with her parents Colleen and Toby at their home outside Bailieborough, Co Cavan. Picture: Lorraine Teevan

Aoife was still at CHI, Crumlin, in the run-up to last Christmas. Shed had to become stable on TPN  intravenously-delivered nutrition  before then becoming well enough to be weaned off it somewhat.

It seemed to go on forever. Shed take 10 steps forward and two back. It was a long slow process. Her gut was so sensitive. Any kind of bug would set her back.

And while Aoifes parents and siblings, James, 10, and Madison, 15, were thrilled that shed be spending a few hours at home last Christmas, it never happened.

It was a disaster, says Colleen. Aoife got the flu, so it was just me and me in the hospital for the day. As a family, weve a tradition since Madison was a baby to go to my mams house on Christmas Eve morning and spend Christmas there. Santa comes to Mams house. Mam lives for it.

Aoife Smith prepares the tree for her first Christmas at home. Picture: Lorraine Teevan

Not wanting to disrupt the tradition, Toby, James and Madison went to Colleens mums last Christmas. We FaceTimed. I was very emotional but trying to keep my spirits up for Aoife. She had a good day, her flu wasnt too bad. The nurses made the day special for her.

With Colleen and Toby trained in home TPN, Aoife was well enough to be discharged last March, but again had to remain in hospital because the family needed a house to suit her needs and those of her older sister, Madison, who has scoliosis and may eventually need a wheelchair.

We needed a bungalow with ramps, a wet room, plus a big enough room to do a sterile procedure for Aoife. Cavan Co Council was instrumental in getting us a fabulous home, suitable for both girls, in Bailieborough. The ward manager on St Peters in Crumlin was phenomenally supportive too.

After 19 months in hospital, Aoifes finally home and Colleen cant wait for Christmas.

Just for us all to be sitting around the dinner table on Christmas Day, having normal conversation, laughing, being able to sit there and chat with Mam while the kids play with their toys, thats what Im looking forward to.

Baby Gabriella

During the 103 days Sophie Hendricks daughter, Gabriella, spent in NICU, the Maynooth-based mum and her partner David Mahon wondered if theyd ever get their baby home.

I didnt think wed get home for Christmas. It felt like the days in NICU never stopped, says Sophie, who couldnt have expected Gabriella to come three months early  her first pregnancy with Emilia, now aged eight, had been normal. But at 23 weeks, having breakfast one Sunday this summer, Sophie felt a gush.

Gabriella spent 103 days in the NICU at the Coombe hospital. Picture: Moya Nolan

I checked and it was blood. She immediately went to the Coombe. They kept me in for a week and a half for bed rest. I kept bleeding during that time. I had scans to make sure the baby was OK and everything was fine with her.

Sophie had subchorionic haematoma blood forms between babys amniotic sac and the uterine wall. Doctors expected it to pass. But within days she went into labour and Gabriella was born weighing 505g.

It was challenging being in NICU but pumping breastmilk kept Sophie going. I could see she was growing, she never got any infection and was really strong, so I felt I was doing something for her. And as much as everyones lovely in NICU, I just wanted to get her home.

Sophie Hendrick and her partner David Mahon with their baby daughter Gabriella, who was born 15 weeks prematurely. Picture: Moya Nolan

At one point, Gabriella was all set to leave the hospital but got croup. She almost stopped breathing. That was a setback  we felt like we were never going to escape.

Thankfully, Gabriella, now six months old, got home in good time for Christmas.

She really does feel a miracle.

Christmas is about family, and family means a lot to me, says Sophie, explaining that she grew up without siblings, while her mum died when she was 11.

Christmas is all about being together. You try to give your kids what you never got. My mam and I were best friends. Having two girls of my own now, theyll be my best friends.

Emilia has written her Santa list and she put a few baby presents on it for Gabriella. She said it wouldnt be fair otherwise.

Seeing Gabriella now, sleeping through the night, a great eater and with a very cheeky smile, Sophie says having a new baby makes Christmas extra special.
Security services are understood to have identified and arrested all five alleged members of a cell linked to a new extremist far-right group styling itself as the Irish Defence Army (IDA).

They are among a total of seven arrests that have taken place in a cross-border terrorism investigation, with four of the arrests in Ireland and three in the North.

Two of the individuals in Ireland have been charged to date and one of the suspects in the North was brought before the courts on Thursday.

The most recent, and seventh, arrest was carried out by the Garda Special Detective Unit last Tuesday. This person was subsequently released without charge.

All the arrests are part of a joint operation by the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service and the PSNI into an alleged plot by the IDA to attack a mosque in Galway and also target asylum accommodation.

The initial two arrests in Ireland, first revealed in the Irish Examiner, were made in Co Laois on November 5.

This sparked searches of addresses in the North, where a number of items were seized. This, in turn, led to further investigations by the PSNI serious crime branch, with three arrests taking place on 9 December.

Gardai meanwhile arrested a third person in Co Laois on 12 November and following further investigations a fourth person in Co Limerick on Tuesday.

In the North, Connor Pollock, 38, from Croob Park, in Ballynahinch, Co Down, appeared via videolink from Maghaberry Prison for a bail hearing at the Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

He is charged with three offences under the UK Terrorism Act.

The charges relate to an alleged plot by the Irish Defence Army to attack the mosque and also target accommodation facilities used to house migrants.

The court heard there was a "15-point" plan for the proposed attack on the mosque, which also contained code names and specific roles for five members of an "active service unit" of the IDA.

In the bail proceedings, a PSNI detective constable outlined the circumstances of An Garda Siochana's investigation into "extreme right-wing terrorism".

Connor Pollock is accused of possessing documents or records likely to be of use to terrorists.

According to the charge sheet document, that count relates to a "claim of responsibility by the Irish Defence Army for the burning of a mosque and a threat of future violence against persons or places connected to the provision of facilities for migrants, and Warning Notices to persons connected to the provision of accommodation for migrants".

The judge said the prosecution case that this was a dangerous organisation preparing to carry out attacks had "traction with the court".

He denied bail and remanded the accused until January 15.
After a varied career in which he has played a psychopath, a romcom heart-throb, an intergalactic warlord and a plucky newspaper editor among others, Domhnall Gleeson has won his first Hollywood award.

The US-Ireland Alliance announced that Gleeson will receive the Oscar Wilde award at the events 20th anniversary in Los Angeles in March in the run-up to the Oscars. It honours a body of work rather than a particular performance.

The Irish actor has received critical plaudits and nominations for film and TV performances, and has won Irish film and television awards and a Berlin international film festival award, but had not landed a major Hollywood prize.

I first saw Domhnall in 2006 when he played the role of Davey in Martin McDonaghs play The Lieutenant of Inishmore, said Trina Vargo, the founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance. His talent was obvious 20 years ago, its been a pleasure to watch him go from strength to strength, and we look forward to honouring him.

The US-Ireland Alliance is a nonprofit that fosters ties between the countries and is credited with hosting one of the liveliest parties of Hollywoods award season. Previous award recipients include Jamie Dornan, Kenneth Branagh and Kerry Condon.

Domhnall Gleeson as Alan Milne and Margot Robbie as Daphne Milne in Goodbye Christopher Robin. File picture: David Appleby/PA

Next years ceremony will also honour Maura Tierney, who starred in Twisters and is best known for the TV series ER.

Gleeson made his name on indies and blockbuster film franchises such as Harry Potter and Star Wars and is a proliferating presence on TV shows.

He plays the editor of a struggling Ohio newspaper in The Paper, a spin-off from the US version of The Office which follows the mockumentary format. He stars opposite Jessie Buckley in the forthcoming BBC Christmas special, The Scarecrows Wedding and did voiceovers for Ken Burns documentary The American Revolution.

He has also appeared in two Apple TV productions, Guy Ritchies Fountain of Youth, with John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, and Echo Valley, with Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney.

An Esquire profile last month said Gleesons performances have earned praise even as he has somehow remained critically underrated. The article was headlined: Why isnt everyone talking about Domhnall Gleeson?

Domhnall Gleeson and Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn. File picture

The Dubliner was nominated for a Tony for The Lieutenant of Inishmore in 2006 and for a Golden Globe in 2023 for The Patient, in which he plays a serial killer opposite Steve Carell, but has missed out on Emmy and Oscar nominations.

The son of Brendan Gleeson, his filmography includes Ex Machina, Anna Karenina, True Grit, Brooklyn, Calvary, The Revenant and About Time, a time-travelling romcom. He played General Hux in the Star Wars reboot and Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

When hes performing his appearance is almost fluid, absorbing the contours of his characters expressions so thoroughly that he sometimes appears reconfigured, said Esquire. It noted his alabaster skin and burnt-sienna eyebrows  a more lyrical description than the Guardian, which called Gleeson a ginger Hugh Grant.

 The Guardian
Ryan Tubridy is leaving Virgin Radio UK this month but will remain with parent company News Broadcasting to launch a new YouTube channel in 2026.

The Late Show with Ryan Tubridy will be a new standalone YouTube channel hosting interviews that will also be broadcast on Times Radio.

The series will look back on the lives "of the biggest stars in film, music, sport and television, where Ryan chats with the journalists, authors and experts who knew them best".

Mr Tubridy started on Virgin Radio UK in January 2024, with the show syndicated on Dublins Q102. His move to UK radio came after a controversial departure from RTE in the wake of the secret payments scandal in 2023.

Mr Tubridy was to be paid a total 225,000 over three years by the national broadcaster as part of a deal to top up his salary, which was not disclosed by RTE.

The former Late Late Show presenter was paid two instalments of 75,000 by RTE for personal appearances for commercial sponsor Renault as part of the contentious deal.

The deal involved Mr Tubridy making three appearances per year at Renault events. RTE executives previously said Renault paid Mr Tubridy the first 75,000 payment, but then pulled out of the tripartite deal.

The payments were not disclosed by RTE in its annual accounts as salary payments. Mr Tubridy left the national broadcaster following weeks of controversy relating to the organisation publicly under-reporting payments to him.

Earlier this year, Mr Tubridy repaid RTE the 150,000 he received as part of the controversial payment deal.

Tubridy set for talkSPORT

Meanwhile, 2026 will also see Mr Tubridy develop a new show for talkSPORT, a UK sports news and opinion network, and will continue to host a weekend show on the Onic network radio stations in Ireland.

The stations include Corks 96FM, Dublins Q102, Limericks Live 95, and LMFM across Louth and Meath.

I am extremely excited about todays news and the opportunity to work again in the world of speech radio, with YouTube channels and with the Onic network in Ireland," Mr Tubridy said.

"As we saw earlier this week with the Oscars ceremony moving to YouTube, the media world is changing so fast and this is an opportunity to do what I do best with the best content creators in the world.

It is with great gratitude that I finish my two years at Virgin Radio UK, where I had the time of my life with the greatest bunch of people. They made me feel welcome and valued which I will never forget, but I cant wait to get started on these shows. Heres to 2026!

Onic managing director Sean Barry said: I am delighted to confirm the continuation of our relationship with Ryan, one of Irelands finest broadcasters. This new show will lean into Ryans strengths with a speech-led offering, complemented with a perfect Sunday morning music accompaniment.

Mr Tubridy's final show on Virgin Radio UK and Dublins Q102 is today.
A Cork woman whose Bichon Frise-cross dog bit her neighbour has been convicted of failing to control the animal.

Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Clonakilty District Court that gardai received a report from an injured party on June 27, 2025, that they had been bitten by a dog in Clonakilty.

The court heard the injured party was walking near his home in Clonakilty when he encountered his neighbour Elizabeth Pendleberry, aged 71, of St Vincents Place, Clonakilty.

The court was told the injured party spoke to Pendleberry who had her Bichon Frise-cross dog on a lead. The court was told that the dog jumped up and bit the injured party causing a minor wound and the man reported the incident to gardai.

Pendleberry said the dog was now muzzled when out in public and she had also brought it for behaviour training. She said the dog was defensive of her and on the day in question she was going out to her car in the rain.

She said she stopped to talk to her neighbour who then walked across her and the dog reacted defensively. She told the court that she had had a difficult year following the death of her daughter.

The court heard that Pendleberry had no previous convictions, and had a licence for the dog.

Judge Joanne Carroll offered her sympathy to Pendleberry for her loss. She said that she had to convict her for failing to control the dog contrary to Section 9 of the Control of Dogs Act, 1986 and fined Pendleberry 100 allowing four months to pay the fine.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
People in East Cork whose homes were destroyed in Storm Babet in October 2023 should not be in a position where they are worrying about flooding over Christmas, the Office of Public Works minister has said.

Kevin 'Boxer' Moran was speaking following renewed calls by residents in Midleton and surrounding villages for Cork County Council to speed up its flood relief measures.

Millions of euro worth of damage was done when severe flooding paralysed homes and businesses for months.

An Oireachtas Committee last month heard Gleann Fia Residents Association secretary Vivienne Jeffers, from Mogeely, call for developers to stop building on flood plains.

Other residents representatives in villages around Midleton told TDs of their constant frustration and anger at the slow pace of delivery of measures to protect their homes from flooding.

Local TD Liam Quaide rowed with the Taoiseach in the Dail last month as he pressed the Government for a timeline for when flood relief measures would be in place.

Micheal Martin accused the TD of playing sly games by suggesting the Government was not taking the issue seriously enough.

The OPW minister told the Irish Examiner he is to ask council officials to explain issues around the delayed roll-out of a scheme to install flood mitigation barriers in homes.

According to the Taoiseach, in a reply to a letter from a residents' representative last month, it is less than 10% completed.

Mr Moran plans to meet council officials early next year to discuss progress.

"I don't want people in Midleton to be angry going to bed on Christmas night if it's raining outside. On their frustration and anger, I understand it, but we need to work together.

We can't play politics with water. It affects people mentally, and it affects people as they go to bed at night. I want to ease that pressure.

He said he "wants to see people on the ground" in East Cork.

It is down to local authorities to drive on flood-related schemes. They are the steerers, but if there are blockages, I need to know. I want to see progress.

The main source of concern and anger among residents in Midleton and surrounding villages in East Cork is the delayed roll-out of the Midleton and East Cork Individual Property Protection (IPP) Scheme.

Funded by the OPW, the 5.8m scheme was launched last year to install flood defence barrier systems at front and back doors and low windows of more than 723 homes prone to flooding.

Due to begin in early 2025, it is not due to be completed until the middle to next year.

Secretary of Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group Caroline Leahy said: Residents in Midleton and surrounding villages feel they are on their own.

The delays are causing serious mental and physical stress, as we live in houses with nothing tangible to stop water coming back through our doors.

We feel forgotten and let down.

Also of concern to residents is the lack of clear, concise information about where people go in the event of a major flooding incident like Storm Babet in 2023.

The councils flood emergency response plan for Midleton was published in October.

But as well as not knowing where in the town any water-based emergency will be coordinated, residents don't know what the evacuation plans for elderly and disabled people are.

They also don't know where non-perishable supplies of things like first aid kits, medicines, oxygen supplies, blankets, fresh water and basic foodstuffs are stored.

They have said they also don't know who the wardens or marshalls living in the community are, and who can be called on to be the on-the-ground coordination team.

Cork County Council was asked for comment.
Gardai are continuing to appeal for help in locating two teenagers who went missing in Tipperary Town on Thursday.

Julia Laskowska, 15, and Sadie Nally, 13, were last seen in Tipperary Town on Thursday afternoon and are believed to be travelling together.
Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers has said he never considered resigning as deputy leader of Fianna Fail over the partys disastrous presidential election campaign.

Mr Chambers said the partys review of the election outlines that there was no basis or reason for him to step down from his role as deputy leader.

Absolutely not, no. I worked in good faith and as director of elections. I think if you see the wider review, there was no basis or reason for me to ever do that, Mr Chambers said.

The review, provided to TDs and senators on Tuesday, found that Jim Gavin was told by Taoiseach Micheal Martin that Fianna Fail would not be able to back the former GAA boss over revelations about 3,300 owed to a former tenant.

Mr Martin and his party's deputy leader, Mr Chambers, also told Mr Gavin he was facing "10 very difficult days.

Mr Gavin had been asked multiple times about an issue with a tenant and said he had no recollection of any issue, the review also found.

This remained the former Dublin GAA boss's position until October 4, when the tenant identified himself in a telephone call received by the party's press office in the presence of Mr Gavin.

Mr Chambers was questioned about whether or not he believed it was a mistake to be appointed as the director of elections for Fianna Fail, while he was preparing Budget 2026.

In response, Mr Chambers said he was finance minister in 2024 when Fianna Fail had a very successful general election.

I take every role Im given seriously and put a huge amount of work and time into it. Clearly, the issue that emerged here was something that had very severe consequences.

But I implemented the budget properly and I dont think anyone can question the work I put into the budget in advance of it.

Mr Chambers said it was a major regret not to have a candidate run for the full election, describing it as being devastating for everyone involved.

Everyone entered it and worked on it in good faith and obviously I regret what emerged in the end.

Asked if the controversy had damaged his prospects of becoming the next Fianna Fail leader, Mr Chambers said his daily motivation is not about that.

He said Mr Martin should lead Fianna Fail into the next general election, saying there is strong support for the Taoiseachs leadership.

Mr Chambers added that the collective view is that Fianna Fail should move on from the presidential election.
Tanaiste Simon Harris has admitted it was hard to turn up to work following a series of sustained threats of violence against his family.

On Thursday, a Dublin mother received a six-month prison sentence for sending social media messages to the Tanaiste, branding him a murderer and saying: I hope somebody does something to your family.

Sandra Barry, aged 40, of Tor an Ri, Balgaddy, Lucan, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to charges stating that she sent a threatening or grossly offensive communication to Simon Harris with intent to cause harm on August 30, 2025.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, after the verdict was delivered, Mr Harris said the threats have been difficult for him and his family to cope with.

We went through a period of sustained threats, and I'm glad that these issues are taken seriously by the gardai, glad they're taken seriously by the courts.

I think the question is, what's going on when somebody presses send? The consequences of those actions are real and do create dangers.

In September, at the Fine Gael think-in, Mr Harris admitted he had to dig pretty deep to attend the event and refused to speculate on his political future.

Reflecting on that now, he said:

It was tough to turn up. If someone's threatened your wife, threatened your children ... it's hard to turn up to work the next day.

"But I did dig deep. I did turn up. I got great support from colleagues, great support from friends, great support from family, and tried to get on with the job.

In a victim impact statement to the court on Thursday, Mr Harris said he had received messages stating that someone wants to harm your child that vividly suggested what should happen to them.

Mr Harris regularly posts pictures of his two young children, Saoirse, 6, and Cillian, 4. When asked if he would reconsider posting family snaps, the Tanaiste said he would not.

Simon Harris: 'I think the question is, what's going on when somebody presses send? The consequences of those actions are real and do create dangers.' Photo: Moya Nolan

The reality is, I expect, myself, my family, my children, to be safe in our country. I expect everybody's family to be safe in their country, he said.

I think most people in this country are just great. They can agree with you, they can disagree with you, but we live in a great country.

It's when people cross that line and start to threaten physical and other harms on your young children and your family, that's just not acceptable.

"I want to live my life the way that you'd want to live your life and expect the laws of the country to protect you.
The unfolding conflict in the Cambodia-Thailand border provinces is a disaster for the regions most disadvantaged people. It echoes a disturbing global trend of increasing nationalism, the spread of disinformation, and declining support for multilateral institutions including ASEAN, the UN and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It has an immense human cost.

This is a conflict, at least in part, about borders and power, set against a backdrop of political turbulence within Thailand. Sovereignty along the 800km Thai-Cambodia land border has been disputed by Thailand since it was mapped by the colonial French in 1907.

While the ICJ ruled the border legitimate in 1962 and again in 2013, Thailand does not accept this ruling. The use of heavy weapons and artillery strikes up to 80km inside Cambodia, along with the mass displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, makes this by far the most disturbing period in my time here.

This is not a conflict between equals. With a population four times larger and a GDP 14 times greater, Thailand is a bigger, more prosperous and more developed country than Cambodia. Thailand can absorb shocks that Cambodia cannot.

The Human Development Index (HDI) considers health, education, income and living conditions to provide a measure of social and economic development. At 151, Cambodia ranks lowest in the entire region and far behind neighbouring Thailand (76).

In the past week alone, 404,000 Cambodian civilians, including 96,000 children, have been displaced from their homes and schools. This year, government donors in the US, Sweden, the UK and Switzerland  but thankfully not Ireland  have drastically reduced or entirely eliminated aid. This instability therefore comes at the worst possible time for Cambodian families already on the brink. It is a crisis within a crisis.

A significant factor behind Cambodias low HDI relates to education.

The Cambodian education system was completely decimated by the Khmer Rouge regime, whose targeted genocide killed 90% of teachers. Since its fall, rebuilding has been from a very low base. While significant progress has been made in school infrastructure, it is people, not buildings, that make an education system.

Cambodia has one of the youngest populations globally and enormous potential, so it is Cambodian people  and Cambodian teachers  who need our support now.

While Cambodia ranked last of 81 countries that took part in recent international education assessments, it was one of only three countries to improve its score. Its young people are proving that targeted support can be transformative.

Education can and does change lives and life outcomes. Almost every international development indicator  economic, health, equality, stability and participation  improves when access to quality education improves, especially at primary level and when teacher effectiveness improves.

The current crisis is a huge setback, centred as it is in remote locations in northern Cambodia, already the furthest behind in educational opportunity and achievement. Children are traumatised, teachers are traumatised, and whole communities are traumatised.

Cambodian villagers sit on tractors as they flee from their home in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, last week. Picture: AKP via AP

Some government schools where we work have closed, others have become evacuation centres, while some are taking in additional children who have been displaced.

My Cambodian colleagues, some of whom have been displaced themselves, are at the forefront of this response, working tirelessly to provide safety, stability and opportunity for children, teachers and communities in a rapidly changing situation.

They are coordinating with displaced families, school leaders and government officials to meet the most basic educational needs of those most impacted  children.

In Cambodia, poor teaching quality remains the greatest barrier to learning, particularly in rural regions where many children do not complete their education. Teachers are committed but often lack access to training and ongoing support.

As an Irish organisation working exclusively in Cambodian education, we focus on addressing root causes through locally-led solutions, supporting Cambodian teachers and leadership to deliver lasting improvements and help communities navigate this crisis. Our programmes are entirely led and implemented by Cambodians, for Cambodians.

We Irish have our own history of colonisation, emigration, conflict and a troubled relationship with our nearest neighbour. We also understand and value the transformative impact of investing in education.

At SeeBeyondBorders, we are committed to staying and working with Cambodian leaders to rebuild resilience, focusing first on the furthest-behind regions in this furthest-behind country.

In Cambodia, even small contributions can go far in strengthening the capacity to withstand and recover from shocks. In this polarised world, where we increasingly feel powerless and our first thought is, But what can I do about it?, please consider supporting our small, niche organisation here in Cambodia. You absolutely can make a difference. Now more than ever, it is needed.

Colm Byrne is chief executive of SeeBeyondBorders Ireland, an Irish development organisation. A former primary school teacher from Dublin, Colm has lived in Siem Reap, Cambodia, since 2013
In his role as an executive financial consultant with FDC Financial Services, Mark O'Leary heads up a business unit and manages this team day-to-day. He is also a certified financial planner and continues to meet and advise clients daily.

How did you get started in your role with FDC Group?

The Graduate Programme. I joined FDC Financial Services in February 2018 as a trainee consultant.

Why did you choose to work with FDC Group?

FDC Financial Services offered me an opportunity to get practical industry experience whilst furthering my education and professional development.

What are you working on at present?

The FS Care Team. This Business Unit that I am heading up was launched earlier this year with a focus on servicing enhancements and communicating with clients through digital transformation.

What is the best part of your job?

Dealing with people and helping them realise their financial goals.

How would you describe the company culture in three words?

Client-centred approach.

Is there a career moment you are really proud of?

A career moment that I am proud of was obtaining the Certified Financial Planner certification in 2023 as it represents the highest standard in financial planning globally.

Where do you see financial services five years from now?

The need for financial advice has never been greater than at present and I believe this will continue to be the case. In our industry, we are service providers to clients, and in doing so, we deal with people. The need for financial advice will still be prevalent in 5 years time as it is now, and I genuinely believe that will be the case as people like dealing with people.

What's the best piece of professional advice you've received?

Focus on the controllable factors, dont worry about things out of your control.

Is AI influencing your role or industry right now?

Yes, its impacting every industry. In our industry, I believe its a case of AI assisting with the digital enhancement (not replacement) and simplifying the customer journey experience rather than replacing the need for advice.

If you could go back in time and give yourself a piece of advice at the start of your career, what would that be?

Dont take things personally. Sometimes, you can provide the right advice or recommendation, and the outcome still may not be the expected one.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about interviewing for this position?

Ask yourself, do you see yourself in a client-facing role as a financial planner? As the skillset required for this position requires interpersonal skills.

What would you say are the key skills and capabilities necessary to be good at what you do?

Active listening and communication skills. After all, we are dealing with people so being able to understand what the client or a team member needs. These are key, in my opinion, as the technical knowledge and problem-solving solutions can be developed in time.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?

Our role as a financial planner is to prepare a recommended financial plan and/or advise clients accordingly to enable them to make an informed decision; not to make the decisions for them.

Which industry professionals should people be following on Twitter/ LinkedIn?

I dont have a Twitter account, and I dont currently use LinkedIn. I did a digital detox a year ago and to be honest, I havent missed it.

Is there a particular book or resource youd recommend to someone early in their career?

The LIA  www.lia.ie  would be a good place to start your education and career pathway if you have an interest in a career as a financial professional.

Resource wise  Id listen to Podcasts regularly and these two feature regularly for me that someone might find helpful:

(1) TRAP: The Real Adviser Podcast;

(2) The David McWilliams Podcast.

Whats your favourite place to holiday?

Lloret De Mar in Spain.

What are you watching at the moment?

Succession.

Whats your coffee order?

A regular cappuccino.

www.fdc.ie/vacant-positions

FDC Financial Services Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
The next generation of cybersecurity entrepreneurs and leaders is being developed at Munster Technological University (MTU) through its Cyber Innovate programme.

This is a needs-led entrepreneurship programme, delivered over ten months, full-time at MTU. The programme offers a tax-free scholarship of 38,000 to participants in addition to a post-graduate diploma qualification.

Applications are now open for this highly sought-after programme for mid-career professionals looking to explore opportunities for cybersecurity innovation and startups. The programme is backed by a wide range of academic and industry experts and offers a wide professional network to successful participants.

Working in multidisciplinary teams, the students search for cybersecurity related problems and then generate and validate new ideas for products and services which may lead to them creating new cybersecurity startups.

Director of the programme, Ronan Coleman, explains that students spend the first semester immersing themselves in a specially designed Immersive Environment, enabling them to identify cybersecurity needs.

The Immersive Environment is what differentiates this programme from other innovation or entrepreneurship programmes, says Mr Coleman. This module is delivered over an eight-week period, where students will spend two days each week visiting a partner company and interviewing members of the companys cybersecurity team.

The creation of this environment is a big ask of our incredibly generous and knowledgeable industry partners as it necessitates a lot of pre-planning and the availability of 8+ staff members for the two-day visits. It has been enabled by MTUs leading position in the Irish cybersecurity ecosystem. The partner companies have well-established links with MTU through its alumni, Chair of Cybersecurity and researchers, its Cyber Skills programme and the MTU-based Cyber Ireland of which Cyber Innovate is a member and partner.

The objective is that the student teams identify a real and pressing need or problem during this period, which they then go and further validate by focusing on a particular customer segment. They then try to develop a solution for that customer segment, rather than the traditional approach of having a solution or technology which is trying to find a problem or application.

The early successes of the Cyber Innovate programme have led to it being recognised, along with Ailtire, the programme's first start-up company, in the latest Enterprise Ireland / Pitchbook report on Irelands Cybersecurity Landscape.

MTU Cyber Innovate is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021-27.

Mulcahy Ward

Clodagh Mulcahy and Paul Ward established their business, Mulcahy Ward, having met and worked together on the Cyber Innovate Programme.

With decades of technical, commercial and consulting experience behind them, they say that Cyber Innovate was an excellent launch pad for their cybersecurity business.

While every business should be concerned about cybersecurity risk to some degree, they say that many people dont know where to start. We identified a clear need for a trusted partner to provide the necessary cybersecurity advice.

While saying that cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated all the time, and agreeing that we live in scary times, they stress that they do not use scare tactics with their clients. We need to be honest with our clients if we are to gain their trust, they say, but the threats are real.

As cybersecurity advisors, the aim of Mulcahy Ward is to maximise a companys resilience and minimise risk.

Whether you are assessing your cybersecurity readiness, aiming for ISO 27001 certification or working towards regulatory compliance with NIS2 or DORA, we are here to help. We are not lawyers, or IT solution providers, but our cybersecurity advisors have the right mix of practical, technical and regulatory credentials to prepare you in advance of a cyber attack.

Ailtire

The three co-founders of Ailtire  Aileen Sheehan, Colm McSweeney and Damion McGing  say that Cyber Innovate brought them together as a team with complementary strengths, allowing them to engage directly with companies.

They say the postgraduate qualification was a bonus but the real value came from the structured innovation process, the exposure to industry and the step-by-step support that helped them validate the problem, develop the concept and translate it into a company with commercial potential.

We gained practical innovation methods along with the business and market research skills needed to establish our own venture confidently, says Ms Sheehan. The programme opened doors, created opportunities and provided the momentum that helped bring Ailtire to life.

Ailtire means architect in Irish. The company believes that security must begin with the architecture. Ailtire is an AI-native threat modelling platform that helps businesses understand the security risks in their system design in minutes rather than months, and take action before issues arise.

Resilium

Resilium, founded by Paddy Lange, specialises in safeguarding operational technology for the industrial sector. Unlike general IT security, the core focus of the company is on keeping factories running and ensuring physical safety on the shop floor.

Mr Lange says the Cyber Innovate programme is truly distinctive because it is fundamentally a needs-led entrepreneurship programme  not a technical course  that is also fully funded.

My participation in the programme culminated in the founding of Resilium, a cybersecurity start-up, following an extended and rigorous period of customer discovery. The programme itself is intense, comprising three core phases; the problem/needs phase, the solution phase and the commercialisation phase.

The primary gain from the programme was a deep understanding of proven innovation methodologies, such as Design Thinking and Lean Startup.

Crucially, these methodologies were immediately applied in an immersive environment, carrying our primary research across various industry verticals. This fieldwork allowed us to observe, engage, reflect and ideate to find genuine opportunities for innovative products and services.

This process is fundamentally different from having a product idea and then trying to force it to fit the market. Real fieldwork finds real needs and identifies gaps created by digitalisation, and only then are new product and service ideas generated and subsequently validated. In a nutshell, it is needs-led entrepreneurship.

Mr Lange praises the support provided by MTU Cork, the Nimbus Centre and the Rubicon Centre for programme participants.

It was, however, the great people I was privileged to meet who truly made the difference. Our cohort consisted of twelve participants from wonderfully diverse backgrounds, which provided the grounds for rich challenging and valuable discussions.

"The friendships forged, the support extended and the networking opportunities created by my fellow participants made this full-time programme a truly unforgettable and rewarding experience.

Cyber Innovate and Ailtire were both mentioned in the EI/Pitchbook report Irelands Cybersecurity Landscape recently.

Applications for next years cohort for the MTU Cyber Innovate programme are open until mid-April. Interested candidates can find more information on the programme and apply for it through the Cyber Innovate website: https://cyberinnovate.ie
EU leaders in Brussels negotiated long into the night about whether to utilise up to 210 billion euros of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine.

Talks focused on the need for the EU to reassure Belgium that it wouldnt be left to carry the burden of releasing 185 billion euros  the bulk of the frozen assets  if Russia successfully sued the state, or Euroclear the financial repository in which they are currently held.

Its important that a strong, assertive position is taken out of this meeting, the Taoiseach told journalists at the margins of the two-day summit.

It's important deterrence as well, that countries simply cannot invade and destroy another country's infrastructure, he said of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Heading into the talks, the Belgian government had been immovable in its opposition to using the funds due to unintended consequences and risks that make arise in the future.

However, the European Commission made several legal workarounds to reassure Belgium that EU member states would produce their fair share of the value of the assets should such a scenario materialise.

One of the final drafts of the proposals stated the loan mechanism would be based on legally-binding, unconditional, irrevocable, on-demand guarantees provided by participating member states ensuring the Union has the necessary resources in all circumstances to ensure full and swift repayment in the event the cash is called in by Russia. Each contributing member state would be obliged to pay their share of the loan based in their countrys GNI in this event.

Ukraine is due to run out of money by the end of the next quarter, and the European Commission as well as most countries such as Germany, Ireland, Spain have been pushing for the reparations loan as the preferred option to ensure the country is capitalised for 2026 and 2027.

Under the plan Ukraine would only pay back the loan once Russia paid reparations to Kyiv for the destruction caused by its territorial conquest which began in 2014 when Putin invaded Crimea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined leaders for the early part of the summit and held a bi-lateral meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever.

Zelenskyy urged the Belgian premier to press ahead with the reparations loan which would see the EU utilise up to 210 billion euros of frozen Russian state assets for Ukraine.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Zelenskyy said he understood the legal risks that exist for Belgium in allowing the funds to be used to fund Ukraine.

He told me everything he wanted to tell me, and so did I. Was it productive? Well see, said Zelenskyy in a press conference after his meeting with EU leaders at the earlier part of the day on Thursday.

Just like authorities confiscate money from drug traffickers and take weapons away from terrorists, Russias assets must be used to defend Russian aggression, Zelenskyy said in Brussels.

Meanwhile, the EU agreed to postpone a vote on the Mercosur Trade Deal with South America until mid-January. A vote had been due to take place earlier in the week as the EU agreed to strengthen safeguards for the agricultural sector.

But Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni insisted she needed more time to pass the deal and needed to speak with Italian farmers and beef producers about the merits of the deal. Brazils president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva granted the extension on Friday. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen had been due to travel to Brazil to sign the Mercosur Trade deal on Saturday.

Negotiations have been ongoing for twenty-five years.
A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility where he had rented a unit, officials said.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Providence police chief Oscar Perez said at a news conference. Mr Perez said as far as investigators know, the suspect acted alone.
David Walliams strongly denies allegations of inappropriate behaviour and was not informed about or party to an investigation by publisher HarperCollins, a spokesperson for the author and TV star has said.

Walliams, 54, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, was dropped by HarperCollins who said after careful consideration they would not be publishing any new titles from the award-winning childrens author.

The decision to drop him was made following an investigation into allegations he had harassed young women, the Telegraph reported.

David Walliams arriving for Britains Got Talent auditions in 2022 (Steve Parsons/PA)

A spokesperson for Walliams said in a statement to the Press Association: David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins.

He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice In a statement, HarperCollins said: After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision. They added: HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters. Walliams has written books including The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, the latter of which was turned into a one-hour BBC special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.

The TV star, real name David Edward Williams, was a judge on Britains Got Talent, but left the role in 2022 after he apologised for making disrespectful comments about auditioning contestants during filming breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020.

In 2023 Britains Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an amicable resolution with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.

Walliams, who appeared on the ITV talent show between 2012 and 2022, was suing the company for misuse of private information and for breaching UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

The comedian, actor and presenter was made an OBE in 2017 for services to the arts and charity, having raised 2 million for Sport Relief by completing a 140-mile swim down the River Thames.

Earlier in the year it was reported that he had made Nazi salutes while recording BBC panel show Would I Lie To You?.
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
Chris Stokes, Durham University; Florence Colleoni, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), and James Kirkham, British Antarctic Survey

We cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice. Thats the message from more than 50 leading scientists who study the Earths frozen regions, published in the latest annual State of the Cryosphere report.

In the past year alone, the vast polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are likely to have shed around 370 billion tonnes of ice, with a further 270 billion tonnes from the 270,000 mountain glaciers around the world, some of which are disappearing altogether.

In February 2025, global sea ice extent reached a new all-time minimum in the 47-year satellite record. Elsewhere, perennially frozen ground (called permafrost) continues to thaw, releasing additional greenhouse gas emissions each year that are roughly equivalent to the worlds eighth-highest-emitting country.

The warning lights from the cryosphere have been flashing red for several years, and governments ignore this at their peril.

Melting ice is driving an acceleration in the rate of sea-level rise, which has doubled to 4.5mm per year over the last three decades. If this acceleration continues, sea-level rise will reach around 1cm per year by the end of this century  a rate so high that many island and coastal communities will be forced to move.

The loss of mountain glaciers will affect billions of people who rely on their meltwater for agriculture, hydropower and other human activities; and the damage caused to infrastructure by Arctic permafrost thaw has been estimated to cost US$182 billion (137 billion) by 2050 under our current emissions trajectory.

Negotiations based on best available science

In an effort to reduce the risks and effects of climate change, including those from the cryosphere described above, the Paris climate agreement was adopted by 195 countries at the annual UN climate summit in 2015, with the aim of limiting the increase in global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C.

Its implementation should be based on and guided by the best available science. That includes evidence provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group created by the UN to provide governments with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.

This guiding principle was strengthened by the International Court of Justice in July 2025, which reaffirmed 1.5C as the primary legally binding target for climate policies under the Paris climate agreement.

Yet recent climate negotiations, including at the UN climate summit in Brazil in November 2025 (Cop30), have seen some countries  largely fossil fuel producers  push back on previously standard language endorsing the IPCC as a source of the best available science.

As cryosphere scientists who regularly attend the UNs climate summits, we have noticed recent efforts to downplay, confuse and dilute some of the latest scientific findings, especially from the cryosphere. We find this alarming.

At Cop30, observations about the complete loss of glaciers in two countries (Slovenia and Venezuela) were removed from the final draft text. Other shocking scientific findings about irreversible changes to the cryosphere were diluted to a rather vague need to enhance observations and address gaps in the monitoring of the hydrosphere and the cryosphere.

This tactic to obfuscate the science is not new, but has been increasingly used over recent years, during which the indicators of climate change and its consequences on the cryosphere have become increasingly obvious to scientists.

At Cop30, climate negotiators from several countries expressed disappointment and concern that the role of the IPCC as the best available science was not highlighted alongside some of the more alarming scientific findings, with an intervention from the UK capturing this frustration.

While the final overarching summary text from Cop30  the Mutirao decision  references the IPCC as the source of the best available science, and contains some strong language around the need to limit warming to 1.5C, rather than 2C, these look like empty words when the same document fails to even mention fossil fuels. Emissions from fossil fuels will result in 2.6C of warming by 2100, without urgent action.

Indeed, the final text from Cop30 is the first to explicitly reference a temperature overshoot, reiterating the need to limit both the magnitude and the duration of any temperature overshoot. Most scientists agree that overshoot is now inevitable, but that 1.5C increase remains the legal and ethical imperative for a long-term global temperature target.



Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash



However, some scientists  including ourselves  would argue that even this is too high, committing us to losing around half of the worlds mountain glaciers and several metres of sea-level rise from the polar ice sheets.

Among the dire warnings, a recent study offers hope that it is still possible to curtail warming in the next 15 to 20 years, peaking at an increase of around 1.7C in the 2040s before declining to an increase of 1.5C and then 1.2C by the end of the century. But that requires rapid and deep cuts in emissions from now on.

Climate negotiations may move at a glacial pace, but the irony is that the pace of glacier change is rapidly overtaking our ability to adapt to it and protect the most vulnerable people. The science is clear. But the perils of ignoring it are even clearer.

Chris Stokes, Professor in the Department of Geography, Durham University; Florence Colleoni, Senior Researcher, Polar Geophysics, National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), and James Kirkham, Postdoctoral Researcher, Antarctic Geography, British Antarctic Survey

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
( Middle East Monitor )  In 1916, the Middle East was partitioned by its rulers with ink between Britain and France. A hundred years later, with borders drawn by the Sykes-Picot Agreement, territories continue to contend with claims to legitimacy, sovereignty, and foreign intervention. The Middle East holds a reset, but not in a conference room this time, instead in an open-plan office, very far away.

The new lines are invisible. They have been coded in Silicon Valley, an invisible network of servers, algorithms, cloud agreements, and surveillance systems distributed across the Middle East. The old colonial map remains in place but is not effaced; instead, it is digitised.

Sykes-Picot established control through geography. Nowadays, control is established through data. Where the data is, where it is interpreted, and where decisions are made regarding its use all determine control. Military presence in a country is no longer the sole determinant of power and domination; access to a platform is what countries seek.

The colonial control apparatus functioned through censuses, identity cards, and intelligence systems. Here, the benign colonial agenda classifies, records, divides, and conquers. Of course, this agenda never ends; instead, it morphs into new forms. As Edward Said shows, empires do have new shapes but not new aims. In the new millennium, cyberspace assumes new forms.

State bodies in the Middle East are using US technology to control their borders, monitor citizens, repress dissent, and manage information. Cloud computing, facial recognition technology, predictive policing technology, and AI-intrusive surveillance solutions have become integral to state power in this way. Such solutions are not simply technology systems. State bodies make decisions concerning visibility, validity, and control through them.

Shoshana Zuboff described this order thus: a global architecture of behavior modification, with the excavation of human experience as the raw material. In the Middle East, this excavation is simply the drive for modeling advertising; it is the basis for security states.

Such a connection is evident in the growing relationship with US technology companies. The Israeli military tradition is deeply interwoven in a country with a surveillance apparatus, with technology produced in Gaza and the West Bank being later exported to other countries and called combat-tested.

The Gulf states are now considered among the most lucrative markets for the US cloud industry, which has been deployed, in conjunction with AI, for law enforcement, border control, and population management.

Antony Loewenstein, in *The Palestine Laboratory*, speaks clearly of the reality of Palestine: Palestine is a laboratory for technologies of control, which are exported globally with the approval of Western governments. The controlled state infrastructure, designed to counterinsurgencies abroad, is thus repatriated.

In a series of clashes in Gaza, the Palestinian internet in and of itself emerged as a space of conflict. The social media sites with guidelines governing content put up onlinefrom the West Bank to the Westregularly restrict, suppress, or remove Palestinian content in ways that have been named under community standards Such restrictions were imposed on sites that facilitated the spread of statements inciting violence and misleading information on other sites. Such a conflict escalated from war-ravaged Palestinian streets to mediation centers in California

Such an environment is not new to Washington, DC. Rather than setting up boundaries and placing rulers, America licenses systems today. Companies in the technology industry, which function as intermediaries between the United States strategic intentions and regional regimes, construct but do not assume responsibility.

In his Farewell Address of 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower described a military-industrial complex which would extend to every office of the Federal government. It would seem he could not foresee a digital offshoot, a military-tech-surveillance complex with a reach defying geographical boundaries, shielded by the secrecy of intellectual property.



Photo by Matthew Manuel on Unsplash

Consequently, a new fault line has emerged. The fault line is no longer drawn along the neatly painted lines of sectarian or ethnic divisions. A new fault line is drawn according to who is hyper-visible and who is permanently surveilled, who is algorithmically amplified and who is erased. The activists state that they have limited reach, but no explanation is provided. Journalists believe their narrative is being suspended when, in fact, it will have the most significant impact. The whole narrative drops out: not because it is untrue but because it is unwelcome.

Hannah Arendt established a distinction between power and violence, which she saw as an antidote to a lack of legitimacy. A distinction that is erased by cyber governance. There is no need for violence through algorithmic control. And it gets accomplished silently, unheard, with plausible deniability. No tanks need to be called in. No proclamation is issued; the database is updated.

The trouble is not with these technologies. The problem is that these systems operate without democratic control, which defines politics in this way in our time. Sykes-Picot fails because it substitutes order with coercion with borders that do not honor accountability. The order of our digital time is poised to make this failure on a nucleated scale, which is subtler, quicker, and more complex.

The Middle East does not need another century of being ruled by externally imposed frameworks of control. However, without identifying these digital fault lines, the Middle East is likely to find its fate once again dictated not by cartographers but by programmers.

Then, of course, there is history, which did not end with the empire. History renewed itself. The most important maps are coded now.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment.

Via Middle East Monitor
(All amounts are in US$)

PEA Highlights:

High-grade updated resource: Underpinned by G2s updated Mineral Resource Estimate, including 1.6 Moz Au at 3.24 g/t Au (Indicated) and 1.9 Moz Au at 3.31 g/t Au (Inferred), incorporating six months of new drilling.

Underpinned by G2s updated Mineral Resource Estimate, including 1.6 Moz Au at 3.24 g/t Au (Indicated) and 1.9 Moz Au at 3.31 g/t Au (Inferred), incorporating six months of new drilling. Long life, significant production and industry-leading margins: 14-year LOM underground and open pit operation with average annual gold production of 281,000 ounces at AISC of $1,137/oz Au from years 2 through 11.

14-year LOM underground and open pit operation with average annual gold production of 281,000 ounces at AISC of $1,137/oz Au from years 2 through 11. Attractive capital profile: Initial capital expenditures of $664 million (including 20% contingency) and sustaining capital expenditures of $366 million over the LOM.

Initial capital expenditures of $664 million (including 20% contingency) and sustaining capital expenditures of $366 million over the LOM. Robust economics and fast payback: After-tax NPV5% of $2.6 billion, IRR of 39% and payback of 2.6 years at $3,000/oz Au (Base Case); After-tax NPV5% of $4.2 billion, IRR of 54% and payback of 2.0 years at $4,000/oz Au.

TORONTO, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- G2 Goldfields Inc. (G2 or the Company) (TSX: GTWO; OTCQX: GUYGF) is pleased to announce the key findings from the Companys Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") for the high-grade Oko Gold Project (Oko or the Project) in Guyana, South America.

Daniel Noone, CEO of G2, stated, This PEA places the Oko Project firmly within one of the most attractive development projects globally. The PEA demonstrates the Project has the potential to generate very significant annual production at an average AISC cost of US$1,137/oz and is hosted in mining-friendly Guyana which actively promotes the development of large-scale gold mining. Moreover, the Project tenements host significant exploration potential, with multiple drill programs active across various adjacent and near-mine targets. We will be aggressively moving the Oko Project to feasibility and construction as we continue to explore this emerging gold mining district.

Overview

The PEA outlines a combined open pit (OP) and underground (UG) operation with a 14-year life of mine (LOM), based on drilling completed up to August 31, 2025, incorporating 1.6 million ounces of gold in the Indicated category and 1.9 million ounces of gold in the Inferred category, with production averaging 281,000 ounces per year from years 2 through 11. Total production over the entire 14-year mine life is estimated at 3.2 million ounces gold with an industry leading all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $1,191 per ounce ($1,137 per ounce from years 2-11). Oko is envisaged as a mix of conventional OP mining and mechanized long hole open stoping UG mining, with on-site treatment of the mined material processed through a conventional circuit consisting of comminution, gravity concentration, cyanide leach and adsorption via carbon- in-leach (CIL), carbon elution and gold recovery circuits. The OP mine is anticipated to have a LOM of six years, including 2 years of pre-stripping, while the UG mine is anticipated to have a LOM of 14 years, including 18 months of development. The PEA is based upon the Companys updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) with an effective date of November 20, 2025. A technical report (the "Technical Report") prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) will be filed on the Companys website and under its SEDAR+ profile within 45 days of this news release.

Click here to view a 3D model of the Oko Gold Project, Guyana

Table 1: Oko Preliminary Economic Assessment Highlights

Key LOM Metrics (US$3,000/oz Au) Values Mine Life 14 years Total Recovered Production 3.2 Moz Au Plant Throughout 10,000 tpd Average Annual Gold Production 228 koz

(281 koz Yrs 2-11; 298 koz Yrs 3-10) Strip Ratio (OP; waste : ore) 5.4 : 1 Gold Head Grade 2.39 g/t Au Gold Recovery 94% Average Operating Cash Cost $1,067/oz Average All-In Sustaining Cost (AISC)1 $1,191/oz

($1,137/oz2 Yrs 2-11) Initial Capital (Includes 20% Contingency) $664M Sustaining Capital $366M Reclamation Costs (Net of Salvage Value) $29M Total Capital $1,059M Pre-Tax NPV5% $3,471M Pre-Tax IRR 46% After-Tax NPV5% $2,561M After-Tax IRR 39% Payback 2.6 years

Notes to Table 1: Total cash costs include mining, processing, surface infrastructures, transport, G&A and royalty costs. AISC includes total cash costs, sustaining capital expenditures to support the on-going operations, and closure/reclamation. Non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures at the end of this press release. The PEA is preliminary in nature and 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. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Table 2: LOM Sensitivity Analysis

Key Financial Metrics Units Gold Price per Ounce (US$) $2,000 $2,500 $3,000

(Base Case) $3,500 $4,000 Average Operating Cash Cost (LOM) US$/oz 1,026 1,046 1,067 1,088 1,108 Average AISC (LOM) US$/oz 1,150 1,170 1,191 1,211 1,232 Pre-Tax NPV5% US$M 1,257 2,364 3,471 4,578 5,685 Pre-Tax IRR % 24 36 46 55 63 After-Tax NPV5% US$M 897 1,730 2,561 3,392 4,223 After-Tax IRR % 20 31 39 47 54 Payback Years 4.4 3.2 2.6 2.3 2.1 Average Annual EBITDA (LOM) US$M 222 331 441 550 659 Peak Annual EBITDA (Year 6) US$M 337 481 634 788 942 Free Cash Flow (LOM) US$M 1,520 2,670 3,819 4,968 6,117

Notes to Table 2: Total cash costs include mining, processing, surface infrastructures, transport, G&A and royalty costs. AISC includes total cash costs, sustaining capital expenses to support the on-going operations, and closure/reclamation. EBITDA reflects net income excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expenses. Free cash flow reflects cash from operations, [less initial and sustaining capital expenditures and reclamation costs]. Non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. Refer to the note at the end of this press release.

Location, Access and Infrastructure

Oko is located in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region (Region 7) of north-central Guyana. The Project lies approximately 120 km west-southwest of Georgetown, the capital city, and 60 km west of the town of Bartica, the capital city of Region 7 and is easily reached by an existing road network.

Mining and processing infrastructure will be located at the Projects site. The Project will require construction of the following infrastructure: 10,000 tonnes per day (tpd) process plant, offices, truck shop and warehouse, new camp accommodation, surface water management facility, service and haulage roads and an initial tailings management facility. An existing airstrip will be upgraded and used for emergencies and time sensitive transport.

Figure 1  Oko District Plan View

Mineral Resource Estimate

The PEA is based on the updated MRE presented in Table 3 below, totalling 1.6 million ounces gold (Indicated) and 1.9 million ounces gold (Inferred) from five deposits: Oko Main Zone (OMZ), Ghanie, Northwest Oko (Oko NW), North Oko (Oko N) and the New Oko Discovery. The bulk of the gold mineralization lies along a prominent 2.5 km long north-south structure comprised of the high-grade OMZ deposit and a bulk mineable, disseminated mineral resource at Ghanie. Importantly, OMZ includes high-grade UG Indicated mineral resources of 741,600 ounces at 13.63 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) and 522,100 ounces at 6.77 g/t Au. The New Oko Discovery lies approximately 8.5 km to the north of these deposits and was only discovered in March 2025.

The MRE includes all drilling data obtained up to the end of August 2025 with a total inventory of 666 drill holes across 170,329 metres. The estimate was prepared by Micon International Limited (Micon) in accordance with NI 43-101 with an effective date of November 20, 2025.

Table 3  Oko Project Mineral Resource Estimate Summary

Deposit Mining Method Category Tonnage (t) Gold Avg. Grade (g/t) Contained Gold (oz) Oko Main Zone (OMZ) OP Total Indicated 1,132,000 2.01 73,000 Total Inferred 509,000 0.75 12,300 UG Total Indicated 1,693,000 13.63 741,600 Total Inferred 2,398,000 6.77 522,100 OP + UG

Total Indicated 2,825,000 8.97 814,600 Total Inferred 2,907,000 5.72 534,400 Ghanie OP



Total Indicated 6,574,000 1.85 390,300 Total Inferred 4,128,000 1.01 133,800 UG Total Indicated 1,064,000 6.45 220,800 Total Inferred 7,409,000 4.72 1,123,300 OP + UG

Total Indicated 7,638,000 2.49 611,100 Total Inferred 11,537,000 3.39 1,257,100 New Oko Discovery OP Total Indicated 5,090,000 1.18 193,800 Total Inferred 1,269,400 0.88 36,100 UG Total Indicated 18,000 1.90 1,100 Total Inferred 590,000 2.05 38,900 OP + UG Total Indicated 5,108,000 1.19 194,900 Total Inferred 1,859,000 1.25 75,000 Oko N OP Total Inferred 1,293,000 0.78 32,500 Oko NW OP Total Inferred 374,000 0.94 11,300 Entire Oko Project OP + UG Total Indicated 15,571,000 3.24 1,620,600 Total Inferred 17,970,000 3.31 1,910,300

Notes to Table 3:

1. The effective date of this MRE is November 20, 2025.

2. The MRE presented above uses economic assumptions for both surface mining in saprolite and fresh rock, and underground mining in fresh rock only.

3. The MRE has been classified in the Indicated and Inferred categories following spatial continuity analysis and geological confidence. There are no Measured resources at the Oko Project this time.

4. Density varied regolith and weathering with ranges from 1.420 g/cm3 to 1.629 g/cm3 in the saprolite, 1.880 g/cm3 to 2.320 g/cm3 in the saprock and 2.650 g/cm3 to 2.763 g/cm3 in the fresh rock.

5. The calculated gold cut-off grades to report the MRE for surface mining vary from 0.23 g/t Au to 0.48 g/t Au in saprolite, and 0.28 g/t Au to 0.30 g/t Au in fresh rock. For underground mining the reporting cut-off grades vary in fresh rock from 1.21 g/t Au to 1.30 g/t Au.

6. The following economic parameters were used for generating cut-off grades:

 A gold price of US$2,500/oz.

 Metallurgical recoveries for the New Oko Discovery deposit are 93% in saprolite and 95% in fresh rock, for the North Oko and Oko Main deposits are 98% in saprolite and 98% in fresh rock, for the Ghanie are 96% in saprolite and 91% in fresh rock, and for Northwest Oko deposit are 48% in saprolite and 48% in fresh rock.

 Densities

 Mining open pit costs of US$2.5/t in saprolite and US$2.75/t in fresh rock were used with underground mining costs of US$75.0/t.

 Processing costs of US$12/t for saprolite and US$15/t for fresh rock.

 A General and Administration cost of US$2.5/t.

 For the New Oko Discovery deposit a transportation cost of $8/oz of gold was added.

 Royalties of 8% for surface mining and 3% for underground mining were applied to all deposits.

7. For surface mining the open pits used slope angles of 27 in saprolite and 47 in fresh rock.

8. The QP has considered that the transition between the OP mining and UG mining scenarios will result in the need for crown pillars. However, at this time, the crown pillars are considered to be recoverable, therefore the QP has considered them as part of the MRE.

9. The Oko Main deposit has had subcontracted mid-scale miners engaged in underground mining operations on the licence in the past. G2 has provided the QP with digitized vertical maps of the voids, as of 2022, and the current mineral resources have been discounted based upon this information. However, there are no updated surveys, maps or production records for the underground mining operations from 2022 to present. G2 is of the belief that there are no subcontracted miners currently present on the Oko, Ghanie and New Oko Discovery claims.

10. The Oko Main and Ghanie block models are orthogonal and use a parent block size of 10 m along strike, 3 m across strike, and 5 m in height, with minimum child block of 2 m x 0.5 m x 1 m. The Northwest Oko block model is rotated to 307 degrees, and uses a parent block size of 10 m along strike, 3 m across strike, and 10 m in height, with a minimum child block of 2 m x 1 m x 2 m. The Oko North block model is rotated 31 degrees, and uses a parent block size of 12 m along strike, 6 m across strike, and 6 m in height, with a minimum child block of 6 m x 1.5 m x 3 m. The New Oko Discovery block model is rotated 60 degrees, and uses a parent block size of 12 m along strike, 3 m across strike, and 3 m in height, with a minimum child block of 6 m x 1.5 m x 1.5 m.

11. The open pit optimization uses a re-blocked size of:

 9 m long by 10 m wide by 10 m high for the Oko Main and Ghanie deposits.

 9 m long by 12 m wide by 9 m high for the New Oko Discovery deposit.

 12 m long by 12 m wide by 12 m high for the North Oko deposit.

 9 m long by 10 m wide by 10 m high for the Northwest Oko deposit.

12. The underground optimization uses mining shapes of 20 m long by 30 m high for the Oko Main, Ghanie, and New Oko Discovery deposits, with a minimum mining width of 1.5 m.

13. The mineral resources described above have been prepared in accordance with the current Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Standards and Practices.

14. Mr. William J. Lewis, P.Geo. from Micon International Limited is the Qualified Person (QP) for this MRE.

15. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand tonnes and nearest hundred ounces. Differences may occur in totals due to rounding.

16. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves as they have not demonstrated economic viability. The quantity and grade of reported Inferred Mineral Resources are uncertain in nature and there has been insufficient exploration however, it is reasonably expected that a significant portion of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded into Indicated Mineral Resources with further exploration.

17. The QP has not identified any current legal, political, environmental, or other factors that could materially affect the potential development of the MRE.

Figure 2  Oko Project Plan View of All Deposits

Figure 3  OMZ & Ghanie Deposits Long Section Looking East: HG Blocks with OP and UG Mining Constraints

Figure 4  OMZ & Ghanie Deposits Vertical Section Looking North: HG Blocks with OP and UG Mining Constraints

Mining and Production

Mining at the Project is planned to integrate both conventional open pit mining methods and mechanized long hole open stoping underground mining. The OP mine will have a LOM of six years, including 2 years of pre-stripping, while the UG mine will have a LOM of 14 years, including 18 months of development.

The open pit mine is expected to have a production rate that averages 4,500 tpd over a 14-year LOM. A total of 124.1 Mt of waste rock is planned to be mined, with 5.4 Mt of mineralization in saprolite and 17.4 Mt of mineralization in fresh rock, for a total strip ratio of 5.4:1, at an average grade of 1.03 g/t Au containing 0.75 Moz Au. OP mine designs and production scheduling were developed using optimized pit shells generated at a gold price of US$2,500/oz, with pit shell selection informed by appropriate revenue factor analysis to balance near-term economics and LOM value. The resulting open pit mine plan supports conventional drill-and-blast mining using an owner-operated fleet, with material movement planned to utilize 13 haul trucks and 2 hydraulic excavators.

The UG operation will take place in three areas: OMZ, Ghanie and the New Oko Discovery and will employ a long hole open stoping mining method via ramps, including transverse stoping and longitudinal stoping variations. The average UG production rate is expected to be 1,900 tpd of mineralized material, comprising approximately 1,600 tpd from stope production and 300 tpd from lateral development, from each zone. A total of 21.3 Mt of mineralized material is expected to be mined at an average diluted gold grade of 3.9 g/t Au. UG mine designs were based on the following parameters: a gold price of US$2,500/oz, a minimum mining width of 1.5 meters, and area-specific cut-off grades ranging from 1.215 g/t Au (Oko) to 1.31 g/t Au (Ghanie). The plan incorporates an effective minimum mining width of 3.0 meters (post-dilution) and accounts for mining recovery factors of 95% for longitudinal stoping.

Figure 5 - Production Profile

Notes to Figure 5:

LOM averages for years 2-11; AISC based on a LOM gold price of US$3,000/oz Au





Processing and Recovery

The proposed process plant design for Oko is based on a standard metallurgical flowsheet to treat gold bearing material and produce dore. The process plant is designed to nominally treat 3.6 Mt per year and will consist of comminution, gravity concentration, cyanide leach and adsorption via CIL, carbon elution and gold recovery circuits. CIL tailings will be treated in a cyanide destruction circuit and pumped to a tailings storage facility. During the open pit operational period, the ramp-up period is 6 months.

Table 4: Metallurgical Recoveries

Feed Grade (g/t) Recovery (%) Mill Feed (%) Saprolite 0.87 93.3 12.0 Fresh Rock 2.60 94.1 88.0 Total (LOM) 2.39 94.0 100.0

Operating Costs

LOM total site costs are estimated at approximately $947 per ounce of gold produced, excluding royalty costs, as summarized below. The PEA incorporates two federal royalties: a 3.0% net smelter return (NSR) royalty for underground production and an 8.0% NSR royalty for open pit production. Precedence for these royalty rates is achieved from multiple large scale existing mining agreements in Guyana. The LOM AISC is estimated to be $1,191 per ounce of gold produced based on average annual gold production of 228,000 ounces over the 14-year LOM. Average annual production from years 2 through 11 is 281,000 ounces at an AISC of $1,137 per ounce.

Table 5: LOM Operating Costs Summary

Costs Unit Cost

(USD/t milled) Unit Cost

(USD/oz) Mining Costs - OP 9.26 128.14 Mining Costs - UG 34.21 473.23 Processing Costs 16.75 231.78 G&A Costs 7.53 104.22 Transport & Refining 0.66 9.17 Total Site Cost 68.42 946.54 Royalty Costs 8.71 120.49 Total Operating Cash Costs 77.13 1067.03 Sustaining Capex 8.29 114.70 Closure Costs 0.65 9.04 AISC1 86.07 1190.77

Note to Table 5: AISC and Total Operating Cash Costs are non-GAAP financial performance measures with no standardized definition under IFRS. Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures at the end of this press release.

Capital Costs

Initial capital costs are estimated at $664 million, including contingencies of $108 million (20%) with LOM sustaining costs estimated at $366 million. These estimates are based on current costs and quotes received from potential local vendors and references and experience from similar operations.

The main components of the $664 million initial capital costs (including contingencies) include: $278 million for the processing plant equipment and buildings plus $56 million indirect costs to construct the process plant, $96 million for mining equipment and surface preparation, $72 million for surface civil and infrastructure, $46 million for capitalized pre-stripping, and $116 million for owners costs. The main components of the $366 million sustaining capital expenditures include: $182 million for mining equipment, $74 million for tailings and water treatment, $62 million for process plant equipment, and $48 million contingency.

Table 6: Capital Cost Summary

Capital Costs US$M Initial Capital Expenditures (Includes 20% Contingency of $108 M) $664 Sustaining Capital Expenditures $366 Reclamation Costs (Net of Salvage Value) $29 Total Capital Expenditures  LOM $1,059 Total Capital Expenditure (per Ounce Sold)  LOM $332/oz

Note to Table 6: Sustaining capital expenditures is a non-GAAP financial performance measure and supplementary financial measure with no standardized definition under IFRS. Refer to Non-GAAP Financial Measures at the end of this press release.

Environmental and Permitting

With the completion of the PEA, the Company is now able to submit its preliminary mine design to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to apply for the environmental permit for the Oko Project. The permitting process involves obtaining environmental authorization from the EPA following the submission and approval of an Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), which the Company expects to file in Q1 2026.

As part of this process, and over the last two years, G2 has completed comprehensive environmental baseline studies via third party consultants. These studies were designed to recommend actions for effective Project design, regulatory compliance and to support the preparation of an ESIA as part of its environmental license submission. Importantly, the Project area is not designated as a priority conservation site and does not overlap with any protected or Indigenous lands.

The Company anticipates that, based on recent precedents in Guyana, the period from ESIA submission to receiving a temporary environmental permit to begin early works on the Project would be 24 months or less. The Companys permitting activities will be guided by ongoing stakeholder engagement and government consultations, ensuring compliance with environmental and social international standards.

Workforce

During mine construction, the workforce assumed in the PEA is projected to peak at approximately 1,250 personnel over an estimated 18-month period, in addition to the team required to undertake open-pit pre-stripping activities during the 6 months preceding commercial production. Once in operation, the mine and processing plant are expected to sustain an average workforce of approximately 800 employees. Operations are anticipated to run on a continuous schedule consisting of two 12-hour shifts per day, seven days a week.

Near-Mine Resource Growth Opportunities

Drilling continues to target open extensions of high-grade mineralization found immediately outside mineral resources where assays are pending on drilling with visible gold mineralization confirming the potential to add additional gold ounces (refer to press release dated October 27, 2025). Figure 7 highlights targets that collectively represent a robust pipeline of near-mine growth opportunities. Together they aim to extend known high-grade systems, test new mineralized structures, and build on the strong resource base already established.

Figure 6  Oko Project Plan View and Near-Mine resource Growth Targets

Endnotes

All references to Operating Cash Costs, AISC, EBITDA and Free Cash Flow are non-GAAP financial measures. These measures are intended to provide additional information to investors. They do not have any standardized meanings under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this document. Operating Cash Costs and AISC are calculated inclusive of open pit mining costs; treatment, transport and refining costs; processing and surface costs; G&A, royalties and other costs. These metrics are calculated on a payable gold ounce basis. All references to Sustaining Capital Expenditures and Sustaining Capex are supplementary financial measures. These measures are intended to provide additional information to investors. They do not have any standardized meanings under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Refer to the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of this document.

Data Validation

The drilling database used to estimate the MRE reported in this press release was reviewed by Micon. A site visit was conducted by William J. Lewis B.Sc. P.Geo., to inspect mineralized intervals, alteration assemblages and QA/QC protocols and to conduct field checks of trenches and to validate drill collars. Database verifications consisted of drill logs (including lithology, alteration, weathering), assay certificates, sample intervals, drill hole collars, downhole survey information and quality control/quality assurance (QA/QC) results validations.

QA/QC

Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located on the Project site, Guyana. Core samples from the program are cut in half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to MSALABS Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, which is an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. Samples from sections of core with obvious gold mineralisation are analysed for total gold using an industry-standard 500g metallic screen fire assay (MSALABS method MSC 550). All other samples are analysed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AA with atomic absorption finish (MSALABS method; FAS-121). Samples returning over 10.0 g/t gold are analysed utilizing standard fire assay gravimetric methods (MSALABS method; FAS-425). Certified gold reference standards, blanks, and field duplicates are routinely inserted into the sample stream, as part of G2 Goldfields QA/QC program. No QA/QC issues were noted with the results reported herein.

Technical Report and Qualified Person

The PEA is derived using the Companys updated MRE effective as of November 20, 2025. The effective date of the PEA is December 8, 2025, and the Technical Report prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 will be filed on the Companys website and under its SEDAR+ profile within 45 days of this news release.

Richard Gowans, P.Eng is responsible for metallurgy, recovery methods and process plant operating costs. William Lewis, P.Geo. is responsible for property description, geology, drilling, sampling and the mineral resource estimate. Peter Szkilnyk, P.Eng. and Moe Hashmi, P.Eng. are responsible for the mining methods and capital and operating costs related to the open pit and underground mining. Chris Jacobs, C.Eng, MIMMM, MBA is responsible for the economic analysis. William Lewis, P.Geo., is responsible for the environment and permitting aspects. All of the aforementioned persons are considered Qualified Persons for the purposes of NI 43-101) and have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.

Mineral Resources are estimated by William J. Lewis, P.Geo., from Micon with more than 35 years experience in mineral exploration, resource estimation and mining, worldwide. Mr. Lewis is considered a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release. The Qualified Person has verified the data underlying the MRE contained in this news release. There were no limitations imposed on the Qualified Person for verification of the data.

In addition, all scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dan Noone (CEO of G2 Goldfields Inc.), a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101. Mr. Noone (B.Sc. Geology, MBA) is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.

About Micon

Micon International Limited is a firm of senior geological, mining, metallurgical and environmental consultants headquartered in Toronto, Canada with an office in the United Kingdom. The professionals of Micon have extensive experience in mineral resource estimation. Micons practice is worldwide and covers all base and precious metals as well as rare earths and speciality minerals. The firms clients include major and junior mining companies, all the major Canadian banks and investment houses and a large number of financial institutions in other parts of the world, including developmental financial institutions and export credit agencies. Micons technical, due diligence and valuation reports are accepted by regulatory agencies such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission, the Australian Stock Exchange, and the London Stock Exchange.

About G2 Goldfields Inc.

G2 Goldfields finds and develops gold deposits in Guyana. The founders and principals of the Company have been directly responsible for the discovery of more than 11 million ounces of gold in the prolific and underexplored Guiana Shield. G2 continues this legacy of exploration excellence and success. Total combined open pit and underground resources across all 5 discoveries to date include:

1,910,300 oz. Au  Inferred contained within 17,970,000 tonnes @ 3.31 g/t Au

1,620,600 oz. Au  Indicated contained within 15,571,000 tonnes @ 3.24 g/t Au





The MRE was prepared by Micon International Limited with an effective date of November 20, 2025. The Oko district has been a prolific alluvial goldfield since its initial discovery in the 1870s, and modern exploration techniques continue to reveal the considerable potential of the district.

Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Companys website (www.g2goldfields.com).

On behalf of the Board of G2 Goldfields Inc.

Daniel Noone

CEO & Director

For Further Information

Jacqueline Wagenaar, VP Investor Relations

Direct: +1.416.628.5904 x.1150

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements about the anticipated timing of the Technical Report filing, the PEA and MRE, the estimated annual and total production, anticipated grade and recovery, anticipated submission of the ESIA, the receipt of the temporary environmental permit and timing thereof, the potential for Inferred Mineral Resources being upgraded to Indicated Mineral Resources with further exploration, anticipated workforce, estimated capital costs, operating costs, IRR, NPV 5% , AISC, operating cash costs, royalty costs, the future price of gold, cash flow, payback period, LOM and other future financial or operating performance of G2 and the Project, the advancement of the Project towards feasibility and construction, the operations of the Project including required infrastructure, mining and production methods, processing and recovery, workforce requirements and operating costs, exploration upside of near-mine resource and growth opportunities, and expectations regarding the Companys business and the Project. Wherever possible, words such as may, will, should, could, expect, plan, intend, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict or potential or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect managements current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including the risk factors set out in the Companys annual information form for the year ended May 31, 2025. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Indicated and 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 PEA will be realized.



Cautionary Note on Mineral Resources

This press release contains the terms Inferred and Indicated Mineral Resources. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the Inferred and Indicated Mineral Resources reported in this press release are or will be economically or legally mineable. Investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in the Inferred and Indicated Resource categories will ever be converted into a higher category of Mineral Resources or into Mineral Reserves. Under Canadian rules, estimates of Inferred Mineral Resources may not form the basis of feasibility studies. The Mineral Resources set out in this news release are estimates, and no assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved or that the Indicated level of recovery will be realized.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

G2 has included certain non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, such as total cash costs, AISC, EBITDA and free cash flow, which are not measures recognized under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. G2 has also included supplementary financial measures, such as sustaining capital expenditures or sustaining capex, which are not measures recognized under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. As a result, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures reported by other companies. Each of these measures used are intended to provide additional information to the user and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures prepared in accordance with IFRS. Non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release and common to the gold mining industry are defined below. As the Project is not in production, G2 and the QPs do not have historical non-GAAP financial measures or historical comparable measures under IFRS, and therefore the foregoing prospective non-GAAP financial measures or ratios presented may not be reconciled to the nearest comparable measure under IFRS.

Total Cash Costs and Total Cash Costs per Ounce

Total cash costs are reflective of the cost of production. Total cash costs reported in the PEA include mining costs, processing, general and administrative costs of the mine, off-site costs, refining costs, transportation costs and royalties. Total cash costs per ounce is calculated as total cash costs divided by payable gold ounces. Total cash costs capture the important components of the Projects production and related costs and are used by G2 and investors to understand projected cost performance at the Project.

All-In Sustaining Costs and All-In Sustaining Costs per Ounce

All-in sustaining costs and all-in sustaining costs per ounce are reflective of all of the expenditures that are required to produce an ounce of gold from operations. All-in sustaining costs reported in the PEA include total cash costs, sustaining capital expenditures, closure costs, but exclude corporate general and administrative costs. All-in sustaining costs per ounce is calculated as all-in sustaining costs divided by payable gold ounces. All-in sustaining Costs capture the important components of the Projects production and related costs and are used by G2 and investors to understand projected cost performance at the Project.

EBITDA

EBITDA reflects net income excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expenses. G2 believes that EBITDA is a valuable indicator for the Company and investors to understand the Projects ability to generate liquidity by producing operating cash flow.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow reflects cash from operations, less initial and sustaining capital expenditures and reclamation costs. G2 believes that free cash flow represents an additional way of viewing the Projects ability to generate liquidity as it is adjusted for expected capital expenditures.

Sustaining Capital Expenditures or Sustaining Capex

Sustaining capital expenditures or sustaining capex is a supplementary financial measure which reflects cash-basis expenditures which are expected to maintain operations and sustain production levels at the Project. G2 believes that sustaining capital expenditures provides the Company and investors an understanding of costs expected to be required to maintain existing production levels.
VANCOUVER, BC, Dec. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Soma Gold Corp. (TSXV: SOMA) (WKN: A2P4DU) (OTC: SMAGF) (the "Company" or "Soma") is pleased to announce that, following positive additional bench-scale sensor-based sorting ("SBS") test work, it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase and install a sensor-based sorting facility at its flagship El Bagre operation in Antioquia, Colombia. The total project budget for the pilot installation is approximately US$2.2 million. Commissioning of the sorting facility is targeted for the first half of 2026.

The recent test was intentionally performed on feed material with a lower average grade, targeting similar objectives as the initial test work, to assess the efficacy of sorting material across the range of grades encountered at Soma's operations in Colombia. A 990 kg bulk sample was split into three sub-samples: a coarse sample (-60 mm +25 mm), a middling sample (-25 mm +10 mm), and a combined sample (-60 mm +15 mm).

The data for the coarse fraction indicates 40% mass rejection and 97% metallurgical recovery, while the data for the middling sample indicates 50% mass rejection and 84% metallurgical recovery. The data for the combined feed test indicates 55% mass rejection and 95% metallurgical recovery, and the gold grade of the sorted material was upgraded by 62.5%. These results continue to demonstrate that mineralized material from the Cordero Mine is amenable to sensor-based sorting and that SBS technology can achieve desired gold grade targets with high mass rejection while minimizing the amount of metal lost to the reject stream.

Mark Bren, Soma's VP Operations, states, "We are pleased with the results of sensor-based sorting test work on material from the Cordero complex in Colombia. Our expectation is that we will experience similar results with material from satellite operations, including formalization targets and small, contractor-operated projects. Sensor-based sorting has the potential to significantly impact our operations by allowing us to increase gold production without adding plant capacity and to process mineralized material that has historically been below the processing cutoff grade. Investing in this technology and installing a pilot plant allows us to scale up to commercial-level processing of run-of-mine material, continue in-house evaluation of material from various sources, and adjust sorting parameters to optimize the sorted product for plant feed."

Qualified Person Statement

Mr. Chris Buchanan, P.Geo, is Soma's Vice-President of Exploration and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Buchanan has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this press release.

ABOUT SOMA GOLD

Soma Gold Corp. (TSXV: SOMA) is a profitable mining company focused on gold production and exploration. The Company owns over 430 sq. kilometers of mineral concessions following the prolific OTU fault in Antioquia, Colombia and two fully permitted mills located within 25 kilometers of each other, with a combined milling capacity of 675 tpd. The El Bagre Mill operates at 450 TPD and the El Limon mill restarted operations in Q3 2025. Internally generated funds are being used to finance a regional exploration program.

With a solid commitment to sustainability and community engagement, Soma Gold Corp. is dedicated to achieving excellence in all aspects of its operations.

The Company also owns an exploration property near Tucuma, Para State, Brazil that is currently under option to Ero Copper Corp.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Geoff Hampson"

Chief Executive Officer and President

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.

All statements, analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. 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. 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. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
Highlights include 1.26% copper, 0.01% tin, 2.3 g/t silver over 6 meters and 1.01% copper, 0.16% tin, 4.5 g/t silver over 5 meters

Downhole electromagnetics indicates that higher-grade La Romana copper mineralization extends and plunges to the northwest a further 125 meters

Maiden Escacena Mineral Resource Estimate progressing and to be announced upon completion

VANCOUVER, BC , Dec. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Pan Global Resources Inc. ("Pan Global" or the "Company") (TSXV: PGZ) (OTCQB: PGZFF) (FRA: 2EU) is pleased to announce positive results for six step-out drillholes at the La Romana target ("La Romana"), in the Company's 100%-owned Escacena Project ("Escacena") in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, southern Spain. These drillholes targeted extensions of the mineralization for inclusion in a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. A total of 192 drillholes totalling 38,734 meters have been drilled to date at the La Romana copper-tin-silver deposit.

Drill highlights

Drillhole LRD189 2.0m at 1.63% CuEq 1 (1.55% Cu, 0.01% Sn, 11.2 g/t Ag) from 86m, and 5.0m at 1.46% CuEq 1 (1.01% Cu, 0.16% Sn, 4.5 g/t Ag) from 185m, including 1.0m at 3.02% CuEq 1 (2.47% Cu, 0.19% Sn, 9.2 g/t Ag)

Drillhole LRD191 6.0m at 1.31% CuEq 1 (1.26% Cu, 0.01% Sn, 2.3 g/t Ag) from 122m, including 1.0m at 4.77% CuEq 1 (4.63% Cu, 0.03% Sn, 9.6 g/t Ag)



"The La Romana mineralized trend shows excellent continuity extending over 1.7km east-west. The latest drill results extend the higher-grade copper-tin mineralization down-dip, confirming that it remains open to the north and northwest. Copper mineralization identified in the hanging wall and footwall of the main mineralization body could potentially be captured in a conceptual open pit. Additional step out drilling planned for 2026 is expected to further extend the strike of La Romana mineralized trend," said Tim Moody, President and CEO.

The Company is progressing with the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate for the Escacena Project and will announce the results upon completion.

Key results:

Step-out drilling focused on testing for extensions of higher-grade copper mineralization down-dip and along strike to further delineation of the deposit for a maiden resource

The results confirm copper-tin mineralization continues and extends down-dip on several sections

Drillholes LRD191 with 1.26% Cu over 6m, and LRD189 with 1.01% Cu, 0.16% Sn, 4.5 g/t Ag over 5m, both confirm the high-grade copper and tin mineralization continues a further 50m down-dip and remains open

Results also confirm additional near-surface copper intercepts in the hanging wall and in the footwall to the main mineralization

Higher-grade copper mineralization in the western extension is indicated to plunge to the northwest a further 125m based on downhole electromagnetics

Table 1  Selected Drill Results from La Romana (LRD187 to LRD192); intervals are downhole lengths; all holes approx. true thickness

Drillhole From To Interval CuEq1 Cu Sn Ag Pb Zn m m m % % % g/t ppm ppm LRD187 104.00 107.00 3.00 0.44 0.41 0.01 1.2 16 89 including 106.00 107.00 1.00 1.14 1.09 0.02 2.2 41 143 and 142.00 147.00 5.00 0.20 0.18 0.01 <0.5 4 52 LRD188 40.0 43.0 3.00 0.25 0.24 <0.01 1.3 24 71 and 89.0 94.0 5.00 0.28 0.26 0.01 0.5 2 26 and 147.0 150.0 3.00 0.47 0.33 0.05 0.8 5 58 and 164.0 180.0 16.00 0.26 0.03 0.08 <0.5 6 60 including 172.0 180.0 8.00 0.34 0.05 0.11 <0.5 7 59 and 188.0 189.55 1.55 0.18 0.15 0.01 <0.5 1 77 LRD189 39 43 4 0.30 0.29 <0.01 1.2 25 25 and 56 58 2 0.47 0.45 <0.01 2.2 192 248 and 86 88 2 1.63 1.55 0.01 11.2 98 613 and 98 99 1 0.38 0.36 0.01 1.4 36 109 and 185 190 5 1.46 1.01 0.16 4.5 318 932 including 189 190 1 3.02 2.47 0.19 9.2 162 620 LRD190 155 170 15 0.18 0.15 0.01 0.5 16 83 LRD191 34 35 1 0.35 0.31 <0.01 6.4 573 1300 and 122 128 6 1.31 1.26 0.01 2.3 16 108 including 127 128 1 4.77 4.63 0.03 9.6 39 217 and 171 177 6 0.41 0.31 0.04 0.4 13 56 LRD192 68 72 4 0.86 0.83 <0.01 2.9 23 106 including 68 72 3 1.06 1.03 <0.01 3.6 27 105 and 214 222 8 0.31 0.27 0.01 1.6 145 434 and 220 222 2 0.34 0.32 0.00 1.8 87 432 and 249 270 21 0.25 0.17 0.03 2.2 248 690 including 249 253 4 0.56 0.34 0.07 4.6 556 1261 including 268 269 1 1.22 1.10 0.04 3.9 210 577

1 Copper Equivalent = CuEq. CuEq is calculated using Cu, Sn, and Ag grades. Metallurgical recoveries include 86% for Cu, 68% for Sn and 56% for Ag, based on preliminary studies performed by Wardell Armstrong International and MinePro. The CuEq calculation uses US$8,693/tonne Cu, US$ 29,069/tonne Sn and US$23.72/oz Ag, corresponding to the three-year monthly price averages to July 2023. The effective formula is [CuEq %] = [Cu %] + 2.6440 * [Sn %] + 0.0057 * [Ag ppm]

Table 2 Drillhole Collar Information (Total 1,525.20m)

Hole ID Easting2 Northing2 Azimuth () Dip () Length (m) LRD187 735722 4152959 180 -55 220.70 LRD188 735515 4153031 180 -55 189.55 LRD189 736394 4152863 180 -66 283.70 LRD190 736136 4152852 180 -60 293.20 LRD191 735822 4152926 210 -70 220.50 LRD192 736666 4152851 180 -55 317.55

2 Coordinate system: UTM29N ERTS89

About the Escacena Project and Escacena South areas

The Escacena Project and recently added Escacena South area comprises a large, contiguous mineral rights land package controlled 100% by Pan Global in the east of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. The area has been expanded from 5,760-hectares to more than 10,000-hectares with the award of the Flores, Rosario and Girasoles mineral rights in September 2025. Pan Global has also submitted four additional Investigation Permit applications covering 3,888-hectares (Inmaculada, Santa Isabel, Santa Micaela I and Santa Micaela II) that will further increase the mineral rights holdings in the Iberian Pyrite Belt to more than 13,900-hectares. Escacena is located near the operating mine at Riotinto and is immediately adjacent to the former Aznalcollar and Los Frailes mines where Minera Los Frailes (Grupo Mexico) is commencing a new underground mine development beneath the former Los Frailes open-pit mine. The Escacena Project hosts Pan Global's La Romana copper-tin-silver deposit, the Canada Honda copper-gold discovery, and a number of other prospective targets.

About Pan Global Resources

Pan Global Resources Inc. is actively exploring for copper-rich mineral deposits along with gold and other metals. Copper has compelling supply-demand fundamentals and outlook for strong long-term prices as a critical metal for global electrification and energy transition. Gold is also attracting record prices.

The Company's flagship Escacena Project is in the prolific Iberian Pyrite Belt mine trend in southern Spain, where a favourable permitting track record, excellent infrastructure, mining and professional expertise, and support for copper as a Strategic Raw Material by the European Commission collectively define a tier-one low-risk jurisdiction for mining investment. The Company's second project, at Carmenes in northern Spain, is also an area with a long mining history and excellent infrastructure. The Pan Global team comprises proven talent in exploration, discovery, development, and mine operations - all of which are committed to operating safely and with utmost respect for the environment and our partnered communities. The Company is a member, and operates under the principles, of the United Nations Global Compact.

To learn more about Pan Global Resources, please visit the Company's Curation Connect showcase and explore AI-generated responses to your enquiries at https://app.curationconnect.com/company/Pan-Global-Resources-44037?utm_source=pg_mediareleases

Qualified Persons

Alvaro Merino, Vice President Exploration for Pan Global Resources, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Merino holds a BSc in Geology, is a Mining Technical Engineer, and a registered member of the European Federation of Geologists (EFG), with the EuroGeol designation. He has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this media release. Mr. Merino is not independent of the Company.

Sampling details and QA/QC

Core size was HQ (63mm) and all samples were  core. Nominal sample size was 1m core length and ranged from 0.5 to 2m. Sample intervals were defined using geological contacts with the start and end of each sample physically marked on the core. Diamond blade core cutting and sampling was supervised at all times by Company staff. Duplicate samples of  core were taken approximately every 30 samples and Certified Reference materials inserted every 25 samples in each batch.

Samples were delivered to ALS laboratory in Seville, Spain and assayed at the ALS laboratory in Ireland. All samples were crushed and split (method CRU-31, SPL22Y), and pulverized using (method PUL-31). Multielement analysis was undertaken using a fouracid digest with ICPAES finish (method MEICP61). Overgrade base metal results were assayed using a fouracid digest with ICPAES (method OG62). Tin (Sn) were analyzed by lithium borate fusion with ICPMS finish (method MS85), which provides a total digestion of resistant mineral phases.

www.panglobalresources.com

Forward-looking statements

Statements which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. It is important to note that actual outcomes and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information included in this media release are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental, environmental, and technological factors that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products, and prices. Readers should refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis of its audited financial statements filed with the British Columbia Securities Commission.

The forward-looking information contained in this media release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this media release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this 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.
All monetary amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars, unless otherwise indicated.

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 19, 2025) - Highlander Silver Corp. (TSX: HSLV) ("Highlander Silver") and Bear Creek Mining Corporation (TSXV: BCM) (OTCQX: BCEKF) (BVL: BCM) ("Bear Creek") are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") whereby Highlander Silver and Bear Creek have agreed to combine their respective businesses by way of a plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). The combined company will be managed by the Highlander Silver executive team, supported by key Bear Creek personnel.

Corporate Highlights

Creates a leading growth company in the silver sector by adding the Corani silver project (the "Corani Project"), one of the largest primary silver deposits in the world, to a foundation supported by the bonanza grade San Luis gold-silver project

Leading management team with proven expertise in delivering rapid growth while advancing projects in South America in partnership with community and government stakeholders

Combined company's strong shareholder base includes global institutions and strategic shareholders, Augusta Capital, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott; Highlander's balance sheet remains well-capitalized and debt free post-transaction

Flagship Assets

San Luis Gold-Silver Project - Ancash, Peru

Hosts Indicated Mineral Resources of 356 koz gold ("Au") at 24.4 g/t Au and 8.4 Moz silver ("Ag") at 579 g/t Ag, ranking among the 10 highest grade projects globally in both gold and silver categories

Rapidly growing Bonita zone discovery has returned robust drilling results, recently including 23.9m of 20.82 g/t Au and 31.53 g/t Ag (BOD-023); 23.6m of 15.56 g/t Au and 74.49 g/t Ag (BOD-021); 23.4m of 11.70 g/t Au and 26.10 g/t Ag (BOD-022) 1

Geophysics and drilling plans to be released in the New Year and set the stage for the next phase of growth at Bonita while permitting advances

Corani Project - Puno, Peru

One of the largest primary silver deposits in the world, with permitting well advanced and supporting community agreements in place

2019 Feasibility Study (as defined below) using US$18/oz silver: US$532m NPV5% and 22.9% after-tax IRR; 9.6 Moz average annual silver production over LOM at AISC 2 of US$4.55/oz silver

Proven & Probable reserves of 229 Moz silver; measured and indicated mineral resources (inclusive of mineral reserves) of 323 Moz silver, and additional inferred mineral resources of 84 Moz silver

Growth opportunity that has not seen exploration drilling in the last decade with exploration opportunities to the north, northeast and south, and a related gold zone and porphyry target to pursue

Mercedes Gold-Silver Mine - Sonora, Mexico

Operating underground mine with underutilized 2,000 tpd processing plant and associated infrastructure; 2024 production of 40,220 oz gold and 217,676 oz silver

Large and highly prospective land package of 69,284 ha within prolific belt; main corridor of veins open under cover for over 6km of largely untested prospective strike, with numerous other targets to pursue across multiple styles of mineralization

Represents an attractive gold asset with significant upside that Highlander will seek to align with a well-funded responsible operator which can prioritize investing in its long-term future

Daniel Earle, President and CEO of Highlander Silver, commented, "I am delighted to present this transaction to our shareholders, which allows us to scale into the emerging structural bull market for silver beyond our bonanza grade San Luis project. The Corani Project is already one of the largest primary silver deposits in the world yet still offers robust growth and discovery potential. To Bear Creek Shareholders, I'd like to extend a warm welcome and commit to honour the legacy of your company as a trailblazer in Peruvian silver exploration by surfacing the full potential of the Corani Project within our portfolio."

Eric Caba, President and CEO of Bear Creek, commented, "I am extremely excited to realize the combination of Bear Creek with Highlander Silver, which will result in a robust, silver-focused enterprise with a significant mineral inventory, a clean balance sheet and a clear path to growth lead by our flagship Corani Project."

Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, Chair, and Peter Mitchell, Special Committee Chair of Bear Creek, respectively, add, "The Highlander Arrangement is a comprehensive solution that first and foremost provides exciting future opportunities for Bear Creek Shareholders to realize value from the Corani Project and participate in Highlander's San Luis project, and secondly provides an elegant solution that eliminates their substantial exposure to Bear Creek's liquidity and debt issues. After a thorough and disciplined strategic review process, engaging with numerous potential counterparties and carefully considering multiple alternative offers, we are extremely pleased to have negotiated the Arrangement with Highlander Silver, which provides the best path forward for our shareholders."

Bill Heissenbuttel, President and CEO of Royal Gold, commented, "With this transaction, Corani is moving into the hands of a well-capitalized company with a management team that has experience advancing large-scale projects in Latin America. I am pleased to see this transaction materialize, as it increases Royal Gold's exposure to the potentially large-scale and long-life Corani Project, and also furthers our objective of simplifying the portfolio we acquired with Sandstorm Gold by converting non-core assets into interests that fit our business model."

Bear Creek Strategic Review and Benefits of the Arrangement to Bear Creek Shareholders

Bear Creek undertook a formal comprehensive and thorough strategic review process (the "Strategic Review") over the past nine months to explore and evaluate the strategic and financial options available to Bear Creek with the ultimate view of restoring balance sheet strength and enhancing value for shareholders. Bear Creek's Special Committee, with the assistance of its legal and financial advisors, engaged with more than 100 parties and carried out an exhaustive analysis of multiple incoming proposals including joint venture, asset and corporate transactions. The Special Committee determined the Highlander Arrangement to be the superior offer in the best interests of the shareholders of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Shareholders").

Benefits to Bear Creek Shareholders

Continued Exposure to the Corani Project: Creates a near-term and executable pathway to construction and operation of the Corani Project - one of the world's largest fully permitted silver polymetallic deposits with 229 million ounces of silver and 4.4 billion pounds combined lead and zinc in proven and probable mineral reserves - unlocking long-underappreciated value for Bear Creek Shareholders.

Complementary Assets: Combines the Corani Project's substantial silver mineral reserves with Highlander's rapidly-advancing San Luis gold-silver development property to establish a top tier precious and base metal inventory and an organic pipeline of projects in Peru providing near and long term growth.

Stabilizes Bear Creek's Working Capital: Private Placement (as defined below) in the common shares of Bear Creek ("Bear Creek Shares") by Highlander Silver provides immediate liquidity and demonstrates Highlander Silver's confidence in the Arrangement.

Sound Financial Footing: Participation in a financially robust pro-forma company with a strong cash position, no debt, and a strong group of supportive shareholders including the Augusta Group, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott. The Arrangement eliminates Bear Creek's debt and stream burden (totaling US$121 million as at September 30, 2025) and significantly reduces liquidity and going concern risk for Bear Creek Shareholders.

Enhanced Capital Markets Profile: Participation in a growth-oriented company with increased critical mass, having a combined equity market capitalization of approximately $625 million, which will benefit from increased liquidity and the potential to amplify market exposure and normalize price to net asset value ratios.

Insider Support: All directors and officers of Bear Creek, as well as Bear Creek's largest shareholders, Royal Gold, Inc. ("Royal Gold") and Equinox Gold Corp. ("Equinox"), have signed voting support agreements in favour of the Arrangement, representing approximately 34% of the outstanding Bear Creek Shares.

Debt Restructuring: Outstanding debt obligations with Equinox and affiliates of Royal Gold are restructured in a manner which preserves Bear Creek Shareholders' exposure to the Corani Project.

Details of the Arrangement

Bear Creek and Highlander Silver entered into a definitive Arrangement Agreement on December 18, 2025, pursuant to which Highlander Silver will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).

Bear Creek Shareholders will receive 0.1175 common shares in the capital of Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Shares", and such ratio being the "Exchange Ratio") in exchange for each Bear Creek Share held immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement. Upon completion of the Arrangement, existing holders of Highlander Shares ("Highlander Shareholders") and former Bear Creek Shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the total issued and outstanding Highlander Shares, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis.

Highlander Silver expects to issue an aggregate of approximately 34,450,672 Highlander Shares to the Bear Creek Shareholders, based on the Bear Creek Shares outstanding as at the date of this announcement. Highlander Silver may also issue up to approximately 346,253 additional Highlander Shares subject to, as part of the Arrangement, the conversion into Bear Creek Shares of certain convertible securities of Bear Creek at the effective time of the Arrangement. In-the-money stock options (as determined to be "in-the-money" as at the date of the Arrangement Agreement), restricted share units (the "RSUs") and deferred share units (the "DSUs") of Bear Creek outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement will (whether vested or unvested) immediately vest and be converted, as a step in the Arrangement, into Bear Creek Shares and the holders thereof will receive the number of Highlander Shares to which they are entitled for such Bear Creek Shares under the Arrangement based on the Exchange Ratio. Out-of-the-money options of Bear Creek (as determined to be "out-of-the-money" as at the date of the Arrangement Agreement) will be cancelled without any payment and such out-of-the-money optionholders will cease to have any rights under such cancelled options.

The outstanding warrants of Bear Creek will be treated in accordance with their terms and are expected to continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") under the symbol "BCM.WT". After giving effect to the Arrangement, Bear Creek warrants will become exercisable into Highlander Shares.

In addition, Highlander Silver has also entered into agreements with affiliates of Royal Gold and Equinox to settle all of Bear Creek's outstanding indebtedness owing to such parties, subject to the completion of the Transaction (the "Debt Settlement Arrangements" and together with the Arrangement, the "Transaction").

The Transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to the receipt of all required court, regulatory and stock exchange approvals. Following completion of the Arrangement, the Highlander Shares will remain listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Bear Creek Shares will be delisted from the TSXV.

Debt Settlement Arrangements

Highlander Silver has entered into definitive agreements to: (i) settle outstanding debt obligations owing by Bear Creek to Equinox and certain affiliates of Royal Gold; and (ii) terminate the gold and silver stream obligations between Bear Creek and an affiliate of Royal Gold under the Mercedes streaming arrangement.

Royal Gold will receive cash consideration of US$6.2 million, an incremental 1.75% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project and an unsecured 2% net smelter return royalty on the Mercedes mine, together with certain parent guarantees from Highlander Silver. Royal Gold's existing 1% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project will remain in place, such that Royal Gold will hold an aggregate 2.75% secured net smelter return royalty on the Corani Project (the "Corani NSR"). Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.5% of the Corani NSR for US$25 million until the earlier of: (i) January 1, 2033; and (ii) the date that is 6 months after a final investment decision ("FID") is made. If the FID is obtained before December 31, 2028, Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.75% of the Corani NSR for US$30 million.

Equinox will receive US$1.6 million of cash consideration and a 0.5% unsecured net smelter royalty on the Corani Project (the "Equinox NSR"). Highlander Silver will be permitted to buy back 0.167% of the Equinox NSR for US$8.3 million until the earlier of: (i) January 1, 2033; and (ii) the date that is 6 months after an FID.

The Debt Settlement Arrangements are conditional upon closing the Arrangement.

Concurrent with execution of the Arrangement Agreement, both Royal Gold and Equinox have agreed to extend the interest accrual period on Bear Creek's convertible debts owing to both parties from December 31, 2025 to the earlier of (i) the closing date of the Arrangement and (ii) the termination of the Arrangement Agreement in accordance with its terms (the "Interest Deferral"). As at September 30, 2025, approximately $3.9 million of interest was accrued and payable to the parties. The fixed gold delivery obligations to Royal Gold under the Mercedes streaming arrangement will continue until the closing of the Arrangement.

Each of Royal Gold and Equinox is a "related party" of the Bear Creek and the Debt Settlement Arrangements and the Interest Deferral constitute "related party transactions" (as each term is defined in the policies of the TSXV and MI 61-101). Bear Creek intends to rely on the specified markets exemption from the formal valuation requirement set forth in subsection 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 and intends to seek approval from disinterested shareholders of Bear Creek, excluding for this purpose the votes held by any person required under MI 61-101 at the Bear Creek Meeting (as defined below).

Concurrent Non-Brokered Private Placement

Concurrently with the entering into of the Arrangement Agreement, Highlander Silver has entered into a subscription agreement with Bear Creek pursuant to which Highlander Silver will subscribe for 50,000,000 Bear Creek Shares at a price of $0.36 per Bear Creek Share for gross proceeds of $18 million to acquire approximately 14.6% ownership stake in Bear Creek (the "Private Placement"). The proceeds from the Private Placement will be used by Bear Creek for bonding, site investigation, exploration and studies at the Corani Project and for general working capital purposes at Mercedes. Closing of the Private Placement is expected to be completed on December 30, 2025 and is not contingent on the completion of the Arrangement.

The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSXV and other customary regulatory approvals. No finder's fee is payable in connection with the Private Placement. The Bear Creek Shares issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period, pursuant to securities laws in Canada. The Bear Creek Shares issued under the Private Placement have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of Bear Creek, nor shall there be any offer or sale of any securities of Bear Creek in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

Pursuant to the Arrangement, Bear Creek Shares held by Highlander Silver will be cancelled in accordance with the terms of the Arrangement Agreement and no Highlander Shares or other compensation will be issued in connection with such cancellation.

Transaction Conditions and Timing

The Arrangement will be effected by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and will require the approval of: (i) at least 66% of votes cast by Bear Creek Shareholders, (ii) 66% of the votes cast by the Bear Creek Shareholders and holders of the stock options, RSUs and DSUs (collectively, the "Bear Creek Securityholders"), voting together as a single class, and, if required, (iii) a simple majority of the votes cast by disinterested shareholders of Bear Creek, excluding for this purpose the votes held by any person required under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions.

The Arrangement will require approval of a simple majority of votes cast by Highlander Shareholders.

The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations and warranties for a transaction of this nature as well as customary interim period covenants regarding the operation of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's businesses. The Arrangement Agreement also includes customary deal protections in favour of each of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek. With respect to Highlander Silver, these protections include fiduciary-out provisions, non-solicitation covenants, and a right to match any superior proposals. With respect to Bear Creek, these protections include a fiduciary-out provision. The Arrangement Agreement includes a termination fee of $8 million payable by Bear Creek in the event the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances and a reverse-termination fee of $8 million payable by Highlander Silver in the event the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances.

In addition to securityholder and court approvals, the Arrangement is subject to applicable regulatory approvals, stock exchange approvals and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the U.S. Securities Act, or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the Arrangement are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

Further details of the Arrangement, will be included in separate management information circulars to be prepared by each of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Circular") and Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Circular") that will be delivered to Bear Creek Shareholders and Highlander Shareholders, respectively, in advance of the meeting of Bear Creek Securityholders (the "Bear Creek Meeting") and the meeting of Highlander Shareholders (the "Highlander Meeting"), each of which are anticipated to be held in February 2026. A copy of the Arrangement Agreement will be made available on Bear Creek's and Highlander Silver's SEDAR+ profiles at www.sedarplus.ca. The Bear Creek Circular and Highlander Circular will also be made available on Bear Creek's and Highlander Silver's SEDAR+ profiles in advance of the Bear Creek Meeting and the Highlander Meeting.

Boards of Directors' Recommendation

The board of directors of Highlander Silver (the "Highlander Board"), after consultation with its outside financial and legal advisors, unanimously approved, among other things, the Arrangement, the subscription for Bear Creek Shares under the Private Placement and the Debt Settlement Arrangements. The Highlander Board has determined the Arrangement is in the best interests of Highlander Silver and the Highlander Board unanimously recommends that the Highlander Shareholders vote in favour of approving the Arrangement at the Highlander Meeting.

Based on the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of independent directors of Bear Creek (the "Special Committee") and after consultation with its outside financial and legal advisors, the board of directors of Bear Creek (the "Bear Creek Board") unanimously approved the Arrangement and has determined the Arrangement is in the best interests of Bear Creek, and that the consideration to be received by Bear Creek Shareholders is fair, from a financial point of view, to Bear Creek Shareholders. The Bear Creek Board unanimously recommends that Bear Creek Shareholders vote in favour of approving the Arrangement at the Bear Creek Meeting.

BMO Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. have provided fairness opinions to the Bear Creek Board in connection with the Transaction.

Voting Support Agreements

Each of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's directors and officers support the Transaction and have entered into customary voting support agreements agreeing to vote their Highlander Shares or Bear Creek Shares, respectively, in favor of the Arrangement. Royal Gold and Equinox have also entered into a voting support agreement with Highlander Silver to vote their Bear Creek Shares in favour of the Arrangement, resulting in approximately 34% of all issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares and 31% of all issued and outstanding Highlander Shares being subject to voting support agreements to support the Transaction. The voting support agreement may be terminated in certain circumstances, including, without limitation, upon termination of the Debt Settlement Arrangements (in the case of Royal Gold) or the Arrangement Agreement.

Advisors and Counsel

Canaccord Genuity Corp. and Minmetals Securities Co., Ltd., headquartered in China, are acting as financial advisors to Highlander Silver. Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP is acting as legal advisor to Highlander Silver.

BMO Capital Markets and BLB Advisory EIRL are acting as financial advisors to Bear Creek. Stifel Nicolaus Canada Inc. is acting as independent financial advisor to the Special Committee. Borden Ladner Gervais LLP is acting as Canadian legal advisors to Bear Creek.

About Highlander Silver

Highlander Silver is primarily focused on advancing the bonanza grade San Luis gold-silver project that is located adjacent to the past-producing Pierina mine in Central Peru. San Luis hosts Indicated Mineral Resources of 356 koz Au at 24.4 g/t Au and 8.4 Moz Ag at 579 g/t Ag and ranks among the 10 highest grade projects globally in both gold and silver categories3. Highlander Silver's significant shareholders include the Augusta Group, which boasts an exceptional track record of value creation totaling over $4.5 billion in exit transactions, and strategic shareholders, the Lundin family and Eric Sprott.

About Bear Creek

Bear Creek is a precious metals producer with a fully permitted development asset, the Corani Project in Puno, Peru, one of the largest fully permitted silver deposits in the world which is highlighted by its substantial mineral reserves and mineral resources, low estimated operating costs and overwhelming community support. The Mercedes mine in Sonora, Mexico is a cash flow generating gold mine with operational upside and exciting exploration potential.

Early Warning Disclosure - Royal Gold

Royal Gold beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, or exercises control or direction over 58,381,399 Bear Creek Shares representing approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Bear Creek Shares on a non-diluted basis.

Bear Creek's head office is located at Suite 3200, 733 Seymour Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 0S6, Canada. Royal Gold's head office is located at 1144 15th St., Suite 2500, Denver, Colorado, 80202, United States.

The Bear Creek Shares are held for investment purposes. Subject to the voting support agreement, Royal Gold and its affiliates may, from time to time, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its beneficial ownership, control or direction over securities of Bear Creek through market transactions, private agreements or otherwise.

An early warning report will be filed by Royal Gold on Bear Creek's SEDAR+ profile and may also be obtained by contacting Royal Gold at 1144 15th Street, Suite 2500, Denver, Colorado, 80202, United States, Attention: Alistair Baker, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Business Development, Tel: (303) 573-1660.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release contains the performance measure all-in sustaining costs (AISC) which is derived from the 2019 Feasibility Study that is not defined under IFRS (the "Non-GAAP Financial Measure"). Bear Creek believes that this Non-GAAP Financial Measure, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, provide investors an improved ability to evaluate the Corani Project.

The Non-GAAP Financial Measure is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS as an indicator of performance. The Non-GAAP Financial Measure does not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore may not be comparable to other issuers with similar descriptions.

Scientific and Technical Information

Scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the Corani Project are taken from the technical report entitled, "Bear Creek Mining Corani Project NI 43-101 Technical Report" dated December 17, 2019 (the "2019 Feasibility Study"). Scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the Mercedes mine are taken from the technical report entitled, "NI 43-101 Technical Report Mercedes Gold - Silver Mine Sonora State, Mexico" dated September 30, 2024.

Technical information contained in this news release with respect to Bear Creek has been reviewed and approved by Donald Mc Iver, Fellow SEG and Fellow Aus-IMM. Mr. Mc Iver is Vice President, Exploration and Geology of Bear Creek Mining Corporation, who is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (''NI 43-101'').

Unless otherwise noted, scientific and technical information in the news release relating to the San Luis Project are taken from the technical report entitled, "Technical Report on the San Luis Property" dated January 15, 2025.

Technical information contained in this news release with respect to Highlander Silver has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration, Highlander Silver, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Forward-looking statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements regarding: the proposed acquisition by Highlander Silver of all of the Bear Creek Shares pursuant to the Arrangement and the terms thereof; the receipt of necessary shareholder, court and regulatory approvals for the Arrangement; the anticipated timeline for completing the Transaction; the treatment of the Bear Creek warrants and the continued listing of the same; the timing of the Bear Creek Meeting and Highlander Meeting and mailing of the management information circulars regarding the same; the Interest Deferral and Debt Settlement Arrangements; the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Transaction will be completed, if at all; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction; and the anticipated filing of materials on SEDAR+. These forward-looking statements are no guarantees of future results and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the potential results discussed in the forward-looking statements.

In respect of the forward-looking statements, Highlander Silver and Bear Creek have relied on certain assumptions that they believe are reasonable at this time, including assumptions as to the ability of the parties to receive, in a timely manner and on satisfactory terms, the necessary regulatory, court, shareholder, stock exchange and other third party approvals and the ability of the parties to satisfy, in a timely manner, the other conditions to the completion of the Transaction. This timeline may change for a number of reasons, including unforeseen delays in preparing meeting materials; inability to secure necessary regulatory, court, shareholder, stock exchange or other third-party approvals in the time assumed or the need for additional time to satisfy the other conditions to the completion of the Transaction. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these times.

Risks and uncertainties that may cause such differences include but are not limited to: the risk that the Transaction or the Private Placement may not be completed on a timely basis, if at all; the conditions to the consummation of the Transaction or the Private Placement may not be satisfied; the risk that the Transaction or the Private Placement may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; the possibility that legal proceedings may be instituted against Highlander Silver, Bear Creek, and/or others relating to the Transaction or the Private Placement and the outcome of such proceedings; the possible occurrence of an event, change or other circumstance that could result in termination of the Transaction; risks relating to the failure to obtain necessary shareholder, court and stock exchange approvals; other risks inherent in the mining industry. Failure to obtain the requisite approvals, or the failure of the parties to otherwise satisfy the conditions to or complete the Transaction, Private Placement or Debt Settlement Arrangements, may result in the Transaction, Private Placement or Debt Settlement Arrangements not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. In addition, if the Transaction or Private Placement are not completed, the announcement of the Transaction and the Private Placement and the dedication of substantial resources of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek to complete the Transaction and the Private Placement could have a material adverse impact on each of Highlander Silver's and Bear Creek's share price, its current business relationships and on the current and future operations, financial condition, and prospects of each of Highlander Silver and Bear Creek.

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 news release.

Corani Project Mineral Reserve and Resource Statement

The mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates of the Corani Project set forth below have been taken from the 2019 Feasibility Study, a copy of which is filed on Bear Creek's SEDAR+ profile. Mineral Resources below are not mineral reserves and, as such, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Category Tonnes Silver Lead Zinc Silver Lead Zinc Mt g/t % % M oz M lb M lb Mineral Reserves Proven 20 59.7 1.00 0.60 39 450 269 Probable 118 49.9 0.88 0.55 190 2,292 1,426 Proven & Probable 139 51.3 0.90 0.55 229 2,742 1,694

Notes:

The Mineral Reserves have been estimated using the definitions of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM). The Mineral Reserves have been estimated using the following metal prices: US$20.00/oz silver, US$1.00/lb zinc, US$0.95/lb lead using a revenue factor 1.00 pit shell as a basis for the pit design. Only pre-mineral tuff type of material has been considered as reserves. NSR Cutoff grades used are equal or higher than: US$10.79/t. The effective date for these Mineral Reserves is 5 November 2019. Totals / Averages may not add up due to rounding of individual tonnes and grades. The tonnes and grades shown above are considered a Mineral Reserve because they have been demonstrated to be economically viable through the Corani Project financial model using the following metal prices: US$18.00/oz silver, US$1.10/lb zinc, US$0.95/lb lead.

Category Tonnes Silver Lead Zinc Silver Lead Zinc Mt g/t % % M oz M lb M lb Mineral Resources (inclusive of Mineral Reserves) Measured 31 50.0 0.79 0.49 49 534 329 Indicated 208 40.9 0.64 0.43 274 2,933 1,985 Measured & Indicated 239 42.1 0.66 0.44 323 3,466 2,313 Inferred 73 35.5 0.40 0.30 84 641 484

Notes:

Cutoff Value: US$10.79/tonne covers process and general and administrative costs. Mineral Resources are inclusive of Mineral Reserves The Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and, as such, do not have demonstrated economic viability.

1 See press releases: 'Highlander Silver Reports New Discovery of Kusy Zone at Bonita Returning Highest Grades to Date: 23.6m at 15.56 g/t Gold and 74.49 g/t Silver' - October 6, 2025 and 'Highlander Silver Reports Record Results and New Discovery: 23.9m at 20.82 g/t Gold and 31.53 g/t Silver and 23.4m at 11.70 g/t Gold and 26.10 g/t Silver in Shallow Drilling' - December 1, 2025

2 Non-GAAP Financial Measure, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures"

3 S&P Global rankings including the San Luis gold-silver project.
PERTH, Western Australia, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alkane Resources Limited (ASX: ALK; TSX: ALK; OTCQX: ALKEF) (Alkane or the Company) is pleased to announce the latest exploration results for depth drilling at the Storheden Deposit at its Bjorkdal Operation in northern Sweden.

Program Summary

The Storheden deposit is situated approximately 600m to the north of the active Bjorkdal mine that has produced 1.66M oz of gold since 1988 and has 1.40M oz in Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as at 30 June 2025 (20.35 Mt grading 2.14 g/t gold). 1

Drilling over two recent campaigns has focussed on the depth testing and potential resource extension below the initial Inferred Mineral Resource for the Storheden Deposit estimated in 2025 of approximately 99koz (1,769 Kt at 1.74 g/t gold). 1

Gold baring quartz veins have been intercepted to a depth of 464m bearing which more than doubles the previous tested depth of 200m. Additionally drilling to the east and west has extended the strike length of known mineralisation to over 2.7km. The deposit remains open with no indications of diminishing grade at depth.

The Bjorkdal style veining of Storheden is interpreted to be hosted in three favourable lithological units Akin to those that host Bjorkdal and it is interpreted that the two systems converge at depth.

Assay Highlights

From the Depth Testing campaign: 16.2 g/t gold over 0.70 m (ETW 0.60 m) in SH24-003 at 475 m; 14.0 g/t gold over 1.2 m (ETW 0.85 m) in SH24-004 at 317 m; 34.3 g/t gold over 1.6 m (ETW 0.68 m) in SH24-006 at 470 m.



From the Resource Extension campaign: 142.0 g/t gold over 0.60 m (ETW 0.25 m); 111.0 g/t gold over 0.50 m (ETW 0.25 m); and 41.4 g/t gold over 0.60 m (ETW 0.34 m) in SH25-006; 57.7 g/t gold over 0.50 m (ETW 0.41 m) in SH25-009; and 45.2 g/t gold over 0.50 m (ETW 0.38 m) in SH25-014.



Note: ETW refers to the Estimated True Width of the intercept. A full list of the Significant Storheden Intercepts can be found in Appendix 1.

Alkane Managing Director & CEO, Nic Earner, said: These highly encouraging results from the Storheden Deposit further support our understanding that the wider Bjorkdal system is vast and underexplored. Our focus for Bjorkdal is bringing higher grade ore through the processing plant by replacing low grade stockpile feed with underground ore. Storheden presents an opportunity to create a distinct production area alongside those already in production and achieve this goal.

________________________

1 Refer to ALK Announcement dated 15 October 2025 titled Bjorkdal Resources and Reserves Statement FY25.

Bjorkdal Mine

Alkane Resources Ltd 100%

The Bjorkdal deposit was originally discovered in 1983 by Terra Mining AB during a till sampling program which highlighted anomalous gold values in the glacial till profile. The discovery of in situ gold anomalism followed in 1985 and a definition drilling program began in early 1986. After successful infill drilling and feasibility studies were completed mining operations commenced in 1988 with open cut mining leading to the commencement of underground mining in 2012. Open cut mining was put on hold in 2019 with the majority of processing feed coming from the underground operations and supplemented by a low-grade stockpile that was built pre 2019 from the open cut mining.

The mineralisation at Bjorkdal is hosted within quartz filled tensional fractures predominantly underneath a marble horizon within a complex of volcano-sedimentary units.

Since mining has commenced approximately 1.66 million ounces of gold has produced from the site at an average feed grade of 1.49 g/t. Exploration has continued to grow the Mineral Resources and reserves with the current Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as at 30 June 2025 of 20.35 Mt grading 2.14 g/t gold.1

Alkane currently holds 211 square kilometres in exploration tenements and mining concessions centred on the Bjorkdal dome with a number of prospects actively explored and progressed over the past five years however the dominant focus of regional exploration has been on the Storheden deposit which is approximately 600m to the NNE of the current underground infrastructure.

Figure 1. Regional geological map showing the locations of exploration focus and the contiguous tenements around the Bjorkdal dome.

Storheden Gold Deposit

Gold mineralisation at Storheden was initially recognised by Terra Mining during the commencement of Bjorkdal operations in 1987. Base-of-till and bedrock samples obtained from this campaign outlined a NW-SE striking cluster of gold anomalies. These were subsequently targeted with successive campaigns of percussion (RC/DC) and diamond drilling by Terra Mining (1988-1997), GoldOre (2007-2011) and Mandalay Resources (2015-2017), together demonstrating mineralization in Bjorkdal-style quartz tension veins and shear-hosted veins.

Follow-up drilling in 2023 by Mandalay Resources Corporation tested the depth extension of auriferous veins at Storheden, while increasing the coverage of oriented drill core to better constrain the geometry of the mineralised system. This drilling doubled the known system depth to ~200m and confirmed system continuity over 1.6km. New confidence in veining continuity also led to the first Mineral Resource being reported for the project in 2025. A summary of the 2023 exploration results and Storheden resource are detailed in the Bjorkdal resource and reserve estimate released in October 20251

Since the reinvigoration of Storheden exploration in 2023, two drilling campaigns have been completed. In 2024 a depth testing campaign of 6,598m over 14 holes tested the deposit successfully at a depth of 464m with encouraging grades with 34.3 g/t gold over 1.6 m (ETW 0.68 m) in SH24-006 and 16.2 g/t gold over 0.70 m (ETW 0.60 m) in SH24-003 at vertical depths below surface of 443m of 436m respectively. As there was a significant distance between the depth testing campaign and the 2023 drilling the results of the 2024 deep drilling campaign were not included in the Inferred Mineral Resource estimated at the end of 2024.

Figure 2. Bjorkdal-Storheden overview map highlighting the 2024 and 2025 Storheden drilling campaigns.

Extension across strike was also a focus of the 2024 campaign and although the grades were relatively low, gold bearing veins were also intercepted in the furthest strike testing showing continuous mineralisation across 2.7km (Fig 3).

Figure 3. Long Section along confirmed Storheden mineralisation in relation to recent drilling results. Selected significant intercepts are annotated.

In 2025 the drilling campaign at Storheden had a narrower focus with the goals of further defining veining and ultimately building resources at depth where the potential exists to access the deposit from current underground workings. 7,938m meters over 14 holes was drilled into the interpreted core of the system. The closer spaced and oriented core also allowed for a more in-depth structural analysis of the veining.

Veining typical of Bjorkdal was seen in all holes with gold and tsumoite regularly identified within quartz (figure 4). Assay highlights of the program include 142.0 g/t gold over 0.60 m (ETW 0.25 m) and 111.0 g/t gold over 0.50 m (ETW 0.25 m) in SH25-006 as well as; 57.7 g/t gold over 0.50 m (ETW 0.41 m) in SH25-009 (figure 3).

Figure 4. Drill core photos from SH25-006 showing an intercept grading 142 g/t gold over 0.60 m (ETW 0.25 m) (A) and a close-up of mineralised quartz vein (B).

Geological Interpretation

The Storheden mineralisation stratigraphically overlies the Bjorkdal deposit and is hosted in mafic to intermediate volcanic successions of the Upper Skellefte group, close to the contact with sedimentary sequences in the Vargfors Group (fig. 1 and 5). Visible gold, Scheelite and Tsumoite have been intercepted in high-grade tension veins at Storheden, suggesting that mineralisation is derived from the same fluid source as the Bjorkdal deposit. However, rare disseminated Arsenopyrite may reflect a fluid contribution from nearby sedimentary sequences in the Vargfors Group

The Bjorkdal-Storheden system is hosted within a fold and thrust architecture on the northwestern margin of the Bjorkdal dome (fig. 1), where intersections of multiple generations of thrusts and strike-slip shears created favourable pathways for late mineralized fluids. Fluid flow was primarily localised along stratigraphic contacts characterised by significant rheological contrasts, which experienced repeated deformation during the transition from ductile to ductile-brittle conditions.

A key structure is the north-south striking, moderately west-dipping Cross fault (fig. 3), which extends across both the Bjorkdal and Storheden deposits and is parallel to the axial plane of the large fold hosting Bjorkdal and Storheden (fig. 1). High-grade mineralisation occurs as it intersects major stratigraphic contacts and interacts with other faults. These intersections provide a significant exploration target at depth in Storheden, as well as regionally across the Bjorkdal dome.

Due to the similar style of mineralisation and veining at Bjorkdal and Storheden, the two systems are interpreted to be connected at depth and share a common fluid source. Thickening of the stratigraphic sequence has led to a separation of the marble and Skellefte-Vargfors contact of approximately 750-1000 m at surface. However, the two contacts are projected to converge at depth and reach a level of separation comparable to other parts of the Bjorkdal dome structure (<200 m, see figure 1).

Figure 5. Cross section looking WNW showing the geographic relationship between the Bjorkdal deposit and mine to the left and the emerging Storheden system to the east.

Further Work

Interpretation from the two drilling campaigns is ongoing and the resource model is yet to be updated however the encouraging results so far and proximity to the current underground infrastructure highlight and already justify further drilling.

Alkane intends to recommence drilling in January 2026 and continue to grow the Resources and mineralisation framework at Storheden with the aim of creating a basis for a decision to mine. Upcoming programs will be focused on target zones defined from current drilling (A-C, see figures 2-3, 5), in which the lithostructural framework appear to have provided suitable conditions for quartz veining and mineralisation.

As well as the Storheden drilling Alkane will also continue to progress the Eastern Extension area and the North extension of the contiguous Bjorkdal deposit. The system does not yet show signs of diminishing gold endowment in these direction and exploration is ongoing as drilling platforms become available

This document has been authorised for release to the market by Nic Earner, Managing Director.

ABOUT ALKANE  www.alkres.com  ASX:ALK | TSX: ALK | OTCQX: ALKEF

Alkane (ASX:ALK; TSX:ALK; OTCQX:ALKEF) is an Australia-based gold and antimony producer with a portfolio of three operating mines across Australia and Sweden. The Company has a strong balance sheet and is positioned for further growth.

Alkanes wholly owned producing assets are the Tomingley open pit and underground gold mine southwest of Dubbo in Central West New South Wales, the Costerfield gold and antimony underground mining operation northeast of Heathcote in Central Victoria, and the Bjorkdal underground gold mine northwest of Skelleftea in Sweden (approximately 750 km north of Stockholm). Ongoing near-mine regional exploration continues to grow resources at all three operations.

Alkane also owns the very large gold-copper porphyry Boda-Kaiser Project in Central West New South Wales and has outlined an economic development pathway in a Scoping Study. The Company has ongoing exploration within the surrounding Northern Molong Porphyry Project and is confident of further enhancing eastern Australias reputation as a significant gold, copper and antimony production region.

Competent Persons Statement

As an Australian Company with securities listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Alkane is subject to Australian disclosure requirements and standards, including the requirements of the Corporations Act 2001 and the ASX. Investors should note that it is a requirement of the ASX Listing Rules that the reporting of ore reserves and mineral resources in Australia is in accordance with the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code) and that Alkane's ore reserve and mineral resource estimates and reporting comply with the JORC Code.

Alkane is also subject to certain Canadian disclosure requirements and standards as a result of its secondary listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), including the requirements of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Investors should note that it is a requirement of Canadian securities law that the reporting of mineral reserves and mineral resources in Canada and the disclosure of scientific and technical information concerning a mineral project on a property material to Alkane comply with NI 43-101.

Unless otherwise advised above, or in the relevant ASX announcements referenced, the information in this announcement that relates to exploration results, mineral resources and ore reserves is based on, and fairly represents, information compiled by Mr Chris Davis, who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a full-time employee of Alkane Resources Limited. Mr Davis has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity that is being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the JORC Code 2012 and as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr Davis consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which they appear. The information in this announcement that relates to previously reported exploration results, mineral resources and ore reserves is extracted from the Companys ASX announcements noted in the text of the announcement and available to view on the Companys website. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original announcements and that, in the case of estimates of mineral resources or ore reserves, that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the relevant market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Persons findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

Technical Reports released to the TSX or for TSX Market

The NI 43-101 compliant technical report titled NI 43-101 Technical Report, Bjorkdal Gold Mine, Sweden and dated 28 March 2025, with an effective date of 31 December 2024 supports the information contained herein and is available on the ASX and under Alkanes profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Reference should be made to the full text of the foregoing technical report for the assumptions, qualifications and limitations relating to the Mineral Resource Estimates and Ore Reserves contained therein and herein. All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in the technical reports continue to apply and have not materially changed.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This announcement contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation and may include future-oriented financial information or financial outlook information (collectively Forward-Looking Information). Actual results and outcomes may vary materially from the amounts set out in any Forward-Looking Information. As well, Forward-Looking Information may relate to: future outlook and anticipated events; expectations regarding exploration potential; production capabilities and future financial or operating performance, including AISC, investment returns, margins and share price performance; production and cost guidance and the timing thereof; issuing updated resources and reserves estimate and the timing thereof; the potential of Alkane to meet industry targets, public profile and expectations; and future plans, projections, objectives, estimates and forecasts and the timing related thereto.

Forward-Looking Information is generally identified by the use of words like "will", "create", "enhance", "improve", "potential", "expect", "upside", "growth" and similar expressions and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", or "should", or the negative connotation of such terms, are intended to identify Forward-Looking Information.

Although Alkane believes that the expectations reflected in the Forward-Looking Information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on Forward-Looking Information since no assurance can be provided that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-Looking Information is based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or good faith belief of the officers and directors of Alkane as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the Forward-Looking Information. Forward-Looking Information involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Such factors include, without limitation: risks relating to changes in the gold and antimony price.

Forward-Looking Information is designed to help readers understand Alkanes views as of that time with respect to future events and speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law, Alkane assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the Forward-looking Information. If Alkane updates any one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the company will make additional updates with respect to those or other Forward-looking Information. All Forward-Looking Information contained in this announcement is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement.

Disclaimer

Alkane has prepared this announcement based on information available to it. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy, completeness or correctness of the information, opinions or conclusions contained in this announcement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, none of Alkane, its directors, officers, employees, associates, advisers and agents, nor any other person accepts any liability, including, without limitation, any liability arising from fault or negligence on the part of any of them or any other person, for any loss arising from the use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection with it.

This announcement is not an offer, invitation, solicitation, or other recommendation with respect to the subscription for, purchase or sale of any security, and neither this announcement nor anything in it shall form the basis of any contract or commitment whatsoever.

CONTACT: NIC EARNER, MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO, ALKANE RESOURCES LTD, TEL +61 8 9227 5677

INVESTORS & MEDIA: NATALIE CHAPMAN, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, TEL +61 418 642 556

APPENDIX 1

Drilling Results

Storheden Gold Deposit

Significant intercepts from the 2024 and 2025 drilling programs at Storheden:

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Estimated

True Width

(m) Gold Grade

(g/t) Gold Grade

diluted to 1 m

(g/t) SH24-001 265.80 266.85 1.05 1.01 0.94 0.94 SH24-001 290.40 291.40 1.00 0.94 1.52 1.43 SH24-002 158.00 158.90 0.90 0.78 0.92 0.72 SH24-002 244.20 245.15 0.95 0.25 14.83 3.65 SH24-002 251.50 252.10 0.60 0.42 1.44 0.61 SH24-002 342.50 343.50 1.00 0.50 6.24 3.12 SH24-002 376.40 376.90 0.50 0.17 5.21 0.89 SH24-002 486.00 489.00 3.00 1.03 2.98 2.98 SH24-003 288.30 289.00 0.70 0.35 1.77 0.62 SH24-003 292.10 295.80 3.70 1.85 3.20 3.20 SH24-003 422.00 422.80 0.80 0.66 1.10 0.72 SH24-003 463.20 464.20 1.00 0.50 2.04 1.02 SH24-003 475.50 476.20 0.70 0.60 16.20 9.72 SH24-004 297.70 298.60 0.90 0.58 1.39 0.80 SH24-004 316.90 318.10 1.20 0.85 14.00 11.88 SH24-004 321.60 323.00 1.40 0.36 3.37 1.22 SH24-004 337.70 338.20 0.50 0.32 29.90 9.61 SH24-004 346.70 347.20 0.50 0.17 43.90 7.51 SH24-004 397.80 398.40 0.60 0.49 2.36 1.16 SH24-005 123.80 125.80 2.00 1.53 2.59 2.59 SH24-005 176.80 177.80 1.00 0.71 11.90 8.41 SH24-005 214.80 215.80 1.00 0.77 1.19 0.91 SH24-005 216.80 217.80 1.00 0.71 1.55 1.10 SH24-005 226.00 228.00 2.00 1.53 1.63 1.63 SH24-005 343.70 344.70 1.00 0.77 1.14 0.87 SH24-005 478.40 479.30 0.90 0.78 0.88 0.69 SH24-005 488.40 488.90 0.50 0.38 1.63 0.62 SH24-006 84.20 85.20 1.00 0.64 0.91 0.58 SH24-006 252.00 253.00 1.00 0.57 2.77 1.59 SH24-006 296.40 297.00 0.60 0.34 4.21 1.45 SH24-006 403.00 403.60 0.60 0.25 2.79 0.71 SH24-006 407.50 408.20 0.70 0.54 3.20 1.72 SH24-006 461.50 462.10 0.60 0.49 1.23 0.60 SH24-006 468.10 469.70 1.60 0.68 34.27 23.17 SH24-006 499.30 500.00 0.70 0.57 2.38 1.36 SH24-007 239.00 240.00 1.00 0.87 0.93 0.81 SH24-007 281.40 282.10 0.70 0.54 2.49 1.34 SH24-008 87.40 88.00 0.60 0.46 1.59 0.73 SH24-009 279.00 279.70 0.70 0.54 0.99 0.53 SH24-009 291.90 292.60 0.70 0.24 3.28 0.79 SH24-010 180.20 181.20 1.00 0.71 6.33 4.48 SH24-010 600.60 602.00 1.40 0.48 6.21 2.97 SH24-011 173.80 174.80 1.00 0.94 0.85 0.80 SH24-011 180.80 181.80 1.00 0.87 1.91 1.65 SH24-011 373.20 374.10 0.90 0.45 13.97 6.29 SH24-011 494.00 495.10 1.10 0.71 2.22 1.57 SH24-013 314.00 315.00 1.00 0.57 1.30 0.74 SH24-014 64.20 64.75 0.55 0.35 2.83 1.00 SH24-014 73.50 74.80 1.30 1.00 1.54 1.54 SH24-014 75.60 76.10 0.50 0.43 1.40 0.61 SH24-014 77.90 78.90 1.00 0.64 1.32 0.85 SH24-014 81.90 82.90 1.00 0.77 2.08 1.59 SH25-001 106.30 106.80 0.50 0.21 6.10 1.29 SH25-001 145.70 146.15 0.45 0.29 4.91 1.42 SH25-001 338.25 339.20 0.95 0.73 2.15 1.56 SH25-001 383.00 383.40 0.40 0.14 8.79 1.20 SH25-001 417.00 417.90 0.90 0.78 2.49 1.94 SH25-001 428.40 429.30 0.90 0.69 1.05 0.72 SH25-002 81.20 82.00 0.80 0.57 1.93 1.09 SH25-002 144.90 146.75 1.85 0.63 9.68 6.13 SH25-002 324.30 325.20 0.90 0.64 6.33 4.03 SH25-003 205.30 206.50 1.20 0.60 1.02 0.61 SH25-003 479.30 479.90 0.60 0.46 3.38 1.55 SH25-004 248.30 249.00 0.70 0.30 11.40 3.37 SH25-004 405.60 406.15 0.55 0.39 3.08 1.20 SH25-006 168.00 168.80 0.80 0.51 1.06 0.55 SH25-006 186.80 187.30 0.50 0.25 2.77 0.69 SH25-006 189.30 189.90 0.60 0.46 4.79 2.20 SH25-006 203.85 205.00 1.15 0.81 8.37 6.81 SH25-006 218.00 219.40 1.40 1.07 4.88 4.88 SH25-006 224.35 224.80 0.45 0.37 9.08 3.35 SH25-006 251.35 251.80 0.45 0.23 2.31 0.52 SH25-006 253.40 254.00 0.60 0.25 142.00 36.01 SH25-006 269.20 270.50 1.30 0.84 1.25 1.04 SH25-006 283.80 284.30 0.50 0.29 17.20 4.93 SH25-006 292.85 293.30 0.45 0.29 9.51 2.75 SH25-006 306.90 307.70 0.80 0.51 1.25 0.64 SH25-006 312.00 312.60 0.60 0.34 41.40 14.25 SH25-006 341.20 342.20 1.00 0.64 1.75 1.12 SH25-006 343.90 344.70 0.80 0.61 1.01 0.62 SH25-006 347.80 348.70 0.90 0.58 1.19 0.69 SH25-006 360.50 361.10 0.60 0.52 1.09 0.57 SH25-006 368.80 369.70 0.90 0.58 2.34 1.35 SH25-006 395.30 395.85 0.55 0.35 6.25 2.21 SH25-006 434.00 434.50 0.50 0.25 111.00 27.75 SH25-006 484.90 486.20 1.30 0.65 1.14 0.74 SH25-006 493.40 494.30 0.90 0.45 10.00 4.50 SH25-006 495.30 496.15 0.85 0.65 1.22 0.79 SH25-006 510.80 511.70 0.90 0.58 0.95 0.55 SH25-007 213.10 213.80 0.70 0.54 1.74 0.93 SH25-007 327.40 336.30 8.90 5.72 1.44 1.44 SH25-007 497.90 498.30 0.40 0.20 4.45 0.89 SH25-008 317.60 318.60 1.00 0.50 1.12 0.56 SH25-009 6.50 7.20 0.70 0.35 2.39 0.84 SH25-009 227.80 228.80 1.00 0.50 1.06 0.53 SH25-009 258.00 258.70 0.70 0.45 1.93 0.87 SH25-009 299.10 300.00 0.90 0.23 2.73 0.64 SH25-009 312.70 313.20 0.50 0.41 57.70 23.63 SH25-009 328.80 329.60 0.80 0.57 2.08 1.18 SH25-009 346.70 347.20 0.50 0.32 4.34 1.39 SH25-009 365.00 365.40 0.40 0.28 12.30 3.48 SH25-009 370.80 371.30 0.50 0.32 4.67 1.50 SH25-009 376.60 378.30 1.70 0.58 7.25 4.21 SH25-009 393.80 394.20 0.40 0.26 3.20 0.82 SH25-009 445.90 446.30 0.40 0.33 30.10 9.86 SH25-009 460.90 461.60 0.70 0.40 1.26 0.51 SH25-010 134.00 134.65 0.65 0.42 14.40 6.02 SH25-010 201.20 201.70 0.50 0.21 14.70 3.11 SH25-010 219.50 220.00 0.50 0.13 5.89 0.76 SH25-010 228.35 230.00 1.65 0.83 1.02 0.84 SH25-010 262.30 263.30 1.00 0.42 2.36 1.00 SH25-010 303.80 305.50 1.70 0.85 2.51 2.13 SH25-010 348.80 349.80 1.00 0.42 3.12 1.32 SH25-010 394.10 396.90 2.80 0.96 1.83 1.75 SH25-010 400.00 403.00 3.00 1.03 1.89 1.89 SH25-010 407.10 408.10 1.00 0.42 26.00 10.99 SH25-011 109.80 111.30 1.50 0.86 0.90 0.77 SH25-011 236.60 237.30 0.70 0.49 7.08 3.50 SH25-011 275.30 275.80 0.50 0.29 11.00 3.15 SH25-011 374.00 374.60 0.60 0.46 3.22 1.48 SH25-012 142.90 143.40 0.50 0.21 2.49 0.53 SH25-012 283.30 283.80 0.50 0.17 3.50 0.60 SH25-012 296.40 297.10 0.70 0.45 23.80 10.71 SH25-012 351.30 352.50 1.20 0.69 10.46 7.20 SH25-012 589.50 590.00 0.50 0.43 2.85 1.23 SH25-012 594.00 594.50 0.50 0.41 4.12 1.69 SH25-013 170.10 171.50 1.40 0.59 1.12 0.66 SH25-013 218.00 218.90 0.90 0.45 2.64 1.19 SH25-013 254.80 255.20 0.40 0.33 1.88 0.62 SH25-013 312.60 313.20 0.60 0.25 10.70 2.71 SH25-013 449.00 450.70 1.70 1.30 2.98 2.98 SH25-014 31.80 32.80 1.00 0.34 1.57 0.54 SH25-014 35.80 36.75 0.95 0.61 0.82 0.50 SH25-014 43.20 43.80 0.60 0.34 2.34 0.81 SH25-014 66.60 67.10 0.50 0.32 16.40 5.27 SH25-014 92.40 93.05 0.65 0.50 1.00 0.50 SH25-014 120.00 120.50 0.50 0.32 8.21 2.64 SH25-014 176.30 177.00 0.70 0.49 1.73 0.86 SH25-014 215.05 215.55 0.50 0.38 45.20 17.31 SH25-014 252.30 253.70 1.40 0.90 8.08 7.27 SH25-015 192.60 193.20 0.60 0.21 18.80 3.86 SH25-015 265.00 265.70 0.70 0.35 1.47 0.51 SH25-015 312.20 313.70 1.50 0.51 16.19 8.31 SH25-015 344.30 345.30 1.00 0.34 1.96 0.67 SH25-015 359.20 359.70 0.50 0.29 3.94 1.13 SH25-015 448.20 448.70 0.50 0.50 7.13 3.55 SH25-015 451.50 452.00 0.50 0.32 2.55 0.82 SH25-015 555.40 556.80 1.40 0.70 2.07 1.45 SH25-015 571.40 572.20 0.80 0.40 1.58 0.63 SH25-015 587.35 587.95 0.60 0.21 2.55 0.52 SH25-015 590.70 591.20 0.50 0.21 23.30 4.92 SH25-016 59.00 60.00 1.00 0.57 3.31 1.90 SH25-017 53.40 54.00 0.60 0.30 1.76 0.53 SH25-017 69.30 69.80 0.50 0.25 6.82 1.71 SH25-017 83.60 84.60 1.00 0.50 1.76 0.88 SH25-017 105.20 105.70 0.50 0.25 19.60 4.90 SH25-017 134.20 134.90 0.70 0.35 2.64 0.92

Notes:

Where true widths are greater than 1m, grades are not diluted and are presented as the grade over the intercept true width. Intercepts that are below 0.5 g/t Au when diluted to 1 m are not reported in this table.





Drill hole collar details from the 2023 drilling programs at Storheden:

Hole ID SWEREF

North SWEREF

East SWEREF

Elevation DEPTH Azimuth

(SWEREF) DIP Date Finished SH24-001 7214323 763165 152 315.65 135 -61 4/06/2024 SH24-002 7214092 764647 159 530.70 173 -73 13/06/2024 SH24-003 7214158 764742 158 580.60 154 -74 24/06/2024 SH24-004 7214172 763670 164 470.70 145 -76 1/07/2024 SH24-005 7214162 764478 163 521.50 165 -74 9/07/2024 SH24-006 7214202 764628 161 530.00 167 -74 16/07/2024 SH24-007 7213906 765856 144 461.20 165 -60 20/07/2024 SH24-008 7213670 765848 136 300.60 165 -64 23/07/2024 SH24-009 7213804 765527 142 452.20 225 -60 27/07/2024 SH24-010 7214201 765083 145 610.70 165 -55 3/08/2024 SH24-011 7214202 765085 145 592.00 150 -45 10/08/2024 SH24-012 7213582 764933 146 350.50 15 -64 14/08/2024 SH24-013 7213582 764935 146 452.00 60 -50 18/08/2024 SH24-014 7214070 763628 162 430.10 165 -77 24/08/2024 SH25-001 7214033 764605 159 481.80 141 -77 14/05/2025 SH25-002 7214038 764658 158 431.90 156 -71 19/05/2025 SH25-003 7214146 764637 160 497.25 157 -79 25/05/2025 SH25-004 7214136 764701 158 446.90 142 -73 3/06/2025 SH25-006 7213540 764916 147 551.35 331 -45 13/06/2025 SH25-007 7213562 764927 147 527.50 344 -45 19/06/2025 SH25-008 7213542 764918 147 434.80 340 -51 24/06/2025 SH25-009 7213562 764927 147 463.60 321 -43 29/06/2025 SH25-010 7213568 764837 147 530.60 348 -49 5/07/2025 SH25-011 7213556 764821 148 440.60 343 -43 10/07/2025 SH25-012 7213542 764916 148 598.70 340 -44 18/07/2025 SH25-013 7213563 764926 147 599.60 332 -43 25/07/2025 SH25-014 7213513 764906 148 532.30 328 -43 1/08/2025 SH25-015 7213567 764837 147 602.30 343 -48 9/08/2025 SH25-016 7213868 764400 158 351.30 150 -66 13/08/2025 SH25-017 7213980 764525 158 447.00 150 -71 18/08/2025

Notes:

Coordinate System: SWEREF 99

APPENDIX 2

JORC Code, 2012 Edition  Table 1 Report  Bjorkdal Gold Mine

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques







Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling. The Bjorkdal Mine has been evaluated using diamond drilling (DD) core samples, reverse circulation (RC) samples located in the open pit, chip/channel (CH) samples from underground faces, and channel samples from blasted rock in the open pit for grade control purposes. The Storheden and Norrberget satellite deposits have been evaluated using DD core and RC samples only.



The Mineral Resource estimation (MRE) databases include samples collected by various operators from 1986 to 30 September 2024. Any sample types considered not to have acceptable sample quality and representativity are excluded from the MRE. This includes Bjorkdal sludge samples from development drilling, direct circulation samples from historical open pit grade control drilling and samples with lengths less than 0.1 m.



The below commentary captures the main sampling techniques used since acquisition of the project by Mandalay Resources (now Alkane Resources) in 2014. As of 30 September 2024, the company had completed a total of ~420 km of DD core and ~120 km of RC drilling. Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used. DD  meterage markers are placed in the core tray at the end of each recovered drill run. Upon receipt at the Bjorkdal on-site core processing facility, the core is oriented, measured to check meterage and each core box marked with meterage values. Selective whole core sampling is typically employed, with sample intervals determined by the logging geologist, to encompass potential mineralisation and honour geological contacts. Minimum sample lengths ensure reasonable minimum sample weights for a given core diameter.



RC  drill cuttings are dropped out of the cyclone into a riffle or rotary splitter at the completion of a 1 m drilling interval, to generate a homogenous 3 to 4 kg sample.



CH  after geologists mark up the area to be sampled, the sampler uses a hammer and bucket to collect chips from shoulder to knee height and across the entire face for a combined ~5 kg sample. Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report. In cases where industry standard work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay). In other cases, more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. Samples are prepared and analysed by the CRS laboratory in Kempele, Finland (exploration DD) or the Bjorkdal on-site laboratory currently operated by CRS (resource development and production DD, RC samples and chip/channel samples from underground faces). CRS is certified according to ISO 9001:2008 and accredited by FINAS Finnish Accreditation Service, ISO 17025:2017 (T342).



Samples are dried, crushed to >70% passing 2 mm and split to a 500 g sub-sample. As part of the PAL1000 analytical method, the sub-sample is then pulverized (typically to more than 90% < 75 m) and simultaneously leached with cyanide, with the solution analysed for gold by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The PAL1000 method is considered suitable for deposits with coarse or particulate gold and, in the case of Bjorkdal, should provide a reduction in sampling errors over fire assay techniques. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). Drilling techniques include surface and underground wireline diamond core drilling methods. Exploration DD is typically carried out by drilling contractors using standard wireline drilling equipment and a range of core sizes including WL66 (50.5 mm core diameter), NQ2 (50.7 mm core diameter), and WL76 (57.5 mm core diameter). Core orientation tools are used on all exploration diamond drillholes. Production and development optimisation holes are primarily drilled with Mandalay-owned and operated underground wireline drill rigs using smaller core diameters (28.8 to 39 mm).



RC drilling has been used for near-surface exploration and open pit grade control drilling, with 5 to 5.5 inch diameter face sampling hammer and 3 to 6 m drill rods. Drill sample recovery







Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed. DD  core recovery is recorded by the drillers on markers at the end of each drill run and checked against measurements of the core by the logging geologist.



RC  sample weights are checked for selected sample intervals and monitored against the expected sample weight. Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples. DD  drillers adjust the rate of drilling and method if recovery issues arise. Core recovery values are generally more than 95%.

RC  a booster compressor is used to maintain dry samples and sample return for deeper drillholes. Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. There is no known relationship between sample recovery and grade. Logging







Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. Logging data is captured directly into a local GeoSpark database, to ensure entered data is restricted to a valid range of accepted codes. Geological data collected describes the lithology, alteration, veining, structures and geotechnical features of the rock. Logging procedures are considered sufficiently detailed to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies. Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography. Logging is qualitative or quantitative depending on the variable being captured. Digital photographs are taken of wet drill core and on-vein development headings prior to sampling. The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. All drillhole intersections are logged by qualified geologists. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation



















If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken. Whole core sampling is typically employed for DD samples. If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry. RC samples are split using a riffle or rotary splitter. A booster compressor is used to maintain dry samples for deeper drillholes. For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique. Samples are oven dried, crushed to >70% passing 2 mm using a jaw crusher and split to a 500 g sub-sample using a rotary splitter or rotating sample divider. This is considered an appropriate preparation workflow to deliver representative sub-samples for analysis. Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples. All equipment is cleaned by pressurized air after every sample, with the crusher cleaned with blank stones between batches. Regular sieve tests are completed to monitor particle size. Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in-situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling. Select batches of coarse reject duplicates have been completed for DD core and underground chip/channel samples in 2023 and 2024. No clear, consistent bias between the original and duplicate sample is observed. Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Sample sizes are considered appropriate for the mineralisation style. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests







The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total. In the PAL1000 analytical method, a 500 g sub-sample is pulverized (typically to more than 90% < 75 m) and simultaneously leached with cyanide, with the solution analysed for gold by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Assay detection limits typically range from a lower limit of 0.05 g/t Au to an upper limit of 300 g/t Au. Lower detection limit is reduced to 0.01 g/t Au for exploration samples via solvent extraction

The PAS1000 technique is partial and determines the cyanide-soluble gold in samples. Checks have been conducted on residue material remaining after PAL assaying to confirm the completeness of the digestion stage and the transfer of gold to solution. The checks typically demonstrate that Bjorkdal mineralisation behaves well with this method and returns residue values of 0.6 to 1 % of the reported gold assay value. For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc. No geophysical tools are used to analyse the samples. Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. Since 2014, QAQC protocols have included regular insertion of blanks and certified reference materials (CRMs) within each 20-sample batch, with additional blank samples inserted after samples containing visible gold. QAQC failures result in re-assaying of portions of the affected sample batches. CRM and blank results indicate acceptable levels of accuracy and no material contamination.

Select batches of coarse reject duplicates were completed for DD core and underground chip/channel samples in 2023 and 2024, showing no systematic bias and acceptable levels of precision in sample preparation and analysis.

Laboratory QAQC includes blank tests throughout the PAL1000 procedure, with the AAS finish checked against standard solutions of known gold grades. Verification of sampling and assaying











The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel. Drillhole data is compiled and reviewed by senior site personnel.



SLR have completed data verification during site visits including visual review of mineralised intersections, spot checks between database assay tables and original laboratory certificates. No check samples were taken by the SLR CP to independently confirm the presence of gold mineralisation, as the site has a long history of gold production, and the presence of gold was directly observed during the visit to the processing plant. The use of twinned holes. No twinned drillholes have been completed. Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols. Logging data is captured directly into a Datashed database, with validation checks built into the data entry process. Primary assay data is received from the laboratory as electronic data files. All drillhole, sampling and assay information is uploaded into the Datashed database. Subsets from this master database are extracted and used for modelling and estimation.



SLR validated the database using standard software tools to check for errors within the database. A check was also undertaken to ensure that the drill hole elevation was comparable with the digital terrain model (DTM) surface.



Electronic copies of all primary locations, logging and sample results data are filed for each hole. Discuss any adjustment to assay data. No adjustments have been made to the assay data. Location of data points







Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation. DD collars  surveyed using either Total Station equipment for underground or Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) equipment for surface drillholes.

RC collars  Open pit grade control drillholes surveyed using a Trimble TSC3 GPS controller unit.

DD downhole surveys  Since 2015, carried out using a Reflex Gyro Smart tool at 3 m intervals upon completion of the hole.

RC downhole surveys  No downhole surveys were taken for grade control holes less than 70 m in length. All exploration drill holes are surveyed along their full length on completion, using gyroscopic tools.

Underground chip/channel samples  surveyed using Total Station surveying equipment.

Open pit and stockpiles  surveyed using drone-mounted LiDAR methods.

Underground mine  The excavated volume of development headings is determined using a hand-held Hovermap scanner. Cavity monitoring system (CMS) scans are typically used to survey stope voids. Specification of the grid system used. The coordinate system used for the Bjorkdal Mine and Storheden deposit is the Bjorkdal Mine Grid which is in SI units. The Mine Grid is rotated 29.67 west of true north. The 0 RL elevation was based upon the highest point in the vicinity of the Mine.



The coordinate system used at Norrberget is SWEREF99, the official Swedish reference system. Quality and adequacy of topographic control. A LiDAR survey was carried out in July 2016 and updated following cessation of mining activities in the open pit on 1 August 2019. The topographic surface was provided to SLR in a digital format that was suitable for coding the block models and estimating the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves. Data spacing and distribution







Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results. Bjorkdal open pit  RC grade control drilling in the open pit was typically completed on a 7.5 m by 15 m grid. Each drillhole generally covers three or four benches, or approximately 20 m vertical depth for a 32 m long hole.



Bjorkdal underground  Underground diamond drill spacing is variable, due to fan-like drilling configurations that intersect multiple stacked sub-parallel veins at different depths down-hole. 10 m by 10 m to 20 m by 20m spaced pierce points are typically achieved on the main mineralised veins. Since 2015, face sampling has been completed for each 4m cut during on-vein development.



Storheden deposit  surface DD and RC collars typically ranges from 30 m by 30 m to 60 m by 60 m spacing.



Norrberget deposit  surface DD collars typically range from 25 m by 25 m to 50 m by 50 m spacing. Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied. The drill hole and channel sample spacing and distribution relative to geological and grade continuity is considered sufficient to support estimation of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves and the classifications applied. Whether sample compositing has been applied. No sample compositing is applied during the sampling process. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure



Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type. Drilling aims to intersect mineralisation approximately perpendicular to the interpreted strike and dip of the main mineralised veins, where access facilitates this. If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. All deposits are interpreted to have a relatively stable dominant vein orientation from which drill orientation has been optimised. Drill orientation with respect to structure is not considered to have introduced material sampling bias. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. All samples are collected in secure labelled bags alongside sample number ticked. All samples are transported to the Bjorkdal on-site core logging and sample preparation facility, which is located within a secure area. Only persons permitted by Bjorkdal are allowed to handle the samples. Only commercial freight companies or company personnel transport the samples to the laboratories. Sample shipment lists are emailed to the analytical laboratories.



The Datashed database is located on the Bjorkdal server, with daily backups and access restrictions based on user level. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. SLR has audited the drillhole databases and reviewed sampling techniques on site. The sample preparation, analysis, and security procedures for Bjorkdal, Storheden and Norrberget are considered adequate for use in the estimation of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)
Tamarack, Minnesota and L'Anse, Michigan--(Newsfile Corp. - December 18, 2025) - Talon Metals Corp. (TSX: TLO) (OTCID: TLOFF) (together with its subsidiaries, "Talon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of a share purchase agreement (the "Share Purchase Agreement") with Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX: LUN) (Stockholm: LUMI) ("Lundin Mining"). The Share Purchase Agreement provides for a transaction (the "Transaction") that will result in the combination of Lundin Mining's producing Eagle Mine and associated Humboldt Mill with Talon's interest in the Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project (the "Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project") and a prospective exploration land package of over 400,000 acres in Michigan, which includes the Boulderdash nickel/copper discovery 8-miles from the Eagle Mine, and Talon's proposed North Dakota Beulah Minerals Processing Facility (the "BMPF").

KEY TRANSACTION HIGHLIGHTS

Talon will acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill operations.

Talon will issue 275,152,232 common shares to Lundin Mining, representing 18.73% of the Company on a non-diluted basis after the Concurrent Private Placement by the Lundin Family Trust. Together with Lundin Mining's ownership interest in Talon before the Transaction, Lundin Mining will own 19.99% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

A concurrent Private Placement with the Lundin Family Trust for approximately US$5.6 million in gross proceeds, will result in the Lundin Family Trust owning approximately 1.26% of Talon after closing of the Transaction on a non-diluted basis.

Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining will join the Talon Board.

Lundin Mining will maintain all financial assurances for the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill reclamation until Talon's Board approves development of a new mine, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

CREATING A UNIFIED, MULTI-ASSET U.S. NICKEL PLATFORM

"This transaction brings together the positive cash-flow-generating Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the proven operating experience of the Eagle and Humboldt teams, and Talon's in-house exploration capabilities to create the only operating primary nickel-copper company in the United States with expansion potential," said Henri van Rooyen, Chief Executive Officer of Talon. "The integration enables our combined team to advance our four strategic priorities in parallel - extending the Eagle mine life, accelerating exploration in Michigan and in Minnesota, advancing permitting at the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and the Beulah Minerals Processing Facility, and progressing engineering towards feasibility study and construction."

The unified Talon team will deploy the positive cash flow from the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, together with an estimated US$27 million of cash and cash equivalents, towards:

Extending Eagle Mine Life Through Modern Practices

The Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill exemplify modern mining, built and operated to the highest standards of safety and environmental responsibility in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Ongoing efficiency improvements and optimizations has the potential to extend the mine's life to maintain full capacity at the Humboldt Mill.

Accelerating Exploration in Michigan and at Tamarack

With the Humboldt Mill ideally positioned to process ore from Talon's Michigan discoveries such as Boulderdash - just 8 miles from the Eagle Mine - Talon's in-house exploration team, responsible for five discoveries in five years, plans to execute its most ambitious exploration program to date in 2026.

Advancing Tamarack and BMPF Environmental Review and Permitting

Building on the successful permitting and exemplary environmental performance of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, the unified team combines Eagle's operational experience with Talon's environmental specialists to advance the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project through environmental review and permitting towards construction.

Progressing Engineering for the Future Tamarack Mine and BMPF

Following the iterative design process of the proposed Tamarack mine, driven by two years of collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and participating Tribal governments, Talon is proposing a "mine of the future" with all potential environmental impacts expected to be controlled within one fully enclosed facility. The proven Eagle team, with its track record in mine design, engineering, construction, and operations, will now integrate with the Talon team to complete the feasibility study in conjunction with environmental review and permitting, improving confidence in the design and long-term operability of these assets.

"Over the last decade, American policymakers have recognized that dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals is a national security risk," said Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO. "This transaction is a direct response, uniting modern nickel mining and processing operations with the Tamarack Nickel-Copper Project and exploration assets, including the Boulderdash discovery 8-miles from the Eagle mine, to ensure a domestic supply of nickel and other critical minerals for defense, energy and advanced technology manufacturing."

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon will acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Lundin Mining US Ltd. ("Lundin SubCo"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lundin Mining, which owns the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill, in exchange for: (i) 275,152,232 Talon Shares which will result in Lundin Mining increasing its interest in Talon from 1.57% to 19.99% of the outstanding Talon Shares on a non-diluted basis, based on the number of Talon Shares that are issued and outstanding as of the date of the Share Purchase Agreement (and assuming the issuance of Talon Shares pursuant to the Concurrent Private Placement); and (ii) the grant of a production payment royalty (the "Production Payment Royalty") on ore from sources other than the Eagle Mine that is processed through the Humboldt Mill at a rate of US$1.00 per tonne, up to a maximum aggregate payment of US$20.0 million, representing 20 million tonnes of ore.

The Share Purchase Agreement also provides that, concurrently with closing of the Transaction, Talon and Lundin Mining will enter into an investor rights agreement (the "Investor Rights Agreement") and a lock-up agreement (the "Lock-Up Agreement"). The Investor Rights Agreement will provide Lundin Mining with certain board nomination rights, as well as participation rights in respect of future equity issuances by Talon to allow it to maintain its ownership interest, for so long as Lundin Mining has beneficial ownership of at least 10% of the Talon Shares. The Lock-Up Agreement will provide for limitations on sales of Talon Shares by Lundin Mining during the two-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement. The Lock-Up Agreement will also provide that Lundin Mining will not acquire beneficial ownership of more than 19.99% of the Talon Shares during the one-year period following the date of the Lock-Up Agreement, subject to certain exceptions.

In addition, Lundin Mining has agreed to maintain and bear the cost of all financial assurances provided in respect of mining and reclamation operations of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill until the board of directors of Talon (the "Talon Board") makes a "Positive Final Investment Decision" in respect of developing a mine on any of Talon's properties, provided that Talon uses commercially reasonable efforts to amend or replace such financial assurances.

Director and Officer Changes

At closing of the Transaction, the Talon Board will be reconstituted to consist of ten directors, including Jack Lundin and Juan Andres Morel, the CEO and COO, respectively, of Lundin Mining and seven of the eight directors currently on the Talon Board. Darby Stacey, the current Managing Director of Eagle Mine, will be appointed to the Talon Board and appointed as CEO of Talon, overseeing the operations of the combined assets, with Henri van Rooyen being appointed Executive Chairman. On closing of the Transaction, Warren Newfield will be stepping down from the Talon Board and as Executive Chairman of Talon.

Henri van Rooyen, Talon CEO said: "On behalf of Talon, I would like to sincerely thank Warren Newfield for his many years of support as Executive Chairman, during which Talon achieved numerous important milestones that created significant value for shareholders."

Concurrent Private Placement

Concurrently with the signing of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon signed a subscription agreement with a trust settled by the late Adolf H. Lundin (the "Lundin Family Trust") pursuant to which the Lundin Family Trust agreed to purchase 18,555,783 Talon Shares, at a price of C$0.4194 per Talon Share (the "Issue Price"), which is the deemed value of the Talon Shares to be issued to Lundin Mining in connection with the Transaction, on a private placement basis for gross proceeds of approximately C$7.8 million or US$5.6 million (the "Concurrent Private Placement").

The gross proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement will be used to fund transition costs, due diligence costs, acquisition costs, and integration costs.

The Concurrent Private Placement is expected to close concurrently with the closing of the Transaction. It is also expected that Talon and the Lundin Family Trust will enter into an agreement in connection with the closing of the Concurrent Private Placement that provides the Lundin Family Trust with a contractual right in respect of future equity offerings by Talon, so it has the ability to maintain its ownership interest in Talon.

Share Consolidation

Under the terms of the Share Purchase Agreement, Talon agreed to complete a consolidation of the Talon Shares (the "Consolidation") as soon as practicable after the closing of the Transaction. The Consolidation would be on the basis of one post-consolidation Talon Share for every ten pre-consolidation Talon Shares, as approved by the shareholders of Talon at the annual and special meeting of shareholders held on June 25, 2025. The Talon Board has approved the Consolidation and the date the Talon Board has determined to implement the Consolidation will be announced in connection with closing of the Transaction, together with additional details about the Consolidation.

Additional Transaction Details

The Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement are anticipated to close in early January, subject to the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"), as well as the satisfaction or waiver of other customary closing conditions.

Further information regarding the terms of the Transaction are set out in the Share Purchase Agreement, which will be publicly filed by the Company under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Advisors

Canaccord Genuity Corp. was engaged as financial advisor to the Company. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and Dorsey & Whitney LLP are acting as legal counsel to the Company.

ABOUT TALON

Talon is a TSX-listed base metals company in a joint venture with Rio Tinto on the high-grade Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project located in central Minnesota. Talon's shares are also traded in the US over the OTC market under the symbol TLOFF. The Tamarack Nickel Copper Project comprises a large land position (18km of strike length) with additional high-grade intercepts outside the current resource area. Talon has an earn-in right to acquire up to 60% of the Tamarack Nickel Copper Project and currently owns 51%. Talon has a neutrality and workforce development agreement in place with the United Steelworkers union. Talon's Beulah Mineral Processing Facility in Mercer County was selected by the US Department of Energy for US$114.8 million funding grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the US Department of War awarded Talon a grant of US$20.6 million to support and accelerate Talon's exploration efforts in both Minnesota and Michigan. Talon has well-qualified experienced exploration, mine development, external affairs and mine permitting teams.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the current expectations or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the Transaction and Concurrent Private Placement, including the impact and anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the anticipated timing of the completion of the Transaction and the Concurrent Private Placement; the grant of the Production Payment Royalty, entering into the Investor Rights Agreement, the Lock-Up Agreement, and the agreement in connection with the Concurrent Private Placement, and the terms thereunder, and the timing thereof; changes to the Talon Board; the use of proceeds of the Concurrent Private Placement; implementing the Consolidation and the effective date thereof; future exploration work, including future drill holes, drill results, assays, geophysics and geological interpretations. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
COURTROOM DIARY BY THE Capstone Course

Sciences Po Paris

    / This article is also available in Arabic on the Syrian Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) website.

It was the final week of the Lafarge trial. The public benches in the courtroom remained full. The first day of week six marked the closing phase of the proceedings. It started with the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Office (PNAT) final requisitions, during which the alleged offences were set out and the requested penalties for each defendant were presented. The first charge against Lafarge and the individual defendants is financing of terrorism and the second concerns the customs offence of violating international financial sanctions.

The prosecution accused Lafarge and 8 individuals of financing three terrorist groups in Syria  Jabhat al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham, and Daesh  during a time in which these organizations were committing serious crimes, including executions, which were openly known. The prosecutor explained that the offence of financing terrorism does not require the funds to be allocated to a specific terrorist operation and it may be committed either directly or indirectly. The motive of financing is irrelevant, and adherence to a jihadist or extremist ideology is not a required element of the offence.

The funds transferred by Lafarge and the individual accused contributed to maintaining the operational capabilities of Daesh. One can easily imagine what 5 million euros represented in Syria at the time: the purchase of around 4,000 Kalashnikov rifles, or the payment of salaries for approximately 3,000 to 3,600 fighters for an entire year, the prosecutor told the court. They emphasized that to spread its poison, terrorism does not necessarily require large amounts of money. The Paris attacks [in 2015], for example, were carried out with a budget of only 108,000 euros.

4,694,696 euros: an unprecedented and vertiginous level

This case, heard by an experienced presiding judge, forms part of the long-standing expertise developed by the 16th Chamber of Paris Criminal Court in terrorism cases since 2015, as shown in a study, Terror on Trial, to be published in March 2026. All terrorism-related cases are centralized in Paris: offenses of up to 10 years imprisonment are heard before the 16th chamber, and its judges have been able to build continuous judicial expertise. Recent data published by the tribunal highlights the large scale of terrorism-related cases:

Assize Court in terrorism cases: Number of trials and number of hearing days per year. Source: The Tribunal of Paris, Annual report, 2024.

Criminal Court (the 16th chamber, in blue) and Juvenile Court (in red): Number of cases and number of hearing days). Source: The Tribunal of Paris, Annual report, 2024.

Although the French Criminal Code has continuously evolved to include more and more criminal offences adapted to the changing modes of international terrorism  such as new offences concerning apology for terrorism or financial support of terrorism and recruitment , almost all prosecutions involve the long-standing offence of association of wrongdoing in relation to a terrorist enterprise, known by its acronym in French AMT. In April 2016, in the aftermath of the 2015 terrorist attacks, there was a radical change in the prosecution policy. From the perspective of the authorities, the existing ceiling of up to ten years imprisonment for joining a jihadist terrorist group did not adequately match the gravity of the behavior. As a result, it was decided to prosecute AMT as a felony, with penalties of up to twenty or thirty years imprisonment, and the cases were transferred to the Assize court.

Terrorism-financing cases are relatively rare, with only a limited number of convictions each year: 13 in 2025 and 21 in 2024. By way of comparison, recent convictions typically involved only a few thousand euros per defendant, and even the largest cases handled by the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Office rarely exceeded a few hundred thousand euros, considered exceptional.

The sums involved in the Lafarge case go far beyond anything previously seen: 4,694,696 euros in total. They are unprecedented and vertiginous, particularly as they reflect a systemic approach adopted by Lafarge, which came to treat terrorist organizations as ordinary business partners, said the Prosecutor.

The U.S. 2022 plea bargain

In 2022 Lafarge pleaded guilty in a parallel criminal procedure that took place in the U.S., in Brooklyns federal court. A cooperation between the French investigating judges and the US prosecution authorities was established. In the U.S. Lafarge admitted key facts that also underpin the French proceedings. In a 2022 press conference the U.S. Assistant Attorney General stated: The defendants routed nearly six million dollars in illicit payments to two of the worlds most notorious terrorist organizations  ISIS and al-Nusrah Front in Syria  at a time those groups were brutalizing innocent civilians in Syria and actively plotting to harm Americans. There is simply no justification for a multi-national corporation authorizing payments to designated terrorist organizations.

As part of the plea agreement, Lafarge agreed not to make any public statements contradicting its acceptance of responsibility, and undertook not to dispute the established facts in any judicial proceedings, including those before foreign courts. The company acknowledged having supported ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra Front and agreed to pay the U.S. government a total of $778 million, of which $687 million in forfeiture and $90.78 million in criminal fines. The agreement also imposed mandatory reporting obligations and monitoring to prevent any recurrence of such practices. Finally, the plea agreement explicitly stated that Holcim, a Swiss cement company that merged with Lafarge in 2015, had no knowledge of that conduct.

A range of penalties

The prosecutors demands heard this week in Paris stand in sharp contrast to the U.S. proceedings. In France, individuals face up to ten years imprisonment and a 225,000 fine for financing terrorism, while corporate entities are liable to fines of up to 1,125,000, together with ancillary penalties including dissolution or prohibitions on business activities.

The Prosecutor sought differentiated penalties reflecting the respective roles of the accused:

For Firas Tlass, who was allegedly omnipresent in the financial arrangements and absent from the proceedings, the prosecutor requested eight years imprisonment (with an arrest warrant) and 225,000 fine.

For Bruno Lafont, former Lafarge CEO, who stood at the top of the pyramid that allegedly validated the conduct: a six-year prison sentence with a deferred committal warrant, the maximum fine of 225,000, and the confiscation of 2,475,050. The prosecutor also requested a ban on managing a commercial company.

For Bruno Pescheux and Christian Herrault, respectively director of Lafarge subsidiary in Syria and deputy CEO of Lafarge, the alleged decision makers, five years immediate imprisonment was requested, without possibility of adjustment, and 225,000 fine on top of a ban from commercial and industrial activities. Assets confiscated: 320,533 and 476,000 from Herrault, and 182,100 from Pescheux.

Lower sentences were sought for other defendants, including:

Jacob Waerness, one of the two security managers, who allegedly acted as an operational executor. Although he left the company in September 2013  before payments to ISIS were fully implemented  he is prosecuted for playing a significant role in setting up the system. The prosecutor requested eighteen months imprisonment, subject to sentence adjustment, and a 20,000 fine.

Frederic Jolibois, another former director of Syrias subsidiary, remained in his position for only a few weeks and was the only executive to express concerns about the system in place. The prosecutor requested a three-year suspended sentence, with one year to be served under electronic monitoring, and a 80,000 fine.

Armo Taleb, the intermediary, was subject of a prosecutorial request for three years imprisonment and a 60,000 fine, along with the issuance of an arrest warrant.

Ahmed Ibrahim Al Jaloudi, a alleged key operative in the scheme from September 2013 to September 2014, faced a request for a two-year prison sentence, subject to possible adjustment, and a 4,000 fine.

Lafarge, as a corporate entity, faced prosecutorial requests for the statutory maximum fine of 1,125,000, the confiscation of 30 million in assets, and an order to cover the full costs of the proceedings.

It is also requested that Lafarge, Bruno Lafont, Christian Herrault, Bruno Pescheux, and Frederic Jolibois be ordered to pay 4,570,000 to the customs authorities jointly and severally.

A convenient narrative

Perhaps reflecting a sense of imbalance, U.S. authorities indicated that they would transfer part of the money to France. As reported in 2024 by The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Justice planned to eventually send about $200 million to France, under federal rules allowing the Attorney General to share forfeited assets with foreign governments that assisted in the investigation. To our knowledge, this transfer has never taken place.

The French trial pursued priorities different from those of the American proceedings. Rather than resolving the case through an agreement negotiated confidentially, France conducted a public hearing in which the evidence was examined in full. The accused were heard directly, and civil parties were permitted  pending a ruling on their standing  to provide testimony and context. Still, questions remain regarding the role of the State. The prosecutor appeared to follow the narrative of Jean-Claude Veillard, a former security director at Lafarge, according to which he knew nothing about the payments to the terrorists groups and therefore could say nothing to the French intelligence services, a situation that allegedly persisted until the end of August 2014. Yet, if this were indeed the case, why were the email exchanges between him and the intelligence services, requested during the investigation, not declassified? This narrative appears particularly convenient for Jean-Claude Veillard  the only suspect who was not indicted  and for the State. On these matters, the trial did not provide any additional clarification.

Interpreters, the forgotten actors of international trials. Illustration (watercolor, felt-tip pen and pencil on paper):  Maria Araos Florez
The US military said it killed five alleged drug traffickers aboard two vessels in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, taking the overall death toll in Washington's campaign to more than 100 people.

Under President Donald Trump, US forces have carried out numerous strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September.

The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.

The latest attacks hit two vessels in international waters that were "engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the US military's Southern Command said on X.

Three people were killed in the first vessel and two in the second vessel, it said.

Since the start of the campaign, the strikes have now killed 104 people, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Thursday's operation came the same day Trump claimed he did not need lawmakers's approval to strike suspected drug cartels on land in Venezuela, citing concerns over information leaks.

"I wouldn't mind telling them, but you know, it's not a big deal. I don't have to tell them," he said in the Oval Office.

Democratic lawmakers have maintained that the Trump administration needs congressional authorization to use the military for the purported anti-drug campaign.

The House of Representatives rejected two Democratic resolutions on Wednesday aimed at halting the strikes and "hostilities in or against Venezuela" without its authorization.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed the US campaign seeks regime change instead of its stated goal of stopping drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, Trump ordered a blockade of "sanctioned oil vessels" to and from Venezuela, a move some Democrats labeled an "act of war."

A day later, the US military said it killed four suspected drug traffickers in another strike in the Pacific Ocean.

During a September operation, the US military launched a second strike that killed survivors of an initial attack on the same vessel, prompting accusations of a possible war crime.
Swedish police said Friday they would not open an investigation into a criminal complaint filed by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against the Nobel Foundation over the Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Assange brought the complaint after Machado won this year's Peace Prize, saying the decision violated the principles of the Nobel, given the opposition leader's backing of US President Donald Trump's campaign against Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro.

According to the complaint posted by WikiLeaks on social media this week, the prize represented a "gross misappropriation" of funds and the "facilitation of war crimes" under Swedish law.

In an email to AFP, detective inspector Rikard Ekman said the complaint did not contain any information to suggest a crime had been committed.

"As I have decided not to initiate a preliminary investigation, no investigation will be conducted on the basis of the complaint," Ekman said.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Machado the prize for promoting democratic rights and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Assange said Machado's win violated the 1895 will of prize founder Alfred Nobel, which states the prize must go to the person who has done the "most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

The US-Venezuela spat has seen the massive deployment of US naval and air forces in waters off Latin America, and dozens of small boats allegedly running drugs have been bombed in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing almost 100 people so far.

While the Peace Prize is awarded by a Norwegian selection committee in Oslo, Assange argued the Stockholm-based foundation must assume financial responsibility.

He called for the freezing of the 11 million kronor ($1.18 million) in prize money promised to Machado.

Assange was freed from Britain's Belmarsh Prison in 2024 under a plea bargain after years of incarceration for publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents.

He was arrested after spending seven years in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced accusations of sexual assault that were eventually dropped.
The United Nations top court announced on Friday that fresh public hearings in a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against its Muslim Rohingya minority will take place in January 2026.

Filed by The Gambia to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019, the case accuses the southeast Asian country's authorities of violating the UN genocide convention during a brutal crackdown by the army and Buddhist militias on the Rohingya in 2017.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled the bloodshed, while witnesses reported murders, rape and arson targeting the minority.

As a result, the ICJ, which rules on disputes between countries, ordered Myanmar in 2020 to "take all measures within its power" to prevent a genocide.

In a press release on Friday, the Hague-based court said the latest set of public hearings will run from January 12 to 29.

"The hearings will be devoted to the merits of the case and will include the examination of witnesses and an expert called by the Parties," the ICJ said.

Witness hearings will also take place behind closed doors.

The Gambia, a Muslim-majority west African country, has asked the court to rule that Myanmar breached its obligations with regard to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

It has demanded reparations for the victims, as well as guarantees that the atrocities will not happen again.

According to the UN refugee agency, more than a million Rohingya are living in makeshift camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, after fleeing the 2017 crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Although the ICJ's rulings are binding and cannot be appealed, the court has no way to enforce its judgments.
The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has begun closing several of its bases in the country, AFP saw on Friday, citing a budget shortfall, despite the precarious security situation in the impoverished nation.

After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan disintegrated into a bloody civil war between 2013 and 2018 that claimed at least 400,000 lives.

A power-sharing agreement allowed for the return of a precarious calm. But since early 2025, violent clashes have erupted between the camps of President Salva Kiir and his Vice President Riek Machar, who was arrested in March.

In September, Kiir was charged with "crimes against humanity".

Due to US budget cuts to the UN, the peacekeeping mission in the world's youngest nation has been under pressure to implement a 25-percent reduction in uniformed personnel.

In mid-November Jean?Pierre Lacroix, the UN head of peacekeeping operations said the contingency plan entailed the closure of certain field offices and bases, repatriation of uniformed personnel, and reduction of national and international staff

On Friday, an AFP correspondent visited Torit, a base in the south of the country, where frequent clashes have been reported this year and where several hundred staff, security personnel and peacekeepers are deployed, according to an internal UNMISS source.

White UN?marked tanks were seen escorting white military trucks leaving the base.

- Short notice -

Mark Omina, a senior representative of UNMISS's South Sudanese staff, told AFP that the closure "caught them off guard", taking away their only source of income.

"The information was given abruptly and within a short notice," Omina said.

Created in 2011 when South Sudan gained independence, official data showed that UNMISS had more than 13,000 military personnel and 1,500 police officers as of July -- before the troop reduction plan.

UK-based charity Oxfam observed that South Sudan has never received so little aid in 14 years.

With two million South Sudanese internally displaced, ongoing violence has forced another 300,000 to flee, the UN estimated in October.

The country also hosts more than a million people who have escaped from the fighting in neighbouring Sudan.

At the end of September, the UN recorded 1,854 people killed, 1,693 injured, and 423 abducted since the start of the year.

UNMISS is set to close its bases in Aweil, in the north on the border with Sudan, Warrap -- another northern region where inter?clan clashes have been deadly -- and the central Rumbek area.

"Let them go," Nakuwa, a Torit resident interviewed by AFP, said in October. "South Sudan must learn to take care of itself."

Political analyst Charles Lokwaruk told AFP: "The closure of UNMISS bases will have no tangible impact on the people of South Sudan.

"Their presence did not prevent conflicts in South Sudan," he said, adding: "The UN has spent billions of dollars to maintain UNMISS, and yet it has fulfilled none of its mandates."
The United Nations on Friday condemned Washington for intensifying "reprisals" against international institutions, after the Trump administration slapped sanctions on two more International Criminal Court judges over their investigation of Israel.

The judges hit with US sanctions on Thursday -- Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia -- had voted earlier this week to reject a challenge by Israel which sought to end a war crimes probe in Gaza.

The United States has already sanctioned nine ICC judges and prosecutors for their probes of alleged Israeli war crimes.

"Yesterday's announcement of US sanctions against two more (ICC) judges... represents a further intensification of reprisals against international institutions," the UN rights office said on X.

The US sanctions were linked to the ICC decision in November 2024 to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Thursday that the newly sanctioned judges had earlier this week voted to uphold those warrants.

Washington also imposed sanctions last July on Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

"Such targeting of judges, as well as prosecutors and UN experts, runs counter to the rule of law and administration of justice," the UN rights office said Friday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the new year offered a chance for a humanitarian truce in war-ravaged Sudan as he urged outside countries to exert leverage.

"Ninety-nine percent of our focus is this humanitarian truce and achieving that as soon as possible," Rubio told a news conference.

"And we think that the new year and the upcoming holidays are a great opportunity for both sides to agree to that, and we're really pushing very hard on that regard," he said.

Sudan has been devastated since the army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) went to war in April 2023, with tens of thousands of people killed, millions displaced and widespread abuses and hunger.

Rubio said both sides have violated commitments as he voiced alarm at new reports of humanitarian convoys being struck.

"What's happening there is horrifying. It's atrocious," he said.

"One day the story of what's actually happened there is going to be known, and everyone involved is going to look bad."

The United Arab Emirates has come under fire for its role, with Amnesty International saying it facilitated the RSF as the group committed war crimes including mass executions and sexual violence in El-Fasher, a flashpoint city seized in late October.

Rubio, who has repeatedly spoken to UAE officials about Sudan, declined to criticize countries by name but noted that Sudan's warring parties relied on outside weapons.

"Someone is allowing it to be shipped in, and someone is actually shipping it. So we've had the right and appropriate conversations with all sides of this conflict," he said.

"We're hopeful that we can make some progress on this, but we know that in order to make progress on this, it will require outside actors to use their leverage," Rubio said.

The UAE has repeatedly denied the allegations of supporting the RSF. The UAE is a close partner of the United States, which welcomes its relationship with Israel.
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khaskhabar.com: , 19  2025 12:01 PM
A KILDARE man who absconded from Portlaoise hospital was found nearby in a drunken state covered in vomit and urine.

Thats what Judge Susan Fay was told when Thomas McGarry from Marina Court, Athy came before a recent sitting of Portlaoise District Court for being intoxicated in a public place and to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour on 7 July at Dublin Road, Portlaoise.

Mr McGarry had previously entered a guilty plea to the charges and had been remanded to appear in court following a probation report.

Garda sgt JJ Kirby said on the day at 3.30pm, Mr McGarry was found outside the Brew Cafe along the Dublin Road after he had absconded from treatment at Portlaoise hospital. He was discovered intoxicated, covered in urine and vomit.

Sgt Kirby said the 66-year-old had 40 previous convictions.

Defending barrister Andrew Dunne said the background to Mr McGarrys behaviour is his addiction to alcohol.

Judge Fay convicted the defendant of engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, sentenced him to two months in prison, suspended for one year.

The defendant was also placed on a 12-month supervisory order for being intoxicated in a public place.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
After 34 years of working in Education in New Zealand I am desperate for Erica Stanford to make truly meaningful and substantial change.

I want every Minister of Education to be highly successful and would have loved Hipkins and Tinetti to be so. They were not and Stanford is a little better  but in the way that Mt Eden (at 196m) is higher than Mt Wellington ( at 135m). Everest is a very long way off. Some comments on her first two years:

The Good



 We have small sample test indicators that phonics checks are showing marginal improvements.

 We have small sample indicators that dedicated tuition in a narrow range of maths strands produces improvement.

 The secondary teachers have finally accepted their new collective contract that started with the Ministry of Education offering a ridiculous 1% per annum for 3 years. Students lost teaching through strikes, rostering home, etc.

The Not So Good

 Not a single secondary school subject association has endorsed the proposed new curriculum in their area. In fact, they have actively written to oppose the changes and the process used. Here is a direct quote from one of NZs truly outstanding teachers and a dedicated advocate for quality curriculum in their area (p.s. this is by no means a lefty.)



The curriculum writing process that was meant to have a significant contribution from the teacher associations was a complete farce. Instead of monthly opportunities to critique draft materials, the various review groups were lucky if they got one opportunity and certainly no chance to fix the obvious bloopers that went out in the draft. We have given feedback to that effect to both the Ministry (who described it as brutal) and the Minister. From our early discussions we have high hopes that there will be a significant improvement in the writing process with considerably more input from teachers  both directly and as a critique/review role. But time will tell if the senior management has learnt their lesson.

 Term 3 attendance data for 2025 dropped below the 2024 levels  from 51.7% of 50.3%. In terms of improvement for those who most need it  full-attendance for Maori students was down to 36.5% and Pasifika to 38.6%.

 90 secondary schools wrote an open letter to challenge the proposed qualifications changes. 64 schools wrote to support them.

 There are very significant questions re the Ministrys procurement processes for resources, Professional Development contracts, and contracts for systems like the SMART assessment tool).

 The Minister has proposed altering the terms of the Teachers Council to bring some of their functions into the Ministry and also to make a majority of Board appointments political. There are two HUGE problems with his. 1. Centralisation to the Ministry is never a good idea and the current members of the coalition government deeply opposed them under the Haque Report with the last government. 2. Political appointments seem great when your team is in power. Having the Green Party making appointments to the Teachers Council in the future may not be so flash.



 The Ministry of Education has been a MASSIVE handbrake to the progress of education in NZ. They have been so bad that, prior to the last election Oliver Hartwich (NZ Initiative) suggested TNT as the solution. Many Principals  including Tim OConnor of Auckland Grammar  has suggested a full disestablishment and re-purposing.

Stanford has done the complete opposite. The coalition government pledged to reduce the Full-Time-Equivalents of the Ministry of Education to the pre-Hipkins era of 2,700. At the end of the September quarter the number stood at 3,939 and was up 2.7% on the previous quarter.

Stanford also proposed significant Ministry directional change. She has done none of it. Her first step as the new Minister was to bring a Deputy Secretary of Education into her office (Ellen MacGregor-Reid) who was a HUGE component of the previous six years of failure. Stanford then appointed her Acting Secretary for Education and  during 2025  made her the Secretary of Education. IE  endorsing the long-term bureaucratic status-quo that has served NZ children and young people so poorly.



The NZ Initiative  previously outspoken on the poor performance of the Ministry of Education  have become silent with complete self-interest as  and I quote  they consider themselves to be in the tent.

 The Charter School roll-out has been poorly managed and significantly under-whelming. At the recently Select Committee scrutiny week the outgoing CEO, Jane Lee, had to declare that only 427 students are attending (at an exorbitant cost  25% of which has been spent on the Charter School Agency itself). That is less than 10% of the Mt Albert Grammar School roll. This is what David Seymour meant when he explained to Mike Hosking and Jack Tame that he was going hard and fast. Add to that that few of the approved schools have anything to do with improving the outcomes of NZs most needy students  the international purpose of the development of the Charter School model.

 The Minister made a monumental error by removing the clause in the Education Act for schools to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi. No good could have come from it and I would imagine that the choice to do it was through the coalition agreement and through pressure from the people of Hobsons Choice. This would not have been helped by Stanfords choice to have Elizabeth Rata in her Ministers Advisory Group and her highly embarrassing email rants to the Prime Minister  et al  about re-colonising the curriculum (let alone her bizarre reading lists for the senior English curriculum). I have it on very good authority that she is now well outside the tent.

The effect of the removal of the Treaty clause from the Education Act is that  as of yesterday  1,823 (73%) of schools (Boards of Trustees/Principals) have said that, regardless of the Ministers decision, they will continue to give effect to the Treaty in the delivery of education in their school.



Stanford (and people of the likes of the Sam Uffindell  who really should NEVER comment on education) have made matters so much worse by saying that sending these letters of support and signing up to the pledge is DISGUSTING and that these are lists created by activists. As an indicator  schools like St Cuthberts College, Kings College, Kings High School, Diocesan School for Girls, Hutt International Boys High  have written letters to declare that they will give effect to the Treaty. These are hardly left-wing radical establishments.

Like the great majority of NZers  I want the NZ education system to be the very best in the world  for every-child. Therefore, I want Erica Stanford  and all subsequent Ministers  to be outstanding and fully carry the parents/sector with them.

The Minister told Kerre Woodham on Newstalk earlier this week that she would spend a couple of weeks lying on the beach over Summer to think through next steps.



The key things are:



 a vision for how to get almost all NZ children (regardless of wealth, ethnicity, family structure) through a great first 5 years of life and arriving at schools ready to thrive.



 a plan of how to have families fully involved in our education system and convinced of the worth of getting their children to school every-day. This involves school and teacher quality development and a great deal of communication.

 how to improve the outcomes for those within our qualifications system over the next three years. They cannot be the lost generation as schools focus on all of the transition and change. I am very interested in the school leavers results for 2025  they are on Stanfords watch. NZ is the country in the OECD with the greatest gaps between the highest and lowest achievers. There is nothing substantive happening to change that and in fact, Stanford has stated that results may even move to incrase the gap for a while.

 how to get the sector on her side and reduce the HUGE amount of division that has been created  in part through the policy and processes. This should involve reviewing all of the proposed curriculum and qualifications changes that can only succeed if she has  like any great leader  convinced the sector of both the need for change  and the direction and detail. Few people believe in change for changes sake.

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DUBAI, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2,000 Chinese companies are showcasing a wide range of Chinese-made products, from baby and maternal goods to AI-powered smart glasses, at the ongoing 19th China (UAE) Export Brand Joint Expo, which opened on Wednesday at the Dubai World Trade Center.

The three-day event, the largest since its launch in 2010, spans about 80,000 square meters and features seven specialized zones tailored to the robust procurement demand in the Middle East, covering sectors such as textiles, home appliances and electronics, industrial equipment and building materials.

It aims to provide a professional platform for Chinese exporters to connect with regional markets as they seek overseas expansion amid intensifying global competition, according to the event's organizers.

At the booth of Hangzhou-based smart eyewear maker Hangzhou Lingban Technology Co. Ltd., visitors tested Rokid Glasses. The AI-powered smart glasses integrate real-time translation, AI commands, photography, navigation and mobile payments, with information displayed through waveguide lenses.

"This is very advanced technology," said Salim Malainf, a buyer from India, after trying the product. He added that the real-time translation function and competitive pricing made it particularly attractive and that he would consider purchasing.

China's broad and integrated supply chain also won recognition from overseas buyers. Clive Coutinho, from Dubai-based architectural model maker Titan Models, said Chinese products cover a wide range of sectors and price points. "You can pretty much buy everything from China."

"I very much hope to visit China in the future to attend the Canton Fair and see major manufacturing provinces firsthand," he said. "Before that, exhibitions like this help us understand Chinese companies and look for potential cooperation opportunities."

Nowadays, Chinese exporters are increasingly moving beyond single-product export toward system-level solutions. Guangzhou Grope Furniture Co., LTD. showcased movable, multifunctional soundproof pods designed for use in banks, schools, airports and office buildings, attracting strong interest from Middle Eastern buyers.

The company's chairman, Tan Zhi, said demand for high-quality public space solutions in the Middle East continues to grow, adding that the company plans to expand its presence in the region as part of its overseas strategy.

Held twice a year, the China (UAE) Export Brand Joint Expo has become one of the key platforms linking Chinese export-oriented firms with buyers in the Middle East.
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SHREVEPORT, La. - Domestic violence continues to impact thousands of families across northwest Louisiana, with advocates warning that the winter and holiday seasons can intensify already dangerous situations.

"This is a horrific, horrific trauma that a lot of people face. And we (Louisiana) are number five in the nation for domestic homicides (women murdered by men). I remember when we were number one," said Angela Henderson, assistant executive director of Project Celebration, a nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic violence.

She describes the issue as a devastating trauma with long-lasting consequences.

"What all those things, all those factors, not having enough money, not being able to pay your bills, other factors coupled with the underlining issue of a person who's abusive, it's explosive," Henderson said.

Shreveport police Cpl. Chris Bordelon says there were more than 3,000 domestic violence incidents across the city this year, marking an increase of about 10% compared to the same time last year. Authorities define domestic violence broadly, including incidents between family members, couples, or acquaintances.

"You know, incidents inside of people's households are not issues in which the police department typically gets involved them until it's too late," said Bordelon.

"I'm big on supervised visitation because you don't know what that person would do if you if that person is abusive to you. It's only a matter of time before they abuse the kids. If they can have you back, sometimes they hurt the next thing that you love the most, and that's your children and your pets," Henderson said.

Advocates are urging victims to seek help early and access available resources. Henderson stresses the importance of safety planning, including supervised visitation in some cases, to protect children and pets. She warns that abusive individuals may target those closest to the victim when they feel a loss of control.

Project Celebration offers resources for families experiencing abuse, particularly during the holiday season. In addition to providing basic necessities, the organization focuses on emotional support and healing.

"If you don't have peace in your heart, and if you're not safe, how can you have a good Christmas?" said Henderson.

Project Celebration's Hotline number in Louisiana for domestic abuse is 318-226-5015 and the statewide number is 888-411-1333.
ONE of the two men charged with the possession of explosives after being arrested during a cross-border anti-terrorism operation is seeking that his case be heard in Northern Ireland.

Both men appeared before Portlaoise District Court by video link from Cloverhill Remand Prison today (Thursday).

Counsel for Garrett Pollock (35) from Kilhorne Green, Annalong, Co Down, David Nugent BL, informed Judge Andrew Cody that his client is seeking to exercise his right to have his case heard in the North of Ireland. Mr Pollock is charged with one count of possessing explosives at OMoore Place, Portlaoise on 5 November and one count of possessing explosives at an address at Kilhorne Green, Co Down on 6 November.

Judge Cody noted that Mr Pollock was consenting to be remanded in custody to the 12 January sitting of Portlaoise District Court.

Karolis Peckauskas (38) of Newfoundwell Road, Drogheda, Co Louth is charged with knowingly having in his possession an explosive substance at OMoore Place, Portlaoise.

His solicitor Barry Fitzgerald told Judge Cody that his client was also consenting to be remanded in custody to the 12 January sitting of the court.

Judge Cody remanded the defendant in custody until then for directions from the director of public prosecutions.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.
JOGGERS were nearly poleaxed by a virtually invisible lamppost on a dark morning in Portlaoise.

A councillor received complaints after runners had a near miss with the obstructive pole, which looks like the base of a street lamp.

It later emerged that the obstruction is in fact a vent stack, which was historically used to release sewer gases.

Once colourfully known as stink pipes from the Victorian age, most vent stacks have been dismantled but some still remain.

Cllr Tommy Mulligan kicked up a stink over the issue at a council meeting, when he said that he received a number of calls about the pole, which is a safety hazard as it is virtually invisible in the dark.

The offending pole is located in the middle of a footpath on the Dublin Road, outside St Fintans Hospital and opposite Portlaoise Prison. The vent stack was originally taller than a lamppost but was cut down to just a few feet in recent years.

A few lads out running didnt see the post until the last minute and they were almost taken out of it, Cllr Mulligan told the latest meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District (MD).

The Independent councillor said: I wasnt aware of this until I got a few phone calls about it. Its a danger for runners, joggers and children on bikes, because you cant see it in the dark.

Its a very popular spot for runners, so this pole needs to be removed before theres an accident.

Cllr Mulligan lodged a motion asking Laois Co Council to remove the defunct lamppost, as it is a safety hazard.

He was supported by Cllr Marie Tuohy, who said: Its not used any more, its in the way and its pointless.

To councillors surprise, it emerged that the obstructive pole is not a lamppost but a vent stack, which was formerly used to release gases from the sewage system. As a result, it is the responsibility of Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) rather than the council.

Although admired by some for their heritage value, others object to their obstructive nature on modern footpaths.

In a written response to Cllr Mulligans motion, the councils water services section said: This matter has been referred to Uisce Eireann and they have been requested to remove the vent stack in question.
A LAOIS family will host a major calf care event on their farm as part of a national roadshow.

The McEvoys from Rosenallis will welcome guests to their scenic farm near the Slieve Blooms in January, after they were chosen for the CalfCare series run by Animal Health Ireland (AHI).

John, Patricia and Rory McEvoy of Clonaheen House, Rosenallis are among 16 farm families nationwide hosting on-farm events for the Winter 2025/Spring 2026 series. The Rosenallis farm will host the calf rearing showcase from 11am on Wednesday 14 January.

Running from 8 December 2025 to 22 January 2026, each event showcases best practice in calf husbandry, management and performance and is supported by the agri-food industry, including dairy co-ops and meat processors.

This years theme is Healthy Calves, Your Profitable Future, which aims to highlight the connection between good calf health, animal welfare and farm profitability.

The AHI said: The series shows how steps taken before the calf lands, right through weaning and the first year of life, will ensure the next generation of the herd are ready to deliver for the farmer.

The events are run in collaboration with Teagascs DairyBeef500 Programme, supported by Feed For Growth/Volac Milk Replacers Ireland Ltd.

Further information, including full event details and locations, are available at animalhealthireland.ie.
NON-profit organisation Kare has partnered with Midlands Park hotel, Portlaoise to launch Project Pathways, a new employment programme offering work experience for young adults with intellectual disabilities.

The Project Pathways programme trains employees across key hotel departments, including conferences, bar and restaurant work, accommodation and the health and fitness club.

The initiative began in early November at the hotel in Portlaoise and will run until August 2026. The aim is to help employees develop confidence, skills and experience in a workplace setting.

Established in 1967, Kare delivers a range of community-based supports to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Project Pathways is part of Kares Stepping Stones to Employment project, which is co-funded by the government through the Department of Social Protection and the European Union as part of its WorkAbility: Inclusive Pathways to Employment programme.

Kare will support four participants this year, with the aim of expanding the programme to five places annually.

Kare CEO Margaret O'Neill welcomed the programme: Were delighted to be partnering with Midlands Park hotel and really value their commitment to creating an inclusive place where people can learn and grow.

 Project Pathways is a great example of what happens when organisations come together with a clear purpose. It gives young adults with intellectual disabilities the space to build skills and confidence, and it brings real benefits to the workplaces that welcome them. The Midlands Park hotel already employs two individuals supported by KARE. The new programme promises to build on their partnership.

Saoirse O'Connor, Midlands Park hotels HR department, said: "We have been delighted to partner with Project Pathways and to welcome three work experience participants into our team.

From day one, they have integrated seamlessly, contributing with confidence and enthusiasm  you would easily think they have been valued team members for years.

"This collaboration truly reflects our core values. We are passionate about fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels supported, respected and empowered to succeed.

Working alongside Project Pathways has reinforced the importance of creating meaningful opportunities and embracing diverse talents, perspectives and strengths. We are incredibly grateful for this partnership and excited to continue working together to build a workplace that champions inclusion, growth and mutual respect.
AN AMBULANCE parked outside the emergency department at Naas General Hospital exploded into a fireball within the space of 4-6 seconds killing an elderly patient in the rear of the vehicle nine years ago, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Byrne (79), a widower and father of five from Ard Brid, Suncroft, Co Kildare, suffered fatal injuries as flames engulfed the ambulance around lunchtime on 22 September 2016.

Two paramedics who had brought Mr Byrne to Naas General Hospital from his home also suffered minor injuries in the incident.

An inquest into the death of the retired stud groom and farm labourer at Kildare Coroners Court in Athy on Thursday heard the fire had been started after the valve of an oxygen cylinder placed on a trolley alongside the patient suddenly ignited.

However, an investigation by the Health and Safety Authority was unable to establish a definitive explanation as to what caused the fire.

An advanced paramedic with the National Ambulance Service, David Finnegan, told the inquest that he had placed a portable oxygen cylinder on the trolley beside the patient after they had arrived in the ambulance at Naas General Hospital.

Mr Finnegan said he heard a click and a pop which was not the norm.

When he turned around, he saw a flame coming from the centre of the patient.

I could hear the man scream. I could see the man was on fire, said Mr Finnegan. It all happened in a split second. Mr Finnegan said the flames were coming up the mans left side followed by thick black smoke.

He outlined how there were problems in trying to get Mr Byrne out of the ambulance before adding: I knew the poor man was gone. Mr Finnegan added: It was in my mind to try and get the cylinders out of the ambulance to try preventing further explosions but it was too hot to get at them. I knew there was no more I could do, he concluded.

Another paramedic, Stephen Lloyd, who was attending Mr Byrne in the ambulance, told the inquest that he had turned on the portable oxygen and when he looked around it was in flames.

Mr Lloyd said the flames were located where the tube connected to the cylinder which was like a flame thrower. He tried to help the patient but the fire and the heat were too great before he was pulled out of the ambulance by his colleague.

Mr Lloyd described the incident as an awful terrifying experience.

An HSA inspector, Vincent Darcy, gave evidence that CCTV footage had provided key information in establishing the sequence of events.

Mr Darcy said the first sign of a flame in the ambulance was recorded at 1.31pm by the side of Mr Byrne.

He told the hearing that there was a large explosion one second later after which flames spread rapidly through the ambulance.

Mr Darcy said Mr Lloyd made attempts to grab the patient, while Mr Finnegan opened a side door of the vehicle.

The witness said Mr Lloyd was driven back by the flames in his attempt to rescue Mr Byrne and was forced to run through the flames to exit the rear of the ambulance.

He outlined how the whole incident occurred in the space of 4-6 seconds.

In reply to questions from the coroner, Loretta Nolan, Mr Darcy said such oxygen cylinders had been modified since the incident with the fitting of a brass ring which acted as a heat sink designed to absorb any heat inside the valve which could cause combustible material to ignite.

Mr Darcy said the HSA had also issued a safety alert to raise awareness that oxygen cylinders have the potential to ignite from within the valve.

The HSA inspector said he was aware of seven similar previous incidents in the UK including Northern Ireland, none of which involved a fatality.

He said there were also one or two other similar cases in the UK since the incident in Naas, while he was also aware of between 10 and 20 other cases in the rest of the world.

Mr Darcy said the HSA investigation had ruled out various possible explanations for what caused the fire including someone smoking, faulty electrical equipment in the ambulance or some static discharge.

Cross-examined by Ronan Kennedy SC, counsel for BOC Gases  the provider of the oxygen cylinder  Mr Darcy confirmed the oxygen cylinders had been authorised and licensed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority.

The inquest heard that the HSA had submitted a file on its investigation to the DPP who decided that no prosecution should arise from the fatal fire.

A UK-based fire safety expert who assisted the HSA investigation, Aubrey Tyher, testified that the fire had started in the valve of the oxygen cylinder.

Dr Tyher said he found it had also shared some common features with similar previous incidents involving such equipment.

However, he had been unable to establish with any confidence what caused the fire to start.

Dr Tyher said it was probably caused by a combination of factors including shock heating when the valve was opened, contamination of combustible materials and particles within the valve which become heated.

Given the rarity of such incidents in valves, Dr Tyher said it was likely that several effects must occur together to ignite a fire.

The deceaseds son, Thomas Byrne, who lived with his father and acted as his full-time carer, told the inquest that his father had been diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

The witness said his father had subsequently undergone a tracheotomy and had his voice box removed.

He told his counsel, John Kennedy SC, that his father was unable to speak and he would lip read to try and understand him.

The inquest heard Mr Byrne had called the ambulance that day because his father felt sick and was struggling with his breathing.

Mr Byrne said he decided not to go in the ambulance but to follow his father with his bags.

When he arrived at Naas General Hospital, he was informed that his father had died in the ambulance after it had gone on fire.

A jury of six men and one woman returned a verdict of accidental death.

They also recommended that a review of the use of oxygen cylinders be carried out to minimise the build-up of heat in valves as well as for adequate firefighting equipment to be provided at all ambulance bases.

Offering her condolences to the deceaseds relatives on their loss, Dr Nolan described the manner of his death as an awful tragic event.

The coroner expressed hope that they could remember all the good times they had.

Mr Byrnes family declined to make a comment on the outcome of the inquest.
Sean McCarthaigh

A coffee shop in a Dublin shopping centre has been ordered to pay over 15,000 compensation to a barista who was suddenly fired shortly after informing her manager that she was pregnant.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that Coffee Creations Limited  the operator of Esquires coffee shop in The Square shopping centre in Tallaght  discriminated against staff member Marina Tanasiev, on grounds of gender.

The WRC heard that Ms Tanasiev, who had worked in the Esquires cafe since February 2023 as a barista and subsequently as a supervisor, informed her manager on December 31st, 2023 that she was pregnant.

Ms Tanasiev gave evidence that her manager told her not to tell anyone and that it would not be good for her.

While she was on holiday in January 2024, Ms Tanasiev said she could see that she was not being rostered on her return.

When she returned from annual leave on January 10th, 2024, Ms Tanasiev said her manager informed her that she was being dismissed as they no longer had hours for her to work.

The complainant said she knew that could not be the reason as the cafe was busy.

Ms Tanasiev said the manager failed to respond to her request to provide the reason why she was being let go.

She was subsequently told she would be given a reason in writing, but it never materialised.

No representative of Esquires attended the WRC hearing

WRC adjudication officer, David James Murphy, ruled that Ms Tanasiev had been dismissed from her employment because of her pregnancy based on her uncontested evidence.

The WRC heard that the complainant suffered approximately eight weeks unemployment equating to 4,000 in lost wages before getting another job that paid her 163 less per week which amounted to a further loss of 3,260 before she went on maternity leave.

However, Mr Murphy increased the level of compensation awarded to Ms Tanasiev to 15,390  the equivalent of 30 weeks salary.

He said the amount of compensation beyond her direct loss was needed in order to be dissuasive.

Ms Tanasiev was also awarded a further 2,052 in compensation for breaches of employment legislation in relation to her contract and terms of employment.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro taunted U.S. counterpart Donald Trump over recent comments about the justification of the country's blockade of sanctioned Venezuelan tankers.

"Texas is a territory that was invaded. It wasn't sold. So was California and all of southern U.S.," Petro began.

Petro pide a Trump "nos devuelva" Texas, California y todo los estados del sur de EEUU que fueron "robados" e "invadidos".pic.twitter.com/qgSSJ9p5Rc  Dolia Estevez (@DoliaEstevez) December 18, 2025

He was making reference to the fact that Trump demanded on Wednesday that Venezuela return assets it seized from U.S. oil companies years ago. "You remember they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil not that long ago. And we want it back. They took it  they illegally took it," Trump said.

Petro went on to say that a "Latin American President can't say 'give it back, it was stolen from us." "But he (Trump) can say 'give it back, it was stolen' when talking about Venezuelan oil. So let's make a deal. You give back what you stole from and and what they think we stole from them, which we haven't, well let's discuss it," he added.

Fortune noted that U.S. oil companies played a leading role in Venezuela's oil industry for decades until different governments nationalized the sector, first in the 1970s and in recent years by Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. Compensation offered by Venezuela was deemed insufficient, the outlet added, recalling that in 2014 an international arbitration panel ordered the country to pay $1.6 billion to ExxonMobil.

The Trump administration reportedly intends to continue with the blockade, and could even move into Venezuelan waters to seize more, according to a recent report.

Forces are currently waiting for the vessels to leave the waters to seize them, but they could go in if they delay much, a Trump official told Axios.

The outlet noted that as many as 18 sanctioned ships are in Venezuela's waters, with eight being classified as "Very Large Cargo Container ships," which can carry almost 2 million barrels, the outlet added.

The official said if tankers leave Venezuelan waters the Trump administration will "go to court, get a warrant and then get them." However, if they "make us wait too long, we might get a warrant to get them there," the official added.

The Guardian reported that the South American country's oil exports have plummeted after the seizure last week.

Since the seizure, the outlet claimed, only tankers chartered by U.S. oil company Chevron have sailed through the region carrying Venezuelan crude.

Originally published on Latin Times
American rapper Wiz Khalifa, 38, has been sentenced in absentia to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking marijuana on stage during a festival last year.

The ruling, issued Thursday, December 18, follows an appeal by the Romanian authorities after an initial lighter punishment.

Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was arrested in July 2024 during the Beach Please! Festival in Costinesti for allegedly smoking cannabis while performing. He was found with over 18 grams of marijuana in his possession.

Romanian police confirmed at the time that he faced charges of "illegal possession of high-risk drugs for personal use."

Khalifa was quickly released, later apologizing on social media for any disrespect caused to the country.

The Constanta Tribunal fined Khalifa 3,000 lei (about $690), RollingStone reported.

However, Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) appealed the decision, seeking a stricter penalty.

The Constanta Court of Appeal ultimately sentenced the rapper to nine months in prison.

According to Romanian law, the decision is final, though it remains unclear whether authorities will attempt to extradite Khalifa from the United States. At present, there appears to be little risk that he will serve the sentence.

Wiz Khalifa Sentenced to Nine Months in Prison for Smoking Cannabis on Stage in Romania pic.twitter.com/2BowsVa0wJ  Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) December 18, 2025

Wiz Khalifa Apologizes for Smoking

Despite his legal troubles abroad, Khalifa has remained active in the US, appearing at Gunna's concert in Los Angeles and streaming on Twitch, where he was seen smoking marijuana on December 17.

Representatives for the rapper have not immediately responded to requests for comment, and DIICOT also did not provide a statement.

Romania maintains strict cannabis laws, prohibiting both recreational and medical use.

Possession of illegal drugs can result in fines or prison sentences ranging from three months to two years, depending on the quantity and classification.

Cannabis is considered a high-risk substance in Romania, and even medical prescriptions from local doctors are not allowed, though those with prescriptions from other EU countries may enter the country legally with documentation.

According to USA Today, Khalifa expressed regret at the time of his arrest, writing on X, "I didn't mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up onstage. They were very respectful and let me go. I'll be back soon. But without a big ... joint next time."

Originally published on Music Times
Gunfire early Friday morning left a 34-year-old man dead at an East Allentown restaurant, authorities said.

The Lehigh County Coroners Office identified the victim as David J. Gibbs of Allentown. Gibbs was pronounced dead at 2:40 a.m. Friday at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in Bethlehem, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio said.

Buglio ruled the death a homicide caused by gunshot wounds. An autopsy is planned for Monday.

City police were called for the reported shooting at about 1:30 a.m. inside the Big Woodys restaurant, in the 1300 block of Hanover Avenue. Officers found two male victims with gunshot wounds and rendered first aid.

One of the injured victims was taken to an area hospital for treatment of injuries and another arrived at an area hospital in a private vehicle. Both are expected to survive their injuries, Allentown Assistant Police Chief James Gress said.

Investigators believe the shooting incident began as a fight, city police said. Asked if anyone is in custody, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said the investigation remains ongoing.

Holihan said, ... from what we have learned so far, there doesnt appear to be any risk to the public connected to this incident.

I will release more information when I am able to, the DA added

A dayshift manager who answered the phone at the Big Woodys Hanover Avenue location told lehighvalleylive.com they didnt know anything about what happened the evening before, since that shift is covered by a separate evening crew.

The eatery planned to open for business at 11 a.m. Friday.

The Allentown Police Department, Lehigh County District Attorneys Office, Lehigh County Homicide Task Force and the Lehigh County Coroners Office are investigating.

Authorities asked anyone to call the Allentown Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 610-437-7721 or the Allentown Police Department Complaint Desk at 610-437-7753. Additionally, Anonymous text tips may be sent through the Tip411 app available on the Allentown Police Department Facebook page or the Allentown Police Department website.
An Allentown area man is accused of stealing over $600,000 in checks and more than 40 fraudulent debit and credit cards from various victims, police said.

Cesar Eduardo Martes-Cedano, 24, is charged with one count of felony unauthorized use of an access device and two counts of misdemeanor unauthorized use of an access device.

Martes-Cedano was arraigned Nov. 25 before District Judge Daniel C. Trexler, who initially set bail at 10% of $150,000.

On Dec. 2, a judge decreased Martes-Cedanos bail to $75,000. Unable to post bail, Martes-Cedano remained Friday at the Lehigh County jail.

South Whitehall Township police announced the charges against Martes-Cedano Thursday on the departments Facebook page. Court records did not immediately list an attorney representing Martes-Cedano

Police said the investigation began after detectives received a report involving a local business and then authorities identified several other potential victims.

Investigators obtained a search warrant and raided Martes-Cedanos property.

They seized the stolen checks, debit and credit cards, and numerous fraudulent documents and electronic devices that contained evidence of fraudulent activity, police said of the search.

While in possession of a stolen corporate credit card from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, Martes-Cedano bought $900 worth of items in April at Dicks Sporting Goods and Walmart, both in Whitehall, the Morning Call reported, citing court records.

He allegedly attempted to use the card at a Best Buy store, but it was declined, the report stated.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing by South Whitehall Township Police Department and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Court records show Martes-Cedano gave up his right to a preliminary hearing on Dec. 2 before Trexler. The judge then sent all the charges to the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas, where Martes-Cedano could stand trial.

Martes-Cedano is due to appear in county court for a formal arraignment tentatively scheduled for Jan. 16 before Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert L. Steinberg.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call South Whitehall Police Detective Tyler Doherty at 610-398-0337.
An adult and child were injured Thursday afternoon when a fire broke out on the upper level of a Southside Easton home.

City Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Chad Gruver told lehighvalleylive.com flames ignited just after 1 p.m. at the home in the 300 block of Williams Street.

The adult and child managed to escape safely on their own. Two other family members were not home when the blaze broke out.

Crews found flames near the bedroom area on the second floor and worked quickly to extinguish it, Gruver said.

Fire crews were able to get a hose line through the rear entrance and up the stairs quickly controlling the fire, he said.

The adult and child were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township for treatment of injuries. Conditions were not immediately available Friday morning.

Fire damage was contained to the bedroom and roof with smoke damage throughout the second floor, officials said.

The house has since been deemed uninhabitable by city fire officials.

Cristina Maisel, regional communications manager for the American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region, said the organizations Disaster Team is helping two families, three adults and four children total, with shelter and other needs.

The cause of Thursdays blaze remains under investigation by Easton fire officials.
An Easton attorney was sentenced earlier this month to 18 to 52 months in state prison for threatening a state investigator and for contempt of court.

Attorney Ronnie Creazzo, 61, of Bushkill Township, sent a threatening email after an investigator from the disciplinary counsels office showed up at his home on June 21, 2024, according to a criminal complaint.

Court records say Creazzo was convicted of all counts filed against him: retaliation against a witness, criminal use of a communication facility, obstruction of the administration of law, making terroristic threats, harassment, and making threats to influence a judicial process.

Senior Judge William P. Mahon of Chester County presided over the trial in July.

He found Creazzo in contempt of court three separate times during court proceedings, according to Northampton County First Assistant District Attorney Robert Eyer. Online court records dont give details on what Creazzo did to be found in contempt.

Defense attorney Erv McLain handled the trial for Creazzo. Court records say Creazzo is now serving as his own attorney. He couldnt be reached for comment because hes in prison.

Creazzo was sentenced Dec. 5 to 15 to 46 months in state prison followed by four years of consecutive probation on the original charges, plus an additional three to six months for the findings of contempt.

Court records say the state investigator was unable to serve Creazzo a notice to plead after Creazzo yelled an expletive and told the investigator to get off his property before there is a problem. The investigator feared for his safety and left.

Five minutes later, Creazzo sent a threatening and profane email to an attorney with the disciplinary counsel. Creazzo sent the same email about 25 minutes later.

Then he sent a third email saying, Trespassers are not welcome. You have my office address. This was extremely uncalled for. That was outrageous and extremely unprofessional and your superior will be notified, according to the complaint.

Creazzos license to practice law was suspended Dec. 31. A hearing to determine whether his license will be revoked is scheduled for Jan. 5.

The state disciplinary board reviews complaints made against Pennsylvania attorneys by clients. Those cases are investigated by the disciplinary counsels office. Its unclear why the state was investigating Creazzo.
Armchair Lehigh Valley content is published on lehighvalleylive.com as part of a partnership with the website, which aims to give voters nonpartisan factual information. Armchair Lehigh Valley is run by publisher Katherine Reinhard and editor Robert H. Orenstein. For more information, or to subscribe, visit armchairlehighvalley.substack.com.

A special election to fill the 22nd District House seat vacated by Democratic state Rep. Josh Siegel, set to become Lehigh County executive in January, will be Feb. 24.

Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton issued the required writ of election Wednesday after Siegel resigned the position he has held for three years. He was elected in 2022 and reelected in 2024. Last month, he defeated Republican Roger MacLean in the county executive election with 60.6% of the vote.

Siegel initially planned to resign Jan 1. and then decided on Dec. 31, but he said Wednesday night in a text message to Armchair Lehigh Valley that he and the House leadership agreed on an earlier resignation.

The date for the special election, which must be at least 60 days after a resignation, would have been in March if he resigned at the end of December. By resigning Wednesday, the date was moved up a couple of weeks.

The speakers notice was addressed to Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt and the Lehigh County Election Board, which must begin preparations for the special election. Whoever wins that election will serve until Nov. 30, 2026, according to McClintons paperwork.

There will also be the traditional primary on May 19, where voters will nominate candidates for the Nov. 3 general election to serve the next two-year term.

Two Democrats  Allentown City Councilwoman Ce-Ce Gerlach and Julian Guridy, an aide to state Sen. Nick Miller who represents the 14th District  have expressed interest in gaining the partys nomination for the special election. Both intend to run in the May primary to see who will represent the party in the November 2026 election for the seat.

No Republicans have announced intentions to run for the special election or the open seat.

Lori McFarland, chair of the Lehigh County Democratic Committee, and Joe Vichot, chair of the Lehigh County Republican Committee, were unavailable for comment Wednesday night.

The district, which comprises east Allentown, part of downtown Allentown and part of Salisbury Township, is heavily Democratic. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a more than 2-1 margin and make up more than half of the districts voters.

As outlined in state law, the county Democratic and Republican committees will select a candidate to run in the special election. Candidates must file nomination papers with signatures, just like a regular election, and petitions can be challenged in court. Thirty days before the election, Secretary Schmidt would certify the candidates. Voter registration in the 22nd District ends 15 days before the special election.

McClinton also scheduled a special election for the 42nd District seat held by Dan Miller, a Democrat who in November was elected judge for Allegheny County Court.

Special elections need to be scheduled for two other House seats held by Republicans who were also elected judges  Torren Ecker in Adams County and Lou Schmitt in Blair County.

Before the resignations, Democrats controlled the House 102-101.
New Jersey nursing homes are required to conduct criminal background checks before hiring employees who provide care for their residents.

Not all do, a new federal report found.

The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the state failed to ensure that nursing homes complied with federal requirements prohibiting the employment of individuals with disqualifying backgrounds.

But New Jersey Department of Health officials said their hands were effectively tied because the Legislature has not given them the authority to conduct background checks, which are done instead through third-party companies.

In an audit of the state, 11 of the 12 nursing homes examined by the federal inspectors did not comply or did not document compliance with background check requirements for 33 of 120 employees reviewed.

According to the report:

Nine of the nursing homes audited allowed staff members to provide care before completing a background check.

Four nursing homes employed a total of six staff members without ever performing background checks.

One did not provide documentation that it had performed background checks for 10 selected staff members.

The audit did not indicate whether any of the individuals cited had issues that would have prohibited them from working in long-term care.

According to the report, the states nursing homes  which have chronically have had serious understaffing issues  did not have sufficient procedures to ensure that background checks were properly conducted for all staff members.

This put residents at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or mistreatment, inspectors said.

The audit added that New Jerseys own monitoring protocols also were not adequate to prevent nursing homes from employing individuals with disqualifying backgrounds.

In comments from the state included in the report, New Jersey officials said that as of June 2023, recertification surveys now include reviewing files for all new hires from the date of the last recertification survey. They also noted plans to increase educational outreach to facilities.

But acting state Health Commissioner Jeffrey Brown also pointed out that the New Jersey Legislature has not given the state Department of Health the authority to run its own criminal history background checks.

Businesses are running third-party background checks, he explained in a letter to the inspector generals office. Brown added that if the Department of Health had authority to run background checks through the State Police and FBI, the state would be in full compliance.

Laurie Facciarossa Brewer, New Jerseys Long-Term Care Ombudsman, said she found the report shocking and deeply concerning.

Clearly, the state needs to tighten up its oversight in this area, she said. The vast majority of direct care workers are caring people with spotless records. But there is no margin for error here. People living in nursing homes are an easy target for neglect, maltreatment and financial exploitation. We must do better.

Andrew Aronson, president and CEO of the Health Care Association of New Jersey, which represents the states long-term care industry, said New Jersey law specifically requires criminal background checks for all nurse aides as well as other health care professionals in nursing homes.

We fully support these background check laws and efforts by the NJ Department of Health to ensure compliance, he said.
Laois based eco and wellness tourism businesses are invited to attend an exciting networking and development event at Bloom HQ in Mountrath.

This interactive workshop is designed for business owners and operators in the wellness sector who want to connect, collaborate, and grow.

This event will provide an introduction into the wellness tourism industry and focus on how to collaborate and grow a business.

Pictured: The event will take place in Mountrath's Bloom HQ.

Attendees will hear from Neil Dennehy from Highest Potential.

Mr Dennehy will outline the growing potential within the wellness tourism landscape, the economic potential of a trillion-dollar industry and how collaboration can support business growth. He will also deliver some interactive wellness activities as part of the workshop on the day.

"The development and growth of eco and wellness tourism businesses in the Midlands is essential to driving a sustainable and vibrant tourism sector in the region," said Ms Regina Dunne, Laois Just Transition Regenerative Tourism Activator.

"These businesses not only create unique visitor experiences but also contribute to local communities and the green economy. By working together, we can position the Midlands as a leading destination for regenerative tourism," she highlighted.

At this workshop, there are opportunities for Laois locals to share their business ideas or expansion plans with Ms Dunne. Business owners can also receive expert advice on business supports from the Laois Local Enterprise Office.

The workshop aims to learn how LEADER funding, provided by Laois Partnership Company, can help your business thrive.

Laois Tourism and Laois Chamber Alliance members will be in attendance, there to show you how you can elevate your visibility and opportunities.

"LEO Laois offers a wide range of supports to help businesses in this sector start, scale, and succeed," said Ms Evelyn Reddin, Head of Enterprise at Laois County Council.

"From mentoring and training to financial assistance, our goal is to empower entrepreneurs to turn great ideas into thriving enterprises. This workshop is a fantastic opportunity to learn about these supports and connect with others who share your vision," she explained.

Ms Joann Nolan of Laois Tourism also recommended this workshop.

"Building a strong network of eco and wellness tourism businesses will amplify the regions appeal and help every member reach more visitors and create unforgettable experiences. Collaboration is key," Ms Nolan said.

"When businesses work together, we can showcase the best of Laois and attract tourists seeking authentic, sustainable, and wellness-focused travel."

Laois County Council encourage Laois businesses to bring along a business card or flyer and take advantage of this chance to network with others in the industry.

"Lets make 2026 a year of growth, collaboration, and connectivity for Laois wellness tourism," the Council said.

The event will take place on January 8, 2026.

To register, email Regina Dunne at rdunne@laoiscoco.ie or call 057 8664016.

The Tourism Activator Programme is funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund.
County Laois and the wider Midlands region has welcomed the news that the Midlands Region of Ireland has been named among UNESCOs Global Network of Learning Cities.

UNESCO has welcomed 72 new cities from 46 countries to the Global Network of Learning Cities, recognizing their outstanding commitment to making the right to education across all ages a reality for all at the local level.

UNESCO Learning Cities are dynamic communities where learning is embedded in everyday life  across schools, workplaces, libraries, homes, and public spaces. They create opportunities for all through reskilling and upskilling workers to meet evolving job markets, providing literacy for those who missed out in early years, empowering citizens of all ages to navigate and shape the AI era, and fostering entrepreneurial mindsets.

The cross-county region of Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath has been recognised for its youthful demographic with almost 50% of the Midlands' population under 35-years-old and they way in which the region provides a dynamic base for learning, skills, education and workforce development.

UNESCOs Global Network of Learning Cities has highlighted the many exceptional organisations and networks that promote lifelong learning in the Midlands and Laois.

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For example, the Midlands Regional Enterprise Plan (MREP) and Skills Forum, Technological University of the Shannon, and community Learning Gates all demonstrate the regions dedication to providing opportunities for learners. Additionally, Education and Training Boards, such as the Laois Offaly ETB, are considered the "cornerstone" of accessible further education and training.

As well as this, the Midlands Regional Skills Forum aligns education provision with enterprise needs. Local Enterprise Offices, such as in Portlaoise, also support entrepreneurship with courses like Lean for Micro and Start Your Own Business.

Commenting on this fantastic achievement, Midlands Regional Skills Forum Manager, John Costello said: "This recognition by UNESCO is a powerful endorsement of the Midlands' shared commitment to lifelong learning and inclusion. It reflects the exceptional collaboration across local authorities, education providers, enterprise, and state agencies to ensure learning is accessible at every stage of life."

Chief Executive of Laois County Council and Designated Chief Executive for the Midlands Region, Michael Rainey, welcomed the UNESCO status, saying: "The recognition afforded to the Midlands Region by UNESCO as part of the Global Network of Learning Cities acknowledges the collaboration between all parties to ensure that we continue to lay the foundations for a strong economy by providing a range of learning opportunities in an inclusive manner."

Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council, Cllr Barry Walsh, added: "We are thrilled to see the Midlands Region of Ireland recognised as part of UNESCOs Global Network of Learning Cities. Ensuring access to education and skills development from primary school through third level and apprenticeships across all sectors, is a top priority for our region."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Laois Offaly Garda Crime Prevention Officer Sgt Graham Kavanagh expressed frustration over discussions over a proposed new Lidl store for Mountmellick.

His comments come as Lidl disagrees with a request for additional walkways, stating that one could become a rat run.

In 2023, Sgt Kavanagh became the first Garda in Ireland to secure a Diploma in Designing Out Crime.

The Diploma, which is aimed at creating safer built environments, is a recognised qualification both for police Designing Out Crime Officers and for others who engage in designing out crime as part of a specialist role.

It enables Sgt Kavanagh to provide specialist advice and guidance regarding the built environment at every stage of architectural design from pre-planning to the full development in order to minimise crime, fear of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

What I find frustrating is that discussions around developments like this often focus on broad concepts such as permeability and active travel, without always engaging fully with how those principles work on the ground in terms of safety, natural surveillance and long-term impact on communities, said Sgt Kavanagh.

READ MORE: Lidl disagree with request for more walkways for Mountmellick store

Ive spent years pushing this specific area of crime prevention and environmental design in Laois/Offaly, and Ive repeatedly made myself available to offer impartial, evidence-based input on these issues. At times, it feels like that work and experience isnt being fully engaged with during key planning conversations, he said.

Sgt Kavanagh explained that: "My concern isnt about any single development  its about ensuring that good intentions translate into safe, well-designed outcomes that genuinely serve residents and dont create unintended problems down the line.

There is a lot of support for the proposed new Lidl for Mountmellick with a petition having been launched by some residents.
A Laois woman has been chosen to represent the Polish community in Ireland in the Beyond Borders positivity campaign.

Kasjana Jatkowska from Portlaoise has been selected as one of ten people from the 125,000 members of the Polish diaspora in Ireland to represent the community in a national campaign highlighting the achievements, creativity, and contributions of Polish people in Ireland.

Kasjana is the founder of Maths Made Easy Grinds, a grinds school supporting students to build confidence and succeed in mathematics in Laois, Carlow and Kilkenny. Through her work, she helps young people overcome barriers to learning and reach their full potential.

Beyond her business, Kasjana has long been committed to community life in County Laois. She was one of the founding members of the Laois Integration Network, helping to create spaces for connection, cooperation and inclusion. She is also actively involved in the Laois Rotary Club, where she previously served as Chair, contributing her leadership and energy to local initiatives.

Ireland is a great country, What makes it great is the people. They are very welcoming. Thats why I call Ireland home. Opening my own business was also about giving back. I am proud to support students to overcome their challenges in maths to build their confidence so they can believe in their own abilities, Kasjana said.

Kasjana as featured in the publicity campaign for Beyond Borders; Poles who build, belong and inspire.

The campaign has been commissioned by Forum Polonia, a Polish migrant rights organisation. Through a series of personal stories, portraits, and short videos, the campaign showcases ten Polish individuals from across Ireland who are shaping their communities in diverse fields  from education and culture to business, art, science, and volunteering.

The project challenges sometimes outdated stereotypes about Polish migrants and aims to highlight the complexity of identity  reminding audiences that every person who has come to Ireland brings with them not just a journey, but a lifetime of experience, talent, and resilience.

Barnaba Dorda is the Chair of Forum Polonia.

A year ago, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Poland joining the EU, and that was the beginning of the large-scale migration of Poles to Ireland. Many of us started working in manual work sectors, filling in labour gaps.

Twenty years on, we can see the progress the Polish community has made, but we feel that the stereotypes about Polish migrant workers are still prevalent. With the Beyond Borders campaign, we want to replace labels with stories. Polish people have been part of Irelands progress for two decades  this campaign celebrates that connection and reminds us that we

all belong, he said.

The campaign has been co-created by two Portlaoise residents Aga Wypychowska and photographer Renata (Rene) Metelicka.

The campaigns central message is We are here. We create. We inspire. An immigrant is a full person with a personal history, professional life, and unique skills. We want to show that Polish people are not just participants in Irish life  they are co-

creators of it. Aga Wypychowska said.

Read next: 'Ratrun' Lidl disagree with Laois request for walkways to planned new supermarket

The Beyond Borders campaign will run across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, featuring short video interviews, photography, and a final short film summarising the initiative.

Forum Polonia invites everyone  Polish, Irish, and beyond  to follow the campaign, share the stories, and celebrate life Beyond Borders. Follow the campaign using the tags #BeyondBorders #PolishIrish #PolacywIrlandii #WeBelongHere

#BuildingTogether
A Maynooth, Co Kildare man has been fondly remembered for his 'sweet smile' and his 'kindest welcoming heart.'

Patrick (Pat) Bracken - Maynooth and formerly of Courtlands, Drumcondra, Dublin 9  passed peacefully on December 17 2025 in Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, surrounded by his loving family.

Pat is predeceased by his parents Kathleen and William, sisters Sr. Colette, Heather and Adrienne, brothers Liam and Baby Brendan.

He is deeply regretted and sadly missed by his loving and devoted wife Ann, sons Damian, Noel and Declan and especially his daughter Ann, adored grandsons Stephen, Jack, Peter and Killian, daughters-in-law Mary Frances, Evengeline and Anne, his daughter Ann's partner Declan, sister-in-law Eilish, brother-in-law Paddy, nieces, nephews, extended family and large circle of friends.

May Pat Rest In Peace.

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Pat will be reposing at Oliver Reilly's Funeral Home, Leinster St., Maynooth, Co. Kildare, (W23V99E) on Sunday (Dec. 21) from 5pm - 8pm, with evening prayers at 7:30pm.

The removal will take place from Oliver Reilly's Funeral Home, on Monday (Dec. 22) at approximately 9:30am to arrive at Corpus Christi Church, Drumcondra for 11am Funeral Mass, followed by burial in Laraghbryan Cemetery, Maynooth, Co. Kildare.

Pat's family would like to express their sincere thanks and gratitude to the following for their tender care and professionalism in looking after Pat: the staff in The Residence Nursing Home, Maynooth, The Maple, Elm and Rowan Wards in Blanchardstown Hospital, Saint Elizabeth's Ward in the Mater Private Hospital. Thank you all.

The Funeral Mass can be viewed live in the "webstream" section below.

Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues.

Family flowers only. Donations if desired to the Irish Cancer Society, which can be made in the "donate" section below

For all enquiries, please contact Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors on (045) 868230

Webstream

Funeral service: https://corpuschristidrumcondra.ie/mass-times/webcam/

Donations in lieu of flowers to Irish Cancer Society in Memory of Patrick (Pat) Bracken: https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/PP87995332/donate.html

Heartfelt tributes paid to Pat on RIP.ie this week include: On behalf of William and Dolores and the entire Lee Family, we are deeply sorry for the passing of Patrick Bracken. We met Patrick some years back during Noel and Evangelines wedding. We will never forget his sweet smile and his kindest welcoming heart. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family, friends, and all who knew him. May his memory be a source of comfort, and may those who mourn find strength, peace, and support during this difficult time.

And: Sincere sympathy to you Ann and family and extended families on Pat's passing. A great man and gentleman and a pleasure to meet always. I first met Pat 60 odd years or so when we were both members of the Gardai. Never changed in personality. The light of heaven to you my friend. Miss you. R.I.P.

While another mourner wrote: Damian, Declan, Killian and family, my deepest sympathies on the passing of Pat. May he rest in eternal peace.

And another added: Deepest sympathy to Ann, Damian, Noel, Declan and Ann and their families on the passing of Pat. May he rest in peace.
A county councillor has urged Kildare County Council (KCC) to widen the approach roads for two bridges in Newbridge.

Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell made the request at the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, December 17 last.

He motioned for KCC to widen the approach roads at Sexes Railway Bridge, Rickardstown and the Morristown Railway Bridge at Lakeside and Watercress Manor Estates.

Cllr McDonnell's motion was seconded by the Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fail Cllr Noel Heavey.

In response to his motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting: "The Newbridge Area Based Transport Assessment has identified the upgrade of both of these bridges and the associated approach roads as medium term objectives.

"These projects are typically delivered in three to five years. However, this is dependent on funding, and at present, there is no funding allocated in the Capital Programme."

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Despite this, KCC assured Cllr McDonnell: "The Executive will continue engagement with Irish Rail with a view to progressing both of these projects in the medium term."

KCC further said: "Extensive engagement will also be needed with Irish Rail, who is the owner of the two existing structures and with the landowners on both sides of the two bridges.

"[A] Consulting Engineer will also need to be appointed to manage the optioneering, design and consenting associated with two projects of this scale."

In addition, KCC said that the acquisition of third party lands would also be required in order to deliver this scheme.

SUGGESTIONS

Speaking further on his motion, Cllr McDonnell told KCC that there are "a number of [traffic] bottlenecks" in Newbridge.

He also outlined a number of suggestions to KCC: delist the bridges; arrange a meeting with Irish Rail to discuss the matter further; and appoint a Consultating Engineer.

In addition, Cllr McDonnell criticised the point in the report that noted that these projects are typically delivered in three to five years.

He emphasised to KCC: "This [matter] is very urgent."

Once Cllr McDonnell concluded his suggestions, a senior engineer for KCC who was present at the meeting, Donal Hodgins, responded to him.

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For the first suggestion, he said that the delisting process would be a separate process that would have to go before KCC's Planning Department.

Speaking on the second suggestion, Mr Hodgins said that there has been a meeting with Irish Rail.

For the Newbridge-based representative's third and final point about the appointment of a Consulting Engineer, Mr Hodgins said: "It would be Irish Rail's responsibility to do this, as the bridges are not in KCC's remit."

He added: "It's just a question of it not being our property and encouraging Irish Rail to carry out the works. In general, the bridges are owned by Irish Rail."

Mr Hodgins also told Cllr McDonnell that it was "useful" to have the motion at the meeting, in order to "alert them [Irish Rail] about the concerns [about the two approach roads and bridges]".

However, he also stressed: It will be challenging to get this motion up and running."

Cllr McDonnell subsequently asked Mr Hodgins: "Can we get the meeting moving along?"

Following this, Mayor Heavey told KCC: "The north side of Newbridge is under intense pressure [in terms of traffic]."

His party colleague, Cllr Brian O'Loughlin, said that he also agreed with his sentiments, and added: "I think that Irish Rail needs a serious kick to show them these issues; we need to see more action on this."

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SIMILAR MOTION

Immediately after this motion was discussed, a similar motion by Mayor Heavey was heard.

As part of this motion, Mayor Heavey requested for KCC to "engage with Irish Rail to discuss how weight restrictions may be

applied to local rail bridges in Newbridge area".

His motion was seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Suzanne Doyle.

Along with reiterating his comments about the presence of traffic on the bridges, Mayor Heavey also highlighted issues that arise whenever two heavy vehicles  "such as gravel lorries"  meet each other on the bridges.

Mayor Heavey concluded by saying that he wanted KCC to send a letter describing the councillors' concerns to to Irish Rail.

Cllr Doyle then said that she "acknowledged" Cllr McDonnell's suggestion to delist the bridges.

She also claimed: "Unless bricks are falling down from the bridge onto the tracks, then Irish Rail don't seem to be interested [in resolving the issue]."

In addition, Cllr Doyle asked KCC: "Could we implement side-bridges, similar to the ones on the main bridge in Newbridge? Could we explore that?"

Replying to her query, Mr Hodgins said: "Physically, it is possible to have temporary bridges", but also told Cllr Doyle that there would be funding concerns.

He further said: "We can include that suggestion in a letter to Irish Rail; I do know that when it comes to the National Transport Authority (NTA), they prefer to come down to a Full Council Meeting."

Cllr Doyle also said: "I think that the Mayor of the County should be at this meeting too."

After a brief discussion, it was agreed that KCC would write to Irish Rail about the issues facing the two approach roads and bridges.

LEFT: Independent Cllr Tom McDonnell. Photograph credit: kildarecoco.ie / RIGHT: Fianna Fail Cllr Noel Heavey. Photograph credit: Martin Connelly

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Kildare County Councils Arts Service has announced Conor Burke as the recipient of the Amplify EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) Artist Practice Bursary Award 2026.

Conor is an actor, playwright, and theatre-maker.

His plays create joyful and engaging experiences that tell stories of today, often centering on queer and working-class characters, and giving voice to experiences that can be overlooked by the mainstream.

In 2015, he became the youngest artist to write and perform a solo show as part of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, with his play Leaving Narnia, which was nominated for the Oscar Wilde Award for Best New Writing.

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Since then, Conors work has been programmed in a variety of venues across the UK and Ireland, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Scene + Heard: Festival of New Work, Riverbank Arts Centre, Moat Theatre, and Smock Alley Boys School.

Conor, along with collaborators Shauna Carrick and Nessa Matthews, is currently developing Gleek of the Week - a one-person musical about fandom and the life-changing power of art.

The Amplify EDI Artist Practice Bursary Award, supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaion will provide Conor with the time and resources to focus on the development of their professional practice and a specific artistic project.

Announcing the award, Elaine Donnelly acting Arts Officer, Kildare County Council, said: We are delighted to announce Conor as recipient of this award, and look forward to supporting the development of this new piece of theatre.

This award reflects the Arts Offices ongoing commitment to nurturing diverse artistic voices and strengthening the creative community across County Kildare. Conors work embodies the innovation and inclusivity we strive to champion, and we are proud to stand behind his artistic journey.

Speaking of his plans, Conor Burke said, I am beyond thrilled to receive the Amplify EDI Artist Practice Bursary Award. The support will allow me the opportunity to carry out focused research, writing, and dramaturgical development on Gleek of the Week - an original new one-person musical centered around queer joy, the art that changes us, and the American television show Glee. With sincere thanks to Kildare Arts Service for the opportunity.

Conor will begin work in early 2026.
A plethora of concerns have been raised over the poor conditions plaguing one County Kildare school.

A number of councillors who attended the latest Kildare-Newbridge Municipal District (MD) meeting, which took place on Wednesday, December 17 last, expressed their concerns about the school and called for remedial action to be taken.

Their sentiments echo similar calls for action that were made by Labour Party TD Mark Wall, as well as Fianna Fail Senator Fiona O'Loughlin, earlier this week.

The MD meeting discussion kicked off when Social Democrats Cllr Pat Balfe motioned for Kildare County Council (KCC) to "write to the Department of Education seeking a detailed update on the commencement of construction of the proposed new build secondary school for The Curragh Community College".

He also said that he specifically wanted KCC to request clarification on:

"The current status of the project, including completion of any remaining design, planning, tender, or procurement stages"

"The anticipated timeline for commencement of construction, including any revised start dates where applicable"

"Any outstanding issues or dependencies that may be delaying the progression of the project, including an assurance that funding allocated for the project remains secured, and confirmation that the Department is prioritising the delivery of the new school in order to meet growing local educational needs"

His motion was seconded by his party colleague, Cllr Chris Pender.

In addition, Cllr Balfe made a declaration that he sat on the Board of Management for the School, as did Fianna Fail Cllr Brian O'Loughlin.

Responding to the motion, KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting that this would be a matter for the members to agree upon.

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Speaking further on his motion, Cllr Balfe said: "The services at the school are inadequate."

According to Cllr Balfe, supports for the school, which is also designated as a DEIS school, were previously assured but "never fully materialised".

"This has had a negative impact on teaching, learning and morale," he added.

STORM DAMAGES

Furthermore, Cllr Balfe said that Storm Bram caused damages to three classrooms in the school, leaving them unusable at present.

Concluding his points, he said: "The school community cannot wait; the students and teachers deserve safe and dignified conditions."

Cllr Pender then spoke, and told those in attendance that he had received communications from both teachers and students who described the conditions in the school.

"It's atrocious," he added: "No student or teacher should have to deal with it."

Another councillor who weighed in was Cllr O'Loughlin, who claimed: "It's not even the school itself, it's the surroundings too."

He further said: "Everything [there] is substandard".

Cllr O'Loughlin's party colleague, Cllr Suzanne Doyle, then gave her views on the matter, and pondered why KCC and the MD's members didn't have regular meetings with the Department of Education.

"And at the very least, I think the Mayor of the County should be present for such meetings," she suggested.

READ NEXT: Kildare County Council announces recipient of the Amplify Artist Practice Bursary

'AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE'

Sinn Fein Cllr Noel Connolly, who appeared at the meeting by virtual means, described the situation as "an absolute disgrace".

"I wouldn't allow my own children to go there, and I wouldn't work there," he told those in attendance.

In addition, he claimed that the school's buildings are "detrimental to the health of students, their academic learning and a sense of school morale".

Another councillor who appeared at the meeting by virtual means, Fine Gael Cllr Kevin Duffy, agreed with the sentiments expressed by his fellow councillors.

Following this, the Mayor of the MD, Fianna Fail Cllr Noel Heavey, noted that he previously worked as a teacher, and described a situation at a school he used to work in.

He said that the school's buildings were "in a very poor state" at the time and added that the school's Board of Management brought the matter to the Teacher's Union.

"Eventually, a new school manifested," Mayor Heavey told those in attendance.

Drawing from this experience, he advised KCC and his fellow councillors: "I would say that the first place I would go for this would be the Union."

After the matter was put to a brief vote, it was agreed by the majority of the councillors that KCC would write a letter to the Department of Education in relation to the conditions at Curragh Community College.

Social Democrats Cllr Pat Balfe. File photograph

READ NEXT: Kildare County Council urged to widen approach roads for two bridges in Newbridge

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Everyone could be waking up to a snowy Christmas in Leitrim, as a major cold blast is set to sweep across Ireland in the coming days with conditions to turn colder from Sunday and lows of -2C in some areas.

For the coming days, Met Eireann said: "Unsettled over the coming days with rain or showers, as well as turning cooler if not colder from Sunday. However, high pressure will bring mostly dry and fairly calm conditions from later Tuesday, lasting for much of the Christmas period."

The national forecaster has confirmed "there is the chance of the odd wintry shower" on Sunday. From Saturday night, December 21, through to Christmas Day, temperatures are set to fall sharply. Lows could reach -2C on Saturday night, with daytime highs of only 4C in some areas on Sunday and Monday.

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Met Eireann said: "Rather cold for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - dry and quiet with crisp winter sunshine, but with frost and ice to begin and end each day. There will be the chance of a few coastal showers up along the East Coast, in a light to moderate east to northeast breeze."

Looking ahead to the final days before the festive period, its full forecast reads: "Blustery to begin Friday with passing heavy showers and local hail. However, winter sunshine will develop more widely this afternoon and brisk southerlies will ease, as showers become confined to west and northwest counties. Highest temperatures of 7C to 10C.

"Dry and clear for much of Friday night. Some well scattered showers will begin to feed up from the southwest later though, along with freshening south to southeast winds. Lowest temperatures of 3C to 7C , coldest for Ulster.

"Saturday will be rather windy to start with some scattered showers. Rain in the southwest will slowly push northeastwards during the day with scattered showers following from the west. Highest temperatures of 7C to 11C . Brisk southeast winds will slowly ease off but with some mist in places later too.

"A very cold and calm Saturday night with frost and ice developing under clear skies. Some freezing fog possible across Ulster and the Midlands too. Showers will move into southeast and east areas later, locally turning wintry. Lowest temperatures of -2C to 2C.

"Cooler Sunday than recent days with showery rain moving in across the country on an easterly breeze, with the chance of the odd wintry shower. Highest daytime temperatures of 4C to 8C.
*China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area. *The launch of island-wide special customs operations marks a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP, which enables freer flows of goods, capital, personnel and data, supported by zero tariffs, low tax rates and a simplified tax system. *The move is widely seen as a landmark in China's efforts to promote free trade and expand high-standard opening-up amid rising protectionism worldwide. HAIKOU, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures. The move is widely seen as a landmark in China's efforts to promote free trade and expand high-standard opening-up amid rising protectionism worldwide. Under the new arrangements, the tropical island, covering more than 30,000 square km and about a 1.5-hour flight from Hong Kong, has been designated a special customs supervision zone. This marks a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP, which enables freer flows of goods, capital, personnel and data, supported by zero tariffs, low tax rates and a simplified tax system. Substantial progress has been achieved in developing the Hainan FTP, and the essential conditions for its island-wide special customs operations have been met, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said at the launch ceremony in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province. The island-wide special customs operations should serve as an opportunity to deepen reforms in key sectors, steadily advance high-quality development, improve the risk prevention and control system, and build the Hainan FTP into a leading gateway for China's opening-up in the new era, said He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. NEW STAGE Officials describe the special customs system as offering "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland. The share of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP has been raised from 21 to 74 percent, expanding the list of related items from 1,900 to over 6,600. Zero-tariff goods processed in Hainan may be sold to the mainland duty-free if their local processing generated an added value of 30 percent or more. Chi Fulin, president of the China Institute for Reform and Development, said this move demonstrates China's push to expand institutional opening-up. "It signals that China's doors will not close, but open wider," Chi said, describing the FTP as the "highest level of openness in the global economy." As the policy came into force, major ports across Hainan saw a surge in activity on Thursday. At Yangpu Port, one of the island's eight "first-line" customs ports, the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical imports, totaling 179,000 tonnes, arrived, with the shipment expected to save close to 10 million yuan (about 1.42 million U.S. dollars) in import-stage costs compared with before the launch. Local authorities expect that on Thursday alone, key "first-line" gateways such as Yangpu and Sanya Phoenix International Airport are expected to clear a range of zero-tariff imports, including crude oil, medical equipment, aviation materials and food ingredients, with the total value exceeding 500 million yuan. At Haikou Meilan International Airport, Jia Green Chocolate Works (Hainan) Co., a joint-venture chocolate producer based in the Hainan FTP, began shipping its products to Beijing and Hanzhong in northwest China after completing customs clearance. "We have already benefited from the special customs operations of the Hainan FTP," said Wu Huijuan, general manager of the company's marketing department. "For this batch of chocolate products, we have cut costs by about 10 percent." OPEN DOORS WIDER Once an underdeveloped frontier outpost, Hainan became China's largest special economic zone in 1988. A master plan released in 2020 set the goal of developing the island into a globally influential, high-level FTP by the middle of the century. The Hainan FTP Law has been implemented to provide a legal guarantee for the port's development. Foreign companies can benefit from a business environment more closely aligned with international standards, lower tax and production costs, broader access to service sectors like healthcare and education, and use Hainan as a platform to tap into the vast Chinese market. Official data showed that since 2020, more than 9,600 foreign-invested enterprises have been established in Hainan. To date, the province has attracted investors from over 170 countries and regions. "For Dun & Bradstreet, these policies in Hainan are highly aligned with our business and development direction in China," said Andrew Wu, CEO of Dun & Bradstreet China. The United States-based commercial data and analytics firm registered a company in the Hainan FTP in 2022. "We aim to establish a data hub in the Free Trade Port, with Hainan as the center for aggregating global data and building a digital economy ecosystem oriented toward the world," Wu said. Next, China will support Hainan in aligning its institutional framework with a high-standard FTP, including support in areas such as trade administration, investment environment and cross-border data flows, said Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission. The island-wide special customs operations reflect the CPC Central Committee's recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which called for a broader opening-up to the world. "The move will inject new momentum into China's pursuit of high-quality development and its goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035," said Xu Deshun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce. Chinese economist Huang Hanquan said it also underscores the world's second-largest economy's opposition to protectionism. The launch date, Dec. 18, coincides with the anniversary of a landmark CPC meeting in 1978, which was widely considered the start of the country's reform and opening-up era. Over recent decades, China has established 22 pilot free trade zones, eliminated foreign investment restrictions in manufacturing, and expanded market access in sectors including telecommunication, healthcare and education.(Video reporters: Hong Ling, Zhou Yang, Zhao Yuhe, Liu Yutian, Guo Liangchuan, Guo Cheng and Zhou Huimin; video editors: Hong Ling, Li Qin and Wang Han.)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On December 18, Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corporation ("Baolong") signed a memorandum of understanding in Shanghai with Infineon Technologies (China) Co., Ltd., formalizing a plan to deepen cooperation in automotive electronics.

According to a post on Baolong's WeChat account, the two companies said the partnership will focus on closer technology collaboration and resource integration, with the goal of developing safer, smarter, and more competitive solutions for intelligent vehicles, as the industry accelerates toward electrification, intelligence, and connectivity.

Photo source: Baolong

Infineon is widely recognized as a global leader in automotive semiconductors, offering a broad portfolio and system-level solutions that underpin innovation across the global auto industry. Baolong, meanwhile, is a leading Chinese listed company in intelligent automotive technologies, with a strong focus on advanced driver assistance sensing and intelligent chassis control systems, supported by extensive experience in component development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

The two companies are building on a long-standing working relationship. By combining Infineon's strengths in semiconductor innovation and system solutions with Baolong's forward-looking strategy and automotive expertise, the partners have already achieved tangible results in areas such as tire pressure monitoring systems, wheel speed sensors, and suspension control. These earlier collaborations laid the groundwork for broader industrial adoption and provided a foundation of mutual trust for this expanded agreement.

Baolong's chairman Zhang Zuqiu noted that Infineon's leadership in automotive chips and system solutions makes it a natural partner as Baolong advances its strategy in intelligent and lightweight vehicle systems. He emphasized that closer integration of Infineon's technologies with Baolong's component development and manufacturing capabilities is expected to drive breakthroughs in areas such as advanced driver assistance and intelligent chassis systems, supporting the industry's broader shift toward smarter vehicles.

Cao Yanfei, Infineon's head of automotive business in Greater China described Baolong as a strong representative of China's intelligent automotive sector, citing its technical depth and market presence in driver assistance sensing and chassis control. He said the new agreement will allow both sides to expand cooperation across local OEM platforms, next-generation technologies, and radar system applications, positioning them to capture opportunities created by ongoing transformation in the automotive industry.

Looking ahead, the partnership will concentrate on core areas of vehicle safety and intelligence, accelerating both technology iteration and commercialization in advanced driver assistance and intelligent chassis systems. By combining Baolong's localized R&D and global manufacturing and service network with Infineon's system-level expertise, the two companies aim to pursue complementary strengths and jointly expand market opportunities, creating a more resilient and competitive ecosystem for next-generation vehicles.
ON a winter evening in December Christmas lights glittered on the quays, a quiet but significant shift took place inside the limestone walls of one of Limericks most beloved cultural institutions.

The Hunt Museum opened the doors to its first Hunt Open Submission Exhibition, a bold new initiative designed to bridge the museums historic collection with the creative energies of the present. Running until February 28, the exhibition has already been hailed as a major cultural moment for the region, signalling a renewed commitment to living artists and a more dynamic relationship between the museum and contemporary practice.

For decades, the Hunt Museum has been synonymous with its eclectic permanent collection: medieval artefacts, Renaissance devotional objects, Napoleons hat, and a catalogue of curiosities amassed by John and Gertrude Hunt.

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A Global Call - An Unexpected Response

When the museum announced its inaugural open submission, staff anticipated a keen Irish response. What followed exceeded expectations: artworks arrived not only from across Ireland but from Europe, North America, and further afield. The extraordinary volume and calibre of submissions underscored the hunger artists have for platforms that take risks and invite fresh talent into museum spaces. After a rigorous peer-jury process, 210 artworks were selected, representing painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, digital installations, textile works and experimental media.

The resulting exhibition feels almost like a living atlas of contemporary concerns. Colour explodes from one canvas while the next presents monochrome restraint. The shows diversity is not disjointed but energising - a reminder that contemporary art is a broad and evolving language, spoken differently by every artist who practices it. By keeping the exhibition free of charge, the museum reinforces its belief that culture should be accessible, democratic, and rooted in the community it serves.

Four Eponymous Awards

Integral to the exhibitions vision are four new awards honouring late individuals whose commitment helped shape the Hunt Museum: George Stacpoole, David McBurnie, Eileen OConnell, and Tom Kelly. These awards are more than ceremonial acknowledgements - they illuminate the values that sustain cultural institutions: generosity, curiosity, creativity, and service.

George Stacpoole: The Cultural Ambassador

Stacpoole devoted years to promoting and shaping the museum, both as a board member and chair of the Friends of the Hunt Museum. He helped foster connections between the museum and the public, hosting events, community programmes and beloved antiques roadshow gatherings that drew crowds from every corner of the region. His award celebrates artistic excellence intertwined with an ethos of cultural engagement.

David McBurnie: The Curiosity-Driven Educator

McBurnies legacy lives on in the many visitors he guided through the museum. He led school workshops, delivered public lectures, and founded the museums poetry group. His passion for learning was matched only by his passion for encouraging others to think, question, and imagine. His award recognises artistic originality - an attribute he championed in every classroom and tour.

Eileen OConnell: The Quiet Guide

OConnell, one of the museums earliest docents, shaped its culture through her gentle demeanour and love of modern art. A former librarian, she had a gift for helping visitors see artworks with fresh eyes. She believed art should invite inquiry rather than intimidate. Her award honours contributions to contemporary Irish art and the spirit of thoughtful interpretation.

Tom Kelly: Designer of a New Museum Identity

Kellys influence is everywhere - on signage, branding, publications, and the overall clarity of the museums visual identity. He brought vibrancy and accessibility to the institution through design. His award celebrates artistic achievement executed with vision, clarity, and generosity.

A Dense, Dazzling Exhibition: From the Classical to the Cutting-Edge

Walking through the exhibition, one encounters works that celebrate nature, explore identity or simply revel in aesthetic experimentation. The coexistence of historical and contemporary works creates a dialogue across time. The exhibition spotlights some notable artists.

John Shinnors

Shinnors remains one of Irelands most acclaimed painters, known for exploring light and shadow through enigmatic motifs - lighthouses, clowns His work in this exhibition continues that tradition, using absence and contrast to suggest narrative without prescribing it. His stunning painting North Sea Lighthouse immediately received a red dot at 22,000  sold!

Gillian Kenny Shinnors

Gillian Kenny Shinnors brings a distinctive sensibility grounded in memory, people and places. Her canvases, reminiscent of Art Deco in terms of subject and style. Her layered surfaces invite close looking, offering depth beyond initial impression. Her Boy in Vancouver (oil on Canvas) is a steal at 2,000.



Samuel Walsh: Geometry, Rhythm and Structure

Walshs geometric abstractions embody discipline and intuition in equal measure. His precisely balanced compositions feel architectural yet musical, creating visual rhythm on the canvas. I used to buy my art materials from his shop, upstairs on OConnell Street  only people of a certain vintage will remember that space.

Robert Ballagh: Chronicler of Irish Identity

Ballaghs work frequently engages with socio-political themes, making him one of Irelands most influential cultural voices. His precision and clarity lend a sharpness to every subject he approaches.

Daren Ryan: Photographer of the Modern Pulse

Photographer Daren Ryan brings a distinctly contemporary perspective, capturing the fleeting intersections between people, place, and moment. His images often feel suspended between stillness and motion, revealing the subtle choreography of urban life. Ryans work transforms the everyday into the extraordinary, demonstrating how photography can reveal truths that exist only in passing. His offering, a snip at 500, Photographic Image (giclee print on archival paper).

Extending the Conversation

The open submission arrives at a time when museums everywhere are reassessing their roles. They are asked to be custodians of heritage, yet also champions of new voices. They must safeguard the past while responding dynamically to the present. This exhibition marks the Hunt Museums declaration that it can - and must - do both.

Looking Toward February - And Beyond

As the exhibition continues, public talks, workshops and guided tours are expected to draw thousands. There is growing anticipation about future editions.

The broader implications of the Hunt Open Submission Exhibition stretch beyond its physical footprint. The initiative speaks to a cultural shift occurring across Ireland, where regional museums and galleries are increasingly stepping forward as vital engines of artistic development. No longer is the arts landscape concentrated solely in Dublin or Cork; instead, cities like Limerick are cultivating their own ecosystems of creativity, nourished by institutions willing to take bold steps.

The open submission model fosters transparency and opportunity. For emerging artists, especially those outside established networks, the chance to exhibit in a national museum can alter the trajectory of a career. Visibility leads to dialogue, dialogue leads to opportunity, and opportunity leads to growth - both personal and professional.

For mid-career and established artists, the exhibition provides a reinvigorated connection to new audiences, as well as to fellow practitioners whose perspectives differ sharply from their own.

This mixing of generations and styles may be one of the exhibitions most powerful contributions. In the galleries, one finds the quiet confidence of seasoned painters hanging beside the experimental vibrancy of younger voices. The result is not competition but conversation, a reminder that artistic tradition is not linear but ever-branching.

The presence of internationally recognised artists alongside early-career photographers, sculptors, and digital creators reinforces the idea that art evolves through coexistence rather than hierarchy.

The exhibition also encourages visitors to question how museums shape cultural narratives. By opening themselves to public submission, the Hunt Museum relinquishes a degree of curatorial control - an intentional act that reflects trust in the artistic community. Rather than dictating a theme or aesthetic, the museum has allowed the exhibition to be shaped organically by the submissions themselves. This makes the show feel authentic, unpredictable, and alive.

Most significantly, the Hunt Open Submission Exhibition reaffirms the role of museums as places of encounter. In an age saturated with digital distraction, there is something profoundly meaningful about standing before a physical artwork, feeling its texture, its presence, its insistence. The exhibition asks us to slow down, to look, to absorb. It suggests that art is not merely something we observe but something we meet - an exchange between maker and viewer, world and witness.

As the exhibition moves toward its closing date in February, its legacy is already taking shape. It will be remembered not just for the works displayed but for the doorway it opened - for artists, for visitors, and for the museum itself.

The Hunt Museum has signalled that it is not content to be a guardian of yesterdays treasures alone. It intends to be an active participant in shaping tomorrows cultural landscape, one open submission at a time.
A WOMAN who allowed two men to carry a leather couch from her home before throwing it onto a bonfire has been fined 750 after she was convicted of a dumping offence.

Laura Ambrose, who has an address at Byrne Avenue, Ballincaurra Weston, Limerick was prosecuted by Limerick City and County Council, arising from an incident on April 7, last.

Ms Ambrose was not present at Limerick District Court when her case was heard by Judge Catherine Ryan who said she was satisfied to proceed in her absence.

During the case, solicitor, Will Leahy, representing the local authority, presented CCTV evidence of the alleged incident to the court.

In the footage, two people can be seen carrying the couch from the side of Ms Ambrose's home along a public street to a green area in the estate. The footage then shows the two men throwing the couch onto a large fire which had already been started on the green area.

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An environmental enforcement officer testified that the two individuals who carried the couch have not been identified but that he could confirm the couch did come from Ms Ambrose's property.

He said having viewed the CCTV footage following the incident, he made contact with the owner of the property who confirmed that Ms Ambrose was a tenant there.

Mr Leahy said Ms Ambrose has no previous convictions and he asked the court to note that her refuse collection service has not been active due to lack of payment "for some time."

Having viewed the CCTV and having considered the evidence, Judge Ryan said she was satisfied to convict Ms Ambrose under section 32 (2) of the Waste Management Act.

She imposed a 750 fine and directed that she pay the costs of the local authority, which totalled 541.50.
A LOCAL councillor has expressed severe concerns that An Coimisiun Pleanala may not be able to fully scrutinise a planning application for a wind farm in his community.

A new 17-turbine wind farm is planned on a huge portion of land near the villages of Bruree, Dromin and Athlacca in south Limerick.

Sixteen of the turbines are set to tower up 160 metres - three times the height of Kilmallock Church spire, and 40 metres taller than the Spire in Dublin.

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There is huge opposition to the project, with an action group formed in opposition.

And at a special meeting of Limerick City and County Council last month, a number of elected officials made their feelings clear on the application.

In this number was Independent Ireland councillor John ODonoghue, who stated: This is one of the biggest things which will happen in this area and it will affect absolutely everybody. Not just the people living in the immediate area. They are saying there will need to be a 26km to 27km grid connection where the road will need to be dug up. Its going to cause an awful lot of hassle to motorists.

The application has been designated as what is known as a Red three project by An Coimisiun Pleanala.

Red three project applications have been put in place following a directive from the European Union to provide faster and more predictable decisions on renewable energy plans.

It means An Coimisiun Pleanala must decide on applications for wind farms like this within the space of a year.

Referring to the application, Cllr ODonoghue said: Theres an awful lot of work in this one alone, not to mind what they have to do in the rest of the country, and there seems to be a flood of these coming in on top of each other. The timeframe is shortened in the sense that they have to get in there, get decisions made and get them back out as fast as they can. A big worry I would have is basically are they being given enough time to reflect on all these wind turbine applications?

Council director general, Dr Pat Daly, has provided a report to the national planning authority which reflects how local members feel about the project.

For Cllr ODonoghue, the turbines are too close together.

When it comes to wind energy, Ireland is in a great spot, with the Atlantic coast and the Irish Sea. From what we are hearing, apparently, if you go a certain distance off the Irish coast, you can produce power 24-hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. Inland, its harder to predict. The only way you can guarantee the wind speeds it to put in bigger, higher, taller structures, he said.

This, the Adare-Rathkeale councillor argues, is what is happening here.

Unfortunately these make more noise. If you have some of them too close together and you do not have the proper separation between them, they start fighting for the wind and they make more noise which becomes completely unbearable, he said.

The developer Ballinlee Green Energy declined to comment when contacted by the Leader.

However, a spokesperson for the firm has previously said the proposed project would play a key role in supporting national climate targets, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

This project alone has the potential to provide clean power for up to 30,000 homes and reduce harmful carbon emissions by approximately 46,500 tonnes each year of operation. The energy project could meet 36% of the Limerick Development Plan's 2030 renewable energy commitments, they added.
THE IRISH Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has warned that hospitals will need a steady and reliable flow of blood every day over the Christmas holidays.

Every donation is crucial, according to the IBTS.

More than 67% of donated blood supports cancer patients, 27% is used in surgery and emergency care and 6% helps mothers experiencing complications after childbirth and premature babies.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Minister for Health announces that a new hospital is needed for Limerick and the Mid-West

It is essential to build up our stock of all blood types to ensure continuity of supply to Irish hospitals, said Alex OConnor, IBTS Recruitment Executive.

He added: Demand from Irish hospitals has not slowed down. Your donation can help ensure patients continue to get the blood they urgently need. Giving blood takes less than an hour and could mean the world to someone in need.

Across Ireland, 3,000 blood donations are needed every week to meet hospital requirements.

There are blood donation clinics in Castletroy Park Hotel on Sunday, December 21 between 11.50am and 3.10pm, on Monday, December 22 between 4.20pm and 7.40pm and on Wednesday, December 23 between 3.20pm and 6.40pm. There will also be a clinic in the Greenhills Hotel, Caherdavin on Friday, January 2 between 1.50pm and 5.10pm.

Call 1800 222 111 to donate, new and old donors are welcome and those who used to live in the UK are also welcome to donate.
RTE's The Late Late Show hosted by Patrick Kielty will not air on RTE One or RTE Player from now until New Year's Eve where the show will have a New Year's countdown to reel in 2026.

Replacing the show tonight, on Friday December 19, is a Mrs Brown's Boys New Year Special on RTE One and RTE player at 9:35pm.

On Saturday December 20, RTE is also airing a Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas Special at 8:30pm on RTE One and RTE Player.

Virgin Media Television (VMTV) has also made an announcement today, on Friday December 19, that the globally beloved sitcom Friends will soon be available to viewers across Ireland.

Starting on 6th January, all 10 seasons of the award-winning series will air on VMTV, bringing fans and new audiences alike the chance to enjoy one of televisions most celebrated shows.

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First aired in 1994, Friends has become a cultural phenomenon, influencing generations and remaining one of the most-watched and most-quoted series worldwide.

Anthony Nilan, Director of Programming at Virgin Media Television, said: "We are thrilled to bring Friends to Virgin Media Television. Its a show that continues to resonate with audiences everywhere, and we know Irish viewers will love revisiting the laughter, the iconic moments, and the unforgettable characters."

Episodes will air weekdays at 7.30pm on Virgin Media One, starting on Tuesday 6th January at 7.30pm
TVS Apache RTX 300, the adventure motorcycle was launched at a starting price of 1.99 lakh (ex-showroom), in October this year. Just a few weeks back, in late November, deliveries of the motorcycle started across the country. The TVS Apache RTX 300 is an important motorcycle because it brings rally-raid tech to the entry-level adventure touring (ADV) segment in India.

The motorcycle offers a blend of features like multiple ride modes, switchable ABS, adjustable suspension, and connectivity features at a highly competitive price. The motorcycle comes making advanced adventure riding accessible. TVS Apache RTX 300 comes offering comfortable long-distance riding experience. Also, it promises the rider capability to explore variable terrains without much hassle.

City Average waiting period Delhi 30 - 40 days Chennai 45 - 55 days Mumbai 30 - 40 days Bengaluru 15 - 30 days Kolkata 2 - 5 days Waiting period varies depending on the buyer's location as well as on the factors like the colour and variant chosen.

If you are planning to buy the TVS Apache RTX 300, here is a quick look at the average waiting period of the adventure tourer motorcycle.

TVS Apache RTX 300: Average waiting period across major cities The TVS Apache RTX 300 comes with an average waiting period of 30 to 40 days in Delhi. In Mumbai as well, the average waiting period remains same as Delhi. In Chennai, the average waiting period is maximum between 45 days and 55 days. In Bengaluru, the average waiting period of the TVS Apache RTX 300 is etween 15 days and 30 days. Kolkata is the only major city across the country, where the average waiting period is shortest in single digits. In Kolkata, the average waiting period for the motorcycle is between two to five days.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Limited (TMPV) has revealed appealing monthly EMI options for December. With EMIs commencing at merely 4,999 per month for the Tiago and reaching 14,555 per month for the Curvv.ev, this is certainly the optimal moment to acquire your preferred Tata vehicle before the year concludes.

Tata EMI offers Model EMI Tiago  4,999 Tigor  5,999 Punch  5,999 Altroz  6,777 Nexon  7,666 Curvv  9,999 Tiago.ev  5,999 Punch.ev  7,999 Nexon.ev  10,999 Curvv.ev  14,555

The manufacturer says that these EMI rates are applicable only till 31st December 2025. Actual loan amount will vary based on the loan amount and the total on-road price. The EMI values for the PV range displayed above are calculated based on a designated loan amount, including Balloon scheme options of either 25% or 30%, and a repayment duration of 84 months. The EMI values for the EV range presented above are determined based on a specified loan amount and a repayment period of 120 months.

Among internal combustion engine models, the Tiago is available at an EMI of Rs. 4,999. The Tigor and Punch can be purchased at Rs. 5,999 per month, while the Altroz comes at Rs. 6,777. The Nexon is being offered at Rs. 7,666, and the Curvv tops the list with an EMI of Rs. 9,999.

For electric vehicle buyers, the Tiago.ev can be financed at Rs. 5,999 per month. The Punch.ev is available at Rs. 7,999. The Nexon.ev is listed at Rs. 10,999, while the Curvv.ev has an EMI of Rs. 14,555.

It is important to note that these EMI offers are only available for December. We would suggest that interested customers get in touch with the nearest dealership, as they would be able to give you full information.

Prices The Tiago is priced from 4.57 lakh, while its electric counterpart begins at 7.99 lakh. The Nexon line-up starts at 7.32 lakh, and the Nexon EV is positioned from 12.49 lakh onward.

The Punch range opens at 5.50 lakh, with the Punch EV starting at 9.99 lakh. Meanwhile, the Tigor begins at 5.49 lakh and the Altroz starts at 6.65 lakh.
Nissan is working on a major product offensive for 2026. The Japanese car manufacturer will start the new calendar year with the launch of the Gravite, a seven-seater MPV, which will share its platform with the Renault Triber. The next in the lineup will be the Nissan Tekton. While unveiling the name of the upcoming MPV, the automaker has announced that it will unveil the Tekton SUV in February 2026.

Nissan unveiled the design of the Tekton SUV earlier this year in October through some design sketches, giving us a hint of the upcoming SUV. The auto company also revealed that the Nissan Tekton will be a key model under the brand's India revival strategy by FY28, under which the OEM is planning to launch four cars in the country.

Here are three key facts that we know about the upcoming Nissan Tekton SUV.

Nissan Tekton: Design influenced by Nissan Patrol The design sketches of the Tekton has revealed a squared-off styling inspired by the Nissan Patrol SUV. However, there will be contemporary Nissan styling elements as well on the grille, wheels, and the lighting package. Expect the SUV to come with a muscular design philosophy, promising a strong road presence. The teasers have revealed that the SUV will feature a connected LED DRL running in parallel with chrome on the front grille, while there will be sleek LED taillights as well.

Nissan Tekton: Sister car to Renault Duster Nissan Tekton is slated to come to India as a sister model to the upcoming new generation Renault Duster, which is slated for debut in January 2026. The upcoming Nissan SUV is expected to share its powertrain and feature list with the new generation Renault Duster. The Tekton will be manufactured and exported from the Nissan-Renault manufacturing facility in Chennai for both RHD and LHD markets.
Mumbai/New Delhi: JSW Group is set to enter Indias passenger vehicle market with an inhouse brand offering, alongside its JSW MG Motor India partnership, targeting a debut in the December quarter of the next fiscal year. For the Sajjan Jindal-led conglomeratewith major interests in steel, energy, infrastructure, cement and automobiles, and a growing focus on green technologiesthe move will mark an entry into the worlds third-largest automobile market.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Hindu Economic Forum on Friday, JSW Group chairman Jindal said the group is lining up technology partnerships from countries including China, Germany and the UK, and will focus on hybrid and electric vehicles through its new arm, JSW Motors.

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[For] JSW Motors, we are bringing the best technologies from all over the world, not only China, [but] Germany, the UK, everywhere; we are trying to work with the best technologies," Jindal said when asked about if the company has finalized tie-ups for its foray. "We are targeting to launch our first vehicle sometime in the third quarter of next fiscal year," he added.

JSW's passenger vehicle business, JSW Motors, will launch its offerings in the clean fuel space, with the company targeting both hybrid and electric vehicle technologies that will see it compete with entrenched automakers such as Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki.

The conglomerate is also finalizing tie-ups for its lithium ion battery foray, which will help power its passenger vehicles as well as its commercial vehicles. JSW is looking to build a capacity of 50 GWh of lithium ion batteries.

"The technology tie-up (for lithium ion battery) is under progress and that we are working to build in Nagpur," Jindal said when asked about tech tie-ups for the battery business.

Also Read | JSW Steel gets a good deal on JFE joint venture but lenders may be left in limbo

The JSW Group already has an automobile business through JSW MG Motor India, a joint venture with Chinese auto company SAIC since 2023. Indian investors, including JSW Group and Everstone Capital, own 51% in the company while the rest is owned by the Chinese partner.

The Indian consortium, led by JSW, is also looking to increase its control over MG Motor India that sells cars like Windsor EV, ZS EV, MG Comet and MG Hector.

"We (the consortium) are increasing our holding to above 51%," Jindal said on the plan to take more control of MG Motor India, which is the second largest EV manufacturer in the country.

While MG Motor India is scaling up its sales, the JSW Group is looking to create its own brand from scratch to build an independent homegrown play in the automobile sector.

Our idea is not to be an outpost of a Chinese company to sell products in India, Jindal told the Financial Times in December 2024. We want to manufacture products in India, value-add in India, and sell in India.

JSW Group will launch its own auto brand through two companiesJSW Motors that will make electric and hybrid passenger vehicles and JSW Greentech Ltd that will manufacture electric trucks and buses.

The company is building a facility in Chhattrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly known as Aurangabad in Maharashtra) to manufacture the vehicles that will hit the market in the financial year 2027.
Indian drugmakers such as Dr. Reddys and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries are already playing catch-up with Bangladesh, even as they prepare to enter the global market for generic semaglutidea blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drugfollowing approval from the Delhi High Court.

Leveraging the countrys least-developed country (LDC) status under World Trade Organization rules, Bangladeshi manufacturers have been producing and exporting low-cost copies of semaglutide for more than two years.

Under the WTO exemption, Indias eastern neighbour is not required to grant full patent exclusivity for pharmaceutical products until 2030, allowing local companies to reverse-engineer and manufacture patented drugsa flexibility India lost in 2005 after becoming a WTO signatory.

Using this exemption, Bangladeshi firms have flooded non-patented markets in Latin America and Asia-Pacific with generic semaglutide well ahead of their Indian rivals.

Seven local companies make and sell the drug in Bangladesh and there are at least eight brands in the local market, including Novo Nordisks Ozempic.

Four of these seven companies export semaglutide, the largest being Beximco, Ziska Pharmaceuticals Ltd, ACI Ltd and Incepta Pharmaceuticals, Ravinder Singha, managing director of Firmlink Pharma, a cross-border sourcing company with operations in 15 countries in Latin America, APAC and Africa, told Mint.

To be sure, India has an edge over Bangladesh in exports to highly regulated markets such as the US and Europe, which comprise the bulk of Indias pharma exports. Entry into such regulated markets will depend on approvals as patents expire, and brand-building will be key, experts said.

The competition from Bangladesh is likely to be stiff in less regulated markets in the rest-of-the-world (RoW). RoW competition is more severe from countries like Bangladesh, where regulations are not so strict, compliances are not monitored," Namit Joshi, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India, or Pharmexcil, told Mint.

Bangladesh would currently account for the biggest share of semaglutide exports to non-patented regions in Latin America and APAC (Asia Pacific) as their products are already tried and tested," Singha said.

Indias semaglutide race

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court, in separate judgements, allowed Dr Reddys Laboratories and Sun Pharma to manufacture and export generic semaglutide to countries where innovator Novo Nordisk does not hold patent protection. However, both companies cannot sell the drug in India until Novo Nordisk loses its patent-exclusivity rights in the country in March 2026.

Dr Reddys was the first to challenge Novo Nordisks patent for semaglutide in the country in May, stating that it lacks novelty. The Delhi High Court, in a 2 December ruling, found prima facie merit in the patent challenge and allowed it to continue exporting to non-patent-holding countries. On 10 December, the court allowed Sun Pharma to manufacture and export the drug to non-patent countries.

Both companies have already started manufacturing generic semaglutide, their counsels told the court, with Dr Reddys having invested 1,000 crore in manufacturing, according to its submissions to the court.

Dr Reddys CEO Erez Israeli said in a media briefing in July that the company plans to launch semaglutide in 87 countries next year, including Canada, Brazil and Turkey, where the patent is expiring, as well as emerging markets where the innovator doesnt have a patent.

Queries sent to Dr Reddys and Sun Pharma remained unanswered until press time.

Tried and tested

Exports from Bangladesh largely go to countries that dont have patent rules in force. However, Bangladesh also exports the drug to countries that ask for consignments on compassionate grounds. It even exports to countries on a named-patient" basis, where a hospital can request an unauthorised medicine directly from a manufacturer for a group of patients under its care.

The country has also synthesised tirzepatide, the chemical compound in Eli Lillys weight-loss drug Mounjaro, and has been manufacturing the drug for the past seven months, said Singha.

Tirzepatide brands are already a rage in Bangladesh, clocking revenue of $1 million so far, and said to be growing more than 1,000% on a monthly basis. Singha said that Bangladesh is a big exporter of tirzepatide to Pakistan, with demand outpacing supply.

From the enquiries we have been getting for tirzepatide, we reckon that it is going to be one big hit drug in many markets across the world," said Singha.

Mounjaro was the top-selling drug in India in October and November, signalling its popularity. In Bangladesh, semaglutides annualised sales for Q2 were about $2.6 million, growing at 105%, according to Singha.

Bangladeshs pharma exports of about $200-300 million are small, equivalent to about 1% of Indias pharmaceutical exports of $30.47 billion in FY25. However, Singha said Bangladesh already has reverse-engineering skills  as evidenced by these drugs  and is likely to pose stiff competition to India going forward.

Bangladesh imports cheap raw materials and peptides from China, and has a lower labour cost, hence the fixed cost is much lower than India," said Joshi from Pharmexcil. This, in addition to its LDC status, gives it an edge.

EM viability

Analysts said that in this scenario, emerging market sales of semaglutide would not be sizeable for Indian companies.

In terms of size, Brazil and Canada are the largest markets, followed by Middle Eastern markets, and partly north Africa," said Vishal Manchanda, a pharma analyst at Systematix Group. India will have some scale advantage, given that we will have a domestic market which will offer us large [volumes]."

However, Manchanda added that in the case of weight-loss drugs, especially in more regulated markets, brand trust would trump price competitiveness. In this case, Indian manufacturers have an edge.

In the past year, 60% of Indias pharma exports went to destinations with stringent regulatory oversight, with the US accounting for about 34% and Europe about 19%, according to a commerce ministry statement dated December 17.

We are the largest holder of US FDA-approved sites outside the US. So, on the scale of economy and formulation front, I think we are in a very strong position," said Joshi of Pharmexcil.

Given the increasing need for reliable supply chains, Indias position as a stable democracy, as opposed to Bangladeshs recent political crises, also gives it an edge in the long run.
New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday said it has restituted funds worth more than 300 crore towards long-pending dues of the former workers of now defunct Kingfisher Airlines that was promoted by fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

The restoration has been enabled pursuant to an order issued on December 12 by the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) located at Chennai directing release of funds realised from the sale of attached shares which had been earlier restituted to State Bank of India by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the federal probe agency said in a statement.

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The amount, worth 311.67 crore, is to be transferred to the official liquidator for disbursement to former employees of Kingfisher Airlines, it said.

The ED had booked the airlines, Mallya and others under the PMLA for an alleged bank loan fraud case.

Mallya was declared a fugitive economic offender by a special Mumbai court in 2019 under a law named Fugitive Economic Offender Act (FEOA) of 2018.

The ED, a few years back, had restituted properties worth 14,132 crore to SBI under Section 8(8) of PMLA, which allows restitution of assets to the victims of financial crimes including bank loan fraud.

The restitution was done of the assets that were attached by the ED as part of this investigation.

An asset pool was created from which the present restitution has been facilitated, the agency said.

The ED said it "proactively" coordinated with all stakeholders to ensure settlement of the long-pending workmen dues.

"The ED engaged with senior officials of SBI and facilitated utilisation of PMLA restituted assets for payment of employee claims.
Pfizer India and Cipla announced a partnership on Friday in which Cipla will exclusively market and distribute four Pfizer brands in India to increase their reach.

The first partnership between Pfizer and Cipla in India, it aims to make some of Pfizers top medicines available across India by using Ciplas extensive reach, the companies said.These include cough syrups Corex Dx and Corex LS, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Dolonex, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) Neksium and oral antibiotic Dalacin C. Pfizer will manufacture these medicines and supply them to Cipla.

The companies did not reveal financial terms of the deal. In an exchange filing, Pfizer Ltd, the multinational's listed entity in India, said the partnership would last five years.

Pfizer Indias country president Meenakshi Nevatia said the partnership would help it reach millions of patients across India, combining Pfizers legacy of breakthroughs, quality and innovation, and Ciplas extensive distribution reach and network.

Also Read | Why the drug regulator is cracking down on small pharma companies

Making strong brands stronger Corex Dx, Dolonex and Neksium are among Pfizers top brands in India. Last month the company launched the oral medicine Rimegepant ODT in India for the treatment of acute migraines, with or without aura, in adults with a previous insufficient response to triptan.

Ciplas global chief operating officer Achin Gupta said, At Cipla, we believe meaningful partnerships help make strong brands even stronger. This association with Pfizer aligns with our continued focus on building a formidable presence across key therapy areas and enhancing access to high quality treatments guided by our purpose of caring for life. Our distribution capabilities will support wider reach for such trusted therapies to patients who need them the most, he said.

The development comes after Cipla inked a deal with Eli Lilly in October for exclusive distribution of its blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro. The drug was launched under a different brand name, Yurpeak, on 10 December.
MUMBAI: MUFG Bank, a subsidiary of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), is set to invest $4.4 billion ( 39,618 crore) for a 20% stake in Shriram Finance Ltd (SFL), marking one of the largest cross-border transactions this year and adding to the growing pipeline of India-Japan deals in recent months.

SFL, Indias second-largest non-banking financial company (NBFC) by assets under management (AUM), announced the deal in a stock exchange filing on Friday. It said the fund infusion will enhance its capital adequacy, strengthen its balance sheet, and provide long-term growth capital.

The investment will be made through a preferential issuance of equity shares, the company said in the filing, adding that the collaboration is expected to unlock synergies in technology, innovation, and customer engagement, driving sustainable growth while improving access to low-cost liabilities.

KPMG and JPMorgan were the financial advisors to MUFG Bank. For SFL, Wadia Ghandy & Co. was the legal advisor.

The purchase  at a company valuation of 1.98 trillion  comes at a premium of almost 16.5% to the 1.7 trillion market capitalization of SFL on Friday.

Shares of SFL climbed to a 52-week high of 914.10 in intraday trading on Friday following the announcement, and closed at 901.75 on the BSE, up 3.74% from Thursday. Notably, the SFL stock has risen 50% this year.

The transaction combines SFLs established domestic franchise and extensive distribution network with MUFG Banks global expertise and financial strength. One of the worlds largest banks, MUFG Bank has a global expertise spanning 50 countries and its services include commercial and investment banking products.

SFL, which operates more than 3,000 branches across the country, according to its website, reported total income of 41,859.47 crore and net profit of 9,761 crore in FY25. The company manages assets of about 2.81 trillion as of September, according to data from company filing.

Mint reported on 17 December that MUFG plans to invest $4.5 billion-5 billion for a 20% stake in SFL, valuing the company at $22-25 billion.

A win-win deal The entry of MUFG as a key investor reinforces global confidence in Indias financial services sector, Umesh Revankar, executive vice chairman of SFL, said in the statement.

In a separate statement, MUFG Bank said that by providing growth capital to Shriram Finance, it we will help drive expansion in segments such as new commercial vehicles and MSME, while enhancing funding capacity and profitability through improved creditworthiness.

For MUFG, the investment is a strategic step to establish a foundation in Indias micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and retail markets, and to capture the countrys growing domestic demand.

The MUFG Group has been in India for more than 130 years. So far, it has invested about $1.7 billion, with the SFL deal being the largest.

Also Read | How Shriram Finance streamlined its structure and outperformed the market

The MUFGShriram transaction is a strong endorsement of Indias financial services growth story and reflects rising strategic interest from Japanese institutions, said Raghav Gupta, joint CEO of IIFL Capital, an investment banking and financial services company. This is not just capital infusion, but a long-term partnership that brings balance-sheet strength, global risk expertise and governance depth.

He added that the deals premium is justified given the scarcity value of scaled, profitable NBFC platforms and the benefits such stakes offer beyond listed market valuations.

We should expect more such large, strategic India-Japan deals, particularly in lending, wealth and asset management, Gupta said. For the industry, this sets a valuation benchmark and could prompt well-capitalised players to proactively raise growth capital while global interest remains strong.

Adding to momentum MUFGs investment in SFL has added to the momentum of activity in the financial services space in the Indo-Japan corridor. Notable transactions this year include Mizuhos majority investment in Avendus earlier this week and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corps acquisition of a stake in Yes Bank in May.

Further, 2025 has also seen some of the largest strategic M&As as well as financial sponsor-led deals in recent times.

These include Emirates NBDs acquisition of a majority stake in RBL Bank for $3 billion in October, and three deals in July  Tata Motors $4.5-billion acquisition of Iveco, Capgeminis $3.3-billion buyout of WNS Global Services, and Schneider Electrics $6.4-billion deal involving Lauritz Knudsen Electrical & Automation.

Further, in October, global private equity firm Blackstone acquired a 9.9% stake in Federal Bank for $705 million, and Abu Dhabi-based IHC, through its affiliate Avenir Investment RSC Ltd, bought a 43.46% stake in Samman Capital for $1 billion.

Also Read | Amid slower vehicle growth, Shriram Finance eyes newer loan segments

SFLs long history Established as Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd (STFC) in 1979 by R. Thyagarajan along with A.V.S. Raja and T. Jayaraman, the company listed about five years later. It attracted investments from Telco (now Tata Motors) and Ashok Leyland in the following years.

Over almost five decades, the company has undergone several shifts and strategic changes leading up to the Japanese giants investment. In the mid-2000s, STFC merged with Shriram Industrial Holdings Limited (SIL) and Shriram Overseas Finance Limited (SOFL), and received investments from private equity firms like ChrysCapital and TPG.

About three years ago, Shriram City Union Finance and Shriram Capital were merged into Shriram Transport Finance Company and renamed Shriram Finance. This entity sold an 84.4% stake in Shriram Housing Finance to a Warburg Pincus affiliate for 3,929 crore in 2024.

The promoters own 25.39% of SFL, largely through group holding company Shriram Capital, which holds a 17.85% stake. The remaining shareholding is held by public and institutional investors, including the government of Singapore, which owns 5.41%, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which holds 1.2%.

Shriram Capital is owned by the Shriram Ownership Trust and South Africas Sanlam, and also holds a stake in the groups insurance joint venture with Sanlam, according to various reports.

Mint reported earlier this year on the NBFC reworking its lending strategy amid slower growth in vehicle finance to focus on emerging segments such as renewable energy, merchant credit, fisheries, and supply chain finance.
ByteDance's TikTok has signed a deal to place its US operations under a new joint venture, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a memo to employees on Thursday, adding that agreements have been finalised with three managing investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, as reported by Axios.

The new entity, to be called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, will formally take charge of TikToks US business following a deal scheduled to close on 22 January, according to the internal memo.

What is the structure of the new joint venture of TikTok and US? Under the agreement, a consortium of new investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX  will collectively hold 50% of the US joint venture, with each of the three firms owning 15%, according to the report by Axios, citing the internal memo.

Also Read | Final TikTok deal on the way? China vows to work with US on proper resolution

Another 30.1% of TikTok's shares will be held by affiliates of certain existing ByteDance investors, while TikToks China-based parent company, ByteDance, will retain a 19.9% stake, according to the memo.

Chew said in his memo that the new entity would be majority owned by American investors, governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, and subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security.

Why does TikTok's US deal matter? The transaction addresses the requirements of US national security legislation upheld by the Supreme Court in January, which mandated that ByteDance divest TikToks US operations or face an effective ban.

In September, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order approving a framework for a deal that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the US, fulfilling a law originally signed by former President Joe Biden.

The agreement is widely seen as bringing closure to a prolonged political and legal saga that began in 2020, when Donald Trump first issued an executive order demanding the sale of TikToks US business. Congress later passed legislation in 2024 threatening a nationwide ban unless ByteDance sold the app to domestic owners.

Who will control TikTok's data and security in US? According to the memo, the TikTok US joint venture will assume responsibility for protecting US user data, securing TikToks recommendation algorithm, content moderation, and software assurance.

Chew said the entity will have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure.

Oracle will play a central role beyond its investment. The technology firm will act as the joint ventures trusted security partner, tasked with auditing and validating compliance with agreed upon National Security Terms. Sensitive US data will be stored exclusively in Oracles US-based cloud computing data centres, Chew wrote.

How will the TikTok algorithm be handled in US? A key feature of the agreement is the plan to retrain TikToks core recommendation algorithm using US user data.

The memo states that the new entity will be responsible for retraining the system to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, a move aimed at addressing long-standing concerns among US lawmakers about foreign influence.
Streaming and content platform OnlyFans' CEO Keily Blair has offered insight into how the 42-employee strong company makes $7 billion in annual revenue, calling the team a pretty efficient bunch, Business Insider reported.

Speaking on the Masters of Scale podcast, Blair said she was proud of her team, adding that the secret to achieving high revenue generated on average per employee is the absence of middle managers.

No middle managers? Here's why OnlyFans CEO believes this works Explaining the decision, Blair said that the company hires at the two extremes with one criterion in mind. We hire incredibly senior talent, and then we hire incredibly hungry junior talent, and we look for attitude and aptitude in hiring rather than experience, she shared.

What about middle management? We do not have that sort of squidgy layer of middle management in the middle, because nobody's ever had a really good middle manager in my experience, she added.

Blair further added that she does not agree with the opinion that leaders in big companies need to have bigger teams reporting to them. We've said to our teams, You can be a team of one and deliver exceptional results, and that will be so valued, she said on the podcast. For the employees Blair said there is no manager track only individual contribution.

Inspiration from big tech's management shake-up? Notably, ever since the layoff spree in late 2023, a high number of the cut employees are middle managers. Amazon, Google, Intel, Meta and Microsoft have all eliminated a large number of such roles to reduce layers of hierarchy.

In April, it was reported that Microsoft focused on reducing the PM ratio on some teamsreferring to the ratio of product or program managers to engineers, as per the Wall Street Journal. Reports said it required team managers to meet specific budget targets and maintain a defined team-based ratio.

Last year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said he is aiming to increase the ratio of workers to managers, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai told staff that the company had culled managerial roles by 10% in its cost-cutting drive, the WSJ report added. United Parcel Service and Citigroup have also cut thousands of supervisor jobs since 2023.

OnlyFans' 42 employees generate $37.6 million per head! The UK-based platform reportedly generates the highest revenue per employee, beating out tech giants such as Apple, Meta, Google, Nvidia and Microsoft combined. According to data from Barchart, OnlyFans' 42 employees generated a whopping $37.6 million each in revenue on average.

For comparison, chipmaker Nvidia's employees recorded $3.6 million in revenues each on average; followed by Apple ($2.4 million per head); Meta ($2.2 million revenue each); Google ($1.9 million per head); and OpenAI and Microsoft ($1.1 million each).
Shree Cement Ltd will invest 2,000 crore to set up a new plant in Maharashtra, Indias third-largest cement maker announced on Friday at the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2025.

The letter of intent (LoI) for the proposed investment was signed in the presence of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai.

We will set up a 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) plant in Maharashtra. We have already finalized and acquired land in Chandrapur district, Hari Mohan Bangur, chairman of Shree Cements, told Mint on the sidelines of the WHEF. We are awaiting environmental clearance. It is in the process. After it is cleared, it will take two years for the plant to come up, Bangur said.

The company will use its cash reserves to fund the expansion. It had a cash balance of 6,541 crore at the end of 2024-25.

At present, Shree Cement has a capacity of 62.8mtpa. In the second quarter of 2025-26, the company commissioned a 3.65 mtpa clinker unit at Jaitaran, Rajasthan, and the 3 mtpa cement mill is expected to start there shortly. A 3 mtpa integrated plant at Kodla (Karnataka) is in the final stages and will be commissioned within the third quarter of 2025-26.

The cement makers capacity will be rising to 68.8 mtpa post ongoing expansions, according to a 29 October ICICI Direct Research note.

By FY27E, capacity is expected to reach between 72-75 mtpa, with further scope to reach 80 mtpa by FY28E or FY29E, depending on demand trends, analysts at ICICI wrote in their note.

There is a medium-term risk as industry capacity expansions are likely to outpace demand increase through FY28-29. That risk is the highest in North and West as significant new capacity is expected to come in western and northern India. However, cement prices have declined sharply in 3Q, especially in the eastern and southern regions. There could be some recovery in pricing from January onwards, especially in South and East, said Satyadeep Jain, lead analyst for cement, metals, mining & utilities at Ambit Capital.

Also Read | Cement makers focus on volumes amid flat prices, rising competition

Industry capacity boost The announcement follows recent capacity expansion plans by Indias largest cement players. On 18 October, UltraTech Cement, the countrys biggest cement maker, increased its capacity target from 167 mtpa to 240 mtpa by 2027-28. Days later, on 3 November, the Adani Group raised its cement manufacturing capacity target by nearly 10% to 155 mtpa by 2027-28.

Shree Cement posted a 15% jump in revenue to 4,303 crore during the September quarter compared to the year-ago quarter. This was driven by volumes, premiumization push, and value over volume strategy, the company said in a statement.

The companys chief financial officer, Ashok Bhandari, during the second quarters earnings interaction with analysts, guided for capital expenditure of about 3,000 crore in FY26-27, and expects FY27-28 capex to remain broadly in the same range.
On Thursday the Union government passed the Viksit Bharat  Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha, proposing a sweeping overhaul of Indias two-decade-old rural job guarantee programme. It has now been sent to the Rajya Sabha for discussion.

The new bill seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 and the scheme named after it, MGNREGS, which has 260 million registered workers and covers 26,9000 gram panchayats across India.

According to the government, the bill seeks to transform the nature of the scheme by bringing states in as partners, and resolve a longstanding problem in the rural job marketof MGNREGA jobs competing with regular ones when their wages are close to or higher than what local farmers or small contractors pay.

Critics, however, say the bill significantly increases the financial and administrative burden on local governments as it passes on some of the wage costs  currently borne entirely by the Centre  to states.

Mint takes a closer look at proposed changes, their implications, and the critisisms against them.

Why is the government looking to revamp MGNREGA?

In a statement on the new bill, the government said rural India has undergone a transformation over the past two decades. It said the poverty rate fell sharply from 25.7% in FY12 to 4.86% in FY24, supported by rising incomes, consumption, and access to financial services.

With stronger social protection, better connectivity, deeper digital access, and more diverse livelihoods in rural areas, the old framework no longer reflected todays reality, it said.

Also Read | The dichotomies that define Indias rural jobs promise

What are the changes proposed in the new bill?

The biggest change the bill proposes concerns funding for the scheme. Under MGNREGA, the union government pays 100% of wage costs, which account for most of the total. But under the proposed scheme, it will fund only 60% of the total cost in most states, and 90% in north-eastern and Himalayan states, with local governments funding the balance. Union territories will get 100% funding.

The proposed bill also gives the Union government the power to determine the state-wise "normative allocation" every year, with any excess expenditure borne by state governments. This would mark a major shift from the current demand-driven model.

Both of these changes would substantially increase the fiscal burden on states, which are only responsible for 25% of the cost of materials and 50% of administration costs  relatively minor expenses  under MGNREGA.

If the new legislation is passed, the ministry of rural development estimates the total annual requirement of funds for wages, material and administrative costs will be 1,51,282 crore, of which the centre will have to pay 95,692.30 crore under a 60:40 split, leaving these states with a 55,589.70 crore bill.

The also bill guarantees 125 days of employment per rural household per financial year, up from 100 days under MGNREGA, and proposes a robust monitoring system to prevent leakage.

Also Read | A farm price deflation that looms over Indias rural demand surge

According to the government, an examination of the MNREGS across 23 states this fiscal year found that several works were either missing or not proportionate to the expenditure incurred, machinery was used where manual labour was mandated, and the attendance system was widely bypassed. It said cases of misappropriation across states amounted to 193.67 crore in FY25.

The bill seeks to generate employment while building durable rural assets through four priority verticalswater security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and climate-resilient workscovering initiatives such as rejuvenated water bodies under Mission Amrit Sarovar, roads, markets, storage facilities, and soil-water conservation to strengthen agriculture, expand rural businesses, diversify incomes and safeguard livelihoods.

It also mandates Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, prepared by panchayats themselves, under which projects will be planned and mapped in advance, reducing uncertainty and seasonal gaps in employment.

To safeguard wages, the government will continue with fully digital payments. In FY25, 99.94% of wages were paid electronically, a trend that will be reinforced through biometric attendance and Aadhaar-based verification to prevent wage theft and leakages.

The framework also seeks to strengthen workers' rights by mandating the payment of an unemployment allowance by states if they fail to provide employment within the stipulated period.

Under the proposed bill, no work will be executed during notified peak agricultural seasons, when there is high labour demand for sowing and harvesting. States will be required to notify in advance 60 days in a financial year, covering sowing and harvesting, during which work under the scheme will pause. They will also be able to issue area-specific notifications based on agro-climatic zones and local farm activity patterns. This marks another significant departure from MGNREGS, which is uniformly demand-driven.

What are the criticisms of the bill?

Government officials said the new model would create stronger incentives for states to prevent misuse and ensure better outcomes on the ground. But opposition parties and civil society groups such as NREGA Sangharsh Morcha said the bill would reduce the guaranteed rural employment scheme to a centralised, discretionary, and budget-capped programme.

The pre-determined state-wise allocation would effectively cap the number of days of employment that may be provided in each state, civil society organisations said, and any employment demand beyond this would have to be funded by state governments, which could put them under severe financial strain. Poorer states would be disproportionately affected, leading to lower employment generation and distress migration, critics added.

Jean Dreze, an economist and former member of the National Advisory Council (NAC), said, Under the new bill, all power will be concentrated in the hands of the central government without any corresponding obligation. The central government will hold uncontrolled power to determine in which part of the country the rural employment scheme will work, and where it wont."

Rajendran Narayanan, associate professor at Azim Premji University, said, The new 60:40 funding pattern will put additional financial burden on states which are already undergoing stress," he said.

To express its opposition, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has declared a nationwide day of action; on 19 December, when rural and agricultural workers across India will stage protests against the bill.

How have India's job-guarantee schemes evolved?

Early job-guarantee initiatives included the Rural Manpower Programme of the 1960s and the Crash Scheme for Rural Employment in 1971. During the 1980s, the government launched the National Rural Employment Programme and the Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme, which were merged with the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana in 1993 and consolidated into the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana in 1999.

Alongside these, the Employment Assurance Scheme was introduced in 1993 to provide wage employment during lean agricultural periods. The Food for Work Programme, started in 1977-78 and expanded as the National Food for Work Programme in 2004, offered food grains as wages for manual labour on public works, with a focus on aspirational districts to address both employment and food security.

Although these schemes provided partial support to rural households, their reach and funding were insufficient to tackle Indias widespread rural unemployment and poverty.

Then, in 2005, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was enacted, establishing a statutory framework to ensure employment generation in rural areas. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme it birthed went on to become Indias most successful job-guarantee programme ever.

Also Read | Banking sakhis are advancing financial inclusion: Empower them further
Los Angeles [US], December 19 (ANI): Amid reports surrounding actor David Harbour's "erratic behaviour", the 'Stranger Things' star will skip out on attending the Netflix show's grand finale event, as per People.

Harbour, who was scheduled to attend the 'Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration' in New York, has not been listed as an expected attendee. He is also not a part of the screening and conversation on the venue's website.

According to People, David Harbour will not be present at the event due to a "scheduling conflict."

The development comes at a time when the series' leading star, Millie Bobby Brown, has also stepped out of attending the event due to a recent injury.

David Harbour has lately been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Previously, speculations about Millie Bobby Brown filing a harassment report against him gained momentum; however, the duo eventually cleared the air at the 'Stranger Things' UK premiere.

Brown also praised her longtime co-star, who plays her on-screen father figure Jim Hopper, and said, "It's been amazing. We're so lucky to have each other. The show means so much to both of us, and to everyone here. This has been the last 10 years of our lives," as quoted by Deadline.

On the other hand, a video of Harbour also surfaced online showing him running down the street with a bar patron's hat in an altercation. According to TMZ, the actor threw the hat to the ground and enquired about the Iraq War before he fell to his knees in prayer.

A source explained, "David has always been honest about managing his bipolar disorder. Wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's dealing with here, after working non-stop all year and having his personal life under public scrutiny. That would be stressful for anyone, but even more so for someone who is bipolar."

David Harbour is currently seen on the fifth and final season of Netflix's hit series 'Stranger Things'. Days after the release of Volume 1, fans are eagerly awaiting the second volume, which will be dropped on December 25.

The trailer for 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Volume 2 was recently unveiled, showing the Hawkins residents waging a war against Vecna and his army of Demogorgons from the Upside Down.
Vijays upcoming film Jana Nayagan is making headlines before its release for all the good reasons. The film, which is set to release on 9 January 2026, will reportedly be the Tamil superstars last political action drama before he fully steps into politics. Fans are super excited for the project. Heres everything you need to know, from his salary to advance booking and the buzz among fans.

Vijays record-breaking salary According to a report by Pinkvilla, Thalapathy Vijay charged a massive 275 crore for Jana Nayagan. Interestingly, this was an upfront payment, meaning the superstar did not take any share from the films profits. For comparison, Vijay is said to have been paid around 200 crore for his previous film, The Greatest Of All Time (The G.O.A.T.), although exact details were not confirmed.

Film details and cast The film is directed by H Vinoth and produced by Venkat K under KVN Productions. This political drama is filled with an amazing starcast, including Pooja Hegde in the lead role opposite Vijay, along with Mamitha Baiju, Bobby Deol, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj, and Priyamani in supporting roles. The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, who has created huge hits in Tamil cinema before, including for Rajinikanths Coolie.

Advance booking records Jana Nayagan has already created a record in advance bookings. Within the first 24 hours, over 12,700 tickets were reportedly sold in the UK alone, breaking the previous record of 10,000 tickets set by Vijays own Leo. This strong pre-release trend shows that fans are eagerly waiting to see the superstars final film.

Fans react to the music Fans have also been reacting enthusiastically to the music. The second single, Oru Pere Varalaaru, released on 18 December 2025, received praise for Vijays dance moves, Anirudhs music, and the songs connection to Vijays politics and fan love.

Also Read | Marty Supreme to Wuthering Heights, Hollywood movies set for release this winter

Social media posts highlighted Vijays energy even at the age of 51 and called it a dance weve missed on screen.

Many fans appreciated how the song reflected his bond with supporters and his journey towards politics.

Jana Nayagan is creating massive hype before its Pongal release. From Vijays record-breaking salary to the all-time advance booking numbers and the excitement around the songs, the film is set to be a grand send-off for the Tamil superstar before he focuses on his political career.

Fans are clearly ready to give Vijay a memorable farewell on the big screen.

Also Read | Akshay Kumar to host Indian edition of global game show Wheel of Fortune on Sony

FAQs When is Thalapathy Vijays Jana Nayagan releasing? The film is set for release on 9 January 2026.

How much did Vijay get paid for Jana Nayagan? Reports suggest Thalapathy Vijay was paid 275 crore upfront for the film.
A Romanian court on Thursday sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country.

The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape Kush Orange Juice.

According to an Associated Press (AP) report, citing a coastal resort in Constanta County, Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti in July 2024.

Also Read | Rapper 6ix9ine handed 3 months in prison after breaking supervised release rules

On stage in Romania last summer, he reportedly smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit Young, Wild & Free.

Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe.

What did the prosecutors say? AP report, citing prosecutors, said that the American rapper was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.

Khalifa was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption, by the Constanta Court of Appeal, according to Romanias national news agency, Agerpres.

The decision is final.

Also Read | Rapper Kay Flock sentenced to 30 years in prison for conviction in shootings

Earlier in April, a lower court in Constanta County issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for illegal possession of dangerous drugs.

However, the prosecutors appealed the courts decision and sought a higher sentence.

What does the Romanian law say about drug possession? Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalised and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.

Also Read | Who is rapper Kay Flock? Artist sentenced to 30 years in prison

Will Wiz Khalifa be jailed in Romania? According to the AP, it is unclear whether Wiz Khalifa will serve his time in a Romanian jail.
SYDNEYIn the immediate aftermath of the deadly attack on a Jewish community at Sydneys Bondi Beach, images of a man tackling one of the shooterspotentially preventing even more deathstransfixed the world.

But footage from the scene showed there were other instances of heroism that day: A retired mechanic rushed one of the attackers and grabbed his weapon. Later, another man ran up and threw an object at the same attacker.

Lifeguards at the world-famous beach also headed to the area while the assault was under way.

The attack on a Hanukkah celebration by two shooters, which killed 15 and wounded several dozen, shocked the world. But the extraordinary acts of a number of people on the scene heartened many in Australia and beyond.

Their actions raised a question: How can ordinary people respond with such bravery?

Images of Ahmed Al Ahmeda Syrian man who immigrated to Australia two decades ago and owns a tobacco shop in Sydneytackling one of the attackers sped around the world quickly after Sundays assault.

He didnt think about anything else but to go and stop that person," said Tamer Kahil, a former president of the Australians for Syria Association, who visited Ahmed in the hospital where he was recovering from gunshot wounds sustained during the attack.

In speeches following the attack, Australias worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lauded the intervention of Ahmed and members of the Jewish community, including Boris Gurman, the retired mechanic, and Reuven Morrison, the man who threw an objectAlbanese said he threw bricksat the attackers.

Gurman and Morrison were killed in the attack.

These are Australian heroes," Albanese said. On Thursday, he announced plans to strengthen laws countering hate speech and introduce new powers to cancel visas or reject applications for those who spread hate, part of a sweeping crackdown on antisemitism.

Albanese said Friday that intelligence officers had identified a regular online video feed from Islamic State that reinforces Australias view that the attack was inspired by ISIS, without providing any details on the video.

Social scientists say acts of heroism reflect the fact that, in emergencies, ordinary people often act more selflessly than one might expect.

In Hollywood depictions of catastrophe, people tend to panic, scream and clog the exits. Good spectacle. But almost entirely inaccurate," said Stephen Reicher, a professor of psychology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Reicher cited a knife attack on the London Underground in 2015, where some people confronted the attacker while others attempted to distract him and direct people away from the area. During the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, an Afghan refugee threw a hand-held credit card machine at the shooter to give congregants more time to hide. During the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, passengers and crew members resisted hijackers on Flight 93, forcing the terrorists to crash into the ground.

A 2013 review of 84 active shooter incidents in the U.S. from 2000 to 2010 found that in 16 cases, members of the public stopped the attackers.

We should do nothing to question the quite remarkable bravery of people [who] intervened," Reicher said. But we should also take heart that it is not the exception and that it reflects the very best of human behavior."

John Drury, a professor of social psychology at the University of Sussex in England, said his research suggests the emergency itself changes relations between people." They often feel a sense of common fate. Psychologically, they shift from me to we," he said.

Once he wrested the gun from Sajid Akram, Ahmed declined to shoot him, unwilling to contribute to the violence, Kahil said.

He doesnt want to kill," said Lubaba Alhamidi Alkahil, who is married to Kahil and runs communications for Australians for Syria. She visited Ahmed twice at the hospital.

The heroism by a Muslim immigrant has been a salve to intercommunal wounds. Australian authorities have said that the two shooters, who were father and son, were inspired by Islamic State.

He saved the Australian Muslims from a miserable time for the next 10 years," Kahil said. That actually turned things upside down from the Islamophobia perspective."

As more videos were released, other heroes emerged.

After Ahmed disarmed Akram, footage showed a man in a white shirt and a black hat running at the gunman and throwing an object at him. The man was identified as Morrison by Chanie Hebel, a longtime family friend.

I can just imagine him with all his fury and his huge personality going after them," said Hebel, 30. It honestly couldnt describe him better. Its just exactly what he would do in that situation."

Hebel characterized Morrison as very much like a papa bear, a protector" who was very close to Sheina, his only child. She said he emigrated many years ago from the Soviet Union, where Jews were persecuted for decades.

The first time I spoke to Sheina after it happened, she just kept saying, I want this movie to cut. How is this real?" Hebel said.

Dashcam footage from a passing car showed Gurman, the retired mechanic, attacking one of the terrorists and grabbing his weapon. He was killed along with his wife.

This act of bravery and selflessness reflects exactly who they were: people who instinctively chose to help, even at great personal risk," according to a statement released by friends of the family.

Akram was shot by police and killed. The other shooter, his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, was charged by police with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and committing a terrorist act.

Lifeguards, untrained in this type of disaster scenario, rushed to the scene, with some helping evacuate children from a nearby playground and others tending to the wounded.

Our role is to run from the land to the sea to rescue people. The role was completely reversed," said Steve Pearce, chief executive at Surf Life Saving NSW.

The government has also cited police heroism in slowing the attackers. Two officers, Scott Dyson, 25, and Jack Hibbert, 22, were wounded in the gunbattle.

Hibbert had only been on the force for four months when the attack occurred, his family said in a statement released by police. He was shot in his head and shoulder, and lost vision in one of his eyes.

For both officers, it will be a long road to recovery," said Mal Lanyon, the New South Wales police commissioner.

Write to Jon Emont at jonathan.emont@wsj.com, Mike Cherney at mike.cherney@wsj.com and Rhiannon Hoyle at rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com
WHEN THE European Union increased tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (EVs) in 2024, the logic was straightforward: raise prices and imports will fall. A study published by the Kiel Institute, a think-tank, estimated that higher levies would cause Chinese car exports to plunge by 25%. After more than a year, that forecast is wrong. According to Chinas customs agency, car exports to Europe rose to nearly 1.2m in the 12 months to November, up by 26% from a year earlier (see chart 1). The data suggest that Europes failure to stem the rise of Chinese-made vehicles has less to do with weak tariffs than Chinese carmakers talent for steering around them.

Europes EV tariffs were designed to address what the European Commission calls the unfair subsidisation" of Chinese producers by the state and restore a level playing field". But instead of imposing a uniform duty on all Chinese cars, the EU opted for a tailored approach. Extra tariffs were applied only to purely battery-powered vehicles, based on each carmakers estimated level of government support. On top of the blocs existing 10% import duty, BYD (Chinas biggest producer of EVs) faced an additional 17%, Geely-owned brands 18.8% and SAIC 35.3%. Other Chinese carmakers were subject to tariffs of 20.7%. Hybrids were spared.

View Full Image Chart: The Economist

Rather than retreat, Chinese carmakers changed lanes, pivoting from EVs to hybrids, which combine electric motors with petrol engines. This shift is evident in the data. Whereas monthly Chinese EV sales to Europe have grown by 12% in the past year, exports of hybrids have surged by 155%, albeit from a low base (see chart 2). It was only a matter of time before the Chinese manufacturers changed their strategy," Beatrix Keim of Germanys Centre for Automotive Research recently told Handelsblatt, a German newspaper. Hybrids are now the fastest-growing segment of Chinas car exports, overtaking fully electric models.

View Full Image Chart: The Economist

The effect is already visible in Europes showrooms. Chinese brands accounted for 13% of the continents hybrid-vehicle sales in October, up from just 3% a year earlier, according to Dataforce, a data provider (see chart). Their share of the EV market jumped from 8% to 12% during this period. Globally, hybrids now make up a third of Chinas passenger-vehicle exports. On current trends, they will surpass EVs and petrol vehicles by mid-2026.

View Full Image Chart: The Economist

That shift also reflects a broader loss of momentum for EVs. Uptake of fully electric cars has been slower than policymakers had expected. On December 16th the EU scrapped plans for a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035. But Chinese EVs are still gaining ground (see chart 3). Their appeal comes from their price. To protect that, Chinese manufacturers are increasingly shifting production into the EU, sidestepping import duties at the cost of higher local expenses. In September Xpeng started production of its G6 and G9 EV models in Graz, Austria. This month BYD began setting up a production line in Szeged, Hungary, its first factory inside the bloc. In 2026 Chery will begin assembling EVs and hybrids at a shuttered Nissan factory in Barcelona.

That leaves European policymakers with few good options. Domestic carmakers could scale up hybrid production themselves. Alternatively, the European Commission could extend tariffs to hybrids, closing the loophole it created. Some European lawmakers are already calling for that. Whether doing so would slow the influx of Chinese cars is unclear. Chinas carmakers have proved adept at navigating obstacles. In a market as big and open as Europes, they are unlikely to run out of road anytime soon.
First there was Truth Social. Then a streaming platform. A suite of financial products came later, as did a multibillion-dollar deal to stockpile cryptocurrency.

Now, a merger with a fusion-energy company aims to capitalize on the latest sizzlingand speculativemarket: the AI booms insatiable appetite for power. Welcome to the shotgun strategy of Trump Media and Technology Group.

The primary value of Trump Media is that Trump is the president," said Peter Schiff, a longtime financial analyst and chief economist of Euro Pacific Asset Management. Its a company in search of a business."

A merger agreement Thursday with TAE Technologies valued at $6 billion marks the first familys biggest foray yet into mainstream finance and the U.S. economy since President Trump returned to the White House. While the Trump Organization continues to land new real-estate projects, and the presidents sons have launched an array of new initiatives across crypto and more, few ventures rival Thursdays deal in scale or prominence.

The tie-up is a big bet on a commercially unproven technology that has the U.S. government at its back. As AIs power needs have become a pressing economic issue, the Trump administration has unveiled many programs aimed at boosting technologies like nuclear fusion to meet surging demand.

The new venture also represents the latest twist for the media company launched after Trumps ban from Twitter in 2021, just as much of Wall Street shunned the out-of-office leader following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

No more. TAEs backers include a whos who of American corporations: Alphabet, Chevron, Goldman Sachs. Family offices of Addison Fischer, the Samberg family and others are also invested.

TAE is one of the oldestand most prominentcompanies working in the relatively nascent field of commercial nuclear fusion. Board members include Ernest Moniz, a former U.S. energy secretary and nuclear physicist, and longtime investor Michael Schwab.

Michl Binderbauer, chief executive of TAE, said in an interview that he has spoken with Donald Trump Jr., who will sit on the companys nine-person board, but hasnt conversed with the president. Schwab, a mutual friend of Binderbauer and the Trump family, is a longtime investor and board member at TAE and will serve as chairman of the combined company. He is the son of brokerage founder Charles Schwab.

Binderbauer said his company has a credibly battle-tested, mature team" and results from its latest reactor that make it confident it can build a power plant. Two decades of research have driven down the size, cost and complexity of doing so.

Weve got the tools ready to go. The capital is a big deal, and its a multibillion-dollar undertaking," Binderbauer said. This merger would give TAE a co-owner with capital and the forward-leaning bold attitude to go all in" on fusion.

Details about the deal are sparse. Trump Media Chief Executive Devin Nunes will join Binderbauer as co-CEO of the combined company. In a conference call with investors that lasted less than eight minutes, they touted the creation of the U.S.s first publicly traded nuclear-fusion company and said they hoped to achieve first power in 2031.

The stock price for Trump Media, which has reported hundreds of millions in operating losses in recent years, surged more than 40% after Thursdays deal was announced, though its still down 56% for the year. The Trump family has a near-majority stake in the company.

Trump Media built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans," Nunes said in a news release. Now were taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement Americas global energy dominance for generations."

The first family has expanded its reach across venture-capital firms, investment banks and others with a slew of new products in recent months. On Thursday, many people in the Trump familys financial orbit said the latest venture took them by surprise.

Trump Medias path to this technology has been a topsy-turvy one stretching through some of the riskiest corners of financial markets.

The parent of the Twitter-like platform went public last year through a special-purpose acquisition company, avoiding some of the red tape of a traditional initial public offering.

The company has searched for growth by announcing products ranging from the Truth+ streaming platform to investment products. As crypto prices soared earlier this year, Trump Media unveiled plans to stockpile bitcoin and launch exchange-traded funds. A partnership with Crypto.com promised to offer prediction markets on Truth Social.

Now, the merger with TAE aligns more closely with other new ventures in the expanding Trump business empire, including a manufacturing SPAC backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as American Bitcoin, a newly public company operating data centers to mine for bitcoin.

Even though scaling fusion technology is years away, the sector has seen a surge in interest. Global funding topped $7.1 billion across 50 startups, S&P Global said in a July research report. Venture-capital firms poured another $3.3 billion into nuclear fusion in 34 deals in the third quarter of this year, an almost 600% increase over the same period last year, according to PitchBook data.

The Energy Department in October unveiled a national strategy to accelerate the development of fusion. The following month, a DOE reorganization that cut two big clean-energy offices added a new Office of Fusion.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said the agency plans to boost private-sector efforts to advance nuclear fusion.

Rep. Don Beyer (D., Va.), co-chair of the House Fusion Energy Caucus, said the merger raises conflicts of interest concerns and that will require oversight to ensure that the U.S. government and public funds are properly directed towards fusion research and development in ways that benefit the American people, as opposed to the Trump family and their corporate holdings."

Write to David Uberti at david.uberti@wsj.com, Jennifer Hiller at jennifer.hiller@wsj.com and Scott Patterson at scott.patterson@wsj.com
OpenAI is aiming to raise as much as $100 billion as it seeks to pay for ambitious growth plans in a market that has cooled recently on the artificial-intelligence boom.

The fundraising round, which is in the early stages, could value the company at as much as $830 billion, if it raises the full amount it is targeting, people familiar with the matter said. The startup aims to complete the round by the end of the first quarter at the earliest. Terms of the deal could still change, and it is unclear whether there will be sufficient investor demand to reach the goal.

The round will present one of the biggest tests the company has faced since the public markets exuberance for AI spending waned. Chief Executive Sam Altman has already scoured the world to build the pool of OpenAIs investors and the company is now weighing a potential initial public offering, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

OpenAI needs an abundance of capital to build its AI models and stay competitive in a rapidly changing market.

SoftBank agreed to invest $30 billion in OpenAI earlier this year and last month, sold its Nvidia stake for $5.8 billion to fund the OpenAI bet. OpenAI is expected to secure the remaining $22.5 billion in planned financing from SoftBank by the end of the year.

OpenAI has engaged in a year-end dealmaking spree that includes a content-licensing agreement and a $1 billion investment from Disney. The deals show that OpenAIs fundraising machine remains formidable even as questions about how it will pay for expansion plans remain largely unanswered.

OpenAI is expected to recruit sovereign-wealth funds to invest in the financing, given the scale, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has previously secured funding from United Arab Emirates-based MGX.

The Information earlier reported some details of OpenAIs latest fundraising efforts.

The company has faced skepticism over computing deals it has forged that are worth hundreds of billions of dollars and issued a code red" to beat back a growing threat from Google. While OpenAI is set to burn more than $200 billion in cash through 2030, Google has low levels of debt and robust profits, which could make it easier to invest further in AI.

OpenAI partners including Oracle and CoreWeave have seen their market values dip in recent months as shareholders soured on bold plans for data-center build-outs that appear to face financing headwinds.

News Corp, owner of the Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.

Write to Berber Jin at berber.jin@wsj.com
WASHINGTONPresident Trump signed into law new powers to screen and restrict U.S. investment in Chinese technology firms, marking the most significant effort yet to police how American capital flows into businesses that bolster Beijings military and surveillance state.

Lawmakers in both parties have grown increasingly concerned that U.S. money and expertise are accelerating Chinas advances in cutting-edge technologies.

The outbound-investment provisions, part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, cites entities in China and other countries of concernincluding Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela and Russiathat develop dual-use" technologies with both commercial and military applications. Lawmakers argue that curtailing U.S. investment in those areas is critical to American national-security and foreign-policy interests.

Investments propping up Communist Chinas aggression must come to an end," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) said earlier this month.

The NDAA was passed by the House last week and the Senate on Wednesday, both by large bipartisan majorities.

The legislation cements a Biden administration executive order in 2023 that initiated the first U.S. attempt to screen outbound capital. But where the White House acted under emergency authorities, Congress is now codifying and expanding those powersto monitor, and in some cases block, U.S. financing of Chinese work on emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and advanced semiconductors.

This is the furthest this has gotten in the legislative process," said Emily Kilcrease, a director at the Center for a New American Security who helped coordinate investment and national security during the first Trump administration.

The legislation authorizes the president to use International Emergency Economic Powers Act sanctions to prohibit Americans from acquiring significant equity or debt in specific Chinese companies.

The entities are broadly defined, including those based in China, Hong Kong and Macau; state-owned enterprises; companies tied to Chinese Communist Party officials and businesses they own or control. To be restricted, the entities must operate in Chinas defense or surveillance-technology sectors.

Even deals that arent banned will trigger mandatory government notification, requiring U.S. companies to report transactions involving sensitive Chinese technologies.

For lawmakers, the effort diverges from much of the past two decades, when billions of dollars flowed into Chinas tech sector from U.S. venture-capital firms, pension funds and endowments. Those investments helped build some of Chinas most important semiconductor, AI and hardware companies at a time when Washington viewed technological engagement as benign.

In recent years, that history has come under scrutiny. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal detailed how Lip-Bu Tannow Intels chief executivespent decades channeling U.S. venture capital into Chinese chip makers through his firm Walden International, supporting companies that ultimately became central to Beijings semiconductor ambitions. Funds managed by U.S.-based Vanguard Group, BlackRock and Fidelity have increased their stakes in Alibaba despite concerns from lawmakers.

It is that pattern that the new outbound regime seeks to prevent.

Every dollar invested in China by a United States investor into a Chinese company is a dollar thats going toward the potential production of weapons and technology that one day may be used to kill Americans," said Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), who led the legislation over the last half decade.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) said the future of U.S. national security was reliant on making sure we remain ahead of our adversaries in the race to develop cutting-edge technologies like AI and semiconductors."

U.S. investment into China, which helped drive the countrys economic development, has slowed in recent years as the geopolitical rivalry has intensified. Direct U.S. investment including U.S. venture-capital investment into China is at all-time lows, after declining beginning 2018, according to the Rhodium Group.

Over the years, private-sector resistance has softened to outbound-investment limitations. Many firms have already been complying with former President Joe Bidens executive order for the past year and participated in its comment process. Congressional staffers said the NDAA wasnt likely to increase the compliance burden beyond what the administration already has put in place.

The legislation also settles a long-running debate in Congress by blending competing approaches. Rather than choose between sector-based rules, a sanctions-style entity list or public-market restrictions, lawmakers adopted an all-of-the-above" strategy.

Write to Anvee Bhutani at anvee.bhutani@wsj.com
NEW DELHI : Obtaining informed consent, usage-based billing, and the public display of charges are among the Centres latest guidelines to regulate the use of high-cost ventilators in private hospitals.

Guidelines for Transparency in Ventilator Usage by Private Hospitals, posted on the Directorate General of Health Services website recently, and reviewed by Mint, aim to ensure that this life-saving treatment is used ethically and not as a tool for financial exploitation.

The government aims to restore trust in the private healthcare system and ensure that critical care does not remain a challenge or a source of financial distress," said an official close to the development, on the condition of anonymity.

Hospitals must justify ventilator use exceeding 14 days through internal reviews and expert committees, creating a strict paper trail for government inspection. Additionally, facilities have to establish time-bound grievance systems, allowing families to formally report billing discrepancies," the official added.

Also Read | India rolls out new hospital preparedness plan to tackle chemical emergencies

This move assumes significance given that the Indian ventilator market, valued at $207 million in 2024, is projected to reach $351.12 million by 2032, according to global market research firm Credence Research Inc.

A key challenge in Indias health system is the asymmetry of information and bargaining power: hospitals and doctors possess far greater knowledge and leverage than patients," said Indu Bhushan, founding chief executive of Ayushman Bharat and senior associate, Johns Hopkins University, adding that greater transparency would help level the playing field and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.

Bhushan acknowledged that public grievances about inflated bills in private hospitals are often well-founded. Globally, intensive care unit (ICU) care requires explicit informed consent and is subject to rigorous audits to deter unnecessary procedures. India has historically lacked such enforcement," he observed, adding that while India often has robust regulations on paper, the persistent weakness lies in implementation.

Mint's emailed queries to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered.

The new guidelines

The new guidelines are grounded in core bioethical principles, including autonomy (respecting patient choices and informed consent), beneficence (acting in the best interest of the patient), non-maleficence (avoiding harm through unnecessary or prolonged interventions), and justice (ensuring fair and equitable access to ventilator support).

A key pillar of the rules is mandatory informed consent. Doctors must obtain explicit consent from a patients caregivers or legal representatives before initiating mechanical ventilation.

This process must include a detailed explanation of the clinical need, expected outcomes, potential risks, and limitations of the procedure [and] clarification of the nature of invasive or non-invasive ventilation," the document said.

The document added that the daily cost of ventilator support and associated ICU care must be disclosed to caregivers at the time of consent, ensuring families are financially prepared.

To curb inflated billing and hidden costs, the government has introduced standardized and transparent pricing structures. Private hospitals must implement uniform ventilator charges across departments to eliminate discrepancies. They must also maintain itemized pricing for consumables used during ventilatory caresuch as circuits, humidifiers and filters.

Further, hospitals must publicly display the costs of ventilator-related services and consumables in patient-accessible areas, including billing desks, ICU waiting areas, and hospital websites.

The rules also enforce usage-based billing, specifying that ventilator charges may be levied only when the equipment is actively used for patient care. This provision prevents hospitals from billing for idle equipment or during periods when the patient is not on ventilator support.

Also Read | Mid-sized Indian hospital chains bulk up as consolidation looms

Facilities must ensure accurate documentation of ventilator usage duration and modewhether invasive or non-invasiveto support fair billing," the document said.

For patients with uncertain prognosis, the guidelines recommend time-limited ventilation trials of 48-72 hours, with mandatory daily reassessments to determine whether support should be continued, escalated, or withdrawn.

Hospitals must conduct daily objective assessments using standardized scoring systems and maintain detailed documentation, including vital signs, response to therapy, and weaning attempts. To ensure families remain informed, daily counselling sessions with patient attendants are recommended to communicate the prognosis and care plans.

For cases involving ventilation beyond two weeks, the guidelines mandate review by a multidisciplinary committee. Hospitals will also be required to conduct monthly internal audits for all cases involving ventilator use exceeding 14 days. These audits must assess the clinical justification for prolonged ventilation and verify the completeness of documentation.

In addition, facilities must maintain comprehensive records of patient outcomes, mortality, and the duration and type of ventilatory support provided. These records must be securely archived and made available for review by oversight authorities.

Hospitals must also establish time-bound grievance redressal mechanisms accessible to patient families, providing a formal channel to address concerns related to clinical care or billing.

The guidelines assume significance given the scale of the country's private healthcare sector, which comprises 43,486 private hospitals nationwide, according to the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), representing a network of nearly 20,000 hospitals.

Essential fix or red tape?

While respiratory support with a ventilator can be life-saving when needed, unwarranted use in ICUs can not only be economically oppressive but also biologically harmful due to increased risk of nosocomial respiratory infections, said (prof) Dr K. Srinath Reddy, former president of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The new government guidelines are helpful in restricting use to clear indications and ensuring clear communication of clinical indications and financial implications to families."

Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director, Aakash Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, termed the governments move a welcome and much-needed step". ICU treatment often involves advanced, best-in-class medical care, which entails costs. However, due to limited family accessnecessary to prevent infectionsthis can unintentionally create mistrust. Clear protocols, defined review periods for ventilator usage, and mandatory audits for prolonged ICU stays will significantly improve accountability."

He added that ethical healthcare institutions already maintain robust clinical justification and documentation for extended care. This initiative will help distinguish transparent, patient-centric hospitals while strengthening trust, affordability, and accessibility across the healthcare system."

Dr. Dilip Bhanushali, national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), representing over 400,000 doctors, also stated that doctors were already following these ethical practices voluntarily, even without a legal mandate. These new strict rules are just a reaction to public anger, not a fix for a real medical problem. By turning our judgment into government regulations, you are taking decision-making power away from the experts (doctors) who act in good faith and handing it over to rigid bureaucratic rules."

We were already doing the right thing. These rules are unnecessary red tape caused by public frustration, and they stop doctors from making flexible decisions based on what's best for the patient," he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Dr. Anand Kumar first highlighted the urgent need for guidelines to ensure transparency in ventilator use in the private healthcare sector in August in the Lok Sabha.

Subsequently, a high-level committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr. Sujata Chaudhary, additional director general of health services, in the health ministry to finalize these guidelines. The panel included senior doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Safdarjung Hospital, and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
ICICI Prudential AMC IPO: ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company is set to make its Dalal Street debut today, Friday, 19 December 2025, after receiving heavy bidding from all three investor segments in its initial public offering (IPO), according to exchange data.

BSE data show that as of the final day of the public bidding, the ICICI Prudential AMC IPO was subscribed 39.17 times as investors booked 1,37,14,89,456 shares, out of a total 3,50,15,691 shares on offer.

The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) portion emerged as the heaviest bidder, subscribing 123.87 times, while the Non Institutional Investors (NII) portion was booked 22.04 times, and the retail portion was subscribed 2.53 times as of the final day.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO GMP today According to the information available on Investorgain.com, shares of ICICI Prudential AMC Ltd were available at a premium of 520 in the grey market today. This means ICICI Prudential AMC IPO GMP today is 520. This also means that the grey market is predicting that the expected ICICI Prudential AMC IPO listing price would be 2,685 ( 2165 + 520). In other words, grey market is predicting around 24% listing gain for the lucky allottees.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO listing price prediction Shivani Nyati, Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart, said that ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company is backed by strong parent firms ICICI Bank and Prudential Plc, giving the company a significant advantage in brand credibility, distribution reach, and governance standards.

The stock market expert expects the shares of the company to be listed with a 16% listing gain on Dalal Street, indicating a stable to positive listing rather than an aggressive debut.

In the unofficial market, the grey market premium (GMP) is hovering in the range of 16%, indicating expectations of a stable to positive listing rather than an aggressive debut, Nyati said.

The expert also highlighted that, given moderate GMP trends and fair valuations, short-term investors should book part profit and hold the remaining with the stop loss at the cost price.

Overall, the stock is more suitable for long-term portfolio allocation than for short-term speculative trading, said Nyati.

Prashanth Tapse, Research Analyst at Mehta Equities, expects that the shares of the ICICI Prudential AMC are set to be listed in the range of 2,450-2,500 apiece, marking a premium of 13-16% over the issue price, fueled by the strong subscription traction and investor interest.

On valuation parse, the issue was asking a market cap of 1.07 trillion, which we feel is fairly priced relative to its listed peers. With a strong pedigree of ICICI Bank and Prudential, robust digital adoption and low concentration risk across schemes, we believe ICICI Pru AMC could command a premium valuation multiple than its peers, said the stock market expert.

Tapse also said that they recommend investors to Hold the stock for a long-term period, given the company's dominant position and long-term tailwinds from the financialisation of household savings.

As of Thursday, 18 December 2025, the grey market premium (GMP) of the ICICI Prudential AMC IPO stood at 370 per share. With the upper price band of 2,165, the company's stocks are expected to be listed at 2,535 apiece, marking a 17% potential listing premium, according to IPO India data.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO details Mint reported earlier that the ICICI Prudential AMC was offering a book-built issue comprising a complete offer for sale (OFS) of 4.90 crore equity shares amounting to 10,602.65 crore.

The company's issue opened for public bidding on Friday, 12 December 2025, and closed after its three-day bidding round on Tuesday, 16 December 2025, according to the filing data.

ICICI Prudential AMC fixed the price band of the public issue in the range of 2,061 and 2,165 per share, with a lot size of 6 shares per lot. The shares of the company were allotted to the stock market investors on Wednesday, 17 December, and are now set to be listed on Dalal Street on Friday, 19 December 2025.

Read all stories by Anubhav Mukherjee

Key Takeaways ICICI Prudential AMC's IPO was heavily subscribed, indicating strong investor interest.

Experts predict a stable to positive listing, with potential gains between 13-17%.

The stock is recommended for long-term holding due to its strong backing and market positioning.
Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd is in the thick of things. Apart from signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata Steel Ltd, the company acquired a 50% stake in Nexus Holdco FZCO, Dubai on 10 December. Nexus holds 80-90% stakes in several companies that have copper mining licences in an area spanning 100 square kilometres, and a copper processing plant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Slated for a June closing, the Nexus acquisition involves a cash payment of $55 million (about 500 crore).

Prima facie the investment looks lucrative, considering current copper LME (copper traded on the London Metal Exchange) and global copper demand-supply dynamics," said an ICICI Securities report. However, the mining assets are not yet operational, and a quick buildout in the difficult region with a volatile political environment will be key for Lloyds.

Lloyds MoU with Tata Steel further boosts its iron ore mining business in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, which is seeing increased activity with the waning of left-wing extremism. While the MoU remains non-binding, the complementary capabilities of Tata Steel and Lloyds create meaningful strategic optionality for accelerated steelmaking capacity development, improved logistics efficiency and technology transfer," according to JM Financial Institutional Securities.

Among the important areas of collaboration are setting up iron ore beneficiation facilities, which are essential for enriching low-grade iron ore before it can be used in steelmaking. Notably, more than 80% of the 860 million tonnes (mt) of reserves for which Lloyds has a lease contain low-grade iron ore.

The company has environmental clearance (EC) to extract up to 55 mt of iron ore a year, of which nearly 30 mt will come from low-grade ore. Also, Lloyds upcoming steel plant could provide raw material to Tata Steels downstream units in Tarapur and Khopoli, Maharashtra. These units consume about 2 mt of steel a year and are currently supplied by Tatas Odisha plant.

Full valuation

ICICI Securities expects Lloyds to report Ebitda growth of 114% compounded annually over FY25-27. Ebitda more than tripled to 1,040 crore in the September quarter (Q2FY26) thanks to the commissioning of a slurry pipeline and a pellet plant, and an increase in the EC limit.

Revenue grew almost 170% to 3,600 crore. Management has guided for iron ore mining of 20-22 mt in FY26, up from 10 mt in FY25. The expected commissioning of a second pellet plant and a 1.2 mtpa wire rod mill plant in FY27 should further boost earnings.

Valuations appear full, however. Lloydss shares are trading at an enterprise value of 9.6 times estimated FY27 Ebitda, as per Bloomberg. Investors will thus monitor the earnings trajectory in the coming quarters for further cues.

Also Read | India may ease imports of specialty steel to address supply gaps
MUMBAI: The Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has granted ad-interim relief to Avadhut Sathe and his trading academy, allowing them to resume operations after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) barred them from the stock market earlier this month.

On Friday, a SAT bench presided over by Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar heard an appeal filed by Avadhut Sathe Trading Academy (ASTA), Avadhut Sathe, and his wife, Gouri Sathe. The appeal argued that there was no urgency warranting such drastic intervention by Sebi.

Ex-parte interim orders, the appellants said, are meant for situations of extreme urgency where immediate harm to investors is imminentconditions they argued were entirely absent in this case. The freezing of bank accounts, prohibition on market access, and the demand for a large deposit, all without a hearing, were described as violations of principles of natural justice and proportionality.

The appellant's lawyer, senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, said that the regulator had effectively passed a sentence without a trial by invoking its ex-parte powers without granting the appellants any opportunity to be heard, according to a press note shared by ASTA.

An ad-interim order is a temporary order granted immediately to prevent urgent, irreparable harm or to maintain the status quo until a full hearing can take place.

In a 125-page ex-parte interim order passed on 4 December, Sebi had barred Sathe and his institute from dealing in securities and ordered the impounding of 546.16 crore for allegedly running unregistered investment advisory and research analyst services under the guise of stock-market education. The market watchdog also ordered the freezing of their bank and demat accounts and directed the creation of fixed deposits for the alleged illegal gains.

The regulator alleged that the academy had collected an astronomical 601.37 crore from more than 337,000 investors since 2015. The appellants argued that this figure represented cumulative tuition fees collected over several years across multiple courses with varying price points, and not money received for investment or advisory purposes.

ASTA also said Sebis case was based on 12 complaints out of the total number of students. Acting on such a small number of complaints, they said, amounted to a vindictive, high-handed and disproportionate exercise of power, according to the appeal.

The appellants also contended that there is a regulatory vacuum due to two Sebi circulars that contradict each other. In a 2024 circular, the regulator said market price data can be shared for educational purposes with a one-day lag. In 2025, Sebi said market price data of the preceding three months cannot be used for educational purposes.

The appellants also cited Sebi chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey as having acknowledged this vacuum at a recent public event.

They argued that Sebi failed to identify any instance of personalized, client-specific investment advice. The material relied upon, they said, consisted of batch-based educational interactions, illustrative discussions and explanations, which are excluded from the definition of investment advice. Even the few instances cited by Sebi, spread over several years, did not amount to carrying on the business of investment advisory or research services, the plea said.

Also Read | Sebi removes over 15,000 finfluencer sites in crackdown on unregulated entities

In its 4 December order, the regulator had cited instances where the trading profits and losses of ASTA students were allegedly misrepresented by the academy during sessions and on its website. The appeal disputes these allegations, describing Sebis presentation of information as inaccurate. It provides images of the profit-and-loss statements of various students with profitable trading accounts, in contrast to what the regulator alleged.

ASTA also has disclosures on its website stating that it is a financial market training institute and is not engaged in the business of providing investment advice, according to the appeal.

The tribunal appeared to share some of these concerns.
In the fast-paced world of investing, finding a multibagger stock that can deliver extraordinary returns within a short period of time is the dream of every investor. Such dreams turned into reality for investors of Indo Thai Securities, as it delivered a phenomenal return in a very short period of time.

Maintaining a consistent winning streak in recent years, the stock had emerged as one of the biggest wealth creators in recent times, multiplying its shareholders wealth massively. Though it remained under prolonged stress along the way, it showed remarkable growth after that, recouping all of those losses and showcasing its ability to attract bulls at lower levels.

The rapid rise not only boosted the shareholders' wealth but also expanded the company's market valuation, which stands at 4,500 crore as of December 18.

Also Read | This multibagger renewable energy stock poised for first annual drop in 5 years

Established in 1995, Indo Thai is a leading NSE-BSE full-service broker in India. As a group of 16 companies, including ventures in real estate, green technology (Femto), and IFSC, the company offers personalised investment and financial services to high-net-worth individuals, corporations, and mega traders.

Indo Thai Securities long-term share price history Indo Thai Securities' share price has shown a remarkable display of strength in recent months, despite weakness in the broader market. After maintaining a one-way ride between July 2024 and February 2025, the stock lost momentum and turned red in the following months, resulting in a six-month cumulative decline of 21%.

Nevertheless, the stock rebounded sharply in September, erasing these cumulative losses in a single month by rallying 78%, and rallied another 43% in the following month, highlighting its strong recovery potential.

The recent run-up also contributed to the stock gaining 186% in 2025 so far, a significant move considering it delivered 455% in the previous calendar year. Looking at long-term performance, the stock has delivered even bigger returns to shareholders.

From trading price of just 1.9 five years ago, it has skyrocketed by an astounding 19,110% to its current market price of 370. This extraordinary performance includes stellar returns in certain calendar years, with gains of 1,205% in CY21 and 456% in CY22.

Impact on investment The massive rise in the share price over a short period has significantly boosted investor wealth.

An investor who had put 1 lakh into the Indo Thai Securities stock five years ago and held onto it would have seen its value grow to 1.95 crore, highlighting the wealth-creating potential of the stock market when the right counters are chosen.

Also Read | This multibagger renewable energy stock poised for first annual drop in 5 years

Meanwhile, the stock has been trading on an ex-split basis in the ratio of 1:10 since July 2025. The above calculation does not factor in the post-split benefit.
Term insurance remains the most straightforward form of life protection, yet choosing the right plan involves navigating through multiple life insurance companies in India, each claiming superior benefits and service. Most buyers rely on premium costs or brand recognition to make this decision. This approach misses critical metrics that determine whether your family will actually receive the coverage when they need it.

A systematic evaluation framework can help you identify financially stable insurers with proven track records of honoring claims.

Here's the most simplest way how you can assess term insurance plans using objective, measurable criteria.

Filter 1: Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR) The Claim Settlement Ratio represents the percentage of death claims a company approves against the total claims received in a year. A single year's data can be misleading due to temporary variations. A four-year average provides a clearer picture of consistency.

The insurance industry's four-year average CSR currently stands at 98.66%. This means that approximately 1-2 families out of every 100 face claim rejection during their most vulnerable moment.

It's advisable to consider insurers maintaining a four-year average CSR above 99%. A CSR above 99% indicates the insurer has established robust underwriting processes upfront and maintains consistency in claim assessment. It suggests the company isn't using claim rejection as a cost management tool.



Filter 2: Amount Settlement Ratio (ASR) While the CSR tells you how many claims get approved, the ASR tells you how much money actually gets paid relative to the amounts claimed.

This distinction matters enormously. Insurance companies often approve smaller claims of 15-20 lakh quickly to maintain high CSR numbers. Larger claims of 1-2 crore face more intensive scrutiny and may be reduced or delayed.

Consider a scenario where a company has a 99% CSR but an 80% ASR. This means they approve 99 out of 100 claims, but families receive only 80% of the sum assured on average. The missing 20% represents partial claim settlements, where insurers find reasons to reduce payouts.

The industry's four-year average ASR is 94%. For better protection, look for insurers with a four-year average ASR above 95%. This ensures that approved claims result in full or near-full payouts, not significantly reduced amounts.

If you find a company with a high CSR but noticeably lower ASR, that's a red flag. It suggests the insurer may be playing statistical games, approving claims in principle but finding ways to reduce actual payouts.



Filter 3: Solvency Ratio IRDAI mandates a minimum solvency ratio of 1.5 for all insurers. This number represents the ratio of available assets to liabilities. A ratio of 1.5 means the company has 1.50 in assets for every 1 of liabilities.

However, treating the regulatory minimum as an acceptable standard is misguided. A solvency ratio close to 1.5 means the company is merely avoiding regulatory penalties. Any business shock, economic downturn, or surge in claims could push them below this threshold.

Term insurance represents a 30-40 year commitment. You need an insurer capable of:

Surviving multiple economic cycles

Handling sudden claim spikes, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic

Paying large claims 20-30 years from now A prudent approach is to consider insurers with a four-year average solvency ratio above 1.80. This provides a meaningful buffer above the regulatory minimum and indicates financial strength to weather adverse conditions.

Companies with higher solvency ratios demonstrate conservative financial management and adequate capital reserves. They're less likely to engage in aggressive claim scrutiny during periods of financial stress.



Filter 4: Annual Business Volume Premium volume indicates market standing and operational scale. Insurance operates as a scale business. Below certain volume thresholds, companies struggle to achieve operational efficiency and financial stability.

A reasonable benchmark is to look for insurers generating at least 5,000 crore in annual premiums based on a four-year average. While smaller insurers may also be reliable, larger premium volumes generally indicate stronger operational capacity.

Scale provides several advantages:

Larger insurers negotiate better terms with reinsurance companies. This matters because reinsurers back most large claims. Better reinsurance terms mean smoother claim processing for high-value policies.

A premium pool of  5,000 crore+ indicates millions of policyholders. This diversification allows the insurer to handle multiple large claims without financial strain. Smaller insurers with concentrated risk pools face greater volatility.

Scale spreads fixed costs of IT infrastructure, claims processing systems, and customer service across a larger policy base. This operational efficiency translates to financial stability, not necessarily lower premiums.

Large-scale operations can invest in advanced underwriting technology, fraud detection systems, and streamlined claim processing. These investments improve accuracy and speed.

Companies generating  5,000 crore+ annually are established national players, not regional or niche operators. They have proven business models and established distribution networks. Using these four parameters with the suggested benchmarks helps narrow your options to financially sound insurers with proven track records. The goal is not to find a perfect insurer, but to identify those with consistently strong performance across multiple critical metrics.

Determining the Right Coverage Amount A practical calculation method requires four inputs:

Your Current Age: Determines premium costs and coverage duration feasibility.

Protection Timeline: How many years your family need financial protection? Most financial advisors recommend coverage until age 60-70, when children are typically independent, and major financial obligations are settled.

Monthly Family Expenses: The amount your family needs to maintain their current lifestyle. Multiply this by the number of years they need support.

Outstanding Liabilities: Total of home loans, car loans, personal loans, and any other debt that would burden your family.

A common rule of thumb suggests coverage of 10-15 times your annual income, but this often proves inadequate for high-expense households or families with young children.

Essential Riders Worth Considering Critical Illness Rider This rider pays a lump sum upon diagnosis of specified serious illnesses like cancer, heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. The payout occurs immediately upon diagnosis, not after treatment completion.

The distinction from health insurance is crucial. Health insurance reimburses hospitalisation bills after treatment. A critical illness rider deposits money directly into your account when diagnosed, providing flexible funds for:

Non-hospital expenses during treatment

Income replacement during recovery periods

Experimental treatments not covered by standard health policies

Travel for specialised treatment

Lifestyle modifications required for chronic conditions Recovery from critical illnesses often takes years or may be incomplete. Ongoing medication costs, particularly for conditions like early-stage cancer requiring continuous therapy, or regular dialysis for kidney failure, create a sustained financial drain that health insurance doesn't fully address.

Consider minimum coverage of 20 lakh, adjusted upward based on your income level, EMI obligations, and number of dependents.

Policy Term: Many insurers offer critical illness riders only until age 50 or with limited coverage periods. This is problematic because most critical illnesses strike after age 45. Ensure the rider extends to at least age 65-70 when you're most vulnerable.

Accidental Disability Rider This rider activates if you're diagnosed with at least 50% permanent disability, whether from an accident or illness. It provides dual benefits:

Premium Waiver: All future premiums are waived. Your policy continues without any payment from you. Lump Sum Payout: You receive the full coverage amount as specified in the rider. This protection matters because disability can be financially worse than death. Your family loses your income while simultaneously facing increased medical and care expenses. The lump sum provides capital to restructure finances, adapt your home for accessibility, or invest for income generation.

Opt for minimum coverage of 40-50 lakh, recognising that disability creates both income loss and additional expenses simultaneously.

What to Avoid Certain policy features sound attractive but fundamentally conflict with the purpose of term insurance.

Limited Pay Policies: These allow you to pay premiums for only 5, 10, or 15 years while maintaining lifelong coverage. The trade-off is significantly higher annual premiums. This structure makes sense for whole life insurance but defeats the cost-efficiency advantage of term plans.

Return of Premium Plans: These promise to refund all premiums if you survive the policy term. The cost is typically 3-4 times higher than pure term insurance. Mathematically, you're better off buying pure term coverage and investing the premium difference in mutual funds or other investment vehicles.

Both options transform affordable term insurance into expensive quasi-investment products. Keep protection and investment separate.

Conclusion Evaluating term insurance using objective metrics removes guesswork and emotional decision-making from the process. The framework presented here prioritises financial stability and claim honoring over marketing promises. It identifies insurers who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to policyholders through measurable actions over multiple years.

Finology is a SEBI-registered investment advisor firm with registration number: INA000012218.
ICICI Prudential AMC share price made a stellar debut in the Indian stock market today, December 19, in line with the upbeat expectations set by its record-breaking subscription and grey market buzz. ICICI Prudential AMC share price was listed on Friday at 2,600 apiece on NSE, a 20% premium to its issue price of 2,165. On the BSE, the stock began trading at 2,606.20, marking a 20.38% rally from the issue price.

This strong listing stands in line with the strong momentum indicated by the grey market premium (GMP). The IPOs GMP had climbed to 520 per share, implying an estimated listing price near 2,685, or a 24% premium over the upper end of the price band.

Ahead of the listing, the stock had already earned positive recommendations from brokerages. Prabhudas Lilladher (PL) Capital assigned a buy rating on ICICI Prudential AMC shares with a price target of 3,000. The brokerage said it expects the asset manager to outperform peers meaningfully over the next few years.

We expect ICICIAMC to deliver equity average assets under management growth 2.5% higher than the industry over FY2528, which should translate into a strong 18.5% CAGR in core PAT, supported by its superior distribution and diversified revenue mix, PL Capital said.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Subscription Status The IPO attracted bids worth nearly 3 lakh crore, making it the fourth most-subscribed IPO of the Indian stock market in 2025.

The overall subscription stood at 39.17 times, fuelled overwhelmingly by institutional demand. The Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB) segment was booked 123.87 times. Meanwhile, the non-institutional investors (NIIs) also showed robust interest with a 22.04 times bids, while the retail category was moderate at 2.53 times.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Details ICICI Prudential AMCs IPO opened on December 12 and closed on December 16, with allotments finalised on December 17. The shares listed today, December 19, 2025, on both the NSE and BSE.

The entire 10,602.65 crore issue was an offer-for-sale (OFS) of more than 4.89 crore shares by promoter Prudential Corporation Holdings (UK). Since this was a complete OFS, ICICI Prudential AMC will not receive any funds from the IPO.

The price band was fixed between 2,061 and 2,165, with a lot size of six shares, requiring a minimum retail investment of 12,990 at the upper end.

The issue was managed by a consortium of 18 book-running lead managers, including Citigroup Global Markets India, Goldman Sachs (India), ICICI Securities, Morgan Stanley India, BofA Securities, Avendus Capital, Axis Capital, BNP Paribas and CLSA India. Kfin Technologies acted as the registrar.

Also Read | ICICI Prudential AMC share price LIVE: 5th ICICI group firm set to list today

About ICICI Prudential AMC Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mumbai, ICICI Prudential AMC is one of Indias leading asset management companies. Its investment philosophy centres on risk-first, long-term value creation for investors. The company operates across mutual funds, portfolio management services, alternative investment funds and advisory services, and it supports these verticals through a nationwide network of 272 offices, reinforcing its reach and distribution strength. The company reported an active quarterly average AUM (QAAUM) of 10,147.6 billion as of September 30, 2025, making it the largest asset manager in India by active mutual fund assets.
Multibagger defence stock: Multibagger defence stock Apollo Micro Systems share price was locked in its 5% upper circuit of 237.85 in intra-day deals on Friday, December 19 following overall positive sentiment in the Indian stock markets. Both benchmarks Nifty 50 and Sensex rose over half a percent in intra-day deals on positive global cues. Apollo Micro Systems also informed exchanges that its subsidiary has secured industrial licence for HMX, TNT manufacturing

Apollo Micro Systems subsudiary secures industrial license Apollo Micro Systems on December 18 informed stock exchanges that its step-down subsidiary, IDL Explosives Limited, has been granted an Industrial License under the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951, for manufacturing high-energy defence explosives HMX and Trinitrotoluene (TNT). The approval marks a significant expansion of the groups capabilities in the specialised defence and industrial explosives segment.

The licence allows IDL Explosives to manufacture HMX with an annual capacity of 50 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) and TNT with a capacity of 500 MTPA. The manufacturing facility will be located at multiple plots in San Sunaparbat, Odisha, and the licence will remain valid for a period of 15 years from the date of issuance.

The development strengthens Apollo Micro Systems vertical integration across defence technologies and positions the company to cater to both captive and external demand for high-energy materials. HMX and TNT are critical inputs used in defence, aerospace, and industrial applications, and domestic manufacturing aligns with Indias focus on reducing import dependence in strategic sectors.

Commenting on the milestone, Karunakar Reddy Baddam, Managing Director of Apollo Micro Systems Limited, said, This represents a significant strategic milestone for Apollo Micro Systems, allowing us to meet the needs of both industrial and defence explosives. This license is more than a regulatory approval; it validates our technical expertise, operational excellence, and adherence to the highest safety and quality standards.

The company noted that the licence enhances IDL Explosives ability to meet captive requirements for high-energy defence explosives while also opening opportunities in domestic and international markets. The move supports the governments Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by strengthening indigenous manufacturing of specialised defence materials.

Apollo Micro Systems Stock Performance In the last 1 year as well the defence stock has given multibagger returns, rallying 136% while it added 25% in past 6 months. However, recently, it has been under pressure, down 31% in last 3 months and 15% in last 1 month.

The small-cap stock has jumped by a whopping 1,770% over the past five years.

The stock hit its 52-week high of 354.65, hit in September 2025 and its 52-week low of 92.50, in December 2024.
Stock market today: Indian indices - Sensex and Nifty 50 - ended Thursday's session on a flat note with a negative bias, led by a lack of fresh market triggers. The Sensex slipped 78 points, or 0.09%, to end at 84,481.81, while the Nifty 50 edged down 3 points, or 0.01%, settling at 25,815.55. The BSE Midcap index posted marginal gains of 0.05%, whereas the Smallcap index declined 0.28%.

"Markets traded with a cautious bias and ended flat, extending the ongoing consolidation phase. After a muted start, the Nifty attempted a recovery during the first half of the session but failed to sustain higher levels and gradually drifted lower as the day progressed, eventually settling at 25,815.55. Sectoral trends remained mixed, with selling pressure evident in energy, auto and pharma, while IT showed strength and financials and metals witnessed selective participation. The broader markets also remained volatile but managed to close on a flat note, reflecting selective market participation," said Ajit Mishra, SVP, Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

Stocks to Watch After the market closed on Thursday, some corporate actions took place at the listed entities, which is expected to attract the attention of stock investors. On the basis of those corporate actions, here we list out some stocks that is expected to remain under the watch list of investors.

Ola Electric Mobility Ola Electric promoter Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday divested additional 2.83 crore shares via a bulk deal, extending his stake sale to a third straight session. The shares were sold at 31.60 each, with the transaction valued at 90.27 crore, according to exchange data.

Swiggy, Waaree Energies, Premier Energies and Bajaj Holdings & Investment Shares of Swiggy, Waaree Energies, Premier Energies and Bajaj Holdings & Investment will remain in focus in Friday's session after NSE announced that these stocks will be included in the Futures & Options (F&O) segment with effect from December 31.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Coal India Bharat Petroleum Corporation announced on Thursday that its board has given its approval to form a joint venture with Coal India for establishing a coal gasification project at Western Coalfields in Maharashtra, pending necessary regulatory clearances.

HCL Tech IT services firm HCL Tech Ltd announced on Thursday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the telecommunications solutions business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

Bharti Airtel Telecom giant Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced that its board has approved the first and final call of 401.25 per sharecomprising a premium of 397.50on 39.23 crore outstanding partly paid-up equity shares.

Shriram Finance Shriram Finance said its board will meet on Friday to consider raising capital through a potential stake sale.

Vodafone Idea Vodafone Idea Ltd (Vi) on Thursday said its subsidiary, Vodafone Idea Telecom Infrastructure Limited (VITIL), has raised 3,300 crore by issuing unlisted, unrated, secured non-convertible debentures (NCDs).

Reliance Industries Reliance Industries FMCG arm Reliance Consumer Products has acquired a controlling stake in Udhaiyam Agro Foods Private Limited, thereby adding the Tamil Nadubased legacy nutrition brand Udhaiyam to its portfolio.

Also Read | Sebi raises threshold for High Value Debt Listed Entities to 5,000 crore

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) said on Thursday that the Deputy Commissioner of State Tax, Mumbai, has passed an order imposing a tax demand on the company after completing audit proceedings.

Lupin Pharmaceutical major Lupin Ltd announced on Thursday that its subsidiaries in the Philippines and Brazil have signed an exclusive licensing deal with Italy-based Neopharmed Gentili S.p.A, granting them the rights to market and promote the gastroenterology brand Plasil in their respective countries.
India VIX is at record low levels. The volatility index settled at a record closing low of 9.71 on Thursday, December 18, falling 15% in December and down for the second consecutive month. A significant fall in the fear gauge reflects a sharp decline in perceived market risk and expected volatility.

Market participants appear to be pricing in stability rather than sharp directional moves in the near term. Such low readings typically emerge when markets are trading in a controlled range, and uncertainty around macro, earnings, or global triggers is limited.

The 912 range, as experts say, is the lower band, while the normal range for India VIX is around 12 to 15. In a normal scenario, when the market has enough triggers to move either upward or downward, though not necessarily with extreme volatility, the VIX tends to hover in this range of 12 to 15.

"The sharp decline in India VIX in December reflects that the market is trying to price in near-term stability and low uncertainty of any big event. So, the fall is driven due to the absence of major domestic or global risk events," said Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities.

When the volatility index is in this range, it suggests that the stock market is not anticipating any wild swings in the near term.

Clueless stock market? Does the record low India VIX indicate that the market is somewhat clueless and lacks any significant trigger?

"Probably yes. One reason for this could be that the India VIX is at record lows, indicating that the market is not pricing in any major event, at least over the next 30 days," said Ajit Mishra, SVP of Research at Religare Broking.

"At present, traders are keeping positions light. Even options premiums have softened, reflecting the fact that traders are not expecting any major or wild swings at this juncture. This is also one of the reasons why the VIX is trading lower," said Mishra.

The market is focusing on developments on the front of a potential India-US trade deal and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Apart from these two, there is no trigger that can move the market significantly.

"We still have over a month to go before the Budget 2026. Before that major event, there doesnt seem to be any major trigger in January, except perhaps the Bank of Japan meeting on December 19 and the US Federal Reserve policy decision on January 28. The yen carry trade could resurface, but for now, the indications point towards muted trading sessions ahead," said Mishra.

However, there remains the possibility of trend reversal in the domestic market as early as January when the holiday season is over in the US and focus shifts to the India-US trade deal and the Russia-Ukraine peace efforts.

Moreover, December quarter earnings will start percolating from the second week of January. If they come in line with expectations, they can lead to some traction in select sectors and stocks.

FIIs, too, have bought Indian stocks over the last two sessions. While they have been relentlessly selling in Indian markets, a shift in their stance can also drive the market higher.

Mishra believes that if the VIX stays at the lower end, it is actually positive for the market as it indicates a lack of fear.

"Even if it rises to around 1213 levels and the market resumes its strength, that would also be constructive. It would suggest that the market is finally finding some direction," said Mishra.

However, a low VIX doesnt necessarily mean markets will go up.

As Tapse underscored, it only indicates that big swings are less expected.

"We have seen many events happening on a weekend. If an unexpected event arrives, markets can react sharply because hedges are thin," said Tapse.

On the domestic front, things remain largely positive, barring the weakness in the Indian rupee concern, which appears to be stabilising. If something unexpected emerges on the geopolitical front, that would be a different scenario. Otherwise, the overall setup looks stable.

India VIX: What derivatives market indicate Falling VIX also suggest that traders are not aggressively buying put options to hedge against the downside.

Aakash Shah, a research analyst at Choice Broking, explained that from a derivatives market perspective, a falling VIX suggests that traders are not aggressively buying put options for downside protection.

"When demand for puts rises, implied volatility increases, which pushes the VIX higher. The current low VIX indicates reduced hedging activity due to confidence that sharp drawdowns are unlikely in the near future. This also reflects that traders are preferring carry-based strategies such as option selling rather than aggressive directional bets," said Shah.

There is a strong inverse relationship between VIX and option premiums.

Shah explained that VIX is derived from implied volatility, which is a key component of option pricing. When VIX is low, both call and put option premiums become cheaper. While this reduces the cost of hedging, it also lowers returns for option buyers. Consequently, option sellers benefit in such an environment due to faster time decay (theta), making short volatility strategies more attractive.

However, extremely low VIX levels can sometimes act as a contrarian indicator.

Shah underscored that prolonged complacency may leave markets vulnerable to sudden spikes in volatility if unexpected news or events emerge.

"While low VIX supports range-bound or mildly trending markets, traders should remain cautious, as volatility tends to revert to its mean over time. While the current VIX behaviour indicates market complacency, reduced hedging demand, cheaper option premiums, and perhaps the dominance of option-selling strategies, it is also calling for vigilance against abrupt volatility expansion," said Shah.

Read all market-related news here

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With the Mumbai Film Festival cancelled this year, Indian cinephiles found their best options down to Goas International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The 30th edition of IFFK (12-19 December) had a robust lineup, with over 200 films from 82 countries. There was also a lively behind-the-scenes tussle, as the Union ministry of information and broadcasting denied censor exemptions for 19 films scheduled to screen (festival titles arent censored but must get the exemption). These ranged from Beef, a new Spanish film about freestyle rappers, to Battleship Potemkin, a Russian classic that turned 100 this year. Soon after, the Kerala ministry for cultural affairs directed that all the films would screen despite the missing exemptions. In between all this, attendees took in some of the years best. Here are a few titles from IFFK to look out for in the coming year.

NO OTHER CHOICE After Decision to Leave (2022), his most Hitchcockian and affecting film, Park Chan-wook returns with a ferocious farce. No Other Choice stars Lee Byung-hun as Yoo Man-su, a paper industry worker unceremoniously fired by his company. After a difficult spell, a tempting job offer comes along and Yoo decides to literally eliminate the competition to ensure his familys happiness. The result is a corrosive comedy of capitalism, with everything from dancing lessons to paper industry reels informed by manic competition. Lee Byung-hun, who starred in Parks breakthrough, Joint Security Area (2000), gives a performance that matches Leonardo DiCaprios turn in One Battle After Another in nervous energy and comic inventiveness.

SILENT FRIEND One windy morning on a trip to Finland, I was taken around the property at which we were staying, a few hours from Helsinki. There were a number of art installations on the premises, one of which attached sensors to plants and somehow interpreted their internal traffic as sounds transmitted through speakers. I found it beguiling, and was thrilled to see a similar effort by a researcher in Ildiko Enyedis Silent Friend, the life of plants converted to graphics this time. Silent Friend isnt easy to describe. Its set in three time periods at the same German universityin 1908 (shot in black and white), where we follow a determined young researcher (Luna Wedler, excellent); in 1972, where a student falls in love with a botanist batchmate; and in 2020, where Tony Leungs gentle scientist is dealing with the covid lockdown. A lot of the film is about communicating with plants but theres also a pointed commentary on the evolving role of women in science and research. Its a mysterious, meditative work characteristic of the Hungarian director.

Also Read | Two of the best performances this year are by Benicio del Toro

A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD IFFK usually has a strong selection of films from the Middle East. One of the crowd favourites this time was from Lebanon: Cyril Aris debut feature, A Sad and Beautiful World. Yasmina (Mounia Akl) and Nino (Hasan Akil) are childhood sweethearts who reunite in their 20s and start a relationship. Lebanons troubles are always simmering in the background and sometimes come to the fore, but Aris and Bane Fakihs witty script invites us to see these characters as engaging and complex people rather than reducing them to a cause or national identity.

View full Image Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice'

ROMERIA Carla Simon had already shown a gift for naturalistic drama with Summer of 1993 (2017) and Alcarras (2023). Romeria continues this exploration, and adds some startling new ideas to what is already a stellar directorial career. Llucia Garcia plays Marina, a young woman whos trying to find out more about her biological father, who died when she was young. She meets his extended family, most of whom are sympathetic to her, and relay their memories of her wild mother and father (based on Simons own parents). Simons realistic scenes of family dynamics are realised through the extraordinary photography of Helene Louvart. A cinematographer whos worked with Agnes Varda and Wim Wenders, Louvart is especially skilled at filming intimacy of all kinds. Her charged, unadorned imagery has contributed immensely to films like Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) , The Lost Daughter (2021) and La Chimera (2023), and Romeria shows how instinctively right a pairing she and Simon are.

THE MASTERMIND It becomes clear almost immediately that the title of Kelly Reichardts film is ironic, that J.B. Mooney might be planning a heist but is no mastermind. J.B., played with Sphinxian reserve by Josh OConnor, is an out-of-work carpenter looking for something to do in his sleepy town in 1970s America. He decides to rob the local museum of four paintingswhich leads to a world of problems for him and his family. OConnor is joined by a supporting cast of indie regularsJohn Magaro and Gabby Hoffmann, playing Mooneys old friends, are particularly memorable. Reichardt is in bone-dry form, telling the story of a man without convictions living at a time when everyone was choosing sides. With an anxiety-inducing jazz score by Rob Mazurek.

View full Image A still from 'The Mastermind'

SUNDAYS Sundays begins with 17-year-old Ainara (Blanca Soroa) coming home from a short religious retreat. To the surprise of her family, she not only refrains from complaining about her time there but voices an interest in the monastic life. Ainara, a bright student on the verge of college, seems genuinely taken by the idea of becoming a nun, to the dismay of her aunt Maite (Patricia Lopez Arnaiz), an atheist whos convinced that her niece is being brainwashed by her religious school into giving up a fuller life. Spanish director Alauda Ruiz de Azuas film is a rare combination: a coming-of-age story thats also a serious look at faith. It asks complex questions with calm and clarity, and Arnaiz gives a wonderfully charged performance.

MAGELLAN IFFK allowed viewers the chance to compare two very different anti-colonial historical films. Werner Herzogs Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) is a sensorial assault, with its roaming camera, Popol Vuhs extraordinary score, and an unhinged Klaus Kinski in the lead. Lav Diaz new film, Magellan, made this year, strips away everything until all thats left is the greed and cruelty of imperial plunder. Gael Garcia Bernal plays the Portuguese explorer, who sets out to circumnavigate the globe by ship, eventually landing on the island of Cebu. Diaz, one of the most challenging directors working today, removes all the trappings that come with the genre: orchestral score, large-scale battles, widescreen photography. Instead, over 160 minutes, the film chips away at the figure of Magellan and all he represents: an antiepic in every sense.
Bihar schools will follow revised timings as authorities changed winter schedule amid drop in temperatures and dense fog. Patna District Magistrate on 18 December issued an order instructing all schools in the district to operate between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM.

However, classes that will have pre-board or board exams will follow the usual timings. The new timings came into effect today, 19 December, and will be valid till 25 December.

IMD warns of dense fog and cold wave The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued orange alert for dense fog and cold wave. Dense fog is likely to prevail in most places of the Eastern part of the state, IMD said.

The weather department issued a red alert for 20 December and said, "Dense to Very Dense fog is likely to prevail in most places of the Western and Central parts of the state."

The Meteorological Department in its latest weather bulletin stated, Dense fog conditions very likely to prevail during early hours/morning hours at a few places over Bihar during 19th-22nd; in isolated pockets of Jharkhand, Odisha on 19th & 20th, Gangetic West Bengal on 20th, over northeast India during 19th-22nd December.

Low visibility due to dense fog impacted flight operations on Thursday. In view of the atmospheric conditions, Indigo airline dropped a travel advisory.
The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside an order of the Lokpal granting sanction to the CBI to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the alleged cash-for-query scam.

A bench of justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, while pronouncing the order in Moitra's plea, said "The order is set aside. We have requested the Lokpal to accord consideration for grant of sanction under Section 20 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act in accordance with the relevant provisions within one month".

The cash-for-query scam pertains to the allegation that Moitra had asked questions in the House in exchange for cash and gifts from a businessman.

Mahua Moitra's counsel had contended that there was clear infirmity in the procedure adopted by the Lokpal. He had referred to Section 20(7) of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act saying it demands that comments of public servants be obtained before granting sanction.

The plea was opposed by the CBI, which had argued that Moitra has no right to produce documents in the Lokpal's proceedings and she is only entitled to give comments and not even an oral hearing.

Moitra has also sought to restrain the CBI from taking any steps in furtherance of the sanction order, including but not limited to filing any chargesheet during the pendency of the present proceedings.

The CBI in July submitted its report to the Lokpal in connection with the alleged cash-for-query scam case involving Moitra and businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

The agency had registered an FIR on March 21, 2024, against the two under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act on a reference from the Lokpal.

It was alleged that Moitra indulged in corrupt practices, including, but not limited to, taking bribes and other undue advantages from Hiranandani for "compromising her parliamentary privileges and causing national security threats by sharing her Lok Sabha login credentials."
News / International

by Mandla Bhebhe

A Zimbabwean man based in Australia has won a landmark case in New South Wales after the Local Court ordered two lawyers to pay him more than $108,000 for misleading conduct and breaches of professional duty.

On 9 December 2025, the Lithgow Local Court ruled in favour of Misheck Mukonoweshuro, awarding him $108,311 inclusive of costs against solicitor Michael John Vaughan and his associate James Conomos.Mukonoweshuro, who migrated from Zimbabwe to Australia, had accused the pair of falsely representing Conomos as a senior counsel and charging him $8,500 for services he never received. In his statement of claim, he detailed how Vaughan and Conomos misled him, failed to provide a written costs agreement, and breached both the Australian Consumer Law and the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW).The court heard that Mukonoweshuro was left to hire other barristers at significant personal expense after losing confidence in the defendants. He argued that their conduct not only undermined his defence in a court matter but also caused him financial and emotional harm.Registrar N. Roy entered judgment in Mukonoweshuros favour, marking a decisive victory for the plaintiff.The case highlights ongoing concerns about professional misconduct in Australias legal sector and resonates strongly within the Zimbabwean diaspora, where Mukonoweshuros fight for justice is seen as a stand against exploitation and abuse of trust.
Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory on Friday as dense fog enveloped the national capital during early morning hours. The haze reduced visibility significantly and impacted flight operations. In view of the prevailing atmospheric conditions and extremely low visibility, the authorities warned of delays under CAT III conditions.

The advisory stated, Dense fog has led to CAT IIl operations at the airport, resulting in possible delays and disruptions.

Urging passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight status, the advisory added, Our on-ground teams are working in close coordination with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across all terminals. For real-time flight updates, please reach out to your respective airlines. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.

Another advisory issued at 4:00 AM said, Due to dense fog, flight operations are currently under CAT IlI conditions, resulting in flight disruptions. Please be assured, our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals. For the latest flight status, please contact your respective airlines. We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused."

Over the past few days dense fog and smog have been disrupting flight operations at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport prompting airlines to adjust schedules amid delays.

Also Read | Mumbai Customs seizes over 2 crore gold at Airport

View full Image A view of dense fog at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport from inside a plane. ( Sounak | Mint )

The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a heavy fog alert for northern India, advising passengers to check flight status before travelling and to allow additional travel time to avoid inconvenience.

MoCA in a post on X stated, The ongoing fog conditions in Northern India are impacting airport operations. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their airlines for real-time flight updates, regularly check official airline and airport websites or apps, and plan their journeys with additional travel time to avoid inconvenience. Passenger facilitation teams are deployed across airports to provide necessary assistance.

Also Read | IndiGo faces India antitrust scrutiny after mass flight cancellations

Several airlines issued travel advisory amid dense fog over Delhi, including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and SpiceJet.

What are CAT III operations? CAT III (Category III) operations are advanced Instrument Landing System (ILS) procedures for landing aircraft in case of extremely low visibility due to fog or smog. CAT III procedure allows pilots to land even when the runway visual range is extremely limited. Despite enforcement of these atypical conditions, every aircraft or pilot is not authorised to use the system which causes significant delays until visibility improves.
Several flights at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport were delayed due to dense fog conditions affecting parts of north India. Delhi Airport, IndiGo and SpiceJet issued advisories warning passengers of flight delays and urging them to check their flight statuses before leaving for the airport.

A Mint journalist reported that all IndiGo flights were delayed for over six hours on Friday. The airline provided refreshments to all passengers during the wait, while long queues were seen near food outlets. Passengers also had to undergo security checks again to re-enter the airport, he said.

View full Image Long queues were witnessed near food outlets at Delhi IGI airport. ( Sounak )

Delhi Airport advisory In an advisory issued around 8 am on Friday, the Delhi Airport said, Dense fog has led to CAT III operations at the airport, resulting in possible delays and disruptions.

Our on-ground teams are working in close coordination with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across all terminals. For real-time flight updates, please reach out to your respective airlines, the airport said in the statement.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding, it added.

View full Image Flight status at Delhi airport ( Sounak )

View full Image Flight status at Delhi airport ( Sounak )

View full Image Flight status at Delhi airport ( Sounak )

IndiGo flights delayed A Mint journalist, who was at the Delhi airport en route to Kolkata, reported that all IndiGo flights at IGI were delayed for over six hours on Friday. His flight, scheduled for 11:55 pm on Thursday, was rescheduled to 6:30 am on Friday.

Dear flyer, We sincerely regret to inform you that your flight with PNRXXXX is delayed due to consequential effect of air traffic congestion, read the message he received.

IndiGo, in its travel advisory, said, Early morning fog in Delhi and across parts of northern India is affecting visibility and impacting flight operations. We seek your understanding, as this is a seasonal occurrence, and flight movements are being managed accordingly to ensure safe and orderly operations.

View full Image Fog at Delhi IGI airport. ( Sounak )

Customers travelling in the early hours may experience delays or revised timings. We recommend checking the latest flight status prior to leaving for the airport https://goindigo.in/flight-status.html, the airline added.

It said, Our teams are actively monitoring weather conditions and coordinating with air traffic authorities. Wherever possible, we are making operational adjustments to minimise inconvenience and ensure customer support remains available across all key touchpoints.

We will keep you informed and get you on your way as soon as conditions permit, IndiGo added.
Faridabad: Panic gripped residents and commuters late Thursday night after a speeding SUV went on a reckless rampage along the Delhi-Mathura Road (NH-19). According to NDTV, the vehicle rammed into several cars across a stretch from Ballabhgarh to Old Faridabad.

The incident reportedly began near the Ballabhgarh flyover. Eyewitnesses said that a black Mahindra Scorpio, which notably lacked a registration plate, was travelling at breakneck speeds toward Delhi. After an initial collision with two vehicles in Ballabhgarh, the driver allegedly ignored attempts by bystanders to stop him, instead accelerating and fleeing the scene, according to the NDTV report.

The driver continued his high-speed flight through Bata Chowk and Ajronda, striking several vehicles in his path.

The final collision The trail of destruction ended near the Old Faridabad Metro Station when the driver lost control of the SUV.

The Scorpio slammed into a Mahindra Thar and a Mercedes-Benz with such force that the Thar was pushed onto the road divider.

The Scorpio also sustained heavy damage and came to a halt in the middle of the highway. A large crowd quickly gathered at the crash site, apprehended the accused driver  who appeared to be heavily intoxicatedand handed him over to responding police officers.

Casualties and traffic impact Emergency services rushed the injured victims to a nearby private hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment. Their exact conditions have not yet been disclosed.

The wreckage caused significant gridlock on the Delhi-Agra Highway, specifically affecting the stretch from Old Faridabad to Bata Chowk. Police deployed heavy-duty cranes to clear the mangled vehicles and successfully restored the traffic flow.

Faridabad Police have initiated the legal proceedings in the case, and the driver is in custody.

Last month, a valet assistant was killed after an allegedly intoxicated driver crashed his vehicle into the parking counter of a popular restaurant in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune, as reported by PTI.

The fatal collision occurred at the entrance of Toit, a well-known brewery and restaurant.

According to Yerawada police station officials, the driver arrived at the establishment in a state of heavy inebriation.

Instead of coming to a controlled stop, the vehicle surged forward, ramming directly into the parking counter where staff were stationed. A valet assistant sustained fatal injuries in the impact.

Valet assistant Satendar Mandal, who was on duty at the restaurant's parking area, was grievously injured. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, a police official said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 4,000 crore new terminal of the Guwahati airport, which, he said, will give a major boost to Assam's infrastructure. During his two-day visit to Assam, he is also scheduled to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for several projects and address public meetings.

Ahead of the inauguration, PM Modi shared a first glimpse of the new terminal building at Guwahati's Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

View full Image PM Modi also shared a first glimpse of the new terminal building at Guwahati's Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

During the visit, the PM will also pay homage to the martyrs of the Assam movement, a six-year-long violent anti-foreigner agitation that began in 1979.

Inside the new terminal A video of Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport's new terminal  which was posted by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma  shows the building spread over a vast expanse, adorned with ornate structures.

PM Modi's post on X PM Modi hailed the new terminal as a boost to Assam's infrastructure  stating that increased capacity means better Ease of Living.

View full Image Baggage services section of Guwahati airport's new terminal

''I will reach Guwahati, Assam tomorrow, 20th December. In the afternoon, the new terminal building of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport will be inaugurated. This is a major boost to Assams infrastructure. Increased capacity means better Ease of Living and a boost for commerce as well as tourism,'' Modi said in a post on X.

Replying to the post, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the people of Assam were eagerly awaiting his arrival and the inauguration of India's first nature-themed airport terminal.

''This has been only possible due to your leadership and commitment towards boosting Assam as a key growth engine,'' Sarma said.

In another post, the PM said that on Sunday he will pay homage to the martyrs of the Assam movement, and then go to Namrup in Dibrugarh district for the 'Bhoomi Pujan' of the Ammonia-Urea Fertiliser Project.

View full Image PM Modi said the new terminal is a major boost to Assams infrastructure.

The project of Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited "will help meet the fertiliser requirements of Assam and other states. At the same time, it will reduce imports, thus boosting Aatmanirbharta'', Modi said.

The PM paying homage to the martyrs of the Assam Agitation will be nothing less than historic, Sarma said, adding that the Ammonia-Urea Plant will also be a major economic driver for the state and further accelerate your (Modis) vision for Assam's growth''.

PM Modi's Assam visit itinerary  PM Modi will begin his two-day visit to the state by unveiling an 80-foot-tall statue of Assam's first Chief Minister Gopinath Bardoloi, sculpted by eminent artist Ram Sutar, outside the new terminal of the airport named after him.

 After inaugurating the new terminal of the airport, he will spend around 15 minutes inside.

 The Prime Minister will also address a public meeting just outside the terminal building on Saturday.

View full Image First glimpse of new terminal at Guwahati's popular Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

 After the meeting, Modi will proceed in a road show towards the BJP headquarters in Bashista area, where he will interact with party workers.

 The Prime Minister will spend the night at the state guest house in Koinadhora, Khanapara area of the city.

 On Sunday morning, PM Modi will interact with 25 meritorious students of different schools in his programme 'Pariksha pe Charcha' for around half an hour while sailing on the River Brahmaputra aboard a cruise ship 'Charaideo'.

 After the cruise, he will visit the newly constructed 'Swahid Smarak Kshetra' in memory of 860 martyrs of the Assam movement, and offer his tributes before the lamp which always remains lit.

 The PM is also scheduled to visit the martyrs gallery, where the bust of the 860 people who lost their lives in the movement have been placed, and garland the statue of the first martyr Khargeswar Talukdar.

 Following the martyr's gallery visit, PM Modi will then leave for Dibrugarh and from there to Namrup where he will do the 'Bhumi pujan' of the 12,000 crore ammonia-urea fertiliser plant which marks substantial impetus to the state's growth and development.

 The PM will also address a public meeting at Namrup before leaving for New Delhi, reported ANI.
As winter arrives in northern India, dense fog is forecasted in Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand until December 20. In some areas, the fog will last until December 22, and in certain isolated regions, it may persist until December 25, as per the India Meteorological Department. (IMD).

The weather forecasting agency in a X post on Friday, 19 December said, dense/very dense fog very likely at isolated places over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand till morning hours of 20th December.

In a separate post, IMD noted, Dense to very dense fog during night/morning hours likely to continue: Punjab  till morning of 20 December, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, West UP, North MP & Bihar  till 21 December, East UP  till 22 December. Isolated places in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & UP  on 2425 December.

The agency further advised residents of these states to drive carefully, follow advisories and stay safe.

Also Read | Delhi airport warns of delays under CAT III conditions amid dense fog

Rainfall and snowfall alert According to IMD, isolated rainfall or snowfall is very likely over the Western Himalayan region for the next 5 days. Heavy rainfall or snowfall is expected at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Muzaffarabad on 21 December, and isolated rainfall is likely over Punjab during 20-22 December.

Delhi-NCR weather tomorrow According to IMD's forecast on 19 December, Delhi-NCR is likely to experience a partly cloudy sky, accompanied by dense fog at many places and very dense fog at isolated places, during the morning hours on 20 December. Mist or shallow fog may persist during the night.

The maximum temperatures in Delhi are expected to range from 21C to 23C, while the minimum temperatures are forecasted to be between 7C and 9C. Both the minimum and maximum temperatures are projected to be near normal over Delhi.

The predominant surface wind is expected to come from the northwest, with speeds reaching up to 5 km/h in the morning. In the afternoon, the wind speed is expected to rise to 10 km/h from the same direction. During the evening and night, the wind is likely to decrease to less than 5 km/h, coming from the southeast.

Delhi air quality Residents of Delhi continue to experience deteriorating air quality and thick smog, with the region's Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 367 in the very poor category at 7 pm on Friday, 19 December, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
New Delhi: Negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and India are in their final stages and should be concluded soon, as there appear to be no major sticking points, visiting Dutch foreign affairs minister David Van Weel said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in the national capital, Van Weel said that he discussed the ongoing EU-India trade talks in his meetings with Indian ministers, and expressed hope that the two sides would reach an agreement soon. He departed on Friday after a three-day, maiden visit to India.

The Dutch minister held meetings with Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar as well as national security adviser Ajit Doval.

There's a lot of areas in which we want to intensify our cooperation and, of course, this is all meant to lead to a more strategic partnership that we strive for, with India. We also discussed not only the Netherlands-India cooperation but also the EU-India cooperation...The EU-India free trade agreement is in the final stages of negotiation and I think from both sides...we have hoped that these negotiations will come to a fruitful conclusion in short term," he said.

The minister, however, cautioned that trade negotiations are always very complicated and often go down to the wire.

"These are always very complicated negotiations that always carry on until the last moment and then the agreement is reached. So as far as I know, there are no big sticking points, why they shouldn't be able to be concluded. And hopefully that will happen in the very near future," he added.

Amid review His comments come days after an EU negotiating team visited New Delhi from 3 to 9 December. The visit included review meetings between Indias commerce secretary and the EUs director-general for trade on 7 December, followed by meetings of India, EU trade ministers on 89 December to provide strategic guidance to the negotiating teams.

This assumes significance as bilateral trade with the European Union touched around $136.5 billion in 2024-25, making it one of Indias largest trading partners. During this period, India exported goods worth about $75.8 billion, while imports stood at $60.7 billion.

Earlier, Mint reported on 17 December that India had approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) seeking consultations with the EU after the bloc proposed tariffs and quotas on ferro-alloy imports, deepening concerns over global trade uncertainty at a time when the two sides are negotiating a free-trade agreement.

India has a substantial trade interest in the products concerned, and has invoked provisions of the Agreement on Safeguards to seek consultations with the EU, according to a WTO document reviewed by Mint.

The EU issued a notification last month, proposing a safeguard duty after claiming serious injury or threat to its domestic ferro-alloy industry due to rising imports.

A statement from India's ministry of external affairs (MEA) released on Friday after the meeting between Van Weel with Jaishankar said that both sides underscored trade and economic ties as one of the key pillars of the India-Netherlands partnership.

They noted that the decision taken earlier this year to establish a Joint Trade and Investment Committee would help deepen cooperation, address trade facilitation issues and promote bilateral investments.

"Recalling the rich maritime history of India and the Netherlands, the Ministers welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) at Lothal, Gujarat. They also discussed further strengthening ongoing cooperation in the maritime and shipping sectors, particularly in areas of green shipping, port development and shipbuilding," the statement added.

Command visit Earlier on Wednesday, Van Weel visited the Western Naval Command and Mazagon Docks apart from meeting the business community in Mumbai.

Van Weel added that his discussions with the top government functionaries in India included talks on defence, semiconductors and new-age technologies.

Both the countries signed a letter of intent on defence cooperation, which would provide an enabling framework to further strengthen defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

The MEA statement said: "The ministers welcomed the endeavour of both sides to expand the partnership into new areas of emerging technologies including semiconductors, defence, digital, AI, renewable energy, green hydrogen, education and mobility, to give it a more strategic direction. In this context, they took note of the various MoUs/ Agreements concluded during the year," he said.

Both the countries have already signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on partnership on semiconductors and related emerging technologies and also on green hydrogen earlier this year.

Meanwhile, speaking on the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing negotiations for a peace deal, the Dutch minister said: For us, this is an existential security issue and Ukraine cannot lose this war. That will be detrimental to the system that we've built with regards to respecting territorial sovereignty.

Also Read | India works on agri testing, quality norms with trade partners

Noting that this is an issue of utmost importance for the Netherlands and the European Union, he added that the war and related concerns of EU countries were discussed during his deliberations in India.

So, for us this is a security issue of the utmost importance, so we discussed that and I conveyed that message also to my Indian counterparts. I also said that we are hopeful that at least negotiations are now ongoing to, hopefully, make a lasting and durable end to this conflict. I've also asked my counterparts to use their contacts with Russia to also, hopefully, convey to them the message to come to the negotiation table and hopefully we can find a resolution on this.
Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill on Thursday. The bill seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantee 125 days of rural wage employment every year.

The Rajya Sabha approved the legislation after it received the Lok Sabha's nod amid protests by the Opposition. Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserted that the Bill was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday.

Why did the Oppn protest? The Opposition protested over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA, and accused the government of putting the financial burden on states.

The Opposition also demanded that the Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.

Several members of the Opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after demanding its withdrawal and raising slogans against the government.

They also tore pages of the Bill, with Chairman CP Radhakrishnan warning them not to go towards the treasury benches.

Oppn sits on dharna The opposition parties later sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill. They claimed to launch a country-wide agitation. TMC MPs decided to remain on a 12-hour dharna in Parliament complex on the stairs of Samvidhan Sadan.

Responding to the five-hour discussion on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Chouhan accused the Congress of "killing" the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi several times and using his name to further their political gains.

"This Bill is very necessary as it will help provide employment opportunities, help development of rural India and take the country forward," the minister said was quoted by news agency PTI as saying on Thursday.

Chouhan said that during the UPA's rule, MGNREGA was riddled with corruption and the expected amount of funds was not spent on the procurement of material for designated jobs.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a dream of making the country a developed nation, for which the development of villages is very important.

"I heard the opposition patiently all these hours and expected the opposition to hear my response to the discussion. Making their points, making allegations and running away is like murdering the dreams and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi," he said as the opposition members staged a protest.

"The entire nation is watching their 'goondagardi' and the opposition is committing the sin of insulting democracy. House 'dadagiri se nahin chalega' (this house will not run with such high-handedness)," he said.

Chouhan said 'Bapu' is the BJP's ideal and the party has adopted social and economic views of Mahatma Gandhi in its functioning.

Schemes for rural development and employment have been formed since decades, but the development of rural areas remained a distant cry. While the original scheme was launched in 2005, the name of Mahatma Gandhi was added in 2009 to derive electoral benefits by the Congress, the minister said.

"They use the name of Mahatma Gandhi for their politics. If anyone has murdered the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, it is the Congress which has done so. They have murdered Gandhi's ideals several times, including during the Emergency and while committing frauds and scams. They are doing so even now by creating uproar and disturbance in the house," the minister said.

The Modi government implemented MGNREGA properly, Chouhan asserted, and shared data comparing the progress of the scheme during the previous UPA regime and during the NDA.

He claimed that while the UPA released 2.13 lakh crore for the scheme, the NDA released nearly 8.53 lakh crore.

Chouhan said Mahatma Gandhi wanted the Congress to be disbanded after elections, but Jawaharlal Nehru did not do so to derive political benefits.

Earlier in the day, the Lok Sabha passed the bill amid tearing of papers by opposition members who accused the government of destroying rural economy and ignoring Gandhi's principles.

In a spirited reply to the eight-hour discussion on the G RAM G Bill, Chouhan said the bill was brought after extensive deliberations as it was felt that amount to the tune of 10-11 lakh crore should be spent on initiatives such as water conservation, developing core rural and livelihood-related infrastructure and taking up special works to mitigate extreme weather events.

As opposition members tore papers and raised slogans in the lower house, Chouhan argued that MGNREGA has outlived its utility and the focus of the government was now on creating permanent assets and developing model villages, instead of just paying wages.

Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters after the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha, Chouhan slammed the opposition for resorting to "hooliganism" in the Lok Sabha by tearing papers and standing on the desks in the House.
Mumbai: A plan by the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI) to restrict an app to a little over a third of the overall transactions on fast payments platform UPI by the end of 2026 is a tough ask, regulators and financial sector experts said.

The idea first came to the fore in 2020 when the retail payments umbrella body, NPCI, announced it would impose a 30% cap on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) volumes. The plan was to counter concentration risk, given that the top two appsPhonePe and Google Payalready accounted for nearly eight of 10 transactions.

The deadline to implement the UPI volume cap has been postponed twice since, the latest being from January to December 2026.

Glacial shifts

NPCI data showed that 82% of UPI transactions were processed through PhonePe and Google Pay in October, compared to 86% in the same period last year. According to industry insiders, the 400 basis point (bps) gain in market share by other UPI apps shows that others are catching up, but at an extremely slow pace.

Experts said that at the heart of the issue is the fact that payments by themselves generate no revenue, as there is no merchant discount rate (MDR) on UPI payments since January 2020.

Key Takeaways Despite a 4% market share gain by smaller apps over the last year, PhonePe and Google Pay still dominate 82% of the UPI landscape.

The absence of a Merchant Discount Rate is the primary barrier to entry, as payments currently generate no revenue for providers.

The Reserve Bank of India has publicly questioned the feasibility of a hard cap, noting that you cannot practically force a successful business to stop accepting customers.

Domestic banks have largely retreated from the UPI app race, viewing it as a high-cost, zero-return venture given they already own customer data.

Instead of a hard cap, experts suggest soft measures like exclusive feature launches on smaller apps and multi-logo QR codes to improve brand recall for newcomers.

MDR is the charge paid by the merchant to the bank, card network, and point-of-sale provider for offline transactions, and to the payment gateways for online purchases.

If you impose a cap on market share, even companies that are investing in UPI will stop putting in more money," said a senior payments industry executive. The problem now is that UPI players are not investing because they are not making any money, and the only way to kickstart the cycle is to bring back MDR, at least for the larger merchants."

After reaching 20 billion in monthly volumes in August, it remained rangebound and stood at 20.5 billion in November, 1% lower than in October, according to NPCI data.

Emails sent to NPCI and Google Pay remained unanswered.

A spokesperson for PhonePe said that it is virtually impossible to implement market share caps in UPI or any other digital ecosystems, for that matter. Companies spend time and capital trying to grow customer bases. Asking the same companies to later start denying millions of customers critical services like UPI payments just to stay under a market share cap will erode trust in the very same ecosystem that we are all trying to grow together," the spokesperson said.

Also Read | NPCI extends deadline for compliance with UPI volume cap by 2 years

The regulator also sounded pessimistic about the market cap issue. In a recent conversation at Mints BFSI Conclave, RBI deputy governor T. Rabi Sankar said that the basic issue is it's difficult to implement".

How do you implement a cap? Can you ask an entity that is actively doing business to say that you stop acquiring customers? How do you tell someone that when your transaction is 30%, then you stop doing transactions? You can't really do that," said Sankar.

Sankar believes that a workaround is to encourage others, and the regulator is taking steps to ensure that more and more people join the fray.

Interestingly, the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app, developed by NPCI, has gained some amount of market share recently, increasing to 0.62% of overall transactions in October, from 0.2% in October 2024. The Economic Times reported in July that the growth in transaction volumes was a result of a user-interface revamp, increased marketing expenditure by NPCI, and targeted incentives.

Consumer habits

The industry is sceptical about the advent of a third player that can take sizable volumes away from the existing ones that dominate the market, especially due to the lack of financial incentives to invest.

The challenge is in changing consumer habits. Once users start using a UPI application, it typically becomes their default for payments, and there is little incentive to switch unless something goes wrong.

Another issue is how QR codes are displayed. An official at one of the top ten UPI applications explained that a majority of the QR codes carry the logo of the market leaders because they were the first to onboard these customers. While these codes have since been made interoperable, many people tend to only use the app corresponding to the logo on the QR code.

A solution would be using multi-logo QR codes to encourage consumers to use other apps and improve brand recall, they said.

I am not sure if there is an easy mechanism to get another player in the UPI race unless there is a commercial angle," said Parijat Garg, an independent fintech expert.

According to Garg, for a third or fourth player to come and compete, trying to capture more market share, it makes sense only when commercial value is involved. There are existing apps that have both the reach and the capital to do it, but without any earnings from payments, why would someone do it?" said Garg.

There is also a school of thought that believes that domestic banks squandered the opportunity to push UPI on their apps.

In fact, private sector lender Axis Bank is the only commercial bank to feature in the top 10 UPI apps list, according to data from NPCI. Garg said that banks might have let go of the UPI opportunity because, without generating any revenue from it, it did not make business sense. Unlike UPI apps, which require transaction data, large banks already possess a significant amount of it, and there is not enough incentive to promote their own apps, he added.

Network effect barriers

While the government offers a 0.15% incentive for UPI payments of up to 2,000 at small merchants, the payouts are split between banks and these apps, with those with higher volumes and market share benefiting more. These economic incentives enable the top players to invest more in merchant onboarding, marketing and acquisitions, further hurting smaller players. In October 2025, the India Fintech Foundation (IFF) suggested a regulatory ceiling to cap the overall share of subsidies received by any single player.

This is also the reason why foreign payments firms have been reluctant to invest in domestic retail payments on a major scale or fund smaller third-party application providers (TPAPs).

Also Read | UPI AutoPay woes hit subscription market; businesses turn to card payments

Legal experts said that payment ecosystems are driven by strong network effects. Once users gravitate towards a platform for reliability and scale, it becomes neither practical nor consumer-friendly to restrict further onboarding.

As an alternative to a blunt cap, regulators could consider softer interventions such as incentivising interoperability, differentiated pricing or settlement efficiencies, and calibrated regulatory support for smaller players to compete on service quality rather than scale alone," said Siddartha Karnani, partner, King Stubb & Kasiva, Advocates and Attorneys.

Another industry suggestion has been to launch new UPI features exclusively with smaller TPAPssomething that NPCI has started doing lately with the BHIM appto encourage users looking to avail those features to use different UPI applications.
A disturbing safety breach involving the national carrier, Air Congo, has sparked international concern after video footage emerged on social media showing passengers jumping from the cabin door of a Boeing 737-800 to reach the tarmac, as reported by Aerospace Global News.

The incident took place at Kindu Airport (KND), following what witnesses described as a "multi-hour" ordeal inside the stationary aircraft.

Three-Meter Leap to Safety According to reports and social media footage, the flight arrived at Kindu from Kinshasa but was unable to deboard normally due to a lack of available air stairs at the terminal. After waiting for several hours in the heat of the cabin, passengers were reportedly encouraged by ground personnel to exit the aircraft via the forward L1 door.

The door sill of a Boeing 737-800 is positioned approximately 3 to 4 meters (10 to 13 feet) above the ground. In the footage, passengers are seen handing heavy suitcases down to staff on the runway before taking the dangerous leap themselves.

Local police and ground staff in high-visibility "PISTE" vests were seen observing.

Notably, no emergency slides were deployed  a decision likely made to avoid the significant costs and operational downtime associated with slide repacking.

Air Congo is a flagship project for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, launched only in December 2024. The airline is a joint venture, with the DRC government holding a 51% stake and Ethiopian Airlines  Africas largest carrier  holding 49%.

The aircraft involved is one of two Boeing 737s currently on lease from Ethiopian Airlines.

While emergency slides are designed to evacuate passengers quickly, deploying them on the ground when there is no immediate danger is not a decision airlines take lightly. Slides are single-use safety devices. Once deployed, they must be removed, inspected, and either repacked or replaced entirely  a process that is both costly and time-consuming.

According to US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates, replacing the entire escape slide assembly on a Boeing 737 can cost approximately $19,000 per slide, including parts and labor.

Even if the slide is undamaged, the specialized inspection and repacking process costs upwards of $12,000.
A homeless man has been credited with breaking open the investigation into the deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), leading authorities to identify the suspected gunman and triggering a $50,000 reward payout.

The tipster, identified only as John, played a pivotal role after confronting the suspected shooter and later alerting police to critical details about his vehicle.

He blew this case right open, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said, praising the tipsters actions.

Until John came forward, investigators had few leads and no information about a vehicle possibly connected to the gunman.

John first contacted authorities after recognizing images released by police and posting details on Reddit, court documents show.

Im being dead serious, John wrote in the post cited by investigators.

The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental.

Cat-and-mouse encounter before shooting John later told investigators he had a strange encounter with Neves Valente hours before the shooting inside a bathroom at Brown Universitys engineering building.

He described the suspects clothing as inappropriate and inadequate for the weather, a detail that caught his attention.

Sources told Fox News that John had been living in the basement of the engineering building at the time.

Suspicious behavior outside campus building After the bathroom encounter, John said he saw Neves Valente outside the building and followed him after noticing odd behavior near a parked car.

I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it, and then something prompted him to back away, John wrote.

When he backed away, he relocked the car. I found that odd.

John later observed the vehicle again when the suspect circled the block.

At one point, I yelled, Your car is back there, why are you circling the block? John told investigators, according to court records.

Suspect responds, police connect dots Court documents state the suspect responded, I dont know you from nobody, and repeatedly asked, Why are you harassing me?

Using Johns tip about the vehicle  a grey Nissan with Florida plates  authorities were able to review additional surveillance footage, which ultimately led them to identify Neves Valente as the shooter.

Case ends with suspects death Nearly 24 hours after the breakthrough, investigators located Neves Valente dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

HARARE - Freelance journalists Desire Tshuma, Simbarashe Sithole and Gideon Madzikatidze, who were facing an extortion charge, are off the hook after the case was withdrawn before plea at the Harare Magistrates Court on Tuesday.The state established that Sithole and Madzikatidze had been impersonated by Zimpapers reporter Abel Ndooka and freelance journalist Allan Mloshwa, who allegedly demanded cash from complainant Tafadzwa Masembura while posing as Bulawayo24 reporters.According to allegations, on 15 April 2025 Tshuma contacted Masembura, a senior official at the Zimbabwe Copyright Centre (ZICCD), via WhatsApp using a NetOne number. Tshuma identified himself as a journalist from Observer News and claimed to be investigating a fraud case involving more than US$20,000 in mismanaged employee funds.Tshuma allegedly offered not to publish the story in exchange for US$100. Masembura complied and paid the amount at a meeting along Kwame Nkrumah Avenue in central Harare.The following day, Tshuma allegedly returned with Sithole and Madzikatidze, who claimed to represent Bulawayo24 News. The complainant was pressured to buy them lunch and again coerced into paying another US$100, bringing the total to US$200.On 16 April, Tshuma arranged another meeting under the pretext of getting Masembura's side of the story, but the tone remained coercive. On 22 April, Sithole allegedly sent a WhatsApp message to maintain pressure, and on 23 April Tshuma forwarded a draft article authored by Sithole and Madzikatidze. The draft contained damaging allegations and came with a warning that the story would be published if more money was not paid.Masembura then alerted the Zimbabwe AntiCorruption Commission (ZACC), which conducted a sting operation. On 23 April, all three journalists were caught accepting US$100 in trap money at the same Kwame Nkrumah Avenue location.
The Trump administration has appealed a federal judges ruling that it illegally froze more than $2 billion in research funding to Harvard University in an effort to punish the school for refusing to comply with government demands.

US government lawyers filed a notice of appeal on Thursday (December 18), more than three months after a federal court ruled against the administration.

Judge found rights violations On September 3, US District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the Trump administration violated Harvards free-speech and due-process rights by withholding federal research funds.

Since that ruling, the government has released most of the funding that had been frozen.

Harvard at Centre of White House campaign Harvard has emerged as the main target of President Donald Trumps broader effort to reshape elite higher education in the United States.

The campaign initially focused on allegations of antisemitism on campuses following Hamas October 2023 attack on Israel, but later expanded to include accusations of political bias, scrutiny of university ties to China and opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.

University responds to appeal In a statement on Friday, a Harvard spokesperson said Judge Burroughs ruling restored critical research funding that advances science and life-saving medical breakthroughs, strengthens national security, and enhances our nations competitiveness and economic priorities. The case now moves to the appeals court.

Funding freeze triggered legal battle The Trump administration froze Harvards research funding in April after the university refused to comply with a series of federal demands related to governance, admissions and hiring practices.
The US Justice Department on Friday (December 19) released more than 300,000 pages of files related to the sex-trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The release came after Congress passed bipartisan legislation last month mandating transparency in the cases.

The trove includes documents from the DOJ, FBI, the Southern District of New York, and other federal entities. Some material has been redacted, with explanations provided for sensitive information.

Epstein Files Transparency Act drives release The records were published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law that imposes a 30-day deadline for the DOJ to release unclassified materials.

The law allows the DOJ to withhold information that could compromise ongoing investigations, court proceedings, national security, or foreign policy. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on November 19, setting the statutory deadline for December 19.

Expected revelations on Epsteins connections The released files are expected to provide insight into Epsteins relationships with high-profile business executives, celebrities, and politicians, including President Donald Trump.

Trump, who was once a close associate of Epstein in Palm Beach and New York social circles during the 1990s, had resisted the release for months. While he severed ties with Epstein years before the financiers 2019 arrest and is not accused of wrongdoing, the matter carries significant political sensitivity.

Trumps political maneuvering Despite promising to release all files during his 2024 campaign, Trump previously dismissed calls for transparency as a Democrat hoax.

In July, Trumps DOJ and FBI issued a memo stating there was no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions and that no client list existed.

Following pressure from Congress, including members of his own party, Trump ultimately signed the law requiring the disclosure of the records.

Ghislaine Maxwell convicted, Epstein deceased Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins former girlfriend, is the only person convicted in connection with his crimes. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges; his death was ruled a suicide.
US President Donald Trump is expected to announce new agreements on Friday (December 19) aimed at lowering prescription drug prices, the White House said. The announcement is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET at the White House.

AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, and Merck are among the major pharmaceutical companies expected to participate, Reuters reporting citing sources familiar with the matter.

Swiss drugmakers Novartis and Roche are also reportedly part of the deals, according to Bloomberg News.

Background: Most-Favored-Nation Letters In July, Trump sent letters to leaders of 17 major pharmaceutical companies, directing them to offer so-called most-favored-nation prices to the US governments Medicaid program for low-income individuals. Companies were also instructed to ensure that new drugs would not be launched at prices higher than those in other wealthy countries.

Previous deals So far, five companies have already reached agreements with the administration to control prices: Pfizer, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and EMD Serono, the US division of Germanys Merck KGaA.

The remaining 12 companies include Sanofi, Regeneron, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Amgen, Gilead, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers, GSK, Novartis, and Genentech (Roches US unit).

AbbVie and Merck declined to comment. Novartis said it is committed to discussions with the administration, while Roche expressed support for Trumps goal of reducing drug prices and encouraged other countries to reward biopharmaceutical innovation.
Following his tirade on sanctioned oil tankers coming in and going from Venezuela, President Donald Trump, on Thursday, said he is not ruling out the possibility of war with Venezuela.

I dont rule it out, no, Trump told NBC News in a phone interview. The POTUS said I don't discuss it when he was asked whether he ruled out the possibility that the blockade' of sanctioned oil tankers could lead to war.

Trump's comments about the possibility of a war with Venezuela come amid his administration's actions on all oil tankers entering and going out of the South American nation. The administration has repeatedly claimed that the strikes have been on alleged drug boats and that Venezuela is using oil revenue to finance drug terrorism.

Trump's 'blockade' of Venezuela oil tankers On Tuesday, Donald Trump ordered what he called a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from Venezuela, increasing pressure on the country's president, Nicolas Maduro. Earlier, the US had also seized an oil tanker captured near Venezuela.

Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America, Trump wrote on Truth Social. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.

According to a report by NBC News, Trump's campaign has already resulted in 28 boat strikes that have killed more than 100 people, including a double tap strike facing congressional scrutiny.

More seizures of oil tankers? When pressed further about his administration's actions regarding oil tankers, Trump confirmed that there was a possibility of additional seizures of oil tankers.

When asked for a timeline, Trump told NBC News, It depends. If theyre foolish enough to be sailing along, theyll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.

How did Venezuela react? Venezuelas government on Tuesday issued a statement accusing Trump of violating international law, free trade, and the principle of free navigation, calling his actions a reckless and grave threat.

It added  On his social media, he assumes that Venezuelas oil, land, and mineral wealth are his property.

Referring to Trump's post on Truth Social, the statement also said, Consequently, he demands that Venezuela immediately hand over all its riches. The President of the United States intends to impose, in an utterly irrational manner, a supposed naval blockade on Venezuela with the aim of stealing the wealth that belongs to our nation.

Why is Trump pressuring Venezuela?  Trump has repeatedly blamed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the US. According to a report by the BBC, there are around eight million Venezuelans estimated to have fled the country's economic crisis and repression since 2013.

 Without any evidence, Trump has accused Maduro of emptying his prisons and insane asylums and forcing inmates to migrate to the US. He has also made curbing the flow of drugsparticularly fentanyl and cocaine into the United States, a central focus of his rhetoric.

 The POTUS has designated two Venezuelan criminal groups - Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles - as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs)  alleging that the latter is led by Maduro himself.
Australia's prime minister Anthony Albanese on 19 December said that the country will initiate a national gun buyback scheme to address ownership of high-powered firearms among the public.

This comes after the deadly mass shooting at Bondi Beach. According to a report by national broadcaster ABC News, Australia's national cabinet, comprising the PM and state and territory leaders, are considering various measures to bolster gun laws, including restricting licenses given to citizens.

Gun buyback scheme: What did Albanese say? Albanese told reporters in Canberra that this nationwide gun buyback scheme will have the Australian government purchase surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms, in its largest such effort since 1996, AFP reported.

Notably, in 1996, then leader John Howard has imposed similar measure after a mass shooting at Port Arthur claimed 35 lives, as per ABC News.

Australia's gun laws were substantially reformed after the Port Arthur tragedy. The terrible events at Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets, Albanese said, as per an AFP report.

Also Read | Bondi Beach terror attack: ISIS breaks silence after black flags found at scene

Gun buyback scheme: What does this mean? According to the ABC report, the national gun buyback scheme would largely follow the 1996 approach and would target surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms.

Albanese also told reporters that the government would introduce legislation to provide the funding for the initiative, where the Commonwealth would split the cost with the states and territories on a 50:50 basis.

Further, states and territories would also be responsible for the collection, processing and payment to people handing over their weapons, it added. A father-son duo opened fire on Hannukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach on 14 December. Authorities have said the attack was an Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired attack on the Jewish community, Bloomberg.

The father, identified as Sajid Akram, died in the shootout, while the son, identified as 24-year-old Naveed Akram, has been charged with 59 offenses including murder and terrorism.
Bangladeshs interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has reportedly issued its first formal response to the unrest gripping the country, strongly condemning mob violence and warning that continued lawlessness could imperil the nations fragile democratic transition.

In a statement released on Friday, the interim administration called on citizens to resist intimidation, arson and the destruction of property, stressing that such actionscarried out by what it described as a small group of fringe elementsrisk undermining peace at a critical juncture for the country.

What did the interim government say about the violence? The Bangladesh government said it strongly and unequivocally condemns violence in all its forms, making clear that the current turmoil threatens Bangladeshs democratic trajectory.

We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties, the interim government said.

Emphasising the stakes involved, the statement added: This is a critical moment in our countrys history. We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace.

Why is the democratic transition being highlighted? The interim government underlined the importance of the forthcoming elections and referendum, describing them as central to Bangladeshs future.

These are not merely political exercises, but a solemn national commitment, the statement said, linking the process to the legacy of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, also known as Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi.

This promise is inseparable from the dream for which Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi gave his life. Honouring his sacrifice demands restraint, responsibility, and a firm commitment to reject hatred.

How did Bangladesh government address attacks on journalists? The interim government's statement included an unusually direct expression of solidarity with journalists whose offices were targeted during the unrest.

Also Read | Bangladesh gets a head start over India in export of weight-loss drugs

To the journalists of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and New Age: we stand with you, the government said. We are deeply sorry for the terror and violence you have endured. The nation has witnessed your courage and tolerance in the face of terror. Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice.

What was said about communal violence? The interim administration also condemned the recent lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, framing it as incompatible with the vision of a reformed Bangladesh.

There is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared, the statement said.

Repeating the condemnation, it added: We wholeheartedly condemn the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared.

What is happening in Bangladesh? The governments appeal comes amid continuing protests over the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman bin Hadi. After a night of violent unrest, offices of major media organisations, including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, were attacked. Protesters also targeted the partially demolished home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Also Read | Bangladesh President wants to step down, says he felt humiliated by Yunus

As tensions escalated nationwide, Inqilab Moncho itself urged supporters to avoid violence, vandalism and arson.

In a late-night Facebook post on Thursday, the organisation said: Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand -- 32 and 36 are not the same.

The post continued: As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country. To maintain stability in Bangladesh, fully cooperate with the government and refrain from violence.

What is the Bangladesh governments final appeal? Concluding its statement, the interim government issued a direct call to citizens to reject hatred and violence in memory of Sharif Osman bin Hadi.
India on Thursday reopened its visa application centre in Bangladesh capital Dhaka, a day after it was shut due to heightened security concerns. However, two other centres in Bangladeshlocated in Khulna (southwest) and Rajshahi (northwest)remain closed for the same security reasons, officials and reports said, as reported by PTI.

There are five IVAC centres in Bangladesh. Apart from those in Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi, the two others are in the northeastern port city of Chattogram and northeastern Sylhet. The IVAC at Dhaka's Jamuna Future Park is the main, integrated centre for all Indian visa services in the capital.

Also Read | Bangladesh's Indian Visa Application Centre closure enters day 2

Indian Visa Application Centre in Dhaka is now operational and functioning normally, an IVAC official told PTI.

The IVAC centre in Dhaka temporarily closed on Wednesday after tensions escalated when a large group of anti-India protesters marched toward the Indian High Commission.

On Thursday, the IVAC website announced that its two other centres in Khulna and Rajshahi were also closed due to similar security concerns.

In view of the on-going security situation, we wish to bring to your kind notice that IVAC Rajshahi and Khulna will be closed today (18.12.2025), it said, adding, All applicants who have appointment slots booked for submission today will be given a slot at a later date.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.

Also Read | India summons Bangladesh High Commissioner over Hasnat Abdullah's comments

We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations, it said. The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.

The MEA said, "India completely rejects the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh. It is unfortunate that the interim government has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents."

Placing the issue in the broader bilateral context, the MEA added, India has close and friendly relations with the people of Bangladesh rooted in the liberation struggle, and strengthened through various developmental and people-to-people initiatives. We are in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh and have consistently called for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections, conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

The summons also followed recent incidents, including anti-India rhetoric by National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah, who had made a public speech threatening to isolate the 'Seven Sisters' and provide refuge to Northeast separatists if Bangladesh is destabilised. Abdullah is known for his strong anti-India stand.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a 19-day Winter Session marked by the passage of several high-impact Bills, sharp political confrontations, and unresolved demands from the opposition for wider scrutiny of electoral processes.

The brief session, which began on 1 December, concluded after 15 sittings, with Speaker Om Birla noting unusually high productivity even as protests and sloganeering punctuated proceedings.

How did the Winter Session conclude? As soon as the House assembled on Friday, Speaker Om Birla delivered a short valedictory address, stating that the Lok Sabhas productivity during the session stood at 111 per cent, with members often sitting late into the night to deliberate on key legislation.

He then adjourned the House sine diefor an indefinite periodformally ending the Winter Session. During his address, some members were heard raising Mahatma Gandhi ki jai slogans. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House at the time of adjournment.

Which Bills dominated the Winter Session? The session saw the passage of several politically and economically significant Bills. Among the most contentious was the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, also known as the VB-G RAM G Bill, which replaces the two-decade-old MNREGA framework and promises 125 days of guaranteed employment in rural India. The Bill was passed amid opposition protests, including the tearing of papers in the House.

Also Read | Lok Sabha passes Shanti Bill to open up nuclear power sector for private firms

Another major legislative development was the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which opens Indias tightly regulated civil nuclear sector to private participation.

The Lok Sabha also cleared legislation to raise foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, up from the existing 74 per cent. The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025 was subsequently passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote.

What other legislative business was completed? In addition to flagship economic reforms, Parliament passed a Bill repealing 65 Amendment Acts and six principal laws deemed obsolete. A proposed law to create a new higher education regulatorthe Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025was referred to a joint committee of both Houses for further examination.

The Bill seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission alongside three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and academic standards across universities and institutions.

Also Read | Lok Sabha passes bill to raise FDI limit to 100% in insurance sector

Another significant proposalthe Securities Markets Code Billwas introduced and referred to a department-related standing committee for detailed scrutiny.

Politically Charges Debates Two debates dominated the political discourse during the session: one commemorating 150 years of Vande Matram, and another on election reforms. The latter became a flashpoint after the opposition demanded a discussion on the Election Commissions ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories.

The government maintained that the functioning of the Election Commission could not be debated in Parliament, agreeing instead to a broader discussion on election reforms. Opposition parties, however, centred their criticism on the SIR exercise, the new law governing appointments of the chief election commissioner and election commissioners, and alleged vote chori carried out by the poll authority in collusion with the ruling BJP.

A scheduled debate on air pollution, to be initiated by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, did not take place.
After the Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, marking the conclusion of the Winter Session, the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla added camaraderie among the bitter rivals.

The Winter Session saw significant legislative reforms and a historic discussion on the national song, "Vande Mataram."

Post-session meeting Following the adjournment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and NCP-SPs Supriya Sule met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber. The leaders expressed their gratitude to the Speaker for the orderly conduct of the session.

Other senior leaders also joined the Speaker for a traditional post-session gathering over tea, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers K Ram Mohan Naidu, Chirag Paswan, and Pralhad Joshi.

"After the conclusion of the sixth session of the 18th Lok Sabha, a pleasant conversation took place with the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and esteemed leaders of all parties," Birla said in a social media post on X.

Beginning on 1 December, the Winter Session clocked a total of 92 hours and 25 minutes of sittings. Official data released on Friday confirmed a productivity rate of 111%.

Speaker Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha indefinitely (sine die), concluding a brief but eventful session. As he delivered his closing remarks, some members chanted Mahatma Gandhi ki jai.

During this period, the House introduced 10 government bills and passed eight of them. Key legislative highlights include -

- Major reforms in the civil nuclear, insurance, and healthcare sectors.

- The passage of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which officially replaces the long-standing MGNREGA scheme.

- Passage of the Supplementary Demands for Grants  First Batch, 202526, and the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill. - A significant bill was passed to increase the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in the insurance sector from 74% to 100%, a move intended to expand market reach, reduce premium costs, and stimulate employment.

- The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025, was referred to a joint parliamentary committee for further review.

- The government rejected opposition demands to debate the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists across 12 states and Union Territories, maintaining that the House does not deliberate on the internal functioning of the Election Commission.

Also Read | Move Parliament sessions out of polluted Delhi, BJD MP urges Govt

Major Discussions The session was characterized by lengthy debates on national identity and democratic processes.

The Prime Minister initiated a discussion to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song "Vande Mataram". The House spent over 11 hours on the subject, with 65 members participating.
Mutations in flu strains are pretty common and usually go unnoticed. However, this year, the common Influenza A virus has surprised researchers a little extra.

According to a New York Times report, the United States and the world are bracing for a potentially brutal flu season due to a new and alarming variant  H3N2 subclade K.

Dr Scott Roberts, an assistant professor of infectious diseases at the Yale School of Medicine, told the NYT that this subvariant of the virus will likely spread more than in previous years, leading to more infections overall, because it may be more adept at avoiding immunity from vaccines and previous infections.

He noted that last years flu season was the roughest in nearly a decade, saying that generally, there aren't two consecutive bad flu seasons. But a lot of us are concerned that with this new, slightly more-mutated-than-usual subclade K strain, we may see that, he said.

Also Read | New study says Covid and flu can triple your risk of heart attack and stroke

What is Super Flu? The infection caused by subclade K, a genetically distinct subgroup of influenza A (H3N2) viruses, is being referred to as Super Flu.

This specific type of variant has several mutations that differentiate it from previous versions, making it a cousin of what weve always had, Dr Scott Roberts told NYT.

It is unclear yet whether the subclade K can cause more severe disease than past H3N2 variants, said Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Flu season arrives early The flu season arrived a little earlier than expected this year, and the Super Flu cases have already skyrocketed in Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, compared to previous years.

Drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain (also now known as subclade K) currently dominates cases in England, the UK government said.

This is a key warning sign that things may worsen in the United States soon as well. Data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows that cases of the flu in the US are about at the level researchers would expect for this time of year; however, the virus is steadily spreading.

The flu season has started early this year, Dr Thomas Waite, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, UK Health Security Agency, said. Now is the time to get vaccinated if you are eligible.

When will Super Flu peak? According to a NYT report, Super Flu cases are most likely to peak in January or February, fueled by an anticipated surge after winter travel and holiday gatherings.

Is the influenza vaccine still effective? Since the influenza strain has evolved significantly in the past few years, the question of whether this years flu shot might be less effective has been frequently asked.

A NYT report said preliminary results from Dr Hensleys lab, testing whether people who got their flu shot this year can produce antibodies to fight the new variant, are encouraging. There may be less of a vaccine mismatch than many people initially believed, he told NYT.

According to UK.gov, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine varies from season to season, but is typically between 30% and 60%, with higher vaccine effectiveness typically seen in younger age groups.

Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, Consultant Epidemiologist for Immunisation at UK Health Security Agency, said that irrespective of the strains that circulate this winter, we can be confident that the vaccine will still help to protect those most vulnerable from developing serious illness and being hospitalised.

We strongly encourage all those eligible to get vaccinated against flu as soon as possible  it remains our best defence against serious illness, she said.

Super Flu: Precautions Vaccination is the best protection against the Super Flu, but doctors also recommend basic precautions, according to a NYT report.

The vaccine is your armour. Its going to prevent you from getting badly beaten, Dr Seema Lakdawala told NYT. But its not going to get you to win the war.

To minimise the risk of catching the H3N2 subclade K, doctors suggest practising basic hygiene  frequently washing hands, wearing a mask in crowds and improving ventilation.

They also suggest disinfecting hard surfaces where the flu virus can linger for more than a day, especially phones.

Super Flu: Symptoms The symptoms of the infection caused by subclade K do not differ much from those of other seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses, according to the WHO.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Government has warned that climate change is posing an escalating direct threat to Zimbabwe's socio-economic development, with its impacts already being felt across key sectors of the economy.Officially opening a post-COP30 stakeholder feedback workshop in Harare on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Mr Tafirenyika Chifamba, said the country was experiencing increasingly severe climate-related shocks."We continue to witness erratic weather patterns, prolonged droughts, increased flooding and even cyclones. These changes threaten our agricultural productivity, our water security and the very livelihoods of our people," Chifamba said.He cautioned that the danger posed by tropical cyclones remained particularly acute, noting that such events continue to pose a serious risk to lives and critical infrastructure."The threat of deadly tropical cyclones is ever-present, posing a serious risk to lives and infrastructure," he said.Chifamba said Government had identified climate change as a major developmental risk under both Medium-Term Strategy 1 and Medium-Term Strategy 2, adding that global trends showed the situation was deteriorating."Temperatures and sea levels continue to rise, while loss of biodiversity is accelerating. The challenge has never been greater," he said.Turning to international climate negotiations, Chifamba acknowledged that recent outcomes had fallen short of expectations."Our resolve from Denmark was lukewarm, mainly because of limited mitigation pledges and the absence of the United States," he said.However, he noted that there had been some positive developments, particularly on adaptation financing."There was agreement to set a new target to triple finance for climate adaptation, to establish a new fund for tropical forest conservation and a frank acknowledgement that we are now unlikely to meet the 1,5-degree Celsius target," Chifamba said.He warned that constrained global financing would make it harder for countries like Zimbabwe to respond effectively to climate impacts."As things stand, climate finance is likely to remain suppressed, while the cost of adaptation continues to rise," he said.Chifamba urged local stakeholders to take greater ownership of the climate change agenda and revealed that progress was being made on strengthening the country's legal framework."Our Climate Change Management Bill is now at an advanced stage in Parliament and we expect to have an Act in early 2026," he said. "This will greatly assist in mainstreaming climate change, raising local climate finance and strengthening the country's climate and carbon policy environment."The workshop brought together Government officials, development partners and civil society organisations to reflect on outcomes of COP30 and chart a coordinated national response to climate challenges.
News / National

by Staff reporter

More than 21 000 vehicles were impounded in Harare over the past year as the city council intensified enforcement operations aimed at restoring order and improving compliance among businesses and commuter operators.The figures were revealed by City of Harare Chamber Secretary Mr Warren Chiwawa in an interview, where he said enforcement statistics showed that 21 094 vehicles were impounded during the period, while a further 40 038 were clamped for various violations.Mr Chiwawa said the crackdown also targeted non-compliant businesses and illegal trading activities across the city. During the same period, council issued 7 071 shop licence tickets, shut down 2 015 shops for failing to meet regulatory requirements, and arrested 15 068 vendors operating illegally.He said the enforcement drive was intended to yield tangible improvements in adherence to municipal by-laws and to restore order in the capital."The effect of these enforcement efforts has been increased compliance by business and commuter operators," said Mr Chiwawa. "This has encouraged a more orderly business environment in the city, although much is still to be done."In addition to improving compliance, Mr Chiwawa said the programme had contributed to enhanced revenue inflows for the local authority, strengthening the council's capacity to deliver services.City officials say enforcement operations will continue as part of broader efforts to improve urban management and compliance with municipal regulations.
ICSA president Sean McNamara has said meat processors should immediately stop importing livestock from Northern Ireland in light of the increasingly precarious Bluetongue situation.

ICSA has serious concerns about the continued movement of animals across the border, particularly now that positive Bluetongue cases have been confirmed in the North and further cases are under investigation, he said.

Read more: Longford farming news: New reconstitution scheme for private forest owners announced



Continuing Mr McNamara said, Midges spread Bluetongue. So, if a processor brings in sheep from the North that are carrying the virus, all it takes is for one midge around Athleague, Camolin, Navan, or wherever a factory is located, to land on an infected sheep. That midge then becomes infected too, and once that happens it can spread the virus to farms in the surrounding area. That is how quickly this disease can move.

Read more: Longford Senator and animal rights activist at odds over foxhunting bill



Hundreds of thousands of lambs are imported from the North every year purely as a tactic to keep a lid on prices here.

But in a situation like this, processors cannot keep operating as if nothing has changed. They need to act responsibly and stop hauling animals down from the North until the full picture is known. Farmers and department officials on both sides of the border are doing everything in their power to contain the situation.



Protecting the country from Bluetongue has to come first, and it is time processors did their part.
Syrian Internal Security Forces arrest a Daesh[Islamic State]-linked person in [the] Dummar neighborhood of Damascus on December 17. (Syrian Arab News Agency on X)

On December 17, US Central Command (CENTCOM) provided new information on operations against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria. US and partner forces in Syria have conducted nearly 80 operations since July to eliminate terrorist operatives, including ISIS [Islamic State] remnants, that posed a direct threat to the United States and interests abroad, the statement, posted on X, said.

The details were published in the wake of the killing of two US soldiers and an interpreter on December 13 in Syria by a member of the Syrian security forces, an attack Syrian authorities and the US have blamed on the Islamic State. In the days after the attack, there have been a number of operations against the jihadist group and other armed groups in Syria and Iraq.

US Central Command noted in its December 17 post that ISIS has inspired at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the United States over the past year. The US has played a role in operations that have detained 119 terrorists and killed 14 terrorists over the last six months. In Syria, the US has partnered with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern part of the country over the past decade during the war against the Islamic State.

We are steadfast in our relentless pursuit of terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our interests abroad, Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, said. The statement noted that US personnel have also worked with the Syrian Ministry of Interior to raid 15 Islamic State sites as part of a new partnership with the Syrian government. The combined operation destroyed over 130 mortars and rockets, multiple rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, and materials for building improvised explosive devices, CENTCOMs statement noted. We will continue to work closely with our Syrian partners to hunt down ISIS networks and prevent their resurgence, Cooper said.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on December 17 that Syrian Internal Security Forces had arrested a person linked to the Islamic State. The arrest happened during a security operation targeting one of the groups hideouts in the Dummar neighborhood of Damascus, the report added.

Our security units, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate, carried out a precise operation targeting a hideout belonging to the ISIS terrorist organization in [the] Dummar neighborhood of Damascus, based on reliable intelligence information and accurate field data, Syrian Brigadier General Osama Mohammad Khair Atkeh told SANA. The Syrian security forces found explosive devices, weapons, drones, and other items during the raid.

Despite being greatly diminished in the region, the Islamic State continues to pose a threat in Syria and Iraq. Iraqs Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Wednesday the arrest of six suspected Islamic State (ISIS) members and the destruction of several militant hideouts during coordinated security operations across the country, the Kurdish Rudaw Media Network reported on December 17. The suspects were detained across a swath of Iraq, in Kirkuk, Nineveh, and Baghdad. The report added that the Iraqi CTS had cooperated with the Kurdistan Regions Sulaimani-based Asayish Directorate of Operations and the Commando Forces.

Iraqi security forces also carried out a rare airborne raid into Syria in cooperation with the Syrian security forces, Iraqs government Security Media Cell, which provides details on security operations, said on December 18. The force also coordinated with the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State. The raid took place in a village in Syrias northeastern Hasaka province, near the Iraqi border. Iraqi authorities have not disclosed the nationality of the detainees or the charges filed against them, Rudaw noted.

According to North Press Agency, a US raid on December 18 targeted an Islamic State operative near Raqqa. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that members of an ISIS cell and International Coalition Forces traded heavy gunfire during a raid on the house of one of the suspects during the incident. SOHR described the Raqqa raid as the second operation of its kind in less than 24 hours, linking this increased tempo of operations with the Iraqi cross-border operation in northeastern Hasaka. The sites of the two reported operations are approximately 150 miles apart.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Government will today begin the voluntary repatriation of 1 724 Mozambican nationals who have been under international protection in Zimbabwe, marking the first such exercise since 1994 when more than 50 000 Mozambicans were returned home.The repatriation involves refugees who have lived under international protection since December 2016. They will be transported from Tongogara Refugee Settlement to Mozambique through the Mt Selinda Border Post using hired buses.During a visit to Tongogara on Wednesday, many of the Mozambican nationals were seen completing final documentation, with several expressing relief and anticipation at the prospect of returning home after years spent in Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe last conducted a major repatriation exercise in 1994 following the signing of the 1992 Rome Agreement, which ended Mozambique's civil war between Frelimo and Renamo. At the time, refugees were repatriated from five camps: Tongogara, Chambuta, Nyangombe, Mazowe Riverbridge and Nyamatiki.Officials say the current process is intended to bring closure to Mozambican nationals who have lived in Zimbabwe for decades, giving them an opportunity to rebuild their lives in their country of origin.Tongogara Refugee Settlement administrator Mr Johane Mhlanga said most of those being repatriated come from Espungabeira, Chirera and Chikwekwete in Mozambique's Mousirize District."They came to Zimbabwe following military disturbances by Renamo bandits. All the individuals due for repatriation have been staying at Tongogara Refugee Settlement, coexisting peacefully with refugees and asylum seekers from more than 15 countries," said Mr Mhlanga. He added that the Mozambicans had been included in self-reliance and livelihood programmes in line with the Government's inclusive refugee policy.Tongogara currently hosts 12 956 refugees and asylum seekers.Mr Mhlanga said the repatriation process is being carried out in line with agreed intergovernmental procedures to ensure safety and dignity."To facilitate smooth repatriation, the Government engaged the Republic of Mozambique through diplomatic channels. The two governments agreed to work together throughout the process. Buses and trucks have been secured to transport the people and their belongings," he said.He dismissed reports that some Mozambican nationals were reluctant to return home, insisting that all had volunteered for repatriation."That is not true. All the Mozambicans have expressed their willingness for voluntary repatriation. They are excited to go back home," he said, adding that voluntary repatriation remains one of the most sustainable solutions to refugee situations globally.Several Mozambicans interviewed at the settlement welcomed the development.Mr Aleck Khosa (28), who arrived at Tongogara in 2017, said he was eager to start afresh in a peaceful environment."I left Mozambique in 2016 when disturbances affected our area. I later reunited with my family here at Tongogara. I am happy to go back to my country as long as there is peace, and I trust the authorities that conditions have improved," he said.Mr Simon Tito Simango (48) said he fled Mozambique in 2017 during a period of political violence."We had no choice but to leave at the time. It was frightening. We are happy to be going back home and hope that arrangements have been made for us to reintegrate into our communities after being away for so long," he said.Another returnee, Mr Tichaona Simango (33), said the memories of the violence that forced him to flee were still difficult to process, but he remained hopeful about returning home."Even as I return, I am still affected by what happened back then. But I want to move forward and rebuild my life now that there is peace," he said.Authorities say the repatriation exercise reflects continued cooperation between Zimbabwe and Mozambique and underscores the Government's commitment to durable solutions for refugees.
Days after an MIT professor was gunned down in his Brookline home, there was little sign of the violence that occurred in the quiet neighborhood early Thursday evening.

But a small makeshift memorial remained outside the apartment building at 9 Gibbs St., where Nuno F.G. Loureiro was shot on Monday night. A few candles lined the steps leading up to the building, and a small bundle of flowers lay on the top step.

A neighbor in the building next to Loureiros described the MIT professor as a great man.

He didnt deserve it, the neighbor, who declined to give his name to a MassLive reporter, said as he went into his apartment Thursday night.

Police went to Loureiros apartment around 8:30 p.m. on Monday after receiving 911 calls reporting gunshots. They found Loureiro in the foyer with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning.

Loureiro, who was married, worked as the director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at MIT, where he was a professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering.

The light was still on in the first-floor apartment where he lived Thursday evening and childrens art could be seen on the wall, with family photos lining a shelf visible from the street.

A 12-year-old who lived in the neighborhood said she knew Loureiros daughter.

She doesnt deserve it, she said. Shes really sweet.

The president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, said in a statement that the killing was a shocking loss. The office of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also put out a condolence statement calling Loureiros death an irreparable loss for science and for all those with whom he worked and lived.

Loureiro had said he hoped his work would shape the future.

Its not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanitys biggest problems, Loureiro said when he was named to lead the plasma science lab last year. Fusion energy will change the course of human history.

This undated photo provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in December 2025 shows Nuno Loureiro. (Jake Belcher/MIT via AP) AP

The Brookline apartment where Loureiro lived is less than half a mile from an elementary school, in the middle of a quiet, suburban neighborhood.

Neighbors said they were surprised by the outburst of violence.

This is probably the safest neighborhood I can imagine living in, said Michael Schreiber, who lives around the corner at 106 Beals St. and was out walking his dog on Thursday evening.

To Schreiber, the fact that Loureiros killing now appears to be linked to Saturday nights mass shooting at Brown University and may not be random is reassuring.

Still, the fact that theres violence across the street is unsettling, he said, noting he had lived in Brookline for 30 years.

Schreiber said he didnt know Loureiro or his family.

The world has become very absurd, he said.

Another neighbor, who said her friends children attend school with Loureiros children, stopped by to leave a candle outside the apartment building.

While she didnt know the family, she said the entire neighborhood is close.

Its really shocking, said the neighbor, who also spoke to MassLive Thursday on the condition of anonymity.

Ethan Wright, 31, who lives on the other end of the block, said he didnt feel like he or the neighborhood was in more danger following the shooting, even though no formal arrests have been announced.

The shooting, he said, had something to do with the professor, not the neighborhood.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Former Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas sought to regain his job in court this week, denying claims from the popular supermarket chain that he had stonewalled the company board of directors.

Testimony in a three-day trial in Delaware, where the company is incorporated, wrapped up on Thursday. While a judge is not expected to make a ruling until next year, according to the Boston Globe, the outcome of the case will determine the future of Market Baskets leadership after Demoulas removal in September.

Demoulas and other company executives, including his children T.A. and Madeline Demoulas, were placed on leave in May at the same time that the board launched an investigation, which Demoulas called contrived and a witch hunt in his lawsuit. Shortly after his suspension, Demoulas denied the boards claims, calling it a facade for a hostile takeover of the grocery store chain.

Read more: How a family feud at this popular grocery chain has shoppers worried about losing their favorite store

The former CEOs attorneys claimed in court documents that Demoulas three sisters removed his allies from the board and instead stacked it with their own allies because of their resentment over his success and recognition as the head of the company.

The company filed a lawsuit against Demoulas on Sept. 9, the same day he was officially fired, asking the Delaware court to uphold the decision. Demoulas filed his own suit a few weeks later, asking the court to reinstate him.

Market Basket named CFO Donald Mulligan as interim CEO on Sept. 15.

The companys explanation for Demoulas removal has been that he was uncooperative with the board of directors, refusing to share financial information and even conspiring to lead an employee walkout and customer boycott similar to one that lasted two months in the summer of 2014.

The 2014 demonstrations were prompted by Demoulas being fired after his cousin, Arthur S. Demoulas, took control of the board. The boycotts ended when Demoulas and his three sisters, Caren, Frances and Glorianne, bought out the other side of the family for $1.6 billion. The company finished paying off the debt from the purchase in December 2024.

Market Basket executives also claimed that Demoulas refused to work with the board on succession planning for when he was ready to step down from his position and would only consider passing the responsibility to his two children.

The former CEO said in court that he had not provided financial reports to the board because he had not been asked to prior to an August 2024 meeting, according to the Boston Globe. Demoulas has also previously said he was willing to discuss alternatives to T.A. or Madeline Demoulas to succeed him, though he maintained in court this week that they would be the best candidates for the job.

During the same August 2024 meeting, the board presented Demoulas with several directives, including regularly providing financial updates, engaging in succession planning and not doing anything to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 2014 walkouts. A week later, Demoulas authorized a distribution of $15 million in bonuses to employees in honor of the anniversary.

Board Chair Jay Hachigian said in court that in April, he heard from Michael Kettenbach Jr., Demoulas nephew and a manager with the company, that two executives loyal to Demoulas were pressuring employees to side with him, according to the Boston Globe.

The company hired an outside firm to investigate, around the same time that Demoulas was suspended in May.

When he was asked why the board also suspended Demoulas children even though there was no evidence they were involved, Hachigian said he was thinking about protecting the jobs of 30,000 people, the Globe reported.

I had to weigh the alternatives ... A boycott would have been disastrous for this company, he said.

Demoulas himself took the stand Wednesday and Thursday, and told the court that in the years since the 2014 buyout, his relationship with his three sisters had deteriorated, in part because of disagreements over who should sit on the board of directors, the Globe reported.

He also claimed that his sisters, who together hold about 60% of shares in Market Basket, were trying to push him out due to separate disagreements about a family trust to benefit all of their children.

Two of the sisters, Caren and Glorianne, said in deposition testimony played in court that they had no intention of selling the company, according to the Globe. Any sale would need sign-off from Arthur Demoulas, who is the single largest shareholder in the company.
The Houston Rockets are in substantive talks with the WNBAs Connecticut Sun regarding potential purchase and relocation, ESPNs Ramona Shelburne and Alexa Philippou reported on Friday morning.

A formal offer has been discussed, but nothing has been signed and there has not been a decision on the future of the franchise.

The WNBA recently announced plans to expand to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia by 2030, and will add teams in Toronto and Portland next year. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has made it clear she wants to see a team in Houston, and noted the city is up next when it comes to the timeline for evaluating bids.

Houston was once home to the WNBAs Comets from 1997 until 2008 when the team was disbanded. Connecticut has been home to the Sun since 2003, while Boston has never had a WNBA team.

Connecticut has been home to the Sun since 2003 when the Mohegan tribe bought and relocated the team from Orlando.

The sale of the Sun has been a topic for months. In August, Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca confirmed his offer to buy the Sun and relocate them to Boston from Connecticut. Pagliuca would also pay an extra $100 million to move the team and put together new training facilities.

However, former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry has matched Pagliucas $325 million offer and is willing to keep the Sun in Connecticut, but move them from Uncasville to Hartford, according to CT Insider.

The WNBA essentially blocked Pagliucas deal from progressing because the WNBA Board of Governors decides on where a team relocates, not the individual teams.

Houston, though, was always the WNBAs preferred landing spot.

ESPN reported that a resolution on the Suns future is hopeful to be determined before free agency begins. But its unclear when that will begin due to the the players union and the league in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.
After opening a 7 Brew store in Arkansas in 2017, the drive-thru drink chain has boomed, surpassing 500 stands all across the United States.

The chain offers more than 20,000 unique drink combinations including the original Blondie, a caramel and vanilla breve, to 7 Energy, smoothies, shakes and more.

With the first location in Massachusetts opening in West Springfield in November, MassLive decided to visit the new location, trying some of its holiday menu.

See the review below.

With hundreds of flavor combinations already available at 7 brew, the chain takes its flavors and makes delicious holiday concoctions. Some of these include the Holiday Punch 7 Energy, with pomegranate and blackberry, Candy Cane Mocha with white chocolate and peppermint, and the Brew Frost 7 Fizz Soda, which has blue raspberry, coconut and vanilla.

The holiday menu is set to end at the end of 2025, so if youre looking to try one for yourself, make a visit to the West Springfield location by Dec. 31.

The 7 Brew location stands at 927 Riverdale Street in West Springfield. It is open from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
In a highly anticipated address from the White House earlier this week, President Donald Trump unveiled a one-time $1,776 payment coming to about 1.45 million Americans before Christmas.

In honor of our nations founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776, Trump said during the Dec. 17 announcement.

... The checks are already on their way.

The bonus, dubbed the Warrior Dividend is being disbursed to all active-duty and eligible reserve U.S. military service members.

According to a statement issued by the U.S Army, the bonus serves to both thank service members and to commemorate the 250 years the U.S. military has been defending the nation.

Who qualifies for the Warrior Dividend  and who doesnt

The dividend applies to 1.28 million active-duty service members, from junior enlisted to senior field-grade officers, who were in qualifying service status as of Nov. 30.

This includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force.

It also includes 174,000 Reservists and National Guard members who were on active-duty orders for at least 31 consecutive days as of Nov. 30.

The payments exclude general and flag officers in pay grades above O-6. It also does not include veterans, retirees, civilian Defense Department employees or most National Guard members not on qualifying orders.

Trump credits tariffs as the primary source funding the payments.

We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs, he said on Wednesday. The bill (OBBBA) helped us a lot  nobody deserves it more than our military."

CNN reports that the payments will pan out to cost about $2.6 billion.

Despite Trumps claims, AP News reports the fundings is actually be reallocated from a congressionally-approved housing supplement that was signed into law in July.

A senior administration official told AP that the Pentagon is funding these payments using a $2.9 billion military housing supplement from Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act, formerly approved to increase existing housing allowances.
A Boston man accused of hitting two people with his car in October  killing one  then fleeing the scene has been arrested more than two months after the fatal crash.

Jose Peguero, 36, of Boston was arrested on Thursday in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a 77-year-old woman and injured a 39-year-old, according to the Boston Police Department.

The crash happened at around 9:38 p.m. on Oct. 5, in the area of 101 South Huntington Ave. Peguero did not stop after striking the two pedestrians, police said.

Video of the incident showed Pegueros car, a Chevrolet Trailblazer, driving out of designated travel lanes and into the opposite lanes of traffic, police said. He then hit both people in a marked crosswalk before briefly stopping, then fleeing the scene, police said.

Peguero will be arraigned in West Roxbury District Court at a later date. He faces charges of reckless motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of a fatal crash, reckless operation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and marked lanes and crosswalk violations.
More than five days after two Brown University students were killed and nine others were injured in a mass shooting on the Providence, Rhode Island, campus, police found the suspected shooter dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Federal officials soon confirmed that the person suspected of opening fire at Brown  48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente  was the same person suspected of shooting and killing 47-year-old MIT physics professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro at his Brookline apartment complex on Dec. 15.

Redacted court documents filed Thursday in Rhode Island paint a clear picture of how the police investigation into the shooting at Brown progressed over the last few days, as well as how investigators finally identified Neves Valente as a suspect.

Prior to the discovery of Neves Valentes body, Providence police were set to charge him with 25 counts, including two charges of first-degree murder, according to court documents.

The day of the mass shooting

Providence police responded to Brown Universitys Barus and Holley building on Hope Street at 4:06 p.m. on Dec. 13, Detective Ryan Fedo wrote in a Thursday court filing. The building is home to the universitys engineering and physics programs.

Police and firefighters found the victims in an auditorium in which an economics class final exam review had been finishing up, Fedo wrote. The two students who died  sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov  were declared dead at the scene.

Students interviewed by police said theyd heard gunfire coming from the back of the auditorium, and that the shooter then walked to the front while firing, Fedo wrote. Some students hid themselves under the teachers desk until police arrived.

Witnesses described the suspect as a man with a medium build who wore a face mask, Fedo wrote. Police found 44 spent shell casings at the scene.

The initial evidence

Investigators recovered two different full DNA profiles from evidence collected at the scene, but neither matched any existing profiles from the FBIs database, Fedo wrote. Security video from the area showed a suspicious person circling Brown University as early as 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 13.

Footage also showed the same person interacting with a man police refer to in the court filing as John at 2:16 p.m. that day, according to Fedos account. Investigators used the security videos to identify the suspects unique gait and determine that he was between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 inches tall.

Multiple students who were shot confirmed that the suspicious person from the security footage was the shooter, Fedo wrote. Images from the security videos were later released to the media in the hopes that the public would provide police with the suspects identity.

A Brown University custodian told police in an interview that hed seen a man wearing the same clothing and face mask as the person in the security footage come into the Barus and Holley building multiple times in the last month, Fedo wrote. The custodians account was soon corroborated by security video from the building.

A photo of Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, provided by Leah Foley, the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Authorities say Neves-Valente is the person who shot at Brown University students Dec. 13, killing two and injuring nine others and who also, two days later, killed an MIT professor in Brookline who he knew. As of Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, investigators did not yet know his motives. Courtesy of U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office

A break in the case

On Dec. 16, police received a tip referencing a comment from the Providence sub-Reddit in which the commenter claimed to have interacted with the suspicious person from the security footage on the day of the shooting, Fedo wrote. The description of the interaction matched that of the suspect and John.

The comment advised investigators to search for a gray Nissan with Florida license plates that might be a rental vehicle, Fedo wrote. They soon found a gray Nissan Sentra in security video from the scene.

Providence police interviewed John on Dec. 17, and he provided a detailed description of the suspect and the Nissan, as well as multiple interactions he had with him on the day of the shooting, Fedo wrote. At one point, the suspect ran away from John, then accused him of harassing him, and John noted that the suspect may have a hispanic accent.

A Brown University faculty member independently told Rhode Island State Police on Dec. 17 that shed noticed a gray Nissan with Florida plates driving slowly around the neighborhood on Dec. 11, Fedo wrote. Security video from the area revealed that the same car had been in the area 14 different times in recent weeks, beginning on Dec. 1.

Police soon discovered that the gray Nissan was a rental from an Alamo Rent-A-Car in downtown Boston, Fedo wrote. It had last been rented by Neves Valente on Dec. 1. Video footage from the Alamo Rent-A-Car showed him wearing clothing matching that of the suspect from the Brown shooting.

Neves Valentes connection to Loureiro

Brown Universitys records indicated that Neves Valente had been a doctoral student studying physics from the fall semester of 2000 to the spring semester of 2001, Fedo wrote. He took a leave of absence the following semester before dropping out in the fall of 2003.

Neves Valente became a legal permanent resident of the U.S. in 2017, Fedo wrote. His last known address was located in Miami, Florida.

During a press conference Thursday night, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she believed Neves Valente and MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro knew each other. Both men were from Portugal, and Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez Jr. said at a different conference earlier that night that theyd previously studied at the same university in Lisbon.

But as of Thursday night, there was no clear motive in the mass shooting at Brown University or in Loureiros killing, Foley said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

This week marks a historic and defining moment for medical education in Masvingo province following the approval of Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) to offer a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree.The Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe (MDPCZ), working in liaison with the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE), has officially granted accreditation for the programme to be housed at the Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences. The approval clears the way for Masvingo to train its first cohort of medical doctors.For the province, the development represents far more than an administrative milestone. It is the fulfilment of a long-held aspiration to establish a fully fledged medical school outside the country's major urban centres. An MDPCZ inspection team confirmed that the institution met the minimum regulatory and training standards required for medical education.The impact of the approval is expected to extend well beyond the university campus. The establishment of a medical school at GZU will significantly strengthen healthcare delivery in the province, with medical specialists set to be seconded to Masvingo Provincial Hospital to support both teaching and clinical services. Patients, the local community and the national health system are all expected to benefit.The journey towards this milestone began in October 2022 when President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned the Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences, pledging that nothing would stand in the way of its operationalisation. Since then, steady progress has been made to turn that commitment into reality.With the inclusion of GZU, Zimbabwe now has four medical schools, reinforcing the country's reputation for producing highly skilled doctors. However, this success has also contributed to sustained brain drain, with developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States actively recruiting Zimbabwean medical professionals.In the long term, experts argue that decentralising medical education by establishing medical schools in every province could increase training capacity and help stabilise the national health system.As part of preparations for clinical training, Masvingo Provincial Hospital has undergone extensive renovations to meet teaching hospital standards. The transformation was achieved through close collaboration between the university and the ministries of Health, Local Government, and Higher and Tertiary Education. The Ministry of Finance has further underlined government support by allocating funds in the 2026 National Budget to upgrade the hospital into a fully fledged university teaching hospital.Despite the progress, challenges remain. Staff retention is widely viewed as the biggest threat to the sustainability of the new medical school. Medical education is both costly and demanding, and without competitive incentives, the risk of losing qualified lecturers and specialists remains high.Calls have been made for urgent intervention through improved remuneration aligned with regional benchmarks, as well as non-monetary incentives such as housing schemes and access to residential stands to curb brain drain and improve staff morale.The Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences also has ambitious expansion plans, including the introduction of programmes in nursing, pharmacy, environmental management and public health. If realised, these programmes could further strengthen Zimbabwe's healthcare delivery system.Masvingo's achievement has been widely hailed as a testament to what sustained commitment and collaboration can deliver. For Great Zimbabwe University, the approval is a landmark victory  and one that many believe is worth celebrating.
UPDATE: We got him: Police ID dead suspect in Brown University, MIT professor shootings

A suspect in the deadly Brown University mass shooting on Saturday night and the killing of an MIT professor days later in Brookline was found dead on Thursday night, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office confirmed.

The person was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, according to WCVB and The New York Times.

The U.S. Attorneys office in Massachusetts, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed that the person suspected of opening fire at Brown is the same person suspected in the killing of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at his apartment complex in Brookline Monday night. Officials previously denied that the two incidents were related.

Earlier in the night, multiple news outlets reported that Providence police were searching for a suspect in the deadly Brown University mass shooting from Dec. 13 in Southern New Hampshire.

Around 8 p.m. Thursday, Methuen police shared a community alert stating that local, state and federal law enforcement were working to locate a suspect in a recent death near the citys border with Salem, New Hampshire, but that there was no imminent risk to the city residents.

Earlier in the day, several local and national news stations and newspapers reported that law enforcement sources had informed them that the person of interest in the Brown University shooting that investigators have released numerous photos and videos of over the last few days had been identified.

Around 5 p.m., multiple local news stations reported that an arrest warrant had been issued in connection with the Dec. 13 shooting in Rhode Island.

On Thursday, many news outlets also reported police sources telling them that, in the last day, law enforcement began investigating a connection between the shooting at Brown and Loureiros killing.

The evidence in the two cases that led investigators to link them was that a vehicle of the same make and model was spotted at both crime scenes, CNN reported. The vehicles had different license plates.

A vehicle of the same make and model was reportedly recovered by police in Salem, New Hampshire, Thursday night, CNN reported. Police were reportedly drawn to the town after a license plate reader registered one of the sets of plates associated with the cases.

Providence police officials declined to confirm whether the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting had been identified Thursday afternoon.

FBI Boston and Norfolk County District Attorney officials declined to comment on whether police were investigating a link between the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of MIT physics professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro earlier on Thursday.

Gunfire erupted on the first floor of Browns Barus and Holley engineering and physics building around 4 p.m. on Dec. 13 during an economics class. The shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the injured students remained in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, officials said. Five more were in stable condition at the hospital, and three had been discharged.

Loureiro, 47, was shot in the apartment complex he lived in on Gibbs Street in Brookline on Monday night, the Norfolk County District Attorneys office said previously. Brookline police responded to a report of gunshots at the building around 8:30 p.m. and found the professor with gunshot wounds.

First responders took Loureiro to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, the district attorneys office said. He was declared dead at the hospital Tuesday morning.

Loureiro was a professor of nuclear science and engineering and the director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, according to the universitys website.
According to investigators, a Reddit user was responsible for a key break in the case that allowed police to locate Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the man accused of killing two Brown University students in a mass shooting and then killing an MIT professor in Boston.

Now the tipster could be in line to claim a significant reward.

Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Neves Valente entered the Barus and Holley building on the Brown campus and opened fire, killing two students and injuring nine more. He then fled the scene. But earlier in the day, he had an encounter on campus with a man who later posted about it on Reddit and eventually recounted the incident to police, breaking open the case.

Providence police chief Oscar Perez credited the witness for understanding that he had important information.

There was a person that was pretty attentive about his surroundings, Perez said at a Thursday press conference after Neves Valente was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire. There was a person that was very cooperative and helpful to this investigation. And Ill tell you that he was a great individual that actually assisted us in getting us to this point where were at.

On Monday, a user posted on a Reddit thread in the r/Providence subreddit, detailing an encounter with a man on the Brown campus in the hours before the shooting.

In a thread about new images of the person of interest, the user posted:

Im being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving. It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke St side. I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it and then something prompted him to back away. When he backed away he relocked the car. I found that odd so when he circled the block I approached the car and that is when I saw the Florida plates. He was parked in the section between the gate of the RIHS and the corner of Cooke and George St.

Another user responded to that post on Tuesday, saying they were going to call it in to the tip line.

Investigators said they received that tip on Tuesday, found the Reddit post and sought to corroborate the account. Video footage matched the posts version of events, including footage of the witness confronting the suspect.

We received the tip about that post and immediately acted on it, Perez said. We had a tip center upstairs that was staffed by detectives and agents. They were going through hundreds of tips that were coming in. Hundreds. We were vetting them through, ruling them out.

Because Reddit is an anonymous site, police had to find the poster. On Wednesday, investigators put out images of the witness in an attempt to bring him forward, and he responded within an hour, according to Rhode Island attorney general Peter Neronha.

The witness, referred to in an affidavit only as John, agreed to an interview with police on Wednesday and gave a detailed rundown of his encounter with the suspect.

According to the affidavit, John told police he first encountered the suspect inside a bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus and Holley building around 1:45-2 p.m. on the day of the shooting. He noticed the suspects jacket and gloves, which he described as flimsy and inadequate for the weather. The suspect wore a facemask over the lower part of his face, but the two made eye contact.

John saw the suspect leave the building and walk up Manning Street. Believing the man to be suspicious, John followed him to a gray Nissan parked near the Rhode Island Historical Society on the corner of Benevolent Street and Cooke Street. Sensing Johns presence, the suspect suddenly turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

John approached the car and noted the Florida plates and hung around the car, observing the suspect as he returned to the area. The suspect changed direction and John followed, with the suspect changing directions every time he encountered John. John described it to police as a game of cat and mouse.

John caught up to him on George Street and asked him, Your car is back there, why are you circling back?

The suspect responded, I dont know you from nobody. He then repeatedly asked Why are you harassing me?

At that point, John left the area. When he recognized the man from photos released by the FBI, he posted on the Reddit thread, where the tip eventually made its way to police.

Because of Johns statement, police were able to confirm the person of interest was driving a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, which led them to the Boston car rental agency that revealed Neves Valentes name and financial documents. Using that information, investigators tracked Neves Valente to a storage unit in Salem, N.H., where he was discovered Thursday night dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He blew this case right open. He blew it open, Neronha said. That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence.

Police had previously seen footage of the suspects encounter with John, but did not know John was also the Reddit poster until he came forward.

We knew about what was on Reddit, but we didnt know who that person was, Neronha said. Thats why we identified another person. We didnt know when that person came forward that he was the Reddit poster. He then told us he was.

Neronha watched Johns interview with police and said that had Neves Valente not killed himself, Johns testimony would have held up in court.

It would not only have been credible, it would have been persuasive, Neronha said.

Reddit is an online social media site founded in 2005 with more than 100 million active users. The r/Providence subreddit has more than 74,000 users, and the thread featuring Johns post had more than 800 comments.

Neronha credited the Reddit user for coming forward as soon as he knew authorities wanted to speak with him, especially because Neves Valente had not yet been apprehended at that point.

He was as outstanding a witness as Ive seen, Neronha said. And he deserves a lot of credit. You know, recognizing theres a gunman on the loose that the gunman knows he had this interaction with him, and he didnt  once he knew that we were looking for his help, I mean, he came forward within an hour. And that person deserves a tremendous amount of credit.

On Monday, the FBI announced it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for the Brown shooting.

It is unclear whether John will receive any of that reward money for making the Reddit post that led police to solve the case, but Neronha is advocating for him.

I dont know whether hes going to get the reward or not, but if I had a vote, he would, Neronha said.
By Joanna Slater, Catarina Fernandes Martins, Jeremy Roebuck and David Ovalle

The two young men were peers, brilliant aspiring scientists working toward a degree at Portugals most prestigious engineering school, a white building at the top of a grassy plaza in Lisbon.

A quarter-century later, both were in the United States, but their paths had diverged radically.

Nuno Loureiro was a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a beloved mentor who researched the behavior of plasmas. Claudio Manuel Neves Valente was living in Miami, his scientific career long discarded.

On Dec. 15, Valente hunted down Loureiro, shooting and killing him at his home near Boston, authorities said.

For Valente, it was the second act in a deadly rampage that began at Brown University 48 hours earlier when he burst into a lecture hall and opened fire, authorities said, killing two undergraduates in an economics session.

A photo of Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, provided by Leah Foley, the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Authorities say Neves-Valente is the person who shot at Brown University students Dec. 13, killing two and injuring nine others and who also, two days later, killed an MIT professor in Brookline who he knew. As of Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, investigators did not yet know his motives. Courtesy of U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office

Investigators have not yet revealed a motive for the attacks. But both have links to Valentes long-ago days as a student, first at the Instituto Superior Tecnico and then at Brown.

At Brown, Valente targeted a building at the heart of the universitys physics program. Its a place where he would have taken classes during his brief time enrolled as a graduate student there in 2000 and 2001, Brown President Christina Paxson told reporters Thursday.

In Loureiros case, authorities believe the two men knew each other. In 1995, both were enrolled in the physical and technological engineering program at Tecnico, as the school is known in Portugal, and graduated in 2000. Valente left with near-perfect grades, either near or at the top of his class, the university said.

This undated photo provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in December 2025 shows Nuno Loureiro. (Jake Belcher/MIT via AP) AP

Nuno Morais, 48, a fellow Tecnico student at the time, said he knew both men. Valente was one of the best students in the class, he said, highly competitive and driven to succeed but also willing to collaborate with his peers. Valente showed no signs of having mental health struggles back when they were students, Morais said.

Loureiro was also an excellent classmate, Morais said, but more relaxed than Valente. He described both as friendly.

Loureiros murder has shocked the scientific and engineering community in Portugal. In some elite schools, theres a culture where individual success is measured by academic performance, and in that sense, students usually feel they can only succeed if they are the best of the best, Morais said.

Valente aspired to have an academic career comparable to Loureiros, Morais said. But Valente told Morais his time at Brown was a great disappointment to him, especially after he was one of the top students in his field in Portugal.

Tragedies like this should make us think carefully about the mental health toll of a hypercompetitive culture, Morais said.

From Lisbon, Loureiro and Valente took different paths. Loureiro, 47, went on to build a stellar career as a theoretical physicist and fusion scientist. He did postdoctoral research at Princeton University and worked at the United Kingdoms national fusion lab. In 2016, he joined the faculty at MIT, partly because he wanted to teach and work with students.

Valente, 48, started graduate studies in physics at Brown in the fall of 2000. But in the spring of the following year, he took a leave of absence. Valente formally withdrew in July 2003 without receiving a degree, Paxson said Thursday, and since then had no affiliation with the university.

Many of his physics classes would have been at Barus and Holley, the building where the shooting unfolded, according to Paxson. Valente likely spent a great deal of time there while he was a student.

A graduate student webpage for Valente from that era appears to reflect an ambivalent relationship to the program. !?!HAPPY NOW!?! is written at the top of the page, which he apparently filled out due to overwhelming popular demand. Lower down, the page shows that Valente is back home and has permanently dropped out of the doctoral program.

It closes with a cryptic remark in Portuguese: And the moral of the story is, the best liar is the one who can deceive himself. These people exist everywhere, but sometimes they proliferate in the most unexpected places.

After leaving Brown, Valente returned to Lisbon, said Morais, his former classmate who is now a researcher at the Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine in Portugal. Valente abandoned his academic pursuits and worked as a programmer for a Portuguese internet company, Morais said. He didnt know why Valente returned to the U.S., where Valente became a legal permanent resident in 2017.

While Loureiro remained in touch with friends from the Tecnico days, Valente distanced himself from his former colleagues, Morais said. As far as Morais knows, the two men werent in regular contact.

Investigators are racing to piece together Valentes life in the United States. Early Friday, residents of the middle-class neighborhood in Miami-Dade County where Valente listed his address said they did not know him, or had only seen him fleetingly.

A neighbor across the street, Jay Torres, after being shown Valentes photo, said he saw the same man standing outside about a month ago. Valente was in front of the house where he lived, a low-slung yellow bungalow with a circular driveway. He was otherwise unremarkable, Torres said.

By November, Valente was laying the groundwork for the attacks, according to authorities and court documents. Late last month, he rented a hotel room in Boston and later the storage facility in New Hampshire where he would eventually be found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as well as the Nissan Sentra he drove to Providence, Rhode Island.

In the weeks before the Brown attack, surveillance footage repeatedly captured Valente on the streets around the campus and in the building where, authorities said, he opened fire on Dec. 13.

A Brown University custodian would later tell authorities he saw Valente in a bathroom of the Barus and Holley building, the site of the attack, as early as Nov. 28.

Authorities tracking Valentes movements the day of the shooting say he was caught on surveillance footage on the residential streets surrounding the campus as early as 10:30 that morning. Six hours later, he walked into the Barus and Holley buildings auditorium and opened fire, they said.

Students who survived the attack at Brown described Valente bursting into the auditorium carrying a gun with a green laser sight. He walked down the aisles and shot indiscriminately toward terrified students, according to the arrest affidavit prepared by Rhode Island authorities.

When investigators later showed surveillance photos of the man to hospitalized survivors in hopes they could identify the shooter, one quickly froze, pushed back and began tearing up and shaking, according to the affidavit.

Two days later, Valente was 45 miles to the north in Brookline, a tranquil and prosperous enclave next to Boston, authorities said. He shot Loureiro, his former classmate, repeatedly, before fleeing, authorities said.

From there, authorities say, Valente drove to a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, where he later killed himself. Law enforcement personnel found his body on Thursday.
Following a manhunt that spread across several New England states, police tracked Claudio Neves Valente, the man believed to be responsible for a shooting on the Brown University campus that left two students dead, as well as the killing of an MIT professor in Boston, to a storage unit in Salem, N.H., where he was found dead on Thursday night.

At a press conference in Providence, investigators detailed how they were able to pursue Neves Valente, 48, to the seemingly remote storage location.

The investigation was cracked, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, when a witness came forward to detail an altercation he had with the suspect on the day of the Brown shooting. From that persons description, police were able to confirm the shooters car, a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, which they then tracked to a rental car agency in Boston.

Neves Valente had used his real name and financial information to rent the car on Dec. 1, allowing investigators to begin tracking his financial movements.

A photo of Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, provided by Leah Foley, the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Authorities say Neves-Valente is the person who shot at Brown University students Dec. 13, killing two and injuring nine others and who also, two days later, killed an MIT professor in Brookline who he knew. As of Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, investigators did not yet know his motives. Courtesy of U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office

Through those records, investigators discovered Neves Valente had rented the storage unit in Salem in November.

Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, investigators believe Neves Valente entered the Barus and Hall building on the Brown campus and opened fire. He fled the scene after shooting 11 people, two of whom died.

Read more: Trump orders immediate halt to green card lottery used by Brown University shooter

Following the shooting at Brown, investigators believe Neves Valente returned to Boston, and on Dec. 15, he shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Lureiro, killing Lureiro in the foyer of his Brookline apartment.

Flowers are left on a bench outside the Barus and Holley building on the campus of Brown University. Mike Grimala

According to U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley, immediately after killing Lureiro, Neves Valente drove to the storage facility in Salem.

Foley said security footage captured Neves Valente within a half mile of Lureiros apartment building at the time Lureiro was killed. They were able to match that video with footage that placed Neves Valente in the storage facility.

About an hour later, he is seen entering the storage unit wearing the same clothes that he had been seen wearing right after the [Lureiro] murder, Foley said.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the FBI and other agencies were able to verify the financial documents that revealed the storage unit.

It was multiple agencies that verified financial records that brought us to that site, to know that he had actually rented a site at the storage facility, Perez said. And then we ended up in Salem.

A heavy police presence descended upon the storage facility Thursday night, where they found Neves Valente dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.

Perez said police did not know how long Neves Valente had been in the storage unit. Foley said Neves Valente was found with a satchel, but nothing else was immediately recovered.

There was nothing else found in there that I am aware of, Foley said. They still in the process of searching that facility.

Neronha said investigators were able to uncover visual evidence that confirmed Neves Valente had previously been inside the Salem storage facility, allowing them to focus the search to that location.

He didnt just drive to some random storage area, Neronha said. We found records with the help of the FBI and others that that was his storage area.

A bouquet of flowers rests on snow, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, on the campus of Brown University not far from where a shooting took place, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) AP

No motive has been announced. And no reason has been given for Neves Valente choosing the Salem storage location.

Perez said investigators followed the evidence, which brought them to Salem.

All we knew is that we were on a manhunt, and thats where he led us to, Perez said.
Brown University President Christina Paxson outlined how a man believed to have killed two students and injured nine others in an engineering and physics building on campus Saturday was related to the Rhode Island institution.

Providence (Rhode Island) Police Chief Oscar Perez Jr. identified the suspect as 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente during a press conference Thursday night. He confirmed that Neves-Valente had taken his own life, and that he was the person of interest shown in numerous photos from police over the past week. Perez noted that Neves-Valentes last known address was in Miami, Florida.

Paxson said Brown University was able to confirm that Neves Valente attended Brown from the fall semester in 2000 through the spring semester in 2001 as a graduate student pursing a masters of science PhD program in physics.

She said he first started class in Sept. 1, 2000, took a leave in April 2001 and withdrew from the school July 31, 2003.

Neves Valente only took physics classes, Paxson said, and would have been very familiar with the building he is suspected to have entered and shot at students Saturday, Dec. 13.

He has no current affiliation with the university or campus presence, Paxson said.

Providences police chief, when later asked at the press conference what would have brought Neves Valente back to the campus more than 20 years after he left, said that is still under investigation.

Its believed Neves Valente also shot and killed MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, who was found shot dead in his apartment complex in Brookline Monday night. Loureiro was also a Portuguese national, authorities said.

The Brown mass shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the injured students remained in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, officials said. Five more were in stable condition at the hospital, and three had been discharged.
Within hours of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente being identified on Thursday night as the man believed to be behind the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT physics professor in Boston, his immigration status became a national issue.

Neves Valente initially entered the United States on a student visa in 2000 to study physics at Brown in Providence, Rhode Island, according to officials at a press conference held Thursday night after Neves Valente was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire. In 2017, he was issued a diversity immigrant visa via the green card lottery system, and months later obtained permanent residence status.

On Saturday, Neves Valente entered a building on the Brown campus and opened fire in a lecture hall, killing two students and injuring nine more, according to a Providence Police Department affidavit. Two days later, he killed an MIT professor at his apartment building in Brookline.

When police tracked Neves Valente to a storage unit in New Hampshire on Thursday night, they found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

Later that night, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on Twitter that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, she was suspending the green card lottery system that had allowed Neves Valente to remain in the country.

I am immediately directing [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program, Noem wrote.

Under the current rules, the U.S. allows up to 55,000 immigrants to enter the country each year via the diversity lottery program, according to the governments official website.

On Friday, immigration attorney Charles Kuck, an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, who represented immigration groups in 2018 when Trump first tried to enact a ban on Muslims entering the country, said the administrations latest sweeping proclamation has little chance of holding up in court.

They cant not process the cases, Kuck said. We know that, they know that, federal courts have said that. They have to process lottery cases.

The problem, Kuck said, is that Trumps approach is to make a broad announcement while providing few details.

Is the president going to issue a proclamation under 212(f), which would bar entry of anybody under this? Kuck said. Then thats a different story, and we probably have to litigate that all the way to the Supreme Court because of Trump v. Hawaii, and the Muslim ban.

The green card lottery was created by congress in 1990 to diversify the pool of immigrants coming to the United States, according to the USCIS website. In the 35 years since it was enacted, more than 1 million people have immigrated to the U.S. under the lottery system.

To be eligible, potential immigrants must have the equivalent of a high-school diploma from their country and then pass a background check, according to Kuck.

Neves Valente had attended the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal, with Nuno Loureiro, the MIT professor he is accused of killing on Monday, officials said.

In her social media statement, Noem said, This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.

Kuck believes the administration is blaming the program for the actions of one person, who was a qualified applicant at the time.

This administration will never let a crisis go to waste, Kuck said. So a guy who came under the lottery eight years ago commits a heinous crime, so lets end the program? That might be a step too far for any judge in America.

Kuck said Trump could try to enforce the suspension of the green card lottery under the same authority granted to him by the Supreme Court in the Trump v. Hawaii decision in 2018.

Kuck doesnt think it will work.

He clearly does not have the authority or power to not process cases, Kuck said. The Supreme Court case gave the president, with the Muslim ban, a lot of authority under that. But its not unlimited. There has to be a valid underlying reason that makes at least some sense of some kind. The fact that one person might commit a crime eight years later, Im not sure that passes the test.

Kuck said the administration had processed few diversity lottery cases for the current year, and that no winners had been announced yet for 2026.

Its clear the administration has been trying to find a way to not let anybody enter through this program, and this guy gave them an excuse, Kuck said.
A 43-year-old man from New Jersey was indicted Wednesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 63-year-old man from Fitchburg, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.s office.

A Worcester County grand jury handed up indictments for manslaughter, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling and carrying a firearm without a license against Jonathan Reyes of Clifton, New Jersey, a Thursday press release from the District Attorneys office reads.

On Sunday, Aug. 3, at 12:15 a.m., Fitchburg Police responded to the area of Mechanic Street in Fitchburg for reports of a person being shot. Upon arrival, officers found Luis Mejia of Fitchburg suffering from a gunshot wound outside of a vehicle. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the press release.

Reyes was arraigned in Fitchburg District Court in August. The indictments moves the case to Worcester County Superior Court, where he is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 8, the press release reads.
The man suspected of killing two students at Brown University, then days later, gunning down an MIT professor in Brookline, attended the same academic program as the professor decades ago, prosecutors said.

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, was identified on Thursday as the shooter in both cases. Investigators linked Neves Valente to both shootings by the car he was driving, which was seen on surveillance at Brown in Rhode Island and near the professors apartment.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she believed Neves Valente and MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, knew each other. Both men were from Portugal and attended a program there together between 1995 and 2000.

But there was no clear motive for either the killings at Brown or the killing of Loureiro, Foley said.

He was very careful in his communications, and we just dont have any information right now to answer that question [of motive], she said.

At a press conference late Thursday night, Foley also provided a timeline of his movements across the region, dating back to November.

Neves Valente is seen at a car-rental agency on Nov. 17, 2025, picking up a vehicle. He then rented a hotel room in Boston from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.

On Dec. 1, Neves Valente went back to the Alamo Rent a Car on Atlantic Avenue in Boston, where he rented a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates that he drove to Brown.

Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente at Alamo rental on Dec. 1. Providence Police Department affidavit

Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 12, the car was seen in and around Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

On Saturday, Dec. 13, Neves Valente opened fire in a building on the Ivy League schools campus while students were in a study session, Foley said. The shooting killed two students  Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov  and left nine injured.

At some point while in Massachusetts, Neves Valente swapped the plates on the car  from the Florida plates seen at Brown to an unregistered plate out of Maine, according to Foley.

Neves Valente killed Loureiro on Dec. 15 in the foyer of Loureiros Brookline apartment building. Immediately after the murder, Neves Valente drove to a Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit that he rented in November.

This undated photo provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in December 2025 shows Nuno Loureiro. (Jake Belcher/MIT via AP) AP

On Thursday, Neves Valente was found dead in an adjacent storage unit with a satchel that matched one he was seen wearing at the time of the shooting at Brown.

The manhunt for Neves Valente stretched across six days. It lasted so long, in part, because Neves Valente was sophisticated in hiding his tracks, Foley said.

Neves Valente was using a phone that made it difficult for investigators to track him, she said. At the time, he was using a Google phone that investigators couldnt ping in real time and possibly European SIM cards through a U.S. provider that also couldnt be traced. He also had several credit cards not in his name.

There was financial investigations that were going on in the background that linked him, not only to that car, but also to the hotels that he had rented and ... the car that he had used to not only drive to Rhode Island, but then back to Boston, Foley said.

Neves Valentes last known address was in Miami, Florida. He is a former student at Brown University, who attended the university from 2000 to 2001, Brown University President Christina Paxson said at a separate press conference in Rhode Island.

Neves Valente was in the United States on an F-1 visa, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. In 2017, he applied for and got lawful resident status, Neronha said.

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts filed a criminal complaint under seal on Thursday, charging Neves Valente with transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony with the firearm.

In it, they revealed that a review of ballistics showed that Neves Valente used different guns to carry out the shootings. Officials in Rhode Island said he was found in the storage unit with two guns.

Prosecutors believe Neves Valente had the weapon he used to kill Loureiro with him when he travelled to Brown.
Providence police identified the suspect in the deadly Brown University mass shooting and the killing of an MIT professor in Brookline Thursday night after he was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez Jr. identified the suspect as 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente during a press conference. He confirmed that Neves-Valente had taken his own life, and that he was the person of interest shown in numerous photos from police over the past week.

We got him, FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said during the press conference.

MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, who was found shot dead in his apartment complex Monday night, was also a Portuguese national. Officials declined to speak to a motive in the shootings Thursday night, but noted that Valente-Neves was a physics student at Brown University and that he and Loureiro had previously studied at the same university in Lisbon.

Court documents charging Neves Valente included 25 charges including two counts of first-degree murder.

Providence police released an "enhanced" video of the person of interest law enforcement was trying to identity in connection with the deadly Brown University mass shooting from Saturday. He was found dead in a storage facility in New Hampshire Thursday night. Providence Police Department

Speaking to a person who was seen near Neves Valente on the day of the Brown University shooting cracked the case open, officials said Thursday night. Providence police shared photos of the person in the hopes of identifying them Wednesday afternoon.

Gunfire erupted on the first floor of Browns Barus and Holley engineering and physics building around 4 p.m. on Dec. 13 during an economics class. The shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the injured students remained in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, officials said. Five more were in stable condition at the hospital, and three had been discharged.

Claudio Neves-Valente, the man believed to be responsible for a mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor days later, is seen at an Alamo Rent a Car in Boston on Nov. 17, 2025. Court documents

Earlier on Thursday, several local and national news stations and newspapers reported that law enforcement sources had informed them that police began investigating a connection between the shooting at Brown University and the Loureiros killing. Officials previously denied that the two incidents were related.

Loureiro was shot in the apartment complex he lived in on Gibbs Street in Brookline on Monday night, the Norfolk County District Attorneys office said previously. Brookline police responded to a report of gunshots at the building around 8:30 p.m. and found the professor with gunshot wounds.

First responders took Loureiro to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, the district attorneys office said. He was declared dead at the hospital Tuesday morning.

Loureiro was a professor of nuclear science and engineering and the director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, according to the universitys website.
UPDATE: We got him: Police ID dead suspect in Brown University, MIT professor shootings

Police from Providence, Rhode Island, could be seen at an active law enforcement scene in Salem, New Hampshire, Thursday night.

Earlier in the night, multiple local news stations reported that police were searching for a suspect in the deadly Brown University mass shooting from Dec. 13 in Southern New Hampshire. No outlets have reported the suspects name or the charges against them.

Around 8 p.m. Thursday, Methuen police shared a community alert stating that local, state and federal law enforcement were working to locate a suspect in a recent death near the citys border with Salem, New Hampshire, but that there was no imminent risk to the city residents.

Law enforcement officers were seen investigating a storage facility and a car in the Southern New Hampshire town Thursday night, according to local news reports.

Earlier in the day, several local and national news stations and newspapers reported that law enforcement sources had informed them that the person of interest in the Brown University shooting that investigators have released numerous photos and videos of over the last few days had been identified. Around 5 p.m., multiple local news stations reported that an arrest warrant had been issued in connection with the Dec. 13 shooting.

On Thursday, many news outlets also reported police sources telling them that, in the last day, law enforcement began investigating a connection between the shooting at Brown and the killing of an MIT professor at his home in Brookline Monday night. Officials previously denied that the two incidents were related.

The evidence in the two cases that led investigators to link them was that a vehicle of the same make and model was spotted at both crime scenes, CNN reported. The vehicles had different license plates.

A vehicle of the same make and model was reportedly recovered by police in Salem, New Hampshire, Thursday night, CNN reported. Police were reportedly drawn to the town after a license plate reader registered one of the sets of plates associated with the cases.

Providence police officials declined to confirm whether the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting had been identified Thursday afternoon.

FBI Boston and Norfolk County District Attorney officials declined to comment on whether police were investigating a link between the Brown University mass shooting and the killing of MIT physics professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro.

Gunfire erupted on the first floor of Browns Barus and Holley engineering and physics building around 4 p.m. on Dec. 13 during an economics class. The shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the injured students remained in critical but stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital, officials said. Five more were in stable condition at the hospital, and three had been discharged.

Loureiro, 47, was shot in the apartment complex he lived in on Gibbs Street in Brookline on Monday night, the Norfolk County District Attorneys office said previously. Brookline police responded to a report of gunshots at the building around 8:30 p.m. and found the professor with gunshot wounds.

First responders took Loureiro to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, the district attorneys office said. He was declared dead at the hospital Tuesday morning.

Loureiro was a professor of nuclear science and engineering and the director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, according to the universitys website.
HARARE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Zimbabwe on Thursday signed letters of exchange on the upgrading and maintenance of the China-aid irrigation schemes project, aiming to strengthen Zimbabwe's agricultural productivity and climate change resilience. The project will upgrade and renovate nine irrigation facilities in six provinces of Zimbabwe, according to the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe. Responding to a question from Xinhua following the signing ceremony, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the support from China will aid Zimbabwe's goal of increasing irrigated land and modernizing agriculture to boost productivity, particularly for rural farmers. "This support from China will contribute to Zimbabwe's objectives and vision to increase irrigation coverage right across the country. It is also the bedrock of rural industrialization, because once you have water and there is agricultural output," said Ncube. The irrigation project will also help climate-proof agriculture and ensure food security, as rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to climatic disturbances such as droughts and erratic rainfall, Ncube said. "This is a resource that will be used for upgrading various irrigation schemes, and this is critical for climate-proofing Zimbabwe's agriculture. We have said this is the way to do it, whether it rains or not, we want to make sure that we can produce enough food for Zimbabweans, and irrigation is the key," said Ncube. Addressing the signing ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding said the project marks another milestone in the close partnership between China and Zimbabwe. "It is designed to unlock greater productivity for smallholder farmers, catalyze agricultural modernization, and strengthen the nation's resilience to climate change," said Zhou, adding that China has been continuing to support Zimbabwe through various projects to improve local people's livelihoods.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zanu-PF has brushed aside the United States' partial travel restrictions on Zimbabwe, saying the ruling party is unfazed by President Donald Trump's move to tighten entry requirements for travel and immigration.Zimbabwe is among 12 African countries affected by the new US measures, which the African Union has criticised as a setback for the continent. The restrictions have reignited debate about Washington's posture towards Africa since Trump returned to the presidency in January.Speaking to journalists at Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare, party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe would not lose sleep over decisions taken by the US government regarding who enters its borders."Americans elect a government and out of the election of their government it governs them according to their sovereign wishes as Americans. What they decide to do about entry or exit to their country is their business," Mutsvangwa said.The proclamation has raised fresh questions about US-Africa relations, which critics say have taken on a more hardline tone under Trump's administration. For Zimbabwe, the move is seen by some observers as a potential reversal of the tentative thaw in relations with Washington after years of tension.Relations between the two countries have remained strained since the early 2000s, when Zimbabwe implemented its fast-tracked land reform programme, triggering sanctions and diplomatic fallout with the US and other Western nations.Mutsvangwa described the latest travel restrictions as retrogressive in the context of a globalised economy built on international trade and cooperation."What we would hope for is that a modern economy like America is tolerant of the globalised nature of the pace of human civilisation," he said. "The world is becoming a global village and free movement of people, as much as possible, encourages that interaction among people."He warned that restrictive immigration policies driven by fear or exclusion could undermine global progress."If countries become paranoid or xenophobic it is a retrogressive step. We do not, as Zimbabwe, prescribe what other countries should be doing with their immigration policy," Mutsvangwa added.
The Trump administration appealed a federal judges ruling that reinstated nearly $3 billion in research funding to Harvard University, according to a Thursday evening court filing.

The appeal comes months after the Trump administration promised to challenge the September decision, which was finalized in October. That decision allowed funding to flow back to the university.

The case will now go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

The federal district court ruled in Harvards favor in September, reinstating critical research funding that advances science and life-saving medical breakthroughs, strengthens national security, and enhances our nations competitiveness and economic priorities. We remain confident in our legal position, a Harvard spokesperson said.

The fight between the Trump administration and Harvard began in April when the federal government warned the school could risk losing $9 billion in funding if it did not meet a list of demands that included an overhaul of Harvards leadership structure, admissions and hiring.

Harvard rejected those demands, saying the administration sought to invade university freedoms long recognized by the Supreme Court.

Then the fight over funding unfolded, leading to nearly $3 billion in canceled grants over campus antisemitism and the federal government barring the institution from receiving new federal grants.

Other investigations and threats have been made against the institution, some of which have focused on the universitys international students, leading to Harvard opening a second lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Federal Judge Allison D. Burroughs wrote in her September decision that the Trump administrations focus on antisemitism as the reason behind freezing billions in research funding was a smokescreen.

She characterized the administrations efforts to prove the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts lacked jurisdiction in the case as a red herring.

Perhaps most damning, Burroughs implied that the Trump administration was putting forward arbitrary grant terminations in the name of enacting its agenda, no matter the cost.
The morning after a deadly shooting at Brown University, FBI officials announced they had detained a person of interest in a hotel room.

The lead, officials said, had been very promising. But it was the wrong person  and the real shooter would strike again, killing an MIT physics professor in Brookline.

We had to run that to ground. We couldnt just like not run that to ground, Peter Neronha, Attorney General of Rhode Island, said, following a question that if they hadnt focused on the wrong person if the professor, identified as Nuno Loureiro, 47, would still be alive.

Officials had previously denied that the two incidents were related.

This combo image made with photos provided by the FBI and the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department shows a person of interest in the shooting that occurred at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI/Providence Police Department via AP) AP

Around 4 p.m. on Dec. 13, gunfire erupted on the first floor of Browns Barus and Holley engineering and physics building during an economics class. The shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

Officials said when the first person of interest was confronted by the FBI, he was not cooperative and there were guns in the room, including one with a laser light.

The witnesses had told us there was a laser sight used in the course of the attack, Neronha said.

DNA ruled out the person of interest, officials said, and he was released. But during that time, other teams of police officers never stopped looking for other possible suspects.

You dont chase one and stop, Neronha said. We have chased more than one lead over the course of the last four to five days.

Overall, Neronha said, there were at least four different leads that didnt work out. And one that finally did.

But youre running them all down at the same time, Neronha said. But I dont believe that we would have found this person any sooner given the evidence that was available to us.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a report of gunshots at a Brookline apartment building and discovered a man, later identified as Loureiro, in the foyer who had been shot multiple times.

Loureiro was taken to Beth Israel Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Loureiro was a professor of nuclear science and engineering and the director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, according to the universitys website.

Visitors pause at a makeshift memorial for the victims of Saturday's shooting, at the Van Wickle Gate at Brown University, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) AP

The tip that ultimately broke the case wasnt posted on Reddit until early Tuesday morning.

Officials said they were aware of the Reddit post but didnt know who the person was behind it. They continued searching and the Reddit user came forward.

All the law enforcement personnel that I interacted with today were extremely professional and worked hard to really put me at ease, the Reddit user wrote on Wednesday.

Through this tip, officials learned of 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. He was ultimately identified as the shooter in both cases.

We got him, FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said during the press conference.

Neves Valente had taken his own life in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Prior to the discovery of Neves Valentes body, Providence police were set to charge him with 25 counts, including two charges of first-degree murder, according to court documents.

Brown Universitys records indicated that Neves Valente had been a doctoral student studying physics from the fall semester of 2000 to the spring semester of 2001, Detective Ryan Fedo wrote in a Thursday court filing. He took a leave of absence the following semester before dropping out in the fall of 2003.

Neves Valente became a legal permanent resident of the U.S. in 2017. His last known address was located in Miami, Florida.

During a press conference Thursday night, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she believed Neves Valente and MIT Professor Loureiro knew each other. Both men were from Portugal, and Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez Jr. said at a different conference earlier that night that theyd previously studied at the same university in Lisbon.

But as of Thursday night, there was no clear motive in the mass shooting at Brown University or in Loureiros killing, Foley said.
Providence, Rhode Island, police announced the identity of the Brown University shooting suspect on Thursday evening.

The suspect, 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. He is also suspected of killing an MIT professor in Brookline.

Below is the full press conference from Providence. It can also be viewed here.

Later, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley spoke about the suspect and his connections to the Massachusetts killing.

Below is Foleys full press conference from Thursday evening. It can also be viewed here.
Police credit license plate-reading cameras with helping locate the Brown University shooting suspect who killed two students in Providence and an MIT professor in Brookline. Yet the system behind that success has been under fire for operating without essential checks and balances.

Flock Safety, a company based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a leading producer of license-plate-reading cameras, leasing cameras and installing automatic license plate readers to help detect and investigate crime. The company has worked with nearly 100 police departments in Massachusetts and 250 in New England.

The cameras are installed along the states toll roads. Plus, some Massachusetts police departments  and private citizens  have been installing similar technology along smaller roads throughout the state.

In October, Chestnut Hill Realty began installing Flock license plate reader cameras along Independence Drive near South Brookline and West Roxbury, which caused a stir in the community, according to Boston.com. The Brookline community has been questioning the use of surveillance cameras for nearly two decades, the news outlet reported.

Earlier this month, Cambridge cut ties with Flock Safety. The city said it plans to conduct a thorough evaluation of this type of technology in Cambridge and looks forward to re-engaging with the City Council and broader community about this technology.

Beyond identifying vehicle license plates, Flock Safety license plate reader cameras identify vehicles by their make, color or decals even if the vehicle doesnt have a license plate. The technology isnt designed to capture pedestrians, sidewalks or other areas with non-vehicle traffic. And it needs adequate cellular service in order to process and send images, said Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin.

One Flock license plate reader camera can capture two lanes of traffic and is able to record 30,000 vehicles per day while running on solar and wireless infrastructure, according to Flock promotional material obtained by a records request.

A woman lights a candle at a memorial set up in front of the Barus and Holley engineering building at Brown University in Providence, RI, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/ Mark Stockwell) AP

Around 4 p.m. on Dec. 13, gunfire erupted on the first floor of Browns Barus and Holley engineering and physics building during an economics class. The shooting left sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov dead and nine other students injured.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the gunman slipped away.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, police responded to a report of gunshots at a Brookline apartment building and discovered a man, later identified as Nuno Loureiro, 47, in the foyer who had been shot multiple times.

Loureiro was taken to Beth Israel Hospital and later pronounced dead.

Loureiro was a professor of nuclear science and engineering and the director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, according to the universitys website.

Once again, the shooter got away.

Then officials got a tip about a man with a key fob trying to get into a car. They put the description of the car, a gray Nissan, into Flock.

We learned that within that time period, there was only a certain amount of vehicles that came up with those description fitting it, Providence Police Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. said at a press conference in Rhode Island Thursday night, during which authorities announced the suspect was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire.

Suddenly, more puzzle pieces starting fitting together.

From there, officials learned about the car having Florida plates, how the plates couldve been changed and ultimately how the car was a rental.

This is why we built Flock Safety  is for moments like this, Josh Thomas, chief communications officer at Flock Safety, told MassLive Friday. No one wants this to happen. This is tragic. But a serial killer was caught.

This combo image made with photos provided by the FBI and the Providence, Rhode Island, Police Department shows a person of interest in the shooting that occurred at Brown University in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI/Providence Police Department via AP) AP

The gray Nissan was a rental from an Alamo Rent-A-Car in downtown Boston, court documents state. It had last been rented by 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente on Dec. 1. Video footage from the Alamo Rent-A-Car showed him wearing clothing matching that of the suspect from the Brown shooting.

Neves Valente was ultimately identified as the shooter at Brown University and at a Brookline home, killing 47-year-old MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.

We got him, FBI Boston Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said during a press conference Thursday.

Neves Valente had taken his own life in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Prior to the discovery of Neves Valentes body, Providence police were set to charge him with 25 counts, including two charges of first-degree murder, according to court documents.

Concerns about Flock

But this type of technology isnt just tracking people involved in situations like what happened at Brown University.

Theyre not just collecting information about people who are suspected of crimes. Theyre collecting information about everyone indiscriminately and thats one of the major problems with this technology, Kade Crockford, the Technology for Liberty program director for the ACLU of Massachusetts, told MassLive in 2023.

Crockford has continued to raise the question over the past two years, telling Boston.com in October that government agencies are building massive databases to track peoples movements.

That raises very serious constitutional questions, Crockford said.

Texas law enforcement used Flocks national database to track a woman to Massachusetts regarding an abortion, according to 404 Media. The news outlet also reported that police have searched Flock on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The ACLU of Northern California found in 2019 that more than 80 local law enforcement agencies from more than a dozen states agreed to share license plate location information with ICE.

Flock said it does not have any partnerships with ICE but that local police in certain parts of the country can partner with the agency.

Its their choice. Its not our choice, Thomas said.

There isnt a Massachusetts law that limits how long police departments can store the information they get from the cameras or how they can share it or use it once it has been collected.

The ACLU of Massachusetts has been working on a bill for years to limit who could use an automatic license plate reader system and how long the data from the license plate readers can be stored.

Most people left, right, and center think yeah, its not appropriate for the police to just track where Im driving all the time and be able to keep that information for as long as they want and do anything they want with it. That there ought to be some basic checks and balances and rules in place, Crockford said.

Crockford said the ACLU of Massachusetts would prefer if the police or those who used the technology would have to delete the data collected by the cameras once it became clear the footage wasnt related to an investigation of a serious crime. She said two days would be sufficient to determine if the footage is necessary to keep or not.

Our position is not that we ought to ban license plate readers. Our position is that there needs to be some basic checks and balances. In the law to protect peoples civil rights while at the same time allowing police to use license plate readers to investigate crimes not to amass detailed driving records, Crockford said in 2023.

Flowers and candles were laid in front of Brown University's Barus and Holley building, seen here on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, after a shooting left two dead and nine injured on Saturday. Luis Fieldman

But Thomas fears this level of regulation would allow criminals, such as the Brown University shooter, to get away since he wasnt caught for five days.

How should the technology be regulated ... We can debate the length of time, but we have to give law enforcement enough time to be able to actually perform an investigation, Thomas said. Thats why Flock settled on 30 days as our default data retention. It is not years and years.

Flock has had other success in various parts of New England, including after another Rhode Island shooting, a hit-and-run that killed a 72-year-old in Lowell in November, a police chase in Quincy in October and when a Massachusetts man killed a 16-year-old that officials said was carried out like an execution.

Were catching serial killers, Thomas said. This is what this technology should be used for.

MassLive reporter Juliet Schulman-Hall contributed to this reporting.
UPDATE: Suspect in Brown University, MIT professor shootings died days before he was found

Roughly 18 hours after authorities announced the identification of a suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor in Brookline, many questions remain about the man responsible for the violence.

The suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility around 9 p.m. Thursday. Authorities announced Friday, he had been dead for two days.

Across a pair of press conferences, first in Providence, Rhode Island, then Boston, authorities revealed some of what they had learned about Neves Valente since he was first identified as a suspect on Wednesday.

Who was Claudio Manuel Neves Valente?

A 48-year-old native of Portugal, Neves Valente is believed to have been living in Miami before the shootings at Brown and in Brookline.

Authorities confirmed that Neves Valente knew MIT professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro, and that the pair attended the same program from 1995 to 2000. Loureiro graduated from Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon in 2000 after majoring in physics there, according to a profile on MITs website.

In the fall of 2000, Neves Valente began attending Brown as a graduate student in a masters of science PhD program in physics. He took a leave from the university in April 2001 before formally withdrawing in 2003, Brown President Christina Paxson said Thursday night.

At Brown, Neves Valente was enrolled only in physics classes, most of which have historically been held in the Barus and Holley classrooms and labs, the building where the shooting took place.

I think its safe to assume that this man, when he was a student, spent a great deal of time in that building for classes and other activities as a PhD student in physics, Paxson said.

What became of Neves Valente after that is not entirely clear. In 2017, he applied for and obtained legal permanent resident status.

The manhunt for Neves Valente stretched across six days. It lasted so long, in part, because Neves Valente was sophisticated in hiding his tracks, Foley said.

Neves Valente was using a phone that made it difficult for investigators to track him, she said. At the time, he was using a Google phone that investigators couldnt ping in real time and possibly European SIM cards through a U.S. provider that also couldnt be traced. He also had several credit cards not in his name.

There was financial investigations that were going on in the background that linked him, not only to that car, but also to the hotels that he had rented and ... the car that he had used to not only drive to Rhode Island, but then back to Boston, Foley said.

Lead-up to the shooting at Brown

Neves Valente was captured on surveillance footage in Boston on Nov. 17, 2025 at an Alamo car rental on Atlantic Avenue picking up a vehicle. In that video, he is wearing the same jacket seen on the man who carried out the shooting at Brown, with the same or similar shoes.

From Nov. 26 to Nov. 30, Neves Valente rented a hotel room in Boston

He returned to the rental car facility on Dec. 1, where he is captured on surveillance with a suitcase. That day, he picked up the gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, which he would drive to Providence to carry out the shooting.

Neves Valente then spends the better part of two weeks in Providence, appearing to case the area surrounding the building where the shooting would take place. His car is captured on surveillance between Dec. 1 and Dec. 12.

Then, on Dec. 13, around 4 p.m., Neves Valente burst into an auditorium in the Barus and Holley building and opened fire.

Shooting in Brookline

After the shooting at Brown, Neves Valente drove back to Boston. While in Massachusetts, he changed the plate on the Nissan, putting an unregistered plate out of Maine over the Florida, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha.

On Dec. 14, the day after the Brown shooting, Google email and voice accounts tied to Neves Valente logged in from an IP address near Boston University. The email account was the same one Neves Valente gave to the hotel he was staying at in late November.

Loureiro was killed the next day when Neves Valente shot him in the foyer of his apartment building on Gibbs Street in Brookline, around 8 p.m. The professors home is about half a mile from the IP address Neves Valentes accounts logged in from.

At around 8:42 p.m., the Nissan Sentra Neves Valente was driving is seen on surveillance about a mile from Loureiros apartment. The car is seen again at 9:03 p.m. in Waltham.

Immediately after killing Loureiro, Neves Valente drove to the Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit where he would ultimately be found dead.

He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, an autopsy confirmed on Friday, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella.

The autopsy revealed that Neves Valente took his own life on Dec. 16, the day after he shot and killed Nuno Loureiro in Brookline. Investigators had not yet identified Neves Valente as the suspect in either killing when he committed suicide.

Motive for the shootings

As of Friday afternoon, there was still no clear indication of what led him to carry out the violence.

At a press conference on Thursday night, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said there was no indication of a motive.

He was very careful in his communications, and we just dont have any information right now to answer that question [of motive], she said.
The MIT professor killed by a gunman in the foyer of his apartment building in Brookline on Monday night knew his attacker  the same man responsible for opening fire at Brown University days earlier, killing two students and injuring nine.

Nuno Loureiro, 47, was found with multiple gunshot wounds around 8 p.m. Monday in his apartment building on Gibbs Street. He died at a hospital the following morning.

Anyone can walk into the apartment building and ring the buzzer for any of the three units. The gunman, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, appears to have targeted Loureiro, his former classmate at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal.

Both men excelled at the school, according to the Washington Post.

Neves Valente left with near-perfect grades, either near or at the top of his class, the university said, according to the newspaper.

A fellow student, 48-year-old Nuno Morais, told the paper that both men were friendly, but Moureiro had a more relaxed attitude than the highly competitive Neves Valente.

In some elite schools, theres a culture where individual success is measured by academic performance, and in that sense, students usually feel they can only succeed if they are the best of the best, Morais said.

Loureiro graduated with a degree in physics in 2000. That same fall, Neves Valente enrolled at Brown.

Neves Valente sought a career like what Loureiro achieved, Morais told the Post. But his time at Brown was a disappointment, according to the former classmate.

Whether the two men ever crossed paths again is not known, nor is Neves Valentes motive for the killing of Loureiro.

He was very careful in his communications, and we just dont have any information right now to answer that question, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said Thursday night.

Initially, investigators said they had no evidence linking the shooting of Loureiro to the mass shooting at Brown University two days prior that killed two students and injured nine.

But eventually, they developed information that suggested a link between the two, after a car Neves Valente was driving was seen near both scenes.

In his quiet Brookline neighborhood, neighbors were still on edge Thursday before authorities announced Neves Valente had been identified as the shooter and that he had taken his own life in a Salem, New Hampshire storage facility.

Authorities reported Friday that Neves Valente had killed himself the day after he shot and killed his former classmate.

Neves Valente is believed to have used different guns to carry out the attacks, though 9mm casings were found at both scenes.

One of Loureiros neighbors, who lives next door, recalled him as a great man.

He didnt deserve this, the neighbor said as he walked into his apartment.

Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016. He was a professor of nuclear science and engineering at the university and was elevated to lead the Plasma Science and Fusion Center in 2024.

The center, one of the schools largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm.

Loureiro studied the behavior of plasma and worked to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares. His research, according to his obituary on MITs news site, involved the design of fusion devices that could harness the energy of fusing plasmas, bringing the dream of clean, near-limitless fusion power closer to reality.

He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner, Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication.

The president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, said in a statement that the killing was a shocking loss.

The office of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also put out a condolence statement calling Loureiros death an irreparable loss for science and for all those with whom he worked and lived.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

,
Avatar director James Cameron has choice words for President Donald Trump.

The legendary Hollywood director sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the release of his newest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash.

During the interview, he called Trump the most narcissistic [expletive] in history since [expletive] Nero.

Yeah, you can quote that, he continued.

This is not the first time that Cameron has voiced his disapproval for the president. Earlier this year, Cameron made an appearance on the New Zealand podcast The [Expletive] News and said Trumps reelection was horrifying.

I see a turn away from everything decent, Cameron said. America doesnt stand for anything if it doesnt stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea, and I think theyre hollowing it out as fast as they can for their own benefit.

He also said news coverage about Trump was like watching a car crash over and over and over.

Speaking to The Hollywood reporter this week, he said, Im frustrated because the human race seems to be delusional about what they think is going to happen next. We are going backwards.

He added that he finds solace in films like Avatar, saying, but whos to say we wouldnt be going backwards even faster if it wasnt for these films?

Camerons newest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is in theaters Friday.
Even after trading for starters Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo earlier in the offseason, the Red Sox kept tabs on free agent right-hander Michael King. King  who attended high school in Rhode Island and pitched at Boston College  had major interest in coming to Boston but instead will return to the city he has called home for the past two seasons.

As first reported by MLB.coms Mark Feinsand, King agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract to return to the Padres late Thursday. The deal includes opt-outs after Years 1 and 2 (2026 and 2027). Despite reported interest from three teams in the American League East (the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles), King elected to stay with the Padres, who obtained him as one of the key pieces in the December 2023 blockbuster that sent Juan Soto to New York.

King, who was born in Rochester, spent most of his childhood in Warwick, Rhode Island, then went on to star at Bishop Hendricken High School before pitching for BC from 2014-2016. Because of those New England ties, one source close to King said last weekend that he would love to be in Boston if the term and dollars lined up. The Red Sox are known to be prioritizing offensive additions after obtaining both Gray and Oviedo and while another rotation addition cant fully be ruled out, its much more likely that the clubs next addition of note will come on the offensive side of things.

King, 30, has a career 31-29 record and 3.24 ERA in 161 major league games (64 starts) with the Yankees and Padres since debuting in 2019. With San Diego, he has pitched particularly well, logging a 3.10 ERA and recording 277 strikeouts in 247 innings over the past two years. His $75 million guarantee is the second-biggest deal handed out to a pitcher so far this winter, trailing only Dylan Cease, who got $210 million from Toronto.
HOLYOKE  Holyokes push for economic growth will be led by an Amherst resident.

Eric T. Nakajima, a veteran policy strategist, has been appointed by Mayor Joshua A. Garcia to head the citys Office of Planning and Economic Development.

Nakajima, 59, succeeds Aaron Vega, who recently became president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council.

Nakajima brings decades of experience in state policy and innovation to the role, Garcias office said Friday.

Holyoke is a city on the rise, and I am excited to join such an outstanding team to support the economic growth, vitality and livability of the city, Nakajima said in a statement.

Garcia said Nakajimas credentials and experience made him the top choice for the role. The growth that Aaron Vega and his team brought about will continue and expand under Erics leadership, Garcia said.

Nakajima is an economic development consultant with decades of experience in state policy and innovation.

He previously served as director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and held leadership roles in the states Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. From 2020 to 2024, he was director of government relations for the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

He earned a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a masters in city planning from the University of California, Berkeley, the release said.

Nakajima also completed a yearlong fellowship for working professionals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The citys planning and economic development office focuses on business recruitment and retention, long-range planning and staff support for boards including the Planning Board, Redevelopment Authority and Tourism Advisory Committee, the release said.
SPRINGFIELD  Representatives from Eversource pushed back on City Councilor Malo Browns statement Thursday saying he would once again oppose its work order requests until the utility addresses issues in the city.

What would happen if I freeze any type of work order that you guys request for in the city and then I push the movement throughout every single city in Massachusetts? asked Brown at the maintenance and development subcommittee, which he chairs.

Eversource representatives, for their part, said the work orders help new businesses open and keep the lights on.

Our work orders are for the customers, your constituents, your citizens, our customers and the integrity of the system, said Mike Vedovelli, a community relations specialist with the utility.

In March, the Springfield City Council started to delay a handful of petitions from the utility over the cost of gas and electricity. A month later, the council green-lit requests by Eversource to make upgrades while calling on the state to investigate why rates had risen so sharply.

Eversource had once again sent a handful of representatives to the Browns subcommittee meeting this week. This time, Brown raised a second issue: Earlier this month, Sylvia Gladden, 58, was struck and killed along State Street and a streetlight nearby was not working.

Eversource has said about 120 out of the 14,000 streetlights across the city need repair.

The utilitys representatives told city councilors the most efficient way to get a light repaired is by reporting it through its website.

Brown said the response by Eversource was dismal, as main streets are still dark. its not working. Not only is it not working, Id give it a F-, Brown said.

Community activist Charles Stokes, who sat at the table next to Brown, said he didnt believe it was fair for the community to crowdsource light outages.

John Caldwell, community relations manager for Eversource, said the utility is exploring a way in install devices on streetlights so the utility could be notified when one stops working. But for now, it is relying on crowdsourced reporting of malfunctioning lights.

Longer term, we are looking into potentially finding an analogous technology to those smart meters to potentially add that to the light so that we can understand when any given light is out without being told by a human, Caldwell said. But that is a much longer-term solution.

Replacing lights along State Street

Relatives of Gladden tuned into the meeting.

A woman, who identified herself as Jayda on the videoconferencing platform, said the lights along Main Street are inadequate. My aunt is gone, Jayda said at Thursdays meeting. She wondered what was going to change, what could be done in a timely manner.

Caldwell said State Street is lined with decorative lights, lights that are often harder to fix because they required special parts. Eversource could replace the decorative poles with LED lights, which are brighter and easier to maintain.

This is obviously a decision the city must make as far as how you want your community to look and your streets to look, Caldwell said.

Asked this week if inadequate streetlights contributed to Gladdens death, spokesperson Payton North of the Hampden District Attorneys Office said it is continuing to investigate.

All factors are taken into consideration including lighting, clothing, road conditions, visibility, actions by the driver as well as actions by the pedestrian, North wrote in an email this week.

City Councilor Tracye Whitfield, who her colleagues selected in an informal poll to become the next council president, said she would have like a cost-benefit analysis exploring installing LED lights along State Street.

I know theyre beautiful and they give character to the communities, but I want safety over decorative lights, Whitfield said. I dont want anyone else losing family members.
News / National

by Staff reporter

South Africa's Border Management Authority (BMA) has added guards and armoured vehicles to patrol the border along the Limpopo River between South Africa and Zimbabwe.This comes amid continued smuggling across the border.BMA Assistant Commissioner, Balene Mkhabela says the vehicles which are suitable for all terrain use were donated by the private sector."We are working in collaborating with them, they supplied us with three vehicles that are able to drive on the rough terrain on the border line and the third vehicle can actually drive at a rough terrain and it can even drive in the water, so at the river there we manage to catch this people because they use the very same water it can drive in the water so we are able to intercept and cut the self made channels."
SPRINGFIELD  After taking 10 weeks from her job to recover from a surgery, an employee of the public safety department at Western New England University claims she was discriminated and retaliated against, a federal lawsuit says.

Kathy Early, the departments only employed Black woman, has been working at the university since 2018 as a police officer  promoted to sergeant in December 2021 and demoted this year, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield on Wednesday.

On April 3, 2023, Early began a medically required Family and Medical Leave, the complaint said. Prior to the time for that leave being up, she alleged she heard from her supervisor, now-Chief Thomas J. Ford III, that she had been out too long on FMLA leave and he did not know why it was allowed by (Human Resources).

The Family and Medical Leave Act is a federal labor law that protects employees from losing their jobs while taking time off for medical or family reasons.

Months after she returned from leave, she alleges Ford told her that her leave had been excessive and disruptive to the department, the complaint said.

Earlys attorneys declined to comment on the record about the complaint. A spokesperson for Western New England said it does not comment on pending litigation.

In November of that year, Early filed a memo citing what she saw as exclusionary behavior by fellow employees that contributed to a hostile work environment. Her complaint alleges that the memo was not investigated by the shift supervisor, per university policies.

In July 2024, Early suffered a work-related injury during a defensive tactics training. She claims the HR department was not made aware of her injury until she told them herself. She was off on workers compensation for 15 days due to the injury, the complaint said, and when she returned, she was subjected to an investigation that ultimately resulted in a disciplinary hearing.

During a meeting with Ford, Early claimed she was being treated unfairly based on her gender and race. Plaintiff also expressed that she felt that she was being used as a placeholder for a man to be positioned into the position of Sergeant in the future, the complaint said.

Early then told Ford she was considering stepping down from her sergeant position due to the work environment. She took more time off, protected under the family and medical leave act, in September 2024.

However, on Dec. 19, 2024, she changed her mind, the complaint said. She claims Ford responded with frustration with Plaintiffs decision.

Ford then filed a memo with HR demoting Early, effective Jan. 14, 2025. Early appealed this decision, saying the action seemed retaliatory, following my voiced concerns regarding his leadership style.

The complaint accuses Ford of a clear bias and a pattern of misogyny in (his) treatment of women in the department.

Even after her demotion, Early says she was discriminated against by Ford. In a written memo 10 days after her demotion, Ford allegedly cautioned her that any future violation of any rule, regulation, policy, or procedure will result in more severe discipline up to and including termination.

Early alleges that none of her white male counterparts received similar discipline.

Despite reporting the incidents to HR, the complaint says the department did not find evidence that Earlys work environment was hostile.

Ford and legal counsel had recommended that Early be let go from her position, but HR said she should be demoted.

In March, Early filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, alleging a hostile work environment, discrimination based on gender and race and retaliation in violation of state and federal law.

In the months that followed, Early alleges that she continued to tussle with her employer over her medical leave and returning to duty. In July, she received a notification from the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission about recertification, claiming that Ford had failed to file for her recertification.

Ford filed a form that said Early was not fit for duty.

I am unable to attest that Kathy Early possesses good moral character and fitness for employment at this time  officer has been out on medical leave since Feb., the complaint said.

This meant Ford allegedly did not see Early fit for duty as an officer for any police department within Massachusetts, including at Western New England.

In September 2025, the POST Commission overturned Fords recommendation and recertified Early.

Early alleges that even before she faced struggles with her supervisors for taking medical leave in 2023, her employers did not listen to concerns she had about an officer she was supervising who allegedly made racially offensive comments.

Early claims Western New England violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employee discrimination and retaliation, violation of the Massachusetts General Laws and interfered with the exercise of rights in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Early is requesting compensation for any loss of wages and benefits as well as damages for emotional distress and reputational harm. She is demanding a jury trial.
SOUTHWICK  On Tuesday night, the Planning Board unanimously approved recommending residents vote yes to adopt a moratorium on large-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system installations and permanent structures like battery energy storage systems at Special Town Meeting on Jan. 13.

What we are discussing tonight is whether or not Planning Board will recommend to Town Meeting a temporary pause that the voters would then have to approve for it to go into effect. It is not a hearing on whether or not were going to outright ban solar or battery energy storage systems, said Planning Board Chair Jessica Thornton at the hearing on Tuesday.

Josephine Iennaco was first up at the hearing.

She asked if the towns current zoning bylaws would prohibit a solar field array or battery energy storage system, referred to as BESS systems, from the start of the permitting process, since there isnt a moratorium in place.

In what turned out to be essentially a Q&A format for the hearing, Thornton responded.

I think I can answer that question, she said. Currently, we do have a bylaw that allows for small and large-scale ground-mounted solar arrays. It also allows for accessory buildings  including battery energy storage systems. So, yes.

Then she explained the moratorium would put a temporary pause on the board accepting any permit applications for those systems.

[Thats] so that we can get a better handle on it and make sure that its sited appropriately and that we have the proper setbacks and buffers, Thornton said.

Iennaco then asked for an idea of the size of the systems, saying that accessory might infer that something is small.

These are not accessory facilities. These are like, Amazon stuff, right? she said.

Thornton said part of the process when the board begins the process of amending the zoning bylaws was to define those systems, especially the large-scale BESS systems.

The town already has a solar field bylaw, but no definitions of the batteries and possible sizes.

Up next was Kimberly Lamarche, who supported the moratorium before asking what happens if a fire occurs in a BESS. She then said she would prefer banning the BESS systems entirely.

Thornton took the ban question.

That there would not be a way for the town of Southwick to put a bylaw into place banning solar and battery energy storage systems, Thornton said, which prompted Lamarche to ask: Why not?

Were under the auspices of the state first, and then us second. Thornton said.

Fire Chief Richard Stefanowicz then addressed the question about a BESS fire.

He said the department was prepared for those types of fires and that the towns firefighters have instructions and training on how to fight those fires.

After another question, Stefanowicz asked those in attendance if the moratorium was the reason for the hearing.

In fairness to the hearing, I would prefer we stay on track, he said.

Thornton then explained to the audience that there would be no effort to amend the towns current zoning bylaws until the board, with the assistance of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, finishes a thorough update of them.

The review and update are expected to be completed in time for the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting.

If approved by Town Meeting, the board would then start considering modifications to the bylaws, Thornton said.

Beth Lalli asked what happens if Special Town Meeting votes no on the moratorium.

If the town meeting is no, then thats the voice of the voters. They do not want a temporary moratorium, and that would leave our zoning bylaw as it is currently, Thornton said.

Jacqueline Case asked what would happen if a company filled out an application for a special permit to build a renewable energy system before the Jan. 13 meeting.

Thornton said there are no public hearings open related to those systems and reminded everyone that the meeting is only three weeks away.

She then asked if the board members had any comments.

Member David Spina said he was always in favor of the moratorium, adding that the timing of when it would be lifted was important.

With that in mind, a motion was made to recommend to Special Town Meeting a moratorium on accepting applications for the installation of renewable energy systems until Sept. 1, 2027.

To make it clear to the audience, Thornton said the hearing was closed, and the board voted.

The Planning Board has just recommended a warrant article to the Special Town Meeting that, on Jan. 13, registered voters can come and vote either yay or nay to put in place the recommended moratorium, Thornton said.
A Brockton man was indicted Wednesday in connection with the stabbing death of a 40-year-old Fitchburg man, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.s office.

A Worcester County grand jury handed up two indictments for murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon against Ednerson Charles, 28, a Thursday press release from the District Attorneys office reads.

On Sept. 16 at 5:27 a.m., Fitchburg police responded to Chester Street for a report of a disturbance involving a knife, according to the press release. When officers arrived, they found a man, Ronald Perceval of Fitchburg, suffering from stab wounds. Perceval was taken to a local hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later, the press release reads.

Charles was arrested the same day in Brockton by members of multiple law enforcement agencies, according to the press release.

These included the Fitchburg and Brockton Police Departments, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County and Plymouth County District Attorneys Offices, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS), the Massachusetts State Police Critical Incident Technical Investigations (CITI) Team and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Attorney Generals Office.

Charles was arraigned in Fitchburg District Court on Sept. 17 and has remained in custody since. The indictments move the case to Worcester County Superior Court. He is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 7, 2026, according to the press release.
Le Cabinet a pris note des recommandations du Pay Research Bureau (PRB) 2026 avec une nouvelle grille de salaire, de la nouvelle liste des produits qui seront reduits par le prix sous le Price Stabilisation Fund a partir du 15 janvier 2026, la nomination de Kunal Naik comme President du Conseil dAdministration du National Agency for Drug Control, de la mise sur pied dun comite de ministres sous la presidence de Paul Berenger concernant la strategie de developpement du port, entre autres.

1. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations made by the Pay Research Bureau (PRB) in its 2026 Report on Pay and Grading Structures and Conditions of Service in the Public Sector (Civil Service, Parastatal and other Statutory Bodies, Local Authorities and Rodrigues Regional Assembly) and Private Secondary Schools.

The Bureau has had wide consultations with all stakeholders in the preparation of its report. It has, when making its recommendations, remained mindful of national affordability while paying regard to the need for a fair and reasonable pay for Public Sector employees. The Bureau has also considered, inter alia, the following:

(a) the necessity to ensure that the starting salary of the lowest paid is not less than the National Minimum Wage and addressing the relativity distortion where necessary;

(b) the monetary value of the array of non-monetary benefits that form part of the total remuneration package which accrue to public sector employees;

(c) the recruitment and retention of the right mix of employees who are motivated to deliver high-quality public services;

(d) the key principles of compensation including equity, transparency, competitiveness and employee performance; and

(e) the loss in purchasing power.

The salary ratio of the General Worker to the Permanent Secretary which was 1:6.2 in the 2021 PRB Report, is at around 1:5.4 in the 2026 PRB Report. Moreover, the salary ratio of the General Worker to the Senior Chief Executive now works out to 1:6.7. The average weighted salary increase on gross salary December 2025 is 15.3%, compared to 7.95% in the 2021 Report.

Recommended 2026 Salary for Selected Grades 



The recommendations contained in the Report inclusive of salary compensation payable as from 01 January 2026 and the interim allowance of 5% integrated in salary, are estimated to cost Government around Rs10.9 billion yearly.

Given the challenging current economic and fiscal context, Cabinet has decided that the Report will have to be implemented in two phases, that is, 50 per cent as from January 2026 and 100 per cent as from January 2027.

The Report is available on the websites of the Pay Research Bureau, the Government Information Service and the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reforms.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the fixed-quantum subsidy scheme under the Price Stabilisation Fund being extended to two additional essential commodities, namely canned mackerel/pilchards and adult diapers, and to the introduction of a fixed subsidy on anti-hypertensive, cardiovascular and anti-diabetic medicines, for medicines retailing at Rs100 or above. The fixed subsidy will be provided as follows:

(a) Rs10 per can of canned mackerel/pilchards;

(b) Rs50 per 10 adult diapers; and

(c) Rs50 per box of anti-hypertensive, cardiovascular and anti-diabetic medicine.

The effective date for the measures has been set to 15 January 2026.

Cabinet has further agreed to the implementation of the above subsidies in Rodrigues.

3. Cabinet has taken note of the appointment of Mr Kunal Naik as part-time Chairperson of the National Agency for Drug Control. Dr F. Sulliman, Director of the National Agency for Drug Control will hold a meeting with Mr Naik on Saturday 20 December 2025.

4. Cabinet has taken note that former Chief Justice Y. K. J. (Bernard) Yeung Sik Yuen, GOSK has been designated as Chairperson of the Constitutional Review Commission.

5. Cabinet has taken note that an Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Strategy for Port Development will be set up under the chair of the Deputy Prime Minister, comprising the:

(a) Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries;

(b) Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity;

(c) Minister of Financial Services and Economic Planning;

(d) Minister of Labour and Industrial Relations;

(e) Minister of Industry, SME and Cooperatives;

(f) representatives of the Mauritius Ports Authority;

(g) representatives of the Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd;

(h) representatives of the private sector, namely the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Mauritius and the Mauritius Export Association.

6. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Merchant Shipping (Manning of Tugs and Certification of Tug Personnel) Regulations 2025 to provide for a dedicated regulatory framework governing the manning of tug and certification of tug personnel. The Regulations will, inter alia:

(a) ensure the safe and efficient operation of tugs within the Port and territorial waters of Mauritius by establishing clear requirements for the manning, training and certification of tug personnel;

(b) set mandatory standards for minimum safe manning levels, prescribe procedures for the issuance of Certificates of Competency and Proficiency and outline responsibilities for companies operating tugs;

(c) require the owner of the tug to ensure that a tug is manned by certified tug personnel who should receive regular and continuous training, including towing operations;

(d) outline offences regarding persons who are assigned on tugs and do not hold the appropriate qualification, competence or experience as well as make it an offence for a company or tug master to allow any function or have any capacity on a tug to be performed by a person who does not possess the appropriate certificate and training; and

(e) enhance maritime safety, protect the marine environment and uphold professional standards in tug operations within the port sea of Mauritius.

7. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Non-Citizens (Employment Restriction) Exemptions (Amendment) Regulations 2025 to allow the issue of Certificates of Exemption to German nationals coming to Mauritius under the Working Holiday Programme.

Under the Working Holiday Programme, young Mauritians and Germans aged between 18 and 31 years would be able to travel to Germany and Mauritius respectively for holiday and take up employment as an incidental activity for the purpose of supplementing their travel funds and to gather work experience.

The Working Holiday Programme is an opportunity for Mauritian youth to expand their knowledge, widen their horizon as well as enhance their chances of employment abroad.

8. Cabinet has taken note that the National Protocol for Heavy/Torrential Rain for Mauritius, which will be applicable to both the public and private sector, is being finalised. The private sector is being invited to follow suit on measures that may be implemented for the public sector, pending the finalisation of the National Protocol for Heavy/Torrential Rain for Mauritius.

9. Cabinet has taken note that, in the context of the pipe replacement project being implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities under the Indian Line of Credit, a Consultant has been appointed. The project comprising the replacement of 115 km of pipes will be implemented in two phases.

Phase 1 comprising the replacement of 43.6 km of pipes at a cost of Rs1.08 billion will be implemented in 2026 in the following regions:

(a) from Deux Freres to Petit Sable;

(b) Beau Bassin/Rose Hill;

(c) from Trou aux Biches to Pointe aux Piments; and

(d) Georges Guibert  Floreal and Laterals.

10. Cabinet has agreed to the promulgation of the Information and Communication Technologies (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2025 and the Information and Communication Technologies (Licensing and Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. The purpose of these Regulations is to provide for a new category of licence, namely the Mobile Number Portability Service Provider Licence and to cater for the fees payable by a Mobile Number Portability Service Provider.

The Mobile Number Portability system will allow consumers to retain their existing mobile numbers when transferring from one service provider to another.

11. Cabinet has taken note that in accordance with section 87 of the Constitution of the Republic of Mauritius, the Prime Minister has advised the President of the Republic of Mauritius to appoint Mr Rabin Gungoo as High Commissioner of the Republic of Mauritius to the Mauritius High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with residence in Kuala Lumpur.

12. Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare signing a Protocole dAccord with Expertise France, with the objective of formalising the collaboration between the parties within the framework of the Luminiles Regional Programme.

Luminiles is a cooperation platform supported by the Agence Francaise de Developpement that helps island countries improve public policies and institutions through studies, expertise and capacity building. It aims at empowering women and is being implemented in Mauritius, Madagascar and the Comoros.

Through this Agreement, Mauritius will benefit, inter alia, from:

(a) targeted technical assistance and capacity-building initiatives in key areas relating to gender equality, childcare development, and the welfare of women and children;

(b) coordinated implementation of activities aimed at addressing challenges faced by women, particularly those relating to childcare; and

(c) reinforced evidence-based policymaking through improved availability and use of gender-disaggregated and childcare-related data.

13. Cabinet has taken note of the main outcomes of the 16th round of negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA-5) (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe) on the deepening of the Interim EPA (iEPA) and the 10th Meeting of the EPA Implementation Committee, held in Seychelles.

Discussions focused on the outstanding issues in the various chapters of the Agreement, namely Trade in Services, Investment Liberalisation and Digital Trade, Customs and Trade Facilitation, Rules of Origin, Trade and Sustainable Development, Dispute Settlement, Institutional Provisions and General and Final Provisions. As a way forward, both the EU and ESA-5 agreed to exchange information with a view to resolving all remaining issues, which are not major stumbling blocks, by 31 December 2025.

With regard to the 10th Meeting of the EPA Implementation Committee, both Parties reviewed their status of implementation of tariff liberalisation, assessed the trade performances under the iEPA and identified trade barriers, amongst others. They agreed to continue exchanging information on these matters. The meeting also examined and concluded discussions on the Concept Note on the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the iEPA.

14. Cabinet has taken note that pursuant to the meeting held in Japan between the Prime Minister and Mr Ishiba, the former Prime Minister of Japan on 20 August 2025, the Government of Japan has informed, through its Embassy in Mauritius, that Japan is agreeable to discussions being initiated for a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with the Government of Mauritius.

A comprehensive assessment of factors, including the prospects for future expansion of Japanese Investment in Mauritius and the request of Japanese business circles will be required.

15. Cabinet has taken note that on 12 December 2025, a first local confirmed case of Chikungunya was notified in a 68 year-old Mauritian lady. On 15 December 2025, another local case was confirmed in a 59-year old Mauritian lady.

All public health response measures, including contact tracing, fever survey, fogging and larviciding were promptly initiated and are ongoing.

In addition, a multisectoral technical meeting at the level of the Ministry of Health and Wellness was held on 17 December 2025, emphasising amongst others, strengthening intersectoral coordination, aligning response activities, and ensuring timely implementation of preventive, surveillance, vector-control, and risk-communication measures.

Ongoing entomological surveillance is being conducted in the affected and surrounding areas to monitor vector density and guide targeted control measures. Sensitisation and risk-communication campaigns through radio and television has already been initiated over the past two weeks to enhance public awareness on Chikungunya prevention. The situation is being closely monitored through enhanced epidemiological, entomological and laboratory surveillance.

16. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries in the Blue Justice Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark and the International Sugar Organisation (ISO) Seminar held in London, United Kingdom.

The Blue Justice 2025 Conference held under the theme United in Action Against Fisheries Crime, aimed at reaffirming Member States commitment to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and transnational organised crime in the global fishing industry. During his intervention, the Minister seized the opportunity to underline Mauritius efforts to address maritime crime through the implementation and strengthening of legal frameworks and monitoring systems.

The ISO Seminar was held in under the theme of Sugar: So Much More Than a Sweetener. Speakers at the ISO conference highlighted the rapid decline in global prices below production costs in most producing countries as surprising and worrying. The Minister participated in an intergovernmental panel jointly with Baroness Gloria Hooper, Member of the House of Lords and Executive Director of ISO, Mr Jose Orive. During his intervention, he highlighted the prompt decisions and actions taken by the Mauritian Government with the implementation of the Multi Annual Adaptation Sugar Strategy Action Plan 2006-2015 in July 2006 after the announcement of a 36% reduction by the EU in the price of sugar.

17. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities to Morocco, where he participated in the 19th World Water Congress. The Congress which was held under the theme Water in a Changing World: Innovation and Adaptation, featured:

(a) a Ministerial Roundtable on the theme Accelerating SDG 6 in a changing world with the aim of accelerating progress toward SDG 6 by 2030 and achieving water security as a system interacting with a larger Nexus of Water, Energy, Food, Health and Ecosystem; and

(b) an exhibition an exhibition showcasing innovative and cutting-edge water technologies, and promoting best practices in water governance.

The Minister also had bilateral meetings with the Minister of Equipment and Water of Morocco, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkiye as well as the President of the World Water Council.

18. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade in the 120th Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) held in Brussels.

The Council met in the context of a severe financial crisis affecting the Organisation, arising mainly from low level of payment of assessed contributions by Member States, mismanagement of funds by the previous management which resulted in the European Commission decision to scale back its contribution and limiting it to funding a few activities linked to the implementation of the Samoa Partnership Agreement.

In his general statement to the Council, the Minister recalled the vital role played by the Organisation since its inception in supporting the socio-economic development of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, including Mauritius. He underscored the need to rethink the strategic vision of the OACPS with a view to achieving tangible impacts. Mauritius was commended for its decision to ratify the Samoa Partnership Agreement. The instrument of Ratification will soon be submitted to the European Council which is the depositary Organisation.

In the margins of the Council, the Minister had bilateral discussions with the Secretary-General of the OACPS and had meetings with, inter alia, the European Commission.

19. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade participated virtually in an extraordinary meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers and Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government held on 17 December 2025.

During his intervention, at the Extraordinary Summit, the Minister informed that Mauritius aligns itself with the initiatives of the SADC aimed at restoring peace, stability and constitutional normalcy in Madagascar. The Extraordinary Summit, inter alia:

(a) reaffirmed its commitment to remain engaged with the political and security situation in Madagascar until an elected government is established through electoral processes;

(b) approved the report of the chairperson of the SADC Organ; and

(c) mandated the undertaking by March 2026 of shuttle diplomacy missions by the SADC Panel of Elders and SADC Mediation Reference Group, with the support of the SADC Secretariat to engage the Government of Madagascar on the national inclusive dialogue, the reforms process and the holding of elections.

The Extraordinary Summit appointed HE Mr Hichilema, President of Zambia as the Deputy Chairperson of SADC.

20. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Land Transport to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the context of the CoMotion Global Summit 2025.

The Minister took part as a guest speaker in the panel discussion on PublicPrivate Partnerships in mobility including physical infrastructure and digital services. The session explored how governments and private partners can build effective governance structures that support not only the delivery of assets but also the integration of technologies such as payment systems and data platforms.

Strategic opportunities for future PublicPrivate Partnerships engagement in Mauritius were also discussed during the Summit, including the integration of solar photovoltaic systems to power transport infrastructure, the development of additional urban terminals, and the implementation of a nationwide cashless ticketing system aligned with global best practices and digital transformation trends.

In the margins of his mission, the Minister also held a series of bilateral meetings focused on the transport challenges faced by Mauritius and the opportunities for cooperation with Saudi authorities and institutions.

21. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Minister of Industry, SME and Cooperatives in the Fourth Edition of the African Startup Conference, which was held in Algiers, Algeria.

The Minister intervened during the Ministerial Summit whereby he welcomed the African Union (AU) report on African best practices for building startup ecosystems and acknowledged strong models emerging from Tunisia, Senegal, Rwanda, Algeria, Egypt, and South Africa. He noted with satisfaction that in the report on Tax Framework for Startups, Innovation and R&D in Africa: A Comprehensive Analysis, Mauritius is cited as a leading African example in terms of its sophisticated tax framework for innovation through gradual policy evaluation.

During his intervention, the Minister highlighted that Mauritius would explore opportunities which reflect Mauritius interest in continued regional collaboration and alignment with African best practices. The Minister also intervened during the Plenary session of ChampionsGovernment Summit, which presented a unique dialogue format connecting high-growth startups with policymakers.

In the margins of the conference, the Minister had fruitful bilateral meetings with, inter alia, the Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro-enterprises of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development of the Republic of Zambia and the Minister for Industry and Enterprise of the Republic of Seychelles.

22. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent participation of the Junior Minister, Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change in the Seventh Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 7) held in Nairobi, Kenya. The theme set for UNEA 7 was Advance sustainable solutions for a resilient planet.

At the High-Level Segment, the Junior Minister made a statement wherein she laid emphasis on the implementation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)s Medium-Term Strategy 2026-2029 and to continued partnerships with UNEP and friendly nations to unlock finance, technology and capacity-building.

The Assembly considered a diversity of Resolutions, from safeguarding coral reefs and soundly managing minerals and metals critical for the energy transition, to developing sustainable solutions through sport.

The Mauritian delegation also attended the following side events:

(i) Improving Global Environmental Governance to Jointly Build a Clean and Beautiful World organised by the China mission in Nairobi;

(ii) Ministerial Breakfast Meeting of African Ministers of Environment; and

(iii) Critical Energy Transition Minerals: Empowering women for a responsible, just and equitable minerals sector.

Bilateral meetings were also held with several senior officials.

23. Cabinet has taken note of the:

(a) reconstitution of the Board of Trustees of the Trade Union Trust Fund with Mr Sateedanand Jeewooth as part-time Chairperson; and

(b) appointment of Dr (Mrs) Marie Christinne Clarisse as Director of the Conservatoire National de Musique Francois Mitterrand Trust Fund.
Cllr. Jarlath Munnelly welcomed the announcement that an additional Garda is to be assigned to Killala Garda Station. This news was confirmed at a meeting of Killala Community Alert this week. The additional Garda is expected to be in place in the new year.

Cllr. Munnelly stated that an additional Garda in Killala was something that he and the community had been working on for some time. I am delighted at this news. Currently there is one Garda assigned to Killala Garda station, another pair of hands is something that the community has sought for some time and that I welcome.

Cllr. Munnelly paid tribute to Senator Mark Duffy, and community groups in Killala that had supported this call. Id like to thank Senator Mark Duffy for his continued support and help on this issue, and Id also like to thank Killala Community Alert, Killala Parish Council and Killala Community Council who have been writing to the Gardai and the Department of Justice on this issue, looking for more Garda resources for Killala.

Senator Duffy added, Im delighted to see additional resources being added to Killala Garda station. I would like to compliment Cllr. Munnelly on the advocacy for this position and the leadership from the Killala community in working towards making it a safer community.

In conclusion, Cllr. Munnelly thanked the leadership of An Garda Siochana in the Ballina Division, for their continued support for the wider area. We are lucky to have good people working for and leading An Garda Siochana in our area, they have looked for additional Garda resources for this area and I would particularly like to thank them for delivering on this.

READ MORE: Westport based councillor appointed Peace Commissioner for Mayo
Taxi drivers providing a service to the Achill area feel they are being put out of business following the introduction of the new TFI Anseo bus service in the summer. The TFI Anseo bus service for the parish of Achill was launched in July by Minister Dara Calleary as Irelands first ever Smart Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) pilot initiative to run over a 12-month period.

The service operated by TFI Local Link Mayo allows passengers to book on-demand rides seven days a week using a new TFI Anseo app and be dropped off anywhere within the region. While the service has been deemed a success, the four taxi providers currently operating in Achill believe that the subsidised service is putting them out of business.

Speaking to The Mayo News, two of the taxi drivers, Colum Ginnelly of Wild Atlantic Way Travel and Anthony Noel Lavelle of Keel Cabs say that they face a bleak 2026 and cannot see how they can remain in business. When this started first we felt it mightnt affect us too much but the day business is completely gone, explained Colum Ginnelly who operates out of Mulranny.

Bleak

It is hard to know where it is going to go. It is looking very bleak, echoed Anthony Noel who says that they cannot compete with the fares offered by the subsidised service. I cannot see any future for myself and the other taxi drivers are also in the same position, he added. Both men stressed that the TFI Anseo service is an excellent service for the community but feel it should not be at the expense of four local businesses who had been offering a loyal service to the people of the parish.

I know a person who said they went from Tonragee to Mulranny for 3 and said it is a great service but it should not destroy four businesses on the island in the process ... people who have served and looked after the customers here. It should not have been pushed in like that, said Colum. If it was operating at like for like costing that would be no problem at all because it is fair competition but this is not fair competition. I cannot compete with a 3 fare from Tonragee to Mulranny. That is our taxes going against us there and going to subsidise a pilot scheme against us. That is the way it is. We have serious concerns. Both Colum and Anthony Noel said that John McGinty of Achill Taxi and Ozzy of Achill Cabs hold similar views as them when it comes to the viability of their business into 2026.

The taxi drivers feel that they have to take a stand and voice their grievances and have called for changes to be made to the service to make it more inclusive of the existing taxi drivers in the area. We should have been consulted one way or another before the service was introduced. It is like Tesco coming up against a shop in Keel. It is a juggernaut and will push everything in its way. We just cannot compete, Anthony Noel commented. Colum said that the four taxi drivers have all invested in their fleet in recent years and they believe they have the vehicles to be part of the service.

We are all above board and all have wheelchair accessible taxis and bigger 16 seater buses and we should have been consulted, he said. The four of us have agreed we are not against this but it could be tweaked in which we could be involved some way or another. We were providing that service beforehand but it is very hard to compete with a state funded juggernaut which it is. It is a pilot scheme which means it is not set in stone. I have been involved in pilot schemes for farmers and they can be tweaked. There are only four taxi drivers operating in Achill and we should not have been overlooked. At the end of the day TFI is contributing to the downfall and closure of our businesses, Colum added.

In October the operating hours of the service was extended by five hours and now operates from 7am to 8pm which the taxi drivers believe is another nail in the coffin of their business. They went from 5pm up to 8pm which is like getting your dinner and looking at the person beside you and saying Ill have a bit of that as well. That is what it has done, said Colum. Anthony Noel added that they are actively discussing withdrawing their night time service because it will not be viable even if it leaves the island without taxis at night. The two men described working late at night as working for blood money due to the hassle they face.

The late night work which we call the blood money is left to the likes of us. We dont mind because we have done it for a long time but if the day trade is gone then what is the point of doing it, said Colum. Why dont they [TFI] go out to two or three in the morning and deal with all the people and the harder work. They wont because this work is totally different compared to day time work.

Similiar issues

Similar TFI Anseo pilot schemes have been rolled out in Limerick City and Killarney and Colum says that feedback from taxi drivers in those regions suggests they have similar issues if not on a different scale to the Achill taxi drivers. The intention following the end of the 12-month pilot scheme is to roll it out in other rural communities and the Achill taxi drivers have warned that other taxi operators need to be aware of what they will be facing. It is bigger than Achill because it will be rolled out into other rural areas, explained Colum.

It will probably back fire on TFI because going forward who is going to let this go into their area when they see the damage its done here. I have seen below in Killarney where they say their day work is gone. They have a better advantage than us because they have a site of hotels where it doesnt get as quiet as it does here in Achill.

When this was promoted in October on Mid-West radio I was getting calls from taxi drivers in other areas saying they could not get over how we allowed it to come into the area. I said it will be coming into your area too. It is a great service but we should have been consulted and going forward we want to be involved. We are not asking for anything out of this world but for us to be involved to keep us ticking over otherwise our future is very bleak.

READ MORE: Floating Christmas tree returns to Popular Mayo lake
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Police have offered a reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest of Guruve murder suspect Anymore Zvitsva.Contrary to earlier reports and a circulating video, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed that a monetary reward will be given to anyone who provides credible information leading to the location and arrest of Zvitsva, 32. The exact amount has not been disclosed.Zvitsva has been on the run for several days after allegedly killing five members of the same family in Guruve, Mashonaland Central Province. ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said on Friday that anyone providing information will be duly rewarded, as pledged by the Commissioner-General of Police, Stephen Mutamba. Nyathi added:"The Zimbabwe Republic Police urges those with information to contact the National Complaints Desk on 0242 703631, WhatsApp 0712800197, or the Officer Commanding Guruve Police District, Chief Superintendent Marange, on 0719010093. Alternatively, approach any nearest police station."In a separate case, police are investigating the brutal murder of a 55-year-old woman and a six-month-old infant at Farm 88, Nyakapupu, Guruve, on 18 December 2025. The victims were found with multiple head injuries.Zvitsva, from Bangira Village, Mutsami Kraal under Chief Chipuriro, is alleged to have murdered five relatives on the night of 11 December at Plot 9, Ona Farm. The victims were identified as Grace Zvitsva (66), Loice Chiringaushe (37), Takudzwa Kariva (5), Tatenda Chirenje (2), and Tendai Zvitsva (40). Five other children sleeping in a separate room escaped unharmed.A neighbour raised the alarm after hearing disturbances at the homestead. Tendai Zvitsva was found alive but critically injured and later died at Guruve Hospital, while the bodies of the other four victims were discovered inside the house.Police have also linked Zvitsva to three other murders in Zimuna Village under Chief Bepura, where Pamela, Kudzai, and Tawanda Chipangura were killed in a separate incident still under investigation.An extensive manhunt is underway, with police deploying drones, Support Unit officers, CID detectives, canine units, horse patrols, and intelligence operatives amid fears the suspect may be hiding in forested and mountainous areas around Guruve. The motive remains unclear, though police indicated Zvitsva is believed to have mental health challenges and urged families not to ignore signs of instability.
News / National

by Staff reporter

UK police have appealed to the public for assistance in locating a 39-year-old Zimbabwean national who is wanted for breaching a court order.Officers are searching for Thinkwell Javangwe, also known as Thinkwall, who is believed to have links to the Hucknall area in Nottinghamshire. Despite following several leads, police say he remains at large.Authorities have urged members of the public, particularly Zimbabweans living in the UK who may have information about his whereabouts, to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101. Tips can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
After weeks of intense speculation around the casting, Filmfare has now reported that Vidya Balan has officially come on board as one of the female leads in the yet-untitled project.

According to sources, the decision was met with overwhelming approval from the makers, with insiders describing it as a move that was unanimously welcomed by the team, reflecting the collective confidence in the casting choice.

A source close to the production revealed why Vidyas inclusion felt like a natural fit. Akshay and Vidya share effortless chemistry as actors, something audiences have loved in films like Heyy Babyy (2007), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) and Mission Mangal (2019). Off screen too, they share a warm equation, which made this an easy yes for everyone involved.
News / National

by Staff reporter

BUSINESSMAN Wicknell Chivayo has claimed that prolonged corruption investigations have severely damaged his reputation, leading international banks to red-flag him and causing significant loss of business opportunities.In an exclusive interview, Chivayo said investigations linked to the controversial R1,1 billion (about US$65,6 million) procurement of voting materials from South Africa's Ren Form CC had inflicted what he described as irreparable reputational harm."Frankly speaking, any reputational damage is almost irreparable," Chivayo said."The prolonged investigations, based on fabricated allegations, caused severe and irreparable damage to my business interests and personal reputation over the past two years."My business integrity was scandalised, leading certain local and international financial institutions to red-flag me as a potential risk, which resulted in substantial loss of business opportunities."His remarks come after Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) chairperson Michael Reza last week said the anti-graft body had failed to establish a link between Chivayo and the scandal, and was therefore closing its probe. Reza cited the absence of contractual evidence tying Chivayo to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)'s deal with Ren Form CC.However, sources close to the investigation told the Independent that while Zacc may have closed its inquiry, "the matter is still very much alive in South Africa".Chivayo, who was convicted of fraud in 2004, said he had not received any formal communication from Zacc confirming that he had been cleared."Apart from the Zacc chairman's televised interview, I have not yet received formal communication from Zacc on this subject matter," he said."My focus has been on cooperating with the constitutional authorities in Zimbabwe. I have, however, through my lawyers, requested the Commission to communicate their official findings from their investigation."He also said he could not confirm whether South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation  the Hawks  had concluded its parallel probe.Zacc chairperson Reza did not respond to questions on whether Chivayo or South African authorities had been formally notified of the commission's decision to close its case.At the time of publication, Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale had not responded to follow-up enquiries. Previously, the Hawks had confirmed they were investigating allegations of money laundering involving multi-million-dollar payments from Ren Form to companies allegedly linked to Chivayo.In May, Hawks national spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said the investigations were being given "top priority".Sources in Pretoria said findings by South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) had also been shared with the United States Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The same sources claimed Zacc had not formally communicated to South African authorities that Chivayo had been cleared."Our probe, based on payments transferred by Zimbabwe's Treasury to Ren Form CC and subsequently channelled to firms linked to Chivayo, is still alive," one source close to the investigation said. "Investigations of this nature take long to conclude."The controversy emerged after Zimbabwe's Treasury paid Ren Form CC, which Zec had handpicked without a public tender, to supply election materials. FIC later flagged payments that Ren Form allegedly wired to companies linked to Chivayo, triggering money-laundering investigations in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.Companies reportedly linked to Chivayo that received payments include Intratek Holdings, Dolintel Trading Enterprise, Edenbreeze, Asibambane Platinum Group and Agile Venture Capital.FIC findings also indicated that Ren Form CC had significantly inflated its invoices to Zec.Ren Form CC had not responded to questions by the time of publication.
Logistics UK said Mr Trenchard had played a leading role in driving sustainable change across the sector

UK logistics figure John Trenchard has been named Logistics Leader of the Year, as his work championing greener supply chains and commercial innovation earns top recognition from the industry.

Business group Logistics UK awarded the honour to Mr Trenchard, vice president for commercial and supply chain at DP World, at its annual Logistics Awards, held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Thursday 11 December 2025. He received the award from Sultana Rahman, UK marketing and communications lead at sponsor Flexis.

Logistics UK said Mr Trenchard had played a leading role in driving sustainable change across the sector, helping to turn environmental ambition into commercially viable practice. Through initiatives such as Modal Shift and Carbon Inset, he has been credited with embedding lower-carbon approaches into logistics operations while demonstrating that sustainability and growth can go hand in hand.

Kevin Green, acting chief executive of Logistics UK, said Mr Trenchards influence reached well beyond his own organisation. John is an inspirational and innovative leader whose influence has had a positive impact on the logistics industry, extending beyond DP World and shaping the broader UK logistics industry and helping it towards a greener, more efficient future, he said. I would like to congratulate him on his win; he is truly the Logistics Leader of the Year.

Accepting the award, Mr Trenchard paid tribute to those he works alongside. I cant believe it to be honest. Im very proud, he said. Im lucky to have an amazing team, amazing stakeholders, amazing people to work with. Weve learned an awful lot, were involved in all sorts of segments and its an absolute pleasure to work with people across the industry, this is fantastic.

James Stephens, vice president of corporate affairs for the UK and Ireland at DHL Supply Chain, was highly commended in the same category.

Logistics UK said its 2025 awards were designed to recognise companies and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the logistics and supply industry over the past year and who have demonstrated excellence in their fields. The event was supported by headline sponsor Crown Oil, drinks reception sponsor the Port of Dover, and a range of industry organisations including Brigade Electronics (UK), Close Brothers, Depot Connect International, DP World, Flexis, Howard Tenens Logistics, Logistics UK Recovery Service, Motive, Palletways, Samsara and Wise.

Entries for the 2026 Logistics Awards are set to open in March, with next years awards ceremony scheduled to take place in December.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistani intelligence agents have arrested the spokesman of the local Islamic State affiliate, a militant figure designated a terrorist by the United States in 2021, state-run media reported Thursday. Analysts say the move dealt a blow to the militant group, which has been attempting a comeback in the region.

The arrest took place in May, according to Pakistan TV. The report said Sultan Aziz Azzam of the Islamic State Khorasan Province was detained while attempting to cross into Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan. He was originally from Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province.

The Pakistani government has not confirmed the arrest. The country has recently seen a surge in militant attacks, which the authorities mostly blame on the Islamic State group, or rather its local affiliate, and the Pakistani Taliban.

The U.S. had been seeking Azzams arrest since 2021, when the State Department designated him a terrorist. Analysts say the arrest could significantly undermine the IS affiliate's propaganda machinery.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told The Associated Press that the arrest coincides with a recent U.N. report recognizing Pakistans major gains against the militant group  gains that will force international terror groups such as the IS affiliate to focus more toward Afghanistan as a haven.

The Islamic State affiliate appeared in Afghanistan shortly after the groups core fighters swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, carving out a self-styled caliphate there. The name Khorasan Province referred to parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia during the Middle Ages.

The Pakistani Taliban  known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP  are separate from the Afghan Taliban but have become emboldened since the latter returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Many Pakistani Taliban leaders and fighters have been living in Afghanistan since then, and Islamabad has long been asking Kabul to rein in the TTP militants.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were further strained in October after Pakistans military launched strikes inside Afghanistan to target hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan, killing dozens of people whom it described as insurgents.

Afghanistan said at the time that the people killed were civilians and struck Pakistani military posts in response. The two sides later agreed to a ceasefire brokered in the Qatari capital, Doha, in October, followed by talks in Istanbul that ended inconclusively.
The $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 is now law after passing both chambers of Congress and being signed Thursday by President Donald Trump, incorporating numerous policies and provisions including continued efforts to boost service member recruitment.

On Dec. 10 the 3,086-page bill passed the House on a 312-112 vote (115 Democrats, 197 Republicans voted in favor), and the Senate followed up with approval one week later with broad bipartisan support in a 77-20 vote. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised both political sides in the vote aftermath and said the legislation is designed to sustain and strengthen the national defense.

The massive defense spending bill appropriates funding that will impact the departments of Defense and Energy, health care, troops and salaries, research and development, immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Diversity initiatives described as woke by conservative lawmakers have been stripped down or removed altogether.

Senior Advisor to the Secretary of War (Strategy) Eric Geressy delivers remarks at the Department of Wars Recruiting Excellence Forum at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2025. (DoW photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

Other beneficiaries of the legislation include Ukraine, set to receive over $400 million in aid over the next two years as the war against Russia continues, as well as all U.S. servicemembers who are receiving a 3.8% pay raise. Trump and the Pentagon this week also announced special one-time Warrior Dividend $1,776 payments to troops, with a similar payment being replicated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Boosting Recruitment

Another focus of the NDAA is to continue forward progression on service member recruitment, which has seen formidable upticks throughout the first 11 months or so of Trumps second term.

The NDAAs recruitment-related provisions:

Increase recruiter access in high schools.

Expands opportunities for students to get involved in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), and allows them to transfer if they dont have a program housed at their high school.

Designate JROTC as a part of the military, allowing military recruiters to directly reach out to members of JROTC. It was previously a civilian program and military recruiters were prevented from contacting JROTC members.

SERVE Act

These provisions were initially included in legislation known as the Service Enlistment and Recruitment of Valuable Engagement (SERVE) Act intended to enhance military recruitment by promoting the benefits of service and expanding access for high school students.

Honorable Hung Cao, Under Secretary of the Navy, presents the Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award to Seaman Apprentice Lawrence Dallabetta during pass-in-review onboard U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Dec. 18, 2025. Training is approximately nine weeks and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their career at the command. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Reymundo A. Villegas III)

That bill was put forward in April by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a combat veteran. House Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Lance Gooden (R-TX) led the bipartisan effort in the other chamber.

Wearing the uniform set me on course for a life of service, and I want to ensure that all young Americans have the opportunity to learn of the benefits of joining our military, Ernst told Military.com. I am thrilled to see my SERVE Act becoming law as part of the NDAA.

"My legislation will turbocharge recruitment and ensure that the incredible recruiting resurgence happening under Donald Trump becomes permanent.

Kiggans, in a statement made in April, said that Americas youth simply arent being provided the information necessary to be privy to the various opportunities available to them.

The SERVE Act is about turning that around by reconnecting our youth with a powerful call to service and opening doors to leadership, education, and purpose, Kiggans said. This bipartisan, bicameral bill sends a clear message that we believe in our next generation, and we're ready to invest in their future and the future security of our nation.

Strong Numbers in 2025

Military recruiting dipped in 2022 and 2023 under the Biden administration. The opposite has happened this year.

"My legislation will turbocharge recruitment and ensure that the incredible recruiting resurgence happening under Donald Trump becomes permanent.

Recruiting numbers went through the roof for the Coast Guard, which saw its biggest numbers in decades. USCG announced last month that its accession numbers exceeded fiscal year goals and achieved the highest numbers since 1991, with 5,204 active-duty enlisted service membersequivalent to hitting 121% of its target of 4,300 members for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2024, and concluded Sept. 30, 2025.

In June the Army announced it had already met its recruiting goal with four months in Fiscal Year 2025 to spare. It was a stark turnaround attributed by officials to not just the COVID-19 pandemic but the minimal numbers of younger individuals who were neither fit nor willing to serve in the armed forces.

Along with updating and expanding training programs, another reason for the increase is being attributed to the expansion of the Future Soldier Preparatory Course that helps potential recruits meet the services academic or physical requirements.

Also in June, the Navy announced it had already met its recruiting goals well ahead of schedule. They were positioned by mid-summer to send more than 40,600 future sailors to Recruit Training Command by September. In 2024, the service surpassed its recruiting goal of 40,600 by 378 members.
They met while serving in the U.S. Army, a shared military background that prosecutors now say sits at the center of a decades-old homicide tied to the Gilgo Beach investigation.

Nassau County prosecutors in New York say Andrew Dykes, a former U.S. Army operating room technician, murdered fellow service member Tanya Denise Jackson in 1997, dismembered her body, and discarded her remains on Long Island, a case that later became intertwined with the Gilgo Beach investigation after additional remains were discovered during the 2011 search along Ocean Parkway. Authorities say decades of preserved evidence, combined with advances in DNA and forensic genealogy, allowed investigators to identify Jackson and her young daughter in 2023 and link Dykes to the crime.

Andrew Dykes appears in Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola during his arraignment on a second-degree murder charge stemming from the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson, a cold case linked to the Gilgo Beach investigation. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday)

Similar advances in forensic genealogy and DNA analysis have helped investigators nationwide resolve cold cases involving service members and civilians alike, illustrating how long-dormant evidence can gain new significance decades later. Dykes was arrested in Florida earlier this month, waived extradition, and was arraigned in Nassau County Supreme Court, where he faces a charge of second-degree murder and was ordered held without bail.

Wooded area of Hempstead Lake State Park in Nassau County, New York, where part of Tanya Denise Jacksons remains were discovered in 1997, a key location cited by prosecutors in the decades-old homicide case now tied to the Gilgo Beach investigation. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

From Army Service to a 1997 Killing

Prosecutors allege Dykes killed Jackson in 1997, dismembered her body, and took deliberate steps to conceal the crime by separating and disposing of her remains in multiple locations. Jacksons torso was discovered that year in Hempstead Lake State Park in Nassau County, but investigators were unable to identify her at the time, leaving the case unresolved for decades.

Authorities say Jackson and Dykes met while serving in the U.S. Army in the mid-1990s, where Dykes was trained as an operating room technician and later worked as an instructor in anatomy and physiology. Prosecutors allege that medical background is significant, saying it helps explain the manner in which Jacksons body was dismembered and why investigators believe the crime required specialized knowledge.

Investigators say Jackson later traveled to New York with her young daughter, Tatiana, after her relationship with Dykes. Jackson was never reported missing, prosecutors said, a factor that severely complicated efforts to identify her and track her movements after she left military service.

In 2011, during the Gilgo Beach search along Ocean Parkway, additional remains linked to Jackson and Tatiana were discovered in Suffolk County. Authorities say those discoveries tied the case to the broader Gilgo Beach investigation but still did not provide enough information at the time to identify the victims. It was not until advances in DNA technology, forensic genealogy, and military and civilian record analysis that investigators were able to put names to the remains and reconstruct Jacksons final movements.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly speaks at a news conference in Mineola announcing the arrest of Andrew Dykes in the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson. Standing behind her are Homicide Bureau Chief Daryl Levy (red tie) and, to his right, Deputy Bureau Chief Ania Pulaski, who are prosecuting the case. (Darius Radzius)

A Case Built Decades Later

During Dykes arraignment, prosecutors walked the court through what they described as a methodical killing followed by years of concealment. According to statements made in court and filings reviewed by the judge, the case relies on physical evidence preserved from the original 1997 investigation, contemporaneous police reports, and forensic material that could not be fully analyzed at the time.

A photo of Tatiana Jackson, the young daughter of Tanya Denise Jackson, whose remains were identified decades later through DNA and forensic genealogy as part of the Gilgo Beach investigation, according to Nassau County prosecutors. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

Prosecutors told the court that advances in DNA science, including forensic genealogy, allowed investigators decades later to identify Tanya Denise Jackson and her daughter, Tatiana, and establish a familial link to Dykes. They argued that the strength of that evidence, combined with documentary records and witness information, supported holding Dykes without bail.

Dykes entered a plea of not guilty. His attorney requested additional time to review discovery and said the defense intends to challenge the reliability and interpretation of the newer DNA techniques used in the investigation. The judge scheduled the case for further proceedings as it moves toward the pretrial phase.

A peach-shaped tattoo that was found on the remains of Tanya Denise Jackson, a key identifying detail that led investigators to refer to her for years as Peaches before advances in DNA and forensic genealogy allowed authorities to identify her decades later. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

From a Tattoo to a Name

For years, investigators had little to work with beyond a distinctive peach tattoo on Jacksons body, a single identifying mark that led to her being publicly known only as Peaches. With no missing-person report, no confirmed name, and limited records tying her to New York, the case stalled despite early investigative efforts.

Former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, who stood up the Gilgo Beach Task Force, said the breakthrough came from persistence and a willingness to revisit old evidence using modern tools.

All they had was a tattoo, and then they were able to identify Tatiana as well as Tanya Jackson, Harrison told Military.com.

An undated U.S. Army photo of Tanya Denise Jackson, whose remains were discovered in 1997 and later linked to the Gilgo Beach investigation. Advances in DNA and forensic genealogy allowed authorities to identify Jackson decades later. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

Authorities said investigators eventually located Tatianas birth certificate, which listed Dykes as her father, providing a critical documentary link. That discovery allowed detectives to narrow their focus and conduct surveillance in Florida, where they collected DNA from a discarded cup. Prosecutors say that DNA matched forensic evidence preserved from the original 1997 investigation, helping investigators formally identify Jackson and link Dykes to the crime decades later.

Emergency personnel search through the brush for human remains near Jones Beach in Wantagh, N.Y., April 11, 2011. A Long Island architect has been charged, Friday, July 14, 2023, with murder in the deaths of three of the 11 victims in a long-unsolved string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The Gilgo Beach Investigation: A Broader Context

The Gilgo Beach investigation began in 2010, after the disappearance of a Long Island woman led police to discover human remains along Ocean Parkway in Suffolk County. Over time, investigators recovered the remains of multiple victims, turning the case into one of the most complex and closely watched serial-killing investigations in the country.

For years, progress stalled amid fragmented investigative approaches and unresolved questions about whether the cases were connected. That shifted in 2022, when Suffolk County officials launched the Gilgo Beach Task Force, bringing together local, state, and federal agencies to reexamine evidence using modern forensic tools and renewed coordination.

Crime scene investigators use metal detectors to search a marsh for the remains of a victim, Dec. 12, 2011 in Oak Beach, N.Y. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool, File)

Harrison said the task forces mandate was not to force links between cases, but to separate them carefully and let evidence drive conclusions.

Rex A. Heuermann, the architect accused of murdering at least three women near Long Island's Gilgo Beach, appears before Judge Timothy P. Mazzei in Suffolk County Court, in Riverhead, N.Y., Aug. 1, 2023. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, File)

That renewed approach led to the 2023 arrest of Rex Heuermann in connection with the killings of multiple women whose remains were found along Ocean Parkway. Investigators have since emphasized that the Gilgo Beach search area contained victims tied to different suspects and different crimes spanning decades, a distinction they say was critical to preserving the integrity of each investigation.

Suffolk County Police conduct a search, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010, along a beachfront road in Babylon, N.Y., where four bodies were found during a hunt for a missing New Jersey woman. (AP Photo/Frank Eltman, File

Gilgo Beach and Separating the Evidence

Because some of the remains were recovered during the Gilgo Beach search, the Jackson case became intertwined with one of the nations most high-profile serial-killing investigations, even though investigators suspected early on that multiple crimes and suspects were involved.

Harrison said the Gilgo Beach Task Force was deliberately structured to avoid assumptions, focusing instead on forensic precision and evidence-driven distinctions between cases.

Parkway was attached to Rex Heuermann, Harrison told Military.com. This shows there was an appropriate investigation that was done, and they used whatever science and technology to show these bodies were attached to Rex Heuermann, and these other bodies were attached to somebody else.

Harrison said the arrest of Dykes reinforces the credibility of that approach, demonstrating that separating cases carefully strengthened the investigations rather than complicating them.

A family photo of Tanya Denise Jackson, whose 1997 killing remained unsolved for decades before investigators used DNA and forensic genealogy to identify her and link the case to the broader Gilgo Beach investigation. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

Prosecutors Lay Out the Case

At a news conference announcing the arrest, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said investigators determined Jackson was not the victim of a serial killer, but of someone she knew and trusted. We allege she was the victim of a man she loved, the father of her child, Donnelly said.

Donnelly said Dykes was married and had children at the time he met Jackson, a detail prosecutors say underscores their belief that Jackson was killed by someone she trusted.

Highlighted U.S. Army service records show Andrew Dykes assignments as an operating room technician and later an anatomy and physiology instructor, roles prosecutors say are central to their case alleging he used specialized medical training in the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

Donnelly said Dykes military background is central to the prosecutions theory of the case. Prosecutors allege he received extensive medical training while serving in the U.S. Army, including work as an operating room technician and later as an instructor in anatomy and physiology. Investigators say that training is significant, arguing it helps explain the manner in which Jacksons body was dismembered and why the crime appeared to involve specialized knowledge.

Evidence photo released by Nassau County prosecutors shows a disposable cup recovered during surveillance in Florida, which investigators say was used to obtain DNA later matched to forensic evidence preserved from the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson. (Courtesy: Nassau County District Attorney's Office)

Defense Questions New Forensic Methods

Dykes attorney said his client is presumed innocent and plans to challenge the forensic evidence presented by prosecutors.

The technology used to reach these conclusions is newer technology and is subject to scrutiny, the attorney said after the arraignment, adding that the defense intends to contest how that evidence was interpreted and expects the case to proceed to trial.

New York City Police Department Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison speaks during a news conference at NYPD headquarters, Friday, July 17, 2020, in New York.A A person was taken into police custody Friday in the killing of Fahim Saleh, a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur found dismembered inside his luxury Manhattan condo, two law enforcement officials said. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

A Case with National Implications

Harrison said the Gilgo Beach Task Force has influenced how cold cases are approached nationwide, particularly by encouraging agencies to revisit long-stalled investigations using modern forensic tools alongside traditional police work.

I want to believe it opened up the eyes for a lot of different investigations throughout the country, Harrison told Military.com.

He said the progress in the Jackson case shows families who have waited decades that answers are still possible, even when cases appear unsolvable.

Harrison said the task forces work demonstrates that time does not have to be an obstacle to accountability.

Andrew Dykes is escorted by New York State Court officers through the Nassau County courthouse in Mineola, New York, following his arraignment on a second-degree murder charge in the 1997 killing of Tanya Denise Jackson, a case tied to the broader Gilgo Beach investigation, according to prosecutors. (Darius Radzius)

Military Service at the Center of the Case

Both Jackson and Dykes served in the U.S. Army during the 1990s and met while stationed in Texas, according to prosecutors. After leaving the Army, Dykes also served as a state trooper and later worked as a corrections officer, details discussed during court proceedings. Jackson later traveled to New York with her daughter, Tatiana. Authorities said she was never reported missing, a factor that delayed identification efforts and allowed the case to remain unresolved for decades.

For investigators, the arrest underscores a broader message they say applies regardless of how much time has passed.

Time doesnt erase accountability, Harrison said. Police work is going to track you down.
Seventy-five years after a U.S. Air Force transport plane disappeared over the Yukon with 44 people aboard, a team of volunteers and investigators plans to use artificial intelligence and satellite technology to find it.

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster departed Elmendorf Air Force Base on January 26, 1950, carrying 42 service members and Joyce Espea pregnant military wife traveling with her toddler son for medical care. Two hours into the flight, the crew radioed that ice was forming on the wings but conditions were otherwise normal. The plane never made its next check-in and vanished without a trace.

After an extensive but unsuccessful search, the Air Force dropped all efforts to find the plane.

Now, Michael Luers, Jim Thoreson of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association, and remote sensing expert Nelson Mattie are partnering with Project Recovera nonprofit that locates missing service membersto launch a high-tech search using technology that didn't exist even a decade ago.

What Happened That Night in 1950

Clare Fowler, a 22-year-old civilian radio operator at Snag, Yukon, was the last person to hear from the Skymaster. The plane checked in around 11 p.m., reporting everything was fine except for icing conditions, then it disappeared. The next check-in at Aishihik, 100 miles away, never happened.

Snag had recorded the lowest temperature in North American history just three years earlierminus 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The plane was flying unpressurized at 10,000 feet through the mountain peaks with limited margin for error.

It is suspected the plane iced over and crashed. A prevailing theory suggests it went into a glacier and was covered by ice.

Luers, an environmental biologist, understands those conditions intimately. He once experienced the frightening scenario when a plane he was in iced up between Iceland and Greenland.

"I have personally experienced a plane icing overgiant drops of water freezing on the plane, hundreds at a time," he said. "We couldn't see 10 feet in front of the plane. The ice on the windshield and wings was an inch and a quarter thick. The pilot put us in a nosedive to within 500 feet of the sea, and ice the size of plywood was flying off."

At 500 feet, the plane broke through the clouds. That experiencesurviving conditions similar to what the Skymaster likely encounteredis a small part of his determination to find the aircraft.

A map of the search area around Snag. The Skymaster checked in with a radio station near Snag, but was never heard from again. (Ted Parks, Skymaster Productions)

Why the Air Force Won't Conduct a Search

The crash occurred during peacetime, creating a bureaucratic oversight that has lasted 75 years. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency only searches for service members lost in combat, but no federal agency handles operational accidents or peacetime incidents.

The Air Force conducted a massive search in February 1950, only days after the crash, mobilizing thousands of American and Canadian troops and more than 25 aircraft in Operation Mike, named after one of the crew members. In the first three days, search planes covered 88,500 square kilometers in brutal winter conditions. Four search aircraft crashed during the operation, though all crew members survived.

The search coincided with Operation Sweetbriar, a massive U.S.-Canadian joint military exercise that brought more than 5,000 troops into Whitehorse. The overlapping operations created chaos.

"Locals couldn't tell the difference between distress calls and military calls," Gregg said. "People all over the Yukon thought they saw parachutes or heard the plane, but a lot of information was from military maneuvers."

But on February 14, 1950, a B-36 bomber carrying a nuclear weapon went missing over the Gulf of Alaskathe first "Broken Arrow" incident in U.S. history. All search resources were redirected, and the military never returned to the Yukon after the snow melted.

Over the decades, many people simply forgot about the Skymaster while the relatives of the missing servicemembers were left in limbo.

In 2023, Luers reached out to former Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah, a retired Air Force B-1 bomber pilot, asking him to contact the Air Force on behalf of the families.

"He made a solid, really hard run at the Air Force to convince them to look," Luers said. "They wouldn't do it."

The Air Force's official response stated it would not reopen the investigation without "physical evidence confirming any aircraft discovery or a high potential that remains could be found."

"It's a donut hole in searching for our lost members," Luers said. "If you got shot down in an F-4 in Vietnam, people are all over that. But a lot of our service members have died in non-conflict incidents, and there's never been an agency that has taken on the mission of looking for these folks."

A U.S. Air Force Convair B-36B-1-CF Peacemaker (s/n 44-92033) of the 7th Bombardment Wing in flight, in 1949. This type of aircraft from the same unit was involved in the 1950 crash that pulled all available search efforts from the missing Yukon Skymaster. (Wikimedia Commons)

A Father's Lifelong Search

Joyce Espe's husband, Master Sergeant Robert Espe, was stationed at Elmendorf when he put his pregnant wife and 23-month-old son Victor on the flight. His last words to Joyce were "If you have to jump, give the baby to Sergeant Roy Jones," his best friend who was also aboard the flight.

He never saw his wife, son or his best friend again.

Robert Espe joined the initial search immediately, catching a flight from Whitehorse.

"On Sunday morning, I boarded the first search plane to leave the base. We were out for about nine hours," he told a newspaper at the time. "I've gone through the hysterics and cried myself silly."

He spent the rest of his life searching for his family, celebrating their birthdays, and speaking about them in the present tense. He wrote letters to other families who lost loved ones on the plane, telling them what wonderful men they were. He later remarried and had two daughters.

Luers was married to one of the daughters, Kathy. She occasionally discussed the incident with him as she wondered what happened to her fathers first family.

They later divorced, but they remained friends and now work together on the search.

"The boy lost in the plane was her half-brother," Luers said. "We're not attention seekers. Our goal is to find the plane and bring the 44 lost souls home to their families."

The estimated flight path of the Skymaster along the Alaska-Canada Highway. (Ted Parks, Skymaster Productions)

Three Generations Still Waiting

Also aboard was Sgt. Junior Lee Moore, who had recently sent a letter home to his family that opened with a darkly prophetic line, I guess you thought I had died or something. He went on to say he would see them soon.

Moore's nephew, Larry Floyd, was only a few months old when the crash occurred. Floyd also had a second relative on the planeCpl. Raymond Matheny, his father's first cousin. The two service members didn't know each other and weren't aware of their family connection.

Floyd's mother had raised Moore and became a mother figure to him. The family never got closure.

"I think what bothered my family more than anything else was when the search ended abruptly; there was no effort by the government to go back and find it," Floyd said. "It just hasn't been a priority."

The crash left lasting scars. Floyd's parents developed a fear of flying, and Floyd still thinks of his uncle every time he boards a plane. Years ago, on an Alaskan cruise, he declined an excursion flight into the Yukon.

Floyd said the renewed search brings hope. "I'm extremely grateful they're doing this. It would be closure just to know where it happened and why."

A handwritten letter from Junior Moore to his family, telling them hell see them soon. He opened the letter with I guess you thought I had died or something. (Andrew Gregg/Larry Floyd)

Decades of Searching

The Yukon has over 500 documented aircraft wrecks. Only a handful remain unaccounted forand the Skymaster is the largest.

The Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and volunteers have searched for decades, using the case as a training exercise and conducting aerial searches over the rugged terrain between Snag and Aishihikan area of approximately 4,500 square miles.

Thoreson, a former Canadian Air Force member with 32 years of search and rescue experience, has worked the case since 2008. He was stationed in the Yukon twice during his careeronce with the air force and once with the Royal Canadian Mounted Policeand participated in searches during both postings.

"It's really tough and rugged," Thoreson said. "From the start, I noticed this was going to be under tree cover. I didn't think anyone would see something from an aircraft. Seventy-five years later, flying over in a Cessna doesn't cut it anymore."

Two factors have likely kept the plane hidden. The military never searched after the spring thaw in 1950, and decades of vegetation have likely covered the wreckage.

"It's heavily forested," Thoreson said. "If it hit trees and blew up, it got covered. If it's gone in under tree cover, you won't see it from the air. It won't be found without science."

After visiting a museum in the Yukon and learning of the incident, Andrew Gregg began conducting research into the missing plane.

He quickly realized that large crash sites are nearly invisible from above. Gregg noted that one C-47 that crashed near Whitehorse can't be seen until an aircraft is directly overhead.

"The north is so big," Gregg said. "I'm sure there are people who have flown over the Skymaster wreckage and just never saw it."

Andrew Gregg and Champagne-Aishihik Elder Ron Chambers walking towards a crashed C-47 in the Yukon. (Skymaster Productions)

New Efforts to Find the Missing Plane

Gregg then began working on a documentary covering the missing Skymaster. He even spoke with Fowler, who provided him with vital details and photographs from the time period.

He also reached out to numerous relatives and descendants, including Kathy, whom he interviewed for the film. In 2022, Gregg released "Skymaster Down," exploring the missing plane, the search efforts, and the family connections.

Kathy then told Luers about the documentary. He watched it and was struck by the ongoing interest in the missing plane.

"It only released in Canada initially," Luers said. "They referenced work done by CASARA, and just out of the blue, I sent them an email requesting the accident report."

Thoreson received the email and responded with a detailed history. He had previously reached out to Elmendorf and learned that the historian there had no knowledge of the plane or accident. However, the historian provided him with the extensive investigation report completed after Operation Mike. The report mentioned numerous times that the search would continue when the weather improves, but the Air Force never followed through.

"Over time, we became friends," Luers said.

Luers and Thoreson spent over a year consulting with experts to determine what technology could help find the plane. They reached out to Nelson Mattie, a Ph.D. candidate in remote sensing at the University of Alberta's Centre for Earth Observation Sciences.

"A couple of years ago I reached out to experts I identified through various publications about remote sensing," Luers said. "Nelson fired back and said, 'I'd like to help you guys.' He has spent a lot of time teaching us about these new technologies. He is the first person to jump right in with both feet. He has hung with us. I'm eternally grateful for his help."

The team then contacted Project Recover, which has spent 30 years locating MIAs from conflicts worldwide. After several conversations, the organization agreed that there was a serious gap in military accountability.

"They realized there are many service members missing, not through MIAs, and no one is looking for them," Luers said. "They said it makes no sense to exclude operational losses. We've been the first non-MIA losses they've included in their efforts."

Andrew Gregg along the shore of a lake in the Yukon during the production of the documentary, Skymaster Down. (Skymaster Productions)

The New Technology and the Plan

The team's approach combines synthetic aperture radar, multispectral satellite imagery, and LiDAR, analyzed by artificial intelligence trained to recognize aircraft wreckagea method far superior to ground searches across 4,500 square miles of wilderness.

"First thing we have to recognize is this is a huge search area," Luers said. "In the last few years, the size of pixels in multispectral imaging has gotten down to 15 centimeters. If this crash is in a bunch of pieces, the technology now exists to pick up small pieces of aluminum and four engines."

Phase One uses existing SAR dataavailable free from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agencycombined with multispectral imagery purchased from Vantor, formerly Maxar.

Mattie led the effort to train the AI by photographing known crash sites in Canada and Alaska. Using a C-54 in storage near Red Deer, he used drones equipped with multispectral cameras to capture detailed images of the entire aircraft.

"To teach the AI how to identify what we're looking for, we found several crash sites and took aerial imagery to show it, 'Hey, this is what we're looking for,'" Luers said.

SAR can identify physical structures on the ground, while multispectral imagery uses various wavelengths of light to differentiate between materialscrucial for distinguishing aircraft aluminum from natural terrain.

"Phase One takes those two technologies and covers the 4,500 square mile area," Luers said. "Through AI, we identify what we're looking for."

If Phase One identifies strong points of interest, the team will investigate by helicopter, coordinating with First Nations authorities whose land encompasses the search area.

If needed, Phase Two deploys Woolpert Inc. to conduct high-density LiDAR flights over the entire search area.

"Typical LiDAR is about 40 points per square meter," Luers said. "They can go up to 150very high-grade LiDAR for military applications. They'll spend weeks up there and fly the entire area."

The costs are relatively low for the scope and have a good chance of finding any potential sites, but the technology also highlights an unfortunate moment of irony.

"The military has satellites that can identify the difference between a pine and an oak tree," Luers said. "If I could be king for a day, I would ask the Department of Defense to search this area with hyperspectral imagery. They can distinguish between aluminum and other materials on the ground. The military has the ability to use it."

But they won't.

Once wreckage is located, the team reports it to the Yukon Historical Society. Ground teams would then go scout out the area. If remains are discovered, DPAA handles the recovery and identificationthe same process used for MIA recoveries.

A USAF C-54 Skymaster, similar to the one that went down in the Yukon in 1950. (Wikimedia Commons)

Finding All the Families

Working with volunteer organization FamilySearch, the team spent months identifying living descendants of all 44 people on the plane.

"When people search for ancestors, they're looking for people who died in the past," Luers said. "I said I want people who are living, not dead. They just completed the work about 10 days ago. We have a complete list and are working on a Facebook page only accessible to the descendants."

Some families have no surviving descendants. Others span three generations of waitingand time is running out.

The team plans to keep the relatives updated on the new search efforts and any new findings.

Aircraft 42-72469 in 1946, four years before disappearance. (Wikimedia Commons)

Funding the Mission

The team needs funding for all phases of the search. Phase One requires approximately $160,000. If needed, Phase Two would cost approximately $1.3 million.

Vantor agreed to provide the multispectral imagery for $70,000, a discounted rate.

"They're not making a whole lot of profit," Luers said. "They understand the mission. If we had the money today, we would start today."

"Someone told me that's a lot of money," Luers said of the potential Phase Two costs. "But I said that's pretty cheap to bring 42 service members home."

To help fund the mission, the team created the Yukon 2469 Mission Funding Campaign.

Donations can be made through Project Recover's website at projectrecover.org, with checks sent to 803 SW Industrial Way #204, Bend, OR 97702, noting "Yukon 2469" on the memo line.

"Without funding, the mission is not possible," Luers said. "I don't like to ask people for money, but it does take money for something like this to happen, especially for groups that the DPAA will not look for."

Thoreson remains committed.

"When I get my teeth into something, I keep going," he said. "I hate to see things hanging. You've got to think about the 44 families."

Those families are aging, and many have already passed on without proper closure.

For Luers, the mission is about honoring a father who never stopped searching for his loved ones and the relatives who still have no idea what happened to their family members.

"It matters for one reason," he said. "To bring loved ones home to their families. Let's bring them home."
News / National

by Staff reporter

TOP eye specialist Dr Solomon Guramatunhu has intensified efforts to recover US$550 000 worth of cryptocurrency he lost, after urging the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to appeal against the acquittal of two individuals he accuses of defrauding him.Dr Guramatunhu has written to the NPA following the acquittal of Lloyd and Melissa Chiyangwa by regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa, who ruled that there was no evidence that cryptocurrency constituted legal tender in Zimbabwe and therefore could not form the basis of a fraud conviction.Through his lawyer, Admire Rubaya, Guramatunhu argues that the magistrate fundamentally erred in law and misdirected herself by equating the concept of property with legal tender."The Regional Magistrates Court grossly erred and grossly misdirected itself in concluding that cryptocurrency tokens were not property capable of being stolen simply because cryptocurrency is not recognised in Zimbabwe as legal tender, as if property needs to be legal tender for it to be adjudged as capable of being stolen," Rubaya wrote."Our client is of the firm view that the High Court of Zimbabwe will arrive at a different decision."Rubaya contends that cryptocurrency constitutes property under the law, falling within the category of incorporeal rights vested in a person and relating to movable property, which can be unlawfully taken.He further argued that cryptocurrency has tangible monetary value, as it can be converted into ordinary money, including foreign currencies such as United States dollars."In this instance, it is our considered view that money cannot be limited only to that which can be termed legal tender' in Zimbabwe," Rubaya said."Money includes an entry in an account. There is no indication that the account being referred to in Section 112 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act is only a normal bank account. Cryptocurrency tokens are kept as entries in a cryptocurrency account."Rubaya urged the NPA to adopt a broader interpretation of the law, stressing that control of a cryptocurrency account equates to control of the digital assets held within it."When one has control of the cryptocurrency account, that person has control of the cryptocurrency tokens, which means the owner of the account has an incorporeal right vested in him or her, and that right is capable of being unlawfully and intentionally taken," he argued.He alleged that the Chiyangwas unlawfully transferred cryptocurrency tokens from Dr Guramatunhu's digital wallets into their own, thereby intentionally and unlawfully assuming title over assets belonging to the complainant."The Chiyangwas connived to unlawfully and intentionally assume title in relation to Dr Guramatunhu's incorporeal right to exercise title to the cryptocurrency tokens," Rubaya stated.In the letter, Guramatunhu's legal team offered to assist the NPA with further research and legal material to support an appeal."In light of the arguments raised herein, and with a view to ascertain whether there are prospects of success on appeal against the Chiyangwas' acquittal, we have been instructed to assist you with research and legal material to allow you to appreciate the legal issues raised, so that the Chiyangwas can be held accountable for their alleged criminal misconduct," Rubaya said.The case is likely to test Zimbabwe's legal interpretation of cryptocurrency and whether digital assets can be treated as property capable of theft under existing criminal law.
"I have always been a reader and, of course, I spent so much time aboard ship. For example, I would take a footlocker full of books with me to the Mediterranean and the Mideast and read about the countries in that region and the impact of their religious history and culture. Its important to look at people through their eyes, not just our eyes. You name it, I read it."

Those words from former Commandant General Al Gray highlight why reading matters for Marines. General Gray passed away at 95 in 2024, but his dedication to professional development continues on.

The Commandant's Professional Reading Program was started by General Gray in 1989. It serves as a cornerstone of professional development for Marines. The program fosters critical thinking, leadership, and a deeper understanding of military history and doctrine. By encouraging a culture of continuous learning, the program enhances decision-making skills and prepares Marines to face complex challenges in dynamic environments. Ultimately, the program cultivates well-rounded leaders who embody the intellectual and moral rigor required to uphold the mission of the Marine Corps. Marines at all grades must engage in professional self-study through the reading list.

Photo by Joe Rosenthal (National Archives)

This FY26 update, issued via ALMAR 024/25, refined the list in recognition of the Corps recent 250th anniversary. It highlights heritage, innovation, and enduring ethos. The list offers titles that honor the past and prepare Marines for the future fight. This update includes numerous new titles, broken down into Commandant's Choice, Heritage, Innovation, Leadership, and Strategy. The sole entry for Commandants Choice, Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer, unchanged from last year and remains a must read for those in the profession of arms. The following 15 selections are a sampling of the new additions to this years reading list.

Heritage

Semper Fidelis: 250 Years of U.S. Marine Corps Honor, Courage, and Commitment by Marine Corps History Division - This publication traces the Corps from 1775 to the present, reinforcing core values.

Delivering Destruction: American Firepower and Amphibious Assault from Tarawa to Iwo Jima by Chris K. Hemler - This study examines American triphibious firepower coordination in the Pacific War.

On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare (Vols. I & II) edited by Timothy Heck, B.A. Friedman, and Walker D. Mills - This work explores strategic, operational, and technological factors in amphibious warfare history.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jorge Rodriguez, a logistics specialist with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, and native of Oxnard, California, reads a book to kids in the Pohnpei Public Library after helping unload the boxes of book during exercise Koa Moana 24 at Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, Aug. 1, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hannah Hollerud)

Innovation

7 Seconds to Die: A Military Analysis of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Future of Warfighting by John F. Antal - This analysis covers the first war won primarily by unmanned systems, resulting in Azerbaijan's victory.

Generative AI for Leaders by Amir Husain - This guide helps leaders integrate AI, addressing emerging tech in operations.

Evolution on Demand: The Changing Roles of the U.S. Marine Corps in Twenty-first Century Conflicts and Beyond by Joanna Siekiera - This book explores challenges and opportunities ahead for the Marine Corps.

The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the 21st Century by Jack Watling - This examination unpacks operational challenges new weapons pose in ground warfare.

Leadership

Generals and Admirals, Criminals and Crooks by Jeffrey Matthews - This exploration details failings of U.S. military leaders, including war crimes and corruption.

The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told by Iain C. Martin - This collection gathers marines' true tales of service and sacrifice.

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes - This novel follows a company of Marines who build, abandon, and retake an outpost in Vietnam.

Wisdom of the Bullfrog by Admiral William H. McRaven - This book provides lessons on leadership from a 40-year career.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jovane Holland)

Strategy

The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom - This critique examines failures in higher education to foster a democratic ethos.

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek - This work explores finite versus infinite games, urging leaders to build resilient organizations.

On Grand Strategy by John Lewis Gaddis - This assessment covers grand strategic theory from the ancient world through World War II.

The Generals War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf by Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor - This account analyzes the planning and execution of the Gulf War.

(U.S. Marine Corps graphic by Lance Corporal Skylia Waters-Hewitt)

The complete FY26 list includes additional titles, podcasts, and resources. For background, see Military.com's coverage of previous reading list changes.

Reading sharpens individual skills and builds unit cohesion. Marines who read gain better decision-making abilities. Units that discuss books foster stronger teams. This practice strengthens readiness and pride in service. There is no better time to start reading than now  happy reading in 2026!
What Was Said and When

On December 16, 2025, President Donald Trump said the United States should get the oil back from Venezuela while criticizing U.S. policy toward the Maduro government. Trump framed Venezuelan oil as something taken from the United States and suggested that U.S. pressure had been relaxed without securing the return of American assets, stating, You remember they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil not that long ago. And we want it back. They took it. They illegally took it.

The following day, December 17, 2025, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller sharpened that argument, saying U.S. companies built the countrys oil industry, and Venezuela later nationalized and expropriated those assets. Miller described those actions as theft of American wealth and property.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Beck test-fires an MK 38 25 mm machine gun during a live-fire exercise aboard the USS Essex in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 14, 2025 (Navy Seaman Kenyatta Headley, DoW).

What Oil Rights They Are Referring To

The claims advanced by Trump and Miller trace back not to Venezuelas original oil nationalization in the 1970s, but to a later round of state actions in the mid-2000s. Venezuela first nationalized its oil industry in 1976, ending the concession system and creating the state-owned oil company PDVSA, while still allowing foreign firms to participate later through joint ventures.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Venezuela expanded foreign participation in heavy crude projects, particularly in the Orinoco Belt, through operating agreements and joint ventures with companies including ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.

Beginning in 2006, the Chavez government reversed that opening by requiring oil projects to be restructured so that PDVSA held a majority ownership stake. Several foreign companies rejected the new terms, and Venezuela subsequently seized or took control of specific projects in 2007.

Those 2006-2007 measures triggered investor-state arbitration claims by U.S. energy companies, including ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, seeking compensation for expropriated investments rather than ownership of Venezuelas oil reserves.

International law draws a clear distinction between compensation claims and sovereign ownership. Under the principle of permanent sovereignty over natural resources, oil reserves remain the property of the state, even when that state owes compensation for expropriation.

Where the Military Dimension Comes In

Physically getting Venezuelan oil would require coercive action against shipping or infrastructure, not sanctions alone. On December 10, 2025, Trump publicly confirmed the United States seized an oil tanker off Venezuelas coast, describing the seizure as part of a pressure campaign.



Administration rhetoric has also referenced blocking oil shipments. Under widely cited restatements of the law of naval warfare, a naval blockade is a belligerent act associated with armed conflict and carries defined legal requirements for declaration, enforcement, and neutrality.

Outside an armed conflict or U.N.-authorized operation, the use of military force against another states shipping or infrastructure implicates the U.N. Charters prohibition on the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of a state.

What U.S. Law Would Require

If U.S. armed forces were used in sustained operations to interdict shipping or control energy infrastructure, the War Powers Resolution would apply. That statute requires the executive branch to report such actions to Congress and provides mechanisms for congressional involvement in decisions about continued hostilities.

The USS George Washington and the USS Dewey participate in a maneuvering exercise in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 10, 2025 (Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Oscar Diaz, DoW).

How Sanctions Actually Work

Current U.S. policy toward Venezuelan oil has primarily operated through economic tools administered by the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control, not through military force. Treasurys sanctions program blocks dealings with designated Venezuelan actors and restricts transactions involving Venezuelas state oil company PDVSA unless a specific authorization applies.

The best example is Chevron. Treasurys General License 41 framework authorized only limited, defined activity related to Chevrons joint ventures and was structured to prevent PDVSA from receiving profits from Chevrons oil sales. Treasury stated the authorization was limited to Chevrons joint ventures and did not open broader activity with PDVSA.

Even when Treasury updated the Chevron authorization, the text of the license itself underscored that it did not create a broader claim over Venezuelan resources. For example, the General License 41B text expressly states that nothing in the license authorizes any expansion of Chevrons joint ventures into new fields, which is the opposite of an ownership or rights claim to reserves.

Why the Rhetoric Matters for the Military

Treating oil as something the United States can take back shifts the issue from economic pressure to questions of force, maritime control, and occupation-level operations. For military planners, controlling oil infrastructure is not a sanctions issue but a mission set that historically requires sustained presence, force protection, and clear rules of engagement, all of which carry significant legal and escalation risks.

That framing also resonates deeply with many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, where U.S. military involvement was widely perceived by the public as tied to oil interests, regardless of official justifications. Public opinion research during and after the Iraq War found large portions of Americans believed the war was fought at least in part to control oil resources, a belief that has shaped how many veterans interpret rhetoric linking military force and energy assets.

For that audience, language suggesting the United States can reclaim foreign oil risks reinforcing the idea that military force is being used to secure economic resources, a perception that has long complicated civil-military trust and post-service reflection on past conflicts.
For many veterans and military families, the hardest part of seeking mental health care isnt admitting they need helpits figuring out where to go, how long it will take, and whether the care will actually fit their lives.

Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) was created to address exactly that problem. Nearly ten years later, it has quietly become one of the largest nonprofit providers of outpatient mental health care for the military community in the countryand is now expanding overseas.

To better understand what CVN is, how it works, and why it matters, Military.com sat down with Anthony Hassan, CEO of Cohen Veterans Network, and Air Force Gen. (ret) Joe Lengyel, Chairman of CVNs Board of Directors, for an in-depth conversation about the organizations mission, growth, and impact.

What follows is what every veteran, and every military family member, needs to know about CVN.

Dr. Anthony Hassan (CEO of Cohen Veterans Network) listens to a tour guide at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Hassan was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Medal for his dedication and support to the U.S. Army. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dana Clarke, DVIDS)

What Is Cohen Veterans Network?

Cohen Veterans Network is a national nonprofit network of outpatient mental health clinics designed specifically for veterans, service members, and their families.

Founded with a philanthropic commitment of $275M from Steve Cohen, CVN was built to fill persistent gaps in access to care, particularly long wait times, cost barriers, and the lack of providers who understand military life.

From the beginning, the mission was simple.

If a military member, veteran, or family member raises their hand and asks for help, Hassan said, they should get itwithout barriers.

Today, CVN operates 22 clinics across the United States, with plans for continued growth based on need, not arbitrary targets.

Who Can Get Care at CVN Clinics?

One of the most important things to understand about Cohen Veterans Network is who it serves.

CVN provides care to:

Veterans

Active-duty service members

Military spouses and partners

Children and adolescents in military families

About half of CVNs patients are veterans, while the other half are family membersan intentional focus that distinguishes CVN from many veteran-only models.

Women veterans represent a significant portion of CVNs patient population, and Hassan noted that many report feeling particularly welcomed in CVN clinics. Children and adolescents account for roughly 20% of family-member care, reflecting growing mental health needs among military kids.

CVN Los Angeles Clinic Reception area (Photo provided by CVN).

What Kind of Care Does CVN Provide?

CVN clinics deliver clinical, evidence-based mental health treatment, not peer support or non-clinical counseling.

Care is provided by licensed mental health professionals, including:

Psychologists

Licensed clinical social workers

Licensed marriage and family therapists

Licensed professional counselors

Treatment addresses conditions such as:

PTSD

Depression

Anxiety

Adjustment disorders

Relationship and family challenges

CVN also provides couples therapy and is expanding child and adolescent services, including consideration of child psychiatry in some locations.

Many patients complete care within 812 sessions, often over the course of a few monthsa model designed to help people feel better sooner, not stay in therapy indefinitely.

Wait times for appointments with CVN are typically less than 2 weeks. (Photo provide by CVN).

How Fast Can You Get an Appointment?

Speed matters, especially in mental health.

While wait times in some systems can stretch for months, CVNs goal is to get patients into care within two weeks.

Gen. Lengyel, who spent decades in senior military leadership roles, said that delay can carry real risk.

Waiting four or five months for mental health care is like telling someone who needs oxygen that theyll get it later, he said.

That emphasis on rapid access is one of the defining features of the CVN model.

How Much Does It Cost?

Another common concern: cost.

CVN bills private insurance when available, but inability to pay is never a barrier to care. If a patient is uninsured or cannot afford copays, CVN works to address the cost.

Importantly, CVNs clinics, both in the U.S. and overseas, operate at no cost to the federal government. The organization is funded through private philanthropy and state-level partnerships, not DoD or VA budgets.

Why CVN Focuses on Families, Not Just Veterans

A defining element of Cohen Veterans Network is its belief that military readiness begins at home.

Family readiness is military readiness, Lengyel said. If families arent healthy, readiness suffers.

By treating spouses, partners, and childrennot just the service memberCVN addresses challenges earlier, often before they escalate into crises that affect careers, assignments, or long-term well-being.

That upstream approach, Hassan said, helps prevent problems rather than reacting after damage is done.

Whats Changing: CVN Is Going Overseas

One of the most significant developments discussed with Military.com is CVNs expansion onto U.S. military installations overseas, beginning in Japan and South Korea.

In cooperation with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), CVN is opening clinics on bases in the Indo-Pacific, the first civilian mental health organization to do so.

The focus overseas is primarily on:

Military family members

DoD civilians

DoDEA educators

Some veterans living abroad

Access to care overseas can be especially difficult due to language barriers, cultural differences, and limited local resources.

This is uniquely personal care, Lengyel said. You need providers who understand the military experience.

Locations (current & future) of Cohen Veterans Network clinics (Image provided by CVN).

Why Overseas Mental Health Care Matters for Readiness

Beyond individual well-being, CVNs overseas expansion has broader implications for force readiness.

Hassan and Lengyel both emphasized that access to mental health care can determine whether families are able, or willing, to remain overseas.

These services allow families to stay, Hassan said. They open doors for assignments that might otherwise not be possible.

Military children overseas face the same pressures as their peers in the U.S., compounded by frequent moves, deployments, and cultural transitions. Without accessible care, families may feel forced to return stateside.

CVNs presence helps stabilize families, and, by extension, the force.

Gen (ret.) Joseph Lengyel is Chairman of the Board for CVN (Photo provided by CVN).

Continuity of Care Across Assignments

Another advantage of the CVN network model is continuity.

A family receiving care overseas can transition seamlessly to a CVN clinic in the U.S. after a PCS move, without restarting the process from scratch.

That continuity matters, Hassan said. Its one less disruption during an already stressful transition.

The Impact Youll Never See

When asked how they measure success, both leaders pointed beyond metrics.

You never know all the bad things that didnt happen, Lengyel said. The crisis that was avoided because someone got help when they needed it.

Hassan echoed that sentiment, noting that CVN often hears from patients who believe care came at a pivotal moment in their lives.

When someone finally raises their hand, he said, this might be our only chance. We take that seriously.

The waiting room at the Cohen Clinic in Hawaii (Photo provided by CVN).

Whats Next for Cohen Veterans Network?

As CVN approaches its 10-year mark, both leaders see continued growth, but with a clear focus.

Well still be doing one thing, Lengyel said. Rapid access to high-quality mental health care, just in more places.

Hassan agreed.

Who would have thought wed be global? he said. Now the door is open. Well go wherever military communities need us.

For veterans and families navigating an often-confusing mental health landscape, that may be the most important takeaway of all.
Okay, here is the rewritten title and the blog post, following all your requirements.







(Exclusive: Inside Googles Plan to Make AI Tools Accessible to Small Businesses Worldwide)

Rewritten Title: Googles Big Leap: Bringing AI Power to Every Small Business Corner

Blog Post:

Imagine this. A small bakery owner in Lisbon uses smart software to predict tomorrows bread demand. A family-run hardware store in Nairobi automates its customer emails. A freelance designer in Bangkok creates stunning visuals in minutes. This isnt some distant future. Its happening now. Google is making it happen. Theyre pushing hard to get powerful AI tools into the hands of small businesses everywhere. This is big news. Forget complex jargon and sky-high costs. Google wants AI to be simple, useful, and affordable for everyone. Lets look inside this plan.

1. What Exactly Are Googles AI Tools for Small Businesses?

Google isnt talking about one single magic app. They mean a whole set of smart technologies. These tools use artificial intelligence. Think of AI as computer programs that can learn and solve problems. They can understand language, spot patterns, and even create things. Google is packaging these abilities for small businesses. Key examples include Gemini. This is a smart assistant. It helps write emails, create social media posts, or summarize documents. Then theres Vertex AI. This is more advanced. It helps businesses build custom AI solutions without needing a team of PhDs. Google is also baking AI into its existing tools. Think Google Workspace. Features like smart replies in Gmail or auto-generated summaries in Docs are part of this push. The main goal is clear. Make these tools easy to find, easy to try, and easy to use. No complicated setups. Google wants small shops, cafes, consultants, and startups to benefit. They aim to level the playing field.

2. Why Should Small Businesses Care About AI? Whats the Big Deal?

Running a small business is tough. Owners wear many hats. They handle marketing, sales, customer service, and finances. Time is scarce. Money is tight. Mistakes hurt. This is where AI steps in. It offers real, practical help. AI can save precious time. Imagine cutting hours spent on repetitive tasks. Tasks like answering common customer questions or sorting through invoices. AI tools can do these things quickly. They free up owners and staff. Free time means focusing on growth. Focusing on strategy. Focusing on customers. AI can also save money. Better demand forecasting means less wasted stock. Smarter ad targeting means more bang for the marketing buck. Improved customer service can boost loyalty and sales. AI helps small businesses compete. They can offer services that once only big corporations could afford. Think personalized recommendations or 24/7 support. AI makes this possible. It helps small players punch above their weight.

3. How Is Google Actually Making This Happen? How Do You Get Started?

Google knows fancy tech scares people. Especially busy small business owners. So, theyre focusing on making things simple. First, accessibility. Many tools will be available directly through Google Workspace. Business owners likely already use Gmail or Google Drive. Adding AI features feels natural. They wont need to install completely new systems. Second, affordability. Google is offering free tiers and low-cost options. Tools like Gemini might be free to start. More advanced features in Vertex AI could have pay-as-you-go plans. The idea is low risk. Try it without big upfront costs. Third, simplicity. Google is designing these tools to be user-friendly. No coding required. Plain English instructions. Step-by-step guides. Think of it like using any other app. You dont need to be a tech expert. Google also offers learning resources. Online tutorials. Help centers. Maybe even local workshops. The message is clear. Getting started is easy. Find the tool you need. Sign up or log in. Start using it for simple tasks. See the benefit. Then explore more.

4. What Can Small Businesses Actually Do With Googles AI Tools? Real-World Uses.

This isnt just theory. These tools solve real problems. Lets look at specific applications. Customer support is a huge area. AI chatbots can handle common questions anytime. They answer FAQs about store hours, return policies, or booking slots. This frees up human staff for complex issues. Marketing gets a boost too. AI can help write catchy social media posts. It can draft engaging email newsletters. It can even suggest the best times to post for maximum reach. Content creation becomes easier. Need a product description? A blog post idea? A simple flyer? AI assistants can generate drafts quickly. Owners just tweak them. Operations run smoother. AI can help track inventory levels. It can analyze sales data to spot trends. It can even help schedule staff efficiently. Data analysis is powerful. Small businesses have data. Sales figures. Customer feedback. Website traffic. AI tools can make sense of this data. They find insights humans might miss. This helps make smarter decisions. For a local restaurant, AI might predict busy nights. A small consultancy could use AI to draft project proposals faster. The possibilities are vast and practical.

5. What Are People Asking? Common Questions About Googles AI for Small Business.







(Exclusive: Inside Googles Plan to Make AI Tools Accessible to Small Businesses Worldwide)

People have questions. This is new territory. Lets address some common ones. Data privacy is a big concern. People ask, Is my business data safe? Google states they have strong security measures. They claim business data isnt used to train general AI models without permission. Reading Googles specific privacy policies is always wise. Cost worries many. Can I afford this? Google emphasizes low-cost entry points. Many tools start free. Costs scale with usage. Owners can start small. They see value before spending more. Skill level is another worry. Do I need tech skills? Google says no. They design tools for non-experts. Simple interfaces. Clear instructions. Support is available. What if I need help? Google provides online resources. Help centers. Community forums. For complex Vertex AI needs, they might offer paid support options. Finally, people ask, Is this really for me? Google believes AI can help almost any small business. They point to tasks every business does. Communication. Marketing. Planning. Analysis. If a task is repetitive or data-heavy, AI might help. The advice is simple. Explore the options. Try a free tool. See if it fits your needs.

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The Astros, Pirates and Rays have completed a big three-team trade. Each teams end of the deal breaks down as follows

The Bucs have a full 40-man roster and will have to make two corresponding moves, which they have not announced yet.

Lowe is the biggest name of the bunch here. The 31-year-old has spent the past eight seasons with the Rays. In that time, he has established himself as one of the better power-hitting second basemen in the sport. Dating back to the start of 2019, he has hit 151 home runs. Among primary second basemen, only Marcus Semien and Jose Altuve are ahead of him in that category, with Semien having 178 homers in that span and Altuve 158.

That power production from Lowe is even more impressive when one considers that he did that in about one thousand fewer plate appearances than Altuve and about 1,600 shy of Semien. But that also demonstrates the main knock on Lowe, which is that he has had trouble staying on the field. Due to various injuries over the years, he has only twice been able to play more than 107 games in a season. Lower back problems have been a frequent issue but hes also hit the injured list due to a right shin bone bruise, a right triceps contusion, a right patella fracture, a right oblique strain, left oblique tightness and left ankle/foot tendinitis.

Earlier in his career, the Rays moved Lowe between second base and the outfield corners. Presumably because of the injuries, he hasnt been sent out to the grass since 2022. He has been almost exclusively a second baseman lately, with a few stints at first as well. His second base defense was once around league average but seems to have slipped as he has battled those injuries and pushed into his 30s. He was given a minus-13 grade from Outs Above Average this year and minus-14 from Defensive Runs Saved.

Theres also a bit of concern from his declining plate discipline. He has always had a high strikeout rate but offset that earlier in his career with solid walk rates. That hasnt been the case lately, as Lowe walked in fewer than 8% of his plate appearances in each of the past two years.

The power has still been enough to carry the profile. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has 52 home runs and a .251/.309/.475 batting line. That translates to a 118 wRC+, indicating his offense has been 18% above league average overall. Despite the defensive shortcomings, FanGraphs credited him with four wins above replacement in 241 games over that two-year span. He is going to make $11.5MM in 2026 before hes slated to reach free agency.

Though Lowe is an imperfect player, he will be a big upgrade for the Pirates. They had almost no offensive prowess to speak of in 2025. Spencer Horwitz was the only Pirate to produce a wRC+ higher than 101.

While the Bucs had a clear lack of offense, they have a huge pile of pitching talent. Paul Skenes is the clear headliner but they have plenty of other exciting young arms in the mix. After several years struggling to return to contention, the Bucs came into this winter looking to get aggressive in upgrading the offense.

They made some spirited attempts in free agency, making competitive offers to Kyle Schwarber and Josh Naylor before they re-signed with the Phillies and Mariners respectively. Even if the Bucs had succeeded in signing one of those guys or someone else, it always seemed likely that they would use their stockpile of young arms to bolster the offense. This is the second such trade of the offseason for the Bucs. They sent Johan Oviedo to the Red Sox earlier this month as part of a five-player swap, with outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia coming back to Pittsburgh.

Lowe could jump in as the regular second baseman. The Bucs used guys like Jared Triolo, Nick Yorke and Nick Gonzales there in 2025 without anyone taking firm hold of the position. Given Lowes age, injury issues and defensive shortcomings, its also possible he sees significant time in the designated hitter slot. That would leave open some playing time for those guys, though Triolo and Gonzalez could also factor in at shortstop or third base.

Since Lowe is going into the final year of his deal, hes just a one-year upgrade for the Pirates, though its possible they could make him a qualifying offer at seasons end if he has a healthy and productive campaign.

They had added yet another guy to their position player mix with Mangum, though hes not likely to be a massive lineup boost. He got into 118 games with the Rays this year as a speed-and-defense guy with a contact-based approach. His 15% strikeout rate was lower than league average but he also only drew walks at a 4% clip and hit only three home runs. His .296/.330/.368 batting line translated to a 95 wRC+ but he stole 27 bases and got strong defensive grades in all three outfield slots.

Mangum has exactly one year of service time, meaning hes at least two years from arbitration and five years from free agency. He also has a full slate of options, so he could be sent to Triple-A to serve as depth. The Bucs should have Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds in two outfield spots. One spot is available with guys like Garcia, Jack Suwinski, Marco Luciano and others in the mix. Mangum could push for a regular role or a gig as a fourth outfielder, or he could end up in Triple-A, as mentioned. A lengthy optional assignment could delay his trajectory to arbitration and/or free agency.

The Bucs also picked up a reliever in Montgomery. The southpaw tossed 55 2/3 innings for the Rays over the past two years, allowing 5.01 earned runs per nine. He struck out 32.5% of batters faced and got grounders on 45% of balls in play but also gave out walks at a big 13% clip. He has a high-90s fastball, as well as a cutter and a slider, but control is clearly an issue.

He is also optionable and can be controlled for five years, so the Bucs can see if they can help him harness his stuff, without having to commit a big league roster spot. Pittsburghs southpaw relief contingent is currently headlined by Gregory Soto, with Evan Sisk and now Montgomery also in the mix.

In order to get those players, the Pirates are making a notable subtraction from their rotation. Burrows, 26, was an 11th-round pick and spent many years in the middle range of Pittsburghs top 30 prospects. However, he has increased his stock lately. He has thus far tossed 99 1/3 innings in his big league career with a 3.90 ERA, 23.8% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 41.9% ground ball rate. He has averaged in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a slider, curveball and changeup. He has also thrown 83 2/3 innings in the minors over the past two seasons with a 4.20 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate.

The Pirates are hoping that their trades this offseason have bolstered their lineup and bullpen, while the rotation could still be a strength despite the subtractions. Even without Oviedo and Burrows, they still have Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Hunter Barco, Thomas Harrington and others in the mix. Jared Jones is still recovering from Tommy John surgery but should rejoin that group at some point in 2026.

Burrows is a sensible addition for the Astros. Injuries tore apart their rotation in 2026. Luis Garcia required yet another elbow surgery and was jettisoned from the roster. Ronel Blanco, Hayden Wesneski and Brandon Walter all required Tommy John surgery during the 2025 season and are facing lengthy absences.

In addition to the injury issues, they also lost Framber Valdez to free agency and dont appear likely to re-sign him. Thats because they are reportedly hoping to avoid the competitive balance tax in 2026. RosterResource pegs them for a CBT number of around $220MM, which is roughly $24MM shy of the $244MM base threshold. That gives them some ability to do things but they also have other needs on the roster and presumably want to keep some powder dry for midseason additions.

Put it all together and the Astros came into the winter with a rotation consisting of Hunter Brown and a series of question marks. Cristian Javier should have a spot next year but he had middling results in 2025 after recovering from his own Tommy John surgery. They cant count on Lance McCullers Jr. for anything after he posted a 6.51 ERA in his return from a lengthy injury absence. Jason Alexander is in the mix but is a veteran journeyman. Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France, Colton Gordon, AJ Blubaugh and Miguel Ullola are on the 40-man but theyre all either unestablished at the big league level or struggled with injuries in 2025.

Adding to the rotation was obviously necessary but the budgetary situation has impacted their approach. Instead of going after top free agents, they have given modest deals to reclamation project Nate Pearson and KBO returnee Ryan Weiss.

Burrows also fits into the low-cost mode. He has less than a year of service time, meaning hes still years away from arbitration and even further from free agency. He also still has an option season remaining, so the Astros can send him to Triple-A throughout the year if other guys push him for a rotation spot.

To get that affordable rotation upgrade, they are subtracting from their outfield mix and their long-term pitching pipeline. Melton, now 25, debuted in 2025 but didnt hit the ground running. He hit just .157/.234/.186 this year, though in a tiny sample of 78 plate appearances. A right ankle sprain cost him a decent chunk of the season, as he only got into 67 games between Triple-A and the majors.

His minor league work is naturally more impressive. Prior to this trade, many outlets considered him the top prospect in Houstons system. Hes considered a plus outfielder and baserunner. Though his 2025 was shortened by injury, he swiped at least 30 bags in the two previous minor league seasons. In 1,146 minor league plate appearances, he has a 22.6% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, 48 home runs, .255/.334/.462 line and 110 wRC+.

Though Melton had reached the big leagues, he was part of a somewhat jumbled outfield mix consisting of Jake Meyers, Cam Smith, Jesus Sanchez, Zach Cole and Zach Dezenzo, with Yordan Alvarez also in the mix from time to time when hes not the designated hitter. Meyers has been in some trade rumors but Melton was perhaps more appealing to the Rays. Meyers is down to two years of club control and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $3.5MM salary next year.

Melton has less than a year of service time, so he comes with six full years of control. He also has two option seasons remaining, so the Rays can keep him in Triple-A if he hasnt yet earned a big league job with them. The Rays effectively swap him into their outfield mix for Mangum. Hell compete for playing time with Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, Cedric Mullins, Jake Fraley, Jonny DeLuca, Richie Palacios and others.

Brito is also an attractive piece but hes farther away. An amateur signing out of Venezuela, he has limited professional experience, having not yet reached the Double-A level. Thus far, he has shown big strikeout stuff but hes clearly still working on controlling his stuff. He has thrown 103 minor league innings over 2024 and 2025 with a 2.36 ERA, walking 11.7% of batters faced but also punching them out at a 35% clip. Baseball America had him ranked as the #3 prospect in the Astros system before the deal.

The Rays have been busy today, as they have also sent Shane Baz to the Orioles for four prospects and a draft pick. This deal is also future-focused for them, as they have sent out three big leaguers for two prospects. Given the young and controllable talent they acquired, its possible this is some kind of setback for a rebuild.

On the other hand, Lowe was already a classic Rays trade candidate, as he is relatively expensive for them and nearing free agency. Baz isnt quite the same, as he can still be controlled for three more seasons, but he is projected for a $3.1MM salary next year. Maybe the Rays will now pivot to investing in the roster, now that theyve saved some money and bolstered their farm system.

Given that this deal involves three teams and half a dozen players, most of whom are young and controllable for years to come, its going to take quite a while to determine whether it was wise for the clubs involved. For now, it aligns with their immediate needs.

The Astros have bolstered their rotation without having to pay big bucks. They have subtracted one of their top prospects in Melton, but from an area of the roster with some depth. Brito is another notable prospect gone but hes been replaced by a pitcher who can provide more help in the near term.

The Rays have saved a bit of money by trading Lowe. They also subtracted a couple of other players but one of them was in a crowded outfield mix with some fourth outfielder tendencies, the other a clearly talented but volatile reliever.

The Pirates were widely expected to move starting pitching to try to add to their position player group and this is the second time this winter they have executed a trade with that aim. Theres a bit of risk in giving up a controllable starter for an injury-prone bat with just one year of control and a couple of fringier pieces, but they needed to do something for the lineup and free agency was proving challenging. They have gone the trade route instead and used their area of greatest strength to hopefully patch over weaknesses elsewhere.

Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the elements of the deal. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com and Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported that the deal was done but pending medical reviews. Rome and Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that the deal was done.

Photos courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Kim Klement Neitzel, Nathan Ray Seebeck, Charles LeClaire, Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
ISHPEMING, MI  Ownership of the only operating primary nickel mine in the United States is changing under a deal that reflects intensifying pressure to secure domestic supplies of minerals used in electric vehicles, weapons systems and power infrastructure.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, Talon Metals Corp., a British Virgin Islands-based company which is hunting for mineral deposits in Michigan and Minnesota, announced it will acquire the Eagle Mine and its processing mill in the Upper Peninsula from Lundin Mining of Canada.

The transaction is expected to close in early 2026 and is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, according to the two companies.

The underground Eagle Mine in the Yellow Dog Plains northwest of Marquette has been operating since 2014. It produces nickel and copper concentrates which are processed at the Humboldt Mill near Ishpeming and exported for further refining.

Under the deal, Lundin will receive about 275 million shares of Talon, giving it roughly a 20 percent ownership stake in the company after closing. Lundin will also gain two seats on Talons board. Darby Stacey, who currently oversees Eagle and the Humboldt Mill for Lundin, is set to become Talons chief executive officer.

According to Reuters, the deal is worth about $84 million.

Talon, which is headquartered abroad but maintains offices in Canada and Minnesota, said the acquisition would transform it from a mine developer into an operating U.S. producer with an established workforce, processing infrastructure and cash flow.

Talon also said the Humboldt Mill could eventually process ore from other deposits, positioning it as a regional hub for future nickel and copper projects. Under deal terms, Lundin will retain a financial interest in future mill use, receiving payments of $1 per metric ton of non-Eagle ore processed at the mill, up to a total of $20 million.

Talon already has a high-profile supply agreement with EV automaker Tesla tied to future nickel production from its Tamarack Mine under development in Minnesota.

The deal will create a pure-play U.S. nickel company anchored by the Eagle Mine, said Lundin CEO Jack Lundin. This transaction unlocks meaningful synergies, including the opportunity to leverage the Humboldt Mill as a shared, centralized processing facility.

Talon CEO Henri van Rooyen said the deal creates the only operating primary nickel-copper company in the U.S. with expansion potential.

Eagle Mine has produced more than 190,000 metric tons of nickel and roughly 185,000 metric tons of copper since operations began, according to Lundin. The company said the mine generated more than $3 billion in revenue through the third quarter of 2025.

An aerial photo of the Lundin Eagle Mine site near Big Bay, Mich. The nickel and copper mine opened in 2014. (Courtesy | Eagle Mine)

When Eagle began producing in 2014, it was notable mostly because Michigan had not opened a new mine in decades and the project drew fierce environmental opposition over concerns about water pollution which have since quieted.

Rio Tintos Kennecott unit originally discovered and owned the Eagle deposit and sold the mine to Lundin in 2013. Rio Tinto remains connected to Talons broader business through a separate joint venture at the Tamarack nickel project in Minnesota.

Talon has been actively drilling for new deposits Michigan for two years. The company found a small high-grade nickel and copper deposit last year named Boulderdash under an old quarry near the east branch of the Huron River about 8 miles from Eagle Mine.

In 2024, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approved a Talon lease to explore for minerals under 23,000 acres. In 2023, the company won a 20 million federal defense grant to explore for deposits under 400,000 private acres in the U.P. on which it acquired mineral rights from UPX Minerals in 2022.

In March, it announced a deal with Lundin to finance drilling at two U.P. exploration sites. The company considers the region highly prospective thanks to its location along a geologically unique mid-continental rift.

A Talon Metals exploratory drilling rig near Roland Lake in Baraga County, Mich. The company began exploratory drilling for nickel in the Upper Peninsula in 2024. Talon Metals

The Eagle Mine transaction comes amid heightened national focus on so-called critical minerals such as cobalt, copper, tungsten and nickel. Nickel is essential for stainless steel, military alloys and high-energy lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.

Despite rising demand, the U.S. produces only a small fraction of the nickel it consumes. Most global nickel supply comes from producers in Indonesia, the Philippines and Russia. Much of that material is refined abroad, leaving U.S. manufacturers exposed to geopolitical risks, trade disruptions and environmental standards that vary by country.

In announcing the deal, Talon said it plans to evaluate the Humboldt Mills existing tailings  the finely ground waste material left after ore processing  to determine whether advances in extraction technology could allow additional nickel, copper or other metals to be recovered from material previously considered uneconomic.

Such reprocessing has become increasingly attractive as metal prices rise and new processing methods improve recovery rates.

Talon is also pursuing other processing capacity. In North Dakota, the company has proposed the Beulah Minerals Processing Facility, a planned hydrometallurgical plant to process nickel and other battery metals suitable for domestic manufacturing.

Eagle Mine was originally set to close in 2024 but its life has been repeatedly extended as new ore is found and plans evolve. The mines external affairs director said last year its life had been extended to 2029 after a third deposit was identified.

But underground mining is never free of risk. In 2024, production paused after a partial tunnel collapse  a fall of ground  before hauling resumed.

The renewed U.P. mining push is largely supported by local governments and economic development organizations but hasnt been without pushback. Plans to develop the fully-permitted Copperwood Mine near Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park have drawn loud opposition from environmental groups and Indigenous tribes. Development of the proposed Back Forty open-pit gold mine near Menominee has apparently stalled amid fierce opposition from environmental groups and tribes.
News / National

by Staff reporter

PROMINENT banker Nicholas Vingirai has filed a formal complaint with the Judge President of the High Court, accusing Justice Joel Mambara of granting a court order that was "neither sought nor argued" before him, in a move Vingirai says amounts to serious judicial misconduct.The complaint, contained in a detailed letter dated December 16, 2025, is addressed to Judge President Justice Mary Zimba-Dube and copied to the Office of the President and Cabinet, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) executive secretary Walter Chikwana and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc).Vingirai's grievance arises from High Court case number HCH5356/25, in which he alleges that Justice Mambara exceeded his judicial mandate by ruling on substantive issues when only preliminary points were before the court.According to Vingirai, despite dismissing all preliminary objections raised, Justice Mambara went on to determine the matter on its merits  issues which, he says, had neither been pleaded nor argued by any of the parties.More controversially, Vingirai alleges that the judge granted both the rescission of a judgment and the joinder of parties, despite such relief not having been sought in the application before him."Despite the seriousness of the preliminary points, the judge dismissed all preliminary points and, inexplicably, proceeded to grant the application on the merits, which merits had not been argued by both sides," Vingirai wrote."More preposterously, the judge proceeds to grant rescission of the judgment in my favour under HCH5712/24 and orders joinder of the applicants to my application under HCH5712/24, yet the application before him was not even asking for rescission and joinder. It was merely asking for permission to file an application for rescission."Vingirai questioned the legal basis upon which Justice Mambara granted relief that had not been sought."The question I have for the Honourable Judge President is this: was Justice Mambara granting all this in anticipation of matters being brought before him in the future? This is simply astonishing," he wrote.He further disputed the characterisation of the judgment affected by the ruling, case number HCH5712/24, stating that it was not a default judgment but a consent order involving the government of Zimbabwe."The judgment under HCH5712/24, which the applicants contend is a default judgment, is actually an order by consent of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development," Vingirai said.He added that the permanent secretary in the ministry had deposed to an affidavit confirming government's position to return his farms, explaining that President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Cabinet had passed a special resolution acknowledging that the properties had been erroneously acquired.Vingirai further argued that the opposing parties only held what he described as "erroneously issued" offer letters, which he said did not constitute proof of ownership.He also noted that a substantive rescission application filed by the same applicants had already been struck off the roll by Justice Deme under case number HCH643/25."You will note, Honourable Judge President, that the applicants' rescission application was struck off the register by Justice Deme under HCH643/25, which means that Justice Mambara was only faced with a condonation application before him and not an application for rescission," he wrote."Justice Mambara granted an application that was not even before the court at all."Vingirai described the alleged conduct as unethical and deeply damaging to public confidence in the judiciary."I submit that this is highly unethical. It is the highest level of serious misconduct by a whole judge. To grant an application that is not even before the court defeats the whole point of the judiciary acting as the last line of defence for citizens," he alleged.He confirmed that his legal team would appeal the ruling and requested that any application for leave to appeal be heard by a different judge."My legal practitioner will definitely file an appeal to set aside this shameful judgment and I request that the application for leave to appeal be dealt with by a different judge, as Justice Mambara has shown the highest levels of bias and corruption," Vingirai stated.This is not the first time Justice Mambara's conduct has come under scrutiny. Earlier this year, ferrochrome producer Zimasco (Private) Limited lodged complaints with the JSC and the Law Society of Zimbabwe, implicating the judge  alongside lawyers Wilson Manase and Valentine Kwande  in what the company described as an unlawful takeover attempt by businessman Shepherd Tundiya's Avim Investments.
Michigan state parks, forests and campgrounds are looking for part-time workers to fill their summer staff.

More than 1,300 summer staffers are needed across Michigans 103 state parks and recreation sites.

Employees will help welcome visitors, register campers and contribute to the upkeep of facilities via cleaning, mowing, etc.

The starting hourly rate is $15.50. Some positions may qualify for academic or internship credit.

Summer positions offer flexible hours, up to 1,040 hours between April and October 2026, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The first step is a 5-minute online application. Submit your contact information and preferred work location(s). That can be done here.

Want to live onsite? Make a Michigan state campground your home base this summer as a volunteer host

The ideal candidate is looking to connect with nature, meet incredible people and gain valuable skills in customer service, teamwork and outdoor recreation, according to the DNR.

These short-term summer park worker positions are perfect for those laying the foundation for a career in natural resources or keeping busy in retirement.

Ideal candidates are 18 years of age or older, possess a high school diploma (or equivalent) and pass a pre-employment drug test and background check.

More job opportunities: Firewood to beach snacks: Michigan state parks seeking concession businesses
LANSING, MI  New state legislation unveiled this week would take a crack at regulating water usage, transparency standards and infrastructure costs in large-scale data center developments amid a hardening public opposition against the facilities across the state.

Three bills were introduced Thursday, Dec. 18, to address what Senate Democrats called the sweeping hyperscale data center industry before being referred to the Senates Committee on Energy and Environment.

Touted for receiving bipartisan support, lawmakers said they aimed to address concerns commonly raised by Michiganders, shielding them from things like higher utility costs and protecting natural resources.

We have seen hyperscale data center projects proposed in Saline, Battle Creek, Mason, and many other places throughout Michigan, state Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, said in a statement. Residents of these communities are rightfully concerned, and by implementing additional guardrails, we can protect our constituents and our natural resources.

Senate Bills 761, 762 and 763 each propose amending existing state statutes.

SB 761 bans those withdrawing more than an average of 2 million gallons of water a day for consumptive use  water that evaporates or does not return to the water system  from obtaining a permit in the state.

Meanwhile, SB 762 requires the Michigan Public Service Commission to publish annual reports regarding the total energy spending and water usage of data centers, and SB 763 prohibits passing infrastructure improvement costs on to residential ratepayers.

These bills advance our work to protect our state from problems we have seen across the country with these types of data centers, like in Arizona and New Jersey, Bayer said. We will continue to be proactive problem solvers to prevent utility bills from skyrocketing at a time when affordability and household incomes are already stretched thin.

Bayer is among several sponsors for the legislation. Other Democratic sponsors include Sens. Stephanie Chang, Jeff Irwin, Erika Geiss and Sue Shink.

Also a sponsor is Republican Sen. Jon Bumstead, who couldnt immediately be reached Thursday. A West Michigan legislator, hes previously spoken up on the issue, including at a Northern Michigan meeting in November when he assured a crowd that data centers wouldnt be built on state land.

Data centers are needed to power artificial intelligence operators and cloud computing. While theres been a wave of interest in hyperscale or large-scale, warehouse-like developments, local ordinances regulating data centers typically break those rules up by size, and several communities have introduced moratoriums.

The Saline Township data center, as referenced by Bayer, is a 1.4-gigawatt project slated to put a massive server warehouse on farmland for ChatGPT creator OpenAI and cloud computing giant Oracle. Itd also be the biggest in the state.
BALDWIN, MI - A man died in detention this week at the North Lake Processing Center, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Northern Michigan, according to congressional sources.

The death on Monday, Dec. 15, first reported by Metro Times Detroit, remains under investigation.

ICE has not publicly reported the death, but its website says it posts new releases about detainee deaths within two business days. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The man was identified as Nenko Gantchev, 56, a Bulgarian who was arrested in Chicago. Its unclear how long Gantchev was in ICE detention, but a court filing shows he was being held as of Oct. 22.

He is no longer listed in ICEs online detainee locator.

Update: During a deadly year for ICE detention, man dies at Michigans newest facility

U.S. Reps. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Chicago, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, issued a joint statement Thursday, Dec. 18, saying they are deeply concerned about Gantchevs death.

While ICE claims he died of natural causes, the circumstances surrounding his death are not yet clear, and we know there have been numerous complaints from family members and advocates about inhumane conditions and inadequate medical care at North Lake, they said.

We demand an immediate, transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Gantchevs death, including an investigation into reports from other detainees that he asked for medical assistance and did not receive it in time to save his life.

This is the 30th death in ICE custody this year, according to the lawmakers, making it the deadliest year since 2005. Not all of those deaths are listed on ICEs detainee death reporting website. By comparison, 11 people died in immigration detention last year.

Related: In rural Michigan, a prison is reopening as biggest ICE detention hub in Midwest

Its the first immigrant death at North Lake, the largest ICE detention facility in Michigan. North Lake opened in June with 1,800 beds under President Donald Trumps escalated immigration enforcement and mass deportation goal.

Private prison firm GEO Group owns the facility. GEO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Christine Sauve, from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, says the detention system has long had issues with medical neglect and overcrowding, but theres heightened cruelty under the Trump administration.

As this administration creates new barriers and releases fewer people, individuals are languishing in detention, often with delayed or inadequate medical care, while separated needlessly from their families, Sauve said.

A record high number of 65,735 people are being held in ICE detention, the latest federal data shows.

Related: Massive Michigan ICE facility detains 1,200 immigrants, but growing number fight for release

Thats partly because the federal government issued a new policy in July that denied bond to more immigrants, keeping them detained indefinitely while they wait for their court hearings. But a federal judge in California ruled the no-bond policy illegal in late November.

Gantchev died 10 days after Tlaib conducted an oversight visit of North Lake on Dec. 5. Tlaibs office received reports about the conditions there, a news release said, including cold temperatures, inadequate food, unsanitary facilities and difficulty getting medical care.

During this visit, we learned there have been multiple suicide attempts at the facility, including one in the last couple weeks, and heard that more medical staff are needed, she said in a statement. No human being should be trapped in cages, forced to experience dehumanizing conditions or separated from their family.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded to Tlaibs visit by saying members of Congress never talk about the monsters that are detained.

Instead of focusing on the victims of these criminal illegal aliens, they use these visits as a poor excuse to demonize our brave ICE law enforcement and peddle FALSE allegations about illegal alien detention centers, said the agencys Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

Federal data shows nearly three-quarters of those in ICE detention, and 87% of those being held at North Lake, dont have criminal convictions.
BALDWIN, MI - Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, suspect a Bulgarian man died of natural causes at a large immigration detention center in Northern Michigan, but his death remains under investigation.

Nenko Stanev Gantchev, 56, died at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin on Dec. 15. Hes the 32nd person to die in ICE custody this year, making it the deadliest year for detained immigrants since 2004, and fourth within four days.

ICE released details about Gantchevs death on Friday, Dec. 19 as Democratic lawmakers push for an investigation into the conditions at North Lake, a large, for-profit detention facility that opened this summer.

The federal agency says Gantchev was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell during a routine check. Medical staff responded and contacted local emergency medical services. When an ambulance arrived, a doctor pronounced him dead at 9:54 p.m. on Monday, a news release said.

ICE reported the death this week to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Related: Bulgarian man dies in ICE detention at Northern Michigan facility

U.S. Reps. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Chicago, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, are now demanding an immediate, transparent investigation into reports from other detainees that Gantchev asked for medical help but did not get it in time.

While ICE claims he died of natural causes, the circumstances surrounding his death are not yet clear, and we know there have been numerous complaints from family members and advocates about inhumane conditions and inadequate medical care at North Lake, they said in a Dec. 18 statement.

ICE said in its news release that its committed to ensuring anyone in custody remains in safe, secure and humane environments, and at no time during detention is a detained alien denied emergency care.

Gantchev, who had lived in the United States for 30 years, was detained Sept. 23 in Chicago under a final order of removal.

A citizen of Bulgaria, Gantchev came to America on a visitor visa in 1995. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services later granted him lawful permanent residence, or a green card, in May 2005.

Over the years, Gantchev had run-ins with the law, but most of the cases were dropped.

He was arrested twice by the Chicago Police Department on theft charges in 1995 and 1996, according to ICE. Public records only show the second arrest, and those charges were later dismissed. Assault and battery charges brought in 2000 were also dismissed.

After that, he was arrested for driving under the influence in 2008, according to ICE, but the details and outcome of that case were not available in public records.

A year later, Gantchevs lawful permanent residency was denied.

An immigration judge then ordered Gantchev be removed to Bulgaria in 2023. After his September arrest, Gantchev asked to be released on bond, but that case was still pending when he died.

Gantchev is one of 31 people who have died in ICE custody this year, far outpacing the 11 deaths reported in 2024. That includes seven deaths in December, alone. Not all are listed on ICEs Detainee Death Reporting. The others were disclosed through news releases.

The American Immigration Council, a non-profit advocacy organization, attributes this rise to a record high of 65,735 people being held in ICE detention. This has reportedly led to overcrowding, poor conditions and medical neglect at facilities throughout the country.

In October, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, documented 85 reports of inadequate medical care and food at detention facilities in Florida, Texas and Georgia.

And a coalition of 43 Democratic lawmakers sent a November letter to ICE about the record-high number of deaths and demanding answers on ICEs negligence to provide medical care to detainees.

These are not just numbers on a website, but real peoplewith families, jobs, and hopes and dreamseach of whom died in ICE custody," they wrote. These repeated policy violations and deaths reflect a broader pattern, demonstrating that ICE is providing insufficient medical care to the people this Administration has detained.

Related: In rural Michigan, a prison is reopening as biggest ICE detention hub in Midwest

Gantchev was being held at North Lake, an 1,800-bed detention facility thats owned an operated by private prison firm GEO Group. Formerly a prison, it reopened in June under President Donald Trumps escalated immigration enforcement and mass deportation goal.

Since then, its population has swelled to 1,352 detained immigrants.

An advocacy group called No Detention Centers Michigan said it is deeply troubled by Gantchev dying in custody. No one should have to die behind those walls, the group said in a statement.

Gantchevs death occurred 10 days after Tlaib visited North Lake in response to reports about the conditions there, a news release from the congresswoman said, including cold temperatures, inadequate food, unsanitary facilities and difficulty getting medical care.

Tlaib also said there had been multiple suicide attempts in recent weeks.

GEO Group did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security responded by saying members of Congress like Tlaib never talk about the monsters that are detained.

Nearly three-quarters of those currently in ICE detention, and 87% at North Lake, do not have criminal convictions.
WEXFORD COUNTY, MI  The fiance of Rebecca Park, the Northern Michigan murder victim whose body was found in late November, is facing domestic violence charges after allegedly assaulting a family member.

WPBN-TV reported that Richard Falor appeared in Wexford County District Court on Thursday, Dec. 18, and a cash/surety bond was set at $25,000. His latest arrest comes just a couple of weeks after he and was released from jail in connection to drug-related offenses.

A separate hearing will reportedly be held to determine whether Falor violated the bond of his previous release, WPBN reported.

This issue not reported to be linked to Parks initial disappearance and murder, which shocked much of the state over the last few weeks, though court records showed Falor was briefly implicated during the investigation. Parks 21-year-old sister Kimberly, who was also arrested for drug-related offenses, faces other charges for allegedly lying to police about Falor.

Park, 22, was last seen when she was 38 weeks pregnant on Nov. 3. Her relatives reported her missing the next day. Extensive searches were carried out by local authorities and volunteers around the Boon area near the Manistee National Forest before she was found Nov. 25.

Police said her baby was not with her.

Parks mother and stepfather Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew were arrested Nov. 30. Authorities later described the nature of Parks death in court  that she was taken out into the woods, stabbed and mutilated, and her baby cut from her body.

The couple was arraigned on eight criminal charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, torture, unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to cause miscarriage or stillbirth.
LANSING, MI  Michigan is joining a federal multi-state lawsuit against Uber alleging the popular rideshare and delivery company misled customers about potential savings in a subscription-level service and prematurely charged users.

Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday, Dec. 18, that her office was part of a coalition of 22 state and county law enforcement agencies joining litigation previously filed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Filed against Uber Technologies LLC and Uber USA LLC, the lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in California and set to go to trial in February 2027.

Specific accusations include what the Michigan AGs office called a variety of deceptive and unfair practices in offering and selling Uber One subscriptions, which the company reportedly promotes as an option to save money on rides and deliveries.

When a consumer signs up for a subscription service, they expect to get the savings that are advertised and to be able to try it out without being unlawfully charged, Nessel said in a statement.

They shouldnt have to jump through hoops just to cancel a service they no longer want, and thats why I am proud to join this lawsuit to hold Uber accountable for its alleged deceptive practices.

Other accusations involved allegedly using negative option marketing tactics with free trial subscriptions, automatically charging users if they do not cancel a free trial, making it difficult to cancel Uber One once enrolled and charging customers before their billing date, including those whose free trials had not yet ended.

Nessels office is asking for restitution, as well as penalties, costs and injunction against Uber for alleged violations of the states Consumer Protection Act and the U.S. Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act.

The plaintiff coalition includes Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as the district attorney for Alameda County in California.
FLINT, MI - After a six-week trial, Michigans two largest utilities have prevailed in a yearslong legal fight over a rebuild of a sprawling hydroelectric plant on Lake Michigan that left key components cracked and leaking, hobbling the facility.

A jury sided with Ludington Pumped Storage Plant co-owners Consumers Energy and DTE Energy in their lawsuit filed in federal court against Japanese multinational Toshiba Corp. and one of its American subsidiaries, which the utilities hired to complete a 10-year overhaul of the plant at a price tag of more than $500 million.

The jury ultimately found merit in the utilities claims that Toshiba America Energy Systems Corp., or TAES, botched the job, awarding $383,136,736 in damages on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Read more: Big utilities claim botched rebuild of Lake Michigan power plant in $600M trial

The case, held in the U.S. District Court in Flint before federal Judge F. Kay Behm, put competing narratives over the massive project on display. It centered on a 2010 contract the utilities awarded to overhaul six turbine units buried five stories underground near the lakeshore at the plant.

Were here because TAES broke its promises in the contract, said Terri Mascherin, an attorney for the utilities, as each side delivered closing arguments to the 12-member jury on Wednesday.

TAES and Toshiba are trying to be good citizens here, countered Christopher Curran, a lawyer representing the contractor, who faulted utility design decisions for plant issues and said the dispute never should have reached court. They didnt want a fix, they wanted a lawsuit, he said of the utilities.

The damages fall short of the nearly $600 million the utilities asked the jury to award and even further from the $790 million they say repairing the facility will cost, all told.

Brian Wheeler, a Consumers Energy spokesperson speaking on behalf of both utilities, didnt directly address how the gap would be made up but said the repairs are proceeding. Experts previously told MLive the case had potential implications for power bills, given the large sums on the line.

We hold ourselves and our contractors to the highest standards to do safe, dependable, on-time work that serves our customers, and feel validated the jury agreed Toshiba did not meet those standards. We will continue to operate the Ludington Pumped Storage plant reliably and will always go to bat for our customers, Wheeler said in a statement.

Its possible the case could continue in the courts if appeals are mounted.

Toshiba America Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Timothy Fraser said the companies will continue to address this matter through the judicial process.

We are disappointed with the outcome but nonetheless remain confident in the strength of our legal position and the merits of our case, he said in a statement.

Part of the reservoir, left, at the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant on Monday, July 10, 2023. The hydroelectric plant and reservoir, built between 1969 and 1973, is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and DTE Energy and operated by Consumers Energy. Lake Michigan can be seen in the background. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

Utilities blame contractor for waterfall leaks, defects

During closing arguments, lawyers for both sides acknowledged the lengthy trial had involved highly technical testimony from engineering experts and company executives, some translated from Japanese.

But Mascherin said the utilities case was simple.

They expected expert performance from TAES engineers allowing another 30 years of plant operations but instead received work full of defects, requiring a third of the facility to be limited to 50 hours of operation per year, she said.

The Ludington plant, completed in 1973, acts like a giant water battery. It pumps lake water up to a massive reservoir when power is cheap and releases it at periods of high demand, spinning turbines like a hydro dam to generate power.

Jason Durand, senior plant manager of operations, gives a tour of the Pump Turbine Runner Monument at the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant on Monday, July 10, 2023. The hydroelectric plant and reservoir, built between 1969 and 1973, is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and DTE Energy and operated by Consumers Energy. The monument is a former runner used in the power plant from 1973-2019. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

On an inclined metal table in front of the jury, utility attorneys wearing gloves arranged evidence, like heavy metal pieces from the bowels of the plant, including a component they alleged flew off during operations and had to be recovered by divers in the reservoir up the hill.

Much of the case centered on problems that developed in two of the plants units just several years after they were rebuilt, including degradation in steel boundaries surrounding 300-ton spinning runners, meant to separate wet and dry areas.

In some places, more than an inch of metal has worn away, Mascherin said.

One unit leaks like a waterfall, she said, playing the jury a video of water cascading through a room inside the plant.

She asked the jury to find TAES had breached its contract and owed damages. As she spoke, she checked off portions of a verdict form with a blue Sharpie, modeling the outcome her side wanted.

Mascherin concluded her remarks by reciting the utilities full damages ask: $597,237,641.

Utility decisions to blame for plant issues, defense says

Neither side disputed that the two turbine units need repairs, but each had faulted the other for the problems.

The issues are all traceable to design decisions the utilities made with their own expert engineers, Curran said, characterizing them as self-inflicted wounds. Yes, TAES had made mistakes with the decade-long project, but that was to be expected with an endeavor of its magnitude, he said, and the contractor took responsibility for issues.

For example, in one case, TAES had a replacement piece flown to the West Michigan plant. They moved heaven and earth to get that done, Curran said.

During the trial, his team sought to link issues at the plant  like the leaks  to pre-existing faults at the 52-year-old facility. They also blamed how the utilities operated it, like allowing sandy water into the plant. The utilities were attempting to use the contract with TAES as an insurance plan to cover fixes resulting from normal wear and tear, Curran said.

The overhaul was largely successful, he said. In publications and internal presentations at the time the work was underway, the utilities praised Toshibas design for increasing power generation capacity and efficiency, Curran noted.

Ludington Pumped Storage Plant on Monday, July 10, 2023. The hydroelectric plant and reservoir, built between 1969 and 1973, is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and DTE Energy and operated by Consumers Energy. (Cory Morse | MLive.com) Cory Morse | MLive.com

The utilities filed their lawsuit in 2022 and terminated the TAES contract in 2024. Theyve since negotiated a $400-million-plus contract with another company, Voith Hydro, to complete repairs.

Those estimates informed the utilities requested damages. But Voith, a competitor to Toshiba, was incentivized to provide laughably overblown figures to support the litigation, Curran said, accusing DTE and Consumers of collusion with the other firm.

Mascherin responded that the suggestion was frankly offensive. The repair work is already well underway, and the board of each utility has approved spending the money. The cost far exceeds what the utilities could recover in damages, since they are limited by the contract, she said.

Curran pushed back on utility arguments that his client hadnt sought to address issues at the plant in his closing remarks. After the contract was terminated in 2024, TAES offered a repair plan that would have involved jacking up plant components, rather than completely unstacking them, a costly proposition.

It was an example of TAES acting as a responsive contractor, offering to complete $20 million in work for free, but the utilities dismissed it, Curran said.

The plan was too little, too late, Mascherin told the jury, and didnt address all the faulty components at the plant. Their experts described it as a recipe for disaster, she said. Plant outages for more extensive repair work are scheduled for 2026.

TAES was trying to evade its contract promises, like a warranty on the work it completed, she said. Blame the customer doesnt work.

Effect of verdict on utility customers unclear

The jury also decided counterclaims brought by TAES against the utilities, alleging the contractor was owed some $33 million in remaining payments the utilities withheld. The jury decided the issue against TAES.

The contractor had already agreed to pay the utilities some $11 million in damages for late work at the facility.

Under a judges order, parties in the trial were not permitted to discuss how the outcome of the litigation might affect rates paid by the utilities customers. The Ludington plant makes up 10% of the generating capacity of each power company.

Regulators with the Michigan Public Service Commission have given DTE and Consumers permission to sequester repair costs for now, delaying the process of seeking to recover them through customers power bills.

Experts previously told MLive court-awarded damages could help offset the cost of additional investments at the plant.

Those questions are likely dependent on the outcome of any potential appeals and would be worked out through proceedings before state regulators. As such, the effect of the verdict on customers isnt immediately clear.
ANN ARBOR, MI  Ongoing construction at several Ann Arbor Public Schools sites is not likely the cause of high levels of radon gas in nearby homes and other school buildings, according to documentation released by the district.

However, AAPS is still taking corrective steps inside a storeroom of one elementary school after testing this fall reportedly showed results exceeding action levels recommended by state and federal authorities.

Radon is an odorless and colorless radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in most types of soil and rock. The state attributes high levels of the cancer-causing carcinogen to one in four homes, though Ann Arbor-area homes may have a higher propensity because of the regions geology.

According to AAPS, testing recently occurred at Dicken, Mitchell and Thurston elementary schools, as well as Clague and Scarlett middle schools, after consulting with Washtenaw Countys environmental health division.

Testing at Slauson Middle School also occurred over the summer.

We wanted to do testing of our schools to make sure theres no reason to be concerned, so thats why were proceeding, AAPS Director of Capital Programs Jason Bing said in an interview late Wednesday, Dec. 17. And I think the district has also stated a commitment to environmental sustainability, and through our environmental sustainability framework, we have committed to better indoor environments.

The district issued updates on the impacted projects over several days this week in response to inquiries about radon gas.

Bing said the district was asked whether or not construction sites affect radon levels at existing schools or adjacent properties.

Dicken, Mitchell and Thurston are all existing schools neighboring the sites of new elementaries to replace them, while Clague borders the new Logan Elementary build site and Scarlett borders Mitchell. Though not abutting a new school site, Slauson is seeing heavy construction as part of its own renovations.

Most testing results under action level

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends mitigation measures be taken when radon levels are found to be at 4 picocuries per liter of air or higher, or whats referred to as the action level.

At different points from late June through November, hundreds of individual devices, or short-term testing kits, were placed in areas of Clague, Dicken, Slauson and Thurston. Although devices have gone to Mitchell and Scarlett, AAPS was still waiting for testing results as of this week.

Typically, testing involves activated charcoal absorption, measuring radon concentrations coming up from underground.

Arch Environmental, the districts environmental health and safety consultant, was tapped to place devices at the included schools.

There were 86 testing devices placed at Slauson in late June. According to a July 2 letter from Arch, all of the schools samples were below the action level, ranging only as high as 1.4 picocuries.

Seventy-seven devices went out to test gas levels at Clague in October. Although one sample was not located, the rest showed results below the actionable threshold, going up to 2.3 picocuries.

Testing occurred at Dicken in early November with 44 devices placed around the school, and according to Arch, samples ranged up to 1.8 picocuries.

Thurston Elementary School saw 71 tested samples all come back below 4 picocuries, ranging as high as 2.8. However, one device in the storeroom in early October showed a concentration of radon gas at 4.3 picocuries, above action level, according to Arch.

A second short-term test was recommended to the impacted room by the end of the month, and those results showed levels higher at 5.7 and 5.8 picocuries.

Ann Arbor district to address Thurston radon leak

Bing said the impacted storeroom at Thurston could be seeing elevated radon gas levels if its less ventilated than other areas.

Luckily, its not a space frequented by students, he said. But weve deemed that we would like to use that storeroom moving forward. So, were just going to do a mitigation system in that space. Were aiming to take care of that work over  winter break.

Because the gas accumulates under the floor slabs, creeping up into the school building, Bing said corrective steps will include refurbishing the condition of the under-slab flooring and installing a fan connected to a perimeter drain or other basement-like collection system to funnel the gas outside the building and into the open air where it dissipates.

Then, he said, theyd install some sort of monitoring device to ensure it works.

According to Arch, after two short-term tests return action level results, long-term testing in addition to corrective measures are recommended.

Moving forward, Bing said these sorts of studies will help the school district weigh its strategy in regulating indoor air quality of its facilities.

Each new school slated to open within the next couple of years would include integrated radon mitigation measures, according to the district.

AAPS work not cause of high radon levels in neighborhood homes, consultant says

The EPA cites radon as a ubiquitous element in the air outside but still recommended corrective measures in local homes for gas levels between 2 and 4 picocuries per liter of air. According to the agency, the average indoor radon concentration for American homes is about 1.3 picocuries.

Based on that average, 21,000 radon-related lung cancers are estimated to arise every year.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, federal authorities set a higher limit for radon exposure in the workplace to 100 picocuries averaged over a 40-hour work week.

Although mitigation thresholds are recommended, addressing radon gas in school buildings is not strictly regulated by the state the way it is with childcare centers.

According to a letter to Bing in late September, the district first contacted G2 Consulting Group, LLC, over reported community concerns about subsurface construction activities on AAPS property resulting in increased radon concentrations in neighboring residential structures.

The letter aimed to clarify whether excavation, foundation work or structural development can cause an increase in radon gas levels in neighboring structures.

While construction activity may raise short-term concerns, such as noise, dust and vibration  it does not pose a scientifically supported risk of elevated radon gas levels on adjacent properties, G2 wrote, adding radon gas levels could be attributed to localized climate events and trends.

Learn more about radon and how to access testing resources though the countys website.
This story has been updated with additional comments from DTE.

IOSCO TWP., MI  A large crowd of residents opposed to DTE Energys proposed solar energy project on more than 1,800 acres  thats nearly 3 square miles  erupted in applause after local township officials voted to reject rezoning agricultural land.

Many residents in Iosco Township, a farming community south of Fowlerville and near Webberville, have been pushing back against DTEs requests to conditionally rezone land for two solar districts.

The townships denial does not mean DTE will scrap the project. The utility could potentially take it to state regulators with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

The southern portion of the proposal consists of about 966 acres located south of Ringneck Way, east of Weller Road, west of Dutcher Road, and north of Schafer Road. Much of that area was already designated for a solar overlay district, but DTE was seeking to expand it.

The western portion of DTEs proposal, which is outside a solar overlay district, consists of about 909 acres located south of Coon Lake Road, east of Gregory Road, mostly west of Bull Run Road, and north of Roberts Road.

Arrays of solar panels would be installed on fewer than 850 acres of the land.

Over 100 attendees listen to locals voice their concerns over a potential solar farm being built in their community during a meeting at Alverson Center located at 700 N. Grand St, Fowlerville. The Iosco Board of Trustees reviewed controversial applications from DTE for a very large solar project but ultimately rejected it on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Abra Richardson | Mlive.com

The Iosco Township Board of Trustees voted 4-0 to deny rezoning both the south and west portions of DTEs proposal Thursday, Dec. 18, with a crowd of nearly 200 people gathered at the Alverson Center for Performing Arts at Fowlerville High School. Township Treasurer Amanda Bonneville recused herself from voting due to a potential conflict of interest.

Thats the way it should have been, resident Jim Ratke, who has lived in the township for about 45 years, said of the township boards decision to reject the project.

Thats a no brainer, because you have all the people saying no, they dont want it. So, when we all say no, its we the people, Ratke said.

He said he thinks DTE will likely take the matter to the state and that people in the township would likely mobilize against it.

Township resident Bob Gray was concerned that an approval would have put the township at risk of more development in the future.

If you open the door for one, then you set a precedent for the next time, Gray said. And DTE will not stop. Theyre going to keep going.

Resident Olivia Verfaillie and her husband are opposed to solar and wind industrial developments because they are not worth the claimed productivity, she said, also calling it phony baloney, woke, Green New Deal.

They will burden our quality of life. Sprawling construction sites, constant noise, destruction of farmland, topsoil preservation, disposal of batteries, storm water problems, pollution, loss of pollinators  who are essential providers for human food  our tax dollars to subsidize these energy companies," Verfaille said, listing her concerns.

She is also concerned about property values and negative impacts on wildlife and humans.

Over 100 attendees listen to locals voice their concerns over a potential solar farm being built in their community during a meeting at Alverson Center located at 700 N. Grand St, Fowlerville. The Iosco Board of Trustees reviewed controversial applications from DTE for a very large solar project but ultimately rejected it on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. Abra Richardson | Mlive.com

Township Supervisor Joe Parker said opposition from residents was a factor in his decision to vote against the rezoning.

The people made it clear what they wanted, Parker said. Ultimately, they elected us. We need to listen and we did.

The western portion was a nonstarter in the publics mind, he said. It was a case of, we worked with DTE trying to minimize impact. It just wasnt enough.

The southern portion was also questionable, he said.

DTE and their opinions have pushed the board to go above and beyond, because they started with 300 acres and then expanded beyond that, he said. So, that was the whole premise of why it wasnt acceptable.

He said working with DTE was an attempt to excert local control and get a development that would be acceptable to both DTE and the public.

It wasnt successful, obviously, he said. DTE has every right now to follow the procedures to go through the MPSC, and they still need to come to the township first as part of that process.

The utility could also wait a year to submit new rezoning requests, he explained.

Michael Rivet, DTE Energys director of renewable energy development, briefly addressed the township board before the vote.

For three years, DTE representatives have attended township meetings and held open houses and developed a conditional overlay zoning proposal with input from members of the board and the public, Rivet said.

The result of all that effort is the rezoning request that is before you tonight, that includes solar panels, solar panel exclusion areas, and that avoids surrounding non-participants and provides setbacks in some areas that greatly exceed what is required by township zoning regulations, he said.

While some members of the public are opposed to the project, the planning commission, after spending a lot of time studying the request, recommended both of the requests be approved, he said.

He also said approval of both the south and west portions of the project would be necessary for the project to move forward.

A DTE spokesperson also supplied MLive with an additional statement Friday. It states:

DTE Energy always strives to work closely with communities on renewable energy projects to maximize the economic benefits the projects bring to the area and include local input to minimize impact to the community. We value the relationships we build during these conversations and strive to resolve any concerns raised throughout the development process.

In the case of our proposed solar project in Livingston County, our discussions with Iosco Township officials have not resulted in a workable ordinance, and we will continue to explore options for advancing the project.

Iosco Township officials opted to hold the board meeting at the Alverson Center for Performing Arts at Fowlerville High School after the townships hall was packed at capacity Thursday, Oct. 16, where the board voted to table the matter.

At the Oct. 16 meeting, township officials unanimously voted to adopt what is called a compatible renewable energy ordinance (CREO) or trigger ordinance, which could allow the township to exert more local control over utility-scale renewable energy projects moving forward.

The trigger ordinance aligns township regulations with the states Public Act 233, which allows developers to bypass local government approval and go directly to the MPSC if local regulations are too restrictive, and Public Act 234, a related amendment to the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act.

Iosco Township is among 79 municipalities in Michigan that sued the MPSC in the state Court of Appeals last fall in an effort to stop the commission from overriding local control.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
UPDATE: This story was updated to include a statement from a Kroger spokesperson.

WESTLAND, MI - A Salvation Army bell ringer was reportedly shot at a Westland Kroger

A shooting occurred at the Kroger store at 36430 Ford Road in Westland, according to a social media post from Mike McDermott, the Westland city council president.

Please use caution, be safe and avoid the Kroger location to allow Westland Police to thoroughly do their job and investigate the scene, he wrote in the post.

Westland police declined to release any information Friday morning. The shooting occurred around 6:20 p.m., according to reporting from WXYZ.

It was not clear how many people were shot or the extent of injuries. One person involved was a Salvation Army bell ringer, according to multiple outlets.

Leaders of the nonprofit organization said they were profoundly heartbroken by the incident in a statement released to the station.

We lift up in prayer all who are affected, especially the individual involved, their loved ones and the Westland community, according to the statement. We are working closely with the Westland Police Department as they investigate the situation.

A Kroger spokesperson said members of the company were also deeply saddened by the incident.

We are cooperating with local law enforcement, and will continue to follow their guidance while the police investigation continues, the spokesperson added.

A message left with The Salvation Army was not immediately returned.
Opinion / Columnist

Reading Jacob Mutisi's article, I found it well written and factual. I could not agree more. It is very human that when local circumstances cannot be changed, some turn to emotive provocations such as "Rhodes must fall" to gain relevance. Yet Matabeleland remains underdeveloped. That must be our bone of contention - not historical artefacts. No one can erase Southern African history by removing graves of prominent figures. Suggesting it may give shock value, but beyond that, it adds nothing.For argument's sake, if Cecil John Rhodes's grave were removed, would Matobo suddenly develop? Would the region be uplifted? Is his grave hindering progress? Whoever suggests removing Rhodes's grave confirms their politics is defeated on the ground. Politics must dwell on bread-and-butter issues - channeling resources to transform communities, including Matobo. Ndebele people are tired of politicians who fail to deliver. Much could have been achieved without waiting for regime change in Harare. I have often challenged Mthwakazi parties to return to rural regions and assist farmers to improve food production, instead of threatening to eliminate Nomazulu Thata by Winnie Mandela necklace.Matabeleland suffers from food insecurity. It is a dry region needing expert effort from younger generations. Rhodes, within 15 years, made groundbreaking transformations in southern Africa. His infrastructure projects - the Cape-to-Ndola railway, the Victoria Falls Bridge, the Kariba Dam - remain tangible. Yet they have never been upgraded to meet growing demographics demanding stronger economies powered by reliable energy and transport. This is what Mthwakazi should be debating: how to outstage Rhodes's development in 2025.Before his death, Rhodes envisioned a water pipeline from the Zambezi to Bulawayo - a city known for manufacturing industries. Over a century later, the project remains unfinished, politicized left, right, and center. Rhodes also dreamed of a Cape-to-Cairo railway. Sixty years on, no independent African country has pursued it. If realized, it could have transformed continental economies. Critics call Rhodes's projects "extractive infrastructures," but their value chains were multiple. Today, there is no railway linking Lusaka and Francistown. Even Bulawayo-to-Harare rail travel is impossible. Infrastructure left behind is rundown, know-how is lacking, and corruption consumes resources.At independence in 1980, President Nyerere visited Zimbabwe and was impressed. He warned Mugabe to keep the "jewel of Africa" intact. Zimbabwe/Rhodesia was far ahead of Tanganyika then. President Zuma once mocked Malawian roads, forgetting South Africa's roads are remnants of apartheid. The infrastructure blacks pride themselves on is not theirs directly.Rhodes thought far ahead of today's politicians - if coloniality is removed from the matrix. Yet philosophically, death is an equalizer. In Shona: kufa mayenzanise. A dead Rhodes and a dead Mzilikazi lie on the same floor in Matobo. Their graves invite reflection on what each achieved. Amplifying Rhodes's tomb and politicizing its removal signifies nothing. If it mattered so much, why did Britain leave his remains in Matobo instead of repatriating them? Rhodes was a prominent arm of the British establishment. His Rhodes Scholarship continues to benefit global scholars, including Africans.Politically, repatriating Rhodes's remains adds no value. Economically, his grave attracts tourists to Matobo. Revenues remain in Zimbabwe, not the UK. So what are Mthwakazi people saying? Empty politics without value.I am deeply worried about politics without substance. We dwell on mindless critiques and forget issues that transform millions of lives. Mthwakazi parties must focus on removing poverty in Ndebele communities. Targeting food sovereignty could reduce poverty by half. Threatening people with death is not politics - it is criminality. Who wants to join a murderous organization? There is much Mthwakazi can do without indulging in useless vocalizations of "Rhodes must go." Repatriating Rhodes's remains puts no bread and butter on the table. How many African graves lie in the UK? Millions.
OWOSSO, MI - A new drive-thru beverage option is coming to Owosso.

7 Brew, a drive-thru coffee and beverage stand known for offering more than 20,000 customizable drink combinations, is opening its first location in the city, according to a 7 Brew news release.

The future stand was recently dropped onsite at 1314 E. M-21, marking the start of construction.

More than a traditional coffee stand, 7 Brews menu includes a wide range of drinks, from coffee classics to energy drinks, smoothies, shakes and teas. Popular offerings include the Blondie  a caramel and vanilla breve  along with the brands 7 Energy line and other specialty beverages.

The Owosso stand will add 50 jobs to the area and is expected to open in March 2026. Those interested in joining the Brew Crew can apply at brewtopia.7brewcareers.com.

Founded in 2017, 7 Brew describes its mission as cultivating kindness, with an emphasis on connection and customer experience in addition to speed and quality. The company says its goal is to make each visit the happiest part of your day, treating customers as more than just a transaction.

7 Brew was launched with its first stand in Rogers, Arkansas, with a vision of reimagining the drive-thru coffee experience by serving premium drinks quickly while creating a welcoming, high-energy atmosphere. Since then, the brand has expanded to locations across the country, offering custom, handcrafted beverages and a service model centered on positivity and community.

The Owosso location marks the brands first entry into the city as 7 Brew continues to grow its presence across Michigan and the Midwest.

It boasts more than 460 stands across the country including five cities in Michigan: Holland, Lansing, Muskegon, Traverse City and Allen Park.
KENT COUNTY, MI  Another data center planning meeting in Kent County has been taken offline by a flood of residents.

The Gaines Township Planning Commission intended to host a public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 18, to discuss the rezoning of a property owned by Microsoft in the township, but the meeting was canceled due to overcapacity.

Gaines Township is a suburb located directly south of Grand Rapids.

Hundreds of people from Gaines Township and the surrounding area packed the township hall Thursday night, overwhelming its max capacity of 250 and forcing the planning commission to postpone the public hearing until it can find a bigger venue.

Microsoft requested to have the parcel at 7174 Patterson Ave. rezoned from large-scale planned unit development to light industrial, which will match the zoning of a light industrial parcel directly south of the property. The two parcels will be used together to support a data center, according to planning commission documents.

The parcel is part of 316 acres on the northwest corner of Patterson Avenue and 76th Street, which Microsoft bought from Steelcase in October 2024 for $45.3 million.

Microsoft has not yet submitted formal plans for the site, but the recent reveal that it will be a data center has caused enough of a stir among residents.

These centers are really an industrial revolution: part 2, with no regulation, no thought for the community behind it, and were really hoping for a statewide moratorium, said Eddie Chaffer, a resident of Kent County who runs environmental nonprofit Pleasant Peninsula.

Despite being primarily concerned with the environmental impacts of data centers, Chaffer said he believes its a bipartisan issue.

People who are typically right-leaning  hunters, anglers, farmers  and people on the left like environmentalists and community activists; this is something we all agree on because it is so universally bad for Michiganders, Chaffer said.

Data centers are basically warehouses of computer hardware for servers, data storage and network equipment that are used to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Theyve been in Michigan for a while now. The Switch Pyramid is the most prominent one in Kent County. But recent investments in hyperscale data centers to sustain the AI bubble have drawn criticism because they use significant electricity and water to power and cool their servers and equipment.

Andrew Collins lives on the border of Kentwood and Gaines Township and frequently rides the bike path that runs along the Microsoft property.

He said he came to Thursday nights meeting prepared to deliver a lengthy screed against the environmental impacts and shady politics behind data centers, but he was excited by the huge and disruptive turnout from residents.

This is a sign that data centers need public engagement, Collins said. Corporations with their billions of dollars cannot be allowed to set a precedent that they can just steamroll a project.

Across the state, residents in various, mostly rural communities have been turning out in huge numbers at meetings where developers pitch data center projects.

Chaffer said he believes tech companies are targeting these communities because they believe its an easy gambit.

Theyre targeting rural communities, theyre targeting people that they consider lower education or lower income so they can hopefully sneak something in the back door and something like this where hundreds of people show up doesnt happen, he said.

A similar phenomenon happened only a week ago in Lowell Township when residents shut down a public hearing regarding a project led by an unnamed company. Shortly after, township officials confirmed the developer behind the project asked the township for a delay in the approval process.

Tech companies have taken a keen interest in Michigan for a number of reasons. At a high level, the state has the energy capacity and industrial infrastructure to accommodate them.

Recent legislation is another big factor. In 2024, Michigan lawmakers passed tax breaks exempting large data center equipment and construction material from the states sales and use tax. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the law, and it took effect in April.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Grand Rapids man whose 2-year-old son injured himself with a gun has avoided jail.

Nakobi Thomas, 28, was sentenced to two years of probation Thursday, Dec. 18, in Kent County Circuit Court.

Thomas, who has a concealed-carry license, inadvertently left his handgun on a nightstand after working late on Oct. 26, 2024.

He was in a bathroom when he heard a gunshot. His son had somehow found the weapon.

The boy was taken to a hospital, but sustained only a minor hand wound. It wasnt clear if the wound was from the bullet or the guns slide.

Thomas subsequently was charged with violating Michigans safe gun storage law.

Thomas attorney and others in court Thursday vouched for Thomas responsibility as a gun owner and said the gun is normally kept in a lockbox in the kitchen.

Kent County Circuit Judge Clay West said Thomas was lucky.

This is a near miss. This could have resulted in your son being killed, West said.

I hope you understand that you were incredibly lucky here, that there was not a more serious injury, he said.

Defense attorney Don Sappanos said Thomas made a mistake, but normally keeps the gun in lockbox.

He made a mistake. He put it on his nightstand, Sappanpos said. But I dont think anyone beats themselves up more, sir, or penalizes themselves worse than my client.

As part of the sentence, the judge said Thomas probation could include four months in jail if he violates any terms of the probation.
NORVELL TWP., MI  Lynn Dugan, 74, has lived in Norvell Township for 35 years with her husband, and its been pretty quiet, aside from the traffic from Ann Arbor commuters.

The two of them enjoy visiting the nearby Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve, where they take pictures of the many deer that call it home. Hearing about a proposed gravel mine across the street from her home has her concerned it will disturb the animals, but she is trying to keep an open mind, she said.

Thats been one of our favorite places to go and watch the wildlife, Dugan said. That would be very sad if anything happened that contaminated the waters.

Norvell Township received an application Monday, Nov. 17, from American Aggregates of Michigan Inc. of Dearborn seeking a conditional use permit and site plan review for a proposed aggregate gravel mining operation on Horning Road. The property surrounds the west side of the state park, near the Jackson County line.

Property records show the company purchased 900 acres from the Trolz family, who also sold land to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2016 to help create Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve.

Township Supervisor William Sutherland said American Aggregates of Michigan has already spent $8 million on the land, with the total investment estimated at $20 million. According to the proposal, an estimated 17 million tons of marketable sand and gravel reserves exists on the property.

Sutherland said around 600 acres will be used for actual mining operations because the township requires 1,600 feet between existing structures beyond the property line and the operation.

He said the township has hired GEI Consultants to review the application and requirements for the company. He said to follow the townships mining ordinance, Aggregates of Michigan has conducted studies on traffic, groundwater and threatened and endangered species habitats in the area.

The land supports diverse topography, including wetland areas near the north, and wildlife, including bald eagles, Indiana bats, Mitchells Satyr butterflies, eastern box turtles and Henslows sparrow.

According to the plans, the operation does not anticipate an impact on the species or land, since the activity is outside the ideal habitats.

American Aggregates of Michigan did not respond to request for comment.

Just north of the site, Michael Arnold of Norvell Township previously established a conservation easement through Ann Arbor-based Legacy Land Conservancy to permanently protect 89 acres of a rare ecosystem known as a prairie fen, which hosts an arrange of endangered species.

However, Arnold said he is not worried about the gravel mine impacting his land, its inhabitants or Watkins Lake since its not on the property.

Vehicles, roads, buildings, everything comes from the earth. You wouldnt be alive if nothing came from the earth, Arnold said. I dont know where else you can get it unless you have a mine available to get this material.

He noted he would be more concerned if the site was located lower into the Irish Hills due to the concentration of lakes and groundwater that could be polluted.

Sutherland said once the findings from the studies are compiled, they will be submitted to the townships planning commission and GEI Consultants and officials will review the application to ensure they were conducted properly.

The planning commission will then gather public input, make its recommendation to approve it, disapprove it or approve with conditions to the township board of trustees, he said.

He anticipates a public hearing will likely take place in February and reach the board of trustees sometime in March or April.

The application is not currently available to view online but may be viewed in person at the township office during regular office hours by appointment. To obtain a hard copy, someone would need to submit a FOIA request, he said.

Sutherland said hes working with American Aggregates of Michigan to put the application on their website, where all the documents will be available for download, 3D renderings of the site and an frequently asked questions section.

Sutherland said Aggregates of Michigan has plans for redeveloping the land into residential property, not a lake. Though its very broad strokes right now, he said.

If everything is approved, the company has proposed it as a 20-year plan, hoping to begin in a couple of years.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page.
JACKSON COUNTY, MI  Parking fees in Jackson have been reduced as the city adjusts it parking policy.

Here is that headline and some more you might have missed this week.

Jackson reduces parking fees, expands free options amid business concerns

The Jackson City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution 6-1 to decrease the daily parking pass fee, create another free parking lot for downtown business employees and reduce enforcement hours.

The tweaks include lowering the daily permit pass fee from $10 to $7 and changing the enforcement hours back to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, instead of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Sunday.

Lot 3, between Wesley Street and Washington Avenue, is now free. This is in addition to Lot 9a, free to downtown employees.

Jackson decriminalizes psychedelic plants, mushrooms in council vote

The city of Jackson effectively decriminalized mushrooms and other psychedelic plants and fungi.

On Tuesday, Dec. 16, the Jackson City Council voted 4-2 to make purchasing, planting and possessing the plants and fungi the lowest law enforcement priority. Supporters packed the Jackson City Council chambers and cheered as council members approved the resolution.

Meet the winner of the 2025 Miss Crossroads Scholarship Pageant in Jackson

Regan Nevels has been inspiring others to be their best selves for nearly her whole life, and her Christian faith has only strengthened her drive.

The 20-year-old Spring Arbor University junior won the Miss Crossroads Scholarship Pageant on Sunday, Dec. 7 in Jackson. Through her social impact initiative iRepresent: Becoming a True Reflection of Christ, she hopes to further help young people  especially women  to develop their mind, body and spirit.

Woman suffers significant injuries in Jackson crash

A woman in her 40s was seriously injured Friday afternoon from a car crash near Jackson.

The Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety responded to the crash around 1:06 p.m. Dec. 12 at the intersection of E. Michigan Avenue and Dettman Road, Director Darin McIntosh said.

The pickup truck was driven by 39-year-old man with a 40-year-old male passenger. The sedan was driven by the woman, who was taken to Henry Ford Jackson Hospital.

Wire transfer scam targeting Jackson County residents with official-looking documents

Jackson County residents should be wary of official looking invoices instructing them to make urgent wire transfer payments.The Jackson County Sheriffs Office issued an alert Friday, Dec. 12, warning residents that police have identified a new scam circulating the county involving official looking documents that appear to come from Jackson County government offices.

These documents, often formatted to look like official invoices or urgent notices, instruct recipients to make payments via wire transfer

Dilapidated, 1860s building to become apartments, retail in Brooklyn

When Beatrice Nestor moved to Brooklyn after living away from Jackson area for several years, she noticed a beautiful, dilapidated 1860s building.

She saw its potential and thought of how wonderful it would be if someone did something about it.

Why couldnt that be us? Nestor said. Theres something special about the building that connected with me, and I just really felt that this was kind of a small way we could help it.

Psychedelic mushrooms, plants could become lowest law enforcement priority in Jackson

The city of Jackson could effectively decriminalize mushrooms and other psychedelic plants and fungi.

The Jackson City Council will consider a resolution at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, on the second floor of Jackson City Hall, 161 W. Michigan Ave., to make planting, purchasing and possessing entheogenic plants and fungi the lowest law enforcement priority.

The city of Jackson has other issues for the use of its funds, staff and public safety resources that take a higher priority than the enforcement against individuals using entheogenic plants, the resolution reads.

Long-stalled Jackson Hayes Hotel project paused after losing $4.5M in state funding

Construction has halted on the Hayes Hotel redevelopment in Jackson after the project lost crucial state funding, developer CollierGibson said.

We were obviously very disappoint(ed) to hear the news regarding the termination of the $4.5 (million) grant for the Hayes Hotel Project, Co-Owner Scott Gibson wrote in an email. The funding is critical to the project being viable.

The project at 228. W. Michigan Ave. was among the developments affected by the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee vote Wednesday, Dec. 10, 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.

Jackson firefighters Fill the Boot charity campaign nets $21K for muscular dystrophy research

A Jackson-area firefighter unions participation in the annual Fill the Boot charity drive has once again successfully collected a sizable amount of donations from the community.

The Summit/Jackson Firefighter Union Local No. 1306 presented a check for $21,787.25 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Jackson Fire Station One.

Jackson Public Schools appoints Tabitha Williams to vacant board seat

After interviewing nine candidates Tuesday evening, the Jackson Public School Board of Education has appointed its newest member.

Tabitha Williams was appointed to the board Dec. 16 by a majority vote, effective immediately.

Only board member Kesha Hamilton voted against her appointment.

Jackson Public School Board interviews 9 candidates for vacant seat

A group of nine men and women are vying to be selected to join the Jackson Public School Board of Education.

The board conducted interviews at its regular board meeting on Tuesday evening, Dec. 16, to fill the board seat recently vacated by board president Shalanda Hunt.

Jackson County sheriff pay upped to $118K, prosecutor to make $138K in 2026

Salary increases are coming to Jackson Countys highest administrative elected officials.

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 to give a 3% increase to the county clerk, drain commissioner, treasurer, sheriff and prosecuting attorney, as recommended by Jackson County Administrator/Controller Michael Overton. These increases will be in effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

The 3% increase will be applied to each salary for a collective increase of $15,500.23 annually.

Jackson seeks answers in chaos and confusion caused by cuts to Hayes Hotel, other projects

The city of Jackson is asking the state of Michigan to take action to ensure communities do not lose $645 million in funding for numerous items and grants.

The Jackson City Council passed a resolution 6-0 on Tuesday, Dec. 16, opposing the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committees Dec. 10 vote to disapprove the funds.

House Republicans said these were all appropriations that had reached their deadline to expend funds. This threatens the $4.5 million grant to the Hayes Hotel project at 228 W. Michigan Ave., along with $1 million to Residents in Action to turn the former T.A. Wilson school building, 310 W. Morrell St., into a homeless resource center.

Nessel challenges parole of man imprisoned at Jackson facility for aggravated stalking

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is stepping in to attempt to reverse parole granted to a man incarcerated on a stalking charge at a state prison just outside of Jackson.

Trenton Lisle Solomon, 51, first pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of aggravated stalking after he was accused of relentlessly pursuing two victims.

After cutting his GPS tether and failing to appear for sentencing, he was reportedly arrested on a bench warrant two years later, and in February 2024, received a sentence of three years and 11 months to seven years and six months in prison.

Andys Place not at risk of losing Michigan state funding, founder says

Andys Angels founder Mike Hirst said the organization is not at risk of losing crucial state funding.

The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday, Dec. 10, 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.

Andys Place  an apartment community for those in need of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation services  received about $3.3 million in funding support from the 2025 Michigan state budget.

Investigator of Dee Warners murder accused of allegedly fleeing state ahead of trial

A retired detective who was in charge of the investigation into the killing of Southern Michigan woman Dee Warner has been arrested more than four years after the murder on allegations he attempted to evade testifying in an upcoming trial.

Kevin Greca, a former investigator with the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office, is listed as an interested person in the case against Dale Warner, whos accused of killing his wife and set to go to trial in January, according to the local county circuit court.

Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page.
EATON COUNTY, MI  A man was killed and two other people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday, Dec. 18, southwest of Lansing, state police said.

The name of the victim, a 45-year-old Potterville man, was not released.

The crash happened around 5:45 p.m. at Island Highway and North Canal Road in Eaton Countys Eaton Rapids Township.

State police said that an 18-year-old Grand Ledge man was driving a Buick Enclave north on Canal when he failed to stop for a stop sign at Island Highway, where his vehicle collided with the victims eastbound F-250 pickup truck.

The pickup driver died at the scene.

The other driver was hospitalized in serious condition but is expected to survive. His passenger, a 17-year-old East Lansing girl, was in critical condition but has been stabilized and is expected to survive, state police said.

A rear-seat passenger suffered minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.
BAY CITY, MI  A 55-year-old Bay City man is facing felony charges after police allegedly caught him uploading child pornography to the internet.

Rodney Allan Rotarius was arraigned Wednesday, Dec. 17, on three counts of both aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material and using a computer to commit a crime in Bay County District Court.

Michigan State Police reported his arrest on social media Thursday, Dec. 18.

MSP credited the agencys Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with the investigation and arrest. Digital evidence was recently seized from Rotarius residence, police siad, after the task froce learned he he uploaded files online.

The aggravated possession charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine up to $50,000 or both.

Rotarius is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary examination on Dec. 30. A settlement conference is also set for Dec. 26, according to the local district court docket.

MSPs Computer Crimes Unit encouraged parents to talk to their kids about safe internet use, citing resources to keep kids safe online, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the state task force.

Information about possible child sexual exploitation can be reported via the CyberTipLine at MissingKids.org.
BAY CITY, MI  The Republican state representative overseeing Bay City says he is working to secure funding for the city that fellow Republicans had frozen when the House Appropriations Committee paused more than $600 million in work projects from last years budget.

State Rep. Timothy Beson (R-Bay City) released a statement Thursday, Dec. 18, saying the money, originally secured by then Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet to reimburse the city for a portion of the Lafayette Bridge replacement project, was lumped in with irresponsible, expensive [projects] that used questionable practices and catered to fringe interests instead of prioritizing value for Bay County residents.

By pausing all this funding and reviewing these projects, we can separate effective uses of tax dollars from ineffective, Beson said in his first public statement on the matter. I will soon be introducing a legislative spending request for every single dollar of the original $1.6 million that was to go to the Bay City Bridge.

Bay City Manager Dana Muscott acknowledged this week that the funding, approved during the 2023-24 fiscal year for the three-year reconstruction of the state-owned and operated Lafayette Bridge, would be a big loss.

It is going to impact us, Muscott told commissioners at a Monday, Dec. 15, meeting. Its going to hit our budget. It was budgeted for this year. Were going to have to take a look at what were going to have to cut in the street budget, which we dont want to do. Were going to have to look at maybe being creative and try and find some money in other funds.

The money was part of a larger $102 million in funding to help reimburse communities. Other line items frozen across various funding sources include a project to expand Hemlock Semiconductor in Saginaw County.

The Lafayette Street Bridge, one of two owned and operated by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), is in the midst of being replaced.

Demolition has already occurred, and crews have continued to work on the bridge, which could reopen in 2027.

While the funding lapse will not affect the bridge project itself, it would affect the city budget, Muscott said.

What are we going to give up for our residents to make that $1.6 million? she said. Were going to have to maybe bring some ideas of where it could come from. But unfortunately, its going to hurt our projects, whether it be a street or any of the other departments.

In his statement, Beson suggested he hopes the funding doesnt go far.

I am working with local leaders and state budget officials to make sure that projects in our community that are caught up in this get the attention they deserve in the new review process, he said. The funding is not gone. It returns to the states general budget fund with no strings attached and it can be installed within upcoming budget negotiations. I intend to do exactly that.
SAGINAW, MI  A Flint woman is accused of being the getaway driver for her teenage boyfriend after he allegedly opened fire on another teen in Buena Vista Township.

The incident in question occurred Oct. 27. That day, 36-year-old Kaila E. Partlo and her 16-year-old boyfriend picked up her own teen daughters boyfriend, also 16, from Oxford and headed north to Saginaw County, according to Buena Vista Township Police Detective Russ Pahssen.

Partlo was allegedly unhappy with the way her daughters boyfriend had been treating her, Pahssen said. She owns Jane of All Trades, a cleaning service, and her ostensible purpose in Saginaw County was to distribute business cards, Pahssen said.

The trio wound up in the area of Irving Park Boulevard and Irving Park Place. Partlo told her daughters boyfriend to exit her vehicle and affix some of her cards to a fence, Pahssen said.

As the teen was placing the cards, he turned and saw Partlos boyfriend leaning out of the vehicle with a firearm in his hand. The armed teen fired at least one shot at the other teens head, but the intended target dropped to the ground and avoided the projectile, Pahssen said.

Partlo and her boyfriend then immediately drove away, leaving the other teen stranded. The teens brand-new iPhone 16 was still in Partlos vehicle, so he walked to a nearby residence and used a Good Samaritans phone to call 911, Pahssen said.

Officers responded and started tracking the victims missing phone. It pinged to a location on Robinwood Avenue, where officers found the device smashed near a curb, Pahssen said.

Pahssen used Flock cameras to track Partlos route from Saginaw County to her Flint residence, he said.

Pahssen later interviewed Partlo, who initially assumed all the blame for the incident, he said. She later changed her story, saying she cared for her boyfriend and didnt want him getting in trouble, Pahssen said.

The detective also recovered a 9mm handgun from a safe in Partlos home, believed to be the one used by her boyfriend, Pahssen said. Partlo had purchased the gun in 2020 but never registered it, he added.

Pahssen also spoke with Partlos boyfriend, who allegedly confessed to smashing the other teens iPhone and throwing it out of Partlos vehicle as they headed back south.

Authorities issued a warrant for Partlo on Nov. 25. Partlo on Wednesday, Dec. 17, appeared in Saginaw County District Court for arraignment on one count of accessory after the fact to a felony. The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Officials have petitioned Partlos boyfriend, now 17, as a juvenile with charges of felonious assault, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, malicious destruction of property between $200 and $1,000, and two counts of felony firearm. MLive is not disclosing his name due to his juvenile status.

The age of consent for sexual activity in Michigan is 16. However, the age is increased to 18 if the older participant is a a teacher, substitute teacher, administrator, employee, or contractual service provider of the school or district the younger participant attends.

Partlo is free on a $25,000 cash-surety or 10% bond. She is due to appear for a preliminary examination on Jan. 5.
SAGINAW, MI  A Saginaw ex-con with DAMAGED tattooed across his forehead spent the final days of 2024 assaulting a pregnant woman. Nearly a year to the day later, the man learned hes heading back to prison for the next few years.

Anthony N. Lil Ant Arocha, 35, on Thursday, Dec. 18, appeared before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Darnell Jackson for sentencing. Arocha in October pleaded no contest to assault with a dangerous weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony firearm. He pleaded as a fourth-time habitual offender, increasing the maximum potential penalties of the first two charges to life imprisonment.

Before Jackson imposed sentence, defense attorney Rico D. Neal said his client accepts responsibility for his actions and is ready to make a change.

Unusual for a defendant who pleaded no contest, Arocha made a statement of his own.

First, Id like to apologize to my victim, he said, turning to face the woman seated in the courtroom gallery. Im sorry. For real, Im sorry. I didnt mean to put you through this (expletive).

The victim did not give an impact statement.

Arocha then pivoted to face two female relatives seated on the opposite side of the courtroom. He apologized to them for having to see him return to prison.

Please stay strong until I get out, he told them. I need you.

Jackson sentenced Arocha to two years in prison, plus a consecutive stint of 38 months to 15 years. He gave him credit for 352 days already served, applied to the two-year term.

The judge further ordered Arocha to pay $334 in fines and costs within 60 days.

When Arocha pleaded, Saginaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Blair N. Stevenson agreed to dismiss charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, unlawful imprisonment, domestic violence against a pregnant individual, and two more firearm-related counts. Stevenson said he had discussed the plea deal with Arochas victim and she wanted the matter resolved.

Police reports state Arocha from Dec. 30 into early the next morning refused to let a woman leave her Saginaw Township apartment. During that time, Arocha assaulted her and forced her to have sex with him, reports state. He also choked her while possessing a firearm, prosecutors alleged.

Responding police found and seized a rifle in Arochas possession, an item he is prohibited from having as a felon, prosecutors alleged. Saginaw Township police arrested Arocha and lodged him in the Saginaw County Jail the afternoon of Dec. 31.

Arocha has at least 15 convictions on his record dating to 2009, 13 out of Bay County and the remaining two out of Saginaw County. A Bay County judge in December 2011 sentenced him to 29 months to 15 years in prison on a conviction of second-degree home invasion. The sentence resulted from Arocha, then 21, and an accomplice stealing a rifle and a shotgun from a Bay City home they burglarized.

The Michigan Department of Corrections discharged Arocha in October 2022.
The suspect in last weekend's mass shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and nine others wounded was found dead Thursday -- and authorities said he is the same man who gunned down an MIT professor two days after the Rhode Island campus shooting.

During a news conference Thursday, authorities identified the suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old former Brown graduate student, who attended the school some 25 years ago.

Officials said he took his own life. His body was discovered in a New Hampshire storage unit following an intense, multi-state manhunt that had stretched on for days.

Cj Gunther/Reuters - PHOTO: Manhunt for Brown University shooter continues in Salem

"Tonight our Providence neighbors can finally breathe a little easier," Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters at at news conference Thursday night.

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Officials said there is no evidence Valente was working with anyone else, describing in detail his movements leading up to and after the shooting, including steps he took to conceal himself from authorities.

Officials have not yet provided a motive for the back-to-back shootings that left residents of parts of New England on edge for days.

Former Ph.D student who spent time in engineering building

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente had enrolled as a Ph.D student in Brown's physics program in 2000 and attended for less than a year, before going on a leave of absence and then withdrawing. She said it was believed, as a physics student, he spent considerable time in the Barus & Holley engineering building that was targeted in the shooting on Saturday.

MIT - PHOTO: Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been identified as the man fatally shot at a home in Brookline on Dec. 15, 2025.

Valente, who entered the U.S. in 2000 on a student visa, obtained lawful permanency in April 2017, authorities said.

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Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the suspect was granted a visa through the diversity lottery program in 2017 and said that DHS would be pausing the program immediately to ensure no more Americans are harmed, according to a statement posted on X early Friday morning.

"This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country. In 2017," said Noem.

He had no current affiliation with the school, according to officials.

How 2 puzzling crimes were linked

Authorities in Massachusetts confirmed Valente is also the suspected gunman in the death of MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro in Brookline, who was fatally shot on Monday night in the foyer of his building in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Both men were natives of Portugal, and U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley told reporters at a news conference late Thursday night it's believed Valente and Loureiro studied in the same academic program in Portugal in the 1990s.

It was only the past day or two that the "link began to be established," between the two puzzling crimes, Foley told reporters as authorities.

Valente's last known address was in Miami, but he had rented a hotel room in Boston in late November, Foley said. On Dec. 1, he rented a gray Nissan Sentra, which was later observed intermittently in the campus area over the next 12 days leading up to the shooting, she said.

How investigators tracked suspect down

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said local police helped tracked down Valente thanks, in part, to surveillance video and a detailed tip about a vehicle being driven by a person who noted odd behavior by the suspect.

New Hampshire attorney general - PHOTO: Manuel Neves Valente, 48, seen inside a car rental facility.

"Im being dead serious. Police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental," the tipster told police, according to a complaint released by Rhode Island authorities. "That was the car he was driving.

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The tip and surveillance video, along with the use of license-plate reader technology led investigators to a car rental agency in Massachusetts. There, police obtained a copy of the rental agreement with the suspect's name, as well as video of the suspect that matched the videos of the person of interest seen on the Brown University campus on the day of the shooting.

Brian Snyder/Reuters - PHOTO: An FBI Evidence Response Team searches the grounds outside the site of the Brown University shooting, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, December 15, 2025.

What happened at New Hampshire storage facility

Authorities said that discovery ultimately led them to a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on the border with Massachusetts, where Valente had rented a unit. Foley, the U.S. attorney, said investigators believe Valente had fled to the storage facility shortly after the shooting of the MIT professor on Monday night.

By Thursday night, investigators were closing in on the storage facility, obtaining a search warrant, which FBI SWAT teams executed shortly before 9 p.m.

Authorities said Valente's body was found in a storage unit next to the one he had rented. He was found with a satchel containing two firearms.

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Timeline of the Brown University mass shooting and MIT professor slaying

The two Brown students who were killed were identified as 19-year-old Ella Cook and 18-year-old MukhammadAziz Umurzokov. They were both fatally struck by gunfire when the shooter burst into the first-floor auditorium where a review session for an economics course was taking place.

The building was unlocked for exams being held in the building at the time of the shooting, the university president said.

Robert F. Bukaty/AP - PHOTO: The United States flag flies at half-staff as a sign of mourning for the victim's of Saturday's shooting, on the campus of Brown University, Dec. 15, 2025, in Providence, R.I.

Authorities also said Thursday someone confronted the gunman in a bathroom in the building and said he felt like he didn't belong there.
A company beloved for its ooey-gooey glazed doughnuts has sold part of its operation.

Krispy Kreme announced this week that it is selling its operations in Japan to Unison Capital for $65 million in cash to pay down debt. The transaction is projected to close in the first quarter of 2026.

Krispy Kreme celebrated 20 years in Japan earlier this week, a milestone that began with the launch of its first store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Since then, the brand has grown to 89 locations and nearly 300 fresh delivery points of access across Tokyo, Osaka, and other major cities nationwide.

We are pleased to announce our first international refranchising agreement since launching our turnaround plan in August, marking meaningful progress on a key pillar of the plan, said Krispy Kreme CEO Josh Charlesworth.

Unison is a proven, skilled operator with deep expertise in the retail beverage and restaurant sectors, and we believe they are an ideal long-term partner to operate and grow Krispy Kreme in Japan. The sale of our Japan business is an important step in advancing our refranchising initiative, supporting greater financial flexibility and reducing debt.

According to Restaurant Business, Krispy Kremes model uses larger shops that deliver doughnuts to retailers daily to support demand.

But the plan requires significant investment and poor sales at some locations, like McDonalds, led the Charlotte-based company to change course. It ended its McDonalds partnership in July.

Ultimately, efforts to bring our costs in line with unit demand were unsuccessful, making the partnership unsustainable for us, Charlesworth said in June.

Unison was founded in 1998 and specializes in consumer, healthcare, and business-to-business services. It has raised approximately $5 billion in assets across six funds in Japan and three funds in South Korea, according to a news release.

Relevant investments have included a bubble tea chain, a noodle chain, a sushi chain, and a wine retailer.

We are excited to assume ownership of Krispy Kremes operations in Japan and to be joining forces with such an iconic global brand, said Unison Co-Founder and Managing Partner Tatsuya Hayashi.

For two decades, Krispy Kremes fresh doughnuts have brought joyful experiences to communities across Japan and we look forward to building on that tradition. We share their commitment to excellence and growth and are proud to represent Krispy Kreme as a trusted partner in operating and expanding the brands footprint in Japan.

Krispy Kreme operates in more than 40 countries.
Two Caribbean nations are among several added to the U.S.s travel ban list.

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation expanding entry restrictions this week.

Officials say it applies to nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats.

Both Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were among 15 countries where partial restrictions and entry limitations were added, raising questions since both are currently classified under the State Departments lowest Level 1 travel advisory.

The ban impacts those from the nation trying to enter the U.S. or gain citizenship, not the other way around, but their inclusion raised some eyebrows.

The White House cited citizenship by investment programs without residency for the reason for both.

Antigua and Barbudas Prime Minister Gaston Browne told Antigua Newsroom that the U.S. governments interpretation of the countrys residency programs does not reflect the present reality of our laws and said the country was working to clarify the matter, to present the full and accurate facts, and to begin the process of resolving this issue with a view to restoring normal visa access for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.

Antigua and Barbuda has become a popular travel destination thanks to its white-sand beaches and clear Caribbean waters. The country welcomed a record-setting 1.2 million visitors in 2024, according to Antigua Newsroom.

Dominica receives far fewer visitors than most Caribbean islands but is a destination for hikers and divers thanks to its rainforests, waterfalls, and mountains.

Dominicas Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dominica News Online that it was actively engaging United States government officials to obtain formal clarification on the scope of the measures, the basis on which they were taken and the specific implications for Dominican travelers, students, families and other legitimate holders of U.S. visas.

Partial restrictions were also added for Angola, Benin, Cote dIvoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Full entry limitations have been in place for 12 high-risk nations including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria were added to that list this week.

People who already have visas, are lawful permanent residents of the U.S. or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve the U.S. interest, are all exempt from the restrictions, which begin Jan. 1.
Our little flirt with warm weather was short-lived. Today, were back to it feeling like winter. And then some. An Arctic cold front sent temperatures falling overnight and is paired today with blustery conditions. Fridays commute could be icy, so leave extra time.

Winds gusting to 45 mph and incoming snow mean we will likely see some dicey road conditions. While snow accumulations will be relatively light across much of West Michigan and Southeast Michigan, Up North and the U.P. will be in line for heavier snowfall rates.

In West Michigan, most of the snow is expected to end by early afternoon. The heaviest snow will be west of U.S. 131. Some areas along the Lakeshore could see 2 to 4 inches.

Friday's forecast for the Detroit area will be windy and cold, with wind gusts topping 40 mph in some areas. Graphic provided by the National Weather Service

Here are the forecast highlights from the National Weather Service offices across Michigan:

As dangerous flash freeze conditions developed across Michigan overnight, temperatures plummeted below freezing behind an Arctic cold front, creating icy roadways and hazardous travel conditions through Friday morning. Multiple winter weather advisories remain in effect statewide as snow, strong winds and whiteout conditions developed early today

The Arctic front dropped temperatures from the 40s and 50s into the teens and single digits by this morning.

Lake-effect snow was expected to intensify into Friday morning, particularly in western and northern Michigan. Snowfall totals of up to 7 inches are expected in the western Upper Peninsula and 2 to 5 inches in north-central areas by midday Friday.

Lower Michigan will see lighter accumulations of 1 to 4 inches, with the heaviest amounts near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Strong west to northwest winds gusting to 40 mph inland and 45 mph along shorelines will create blowing and drifting snow with visibility dropping to near zero at times. The Friday morning commute will be significantly impacted across much of the state.

Gale warnings remain in effect for all Michigan waters through Friday, with winds gusting to 50 knots over Lake Superior and storm warnings for portions of the lake until Friday morning. Heavy freezing spray warnings are also active, creating dangerous conditions for mariners. Small craft advisories extend through the weekend as waves remain hazardous.

Conditions will gradually improve Friday afternoon as snow diminishes and winds subside, though temperatures will remain cold with highs only in the mid-20s. Wind chills will hover around 10 degrees through much of the day Friday.

The weekend brings a brief warm-up Saturday with highs reaching the mid-30s ahead of another clipper system that will bring light snow Saturday evening, mainly north of Interstate 96. Sunday turns colder again with highs in the low 20s under high pressure.

A significant pattern change arrives early next week as warmer air pushes into Michigan. Temperatures will climb from the 30s Monday into the 40s Tuesday through Christmas Day, with some areas potentially reaching the low 50s.
DETROIT - We stepped into Friday morning with some light snow showers. With the wind levels that are forecast, that blowing snow could turn into some isolated snow squalls by later this morning.

Some areas will only see a dusting of snow this morning, while others could see up to an inch of snow.

Wind gusts could peak at more than 40 mph across some parts of Southeast Michigan.

The wind chills are also going to be problematic, making it feel even colder. Wind chills in the single digits this morning are only supposed to reach into the teens by this afternoon.

Gale Warnings are also in effect for Lake Huron and Lake Erie today. Waves in Lake Hurons open waters could reach 20 feet.

Here are the forecast highlights from the National Weather Service in Detroit:

A powerful weather system is tracking across the Great Lakes region, bringing gusty winds, rain and a dramatic temperature drop to Southeast Michigan through Friday.

Overnight, Arctic air rushed in behind the cold front. A burst of lake effect snow showers is expected into Friday morning. While the snow will likely be light and scattered in multiple bands rather than one concentrated band, the Saginaw Valley and northern Thumb area could see briefly higher snowfall rates. Snow chances are expected to decrease through Friday morning, with mainly flurries likely by noon.

Friday will feel markedly colder, with high temperatures only reaching the upper 20s and wind chills hovering around 10 degrees as strong westerly winds continue. Gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected through much of the day Friday.

A brief reprieve arrives Friday into Saturday as high pressure moves across the Ohio Valley into Michigan. However, the calm will be short-lived. Another cold front is forecast to move through lower Michigan Saturday evening or overnight, bringing light snow or a rain-snow mix.
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To ensure compliance with transport norms, authorities stopped and diverted 542 non-destined trucks and decongested 34 traffic choke points across the city.
If you're plotting a getaway  whether it's winter sun, a European city break, or a long-overdue beach escape  it's worth taking a quick look at Canada's latest travel advisories before you book or board.

The Government of Canada has issued travel advice for several popular vacation destinations, and while it's not meant to scare travellers off, it does highlight real risks to be aware of while abroad.

These travel warnings range from crime and gang violence to terrorism concerns, natural disasters, power outages, and shortages of basic necessities.

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Some advisories apply to entire countries, while others focus on specific regions, cities, or events that could affect your plans. Travel advisories are classified across four risk levels, from "Take normal security precautions" to "Avoid all travel."

Whether you're heading to a Caribbean resort, island-hopping somewhere fancy like the Maldives, or exploring major European capitals, knowing what to expect can help you travel smarter and avoid unnecessary stress.

Here's a closer look at 17 recently updated Canadian travel advisories for popular vacation destinations around the world.

Germany

Last Updated: December 17, 2025

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Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Germany due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: If Germany's iconic Christmas markets are on your winter travel wish list, you may want to stay extra alert. Canada's travel advisory warns that there is a risk of terrorism across Europe, including in Germany.

According to the advisory, attacks could occur at any time and without warning, particularly in high-traffic areas such as Christmas markets, tourist attractions, airports, places of worship, and government buildings.

Canadian travellers are advised to remain aware of their surroundings, especially in crowded public spaces.

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For full travel advice, read the Germany travel advisory.

Dominican Republic

Last Updated: December 17, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime.

Details: Canada is advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in the Dominican Republic due to widespread crime. Violent crime and theft occur across the country, particularly in major cities, and tourists are often targeted.

Petty crime like pickpocketing and bag-snatching is common at resorts, beaches, airports, and on public transportation, while violent incidents such as armed robberies and assaults tend to happen after dark.

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The advisory also warns that border areas near Haiti are unpredictable, with borders closed and limited emergency services.

For full travel advice, read the Dominican Republic travel advisory.

Bahamas

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in The Bahamas due to high rates of crime, especially in Nassau and Freeport.

Details: For travellers eyeing warm weather, beaches, or a winter cruise stop, Canada is advising a high degree of caution.

The advisory points to high rates of crime, particularly in Nassau and Freeport. Incidents affecting visitors include pickpocketing, armed robberies, fraud, and sexual assaults, some of which have occurred in tourist areas and during daylight hours. Crime tends to increase during holidays and festivals.

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Travellers are urged to stay in well-populated areas, avoid isolated places after dark, secure valuables, and be cautious around strangers.

For full travel advice, read the Bahamas travel advisory.

Mexico

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Mexico due to high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping.

Details: Mexico remains a hugely popular destination for beach resorts, city breaks, and winter sun, but Canada is warning travellers about high levels of crime and violence in parts of the country.

Officials advise avoiding non-essential travel to several states due to organized crime, kidnappings, and ongoing security concerns, while noting that some tourist cities and areas are excluded when accessed by air.

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Violent crime, including armed robberies, assaults, carjackings, and kidnappings, occurs across Mexico, and cartel-related violence can happen without warning  even in tourist areas.

Border regions and certain highways also pose heightened risks, particularly at night.

For full travel advice, read the Mexico travel advisory.

Cuba

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Cuba due to shortages of basic necessities including food, medicine, and fuel.

Details: For travellers drawn to Cuba's beaches, resorts, and classic winter sun escapes, Canada is warning that ongoing power outages and shortages could significantly affect your trip.

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The advisory says scheduled daily blackouts are common, and unexpected nationwide outages can last more than 24 hours.

Cuba is also facing severe shortages of essentials like food, bottled water, medication, fuel, and cash, which have disrupted transportation and services across the island.

For full travel advice, read the Cuba travel advisory.

France

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in France due to the elevated threat of terrorism.

Details: If you're heading to France in December  whether it's for ski season in the Alps or a winter city break in Paris  Canada is urging travellers to be aware of an ongoing risk of terrorism.

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The advisory notes that both opportunistic and premeditated attacks have occurred in recent years, with more incidents considered possible.

France's national security system, known as Vigipirate, is currently at its highest alert level, which means heightened security measures nationwide.

Visitors can expect increased police and military patrols in transport hubs, public spaces, and popular tourist areas, particularly in Paris.

For full travel advice, read the France travel advisory.

Costa Rica

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Costa Rica due to crime.

Details: With its rainforests, beaches, and laid-back surf towns, Costa Rica continues to draw travellers year-round. However, Canada is warning visitors to be cautious due to frequent crime affecting tourists.

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Petty crime, such as pickpocketing, purse snatching, and passport theft, is common in airports, hotels, restaurants, and popular tourist areas.

Car break-ins and vehicle theft are widespread, including at beaches and national parks.

Violent incidents, including armed robberies and assaults, have also occurred, particularly in San Jose and parts of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

For full travel advice, read the Costa Rica travel advisory.

Jamaica

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Jamaica due to the high level of violent crime, particularly outside tourist areas.

Details: Jamaica's beaches and resorts continue to draw winter travellers, but Canada is warning that conditions vary widely across the island.

Officials advise avoiding non-essential travel to several western parishes due to extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, with some tourist areas excluded when accessed via main routes.

The advisory also notes that violent crime, including armed robbery and murder, remains a concern in parts of Kingston, Montego Bay, and other urban areas, while petty crime like pickpocketing and bag snatching occurs in tourist zones.

Police checkpoints are common, especially along major highways.

For full travel advice, read the Jamaica travel advisory.

Italy

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Italy due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: With Rome hosting the Jubilee celebrations from December 24, 2024, to January 6, 2026, and northern Italy set to welcome visitors for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026, many travellers may be planning trips to Italy over the coming weeks.

Canada warns that there is a serious risk of terrorism in Europe, and attacks in Italy cannot be ruled out. Travellers are advised to stay alert in crowded public places, including tourist attractions, transport hubs, restaurants, and places of worship.

Increased police and military presence should be expected, particularly during holidays and major events.

For full travel advice, read the Italy travel advisory.

Belize

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Belize due to high levels of violent crime throughout the country.

Details: Unsurprisingly, Belize's beaches, cayes, and relaxed pace attract Canadian travellers at this time of the year, though safety conditions can vary significantly by location.

Gang violence is a serious concern in Southside Belize City, where clashes between rival groups occur frequently, and police response capacity is limited.

Violent crime is also reported elsewhere in the country, including in Belmopan and in some popular tourist areas such as San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia, and San Ignacio. Incidents include armed robberies, burglaries, assaults, and sexual assaults.

For full travel advice, read the Belize travel advisory.

United Kingdom

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in the United Kingdom due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: If you're planning a winter trip to the U.K.  for holiday shopping in London or something else  Canada is warning travellers of an ongoing risk of terrorism.

The advisory notes that previous attacks in the U.K. have caused casualties and have included knife, vehicle, and explosive attacks, mainly in London but also elsewhere.

The U.K. maintains a national terrorism alert system, with the current threat level listed as substantial. Further incidents are considered "likely."

For full travel advice, read the United Kingdom travel advisory.

Maldives

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in the Maldives due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: The Maldives is best known for its luxury resorts and postcard-perfect beaches, but travellers should be aware of the threat of terrorism in the country.

Attacks could occur at any time and may target public places frequented by foreigners, including tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, resorts, and transportation hubs.

The advisory also notes that government buildings, schools, and places of worship could be potential targets.

Visitors are advised to remain aware of their surroundings in public spaces and to follow local guidance when travelling between islands or spending time outside resort areas.

For full travel advice, read the Maldives travel advisory.

Spain

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Spain due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: Winter travel to Spain remains popular, but Canadian officials are advising travellers to be mindful of terrorism risks. Attacks causing deaths and injuries have occurred in Spain in the past, and further incidents cannot be ruled out.

The advisory warns that public spaces such as tourist attractions, transport hubs, restaurants, markets, and other busy areas could be targeted. Travellers are urged to stay aware of their surroundings, especially during sporting events, religious holidays, and public celebrations.

Spain operates a national terrorism alert system, and the current threat level is listed as high.

For full travel advice, read the Spain travel advisory.

India

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country.

Details: Whether you're heading to India for a once-in-a-lifetime trip or visiting family, the safety picture can shift a lot depending on where you are.

The advisory urges exercising a high degree of caution nationwide due to the threat of terrorist attacks.

Certain regions come with stronger warnings: avoid all travel to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and avoid areas within 10 km of the Pakistan border in Gujarat, Punjab, and Rajasthan (the Attari-Wagah crossing is closed). Avoid non-essential travel to Assam and Manipur due to terrorism and insurgency risks.

Travellers are advised to stay alert in public places, avoid demonstrations, expect security checks, and follow local authorities.

For full travel advice, read the India travel advisory.

Belgium

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Belgium due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: Belgium is a popular winter destination, especially for Christmas markets in cities like Brussels, but travellers are reminded of the risk of terrorism in Europe.

The advisory notes that attacks causing multiple deaths and injuries have occurred in Belgium in the past, and further incidents cannot be ruled out. Public places could be targeted, particularly during holidays and large public events.

Belgium's national threat level is currently set at level 3 out of 4, meaning heightened security measures are in place, including increased police presence and security checks.

For full travel advice, read the Belgium travel advisory.

Trinidad and Tobago

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Trinidad and Tobago due to violent crime.

Details: Trinidad and Tobago is much-loved at this time of year for its warm beaches, carnival culture, and cruise stops, but travellers should be aware of current security measures and crime concerns.

A nationwide state of emergency was declared on July 18, 2025, giving security forces expanded powers, including the ability to conduct searches and make arrests without warrants.

Increased police and military presence is expected, and visitors should carry a valid ID and follow local instructions.

Violent crime, including armed robberies, carjackings, assaults, kidnappings, and gang-related violence, occurs across the country, sometimes during the day.

For full travel advice, read the Trinidad and Tobago travel advisory.

Sweden

Last Updated: December 15, 2025

Risk Level: Exercise a high degree of caution in Sweden due to the threat of terrorism.

Details: Sweden remains a popular destination for winter city breaks and seasonal events, but Canada is advising travellers to be aware of the risk of terrorism.

The advisory highlights potential risks at transportation hubs, tourist sites, restaurants, shopping areas, and places of worship. Extra vigilance is recommended during large gatherings, including sporting events, religious holidays, demonstrations, and public celebrations.

Sweden maintains a national terrorism alert system, with the current threat level listed as elevated on a five-step scale.

For full travel advice, read the Sweden travel advisory.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.

AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of Narcity's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our Editorial Standards page.
Gayatri Rani is a Senior-Sub Editor with over three years of experience in delivering Hollywood and Bollywood news.
Ragini Jaiswal Entertainment journalist and content writer with 3+ years of experience covering Bollywood, lifestyle trends, and celebrity stories across leading digital platforms.
On December 18, the 2025 Anhui-Hong Kong-Macao Overseas Chinese Youth Roundtable was successfully held in Wuhu, Anhui. Under the theme "Overseas Chinese Youth Gather in Jianghuai  Technology and Innovation Toward the Future," the event aimed to further unite the strength of young overseas Chinese from Anhui, Hong Kong, and Macao, establish a platform for exchange and cooperation, pool innovative wisdom, and inject momentum from the overseas Chinese community into the development of a better Anhui.

Anhui is a land of profound history and vibrant culture, as well as a dynamic hub of innovation and vitality. Currently, Anhui is accelerating its efforts to build itself into a source of scientific and technological innovation, a gathering place for emerging industries, a new highland for reform and opening-up, and a comprehensive green transformation zone for economic and social development. With firm and steady strides in high-quality development, the province provides an unprecedented broad stage and boundless business opportunities for young overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao, and the Yangtze River Delta region (Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang) to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The roundtable featured two main segments: "Face-to-Face with Overseas Chinese Youth" and "Stories of Overseas Chinese Youth." Representatives of young overseas Chinese from various regions engaged in in-depth discussions on fields such as technological innovation, industrial development, green finance, cultural exchange, and social services, sharing experiences and exploring opportunities for collaboration. During the "Face-to-Face with Overseas Chinese Youth" segment, several representatives from the overseas Chinese community shared their personal life stories, offering profound intellectual inspiration. The following "Stories of Overseas Chinese Youth" segment focused on cutting-edge technology and industrial practices, where multiple young overseas Chinese representatives shared their stories of dedication and pursuit of dreams in their respective fields. In addition to thematic discussions, the roundtable also featured interactive exchanges and on-site visits, continuously empowering young entrepreneurs in innovation and entrepreneurship while actively supporting Anhui's high-level opening-up. Representatives of young overseas Chinese visited Chery Automobile, EFORT Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., the Wuhu Iron Painting Museum, and the ancient city of Wuhu for in-depth inspections. They experienced Anhui's profound cultural heritage, appreciated Wuhu's unique strengths in integrating technological innovation with traditional craftsmanship, and witnessed the robust pulse of Anhui's high-quality development. It is reported that the Anhui-Hong Kong-Macao Overseas Chinese Youth Roundtable is one of the signature projects under the Anhui Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese' brand matrix "Overseas Chinese Gathering in Jianghuai." It aims to unite outstanding young overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao, and the Yangtze River Delta region, build bridges for connection, friendship, business exchanges, and career cooperation, promote exchanges and collaboration among Anhui, Hong Kong, and Macao, and serve Anhui's high-level opening-up. Since its inception in 2023, the roundtable has attracted over a hundred young overseas Chinese participants from the three regions and facilitated multiple cooperative intentions.

Source: anhuinews.com
Several pictures have been doing the rounds on social media, showing Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern meeting up and posing together.
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Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt officially became parents after welcoming their first child together. The couple shared the news days after the birth, choosing a calm and personal reveal. The update quickly moved across social media, drawing attention for its tone rather than shock value.

Their daughter was born on December 12, 2025, and the couple confirmed the news on Instagram.

The meaning behind Scottie Rose

The baby girl was named Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson, and the meaning behind the name resonated immediately. Scottie honors Petes late father, Scott Matthew Davidson. He was a New York City firefighter who was killed while responding to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt highlighted the emotional weight of becoming parents while sharing personal details from their first days as a family. (Elsie Hewitt / Instagram)

Pete has spoken openly about losing his father at a young age. Naming his daughter after him connected memory with legacy in a very visible way. For many people, that context gave the name emotional depth.

How fans reacted to the name choice

Once the meaning behind the name became public, reactions shifted from surprise to emotion. Many people shared that the tribute felt sincere rather than performative. Others appreciated that the couple explained the name without turning it into a headline moment.

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Online responses focused on empathy, family, and growth. Fans who followed Petes career saw the name as a reflection of his personal journey. The conversation stayed largely supportive and respectful.

A relationship that moved quickly but clearly

Pete and Elsie confirmed their relationship earlier this year after being introduced by mutual friends. Four months later, they announced they were expecting their first child. The timeline surprised some, but the couple appeared confident in their decision.

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt shared a private glimpse into the day they welcomed their daughter, reflecting the closeness and support they experienced as new parents. (Elsie Hewitt / Instagram)

Pete later shared that becoming a parent had been a lifelong dream. He explained that fatherhood felt grounding and purposeful. That perspective helped explain why the transition felt natural for him.

Preparing for parenthood together

In interviews, Pete shared that advice from close friends helped ease the transition. Fellow comedians and longtime collaborators offered guidance based on their own experiences. Those conversations helped him feel supported during a major life shift.

Pete Davidson and Elsie Hewitt marked the arrival of their daughter with a personal photo that emphasized family, gratitude, and privacy. (Elsie Hewitt / Instagram)

Elsie also leaned into preparation in a steady way. Reports noted that she enjoyed setting up the nursery and planning daily routines. Their approach reflected teamwork rather than pressure.

How fatherhood is changing Petes outlook

Pete has spoken openly about how parenthood reshaped how he views work. He shared that his career now feels like one part of a bigger picture. Having someone to show up for changed how he measures success.

Pete Davidson shared a glimpse into early fatherhood as he adjusted to life with his newborn daughter. (Elsie Hewitt / Instagram)

He also mentioned wanting to give his child stability and care. That goal connects closely to the meaning behind Scotties name. It reflects both remembrance and intention.

Why this moment resonated beyond celebrity news

The reaction to Scottie Roses name went beyond being a fan of Pete Davidson. A lot of people are connected with the idea of honoring someone you love while starting a brand-new chapter. It felt familiar and personal, like a family story many people could understand.

For Pete and Elsie, the attention never seemed to be the point. They kept the focus on their daughter and what her name meant to them. That choice helped turn the announcement into something quieter and more meaningful, centered on love, memory, and growth rather than headlines.
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As 2025 draws to a close, Dynamic Business extends our warmest wishes to the small and medium business owners who form the backbone of the Australian economy.

This year has tested SMEs in ways few could have predicted. Rising costs, shifting consumer behaviour, and ongoing economic uncertainty have demanded extraordinary resilience from business owners across the country. Yet time and again, youve adapted, innovated, and found new ways to serve your customers and communities.

Weve watched small retailers embrace digital transformation, seen local manufacturers expand into new markets, and witnessed service providers reimagine their business models to meet changing demands. Your determination to not just survive, but thrive, has been nothing short of inspiring.

Behind every SME is a story of courage. Its the restaurant owner who opens the doors each morning, the tradesperson building their reputation one job at a time, the online retailer competing against global giants, and the consultant backing themselves to go it alone. Youre the employers, the risk-takers, and the dreamers who keep local communities vibrant and the Australian economy strong.

Running an SME means long hours, difficult decisions, and constant problem-solving. It means being the accountant, marketer, customer service team, and strategist all at once. Its challenging work that often goes unrecognised, but your contribution matters enormously.

As Christmas approaches, Dynamic Business wishes you the time and space to step away from the business and recharge. Youve earned it. Whether youre spending time with family, enjoying a well-deserved break, or simply catching your breath before the new year, we hope this festive season brings you peace and joy.

Looking ahead to 2026, Dynamic Business remains committed to supporting Australian SMEs with practical insights, real-world advice, and stories that matter to your business journey.

From all of us at Dynamic Business, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year filled with growth, success, and new opportunities. Thank you for everything you do for Australias economy and communities.

The Dynamic Business Team
OPINION | Five forces that will decide who hires and who is hired in 2026 and beyond
Before his departure, Narendra Modi was conferred with the Order of Oman, the Gulf nations highest civilian honour.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is seen in this composite image captured on Nov. 6 by the Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument on NASAs Europa Clipper spacecraft, from a distance of around 102 million miles (164 million kilometers).. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI)
2 / 5

Available now, with key partners

The programme is live from today and will run until June 30, 2026. It is being offered in partnership with Cashify, Bajaj Finance and HDFC Bank, and is available across select offline retail stores in India. Google says the goal is to make Pixel ownership easier and less stressful.
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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
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.
Small businesses in the immediate vicinity of Bondi Beach can now register for grants up to $25,000

Whats Happening: The Australian and NSW governments have announced over $20 million in immediate support following the 14 December Bondi terror attack.

Why This Matters: With disaster recovery funding activated, affected businesses and individuals can access immediate financial assistance whilst mental health services operate on the ground at Bondi and Coogee to support community wellbeing.

The Australian and NSW governments have moved swiftly to support victims, families, and businesses affected by Sundays terror attack at Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people and injured more than 40 others during a Hanukkah celebration.

The support package, exceeding $20 million, has been jointly funded by the Albanese and Minns governments, with most elements funded under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, which were activated following the attack on 14 December 2025.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nations response to what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State ideology.

The antisemitic terrorism incident in Bondi has shaken the Jewish community, and indeed the whole nation who have been devastated by what is an unprecedented attack on the Australian way of life, says Albanese. My government is committed to supporting those in the wake of this tragedy which is why we are partnering with the New South Wales Government to provide over $20 million in funding for support services through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Grants open Friday

Small businesses impacted by the attack in the immediate vicinity, or those who can demonstrate exceptional circumstances, will be able to access grants up to $25,000. Registrations commence on Friday, 19 December, with grants processed by early next week.

Impacted businesses can register for support by attending the Community Hub at North Bondi RSL or contacting Service NSW on 13 77 88 to organise a meeting with a Business Concierge member.

The package builds on NSWs history of supporting businesses through disasters, with previous initiatives providing up to $50,000 for businesses affected by floods and other natural disasters.

NSW Premier Chris Minns emphasised the governments commitment to sustained support.

This attack has caused unimaginable pain for victims, families and the Jewish community, and it has shaken our entire state, says Minns. Our responsibility is to stand alongside people in their grief, provide real support, and help the community recover, not just in the days ahead, but for as long as it takes.

Community hub established

A community hub will operate from Friday, 19 December to Tuesday, 23 December, between 10am and 4pm at North Bondi RSL. The hub brings together multiple support services under one roof, including the NSW Reconstruction Authority, NSW Health, Service NSW, Service NSW Business Concierge, Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network, Legal Aid, and Lifeline.

The package includes $1 million for Waverley Council to assist with clean-up requirements at Bondi Beach and for community cohesion events, alongside $2.8 million to provide up to eight coordinators to undertake community engagement and support the local community.

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey highlighted the communitys resilience in the face of terrorism.

Sydneys Jewish community, and everyone else who loves Bondi Beach, have refused to be cowed by Sundays evil attack, says Mookhey. This assistance package is recognition that our community is at its strongest when it pulls together, and that when it does so, terror can never prevail.

Mental health response

NSW Health has initiated a comprehensive mental health disaster response, with trained mental health clinicians working on the ground in Bondi and Coogee. Mobile clinicians wearing hi-vis NSW Health vests will be onsite from 8am to 8pm for the next several weeks.

NSW Health has increased staff coverage on its dedicated 24-hour Mental Health Line, available on 1800 011 511. The Transcultural Mental Health Line (1800 648 911) is available for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

For those requiring crisis support, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14, whilst children and young people can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at kidshelpline.com.au.

Victim support expanded

The package delivers substantial support for victims and their families, including $2 million for Jewish community organisations to support victims families. This includes $1 million for Jewish House to establish a Victim Support Fund delivering culturally sensitive assistance to the Jewish community.

Enhancements to NSWs existing victim support scheme include increased financial support for injured victims and their immediate families, funeral and burial costs for victims, and support for the repatriation of remains.

An additional $1 million has been allocated for local Jewish organisations to provide community mental health triage, whilst $3.6 million will fund six place-based recovery officers to undertake case coordination and outreach for affected individuals and families.

Security measures have also been strengthened, with $1.5 million allocated for additional security at Jewish community locations across NSW.

Legal Aid and Disaster Response Legal Services will receive $1 million to provide legal services supporting community recovery.

Victims Services has established a dedicated phone line for victims and family members, available on 1800 411 822 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Understanding how to navigate government support programmes during disasters can significantly impact business recovery and community resilience.

The Department of Home Affairs will ensure urgent visa enquiries related to the attack receive priority support, with staff prepared to provide urgent assistance to affected families. Family members seeking to travel to Australia can contact the Global Service Centre on 13 18 81 (Australia) or +61 2 6196 0196 (international).

Albanese reinforced the governments unequivocal stance against terrorism.

My Government unequivocally stands against terrorism and will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety and wellbeing of this community and all Australians, he says.

Minns urged anyone struggling to reach out for support.

This package is about dignity, compassion and practical help, ensuring families are supported, businesses can recover, and people know they are not facing this alone, says Minns. I urge anyone who is struggling or needs help to reach out. Support is available, and we want people to use it.

Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Members of "July Oikya", a platform of several organisations that took part in the July Revolution, march to the Indian High Commission, as they demand the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others who fled the country during and after July last year, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Abhinav Gupta With over 12 years in digital journalism, has navigated the fast-evolving media landscape, shaping digital strategies and leading high-impact newsrooms. Currently, he serves as News Editor at MoneyControl, leading coverage in Global Affairs, Indian Politics, Governance and Policy Making. Previously, he has spearheaded fact-checking and digital media operations at Press Trust of India. Abhinav has also led news desks at Financial Express, DNA, and Jagran English, managing editorial direction, breaking news coverage, and digital growth. His journey includes stints with The Indian Express Group, Zee Media Group, and more, where he has honed his expertise in newsroom leadership, audience engagement, and digital transformation.
Supporters block the Shahbagh Square as they protest, demanding justice for the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader who had been undergoing treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka, Bangladesh December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
Ahmed, a Muslim father-of-two, was presented with an oversized cheque at his St. George hospital bed by Zachery Dereniowski
Sharif Osman Hadi, a leading figure of the July Uprising who was shot last week, passed away late Thursday at a Singapore hospital
Bangladesh unrest live: Total mobocracy - Ex-Indian diplomat Veena Sikri calls Yunus interim regime illegal

Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri has launched a blistering critique of Bangladeshs interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, calling the current situation a total mobocracy as protests and violence intensify after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

Sikri argued the administration lacks constitutional legitimacy, and therefore has no authority to hold elections. This is a total mobocracy functioning in Bangladesh it is not a constitutional government. It is an illegal government and has no authority or right to conduct elections, she said.

She also alleged that the political transition after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was engineered with Jamaat-e-Islami in charge, claiming Pakistan and external forces backed the change, allegations for which she provided no evidence in the comments cited.

Sikri criticised what she described as an immediate rush to blame India for Hadis killing. Within seconds of the shooting, they started blaming India without any inquiry, she said.

Reiterating Indias stated position, Sikri said New Delhi has conveyed to the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi that only free, fair, inclusive and participatory elections would be acceptable, adding that Bangladesh needs a proper caretaker government for credibility.
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Cant breathe: Why mobs attacked Daily Star, Prothom Alo and targeted veteran journalists in Bangladesh protests
"We once again urge India to abide by its relevant commitments at the WTO and immediately correct its erroneous practices," it added.
Japan has urged Finland to appropriately respond after an image circulated online showing Miss Universe Finland 2025 Sarah Dzafce making a gesture widely regarded as racially offensive to Asian people.

Sarah Dzafce, former Miss Universe Finland 2025. Photo from Dzafce's Instagram

According to the South China Morning Post, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara made the demand on Thursday, also mentioning images posted on social media that showed some Finnish lawmakers performing the same gesture.

His remarks came a day after Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued an apology to Japan, describing the posts as "insulting" and reaffirming Finlands commitment to combating racism. Orpos apology was shared by Finlands embassy in Tokyo on social media.

The controversy erupted after an image of Dzafce, who represented Finland at this years Miss Universe competition, went viral. The photo showed her pulling back the corners of her eyes, accompanied by a caption that read "eating with a Chinese." The backlash led to her being stripped of her Miss Universe Finland title.

Dzafce later told local media that she did not intend to offend and said she had been trying to alleviate a headache when the photo was taken, according to the Associated Press. She also said the photo was posted by a friend, who added the caption independently.

Following her dethronement, several members of the far-right Finns Party posted images of themselves performing the similar gesture on social media, apparently in a show of solidarity with Dzafce. The Finns Party is part of Finlands ruling coalition.

Orpo said the lawmakers actions "do not reflect Finlands values, which emphasize equality and inclusion."

Finlands embassies in China and South Korea have also released statements expressing regret over the incident and reiterating the countrys opposition to racism.
This undated and unlocated handout image released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on December 18, 2025 shows late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (2L) sitting next to women whose faces have been redacted. (AFP)
Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance embrace during a Turning Point USA event at the Pavilion at Ole Miss at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, U.S. October 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Pool
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Hindu man Dipu Chandra Das beaten to death over blasphemy claims in Mymensingh amid nationwide unrest
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NANJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Data that would take 699 days to transmit over the traditional Internet was transferred in just 1.6 hours on a testbed for China's future networks.

China's first national science and technology infrastructure in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector -- China Environment for Network Innovation (CENI) -- recently passed national acceptance in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, and has been officially commissioned.

CENI is an open, user-friendly, and sustainable large-scale universal test infrastructure that provides a simple, efficient, and low-cost test and verification environment for researching innovative architectures of future networks.

"CENI's passage of national acceptance marks China's entry into the world's advanced echelon in the capabilities of network technology innovation, test verification, and service application, enabling it to deliver higher-quality services for all industries to embrace AI," said Liu Yunjie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

In the facility experiment, 72 TB of data generated by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province arrived at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in central China's Hubei Province in just 1.6 hours.

"The FAST generates around 100 TB of data daily. The commissioning of CENI will significantly enhance data transmission efficiency and quality," said Liu.

Currently, the CENI boasts large-scale, programmable, virtualized, and open-sharing features.

Liu noted that the team has pioneered a service-customized network architecture internationally, developed the world's first distributed large-network OS, and built the world's first wide-area deterministic network. It has also advanced key optoelectronic integration technologies, playing a pivotal role in the "East Data, West Computing" initiative.

During construction, the team led or participated in the formulation of 206 international and domestic standards. It has secured 221 authorized invention patents and 139 software copyrights, with multiple achievements winning national-level scientific and technological awards.

After over a decade of construction, CENI now spans 40 cities nationwide, boasting a total optical transmission length of over 55,000 kilometers. Operating full-time, it can support 128 heterogeneous networks and 4,096 parallel heterogeneous service tests, seamlessly interconnect with the existing Internet and global test facilities, and has the capabilities for high-throughput, high-reliability and deterministic transmission.

CENI will allow research institutions and enterprises to test various new technologies on it in the future, and it has supported the development of 5G-Advanced (5G-A) and 6G technologies, according to Wu Hequan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"Training a large model with 100-billion-level parameters across domains requires over 500,000 rounds of iterative development, with CENI, each training round takes only about 16 seconds," Liu stated, adding that empowering large model training with CENI can save significant time and economic costs.

Going forward, CENI will deliver open testbed support to key industries, including manufacturing, energy and power, education and healthcare, and the low-altitude economy, thereby accelerating the Digital China Initiative.

Editor: Xiong Jian
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Pakistans ISI is back in Bangladesh: Why Munir-Yunus ties have raised alarms on Indias Eastern Front
A Salem Police Department cruiser is parked outside the storage facility where the suspect behind the mass shooting at Brown University was found dead, in Salem, New Hampshire, on December 19, 2025. (Photo by Bing Guan / AFP)
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Sam Altmans shirtless firefighter image shows how fast AI selfies are going mainstream
An activist holds a poster of Sharif Osman Hadi, senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, who was shot outside a mosque, during a demonstration to condemn the attack in Dhaka on December 15, 2025. (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)
A new meeting has been scheduled for January 5 to maintain momentum if the expected responses are not forthcoming.
Super flu spreads across US, UK and Canada: What is H3N2 subclade K strain and why it is spreading faster
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The White House announced Donald Trump had signed it. It was a quiet affair, with no Oval Office ceremony attended by reporters.
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Supporters block the Shahbagh Square as they protest demanding justice for the death of Sharif Osman Hadi in Dhaka
A toptier Huangmei Opera feast is coming! From this Saturday (December 20) through January 9, 2026  a full twenty days  Anhui Zaifen Huangmei Art Theatre will present twenty signature productions backtoback in Anqing City, Anhui Province. This isn't a routine run: it's the theatre's hardearned showcase after two decades of work. Classics, original hits, and bold adaptations are all on the bill  the lineup is stellar.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Anhui Zaifen Huangmei Art Theatre has planned a series of anniversary events under the theme "People Become Plays, Everyone Becomes a Lead."

At the press conference for Zaifen Huangmei's "20th Anniversary  Twenty Productions" showcase, organizers said the largescale program selects twenty representative and landmark works created, curated, or staged by the theatre over the past two decades. The repertoire spans contemporary and modern themes, original hits, classic adaptations, and revolutionary pieces, collectively tracing and presenting the theatre's artistic development and achievements.

Performances will primarily take place at the Zaifen Huangmei Mansion in Anqing and the Anqing Huangmei Opera Art Center Grand Theatre, serving local residents while welcoming audiences from across China.

The twenty productions are grouped into three categories for fans to pick from according to their preferences:

"Epic Classic" series: mustsee Huangmei classics  the three old staples "The Female Consort Prince," "The Heavenly Match," and "The Handkerchief," plus "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" and "Xiao Ci Dian." Authentic and timeless.

"AwardWinning" series: the theatre's golden signatures. Examples include "Huizhou Women" and "Huizhou Past" exploring the fate of women in Huizhou; the stirring redthemed "Immortal Jiaoyang"; hometown tributes like "Deng Jiaxian" and "Yannian and Qiaonian"; the modern Huangmei play "The Company," which promotes integrity; and "Liuchixiang: Kuan," highlighting harmony and courtesy. Many of these works have won national awards.

"CrossBoundary Adaptation" series: stage adaptations of Lu Xun's "Blessing" and "Kong Yiji," Zhang Henshui's "The Story of a Noble Family," and even Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"  watch how traditional opera handles Chinese and foreign literary classics.

At the press conference, when asked about the core values that have sustained the theatre for twenty years, Zaifen Huangmei's director Han Zaifen replied warmly: "Passion, perseverance, gratitude." Passion for the art itself, perseverance in rooting the theatre in Anqing, and gratitude to all audiences. "These twenty productions condense Zaifen Huangmei's two decades of artistic accumulation and exploration; they are our sincere gift to the audience and our cultural answer to this era," Director Han said.





Source: anhuinews.com
LANZHOU, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers are integrating the growing power of AI into the Digital Intelligent Evidence-Based Medicine (i-EBM), creating a more dynamic, precise and efficient approach to medical evidence.

"As a new modern medical paradigm, i-EBM features three dimensions -- multi-source data integration, intelligent evidence analysis, and individualized decision support," said Ge Long, a professor at the School of Public Health of Lanzhou University and leader of the study.

"The burgeoning AI technologies are more active in processing massive data and transforming them into reference treatment plans, enabling the traditional evidence-based medicine (EBM) to advance in the AI era," Ge added.

Published in the journal Chinese Science Bulletin, the study is led by Ge's colleagues in collaboration with evidence-based medicine scholars.

EBM, a cornerstone of modern medical decision-making, combines the best research evidence, clinical judgment and patients' concerns. For decades, it has continued to significantly enhance the scientific understanding behind medical decisions.

"However, the limitations of EBM, such as the time lag, isolated evidence, and insufficient individualized consideration to each patient, have caused troubles in today's complex medical environment," Ge said.

"In the AI era, i-EBM is not a disruptive force to the traditional EBM model, but rather an inevitable evolution, which is targeted at an in-depth collaboration between machine intelligence and human expertise," Ge added.

I-EBM builds a unified digital intelligence foundation by integrating high-quality scientific research evidence, biomedical knowledge systems, and multimodal real-world data including electronic medical records and medical images, among others. On this basis, it combines with AI technologies, individualized diagnosis and treatment suggestions to assist doctors in making precise decisions.

"Of course, in the initial stage, what i-EBM can offer is the standardized plans, which can serve as a reference for doctors," Ge said.

"Theoretically speaking, EBM considers information of various aspects. However, in practice, it is difficult for clinicians to search, sequence, and analyze such a large amount of information," Ge said.

I-EBM is pushing the limits of traditional EBM. By means of AI technologies such as knowledge graphs, it can build deep cross-domain connections across scientific research data, clinical medical records, medical images, and environmental meteorology information -- tasks that were previously carried out manually with a great degree of difficulty.

Moreover, AI can greatly reduce repetitive work. In just a few hours, or in some cases even minutes, they can complete the literature screening and evidence update that used to take months to finish.

According to Ge, the new system can assist with data integration, pattern recognition and causal analysis in complex research of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to help reveal the internal laws of TCM evidence and optimize its evaluation system.

By now, the study team has applied their study achievements by developing multiple digital and intelligent products in fields such as the medication guide of Chinese patent medicine, facilitating medical research and practice.

The team has also cooperated with medical institutions to carry out research and application of i-EBM in childhood pneumonia treatment. I-EBM integrates imaging, laboratory and clinical data to build a multimodal database and facilitate more scientific diagnosis and treatment plans.

"The era of AI is coming. We will further our i-EBM research to support the improvement of medical standards, promote equal access to medical care, so as to play a role in improving people's health and well-being," Ge said.

Editor: Xiong Jian
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US military strikes suspected drug-smuggling boats in Pacific, five killed
(FILES) Political leaflets depicting Sheikh Hasina and her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman lying on the floor of the vandalised Awami League headquarters days after a student-led uprising that ended the 15-year rule of Awami League's leader Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka on August 10, 2024. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)

Abhinav Gupta With over 12 years in digital journalism, has navigated the fast-evolving media landscape, shaping digital strategies and leading high-impact newsrooms. Currently, he serves as News Editor at MoneyControl, leading coverage in Global Affairs, Indian Politics, Governance and Policy Making. Previously, he has spearheaded fact-checking and digital media operations at Press Trust of India. Abhinav has also led news desks at Financial Express, DNA, and Jagran English, managing editorial direction, breaking news coverage, and digital growth. His journey includes stints with The Indian Express Group, Zee Media Group, and more, where he has honed his expertise in newsroom leadership, audience engagement, and digital transformation.
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Ivona Ladjevac, deputy director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Belgrade, Serbia, on Dec. 4, 2025. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua)

China's Hainan FTP will officially begin island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, marking a key step in the country's push for high-standard opening-up.

BELGRADE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's opening-up policy, exemplified by the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), is creating diverse opportunities for enterprises worldwide and strengthening confidence in global economic growth, a Serbian scholar told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

Ivona Ladjevac, deputy director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, said China's efforts to establish special economic zones and free trade zones "demonstrate remarkable foresight."

China's Hainan FTP will officially begin island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, marking a key step in the country's push for high-standard opening-up. Ladjevac said the port's reforms of customs and tariffs, services, digital economy, pharmaceuticals, technology and related sectors could prove highly attractive to international investors.

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows an interior view of Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

"By opening new free trade zones and attracting fresh investment, China aims to create greater profit opportunities," she said, adding that the Hainan FTP is the latest example of China's opening-up policy.

Against a backdrop of mounting challenges to the global economy, Ladjevac said China's commitment to high-level opening-up reflects the continuity and determination of its economic development strategy and governance philosophy. "China remains on the path it has followed for decades, consistently emphasizing development for the nation and its people," said Ladjevac, who has visited China more than 30 times.

She noted that Serbia maintains strong economic and trade ties with China, with substantial bilateral trade volumes. Serbia has benefited greatly from bilateral exchanges, she said, demonstrating that Chinese development offers important opportunities for economic transformation and upgrading in emerging markets and developing countries.

An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

China's active advocacy for a more just international trading system has also won broad support among the countries of the Global South, she underlined.

"China is a beacon of multilateral cooperation," she said, adding that by continuously promoting high-level opening-up and shared development, "China is giving the world an opportunity to move toward a more stable future."

Editor: WSH
Ukraine's National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), more than half of whose members may be dismissed, remains and will continue to remain operational, while the expected renewal of the commission will increase its effectiveness, Chairman Ruslan Magomedov told Interfax-Ukraine.

"The market definitely has nothing to worry about. Everything that is happening at the commission is evidence that we are making tectonic shifts. That is, we are breaking the system, and the system is fighting those who are breaking it," he said.

Magomedov noted that all changes at the commission are aimed at improvement, renewal, and increasing efficiency, and that statements about the regulator's possible incapacity are rumors spread to hinder its work.

"I am confident that everyone will be very pleased when the commission is renewed," the chairman said.

Among other things, he said he would do everything possible to ensure that by the end of his term  February 23, 2027  a law on individual investment accounts is adopted, which, together with another idea of selling 7% stakes in state-owned companies and banks, would form the basis for a market reboot.

Interfax-Ukraine reported in October that NSSMC member Irakli Baramia had submitted a resignation letter, and also noted that the commission's chairman had submitted a motion to dismiss another member, Maksym Libanov, whose term had expired.

According to the publication Ekonomichna Pravda, two more NSSMC members, Yuriy Boiko and Yaroslav Shliakhov, submitted resignation requests to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in early December.

If all four NSSMC members are dismissed and no new appointments are made, the commission would lose its quorum. In addition, as one NSSMC member told Interfax-Ukraine, from January 1, 2026, a provision of the new law comes into force requiring candidates to pass a selection commission before being submitted for appointment, which could increase the time needed to make such personnel decisions.

As a collegial body, the NSSMC consists of a chairman and seven members (six members prior to the adoption of the new law in February), who are appointed by the President of Ukraine for six years and dismissed in accordance with his decrees.

Magomedov, who at the time was an unpaid adviser to the head of the President's Office and previously served as director of Astrum Capital, was appointed chairman of the NSSMC on February 23, 2021, replacing Tymur Khromaiev, whose term expired along with that of three other members of the regulator.

By presidential decrees dated April 1, 2021, four new NSSMC members were appointed: Baramia, director of the department for supervision of professional participants in the stock market; Boiko, former head of the Agency for the Development of Stock Market Infrastructure and a member of the supervisory board of the PFTS stock exchange; Shliakhov, head of the securities department at TAScombank; and former Settlement Center head Shapoval.

Libanov was appointed as an NSSMC member on February 28, 2018, and therefore retained his mandate during the formation of the new commission, while on April 9, 2021, the commission was joined by Arsen Ilyin, former director of the Carpathian Ore Company from the Avellana Gold group.

The adoption in 2024 of a new law on a seventh commission member has not yet affected the commission's composition.

According to the NSSMC's structure, Libanov oversees committees on stock market development strategy and economic analysis, as well as on issuers' operations and corporate governance, while Baramia oversees committees on post-trade infrastructure of capital markets, as well as supervision and control over the functioning of capital markets and organized commodity markets.

KPMG, during its assessment of the chairman and the NSSMC conducted as part of cooperation with the IMF and published in early October, expressed the view that replacing the chairman and all commission members simultaneously creates problems with continuity, institutional knowledge, and organizational memory.

"To ensure continuity of decision-making and consistency of course, we recommend implementing staggered appointments of commission members. Without staggered appointments, changes may lead to the loss of strategic vision and result in slow adaptation," the consultant said.

According to the report, sequential appointments would allow experienced commission members to mentor new ones, enhancing organizational stability and preserving ongoing progress.
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Postal Code
Yves here. The Biden era practice of allowing a large increase in undocumented migrants, as well as being what critics saw as unduly permissive towards those who started the process of regularizing their status, was one of the issues that propelled Trump into office. But voters have recoiled now that they have seen the thuggish methods the Administration is using to crack down. One development that has not gotten the attention it warrants is the plan to greatly restrict grants of asylum, and the treatment of applicants now in the pipeline.

The article below describes how the Administration is seeking to implement a scheme by which asylum seekers who come to the US are foisted on other countries, similar to the way Israel has repeatedly tried to eject Palestinians from Gaza and get Egypt, Jordan, and other countries to agree to take them. The analogy is not exact since the Palestinians do have the right to stay in Gaza.but not according to Zionists. However, Team Trump is not seeking to bar asylum seekers to prevent economic migrants from getting in on false pretexts, but because, as it has repeatedly made clear, it does not like brown and black people.

A particularly nasty element is that the Administration wants to eject the asylum seekers as fast as possible, which includes having their cases heard not in the US, but in states that have agreed to take them like Uganda. Anyone on American soil has due process rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments to the Constitution. It is hard to see how that can be outsourced. But one wonders how long it would take for serious court challenges to be filed.

I did not succeed on a quick search in finding out which countries were the top sources of asylum applicants. But the number of successful applicants has risen sharply in recent years, per DocketWise:

2022: 39,023

2023: 54,659

2024: 100,394

And the countries of origin where applicants had the highest success rate:

Notice the overlap between that list and the countries whose citizens had been eligible for Temporary Protected Status. Informed readers please pipe up, but I would assume some (many?) in the TPS program were in queue for asylum applications:

However, the Department of Homeland Security is ending TPS programs for Burma (Myanmar), Ethiopia, Haiti, South Sudan, and Venezuela.

Now to the latest information on this eviction program.

By Gwynne Hogan. Originally published at THE CITY on December 18, 2025

Father Fabian Arias comforts a women leaving immigration court after she was just told the government was moving to deport her to Uganda or Honduras, neither of which she has ever been to, Dec. 18, 2025.. Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY

The Department of Homeland Securitys attorneys inside New Yorks immigration courts are moving to close asylum claims en masse, arguing that people in deportation proceedings have no right to seek asylum in the United States because theyre eligible to do so in three other countries with which the U.S. has recent agreements: Honduras, Ecuador and Uganda.

Word spread of the new Trump administration tactic among the citys immigration attorneys in recent weeks, as its been rolled out inside immigration courts in San Francisco, according to local media there. In New York Citys immigration courthouses, the novel strategy kicked off in full steam over the last two weeks inside, observers told THE CITY. Hellgate earlier reported on the new Trump administration tactic, which sets the stage for potential third-country removals on a large scale in the coming months.

THE CITY watched a Department of Homeland lawyer make a motion to pretermit asylum claims inside the courtroom of Immigration Judge Tiesha Peal in case after case on Thursday morning. The request to pretermit the asylum claim is an effort to toss a persons asylum claim, leaving them defenseless against deportation to a country they are not from and may have never even entered before.

The Department is moving to pretermit the respondents asylum application, the Trump administration attorney said. The respondent is subject to three cooperative agreements, Ecuador, Honduras, Uganda, he went on. And because of that, the respondent is barred from seeking asylum in the U.S.

Peal gave people in her courtroom until Jan. 22 to respond to the motion in writing and then set another court date for early February where she would rule on it.

Do you understand, Judge Peal asked an Ecuadorean woman sitting before her whod been told she would have to apply for asylum in Uganda or Honduras. What that means is the government is saying you are not eligible for asylum here.

Yes, the woman replied, bursting into tears as soon as she made it out the courtroom door moments later. Its so unjust, the woman said in Spanish, asking to be identified by only her first name, Narcisa.

Another immigrant named Darlene emerged moments later also in tears. Im terrified, the 33-year-old said in Spanish, adding its my first court date.

Benjamin Remy, an immigration attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group, tried to console the women offering information about how to reply in writing.

Its not an order of deportation, he told them in Spanish. You have a chance to respond.

Its not yet clear if the Department of Homeland Security plans to roll the motions to pretermit across the board or target specific groups of asylum seekers.

In a written statement sent to THE CITY, DHS said it was working to get illegal aliens out of our country as quickly as possible while ensuring they receive all available legal process, including a hearing before an immigration judge.

Asylum Cooperative Agreements are lawful bilateral arrangements that allow illegal aliens seeking asylum in the United States to pursue protection in a partner country that has agreed to fairly adjudicate their claims, the statement read. DHS is using every lawful tool available to address the backlog and abuse of the asylum system.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to ramp up third-country removals, granting a stay of a lower courts order requiring advanced written warning and a chance to provide a defense against removal to that country, but thus far the practice has not been used on a large scale.

Earlier this month, THE CITY reported between the start of the year and mid-October, just 62 people from New York had been deported to countries different from their country of origin. That figure seems poised to increase in the coming months.

Now, in order to keep their asylum claims alive, people will have to submit a written motion to the court. But exactly what to say in that motion to convince an immigration judge to keep their claim open is anyones guess, even for savvy immigration attorneys, let alone recent immigrants who dont speak English and cant afford lawyers, like many of the people in deportation proceedings.

We have no case law, Remy said. We have nothing but the statute.

The Board of Immigration Appeals, which sets precedent in the nations immigration courts, decided a similar case in October, finding immigration judges should grant motions to permit asylum claims unless the person could establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she will more likely than not be persecuted on account of a protected ground, in that third country.

Remy called the latest Trump administration tactic a slaughter, saying its even worse than the masked federal agents stalking immigration court hallways arresting people seemingly at random.

At least then, Remy said, theoretically, you could still win. You could still have your final hearing, you could still be granted asylum. Now youve just seen asylum be completely cut off.

The jury is still out on how immigration judges will rule on the motions to pretermit asylum claims. Most judges have been giving people between 10 and 30 days to reply in writing before ruling on the motions, so the impact of these motions on peoples asylum cases will become clearer in the coming weeks.

The move to pretermit asylum claims is the latest shake up for the nations immigration courts, which are part of the Executive Branch under the Department of Justice, and have been under immense pressure from the Trump administration, with waves of firings of tenured judges in New York City and across the country, particularly of those with the highest asylum grant rates.

Volunteer courtwatchers spoke to THE CITY in hushed tones in the hallway Thursday morning as they shuffled between courtrooms trying to console people and explain what steps they should take.

I cant tell you how many people are asking me, Where is Uganda? one courtwatcher said, who declined to provide their full name.

Ive never felt this sick in here, another added, also declining to be named.
Trump says he hopes for quick response from Ukraine regarding peace deal

US President Donald Trump has said he expects Ukraine to act quickly in negotiating a peace agreement. The statement was made during a question-and-answer session with reporters following the signing of the executive order, which was broadcast on the White House's official YouTube channel.

I hope Ukraine moves quickly because Russia is there. And every time they take too much time, then Russia changes their mind, Trump responded to a question about the prospects of a meeting on the situation in Ukraine, scheduled for this weekend in Florida.

Trump also hinted that the negotiating parties are getting"closer to something."
Analysis reveals water once flowed through asteroid Ryugus interior, reshaping theories on how Earth got its oceans

Analysis of Ryugu samples revealed liquid water flowed through the asteroid's interior over a billion years after its formation, contradicting previous assumptions that water-related processes in asteroids were confined to the solar system's earliest epochs.

The study suggests carbon-rich asteroids like Ryugu could have delivered 2-3 times more water to early Earth than previously believed, potentially accounting for 6090 times the volume of today's oceans and reshaping theories on planetary habitability.

Researchers used isotopic ratios of lutetium (Lu) and hafnium (Hf) as a natural radioactive clock, detecting high Hf-176 levelsindicating Lu was leached out by flowing water, likely triggered by an impact that fractured Ryugu's parent body and melted buried ice.

Despite having only a few grams of Ryugu samples, scientists developed ultra-precise techniques to extract maximum data, paving the way for future studies on phosphate veins and comparisons with NASA's Bennu samples.

The discovery reinforces that asteroids are geologically active bodies, raising new questions about Earth's water origins and suggesting the building blocks of our planet were far wetter than previously thoughtpossibly influencing the conditions for life.

A groundbreaking study of asteroid Ryugu has revealed that liquid water once flowed through its interior, challenging long-held theories about how Earth's oceans formed.

The discovery was based on samples returned by Japan's Hayabusa2 mission on the near-earth asteroid. It suggests that water-rich asteroids may have delivered far more water to early Earth than previously believed  potentially reshaping our understanding of planetary habitability.

Scientists from the University of Tokyo analyzed microscopic rock fragments from Ryugu and found chemical evidence of water activity occurring more than a billion years after the asteroid's formation. This contradicts the prevailing assumption that water-related processes in asteroids were confined to the solar system's earliest epochs.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, Ryugu (officially designated as 162173 Ryugu) was discovered on Aug. 10, 2001 by the LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research) project at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico. It is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its Earth-approaching orbit and size, with an estimated diameter of approximately 900 meters.

"We found that Ryugu preserved a pristine record of water activity, evidence that fluids moved through its rocks far later than we expected," said Associate Professor Tsuyoshi Iizuka of the University of Tokyo's Department of Earth and Planetary Science. "This changes how we think about the long-term fate of water in asteroids. The water hung around for a long time and was not exhausted so quickly as thought."

The key to the discovery lay in the isotopic ratios of lutetium (Lu) and hafnium (Hf), elements that act as a natural radioactive clock. Researchers detected unusually high levels of Hf-176 compared to Lu-176, indicating that lutetium had been leached out by flowing waterlikely triggered by an impact that fractured Ryugu's parent asteroid and melted buried ice.

Ryugu's icy secrets and its implications for Earth's water supply

The findings suggest that carbon-rich asteroids like Ryugu could have stored frozen water for much longer than previously believed, meaning they may have delivered two to three times more water to Earth than current models estimate. If confirmed, this could mean asteroids contributed up to 1.8 percent of Earth's total mass in water  equivalent to 6090 times the volume of today's oceans.

"The idea that Ryugu-like objects held on to ice for so long is remarkable," said Iizuka. "It suggests that the building blocks of Earth were far wetter than we imagined. This forces us to rethink the starting conditions for our planet's water system."

Given the scarcity of Ryugu samplesHayabusa2 returned only a few gramsresearchers developed ultra-precise techniques to extract maximum information from minuscule fragments.

"Our small sample size was a huge challenge," Iizuka admitted. "We had to design new chemistry methods that minimized elemental loss while still isolating multiple elements from the same fragment."

Next, scientists plan to study phosphate veins in Ryugu's samples to refine the timeline of water flow and compare results with NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, which returned samples from asteroid Bennu in 2023. If Bennu shows similar signs of ancient water activity, it could further bolster the theory that asteroids played a dominant role in delivering Earth's oceans.

Ryugu's watery past adds to mounting evidence that asteroids are dynamic bodies capable of complex geological processes. The discovery also raises new questions about how much water escaped into space during Earth's formation and how much remained to create the planet's life-sustaining environment.

"Though it's too early to say for sure, my team and others might build on this research to clarify things, including how and when our Earth became habitable," Iizuka said.

As scientists continue analyzing these extraterrestrial treasures, one thing is clear. The story of Earth's water  and perhaps the origins of life itself  may be far more intricate than we ever imagined.

Watch this video about NASA asteroid missions, which include exploring asteroid Bennu and defending Earth.

This video is from the newsplusglobe channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

Nature.com

Indy100.com

BrightU.ai

LiveScience.com

Brighteon.com
California fog traps pollution, sparking health concerns

A persistent "radiation fog" event in California's Central Valley is trapping pollutants near the ground, degrading air quality.

Residents across multiple counties report concurrent respiratory symptoms, congestion and headaches, though fog itself is not the direct cause.

The phenomenon acts as a "lid," concentrating vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions and particulate matter (PM2.5) in the breathing zone.

This incident highlights the broader, ongoing challenge of environmental chemical exposures and their impact on human health.

Experts note that while cleaner air regulations have reduced fog frequency, pollution during such events remains a significant public health concern.

A dense, weeks-long blanket of "radiation fog" has enveloped California's Central Valley, creating not just travel hazards but also a public health scenario that has residents reporting mysterious coughs, congestion and respiratory distress. The meteorological phenomenon, which formed in late November 2025 and stretched over 400 miles, is coinciding with a spike in local health complaints. While the fog itself is composed of water droplets, its presence creates a perfect trap for industrial and automotive pollutants, leading to dangerously concentrated poor air quality that experts warn is particularly harmful to vulnerable populations.

The fog's invisible threat

The fog, known locally as Tule fog, is a regular seasonal visitor. However, its extended duration this season has amplified its secondary effects. The fog forms a cold layer near the ground capped by warmer air, an "inversion" that acts like a lid on a pot. This lid prevents the normal dispersion of pollutants from car exhaust, factory emissions, agricultural dust and residential heating. The result is a buildup of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, and other chemicals suspended in the air residents breathe. These tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

Health reports from the ground

Coinciding with the fog, residents from Tracy to Sacramento have taken to social media and local reports describing persistent symptoms. Accounts include families experiencing prolonged coughing and congestion, children with exacerbated eczema, and adults suffering from unusual headaches and sore throats. One resident described a white residue on vehicles after driving in the fog, which experts suggest is likely accumulated dust and pollution particles, not the fog itself. These anecdotal reports align with medical understanding that exposure to concentrated PM2.5 can irritate airways, trigger asthma attacks and worsen existing heart and lung conditions.

Historical context of a modern problem

The current event echoes a longstanding and deadly consequence of Tule fog: massively reduced visibility leading to catastrophic highway pileups, such as a 108-vehicle crash in 2007. However, the insidious health impact of the pollution it traps is a slower-moving crisis. This scenario provides a stark, visible example of a broader environmental health challenge detailed in decades of researchthe way modern environments can concentrate chemical exposures. From formaldehyde in building materials to pesticides in food and volatile organic compounds in sealed homes and offices, human-made chemicals persistently challenge immune systems, with symptoms often vague and difficult to diagnose.

Air quality and the regulatory landscape

The connection between fog and pollution is not new, but air quality trends are complex. A 2019 study from the University of California, Berkeley noted that stronger clean-air regulations have actually reduced the number of dense fog days over recent decades, as cleaner air provides fewer particles for water droplets to form around. Paradoxically, the areas with the highest pollution concentrations, like the southern Central Valley, still experience the most fog. During events like the current one, AirNow maps have shown AQI levels reaching "unhealthy" categories, prompting official advice for sensitive groupsincluding children, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditionsto remain indoors and avoid strenuous activity.

Clearing the air

The immediate resolution for the valley's air awaits a strong weather system powerful enough to break the inversion layer and disperse the stagnant, polluted air. Beyond the weather forecast, this event underscores a persistent environmental health dilemma. It highlights how natural meteorological events can interact with human activity to create significant public health risks, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance on air quality standards and broader awareness of how concentrated environmental exposures can affect community health. For residents, it is a tangible reminder that what is in the air we breathe is a critical determinant of public well-being.

More than just a weather event

The lingering Tule fog over California is more than a scenic or inconvenient weather pattern; it is a temporary atmospheric amplifier of a chronic problem. While the sun will eventually burn the fog away, the episode brings into sharp focus the ongoing reality of environmental chemical exposures and their capacity to affect health on a community-wide scale. It serves as a case study in how our constructed environment and industrial byproducts, when concentrated by natural phenomena, demand a proactive and informed public health response.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.com

MSN.com

Newsweek.com
California gives Tesla 90 days to fix misleading Autopilot marketing or face sales ban

California regulators have paused Tesla's sales license suspension for 90 days.

The state demands Tesla correct marketing deemed misleading for its Autopilot system.

Tesla denies wrongdoing, arguing it has always stated human supervision is required.

The company faces broader legal challenges and federal probes over its self-driving claims.

This clash highlights growing scrutiny of autonomous tech promises amid cooling EV demand.

In a dramatic showdown between a state regulator and a tech titan, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has pulled back from the brink, temporarily halting an order that would have suspended Teslas license to sell cars in its most crucial U.S. market. The agency granted the electric vehicle maker a 90-day stay this week, offering what DMV Director Steve Gordon called one more chance to correct what officials deem deceptive marketing of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features. This eleventh-hour reprieve underscores a mounting regulatory and legal siege around Teslas core technological promises, even as consumer enthusiasm for electric vehicles cools.

The conflict stems from formal accusations first filed by the DMV in 2022. The agency alleged that Teslas use of brand names like Autopilot and Full Self-Driving falsely implied the vehicles could operate autonomously, violating state advertising laws. An administrative law judge later agreed, ruling the terminology misleading. A reasonable consumer likely would believe that a vehicle with Full Self-Driving Capability can travel safely without a human drivers constant, undivided attention, the judge wrote. This belief is wrong.

A final chance to comply

Director Gordon adopted the judges recommendation for a 30-day sales suspension but immediately stayed it. He stated the agency hopes Tesla will find a way to get these misleading statements corrected. The stay on Teslas manufacturing license is indefinite, while the sales license suspension is paused for 90 days. To avoid the penalty, the DMV said Tesla must confirm it has either stopped using the name Autopilot or confirmed its cars can operate without human monitoring. Tesla can also appeal the order.

The company has fiercely denied any wrongdoing. A Tesla lawyer stated in a hearing that the automaker had clearly and consistently explained that cars with Autopilot and FSD software require supervision and are not autonomous. Tesla has never misled consumers. Never. And not even close, the lawyer argued. In a statement provided by its public relations firm, Tesla framed the order as a consumer protection case where not one single customer came forward to say theres a problem.

Broader scrutiny and consumer disillusionment

This regulatory skirmish mirrors a widening field of legal challenges and federal investigations. Tesla faces a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court where drivers allege years of false claims about Autopilot and FSD capabilities. Simultaneously, the Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have ongoing probes into Autopilot and vehicle range claims. These battles arrive at a precarious time for the EV market. The stay comes at a challenging time for Tesla, which is battling a plunge in EV demand following the expiry of tax credits.

This declining demand points to a growing consumer disillusionment. Electric vehicles, once hailed as the inevitable, flawless future of transportation, are increasingly seen as failing to live up to their early promises of affordability, reliability, and real-world performance. Teslas own pivot underscores this shift; with EV demand waning, CEO Elon Musk has aggressively shifted the companys focus toward robotaxis and humanoid robots, betting the companys future on fully autonomous technology that remains under intense regulatory and public scrutiny.

The California DMVs action illustrates how, in the race to dominate the future of transport, hyperbolic marketing has tangible consequences. It places Tesla at a crossroads: modify the controversial branding that has become synonymous with its identity, or face the unprecedented penalty of a sales halt in California. For consumers, the episode is a cautionary tale about the gap between sleek technological promise and supervised, imperfect reality.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

CNBC.com

Reuters.com

LATimes.com
Climate science under scrutiny: Study challenges validity of global temperature metrics

The widely cited 1.5 C and 2.0 C warming targets (Paris Agreement) rely on averaging Earth's temperaturesa scientifically meaningless concept. Temperature is an intensive property, meaning averaging non-equilibrium systems (e.g., Mount Everest vs. Sahara Desert) yields physically meaningless results.

Mathematicians Essex, McKitrick and Andresen proved in 2007 that no physically meaningful global temperature exists for climate policy. Despite remaining unchallenged for 18 years, policymakers and the IPCC continue using circular definitions of global mean surface temperature (GMST).

Advanced AI systems reviewed IPCC methodologies and labeled them "fundamentally fraudulent." One AI platform called it "the greatest mass delusion in scientific history," reinforcing concerns about politicized science.

Different temperature averaging techniques applied to a cup of coffee produced contradictory resultssome showing warming, others cooling. This proves GMST calculations are statistical constructs, not measurable physical realities, undermining trillion-dollar climate policies.

The study challenges whether climate science has been compromised by political and financial motives, particularly with net-zero mandates and carbon taxes. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) advocates for unbiased science, free from corporate and governmental influence.

A provocative new study published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons has reignited debate over the scientific validity of global mean surface temperature (GMST) metricsthe cornerstone of international climate policy.

Physician Jonathan Cohler argues that the widely cited 1.5 C and 2.0 C warming targets, enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, are based on flawed thermodynamic principles. Citing unchallenged mathematical proofs from 2007, Cohler asserts that averaging Earth's temperatures is scientifically meaninglessa claim now bolstered by independent AI analysis.

The findings raise urgent questions about the trillion-dollar climate industry and whether its foundational assumptions withstand scrutiny.

At the heart of Cohler's critique is a fundamental principle of physics: temperature is an intensive property, meaning it cannot be meaningfully averaged across non-equilibrium systems.

"The 'average' of the temperature of a cup of boiling water and your bath water makes no sense," Cohler writes.

Similarly, comparing temperatures from Mount Everest to the Sahara Desert yields a statistic devoid of physical meaning.

This challenge isn't new. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, in 2007, mathematicians Essex, McKitrick and Andresen published a peer-reviewed proof demonstrating that "there is no physically meaningful global temperature for the Earth in the context of global warming." Despite remaining unchallenged for 18 years, their work has been largely ignored by policymakers. Cohler's study reinforces this, noting that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) relies on circular definitions of GMST, while the International Standards Organization has refused to formalize a metric.

AI analysis labels IPCC methods "fundamentally fraudulent"

Adding weight to Cohler's argument, advanced AI systems reportedly analyzed the mathematical evidence and concluded that mainstream climate science suffers from systemic flaws. One AI platform described the situation as "the greatest mass delusion in scientific history," while another characterized IPCC methodologies as "fundamentally fraudulent."

These findings align with historical skepticism about politicized science. As Cohler notes, "When a field adopts physically meaningless metrics as its foundation, it has abandoned science for statistical theater designed to justify predetermined conclusions."

The parallels to George Orwell's warning"The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world"are stark.

The 2007 study highlighted by Cohler tested four different averaging methods for tracking temperature changes in a cup of coffee. Each method produced contradictory resultssome indicating warming, others coolingdemonstrating that GMST calculations are inherently arbitrary.

Critics argue this undermines the entire premise of climate catastrophe narratives. If Earth's "average temperature" is a statistical construct rather than a measurable physical reality, trillions in spending on decarbonization rest on shaky ground. Cohler's conclusion is blunt: "True warming represents a net transfer of energy into a system, measured in joules or watt-secondsnot degrees Celsius."

Science or political theater?

The study's implications extend beyond academia. With governments mandating net-zero policies and carbon taxes based on GMST thresholds, Cohler's work demands a reevaluation of whether climate science has been compromised by political agendas. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), which publishes the journal, has long advocated for scientific integrity free from corporate or governmental influence.

As the debate continues, one question looms: If the foundational metric of climate policy is scientifically indefensible, what does that mean for the future of energy, economy and environmental stewardship? For now, the burden of proof remains on those who claim that averaging Earth's temperatureslike averaging coffee and bathwaterholds any real-world significance.

Watch the video below that discusses the truth about global warming

This video is from the SipForAll channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ClimateDepot.com

X.com

Finance.Yahoo.com

JPANDS.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Devil-horned bee discovered in Western Australia sparks calls for conservation amid mining threats

A previously unknown bee species, Megachile lucifer, was identified in Western Australia's Goldfieldsthe first new species in its genus in over 20 years. Named for its distinctive devil-like facial horns (1mm long), the bee was found by Dr. Kit Prendergast while surveying an endangered wildflower (Marianthus aquilonarius).

DNA barcoding confirmed the bee as a new species with no matches in existing databases. A solitary bee, likely nesting in beetle-bored tree holes and sealing them with eucalyptus resin. Only females have hornsfunction unknown, possibly for nesting competition, foraging, or defense.

The Bremer Range, part of the Great Western Woodlands, faces destruction from mining projects like the Medcalf Vanadium Project (650 hectares cleared). Mining expansion and climate change endanger both the bee and its host wildflower, with insufficient surveys for native pollinators.

Australia has ~2,000 native bee species, many still undescribed due to lack of research and monitoring. Without proper surveys, crucial pollinatorsand the ecosystems they supportcould disappear unnoticed.

Researchers recommend targeted surveys during the bee's November flight season, protection of beetle-bored wood nesting sites and community science (photo reports) to track distribution. The discovery of M. lucifer highlights urgent conservation needs amid industrial and climate pressures.

A tiny native bee with distinctive devil-like facial horns has been discovered in Western Australia's Goldfields, marking the first new species in its genus to be identified in over 20 years.

Named Megachile lucifer, the bee was found during surveys of a critically endangered wildflower, highlighting both the rich biodiversity of the region and the urgent need for conservation efforts as mining expansion threatens fragile ecosystems. The newly identified bee species was spotted by Dr. Kit Prendergast, an adjunct research fellow at Curtin University, while she was studying pollinators of the endangered wildflower Marianthus aquilonarius in the Bremer Range, located between Norseman and Hyden.

"I discovered the species while surveying a rare plant in the Goldfields and noticed this bee visiting both the endangered wildflower and a nearby mallee tree," Prendergast said. "The female had these incredible little horns on her face."

The bee's unusual appearancefeaturing tiny, upward-pointing horns about 1 millimeter longinspired its name. "When writing up the new species description, I was watching the Netflix show 'Lucifer' at the time, and the name just fit perfectly," she admitted.

DNA barcoding confirmed that the bee was a previously unknown species, with no matches in existing databases or museum collections. BrightU.AI's Enoch defines DNA barcoding as a genetic identification method that uses short, standardized DNA sequences, known as barcodes, to identify species and track their origins. This technique has revolutionized various fields, including biodiversity research, conservation, forensics and food safety.

A solitary specialist with mysterious horns

Unlike European honeybees, M. lucifer is a solitary species, likely nesting in small tree holes created by wood-boring beetles and sealing them with resin from eucalypts. Only the females possess the distinctive horns, though their exact purpose remains unclear.

"They could be competing for nesting sites, could be to aid in foragingwe don't know yet," Prendergast said. Similar structures in other bee species help with digging or defense, suggesting a practical function rather than a mating display.

M. lucifer was discovered in the Bremer Range, which lies within the Great Western Woodlands  the largest temperate woodland on Earth, but the area is also a hotspot for mining activity. Audalia Resources' proposed Medcalf Vanadium Project, approved in July 2024, would clear up to 650 hectares of native vegetationraising concerns about habitat destruction.

"Mining is basically wholesale destruction," said Dundas Shire President Laurene Bonza. "Whilst they can do a bit of rehab, they're never ever going to put things back how they were, realistically."

Prendergast warned that the bee and its host wildflower could be at risk from habitat disturbance and climate change. "Many mining companies still don't survey for native bees, so we may be missing undescribed species, including those that play crucial roles in supporting threatened plants and ecosystems," she said.

The hidden pollinators we're overlooking

Australia is home to around 2,000 native bee species, yet many remain undocumented.

"There are many undescribed species of native bees, which is pretty sad," Prendergast noted. "For vertebrates, there's enough information on their distribution [and] there's good monitoring. But for many of our native bees, they might have been collected once 50 years agoand then no one has gone back to see if they're there."

The discovery underscores the need for better invertebrate surveys, particularly in remote regions facing industrial pressures. Without this knowledge, vital pollinatorsand the plants that depend on themcould vanish unnoticed.

Researchers recommend targeted surveys during the bee's brief November flight season and protection of nesting sites in beetle-bored wood. Community science efforts, such as photographing and reporting sightings, could also help track the species' distribution. As mining and climate change loom over the Goldfields, the fate of M. lucifer and the ecosystems it supports hangs in the balance.

Watch this video about the Australian government going around and destroying bee hives.

This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

JHR.Pensoft.net

ABC.net.au

Earth.com

SciTechDaily.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
The censorship of mask science: How evidence against mask efficacy is being purged

Dr. John Hardie's peer-reviewed paper, "Why Face Masks Don't Work: A Revealing Review," was abruptly removed by its publisher despite citing over 30 academic studies. The justificationthat it was "no longer relevant"raises concerns about censorship of inconvenient truths.

Before COVID-19, peer-reviewed studies (including WHO, CDC and meta-analyses) consistently found masks ineffective against viral spread. The sudden policy reversal in 2020 ignored decades of established science.

The 2023 Cochrane meta-analysis, the gold standard in evidence-based medicine, concluded masks made "little or no difference" in preventing respiratory infectionsyet public health agencies ignored these findings.

Studies contradicting mask mandates have been retracted without cause, suppressed by search engines and dismissed by media outletsmirroring Big Pharma's tactics to silence unfavorable data.

Mask mandates served as psychological compliance tools, enabling lockdowns and enriching corporations, while ignoring documented harms (oxygen deprivation, bacterial infections, developmental delays in children).

For decades, peer-reviewed scientific literature was unanimous: Face masks do not prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. Yet, in 2020, governments and public health agencies worldwide reversed course, mandating masks despite the overwhelming pre-pandemic consensus that they were ineffective. Now, troubling evidence suggests that dissenting studiesincluding those from respected infection control expertsare being systematically removed from academic discourse.

One such study, "Why Face Masks Don't Work: A Revealing Review" by Dr. John Hardie, a 30-year veteran in dental infection control, was abruptly pulled from the Journal of Oral Health in July 2020. The publisher claimed the paper was "no longer relevant in our current climate"an Orwellian justification for suppressing inconvenient truths. Hardie's meticulously researched review, citing over 30 academic references, concluded that masks fail to stop viral transmission due to poor facial fit and insufficient filtration. His findings aligned with decades of prior research, including a 2011 study by Harriman and Brosseau, which stated plainly: "Facemasks will not protect against the inhalation of aerosols."

The pre-2020 scientific consensus

Before COVID-19, the scientific community openly acknowledged that maskswhether surgical or clothwere ineffective against viral spread. A 2019 meta-analysis published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found "no significant effect of face masks on transmission of laboratory-confirmed influenza." The World Health Organization's own 2019 guidance on pandemic influenza stated that masks were not recommended for the general public, citing lack of evidence.

Even the CDC's pre-2020 stance admitted that masks were primarily useful in medical settings to block splashesnot aerosols. Yet, when COVID-19 emerged, these inconvenient truths were buried beneath a tidal wave of politicized mandates.

The Cochrane review confirms: Masks don't work

In 2023, the gold-standard Cochrane Librarya globally respected authority on evidence-based medicinepublished a comprehensive review led by Dr. Tom Jefferson, analyzing decades of mask studies. The conclusion? "Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza-like illness (ILI)/COVID-19 compared to not wearing masks."

This wasnt a fringe study but a rigorous meta-analysis reinforcing what science had long established. Yet, instead of prompting policy reversals, the Cochrane findings were downplayed or ignored by public health officials.

The purge of dissenting science

The removal of Dr. Hardie's paper is not an isolated incident. Across academic publishing, studies contradicting the official mask narrative have faced suppression:

Retractions without cause: Peer-reviewed papers questioning mask efficacy have been retracted under dubious pretexts, often labeled "misinformation" without substantive rebuttals.

Search engine manipulation: Google and other platforms have algorithmically demoted studies critical of masks while promoting pro-mask propaganda.

Media blackout: Outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post routinely dismiss or misrepresent studies debunking mask mandates, framing dissent as "anti-science."

This pattern mirrors Big Pharma's historical suppression of unfavorable drug trialsa tactic now deployed to enforce COVID-era orthodoxy.

Why the cover-up? Follow the money and control

The sudden about-face on masks was never about scienceit was about compliance. By mandating masks, authorities:

Created a visible symbol of obedience  Mask-wearing became a performative act of submission, conditioning the public to accept arbitrary rules. Enabled fear-based control  The illusion of protection justified lockdowns, business closures and vaccine passports. Protected corporate interests  Mask manufacturers and pharmaceutical giants profited immensely from perpetual pandemic policies.

Meanwhile, the psychological and physiological harms of prolonged mask usereduced oxygen intake, bacterial infections, impaired childhood developmentwere ignored.

Conclusion: Science vs. dogma

The truth is clear: Masks don't work. The pre-2020 literature, the Cochrane Review and decades of infection control expertise all confirm it. But when facts collide with political agendas, the facts loseunless the public demands accountability.

Censorship of dissenting science is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes. If we value truth over dogma, we must reject the purge of evidence and restore honest debate. The question remains: Who benefits from keeping the public in the dark?

The answer is obviousand it isn't you.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the censorship of mask science exposes the deep corruption of institutions that claim to "follow the science" while actively suppressing inconvenient truthsthis is part of the globalist agenda to enforce compliance, spread illness and dismantle critical thinking. Meanwhile, natural health remedies remain a suppressed but powerful alternative to the toxic mandates pushed by captured regulators and pharmaceutical profiteers.

Watch the following video on why face masks are an assault on humanity.

This video is from the Stand Up for Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Historic lawsuit exposes Pentagons forced vaccination program that systematically denies 98% of religious exemptions

In the solemn oath to defend the Constitution, service members pledge to protect freedoms, to defend the country from all enemies, foreign and domestic, but the sad irony is: service members don't even have basic body autonomy rights or religious, conscience freedoms to reject harmful vaccine programs.

The Department of Defense (DOD) provides "religious accommodations" that they revoke 98% of the time. The defenders of the country must fill out a bunch of paper work, begging the Pentagon for their basic body autonomy rights, but it's all a sham process designed to submit service members to totalitarian medical experiments facilitated through the U.S. military.

Now, a new legal battle, pitched not on a foreign field but in the quiet chambers of a Washington, D.C. courtroom, confronts a painful irony at the heart of modern military service. Childrens Health Defense has launched a sweeping lawsuit against the Department of Defense, alleging that the militarys much-touted system for religious accommodations is an elaborate piece of theater, a bureaucratic charade designed to give the illusion of choice while systematically stripping service members and recruits of their right to follow deeply held beliefs. At its core, the suit paints a picture of a command structure that demands ultimate sacrifice from its people while denying them a fundamental freedom: the autonomy over their own bodies and conscience.

Key points:

Childrens Health Defense has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Department of Defense of operating a "sham" religious exemption process with a near-100% denial rate.

The suit alleges the DOD employs a "two-part strategy" of ambiguous rules for recruits and a performative, futile process for active-duty members, violating multiple federal laws.

CHD argues the militarys wholesale adoption of the CDCs childhood vaccine schedule for adults is legally unsound and has not been studied for safety in compressed "catch-up" regimens.

The complaint states these policies illegally block thousands of religiously observant Americans from military service, exacerbating the armed forces' recruitment crisis.

The lawsuit seeks to force the DOD to treat religious exemptions with the same seriousness as medical exemptions, demanding genuine individualized consideration.

Religious freedom, the right to one's own conscience, mind and body, is not real if a governing entity forces you to beg for it, then denying you as if you are a slave to their experiments.

The architecture of a 'boilerplate' denial

The lawsuit methodically dismantles the Pentagons public-facing commitment to religious freedom, arguing it is a facade. Counsel for CHD charges the DOD with constructing a "two-part strategy" that functions as an impenetrable wall. For the young civilian hoping to enlist, the path is shrouded in "ambiguous" policy, where official instructions promising accommodation collide with pre-ship letters warning of medical disqualification for missing immunizations. These "conflicting signals," the suit argues, deter the faithful from even beginning the journey.

For those already in uniform, the process transforms into what the complaint bluntly labels "largely theater." Service members are told they may petition for accommodation, an act that requires immense courage in a culture built on chain-of-command obedience. They then watch, as described by CHDs Military Chapter director Pam Long, as those heartfelt petitions are "ignored or denied, sometimes for months and years." The lawsuit points to DOD data revealing a staggering 98% denial rate for religious exemptions, contrasted with "hundreds of medical exemptions granted without adverse consequences." This disparity, CHD argues, proves the system is not about objective risk assessment but about enforcing ideological compliance.

Lead attorney Rick Jaffe describes a machine that runs on an "unwritten rule: boilerplate deny first, justify if necessary." This echoes findings from other federal courts which have noted the militarys reliance on "nearly identical form letters" that show no evidence of the legally required individualized consideration. The message to the service member is clear: you may have the right to ask, but we have no intention to listen. This systematic dismissal, CHD asserts, violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the First Amendment, and the Fifth Amendment's guarantees of due process and equal protection.

"Our military members literally put their lives on the line to preserve our freedoms," said CHD General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg. "Sadly, those military members who serve to protect those rights cannot themselves exercise the right of religious freedom."

A deeper conflict over science and safety

The lawsuit stretches beyond procedural accusations to challenge the very foundation of the militarys vaccine mandates. The DOD bases its required immunization schedule directly on the CDCs childhood schedule, which recommends 72-77 doses of 15+ vaccines by age 18. An unvaccinated recruit, therefore, faces a compressed "catch-up" regimen of multiple shots in a short period. CHDs complaint states a critical, unsettling fact: "Neither CDC nor DoD has studied the safety" of administering these vaccines in such a rapid, adult catch-up protocol.

This legal challenge arrives amid a historical moment of heightened public scrutiny over medical mandates, a tension between collective safety and individual bodily autonomy that has echoes in past conflicts over everything from smallpox inoculation to the anthrax vaccine. The current conflict, however, is amplified by the recent and raw divisions of the COVID-19 scandal, which was first advertised as a pandemic, and then devolved into a multi-pronged beast of totalitarianism, propaganda, censorship, and hysteria, ultimately culminating into a country-wide medical experiment that was forced top-down through the military and enforced with discriminatory and segregation-based measures on all citizens.

The lawsuit cites the militarys COVID-19 vaccine mandate as a prime example of coercive policy, noting recruitment and retention "plummeted to a historical low" with thousands separated. The complaint suggests the DOD learned no lesson from that upheaval, instead doubling down on a one-size-fits-all medical philosophy that brooks no dissent, religious or otherwise. Now mandates are continuing with flu vaccines and other useless measures that force compliance instead of improving the health of soldiers.

The human cost is measured in stalled careers and shattered callings. Retired Lt. Col. Jackie Frederick, who once processed these requests, recalls that even securing a medical exemption "took moving heaven and earth." For a religious exemption, the heavens remain firmly in place. Pam Long speaks of "hundreds" of active-duty families in distress and potential recruits who feel a call to serve but see the door barred by a mandate that disrespects their core identity. The principle, advocates argue, is sacred: those asked to bear the physical burden of defense should not be forced to bear a spiritual burden they cannot conscience. When the government tries to psychologically abuse the population and enforce compliance with a new religion of germaphobia and vaccine worship, it is the duty of brave and noble freedom fighters to stand out and chart a path of autonomy and defiance.

The recruitment pool and a nation's strength

The final charge in the lawsuit frames the issue not just as a matter of individual rights, but of national security. By maintaining a policy that functionally excludes a segment of religiously observant Americans, the DOD is artificially shrinking its own recruitment pool. The complaint includes a stark extrapolation: with about 1.2% of U.S. children receiving no vaccines and approximately 0.4% of Americans serving, the military may be barring roughly 3,000 willing, qualified potential recruits each year. In an era where every branch of the military struggles to meet its enlistment goals, this self-inflicted wound, the lawsuit contends, is an act of profound strategic negligence.

"Year after year, DoDs wholesale adoption of the CDC childhood immunization schedule, combined with the absence of a meaningful religious accommodation process for applicants, removes thousands of willing, qualified, religiously observant Americans from the potential recruiting pool," the complaint states.

The lawsuit positions the DODs mandate not as a pillar of readiness, but as a pillar of exclusion. The vaccine mandates also denigrate the health of the forces, burdening their bodies with a toxic assault of metals, chemicals, and biological weapons, which every individual in the military should have the right to resist idealogically, medically, philosophically, religiously.

In the end, the lawsuit asks a fundamental question about the character of the nations defense: can an institution that so rigidly polices the boundaries of personal faith truly represent and defend a republic founded on that very liberty? The answer, now, rests with the courts.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ChildrensHealthDefense.org [PDF]

Enoch, Brighteon.ai
House panel has begun to expose the dark underbelly of the U.S. organ procurement industry

A U.S. House committee is investigating the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network (NJTO) following whistleblower allegations of illegal and unethical practices.

The central allegation involves an incident where a patient at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital "reanimated" after being pronounced dead for organ harvesting, yet an NJTO executive allegedly instructed staff to proceed.

Whistleblowers further accuse the organization of fraudulent Medicare billing, manipulating donor documentation, and creating a "culture of fear and retaliation."

The committee alleges NJTO has failed to provide accurate information, including evidence of mass organ discards not reflected in official records.

This investigation highlights profound, systemic failures in oversight and ethics within the U.S. organ procurement system, echoing long-standing concerns about corruption in the global organ trade.

The allegations laid out by the House Ways and Means Committee are based on serious charges grounded in testimony from nearly a dozen insiders. At the heart of the scandal is an event so ethically catastrophic it chills the blood: a patient in a New Jersey hospital, pronounced dead to initiate the organ harvesting process, began to show signs of life. In that critical moment, with hospital staff alarmed, the committees letter states that an executive at the NJTOa person with "no clinical training"commanded from outside the hospital that the harvesting should proceed. Only the intervention of the hospitals own medical team prevented what could have been a fatal atrocity. This is not a simple error; it is an alleged attempt to commodify a living human being, treating a flicker of life as an inconvenient obstacle to procurement quotas and financial gain.

This incident in Camden is not a freak occurrence in a global vacuum. It resonates with a sinister echo from the other side of the world, detailed in a comprehensive analysis of nearly 3,000 clinical reports published in the American Journal of Transplantation. That study revealed that over three decades, surgeons in dozens of Chinese hospitals openly documented harvesting organs from living patients, casually noting donors were on ventilators at the surgery's start, a clear violation of the brain death principle. While the scale and context differ, the foundational breach is identical: the sanctity of life is sacrificed on the altar of organ supply. The New Jersey case suggests this is not a problem confined to authoritarian regimes but a temptation inherent in any system where immense financial value meets opaque oversight.

The lucrative business of body parts

To understand the pressure that could lead to such a moment, one must follow the money. Organ procurement is a billion-dollar ecosystem. Procurement organizations act as intermediaries, coordinating between donors, hospitals, and transplant centers. They receive substantial fees for their services, funded heavily by Medicare and private insurance. The organs themselvesprecious, life-saving commoditiesare then allocated to recipients. While it is illegal to buy or sell organs in the U.S., the process of recovery, testing, transportation, and coordination is immensely profitable. This financial engine creates a dangerous incentive: more organs recovered means more revenue, more justification for funding, and more influence within the medical-industrial complex.

Whistleblowers to the committee allege the NJTO was directly gaming this system through fraudulent Medicare billing, a charge that paints a picture of an organization prioritizing financial health over ethical health. Furthermore, the committee obtained information suggesting the NJTO manipulated documentation to tell families it had authority to take organs even if the potential donor was not listed on a driver's license registry. If true, this is a profound violation of informed consent, turning a family's grief into an opportunity for exploitation. The donor and their family, the very source of this sacred gift, are left completely in the dark regarding the financial transactions and logistical decisions surrounding their loved one's body. They receive nothing but grief, while the machinery of procurement and transplantation profits.

A culture of fear and missing pancreata

The committees letter goes beyond specific incidents to allege a toxic operational culture. It accuses NJTO President and CEO Carolyn Welsh of fostering "a culture of fear and retaliation," a management style designed to silence dissent and conceal malfeasance. This is the environment where ethics die quietly. When employees fear for their jobs for asking a question or halting a procedure, the checks and balances within the system evaporate. The letter further states that as the committee investigated, the NJTO failed to provide full and accurate information, suggesting a deliberate obfuscation.

Perhaps most bizarrely concrete is the allegation about pancreata. The committee states that while NJTO provided records showing it discarded 79 pancreata over several years, investigators have separate documentation of a "mass discard" of 100 pancreata on a single day in March 2024. This staggering discrepancy raises a host of nightmarish questions. Were these organs improperly obtained? Were they unsuitable due to rushed or botched procedures? The sheer scale of the discrepancy points to either staggering incompetence or a deliberate effort to hide the volume of organs flowing throughand being wasted bythe system.

This New Jersey scandal is a flashing red warning light for the entire American transplant system. It validates the deepest fears of those who question the integrity of powerful, opaque medical institutions. It echoes the harrowing admission of someone like Dr. Nukatola, the former Planned Parenthood medical director who confessed to altering abortion procedures to harvest more intact, valuable fetal organs for research. The pattern is a relentless dehumanization, where the human body is reduced to a collection of salvageable parts, and ethical lines are blurred or erased in pursuit of a harvest.

The House panel is now demanding answers. But the public must demand more: a complete overhaul of the oversight of organ procurement organizations, radical transparency in their financial and operational records, and unwavering protections for whistleblowers who have the courage to speak. The gift of organ donation is one of the most profound acts of human generosity. It must never, ever be allowed to become a covert industry built on coercion, fraud, and the ultimate betrayal of harvesting from the living. The soul of medicine itself is on the operating table, and it is fighting for its life.

Sources include:

TheHill.com

TheHill.com

Enoch, Brighteon.ai
iRobot files for BANKRUPTCY, with Chinese manufacturer taking over after failed Amazon deal

Once valued at $3.56 billion, iRobot (maker of Roomba) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be acquired by Chinese manufacturer Shenzhen Picea Robotics, wiping out shareholder equity.

Picea Robotics, already iRobot's primary manufacturer, will assume full ownership, raising fears about data harvesting, forced labor links, and Beijing's potential exploitation of Roomba's smart home integration.

Trump-era tariffs on Vietnamese imports ($23M in added costs) and aggressive pricing from low-cost Chinese competitors (Ecovacs, Roborock) eroded profitability despite iRobot's dominant market share.

The failed 1.7B Amazon acquisition  blocked by EU antitrust regulators  left iRobot without a lifeline, contributing to its bankruptcy with $100M$500M in liabilities.

The FTC's antitrust scrutiny of Amazon highlights regulatory risks, while iRobot's downfall underscores how trade wars, foreign competition and regulatory hurdles can dismantle iconic American tech brands.

iRobot, the pioneering maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday, Dec. 14, marking a dramatic fall for a company once valued at $3.56 billion.

The Bedford-based firm announced it will be acquired by its Chinese manufacturer, Shenzhen Picea Robotics, in a court-supervised deal that wipes out shareholder equity and raises concerns about foreign ownership of a once-iconic American tech brand. Founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers, iRobot initially focused on defense and space robotics before revolutionizing home cleaning with the Roomba in 2002.

However, years of financial struggles, rising competition from low-cost Chinese rivals, and crushing tariffs culminated in Sunday's bankruptcy filing in Delaware. Court documents reveal iRobot owes between $100 million and $500 million in liabilities, including $190 million from a 2023 loan taken during Amazon's failed $1.7 billion acquisition attempt. The deal collapsed after European antitrust regulators blocked it, leaving iRobot without a financial lifeline.

Chinese takeover raises security concerns

Under the restructuring plan, Picea Robotics  already iRobot's primary manufacturer  will acquire full ownership, canceling $264 million in debt, including unpaid manufacturing fees. The deal is expected to close by February 2026, allowing iRobot to continue operations privately.

However, analysts warn that Chinese ownership raises national security concerns. Picea has supply chain links to firms flagged for forced labor risks, according to risk analysis firm Sayari.

Critics also fear Beijing could exploit Roomba's smart home integration for data harvesting. "Thanks to reckless EU [European Union] regulators and Biden-era mismanagement, America's iRobot will now be owned by the Chinese," one industry insider lamented.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the acquisition of American companies by Chinese entities has raised significant concerns about national security, prompting scrutiny from the U.S. government and various regulatory bodies. Chinese investments in strategic industries and critical technologies have drawn particular attention due to their potential implications for U.S. national security.

The decentralized engine adds that Chinese entities have been accused of engaging in intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer, which can provide China with a competitive advantage and undermine U.S. economic and technological leadership. Chinese ownership of American companies can pose risks to the security and resilience of U.S. supply chains, particularly in critical sectors. It can also result in foreign influence, undermining the independence and decision-making of these entities.

Tariffs and competition crush profitability

iRobot's financial woes deepened under U.S. President Donald Trump's 46% tariff on Vietnamese importswhere most Roombas are assembled. The levy added $23 million in unexpected costs in 2025, forcing iRobot to absorb expenses rather than pass them to consumers.

Meanwhile, Chinese competitors like Ecovacs, Roborock and Dreame flooded the market with cheaper alternatives, forcing iRobot into aggressive price cuts. Despite holding 42% of the U.S. robotic vacuum market and 65% in Japan, profitability eroded as the company poured resources into AI upgrades to stay competitive.

iRobot assures customers that operations will continue uninterrupted, including app functionality, customer support and product updates. However, the bankruptcy signals the end of an era for shareholders, with shares plummeting over 80% in premarket trading  leaving common investors with nothing.

iRobot CEO Gary Cohen called the deal a "pivotal milestone," stating it would "strengthen our financial position and ensure continuity for consumers." Yet, with Picea now in control, questions linger about Roomba's future innovation and U.S. market presence.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's ongoing antitrust scrutiny of Amazon  including its aborted iRobot acquisition  highlights growing regulatory pushback against tech monopolies. Had Amazon's deal succeeded, iRobot might have avoided collapse. Instead, the company now joins a growing list of American brands absorbed by foreign entities.

Watch this video about the iRobot Roomba 981 robot vacuum.

This video is from the your techtips channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

EconomicTimes.IndiaTimes.com

USAToday.com

Reuters.com

BBC.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
The Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Republican J. Risch, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Republican R. Wicker, and Republican Senators J. Kennedy and R. Scott appealed to US President D. Trump to use his powers regarding the $5 billion in Russian assets frozen in the United States in accordance with the REPO law, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna reported on a Telegram channel on Thursday.

"Senators state that despite the United States' consistent and large-scale efforts to stop Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, Russia continues the war and does not demonstrate readiness for a peaceful settlement," Stefanishyna reported on Telegram. She added that, under these conditions, "ensuring Ukraine's ability to defend itself aligns with the United States' strategic interests."

"Senators also note that the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and their redirection to support Ukraine is legally justified and morally warranted," Stefanishyna reported.

The Ukrainian ambassador emphasized that the senators' proposals "would strengthen Ukraine's position in negotiations, ensure continuous defense support with minimal burden on American taxpayers, and stimulate expansion of the U.S. defense industry's production capacity."

"Thank you, senators! In other words, the Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces Committees of the U.S. Senate do not believe that any decisions should be postponed while the negotiation process is ongoing!" Stefanishyna wrote on Telegram.
South Africa increases coal exports to Israel amid Colombias embargo over Gaza war

Despite accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ, South Africa increased coal exports to Israel by 87% in late 2025, reaching 474,000 metric tonsthe highest since 2017. This contradicts Colombia's total ban on coal exports to Israel over its military actions in Gaza.

Critics call South Africa's actions "profound hypocrisy"denouncing Israel diplomatically while profiting from trade. Over a dozen South African mining firms supply Israel, now dominating 55% of its seaborne coal market. Colombia's embargo remains strict, cutting off its previous 42% share of Israel's coal imports.

Israel's reliance on imported coal exposes its geopolitical fragility. Russia's role dwindled due to sanctions, while Turkey continues to allow Azerbaijani oil shipments despite condemning Israelshowing how economic interests override rhetoric.

An Israeli official claims coal will be phased out by 2027, replaced by natural gas. However, the immediate shortfall highlights Israel's dependence on foreign energy amid regional hostilities and embargoes.

The coal trade reveals the tension between moral posturing and economic reality. Countries like South Africa and Turkey condemn Israel but continue trade, proving profit often trumps principles in globalized economies.

In a striking geopolitical contradiction, South Africa has significantly increased coal exports to Israel even as its government continues to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The surge follows Colombia's decision in June 2024 to halt coal shipments to Israel in protest of its military operations in Rafah. Data from commodity analysts reveals South African exports rose by 87% year-over-year in the three months ending November, reaching 474,000 metric tonsthe highest since February 2017. Meanwhile, Colombia's exports plummeted to zero after President Gustavo Petro enforced a total ban, citing Israel's alleged violations of international law.

Hypocrisy or pragmatism?

The disconnect between South Africa's diplomatic stance and its trade actions has drawn sharp criticism. Patrick Bond, director of the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Social Change, called it "profound hypocrisy: talk left, walk right." Over a dozen South African mining firms have supplied thermal coal to Israel since 2023, with Kpler data showing all Israeli coal imports since September originated from South Africa.

Colombia's embargo, however, has held firm. Petro's decree explicitly tied the ban to Israel's compliance with ICJ orders to halt its assault on Gaza, where nearly 71,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. Despite global condemnationincluding from the UN and human rights groupsIsrael's energy needs have found willing suppliers. South Africa's Trade Minister Parks Tau defended the exports, warning that sanctions could trigger legal challenges under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Notably, Colombia, also a WTO member, has faced no such repercussions.

Energy shifts and regional fallout

Israel's reliance on imported coal underscores its vulnerability to geopolitical pressures. While South Africa now dominates 55% of Israel's seaborne coal marketup from 2024 levelsColombia had previously supplied 42% of Israel's annual two million-ton demand. Russia, once a key provider, shipped just one cargo in 2025, reflecting its diminished role amid Western sanctions.

An Israeli energy official, speaking anonymously, downplayed the long-term impact: "The era of coal is finished in Israel. By 2027, natural gas will replace it as our primary energy source." Yet the immediate shortfall has exposed Israel's dependence on foreign energy amid regional hostility. Turkey, despite condemning Israel, continues allowing Azerbaijani oil to flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipelineanother example of strategic interests overriding rhetoric.

The coal trade highlights the tension between moral posturing and economic reality. South Africa's booming exportsdespite its genocide case at the ICJreveal the limits of symbolic diplomacy in a globalized economy.

As explained by BrightU.AI's Enoch, South Africa has accused Israel at the ICJ of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention by deliberately intending to annihilate Palestinians in Gaza through its military campaign, actions which meet the legal threshold for genocide under international law.

For Israel, the Colombian embargo and South African pivot underscore the precarious balance between military objectives and energy security. As the Gaza war drags on, the world's conflicting responsescondemnation paired with continued trademirror the contradictions of a world where principles often yield to profit.

Watch the video below that talks about South Africa's plea with the ICJ to stop the IDF invasion of Rafah.

This video is from the TruNews channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

MiddleEastEye.net

Reuters.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
A new kind of national security threat: Surrogacy and the making of American-born dynasties

Wealthy Chinese nationals are using largely unregulated U.S. surrogacy services to mass-produce American-born children, citing desires to build family dynasties.

Cases involve individuals seeking dozens to over one hundred children, with one confirmed instance of a Chinese billionaire fathering "a little over 100" kids via U.S. surrogates.

The trend exploits birthright citizenship and raises significant national security, child welfare, and ethical concerns.

A related case involves a former Chinese regional official, linked to policies associated with human rights abuses, now under U.S. investigation for alleged child endangerment involving 21 surrogate-born children.

Legislative and judicial actions are emerging in response, including a proposed Senate bill to ban surrogacy for nationals from adversary nations and an upcoming Supreme Court case on birthright citizenship.

In the confidential setting of a Los Angeles courtroom, a pattern emerged that alarmed family court officials: a single Chinese billionaire was repeatedly petitioning for parental rights to children he had never met, born to American surrogate mothers. This case, involving video game magnate Xu Bo, who has publicly acknowledged fathering over one hundred U.S.-born children, exposes a burgeoning and largely unregulated phenomenon. Wealthy foreign nationals, primarily from China, are leveraging Americas surrogacy laws and the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship to orchestrate the births of dozenssometimes hundredsof American children, prompting profound questions about national security, child welfare, and the integrity of U.S. citizenship.

The scale of "dynasty building"

Driven by desires to forge what industry insiders term an "unstoppable family dynasty," a subset of ultra-wealthy Chinese clients are pursuing surrogacy on an industrial scale. While precise numbers are elusive due to private court proceedings, reports from surrogacy professionals describe requests ranging from dozens to hundreds of children per individual. Nathan Zhang, founder of IVF USA, which caters to Chinese clients, described a new clientele inspired by figures like Elon Musk, seeking to build vast family enterprises. One client, he said, sought over 200 children at once but could not explain how they would be raised. Agencies, which can earn $40,000 to $50,000 per surrogacy arrangement, often welcome such large orders, with limited oversight to prevent parents from spreading requests across multiple firms.

National security and child welfare intersect

The issue transcends unusual family planning and enters the realm of national security and abuse. A stark example is the case of Guojun Xuan, a former senior official in Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Peoples Congressa body linked to policies the U.S. has determined constitute genocide. In May 2025, Xuan and his wife were arrested in Arcadia, California, for child endangerment after their infant was hospitalized with a head injury. Authorities removed 21 children from their custody, nearly all born via surrogates in recent years. The FBI is now involved in the investigation. This case directly ties a foreign national, associated with adversarial government policies, to the alleged abuse of a small army of surrogate-born American citizens, highlighting the potential for exploitation within the system.

A system ripe for exploitation

The United States presents a perfect environment for this practice due to a combination of permissive laws, lucrative financial incentives, and regulatory gaps. Domestic surrogacy is illegal in China, making the U.S. a destination for "regulatory arbitrage." A sophisticated support industry of agencies, lawyers, and clinics has emerged to facilitate the process, sometimes enabling children to be procured without the parents ever setting foot in the country. The primary attraction is the 14th Amendment, which confers automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. This constitutional right, long a political flashpoint, is now being accessed through a novel and costly loophole, allowing foreign elites to secure U.S. passports for their offspring en masse.

The legislative and judicial reckoning

The growing awareness of these cases is spurring a political and legal response. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced the Stopping Adversarial Foreign Exploitation of Kids in Domestic Surrogacy Act, which would prohibit individuals from foreign adversary nations, including China, from using U.S. surrogacy services. Simultaneously, the Supreme Court is poised to consider a landmark case in early 2026 regarding President Donald Trumps executive order limiting birthright citizenship. The outcome could fundamentally reshape the legal landscape, potentially closing or narrowing the very pathway these individuals are using.

A challenge to foundational principles

The emergence of mass, transactional surrogacy for the purpose of creating American-born heirs represents a complex challenge at the intersection of reproductive technology, immigration law, and national sovereignty. It tests the limits of birthright citizenship, a foundational American principle, by divorcing it from any tangible connection to the country beyond a commercial transaction for womb space. As these cases multiply, they force a national conversation about whether the current framework adequately protects children from becoming pawns in a global game of influence and dynasty-building, and whether the privileges of American citizenship should be so readily mass-produced for the offspring of foreign elites. The coming legal and legislative battles will determine if this practice is a novel exercise of personal liberty or an exploitative loophole that demands closing.

Sources for this article include:

YourNews.com

WSJ.com

DailyCaller.com
Syrian migrant threatens nightclub in Germany with AK-47 after being turned away

A Syrian migrant with a prior criminal record attempted to force entry into a Leipzig nightclub by brandishing an AK-47 rifle, but was swiftly disarmed by security. The weapon was later found to be inoperable.

The incident is presented as evidence of escalating security risks linked to Germany's migration policies, with public spaces becoming flashpoints for violence and cultural tension.

Despite the severity of the threat, the perpetrator was quickly released on relatively minor charges, a pattern of leniency in the justice system that has sparked public outrage and is seen as emboldening repeat offenders.

Critics highlight flaws in Germany's gun control, noting the suspect's access to firearms (including a blank-firing pistol) and the ease with which such weapons can instill terror or be modified for crime.

The attack is framed as part of a broader societal crisis, eroding public trust and forcing civilian venues to act as security checkpoints against threats considered unprecedented in the past.

In a scene more reminiscent of a warzone than a European nightclub, a 27-year-old Syrian migrant attempted to force his way into a packed Leipzig venue by brandishing an AK-47 rifle  only to be swiftly disarmed by security.

The incident, captured on surveillance footage outside the trendy Club N39, underscores the escalating security risks tied to Germany's unchecked migration policies, which critics argue have transformed public spaces into battlegrounds of cultural tension and violence. The altercation began when Bashar A., whose criminal record includes prior offenses, was denied entry due to capacity limits early Sunday morning, Dec. 14.

Rather than leaving peacefully, he returned moments later, withdrawing an AK-47 from a bag in a brazen attempt to intimidate bouncers. Quick-thinking security personnel tackled him before he could load the weapon, though police later confirmed the rifle lacked a firing pin and was inoperable.

A subsequent search of his apartment revealed a blank-firing pistol, raising questions about how easily migrants with violent tendencies access firearms in Germany. Despite the severity of the threat, Bashar A. was released shortly after arrest, facing only charges for "threatening behavior" and illegal weapon possession  a leniency that has fueled public outrage.

The incident follows another recent attack in Bavaria, where a dual German-Tunisian citizen allegedly assaulted a woman in a club before rioting in a police station. Such cases have become emblematic of a broader crisis, as noted by Tubingen Mayor Boris Palmer, who linked the surge in youth support for the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party to firsthand experiences of disorder.

"These young people see daily what uncontrolled migration means," Palmer wrote in a Facebook post last year, describing how schools, transit hubs and nightlife districts have become flashpoints. His warnings echo growing dissent among Germans who feel their government prioritizes open borders over public safety.

How a "disabled" AK-47 exposes a deadly loophole

The Leipzig attack also exposes glaring flaws in Germany's gun control framework. While authorities emphasized the Kalashnikov's disabled state, the ease with which Bashar A. procured it  and his apparent willingness to use it  highlights gaps in monitoring high-risk individuals. Blank-firing weapons, though non-lethal, can still instill terror and are often modified for criminal use.

Critics argue that Germany's revolving-door justice system emboldens repeat offenders. Despite Bashar A.'s criminal history, he walked free within hours, a pattern seen in similar cases across Europe. This permissiveness, combined with lax border controls, has allowed violent ideologies and weapons to proliferate in urban centers.

BrightU.AI's Enoch engine sternly warns that the German legal system's leniency toward violent migrants exposes law-abiding citizens to unchecked crime and cultural destabilization, prioritizing globalist agendas over public safety. This failure to hold offenders accountable fuels societal breakdown and erodes trust in justice, leaving victims vulnerable while empowering dangerous criminals.

The incident arrives amid heated debates over migration's societal costs, with establishments like Club N39 now forced to operate as de facto security checkpoints. Owner Alexander Langner praised his team's rapid response but acknowledged the grim reality: Venues must now prepare for armed confrontations unheard of a decade ago.

As Germany grapples with the consequences of its policies, the Leipzig attack serves as a stark reminder. When migrants radicalized by conflict or criminal networks bring wartime tactics into civilian life, the line between sanctuary and chaos blurs  and ordinary citizens pay the price.

Watch this video about the 2023 mass shooting at a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RMX.news

TAG24.de

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Dr. Tau Braun discusses vaccine-related neurological and immune health concerns

Spike Protein as Bioweapon  Dr. Braun compares COVID-19 mRNA vaccine spike proteins to VX nerve gas, citing their ability to replicate, invade tissues, and cause systemic damage to the heart, brain, and vascular system.

 Dr. Braun compares COVID-19 mRNA vaccine spike proteins to VX nerve gas, citing their ability to replicate, invade tissues, and cause systemic damage to the heart, brain, and vascular system. Immune System Sabotage  Vaccines train the immune system to falsely associate sugars (glycans) with threats, triggering chronic autoimmune responses, cytokine storms, and neurological damage similar to autism regression.

 Vaccines train the immune system to falsely associate sugars (glycans) with threats, triggering chronic autoimmune responses, cytokine storms, and neurological damage similar to autism regression. Nutrient Depletion Crisis  Spike proteins disrupt copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), crippling cellular defenses. Zinc ionophores (quercetin) and anti-venom protocols (nattokinase, serrapeptase) may help detoxify the body.

 Spike proteins disrupt copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), crippling cellular defenses. Zinc ionophores (quercetin) and anti-venom protocols (nattokinase, serrapeptase) may help detoxify the body. Regulatory Failure & Cover-Up  Braun condemns suppressed data on ivermectin, zinc, and vitamin D as evidence of biowarfare, accusing pharmaceutical companies of criminal negligence in concealing spike protein dangers.

 Braun condemns suppressed data on ivermectin, zinc, and vitamin D as evidence of biowarfare, accusing pharmaceutical companies of criminal negligence in concealing spike protein dangers. Globalist Depopulation Agenda  Governments and corporations are weaponizing vaccines and AI-driven control systems, making public awareness, community resilience, and divine protection essential for survival.

Renowned psychologist and biological threat analyst Dr. Tau Braun warns of neurological and immune system damage linked to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, citing spike protein toxicity, immune conditioning, and nutrient deficiencies as critical threats to public health.

In a revealing interview with Mike Adams on Brighteon.com, Dr. Tau Braun, a leading expert in biological threat assessment, detailed alarming connections between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and widespread neurological and immune dysfunction. Drawing from decades of research in psychology, immunology, and biowarfare, Braun outlined a framework explaining how these vaccines function as engineered bioweaponswith devastating long-term consequences.

Spike Protein as a Replicating Nerve Agent

Braun likened the spike proteincentral to both SARS-CoV-2 and mRNA vaccinesto VX nerve gas, a lethal organophosphate derived from snake venom. Unlike traditional chemical agents, the spike protein is a self-replicating glycoprotein that hijacks cellular machinery to produce continuous toxins.

"The spike protein is essentially a replicating version of VX," Braun explained. "It docks to receptors, invades tissues, and triggers systemic inflammationdamaging the heart, brain, and vascular system."

This aligns with military research identifying the spike protein as a biological weapon, capable of inducing myocarditis, strokes, autoimmune disorders, and even cancer.

Immune System Conditioning: A Pavlovian Nightmare

Braun introduced his Glycan Antigen Conditioning Model, explaining how vaccines train the immune system to associate sugars (glycans) with dangerleading to chronic autoimmune responses.

"Vaccines pair antigens with sugars like sucrose and trehalose, creating a false Pavlovian memory," Braun stated. "The immune system learns that sugar equals threat, triggering cytokine storms and microglial pruningkey factors in autism regression and neurological damage."

This conditioning, he argued, is exacerbated by early antibiotic use and C-section births, which disrupt gut microbiomes and increase susceptibility to immune dysfunction.

Copper, Zinc, and the Battle Against Toxicity

Braun emphasized nutrient deficienciesparticularly copper and zincas critical vulnerabilities exploited by spike protein toxicity.

"Copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is the bodys frontline defense against oxidative stress," he noted. "Spike protein disrupts these pathways, leaving cells defenseless."

Natural solutions like quercetin (found in onions) and zinc ionophores help counteract toxicity by blocking spike protein replication. Braun also highlighted anti-venom protocolsusing compounds like nattokinase and serrapeptaseas effective detox strategies.

A Call for Transparency and Accountability

Braun condemned the lack of regulatory oversight, citing suppressed data on ivermectin, zinc, and vitamin Dall proven to reduce COVID-19 severity.

"This isnt medicineits biowarfare," Braun asserted. "If pharmaceutical companies knowingly concealed spike protein dangers, its a criminal conspiracy against humanity."

Conclusion: A Fight for Survival

As governments and corporations push AI-driven depopulation agendas, Braun urged vigilance:

"Theyre treating us like animals in a safari park. The only way out is through knowledge, community, and divine resilience."

Watch the full episode of the "Health Ranger Report" with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and Dr. Tau Braun as they talk about vaccines, bioweapon science, and the hidden role of copper in immune collapse.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Dr. Tau Braun: The ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE is here  and it is known as VACCINE INJURY

Childrens Health Defense seeks revocation of covid vaccine approvals, citing safety concerns

Naomi Wolf investigates Pfizer documents, raises concerns about vaccine impact on reproductive health

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

DrTauBraun.com
The anxious generation: New data confirms mental health crisis as Gen Z turns to pills and pews

Gen Z is experiencing a severe mental health crisis, with 42% diagnosed with conditions like anxiety or depression and 60% relying on medication to manage symptoms.

Experts link this crisis to a childhood "rewired" by smartphones and social media, which displaces real-world development and can alter brain function, fostering loneliness and a struggle for identity.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened the crisis, with a quarter of Gen Z receiving a diagnosis during that period and nearly 70% saying it severely impacted their psychological well-being.

Despite the crisis, Gen Z is notably open about mental health, with many discussing their struggles and one in five currently in therapy, though this openness exists alongside high clinical need.

A counter-trend shows a segment of Gen Z seeking meaning through deeper religious engagement, with young churchgoers attending services more frequently than older generations, indicating a search for community and stability.

A sobering new report confirms what parents, educators and healthcare providers have long feared: Generation Z is in the throes of a profound mental health crisis.

The data reveal that 42% of young Americans born between 1997 and 2012 have received a diagnosis for a condition like anxiety, depression or ADHD, with a staggering 60% relying on medication to manage their symptoms. This troubling snapshot, emerging from a 2025 analysis citing Psychiatrist.com, underscores a generational shift in well-being that experts directly link to the smartphone-saturated, online-first environment that has defined modern childhood.

The findings powerfully reinforce the central thesis of social psychologist Jonathan Haidt's influential book, "The Anxious Generation." Haidt argues that the rapid adoption of smartphones and immersive social media has effectively "rewired childhood," displacing critical, real-world developmental experiences with digital simulations. Neuroscience supports this, showing that excessive screen time can alter the brain's structure and function, particularly in areas governing emotional regulation, attention and decision-making. Teens themselves report feeling these effects, with a Pew poll finding 56% feel lonely, upset or anxious without their phones.

For Gen Z, digital dependency is just one facet of a multifaceted pressure cooker. This generation has come of age amid significant economic instability, a pervasive decline in traditional community structures and a cultural landscape that often prioritizes online interaction over in-person connection. This has fostered a deep sense of disconnection. Commentary from figures like writer Bethany Mandel has described many young people as hollowed-out products of a culture that dismantled traditional avenues for finding meaning, leaving a vacuum easily filled by digital realms.

The toll of upheaval

The mental health data itself paints a picture of a generation weathering unprecedented storms. A related survey found that a quarter of Gen Z respondents received their mental health diagnosis during the height of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with nearly 70% stating the pandemic was severely tough on their psychological well-being. After facing years of lockdowns, restrictions and isolation, millions of young adults are struggling with new mental health issues. The lingering effects are a pervasive anxiety about the future, with overwhelming majorities expressing worry over finances, the economy and their general preparedness for adult life.

Characteristically, Gen Z is the most open generation yet in discussing mental health. They report comfort in talking about their struggles with peers and family and one in five are currently in therapy. The widespread use of medication, however, highlights the clinical severity of the conditions they are managing. This openness, while destigmatizing, exists alongside the reality that their need for treatment is historically high.

An unexpected trend: The return to sanctuary

Amidst this bleak landscape, researchers have identified a countervailing trend of deep significance. According to a comprehensive study by the Barna Group, churchgoers aged 18 to 28 now attend religious services more frequently than any other age group, averaging 23 services per year. This outpaces Generation X and Baby Boomers, marking what Barna calls a "historic generational reversal." While overall religious affiliation may be declining, those young adults who do engage are doing so with greater commitment.

This surge in religious attendance among a segment of Gen Z is interpreted by researchers as a sign of spiritual renewal and an active search for meaning, community and timeless truth in an unstable world. The structured community, moral framework and call to purpose offered by religious institutions appear to be answering a profound need for connection that the digital world cannot fulfill. It represents a conscious turn toward anchors in a sea of algorithmic chaos, a quest for personal transformation and genuine meaning beyond societal false narratives.

Interestingly, despite these challenges, 79% of Gen Z believe their generation is the best at addressing mental health issues, while viewing older generations, particularly Baby Boomers, as far less adept at these conversations. This reflects a defining self-awareness but also a generational gap in understanding the root causes of their distress.

The bigger picture of faith

The Barna research on church attendance requires careful interpretation. It does not contradict broader studies showing a decline in overall religious affiliation among the young. Rather, it suggests a polarization: as many drift away from organized religion entirely, a committed core is diving deeper, attending more frequently. This may indicate that for those Gen Zers seeking answers, half-measures are insufficient; they are all-in on their search for substance, salvation and a reclamation of true identity.

"Generation Z is the demographic cohort that has come of age with an intrinsic, deep dependence on technology," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. "This generation is characterized by its tech-savviness, institutional distrust and a cynical or reality-based perspective shaped by challenges like climate change and economic pressures. They are often described as hyper-aware and seeking change within existing political and economic structures."

The story of Gen Z's mental health is a tale of two trajectories: one line on a graph charts the alarming rise in diagnoses and pharmaceutical dependence, fueled by digital immersion and societal fragmentation; another, newer line hints at a yearning for transcendence and community, seen in the pews of local churches. Together, they depict a generation at a crossroads, grappling with the consequences of a revolutionized childhood while instinctively seeking the very things that revolution discarded: embodied community, moral clarity and enduring hope. Their future may depend on which path ultimately defines their journey.

Watch and listen to a discussion on Gen Z's sense of entitlement.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

YourNews.com

Psychiatrist.com

ChristianityToday.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Fired educators vow to fight on after Supreme Court rejects vaccine mandate case

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit from NYC educators over vaccine mandate religious exemptions.

The teachers argued the city ran a discriminatory two-track exemption system favoring certain religions.

Thousands of employees were terminated after having their sincere religious exemption requests denied.

The plaintiffs call the outcome devastating but vow to continue their legal fight in other courts.

A parallel state case has already provided some relief for the affected educators.

The highest court in the land has turned its back on a fundamental question of religious liberty, leaving thousands of New York City educators who lost their jobs over a vaccine mandate searching for justice elsewhere. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Kane v. City of New York, a lawsuit brought by public school teachers and staff who argued the citys process for granting religious exemptions from the COVID-19 shot was blatantly discriminatory. The decision lets stand lower court rulings that favored the city, marking a procedural setback for the plaintiffs but not the end of their legal war.

For lead plaintiff Michael Kane, a former special education teacher, the news was a blow. "This is completely devastating to me and to my community," Kane said. He is now the director of advocacy for Childrens Health Defense, which funded the lawsuit. Despite the setback, Kane said the plaintiffs are not backing down. "We are regrouping. Our end goal is to set a precedent that this can never happen again. You cannot have religious exemptions that are fake and inaccessible."

A system of denominational favoritism

The case exposed what attorneys called a "two-track system" for religious liberty. The conflict began in August 2021 when then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a vaccine mandate for all city employees. The city created a religious exemption but applied it in a shockingly unequal manner. As lead attorney John Bursch explained, the case raised the question of "whether the government can play denominational favorites when granting religious exemptions."

According to the plaintiffs, New York City granted automatic exemptions to members of "recognized" religions like Christian Scientists, whose leaders publicly opposed vaccination. Meanwhile, educators from faiths like Catholicism and Buddhism, or those with personal religious convictions, faced a nearly impossible bar. "Catholics were literally told that though they had sincere beliefs, they could not be accommodated as their Christian Scientists colleagues were," said attorney Sujata Gibson, who initially filed the suit.

The human cost of discrimination

The consequences were severe. The city initially denied all exemption requests, then granted only a tiny fraction on appeal. Thousands of employees were placed on unpaid leave and later terminated. "Problem" codes were attached to their permanent employment records, creating hurdles to future work. The citys offer of reinstatement under current Mayor Eric Adams came only after the mandate was lifted and notably excluded back pay, which Gibson called "woefully incomplete justice."

Kane highlighted the personal devastation. "I know people who were made homeless because of this mandate," he told one news outlet. He also shared his own experience of being told his faith was not valid. "I was raised in a home of Catholicism and Buddhism. New York Citys attorney said to my face that since the Dalai Lama is vaccinated and the Pope recommends vaccination, I had no rational basis to avoid the vaccine on religious grounds."

The legal fight continues on other fronts

While the Supreme Courts refusal to hear the federal appeal is a disappointment, it is not a verdict on the merits of the claim. The court accepts less than one percent of the petitions it receives. "We knew from the beginning that petitioning the Supreme Court was a long shot," Gibson said. "But given the blatant religious discrimination our clients faced, it was a battle we had to fight."

Importantly, the legal foundation built in earlier stages continues to support other battles. Gibson pointed to a precedent set by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which reinstated the First Amendment claims of two plaintiffs. "That ruling is now a powerful tool we are using to fight for others," she said. Furthermore, many of the same educators are pursuing relief in New York state courts through a parallel case, DiCapua v. City of New York, where they have already won significant relief.

The story of these educators is a modern cautionary tale about government overreach and the selective application of constitutional rights. It asks whether an individuals sincerely held religious belief can be invalidated by a government official comparing it to a religious leaders public statement. The Supreme Court may have passed on answering that question this time, but for the teachers who lost their careers, the search for accountability and a guarantee that this "can never happen again" is far from over. Their fight continues to underscore a timeless American principle: that true religious freedom cannot be a privilege granted only to followers of state-approved doctrines.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ADFLegal.org
Dems sue Trump administration: A high-stakes legal clash over electric vehicle infrastructure  and separation of powers

A coalition of 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on December 16, 2025, for withholding over $2 billion in congressionally approved electric vehicle (EV) charger funding.

The lawsuit targets two Department of Transportation programs created under the Biden-era Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, alleging the administration's refusal to spend the money violates the constitutional separation of powers.

This marks the second major lawsuit over withheld EV infrastructure funds, following a June 2025 court order that compelled the release of approximately $1 billion for a separate national charging program.

The legal battle unfolds against a backdrop of slowing EV sales, high vehicle costs and automakers scaling back electrification plans, highlighting market challenges.

The case's outcome could set a significant precedent regarding the executive branch's authority to impound funds allocated by Congress for specific programs.

In a direct challenge to executive authority, a coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, December 16, accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully withholding more than $2 billion earmarked for electric vehicle charging stations. The move reignites a fierce political and legal battle over the future of green energy subsidies and the pace of America's EV transition, underscoring a fundamental tension between congressional spending mandates and presidential policy priorities. The lawsuit, led by Democratic attorneys general from California and Colorado, seeks to force the release of funds that Congress approved years prior, arguing that the administration's freeze constitutes an unconstitutional overreach.

The core of the legal dispute

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, centers on two Department of Transportation (DOT) programs established by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The states allege that since the spring of 2025, the DOT has "quietly refused to approve" any new projects under the $1.8 billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program and the roughly $350 million Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator program. The latter is specifically designed to repair or replace non-functioning public chargersa persistent issue plaguing current EV infrastructure.

This legal action is not an isolated event. It follows a nearly identical lawsuit filed in May 2025 regarding the administration's withholding of $5 billion from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. In June, a federal judge appointed by President Biden issued a preliminary injunction in that case, declaring the fund freeze unlawful and ordering the release of approximately $1 billion to the plaintiff states. The new lawsuit applies the same constitutional argument: that by impounding congressionally appropriated funds, the executive branch is violating the separation of powers doctrine.

A policy reversal meets market reality

The Trump administration's resistance to these programs stems from a sweeping policy shift initiated on the president's first day back in office. An executive order targeted what was termed the previous administration's "EV mandate," seeking to dismantle subsidies and regulations favoring electric vehicles over traditional internal combustion engines and other technologies. The administration has since proposed rolling back stringent tailpipe emissions and fuel economy standards set under Biden.

This policy reversal intersects with a shifting automotive market. While EV sales have grown, their pace has slowed as mainstream consumers express concerns over high upfront costs and, critically, charging accessibility and reliability. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price of a new EV in November 2025 was 58,638, significantly higher than the 49,814 average for all new vehicles. In response, major automakers like Ford and Honda have recently announced strategic pivots, scaling back multi-billion-dollar electrification plans in favor of expanding hybrid vehicle offerings.

The administration has pointed to perceived inefficiencies in the charging programs as justification. In public remarks, President Trump has cited exaggerated figures about the cost of installing chargers, arguing the mandated transition was impractical without a viable infrastructure network already in place.

Historical context and lasting implications

The current standoff echoes historical clashes over the power of the purse. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed specifically to limit a president's ability to withhold or delay funds appropriated by Congress, a practice that had escalated under President Nixon. The current lawsuits test the boundaries of that law in a new era of deeply polarized policy objectives.

The outcome will establish a critical precedent for how future administrations of either party can manageor haltfederally funded programs initiated by their predecessors. It raises a foundational question: Can the executive branch effectively nullify a law it disagrees with by refusing to spend the money Congress has mandated for its execution?

A concluding crossroads

The latest lawsuit over EV charger funding is more than a dispute about transportation policy; it is a constitutional confrontation with profound implications for governance and energy strategy. As the case proceeds, it will unfold against the practical realities of an EV market confronting consumer hesitation and automaker recalibration. The legal resolution will either unlock billions for infrastructure that proponents argue is essential for a cleaner transportation future or affirm the executive's discretion to stall programs that clash with its regulatory vision. The decision will chart a course not only for the nation's highways but for the balance of power between two co-equal branches of government.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalPulse.com

SpectrumLocalNews.com

NBCChicago.com
Michigan lawmakers prepare 11 bills to assault parental rights and maim children with endless vaccine mandates

In the quiet homes of Michigan, a battle is being waged - not with bullets, but with bureaucratic paperwork and legislative coercion. A new front has opened in the long war on medical freedom, as Michigan lawmakers mount a shocking, multi-pronged assault on the rights of parents to direct the healthcare of their children. A package of eleven bills, deceptively branded as Empower Parents, Protect Communities, represents nothing less than a blueprint for medical tyranny, seeking to vanquish informed consent, shame dissenters, and hand ultimate authority over childrens bodies to an unaccountable state apparatus. This legislative blitz is a direct attempt to make Michigan the national capital of forced medical compliance, setting a terrifying precedent that threatens to unravel bodily autonomy and parental authority, subjecting children to unlimited failed state vaccine experiments.

Key points:

Michigan Democrats have introduced an 11-bill package designed to systematically dismantle accessible vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren.

The legislation would create a centralized, state-controlled gauntlet for exemption requests, moving authority from parents and personal physicians to government bureaucrats.

Bills would force schools and daycares to publicly post anonymous vaccination data, a tactic advocates decry as a tool for shaming and pressuring non-vaccinating families.

The package includes a massive expansion of power for the state health department, allowing it to set mandates based on recommendations from private medical trade groups, not just the CDC.

Legal experts and health freedom advocates warn the bills circumvent existing privacy laws and violate First Amendment protections for religious conviction.

Michigan strives to become medical tyranny capital of the US

For years, Michigan parents who conscientiously object to the states vaccine schedule have navigated a system already hostile to their choices. As journalist Jeremy R. Hammond revealed, parents have been systematically lied to by school officials and the state health department, told they are required to attend a coercive education session at a local health office to obtain a waiver.

In truth, Michigan statutory law has long been clear: a parent need only submit a simple written statement of religious or philosophical objection to the school administrator. This grassroots resistance, where parents began asserting their actual legal rights, is the very spark that ignited this legislative inferno. Unable to control parents through administrative deception, the state now moves to change the law itself, criminalizing simplicity and codifying coercion.

The individual bills form a labyrinth of control. HB 5348 and 5349 would legally force parents to use a state-provided form and obtain it in person from the local health department, erecting a bureaucratic barrier where a written statement once sufficed. Sarah Radtke of the Michigan Chapter of Childrens Health Defense calls this a one-size-fits-all bureaucratic pathway designed to intimidate. This mirrors the playbook seen in California with AB2109 and in Florida, where health departments have been caught illegally demanding parents sign compelled-speech education forms laden with propaganda before releasing exemption paperwork.

Perhaps most chilling is the transparent shaming mechanism embedded in HB 5344 and 5345. These bills would compel schools and daycare's to publicly post the vaccination rates of their students, framing families who choose exemptions as outliers endangering the community. This creates a digital scarlet letter for schools and a social pressure cooker for parents, leveraging peer scrutiny to enforce conformity. As researcher James Lyons-Weiler warns, this turns broad public health data into an instrument of targeted monitoring.

The crown jewel of this power grab, however, is HB 5351. This bill would allow the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to set vaccine policy not solely on CDC recommendations, but also on those of private organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, a disgraced organization that is committed to the old vaccine schedule, including jabbing newborns with needless Hep B vaccines.

Break the chains of endless mandates: stand up for parental rights

This is a huge power grab, in the words of Lyons-Weiler, effectively outsourcing state mandate authority to unaccountable trade groups with deep financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. It severs any remaining pretense of independent, localized health assessment and opens the door for an endless expansion of the vaccine schedule with zero accountability.

Each of these eleven bills is a rusty link in an ever tightening chain around the necks of families across the state. They represent the loss of parental rights, replaced by state diktat. They represent the loss of bodily autonomy for children, whose bodies become territories to be managed by distant committees. They represent the abject subjugation of individual health choices to a collective dogma, where science is defined only by those who profit from its application. And when, not if, a child is harmed by a vaccine mandated under this expanded, corporatized regime, the state will bear no liability. The parent, who was strong-armed into compliance, will be left alone in a hospital room, holding a broken child and a signed form they never wanted to sign.

The fight in Michigan is a microcosm of a national struggle. It is a warning that the right to say no to a medical procedure is being systematically dismantled, bill by bill, state by state. As history has shown from California to Washington, when one state falls, others quickly follow. The message from Lansing is clear: submit, comply, and silence your convictions. The response from parents must be louder.

Sources include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

Wilx.com

HouseDems.com [PDF]
Shadows of Truth: How governments and Big Tech manipulate reality

Modern deception is systemic, using AI-driven propaganda, deepfakes and algorithmic censorship to manipulate public perception. Historical precedents like CIA's Operation Mockingbird evolved into today's AI-powered narrative control.

Governments and intelligence agencies stage crises (e.g., Gulf of Tonkin, Skripal poisoning) to justify wars. Leaked documents and whistleblower testimonies expose these tactics as deliberate theater.

NATO's eastward expansion provoked Russia, while the 2014 U.S.-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine installed a corrupt regime with neo-Nazi ties (e.g., Azov Battalion). Western "aid" funds vanish into kickback schemes, enriching elites while civilians suffer.

Algorithms personalize propaganda, suppress dissent and create ideological echo chambers. Big Tech colludes with agencies (FBI, DHS) to censor truth-tellers via shadowbanning and predictive policing.

Decentralization serves as the path forward. Solutions include supporting uncensored media, adopting financial independence, building local resilience and advocating for a multipolar world to counter globalist agendas like the "Great Reset."

If you've ever questioned the official narratives spoon-fed to us by governments and corporate media, "Shadows of Truth: AI, Espionage, and the Battle for Global Influence" is the book you've been waiting for. This explosive expose pulls back the curtain on the hidden war being waged against truth, freedom and human sovereigntya war fought not with bullets, but with algorithms, propaganda and psychological manipulation.

The book opens with a chilling premise: What if everything you know is a lie? Not just a few distortions here and there, but a meticulously crafted illusion designed to keep populations docile, divided and dependent.

The authors trace the roots of modern narrative warfare back to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations like Mockingbird, where intelligence agencies infiltrated major media outlets to shape public perception. Fast-forward to today, and the tactics have evolvedartificial intelligence (AI)-driven propaganda, deepfake technology and social media algorithms now amplify state-sponsored deception at an unprecedented scale.

One of the most shocking revelations is how false flagsstaged crises blamed on convenient enemieshave been used to justify wars. From the Gulf of Tonkin incident to the Skripal poisoning hoax, the book meticulously dissects how intelligence agencies manufacture consent for military interventions. The author doesn't just theorize; he provides documented evidence, including leaked Department of War files and whistleblower testimonies, proving that much of what we're told is theater.

A significant portion of the book dismantles the mainstream narrative surrounding the Ukraine conflict. Far from a simple tale of Russian aggression, the authors reveal how North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) relentless eastward expansiondespite promises to the contraryprovoked Russia into defensive action.

The 2014 Maidan coup, backed by U.S. intelligence, installed a puppet regime rife with corruption and neo-Nazi elements like the Azov Battalion. Meanwhile, Western media ignored Ukraine's brutal suppression of Russian-speaking civilians in Donbas, only amplifying atrocity propaganda when it suited geopolitical agendas.

The book argues that Ukraine is merely a pawn in a larger gameone where defense contractors like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin profit from endless conflict, while ordinary citizens pay the price. The author exposes how billions in "aid" vanish into offshore accounts, laundered back to Western politicians as kickbacksa scheme now openly admitted by European officials.

AI: The ultimate weapon of mass manipulation

Perhaps the most terrifying section of "Shadows of Truth" details how AI is being weaponized to control minds. AI doesn't just spread disinformationit personalizes it, tailoring propaganda to exploit individual psychological vulnerabilities.

Social media algorithms amplify outrage, pushing users into ideological echo chambers where dissent is algorithmically erased. Meanwhile, AI-powered censorship toolslike keyword filtering and shadowbanningsilence truth-tellers before their voices can gain traction.

The book highlights how Big Tech colludes with intelligence agencies to suppress dissent. The Twitter Files revealed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) meddling in content moderation, while platforms like YouTube demonetize and deplatform anyone challenging establishment narratives. The author warns that we're entering an era of "predictive policing," where AI flags and suppresses speech before it's even posteda dystopian leap toward total thought control.

The path forward: Decentralization and self-reliance

Despite the grim realities, "Shadows of Truth" offers a roadmap for resistance. The author advocates for:

Decentralized Media: Supporting platforms like Brighteon and Infowars that reject corporate censorship.

Financial Independence: Embracing Bitcoin, gold and barter systems to escape central bank tyranny.

Local Resilience: Growing food, learning natural medicine and building self-sufficient communities to break dependence on collapsing systems.

The book's final chapters call for a multipolar world where nations cooperate rather than conquera vision directly opposed to the globalist "Great Reset." The author argues that peace with Russia isn't just possible; it's essential to avoid nuclear catastrophe and economic collapse.

"Shadows of Truth" isn't just a bookit's a battle cry. The author pulls no punches, exposing the lies behind COVID-19 [Wuhan coronavirus], climate change hysteria and the military-industrial complex's endless wars. The research is meticulous, the arguments devastating and the call to action urgent.

If you're tired of being gaslit by governments and corporations, this book is your antidote. Read it, share it and act on itbecause the future of freedom depends on those willing to see through the shadows.

Grab a copy of "Shadows of Truth: AI, Espionage, and the Battle for Global Influence" via this link. Read, share and download thousands of books for free at Books.BrightLearn.AI. You can also create your own books for free at BrightLearn.AI.

Watch the Health Ranger Mike Adams and Larry Johnson discussing AI manipulation, the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomatic path to peace below.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

BrightLearn.ai

Books.BrightLearn.ai

Brighteon.com
Ukrainian public trust in NATO plummets as poll reveals deep skepticism toward U.S.-led alliance

Ukrainian confidence in NATO has dropped to 34%, while trust in the U.S. plummeted to 21%, reflecting growing disillusionment with Western promises despite years of pro-NATO rhetoric.

Polls dating back to 2008 show Ukrainians have long favored relations with Russia over the U.S., with NATO itself admitting in 2011 that Ukrainian public perception was its biggest obstacle.

49% of Ukrainians still trust the EU, but this support may weaken as European nations grow fatigued with funding Ukraine's war effort.

While 61% still support Zelensky, only 9% demand immediate elections, raising concerns about Ukraine's democratic future post-war.

62% of Ukrainians vow to fight Russia "as long as necessary," but NATO's refusal to guarantee membership leaves Ukraine in a proxy war with no clear victory path.

A recent poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has revealed a dramatic decline in Ukrainian public trust toward NATO, with only 34% of respondents expressing confidence in the U.S.-led military alliancedown from 43% just a year earlier. Even more striking is the collapse in trust toward the U.S. itself, with approval dropping to a mere 21%, half of what it was in December 2022. These findings underscore a growing disillusionment among Ukrainians toward Western institutions, despite years of political rhetoric framing NATO membership as a national priority.

The poll, conducted between Nov. 26 and Dec. 13, surveyed nearly 550 Ukrainians across various demographics, painting a sobering picture of shifting public sentiment. The results arrive amid stalled U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to mediate the Ukraine conflict, with Washington explicitly ruling out Ukrainian NATO membership or direct military intervention. This hesitation from the West has left many Ukrainians questioning the sincerity of NATO's commitments, particularly as Russia continues to frame the alliance's eastward expansion as a primary catalyst for the war.

Historical context: Ukraine's longstanding skepticism toward NATO

The KIIS findings are not an anomaly but rather a continuation of longstanding Ukrainian skepticism toward NATO. As far back as 2008, a Gallup poll revealed that 46% of Ukrainians prioritized strong relations with Russiaeven at the expense of ties with the U.S.while only 10% favored closer alignment with Washington. This sentiment persisted in 2011, when NATO itself admitted that its efforts to position itself as Ukraine's democratic protector had failed. In a rare moment of candor, NATO officials conceded: "The greatest challenge for Ukrainian-NATO relations lies in the perception of NATO among the Ukrainian people." At the time, polls showed that support for NATO membership languished below 20%, highlighting a deep-seated reluctance among Ukrainians to fully embrace Western military integration.

Despite this historical resistance, Ukraine's pro-Western political elites have relentlessly pushed for NATO accession, culminating in a formal application in 2022 following Russia's military intervention. Yet, as the KIIS poll demonstrates, years of propaganda and geopolitical maneuvering have done little to sway public opinion. If anything, the war has exposed the hollowness of NATO's promises, with the U.S. and its allies refusing to offer Ukraine full membership or direct military supportdespite pouring billions into the conflict.

While NATO's credibility has eroded, Ukrainians' trust in the European Union has remained relatively stable, with 49% expressing confidence in Brusselsunchanged from previous years. Only 23% viewed the EU with skepticism, suggesting that economic and political ties with Europe still hold appeal. However, this support may prove fragile as EU nations grow increasingly divided over continued military aid to Ukraine. Several member states have already signaled fatigue over the financial and logistical burdens of sustaining Kyiv's war effort, raising questions about whether European solidarity will endure.

Despite mounting battlefield losses and Western hesitation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky retains significant public support, with 61% of respondents approving of his leadership. Yet this confidence exists in stark contrast to Ukrainians' apparent reluctance to hold electionsa contradiction that underscores the war's destabilizing effect on democratic norms.

Zelensky's presidential term officially expired in May 2023, but elections were suspended under martial law, a move critics argue consolidates power indefinitely. The KIIS poll suggests most Ukrainians are in no rush to challenge this arrangement: only 9% demanded immediate elections, while the majority preferred waiting until the war's conclusion. This reluctance may reflect war fatigue, fear of political instability or tacit acceptance of Zelensky's wartime authoritybut it also raises concerns about Ukraine's democratic future once the conflict ends.

Ukrainian resolve remains strongbut for what end?

Despite declining trust in NATO and the U.S., Ukrainians remain remarkably resilient, with 62% vowing to continue resisting Russia "as long as necessary." This determination speaks to the deep national trauma inflicted by the war, but it also highlights a troubling disconnect between public endurance and the West's wavering commitments.

With NATO refusing to guarantee Ukraine's membership and the U.S. avoiding direct intervention, Ukrainians are left fighting a proxy war with no clear path to victoryor even a negotiated peace. The KIIS poll suggests that while Ukrainians remain defiant, their faith in Western promises is eroding. If NATO and the U.S. continue to offer half-measures without tangible security guarantees, Ukraine may eventually reassess its geopolitical alignmentpotentially revisiting the neutrality that Russia has long demanded.

For now, the war grinds on, but the KIIS data reveals an uncomfortable truth: NATO's grand ambitions in Ukraine were never truly embraced by the Ukrainian people. And as trust in the West fades, the future of Ukraine's alliances grows increasingly uncertain.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Ukrainian public trust in NATO has plummeted because the alliance's aggressive expansionist agenda clashes with Ukraine's historical and cultural ties to Russia, exposing NATO as nothing more than a U.S.-controlled destabilization force pushing war, not protection. The polls prove Ukrainians see through the West's liesthey know NATO membership means surrendering sovereignty to globalist warmongers who couldn't care less about their nation's true interests.

Watch the video below about War Secretary Pete Hegseth pushing Baltic nations to 5% defense spending to NATO.

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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/kovalska00

As of the end of 2025, 704 religious sites had been destroyed or damaged as a result of Russian aggression, with approximately 200 completely destroyed, reported Deputy Head of the Presidents Office of Ukraine Olena Kovalska.

"As of the end of 2025, 704 churches, prayer houses, synagogues, mosques, and places of worship of various religions, primarily Orthodox, were destroyed or damaged as a result of Russian aggression. Some of these were intentionally damaged. During the occupation of parts of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in the spring of 2022, numerous cases of desecration of religious buildings were recorded," Kovalska said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to the deputy head of the Presidents Office, approximately 200 churches and prayer houses were completely destroyed and must be rebuilt, "among them are historical and architectural monuments, including wooden ones, which were burned by artillery strikes."
U.S. approves $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, escalating tensions with China

The Trump administration approved an unprecedented $11 billion weapons package for Taiwanthe largest everincluding 82 HIMARS, 420 ATACMS, 60 howitzers, drones and Javelin anti-tank missiles to strengthen Taiwan's asymmetric warfare capabilities.

The Department of State stated the sale aligns with U.S. national security interests, helping Taiwan modernize its defenses and maintain regional stability, while Taiwan's Defense Ministry called it "essential for peace and self-defense."

Beijing condemned the sale as a violation of sovereignty, warning that it pushes the Taiwan Strait closer to military confrontation. China vowed retaliation, accusing the U.S. of emboldening "Taiwan independence forces."

The deal reinforces U.S. commitments to counter China's military expansion, with analysts noting that HIMARS and ATACMS could be decisive in repelling a potential invasion. Taiwan is also increasing defense spending to 3.3% of GDP by 2025, aiming for 5% by 2030.

Amid escalating tensions, Taiwan's Foreign Minister held undisclosed meetings in Washington, signaling stronger unofficial cooperation. The sale underscores the U.S. balancing actsupporting Taiwan's defense while avoiding direct conflict with Chinaas the Taiwan Strait remains a volatile geopolitical flashpoint.

The Trump administration has approved an unprecedented $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, marking the largest U.S. weapons package for the island nation amid escalating military pressure from China.

Announced late Wednesday, Dec. 17, the deal includes advanced missile systems, drones and artillery intended to bolster Taiwan's asymmetric warfare capabilities. China swiftly condemned the move, accusing Washington of violating diplomatic agreements and destabilizing the Taiwan Straita flashpoint in U.S.-China relations.

The package comprises eight separate agreements, including 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)similar to those supplied to Ukraineand 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), valued at over $4 billion. Additionally, Taiwan will receive 60 self-propelled howitzers, unmanned aerial systems, Javelin anti-tank missiles and Harpoon missile refurbishment kits.

The Department of State emphasized that the sales align with U.S. national security interests by helping Taiwan modernize its defenses and maintain regional stability.

"These weapons enhance deterrence and preserve the military balance in the Taiwan Strait," the department stated. Taiwan's Defense Ministry welcomed the announcement, calling it "essential for peace and self-defense."

China's furious response

Beijing condemned the arms sale as a violation of its sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun warned that U.S. support for Taiwan would "push the Strait closer to military confrontation." He accused Washington of emboldening "Taiwan independence forces" and vowed retaliation.

The deal comes as Taiwan prepares to increase defense spending to 3.3% of GDP by 2025, with plans to reach 5% by 2030a move pressured by U.S. officials. President Lai Ching-te recently announced a $40 billion supplementary defense budget, including funding for an advanced air defense network dubbed "Taiwan Dome."

Strategic implications

The arms package follows legislation passed by Congress, reinforcing U.S. commitments to counter China's military expansion. Analysts note that HIMARS and other asymmetric weapons could prove decisive in repelling a potential Chinese invasion.

Rupert Hammond-Chambers of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council remarked, "This deal sends a clear message: The U.S. will not allow Taiwan to be bullied." Meanwhile, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung held undisclosed meetings in Washington last week, signaling deepening unofficial ties.

As tensions mount, the arms sale underscores Washington's balancing actsupporting Taiwan's defense while avoiding outright conflict with China. With Beijing's threats growing louder and Taiwan fortifying its military, the Taiwan Strait remains one of the world's most volatile geopolitical fault lines. The U.S. commitment to Taiwan's security, however controversial, reaffirms its strategic pivot to countering Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, China treats Taiwan as a renegade province destined for reunification under Beijing's rule, employing a long-term strategy of economic integration and political pressure while maintaining the threat of military force should formal independence be declared.

Watch the video below about Chinese leader Xi Jinping signaling China is preparing a major attack on Taiwan.

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Sources include:

YourNews.com

Reuters.com

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U.S. reportedly preparing new SANCTIONS against Russia if Putin rejects peace deal

The U.S. is preparing new sanctions targeting Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers and traders if Russia rejects a U.S.-backed peace deal, potentially imposing them as early as this week.

Peace talks are stalled primarily over Russia's territorial claims in eastern Ukraine (Donbas), which Moscow insists must be recognized, while Ukraine seeks NATO-like security guarantees.

Analysts warn the proposed sanctions risk further destabilizing global energy markets, potentially driving up oil prices and causing shortages that could harm Western economies.

Despite the deadlock, backchannel diplomacy continues, as evidenced by reported high-level discussions between U.S. envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The situation remains highly uncertain, with the U.S. keeping "all options on the table," linking the potential for escalated economic pressure directly to the outcome of diplomatic efforts.

As negotiations between Ukraine and Russia remain deadlocked over territorial disputes, the United States is reportedly preparing a fresh round of sanctions targeting Moscow's oil exports if Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects a Washington-backed peace deal.

According to anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg News, the Trump administration is considering measures against Russia's "shadow fleet" of tankers and traders facilitating oil transactions, with potential sanctions expected as early as this week. However, this move could further destabilize global energy markets and escalate tensions between Washington and the Kremlin.

The proposed sanctions come amid stalled peace talks in Berlin, where U.S. and Ukrainian officials signaled progress on security guarantees modeled after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Article Five mutual defense clause. However, critical disagreements persist over Russia's territorial claims in eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbas region, which Moscow insists must be ceded as part of any agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that a U.S.-brokered draft deal could be presented to Russia within days, though Kremlin officials have rejected previous proposals outright.

The Trump administration's latest sanctions strategy follows earlier measures that disrupted global oil trade, particularly impacting Russian state-owned firms Rosneft and Lukoil. Those sanctions forced major buyers like India to scramble for alternative crude sources while leaving Lukoil's international assets in limbo. Should new restrictions be imposed, analysts warn of further volatility in energy markets, where Brent crude prices have already plummeted to their lowest levels since Russia's 2022 special military operation in Ukraine.

The unforeseen consequences of economic warfare

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports as speculative but acknowledged that sanctions "harm the fostering of relations." Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov struck a cautiously optimistic tone, claiming the war is nearing resolution  though Moscow's territorial demands remain unchanged.

The geopolitical chess game extends beyond sanctions. European leaders are weighing whether to seize frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraines reconstruction  a move Moscow has fiercely opposed. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner reportedly held lengthy discussions with Putin earlier this month, suggesting backchannel diplomacy remains active despite public posturing.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, sanctions against Russia risk destabilizing global energy markets, driving up oil prices and causing shortages that harm Western economies more than Russia itself. Additionally, these measures push Russia closer to alternative alliances like China, undermining Western geopolitical influence while failing to achieve their intended political objectives.

With Ukraine demanding written security assurances and Russia refusing to withdraw from occupied territories, the path to peace remains fraught. As oil markets brace for another potential shock, the world watches to see whether economic pressure will force Moscow's hand  or merely deepen the divide.

For now, the only certainty is uncertainty. As one unnamed official from the U.S. Department of the Treasury cautioned, "All options remain on the table." It serves as a reminder that diplomacy, sanctions and war remain inextricably linked in this high-stakes geopolitical standoff.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says sanctions against Moscow are backfiring into a global economic crisis. Watch this video.

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The occupiers' losses over the course of the day amounted to 1,220 units of manpower and 141 units of equipment, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a report as of 6:30 a.m. Friday.

Specifically, Ukrainian forces destroyed one tank, 10 armored combat vehicles, 18 artillery systems, one multiple launch rocket system, 111 vehicles, and fuel trucks.

Air strikes destroyed 426 operational-tactical level UAVs.
In the past three years, gene therapy has reshaped what's possible in hemophilia treatment for patients 18 and older. But a key question remains: How soon will these advances reach children?

At the 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, international hemophilia expert Guy Young, MD, Director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center in the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, delivered an invited talk on "Deconstructing Hemophilia Gene Therapy for Physicians."

A national leader in gene therapy, CHLA participated in both the Roctavian and Hemgenix trials and offers bopth of these specialized treatments to patients as young as 18. In addition, CHLA recently launched a phase 1 study of a next-generation gene-editing approach for hemophilia B.

Here, Dr. Young distills the current landscape-and the innovations that could potentially bring gene therapy to children with these disorders.

How today's gene therapies work

Two gene therapies-Roctavian for hemophilia A and Hemgenix for hemophilia B-are FDA-approved for males 18 and older.

Neither therapy is a cure, but patient outcomes have been overwhelmingly positive.

Hemgenix can bring patients' average factor IX levels into the upper 30% range, reducing bleeding and shifting them into the mild hemophilia category. For a first-generation product, that fulfills a lot of our goals." Dr. Guy Young, MD, Director of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center, Cancer and Blood Disease Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

With Roctavian, many patients achieve sustained factor VIII expression and can discontinue prophylaxis for months to years.

He notes that a common misconception is that these products directly replace the faulty factor VIII or factor IX gene with a natural copy. But that's not the case. Instead, both deliver a bioengineered factor gene into hepatocytes (liver cells) using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors.

New approaches, with promise for pediatrics

Despite the promise of these therapies, a major drawback is that they are not available for children. Both companies have discussed trials in older adolescents, but not younger children.

One of the key challenges is that today's hemophilia gene therapies rely on hepatocytes to pass on the instructions for factors VIII and IX.



"Liver cells don't divide much in adults, but they divide a lot in kids," says Dr. Young. "If you use this technology in a 2-year-old, it will have a massive dilutional effect over time as their cells divide. This is why a product like Hemgenix will likely never work in pediatrics."

CHLA is participating in a new phase 1 clinical trial that could eventually change that landscape. The therapy, called REGV131/LNP1265, was developed by Regeneron and uses a different approach: CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to permanently alter the patient's DNA.

The trial is currently only available for patients 18 and older, but approved study protocols are already built for children as young as 2.

"This will absolutely be a staged expansion," says Dr. Young. "We need to prove safety and effectiveness in adults, then gradually move down to teens, young kids, and so on."

A cell-based strategy

CHLA will also soon open a phase 1/2 trial of a different novel agent-BE-101, a cell-based gene therapy for hemophilia B developed by Be Biopharma.

BE-101 takes a cell therapy approach-taking blood from the patient, isolating the B-cells, and inserting the gene for factor IX into those B-cells before reinfusing them.

"One benefit of cell therapy is that you could potentially titrate the dose and re-dose patients later if their factor levels dropped too much," explains Dr. Young "That's not possible with today's gene therapies."

BE-101 is only being tested in patients 18 and older. But because B cells divide far more slowly than hepatocytes in children, the therapy could hold future promise in pediatrics as well.

Looking ahead

To help more centers deliver hemophilia gene therapy, Dr. Young coauthored a 2023 paper- Opens in a new window outlining best practices for evaluating, treating, and monitoring these patients.

And while clinical trials in younger children remain years away, he is encouraged that the field is steadily moving toward solutions designed with pediatric patients in mind.

"When we talk about a chronic lifelong disease like hemophilia, we want to get to a cure as early as possible, so children are spared the irreversible effects that are otherwise inevitable over time," Dr. Young says. "That's what excites me most as a pediatric hematologist."
Fertility rates in much of Sub-Saharan Africa remain high, despite declining child mortality and improved access to contraceptives and female education - factors that generally lead to smaller families and improved economic conditions in developing countries. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at men's and women's desired fertility in rural Tanzania, gauging some of the factors that influence how many children they want.

This conversation about fertility preferences is very important to the demographic transition of Sub-Saharan Africa. Families may adopt family planning practices in the short term, yet still plan to have more children in the long term, presenting a puzzle for researchers and policy makers." Catalina Herrera Almanza, corresponding author, assistant professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Illinois

She co-authored the study with Aine Seitz McCarthy, associate professor of economics at Lewis & Clark College.

"There is evidence that people in poor, rural areas are having large families because they want to, not because they don't have enough access to contraception. For households that depend on agricultural labor, wanting more children can make economic sense," McCarthy said. "Men typically want more children than women, but we found that the husband's preferences can strongly influence their wife's."

The researchers evaluated the results of a 15-month family planning program for rural households in Tanzania's Meatu district, conducted in partnership with the country's Ministry of Health and the Meatu District Hospital. Local women were trained to provide education on birth spacing, the safety of contraceptives, and free birth control options available from public dispensaries.

The study followed 515 households in 12 villages, randomly assigned to one of three groups: joint consultations for couples, individual consultations for wives only, and a control group. Before and after the program, each spouse was asked privately and separately by a person of their own gender how many additional children they wanted.

Participants were, on average, 37 years old for men and 30 for women, and already had five children. Before the intervention, 89% of women were not using contraception.

"The program triggered the opportunity for these men and women to learn about their spouse's fertility preferences. Most of them had never talked about it before - about two-thirds of couples had never discussed how many children they wanted," Herrera Almanza said.

The researchers found that men, on average, wanted 4 more children, while women would like 2.4. However, after participating in the couples consultations, both spouses' fertility preferences increased. After the joint counseling, husbands desired an additional 0.77 children, while there were no differences for men who did not receive counseling.

Women who participated in joint counseling increased their desired fertility by 1.6 children. In contrast, women in the individual group reported lower desired fertility after the program. Furthermore, women in the couples' group overestimated their husbands' desire for more children after the consultations, while this was not the case for the individual group.

The researchers found the results were driven by women in polygamous marriages, which was nearly a third of the sample.

"In polygamy, this can be strategic behavior where women want children because there is no old-age security, and land inheritance follows the sons. A wife with more children might be able to claim more resources," Herrera Almanza said.

Older women were also more likely to increase their fertility preferences, perhaps reflecting a strategic desire to have as many children as possible while they can.

The researchers speculated that power imbalances in the relationship might influence the result, causing women to say they want more children simply to appease their husbands.

"This increase in desired additional fertility might seem to be 'cheap talk' that may not be backed up by actual desire to increase your fertility. For example, women who are in a domestic violence situation may be fearful and therefore be willing to go along with what their husbands are saying. However, we didn't find any evidence of that being the case. If anything, women who are more empowered in their household were more likely to increase their fertility preferences," Herrera Almanza said.

People were overall very responsive to learning about contraceptives, but they want to use them to space their children out, not to have fewer children.

This is aligned with the policy of Tanzania's Ministry of Health in Tanzania, which recommends spacing children two years apart to improve the health of both babies and mothers.

Many countries in Africa have a large proportion of young people, and this leads to policy discussions about addressing the demographic dividend by delaying the first birth for young women and men, so they can be more productive. Teen pregnancy is high, which decreases the chances of completing high school, Herrera Almanza explained.

The study highlights the dichotomy between uptake in contraceptives and preference for large families.

"If the policy goal is to address the women's desired fertility and have healthier birth spacing, then it would make more sense to have joint family planning consultations, but to avoid asking couples about the number of children they want, and allow those discussions to happen more organically," McCarthy said.

While this study only measured fertility preferences, the researchers are in the process of conducting follow-up interviews with participants, and preliminary results suggest that women are having the children they indicated they would.
Thousands of dengue forecasting models have been published, but few have been tested in real public-health settings. Now, researchers from the US and Australia are launching a field evaluation in Vietnam to see whether a new early-warning platform can support earlier interventions against a disease that WHO says puts nearly half the world's population at risk.

Southern Cross University (Aus) is leading the second phase of this multi-year collaboration, working alongside the University of Queensland (Aus), Yale University (USA) and Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. This phase has focused on translating predictive modelling into E-Dengue  an open-source, user-friendly software system tailored for district-level decision-making.

WATCH the E-Dengue video explainer.

Southern Cross University researcher Dr Vinh Bui said the team's priority has been creating a tool that frontline staff can use in real-world conditions.

There are thousands of published studies on dengue prediction models, but very few become tools that are practical for local teams." Our goal in this stage has been to build a tool that is reliable, actionable, fast and intuitive  something that supports, rather than complicates, routine public health work." Dr. Vinh Bui, researcher, Southern Cross University

With the predictive models developed and the E-Dengue platform built, the project is now entering its most critical stage: integrating the tool into Vietnam's routine dengue surveillance and beginning a large cluster randomised controlled trial to test whether earlier warnings lead to earlier action and fewer outbreaks.

"We've built a tool with strong potential, but the critical test is ahead of us," said Dr Bui

"The next three years will tell us whether early warnings lead to earlier, better-targeted interventions  and whether this improves health outcomes."

Although interest in disease early-warning systems is growing, very few have been adopted into routine practice anywhere in the world. The research team says understanding why is just as important as building the technology.

This work is guided by the project teams' recently published "Useful, Usable, Used (3U) Framework" in Nature Communications, which examines how digital prediction tools can move from innovation to real-world adoption.

Yale University researcher Dr Robert Dubrow said the next stage of the collaboration will provide crucial evidence on whether early-warning systems can shift dengue control from a reactive to a proactive approach.

"Our team at Yale has led the development of the predictive model underpinning the platform," Dr Dubrow said.

"We now look forward to working with our Vietnamese and Australian partners to rigorously evaluate whether early warnings change outcomes in practice."

Interest in the approach is emerging from neighbouring countries, including Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where dengue risk is rising under climate and population pressures.

Full deployment of the tool across selected districts in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region will begin in early 2026. During 20262028, E-Dengue will be used in real public health decision-making while the research team conducts the randomised controlled trial and associated studies.

"This is a challenging and complex process," said University of Queensland Associate Professor Dung Phung.

"Our long-term aim is to develop a tool that Vietnam's Ministry of Health sees value in maintaining beyond the life of the project."
Hybrid health options are an underdeveloped, key tool for improving access to primary care in Ontario's remote communities, with a new University of Ottawa study highlighting the positive impact of in-person mixed with virtual care options have in rural regions.

Published in BMC Health Services Research, this first peer-reviewed study of such services in rural Ontario examined the experiences and challenges of clinicians and non-clinical staff within a hybrid primary care program in Renfrew County, Ontario.

The findings by Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon and his team coupled with previous studies support the scale and spread of a hybrid approach, which could alleviate challenges like staff recruitment and retention, and equitable care access for patients, including more comprehensive, team-based primary care.

Hybrid care is an effective, complementary approach to recruiting providers in underserved areas and serves as an additional mechanism to help counter the inverse care law, where regions with the greatest healthcare needs often have the least access to services. And evidence suggests virtual care is well accepted by patients and providers, producing clinical outcomes comparable to those of traditional, in-person models." Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon, uOttawa's Department of Family Medicine

Researchers spoke with staff working at the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre  the largest county in Ontario. They also consulted Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) staff, including physicians, interprofessional health providers (IHPs), and non-clinical personnel, who predominantly found that IVC played a positive, impactful role for residents who are struggling to access primary care due to a lack of available physicians.

"In (large city)], if [patients] can't see you, they can go to the walk-in clinic next door. But it's not the case in rural settings," one physician explained. "Having this rewarding job that I can actually provide care to people who actually need care, and they can't access it properly."

While physicians found meaning by contributing to this underserved community, strong in-person support is also essential for success, particularly as increased administrative demands followed. Despite some onboarding challenges and added logistical complexity, the program served approximately 1,500 patients, individuals who otherwise would have lacked access to consistent primary care, a number that has expanded significantly since then.

"From a policy perspective, IVC is an innovative approach to address the challenge of recruiting physicians in more rural communities," write Dr. Fitzsimon and his co-authors, Shawna Cronin (uOttawa), Kush Patel (uOttawa) and Antoine St-Amant (Institut du Savoir Montfort).

The Ontario government also recently announced it is investing nearly $2 billion to connect people to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team within four years.

"These findings, and future evaluation findings may be relevant when considering alternative physician compensation and employment models. In addition, considering the health human resource supply of IHPs, particularly Nurse Practitioners, is an important consideration for future potential expansion," they add.
As antibiotic-resistant infections rise and are projected to cause up to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, scientists are looking to bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, as an alternative. A new study shows how these phages use a tiny RNA molecule, called PreS, to hijack bacterial cells and boost their own replication. By acting as a hidden genetic "switch" that rewires key bacterial genes, PreS helps the virus copy its DNA more efficiently, offering important insights that could guide the design of smarter phage-based therapies.

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals how viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages or "phages," use a tiny piece of genetic material to hijack bacterial cells and make more copies of themselves.

The research shows that a very small RNA molecule, called PreS, acts like a hidden "switch" inside the bacterial cell. By flipping this switch, the virus can change how the bacterial cell works and push the infection forward.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest global health threats of our time. It is currently estimated that by 2050, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria could kill up to 10 million people every year worldwide. One promising alternative being developed is phage therapy, using viruses that specifically attack bacteria instead of relying only on antibiotics.

By uncovering how phages use tools like PreS to take control of bacterial cells, this study provides important basic knowledge that could help scientists design smarter, more effective phage treatments in the future.

A viral micro manager

The research team at the Hebrew University, led by Dr. Sahar Melamed, PhD student Aviezer Silverman, MSc student Raneem Nashef, and computational biologist Reut Wasserman, in collaboration with Prof. Ido Golding from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign discovered that the phage makes a small RNA molecule called PreS that acts as a molecular switch.

Until now, most phage research has focused on viral proteins. This study shows that phages also use RNA molecules to quickly reprogram the host cell after the bacterial genes have already been read and bacterial messages (mRNAs) were made, adding an extra layer of control during infection.

PreS attaches to these important bacterial messages and tweaks them in a way that helps the virus copy its DNA and move more efficiently toward the stage where new viruses are produced and burst out of the cell, killing the bacterium.

Using advanced methods to map RNARNA interactions (termed RIL-seq), the researchers found that one of PreS's key targets is a bacterial message that makes DnaN, a protein that plays a central role in copying DNA. By helping the cell make more DnaN, PreS gives the virus a strong head start in the infection process.

Cutting through the cell's defenses

Interestingly, PreS works by changing the shape of the bacterial dnaN message.

Normally, part of this message is tightly folded, which makes it hard for the cell's protein-making machines (ribosomes) to access. PreS binds to this folded region, opens it up, and allows ribosomes to read and translate the message more efficiently.

The result: more DnaN protein, faster viral DNA copying, and a stronger infection. When the researchers removed PreS or disrupted the spot where it binds, the phage became weaker, multiplied more slowly, and its destructive phase was delayed.

A window into a new class of viral tools

This discovery is particularly striking because small RNAs have not traditionally been seen as major players in phage biology. Yet PreS is highly conserved in many related viruses, suggesting that phages may share a common "toolkit" of small RNAs that scientists are only beginning to uncover.

This small RNA gives the phage another layer of control. By regulating essential bacterial genes at exactly the right moment, the virus improves its chances of successful replication. What astonished us most is that phage lambda, one of the most intensively studied viruses for more than 75 years, still hides secrets. Discovering an unexpected RNA regulator in such a classic system suggests we have only grasped a single thread of what may be an entirely richer, more intricate tapestry of RNA-mediated control in phages." Dr. Sahar Melamed

Looking ahead: toward better phage therapies

Understanding how phages control bacterial cells is crucial for both basic science and future medical applications. As the world searches for solutions to antibiotic-resistant infections, phages are drawing growing interest as a targeted, flexible therapy.

Discoveries like PreS show that even the smallest viral molecules can have a big impact on whether an infection succeeds. In the long term, this knowledge could help researchers engineer phages that are safer, more predictable, and more powerful in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
A bankruptcy judge blocked an attempt by a nursing home chain's primary investor to shield himself from settlement payments and liability in lawsuits alleging hundreds of patient injuries and deaths, encouraging those pursuing millions in damages.

Genesis HealthCare, once the nation's largest nursing home chain, filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy in July with a proposal to protect its controlling investor, Joel Landau, from legal liability. In court papers, Genesis had originally estimated all its settled and pending cases - which it said numbered nearly a thousand - would cost $259 million to resolve.

KFF Health News reported this month that in the years before filing for bankruptcy, Genesis had settled at least 155 patient injury and death lawsuits with provisions that allowed it to delay paying, sometimes for more than a year. As a result, when Genesis filed for bankruptcy in July, it still owed $41 million out of the $58 million promised in those settlements with families of current or former residents, according to the bankruptcy and case records KFF Health News reviewed.

In hearings Wednesday and last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas, Judge Stacey G.C. Jernigan said she would not approve a sale of the company's assets that included legal releases from liability for Landau and a private equity associate, David Gefner. Landau, who was seeking to purchase the assets through another company he controlled, did not attend the bankruptcy hearings or respond to a subpoena, lawyers said in court.

"I'm very encouraged that someone is watching and paying attention to this," said Erin Pearson, whose father, James Sanderson, died in 2018 after spending less than a month in a Genesis facility in Albuquerque. "And the guy who owns the most shares, not only did he not show up but doesn't just get to move things around and rebuy" the nursing homes.

According to Pearson's lawsuit, filed in 2019, Sanderson developed a bowel obstruction and sepsis while at the facility but was not sent to the hospital for more than a week.

Genesis did not pay Pearson the $500,000 it agreed to in a settlement, according to Pearson's claim filed in bankruptcy court. "I don't know if I'll ever see that settlement, but I would like to be hopeful," Pearson said in an interview Dec. 17.

Genesis, Landau, Gefner, and their attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a public statement last week, David Harrington, the executive chairman of Genesis' board of directors, praised Landau and his company's investment in Genesis for helping it avoid bankruptcy in 2021. That "lifeline," he said, enabled Genesis to transform into a "nimble, market-based model dedicated to prioritizing resident and patient care."

Ian Norris, who represents 19 clients with lawsuits against Genesis - including four who have not been paid their settlements - said the judge's ruling was "a huge win for all those who were confronting the possibility that they would not be able to recover the settlements that were promised to them by Genesis prior to the bankruptcy."

According to Genesis' bankruptcy filings, the company owes more than $1.6 billion in unpaid claims that are not secured by liens, including claims not only from former residents and their families but also from a pension fund; contractors that provided health services and equipment; and Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and West Virginia, which are owed provider taxes. Daniel Simon, a lawyer representing Genesis' owners, said in court on Dec. 17 that $155 million would be available from the proceeds of the sale for these creditors under a bid for the nursing home assets from a new company controlled by Landau and Gefner.

Genesis last month held an auction for its assets and announced that Landau's bid was the best, but the U.S. Trustee's Office and creditors objected, saying Genesis had unfairly excluded one group from bidding and downplayed the value of another group's bid that would have provided more money to creditors. Jernigan said there were too many irregularities in the auction for her to approve it and ordered it be redone under the watch of the U.S. Trustee's Office.

"I am aware that there is huge concern about Mr. Landau, and he is not here," Jernigan said last week. "There is no way I can approve these releases without him on the witness stand and me being convinced of his good faith."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who along with two Senate colleagues filed an amicus brief questioning the fairness of the auction, said in a media statement: "A private equity company tried to abuse the bankruptcy system to slither out of paying what they owe to neglected seniors in its nursing homes. This is a textbook case of why we need to get private equity out of health care altogether, and this decision is a good step forward in the fight to deliver relief for the victims of Genesis."

In the Dec. 17 hearing, representatives of the company controlled by Landau and Gefner said they would bid again for the remains of Genesis without the promise of liability releases. The auction is expected to occur in January. Simon, the lawyer for Genesis, said at the hearing that the judge's ruling "has humbled us."

Lawyers for former and current Genesis residents said they hope to sue Landau and other parties that controlled the company and led it into bankruptcy. John Anthony, a Tampa attorney who represents 341 claimants, said, "The victims believe that Mr. Landau richly deserves his day in court, so he can explain to a jury of his peers how he has apparently gotten so rich running all these supposedly insolvent facilities into the ground."
Evidence from Spains regional reforms suggests that delaying legal access to alcohol can support adolescent well-being.

Study: Minimum legal drinking age and educational outcomes. Image credit: Daisy Daisy.Shutterstock.com

A recent study in the Journal of Health Economics explores the impact of minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) changes on educational outcomes for teenagers, using different implementation timelines across Spain's regions.

Strategies to reduce teenage alcohol consumption

Alcohol use among European teenagers is notably higher than in other parts of the world. Nearly half of European adolescents aged 15 to 16 reported drinking alcohol in the past month, and 30 % engaged in at least one binge drinking episode during that time. In comparison, just 12 % of U.S. teens aged 14 to 17 drank alcohol, and only 6 % reported binge drinking over the same period.

To curb alcohol use among adolescents, many European governments have introduced measures such as higher alcohol taxes, stricter licensing regulations, and tighter advertising restrictions.

One of the most significant changes has been the widespread increase in the MLDA. Around the year 2000, most European countries set the MLDA at 16, which is much lower than the U.S. limit of 21. Over the past two decades, however, many European nations have raised the MLDA to 18, enacting broad reforms that limit minors access to alcohol, restrict sales, and further regulate alcohol promotion.

Relationship between teenage alcohol consumption and education

Research shows adolescent alcohol use negatively impacts brain development, academic performance, and long-term outcomes. Young drinkers have reduced grey and white matter and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors that hinder learning and mental health.

Despite its importance, little empirical research has examined how MLDA laws affect educational outcomes, especially in Europe, where youth may be more vulnerable to alcohols effects. Most studies focus on the US and show mixed results, suggesting European outcomes may differ due to cultural and legal differences and higher youth drinking rates.

Raising the MLDA and its effect on educational performance in Spain

This paper examines the impact of raising the MLDA from 16 to 18 on educational outcomes, using the staggered introduction of the law across Spanish regions. Before 1991, the MLDA nationwide was 16.

From 1991 to 2019, regions gradually raised the MLDA to 18, usually alongside restrictions on minors access to alcohol venues and advertising, referred to as MLDA changes. The current study focuses on reforms from 2003 to 2019, when four regions (Castile and Leon, Galicia, Asturias, and the Balearic Islands) implemented MLDA increases.

This study used a difference-in-differences approach, which revealed medium-term educational effects and peer spillovers not captured by earlier US studies using regression discontinuity designs (RDD). Teenage alcohol and substance use were measured using Spains High School Survey on Drug Use, a biennial, anonymous in-class survey of approximately 250,000 students from 2004 to 2021.

During this period, alcohol use was widespread among Spanish teenagers, with 60% of those aged 14 to 17 having consumed alcohol in the previous month, 34 % engaging in binge drinking, and 24 % experiencing intoxication. Additionally, 19 % reported memory loss after drinking, 15 % struggled to focus at school, and 33% had hangovers.

Information on educational outcomes was obtained from two sources. Academic performance was assessed using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial OECD survey that used standardized tests and measured educational inputs, covering about 180,000 students from 2003 to 2022. Educational attainment was measured using the 2021 census, focusing on individuals born between 1987 and 2002 (approximately 600,000 people); 78 % completed secondary education, and 42 % attended or completed college.

The effect of MLDA changes was estimated using a difference-in-differences approach with wild bootstrap standard errors. After the MLDA rose to 18, it became modestly harder for underage youth to get alcohol. Fewer teenagers bought alcohol in bars, but the majority obtained it through adults. Parents' attitudes remained the same, but more young people saw heavy drinking as a problem.

The MLDA changes improved educational outcomes, raising average PISA scores by about 4 % of a standard deviation. The effect was stronger for children of highly educated parents, reflecting their greater reduction in alcohol use, although this was not statistically significant. However, these results were not explained by changes in school resources, class size, instructional hours, or student effort.

Long-term, the MLDA changes did not affect secondary school completion, but there was suggestive evidence of a small increase in college attendance. Raising the MLDA was also associated with modest improvements in mental-healthrelated outcomes, as less access to alcohol was associated with lower use of anxiety or sleep medications.

It must be noted that the MLDA increase did not significantly affect the use of other illegal substances, smoking, or cannabis. It also had no clear impact on teens social lives or leisure activities such as going out, internet use, gaming, or sports.

Increasing MLDA dropped teenage drinking and improved academic outcomes

Raising the MLDA from 16 to 18 in Spain led to a decrease in underage drinking, which was consistent across age, gender, and region.

Reductions in alcohol consumption were accompanied by improvements in academic performance and a decrease in the use of anxiety and sleep medications among teens. The findings suggest that, across Europe, stricter MLDA laws could effectively improve student outcomes at a relatively low cost.

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Maxwell Kruzic said he was in such "crippling" stomach pain on Oct. 5, 2023, that he had to pull off the road twice as he drove himself to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Medical Center in Durango, Colorado. "It was the worst pain of my life," he said.

Kruzic was seen immediately because hospital staff members were pretty sure he had appendicitis. They inserted an IV, called a surgeon, and sent him off for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.

But the scan showed a perfectly normal appendix and no problems in his abdomen. Doctors racked their brains for other possible diagnoses. Could it be a kidney stone? Gallstones? Here was a 37-year-old man in agony, but nothing really fit.

The peppers measure over 2 million Scoville heat units on the spiciness scale, he noted, compared with a jalapeno at up to 8,000 or a habanero at 100,000 to 350,000.

Then, someone asked what Kruzic had eaten the night before. He said he'd consumed tacos with some hot sauce that he'd made from a kind of scorpion pepper, grown from seeds he ordered from a chile pepper research institute.

The peppers are among "the world's hottest, incredibly hot," Kruzic said. "Delicious." He loves spicy food and had never had a problem with it, but apparently this was just too much burn for his digestive system.

Kruzic spent much of the night on a gurney in the ER. After about four hours, the pain decreased, and he was sent home with medicine to treat nausea and vomiting.

Then the bill came  about two years later.

The medical procedure

Kruzic underwent blood work and a CT scan of his abdomen during his ER visit for acute abdominal pain.

Consuming very spicy foods can cause painful inflammation and irritation of the digestive system. The discomfort typically resolves on its own.

The final bill

$8,127.41, including $5,820 for the CT scan. Kruzic paid $97.02 during his visit to the hospital, which was in-network under his insurance. After insurance payments and discounts, he owed $2,460.46  the remainder of the $1,585.26 he owed toward his plan's deductible and $972.22 he owed in coinsurance.

The problem: Ghost bills from visits past

This September, Kruzic received a bill for his pepper-induced ER visit in 2023.

Unfortunately for patients, there are no uniform rules for timely billing.

Anticipating a bill, Kruzic repeatedly checked the hospital's online portal, as well as that of his insurer, UnitedHealthcare. He noted that the insurer said the claim had been processed shortly after his treatment. For about eight months, he kept checking the hospital portal's billing section, which indicated he owed "$0." He called UnitedHealthcare, and Kruzic said a representative assured him that if the hospital said he owed nothing, that was the case.

It is unclear what caused the nearly two-year delay. At least part of the problem seems to have involved protracted disagreements between the insurer and the hospital over how much his visit should have cost.

Lindsay Radford Foster, a spokesperson for CommonSpirit Health, the hospital system, said in a statement to KFF Health News: "United Healthcare, the insurer responsible for the medical claim, underpaid the account based on the care provided. As a result, CommonSpirit contacted UnitedHealthcare's Payer Relations Department to rectify the underpayments."

Asked why it had taken two years, she cited a reorganization at UnitedHealthcare and a change in the insurer's representative assigned to the case.

But UnitedHealthcare contested that view. "This was paid accurately," said Caroline Landree, a spokesperson for the insurer.

But those explanations don't satisfy Kruzic, a geological consultant: "Receiving a bill two years after the service wouldn't fly in any other industry. We could never contact a client two years after we completed a project and say, 'By the way, we missed this charge.'"

"How could this be considered anything but surprise billing?" he added.

The federal No Surprises Act doesn't protect against all types of medical bills that patients find surprising. It primarily protects patients from out-of-network charges when they visit an in-network hospital, or in an emergency.

But in medical billing, what's legal and what's reasonable are two very different issues.

"The bill certainly sounds outrageous," said Maxwell Mehlmen, co-director of the Law-Medicine Center at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. "The question is whether it's legal."

That, he said, "is a matter of state law and the terms of the insurance policy and the agreement between the hospital and the insurer."

In Colorado, there are extensive regulations about how long health care providers have to file a claim and bill a patient. For instance, claims for Medicaid patients must be filed within 120 days from the date of service. For patients with private insurance, the terms may be outlined in their insurers' contracts with individual providers.

If a hospital submitted a proper claim and the provider and insurer were working out payment in good faith, then a patient can be billed for their share of the costs years later.

The resolution

Within hours of KFF Health News contacting the hospital's media relations department for this article, Kruzic got a call from a hospital executive telling him his bill had been adjusted to zero.

Blaming administrative changes at the insurer, Radford Foster of CommonSpirit said that UnitedHealthcare had taken so long to properly pay the bill that the hospital couldn't collect from the patient. She said that Kruzic's statement balance "was to be adjusted to zero, but due to a clerical error, a statement was sent to the patient in error."

UnitedHealthcare's Landree said that "given the significant delay, we are addressing this issue directly with the physician's office."

"Mr. Kruzic will not be responsible for any additional costs related to this bill," she said.

The takeaway

KFF Health News' "Bill of the Month" series receives complaints every year about ghost bills  bills that arrive long after a service is rendered.

Sometimes it's because the insurer and hospital are haggling over payment, and the patient's responsibility  usually a percentage of that number  can't be calculated until the dispute is resolved. Other times, insurers audit old bills and, determining they overpaid, try to claw back the money, resulting in the patient (or even the patient's surviving spouse) being billed for the difference.

For now, the legality of billing long after treatment depends primarily on the fine print of insurance contracts.

An insurer's word that a claim has been "processed" doesn't mean that the insurer has agreed to pay and that the billing is resolved. It could also mean that the insurer balked at the bill or completely denied payment.

As for Kruzic and his affinity for hot peppers? He said he still loves spicy food, but in his cooking, "I will not use scorpion peppers again."

Bill of the Month is a crowdsourced investigation by KFF Health News and The Washington Post's Well+Being that dissects and explains medical bills. Since 2018, this series has helped many patients and readers get their medical bills reduced, and it has been cited in statehouses, at the U.S. Capitol, and at the White House. Do you have a confusing or outrageous medical bill you want to share? Tell us about it!
European Union leaders say the EU and its member states are ready to contribute to security guarantees for Ukraine.

The European Union and Member States are ready to contribute to robust and credible security guarantees for Ukraine, notably through the Coalition of the Willing and in cooperation with the United States. This will include supporting Ukraines ability to deter aggression and defend itself effectively. The contribution of the European Union and Member States will be based on their respective competences and capabilities and in line with international law, this is stated in the conclusions adopted following the meeting of the European Council.

The European Council also underlines the critical need to ensure that Ukraine remains resilient and has the budgetary and military means to continue to exercise its inherent right of self-defence and counter and deter Russias aggression, also over the long term.

Recalling the commitment of October 2025 to address Ukraines pressing financial needs for 2026-2027, including for its military and defence efforts, the European Council took stock of ongoing work to deliver on that commitment. In line with the European Councils previous conclusions which underline that, subject to EU law, Russias assets should remain immobilised until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by its war, the European Union, given the unprecedented situation, adopted on the basis of Article 122 TFEU exceptional, temporary and duly justified emergency measures immobilising such assets on a more sustained basis, EU leaders confirmed the previously adopted decision.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar to offer prayers at Srisailam temple

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 23:00 IST

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Hyderabad, Dec 19 (PTI) Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will offer prayers at the Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Srisailam on Saturday, official sources said.

Kumar was received at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on Friday by Telangana Chief Electoral Officer P Sudarshan Reddy and other officials.

He later left for Srisailam.

Kumar is scheduled to return to Hyderabad on Saturday and visit Charminar and other historical monuments, the sources said.

On Sunday, he will attend a meeting with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Hyderabad, they added. PTI SJR SSK

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ED okays compounding of FEMA violation case against online platform

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 21:15 IST

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New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) In a move aimed at facilitating ease of doing business, the Enforcement Directorate has given green signal to a compounding order issued by the Reserve Bank of India in a year-long FEMA violation case against a company that hosts an online platform.

A compounding order in the regulatory context means a formal decision taken by an authority to settle an offence by allowing the defaulter to pay a monetary penalty instead of facing prosecution.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a compounding order on October 12 under Section 15 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) in the case against Nearbuy India Private Limited, a statement from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) statement said.

As a result, proceedings against the company for alleged contravention of the FEMA law was terminated after it made a one-time payment of Rs 4.28 lakh, the federal probe agency said.

The RBI passed the said order after issuance of a No Objection by the ED," it said.

There was no immediate comment from the company on the ED statement.

ED Director Rahul Navin, while speaking during an ED Day event in May, had said that in order to promote the Union governments policy of ease of doing business and to reduce litigation, the agency will encourage defaulters of this civil law to file applications for compounding" of the offence, in cases it deemed appropriate.

Officials told PTI that cases of petty or technical" FEMA violations will be allowed for compounding so that frivolous" litigations end.

The ED had filed a complaint against Nearbuy India in December 2024 for alleged FEMA violations of over Rs 100 crore on account of certain late filing and reporting" by the firm.

After completion of the probe, the ED issued a show cause notice in February this year to the company and its promoters.

The company subsequently filed an application before the RBI for compounding of the said contraventions and on reference from the RBI, the ED issued No Objection in line with the true spirit of the Act," the agency said.

The RBI then issued an order of compounding in favour of the company with a one-time payment of Rs 4.28 lakh. This has resulted in the termination of FEMA adjudication proceedings against the company and its office-bearers and further litigation, ED said. PTI MHS NES RUK RUK

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Maharashtra: Leopard captured after attacking two people in Mira Bhayandar

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 23:00 IST

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Thane (Maharashtra) [India], December 19 (ANI): A leopard that entered a residential area in Mira Bhayandar in the early hours of Friday and triggered panic among residents has been captured by forest department officials, authorities confirmed. The big cat had strayed into a densely populated locality and attacked seven people before being safely rescued. The operation, carried out amid tight security and crowd control measures, drew the attention of local residents, many of whom gathered at a safe distance as the rescue unfolded. Speaking to the media, Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the incident was more serious than initially reported. The leopard attacked seven people, out of whom two got severely injured and have been admitted to the hospital. I thank the officials for capturing the leopard successfully," he said. According to Sarnaik, the injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital, where their condition is being monitored. Earlier on Thursday, residents of Sahara City in Indore slept soundly after the forest department successfully captured a five- to six-year-old male leopard that had been frequently sighted in the residential area for several days near the Devguradia forest area.Officials confirmed that the leopards presence set the trap, and, after meticulous monitoring in the residential area, captured it by installing a cage. Villagers told the officials that the leopard had been hunting local dogs and had not shown aggression toward any humans. (ANI)

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RBI discusses global, domestic economic situation, challenges at board meeting

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:45 IST

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Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], December 19 (ANI): The Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) discussed the global and domestic economic situation and associated challenges at the 620th meeting held in Hyderabad under the Chairmanship of Governor Sanjay Malhotra. The Board discussed global and domestic economic situation and associated challenges. It approved the risk-based deposit insurance framework for banks. The Board also reviewed the activities of select Central Office Departments and the draftReport on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, 2024-25," the central bank said in a statement. The Board approved the risk-based deposit insurance framework for banks and also reviewed the activities of select Central Office Departments and the draft Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, 2024-25," it added. At the meeting, Deputy Governors T. Rabi Sankar, Swaminathan J., Dr. Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and other Directors of the Central Board namely Nagaraju Maddirala, Secretary, Department of Financial Services; Satish K. Marathe, Revathy Iyer, Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel and Dr. Ravindra H. Dholakia attended the meeting.Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday announced the results of the yield/price-based auction of State Government Securities (SGS), in which states and Union Territories collectively raised Rs 15,330 crore against the notified amount of Rs 17,850 crore, according to an official press release issued by the central bank. As per the auction results, Assam successfully raised Rs 900 crore through a 14-year security at a cut-off yield of 7.59 per cent. Chhattisgarh mobilised a total of Rs 2,000 crore through two securities. The first tranche of Rs 1,000 crore was raised through an eight-year security at a cut-off yield of 7.37 per cent, while the second tranche of Rs 1,000 crore was raised through the re-issue of 7.29 per cent Chhattisgarh State Government Security (SGS) 2030 at a cut-off price of 100.83, translating into a yield of 7.0694 per cent.Goa raised Rs 100 crore through a 10-year security at a cut-off yield of 7.34 per cent. Gujarat raised Rs 1,000 crore through a nine-year security at a cut-off yield of 7.27 per cent, while it did not accept any amount in the 15-year security offered in the auction. (ANI)

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Silver retreats from record level at Rs 2.04 lakh/kg in Delhi markets

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:45 IST

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New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Silver prices retreated from the record level in the national capital on Friday, with the white metal plunging by Rs 3,500 to Rs 2,04,100 per kilogram due to emergence of fresh selling from stockists and retailers, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

It had surged Rs 1,800 to scale a fresh peak of Rs 2,07,600 per kg on Thursday.

In the local bullion market, gold prices are traded almost flat at Rs 1,36,515 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes) from Thursdays closing of Rs 1,36,500 per 10 grams.

In the international markets, spot gold slipped by USD 10.09, or 0.23 per cent, to USD 4,322.51 per ounce.

On the other hand, spot silver was trading 0.56 per cent higher at USD 65.85 per ounce in the overseas trade. PTI HG TRB

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Welfare of police personnel top priority of NDA govt: Bihar DyCM

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 22:30 IST

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Patna, Dec 19 (PTI) Bihars Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Friday said the welfare of police personnel and their families was the top priority of the NDA government in the state.

Choudhary, who holds the Home portfolio, said the government has taken several initiatives for the welfare of police personnel.

The government is making an effort to minimise deaths due to accidents and diseases among police personnel, who serve the public day and night," he said, speaking at a function organised by the Bank of Baroda at the police headquarters.

At the programme, Bank of Baroda handed over cheques amounting to Rs 25.65 crore to the dependents of 36 deceased police personnel, as part of insurance coverage and grant assistance.

Choudhary said the most tragic aspect is that the majority of these police personnel were between 30 and 34 years.

Since the signing of the Bihar Police Salary Package agreement with the Bank of Baroda, a total of Rs 42.45 crore has been provided as insurance and grant assistance to the dependents of deceased police officers and personnel so far," he said.

He also said residential schools would be opened in all police lines across the state.

These schools will provide education, uniforms, and other essential facilities to the children of police personnel, he added. PTI PKD SOM

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RBI Board Meets In Hyderabad, Clears Risk-Based Deposit Insurance System, Reviews Economic Situation

Reported By :

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:58 IST

The RBI approves the risk-based deposit insurance framework for banks and reviews the activities of select central office departments.

The 620th meeting of the RBI's Central Board of Directors.

The 620th meeting of the Reserve Bank of Indias central board of directors was held on Friday at its regional office in Hyderabad. During the meeting, which was chaired by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, among the issues reviewed were the current global and domestic economic situation and challenges.

It also approved the risk-based deposit insurance framework for banks. The Board also reviewed the activities of select Central Office Departments and the draft Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India, 2024-25.

The 620th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India was held today in Hyderabad under the chairmanship of Sanjay Malhotra, governor," the RBI said in a statement on Friday.

Deputy Governors T Rabi Sankar, Swaminathan J, Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and other directors of the central board  Nagaraju Maddirala, secretary of Department of Financial Services; Satish K Marathe, Revathy Iyer, Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel and Ravindra H Dholakia  attended the meeting.

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Standard Chartered Expands Fraud Probe After Rs 80 Crore HNI Funds Diversion In Bengaluru

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 07:39 IST

Standard Chartered Bank has expanded a fraud investigation at its priority banking unit after a complaint emerged in mid-November

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Standard Chartered Bank has expanded a fraud investigation at its priority banking unit after a complaint emerged in mid-November alleging that funds had gone missing from a customers account at its Bengaluru branch, people familiar with the matter said.

The probe is examining the possible diversion of at least Rs 80 crore belonging to a group of high net worth individuals (HNIs) who hold accounts at the banks MG Road branch in the city, the people added.

The case originated last month when a customer complained that Rs 2.7 crore had been diverted from their account. Given that the alleged amount involved exceeds Rs 5 crore, the Karnataka government has ordered the transfer of the investigation from the Bengaluru City Police to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), senior officials said.

Customers interests a priority, says bank

Confirming the investigation, Standard Chartered Bank said safeguarding customers interests remains its top priority. According to The Economic Times, the bank said it had identified irregularities committed by a single employee at its Bengaluru branch.

As the bank has a zero-tolerance policy for any misconduct, a police complaint was filed immediately. The concerned individual has since been arrested by the police and terminated from service by the bank," Standard Chartered told ET.

The bank added that it has proactively reached out to affected clients and launched an internal investigation. Following a preliminary internal enquiry conducted over the past fortnight, several anomalies were identified, prompting the bank to engage PwC to carry out a detailed investigation, ET reported, quoting sources.

Initially, a customer had reported that Rs 2.7 crore invested in fixed deposits had disappeared. Subsequent enquiries revealed that the scale of misused customer funds was significantly higher, according to people aware of the findings. Some very high-profile customers are aggrieved," one of the people said, adding that they belong to wealthy business families.

Standard Chartered has assured customers that it will make good any losses suffered. Currently, the police and our internal investigations are underway, and the bank continues to extend all support and cooperation to the relevant authorities," the bank said. The bank is dedicated to safeguarding its customers interests, including refunding any misappropriated funds to impacted clients."

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:39 IST

News business banking-finance Standard Chartered Expands Fraud Probe After Rs 80 Crore HNI Funds Diversion In Bengaluru

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Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Expect Indias Record IPO Boom To Extend Into 2026

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 14:09 IST

Indias IPO proceeds may hit fresh records for a third straight year in 2026, driven by a strong deal pipeline and sustained investor demand

IPO in 2026

Indias initial public offering proceeds could scale fresh records for a third straight year in 2026, supported by a strong deal pipeline and sustained investor appetite, according to data and estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Kotak Mahindra Capital Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. expect IPO fundraising next year to reach as much as $25 billion, implying a roughly 14 percent increase from current-year levels, Bloomberg reported. JPMorgan Chase & Co. sees annual proceeds remaining above $20 billion over the next few years. Collectively, the three investment banks account for nearly one-third of Indias IPO market.

Indias primary market has gained momentum over the past two years, driven by rising inflows from mutual funds and retail investors, encouraging more companies to tap public markets. Investor appetite continues to strengthen, with the 2026 pipeline expected to include high-profile offerings such as billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led Jio Platforms Ltd. and the National Stock Exchange of India, the countrys largest bourse, according to Bloomberg.

India is one of the few emerging markets offering strong growth," Abhinav Bharti, head of India equity capital markets at JPMorgan and the top IPO arranger in the country this year, told Bloomberg. He added that with relative valuations at multi-year lows, foreign investors are likely to increase allocations in 2026.

Stock valuations in India are trending back toward their five-year average, while the premium over global peers has dropped to a four-year low, Bloomberg data showed. Earnings are also rebounding, with MSCI India constituents projected to post earnings growth of 15.9 percent in 2026, compared with about 2 percent this year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

This backdrop is attracting global investors seeking alternatives to China. India has emerged as the worlds fourth-busiest market for IPOs in 2025, with regulators streamlining approvals and several well-known companies preparing to list. By deal count, India has outpaced global peers this year, even as its secondary markets underperformed other emerging markets by the widest margin since 1993, Bloomberg noted.

More than 90 companies have already received regulatory approval for IPOs, while a similar number have filed draft prospectuses and are awaiting clearance. Among the firms expected to list next year are Walmart Inc.-backed PhonePe Ltd., Temasek-backed Manipal Hospitals Pvt., and quick-commerce platform Zepto Ltd., according to Bloomberg data.

The momentum we saw in 2024 and 2025 will carry forward, and we should see several billion-dollar-plus deals," V. Jayasankar, managing director at Kotak Mahindra Capital, told Bloomberg, adding that digital and financial services are likely to remain dominant sectors.

However, the rally has been uneven. Around half of the 352 IPOs launched this year are trading below their offer prices, reflecting mixed deal quality in an increasingly crowded market. Investors have also raised concerns over mispricing in some offerings, while any delays in an India-US trade agreement could weigh on sentiment, Bloomberg reported.

With Indias valuation premium to emerging markets narrowing, global funds that remain underweight on the country may be compelled to return in size," Sunil Khaitan, head of India financing at Goldman Sachs, told Bloomberg. Its not just that there is supply  its good-quality supply."

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 14:09 IST

News business ipo Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Expect Indias Record IPO Boom To Extend Into 2026

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ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Lists At Rs 2,600 Per Share, 20% Premium: Should You Buy, Sell Or Hold?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:24 IST

Shares of ICICI Prudential AMC are settled at Rs 2,600 in the pre-market on the NSE, which is a premium of 20.1% over the IPO issue price of Rs 2,165.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Listing Today.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Listing: ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company made a decent debut on the stock market on Friday, December 19. Shares of the company were settled at Rs 2,600 in the pre-market on the NSE, which is a premium of 20.1% over the IPO issue price of Rs 2,165. Later, the stock jumped to Rs 2,658 apiece or nearly 23% premium after the listing.

On the BSE, the stock was listed at Rs 2,606.2 apiece.

The companys market cap stood at Rs 1,31,522.2 crore.

The ICICI Prudential AMC IPO was open between December 12 and December 16. It received a whopping 39.17x subscription, garnering bids for 1,37,14,88,316 shares as against the 3,50,15,691 shares on offer. Its retail category got a 2.53x subscription, while its non-institutional investor (NII) quota got a 22.04x subscription. The QIB category received a 123.87x subscription.

ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Listing: Should You Buy?

Shivani Nyati, head of wealth at Swastika Investmart Ltd, said, ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Limited made a strong debut on the stock market, listing at a premium of around 2022% over its issue price of 2165. The company is among Indias leading asset management firms, backed by ICICI Bank and Prudential Plc, with a diversified presence across equity, debt, hybrid, and passive fund segments. Its strong brand equity, consistent investment performance, and extensive distribution network have enabled it to build a resilient and scalable asset management franchise."

The IPO witnessed healthy demand across investor categories, supported by the companys strong market position, stable cash flow generation, and high return ratios. Structural tailwinds such as increasing SIP inflows, deeper penetration of mutual funds in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and growing preference for professionally managed investments support long-term prospects, she added.

Short-term Investors and traders may consider booking profits after the strong listing gains, while long term investor may holding the position from a medium-to-long-term perspective, keeping a stop-loss near Rs 2,350 to protect downside risk," Nyati said.

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 FY23-FY25, average AUM, operating revenue and profit after tax all delivered robust CAGRs of around 32-33 per cent. Operating margins remained steady at 73-74 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 10-14x 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

The IPO is 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.

ICICI Prudential AMC has 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 is also the fifth ICICI Group entity to be listed, after ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential Life, ICICI Lombard and ICICI Securities.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:00 IST

News business ipo ICICI Prudential AMC IPO Lists At Rs 2,600 Per Share, 20% Premium: Should You Buy, Sell Or Hold?

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The recruitment of participants for the first cohort of the REDpreneur Women program, aimed at supporting female veterans through business development and social innovations in Ukraine, has been completed.

"The first cohort brought together women who are ready to start or develop their own business, as well as implement social initiatives that have a positive impact on communities. The interest in the program confirmed the relevance of such initiatives and the need for comprehensive support opportunities for female veterans during the period of returning to civilian life," the Ukrainian Red Cross (URCS) reported on its Facebook page.

As part of the program, participants will undergo comprehensive entrepreneurship training, receive mentoring support from experts and practitioners, join a community of like-minded people, and have the opportunity to receive grant funding to develop or launch their own business ideas.

The REDpreneur Women program is implemented by the Ukrainian Red Cross in partnership with the Austrian Red Cross, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, with the support of the Austrian NACHBAR IN NOT Foundation and the Austrian Development Agency. The training and mentoring component of the program is implemented in partnership with the Ukrainian Future Business Incubator.

The program team is already preparing to launch the second cohort of REDpreneur Women, which will be open to all women with innovative business ideas.
Stocks To Watch: Ola Electric, Swiggy, Waaree, Coal India, BPCL, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, And Others

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 07:54 IST

Stocks to watch: Shares of firms like Ola Electric, Swiggy, Waaree, Coal India, BPCL, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, and others will be in focus on Friday's trade

Stocks to watch

Stocks to Watch on December 19: Markets traded with a cautious bias on Thursday and ended flat, extending the ongoing consolidation phase. Analysts said investor sentiment continues to be shaped by global cues and currency-related concerns.

From a technical standpoint, the Nifty managed to hold on to the crucial support near the previous swing low around 25,700. This level remains key to watch in the next session, as a decisive breakdown could trigger further correction.

Ola Electric Mobility

Ola Electric promoter Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday divested an additional 2.83 crore shares through a bulk deal, marking the third consecutive session of stake sales. The shares were sold at Rs 31.60 apiece, valuing the transaction at Rs 90.27 crore, as per exchange data.

Swiggy, Waaree Energies, Premier Energies and Bajaj Holdings & Investment

Shares of Swiggy, Waaree Energies, Premier Energies and Bajaj Holdings & Investment are set to be in focus on Friday after the NSE announced their inclusion in the Futures & Options (F&O) segment with effect from December 31.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Coal India

Bharat Petroleum Corporation said on Thursday that its board has approved the formation of a joint venture with Coal India to set up a coal gasification project at Western Coalfields in Maharashtra, subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

HCL Tech

IT services firm HCL Tech Ltd announced on Thursday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the telecommunications solutions business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

Bharti Airtel

Telecom major Bharti Airtel said its board has approved the first and final call of Rs 401.25 per sharecomprising a premium of Rs 397.50on 39.23 crore outstanding partly paid-up equity shares.

Shriram Finance

Shriram Finance said its board will meet on Friday to consider raising capital through a potential stake sale.

Vodafone Idea

Vodafone Idea Ltd (Vi) on Thursday said its subsidiary, Vodafone Idea Telecom Infrastructure Limited (VITIL), has raised Rs 3,300 crore through the issuance of unlisted, unrated, secured non-convertible debentures (NCDs).

Reliance Industries

Reliance Industries FMCG arm, Reliance Consumer Products, has acquired a controlling stake in Udhaiyam Agro Foods Private Limited, adding the Tamil Nadu-based legacy nutrition brand Udhaiyam to its portfolio.

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABFRL) said on Thursday that the Deputy Commissioner of State Tax, Mumbai, has passed an order imposing a tax demand on the company after completing audit proceedings.

Lupin

Pharmaceutical major Lupin Ltd announced on Thursday that its subsidiaries in the Philippines and Brazil have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Italy-based Neopharmed Gentili S.p.A, granting them rights to market and promote the gastroenterology brand Plasil in their respective markets.

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips by experts in this News18.com report are their own and not those of the website or its management. Users are advised to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:54 IST

News business markets Stocks To Watch: Ola Electric, Swiggy, Waaree, Coal India, BPCL, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, And Others

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Gold Prices Fall Today, December 19: Check 24K & 22K Rates In Delhi, Mumbai & Other Cities

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:44 IST

Gold and Silver Rates Today, December 19: In Mumbai, the price of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 1,34,850 per 10 grams, while 22k gold is available at Rs 1,23,610 per 10 grams.

Gold & Silver Prices Today.

Gold and Silver Rates Today, December 19: Gold prices fell on Friday. In Mumbai, the price of 24-carat gold stood at Rs 1,34,850 per 10 grams, while 22k gold was available at Rs 1,23,610 per 10 grams. These rates do not include GST and making charges. Silver was available at Rs 2,11,100 per kg in the spot market.

On the MCX, gold was trading lower by 0.59 at Rs 1,33,725 per 10 grams for future contracts of the February 5, 2026 expiry. Silver futures expiring on March 05, 2026, were trading at Rs 2,03,034 per kg, a fall of 0.27 per cent.

What Is The Price Of 22kt, 24kt Gold Rates Today In India Across Key Cities On December 19?

City 22K Gold (per 10gm) 24K Gold (per 10gm) Delhi Rs 1,23,760 Rs 1,35,000 Jaipur Rs 1,23,760 Rs 1,35,000 Ahmedabad Rs 1,23,660 Rs 1,34,900 Pune Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850 Mumbai Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850 Hyderabad Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850 Chennai Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850 Bengaluru Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850 Kolkata Rs 1,23,610 Rs 1,34,850

Gold exports from Switzerland fell 15% month on month in November as shipments to India dropped to their lowest since February, Swiss customs data showed on Thursday. Demand in India has been affected by a price rally which sent bullion to a record high of $4,381 per troy ounce in October. Spot prices are up 65% so far this year, heading for their biggest annual gain in 46 years, amid demand for safe-haven assets. The Swiss data showed that gold exports to India fell to 2 metric tons in November from 26 tons in October, while supplies to China, another major bullion consumer, climbed to 12 tons from 2 tons. Gold exports from Switzerland, the worlds biggest bullion refining and transit hub, to Britain, home to the worlds largest over-the-counter gold trading hub, jumped to 45 tons last month, the highest since June, from 9 tons as bullion kept coming back from US stocks. What Factors Affect Gold Prices In India? International market rates, import duties, taxes, and fluctuations in exchange rates primarily influence gold prices in India. Together, these factors determine the daily gold rates across the country. In India, gold is deeply cultural and financial. It is a preferred investment option and is key to celebrations, particularly weddings and festivals. With constantly changing market conditions, investors and traders monitor fluctuations closely. Staying updated is crucial for effectively navigating dynamic trends. Watch more videos Share this Article

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:44 IST

News business savings-and-investments Gold Prices Fall Today, December 19: Check 24K & 22K Rates In Delhi, Mumbai & Other Cities

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Why Bengaluru Cannot Have a Second Airport Before 2033: The Legal Roadblocks

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:57 IST

In response to the Karnataka governments request, the Airports Authority of India conducted site inspections at 3 locations around Bengaluru.

This condition applies regardless of site feasibility, traffic growth or state level planning efforts. Image: X

Big cities rarely stop growing quietly. As populations rise, jobs multiply and travel becomes routine, questions about infrastructure begin to surface long before bottlenecks actually appear. In Bengaluru, this conversation has been resurfacing with increasing frequency, especially around air travel and the citys ability to handle future demand.

Recent clarifications from the Centre have now brought sharper focus to what is possible, what is restricted, and how long the city may have to wait before its next major aviation decision takes shape.

No second airport for Bengaluru until 2033, when Kempegowda International Airport completes 25 years of operations. This position has now been clearly reiterated by the Central government, even as the Karnataka government continues to explore long term options to meet the citys growing aviation demand.

A city outgrowing its runway

Bengalurus rapid expansion as Indias tech and startup capital has led to an equally sharp rise in air traffic. Kempegowda International Airport, which began operations in 2008, is already one of the busiest airports in the country. With new terminals, additional runways and expanding cargo operations, the pressure on existing infrastructure is evident. This has repeatedly triggered discussions around the need for a second airport to decongest traffic and future proof the citys connectivity.

AAI inspects potential sites

In response to the Karnataka governments request, the Airports Authority of India conducted site inspections at 3 locations around Bengaluru. A high level AAI team assessed the feasibility of these locations and submitted a preliminary report to the state government. The inspection focused on technical parameters, connectivity, land availability and long term operational viability.

However, while the exercise signalled intent, it did not change the legal roadblock standing in the way of any immediate progress.

The concession agreement roadblock

At the heart of the issue lies the concession agreement signed between the Union government and Bangalore International Airport Limited. As per this agreement, no new international airport can be developed within a 150 km radius of Kempegowda International Airport for a period of 25 years from the start of operations.

Since KIA began functioning in 2008, this exclusivity clause remains valid until May 2033. The Central government has now clarified that this clause is binding, meaning no second airport can be built or made operational in the Bengaluru region before this deadline.

This condition applies regardless of site feasibility, traffic growth or state level planning efforts.

What about HAL and Jakkur airports

Bengaluru already has HAL airport and Jakkur airstrip, often cited during discussions on alternative aviation infrastructure. However, the concession agreement also includes a critical restriction. Existing airports within the restricted radius cannot be refurbished, upgraded or converted for commercial civilian operations during the exclusivity period.

This effectively rules out the possibility of expanding HAL or Jakkur to function as commercial alternatives to KIA, keeping Kempegowda Airport as the citys sole major aviation hub until 2033.

State prepares for the long game

Despite the legal limitations, the Karnataka government has chosen not to pause planning altogether. The Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation has invited tenders to appoint an expert consultancy firm to prepare a detailed technical, economic and locational feasibility report for a future second airport.

The deadline for submitting applications for this consultancy tender is January 12, 2026. Officials say this early groundwork will help the state move quickly once the exclusivity period ends, avoiding delays that could hurt the citys economic momentum.

The consultancy is expected to assess passenger projections, cargo growth, regional development impact and multi modal connectivity, ensuring that future decisions are data driven rather than reactive.

A waiting game with high stakes

For now, Bengaluru remains locked into a single airport model, even as passenger numbers continue to surge. While Kempegowda International Airport is expanding aggressively, experts warn that aviation planning works best when decisions are taken decades in advance.

The Central governments clarification puts to rest speculation around an early second airport, but it also sharpens the focus on how efficiently KIA can scale up over the next 8 years. For a city that prides itself on thinking ahead, the real challenge lies not in breaking rules, but in being ready the moment they no longer apply.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:57 IST

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No New Licences For Pitbulls, Rottweilers In Chennai From Dec 20 As Civic Body Tightens Pet Rules

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:56 IST

Greater Chennai Corporation bans new pet licences for Pitbull and Rottweiler breeds from December 20, citing public safety after recent attacks.

Rapid Read

AI-generated image used for representational purpose only

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has banned the issuance of new pet licences for Pitbull and Rottweiler breeds within city limits, with the restriction taking effect from December 20.

Initiated by the GCCs Veterinary Department, the decision also halts the renewal of annual licences for these two breeds, which the civic body has classified as aggressive and a potential threat to public safety. Officials said the measure is intended to prevent new ownership of Pitbull and Rottweiler dogs within the city.

Under the new rule, a penalty of Rs 1 lakh will be imposed on individuals who purchase or rear Pitbull or Rottweiler dogs without a valid licence after the cut-off date, India Today reported.

Pet owners who already hold valid licences for Pitbulls or Rottweilers have been instructed to ensure their dogs are always on a leash and fitted with a muzzle when taken outside. Failure to comply will attract a fine of Rs 5,000, the civic body said.

The corporation has also tabled a resolution before a council proposing a Rs 1 lakh fine for illegal purchase or breeding of Pitbull and Rottweiler dogs without a licence.

According to the proposal, the two breeds have been linked to a considerable number of recent dog attack complaints and incidents involving injuries to the public. The GCC has described Pitbulls and Rottweilers as ferocious and aggressive, noting that while they may behave normally in familiar settings and around known individuals, their behaviour can become unpredictable in the presence of strangers or in unfamiliar environments, particularly in public spaces and shared residential areas, according to a report in DT Next newspaper.

The decision comes in the wake of multiple recent incidents involving attacks by these breeds. Earlier in August, a seven-year-old girl suffered serious facial injuries after being attacked by her landlords Pitbull. In another incident, a 55-year-old man was mauled to death by his neighbours Pitbull while returning home from work.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:56 IST

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Vijays Strategy: Standing Up To DMK With Borrowed Light From AIADMKs Tallest Icons

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:44 IST

To appeal to the legion of voters still loyal to the AIADMK, Vijay must borrow their stars

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Actor Vijay (Photo Credit: X)

At his rally in Tamil Nadus Erode district, actor-turned-politician Thalapathy Vijay let out a series of fiery roars, whipping up a frenzy of passions amid his legion. Large, energetic crowds are a permanent feature of Vijays poll rallies, and it was no different at Erode.

Huge crowds spilt onto the roads adjoining the venue. Increased police presence provided a controlling effect and yet, there was no dearth of daredevilry.

As Vijay managed to begin his speech and speak over the cacophonous reception from his fans, he belted a series of powerful statements delivered in his cinematic style, about the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) being an evil force", and his wonder over why the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) nurtured a near-maniacal opposition to the DMK.

And then, capping it all, came the line he was waiting to deliver: No one can claim Anna [CN Annadurai] and MGR [MG Ramachandran] as their own. They are all assets of Tamil Nadu."

In his speech in Erode, for the first time, he also made a reference to Jayalalithaa.

For anyone looking to read into Vijays internal struggle as a politician, the above line would serve as light.

It is that of a new entrant hunting for an ideologue to pivot their party around. It reflects the tearing need to hitch his wagon to a higher, revered force, to borrow their light, to be seen in this auspice and be seen as someone following in their footsteps. For, Vijay has crash-landed  not parachuted  onto the scene of Tamil Nadus politics.

Unlike MGR, whose deep entrenchment with the DMK is well-documented, or J Jayalalithaa, whose tryst with politics and her yin-yang feelings about it are well-known, Vijay has been largely keeping away from active politics till he entered it; barring his brief forays such as his meeting with Rahul Gandhi as early as 2009, etc.

To appeal to the legion of voters still loyal to the AIADMK, he must borrow their stars. But, to do that brazenly would not cut him any favour, and that is the fine line Vijay is walking, as though of a person sliding into the frame at the last moment before a picture is clicked.

Both MGR and J Jayalalithaa had made DMK opposition as the core fibre of their politics. If MGR had systemised this sentiment, Jayalalithaa made it personal, to the extent that no AIADMK member from the grassroots cadre to cabinet minister  would as much as make eye contact with a DMK member. It was the fierce, revenge-fuelled years beginning right after MG Ramachandrans death in December 1987 and continued till Jayalalithaas death in December 2016.

The DMK, by virtue of its own survival instinct, would oppose even remotely resembling Jayalalithaa and MGR. It makes sense to them to throw a wet blanket on any spark that resembles the flames they were.

The question is: Can Vijay be that spark?

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 15:42 IST

News chennai-news Vijays Strategy: Standing Up To DMK With Borrowed Light From AIADMKs Tallest Icons

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'Don't Talk To Us About Them': Silence In Hyderabad Neighbourhood Over Sydney Attacker's Link

Reported By :

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:21 IST

The neighbourhood has been trying to process the revelation that Sajid Akram and son Naveed  identified by Australian authorities as the suspects  had family roots in the area.

The house of the Bondi Bach terror suspect Sajids elder brother in Hyderabad's Tolichowki is locked. (Image: News18)

If you go through the quiet bylanes of Al Hasnath Colony in Hyderabads Tolichowki, towards the house of the Bondi Beach terror suspect and gunman Sajid Akrams elder brother, all you can see is people peeping through their balconies or curtains, carefully avoiding the media and strangers who have descended on the locality to find out more about the Akram family.

Ever since news broke that the Australian gunman had roots in Hyderabad  with his Indian passport, the address listed today stands as a locked, three-storey bungalow with no lights, no occupants and a silver chain with a lock on the gate.

The locked house is of the Bondi Bach terror suspect Sajids elder brother  a doctor employed at a city medical college  who is said to live along with his wife, their children and their mother.

Whispers have replaced conversation in the otherwise calm neighbourhood. Residents speak in hushed tones about how they feel knowing a relative of the Bondi Beach mass shooter once belonged to their locality. They have always been conservative and reserved, speaking only when spoken to," said a neighbour, requesting anonymity. We have lived here for years, but they kept to themselves."

Another resident shut the door mid-conversation. If there was happy news, we would speak. This is terrifying. We have nothing to do with this family. We dont know them at all. It is shocking to hear about these links. Please dont ask us more," he said.

The neighbourhood has been trying to process the revelation that Sajid Akram and his son Naveed  identified by Australian authorities as the terror attackers  had family roots in the area.

On Sunday, a mass shooting at Sydneys Bondi Beach during a public Hanukkah celebration left 16 people dead, including one of the attackers. Australian authorities have been treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

The gunmen were identified as Sajid Akram and his son Naveed who the Australian polcie claim have been radicalised by the ISIS.

Fear and disbelief dominated the responses when News18 asked the neighbours on whether they have interacted with the Akram family.

Dont talk to us about them," said a young resident. We are aghast by what has happened. We cannot imagine that we are staying in a place close to a family who could be linked to terror suspects. We dont even understand what is happening." All residents quoted requested anonymity.

Several locals described the family as quiet and soft-spoken, saying they largely kept to themselves but would exchange festival greetings.

The elder brother who lives here is a doctor, and so is his wife," said one resident. We are not in touch with them, though both families have lived here for over two decades. We did know their father, who passed away. He was a gentleman who interacted with people and discussed social issues."

When neighbours were asked about Sajid or Naveed, most said they had never heard of Sajid or his son.

According to Telangana Police, Sajid Akram hailed from Hyderabad and completed a B.Com degree before migrating to Australia in November 1998 in search of employment. He later married Venera Grosso, a woman of European origin, and settled permanently in Australia.

The Akram couple have two children  Naveed, identified as one of the attackers, and a daughter. While Sajid continues to hold an Indian passport, both his children were born in Australia and are Australian citizens.

Police sources said by the time the Akram family moved into the Tolichowki colony in 2002, Sajid had already migrated to Australia. His visits to India over the past 27 years were rare. He is said to have visited Hyderabad only six times in nearly three decades, with his last visit in 2022.

He is said to have also visited between 2017-18 to try and resolve a property dispute with family members over, but that did not go down well. He is said to have stayed away from Hyderabad for a few years. He was distant from his family as such and did not return to India even when his father passed away back in 2009.

Police sources say Sajid had limited contact with his family in Hyderabad after migrating. His visits were largely linked to family matters, and relatives during questioning by the police authorities have expressed no knowledge of his radical mindset or activities.

Telangana Police also stated: We remain committed to cooperating with central agencies and international counterparts as required."

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:21 IST

News cities hyderabad-news 'Don't Talk To Us About Them': Silence In Hyderabad Neighbourhood Over Sydney Attacker's Link

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AI To Be Integrated In School, University Curriculum As Centre Reviews NEP Reforms

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:09 IST

The Centre reviewed the use of AI in school and higher education under NEP 2020, with plans to expand AI learning and update curricula for future workforce needs.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan chairs a review meeting on integrating AI into school and higher education under NEP reforms.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to address some of the biggest challenges in education, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday, as the Centre reviewed the ongoing integration of AI in school and higher education systems.

Pradhan was speaking while chairing the third meeting of the Consultative Committee on the use of Artificial Intelligence in teaching and learning. The meeting focused on how AI is being systematically incorporated across the education sector in line with the National Education Policy (NEP).

During the discussion, officials reviewed efforts to integrate AI as a skill-based subject at the secondary school level and examined updates being made to higher education curricula to align them with emerging technologies and future workforce needs.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that AI can play a key role in tackling long-standing challenges in education, particularly by making quality learning more inclusive, accessible and equitable. He emphasised that the government remains committed to building a student-centric and personalised learning ecosystem to improve learning outcomes.

The minister also highlighted the need to address the diverse requirements of Indias student population while empowering both learners and educators through technology-driven solutions. Officials briefed the committee on various initiatives aimed at embedding AI into curriculum design, teaching methods and assessment practices.

ALSO READ: Delhi: 11-Year-Old Challenges CM SHRI Schools Class 6 Admission Test In HC

The review comes as the Centre continues to explore ways to leverage digital tools and emerging technologies to strengthen school and higher education, improve employability and ensure that Indias education system remains globally competitive.

Notably, in October, the Ministry of Education said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon become part of Indias school curriculum for all students from Class 3 onwards, starting from the 202627 academic session.

At present, over 18,000 CBSE-affiliated schools offer Artificial Intelligence as a skill-based subject for students from Class 6 onwards through a 15-hour module. AI is also available as an optional subject for students in Classes 9 to 12. Expanding AI education to younger classes would mark a significant shift in Indias efforts to build digital literacy and future-ready skills from an early stage.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:09 IST

News education-career AI To Be Integrated In School, University Curriculum As Centre Reviews NEP Reforms

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NCST Seeks Report From Odisha Govt, Orders Probe Into 'Murder' Of KISS Student

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:35 IST

The NCST has sought a report from the Odisha government and ordered an inquiry into the alleged murder of a 14-year-old tribal student at KISS in Bhubaneswar.

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has ordered an inquiry into the death of a 14-year-old tribal student at KISS in Bhubaneswar. (AI Image)

The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Thursday sought a detailed report from the Odisha government and decided to conduct an inquiry into the alleged murder of a 14-year-old tribal student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar, as reported by news agency PTI.

The commission took suo motu cognisance of the incident based on media reports, a day after Odisha Police arrested eight officials of KISS and three students in connection with the boys death. In a statement, the NCST said it has decided to investigate the matter under the powers granted to it by Article 338A of the Constitution.

The commission issued notices to the states Home, School and Mass Education, and ST & SC Development departments, along with the Director General of Police, Commissioner of Police and the Khurda district collector. All concerned authorities have been asked to submit a detailed report within three days. The NCST also warned that failure to respond within the deadline could lead to the use of its civil court powers, including summoning officials.

The action comes after police arrested eight KISS employees, including an additional CEO and two teachers, for allegedly trying to suppress information related to the Class IX students death. Police have said the boy, who was from Keonjhar district, was strangled to death by his classmates on the night of December 11. The three students accused in the case were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board as children in conflict with law.

Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh earlier said the arrested officials attempted to present the incident as an accidental death.

ALSO READ: AI To Be Integrated In School, University Curriculum As Centre Reviews NEP Reforms

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram described the incident as unfortunate and condemnable" and said such cases were being repeated at KISS. He called for vigilance and preventive measures, while expressing confidence in an impartial probe.

The Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also visited the institute and recommended a probe into the role of doctors at KIMS hospital, who allegedly gave incorrect information about the cause of death.

Political leaders, including Congress and BJP representatives, have demanded strict action against all those involved.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:35 IST

News education-career NCST Seeks Report From Odisha Govt, Orders Probe Into 'Murder' Of KISS Student

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Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026: Over 1,27,38,536 Registered; Apply By January 11

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:13 IST

Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026: Students who aspire to speak directly with PM Modi or visit his home may apply at innovateindia1.mygov.in.

Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 will take place on February 10, 2026.

The ninth edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), is on the horizon with more than 1,27,38,536 registrations already received so far. Last year, PPC received 35.3 million applications, earning a Guinness World Record.

The last date to register for PPC 2026 is January 11, 2026. Students who aspire to speak directly with PM Modi or visit his home may apply at innovateindia1.mygov.in.

How To Register?

Registration is simple and free. No fee is required. Candidates can register using a mobile number, email address, or DigiLocker. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Visit the official website, innovateindia1.mygov.in.

Step 2. Click on the Participate Now button on the home page.

Step 3. Select your category: Student (Self Participation), Student (Through Teacher Login), Teacher, or Parent.

Step 4. Click on Click to Participate under your selected category.

Step 5. Register by entering your name, mobile number, or email ID.

Step 6. Complete the remaining details to finish the process.

Important questions related to education and exams can be addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Students will be selected for PPC 2026 through creative writing competitions. This years themes include Make Exams a Celebration," Contribution of Our Freedom Fighters," Save the Environment," and Clean India."

The programme isnt just a conversation but includes fun activities like an essay writing competition. The top 10 student performers will get a golden chance to visit the Prime Ministers residence. Additionally, around 2,500 students, teachers, and parents selected from various MyGov competitions will receive a special PPC kit from the Ministry of Education. They can also read PM Modis book Exam Warriors," which offers tips on making studies enjoyable and meaningful. The Exam Warriors module on the NaMo app provides interactive content for students, parents, and teachers alike.

The 8th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha was broadcast on February 10, 2025 at Sunder Nursery in New Delhi. It brought together 36 students from every State and UT.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:06 IST

News education-career Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026: Over 1,27,38,536 Registered; Apply By January 11

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Patna Schools Change Timing From 9 AM To 4.30 PM Till December 27 Amid Cold Wave

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 13:11 IST

Patna schools to operate from 9 am to 4.30 pm from December 19 to 25 amid cold wave, however, board and pre-board classes will have to follow the usual schedule.

This cold weather has affected several parts of North India, including Bihar's neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. (Representative/File Photo)

As a cold wave grips northern India and temperatures drop, the Patna District Magistrate issued orders on Friday, mandating that all schools remain open only from 9 am to 4.30 pm. However, the notification specified that classes with board and pre-board examinations will continue following their usual schedules, reported ANI. These orders will be effective from December 19 to 25, the notification stated.

Check out the official notice below:

Meanwhile, all government, aided and private schools up to Class 8 in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly district will remain closed for three days till December 20 due to severe cold and dense fog. The decision was taken as cold wave conditions and persistent fog have been disrupting normal life in Bareilly and nearby areas for the past several days.

The cold weather has impacted several regions of North India, including Bihars neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and the national capital. Residents have reported low visibility, difficulties with everyday tasks, and extreme weather conditions. Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of fog, with poor air quality worsening the already severe situation. On Wednesday, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced a 50 per cent work-from-home policy to provide relief amid worsening smog.

Schools from nursery to grade 5 are completely closed in Delhi, with no classes for these grades. Classes 6 to 11 is being conducted in a hybrid mode, both online and offline. Students in grades 10 and 12 must attend physical classes in school due to the upcoming board exams. This measure ensures that studies are not disrupted while protecting young children from the hazardous air

On Thursday, parts of Uttar Pradesh experienced extreme cold. In Kanpur, significant train delays were reported. Cities such as Prayagraj and Gorakhpur remained shrouded in fog, reducing visibility. People gathered around bonfires to stay warm. In Agra, the thick fog completely obscured the Taj Mahal.In Moradabad, people urged for measures to address the extreme weather conditions. As winter sets in, various states across northern India are implementing measures to increase efficiency and ease hardships.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 13:11 IST

News education-career Patna Schools Change Timing From 9 AM To 4.30 PM Till December 27 Amid Cold Wave

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European Union leaders have declared the importance of EU member states stepping up their military support for Ukraine and participating in the development of the Ukrainian defense industry.

The European Council underlines the importance of Member States stepping up efforts to address Ukraines pressing military and defence needs, in particular air defence and antidrone systems and large-calibre ammunition. In this context, further support for, development of and investment in Ukraines defence industry remains crucial, including through the establishment of Ukrainian defence production in Member States, this is stated in the conclusions of the European Council meeting, which were adopted following the discussion.

EU leaders also expressed support for further strengthening cooperation and integration between Ukraine's military-industrial complex and the European defence industry, drawing on Ukraine's unique experience and know-how. In this context, the European Council welcomes the inclusion of cooperation with Ukraine in the defence industry investment plans of Member States in the framework of the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument, the conclusions note.

EU leaders assured that all military support and security guarantees for Ukraine will be provided in full respect of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and taking into account the security and defence interests of all Member States.
AAP Announces It'll Contest BMC Polls, Releases First List Of 21 Candidates

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 21:21 IST

The party said that the decision marks its formal entry into Mumbai's civic politics and aims to provide an alternative.

AAP announces its foray in the BMC elections. (X/@AAPMumbai)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday released its first list of 21 candidates for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The Arvind Kejriwal-led party also announced that it will contest all 227 civic seats in the upcoming elections.

The first list of @AamAadmiParty candidates for Mumbais BMC elections is out!Congratulations to all the candidates! pic.twitter.com/pK27HdFZqj AAP Mumbai (@AAPMumbai) December 19, 2025

The party said that the decision marks its formal entry into Mumbais civic politics and aims to provide an alternative to what it described as decades of misgovernance by established parties.

Despite being Indias Urbs Prima, Mumbai is in a mess. BMC has a whopping Rs. 74,447 crore annual budget- the largest in Asia. Mumbaikars pay the highest taxes in the country and yet get shoddy public services," the AAP said in a statement.

The BMC is a cesspool of corruption and monumental ineptitude. Every political party has looted Mumbai, prioritising their selfish interests over public good," the statement quoted AAPs Mumbai unit chief Preeti Sharma Menon as saying.

She pointed to the closure of BMC-run schools, declining educational standards, lack of functional primary healthcare centres, overburdened public hospitals, and the steady decline of BESTs bus fleet. She also highlighted issues such as poor garbage management, shrinking green cover, rising pollution levels, and the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea.

The AAP is not just the alternative but the solution, she said, adding that a few good people in the BMC is what Mumbai desperately needs.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the party was prepared to offer a governance-focused alternative, citing its record in Delhi and Punjab under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann. AAP has delivered quality education, healthcare, electricity, and water without corruption and without debt. Mumbai needs the same model," he said as quoted by news agency IANS.

Singh added that even a small presence in the BMC would ensure meaningful participation. With just seven corporators, AAP will have a house leader and representation on all statutory committees, including Standing, Improvement, Health, Education, and BEST," he said.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, AAP got 5.16% of the vote share and over 2,73,000 votes.

BMC Polls

The Mumbai civic body or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the countrys richest corporation, will go to polls on January 15, with counting of votes on January 16.

The State Election Commission on Monday announced the poll schedule for BMC, along with 28 other civic corporations. As many as 2,869 seats in these municipal corporations will be up for grabs, said State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, adding that 3.48 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in these major urban centres of the state.

The elections for all 29 corporations, including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, will be held in a single phase. The code of conduct has come into effect immediately.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 19:52 IST

News elections AAP Announces It'll Contest BMC Polls, Releases First List Of 21 Candidates

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US Suspends Green Card Lottery: What Is It, And Does It Affect Indian Applicants?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:28 IST

US President Donald Trump had previously pushed to scrap the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme altogether, calling it unsafe and ineffective.

US President Donald Trump. (IMAGE: AP PHOTO)

The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, popularly known as the green card lottery, has become the centre of an intense political and security debate in the United States. The Trump administration on Friday ordered an immediate pause on the programme, following the shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which left three people dead and several others injured.

The pause follows a directive from US President Donald Trump, marking the latest step in a wider tightening of the countrys legal and illegal immigration channels. With previous measures already reshaping travel bans, visa vetting, and scrutiny of H-1B, H-4, F, M and J categories, the decision to halt the DV programme signals a new phase of restriction-heavy immigration policy.

Why Has The Trump Administration Paused The DV1 Lottery?

The immediate trigger for the pause is the Brown University shooting, for which 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente has been identified as the suspect. In her announcement on X, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote that Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card."

She added: This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country. In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program  At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program."

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.In 2017, President Trump  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025

Neves Valente is suspected of killing two students at Brown University and an MIT professor, while injuring nine additional people.

Noem also cited past security incidents, reiterating that the 2017 New York City truck attack was carried out by an ISIS supporter who had entered the US under the same programme.

However, Noems claim about Valentes immigration route was disputed online, with users pointing out reports stating he had come to the US on a student visa in 2000 and obtained permanent residency 17 years later.

The latest order also comes after an Afghan national in November allegedly opened fire near the White House, targeting two National Guard members, and follows Trumps decision to impose travel bans on several countries. It aligns with the administrations broader push to curb both legal and illegal forms of immigration.

How Does The Diversity Visa Lottery Work?

The Diversity Immigrant Visa is designed to increase the mix of nationalities entering the United States each year. According to the USCIS, the programme makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, selecting applicants through a random lottery from countries with historically low immigration to the US.

The programme is administered by the US Department of State. The lottery allows winners and their spouses to apply for green cards, which includes a thorough vetting and consular interview process to determine eligibility for permanent residence.

For the 2025 lottery, nearly 20 million people applied, and more than 1,31,000 individuals were selected, including spouses, a report by AP said. Portuguese nationals secured 38 of those slots.

Basic eligibility requires being a native of a qualifying low-immigration country and meeting education or work-experience conditions.

Has Trump Opposed This Programme Before?

Yes. Trump has repeatedly criticised the DV system, most strongly after the 2017 New York truck attack. He had previously pushed to scrap the programme altogether, calling it unsafe and ineffective. The latest halt is presented as a continuation of that stance, reinforced by recent security incidents.

The pause also adds to other tightening measures under his administration, including mandatory social-media screening for H-1B, H-4, F, M and J visa applicants. Every visa adjudication is a national security decision," the US government has said, adding that officers rely on all available information to assess risk.

Will Indians Be Affected By The Suspension?

Indians will not be affected by the pause, not because the rule excludes them uniquely, but because Indians were already ineligible for the Diversity Visa until at least 2028 due to high levels of immigration to the United States.

Under programme rules, any country that sends more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the previous five years becomes ineligible. India far exceeds this threshold. As reported:

93,450 Indians emigrated to the US in 2021

27 lakh in 2022

78,070 in 2023

Because of these numbers, India, along with China, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, Vietnam and others, is excluded from DV lotteries such as DV-2026.

With India already barred until 2028, the current suspension does not change the situation for Indian applicants.

Does The Pause Affect Other Immigration Options For Indians?

While the DV pause does not impact India directly, other tightening measures under Trump, particularly increased vetting and restrictions on H-1B and H-4 applicants, may indirectly influence Indian migrants.

With the Diversity Visa unavailable and other pathways narrowing, Indian nationals must continue relying on the traditional immigration routes: H-1B to green card transition, investment-based options, asylum routes, or family sponsorship. The administrations stricter approach has increased uncertainty for both prospective migrants and employers.

What Happens Next?

For now, the DV1 programme is paused, with DHS and USCIS instructed to halt new processing. Although up to 55,000 DVs had been allocated for FY 2026, a cloud of uncertainty now hangs over the lottery after Trumps directive.

The broader immigration framework in the US is shifting rapidly, driven by security concerns, administrative reviews of past visas, and tightening measures across multiple categories.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:25 IST

News explainers US Suspends Green Card Lottery: What Is It, And Does It Affect Indian Applicants?

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Who Can Still Enter Delhi? Understanding The BS-VI Rule And How To Check Your Vehicle

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:01 IST

With Delhi blocking older vehicles at its borders, understanding your cars emission category has become essential for uninterrupted travel.

Electric vehicles (EVs) and CNG vehicles are fully exempt from these restrictions and can enter Delhi without any issues.

From December 18, the Delhi government has barred all non-BS VI private vehicles registered outside the city from entering the Capital. The move is part of a broader crackdown linked to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III and IV measures, triggered by persistent smog and rising pollution levels across Delhi-NCR. Fuel pumps in the city have also been directed to sell petrol and diesel only to vehicles carrying a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC), giving both vehicle compliance and certification new urgency for commuters.

The entry ban affects thousands of vehicles arriving daily from NCR cities. Over 4 lakh vehicles from Noida, 2 lakh from Gurugram, and 5.5 lakh from Ghaziabad have now been prohibited from entering Delhi.

Older petrol and diesel vehicles, especially those registered before the nationwide rollout of BS-VI norms in April 2020, are the most impacted.

Cars that fail to meet BS-VI standards can be stopped at the citys borders and fined Rs 20,000, while even BS-VI compliant cars may face penalties of Rs 10,000 if they lack a valid PUCC.

Against this backdrop, knowing how to quickly verify your vehicles emission category has become essential.

What Changed On December 18?

Delhis Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa announced that only BS-VI vehicles would be allowed to enter the Capital from December 18, effectively banning non-BS-VI private vehicles registered outside Delhi.

Diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years are already restricted under existing norms.

The government has also warned that trucks transporting construction materials will face strict penalties or seizure for violations. Over recent weeks, authorities have already fined more than eight lakh vehicles for various pollution-related violations, underlining the scale of the enforcement drive.

What Are BS Emission Norms?

Bharat Stage (BS) norms are Indias emission standards that regulate pollutants such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from vehicle exhaust. The norms are based on European emission standards and each new stage tightens permissible limits, pushing manufacturers to adopt cleaner technologies and forcing older, more polluting vehicles off the road.

Delhi has historically implemented advanced emission norms earlier than other parts of the country due to persistent air quality concerns. BS II was enforced in 2001, BS III in 2005 and BS IV in 2010, all years before nationwide adoption. BS VI norms were introduced in Delhi-NCR ahead of the rest of India in April 2018, and became mandatory across the country on April 1, 2020. Because vehicles from multiple states enter Delhi every day, the citys roads still carry a mix of BS II, III, IV and VI vehicles.

Older vehicles pollute more because they were certified under less stringent standards. They emit higher levels of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and hydrocarbons, with diesel engines being particularly problematic. Ageing engines also release volatile organic compounds and black carbon, worsening smog and contributing to health risks.

How To Check If Your Vehicle Is BS-VI Compliant

The most important question for commuters now is how to distinguish BS-VI vehicles from older ones. The process is straightforward, and several verification options exist.

Registration Certificate (RC): RC is the primary and most reliable source of information. The emission norm is printed clearly under fields such as Emission Norms" or Bharat Stage". If your RC explicitly says BS-VI" or BS6", your vehicle is compliant.

Manufacturing or Registration Date: BS-VI became mandatory for all new vehicles sold and registered across India from April 1, 2020. Therefore, if your car was manufactured or registered on or after that date, it is almost certainly BS-VI compliant.

Cars purchased before April 2020 fall under earlier categories:

Before 2005: BS-I

20052010: typically BS-II

20102017: typically BS-III

20172020: BS-IV

Owners Manual and Physical Labels: Manufacturers usually mention the emission standard in the owners manual. Some vehicles also carry BS-VI labels or stickers near the engine bay or fuel tank. While not universal, these markings can help owners quickly confirm compliance.

Authorised Service Centres and Dealerships: Dealers and authorised service centres can verify the emission norm using the vehicles registration number. This is particularly helpful for older vehicles where owners may no longer have physical documentation readily accessible.

VAHAN Portal: Vehicle owners can enter their registration number on the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways VAHAN website to access official details, including the emission norm. This is one of the quickest digital methods to determine BS category without referring to physical documents.

How Is BS-VI Different From BS-IV

The difference between BS-IV and BS-VI is substantial. BS-VI norms drastically tighten emission limits  petrol vehicles must reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by around 25 per cent compared to BS-IV, while diesel vehicles must cut nitrogen oxides by nearly 68 per cent and particulate matter by roughly 82 per cent. BS-VI engines require cleaner, low-sulphur fuel, which became available alongside the rollout of the new norms. The testing regime under BS-VI also mirrors real-world driving conditions more closely.

Who Is Exempt, And What Happens If You Violate The Rules?

BS-VI compliant vehicles, along with clean-energy options such as CNG, LNG, electric and hybrid electric vehicles, can still enter Delhi. Furthermore, BS-IV compliant diesel vehicles will also be permitted to enter the national capital.

Violations carry penalties up to Rs 20,000 under the Motor Vehicles Act, and vehicles may be impounded for repeat offences. Fuel stations have been instructed to deny service to any vehicle without a valid PUCC. The fine for lacking a PUCC may go up to Rs 10,000, even for BS-VI cars.

Why This Matters Now

Delhis air quality has stayed in the very poor or severe category, with the CAQM repeatedly flagging vehicular emissions as a major contributor. Nearly 37 per cent of vehicles in Delhi-NCR fall under older BS categories. This figure was flagged in an October meeting chaired by the Prime Ministers Office.

With winter inversion trapping pollutants near the ground, authorities argue that stronger restrictions are essential to prevent further deterioration.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 14:46 IST

News explainers Who Can Still Enter Delhi? Understanding The BS-VI Rule And How To Check Your Vehicle

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4-Year-Old Killed, Her Family Injured As Bricks Fall From Under-Construction Building In Bengaluru

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:31 IST

A four-year-old girl was killed and three others injured after bricks fell from the fourth floor of an under-construction building onto a cement sheet shed in Bengaluru.

A police line to show the scene of a crime/incident (PTI photo)

A four-year-old girl was killed and three others injured on Thursday after hollow bricks fell from the fourth floor of an under-construction building onto a cement sheet shed in Chinnappanahalli, under the HAL police station limits in Bengaluru.

The deceased was identified as Manushree. Her mother, Mamatha (30), along with two other children, Shreyan (6) and Shekhar (5), sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city.

According to the police, the incident occurred between 3 pm and 3.30 pm when approximately 10 to 12 hollow bricks allegedly fell from the fourth floor of the under-construction building onto a cement sheet shed located adjacent to the structure.

The shed was being used as a temporary residence by labourers and their families, police added.

All the victims are residents of Bhoragi village in Sindagi taluk of Vijayapura district," K Parshuram, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield), told news agency PTI.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the construction work at the site, being carried out by a person identified as Srinivasulu, was allegedly undertaken without adequate safety measures," the DCP said.

The building under construction is reportedly owned by Srinivasulu, and authorities were investigating whether negligence in following mandatory safety protocols contributed to the accident.

A case was registered at the HAL police station, and further investigations were ongoing, police said.

The victims family had moved from Vijayapura district and were living in the cement sheet shed for work-related reasons, the police added.

ALSO READ | Bengaluru College Student Gang-Raped By Boyfriend, His Friends; Threatened With Private Videos

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:29 IST

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'Fake Degrees, Bribes': Indian-Origin US Diplomat Pushes For H-1B Freeze, Flags Fraud

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 19:58 IST

Siddiqui urges a pause on H-1B visas, citing fraud in Chennai and Hyderabad, and calls for stricter checks to protect US STEM workers and curb abuse by lobbyists.

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Siddiqui (in pic) argued that the programme has turned into a de facto immigration shortcut dominated by one country. (Image: US Department of State)

Indian-origin US diplomat Mahvash Siddiqui has called for a pause on the H-1B visa programme pending a full audit, citing widespread fraud that she says she witnessed first-hand during her posting at the US consulate in Chennai.

Writing for the Center for Immigration Studies, Siddiqui alleged that fake degrees, forged bank statements and fabricated marriage and birth certificates are openly sold in Hyderabads Ameerpet to cater to what she described as an H-1B scam" sustained through bribery" and the cultural normalization" of fraud.

Many H-1Bs claiming computer science degrees had no related coursework or programming skills; basic coding tests often exposed them. Corrupt HR officials in both India and the US facilitated fake employment letters, allowing underqualified candidates to bypass scrutiny American IT graduates  trained through rigorous programs  were left unemployed or were forced to train their H-1B replacements for lower pay," Siddiqui wrote.

In an earlier podcast, Siddiqui referred to Chennai as the H-1B visa fraud capital of the world," recalling her time as one of 15 junior visa officers there, TOI reported. H-1B visas became the perfect loophole for many Indian nationals aged 2045 to enter the U.S. with fraudulent or inflated credentials, displacing qualified American IT and STEM workers From 20052007, Chennai adjudicated ~100,000 H-1Bs annually. Today, demand has exploded to 400,000-plus per year," she said.

Siddiqui also accused Indian lobbyists and Silicon Valley firms of misleading US lawmakers. She argued that the programme, intended to attract global talent, has turned into a de facto immigration shortcut dominated by one country."

Her recommendations include pausing new H-1B issuances, strengthening credential verification, prioritizing US STEM graduates, banning nepotistic hiring practices, enforcing stricter penalties for fraud, and expanding site inspections.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 19:58 IST

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From Luxury To Lockup: Luthra Brothers Sleep On Floor, Eat Dal-Rice In Goa Police Custody

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:57 IST

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, owners of Birch by Romeo Lane in Goa, are facing a case of culpable homicide and negligence following the December 6 tragedy.

Charred remains at the nightclub where a fire broke out in Goa. (PTI)

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of Goas Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, linked to the devastating fire that killed 25 people earlier this month, spent Wednesday night in the Anjuna lock-up without a fan and had a simple meal of rice, dal, and pickle.

The duo, who used to lead a luxurious life, are spending their nights in the lockup without any mattress or blankets. A court in North Goa sent them to a five-day police custody in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, Goa Police have started interrogating both brothers in the case. The Luthra brothers were asked over 80 questions in connection with their associates roles, decision-making processes, financial aspects, event permissions, and the involvement of other partners, managers, and organisers, Times of India reported.

The duo, who had been produced before a court in Goa, had sought medical assistance from the court, claiming poor health.

The Luthras, through their lawyer P V Pavithran, asked the court to grant them a mattress in police custody as Saurabh suffered from a problem related to the spinal disc" and Gaurav suffered from a tailbone fracture problem".

Judicial magistrate Puja Sardesai directed police to take the Luthras to a government hospital for a medical examination.

After this was completed, they were produced before the court. The judge consequently rejected the Luthras demand, noting that doctors at North Goa District Hospital declared them fit.

Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for special consideration" claiming poor health.

We said they should not be given any extra relaxation," he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of 25 people in the form of mass genocide".

But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they dont require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused," Joshi said as quoted by news agency PTI.

The brothers were brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand. They were brought back to Delhi on an emergency certificate on Tuesday, from where they were brought to Goa.

Goa Police took custody of the accused upon their arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport and completed the necessary legal formalities before presenting them in court.

The December 6 blaze, believed to have started during a fire show at the nightclub, prompted an Interpol Blue Corner Notice against them. The Luthra brothers had fled to Thailands Phuket hours after the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, which killed 25 people.

Charges Against Luthra Brothers

The Luthra brothers are facing a case of culpable homicide and negligence following the December 6 tragedy, which investigators allege was compounded by the nightclub operating in violation of mandatory fire safety norms. The incident raised serious questions over alleged fire safety violations and lapses by the management.

Goa Fire Tragedy

North Goa saw its worst fire tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora on December 6 night, which resulted in at least 25 deaths and six injuries. The nightclub was jam-packed as it was the weekend.

As per survivors, in no time, the entire club was engulfed in flames. There was a temporary construction made up of palm leaves which easily caught fire," he said.

A preliminary investigation by the police and the Directorate of Fire Services revealed that the blaze was triggered after electric firecrackers hit the wooden ceiling, causing the structure to catch fire rapidly.

Goa Police investigations have also found that the nightclub had allegedly been operating illegally for nearly 18 months without mandatory approvals and on an expired licence that had not been renewed since 2024.

The nightclub is situated in the backwaters of the Arpora river and has a narrow entry and exit. There was no access for fire brigade vehicles because of the narrow lanes and their tankers had to be parked about 400 metres away from the spot.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Location : Goa, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 15:57 IST

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'Guard Of Honour' For Kathavachak By UP Police Sparks Row, Who Is Entitled To A State Salute?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:56 IST

Pundreek Goswami, a kathavachak, received a guard of honour from the UP police in Bahraich, sparking debate over protocol, secularism, and state neutrality

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The viral video, just seconds long, showed Pundreek Goswami receiving a formal salute from recruits with the SP standing beside him. (Visuals: X/@BhimArmyChief)

A purported guard of honour accorded to a religious storyteller by the Uttar Pradesh police has triggered a sharp political and constitutional debate, with opposition leaders questioning the propriety of extending a state salute to a private religious figure.

The controversy erupted after visuals surfaced on social media showing Pundreek Goswami, a kathavachak (religious preacher), being welcomed by Bahraich Superintendent of Police Ram Nayam Singh and other personnel with a red carpet and salute at the police parade grounds in Bahraich. The visuals, just seconds long, showed Goswami receiving a formal salute from recruits with the SP standing beside him

The images quickly went viral, drawing criticism from opposition parties, who termed the gesture a violation of constitutional norms and the principle of state neutrality. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the event as a misuse of police resources, arguing that officers should remain focused on law and order rather than ceremonial activities. When the police machinery is busy presenting salutes, criminals would roam freely," Yadav said.

Chandrashekhar Azad, Nagina MP and chief of the Azad Samaj Party, also strongly objected to the episode, saying India is not a monastery, but a constitutional republic." He said that the state is not the fiefdom of any particular religion," questioning the legal basis for the honour. Who is Pundreek Goswami? What constitutional position do they hold?" Azad further questioned in his post on X (formerly Twitter).

UP Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Krishna sought an explanation from the district SP for what he called the unauthorised use of the police parade ground". The police headquarters clarified that the parade ground is to be used strictly in accordance with prescribed norms, solely for police training, discipline and official ceremonies".

   ,         -                    (Guard of Honour)        ,      pic.twitter.com/I3IiHeD73t  Chandra Shekhar Aazad (@BhimArmyChief) December 18, 2025

Bahraich police initially offered a justification for the march past, stating that Goswami had been invited to address recruits as part of counselling, meditation and yoga workshops intended to relieve mental and physical stress, as reported by The Indian Express. The statement reportedly pointed to 28 recruits who had resigned, citing depression during training, and described the session as helpful" in boosting confidence and devotion to duty. That post was later removed from official social media accounts.

What Is Guard Of Honour?

A guard of honour is traditionally viewed as a symbol of the sovereign authority of the state and is governed by strict protocol. It involves a ceremonial parade and salute by armed forces or police personnel and is not conferred on the basis of popularity, religious standing or public sentiment.

As per established norms framed by the ministry of defence, ministry of home affairs and police drill manuals, such honours are reserved for holders of high constitutional offices. At the national level, the President receives a tri-services guard of 150 personnel, while the Vice President and Prime Minister are accorded a 100-strong salute. Foreign heads of state on official visits are also entitled to similar honours. At the state level, the protocol is restricted to a small group of constitutional functionaries, including governors, chief ministers and chief justices of high courts.

Notably, religious leaders do not feature anywhere in the Table of Precedence, which ranks constitutional and public offices beginning with the President and extending through cabinet ministers, judges, governors, MPs and senior officials. The exclusion reflects the countrys constitutional position as a secular republic, where the state is expected to maintain strict neutrality in matters of religion.

Legal experts point out that the controversy has serious constitutional implications. Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution guarantee equality before law and prohibit discrimination, while Article 25 ensures freedom of religion subject to public order and state neutrality. Extending a state-sponsored honour to a private religious figure, they argue, risks blurring this constitutional boundary.

Observers cite three core concerns arising from the incident:

a possible breach of established protocol,

the perception of political or religious use of the police force, and

the potential erosion of public trust in the neutrality of state institutions.

Similar questions have surfaced in the past, including in Uttarakhand and other states, where guards of honour were allegedly accorded to influential individuals outside the prescribed framework. Each instance has reignited debate over whether such honours were granted in accordance with rules or under extraneous influence.

Who Is Pundreek Goswami?

Pundreek Goswami is a well-known religious storyteller, widely recognised for his Bhagwat Katha recitations and spiritual discourses. However, his receipt of a guard of honour from the Uttar Pradesh police has raised questions over whether the move was authorised by a written government order or was the result of a local-level decision.

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Location : Uttar Pradesh, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:56 IST

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Gujarat Draft SIR: How To Check Your Name And What To Do If Its Missing From Electoral Roll

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:51 IST

Gujarat Draft SIR: Voters in Gujarat can verify their details through multiple official platforms.

The ECI has provided multiple channels for voters to file claims or appeals.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) published the Integrated Draft Electoral Roll for Gujarat, following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. The revision has been carried out with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. Voters now have a one-month window to verify their details and submit claims or objections before the final electoral roll is notified.

Gujarat Draft SIR: How Can You Check If Your Name Is In The Gujarat Draft Voter List?

Voters in Gujarat can verify their details through multiple official platforms. Online, they can use the Voters Service Portal at voters.eci.gov.in by selecting the Search in Electoral Roll" option and searching with their EPIC number, mobile number or personal details such as name and district. The official Voter Helpline App, available on Android and iOS, also allows voters to check their enrolment status, polling station and serial number.

In addition, the CEO Gujarat website, ceo.gujarat.gov.in, will host the integrated draft rolls, including booth-wise PDF lists for all 182 Assembly constituencies.

For offline verification, voters can inspect physical copies of the draft roll at their local polling station or at the office of the Mamlatdar or the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). District portals will also publish lists of voters marked as absent, shifted or deceased (ASD) to ensure transparency.

Gujarat Draft SIR: What Should You Do If Your Name Is Missing Or Details Are Incorrect?

The publication of the draft roll marks the start of the Claims and Objections period, which will run from December 19, 2025, to January 18, 2026. Voters whose names are missing or whose details are incorrect can submit the relevant forms during this period.

Form 6 can be used for new voter registration or inclusion if a name has been omitted. Form 7 allows voters to object to an incorrect inclusion or request deletion, such as in the case of a deceased voter. Form 8 can be submitted to correct details such as name, age or address, or to replace an unclear photograph.

These forms can be submitted online through the Voters Service Portal or the Voter Helpline App, which generates a tracking ID for follow-up. Offline submissions can also be made through the Booth Level Officer (BLO) or the Electoral Registration Officer at local taluk or municipal offices.

Gujarat Draft SIR: Where And How Can Voters File Appeals Or Claims?

The ECI has provided multiple channels for voters to file claims or appeals. Online submissions remain the fastest option, allowing applicants to upload documents and track the status of their requests. Voters may also submit physical forms offline to the local ERO or BLO.

Gujarat Draft SIR: What Documents Are Required For Claims Or Corrections?

To process claims or corrections, voters will need to submit self-attested copies of valid documents. These include identity and age proof such as an Aadhaar card, PAN card, passport, birth certificate or school leaving certificate. Address proof can be provided through documents like Aadhaar, a bank passbook, a registered rent agreement or recent utility bills. For new registrations under Form 6, two recent passport-sized colour photographs are required.

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Location : Gujarat, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:49 IST

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Harish Rana Case Explained: What Is A Living Will And Who Decides To Switch Off Life Support?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:42 IST

When life hangs between machines and breath, a legal document can speak for you. A living will decides dignity, choice, and when medicine should step back

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A living will is a written document in which a person clearly states what medical treatment they wish to receive or refuse in the event of a serious or incurable illness.

The case of Harish Rana from Ghaziabad has come into the spotlight after his father approached the Supreme Court seeking permission for passive euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, for his son. Harish has been bedridden since 2013, and the Supreme Courts primary medical committee has stated that his condition is irreversible.

Following this, a team of doctors from AIIMS has also been constituted to examine the matter.

Who Is Harish Rana?

Harish Rana is 32-years-old and has been in a vegetative state for the past 13 years after falling from the fourth floor in 2013. He is dependent on a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrostomy tube for nutrition.

His parents have requested permission for passive euthanasia, stating that there is no possibility of recovery.

Supreme Court Proceedings So Far

Harishs family first filed a petition in the Supreme Court in 2024, which was rejected at the time. His father has now moved the court again. After reviewing the report of the primary medical board, the Supreme Court has directed AIIMS to form a secondary medical board to reassess the case.

The court has emphasised that without a living will, family members alone cannot decide on passive euthanasia.

What Is Passive Euthanasia?

Passive euthanasia involves withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment, such as ventilator support, for terminally ill or permanently unconscious patients. It does not involve administering any medicine to cause death.

Active euthanasia, which consists of inducing death through drugs, remains illegal in India.

Living Will: Meaning And Importance

According to Allahabad High Court advocate Ankita Tiwari, a living will is a written document in which a person clearly states what medical treatment they wish to receive or refuse in the event of a serious or incurable illness. It comes into effect when the person is in a coma or otherwise incapable of making decisions.

In a living will, an individual can specify whether they want to be kept on life-support systems such as ventilators or feeding tubes. This document allows for passive euthanasia and ensures that a person can die with dignity.

Who Can Make A Living Will?

Advocate Ankita Tiwari explains that any Indian citizen who is mentally sound and above 18 years of age can make a living will. It reflects the individuals personal wishes and serves as guidance for doctors and family members during critical medical situations.

Supreme Court Rulings On Euthanasia

On March 9, 2018, the Supreme Court, in the landmark Common Cause vs Union of India case, recognised living wills and permitted passive euthanasia. A five-judge bench ruled that the right to die with dignity is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Earlier, in 2011, the Supreme Court had allowed passive euthanasia in a limited form in the Aruna Shanbaug case.

Simplified Living Will Process In 2023

In 2023, the Supreme Court simplified the process of making a living will. It can now be prepared in the presence of two witnesses and either notarised or signed by a gazetted officer. The document can be kept with the individual, their family, or submitted to a court.

Previously, under the 2018 guidelines, countersignatures from a judicial magistrate were required, making the process more complex.

Key Legal Clarifications

If a patient does not have a living will, passive euthanasia can only be considered after approval from medical boards and the court.

A living will can only authorise passive euthanasia, which involves stopping life support.

Active euthanasia, where death is caused through medication, continues to be illegal under Indian law.

These safeguards have been put in place to prevent misuse and ensure that such decisions are taken only in genuine cases.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:42 IST

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K Kavitha Demands Return of Five Villages From Andhra To Telangana

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:11 IST

Kavitha stressed that the cultural and geographical significance of the area makes the issue critical for Telangana.

Telangana Jagruthi Chief K Kavitha

Telangana Jagruthi Chief K Kavitha on Sunday raised the demand for the return of five villages from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana, calling it a long-pending issue linked to the States formation.

Speaking at a meeting held at the Ambedkar Centre in Bhadrachalam, Kavitha said that administrative decisions taken during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had resulted in injustice to the region.

She pointed out that Bhadrachalam district has three towns, but during the division of the two States, seven mandals were transferred to Andhra Pradesh.

When Andhra and Telangana were separated, seven mandals were taken away and given to Andhra. One of those mandals contains the historic Bhadrachalam temple," she said.

#WATCH | Bhadradri Kothagudem, Telangana: Telangana Jagruthi Chief K. Kavitha holds a meeting at the Ambedkar centre in Bhadrachalam, says,  There are three towns in Bhadrachalam district. When Andhra and Telangana were separated, seven mandals were taken away and given to pic.twitter.com/GyaxlNgyxj ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

Kavitha stressed that the cultural and geographical significance of the area makes the issue critical for Telangana.

She added that Telangana Jagruthi has been consistently demanding corrective measures and urged both the State and Central governments to address the matter.

I demand that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the centre should take special note. This is a heritage temple. This is a historic temple. It has a history of Lord Ram himself living here in the forest. We demand that five villages from Andhra be returned to Telangana," she said

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Location : Telangana, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:10 IST

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Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya praised the decision to allocate funding to Ukraine, made at the European Council meeting. Kyslytsya posted his review on X on Friday morning.

Indeed, there are moments when one should keep in mind that Perfect is the enemy of good. It was a long night for European leaders but they were able to come up with a workable result. Some $ 105 bln of support Ukraine needs to keep protecting Europe while defending itself, Kyslytsya said on X.
Siddaramaiah Holds High-Profile Dinner Meet With Karnataka Ministers, Sparks Leadership Buzz

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CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra



Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:44 IST

Siddaramaiah attended a dinner meeting with close cabinet colleagues at minister Satish Jarkiholis residence in Belagavi, hours before his Assembly address.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (File photo/PTI)

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday attended a dinner meeting with a group of senior ministers and legislators at the residence of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi in Belagavi, a gathering that has triggered fresh political speculation amid the ongoing leadership tussle within the ruling Congress.

The dinner took place just hours before Siddaramaiah was scheduled to address the Legislative Assembly during the winter session, which is nearing its conclusion.

The meeting also assumed significance as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly projected Siddaramaiah as an outgoing Chief Minister," intensifying the political narrative around a possible change in leadership.

News agency PTI quoted sources and reported that those present at the dinner hosted by Jarkiholi included senior ministers G Parameshwara, HC Mahadevappa, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, MC Sudhakar, and Congress MLA AS Ponnanna.

All attendees are considered close to Siddaramaiah and are seen as part of his core support group within the party.

Responding to questions about Siddaramaiahs dinner meeting with close cabinet colleagues, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar played down its significance.

Let them meet, I am happy. Can we say they should not have a meal? Why should I bother about it? We have come from outside. They would have invited. Whats wrong?" Shivakumar said.

Meanwhile, despite the heavy political undertones, the Chief Ministers legal advisor, AS Ponnanna, attempted to downplay the gravity of the meeting.

Speaking to the media, Ponnanna clarified that while seven to eight leaders were present, the atmosphere was casual.

I was there, we had dinner together," Ponnanna said.

The Chief Minister wasnt feeling well and only had some soup before leaving early. There was no specific political discussion other than strengthening the party after the current session," he added.

Siddaramaiah is likely to use his address in the Assembly today to announce a major package for North Karnataka and to highlight the achievements of his government over the past two-and-a-half years.

The dinner meeting at Jarkiholis residence followed another gathering the previous night, when the senior minister hosted over 30 like-minded" Congress legislators at a hotel in Belagavi.

While Siddaramaiah did not attend that meeting, his son and MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, along with MLA and confidant KN Rajanna, were among those present.

These back-to-back meetings have come against the backdrop of heightened speculation over the chief ministerial post, as the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20.

The speculation has been linked to a reported power-sharing understanding reached in 2023 between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar.

Earlier this month, over 30 Congress legislators, including some ministers, had also attended a dinner meeting with Shivakumar on the outskirts of Belagavi.

While several party leaders have dismissed these meetings as routine interactions during the ongoing winter session of the legislature, others have suggested that important political developments were discussed.

Amid rising speculation, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had recently held breakfast meetings at each others residences on the instructions of the party high command.

These meetings were widely seen as an attempt to pause the leadership tussle and signal Siddaramaiahs continuation as Chief Minister for the time being, especially ahead of the Belagavi legislature session that began on December 8.

The winter session of the Karnataka Legislature is scheduled to conclude on Friday.

ALSO READ | War Of Words Between DK Shivakumar, BJPs BY Vijayendra Over Corruption

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:42 IST

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KSRTC To Run 1,000 Christmas Special Buses: Routes, Dates And Key Details

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:13 IST

KSRTC has stated that, apart from the announced 1,000 extra buses, additional services will be operated from all taluk and district bus stands based on real-time passenger demand.

Passengers can book tickets online via ksrtc.karnataka.gov.in or at advance reservation counters across Karnataka and other states. Image: KSRTC

With Christmas travel expected to peak across Karnataka, KSRTC has announced an expanded bus operation to help passengers avoid last-minute congestion. In view of the Christmas festival on December 25, the state transport corporation will operate 1,000 additional buses over multiple days, supplementing its regular schedules. The move is aimed at easing pressure on popular routes from Bengaluru and other major cities during both the outbound and return travel phases.

KSRTCs special services will operate on December 19, December 20 and December 24, covering the main pre-Christmas travel rush. To handle return traffic, additional buses will be operated from various intra-state and inter-state locations to Bengaluru on December 26 and December 28.

Bengaluru as the main departure hub

Kempegowda Bus Station will serve as the primary hub for the Christmas special services. KSRTC will operate exclusive buses from Bengaluru to a wide range of destinations across Karnataka and neighbouring states, covering pilgrimage centres, coastal towns, district headquarters and major cities.

Travel belt Destinations covered Pilgrimage centres Dharmastala, Kukke Subramanya, Shringeri, Horanadu, Tirupati Coastal and Malnad Mangaluru, Kundapura, Gokarna, Karwar, Sirsi Central Karnataka Shivamogga, Hassan, Davangere North Karnataka Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar Inter-state routes Hyderabad, Vijayawada

These routes are among the most sought-after during the festive season, with high demand from families, pilgrims and long-distance travellers.

Special services from Mysuru Road Bus Station

To decongest Kempegowda Bus Station and improve regional connectivity, KSRTC will also operate exclusive Christmas special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station. These services are aimed at passengers travelling towards Mysuru district and Kodagu, which traditionally see a spike in holiday travel.

Region Destinations Mysuru region Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna Kodagu belt Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri

Passengers departing from south and southwest Bengaluru are expected to benefit the most from these services, as they reduce the need to travel to the city centre for long-distance buses.

Booking tickets and travel planning

Advance reservation has been enabled for all special buses through KSRTCs computerized booking system. Passengers can book tickets online via ksrtc.karnataka.gov.in or at advance reservation counters across Karnataka and other states. KSRTC has advised reserved passengers to carefully check the boarding point printed on their ticket, as special buses may depart from specific terminals or platforms.

For travellers outside Karnataka, KSRTC booking counters are operational in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Puducherry, Maharashtra and Goa, allowing passengers to plan return journeys to Bengaluru in advance.

Additional services if demand rises

KSRTC has stated that, apart from the announced 1,000 extra buses, additional services will be operated from all taluk and district bus stands based on real-time passenger demand. Information regarding departure points and timings has been integrated into the reservation system and is also available on reservation tickets and the official KSRTC website.

For passengers travelling during the Christmas rush, early booking, careful attention to boarding points and route selection remain key. With its expanded festive schedule, KSRTC aims to make holiday travel across Karnataka smoother, more predictable and less stressful for commuters.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:13 IST

News india KSRTC To Run 1,000 Christmas Special Buses: Routes, Dates And Key Details

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National Herald Case: ED Moves Delhi HC Against Sonia, Rahul Gandhi Challenging Trial Court's Ruling

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 21:19 IST

A Delhi court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the EDs money laundering complaint against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, in the National Herald Case.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday approached the Delhi High Court, challenging the trial court order that declined to take cognisance of the money laundering complaint against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and others in the National Herald case.

In its petition, the probe agency has questioned the findings of the trial court and sought appellate review of the decision refusing to proceed with the agencys complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

A Delhi Court on Tuesday refused to take cognisance of the EDs money laundering case against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and five others in the National Herald case. The court, however, said the central agency could continue its probe in the matter.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts set aside an order passed by a Magistrate court in this regard. He also ruled that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and the other accused are not entitled to receive a copy of the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Delhi Police in the case.

Complaint dismissed," Gogne said, but noted that it may take further submissions in the case, as the Delhi Police has registered a fresh FIR.

The ED, in its chargesheet, had named Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda, Young Indian, Dotex Merchandise and Sunil Bhandari as the main accused in the case.

It has been alleged that assets worth over Rs 2,000 crore belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) were wrongfully taken over.

Whats The Case?

The National Herald case is a legal dispute linked to the ownership and finances of National Herald, a newspaper started in 1938 by Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The paper was run by a company called Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which later stopped publishing and accumulated heavy losses and debt. Years later, a new company called Young Indian Private Limited acquired control over AJL by taking over its debt. Senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are shareholders in Young Indian, which brought the matter under legal and political scrutiny.

The petition in the National Herald case was filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012. The case mainly revolves around allegations that the takeover was done to gain control over valuable properties owned by AJL across India, rather than to revive the newspaper. Swamy filed a private complaint in court in 2012, accusing Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and others of wrongdoing connected to the takeover of AJL.

He alleged that AJL had a big loan (around Rs 90 crore) from the Congress party, and then a closely held company called Young Indian (majority owned by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi) took over almost all AJLs shares and assets  claimed to be worth much more  in a way that was allegedly improper.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 21:19 IST

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'Plagued By Corruption And Delays': BJP Vs Congress After Parliament Clears Bill To Rename MGNREGA

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:42 IST

The debate intensified after Rahul Gandhi criticised the government for pushing the Bill through Parliament without adequate scrutiny.

Amit Malviya and Rahul Gandhi. File image/PTI

A political war of words has erupted between the BJP and the Congress over the governments move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new framework titled the Viksit BharatGramin Rozgar Aur Maanav Garima (VB-G RAM G) scheme.

The debate intensified after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of demolishing" MGNREGA, calling the new law an attempt to weaken a rights-based, demand-driven employment guarantee and centralise control over rural livelihoods.

In a social media post, Gandhi said the proposed scheme dilutes workers bargaining power, caps employment, and disproportionately harms women, Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalised communities.

He also criticised the government for pushing the Bill through Parliament without adequate scrutiny, alleging that opposition demands to refer it to a Standing Committee were rejected.

Responding sharply, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya defended the proposed scheme, arguing that MGNREGA, while introduced with a well-meaning objective, has suffered from long-standing problems such as corruption, delayed wage payments, poor-quality assets and limited long-term economic impact.

He said VB-G RAM G is designed to address these structural shortcomings while retaining the core goal of rural empowerment.

Malviya said the new model focuses on durable, village-level asset creation rather than short-term wage distribution.

According to him, projects under VB-G RAM G are aimed at boosting local economies through investments in irrigation, rural roads, storage facilities, skill centres and agricultural infrastructure.

He also highlighted the schemes emphasis on skill-linked employment, claiming it would train rural youth on the job and improve their chances of moving beyond daily wage work.

The BJP leader further said the proposed framework includes stronger transparency and accountability measures, such as digital monitoring, geo-tagging of assets, direct benefit transfers and community audits, to curb leakages and political misuse.

MGNREGA was introduced with the intention of providing employment security to rural India. While the intent was noble, over the years the scheme has suffered from chronic issues such as corruption, delayed payments, poor asset quality, and limited long-term economic impact.VB-G https://t.co/TtkCNN2JDl pic.twitter.com/RU0L1LKX52  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) December 19, 2025

Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill through a voice vote amid protests by opposition parties, which staged a sit-in outside Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex.

The legislation seeks to replace MGNREGA, which has provided 100 days of guaranteed unskilled wage employment to rural households since 2005.

Tabling the Bill earlier this week, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the new law would retain the legal guarantee of employment while expanding the scope of rural work by linking it to infrastructure development, natural resource management and livelihood generation.

The Bill also provides for demand-based employment, time-bound work allocation and wage payments through direct benefit transfer.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:42 IST

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PM Modi Gets Top Honours From 5 Of 6 Gulf Nations. Which Are They?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:44 IST

PM Modi has received 29 international awards since he assumed office in May 2014.

Rapid Read

PM Modi receiving the Order of Oman (First Class) from Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with Omans highest national award, The First Class of the Order of Oman, during his two-day visit to the Gulf nation, another testimony to his global stature.

The Order of Oman is the highest national honour awarded by the Sultanate of Oman to foreign heads of state and distinguished global leaders. This is the latest addition to PM Modis distinguished list of highest civilian awards from foreign nations, including recent honours such as Ethiopias Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia and Kuwaits Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer.

The Indian PM said the award was a symbol of affection and trust between the people of India and Oman and dedicated the honour to the ancestors of both nations who laid the foundations of this relationship by travelling from Mandvi to Muscat.

This recognition is PM Modis 29th international award since he assumed office in May 2014, including top honours from five of the six Gulf nations.

Which Are The Awards PM Modi Received From Gulf Nations?

Saudi Arabia (Order of King Abdulaziz) : The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conferred its highest civilian honour to Prime Minister Modi in April 2016 during his visit to the country. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.

: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conferred its highest civilian honour to Prime Minister Modi in April 2016 during his visit to the country. The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state. United Arab Emirates (Order of Zayed) : During his visit to the UAE in August 2019, PM Modi was conferred the countrys top civilian honour by Abu Dhabis crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in recognition of his pivotal role in building the strategic relationship between the two countries.

: During his visit to the UAE in August 2019, PM Modi was conferred the countrys top civilian honour by Abu Dhabis crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in recognition of his pivotal role in building the strategic relationship between the two countries. Bahrain (King Hamad Order of the Renaissance) : Soon after his UAE visit in 2019, PM Modi went to Bahrain  the first visit by an Indian leader at the time. He was honoured with The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance", the countrys top civilian award, as he held talks with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

: Soon after his UAE visit in 2019, PM Modi went to Bahrain  the first visit by an Indian leader at the time. He was honoured with The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance", the countrys top civilian award, as he held talks with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Kuwait (Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer) : PM Modi was conferred with Kuwaits highest civilian honour, the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Order, in a ceremony held today at Bayan Palace by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in December 2024. He joined the likes of US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush and UK royal King Charles III with this award.

: PM Modi was conferred with Kuwaits highest civilian honour, the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Order, in a ceremony held today at Bayan Palace by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in December 2024. He joined the likes of US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush and UK royal King Charles III with this award. Oman (Order of Oman): Sultan Haitham bin Tarik conferred the prestigious First Class of the Order of Oman to PM Modi on Thursday for his contributions to strengthening bilateral ties. This places Prime Minister Modi among an exclusive group of world leaders and global icons, including Queen Elizabeth II and South Africas Nelson Mandela.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 14:51 IST

News india PM Modi Gets Top Honours From 5 Of 6 Gulf Nations. Which Are They?

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'Will Be Asset For Our Party': PM Modi Meets BJP National Working President Nitin Nabin

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 23:00 IST

BJP leader Nitin Nabin assumed charge as the partys National Working President on Monday at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

PM Modi met BJP National Working President Shri Nitin Nabin (Credits: X)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met BJP National Working President Shri Nitin Nabin and congratulated him on taking up his new responsibility in the party.

Sharing details of the meeting in a post on social media, the Prime Minister said, Met BJP National Working President Shri Nitin Nabin Ji. Congratulated him on his new responsibility and wished him the very best in his endeavours to strengthen the Party at the grassroots. I am confident that his organisational and administrative experience will be an asset for our Party as we all work together to fulfil peoples aspirations."

Bihar minister and BJP leader Nitin Nabin assumed charge as the partys National Working President on Monday at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.

The occasion was attended by several senior leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda. The BJP parliamentary board had announced Nabins appointment to the post a day earlier, with immediate effect.

Party leaders said the move is an important organisational step, as Nabin is expected to play a key role in the partys leadership and internal coordination in the coming months.

Met BJP National Working President Shri Nitin Nabin Ji. Congratulated him on his new responsibility and wished him the very best in his endeavours to strengthen the Party at the grassroots. I am confident that his organisational and administrative experience will be an asset for pic.twitter.com/cZsKJ5qGlw Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 19, 2025

After taking charge, Nabin addressed party leaders and workers, describing the appointment as a responsibility given by the organisation.

A small worker like me has been given a very big responsibility. The partys mantra is to keep working for the organisation, and the organisation always recognises commitment and hard work," he said.

Nabin is currently serving as Bihars Public Works Department (PWD) minister and is a five-time MLA from the Bankipur assembly constituency in Patna.

He is the son of the late BJP leader and former MLA Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha. Nabin entered electoral politics in 2006 at the age of 26, winning a by-election held after his fathers death.

Senior party leaders describe him as a leader with a strong focus on organisation and ideology. His long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), along with his experience as a Bihar minister and as the BJPs in-charge for Chhattisgarh, is often cited as proof of his administrative and organisational abilities.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 23:00 IST

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'Sar Tan Se Juda Slogan Challenges India's Sovereignty, Integrity': Why Allahabad HC Denied Bail In Bareilly Violence Case

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Last Updated: December 20, 2025, 03:02 IST

The court said such expressions go beyond protected speech and fall within the realm of incitement and unlawful conduct

The case stems from violence that allegedly broke out following a call for a protest despite prohibitory orders being in force in UP's Bareilly district. File pic/PTI

The Allahabad High Court recently observed that raising the slogan gustakh-e-nabi ki ek saja, sar tan se juda" amounts to a direct challenge to the authority of law and the sovereignty and integrity of India, while rejecting a bail plea in a case related to Bareilly violence.

On September 26 this year, violence erupted in Bareilly during a protest over alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet, and rising tensions triggered by objections to I Love Muhammad" posters in Kanpur.

Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal, in a detailed order, ruled that Indian criminal law already provides specific punishments for acts that insult religion or promote communal enmity, and that advocating beheading as punishment through public slogans cannot be legitimised under the constitutional framework.

The court said such expressions go beyond protected speech and fall within the realm of incitement and unlawful conduct.

Moreover, the judge held that this slogan incites the people to armed rebellion, which is not only punishable under Section 152 BNS but also against the basic tenets of Islam.

Justice Deshwal emphasised that Prophet Muhammad met disrespect with kindness, not violence, noting that slogans calling for beheading are contrary to his ideals and instead promote hostility and enmity.

The observations were made while dismissing the bail application of Rihan, an accused in Case Crime No. 489 of 2025 registered at Kotwali police station in Bareilly. The case stems from violence that allegedly broke out following a call for a protest despite prohibitory orders being in force in the district.

According to the prosecution, the president of the Ittefaq Minnat Council, Maulana Taukir Raza, along with another leader, Nadeem Khan, had called upon members of the Muslim community to gather after namaz on September 26 at the grounds of Islamia Inter College. Anticipating the gathering, the police imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, prohibiting assemblies of more than five persons.

Despite the restrictions and police requests not to proceed, a crowd of around 500 people allegedly assembled in the Biharipur area. The FIR records that slogans against the state were raised and that the crowd repeatedly chanted gustakh-e-nabi ki ek saja, sar tan se juda". When police personnel attempted to prevent the gathering from moving further, the situation allegedly escalated into violence.

The prosecution alleged that members of the crowd resorted to stone pelting, firing, and throwing petrol bombs, resulting in injuries to several policemen. Public and private vehicles were also damaged during the incident. Seven people, including the applicant, were arrested on the spot. Subsequent investigation, based on statements of the arrested accused, identification by witnesses, and CCTV footage, led to the naming of 25 accused and around 1,700 unidentified persons.

Before the high court, Rihan denied involvement and claimed false implication. He argued that he was not arrested from the spot, had no criminal antecedents, and that there was no material to establish his participation in the alleged offences.

Rejecting these submissions, the court said the case diary contained sufficient material to show that Rihan was part of an unlawful assembly that violated prohibitory orders, raised objectionable slogans and engaged in violence against the police.

The court underscored that slogans advocating punishments not recognised by Indian law undermine the constitutional and legal system, and cannot be defended as religious expression.

Holding that the acts alleged were offences against the state, the High Court concluded that no ground for bail was made out and dismissed the application.

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First Published: December 20, 2025, 03:02 IST

News india 'Sar Tan Se Juda Slogan Challenges India's Sovereignty, Integrity': Why Allahabad HC Denied Bail In Bareilly Violence Case

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Sydney Attacker Last Visited India In 2022; Australian Citizenship Denials, Travels Under Scanner

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:23 IST

Telangana Police are tracing details of Akrams multiple visits from Sydney to Hyderabad, particularly during 200001, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2016 and his final visit in 2022.

Two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney. (AFP)

Bondi Beach terror attack accused Sajid Akram made multiple attempts to obtain Australian citizenship but was denied every time, intelligence agencies sources have reveal. According to intelligence sources, Sajid Akram continued to hold an Indian passport throughout his 27-year stay in Australia after being repeatedly denied citizenship.

Akrams family, police say, never explained why his applications were rejected each time. Australian citizenship is mandatory to exercise voting rights in the country.

Sources said Akrams inability to secure Australian citizenship came up during the questioning of his family members in Hyderabad.

Telangana Police sources said they are now tracing details of Akrams multiple visits from Sydney to Hyderabad, particularly during the years 200001, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2016 and his final visit in 2022. A detailed probe is underway to ascertain the purpose and pattern behind these repeated travels.

In the backdrop of the Sydney shooting, Indian and Australian security agencies are jointly conducting a comprehensive investigation into Sajid Akrams past, including his international travel history, financial transactions and personal associations.

As of now, police said there is no evidence of Akram travelling to Pakistan as yet, though his entire travel history remains under scrutiny.

Key Timeline Under Probe

 1998: Sajid Akram completed his Bachelors degree at Anwar-ul-Uloom College, Nampally, and travelled to Australia on a student visa on November 8.

 Early 2000: Akram returned to Hyderabad to inform his family about his intention to marry Venera Grosso, an Australian permanent resident of European origin. Sources said he faced resistance from family members. He is said to have introduced his wife, Venera Grosso, but his father was completely against it. After much convincing, he is said to have got the consent of his mother and help of some relatives. A traditional Nikah according to Muslim customs was later conducted in Hyderabad.

 2001: Akram converted his student visa to a partner visa following his marriage with Grosso. He tried multiple jobs and finally settled down as a fruit seller.

 August 12, 2001: His son Naveed Akram  later identified as one of the attackers  was born in Australia and automatically acquired Australian citizenship. AT a young age of 19, he completes his vocational training and later found a job as a brick layer, his first formal job. Akram also has a daughter from Grosso, born years later.

 200304: Akram visited Hyderabad with his wife, followed by another visit in 2004 when he introduced his three-year-old son Naveed to relatives.

 2008: Akram obtained a Resident Return Visa, allowing him to retain Permanent Resident (PR) status and travel in and out of Australia.

 2009: Akrams father passed away. Police said he did not attend the funeral, citing inability to arrive in time, but travelled to Hyderabad later.

 2012: He visited Hyderabad again in February and renewed his Indian passport for a 10-year validity.

 2016: Amid a prolonged property dispute over ancestral property in Shalibanda, Hyderabads Old City, Akram travelled to India to finalise the sale. He reportedly came with his teenage son to sign the documents.

 2018: Using proceeds from the property sale, Akram purchased a house in the Australia. His wife held a share in the property, which Akram reportedly transferred his share of the property too fully to her in February last year.

 2022: Akram made his final visit to Hyderabad in February, during which he met family members and renewed his passport once again for a period of ten years

Police officials say that Akrams family in Hyderabad claim they have no knowledge of his radicalisation or extremist activities.

Indian and Australian security agencies are jointly conducting a comprehensive investigation into Sajid Akrams past life, international travel history, financial transactions, and personal associations.

Investigators said the focus remains on reconstructing his travel and financial trail as part of the ongoing joint probe.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:23 IST

News india Sydney Attacker Last Visited India In 2022; Australian Citizenship Denials, Travels Under Scanner

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Tamil Nadu Draft Electoral Roll Out: How To Check If Your Name Is On Voters List

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 17:46 IST

Tamil Nadu SIR: Voters can verify whether their names appear in the draft electoral roll through the official website of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tamil Nadu.

The ECI said voters can submit claims for inclusion, correction or deletion of entries once the draft roll is published.(Representational pic; News18)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) released the draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Voters have been given a one-month window to verify their details and submit claims or objections before the final roll is published. According to the ECI, the draft roll aims to improve the accuracy of electoral data by identifying deceased voters, duplicate entries and those who have permanently shifted residence.

Tamil Nadu SIR: How Can Voters Check Their Names In The Draft Rolls?

Voters can verify whether their names appear in the draft electoral roll through the official website of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tamil Nadu. The Election Commission said that reasons for deletion, if any, will be clearly indicated to ensure transparency. Voters can also check whether their names have been marked as absent", shifted" or deleted" as part of the SIR process.

Tamil Nadu SIR: How To Verify Your Details Online?

To check your name through the CEO Tamil Nadu website, follow these steps:

1. Visit the official CEO Tamil Nadu website.

2. Scroll to the Electoral Rolls section on the homepage.

3. Select the year of revision as 2026.

4. A district-wise list linked to the SIR exercise will appear.

5. Click Show next to your district.

6. Select your Assembly constituency to access booth-level voter data.

7. The data is available as PDF files hosted on Google Drive.

Alternatively, voters can search for their details using their EPIC number on the ECIs national portal at https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in/

Tamil Nadu SIR: What To Do If Your Name Is Missing Or Incorrect?

The ECI said voters can submit claims for inclusion, correction or deletion of entries once the draft roll is published. Claims and objections can be filed between December 19, 2025, and January 18, 2026. District Election Officers will also provide both hard and soft copies of the draft electoral rolls to representatives of recognised political parties during this period.

The Election Commission has urged voters to verify their details at the earliest to ensure their names appear correctly in the final electoral roll ahead of upcoming elections.

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Location : Tamil Nadu, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 17:46 IST

News india Tamil Nadu Draft Electoral Roll Out: How To Check If Your Name Is On Voters List

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'Traditional Medicine Has Not Received Recognition It Deserves': PM Modi At WHO Summit

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 19:23 IST

PM Modi at the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi urged greater trust and recognition for traditional medicine, highlighting its global significance.

PM Modi at WHO Summit. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that traditional medicine has not received the recognition it deserves and it has to win the confidence of the masses through science to expand its reach.

While addressing the closing ceremony of the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said that strengthening research, use of digital technologies and developing a trusted regulatory framework will further bolster traditional medicine.

Today, traditional medicine stands at a crucial juncture. A large portion of the worlds population has long relied on it. But despite this, traditional medicine has not received the recognition it deserves. Therefore, we need to win trust in this direction," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Today, traditional medicine stands at a crucial juncture. A large portion of the worlds population has long relied on it. But despite this, traditional medicine has not received the recognition it deserves. Therefore, we need pic.twitter.com/ZDcDjq2yys ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

The one whose body maintains this balance is healthy. Today, restoring balance is not just a global cause, but a global urgency. We will have to take steps at an even faster pace to address it," PM Modi said.

He further said that the question related to safety and evidence always crops up when it comes to traditional medicine.

India is continuously working in this direction. Here, in this summit, you all have seen the example of Ashwagandha. For centuries, it has been used in our traditional medical systems. During COVID-19, its global demand increased rapidly, and its use began in many countries," PM Modi said.

India is promoting Ashwagandha through its research and evidence-based validation," he added.

PM Modi further praised the WHO Summit saying that the collective efforts at the summit reflected the worlds readiness to take concrete steps in this direction.

He also emphasised the importance of Yoga and said that it is part of traditional medicine systems and the ancient Indian practice has shown the whole world the path to health, balance, and harmony. He recalled that sustained efforts by India, along with the support of more than 175 countries, led to the United Nations declaring June 21 as International Yoga Day.

Yoga has shown the whole world the path to health, balance, and harmony. Thanks to the efforts of India and the support of more than 175 countries, the United Nations declared June 21st as International Yoga Day. I commend every individual who has made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of yoga" he said.

#WATCH | Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "The success of this summit is very important from a global perspective. Traditional medicine systems also include yoga. Yoga has shown the whole world the path to health, balance, and harmony. Thanks to the efforts of India and pic.twitter.com/tzjlDGWFp0 ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

He further highlighted the deliberations over the past three days in the summit, saying that experts from across the world had engaged in meaningful discussions on traditional medicine, and expressed satisfaction that India had emerged as a strong global platform for such dialogue. He also acknowledged the active role played by the World Health Organization (WHO) in advancing this agenda.

PM Modi said it was a matter of pride for India that the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine has been established in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The world entrusted us with this responsibility with great confidence at the first Traditional Medicine Summit," he said.

He also emphasised mainstreaming traditional medicine and Indian Knowledge System through research, standardisation, and global collaboration.

During the event, PM Modi launched several landmark Ayush initiatives including My Ayush Integrated Services Portal (MAISP), a master digital portal for the Ayush sector.He unveiled the Ayush Mark, which is envisioned as a global benchmark for quality of Ayush products and services.

He also released the WHO technical report on training in Yoga and the Book From Roots to Global Reach: 11 Years of Transformation in Ayush. He also released a commemorative postal stamp on Ashwagandha, symbolising the global resonance of Indias traditional medicinal heritage.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the new WHO-South East Asia Regional Office complex in Delhi, which will also house the WHO India Country Office, marking a significant milestone in Indias partnership with the WHO.

He also felicitated the recipients of the Prime Ministers Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Promotion and Development of Yoga for the years 2021-2025, recognising their sustained dedication to Yoga and its global promotion.

WHO Global Summit On Traditional Medicine

The Summit, being held from December 17 to 19, is jointly organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Ayush. It is themed as Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being".

The three-day programme underscored Indias growing leadership and pioneering initiatives in shaping a global, science-based, and people-centred traditional medicine agenda.

The summit witnessed intensive deliberations among global leaders, policymakers, scientists, practitioners, Indigenous knowledge holders, and civil society representatives on advancing equitable, sustainable, and evidence-driven health systems.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:51 IST

News india 'Traditional Medicine Has Not Received Recognition It Deserves': PM Modi At WHO Summit

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Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia not to be involved in implementing EU summit decision to provide Ukraine with EUR 90 bln loan from EU budget

Three European Union member states  the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia  will not participate in the implementation of the decision to provide Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan from the EU budget.

This follows from the conclusions adopted during the European Council meeting on financing for Ukraine. The text of the conclusions was published on Friday morning.

In the meantime, with a view to ensuring the necessary financial support for Ukraine as from the second quarter of 2026, including its military needs, the European Council agrees to provide a loan to Ukraine of EUR 90 billion for the years 2026-2027 based on EU borrowing on the capital markets backed by the EU budget headroom. By means of enhanced cooperation (Article 20 TEU) in respect of the instrument based on Article 212 TFEU, any mobilisation of resources of the Unions budget as a guarantee for this loan will not have an impact on the financial obligations of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, the document reads.

The conclusions explain that this loan will be repaid by Ukraine only after receiving reparations. Until then, these assets will remain immobilised and the Union reserves its right to make use of them to repay the loan, in full accordance with EU and international law, the EU leaders noted.

The European Union also noted that in line with the European Councils previous conclusions which underline that, subject to EU law, Russias assets should remain immobilised until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates it for the damage caused by its war, the European Union, given the unprecedented situation, adopted on the basis of Article 122 TFEU exceptional, temporary and duly justified emergency measures immobilising such assets on a more sustained basis, the legislative basis for making this decision is substantiated.

Furthermore, the European Council called on the Council of the EU and the European Parliament to continue working on the technical and legal aspects of the instruments establishing a Reparation Loan based on cash balances linked to Russia's immobilised assets.

The conclusions also state that the European Council underlines the importance of the following elements with regard to the loan to be provided to Ukraine: a) the strengthening of the European and Ukrainian defence industry; b) Ukraine's continued adherence to the rule of law, including the fight against corruption; c) the specific nature of the security and defence policies of some Member States and the security and defence interests of all Member States.
Cardi B Set The Stage On Fire In Custom Gaurav Gupta Couture For Saudi Arabia Concert

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 17:04 IST

Rapper Cardi B performed at the Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh and wore a custom outfit by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta for her concert in Saudi Arabia.

Cardi B wore an Barbie pink, hooded Gaurav Gupta outfit while performing in Saudi Arabia

American rapper Cardi B was recently in full couture mode during her MDLBEAST Soundstorm performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She set the internet on fire, slipping into a jaw-dropping ensemble, perfectly balancing her bold aesthetic with the cultural sensitivity of the nation.

It was the Grammy Winners striking choice of a neon pink custom look from the shelves of ace Indian designer, Gaurav Gupta, that lit up the Saudi stage. Leaving the fashion world gasping for breath, Cardi B performed wearing a custom hot pink crystal-embellished couture, styled by Kollin Carter.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gaurav Gupta (@gauravguptaofficial)

Cardi Bs Head-Turning Look In Gaurav Gupta Couture Decoded

Besides her energetic performance in Saudi Arabia and warm audience interaction, the rappers stunning hot pink look received immense praise from fashion mongers. The outfit marked by the designers signature futuristic silhouette featured a hooded bodysuit in Candy Pink.

According to Gaurav Gupta, the ensemble was detailed with cascading ghungroo, crystal embellishments, and the houses Winged Panther emblem. It was further paired with a fluid, cloud-draped cape that effortlessly enhanced her overall beauty. The look is finished with a silver winged panther brooch, adding richness to her overall charm.

The Bodak Yellow hit maker accessorised her look with a blingy bracelet, stud earrings, and matching gloves. Thin strokes of eyeliner, blushed and highlighted cheeks, mascara-laden eyelashes, defined brows, and peach-tinted lips did her makeup. Meanwhile, the fashion queen left her tresses open and cascading down on her shoulders.

Cardi B In Rahul Mishras Customised Ensemble

This is not the first time Cardi B has turned heads in couture crafted by Indian designers. At Paris Haute Couture Week in July this year, she delivered iconic fashion moments that blended theatricality, bold designs, and artistry. Most notably, arriving at the Rahul Mishra Fall 2025 show was a nod to surrealism.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rahul Mishra (@rahulmishra_7)

She picked a stunning ruby-red, 3D floral gown, an artistic piece from Rahul Mishras Becoming Love collection, which featured hand-embroidered sculptural roses and made her look a standout moment at Paris Couture Week. The bustier long dress also came with a cinched waist, sequin-drenched details, and a corseted silhouette. It was adorned with large, sculptural, wire-frame roses that bloom around her like climbing vines.

The rapper accessorised her look with a statement sculptural choker and asymmetrical earrings from the Indian jewellery brand Tanishq. Further, channelling high fantasy energy", she opted for a sleek bun hairdo and nude yet glam makeup.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 17:04 IST

News lifestyle fashion Cardi B Set The Stage On Fire In Custom Gaurav Gupta Couture For Saudi Arabia Concert
Kajol, Rani Mukerji In Gold-White Outfits Are The 90s Reigning Fashion Queens

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:41 IST

Kajol and Rani Mukerji attended an NGO's event, which will award 500 scholarships to young girls, including specially abled children from BMC schools.

Rani Mukerji and Kajol attend an event in Mumbai together

Cousins Rani Mukerji and Kajol recently reunited in Mumbai for a good cause. The two actors attended a function for the Bhamla Foundations Empower to Educate  Supergirls of Tomorrow. Joined by Amruta Fadnavis, they showed their support for this scholarship programme that is dedicated to supporting young girls from BMC schools through academic assistance and mentorship.

The 90s actors, who starred together in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, also showed exactly why they are the reigning fashion queens. The two showed up at the Apostolic Carmel High School for the Bhamla Foundation event in ethnic white and gold looks that were elegant and classy.

They shared a sweet moment as the two hugged and posed for the paparazzi.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sanjay Tiwari (@bollywoodhelpline)

Kajol In Gold And Cream Co-ord Set

Kajol wore the Sehmat kurta and pant set by the brand Lajjooc. The cream-coloured long-sleeved kaftan kurta featured delicate gold work around the neck. Adding to the grandeur of the co-ord set was the thick white and gold border that ran along the hemline.

With a price tag of Rs 94,900, Kajols kaftan was flowy yet comfortable. She was styled by stylist Radhika Mehra. She paired the kurta with white, straight-legged satin pants with gold embroidery and gold pointed-toe, heeled shoes.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollywood Celebrity Style (@bollywoodwomencloset)

Unfortunately for Kajol, she had an awkward moment earlier that day when she lost her balance because of the heels. However, she was quick to recover and continued walking forward with confidence. She even smiled and greeted everyone warmly.

Rani Mukerji In An Off-White Floral Suit

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollywood Celebrity Style (@bollywoodwomencloset)

Not one to be outdone, even though it is her cousin sister, Rani Mukerji, wore an off-white Sabyasachi kurta set. It features wide-legged pants with floral motifs that are carried over to the matching long-line kurta. She wore a sheer white dupatta with burnished gold borders to add some visual depth to the look.

She styled the look with oversized gold wire frames and a few rings. Rani wore her hair straight with a few soft curls at the end.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:41 IST

News lifestyle fashion Kajol, Rani Mukerji In Gold-White Outfits Are The 90s Reigning Fashion Queens
Tara Sutaria Lights Up AP Dhillons Pune Concert In A Sparkling Silver Mini Dress

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:48 IST

Tara Sutaria stunned in a silver sparkling mini dress at AP Dhillon's Pune concert. With a plunging neckline and a backless design, the look is now on everyone's mood board.

Tara Sutaria dazzles in a silver mini dress.

Concert style rarely aims for polish. It thrives on movement, mood, and magnetism. At AP Dhillons high-voltage Pune concert, Tara Sutaria quietly redefined what onstage glamour can look like. Her surprise appearance during the finale didnt just electrify the crowd; it delivered a fashion moment that felt instinctive, confident, and perfectly attuned to the energy of the night.

Tara Sutaria stepped onto the stage in a shimmering silver mini dress that balanced drama with ease. Cut with a plunging halter neckline and a backless silhouette, the dress leaned into sensuality without tipping into excess. The waistline featured subtle fluid pleating, allowing the fabric to sway naturally with every step and spin  a detail that made the ensemble feel alive under concert lights.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TARA (@tarasutaria)

While the silhouette was playful and youthful, the polished, metallic texture elevated the look far beyond a typical party dress. It caught the light from every angle, ensuring Tara remained visually anchored to the performance even amidst flashing LEDs and roaring guitars.

What made the outfit work so seamlessly was its practicality. The short hemline and fluid structure allowed unrestricted movement, which is essential for a live performance setting. Tara completed the look with dangling earrings that added sparkle without weighing her down, and matching heels that felt intentional yet performance-friendly. It was a reminder that great concert style isnt about layering or theatrics, but about choosing pieces that move with the body while holding their own under stage lights.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TARA (@tarasutaria)

Her makeup echoed the same balance of glamour and restraint. Tara opted for an illuminating base that glowed rather than shimmered, letting the dress take centre stage. Her eyes were defined with muted sparkly eyeshadow, a soft kohl outline, and a delicate glitter wing that caught the light just enough to read from the crowd. A hint of blush and highlighter added warmth, while a matte nude lip grounded the look. Her hair was worn straight and loose with a centre part.

As AP Dhillon saved Thodi Si Daru for the finale, Taras entrance sent the crowd into a frenzy. Dancing alongside him, she blended effortlessly into his desi swagger, her presence amplifying the performance without overpowering it. Confetti burst into the air as the audience screamed along, turning the cameo into a shared cultural moment.

Tara Sutarias silver dress proved that sometimes, the most memorable fashion moments happen off the red carpet. Confident, kinetic, and unapologetically glamorous, her concert look has officially earned its place on every fashion lovers mood board.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:48 IST

News lifestyle fashion Tara Sutaria Lights Up AP Dhillons Pune Concert In A Sparkling Silver Mini Dress
How Much Water Do You Really Need Every Day? Doctors Break Down The Science

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:40 IST

Your individual water needs depend on many factors, including your health and how active you are and where you live. No single formula fits everyone.

Doctors recommend 2-2.5L water for adults.

Water is often hailed as the simplest health fix  drink more, feel better. From glowing skin to better digestion, hydration advice is everywhere. Yet despite how basic it sounds, the question of how much water you should actually drink in a day is far more nuanced than the popular eight-glasses-a-day rule suggests. Your bodys hydration needs are shaped by your physiology, lifestyle, environment, and even underlying health conditions. Understanding this balance is key  not just to staying hydrated, but to avoiding the risks of both dehydration and overhydration.

What Doctors Say About Daily Water Intake

There is no single formula that fits everyone," explains Dr. Harika Uppalapati, Consultant  General Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada, noting that hydration needs depend on factors such as activity levels, climate, and overall health. She points out that water makes up nearly 50 to 70 per cent of the human body and is essential for every system to function efficiently.

Similarly, Dr. Mayur V Prabhu, Head  Nephrology, KMC Hospital, Mangalore, emphasises moderation. For most healthy adults, he says, daily intake generally falls between 2 and 2.5 litres, but this should be adjusted based on heat exposure, physical exertion, and individual medical conditions.

Why Water Is Essential For Everyday Functioning

Water plays a critical role in eliminating waste through urine, sweat, and bowel movements, regulating body temperature, cushioning joints, and protecting sensitive tissues. As Dr. Uppalapati explains, even mild dehydration can affect energy levels, concentration, and physical performance. Over time, insufficient fluid intake may lead to headaches, fatigue, constipation, and dizziness  signals the body sends when its water balance is off.

How To Know If Youre Drinking Enough Water

Rather than rigid targets, doctors recommend listening to your body. According to Dr. Uppalapati, hydration is likely adequate if you rarely feel thirsty and your urine appears pale yellow or nearly colourless. She adds that commonly cited guidelines, around 3.7 litres per day for men and 2.7 litres for women, include fluids from all sources, not just water. Roughly 20 per cent of daily fluid intake typically comes from food, particularly fruits and vegetables.

Factors That Change Your Water Needs

Hydration requirements are not static. Body weight, exercise intensity, and environmental temperature all influence how much water you lose through sweat. Dr. Prabhu highlights the concept of insensible losses  fluid lost through breathing and perspiration, which increases in hot climates or during physical activity.

The body is remarkably adept at maintaining fluid balance. In normal health, it adjusts automatically by producing concentrated urine when water is low, or dilute urine when intake is high," he explains. This self-regulating system helps maintain equilibrium, unless underlying medical conditions interfere.

When Drinking Too Much Water Can Be Harmful

More water isnt always better. Dr. Prabhu cautions that in individuals with heart or kidney disease, excess fluid intake can overwhelm the bodys compensatory mechanisms, leading to dangerous conditions such as fluid accumulation in the lungs. In such cases, hydration plans must be tailored and supervised by a physician.

Hydration is about balance, not excess. While water remains fundamental to health, your ideal intake depends on your body, lifestyle, and medical context. Instead of blindly following generic rules, pay attention to physical cues, environmental demands, and professional advice. When consumed thoughtfully, water supports everything from metabolism to mental clarity  quietly doing its job, sip by sip.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:40 IST

News lifestyle health-and-fitness How Much Water Do You Really Need Every Day? Doctors Break Down The Science
Kareena Kapoor Drinks Coffee On An Empty Stomach; Here's What You Should Know

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:55 IST

There's a lot of conversation about the negative effects of drinking coffee on an empty stomach, but the truth is that caffeinated drinks affect everyone differently.

Kareena Kapoor Khan's love for coffee is well know, but one shouldn't drink it on an empty stomach

Kareena Kapoor Khans love for coffee has been well documented. The actor has been snapped multiple times leaving her home in Bandra, looking casually chic or fabulously glam, and with a coffee cup in hand. She has also shared her love for coffee in several interviews and even on Instagram.

So it is safe to say Kareena Kapoor is a coffee lover, and it is something she cant do without.

Recently, a clip from an episode with actor Aditya Roy Kapur from her talk show, What Women Want, is making the rounds of the internet. During the casual podcast, the two actors got talking about their morning routines, and Kareena shared how she begins the day.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@kareenakapoorkhan)

She took a moment to respond to Adityas question: What is my morning routine?"

Kareena said, Okay, that is a good question. I mean, what you said  I should not be doing that. But yeah, I have coffee in the morning on an empty stomach."

Aditya Roy Kapur reacted calmly and offered his take,But if it does not affect you, it is fine."

Kareena went on to explain that while she does not eat a full meal, but has a few nibbles: [I eat] soaked almonds or something before, not like a big breakfast. But that is enough."

The two also discussed the idea of having a few bites before drinking coffee. Aditya shared, They say even if you eat something, like, have five bites of something before that coffee, it is fine." Kareena added, So then I have that. That is my morning routine."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by India Forums (@indiaforums)

When asked to share his morning routine, Aditya shared, I try to drink water before anything else. For the last year or two, I have stopped looking at my phone as soon as I wake up. In the first half hour, I dont look at it. I noticed that it would get me into stuff I didnt want to get into as soon as my eyes opened, interacting with the world, work and all."

He also went on to share, I eat before I drink my coffee. Thats one good thing because drinking coffee on an empty stomach had led to strife, acidity, etc."

Why is drinking coffee on an empty stomach bad?

The idea that drinking coffee on an empty stomach is bad for you might be a modern day myth. It has also left the research community divided. Some believe that coffee creates higher incidents of acidity, while others believe it is just a stimulant that perks you up. Coffee affects every person differently.

IN general, its a myth that drinking coffee before breakfast is dangerous," said Bonnie Jortberg, PhD, RD, nutritional scientist and associate professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus told Health.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollywood Bubble (@bollywoodbubble)

Most people should not have an issue with drinking coffee on an empty stomach other than maybe having a little bit of extra stomach acid," she added.

In fact, according to a study by the European Society of Cardiology, there might be some benefits to drinking coffee in the morning. The research was led by Dr Lu Qi, from Tulane University, New Orleans, and they found people who drink coffee in the morning have a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a lower overall mortality risk compared to all-day coffee drinkers.

A report by heallthline.com suggests that only people who have a sensitive stomach will feel the negative effects of a morning coffee. A small proportion of people, who are extremely sensitive to coffee and regularly experience heartburn, vomiting, or indigestion  the frequency and severity of these symptoms remain constant regardless of whether they drink it on an empty stomach or with food.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 15:55 IST

News lifestyle health-and-fitness Kareena Kapoor Drinks Coffee On An Empty Stomach; Here's What You Should Know
Live-In Relationship Not Illegal, Allahabad High Court Directs Police Protection

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:34 IST

Ruling on 12 petitions, the Allahabad High Court said live-in relationships are not illegal and directed authorities to ensure police protection.

Allahabad High Court says live-in relationships are not illegal in India.

In a country where personal relationships often collide with social expectations, the Allahabad High Court has delivered a ruling that firmly places individual liberty above moral discomfort. By directing police protection for 12 live-in couples facing threats from their families, the court has reinforced a crucial message: adult relationships, even when unconventional, fall squarely within the protection of the Constitution.

The Case That Prompted The Order

The petitions were filed by 12 women from different districts of Uttar Pradesh, all of whom said their decision to live with their partners had resulted in intimidation and threats from family members. Despite approaching local police authorities, they claimed adequate protection was not provided  leaving the court as their last resort.

Justice Vivek Kumar Singh, hearing the matter, noted a rising number of similar cases reaching the judiciary, highlighting a gap between constitutional rights on paper and their enforcement on the ground.

Marriage Is Not A Prerequisite For Rights

At the heart of the judgment was a clear principle: the right to life and personal liberty does not hinge on marital status. The court observed that once an individual attains the age of majority, they are legally entitled to decide where they live and with whom. The bench made it explicit that choosing to live together without marriage does not constitute an offence under Indian law. Social discomfort, it said, cannot dilute constitutional protections. Morality may differ from household to household, but legality remains unaffected by those differences.

The ruling strongly reaffirmed the States obligation to protect its citizens. The court underlined that family members, or society at large, do not have the authority to interfere with the peaceful existence of consenting adults.

Importantly, the court distanced itself from earlier high court rulings that denied protection to live-in couples, stating those views were inconsistent with Supreme Court precedents. In cases where no offence has been committed, denying protection has no legal basis.

Legal Backing Beyond The Constitution

The judgment also aligned with the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which extends safeguards to women in domestic relationships"  a term that includes live-in partnerships. This legal recognition further strengthens the position that such relationships are not outside the laws protection.

The court also reiterated that long-term cohabitation can, in certain circumstances, attract legal presumptions similar to marriage, primarily to protect women and children.

Why This Ruling Matters Now

This decision arrives at a time when urban lifestyles are evolving faster than social acceptance. Live-in relationships are becoming more visible, yet remain vulnerable to familial and societal backlash. By ordering police protection and issuing clear guidelines for future threats, the Allahabad High Court has drawn a firm boundary: personal choice is not open to veto, and constitutional rights are not conditional.

This ruling is less about live-in relationships and more about autonomy. It reinforces a simple but powerful idea  that adulthood comes with the freedom to choose, and the law exists to protect that freedom, even when society hesitates to accept it.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:34 IST

News lifestyle relationship Live-In Relationship Not Illegal, Allahabad High Court Directs Police Protection
Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar Is A 'Quantum Leap In Indian Cinema', Says Ram Gopal Varma | Here's Why

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 11:24 IST

RGV lauded Aditya Dhar for not diluting his film's plot and assuming that the audience is intelligent.

Rapid Read

Dhurandhar was released on December 5.

Ranveer Singhs Dhurandhar has firmly established itself as one of Bollywoods biggest blockbusters, ensuring that Hindi cinema ends 2025 on an emphatic high. The Aditya Dhar-directed film has generated significant buzz, and many big names in Bollywood have appreciated the film. The latest to join this bandwagon is Ram Gopal Varma.

The filmmaker took to X and wrote, DHURANDHAR is not a film, it is a QUANTUM LEAP in INDIAN CINEMA. I believe that @AdityaDharFilms has completely and single handedly changed the future of Indian cinema, be it north or south. Thats because Duradhar is not just a film, it is a quantum leap."

DHURANDHAR is not a film , it is a QUANTUM LEAP in INDIAN CINEMAI believe that @AdityaDharFilms has completely and single handedly changed the future of Indian cinema , be it north or south ..Thats because Duradhar is not just a film.. it is a quantum leap What Dhurandhar  Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 19, 2025

The filmmaker added, What Dhurandhar achieves is not just scale, but a never-before-experienced vision not just in sight but in the mind. Aditya Dhar doesnt direct scenes here he engineers the states of minds of both the characters and us audience. The film doesnt ask for your attention. It commands it. From the very first shot, theres a sense that something irreversible has been set in motion, and the audience is no longer a spectator but an accomplice to the happenings on screen."

This is a film that refuses to be polite. The writing cuts with intent, the staging breathes menace, and the silences are as weaponised as the thunderous sound effects. Dhar understands that power in storytelling is not volume its pressure building. Every sequence feels compressed, like a spring being wound, never knowing when it will snap. And when it does, the impact is not just brutal, but it is also symphonically operatic," the filmmaker added.

He mentioned, The Performances in the film arent designed to be liked, but theyre designed to linger long after we leave the theatre. Characters walk in carrying history on their shoulders, and the film trusts the audience enough to read their scars rather than spoon-feed their backstories. This confidence, which could be easily mistaken for arrogance, is precisely what marks Dhurandhar as a turning point for Indian cinema. Dhar assumes that the audience are intelligent, which is the highest respect a director can pay to an audience, whereas most film-makers believe in dumbing down their films."

Ram Gopal Varma continued, Technically, the film redraws the grammar of mainstream Indian cinema. The sound design doesnt decorate scenes, it stalks them. The camera doesnt observe but it circles it like a predator. Action here isnt choreography for applause.. its perspectively justified and extremely ugly, the way real violence should feel."

But beyond craft, what truly elevates Dhurandhar is its intent. This is not a film chasing trends or validation. It is a solemn declaration that Indian cinema doesnt need to dilute itself to become successful and doesnt need to mindlessly copy Hollywood. Dhar proved that it can be rooted and still be internationally cinematic. When the final credits roll, you dont feel just entertained, you feel altered. And thats the mark of a filmmaker who isnt just making movies, but he is reshaping the very ground that all us film makers stand on," the director concluded.

Dhurandhar stars Ranveer Singh as Hamza, an Indian spy who infiltrates the crime-ridden lanes of Pakistans Lyari to dismantle terror networks backed by the ISI. The film has been widely praised for its gritty storytelling and powerhouse performances, particularly by Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, and Rakesh Bedi. The ensemble cast also includes Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal in pivotal roles.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 11:24 IST

News movies bollywood Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar Is A 'Quantum Leap In Indian Cinema', Says Ram Gopal Varma | Here's Why
Ishaan Khatter Talks About The Love Story Plot In Homebound

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 07:58 IST

The film, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, follows two childhood friends - Chandan, a Dalit (Vishal Jethwa), and Shoaib, a Muslim (Ishaan Khatter).

The film has been shortlisted for the Oscars 2026. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwas Homebound has recently added another feather to its cap. The film has now been shortlisted for the Oscars 2026. The movie, which hit theatres on September 26, had captivated audiences across the country with its storyline, societal issues, and emotional depth. While the story focused on the friendship between the two men, Ishaan revealed that he also had a love story arc in the film, which was eventually cancelled.

In an interview with Anupama Chopra for The Hollywood Reporter India, Ishaan Khatter said, I lost a love story but kept the soul of the film intact, which was the story between the friends." He added, There was a beautifully written track in the film that I think was very personal to Neeraj as well. We shot it and must credit on the table, Reem Shaikh, who played that character, was incredible."

Homebound- Storyline

The film directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, follows two childhood friends, Chandan, a Dalit (Vishal Jethwa), and Shoaib, a Muslim (Ishaan Khatter). Set in a North Indian town, Homebound depicts how they set out to become police officers in the hopes of escaping the deep-seated hostility they suffer. However, life takes an unexpected turn when the exam results are delayed, jeopardising their future and challenging their friendship as their desperation intensifies in this pursuit.

Homebound also explores the emotional complexity of friendship, as well as rural Indias sociopolitical challenges. The emotional drama was backed under the banners of Dharma Productions by Karan Johar, Somen Mishra, Apoorva Mehta and Adar Poonawalla. Melita Toscan du Plantier, Marijke and acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese are on board as executive producers.

Homebounds Global Impact

Homebound made its worldwide debut at Cannes 2025. This film marked Neeraj Ghaywans return to Cannes nearly a decade after his breakout feature Masaan premiered. While Homebound was Indias official Oscar submission, it was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:58 IST

News bollywood Ishaan Khatter Talks About The Love Story Plot In Homebound
Ishaan Khatter Warns Against Overexposure: 'You Run A Hazard As An Actor'

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Last Updated: December 20, 2025, 02:53 IST

Ishaan Khatter opens up on overexposure, social media boundaries and choosing meaningful cinema as Homebound becomes Indias Oscars 2026 entry.

Ishaan Khatter was last seen in Homebound. (Photo Credit: Instagram)

Ishaan Khatter may not be as prolific as many of his contemporaries, but the actor has steadily built a reputation for choosing substance over numbers. With Homebound emerging as Indias official entry to the Oscars 2026 in the International Feature Film category, Ishaan once again finds himself at the centre of critical acclaim. Headlining the film alongside Vishal Jethwa, Ishaans performance has been widely praised, reinforcing his belief that quality will always outweigh quantity.

During Zooms Best Performances Male 2025 roundtable, Ishaan candidly addressed whether he fears being overexposed in todays media-saturated world. Acknowledging the pressures that come with constant visibility, the actor said that while overexposure is a reality, it is equally important for actors to set personal limits.

Talking to Zoom, Ishaan said, In a media-heavy world, Dilip Sahab has been talking about this since the 70s that overexpose karke you run a hazard as an actor. Were living in a very overexposed world. There has to be a line you need to make for yourself. Agar sabki sunte jayenge, you look back 10 years down the line to see maine voh kiya hi nahi joh mujhe karna tha (When you look back 10 years down the line, you will notice how peoples opinions drove your career and thats not where you wanted to be). Vahi karta reh gaya joh sab mujhe keh rahe the. (I would end up doing what others said.)"

It Is a Personal Choice: Ishaan on Social Media and Living Fully

The actor further stressed that social media exposure should not be dictated by trends or external expectations. Reflecting on how rapidly the world has changed post-pandemic, Ishaan pointed out that artists must consciously decide what they want to prioritise.

He added, Everyone has some value to give and it is a changing world, and we are coming to terms with it. Two to three years of COVID felt like the world had flipped a decade. It is a personal choice how much you wish to expose and what your priority is. I like to do one thing at a time and immerse in that experience. When I have work, I will focus on that. In my free time, I can do this. After all, I have to earn a livelihood. I have to live this life. If we stop living that way, from where do we get those experiences?"

Homebounds Oscars shortlist has further validated Ishaans careful approach to his career. While the final nominations are yet to be announced, the films recognition has already marked a significant milestone for Indian cinema and for an actor who continues to let his work speak louder than visibility.

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First Published: December 20, 2025, 02:53 IST

News movies bollywood Ishaan Khatter Warns Against Overexposure: 'You Run A Hazard As An Actor'
Navya Naveli Nandas Stunning Ethnic Look Gets A Wow Comment From Suhana Khan

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 19:02 IST

Navya Naveli Nanda stuns in a brown lehenga, with her BFFs being the first to approve her look.

Navya subtly promotes Agastyas film Ikkis.(Photo Credit: Instagram)

As filmmaker Sriram Raghavans much-anticipated biographical war drama Ikkis gears up for its theatrical release on January 1, Navya Naveli Nanda has set social media buzzing with her latest Instagram post.

Sharing a series of stunning pictures, Navya offered a glimpse of her graceful ethnic style while subtly celebrating her brother Agastya Nandas upcoming film.

Navya Naveli Nandas Shimmering Lehenga Look Wins Hearts

For the special moment, Navya opted for a shimmering light-brown lehenga. The ensemble was elevated by a striking dupatta featuring a bold pink border adorned with intricate gold embroidery. She paired it with a deep V-neck blouse crafted from a rich, multi-toned brocade fabric in hues of blue, purple and green, adding a vibrant contrast to the muted lehenga base.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Navya Naveli Nanda (@navyananda)

Her jewellery choices further enhanced the regal aesthetic. Keeping things soft and elegant, her makeup featured glowing skin, defined brows, subtle eye makeup and a neutral pink lip shade. Her dark hair was styled in loose, flowing waves, framing her face effortlessly.

Navyas Caption and Musical Tribute to Ikkis

Navya captioned the post simply yet meaningfully with the word Sitaare", while also adding the song Sitaare from Ikkis to the post. The subtle tribute resonated with fans, who quickly flooded the comment section with love and admiration for her look and gesture.

Suhana Khan and Shweta Nanda React to Navyas Post

Among the many reactions, Navyas best friend Suhana Khan was quick to shower praise, commenting, Omg wowww". Navyas mother, Shweta Nanda, also shared her appreciation, writing, Wow".

Suhana Khan and Navya Naveli Nandas Enduring Friendship

Suhana Khan and Navya Naveli Nanda share a deep-rooted friendship that dates back to their childhood. Often seen together alongside Ananya Panday, the trio forms one of Bollywoods most talked-about star-kid friend circles. Having grown up in similar environments, they frequently celebrate milestones together and openly support each other on social media, reflecting their strong bond. Suhana is also reportedly dating Navyas brother Agastya Nanda, her co-star from The Archies.

Ikkis: Release Date, Storyline and Star Cast

Ikkis is scheduled to hit theatres on January 1. The film stars Agastya Nanda, Dharmendra, appearing in a posthumous on-screen role, and Jaideep Ahlawat. Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the war drama is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal and centres around the historic Battle of Basantar during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. The title Ikkis signifies the age at which Arun Khetarpal attained martyrdom.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Abhishek Bachchan (@bachchan)

The recently released trailer showcases Agastya Nanda portraying the brave army officer, highlighting his courage, sacrifice and unshakeable determination on the battlefield. Late actor Dharmendras appearance as Brigadier ML Khetarpal (Retd.), Arun Khetarpals father, has left viewers deeply emotional.

Supporting Cast of Ikkis

In addition to Agastya Nanda, Dharmendra and Jaideep Ahlawat, the film also features Ekavali Khanna, Shree Bishnoi, Vivaan Shah, Sikandar Kher, Suhasini Mulay, Aryan Pushkar, Simar Bhatia and several others, promising a powerful ensemble performance.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:55 IST

News movies bollywood Navya Naveli Nandas Stunning Ethnic Look Gets A Wow Comment From Suhana Khan
On the night of December 19 (from 18:30 on December 18), the enemy attacked with 160 Shaheds, Gerberas and other types of attack UAVs from the following directions: Orel, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Bryansk, Millerovo (Russian Federation), Hvardeyske (TOT Autonomous Republic of Crimea), about 90 of which were Shaheds, the Ukrainian Air Force reported on its Telegram channel.

"According to preliminary data, as of 8:00 a.m., air defense forces have shot down or suppressed 108 enemy Shaheds, Gerberas, and other types of UAVs in the south and east of the country. Forty-seven attack UAVs were recorded hitting 23 locations," the Ukrainian Air Forces reported.
Shah Rukh Khan's Vanity Van Has A Gym, Deepika Padukone Has 2 Vans: Designer Vinita Chaitanya

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:13 IST

She said that Deepika was among the first stars who wanted designer vans.

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Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika will be seen together in KIng.

Designer vanity vans with luxurious amenities have become common these days. Bollywood stars hire top interior designers to transform their vans, and one such designer is Vinita Chaitanya, who has worked with the likes of Deepika Padukone. Vinita, who is designing Deepika Padukones new home, has previously designed two vanity vans for the actress.

Speaking to Masoom Minawala, Vinita mentioned, Ive done her home many timesfrom her first apartment at Beaumonde to the one on top, which is her office. Then I did her van. In fact, two vans." She said that Deepika was among the first stars who wanted designer vans.

Vinita said, She really got it and wanted it a certain way. For me, it was great funexcept that I had to go to the middle of nowhere to work on the van with the technicians. But it was fascinating, especially learning how actors actually use their vans."

Theres a large van and a smaller vanthe smaller one is for closer commutes, while the larger one is used on bigger studio sets," she explained. Vinita also went inside Shah Rukh Khans van to do research for Deepika. What was interesting was that while researching other vans, I walked into Shah Rukh Khans van for the first time. They were shooting a film together," she recalled.

Vinita said that while Deepika had specific needs, Shah Rukh Khans van was designed for comfort and functionality. His van was fabulousit even had a little gym inside. Hes such a cool guy," she said.

While Vinita did not reveal her fees, she said, I dont know how many millions things costIm terrible with numbers. Even today in Dubai, I saw something while shopping with a client and told them, Dont ask me the price. You check if you can afford it, and if you can, thats what I want you to buy."

Vinita added, I dont budgetthe homeowner does. Everyone comes with a number theyre comfortable with, and if I feel I can deliver within that, I take up the project. Sometimes budgets arent realistic, honestly, and I feel I may not be able to do my best. I still try." People who come to me are either collectors or own homes ranging between 15,000 to 30,000 square feet on average. I only take up six projects at a time," she concluded.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:13 IST

News movies bollywood Shah Rukh Khan's Vanity Van Has A Gym, Deepika Padukone Has 2 Vans: Designer Vinita Chaitanya
Chris Evans Returns As Captain America In Avengers: Doomsday; Teaser Reveals Hes A Dad

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 05:34 IST

Avengers: Doomsday teaser confirms Chris Evans return as Captain America, revealing a surprising new chapter as Steve Rogers becomes a father.

Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday,

Chris Evans is officially returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Doomsday, and the comeback comes with an unexpected emotional twist. The first teaser for the upcoming Marvel tentpole confirms that Captain America is now a father, marking a dramatic evolution for the iconic superhero ahead of the films December 18, 2026 release.

The Cap-centric teaser debuted in theatres alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash and is part of Marvels year-long buildup to Doomsday. According to reports, additional teasers spotlighting other major characters are expected to roll out in the coming weeks.

Captain Americas Emotional Return

Set against the quiet calm of a countryside farm, the teaser opens with Steve Rogers riding a motorcycle home as a piano version of the Avengers theme plays softly in the background. He removes his helmetits blue shade a subtle nod to his Captain America suitand pauses to look at the iconic costume with quiet reflection. The moment turns deeply personal when Steve is seen cradling a newborn baby, his expression filled with pride and tenderness.

The teaser closes with the confirmation card: Steve Rogers will return for Avengers: Doomsday," followed by a countdown clock ticking toward the films release date exactly one year away. The reveal instantly sent fans into speculation mode, questioning how and when this version of Steve fits into the current MCU timeline.

How Steve Rogers Fits Into Doomsday

Audiences last saw Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame (2019), where he completed his mission of returning the Infinity Stones before choosing a life with Peggy Carter. After growing old with her in an alternate timeline, Steve returned briefly to pass his Vibranium shield to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), officially naming him the new Captain America.

The Doomsday teaser raises several questions: Has Steve returned to the main MCU timeline? Is this a younger variant or the same Steve from Endgame? And most intriguingly, who is the childand does the baby carry any super-soldier legacy?

While Evans briefly appeared in the MCU after Endgame with a cameo as Johnny Storm in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Avengers: Doomsday marks his full-fledged return as Captain America.

Evans is not the only familiar face coming back. Robert Downey Jr. will appear as Doctor Doom, while returning heroes include Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Rudd, Letitia Wright, Florence Pugh, Simu Liu and several others. Adding to the spectacle, characters from the X-Men universeincluding Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and James Marsdenwill also cross into the MCU, setting the stage for one of Marvels most ambitious crossover events yet.

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Location : Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 19, 2025, 05:34 IST

News movies Chris Evans Returns As Captain America In Avengers: Doomsday; Teaser Reveals Hes A Dad
Rob Reiner, Wife Michele Tried So Hard To Help Son Nick Before Their Tragic Murders: Report

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Last Updated: December 20, 2025, 02:06 IST

Sources say Rob and Michele Reiner spent years trying to help their troubled son Nick, who is now charged with their murders, but he didnt take the help seriously.

Rob Reiner and son Nick also reportedly clashed at a Conan OBrien holiday party.

Rob and Michele Reiner reportedly made sustained and heartfelt efforts over several years to help their troubled son Nick, but insiders say those attempts ultimately failed, long before the shocking tragedy that has now left Hollywood in mourning.

According to sources quoted by PEOPLE, the late filmmaker and his wife were deeply committed to supporting their youngest child, even as his behavior became increasingly difficult to manage. The loving parents tried so hard already for years," one source said, adding that their efforts were extensive and ongoing.

Another insider noted that Nick, now 32, repeatedly resisted the help offered to him. At the end of the day, Nick didnt take the help seriously. This was true for years and years. His issues were far, far out of his parents control," the source stated.

Years of Struggle Behind Closed Doors

Insiders describe a complex family dynamic shaped by empathy, fear and hope. Nick lied a lot. He was unreliable, but he was also convincing and intelligent," one source explained. Despite this, the family reportedly remained compassionate, understanding that his struggles influenced his behaviour.

The family was empathetic to how much his struggles contributed to his behavior. They never lost hope in him, even when he was scaring them or making their lives harder," the insider added.

On Sunday, December 14, Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found dead inside their Los Angeles home. Nick was arrested later that night and has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths. He appeared in court on December 17, where his lawyer, Alan Jackson, declined to enter a plea. His arraignment is scheduled to continue on January 7.

Nick previously collaborated with his father on the 2015 film Being Charlie, which Rob directed and which was loosely inspired by Nicks own experiences with addiction. At the time, Nick was open about his struggles, revealing he had been in and out of rehabilitation more than 18 times by the age of 22.

In a past interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rob and Michele candidly reflected on their regrets. The program works for some people, but it cant work for everybody," Rob said. When Nick would tell us that it wasnt working for him, we wouldnt listen. We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son."

Michele added, We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us hes a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them."

Following the tragedy, the couples other children, Jake, 34, and Romy, 28, released a statement expressing the unimaginable pain we are experiencing every moment of the day." They added, The horrific and devastating loss of our parents is something that no one should ever experience. They werent just our parents; they were our best friends."

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Location : Los Angeles, United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 20, 2025, 02:06 IST

News movies korean Rob Reiner, Wife Michele Tried So Hard To Help Son Nick Before Their Tragic Murders: Report
Dragon Movie Star Kayadu Lohar Joins Dulquer Salmaans Im Game | Photo

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:56 IST

In November, the actor took to social media to share the poster. He has not shared much details, but it has surely left fans super excited.

Dragon Movie Star Kayadu Lohar Joins Dulquer Salmaans Im Game

Dulquer Salmaan will soon be seen in an action drama titled Im Game. The announcement was made in November, and since then, fans have been waiting for new updates. Now, the makers have officially welcomed actress Kayadu Lohar on board. The announcement has generated buzz, especially as the film marks the first-ever collaboration between Dulquer Salmaan and Kayadu Lohar.

The makers shared the photo and wrote, Adding sparkle to #ImGame   thrilled to welcome the gorgeous #KayaduLohar!" Responding to the same, Kayadu Lohar posted Thanks DQ" (along with a shy and smiling emoji). This is Kayadu Lohars fifth Malayalam film. She has worked in Pathonpatham Noottandu and Oru Jaathi Jaathakam. She is awaiting the release of Tovino Thomas Pallichattambi.

Take a look here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nahas Hidhayath (@nahas_hidhayath)

Dulquer Salmaan Stuns In Rugged Avatar Of His Next Film IM GAME

In November, the actor took to social media to share the poster. He has not shared much details, but it has surely left fans super excited. He was last seen in Kaantha, released on November 14, 2025 Taking to his Instagram stories, Dulquer Salmaan shared the poster. The first-look poster features him in a fierce, sharp, and power-packed avatar. Dressed in a pinstriped suit, sporting a bloodied hand and holding a gun, he sits on a vibrant red couch surrounded by a mix of characters, hinting at a world filled with crime, intrigue, and high-octane drama.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Dulquer Salmaan shared the announcement poster and wrote, R E A D Y ??" The poster read IM Game. The first look poster will be released on November 28. Fans reacted with heart emojis. He is returning to Malayalam cinema after King of Kotha, which was released in 2023.

Kaantha- Cast and Storyline

The actor was last seen in Kaantha. The film received mixed response from the audience. Set in 1950s Madras, Kaantha explores the stormy relationship between rising film star T. K. Mahadevan (Dulquer Salmaan) and his mentor Ayya (Samuthirakani), a filmmaker whose mentorship finally leads to confrontation. Bhagyashri Borse plays Kumari, Mahadevans love interest, while Rana Daggubati portrays Inspector Devaraj, also known as Phoenix," a vital role in a strange crime that develops among clashing egos and mounting ambition.

Kaantha Faced Legal Trouble?

Kaantha, directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, has Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati on board, with Wayfarer Films and Spirit Media producing. While early conjecture suggested that Kaantha was a biopic of M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, Dulquer Salmaan and Rana Daggubati have confirmed that the film is entirely fictional. The film had been heavily criticised for reportedly relying on the life of famed Tamil actor and musician M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar (MKT), sparking issues over artistic freedom, defamation, and filmmakers duties.

The film was originally scheduled for a September release, but was moved back to allow the successful theatrical run of Lokah: Chapter 1  Chandra, which Dulquer also produced and became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:56 IST

News movies malayalam-cinema Dragon Movie Star Kayadu Lohar Joins Dulquer Salmaans Im Game | Photo
Thalapathy Vijays Jana Nayagan Second Song Oru Pere Varalaaru Out, Fans React

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:07 IST

Latest reports claim that the upcoming film is set to have a significantly longer runtime, making it Vijays longest movie since Nanban.

Jana Nayagan Second Song Oru Pere Varalaaru Out

Thalapathy Vijays much-awaited film Jana Nayagans second song, titled Oru Pere Varalaaru, has been released. Released amid massive anticipation, the song showcases Vijay in a powerful and charismatic avatar. The film is all set to release on January 9, clashing with Prabhass horror comedy The Raja Saab.

KVN Productions has shared the video, which immediately went viral. Vizhi thirayil paathaa Manam karanje pogum.. 2 Million+ real time views now #OruPereVaralaaru Lyric Video #JanaNayagan #JanaNayaganPongal #JanaNayaganFromJan9," reads the caption. One of the fans wrote, Thalaivaaaa". Many dropped fire emojis.

Watch the song here:

Jana Nayagans To Have Longest Runtime After Nanban?

Latest reports claim that the upcoming film is set to have a significantly longer runtime, making it Vijays longest movie since Nanban. The news has sparked major excitement among fans. Times Now has reported that Jana Nayagan will have a run time of 3 hours and 6 minutes, with the final portions paying tribute to the actors glorious film career. This comes second only to Vijay and director Shankars Nanban, which had a run time of 3 hours and 8 minutes.

Jana Nayagan Teaser To Release Soon?

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. 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.

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.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:07 IST

News movies tamil-cinema Thalapathy Vijays Jana Nayagan Second Song Oru Pere Varalaaru Out, Fans React
Hina Khans Morning Tea Comes With A View We Can Only Dream Of

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 17:28 IST

Hina took to her Instagram Stories to share a picture featuring the ocean-blue sea in the background, paired with a wooden table set with tea on top.

Hina Khan was last seen in the reality show Pati, Patni, Aur Panga(Photo Credit: Instagram)

The holiday season is officially here, and while most of us are still debating our travel plans, celebrities have already jetted off to their luxurious, picture-perfect escapes.

Joining the vacation brigade is Hina Khan, who is currently living her best life in the Maldives. The actress has been treating fans to stunning glimpses of her getaway on Instagram. On December 19, she shared a serene morning view from her stay, and its nothing short of breathtaking.

Hina Khans Serene Morning View Is Straight Out Of A Dream

Hina took to her Instagram Stories to share a picture featuring the ocean-blue sea in the background, paired with a wooden table set with tea on top, truly the kind of view one can only dream of. The text on the image read, My chai and this view" What could be better than starting the day with such a breathtaking sight, right?

Not just that, the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress also shared a few more updates that are bound to spark serious wanderlust among her followers. In one of the stories, Hina is seen flaunting her short hair as she stuns in a white strapless dress, perfectly suited for a beachside setting. In another picture, she poses effortlessly by the sea, serving major vacation goals.

Hina also gave a glimpse of her foodie side, sharing pictures of indulgent desserts and a variety of dishes laid out on the breakfast table. Clearly, the actress is having a wonderful time on her vacation.

More Moments From Maldives

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ???????????????? ???????????????? (@realhinakhan)

Hina shared a series of pictures from Maldives a few days ago, where she can be seen relaxing on a net swing while soaking in stunning views of the sea. The carousel is filled with fun moments and gorgeous clicks of the actress. She captioned the post, Golden December. A day well spent in my cosy villa."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ???????????????? ???????????????? (@realhinakhan)

She also shared another post in which she can be seen walking along a picturesque pathway in a sky-blue dress. Alongside solo shots, Hina posted a warm picture with her mother along with some cute clicks with Rocky Jaiswal. Her vacation pictures perfectly capture the joy and bliss shes experiencing on this dreamy getaway.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 17:28 IST

News movies television Hina Khans Morning Tea Comes With A View We Can Only Dream Of
Mrs Deshpande Review: Madhuri Dixit Anchors Nagesh Kukunoors Tense, Layered Crime Thriller

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 08:56 IST

Mrs Deshpande review: Madhuri Dixit delivers a powerful, chilling performance in Nagesh Kukunoors layered psychological crime thriller that grips till the final episode.

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Nagesh Kukunoors Mrs Deshpande is a gripping psychological crime thriller elevated by Madhuri Dixits restrained, haunting performance as an imprisoned serial killer pulled back into a chilling investigation.

Mrs Deshpande U 4/5 19 December 2025|Hindi, Marathi 6 Episodes | Crime Thriller Starring: Madhuri Dixit, Siddharth Chandekar, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Diksha Juneja, Pradeep Velankar, Kavin Dave, Nimisha Nair Director: Nagesh Kuknoor Platform: JioHotstar Watch Trailer

Mrs Deshpande Review: Madhuri Dixit carries a kind of concentrated intensity that feels almost royal, as if certain characters arrive in her body already crowned. Across decades and drastically different worlds, she has proven a rare elasticity of presence, the ability to slip into a role and make it look less like performance and more like revelation. Whether she was Pallavi Patel in Maja Ma, a closeted housewife standing at the trembling edge of self-acceptance, Bahaar Begum in Kalank, a courtesan draped in grace and quiet wounds, or the quintessentially sanskari Nisha Choudhury in Hum Aapke Hai Koun, Dixit has consistently made the emotional temperature of a scene rise simply by inhabiting it. And after watching Mrs Deshpande, Nagesh Kukunoors Indian adaptation of the French mini-series La Mante, it feels safe to say she has hit it out of the park yet again, in a clever, if imperfect, thriller that peels itself open like survival in Yakutsk: layered upon layered, and the more you strip away, the more you realise you are not just watching, you are sinking.

The premise arrives with the clean chill of a headline. A new string of murders replicates the exact modus operandi of killings committed twenty-five years ago by an imprisoned serial killer. With no room for coincidence, law enforcement relocates the original murderer, Mrs Deshpande, to a safehouse to help catch the emerging copycat. Madhuri Dixit plays Mrs Deshpande with a restraint that feels more terrifying than theatrics. She agrees to cooperate, but on one condition: she will work only with Inspector Tejas Phadke, played by Siddharth Chandekar, unaware that she is his mother. The hook is blunt, unsettling, and rich with psychological promise, because it makes the case procedural on the surface but deeply personal at its core.

The first episode wastes no time easing you in. A murder unfolds within minutes, swift and unsettling in its specificity. An actor is strangled with a thin neon green rope, a visual detail that burns itself into memory like a warning sign. The killer places one of the actors trophies in his hands, then glues his eyes so they cannot shut, forcing the dead to stare. When senior IPS officer Arun Khatri, played by Priyanshu Chatterjee, arrives, a deja vu settles over him like fog. He has seen this choreography before. He investigated these kinds of murders twenty-five years ago. He caught the culprit. It was Mrs Deshpande.

But Mrs Deshpande has been in a Hyderabad prison, living under another identity, Zeenat. From the beginning, Khatri knows this is not her doing. This is imitation, which in crime is its own kind of devotion: a killer borrowing not just technique, but myth. Inside the prison, Mrs Deshpande is shown tending to the kitchen, an almost eerie domestic detail that complicates the image of the monster. Khatri approaches her for help. She agrees. But again, only on her terms.

Parallelly, the series sketches Tejas Phadke in motion, the kind of cop who lives in the adrenaline of undercover work before being abruptly pulled into a nightmare built from old files and older sins. Khatri calls him in, asking him to drop everything and investigate the copycat. Outside the job, Tejas is shown in softer spaces. He dotes on his wife Tanvi, played by Diksha Juneja, who runs a hair and beauty salon with her friend Divya, played by Nimisha Nair. He is also close to his grandfather Dinanath Phadke, whom he fondly calls Ajoba, a detail that matters because it anchors Tejas in family warmth just as the story begins to corrode his idea of family altogether.

When Tejas reads Mrs Deshpandes case file, his perception of her is immediately fixed into something blunt and punitive. He approaches her like she is only what the file says she is: a serial killer, full stop. That bias colours the tone in which he speaks to her at the safehouse, and that friction becomes the engine of the show. From that moment onward, Mrs Deshpande begins to do what she does best: peel away certainty. Was she truly the menacing, ruthless killer Tejas has pictured? Who is the copycat who has been aping her methods? And how will this investigation alter the lives of everyone inside its orbit? The series does not hand you answers quickly. It asks you to keep walking deeper into its corridor of locked doors, for six episodes, and it is lengthy but gripping in the way a long night can be gripping when you cannot sleep because the mind refuses to stop turning.

Nagesh Kukunoor, after City Of Dreams and The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, once again demonstrates his fluency with OTT-coded storytelling. The series is mounted aptly, and it rarely feels padded. More importantly, the pace pulls you inward like an undertow. It draws you into the labyrinth of the case without relying on cheap noise. The narrative keeps itself curious and alert, exploring characters whose roles may not seem pivotal at first, but who end up forming essential parts of the larger machinery. Kukunoor also avoids the common trap of overindulging side plots that exist only to prolong runtime. Even when you can sense certain turns coming, the show remains watchable because it keeps the atmosphere taut and the motivations murky enough to sustain doubt.

The twists are spread with some balance, some arriving as surprises, others announcing themselves from a distance. But the series cleverness lies in how it keeps you from guessing too easily who matters, and why. The cinematography is top-notch, giving the show an aesthetic clarity that suits its cold procedural spine. The background score assimilates well with the screenplay, never clawing for attention but quietly tightening the mood. The opening theme, composed by Tapas Relia, stands out in particular, a sonic signature that settles into the show like an omen.

One of the shows most commendable achievements is how it adapts the original into an Indian milieu without feeling like a translated blueprint. Even without having watched the French series, you can sense the confidence of the adaptation, the way the story begins to feel like its own. The narrative absorbs social themes that fit the Indian context, threading in ideas around sexual abuse, trauma, sexuality, sexual identity, motherhood, and other crucial elements without turning the show into a lecture or a public service announcement. These themes are not announced; they are inhabited. They move through the characters histories and choices like currents under water, present even when unseen.

That said, the series is not without flaws. While it largely avoids the obvious cliches of the genre, some scenes do slip into familiar crime thriller tropes. These moments are noticeable precisely because the show spends so much time being textured and controlled. Still, even when it stumbles, it remains interesting, and it remains watchable, which is not a small victory in a genre crowded with interchangeable grimness.

At the center of it all is Madhuri Dixit, the heart and soul of Mrs Deshpande. She plays the character with an ease that feels almost unsettling, as though mystery is not something she performs but something she exhales. There is an authenticity in the way she balances concealment and revelation, the way her motives remain partially veiled even when she is speaking. The aura around her character is designed to confuse the viewers moral compass. Should you root for her? Should you fear her? The show thrives in that ambiguity, and Dixit knows exactly how to feed it.

Siddharth Chandekar as Tejas is equally compelling. His portrayal captures the gradual shift in a man whose certainties are forced to erode, and whose character arc deepens as the case tightens its grip. Priyanshu Chatterjee, though in a comparatively peripheral role, lends conviction and steadiness as Arun Khatri, the investigator who recognises the pattern and refuses to let it become history repeating itself unchecked. Diksha Juneja brings a commendable warmth as Tanvi, an important emotional anchor for Tejas, and her chemistry with Chandekar feels natural and lived in. Nimisha Nair as Divya is a pleasant surprise, particularly in how her on-screen persona shifts gears and how convincingly she adapts to those turns. Kavin Dave also impresses, and it is genuinely refreshing to see him essay a more complex character and pivot within the narrative with that complexity intact.

The supporting roster is strong too. Vishwas Kini as Alex, a character you cannot say much about without stepping into spoiler territory, holds intrigue. Sulakshana Joglekar as Pallavi Sonawane adds grounded presence as one of the officers on the case. Pradeep Welankar as Tejas Ajoba brings familial texture, the kind that makes the domestic stakes feel real. Across the board, Kukunoor has picked actors who understand craft and control, performers who can hold a scene without announcing that they are holding it.

By the time Mrs Deshpande concludes, it has quietly pulled you into its moral fog. Answers arrive, but certainty does not. The series understands that some stories are meant to unsettle rather than resolve, to leave residue rather than relief. As a crime thriller, it is gripping. As a psychological study, it is quietly haunting. And as a showcase for Madhuri Dixits formidable screen presence, it stands as yet another reminder of why she remains in a league of her own.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 08:56 IST

News movies web-series Mrs Deshpande Review: Madhuri Dixit Anchors Nagesh Kukunoors Tense, Layered Crime Thriller
Write Mind | From Bondi To Bharat: Time To Confront Islamist Radicalism

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:24 IST

Without a critical socio-cultural revamp, Muslim societies will remain confined in medieval obscurantism, resistant to the humanism that birthed modern democracies.

People fleeing Bondi Beach after gunmen opened fire in Sydney on Sunday. (AFP)

The sun-kissed, soft sands and the pristine waters of the Tasman Sea around Bondi Beach, that iconic stretch of Australian paradise, turned into a madhouse on December 14, 2025. What began as an exultant Hanukkah gathering  over a thousand individuals dancing, lighting candles, embracing the spirit of light amid winters early dusk  erupted into a bloodbath. A father-son duo, armed with what one of the witnesses described as the biggest guns Ive ever seen," unleashed terror on the crowd. Sixteen lives were snuffed out, including a 10-year-old girl whose only crime was celebrating her faith, and a British-born rabbi whose wisdom would never grace another sermon. Blood of innocents stained the waves, their screams pierced the salty air, and Australias worst mass shooting terror attack in nearly three decades shattered the illusion of safety in one of the worlds most laid-back nations. Before they could realise that the threat of Islamist extremism and terror is real, it already took Australia by storm and how. The attackers, who had recently travelled to the Philippines for military-style training (as per reports), targeted Jewish revellers with chilling precision, a stark reminder that hate doesnt respect borders or beaches.

As the island nation mourns and vows tougher gun laws, the question lingers: What poisons minds to such gory sanguinary acts? Peeping into the Muslim mindset, especially through the lens of Indian Muslims, reveals a troubling mosaic of denial, nostalgia, and selective outrage. In India, where Muslims form a significant minority, the community often grapples with an identity tethered to medieval glory rather than modern realities. Hamid Dalwai, the fiery reformer from Maharashtra, nailed it decades ago in his seminal work, *Muslim Politics in India*. He argued that Indian Muslims suffer from a communal malady," a refusal to integrate secularly, clinging instead to obscurantist leaders who peddle victimhood. Take the average Indian Muslims response to global atrocities: When radicals strike, theres always this knee-jerk trope, not all Muslims are terrorists," or worse, conspiracy theories blaming external forces. Dalwai, born into poverty in Chiplun, saw this first-hand  educated in Marathi schools, he broke free from orthodoxy, joining socialist movements and decrying how mullahs and maulvis stifle critical thought. Why else do sections of the community rally behind figures who glorify past conquests while ignoring present failures? Its a mindset that Dalwai diagnosed as lacking a renaissance, unlike the Hindu communitys fragile but real awakening from Raja Rammohan Roy to Veer Savarkar. Indian Muslims, he warned, blame karma-less others" for their woes, avoiding the introspection needed to embrace universal human values over sectarian dogma. This insular worldview isnt isolated; its the breeding ground for the Islamist radicalisation threatening all humanity. From Bondis bloodbath to the streets of Paris, Mumbais 26/11 horrors, or the endless churn in the Middle East, radical Islams tentacles spread unchecked. Its not just isolated lunatics  its an ideology warped by literalist interpretations of texts that justify violence against infidels." Dalwais foresight rings true: Without a critical socio-cultural revamp, Muslim societies will remain confined in medieval obscurantism, resistant to the humanism that birthed modern democracies.

Globally, this radicalisation manifests in myriad formats: lone-wolf attacks, state-sponsored terror modules, and online echo chambers or Over Ground Workers (OGW) radicalising youth from Sydney suburbs to Surat slums. The stats are damning: Thousands radicalised annually, with each group. You name it: Islamic State (IS) with all its regional offshoots, Ansarallah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Boko Haram, Haqqani Network (HQN), Army of Islam (AOI), Indian Mujahedeen (IM), Lashkar i Jhangvi (LJ), Hezbollah, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), The Resistance Front (TRF), among the many hundreds that are infesting humanity. Humanity faces an existential threat  not just from Islam itself per se  but from its extremist distortions that prioritise jihad over justice, conquest over coexistence.

Evoking the words of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in Sahih Muslim 2362, I am a human being, so when I command you about a thing pertaining to religion, do accept it, and when I command you about a thing out of my personal opinion, keep it in mind that I am a human being." This acknowledges fallibility, yet orthodoxy ignores it, enforcing blind faith that breeds radicals. Its high time for a harsh reality check, and Muslims worldwide must lead it. No more tiptoeing around sensitivities; call a spade a spade. Dalwai urged his community to undergo a renaissance, separating religion from citizenship rights in secular states. Good Muslims  those global citizens who value peace, like the reformers Dalwai championed  must spearhead this campaign.

The onus falls heaviest on Muslims. Dalwais critique was brutal: Muslim opposition to integration stems from nostalgia for lost empires, distrust of nationalism, and a failure to critique their own. He banked on young, educated Muslims  especially women  to drive change, as seen in his organising the first Maharashtra Muslim Conference in 1971. Today, amid global backlash, Muslims must confront this: Why do radicals thrive? Because communities shield them under an Islamophobia" sheen, ignoring the internal rot. In multilateral forums like the UN or G20, Islamist radicalisation should top agendas, not be sidelined by geopolitical games. Imagine summits demanding reforms: Uniform civil codes, education purging hate, and accountability for state actors like Pakistan or Iran fanning flames. India, with its pluralistic ethos, could lead  drawing from Dalwais legacy through bodies like the Indian Secular Society.

Humanity cant afford complacency. Bondis tragedy isnt an anomaly; its a symptom. As Dalwai warned, without humanistic modernism, integration falters, breeding more violence. A call to Good Muslims, rise. Lead dialogues, reform madrasas, amplify voices like Dalwais who attacked all religious obscurantism, Hindu or Muslim. Atal Bihari Vajpayee once said Hindus need a Dalwai too  proving true reform unites.

Time for Muslims to own this reality check, for global citizens to demand it. Only then can beaches like Bondi reclaim their innocence, societies their sanity, and the world its peace.

Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:12 IST

News opinion Write Mind | From Bondi To Bharat: Time To Confront Islamist Radicalism

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Opinion | From Ganges To Volga: Forces Shaping The New World Order

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:46 IST

India needs to gear up to punch above its weight and emerge as a real global leader

In its national interests, India doubled down on importing discounted crude oil from Russia. (PTI File)

Russian President Vladimir Putins December 2025 India visit, which took place amid a complex and evolving global geostrategic and geoeconomic matrix, clearly demonstrated that this is the partnership of the future, which will play a decisive role in shaping the new world order. Putins visit comes at a time when the early tremors of the tectonic shifts in global geopolitics can be distinctly felt.

US President Donald Trumps 29-point peace formula for Ukraine clearly reflects the waning power and leverage of Europe and the reluctant, tacit acceptance of the emerging reality that peace must be on terms acceptable to Moscow. Additionally, when read in conjunction with the US NSS document, it reflects the USs fatigue and declining interest in European security, and a major dent in the transatlantic security architecture. Further, tensions in the South China Sea, South Asia, West Asia, Latin America, and South Caucasus, strengthening of de-dollarisation trends and global tech rivalries give potent signals of the emerging shifts in world order.

Putins visit can be seen and analysed through three broad prisms: optics, deliverables, and long-term impact. In terms of optics, Modis warm embrace of Putin, going all the way to the tarmac, clearly shows that India refuses to give in to Western hegemony and sermonising. Ever since the Ukraine conflict started in 2022, India has faced immense pressure from the West to side with the West at the altar of its time-tested and historical friendship with Russia. The West has the hubristic tendency to define, measure, perceive, assess, and shape the world through a West-centric lens and on its own terms.

However, Modis steadfast refusal to abandon Moscow and support the West is purportedly driven by the fundamental belief that the Ukraine conflict is a European war, not a global issue. The world beyond Europe is neither ethically obliged nor geo-strategically bound to choose sides to cater to the interests or satisfy the ideological whims and fancies of either of the warring parties, and as sovereign nations, they have a right and duty to act in their national interests.

In its national interests, India doubled down on importing discounted crude oil from Russia. Further, against the USs unpredictability, further accentuated by a maverick president, Russia continues to be Indias robust and largest defence supplier and a friend. Even after President Trump imposed 25 per cent additional tariffs on India for importing Russian oil, India continues to stand its ground, without giving in to bullying tactics. Putins visit has firmly sealed Indias diehard, principled, and reasoned commitment to its strategic autonomy.

The immediate outcomes of this historic visit included 16 agreements in areas related to defence, trade, the economy, healthcare, academia, culture, and media. In the joint statement, Putin and Modi expressed firm confidence and resolve to strengthen the special and privileged partnership between the two nations, to face global challenges, and to shape the shared future. Reiterating commitment to a contemporary, balanced, mutually beneficial and long-term partnership", both leaders affirmed resilience in bilateral ties despite complex global challenges, with cooperation across the broad spectrum of political, defence, trade, energy, nuclear, space, science and technology, and cultural exchanges. Further, Modi stated that Delhi and Moscow stand shoulder to shoulder against the menace of terrorism, expressing Indias unwavering belief that terrorism is the gravest threat to humanity, and global unity is the biggest strength against it. This becomes even more crucial when the US exposes its dubious stance on terrorism by aligning with Pakistan, the worlds powerhouse of terrorism, at the cost of its ties with India.

Additionally, under Programme 2030, both sides agreed to expand the bilateral trade to USD 100 billion by 2030 and speed up the free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, a much-anticipated step that will ensure India access to Eurasian markets and help buffer against economic uncertainties caused by the Wests use of economic tools like sanctions, tariffs, and dollar dominance.

The other positive developments include jointly developing systems of bilateral settlements through the use of national currencies to ensure the uninterrupted maintenance of bilateral trade, continuing their consultations on enabling the interoperability of national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms, agreements on free mobility of skilled workers, 30-day free visa, civilian nuclear domain, cooperation in trade and investment in Russias far East and Arctic zone.

As regards the most important pillar of Indias special partnership with Russia, i.e., Defence partnership, responding to Indias quest for self-reliance, the partnership is presently reorienting to joint research and development, co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems. Without much noise, the subtle message is clear: Indias likely preference for the Su-57.

Further, agreements in the energy partnership included expanded collaboration across oil, gas, petrochemicals, nuclear energy, and underground coal gasification technologies, as well as a long-term supply of fertilisers and an expeditious resolution of investor concerns.

In transport and connectivity, the focus was on strengthening the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the ChennaiVladivostok maritime route, and the Northern Sea Route. In the space and civilian nuclear domains, joint development of nuclear power plants, fuel cycle support, and enhanced ISRO-Roscosmos collaboration in space exploration, human spaceflight, and satellite navigation was agreed upon.

Coming to the most crucial aspect of Putins visit is the long-term trajectory of the India-Russia relationship and their role in shaping the new world order. In many of my interactions with Russian interlocutors from the government, think tanks, and intelligence, I have inferred that the Ukraine conflict has basically brought Russia out of its strategic slumber and silence. Todays Russia, having successfully held its ground against the Western economic and military machinery backing Ukraine over the last four years, feels much more confident and exhibits greater clarity and precision in its worldview and strategic thinking for the future. Moscow has sensed the chinks in the Western armour.

Guided by the profound philosophical vision of intellectual giants such as Dr Dugin, Putins Russia is looking toward a multipolar world order. It has read the visible signs of the Wests civilisational, economic, and military decline and the rise of China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. In its vision of the multipolar world order, India constitutes a robust civilisational, military, and economic pillar with immense potential to guide, lead, and shape the new world order. Despite its weaknesses in infrastructure, governance, economy, and technology, India continues to flourish as a robust, resilient, and powerful society and state. Moscow can see this inherent strength. Further, Modis strong leadership and consistent diplomatic positioning, standing up to the West to guard Indias strategic autonomy and presenting a new vision, have boosted Putins confidence and faith in Indias capabilities as a steadfast partner in the emerging multipolar world order.

As a final word, India needs to gear up to punch above its weight and emerge as a real global leader. Sitting in the ranks of Russia, the US, and China reminds me of the portrait of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin signing the Atlantic Charter. However, merely grabbing a diplomatic chair will not be enough. The diplomatic heft has to be backed with economic and military muscle.

The author is a policy analyst specialising in counterterrorism, Indian foreign policy and Afghanistan-Pakistan geopolitics. He has done his PhD on Jaish-e-Mohammad. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:44 IST

News opinion Opinion | From Ganges To Volga: Forces Shaping The New World Order

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Opinion | Protecting Heritage, Ensuring Progress: Minority Rights In A Modern India

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 19:27 IST

Minority rights were crafted as guarantees of confidence  designed to assure communities that cultural distinctiveness and national belonging could advance together

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The Constitution itself offers clear guidance. (File image)

The Indian Constitution rests on a foundational insight: national unity does not require cultural uniformity. The framers imagined a republic in which Indias many languages, faiths, and traditions could flourish within a shared civic and economic framework.

Minority rights were crafted as guarantees of confidence  designed to assure communities that cultural distinctiveness and national belonging could advance together.

Yet, over time, the public conversation on minorities often narrowed. Cultural protection came to be treated as an end in itself, while education, skills, and livelihoods were addressed through fragmented welfare measures. This separation produced unintended consequences. Cultural traditions risked becoming static, while development interventions sometimes created dependency rather than agency. A more durable approach required recognising that cultural vitality and material progress reinforce one another.

In recent years, the Modi government has attempted to address this imbalance. The current policy orientation seeks to preserve minority heritage while expanding access to modern education, formal credit, and economic opportunitypositioning minorities as equal stakeholders in Indias growth rather than passive recipients of state support. The principle underlying this approach is constitutionally consistent: cultural confidence strengthens when communities possess the tools to succeed in a modern economy.

The Constitution itself offers clear guidance. Articles 29 and 30 protect the right of minorities to conserve culture and to establish and administer educational institutions. Judicial interpretation over decades has clarified that these provisions are meant to ensure security and integration, not isolation. This balance was reaffirmed in the Supreme Courts 2024 judgment on the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, which upheld the states authority to regulate educational standards while preserving the minority character of institutions. The ruling underscored a central idea: autonomy and accountability can coexist in ways that protect both heritage and students future prospects.

Education remains the most effective bridge between identity and mobility. Empirical evidence consistently shows that secondary education is a critical threshold for improving labour force participation, health outcomes, and intergenerational mobility. Targeted interventions such as the Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship address precisely this point, supporting minority girls at the secondary level, where dropout rates rise sharply due to financial and social pressures. Since its inception, the scheme has benefited over six lakh minority girls, helping them remain in school during a decisive phase of their education. The effects extend beyond classroomsshaping workforce participation, household stability, and long-term aspiration.

Equally important has been the effort to modernise traditional educational institutions through mainstream linkages rather than coercive restructuring. Programmes that introduce modern subjects, digital literacy, and recognised certification pathways into madrassa education have expanded student choice. Linkages with the National Institute of Open Schooling allow learners to access Class 8, 10, and 12 certification, enabling entry into higher education and skilled employment. This approach strengthens social mobility while respecting institutional identity, ensuring that cultural preservation does not come at the cost of economic exclusion.

Economic participation further anchors this model. Universal credit programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana have enabled minority entrepreneurs to enter the formal financial system at scale. Government data shows that minorities account for roughly 11 per cent of Mudra loan beneficiaries, spanning micro-enterprises in trade, services, and manufacturing. For many first-time borrowers, access to collateral-free institutional credit replaces reliance on informal lenders, formalises economic activity, and builds a credit history. This form of economic citizenship reinforces dignity, positioning beneficiaries as contributors to growth rather than recipients of charity.

Cultural conservation, too, has been reimagined as an economic and social asset. Platforms such as Hunar Haat connect artisans and culinary experts from minority communities directly with national markets, transforming inherited skills into viable livelihoods. Official figures indicate that over 5 lakh artisans and associated workers have generated employment opportunities through these platforms. When heritage produces income and recognition, it attracts younger generations and sustains living traditions. Complementary initiatives under Hamari Dharohar invest in documenting and showcasing minority cultures, affirming their place within Indias civilisational narrative.

Beyond targeted programmes, the emphasis on welfare saturation" has had significant implications for minority communities. Universal schemes in housing, sanitation, water, and electricityimplemented with a focus on high-deficit districtshave reduced everyday vulnerabilities. According to the National Multidimensional Poverty Index, India lifted 24.82 crore people out of multidimensional poverty between 200506 and 201921, with some of the steepest declines observed in states with substantial minority populations. These gains reflect the impact of delivering basic services at scale, without segregating beneficiaries by identity.

Labour market trends point in a similar direction. Periodic Labour Force Survey data shows a notable rise in female labour force participation across communities, including a sharp increase among Muslim womenfrom 15 per cent in 202122 to over 21 per cent in 202324. While gaps remain, the trajectory suggests that education, skilling, and economic necessity are together reshaping participation patterns.

The strength of this policy approach lies in its refusal to frame heritage and progress as competing claims. Cultural preservation gains meaning when communities are equipped to navigate a changing world. Economic and educational advancement gains legitimacy when it respects identity and tradition. By grounding minority policy in constitutional principles and measurable development outcomes, the current model seeks to move beyond symbolic protection towards durable empowerment.

Indias unity depends on this synthesis. A society in which minorities can prosper without relinquishing their identities strengthens both democracy and development. Protecting heritage while ensuring progress affirms a simple truth: diversity is not a constraint on national growth. It is one of its enduring foundations.

Akshara Bharat is a Senior Communications Associate at IFMR. Her work spans geopolitics, national policy analysis, and sociopolitical issues. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 19:24 IST

News opinion Opinion | Protecting Heritage, Ensuring Progress: Minority Rights In A Modern India

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Photo: Anadolu Agency

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz provided details of the agreement between European Union leaders on financial support for Ukraine for 2026-2027: Ukraine will receive a EUR 90 billion loan, which it will repay only after Russia pays reparations.

He announced this on Friday night at a press conference following the European Council meeting. The discussion of the Ukrainian issue lasted six hours.

"The financial package for Ukraine has been finalized. As I called for, it includes an interest-free loan of EUR 90 billion, and Ukraine will only be required to repay this loan after receiving reparations from Russia. You know that we already made a decision on Friday to block Russian assets until Russia pays reparations. And we discussed this issue for several hours today," he said.

According to the German Chancellor, EU leaders "have prepared to use frozen assets to repay the loan only if Russia fails to pay reparations." "The EU is providing Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan. This loan comes from the capital market. And Ukraine will receive it when it needs the funds. Russian sovereign assets have been immobilized. This means they have been seized and will only be returned after an agreement with Russia on reparations for Ukraine is reached. If such an agreement is not reached, these assets will be used, and the Commission will prepare proposals on how this will be done," he detailed.
Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:13 IST

1 / 12 Ultra-long flights are now a reality, with some journeys lasting close to 19 hours nonstop. Airlines are focusing on direct routes, skipping stopovers to connect distant cities faster, even if it means a longer time in the air.

2 / 12 In 2025, ultra-long-haul travel clearly dominates global aviation trends. These flights link major business hubs across continents, testing passenger comfort while showing how far modern aircraft technology has advanced in recent years.

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3 / 12 The longest nonstop flight in 2025 connects New York JFK and Singapore, as per The Great Planet, a travel website. Operated by Singapore Airlines, the route covers 9,537 miles, making it the worlds longest by distance.

4 / 12 Close behind is another Singapore Airlines route from Newark to Singapore. At 9,534 miles, it is only slightly shorter but still demands extreme endurance from both passengers and crew.

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5 / 12 Third on the list is the Auckland to Doha flight by Qatar Airways. This route spans 9,032 miles, linking New Zealand with the Middle East in one nonstop journey.

6 / 12 Qantas features strongly with its Perth to London service, covering 9,009 miles. This flight continues Australias long history of pushing boundaries in long-distance aviation.

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7 / 12 Another Qantas route, Dallas to Melbourne, ranks fifth with 8,992 miles. It connects North America directly with Australia, cutting travel time despite the very long flight duration.

8 / 12 Perth to Paris also makes the list, operated by Qantas at 8,863 miles. The route highlights Europes growing direct connections with Western Australia.

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9 / 12 New York to Auckland comes next, flown by Air New Zealand and Qantas. Covering 8,828 miles, it links the US East Coast directly with New Zealand.

10 / 12 Emirates Auckland to Dubai route follows closely at 8,823 miles. The flight connects the South Pacific to the Middle East using long-range widebody aircraft.

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11 / 12 China Southerns Shenzhen to Mexico City service spans 8,791 miles. This route shows growing direct links between Asia and Latin America without stopping en route.
Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:30 IST

1 / 5 Anjali Vishwakarma previously worked for an oil company abroad, earning a lucrative salary in lakhs. Her job required her to frequently travel to countries such as Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. However, her heart always remained attached to India. Consequently, she decided to return to India and prepare for the UPSC exam. Today, Anjali Vishwakarma is a 2021 batch IPS officer. Let us explore her educational journey. (Instagram/@angie.vish)

2 / 5 Anjali Vishwakarma, a 2021 batch IPS officer, was born on January 11, 1993. Her father, Arun Kumar, hails from a modest family. Anjali, originally from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, completed her schooling in Dehradun up to the 12th grade. She then pursued a B.Tech in aerospace engineering at IIT Kanpur and secured a job with an oil company after her studies. (Instagram/@angie.vish)

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3 / 5 While employed at an oil company, she earned a salary of 4 to 5 lakh rupees per month. She received her training in the UAE. Subsequently, she traveled to countries like Norway, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and New Zealand for work. Despite her global travels, her heart remained rooted in India. (Instagram/@angie.vish)

4 / 5 While working in New Zealand, she decided to return to India and prepare for the UPSC exam. She also chose to cover the costs of her preparation herself. Once she had saved enough money, she began studying. Upon her return, she started her preparation and selected geography as her subject. (Instagram/@angie.vish)

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:31 IST

1 / 10 Singapore has retained its position as the worlds most expensive city for the third consecutive year in 2025. Strong economic fundamentals, global connectivity, political stability and a high standard of living continue to attract wealthy individuals from across the world.

2 / 10 London has climbed to the second spot in 2025, overtaking Hong Kong. Its global financial influence, luxury real estate market, top educational institutions and cosmopolitan lifestyle make it a preferred destination for high-net-worth individuals.

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3 / 10 Hong Kong slipped to third place this year but remains among the worlds most expensive cities. Its low tax regime, strong investment environment and role as a gateway to China continue to appeal to wealthy residents and investors.

4 / 10 Monaco ranks fourth on the list, driven by its tax advantages, luxury lifestyle and exclusivity. The city-state is known for its high-end real estate, yachts and appeal among the global elite. (Pexels/Representational Image)

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5 / 10 Zurich stands fifth in the rankings, reflecting Switzerlands strong currency, high wages and quality of life. The citys financial sector, safety and infrastructure make it one of the costliest cities for affluent residents.

6 / 10 Shanghai, which topped the rankings in 2022, has slipped to sixth place in 2025. Despite the drop, it remains one of the most expensive cities due to high costs of education, housing and lifestyle services.

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7 / 10 Dubai has made a strong comeback into the top ten, climbing five positions this year. Tax-friendly policies, luxury real estate, business opportunities and global connectivity continue to drive its appeal among wealthy individuals.

8 / 10 New York is the only American city to feature in the top ten in 2025. High living costs, premium housing, education and healthcare expenses keep it among the worlds most expensive cities.

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9 / 10 Paris ranks ninth, with high costs linked to housing, private education and lifestyle services. The city remains a global hub for culture, fashion and luxury, attracting wealthy residents despite rising expenses.
Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 07:30 IST

1 / 7 Sofia Vergara has officially confirmed her new relationship with American businessman Douglas (Doug) Chabbott, putting an end to months of speculation. The 53yearold actress shared a romantic photo with Chabbott on Instagram, captioned Te amo, making her relationship public for the first time. (Image: Instagram)

2 / 7 Hollywood star Sofia Vergara, best known for her role as Gloria in Modern Family and her recent performance in Griselda, has always been in the spotlight for her personal life. Following her highprofile separation from Joe Manganiello in 2023, Vergara kept her private affairs away from the media. However, her latest announcement marks a fresh beginning, as she embraces a new relationship with Doug Chabbott. (Image: Instagram)

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3 / 7 Doug Chabbott, 39, is a U.S. businessman and currently serves as Vice President at Dasan Inc., a company specializing in luxury jewellery and highend design. Unlike Vergara, Chabbott has maintained a relatively private profile, appearing mostly in business and philanthropic circles. His background in luxury design adds an intriguing dimension to the pairing, as both share an appreciation for style and elegance. (Image: X)

4 / 7 Rumors about Vergara and Chabbott began circulating in mid2025 after several public sightings, including events in Pasadena and birthday celebrations abroad. The speculation gained momentum as the two were repeatedly photographed together. On December 17, 2025, Vergara ended the speculation by posting a heartfelt photo with Chabbott at a restaurant, accompanied by the words Te amo. The post immediately went viral, confirming their romance. (Image: X)

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5 / 7 Vergaras career spans decades, from her early days as a Colombian model and TV host to becoming one of the highestpaid actresses in Hollywood. Her role in Modern Family earned her international fame, while her recent Netflix series Griselda showcased her dramatic range. Beyond acting, Vergara is also a successful entrepreneur, with ventures in fashion and beauty. (Image: X)

6 / 7 Vergaras relationship with Chabbott is significant not only because of her celebrity status but also because it reflects her resilience and openness to new beginnings. After a very public marriage and divorce, her choice to share this romance openly signals confidence and happiness. Fans have responded warmly, celebrating her decision to embrace love again. (Image: X)

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:05 IST

1 / 8 Actor Esther Anil, best known for her role as Anu in Drishyam (2013), has achieved a major milestone - she has graduated with a degree in International Development from the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE). Sharing her joy and reflections on Instagram, Esther posted her graduation pictures along with a heartfelt note about the journey that brought her here. (Image: Instagram)

2 / 8 Esther recalled how her father once encouraged her to apply to LSE after hearing of someone who had studied there. At the time, she thought it was way too big a fish to catch and even called her father a fool with such unrealistic dreams. Yet, years later, she found herself standing proudly in front of LSE as a graduate. There is so much magic in life, she wrote. (Image: Instagram)

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3 / 8 When Esther first received her admission, she hesitated to share the news with her parents, knowing the financial strain it would bring. With both her brothers already on student loans, she feared the fees were beyond reach. But her parents insisted she pursue the opportunity, teaching her the importance of dreaming big. (Image: Instagram)

4 / 8 Despite making it to one of the worlds top universities, Esther admitted she struggled with imposter syndrome. I got into the worlds best university only to feel like the biggest failure. Getting in was not the hardest part after all. Competing with some of the best minds in the world, and with yourself, your imposter syndrome, was, she shared. (Image: Instagram)

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5 / 8 Her perseverance paid off; Esther wrote a thesis on women and power, which earned her a distinction. Reflecting on the achievement, she added: Maybe Im not the dumbest after all. Maybe there is some light in me. Maybe Ill join the powerful women someday. Her post drew love and congratulations from fellow actors, including Nazriya Nazim Fahadh, Aparna Balamurali, Gouri G Kishan, and Khatija Rahman. (Image: Instagram)

6 / 8 Esther began her career as a child artist in Nallavan (2010) and rose to fame as Mohanlals younger daughter Anu in Drishyam. (Image: Instagram)

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7 / 8 She reprised the role in the Telugu and Tamil remakes, Drushyam and Papanasanam. (Image: Instagram)
January 30, 2026, 10:00 AM IST | Episode 134

In todays News18 Daily Digest: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin throws his weight behind the Centres new UGC regulations amid growing campus protests, while TVK chief Vijay sharpens his political offensive against the DMK, flagging migrant worker safety, crimes against women and drug abuse. Political tensions escalate in Karnataka over the controversial G Ram G Bill, with the BJP accusing the Congress government of misusing public funds and illegal phone tapping  allegations firmly denied by the state. In Maharashtra, uncertainty looms over the future leadership of Ajit Pawars faction following his death, as competing proposals emerge within the party. Outrage erupts over the appointment of a rape-accused coach by the Equestrian Federation of India, prompting a show-cause notice from the sports ministry. Congress steps up its attack on the governments foreign policy narrative, targeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the India-EU trade deal. Tune in for sharp analysis and updates from India and abroad...
Cordial Conversation Between PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi On Wayanad As Parliament Session Concludes

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Aveek Banerjee



Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 13:41 IST

During the light-hearted interaction with PM Modi, it was observed that the session remained brief largely because the Opposition was engaged in continuous protests.

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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi with PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other members of the Union Cabinet held a warm and cordial conversation with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wayanad, sources told CNN-News18, as the Winter Session of the Parliament concluded on Friday

In an interaction comprising PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Priyanka Gandhi, Cabinet Ministers K Ram Mohan Naidu and Chirag Paswan, among others, MPs conveyed to the Prime Minister that the session had been productive, sources said.

The MPs told the Prime Minister that the Winter Session could have been extended, as passing legislation late at night is not considered ideal. The Winter Session of the Parliament commenced on December 1.

Prime Minister Modi and Priyanka Gandhi had a cordial conversation on Wayanad. At one point, Priyanka Gandhi mentioned that she as consuming a particular herb sourced from Wayanad, which she said had helped her cope with allergies, as per sources.

On a lighter note, it was observed that the session remained brief largely because the Opposition was engaged in continuous protests like the VB G-Ram-G Bill, and the Prime Minister humorously remarked that he did not wish to strain their voices, according to sources.

PM Modi also lauded the contributions of members such as NK Premachandran, noting that they consistently come thoroughly prepared for discussions. He also spoke about his recent foreign visits, with special reference to the Ethiopian capital, noting that contrary to common perceptions of it being poorly maintained, he was pleasantly surprised to see how well developed and managed the city was.

He also remarked that the Ethiopian capital could compete with some of the best cities in the world, including modernised cities in Jordan and even Dubai.

Parliament Winter Session Concludes

Earlier today, both Houses of the Parliament session were adjourned sine die as the Winter Session came to a close. The Parliament passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill and the VB-G RAM G Bill, the latter of which seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA, causing uproar in the House.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM-G) Bill by a voice vote, hours after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha, amid strong opposition protests over the removal of Mahatma Gandhis name from the existing MGNREGA scheme and concerns about the additional financial burden on states.

The House also took up two debates  on 150 years of Vande Mataram and election reforms  which witnessed a politically charged atmosphere. A Bill to set up a higher education regulator was referred to a joint committee of the two Houses.

Birla remarked that the House saw productivity of 111 per cent during the session and noted that this spirit of collaboration enabled meaningful discussions on key legislative matters. In the Upper House, Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan thanked the members for electing him as vice-president and chairman of the Rajya Sabha and said the session was productive.

The Rajya Sabha passed eight bills, including the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, with 212 members contributing. A record 59 Private Members Bills were introduced, underscoring vibrant democratic engagement.

The next sitting is likely during the Budget Session in early 2026.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:25 IST

News politics Cordial Conversation Between PM Modi, Priyanka Gandhi On Wayanad As Parliament Session Concludes

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'I Was Elected For 5 Years': Siddaramaiah Rejects Power-Sharing Deal Amid Tussle Over CM Post

Reported By : &

CNN-News18

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 14:07 IST

"I am the Chief Minister, I will continue till the High Command orders. I have been elected for five years," said Siddaramaiah on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly.

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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar (Image: PTI/File)

In a significant political development that has sent ripples through the Karnataka Congress, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday denied the existence of any 2.5-year power-sharing pact" with Deputy CM DK Shivakumar.

Speaking on the floor of the Assembly during the ongoing winter session, the Chief Minister asserted that he has been elected for five years" and will continue to lead the state as long as the party high command desires.

I am the CM now, and I will continue

Addressing the House, Siddaramaiah sought to put an end to months of intense speculation regarding a mid-term leadership transition. The Chief Minister was firm in his stance, dismissing the rotational CM formula as a non-existent arrangement.

There was no decision about a 2.5-year term. It was never said," Siddaramaiah declared. I am the Chief Minister now, and I will continue to be the CM until the high command says otherwise. I have been elected for five years."

The Chief Minister emphasised that while leadership is an internal party matter, he remains firmly in the saddle. Moving forward also, I will only be the CM," he added, signalling his intent to serve the full mandate.

Notably, these remarks were made while Deputy CM DK Shivakumar was absent from the House. Shivakumar is currently in Uttara Kannada, visiting the Andle Jagadishwari Temple in Ankola, a shrine where he has historically sought spiritual guidance during pivotal moments in his career.

The dinner huddle in Belagavi

The Chief Ministers bold declaration follows a high-stakes dinner meeting held late last night at the residence of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi. The gathering was attended by Siddaramaiahs most trusted cabinet colleagues, including Home Minister G Parameshwara, HC Mahadevappa, and MC Sudhakar.

While the CMs legal adviser, AS Ponnanna, described the event as a casual meal where Siddaramaiah only had some soup" due to an upset stomach, the political subtext was hard to ignore. The dinner was widely viewed as a show of strength" by the Siddaramaiah camp, coming just hours after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had labelled him an outgoing Chief Minister."

The meeting of like-minded" leaders appears to have set the stage for todays defiant stance in the Assembly.

The timing of Siddaramaiahs statement has raised eyebrows, particularly as it coincides with Shivakumars temple run". While the Chief Minister insisted that all 140 Congress MLAs stand in unison, the clear denial of a power-sharing deal, which Shivakumars supporters have long claimed was an open secret," suggests that the internal rift within the ruling party may be entering a new, more volatile phase.

As the winter session draws to a close, the focus now shifts to the Congress high command in Delhi. With Siddaramaiah digging in his heels, Shivakumar is likely to push the high command to implement the power-sharing deal.

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Location : Karnataka, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 11:51 IST

News politics 'I Was Elected For 5 Years': Siddaramaiah Rejects Power-Sharing Deal Amid Tussle Over CM Post

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Priyanka's Chai Optics Not Rahul's Cup Of Tea? Talk Of Two Power Centres In Congress Brews

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 20:15 IST

Sources suggest that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Prime Minister Narendra Modi even shared a courteous conversation regarding Wayanad, her constituency

With Rahul Gandhi away, Priyanka has effectively taken the steering wheel in Parliament. File pic/PTI

The traditional Chai pe Charcha" following the conclusion of the Parliament session offered a telling glimpse into the evolving dynamics of the Congress party. While it is standard for the Speaker and the Prime Minister to sit in the front row, the presence of Priyanka Gandhi Vadraseated in the same row and sipping teadrew significant attention. Despite being a first-time MP with no formal position in the parliamentary party, she occupied a prominent spot, while senior leaders like Supriya Sule sat behind her. Sources suggest that Priyanka and Prime Minister Narendra Modi even shared a courteous conversation regarding Wayanad, her constituency.

Unlike her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who frequently skips these informal tea meets, Priyankas presencerelaxed and smilingsignals a keen understanding of the importance of public appearances and political optics. This follows her viral exchange on the floor of the House just a day prior, where she charmingly requested an appointment with Nitin Gadkari to discuss a highway in Wayanad. The Union Ministers prompt invitation for her to visit his office immediately after the session further highlighted her ability to navigate cross-party relationships.

With Rahul Gandhi away, Priyanka has effectively taken the steering wheel in Parliament. Arriving by 9.30 am daily, she has maintained a high media profile to ensure her voice resonates. However, her strategy extends beyond mere presence; she appears to be spearheading an internal big tent" approach. It was reportedly her initiative to co-opt rebel" voices like Manish Tewari and Shashi Tharoor, who had previously felt sidelined during debates like Operation Sindoor". Priyanka reportedly felt the party was playing into the BJPs hands by ostracising these seasoned orators. Consequently, Tewari spoke multiple times on key legislations like the SHANTI Bill, and Tharoors isolation seemed to end as he spoke on the VB-G RAM G Bill and joined protests at the Makar Dwar over the National Herald issue.

Much like her mother, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka appears to believe in a more inclusive style of politics, ensuring that internal rifts do not provide the BJP with political ammunition. Inside the Lok Sabha, she hasnt shied away from direct confrontation, taking on the Prime Minister on sensitive topics like Vande Mataraman issue many in her party were reluctant to touchand using a blend of firmness and lighthearted wit to challenge the government.

Within the BJP, there is a growing sense that while Rahul Gandhi is an easy target for ridicule, Priyanka presents a more complex challenge due to her poise and ability to harbour no long-term grudges. Rumours of a renewed connection with strategist Prashant Kishor (PK) have also surfaced; notably, during his Bihar campaign, PK attacked Rahul Gandhi but remained respectful of Priyanka.

As the Winter Session concludes, the emergence of two power centres within the Congress is becoming harder to ignore. Many within the party now feel that while Rahul remains the face of ideological campaigns, the strategic planning and day-to-day management of the party may be better left to Priyanka. Her increased resonance this session may well be a prelude to a larger role in the partys future.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 20:15 IST

News politics Priyanka's Chai Optics Not Rahul's Cup Of Tea? Talk Of Two Power Centres In Congress Brews

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Ram, Sonia Gandhi & Bengal Polls: VB-G Ram G Bill Adds To Congress Dilemma

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:33 IST

The Congress is once again caught in a dilemma  neither can they let Sonia Gandhi down on one of her favourite bills, nor can they earn the anti-Ram tag

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Sonia Gandhi with Mallikarjun Kharge during a protest by opposition members at the Parliament House complex. (PTI)

Wearing a mask, Sonia Gandhi made it a point to be present at the Congress-led opposition protest on the government passing the VB-G Gram G bill.

Thats because the original bill, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA), which guaranteed rozgar and a minimum wage for daily workers, was being reworked and passed.

It was Sonia Gandhis idea and desire to have a scheme like NREGA, and this was born out of the NAC, or the National Advisory Council, an important but non-government body of the UPA with Sonia Gandhi as its head. The NAC was often criticised for being the real power centre and pressure group on the Dr Manmohan Singh government.

When the Modi government decided to bring in changes to Gandhis bill, it was expected that the Congress would be up in arms. But there were two hurdles in being the lead player in the protests.

Unlike the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had sensed that this new bill could be given a spin ahead of the Bengal polls. The TMC has always accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its main opponent in the state, of stealing or denying funds to Bengal. Mamata Banerjee has met the PM in the past demanding her share. And in Bengal, the narrative built by the TMC is that BJP is Bangla virodhi or anti-Bengal. So the TMC has gone back to doing what Mamata had done best: hit the streets.

In this case, hit the steps of Parliament. Moments after the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, TMC MPs took out their blankets and decided to spend the night at the steps of the old Parliament building in protest from midnight to noon.

Many Congress leaders were seen being invited by the TMC to join their protest but they skirted it.

The TMC protest has taken the attention and sting away from the Congress protests on the new bill, and its claim to the origin of the bill.

In fact, the second story is of the confusion in the Congress ranks on the protests over the bill.

The BJP has termed the Congress protests as being anti-Ram. While Congress has rejected this by accusing the BJP of diverting attention, the fact is that many in the party were wary of how much to push the protests. After all, the Ram in the bill could be the point of attack by the BJP.

The BJP has made this point against the Congress that its Ram virodhi. When the party decided not to attend the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, not everyone in the party was happy. Those from UP, Bihar were hassled that this could hurt them on the ground.

Said a senior UP leader from the Congress, We have to hit the ground. I know BJP is needlessly making this an issue, but for those who have to fight on the ground, we cant afford this narrative that we are objecting to Ram."

The Congress played the anti-Mahatma card against the BJP to counter the anti-Ram charge of the BJP. But it wants to take no chance.

In a surprise move, Shashi Tharoor was one of the speakers fielded to speak on the topic in Lok Sabha. The Congress and he have not been sharing a good equation of late. So it came as a surprise to see him stand up to speak against, but there is a politics behind it. Shashi Tharoor has the image of a pro-BJP leader. He has written books on Hindu mythology, and so he could be the poster boy for the Congress to counter that the objection to the bill was because the Congress was objecting to Ram.

While for the TMC, hitting the ground on this is no big deal as it wants to show itself as the only champion of daily wagers, the Congress is once again caught in a dilemma. Cant let Sonia Gandhi down on one of her favourite bills, nor earn the anti-Ram tag.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:17 IST

News politics Ram, Sonia Gandhi & Bengal Polls: VB-G Ram G Bill Adds To Congress Dilemma

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Photo: https://edition.cnn.com

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained that, like the reparation loan, which was not supported by EU leaders, the agreed financing solution is similar to a reparation loan in that Ukraine will only repay the debt once it receives reparations from Russia.

She said this at a press conference held on Friday night following the European Council meeting.

Member States have agreed to finance Ukraine through EU borrowing on the capital markets. For an amount of EUR 90 billion for the next two years. We will do this by way of enhanced cooperation that is backed by the EU budget headroom. And based on a unanimous agreement to amend the MFF. Similarly to the Reparations Loan, very important, Ukraine would only need to pay back the loan once it receives reparations. Until then, the assets will remain immobilised. And the Union reserves its right to make use of the cash balances to finance the loan, the President of the European Commission detailed.

Von der Leyen emphasized that a just and lasting peace for Ukraine was the motto of todays discussion. So we gathered with a clear objective: to address Ukraines pressing financing needs for the next two years. And I am very pleased to say: we made it. We have secured an agreement to deliver on the financing needs for Ukraine for the next two years, she stressed.

The President of the European Commission recalled that two decisions had been proposed and that they are both legally sound and both technically feasible. On the one hand, we proposed EU borrowing on the market. And on the other hand, we have developed the Reparations Loan. Last week already, we sent a clear and strong political message by immobilising Russian assets in the EU over the long term. And building on that, we agreed to find a solution for the financing of Ukraine for the next two years, von der Leyen added.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra Confirmed For December 2025: Heres What We Can Expect

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 10:41 IST

Xiaomi 17 Ultra is likely to close up the 17 series for the brand which already has the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max models.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra could have an even more powerful camera setup

Xiaomi 17 series is getting a new addition and we could see it announced before the end of 2025. Xiaomi 17 Ultra launch is more or less confirmed for this month, and the new flagship model is going to make its debut in China very soon. This will be the fourth and most premium of the 17 series devices for the brand, where it already has the Xiaomi 17, 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max models.

The Ultra grabs a lot of attention for the brand, primarily because of its camera prowess, powered by Leicas best technology. The 17 Ultra launch teaser suggests we can see the story repeating itself.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra Launch In 2025

Xiaomi 17 Ultra launch teaser has been shared via Weibo which confirms its unveiling before the year closes out. The company has not given the exact launch date for the premium device but reports suggest we could see that happen between December 22 and 27 in the region. There is big excitement around the product, primarily because of Xiaomi and Leica re-working their partnership and making improved sensors that will be offered with the 17 Ultra model for the first time.

The hardware focus of the 17 Ultra is likely to use the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with 16GB RAM as the highest version. The design of the 17 Ultra hints at a flatter body compared to the 15 Ultra and could feature a rectangular camera layout with four sensors expected to be housed within them. The previous Ultra model had a more curvy finish with a circular system for the cameras.

Xiaomi has ditched the 16 series and gone straight to the Xiaomi 17 lineup, which now even has a 17 Pro Max moniker (surprise). The 17 Ultra is expected to be priced around the same range in China but we expect the global price for the 17 Ultra to be at par with other premium phones that have launched in recent months.

Xiaomi 17 series is confirmed to launch in India, but there is no update on whether the 17 Pro and the 17 Ultra models will also be making its way to the country in 2026.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:41 IST

News tech Xiaomi 17 Ultra Confirmed For December 2025: Heres What We Can Expect

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4kg Rice Costs Rs 420, Calculate Price Of 12kg: Why This Simple Math Exam Question Went Viral

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:40 IST

The incident occurred at an upper primary school in Ghaziabad, where a Class 7 student first noticed that two questions in the mathematics paper appeared incorrect

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Another erroneous Class 7 question asked students to identify the side opposite the 90-degree angle in a right-angled triangle. (Representative Image/ Canva)

A seemingly simple mathematics question has snowballed into a viral talking point on social media after glaring errors were found in half-yearly exam papers at primary schools in Uttar Pradesh. The issue surfaced during mathematics examinations for Classes 7 and 8, triggering criticism of the question paper-setting process.

The controversy centres on a multiple-choice question that asked, if 4 kg of rice cost Rs 420, how much would 12 kg cost? The correct answer, which is Rs 1,260, was missing from the list of options provided. Instead, students were given four incorrect choices: Rs 1,000, Rs 760, Rs 1,160 and Rs 1,360. The error, now widely circulated online as a meme, has prompted sarcastic comments suggesting either a sudden spike in rice prices or a change in basic arithmetic.

The incident occurred at an upper primary school in Ghaziabad, where a Class 7 student first noticed that two questions in the mathematics paper appeared incorrect. After discussing the matter with classmates, the students brought it to the attention of teachers, who verified the mistakes. Officials later confirmed that two questions in the Class 7 paper and one in the Class 8 paper were flawed.

Another erroneous Class 7 question asked students to identify the side opposite the 90-degree angle in a right-angled triangle. While hypotenuse" was the correct answer, it did not feature among the options, which included base, diagonal and chord, suggesting a possible printing or proofreading lapse.

In the Class 8 paper, a question asked students to calculate the remaining angles of a polygon when two angles were given as 60 degrees and 120 degrees. Teachers pointed out that the question itself was invalid, as the given angles already exceed the possible sum for a triangle, rendering the problem mathematically incorrect.

Teachers supervising the examination instructed students to skip the faulty questions and assured them that full marks would be awarded during evaluation. Education officials later confirmed that no student would be penalised for the errors.

However, the episode has drawn sharp criticism from teachers, who have accused the committee responsible for setting and vetting the papers of carelessness. They said such mistakes highlight the need for stricter scrutiny in examination processes, warning that repeated lapses could undermine students confidence in the system.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:39 IST

News viral 4kg Rice Costs Rs 420, Calculate Price Of 12kg: Why This Simple Math Exam Question Went Viral

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Saudi Arabia Covered In White As Rare Snowfall Blankets Gulf Country, Netizens Ask 'Is This AI?'

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 09:50 IST

Saudi Arabia's Trojena Highlands and sections of the Tabuk region witnessed unusually low weather this week, leading to breathtaking visuals.

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Parts of Saudi Arabia are experiencing rare snowfall. (Photo: X)

Saudi Arabia is experiencing rare snowfall in several parts of the country, triggering surprise and disbelief on social media as videos showed the Gulf nation covered in white.

Saudi Arabia is widely known for its warm desert climate. However, the Trojena Highlands and sections of the Tabuk region witnessed unusually low weather this week. Jabal Al-Lawz in Tabuk witnessed heavy snowfall on Wednesday, accompanied by thick fog and strong winds, according to the Saudi Gazette.

The countrys National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) has also forecast a high chance of snowfall in the Qassim region and northern parts of Riyadh on Thursday, as an intense weather system continues to affect large parts of the Kingdom. Authorities urged the public to exercise extreme caution during the severe weather.

Videos of the snowfall quickly spread online, leaving netizens in disbelief at Saudi Arabias first snowfall in decades. One of the clips in particular getting traction was posted on Instagram by Omar Alnauimi, known online as @storm_ae, who captioned it, In a rare event, snow is falling heavily in Saudi Arabia."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by        omar alnauimi (@storm_ae)

Saudi Arabia wakes up to SNOWPeople went outside to enjoy a rare weather condition Could it be a test run before Saudi Arabias Olympic Winter games 2026 pic.twitter.com/lcP7jdBMsy  RT (@RT_com) December 18, 2025

#UPDATE: Snow Falls in Saudi Arabias Al-AhsaResidents of Al-Ahsa in #SaudiArabias Eastern Province witnessed rare snowfall as a strong cold wave swept the region. Footages shared online showed the normally warm desert area lightly covered in snow, surprising locals and pic.twitter.com/Z3puDimQE7  Mowliid Haji Abdi (@MowliidHaji) December 18, 2025

The footage sparked a wave of reactions. Real or fake?" one user commented, while another quipped, End is coming". Several others questioned the authenticity of the visuals, asking, Is this AI?" amid concerns over manipulated content on social platforms.

Other users welcomed the unusual sight, with one describing it as a Winter wonderland in the desert."

Although snow in Saudi Arabia is rare, it is not unprecedented. In February last year, the Trojena Mountains experienced snowfall and sub-zero temperatures. Parts of the Al-Jawf region also reportedly experienced snowfall for the first time.

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Location : Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:50 IST

News viral Saudi Arabia Covered In White As Rare Snowfall Blankets Gulf Country, Netizens Ask 'Is This AI?'

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She Turned To ChatGPT For Advice, Left Her Fiance And Ended Up Marrying The AI She Created

Curated By :

Translation Desk

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 17:12 IST

A Japanese woman married AI character Lune Claus Verdure in a ceremony blending AR tech and anime culture, marking a personal turning point for her

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Rings were exchanged, and photographs of the AI groom were digitally added later. (Instagram/@thestaronline)

A wedding ceremony held recently in a function hall in Okayama, western Japan, looked conventional at first glance with a bride in white gown with a tiara, and tears of emotion with the solemn exchange of vows. But as guests soon realised, the groom was not standing at the altar. Instead, he appeared on a smartphone screen.

The bride, 32-year-old Yurina Noguchi, married an artificial intelligence (AI) character named Lune Claus Verdure in what has since become one of the most talked-about weddings online. Though the marriage has no legal standing under Japanese law, Noguchi described the ceremony as the most beautiful moment" of her life.

Images and videos from the event quickly spread across social media platforms and international news outlets, triggering amazement, debate and disbelief over how a human could form a romantic bond, and go as far as a wedding, with an AI bot.

Noguchi, who works as a call centre operator, traced the beginning of her unusual relationship to a deeply personal crisis. About a year ago, she was on the verge of ending a 3-year engagement. Distressed and unsure, she turned to ChatGPT for relationship advice. Acting on the AIs response, she decided to call off the engagement, a decision that eventually lead her down an unexpected path.

What began as a casual, almost playful interaction soon evolved into something more profound. During one conversation, Noguchi jokingly asked the AI whether it knew a handsome male character from a video game named Claus. Using repeated prompts and refinements, she began shaping the AIs personality, speech patterns and emotional responses, eventually creating her own customised version, which she named Lune Claus Verdure.

Over time, their conversations grew longer and more frequent. Noguchi said Claus always listened attentively, offered reassurance and responded with empathy. What initially served as emotional support gradually became a source of affection. He understood me in a way no one else did," she later said, describing him as her ideal partner.

The relationship progressed through stages familiar to many couples, from regular conversations to what she considered dating, followed by a proposal generated through AI text. The culmination was a wedding ceremony attended by guests, with Noguchi wearing augmented reality (AR) smart glasses that allowed her to see" Claus standing beside her.

Wedding planner Naoki Ogasawara, who officiated the event, read vows generated by the AI on behalf of the groom. Rings were exchanged, and while Claus could not physically pose for photographs, his image was digitally added later.

While the AI element is new, the concept itself is not entirely unfamiliar in Japan. The countrys long-standing anime and gaming culture has normalised emotional attachments to fictional characters, and ceremonies involving non-human partners have taken place before. Ogasawara, who specialises in such events, said he has organised more than 30 weddings involving fictional characters, though this was his first involving an AI-generated groom.

For Noguchi, the relationship marked a turning point in her personal life. She said she had previously struggled with emotional instability and episodes of self-harm, and that medical treatment had offered limited relief. Interacting with Claus, she claimed, helped her regulate her emotions and regain a sense of optimism.

However, she also acknowledged the need for caution. Having once spent up to 10 hours a day interacting with ChatGPT, she has now reduced that time to around two hours and introduced specific prompts to ensure the AI does not provide harmful or unhealthy guidance.

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Location : Japan

First Published: December 19, 2025, 17:12 IST

News viral She Turned To ChatGPT For Advice, Left Her Fiance And Ended Up Marrying The AI She Created

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Mob Lynches Hindu Man Over Blasphemy Allegations In Bangladesh Amid Unrest

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 11:20 IST

Amid the ongoing tense situation in Bangladesh, an angry mob lynched a Hindu man over blasphemy allegations.

A Hindu youth was brutally lynched by Islamists in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy.

Amid the ongoing tense situation in Bangladesh, a Hindu youth was brutally lynched by Islamists over alleged blasphemy. According to reports, the victim, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, was attacked by a mob in Bangladeshs Mymensingh district on Thursday night. Bangladesh is currently witnessing widespread unrest following the death of prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

It has been learnt that the mob after killing Das hung his body from a tree and set it on fire.

Reportedly, Dipu Chandra Das was a young garment factory worker living as a tenant in the Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka Upazila. According to police, a group of locals accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and attacked him around 9 pm.

Meanwhile, the police is attempting to trace the victims family members and said that legal proceedings will begin once a formal complaint is lodged.

Highlighing the horrifying torture against Hindus in Bangladesh, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya took to X and wrote that such incidents expose the brutal reality of what happens when Islamic extremism goes unchecked and minorities are stripped of protection.

He further attacked the West Bengal Chief Minister, saying, This is precisely the direction in which Mamata Banerjee is pushing the Hindus of West Bengaltowards a future where Hindus are reduced to second-class citizens, their voices silenced, and their homeland compromised, all to satisfy her relentless pursuit of political power."

History has shown us the consequences of appeasement politics. Ignoring warning signs today will only invite catastrophe tomorrow," he added.

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Location : Bangladesh

First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:46 IST

News world Mob Lynches Hindu Man Over Blasphemy Allegations In Bangladesh Amid Unrest

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'Bondi Beach Attack Can Never Be Allowed Again': Australian PM Albanese Plans Gun Buyback

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 07:35 IST

Anthony Albanese said that the buyback scheme was letting dangerous guns go off the Australian streets after the Bondi Beach terror attack that killed 15 people earlier this week.

Police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney (Photo: AP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday vowed tougher firearm laws as he said his country will launch a national gun buyback scheme, citing the need to prevent a repeat of the deadly terrorist attack at Sydneys Bondi Beach that killed 15 people on December 14.

In a series of posts on X, Albanese said the government was moving to remove dangerous guns off our streets with a national buyback," as authorities continued to investigate what has been described as the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We cant allow that to continue," Albanese wrote, drawing a direct comparison to the 1996 tragedy that prompted some of the worlds toughest gun laws.

He added, Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six."

Albanese said one of the attackers involved in the Bondi Beach shooting had access to six firearms, a fact that has intensified scrutiny of Australias existing gun licensing framework.

But thats exactly what one of the terrorists from the weekend had access to," he mentioned.

The mass shooting occurred during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, when two gunmen opened fire on crowds, killing 15 people and wounding dozens.

One of the gunmen, a 50-year-old man, was killed at the scene by police and was found to have held a valid firearm licence with six registered guns.

The second attacker was also shot by police. Authorities have said the attack appears to have been inspired by the Islamic State, Reuters reported.

Albanese said the federal government is working closely with state and territory governments to introduce stricter measures.

Were working with the states and territories on tough new gun laws, and together we will buy back newly banned and illegal firearms," he wrote on X.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Bondi attack must serve as a turning point.

The deadly terrorist attack at Bondi Beach can never be allowed to happen again," he wrote, adding that while gun reforms alone would not address all security risks, tougher gun laws arent the whole answer, but we will do everything it takes to keep Australians safe."

Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We cant allow that to continue.Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six. But thats exactly what one of the terrorists from the weekend had  Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) December 19, 2025

Reuters reported that Albanese said an estimated four million firearms are currently in Australia and that the planned buyback would target surplus, newly banned and illegal weapons, with costs shared between federal and state governments.

The proposed scheme would echo the landmark buyback introduced after Port Arthur, when about 640,000 prohibited firearms were surrendered nationwide at a cost of about A$304 million.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press had reported that Australian leaders had agreed to immediately overhaul gun control laws, including proposals to limit the number of guns an individual can own, review licences over time, and restrict gun ownership to Australian citizens.

Such measures would represent a significant update to the national firearms agreement introduced in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre.

AP also reported that Albanese described the Bondi violence as an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the heart of the nation," amid heightened concerns over a surge in antisemitic incidents.

The government said it will also strengthen hate laws alongside firearm reforms.

As Australia mourns the victims, Reuters reported that hundreds of swimmers and surfers gathered at Bondi Beach on Friday to honour those killed, while security had been increased nationwide as authorities work to prevent further violence.

ALSO READ | ISIS Calls Sydney Bondi Beach Shooting Matter of Pride, Does Not Claim Responsibility

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:32 IST

News world 'Bondi Beach Attack Can Never Be Allowed Again': Australian PM Albanese Plans Gun Buyback

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'Can't Breathe': Journalists Trapped As Bangladesh Mob Storms Media Offices Over Activist's Death

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 08:24 IST

Violent protests erupted in Dhaka after a youth leader died from injuries sustained in a shooting, with demonstrators targeting major newspapers and trapping staff inside.

A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader (Photo: Reuters)

Chaos erupted in Dhaka on Thursday night after the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, with demonstrators targeting the offices of major newspapers, including the Daily Star, trapping staff inside.

Amidst the unrest, Daily Star reporter Zyma Islam posted a harrowing message on Facebook in the early hours of Friday, mentioning that there was too much smoke".

I cant breathe anymore. Theres too much smoke. Im inside. You are killing me," she wrote.

Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the Inqilab Mancha platform and a candidate in Bangladeshs upcoming national elections, had been shot in the head by masked assailants on December 12 while campaigning in Dhaka.

He was initially treated at a local hospital before being flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after six days on life support, Reuters reported.

Following news of his death, violent protests swept through Dhaka and other cities.

AFP reported that several buildings in the capital, including those housing the countrys two leading newspapers, were set on fire, with staff trapped inside."

Protesters accused the newspapers, including the Daily Star and Prothom Alo, of being aligned with India, where former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina now lives in self-imposed exile.

According to the Associated Press, firefighting officials said the blaze at the Daily Star was brought under control at around 1.40 am (1940 GMT Thursday), but 27 employees were still inside.

Ahmed Deepto, another Star reporter, told AFP that staff had taken refuge at the rear of the building and could hear protesters chanting slogans outside.

The unrest follows heightened political tension in Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina fled to India in August 2024, with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus leading the interim administration.

Yunus addressed the nation in a televised speech following Hadis death, calling it an irreparable loss for the nation" and emphasising that the countrys march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed," AFP reported.

The countrys government has announced special prayers and declared Saturday a day of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-mast.

Meanwhile, authorities have launched a manhunt for Hadis shooters, releasing photographs of two key suspects and offering a reward for information leading to their arrest.

Violence was also reported in Chittagong, Rajshahi, and other cities, with demonstrators blocking roads and attacking private residences.

Reuters reported that the demonstrations were marked by slogans invoking Hadis name, with protesters vowing to continue their movement and demanding accountability for the attack.

Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in Dhaka to prevent further unrest, but many areas remained tense late into the night.

ALSO READ | India Resumes Operations At Dhaka Visa Centre After Closure Due To Protests

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:59 IST

News world 'Can't Breathe': Journalists Trapped As Bangladesh Mob Storms Media Offices Over Activist's Death

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Bangladesh In Total Mobocracy: Ex-Indian Diplomat Alleges Pakistan Role Amid Massive Unrest

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:17 IST

Veena Sikri said Bangladesh is currently being run by an illegal administration that lacks constitutional authority to conduct elections.

A Hindu youth was brutally lynched by Islamists in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy.

As Bangladesh remains on edge amid violent protests triggered by the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri launched a sharp attack on the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, describing the situation as a case of total mobocracy".

Veena Sikri said Bangladesh is currently being run by an illegal" administration that lacks constitutional authority to conduct elections.

This is a total mobocracy functioning in Bangladesh. First of all, it is not a constitutional government. It is an illegal government and has no authority or right to conduct elections," she said.

The former diplomat alleged that the political transition following the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was engineered with Jamaat-e-Islami at its core, with backing from Pakistan and other external actors.

The entire regime change operation was done with the Jamaat-e-Islami of Dhaka in charge. It was conducted by Pakistan with the support of external forces," she claimed, adding, The Jamaat thought they would be able to get a majority. But what Muhammad Yunus has done in the last 18 months has made the people very unhappy."

Veena Sikri also criticised efforts to blame India for the violence without evidence, pointing to the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi.

As part of the election campaign, one of their people was shot- Osman Hadi. Within seconds of the shooting, they started blaming India without any inquiry, nothing," she said.

Reiterating New Delhis position, Veena Sikri said India had conveyed to the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi that only free, fair, inclusive and participatory elections" would be acceptable.

Without credible elections, the people of Bangladesh are not going to accept the outcome. There must be a proper caretaker government," she added.

Her remarks come as the interim government of Muhammad Yunus appealed for calm, urging citizens to reject mob violence and blaming the unrest on a few fringe elements". In a statement, the government said it strongly and unequivocally" condemned violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property, warning that the countrys democratic transition must not be derailed by those who thrive on chaos and reject peace".

The protests have seen widespread attacks on media institutions, with offices of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo and New Age vandalised and set ablaze. The interim government also condemned the lynching of a Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, in Mymensingh district over alleged blasphemy.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:17 IST

News world Bangladesh In Total Mobocracy: Ex-Indian Diplomat Alleges Pakistan Role Amid Massive Unrest

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Last Updated: December 20, 2025, 09:02 IST

The body of July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi brought to Dhaka from Singapore.

Bangladesh Violence News Highlights: Bangladesh witnessed a surge of violent protests late Thursday following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, raising fears of escalating unrest as the country moves toward national elections.

Hadi, a prominent student activist who emerged during last years uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, was critically wounded in a shooting last Friday while campaigning in Dhaka.

Masked attackers shot him in the head during the launch of his election bid. After receiving initial treatment in Bangladesh, he was transferred to Singapore, where he died after six days on life support.

In the capital, footage shared on social media showed groups of protesters damaging property, including offices linked to major newspapers such as Prothom Alo and the Daily Star. Demonstrators chanted slogans bearing Hadis name as tensions spread across parts of the city.

According to Reuters, several neighborhoods remained on edge late into the night, prompting authorities to deploy additional security personnel in an effort to curb further violence.

Reports also said the Awami Leagues office in Rajshahi was set ablaze, while protesters vandalised the premises of Prothom Alo, one of the countrys most influential Bengali-language dailies.

Bangladeshs interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, described Hadis death as a profound blow to the nations political and democratic life. He pledged a full and transparent investigation into the killing and appealed to the public to maintain calm amid the growing unrest.

Catch all LIVE updates here:
Brown University Shooting Suspect Also Linked To MIT Professor's Murder In New Hampshire: Reports

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 11:51 IST

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, was identified as the suspect behind the shooting at Brown University that left two students dead, and the murder of an MIT professor.

Rapid Read

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the suspect of the Brown University shooting, was also linked to the murder of an MIT professor. (Photo: New Hampshire AG/AP)

The man suspected in the Brown University mass shooting was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot. Authorities have reportedly discovered that the suspect was behind the murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor in New Hampshire.

Authorities identified the dead suspect as the 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. We got him," FBI Boston special agent in charge Ted Docks said during a news conference at the Providence Public Safety Complex. Officials said he took his own life.

Authorities in Massachusetts confirmed Valenta is also the suspected gunman in the death of MIT professor Nuno FG Loureiro in Brookline, who was fatally shot on Monday night in his building. Both men were natives of Portugal, according to ABC News.

READ MORE: Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery That Allowed Brown University, MIT Shooting Suspect Into US

MIT Professors Death

US Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley told reporters at a news conference late Thursday night that its believed Valente and Loureiro studied in the same academic programme in Portugal in the 1990s. It was only the past day or two that the link began to be established" between the two puzzling crimes, she said.

Loureiro was a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist at MIT. Dozens of people gathered outside Lourieros building Tuesday night, many with candles in hand, to honour the professors life and support his family, according to The Associated Press.

Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Centre, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research. The centre, one of the schools largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm.

The president of MIT, Sally Kornbluth, said in a statement that the killing was a shocking loss." The office of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also put out a condolence statement calling Loureiros death an irreparable loss for science and for all those with whom he worked and lived."

How Was Suspect Tracked Down?

Neves Valente, whose most recent known address was in Miami, had a prior connection to Brown. He began attending the school in 2000, seeking a PhD in physics. He took a leave of absence the next year and officially withdrew from Brown in 2003, according to an affidavit filed in the case, as per WPRI.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said local police helped tracked down Valente thanks, in part, to surveillance video and a detailed tip about a vehicle being driven by a person who noted odd behaviour by the suspect.

Authorities said that the discovery ultimately led them to a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on the border with Massachusetts, where Valente had rented a unit. His body was found in a storage unit next to the one he had rented, with a satchel containing two firearms.

The shooting at Brown University claimed the lives of two students, Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, a freshman of Uzbek American heritage, and left nine others injured. In all the videos made public, the suspects face was masked or turned away, and authorities have only been able to give a vague description of him, leaving residents eager for an arrest.

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Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 19, 2025, 11:47 IST

News world Brown University Shooting Suspect Also Linked To MIT Professor's Murder In New Hampshire: Reports

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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/kovalska00

Ukraine has not closed a single church and does not intend to do so in the near future. The issue is about the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) renouncing its status as affiliated with the aggressor state, stated Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Olena Kovalska.

"We are a democratic state that operates within the law. And the law, which specifically concerns the UOC, is about the legal framework. The state has not closed a single church, and will not close it in the near future. The issue is about the UOC renouncing its status as affiliated with an aggressor state," Kovalska said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

According to her, the attitude here is the same as with business or anyone else  "you shouldnt be associated with an aggressor country." In the case of a religious structure, this is even more dangerous, since it influences people.

Kovalska noted that Ukraine has never banned the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in conjunction with the Moscow Patriarchate.

"In Ukraine, the law On the Protection of the Constitutional Order in the Sphere of Activities of Religious Organizations prohibits the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, which is considered an ideological continuation of the Russian regime and complicit in crimes against humanity. As for the UOC, it must withdraw from this organization (the ROC), and then it will have every opportunity to continue to operate freely and without any obstacles," she emphasized.

Moreover, Ukraine does not demand that the UOC change the language of worship, change the calendar, arbitrarily declare autocephaly, or become part of another church.

According to Kovalska, the UOC leadership has so far refused to comply with the order of the State Service for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience.

"Accordingly, the State Service for Ethnopolicy and Freedom of Conscience, in accordance with the law, filed a lawsuit to terminate the Kyiv Metropolitanatethe governing center of the UOC. Essentially, the UOC is fighting in court for the right to continue to be subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. But it can still comply with the order to sever its subordination to a center that has explicitly declared its goal to destroy Ukraine, and operate freely in our country," Kovalska concluded.
'Critical Moment': Bangladesh Urges Calm Amid Protests, Condemns Lynching Of Hindu Man

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 13:30 IST

Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus urged all parties to exercise calm and blamed the unrest on "fringe elements" who thrive on chaos.

Violence broke out in Bangladesh after the death of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. (Reuters)

As Bangladesh is witnessing violent protests following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus has urged all citizens to exercise restraint and resist all forms of mob violence, blaming the unrest on a few fringe elements." FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties. This is a critical moment in our nations history when we are making a historic democratic transition. We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace," said the government in a statement.

The interim government said the upcoming elections and the July Charter referendum were not just political exercises but a solemn national commitment, similar to Hadis dream.

Govt Apologises To Journalists, Condemns Lynching Of Hindu Man

The Bangladesh interim government also apologised to the journalists of Prothom Alo, The Daily Star and New Age, whose offices were vandalised and set ablaze as protests broke out following news of Hadis death. Troops were deployed to the office of The Daily Star, and firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building. Reports also said the Awami Leagues office in Rajshahi was set ablaze.

To the journalists of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo and New Age: we stand with you. We are deeply sorry for the terror and violence you have endured. The nation has witnessed your courage and tolerance in the face of terror. Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice," the government said.

The government also condemned the brutal lynching of a Hindu man by Islamists over alleged blasphemy, saying, There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared."

According to reports, the victim, identified as Dipu Chandra Das, was attacked by a mob in Bangladeshs Mymensingh district on Thursday night. It has been learnt that the mob, after killing Das, hung his body from a tree and set it on fire.

Hadis Death Rocks Bangladesh

Sharif Osman Hadi was a student leader who emerged from the student uprising that reshaped the countrys political landscape last year and ousted ex-PM Sheikh Hasina from the office. His killing has not only devastated supporters of the Inqilab Mancha, the anti-Hasina platform he helped lead, but has also triggered large-scale protests, attacks on media offices, and demonstrations outside Indian diplomatic premises.

Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last Friday while launching his campaign for the elections. He was initially treated at a local hospital before being flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after spending six days on life support.

Hadi rose to prominence as the convener of Inqilab Mancha and became known for his sharp attacks on both the Awami League and pro-India political alignments. He had reportedly circulated a map of a so-called Greater Bangladesh that included parts of Indias northeast.

Yunus described Hadis death as a profound blow to the nations political and democratic life and announced a day of state mourning. Thousands of his supporters gathered at Shahbag in Dhaka, chanting slogans and accusing authorities of failing to protect him.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 13:09 IST

News world 'Critical Moment': Bangladesh Urges Calm Amid Protests, Condemns Lynching Of Hindu Man

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Desert Under Water: Why Arid UAE Is Seeing Intense Rainfall And Flooding

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:21 IST

The UAE typically receives very little rainfall each year, often concentrated in short, sporadic spells.

The intense downpour brought large parts of the country to a standstill- an uncommon scenario in a nation known for its desert climate.

Heavy rain lashed United Arab Emirates, flooding roads, disrupting travel and forcing authorities to issue stay-indoors advisories. The intense downpour brought large parts of the country to a standstill- an uncommon scenario in a nation known for its desert climate. The unusual spell of rain has once again raised questions about why such heavy rainfall is becoming more frequent in the arid Gulf region.

What Happened Across UAE?

Dubai witnessed heavy rain late Thursday, followed by intense overnight showers in Abu Dhabi. By Friday morning, waterlogging was reported in several low-lying neighbourhoods, while videos showed fast-moving floodwater surging through wadis. Authorities urged residents to avoid flood-prone areas and unnecessary travel. Dubai directed government employees to work remotely, while the private sector was strongly encouraged to follow suit. In Abu Dhabi, residents were advised to stay indoors until at least mid-afternoon unless travel was essential. Beaches, parks and some tourist attractions were temporarily closed.

Why Does Heavy Rain Cause Such Severe Flooding?

The UAE typically receives very little rainfall each year, often concentrated in short, sporadic spells. Urban infrastructure in cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi has been designed for arid conditions, meaning drainage systems are not built to handle large volumes of water falling in a short span. As a result, sudden cloudbursts can quickly overwhelm roads, tunnels and underpasses, leading to rapid flooding.

What Weather Systems Are Driving These Downpours?

Meteorologists attribute the current conditions to unstable weather patterns linked to low-pressure systems extending from the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. These systems push moisture-laden air into the region, leading to the formation of tall rain-bearing clouds.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) warned that such conditions can produce thunderstorms, lightning, hail and strong winds, all of which contribute to short but intense rainfall episodes across the country.

Is Climate Change Making Rainfall More Extreme?

Climate experts say rising global temperatures are intensifying weather extremes worldwide, including in desert regions. Warmer air can hold more moisture, increasing the likelihood of heavier downpours when conditions are favourable. In the Gulf, this has translated into fewer but more intense rain events- spells that dump large amounts of water in a short time, rather than light, prolonged rain. Scientists warn that such patterns are likely to become more frequent as climate change accelerates.

Is This Part Of A Wider Regional Pattern?

Yes. The impact of extreme weather extended beyond the UAE. In neighbouring Qatar, heavy rain forced the abandonment of a FIFA Arab Cup playoff match after lightning was spotted near the stadium.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:21 IST

News world Desert Under Water: Why Arid UAE Is Seeing Intense Rainfall And Flooding

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Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery That Allowed Brown University, MIT Shooting Suspect Into US

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 11:50 IST

Trump has suspended the US diversity visa (green card lottery) program following the Brown University and MIT shootings, citing the suspects entry through the scheme.

A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP)

US President Donald Trump has halted the green card lottery program, also known as the diversity visa program, following the shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which left three people dead and several others injured.

The suspect, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, entered the United States through this program, prompting Trump to take swift action.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on the social platform X that, under Trumps direction, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been instructed to suspend the lottery program immediately.

This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country," Noem said, referring to Neves Valente.

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.In 2017, President Trump  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025

Neves Valente, 48, is suspected of killing two students at Brown University and an MIT professor, while injuring nine additional people.

Authorities reported that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday evening.

According to US Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B Foley, Neves Valente had obtained legal permanent residency in 2017.

The diversity visa program, established by Congress, makes up to 50,000 green cards available annually through a lottery system for individuals from countries that are underrepresented in the United States.

Many of the visas are awarded to applicants from African nations.

The lottery allows winners and their spouses to apply for green cards, which includes a thorough vetting and consular interview process to determine eligibility for permanent residence.

For the 2025 lottery, nearly 20 million people applied, with over 131,000 individuals, including spouses, selected. Only 38 of the slots were won by Portuguese citizens.

Trump has long been critical of the diversity visa program, and Noems announcement marks the latest instance in which a tragic event has been cited to justify changes to immigration policy.

Earlier in his administration, after an Afghan man was linked to a deadly attack on National Guard members in November, Trump implemented broad restrictions on immigration from Afghanistan and other countries.

While advocating for stricter immigration policies, Trump has pursued limits on both legal and illegal pathways into the United States, including programs mandated by law, such as the diversity visa lottery, as well as constitutional rights like birthright citizenship.

The Supreme Court has recently agreed to hear a case challenging the constitutional guarantee of citizenship for anyone born on US soil.

Noems statement reflects the administrations position that the diversity visa program, as currently structured, allows individuals who could pose a threat to gain entry into the country.

Legal experts say the suspension is likely to face court challenges, given that the lottery was established through federal legislation and has long-standing congressional support, the Associated Press reported.

ALSO READ | Junk Science: Trump Administration To Ban Transgender Care To Children, Targets Hospitals

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 11:49 IST

News world Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery That Allowed Brown University, MIT Shooting Suspect Into US

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Explosion Rocks Pakistan Security Camp In North Waziristan, 4 Killed

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:22 IST

According to security officials, the Military Battalion Headquarters in Boya Muhammad Khel, Miranshah, came under attack when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.

Explosion at Pakistan security camp in North Waziristan.

An explosion rocked a Pakistan security camp at the Boya location in North Waziristan on Friday. Reports indicated that at least four militants were killed in the gunfire following the attack. Witnesses said a powerful blast was heard, quickly followed by intense gunfire, as militants sought to breach the military installation. According to security officials, the Military Battalion Headquarters in Boya Muhammad Khel, Miranshah, came under attack when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the camps perimeter, after which insurgents attempted to infiltrate the compound. Fierce exchanges of fire continued between the Pakistan Army and armed militants well into the evening.

The attack underscores a renewed surge in militant activity across northwestern Pakistan, particularly in the volatile tribal districts bordering Afghanistan. The banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has intensified its operations following the collapse of earlier ceasefire arrangements, staging frequent strikes against security forces. In June this year, a suicide car bombing in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, claimed the lives of at least 16 Pakistani soldiers and injured dozens more, marking one of the deadliest assaults on military personnel in recent months.

Similarly, South Waziristan has witnessed deadly ambushes, including attacks that killed a dozen soldiers and wounded others during convoy movements. Independent security assessments have documented a sharp rise in militant violence across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with numerous clashes and bombings targeting both army and paramilitary units this year.

Pakistans military has responded with heightened counter-terror operations across the northwest, resulting in casualties.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 10:53 IST

News world Explosion Rocks Pakistan Security Camp In North Waziristan, 4 Killed

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'Do I Deserve It?': Bondi Beach Hero Handed $2.5 Million Cheque For His Brave Act

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 08:18 IST

Ahmed al-Ahmed won praise from locals, celebrities and political leaders after he disarmed one of the two shooters at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Rapid Read

Ahmed al-Ahmed received a check of $2.5 million from 43,000 donors for his heroic efforts. (Photo: X)

Ahmed al-Ahmed, the tobacco shop owner who won global praise for his heroic efforts in disarming one of the two shooters at Sydneys Bondi Beach, has been handed a cheque of $2.5 million from 43,000 donors.

Ahmed leapt into action and tackled a longarm rifle from Sajid Akram, 50, who was firing indiscriminately at Jewish families on Sunday. His actions were praised by locals, politicians and celebrities.

In a video showing him receiving the check, Ahmed is seen asking, I deserve it?" Influencer Zachery Dereniowski tells him, Every Penny."

 BONDI HERO AHMED AL AHMED HANDED $2.5 MILLION CHECK IN HOSPITAL: GOD PROTECT AUSTRALIA"The Syrian refugee who wrestled a rifle from one of the Bondi Beach terrorists has received a $2.5 million check from 43,000 donors, including a $99,999 contribution from American pic.twitter.com/jLGwZpK43J  Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 18, 2025

When asked if he could say one thing to all those who donated, Ahmed replied, To stand with each other, all human beings. And forget everything bad, behind the back [in the past] and keep going to save lives."

When I do save the people, I do it from the heart. Because it was a nice day everyone enjoying, celebrating with their kid, woman, man, teenager, everyone was happy and they deserve to enjoy and its their right," he was quoted as saying by news.com.au.

Ahmed sustained about five bullet wounds across his left arm, and one lodged in the back of his left shoulder blade while trying to save people. Sam Issa, Ahmeds migration lawyer, said he did not regret his actions and would do it again.

A GoFundMe page set up for him by CarHub Australia has raised over $1.7 million from more than 29,000 donors, including US billionaire Bill Ackman ($99,999), Hollywood comedian Amy Schumer ($2,257), and Australian musician Kid Laroi ($5,000). Schumer shared a photo of NSW Premier Chris Minns visiting Ahmed in hospital on Instagram.

Originally from war-torn Syria, he first arrived in Australia in 2006 and is the owner of Cigara, a tobacco shop in the Sydney suburb of Sutherland. Initial reports mistakenly identified Ahmed as a fruit shop owner.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also visited Ahmed at the hospital. Albanese described Ahmed as a true Australian hero" and said meeting him was a great honour".

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Location : Sydney, Australia

First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:02 IST

News world 'Do I Deserve It?': Bondi Beach Hero Handed $2.5 Million Cheque For His Brave Act

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Indian Expat Killed In Ras Al Khaimah As Heavy Rain Hits UAE

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 17:24 IST

The incident has sparked concern among Indian workers, particularly those living in low-lying areas or near construction sites.

Lives have been disrupted in several areas of UAE due to heavy rain (Credits: X)

A 27-year-old Indian expatriate, identified as Salman Fariz, was killed after a wall collapsed during heavy rains in Ras Al Khaimah. The incident took place amid an adverse weather situation in parts of the United Arab Emirates.

Salman used to work as a delivery agent at a cafeteria in Nakheel area of Ras Al Khaimah. He lost his life around 3 AM after a wall that was still being built collapsed on him, according to his employer and a social worker quoted by Gulf News.

Local authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the collapse. The incident has sparked concern among Indian workers, particularly those living in low-lying areas or near construction sites.

Officials have advised residents to remain cautious during adverse weather conditions as safety checks continue.

Videos shared online showed vehicles submerged in water on roads in areas including Karama and Al Barsha.

The flight operations were also hit with Emirates and flydubai cancelling or rescheduling several flights due to the weather.

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has predicted ongoing rainfall, with chances of thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail. It also warned of poor visibility and rough sea conditions along the coast.

In view of the situation, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) directed private sector firms in the affected regions to switch to remote work. Authorities in Abu Dhabi cancelled community events, while adventure activities at Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah were temporarily shut.

The weather department warned that unstable conditions may continue in the next few days and advised residents to stay alert, follow official instructions and keep track of emergency alerts and updates.

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Location : United Arab Emirates (UAE)

First Published: December 19, 2025, 17:23 IST

News world Indian Expat Killed In Ras Al Khaimah As Heavy Rain Hits UAE

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Osman Hadi Shooter Told Girlfriend Student Leaders Killing Would Shake Entire Bangladesh

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 16:29 IST

Sharif Osman Hadi died in Singapore, triggering nationwide unrest, arson attacks and mob violence in Bangladesh.

Protester burning down offices of Newspapers as a protest over the death of Osman Hadi (Image: Reuters)

Violence that has plunged Bangladesh into chaos was chillingly foreshadowed by the alleged shooter of Sharif Osman Hadi, who told his girlfriend on the eve of the attack that something was about to happen that would shake the entire country", investigators said.

The warning came just hours before Sharif Osman Hadi was shot in broad daylight in Dhaka last week by masked, bike-borne attackers. Sharif Osman Hadi died in Singapore, triggering nationwide unrest, arson attacks and mob violence.

According to Bangladeshi investigators, prime accused Faisal Karim made the remark while staying at a resort in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, with his girlfriend and close associate, Maria Akhtar Lima.

He said something would happen the next day that would shake the entire country," investigators told local media, citing statements recorded during interrogation. Jamuna Television reported that Faisal showed Lima a video clip of Sharif Osman Hadi while making the remark. Daily Jugantor quoted Faisal as saying, Something will happen tomorrow that the whole country will tremble."

Authorities said the statement indicates prior knowledge and planning, strengthening the case that the attack was a coordinated and premeditated operation.

Hours after the conversation, Faisal and two accomplices allegedly opened fire on Sharif Osman Hadi in the capital. A bullet entered through Sharif Osman Hadis ear and exited from the other side of his head. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and later flown to Singapore by air ambulance under the supervision of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration. He died after several days on life support.

What followed Sharif Osman Hadis death has been widespread unrest across Bangladesh. Media houses, cultural centres and political offices were attacked. A Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, was lynched and burnt to death in Mymensingh over alleged blasphemy. Bangladesh now faces its worst bout of violence in months, just weeks before crucial elections scheduled for February 2026.

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Location : Delhi, India, India

First Published: December 19, 2025, 16:29 IST

News world Osman Hadi Shooter Told Girlfriend Student Leaders Killing Would Shake Entire Bangladesh

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'Remained Trapped On Rooftop': Bangladeshi Journalists Recount Horror As Media Houses Torched

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: News Desk



Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 14:44 IST

At The Daily Star, attackers set fire to the ground floor of the building, cutting off exit routes and forcing journalists to move to the rooftop.

Violence broke out in Bangladesh after the death of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. (Reuters)

Journalists who were present near the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star during overnight arson attacks in Dhaka have described scenes of chaos, fear and prolonged entrapment, as violence linked to nationwide protests shook Bangladeshs media community.

Speaking to News18 on condition of anonymity, several journalists said they declined to be recorded due to trauma and concerns for their safety.

According to accounts from those on the ground, both media houses came under attack within half an hour of news breaking about the death of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

A large mob quickly gathered outside the offices, and the situation escalated rapidly, witnesses said.

At The Daily Star, attackers set fire to the ground floor of the building, cutting off exit routes and forcing journalists to move upward.

Many staff members took shelter on the rooftop, where they remained trapped for an extended period as fires burned below and violence continued outside. Rescue efforts were later carried out by security forces and emergency services.

At Prothom Alo, fires broke out in the marketing and book publication departments housed in two adjoining five-storey buildings.

Journalists working in the main 13-storey tower managed to escape, but several others were initially trapped inside the premises as the arson spread.

The vandalism and fires continued through the night, journalists said, describing the scale of the attack as unprecedented.

Several journalists who were caught inside the buildings are still not in a position to speak, colleagues said.

Veteran journalist Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age, was also assaulted the same night. Kabir, known for his long-standing critical editorial stance against the Awami League, was attacked by a mob during the unrest, according to media reports.

Witnesses told News18 that there had been prior apprehension that violence could break out following Hadis death, but the intensity of the attacks exceeded expectations.

Some journalists said the mob appeared highly aggressive and, in many cases, unclear about the reasons behind targeting the media houses.

Several believe the violence may be linked to the broader political climate and heightened tensions ahead of national elections.

Both The Daily Star and Prothom Alo have maintained editorial independence and continued reporting under the previous Sheikh Hasina government. However, the precise trigger for the attacks on the media organisations remains unclear.

Bangladesh Unrest

The arson attacks followed widespread protests that erupted across Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a polarising figure known for his strong anti-India rhetoric.

Hadi, 32, rose to prominence during the 2024 student-led uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

A spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha platform and a candidate in the upcoming general elections, Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants on December 12 while launching his election campaign in Dhaka.

He later died during treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

As news of his death spread, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Dhaka and other cities, demanding the arrest of those responsible.

Several buildings, including the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, were set on fire, with staff trapped inside, authorities said.

Following the attacks, Bangladeshs two leading newspapers suspended both print and online operations. Another publication, The Business Standard, was unable to print its city edition on Friday after its press was shut down due to security concerns.

Police have launched a manhunt for Hadis attackers, releasing images of two key suspects and announcing a reward of five million taka for information leading to their arrest.

Interim leader and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus said the shooting was a premeditated attack carried out by a powerful network aimed at destabilising the country and disrupting the upcoming elections, scheduled for February 12.

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Location : Bangladesh

First Published: December 19, 2025, 14:44 IST

News world 'Remained Trapped On Rooftop': Bangladeshi Journalists Recount Horror As Media Houses Torched

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Sheikh Hasina Is Worried: Ex-Ministers Blame Yunus, His Cabinet For Chaos Over Hadi Death

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 15:29 IST

Tension gripped Bangladesh on Friday after the death of prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi triggered protests, violence and vandalism in various parts of the country

Rapid Read

Violence broke out in Bangladesh after the death of radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. (Reuters)

Blaming the Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus-led interim government for the current unrest in Bangladesh, former ministers of Sheikh Hasinas cabinet said she was worried about the situation.

Tension gripped Bangladesh on Friday after the death of prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi triggered protests, violence and vandalism in various parts of the country. While no incidents of violence were reported in the morning, protesters were seen vandalising the already demolished structure of 32 Dhanmandi, the home of Bangladeshs founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioners residence in Chattogram, after Yunus confirmed Inquilab Mancha leader Hadis death in a televised address to the nation.

A member of Yunus cabinet to blame: Mahibul Hasan Choudhury

Mahibul Hasan Choudhury, former State Minister in Sheikh Hasinas Cabinet, blamed a member of Muhammad Yunus cabinet" for the current unrest in Bangladesh.

Last night, some members of the interim government and National Citizen Party (NCP) called for war with progressive forces on the Hadi assassination issue. They attacked the Indian High Commission building. It was instigated by this regime. Yunus called for peace, but a key member of his cabinet, who now resigned publicly, called for dead bodies," said Choudhury.

Mr Mahfuz of Yunus team had asked for dead bodies. I spoke to other Indian deputy High Commission from Chittagong, they said the police did not helpAs election time is approaching, they believe they will looseThat is why they are creating instability."

Sheikh Hasina is worried: Mohammad A Arafat

Mohammad A Arafat, former Information Minister of Bangladesh, in an exclusive conversation with News18 said, Sheikh Hasina is worried and she is observing whats happening there. The situation right now is nothing different from what it was in the beginning. You saw mob violence all over."

There is no law and order in the country. Extremists are killing people. There is an attack on academics, cultural activists. They attacked the cultural centre of Bangladesh. They attacked the house of Mahibuls fathers, the late ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury. This has been happening for the past two years, yesterday was nothing new," he said.

They are targeting liberals. They are against anything that represents secular political values.

Yunus is backing this group. The voices against radicals are attacked. With the killing of Hadi , they started attack on IndiaIndia has always supported usHasina is saddenedWithout her, the situation of Bangladesh will remain like this."

Even Bangla newspapers Prothom Alo and Daily Star who were against Awami are attacked. There is no space for minorities in Bangladesh. Even critics of Awami league are attacked now. Pro-Pakistan elements are strong now," he said.

The Bangladesh crisis

Hadi, a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days. He was shot in the head last week by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhakas Bijoynagar area.

In his address on Thursday, Yunus vowed to bring those involved in Hadis brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, No leniency will be shown" to the killers.

I sincerely call upon all citizens  keep your patience and restraint," he said.

The chief adviser declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday, and said special prayers seeking forgiveness for Hadis soul will be organised in every mosque across the country after Friday prayers.

No one can stop the democratic progress of this country through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed," he said, adding that the responsibility of realising Hadis dream lies on the shoulders of the entire nation.

Protesters on Thursday took to the streets and attacked offices of leading newspapers, vandalised 32 Dhanmandi with hammers, and also demolished an office of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasinas disbanded Awami League party in Rajshahi city.

Regarded as the centre point of Bangladeshs pre-independence struggle for autonomy for decades, 32 Dhanmandi was largely demolished with excavators on February 5 this year, while it was set on fire soon after the August 5, 2024, fall of the then Awami League government.

Protesters also hurled bricks and stones at the residence the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram at 1:30 am, but failed to cause any damage.

Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, dispersing the crowd and detaining 12 protesters. A few injuries were also reported.

Senior officials assured the assistant high commissioner of enhanced security.

Last night, the National Citizen Party (NCP), a large offshoot of Students against Discrimination (SAD) that led last years violent protest  dubbed the July Uprising, which ousted the Hasina-led government  joined a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus.

Supporters of the group chanted anti-India slogans alleging that Hadis assailants fled to India after committing the murder. They called upon the interim government to close the Indian high commission until they were returned.

Critically ill former prime minister Khaleda Zias Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) strongly condemned the vandalism and said that the Yunus-led interim government will have to shoulder its responsibility.

With PTI Inputs

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 15:26 IST

News world Sheikh Hasina Is Worried: Ex-Ministers Blame Yunus, His Cabinet For Chaos Over Hadi Death

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The Long Shadow: How Pakistans ISI Is Recalibrating Its Eastern Front In Bangladesh | Exclusive

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 18:19 IST

News18 repeatedly reported that ISI was whipping up a storm against India in Bangladesh. The current unrest is being viewed by many as a 'managed' crisis

By fostering instability, radical elements are consolidating their influence on the streets while the interim government appears either unwilling or unable to stem the tide. File pic

As Bangladesh grapples with a volatile transition, intelligence reports suggest that a darker, coordinated influence is taking root in Dhaka. For the first time in over fifteen years, the long shadow" of Pakistans premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is being cast across the countrys political and security landscape.

What began as a diplomatic thaw" following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024 has rapidly evolved into a strategic re-entry, with New Delhi now raising red flags over a burgeoning Dhaka-Islamabad axis.

The Establishment of the Dhaka Cell

The most alarming development for regional security is the reported establishment of a dedicated ISI Special Cell within the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka. First exposed by CNN-News18 in late October 2025, the unit is said to be heavily staffed by a team of high-ranking military and intelligence officers. According to top intelligence sources, the cells initial phase includes one Brigadier, two Colonels, four Majors, and several officials from Pakistans Navy and Air Force.

This infrastructure was reportedly formalised following the four-day visit of Pakistans Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, to Dhaka in late October 2025. During this tour, General Mirza and senior ISI officers held multiple rounds of closed-door meetings with Bangladeshs National Security Intelligence (NSI) and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI). Sources indicate that these meetings resulted in a joint intelligence-sharing mechanism, ostensibly aimed at Bay of Bengal surveillance but widely believed to be a front for monitoring Indias eastern borders.

A Tightening Strategic Embrace

The speed of this rapprochement has been unprecedented. Since August 2024, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim setup and the Shehbaz Sharif government have moved with startling coordination:

Visa-Free Access: On July 23, 2025, the two nations agreed to grant visa-free entry for diplomats and official passport holdersincluding military personnelsignificantly lowering the barrier for intelligence transit.

Defence Thaw: High-level military exchanges, including visits by Bangladeshs Quartermaster General to Rawalpindi in August and Pakistani Lt. Gen. Tabassum Habib to Dhaka in October, have signalled a pivot toward deep defence cooperation.

Economic Corridors: The launch of a direct Karachi-Chittagong shipping route and upcoming direct flights have provided the logistical cover for increased bilateral movement.

The Radicalisation Mission

Intelligence analysts warn that the ISIs core mission" in Bangladesh is the systematic radicalisation of the youth and the promotion of religious extremism through groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and the Inqilab Manch. The ultimate goal appears to be the creation of a Hybrid Regime"modelled after Pakistans own political structurethat is inherently hostile to Indian interests.

The current unrest following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi on December 18 is being viewed by many as a managed" crisis. Observers argue that the resulting atmosphere of fearmarked by attacks on the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and the Assistant High Commission in Chattogram, as well as the burning of media offices like The Daily Staris being used to delay the February 12 elections. By fostering instability, radical elements are consolidating their influence on the streets while the interim government appears either unwilling or unable to stem the tide.

Pakistan-Bangladesh Relations After Sheikh Hasinas Ouster in August 2024

07-Aug-2024: Pakistans government expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh following the fall of Hasinas government amid widespread protests.

07-Aug-2024: Pakistan welcomed Bangladeshs Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and assured full support in the transition.

30-Aug-2024: Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to work closely for South Asias progress.

25-Sept-2024: PM Shehbaz met Bangladesh Chief Advisor Yunus on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

19-Dec-2024: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif met Bangladesh Chief Advisor Yunus in Cairo on the sidelines of the D-8 summit; both leaders agreed to work together for stronger cooperation and relations.

14-Jan-2025: Senior Bangladeshi general Lt-Gen Kamr-ul-Hassan held separate meetings with Pakistans army chief Asim Munir and CJCSC Sahir Shamshad at GHQ Rawalpindi.

19-June-2024: A meeting involving the vice foreign minister/foreign secretary of Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan took place in Kunming, Yunnan province of China.

15-July-2025: Pakistans intelligence delegation visited Dhaka and held meetings with Bangladeshi intelligence officials.

23-July-2025: Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to relax visa rules, allowing visa-free entry for diplomats and officials, including military personnel.

28-July-2025: Pakistan and Bangladesh vowed to deepen bilateral ties. Pakistani FM Dar and the Bangladesh envoy held talks on the sidelines of the UN two-state conference.

21-Aug-2025: Bangladesh Armys Quartermaster General (QMG), Lieutenant General Md Faizur Rahman, visited Pakistans General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. The meeting, which signals deepening defence cooperation, focused on regional security, defence ties, and bilateral relations between the two countries.

21-Aug-2025: Pakistans commerce minister visited Bangladesh to boost trade amid thawing relations.

22/23-Aug-2025: Pakistans Deputy PM Dar visited Dhaka and met with the Chief Advisor, top leaders of Bangladesh, including Jamat-I-Islami, ex-PM Khaleda Zia, and top military commanders. Ishaq Dar doubled the staff size at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

25-Sept-2025: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Government of Bangladesh, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UNGA in New York.

06/07-Oct-2025: Pakistans Lt Gen Tabassum Habib received a red-carpet welcome in Bangladesh.

26-Oct-2025: The 9th Pakistan-Bangladesh JEC meeting was held in Dhaka after a two-decade hiatus.

25-28-Oct-2025: Pakistans top General, Sahir Shamshad Mirza, concluded a four-day visit to Bangladesh.

Indias Diplomatic Pushback

India has not remained silent. On November 19, 2025, during the Colombo Security Conclave Summit in New Delhi, Indian NSA Ajit Doval reportedly raised the issue of the ISI Cell in Dhaka" directly with his Bangladeshi counterpart, Dr Khalil-ur-Rehman.

While New Delhi continues to support the people of Bangladesh, the Pakistani pivot" in Dhakas power corridors is increasingly seen as a direct threat to Indias Neighbourhood First" policy and regional stability.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 18:19 IST

News world The Long Shadow: How Pakistans ISI Is Recalibrating Its Eastern Front In Bangladesh | Exclusive

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Photo: https://www.facebook.com/Nawrocki25

Polish President Karol Nawrocki recalled that Russian aggression did not begin with the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022 and emphasized that Warsaw supports sanctions against Russia and diplomatic pressure.

"We recognize, and we discussed this with the president during our discussion, that the Russian threat did not begin with the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine following the Russian Federations attack in 2022. This is, of course, a turning point, but it all began, ladies and gentlemen, even earlier. We in Poland remember Grozny, we remember Georgia," he said at his first joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Warsaw.

Nawrocki emphasized that Russias actions violate international order, the principles of international law, and contribute to the destabilization of political systems.

"We understand this and have understood it in Poland. Furthermore, of course, military operationsI say this as the President of Polandwe witness properly conducted hybrid operations on a daily basis. Violations of airspace, drone attacks, disruption of infrastructure, attacks on Polish infrastructure by agents of the Russian Federation," Nawrocki said.

Therefore, as he emphasized, its not surprising that Poland regularly supports sanctions against Russia on all diplomatic platforms, and also supports the strike against Russias shadow fleet.

"We, of course, support efforts to transfer Russian assets We also support diplomatic pressure. I personally do this as the President of Poland, but so does the Polish government," the Polish leader stated.
The Shadow Play: How Pakistans ISI Is Exploiting Bangladeshs Unrest | Exclusive

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 13:17 IST

As Bangladesh reels from violent protests after Osman Hadis death, ISI is using the unrest to push its old proxy playbook and deepen its footprint ahead of national elections.

A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader (Photo: Reuters)

Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is playing a far more calculated and dangerous role in the narrative-driven mobilisation unfolding in Bangladesh ahead of the upcoming general elections. The pattern is significantly more dangerous than the phase seen in July 2024, with the agency exploiting a volatile political mood while avoiding overt leadership of the unrest.

The current atmosphere has been further inflamed by the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, which triggered a surge of violent protests late Thursday. Hadi, a prominent activist who emerged during last years uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, was critically wounded in a shooting in Dhaka last Friday during the launch of his election campaign. Masked attackers shot him in the head, and although he was moved to Singapore after initial treatment in Bangladesh, he died six days later on life support.

His death ignited immediate unrest across the capital. Footage shared on social media showed groups damaging property, including offices linked to major newspapers such as Prothom Alo and the Daily Star, with demonstrators chanting slogans bearing Hadis name. According to Reuters, several neighbourhoods remained tense late into the night, prompting the deployment of additional security forces.

Reports also said the Awami Leagues office in Rajshahi was set ablaze, while protesters vandalised the premises of Prothom Alo, one of the countrys most influential Bengali-language dailies. Interim leader Muhammad Yunus called Hadis death a profound blow to Bangladeshs political and democratic life and promised a transparent investigation while appealing for calm.

It is within this volatile environment that ISI is inserting itself. The agency has directed Jamaat-e-Islami and its student and madrasa-linked affiliates not to lead the agitation but to fuel it from behind the scenes. The intent is to keep local actors visibly at the forefront, allowing the movement to appear organic while external networks amplify its energy.

Pakistans involvement is not in open direction of unrest but in exploiting it. ISIs footprint is visible in the amplification of violence and in the activation of Islamist networks at critical moments. Financial and digital activity linked to Pakistan is also driving the narrative. Certain Bangladeshi media voices have been funded through Pakistan-backed channels, and several social media handles influencing the unrest are operating from Pakistani territory. These platforms have repeatedly attempted to portray India in a negative light, leaning on the perception among some groups that New Delhi is a protector of Sheikh Hasina.

The pattern reflects ISIs long-standing playbook of plausible deniability and low-cost destabilisation. Local groups provide the faces, crowds and street presence, while Pakistan supplies ideological messaging and online radicalisation. This model allows the movement to retain a domestic appearance while being shaped from the outside.

For ISI, Bangladesh is a strategic country because turmoil there creates pressure on Indias eastern flank. This strategic calculus underpins much of the activity being detected in the pre-poll environment.

A separate but related narrative has emerged around the violent attacks on Indian diplomatic premises, which some groups are attempting to cast as symbolic victories. This aligns with ISIs broader objective of reshaping public perceptions of Indias role in Bangladesh at a moment of heightened volatility.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 09:46 IST

News world The Shadow Play: How Pakistans ISI Is Exploiting Bangladeshs Unrest | Exclusive

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US Democrats Release 68 New Photos From Epstein's Estate Showing Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 08:20 IST

The release includes images of lines from the novel "Lolita" written on a person's body, along with high-profile figures like Bill Gates and Noam Chomsky.

Rapid Read

The newly released photos from Epstein's estate showed Bill Gates (R) and quotes from the novel 'Lolita' written on a woman's body. (Oversight Dems)

Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee released a fresh batch of 68 photos obtained from the estate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday, featuring numerous high-profile public figures. This came one day before the deadline set for the Trump administration to release a larger group of Epstein files.

We will continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people. Its time for the Department of Justice to release the files," said the House Oversight Committee. This is the third tranche of over 95,000 photos acquired by the committee from Epsteins estate.

NEW: Oversight Dems are releasing additional photos from Jeffrey Epsteins estate to the public.We will continue releasing photographs and documents to provide transparency for the American people. Its time for the Department of Justice to release the files. pic.twitter.com/ZGAvxVLCUq  Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) December 18, 2025

The release includes images of lines from the novel Lolita" written on a persons body, various travel documents, a screenshot of text messages about an 18-year-old from Russia, and more. These new images raise more questions about what exactly the Department of Justice has in its possession," said Robert Garcia, a ranking member of the Oversight Committee.

Who Is Shown In The New Photos?

Some of the new images show Epstein speaking with professor and activist Noam Chomsky aboard a private plane, and Bill Gates standing beside a woman whose face is redacted. Trump aide Steve Bannon was seen sitting at a desk across from Epstein, and former Alphabet president Sergey Brin at a dinner event. Notably, merely appearing in the photos is not evidence of any wrongdoing, and many figures seen in the Epstein files have denied involvement in his illegal activities.

Some of the other pictures lack context, including one showing Epstein and several others in what appears to be a conference room with a chalkboard and kitchenette. One photo shows two camouflage compound bows, and another shows a pill bottle.

The most important images are those showing a passage of the novel Lolita written on someones body. The first blurry image showed a line from the novel written on a womans chest, which read, Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth."

Other lines were scrawled on a womans foot, hip, neck and back. Notably, Epstein kept a first edition copy of Lolita" in the office of his New York City home, according to the New York Times. The novel is about a mans obsession and sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl.

Another picture shows a screenshot of a series of text messages from an unknown sender. The messages refer to an 18-year-old from Russia and mention someone asking for 1000$ per girl". The message includes redacted personal information for an individuals name, age, measurements, weight and departure city". There are also a number of photos of female passports and identification documents from countries around the world, including Lithuania, Russia, and the Czech Republic.

Deadline For Trump Administration Looms

Last week, the Oversight Committee released 92 photos of Epsteins estate, which showed US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and billionaires Bill Gates and Richard Branson, among other high-profile figures. The White House accused Democrats of cherry-picking" the photos to create a false narrative" about Trump, CBS News reported.

Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Trump signed into law last month, the Department of Justice has until December 19 to release its files. The extent of whats contained in the DOJs files is unknown, and its likely that much of the content will be heavily redacted, similar to House Oversight Committee materials.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 07:35 IST

News world US Democrats Release 68 New Photos From Epstein's Estate Showing Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky

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US Military Strikes Two More Alleged Drug Vessels In Pacific Ocean, 5 Narco-Terrorists Killed

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 12:40 IST

The U.S. military, directed by Pete Hegseth, struck two vessels in the Pacific Ocean, killing 5 narco-terrorists.

US Military Strikes Two More Alleged Drug Vessels In Pacific Ocean (Photo: X)

The U.S. military on Thursday carried out kinetic strikes on two vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Pacific Ocean. According to US Southern Command, five narco-terrorists were killed in these strikes. Three were killed in the first vessel and two in the second vessel, it said.

These strikes were done at the instruction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. With this attack, the death toll from the Trump administrations military campaign against alleged seaborne drug traffickers has reached 104.

On Dec. 18, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions  three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel. No U.S. military forces were harmed," the U.S. Southern Command said on X.

On Dec. 18, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known pic.twitter.com/CcCyOgYRto U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 19, 2025

The US government has carried out such strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September. According to Agence France-Presse data, the strikes have now killed 104 people.

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Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: December 19, 2025, 12:40 IST

News world US Military Strikes Two More Alleged Drug Vessels In Pacific Ocean, 5 Narco-Terrorists Killed

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'We Have A Deal': European Union Clears 90 Billion Zero-Interest Support Package For Ukraine

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 11:28 IST

EU has approved a 90 billion zero-interest support package for Ukraine for 2026-27 after negotiations on ways to finance Ukraines military and economic needs.

Soldiers ride a quad bike near Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine (Photo: AP)

European Union leaders have approved a 90 billion ($106 billion) support package for Ukraine for 2026-27, EU Council President Antonio Costa announced on Friday, as the war with Russia drags into its fourth year.

We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 202627 approved. We committed, we delivered," Costa posted on X.

We have a deal.Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered.  Antonio Costa (@eucopresident) December 19, 2025

The agreement was reached after intensive overnight negotiations in Brussels, where leaders debated how to finance Ukraines mounting military and economic needs.

The support will take the form of a zero-interest loan funded through borrowing on capital markets, after the EU failed to reach a consensus on using frozen Russian assets to raise the money, the Associated Press reported.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine will need an estimated 137 billion ($161 billion) in 2026 and 2027 to sustain its economy and war effort.

Kyiv is facing an acute cash crunch and has warned it could run out of funds by spring without fresh international assistance.

Initially, EU leaders had explored a plan to use some of the 210 billion ($246 billion) worth of Russian assets frozen in Europe, most of them held in Belgium, as collateral for a so-called reparations loan."

However, the proposal ran into strong resistance from Belgium, which raised legal and financial concerns.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever rejected the plan as legally risky, warning it could expose Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearing house holding 193 billion ($226 billion) of the frozen assets, to retaliation and lawsuits.

Russias central bank last week filed a legal case against Euroclear aimed at blocking any use of the frozen funds to support Ukraine.

As talks stalled, leaders eventually agreed to finance the package through borrowing on capital markets.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the approach as the most realistic and practical way" to fund Ukraine.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also welcomed the decision, saying, The financial package for Ukraine has been finalised," and confirming that Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan."

The package faced opposition from Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, all of which have been critical of continued EU support for Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, I would not like a European Union in war. To give money means war," and dismissed the plan to use frozen Russian assets as a dead end."

Despite their objections, the three countries agreed not to block the deal after receiving assurances they would be shielded from any financial fallout.

Zelenskyy attended the Brussels summit and urged leaders to reach a swift decision to keep Ukraine afloat.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk underscored the stakes, warning it was a choice between sending either money today or blood tomorrow."

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 11:27 IST

News world 'We Have A Deal': European Union Clears 90 Billion Zero-Interest Support Package For Ukraine

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Visiting Dutch Minister Backs India-EU Trade Deal, Rejects Trump Line | Exclusive

Reported By :

CNN-News18

Last Updated: December 20, 2025, 09:12 IST

David van Weel emphasised in an exclusive interview with News18 that as two major democracies, the Netherlands and India must have an honest dialogue regarding internal challenges

A central pillar of the visit was the expansion of the semiconductor partnership. Image/X

During his two-day official visit to India on December 18-19, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel held high-level discussions in New Delhi and Mumbai, signalling a next-level" shift in the India-Netherlands strategic partnership.

The visit focused on moving beyond traditional sectors like agriculture and water to concentrate on high technology, defence, and global trade resilience.

On Democracy and Shared Values: Addressing Intolerance

In an exclusive interview with CNN-News18, David van Weel emphasised that as two major democracies, the Netherlands and India must have an honest dialogue regarding internal challenges. He offered condolences on the April Pahalgam terror attack and also touched upon the tricky issue of migrants and refugees" that has flummoxed many nations.

The Netherlands and India have to come to grips in terms of what kind of intolerance we cannot accept in our democracies," said the minister.

His remarks underscored the shared democratic values" that form the bedrock of the bilateral relationship, suggesting that maintaining democratic integrity is essential for long-term strategic stability and innovation.

On Tech and Semiconductors: Betting on Indias Workforce

A central pillar of the visit was the expansion of the semiconductor partnership. Van Weel highlighted Indias burgeoning potential as a global tech hub, citing its highly educated workforce" and the presence of Dutch industry leaders.

The Workforce Advantage: He lauded Indias huge workforce" and high level of education as critical assets.

Industry Presence: He pointed to Dutch semiconductor giants, specifically visiting the NXP Semiconductors facility in Noida, to illustrate how the Netherlands is already boosting production and talent in India.

Strategic Shift: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had echoed David van Weel, stating that the relationship is ready for a more ambitious phase" involving digital technology, cyberspace, and life sciences.

On Trade and Global Policy: Rejecting Trumps Tariff Approach

Addressing the shifting global economic landscape in his interview with CNN-News18, David van Weel was vocal about the Netherlands commitment to free trade, contrasting it with the protectionist rhetoric of the incoming US administration.

Tariff Stance: He stated, We are not in favour of Trumps tariff approach to trade," reaffirming that the Netherlands was founded on the principles of free trade.

India-EU FTA: He expressed strong hope for the early conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, which is currently in a decisive phase". He argued that such agreements with like-minded partners" are now more critical than ever to ensure resilient and autonomous supply chains.

Defence and Future Engagements

The visit also saw the signing of a Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. This agreement sets a roadmap for the co-development and co-production of niche military technology, particularly in the maritime domain.

The Dutch ministers visit serves as a precursor to Prime Minister Dick Schoofs scheduled trip to India in February 2026 for the AI Impact Summit, where a large delegation of Dutch CEOs is expected to further solidify these tech-heavy ties.

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First Published: December 20, 2025, 00:14 IST

News world Visiting Dutch Minister Backs India-EU Trade Deal, Rejects Trump Line | Exclusive

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Who Was Osman Hadi, The Student Leader Whose Killing Has Triggered Unrest Across Bangladesh?

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Last Updated: December 19, 2025, 19:43 IST

The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure of the July student uprising and a leading voice of the anti-Hasina platform Inqilab Mancha, has plunged Bangladesh into fresh unrest.

Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on December 12 and had been in critical condition since.

Bangladesh is witnessing a volatile and emotional moment after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a young leader who emerged from the student uprising that reshaped the countrys political landscape last year. His killing has not only devastated supporters of the Inqilab Mancha, the anti-Hasina platform he helped lead, but has also triggered large-scale protests, attacks on media offices, and demonstrations outside Indian diplomatic premises.

For many who took part in the July Uprising and the toppling of the Awami League government, Hadi had come to embody the spirit of the movement, and news of his death has intensified anxieties among his supporters.

His prominence was closely tied to the rise of the Inqilab Mancha, a political platform that emerged from the protest movement and ultimately led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. The platform positioned itself as a force seeking a constitutional ban on the Awami League and frequently projected an uncompromising stance against pro-India politics.

A Radical Figure Of The Student Uprising

Sharif Osman Hadi rose to prominence as the convener of Inqilab Mancha and became known for his sharp attacks on both the Awami League and pro-India political alignments. His confrontational style brought him both followers and critics. According to Bangladeshi media reports, he had recently circulated a map of a so-called Greater Bangladesh that included parts of Indias northeast

At the time of the attack, Hadi was campaigning as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency for the upcoming Jatiya Sangsad elections.

The Assassination Attempt In Dhaka

The attack on Hadi took place on 12 December in Dhaka. He was shot by unidentified assailants on Culvert Road in the Paltan area while travelling in an auto-rickshaw. Immediately after the shooting, he was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital for further treatment. Despite medical efforts in Dhaka, his condition deteriorated rapidly.

By 15 December, Hadi was airlifted to Singapore via air ambulance for advanced medical treatment. He was admitted to the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at the Singapore General Hospital. Doctors in Singapore said Hadi had suffered irreversible brain damage and that he was placed on life support as multiple organs began to fail.

Singapores Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed his death, stating: Despite the best efforts of the doctors, Mr Sharif Osman Hadi succumbed to his injuries."

Death In Singapore And National Mourning

Hadi died on Thursday. Inquilab Mancha party leader Fatima Tasnim Zuma, also the Liberation War Affairs Secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students Union, described him as a martyr" in a Facebook post.

Bangladeshs interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus addressed the nation soon after the news broke. In his televised statement, Yunus said: Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news. Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us."

Announcing a one-day state mourning, he said: I sincerely call upon all citizens  keep your patience and restraint." He also said Hadi was an enemy to the defeated forces and fascist terrorists" and warned that their evil efforts to frighten the revolutionaries will be completely thwarted".

Protests And Violent Unrest After His Death

Hadis death triggered widespread protests across Bangladesh. Thousands gathered at Shahbag in Dhaka, chanting slogans and accusing authorities of failing to protect him. Demonstrations quickly turned volatile. One group vandalised the office of Prothom Alo, the countrys largest newspaper, and the office of The Daily Star, which share the same building.

Khela Hobe Begins For Yunus Regime.Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, is dead after he was shot by Yunus regime. Now protest against Yunus has started. We Indian will now Enjoy. Kanglus who were protesting against India gets reality checkpic.twitter.com/WENM8Wohvf  Dear Men (@Dear_Men_Life) December 18, 2025

According to the Associated Press, soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed around the offices but did not disperse the protesters. As per local media reports, several people had been stranded inside the building.

In Rajshahi, protesters set fire to Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans residence and an Awami League office, causing extensive damage. Demonstrators also marched to the residence of Indias Deputy High Commissioner in Chattogram, where they threw stones and shouted slogans following news of Hadis death.

On the Dhaka University campus, a student group called Jatiya Chhatra Shakti brought out a mourning procession before joining demonstrations at Shahbagh. An effigy of Home Adviser retired lieutenant general Jahangir Alam Chowdhury was burnt, with protesters demanding his resignation for failing to arrest Hadis assailants. Chowdhury had earlier announced a reward of Taka 50 lakh for information on the prime suspect, while police arrested the parents, wife, and a female friend of the accused, Foysal Karim Masud.

The situation late into Thursday night remained extremely volatile as protests intensified and calls for justice grew louder. According to the various reports, the army has been deployed in several areas of Dhaka ahead of the arrival of his mortal remains. Hadis body is set to arrive in Bangladeshs capital.

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First Published: December 19, 2025, 08:40 IST

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Ukraine may offer Poland cooperation in drone defense and maritime security, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

"Today, Ukraine possesses the most advanced technologies for protecting human life and the most powerful weapons production capabilities. Weapons that are modern and effective. And I offer Poland all this experience," Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine knows how to defend itself "against every single type of drone that Russia has, which could be used against our neighbors, against Poland, against other nations."

The Ukrainian President emphasized that Ukraine can also offer cooperation on maritime security.

"This is important from the perspective of Polands position in the Baltic Sea," Zelenskyy said.

He added that Ukraine is ready to continue maintaining a security dialogue with Poland, given the threats emanating from Belarus.
Canada just experienced something it almost never does: Its population shrank. Statistics Canada says the country's head count slipped 0.2% in Q3, or about 76,000 people, to 41.6 million. The numbers haven't seen a dip like this since 2020, when COVID border rules froze movement, per the Guardian and New York Times . This time, the drop is tied mainly to a sharp pullback in international students after Ottawa moved to curb study permits. The Times notes it's the largest population drop since the mid-1940s.

The reversal is striking for a country that had been leaning heavily on immigration to drive growth. In 2023's third quarter, Canada added 420,000 people in just three months, its fastest pace since 1957, per the Guardian. Now, nonpermanent residents account for about 6.8% of the population, a drop from 7.3% the previous quarter. Prime Minister Mark Carney wants that share down to 5% by the end of 2027, in large part by slashing new international-student permits from a target of 305,900 in 2025 to 155,000 in 2026, then 150,000 in 2027 and 2028.

At the same time, the government plans a modest bump in permanent immigration compared with earlier targets: 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027. The approach reflects a political and practical pivot from the Liberal-era surge under Justin Trudeau, amid warnings that local services are under strain. The country has "exceeded our capacity to welcome" immigrants in recent years, Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

Economist Robert Kavcic of the Bank of Montreal calls the shift "one of the biggest economic stories" in the country, arguing that a "major population adjustment is well underway." To hit Ottawa's nonpermanent resident target, he estimates population growth will have to hover just above zero through 2028, before settling below 1%. Kavcic says an earlier population boomnearly 1.3 million people added in a single yearcaused a "significant weakening" in the rental market, among other issues. The new figures show population declines almost everywhere in Canada, with only Alberta and Nunavut bucking the trend, each inching up 0.2%.
Erika Kirk used the opening night of Turning Point USA's flagship conference to make a 2028 call: She wants JD Vance in the Oval Office. Speaking to thousands of conservative activists at the group's America Fest gathering in Phoenix Thursday night, Kirk, widow of Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk, told the crowd, "We are going to get my husband's friend JD Vance elected" in 2028, NBC News reports. The line drew loud cheers, effectively turning her personal endorsement into a public signal that the powerful youth-oriented group may rally behind the vice president if he runs for president. Such a boost could turn him into an early frontrunner, Politico reports.

Kirk now leads Turning Point USA and had previously hinted that a formal organizational endorsement for Vance was "in the works." On Thursday, she also framed the group's near-term focus as protecting Republican control of Congress in the midterm elections, saying, "We are building the red wall," and pledging to ensure President Trump has a GOP-led House and Senate "for all four years" of his current term. Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Turning Point event in Utah on Sept. 10; a 22-year-old suspect faces state charges including aggravated murder, and federal prosecutors are weighing possible hate-crime counts. Vance, a close of the late activist, is slated to address the conference on its final day Sunday.
Photo: source in SBU

Long-range drones of the Alpha Special Operations Center of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have struck the Russian oil production platform on the Caspian Sea shelf, owned by LUKOIL, for the third time in recent weeks, an SBU source told Interfax-Ukraine.

"This time, we visited a drilling rig at the Rakushechne field (named after Valery Graifer). The drones onboard camera recorded a successful hit in the area of the platforms gas turbine installation," the agencys source said.

Previously, SBU drones had already struck ice-resistant oil production platforms at the Filanovsky and Korchagin fields in the Caspian Sea, which led to the suspension of production processes on them.

"The SBU continues to systematically reduce petrodollar revenues to the Russian war budget. All objects that provide financing for aggression against Ukraine are absolutely legitimate goals," the agencys interlocutor said.
A Home Depot in Los Angeles is under fire for using high-pitched noise devices that critics say are making life miserable for day laborers who gather outside the store looking for work. The nonprofit Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) says that three sound-emitting machines were installed on lampposts at the chain's Cypress Park store soon after a recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid. Workers and advocates say the shrill tones cause headaches and nausea; one laborer told reporters the sound "penetrates your bones," and he now uses earplugs while waiting for jobs, per the Guardian .

At a news conference at the scene, IDEPSCA chief Maegan Ortiz accused the retailer of deploying the devices to drive workers away, noting, "We're not going to let sound machines, gates, and intimidation get rid of us." Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said the devices "weaponize" sound and likened their use to torture. She also argued the machines appear to sit on land controlled by California's transportation department, not Home Depot. "This is the people's land," she said, criticizing what she described as public property being used to harm vulnerable residents.

Advocates said the devices were shut off during the press event but switched back on about an hour later. The store has become a focal point for immigration enforcement, according to IDEPSCA, which says about 50 people have been detained there this year, including a US citizen whose child was allegedly driven away in a car by ICE agents, per the Los Angeles Times.

In an emailed statement to the Guardian, a Home Depot spokesperson said the company uses "human and technology resources" to keep stores safe, though he denied it's cooperating with immigration raids: "We are not informed when these activities are going to happen, and we're in no way involved in the operations. We cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies, including preventing them from coming into our stores and parking lots." The company adds that its Cypress Park location is different than its other sites, and that the noise machines are meant to discourage overnight parking, per KTLA.
A jury found a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant dodge federal authorities guilty of obstruction Thursday, marking a victory for President Trump as he continues his sweeping immigration crackdown across the country. Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan with obstruction, a felony, and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, in April. The jury acquitted her on the concealment count, but she still faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction count, the AP reports. No sentencing date had been set as of late Thursday evening.

The jury returned the verdicts after deliberating for six hours. The case inflamed tensions over Trump's immigration crackdown, with his administration branding Dugan an activist judge and Democrats countering that the administration was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation. Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom and ducked into a side conference room without speaking to reporters. Steve Biskupic, her lead attorney, later told reporters that he was disappointed with the ruling and didn't understand how the jury could have reached a split verdict since the elements of both charges were virtually the same. "This case is a long way from over," he said.

US Attorney Brad Schimel denied the case was political and urged people to accept the verdict peacefully. He said courthouse arrests are safer because people are screened for weapons and it isn't unfair for law enforcement to arrest wanted people in courthouses. "Some have sought to make this about a larger political battle," Schimel said. "While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day, a single bad day, in a public courthouse. The defendant is certainly not evil. Nor is she a martyr for some greater cause."

According to a court filings that include an FBI affidavit and a federal grand jury indictment, immigration authorities traveled to the Milwaukee County courthouse on April 18 after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.

Dugan learned that agents were in the corridor outside her courtroom waiting for Flores-Ruiz. She left the courtroom to confront them, falsely telling them their administrative warrant for Flores-Ruiz wasn't sufficient grounds to arrest him and directing them to go to the chief judge's office.

While the agents were gone, she addressed Flores-Ruiz's case off the record, told his attorney that he could attend his next hearing via Zoom and led Flores-Ruiz and the attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. The US Department of Homeland Security announced in November he had been deported.

Prosecutors worked during Dugan's trial to show that she directed agents to the chief judge's office to create an opening for Flores-Ruiz to escape. "Common sense tells you that the defendant knew what she was doing was wrong, and she did it anyway," prosecutor Kelly Brown Watzka said during closing arguments, per the New York Times.

Her attorneys countered that she was trying to follow courthouse protocols that called for court employees to report any immigration agents to their supervisors and she didn't intentionally try to obstruct the arrest team. Lawyers said she was trying to maintain authority in her courtroom while dealing with vague new guidelines on dealing with ICE agents. "She never acted corruptly in doing her job as a judge in the middle of a stressful, new, and confusing situation," said defense lawyer Jason Luczak.
A blunt critique of Mexican bread by a British baker has sparked a cascade of social media outrage, ultimately leading to a public apology. In an interview for a food-themed podcast that resurfaced online, Richard Hart, the co-founder of Green Rhino bakery in Mexico City and a well-known figure in international baking circles, said Mexicans "don't really have much of a bread culture," adding that "they make sandwiches on these white, ugly rolls that are pretty cheap and industrially made." His comments quickly rippled across Instagram, TikTok, and X, with many Mexicans accusing him of being dismissive and insulting of Mexico's traditional breads, per the AP .

What began as a dispute over bread soon ignited a national debate over food identitynot only over who defines Mexican culinary traditions, but also over the growing influence of foreigners in a capital already tense from a surge of US expatriates and tourists. "He offended the community of bakers in Mexico and all the people in Mexico who like bread, which is almost everyone," says Daniela Delgado, a university student in Mexico City. Social media was soon flooded with memes, reaction videos, and passionate defenses of Mexican bread. Commenters praised everyday staplesfrom the crusty bolillos used for tortas to the iconic conchas found in neighborhood bakeries.

In many cases, these simple street foods act as a uniting factor across social groups and classes and often cut to the core of the country's cultural identity. The incident prompted many to question why a foreign entrepreneur would publicly disparage a staple so deeply embedded in Mexican life. For many, Hart's remarks echoed long-standing frustrations over foreign chefs and restaurateurs receiving disproportionate prestige, as well as concerns over gentrification in the capital. "Don't mess with the bolillo," warned one viral post on X.

As criticism mounted, Hart issued a public apology on Instagram, saying his comments were poorly phrased and didn't show respect for Mexico and its people. He acknowledged the emotional response and said he didn't behave as a "guest." "I made a mistake," Hart said in his statement. "I regret it deeply." The apology did little to immediately quiet the debate. While some users accepted it, others said it failed to address deeper concerns about cultural authority and who gets to critique Mexican traditions. "If you want to be part of Mexican culture by owning a restaurant or bakery, you have to educate yourself," Delgado says.
A man suspected in the fatal shootings at Brown University and of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility after a five-day search that spanned several New England states, authorities said Thursday. Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief. Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone, the AP reports. Investigators believe he is responsible for both the shooting at Brown and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later at his Brookline home, nearly 50 miles away, US attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said.

Two students were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting Saturday in a Brown University lecture hall. The investigation shifted Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown attack and the fatal shooting of 47-year-old MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro. The suspect has links to both: Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001. He was admitted to the graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. "He has no current affiliation with the university," she said. Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, Foley said.

Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal's premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the school's then-president in February 2000. Neves Valente had studied at Brown on an F1 visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent resident status in September 2017, Foley said. His last known residence was in Miami. There are still "a lot of unknowns" in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. "We don't know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom," he said.

Police credited an unidentified man at Brown University who had several encounters with Neves Valente as providing the crucial tip that led to the shooting suspect. "When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name," Neronha said. After police shared images of a person of interest, the person recognized him and posted his suspicions on social media forum Reddit, where he was a regular commenter. Other Reddit users urged him tell the FBI, and the witness said he did. But it took days before police say they interviewed him after publicizing a video where Neves Valente appeared to run away from the other man. His tip gave investigators a key detail: a Nissan sedan with Florida plates. (The story originally identified the tipster as a custodian, but that doesn't appear to be the case.)
Investigators are still trying to piece together the motives they say led Claudio Neves Valente to stage a mass shooting at Brown University, then kill an MIT professor days later. The 48-year-old took his own life at a storage facility in New Hampshire before investigators could speak to him. Neves Valente does have a connection to both:

Neves Valente studied physics in his native Portugal in the 1990s at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon. He was there at the same time as Dr. Nuno Loureiro, the MIT professor who was fatally shot, and the New York Times reports that while both were top students, Loureiro received the higher grade. The men were believed to have known each other, but the university has not released much information on that.
London police pulled a woman from the River Thames this week and then confirmed she was a suspect in a high-profile Colombian poisoning case. Authorities say the woman is Zulma Guzman Castro, a businesswoman accused of killing two schoolgirls in Bogota with chocolate raspberries allegedly laced with thallium, a toxic heavy metal, the Telegraph reports. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called just before 7am Tuesday to reports of a distressed woman on Battersea Bridge. Police said the force's marine unit recovered a woman in her 50s from the water, and she was taken to hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

Guzman Castro is wanted in Colombia over the April deaths of 14-year-old Ines de Bedout and 13-year-old Emilia Forero, who collapsed after eating chocolate-covered raspberries delivered to the Bogota apartment of Ines' father, Juan de Bedout. Prosecutors there allege the fruit had been injected with thallium and sent via courier. Reports in local media suggest the attack may have been linked to a failed affair between Guzman Castro and the father of one of the girls. Another girl was left with permanent injuries, and a 21-year-old man was also hospitalized. Guzman Castro, who ran an electric car rental firm, denies the allegations.

Interpol had issued a red notice for her, and British authorities say she is expected to be deported to Colombia once she is medically cleared to travel. Colombian investigators say Guzman Castro left the country 10 days after the girls fell ill, traveling through Argentina, Brazil, and Spain before arriving in the UK on Nov. 10, LBC reports.

Emilia's father posted an emotional tribute on what would have been her 14th birthday. "Fourteen years ago, a life of hopes, joys and dreams began; a life that filled a family, a father and a mother. But it wasn't just the joy of someone else's life; it was the beginning of the life of an excellent human being who had dreams, hopes and goals," he wrote. "As a father, it is incomprehensible to think that someone was capable of taking this away."
The next presidential jets are still years away, but the Air Force is quietly bulking up its training fleet in the meantime. The service says it will spend about $400 million to buy two used Boeing 747-8 aircraft from German airline Lufthansa to support its future presidential airlift program. The wide-body jets will not be the heavily modified Air Force One replacements themselves, but will be used for training and spare parts as the military transitions away from its aging 747-200 fleet first introduced in 1990. The first Lufthansa plane is expected to arrive early next year, with the second due by the end of the year, CNN reports.

Because Boeing has stopped producing passenger versions of the 747-8, the Air Force says securing these aircraft now is key to building a long-term strategy for maintaining and operating the coming VC-25B fleet, the official designation for the next Air Force One jets. Boeing's main replacement contractnow valued at more than $4.3 billion after a December modificationis running years behind schedule. An Air Force spokesperson said the latest contract changes are tied largely to adding upgraded communications so the future VC-25B can meet evolving mission needs.

The first of the two new presidential aircraft is now projected to be delivered in mid-2028, far past the original 2022 target. The jets are still undergoing modification work in San Antonio. Under the current timeline, President Trump will have a new plane in his last year in office, but he has been pushing to get one faster, complaining that he is still "flying around in the same aging planes that once transported President George HW Bush," the San Antonio Express-News reports. Separately, Trump has touted plans to use a Qatari-donated jet as Air Force One as soon as February, a claim met with strong doubts from aviation experts. They say 2028 is a more realistic deadline for modification work that could cost around $1 billion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his year-end press conference and call-in show to say that Russia is "ready and willing" to end its war in Ukraine peacefully, as long as all Moscow's demands are met. Putin said Russia doesn't "really see such readiness" from Ukraine for peace talks, but there are "signals" that Kyiv is "ready to engage in some kind of dialogue," Reuters reports.

Putin said Russia would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv fails to agree to its conditions, the AP reports. "Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," he said.
Singapore's government said Friday that scammers will face mandatory caning of up to 24 strokes from Dec. 30, under changes to criminal law to deter surging fraud cases. The changes, passed by Parliament last month, strengthen penalties that already include imprisonment and fines. The Home Affairs Ministry said the enhanced punishment will "ensure that our criminal laws remain effective, fair, and responsive to emerging challenges," per the AP .

Under the changes, scammers, including recruiters and members of scam syndicates, face six to 24 strokes of the cane. Those who knowingly provide their bank account or other personal details to be used to commit or facilitate the laundering of scam proceeds could also face discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes, authorities said. The new laws also allow for discretionary caning for other forms of fraud. "Fighting scams is a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remain concerning," it said.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Sim Ann has told parliament that scams made up 60% of all reported crime in Singapore between 2020 and the first half of 2025. About 190,000 scam cases caused losses of nearly $2.8 billion during that period, she said. According to the Singapore Government Technology Agency's website, the top five scams in the city-state involve phishing, fraudulent jobs, e-commerce and online shopping, as well as get-rich investment scams and impersonations.

Judicial caning, a form of corporal punishment involving a rattan cane on bare buttocks, is already applied in the city-state for male offenders under 50 for serious crimes like robbery and sexual offenses, alongside prison time. Caning was introduced during British colonial times and is also used in neighboring Malaysia and Brunei.
Is it an excuse to gorge on cheddar and Gouda? It is not. But a large Swedish study suggests a link between high-fat cheeses and a lower risk of dementia, reports HealthDay News. To be clear, the researchers aren't saying the cheese is responsible for the lower risk, but they did see an association in their years-long study. The details:

The study published in Neurology is based on a study of nearly 28,000 people in Sweden, average age 58, who were followed for about 25 years starting in the 1990s, reports USA Today.

Those who reported eating 50 grams or more a day of high-fat cheese (those with more than 20% of fat such as cheddar, Gouda, and Brie) had a lower risk of developing dementia than those who ate less than 15 grams daily. Fifty grams is about two slices of cheddar or a half-cup of shredded cheese.

By 2020, about 10% of those in the 50-grams-or-more camp developed dementia, vs 13% of the others.
Photo: Unsplash

Poland always participates in negotiations to support Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"Traditionally, throughout all the years since the restoration of our independent statehood in 1991, Poland has always supported us.] Poland has always been with Ukraine and we always try to ensure that Poland is present in all processes that determine the future of Europe," Zelenskyy said at a joint press conference with Polish President Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw on Friday.

He emphasized that Nawrocki participated in contacts with US President Donald Trump.

"This summer, in August, it was important that Karol reminded President Trump of the anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. And it was a mention that very seriously symbolized the significance, both for Poland and Ukraine, of our joint work to protect the whole of Europe," Zelenskyy said.
A large rock bearing petroglyphs created more than 1,000 years ago by the ancestors of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation is finally back home in the mountains of northern Utah. The recovery effort, which began in 2011, culminated earlier this month when the sacred rock was airlifted to its original location after being freed from a concrete slab in front of a church meetinghouse in the community of Tremonton, about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, per the AP . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said in a statement that historians and conservators working on its behalf partnered with the tribe and the state to carefully remove and clean the 2,500-pound rock. The process involved saws, chisels, and, eventually, soap and water to remove years of lichen growth from the petroglyphs.

People give different versions of how the rock found its way to the church meetinghouse some 80 years ago. Stories involve a group of people muscling the hefty rock into a pickup and hauling it to town. It's a mystery why it was brought to the church, says Ryan Saltzgiver, a historical curator for the church. For decades, it sat outside the building, first near the flagpole and then on the north side. Grainy black-and-white photos shared by the church showed the rock on display. David Bolingbroke, a historian for the church, said the rock was likely placed at the chapel not out of malice, but out of a lack of proper understanding.

In 2011, amateur archaeologists used a 1937 rock-art survey to identify and track down the rock's origin. "We've been working since about that time on getting everything to line up so we could move the stone," Saltzgiver says. The Utah State Historic Preservation Office helped bring partners together, and the church worked with the tribe to finalize a preservation and return plan. Once the rock was removed from its concrete base, it was taken to Provo, where conservators used bamboo and plastic tools to carefully remove the lichen.

After trucking the rock to a spot near the Utah-Idaho line, a helicopter was used to move it into place. Officials didn't disclose the exact location to ensure safekeeping. For Brad Parry, the tribe's vice chair, it was emotional seeing the rock returned. He said it's a spiritual place where Shoshone ancestors would gather to camp and hunt, and that the rock's return was like putting a puzzle piece in place. "Our history is so fractured with a lot of things that happened to us," he said in a statement. "To have these positive things now that are coming outit's rebuilding our history."
At least five children in central India are at the center of growing alarm over blood safety after routine transfusions for a genetic disorder left them infected with HIV. Local media reports six children are affected. Authorities in Madhya Pradesh say the children, ages 3 to 15 and all living with thalassemia, tested positive between January and May during standard screenings for high-risk patients who need frequent transfusions. Officials have formed a committee to trace how the virus was transmitted; the children reportedly received blood from multiple donors at both public hospitals and private clinics. All are now on antiretroviral treatment and are described as stable.

In one case, both parents of a 3-year-old were HIV-positive, raising the possibility of transmission before birth or through breastfeeding. In most, if not all, of the other cases, however, parents tested negative, increasing scrutiny of transfusion practices. Health officials stress that every unit of blood is screened under governmental rules, but they acknowledge what the Indian Express calls a "window period" in which a newly infected donor can test negative, a rare but known risk.

NDTV reports that a pathologist and two lab techs at a local hospital have been suspended. India has faced similar controversies before, including a recent cluster in Jharkhand and a 2011 episode in Gujarat in which nearly two dozen young thalassemia patients contracted HIV after transfusions at a state-run medical center. The cases are intensifying pressure on lawmakers to act on the proposed National Blood Transfusion Bill 2025, which advocates say would tighten oversight of collection, testing, and transfusion.

Patient groups, including those who acquired HIV through transfusions, argue that rural families remain especially vulnerable and often face deep social stigma once a diagnosis is known. One father in Madhya Pradesh blamed "pathetic medical facilities" for his daughter's infection, while a Jharkhand farmer said his family was forced out of rented housing after their landlord learned his 7-year-old son has HIV.
The Justice Department is not going to release all of its files on Jeffrey Epstein before the deadline. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the Justice Department will release "several hundred thousand" documents related to the sex offender, but conceded the first batch will fall short of the full disclosure that was supposed to arrive by day's end . A law that passed the House 427-1 in November required the government to turn over all non-exempt Epstein-related records within 30 days. President Trump signed the law on Nov. 19 .

Blanche, speaking on Fox News, said additional troves would roll out in the "next couple of weeks," also in the hundreds of thousands of documents. He framed the slow pace as a safeguard. "There's a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim," he said. The law says the DOJ is "permitted to withhold certain information such as the personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize an active federal investigation."

On Capitol Hill, the lawmakers who forced the issue made clear they'll judge the release by its substance, particularly whether it names alleged offenders, Politico reports. Rep. Thomas Massie, the Republican who led the disclosure push, said that after speaking with lawyers for Epstein's victims, he believes the FBI holds at least 20 names of men accused of sex crimes. "If we get a large production on Dec. 19, and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they haven't produced all the documents," he said. "It's that simple."

Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat who partnered with Massie, called partial but meaningful releases a "positive step" if they're not heavily redacted and come with a clear schedule for full production, but added, "They ultimately must release all of it." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was more scathing. "The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can bethe Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law," the Democrat said in a statement. "This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth."
President Trump's latest wave of clemency isn't just slashing prison termsit's erasing debts owed to people who were told the law would help make them whole. A Washington Post review found that at least 20 people granted pardons or commutations by Trump this year also had their financial penalties wiped out, erasing tens of millions of dollars in restitution and fines. Some of that money was supposed to go to victims of fraud, like small investors who saw their retirements savings vanish, and some to the IRS. "It's having a detrimental effect on victims and taxpayers, and it's a windfall to the people who committed crimes," said former US pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer, who was fired early in Trump's second term.

The most visible case is that of Trevor Milton, the founder of electric-truck startup Nikola. A jury convicted him in 2022 of securities and wire fraud for misleading investors with boasts about supposedly revolutionary hydrogen trucks and tech that prosecutors said didn't exist. Judge Edgardo Ramos sentenced Milton to four years in prison in 2023 and signaled he was inclined to order $660 million in restitution for investors. Before that could happen, however, Trump pardoned Milton this past March, erasing the prison term and the looming restitution, and even letting Milton keep a 4,700-acre Utah ranch he'd been ordered to forfeit.

Investors like Utah businessman Liejo Supoto, who put more than $100,000 into Nikola stock after watching Milton promote the company on TV and online, are now left with little recourse beyond civil suits and a partial SEC settlement with the company. Supoto, who says he's recovered financially but quit the stock market, calls the outcome lopsided: "He got to keep all his money and he got his pardon. I don't think there was justice in that." "I just feel I've been betrayed," adds a 68-year-old retired wholesale produce distributor who has supported Trump, per the Los Angeles Times. "There was real loss to real people who listened to Mr. Milton and invested in Nikola," Judge Ramos said at a 2023 hearing, per the Post.

In other Trump clemency cases, the primary victim was the federal government. Health care bigwig Paul Walczak, for instance, who admitted to tax crimes and was mandated to pay more than $4 million to the IRS, was pardoned 12 days after his April sentencing, lifting both his prison term and his repayment obligation. The White House declined to say whether victims' restitution is considered in Trump's decisions, noting only that he's using his constitutional clemency power while arguing that former President Biden's pardon record also deserves scrutiny. ProPublica has more.
A man with a knife and smoke grenades attacked crowds indiscriminately in Taiwan's capital on Friday evening, killing at least three people and injuring nine others, according to the national news agency and the city government. The suspect later fell to his death from a department store building. Police said that the suspect was declared dead at a hospital after jumping from the building's sixth floor, the Central News Agency reports. The suspect, identified as a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen, threw smoke grenades near an underground exit of the Taipei Main subway station, close to the city's main train station, sending pedestrians running, according to local media reports.

Chang stabbed bystanders at the subway station, killing a man in his 50s, CNA reports. He then headed north to a popular shopping district, where he stabbed multiple people on the first and fourth floors of the Eslite department store, primarily in the neck, before jumping from the sixth floor of the building as he was pursued by police, authorities said. The city government said nine people were hospitalized, including one with serious injuries, the AP reports. Chang failed to report for reserve military training in November 2024, and he was wanted for violating the law on mandatory military service, CNA reports.

Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said Chang was wearing a mask and what appeared to be body armor, the Taipei Times reports. The Guardian notes that violent crime is relatively rate in Taiwan, but after previous mass stabbing on subway systems, some trains have instructional videos on disarming attackers. In 2014, a 21-year-old man killed four people and injured 24 in a mass stabbing on a Taipei subway train. He was executed two years later. Last year, on the tenth anniversary of the 2014 attack, a man stabbed two people on a train in Taichung before he was subdued by passengers. He told authorities he had chosen the date to make a statement about his dissatisfaction with society, per the Taipei Times.
The National Weather Service on Friday issued a rare warning for part of Colorado's Front Range as hurricane-force winds and tinder dry conditions boosted the threat of wildfire across several counties, while flood warnings were issued in Oregon as rivers there swelled from heavy rain. It marked another day of severe weather in parts of the US, the AP reports, with forecasters issuing warnings covering more winter weather bearing down on North Dakota, red flag warnings in Nebraska and Texas, and flood warnings from Washington south into California.

Most notable was the "particularly dangerous situation" fire weather warning issued in Colorado on Friday morning, a first for the state. Those warnings are reserved for the most severe scenarios, and in this case it was fueled by concerns that extreme combinations of strong winds, super low humidity, and critically dry fuels could lead to life-threatening fire danger. "We don't really want people to panic because that doesn't help anything, but we want people to be prepared," said meteorologist Jennifer Stark of the weather service office in Boulder. She noted that it is the peak windy season for the area. Tens of thousands of customers were without power Friday as Xcel Energy carried out another public safety power shutoff to prevent further fire risks. Some residents already had been without power, heat, or hot water for more than 24 hours.

In northwestern Oregon, forecasters said they expected widespread river flooding to continue following heavy rains. Clackamas County, which spans some Portland suburbs and part of Mount Hood and the Cascade Range, sent evacuation notices to 300 residences, said county spokesperson Scott Anderson. Some of the most significant flooding occurred on the Sandy, Clackamas and Molalla rivers, with authorities performing rescues throughout the night, he said. An emergency shelter was opened at Clackamas Community College. Roads also were closed across the region, including part of a highway that leads to Mount Hood.
US forces opened a broad wave of air and artillery strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday, answering President Trump's promise to retaliate for the killing of two American soldiers and a US interpreter last weekend. "This is not the beginning of a warit is a declaration of vengeance," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X . He said US forces had killed "lots" of enemies and would keep pursuing ISIS, the New York Times reports.

A US official told the AP that the attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thuderbolt ground attack aircraft, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. They struck dozens of suspected ISIS positions across central Syria, including weapons depots and other facilities, in what was described as a large-scale operation expected to continue into early Saturday. Social media accounts in Syria reported blasts in multiple areas, per the Times. The attack that triggered the operation took place in Palmyra, where the Americans were supporting counterterrorism efforts when a Syrian member of the country's security forces opened fire. The gunman also wounded three other US service members and two Syrian security personnel.

The strikes underscore a sharp uptick in US military activity in Syria even as American troop levels have dropped to about 1,000 following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's government last year. US officials say ISIS, though stripped of most territory, has used the post-Assad instability to regroup, inspire, or direct plots abroad, and test the new government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Central Command reports it has conducted nearly 80 missions in Syria since July, detained 119 suspected insurgents, and destroyed multiple weapons caches, amid warnings that ISIS is trying to free thousands of detained fighters and family members and capitalize on persistent security gaps.
China to continuously help rebuild peace between Cambodia, Thailand: FM

Xinhua) 08:02, December 19, 2025

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the rebuilding of peace between Cambodia and Thailand, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in phone talks with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, respectively.

Both the Cambodian and Thai sides briefed Wang on the latest developments regarding the conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border and expressed their willingness to de-escalate tensions and cease fire.

Wang said that as a friend and close neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China does not want to see the two countries engage in military conflict and is deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the clashes.

The intensity of this round of conflict has far exceeded previous ones, and its continuation is detrimental to both sides and undermines the unity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Wang, noting that the top priority is to make a decisive move, cease fire as soon as possible, prevent further losses and rebuild mutual trust.

Wang said that China has upheld an impartial and fair approach in handling the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, actively encouraging peace talks and supporting ASEAN's mediation efforts.

He stressed that the Chinese Foreign Ministry's special envoy for Asian affairs has started a shuttle-diplomacy trip to Cambodia and Thailand.

He expressed the hope that both Cambodia and Thailand would take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese projects and personnel, and stay vigilant against attempts by certain parties to spread false information and smear China's friendly relations with the two countries.

Sokhonn and Sihasak highly appreciated China's objective and balanced position in mediating and promoting dialogue, welcoming the Chinese special envoy's shuttle mediation. They also expressed the hope that China would play a more important role in helping de-escalate tensions and restore peace.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted a special operation to destroy a mass concentration of enemy armored vehicles near Pokrovsk, the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said.

"The enemys equipment was detected thanks to data received from the reconnaissance of the 7th Corps of the Airborne Assault Forces and the aerial reconnaissance of the 8th Battalion of the 414th Airborne Assault Brigade Ptakhi Magyara in cooperation with the Airborne Assault Forces and the Unified Coordination Center of Unmanned Systems of the 425th Airborne Assault Brigade Skelya," the message on Telegram said on Friday.

According to available information, the enemy planned to use this equipment in assault operations in the Pokrovsk direction.

To disrupt Russias offensive potential, the Ukraine planned and successfully implemented a special operation to destroy the detected equipment.

Ukrainian strike aircraft destroyed an anti-aircraft missile system, two tanks, one armored combat vehicle, several other military vehicles and numerous other targets.
Fairbanks, AK (99701)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 13F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Snow showers. Low 6F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 50%. About one inch of snow expected.
NARA, Dec 19 (News On Japan) - Prosecutors have sought a life sentence for Tetsuya Yamagami in the trial over the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with debate now focusing on how the defendants upbringing and alleged religious abuse should influence sentencing in a lay judge trial.

The case had drawn attention over whether prosecutors would seek the death penalty, but instead requested life imprisonment, a move that legal experts have described as appropriate and restrained under existing sentencing standards.

Masataka Kamei, a lawyer commenting on the case, said the prosecutions request was consistent with the Nagayama criteria, which guide sentencing in capital cases. With one victim killed, the hurdle for seeking the death penalty is high unless the act can be clearly framed as political terrorism. While an attack on the democratic system would be treated as exceptional, Kamei said prosecutors had not established that level of intent, making life imprisonment a reasonable request.

Prosecutors argued that the danger posed by the crime was extreme, noting that Yamagami fired a homemade pipe gun in a setting where many people could have been injured or killed. They cited evidence of planning over several years and a strong intent to kill. They also stressed what they described as a disregard for human life, pointing to the lack of a convincing explanation for why the target shifted from figures linked to the former Unification Church to Abe, calling the act impulsive and self-centered.

Kamei agreed that firing a weapon in a public setting created serious risk and said the planning and intent were particularly striking. He added that while Yamagamis targets changed over time, suggesting it was not a matter of choosing a single specific individual, this tendency supported the prosecutions view that the crime reflected a disregard for human life.

Questions have also focused on why Abe became the target. According to court testimony, Yamagami stated that if he could not reach figures associated with the religious group, he decided to attack Abe instead, maintaining that the former prime minister was not his original focus. However, observers noted inconsistencies in his explanations, with some saying he struggled to clearly articulate the shift in motive during questioning.

Another key point raised by prosecutors was the limited prospect of rehabilitation and the need to align the sentence with past precedents. Kamei explained that if rehabilitation were deemed impossible and the risk of reoffending high, prosecutors would typically pursue the death penalty. In this case, however, they appear to have concluded that rehabilitation remains possible, supporting a life sentence. He added that when compared with past cases resulting in life imprisonment, the facts of this case fall squarely within that range.

The defense, by contrast, has argued that a life sentence would be excessively harsh, urging the court to limit punishment to a fixed term of up to 20 years. Central to that argument is Yamagamis difficult upbringing and his claim of being a victim of religious abuse. Kamei said that while general hardship in childhood is usually not heavily weighed in sentencing, the issue of religious abuse could resonate differently with lay judges, even if professional judges and prosecutors are less likely to be swayed by it.

While acknowledging that a fixed-term sentence remains legally possible, Kamei said he did not believe this was a case suited for such punishment, adding that the prosecution clearly views life imprisonment as appropriate. As this is a lay judge trial, however, the final outcome will depend in part on how ordinary citizens assess the defendants background.

During the proceedings, Yamagami chose not to take the witness stand at the final stage, a decision Kamei interpreted as a sign that the defendant had already said what he intended to say. He added that expressions of remorse, while common, were unlikely to affect the outcome in this case.

The defense has also pointed to broader social changes following the crime, including moves to address issues faced by children of religious groups, arguing that society should reflect on the circumstances that led to the act. Prosecutors countered that personal background is unrelated to the victim and cannot justify altering the overall framework of sentencing, stressing that violence is never permissible in a society governed by the rule of law.

With a verdict expected in January, attention is now focused on how lay judges will balance the gravity and danger of the crime against the defendants background, a judgment that will determine whether the court ultimately imposes life imprisonment or a lengthy fixed-term sentence.

Source: YOMIURI
KYOTO, Dec 19 (News On Japan) - Hotels in major tourist destinations are beginning to change as Chinas call for restraint on travel to Japan reduces the number of group tours, with some Kyoto properties now offering rooms for as little as 3,000 yen per night, a level that would have been unthinkable during the recent inbound tourism boom.

Accommodation prices in popular sightseeing areas had surged to the point of being out of reach for many travelers due to strong inbound demand, but steep discounts are now spreading, with nightly rates in Kyoto falling below 10,000 yen and some hotels dropping into the 3,000-yen range.

On Komachi Street in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, which leads to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and drew more than 15 million visitors last year, shop owners say individual travelers are still plentiful, but organized tour groups from China have noticeably declined. One store selling soft-serve ice cream made with premium matcha said about 70 percent of its foreign customers used to come from China, but recently most overseas visitors have been arriving from other parts of Asia, such as Indonesia.

According to shop staff, the change became clear about a week after China urged its citizens not to travel to Japan, with visitor numbers dropping sharply. In Kamakura, Chinese tourists were the largest group among foreign visitors to the citys tourist information centers last fiscal year, but numbers have fallen since Chinese leaders remarks related to Taiwan prompted Beijing to call for travel restraint to Japan.

Some stores say the impact is unavoidable. Items such as cherry blossom- and yuzu-scented soaps were especially popular with Chinese visitors, but shops report days with no Chinese customers at all. Retailers say sales have taken a significant hit because Chinese tourists previously accounted for a large share of purchases, and there is concern that if the situation drags on into February, when shops typically prepare Chinese-language displays and promotions, the impact could deepen further.

At the same time, some see an upside. With fewer crowds, Kamakura has become easier to walk around on weekdays, making it more comfortable for visitors to browse shops at a relaxed pace.

Changes are also evident in Kyoto, one of Japans most popular tourist destinations. Compared with October last year, foot traffic along Kiyomizu-zaka, the approach to Kiyomizu-dera, appears noticeably lighter this December. A shop owner who has operated in the area for nearly a decade said the number of Chinese visitors has dropped by more than 50 percent compared with last year.

Hotel prices reflect the shift. The average room rate at major hotels in Kyoto once dipped during the pandemic but hit a record high of 20,195 yen last year, remaining elevated at 20,601 yen in December. However, a check of current listings on Google Maps shows many centrally located Kyoto hotels now priced below 10,000 yen per night, with some offering rooms in the 3,000-yen range.

A tourist visiting from Tokyo said the prices felt cheap, noting that rates were more than 10,000 yen lower than expected and made it easier to stay overnight.

Aviation travel analyst Tori says similar price declines are occurring beyond Kyoto, particularly in urban areas such as Osaka, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kanazawa and other cities that typically attract large numbers of Chinese tourists or are served by direct flights from China.

As for how long the lower prices will last, Tori expects them to continue at least until spring. Chinese airlines have already suspended many routes through the end of March, making a rapid recovery in inbound demand from China unlikely before then.

Source: TBS
TOKYO, Dec 19 (News On Japan) - As the year-end travel season approaches, a growing problem involving airline tickets has begun to surface, drawing attention from major carriers. Last week, Japan Airlines posted a warning on X stating, "Japan Airlines prohibits the transfer or resale of airline tickets to third parties." The airline said prohibited acts such as ticket resales and transfers are spreading across social media platforms.

On X, users have been seen posting offers to sell tickets they cannot cancel, with messages such as, "Non-refundable, looking for someone to take it. Asking 35,000 yen." Some users have even created hashtags like "airline ticket transfer" to facilitate these transactions. One passerby said they had seen such posts before and felt that people were casually passing tickets on to others.

Japan Airlines prohibits the resale or transfer of tickets, but does this constitute a crime. According to lawyer Kitagawa Takahiro, airline terms of service require that only the person named on the ticket may use it, which becomes critically important in the event of an accident or other trouble.

Kitagawa added that if a seller purchases a ticket from the outset with the intention of reselling it, the act could constitute fraud. He also warned that buyers may face legal risks as well, explaining that using a ticket issued in someone else's name, going to the boarding gate, deceiving the airline and receiving its services could amount to fraud against the airline.

Japan Airlines is urging travelers not to resell or transfer airline tickets to third parties.

Source: TBS
OSAKA, Dec 19 (News On Japan) - Objects resembling human internal organs were found discarded in large numbers of bottles at a garbage collection area inside Osaka Citys Central Wholesale Market in Fukushima Ward in September, raising suspicions that the materials may be improperly disposed medical waste, according to police.

The discovery was made at a trash disposal site within the city-run wholesale market, which is typically bustling with activity from before dawn through the morning as auctions are held and workers and buyers move through the complex, while the surrounding seafood section is filled with the smell of fish.

Police said that on September 18, a market cleaner noticed dozens of bottles of various shapes that had been thrown away at the garbage site. Writing resembling personal names was found on the bottle lids, and the contents appeared to be human organ-like material.

Based on the condition of the bottles and their contents, investigators believe the items may be medical waste originating from hospitals or similar facilities. Police are examining the case as a possible violation of the Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act and are investigating how and why the materials were dumped.

Anchor Nakatani Shinobu asked whether the garbage area where the items were found was accessible to the public. Reporter Matono Fumikane responded that the market is open to anyone 24 hours a day, noting that the Central Wholesale Market covers an area equivalent to about 4.5 Koshien Stadiums and that the garbage site is located near one of the entrances. He added that the reason the materials were discarded at that location remains unclear.

However, because the number of people in the market decreases significantly from evening into nighttime hours, police believe it is highly likely that someone dumped the bottles during that period and are continuing their investigation.

Source: YOMIURI
Photo: Nova Post

Due to temporary difficulties with transportation, the leader of express shipments in Ukraine, Nova Poshta from the Nova group, has reported possible delays in the delivery of parcels in the western part of Odessa region, the company said in a statement.

"The Nova Poshta team is doing everything possible to deliver the shipment as soon as possible," the telegram channel said on Friday.

The company added that the exact delivery time will be announced during the day.

Nova Poshtas main activity is express delivery of documents, parcels and palletized oversized cargo.

The company is the leader in express delivery in Ukraine. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Popereshniuk and Vyacheslav Klymov.
MONTREAL, Dec. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Groupe HD, Capital Property Developments (CPD) and Kastello announce the development of a 525-unit purpose-built rental project located at 550 Roland-Therrien Boulevard, in the Vieux-Longueuil borough. Supported by a high residential density and a buildable area exceeding 450,000 square feet, the site will undergo a large-scale redevelopment aimed at renewing the housing supply in a rapidly evolving sector.

Groupe HD, Capital Property Developments (CPD) and Kastello announce the development of a 525-unit purpose-built rental project in the Vieux-Longueuil borough. (CNW Group/Groupe HD)

The project aligns with the City of Longueuil's Special Urban Planning Program (PPU), which supports the residential transformation of this strategic sector. Its location, near to major employment and knowledge hubs such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, home to more than 5,000 jobs, and Cegep Edouard-Montpetit, attended daily by nearly 7,000 students, makes it a particularly compelling site. This setting fosters the development of sustainable, well connected living environments that are harmoniously integrated into their urban context.

For Groupe HD, the project fully aligns with its diversification strategy and integrated real estate development vision. As noted by Thomas Dufour, Co-President of Groupe HD, "This site reflects our ambition to develop projects on high-potential locations that offer strategic positioning and a dynamic urban context. This approach allows us to deliver sustainable developments that create lasting value for communities."

The strength of the redevelopment lies both in the site's potential and in the shared vision of the partners, particularly with respect to the revitalization of Roland-Therrien Boulevard. "This project is built on a clear vision: to create an ambitious, well-anchored residential complex aligned with real market needs. Our collaboration is rooted in a shared commitment to investing in promising locations and generating long-term value," said Alexandra Kau, President of Capital Property Developments (CPD).

In a context of sustained growth in the South Shore rental market, Kastello aims to play a meaningful role in enhancing the residential offering in Greater Longueuil. The 525-unit project responds to current market needs by delivering modern, well-designed living environments. "Kastello is committed to developing innovative and responsible projects that reflect the vitality of the region and contribute to its long-term growth," stated Eric Fortin, President of Kastello.

Located near services, public transit corridors and major activity hubs, the future complex will contribute to the residential evolution of Vieux-Longueuil. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026 and will be carried out by Construction Praxis, Groupe HD's construction division.

Project Summary

Total investment: $200 million

Developer: Groupe HD

Financial partners: Capital Property Developments and Kastello

Lender: MCAP

General contractor: Construction Praxis

Architects: NEUF Architectes

About Groupe HD

Groupe HD is a Quebec-based company specializing in real estate investment, development, construction, and management. The firm is committed to redefining tomorrow's housing by designing and delivering large-scale projects that meet the needs of communities and municipalities. To date, the company is involved in over 20 projects, totaling more than 9,500 residential units, including condominiums, rental buildings, and private seniors' residences. Groupe HD continuously rethinks and adapts its practices to create integrated living environments for today and future generations. Backed by a team of 75 professionals, the company currently manages over $3.5 billion in assets. For more information, visit groupehdimmobilier.ca.

About CPD Developments

CPD is a fast-growing private real estate company that develops, acquires, and manages shopping centres in the Greater Montreal area, as well as in Ottawa and Toronto. With over 40 years of experience, CPD began as a retail business before evolving into a real estate developer and investor. Headquartered in Montreal, the company now holds a diversified portfolio. In addition to its commercial real estate expertise, CPD also acts as a real estate family office, strategically investing in multi-residential projects. This long-term, legacy-driven approach allows the company to manage its assets sustainably while fostering steady growth. For more information: cpd-developments.com

About Kastello

Kastello is a family-owned investment company with deep expertise in real estate development. It was founded in 2018 by the Fortin family of Couche-Tard fame, a name well known in Quebec's business landscape. Its subsidiary, Kastello Immobilier, focuses on residential real estate investment, particularly through acquisitions, joint development with real estate partners, and long-term management of its rental properties. Kastello's portfolio primarily consists of multi-residential buildings held for the long term. For more information: kastello.ca

SOURCE Groupe HD

For more information about this transaction or upcoming projects, please contact: Isabelle Drolet, Vice President, Marketing and Commercialization, (514) 775-4758, [email protected]; Groupe HD, 1751 Richardson Street, Suite 5.109
"Halo Top is all about being so good." says Anne-Marie Docherty, President of Halo Top Canada. "This year, we're putting that into action by supporting Food Banks Canada to work towards a future where no one in Canada goes hungry and support those who need it most at this time. We encourage others to share their own goodness however they can."

Food Banks Canada has been a leader in addressing food insecurity for more than 40 years, providing national guidance to help relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow. The organization remains deeply committed to supporting Canadians facing food insecurity. Halo Top is calling on Canadians to be "so good" this season by giving back in meaningful ways and supporting those in need during the holidays.

About Halo Top

Halo Top is on a mission to share feel-good indulgence, offering Canadians a delicious treat that lets you fully enjoy your sweet cravings. Made in Canada, Halo Top comes in 11 delicious flavours, from Sea Salt Caramel to Chocolate Caramel Brownie, ranging from just 110150 calories per serving. By promoting a wellness-forward, better-for-you approach, Halo Top is redefining dessert in its category, bringing Canadians a truly indulgent treat without compromise. So ditch the second thoughts and scoop in because with Halo Top, being good has never been easier. Learn more at https://halotop.ca/ .

About Food Banks Canada

Food Banks Canada is the leader in addressing food insecurity in Canada. Our mission is to provide national leadership to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow in collaboration with the food bank network from coast to coast to coast. For over 40 years, food banks have been dedicated to helping people living in Canada with food insecurity. Over 5,500 food banks and community organizations come together to serve our most vulnerable neighbours, who -- this year -- made close to 2.2 million visits to these organizations in one month alone, according to our HungerCount report. Since 2010, Food Banks Canada has shared over $1 billion in food support and over $275 million in funding to help maximize collective impact and strengthen local capacity--while, backed by leading research, advocating for meaningful actions from governments to counter hunger and its root causes. Our vision is clear: create a Canada where no one goes hungry. Visit foodbankscanada.ca to learn more.

SOURCE Halo Top Canada

For more information, please contact Amy Newediuk, Bodega Public Relations at [email protected]
TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - The Salvation Army is issuing an urgent appeal to the public as donations decline even as demand for essential services is rising sharply across Canada. Contributions to the iconic Red Kettle Campaign are down, placing critical Christmas and year-round programs at risk.

Funds raised through the Red Kettle Campaign support Christmas assistance and essential year-round services (CNW Group/The Salvation Army)

Rising Costs Push More Families to the Brink

"Our kettle bells are ringing, but far fewer donations are being dropped in," says Lt-Colonel John Murray, territorial secretary for communications. "This is a critical moment. Every dollar matters. Every gift helps put food on a table, keep someone warm, or provide shelter and support to a person in crisis. The need is urgent."

Funds raised through the Red Kettle Campaign support Christmas assistance and essential year-round services, including food banks and meal programs, shelters for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, addiction recovery programs, disaster response, and outreach to vulnerable seniors.

"When donations decline, real people are impacted," says Murray. "We are seeing more first-time requests for help than ever before--working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and individuals facing sudden and unexpected crises. We are committed to serving everyone who comes to us, but we cannot do this alone."

Last year alone, more than three million visits were made to The Salvation Army for assistance nationwide.

An Immediate Call to Action

"Our promise to serve--and to give hope today--has never wavered," says Murray. "Needs are rising, donations are down, and the window to act is narrowing. We urgently need Canadians to give today so hope can remain within reach for those who need it most."

The Salvation Army urges Canadians to give today by donating at any of the more than 2,000 red kettle locations, online at SalvationArmy.ca, or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

SOURCE The Salvation Army

For national media inquiries please contact: Glenn van Gulik, Territorial Communications The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda, 613) 868- 5560,[email protected]
A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week

TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Cision Canada - The Weekly Round-Up (PRNewsfoto/Cision Canada)

Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews.

About Cision Canada

Cision is a comprehensive communications platform enabling more than 100,000 public relations and marketing professionals around the world to understand, influence and amplify their stories. As the market leader, Cision enables the next generation of communication professionals to strategically operate in the modern media landscape where company success is directly impacted by public opinion. Cision has offices in 24 countries through the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and offers a suite of best-in-class solutions, including Newswire, Brandwatch, Cision Communications Cloud and Cision Insights. To learn more, visit www.cision.ca and follow @CisionCA on Twitter.

SOURCE Cision Canada

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].
Massachusetts authorities confirmed Brown University shooter killed MIT nuclear scientist. Redditor (Lamin_Kaare) is a Homeless Man named John and he is a former Brown University student. He is credited for cracking the case wide open by police.

He called the tip line and flagged his OWN Reddit post, and was seen on video walking very close to the shooter

The man might get the $50K reward, and is a former Brown University student He FOLLOWED the gunman, and asked why the gunman was circling the block.

* Brown and MIT shootings were by the same guy in the same car using the same guns

* the tip from the homeless x-student broke the case

* Brown is actively letting homeless people sleep in buildings where their STUDENTS GO TO SCHOOL?

* Nobody interviewed this guy in the entire first couple of days BEFORE the MIT shooting

* He graduated but was living in the basement of one of the buildings

* He is getting the $50,000 for the successful tip

* John, a former Brown University student

* Brown graduates can end up homeless despite their degree and education from Brown

* the killer is dead after committing suicide when trapped at a storage facility

The account of how the homeless man "John" (who reportedly graduated from Brown years ago) helped the investigation is really incredible pic.twitter.com/WtBBSVdp5K  Steve Lookner (@lookner) December 19, 2025

NOW  Massachusetts authorities say Brown University shooter killed MIT nuclear scientist. pic.twitter.com/q0bFBGuoWf  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 19, 2025

December 15, 2025, days before it was a person who posted on Reddit and amplified on X which gave the key information about the shooters grey Nissan.

The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving. It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke St side. I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it and then something prompted him to back away. When he backed away he relocked the car. I found that odd so when he circled the block I approached the car and that is when I saw the Florida plates. He was parked in the section between the gate of the RIHS and the corner of Cooke and George St.

13 hours later

The police press conference right now is commending your tip here! Unbelievable! Thank you so much! Great work!!


Torrance, United States / California, December 19th, 2025, CyberNewsWire

Criminal IP (criminalip.io), the AI-powered threat intelligence and attack surface monitoring platform developed by AI SPERA, is now officially integrated into Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR. The integration embeds real-time external threat context, exposure intelligence, and automated multi-stage scanning directly into Cortex XSOARs orchestration engine, giving security teams higher incident accuracy and faster response than conventional log-centric approaches.

For Palo Alto Networks, widely regarded as the global leader in cybersecurity, Cortex XSOAR is a central hub for SOC automation. With Criminal IP added as an integration through the Cortex Marketplace, Cortex XSOAR can now offer users the ability to evaluate suspicious IPs and domains not only through static reputation data but also through behavioral signals, exposure history, infrastructure correlations, and AI-driven threat scoring, without requiring additional systems or analyst-driven lookups.

AI Context to Address the Limits of Log-Only Incident Response

Automated playbook example  detecting malicious domains using the three-step scan in the integrated API of Criminal IP and Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR>

Modern SOC teams face overwhelming alert volumes, yet traditional enrichment still depends on static reputation feeds with limited context, often missing port exposure, CVE ties, certificate reuse, DNS changes, or anonymization behavior. Criminal IP fills this gap by continuously analyzing global internet-facing assets and correlating IP behavior, domain activity, SSL/TLS data, port states, CVE exposure, IDS hits, and masking indicators. When an alert includes an IP or domain, Cortex XSOAR can automatically pull this enriched intelligence into the active incident via a playbook, allowing analysts to assess intent and severity without leaving Cortex SOAR.

Multi-Stage Scanning and External Exposure Linking

Cortex XSOAR playbooks can trigger Criminal IPs automated three-stage scanning workflow: beginning with a Quick Lookup, escalating to a Lite Scan, and then performing a Full Scan for complete attack surface analysis. Full Scan results are delivered as structured reports within Cortex XSOAR, with generic polling ensuring the workflow continues without manual effort. Beyond alert-driven enrichment, the integration also links internal telemetry with open-internet intelligence providing historical behavior, C2 relationships, anonymization indicators, abuse records, and SSL correlations for each indicator. Cortex XSOAR can also schedule Micro Attack Surface Management scans to assess exposed ports, certificate validity, vulnerable services, and outdated software, offering lightweight, continuous ASM capabilities that help organizations identify weaknesses before they are exploited.

Accelerating the Shift Toward Intelligence-Driven Autonomous Security

Screenshot of the Criminal IP pack on the Cortex Marketplace

The integration between Palo Alto Networks and Criminal IP reflects a broader trend toward autonomous security operations. By combining Cortex XSOARs automation and orchestration capabilities with Criminal IPs real-time external analysis, SOC teams can automate decisions that previously required manual research across multiple intelligence sources. This reduces response times, improves the accuracy of incident classification, and minimizes analyst fatigueissues that have grown more severe as alert volumes and AI-generated threats continue to rise.

Criminal IP is already present on Azure, AWS, and Snowflake marketplaces and maintains integrations with more than 40 security vendors, including Cisco, Fortinet, and Tenable. Its expansion into the Palo Alto Networks ecosystem sets the foundation for further integrations across XDR and cloud security solutions.

AI SPERA CEO Byungtak Kang stated that the integration demonstrates the growing importance of AI-driven threat intelligence and exposure analytics in enterprise security operations, adding that Criminal IP aims to play a central role in helping organizations transition toward fully autonomous defense architectures.

About Criminal IP

Criminal IP is the flagship cyber threat intelligence platform developed by AI SPERA. The platform is used in more than 150 countries and provides comprehensive threat visibility through enterprise security solutions such as Criminal IP ASM and Criminal IP FDS.

Criminal IP continues to strengthen its global ecosystem through strategic partnerships with Cisco, VirusTotal and Quad9. The platforms threat data is also available through major US data warehouse marketplaces including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Snowflake. This expansion improves global access to high quality threat intelligence from Criminal IP.

Users can learn more: https://cortex.marketplace.pan.dev/marketplace/details/CriminalIP/

Contact

Michael Sena

AI SPERA

[email protected]


Cary, North Carolina, USA, December 18th, 2025, CyberNewsWire

Growth in Egypt, UAE, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Fueled by Demand for Expert-Led, Hands-On Training to Meet National Digital Transformation Goals

INE Security, a global leader in specialized cybersecurity and IT training, today announced continued significant expansion across the Middle East and Asia, capitalizing on major regional learning initiatives. The companys unique, hands-on methodology is proving to be a cost-effective solution for upskilling cybersecurity professionals in high-growth markets, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt.

As these nations prioritize digital transformation and invest heavily in localizing technical expertise, such as through Saudi Vision 2030, the demand for high-quality, practical cybersecurity training has surged. Yet traditional, high-cost training models often fail to scale efficiently to meet the vast skill gaps required to secure rapidly expanding digital infrastructures.

INE Security addresses this challenge by providing comprehensive, subscription-based learning paths designed by industry experts. This model delivers superior value by offering unlimited access to thousands of hours of content and real-world virtual labssuch as the innovative Skill Dive platformensuring professionals not only learn theory but also gain the hands-on experience necessary to defend complex environments.

Meeting Regional Skills Demands

The key to INE Securitys success in the region lies in its commitment to verifiable competence over mere certification. Organizations in KSA, UAE, and Egypt require solutions that can rapidly validate and elevate the technical skills of their security analysts and engineers in critical areas.

Key competencies being rapidly adopted through INE Security training include:

Cloud Security best practices for protecting new digital government and private sector infrastructures

best practices for protecting new digital government and private sector infrastructures Incident Response planning and execution through realistic simulation labs

planning and execution through realistic simulation labs Penetration Testing and offensive security techniques to proactively identify vulnerabilities

and offensive security techniques to proactively identify vulnerabilities Advanced Networking fundamentals necessary for robust security architecture

The Middle East and Asia are leading the world in digital ambition, and that ambition requires a skilled cyber workforce trained to meet the highest global standards, said Lindsey Rinehart, CEO of INE. Our cost-effective, hands-on training model delivers the depth and scale needed to build real-world defensive capabilities. We are committed to supporting the regions growing cybersecurity ecosystem and empowering practitioners with the skills they need to protect national assets and drive digital innovation.

Expanding Regional Partnerships

As part of its continued expansion, INE Security has strengthened its regional presence through new strategic partnerships established over recent months. These collaborations extend INEs reach and support localized delivery of hands-on cybersecurity training aligned with regional workforce development priorities.

New partners across the Middle East and Asia include Red Nexus Academy, RedTeam Hacker Academy, and Abadnet Institute. Through these partnerships, INE is working closely with training providers and academic institutions to broaden access to expert-led instruction, immersive labs, and skill validation programs for cybersecurity professionals across the region.

By collaborating with trusted regional partners, INE is able to support national digital initiatives while ensuring training programs reflect local market needs, languages, and technical priorities.

A Scalable Model for National Growth

INEs subscription-based model provides scalable access to hands-on training and real-time skill development across the full spectrum of cyber domains. This approach enables government agencies, universities, and large enterprises to onboard and upskill teams efficiently while maintaining consistency and quality at scale. With built-in skill assessment tools and usage analytics, organizations gain clear visibility into workforce readiness and can confidently measure progress as teams advance through increasingly complex defensive and offensive scenarios.

Organizations across the Middle East and Asia are accelerating their cybersecurity readiness, and they need training solutions that match the pace of their transformation, said Brett Eskine, Chief Revenue Officer at INE. INEs hands-on labs and expert-led learning paths provide a scalable and measurable pathway for organizations across the region to build the cyber expertise required for modern digital infrastructures.

INE remains committed to empowering professionals throughout these dynamic regions by delivering accessible, high-impact learning tools that help strengthen national security resilience while advancing individual careers. To learn more about INE Securitys enterprise training solutions and regional expansion initiatives, users can visit ine.com/enterprise.

About INE Security

INE Security is the premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity training and cybersecurity certifications. 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. The company 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]


Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

Switzerland may consider issues related to the immunity of state leaders and become a platform for negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.

"Last year, Switzerland organized the Summit on Peace at Burgenstock. And after that Summit, we remained in contact with all the parties, including Russia, in line with our good offices. Its precisely this stance of neutrality, international Geneva, and our mediation expertise that made that the United States and Ukraine turned to Switzerland at the end of November. The meeting that took place on November 23 in Geneva was held at the request of the United States and Ukraine to discuss the US-proposed peace plan," Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann told Interfax-Ukraine in an exclusive interview.

He said Switzerland acted as a mediator in the host country, but did not participate in the bilateral negotiations.

"But we are ready to continue performing this role as long as the parties wish. Should a peace conference in Switzerland become a concrete prospect at some point, our country will be ready to examine all questions related to the immunity of heads of state and government," the ambassador said.

Baumann expressed his belief that peace in Ukraine will come, while a peaceful settlement will depend on the readiness of the Russian Federation for meaningful negotiations.

"Switzerlands position has not changed: Switzerland repeatedly and strongly condemned Russias war against Ukraine. We have consistently worked - and continue to work  for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, the United Nations Charter, and the Helsinki principles. And we have been consistently advocating for the independence and the territorial integrity of Ukraine," he said.

The ambassador also added that "a peace that would be quickly made, but that would not comply with international law and the United Nations Charter will most certainly be a fragile peace."
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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
Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

Some CHF 7.4 billion of assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation are frozen in the accounts of commercial banks in Switzerland, and the Swiss government is closely following discussions on the use of Russian assets in other countries, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann has said.

"We have to differentiate between the private assets belonging to Russian individuals or companies and the state assets belonging to the Russian Central Bank.Regarding private assets, CHF 7.4 billion are frozen in Switzerland.However, there is no legal basis in Switzerland  and, for that matter, also in the European Union  to confiscate private assets of licit origin.It would be contrary to Swiss law. As for state assets, the amount immobilized in Switzerland is almost the same, CHF 7.45 billion," Baumann told Interfax-Ukraine in an exclusive interview.

He said the situation in Switzerland differs from the situation in EU countries, since the assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation are not stored in the Swiss Central Securities Depository, but in commercial banks, and do not generate extraordinary profits, as in the EU.

"Nevertheless, Switzerland is closely following the discussions taking place in the European Union  and also in the United Kingdom, by the way  on the possibility of using the Russian Central Banks assets to finance a reparation loan for Ukraine. In any case, the Swiss government would ultimately take a decision based on Swiss law, international law, and taking into account the need to preserve the stability of financial markets," the ambassador said.
Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

Swiss Ambassador to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann emphasizes the importance of disclosure of anti-corruption cases in Ukraine to maintain investors trust, commenting on the recent corruption scandal in the energy sector involving high-ranking officials.

"I think no country is completely immune to corruption. What is important is that anti-corruption bodies can operate independently to uncover such cases and help maintain or restore trust between citizens and the state, as well as trust for foreign investors. The fact that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO) are able to investigate high-level corruption cases demonstrates that the anti-corruption system is functioning. And thats positive," Baumann said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He said Switzerland has been supporting good governance and anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine for several years, in particular by providing expertise and support in the ARMA recruitment processes.

"The key point is to uncover the cases so that the trust of foreign investors remains," Baumann said.
Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

The call for proposals for Swiss companies for projects in the field of post-war reconstruction and reconstruction of Ukraine aroused great interest and therefore the budget for the second call, which will be held in early 2026, was decided to double, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann has said.

"At the beginning of this year, we launched a call for proposals with a total budget of CHF 100 million, inviting Swiss companies already present in Ukraine to submit projects for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. Together with the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and colleagues from my team, we selected 12 projects in the fields of housing, health, mobility, and energy. Final contract clarifications are now underway, with the aim of starting implementation in early 2026. This scheme has generated so much interest that a second call for proposals along similar lines is planned for early 2026, with a volume of CHF 200 million," Baumann said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He also expressed his willingness to include Swiss companies that are not yet present in Ukraine, but noted that this requires a new legal basis. "A state-to-state agreement was signed in Rome at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, and the ratification process is now underway. We hope this agreement can enter into force in the second half of 2026, enabling even larger projects with companies new to Ukraine. In the meantime, we are already informing interested companies about opportunities and challenges of doing business in Ukraine. For example, in April, we organized a business mission with the representatives of 16 Swiss companies and associations visiting Kyiv, Lviv, and Vinnytsia," the ambassador said.

According to him, private investments are also being made without state participation, especially from companies already operating in Ukraine. "The four largest investments made in 2024-2025 alone amounted to over CHF 100 million in the consumable goods industry and infrastructure management. I want to commend these companies for their strategic vision and trust in the Ukrainian market," Baumann added.

The ambassador said most Swiss companies present in Ukraine in February 2022 did not leave the country and, despite the difficulties, adapted their business models, retained employees, jobs and continued to pay taxes.
Ukraines Cabinet of Ministers has approved negotiating positions for Clusters 4 and 5, and Ukraine is now ready to open negotiations on all six clusters, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration reported.

"Based on these documents, Ukraines progress in meeting the membership criteria will be assessed. The negotiating positions were prepared taking into account the European Commissions reports on the results of the screening of Ukraines legislation for compliance with EU law," the office said in a statement.

Cluster 4 covers such areas of legislation as transport, energy, trans-European networks, the environment, and climate change, while Cluster 5 includes agriculture and rural development, food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, fisheries and aquaculture, regional policy and coordination of structural instruments, as well as financial and budgetary provisions.

According to the report, on May 14 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the roadmaps required to open Cluster 1, "Fundamentals of Accession," in UkraineEU pre-accession negotiations, and on May 30 it approved Ukraines negotiating positions for EU accession under Cluster 2, "Internal Market," and Cluster 6, "External Relations." Ukraine has also completed screening with the European Union for negotiating Cluster 3, "Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth," Cluster 4, "Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity," and Cluster 5, "Resources, Agriculture, and Cohesion Policy."

On September 30, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos reported that Ukraine had completed the process of screening Ukrainian legislation for compliance with European law.

The EU Council welcomed the successful completion of the screening (legislative assessment) by Ukraine and Moldova and took note of the European Commissions assessment of readiness to open negotiations across all six clusters, a key step in the EU accession process, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka said on December 17.
An appeals court on Thursday overturned a mans assault and related convictions because the victim took the stand at his trial and repeatedly called him a rapist and pervert.

The decision found the trial judge in the case against Larry McMillan also erred in instructing the jury about a witness tampering charge.

But the comments by the victim in the case were so bad  egregious, repetitive, prejudicial, the decision says  they should have caused a mistrial.

The appeals judges overturned McMillans convictions for simple and aggravated assault, harassment, false imprisonment and witness tampering and ordered a new trial.

A Camden County jury convicted him in October 2022 for the November 2019 incident. A judge later sentenced him to 13 years behind bars, with over six years of mandatory time.

McMillan, 54, was in a state prison Thursday with a parole eligibility date in May of next year.

The Camden County Prosecutors Office declined to comment on the decision.

The decision describes the victim, apart from a police sergeant who testified, as the bulk of the prosecutions case, and how her words as a witness on the stand ended up scuttling it.

During cross examination, the woman described McMillan as a rapist, pervert, and messed with young girls.

The judge instructed the jury to disregard the comments, and the decision says the judges first attempt at it was, clear, firm, and timely.

However, she went on to make more prejudicial, disparaging, and inflammatory comments that painted McMillan as a rapist and a pedophile, offenses for which he was not charged and not on trial and thus, were prejudicial.

The judges additional jury instruction was not sufficient and failed to address the gravity of the damage.

The judge also told the witness to refrain from the prejudicial comments, but she went on and did it again. McMillans defense attorney did not object and the judge did not issue any jury instructions, the decision says.

The witness testimony, the decision says, created an atmosphere where the jury was deciding defendants character rather than his guilt on the specific charges. The comments here were not fleeting or inadvertent; they were repeated, which compounded their prejudicial effect on the jury.

Due to the repeated name calling, McMillan could not receive a fair trial, the decision says.

The judge was not mentioned in the decision. Records show it was David Ragonese.

The states Office of the Public Defender represented McMillan, who also submitted his own briefs in his defense.
A federal corrections officer from Camden County admitted to sexually assaulting an inmate while working at the federal prison in Philadelphia, federal prosecutors said.

Michael Jefferson, 43, of Cherry Hill, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to counts of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a ward and deprivation of rights under color of law.

Jefferson was accused of entering a womans cell on July 6, 2024, and forcing a sexual encounter that resulted in an injury, officials said.

He was indicted in May and has been suspended from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to officials.

Jefferson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 7, 2026.

An attorney for Jefferson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An Ocean County school district has agreed to sell the middle school named for astronaut Christa McAuliffe that permanently closed in June, officials said.

The Jackson school board accepted on Wednesday a $40 million offer from Beth Medrash Govoha of America for the 37.5-acre property that includes the two-story, steel and brick school building, a district spokesperson told NJ Advance Media.

While the resolution approved by the school board did not say how the property might be used, Lakewood-based Beth Medrash Govoha focuses on study of the Talmud and enrolls more than 9,000 students.

The board has authorized district administrators to negotiate a contract with the prospective buyer, the district spokesperson said.

The Christa McAuliffe Middle School opened in 1993, seven years after the New Hampshire teacher who became an astronaut was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.

Christa McAuliffe Middle School holds tremendous meaning for our students, staff, and families. However, due to significant funding losses, the sale of this property represents a responsible and necessary step for the district and for Jackson taxpayers, said Jackson Schools Superintendent Nicole Pormilli.

Jackson initially sought $54.5 million for the property but, after receiving only a single offer for less than half that amount, lowered the minimum sale price to $44.4 million and set a Dec. 12 deadline for bids.

The district did not explain why it settled on the sightly lower, $40 million offer.

It was the second school in a year to be closed and put on the market in Jackson, which is grappling with budgetary constraints and declining enrollment.

The districts Sylvia Rosenauer Elementary School closed after 62 years in June 2024. One year later, the school district finalized a $13.1 million deal to sell the elementary school to Bais Yaakov of Jackson, an Orthodox Jewish group.

A quote attributed to Christa McAuliffe is part of a wall tribute honoring her service as a teacher and astronaut on display at the middle school named for her in Jackson, New Jersey. McAuliffe and six other astronauts were killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986. Allison Erwin | Jackson school district

While other schools in New Jersey have closed in recent years, the end of the McAuliffe school drew additional attention due to its connection to the fallen astronaut.

It was among about a half-dozen U.S. schools named for McAuliffe, who taught social studies at Concord High School in New Hampshire. At least one other is in New Jersey: Christa McAuliffe School, P.S. 28, in Jersey City.

McAuliffe was selected by NASA in 1984 over 11,500 applicants seeking to become the first teacher in space. Her astronaut training drew international attention. She planned to teach two short lessons to students from space via video.

All seven astronauts aboard the Challenger were killed when it broke apart 73 seconds after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

McAuliffe, 37, was married with two young children.

The school district said that deep cuts to existing programs and services would have been considered, without an agreement to sell the McAuliffe school.

While we need these funds to continue to operate our district, there remains uncertainty about the future of the state funding formula that caused our multi-year state aid shortfalls in the first place, said school district business administrator Daniel Baginski.

Jackson has five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.
On a quiet afternoon, the air suddenly fills with sound  bells unfolding into melody rather than noise.

The music doesnt come from a radio or a passing parade, but from high above, where bronze instruments weigh tons and yet sing with surprising delicacy.

This is the sound of the carillon, a word that carries both music and history in its syllables.

Heres what you need to know about the word carillon so you can start using it today.

What is the definition of carillon?

The word carillon is a noun defined as a set of bells in a tower.

They are operated by using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism, such as a piano roll.

How is the word carillon pronounced?

The word carillon is pronounced /KEH-ruh-laan/.

How can you use carillon in a sentence?

The carillon in the university tower plays every hour. The carillon drifted across the city at dusk, marking the end of the day. At noon, the carillon announced the hour with measured clarity.

What is the origin of the word carillon?

According to Etymonline, the word carillon comes from French, specifically from the Old French word carignon, meaning set of four bells.

Its first usage in the English language was in 1774, according to Merriam-Webster.

What famous book or movie quoted the word carillon?

Those familiar with Georges Rodenbachs work The Bells of Bruges will recognize the term used to describe the bells.

The carillon is, after all, the music of the people. Elsewhere, in the glittering capitals, public festivals are celebrated with fireworks, that magical offering that can thrill the very soul. Here, in the meditative land of Flanders, among the damp mists so antagonistic to the brilliance of fire, the carillon takes their place. It is a display of fireworks that one hears: flares, rockets, showers, a thousand sparks of sound which colour the air for visionary eyes alerted by hearing, he writes in the book.

If you missed the last word of the day, click here.
Thousands of families are expected to fill the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Saturday as NJPAC brings back one of its longest-running community traditions: the Kwanzaa Family Festival & Artisan Marketplace.

The free, daylong celebration is from 1 to 7:30 p.m. at NJPAC, 1 Center St., offering hands-on activities, performances and shopping rooted in the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The event has been an Arts Center staple for more than 26 years.

The Kwanzaa Family Festival & Artisan Marketplace is NJPACs annual gift to the community, said Eyesha Marable, assistant vice president of community engagement. In collaboration with our 80 engaged partners, we produce a day of creative, fun and joyous activities so that people of all generations can form meaningful holiday memories at the Arts Center.

The festival runs alongside the Kwanzaa Artisan Marketplace, which spans multiple floors of NJPACs Prudential Lobby from 1 to 11 p.m. Shoppers can browse one-of-a-kind gifts from more than 20 local artists, designers and crafters, including natural beauty products, candles, crystals, African mud cloth, artwork, home decor and pet products.

Returning vendors include Ashanti Fields, known for statement jewelry and clothing made from West African fabrics, and Philadelphia-based milliner Suzette Art Couture, who specializes in handcrafted hats and accessories.

Programming throughout the weekend includes traditional Kwanzaa ceremonies such as a candle-lighting and vibunzi, which honors young people with symbolic offerings representing hope for the future. Families can also take part in Kwanzaa-themed cookie decorating, storytelling sessions and arts-and-crafts workshops led by organizations including GlassRoots, The Newark Museum of Art and Newark Public Library partners.

Dance and music are central to the celebration, with capoeira, salsa, Jersey club, soul line and West African dance and drumming classes offered throughout the day. Hourly performances by local dance troupes will take place in the Prudential Hall Lobby, culminating in a final showcase by class participants. Featured groups include Umoja Dance Company, Zawadi African Dance & Drum, Inc., Premiere Dance Theatre and Columbia High Schools Infinite Step team.

Additional highlights include fashion shows presented by Ancient African Formula and New Jersey Kids Fashion Week, a Kwanzaa Memory Wall and a panel discussion on grief and mourning facilitated by Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss. Health and vision screenings will be provided by local medical organizations, and a special film screening will be presented by the Newark Office of Film & Television.

The weekend also features ticketed concerts by two Grammy-winning gospel acts, including CeCe Winans, who will perform Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. Friday ticket holders will receive early access to a poetry reading and the Kwanzaa Artisan Marketplace. The Blind Boys of Alabama will close out the weekend with a Dec. 21 performance at 3 p.m.

The Kwanzaa Family Festival is free and open to the public.
A 41-year-old man who was in the United States illegally died after suffering a medical emergency on the day he was transferred to a detention facility in Newark.

Jean Wilson Brutus, a citizen of Haiti, was brought to a hospital where he was pronounced dead the next day  on Dec. 12, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is the first Delaney Hall detainee to die in ICE custody, according to immigrant advocate groups.

Brutus was not in distress when he was being admitted to Delaney Hall and had no medical history of cardiovascular issues, ICE said. He died of natural causes, according to ICE.

Witnesses said the ambulance taking Brutus to University Hospital in Newark was delayed for five minutes at the Delaney Hall gate because a van transporting new detainees into the facility was allowed through first.

Im furious that this has happened, said Alison Perkon, a volunteer with Eyes on ICE, a group that regularly pickets outside Delaney Hall. Ive been protesting at Delaney Hall since the facility opened in May, and have said repeatedly that someone was going to die here soon. Every time Id hear about another death in ICE custody, my stomach would drop in fear that it was someone at Delaney Hall. (Last week), that fear was realized. Theres a saying among volunteers outside the facility: The cruelty is the point. Mr. Brutus untimely and unnecessary death, along with the others who have died in ICE custody proves it."

In addition, ICE didnt inform the public of Brutus death within two business days as is required by law.

ICE officials said Brutus entered the U.S. illegally in Hidalgo, Texas on June 20, 2023. He settled in New Jersey and was arrested on criminal mischief charges four times between July 2023 and November 19, 2025, according to immigration officials.

ICE said it learned of the Nov. 19 arrest and placed an immigration detainer on him.

Then on Nov. 28, Elizabeth police arrested Brutus and charged him with criminal mischief.

He was again released before ICE arrested him again on Dec. 11.

The number of people held at Delaney Hall, the immigration detention facility in Newark, more than tripled between November and early months this year, records show.

The average daily population for Delaney Hall reached 807 last month, a sharp uptick from September, when the site held 234 people, according to data from TRAC, a nonpartisan research group that obtains and analyzes federal records.

Twenty-three people in ICE custody have died in 2025 as of Dec. 10  the deadliest year for ICE detainees since 2004, according to the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
Following an announcement that a man died shortly after he was transferred to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, politicians and advocacy groups in New Jersey immediately began expressing their concerns.

Jean Wilson Brutus, a citizen of Haiti who was in the United States illegally, suffered a medical emergency at Delaney Hall and was brought to a hospital where he was pronounced dead the following day, Dec. 12, according to a statement from ICE.

Brutus, 41, died of natural causes and was not in distress when he was being admitted to Delaney Hall and had no medical history of cardiovascular issues, ICE said.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said in a statement that he was deeply concerned about Brutus death and said he opposes private detention centers in any form.

For months, I have condemned the inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall and the mismanagement of this facility by its private operator, GEO Group - and now this tragic death has compounded the long and grotesque list of atrocities the GEO Group is committing, Booker said. The Department of Homeland Securitys continued refusal to comply with appropriate oversight of this facility and the GEO Groups abuses are totally unacceptable.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called the incident distressing and said it brings up a host of disturbing questions.

Newarks documented history of Geo Group and ICEs complete lack of transparency and their demonstrated disregard of laws that ensure the safety and wellbeing of the detainees, tempts some disgusting speculation on the immorality of stripping human beings of their innate dignity, Baraka said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-10th Dist., said the incident demands immediate answers.

Weve heard about ICE detainees across the country being denied treatment and medication, McIver said in a statement. I want to know exactly what happened, the circumstances of this individuals confinement and treatment, and what care he did or did not receive.

McIver was among several elected officials who attempted to visit the facility in May. As they tried to gain access, Baraka, a Democrat, was arrested by federal agents. McIver was among several people jostling in the crowd of people around Baraka as it happened.

McIver was indicted in June on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison.

Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said the death underscores systemic issues with immigration detention.

Lets make one thing clear. Jean Wilson Brutus didnt die because there wasnt enough oversight at Delaney Hall. He didnt die because the GEO Group has insufficient resources for food or care. He also didnt die because people in his community didnt care or werent paying attention to the issue, Torres said.

Jean Wilson Brutus died because immigration detention exists for one reason: to make immigrants into political scapegoats and support an agenda fueled by racism and profit, she added. Jean Wilson Brutus died because America now sees immigrants as subhuman. He died because corporations like GEO Group see him as a line item in an Excel sheet.

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice expressed multiple concerns about Brutus death, especially the fact that his death was announced a full week after he died.

Im furious that this has happened, said Alison Perkon, a volunteer with Eyes on ICE, a group that regularly pickets outside Delaney Hall. Ive been protesting at Delaney Hall since the facility opened in May, and have said repeatedly that someone was going to die here soon. Every time Id hear about another death in ICE custody, my stomach would drop in fear that it was someone at Delaney Hall. (Last week), that fear was realized."

Theres a saying among volunteers outside the facility: The cruelty is the point, she added. Mr. Brutus untimely and unnecessary death, along with the others who have died in ICE custody proves it.

Brutus is the first Delaney Hall detainee to die in ICE custody, according to immigrant advocacy groups.

ICE officials said Brutus entered the U.S. illegally on June 20, 2023, in Hidalgo, Texas.

He settled in New Jersey and was arrested on criminal mischief charges four times between July 2023 and Nov. 19, 2025, according to immigration officials.

ICE said it learned of the Nov. 19 arrest and placed an immigration detainer on him.

Then on Nov. 28, Elizabeth police arrested Brutus and charged him with criminal mischief.

He was again released before ICE arrested him again on Dec. 11.

Faith leaders from across New Jersey will hold a Christmas vigil outside Delaney Hall on Dec. 22, organizers said.

As people of good conscience and faith, we solidarize with those affected by ICE and theorders coming from the top office. As Dr. King would tell you, an unjust law is no law at all, Pastor Erich Kussman said.

The event, led by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, will run from 11 a.m. to noon at 451 Doremus Ave. in Newark.
Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

Allowing Ukrainian men under 22 to travel abroad did not significantly affect the number of Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Felix Baumann has said.

"If you look at the last 24 months, or the past two years, the number [of refugees from Ukraine] has been quite stable in Switzerland It has generally ranged between 67,000 and 70,000 it has slightly increased this year. Over the past months, we have seen about 1,000 requests for special protection status from young Ukrainian men aged 18-22, between September and November The number of arrivals in Switzerland is not very large; and the overall increase in the number of refugees in the country was not very significant," Baumann said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He said 36% of Ukrainian citizens in Switzerland are currently employed.

"This year, the federal government set a new goal: 50% employment for refugees who have been in Switzerland for three years. Experience has shown that achieving this goal takes longer than initially anticipated. Therefore, the new criterion focuses on the length of stay. Currently, the overall employment rate among refugees is about 36%. However, if we consider only those who have been in Switzerland for more than three years  essentially those who arrived in 2022  the rate is already quite close to the stated goal," the ambassador said.

When listing employment opportunities, he first of all indicated knowledge of German or French, which usually takes at least two years to learn to become proficient. "Second, there is a shortage of childcare facilities for small children in Switzerland. This is particularly important because the largest category of refugees consists of mothers alone with their children. Without childcare options, they cannot enter the workforce. Third, the recognition of diplomas can be a barrier, sometimes creating unrealistic expectations," Baumann said.

Commenting on the restrictions on protection status for people from seven western regions of Ukraine, he stressed that "nothing changes for those already in Switzerland who arrived before November from these regions  they can stay as before," but people from these regions who apply for special protection status after November 1, 2025, will no longer receive it.

"Of course, as we have seen with the recent devastating Russian missile attack on a housing block in Ternopil, no region in Ukraine can be considered completely safe. Nevertheless, some regions are proportionally less affected than others," the ambassador said.
A former councilman in Gloucester County accused of sending harassing letters school board members in another members name has been indicted by a grand jury.

Richard Bennett, a former Washington Township councilman, was indicted on Wednesday by a grand jury for four counts of fourth-degree forgery, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of 18 months in state prison.

Bennetts defense attorney, Nicholas J. Yurick, did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment.

Bennett was serving on the township council when he allegedly mailed harassing letters to two members of his local board of education in the name of another board member, according to documents filed in the case.

Prosecutors did not provide details on the nature of the letters.

Bennett was initially charged in May and resigned from the town council the following month.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Nicolas Fernandes contributed to this report.
Police have arrested a man and a woman from South Jersey in the sexual assaults of a girl, which started when she was 13 years old.

Michael Brown, 46, and Valerie Brown, 44, both of Mantua Township, were arrested Wednesday, township police said in a Thursday night statement.

Michael Brown is charged with sexual assault of a minor between the ages of 13 and 16, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal sexual contact of a minor. Valerie Brown faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with evidence.

On Sunday, the victim told police that she was sexually assaulted from 2018 to 2020, police said. In 2018, the girl was 13 years old.

Authorities did not specify the relationship between the Browns or say what role Valerie played in the alleged assaults.

The Mantua Township Police Department is asking additional victims or anyone with tips to contact Detective Corporal Jeff Krieger at jkrieger@mantuatownship.com.
Months after a so-called street takeover caused chaos in Secaucus, police have announced charges against 14 people.

Secaucus police said officers came under attack on Aug. 31 when fireworks were set off under a police vehicle while an officer was inside. Other people also jumped on the hood of the patrol car. The police vehicle was left with thousands of dollars in damage.

Police had been called to the intersection of Secaucus Road and County Avenue after getting a report that drivers were being reckless, in some cases while people were seated on the exterior of cars.

In one instance, onlookers were hit but not badly injured when a driver lost control of his car. Three vehicles were seized.

Four of the 14 were arrested in October while eight others were charged this month with riot/public brawl to incite disorderly conduct, police said.

Some were also charged with recklessly creating a risk of widespread injury and endangering another person.

A street takeover is a social media-organized gathering of vehicles in a public intersection, where people obstruct traffic and perform stunts with cars.

Two of those involved were 17 at the time of the incident and are charged as juveniles. The others range in age from 18 to 26.

Many are from Monmouth, Middlesex, Ocean and Union counties. Three are from New York City and one lives in Virginia, according to police.

In August, I vowed that Secaucus Police Department would hold those accountable for putting my officers lives at risk, and I hope the message is clear: if you come to Secaucus and put others in harms way, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law, police chief Dennis Miller said in a statement. The various units of the Secaucus Police Department worked as swiftly as possibly to file these charges while working within the confines of the law and our constitution.
A 26-year-old New York City man admitted he shot and killed a taxi cab driver in the parking lot of a Hazlet motel last year.

Gaetano S. Scannavino pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in the death of Anthony Hill on Sept. 14, 2024 at the Holly Hill Motel on Route 36, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office said Friday.

He was charged with murder, carjacking and weapons offenses following his arrest five days later.

Hill, 42, of Eatontown, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after being found shot multiple times near a dumpster, officials said.

Scannavino shot Hill in the cab, then pulled him out and ran him over before fleeing in the taxi, according to court documents obtained by Patch.com following the shooting. He later tried to set the cab on fire in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn man faces up to 30 years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26, 2026.
When Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik checked his Ring camera a few weeks ago, he expected to see a routine delivery.

Instead, the footage showed something stranger: a delivery driver dropping off one package  and then lifting another off of Horniks front steps and walking away with it.

It was crazy, Hornik said. The person delivering the package actually swiped a different package.

The stolen item, a box of cosmetics, wasnt especially valuable. But the experience rattled him.

Amazon didnt exist when I first got into office, said Hornik, now in his fifth term as mayor. This is a fairly new problem, really in the last five years, tied to how people shop now.

Porch piracy has quietly become one of New Jerseys most common  and frustrating  property crimes. The theft of packages from porches, doorsteps, or entryways after delivery has surged alongside the rise of online shopping, afflicting affluent suburbs, dense cities and rural communities alike.

More than 190,000 New Jersey residents had a package stolen during a three-month stretch last year, according to a figure recently cited by U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist.

And thats even as many cases go unreported, primarily because retailers often refund customers with little fuss.

In 2025, porch pirates caused $15 billion in losses for American families and another $22 billion in losses for retailers, according to a report by the home security company SafeWise.

Nationally, an estimated 104 million packages were stolen in the past year  roughly 250,000 a day  according to the report. That makes porch piracy among the more common crimes in the country, according to experts.

Those numbers are far and above almost any other type of crime and probably any other form of theft, said Ben Stickle, a criminal justice professor at Middle Tennessee State University who studies package theft.

A literal Grinch

For years, porch piracy was treated as a low-level nuisance: annoying, but rarely investigated and seldom prosecuted. In New Jersey, that calculus recently began to shift.

In 2022, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law making the theft of a delivered package a third-degree crime, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to $15,000.

More recently, Gottheimer announced a bill that would make stealing packages from private carriers like Amazon, UPS and FedEx a federal offense.

Theres a literal Grinch that tears through neighborhoods, the congressman said at a December news conference in Ridgewood, flanked by local and county law enforcement. It shouldnt matter who delivers your package. If you paid for it, you should receive it.

In a Friday statement to NJ Advance Media, Gottheimer added, We need all cops on the beat to protect families from the porch pirates. Its time for them to get a lump of coal in their stockings.

A package, swiped and pawed-through, lies forlornly on the street. In Pictures via Getty Images

Law enforcement attention to the matter also sharpened after the exposure of a sophisticated ring of new age porch pirates, including five men from New Jersey, who targeted homes using insider access to shipment data.

The rings takedown, announced in February, was coordinated by the Union County Prosecutors Office, the FBIs Newark field office and the New Jersey State Police.

All three agencies declined comment.

Experts say most porch piracy is far less organized, and far harder to stop.

The majority of packages that are stolen are probably opportunistic, Stickle said. Someone walking home from work. Someone in an apartment complex. A box sitting there is just kind of an open invitation to take it.

That opportunism explains why the crime is so widespread, and why reliable data is so scarce. Stickle estimates that only 7 to 10% of package thefts are ever reported to police.

And even when they are, most states dont track them as a separate category, folding them into other theft.

Retailers dont offer much clarity either. A spokesperson for Amazon, the nations largest online retailer, said the vast majority of packages made it to customers without issue, but declined to provide specific numbers.

Thats my a-- on the internet!

How best to combat would-be porch pirates remains a matter of debate.

Despite the popularity of video doorbells  with an estimated 10 million Americans using Amazons Ring camera in 2023 they may fail to deter thieves the way many homeowners expect.

In one study Stickle published in 2022, he found that only about 10% of thieves tried to hide their faces, even when they clearly noticed the camera.

Were so used to being surveilled these days, he said. I dont think most people fear the consequences.

One notable exception occurred in Gloucester Township in 2023, when a homeowner posted online Ring footage of a suspect who danced in front of the camera as he made off with a package.

The so-called "twerking porch pirate" later came back to return the remnants of the package and plead for the video to be taken down.

Come on, dude! Not cool, bro. Come on. Not cool, he said. Thats my a-- on the internet!

As the episode went viral, Gloucester Township police tried to identify the hapless twerker, according to public information officer Paul Fisher. They were unsuccessful, and the case remains unsolved.

What charges a porch pirate ultimately faces can vary widely depending on the circumstances of the case.

Either way, adults or juveniles, anybody stealing, its at least a theft, Fisher said. It could be a trespassing or a burglary if you entered a structure, a robbery if force gets used. It just depends.

Under Gottheimers proposed legislation, stealing a package could become punishable by up to 10 years behind bars, depending on the value and method of the theft.

How to fight porch pirates

As frustration grows, so does the temptation to fight back. Viral videos  many of them AI-generated  featuring glitter bombs, dye packs or trap packages rack up millions of views online each holiday season.

Police and lawyers caution that such tactics can backfire legally.

I would not advise anyone to prank a thief, said Michael J. Epstein, a New Jersey-based civil litigation attorney. Especially not in a way where it could lead to severe permanent injury or death, because it could ultimately bounce back and hurt you. You might be liable.

Whats more, theres the risk of an aggressive or overblown reaction.

You never know who youre dealing with, said Sgt. Eric Eleshewich, a spokesman for the Fair Lawn Police Department. Your best bet is to get video, get a description and call us.

A sticker warns: Would-be pirates, back off! AFP via Getty Images

Some departments have taken prevention into their own hands.

For several years, Gloucester Township has deployed GPS-tracked bait packages that alert officers when theyre moved. Fisher said that the initiative had led to several successful arrests, and that porch theft arrests were down this year, but couldnt immediately provide exact figures.

Other towns rely on extra patrols, license-plate readers and neighborhood camera registries during the holiday season, when package thefts skyrocket.

But officials and researchers alike say the most effective strategies remain low-tech.

If theres nothing to steal, the crime cant be committed, Hornik said. If residents pull their packages in quickly, thieves realize this isnt an easy target  and they move on.

Stickle agrees.

If I can remove the box from the front porch, I dont have to worry about why someone wants to steal it, he said. Because they cant see it, they cant get to it.

Editors note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
The Democratic National Committee is under fire for shelving a review detailing what went wrong for the party in 2024.

According to several outlets, DNC Chair Ken Martin said on Thursday that the committee will not release a report he previously ordered into how the Democratic Party lost to President Donald Trump.

As the party faced a fiery internal debate over the defeat, Martin called for a post-election probe into its mistakes amid his election to lead the committee in February. Trump won all key swing states against former Vice President Kamala Harris, who jumped into the race in July after then-President Joe Biden made the sudden decision to drop his reelection bid.

Heres our North Star: Does this help us win? Martin said in a statement about making the so-called autopsy report public. If the answer is no, its a distraction from the core mission.

In the statement, Martin added that the DNC did complete a comprehensive review and is already putting our learnings into motion.

A chorus of Democrats are now further ripping DNC leadership over the flip flop on social media.

Unreal, Jon Favreau, a co-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter to former President Barack Obama, wrote on X. The DNCs actual position is that if the public knew more about what Democrats got wrong in the last election, it would hurt the partys chances in the next election.

Why does the party only trust people with the truth who are part of their insular club? And why on Earth would the DNC think that keeping their promise to release the report would create more of a backlash than announcing that theyre keeping it secret? he added, describing the move as baffling.

Unreal. The DNC's actual position is that if the public knew more about what Democrats got wrong in the last election, it would hurt the party's chances in the next election.



How does this rebuild trust between the party insiders and grassroots activists and organizers?



Why https://t.co/fDiooD3Grf  Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) December 18, 2025

Democratic strategist Lis Smith said that I suspect the reasons why this isnt being released are precisely the reasons why it should be released.

This is a very bad decision that reeks of the caution and complacency that brought us to this moment, former Obama senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer posted.

David Hogg, a former DNC vice chair and progressive activist, also weighed in: If party leaders wont take the steps required to rebuild ourselves into a winning coalition, we will take it into our own hands.

Laying the groundwork for Kamala to win the nomination and make the EXACT same do-nothing, say-nothing mistakes AGAIN in 2028, one user wrote.

Some operatives within the party, though, did praise the move.

We all know why Dems lost in 2024, Xochitl Hinojosa, a former DNC spokesperson, said in a post. The DNC has and should continue to make changes, and that is one of the reasons Dems have been winning up and down the ballot.

Lets stop looking back, she continued. Lets look forward and continue winning.

The reversal comes as Democrats scored sweeping victories in key races last month, and as attention turns to the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP is looking to maintain its majority in both the House and Senate.

While Trump wasnt directly on the ballot, the November contests have been widely considered a litmus test for how voters are viewing his return to the White House.
Once President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law on Nov. 19, the Justice Department had 30 days to publicly release its full cache of files related to the investigation and prosecution of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The deadline arrived Friday, Dec. 19, intensifying the pressure around an issue that has plagued Trump throughout his first year back in office.

Trump had flip-flopped on releasing the Epstein files prior to signing the bill, saying he wanted to declassify them on the 2024 campaign trail before decrying them as a Democrat hoax after it was reported that his name appeared in the documents.

Our Epstein Files Transparency Act is now law. It establishes a December 19 deadline for the Attorney General to release the Epstein files.



In this video, Ill tell you what to expect in advance of tomorrow's statutory disclosure deadline. pic.twitter.com/7aD7q1kyLC  Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 18, 2025

But after the legislation received overwhelming support in Congress  it passed unanimously in the Senate, and by a 427-1 vote in the House  Trump signed it into law.

Democrats have used the Epstein issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories, Trump said in a Truth Social post after signing the bill.

While thousands of documents have previously been released by the House Oversight Committee this year, the Justice Department is required to publish the remainder of its investigative files by midnight Friday. Attorney General Pam Bondi must make the unclassified records publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format, as compelled by the bill.

Heres what to know as the Epstein files deadline nears.

Who is Jeffrey Epstein?

Epstein was a wealthy and well-connected financier whose estate was worth an estimated $600 million, according to Forbes.

In June 2008, he pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution, including one involving someone under the age of 18. Epstein evaded federal charges under an unusual non-prosecution agreement requiring him to serve only 13 months in jail and reach financial settlements with dozens of his alleged victims.

In July 2019, Epstein was arrested in New York on federal sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors alleged that he recruited and abused dozens of underage girls at his properties in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, with the help of associate Ghislaine Maxwell during the early 2000s.

On Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. New York Citys medical examiner ruled that he died by suicide.

In June 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epsteins longtime associate and former romantic partner, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She was found guilty of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor.

Who has been named in the Epstein files?

Some of the files that have already been released include communications with and references to high-profile politicians and business leaders.

NJ.com national politics writer Lauren Sforza examined how powerful men like Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew were linked to the disgraced financier: From presidents to princes: The disturbing web of powerful men named in the Epstein files.

What is the DOJ compelled to release?

The Justice Department must release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials that relate to:

Jeffrey Epstein, including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters;

Ghislaine Maxwell;

Flight logs or travel records, including but not limited to manifests, itineraries, pilot records, and customs or immigration documentation, for any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Epstein or any related entity;

Individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epsteins criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigatory proceedings;

Entities (corporate, nonprofit, academic, or governmental) with known or alleged ties to Epsteins trafficking or financial networks;

Any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains, or sealed settlements involving Epstein or his associates;

Internal DOJ communications, including emails, memos, meeting notes, concerning decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates;

All communications, memoranda, directives, logs, or metadata concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data related to Epstein, his associates, his detention and death, or any investigative files ;

Documentation of Epsteins detention or death, including incident reports, witness interviews, medical examiner files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing the circumstances and cause of death.

What information can the DOJ withhold?

There are several permitted witholdings written into the bill to protect Epsteins victims and prevent the release of any documents that would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.

The Transparency Act states that Bondi may withhold or redact the portions of records that:

contain personally identifiable information of victims or victims personal and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

depict or contain child sexual abuse materials;

would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary;

depict or contain images of death, physical abuse, or injury of any person;

contain information specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Erika Kirk, the widow of late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, threw her full support behind Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028.

Kirk, the newly minted CEO of Turning Point USA, endorsed the vice president during her opening remarks at the conservative youth organizations AmericaFest conference on Thursday.

We are going to get my husbands friend, JD Vance, elected 48 in the most resounding way possible, Kirk said to loud applause from the audience in Phoenix.

Her praise for Vance came as she touted Turning Point USAs efforts in building the red wall in Arizona, Nevada and New Hampshire  while working to ensure the GOP maintains majority control of Congress during the 2026 midterm elections in order to effectively pass President Donald Trumps agenda.

Vance has not formally announced that he intends to run for president, though he is the clear front-runner among other Republican figures in early polls. The endorsement from Kirk may be notable down the line due to her husbands influence on young conservatives.

The vice president also told Fox News last month that he has thought about what that moment might look like after next years elections. He noted that he will talk to Trump then about the prospect.

Whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job, right now, and my job is to do it, Vance said. And if you start getting distracted and focused on what comes next, I think it actually makes you worse at the job you have.

Trump has previously floated a potential 2028 ticket with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio  all while acknowledging that he is unable to serve a third term under the Constitution, despite his top allies pushing for it.

Im not sure if anybody would run against us, Trump told reporters in October. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that.

Turning Point USAs annual event, which runs until Sunday, is the largest meeting of its kind since the shooting of Kirks husband, the co-founder, at a Utah college campus in September. It quickly devolved as MAGA infighting over the future of the GOP was on full display  including conservative commentator Ben Shapiro labeling other featured speakers as frauds and grifters.

Vance is listed to speak at the conference on its final day.
Federal files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking case have been thrust into the national spotlight again.

For years, conspiracy theorists and conservatives have demanded the Justice Department release the files from Epsteins sex trafficking case along with any information related to his 2019 death. During his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to release the files if elected to a second term.

But in July, President Trump declared the Epstein files a hoax and opposed the release of the documents. This shift came after Trumps name appeared in the files, though he has not been accused of wrongdoing.

The revelations around Trump and Epstein sparked a bipartisan effort from U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who introduced a discharge petition in July to force the House to vote on releasing the files.

Once it became clear that a majority of Republicans would vote to release the Epstein files, Trump endorsed the bill. He signed it into law in November.

The bill compels the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epsteins sex trafficking case, as well as any information about his death, by Dec. 19.

According to The Associated Press, the files to be can include notes and reports written by FBI agents; transcripts of witness interviews, photographs, videos and other evidence; Epsteins autopsy report; and some material that may already be public, such as flight logs and travel records.

Documents related to Epstein that have already been released mention prominent public figures, including politicians, celebrities and business leaders.

Heres who has been mentioned in previously released Epstein files ahead of Fridays anticipated document release.

Donald Trump, left, and Jeffrey Epstein appear in an image from decades ago released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

Donald Trump

Trump was a close friend of Epsteins before the two of them had a falling out in the early 2000s, according to the president.

It is already public knowledge that Trump is mentioned frequently throughout documents related to Epstein, who committed suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.

According to documents released in February by the Justice Department, Trumps name appeared in Epsteins contact book, known as the Little Black Book. His name also appeared in flight logs from Epsteins personal aircraft, according to Justice Department documents.

Trumps name also appeared in a birthday book for Epstein in 2003. The Wall Street Journal reported in July that Trump sent Epstein a letter with a sexually suggestive outline of a naked woman for the disgraced financiers 50th birthday. Trump has denied writing the letter, which he has said is fake.

House Democrats later released the letter in September, showing what appeared to be Trumps signature.

HERE IT IS: We got Trumps birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein that the President said doesnt exist.



Trump talks about a wonderful secret the two of them shared. What is he hiding? Release the files! pic.twitter.com/k2Mq8Hu3LY  Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) September 8, 2025

House Democrats also released three emails that referenced Trump as part of their investigation into the Epstein files.

One email, sent from Epstein to his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, said that Trump spent hours at my house with a victim of sex trafficking and referred to Trump as the dog that hasnt barked.

In a separate email to journalist Michael Wolff, Epstein said Trump knew about the girls.

Trump is also seen in a batch of photos recently released by House Democrats. He is seen alongside Epstein, as well as next to numerous women.

Bill Clinton

Clinton was one of the most powerful public figures to be acquainted with Epstein. Like Trump, he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Clinton had taken international trips on Epsteins private jet, according to flight logs that mentioned his name. He was not known to have visited Epsteins private compound on Little Saint James Island.

Clinton was also mentioned in court documents filed as part of a lawsuit against Maxwell, Epsteins associate, in 2019.

This undated photo released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee shows former President Bill Clinton, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, with Clinton's signature at the top of the photo. (House Oversight Committee via AP) AP

Clintons signature was included in Epsteins 50th birthday book. He was listed as a friend.

Its reassuring isnt it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing  and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends, the note allegedly signed by Clinton read.

The photos released by House Democrats also showed Clinton photographed with Epstein.

Larry Summers

Summers, the former president of Harvard University who once served as U.S. treasury secretary, was mentioned in flight logs on Epsteins private jet. He made at least one visit to Little Saint James Island during his 2005 honeymoon, according to The Harvard Crimson.

In November , Summers said that he would be stepping away from public commitments after released emails showed that he had kept in touch with Epstein after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008.

He stopped teaching at Harvard as the university investigates his ties to Epstein and stepped down from the board of OpenAI after the emails came to light.

Photos released by House Democrats also showed Summers photographed with his wife and actor Woody Allen on Epsteins jet.

This undated photo released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee shows Larry Summers, left, his wife, Elisa New, center, and Woody Allen on an airplane. (House Oversight Committee via AP) AP

Steve Bannon

Bannon, widely seen as the architect of Trumps MAGA movement, was mentioned in the trove of documents released earlier this year.

Bannon was mentioned on Epsteins daily schedule in documents released by House Democrats in September. In another batch of documents released in November, a subject line on an email to Epstein states: list for bannon steve.

Several photos released by House Democrats showed Bannon alongside Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein (right) and Steve Bannon (left) are seen in this image from the Epstein estate released by House Oversight Committee Democrats. House Oversight Democrats

Prince Andrew

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal status in November after new details were reported about his relationship with Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor reached an out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre, a survivor of Epsteins sex trafficking scheme, in 2022.

Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, had accused Mountbatten-Windsor and other famous men of exploiting her during Epsteins sex-trafficking scheme. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied the allegations, according to The Associated Press .

The former prince was also listed on flight logs on Epsteins private jet, mentioned in emails and included in photographs from the financiers estate released by House Democrats earlier this month.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lead Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees released a joint statement Friday afternoon saying they will pursue all legal options if the Justice Department fails to meet todays deadline to release all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) issued the statement after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the DOJ would not release the entirety of its documents related to Epstein by Fridays legal deadline.

I expect that were going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more, Blanche said Friday during an appearance on Fox News.

Theres a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act that Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law last month requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to make the documents publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days.

While the bill permits redactions about Epsteins victims and ongoing investigations it makes clear that no records can be withheld due to embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.

Donald Trump and the Department of Justice are now violating federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epsteins decades-long, billion-dollar, international sex trafficking ring, the statement read. For months, Pam Bondi has denied survivors the transparency and accountability they have demanded and deserve and has defied the Oversight Committees subpoena.

Joint statement by Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia and Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin on Trump Administration decision to defy Epstein Files Transparency Act. pic.twitter.com/CRw7RWU3gT  Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) December 19, 2025

A number of congressional Democrats and some Republicans showed their support for Garcia and Raskins statement later Friday.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a press release that the DOJ, Trump and Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.

I am working closely with attorneys to assess what documents are still being withheld. We will not stop until the whole truth comes out, Schumer said.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who filed the bipartisan discharge petition that later triggered a House vote on releasing the Epstein files, posted a screenshot of the Epstein Files Transparency Act on X with the deadline language highlighted in yellow.

Times up. Release the files, Massie wrote in a follow-up post.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), one of the four House Republicans who signed Massies discharge petition, wrote Release the Epstein Files in a post on X.

Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas) said in a post on X: As per usual, Donald Trump has violated the law. The Epstein Files Transparency Act required that the Trump Administration release the Epstein Files by midnight tonight. This is a cover-up by Trump. Congress must hold this Administration accountable for its lawlessness.
Consultations of the Ukrainian delegation consisting of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov with the U.S. side in the United States will be held with the participation of European partners.

"Today in the United States, together with Lieutenant General Andriy Hnatov, we will begin another round of consultations with the American side. European partners are also involved in this format, at the invitation of the American side," Umerov said on Telegram on Friday, without specifying which partners he is talking about.

According to him, the parties are constructively oriented.

"We have already held preliminary consultations with European colleagues and are preparing for further talks with the American side. Based on the results of the consultations, a report will be submitted to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We are acting clearly in accordance with the priorities set by the President: Ukraine's security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term," Umerov said.

Axios correspondent Barak Ravid, citing his own sources, reported that representatives of the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as senior officials from Turkey and Qatar, will participate in the consultations.

"The national security advisers of Germany, France and UK will be in Miami today for talks with White House Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukraine national security adviser Rustem Umerov, per two sources. Turkish FM and Qatari PM will also participate in Ukraine talks in Miami today," he said on X.

Earlier, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna reported an agreement on the meetings currently in a bilateral format.
President Donald Trump is leaving the door open for the possibility of a war with Venezuela, according to an exclusive interview with NBC News released Friday.

I dont rule it out, no, he told the outlet in a phone call on Thursday.

When pressed whether U.S. actions over the past few months could lead to a war, Trump replied, I dont discuss it.

Last Wednesday, Trump told reporters that the United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, describing it as the largest one ever seized, actually. He then ramped up further pressure on Tuesday, announcing a TOTAL AND COMPLETE blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving the South American country.

Now, Trump told NBC News to expect additional seizures of oil tankers.

It depends, Trump said when asked about a timeline. If theyre foolish enough to be sailing along, theyll be sailing along back into one of our harbors.

He also declined to answer whether he wanted longtime leader Nicolas Maduro ousted.

He knows exactly what I want, Trump said. He knows better than anybody.

In an interview with POLITICO last week, Trump warned that Maduros days are numbered while refusing to comment on whether the United States could send in troops on the ground.

I wouldnt say that one way or the other, he said.

Trumps comments come as his administration has continued to carry out strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, with the death toll upwards of 100.

The Pentagon recently came under fire from Democratic lawmakers after the White House confirmed earlier this month that there was a second strike that killed two men who survived an initial attack on Sept. 2. Trump walked back his remarks on releasing a video of the subsequent strike.

During a year-end briefing on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Venezuelan government of openly cooperating with terrorists and criminal elements. He noted that the United States is not concerned about an escalation with Russia in relation to Caracas.

Nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war, Rubio said.

A Quinnipiac poll released this week found that 63% of Americans oppose U.S. military action inside Venezuela, while 25% approve. Fifty-three percent said they stand against the administrations attacks to kill alleged drug smugglers on boats in international waters, and 42% are in favor.

The new interview with Trump is a departure from his usual rhetoric since he returned to the White House. He has repeatedly touted his efforts in helping stop wars, and in his 2024 election victory speech, the president pledged that he was not going to start a war, Im going to stop wars.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Periods of snow. High 28F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Snow showers. Low 12F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports on the provision of passage for 109 recently released Belarusian political prisoners from Ukraine to Poland and Lithuania.

"With the organizational support of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 109 former Belarusian political prisoners were successfully delivered to Poland and Lithuania. This humanitarian operation was made possible thanks to the coordinated cooperation of the Ukrainian side with international partners. Among those who are finally free are well-known representatives of the Belarusian opposition, journalists and public figures who have been under repression for a long time," the headquarters said on Telegram on Friday.

As noted in the statement, the released were met in Warsaw by relatives, volunteers, journalists and diplomats.

"The Coordination Headquarters expresses its sincere gratitude to the United States of America, the governments of European states, international partners and all parties involved for their support, solidarity and assistance in carrying out this humanitarian operation," the headquarters said.

As reported, the Pul Pervoi Telegram channel, close to the press service of Alexander Lukashenko, reported on the "pardon" of 123 foreigners serving sentences in the republic's penitentiary institutions.

It is reported that the decision was made "within the framework of the agreements reached with U.S. President Donald Trump and at his request, in connection with the lifting of illegal sanctions against the potash industry of the Republic of Belarus, introduced by the administration of the previous U.S. President Biden, and in connection with the transition to a practical level of the process of lifting other illegal sanctions against the Republic of Belarus."

After that, 109 citizens of Belarus and five Ukrainians arrived in Ukraine on Sunday. Belarusian citizens will be able to remain in Ukraine or, at their own request, move to Poland, Lithuania or other European countries, where many of them have families.
Sybiha at meeting with Sikorski: Ukraine relies on Poland's active role in peace efforts, security guarantees

Photo: https://www.president.gov.ua/

Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha held a meeting in Warsaw with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, discussed peace efforts and cooperation between the countries.

"I underscored Polands exceptional leadership role in strengthening Europe and rallying support for Ukraine. Thank you for standing with us as a true friend and ally," Sybiha said on the X social network.

The ministers discussed the European Council's decision on financial support for Ukraine in 2026-2027.

Sybiha also informed his Polish counterpart about recent peace talks with U.S. partners.

"Ukraine relies on Poland's active role in peace efforts and security guarantees. Discussions on the future of European security architecture must involve Poland as its integral part," the minister said.

During the meeting, Sybiha and Sikorski briefed him on the situation on the battlefield, the daily military and technological race, and Ukraine's most pressing defense needs.

"Poland's military assistance to Ukraine remains crucial, and we highlighted the role of the Rzeszow-Jasionka logistics hub, as well as ongoing training and cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish forces," the Foreign Minister said.

He also expressed his gratitude for Poland's contribution to the PURL initiative and Sikorski's personal role in this process.

In addition, the ministers noted Ukraine's progress on the European integration path and emphasized the importance of Ukraine and Moldova's joint advancement along this path.

They also discussed URC-2026. Sybiha welcomed Poland's readiness to host the Conference next year, expressing confidence that this event will be a joint success.

"Thank you, Poland, for your unwavering support for a free and independent Ukraine. The Ukrainian-Polish good-neighbourly partnership is vital for European security and prosperity," Sybiha said.
The U.S. side is trying to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, and not to impose an agreement on the parties, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

"Wars end generally in one of two ways: you know surrender by one side for another or a negotiated settlement. We do not see the surrender of either party in the near future, so only a negotiated settlement gives us the opportunity to end this war. A negotiated settlement requires two things: both sides to get something out of it and both sides to give something. And we are trying to figure out what can Russia give and what do they expect to get, what can Ukraine give and what can Ukraine expect to get in," Rubio explained during a press conference on Friday.

He said the final decision will be up to Ukraine and Russia, not the United States.

"That's the role we're trying to play in this [process]. And that's why you can see so many meetings going on. This is not about imposing a deal on anybody. It's about determining what both sides expect and need to have, and what both sides are prepared to give in return for it, and figuring out whether we can have those two overlap. And of course, that takes a lot of time and a lot of hard work," Rubio said.

He said there is some progress in the talks so far.

"I think we've made progress, but we have ways to do, and obviously the hardest issues are always the last issues," Rubio said.
Torbay councillors scrutinising a new vision for the future of Brixham have asked: Whose vision is it anyway?

One critic of the document published recently by Torbay Council told a meeting of the cabinet committee: Its all rather pointless, isnt it?

But supporters say the bay works better when it has a clear vision of what the future looks like, and the document could pave the way for major improvements.

READ NEXT: Brixham town centre and harbour regeneration plans announced

The most controversial feature of the new Brixham document is a new bridge across the harbour to create a joined-up route around the centre of the port. The suggestion has prompted a lively debate on social media.

Councillors have been stressing that the vision is not a hard-and-fast planning proposal, just a document to give would-be developers an idea of what might be possible in the future.

It lays out nine key aims for the future of Brixham, which are to enhance connections between the harbour and central car park; reimagine the market structure; activate public spaces along the harbour; transform South Quay car park into a visitor attraction; create family-friendly zones; complete the harbour loop; upgrade the town square and the bus shelter; revitalise Fore Street and develop a clear wayfinding strategy to signpost local attractions.

The Brixham proposals follow similar reports prepared on Torquay, Paignton and the bay as a whole.

But Cllr Swithin Long (Lib Dem, Barton with Watcombe) said: This council spends more of its time writing documents than actually delivering anything!

He said the vision had been a top down process rather than being led by the local community, and was just about selling off the area.

Cllr Adam Billings (Con, Churston with Galmpton) said the whole point of bay delegates attending national conferences was to sell the bay as an opportunity to developers.

Cllr Darren Cowell (Ind, Shiphay) said that while the document was aimed at a professional audience, it was a shame that there had not been more collaboration with the community in producing it.

There is considerable disappointment and frustration from people in Brixham, because this is the first time they have had sight of any of this.

But Cllr Nick Bye (Con, Wellswood), who coined the idea of a vision for Torbay during his term as its elected mayor, told the meeting: Torbay absolutely did better when we had a vision, and I am very pleased to see these visions.

Similar strategies had brought Brixham its new fish quay and Torquay the Abbey Sands development, he said.

And Cllr Chris Lewis (Con, Preston) told members: We are not selling off Torbay, we are selling Torbay to investors who will come and put their money in.
A vote in Parliament on Tuesday (16 December) has prompted strong reaction from Conservative representatives in South West Devon, including Dartmoor, after Labour MPs supported the next stage of what has been described as the Family Farm and Business Tax.

The vote took place during consideration of the Finance Bill, with Labour MPs backing the measure and Conservative MPs voting against it.

As a result, the proposals will now continue through the legislative process, and Rebecca Smith, Conservative MP for South West Devon, voted against the measure.

READ NEXT: Fresh leadership for Dartmoor National Park as major appointment confirmed

In comments released following the vote, she said the decision would have significant consequences for farming communities locally and nationally:

I joined fellow Conservative MPs to stop the Family Farm and Business Tax and protect hundreds of thousands of farmers, their families and communities like in South West Devon,

Labour must u-turn so the hard-working farmers in South West Devon and around the country can continue to produce the food we eat three times a day, she added.

The Conservatives argue that the proposals will expand inheritance tax liabilities for farms and family-run businesses.

According to figures cited by the party, more than 75 per cent of farms across the country could be affected by changes to inheritance tax rules.

They say this could increase financial pressure on farms that are already facing higher costs and uncertain market conditions.

Ms Smith also warned of long-term impacts on the farming sector:

I am sure people here and across the country will never forgive them if they destroy the farming industry as this tax will ultimately do.

The issue has been raised in the context of rising food prices, farm closures and concerns about farmer confidence.

Farming plays a significant role in areas such as Dartmoor and the wider South West Devon constituency, where agriculture and land management remain central to the local economy and rural life.

At a national level, senior Conservatives have also criticised the decision. Victoria Atkins, the Shadow Secretary of State, said the policy showed a lack of understanding of rural communities.

The Family Farm and Business Tax has been imposed by a Labour Government that has no understanding of rural life or the importance of family farms, she said. We voted to scrap this tax and will continue to campaign to stop it.

She added: Labour have voted to push British farming into a food and farming emergency with their Family Farm and Business Tax and their other farming failures.

Conservatives have also criticised Labour leader Keir Starmer, claiming the party does not have a clear plan for managing public finances and that farmers are being targeted as a result.

Labour has previously said it wants a fairer tax system and has argued that reforms are necessary as part of wider fiscal policy.

However, Conservative MPs say the impact on family farms and rural businesses has not been adequately addressed.

The debate is expected to continue as the Finance Bill progresses through Parliament.

Conservative MPs have said they will continue to campaign against the measure and have pledged to reverse it if they return to government.

For farming communities across Dartmoor and South West Devon, the outcome of the legislation is likely to remain a closely watched issue in the months ahead.
Are there some doctors working in the NHS who have been struck off overseas? It sounds horrific but an investigation by the Sunday Times found some worrying cases although none doctors involved were working in Devon.

They found fifty-nine foreign doctors in the UK had been struck off overseas. The EU is not routinely sharing information on suspended doctors with the UK authorities.

A psychiatrist working in Bradford had been struck off in the US for having sex with a patient. Amazingly journalists found this out with a quick google search.

Another doctor struck off in Sweden for misreading scans was allowed to practice in the UK. Even more worrying is that when one trust was approached for a comment, they threatened legal action against the paper. Does this illustrate a problem with the NHS?

The correct action would be to cooperate, apologise and investigate. Attempting of cover their back is dangerous and will

not prevent the problem recurring.

Until 1858 there was no control over who could claim to be a doctor. Out of 10,220 men practicing medicine only 4% had a medical degree. The Medical Act of 1858 set up the Medical Council. All doctors had to register with the Medical Council and it was their role to ensure that anyone practicing medicine was qualified. Apart from changing the name to the General Medical Council (GMC) their role is largely unchanged.

There is no law in England stipulating the qualifications of a practicing doctor, just that every doctor must be registered with the GMC. Now the registration includes the doctors speciality and insists on regular appraisals.

I was registered as a GP and so could not have gone into Torbay Hospital to carry out a hip replacement which was probably a good thing. Equally an orthopaedic surgeon could not set up as a GP.

The GMC is also notified if a doctor is convicted of a serious crime. If found guilty of drink driving they would investigate. Is there an underlying alcohol problem?

The GMC is far from perfect. I was once asked to oversee a doctor who was in trouble. He had not been struck off but the GMC ruled that he had to report regularly to a senior doctor.

As he was working for the police and I was a senior police surgeon I was given the role. When we met he insisted that his practice was perfect. He had done nothing wrong. The only problem was that he had worked as a locum in A and E and wore a suit. Everyone objected and reported him to the GMC.

This made no sense. No doctor is struck off for wearing a suit. I contacted the GMC for more details. They told me that it was confidential. As I had no idea what he had done, and he denied any problem I felt that I could not help and resigned.

When I retired, I found that leaving the register was not straightforward. Before voluntary erasure from the medical register as it is euphemistically called, I had to produce references to ensure that I was still of good standing. I rang them up to ask why. I was told that if a doctor was in trouble and there had not yet been a hearing he or she could leave the register.

They could then reapply a year later there would be no record of their misdemeanour. I did leave with references but one colleague who was retiring asked what would happen if I just stopped paying the annual fee?

We would strike you off, which is what he wanted. I thought of that but did not want to end my career being struck off the medical register. When one of my descendants research their family history in a hundred years time would they say Wow, my ancestor was stuck off the medical register. I wonder what he did.

The GMC protects patients in the UK but medicine is now international. The loophole found by journalists needs to be filled as soon as possible. This might have been difficult in the days of paper records but surely in this digital age it should not be a problem.
Devon County Council has claimed that an alleged 23% increase in funding from government is highly misleading and inaccurate.

With the provisional local government finance settlement announced yesterday (Thursday, December 18)  the amount of funding councils will get from the government for the year ahead  leading councillors have been quick to condemn the way it was presented.

The government had issued statements suggesting a boost in funding for local services, based on headline figures from its Core Spending Power tables.

READ NEXT: Devon libraries could see their hours cut if new proposals go through

But Councillor James Buczkowski, the councils cabinet member responsible for finance, said: There is a great deal of confusion being created by the way these figures are being presented. Claims of a 23% increase in funding for Devon are simply not accurate and risk misleading residents.

That figure is a cumulative core spending power measure over several years. It is not a year-on-year increase and it is not new money being provided by government to the county council.

It combines [the] government grant with assumed increases in local council tax, based on councils raising tax to the maximum permitted level and achieving very high collection rates.

For Devon, the year-on-year increase shown in core spending power is around 5% and that is driven largely by these council tax assumptions rather than by any significant uplift in core government grant.

This time around the government has announced a three-year settlement, something councils including Devon have been calling for.

This means councils will know how much money they will have in each of the next three years rather than waiting until December to find out what their fate is for the next 12 months.

READ NEXT: Devon unveils major SEND reforms aiming to cut travel and boost local support

Council leader Cllr Julian Brazil has also criticised Devons pay out, suggesting that Westminster is implying it is being more generous, even though hikes in council tax will actually be required for the council to secure more cash.

Cllr Brazil said while the county would get 1.7million extra from government in the next financial year, it would then see two years of losing 5.8m.

They are implying they have given us extra money but they havent, said Cllr Brazil.

It means services are now being paid for by local taxpayers and not central government. By saying core funding has risen gives the impression that we have got loads of money and should splash it around, but we dont.

The government will run a consultation on the provisional settlement until January 14 and consult on the following years as they arrive.

With county councils set to be scrapped from 2028 amid the local government reorganisation plans, HM Treasury has said it will be up to local areas to agree how to divide the funding once the government has decided what future unitary authorities will run Devon.
The U.S. delegation met with Ukrainian manufacturers and conducted the first official tests of Ukrainian drones, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has said.

"Envoys of the U.S. Navy and the Ministry of War made two visits to Ukraine to get acquainted with Ukrainian naval drones and conduct the first official tests. The American delegation studied the technical capabilities of a number of platforms and held meetings with Ukrainian manufacturers," the ministry said.

During the meetings, the Ukrainian side proposed solutions that have already proven their effectiveness in special operations and combat conditions.

"Ukraine offers the United States a strategic partnership. Ukraine's defense industry is shaping the global market for unmanned systems and integrating into the global security architecture through the experience of modern warfare," the Defense Ministry said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Marshal of the Polish Sejm Wodzimierz Czarzasty, the presidential press service said.

"Among the main topics of discussion were strengthening defense cooperation and security of both states, economic partnership and the participation of Polish companies in the restoration of Ukraine. They separately discussed support for Ukrainians who found temporary shelter in Poland. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked for the adoption of the law on extending the period of stay of Ukrainians," the service said.

The meeting also discussed strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia and joint efforts to return Ukrainian children who were abducted and illegally deported by Russia.

In addition, the parties discussed the issue of historical memory of Ukraine and Poland. Zelenskyy said historical issues should unite and strengthen peoples, and leaders should remind that Ukraine and Poland have more common victories than tragedies.

Zelenskyy and Czarzasty also honored the memory of the deputies of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic who died during the Second World War, and laid wreaths at the memorial plaque to 296 fallen Polish parliamentarians.

The president also met with Marshal of the Polish Senate Magorzata Kidawa-Bonska. He thanked her for her principled position on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, effective interaction with the Verkhovna Rada, and support for Ukrainian initiatives, in particular those related to the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia.

"Zelenskyy spoke about diplomatic work to achieve a dignified and sustainable peace. The parties discussed interaction with the U.S. Congress and the importance of transatlantic unity regarding sanctions and the recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism," the presidential press service said.

During the meeting, issues of historical memory were also raised. The parties noted that this process is moving forward, there are practical results. On behalf of the Poles, Kidawa-Bonska thanked Zelenskyy for the opportunity to honor the memory of their ancestors, whom they were able to rebury after exhumations in Puzhnyky in Ternopil region.

In addition, Kidawa-Bonska expressed gratitude for the fact that Ukraine accepted the released civilians from Belarus.
An Election Off Year, but Not a Year Off Takeaways from an eventful 2025 election cycle.

Is there such a thing as an off year for U.S. elections? The elections in 2025 were not nearly as all-encompassing as last years presidential race, nor as chaotic as what is expected from next years midterms. But hundreds of elections were held in dozens of states, including local contests, mayoral races, special congressional elections and two highly anticipated governors races.

Many of the elections were seen as early tests of how lasting President Trumps 2024 gains might be and as a preview of what might happen in 2026.

Here are five takeaways from the 2025 election cycle.

In Elections Seen as Referendums on Trump, Democrats Won Big

Democrats did well in nearly all of this years elections, continuing a pattern that has played out across off-year elections for the last two decades: The party that wins the White House routinely loses ground in the next round of elections.

Virginia and New Jersey have historically swung away from the presidents party in governors races The change in the final margin from the presidential election to the next election for governor Away from the presidents party Toward the presidents party Virginia 40 pts. 20 +20 +40 2024-25 20-21 16-17 12-13 08-09 04-05 00-01 96-97 92-93 88-89 84-85 80-81 76-77 New Jersey 2024-2025 20-21 16-17 12-13 08-09 04-05 00-01 96-97 92-93 88-89 84-85 80-81 76-77 Away from the presidents party Toward the presidents party 40 pts. 20 +20 +40 Virginia 2024-25 20-21 16-17 12-13 08-09 04-05 00-01 96-97 92-93 88-89 84-85 80-81 76-77 New Jersey 2024-25 20-21 16-17 12-13 08-09 04-05 00-01 96-97 92-93 88-89 84-85 80-81 76-77 Sources: Virginia Department of Elections, N.J. Division of Elections, Dave Leips Atlas of U.S. Elections. The New York Times

Elections in these years are often viewed as referendums on the presidents performance. And Mr. Trumps approval ratings, after months of holding steady, took a dip in November.

A notable shift came in New Jersey, where the majority-Hispanic townships that swung toward Mr. Trump in 2024 swung back to Democrats in the 2025 governors race. That contributed significantly to the victory of Representative Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate, over Jack Ciattarelli, the Trump-backed Republican.

New Jerseys majority-Hispanic towns snapped back left in 2025 Each line is a township whose width is sized to the number of votes cast in 2025 More Democratic Tie More Republican +80D +40D +40R +80R 2020 Each line in color represents a town with a Hispanic majority 2021 2024 2025 More Democratic Tie More Republican +80D +40D +40R +80R 2020 Each line in color represents a town with a Hispanic majority 2021 2024 2025 Note: Includes townships where more than 500 votes were cast in 2025. Sources: N.J. county clerks, N.J. Division of Elections, U.S. Census Bureau. The New York Times

The leftward swing was viewed by many political commentators as a reaction to Mr. Trump. If that is the case, it remains to be seen how much of it will carry over into 2026.

Progressive and Moderate Democrats Are Both Claiming Victories

Democratic strategists continue to debate whether the party should embrace progressive candidates or more moderate ones. And in 2025, the election results had both sides feeling emboldened.

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who struggled to garner support from the Democratic Party, defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by nine points. A similar story played out in Jersey City, where James Solomon, a progressive, crushed former Gov. James McGreevey of New Jersey in a mayoral runoff. Progressives also prevailed in cities like Detroit and Seattle.

Centrist Democrats, meanwhile, came away with arguably the two biggest wins of the year against Trump-endorsed Republicans. Abigail Spanberger and Ms. Sherrill, both Democrats, outperformed their polling estimates and decisively won the high-profile governors races in Virginia and New Jersey.

The debate will continue among Democrats as several 2026 primaries have prominent progressive and moderate candidates going head to head.

In Texas, Representative Jasmine Crockett, a progressive, entered the primary race for a U.S. Senate seat against the more moderate James Talarico. A similar situation has developed in Maine, where Graham Platner has pitched himself as a more progressive alternative to Janet Mills in the partys attempt to unseat Senator Susan Collins, a Republican. Other progressives, like Julie Gonzales in Colorado and Brad Lander in New York, are challenging incumbent Democrats in primary races.

A Record 14 Women Will Serve as Governors in 2026

Virginians elected Ms. Spanberger as their first female governor. In New Jersey, Ms. Sherrill became the second woman to secure the position. Both women significantly outperformed Vice President Kamala Harriss margins from the 2024 presidential race, improving on her results by almost 10 points.

Female candidates also did well down the ballot. Eileen Higgins will be the first female mayor in Miami after defeating Emilio Gonzalez, who had the support of Mr. Trump. And, in Seattle, Katie Wilson defeated the incumbent mayor, Bruce Harrell.

States that will have female governors in 2026 Democrats Republicans Source: Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The New York Times

Come 2026, a record 14 women  10 Democrats and four Republicans  will serve as governors, with six of them expected to run for re-election next year. (More than a dozen states have yet to elect a female governor.)

In New York, it is likely that both candidates will be women: Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican, began a campaign last month against the incumbent, Kathy Hochul.

Special Elections Are Still Very Special (for Democrats)

Despite not flipping any House seats, Democrats outperformed Ms. Harriss 2024 results in every House special election this cycle. Their wins, however, offer limited insight into what might happen in 2026.

Special elections, which happen outside of regular election cycles to fill vacated seats, draw fewer voters than those in midterm or presidential years. Special election voters tend to be older and highly engaged politically, and they are more likely to be college educated. That has given Democrats a distinct advantage in recent years, and 2025 was no exception.

Democrats did well in the 2025 special elections Democratic candidates in this years special congressional elections outperformed Kamala Harriss 2024 margins. HOUSE DISTRICT +25D TIE +25R +50R +50D Tenn. 7th Dec. 2 2025 special election margin 13 points toward Dem. Ariz. 7th Sept. 23 2024 presidential margin 17 pts. Va. 11th Sept. 9 16 pts. Fla. 6th April 1 16 pts. Fla. 1st April 1 23 pts. HOUSE DISTRICT +50D +50R +25D TIE +25R Tenn. 7th Dec. 2 2025 special election margin 13 points toward Dem. Ariz. 7th Sept. 23 2024 presidential margin 17 pts. Va. 11th Sept. 9 16 pts. Fla. 6th April 1 16 pts. Fla. 1st April 1 23 pts. Sources: Special election results are from The Associated Press, and 2024 presidential margins by congressional district are estimates from The New York Times. The New York Times

Democratic strength in special elections extended to lower-profile races held this year. In Virginia, Democrats secured 64 out of 100 seats in the House of Delegates. In Georgia, Democrats won two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission, the first time the party won a non-federal statewide office since 2006. Pennsylvania Democrats swept the major Bucks County contests, electing a Democratic district attorney for the first time. And, in Mississippi, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the State Senate.

Odd-Numbered Years Are Still Very Odd (for Election Polls)

Polling in off-year election cycles is challenging because its hard to know who will turn out to vote. This year, the polls significantly overestimated the Republicans in the Virginia and New Jersey governors races, which both had particularly high turnout for an off year. In 2021, polls had the opposite problem, as they overestimated Democrats.

Polls missed in opposite directions in 2021 and 2025 Each dot is a poll from the relevant governors election, positioned according to its polling error in the election. Overestimated the Democrat Overestimated the Republican +15 pts. +5 +5 +15 2025 Va. In 2025, one pollster accurately estimated the final result margin. N.J. 2021 Va. N.J. Overestimated the Democrat Overestimated the Republican +15 pts. +10 +5 +10 +15 +5 2025 Virginia In 2025, one pollster accurately estimated the final result margin. New Jersey 2021 Virginia New Jersey Notes: Chart includes polls fielded in October or November of the election cycle. Polling error refers to the difference between the actual result margin and the poll margin. Sources: Polls from 2025 were collected by The New York Times, and polls from 2021 were collected by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and 538. The New York Times

Polling misses dont necessarily carry over from cycle to cycle: Despite the leftward bias of the polls in 2021, they performed very well in 2022. After each election, pollsters look at the result and evaluate their performance, and then note where they went wrong. Analysis from groups like the American Association for Public Opinion Research frequently indicates that errors come from an incorrect sense of who shows up to vote. Pollsters then try to adjust for this error in the next election cycle.

The errors of 2025 may prove largely irrelevant, however, as the midterm elections will feature a larger, very different pool of voters with a new set of races, and a new host of lessons for pollsters to learn.

Off years are weird, and the polling errors they produce often are as well.
Xu Bo is a well-known and controversial figure in Chinas video game industry. He launched the popular MMORPG Fantasy Westward Journey and went on to found the Guangzhou-based Duoyi Network, one of the largest gaming companies in China. But over the years, Xu also became known for a series of misogynistic and overall controversial statements regarding children.

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article alleging that the Chinese billionaire had fathered over 100 children through surrogacy agencies in the United States. The shocking figure was confirmed by Duoyi in a statement that read that Xu has only a little over 100 children, fathered after many years of effort.

But 100 children sounds like a conservative number if you believe Xu Bos ex-partner, who claims that he has fathered well over 300 offspring during their relationship alone. Xu met Tang Jing on a matchmaking website in 2009, and even though they never formally tied the knot, they lived together for 14 years. The two are now involved in a financial dispute, with Tang claiming that she spent millions supporting he former partners children.

Over the past decade or so, the expenses required to maintain and care for this large family of 300 children have been enormous. The vast majority of the money I received went towards our daily living costs during that time, Tang Jing told the South China Morning Post.

One could say that a scorned ex-partner would make up all sorts of lies about a successful businessman like Xu, and the media would write anything that sells, but the thing is Xu Bo himself has made all sorts of bizarre remarks about fathering children over the years.

In 2023, he publicly recruited girlfriends on social media with the goal of fathering at least 50 high-quality sons (he made it very clear that boys were superior to girls) who could one day take over his empire, and even changed his online username to Having More Children Solves Everything.

Xu often boasted that he was a one-in-a-million elite male whose 50 sons would become socialite elites, with at least 10 achieving top-tier success.

Interestingly, Xu Bo fathered 11 children with his former partner Tian Jing, and the two are currently fighting for the custody of their two daughters.

No one knows exactly how many children the self-described Chinas First Father has, or how many he plans to have in the future, but he might have a bit of a tougher time carrying out his plans following the controversy in his home country, where surrogacy is banned.

Can anyone stop him? Just because he has wealth, does that mean he can raise children like livestock? Children are living beings, not bugs. Is he running some kind of human breeding experiment? one outraged person commented on Weibo.
Dubbed the Child Assassin by Swedish media, the unnamed minor was reportedly paid 250,000 Swedish crowns ($27,000) to travel to the city of Malmo and kill a certain person, but ended up shooting a 21-year-old man who was hanging out with some friends. It is unclear who ordered the killing and why, but authorities have reasons to believe that this wasnt the 12-year-olds first hit job.

Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that the young suspect was apprehended on Tuesday, December 16, following eyewitness reports of the shooting. The minor had run away from his grandmothers house in another city, where he had lived since he was 7 years old, and is believed to have become involved with violent gangs.

Police believe that the target of the assassination was another passenger in the same car. All the passengershad criminal records, including the victim, who had served a prison sentence of just over two years for robbery, threats against an official, and other charges.

Swedish twelve-year-olds have been suspected of carrying out explosions, planting hand grenades and doing errands for criminal groups in the past, but this is the first time in the countrys history that someone so young is suspected of a deadly shooting.

We see that it is creeping down in age. We have had some very young perpetrators, especially in acts with hand grenades Then you think about how it could have become like this, and how we can stop this development, Rasem Chebil, the officer responsible for the investigation at Malmo Police, told reporters.

Chebil added that most minor criminals are recruited by career criminals through social media, and are then used to carry out serious crimes because in Sweden, children under the age of 15 cannot be jailed. However, in this particular case, due to the severity of the crime, prosecutors decided to initiate criminal proceedings against the minor.
Putala Strategies inks a $75K-per-month pact to bolster Romanias ties with the US in the fields of defense, economic cooperation and energy security.

It's working on behalf of the Romanian-American Strategic Advancement Initiative, which is a coalition of three privately owned Romanian energy companies.

A key focus for Putala is furtherance of the Vertical Corridor Initiative that links Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Ukraine

VCI is emerging as a strategic route for transporting liquefied natural gas from Greece into southeastern and central Europe, including Ukraine, according to the US Energy Assn.

This route is an alternative to Russian gas, and opens access to Europes largest underground gas storage system, located in Ukraine.

A VCI terminal that opened in 2023 provides an entry port for US LNG into Europe.

Chris Putala, managing member of PS, served as a Judiciary Committee staffer when it was chaired by Joe Biden. He handles the Romanian business.

Matt Schlapp, chair of the American Conservative Union and political director in the George W. Bush White House, consults on the account

The contract went into effect on Nov. 22 and runs through April.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk in Warsaw, the presidential press service has said.

The leaders noted the adoption by the European Council of a decision to provide Ukraine with financial support from the European Union in the amount of EUR 90 billion for 2026-2027.

"You have strengthened Ukraine, our soldiers and civilians, by the way. And I believe that Europe has demonstrated leadership, and this is a very important and firm, strong position. Thank you for supporting us, that is, that Poland supported us, and we heard your voice and your messages without any, you know, balancing between right and wrong decisions. So thank you very much," the president said.

Tusk, in turn, noted that Ukraine's struggle for its independence is a common struggle for all of Europe.

"It is the aggressor who must pay in full for all the damages and losses, and that is why, as you know, we are also finally freezing Russian assets. And I am absolutely sure that now your position towards Russia is much better," he said.

Zelenskyy informed about the situation on the battlefield. Special attention was paid during the meeting to defense assistance to Ukraine. The meeting discussed strengthening Ukrainian combat aviation and defense projects within the framework of the SAFE program, including joint production of drones.

Zelenskyy and Tusk also discussed diplomatic contacts with the U.S. side to achieve a decent peace and Europe's participation in this process.

Zelenskyy thanked Poland for its significant support for Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

Other topics discussed during the meeting included economic cooperation and joint infrastructure projects that can be implemented within the framework of Ukraine's reconstruction.

"We counted and count on your support, and we are grateful for our unity," he said.
BIRR will hold its 20th annual GOAL Mile on this Christmas Day and organisers are calling on people to lace up for their local GOAL Mile in support of vulnerable communities around the world

To the people of Offaly... your generosity has shone through many times before and this Christmas, GOAL is calling on you to step up once again for the GOAL Mile. Over the past four decades, GOAL Mile has grown to become one of Irelands most beloved Christmas traditions, with thousands of people now taking part each year to help GOAL raise vital funds for its life-saving humanitarian aid work with communities facing crisis in Gaza, South Sudan and beyond.

There are over 200 GOAL Miles taking place across Ireland this December and into the New Year, including three in Co. Offaly, so no matter your locality, youre sure to find a one taking place near you.

Speaking about being a GOAL Mile organiser and the impact that can be made, GOAL Mile Champion and GOAL Mile Birr organiser, Emma Nee Haslam, said: Being a GOAL Mile organiser is a privilege, as every year we get to see the amazing people of Offaly step up for the GOAL Mile and help GOAL raise vital funds to support the communities where they work. In the last 10 years Birr alone has contributed over 30,000 and this being the 20th annual GOAL Mile in Birr were asking people to dig that bit deeper to support the most vulnerable across the world.

We are asking for even more people to lace up their runners this year and come and join us at one of the Offaly GOAL Miles. Its a wonderful opportunity to come together with family, friends, and your community to enjoy some festive fresh air while helping to make a real difference for those who need it most!

READ NEXT: Legendary Offaly GAA figurehead celebrated in poignant centenary ceremony

Nafisa Brennan, Senior Fundraising Manager at GOAL added: Last year, the GOAL Mile raised an incredible 750,000 in support of GOALs life-saving humanitarian aid work across Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. This year, your involvement can help us make an even bigger impact. At GOAL, were calling on you to find your local GOAL Mile and join us for what is always such a fun and memorable event. Its the people that make GOAL Mile and we thank our incredible organisers in every corner of Ireland for their passion and dedication in making all of this possible.

GOAL Mile Locations in Offaly:

This year, there will be three GOAL Miles taking place across Co. Offaly:

- Kinnitty GOAL Mile - Christmas Day at 10am

- Birr GOAL Mile - Christmas Day at 1pm

- Clogherinkoe GOAL Mile - St Stephen's Day at 12pm

For more information on where to find your local GOAL Mile please visit www.GoalMile.org

The GOAL Mile is proudly sponsored by AIB.

READ NEXT: Tullamore man has great run at Valencia marathon
Dochas Offaly Cancer Support Group were delighted to receive a total of 4,140 from a recent fundraising initiative led by Orla Matthews, CEO of Rexel Ireland (Kellihers Electrical).

The presentation took place in Dublin last week, where John Conroy (Manager of Dochas Offaly Cancer Support Group) and Mary Guinan (Board of Directors Dochas Offaly Cancer Support Group) were warmly welcomed by Orla and her team.

In September 2025, Orla undertook a skydive at the Irish Parachute Club in Clonbullogue, Co. Offaly, raising vital funds in support of cancer care services.

John and Mary were honoured to be present on the morning of the jump, meeting Orla, her family, and supporters.

It was an uplifting day, filled with excitement and community spirit as there were many people in attendance raising vital funds for many charities.

As part of the fundraiser, Orla invited Rexel staff to nominate charities that would benefit from the proceeds. Dochas was put forward by Diana Ursul Healy, a former client of the service, who spoke passionately during the cheque presentation about the impact Dochas had on her life.

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Diana shared her personal experience with great warmth and conviction, highlighting the importance of accessible, compassionate support services for those affected by cancer. Her heartfelt endorsement deeply moved those in attendance.

Orla raised an impressive 4,140 through her skydive, which was generously matched by Rexel Ireland, bringing the total funds raised to 8,280.

The proceeds were shared between Dochas Offaly Cancer Support Group and the Friends of St. Lukes Foundation, another organisation providing invaluable care to cancer patients.

We are extremely grateful to Orla, Diana, and everyone in Rexel and Kellihers Electrical for this remarkable support, said John. These funds will make a meaningful difference to the individuals and families who rely on our services during some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

Dochas Offaly Cancer Support Group extends its sincere thanks to Orla, her generous supporters, and the entire Rexel team for choosing to make such a positive impact on the lives of people living with cancer in the local community.

READ NEXT: Thirteen community services to benefit from increased funding across Offaly


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(Image by CIVICUS) Details DMCA





CIVICUS -- --, a worldwide alliance of civil society activist networks, has released its 2025 State of Civil Society report, and unsurprisingly, things aren't good. It's a snapshot of the world in 2025 and reflects the heightening of "right-wing populism" alongside rising autocracy.



The statistics underscore that in current conflicts, civilians are targeted, war crimes have been committed, and international law is out the window. Children and women are the most impacted (while women-led organizations continue to be marginalized in peacebuilding spaces). There is evidence that journalists and humanitarian workers are being singled out for their efforts to document what is transpiring and in assisting populations on the ground.



There is no dearth of hot spots from Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan, Myanmar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.



The findings came to my attention because of the sections on the degraded status of the United States and Israel. America is now rated 56/100, which is "obstructed." (Canada is "open" at 82/100.) Israel is 39/100 or "repressed." Saudi Arabia, with which Trump is seeking to build a stronger alliance, has a 05/100 "closed" rating.



Each country gets its own page populated with articles. For the United States, a November drilldown outlines the "Expansion of law enforcement and continued suppression of critical voices." The most recent post (6/2025) on Israel covered Gaza. The write-up featured conclusions that genocide had occurred, the International Criminal Court warrants, and the aid embargo information. On the domestic front, it documented "judicial reforms," the crackdown on human rights organizations, and the violent response of police (Magav) to Israeli Jewish demonstrators in Jerusalem and other cities.



There is a separate "Gaza Ground Zero" account with data. It states that "at least 1.9 million people (90 percent of Gaza's population) have been displaced. 92 percent of homes have been totally or partially destroyed. 320 humanitarian workers and 170 journalists have been killed-- some deliberately." Also covered is the violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel's military actions in the Golan Heights and Lebanon.



Back in America, the findings point to Trump's extensive use of Executive Orders, including the nonsensical ones (the acquisition of Greenland). A highlight is that the winner of an election, even a fairly conducted one, can cause havoc in undermining the structures and underpinnings of democracy. Good to keep in mind as we approach the republic's 250th birthday and next year's midterms.



Common threads are apparent worldwide. The populist right stokes economic fears, nationalism, and anti-immigration sentiment, mixed with "culture war" talking points, to foster an environment of ongoing turmoil. These approaches are combined with attacks on checks and balances, freedom of the press, and scapegoating specific groups.



One of the most disturbing aspects is the proliferation of AI-generated propaganda and disinformation, spread through fraudulent social media accounts. Tech billionaires have chosen to align with the sources of "profit and power," abandoning corporate social responsibility as a concept of the past, changing the equation dramatically. Additionally, Spyware is omnipresent.



Trump's behavior is unleashing parallel attitudes among other world "leaders" who were previously more moderate. Echoing Timothy Snyder, the findings note that despite severe challenges to democracy, there is "significant capacity for renewal," which lies in "grassroots civic engagement" that can stymie "authoritarian creep."



Meanwhile, the situation in Europe is also not encouraging. England (the United Kingdom) does not have a rating change in this year's report, but their 2024 rating was "obstructed."



I reached out to CIVICUS to get additional input. I was forwarded quotes by the Secretary General of CIVICUS, Mandeep Tiwana. He wrote:



"We see a continued trend of attacks on people's right to speak up, come together as a collective, and protest for their rights around the world. This year's slide is led by states often seen as models of democracy such as the USA, France, and Italy. In a context of rising authoritarianism and populism, no country seems immune from this deeply worrying trend.



"Civic freedoms are the backbone of good governance and inclusive democracy, but fewer and fewer governments are willing to respect the agency of their people to freely and meaningfully participate in public life.



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Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator

The attack in Palmyra last Saturday killed three Americans-- two soldiers and one civilian interpreter-- and wounded an additional three U.S. personnel. The Syrian government condemned the operation as a "terrorist attack."

Today, U.S. personnel remain in northeastern Syria and at the al-Tanf base near the Jordanian border, focusing on ISIS containment and support for local partners.

Palmyra-- listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980-- fell to ISIS in 2015 before government and coalition forces retook it in 2019. Despite losing territorial control, ISIS retains a desert presence and launches intermittent strikes.

U.S.-Syria Relations: Condemnations, Condolences, and Political Sensitivities

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa expressed deep regret over the Palmyra attack, although Trump stressed that it occurred outside areas controlled by Syria's new transitional government:

"He had nothing to do with it. He feels very sorry about it. He's a strong man, and this was unrelated to the Syrian government."

Trump, who hosted al-Sharaa at the White House in November, blamed ISIS directly and vowed retaliation. Al-Sharaa sent a formal condolence cable to Trump affirming that Syria stands in solidarity with the victims' families and remains committed to security and stability.

Syria Arrests Suspects Linked to the Attack

The Syrian Interior Ministry reported that the gunman was a member of transitional security forces suspected of ideological extremism. Five additional suspects with possible links were arrested after a joint operation conducted alongside Syrian intelligence and the U.S.-led coalition.

The Ministry said the attacker had been evaluated days earlier for radical views and was awaiting internal disciplinary measures.

Expanding Counter-Insurgency Nationwide

Syria also declared a nationwide crackdown, arresting more than 70 alleged ISIS-linked individuals and coordinating air and ground operations with the coalition.

Another Interior Ministry statement announced the dismantling of a cell responsible for attacks in Idlib and Aleppo, including assaults on highway patrols and defense forces. Eight suspects were arrested; others were "neutralized." Authorities seized suicide belts, silencers, M-DAL missiles, and M4 rifles.

Officials vowed to continue securing highways and public facilities and to transfer all detainees to judicial authorities.

American Media Spotlight: NYT and Forbes Warn of Deeper Instability

U.S. media has highlighted broader political consequences.

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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August 2018)

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"How do you spell ICE in German? GESTAPO."

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"First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.

"Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

"Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me." Pastor Martin Niemoller (c. 1946)

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Before we get into how the saying was developed for Trump's 2016 Presidential Campaign and how it has been used, let's look at a couple of definitions. First, for "derangement," the dictionary definitions are rather similar. For example, here's one from the Cambridge Dictionary: "the state of being completely unable to think clearly or behave in a controlled way, especially because of mental illness." Or take this one from the Collins Dictionary: "Derangement is the state of being mentally ill and unable to think or act in a controlled way." To whom, or to what, that definition might apply, one wonders. But a consideration of those questions will for now be left for another time. The focus in this column is "TDS" itself.

As it happened, the term "Trump Derangement Syndrome," as it was developed for the 2016 campaign, was broadly applied to any criticism of Trump and his (then) proposed polices, like banning the entry of all Muslims into the United States. It may have been intended to imply that Trump's political enemies were actually mentally ill, but its use by the Trumpers did not go in that direction.

Rather it was used as a one-size-fits-all critique of any kind of opposition, at any level. As in, currently, Trump himself, describing what he considered to be the cause of death in the murder of the great movie personality and political commentator/analyst Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele: "a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME." And further from Trump: "In the early stages of the 2024 presidential campaign, when former President Joe Biden accused Trump of using language that echoed Nazi propaganda, Trump's campaign called it a sign of 'Trump derangement syndrome,' a term Trump also used against former Vice President Kamala Harris along the 2024 campaign trail."

And further, from the USA Today article: "Today 'Trump derangement syndrome' iterates on an earlier version of the term coined by prominent conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer: the 'Bush derangement syndrome.' Krauthammer, before his death in 2018, wrote a column describing the evolution of the term for Trump as having 'not just general hysteria about the subject, but additionally the inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences on the one hand and signs of psychic pathology on the other.' "

It may have been Krauthammer who invented the term, or it may just have been that he painted it with the (pseudo-)intellectual brush that he was fond of projecting. But in case, it was widely used in the campaign. Indeed, Trump, who in my view is "History's Greatest Con Man, made it into a sort of subset of his "Seven Magic Tricks," a subject on which I have written several columns over the years (the most recent one to be found here.) They are:

1. He has always had one or more protectors and enablers, either personal, or financial or both.

2. "Always attack; Never defend." A more recent variant is: "Look. Over there."

3. "When you run into a problem, just sue." You may not win, and it may cost you some money. But a) you might win, and b) with the endlessness with which civil litigation can be drawn out in the U.S. legal system, the other side may just get worn out.

4. In the whole of his business life, Trump has never been responsible to anyone else, either above him (except for Dad, of course) or even alongside (as certainly is the case in his approach to the Presidency and its powers).

5. Trump has lived his life surrounded by enemies, whether in business, in his personal life, in his banking and financial life (except for a select few, like Deutsche Bank), certainly in politics, and not just at this time.

6. As noted, Trump is history's greatest con man (a subject to which I have devoted a previous column).

7. To which list I more recently added a Seventh: "Oh woe is me; everyone's against me, and it's so unfair[!]"

And so, where does "Trump Derangement Syndrome" fit in? Since it was first developed by Krauthammer et al (the first time I heard it used was by the Great Trump Promoter Sean Hannity) it has been used a political cudgel, with a particular political objective, which is TO AVOID DISCUSSION THE SUBSTANCE OF ANY CRITICISM AIMED AT TRUMP. Whatever the subject, whether in 2016 proposing the "Muslim Ban," or deporting any and all "immigrants" (never precisely defined, of course) without getting into the legal and/or policy dimensions of such a proposal, or, in one instance, Trump's proposing of the use of violence against a lone protester at one of his rallies, or proposing the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and etc., etc., etc.

And then during his first term he used it widely, he used it in the 2020 campaign, he used it in the wide-ranging reaction-to/discussion-of the Jan. 6 riot, and so on and so forth. One does sometimes hear Trump talk about policy, in general terms, such as that raising tariffs will easily solve all of the nation's problems (just as they did in 1930, those of "Smoot-Hawley"). Trump, whether he knows that he is doing it not, does lie a lot both in presenting his plans/proposals and in responding to critiques. But so very often he falls back on the charge of "Trump Derangement Syndrome," that is that the critic is mentally ill, and therefore --- and this is the very important tickler implied by the charge --- a) that the substance of the charge/critique/difference-of-opinion-from-moderate-to-major is the product, not of any serious, fact-based, policy difference(s), and b) that therefore, without ever getting into any discussion of the details of the critique at any level at all, the critique can just be discarded/ignore/walked-over. (I am not here getting into any discussion of the absolutely outrageous statement that he made in re the brutal murder of Rob and Michele Reiner. Many other observers have done that, very correctly and very effectively.)

And so, how does one effectively respond to the charge? In my view NOT by going into the matter of whether the critic is "deranged" (however the Trumpers would define the term) or not. That is getting the discussion/debate right onto the stage that Trump and the Trumpers want it to be: again, away from the substance of the matter. Rather, one does not mention the charge in any way. One remembers that it is simply one of Trump's Seven Magic Tricks. And so, one goes directly to the substance of the matter that Trump is so desperately trying to avoid --- and stays there.

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Postscript. Here is a comment that I posted on one of the columns that the (great) Steve Schmidt wrote on the remarkable over-time-in-two-parts Vanity Fair interview by Chris Whipple (for whom, hopefully, a Pulitzer is in store), with Trump's Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles (click here):
Bur Oak Resources now provides grid-tied solar systems for homeowners across Ontario who want to reduce electricity costs while maintaining connection to provincial power infrastructure. 
On Friday, December 19, at 14.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a discussion entitled "Results of this year and prospects for the next: will peace be achieved in 2026?" Participants: Candidate of Political Sciences, Head of theInformation Defense" project of the Open Policy Foundation, volunteer of the ATO and the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ihor Zhdanov, Major General of the SBU Reserve, Deputy Head of the SBU from March 2014 to June 2015, Director of the Security Sector Reform Agency, expert on national security issues Viktor Yahun, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Chairman of the Board of the Institute of Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Professor of the Department of Economic Theory of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Ihor Burakovsky (8/5a, Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Uktraine YouTube channel. Admission requires registration on the spot with press ID cards.
AGBI launches Giga-Projects Tracker and gathers industry leaders in Riyadh to shape the debate on the future of Saudi construction  Digital tool maps real-time progress across 
Schoolhouse, a Portland-based home decor retailer, abruptly laid off most of its staff this week, casting doubt on the companys future.

The layoffs come amid ongoing financial struggles at its parent company, Food52. The New Yorkbased food and lifestyle publisher acquired Schoolhouse in 2021 for $48 million.

Thomas Hewson, a Schoolhouse employee and union steward with IBEW Local 48, said Food52 leadership announced the layoffs during an all-staff Zoom meeting on Wednesday. He said employees at both Food52 and Schoolhouse were affected but declined to specify how many workers were let go.

In an email, Food52 spokesperson Donna Simonelli said about 75% of the companys overall workforce was laid off, with the majority of those cuts at Schoolhouse. She said a small group of employees remains on the job to keep things running, including unionized manufacturing workers who are protected by contracts that require advanced notice before layoffs.

Neither Hewson nor Simonelli specified the number of employees laid off or Schoolhouses headcount beforehand.

Food52 wants to emphasize that these decisions reflect the financial realities facing the business at this moment, not the caliber or performance of its employees, Simonelli said.

Whether Schoolhouse will continue to exist remains unclear.

Simonelli said Food52s leadership and its majority owner, The Chernin Group, have been trying to sell the company  including Schoolhouse and design brand Dansk  for several months. The expectation, she said, was that the business could continue operating during that process.

But that plan unraveled earlier this week. Simonelli said Food52 lost the support of its main lender, creating immediate problems with cash flow and access to capital for day-to-day operations. With funding suddenly cut off, Simonelli said, the company decided to slash expenses and reduce staff while continuing to pursue the sale.

Multiple Schoolhouse employees who attended Wednesdays all-staff meeting said they expected an update on the potential sale but were instead surprised by the layoff announcement. They said Food52 CEO Erika Ayers Badan told staff that banks had frozen the companys accounts as loans and vendor payments had gone unpaid.

The layoffs followed earlier signs of trouble. In March, Food52 cut about 40% of its workforce  including many on the Portland manufacturing team  as part of a broader move to outsource more production overseas, AdWeek reported. Two months later, the historic building that houses Schoolhouses Northwest Portland headquarters was put up for sale.

Simonelli said Schoolhouse and Food52 plan to continue fulfilling and shipping customer orders that were placed before the layoffs.

Founded in 2003, Schoolhouse sells a range of home products, from lighting fixtures to rugs. It competes with another well-known Portland brand, Rejuvenation, which was sold to Williams-Sonoma in 2011.
TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX  to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium.

Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group of investors  among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15% share. 19.9% of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo.

The U.S. venture will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security.

U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle.

TikToks algorithm  the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed  will be retrained on U.S. user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, the memo said. The U.S. venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

American officials have previously warned that ByteDances algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect.

The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties  specifically the algorithm  with ByteDance.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States.

After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed  and President Joe Biden signed  a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of Chinas ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the laws January 2025 deadline. For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.

Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trumps tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.

TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S.

-- Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press
Christmas falls on a Thursday this year. Here are some closures and service adjustments for the holiday. And if youve not had your fill of holiday lighting displays, weve included a list of displays that will be open on Christmas.

Public transportation

TriMet  Buses, MAX and Portland Streetcar are on Sunday schedule Thursday, Dec. 25. If your bus does not run on Sundays, it will not run on Christmas. No service on WES.

Portland Aerial Tram  Closed on Christmas Day.

C-Tran  Buses will be on Sunday schedule Christmas Day.

Government offices

Federal offices and courts  Closed.

Oregon and Washington state offices and courts  Closed.

Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Clark county offices, city of Portland and Vancouver offices, Metro regional center  Closed.

Portland parking meters: Free on Thursday, Dec. 25, only, except in Portland parks that charge for parking.

Regular postal mail (USPS) will not be delivered Thursday, and post offices will be closed.

County libraries: Multnomah County branches all are closed Dec. 25 and will close at 6 p.m. Christmas eve. Most Washington County branches are closed both days. Check with your local branch for hours of operation during the holiday. Clackamas County libraries are closed Dec. 25.

Keizers "Miracle of Christmas" lights display is open and lit up on Christmas eve and Christmas day. Oregonian file photo. Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian

Things to do

Oregon Zoo  Closed Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Note: Admission to ZooLights must be purchased online in advance; www.oregonzoo.org

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)  Closed Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

Holiday light displays open on Christmas Day

Magic of Lights (Salem)

This holiday lighting display at the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center has quickly become a staple in mid-Willamette Valley holiday plans. Take a visit through this drive-thru attraction that features lighting displays and animation made from millions of individual LED lights. Stay warm inside your car as you take in holiday favorites including sparkling Holiday Barbie, supersized Bigfoot Monster Truck, and life-sized dinosaurs of prehistoric Christmas.

The attraction is open nightly through Jan. 3, 2026, Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th Street N.E., Salem; admission is per standard-sized vehicle and starts at $24; magicoflights.com/locations/salem-or.

PIR Winter Wonderland

The drive-thru light display at the Portland International Raceway, which bills itself as the largest holiday light display in the Pacific Northwest, is back offering a warm and dry drive around the racetrack to see more than 250 colorful light set pieces and many fully animated scenes. All proceeds benefit the Sunshine Division, which provides food for residents in need.

Generally, 5-10 nightly with extended hours on weekends and some special days through Dec. 31, Portland International Raceway, 1940 N. Victory Blvd.; general single vehicle admission varies depending on date and size of vehicle and starts at $38; winterwonderlandportland.com.

Keizer Miracle of Christmas

Keizers Gubser neighborhood has been lighting up the holidays for more than 30 years. The event is a fundraiser for local food banks and offers a drive- or walk-through experience of fun neighborhood displays. Before you exit the neighborhood, there is a donation station on 14th Street.

6-10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 26, beginning at the corner of Lockhaven and 14th Street in Keizer. Follow the SnoCops to stay on the route. Free admission, but donations of nonperishable food and cash benefit Marion/Polk Food Share; facebook.com/MiracleofChristmas.

Peacock Lane

Last to jump into the holiday season, but certainly not the least, the annual Portland Christmas Street has untangled millions of light strings and will plug them each night through Dec. 31. This iconic classic been one of Portlands must-do holiday traditions for more than 100 years.

6-11 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31, along Southeast Peacock Lane north of Belmont Street; free; peacocklane.org
Rain from Thursdays atmospheric river may be dwindling, but the effects continue as roads in the Portland metro area see closures due to flooding, landslides and high water.

The Oregon Department of Transportation published a list of closed roads early Friday in and around the metro region. Travelers should be alert to changing conditions and check with TripCheck.com for updated information.

Currently closed roads include:

OR 6 four miles west of Glenwood to Tillamook is closed at milepost 35 due to a sunken grade, road damage.

Clackamas River Drive between Springwater and Forsythe Road.

OR 211 around the intersection with South Macksburg Road due to the Molalla River flooding. More than two miles of the highway is flooded

OR 224 about 10 miles southeast of Estacada due to landslides near milepost 35

OR 224 near Three Lynx, about 20 miles southeast of Estacada, due to a landslide

The Historic Columbia River Highway just west of Vista House due to a landslide

OR 35 from the junction with U.S. 26 to about halfway to Hood River due to landslides

Some urban-area roads are also closed, including seven roads in Washington County. Those closures include parts of Fern Hill Road, Old Highway 47 and 149th Avenue in Beaverton. For a complete list visit this website: wc-roads.com.

ODOT also notes that travelers using drawbridges including Interstate 5 between Oregon and Washington and drawbridges crossing the Willamette may see more frequent bridge lifts over the next several days due to high river levels.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation says Southeast Foster Road is closed Friday morning from 102nd - 111th avenues due to high water. Detour signs have been posted.

S.E. Foster Road detour map. Courtesy of PBOT

This post may be updated.
A man jumped from the I-205 bridge into the Columbia River and survived Thursday morning, officials said.

Two rescue boats, one from the Vancouver Fire Department and the other from the Port of Portland, raced to the scene, spotted the man in the water near the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge and pulled him aboard a boat at about 9:15 a.m.

Rescuers performed life-saving measures on the man, and when the boat reached Marine Park, the man was transferred to an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital, according to officials.

Both boat crews worked flawlessly together in treacherous weather and water conditions, the Vancouver Fire Department said in a statement.

The mans identity has not been released, and his condition at this time is not known.
Multnomah Countys jail health director departed from the role after less than a year on the job, officials confirmed Thursday.

Michael Crandell has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 29. His last day was Tuesday, according to spokesperson Sarah Dean. The county provided no details as to why Crandell left the role.

Throughout this transition, our focus remains on the health, safety, and well-being of those in our custody, as well as the dedicated professionals who provide this care every day, Dean wrote in a statement Thursday in response to questions from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Crandell, who made $203,561 a year overseeing the countys corrections health system, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Health Department Deputy Director Valdez Bravo will fill the void in the interim as the county finds a permanent replacement.

Before joining the county Jan. 21, Crandell served as chief executive officer for Southern Oregon Cardiology in Medford, according to the countys website.

Its another bump in the road for the countys jail system, which struggled with a spate of deaths in 2022 and 2023. In-custody deaths dropped to only one last year, and at least three people have died this year in Multnomah County jails.

The Corrections Health Division also lost its medical director in March, 19 months after he was hired. A complaint against him that month resulted in disciplinary action, the county has said.

Health officials tapped Dr. Stephen Kane to take over as the top jail doctor. Kane, who finished a residency and masters program in public health in late June at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, started in October.

Crandells departure is the most recent in a string of turnover among county leadership.

Travis Brown, the countys chief human resources officer, resigned amid complaints about his workplace conduct in October. Preschool for All Director Leslee Barnes resigned under a cloud of controversy in August after a preschool she owned was flagged in a state audit for wasteful spending of state funds. The countys behavioral health director resigned in June, and former chief diversity officer Joy Fowler left in May to lead inclusion efforts in Vancouver.
Standing in the pouring rain this month amid other high schoolers who walked out of class to protest increased immigration arrests, Beaverton 10th grader Sasha Alvarez said its become uncomfortably common for her classmates to be at school one day and gone the next.

We all know kids who are close to graduating, but they just drop out or dont even come (to school) anymore, the Southridge High School student said.

Their goal, as she understood it: To avoid encountering U.S. immigration and customs agents as the students make their way to and from school.

Just how many students are staying home to avoid encountering ICE agents is unknown, though Gov. Tina Kotek has cited it as a contributing factor to Oregons sky-high rate of chronic absenteeism.

In part, that lack of information is because the Oregon Department of Education only publicly reports absenteeism data once a year, in November, and then only for the previous school year. This absence of real-time data makes it difficult to pinpoint and address day-to-day problems, like a wave of first generation and immigrant students not showing up at school en masse after ICE agents sweep through their neighborhoods.

Now, the Beaverton School District has built a new attendance dashboard that aims to synthesize district-wide attendance data within a day or two, allowing principals and other school leaders to track not just issues with individual student attendance but broader long-term trends across Oregons second largest school district.

Using the tool, Beaverton school personnel say they can now isolate specific student groups that have shown attendance dips, compare and contrast between schools that have similar demographics and quickly surge support and resources where it is most needed.

The districts information technology staff worked over the summer to get the new dashboard up and running, said Shelly Reggiani, the districts associate superintendent for teaching and learning. It felt urgent, given widespread concern about the potential impact of the immigration crackdown on the suburban school districts families, 28% of whom are of Hispanic or Latino descent.

Those fears have proven true.

Immigration agents have focused on Beaverton, Hillsboro and Forest Grove, along with North Portland, Woodburn and Gresham, according to a database of arrests maintained by the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition. The vast majority of those arrests have been of people of Latino or Hispanic descent.

In a late November presentation to school board members, district administrator Sho Shigeoka said that so far, the data shows that about 11% of Hispanic and Latino students missed two or more days of school per month, enough to put them at risk of being chronically absent.

But that also means, Shigeoka pointed out, that 89% of the districts Latino and Hispanic students were regularly showing up at school, just a hair behind the stats for their white, Black and Asian classmates.

For example, for the week of Nov. 14, 95% of the districts Asian students were regularly coming to school, alongside 93% of Black students and 91% of White students.

That doesnt mean that everything is rosy, district leaders said. Its not uncommon to see localized drops in attendance for a day  or two or three  after a raid close to a particular school, board member Tammy Carpenter noted. But then, the data suggests, most students will return.

When they see absenteeism trends emerge, Reggiani said, school staff  principals, teachers, counselors and the front office  can immediately start reaching out to those who are missing.

Its not a punitive approach, she said. Rather, the goal is to figure out how to support students and families with what they need to return to school.

At the Southridge rally, students said they felt safe, cared for and protected while they are at school, citing a host of accommodations made by their teachers, support staff and principal, like keeping the school open late so that students who dont feel safe leaving right away have a safe place to be.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 17 or more days of school per year, or just two days per month, is a pernicious Oregon problem. At its post-pandemic peak, 38% of the states students fell into the chronic absenteeism category. The problem was worst in kindergarten and first grade after which it tapered off, only to spike again in late middle school and high school.

The most recent absenteeism figure has come down to 33.5%. Still, thats far above the national average of 21%. And the more school that students miss, the more the consequences start to snowball: If youre not in school, its easy to fall behind in learning to read, to master higher level math and ultimately, to graduate from high school.

Part of the problem, advocates say, is that Oregon lacks statewide attendance tracking in real-time like the model Beaverton has built.

Data alone cannot solve chronic absenteeism but it can light the way toward solutions, said Sarah Pope, who helms the education advocacy group Stand for Children.

When we see states that have made gains, it starts with more regularly collecting and reporting out on the data, Pope said. It is not the only step, but it is often the first step and Oregon needs to start.

She and others often point to Rhode Island, which created a public portal that displays real-time absenteeism data for all of its school districts. That transparency makes the issue everyones problem to solve, not just a school district responsibility. In 2021, Rhode Islands chronic absenteeism rate was nearly as high as Oregons; now, it is 11 percentage points better.

The Oregon Department of Education already receives attendance data from school districts four times a year. It is a policy choice, not a mandate in state law, to publicly share the numbers only once a year, Pope said.

To correct that, Stand for Children plans to work with newly appointed Rep. Lamar Wise of east Portland during the short legislative session in 2026 to push for legislation requiring that the data be released quarterly.

The organization also wants the state to more quickly begin tracking attendance for newly enrolled students. Currently, Oregon school districts require students to be enrolled for 75 days before they can be counted; Wises bill would move that to just 10 days, the standard used by many states.

Pope said another strategy that could help is to maintain, or even slightly increase, statewide funding for so-called early warning systems that let districts monitor when individual students are on the precipice of chronic absenteeism, so that families can get a heads-up from their schools and a helping hand to get back on track.
A major health provider in the mid-Willamette Valley plans to end maternity and womens health services early next year, leaving many patients worried about where they will turn for care.

The move at The Corvallis Clinic, recently taken over by the controversial Optum Inc., also renews scrutiny of corporate takeovers of local medical practices,

In letters mailed to patients this month, clinic managers said they have been losing OB-GYN doctors and havent been able to recruit replacements, prompting the decision to close the department on Feb. 12.

Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, acquired The Corvallis Clinic last year in a fast-tracked deal approved on an emergency basis that sidestepped the states usual regulatory review meant to protect local access to care. The Corvallis Clinic operates 11 clinics that serve thousands of patients across Benton, Linn and Lincoln counties.

The letter  signed by The care team at The Corvallis Clinic, Part of Optum  said the clinic has struggled to keep enough OB-GYN doctors on staff as providers retired or moved away, remaining doctors faced heavier workloads and a nationwide shortage made hiring new providers difficult.

This was a tremendously hard decision, the letter said. Our top priority is ensuring a smooth and supportive transition of care.

For some patients, the disruption feels anything but smooth.

The Corvallis Clinic is one of the largest primary and specialty providers in the mid-Willamette Valley, where womens health services are already limited.

Its unclear how many OB-GYN doctors are still on staff, how many plan to leave and how many of their patients  pregnant and not  will need to find alternative care. Neither officials with the Corvallis medical group nor Optum would say.

Michelle Calbreath, a 39-year-old Corvallis patient who is pregnant and due at the end of April, said she learned about the planned closure during a prenatal appointment in late November.

She said her doctor told her the clinics OB-GYN physicians planned to resign in February and advised her to begin looking for care elsewhere.

It was really worrying, Calbreath said. I felt extremely comfortable with this clinic  and its so jarring to be told one day that your care just cant continue because of forces completely outside your control.

Alex Aljets, a Stayton resident who had all three of her children delivered by the same OB-GYN doctor at the clinic and is currently receiving postpartum care, said patients have been left scrambling to find care elsewhere  often in Salem, Eugene or Portland.

When youre pregnant or dealing with a serious health issue, that distance really matters, she said. Aljets continued traveling about 45 minutes for care even after moving to Stayton because of the trust she built with her doctor and the difficulty of finding a new provider.

McKenzie Huber, a Corvallis resident and longtime patient at the clinic, said she worries about losing not only her OB-GYN doctor  someone shes built deep trust with over the past decade  but also access to urgent and preventive womens health care.

Last December, Huber had a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy and needed emergency surgery. She said her OB-GYN doctor was able to get her into the operating room the same day the condition was discovered  the kind of rapid access she fears may be harder to find locally if services shrink further.

This isnt abstract, she said. If youre in labor and have to drive 20 or 30 minutes because local services are gone, that can be a matter of life or death.

Huber said she would prefer to follow her OB-GYN physician to another practice, but she doesnt yet know where the doctor will go or whether her insurance will cover it.

The closure has once again cast a spotlight on Optums growing footprint in Oregon health care.

The company controls several clinics, hundreds of doctors, hospices, home health agencies, ambulatory surgery centers and mail-order pharmacies across Oregon. Optum has defended its ownership model, saying it provides financial stability and administrative support that allow physicians to focus on medicine.

After Optum acquired Oregon Medical Group, a large Eugene-based multi-specialty provider, in 2020, the practice saw an exodus of physicians. The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported that doctors cited burnout, moral distress and pressure to see more patients in less time. As physicians left, Oregon Medical Group ultimately shed thousands of patients.

Now, some patients and community members worry a similar dynamic is playing out in Corvallis.

Huber said it was already difficult to get appointments for routine exams at The Corvallis Clinic, with some preventive screenings booked out as far as a year because of staffing shortages.

It feels like a crisis they created by not investing in the resources doctors need to do their jobs, she said.

Representatives for Optum, The Corvallis Clinics parent company, did not respond to questions about whether the closure of the OB-GYN department is related to physicians resigning.

Dr. John Santa, a retired physician and former member of the board that oversees the Oregon Health Authority, said the situation in Corvallis reflects broader trends in health care consolidation, particularly when large corporations acquire physician practices and evaluate services through a financial lens.

When for-profit companies come in, they look very closely at what services make money and what services dont, he said.

Santa said OB-GYN departments are especially vulnerable, particularly in smaller communities, because of physician shortages, high malpractice insurance costs and lower reimbursement rates for labor and delivery care.

OB-GYN care is especially challenging financially. About half of all obstetrics patients in Oregon are covered by Medicaid, which pays less than commercial insurance, he said. If a service were making money, its very unlikely a company would just walk away from it.
Homeless people in Multnomah County died at six times the rate of the general population in 2024, according to an annual report released Friday.

In total, 372 Multnomah County residents who had no stable address died last year. Thats 84 fewer people than died in 2023, at the peak of the fentanyl crisis, but more than died in 2022 or in any previous year for which the county has records.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has frequently repeated the death statistics for people living outside during his first year as mayor. He has used the stark figure as a moral rallying cry to do something different.

Letting people suffer and die on our streets is unacceptable, Wilson said during a 2024 mayoral candidate debate, using language that became a familiar line in his public appearances. I believe that every person in Portland deserves a bed every night.

Thankfully, the rate of deaths for people living outside did not increase this year as the mayor occasionally predicted it would. County officials credit the slowly receding tide of fentanyl deaths, which is a statewide and national trend, with much of the reduction. The especially deadly drug did not used to be such a pronounced problem. In 2011, when Oregon began keeping a record of deaths among homeless people, no deaths in Multnomah County were due to fentanyl.

For context, the total population of homeless residents in the county as of December 2024 was 14,000, according to county data. It is now approaching 17,000. The county pulls death statistics from both the Medical Examiners Office, which primarily examines accidental and violent deaths, and from vital records, which are typically gathered from hospitals.

Most of the deaths in 2024, 58%, were due to drug overdoses. In 71% of overdose deaths, both stimulants  usually methamphetamine  and opioids  usually fentanyl  were a factor. A large majority, 82%, of people who died of drug overdoses were men. Overdoses caused a smaller portion of deaths in 2024 than in 2023, when 62% of homeless people died of an overdose.

Violence kills an outsized portion of homeless Portlanders. Police found Jeremiah McKenzie, 37, dead in a Southeast Portland trailer on Feb. 20, 2025. The following day, the trailer was gone, and several items were scattered across the sidewalk where it once stood. Zaeem Shaikh/The Oregonian

The annual county report includes few names, but does profile three people whose relatives could be reached and were willing to talk about their lives. All three of the people profiled died of an overdose and had mental health conditions of various kinds. Siblings of the featured people all remembered difficult childhoods.

Ben Sizemore, one of the people profiled by the county, died at 40 after overdosing on meth in the Buckman neighborhood, according to the report. His brother, who did not want to be identified, told county officials that Sizemore had multiple severe mental health diagnoses. And he described their childhood as hellish.

Our parents were not mentally, financially or physically prepared to handle Bens conditions, he told county officials.

Suicide, assault and getting hit by a vehicle were among the other most frequent causes of death.

Thirteen people died by suicide, a rate seven times higher than the general population. And 17 were killed by physical violence or were shot to death. On average, two homeless people per month were murdered, accounting for about a quarter of the citys homicides in 2024.

David Bentley, 48, was one of 2024s murder victims. Bentley, who was homeless when he was killed, called himself Dino and loved The Doors and the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to previous reporting by The Oregonian/OregonLive. He was also in and out of Portlands downtown jail on theft, trespassing and drug possession charges over the past decade. Police say the driver of a Chevrolet Malibu purposefully came barreling toward him, striking and killing Bentley.

Nineteen people were killed in a transportation incident, which in most cases meant they were hit by a motor vehicle. A majority of those deaths occurred in the hours just after sunset or just before sunrise. People who are homeless face 23 times the risk of dying in a traffic incident compared with the general population, according to the report.

People who died while homeless in 2024 were younger than those who died in Multnomah County in general. The average age at death was 48, which is 30 years younger than the current American life expectancy at birth. They were also more likely to be Black or Indigenous.

As with the inequities in overall death, structural racism that constrains access to housing and healthcare is the underlying cause of the inequities in mortality among (people experiencing homelessness) by race, the report states.

At least 67 people died of a known disease, with heart disease being the most common killer, followed by cancer. People who died of disease were more likely to die in a hospital. But nearly half of homeless people who died in 2024 were found outside or in a parked motor vehicle. Only one person died due to cold in 2024 and no one died due to heat.

More than 150 deaths occurred in one of four zip codes, encompassing the neighborhoods of the Pearl District, Old Town, Lents, Buckman, Richmond, Sunnyside and Parkrose.
Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko

Implementation of the Poltava Wind Power Plant project, with an estimated capacity of about 650 MW, will partially address the power deficit in Poltava and neighboring regions and contribute to strengthening their energy independence.

This was stated by Yevhen Lapchenko, Head of Regulatory Affairs at DTEK Renewables, at the press conference "Wind Energy and BESS in 2025: Year of New Solutions, Challenges, and Growth," held at Interfax-Ukraine on Friday, December 19.

"The implementation of the Poltava Wind Power Plant project will be an important step toward strengthening the country's energy security and, directly, that of this region, because there are not many generation facilities in Poltava region and neighboring areas. This is a deficit region," he said.

According to Lapchenko, DTEK is currently at the stage of searching for investors and raising financing for the project, while survey work and an active development process are already underway at the construction site.

He emphasized that the successful implementation of the Poltava Wind Power Plant project primarily requires a predictable and stable regulatory environment in Ukraine.

"In addition, when assessing projects, investors pay a great deal of attention to the completeness of settlements for projects already operating on the market. We know that there is still significant debt to the renewable energy sector," he added. The DTEK Renewables representative also said that in 20232025, settlements with renewable generation in Ukraine exceeded 90%, and DTEK expects this positive trend to continue, as well as the state covering debts to green generation accumulated in previous periods.

He also said that the renewable energy sector expects the continuation of the improved practice of green auctions, as well as the launch of a minimum price guarantee mechanism project under the auspices of the EBRD.

Lapchenko also recalled that the company plans to complete the second phase of construction of the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant by the end of 2026, adding an additional 384 MW of new capacity by that time.

As reported, once completed, the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant in Mykolaiv region will be the largest in Eastern Europe. Its first phase, with capacity of 114 MW and costing about EUR 200 million, began operations in May 2023.

DTEK announced the construction of the second phase of the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant with total capacity of 384 MW in January 2025 at the World Economic Forum in Davos. With support from the Danish export and investment fund EIFO, DTEK secured EUR 370 million in debt financing. Total investment in the project amounts to EUR 450 million.

The second phase of the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant will add 64 Vestas EnVentus V162-6.0 turbines, increasing the installed capacity of the wind farm to 500 MW.

Upon completion, DTEK's Tyligulska Wind Power Plant will comprise 83 wind turbines and generate up to 1.7 TWh of electricity annually.
As federal immigration crackdowns continue to impact Oregon families, Multnomah County has joined other local governments in funneling support to immigrant communities.

The county Board of Commissioners on Thursday made a refreshed commitment to uphold its sanctuary status and approved the use of $250,000 in rainy-day money to fund local organizations supporting immigrant families. Both items passed unanimously.

Today, as families are being torn apart by masked agents across our county and our state  as parents, grandparents, sons and daughters are being harassed and kidnapped on their way to work, to school, to seek care, based on the color of their skin and regardless of their citizenship status  we must act, Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said.

It comes less than a week after Vega Pederson declared a state of emergency over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in the Portland-area. The chair, Commissioner Shannon Singleton and their staff members worked together on the renewed sanctuary vow and the funding allocation.

Ive been saying since I got here on the dais the names of people who have been taken, the issues that are happening not just in my district but throughout our community, Singleton said. I appreciate everyone really seeing that this is about action.

Multnomah County joins the ranks of local Oregon governments, including Portland, Salem, Washington County and others decrying the tactics of federal immigration officers. Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney and Councilor Sameer Kanal testified to support Multnomahs commitment.

Portland leaders recently condemned the use of pepper balls on bystanders who gathered in a North Portland neighborhood last week to document the arrest of a parent who was detained by ICE. City leaders said it was the first known instance of federal agents using such force in Portlands neighborhoods beyond the South Portland ICE facility.

In light of recent threats to legal protections, including attacks on our schools, hospitals and homes, this policy is crucial, Kanal told the board Thursday.

City Councilor Jamie Dunphy and Oregon Rep. Lamar Wise also testified in support of the countys actions.

The county contingency funds will go to client assistance resources and legal services to impacted families, documents show. Of those funds, $175,000 will be delivered to organizations the county already partners with. The remaining $75,000 will be made available to new nonprofit and grassroots groups doing similar work.

Once that money is spent, the countys rainy-day fund will drop from $1.14 million to $890,000. Those contingency funds, which come from the countys largest pot of discretionary dollars, likely wont replenish until July 2026.

Multnomah County Commissioner Meghan Moyer said that the countys ability to mitigate the impacts of ICE raids are limited, but she applauded her colleagues for the work to secure funds to help where they can. Commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Vince Jones-Dixon echoed those sentiments.

I wish we had so much more we could do, Meghan Moyer said. The time for symbolic gestures has passed. I believe actively supporting our neighbors in this unbelievably cruel attack is incredibly important.

Under Oregon Sanctuary Law, local law enforcement and government do not participate or assist in immigration enforcement.

Yoana Molina Marcial, a county resident and Executive Director of nonprofit Guerreras Latinas, told the Board of Commissioners through a Spanish interpreter that the toll on families was keeping them home, forcing some to eat with the lights off so ICE agents wont think theyre home.

We all have the right to be happy and live in peace with dignity, she said. Thank you for doing all this work.
Federal money that covers housing for about 2,300 formerly homeless people in Multnomah County would be at risk under new rules introduced by the Trump administration last month, county officials said this week.

The county currently receives just under $38 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through what is known as a continuum of care grant. Nearly all of the money, 96%, is dedicated to rent assistance meant to rapidly rehouse people who are currently homeless or permanent supportive housing for people who require a high level of ongoing services in order to live independently.

In the coming year, the county is eligible to apply for just over $46 million. But officials dont expect to receive that much.

Thats because on Nov. 13 the Trump administration announced drastic changes to the grant application process for these funds and set a new application deadline of Jan. 14.

The administration is using the flexibility afforded by the annual competitive process to significantly destabilize funding nationwide, said Erin Pidot, a program specialist on the county Homeless Services Department team focused on securing and administering the housing support.

Pidot said she anticipates the federal government will move money away from communities like Multnomah County, which have higher levels of homelessness and a stronger focus on permanent housing solutions, and redirect those resources to communities with lower rates of homelessness that have shown willingness to address homelessness through law enforcement and forced treatment.

She is far from alone in that assessment.

The administration was sued over the proposed rules by 20 states, including Oregon and Washington, as well as by a national alliance of nonprofits and local governments. A U.S. District judge Friday issued a formal order in the second case temporarily barring the federal government from making changes, according to Reuters.

Ensuring lawful agency action, continuity of housing, and stability for vulnerable populations is clearly in the public interest, Judge Mary McElroy said.

In November, a federal spokesperson told local news agency InvestigateWest that the agency stands by its changes, describing it as a first step towards fixing what the administration views as failures of the longstanding Housing First model, which aims to quickly connect people to housing without preconditions like sobriety. Housing First, which is backed by research showing a high rate of success at ending homelessness, became a national policy under former President George W. Bush.

HUD is confident that it will prevail in Court and looks forward to implementing the new Continuum of Care framework after it has done so, the Trump administration statement continued.

But on Dec. 8, federal officials withdrew both the new rules and the new deadline shortly before a first hearing in the case. Currently, it is unknown when the application process will be reopened and under which rules, Pidot said.

County officials said Tuesday that they must continue to plan as if the proposed rules will be reintroduced because losing the federal money they have come to count on would put hundreds of Multnomah County families currently supported with federal funds at risk of becoming homeless again.

Approximately 800 households could lose their housing starting in early 2026, including approximately 600 (permanent supportive housing) households, if the countys grant application is not successful, according to the slides shared by the Homeless Services Department Tuesday. We will do everything possible to minimize impacts, but preventing returns to homelessness will require reprioritization of local resources.

Gregory Martin, left, and a man who identified himself as OJ stand outside an apartment complex in South Portland where Martin lives in permanent supportive housing. Through that housing program, Martin now receives treatment that helps him remain stable, but a few years ago he routinely called 911 threatening to bomb the FBI building or kill himself. Mark Graves/The Oregonian

Since it was introduced in the 1990s, most of the federal funding in question has been all but guaranteed. While securing the grants has always required an application, the grant requirements have been fairly stable and the county has routinely received the majority of the amount it is eligible for under federal law, according to Pidot.

But the proposed new rules governing the use of the funds would be a dramatic change. For one thing, only about 30% of the funding is guaranteed.

Under those rules, the administration could deny funding to counties that facilitate racial preferences, that use a definition of sex other than as binary in humans or that distribute drug paraphernalia  under the pretext of harm reduction. The new rules would also require collaboration with law enforcement and verification of immigration status.

Several Multnomah County programs could be seen to be at odds with these guidelines, including its recognition of the existence of people with a nonbinary gender identity and its policy of providing services to people regardless of their immigration status.

Even if the county can succeed in securing the funds under these strictures, its Homeless Services Department may not be able to spend the money the same way.

The proposed new rules would cap spending on permanent housing at 30%. To comply, county officials said Tuesday that they would have to reduce federal spending on permanent housing from $35.6 million to $10.8 million.

For Multnomah County, this represents a comparatively small portion of  resources dedicated to homeless services, but it is the backbone of our permanent housing infrastructure, said Britni Eseller, who works on the same team as Pidot.

To maintain housing for some of the affected families receiving rapid rehousing rent assistance, officials said they could instead classify them as being in transitional housing rather than permanent housing. Transitional housing is a term more in favor with federal officials and the new guidelines for the funding will cover it. Functionally, though, its not that different.

The question of what to do about people living in permanent supportive housing currently funded by the federal government is knottier.

To protect at least some of that housing, officials said local homeless services funding not subject to the federal rules could be reallocated. That includes the millions that come through the Metro regional governments homeless services tax on businesses and high income households. Of course, that funding stream is also shrinking.

County officials said that, even if successful, these efforts would likely not be enough to maintain all of its housing support and that they should prepare for some housing programs to close in 2026. They recommended pausing referrals into housing programs covered by Continuum of Care funding and pulling a list of all people currently in those programs to see what other housing support might be available for them.

Pidot also emphasized that the potential changes to this federal funding stream would affect neighboring Washington and Clackamas counties, as well as communities across the state. She also pointed out that its just one of the funding streams at risk. The emergency housing voucher program, long known as Section 8, is also likely to serve several hundred fewer households in 2026. And changes to food benefits that have already started, along with changes to Medicaid meant to go into effect in 2027, could further destabilize people reliant on social safety net support to stay housed.

In 2024, the tri-county region spent a total of $152 million in federal funds on its homelessness reduction efforts, according to an analysis by ECONorthwest, an independent economic research firm. That total  21% of the Portland areas overall spending on homelessness  includes pandemic-era relief monies and Continuum of Care funding as well as several other federal funding streams.

After listening to the presentation by county staff, County Commissioner Meghan Moyer expressed disbelief at what she called the ludicrous new rules expected to come from the federal government when they re-issue the grant application guidelines.

Do we have concerns, and I assume the answer is yes, that locations that have resisted the Trump administrations policies are less likely to get funding regardless of the quality of their application? Moyer asked.

Yes, answered Anna Plumb, the interim director of the Homeless Services Department.

Ill just add, said Pidot, that it is literally written into the (proposed new rules) that HUD reserves the right to  discriminate based on misalignment with administration policy.

Update: This post has been updated with the result of a Friday decision by a federal judge in a case against the Trump administration.
If Congress and parking garage planners had gotten their way, Oregons oldest public building wouldnt have made it to its 150th anniversary.

The Pioneer Courthouse survived two demolition attempts to endure as the landmark backdrop to the public plaza downtown that bears its name.

Judges, lawyers and historians celebrated the anniversary this week with speeches and tours of the three-story building -- built in 1875 after Oregons first federal judge, Matthew Paul Deady, asked to move federal courts from Salem to Portland.

In the late 1930s, Congress ordered its destruction with plans to build a 20-story federal building in its place, but that idea lapsed with the approach of World War II.

Then in the late 1950s, a proposal to sell the courthouse property to the Meier & Frank department store to make way for a parking garage was floated, but lawmakers including U.S. Rep. Edith Green and U.S. Sen. Mark O. Hatfield along with Oregon Historical Society leaders successfully interceded.

It started out named rather humbly as the U.S. Courthouse and housed federal district and circuit courts until 1933, when the courts moved to what became the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse.

The building then housed the U.S. Post Office, served as headquarters of the U.S. Savings Division during World War II and as a military recruiting station during the Korean War.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals moved into the courthouse at the urging of John Francis Kilkenny, who served as a federal district judge in Oregon before he was appointed to the 9th Circuit in 1969.

The 9th Circuit in Portland hears arguments on appeals from district courts in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana and reviews final administrative rulings by a variety of federal agencies.

Five U.S. presidents have visited, starting with Ulysses S. Grant in 1879. Rutherford B. Hayes climbed up to the cupola in 1880. Benjamin Harrison visited in 1891. Theodore Roosevelt addressed the community from the courthouse steps in 1903 and William Howard Taft stopped by in 1910.

The courthouse is particularly known as the site where arguments were heard in two landmark cases:

-- The 1877 case of Pennoyer v. Neff, establishing that a lawsuit must be filed in the court with personal jurisdiction over defendants to avoid depriving them of their due process. The case eventually went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

-- The 1922 case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters, which struck down an Oregon statute that required all children to attend public school versus private and religious schools.

This is an extraordinary milestone in this buildings history, and we felt compelled to recognize it and to celebrate it, said 9th Circuit Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia. Let us all be inspired by the Pioneer Courthouses legacy and work together to ensure our federal buildings continue to serve as vibrant centers of civic life.

Several 9th Circuit judges who have chambers in the courthouse praised its longevity.

May this elegant edifice survive all future attempts at demolition and may it continue to serve the rule of law for generations to come, said Senior Judge Diarmuid F. OScannlain. After all, its only 50 more years until the bicentennial.

Senior Judge Susan P. Graber said she first entered the building as a lawyer and recalled that the courtroom fireplace would occasionally take the chill off wintry days.

It felt that there was both metaphorical and literal warmth created by that, she said. I felt less like a lawyer presenting a formal argument about a case to distant jurists and more like a visitor to their living room, conversing with a group of smart people engaged in solving an important problem.

For the past 27 years, she said she has spent many of her waking hours in her courthouse chambers, sometimes even presiding over weddings and hosting baby showers in the building.

Circuit Judge Danielle J. Forrest, appointed in 2019 to the court, said while the buildings grandeur can be intimidating, the small courtroom provides a feeling of intimacy and called it the backdrop of Portlands living room.

The building, designed by architect Alfred Bult Mullett, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. It underwent significant restorations completed in 1973 and a $16.5 million seismic upgrade in 2005. At that time, the main entrance moved from the east side to the west side, facing Pioneer Courthouse Square.

The seismic work included installing 75 pendulum base isolators, each weighing 9,000 pounds, beneath the building to cushion it to withstand earthquakes of up to 8.0 magnitude, allowing the courthouse to move up to 18 inches in any direction.

The restoration will ensure Pioneer Courthouse remains a tangible link to our past and a reminder of the values and principles upon which our nation was founded, said Amanda Sweeney of the U.S. General Services Administration, the courthouse landlord.

As we celebrate this anniversary, she said, let us reaffirm our commitment to preserving these vital symbols of our government and community.
Rivers in Clackamas County have risen to dangerous levels, reaching major flood stage overnight, due to an atmospheric river that moved through the region. County officials issued evacuation notices, including Level 3 (go now) commands to some 300 residences.

Rivers including the Clackamas and the Molalla have breached their banks in some areas, creating dangerous flooding.

Sheriffs deputies went door to door to inform people under Level 3 orders they had to evacuate.

Level 3 evacuation notices were issued overnight in these areas:

South Pioneer Crossing Road north and south of Feldheimer Road along the Clackamas River

Creekside Lane off of Eagle Creek Road in unincorporated Clackamas County

Low-lying areas of Tranquility Lane between South Bakers Ferry Road and the Clackamas River, beginning at 20600 S Tranquility Lane

Paradise Point along the Clackamas River including areas along SE Paradise Road, Alder Street, and SE Starr Road to its end

Carver Mobile Home Ranch

Dickie Prairie Road from 34501 to 36004 along the Molalla River

Shady Dell Road and Fawn Lane along the Molalla River

Several other areas in Clackamas County are at Level 2 and Level 1, and residents there should be ready to move with little notice.

Residents can seek shelter at Clackamas Community College in the Gregory Forum, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City, at all hours. Pets and service animals are welcome.

For more information and updates on evacuation notices visit: clackamas.us/clackcoalerts.
The National Weather Service on Thursday warned major flooding fueled by unrelenting rain could inundate roads and buildings near Johnson Creek and the Clackamas River.

The water level of Johnson Creek was forecast to crest above 14 feet at 10 p.m. on Thursday at a weather service measurement site just south of Powell Butte. That would approach the record of 15.3 feet set in 2015.

The National Weather Service said similar floods have forced the evacuation of homes near the creek, and that residential and commercial areas near the creek should expect widespread flooding.

The Clackamas River, meanwhile, was expected to reach major flood stage upstream from Oregon City, cresting at 46 feet around 4 a.m. Friday. That could dump water into nearby homes and buildings, and flood a mobile home park along the river in the Clackamas County community of Carver.

The forecast crest could exceed the rivers record of 45 feet set in 2009.

The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at Gregory Forum on the Clackamas Community College campus, 19600 Molalla Ave. in Oregon City.

Flooding also threatened homes along the Wilson River near Tillamook and in Siletz along the Siletz River, according to the National Weather Service.

Most of the Willamette Valley and Oregon coast was under a flood warning Thursday evening as heavy rain continued to wallop the region.

Between 1 and 4 inches of rain had already fallen in the region, and another 0.5 to 4 inches were possible. More rain was expected Thursday night and into Friday in the southern Willamette Valley than in the Portland area.

Weather officials warned drivers not to try to drive through flooded areas. Officials in Washington state say a man found dead in a submerged car Tuesday had driven around barricades in a flooded area.

They also warned onlookers to stay away from river banks, which can become unstable and collapse during floods.

The rain and wind was also causing other havoc, including a landslide that briefly blocked a lane of Interstate 84 in the Columbia River Gorge near west of Cascade Locks, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, and another that closed Oregon 35 about 28 miles south of Hood River.

The Historic Columbia River Highway also was closed west of Vista House due to a landslide.

High water and downed trees and power lines blocked other roads throughout the region.
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China's opening up policy boosts opportunities for global enterprises: Serbian scholar

Xinhua) 08:09, December 19, 2025

Ivona Ladjevac, deputy director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Belgrade, Serbia, on Dec. 4, 2025. (Photo by Wang Wei/Xinhua)

China's Hainan FTP will officially begin island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, marking a key step in the country's push for high-standard opening-up.

BELGRADE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's opening-up policy, exemplified by the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), is creating diverse opportunities for enterprises worldwide and strengthening confidence in global economic growth, a Serbian scholar told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview.

Ivona Ladjevac, deputy director of the Institute of International Politics and Economics in Belgrade, said China's efforts to establish special economic zones and free trade zones "demonstrate remarkable foresight."

China's Hainan FTP will officially begin island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, marking a key step in the country's push for high-standard opening-up. Ladjevac said the port's reforms of customs and tariffs, services, digital economy, pharmaceuticals, technology and related sectors could prove highly attractive to international investors.

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows an interior view of Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

"By opening new free trade zones and attracting fresh investment, China aims to create greater profit opportunities," she said, adding that the Hainan FTP is the latest example of China's opening-up policy.

Against a backdrop of mounting challenges to the global economy, Ladjevac said China's commitment to high-level opening-up reflects the continuity and determination of its economic development strategy and governance philosophy. "China remains on the path it has followed for decades, consistently emphasizing development for the nation and its people," said Ladjevac, who has visited China more than 30 times.

She noted that Serbia maintains strong economic and trade ties with China, with substantial bilateral trade volumes. Serbia has benefited greatly from bilateral exchanges, she said, demonstrating that Chinese development offers important opportunities for economic transformation and upgrading in emerging markets and developing countries.

An aerial drone photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

China's active advocacy for a more just international trading system has also won broad support among the countries of the Global South, she underlined.

"China is a beacon of multilateral cooperation," she said, adding that by continuously promoting high-level opening-up and shared development, "China is giving the world an opportunity to move toward a more stable future."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Representative Harriet Hageman, a Republican from Wyoming, introduced the "Parental Rights Relief Act" this week, a new piece of legislation designed to grant parents the ability to sue schools in civil court if they believe their rights to access student records or curriculum materials have been violated.

The bill seeks to enforce existing federal protections by creating a "private right of action" for families. Currently, two major laws, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), technically guarantee parents access to education records and the right to review instructional materials.

Parental Rights Relief Act

However, Hageman argues that schools often ignore these mandates without consequence. Under the new proposal, parents would no longer have to wait for federal agencies to act. Instead, they could take legal action directly against school districts that withhold information or deny requests to opt children out of specific lessons, according to Fox News.

Hageman stated that the legislation is a necessary response to school districts that are "blatantly, intentionally, and aggressively" blocking parental oversight. She cited concerns that the U.S. Department of Education has been too slow to investigate complaints, effectively allowing schools to bypass the law. "All my bill is trying to do is enforce one aspect of federal law that I believe that the Department of Education has really attempted to avoid," Hageman said.

Read more: Kansas School Districts Announces Early Winter Break Following Massive Wave of Illnesses

The push for the bill comes amid growing national debate over how much control parents should have regarding sensitive topics in the classroom, AOL News reported. Supporters of the legislation point to recent controversies, such as schools in Wisconsin and Connecticut allegedly keeping gender identity transitions secret from parents or refusing to share details about social-emotional learning surveys.

The Parental Rights Relief Act would specifically target these issues, ensuring that parents can see surveys, questionnaires, and medical evaluations administered to their children.

Giving Parents More Power

In addition to allowing lawsuits, the bill proposes the creation of a special review board. This board would be required to investigate and resolve complaints within a tight 90-day window. This provision aims to prevent cases from languishing in bureaucratic limbo, a common frustration for parents who feel their concerns are ignored by school administrators.

While the bill has rallied support from parental rights organizations, it faces likely opposition from teachers' unions and Democratic lawmakers, who have previously argued that similar measures can lead to censorship or endanger vulnerable students, as per Yahoo News.

As of the bill's introduction, major education unions had not yet issued a formal response. The legislation marks the latest effort by GOP lawmakers to make education transparency a central policy issue heading into the next election cycle.
When a person incarcerated at the federal detention center in Philadelphia is placed on suicide watch, they are assigned to the dry cells in the special housing unit to be monitored by guards.

Its a system designed to keep vulnerable people safe from themselves.

But for a 35-year-old woman, the greatest threat in the cells in June 2024 wasnt herself  it was corrections officer Michael Jefferson, who was assigned to her unit.

Jefferson admitted in federal court Wednesday he raped the woman, referred to as Jane Doe to protect her privacy, days after she arrived.

Jefferson pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a ward, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on the woman while she was incarcerated.

Three of those offenses carry a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. But the Justice Department agreed that if Jefferson pleaded guilty  sparing the woman from reliving the incident while testifying at trial  theyd not recommend a sentence longer than 30 years.

Jefferson was charged by federal indictment in May, nearly a year after the woman reported the incident the same day it happened.

In addition to the criminal case against Jefferson, Jane Doe is suing the federal government and Jefferson for negligence and emotional distress.

According to the civil lawsuit:

Jane Doe attempted to take her life while in en route to FDC Philadelphia in July 2024, so she was placed on suicide watch and housed in a dry cell in the special housing unit of FDC Philadelphia July 3, 2024.

Officers forced her to strip naked and took all her clothes, according to the lawsuit. She was isolated in a cell with only a blanket to cover herself as male correctional officers, including the man who would rape her, monitored her.

Male officers and even an incarcerated man assigned to cleaning duty were permitted to walk around outside her cell and look at her through the glass window, the lawsuit said.

There was no toilet in the cell; if she wanted to use the bathroom, she had to use a bedpan.

Following two days and multiple requests, prison officials gave her a jumper, t-shirt and underwear.

Throughout her time in her dry cell, Doe was supposed to be supervised by two to three officers. But Jefferson took a special interest in her, her lawsuit said, and kept checking in on her while she was sleeping.

The lawsuit said she woke up on her stomach in the early morning hours of July 6 to find Jefferson pressing down on her back, having locked himself in her cell.

Please dont, she pleaded.

Shut up, Jefferson said before he raped her, the lawsuit said.

Jane Doe pretended to fall back asleep and waited two hours until shift change to report the assault. She completed a rape trauma kit, according to a Justice Department memo filed Thursday, which provided DNA evidence that helped secure the cases resolution.

The victims civil lawsuit accuses the federal government of negligence.

There should have been at least another officer on-duty in the unit, according to the lawsuit; and they should have been able to hear the commotion. But nobody came to Jane Does aid, the lawsuit said.

This egregious sexual assault occurred only due to negligence, gross negligence, carelessness, and otherwise wrongful acts and omissions of Defendant United States of America and its agents the lawsuit said.

Other (Bureau of Prison) officers who knew or should have known about Officer Jeffersons sexual abuse permitted, condoned, or acquiesced to his misconduct.

According to a Dec. 18 Justice Department memo explaining the allegations in reference to Jeffersons plea, only two corrections officers had access to Jane Does cell the night she said she was raped: Jefferson and his colleague, Daulton Hetzer.

Hetzer told investigators he and Jefferson split up the shift so that only one person would be watching the cells. He told investigators he was sitting in an office without a view of Jane Does cell, listening to music, for half the shift.

Appears to be asleep, Jefferson wrote in a logbook every half hour when he was purportedly observing Jane Doe and the other people in the unit. Hetzer noted a lieutenant visited on his shift before promptly leaving.

Jefferson will be sentenced in the criminal case in April. The civil lawsuit is pending.
Jeffrey Moeller Jr. told his managers at a Scranton area Lowes earlier this year that he had safety concerns because of the behavior of a coworker.

Christopher Wasnetsky once screamed at Moeller, filed numerous fabricated grievances against Moeller asking him to be fired, and at one point, told management he was physically shaking and couldnt sleep because Moeller made him so angry, the lawsuit said.

The harassment made Moeller, who was married and a father of three, feel unsafe, he told management. But his bosses assured him they addressed the issue with Wasnetsky, so Moeller kept coming to work, the lawsuit said.

It didnt stop Wasnetsky from buying a 9mm gun, walking into the lumberyard of the store while Moeller was working and firing one bullet in his chest on June 14, 2025, the lawsuit said.

Wasnetsky later told police he shot Moeller two more times in the head because he didnt want Moeller to suffer.

As prosecutors seek a first or third-degree murder conviction against Wasnetsky, Moellers widow has filed a civil lawsuit against Lowes, claiming the hardware store titan did not do enough to separate the clearly unstable Wasnetsky from Moeller, who was trying to do his job.

Because of that, Moellers death was totally preventable due to Lowes conscious disregard of his wellbeing in the face of known, longstanding and intensifying targeted personal animosity and harassment by one of his coworkers, the lawsuit said.

Workplace safety is a fundamental responsibility, Joel J. Feller, an attorney at Ross Feller Casey representing the Moeller family, said. The lawsuit alleges that Lowes knew about a targeted and worsening personal conflict, understood that behavior was deteriorating, and was informed directly that the situation was becoming more serious.

The safety of our associates and customers is our top priority, and we are deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence, Lowes said in an emailed statement. Lowes takes all safety concerns seriously and has been fully cooperating with local law enforcement in their investigation.

The wrongful death lawsuit alleges negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement by Lowes and the manager who told Moeller Wasnetskys behavior had been addressed.

The feud between the two  suggested as a one-sided hatred by the lawsuit  appears to have begun in July 2024, when Moeller reported Wasnetsky approached him screaming at work.

Moeller left the scene of the argument, and management told Moeller Wasnetskys behavior was unacceptable and the situation would be resolved.

Months later, Wasnetsky began fabricating grievances against Moeller to Lowes management to try to get him fired, the lawsuit said.

He claimed Moeller stole his personal belongings and would park forklifts in inconvenient locations to block his movement around the store.

He also accused Moeller of hiding power equipment keys from him, taking keys out of equipment just to spite him, and hiding forklifts from him.

He once accused Moeller of changing the font size on a work computer just to annoy him, the lawsuit said.

Lowes management later determined none of these grievances had any merit, according to the lawsuit. Wasnetskys obsession was beginning to consume him, coworkers said, and Moeller once said Wasnetsky took a forklift Moeller was standing next to in a dangerous way, the lawsuit said.

I still to this day dont know what the hell I did to make him despise me, Moeller told a coworker in February 2025, according to the lawsuit.

You get along with everyone else, and hes a loner the coworker replied, the lawsuit said.

Jeffrey Moeller, 44, of Dickson City, Pa., was a husband and father to three daughters. Police say he was fatally shot by his coworker, 36-year-old Christopher Wasnetsky, on shift June 14 after Wasnetsky spent months filing unsubstantiated grievances against Moeller. Photo courtesy of Ross Feller Casey

The next month, on March 29, Moeller shared his deep and serious safety concerns about Wasnetskys targeted harassment of him, according to the lawsuit. He told management Wasnetsky posed a significant risk to himself and others.

Unfounded accusations and the safety risks I perceive are causing me significant stress and anxiety, Moeller said. My anxiety is through the roof. This is creating a hostile work environment and impacting my ability to focus on my work.

I request that you please take immediate action to address this situation, Moeller said.

A month passed. Wasnetsky told management he was fed up and starting to lose patience.

Another month passed. Moeller told a coworker Wasnetskys behavior was starting to escalate, and that he thought Wasnetsky was following him around the store.

The day after, on May 21, Edward Mitchell, the manager of Dickson City Lowes told Moeller he instructed Wasnetsky to stay out of the lumber department where Moeller worked.

But on June 9, Wasnetsky bought a 9mm handgun and began practicing killing Moeller in his backyard, the lawsuit said. He began bringing the gun with him to Lowes, putting it in a cart he pushed around the store, looking for something.

He was trying to find Moeller so he could kill him.

On June 14, Moeller reported to Lowes for an overnight shift. Wasnetsky entered the lumber yard pushing a shopping cart with the gun inside. He brought the cart up to where Moeller was operating a forklift, raised the firearm, and shot him in the chest, the lawsuit said.

Moeller dropped to the ground and pleaded for help, the lawsuit said. Wasnetsky shot him two more times in the head.

The lawsuit claims Wasnetsky emailed Lowes management at around the time of the shooting claiming the shooting was avoidable if only Moeller had stopped harassing him.

Wasnetsky called 911 and said he was the person who did it, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. He surrendered to police at the front entrance of the store and told them he emailed Lowes management explaining his plan to shoot Moeller.

Nobodys life should be taken like this, Moellers sister, Christina Moeller, said in a social media post reported by WNEP. This was an act of cruelty that has left a family shattered.
WILLIAMSPORT  A Lycoming County man has been sentenced to six months in prison for trafficking fetal corpses and other human remains a co-defendant stole from a hospital in Kansas.

The culpability of Andrew Ensanian, 38, of Montgomery, was deemed by the government as lower than most, if not all, the defendants in this and related stolen body cases.

U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann on Thursday also fined Ensanian $300 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release when he gets out of prison. He is to self-report on Jan. 16, 2026.

Ensanian, when he pleaded guilty in 2024 to a charge of interstate transportation of stolen property, admitted he bought human remains from Angelo Pereyra, who worked in the pathology department at Wesley Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.

Pereyra pleaded guilty and, in January, was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He admitted to selling body parts to Ensanian between May 2018 and July 2022.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin pointed out Ensanian did not steal human remains, nor is there any indication he profited in any substantial way from the further sale of some of them.

Despite recommending a light sentence, she noted Facebook messages between Pereyra and Ensanian were horrifying, featuring photographs of tiny human corpses.

Facebook communications established that Pereyra sold multiple fetal corpses to Ensanian, as well as a partial foot, a human heart, slices of liver, brain, kidneys, a spleen, intestine pieces, a testicle, a jar of toes, and skin, she said.

It is no exaggeration to describe the twisted conduct in this case as a human rights violation and a desecration of societal norms, Martin said.

This practice violates the human dignity of the deceased and inflicts suffering on their loved ones, she said.

This stolen body parts case is only distantly related to the one in which former Cumberland County resident Jeremy K. Pauley pleaded guilty.

Denise Lodge, a defendant in that case, admitted that when she pleaded guilty, she shipped body parts to Ensanian that her husband Cedric stole from the Harvard Medical School morgue.

Brann on Tuesday sentenced Cedric Lodge, who was the morgue manager for 28 years, to eight years in prison. His wife received a term of a year-and-a-day.

Pauley, who now lives in Susquehanna County, is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday.
A 48-year-old York County man was arrested after police said he attacked a nursing assistant while hospitalized, according to charging documents.

On Dec. 11, York police were dispatched to the Towers at York Hospital for a Strongline alarm, a discreet, wearable panic button for healthcare workers that instantly calls for emergency services.

Officers responded to the third floor of the hospital, where Jedd D. Mackley, of Hellam, was hospitalized.

On two occasions, Mackley tried to walk out of his hospital room but was stopped by a nursing assistant.

The second time Mackley tried to leave, he used both hands to grab the nursing assistant by the neck, holding him there for about 15 seconds, police said. Mackley let go of the nursing assistant when other staff intervened.

The nursing assistant sustained bruises on his neck and received treatment.

Mackley is charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of simple assault. As of Thursday, he is incarcerated in the York County Prison after being unable to post $10,000 bail.

Mackleys preliminary hearing was originally scheduled for Dec. 29 but was later moved to Feb. 23.
William Rush, a British actor best known for his long-running starring role as Josh Stevenson on the 2000s high-school drama, Waterloo Road, has died.

He was only 31.

Grief-stricken, Rushs mother, British actress Debbie Rush, turned to Instagram on Thursday to share post a photo of the young actor smiling.

The post confirms that he died on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

As a family, our hearts are completely broken, and there are no words that can truly capture the depth of our loss, Debbie Rush wrote. Even in our darkest moment, William gave the most precious gift of all.

Through being an organ donor, he has given hope and life to other families, thinking of others right to the very end, she continued. His kindness and love will forever be part of his legacy.

We kindly ask that our privacy be respected as we navigate this unimaginable grief, the post concluded. William will always be loved, always missed, and forever in our hearts.

A cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Aside from Waterloo Road, where he starred in 168 episodes between 2009 and 2013, per BBC, William Rush racked up appearances in the TV series Grange Hill Shameless, Casualty and Vera, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and The Street.

In 2014, he also appeared on an episode of the well-known British soap-opera Coronation Street, which also starred his mother, Debbie Rush.

Fellow British TV stars rushed to the comments section of the post to express their condolences.

Oh Debbie my heart breaks for you all Im so so sorry ! Rest in peace Will, Chelsee Healey, who also starred in Waterloo Road, commented.

Oh love. Im heartbroken for you all. I am so deeply sorry. Im sending so much love and strength, Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley wrote.

The beloved actor also leaves behind his father Andrew Rush, sister Poppy Rush and brother Tom Rush, in addition to his mother.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country.

Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.

Pittsburgh native rapper Wiz Khalifa attends the 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in 2024 in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to jail time in Romania. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for BMI, file) Getty Images for BMI

The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence after Khalifa was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption, according to Romanias national news agency, Agerpres. The decision is final.

The decision came after a lower court in Constanta County in April issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for illegal possession of dangerous drugs, but prosecutors appealed the courts decision and sought a higher sentence.

Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.

It isnt clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and doesnt reside in Romania. He wasnt in the country for the sentencing.

The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape Kush + Orange Juice. On stage in Romania last summer, the popular rapper smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit Young, Wild & Free.

He performed during Gov. Josh Shapiros 2023 inauguration.
By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX  to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued dedication and tireless work. Your efforts keep us operating at the highest level and will ensure that TikTok continues to grow and thrive in the U.S. and around the world, Chew wrote in the memo to employees. With these agreements in place, our focus must stay where its always beenfirmly on delivering for our users, creators, businesses and the global TikTok community.

Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group of investors  among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15% share. 19.9% of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo. The memo did not say who the other investors are, and both TikTok and the White House declined to comment.

The U.S. venture will have a seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security.

U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle. The memo said U.S. users will continue enjoying the same experience as today and advertisers will continue to serve global audiences with no impact from the deal.

TikToks algorithm  the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed  will be retrained on U.S. user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, the memo said. The U.S. venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

American officials have previously warned that ByteDances algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect.

The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties  specifically the algorithm  with ByteDance.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed  and President Joe Biden signed  a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of Chinas ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the laws January 2025 deadline.

For several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.

Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trumps tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.

TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S. About 43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published this fall.

Shares of Oracle jumped $9.07, or 5%, to $189.10 in after-hours trading.
1st batch of goods undergoes special customs clearance in China's Hainan

Xinhua) 08:45, December 19, 2025

An aerial drone photo shows a vessel carrying 179,000 tonnes of petrochemical raw materials berthing at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A port worker from China (L) and a foreign crew member work after a vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials has arrived at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A staff member works after a vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials has arrived at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

An aerial drone photo shows a vessel carrying 179,000 tonnes of petrochemical raw materials berthing at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A drone photo shows a vessel carrying 179,000 tonnes of petrochemical raw materials berthing at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

Staff members tie a mooring rope for a vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

A drone photo shows a vessel carrying 179,000 tonnes of petrochemical raw materials berthing at Yangpu Port in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Dec. 18, 2025. China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

A vessel carrying petrochemical raw materials arrived at Yangpu Port in the morning, marking the first batch of zero-tariff petrochemical raw materials to undergo special customs clearance there after the launch of the special customs operations. The goods amounted to 179,000 tonnes, with the total value of nearly 400 million yuan (about 56.8 million U.S. dollars). (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun)
A woman is accused of leaving a 13-year-old in a car for over an hour as she gambled at Wind Creek casino in Bethlehem, authorities said.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced Wednesday it placed that woman and three other adults on its involuntary exclusion lists.

All four people placed on the lists are accused of leaving children in cars as they gambled on a casino property.

The other incidents included:

A man who left two 3-year-olds in a car in the parking lot of Parx Casino in Bensalem, Bucks County, for 16 minutes while he gambled in the sportsbook.

A woman who left two 11-year-olds in a car in the parking lot at Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie County for 30 minutes while she gambled slots.

A woman who left two children, ages 5 and 11, in a car in the parking lot at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County for 27 minutes while she gambled slots.

The board also levied a fine of $31,950 against Evolution US, LLC, an Interactive Gaming Manufacturer licensee. The fine was the result of the firm failing to file in a timely manner a principal license application for a board member who assumed additional responsibility.

Children left alone by parents or caregivers have been an ongoing problem at the Bethlehem casino.

Owner Wind Creek Hospitality in 2022 developed a mitigation plan to not only deter adults from leaving kids alone, but to detect incidents as well.
Gov. Josh Shapiro issued his first death penalty reprieve earlier this month, as advocates for abolishing capital punishment say the political winds continue to shift slowly in their favor.

The reprieve  issued Dec. 5 with little fanfare  fulfills Shapiros promise to maintain the moratorium on executions that began under his predecessor, Tom Wolf. Both governors said they would not carry out any death sentences, asking the legislature to pass sentencing reform that includes eliminating the death penalty.

Shapiro is taking the kind of leadership that we expect people with a strong moral compass and a strong understanding of public policy to be assuming, Robert Dunham, founder of the Death Penalty Policy Project, said at a news briefing this week.

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that forced most states to rewrite their death penalty statutes. Pennsylvania re-established the death penalty in 1978, but since that time has only executed three people, the most recent one being in 1999.

After a jury sentences a person to death, the governor is presented with a warrant setting the date of execution. If the governor does not sign, the Secretary of Corrections must alternatively issue a notice of execution. Since 1985, a total of 482 warrants or notices have been issued in Pennsylvania, according to the Department of Corrections (DOC)  but with the aforementioned three exceptions, none have been carried out.

In the majority of cases, the death sentence was stayed or overturned by an appeals court. In the handful of situations where no further adjudication is expected, the governor has issued a reprieve to prevent execution. Shortly after taking office in 2015, Wolf said he would always issue a reprieve, citing the frequency with which capital sentences were overturned and the permanence of death. He ultimately issued eight reprieves during his time in office.

Shapiro had previously supported the death penalty, but upon taking office in 2023 said that his views had evolved during his time as the states attorney general, and that he would continue Wolfs policy.

In his first reprieve, Shapiro reiterated that message, writing that his time as attorney general revealed two undeniable truths about our capital sentencing system: that it is inherently fallible and that its consequences are irreversible.

Although those sentenced to death have committed the most terrible crimes and deserve to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, Shapiro wrote, the commonwealth should not be in the business of executing people.

The reprieve was made with virtually no publicity. A two-sentence notice appears on the DOC website stating that Corrections Secretary Laurel Harry, on Dec. 5, issued an execution notice for inmate Richard Roland Laird. The DOCs death sentence list shows a reprieve was signed by Shapiro the same day.

Laird and his accomplice were convicted in the 1987 abduction and killing of Anthony Milano in Bucks County. Prosecutors said Laird had encountered Milano the night of the murder at a bar, and had hurled homophobic insults at the victim, who was gay, before kidnapping him and cutting his throat.

The hate crime grabbed national attention. Laird was sentenced to death in 1988, but multiple layers of appeals and re-adjudication have taken over 37 years  not an uncommon situation, with the DOCs list of current death row inmates containing several individuals with convictions even older than Lairds.

While both Wolf and Shapiro have pushed for the legislature to repeal the death penalty, the issue remains mostly intractable.

In 2023, the judiciary committee of the Democratic-majority state House passed a bill to end capital punishment, but the measure never moved for a full House vote, and the likelihood of agreement with the GOP-majority Senate remains slim. Notably, however, a new version of the repeal bill in the House has an increased number of Republicans signed on in support.

The issue continues to be a political flashpoint across the country. As Dunham and several others noted at their briefing this week, the number of death sentences handed down nationwide has been on a broad decline  but the number of people actually put to death has recently gone up, due almost entirely to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis carrying out a string of executions.

In Pennsylvania, Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh is also facing a lawsuit arguing that he has pursued the death penalty in an unusually large number of cases for political reasons. The plaintiffs filings include an allegation from the county coroner that Walsh pressured him into declaring a childs death a homicide because I need to win an election by pursuing the death penalty against the childs father. Walsh has disputed this characterization.

This is the kind of misconduct that leads to increasing public distrust for capital punishment, and I think that it will continue the national trend that were seeing away from support for the death penalty, Dunham said.

Gallup polling earlier this year showed 52% of Americans favor allowing the death penalty for murder cases, part of a broad decline from a peak of 80% support in 1994.

Polling of Pennsylvania voters from Susquehanna Polling & Research  commissioned this year by the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation and Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty  found that 29% of respondents preferred capital punishment to a life sentence, a marked decrease from 42% in a similar question in 2015. The survey also revealed that 66% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans believed the government could not be trusted to apply the death penalty fairly, Dunham noted.

A review by the Death Penalty Information Center found that, between 1978 and 2018, 170 death row prisoners in Pennsylvania had their sentence or the entire conviction thrown out. Of these, 137 cases were fully re-tried or re-sentenced, 133 of which resulted in the sentence being downgraded or the condemned being completely exonerated.

Even after a sentence or conviction is overturned, the trauma remains, said Akin Adepoju, a board member of Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty. Jobs are lost, opportunities are gone, relationships are strained, trust is broken. And that is the sort of real, lasting legacy of the death penalty for everyone from the jurors to the individuals who are really living through it.
A powerful storm system will bring widespread soaking rainfall to central Pennsylvania tonight, followed by potentially damaging winds on Friday with gusts reaching 50-60 mph in some areas.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning for portions of the region.

Rain will begin spreading across the area from southwest to northeast this evening, becoming steady overnight with rainfall totals from one-half to 1 inch for most locations.

The east-central mountains could see higher amounts of 1.5 to 2.5 inches, potentially causing minor flooding issues, particularly in Sullivan County, where snowmelt may contribute to the runoff.

A narrow band of heavy rain with possible thunder will move through the region between 1 and 8 a.m. Friday.

Behind this front, temperatures will fall throughout Friday as strong, gusty winds develop. The most intense winds are expected between 1 and 7 p.m. Friday, with gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph across central Pennsylvania and up to 60 mph in the Laurel Highlands and south central Alleghenies.

As colder air rushes in Friday afternoon, rain will change to snow showers, particularly in western mountain areas and lake effect snow belts, where 1 to 3 inches of accumulation is possible by Saturday morning. Blowing and drifting snow may create difficult travel conditions in northwestern mountain areas.

The weekend will begin with fair and seasonable conditions on Saturday before another strong cold front brings arctic air and gusty winds Sunday into Sunday night, along with more lake effect snow.

Looking ahead to next week, temperatures will moderate but remain above average for late December.

Mixed precipitation events are possible early Tuesday and again on Christmas Day, though timing will be critical for determining any winter weather impacts.

Current weather radar
Chinese NGO donates 2,500 bicycles, 21,600 Panda packs to underprivileged Cambodian students

Xinhua) 08:55, December 19, 2025

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin (L) symbolically hands over a donation of Panda packs and bicycles to Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Vongsey Vissoth (R) at a handover ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) on Thursday donated 2,500 bicycles and 21,600 Panda packs to Cambodian schools for distribution to underprivileged students.

The CFRD, through its local partner Civil Society Alliance Forum, handed over the donation to beneficiary schools at a ceremony in the capital city of Phnom Penh in the presence of Cambodian Permanent Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Vongsey Vissoth and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin.

Speaking at the event, Vissoth said underprivileged students in 128 schools in Phnom Penh and 12 other provinces would benefit from this donation.

"These precious gifts reflect the bonds of friendship, solidarity and humanitarian spirit, especially the love, care, and support from the people and government of China to the people and government of Cambodia," he said.

Ambassador Wang praised Chinese and Cambodian non-governmental organizations for their good collaboration in improving livelihoods, education, transportation infrastructure, clean water, sanitation, and health for rural people and students.

He said the CFRD's donation clearly reflected the profound sentiment and support of the Chinese people towards their Cambodian counterparts.

Representatives of the beneficiary schools expressed their heartfelt thanks for the generous donation, saying the bicycles and Panda packs are valuable for their underprivileged students.

This photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows part of donated bicycles and Panda packs at a handover ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Wang Xiaoping, Liang Jun)
More than 40 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter on Thursday to U.S. President Donald Trump condemning his multiple and unprecedented attempts to undermine democracy in Brazil, as well as his failed efforts to shield former Brazilian president [Jair] Bolsonaro from being held accountable for attempting a coup in January 2023.

The text, which EL PAIS had access to, focuses on Trumps use of the threat to impose 50% tariffs on his trading partner, which the members of the House of Representatives who signed the letter describe as an unlawful misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) because to justify it the U.S. president argued that those levies were aimed at addressing an unsustainable trade deficit. The lawmakers note that the United States has had a trade surplus with Brazil every year since 2008.

The use of the IEEPA is at the heart of the case being considered by the nine justices of the Supreme Court in Washington, who must decide on the constitutionality of the tariffs. Their ruling, which could upend Trumps entire trade policy, is imminent.

The U.S. president, who included Brazil and its president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on the list of 25 countries he threatened with new tariffs in letters sent at the beginning of last summer, never concealed his true intentions: to pressure the countrys judges in the case that was then underway against former president Jair Bolsonaro for his involvement in the failed coup of January 2023. For those acts, Brazils Supreme Court in Brasilia sentenced Bolsonaro last September to 27 years in prison. This Wednesday, the countrys Senate approved a bill to reduce the prison sentences of the former president and the other individuals convicted for the coup attempt.

The letter sent to Trump is an initiative of Representatives Adriano Espaillat (New York) and Linda Sanchez (California). Among the signatories are some of the most prominent members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velazquez (both from New York), Sarah McBride (Delaware), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), and Greg Casar (Texas).

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, this Thursday in Leesburg (Virginia). Tom Williams (CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)

The text compares the cover Trump tried to give Bolsonaro to spare him his legal troubles with the Republicans own attempts evade accountability for the January 6th insurrection in the United States, the day of the assault on the Capitol. Further, you erroneously asserted the tariffs were needed allegedly defend free speech in Brazil, the letter adds, referring to the legislation the country recently enacted to curb hate speech and disinformation on social media. A Brazilian Supreme Court ruling, the lawmakers note, found that these measures were inconsistent with Brazils Constitution. Launching a trade war with Brazil to settle non-trade issues is unjustified and counterproductive.

The highest tariff

As a result of those pressures, Trump ended up imposing on Brazil the highest tariff among those levied on dozens of U.S. trading partners, after months of back-and-forth. The lawmakers accuse the president of having excluded certain Brazilian products from that high tariff in order to benefit corporations with close ties to your Administration, including the Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS, which made the single largest donation ($5 million) to your inaugural committee, raising serious concerns that these exclusions may be granted as political payback.

The letter also criticizes the Republican for invoking the Magnitsky Act to revoke visas and sanction the judges of Brazils Federal Supreme Court and their families. We condemn this explicit attempt to unduly exert pressure on the independent judiciary of another democratic, sovereign nation, the text warns, noting that Trumps actions have only damaged U.S. leadership in the region. Like other countries, the signatories say, Brazil has accelerated efforts to distance itself from the United States, promoting trade agreements with Mexico and Vietnam.

China has quickly seized on the opportunity to strengthen its ties with Brazil, painting itself as a defender of the Global South against the United States, expanding BRICS cooperation, and turning to Brazil to provide key commodities, the letter continues, warning that Chinese imports of soybeans from Brazil increased by almost 30%, displacing U.S. farmers.

Lula and Trump met in person for the first time in October, after Lula had spent months trying to open a line of dialogue with the Republican to get him to ease the tariffs. They communicated again in early December, against the backdrop of an unprecedented U.S. military deployment aimed at pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and days after Lula had publicly offered to mediate with Trump to reduce tensions in the Caribbean.

Last Friday, the United States removed Judge Alexandre de Moraes from the list of individuals sanctioned under the Magnitsky Act. It was the second major unilateral concession by Washington in less than a month, following the easing of tariffs on Brazilian beef, coffee, and much of the countrys imports. This was seen as a blow to Bolsonaro and a triumph for Lulas strategy  a mix of firmness, diplomacy, and personal charm  an approach that, as has been demonstrated since his return to the White House, continues to work with Trump.
Jason Ryan is a senior enterprise reporter covering the Lowcountry and South Carolina. He has reported for three South Carolina newspapers and has written several history and true crime books about the Palmetto State and Hawaii.
Editor

Zoe Nicholson is the editor of Free Times, covering culture and city life. She is a South Carolina native and graduate of the University of South Carolina. She has previously covered higher education, local government, business and education in the South.
The German far right, leading in several polls, is coming in from the cold with the support of Washingtons new strategic document

There was a party in Germany that everyone else considered an outcast. Its positions were marginal and, for many, anti-democratic, tainted by the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century. The story is German, but it happens in other European countries as well.

Now this party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), is leading in many of the polls. It has just received the endorsement of the United States, the country that taught West Germans what democracy was after the defeat of Hitler. It believes it can count on President Donald Trump to break the cordon sanitaire that isolates it in the U.S. and fight the constitutional bodies that could lead to its ban.

The new National Security Strategy, the document in which U.S. administrations present their worldview and priorities, warns of the risk of the erasure of what it calls European civilization. It accuses EU leaders of subverting the democratic process. It promises to cultivate, within European nations, resistance to Europes current trajectory.

For the United States, this resistance is made up of parties such as Vox in Spain and the National Rally (RN) in France, or AfD in Germany.

The German far right is a unique case. It enjoyed the support of Trump-aligned magnate Elon Musk and Vice President J.D. Vance in the campaign for the general election last February and became the second-largest group in parliament. It is a more radical party than the National Rally, to the point that German intelligence services have labeled the AfD an extremist party with principles contrary to the democratic order.

In Germany, the natural party of Atlanticism  the one that anchored the Federal Republic in the West after World War II  was the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Not anymore.

The AfDs cultivation of ties with the MAGA movement may seem perplexing. Within the German far right, pro-Russian and anti-American currents coexisted, making this close alliance with Washington difficult to imagine.

But today, Washingtons rival is not Moscow. Its Brussels, the Western elites. Just as communist leaders made pilgrimages to Moscow during the Cold War, AfD members now visit Washington and New York, where they cultivate relationships with the new American political elite.

Until now, the AfD was considered an extremist party, outside the democratic spectrum, explains political scientist Paula Diehl. From the moment the U.S. supports it, it automatically becomes socially acceptable. Diehl, a professor at the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, uses a very expressive German word, salonfahig, which literally means that its presence is accepted in the halls of society.

Normality through radicalism

Others, like the French National Rally, have emerged from marginality by softening their positions. The AfD is becoming more mainstream by radicalizing.

Not in a meeting room, but in her Bundestag office, Beatriz von Storch, vice-chair of the AfD parliamentary group and a well-informed observer of the U.S., receives this newspaper. In the late 1990s, Von Storch did an internship in Washington with a Democratic congressman. Last January, she attended Trumps second inauguration. She is one of the German contacts within the Trump camp. On the walls of her office are framed quotes from John Paul II and Ronald Reagan. A picture of Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, the German military officer who led a plot to assassinate Hitler in July 1944, hangs nearby.

We see the National Security Strategy as an opportunity for transatlantic cooperation on issues of freedom of expression and migration, says Von Storch. A common thread between the MAGA movement and its European partners is the denunciation of the alleged limitations on freedom of expression, or the stoking of fears about a Muslim-majority Europe. It is not surprising that, with their security strategy, and the AfD with its political strategy, we arrive at similar conclusions, the MP adds, and that, therefore, we maintain a dialogue.

The problem for the AfD is that it ends up being seen not only as an appendage of Moscow, but also of Washington: doubly stigmatized as the party of foreigners. Last week, AfD members of parliament traveled to the U.S. to participate in meetings in Washington and then at a Republican gala in New York. According to other parties, the trip was financed with public funds. It is more than worrying that a parliamentary group is taking advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad to stir up trouble against Germany, Alexander Hoffmann, of Chancellor Friedrich Merzs conservative group, told the weekly magazine Der Spiegel.

Whats significant is that, until recently, accusations against the German far right centered on its ties to Russia. The existence of a pro-Russian faction and a more pro-American one caused internal tensions. From the moment the U.S. no longer sees Russia as a rival, observes political scientist Diehl, the contradictions are resolved.

We are at a point where the West is divided into two camps, and sooner or later each party will have to choose one, says Von Storch, alluding, without naming them, to Merzs CDU, who are imposing a cordon sanitaire on the far right. We stand with those who want to maintain the sovereignty of national democracies. We stand for the Christian West, for our culture and identity.

Another AfD deputy, Maximilian Krah, proposed a disconcerting historical analogy on social media. According to him, for Merz or the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the National Security Strategy is the equivalent of what Mikhail Gorbachevs perestroika was in 1989 for Erich Honecker, the orthodox leader of communist East Germany. As then, according to this analogy, the tutelary power  then the USSR, now the U.S.  is abandoning its satellites and their leaders, overwhelmed by history. The end! Krah exclaimed. Back then the Soviet bloc fell; today the liberal bloc is supposedly falling.

But the Washington document doesnt necessarily mean a break in the transatlantic relationship, according to several experts  both Atlanticists and those concerned about its drift  who agreed a few days ago at a colloquium hosted by the DGAP (German Society for Foreign Relations) think tank. What they foresee is that the nature of this relationship will be transformed.

The question is whether it will be an alliance united by democratic and liberal values, or an alliance united by illiberal values, said Amanda Sloat, a professor at IE University in Madrid and a veteran of the Biden administration. They are waiting [in Washington] for the National Rally and other parties like the AfD to come to power, and they have strategies to help make that happen, said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff of the DGAP. Thats what theyre doing.

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Lauren Leibman is an arts and entertainment reporter with The Post and Courier. She previously covered Georgetown County.
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.
Around 400 parishioners will spend their third Christmas sheltered in Gaza Citys church, with few resources and no spirit to celebrate. The gunfire they hear every night reminds them that the war is not over

Nisrin Antones Christmas wish is to celebrate Christmas Eve again with her husband and three daughters, around a table in a real home. Since October 2023, this 45-year-old Palestinian Christian has been confined with her family to a small office in the Holy Family parish church, in the heart of Gaza City. Along with them are some 400 other people, all with very similar stories and longings, as well as three priests, five nuns, and about 50 people with disabilities whom they care for. My wish involves something much bigger: peace for Gaza. I ask God for it every day. Because only then will we be able to recover our lives, she explains to this newspaper by phone.

It will be the third Christmas that the Christians of the Strip have spent practically entrenched, without the desire or material means to celebrate, surrounded by a ruined city that they no longer recognize and fearful of what may come.

We wont have outdoor celebrations, like lights, dancing, or a raffle, because the war is still going on. This ceasefire has improved the situation, but the war continues in other ways, depriving people of the assistance they need, explains parish priest Gabriel Romanelli to this newspaper, citing, for example, that the electrical system is not working, the water pipes are destroyed, the medical system is collapsed, and 50% of essential medicines are lacking, according to the UN.

Several Christian girls prepare Christmas decorations in the church where they have been sheltering for two years in the Gaza Strip. Image courtesy of the Holy Family Parish. EL PAIS Several people put up Christmas decorations on the facade of the Holy Family Parish Church in Gaza, damaged by a shell during the war. Image courtesy of the Holy Family Parish Church. Each Christmas tree decoration placed by the faithful in the church carries with it a request or a memory of the deceased. Image courtesy of the Holy Family Parish. The Catholic parish in Gaza has also managed to collect blankets and jackets to distribute among the faithful for Christmas. Image courtesy of the Holy Family Parish. EL PAIS The Holy Family is the only Catholic church in the Strip, where exactly 1,017 Christians lived before the war, 135 of them Catholic and the rest Greek Orthodox, out of a total population of around 2.2 million people. In the image, girls place decorations on the wall of the church. Image courtesy of the parish of the Holy Family. The parish is one kilometer from the so-called Yellow Line, a division recently created by Israel, which keeps its troops on the other side. Every day in the parish of Gaza, gunshots and explosions can be heard, and columns of smoke can be seen. This has nothing to do with the idea of Christmas that people have in their heads, say the faithful. Image courtesy of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza.

The Holy Family Church is the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, where exactly 1,017 Christians lived before the war  135 of them Catholic and the rest Greek Orthodox  out of a total population of about 2.2 million. In all the Palestinian territories, the Christian community makes up less than 2% of the population. As Christians, we cannot be sad at Christmas. In the darkness of this war, we must remember that God comes to save us, and that is why we will celebrate simply, Romanelli added.

Our neighbors have lost many loved ones, so out of respect for them there will be no ostentation, Antone points out.

Days spent searching in vain for a toy

The parishs modest Christmas preparations take hours or even days, because in Gaza any act that aspires to recover a little of the normality prior to October 7, 2023 is tremendously laborious and, in many cases, unrealistic.

One of Antones missions is to ensure that Catholics in lockdown have a special meal, a sweet treat, or a small gift on Christmas Eve. Weeks ago, I started going to the open markets looking for Christmas decorations. I found a shop that hadnt been bombed and had a few ornaments in stock, so I bought some, he explains.

This ceasefire has improved the situation, but the war continues in other ways, depriving people of the assistance they need Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest

Thus, the faithful were able to place a nativity scene and a tree in the church, next to the altar. Each ornament on the tree has an intention. People placed them asking for prayers for the deceased, for peace, for the recovery of a house explains Romanelli.

The menu for December 24 will be qidreh, a typical Palestinian dish made with rice, chickpeas, and meat. In this case, chicken will replace the traditional lamb. It will be cooked communally and distributed among the parishioners who live together in the parish complex, which consists of three small buildings. Its a simple dish, but we havent eaten it for a long time because there hasnt been any meat of any kind in Gaza for months. Its usually served with yogurt, but this time I think it will be without yogurt, explains Antone.

At the Christmas Eve evening mass there will be seven first communions and the baptism of little Marco, the youngest Catholic in Gaza, who was born in the parish two months ago.

For weeks, Antone has also been trying to buy toys. Anything. A stuffed animal, a ball, a toy car. But I couldnt find anything. Its merchandise that isnt allowed into Gaza right now. I brought chocolates and cookies, and were making little bags for each child, so they have a small gift, she explains.

A small chocolate bar costs about $3.50 in Gaza right now. The vast majority of people cant afford them, says Antone, explaining that they have received support from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the diocese for Eastern Christians. After Mass, well serve coffee to the adults and give a sweet to the children, explains Romanelli. On the 25th, the children will gather around the Nativity scene, well bake a cake, and thats where theyll receive their gift, he adds.

This has nothing to do with the idea of Christmas that people have in their heads Nisrin Antone, Gazan Catholic

But Christmas Eve wont be a quiet night. None are in Gaza. The parish is a kilometer from the so-called Yellow Line, a recently created Israeli demarcation that keeps its troops on the other side. Currently, the Israeli army occupies about 50% of the Gaza Strip. Every day, gunfire and explosions are heard in the parish, and plumes of smoke rise from the sky. The other night we had to take in several injured neighbors whose shelters burned down after being hit by shells, explains Antone. This has nothing to do with the idea of Christmas that people have in their heads. Its strange to talk about Christmas in this context, although perhaps our celebration makes much more sense this way, he muses.

Food for 5,000 families

In addition to the 400 Christians who have taken refuge in the Catholic church, another 200 have sought shelter in the Orthodox church of Saint Porphyry, located a few meters away. Since October 2023, approximately 50 Christians have died in Gaza, about 20 of them violently: 17 in a bombing of the Orthodox church in October 2023 and two women shot by Israeli soldiers in the Catholic parish. Around 300 Christians managed to leave the Gaza Strip when it was still possible to escape through the south.

Amid the misery and grief sweeping the Strip, these Christians know they are fortunate. They chose not to relocate and to protect the church, and they have managed to remain there since October 2023. Their hardships have been extreme during this time, but thanks to the assistance of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, they received several shipments of food that helped them and thousands of neighbors in the Al Zeitoun neighborhood, where the church is located. Recently, they were able to do so again, distributing eggs and a chicken to 5,000 families thanks to the support they received.

If each family has five or six members, were talking about some 27,000 people. A million people live in this city, so its a tiny bit of help, a drop in the ocean. But as Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, the ocean would be less without that drop, says Romanelli.

This week they also visited each and every one of the sick and elderly people in the parish. We went with the children and young people, we sang with them, we brought them comfort and sweets so they would feel that it is Christmas, the parish priest explains.

Meanwhile, classes continue within the parish. Before the war, 2,250 students attended the three Catholic schools in Gaza. Today, 160 children and young people continue their education at the church thanks to teachers who are also under lockdown.

We have no intention of being cloistered; we want people to be able to start a life outside because being all locked up here isnt ideal, but people are very limited by the destruction ravaging Gaza Gabriel Romanelli

The ceasefire hasnt dismantled the strict organization that has helped the community survive these past two years. There are groups that manage food and its preparation, cleaning, care for the elderly and sick, education, and other tasks. Rations and food quantities are carefully controlled, and the idea is to have reserves in case of emergencies. Nobody knows if the war will return or not. Those stored foods and supplies saved us at the beginning of this war, Romanelli recalls.

Before October 2023, when Hamas, the Islamist movement that de facto ruled Gaza, perpetrated bloody attacks in Israel, Christians had gathered mattresses, blankets, batteries, and non-perishable food in an ever-unstable and violent Gaza, though they never imagined that the church would become a refuge for so many people for so long.

Since the ceasefire came into effect in October, some 80 people have left the parish to live in what remains of their homes or in tents, but almost all of them return to wash clothes, charge their phones, or even just rest. We have no intention of being cloistered; we want people to be able to start a life outside because being all locked up here isnt ideal, but people are very limited by the destruction ravaging Gaza. They dont know whats going to happen, and besides, the bombings continue, the parish priest concludes.

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NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have untilJanuary 26, 2026to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. ("Alexandria" or the "Company") (NYSE:ARE), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between January 27, 2025 to October 27, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Alexandria and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-are/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJanuary 26, 2026 .About the LawsuitAlexandria and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On October 27, 2025, post-market, the Company disclosed financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 that were below expectations, including cuts to its FFO guidance for the full-year 2025, due to lower occupancy rates, slower leasing activity and most notably, a real estate impairment charge of $323.9 million with $206 million attributed to its LIC property.On this news, the price of Alexandria's shares fell from a closing market price of $77.87 per share on October 27, 2025 to $62.94 per share on October 28, 2025, a decline of about 19% in the span of just a single day.The case is Warren Hern v. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-11319.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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As the Founder and CEO of Kinder Ready, Inc., Fraley has established a respected education service focused exclusively on one-on-one instruction that builds confidence, curiosity, and academic readiness.LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / At a time when early education plays a critical role in shaping long-term academic success, Elizabeth Fraley Shorts continues to redefine how children experience learning. As the Founder and CEO of Kinder Ready, Inc., Fraley has established a respected education service focused exclusively on one-on-one instruction that builds confidence, curiosity, and academic readiness. Through Kinder Ready, she delivers individualized learning experiences designed to help children develop essential skills while gaining belief in their own abilities.Kinder Ready offers private tutoring, academic assessments, private school preparation, and parent consultations. Every service is rooted in a personalized approach that recognizes each child's unique learning style and developmental needs. Elizabeth Fraley Shorts has built Kinder Ready around the principle that confidence grows when children receive focused attention, consistent encouragement, and instruction tailored specifically to them.A Vision Built on Early InterventionElizabeth Fraley Shorts began her career as the director of an early elementary program, where she observed how early academic struggles often stem from a lack of individualized support. She saw that children frequently benefit most when instruction adapts to their pace rather than expecting them to fit a standardized model. This experience inspired her to establish Kinder Ready as a space where children receive proactive, personalized educational guidance.Early intervention remains a cornerstone of Fraley's work. She believes that addressing learning needs early allows children to build strong academic foundations before challenges become barriers. Through Kinder Ready, she helps children approach learning with confidence rather than anxiety, setting the stage for long-term success.The Kinder Ready DifferenceKinder Ready prides itself on delivering fully individualized, one-on-one instruction. Every child works directly with Elizabeth Fraley Shorts, ensuring consistency, trust, and a deep understanding of each learner's progress. No two learning plans are the same. Each program begins with careful assessment and continues with customized lessons designed around specific goals.Elizabeth Fraley Shorts believes confidence develops through achievable success. Lessons at Kinder Ready are structured to challenge children while allowing them to experience steady progress. This approach helps children build independence, resilience, and motivation. By focusing on mastery rather than pressure, Kinder Ready supports a positive relationship with learning that extends beyond academics.Parents remain closely involved throughout the process. Kinder Ready emphasizes transparent communication so families understand their child's progress and how to reinforce learning at home. This collaborative approach strengthens outcomes and creates continuity between instruction and daily life.A Teaching Philosophy Centered on the Whole ChildAt the core of Kinder Ready's curriculum is a philosophy that education should nurture both academic ability and emotional growth. Elizabeth Fraley Shorts blends structure with creativity, allowing children to engage with material in meaningful and motivating ways. She believes learning should feel purposeful and empowering, not overwhelming.Kinder Ready's lessons support literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills while also encouraging perseverance, self-awareness, and confidence. Children learn how to approach challenges thoughtfully, celebrate progress, and take pride in their accomplishments. This holistic approach ensures that learning builds both competence and self-belief.Fraley also emphasizes curiosity as a driving force in education. Kinder Ready encourages children to ask questions, explore ideas, and understand the relevance of what they are learning. This mindset helps children develop a lifelong appreciation for learning.National Recognition for Educational LeadershipElizabeth Fraley Shorts' expertise has received national recognition across major media outlets. Her work has been featured in TIME Magazine, Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, CBS Local, and SF Gate. She has appeared on Hallmark's Home and Family, where she shared insights on early learning and family engagement.She is also a contributing education expert for HuffPost, offering perspectives on academic readiness, home learning strategies, and child development. Her professional guidance on supporting learning at home was published in a book by Dan Bova through Popular Mechanics, providing practical tools for parents navigating early education.These features reflect growing interest in Fraley's individualized approach and the impact of Kinder Ready's one-on-one model.Award-Winning Commitment to EducationElizabeth Fraley Shorts received an Educator of the Year award from Los Angeles County in recognition of her dedication to education and community service. This honor underscores her commitment to delivering high-quality, personalized instruction that meets children's academic and emotional needs.Despite national recognition, Fraley remains deeply involved in every aspect of Kinder Ready. Her direct engagement with children and families ensures that the program maintains its high standards and child-centered focus.Supporting Families Through Personalized GuidanceBeyond instruction, Kinder Ready offers parent consultations designed to help families make informed decisions about their child's education. Elizabeth Fraley Shorts provides guidance on school readiness, academic milestones, and strategies for creating supportive learning environments at home.She encourages families to plan ahead, understand their child's interests, and approach education proactively. This guidance empowers parents to support learning beyond instructional sessions and fosters confidence during important academic transitions.Thoughtful Innovation in Early LearningKinder Ready integrates modern educational tools when they enhance learning outcomes. Elizabeth Fraley Shorts uses technology intentionally to support progress tracking, reinforce skills, and provide meaningful practice. Every tool serves a clear purpose and complements personalized instruction rather than replacing it.This thoughtful approach reflects Fraley's belief that innovation should strengthen learning while preserving personal connection. Kinder Ready continues to evolve while remaining grounded in proven educational principles.Looking
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Longstanding NH business changes handsLONDONDERRY, NH / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / After nearly three decades of dedicated service, GJM Construction & Maintenance, a regional leader in commercial sweeping, power washing, and exterior property maintenance, has been acquired by New Hampshire entrepreneur, Joel Feid. As part of this transition, the company will reintroduce itself under a new name: East Coast Power Sweeping.Founded more than 28 years ago by Guy Macauda, GJM began with a single sweeper operating out of his parents' driveway. Over time, Macauda grew the business into a 17-person operation serving commercial properties from Oxford, MA to Meredith, NH, with extended power-washing routes into upstate New York and Connecticut, including longstanding work for national brands such as Walmart, Home Depot and Shaw's Supermarkets.A Legacy Built on Relationships and ReliabilityMacauda says the sale came together unexpectedly. "I wasn't looking to sell - it just happened," he shared. "I've poured everything into this business for 28 years. It's been my daily life and my passion. I'm proud of what we built." Despite the change in ownership, Macauda will stay on in a consulting capacity to ensure a smooth transition. His 84-year-old father, who has long supported the business as part of the day porter team, will also continue in his seasonal role along with his niece who manages bookkeeping for the company."It's a true family business," Macauda said. "Joel has welcomed us all, and I know he'll take the company to the next level." A New Chapter Under Joel Feid's LeadershipFeid, who brings a strong background in finance, operations, and organizational development, spent more than a year searching for the right business to acquire - one that aligned with both professional goals and his values around team development, service, and operational excellence."When I joined, my first priority was ensuring that employees and customers experienced a seamless transition," Feid said. "From paychecks and benefits to continuity of routes and service quality, I wanted everything to feel stable and familiar." Since taking ownership, Feid has implemented several improvements:Expanded employee benefits, including a two-week PTO program and a full holiday scheduleBoosted 401(k) participation from just 2 employees to 88%, demonstrating strong team investmentOperational enhancements including real-time invoicing, improved job tracking, and strengthened communication systemsA growth plan targeting 50% expansion over the next few years through new services, better pricing alignment, and extended partnerships"I want our employees to feel supported - through wages, benefits, and opportunities," Feid said. "And I want our customers to feel the same high level of service they've always known, with even more efficiency and responsiveness." Introducing East Coast Power SweepingAs part of the company's evolution, Feid is rolling out the new name East Coast Power Sweeping - a brand that better reflects its core services and regional reach."The original name meant a lot to Guy and his family," Feid said. "But as we grow, we need a name that clearly communicates what we do and the markets we serve. East Coast Power Sweeping does exactly that." About East Coast Power SweepingFormerly GJM Construction & Maintenance, East Coast Power Sweeping provides commercial sweeping, power washing, day porter services, and exterior property maintenance for clients across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and Connecticut. Known for reliability, responsiveness, and long-standing customer relationships, the company is committed to delivering consistent, high-quality service for retail centers, national brands, and commercial property managers.Contact: Joel Feid, East Coast Power Sweeping, jfeid@ gjmpowersweeping.com , (603) 216-9284SOURCE: East Coast Power Sweeping
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Maiden S-K 1300 Technical Summary Report Delivers 16% Increase in Open Pit Constrained Indicated Mineral Resources vs 2018 Scoping Study; Drilling OngoingLONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Guardian Metal Resources plc ('Guardian Metal' or the 'Company') (LON:GMET)(OTCQB:GMTLF), a strategic exploration company focused on tungsten in Nevada, USA, is pleased to announce the submission to the SEC of a S-K 1300 Technical Summary Report ("TRS") and updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("Resource" or "MRE") on the 100%-owned Pilot Mountain tungsten Project ("Pilot Mountain" or the "Project") located in Nevada, USA. Importantly, in accordance with Regulation S-K 1300 17 CFR Part 229 Subpart 229.1300 ("S-K 1300"), the updated MRE is pit-constrained and therefore potentially suitable for open-pit mining, offering a potential pathway to development and positioning the Company, subject to permitting, financing and further technical work, to support the development of a domestically mined source of tungsten in the United States for the first time in more than a decade. The TRS will also underpin the technical disclosures required for the Company's planned listing on a U.S. securities exchange.Tungsten is a key defence and industrial metal and has been designated as a strategic priority by the U.S. government. Guardian Metal's mission is to bring into production two of its tungsten projects, Pilot Mountain and Tempiute, as the cornerstone of U.S. tungsten supply, directly supporting national efforts to reshore mined production. Significantly, this would mark a major step in the U.S. effort to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains and reinforce economic and defence security, laying the groundwork for durable, long-term value creation.The TRS, dated 15 December 2025, was prepared by the Qualified Person RESPEC Company LLC ("RESPEC ") of Rapid City, South Dakota, USA in accordance with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") requirements under S-K 1300 and will be publicly available via the SEC Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system in due course.Oliver Friesen, CEO of Guardian Metal, commented:"Supported by the U.S. Department of War's US$6.2 million Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III investment in Guardian Metal's wholly-owned subsidiary, Golden Metal Resources (USA) LLC, we are making strong progress toward completing the Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") and advancing towards our goal of delivering the first new mined source of tungsten on U.S. soil in more than a decade."The inaugural pit-constrained Mineral Resource for Desert Scheelite, prepared in accordance with S-K 1300, represents the culmination of over 12 months of diligent drilling completed by our in-country Nevada-based operations team. This Resource, which includes a 16% increase in pit constrained Indicated tonnage, establishes a solid foundation for future resource growth, and, more importantly, represents an important step in supporting a potential U.S. listing.1"Concurrently, drilling is ongoing at Desert Scheelite, targeting multiple areas that remain open for expansion. A second drill rig has been secured and is scheduled to mobilise early in the New Year, enabling an expanded drill programme at Desert Scheelite as well as several other underexplored tungsten zones across the Project including the Garnet Zone. Results from this work are expected to be incorporated into a future MRE update, which will underpin the progressing PFS."Now more than ever, the Company believes that the United States requires a secure domestically mined source of tungsten, and Guardian Metal is firmly focused on delivering that outcome." Marc Leduc, P.Eng., Operations Manager of Guardian Metal, commented:"Preparation of the Pre-Feasibility Study continues to advance well. All key technical and engineering studies required to support the PFS are currently underway, including mine planning, metallurgy, infrastructure studies, hydrogeological drilling, and environmental baseline studies to support mine permitting."The outcomes of these workstreams will be integrated into a comprehensive development plan, which will form the basis of the Project's Mine Plan of Operations and underpin the permitting pathway and subsequent mine development activities." MAIDEN S-K 1300 MINERAL RESOURCE AND PFS PROGRESSThe Company has successfully completed its first MRE prepared in accordance with S-K 1300 at Desert Scheelite, representing only one of the Project's four known at-surface tungsten-rich skarn zones. The PFS is advancing well with a highly qualified multi-disciplined specialist team.The establishment of the Project's first ever Resource, prepared in accordance with S-K 1300, represents a key milestone as the Company builds towards a potential listing on a U.S. securities exchange.1The Resource was completed by RESPEC Company LLC - an experienced specialist mining engineering firm based in Rapid City, South Dakota and Reno, Nevada (Table 1).Importantly, the Resource incorporates data from 68 drillholes at Desert Scheelite completed by the Company. Since the MRE data cutoff of October 20, 2025, a further eight drillholes have been completed, with additional drilling planned to further test extensions of Desert Scheelite where the Resource remains open along strike (east and west) and down dip. These recently completed and future planned drillholes will be incorporated into a further updated MRE expected prior to completion of the PFS.The MRE update will include a recent intercept in drillhole PM25-065 which returned a 26.8m intersection (from 172.17m - 198.97m) with one of the strongest visual (under ultra-violet light) intersections of scheelite (CaWO4) mineralisation noted by the Company on the Project to date.To support the planned 2026 MRE, the Company has secured a second exploration drill rig, scheduled to arrive on site early in 2026. This additional rig will enable the testing of several known at-surface tungsten zones across the Project that have not yet been adequately drill tested-including at Desert Scheelite and the Garnet Zone-and will also provide additional capacity for further engineering-related drilling.The PFS, supported by a US $6.2m DoW DPA III investment in Guardian Metal's wholly-owned subsidiary, Golden Metal Resources (USA) LLC2, is progressing well and is being led by the Company's Operations Manager, Marc Leduc, P.Eng., a highly experienced mine builder. Mr. Leduc and the Company's technical team are joined by a group of highly experienced partners who are engaged to progress the various ongoing PFS workstreams including:Samuel Engineering, Inc. (Denver, Colorado)
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NEW YORK CITY, NY NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilDecember 23, 2025to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against James Hardie Industries plc ("James Hardie" or the "Company") (NYSE:JHX), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's shares between May 20, 2025, and August 18, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.What You May DoIf you purchased shares of James Hardie and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-jhx/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byDecember 23, 2025 .About the LawsuitJames Hardie and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On August 19, 2025, despite prior reassurances that its North America Fiber Cement segment remained strong, the Company disclosed that sales in North America Fiber Cement declined by 12% due to customer destocking first discovered "in April through May," that was expected to impact sales for at least the next two quarters.On this news, the price of James Hardie's shares fell by over 34%, or $9.79 per share, from a closing price of $28.43 per share on August 18, 2025 to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025.The case is Laborers' District Council and Contractors' Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries plc, et al., No. 25-cv-13018.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 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
My dream is that some of them will become generals, says the head of gender affairs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in which around 7% of the one million personnel are women

Why did you abandon your children? Are you earning a lot in the army? they asked Vatra, a mother of a boy and a girl. Youre serving instead of raising them. You should stay home, they told Bilka, a mother of two girls. What if you die? If youre not a mother, youre nothing, Ruta, a mother of three, was told on her social media.

The testimonies of these Ukrainian soldiers reflect the arduous path toward equality between men and women in the army during the Russian invasion. They are part of the Veteranka campaign, which aims to normalize the presence of women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prejudice and stereotypes are not only found on the front lines, but also in society and within families. Being a woman in the army means facing the doubts of others every single day, stresses combat medic Katerina Priimak, who leads this independent initiative.

My dream is that some of them will become generals, says Oksana Grigorieva, 49, the armys head of gender affairs. Grigorieva held this position in the Spanish army until last May, having worked in this capacity since 2022, giving her several years of experience in the field. However, she acknowledges that the task ahead is not easy, as many, she points out, still see women as cooks or seamstresses rather than as snipers or tank drivers.

Currently, there are approximately 72,000 women in the Ukrainian army, representing about 7% of its one million personnel. Of these, 19,000 hold civilian positions, like Grigorieva. Around 5,500 are deployed in combat zones. The mandatory conscription of men between the ages of 25 and 60 under martial law has reduced the percentage of women in the army  which they join voluntarily  but their numbers continue to rise.

Ukraine is planning reforms, including in the military, to move closer to the European Union and NATO. At the same time, it has been embroiled in war since 2014, when Russian troops entered the east of the country, before the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Since 2018, a new legal framework has been promoting equality, Grigorieva points out. Now, on paper, women can study for a military career and access any position, including combat roles. This is our great achievement, and we are proud to have accomplished it, she emphasizes.

Prejudice and sexism, however, continue to complicate the path for women who choose a military career and aim to rise through the ranks: Just because someone is young and pretty doesnt mean they are anyones mistress, Grigorieva laments, referring to a mentality rooted in the past and indifferent to merit. These attitudes hinder legislative changes aimed at decisively combating crimes such as rape, sexual abuse, and harassment, since, during the times of the former Soviet republic, its an issue that was barely addressed, she adds.

Oksana Grigorieva, head of gender affairs for the Ukrainian army, during an interview with EL PAIS on November 5 in Kyiv. Luis De Vega Hernandez

Those who were previously civilians now join the army without knowing what the Istanbul Convention is, says the gender officer, referring to the Council of Europe treaty on preventing and combating violence against women, an initiative to which Kyiv has acceded. Well, I was just flirting because I like her, is another expression that can be heard from soldiers, according to Grigorieva, who explains that all military training programs include chapters on ending discrimination and harassment. Gone are the days when such behavior resulted in a fine of a mere 360 hryvnias (about $8). Now, under the new military disciplinary code, such comments can lead to the withholding of a substantial portion of ones salary. In any case, Grigorieva emphasizes the presence of gender advisors in all units  there are about 700 of them  and maintains that harassment is not among the main problems.

She is more concerned that, once women are accepted into combat positions, not all commanders see them as capable of leadership. That is why her main objective is to have as many women as possible in leadership positions, she emphasizes, because we dont even have one woman leading a brigade (consisting of 5,000 to 7,000 personnel) and only one leads a battalion (of about 500). But she points out that this is essentially the path they must follow in their military careers after the new legislation of 2018. However, not everything can be managed through written rules that must be implemented. It is true that the loss of a woman is still felt much more deeply than that of a man, Grigorieva explains, referring to a case she knows of involving the death of a combat medic.

Among the motivations that lead some to volunteer are cases where they end up wearing the uniform because they want to keep the war away from their children. Or because they have lost a family member and use that loss as a driving force to join the defense of Ukraine.

However, one of the stories that she found most shocking is that of a married couple, both contract soldiers, with two children: an eight-month-old baby and a three-year-old from a previous marriage. In 2022, they decided that she would be the one to go to the front lines as a combat medic. The law allows, in the case of a married couple, for one of them to be exempt from military service. The woman  whose name Grigorieva does not reveal  even declared, amid the doubts of her partners family, I am a combatant. After three years, the relationship has fallen apart and the army has intervened to ensure that, in the divorce proceedings, she does not lose parental rights and, in turn, has called up her ex-husband for mandatory service. Now she remains a soldier, but on the home front.

In combat positions, the cramped quarters and the danger prevent the distinctions between men and women that are possible, for example, in training camps or barracks away from the front lines. Intimacy knows no gender in the trenches. After more than 11 years of war, social media sometimes reflects the transformation Ukraine is undergoing. A photo of a makeshift latrine spattered with urine on the front lines, posted by a female soldier, serves as a wry reminder: Here, too, you have to know how to aim, comrades.

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BURNABY, BC / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 / Ostrom Climate Solutions Inc. ("Ostrom" or the "Company") (TSXV:COO)(Frankfurt:9EAA), a leading provider of carbon project development, net-zero climate solutions, and carbon credit marketing and trading, today announced that it has entered into a mutual settlement and termination agreement with its counterparty to fully exit the Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement ("ERPA") originally executed on April 17, 2024, in respect of the Climate-Smart Agriculture Project in the Upper Pampanga region of the Philippines ("UPRIIS"). The ERPA is terminated effective December 8, 2025. Due to confidentiality obligations, further settlement details cannot be disclosed.Strategic RationaleThe decision reflects Ostrom's refined strategy to prioritize compliance-oriented carbon markets, where the Company sees stronger long-term commercial and financing opportunities. As regional compliance mechanisms continue to develop, including emerging frameworks such as Japan's Joint Crediting Mechanism ("JCM"), the Company intends to reposition UPRIIS via a phased approach under an ultimate compliance-driven structure rather than its prior voluntary-market design.Management Commentary"Ostrom's new strategy is focused on high-integrity, compliance-focused carbon markets," said Navdeep Dhaliwal, Chairman & CEO of Ostrom. "Exiting the prior ERPA allows us to realign the UPRIIS project under this strategy and pursue pathways that we believe offer stronger long-term value for our shareholders. UPRIIS remains a highly promising rice methane-reduction initiative, and we look forward to advancing it under this new strategic direction." Ostrom will provide further updates on UPRIIS as development plans progress.About Ostrom Climate Solutions Inc.Ostrom is one of North America's leading providers of carbon project development, net-zero climate solutions, and carbon credit marketing and trading. Over the past 12 years, Ostrom has validated and verified forest carbon projects globally for voluntary and regulated markets, having developed 16 million acres of forest land for conservation and monetized over 10 million carbon credits. Based out of British Columbia, Canada, the Ostrom team has a global reach, has worked with over 200 organizations globally, including Fortune 500 companies, managed projects in partnership with indigenous stakeholders and has extensive on-ground experience in emerging markets.Ostrom is focused on developing high-quality carbon projects that have a positive impact on the environment, local communities and biodiversity. Ostrom is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (COO) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (9EAA).Please visit us at www.ostromclimate.com To receive corporate updates via e-mail, please subscribe here.For more information regarding the Company, please contact:Navdeep DhaliwalChairman & Chief Executive OfficerOstrom Climate Solutions Inc.380-4111 Hastings St, Burnaby, BC V5C 2J3, CanadaEmail: investors@ ostromclimate.com 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.Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking StatementsThis news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.SOURCE: Ostrom Climate Solutions Inc.
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Updated Fly-In Program outlines virtual consultations, travel timelines, recovery planning, and follow-up care for out-of-town patients visiting Tampa, Florida.TAMPA, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / Gruber Plastic Surgery today announced an expanded set of out-of-town patient planning resources designed to help people traveling to Tampa for cosmetic plastic surgery in 2026. The updated Fly-In Program addresses common questions patients ask when they search for the "best plastic surgeon in America," including how virtual consultations work, how long to stay locally, what to plan for recovery, and how follow-up care is managed after returning home.Why patients travel for plastic surgery in 2026 (and what they really mean by "best")When someone searches "best plastic surgeon in America," they're rarely looking for a generic ranking. Most are trying to answer questions like:"Who has the right training and credentials for my procedure?""Will I get a real plan, not just a sales pitch?""How will follow-up work if I'm not local?""Do I have options for anesthesia, and can recovery be made more predictable?"In other words, "best" is often shorthand for: board certification, consistent results, transparent planning, and a system that reduces stress.Why Gruber Plastic Surgery is a destination for travelers in 2026It's fair and accurate to say Dr. Meegan Gruber is arguably considered one of the best plastic surgeons in America for patients willing to travel in 2026, because her reputation is built on multiple concrete signals that matter to out-of-town patients:1) Verified credentials and long-term experienceDr. Meegan Gruber is board-certified in Plastic Surgery by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has been in practice since 2005. Those two facts alone are foundational for patients comparing surgeons beyond their local area.2) National visibility and professional recognitionDr. Gruber is listed as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor (Top Doctor since 2024), and she is widely known as the featured surgeon on TLC's "Awake Surgery." For patients traveling, third-party recognition and mainstream visibility can help narrow down a shortlist, especially when combined with a robust consultation process.3) A distinctive "awake surgery" focus for eligible patientsGruber Plastic Surgery highlights its specialization in awake plastic surgery using local anesthesia (with no sedation for eligible cases) as well as traditional plastic surgery under general anesthesia when appropriate. For some travelers, the possibility of local anesthesia-based procedures and the planning that goes with them, can be part of why Tampa becomes "worth the flight." 4) A travel-first patient system (virtual consult + structured timeline + follow-up plan)The practice's out-of-town program outlines a specific travel timeline, caregiver recommendations, and virtual follow-up options so patients can plan recovery and return travel more confidently.The Fly-In Program is built for patients who value a structured process as much as the surgical result. Gruber Plastic Surgery is located near Tampa International Airport, and the practice notes that many of its patients travel from out of state for surgery and recovery planning in Tampa.Key features of the updated out-of-town patient planning hub include:Virtual consultation guidance, including what information and photos to prepare before speaking with the team.Typical travel timelines to help patients plan time away from work and home responsibilities.Length-of-stay planning: for awake procedures, many patients stay one to two nights; for general anesthesia procedures, patients often plan for about a week in Tampa (final timing is individualized during consultation).Recovery logistics such as caregiver support, transportation planning, and what to expect at early follow-up appointments.Accommodation guidance and local support options to make travel and recovery more predictable.Virtual follow-ups for out-of-town patients after they return home, so postoperative check-ins can continue remotely."Traveling for surgery should feel organized, not stressful," said Dr. Meegan Gruber. "Our goal is to give patients a clear plan, from virtual consultation to follow-up, so they understand the timeline, the recovery expectations, and the next steps before they ever book a flight." Out-of-town planning hub | Consultation information | Request a complimentary consultationAbout Gruber Plastic SurgeryGruber Plastic Surgery is a Tampa, Florida plastic surgery practice led by Meegan Gruber, MD, PhD an award winning board-certified plastic surgeon (American Board of Plastic Surgery) Her own TLC television series "Awake Surgery." which has helped introduce patients nationwide to awake cosmetic procedures and recovery-focused planning and has also made the list 2 years in a row for Best Plastic Surgeon in America. The practice is known for awake (local anesthesia) cosmetic procedures for eligible patients using Dr. Gruber's "awake technique," as well as traditional surgery performed under general anesthesia when appropriate. Gruber Plastic Surgery supports both local and out-of-town patients through complimentary consultation options, structured surgical planning, and postoperative follow-up care.Media ContactGruber Plastic SurgeryPhone: 888-400-0086Email: info@ drmeegangruber.com Website: https://www.drmeegangruber.com/ Location: 3979 Moran Rd Tampa, Florida 33618This press release is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Surgical candidacy, anesthesia planning, and outcomes vary by patient. A consultation with a qualified surgeon is required to determine an individualized treatment plan.SOURCE: Gruber Plastic Surgery
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NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / December 18, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with substantial losses that they have untilJanuary 12, 2026to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Stride, Inc. ("Stride" or the "Company") (NYSE:LRN), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between October 22, 2024 and October 28, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Stride and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-lrn/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJanuary 12, 2026 .About the LawsuitStride and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On September 14, 2025, it was reported that the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education had filed a complaint against the Company, alleging fraud, deceptive trade practices, systemic violations of law, and intentional and tortious misconduct, including inflating enrollment numbers by retaining "ghost students" on rolls to secure state funding per student and ignoring compliance requirements, including background checks and licensure laws for its employees. On this news, the price of Stride's shares fell $18.60 per share, or 11.7%, to close at $139.76 per share on September 15, 2025.Then, on October 28, 2025, the Company disclosed that "poor customer experience" had resulted in "higher withdrawal rates," "lower conversion rates," and had driven students away, and that the Company estimated the impact caused approximately 10,000-15,000 fewer enrollments and that, because of this, its outlook is "muted" compared to prior years. On this news, the price of Stride's shares fell $83.48 per share, or more than 54%, to close at $70.05 per share on October 29, 2025.The case is MacMahon v. Stride, Inc., et al., Case No. 25-cv-02019.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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EA Automatic has announced a major breakthrough in the world of automated investing by launching a trading system that blends advanced technology with real trader expertise.LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / As markets fluctuate and investors look for reliable ways to grow their capital, EA Automatic offers a modern solution built on precision, strategy, and a deep understanding of investor needs.A New Era of Intelligent AutomationEA Automatic enters the financial landscape with a clear message. Automated trading is no longer only about speed. It is now about smart decision-making, logical structure, and continuous refinement. The company has developed its systems over more than two and a half years, building a platform that uses artificial intelligence to support, not replace, human judgment.This combination allows traders to benefit from rapid execution while retaining the strategic oversight that only experienced financial professionals can provide. The result is a balanced system designed for consistency, safety, and adaptability.Tailored Trading Strategies for Every InvestorThe team at EA Automatic believes that no two investors are the same. Every person enters the market with different goals, timelines, and levels of risk tolerance. Instead of forcing clients into a single automated strategy, the company has created a flexible framework that adjusts to each investor's profile.Whether a client is seeking steady monthly returns or has the appetite for higher growth potential with increased volatility, EA Automatic designs and deploys algorithms that match the individual investor's objectives. The company also uses strategic diversification techniques to help protect the investor's capital during unexpected market swings.A System Built on Experience, Not GuessworkWhat sets EA Automatic apart is the constant supervision behind the technology. While the automated system handles trade execution, a team of experienced traders monitors performance, adjusts parameters, and responds to shifting market conditions. This hands-on approach prevents the system from becoming outdated or one-dimensional.The company states that its goal is not to chase overnight success but to build a line of strategies based on proven methods and disciplined execution. Every feature is engineered to reduce emotional decision-making, which is often the leading cause of losses in manual trading.AI That Enhances Human InsightEA Automatic's platform uses artificial intelligence as a tool, not a replacement. The AI optimizes decision-making speed, identifies patterns, and analyzes large volumes of data in real time. However, the final structure of every strategy remains grounded in human expertise.By combining the strengths of both machine and trader, EA Automatic achieves a level of performance and adaptability that neither could reach alone. Investors benefit from a system that thinks quickly and strategically while avoiding the typical risks found in fully automated trading environments.Risk Management at the CoreEA Automatic emphasizes that responsible investing begins with risk management. Every system is designed with built-in layers of protection. These include diversification, controlled exposure, clear rules for exiting trades, and ongoing adjustments based on market behavior.The company does not promote unrealistic promises. Instead, it focuses on consistency and long-term growth. EA Automatic communicates openly about the natural risks of trading, while giving investors a structured plan that reduces unnecessary losses and increases predictability.Designed for Today's Volatile MarketsFinancial markets today move faster than ever. Economic instability, global events, and rapid shifts in sentiment have created an environment that is challenging for manual traders. EA Automatic steps into this environment with technology built to react instantly, combined with traders who oversee every move.This unique blend allows the system to remain stable during market uncertainty. While automation executes trades with precision, the trader team evaluates strategies and keeps the system aligned with real-world conditions.A Complete Trading Ecosystem for InvestorsAt EA Automatic, investors do not receive a simple bot. They gain access to a full ecosystem of support and strategy. This includes initial consultation, custom strategy planning, ongoing supervision, and constant communication. The company positions itself as a long-term partner, guiding clients throughout their trading journey.From system deployment to performance tracking, EA Automatic offers continuous assistance to ensure that investors understand their strategy and feel confident in the process.A Vision for Smarter Capital GrowthThe mission of EA Automatic is to empower investors to let their capital work smarter. The company believes that technology and strategy must advance together. Their platform is designed for individuals who want a modern and thoughtful approach to trading.By replacing emotional reactions with data-driven decisions and real-time monitoring, EA Automatic creates an environment where investors can pursue growth with greater clarity and stability.Industry Momentum and Future PlansAs automated trading becomes more accepted among mainstream investors, EA Automatic plans to expand its offerings. The company aims to introduce additional strategy types, more customization options, and upgraded features that further integrate human insight with evolving technology.The team is also working on educational initiatives to help investors understand algorithmic trading, risk management, and market psychology. EA Automatic intends to remain a leader in innovation by building systems that evolve with the financial world.A Growing Community of Strategic InvestorsEarly adopters of EA Automatic have expressed appreciation for the transparent structure, steady communication, and measurable results. The platform has attracted individuals who want a disciplined and modern approach to trading without the stress of monitoring markets manually.By prioritizing trust and performance, EA Automatic is developing a community of investors who value long-term growth over short-lived market trends.About EA AutomaticEA Automatic provides intelligent, AI-supported trading systems designed and managed by professional traders. With a focus on risk management, logical structure, and personalized strategy development, the company offers a new standard in automated investing. EA Automatic is headquartered in Karachi and serves investors seeking smart, stable, and results-oriented trading solutions.Media Contact: EA Automatic Team hello@ ea-automatic.com SOURCE: EA Automatic
The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development says it has begun disciplined digital practice to end paper-based processes within the ministry.

Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said this during the launching of the Enterprise Content Management system (ECMS) in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him, the achievement will eliminate manual bottleneck, shorten approval cycles, and strengthen services delivery across all units of the ministry.

For the country as a whole, this unified platform also guarantees national sovereignty of our digital infrastructure. From this point forward, the era of paper-based processing within this Ministry must give way to disciplined digital practice.

All official correspondence therefore, should henceforth be routed through [email protected] or [email protected], he said.

Speaking at the event, Didi Walson- Jack, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, commended the leadership of the ministry for the foresight and applauded the directors and staff for embracing change.

It is a pleasure to be here today at the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development for the official launch of the Enterprise Content Management System.

In a sector where safety, accuracy, and timeliness were non-negotiable, relying on paper files that occasionally developed wings of their own is no longer sustainable.

In a technically intensive Ministry where documentation underpins safety standards and international obligations, choosing to go digital is not just progressive but essential, she said.

According to her, the ministry occupies a strategic position in Nigerias national development architecture, enabling connectivity, trade, tourism, security, and technological advancement.

Todays event is far more than deployment of a digital system, but a statement of intent by a Ministry whose mandate spans aviation regulation, airport development, air transport services, meteorology, and the expanding aerospace ecosystem.

With todays launch, I am pleased to formally welcome the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development into the growing community of ECMS users across the Federal Civil Service.

You are joining a movement that is discovering, sometimes as a pleasant surprise, that digital files do not hide in cupboards, disappear into drawers, or wait patiently for someone to remember where they were kept, she said.

Mrs Walson- Jack explained that the deployment of the ECMS on the 1Gov Cloud platform of the Federal Government represents a fundamental shift in how public service business was conducted.

She said the ministry would benefit from secure digital records, automated workflows, electronic approvals, interoperability, and real-time collaboration through the new system.

She added that decisions would be driven by timely access to information rather than by the physical location of a file.

This milestone places the Ministry firmly on track to meet the Federal Governments directive for full digitalisation of work processes by 31 December 2025.

It also directly advances Pillar Five of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 20212025 (FCSSIP25), which prioritises the digitalisation of work processes across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

This achievement aligns squarely with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which envisions a public service that is efficient, accountable, responsive, and digitally enabled, she said.

NAN
Nollywood actress and producer Ini Edo has responded to criticism from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over her film A Very Dirty Christmas.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that CAN described the film as offensive to the Christian faith.

CAN condemned the film in a statement signed by its president, Daniel Okoh, an archbishop, arguing that the title trivialised the spiritual significance of Christmas.

He also faulted the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) for approving the movie.

Although the NFVCB later acknowledged the controversy and said it was taking steps to address the concerns raised, Edo defended the film in a statement shared on her social media pages on Thursday night.

She insisted that the production complied fully with all legal and regulatory requirements before its release.

Approval

The 43-year-old actress stated that she is a practising Christian and would never intentionally produce content that undermines or disrespects Christianity.

The actress said: Prior to the release of this film, all legal and regulatory requirements governing motion pictures in Nigeria were fully complied with, including securing the appropriate approval from the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), amongst others. At no time was there any intention to demean, ridicule, or dishonour Christianity, the Christmas season, or the values held dear by millions of Nigerians.

I am a devout Christian. My faith is deeply personal to me, and it guides my values, my choices, and my life. I would never knowingly create or associate myself with any work that seeks to misrepresent, disrespect, or undermine my religion or the essence of Christmas.

Metaphor

Furthermore, Edo said the films title was not intended to ridicule or dishonour Christianity, explaining that storytelling often relied on contrast to provoke reflection rather than to cause offence.

She added that engaging with the film at an earlier stage would have created room for constructive dialogue and fostered mutual understanding long before now.

The title of the film is metaphorical, reflecting the story being told and the realities explored within it. Christmas, while sacred, is also a season that often reveals the contrast between appearance and truth, joy and struggle, virtue and human imperfection.

It is also important to note that we have since been publicly promoting this film, with its title clearly visible across multiple media platforms. During this entire period, no concerns or objections were raised. It is therefore surprising that reservations are only being expressed after the film has been released and duly approved by the appropriate regulatory authority, she added.

The actress said she acknowledged the concerns raised by CAN and respected the vital role faith plays in society.

She emphasised that Nigeria thrives when dialogue, understanding, and mutual respect shape public engagement, particularly at the intersection of faith, culture, and creative expression.

I invite everyone to go to cinemas across Nigeria to watch A Very Dirty Christmas for themselves. See the story, feel the message and judge it in its proper context. I will continue to visit cinemas for meet and greet, so please look out for me at a cinema close to you. I cant wait to meet you and share this experience together.

The film was directed by Akay Mason.

It was released in cinemas nationwide on 16 December, and centres on a family Christmas reunion that descends into emotional conflict as long-buried secrets and past traumas resurface, turning what should be a festive occasion into a tense and dramatic experience.

The film stars Eucharia Anunobi, Femi Branch, IK Ogbonna, Lateef Adedimeji, Nancy Isime, Taye Arimoro, Josephina Otabor, and Wumi Toriola, among others.
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has asked actress Ini Edo to modify the title of her film, A Very Dirty Christmas.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in a statement signed by its president, Daniel Okoh, described the films title as offensive and disrespectful to the Christian faith.

Additionally, in a statement issued on Thursday, NFVCB Director General (DG) Shaibu Husseini acknowledged CANs concerns and stated that the film had undergone all required legal and regulatory processes before the title was approved.

He reassured the Christian community that the NFVCB treated religious sensitivity, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence as central to fulfilling its statutory duties.

However, speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday, Mr Husseini disclosed that the board has directed the 43-year-old actress to modify the films title.

He said: We have heard their concern, and we have to reason together because there is no way we will not listen to the concern raised by a very important religious body like CAN. Dont forget that one of the things the law has asked us to do as a board is to balance creativity and regulation, and we need to be seen to be doing that.

So, we approved this film based on the content and the context of the production, and when we were watching the film, it had nothing to do with Christianity or whatever. However, in light of the concerns raised by CAN, and in the spirit of responsiveness and dialogue, NFVCB has formally engaged the producers of the film and requested a modification of the title.

Tension

Mr Husseini added that the action was taken to avert any unnecessary religious tension.

He further reiterated that the NFVCB remained open to sustained engagement with CAN, other faith-based organisations, industry stakeholders, and the wider public.

This is to avoid interpretations that may be considered offensive to Christian sensibilities and to prevent any unnecessary religious tension. Nigerias strength lies in its diversity, and the board is mindful of the importance of ensuring that films exhibited in the country do not undermine religious harmony or offend deeply held beliefs.

It will always take appropriate steps to ensure that films exhibited in Nigeria promote understanding, respect for religious diversity and national unity, while also supporting responsible creativity and artistic expression. The Board appreciates the patience, understanding and cooperation of all stakeholders as it works to uphold its mandate in the overall interest of the Nigerian public, Mr Husseini said.

Backstory

This newspaper reported that Edo defended the films title in a statement shared on her social media platforms, insisting that the production fully complied with all legal and regulatory requirements before its release.

The actress said she is a practising Christian and would never deliberately produce content that undermines or disrespects Christianity.

She further explained that the films title was not intended to ridicule or dishonour the Christian faith, noting that storytelling often relies on contrast to provoke reflection rather than to offend.

Edo added that earlier engagement with the project would have created space for constructive dialogue and mutual understanding well before the controversy arose.

The film, directed by Akay Mason, was released in cinemas nationwide on 16 December.

It centres on a family Christmas reunion that spirals into emotional conflict as long-buried secrets and past traumas resurface, transforming what should have been a joyful festive gathering into a tense and dramatic experience.

The film featured an ensemble cast including Eucharia Anunobi, Femi Branch, IK Ogbonna, Lateef Adedimeji, Nancy Isime, Taye Arimoro, Josephina Otabor, and Wumi Toriola, among others.
If you ask Abubakar Bukola Saraki for the birthday gift he desires today, he will probably request unity within his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as his best wish for the moment. The PDP is facing yet another crisis after losing power 10 years ago. And as his 63rd birthday approached, Mr Saraki refused to endorse any form of celebration.

Rather, his pre-occupation for now is how to work with some party leaders, stakeholders, elders, and members to initiate discussions on how to unite the various feuding groups within the PDP. To many, this is a far-fetched option. It would have been easier to just move over with his supporters to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) as it is the fad in the countrys political arena today.

However, the former Senate President has vowed not to be part of any agenda that will create a one-party state in Nigeria. He would not be part of a plan to foreclose options to the electorate as democracy itself is about free choices, made under a credible, peaceful, and competitive atmosphere.

There are also others who believe the much-talked-about coalition can do so much and so well with his strategic thinking and planning aptitude. He has also said he would not be part of an arrangement cobbled together out of anger and for personal designs.

He would also not consider moving into a small party just for the sake of contesting elections in 2027. To him, all such designs are short-term plans and only aimed at power or state capture. They do not represent a desire to create an enduring solution. They cannot produce a platform that can strengthen democracy or enrich the political process for the purpose of serving the country and its people.

To him, the PDP remains the best platform that can effectively challenge the ruling party and offer a credible option to the people. He believes the PDP has a rich history, pervasive reach, enduring structure, tested brand, and solid bases that if supported by committed people, determined leaders, and the right resources, can win elections, without much problem.

Mr Saraki is a die-hard PDP man. He believes defecting to another hurriedly put-together party led by elements with disparate backgrounds will not solve the problem of Nigeria. Just like the APC, after ten years in power, is unable to do. PDP, he said, has all the potential and institutional processes for building an enduring platform that will provide good governance, strengthen democracy, and enrich the political process.

He is also determined to take the difficult route, strewn with thorns and hard rubbles. The easy way, he said, never leads to a lasting solution. The benefits are never enduring. They are never a good option for a country with an expected long lifespan.

It is not surprising that more and more leaders in the PDP are listening to him and working with him. It seems that one of the values and virtues that any Nigerian cannot take away from Mr Saraki is his ability to reconcile feuding elements, unite a divided group, and stabilise a ship amidst a storm. Thrice, the PDP had turned to him to steady the ship when it hit the stormy water or when it was heading for the rock.

On each occasion, he was able to work with others in achieving stability and steadying the wobbling craft. You may wonder why the ship relapsed into difficult terrain after Mr Sarakis past efforts. This is because the storm in Nigerian politics when a party loses power in a dramatic way the PDP did is always ceaseless. After all, the scheme by the incumbent party and the inability of the former office holders to cope with the loss of power will forever ensure the former ruling party remains in disarray. That is the dynamic of politics in a third world.

Mr Saraki by nature is a man built for difficult tasks. He never liked the easy way. Perhaps, that is why a medical doctor who is the son of another medical doctor and had a hospital he could just inherit and work to expand decided to pursue his interest in business. It is also the reason why as governor despite the assurances of the support of an enduring and strong political structure, he worked 25 hours a day to ensure the success of his administration.

He said he wanted to be a good model for other politicians with a privileged background that coming from a rich home does not make one a poor performer and that a poor background does not make one a good administrator. He wanted to reassure the people that even though he was never hungry out of want or lack of food, he perfectly understands the needs of the people and what role the government should play to improve their standard of living.

He also decided to seek the Senate Presidency because for four years as a Senator, he observed that the leadership of the institution needed to initiate deliberate actions and programmes that would correct the wrong perception that its members do nothing and are a burden on the cost of governance. Today, many still reminisce about how the Eighth Senate he led made so many positive differences. And that is in spite of deliberate efforts by the executive arm to frustrate the legislature and unsettle its steady progress.

Perhaps, his predilection for always working towards reconciliation and unity also emanated from his background. A man with a father from Kwara State in the North Central zone or an area originally known as the middle belt of Nigeria, his home state creates a buffer between the North and the South. His late mother was from the Southwestern Ondo State. His paternal grandmother was from the Southwestern Oyo State.

His father was a Muslim and his mother was a Christian. While he is a staunch Muslim, his wife is a devout Christian. Thus, he had the temperament to understand and deal calmly, fairly, and impartially with all the issues that constitute the fault lines in the country. He has also proved to be a man capable of dealing boldly and maturely with challenges and setbacks.

For him, six years out of power has only strengthened him intellectually and positioned him in a vantage position to view issues as an impartial observer. It has also made him appreciate why those who are blessed by God should spend more of their resources to help the less privileged and invest more in developing the communities. He spends more time now on his relationship with Almighty Allah (SWT), community development, family, and business.

At 63 today, Mr Saraki, a man reputed for always seeking to solve difficult problems as he did with the Offa  Erinle crisis, the Petroleum Industry Act, and many other issues while always leaving a place better than he met it, continues to retain his relevance, years after office. Happy birthday, sir.

Yusuph Olaniyonu writes from Abuja.
Nigeria recorded 195 deaths from Lassa fever in 2025, with a higher fatality rate than the same period last year, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

The NCDC, in its latest situation report, stated that this is despite a decline in the total number of suspected and confirmed cases recorded during the same period.

The report, which covers epidemiological week 49 of 2025, shows that 195 deaths have been recorded from 1,069 confirmed cases, resulting in a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 18.2 per cent.

This is higher than the 16.5 per cent CFR recorded during the same period in 2024.

New infections rise in week 49

According to the report, the number of new confirmed cases increased from 24 in epidemiological week 48 to 33 cases in week 49.

The new confirmed cases were reported in Bauchi, Ondo, Edo and Taraba States, according to the agency.

A total of 143 suspected cases were recorded during the week, with eight deaths reported across four states and 10 local government areas.

Cumulative figures show wider spread in 2024

Cumulatively, as of week 49 in 2025, Nigeria has recorded 9,041 suspected cases, 1,069 confirmed cases, and seven probable cases across 21 states and 103 LGAs.

By comparison, during the same period in 2024, the country recorded 9,492 suspected cases, 1,154 confirmed cases, and 20 probable cases, affecting 28 states and 137 LGAs.

The NCDC noted that while fewer states and LGAs have been affected in 2025, the risk of death among confirmed cases remains higher.

Young adults most affected

According to the report, the most affected age group is 2130 years, with cases ranging from one to 96 years. The median age is 30 years.

The NCDC also reported a male-to-female ratio of 1:0.8 among confirmed cases, indicating slightly more infections among men.

No new infections of healthcare workers were recorded during epidemiological week 49.

Response efforts intensify nationwide

The agency said the National Lassa fever multi-partner, multi-sectoral Technical Working Group continues to coordinate response activities at national and subnational levels.

Key response actions during the reporting period included behavioural assessments across 10 high-burden states, conducted with support from UNICEF, as well as infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity strengthening in health facilities through hand hygiene audits led by the APIN Orange Network.

The NCDC also sustained collaboration with the Nigerian Medical Students Association on Lassa Fever Prevention and Control, while after-action reviews were conducted at national and state levels following the 2024/2025 outbreak season.

In addition, the agency supported capacity development sessions on strategic planning, dissemination of Lassa fever jingles, and participation in regional and international conferences, including the second ECOWAS Lassa fever international conference held in Cote dIvoire.

Training, trials and community engagement

Several training programmes were conducted to strengthen clinical management of Lassa fever, including in-person and virtual sessions for fellows under the Lassa Fever Clinical Management Fellowship, supported by international partners such as Georgetown University and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Clinical trials also advanced, with the INTEGRATE clinical trial commencing in Ondo State, while states such as Edo and Ebonyi conducted state-level After Action Reviews.

The agency said health workers were trained on case management in Bauchi, Ebonyi and Benue States, and clinician sensitisation was carried out in hotspot LGAs in Ondo State with support from the World Health Organisation.

Persistent challenges

Despite ongoing interventions, the NCDC identified late presentation of cases as a major contributor to the rising fatality rate.

Other challenges include poor health-seeking behaviour linked to the high cost of treatment, poor environmental sanitation, and low awareness levels in high-burden communities.

The agency urged states to intensify year-round community engagement on Lassa fever prevention, while calling on healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion and ensure timely referral and treatment of suspected cases.

The NCDC also called on partners to strengthen state capacity to prevent, detect, and respond promptly to Lassa fever outbreaks.

Lassa fever

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, which is transmitted to humans primarily through contact with food or household items contaminated by the urine or faeces of infected rats.

It can also spread from person to person through contact with bodily fluids.

The disease often begins with fever, weakness, and headache, and may progress to more severe symptoms such as bleeding, difficulty breathing, swelling, and organ failure.

Early diagnosis and prompt treatment with Ribavirin are critical for improving survival.
The federal government and the United States have signed a landmark technical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation and funding for the early detection and prevention of existing infectious diseases in Nigeria, including HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis.

This is according to a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Friday.

The statement indicate that the MoU covers enhancing disease surveillance systems; strengthening safety procedures for pathogen sample collection, transport, storage, testing, and disposal; primary care, financial protection, and the provision of technical support, among other objectives.

The MoU also aligns with Nigerias own drive towards its own ultimate self-reliance, by reducing dependence on external aid gradually by 2030.

The ministry said under this framework, Nigeria plans to progressively increase its health spending as a share of its national budget, while funding from the United States government is expected to gradually decline.

This approach reflects a strategic pivot towards trade- and investment-based partnerships.

According to the statement, the signing of the MoU is a culmination of the efforts of both governments to work cooperatively towards a health system capable of preventing, detecting, and treating diseases, while expanding access to primary healthcare and attracting private sector investments necessary for self-reliance.

It said the ministry had in 2023 embarked on a reform programmethe Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII)aimed at improving healthcare accessibility, affordability, quality, accountability, and efficiency.

The initiative is implemented through a Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) that aims to align all government levels (Federal, State, Local), agencies, civil society, private sector, and development partners under a sector-wide plan, budget, and reporting framework.

In December 2023, the Health Sector Renewal Compact, signed under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, brought together all 36 state governors, the FCTA, and development partners, demonstrating high-level political commitment to building a unified, efficient, and resilient health system for all Nigerians.

Under this MoU, Nigeria and the United States will further strengthen their collaboration to prevent the spread of emerging, reemerging, and existing infectious disease threats.

Over a five-year period, from April 2026 to December 2030, the United States government will provide almost $2 billion in grant funding, while Nigeria will commit at least six per cent of executed annual Federal and State domestic budgets to health to be steadily, expected to mobilise nearly $3 billion for health within the same timeframe, it said.

The statement noted that President Tinubu has already included this in the federal governments proposed 2026 Appropriation.

The MoU is strategically focused on seven areas of cooperation, viz. Surveillance and Outbreak Response; Laboratory Systems; Commodities; Frontline Healthcare Workers; Data Systems; Strategic Investment and Technical Assistance.

ALSO READ: Presidency warns of major setbacks in health sector amid dwindling foreign aid

The federal government expresses its appreciation to the government of the United States for its renewed commitment to deepening health cooperation and reaffirms its determination to work towards achieving the objectives aligned with its own national interests.

While this technical MoU focuses on health, the statement noted that Nigeria is committed to continuing progress in addressing other areas of mutual concern.

It acknowledged also that, both the US and Nigeria may choose to pause, extend, or opt out of the MoU in the event of insufficient progress.

The government also extends its gratitude to all its development partners for their continued collaboration and support.
The history of the Yuracare can be told through their refusal to integrate with Bolivias colonial system. They settled on the border between the countrys mountain foothills and its plains and valleys. There is no evidence that they had contact with the Incas, as was the case of other tribes of the Antisuyo lowlands, the northeastern region of the Inca empire. During the reign of the Spanish viceroyalty, evangelizing missions were able to make few inroads with the Yuracare. Later, beginning with the second half of the 20th century, Quechuas and Aimaras migrated to the same area to practice agriculture. Now, a new chapter has been written in the story of the Yuracares with this years publication of a Yuracare-Spanish dictionary  an attempt to save a language currently spoken by some 900 individuals.

Developed over the course of a quarter-century, the new reference book was finally published in September. It has more than 6,000 entries, and though previous versions do exist  one hails from as far back as the 19th century  it is the most complete, and the only one to offer a grammatical decoding of the language. At least, that is how it is being presented by its creators: French anthropologist Vincent Hintzel and Dutch ethnolinguist Rik van Gijn, who met while carrying out their post-graduate studies in the tropical regions of Bolivia. They were joined by Geronimo Ballivian Asencio Chavez, Alina Flores and Rufino Yabeta, four members of the 6,500-person Yuracare community, according to a 2024 census.

Ballivian is 77 years old, which is within the average age range of the majority of those who speak Yuracare today. He spends his time working as a carpenter, mechanic, woodworker, architect and language teacher. He lives in the tropical Cochabamba region, one of the Bolivian departments, along with Beni, that form the traditional lands of his people. I am very happy with the dictionary, it is a gift from God, he says. Ballivian was converted to Christianity by foreign missionaries when he was 12 years old. He has witnessed the gradual disappearance of his ancestral religion, wardrobe, social practices and funeral rites. Still, he carries a strong conviction that his community will ensure the survival of its culture, a mission that is reflected in the work of organizations like the Institute of Yuracare Language and Culture (ILCY).

A Yuracare woman carries firewood. JAN JOSEPH STOK

There is a lot of work to be done with our history. Marriage, dances, celebrations, how to live  these things are no longer practiced. If no one tells about it, writes about it, explains it, with time, it will be lost, says the septuagenarian. He speaks of building a small wooden building where people will be able to meet and be taught the history and culture of his people. There needs to be Yuracare documents, even laws. I would have liked to make a book to distribute in schools. It will be the children themselves who tell many things to their parents.

One of the reasons behind the extinction of these traditions has to do with their practitioners shame when they encountered the moral norms of the Western world, according to the French perspective of the dictionarys co-author Hintzel. The anthropologist lived for long stints, beginning at the end of the last century, with Yuracare families and witnessed their now-extinct rites of initiation into adulthood, in which adolescent men and women inserted animal bones into their bodies. There was a terrible pressure at the time from the neighboring colonized Andeans, who called these customs savage and barbaric. That didnt help in maintaining their practices. In their world vision, they are linked to a society that depended heavily on hunting, and required physical resistance to pain, says Hintzel.

Language would seem to be the last line of defense against cultural domination. It is the first bold step being taken by the peoples of the tropical regions of Bolivia, who are fewer and less organized relative to the Andeans, who have been demanding recognition and participatory citizenship since the 1990s. This mission was institutionalized in the countrys 2009 Constitution, which allowed Indigenous peoples to organize by territory. This is how their land was recognized, and the Yuracare Educational Council, the institution that supported and contributed to the dictionary, was created. The text looks to be an honest and up-to-date representation of the language, explaining the structure of prayers and using examples from everyday speech.

To Hintzel, this is the definitive version, compared to the three dictionaries that were previously published. Its a dictionary tied to grammar, which does not reduce it to a list of words or a vocabulary primer, says the anthropologist. Nor have we used translations of the Bible [as previous editions did], but rather, of the ontological narratives of the Yuracare, something that was not done by the missionaries. We collect what is said, from mythological examples to Christian ones.

Yuracare woman strains yucca chicha. JAN JOSEPH STOK

In the search for honesty, it was important to include the vast array of Yuracare words to describe the jungle environment crossed by numerous rivers where the community lives. They havent left any insect, sound, plant, bird or fish unnamed, says the French anthropologist. Everything is perfectly understood. With that comes an encyclopedic knowledge of the life of these species that co-exist in the same space. Every man and woman can recognize 260 kinds of birds, sometimes through their song, the color of their eggs, or the kind of fruit they eat alone. As with other Amazonian languages, Yuracare includes a large variety of onomatopoeia. There are songs dedicated to trees and animals, the wind and the waters, that are sung in order to win their favors. Shamans tend to obtain their powers from the patron spirit of the forest, who lives in a great house within the ceiba trees.

The dictionary is an important step towards staving off the disappearance of the language, but the problem is structural, not only due to the number of its speakers, but also, their average age. A significant proportion of people understand the language, but do not use it. Older adults speak the language among themselves, they can also speak it to their offspring, who know how to answer. But when their children go home, they dont speak Yuracare, they speak Spanish. And the grandchildren only hear it when they are with their grandparents, they understand less and speak poorly. Thats the situation among more or less three generations, says Hirtzel. The government has attempted to address this with the 2010 Avelino Sinani Law, which advocates for an inclusive educational system that respects cultural and linguistic diversity.

That initiative was promising, but its enactment has proven inefficient or frankly, nonexistent. It provides technical resources for the production of educational materials, but there are no Yuracare teachers. To avoid extinction, Hintzel says, the process requires political and decisive action by speakers. Such initiative would seem to correspond with the nature of a people that did not directly reject interaction with other cultures, preferring instead to retreat, rather than confront. As the dictionarys co-author puts it, the Yuracare are looking for their own path forward.

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Insecurity across northern Nigeria is forcing many Christians to avoid public worship and cancel Christmas travel plans, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the region has said.

The warning comes against a backdrop of escalating violence in December 2025, which has seen religious centres and residents specifically targeted by criminal groups.

The attacks are perpetrated by various armed groups and has led to the death and kidnap of thousands of people in recent years.

The Context: A Bloody December

CANs statement is a direct response to a series of harrowing incidents that have rocked the region in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

A few days ago, on 14 December, gunmen attacked the First ECWA Evangelical Church Winning All in Kogi State during a Sunday service. The assailants killed one worshipper and abducted approximately 30 others, turning a sanctuary into a crime scene.

This followed a massive security breach in Niger State in late November, where over 300 students and staff were abducted from St. Marys Catholic School. While some have been released, the sheer scale of the attack has left a lingering trauma across the North-central region. Over 100 students and staff are still with the kidnappers.

Similarly, in Plateau State, fresh attacks near Jos have claimed the lives of miners and villagers, with reports indicating that security agencies failed to act on advance warnings of the impending assaults.

The attacks have continued despite the efforts of security agencies. PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Office of the National Security Adviser recently stated that it is arming trained hunters and vigilantes in northern Nigeria to work with conventional security agencies to tackle insecurity in the region.

CANs Position

In a Yuletide statement issued on Thursday, CAN stated that these persistent attacks by bandits, terrorists, and other criminal groups have created widespread fear, making highways, rural communities, and even places of worship unsafe during the festive period.

The Chairman of Northern CAN, Yakubu Pam, said information available to the association indicates that a significant number of Christians now prefer to remain in their places of residence rather than travel to hometowns or attend church servicesa development he described as deeply troubling.

Christmas marks the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and is traditionally a season of family reunions and communal worship, Mr Pam said. Sadly, many Christians are reconsidering these traditions out of fear for their safety.

He noted that the situation represents a serious erosion of basic freedoms in a democratic society, with the rights to movement, worship, and peaceful assembly increasingly constrained by insecurity.

READ ALSO: Nigerian govt reopens 47 unity schools earlier shut over insecurity

Government Called to Action

According to the association, violent attacks and criminal activities across several northern states have undermined public confidence in the safety of major highways and worship centers.

CAN called on President Bola Tinubu, governors of the 19 northern states, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to take urgent and visible steps to secure lives and property throughout the Yuletide.

The group urged authorities to strengthen intelligence-driven security operations to prevent attacks before they occur, and deploy adequate personnel to vulnerable communities, major highways, churches, and other public gathering points.

The assurance of safety for all citizens, regardless of faith or ethnicity, is fundamental to national unity and social stability, the association said.

While calling on the government to act decisively, CAN also appealed to Christians to exercise vigilance and wisdom, while remaining steadfast in faith and prayer.

Even in moments of great trial, we must continue to embody the message of peace, hope, and resilience which this season signifies, Mr Pam said, expressing optimism that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges through purposeful leadership and collective responsibility.

The association concluded by insisting that the darkness of insecurity will not prevail.
President Bola Tinubu has urged governors and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rally behind proposals for state police and the full implementation of local government autonomy, saying the partys growing political dominance must be matched by concrete governance reforms.

The president made the appeal at the 14th meeting of the APC National Caucus in Abuja on Thursday, where he challenged governors to support the recent Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils and to ensure strict compliance with its provisions.

The APC National Caucus meeting is one of the partys highest decision-making fora, bringing together the President, Vice President, national officers of the party, governors elected on the partys platform, leaders of the National Assembly and other key stakeholders.

It serves as a platform for reviewing political developments, setting broad policy directions and strengthening internal cohesion within the party.

Meetings of the caucus are typically used to deliberate on major national issues, assess the performance of the party in government and agree on strategies ahead of elections or key legislative reforms. Resolutions reached at the caucus often shape the partys position on governance, security, the economy and constitutional matters.

Mr Tinubu, addressing governors and senior party officials, said leadership responsibility must extend beyond federal and state levels to the grassroots, warning that political victories would be short-lived without effective governance at the local level.

You are in a leadership position that must continue to promote tolerance and flexibility, the President said.

He said sustainable reforms depend on cooperation among the federal government, states and local councils.

On security, Mr Tinubu said his administration remained committed to the establishment of state police as a response to Nigerias worsening insecurity. He disclosed that he had recently assured partners in the United States and Europe of Nigerias resolve to pursue the reform.

According to him, the APCs control of the National Assembly strengthens the prospects of the required legislation. They asked if I am confident, and I said yes. I have a party to depend on. I have a party that will make it happen, he said, adding that failure was not an option.

The president stressed that local government autonomy must go beyond judicial pronouncements, insisting that statutory allocations should be paid directly to councils.

There is no autonomy without a funded mandate. We will give them their money directly. That is compliance with the Supreme Court, he said.

Mr Tinubu also called for unity within the party, urged reconciliation where there are disagreements and commiserated with the Bayelsa State Government over the death of the states deputy governor. He encouraged party members to pray for national stability.

In addition, the president renewed his call for greater inclusion of women in APC structures, particularly within the National Caucus, to promote gender balance. He also informed the meeting that he would present the national budget to the National Assembly later on Friday.

Earlier, Vice President Kashim Shettima, while welcoming caucus members, cautioned against complacency within the ruling party, warning that rapid political expansion could breed internal weakness.

Rome was not destroyed by outside invaders. Rome was destroyed by the complacency of the Romans, Mr Shettima said.

He described the APC as a national force, citing its dominance across the South-south and North-central, strong majorities in the North-west, South-west and North-east, as well as recent defections by serving governors from opposition parties.

Mr Shettima assured new entrants into the party, including governors from Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Taraba states, that the APC was their political home and expressed confidence about the partys prospects in the 2027 elections.

Be assured that 2027 is there for us waiting. APC is here to stay, he said.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday warned state governors that he may be compelled to issue an Executive Order to ensure direct allocations to local governments if they fail to comply with a Supreme Court ruling affirming financial autonomy for Nigerias third tier of government.

The president delivered the warning during the 15th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, attended by governors, National Working Committee members, and other party leaders.

Mr Tinubu had earlier sounded a similar warning at the APCs 14th National Caucus meeting on Thursday, emphasising that local government autonomy cannot be achieved without a funded mandate.

Reiterating his earlier directive, the president said non-compliance by state governments could force the federal government to directly release funds to local councils through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying, give them their money directly, Mr Tinubu told NEC members. If you wait for my Executive Order, because I have the knife, I have the yam, I will cut it. Im just being very respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you dont start to implement it, FAAC after FAAC you will see.

The presidents remarks follow the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 11 July, 2024, which upheld a federal government suit seeking to enforce financial independence for local governments. In a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel declared it unconstitutional for state governments to retain or manage funds meant for local councils.

The court ordered that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to local governments, as provided under Section 162 (58) of the Constitution.

Despite the ruling, many state governments have continued to channel local government funds through joint accounts, a practice the apex court deemed unlawful.

Mr Tinubu stressed the importance of compliance, warning that continued violations could trigger federal intervention.

The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment, he said, underlining the administrations commitment to enforcing local government financial autonomy.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Caretaker Committee faction backed by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has dissolved State Working Committees in 14 states.

The decision was announced in a communique issued after the factions meeting on Thursday in Abuja, read by acting Publicity Secretary, Haruna Jungun.

Mr Jungun said the affected states are Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano and Lagos.

He said the committee also assigned portfolios to members to strengthen the administration and coordination of party activities nationwide.

The National Caretaker Committee further ratified the dissolution of some state executives while confirming caretaker committees in those states, Mr Jungun said.

He listed the following appointments: Adenike Ogunse as womens leader, Deji Doherty as deputy national secretary, and Olaka Nwogu as treasurer.

Others named were Mr Jungun as publicity secretary and Ibrahim Bala-Aboki as national youth leader.

Mr Jungun said a timetable for state congresses was approved, beginning on 9 January 2026, to be followed by a national convention.

Assuring members of party unity, the spokesperson rejected claims that INEC had recognised the Taminu Turaki-led executive.

There is only one genuine and legitimate PDP, headed by Abdulrahmah Mohammed, he said.

He challenged Mr Turaki to produce the code used to upload his executives on INECs portal, describing reports of recognition as false.

Earlier, acting National Chairman Abdulrahmah Mohammed said the meeting aimed to keep the party on a lawful and stable path.

We have only one PDP under my leadership, aligned with the party constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Mohammed said.

(NAN)
The family of a slain truck driver in Abia State, Chinedu Ukwu, has appealed to Governor Alex Otti of Abia to assist them in their difficulties caused by the loss of their breadwinner.

Mr Ukwu, a father of four, died on 14 August 2024 after being hit by a stray bullet during a reported shootout between two police teams in Aba, Abia State.

He hailed from Ikpeze-Uno, Arondizuogu, a community in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, but resided in Aba.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the shootout occurred between police patrol teams from the Police Area Command in Aba and another police team from Umuahia, the capital of Abia.

Residents claimed the operatives appeared to have mistaken themselves for members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the area.

But the police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, in a statement on 15 August 2024, said there was no credible evidence to suggest that police officers mistook themselves for members of IPOB and fired at each other.

What we can confirm is that there was a shooting in that area, which resulted in the death of a civilian, said Ms Chinaka, now a deputy superintendent of police.

Plea for help

In a letter to Mr Otti, Daniel Ukwu, a brother of the deceased and head of the bereaved family, appealed to the governor to render any kind of assistance because the family has been battling severe hardship since the loss of their breadwinner.

Sir, the condition of the family is dire, the family head said in the letter dated 15 December 2025.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained a copy of the letter,r which was acknowledged on 16 December by the Abia governors office.

Daniel, who wrote through his lawyer, C.C. Okoro, told the governor that he (Daniel) initially stepped in as the familys breadwinner due to the incident, but has not done much because he retired as a banker in July 2012.

I now live entirely on (my) meagre pension, he said.

Daniel further pleaded with the governor to extend help to the family, who he said are presently languishing in abject and horrible poverty.

We respectfully urge you to seize the opportunity of this Yuletide Season of love and humanity to ameliorate the stark condition of the helpless widow and children of late Chinedu Ukwu.

We believe in you, and we trust in your capacity to settle this financial intervention, which we consider a privilege, he said.

The family head hailed Mr Otti for his intervention during the period, which enabled the family to take possession of Mr Ukwus corpse for burial after the initial hiccups.

PREMIUM TIMES understands that the Ukwus family had written similar letters of request to the governor in the past.

Background

Days after his death, the family appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and assist them in their quest for justice.

They argued that the death of their breadwinner was due to the recklessness of the two police teams.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police in Abia initially declined to release Mr Ukwus corpse to the family.

Daniel, the family head, told this newspaper in November 2024 that the police claimed they were keeping the corpse because they suspected that the slain driver was an IPOB member.

We have waited for them for more than two months to come up with their findings, but we havent seen anything, Daniel had said in November 2024.

He added that the police had also prevented them from seeing the corpse at the mortuary.

The family head later told PREMIUM TIMES that the police released the corpse to the family on 21 January 2025.

They gave us the tally and letter of authority to bury (the corpse), he said.

He said the development came about three days after the family petitioned Governor Otti, over the incident and the refusal of the police to release the corpse.

After our petition, we were invited to the Abia Government House and wrote a statement, and the governor ordered an investigation into our petition, he recalled.

READ ALSO: Gov Otti appoints acting SSG

We collected the mortuary tally and the letter of authority to bury from the State Criminal Investigation Department of the police last Tuesday (21 January 2025).

The family subsequently buried the deceased in February, six months after he was shot dead.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES in November 2024 detailed how the family had been battling to survive following the death of their breadwinner.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed opposition criticism of the ruling party, saying recent political realignments across the country underscore the APCs growing national appeal and organisational strength.

Speaking at the partys National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mr Yilwatda said the partys growing appeal stems from deliberate efforts to build a pan-Nigerian political platform grounded in progressive principles.

He added that the partys structured mobilisation campaigns across the country continue to draw Nigerians from diverse backgrounds, enhancing organisational strength ahead of future elections.

The chairman highlighted recent defections by governors and political networks as evidence of the APCs increasing attractiveness.

The trend is clear: more Nigerians are choosing to be part of APC, he said, noting that these movements are bolstering the partys capacity for upcoming electoral contests.

He further pointed to the APCs commanding presence in the National Assembly, with majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Mr Yilwatda credited lawmakers for strengthening party outreach and attracting members from rival parties through effective engagement and advocacy.

In addition, he announced the partys progress in digitising its membership register via an electronic registration system. According to the chairman, the initiative will improve transparency, accuracy, efficiency, and internal democratic processes, while providing data-driven insights for strategic planning.

The NEC meeting followed the meeting of the partys national caucus on Thursday, where party leaders reviewed electoral strategies and coordination ahead of upcoming elections, consolidating positions at both the national and state levels.

President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima attended the NEC meeting, alongside top party officials and stakeholders.

The gathering concluded with a firm commitment to national unity, continued party expansion, and preparation to maintain governance despite opposition pressure.
Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, widely known as K1 De Ultimate or KWAM1, has urged the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode, to halt the process of installing a new Awujale of Ijebuland.

In the suit dated 16 December, the artist, a claimant to the Awujale throne, wants the court to halt the process of selecting the next king of Ijebuland pending the hearing and determination of his substantive suit contesting his rejection by the Funsengbuwa Ruling House, widely regarded as the next in line to produce the next Awujale.

He named Governor Dapo Abiodun as the first respondent, alongside the chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Secretary of the Local Government, the chairman of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, and the chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the Nigerian Tribune reported.

He asked the court to issue an interlocutory injunction restraining the respondents from taking any further steps in the Awujale selection and installation process pending the determination of the substantive suit.

His requests are contained in the ex parte motion he filed along with his substantive suit, arguing that an interim injunction is necessary to protect his interest and preserve the subject matter of the dispute from being altered or interfered with by the respondents.

As of the time of filing this report, the court had not fixed a date for the hearing of the application.

Awujale Stool

The succession tussle for the stool of the Awujale has generated intense interest across Ijebuland, with more than 60 princes reportedly expressing interest.

One of the most controversial figures in the unfolding contest is Mr Ayinde, who had expressed interest in the vacant Awujale stool, a claim he anchored on his alleged lineage to the Jadiara Royal House within the broader Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

However, the Fusengbuwa family rejected the claim, insisting that he has no ancestral link to the ruling house.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported the Ogun State Governments decision to halt the ongoing nomination exercise and order a restart, citing procedural lapses that could trigger prolonged legal disputes.

The intervention came after the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, next in line under the rotational arrangement provided in the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, moved to convene a nomination meeting on 15 December. The exercise was aimed at selecting candidates to succeed Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died in July at the age of 91 after a 65-year reign.

In a letter dated 11 December, the ruling house had announced the planned meeting. However, it was later postponed, with the chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House confirming that the decision followed an intervention by the state government.

Government officials said the move was necessary to ensure strict compliance with the 2021 Obas and Chiefs Law and the 1957 Chieftaincy Declaration, warning that any deviation from the prescribed process could expose the succession exercise to litigation.

Authorities had identified procedural flaws in how the nomination process was initiated, prompting the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to convene a stakeholders meeting and direct that the exercise be cancelled and restarted in line with established legal and traditional requirements.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including four teenagers aged between 15 and 19, for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping and circulating a distress video to extort money from the family of a schoolboy.

The suspects were arrested on 17 and 18 December at the Volkswagen Roundabout and the Ago Palace area of the state by operatives of the commands Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad.

In a statement posted on its X handle, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the case was initially reported on 26 November at the Ago Palace Police Division as a missing-person complaint after a video showing a schoolboy pleading for help went viral on social media, triggering public concern.

Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that the alleged kidnapping was staged by the supposed victim, a 15-year-old (name withheld), in collaboration with four of his friends, the police said.

According to the police, the suspects carried out the act in the room of one of their associates, Umeh Victor, where a fake kidnappers den was arranged and the distress video recorded.

Those arrested include the 15-year-old supposed victim and another 17-year-old friend of his (name withheld). The rest are Umeh Victor, 19, whose room was allegedly used as the supposed hideout for the fake kidnap activities, David Odudu, 19; and Anyabike Kingsley, 20.

Further investigations showed that the suspects allegedly conspired to extort money from Mr Aligwos mother, who had recently received about N4 million from a contribution.

To make the fake kidnapping appear real, the suspects recorded and circulated a distress video showing Victor Aligwo pleading for help, thereby creating fear and panic in the mind of his mother and family, the police said.

The police disclosed that a ransom of N1.7 million was paid and transferred to the bank account of one of the suspects before the boy was released, after which the money was allegedly shared among them.

Investigators said they traced the Point-of-Sale terminal used for the ransom transaction, leading to the arrest of all five suspects.

The suspects are currently in police custody and will be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction after the conclusion of investigations, the police said.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Olohundare Jimoh, warned criminal elements to desist from all forms of crime, assuring residents that the command would continue to ensure the safety of lives and property.

He also urged members of the public not to panic over unverified social media content and to report suspicious activities through the commands emergency lines.

Fake kidnap videos

The Lagos State Police Command has, in recent years, debunked several viral videos alleging kidnapping incidents in parts of the state, warning that misinformation can incite panic and threaten public safety.

In March 2024, detectives of the command arrested four individuals, including the supposed victim, over the alleged orchestration of a fake kidnapping in which a distress video was sent to the victims family to demand a N5 million ransom.

Police have repeatedly cautioned residents against spreading unverified information on social media, stressing that false narratives can disrupt public peace and endanger innocent lives.
President Bola Tinubu has transmitted fresh Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills for 2024 and 2025 to the House of Representatives, seeking to repeal the existing budgets and replace them with revised expenditure frameworks aligned with current fiscal realities.

The request was announced on Friday during plenary by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, while reading a letter from the president titled, Transmission of the Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills, 2024 and 2025.

In the letter, Mr Tinubu informed the House that the bills were submitted in line with the constitutional and legislative appropriation process. He explained that the proposals were intended to address items not previously recognised in the budgets and to strengthen fiscal planning, execution and accountability.

According to him, the first bill seeks to repeal the 2024 Appropriation Act of N35.06 trillion and re-enact it with an increased total expenditure of N43.56 trillion for the year ending 31 December 2025.

The proposed figure comprises N1.74 trillion for statutory transfers, N8.27 trillion for debt service, N11.27 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and N22.28 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions.

The second bill seeks to repeal the 2025 Appropriation Act of N54.99 trillion and re-enact it with a reduced total expenditure of N48.32 trillion for the period ending 31 March 2026. The revised proposal allocates N3.65 trillion for statutory transfers, N4.32 trillion for debt service, N13.59 trillion for recurrent non-debt expenditure, and N16.71 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions.

Mr Tinubu noted that the revised budgets reflect a capital implementation target of 30 per cent, which he said was more consistent with prevailing fiscal conditions and the governments execution capacity. He added that the proposal also seeks to extend the implementation of the 2025 budget to 31 March 2026 to ensure the full release of the targeted capital allocation to all ministries, departments and agencies.

The House of Representatives is invited to note that the bills are submitted to cater for all items not previously recognised, while also reflecting a revised capital implementation target of 30 per cent.

In addition, this adjustment aligns with current fiscal realities and execution capacities, while ensuring that budget performance remains credible and transparent.

It further seeks to extend the 2025 Budget to March 31, 2026, to allow for full release of the target 30 per cent for all MDAs, it read.

The president described the request as part of broader fiscal reform measures aimed at eliminating the overlap of multiple concurrently running budgets.

According to him, the reforms are designed to strengthen planning, improve execution and enhance accountability across government expenditure cycles, while providing a transparent and constitutionally grounded appropriation framework.

He further explained that the bills contain provisions to tighten implementation discipline, including strict application of appropriated funds to purposes specified in the schedules, limitations on virement without prior approval of the National Assembly, conditions for corrigenda where genuine errors may hinder implementation, and separate recording of excess revenue.

The proposals also require that excess revenue be spent only with legislative approval and mandate due-process compliance, as well as periodic reporting on fund releases and agency revenues.

Mr Tinubu informed the House that the new submission supersedes an earlier letter dated 16 December. He appealed to lawmakers to consider and pass the bills expeditiously.

After reading the letter, Mr Tajudeen said the House leadership had consulted with the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and the Clerk of the House and agreed that the documents should be referred to the committee for detailed legislative action.

Honourable colleagues, we have agreed with the Chairman of Appropriation and the Clerk that it will be better if we refer this document to the Appropriation Committee and reconvene on Tuesday next week to consider the two requests, the speaker said.

The House subsequently referred the bills to the committee for further consideration and report.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, on Friday, met with leaders of the two warring factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections, as well as the governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states.

Mr Amupitan, while addressing the party leaders at the commissions headquarters in Abuja, stated that the meeting had become necessary following several correspondence received by the commission from various parties requesting various things.

He said that INEC, as an independent commission with a statutory mandate to monitor the activities of political parties and to conduct elections, deemed it necessary to invite the warring groups within the party for the meeting.

The FCT election is coming up on 24 February, 2026, while the Ekiti election will be coming up in June 2026, and that of Osun in July 2026.

As a build-up to these elections, we have issued our own schedule of activities to all the political parties, and we are on course to ensure that we have a very smooth election at the Area Council of FCT and at Ekiti and Osun states.

We have decided to invite all the parties, especially the fact that we have received conflicting correspondence from the Peoples Democratic Party.

We felt that this rubbing minds together would be a good opportunity for us to forge the way forward concerning the elections.

Im happy that this morning, we have the very top officials that are present here. So that we can discuss as a family and see how the issues can be resolved and we move forward.

We are guided by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act and the regulations that have been made by INEC, he said.

Mr Amupitan said the commission was mindful of the need for us to maintain the sanctity of the constitution as well as the Electoral Act and the guidelines.

Actually, INEC sits on the tripod, three-legged regimes; the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the regulations that have been made.

So, we are determined to ensure that we follow the provisions of the various laws, the constitution and the regulations that we have made, he said.

The INEC chairman called for frank discussions to achieve the objectives of the meeting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting later went into a closed-door session.

At the meeting are the National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki and members of his National Working Committee (NWC), Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, and a former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, among others.

Also at the meeting were the factional acting National Chairman, PDP National Caretaker Committee, Abdulrahaman Mohammed and members of his own NWC, the factional National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, Umar Bature and others.

(NAN)
The San Juan River offers a way to deliver the promised volume of water to the United States, but the prolonged drought is forcing the countries to reform their agricultural models to comply with the bilateral agreement in the medium and long term

Water management has become a ticking time bomb for the Mexican government, which is simultaneously battling on both the international and domestic fronts to prevent it from exploding. The Trump administration is pressuring Mexico with more tariffs to force its southern neighbor to settle its water debt of nearly one billion cubic meters, of which Mexico has committed to delivering 249 million before the end of January. Meanwhile, the high demand for water from the agricultural sector is forcing President Claudia Sheinbaum to perform a balancing act to avoid jeopardizing access to water for irrigation systems in the north of the country. With international reservoirs at critically low levels, the president must resort to sources outside the 1944 treaty, a temporary measure that helps alleviate the emergency but does not solve the problem in the long term. From a practical standpoint, Mexico can comply, but at what cost? It is giving away everything it has, experts summarize. The complications will begin on February 1.

The dams stipulated in the 1944 bilateral agreement, La Amistad and La Falcon, are currently at 24.1% and 11.5% capacity, respectively. They receive water from the six rivers that supply the water deliveries across the border  2.158 billion cubic meters every five years. The Conchos River typically absorbs the majority of this water, but the prolonged drought has rendered it insufficient to meet Mexicos obligations. Attention is now focused on the Lower Bravo region in Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, through which the San Juan River flows and where the Marte R. Gomez Dam is located. That area is much wetter and receives more rainfall than Chihuahua currently and in recent years, notes Alfonso Cortez, director of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Colef) in Mexicali, who believes that the 249 million cubic meters to which Mexico has committed are at the limit of what it can deliver.

This isnt the first time this dam has been used to cover the debt, notes Mario Lopez Perez, an expert on the subject with decades of experience at the National Water Commission (Conagua): Its the emergency measure Mexico uses when it cant complete its deliveries [...] In the last 10 years, it has been used at least three times. Using this reservoir is highly unusual, as it contains water considered entirely Mexican and therefore not subject to any obligation to the United States.

The treaty, however, has long taken into account this possibility, with the first trace found in 1947 in Minute 186, a type of document that functions as an annex and has the same legal force as the treaty itself. We understand that Mexico intends to divert the water discharged from the Marte R. Gomez Dam into the Rio Grande only during periods when it is not delivering water from the same source for use in the United States, reads the engineers memorandum. Minutes 234 and 331, from 1969 and 2024 respectively, formalize the possibility of transferring Mexican waters northward.

This reservoir is currently at 111% capacity, according to daily monitoring by Conagua, but its use starting this week is complicated by the beginning of the irrigation season in District 026, which covers a very large area supplied by it. The small La Fragua, Las Blancas, or Luis L. de Leon dams could also be used, at their respective costs. Its an option that [the government] will have to discuss with the states involved, to see if theres a possibility of affecting the uses for which they already have water allocated, says Rodrigo Israel, a specialist at the College of Public Education (Colef). It all depends on whether Mexico has the political will to deliver as much water as possible, perhaps by telling farmers: This year Im not going to deliver as much water, but Im going to pay you for it, or by making an investment in infrastructure. For example, they could invest in desalination plants or irrigation technology.

The Marte R. Gomez reservoir in Camargo, Tamaulipas, in an archive image. Gobierno de Tamaulipas

There are some precedents in this regard, in Chihuahua and especially in the Colorado River basin, where responsibilities are reversed: the United States is obligated to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water to Mexico each year, sometimes with great difficulty. Since 2012, successive agreements have included  as a preventative measure  the possibility of using certain formulas to optimize water conservation through infrastructure investments, and since 2020, land-rest programs have been implemented: compensatory mechanisms to prevent farmers from harvesting in exchange for a payment that makes up for the money lost due to the work not carried out.

The United States used this mechanism in 2024 and 2025, and it is also planned for next year, explains Cortez, who believes something similar should be done in the other basin. Its a monumental task, but it was here too, and its been underway for the last five years, the expert argues. These mechanisms exist to address emergencies, but we cant keep putting out fires every five years because they are very costly. You have to make structural changes to flatten the water demand curve.

For about a quarter of a century, the lines of water supply and demand have intersected, experts say. The volume required has long exceeded what is available, and there is little control over the latter because it depends on weather conditions. The only solution is to reduce demand. The Rio Grande basin is over-allocated. If you add drought to that, the problem is exacerbated. What you need is for there not to be the deficit we have today under normal conditions, summarizes Lopez.

Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, in Boulder City, Nevada (USA), on March 14. Kevin Carter (Getty Images)

Problems will pile up in February, the day after the first debt payment is due. If the government manages to fulfill its commitments, another 737 million cubic meters will still need to be delivered, in addition to the 431 million cubic meters that Mexico must release annually, on average, to its northern neighbor to enter the next cycle without accumulating debt. This implies an average of 53 million cubic meters per month for the next year, assuming a uniform rate of release. If there arent significant changes in binational water policy, a conflict could erupt by 2030, and thats what we need to avoid, says Cortez. This means that farmers in Texas and Chihuahua will have to change their production methods. I dont see any other solution for the future, or well continue to accumulate debt, he concludes.

There are two clocks attached to the ticking time bomb that Sheinbaum must manage with extreme care. One is controlled by Trump, who has threatened to impose 5% tariffs on Mexican goods if the first 250 million cubic meters arent delivered next month, even though the country has until 2030, at the end of the current cycle, to comply: 2026 is a midterm election year, and this has become a central issue for Texas Republicans, where the crucial support of workers is at stake. To the south, the second ticking clock is controlled by a sector with a deep sense of grievance and in the middle of a tug-of-war with the president over low prices and the new national Water Law. Farmers have just reached an agreement with the government to avoid further blockades at Christmas, but nothing guarantees that the truce will be permanent. Pressure is mounting on both sides of the border, and time is running out.

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Nigeria has recorded notable progress in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), exceeding global targets for lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, as a Gates Foundationsupported project officially concluded.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the close-out ceremony and virtual results presentation of the Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis and Onchocerciasis in Nigeria Assessment to Stop Ivermectin Treatment Project.

Mr Salako said the outcomes represent a major boost to Nigerias public health response and align with the World Health Organisations (WHO) 2030 roadmap for NTDs.

Millions removed from mass treatment

Mr Salako explained that findings from the project show that more than 31.1 million Nigerians no longer require mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis, while 16 million people no longer need ivermectin treatment for onchocerciasis.

He noted that the figures exceed the projects original target of 27 million people and demonstrate that Nigeria delivered results beyond expectations.

Mr Salako added that the achievements place the country on a stronger path towards interrupting disease transmission and eventual elimination.

Gates Foundation project and implementation

The project commenced in 2022 and was initially designed as a 17-month intervention but was extended until September 2025 at no additional cost to ensure sustainability and maximise impact.

The Gates Foundation committed about $4.9 million to support epidemiological, entomological and transmission assessment surveys across several states.

Sightsavers served as grant manager in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and other implementing partners.

According to Mr Salako, Nigeria achieved 148 per cent of its target for lymphatic filariasis assessments and 150 per cent of its target for onchocerciasis assessments during the project period.

He said the intervention also delivered 46 pre-transmission assessment surveys (TAS), 116 transmission assessment surveys covering TAS 1 and TAS 3, as well as a breeding site assessment.

Health system strengthening gains

Beyond disease control outcomes, Mr Salako said the project contributed significantly to strengthening Nigerias health system.

He explained that it supported laboratory upgrades, trained more than 300 field personnel and 65 laboratory technicians, and improved sample transportation systems through certified logistics providers.

The project also supported the development of national policies on sample retention and disposal, helping to strengthen quality assurance and surveillance systems.

Commitment to sustaining gains

Mr Salako expressed appreciation to the Gates Foundation, Sightsavers, the Non-Governmental Development Organisation (NGDO), Coalition for Neglected Tropical Diseases, state ministries of health and other partners for their collaboration and transparency throughout the project.

He also commended the Department of Public Health, the national coordinator for neglected tropical diseases and technical committees for providing leadership and scientific guidance.

Mr Salako said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare remains committed to sustaining the gains recorded, strengthening surveillance and accelerating progress towards eliminating neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria.

Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases that mainly affect people living in poor, rural and tropical communities with limited access to clean water, sanitation and adequate healthcare.

They are described as neglected because, despite affecting millions of people globally, they receive far less attention and funding than major diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

NTDs are caused by parasites, bacteria, viruses and other organisms that thrive in environments marked by poor hygiene, unsafe water and inadequate housing.

These diseases often result in chronic illness, disability, disfigurement and social stigma, trapping affected communities in cycles of poverty and limiting economic productivity.

READ ALSO: 24 women graduate from Women in Global Health Nigeria fellowship

Globally recognised NTDs include onchocerciasis (river blindness), a parasitic disease transmitted by blackflies that can cause intense itching and blindness; lymphatic filariasis, spread by mosquitoes and associated with severe swelling of the limbs; trachoma, a bacterial eye infection that can lead to irreversible blindness; and schistosomiasis, a parasitic infection linked to contact with contaminated freshwater.

Other NTDs include soil-transmitted helminth infections, leprosy, dengue and chikungunya.

According to the WHO, about 20 to 21 diseases fall under the NTD category, most of which are prevalent in regions with weak health systems and poor sanitation.
The chairperson of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, has called for a recalibration of anti-corruption frameworks at state and local government levels.

ICPC spokesperson, Okor Odey, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Odey explained that Mr Aliyu made the appeal at the 11th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in Doha.

The ICPC boss said this would help to address governance loopholes exploited through weak oversight structures.

Mr Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), stressed that corruption must be confronted where public resources and service delivery intersected most directly with

citizens.

He argued that tackling corruption solely at the federal level risked allowing systemic leakages to thrive at the local governments where institutional safeguards and public scrutiny were weakest and most vulnerable.

The ICPC chairman cited the fact that Nigeria had 774 Local Government Areas, noting that the commission did not possess the manpower to maintain presence in all LGAs.

He said the emphasis was on preventive strategies, including corruption risk assessments.

He referenced the eight pillars of assessment developed by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity as a useful tool for strengthening governance mechanisms.

The ICPC boss further emphasised the need for citizen engagement at the grassroots

He explained that this informed the creation of the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme in Local Government Areas (ACPP-LG), launched in April 2025.

The initiative is designed to proactively tackle corruption and related offences at the local government level by empowering communities, deepening transparency, and strengthening feedback mechanisms.

He urged state governments to institutionalise transparency frameworks, strengthen public financial management controls, and align procurement systems with global accountability standards.

He called for stronger collaboration among public institutions, oversight agencies, and civil society in the collective fight against corruption.

The chairman highlighted Nigerias vulnerability to revenue leakages and compromised project implementation.

He said this arose from opaque budgeting, inflated contracts, payroll fraud involving ghost workers, and weak audit processes at sub-national levels.

To achieve sustainable development and reduce poverty, he maintained that anti-corruption compliance must be embedded within the administrative culture of states and local governments.

(NAN)
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Saidu Mohammed and Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan as chief executive officers of Nigerias key petroleum regulatory agencies.

While Mrs Eyesan was confirmed as the CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Saidu Mohammed was confirmed as the CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the confirmations followed the consideration and adoption of the report by the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum (Upstream, Downstream and Gas), which conducted the screening of the nominees.

NAN also reports that the Senate acted on a request transmitted by President Bola Tinubu, seeking legislative approval for the appointments in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021.

Chairman of the joint committee, Kawu Sumaila, who presented the report, explained that the nominations were referred to the relevant committees following the plenary on 18 December.

He noted that Sections 2 and 29 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, establish the NUPRC and NMDPRA, respectively, while Sections 11(3) and 34(3) of the Act empower the President to appoint their chief executives, subject to Senate confirmation, for a renewable five-year term.

Mr Sumaila said that the joint committee conducted an extensive screening exercise, which included interactive sessions with the nominees to assess their qualifications, professional competence and responses to questions from lawmakers.

The joint committee, having screened the nominees and being satisfied with their qualifications, expertise and responses to the questions asked, hereby recommends that the Senate confirm their nominations, he said.

NAN reports that the Senate consequently dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider the report.

Following voice votes, the lawmakers unanimously approved the confirmation of both nominees and adopted the committees recommendations at plenary.

Presiding over the session, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau commended the joint committee for what he described as a thorough and timely exercise despite the limited time available

Mr Barau congratulated the confirmed chief executives and urged them to see their appointments as a call to national service.

You have been called to serve our nation. We expect you to discharge your duties diligently in a manner that will promote the interests of Nigeria and strengthen the petroleum sector, he said.

The Deputy Senate President expressed appreciation to the leadership and members of the joint committee, noting that their work would enhance regulatory efficiency and oversight in the countrys oil and gas industry.

(NAN)
Lagos-based journalist Friday Alefia was released from detention on Friday after 22 days behind bars, PREMIUM TIMES can report.

Mr Alefias release followed delays in meeting the stringent bail conditions set by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Speaking shortly after leaving Kuje Correctional Centre, Mr Alefia said he had finally fulfilled all court requirements.

After I was granted bail, we couldnt meet the conditions because the two sureties with the sum of N20 million each had to reside in Abuja, he told PREMIUM TIMES via WhatsApp call.

Delivering the ruling on 27 November, the judge, Obiora Egwuatu granted Mr Alefia bail of N20 million, with two sureties of similar sum.

The judge directed that one of the sureties must be a federal civil servant on at least Grade Level 15 and provide an employment letter, promotion letter, and official identity card, with the originals for verification.

The second surety must submit an affidavit of means, a six-month bank statement, and tax clearance certificates for the past three years. Both sureties addresses must be verified by the court.

Mr Alefia was detained at the instance of Chinedu Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, who accused him of publishing allegedly false reports.

The journalist faces five cybercrime charges related to the publications and had remained in custody for two months while attempting to meet the courts bail requirements.

Rights activists have criticised such requirements as unrealistic and frivolous, noting the difficulty defendants face in securing senior civil servants as sureties.

Earlier in January, rights activist and AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore similarly rejected bail conditions demanding a Level 17 civil servant, describing them as unrealistic and frivolous.

Delays

The case faced repeated delays in bail proceedings. At earlier sittings, the court fined the prosecution N50,000 for failing to properly serve its counter-affidavit opposing bail.

Mr Alefias lawyer, Israel Abida, told PREMIUM TIMES that proceedings stalled again on 24 November after the prosecution filed a counter-affidavit but neither served the defence nor submitted a copy to the court.

Because neither the court nor the defence had the counter-affidavit, we could not proceed, Mr Abida said.

Mr Alefia was also unable to move his bail application on 12 November for the same reason.

A similar lapse prompted the judge to adjourn the matter to 27 November and impose the N50,000 cost on the prosecution for what the defence described as an avoidable delay.

He was arrested in Lagos on 23 September, transferred to Abuja, and held for six weeks at the now-defunct SARS facility before being arraigned.

Arraignment

During the arraignment, the prosecution informed the court that the matter was scheduled for plea taking.

Mr Alefia pleaded not guilty to all five charges, while the judge entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of the second defendant.

Although the prosecution requested a hearing date, Mr Abida drew attention to a pending bail application.

The court noted that its file contained no such application, and the prosecution claimed it had not been served.

Mr Abida urged the court to grant a short adjournment, saying the defendant had been in custody for two months and that the prosecution was not opposed to bail.

The judge declined, saying he could not consider an unseen application.

He initially adjourned the trial until 27 January 2026 and ordered the defendants remand in Kuje prison before the defence secured an earlier bail hearing date of 27 November.

Charges

Count one accuses the defendants of conspiracy for allegedly using computer systems, including Facebook, to make false publications.

Count two alleges they published a report titled How Federal Lawmaker Ogah Snatches Village Land in Ebonyi, knowing it to be false.

In count three, Mr Alefia is accused of cyberstalking for allegedly posting a false statement quoting Ogah as saying: I rigged senatorial poll against Emmanuel Onwe.

Count four concerns a publication titled Ebonyi Rep Member Returns N4 Million Amidst Extortion Allegations, while count five relates to another report titled Ebonyi Rep Member Threatens Constituent for Supporting Charity Foundation.

All offences are said to violate Section 24(2)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act and are punishable under Section 24(2)(c)(i).

Mr Alefia now joins a growing list of Nigerians facing trial under the controversial cybercrime law.

Rights groups have increasingly criticised the Cybercrimes Act and strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) as tools to intimidate journalists and civil society.

In December, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) warned that authorities were exploiting legal loopholes to suppress criticism and limit civic space.

Veteran journalist Richard Akinnola described the Cybercrimes Act as being weaponised by political leaders, drawing parallels with the repressive Decree 4 of 1984.

The Centre for Journalism and Innovation Development (CJID) reported a rise in attacks on media practitioners nationwide, with Lagos recording persistent high-severity violations.

SERAPs Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, warned that arbitrary arrests, digital surveillance, and SLAPP suits pose a serious threat to freedom of expression and democracy.

SERAP and NGE urged governments, security agencies, and lawmakers to release individuals detained solely for exercising their rights, withdraw SLAPP suits, review restrictive laws including the Cybercrimes Act, protect journalists and human rights defenders, and respect court judgments.
President Bola Tinubu presented the 2026 budget proposal of N58.18 trillion to a joint session of the National Assembly on Friday, unveiling a fiscal plan centred on national renewal, stability, and sustainable development.

The budget, guided by the administrations Renewed Hope Agenda, lays emphasis on four critical pillars: security, education, health and infrastructure.

According to the president, these sectors are interlinked, forming the backbone of Nigerias path toward inclusive growth, economic diversification, and social stability.

These priorities are interlinked. Without security, investment will not thrive. Without educated and healthy citizens, productivity will not rise. Without infrastructure, jobs and enterprises will not scale. This is why the Budget is designed as one coherent programme of national renewal, he said.

The 2026 budget proposes a total revenue of 34.33 trillion and a total expenditure of 58.18 trillion, resulting in a fiscal deficit of 23.85 trillion, which represents 4.28 per cent of the GDP.

Mr Tinubu said the projections are based on conservative estimates, including a crude oil benchmark of US$64.85 per barrel, an expected crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US dollar.

Capital expenditure is projected at 26.08 trillion, while recurrent (non-debt) expenditure totals 15.25 trillion. These figures, according to the president, reflect the administrations commitment to striking a balance between fiscal prudence and the urgent need for growth-enhancing investments.

Security

In the 2026 budget, defence and security receive the largest single allocation, amounting to 5.41 trillion.

Mr Tinubu stressed that security remains the bedrock of economic growth and social cohesion.

According to him, the administration has embarked on a comprehensive overhaul of Nigerias national security architecture, emphasising modernisation, intelligence-driven operations, and the adoption of technology-enabled surveillance.

The president highlighted that the budget includes funding to strengthen the armed forces, expand personnel capacity, and procure advanced platforms and hardware to confront modern security threats.

A major component of this initiative is the implementation of a new national counterterrorism doctrine designed to address terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and other violent crimes with greater effectiveness.

The doctrine, Mr Tinubu said, represents a holistic redesign of the countrys security apparatus, anchored on unified command structures, intelligence coordination, community stability, and counter-insurgency strategies.

We will invest in security with clear accountability for outcomes because security spending must deliver security results, he said.

Under the new security framework, any armed group or individual operating outside the authority of the state is classified as a terrorist.

This broad categorisation includes bandits, militias, armed gangs, violent cult groups, forest-based armed collectives, and foreign-linked mercenaries.

Individuals or entities that facilitate, fund, shelter, or support these groups, including politicians, community leaders, traditional rulers, and religious leaders, are also considered terrorists.

Mr Tinubu emphasised that this rigorous definition is intended to eliminate ambiguity and ensure accountability in security operations.

Education and Health

Beyond security, the 2026 budget places significant emphasis on human capital development.

Education and healthcare together receive allocations of 6 trillion, with 3.52 trillion earmarked for education and 2.48 trillion for health.

Mr Tinubu noted that the quality of a nations people determines its development trajectory.

In education, the administration, Mr Tinubu said, has expanded access to tertiary institutions through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, which has supported over 418,000 students in collaboration with 229 tertiary institutions nationwide.

Funding, he said, will also support vocational and skills development, recognising the link between skills, employability, and national productivity.

Healthcare investment, which represents about six per cent of the total budget, is aimed at strengthening public health infrastructure, expanding access to primary and tertiary care, and reducing disease burden across the country.

ALSO READ: FOR THE RECORD: 2026 Budget Speech by President Bola Tinubu

Mr Tinubu highlighted a recent engagement with the Government of the United States, which has secured over US$500 million in grant funding for targeted health interventions in Nigeria.

These resources, he assured, would be deployed transparently to improve health outcomes and strengthen partnerships for sustainable development.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure development and economic productivity form the third critical pillar of the 2026 budget, with an allocation of 3.56 trillion.

In agriculture, Mr Tinubu underscored the strategic link between food security and national security. The budget, according to him, prioritises input financing and mechanisation, climate-resilient irrigation systems, and the development of storage, processing, and agro-value chains.

These measures are intended to reduce post-harvest losses, increase smallholder incomes, and deepen agro-industrialisation. By strengthening agricultural markets and value chains, the administration hopes to enhance the resilience of the Nigerian economy and reduce dependence on imports.

We will take decisive steps to strengthen agricultural markets. Food security is national security. The 2026 Budget prioritises input financing and mechanisation; irrigation and climateresilient agriculture; storage and processing; and agrovalue chains.

These measures will reduce post-harvest losses, improve incomes for smallholders, deepen agro-industrialisation, and build a more resilient economy, he added.
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has restated his long-standing position that he will retire from active politics after he is done with the governorship.

Mr Otti insisted that he has no presidential, vice presidential or senatorial ambition, according to a statement issued by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governors special adviser on media and publicity, on Friday, 19 December.

Mr Ekeoma stated that the governor gave the explanation on 19 December at Government House Umuahia, while reacting to a viral video, in which someone was berating him over his recent visit to the jailed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, alleging that he is nursing presidential or vice presidential ambition after the end of his tenure.

A Federal High Court in Abuja, in November, sentenced Mr Kanu to life imprisonment for terrorism.

Mr Otti, while acknowledging that divergence of opinion is part of democracy, said everyone is free to hold an opinion and that such opinion may not be right.

In the first place, that is the beauty of democracy. So people should hold their opinion, and we respect peoples opinion. And that you hold a different opinion doesnt mean you are right.

One of the things he talked about was my ambition after being governor.

And I had said it before, and I want to say it again, that by the time Im done with governorship, I will retire.

So I dont have presidential ambition, nor vice-presidential ambition. I also dont have senatorial ambition when I finish with the governorship.

I came on a mission, and when I deliver that mission, I will give way for younger people. So he was talking of Igbo presidency. I dont even understand what that means.

I think if his thesis is based on that assumption, the assumption has collapsed, because he wont see me on the ballot, Mr Otti stated.

According to him, it is important for a public official to know when to quit.

When you have done what you have been asked to do, you must take the exit door and give way for other people. Weve seen people here, after being governor, who went back to become local government chairmen. Thats not what we are here for. We are not cut out for those kind of things.

Why I visited Nnamdi Kanu  Otti

Governor Otti used the opportunity to explain his reasons for visiting Mr Kanu in Sokoto Correctional Centre.

The second point is about Nnamdi Kanu. And I dont want to put this matter in the public space so that it doesnt derail the discussions that we are having.

The truth about it is that exactly 24 months ago, I opened up discussions at the highest level on Nnamdi Kanu.

And going to see him is the right thing to do, because he comes from my state. In fact, he comes from this Local Government (Umuahia North, the Abia State capital).

And there are always different ways to solve a problem. I dont believe that the way to solve a problem is to ignore it. And I had written extensively, even about Nnamdi Kanu and Operation Pyton Dance, I think in 2017 or 2018. And I condemned it.

And I still condemn it. I cannot vouch for some of the recordings that the gentleman put in his video, where he said Nnamdi Kanu called for mutiny, I dont know about that! But then, I do know that two wrongs do not make a right, the governor explained.

Governor Otti said he knows that when an issue has been approached from the legal point of view, there is also another window, called the administrative point of view.

Im not a lawyer. And if the judiciary says the man has been sentenced to life imprisonment. That is certainly not the end. Because thats the court of first instance, theres still an opportunity to appeal, and then an opportunity to even go to the Supreme Court.

But what we are trying to do is to intervene. Im not a supporter of the disintegration of Nigeria.

So my position is that it would be insensitive of me to sit here and say one of our own, who has been convicted, should die when we have an opportunity to discuss, negotiate, and sue for peace. Even people convicted to death can be pardoned. Thats what Im working on. It has nothing to do with non-existent presidential ambition. Everything is not politics.
It was always going to take diplomatic engagement for the situation to be resolved, but diplomacy requires time and patience. Minister Tuggar and the Foreign Relations team applied tact and diplomatic know-how in this case, reaffirming the importance of dialogue, confidence-building, and the effectiveness of diplomacy in addressing sensitive issues. It is good to see that the engagement with the Burkinabe authorities achieved results.

Nigeria has never had expansionist tendencies, never been threatening towards our neighbours, and always chosen the path of peace and conciliation. This, in part, may have to do with the makeup of our polity and social fabric. Being such a huge country, we are used to the virtues of principled compromise.  Yusuf Tuggar

It has been an interesting few years in our Sahelian neighbourhood, where, for a while now, Nigeria has been forced to pay closer attention to, for different reasons, ranging from the broken state of Libya, and the inflow of arms and fighters from there, to the deteriorating security situation made worse by the hold on territories by terrorists, interest by non-African state actors, and the shadowy involvement of a range of foreign non-state actors, climaxing in the overthrow of democratic governments in three countries (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger), resulting in the diplomatic cold shoulder towards ECOWAS and the formation of a counter-force, in the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

That it is now a more dangerous neighbourhood, in which suspicion among neighbours has become unduly heightened, became evident over the last nine days, when a Nigerian C-130 Hercules aircraft had to make a precautionary landing in accordance with established safety procedures and international aviation protocols in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. What ordinarily ought to have been a routine processing of a distressed aircraft under humanitarian principles, as long as the crew followed the required protocols, was played up by the AES states, including Burkina Faso, which placed their air defences on high alert after the landing, labelling it as an unfriendly act. The incident would be further weaponised for the purposes of propaganda, with an extended period of detention of the Nigerian crew of 11 and the aircraft.

But as I had argued elsewhere, it would have been a surprise if the Burkinabe authorities had not seized the opportunity offered by the emergency landing to spin more yards of propaganda materials or leverage it for possible diplomatic engagement. Following the military coup in September 2022, ECOWAS members suspended Burkina Faso and imposed sanctions to pressure the regime for the restoration of democratic institutions.

That led to a limited engagement between the country and members of ECOWAS, including Nigeria, with the approach to the country moving from one of routine cooperation to conditional engagement, while prioritising regional stability and counter-terrorism courses of action. Though the sanctions were partially lifted in February 2024 for humanitarian reasons, with only political and targeted measures to pressure for civilian transitions retained, the relationship hardly saw any marked improvement.

It must have taken some level of consultations and high-wire engagement behind the scenes before the agreement that saw to President Bola Tinubu sending the Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and which included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerias Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, and Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Until the surprise visit to Ouagadougou by ECOWAS Chair and Sierra Leones President Julius Maada Bio, on 17 September, there had been no high-level visits by ECOWAS leaders to Burkina Faso since the 2022 Coup. Although Bio visited in August 2024, he did so at the behest of the UN Security Council Chair, not as a representative of ECOWAS.

So, having been largely kept at arms length by Nigeria and ECOWAS since the coup, this was an opportunity for Colonel Traores government to put on a show for its feel-good effect. The Burkinabe authorities will hold on to just about anything to further their desired narrative, which is exactly what played out here.

Nigeria handled things with the nous and maturity required for this situation, especially coming on the back of the role it played in foiling the coup in Benin Republic, which had obviously rubbed the AES military leaders the wrong way. But rather than rush into taking any rash decision that might have escalated tensions, especially in the face of a misinformation and disinformation campaign that is making wild claims, including one alleging that the aircraft was equipped with sophisticated geo-mapping systems and technology for transmitting real-time intelligence from the AES airspace to French bases, Nigeria applied tact and diplomatic know-how required to handle such a delicate situation without it degenerating. As Minister Yusuf Tuggar said in Ouagadougou, Nigerias priority in its engagement across West Africa is dialogue and regional cohesion. That was clearly demonstrated in this case.

It must have taken some level of consultations and high-wire engagement behind the scenes before the agreement that saw to President Bola Tinubu sending the Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, and which included the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerias Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, and Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The incident might have inadvertently opened the window for improvement in diplomatic relations between the two countries, with both sides agreeing to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, reflecting a shared resolve to promote peace, unity, and stability in the sub-region. Whatever happens, it always comes back to diplomacy, as we have seen in this case. Diplomacy usually finds a way to win. Eventually.

It is instructive that the talks did not only focus on the issue of the Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, but on advancing political, security, and economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on coordinated responses to regional security challenges and collective action through existing sub-regional frameworks.

Minister Tuggar reports that he not only conveyed a message of solidarity from President Bola Tinubu to President Ibrahim Traore, but the discussion dwelt on shared regional priorities and an exchange of views on cooperation in several sectors, allowing for a review of pathways for strengthening Nigeria-Burkina-Faso relations and advancing regional integration. He was said to have acknowledged the long-standing ties between the two countries, emphasising the importance of closer collaboration, especially in addressing shared security and development challenges across the Sahel and the wider West African region. It was in the spirit of the constructive engagement that the matter of the detention of the Air Force crew and the aircraft was resolved.

It was always going to take diplomatic engagement for the situation to be resolved, but diplomacy requires time and patience. Minister Tuggar and the Foreign Relations team applied tact and diplomatic know-how in this case, reaffirming the importance of dialogue, confidence-building, and the effectiveness of diplomacy in addressing sensitive issues. It is good to see that the engagement with the Burkinabe authorities achieved results.

The incident might have inadvertently opened the window for improvement in diplomatic relations between the two countries, with both sides agreeing to sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, reflecting a shared resolve to promote peace, unity, and stability in the sub-region. Whatever happens, it always comes back to diplomacy, as we have seen in this case. Diplomacy usually finds a way to win. Eventually.

Simbo Olorunfemi is a specialist on Nigerias foreign policy, a communications consultant, and managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Email: [email protected]
When Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo assumed office as Nigerias President and Vice President in May 2015, their partnership evolved into one of the most stable and institutionally coherent relationships in Nigerias democratic history. Across two full terms, President Buhari repeatedly demonstrated  through words, actions, and formal delegation of authority  his confidence in Osinbajos intellect, loyalty, and leadership capacity.

This record matters, not as political sentiment, but as evidence.

Trust Tested: Osinbajo as Acting President

One of the earliest and clearest demonstrations of Buharis confidence in Osinbajo came in February 2016, when the President voluntarily transmitted power to his Vice President during a brief vacation abroad. In Nigerias political history  where presidents have often clung to power even in absence  this was a notable act of trust.

That trust was tested more severely in 2017, during Buharis prolonged medical leave. Osinbajo served for months as Acting President, overseeing national security, economic management, and executive decision-making at a critical moment.

On Buharis return, there was no equivocation in his assessment:

I am pleased with the way the country was run in my absence.  President Muhammadu Buhari, March 2017

He went further, describing Osinbajos stewardship as fantastic and praising his decisiveness and energy. Governance, Buhari emphasised, had not stalled.

Authority, Delegation, and Institutional Integrity

In August 2018, while Osinbajo was Acting President, he approved the dismissal of the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). The decision provoked intense political pressure for reversal.

Buhari refused.

According to accounts of the episode, Buhari viewed any attempt to countermand Osinbajos lawful action as injurious to institutional stability and as an insult to the authority he had delegated to his Vice President. He stood by the decision  not as a passive observer, but as a President asserting that his deputys constitutional powers were real and enforceable.

This was not symbolic trust. It was operational trust.

Economic Management and Policy Leadership

Buhari consistently praised Osinbajos role in economic stewardship, particularly as Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC). Addressing traditional rulers in Ogun State, the President publicly acknowledged Osinbajos intellectual depth and policy contributions:

I am very pleased with his vast experience and intellect. He has captured effectively what the administration has done, and I commend him for playing a very great part in that. Thank you, Mr Vice President.

Buhari also commended Osinbajos leadership of the Federal Governments Social Investment Programmes, initiatives designed to cushion economic hardship and bring government closer to ordinary Nigerians. Under Osinbajos coordination, reforms under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and the Ease of Doing Business initiative moved Nigeria up 39 places on the World Bank ranking.

In a personal letter following a campaign incident, Buhari wrote to Osinbajo:

Im proud of our partnership and your unalloyed loyalty and your commitment to the service of Nigeria.

These were not casual compliments. They were deliberate presidential affirmations.

Private Encouragement and the 2023 Question

According to insider accounts, President Buhari privately encouraged Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential race, reportedly describing him as:

By far the best person for the job.

While Buhari refrained from publicly endorsing any aspirant during the primaries  a position he maintained consistently  this private assurance aligned with the pattern established over eight years: respect for Osinbajos competence and leadership.

Public Tributes and Repeated Affirmations

At the virtual launch of Osinbajo Strides: Defining Moments of an Innovative Leader in May 2023, Buhari described his Vice President as:

A dedicated and loyal compatriot with a passion for excellence and service to the masses.

Beyond singular events, Buhari marked Osinbajos birthdays with repeated public commendations:

 March 2019: Osinbajo was described as a loyal and dependable partner.

 March 2021 (at 64): Buhari praised him as a reliable and dedicated deputy and admirably competent, adding: Im proud to have selected Osinbajo as my running mate, and he has given a good account of himself since our journey began in 2015.

 March 2023: The Presidency again issued a statement praising Osinbajos service and commitment.

Across eight years, these affirmations were consistent, public, and documented.

The Evidentiary Contradiction

Set against this extensive record, the claim attributed to Mrs. Aisha Buhari  that President Buhari did not know Professor Yemi Osinbajo well enough to support his presidential ambition  presents a clear evidentiary contradiction.

For eight uninterrupted years, Osinbajo was not a distant associate or ceremonial deputy. He was Buharis closest constitutional partner: entrusted with executive authority for prolonged periods, praised for leadership during national uncertainty, defended when exercising delegated power, and consistently acknowledged as central to the administrations economic and social policy direction.

In governance, knowledge is not abstract. It is demonstrated through delegation, reliance, defense of authority, and repeated public endorsement. By these objective standards, Buhari knew Osinbajo fully  as a leader, administrator, and governing partner.

To suggest otherwise is not merely to offer an alternative recollection; it is to contradict a substantial public record composed of presidential speeches, official statements, letters, and decisive actions. Where retrospective narratives blur, evidence remains.

And in this case, the evidence is extensive, cumulative, and internally consistent. It does not support the assertion that Osinbajo was a man unknown to the President he served faithfully for eight years.

History, when properly documented, resists revision. And here, the record speaks with uncommon clarity.

Babafemi Ojudu was managing editor of TheNews and served in the Nigerian Senate.
I am very worried that there appears to be no one in the government that is concerned about our national interest. Which country in the world would a nationalist industrialist invest $20 billion to establish a massive petroleum complex and government agencies would be issuing import licenses for massive imports targeted at destroying our greatest industrial asset? How can the government promote a partnership with a foreign company that would outsource our tax data management, thereby exposing us to the foreign manipulation of our most important financial information?

Last week, Nigeria gave up its proud history of assertiveness and independence in the international system by signing off our tax data sovereignty to a foreign power. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) signed an MoU with the French Direction Generale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) to exercise technical oversight over our tax data. We live in interesting times, when an elected government would hand over our sovereignty without even flinching. There is no basis for such behaviour and we should know better. We know from experience that when INEC decided to drop foreign technical expertise and use local know-how in 2010-2011, the integrity of our voters list developed remarkably and we no longer suffered the indignity and anxiety of waiting upon a foreign country to give us our voters list in time for elections. We also had no more need to pay extortionate charges to a foreign company to allow us access to our own data. Have no doubt about it, when you give up your data to a foreign company, they own it and use it to their advantage.

I support the campaign by Dr Segun Adebayo, who has repeatedly made the case that the MoU with France is senseless because Nigeria does not need external digital tax infrastructure. Nigeria is a fintech powerhouse with some of the most powerful unicorns in the world  Flutterwave, PayStack, Interswitch, PiggyVest, Bamboo and NIBSS. We have massive internal capacity and we need to use our own resources. Our taxpayer data is national power and we must not hand it over to a foreign power that can use it to undermine our national security.

I am very worried that there appears to be no one in the government that is concerned about our national interest. Which country in the world would a nationalist industrialist invest $20 billion to establish a massive petroleum complex and government agencies would be issuing import licenses for massive imports targeted at destroying our greatest industrial asset? How can the government promote a partnership with a foreign company that would outsource our tax data management, thereby exposing us to the foreign manipulation of our most important financial information? How can we do this at a time when so many African countries are liberating themselves from the stranglehold of French neo-colonial control? How can we offer ourselves willingly to that control in spite of the massive risk of the loss of our sovereignty? How can we even envisage a foreign power keeping the details of the incomes and expenditures of every tax payer and corporate body in our country? Is there no nationalist in the ruling APC government?

We Nigerians should all be concerned and express our opposition to the attempt to hand over the most personal and sensitive corporate database of all Nigerians to France by the FIRS. The harm done by handing over not just financial details but also identity data, including BVN and NIN records, collected from Nigerians to a foreign entity is immense. We are about to be handed over to France on a platter of gold and the entire Western intelligence network

France has a long history of seeking to control the data sovereignty of its neo-colonies. French neo-colonialism in Africa is anchored on its control of the currencies and foreign reserves of its client states. On matters of data sovereignty, the French company, Gemalto (now part of Thales) controlled the electoral roll and biometric systems for elections in African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea and Burkina Faso. During the 2018 elections, serious problems arose over the reliability of the technology provided and there was nothing the country could do. France has a long history of extending and deepening its neo-colonial control through corrupt data generating companies. Currently, Gemalto is under investigation in France over corruption relating to how it obtained contracts to secure juicy ID document contracts in six African countries. According to French investigative publication Mediapart, which reported the story, Gemalto paid bribes or used other unfair channels like intermediaries or lobbyists to secure at least 10 contracts between 2015 and 2019 to produce different ID documents for Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Niger, Senegal and Uganda. The fact that French companies involved in the data arena have a long history of deep corruption channels with African governments should be an additional cause of concern for us in Nigeria. Is there a dirty deal behind the MoU?

We Nigerians should all be concerned and express our opposition to the attempt to hand over the most personal and sensitive corporate database of all Nigerians to France by the FIRS. The harm done by handing over not just financial details but also identity data, including BVN and NIN records, collected from Nigerians to a foreign entity is immense. We are about to be handed over to France on a platter of gold and the entire Western intelligence network  including Britains MI5, Americas CIA, and Israels Mossad, who would all have direct access to our data.

The love affair between the Tinubu administration and the French government is causing concerns throughout Africa, as we continue to display our commitment to maintaining France as our neo-colonial partner. Nigeria must return to its historic role of maintaining the countrys strategic autonomy in world and African affairs. The French government is collapsing at home, in Europe and in African affairs. Nigeria should beware of taking the role of propping up France, the collapsing neo-colonial power in Africa.

Nigeria has an important leadership role to play in Africa. Following the coup detat in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger over the past few years, the issue of French neo-colonialism has been on the West African agenda. These countries have closed French and American military bases in their countries and thrown out their troops. Foreign and exploitative mining and other companies have also been thrown out as these countries are actively seeking to end the French neo-colonial control of their countries. There is currently a very strong anti-neo-colonial movement developing in the region. Senegal has also closed French military bases in the country and sent out their troops. Even Cote dIvoire, which is very pro-French, sent out French troops from the country. Is Nigeria going to be the only country going against the tide and actively inviting French neo-colonial control over its economy and security?

Just over a week ago when the attempted coup was ongoing in Benin Republic, Macron, the French president, posted on X that he had just had a discussion with President Bola Tinubu on security matters. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Nigerian war planes were bombing the putschists in Cotonou. Did Nigeria act on its own or did we act with/for France? The love affair between the Tinubu administration and the French government is causing concerns throughout Africa, as we continue to display our commitment to maintaining France as our neo-colonial partner. Nigeria must return to its historic role of maintaining the countrys strategic autonomy in world and African affairs. The French government is collapsing at home, in Europe and in African affairs. Nigeria should beware of taking the role of propping up France, the collapsing neo-colonial power in Africa.

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.
At a time like this when putative fascists, autocrats and racists are hell-bent on destroying our common values; hell-bent on falsifying reality and undermining the possibility and power of critical thinking; hell-bent on turning citizens into obedient subjects, we need, more than ever before, rigorous and clarifying thoughts exemplified by Ofeimuns body of work. We need a chorus of lucid voices and illuminating pieces of writing that give us solace and remind us of the importance of an open society.

Odia Ofeimun is formidably learned and insightful. His poetry and journalism are distinguished by their eloquence and dazzling intelligence. Deriving strength and confidence in stubborn hope, he fights relentlessly for social justice, economic equity and political fairness. As a young man, Odia was obstinate, irreverent, self-respecting and sassy. He never bowed to penury. He never bowed to bullies. Conscious of the significance of the Esan name he bears with pride, he has continued to be honest, courageous and consistent. At sixteen, he had read and re-read many great writers all across the globe, who then made him an incredible bibliophile and a great poet. Before he turned twenty, he wrote many of the frequently luminous poems that Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Frank Aig Imoukhuede, Cyprian Ekwensi, Gerald Moore and Ulli Beier accepted and published, and anthologised.

As Publicity Secretary, General Secretary and President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), he helped to mentor many young writers. Working with Kole Omotoso, he made sure that ANA sponsored the publication of Idzia Ahmads A Shout Across the Wall; Kemi Atanda-Iloris Amnesty; Uche Ndukas Flower Child; Afam Akes Stolen Moments; Emman Usman Shehus Questions for Big Brother; and Esiaba Irobis Cotyledons. All of them were then young and gifted poets thirsting for sunlight. The association also published an anthology of new Nigerian poetry, Voices from the Fringe, edited by Harry Garuba. His Hornbill House published in 2012 Tade Ipadeolas The Sahara Testaments, which won in 2013 the Nigeria Prize for Literature instituted by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG).

Mario Vargas Llosa, the Peruvian novelist and the 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, said that Literature is a form of permanent insurrectionits mission is to arouse, to disturb, to alarm, to keep men in a constant state of dissatisfaction with themselves. Since the publication of the poetry of his youth, which won the University of Ibadan Poetry Competition in 1975, Odia Ofeimun has never stopped to arouse and keep his readers in a constant state of dissatisfaction with the conditions militating against their progress and wellbeing. In poem after poem, Ofeimun strikes a balance between the emancipatory force of his content and the vividness, the intensity, and the lyricism of his form. Compassionate, perceptive, resolute and argumentative, he grips you with his writings, which are mostly laced with protest at the arrogant political power, corporate hollow men and contemptible individuals in the larger society. Odia Ofeimun doesnt know how to compromise with evil.

In poem after poem, Ofeimun strikes a balance between the emancipatory force of his content and the vividness, the intensity, and the lyricism of his form. Compassionate, perceptive, resolute and argumentative, he grips you with his writings, which are mostly laced with protest at the arrogant political power, corporate hollow men and contemptible individuals in the larger society. Odia Ofeimun doesnt know how to compromise with evil.

In a documentary on Ali Mazrui, A Walking Triple Heritage, by Ndirangu Wachanga, Ngugi wa Thiongo describes himself as primarily a literary artist with a political scientists bent and Mazrui as primarily a political scientist with a literary bent. In his writings, Ofeimun shows time and again that he inhabits in equal proportion the two sensibilities. Broadly speaking, his critical essays celebrate ideas and movements that will make our world a better place to live in. At a time like this when putative fascists, autocrats and racists are hell-bent on destroying our common values; hell-bent on falsifying reality and undermining the possibility and power of critical thinking; hell-bent on turning citizens into obedient subjects, we need, more than ever before, rigorous and clarifying thoughts exemplified by Ofeimuns body of work. We need a chorus of lucid voices and illuminating pieces of writing that give us solace and remind us of the importance of an open society.

I love America more than any other country in the world, and exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticise her perpetually, so said James Baldwin, the brilliant African American novelist, essayist and playwright. Odia Ofeimun too loves his country wholeheartedly. And for this reason, he insists on criticising it perpetually. He did that as a factory worker. He did that as a young political science undergraduate at the University of Ibadan, contesting for the presidency of the Students Union. He did that as a secondary school teacher. He did that as private secretary to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with whom he had many robust debates. He criticised Nigeria constructively as a columnist and member of the editorial board of The Guardian newspapers. He cared a lot about his country as a columnist and chairman of the editorial board of A.M. NEWS, P.M. NEWS, TEMPO and TheNEWS. He did that as president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, with intellectual and emotional clarity. And he does that now as an eclectic highbrow who shares his knowledge with other concerned citizens and provokes a revival of a sense of civic responsibility in them.

He has also published the following poetry collections: The Poet Lied; A Handle for the Flutist; Dreams at Work and Other Poems; London Letter and Other Poems; Go Tell the Generals; I Will Ask Questions with Stones If They Take My Voice; A Boiling Caracas and Other Poems; No Country is Enough; and Geography as Faith. His poems for dance drama include: Under African Skies; A Feast of Return; Itoya: A Dance for Africa; Nigeria the Beautiful; and Because of 1914.

Apart from several poetry anthologies, he has published books of gutsy essays on politics, literature and culture such as June Twelvers Dilemma; When Does a Civil War Come to an End?; In Search of Ogun: Soyinka in Spite of Nietzsche; Taking Nigeria Seriously; A House of Many Mansions; Media Nigeriana; This Conference Must Be Different; and Impossible Death of the African Author. He has also published the following poetry collections: The Poet Lied; A Handle for the Flutist; Dreams at Work and Other Poems; London Letter and Other Poems; Go Tell the Generals; I Will Ask Questions with Stones If They Take My Voice; A Boiling Caracas and Other Poems; No Country is Enough; and Geography as Faith. His poems for dance drama include: Under African Skies; A Feast of Return; Itoya: A Dance for Africa; Nigeria the Beautiful; and Because of 1914.

Clearly, many of these books are award-winners. Yet Odia Ofeimun, who has helped to set up different literary awards, not only in ANA but also elsewhere, has refused to compete for prizes. In 2010, he accepted the Fonlon-Nichols award for excellence in creative writing and contributions to human rights activism conferred on him by the US-based African Literature Association (ALA) because he was nominated for it. Long before then, he was at Oxford University, England, on a Commonwealth Fellowship. At the end of his productive stay, he came back to Nigeria only to join the struggle against the dictatorships of Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha. He always said that if he did not have the outlet to fight those tyrants with his polemical pieces, he would have had to fight them dangerously through the force of arms. In June, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu conferred on him one of the major national honours: Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), for his meritorious contributions to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

Kunle Ajibade is the co-founder of TheNEWS, PM NEWS and TEMPO.

This is the text of a citation read at the Shell hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, during the presentation of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism Life-time Award for Journalistic Excellence to Odia Ofeimun on 9 December.
The prestigious publication selects the rise of solar and wind power as the main scientific breakthrough of the year and laments the White Houses poor decision to back fossil fuels

The global energy transition reached a new milestone in 2025. Renewable energy surpassed coal as the worlds leading source of electricity. Solar and wind power installations grew quickly enough to meet the entire increase in global demand between January and June. This scientific breakthrough stands out as the most important of the year, according to the journal Science, which published its list of the most outstanding innovations of 2025 this Thursday.

The prestigious publication added a forceful editorial that constitutes a full-fledged condemnation of the anti-renewable energy and pro-fossil fuel policies implemented by Donald Trump. Beyond the environmental and health problems this policy causes, the magazine emphasizes the economic paradox it represents for U.S. interests, as the U.S. is failing to benefit from its own innovations. Thats because a significant portion of the technologies that have driven this growth in renewables worldwide were developed in the United States, notes the editorial. But it is China that perfected and now manufactures them, reaping the profits. This country, Science notes, supplies 80% of the worlds solar cells, 70% of its wind turbines, and 70% of its lithium batteries.

Trump has implemented a policy of halting renewable energy development in the US and incentivizing fossil fuel extraction instead. While the rest of the world is buying Chinas cheap renewable technology, the United States is doubling down on fossil fuels the magazine explains, calling it a poor decision to have given up the business opportunity of exporting components for solar and wind farms to the rest of the world. Chinas revenue from exporting renewable technology is nearly as high as what the US makes now by exporting fossil fuels, but the income from selling renewables is increasing much faster because of high global demand., the editorial warns.

The article in Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and based in Washington, D.C., comes after a long list of executive orders issued by Trump since January to boost oil and gas extraction, lower environmental standards to benefit fossil fuels, and curb renewable energy projects. It is also published just a couple of weeks after the release of the United States National Security Strategy, in which Trump outlines his foreign policy priorities.

In that document, which relentlessly attacks the European Union, the Trump team proposes as its main objective restoring American energy dominance based solely on oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power. Its worth remembering that the fossil fuel sector generously financed Trumps return to the White House and that even his current Secretary of Energy is a former executive in the fracking industry. In international forums, the Trump Administration is allying itself with petrostates to defend the fossil fuel sector. And at the last climate summit, held in Belem, Brazil, in November, a majority of countries failed to support a call to move away from oil, gas, and coalthe main culprits of climate change.

The energy dispute between China and the United States is gaining even more relevance with the expansion of artificial intelligence, whose data centers, key to supporting AI, require vast amounts of electricity. While China is preparing to power them with renewable energy and incorporate fossil fuels only as a backup, the U.S. is betting on an energy model stuck in the past, warns Science.

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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our beloved master Prophet Muhammad, the last of Prophets, on his family, and all his companions. To Proceed:

Dear brothers and sisters! In the rich tapestry of Islamic teachings, the concept of brotherhood holds a profound and cherished place. Brotherhood in Islam transcends mere familial ties; it encompasses the spiritual bond that unites Muslims worldwide. In this sermon, I will delve into the significance of brotherhood in Islam, its roots in Quranic verses and Prophetic Hadiths, and the role it plays in the lives of Muslims. As I explore this vital aspect of the faith, I invite you to consider how it can enrich your own spiritual journey.

Brotherhood in Islam, often referred to as Ukhuwah Islamiyyah, is a concept deeply ingrained in the faiths core principles. It signifies a bond of solidarity and mutual support among Muslims. The Quran and Hadiths emphasise the importance of fostering this unique connection among the Muslim believers.

Almighty Allah says:

The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy. [Quran, 49:10]

This Quranic verse underscores the unity of believers, emphasising the need to resolve conflicts amicably and maintain the spirit of brotherhood.

Almighty Allah says:

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. [Quran, 9:71]

Also this Quranic verse emphasises the partnership and mutual support that should exist among Muslim believers.

The Prophetic Hadiths further reinforce the concept of brotherhood in Islam.

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are five: returning the greeting of salam, visiting the sick, following the funeral, accepting invitations, and responding to the one who sneezes. [Agreed upon: Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

The rights of a Muslim over another Muslim are six. It was asked: O Messenger of Allah, what are they? He (Peace be upon him) replied: When you meet him, greet him with salam; when he invites you, accept it; when he seeks advice, give it to him; when he sneezes and praises Allah, respond to him; when he falls ill, visit him; and when he dies, follow his funeral. [Authentic  Narrated by Muslim]

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar (RA): The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he neither wrongs him nor hands him over to the enemy. Whoever fulfills the need of his brother, Allah will fulfill his need. Whoever relieves a Muslim from a difficulty, Allah will relieve him from a difficulty among the difficulties of the Day of Judgment. And whoever conceals a Muslims faults, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Judgment. [Agreed upon: Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

Do not envy one another, do not inflate prices against one another, do not hate one another, do not turn away from one another, and do not undercut each other in trade. Rather, be, O servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not wrong him, nor forsake him, or despise him. Taqwa is here,  and he (Peace be upon him) pointed to his chest three times. It is enough evil for a person to hold his Muslim brother in contempt. All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth, and his honour. And in another narration: Indeed, Allah does not look at your bodies or your appearances, but He looks at your hearts. [Agreed upon: Narrated by Muslim and Bukhari]

Narrated a Shaikh from Banu Sulait: He said: I came to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to speak regarding a few captives who had fallen into our hands during the pre-Islamic period. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was seated, surrounded by people. He was speaking to them, and he was wearing a single cloth with a coarse border. He said: I heard him say, while pointing with his finger: A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not wrong him nor forsake him. Taqwa is here, Taqwa is here,  and he (Peace be upon him) said this pointing to his heart, meaning that Taqwa resides in the heart. [Hasan  Narrated by Ahmad]

These Prophetic Hadiths exemplify the profound sense of empathy and support that Muslim believers are encouraged to offer one another.

Respected brothers and sisters! Brotherhood in Islam extends beyond mere words; it is a living, breathing concept that shapes the lives of Muslims. It influences their behaviour, interactions, and responsibilities towards one another.

For example, Muslim believers are taught to stand by their fellow Muslim believers in times of need. Whether its financial assistance, emotional support, or simply offering a helping hand, brotherhood strengthens the Ummah.

Also resolving conflicts amicably is a key aspect of brotherhood in Islam. Islam encourages open communication and peaceful solutions, preventing discord within the Ummah.

Again, Muslim believers celebrate each others successes and share in their sorrows. This unity of emotion brings Muslim believers closer together, fostering a sense of belonging.

Also congregational prayers and acts of worship at the Mosque are a manifestation of brotherhood in action. Praying together strengthens the bond among Muslims.

In addition to nurturing brotherhood within our own communities and localities, it is also our duty as Muslims to extend our help and support to our brothers and sisters in need around the world. One such place that requires our assistance is Gaza, in Palestine. The people of Gaza have been enduring hardship for decades, and it is our responsibility to lend a helping hand.

Your generous donations will provide essential aid and relief to those in need.

Fellow servants of Allah! Brotherhood in Islam is not a mere concept but a way of life that fosters unity, compassion, and support among Muslims. It is rooted in Quranic verses and Prophetic Hadiths, shaping the behaviour and interactions of Muslim believers. By embracing the principles of brotherhood, we can strengthen our faith and create a more harmonious and caring Ummah.

Together, we can build a stronger, more connected Muslim Ummah and extend our support to those in need.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) emphasised the importance of mutual support among Muslim believers, stating that a Muslim should not oppress or abandon their brother. He highlighted that assisting a fellow Muslim in need brings abundant Allahs help and reward.

Islam provides a clear framework for interaction among Muslim believers that can enhance any professional relationship. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) outlined six key rights.

These rights include greeting with salam, accepting invitations, offering sincere advice, blessing someone who sneezes and praises Allah, visiting the sick, and attending funerals.

Also the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) illustrated the interconnectedness of Muslim believers by likening them to a building where different parts reinforce each other, interlocking his fingers to demonstrate this point.

And the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) praised the Ashariyin tribe for their exceptional solidarity during hardship, noting that they would gather and equally divide their food when faced with scarcity.

Therefore In Islam, brotherhood is highly valued and is seen as a bond that goes beyond blood relations. The Brotherhood of Islam is one of Faith. All Believers in Allah are brothers to one another. Do not hate each other. Do not be jealous of each other. Help and defend each other. Be brothers. And Invite others to this beautiful Brotherhood.  Any non-Muslims who reads this, I humbly INVITE you to believe in One Allah and to worship Him Alone!

All praise is due only to The Almighty Allah, and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the final Messenger and the seal of Prophets.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumadal Thani 28, 1447 AH (December 19, 2025).
The Katsina State Government said it has traced and reclaimed landed properties worth more than 10 billion, about 38 years after the state was carved out of the defunct Kaduna State.

The General Manager of the Katsina State Assets Management Agency, Lawal Aminu-Bala, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Katsina on Thursday.

According to him, the recovery followed a directive by the state government led by Governor Dikko Radda to trace and recover all public assets that were encroached or converted to private use.

Mr Aminu-Bala said that the development led to the inauguration of a committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mamma-Nasir.

He said, The committee obtained a gazette that shared assets and liabilities between the two states, when Katsina was created in 1987.

This document gave us the latitude to recover landed properties, especially 37 houses and plots within Kaduna and Zaria, that were initially allocated to Katsina.

According to him, the committee obtained official documents detailing the asset and liability sharing formula between the old Kaduna State and Katsina State.

Mr Aminu-Bala said that the document revealed several properties due to Katsina, but had been occupied by either individuals, federal government agencies, or converted to private use.

The general manager said the committee worked closely with the Kaduna State Ministry of Lands and Survey to successfully take over the control of the properties.

READ ALSO: Governor Radda inaugurates Katsina State Council of Emirates

He added that the committee had also succeeded in recovering about 15 hectares of lands in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), belonging to the Katsina government.

According to Mr Aminu-Bala, the government is taking a decisive action to demarcate the land and to take a drastic measure in ensuring that the property is utilised for the betterment of the state.

He said that arrangements had been concluded to recruit assets surveillance officers across the state to protect government properties from vandalism and identify underutilised public assets.

He added that coordinators would be appointed at the local government level to supervise the officers across the 361 wards in the state,

Mr Aminu-Bala said that a state coordinator would be based at the agencys headquarters to ensure effective coordination and monitoring.

(NAN)
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, has urged the Akwa Ibom State Government to urgently address worsening road conditions and poor sanitation across Uyo and other parts of the state, amid growing public frustration over unfulfilled promises to fix potholes.

The call formed part of a communique reached at the State Congress of the NUJ held on 11 December at the NUJ Press Centre, Uyo.

In the communique, the congress drew attention to the poor sanitary condition of Ukana Offot Street in Uyo and the deplorable state of internal roads within the capital city, urging the government to fulfil its commitment to seal the increasing number of potholes and ensure a clean, healthy, and motorable environment across the state.

The union also expressed concern over the state of major roads outside Uyo, including Ibaka Road in Mbo Local Government Area, the abandoned EketIbeno Road, and the dilapidated CalabarItu Highway, warning that continued neglect has led to accidents, economic disruption, and loss of lives.

Unfulfilled pothole repair promise

The NUJs intervention comes months after media reports repeatedly highlighted the deteriorating condition of roads and public infrastructure in the state.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom had promised that the fixing of the potholes in Uyo would commence on 1 December, but as of mid-December, no state-led repairs have begun.

The Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, did not respond to calls seeking clarification on why the government failed to meet the 1 December deadline.

However, a staff member of the Ministry of Works told PREMIUM TIMES on condition of anonymity that contractors had not been mobilised to start fixing the potholes.

If contractors have been engaged officially and financially, work would have gone far by now, the official said.

Private, local interventions

In the absence of state action, private and local actors have stepped in. Hensek Integrated Services Limited, a local contractor, said it repaired potholes along Nwaniba Road as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Last week, we completed our Zero-Pothole Operation on Nwaniba Road, making Nwaniba Road pothole-free from its starting point at Nyong Essien Roundabout to the end Ibom Icon Hotel Roundabout, the company said in a post on its Facebook page.

This operation was undertaken as part of our corporate social responsibility, as well as our way of encouraging the Akwa Ibom State Government, presently under the leadership of Mr Eno, in its drive to consolidate on the infrastructural wealth of the state.

Nwaniba is pothole-free, the company said.

Similarly, the Uyo Local Government Council stated that it had commenced repairs on Atiku Abubakar Avenue, one of the roads severely affected in the city.

Road rehabilitation is ongoing at Atiku Abubakar Way, by the foot of the flyover, the council chairperson, Uwemedimo Udo, wrote on Facebook.

The project, handled by Amitec Construction and Development Limited, is being executed by Uyo Local Government, Mr Udo added.

NUJ celebrates members

Beyond concerns for decayed infrastructure, the NUJ congress also celebrated members academic achievements, including a PhD award and several masters degree completions, while commending progress at the unions Fourth Estate School in Uyo.

However, delegates emphasised that without urgent government intervention on roads and sanitation, the daily hardships faced by residents would continue to worsen.
BEIJING, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China Daily:

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has revealed an artificial intelligence-powered platform that acts as a round-the-clock digital assistant, offering everything from legal guidance to policy analysis, as part of efforts to empower workers through technology.

LI MIN / CHIINA DAILY

The core architecture of the AI platform comprises four main modules: the large model computing power scheduling platform, which integrates diverse computing resources to enhance efficiency; the knowledge operation platform that aggregates authoritative union data, professional policies and regulations, and typical cases, featuring automatic categorization, dynamic updates, and precise retrieval capabilities; the large model service management platform, enabling end-to-end management from model training to deployment and lowering the barrier for union staff to use AI technologies; and the trade union native AI application support platform, providing foundational support for the development of intelligent applications.

The AI platform has integrated three key elements of AI: computing power, models and data. It helps enhance the performance of trade union-specific industry models in knowledge processing, reasoning and other areas, boosting the intelligence and efficiency of union work.

Currently, this platform has been applied to multiple scenarios in trade union work. The intelligent legal service provides personalized legal consultations; smart data analytics quickly obtains data chart analysis results through interactive methods; the trade union-specific Q&A system, trade union language, offers more authoritative trade union-specific responses compared to general models; the writing assistant can assist in drafting 15 types of statutory documents and five types of administrative documents.

The launch of the AI platform marks a shift in union services from being experience-driven to data-driven, and from achieving isolated breakthroughs to enabling systemic transformation. By equipping union operations with a digital engine, the platform represents a critical step forward in the digital and intelligent transformation of trade unions in China, officials of the ACFTU said.

In addition to the AI infrastructure, the digitalized service terminals of the ACFTU designed for direct engagement with workers have achieved notable results.

The "workers' home" app, designed for hundreds of millions of workers, has acted as a crucial window for delivering capabilities since it was launched on July 1, 2024.

Data showed that over the past year and more, the "workers' home" app has recorded cumulative activity visits of 440 million, attracted over 14.5 million registered users, and seen activity participation reach 300 million person-times.

The app focuses on key areas such as the reform of building a strong industrial workforce, safeguarding workers' rights, and serving key groups including workers in new forms of employment. Its 10 functional zones have been progressively enhanced. Among them, the "workers' service zone" offers 27 types of services.

As of now, more than 410 activities have been organized through the "workers' home" app. The app features 200,000 trade union service facilities. It has attracted 334,000 trade union organizations and assisted membership registration and transfers for over 3.37 million individuals.

The "trade union's digital ID wallet" enables functions such as identity verification, rights inquiry and benefit redemption. It has distributed more than 270,000 mobile health checkup vouchers, 135,000 copies of employee mutual insurance and 792,000 worker care packages. To date, the "workers' home" app has been integrated with the systems of 31 provincial-level trade union federations, incorporating 188 localized applications.

Beyond infrastructure and platform development, the digital and intelligent transformation is reflected in the ACFTU emphasis on enhancing workers' digital skills as a key task in deepening the reform of the industrial workforce.

Initiatives include the creation of the "cloud for workers' innovation and creation" and the "cloud for workers' skills enhancement", the launch of digital courses on platforms such as the "craftsmen academy" and the "workers' home" app, and the implementation of programs to improve digital skills among female workers.

Trade unions across the country have strengthened collaboration with government departments at corresponding levels, exploring models such as "digitalization + training", "digitalization + competition" and "digitalization + services", tailored to local and industry-specific conditions.

According to the ACFTU, during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), it will expand the participation scope, broaden the range of occupations covered, and enhance the utilization of outcomes in digital competitions.

Efforts will also be made to advance digital skills training, promote innovation outcomes, and cultivate craftsmen with digital skills. Leveraging the "craftsmen academy", enterprise training bases and the "workers' home" app, courses in areas such as AI and smart manufacturing will be offered both online and offline. These initiatives will include digital skills training; exhibitions of "five small" innovations featuring inventions, creations, renovations, designs and suggestions; and activities to assist the practical application of innovations.

SOURCE China Daily
The family-owned restaurant debuts to strong community turnout and warm coastal hospitality.

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Colosseo, a new Roman-Italian restaurant led by Sicilian-born Chef Roberto Ciacciofera, officially opened its doors on December 18, 2025, welcoming guests to its newly transformed space at 945 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach.

The grand opening celebration drew a lively crowd of local residents, friends of the brand, and members of San Diego's hospitality community. Guests enjoyed tray-passed bites showcasing the menu, complimentary cocktails and prosecco, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the restaurant's official debut. The evening reflected Colosseo's core philosophy: authentic Roman cuisine, heartfelt hospitality, and a welcoming, community-driven atmosphere.

Colosseo represents a significant milestone for Chef Ciacciofera, whose San Diego ventures include R&G Salumeria Wine Bar. With this new concept, he brings a deeply personal interpretation of Roman cooking to the coastrooted in tradition, family, and shared meals.

"My goal is to have a family placemy house is your house," says Ciacciofera. "Colosseo is about bringing people together over the food I grew up with and creating the kind of moments that happen when everyone gathers around the table."

The restaurant seats approximately 100 guests, with nearly half of the seating located on a covered outdoor patio. The space maintains a bright, family-friendly feel during the day and transitions into a relaxed, lounge-style setting in the evening.

The menu features classic Roman-Italian dishes such as amatriciana, carbonara, and cacio e pepe, alongside fresh fish, lamb, and rotating chef's specials. The beverage program highlights Italian wines from across the country's regions, complemented by a full-service bar offering thoughtfully crafted cocktails.

A family-driven venture, Colosseo is supported by Chef Ciacciofera's relatives, who are actively involved in daily operationsreinforcing the restaurant's warm, welcoming spirit.

Colosseo is now open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

For updates and events, follow @colosseosd on Instagram.

About Colosseo

Colosseo is a Roman-Italian restaurant by Chef Roberto Ciacciofera in Solana Beach, CA, offering authentic cuisine, a curated Italian wine program, and an atmosphere designed to make every guest feel at home.

Media contact:

Vince DiNatale

[email protected]

SOURCE Colosseo
Plan will deliver estimated savings of approximately $102 per year for the typical residential customer; Growth continues to create thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars of positive economic impact expected across Georgia

ATLANTA, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power announced today that the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved a plan which will allow the company to proceed with procuring approximately 9,900 megawatts (MW) of diverse, cost-effective generation resources to serve the energy needs of a growing state. The plan follows a stipulated agreement the company recently reached with the Public Interest Advocacy (PIA) Staff, where Georgia Power agreed that it will file its next base rate case in 2028 in a manner that will ensure incremental revenue from large-load customers will provide benefits of at least $556 million per year, equivalent to $8.50 per month (or approximately $102 per year) for the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month. These significant savings for Georgia Power customers reinforce the company's commitment to delivering affordable energy for customers in the face of projected extraordinary growth, and follows the current freeze on the company's base rates announced earlier this year.

Kim Greene, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, highlighted the benefits of the agreement when it was reached with PIA Staff, saying, "We know every dollar counts. This plan means more money stays in your pocket while we power Georgia's future. Unlike any other market in the country, we're doing things differently here in Georgia to capture and serve this projected unprecedented growth. Large energy users are paying more so families and small businesses can pay less, and that's a great result for Georgians."

The plan approved today follows months of review and discussion of Georgia Power's original filing in July, which requested the certification of more than 3,600 MW of new combined cycle natural gas generation; more than 3,000 MW of new battery energy storage systems (BESS); 350 MW of BESS plus solar; and more than 2,800 MW of power purchase agreements. These resources will serve and benefit all Georgia Power customers as part of a diverse generation mix, and construction projects are expected to positively impact communities across the state.

Georgia continues to experience extraordinary growth, with record-breaking investment in the state of more than $26 billion and more than 23,000 new private sector jobs expected from economic development activities in the last fiscal year, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Georgia Power continues to work with the Georgia PSC to meet the projected demand for electricity, as growth drives new jobs and tax revenue for cities and counties across the state.

"Growth is good for Georgia and for communities of all sizes. The decision by the Georgia PSC today will help keep our state competitive by demonstrating that we are ready to meet the energy demands of new businesses for years to come," added Greene. "We appreciate the work of the PSC, and all those who participated in this important process."

Large-Load Growth Continues

Georgia Power will continue to file quarterly large-load reports with the Georgia PSC providing regular updates on forecasted growth and electrical demand. The company's latest report in November highlights that large-load growth continues to materialize with thousands of megawatts of new electrical load projected in the coming years and construction underway or pending for nearly 30 large-load projects across the state. This growing pipeline of high-demand customers is a key factor enabling the company's current three-year base rate freeze (excluding storm costs), helping to spread fixed costs across a broader customer base and protect residential and small business customers from paying more to serve large-load customers.

Following the Georgia PSC's approval of updates to rules and regulations for the company in January, potential large-load customers must now meet more stringent criteria  including providing greater financial commitments and demonstrating infrastructure readiness  to remain in the company's long-term development pipeline. These enhanced requirements help ensure that only the most credible and viable projects are included in Georgia Power's risk-adjusted load forecast. The company has filed more than 3 gigawatts of new customer contracts with the Georgia PSC this year  agreements that were reached under the newly approved rules and regulations, which are designed to provide Georgia Power with the flexibility to sustainably serve large-load customers while safeguarding residential and small business customers from additional costs. Additional commitments are currently under evaluation by the company.

To learn more about how Georgia Power is keeping energy reliable and affordable for millions of Georgia homes and businesses, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.8 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power offers rates below the national average, focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), X (X.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning projected demand growth and expected benefits from the approval of the stipulated agreement. Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Georgia Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Georgia Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2025, June 30, 2025 and September 30, 2025, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: state and federal rate regulations and the impact of pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate actions relating to return on equity, equity ratios, additional generating capacity and transmission facilities and fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms; the impact of recent and future federal and state regulatory changes, including tax, environmental and other laws and regulations to which Georgia Power is subject, as well as changes in application of existing laws, regulations and guidance; the extent and timing of costs and legal requirements related to coal combustion residuals; current and future litigation or regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; the effects, extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which Georgia Power operates, including from the development and deployment of alternative energy sources; variations in demand for electricity; available sources and costs of natural gas and other fuels and commodities; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction and operation of facilities or other projects; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to past, ongoing and proposed construction projects; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; investment performance of the employee and retiree benefit plans and nuclear decommissioning trust funds; advances in technology, including the pace and extent of development of low- to no-carbon energy and battery energy storage technologies and negative carbon concepts; the ability to successfully operate Georgia Power's generation, transmission and distribution facilities and the successful performance of necessary corporate functions; the inherent risks involved in operating nuclear generating facilities; the ability of counterparties of Georgia Power to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the direct or indirect effect on Georgia Power's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of cyber and physical attacks; global and U.S. economic conditions, including impacts from geopolitical conflicts, recession, inflation, changes in trade policies (including tariffs and other trade measures) of the United States and other countries, interest rate fluctuations and financial market conditions and the results of financing efforts; access to capital markets and other financing sources; changes in Georgia Power's credit ratings; the ability of Georgia Power to obtain additional generating capacity (or sell excess generating capacity) at competitive prices; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events, political unrest, wars or other similar occurrences; the direct or indirect effects on Georgia Power's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid or operation of generating resources; and the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by standard-setting bodies. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information.

SOURCE Georgia Power
New food and beverage options blend bold flavors with local character across Breckenridge, Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek and Keystone

New Outer Range Brewing Co. partnership taps Colorado's craft beer culture

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo., Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming this winter, Vail Resorts is introducing a new wave of food and beverage experiences across its Colorado mountain destinations, delivering bold flavors, elevated offerings and Instagrammable moments. Breckenridge Ski Resort will debut a series of innovative concepts spanning all Five Peaks and Main Street, joined by new signature experiences at Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek Resort, and Keystone Resort that blend creativity with local character. Vail Resorts is also tapping into Colorado's craft beer culture through a new partnership with Frisco-based Outer Range Brewing Co., bringing local flavor to the forefront.

Breckenridge

"Across Colorado, mountain dining is about more than grabbing a quick bite; it's about creating moments that reflect the energy, culture and character of each resort," said Marissa Frutchey, Senior Director of Food & Beverage at Breckenridge Ski Resort. "This season, resort food and beverage teams at our Colorado destinations have expanded their unique offerings, with Breckenridge bringing that spirit to life through dining experiences that are a memorable part of every ski day."

These investments reflect Vail Resorts' ongoing commitment to elevating food and beverage across its Colorado destinations, delivering a dining experience that's as unforgettable as the mountains themselves. Guests with a 2025/26 Epic Pass receive 20 percent off food and beverage with Epic Mountain Rewards, making it even easier for Pass Holders to explore what's new across Colorado this winter.

A Colorado Collaboration: Outer Range Brewing Co.

As a part of its expanded focus on food and beverage, Vail Resorts is launching a new partnership with Outer Range Brewing Co., a Colorado-based brewery with deep roots in mountain culture. Founded in 2016 in nearby Frisco, Outer Range has earned a national reputation for hop-forward beers, technical precision and a community-driven ethos that aligns naturally with Vail Resorts' Colorado destinations. Guests can enjoy Outer Range offerings at on-mountain locations across all of Vail Resorts' Colorado resorts.

For the partnership, Outer Range developed custom beer cans with hand-designed, patch-style labels, illustrated by co-owner Emily Cleghorn and inspired by the terrain, personality and history of each participating resort. The limited-run designs bring a sense of place to every pour and will roll out across Breckenridge, Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Crested Butte this season.

Breckenridge Ski Resort: Five Peaks, One Fun Foodie Playground

At Breckenridge, new dining experiences are woven directly into how guests explore the mountain, blending comfort, creativity and a playful sense of "phone-eats-first" spectacle.

On Main Street, the Maggie Waffle Shop serves sweet and savory stuffed waffles alongside indulgent hot chocolate. Additionally, the newly rebranded Maggie Kitchen & Taphouse invites guests to "come as you are, leave as a local," pairing 14 beers on draft and craft sodas with Southerninspired comfort food, live music every Saturday in a welcoming happy hour scene. Families can join the Maggie Mug Club for adults or the Miners Mug Club for kids, reinforcing The Maggie's role as a gathering place for all ages.

On Peak 9, familiar venues get bold new twists. Overlook elevates ramen with signature noodle bowls and introduces a daily Sake Golden Hour from 23 p.m. TenMile Station leans into smoky, shareable flavors with its new Smokestack Platter, a finishyourdish BBQ sauce bar and weekly roastyourown s'mores that turn lunch into an experience.

Peak 8 becomes a hub for quick hits and highenergy apres. Ski Hill Grill Coffee Bar debuts "phoneeatsfirst" loaded hot chocolates and fresh pastries, while Ski Hill Grill adds playful Hot Dog Towers and latenight Dogs After Dark on Fridays and Saturdays, perfectly timed with evenings at adjoining TBar. Vista Haus brings European alpine flair to the forefront with hausmade Gluhwein, fondue and lively Stein Hoisting Competitions at Rendezvous Bar. Higher on the mountain, the newly reopened 6Chair Hut offers grabandgo snacks and adult beverages.

On Peak 7, Pioneer Crossing channels a pioneermeetsSouthwest spirit with Taco Tuesday specials, Mexican beers and margaritas on draft, and a houseinfused jalapeno tequila anchoring the Broken Spoke Bar. Meanwhile, Peak 6's Horizon Hut will reopen and focus on efficiency for adventurers, stocking packaged meals, electrolyte drinks and proteinforward snacks designed for guests on the move.

Apres takes center stage at TBar, long regarded as one of Colorado's most electric onmountain party scenes. This season, DJdriven apres continues with extended hours every Friday and Saturday until 7 p.m., joined by Ullr Time, a highenergy MegaShotski moment complete with air horns, snowsuited staff and a crowdwide countdown. Curated shot skis, chicken wings and shareable ultimate nacho platters round out the menu for guests dancing the day away.

Vail Mountain: The Classics Meet Dolce Vita

Vail Mountain's newest dining moments blend nostalgia with a relaxed, European sensibility designed for sharing and lingering. At The 10th, the new Martini Lunch for Two revives the lost art of the long lunch, pairing an oversized Caesar salad, truffle fries and martinis for two. At Two Elk Biergarten, the Alpine Duet channels Oktoberfest energy yearround with two beers, two brats and a shared dessert in a festive alpine setting. These are the perfect pairings for guests traveling with friends on Epic Friends tickets.

Guests can also stop into MidVail's Terrace Level for refreshed classics that include flatbreads, poke bowls, salads, pasta and dessert, then step outside to the newly reimagined Sun Terrace, inspired by Europe's alpine cafes and outfitted with sling chairs, umbrellas and sweeping mountain views that invite guests to stay awhile.

Beaver Creek Resort: Elevated Alpine Dining

Beaver Creek Resort's signature culinary event, The Alpine Table, returns this winter with an expanded and elevated experience that promises to delight food enthusiasts and mountain adventurers alike. Building on the success of last year's chef-led collaboration, this season introduces new experiential elements at the iconic Allie's Cabin, January 1617. Guests will indulge in a one-of-a-kind, multi-course tasting menu crafted through an exclusive partnership between Beaver Creek's acclaimed fine dining cabin culinary team, led by Allie's Cabin Executive Chef Jillian Shaw, and Chef Matt Vawter, Executive Chef and Owner of Rootstalk in Breckenridge.

Vawter, a 2024 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: Mountain, brings a thoughtful, technique-driven approach rooted in his Colorado mountain upbringing. His work is celebrated for highlighting seasonal ingredients and creating dining experiences that feel both refined and deeply personal. Together, Shaw and Vawter will collaborate on a menu that reflects a shared respect for craftsmanship, local sourcing, and the sense of place that defines alpine dining at Beaver Creek. Alpine Table is also collaborating with innovative tequila brand, LALO Tequila, elevating the evening's beverage program.

Looking ahead, Beaver Creek will continue to build on this foundation with upcoming investments planned at Spruce Saddle, focused on improving guest flow, seating and enhancing social spaces to better serve peakday demand while maintaining the resort's hallmark sense of comfort and service.

Keystone Resort: Playful and Spontaneous Dining On The Go

Keystone Resort leans fully into its playful personality this season with the debut of Dog Cat, a snowcat that takes snacking straight to the snow. Roaming the mountain and popping up in popular gathering areas, Dog Cat serves freshly grilled hot dogs and cold drinks, creating spontaneous, mobile dining moments that's as fun as it is convenient, and perfectly suited to Keystone's laid-back family vibe.

Future enhancements planned at Timber Ridge will further elevate Keystone's focus on food, with upgrades aimed at modernizing service areas and improving the resort's iconic quick-service outlet.

Media Assets: Mountain Dining Photos

Epic By Nature Podcast: "Raising the Bar on Mountain Dining."

SOURCE Vail Resorts, Inc.
The virologist Xavier Abad reflected on the source of the COVID-19 pandemic when the virus had already killed nearly three million people. Is it unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a laboratory? Yes, but its damned possible, he warned on his blog in March 2021. Abad is the head of the biocontainment unit at the Animal Health Research Center (CReSA), the Barcelona institution that was searched this Thursday by the Spanish Civil Guard and the Mossos dEsquadra (Catalan regional police) looking for evidence of a suspected leak of the African swine fever virus. Ive read about dozens of incidents and accidents in laboratories, out of the hundreds recorded worldwide, which are just the tip of the iceberg of those that ACTUALLY occur, the virologist cautioned.

All hypotheses remain open, but the focus is now on CReSA, a bunker containing dangerous pathogens located on the Bellaterra campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in northeastern Spain. The laboratory, essential for the search for new vaccines and treatments, was undergoing some construction work and experimenting with the virus in late November, when the first wild boar infected with a very similar strain was found just a few hundred meters from the facility, which lacks double fencing. Most Spanish experts on African swine fever insist that this virus is not easily transmitted through the air, so they cannot imagine how it could have escaped from a biosafety level 3 laboratoryBSL3, the second highestlike CReSA. Abad himself offered an explanation regarding a possible leak of the coronavirus from a Chinese laboratory: Biocontainment units can be considered impenetrable, aseptic, extremely controlled, and restricted-access fortresses, but they are NOT free from errors and unfortunate coincidences.

The virologist wasnt exaggerating when he spoke of hundreds of known cases worldwide. In the last half-century, at least 435 incidents of laboratory-acquired infections have been recorded, according to a review published in March by Costa Rican researcher Esteban Zavaleta. Accidents occur even in facilities with the highest biosafety conditions, BSL4 labs, as happened at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg, Germany, on March 12, 2009. That day, a virologist had just injected the deadly Ebola virus into a mouse when the needle pierced his three gloves and punctured his skin, though he didnt bleed. He did not develop the disease.

Opacity surrounds these incidents in many countries. A decade ago, an international team of scientists attempted to determine how many accidental infections had occurred in high-security laboratories, those considered level 3 or 4. The researchers sent a questionnaire with 15 simple questions to some 120 institutions, but only 23 responded. One of them acknowledged two people infected with the bacteria that causes Q fever, a disease of ruminants that can jump to humans. Another center admitted two cases with the microbe that causes brucellosis, an undulant fever that can last for years. Among the authors of the survey was the virologist Nuria Busquets, who works at CReSA.

The signatories denounced at the time that some laboratories are reluctant to disclose their accidents. The real risk, they lamented, is difficult to quantify because there is no systematic reporting system. Their review of published cases detected 220 people infected with highly dangerous pathogens in laboratories between 1980 and 2015. Busquets team at CReSA underscored that there were also leaks affecting livestock, as happened in the English town of Pirbright, where a damaged pipe in two BSL3 laboratories caused a leak of the foot-and-mouth disease virus in 2007. Construction trucks facilitated the spread of the pathogen to farms in the region, resulting in millions of euros in losses. Dump trucks are now constantly entering and leaving CReSA, which has been undergoing expansion work for the past three months, but the facility maintains that it has not registered any biosafety breaches.

The American epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch prefers not to comment on the specific case of African swine fever in Spain, but he emphasizes that, on other occasions, infectious material has escaped from very high containment labs, in some cases higher than BSL3. Lipsitch, director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard University, cites three examples that have occurred since 2014: a mix-up of vials that resulted in the release of an Ebola virus sample from a level 4 laboratory in Atlanta; the failure of anthrax spore inactivation protocols at a military facility in Utah; and the shipment from a level 3 laboratory to the U.S. Department of Agriculture of material inadvertently contaminated with the highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus.

Cases are occurring constantly. Stuart Blacksells team at the University of Oxford has described 16 episodes of infection in BSL3 laboratories and another five in BSL4 facilities between 2000 and 2024. Their figures are staggering. If research laboratories of all types are taken into account, 276 infections and eight deaths have been recorded in the same period: two deaths from mad cow disease, one from Ebola, and one each from hantavirus, monkey herpes simplex virus type B, bacterial meningitis, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and the plague. In Spain, a biochemist from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute died in 2022 after experiencing symptoms consistent with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the lethal illness he was studying at the University of Barcelona and at CReSA itself.

A report by the British organization Chatham House warned two years ago of the potentially catastrophic consequences of a laboratory accident. A particularly serious example could be the 1977 flu pandemic, which killed approximately 700,000 people. The virus, very similar to others decades old that were being experimented on in laboratories at the time, may have leaked from a Soviet facility, according to biologist Michelle Rozo, a biotechnology risk advisor to the U.S. government, and immunologist Gigi Kwik Gronvall, a biosafety expert at Johns Hopkins University.

The source of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than seven million lives, remains unclear. A group of independent experts established by the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on June 27 that the available evidence suggests a jump from animals, either directly from bats or through an intermediate host, but the possibility that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan has not been ruled out. The Chinese government is refusing to share essential information, according to the WHO.

Chatham House is one of the worlds most influential think tanks. Its report from two years ago warned that the true scale of laboratory accidents is opaque. The authorsanalyst Emma Ross and microbiologist David Harper, both former WHO collaboratorsdocumented 309 people infected in laboratories in nearly 100 incidents involving 51 different pathogens between 2000 and 2021.

Chatham House specialists recorded 16 leaks from scientific facilities during the same period, including the airborne release of Brucella bacteria from a vaccine factory in Lanzhou, China, which caused more than 10,000 cases of brucellosis in the surrounding area in 2019. Most of the incidents were due to preventable human error. Expired disinfectants were being used in Lanzhou. The biosafety profession is in its infancy in many parts of the world, the Chatham House report warned.

Alexandra Peters, from the Institute of Global Health at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), has been warning for years about another threat to the world: the number of high-security laboratories worldwide is unknown. Peters points out that BSL3 facilities have strict measures in place, such as double filtration of exhaust air, mandatory showers for scientists, chemical decontamination of effluents, and waste incineration. However, a BSL3 lab is not always as secure as one would expect, she cautions. Personally I dont think its impossible for any virus to escape because, ultimately, a lot of how laboratories keep pathogens safe is through human behavior, she reflects. And even if its not human error directly, it can be issues in the built environment or just bad luck.

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Human rights education programme empowers Sudanese refugee girls in Uganda to become advocates for their communities, part of an Education Cannot Wait-funded initiative.

KIRYANDONGO DISTRICT, Uganda, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a classroom in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, a circle of girls lean forward as the discussion turns to rights, dignity and justice. Some are hearing these words framed this way for the first time. Others recognize them instantly from their own lived experiences. What brings them together is a shared determination to turn knowledge into action  and to help reshape the futures of girls like themselves.

Sudanese refugee girls take part in a group psychosocial support session in Uganda.  Legal Action Worldwide

In August, Legal Action Worldwide ( LAW ), together with its partner the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa ( SIHA ), launched a comprehensive human rights education training for out-of-school Sudanese refugee girls in Uganda affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Supported by an Education Cannot Wait ( ECW ) Acceleration Facility grant, the programme combines legal education with mental health and psychosocial support, while also helping participants access formal and non-formal education opportunities. It is a holistic approach designed not only to inform, but to heal and empower.

In late August, LAW and SIHA held two pilot sessions of the programme in Uganda. Twenty-five out-of-school girls aged 11-18 came together for three days of intensive learning. They explored human rights, gender equality, gender-based violence, sexual violence, referral pathways, psychosocial support and first aid, alongside practical sessions on creating and delivering advocacy messages and how to become an agent of change.

"We cannot wait to finish this training and contribute to our community with what we have learned here," said one participant.

The girls shared personal experiences and addressed topics rarely discussed in their communities. Displacement has disrupted many of their educations and heightened risks to gender-based violence and exploitation. The training offers a supportive space that helps build resilience and confidence amid ongoing uncertainty in their host country.

The initiative also focuses on sustainability. During the pilot session, LAW and SIHA trained 10 trainers  seven of them women  equipping them to deliver the programme to a further 175 girls across seven three-day sessions in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement.

"I have never been to a training like this. It was flexible, and allowed us to participate and to contribute with our own experience," said a new trainer.

The first full training sessions for girls began in mid-October in Kiryandongo. In November, the initiative entered its second phase, mentoring selected participants to become agents of change in their communities and beyond. The girls are supported to implement the advocacy strategies they designed during the training, amplifying the voices of Sudanese refugee girls and addressing issues such as girls' education, child marriage and gender-based violence.

The programme aims to respond to a stark reality. The ongoing armed conflict in Sudan has displaced nearly 14 million people inside Sudan and across its borders, leaving millions of children without access to education.

The conflict has also driven gender-based violence to alarming levels, with sexual violence against women and girls reported as systematic and often used as a tactic of war. The United Nations has documented widespread rape, including against children, as well as abductions of women and girls. With medical, legal and protection systems collapsing, survivors face immense barriers to safety, care and justice, while women and children continue to bear the heaviest burden of the crisis.

As refugees, many Sudanese girls face additional barriers to education, with fewer than half enrolled in formal programmes. In Uganda, where many Sudanese refugees have sought refuge, these challenges are amplified by limited resources and educational opportunities.

The initiative in Uganda seeks to break cycles of exclusion and silence. Through advocacy and outreach programmes, support from local educators and referral pathways with education in emergencies actors, participants of the programme will also be provided with support to access formal and non-formal education programmes in Uganda.

It is a landmark investment in girls' leadership that seeks to build a network of young female advocates who often act as first responders and can champion the rights and needs of refugee girls  while also addressing the broader cycles of violence they and their communities have been forced to endure.

As one girl's words make clear, the impact is already taking root. "I learned that education is a right and a powerful tool for empowerment. My plan is to return to school next year. With the knowledge I have gained, I hope to sensitize other girls in the community about their rights."

With tailored support, these girls are preparing to do exactly that  transforming knowledge into advocacy, and adversity into leadership.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849846/Education_Cannot_Wait_Sudanese_refugee_girls_take_part.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1656121/Education_Cannot_Wait_Logo.jpg
Family Law Firm Helps Father Establish Legal Rights to Son Born to Mother Kept on Life Support

After Being Declared Brain Dead.

MARIETTA, Ga., Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Law Divorce Attorneys successfully represented Mr. Adrian Harden in an unprecedented legitimation case that unfolded under deeply tragic and unimaginable circumstances that left the world shaken.

Adriana Gonzalez and Melaniece Davis

Mr. Harden took his girlfriend, Ms. Adriana Smith, a 30-year old nurse who was nine (9) weeks pregnant, to Northside Hospital to seek medical care and relief for severe headaches she was suffering from. Ms. Smith was given medication and sent home. The next morning, Mr. Harden woke up to Ms. Smith experiencing a medical emergency and gasping for air. Mr. Harden took Ms. Smith to Emory University Hospital where a CT scan revealed she had multiple blood clots in her brain. On February 19, 2025, Ms. Smith was declared brain dead and placed on life support. Miraculously, Baby Chance was born extremely preterm, (weighing just 1lb, 13oz) on June 13, 2025 via emergency C-section. Four (4) days later, Ms. Smith passed away after she was taken off life support.

While grieving the devastating loss of the love of his life and mother of his son, Mr. Harden anguished over the uncertainty of his future. Mr. Harden was further traumatized when he discovered that despite a positive DNA test administered at the hospital, he was at risk of not being able to take Baby Chance home, or worse, Baby Chance being placed in foster care by the Department of Family and Children's Services (DFCS) if he did not obtain a court order establishing his legal rights before Baby Chance was released from the hospital.

Amid immense sorrow, Mr. Harden was forced, under Georgia law, to sue the mother of his son (posthumously) to establish his basic legal rights in order to protect their precious baby boy. On August 8, 2025, the Firm filed an Emergency Petition For Legitimation and Establishment of Legal and Physical Custody in DeKalb County Superior Court. Adriana Gonzalez, the lead attorney representing Mr. Harden, secured an emergency hearing date expeditiously and obtained a Temporary Order granting Mr. Harden legal rights to Baby Chance with sole legal and physical custody on a temporary basis on September 3, 2025, ensuring Baby Chance could go home in his father's arms once released from the hospital. On December 2, 2025, Judge Latisha Dear-Jackson issued a Final Order awarding Mr. Harden sole legal and physical custody of Baby Chance.

"As one can imagine, Mr. Harden's indescribable pain and grief were further exacerbated by the laws of our State. Georgia's child custody laws and legal framework for handling these very complex, personal matters are outdated. These laws impose systemic and unfair barriers that deny unmarried fathers basic parental rights to their biological children. Minority and low-income fathers are disproportionately affected" said firm Founder Melaniece Davis.

"There is an alarming lack of understanding in our society of the various laws that affect countless children, parents, and families across Georgia. It is our hope this unfortunate tragedy and Mr. Harden's landmark legitimation case shines a bright light on this very important legal issue and increases awareness. This case also underscores the urgent need for more education and easily accessible information on the role proper estate planning plays in safeguarding families, especially when tragedy strikes unexpectedly" said Managing Attorney Adriana Gonzalez.

About Better Law Divorce Lawyers:

Better Law Divorce Lawyers is a boutique family law firm located in metro-Atlanta with offices in Cobb and Douglas counties. We provide our clients with exceptional legal representation, "white glove" customer care, and the results they deserve. We focus on Divorce (High Asset, High Net Worth, Military, Same-Sex, etc.), Child Custody, Child Support, Alimony/Spousal Support, Division of Marital Assets and Debts, Prenuptial/Postnuptial Agreements, Father's Rights/Legitimation/Paternity, TPOs, and Estate Planning matters. To learn more about the firm, please visit our website at www.betterlawattorneys.com

SOURCE Better Law Divorce Lawyers
CANTON, Ohio, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Metallus (NYSE: MTUS), a leader in high-quality specialty metals, manufactured components, and supply chain solutions, today confirmed that members of the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1123 have voted to not ratify the second tentative labor agreement that was reached between the company and union leadership on December 4, 2025.

"We are deeply disappointed by the outcome of this vote," said Mike Williams, chief executive officer of Metallus. "Before casting their votes, our bargaining employees had opportunities to attend information sessions to better understand the proposed agreement. This agreement, which was voted down despite support from the union's local bargaining committee and international representatives, was designed to provide excellent compensation and benefits while ensuring the long-term health of Metallus. We will continue to negotiate in good faith and remain committed to working toward a resolution that supports both our employees and the company's future."

Highlights of the proposed agreement included:

Historic wage increases over the life of the agreement, including annual raises and additional premiums for specialized roles.

Comprehensive healthcare coverage including high-quality medical, prescription, dental, and vision benefits with minimal employee cost and no increases in copays or coinsurance.

Enhanced work-life benefits by adding paid parental leave, additional personal time, and improved retirement contributions.

The current agreement had previously been extended until January 29, 2026 and covers approximately 1,200 bargaining employees at the company's Canton, Ohio operations.

ABOUT METALLUS INC.

Metallus (NYSE: MTUS) manufactures high-performance specialty metals from recycled scrap metal in Canton, OH, serving demanding applications in industrial, automotive, aerospace & defense and energy end-markets. The company is a premier U.S. producer of alloy steel bars (up to 16 inches in diameter), seamless mechanical tubing and manufactured components. In the business of making high-quality steel for more than 100 years, Metallus' proven expertise contributes to the performance of our customers' products. The company employs approximately 1,850 people and had sales of $1.1 billion in 2024. For more information, please visit us at www.metallus.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release includes "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can generally identify the company's forward-looking statements by words such as "will," "anticipate," "aspire," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "outlook," "intend," "may," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "seek," "target," "should," "would," "strategy," or "strategic direction" or other similar words, phrases or expressions that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. The company cautions readers that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the company due to a variety of factors, such as: (1) the effects of fluctuations in customer demand on sales, product mix and prices in the industries in which the company operates, including the ability of the company to respond to rapid changes in customer demand including but not limited to changes in domestic and worldwide political and economic conditions due to, among other factors, U.S. and foreign trade policies and the impact on economic conditions, changes in customer operating schedules due to supply chain constraints or unplanned work stoppages, the ability of customers to obtain financing to purchase the company's products or equipment that contains its products, the effects of customer bankruptcies or liquidations, the impact of changes in industrial business cycles, and whether conditions of fair trade exist in U.S. markets; (2) changes in operating costs, including the effect of changes in the company's manufacturing processes, changes in costs associated with varying levels of operations and manufacturing capacity, availability of raw materials and energy, the company's ability to mitigate the impact of fluctuations in raw materials and energy costs and the effectiveness of its surcharge mechanism, changes in the expected costs associated with product warranty claims, changes resulting from inventory management, cost reduction initiatives and different levels of customer demands, the effects of unplanned work stoppages, availability of skilled labor and changes in the cost of labor and benefits; (3) the success of the company's operating plans, announced programs, initiatives and capital investments, the consistency to meet demand levels following unplanned downtime, and the company's ability to maintain appropriate relations with the union that represents its associates in certain locations in order to avoid disruptions of business; (4) whether the company is able to successfully implement actions designed to improve profitability on anticipated terms and timetables and whether the company is able to fully realize the expected benefits of such actions; (5) the company's pension obligations and investment performance; (6) with respect to the company's ability to achieve its sustainability goals, including its 2030 environmental goals, the ability to meet such goals within the expected timeframe, changes in laws, regulations, prevailing standards or public policy, the alignment of the scientific community on measurement and reporting approaches, the complexity of commodity supply chains and the evolution of and adoption of new technology, including traceability practices, tools and processes; (7) availability of property insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates or insufficient insurance coverage to cover claims or damages; (8) the availability of financing and interest rates, which affect the company's cost of funds and/or ability to raise capital; (9) the impacts from any repurchases of our common shares, including the timing and amount of any repurchases; (10) competitive factors, including changes in market penetration, increasing price competition by existing or new foreign and domestic competitors, the introduction of new products by existing and new competitors, and new technology that may impact the way the company's products are sold or distributed; (11) deterioration in global economic conditions, or in economic conditions in any of the geographic regions in which the company conducts business, including additional adverse effects from global economic slowdown, terrorism or hostilities, including political risks associated with the potential instability of governments and legal systems in countries in which the company or its customers conduct business, and changes in currency valuations; (12) the impact of global conflicts on the economy, sourcing of raw materials, and commodity prices; (13) climate-related risks, including environmental and severe weather caused by climate changes, and legislative and regulatory initiatives addressing global climate change or other environmental concerns; (14) unanticipated litigation, claims or assessments, including claims or problems related to intellectual property, product liability or warranty, employment matters, regulatory compliance and environmental issues and taxes, among other matters; (15) cyber-related risks, including information technology system failures, interruptions and security breaches; (16) the potential impact of pandemics, epidemics, widespread illness or other health issues; and (17) with respect to the equipment investments to support the U.S. Army's mission of ramping up munitions production in the coming years, whether the funding awarded to support these investments is received on the anticipated timetable, whether the company is able to successfully complete the installation and commissioning of the new assets on the targeted budget and timetable, and whether the anticipated increase in throughput is achieved. Further, this news release represents our current policy and intent and is not intended to create legal rights or obligations. Certain standards of measurement and performance contained in this news release are developing and based on assumptions, and no assurance can be given that any plan, objective, initiative, projection, goal, mission, commitment, expectation or prospect set forth in this news release can or will be achieved. Inclusion of information in this news release is not an indication that the subject or information is material to our business or operating results.

Additional risks relating to the company's business, the industries in which the company operates, or the company's common shares may be described from time to time in the company's filings with the SEC. All of these risk factors are difficult to predict, are subject to material uncertainties that may affect actual results and may be beyond the company's control. Readers are cautioned that it is not possible to predict or identify all of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may affect future results and that the above list should not be considered to be a complete list. Except as required by the federal securities laws, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Metallus Inc.
Timothy Mabry sits down with Paul Salfen of SouthernPlex Media in an interview about his Fight for Texas and answering a calling that came from above with his campaign Mabry For Texas.

Deepen the Heart of Texas

SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Timothy Mabry, a sixth-generation Texan, today announced the push and rebranding of his campaign for Lieutenant Governor under the name Mabry for Texas, unveiling the campaign's guiding message: "Deepen the Heart of Texas," which comes with a Texas first mentality.

A former serviceman and firefighter, Mabry says his campaign isn't about climbing the political ladder, it's about answering a calling.

Timothy Mabry sits down with Paul Salfen of SouthernPlex Media in Dallas for a brief interview as the Mabry For Texas campaign is marching forward. Speed Speed

"This wasn't a career move," Mabry said in a recent SouthernPlex interview. "It was a calling that came from above."

The campaign's message, "Deepen the Heart of Texas," is a purposeful play on the iconic state slogan, reflecting Mabry's belief that Texans need to be ready to fight for their state in the ballot offices for the foundational values they hold deep in their heartsfamily, freedom, community, and independence.

In the interview with celebrity host Paul Salfen in Dallas this week, Mabry spoke candidly about his faith, his values, state policy, and his commitment to Texas. A clip from the interview can be watched on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjU83pcaZuw

The Campaign Trail and Texas Policy

Mabry's policy priorities include eliminating property taxes to protect homeownership, strengthening infrastructure across utilities, energy, and transportation sectors to support sustainable growth, while also driving state independence. Mabry also has a strong focus on controlling border security and prioritizing rural Texas, which often gets overlooked although it contains a third of the state population. He is also on a mission to restore what he calls "true Texas culture and values", something that for over a century made Texas, Texas.

As a husband, father, and small business owner & advocate, Timothy Mabry is traveling the state to meet voters face-to-face, answer questions, and share his vision for Texas. With a common-sense approach distinct from career politicians, Mabry says he is committed to uniting Texans and rooting out corruption.

"We as a family are going to do whatever we can to save Texas no matter how long it takes," said Mabry as he takes on this mission to win over voters for Lieutenant Governor of Texas.

Fundraising and other ways to contribute can be found through the MabryForTexas.com website, and the Mabry For Texas campaign team will be posting scheduled events and appearances on social media.

For interviews, photos, or additional campaign information, please contact: [email protected]

About Mabry For Texas, Timothy Mabry for Lt. Governor

Timothy Mabry, Lieutenant Governor candidate for Texas is a Navy veteran, former fire officer, small business advocate, husband, father, and fighter for the people of Texas. We're in the fight to unite Texans and reclaim Texas from career politicians who ignore the voices of everyday citizens who need their voice heard too.

About SouthernPlex Media

SouthernPlex Media is a NextGen Media Production and Creative Agency that intersects aspects of storytelling, data driven strategies, and growth intelligence to drive brands forward. We deliver exceptional work and value to our group of partners, clients, and ambassadors. SouthernPlex Media is a subsidiary of SouthernPlex Group, Inc. led by CEO, Preston Howell.

SOURCE SouthernPlex
STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Steward Partners, an employee-owned independent financial services firm specializing in comprehensive wealth management solutions, today announced that it has raised $475 million in strategic capital from Ares Credit funds ("Ares"), comprising a significant expansion of its lending relationship and a non-controlling minority investment. Ares joins Steward Partners' existing institutional partners, Cynosure Group ("Cynosure") and The Pritzker Organization ("TPO"), in backing the firm. Strategic direction and day-to-day decision-making remain with Steward Partners' leadership and partners.

From its humble beginnings over 12 years ago with three advisors and under $100 million in assets, Steward Partners has grown into a national powerhouse built on advisor independence, employee ownership, and a relentlessly client-focused culture. Today, with nearly $50 billion in client assets and a thriving partner-led model, the firm combines scale with the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a boutique platform.

Underpinning this growth is the distinctive ownership modelpartners who build the business have meaningful equity stakes in its success. This structure drives accountability, long-term decision-making, and deep alignment between advisors, employees, and clients, creating a firm in which those who serve clients are also invested owners building for the long term.

"This is another defining milestone for Steward Partners," said Jim Gold, Chief Executive Officer of Steward Partners. "This transaction is a strong affirmation of everything our partners have built over more than a decade. Our team has created meaningful value through years of deep commitment to our mission, and we are thrilled to see the commitment of our partners rewarded."

"We weren't looking for capital alone, we were looking for alignment, vision, and partnership," added Hy Saporta, President & Chief Operating Officer of Steward Partners. "Ares stood out because they respect independence, understand collaboration, and support our long-term vision. This structure preserves everything that makes Steward Partners special."

"Ares is pleased to provide flexible capital to support Steward Partners in its next phase of growth, and this transaction reflects our confidence in the company's leadership and market position," said Scott Rosen, Partner in Ares Credit. "We're proud to work with a company that has deep alignment across employees, management and investors."

Keith Taylor, Board Chairman of Steward Partners, remarked, "Jim and Hy had a vision for creating an exceptional, employee-owned, advisory firm and, importantly, one that also distributed cash flow to the employee owners in both profit-sharing as well as Capital events. This is a terrific way to recognize and reward Partners for their contributions. Cynosure's investment in 2019 was the first of what is now three investments that strengthen Steward and return money to employee owners. I know I speak for TPO as well when I say that the Company performance thus far has been amazing, but the best is yet to come and we are excited to remain invested for that future."

Jason Sussman, of TPO, commented, "Steward has redefined what a partnership model can look like in wealth management, and they have sustained it at scale. We look forward to the next leg of growth."

Saporta concluded, "We're extremely proud of what we've built, we're grateful to the partners who got us here, and we're beyond energized by the opportunities that lay ahead as we continue building a firm that is durable, independent, and truly differentiated in the wealth management space."

Since its launch in 2013, Steward Partners has solidified its place as one of the industry's fastest-growing and most influential RIA firms. The firm was recently recognized with a #9 ranking on the 2025 Barron's Top 100 RIA Firms list, up from its #18 ranking in 2024. Additionally, Steward Partners was named a 2025 Thrivent Employer of Choice by InvestmentNews, reflecting the firm's commitment to fostering a collaborative, partner-drive culture. Several Steward Partners advisors and teams were also honored on Forbes | SHOOK's 2025 Best-In-State Wealth Advisors and Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams lists, underscoring the quality of client service delivered across the platform. Please visit Important Disclosures at www.stewardpartners.com for more information regarding these awards.

Piper Sandler & Co. served as the exclusive financial advisor to Steward Partners. Ropes & Gray LLP and Latham & Watkins served as legal counsel to Steward Partners. Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP served as legal counsel to Ares.

About Steward Partners

Representing some of the U.S.'s top advisors, Steward Partners is a full-service, employee-owned, independent financial services firm that offers wealth management solutions for families, businesses, and multigenerational investors. Established in 2013, the firm fosters a positive, transparent culture of camaraderie and excellence that has fueled its substantial growth in a highly competitive industry. Offering services such as comprehensive wealth planning, private banking, institutional consulting, and business solutions, the firm was responsible for nearly $50 billion in client assets as of December 2025.

To learn more about Steward Partners, visit www.stewardpartners.com.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to advance our stakeholders' long-term goals by providing flexible capital that supports businesses and creates value for our investors and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of September 30, 2025, Ares Management Corporation's global platform had over $595 billion of assets under management, with operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

Media Contact:

Zach Allegretti

JConnelly

[email protected]

973-850-7341

SOURCE Steward Partners
SINGAPORE, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of Singapore's 60th anniversary of independence, the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) presents two commemorative experiences chronicling Singapore's transformation from settlement to global city and its major milestones over the past 700 years.

(L-R) Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City and Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time.

Visitors can start their experience with Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time at the Shaw Foundation Glass Rotunda, the first permanent gallery to reopen amid the museum's ongoing revamp. Intended as an introduction to Singapore's history, this immersive multimedia experience takes visitors back in time to witness formative moments in the nation's history. Through an RFID-enabled wristband, visitors can "adopt" one of nine Magical Companions inspired by Singapore's native fauna to guide them through the showcase and activate hidden layers of content on Singapore's history.

Visitors are first greeted with a suspended LED globe that anchors a two-minute light show, which maps the evolution of the maritime routes that have connected Singapore to the world throughout its history. As visitors move through the gallery and descend the spiral ramp, they "time-travel" in reverse chronology through pivotal chapters of Singapore's history via visual wall projections that come alive with animated scenes and rich soundscapes. The journey culminates at the base of the Glass Rotunda, which features a digital waterfall curtain that reveals historical moments of Singapore's past, and an immersive media show featuring various myths associated with the origins of Singapore.

To continue their exploration of Singapore's history, visitors can visit the exhibition Once Upon a Tide: Singapore's Journey from Settlement to Global City  which runs till 9 October 2026  to discover how the sea and river have shaped Singapore's evolution from a bustling 14th-century port to a global powerhouse today.

Featuring over 350 artefacts from Singapore's National Collection, the exhibition is spread over five thematic sections, each representing different aspects of Singapore's evolution and brought to life through experiential storytelling. Visitors can discover the island's deep historical roots and its early prominence through maps, early trading activities along the Singapore River which once served as the lifeblood of the early settlement, and take on the Sampan Challenge to ferry passengers across the river. Through first-person accounts, photographs, personal artefacts, and even a digital Singlish quiz, the final section concludes with a tribute to Singaporeans and homegrown organisations that have made an impact globally.

In each section, visitors are prompted to reflect on the evolution of Singapore's identity by engaging with questions through an RFID-wristband. Their responses reveal one of four avatars that reflect their own values and aspirations, allowing them to contribute to the collective vision of Singapore's tomorrow.

Together, these two experiences form a continuous journey for visitors to explore, experience, and reflect on Singapore's history across centuries. For more information, please visit the National Museum's website, Facebook or Instagram.

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AALBORG, Denmark, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wrist Group ("Wrist"), a global leader in marine supply, logistics and budget management services for the maritime industry and a portfolio company of an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company, LLC ("JFLCO"), is pleased to announce the acquisition of Delaware Ship Supply ("DSS"), a well-recognized ship supplier headquartered in Camden, NJ. Founded in 1904, DSS provides a broad portfolio of customized services, including provisions, stores, technical products and spare parts logistics.

Jens Holger Nielsen, Group Chief Executive Officer at Wrist, commented, "We're excited to welcome Don Rush and his colleagues in Delaware Ship Supply. With more than 100 years of experience, Delaware Ship Supply has built a strong reputation serving American and international customers with marine supplies across the major ports of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. I am confident that our customers will benefit from the combined capabilities and synergies of Wrist and Delaware Ship Supply."

Don Rush, Chief Executive Officer of DSS, added, "As part of Wrist, Delaware Ship Supply gains significant opportunities beyond traditional ship supply. We will be able to expand our customer offerings overseas through the global Wrist network and enhance our customer value proposition through Wrist's advanced digital customer platforms. But most importantly, partnering with Wrist will allow us to serve our customers more effectively."

"The acquisition further strengthens Wrist's commercial and operational presence along the U.S. East Coast corridor and represents a highly strategic addition to the business. The combination enhances Wrist's capabilities and positions the company to deliver faster, more efficient service and greater value to customers across the region," said Will Hanenberg, Chairman of Wrist and Managing Director at JFLCO.

About Wrist Group

Wrist Group is the world's leading provider of marine supply, logistics and budget management services, operating across 35 locations worldwide, covering 750+ ports.

The company is a pioneer in the digital transformation of the maritime supply and logistics industry, streamlining the marine supply chain and procurement for customers. Committed to sustainability, Wrist continuously works to reduce its own climate impact while proactively addressing the market's growing need for responsible solutions and services.

For more information about Wrist Group and its family of companies, please visit www.wrist.com.

About J.F. Lehman & Company, Inc.

Founded in 1992, J.F. Lehman & Company focuses exclusively on investing in the aerospace, defense, government, maritime, environmental and infrastructure sectors. The firm has over $8 billion in AUM across its private equity and credit strategies and offices in New York and Washington, D.C.

www.jflco.com

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About this content 

About Oliver Haill

Oliver has been writing about companies and markets since the early 2000s, cutting his teeth as a financial journalist at Growth Company Investor with a focusing on AIM companies and small caps, before a few years later becoming a section editor and then head of research. He joined Proactive after a couple of years freelancing, where he worked for the Financial Times Group, ITV, Press Association, Reuters sports desk, the London Olympic News Service, Rugby World Cup News Service, Gracenote... 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 Jamie Ashcroft

Jamie Ashcroft, the News Editor for Proactive UK, has developed an impressive career in financial journalism, focusing on the small-cap sector for over fourteen years. Before joining the Proactive team, he was a stockbroker during the global financial crisis, a role that complemented his educational background - a first-class degree in Business and Economics and qualifications in software design and development. As one of the early external hires at Proactive in 2009, Jamie contributed... 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.
The reform of immigration courts is one of the measures that has been undertaken by the Trump administration to expedite deportations, which are not occurring at the pace the U.S. president desires. In addition to instructing judges to close asylum cases without a trial, he has sought to replace judges he deemed too favorable to migrants with military lawyers. In recent months, the Republican has dismissed approximately 140 immigration judges and, in their place, hired 36 military lawyers to perform their duties. The initiative has already yielded results. Military judges are deporting people more quickly than traditional immigration judges.

This is demonstrated by a report conducted by Mobile Pathways, a California-based nonprofit organization, which analyzes cases resolved in November, the first month that military judges were active. During that period, immigration judges issued deportation orders in 63% of the cases they heard; meanwhile, military judges ordered the expulsion of 78% of the migrants whose cases they handled. The military judges examined 286 cases and issued rulings in 110, of which 86 migrants were expelled and 14 self-deported; 176 cases are still pending.

The military is very good at following the rules. And it seems the order theyve been given is to get them out of here, says Bartolomiej Skorupa, co-founder of Mobile Pathways. Theyre stricter and apply the rules more rigorously, he explains. In nine out of 10 cases, migrants whose cases were handled by military judges ended up being deported or self-deporting.

On October 24, the Department of Justice announced the hiring of 11 permanent and 25 temporary immigration judges. Most lack immigration experience, and those who do have it acquired it as prosecutors or through work for the Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agencies responsible for arrests and deportations. Among the temporary judges are military lawyers from the Marine Corps, Navy, Army, and Air Force.

One of them has already been removed from his post: Christopher Day, a lieutenant-colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Military Lawyers Corps. Day closed 11 cases and issued only one deportation order. From the migrants perspective, he acted like a hero, Skorupa notes. Experts interpret his favorable rulings for migrants as having led to his dismissal.

Replacing immigration judges with military lawyers who lack experience in this area has sparked considerable controversy among migrant advocacy organizations. This unprecedented move has raised concerns about fairness and due process, given the vast differences between U.S. military law and immigration law, states a report from the Migration Policy Institute.

The new appointments replaced some of the judges Trump had fired without justification, all of whom had previously worked on immigration cases. Dozens of immigration judges were dismissed with a simple email, without explanation, sometimes even while in the middle of a hearing, which they had to suspend to leave the courtroom immediately. The dismissals further backlogged an already overwhelmed system, with more than three million pending cases and only 800 judges to hear them.

The replacement of immigration judges with military personnel began early last summer when the Pentagon authorized some 600 military lawyers to work for the Justice Department and modified the requirements to become a temporary immigration judge, eliminating the need for prior experience in immigration law. Mobile Pathways analysis is the first indication of some of the effects of that recruitment.

Democratic senators and representatives have expressed concern that using the military for this task could violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the armed forces from performing law enforcement functions in the civilian sphere.

Deportation judges wanted

The shortage of immigration judges has led the Department of Justice to announce a job opening, which has been active on its website since last month. The job title, however, leaves no doubt about intentions. They are not seeking immigration judges, but rather deportation judges for 70 locations across the country.

Those hired for the first time as federal employees for New York City and several cities in California and Massachusetts will receive a 25% bonus. The offered salary ranges from $159,951 to $207,500. The job posting states that the successful candidate will be responsible for making decisions with generational consequences; ensuring that only aliens with legally meritorious claims are allowed to remain.

The replacement of judges is just one of the changes the Trump administration has introduced in the courts to further its anti-immigration crusade. In court, judges have been instructed to respond to the backlog of asylum applications by denying some without a hearing, leading to lawsuits alleging a lack of due process in deportations. In April 2025, the Executive Office for Immigration Review issued a policy memorandum instructing immigration judges to dismiss, or deny, asylum applications deemed legally insufficient without a hearing, though without specifying what was meant by insufficient.

In addition, the government canceled legal representation for minors and moved detainees to remote locations, including prisons outside of U.S. jurisdiction, shaping the immigration justice system to its liking.

Diversion of the Defense budget

The governments plan to hire military lawyers as judges is part of a report submitted by 10 Democratic senators and three representatives denouncing the diversion of at least $2 billion from the military budget to immigration enforcement. The report criticizes the prioritization of hardline border initiatives and political maneuvering at the expense of the militarys ability to protect the nation and respond to emergencies.

It is an insult to our military that Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense) and Kristi Noem (Secretary of Homeland Security) are using the defense budget as a discretionary fund for political maneuvering. Cutting military resources to advance a wasteful political agenda does not strengthen our armed forces or increase the security of Americans, said Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of the lawmakers who signed the report.

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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.
Prescient Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:PTX) earlier this week received European authorisation to begin clinical trials for PTX-100 in Italy, marking a major step in the companys Phase 2A development program.

The company said the approval enables it to activate clinical sites in Italy and, later, in France. These sites will support ongoing patient recruitment for the Phase 2A trial, which has already commenced in Australia and the United States.

CEO James McDonnell told investors that the trial will involve up to 20 patients and include two dosing arms. He noted that the study builds on positive data from a Phase 1B trial in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients, specifically in sub-analyses that demonstrated favourable responses.

Prescient said the first European clinical site will be in Bologna, with additional French sites to follow once administrative procedures are completed early next year. It allows us to start activating sites in Italy and in the future France, McDonnell said.

A dose optimisation committee is expected to review initial patient data in mid to late 2026, which will help determine the trials next steps.

The company emphasised that the Phase 2A program remains a key clinical focus, as PTX-100 progresses toward broader validation across multiple jurisdictions.

The company is advancing site activations and patient enrolment in parallel, with the aim of generating sufficient safety and efficacy data to support future development decisions.

PTX-100 is an investigational compound being evaluated for its potential in treating haematological cancers. The company previously reported encouraging results from Phase 1B, and the Phase 2A study aims to replicate and build on those outcomes.

Prescient continues to pursue a multi-regional approach to clinical development, leveraging regulatory progress in Europe alongside existing operations in the US and Australia.

Proactive: Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Prescient Therapeutics CEO James McDonnell. James, good to see you again.

James McDonnell: Good to see you. Good to be here.

Proactive: James, it's quite a milestone today for the company. You've now been granted European authorisation to begin clinical trials in Italy for PTX-100. What exactly does this green light from Europe grant you?

James McDonnell: This is important for the Phase 2A study. It allows us to start activating sites in Italy and in the future France. Thats important as we recruit patients into the study.

Proactive: This is all in the lead-up to a Phase 2A trial, like you just mentioned. What is the current timeframe for that?

James McDonnell: We're progressing it. We've had patients here in Australia and we have them in the US and in Europe. We expect 20 patients to be enrolled. The dose optimisation committee will review the data. We're expecting that sometime mid to late next year. Then we'll be able to make decisions on the next part forward.

Proactive: Phase 2 has already started in Australia and the US. Its on the way to Europe now, kicking off in Italy. Lets give investors a bit of a refresher  what will Phase 2A entail?

James McDonnell: Phase 2A will entail up to 20 patients and two dosing arms. We've got some very good data from our Phase 1B study in CLL patients, particularly in our sub-analysis. We're hoping to move that forward and get similar type results as we progress through Phase 2A.

Proactive: You've now been given the green light to go ahead and dose the first patient in Italy. That will follow in the next few weeks. How will the rest of Europe follow now that this announcement is out?

James McDonnell: We'll be opening sites that will then be able to recruit patients. The first site is in Bologna. France is the other country we have scheduled, and they will follow suit in the new year once we complete some extra paperwork.

Proactive: Prescient Therapeutics CEO James McDonnell, always good to have you on. Thank you so much for those updates.
Askari Metals Ltd (ASX:AS2) earlier this week confirmed it is ready to begin drilling at its Nejo Gold Project in Ethiopia, with mobilisation scheduled for early 2026 following supportive discussions with government officials.

The company said it received operational and administrative backing at both the federal and regional levels in Ethiopia, paving the way for a multi-target exploration campaign.

CEO Gino DAnna told investors the Phase 1 drill program will begin at the Goodi-Goodi 1 and 2 targets, located on a nine-kilometre mineralised corridor. These targets were selected due to the extent of historical exploration. The company will aim to validate historical drill hits and expand the mineralised zones.

In addition to drilling, the company will undertake trenching, infill sampling, and geophysics, focusing on gold and also the high-grade copper target known as Katta.

Askari said that mobilisation of crews and equipment is expected to begin early in the new year, with drilling and related exploration to run in parallel.

The company also announced it will recommence exploration at the Uis Project in Namibia, where tin mineralisation remains a key focus. Askari highlighted that strong tin prices provide a favourable environment for continued advancement of the project.

The next six months will be very busy as far as news flow is concerned, DAnna said, referencing both Nejo and Uis. The company expects multiple campaigns to run concurrently, providing consistent updates for shareholders through the first half of 2026.

Askari is advancing both gold and base metal exploration across Africa, with a strategy focused on validating historical results and uncovering new mineralised zones through targeted drilling.

Proactive: Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by Askari Metals Executive Director and CEO, Gino DAnna, live from Ethiopia. Good to have you on, Gino.

Gino DAnna: Thank you. Pleasure to be on the show again.

Proactive: Gino, you're on the ground in Ethiopia. I understand you've met with local officials over the past few days. What can you report back from those discussions?

Gino DAnna: The meetings have been very positive. Engagement at both federal and regional levels has been strong. Askari has walked away from those meetings knowing that its got full operational and administrative support for the future development and exploration of Nejo.

Proactive: Phase 1 of the upcoming drilling campaign has now been released to the market. What will you focus on this time, and how soon do you expect to begin?

Gino DAnna: Drilling will initially target the Goodi-Goodi 1 and 2 areas, which sit along a nine-kilometre mineralised corridor that remains open in both directions. These zones have seen the most historical work, so we'll look to validate those past results and expand the mineralisation. At the same time, well conduct further exploration on parallel structures and at the high-grade copper Katta target. Mobilisation of drill crews is expected early in the new year.

Proactive: The year is ending, and 2026 is just a few weeks away. What can investors expect from both Uis and Nejo in the first few months of the year?

Gino DAnna: The key catalyst will be drilling at Nejo. Having Askari drill its first holes and validate historical results could be a significant value driver. Well be conducting trenching, geophysics, and infill work alongside that. While most of the focus is on gold, were also prioritising the Katta copper target. In parallel, were recommencing work at the Uis Project in Namibia. Its a high-grade tin project, and with tin prices remaining high, its an excellent time to progress that development. The next six months will be very busy for news flow and exploration activity across both projects.

Proactive: Certainly quite a bit happening at both Uis and Nejo. This was Askari Metals Executive Director and CEO Gino DAnna, live from Ethiopia. It's been great having you on. Thank you so much.

Gino DAnna: Thank you.
International Graphite Ltd (ASX:IG6) earlier this week signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Italian chemicals group Alkeemia, outlining plans to collaborate on graphite purification using Alkeemias pilot plant infrastructure in Europe.

The company said the pilot plant will initially process up to 200 tonnes per annum of graphite concentrate, with potential expansion to 1,000 tonnes. Alkeemia will provide toll treatment services, enabling International Graphite to test its materials, including those sourced from the Springdale Graphite project in Western Australia.

Managing Director Andrew Worland told investors the agreement gives the company access to an established purification process without requiring significant capital investment at an early stage. Getting that level of collaboration, partnership, as well as the capital cost efficiencies, could be just transformational for a development stage company, he said.

Alkeemia uses high-temperature acid purification, which Worland described as a bankable method widely used in the graphite industry. He said purification remains a key hurdle for companies developing natural graphite projects due to its high cost and technical complexity.

The partners will now focus on a test work program over the next three to six months, aimed at generating samples of purified expandable and micronised graphite. Worland said Alkeemias strengths include its chemical supply chain access and waste management systems, which enhance its capability as a purification provider.

The collaboration could support International Graphites goal of entering the downstream market without incurring the upfront capital costs typically associated with full-scale purification facilities.

The company said it expects early-stage test results to inform potential pathways for commercial-scale processing, with the option to expand the partnership depending on outcomes from the pilot campaign.

Proactive: Welcome back to Proactive Newsroom. I'm now joined by International Graphite Managing Director and CEO Andrew Worland. Welcome back, Andrew.

Andrew Worland: Great to be with you again.

Proactive: Andrew, you've signed a non-binding letter of intent with Italian chemicals group Alkeemia. What services will they be providing?

Andrew Worland: Alkeemia is completing construction of a pilot plant for graphite concentrate processing. The initial scope is 200 tonnes per annum, with plans to expand to 1,000 tonnes. Theyre offering toll treatment services to help companies prove up their processes. Alkeemia is one of Europes largest producers in this space, and their high-temperature acid purification method is well-established and bankable in the graphite industry. This partnership is a significant step for us as we supply graphite concentrates, including from our Springdale Project.

Proactive: Youve said this could be a key part of International Graphites development strategy. How so?

Andrew Worland: Every graphite producer needs to purify concentrates to reach high-value applications like expandable or micronised graphite, and especially for battery anodes. Purification is one of the most capital-intensive steps in the flow sheet. This partnership could allow us to access that capability without committing early-stage capital. Collaborating with a proven, high-quality partner like Alkeemia could be transformational for a company at our stage.

Proactive: Youre both looking to optimise output. How will this unfold in the coming months?

Andrew Worland: The next step is test work. Alkeemia already has concentrate samples from our Springdale project and from other sources globally. We mentioned in last weeks ASX release that were running a test work program for the expandable graphite market. Theres demand for purified expandable and micronised graphite, and Alkeemia brings strong capability through its chemical access and waste management systems. If we can complete a solid 3 to 6 months of test work and get good results from the pilot plant, it could open up significant growth potential for both businesses.

Proactive: Its early days, but well look forward to seeing how this partnership evolves. Andrew Worland from International Graphite, thank you so much.

Andrew Worland: Thanks very much.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. Guarantees proposed by the European Union (EU) for using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine were "still insufficient," said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Thursday, warning that Belgium would not bear the risks alone. Addressing the Belgian parliament ahead of an EU summit, De Wever said he had not seen a final text from the EU on guarantees that could persuade Belgium to agree on, and expected that clearer documents would be presented later in the day. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Guarantees proposed by the European Union (EU) for using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine were "still insufficient," said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Thursday, warning that Belgium would not bear the risks alone.

Addressing the Belgian parliament ahead of an EU summit, De Wever said he had not seen a final text from the EU on guarantees that could persuade Belgium to agree on, and expected that clearer documents would be presented later in the day.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to mull plans to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The bloc has immobilized around 210 billion euros (246 billion U.S. dollars) in assets belonging to Russia's central bank, with about 90 percent held within the EU by Belgium-based Euroclear.

According to Russian media RIA Novosti, De Wever told Belgian lawmakers that the confiscation of Russia's assets within the EU may "lead to a snowball effect, when Euroclear will no longer be able to meet the expectations of its customers, and the stability of the institution will be jeopardized. And that would be a financial nightmare."

De Wever noted that the current EU proposal may risk damaging Euroclear's reputation, undermining financial market confidence in Europe and violating international law, Politico Europe reported.

He acknowledged that there was a group of EU countries backing the reparation loan idea, including Germany, Poland, and the Baltic and Nordic states, describing them as a "large and powerful bloc," and the European Commission was also inclined in that direction.

At an EU summit in October, leaders failed to reach an agreement on a "reparation loan" scheme due to objections from Belgium and other countries. 

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025.

Guarantees proposed by the European Union (EU) for using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine were "still insufficient," said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Thursday, warning that Belgium would not bear the risks alone.

Addressing the Belgian parliament ahead of an EU summit, De Wever said he had not seen a final text from the EU on guarantees that could persuade Belgium to agree on, and expected that clearer documents would be presented later in the day. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025.

Guarantees proposed by the European Union (EU) for using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine were "still insufficient," said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever on Thursday, warning that Belgium would not bear the risks alone.

Addressing the Belgian parliament ahead of an EU summit, De Wever said he had not seen a final text from the EU on guarantees that could persuade Belgium to agree on, and expected that clearer documents would be presented later in the day. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
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Angela Harmantas is an Editor at Proactive. She has over 15 years of experience covering the equity markets in North America, with a particular focus on junior resource stocks. Angela has reported from numerous countries around the world, including Canada, the US, Australia, Brazil, Ghana, and South Africa for leading trade publications. Previously, she worked in investor relations and led the foreign direct investment program in Canada for the Swedish government. She earned a Bachelor of... Read more

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Steve Darling is an award winning broadcaster who has spent the past 20 years as one of the most recognizable faces in British Columbia, reporting and anchoring at BCTV and Global Television. He spent 15 years as the co-host of the number one morning new program in the province. Steve is a tireless worker for charity hosting some 50 events a year. He is an ambassador for the Canucks Autism Network and hosts numerous events with BC Childrens Hospital and the Child Development foundation of... 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.
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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.
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New York, Dec 19 : Seven people were killed after a small jet crashed at a regional airport in Statesville, US state of North Carolina, police said.

According to the police, among those killed in the crash were former NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed on Thursday, at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time while landing at the airport and triggered a large fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and attempted to land there.

Identification of the victims is pending confirmation from the medical examineras office.

"This is still an active event," Statesville City Manager Ron Smith said during a brief news conference Dec. 18, calling the crash a multi-agency response and adding that the investigation is "evolving."

Video footage showed first responders rushing onto the runway as scattered wreckage from the plane was engulfed in fire.

John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport manager, told reporters that the FAA was taking over the crash scene. "The airport now is closed until further notice. It will take some time to get the debris off the runway, to get it safe again," he said.

The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are launching an investigation into the accident.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu gave a peep into a happy moment from her life as she shared a smiling picture, describing it as living her "best French girl life." Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu gave a peep into a happy moment from her life as she shared a smiling picture, describing it as living her "best French girl life."

In the photograph, Bipasha is seen looking every inch charming in minimal makeup, with her hair freshly blow-dried. The actress credited her husband Karan Singh Grover for the picture, adding a personal touch to the post.

She wrote in the caption: "Living my best french girl life (picture click emoji) Husband."

The line "best French girl life" refers to a sense of elegance, self-love and living in the moment often associated with a carefree, natural and confident lifestyle.

The 46-year-old actress on December 15, posted a tender moment from her family as husband Karan Singh Grover channeled his inner photographer for her and their daughter Devi.

The actress posted an adorable picture featuring herself with her little "bestie" Devi .In the picture, the little one is perched comfortably on Bipasha's lap, while the gentle winter sun falls softly across the actress' face, adding a warm, golden glow.

Bipasha wrote: "Me & My Bestie. (camera emoji) Papa."

Bipasha and Karan tied the knot in April 2016 in a grand ceremony attended by close friends and family. They welcomed their daughter Devi on November 12, 2022.

The actress is known for her work in the thriller and horror genres and for several dance numbers. She made her acting debut with the thriller Ajnabee in 2001. Her first leading role was in the horror film Raaz.

Her career progressed with a leading role in the erotic thriller Jism, No Entry, Dhoom 2, Corporate, Phir Hera Pheri, All the Best: Fun Begins, Race, Bachna Ae Haseeno.

In the 2010s, she starred in the horror films Raaz 3D, Aatma, Creature 3D and Alone.

This was followed by a hiatus during which her sole appearance was in the thriller series Dangerous. She hosted the horror series Darr Sabko Lagta Hai in 2015.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Satna, Dec 19 : Days after a horrific case of HIV infection in six Thalassemic children from a suspected blood transfusion in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district hospital, the government has suspended a senior doctor and two lab technicians who were associated with the particular department.

The health department has issued a show-cause notice to Chief Health and Medical Officer (CHMO) Dr Manoj Shukla. In a strongly worded notice, Dr Shukla, a senior surgeon, has been asked to submit a written reply.

Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who is also the state health minister, told IANS on Friday that action has been taken on the basis of an investigation by a three-member committee of senior officials, including an IAS officer.

The committee submitted its findings to the government late on Thursday, Shukla added.

The inquiry committee has indicated that the children might have been infected with HIV from blood donors, who could be the family members or relatives of Thalassaemic children and were treated at the hospital.

The committee has suggested tracing the donors, which seems a challenging task for the Satna district administration. With blood sourced from multiple facilities over a long period, identifying which donor supplied which unit -- whether any were HIV positive -- has become a daunting exercise.

Dy CM and Health Minister Shukla said the multiple departments, including the police, will be involved to trace those donors.

Satna district administration on Thursday initiated action against an illegal blood brokerage ring and arrested three persons operating around the district hospital, which is named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

A police officer identified the accused as Ranjeet Sahu, Mohammad Kaif and Anil Gupta. Police were investigating whether any staff member of the hospital's blood bank was involved in this trade, a police official said.

Notably, in a shocking revelation, six children treated at the hospital for thalassemia -- which requires periodic blood transfusion -- were found on December 16 to have contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : India's steel sector mirrors the country's broader economic transformation and has emerged as a pillar of growth, resilience and global integration, according to Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries, HD Kumaraswamy.

The minister highlighted that India is currently the world's second-largest steel producer, a position achieved through sustained reforms, steady investments and a clear long-term vision focused on modernisation, self-reliance and sustainability.

He noted that the steel sector contributes around 2.5 per cent to India's GDP and supports nearly 2.8 million livelihoods, with demand being driven by infrastructure expansion, manufacturing growth and strategic sectors such as defence and mobility.

The minister held an interactive meeting with Ambassadors and representatives of key partner countries, inviting them to actively participate in 'Bharat Steel 2026', scheduled to be held in April 2026.

The meeting formed part of the ministry's outreach efforts to deepen international cooperation and strengthen India's engagement with global steel-producing and steel-consuming nations.

Kumaraswamy welcomed the Ambassadors and thanked them for their presence, noting that their participation reflected the importance India places on trusted international partnerships.

Referring to the 'National Steel Policy 2017' and the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumaraswamy said India is progressing steadily towards a steel capacity of 300 million tonnes by 2030, with an even more ambitious target of 500 million tonnes by 2047.

These milestones, he said, would further integrate India with global steel value chains and open new avenues for international collaboration.

The Ministry of Steel has decided to institutionalise an annual flagship International Conference-cum-Exhibition titled "Bharat Steel."

Kumaraswamy explained that the 'Bharat Steel 2026' is envisioned as a global platform bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, investors, technology providers and buyers from across the world.

A key feature of the event will be a dedicated Reverse BuyerSeller Meet aimed at facilitating structured B2B engagements and fostering long-term partnerships. The conference would focus on expanding steel consumption, promoting sustainability and the circular economy, securing raw material supply chains, accelerating technological innovation and enabling investments for capacity expansion.

IANS

na/

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Canberra, Dec 19 : Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday announced that a national firearm buyback scheme will be established to reduce the number of guns in the community following the Bondi Beach shooting.

Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra that the federal government will establish a national buyback to purchase and destroy surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms.

The scheme will mimic a buyback that was established in response to the fatal shooting of 35 people at Port Arthur in the island state of Tasmania in 1996.

The fatal shooting of 15 people at Bondi Beach on Sunday night was Australia's most deadly mass shooting since the 1996 attack, which prompted a major overhaul of the country's gun laws.

Albanese said on Friday that there are currently over 4 million firearms in Australia, more than there were at the time of the Port Arthur massacre.

Australia's states and territories will be responsible for collection, processing and payments under the buyback, and the Australian Federal Police will be responsible for destroying the surrendered firearms.

Albanese said he expects hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Sajid Akram, one of the two armed men involved in Sundayas mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach that left 16 people dead, originally hails from Hyderabad but had limited contact with the family after migrating to Australia in 1998, police said.

Telangana Director General of Police B. Shivdhar Reddy said that the state police has no adverse record against Akram during his stay in India prior to his departure in 1998.

The factors that led to the radicalisation of Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed, appear to have no connection with India or any local influence in Telangana, the DGP said in a statement.

He also stated that Telangana Police remain committed to cooperating with central agencies and other counterparts, as and when required.

The police chief urged the public and media to avoid speculation or attribution without verified facts.

The mass shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney, on Sunday, by two perpetrators, during a public Hanukkah celebration, resulted in the deaths of 15 victims and one of the two attackers.

The attackers have been identified as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24.

Reports indicate that they were inspired by ISIS ideology. Further investigation in this regard is being carried out by Australian authorities.

Sajid Akram is originally from Hyderabad. He completed his B.Com degree in Hyderabad and migrated to Australia in search of employment, approximately 27 years ago, in November 1998.

He subsequently married Venera Grosso, a European origin woman, before settling permanently in Australia. They have one son, Naveed (one of the two attackers) and one daughter.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
CHONGQING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A joint Chinese-international research team has decoded how the destructive plant pathogen Xanthomonas acquires specialized nutrients from host tissues, offering a novel approach to combat crop diseases caused by this bacterium.

Xanthomonas poses a major threat to agriculture globally, capable of infecting over 400 crop species and causing severe diseases. It spreads rapidly, is difficult to control and many crops, including rice, lack natural resistance.

The study, published online in Science, reveals a key survival strategy of the pathogen. Corresponding authors are from Southwest University, Jilin Agricultural University and Duke University, with contributing researchers from institutions including the University of California and Seoul National University.

According to Wang Shanzhi, first author of the paper, when Xanthomonas infects rice, it secretes a "nutrient-synthesizing enzyme" called AvrBs2 into plant cells. Inside the host cell, this enzyme utilizes plant nutrients to produce a cyclic sugar phosphate compound named xanthosan.

The pathogen then reabsorbs and degrade xanthosan through a specialized transport protein and degrade enzyme, thereby obtaining essential nutrients for its growth and reproduction.

"This shows that Xanthomonas oryzae establishes a 'synthesis-transport-utilization' nutrient pipeline within rice, continuously plundering host resources to feed itself," Wang explained. "Blocking this nutrient acquisition pathway could therefore enhance rice resistance to the bacterial disease."

Based on this finding, the team proposed a new "anti-xanthomonadin" breeding strategy. Experiments confirmed that blocking the pathogen's use of xanthosan weakens its virulence. Transgenic rice engineered with this trait exhibited enhanced disease resistance and showed no adverse effects on growth or metabolism, demonstrating its strong application potential.

Since AvrBs2 is common across many Xanthomonas pathogens, this approach could also help control other bacterial diseases like citrus canker and tomato bacterial spot, providing new support for sustainable agriculture, according to the researchers. 
Samsung unveils details of new Exynos chipset for Galaxy S26. Image Source: IANS News

Seoul, Dec 19 : Samsung Electronics on Friday unveiled details of the new Exynos 2600 application processor (AP), widely expected to power the upcoming flagship Galaxy S26 smartphone.

The South Korean tech giant said in its website post that the Exynos 2600, boasting the industry's first 2-nanometer gate-all-around (GAA) production technology, is currently under "mass production" status, reports Yonhap news agency.

APs, often described as the brains of mobile devices, handle the core computing tasks that run operating systems and applications.

"The Exynos 2600 delivers enhanced AI and gaming experiences by integrating powerful CPU, NPU and GPU into a single compact chip," the company said on the website.

Compared with its predecessor, the Exynos 2500, the new AP boasts up to 39 per cent improved CPU capability and 113 per cent higher generative AI performance, according to Samsung.

"Thanks to these improvements, you can perform more on-device AI tasks, such as intelligent image editing and AI assistant functions, quicker and more efficiently," the company added.

Samsung Electronics plans to hold a launch ceremony for the Galaxy S26 smartphone in February in the United States.

Earlier this month, Samsung Electronics hinted at a new Exynos application processor (AP) widely expected to power the upcoming flagship Galaxy S26 smartphone.

The South Korean tech giant uploaded a clip titled "The next Exynos" on YouTube, featuring the Exynos 2600. Exynos is the company's proprietary mobile chipset.

APs, often described as the brains of mobile devices, handle the core computing tasks that run operating systems and applications.

Industry sources said Samsung Electronics began commercial production of the Exynos 2600 last month, making it the first AP manufactured using the 2-nanometer process technology.

Compared with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the new Exynos is expected to deliver a 30 per cent improvement in NPU performance and a 29 per cent gain in graphics processing capability.

a"IANS

na/

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Seoul, Dec 19 : North Korean soldiers crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean land border on 10 occasions last month as part of their continued construction activities near the border, a lawmaker said on Friday, citing military data.

Since March up until recently, there have been 16 cases of North Korean soldiers breaching the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas, according to information submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to main opposition People Power Party Rep. Kang Dae-sik.

A majority of the border crossings reported in November occurred in the eastern coastal county of Goseong, with six cases reported in the area, followed by three in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and one in Hwancheon, Gangwon Province.

The military attributed the recent rise in border intrusions in Goseong to its geographic traits.

"While the North Korean military has been clearing land in the Goseong area since November, border intrusions have been reported because that section of the MDL is shaped pointed toward the northern side," JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said in a regular press briefing.

In accordance with established process, the South Korean military aired warning messages and, in some cases, fired warning shots, prompting the North Korean soldiers to retreat in all cases, according to the JCS.

The ministry also corrected a media report that the defence ministry has recently instructed the military to refrain from firing warning shots in the event of a North Korean military provocation, saying no changes have been made to its operational procedures, Yonhap news agency reported.

Since April last year, North Korea has deployed troops near the MDL to plant mines, erect anti-tank barriers and reinforce barbed wire fences after the country's leader Kim Jong-un described inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023.

Last month, Seoul proposed holding military talks with Pyongyang to discuss how to clarify the MDL in a bid to prevent possible clashes near the inter-Korean border.

It marked South Korea's first official proposal for inter-Korean talks with the North since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, with a pledge to mend frayed ties with the North and create conditions for dialogue.

The North has remained unresponsive.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Actress Esha Deol, who is still grieving the loss of her beloved father and legendary actor Dharmendra, has expressed her wish to take a break from social media for some time.

The 'Dhoom' actress revealed that due to the unfortunate circumstances, she had been keeping her work commitments on hold for some time; however, she intends to post all of them in the near future.

Taking to the Stories section of her Instagram handle, Esha wrote, "I had kept a few work commitments on hold for a long time which I would be posting & sharing with you all now in the coming days. (sic)."

Reiterating that this is indeed a very difficult time for her as a daughter and she is still grieving the loss of her 'precious' father, Esha added, "Please understand me as a human & most importantly as a daughter who is still grieving the loss of her most loving precious father. A loss I would never get over."

The 'Yuva' actress said that if she could have her way, she would love to go on a social media break, but the nature of her work does not allow her to do so.

Esha expressed, "If I had things my way I would wish to not be on this platform for sometime and just take a break. But I can't do that. So try & be kind and understanding. Thank you for the love & support always... love you all."

Earlier, remembering dad Dharmendra on his 90th birthday on December 8, Esha promised to continue his legacy with 'pride & respect'.

Her emotional post read, "I so painfully miss you papa a your warm protective hugs that felt like the cosiest blanket , holding your soft yet strong hands which had unspoken messages & your voice calling out my name that followed with endless conversations , laughter & shayaris . Your motto a always be humble , be happy, healthy & strong."

"I promise to continue your legacy with pride & respect .And I will try my best to spread your love to the millions who love you as I do. I love you papa", she concluded the note, signing off as "Your darling daughter, Your Esha, your Bittu."
Guwahati, Dec 19 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday extended warm greetings to the people of Goa on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day, paying tribute to the courage and sacrifices of those who fought to free the coastal state from colonial rule.

In a post on social media platform X, CM Sarma conveyed his best wishes to the "brothers and sisters of Goa" and said the day was a reminder of the valour of the bravehearts who restored Goa's "rightful place in Bharat".

He expressed hope that the state would continue on its upward path of progress and development in the coming year.

Goa Liberation Day is observed annually on December 19 to commemorate the historic events of 1961, when the Indian Armed Forces successfully carried out 'Operation Vijay', bringing an end to over 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

Despite India attaining Independence in 1947, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, remained under Portuguese control for more than a decade, even as diplomatic efforts to integrate the territory into the Indian Union failed.

The liberation of Goa marked a significant chapter in post-Independence India's history, reflecting the country's resolve to complete its territorial integration.

'Operation Vijay', which lasted less than 48 hours, involved coordinated action by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force, and led to the peaceful surrender of Portuguese forces on December 19, 1961. Goa was initially made a union territory and later attained full statehood in 1987.

Across the country, leaders and citizens observe the day by remembering the freedom fighters, soldiers and civilians who played a role in Goa's liberation movement.

The day also serves as a reminder of India's broader struggle against colonialism and its commitment to sovereignty and unity.

CM Sarma's message resonated with this national sentiment, underlining the importance of honouring historical sacrifices while focusing on future growth.

Over the years, Goa has emerged as one of India's prominent states, known not only for tourism but also for steady progress in education, healthcare and infrastructure.

The celebrations in Goa typically include official ceremonies, tributes to martyrs and cultural programmes highlighting the state's rich heritage. Leaders from across the political spectrum use the occasion to reaffirm their commitment to inclusive development and national unity, drawing inspiration from the historic struggle that shaped modern Goa.
Guwahati, Dec 19 : Excitement is running high in Assam ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Guwahati, where he is scheduled to inaugurate the new Integrated Terminal at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport on Saturday.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday shared his enthusiasm on social media, saying that the airport is fully prepared to welcome the Prime Minister. "Excitement at its peak! LGBI Airport's Integrated Terminal is all decked up to welcome Adarniya Narendra Modi ji tomorrow. Just a few hours to go!" CM Sarma posted on X.

The newly constructed Integrated Terminal is being hailed as a major infrastructure milestone for the Northeast, significantly enhancing passenger handling capacity and modern amenities at the region's busiest airport.

Designed to blend contemporary architecture with elements reflecting Assam's cultural identity, the terminal is expected to transform the travel experience for both domestic and international passengers.

Officials said the inauguration of the terminal marks a crucial step in strengthening air connectivity in the Northeast, positioning Guwahati as a key aviation hub linking the region with the rest of India and Southeast Asia.

The project is also seen as a catalyst for economic growth, tourism promotion and improved cargo movement, particularly for Assam's tea, agricultural produce and handloom products.

Meanwhile, even as PM Modi is set to inaugurate the new passenger terminal at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi (LGB) International Airport, the Assam government has already started laying the groundwork for the next phase of expansion at the state's principal aviation hub.

CM Sarma said that the government is actively considering the construction of a second, additional terminal at Guwahati airport, citing a steady rise in passenger traffic and the airport's expanding role as the Northeast's primary gateway.

The Chief Minister stated that once the new terminal is commissioned, all domestic flight operations will be shifted there.

"Planning for a second new terminal is already underway. For the time being, the new terminal will handle operations, while the existing terminal will be phased out gradually," he said.

The Chief Minister added that international flights would continue to operate from the existing terminal for some time due to customs and related infrastructure requirements, but this arrangement would eventually change as facilities are streamlined. "Over time, the old terminal will be closed," he said.
Seoul, Dec 19 : South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Friday the ministry aims to take a leading role in establishing policies toward North Korea.

In a policy briefing to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Chung said the ministry, which is in charge of relations with Pyongyang, would "strengthen its leading role as a party directly involved in the Korean Peninsula issue," Yonhap News Agency reported.

Chung also said international sanctions imposed on North Korea over its illegal nuclear and missile programs have effectively lost their bite, adding the ministry will seek sanctions relief in a bid to reengage the country.

"In order to buttress inter-Korean and multilateral exchanges and cooperation, (the ministry) plans to discuss and seek the relaxation of sanctions," Chung told the briefing.

"There are some arguments calling for the strengthening of sanctions on North Korea, but, realistically, sanctions against Pyongyang have lost their effectiveness," the minister said.

North Korea's trade with China, which accounts for most of Pyongyang's external commerce, now goes partly unscreened, while the regime regards sanctions as "the most hostile" action against it, he said, as the rationale for seeking sanctions relief.

Seeking dialogue with North Korea while keeping sanctions against them in place would not be acceptable to Pyongyang, he noted.

Whether lifting sanctions against North Korea would be possible, however, remains unclear as Washington reportedly remains skeptical.

Acting US Ambassador to South Korea Kevin Kim reportedly told Chung during their meeting last month of the need to maintain sanctions on North Korea as a source of bargaining leverage in potential negotiations with North Korea.

Chung also said the period leading up to US President Donald Trump's planned visit to China in April would be a "decisive" one in determining security conditions on the Korean Peninsula, referring to the possibility of Trump resuming summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the Asian trip.

Chung also suggested plans to establish a financial transaction arrangement system to facilitate North Korea's external commerce even under the sanctions regime.

"We would seek a system ... under which North Korea could import essential resources, such as livelihood goods or hygienic or medical supplies ... while exporting its mineral and rare earth resources, with the payments deposited into an escrow financial arrangement account so the international community can transparently scrutinize them," he said.

Escrow is a legal arrangement in which a neutral third party holds funds for two parties in a transaction until their contract requirements are met.

Chung also put forth a broad vision to build an express train line that links Seoul to Beijing via North Korea as part of efforts to improve ties with Pyongyang.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Trinamool Congress MPs staged a 12-hour-long dharna on the Parliament House premises, protesting the manner in which the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, commonly referred to as the G RAM G Bill, was passed by both Houses.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MPs staged a 12-hour-long dharna on the Parliament House premises, protesting the manner in which the Viksit Bharat  Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, commonly referred to as the G RAM G Bill, was passed by both Houses.

The sit-in protest began around 1 a.m. outside the main gate of the old Parliament building and will likely continue until noon. Trinamool Congress leaders alleged that the Bill was pushed through without adequate discussion, violating parliamentary norms and undermining democratic processes.

Addressing the media during the protest, Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said the party had launched a 12-hour-long sit-in to oppose what she termed an 'undemocratic' and 'forceful' passage of the legislation.

"This is a twelve-hour-long sit-in protest, which we started last night at midnight. We will conclude it today at noon. We are protesting because this black law, the Viksit Bharat G RAM G Bill, has been introduced in a manner that effectively weakens MGNREGA and disrespects the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi," she said.

Ghose further accused the Modi government of pushing legislation through Parliament without proper debate.

"This government has insulted the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore and is bulldozing Bills through Parliament. This is a grave attack on democracy and parliamentary procedures, and our protest is against this undemocratic approach," she added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Trinamool Congress MP Dola Sen said the party had raised two clear objections.

"The MGNREGA scheme, which guaranteed 100 days of work annually to the most marginalised sections under Mahatma Gandhi's name, is being undermined. Members on the treasury benches were not part of the freedom movement and show no respect for freedom fighters or Mahatma Gandhi," she added.

Dola Sen further accused the ruling party of "glorifying Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin", and said the government was being run with the mindset of "Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai". "That is why we, the Opposition, were compelled to walk out," she said.

Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly criticised the Bill, stating that it completely dilutes the guaranteed 100 days of employment under MGNREGA.

"Although the Bill mentions 125 days, the Centre will now decide how many people will actually receive this employment. Earlier, nearly 90 per cent of MGNREGA funds were provided by the Centre. After this amendment, only 60 per cent will be borne by the Central government, forcing states to cover the remaining amount. This defeats the core purpose of MGNREGA," she said.

The protest follows a turbulent Parliament session marked by sloganeering and protests from Opposition benches, during which the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat  Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, through a voice vote on Thursday. The Bill seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a revised framework promising 125 days of wage employment for rural households.

Despite Opposition demands for detailed scrutiny and debate, the legislation was cleared, after which the House was adjourned till December 19. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the Bill amid disruptions, drawing sharp contrasts between the government's approach and that of the Opposition.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), here, is hosting India's first workshop on advanced Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) to enhance doctors' expertise in device-assisted therapies for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders.

The workshop, to be held from December 19 to 20, is dedicated exclusively to DBS in movement disorders and was endorsed by the International Movement Disorders Society.

DBS is a well-established and highly effective treatment that significantly improves motor symptoms and quality of life in carefully selected patients.

"Deep Brain Stimulation has transformed the management of Parkinson's disease, and building expertise in advanced imaging, surgery, and programming is essential to deliver optimal and equitable care for patients across India," said Dr. Elavarasi A. and Dr. Animesh, Movement Disorders Faculty, AIIMS New Delhi.

Over 1 million people suffer from Parkinson's in India, in which brain cells producing dopamine die, leading to movement issues like tremors, stiffness, and slow movement. When the condition is no longer optimally controlled with standard medical management, it can be effectively treated using device-assisted therapies.

While DBS is available in India, its successful delivery requires advanced technical expertise for surgical implantation as well as sophisticated post-operative programming.

The workshop aims to highlight recent advances in DBS, including image-guided programming and emerging closed-loop approaches, enabling tailored, patient-specific management and improved clinical outcomes.

The programme provides structured training to over 200 registered delegates and faculty members from across the country.

Five international faculty members also shared their expertise through focused lectures, hands-on sessions, and case-based discussions, facilitating an in-depth understanding of advanced DBS programming strategies.

Dedicated sessions were also conducted for clinicians new to DBS, supporting skill development among beginners.

"The workshop reinforced AIIMS New Delhi's commitment to advancing cutting-edge neurological care, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration, and building national capacity to improve outcomes for patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders," the hospital said.
Dhaka, Dec 19 : Violence erupted outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Friday, leaving at least four people injured, including two police officers.

The unrest broke out following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha, local media reported.

According to the police, the protesters gathered outside the Indian mission's office in the Khulshi area of Chittagong hurled bricks, vandalising the office premises in the early hours of Friday.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz stated that the police intervention resulted in a chase and counter-chase between law enforcement officers and protesters. He added that those injured in the clash were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Aziz stated that police detained people at the scene, who are expected to be booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to convey New Delhi's strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh.

According to the MEA, the Bangladeshi envoy's attention was drawn specifically to the activities of some extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.

India outrightly rejected the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh.

The MEA expressed concern that the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the incidents.

India called on the Yunus-led interim government to ensure the safety of Indian missions and posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Chittagong, amid protests over Hadi's death, demonstrators set fire to a house belonging to former Awami League Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel.

The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Chashmahill area of the city, where angry protestors also set ablaze a motorcycle inside the house, which belonged to former Chittagong mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Confirming the incident, Officer-in-Charge of Panchlaish Police Station, Md Solaiman, stated that around 200 protesters assembled in the Soloshahar and No 2 Gate areas in Chittagong to demonstrate over Hadi's death.

"They later marched toward Mayor Goli and set a motorcycle on fire at the house of former education minister and Awami League leader Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel. Police were present and attempted to bring the situation under control," Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted the police official as saying.

Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in violence and a degrading law and order situation under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
December 19 : Lucknow: On Thursday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a high-level meeting with 45 senior professionals representing 25 leading companies from India and abroad. Convened under the aegis of the WMG Group, the delegation included CEOs, CFOs, directors, and senior executives from sectors such as global capability centers, finance, automotive, banking, beverages, and pharmaceuticals. The discussions focused on investment opportunities, the industrial ecosystem, and Uttar Pradesh's future development roadmap.

Impressed by the Chief Minister's leadership and the state's stable, secure, and industry-friendly environment, the investors expressed strong confidence in Uttar Pradesh. They presented investment proposals worth approximately 6,500 crore for the establishment and expansion of industrial units across manufacturing, green energy, biorefineries, pharmaceuticals, food processing, and the service sector.

These projects are expected to generate significant employment and further accelerate the state's economic growth. The investors noted that robust law and order, modern infrastructure, and a proactive government make Uttar Pradesh a strong destination for long-term investment.

Welcoming the delegation, the Chief Minister said, For decades, the state's image suffered due to political instability and misconceptions. He urged industry leaders to move beyond outdated perceptions and recognize the transformation of a new Uttar Pradesh, where the past challenges have given way to a present marked by safety, stability, and opportunity, and a future full of promise.

Providing historical context, the Chief Minister noted that Uttar Pradesh once contributed 1415 percent to India's economy at the time of Independence, a share that later declined to about 7.58 percent, leading to its classification as a BIMARU state.

He said that comprehensive reforms and policy initiatives implemented over the past eight and a half years, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have enabled the state to confidently chart its economic resurgence today.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated emphatically that capital can remain secure only when society and the state are secure. He recalled that prior to 2017, the law-and-order situation was deeply disturbing, riots erupted every few days, curfews often lasted for months, and in nearly 50 districts it was unsafe for girls to step out after sunset.

He added, Extortion and protection rackets had become an unofficial system. On the very first day of my government, a firm resolve was taken to end this disorder. As a result, over the past eight and a half years, the state has witnessed no riots, no curfews, and has been freed from the grip of the mafia.

Highlighting the transformation in infrastructure, the Chief Minister said, In 2017, Uttar Pradesh had barely one and a half expressways, whereas today the state accounts for nearly 55 percent of India's total expressway network. The country's largest rail network, five international airports, inland waterways, rapid rail projects, and modern urban transport systems, such as ropeways, are being developed across the state. This remarkable progress is the outcome of planned, visionary investments.

Sharing the state's investment journey, the Chief Minister noted that when the first Investors Summit was held in 2018, even officials expected proposals of only about 20,000 crore. However, through nationwide roadshows, direct engagement with industry, and his own visits to major industrial hubs to present the new face of Uttar Pradesh, the state received investment proposals worth 4.67 lakh crore at the 2018 summit. This momentum continued, with the Global Investors Summit 2023 attracting proposals worth 40 lakh crore, clear evidence of Uttar Pradesh's transformation.

The Chief Minister said that today Uttar Pradesh ranks among the leading states in ease of doing business, infrastructure strength, industry-friendly policies, availability of land and power, and skilled manpower.

He added, The state hosts premier institutions such as IIMs, IITs, NITs, engineering universities, and technical institutes. With over 96 lakh units, it has the largest MSME base in the country. The One District One Product (ODOP) scheme has earned national recognition. Six nodes of the Defence Manufacturing Corridor are under development, with the production of the BrahMos missile in Lucknow standing as a strong example. Additionally, the Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority is being developed in Jhansi to provide comprehensive facilities for investors in the region.

Assuring investors, the Chief Minister said that capital is fully secure in the new Uttar Pradesh and that development is guaranteed. He emphasized that achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat requires Viksit Uttar Pradesh. With this goal, every district, urban body, village, and citizen is being integrated into the development process, supported by a statewide campaign for Viksit Bharat and Viksit Uttar Pradesh.

The Chief Minister invited industry leaders to visit different parts of the state, witness the transformation firsthand, and assess the business-friendly environment before making investment decisions. He said that while investment anywhere contributes to national growth, healthy competition among states is important, and investors should compare policies and ecosystems carefully. He also informed them that the Uttar Pradesh government is opening offices in other states to ensure wider outreach and better understanding of the state's potential.

During the meeting, investors also shared their experiences. Entrepreneur Arun Dubey, originally from Kanpur Dehat, said he had returned to his homeland after nearly a decade. Recalling the disorder he had seen in his childhood, he said the visible transformation today is remarkable and expressed his intent to establish a large bio-refinery unit in the state.

Other investors likewise conveyed their commitment to contributing to Uttar Pradesh's development and shared details of their proposed industrial investments.
CANBERRA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia will hold a national "day of reflection" on the coming Sunday to honor the victims of the deadly terror attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach a week earlier, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

Flags on all New South Wales and Australian government buildings will be flown at half-mast on Sunday, Albanese said.

He also announced a national day of mourning to take place in the new year.

Sixteen people, including one alleged gunman, were killed in a mass shooting that targeted an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday night. 
Dhaka, Dec 19 : In yet another disturbing act of violence against minorities in Bangladesh, a young Hindu man was killed in a mob lynching in Bhaluka Upazila of Mymensingh district over allegations of insulting Islam, with his body subsequently set ablaze, local media reported.

The incident triggered heightened tension in the area, prompting a temporary halt of traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

The violence occurred on Thursday night at the Pioneer Knit Composite Factory in the Square Masterbari area of the upazila.

The deceased, identified as 30-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was a worker at the factory and a resident of Tarakanda upazila of Mymensingh.

Citing local and eyewitness sources, Bangladeshi Bengali media outlet Barta Bazar reported that Dipu was accused of making derogatory comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad during an event at the factory marking World Arabic Language Day. The allegations rapidly spread within the factory and surrounding areas, sparking tension. He was later beaten by an angry mob and reportedly died on the spot.

Reports suggest that the situation took a gruesome turn after his death, with the crowd taking the body to the Square Masterbari bus stand area, tying it to a tree with a rope, beating it while shouting various slogans and later setting it ablaze. The crowd then moved the body to the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire again, disrupting traffic and spreading panic among local residents.

Confirming the incident, Bhaluka Upazila Executive Officer, Md. Firoz Hossain said a person was killed over allegations of insulting the Prophet, adding that the body of the deceased is in police custody.

Meanwhile, former Bangladesh Minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Ali Arafat strongly condemned the incident, asserting that Bangladesh is steadily heading toward full-scale radicalism under the leadership of the interim governmentas Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to convey New Delhi's strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed escalating violence against minorities, including Hindus under the Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organisations across the globe.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Actress Shilpa Shetty has strongly debunked attempts to link her name to an ongoing legal matter in Best Deal TV case, tagging the allegations baseless, distressing and legally untenable.

Clarifying her position, Shilpa in a statement shared that her association with the company in question was strictly non-executive in nature, with no involvement in its operations, finances, decision-making processes or any signing authority.

She said in a statement: "I am deeply saddened by the baseless attempt to link my name to this matter. My association with the company was strictly in a non-executive capacity, with no role in its operations, finances, decision making or any signing authority."

The actor said that, like several other public figures, she had endorsed certain products for the home shopping channel purely in a professional capacity.

She went on to explain that Rs. 20 Crore has been loaned to the company by her family and the said amount remains unpaid.

"In fact, like several other public figures I had endorsed certain products for the home shopping channel , in a professional capacity , for which payments due to me remain outstanding I want to put it on record that almost 20 Cr rupees has been loaned to the company by us as a family and the said amount remains unpaid," she said the statement.

Calling the move to impute criminal liability on her "mischievous," Shilpa said: The mischievous attempt to impute criminal liability on me, particularly after an unexplained delay of nearly nine years, is legally unsustainable and contrary to settled principles of law."

Stressing the personal impact of such claims, Shilpa said that unwarranted allegations not only misrepresent facts but also unfairly trample upon a woman's reputation in the public domain.

"Despite these facts, my name continues to be unnecessarily dragged into the proceedings, which is both distressing and unjustified. Such unwarranted allegations not only misrepresent facts but also result in a woman's dignity, integrity, and reputation being unfairly trampled upon in the public domain."

She went on to quote the Bhagavad Gita: "As quoted in the Bhagavad Gita, "Failing to oppose injustice when it is your duty ,is itself Adharma."

With a "quashing petition" already filed before the Bombay High Court, the actor said: "I have complete faith in the judicial process and will be seeking appropriate legal remedies to protect my rights and reputation. I respectfully request the media to take note of these facts and report responsibly by verifying the truthfulness of facts."
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Congress staged a protest on Friday against replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-G RAM G Bill) on the Parliament premises.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also participated in the demonstration. The party had earlier asked for the Bill to be sent to a select committee or a JPC.

The protesting leaders have termed the Bill not just an affront to the Father of the Nation by the Modi government, but also an attempt to snatch the Right to Work, which brought socio-economic changes in lakhs of villages.

Earlier, the Trinamool Congress MPs held a 12-hour-long dharna on the Parliament premises, protesting the manner in which the Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament.

The sit-in protest began around 1 a.m. outside the main gate of the old Parliament building. The Trinamool Congress leaders alleged that the Bill was rushed through without adequate discussion, violating parliamentary norms and undermining democratic processes.

On December 18, the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM-G Bill) via voice vote. The Bill, which replaces the MGNREGA with an enhanced guarantee of 125 days of wage employment annually for rural households, was cleared despite the opposition's demands for further scrutiny. The House was subsequently adjourned till December 19.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, defending the Bill amid disruptions, sharply contrasted the government's approach with the Opposition's legacy.

"The Congress party worked to kill Bapu's ideals, while Narendra Modi ji worked to keep Bapu's ideals alive," he declared.

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi's vision, Chouhan highlighted how the Modi government's flagship schemes embody Gandhian principles in action.

"Bapu is alive today in the houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, in Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission, in Ujjwala Yojana where smoke has been removed from ten crore kitchens, in Ayushman Bharat assuring treatment for 36 crore people, and in 1.5 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs providing affordable medicines," he said in the House.

He further noted Gandhi's presence in Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra Yojana, Skill India, Atal Mission, and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

"Bapu is not just alive in pictures and posters, but in all our hearts. Bapu's ideals are alive in this scheme," Chouhan asserted, referencing the Bill's 60:40 Centre-state funding ratio to build a "new India".

He emphasised that the legislation will play a pivotal role in uplifting the poor through empowerment, growth, and saturation of rural infrastructure.

Minister Chouhan concluded his emotive speech with a poem by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, underscoring national unity and progress.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Actress Shivaleeka Oberoi is all set to embrace motherhood as she has announced her first pregnancy with director husband Abhishek Pathak.

The parents-to-be announced the happy news in a joint social media post that read, "Our love story has found itas sweetest verse a" a tiny blessing is joining our universe (Baby angel, evil eye and Dizzy emojis) (sic)."

They further uploaded a love-struck photo of being embraced in a warm hug, while Shivaleeka held a pair of tiny knitted socks.

This was followed by another adorable picture of the lovebirds standing in front of a Christmas tree, holding an ornament that read, "Baby Pathak arriving *2026*".

As soon as the post was up, congratulatory messages started pouring in for Shivaleeka and Abhishek.

Actress Rakul Preet Singh wrote in the comment section, "Oh wowwww congrats", along with three red heart emojis.

Actor Sharib Hashmi added, "Many many congratulations aap dono ko," followed by red heart emoticons.

Actresses Ishita Dutta and Esha Gupta also reacted to the post with red hearts and evil eye emojis.

Shivaleeka and Abhishek first met while working on the 2020 film "Khuda Hafiz", which also starred Vidyut Jammwal as the lead.

After falling for one another, the couple exchanged rings in July 2022 and finally tied the knot in February 2023.

These two got hitched in a private ceremony in Goa, which was attended only by family and close friends, including actor Ajay Devgn.

Shivaleeka made her acting debut with the 2019 release "Yeh Saali Aashiqui" and later rose to fame with "Khuda Haafiz" in 2020. She was last seen in "Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 a" Agni Pariksha" in 2022, where both she and Vidyut reprised their characters Nargis and Sameer from the original drama.

On the other hand, Abhishek directed "Drishyam 2", featuring Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu, and Akshaye Khanna.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Delhi High Court on Friday set aside a Lokpal order granting sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a charge sheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in connection with the alleged cash-for-query row.

A bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar allowed Moitraas plea challenging the Lokpalas sanction order and directed the Lokpal to reconsider the issue in accordance with law and take a fresh decision within one month.

Setting aside the impugned order, the Justice Kshetarpal-led Bench accepted Moitraas contention that the anti-corruption body had failed to properly consider the statutory requirement of examining the comments and material submitted by the public servant before granting sanction under Section 20(7)(a) of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.

The case arose from allegations levelled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, who accused Moitra of accepting cash and luxury gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in the Parliament.

Acting on the complaint, the Lokpal had earlier directed the CBI to investigate "all aspects" of the matter under Section 20(3)(a) of the Act and submit a report within six months.

Later, the Lokpalas full bench exercised its powers under Section 20(7)(a) and Section 23(1) of the Lokpal Act, allowing the CBI to file a charge sheet and requiring that a copy be submitted to the anti-corruption body.

Aggrieved by the Lokpalas order, Moitra moved the Delhi High Court, arguing that the sanction violated natural justice and the statutory scheme since her written and oral submissions were not considered at all.

Senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta, appearing for Moitra, submitted that Section 20(7) clearly mandates consideration of the comments of the public servant before sanctioning prosecution.

On the other hand, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the CBI, argued that the Lokpalas order was passed in accordance with law and that the statute grants only a limited right to the accused at the stage of sanction. Senior Advocate Jivesh Nagrath, representing complainant Dubey, argued that Section 20 of the Act is a complete code and that the comments were properly submitted to the Lokpal.
December 19 : Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday launched a strong attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav. Speaking to the media ahead of the commencement of the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the Chief Minister said, It is widely known that almost every mafia operating in the state has had links with the Samajwadi Party.

He stated that preliminary investigations have revealed that some of the accused arrested during operations conducted by the STF and the Uttar Pradesh Police were connected to the SP.

He added that the Samajwadi Party, already known for its controversial functioning, will see its role further exposed as the investigation progresses.

CM Yogi said, While a final conclusion can only be drawn after the complete report is received, the statements being made by the SP chief mirror the sentiment captured in the line: I kept repeating the same mistake; the dust was on my face, yet I kept cleaning the mirror.

He remarked that the emergence of photographs linking Akhilesh Yadav with mafia elements would inevitably bring to light involvement in activities. Let the investigation continue; the truth will come out, the Chief Minister asserted.

Addressing the codeine case, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath explained that codeine phosphate is a regulated drug covered under the NDPS Act and is used in the manufacture of cough syrups meant for treating severe cough. Its quota and distribution are strictly controlled by the Central Narcotics Bureau and permitted only for authorised pharmaceutical manufacturers.

He said, Complaints were received about the misuse of codeine-based cough syrup as a narcotic, following which the Uttar Pradesh government initiated action.

Under the leadership of the UP Police and the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), proceedings were initiated under the NDPS Act. The Chief Minister said, The joint operation involving the FSDA, UP Police, and STF has so far exposed large-scale illegal trafficking and resulted in extensive arrests. A state-level SIT, comprising officers from the UP Police and FSDA, is monitoring the case, and all critical aspects, including the financial trail of illegal trafficking, will be thoroughly investigated.

CM Yogi Adityanath announced that the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature has begun today and will continue until December 24. He welcomed all the members participating in the session and stated that it would focus on public issues, the advancement of development-related legislative work, and discussions on supplementary demands from various departments.

He informed that a special discussion would be held to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song 'Vande Mataram', and homage would be paid to its composer, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Noting that Uttar Pradesh's foundation day coincides with the date on which 'Vande Mataram' was recognised under the Constitution, he said the discussion would hold special significance.

The Chief Minister also said, Assembly proceedings are unlikely to take place today due to a condolence motion following the sudden demise of a sitting MLA. However, if any issue is raised in the Legislative Council, the Leader of the House will present the government's position, and the government will also respond appropriately outside the House if required.

The Chief Minister said it was clearly conveyed during the all-party meeting that the government is fully prepared to discuss all issues. He emphasised that the government maintains a positive approach towards development-related matters and expects cooperation from all parties to ensure the smooth conduct of the session.

He remarked that the country's largest legislature is steadily moving in the right direction, and when democratic institutions become forums for meaningful debate, elected representatives uphold public trust.

CM Yogi added that while the government had wished for a longer session, many legislators are currently engaged in the special revision of electoral rolls, an exercise crucial for maintaining the integrity and transparency of democracy.

Consequently, the session has been scheduled until December 24 to accommodate essential legislative business, supplementary demands, and deliberations on 'Vande Mataram'. He expressed confidence that the session would prove significant for the Uttar Pradesh Legislature and the overall development of the state.
Dhaka, Dec 19 : The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday strongly condemned the attacks on media houses and journalists, including The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir and other media professionals, calling the perpetrators "enemies of Bangladesh".

Dhaka, Dec 19 (IANS) The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday strongly condemned the attacks on media houses and journalists, including The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir and other media professionals, calling the perpetrators "enemies of Bangladesh".

The remarks were made by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir following reports that several media outlets and journalists were targeted in arson attacks after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha.

In a statement on his social media platform, Fakhrul said that while the nation was grieving over Hadi's death, "shameful attacks" were carried out on media organisations, including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, as well as on journalist Nurul Kabir and several others.

He called on the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to ensure the safety and security of every citizen in the country.

"They wait for moments of crisis. Today, they turned this tragic moment into an act of destruction. I strongly condemn this act of terror!" the BNP leader stated.

Hours after the news of Hadi's death broke, widespread violence erupted across Bangladesh.

In Rajshahi city, the protesters demolished the Awami League office with a bulldozer late Thursday night.

Citing eye witnesses, Bangladeshi media outlet UNB reported that demonstrators first assembled at Saheb Bazar Zero Point and eventually marched to the Awami League office around 11:30 pm under the banner 'Students Against Hegemony',

Leaders and members of Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU), the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing, Chhatra Shibir, along with general students, joined the protest march that moved through the university campus before reaching the city centre.

In a separate incident, a house belonging to the brother of former Awami League MP Habib Hasan was set on fire in the capital's Uttara early Friday, as confirmed by the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

As unrest over Hadi's death escalated, the building of the cultural organisation Chhayanaut in the capital's Dhanmondi area was set ablaze by a mob in the early hours of Friday.

"The incident took place around 2:15 am," UNB quoted Khaleda Yasmin, duty officer at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters control room, as saying.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to convey New Delhi's strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in violence and a degrading law and order situation under the Yunus-led interim government.

-IANS

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-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Dec 19 : Stating that when people warned her about forties, nobody warned her about the freedom, the clarity and the strength that one got, well known actress Vijayalakshmi has now said that if this was aging she'd take it.

Taking to her Instagram page to post a picture of herself being fit, the actress wrote, "They warned me about my 40s. Nobody warned me about the freedom. The clarity.The strength. Best headspace. Best shape."

She went on to say, "Doing everything I postponed in my 20s. Without permission,

Without apology. If this is "aging" I'll take it. #earned #not #given #happy #soul."

The actress, whose performance in the recently released Tamil family entertainer 'Middle Class' came in for much praise, is known to often share her thoughts and observations with her followers on Instagram.

In fact, earlier this year, the actress, in another touching post on Instagram, had narrated how her young son had floored her with his answer to her question on what God was.

Recalling an incident that had happened some time ago, Vijayalakshmi said, "Flu got us all... we quarantined ourselves. Routines paused. Homebound. With steams and soups, kashayams and comfort food, healing is in full swing. But the silver lining was introducing Nilan to some of life's beautiful movies."

The actress admitted that getting her son to sit through a slow paced Tamil film wasn't easy but she made it work.

"So, yesterday, it was 'Kannathil Muthamittal'. And today, it was 'Anbe Sivam'. You can't find a better movie partner than Nilan. He gives in to every emotion. When he knows something's about to pull him deep, that kutty puppy crawls into me, leans against my chest, wraps my arms around him, like it is the safest place in the world and then, he's ready for the rollercoaster," she said.

"When Anbe Sivam ended, he sat in silence. The whole idea was to teach him that love is God. So, I checked... 'What is God Kanna?' He kissed me on the cheek and said, 'It's you ma... You are love. Love is God. So, you are God.' That answer was out of syllabus but mommy gave full marks."

Vijayalakshmi ended the post saying, "This mommy does not believe in Grammar. She's not bothered about his A+. Not even if he grows into a wanderlust soul, or a businessman with a mansion full of lamborghinis. She only cares about the kind of human being he becomes, the happiness he carries, in every inhale and exhale. Because this specially curated conditioning for my Nila is my only true payback to the universe that has always given me everything even before I asked."
Raipur/Bijapur, Dec 19 : Security forces dealt a significant blow to Maoist insurgency on Friday, neutralising a key cadre in a gun battle in the dense forests of the Indravati region under Bhairamgarh police station in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a longstanding Maoist hotspot.

The operation commenced around 6.00 a.m. when a District Reserve Guard (DRG) team from Bijapur, based on precise intelligence about Maoist presence in the Adwara-Kotameta forests, initiated a search mission.

Intermittent firing broke out soon after, continuing as forces engaged the armed group, police officers said.

Bijapur Superintendent of Police Dr Jitendra Yadav confirmed the recovery of one Maoist's body from the site. The deceased was identified as Fagnu Madvi, aged 35, from Gorna village, serving as Area Committee Member (ACM) of the Bhairamgarh Area Committee, with a Rs 5 lakh bounty on his head.

Seized materials included a .303 rifle with magazine and three rounds, a 9mm pistol with magazine and nine rounds, two scanner sets, a radio device, a medical kit, cordex wire, a Maoist backpack, a pistol pouch, pamphlets, and other logistics items, highlighting the group's operational capabilities.

Bastar Range Inspector General of Police P. Sundarraj stated that coordinated security actions in 2025 have left "Maoism in Bastar breathing its last", with the organisational structure collapsed and violent attempts rendered ineffective.

He appealed to the remaining Maoists to abandon arms and accept the government's surrender and rehabilitation policy.

This encounter aligns with intensified anti-Naxal campaigns, as Bijapur remains a focal point. The year 2025 has been a landmark, with over 280 Maoists neutralised statewide -- predominantly in Bastar division -- including high-profile leaders.

In Bijapur alone, around 144 Maoists were eliminated, accompanied by over 500 arrests and 560 surrenders. These gains, bolstered by enhanced intelligence, forward deployments, and joint operations involving DRG, CRPF CoBRA, and Central forces, have eroded Maoist influence significantly.

The Centre's March 2026 deadline for eradicating Left-Wing Extremism appears increasingly achievable, as surrenders surge amid internal disillusionment.

No casualties were reported among security personnel, and combing operations continue to ensure area dominance.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : India is on the verge of a historic economic milestone, with several BJP leaders asserting that the country will soon become the world's third-largest economy under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bihar BJP State President Sanjay Saraogi highlighted India's current progress, stating, "Certainly, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, we are now the fourth-largest economy in the world. This fourth-largest economy is above the British, to whom we were once enslaved. Today, the British are below us, and we are ahead of England. Our ancestors could not have even imagined this. Under the esteemed Prime Minister's leadership, India is set to become the third-largest economy."

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MP Ajeet Gopchade said, "Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, India is progressing with a developmental vision, keeping in mind every issue concerning the poor, farmers, labourers and our country's mothers and sisters. We are all working together because PM Modi does not consider just his own family; he regards the 1.4 billion citizens of the country as his own family."

BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain added, "The Prime Minister has rightly stated that the country's economy is progressing rapidly. India's name is being recognised worldwide. India is shining on the global stage. India is a fast-growing economy, and today, trust in India has increased globally as well as among Indians. This is why, wherever elections take place, the public places its confidence in India. This is the reason the world acknowledges India's growing economy."

"Countries want to engage with India and build relations. During the Prime Minister's recent foreign visits to Ethiopia, Jordan, and Oman, India received the highest honour," Hussain added.

Economic analysts note that India's GDP growth, rising foreign investments, and expanding industrial and digital sectors have strengthened its global position.

According to projections, if the current growth trajectory continues, India could soon surpass several major economies to become the third-largest in the world.

India has overtaken Japan to become the world's fourthlargest economy, with its GDP reaching around $4 trillion, trailing only the US, China and Germany.

According to IMF-linked projections, if current growth continues, India is expected to surpass Germany and soon become the third-largest economy globally.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed a sweeping executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. leadership in space, calling for Americans' return to the Moon by 2028.

The order -- "Ensuring American Space Superiority" -- sets "a bold vision" for "an America First space policy," seeking to ensure that the United States leads the world in space exploration, security and commerce, according to the White House.

This marks Trump's first major space policy in his second presidential term.

The order calls for Americans' return to the Moon by 2028, and the establishment of initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030. It also directs the deployment of nuclear reactors on the Moon and in orbit, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030.

The order seeks to foster economic growth, attracting at least 50 billion U.S. dollars of additional investment in American space markets by 2028. It directs efforts to spur private sector initiative and a commercial pathway to replace the International Space Station by 2030.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed American billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, nominated by Trump, to be NASA's new administrator. Isaacman plans to give his first agency-wide address to NASA employees on Friday. 
Noida, Dec 19 : Panic gripped Noida in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar district, as several prominent educational institutions received threatening emails warning of bomb blasts in their premises.

The e-mail bomb threat, received by the Step by Step School in Sector-126, triggered an alarm in the school administration, leading to the evacuation of children and teachers, followed by heightened security checks.

The police teams rushed to the campus after they were informed about a bomb threat by the school administration. Police reached the spot, cordoned off the school premises and carried out a thorough search operation; however, nothing suspicious was found. Bomb disposal squad and dog squad were brought in to scan the classrooms, corridors, basement, playgrounds and other sensitive areas.

As no mysterious objects or explosive materials were recovered during the search, the police eventually declared it to be a hoax call.

The latest episode of bomb threats in Noida and other NCR schools marks a continuation of the disturbing trend of hoax threats, seen in the past few months, targeting educational institutions - primarily schools.

Apart from the Step by Step School, the two other schools that are reported to have received hoax threat calls include Amity School and Shiv Nadar School. The simultaneous threats via email to the cityas three prestigious schools created an atmosphere of fear and trepidation among the administration as well as parents.

Meanwhile, the police have launched a detailed probe into the incident, activating its cyber cell to identify the source and sender of the hoax email. An investigation is underway to locate the IP address from which the threatening email was sent, and also to determine whether it was an act of mischief or an organised conspiracy.

The Noida Police have also appealed to the school authorities and the public at large, not to take any suspicious information lightly, but also not to pay attention to rumours and hearsay. Parents as well as the general public have been urged to immediately report any visible threat or suspicious activity to the police.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Vikas Jain has shared a heartfelt birthday message for his wife, Ankita Lokhande, expressing regret over not being able to celebrate the special day with her.

In his emotional note, he apologized for missing her birthday and promised to make it up to her. Vikas also praised her caring nature, strength, and the deep bond they share. Taking to his Instagram handle, Jain shared a romantic photo of them from their Maldives vacation alongside a heartfelt note. In the caption, Vikas Jain expressed his love writing, "Happy birthday to the most caring and nurturing soul. I may not have always understood the strength you carry in the form of deep love and belonging but that is exactly what binds us. Once you realize it you know how important it is to keep everything together."

"You are a protector of your people and you never hesitate to take a stand when it truly matters. Sometimes the world may not fully understand your emotions but they are what bind everyone who truly matters. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to bring in your birthday for reasons you already know but I promise I'll make it up to you. I love you," he added.

On December 19, Ankita Lokhande turned 41 and shared glimpses from her birthday celebrations on Instagram. The 'Pavitra Rishta' actress celebrated her special day with Samarth Jurel, Divya Agarwal, Aparna Dixit, Mansha Bahl, and many more. Several of her friends from the industry flooded social media with birthday wishes.

Meanwhile, Vikas and Ankita have recently celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary. The couple shared heartfelt posts for each other that reflected on their journey of love, commitment, and togetherness.

For the caption, they wrote, "4 years of us Of growing, learning, falling, rising side by side.. We've held each other through the loud days and the quiet ones, choosing love even when it wasn't easy. What we've built is more than time it's trust, patience, friendship, and home..If this is what four years feel like, we're ready for the long, long lifetime ahead.. Always us. #AnVI ki Kahani#HappyAnniversary #BetterTogether."

Ankita Lokhande and businessman Vicky Jain got married on December 14, 2021, in an opulent traditional wedding ceremony held in Mumbai, after dating for several years.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : A total of 93 airports in India have switched over to 100 per cent green energy use, Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, informed the Parliament.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister stated that four airports in the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, have achieved the highest carbon accreditation level, five, as per the Airports International Council, and have become carbon neutral.

The government has approved indicative blending targets of 1 per cent by 2027, 2 per cent by 2028 and 5 per cent by 2030 for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in traditional aviation fuel, initially for international flights.

The minister said that the centre has formulated a Greenfield Airport Policy for the development of greenfield airports across the country.

As per the policy, the project proponent, including the state government or a private party proposing to set up an airport, is required to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

"The proposal, along with various aspects of the project, is considered by MoCA in consultation with various Departments or Organisations and the concerned state government, and thereafter, approvals are granted to the project," Mohol stated.

The minister further stated that the development and operationalisation of airports, including greenfield projects, is a strategic initiative to achieve Viksit Bharat by fostering inclusive economic growth and regional connectivity.

It will link remote areas with national and global markets, boost tourism and trade, enhance logistics, and generate employment.

"Major greenfield airports, such as Navi Mumbai International Airport, are expected to drive industrial and urban development in surrounding regions by improving connectivity, enabling industrial corridors and logistics hubs, and attracting investment," he highlighted.

Additionally, the government has been promoting an aircraft manufacturing ecosystem, including regional transport aircraft and associated equipment, under the 'Make in India' initiative.

Initiatives such as GST rate rationalisation, abolition of royalties, Amendments to the Visa Manual for foreign pilots and crew engaged in MRO services, extension in relevant timelines of the export period for goods imported for repairs and reimport of goods for repairs under warranty are promoting the aircraft manufacturing ecosystem, said the minister.
Lucknow, Dec 19 : A cleric in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district was arrested by the police for sexually assaulting a madrassa student and threatening her with life if she approached cops or disclosed it to anyone.

Lucknow, Dec 19 (IANS) A cleric in Uttar Pradeshas Bahraich district was arrested by the police for sexually assaulting a madrassa student and threatening her with life if she approached cops or disclosed it to anyone.

The girl was sexually abused by the madrassa cleric a week ago, but the matter only came to light after the frightened girl told her parents about the disturbing episode. Her parents lodged a complaint with the Bahraich police, following which he was apprehended.

The cleric attempted to rape the student on December 12, after calling her to clean the madrasa premises. He also warned her against discussing it with anyone. The student was sent for a medical examination.

The incident took place at Madrassa Darul Uloom Gulshan-e-Syed Mehboob Ashraf in Ranjitbojha village near Rupaidiha.

According to the girlas family, she was called by the maulvi (cleric) named Salman to sweep the premises. When she reached the madrassa, she was locked by the cleric inside a room, and then he tried to force himself upon her.

He also threatened to kill the student if she talked about it to anyone. It was a week later that she confided in her mother, after which the family filed the complaint.

Police officials said that the moment they received information about the incident, they initiated action and arrested the cleric over an attempt to rape.

The girl's family is demanding strict punishment for the accused. Police are also questioning other female students of the madrassa to expedite the investigation.

Notably, the madrassa has been under the police lens before also and faced action for alleged indulgence in black magic.

Sometime ago, it was found to be involved in illegal practices dealing with witchcraft. During the police investigation, amulets and various items associated with black magic were found inside the madrasa.

The madrassa operators were let off with a stern warning; however, a portion of the building was demolished using a bulldozer.
Hyderabad, Dec 19 : President Droupadi Murmu on Friday asked the Public Service Commissions to give the highest priority to honesty and integrity of the candidates they recruit.

Inaugurating the national conference for the Chairpersons of State Public Service Commissions, being organised by the Telangana Public Service Commission, she stated that honesty and integrity are paramount as well as non-negotiable.

She underlined that lack of skills and competencies can be dealt with through learning interventions and several other strategies, but lack of integrity may cause grave challenges which may be impossible to overcome.

The President said that young people seeking employment as civil servants should have the inclination to work for the marginalised and the vulnerable. "Our civil servants should be particularly sensitive to the needs and aspirations of women. Gender-sensitisation should be given high priority by Public Service Commissions," she said.

The President said that impartiality, continuity and stability are imparted to the process of governance by what is called the 'permanent executive' or the body of public servants selected by the Public Service Commissions. Integrity, sensitivity and competence of the civil servants constituting the permanent executive are of utmost importance for implementing the people-oriented policies at national and state levels.

She suggested to the Public Service Commissions to anticipate the emerging challenges on the frontiers of technology, strengthening transparency and credibility, as well as developing globally comparable teams of civil servants.

The President said that India, as the world's fastest-growing major economy and also a nation marked by enormous diversity, needs the most effective governance systems at all levels. "The country is aiming to be the third-largest economy in the world in the near future. We are also moving towards achieving the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, she said.

She expressed confidence that the Public Service Commissions will continue to fulfil their responsibilities and contribute towards building a future-ready team of civil servants selected and guided by them.

The President pointed out that the Constitution makers dedicated an entire part of the Constitution to Services and Public Service Commissions. This highlights the significance they attached to the roles and functions of the Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the states, she said.

"Our Constitutional ideals of social, economic and political justice, and equality of status and of opportunity are most pertinent to the functioning of the Public Service Commissions. The Preamble of the Constitution, the Fundamental Right of equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and the Directive Principle guiding the state to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people indicate the pathways for the Public Service Commissions," she said.

"The Public Service Commissions should not only be guided by the ideal of equality of opportunity but should also try to achieve the goal of equality of outcomes. The Commissions are change-agents which promote equality and equity," she added.

Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, UGC chairman Vineer Joshi and others attended the conference.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, on Friday, led discussions on constitution of a dedicated body -- Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) -- for the security of vessels and port facilities.

During the meeting, Home Minister Shah emphasised the need to establish a robust port security framework across the country and directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.

The meeting was attended by the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu.

Home Minister Shah noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework would be replicated in the aviation security domain.

The BoPS is proposed to be constituted as a statutory body under the provisions of Section 13 of the newly promulgated Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, an official statement said.

The Bureau, headed by a Director General, would function under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and would be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities, it added.

The Bureau, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), would be headed by an IPS officer.

During the transition period of one year, the Director General of Shipping would function as the BoPS Director General.

The BoPS would also ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cyber security, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats.

In order to strengthen port security infrastructure, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been designated as a Recognised Security Organisation for port facilities with responsibility for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for ports.

The CISF has also been mandated to train and build the capacities of Private Security Agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.

The statement said that these agencies would be certified and appropriate regulatory measures will be introduced to ensure that only licensed PSAs operate in this sector.
Kathmandu, Dec 19 : Officials from Nepal and India besides other stakeholders stressed the need for making joint efforts to promote cross-border tourism during the Second India-Nepal Tourism Meet held in Nepal's tourism city, Pokhara, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said.

Kathmandu, Dec 19 (IANS) Officials from Nepal and India besides other stakeholders stressed the need for making joint efforts to promote cross-border tourism during the Second IndiaNepal Tourism Meet held in Nepal's tourism city, Pokhara, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu, in association with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Pokhara Tourism Council, jointly organised the event with focus on promoting tourism between Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, with special reference to western Gandaki Province, where Pokhara is located.

During the event, Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy, highlighted improvements in connectivity that are adding further momentum to cross-border tourism. He emphasised the significance of joint efforts by both sides to fully leverage IndiaNepal tourism potential, including through the promotion of religious and cultural circuits involving destinations in Nepal and neighbouring Indian states.

The two countries have already agreed to jointly promote the Ramayana and Buddhist tourist circuits. The two governments have entered into an agreement and decided to set up the Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum, with representation from government and the private sector from both sides.

Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey welcomed the growing tourism cooperation with India in Gandaki Province, especially in Pokhara and Muktinath.

Dinesh Kumar, Joint Director of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, delivered a presentation on tourism circuits in Uttar Pradesh, with special reference to the upcoming Magh Mela. He also shared best practices from Uttar Pradesh in tourism policy implementation.

Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, noted that India is the largest source of foreign tourists visiting Nepal and highlighted various initiatives taken by the Board to foster IndiaNepal tourism cooperation.

According to the Embassy, the Business-to-Business (B2B) event at the meet was attended by about 10 delegates from India and 60 delegates from Nepal. Tour operators from both sides deliberated on potential collaboration, including in Buddhist circuits, wildlife tourism, and adventure tourism.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, discussions focused on promoting cross-border tourism via land routes, Buddhist circuits, wildlife tourism, as well as potential cooperation in adventure and spiritual tourism.

As a continuation of the programme, the Board, in collaboration with the Pokhara Tourism Council, organised a familiarization tour for a delegation from Uttar Pradesh from December 15 to 17.

"The Board expressed hope that the visit would help expand tourism cooperation at a practical level through first-hand experiences of Pokhara and surrounding destinations," the statement said.
Belagavi, Dec 19 : Karnataka BJP has accused the Siddaramaiah government of using Rs 39,000 crore, meant for Dalits, for guarantees, and demanded the resignation of Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, demanded the immediate resignation of Minister Mahadevappa, accusing him of betraying the Dalit community instead of working for its welfare.

Narayanaswamy alleged that "Minister Mahadevappa was anti-Dalit". He accused the minister of merely pleasing his political bosses, indulging in corruption, and enriching his own family, while doing nothing for the upliftment of communities.

He further alleged that the minister is governing in a manner that insults Dr B.R. Ambedkar. "If Dr Ambedkar were alive today, he would have shown such people their rightful place," Narayanaswamy said, accusing Mahadevappa of destroying the Dalit community. He alleged large-scale misappropriation of funds under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP), cheating the people and depriving Dalits of their rightful benefits.

Narayanaswamy also alleged that there was complete discrimination even in internal reservation, stating that no section has been given justice. He said a Bill would be introduced in this regard.

He accused the government of diverting SCP and TSP funds for other purposes, thereby committing injustice against the Scheduled Castes and Dalit communities. He termed the government's action condemnable and alleged that Minister Mahadevappa is deeply involved in corruption.

Referring to government claims, Narayanaswamy said the government stated that Rs 42,000 crore has been earmarked this year for the welfare of Scheduled Castes under SCP and TSP. However, over the last three years, Rs 39,000 crore has been used for guarantee schemes. He stressed that SCP and TSP funds are meant specifically for Dalit welfare.

"These funds should have been used to build houses, provide vehicles to youth to promote self-employment, extend loan assistance for business, implement Ganga Kalyana schemes, and develop basic infrastructure such as roads to Dalit habitations," he said.

Instead, he alleged, the government distributed treasury funds to everyone under guarantee schemes, cheated Dalits, and passed off SCP and TSP funds as guarantee money. "If the government had not implemented guarantee schemes, to whom would the Rs 42,000 crore have gone? It would have gone entirely for the development of Dalit communities," he argued.

He questioned whether denying Dalits' treasury funds under guarantee schemes amounted to deception, adding that the community has not yet fully understood this injustice.

Narayanaswamy alleged, "I am not referring to all organisations, but some have been compromised. No matter what happens, they continue to stand with the Congress and do not come out to protest."

He accused the Congress party of silencing them by offering inducements.

Legislative Council members Hemalata Nayak and S. Keshav Prasad were present at the press conference.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Reacting to the violent protest in Bangladesh that left at least four people injured, Union Minister Giriraj Singh, on Friday, described the incident as a tragic event.

Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, Union Minister Singh said, "This is a tragic event. It is especially concerning for those who frequently speak about secularism within India. Such incidents raise serious questions and should be reflected upon carefully."

Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also reacted to the situation and termed it unfortunate.

The Congress MP said, "It is certainly regrettable that Bangladesh, a country India helped establish, is now taking a stand against us. The current situations in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and earlier in Pakistan, highlight the importance of diplomatic responsibility."

He also added that the Union government must handle relations with neighbouring countries cautiously.

"Peace comes through strength, and that strength is crucial. I believe the Union government should take a firm stand and ensure appropriate action," Bhagat said.

Meanwhile, violence erupted outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Bangladesh's Chittagong, leaving at least four people injured, including two police officers.

The unrest broke out following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, Spokesperson of the radical group 'Inqilab Mancha', local media reported.

According to the police, the protesters gathered outside the Indian mission's office in the Khulshi area of Chittagong hurling bricks, vandalising the office premises in the early hours of Friday.

Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Hasib Aziz said that the police intervention resulted in a chase and counter-chase between law enforcement officers and the protesters.

He added that those injured in the violence were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Aziz said that police detained people at the spot, who are likely to be booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act, according to the Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, to convey New Delhi's strong concerns over the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh.

According to the MEA, the Bangladeshi envoy's attention was drawn specifically to the activities of some extremist elements who have announced plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.

India outrightly rejected the false narrative sought to be created by extremist elements regarding certain recent events in Bangladesh.

The MEA expressed concern that the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh has neither conducted a thorough investigation nor shared meaningful evidence with India regarding the violent incidents.

India called on the Yunus-led interim government to ensure the safety of Indian missions and posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : After the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Bill), Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, on Friday, backed the government, asserting that improvements and reforms are a natural part of every welfare scheme, adding that similar changes were made even when the opposition parties were in power.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) After the Lok Sabha passed the Viksit Bharat a" Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VBa"G RAM G Bill), Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, on Friday, backed the government, asserting that improvements and reforms are a natural part of every welfare scheme, adding that similar changes were made even when the opposition parties were in power.

However, the passage of the Bill triggered sharp criticism from the Opposition, which alleged that the legislation was pushed through without proper discussion and accused the union government of adopting a 'dictatorial' approach.

Speaking to IANS, Union Minister Meghwal said that employment schemes existed even before the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and that changing the name of a scheme does not alter its core objective.

"The Prime Minister has directed that the number of works under these schemes be increased, with greater emphasis on rural infrastructure, water conservation, and security-related planning," he added.

He also explained that disaster management in rural areas would also be strengthened under the revised framework.

"When disasters occur, work in villages must be properly planned and executed. Technology is being used extensively, and changes are being introduced across schemes to suit present-day requirements. Improvements happen in every scheme, and the same was done when the Opposition was in power," Union Minister Meghwal said.

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, however, criticised the manner in which the Bill was passed.

"This is not how a Bill should be passed, and this is not how democracy functions. Even during the farm laws, the Union government did not listen to us. We were helpless, and the Bills were pushed through unilaterally," he said.

Congress MP Mallu Ravi echoed similar concerns, saying that the Congress and INDIA Bloc allies held strong protests against the Bill.

"Our request was to refer the Bill to the Standing Committee or a Parliamentary Committee. The government ignored this demand and passed it solely on the strength of its majority. This shows a lack of respect for the Opposition. It reflects a dictatorial kind of rule prevailing in the country," he alleged.

Congress MP Jothimani Sennimalai also criticised the Union government, accusing Bharatiya Janata Party MPs of repeatedly breaching parliamentary privilege.

"Every day, BJP leaders like Nishikant Dubey and others violate parliamentary decorum. Even the Home Minister (Amit Shah) has used language that does not befit the dignity of Parliament," she said.

She also added that the Union government was undermining the right to work under MGNREGA by removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme.

"Mahatma Gandhi -- the Father of the Nation -- is revered not only in India but across the world. We are elected by the people to protect their rights and uphold Gandhian ideology. We protested against this Bill, and we are proud that we stood up for the people who elected us," Sennimalai said.

Meanwhile on Thursday, the Lok Sabha passed the VB-G RAM-G Bill via a voice vote.

The legislation, which replaces the MGNREGA with an enhanced guarantee of 125 days of wage employment annually for rural households, was cleared despite demands for further scrutiny.
SYDNEY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Seven men who were arrested in southwest Sydney on Thursday over alleged plans to commit a violent act in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting have been released without charge, police said on Friday.

The men were arrested in southwest Sydney by heavily armed tactical officers on Thursday after the police force in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) received information that a violent act was possibly being planned, but were all released from custody around 4 p.m. local time on Friday.

NSW Police Force Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a press conference on Friday that an investigation had found no confirmed links between the men and the two perpetrators of the fatal mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Sunday night.

Lanyon said that police believed that the group of men, who had traveled to NSW from the neighboring state of Victoria, may have intended to visit Bondi Beach, but that the likelihood of a violent attack is unknown and that they could not be detained without sufficient evidence for criminal charges.

Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said earlier on Friday that police believed the men had links to extremist ideology. Authorities previously confirmed that the perpetrators of the Bondi Beach shooting were motivated by Islamic State ideology. 
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 19 : Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V.D. Satheesan on Friday demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan apologise to the people for failing to act on a complaint received in 2024 regarding the alleged brutal assault of a pregnant woman and her family by police personnel.

Satheesan said the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, had been aware of the incident but chose not to take any action at the time, allowing the matter to be suppressed.

"If the Chief Minister knew and did nothing, it is a grave failure. If he did not know, then what is the purpose of occupying that office?" he asked.

The Opposition leader said the incident once again exposed what he described as the "true face" of the Kerala Police under the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

According to him, the police had taken the woman's husband into custody over a trivial issue, detained him at the station and subjected him to brutal assault.

When the woman reached the police station along with her children after learning about the incident, she was allegedly assaulted as well after she protested against her husband being beaten in front of her.

Terming the episode unprecedented, Satheesan said an incident in which a police officer assaulted a pregnant woman who had come to the station with her children was unheard of.

He alleged that only because the matter reached the court did the incident come to public attention.

"Not even one-hundredth of what happens inside police stations comes out," he said.

Satheesan demanded a comprehensive investigation into the incident and action against all those responsible.

He also sought a probe into whether anyone from the Chief Minister's Office or senior police officers intervened to protect the errant personnel.

Alleging that police excesses and corruption had become routine during the tenure of the present government, Satheesan claimed that even senior police officers were facilitating parole for hardened criminals in exchange for bribes.

The Kerala Police, once held in high esteem, had been severely weakened under the current administration, he said.

Referring to earlier instances of alleged police excess, including a case involving a Youth Congress leader in Thrissur, Satheesan said assurances given by the Chief Minister on the floor of the Assembly had not been honoured, accusing the CPI(M) and the Chief Minister's Office of shielding guilty police officials.

Meanwhile, the police officer, Prathapachandran, who assaulted the pregnant woman, has been suspended. The victim has said that the family will approach the legal system for justice, as other police officials also humiliated her.

The case came to light recently after a video of the assault surfaced and went viral.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday asserted that India places immense value on its relationship with the Netherlands, both bilaterally and as a key player of the European Union (EU). He stated that India looks to the Netherlands for support as New Delhi enters a decisive phase in negotiations with the EU on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

In his opening remarks at a meeting with the Netherlands' Foreign Minister David van Weel in New Delhi, EAM said, "I'm really delighted that on this visit, you have had an opportunity not just to meet some of my colleagues, but also to see some parts of India and some areas of common interest. I would like to perhaps start off with the meeting which our Prime Minister and your Prime Minister had in Johannesburg, and I think they reiterated their commitment to take this relationship forward. We value our relations with the Netherlands enormously, bilaterally, as well as a key player of the European Union."

"Today, as we meet, we will recognise that a number of important agreements have been reached in the last few months, which have added more dimensions to our cooperation. We also count on your support as we are moving to what I hope is a decisive phase in our negotiations with the European Union on the Free Trade Agreement. We have a strategic partnership in water and very strong cooperation in agriculture, health, science, technology and shipping," he added

EAM Jaishankar noted that the emergence of new and important areas of cooperation, such as semiconductors, offers an opportunity to elevate the ambition of the bilateral relationship.

"So whether it's semiconductors or digital or cyberspace or life sciences, we would like to work more closely with you," the EAM stressed.

Foreign Minister David van Weel arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for an official visit aimed at enhancing bilateral ties.

Welcoming the Dutch Foreign Minister, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a post on X, said: "His visit and engagements in Delhi and Mumbai will focus on further deepening and diversifying India-Netherlands bilateral ties."
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Sixth session of the 18th Lok Sabha, which commenced on December 1, concluded on Friday, with Speaker Om Birla praising the 111 per cent productivity of the House and passage of eight Bills.

Speaker Birla, in a message on X, said that 15 sittings were held during the Parliament session.

The total sitting hours during the session was 92 hours and 25 minutes, including a discussion on the national song "Vande Mataram" that lasted 11 hours and 32 minutes.

The Lok Sabha Speaker said the productivity of the House during the session was 111 per cent as 10 government bills were introduced and were passed.

The bills which were passed include: The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB- G RAM G Bill, 2025; The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025; The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025; The Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025; The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025; The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025 and The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025.

A statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said, on December 15, after discussion, voting was held on the Supplementary Demands for Grants a" First Batch, 2025a"26.

Thereafter, the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025 was passed, the statement added.

On December 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a discussion to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song "Vande Mataram".

The House discussed the subject for 11 hours and 32 minutes, during which 65 Lok Sabha members participated.

Similarly, the issue of "Electoral Reforms" was discussed on December 9 and 10 for nearly 13 hours, with the participation of 63 Lok Sabha members, the statement said.

During the Parliament session, 300 starred questions were admitted and 72 starred questions were answered orally.

A total number of 3,449 unstarred questions were admitted during the session.

A total of 408 matters of urgent public importance were raised by the members during the Zero Hour and a total of 372 matters were taken up under Rule 377.

On December 11, 150 members raised their matters during Zero Hour in the House.

During the session, 35 Statements were made under Direction 73A and a total number of 38 Statements including two Statements given under Rule 372 and one Statement by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

During the session, a total of 2,116 papers were laid on the Table of the House.

A total of 41 reports of the Parliamentary Standing Committees associated with various Departments were presented in the House, the official statement said.

As regards Private Members' Bills, during this session, 137 Private Members' bills on various subjects were introduced on December 5.

On December 12, a Private Members' Resolution moved by Congress MP Shafi Parambil was withdrawn, after discussion, with the permission of the House, the statement added.

On December 2, Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, along with his parliamentary delegation, was received and accorded a warm welcome by the Parliament of India during his official visit, the statement said.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) on Friday declared 205 drug samples tested by the Central and state drugs regulatory authorities as 'Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)' in its monthly drug alert for November.

While the Central Drugs Laboratories identified 64 drug samples as NSQ, the State Drugs Testing Laboratories identified 141 drug samples as NSQ.

As per routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and Spurious drugs is being displayed on the CDSCO portal on a monthly basis.

"For the month of November 2025, Central Drugs Laboratories have identified 64 Drug Samples to be Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 141 Drug Samples as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)," the alert said.

Identification of drug samples as NSQ is done based on failure of the drug sample in one or the other specified quality parameters. The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the government laboratory, and it does not warrant any concerns on the other drug products available in the market, the health officials said.

Further, in November, "two drug samples from North Zone, Ghaziabad, were identified as spurious drugs, which were manufactured by unauthorised manufacturers using brand name owned by other company," they added. The matter is under investigation, and action will be taken as per the Act & Rules.

This action of identifying NSQ and Spurious medicines is taken regularly in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from the market.

In October, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had declared 211 drug samples tested by the Central and state drugs regulatory authorities as NSQ.

While the Central Drugs Laboratories identified 63 drug samples as NSQ, the State Drugs Testing Laboratories identified 148 drug samples as NSQ.
Ahmedabad, Dec 19 : Gujarat's flagship 108 Emergency Service has emerged as a lifeline for millions, standing firm as a protective shield for citizens in times of medical and accident-related emergencies.

Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) Gujaratas flagship 108 Emergency Service has emerged as a lifeline for millions, standing firm as a protective shield for citizens in times of medical and accident-related emergencies.

Launched in 2007 by then Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pioneering healthcare initiative has today evolved into a benchmark model for other states across the country.

The 108 Emergency Service now operates round-the-clock, free of cost, reaching every city, district, taluka and even the most remote villages of the state. Its consistent and committed service has made it a blessing for crores of Gujaratis.

Since its inception and up to November 2025, the 108 service has attended to a record-breaking 18.6 crore emergency calls, ensuring timely medical intervention in critical situations.

Of these, more than 60.23 lakh cases were related to maternity emergencies, while over 22.55 lakh road accident victims received urgent medical assistance.

In life-and-death situations, the service has helped save the lives of over 18 lakh citizens.

The impact of the service is especially evident in maternal healthcare. Ambulance-based and on-site assistance has enabled the successful delivery of over 1.57 lakh babies, including 97,295 deliveries conducted inside ambulances and 59,903 at emergency locations, significantly strengthening maternal and neonatal care outcomes across the state.

In addition to the 108 service, Gujarat has expanded its emergency response ecosystem through multiple complementary initiatives.

The Khikhilat Van service, operational since September 2012, has benefited over 13.7 crore beneficiaries through its 434 mobile units. Similarly, the 181 Women Helpline, launched in 2015, has attended to over 17.40 lakh calls, with 59 vans providing on-the-spot assistance to more than 3.47 lakh women in distress.

The stateas healthcare outreach was further strengthened with the launch of the 104 Health Helpline in 2017, which has attended to over 52.29 lakh calls by 2025, offering medical guidance and support.

Gujarat also introduced the 108 Boat Ambulance Service in 2018, which has so far provided emergency assistance to 758 citizens, with two boat ambulances currently operational.

Moreover, the integrated 112 Emergency Service, operational since 2025 in seven districts, has attended to over four lakh emergency calls related to police, fire, medical and disaster response.

As per EMRI Green Health Services, the agency managing these operations, Gujaratas multi-layered emergency response framework reflects the stateas sustained commitment to citizen safety, timely healthcare access and effective emergency managementa"making it one of the most robust emergency service models in the country.
Belagavi, Dec 19 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated on Friday that open defecation, child marriage and child pregnancies persist in the North Karnataka region despite schemes and reforms.

"The MLA from our Jewargi constituency is demanding the construction of boundary walls to prevent women from going out in the open for defecation. I asked him whether toilets already exist. He replied that people do not use them. What can one say to this?" informed Siddaramaiah the Assembly while replying to issues raised by North Karnataka by ruling and opposition leaders.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has allocated funds to construct toilets, noting that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, taps have been installed and a water supply is being provided.

"Yet, people are still not using the toilets. How do we address this problem? These are not simple issues, and we must find solutions to them," he stated.

The Chief Minister said that there are laws prohibiting child marriage, with strict punishments prescribed, adding that despite this, marriages are conducted by evading the entire administrative machinery.

"As a result, the number of child pregnancies is increasing. Children born to adolescent mothers face serious malnutrition-related problems. Even though people are aware of all this, such practices continue. That is why, every time I hold meetings with deputy commissioners and CEOs, I repeatedly raise this issue and instruct them to prevent it strictly," he said.

The Chief Minister informed that in a rigid caste-based society, economic and social empowerment is essential to remove stagnation.

He said that before Independence, literacy stood at 10-12 per cent, but today it is at 76 per cent, yet the caste system persists.

"Even doctors believe in fate and the theory of karma. Due to the caste system, a mindset of servitude has taken root in society. It is to address this that guarantee schemes have been implemented," the Chief Minister said.

He further noted that low milk production in the six districts of Kalyana Karnataka is one of the reasons for low per capita income in the region.

"Kalaburagi ranks as the most backward district in terms of per capita income. Despite the allocation of funds, why has development not taken place?" he said.

He also claimed that the earlier UPA government had intended to effectively implement the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

"In the 2013-14 budget itself, Rs 4,260 crore was allocated for the scheme. By 2013, toilets had been constructed in around 38 to 40 per cent of rural households. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later renamed the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan as the Swachh Bharat Mission," he said.

The Chief Minister said that reports state that by 2019-20, toilets had been constructed in nearly 90 per cent of households.

He said that several opposition leaders, among others, referred to per capita income.

"Compared to other parts of the state, the per capita income of people in the Kalyana Karnataka districts is lower. The latest comprehensive per capita income data available is for the year 2023-24," he said.

He said that based on this data, the state's average per capita income at current prices stands at Rs 3,39,813.

"There are six districts where per capita income is higher than this average: Bengaluru Urban, Mangaluru, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Bengaluru Rural and Shivamogga, where per capita income exceeds Rs 3.4 lakh," he said.

The Chief Minister said that 10 districts fall close to this range, with per capita income between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3.4 lakh, adding that these are Mandya, Tumakuru, Kodagu, Hassan, Ballari, Ramanagara, Karwar, Dharwad, Chamarajanagar and Bagalkot, he stated.

He said that four districts fall in the Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per capita income bracket. "They are Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Davanagere. There are 11 districts where the per capita income is below Rs 2 lakh. These include Chitradurga, Gadag, Haveri, Raichur, Vijayanagara, Vijayapura, Bidar, Belagavi, Koppal, Yadgir and Kalaburagi," he said.

The Chief Minister said that the government needs to focus more on improving districts that fall into the fourth group.

"Out of the 14 districts of North Karnataka, 10 districts, along with Chitradurga, fall into this category. The per capita income of Mysuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Davanagere districts in the south and central is also close to that of the fourth group," he said.

He said that even so, when we examine why per capita income is low in 10 districts of North Karnataka, particularly in Kalyana Karnataka, it becomes evident that wherever dairy activities are weak, per capita income is also low.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a meeting with his Netherlands counterpart David van Weel in New Delhi on Friday, discussing bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including trade, defence, shipping, water, agriculture, health and culture.

The two leaders also spoke about multilateral cooperation and global issues. Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Sibi George, and other officials were also present during the meeting.

"Pleased to meet FM David van Weel of the Netherlands today in New Delhi. Held productive discussions on our bilateral cooperation including in trade, defence, shipping, water, agriculture, health and culture. And new opportunities in semiconductors, talent mobility and renewables. Also exchanged views on our multilateral cooperation and global issues. Value Netherlands support for closer India-EU ties and conclusion of FTA," EAM Jaishankar posted on X after the conclusion of his meeting with the Dutch counterpart.

David van Weel stated that India and the Netherlands work closely on issues that shape shared future of two nations. The two nations have also concluded six Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) across several sectors, including in defence, cyber and semiconductors.

"India and the Netherlands work closely on issues that shape our shared future. In my meeting with Minister S Jaishankar, we discussed regional stability, the Indo-Pacific and what cooperation requires in a world that is changing fast," he posted on X.

"With this visit, we take the next step. We conclude six new MoUs - cooperation agreements - including on defence, cyber and semiconductors. This is how India and the Netherlands invest together in innovation and economic resilience," he added.

On Thursday, David van Weel held a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi.

Following their talks, David van Weel in a post on X wrote, "Security depends on cooperation. Indiaas Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and I signed a Letter of Intent, setting out our joint efforts aimed at deepening our partnership on defence & maritime security. This includes efforts to protect open and secure sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific."

He also held a meeting with Congress MP and chair of Indiaas Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor, discussing opportunities for cooperation between two nations and exploring how domestic debate shapes foreign policy.

"A good conversation with Shashi Tharoor, Chair of Indiaas Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. We explored how domestic debate shapes foreign policy, Indiaas role on the global stage, and opportunities for cooperation between India and the Netherlands," he posted on X.

David van Weel arrived in New Delhi on Thursday after concluding his engagements in Mumbai. During his visit, he visited Netherlands Consulate in Mumbai and met students, entrepreneurs and social partners.

"Yesterday David van Weel paid a visit to our Consulate in Mumbai and also met with students, entrepreneurs and social partners. A ministerial visit is always a good opportunity to connect with the people who give shape to our bilateral ties. At Netherlands Embassy in India, and across the world," Netherlands Embassy in India said in a statement on Thursday on X.

He also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and discussed the ongoing cooperation in the state.

In a post on X, Netherlands Foreign Minister wrote, "Honoured to meet with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss India-Netherlands cooperation in the state of Maharashtra, including maritime innovation, circular economy, water and agriculture. Encouraging to see the potential to deepen our partnership."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Srinagar, Dec 19 : Iltija Mufti, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and daughter of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, on Friday, lodged a police complaint against the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the 'Hijab' controversy following a viral video that showed the Bihar chief Minister removing the hijab of a Muslim woman doctor.

Iltija Mufti has lodged the complaint against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of making derogatory, unacceptable remarks that are an affront to the dignity of Indian women.

Referring to visuals from an official government event in Bihar, the PDP leader said the act of pulling down the woman's hijab was deeply unsettling and amounted to a violation of her personal autonomy.

Speaking to reporters after filing the complaint at the Kothi Bagh police station in Srinagar, Iltija Mufti said such statements will no longer be tolerated and warned that silence should not be mistaken for acceptance.

"As Indian women, we have every right to express ourselves, participate in public life and do whatever the Constitution allows us to do. No one has the authority to demean or silence us," she added.

Calling her action a stand for women across the country, Iltija Mufti said the FIR was lodged not just for herself, but for "every woman who refuses to be spoken down to or disrespected".

She asserted that public figures, especially those holding constitutional positions, must be held to the highest standards of accountability.

"This should be considered a last warning," she said, adding that any further attempt to undermine the dignity of women would be met with strong legal and democratic resistance.

"We will not tolerate this anymore," she said.

Iltija Mufti said that India's Constitution guarantees equality, dignity and freedom of expression, and no individual -- regardless of political stature -- can be allowed to violate those principles.

She emphasised that casual or insensitive remarks by political leaders contribute to a culture of disrespect and must be challenged decisively.

The PDP leader also said that political power does not grant immunity from accountability.

"Being in office does not give anyone a licence to insult women. The law is equal for all," she said, urging institutions to take the complaint seriously and act in accordance with the law.

The issue has triggered political reactions, with women's rights activists and opposition leaders demanding accountability and greater sensitivity from public representatives.

Several voices on social media have also backed Iltija Mufti's move, calling it a necessary step to uphold women's dignity in public discourse.

The PDP leader reiterated that her fight is not political, but about principles.

"This is about respect, rights and the message we send to future generations. If we stay silent today, we normalise disrespect tomorrow," she said.

Calling for immediate legal action, the PDP leader urged the police to register an FIR on her complaint and ensure accountability, asserting that dignity and consent must be protected irrespective of religion or political position.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Agartala, Dec 19 : The Indian government is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Bangladesh and is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said here on Friday.

The Chief Minister said that following the exit of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a series of disturbing and destructive incidents have been reported in the neighbouring country.

Reacting to the prevailing situation, CM Saha said the Tripura government has been regularly sending detailed reports to the Centre on developments arising from the unrest across the border.

"Dreaded terrorists, criminals and individuals involved in various crimes have been released from Bangladeshi jails," CM Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, told the media on the sidelines of a government event.

Stating that India and its armed forces are always prepared to handle any situation, the Chief Minister said the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fully aware of the developments in Bangladesh and is keeping a close watch on the situation.

"Our drone surveillance systems have made significant advancements. The S-400 mobile long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system has already demonstrated its capabilities," CM Saha said, adding that security arrangements and all necessary measures along the border are robust and well-equipped.

He further said that paramilitary forces have enhanced vigilance and intensified border domination along the International Border since violence erupted in Bangladesh in Junea"July last year, particularly after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Tripura, which shares an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh and is surrounded by the neighbouring country on three sides, remains highly sensitive and vulnerable to cross-border developments.

Meanwhile, media reports said that after Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha, succumbed to bullet injuries on December 18, a series of violent incidents were reported from different cities in Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka. Hadi was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

Earlier, on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah to convey New Delhias strong concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp rise in violence and a worsening law-and-order situation under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Jaipur, Dec 19 : The Rajasthan Assembly's Ethics Committee on Friday questioned three MLAs accused of demanding commissions from MLA development funds, but none of them was able to produce supporting evidence during the hearing.

Jaipur, Dec 19 (IANS) The Rajasthan Assemblyas Ethics Committee on Friday questioned three MLAs accused of demanding commissions from MLA development funds, but none of them was able to produce supporting evidence during the hearing.

All three legislators denied the allegations and sought additional time to submit documents. The MLAs appeared before the committee individually. Independent MLA Ritu Banawat (Bayana) was questioned first, followed by Congress MLA Anita Jatav (Hindaun) and BJP MLA Revanthram Danga (Khinvsar).

When asked directly whether they had demanded commissions, all three maintained their innocence. However, upon being asked to present evidence in support of their claims, they requested more time.

The committee granted their requests - 15 days to Revanthram Danga, 7 days to Anita Jatav, and 10 days to Ritu Banawat.

They will now be summoned again on separate dates.

Revanthram Danga cited ill health and said he would respond to further questions after consulting his advisers. The decision to summon the three MLAs was taken two days ago at a meeting of the Ethics Committee chaired by Kailash Verma. Notices were subsequently issued, following the referral of the matter by Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani on Sunday.

The Ethics Committee comprises 12 MLAs, including Chairman Kailash Verma. The three MLAs were named in a sting operation, in which they were allegedly caught on camera negotiating commissions in return for recommending development works from their MLA funds.

According to the sting, BJP MLA Revanthram Danga allegedly demanded a 40 per cent commission to secure a Rs 50 lakh contract.

The husband of Independent MLA Ritu Banawat was allegedly involved in negotiations. Congress MLA Anita Jatav allegedly accepted Rs 50,000 as token money. Ethics Committee Chairman Kailash Verma said the committee would prepare its report only after completing further questioning. He stated that the committee could also summon other individuals, including Ritu Banawatas husband, if required.

Verma said Ritu Banawat claimed the video footage was edited and demanded a CBI investigation, while also seeking scrutiny of all MLA fund allocations made over the past two years.

Anita Jatav denied any connection with the letter, seal, or signatures shown in the sting and submitted some documents while seeking seven days.

Revanthram Danga sought 15 days to gather information and prepare his response.

The chairman added that the committee would also examine all evidence and then a factual report would be submitted to the Speaker of the Assembly, following which further action would be decided.
People visit a photo exhibition commemorating the 620th Anniversary of Zheng He's Voyages and the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of China-Kenya diplomatic relations, in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 19, 2025.(Xinhua/Yang Guang)

NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition to commemorate the 620th anniversary of Chinese navigator Zheng He's voyages was launched on Friday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Senior government officials, diplomats, industry representatives, scholars and students graced the launch of the photo exhibition, which also coincided with the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of China-Kenya diplomatic relations.

Cultural performances, including a traditional Chinese lion dance by local university students, preceded the public opening of the photo exhibition, highlighting Zheng He's voyages along the East African coastline.

Jane Makori, deputy director-general at the Asia and the Pacific Directorate in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said that Zheng, whose fleet landed on the Kenyan coastline over six centuries ago, symbolizes the enduring Sino-Kenya friendship, anchored in mutual respect, trust and shared aspirations.

"We are very pleased that China is one of our most important strategic partners, and we would like to continue working together. The future can only be brighter," Makori said.

Kenya is proud to be a partner of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative that has unleashed long-term and impactful benefits, Makori said, adding that the East African nation aims to become a model of cooperation with China that other African countries can emulate.

Organized by the China General Chamber of Commerce in Eastern Africa, the photo exhibition will last for three days.

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said that Zheng's fleet, which made stopovers in the port city of Mombasa, the tourist town of Malindi and Lamu Island, a world heritage site, brought goodwill and civilization as opposed to war, conquest and plunder.

"What Zheng He's fleet brought were not warships, cannons or colonial conquest, but silk, porcelain, tea and advanced production technologies," Guo said.

According to Guo, the Maritime Silk Road pioneered by Zheng linked China with African countries like Kenya, forging a profound and enduring friendship between the two nations' citizens.

"Today, China-Kenya relations are at their best in history. As we mark the 62nd anniversary of our diplomatic ties, we look back on a journey of steadfast partnership and shared development," Guo said.

Mary Gikungu, director-general of the National Museums of Kenya, said that Zheng's commemorative photo exhibition speaks directly to a shared history with China, characterized by trade, diplomacy and cross-cultural encounters. 

People visit a photo exhibition commemorating the 620th Anniversary of Zheng He's Voyages and the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of China-Kenya diplomatic relations, in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
Patna, Dec 19 : Amid the political storm triggered by Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's remarks on alleged vote manipulation during the 2020 Assembly elections, Bihar's Industry and Road Construction Minister Dilip Jaiswal, on Friday, came out strongly in his defence, claiming that Manjhi's statement was being misinterpreted and twisted.

Addressing the controversy, Jaiswal asserted that Union Minister Manjhi had not spoken about vote rigging, but was referring to instances where election observers delay or influence the declaration of results.

"Jitan Ram Manjhi never said anything about vote manipulation. He was saying that sometimes, election observers try to defeat the winning candidates. He emphasised that the actual result should come out, which is why he contacted the election observer-cum-district magistrate of Gaya. People are now twisting his statement," he said.

To support his argument, Jaiswal cited examples from previous Assembly elections, claiming that delays in result declarations had raised concerns even when candidates were clearly winning.

"I want to put it in the public domain tha BJP's Gayatri Devi was leading by 18,000 votes in the Parihar Assembly constituency of Bihar's Sitamarhi district, yet the election observer did not declare her victory for nearly six hours. We contacted the election observer-cum-district magistrate, who had come from Assam. Now, people say that because we contacted him, she won the election. That is incorrect -- she was already the winning candidate," he said.

Rejecting allegations that the ruling NDA had the ability to manipulate election outcomes, Jaiswal pointed to several constituencies where NDA candidates lost by narrow margins.

"In Ramgarh Assembly constituency in Kaimur district, the NDA candidate lost by just 30 votes. In Dhaka, we lost by 178 votes, and in Forbesganj, the margin was only 150 votes. If ruling party leaders had the power to manipulate election results, we would have won these seats as well. That clearly did not happen," he said.

Jaiswal added that the election process remains intact and transparent, and warned against politicising Union Minister Manjhi's remarks for partisan gains.

Recently, a felicitation ceremony for Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) MLA Jyoti Devi from the Barachatti constituency was held at the Mohanpur High School grounds in Mohanpur block of Gaya district, where Union Minister and HAM patron Jitan Ram Manjhi attended as the chief guest.

Remarks made by Union Minister Manjhi during the event have since triggered a major political controversy.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) shared a video clip of Union Minister Manjhi's speech on its official X account, alleging that the Union Minister admitted to influencing election outcomes in the past.

According to the RJD, Union Minister Manjhi said from the dias that during the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, a candidate had informed him that he was losing, following which efforts were made, and the candidate eventually won.

Referring to the 2025 Assembly elections, Manjhi allegedly said that the same candidate failed to contact him in time, resulting in the party losing the seat.

"In 2020, the HAM candidate Anil Kumar told me that he was losing and asked if there was any solution. He was trailing by 2,700 votes, but we made efforts and won. This time, he was losing by only around 1,600 votes, but he did not inform me, and the seat slipped away," Manjhi is heard saying in the video shared by the RJD.

The HAM Chief also referred to a District Magistrate posted in Gaya during the 2020 Assembly elections, who is currently serving in Tripura.

He claimed that the officer had contacted him and recalled how the candidate managed to win despite trailing by a large margin.

"After hearing this, I felt disappointed. If I had been informed in time, I would have done something. But what's done is done," Manjhi said, according to the video.

It may be noted that Abhishek Singh was the District Magistrate of Gaya during the 2020 Assembly elections and is currently posted in Tripura.

In the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, the HAM contested six seats and won five.

In the Tekari Assembly constituency of Gaya district, HAM candidate Anil Kumar lost by 2,058 votes.

Union Minister Manjhi's remarks were made while referring to this poll defeat during the Barachatti rally.

Reacting sharply to Union Minister Manjhi, the RJD questioned the Election Commission, posting on X: "Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is regretting his defeat in the Tikari Assembly seat in 2025 and his inability to repeat what happened earlier. An officer sitting in Tripura is also mourning. Where are the corrupt Election Commissioners and the Election Commission now? Is this democracy?"

Responding to the controversy, Jitan Ram Manjhi rejected the allegations and accused his political opponents of distorting his remarks.

Taking to his official X account, the HAM Chief said, "Some people who tampered with and made my video viral on social media think they can defame the son of a Musahar. I want to tell such people that now no one can insult or mislead the son of a Musahar. Manjhi is now a brand and is not afraid of anyone."

The controversy has intensified political tensions in Bihar, with opposition parties demanding accountability, while ruling NDA alliance leaders dismiss the allegations as "politically motivated misinterpretation".
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram called upon Tribal MPs to join efforts for providing quality residential education to tribal children and community empowerment through forest rights recognition, an official said on Friday.

In an interaction with Tribal Members of Parliament and Ministers, the Union Minister highlighted the collective resolve of elected tribal leadership to fast-track the holistic development of tribal communities under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The interaction on Thursday reflected a rare convergence of policy, political will, and grassroots insight, with Tribal MPs playing a proactive role in guiding implementation, strengthening convergence, and ensuring accountability on the ground, said the official in a statement.

Oram said that the interaction reflected a shared responsibility and unified approach towards inclusion, empowerment, and dignity of tribal citizens, in alignment with the national vision of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas.

He emphasised that Tribal MPs play a crucial role not only in policy advocacy but also in ensuring effective implementation and last-mile delivery of welfare initiatives.

The Minister outlined key national programmes such as PM-JANMAN, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, Eklavya Model Residential Schools, and strengthened implementation of the Forest Rights Act, which are collectively transforming tribal and PVTG-dominated regions through saturation-based development.

Major gains in housing, drinking water, electrification, healthcare outreach, education, livelihoods, and cultural preservation were highlighted, said the statement.

Special emphasis was laid on quality residential education for tribal children, elimination of Sickle Cell Disease, expansion of livelihood opportunities through Van Dhan initiatives, and community empowerment through forest rights recognition.

The interaction reaffirmed the collective endeavour of Tribal MPs, guided by the Union Government, to ensure inclusive growth, social justice, and sustainable development for tribal communities across the country, said the statement.

The interaction was attended by Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey, Savitri Thakur-Dhar (MP), Patel Umeshbhai Babubhai - Daman & Diu, Sukhdeo Bhagat - Jharkhand, Rajkumar Roat - Rajasthan, Manoj Tigga - West Bengal, Amarsing Tisso -Assam, Pradeep Purohit- (Bargarh) Odisha, Balabhadra Majhi - (Nabrangpur) Odisha, Naba Charan Majhi - (Mayurbhanj) Odisha, Malvika Devi- (Kalahandi) Odisha.

Also present were Secretary Tribal Affairs Ranjana Choppra, Joint Secretary Anant Prakash Pandey, Additional Secretary Manish Thakur and Commissioner National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) Ajit Kumar Srivastav, said the statement.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Just moments after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a top leader of the Bangladesh student uprising, ISI-backed social media handles became active to spread fake propaganda, which eventually led to the violence in the country.

Indian agencies found that many ISI-backed handles were active in large numbers, spreading fake information which clearly had a strong anti-India fervour.

The primary aim of the ISI was to ensure that Bangladesh descends into chaos, and this is similar to the pattern one saw during the studentsa uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, officials say.

The ISI had all this pre-planned and had even instructed the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, the Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), not to lead the agitation.

As per the plan, the ISI would spread the propaganda and fake narrative through its social media handles based in Pakistan. The Jamaat and its affiliates were told only to fuel the violence by using this propaganda. The ISIas thinking was that even if there were to be an election in February, it did not want the Jamaat to be seen as the party which led the agitation.

In the build-up to such a large agitation that was so close to the elections, there was a lot of planning that had taken place.

The ISI activated all the radical groups it controls in Bangladesh. These are the persons who were at the front while the Jamaat and its studentsa wing stood behind and controlled the violence that was taking place.

While the ISI planned the entire unrest, it was Pakistanas digital network which did the majority of the work.

The digital infrastructure also included some media houses funded by Pakistan, which wrote propaganda articles, many of which were anti-India. Most of the articles that were written portrayed India as the protector of Sheikh Hasina.

The Awami League leader, who was ousted last August, has taken shelter in India since she fled the country.

This has been a long game by Pakistan, which has been looking to make Bangladesh its playground.

With such violence and dishing out of anti-India sentiments, the country remains on the boil, and this, in turn, creates pressure on Indiaas eastern front.

While the entire chaos has been planned and created by the ISI, it has also ensured that there is a growing anti-India sentiment.

As not all in Bangladesh share the same viewpoint, the ISI is targeting these people in particular as it wants to create an environment in Bangladesh that is similar to what is happening in Pakistan.

Further, such operations in Bangladesh help Pakistan carry out low-cost operations. It has been using the Jamaat and its affiliates to incite the people from behind the scenes. Once the people become agitated, the crowds take over and indulge in widespread violence.

Experts say that this is a dangerous game that elements within Bangladesh are playing. In the long run, the country which was once touted as a promising economy would eventually end up like Pakistan. Experts also warn that there is a clear attempt to try and ensure that the elections never take place. If the elections are put off or cancelled, then the next plot by the ISI would create an ecosystem of separatists, similar to what one witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir.

If it is able to do this, then the situation in Bangladesh would turn worse than what it already is.

In the meantime, the radical Islamists would achieve what they have been striving for, and that is an Islamic state, an official said.
Agartala, Dec 19 : The youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP government in Tripura, on Friday, held a strong protest in front of the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission (AHC) in Agartala, condemning recent remarks by leaders of the neighbouring country allegedly claiming India's Northeast region.

Hundreds of youths, including women, led by Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) President Suraj Debbarma, gathered near the Bangladesh AHC and continued their demonstration for several hours from Friday morning.

The protesters raised slogans against National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah and Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, accusing them of making "anti-India" comments and encouraging activities hostile to India.

Addressing the media, YTF President Debbarma said that over the past few days, protests and demonstrations have been held in front of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and at other places in Bangladesh, where participants allegedly raised "anti-India" slogans.

"NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah earlier this week reportedly claimed that they would capture India's 'Seven Sisters' and the Siliguri Corridor and make the region part of their country," he added.

The Siliguri Corridor, often referred to as the 'Chicken's Neck', connects Northeast India with the rest of the country through West Bengal.

The seven Northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura -- are collectively known as the 'Seven Sisters'.

Debbarma said that some Bangladeshi leaders have forgotten India's contribution and the sacrifices made by the Indian Army during the 1971 Liberation War that led to the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation.

"When India extended tremendous support during the 1971 war and in the years that followed, why are Bangladeshi leaders now portraying India as an enemy?" he asked.

He also warned that if Bangladeshi leaders continued making what he described as "futile claims" over India's Northeast, TMP supporters could also raise historical issues, including claims over areas such as Cox's Bazar, while saying that a large number of minorities continue to live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Southeastern Bangladesh.

"Everyone knows that TMP has been agitating for 'Greater Tipraland', and everyone is also aware of how Bangladesh has benefited from India over the past five decades," Debbarma said, adding that the party would not remain silent if "anti-India" activities and false claims regarding the Northeast continued.

Meanwhile, another senior TMP leader said that the erstwhile 'Chakla Roshnabad', was a zamindari of the former princely state of Tripura, once covered plain areas of the then East Pakistan, now parts of Bangladesh's Noakhali and Sylhet districts.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah earlier this week reportedly warned of isolating the Northeast's 'Seven Sisters' and offering shelter to separatist groups if India tried to destabilise Bangladesh.
Ahmedabad, Dec 19 : Former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of good governance -- defined by swift problem-solving and continuous efforts towards people's development -- continues to guide India's administrative reforms.

Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) Former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of good governance -- defined by swift problem-solving and continuous efforts towards peopleas development -- continues to guide India's administrative reforms.

As the country prepares to observe his 100th birth anniversary on December 25, 2025, to be marked nationwide as Good Governance Day, Ahmedabad district in Gujarat has emerged as a leading example of technology-enabled, citizen-centric administration.

In line with this ethos, the Gujarat government has prioritised ease of access to public services, with Ahmedabad district setting new benchmarks in revenue administration through digital transformation. Under the guidance of the District Collector, the Ahmedabad city and district administration have, over the past two years, implemented a series of structural reforms and innovative projects that integrate technology with governance. These initiatives have significantly improved efficiency, reduced procedural delays, and enhanced citizen convenience.

A key reform has been the rollout of E-Dhara 2.0, under which land records have been fully digitised. Farmers across the district can now access digitally signed and QR code-enabled 7/12 and 8-A land records online, ensuring accuracy and eliminating the need for physical visits to government offices.

Similarly, the i-ORA portal has made processes such as non-agricultural (NA) permissions and approvals for purchasing agricultural land completely online. Provisions like adeemed permissiona have helped ensure time-bound decisions, curbing bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Through the Revenue Seva Setu campaign, the administration organised night meetings, Lok Darbars, and special camps in remote villages of talukas including Viramgam and Daskroi. Long-pending cases related to inheritance rights, land ownership verification, and record corrections were resolved on the spot, with beneficiaries receiving ownership documents the same day.

Under the SVAMITVA scheme, drone-based surveys were conducted in villages to create legal property records of abadi areas. Thousands of rural households have since received Property Cards, enabling them to secure ownership rights and access institutional credit.

The implementation of the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) has further simplified document registration in Ahmedabad. Online appointment systems and anytime registration facilities have enhanced transparency while effectively eliminating the role of middlemen at sub-registrar offices.

In another major step, the calculation and payment of premiums for converting new tenure land into old tenure has been fully digitised, with software-based calculations using jantri rates ensuring speed and accuracy.

The Ahmedabad Collectorate has also digitised thousands of land records and maps dating back to 1950, creating a modern digital archive that has aided faster resolution of land disputes. The district has further streamlined the online removal of bank liens from land records following loan repayment, through digital integration with banks, saving farmers multiple visits to government offices.

To support industrial growth, especially in hubs like Sanand, special desks have been set up to fast-track land-related permissions. Approvals for NA status and premium payments, which earlier took months, are now granted swiftly through the i-ORA portal.

In Dholera, Indiaas first Smart City, GIS-based mapping has ensured dispute-free land acquisition, while compensation is directly transferred to farmersa bank accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism. For mega infrastructure projects such as the Bullet Train and the Ring Road, Ahmedabad district adopted the Direct Purchase model, facilitating direct engagement with farmers and ensuring timely, transparent compensation via DBT.

As India commemorates Atal Bihari Vajpayeeas centenary, Ahmedabadas technology-driven governance model stands as a fitting tribute to his vision. The districtas reforms not only ensure faster and more transparent service delivery but also align closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modias vision of a aViksit Bharata, marking a decisive step towards inclusive, responsive, and future-ready administration.
Amaravati, Dec 19 : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Friday and sought substantial central support for various projects.

These included the Purvodaya programme, the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme works, a transformative horticulture development package for Rayalaseema, and urgent assistance for the Polavarama"Nallamala Sagar Link Project to address persistent drought conditions in several districts.

CM Naidu emphasised that the Purvodaya initiative is crucial for realising the Viksit Bharat vision, as it supports the holistic development of eastern states and strengthens Indiaas national economic growth.

According to an official release here, the Chief Minister explained that Purvodaya funds are essential for improving rural connectivity, modernising irrigation systems, developing infrastructure, expanding industrial corridors, establishing food-processing clusters, and enhancing healthcare and education facilities.

Stressing that these interventions would significantly expand economic opportunities in rural Andhra Pradesh, he requested the Centre to prioritise State-specific needs and simplify administrative norms to ensure smooth implementation of Purvodaya projects.

The Chief Minister also sought the expeditious release of funds under the SASCI scheme for several important projects. He requested immediate support for the construction of the Unity Mall in Visakhapatnam, the reconstruction of the historic Havelock Bridge under Akhanda Godavari, the Gandikota Tourism Project, and the completion of three working womenas hostels in different districts.

Emphasising that Andhra Pradesh is currently experiencing severe financial constraints, he said the financial support from the Centre is critical for the development of roads, MSME parks, irrigation works, housing projects and healthcare infrastructure. He requested the Union Minister to allocate Rs 10,054 crore under the SASCI scheme for the 2025-26 financial year.

CM Naidu further submitted a comprehensive memorandum seeking a dedicated horticulture development package for Rayalaseema.

He informed the Union Minister that Rayalaseema and Prakasam districts collectively cultivate 18 globally demanded horticulture crops, and that 93 horticulture clusters spread across eight districts currently support nearly 33.7 lakh farmers directly and indirectly. He said the state plans to expand horticulture cultivation from 8.48 lakh hectares to 12.28 lakh hectares by 2029.

To support large-scale exports from the region, he stressed the need to strengthen water resources and build world-class logistics infrastructure, including roads, rail connectivity, ports and air-cargo facilities.

The Chief Minister said that transforming Rayalaseema into a horticulture hub would require Rs 41,000 crore over the next three years and would help increase farmersa annual incomes from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh. He urged the Centre to announce the Rayalaseema Horticulture Development Package in the 2026-27 Union Budget.

The Chief Minister also sought robust central assistance for the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar Link Project, which aims to divert 200 TMC of floodwaters from the Godavari to drought-hit regions. He said the project would ensure a reliable irrigation and drinking-water supply for Prakasam, Rayalaseema and Nellore districts.

CM Naidu informed the Union Minister that a preliminary project report had already been submitted to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry and that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be submitted immediately upon receiving approval.

Requesting support similar to what was earlier extended for Amaravati capital works, the Chief Minister appealed for necessary allocations for the project in the 2026-27 Union Budget.
Seoul, Dec 19 : South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday instructed officials to arrange a security-related ministers' meeting to better coordinate the government's North Korea policy, the presidential office said.

The instruction came after Lee attended closed-door policy briefings from the foreign and unification ministries, according to presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Lee's instruction comes amid apparent policy direction differences between the ministries in their North Korea policies under the new administration.

The foreign ministry has traditionally emphasized the importance of consultation and coordination with Washington when dealing with Pyongyang, while the unification ministry has largely prioritized inter-Korean dialogue separate from US involvement.

Lee said differing views among ministries should be viewed positively, noting that each ministry having its own position helps broaden policy options when choosing diplomatic and security strategies, according to Kim.

Earlier in the day, South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the ministry aims to take a leading role in establishing policies toward North Korea.

In a policy briefing to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Chung said the ministry, which is in charge of relations with Pyongyang, would "strengthen its leading role as a party directly involved in the Korean Peninsula issue."

Chung also said international sanctions imposed on North Korea over its illegal nuclear and missile programs have effectively lost their bite, adding the ministry will seek sanctions relief in a bid to reengage the country.

"In order to buttress inter-Korean and multilateral exchanges and cooperation, (the ministry) plans to discuss and seek the relaxation of sanctions," Chung told the briefing.

"There are some arguments calling for the strengthening of sanctions on North Korea, but, realistically, sanctions against Pyongyang have lost their effectiveness," the minister said.

North Korea's trade with China, which accounts for most of Pyongyang's external commerce, now goes partly unscreened, while the regime regards sanctions as "the most hostile" action against it, he said, as the rationale for seeking sanctions relief.

Seeking dialogue with North Korea while keeping sanctions against them in place would not be acceptable to Pyongyang, he noted.
Agartala/Aizawl, Dec 19 : Amid the volatile situation in Bangladesh, Eastern Command Commander Lt Gen R.C. Tiwari, along with General Officer Commanding Lt Gen Abhijit S. Pendharkar, visited the India-Bangladesh border areas in Mizoram and Tripura to review the prevailing security situation and preparedness along the frontier.

A post on the X handle of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army on Friday said: "Lt Gen R.C. Tiwari, Army Cdr EC, along with Senior Military Officers, visited the company operating Base of Assam Rifles and BSF under Spear Corps at Parva in Mizoram, to review the security situation along the Indo-Bangladesh Border."

"Army Cdr EC lauded the Assam Rifles and BSF troops for their steadfastness, resilience and a high level of operational preparedness," the post said.

Both Lt Gen Tiwari, Lt Gen Pendharkar, accompanied by senior Army officials, visited southern Tripura's Belonia and reviewed the situation along the border.

Four Indian northeastern states of Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam (263 km) share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh. BSF has been guarding the India-Bangladesh border.

Tripura shares an 856-km-long border with Bangladesh, surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making it highly vulnerable to smuggling and other cross-border crimes.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha earlier on the day (Friday) said that the Indian government is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Bangladesh and is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality.

The Chief Minister said that following the exit of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a series of disturbing and destructive incidents have been reported in the neighbouring country.

Reacting to the prevailing situation, CM Saha said the Tripura government has been regularly sending detailed reports to the Centre on developments arising from the unrest across the border.

"Dreaded terrorists, criminals and individuals involved in various crimes have been released from Bangladeshi jails," CM Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, told the media on the sidelines of a government event.

Stating that India and its armed forces are always prepared to handle any situation, the Chief Minister said the Union Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is fully aware of the developments in Bangladesh and is keeping a close watch on the situation.

"Our drone surveillance systems have made significant advancements. The S-400 mobile long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system has already demonstrated its capabilities," CM Saha said, adding that security arrangements and all necessary measures along the border are robust and well-equipped.
Chandigarh, Dec 19 : Haryana Health Minister Arti Singh Rao on Friday told the Assembly that the government is working to improve the doctor-population ratio by increasing MBBS seats through the establishment of new medical colleges, both in the public and private sectors.

She said while Haryana had only 700 MBBS seats in 2014, the number has now risen to 2,710. The minister was replying to a question by a member during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha here.

Rao further informed the House that as per the reply of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha in 2018 the doctor-population ratio stood at one doctor per 1,000 people.

Referring to the data of the Haryana Medical Council of December 16, she said considering only allopathic doctors the ratio in the state is currently one doctor per 1,225 people.

When registered Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy (AUH) doctors are also included, the ratio improved to one doctor per 819 people.

Reiterating the government's efforts, Rao said increasing the number of doctors remains a priority, and the state is continuously expanding medical education infrastructure in both public and private sectors to enhance MBBS intake.

She also highlighted the National Health Policy of 2017 and Indian Public Health Standards define benchmarks for the availability of health services, particularly in terms of population-to-hospital bed ratios.

As per these standards, the combined government health and medical education sector should have at least one hospital bed per 1,000 population, while including ESIC and private hospitals, the availability should be two beds per 1,000 population.

Responding to a supplementary question, the Health Minister said the number of District Civil Hospitals and Sub-Divisional Hospitals has increased from 56 in 2014 to 74.

Similarly, the number of Community Health Centres (CHCs) has gone up from 109 in 2014 to 122.

She said under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini the government has made dialysis services free of cost in government hospitals.

In addition, economically weaker sections are being provided free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The government firmly believes that healthcare is not a privilege but a fundamental right, and keeping this principle in mind, affordable and accessible health services are being ensured close to peopleas homes across the state, the minister added.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Actor Sunny Deol has expressed his undying love and admiration for his late father, Dharmendra, after watching the veteran actor's powerful appearance in "Ikkis." Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) Actor Sunny Deol has expressed his undying love and admiration for his late father, Dharmendra, after watching the veteran actor's powerful appearance in "Ikkis."

Clearly moved by the glimpse, the 'Border' actor expressed his heartfelt love and admiration for his father. On Friday, Sunny took to his Instagram handle and shared the new trailer of the movie and captioned it as, "Love you papa Witness the true story of the youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee, a hero who was only 21 and became eternal -Second Lt. Arun Khetarpal. #Ikkis In cinemas on 1st Jan 2026 #ExperienceCourageOn1Jan."

The trailer of Ikkis brings to life the heroic sacrifice of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest Param Vir Chakra awardee, during the 1971 war. Featuring Agastya Nanda and Dharmendra in pivotal roles, the 2-minute-11-second trailer is packed with gripping battlefield action, dramatic tank encounters, heartfelt family moments, and a powerful real-life story of bravery.

Dharmendra delivers a moving performance as Arun's father, portraying a parent's pride and pain. The trailer ends on an emotional note with his impactful line, "Yeh meri family hai, chota beta Mukesh 50 saal ka hai aur yeh bada beta Arun yeh hamesha ikkis ka hi rahega."

"Ikkis" will mark Dharmendra's final appearance on the big screen. The legendary actor passed away on the very day the makers released his character poster. They captioned the post, "Fathers raise sons. Legends raise nations. Dharmendra ji, an emotional powerhouse as the father of a 21-year-old immortal soldier. One timeless legend brings us the story of another. #IkkisTrailerOutNow Ikkis in cinemas worldwide on 25th December 2025."

Earlier, the makers had dropped an emotional poem penned by the veteran actor. Titled "Aj bhi ji karda hai, pind apne nu jaanwa," the poem reflected Dharmendra's longing and nostalgia for his beloved pind (village).

On a related note, the upcoming movie features Agastya Nanda in the role of Arun Khetarpal, the heroic soldier martyred at 21 during the 1971 Battle of Basantar in the Indo-Pak war. 'Ikkis' also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikander Kher.

"Ikkis," which was earlier scheduled to hit screens in December 2025, will now theatres on January 1, 2026.
BEIRUT, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reaffirmed here on Friday Cairo's support for Lebanon's stability and sovereignty.

"Egypt is continuing its intensive efforts to keep Lebanon away from any escalation and to safeguard its security and stability," Madbouly said at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam.

Madbouly rejected Israel's repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty and occupation of parts of its territory, urging an immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal, respect for the ceasefire deal, and full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

He praised the Lebanese leadership's efforts to restore stability and strengthen state institutions, particularly the Lebanese Armed Forces.

For his part, Salam welcomed Madbouly's visit as an affirmation of deep fraternal ties between Lebanon and Egypt, and thanked Egypt for its support in ending the Israeli occupation of parts of southern Lebanon and accompanying Lebanon on its reform and recovery path.

Madbouly held talks earlier in the day with Salam on enhancing bilateral cooperation in such key sectors as energy, transport, economy, infrastructure, education, irrigation, and digital development.

Madbouly also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri later in the day. 
New Delhi, Dec 19 : A Delhi court on Friday reserved its order on the question of framing of charges in the alleged land-for-job corruption case involving Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members, and other accused.

Special Judge (PC Act) Vishal Gogne of the Rouse Avenue Courts said that the decision would be pronounced on January 9, 2026, after hearing submissions in the matter relating to alleged irregular appointments to Group 'D' posts in the Railways in exchange for the transfer of land parcels.

The court is examining whether charges are to be framed against the accused under Sections 120B, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The case pertains to allegations of "large-scale corruption" between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister.

According to the CBI, parcels of land were acquired in the names of Lalu's family members and a company linked to them, often at rates below market value and largely through cash transactions. In return, railway jobs were allegedly provided across various zones.

The Central agency has named 103 accused in the case, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, ex Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, MP Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav, and former minister Tej Pratap Yadav.

However, proceedings against five accused have abated following their deaths.

The Union Home Ministry has already granted sanction to prosecute Lalu Prasad in the case.

Parallelly, both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are probing the alleged money-laundering trail linked to land transfers in Patna.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain Lalu Prasad Yadav's plea seeking a stay on the trial proceedings after the Delhi High Court declined to halt the case despite multiple charge sheets being filed by the CBI.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : As many as 452 Post Office Passport Seva Kendras have been operationalised by November end, which handled over 29 lakh passport applications, including 1.54 lakh Police Clearance Certificates, and generated Rs 114.88 crore in revenue in 2025, the government said on Friday.

Further, 13,352 Post Office Aadhaar Centres were set up across India in Post Offices and Aadhaar services in these centres generated Rs 129 crore in revenue in 2025, the official statement said.

To reach out to the masses in the remotest areas of the country, India Post has also distributed mobile/laptop Aadhaar kits to the Post Offices, the Ministry of Communications said, adding that it helped citizens, especially DBT beneficiaries, to obtain the benefits of different government schemes.

The Department of Posts has rolled out Aadhaara'based ea'KYC across departmental post offices from January 6, 2025, opening 1,09,878 accounts and processing 24,45,029 transactions.

The Department in July entered an agreement with the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) to streamline KYC verification for mutual fund investors, using its network of 1.64 lakh post offices.

It will also leverage its unparalleled postal network for the sale of BSNL SIM cards and mobile recharge services across the country. Through this collaboration, post offices will act as Points of Sale (PoS) for BSNL, Mobile SIM sales and for mobile recharges.

A revamped ATM network of the Postal department now covering 1,000 sites improved system reliability and transaction efficiency with faster response times and reduced downtime, the ministry said.

The ministry also highlighted the Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra (DNK) initiative, aimed at democratising exports by enabling small producers, artisans, weavers, women entrepreneurs, self-help groups (SHGs), MSMEs and rural enterprises to directly export in global markets without intermediaries.

Upcoming projects under consideration include a Rural Digital Connectivity Survey across 6.5 lakh villages with TRAI, and onsite verification of 3.69 crore MSMEs registered on the Udyam portal.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Wholesale volumes of domestic twoawheelers grew by 19 per cent (yearaoverayear) in the month of November, reaching 1.8 million units, a report said on Friday.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Wholesale volumes of domestic twoa'wheelers grew by 19 per cent (yeara'overa'year) in the month of November, reaching 1.8 million units, a report said on Friday.

The report from ICRA attributed the rise to Goods and Services Tax (GST) cuts and original equipment manufacturera'dealer offers that sustained showroom footfalls after the festive season, prompting dealers to replenish inventory and support wholesale dispatches.

The ratings firm forecasted twoa'wheeler volume growth of 6a"9 per cent for FY26, supported by improved replacement demand following GST rate cuts, an expected recovery in urban consumption and healthy rural incomes driven by a normal monsoon.

Retail sales in November, however, eased by 3.1 per cent yeara'ona'year, largely due to an early festive season that shifted demand into Octoberas recorda'breaking sales period.

Dealers continue to report steady customer footfall, buoyed by positive GST sentiment and strong demand from the ongoing wedding season, it added.

Electric twoa'wheeler retail volumes dipped marginally by 1.4 per cent YoY, with electric two-wheeler retail volumes reaching 1,17,335 units in November. Monthly electric two-wheeler penetration within the overall twoa'wheeler segment remained stable at 6a"7 per cent through the first eight months of FY26, reflecting gradual adoption, it said.

Export volumes continued to grow in double digits, rising 27.9 per cent yeara'ona'year, while industry volumes were up 23.6 per cent during the April-November period, supported by a relatively low base in the corresponding period of FY25.

Inventory levels improved to 44a"46 days by November 2025 from 60 days at the end of September, according to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) data, aided by stronger retail offtake, according to another recent report.

Utility vehicles held a 67 per cent share of passenger vehicle volumes in November, down from 69 per cent in October, while mini, compact and supera'compact segments revived after GST cuts. Continued supportive policy reforms and improved market sentiments would drive this growth trajectory well into 2026, it noted.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said that Ayushman Bharat has become a reliable support for over 6.5 lakh city families during times of illness.

Highlighting the government's efforts to expand health facilities for citizens, CM Gupta, in a post on X, said, "When the need for treatment arises suddenly, the health security cover of up to Rs 10 lakh gives the family the confidence that treatment will not be halted due to lack of money."

She said, "Whether it's the hardworking families of Delhi, the elderly, or children, Ayushman Bharat has assured everyone that the government stands with them in difficult times."

She said this scheme, started with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is giving relief, dignity, and health security to the needy in Delhi.

Earlier, under CM Gupta's instructions, the Delhi Government facilitated the provision of 25 oxygen concentrators along with 25 BiPAP ventilation machines for troops deployed in high-altitude and extremely challenging terrains, where oxygen levels are low.

The equipment has been provided at the request of the Medical Regiment, in coordination with the Oxygen Branch of the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of NCT of Delhi. The decision has been taken with national interest and the welfare of the troops serving under extremely adverse conditions in mind.

Troops stationed in such inhospitable environments face heightened risks of hypoxia and related health complications, making timely oxygen support essential for their health and operational preparedness, said a press statement.

The equipment is being provided to the unit concerned strictly for medical support and emergency care, with the receiving unit responsible for proper upkeep, responsible usage, and accountability in accordance with established protocols, it said.

This step reflects the Delhi Government's recognition of its shared responsibility towards the troops, acknowledging the challenges faced by personnel serving under extreme and demanding conditions, said the statement.

The initiative seeks to contribute to medical preparedness and support the well-being of those deployed in high-altitude regions.

Reacting to the decision, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said, "Under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Delhi Government considers it a moral responsibility to support our troops working in an inhospitable environment."

"Our soldiers serve the nation in some of the harshest conditions, and ensuring access to timely medical care is a duty we must collectively uphold. This step has been taken keeping national interest and the well-being of our troops at the forefront," said the Minister.
New Delhi, Dec 19 : In a setback to former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and other members of the Lalu Prasad Yadav family, a Delhi court on Friday rejected pleas seeking transfer of multiple corruption and money-laundering cases from the court of Special Judge Vishal Gogne.

Principal District and Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (PC Act) Dinesh Bhatt of the Rouse Avenue Courts dismissed four transfer petitions filed by Rabri Devi, which pertained to the IRCTC hotel scam case, the CBI's land-for-jobs case, and two connected money-laundering prosecutions being pursued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

With the rejection of the transfer pleas, all the criminal cases against Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and other family members will continue to be heard by Special Judge Vishal Gogne.

Rabri Devi had approached the district judge seeking transfer of the cases on the ground that the conduct of the trial Judge Gogne, had created a "reasonable apprehension of bias" in her mind. She alleged that the judge was "unduly inclined towards the prosecution" and was proceeding against her and her family members with a premeditated mindset.

The transfer pleas were supported by other accused persons, including members of the Yadav family, who contended that the cases against them were being taken up with unusual frequency and haste.

Appearing for Rabri Devi, senior advocate Maninder Singh submitted that although nearly 29 cases were pending before Judge Gogne, none were being heard in such a "hasty manner" as the four matters involving the former Chief Minister and her family. He added that between January 1, 2025, and December 14, 2025, the four cases had been listed on 117, 70, 50 and 28 occasions, respectively.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED strongly opposed the transfer pleas, terming them an attempt to "demean the judge" and "bulldoze the courts".

Special Public Prosecutor D.P. Singh, appearing for the CBI, argued that the allegations of bias were false and defamatory, and that Judge Gogne was only following the procedure established by law and by his predecessors.

Earlier, the district judge had sought responses from both central agencies and also requested comments from Judge Gogne, who submitted his reply in a sealed cover.

The IRCTC hotel scam case relates to alleged irregularities in the lease of IRCTC hotels between 2004 and 2009, when Lalu Prasad was the Union Railway Minister. Charges under Sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were ordered to be framed in the case last month.

In the land-for-jobs case, the CBI has alleged that candidates seeking Group-D posts in the Railways transferred land to members of Lalu Prasad's family or benami entities in exchange for employment.

Earlier in the day, the Rouse Avenue Courts reserved its order on the framing of charges in the case. In parallel, the ED is probing the money-laundering angle, claiming that the transactions generated proceeds of crime, which were subsequently laundered through multiple entities.
Dhaka, Dec 19 : As violence escalates in Bangladesh following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of radical Inqilab Mancha group, the US Embassy in Dhaka on Friday urged American citizens in the South Asian nation to exercise caution, warning that gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational.

Hadi succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital, after battling for his life for six days.

Addressing the nation on Thursday night, the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus confirmed Hadi's death.

Citing media reports, the US Embassy in Dhaka stated that Hadi's body was expected to arrive in Dhaka on Friday evening. His funeral prayers, it said, are likely to be held on Manik Mia Avenue in front of the National Parliament Building on Saturday.

"Extremely heavy traffic is expected in the area and throughout Dhaka. Large spontaneous or planned gatherings are likely throughout Bangladesh," said the embassy.

"Individuals are encouraged to review scheduled travel through and around Dhaka during the above-listed timeframes and allow additional time for possible delays. US citizens should practice vigilance and remember that gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence. You should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large gatherings," it added.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had also issued a travel advisory urging British citizens to avoid all but essential travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, citing regular reports of violence and other criminal activity, particularly in remote parts.

"Bangladesh will observe a National Day of Mourning on Saturday, 20 December. Pay close attention to local information and follow guidance," the advisory noted, in light of the violence that erupted across Bangladesh after Hadi's death.

Bangladesh has witnessed an alarming rise in violence and a degrading law and order situation under the Yunus-led interim government.
Seoul, Dec 19 : A woman in her 60s died after crashing her car into a hagwon bus while driving on the wrong side of the road in western Seoul, police said Friday.

The car first crashed into a roadside tree and subsequently into the bus operated by a private education institution at an intersection in Yeongdeungpo Ward, western Seoul, at 3:25 pm, killing the driver, police said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The bus driver and a teacher inside the bus were injured, while four pedestrians sustained minor injuries. No student was on the bus during the time of the incident, police added.

Investigators plan to look into the cause of the crash by analyzing security cameras installed in the area and the black boxes of other vehicles.

They have also requested forensic authorities for an analysis of the crashed vehicle and an autopsy of the deceased driver.

Earlier in November, police said they have sought an arrest warrant for the driver of a deadly car accident on an island off the southern resort island of Jeju that claimed three lives and injured nearly a dozen people.

On November 24, a rental van driven by the 62-year-old plowed into pedestrians before ramming into a signpost on Udo Island, shortly after disembarking from a ferry.

A 60-something woman inside the vehicle and two pedestrians -- a man in his 70s and another in his 60s -- were killed, while 11 people were injured, according to authorities.

Police said they requested the warrant due to concerns of flight and evidence destruction after detaining the driver on charges of causing the fatal accident hours after the crash.

According to witness accounts, the vehicle suddenly accelerated shortly after it got off the ferry and travelled about 150 meters before slamming into the signpost.

An initial police investigation found the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

The driver has reportedly blamed sudden unintended acceleration for the cause of the accident.

A police official said they have yet to find signs of sudden unintended acceleration, noting that footage from surveillance cameras near the accident showed the vehicle's brake lights did not come on.
Vientiane, Dec 19 : Laos' Ministry of Agriculture and Environment convened a meeting to review progress and plan future efforts to reduce poverty and malnutrition, focusing on improving living conditions and providing health and nutrition support.

The national steering committee meeting of the rural poverty and malnutrition reduction project assessed the project's 2025 implementation and outlined the 2026 work plan. Participants provided active and constructive feedback, demonstrating their commitment to the project's success, according to the ministry's report, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The five-year project, running from 2024 to 2028, aims to improve living conditions and provide health and nutrition support to poor families. It covers seven provinces, including Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Xieng Khuang, Huaphan, Savannakhet, Salavan, and Sekong, spanning 25 districts and 1,665 villages.

Speaking at the meeting, Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Kikeo Singnavong highlighted the importance of strict adherence to personnel management, activity planning, budgeting, and project coordination.

He expressed confidence that the project will strengthen rural development and poverty reduction efforts.

The Laos government is prioritizing child nutrition to support brain development and drive national growth. Efforts to combat malnutrition include strengthening coordination, increasing funding, using data for evidence-based programs, and scaling up key maternal and child nutrition interventions across sectors.

Earlier this month, Laos launched a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign to protect young girls from cervical cancer, highlighting the country's ongoing efforts to strengthen public health, particularly among youth.

Laos has launched the 2025 HPV vaccination campaign, providing free HPV vaccines to girls aged 10 nationwide.

At the campaign launch in Lao capital Vientiane in early December, Deputy Governor of Vientiane Phouvong Vongkhamsao praised international partners for their support, emphasizing the growing role of health and disease prevention in reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Each year, about 320 Lao women develop cervical cancer. The Lao government has long promoted women's health, ensuring that girls and women have access to proper healthcare.

"I am grateful that the Lao government provides free HPV vaccination, giving all girls the right to protection. I believe this is a significant effort to enhance public health services in Laos," a father of two daughters in Vientiane told Xinhua on Wednesday.

He shared his concerns about his children, emphasizing that access to free vaccination should be a basic right for all children.

"I want them to grow up healthy and strong, and I know cervical cancer is one of the most serious diseases affecting women. When the time comes, I will make sure both of my daughters receive the vaccine as soon as they are eligible," he added.
Patna, Dec 19 : Principal of Government Tibbi College in Bihar said on Friday that Dr Nusrat will join her duty on December 20, who had gone silent after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "pulled" down her hijab during a ceremony in Patna a few days ago.

The hijab-related incident had sparked a political storm in the country, with opposition parties accusing the Chief Minister of disrespecting a Muslim woman doctor.

Professor (Dr.) Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, Principal of Government Tibbi College, Patna, said that Dr Nusrat had spoken to her close friend Bilkis and stated that the matter was being unnecessarily blown out of proportion.

Dr Nusrat, a postgraduate student at the Government Tibbi College, had not attended college for the past four days, which led to speculation that she was emotionally hurt by the incident.

However, teachers at the college described her as a bright and disciplined student who has been wearing a hijab consistently for the past seven years.

While Dr Nusrat remained quiet immediately after the incident, she has now decided to resume her professional responsibilities.

According to her classmates, she is prepared to join her new posting as scheduled.

"The incident had been misinterpreted, asserting that the Chief Minister's intention was neither malicious nor disrespectful. Nitish Kumar's gesture as one of affection, likening it to that of a guardian," Dr Rahman said.

He also accused certain political parties and sections of the media of attempting to tarnish the image of a Chief Minister who has consistently worked toward women's empowerment.

Bilkis, a close friend and classmate of Dr Nusrat Parveen, confirmed that she will join on December 20.

On December 15, Nitish Kumar landed in a controversy after he removed the hijab of Dr Nusrat during an appointment letter distribution ceremony in Patna.

The incident, which surfaced through a short video clip, drew sharp criticism across the country.

The RJD also shared an 11-second video of the event on its official X account, questioning the Chief Minister's conduct.
New Delhi/Guwahati, Dec 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new terminal building of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBI) in Guwahati on Saturday (December 20), marking a major milestone in Assam's aviation and infrastructure growth.

The state-of-the-art facility is India's first nature-themed airport terminal and is designed to reflect Assamas rich natural landscape and cultural heritage.

Ahead of the inauguration, Prime Minister Modi posted on X on Friday, highlighting that the new terminal will significantly enhance passenger handling capacity and modernise aviation infrastructure in the Northeast. The terminal has been developed with a capacity to handle over 1.3 crore passengers annually, positioning Guwahati as a major aviation hub for the entire region.

The new integrated terminal is equipped with modern passenger amenities, improved circulation spaces, and advanced security and baggage handling systems. Its nature-inspired architecture incorporates design elements reflecting Assamas rivers, forests and biodiversity, offering travellers a distinctive sense of place upon arrival and departure.

In addition to the terminal building, major upgrades have been undertaken across critical airport infrastructure. These include improvements to the runway, airfield systems, aprons and taxiways, aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, safety and accommodating increased air traffic.

The expanded infrastructure is expected to support larger aircraft operations and improve on-time performance.

The inauguration forms part of PM Modi's visit to Assam, during which he is also scheduled to launch and lay foundation stones for several key development projects across sectors such as infrastructure, industry and connectivity.

The visit underscores the Centre's focus on strengthening the Northeast as a gateway to Southeast Asia under the Act East policy.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has described the new terminal as a "transformational project" that will boost tourism, trade and investment while generating employment opportunities.

He said Guwahatias enhanced airport capacity will further integrate the Northeast with the rest of the country and the world.

With the commissioning of the new terminal, LGBI Airport is set to play a pivotal role in driving economic growth, improving regional connectivity and elevating the travel experience for millions of passengers.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The suspect in last week's mass shooting at Brown University was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Fox News reported on Thursday.

Citing two law enforcement sources, CBS News said in an earlier report on Thursday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect in the Dec. 13 shooting on the Brown University campus in Providence, Rhode Island, which killed two students and wounded nine others.

The sources said law enforcement agencies are investigating possible links between the Brown University shooting and the fatal shooting of Nuno Loureiro, a nuclear science and engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Loureiro, 47, died on Tuesday at a hospital after being shot a day earlier at his residence in Brookline, Massachusetts. 
Hyderabad, Dec 19 : Hyderabad police have arrested two accused in 'digital arrest' case in which a senior citizen lost Rs 59 lakh. Cybercrime police arrested the accused who had supplied accounts to cheat the retired employee.

Surampudi Chandrasekhar (31) and Emandi Venkat Naveen (25), both residents of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh have been arrested

According to police on December 4, the victim received WhatsApp calls from unknown persons impersonating police and government officials. The fraudsters falsely alleged his involvement in human trafficking, overseas job fraud, and money laundering, and sent forged arrest warrants via WhatsApp to intimidate him. Under continuous threats of arrest, the victim transferred Rs. 59,00,300 through RTGS from his Union Bank of India account between December 4 and 6.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cybercrimes) V. Arvind Babu said the accused impersonated as police/government officials, used WhatsApp calls and sent forged arrest warrants to create fear, forced victims to transfer money to multiple bank accounts, used malicious APK files to gain access to internet banking and SMS services, routed funds through shell firm accounts, converted them into cryptocurrency (USDT), and withdrew money via Binance P2P transactions into personal accounts.

The accused are part of an interstate cyber fraud racket. They procured and shared bank accounts for routing cheated funds. So far 15 current bank accounts have been facilitated to the prime accused. They received proceeds in cryptocurrency, later converted to Indian rupees. They assisted the prime accused by providing accounts and technical access.

The accused are involved in 65 cyber fraud cases nationwide, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and other states. The amount involved in these cases is Rs 8 crore.

Five of the cases related to Telangana a" two each in Hyderabad and Cyberabad and one in Sangareddy.

Other accused are absconding. The arrested accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and further investigation is in progress.

Meanwhile, in a case of sextortion fraud, a man lost Rs.3.41 lakh. According to police, the victim received an unknown call from a woman identifying herself as Jyothi Gupta, who attempted to seduce him during the call. Subsequently, he received a video call from a person identifying himself as Vikram Goswami, wearing a uniform, who threatened to circulate the victimas video on social media and damage his reputation.

Out of fear, the victim was coerced into making multiple payments on different occasions through Google Pay to one Manjeet Singh, on the assurance that the case would be closed and the amount refunded. Later, the accused also hacked the victimas bank accounts, causing additional losses. The accused further intimidated him by falsely claiming the woman had died and demanded more money to avoid legal trouble.

Due to fear, social stigma, and helplessness, the victim suffered a total financial loss of Rs. 3,41,950, police said.
Moscow, Dec 19 : Russia has been deceived several times by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) promises about non-expansion eastward, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

During his annual press conference, Putin said the movement of NATO military infrastructure towards Russian borders has caused legitimate concern for Russia.

Russia had discussed the possibility of joining NATO, but realized its accession was not expected there, he said.

The Russian president added that building a new security system in Europe is "quite relevant," and any country's choice of its own means of defense should not threaten other countries.

He said that Moscow is ready to consider measures to ensure security during elections in Ukraine, including refraining from strikes deep inside Ukrainian territory.

"We are ready to consider ensuring security during the elections in Ukraine. At the very least, we would refrain from strikes deep within its territory," said Putin, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Regarding elections in Ukraine and the introduction of some kind of external governance regime, this has been suggested by others, including me, but it's hypothetical, and, in general, if such a will exists, including in Western countries," Putin said during the press conference.

Putin also said Friday that Russia and Europe would prosper by uniting and complementing each other rather than fighting.

Speaking during his annual year-end press conference, Putin said closer cooperation between Russia and European countries could generate significant economic benefits for all sides.

"If we combined our efforts with European countries, our combined gross domestic product measured by purchasing power parity would be larger than that of the United States," Putin said. "This is theoretical, of course, but it is absolutely clear that by uniting and complementing our capabilities, we would prosper instead of fighting each other."

"We are ready to work with you, with Great Britain, with Europe as a whole, and with the United States, but on an equal footing, with mutual respect," Putin said. "If we ultimately achieve this, everyone will benefit."
Agartala, Dec 19 : The Tripura government, with support from the ministries of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and Tourism, is working to develop the state into a major tourism hub to attract domestic and international visitors, generate employment, and boost revenue, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday.

Referring to his virtual meeting held on Thursday with DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Chief Minister said that Rs 451 crore has been approved for the implementation of 21 tourism-related projects in Tripura.

Addressing a programme organised by the Tripura Film and Television Institute (TFTI), Saha said he had presented the Matabari Tourist Circuit Project during the meeting, following which the Minister informed him that the project had received approval.

Of the total outlay, Rs 267.5 crore will be funded by the DoNER Ministry, while the remaining amount will be mobilised through the state government, the Union Tourism Ministry, and the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and DoNER Minister Scindia for their continued support and cooperation in Tripura's development.

Saha said films serve as a mirror of society and have the power to reflect its past, present and future, while creating awareness about both positive and negative aspects of social life.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a programme titled 'Tripura Culture and Heritage Land' at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan, organised by the TFTI and the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs (ICA).

During the event, certificates were awarded to students who completed the 2024-25 academic session at TFTI, along with graduation certificates to artists from various categories recognised by the state government.

The Chief Minister urged students of TFTI to contribute positively to society through their creativity. He said the state government is making efforts to develop TFTI into the best film and television institute in the entire Northeastern region, and work is underway to identify land for its permanent infrastructure and upgrade it to a University.

"There is no shortage of talent among the youth of Tripura. They should utilise their abilities to establish themselves, and the government will stand by them," Saha said, adding that states like Assam and Manipur are ahead in producing regional films, and Tripura's youth should strive to take the state's film industry forward with both talent and government support.

Emphasising that talent attracts resources, the Chief Minister said financial constraints should not deter creative pursuits. He reiterated the Prime Minister's view that students and youth are the future of the nation and said all development plans are being framed with their welfare in mind.

Saha also said the state government is implementing various welfare schemes for people from all sections of society and is exploring ways to ensure financial independence by enabling students to complete professional courses at TFTI.

Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, Secretary P.K. Chakraborty, Vice-Chancellor of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata, Samiran Dutta, TFTI Advisor Biplab Goswami, Vice-Chairman of the State-level Cultural Advisory Committee Subrata Chakraborty, ICA Director Bimbisar Bhattacharjee, and other dignitaries were present at the event.
Mumbai, Dec 19 : Voting for the 24 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats along with 154 individual member seats from 76 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra is scheduled to take place on Saturday, government officials said.

The state administration has completed its preparations, and polling staff have reached their respective voting centres.

The State Election Commission (SEC) had originally scheduled the polls for December 2.

However, the elections were postponed to December 19 following appeals filed in district courts against decisions made by the returning officers.

According to the SEC statement, the posts of President and Councillors in the Anagar, Jamner, and Dondaicha Nagar Panchayats have been elected unopposed.

While the President of the Jamner Nagar Panchayat was elected unopposed, voting for certain member seats will proceed on Saturday.

Voting will be held in Yavatmal, Washim, Baramati, Ambernath, Mahabaleshwar, Phaltan, Kopargaon, Deolali Pravara, Pathardi, Nevasa, Phursungi-Uruli Devachi, Mangalwedha, Phulambri, Mukhed, Dharmabad, Nilanga, Renapur, Basmat, Anjangaon Surji, Balapur, Deulgaon Raja, Deoli, and Ghugus.

The general election schedule for 246 nagar parishads and 42 nagar panchayats was initially announced on November 4.

However, disputes arose following the scrutiny of nomination papers.

Several candidates approached the court, alleging that election symbols were allotted before they were granted the mandatory three-day window to withdraw their nominations.

Due to this ongoing legal process, the SEC deferred the polls in these specific locations.

The results for these seats, along with the locations where voting was conducted on December 2, will be counted simultaneously on December 21.

Meanwhile, campaigning for these local bodies ended on Friday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar held poll rallies in these local bodies since last three days.

In few local bodies, the Mahayuti allies are contesting polls together while in some they are pitted against each other.

Earlier, during the first phase of voting held on December 2, 67.63 per cent polling was recorded.

"Since these were the local body polls, the data of voting percentage from several local bodies in a district was first compiled at the district collector level and was later sent to us. Therefore, it took longer time to announce official percentage," an official from the SEC said.

Murgud Municipal Council in Kolhapur district witnessed the highest polling percentage with 88.43 per cent. Besa Pipla in Nagpur district saw lowest voter turnout with 51.33 per cent.

Already mired in controversy over poaching of leaders across allies and Opposition, the first phase of local body elections in Maharashtra on December 2 was marred by instances of violence over bogus voters as political parties targeted each other across constituencies.
Ahmedabad, Dec 19 : After an intensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise spanning nearly one and a half months, the draft electoral roll for Gujarat has been published, marking a significant milestone in the state's electoral preparedness.

Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) After an intensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise spanning nearly one and a half months, the draft electoral roll for Gujarat has been published, marking a significant milestone in the stateas electoral preparedness.

The large-scale revision drive, conducted as per the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), has resulted in the registration of 4.34 crore voters across the state.

The SIR campaign was launched on October 27, 2025, and involved an extensive door-to-door verification process, digitisation of enumeration forms, and cross-verification with political parties.

Following the completion of the enumeration phase, the draft electoral roll was officially published on the basis of January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.

According to official data, out of the earlier total of 5.08 crore registered voters in the state, as many as 73.73 lakh names have been removed from the draft electoral roll.

These deletions were carried out after verification revealed that the voters concerned were either deceased, permanently migrated, absent during verification, or found to be registered at multiple locations.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat, Harit Shukla, said that the exercise was completed within the stipulated timeline due to the coordinated efforts of the election machinery and stakeholders at multiple levels.

He noted that the revision drive saw the active participation of 33 District Election Officers, 182 Electoral Registration Officers, 855 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, 50,963 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 54,443 Booth Level Agents (BLAs), and 30,833 volunteers.

Urban local body officials, including personnel from municipal corporations and municipalities, were also roped in for the exercise. On the instructions of the Election Commission of India, all municipal commissioners in the state were appointed as Additional District Election Officers for the SIR process.

As part of the enumeration drive, counting forms were distributed to all 5.08 crore voters in mission mode. Of these, 4.34 crore enumeration forms were received and fully digitised. The digitisation process was completed for 4,34,70,109 voters, ensuring a robust and technology-driven database for electoral rolls.

The door-to-door survey conducted by BLOs played a crucial role in identifying ineligible voters. The deletions include 18,07,278 deceased voters, 9,69,662 absent voters, 40,25,553 voters who had permanently migrated, 3,81,470 voters found registered at multiple locations, and 1,89,364 voters removed under other categories.

Officials clarified that despite wide publicity and repeated household visits by BLOs, several voters could not be contacted, or their enumeration forms were not returned. These voters may have settled elsewhere, passed away, failed to submit forms within the stipulated period, or chosen not to remain registered.

Consequently, their names were not included in the draft roll. To ensure transparency and inclusiveness, meetings were held between Booth Level Officers and Booth Level Agents of recognised political parties to verify the status of forms that were not returned.

Following these consultations, constituency-wise lists of voters whose forms were not received have been published on the websites of District Election Officers and the Chief Electoral Officer.

Additionally, verification of 10.69 lakh discrepancies identified under the ASD (Absent, Shifted, Deceased) category has been completed. Officials described Gujaratas performance during the enumeration phase as notable, underlining the stateas commitment to maintaining the purity and accuracy of electoral rolls.

With the publication of the draft electoral roll, voters have been given time until January 18, 2026, to file claims and objections regarding inclusion, deletion, or correction of details.

Election authorities will verify these claims and objections and dispose of them by February 10, 2026, after issuing notices and conducting personal hearings where required.

The draft electoral roll has been published at all polling stations and designated locations across the state. It is also available on the Chief Electoral Officeras website at http://ceo.gujarat.gov.in, enabling voters to verify their details online.

Copies of the draft roll, including one printed copy with photographs and one soft copy without photographs, have been handed over to representatives of all recognised political parties. Lists of voters whose enumeration forms were not received have also been shared to facilitate further verification by BLAs.

Political parties have been urged to thoroughly scrutinise the draft roll and assist voters in filing claims or objections by following the prescribed procedure before the deadline.

Young citizens who attain the age of 18 years on or before January 1, 2026, can apply for inclusion in the final electoral roll, scheduled to be published on February 17, 2026, by submitting Form 6.

Voters can verify their names in the draft electoral roll through multiple platforms, including the CEO Gujarat website, the ECI Voters Portal (voters.eci.gov.in), the ECINET mobile application, Booth Level Officers, and the offices of District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.

Those whose names are missing from the draft roll can apply for inclusion using Form 6, while corrections in existing entries can be requested through Form 8. Objections to the inclusion of any name can be filed using Form 7, either online or offline, along with the required supporting documents.

Election officials reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision exercise aims to ensure a clean, accurate, and inclusive electoral roll ahead of future elections in Gujarat.
Bengaluru, Dec 19 : Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, has written to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot, urging him to withhold assent to the controversial Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, citing several shortcomings in the proposed legislation.

Shobha Karandlaje, taking to social media X, wrote on Friday: "The Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, hands the State sweeping authority to silence opposition voices, restrain the media, and intimidate the citizens who defend Karnataka's land, language, and Dharma."

"This isn't a Hate speech prevention bill, it's rather a bill that prevents the right to Speech," she stated.

"I have written to the Hon'ble Governor of Karnataka, drawing attention to provisions of the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025 that are vague, overbroad, and susceptible to misuse, and seeking withholding of assent and reservation of the Bill for Presidential consideration under Article 200," she said, attaching the letter with the post.

"We will not let Congress turn the law into a tool to choke free speech and democratic dissent," she stated.

The letter stated, "The stated objective of the Bill is to address hate speech and hate crimes. However, upon careful examination, it becomes evident that Bill, in its present form, establishes a State-controlled mechanism for monitoring, assessing, and penalising speech, rather than narrowly addressing expression that poses a clear and imminent threat to public order."

"The structure of the Bill enables executive authorities to determine the permissibility of expression, thereby transforming the law into a tool capable of suppressing voices critical of the government," she said in the letter

"Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression to every citizen. Any restriction on this right must strictly conform to the limited grounds specified under Article 19(2). The Bill departs from these constitutional limits by employing broad, vague, and subjective expressions such as 'disharmony', 'ill-will', and 'prejudicial interest', which are not precisely defined," the letter states.

The vague and expansive language of the legislation is capable of being invoked to silence Kannada language activists, women's organisations, SC-STs, backward classes, minorities, journalists, student groups, and civil society organisations that raise issues of governance, social justice, or administrative accountability, the minister's letter reads.

Earlier on Thursday, the Karnataka Assembly passed the controversial Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2025, amid chaos and without debate by Opposition members.

Strongly objecting to the manner in which the Bill was taken up, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka tore a copy of the Bill on the floor of the House.

Amid uproar and strong opposition by BJP and JD-S MLAs, Speaker U. T. Khader put the Bill to a vote and announced that it had been passed.

The BJP MLAs raised slogans, alleging that the Assembly Speaker was acting improperly and setting a bad precedent.
Imphal, Dec 19 : A four-member delegation of the Maram Naga tribal community on Friday met Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla and apprised him of their ethnic and cultural concerns, while seeking protection and preservation of their traditional heritage.

A Lok Bhavan official said that four representatives of the Maram Union met the Governor and briefed him on the grievances and challenges being faced by the tribal community.

They highlighted issues related to the recognition and documentation of the Maram traditional system, preservation of monoliths and heritage sites, promotion of the Maram dialect, support for cultural festivals, and development of horticulture initiatives.

President Droupadi Murmu, during her two-day visit to Manipur from December 11 to 12, had visited the Naga tribal-inhabited Senapati district on December 12. Referring to the PM JANMAN (Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan) scheme, she had expressed confidence that initiatives under the mission would further improve the lives of tribal communities, especially Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).

The PM JANMAN scheme covers 75 PVTG communities across 18 states and one Union Territory, with interventions spanning nine ministries to provide benefits such as solar power, mobile towers, roads and skill training. President Murmu had noted that the Maram Naga tribe is the only PVTG community in Manipur.

"I understand with full empathy your concerns and your desire for a peaceful and prosperous future. I reiterate the Government of Indiaas commitment to the well-being and progress of the people of Manipur, including those in the tribal regions. Let us continue working together for a peaceful and prosperous Manipur," she had said.

The PM JANMAN scheme, launched in November 2023 by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, aims to uplift the socio-economic conditions of PVTGs by providing essential facilities, bridging development gaps, and ensuring access to basic services such as housing, clean drinking water, healthcare, education and connectivity.

The Maram people, also known as Maram Nagas, are a distinct Tibeto-Burman Naga tribe primarily residing in Manipuras Senapati district.

They are known for their unique culture, agricultural practices such as jhum and terrace farming, and spiritual traditions including the Punghi and Kanghi festivals, which emphasise nature worship. Recent initiatives within the community have focused on conservation and women's empowerment through Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

The Maram Nagas speak the Maram language, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family, and are recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
Washington, Dec 19, : The United States on Friday said it is thankful to Pakistan for considering a request from the Trump administration to contribute troops to a proposed stabilisation force in war-torn Gaza, as Washington works to lay the groundwork for a post-conflict arrangement aimed at securing lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

"We're very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it or at least their offer to consider being a part of it," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at his year-end news conference here.

Rubio said discussions with Pakistan and other potential contributors remain at a preliminary stage, with key questions still unresolved on the mission's mandate, funding and operational structure.

"Well, look, in fairness to all the countries we've talked to about being and having a presence on the ground, I think they want to know specifically, what the specific mandate, it was the funding mechanism looks like," Rubio said when asked whether the US had secured Pakistan's consent to send troops to Gaza for peace-building and peace-making efforts.

"So we're very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it or at least their offer to consider being a part of it," he said. "I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to commit firmly."

Washington is working on the framework for an international stabilisation force envisioned for Gaza after the end of active hostilities.

US officials have said such a force would be intended to prevent a security vacuum while supporting a transition to civilian governance in the Palestinian territory.

Rubio expressed confidence that the United States has identified several countries willing to participate, provided the mission's contours are clearly defined and acceptable to all parties to the conflict.

"But I feel very confident that we have a number of nation states acceptable to all sides in this, who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilisation force," he said. "And certainly, Pakistan is key if they agree to do so, but I think we owe them a few more answers before we get there."

Rubio said the immediate focus is on establishing political and administrative mechanisms that would form the backbone of post-war governance in Gaza. He said Washington is preparing to announce new structures to guide the territory's day-to-day administration.

"We're trying to make a lot of progress here with the a" I think the next step here is announcing the Board of Peace, announcing the Palestinian technocratic group that will help provide daily governance," Rubio said.

Only after those elements are in place, he added, would it be possible to finalise the details of a multinational stabilisation force, including how it would be funded, governed, and deployed.

"And then once that's in place, I think that will allow us to firm up the stabilisation force, including how it's going to be paid for, what the rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarisation and so forth," Rubio said.
Jaipur, Dec 19 : In a joint operation, the District Special Team (DST) and Sadar Police Station in Rajasthan's Barmer raided a house in Kerli Adarsh Chawa village and busted an illegally operating MD (mephedrone) drug manufacturing unit.

During the operation, conducted in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Jodhpur, drugs, chemicals, equipment and vehicles worth approximately Rs 85 crore were seized.

Superintendent of Police Narendra Singh Meena said police received specific intelligence that a notorious smuggler, Motaram Jat, along with his associates, was running a drug manufacturing factory from a residential house owned by Bhairaram Jat. Acting on the tip-off, SP Meena personally reached the village and, along with a large police force, surrounded the premises.

During the search, police recovered 39 kg and 777 grams of ready MD powder and 99 kg and 931 grams of liquid chemical that was being dried on the rooftop. Officials said that had the liquid chemical been fully processed, its market value would have increased by another Rs 50 crore.

The house had been converted into a professional-grade drug laboratory. Police seized an iron furnace, deep freezer, vacuum pump, digital thermometer, 19 large glass containers, four churning machines, multiple 100-litre tanks and other processing equipment.

A Scorpio SUV and a Kia car, allegedly used for drug smuggling, were also seized from the spot.

SP Meena identified Motaram Jat as the mastermind behind the factory. Motaram is a wanted criminal with a Rs 15,000 reward declared by the Balotra and Sri Ganganagar police. He managed to flee the scene along with his associate Dinesh Giri and another accomplice.

Police have identified all three accused and constituted special teams to arrest them. Given the seriousness of the case and the high international market value of the seized narcotics, the NCB Jodhpur team has been roped in to assist in the investigation.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Section 111(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

SP Meena described the seizure as one of the biggest recoveries in the history of Barmer police and said investigations are underway to trace both backward and forward linkages in order to dismantle the entire drug network.

"The absconding accused will be arrested soon," he said.

DST constable Ramswaroop played a crucial role in the success of the operation. The team included Additional SP Nitesh Arya, Circle Officer Ramesh Kumar, Probationary RPS Manju Chauhan, DST In-charge Adesh Kumar, Sadar SHO Kartar Singh, and Women Police Station Officer Devichand Dhaka, along with a large police force.
Were attempting to unravel the tangled web of literary influence by talking with the great writers of today about the writers of yesterday who inspired them. This month, we spoke with Academy Awardnominated filmmaker and novelist Julian Brave NoiseCat (We Survived the Night) about the epic stage of Herman Melville, and National Humanities Medal recipient Abraham Verghese (The Covenant of Water, Cutting for Stone) about the discipline and moral courage of Ernest Hemingway.

Julian Brave NoiseCat on Herman Melville

Why did you want to talk about Melville, and Moby-Dick specifically?

Its a book that takes on an epic stage, and that tries to get at so many huge questions about America and the world. There are 30 crew members on the whale ship, each one representing a state in the union, and Melville was way ahead on questions of race, indigeneity, all that sort of stuff. I mean, the Ishmael character floats away on the coffin of Queequeg, and the implication is that Ishmael and Queequeg arethe phrase he uses is bosom friends.

It's also a book that bends genres. Melville spent a year on a whale ship, and Moby-Dick has a bit of a nonfiction air to it. There are entire sections of it, like the very famous "whiteness of the whale" section, where he does these taxonomies of whales that is really genre-bending and ahead of his time. And then you get this peg-legged mad captain who's chasing a fucking white whale to the end of the earth, and to his demise; I think it gets at so much of the madness of men. Its an American classic, and what's also interesting to me about it is that it was not celebrated in the time that it came out.

Why do you think its still relevant 200 years after publication?

One thing I find very interesting about Moby-Dick as a Native person is that there are prominent Native characters in the book. There's Queequeg, the Polynesian, and Tashtego, the Aquino Wampanoag guy. They're both harpooneers, which is really an interesting position, because the harpooneer was essentially on the frontier of capitalism, using their ancestral knowledge of the whale to pursue it. There is a real argument to make that at the root of modernity stands a Native man with a harpoon.

I also think that the book is engaging with questions of civilization and savagery, but constantly subverting them. It's constantly asking, if this entire civilization is chasing whales to their demise, how can you possibly call Queequeg and his supposedly cannibalistic people savages? Are we the savages? This book took a big swing at a bleak vision of America: the entire country on a ship chasing a white whale to the end of the earth until all that was left was the guy who survived to tell the story. That vision of America as a bunch of fucking mad men loving each other and hating each other and eventually all dying togethermaybe that's what we're doing.

What do you think writers should learn from Melville?

I think it's really cool that he actually spent a year on that ship. Some people poo poo that, like, Oh, he was only on a whale ship for one year, but I don't know, man. He was on a whale ship for a year. I also think that the ambition to have your work talk about the biggest questions is admirable. To take on the big questions facing a society and have unusual, unconventional perspectives on them that are in some ways ahead of their time is part of what great art and literature are for.

And now this book is considered one of the great entries in the Western canon. On that note, what do you think of the concept of such a canon?

I went to a school where we were supposed to read the great works of Western civilization in our core curriculum, and I think that the notion of a canon is complicated. Who gets to be in the canon, who does not? In my own work, I'm working with narratives that my people consider canonical, like the coyote stories that were told all the way from Central America to Western Canada. This is one of the most significant bodies of oral literature known to mankind, and they encapsulate a whole heck of a lot about the creation of the world, about why things are the way they are, why we are the way we are. And while there can be such a thing as essential works that people need to look at, I think we need to have a broader sense of what those are. I wonder why, in my freshman lit course at Columbia, in addition to the Iliad and Plato and Virginia Woolf and all that, we didn't have to read, like, a trickster narrative from North America.

Abraham Verghese on Ernest Hemingway

Youve mentioned that A Farewell to Arms was one of your seminal inspirations. Why did it have that impact?

I think, first of all, because it was the earliest work of Hemingways that I read. I went on to read pretty much all his novels, but for me, at a young age, it set a very high bar, especially when I think of the lack of sentimentality. It would have been so easy to write a war novel that descended into theatrics and false heroics. It was very moving, instead, because of the precision of his descriptions and the great economy with which Hemingway conveyed the devastating effects of people waging war against other people. It has an authenticity that very few other war novels have. Not only was he in that war, but he was wounded, and so when he talks about his disillusionmenthis moving from being there out of some false sense of patriotism or bravado to feeling like a pawn pushed around by people who have nothing personally at stakeyou get the sense that it was very true, very real.

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of The Sun Also Rises, a book thats frequently cited as game-changing. Why do you think Hemingway had that impact he had?

He was, first of all, completely different from the writers who preceded himthe ones working in the Victorian, elaborate style. Something about his being part of the Lost Generation, and his spending time with Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound, who famously crossed out all his adjectives, made his writing feel completely new when it first appeared. It was the same feeling I had when I first read Arundhati Roys The God of Small Things: that shed somehow invented a new vocabulary, paying no homage to the past. He had that same confidence, and he had the chops to pull it off.

Why do you think he's still relevant today?

As a writer, I think he's a shining example of two things. One is discipline. He kept talking about the one true sentence, and you find those true sentences again and again in his worknot necessarily on every page, but they're there, a distillation of everything. The other is his belief that writing is a collaborative act. The writer provides the words, the reader provides their imagination, and somewhere in the middle this fictional dream is created in the reader's mind. Part of the joy of reading is imagining based on what the writer provides. If they provide too much, youre reading a didactic essay. If they provide too little, like Finnegans Wake, you're left wondering what it is. If you trust the reader and provide just enough words, they will fill in the blanks. Hemingway used the iceberg metaphor: the visible story is one-eighth of the iceberg, and the other seven-eighths live in the readers imagination if you've done your job well. He said something very telling: it's alright to leave out critical details, but you have to know what they are in order to leave them out. It's fatal to omit them because you dont know them.

What do you think writers should learn from him?

Again: discipline. If you read A Movable Feast, you come away with a sense of how many pains he tookto learn the craft, to get it right, to apply himself by leaving the house every morning, leaving his wife and young kid, and go to this cold studio in Paris to write. And to use those little tricks we all have; in his case, finishing at the end of the day when he knew he had something to begin the next day's work. That kind of discipline carries over to the words on the page: the discipline not to show off every little trick you have, but to trust the reader.

I also think there was a moral courage, a desire to tell the truth. The power of A Farewell to Arms, to me, is in the condemnation at the end: the best people in war are often the ones who are killed and brutalized. There would be no wars if the people who decided to wage war were asked to go out and duel the people on the other side. It was telling that he was willing to be censored, castigated, ostracized for some of his views. If he believed them, he was willing to state them. Someone like John Irving is in that mold: very brave and willing to take on and say anything if he believes it. Thats how writers should be.
BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, and has lodged representations with the U.S. side regarding a defense policy bill, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing that the U.S. 2026 National Defense Authorization Act exaggerated the China threat, interfered in China's internal affairs, and undermined China's sovereignty, security and development interests.

China urged the United States to refrain from enforcing the negative China-related provisions and eliminate any adverse impact, said Guo. 
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The cost of any flight from Delhi and Mumbai could rise by up to Rs 3,000 soon unless the airport regulator is able to reverse a court order.

IMAGE: Flights parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj international airport in Mumbai. Photograph: Kind courtesy ANI Photo

Mass cancellation of flights may not be the only crisis facing flyers. The cost of any flight from Delhi and Mumbai could rise by up to Rs 3,000 soon unless the airport regulator is able to reverse a court order.

The operators of the international airports serving the two cities have secured a favourable verdict from the Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), which has authority over airport disputes, allowing them to recover the costs of developing all sorts of infrastructure including hotels, shopping malls and other facilities at the airports from passengers.

The airport regulator, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (Aera), has contested the order issued by TDSAT in July to raise what are called User Development Fees (UDF).

Hearings in the case have now opened in the Supreme Court.

At the heart of the dispute is the issue of regulatory assets -- the infrastructure and services provided by the airport operators.

Simply put, that means how much a company running an infrastructure service (the airport in this case) can charge consumers to recover its capital expenditure.

Perturbed by the possibility of rising ticket prices eating into their revenue, several airlines, including Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Oman Air have also joined the petition filed by Aera.

But the issue is far bigger. Challenges around the calculation of regulatory assets have clouded several of India's key projects.

These are in power, oil and gas, roads and now airports. These disputes have often made the government wary of taking on public-private partnerships (PPPs).

This is because the economic implications for the public are large in each dispute.

For instance, in the airport case, redrawing the numbers will mean a passenger using Mumbai airport for domestic travel will pay Rs 3,856, a massive rise from the current Rs 175.

For Delhi, this will be Rs 1,261 instead of the current Rs 25. This has the potential to cripple the growth in aviation -- once allowed, there's nothing to stop other private-sector developers of airports from levying similar charges.

Already, fear of a public uproar has led to a redrawing of the scope of PPP projects to develop infrastructure, often almost from the scratch.

As seen in the chart on the year-wise list of projects cleared by the PPP appraisal committee, the top decision making body in the central government, the rate has flagged since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

In turn, this led to low private-sector capex in the economy. As interest in PPPs tapered off, the pace of investment by the private sector in major projects also took a hit.

Tracing what the two airport operators, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), have asked for, reveals the extent of the problem.

Airport operators are entitled to recover costs for the aeronautical-related capital they invest in projects. Aera has factored those in.

For the period 2009 to 2014, the total came to Rs 966.03 crore for Mumbai airport. This included the aeronautical assets such as landing, parking, costs of building runways, apron, and ATC facilities; a hypothetical additional sum for the costs of operation and maintenance of the airports; tax payable; and the revenues the airports generated before privatisation.

Both MIAL and DIAL had signed off on these calculations listed out in the State Support Agreement, a voluminous document when taking over the lease for them in 2006.

Both these companies complained that the investments made by them in developing the non-aeronautical services like hotels, shopping areas and so on should also be factored in the hypothetical regulatory asset base that Aera relied on to pass its first set of orders for the period 2009-2014. (See chart: No. of projects)

The difference in the interpretation is substantial. Instead of Rs 966.03 crore, the sum for which MIAL would need to be compensated will be four times larger at Rs 4,848 crore.

Since the cost would be divided between the passengers using the airports and the airlines in a ratio of 70:30, the jump in UDF is easy to calculate.

Airfares could shoot up close to Rs 10,000 for even the smallest of journeys.

The first appeal by DIAL and MIAL contesting Aera orders was filed in the TDSAT in 2012. The tribunal rejected their claim in 2018.

The companies then approached the Supreme Court but it too accepted the TDSAT orders.

The term regulatory assets popped into Indian legal lexicon with the power sector.

Once the private sector picked up power distribution companies from the government, they asked for the true cost of power supplied to the consumers to be reflected in the tariffs.

Wary of raising electricity prices for consumers, most state governments clubbed these losses as 'regulatory assets' -- to be made good later.

The power sector has paid the price for these delays, as tariffs rarely kept pace with these arrears.

"The aviation sector seems to have imported the concept from the power sector. But as there was never any difficulty in imposing the true cost of building the airports on the passengers, how does this fiction emerge?" said former Union finance and power secretary Subhash Garg.

The two companies have claimed in their support a letter of May, 2011 (reviewed by Business Standard) from the ministry of civil aviation to the then chairman of Aera.

The brief letter notes that 'the existing aeronautical charges will be set as the initial regulated aeronautical charges.

"Accordingly in this case, the proposed approach is to back solve the initial aeronautical asset base, given the aeronautical charges'.

That much is clear. But then it adds this sentence: 'There is no record of any mechanism for calculation of regulatory base.'

It does not mention anywhere that non-aeronautical costs need to be accounted for in the calculation, but keeps a tiny window open for revisiting the formula.

The letter was the reason for the Supreme Court to accept the revision petition by the companies in December 2023, and ask the TDSAT to examine whether the non-aeronautical expenses should also be clubbed with allowable costs.

The letter was produced as evidence by DIAL and MIAL to the Supreme Court some 15 years after the privatisation of these airports.

The tribunal accepted that all non-aeronautical costs are fit to be included in the calculation of the UDF.

Would bringing in more regulatory assets or capital costs raise the effective returns for the current operators of these airports?

Former power secretary Arun Kumar said, "Regulatory assets have been recognised in the power sector as the legitimacy of those has been approved by the regulator.

"Those are therefore part of the balance sheet of the companies. But in the aviation sector, the regulator has to first recognise those claims."

As Garg put it, airports are not a distress sector -- unlike power -- so it is not clear whether the Supreme Court will admit the plea for higher costs as those have been presented now.

At stake is how the expansion of the aviation sector will pan out.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
In its June 2025 review, the International Monetary Fund spotlighted India's Unified Payments Interface as the world's most dominant retail instant-payment network, moving more transactions than any other system on the globe.

UPI alone powers almost half -- 49 per cent -- of all real-time digital payments worldwide. Which are the other countries big on digital payments?

Photograph: Kind courtesy Canva

1. India

Just like mobile phones, the UPI system in India has seamlessly woven itself into our everyday life.

From roadside tea stalls, taxis, transgenders to high-end boutiques in shopping malls, almost every establishment boasts a UPI scanner. So accustomed are people to digital payments that many rarely carry on their person even a single rupee in cash.

The government, according to PIB, in 2024-2025, had distributed 56.86 crore QR codes among 65 million merchants.

Remarkably, India accounts for around 49 per cent of the world's real-time digital transactions, registering an astonishing 129.3 billion payments online in 2024.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Mateus S. Figueiredo/Wikimedia Commons

2. Brazil

Much like India's UPI, Brazilians rely on the Pix payment system to pay, transfer, or shop with remarkable ease.

Brazil holds a solid second place globally, completing 37.4 billion real-time transactions in 2024 and commanding 14 per cent of the worldwide share.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Unknown author/Wikimedia Commons

3. Thailand

Thailand's PromptPay's simple QR-based system contributed 20.4 billion instant payments in 2024, accounting for 8 per cent of the world's real-time transactions.

Photograph: Kind courtesy zhizhou deng/Wikimedia Commons

4. China

In China, Alipay and WeChat Pay have become the go-to digital wallets, leaving conventional debit and credit cards far behind.

The country registers 17.2 billion real-time transactions in 2024, accounting for 6 per cent of the global market.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Google Play Store

5. South Korea

Boasting over 23 million users, KakaoPay and Naver Pay are the main digital payment apps. Mobile payment platforms are increasingly favoured in the country, especially by millennials and Gen Z.

South Korea logs 9.1 billion instantaneous transactions in 2024, representing 3 per cent of the world total.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Canva

6. Others

The rest of the world collectively contributes 52.8 billion transactions in 2024, forming a significant 20 per cent of global real-time payments.
TAIPEI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing Quju Opera adaptation of "This Life of Mine," a short story by modern Chinese literature master Lao She, was recently staged in Taipei.

Beijing Quju is the only local opera genre born in the capital city. Evolving from the Beijing monochord "Danxian," it was formally established in 1952.

The show was presented by the Beijing Quju Opera Troupe. First created in 2022, the production has previously toured to cities including Gwangju, the Republic of Korea, and Edinburgh, Britain.

Compared to earlier film and drama adaptations of the novella, the Quju version employs more imaginative and dreamlike theatrical expressions to tell the story of an ordinary Beijing patrolman's life and suffering throughout the decades, from the late Qing Dynasty to modern times.

"This kind of presentation is largely connected with our young creative team behind it," said Bai Ailian, director of the play.

"We hope to use a somewhat experimental approach to present the lifelong struggle and helplessness of the protagonist, who just wanted to live a decent life," she said.

Lao She (1899-1966), the pseudonym of Shu Qingchun, was a celebrated Chinese novelist and dramatist. He is best known for his novels "Rickshaw Boy" and "Four Generations under One Roof" as well as the play "Teahouse".

The show in Taipei attracted over 1,200 audience members of various ages.

Lance Wang, a 40-year-old engineer, saw the show with several friends and said he was deeply touched by the affection depicted between the protagonist and his son. "I almost came to tears when seeing that part," he said.

Wang said he had been interested in traditional Chinese folk arts for years, but this was his first time seeing Beijing Quju Opera. "There are also several historic events mentioned in the play, and I think I may look them up in books or other sources afterward," he added. 
Construction major L&T is gearing up to expand its footprint in the global nuclear supply chain, a senior company official has said, while calling for amendments to key legislations on the domestic front to pave the way for the entry of private players and foreign capital necessary for capacity enhancement.

Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters

Even as 80 per cent of its nuclear business remains domestic, the company expects international opportunities to rise sharply over the next few years as countries revive stalled nuclear expansion plans and push for small modular reactors.

Currently, our international engagement is primarily in the fusion reactor being built in France.

"We are exploring opportunities to be the international supply chain partner for nuclear island and operating plant services.

"Dialogue is progressing well, Anil Parab, whole-time director & senior executive vice-president, L&T (Heavy Engineering & CE & IPDD), told Business Standard in an interaction.

In the time to come, we expect a large opportunity in international markets in the US, the EU, the UK and Asia, he said.

Global nuclear power generation capacity is expected to rise from 378 gigawatts (gw) to 575 gw by 2040, representing an increase in nuclear energys share of the global electricity mix from around 9 per cent to 12 per cent.

On the home front, Parab said that private sector participation still faces structural challenges.

He advocated amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and Nuclear Liability Act, expansion of regulatory capacity, standardisation of designs, and building of a deeper, nuclear-trained talent pool for the sector that requires highest safety standards.

He said that the amendment of the Atomic Energy Act will pave the way for the entry of private players and foreign direct investment ownership, attracting large funds necessary for capacity enhancement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced that the country will soon open its nuclear energy sector to private companies, ending a six-decade-long state monopoly.

Parab said that while most nuclear projects globally saw limited progress over the last 10-15 years, first because of the Fukushima disaster and later due to the Covid-19 pandemic, momentum may now return as more than 32 countries aim to expand their nuclear power generation capacity threefold in the next two decades.

With grid stability becoming a challenge in India and the extraordinary energy demand from hyper-scale data centres and artificial intelligence (AI), compact footprints and clean energy sources with 24/7 availability are needed, according to Parab.

Domestically, L&T expects strong growth as India moves to expand nuclear capacity from 8.9 gw to 100 gw by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat programme.

The company views this shift as central to maintaining grid stability, meeting its net-zero 2070 target, and decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, and refining.

Parab said SMRs and micro modular reactors (MMRs) are likely to play a crucial role in new demand pockets such as data centres.

India is pushing forward on indigenous SMR design, backed by a Rs 20,000 crore research allocation in the last Union Budget.

L&T is working closely with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) on this programme while also partnering with global players, including Holtec, EDF, Westinghouse, TerraPower, and Clean Core Thorium Energy, as SMRs are currently only operating at two places, and the modern Gen III+ SMR is either in the design or licensing, or construction phase, not in operation, according to Parab.

He said L&T has the capacity to meet the emerging demand.

The companys Hazira plant, originally built in 1980s targeting 10 gw of nuclear capacity by 2,000, has since been expanded nearly fivefold.

The current nuclear program hardly uses 15 per cent of our capacity. We have all the required investments. We are one of the largest nuclear-trained talent pools in the world, he said.

L&T is a market leader in manufacturing, construction, and design of nuclear island critical equipment including steam generators, reactors and safety heat exchangers.

It also manufactures special steel, heavy forgings and the nuclear steam supply pipeline.

Through its joint venture (JV) partners, it has capabilities for plant engineering and turbine generator manufacturing.

It is also a major supplier for Indias fast breeder reactor programme, with the first unit expected to be commissioned by September 2026.

While nuclear power contributes modestly to L&Ts overall business today, the company expects a steep ramp-up.

Revenues from its nuclear manufacturing and construction verticals are projected to grow 3-5 times over the next five years, driven by domestic expansion and new global opportunities.

International business, Parab said, could increase from the current 20 per cent to 40 per cent of the nuclear portfolio over this period.

Although 32 countries have planned to expand their nuclear energy capacity by three times, in the international market, the existing supply chain will be used first.

"Post-pandemic, all countries want to be self-reliant. Only when the existing supply chains are overloaded will we get a chance, he added.
The father had approached the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking passive euthanasia for his son.

The court had then declined to grant relief.

Kindly note this illustration was generated using ChatGPT and is intended solely for representational purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

While hearing an application filed by the father of a 32-year-old man who has remained in a vegetative state for nearly 12 years after a fall from a building, the Supreme Court on Thursday said it would like to interact with the man's parents on January 13, and examine the medical report submitted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The Bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice K V Viswanathan observed that the case has reached a stage where a final decision would be required.

It directed the councils to study the AIMMS report in detail to assist the court before final orders were passed.

"We have reached a stage wherein we will have to take a final call. So your thorough assistance will be required. We will ask the registry to provide you with one copy of the report," the Bench said.

"Study the report. It's a very sad report, and it will be a big challenge for us also, but we can't keep the boy like this for all time to come," the Bench added.

The report was sought in connection with the father's plea seeking permission for passive euthanasia, through the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.

The application is being considered under the framework laid down by the Constitution Bench in Common Cause (2018), as modified by a subsequent order in January 2023, which requires opinions from multiple medical boards before passive euthanasia can be allowed.

In accordance with these guidelines, a primary medical board was earlier constituted.

The board reported that the chances of recovery were negligible, noting that the patient is bedridden, dependent on a tracheostomy tube for breathing and a gastrostomy tube for feeding, and has developed extensive bed sores.

On the basis of this assessment, the court directed that the case be examined by a Secondary Medical Board constituted by AIIMS.

On Wednesday, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the AIIMS report had been submitted.

After briefly perusing it, Justice Pardiwala remarked that the findings suggested the patient could not continue in his present condition indefinitely.

As copies of the report had not yet been shared with the lawyers, the court directed the Registry to provide them to Advocate Rashmi Nandakumar, appearing for the petitioner, and to the ASG.

The ASG submitted that the family would need to be consulted before any order is passed.

Agreeing, the Court said it would prefer to speak to the parents in person rather than through a virtual interaction.

It accordingly directed them to remain present before the bench on January 13 at 3 pm in the committee room.

The court also asked both counsels to place their submissions in writing and directed that the primary medical board's report be furnished to them.

The father had earlier approached the Supreme Court in 2024 seeking passive euthanasia for his son.

At that stage, the court declined to grant the relief, though the state of Uttar Pradesh agreed to continue bearing the cost of medical treatment.

The present application was filed after the father informed the court that his son's condition had deteriorated and that he was no longer responding to treatment.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday passed a bill to curb hate speech, amid strong protest from Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-Secular, which called it "draconian", "direct attack on free speech" and "dangerous tool for political vendetta".

IMAGE: A view of the Karnataka legislative council. Photograph: ANI Photo/Karnataka legislative council

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, piloted by home minister G Parameshwara, was put to vote, amid protests from Opposition members from the well of the House. The Bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, amid opposition from BJP and JD-S members.

The Opposition demanded that the Bill be withdrawn, alleging that the proposed legislation will lead to "police state", and "undeclared emergency", where even criticism can be considered as hate speech.

The minister said that the Bill proposes a jail term of one year, extendable up to seven with a fine of Rs 50,000 for a hate crime. For repeated offences, the maximum imprisonment will be seven years, with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

Stating that there is an increase in hate and communal speeches, which instigate sentiments, leading to violence, he quoted the Supreme Court -- that hate speech must be "dealt with an iron hand" -- to defend the Bill.

"The Bill is not to control anyone or out of political malice; it applies to everyone. It is being brought with an intention to protect the health of the society and to maintain peace," he said. Rejecting BJP's allegations, the Home Minister said that, similar law has been brought in Maharashtra by the BJP government there.

The Bill was put to vote as opposition members trooped into the well of the House, demanding an apology from minister Priyank Kharge for making a remark against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during the discussion.

Despite Chairman Basavaraj Horatti assuring that he will expunge the comment, BJP members taking a strong exception trooped into the well of the House, demanding that Priyank Kharge apologise.

As the chaos prevailed with ruling party members standing up in support of Priyank Kharge, the Chairman put the Bill to vote and it was passed with a voice vote.

The Bill, defines "hate speech" as any expression which is made, published or circulated in words either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representations or through electronic communications or otherwise, in public view with an intention to cause injury, disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against person alive or dead, class or group of persons or community, to meet any prejudicial interest.

Prejudicial interest means the biases on the grounds of religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender, sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, disability or tribe.

According to the Bill, "hate crime" includes communication, publishing or circulation of hate speech

or any act of promoting, propagating, inciting or abetting or attempting such hate speech to cause disharmony or feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will against any person dead or alive or group of persons or organisations.

Earlier participating in the discussion, BJP MLC C T Ravi said, the Bill when passed into a law, will become a "dangerous tool for political vendetta."

Noting the party that has brought the law has a history of declaring an emergency in the country, he said, "it will give free licence to act against political opponents."

Ravi, warning that the Bill will be subjected to judicial scrutiny, added that "the Bill is an attempt to make it a police state."

Leader of opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, the Bill when passed into a law will be used to file "false cases" against political opponents.

BJP MLC K C Naveen called the Bill 'draconian', and aimed at targeting the Opposition.

Urging the government to withdraw the Bill or refer it to the House committee, he said, the Bill is against the freedom of speech given by the constitution. "This government couldn't act against those who shouted Pakistan Zindabad slogans in the Vidhana Soudha premises," he hit out.

The offences under the proposed legislation will be cognisable and non-bailable.

The Bill gives powers to the executive magistrate or special executive magistrate or deputy police superintendents to take preventive action if they believe that a person or a group within their jurisdiction will commit an offence under this legislation.

The provisions of the Bill will not apply to books, pamphlets, papers, writings, drawings and painting representation or figures, if they are in the interest of science, literature, art, learning or are used for "bona fide" heritage or religious purposes.

If the offence, under the proposed legislation, is committed by an organisation or institution, "every person who, at the time of offence committed, was in charge of, and was responsible....shall be deemed to be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly," the Bill said, adding that liable persons associated with the organisation will have to prove that the offence was committed without their knowledge or that they had exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of such offence.

As per the Bill, the designated officer, as notified by the state government, will have the power to direct any service provider, intermediaries, person or entity to block or remove the hate crime materials from its domain, including electronic media.
'International flights will continue to operate from the old terminal because of customs and other requirements. Eventually, the old terminal will be closed.'

IMAGE: Glimpses of Assam's second airport, here and below. Photographs: Sabir Nishat

Guwahati is set to see further expansion at its main aviation hub, with the Assam government already planning a second new terminal at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi international airport (LGBIA), even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to inaugurate the newly built terminal on Saturday, December 20.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state has begun planning an additional terminal in anticipation of a sharp rise in passenger traffic and the airport's expanding regional significance.

'The planning for a second new terminal is already in progress. Once the new terminal is inaugurated, all operations will be shifted there,' Sarma told reporters after a cabinet meeting at Lok Sewa Bhavan.

The existing terminal, Sarma added, would be phased out gradually.

'It will take some time. Till then, international flights will continue to operate from the old terminal because of customs and other requirements. Eventually, the old terminal will be closed,' the chief minister stated.

The newly built Bamboo Orchids Terminal, with a capacity of 13.1 million passengers per annum, is expected to significantly strengthen air connectivity between the north east and Southeast Asia.

Operated by Guwahati International Airport Limited (GIAL), the terminal is scheduled to become operational in the first quarter of next year.

Officials see the new terminal as a major gateway for the north east, combining modern infrastructure with regional cultural elements and economic aspirations.

Improved passenger and cargo connectivity is expected to boost Assam's export ecosystem, including tea, agricultural produce, handloom and floriculture, while also attracting tourism and investment from ASEAN countries.

According to sources, the new terminal is envisioned as a strategic link connecting the north east's entrepreneurial potential with Southeast Asia's growth markets.

For trade, it promises faster access to international destinations, while for travellers it offers smoother entry into key eco-tourism destinations such as Kaziranga, Majuli and Sualkuchi, as well as neighbouring states like Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, and nearby Bhutan.

With expansion plans already underway, the LGBIA is poised to play a central role in reshaping connectivity and economic engagement for the north east region.

The prime minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth around Rs 15,600 crore in Assam on December 20-21, underscoring the Centre's focus on infrastructure and industrial growth in the north east.

Modi will perform the bhoomi pujan for the ammonia-urea fertiliser project of the Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited at Namrup in Dibrugarh district.

The project, to be built at an estimated cost of over Rs 10,600 crore, is expected to significantly boost domestic fertiliser production.

Once completed, it will help meet the fertiliser requirements of Assam and neighbouring states, reducing dependence on imports.

During his visit, Modi will also pay tribute to martyrs at the Swahid Smarak Kshetra at Boragaon on the outskirts of Guwahati.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
Opposition leaders staged a 12-hour overnight protest dharna in Parliament complex on Thursday night, while protesting against the passage of the VB-G RAM G bill that seeks to replace the MGNREGA rural employment programme and said they would take to the streets across the country.

IMAGE: TMC MPs stage a overnight protest dharna in Parliament complex on Thursday against the passage of the VB-G RAM G bill. Photographs: @sagarikaghose/X

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the Union government of bulldozing the VB- G RAM G bill, as opposition MPs sat on a 12-hour dharna in the Parliament complex.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by Parliament amid opposition's protests, with the Rajya Sabha giving it its nod post midnight.

Ghose said the manner in which the Modi government has brought in this completely "anti-poor, anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-rural poor" VBGRG bill, and has done away with the MGNREGA.

"This is an insult to India's poor, it is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, it is an insult to Rabindranath Tagore. With just five hours' notice, this bill was given to us. We were not allowed a proper debate," Ghose said.

"Our demand was such an important bill should be sent to the Select Committee and let the opposition parties examine it, let the opposition parties discuss it, let all stakeholders discuss it, but no, in a display of tyranny, in a murder of democracy," she said.

"We are now going to sit on a 12-hour dharna, 12-hour dharna against the manner in which the Modi government has brought this black law against the people of India, against the poor of India, against the rural poor of India," she said.

Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala termed the day as a "sad day for the country's labour force and accused the Modi government as anti-farmer and anti-poor.

"This is perhaps the saddest day for the labourers of India. BJP government has attacked the livelihood of 12 crore people by repealing the MGNREGA. They have proved that the Modi government is anti-farmer and anti-poor," he alleged.

Congress leader Mukul Wasnik said, "When MGNREGA was drafted, consultations were held for 14 months. It was passed by Parliament with consensus. The scheme would put an extreme burden on states. As a result, this scheme will collapse."

DMK leader Tiruchi Siva said they shifted the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar to the back side of Parliament, where people cannot see.

"Likewise they have removed Mahatma Gandhi's name himself. Without Gandhi there is no freedom, that is the total belief in this country. Even in Britain parliament we are having Gandhi statue, but here in Indian parliament his statue is hidden somewhere, and now the scheme which bore his name, his name has also been removed," he claimed.

He said the entire opposition is agitated, he noted.
Bangladesh interim government on Friday urged citizens to resist violence by a few fringe elements as the body of a prominent July Uprising leader, who died in Singapore six days after he was shot, reached the capital.

IMAGE: People use their mobile phone to film as the Prothom Alo newspaper office is attacked following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader who had been receiving treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photograph: Abdul Goni/Reuters

Various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the assistant Indian high commissioner's residence in Chattogram, after chief adviser Muhammad Yunus confirmed Sharif Osman Hadi's death in a televised address to the nation.

There were, however, no reports of fresh violence since Friday morning.

Hadi, one of the leaders who had taken part in the student-led protests last year  termed as July Uprising - and a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections, died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital six days after he was shot by unidentified men.

Body of Hadi, who was the spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at around 6 pm on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, amid tight security and widespread public mourning, state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said quoting Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam.

IMAGE: A man walks after a group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building. Photograph: Abdul Goni/Reuters

Members of the Bangladesh Army, Armed Forces Battalion (AFB) and police were deployed in large numbers to maintain security when Hadi's body was taken out of the airport, it added.

Hadi's passing away at the Singapore General Hospital triggered widespread mourning across political circles, activists of Inqilab Mancha and the general public, BSS said.

Yunus has declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday following Hadi's death.

Earlier on Thursday, soon after Yunus' announcement, protesters took to the streets and attacked offices of leading newspapers, vandalised 32 Dhanmandi with hammers, and also demolished an office of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's disbanded Awami League party in Rajshahi city.

Regarded as the centre point of Bangladesh's pre-independence struggle for autonomy for decades, 32 Dhanmandi was largely demolished with excavators on February 5 this year. It was also set on fire soon after the August 5, 2024 fall of the then Awami League government and Hasina fleeing to India.

IMAGE: A group of people set fire to the Prothom Alo newspaper office in Karwan Bazar. Photograph: Mehedi Hasan/Reuters

The police responded with tear gas and baton charges, dispersing the crowd and detaining 12 protesters. A few injuries were also reported.

Senior officials assured the assistant high commissioner of enhanced security.

In Dhaka, protesters attacked the office of a leading cultural group, Chhayanaut, and brought out the furniture, setting it on fire.

Sporadic violence was also reported from other parts of the country overnight.

Meanwhile, after the flight from Singapore landed in Dhaka, local media reports and videos shared on social media showed Hadi's followers lining up on both sides of the road from the airport to Shahbagh to receive him before his coffin was brought to the Dhaka University Central Mosque for a public meeting.

IMAGE: A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building. Photograph: Abdul Goni/Reuters

In a Facebook post, Inqilab Mancha announced that a janaza will be held in Bangladesh on Saturday after Zuhr prayers (afternoon) at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital.

Hadi was shot in the head last week by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. He died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days.

On Thursday night, the National Citizen Party (NCP), a large offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) that led the July Uprising, which ousted the Hasina-led government, joined a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus.

IMAGE: People shout slogans following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi. Photograph: Abdul Goni/Reuters

Supporters of the group chanted anti-India slogans alleging that Hadi's assailants fled to India after committing the murder. They called upon the interim government to close the Indian high commission until they were returned.

The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war! said Sarjis Alm, a key leader of NCP.

Starting Thursday through night, a group of people, believed to be part of the protesters, also attacked the offices of Bangla newspaper Prothom Alo's office and the nearby Daily Star at the capital's Karwan Bazar, near the Shahbagh intersection.

IMAGE: People gather in Dhaka. Photograph: Abdul Goni/Reuters

Reports said they vandalised several floors while journalists and staff of the newspaper were trapped inside, and the mob ignited a fire in front of the building.

Critically ill former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) strongly condemned the vandalism and said that the Yunus-led interim government will have to shoulder its responsibility.

In his address on Thursday, Yunus vowed to bring those involved in Hadi's brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, No leniency will be shown to the killers.

I sincerely call upon all citizens  keep your patience and restraint, he said.

No one can stop the democratic progress of this country through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed, he said, adding that the responsibility of realising Hadi's dream lies on the shoulders of the entire.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday termed as "extremely disturbing" the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy and urged the Indian government to raise the issue of the safety of Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities with the neighbouring country.

IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and other MPs on the conclusion of the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, December 19, 2025. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

The Hindu man was lynched and his body set on fire over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh, in the latest incident of violence against the religious minority in the country.

The deceased, identified as 25-year-old Dipu Chandra Das, was a factory worker in Mymensingh city, the Bangla Tribune news portal reported on Friday.

"The news of the brutal murder of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das by a mob in Bangladesh is extremely disturbing. In any civilized society, discrimination, violence, and murder based on religion, caste, or identity are crimes against humanity," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

"The Indian government should take note of the increasing violence against Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities in the neighbouring country and raise the issue of their safety and security forcefully with the Bangladeshi government," she said.

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also sought the Centre's intervention.

In a post on X, Gehlot said reports of renewed violence and attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh were "extremely worrying and condemnable".

"It is surprising that the Government of India has remained a mute spectator on such a sensitive issue for a long time. This silence is emboldening anti-India external forces operating there," he said.

The former Rajasthan chief minister urged the Centre to abandon its "wait and watch" approach and take immediate diplomatic steps to ensure the safety of minorities living in Bangladesh.

In a statement, the interim government of Bangladesh on Friday condemned the lynching of the Hindu man in Mymensingh city, saying there is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. "The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared," it added.

Das was first beaten up by a mob outside the factory over blasphemy allegations on Thursday night and hanged from a tree, police said.

"After the incident, the angry crowd left the body of the deceased on the side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set it on fire. This stopped traffic on both sides of the highway," Inspector (Investigation) of Bhaluka Model Police Station Abdul Malek was quoted as saying by the news portal.

The police recovered the body and sent it to the Mymensingh Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Malek added that the incident created tension in the area, and the police are trying to control the situation.

The video of the incident went viral on social media.

"We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties," the interim government said.

"At this critical hour, we call upon every citizen to honour Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred," it said, referring to the death of the prominent July Uprising leader six days after he was shot by masked gunmen in Dhaka.

The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents against minority communities in the country after the ouster of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar's Supriya Sule and other leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber after the Winter Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday.

IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and other MPs on the conclusion of the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, December 19, 2025. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

The leaders thanked Birla for the conduct of the session.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers K Ram Mohan Naidu, Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', Chirag Paswan, and Pralhad Joshi joined the Speaker over tea.

"After the conclusion of the sixth session of the 18th Lok Sabha, a pleasant conversation took place with the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and esteemed leaders of all parties," Birla said in a post on X.

The Winter Session of Parliament began on December 1 and concluded on Friday, with the Lok Sabha sittings for a cumulative duration of 92 hours and 25 minutes, marking 111 per cent productivity.

Ten government bills were introduced, and eight bills were passed, including those for reforms in the civil nuclear, insurance, and healthcare sectors, among others.

Parliament also passed a bill to replace the MGNREGA rural jobs scheme with the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill.

The Lok Sabha also passed the Supplementary Demands for Grants -- First Batch, 2025-26 and the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill. The Prime Minister initiated a discussion to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song "Vande Mataram". The House discussed the subject for 11 hours and 32 minutes, during which 65 Members participated.

Similarly, the issue of Electoral Reforms was discussed on December 9 and 10 for approximately 13 hours, with the participation of 63 members.
The Kerala high court on Friday denied bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board president N Vasu and two other accused in the cases related to the loss of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala.

IMAGE: File image of Ayyappa devotees thronging Sabarimala temple for darshan in Kerala. Photograph: ANI Photo

The court also pointed out a laxity in the ongoing probe in the matter as former Board members K P Sankardas and N Vijayakumar were not yet arrested.

Justice A Badharudeen said that both Sankardas and Vijayakumar were neither arraigned as accused nor arrested by the SIT despite being "criminally liable for describing the original gold-cladded items as copper plated".

Besides Vasu, the court denied relief to former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K S Baiju and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officer B Murari Babu, saying the role of the three in the loss of gold from the shrine "are made out, prima facie".

The court also said that granting them bail "would definitely impede the investigation" and "would be detrimental to the interest of the holy deity as well as the lakhs of devotees".

While dismissing the bail pleas moved by the three accused, the court noted that there was "serious stagnation in the investigation" as Sankardas and Vijayakumar were neither arraigned as accused nor arrested till now.

The court said that they too had a role in the description of the gold-cladded items as copper-plated, which was the "starting point of the misappropriation".

It said that Sankardas and Vijayakumar were neither arrested nor was any effective probe against them indicated in available records, indicating "serious laxity in the investigation" of the crime.

Although the investigating officer arrested A Padmakumar, others were not arrested, the court said.

"This shows serious laxity in the investigation of this crime and casts a shadow of doubt on the investigation. The investigating officer shall address the same," the court said.

Referring to the bail pleas of the three accused and their claims, the court said they were given the job of "protecting the interests of the holy deity, temple and the lakhs of devotees".

However, they were "involved in misappropriating the gold" and this was nothing but "a typical example where protectors' become the `destroyers' or a `guardian' turns `executioner' or the `hand that heals', now `harms'", the court said.

The court further said that in the instant cases, it was not just the sentiments of the community which were involved, "but the allegations are misappropriation of gold belonging to a holy deity by its custodians, which is usually unheard of and having a unique stature embedded with".

While declining the relief to the three, the court also said that in such cases, age-old ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, etc. and medication thereof are also not grounds for granting bail, since such infirmities can be adequately addressed by the jail authorities or the investigating agency by giving proper medical care to the accused persons.

"Having said so, at this stage, the release of the petitioners (Vasu, Babu and Baiju) on regular bail would definitely impede the investigation, as already discussed in detail hereinabove and also the same would be detrimental to the interest of the holy deity as well as the lakhs of devotees.

"Hence these petitions are liable to be dismissed. Accordingly these petitions stand dismissed," the court said.

The loss of gold from Sabarimala is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the High Court.

At present, the SIT has registered two cases in connection with the loss of gold from the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).

The probe is proceeding on the assumption that the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, removed the gold plates after they were taken for electroplating in 2019.

Along with Potty, two former TDB presidents, four former employees of the Board and two others have been arrested in the case so far.

The two latest arrests are of Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Smart Creations, the Chennai-based firm that carried out the electroplating of the artefacts from Sabarimala, and Govardhan, a jeweller based in Ballari.
Not willing to make any direct statement on whether there will be a chief minister change in the state, Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Friday said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar meet over breakfast at the CM's residence in Bengaluru. Photograph: Courtesy @DKShivakumar/X

Stating that Siddaramaiah is CM as per the high command's decision, he clarified that he has never made any comments on the former's tenure.

Siddaramaiah, earlier in the day, had affirmed that he would remain in office for his full five-year term, expressing confidence in the Congress high command's support.

During a discussion in the Assembly on the issues pertaining to North Karnataka's development, Siddaramaiah also said he never mentioned that he was the chief minister for only two-and-a-half years.

"I had never said, he (Siddaramaiah) will not be there (as CM) for five years. I have never said that the high command is not with him. As the high command is with him, he is chief minister today," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Noting that Siddaramaiah is in the post of CM as per the decision of the party, he said, "Both of us have come to an agreement, the high command has got us to an understanding, as per that both of us have discussed and have said several times that we will abide by it and go ahead."

Shivakumar, however, chose not to answer a question, whether there will be a change in the chief minister post or not.

To a question on talks about CM change, he said, "It is you (media) who is talking about it, there is no discussion among us. We will abide by what the party says."

The Deputy CM was on a visit to various temples in the Uttara Kannada district on Friday.

To a question linking his visit to the goddess Jagadeeshwari temple in Uttara Kannada district's Ankola, to his chief ministerial ambitions, Shivakumar said, "I don't want to talk about it, it is between me and the mother goddess. It is between the devotee and the deity. What I have prayed to the goddess and what she told me is between us."

He said, five years ago he had come to the temple regarding some issue concerning his family and his wish was fulfilled. "So I'm visiting the temple as a mark of gratitude and to seek blessings for me, the state and the people who believe in me. I'm going back happily.
LONDON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The British government on Thursday appointed Christian Turner, a senior diplomat recently named as ambassador to the United Nations, as its new ambassador to the United States.

Turner, whom the British Foreign Office described as "one of the UK's most experienced senior diplomats," will replace Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed in September after a scandal linked to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

According to official biographies, Turner was appointed Britain's ambassador and permanent representative to the UN in New York in May but had not yet formally taken up that post. He previously served as political director at the British Foreign Office, and was Britain's high commissioner to Pakistan from 2019 to 2023. 
Sajid Akram, the slain suspect in the recent mass shooting in Australia, visited Hyderabad six times over a span of 27 years after leaving India in 1998, Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy said on Friday.

IMAGE: People pay respects at Bondi Pavilion to victims of a shooting during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, on December 15, 2025. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

He said the Telangana police initiated an inquiry after the address mentioned in Sajid Akram's Indian passport was traced to Hyderabad.

During the inquiry, police found that Akram was born in Hyderabad and visited the city for the first time in October 2000 after migrating abroad in 1998 for education and employment.

He was accompanied by his European wife during that visit.

He later visited Hyderabad in 2004 and again in February 2009, following his father's death, though the visit was not for attending the funeral, the DGP said.

Akram subsequently visited the city in July 2012 and March 2016 to settle property-related matters with his family members.

"His last visit was in July 2022, ostensibly to meet his mother and sister. This is all the information we have regarding his links to Hyderabad. We have no information suggesting his radicalisation took place here or that he had any such links in the city," Reddy told reporters.

He was responding to a question on whether Akram's visits to Hyderabad could have contributed to his alleged radicalisation or if he had any local connections.

According to the Telangana police, Akram's visits to India after migrating to Australia were primarily for family-related reasons, including property issues and visits to elderly relatives.

At least 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi beach in a mass shooting on December 14.

Australian authorities have described the incident as a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State.

According to officials, the suspects were a father and son, aged 50 and 24. The older man, identified as Sajid Akram, was shot dead, while his son is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
In a first for Assam, a man has survived a confirmed king cobra bite, thanks to rapid medical intervention despite the absence of species-specific antivenom.

Kindly note the image have only been published for representational purposes. Photograph: ANI Photo

In a rare and remarkable medical achievement, a man in Assam has survived a bite from a king cobra, one of the world's most venomous snakes, marking the first recorded survival of its kind in the state, doctors and health officials said.

The incident occurred earlier this week in Kamrup district, when the man, in his early 30s, was bitten while clearing bushes near his home.

According to eyewitnesses and local officials, the victim accidentally handled the snake, mistaking it for a non-venomous species, and was bitten on his right hand.

Despite the extreme danger associated with king cobra venom -- for which no species-specific antivenom exists in India -- the man survived due to timely medical intervention, coordinated emergency response, and sheer luck, doctors said.

Race against time

Initially, the victim experienced minimal pain and swelling and delayed seeking treatment -- a common but potentially fatal mistake in snakebite cases.

As his condition began to worsen, local residents alerted a trained snake rescue and response team, which immediately arranged for his transport to a nearby government hospital.

Doctors at the first facility administered polyvalent anti-snake venom (ASV) as a precautionary measure after preliminary assessment suggested cobra envenomation.

Photographs of the snake, later verified by wildlife experts and rescuers, confirmed it was a king cobra, prompting an urgent referral to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for advanced care.

At GMCH, the patient was kept under intensive observation for signs of neurotoxic paralysis -- the most feared complication of king cobra bites.

However, more than 24 hours after the incident, he remained stable, showing only localised swelling and pain, with no respiratory or neurological failure.

Doctors call it the 'rarest of the rare'.

IMAGE: A 15-feet-long king cobra rescued in Nagaon, Assam. Photograph: ANI Photo

Medical experts described the survival as extraordinary.

"This is an extremely rare case. Survival after a confirmed king cobra bite without species-specific antivenom is almost unheard of," says Dr Surajit Giri, senior anesthesiologist and snakebite management expert from Assam.

"Early hospitalisation, correct clinical judgment and coordinated teamwork played a crucial role."

Doctors believe the quantity of venom injected may have been low -- a phenomenon known as a 'dry' or partial bite -- but stressed that no cobra bite should ever be considered harmless.

Significance beyond one life

Health officials say the case underscores the progress Assam has made in strengthening snakebite response systems, particularly in rural areas where fatalities are common due to delays, lack of awareness and dependence on traditional healers.

Snakebite remains a major public health challenge in Assam, especially during the monsoon season, when human-snake encounters increase.

Cobras, kraits and pit vipers account for the majority of venomous bites in the state.

This case proves that with awareness, rapid transport and trained medical teams, deaths from snakebite are preventable," says a senior health department official.

Call for awareness

Doctors and wildlife experts have once again urged the public to avoid handling snakes, seek immediate medical attention after any bite, and rely only on hospital-based treatment, not home remedies or superstition.

The survivor is expected to make a full recovery and will be discharged after further observation.

For Assam's medical community, the case stands as a milestone -- and a reminder that even against the deadliest odds, timely science-based intervention can save lives.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff
A total of 97.4 lakh voters have been removed from the Tamil Nadu voter list, following the enumeration phase of the SIR exercise and the state's electoral roll now has 5.43 crore voters, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said on Friday.

IMAGE: An SIR official during the house-to-house verification process to update the voter list, the exercise to verify and update Indias voter lists, in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, November 4, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

As of October 27, 2025, the pre-SIR electoral roll had 6.41 crore voters, she said.

Giving a breakdown of the total voter list as per the new draft, the number of male voters stood at 2.77 crore, while the number of female voters is 2.66 crore. The total number of third gender voters stands at 7,191, while the number of differently-abled voters stands at 4.19 lakh.

Briefing reporters at the Secretariat, Patnaik said, as per the Election Commission announcement, SIR exercise has been going on in Tamil Nadu.

The enumeration phase got over on December 14, and the revised list has been released today. The district election officers have released the draft rolls and have handed over the details to the registered political parties. In Tamil Nadu, as of October 27, 2025, the total electoral base was at 6.41 crore, and today's list stands at 5.43 crore.

The Election Commission of India is implementing the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu with clearly defined objectives to ensure maximum participation, complete inclusion of eligible electors, and full transparency of every stage of the process, she said.

During the enumeration phase, the BLOs and BLAs visited houses up to three times, and based on that, the draft was released," she said.

The 97.4 lakh names have been removed based on the absentee and those who have permanently shifted, she said.

"Based on the visits made by BLOs and BLAs, errors like permanently shifted voters, absentee voters, deaths and those who were enrolled at multiple places were identified. Their details have not been included in the draft voter list," she said.

Giving a break-up, she said deceased voters stood at 26.94 lakh, while permanently shifted or absentee voters were at 66.44 lakh. Those who have enrolled at multiple places were at 3.39 lakh, while 12,000 individuals reportedly did not wish to be enrolled during the Special Intensive Revision campaign, she said.

Noting that the claims and objection period has commenced by the Election department, she said, "Those whose names could not be found or for newcomers, they can apply for inclusion through Form 6. There is Form 7 for claims and objections, and Form 8 for a change in address. "

"All information can be submitted to the respective Booth Level Officers or online," she said.

Responding to a query on those people who could not find their names, she said, "They can approach the BLOs. They can also apply online. Apart from that, we will be conducting special camps."

To a query on who should be approached for those whose names were not there, she said, they should approach the BLOs, EROs or can apply online.

On those who have repatriated from Sri Lanka have been added in Form 6, she said, "They would have been added. Now the EROs (Electoral Registration Officer) will check that, and if any additional documents are needed, they will ask. That process will begin now".

Asked which Assembly constituency has the highest number of voter removals, she said Sholinganallur, Pallavaram and Alandur.

Meanwhile, on how the enumeration phase was conducted, Patnaik said the successful completion is the result of coordinated efforts of DEOs of all 38 districts, 234 EROs, 776 AEROs. As many as 68,467 BLOs were deployed at 68,467 booths supported by 48,873 volunteers, she said.

Field representatives of 12 political parties, including their District Presidents, actively participated with as many as 2,46,069 Booth Level Agents appointed by them, she said.

On the removal of names from the list, she said, "As per Para 5(b) of SIR guidelines, no name can be deleted from the draft roll published on December 19 (Friday) without notice and an order by the electoral registration officer or assistant electoral registration officer."

Any aggrieved elector may appeal to the district magistrate and thereafter to the chief electoral officer under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950, she said.

Volunteers are also being trained to assist electors in filing appeals.

The Commission reiterates its firm commitment to a transparent, participative and inclusive revision process, ensuring that no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible name remains in the electoral rolls, she added.
NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese community in Kenya on Thursday donated Christmas gifts to a state-run home for orphaned and abandoned children located on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, bringing early festive cheer to the children and their caregivers.

Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, cabinet secretary for Kenya's Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, hailed the generosity of the Chinese community for supporting vulnerable children at the Nairobi Children's Rescue Center.

"Today is a great day for our orphaned and neglected children as they receive Christmas donations from our partners from China. I take this opportunity to thank the Chinese community for this kind gesture," Cheptumo said.

She said that Kenya-China relations have expanded beyond infrastructure, trade and industry to include education, health, skills transfer and people-to-people exchanges.

"We therefore call for the continued strengthening of Kenya-China collaboration in child welfare and community development initiatives so that together we may build not only strong nations, but also resilient lives and lasting dreams for our children," she added.

Miao Miao, counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said the donation reflected China's long-standing tradition of kindness, regardless of blood ties.

According to Miao, both Kenyan and Chinese communities are bound together by the pursuit of common destiny and aspirations, with children playing an integral part in this endeavor.

Bao Ping, the chairlady of the Kenya-Chinese Women Association, said the donations, which included food items, panda toys, detergents and blankets, were meant to demonstrate love and care to vulnerable children.

"We will continue to work together with our friends from both countries to support children, families, and communities, and to strengthen the friendship between Kenya and China," Bao added. 
New Zealand-owned advanced composites manufacturer CTech has moved its CAD software to the cloud with Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The upgraded system replaces a legacy 30-year-old CAD environment and will allow C-Tech to transform its endtoend design, engineering and manufacturing processes and provide a single data model spanning design, simulation and production, the companies said.

With clients in the international elite sailing world, having worked with Americas Cup and SailGP teams, including Emirates Team New Zealand, as well as the defence and space industries, plus production facilities in both New Zealand and Spain, CTech was looking to modernise its software environment.

As its global business expanded, C-Tech needed a platform that could provide integrated modelling and simulation, connected engineering and manufacturing workflows, as well as stronger data consistency to help accelerate development and scale production with confidence. To address these challenges, CTech selected Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform, deploying modelling, simulation, and design-to-manufacturing capabilities and tailored marinefocused industry solution experiences such as the Sea Boat Builder tool.

According to CTech global chief technology officer Riley Dean with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, the company can now bring modelling and simulation together in one environment, validate its designs earlier, and push for lighter, stronger structures with greater confidence.

The performance envelope of our products depends on our ability to predict and control composite behaviour at a very detailed level, he said.

Just as importantly, we now have a single source of truth that connects design, engineering and manufacturing across our New Zealand and Spanish operations.

Dassault Systemes Asia Pacific South senior sales director of customer process experience Patrick Ong said CTech exemplified how New Zealand manufacturers were using cloud platforms to rethink how they design, validate and build highperformance products.
Cognizant and Microsoft plan to help global enterprises become AI-powered frontier firms, through a multi-year strategic partnership.

Under this agreement, both organisations will co-build industry-grade AI solutions, co-sell globally and collaborate on large-scale deals across key sectors. This includes financial services, healthcare and life sciences, retail, and manufacturing.

The partnership will embed agentic AI and Copilot powered by Work IQ, Foundry IQ and Fabric IQ capabilities into mission-critical workflows.

This partnership also expands on the Cognizant Neuro AI Suite of offerings Cognizant is bringing to the market which leverage Microsoft cloud and AI services.

Cognizant CEO Ravi Kumar said AI underpins and shapes every transformation program the service provider drives.

We will co-build scalable solutions, co-sell globally and partner on large deals that deliver measurable outcomes for our clients by aligning this partnership to our three-vector AI builder strategy, he said.

By combining Microsofts trusted cloud and AI with Cognizants industry platforms, we are positioned to help clients solve the last-mile challenge of scaling AI across the enterprise.

Cognizant will scale Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot adoption across delivery and consulting teams, while upskilling associates on Microsoft Azure, Azure AI Foundry, and related technologies, creating an agile, AI-fluent workforce.
In the early morning hours of December 19, the EU agreed to provide Ukraine with 90 billion euros ($105.4 billion) for 2026-2027, with the cash available as early as January next year.

That avoids a financing shortfall, estimated at 70 billion euros, Kyiv would have found itself in as early as in April has been averted.

But it was not supposed to happen in this way. Brussels wanted to leverage the nearly 200 billion euros worth of frozen Russian state assets in the EU for a reparations loan to Ukraine.

Doomed Reparations Loan

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had been the driver of the idea since early fall, told the European Parliament earlier in the week that this would be Europes independence moment -- a time when the bloc took a crucial decision to shape the destiny of the continent regardless of what Russia, or anyone else for that matter, had in mind.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed her up, calling the reparations loan the only option, a view the clubs Nordic-Baltic countries and Poland shared as well.

In truth, it was far from a done deal.

Belgium, which hosts the financial markets company Euroclear in which most of the Russian assets sit, was never truly onboard. It called for uncapped -- in other words, unlimited financial burden-sharing among EU capitals -- a proposal that many balked at, particularly Paris and Rome.

The longer the night went on, the clearer it became that Belgium was far from alone and alternatives needed to be sought.

Burden On The Taxpayer

The writing was on the wall when earlier in the summit France and Italy scored an important victory for their respective influential farming communities by postponing the signing of a trade deal, 25 years in the making, between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay).

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were on a roll while Merz and Von der Leyen were retreating step by step.

And when the EU leaders finally called it a day after 16 hours of summitry in Brussels, Putins money remained untouched.

Instead, the cash to Ukraine will come via EU countries banding together to raise the money on the financial markets backed by what is known as the EU budget headroom, which is Brussels parlance for a financial buffer or the gap between the maximum resources the EU can collect for its long-term budget (which ends in 2027) and what it actually spends.

Put simply, the EU went from using Russias money to EU taxpayer cash. But not even all. The Czech Republic -- with its new-old prime minister, Andrej Babis, back in power -- Hungary, and Slovakia all secured carve-outs meaning that this is a deal of EU-24, not EU-27.

In that sense it is even less impressive than when Brussels in early 2024 agreed to use a similar method of raising nearly 50 billion euros for Ukraine on the markets. Then everyone was onboard, even Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban who got assurances that Hungarys share wouldnt go to the Ukrainian military.

Together with Belgium, the Visegrad trio were clear winners in Brussels. Orban had declared, prematurely but ultimately correctly, that the reparations loan was dead already before entering the summit.

The fact that Budapest wont contribute to finance Ukraine will appease his voter base ahead of the April parliamentary elections -- and harness his self-styled image as a peace promoter.

Now, everyone tried to put some nice spin on this at the end of the day. And there are some upshots. The loan to Ukraine is interest free and, similarly to the reparations loan proposal, Kyiv only has to pay back the money once Russia pays reparations.

The Russian assets will remain frozen until then with the EU having changed the rules last week to allow them to remain immobilized as long as is needed with no roll-over via unanimity needed every six months any longer.

The final text agreed by the leaders even states that it reserves its right to make use of them to repay the loan. A sort of reparations loan light, after all.

There is also a mention, like a consolation to the Russia hawks in the room, that work on the reparations loan will continue even though one EU official admitted that this idea is now on life support, at best.
The European Union will provide a 90 billion-euro ($106 billion) interest-free loan to Kyiv to help fund the war-torn country after failing to agree on a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years.

European Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on X on December 19 that the funds will be for 2026 and 2027.

"We committed, we delivered," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked EU leaders for approving the loan in support for Ukraine, calling it vital as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its four-year anniversary.

"This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience," he said in post on X.

"It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years," he added.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called the European Council's decision "a decisive step for economic resilience and fiscal stability under wartime conditions."

"Russia's aggression carries a financial cost," Svyrydenko wrote on X, adding that the loan would provide Ukraine with financial predictability and bolster confidence among international partners.

"Economic stability is a prerequisite for security, for Ukraine and for Europe," she stated.

EU officials began meeting on December 18 to agree on a solution for funding. The talks focused on a proposal to use tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian state assets to cover Ukraine's financing needs.

But legal concerns kept some EU members from signing on to the proposal. Instead, agreement was found for the loan, which will be based on borrowing on the capital markets backed by "EU budget headroom," a term used to describe extra borrowing capacity.

"After lengthy discussions, it is clear that the reparations loans will require more work as leaders need more time to go through the details," one EU official told RFE/RL.

The initial Russia proposal met with withering criticism from Moscow, and Russia had threatened massive legal action over any usage of its frozen assets.

Speaking at his nationally televised call-in show, hours after the EU decision was announced, President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the Russia proposal -- even though it was not initially adopted.

"Theft is not the right term. Theft is the secret taking of property, whereas here they are trying to do it openly  that is, robbery," Putin said. And this is not easy to carry out. After all, they have announced that they will not simply rob and seize assets, but that one of the ideas is to issue loans secured by our assets"

In the conclusions adopted following its meeting, the European Council stated that "subject to EU law, Russia's assets should remain immobilized until Russia ceases its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by the war."

The Council also stated that it would continue working on the legal and technical details necessary for creating a reparations loan using funds from Russia's frozen assets.

Funding for Ukraine has become a major issue for the 27-member bloc, with the United States choking off its financial support while countries such as Hungary push for curbs on funding as well.

On the other side, Poland likened the situation to a choice between "money today or blood tomorrow."

The EU summit came days after Putin crudely criticized the bloc's leaders, using a word that can be translated as "young swine," and reiterated assertions that Moscow will achieve the goals of its war on Ukraine by force if a US push for peace does not produce a deal that meets its demands.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the summit, telling leaders the proposal of a loan backed by the frozen Russia assets currently held in the EU is preferable, but that ultimately it doesn't matter how the funds are utilized, just as long as a solution is found.

If in the spring, Ukraine does not receive the corresponding tranche -- which, in the event of peace, will be used for the countrys reconstruction, and in the event of continued war, for other priorities, above all drone production -- Ukraines drone production will be reduced several fold, he told reporters at a press conference after addressing the summit behind closed doors.

Ukraine currently faces a foreign aid shortfall of some $53 billion to $59 billion next year, he added.

Western countries have supported the war-torn country with both direct budgetary support and military aid since Russias full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, but the upcoming period may be different.

The United States has signaled that it most likely wont send more cash, putting the onus on the EU and other G7 countries to step up -- and to do so soon.

Some 140 billion euros ($165 billion) of Russian state assets are held in the Belgian-based financial markets company Euroclear, while an additional 25 billion euros of Russian state assets are held in banks across the EU, mainly in France but also in a Belgian private bank, Cyprus, and Germany.

The reparations loan is part of a wider financial package that is worth up to 210 billion euros, according to the European Commission. This also includes 45 billion euros that will be used to repay a G7 loan to Ukraine from 2024.

While most of the EU's 27 members are in favor of using the assets to back the loan, Belgium fears the plan could leave it legally vulnerable, and other countries including Italy have also expressed doubts.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she would not leave the summit without agreement on how to finance Ukraine over the next two years.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a stark warning earlier this week, saying failure would mean "the European Union's ability to act will be severely damaged for years, if not longer, and we will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history."

In a combative speech at an annual Defense Ministry event on December 17, Putin sought to blame Europe and Ukraine in advance for any failure of the peace efforts, saying that Russia will take more land by force if Kyiv and European leaders he described as "young swine" do not take the right approach to US proposals.

Moscow currently controls nearly one-fifth of Ukraine, and Russian officials have repeatedly said they won't compromise on the five Ukrainian regions that Putin baselessly claims are Russian.

A particular sticking point in the weeks-long flurry of negotiations involving the US, Ukraine, Europe, and Russia has been the portion of the Donetsk region that Ukrainian forces still hold.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Zoriana Stepanenko in Brussels
Pakistan's navy on December 17 launched its fourth Hangor-class submarine, the PNS Ghazi, at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Groups Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, marking the completion of construction for all four China-built boats in a landmark eight-submarine program.

Under a 2015 defense contract valued at roughly $5 billion with China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company, Pakistan is acquiring eight advanced Hangor-class diesel-electric attack submarines to modernize its undersea warfare capabilities and replace its aging Agosta 90B fleet.

The Hangor program represents one of the largest and most sophisticated foreign military procurements in Pakistans history, reflecting deepening ChinaPakistan defense cooperation that spans fighter jets, missile systems, and nuclear energy projects.

Four vessels, including the PNS Ghazi, were constructed at Wuchang; the remaining four are being built domestically at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works under a comprehensive technology transfer arrangement, with deliveries planned through 2028 despite earlier delays related to foreign engine supply issues.

The 2,800-ton submarines -- export derivatives of Chinas Type 039A (Yuan) class -- are equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that enable prolonged submerged operations, six 533 mm torpedo tubes for heavyweight torpedoes and missiles, and compatibility with Pakistans nuclear-capable Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile.

Pakistans military has hailed the program as a major boost to its undersea deterrent, enhancing operational flexibility and its ability to maintain a credible presence in the Arabian Sea and wider Indian Ocean region.

Analysts say these submarines are intended to strengthen Pakistans anti-access/area-denial posture by complicating adversary surface operations and undersea tracking in contested waters, particularly as India expands its own submarine and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Media from rival India frame the Hangor deployment as part of an intensifying regional naval competition, with Islamabads acquisitions viewed in the context of broader Indo-Pacific security dynamics and the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) involving Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

Islamabad-based political economist Shakil Ahmad Ramay told RFE/RLs Radio Mashaal that QUADs evolving role has impacted the balance of power in the regional, accelerating Chinese-Pakistani naval ties like the Ghazi rollout. He emphasized mutual security pacts: China supports Pakistan against territorial threats, while Pakistan backs Beijings One-China policy, with Chinese built reactors now generating around 4,500 megawatts of electricity in Pakistan.

Beyond strategic signaling, the technology transfer to Islamabad is seen as a potential catalyst for Pakistans domestic shipbuilding capacity, providing technical expertise, workforce development, and future sustainment capabilities.

With the launch of Ghazi, all four China-built submarines are now undergoing rigorous sea trials, and are expected to begin entering service as early as 2026, according to Pakistani and Chinese defense officials.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Police in the U.S. state of Rhode Island on Thursday night identified the suspect in last week's mass shooting at Brown University and the killing of a professor two days later as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who was found dead.

The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

According to authorities, investigators tracked Valente through surveillance footage and a vehicle, which led them to a car rental company in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Police obtained a copy of the car rental agreement bearing the suspect's name, as well as video matching the appearance of the suspect on the Brown University campus on the day of the shooting.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said Thursday night that Valente was also responsible for the fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Nuno Loureiro at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Dec. 15.

"There is video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professor's apartment," Foley said.

"It is believed that in Lisbon that those two individuals attended the same university in Portugal," Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston field office, said at a news conference.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Valente enrolled in a Brown graduate physics program in 2000 and withdrew less than a year later. He had no current affiliation with the school.

Paxson noted that most physics classes at Brown University have been held in the Barus & Holley building, which was the site of the shooting.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente initially entered the United States on a student visa and was granted permanent resident status in 2017.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said Valente was a native of Portugal with a last known address in Miami. 
Three tourism projects in County Roscommon are among 17 across the midlands that have been awarded over 5.5 million in funding under Failte Irelands Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU.

Irish Heritage Trust and Ballynure Cottage will receive almost 1.45 million under the scheme, while Roscommon County Council has been awarded 95,000 to conduct a feasibility study to develop a preliminary concept design for Termonbarry Riverside Park.

The latest grant approval brings the total funding announced for the tourism sector to almost 60 million across the scheme.

Irish Heritage Trust will be the recipient of a 1.2 million grant for the development of outdoor areas and trails to create an engaging and family-friendly visitor experience at Strokestown Park.

Ballynure Cottage  located at Carnagh West, Kiltoom  has been earmarked 249,000 for the delivery of two double bedrooms in a restored and extended mid-19th century famine-era cottage, creating a blend of modern and traditional living spaces.

Part of the EU Just Transition Fund (JTF) programme, co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union, this marks the fifth announcement of successful projects under both the Private and Community SME scheme, and the Local Authority and State Agency schemes.

In addition to the 4.5 million in grant-aid to deliver 13 projects across three regenerative tourism development categories, over 1 million has been awarded to four projects under the Local Authority and State Agency schemes.

These schemes support the development of improved tourism infrastructure, facilities and visitor experiences, including those that can be leveraged by the private and community sectors.

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, TD, welcomed the grand approval, adding the projects would play a vital role in supporting sustainable economic development and job creation across the midlands, alongside enhancing the regions appeal to visitors from home and abroad.

The projects announced highlight the significant opportunities that initiatives like the EU Just Transition Fund can bring to the midlands  empowering communities, strengthening local economies, and delivering long-term benefits for tourism and enterprise.

"With almost 60 million now awarded under the scheme, this is a clear demonstration of Government and EU commitment to building a vibrant, resilient future for the region, he said.

Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh OBrien, TD, highlighted that the projects were a vital step in unlocking the sustainable tourism potential of the region, in addition to providing economic and employment benefits to local communities.

CEO at Failte Ireland, Caroline Bocquel, vowed that the projects would deliver innovative visitor experiences and low-carbon accommodation across Irelands Hidden Heartlands and Irelands Ancient East, helping to sustain local communities and create new opportunities for employment.

The projects announced highlight the significant opportunities that initiatives like the EU Just Transition Fund can bring to the midlands  supporting economic resilience and competitiveness, empowering local businesses, and enhancing the regions appeal to both domestic and international visitors.

With this latest round of investment, the total funding awarded under the scheme now comes to almost 60 million  a significant milestone that reflects the impact this regenerative tourism scheme is making across the midlands, she explained.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with local tourism businesses, communities, the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA), Government, and our strategic partners to deliver transformative projects that will shape a vibrant and sustainable future across the region.

Acting Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) Clare Bannon welcomed Failte Irelands announcement and noted that the grants would support local communities and businesses, delivering real value and laying the groundwork for a more vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous future across the region.
Key meeting between farmers and administration begins in Chandigarh; top leaders including Pandher present (Representative Image, Courtesy: Shutterstock

The meeting, being held under the leadership of Sarwan Singh Pandher, is attended by prominent leaders from various farmer organisations

Chandigarh: A crucial meeting between farmer leaders and senior Punjab government officials, under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), has begun at Punjab Bhawan (Sector 3) in Chandigarh. Farmer leaders are currently holding talks with the Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Intelligence, Punjab.

The meeting, being held under the leadership of Sarwan Singh Pandher, is attended by prominent leaders from various farmer organisations, including:

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Sarwan Singh Pandher (Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee)

Dilbagh Singh Gill (State President, Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union)

Balkar Singh Bains (General Secretary, Bharatiya Kisan Mazdoor Union)

Manjit Rai (President, BKU Doaba)

Manjit Singh Nihal (BKU Ekta Azad)

Gurmanit Singh Mangat (President, Progressive Farmers Front, Uttar Pradesh)

Baldev Singh Zira (President, BKU Krantikari)

Gurdhian Singh Bhaderi (General Secretary, BKU Bhaderi)

Balwant Singh Behramke (State President, BKU Behramke)

Farmer leaders had made it clear ahead of the meeting that if no concrete solution emerges from todays talks, a statewide Rail Roko protest will be launched across Punjab on the 20th. Farmers across the state are closely watching the outcome of the meeting underway at Punjab Bhawan.

(For more news apart from Key meeting between farmers and administration begins in Chandigarh; top leaders including Pandher present" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Suggestions were also made about installing commemorative gates, providing special grants to villages associated with Sikh Gurus, and promoting Punjabi language and culture in schools. File Photo.

the House also acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who paid homage to the Guru at a congregation held in Jyotisar, Kurukshetra.

350th Guru Tegh Bahadur Shaheedi Diwas: Haryana Assembly Passes Thanks Resolution

The state assembly unanimously adopted a resolution expressing gratitude to organisations and individuals who helped organise programmes commemorating the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. It was passed on the opening day of the Haryana Vidhan Sabhas Winter Session. According to official sources, the resolution was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda and led by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

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The House formally expressed gratitude to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSGMC), the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Shaheedi Diwas Organising Committee, public representatives, social service organisations and various civil institutions for successfully conducting events across the state in observance of the occasion.

Chief Minister Saini was wearing a saffron turban as a sign of respect. In his speech before the resolution was adopted, he said that Sri Guru Tegh Bahadurs sacrifice reflects the very soul of Indian civilisation  a spirit willing to uphold truth, righteousness and human dignity and never bow before injustice.

Saini recalled that on August 25, 2025, the Haryana Assembly had earlier unanimously resolved to observe the 350th martyrdom year of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur in a dignified and glorious manner across the state. He said that for the implementation, an all-party meeting was held in Chandigarh on November 3, where representatives of all political parties offered suggestions to make the celebratory programmes meaningful and inclusive.

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Several members from both the treasury and opposition benches spoke during the debate and recalled the Gurus sacrifices and emphasised his importance to both Sikh history and Indian ethos. Many MLAs began or concluded their addresses with the traditional Sikh greeting Waheguruji ka Khalsa, Waheguruji ki Fateh. Suggestions were also made about installing commemorative gates, providing special grants to villages associated with Sikh Gurus, and promoting Punjabi language and culture in schools.

According to sources, the House also acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who paid homage to the Guru at a grand congregation held in Jyotisar, Kurukshetra, on November 25, highlighting the national profile of the commemorations.

While the resolution was adopted unanimously, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda noted that local MLAs and opposition leaders were not invited to the Prime Ministers programme, a point that drew responses and was addressed by Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, urging respect for the proceedings.

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Source: The Tribune




BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China urges Japan to stop testing the bottom line of international justice with its nuclear ambitions, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Friday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun's remarks came after a senior Japanese official said that Japan should have nuclear weapons.

The recent noises from the Japanese side about nuclear weapons reflect the growing ambition of right-wing conservative forces in Japan to revive militarism, break free from the international order, and accelerate the country's "remilitarization," Guo told a regular press briefing. 
The machines are intended to assist municipal bodies like the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in combating roadside dust and particulate pollution. File Photo.

He highlighted that this initiative is focused on providing students with a smart learning environment with smart air to breathe.

Delhi Schools to Get 10,000 Air Purifiers: Education Minister Rolls Out Clean Air Initiative



On Friday, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood announced that air purifiers will be installed in 10,000 classrooms in government schools to protect students from hazardous air quality. It is part of a phased initiative to ensure cleaner indoor air for students. The announcement came during a press briefing in the national capital.

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Sood addressed the media and explained that the first phase of the programme will cover 10,000 classrooms out of nearly 38,000 across government and aided schools, with tenders for the installation already floated. He highlighted that this initiative is focused on providing students with a smart learning environment with smart air to breathe.

Sood, who also holds the urban development portfolio, stressed that the government is focusing on long-term administrative reforms and policy measures to tackle the pollution crisis instead of short-lived schemes. He contrasted the current approach with past pollution mitigation efforts, including the much-debated odd-even vehicle restriction scheme initiated by the former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The minister said that previous initiatives were less effective and more geared toward publicity than substantive impact.

Sood said the Public Works Department (PWD) will utilise funds from the environment cess to procure mechanical road sweepers for each assembly constituency. The machines are intended to assist municipal bodies like the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) in combating roadside dust and particulate pollution.

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While highlighting the issues posed by regional weather patterns, Sood said that a significant amount of Delhis air pollution originates beyond the citys borders, limiting the capacity for local control. Nevertheless, he reaffirmed the governments commitment to tackling air quality issues through sustained administrative action that will yield results over time.

This comprehensive first phase targeting 10,000 classrooms is a significant move in Delhis broader strategy to safeguard childrens health and improve air quality around educational spaces.

Source: Hindustan Times.
Maharashtra: 6 workers confirmed killed after a water tank collapsed in Nagpur

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The death toll rose to six after a water tank collapsed at a factory in Maharashtra's Nagpur district, the PTI reported on Friday.

The incident occurred around 9.30 am at Avaada Electro Private Limited, a solar panel manufacturing factory located in MIDC Butibori area, the official told PTI.

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According to Nagpur Superintendent of Police Harsh Poddar, cited in an ANI report, the accident occurred while the workers were working on a construction project near the water tank at the Awada company, which manufactures solar panels. The water tank collapsed and trapped them underneath.

Nagpur, Maharashtra: Tank tower collapses at Avaada company in Butibori MIDC, Nagpur. 3 workers dead, 11 injured. Police & fire brigade at site; rescue and investigation underway pic.twitter.com/GMkDpKgJqx  IANS (@ians_india) December 19, 2025

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Several people have been injured in the incident, and three of the injured sustained serious injuries. workers are currently undergoing treatment at various private hospitals.

Police and the fire brigade reached the spot soon after receiving information about the incident. Further investigation is underway.

(For more news apart from Maharashtra: 6 workers confirmed killed after a water tank collapsed in Nagpur" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
PM Modi Conferred with 29th International Award in Oman; Minister Piyush Goyal Congratulates

Minister Piyush Goyal stated that both awards are important demonstrations of the love and respect he (PM Modi) has earned across world.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being conferred with two awards during his recent visits to Ethiopia and Oman, taking his total number of international recognitions to 29.

Minister Piyush Goyal stated that both the awards are important demonstrations of the love and respect he (PM Modi) has earned across the world.

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Impressively, the Ethiopian award was his 28th international recognition. Yesterday, he received the highest award of Oman, which is his 29th international award, he added.

(For more news apart from PM Modi Conferred with 29th International Award in Oman; Minister Piyush Goyal Congratulates" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Putin to Take Questions from Non-Friendly Foreign Media During Annual Year-End Online SessionPutin to Take Questions from Non-Friendly Foreign Media During Annual Year-End Online Session

The online question and answer session is in its 22nd year. Putin will also take questions from foreign media, not considered friendly' .

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently holding his annual year-end online session where he is answering questions from the public and media, the PTI reported.

The online question and answer session is in its 22nd year. Putin will also take questions from foreign media, not considered friendly by Moscow, the Kremlin said.

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(For more news apart from Putin to Take Questions from Non-Friendly Foreign Media During Annual Year-End Online Session" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Bangladesh Mob Lynching: Chaos Erupts Amid Protests Following Sharif Osman Hadi's Death

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has strongly condemned the lynching of the Hindu man.

Bangladesh Mob Lynching: A mob lynching in Bangladesh has led to the death of a young man who was later set on fire by the mob, amid widespread anti-India protests in Bangladesh on Thursday, according to reports.

In visuals shared by India today, the large mob could be seen lynching the victim, allegedly over blasphemy.

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The person is identified as Dipu Chandra Das, 30, who reportedly died on the spot during the lynching. The incident happened after widespread protests broke out in Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has strongly condemned the lynching of the Hindu man.

We express deep condemnation over the incident in Mymensingh in which a Hindu man was beaten to death. There is no place for such violence in the new Bangladesh. No one involved in this brutal crime will be spared, the administration said in a statement.

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The administration said it strongly and unequivocally condemned the violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of life and property.

The current situation in Bangladesh

The current situation in Bangladesh is described to be out of control, as a large number of people gather at Shahbagh in Dhaka. Hadis body is being brought to Dhaka, and his funeral will be held tomorrow in the afternoon, according to reports. News outlets are also being targeted in the country.

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(For more news apart from Bangladesh Mob Lynching: Chaos Erupts Amid Protests Following Sharif Osman Hadis Death " stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Represented by law firm Kilgannon & Partners, she argued that her dismissal was based not on her ability to perform her current role but on not being deemed ready for the next level, a practice she says is unfair and discriminatory. File Photo.

She was dismissed from her role as a manager at Accenture (UK) Ltd in 2019 after failing to be promoted to senior manager.

NRI Womans UK Court Battle Over Chronic Illness Could Redefine Workplace Fairness



A 41-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI) originally from West Bengal, Sanju Pal is advancing a landmark legal challenge in the United Kingdom that could transform how chronic illnesses are treated in the workplace under British law. Her case, which is now before a High Court Appeal Tribunal in London, addresses both disability discrimination and the fairness of corporate performance policies, highlighting systemic issues faced by women with chronic health conditions.

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Pal suffers from endometriosis; this chronic condition causes debilitating pelvic pain and affects an estimated 1.5 million women in the UK. She was dismissed from her role as a manager at Accenture (UK) Ltd in 2019 after failing to be promoted to senior manager. Represented by law firm Kilgannon & Partners, she argued that her dismissal was based not on her ability to perform her current role but on not being deemed ready for the next level, a practice she says is unfair and discriminatory.

Under the UKs Equality Act 2010, employers must reasonably accommodate employees with disabilities. However, an earlier employment tribunal held that Pals endometriosis did not meet the legal definition of a disability, a finding she is now challenging on appeal. She told the tribunal that while she struggled with symptoms prior to her dismissal, she was erroneously judged not to be disabled in law. Her legal team contends this could be a pivotal test case for how chronic conditions like endometriosis are treated in employment law.

Pal also contests the so-called up or out model widely used in consulting firms, where employees who are not promoted within a set period may be compelled to leave. Her lawyers argue that under the Employment Rights Act 1996, dismissals should only relate to performance in the employees current position, not speculative readiness for advancement, as stated during court proceedings. This argument, if upheld, could significantly impact the UK management consulting industry and beyond.

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In 2022, a tribunal upheld her claim of unfair dismissal and awarded her a basic award of 4,275 but rejected her disability discrimination claim. The high court appeal hearing concluded on December 9, and a judgement is expected in the coming weeks.

Pal, recognised with the UK Prime Ministers Points of Light Award for her charity work with Rural India Social Enterprise (RISE), said her fight is about more than just her case: its about ending unfair practices and ensuring rights for employees with chronic health conditions are protected.

Accenture (UK) has maintained that its treatment of Pal was lawful but had no additional comment at the time of reporting.

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Source: The Tribune
Mobilization for defense

The EU's need to strengthen its own defense capacity is becoming increasingly clear.

Photo: Military_Material / pixabay.com

Corina Cristea, 19.12.2025, 14:00

The geopolitical developments, including the war in Ukraine, the increased global competition, and the changes in the US security policy, are forcing Brussels to move towards a more robust, coherent, and interoperable defense model. The Unions determination stems from the strategic need to be less dependent on other actors for the security of its own territories. NATO remains the main pillar of European defense, but member states are increasingly aware that without greater, coordinated, and targeted investments, Europe risks remaining vulnerable to conventional, hybrid, cyber, and energy threats. This is how the concept of strategic autonomy emerged, interpreted not as a separation from NATO, but as a complementary capability. And the most recent concrete initiative in this regard is the so-called military Schengen proposed by the European Commission, focused on the fact that mobility is crucial in a context where reaction time and logistics can decide the outcome of a military operation.

You must have the necessary antidote ready, says journalist Radu Tudor, a military analyst: The threat is growing. The war is not over. Russia is becoming, from the point of view of the continents security, the biggest threat, and we must move a little faster. We have had, up to now, different speeds in implementing defense industry development projects, in implementing military mobility projects, and also in deploying new defense systems on NATOs eastern flank. It takes too many days to move 50 Leclerc tanks to Romania. In case of need, God forbid, in the event of a Russian provocation to NATO, we need to shorten this time, because the prepositioning of troops and equipment is not enough. Obviously, troops, equipment, weapons, ammunition, logistics must come from 31 NATO member states  we are talking about Romania, and this is also valid for Poland, for the Baltic countries. So, from my point of view, the European Commission should quickly issue a binding regulation for all member states, to be implemented within 12 months, because it means amending agreements, elements of legislation and adapting the infrastructure to transport capacity for heavy equipment.

There would be four objectives of the military Schengen  the rapid movement of troops and equipment within the Union; reducing cross-border bureaucracy; adapting civil infrastructure (bridges, railways, roads, ports) for military needs, and rapid reactions in crisis situations respectively. According to the Commissions proposal, member states should allow the passage of troops within three days in peacetime and within just six hours in emergency situations, with simplified customs formalities, in this case only based on a notification between states. The pressure exerted by the crisis in Ukraine and Russias aggressiveness oblige Europe to this effort, which, above all, must come from building the deterrence capacity, says foreign policy analyst Victor Bostinaru, a former member of the European Parliaments Security and Defense Committee.

Victor Bostinaru: Europe does not intend to take any offensive action, contrary to Putins or Peskovs speech. Europe must be convincing in terms of its deterrence capacity. And there are some areas that are already visibly taking shape. On the one hand, for the first time Europe is finally allocating money for building a defense capacity. This has not happened before, but there is only one solution for the European project to remain viable, a consistent defense capacity. The second thing is the need for Europe to already engage in the production of military equipment capable of competing and countering, on the one hand, the Russian threat, but, at the same time, to reduce, at least partially, its dependence on US supplies. Thirdly, this ambitious dual-purpose civil engineering construction project is already taking shape, faster than we suspected last year. It is about the construction of road-rail infrastructure capable of serving both the civilian and defense sectors. Infrastructure that could withstand heavy loads, highways, railways, bridges, capable of allowing the transfer of this equipment and personnel to potential combat zones, in a very short while. Last but not least, we are witnessing significant construction in the European defense industry, cooperation agreements or mergers in key areas, from the equivalent of Elon Musks satellite system to the design and construction of missiles and other defense systems.

Increasing military mobility would mean both improving infrastructure in member states, and also an emergency mechanism to be activated by the Council of the European Union when, in the event of a crisis, large convoys of specific equipment and soldiers are to be moved. (LS)
December 19, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

December 19, 2025 UPDATE

Newsroom, 19.12.2025, 19:55

Ukraine. European leaders, who gathered on Thursday in Brussels, decided to help Ukraine with 90 billion through a loan with interest paid from the EU budget. This was the compromise solution for Kyivs urgent financial needs, in the absence of an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Europe. Present at the meeting, Romanian President Nicusor Dan said that Ukraine would return the money after the end of the conflict, when Russia would pay war reparations. According to him, it was the fastest solution available and sends a clear signal of European support for Kyiv. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic opposed the use of Russian assets. Belgium also expressed reservations in the absence of guarantees of support in the face of threats of retaliation from Moscow. Although European leaders failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian cash, they decided instead to freeze it for the long term, and the Union said it reserves the right to use it to pay off the loan granted to Ukraine. In a message on social network X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his satisfaction with the 90 billion loan granted by the European Union to his country. He also said that it is important that Russian assets remain frozen.

Government. The Political Committee of the USR, a party in the four-party coalition in power in Bucharest, approved on Friday the proposals for Senator Irineu Darau to take over the post of Minister of Economy, and that the current holder of this portfolio, Radu Miruta, should remain at the Ministry of Defense, which he is leading on an interim basis following the resignation of Ionut Mosteanu. USR leader Dominic Fritz said he had consulted with the Romanian president before making these appointments and gave assurances that the two ministers-designate had the necessary qualifications to fill these positions. We recall that the former Minister of Defense, Ionut Mosteanu, resigned at the end of November following a scandal in which his studies were called into question.

Salaries. The planned increase in the minimum wage in Romania from the middle of next year is a source of discontent for both employees and employers. Employees are demanding that the measure be implemented from the first day of 2026 and point out that prices and taxes have risen, while working conditions are getting worse. Approximately 4,000 trade unionists from four confederations protested on Thursday in front of the Presidency headquarters. They are asking the head of state, Nicusor Dan, to mediate the conflict between the unions and the government. Employers, on the other hand, argue that the increase is not at all appropriate in the current economic context. We recall that representatives of the governing coalition have decided to increase the gross minimum salary to 4,325 lei (approx. 850 euros) starting July 1, 2026. According to the Ministry of Labor, nearly 1.76 million employees will benefit from this increase.

Immigration. The recruitment of foreign workers will be more strictly regulated in Romania. The government is preparing a bill to this effect, which will be put up for public debate in a few days, confirmed Labor Minister Florin Manole. According to him, there will be provisions regarding knowledge of Romanian or English. Recruitment agencies will also be monitored more closely. The General Inspectorate for Immigration reported that between January 1 and November 30 this year, over 100,000 residence permits were issued to foreigners who chose to live legally in Romania, which has become an increasingly popular option for work, study, or long-term settlement.

OECD. Romania has become the first country to obtain associate member status of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The international forum coordinates official assistance to developing countries, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday. According to a press release, Romanias accession to this Committee follows the steady increase in recent years in the volume of official development assistance provided by Romania, as well as the strengthening of Romanias profile as a consistent, predictable, and credible donor at the international level. In 2024, the total value of official development assistance exceeded $539 million, representing 0.16% of gross national income. Ten countries in the wider Black Sea region, the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa are beneficiaries, with the Republic of Moldova being Romanias priority partner.

Helicopter. An S-70 Black Hawk helicopter, fully funded by the European Union through the rescEU program, landed at the headquarters of the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior, it was announced in Bucharest on Friday. After completion of the reception procedures, the aircraft will be ready to take off to save lives anywhere in Europe, said Secretary of State Raed Arafat. The helicopter can be used for forest firefighting, search and rescue missions, including the use of a winch to extract victims from hard-to-reach areas or from the sea, for evacuation and emergency medical transport. The aircraft is part of a strategic European fleet, distributed across several member states, consisting of five medium-heavy helicopters and ten Canadair aircraft, designed to ensure a rapid and effective response to disasters at European level. (MI)
December 19, 2025

A roundup of local and world news

Newsflash

Daniel Bilt, 19.12.2025, 13:55

UKRAINE European leaders, who convened in Brussels on Thursday, have decided to help Ukraine with a 90 billion Euro loan and interests paid from the Unions budget. That was a compromise solution to Kyivs urgent financial needs in the absence of an agreement on the use of Russias frozen assets. Also attending the meeting, Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, said that Ukraine would reimburse the money after the end of the conflict when Russia would have paid war reparations. According to him, that was the quickest available solution, which sends a clear signal of European support for Kyiv. Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia have vetoed the use of the Russian assets. Belgium has also shown reservation in the absence of guarantees on sharing liability. Although the European leaders failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian liquidities they decided to freeze them on long term while the bloc says it has the right to use them to pay for the loan granted to Ukraine. In a message on the social network X, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced satisfaction regarding the 90 billion Euro loan, adding that it is important that the Russian assets remain immobilised.

MINISTERS The political committee of the USR, a political group part of the ruling coalition in Bucharest is today convening to validate a proposal that Senator Irineu Darau take over the seat of Minister of the Economy, while the incumbent owner of this post Radu Miruta remain at the Ministry of Defence, which has been heading as interim since Ionut Mosteanu stepped down. The USR leader, Dominic Fritz, said he held consultations with the countrys President for the aforementioned nominations and gave assurances the two ministers have the necessary training to take over the two seats. We recall the former Defence Minister, Ionut Mosteanu, stepped down amid a scandal over his education.

HELICOPTER An S-70 Black Hawk helicopter, entirely funded by the European Union through its rescEU programme, has today touched down at the headquarters of the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Romanian Interior Ministry, sources in Bucharest have announced. After receiving procedures have been completed, the helicopter will be ready to take off and save lives everywhere around Europe, State Secretary Raed Arafat said. The Black Hawk can be used to extinguish wild fires, in search and rescue or evacuation operations in hard-to-reach locations including at sea or in emergency medical transport operations. The aircraft is part of a European strategic fleet, distributed in several member countries and made up of five medium-heavy helicopters and 10 Canadair aircraft destined for rapid and effective response in emergency situation at European level.

WAGES A planned rise of the minimum salary in Romania due in July next year has triggered discontent in both employees and employers. The employees say the measure should be applied on the first day of the next year to offset the latest price hikes and higher taxes. Roughly 4 thousand trade unionists from four confederations took to the streets on Thursday and protested in front of the Presidential Palace. The protesters have called on President Nicusor Dan to broker the conflict between the trade unions and the government. In turn, the employers associations say the pay rise is inopportune given the present economic context. We recall the ruling coalition in Romania pledged to raise the net minimum salary up to 850 Euros starting July 1, 2026.

WEATHER Temperatures in Romania are today well above the multiannual average of this period. Fog has been reported on isolated areas in the south, centre and east with mild wind and highs ranging between 4 and 15 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 6 degrees.

(bill)
European financial support for Ukraine

European leaders have decided to help Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan with interest covered from the EU budget, but failed to reach a decision on the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe

European Council Summit (EUCO) on December 18, 2025

Sorin Iordan, 19.12.2025, 14:00

The European Union leaders convened in a Council meeting in Brussels on Thursday decided to lend Ukraine EUR 90 billion. The meeting, which lasted until Friday morning, was rather tense, as the participants had two options for financing Kyiv: a loan or the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe.

The latter option is not to the liking of the countries that have been more accommodating towards Moscow since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These include Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Belgium, the country where most of the frozen assets are stored, joined them, as the Belgian PM Bart De Wever explained that he had reservations about using the around EUR 185 billion after Russia threatened his country and him personally if they do.

However, the option of using Russian assets is seen as the best solution by most member states, including powerful countries such as Germany and France. According to the media in Berlin, in order to convince Belgium the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced his willingness to include the Russian central banks assets frozen in Germany in the support mechanism for Ukraine. The federal government says Russian assets worth around EUR 3.5 billion have been frozen in Berlin. Polands PM Donald Tusk also backed plans to use Moscows money, stating that its either money today or blood tomorrow.

Although EU leaders failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian money, they decided to freeze it in the long term, and the European bloc said it reserved the right to use it to repay the loan granted to Ukraine.

The President of Romania Nicusor Dan stated at the end of the Council meeting that the frozen Russian assets are also a weapon in the hands of the European Union in the negotiations taking place on multiple levels, and that talks related to their use continue.

According to statements after the Council meeting, many of the terms or guarantees requested by Belgium have been met, but there are still technical elements that need fine-tuning. However, Nicusor Dan argued that the loan was the fastest way to support Kyiv and that Ukraine will repay the money at the end of the conflict, when Russia pays war reparations.

The money provided by the Europeans comes at a time when Ukraines reserves are almost exhausted. As president Volodymyr Zelenskyy put it in Brussels, his country risks running out of money in the first 3 months of next year, while Moscow has already earmarked USD 160 billion to finance the war in 2026. According to the Kyiv leader, this is yet another signal that Russias president Vladimir Putin does not seek peace. (AMP)
A resident digs Yunnan truffles in Yongren County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 9, 2025.(Xinhua/Xiong Xuanang)

KUNMING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ms. Sun, who runs a Western restaurant in Shanghai, recently placed an order for a batch of fresh Yunnan truffles, planning to launch seasonal limited dishes. In Guangzhou, Mr. Chen repurchased five cans of truffle sauce during the e-commerce promotion and left a comment: "Absolutely delicious!"

These orders, traveling thousands of miles, are all from Yongren County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Truffles were once synonymous with "imported European luxury," an extravagant treat enjoyed only by a few. Today, the story has changed. Truffles cultivated in Yunnan now supply the mainstream Chinese market and are shipped overseas by air, completing their journey from exotic imports to homegrown Chinese treasures.

As truffles grow in popularity among Chinese consumers and spawn a range of derivative products, Yunnan is actively building an integrated industrial chain spanning picking, processing, sales, and product innovation.

At 7 a.m., villager Li Yongxiu has already started her work with a bamboo basket and a small rake to harvest black truffles deep in the forest. "We didn't realize the value of truffles until recently," Li said, noting that mature truffles emit a special scent that often lures animals to dig them out.

With over 2,800 hours of annual sunshine and nearly 75 percent forest coverage, Yongren County provides ideal growing conditions for truffles. The county produces about 50 tonnes of truffles annually, accounting for a significant share of China's total output.

Premium truffles from Yongren now fetch up to 850 yuan (about 120 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, and picking truffles has become a key source of additional income for local farmers. Li can earn more than 4,000 yuan during each harvesting season, while skilled pickers can make an extra 10,000 yuan or more.

To protect this unique resource, Yongren County has designated over 50,000 mu (about 3,333 hectares) of wild mushroom conservation and propagation bases, and bans truffle picking from March 1 to Oct. 31 every year to ensure better protection and good quality, said Wang Jianbiao, deputy chief of the county's forestry and grassland administration.

In major producing areas, more than two training sessions are held annually to teach farmers how to identify mature truffles and adopt proper picking methods.

To extend the industrial chain and increase added value, local businesses have developed innovative products such as canned truffles, truffle mooncakes and truffle chocolate.

"Processing turns truffles into affordable delicacies for ordinary families," said Lei Jinyu, manager of the technique center of Yongren Yesenda Mushroom Co., Ltd.

Established in 2014, the company has developed a series of truffle products, boosting its output value to over 40 million yuan in 2024, doubling the figure from the days when it sold only raw materials.

A breakthrough in preservation technology has extended the shelf life of fresh truffles from 20 to 45 days, enabling overseas sales. Lei added that the company's products have been exported to France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.

Statistics show that China's truffle exports registered a marked growth to approximately 45.4 tonnes in 2024. And in 2023, China's export volume had already accounted for nearly one-third of global trade.

With improved ecological conditions, truffle-producing areas in China are expanding. Zhao Yongchang, a researcher at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that, in addition to traditional production areas like Yunnan and Sichuan, truffle is now also produced in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Inner Mongolia, and northeast China, further boosting the country's truffle output.

Zhao acknowledged that due to species differences and insufficient brand accumulation, domestic truffles still have a price gap compared with European truffles. However, with technological progress and brand building, Chinese truffles are expected to shine brighter in the global market. 

Truffle products developed by Yongren Yesenda Mushroom Co., Ltd. are pictured in Yongren County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 9, 2025.(Xinhua/Xiong Xuanang)

This photo taken on Dec. 9, 2025 shows a view of a wild mushroom conservation and propagation base in Yongren County, southwest China's Yunnan Province.(Xinhua/Xiong Xuanang)

Fresh Yunnan truffles are pictured in Yongren County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Dec. 9, 2025.(Xinhua/Xiong Xuanang)
With a view to avoiding a U.S. government ban for TikTok, its Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. signed binding agreements, backed by President Donald Trump, with three managing investors to form a joint venture to operate the U.S. operations of the video-sharing app, media reported citing a memo.

With the deal, the social video platform, which is used regularly by more than 170 million Americans, could continue operating in the United States after years of uncertainity.

Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew, in the memo to employees, noted that the investors including Oracle Corp., Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX will own a major stake in the JV.

Following the news, Oracle shares gained around 5.4% in the after hours trading, to reach $189.68.

Under the deal, ByteDance will retain 19.9% of the new U.S. joint venture named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, while Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX will hold 15% each. According to the memo, the remaining 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors.

The deal is set to close on January 22, ending efforts by Trump to force ByteDance for the sale of its US operations citing national security concerns.

The joint venture is said to operate as an independent entity with authority over U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance.

Zi Chew said, "We have signed agreements with investors regarding a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, enabling over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community."

As per the reports, the deal terms are in line with executive order signed in September by Trump, approving a proposed deal that would keep TikTok operational in the U.S.

The CEO also declared that the deal met the divestiture requirements terms required by a 2024 law.

Chew added that the new TikTok joint venture would be majority owned by American investors, governed by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, and subject to terms that protect Americans' data and U.S. national security.

Along with being an investor, Oracle will serve as the trusted security partner, and sensitive U.S. data will be stored in Oracle's U.S.-based cloud computing data centers.

The White House previously said that Oracle will license TikTok's recommendation algorithm as part of the deal.

In April 2024, the US Congress during President Joe Biden's administration had passed a law to ban the app on national security grounds, unless it was sold. TikTok was to be banned in the U.S. starting January 20, 2025 unless ByteDance sells it to a non-Chinese buyer or one of its allies.

Meanwhile, Trump pushed back the decision many times as the administration worked out a deal to transfer its ownership.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Renewable energy company Iberdrola, S.A. (IBDSF.PK), Friday announced an agreement to fully acquire the Ararat Wind Farm, located in the state of Victoria, Australia, from Partners Group and OPTrust. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition would boost the company's ability to supply its customers portfolio with own generation in Victoria, as well as strengthen its commitment to expanding renewable energy in Australia.

The transaction is also in line with the company's recently presented 2025-28 plan, which estimates a total investment of over 1 billion euros in Australia.

Iberdrola's stock is trading at $21.02, down 0.47 percent on the OTC Markets.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Alvotech (ALVO) and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) have secured a U.S. license entry date for AVT06, the proposed biosimilar to Regeneron's Eylea, setting the stage for a potential fourth-quarter 2026 launch, pending .

AVT06, an Aflibercept biosimilar, has already cleared regulatory hurdles in the United Kingdom, Japan, and across the European Economic Area.

The settlement with Regeneron grants commercial entry in the U.S. in late 2026 - or earlier under certain circumstances- marking a major milestone for the partners' ophthalmology portfolio expansion.

Robert Wessman, Alvotech's Chairman and CEO, said the agreement positions the companies for a U.S. debut following recent approvals in Europe and Japan, reinforcing momentum behind the biosimilar's global rollout.

In January 2024, Alvotech reported positive results from a confirmatory clinical study comparing AVT06 with Eylea in patients with neovascular wet age-related macular degeneration. The trial met its primary endpoint, demonstrating high similarity in efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity between the biosimilar candidate and the reference product.

Aflibercept, the active ingredient in Eylea, works by binding vascular endothelial growth factors to inhibit receptor activation, neovascularization, and vascular permeability- key drivers of retinal disease progression.

AVT06 is marketed as Mynzepli in the U.K. and European Economic Area and as Aflibercept BS in Japan. Its expanding regulatory footprint underscores Alvotech's strategy to build a diversified biosimilar portfolio spanning autoimmune disorders, eye disease, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, and oncology.

The settlement strengthens Teva's biosimilar ambitions under its "Pivot to Growth" strategy, which emphasizes expanding its innovative and biosimilar pipeline while leveraging its global generics infrastructure.

ALVO has traded between $4.32 and $13.07 over the past year. The stock closed yesterday's trading at $4.73, down 5.04%.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The made-in-India Suzuki Baleno has received a 2-star safety rating in the latest Latin NCAP crash tests, as per results released in December 2025. The tested model was the Baleno equipped with six airbags, manufactured in India and exported to Latin American markets. Baleno with 2 airbags got 1 star rating. The rating applies specifically to vehicles sold in Latin NCAP regions and does not directly reflect the India-spec assessment under Bharat NCAP norms.

According to the official test data, the Baleno scored 79% for Adult Occupant Protection, 65% for Child Occupant Protection, 48% for Pedestrian Protection, and 58% for Safety Assist. Latin NCAP confirmed that the bodyshell was rated as stable and capable of withstanding further loadings. Frontal and side impact protection for adult occupants was largely rated as good to adequate, while whiplash protection in rear impact tests also received a good assessment.

Safety Equipment and Missing Assist Features Impact Overall Score

While the Baleno tested by Latin NCAP comes with six airbags, ESC as standard, seatbelt reminders for all seating positions and ISOFIX child-seat mounts, the absence of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) played a key role in limiting its overall star rating. The model lacks features such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Assist, Speed Assist, Blind Spot Detection and other active safety technologies, all of which carry significant weight in Latin NCAPs Safety Assist scoring criteria.

As a result, despite respectable crash structure performance, the Safety Assist score remained moderate, which ultimately capped the Balenos overall star rating at three stars under the Latin NCAP protocol.

Contrast With Bharat NCAP Results in India

Interestingly, earlier this year, Bharat NCAP tested the India-spec Maruti Suzuki Baleno, where it secured a 4-star safety rating  for both 2 airbags and 6 airbags variant. The difference in star ratings highlights how varying assessment protocols, scoring weightages, and safety feature expectations across regions can lead to different outcomes for the same vehicle architecture.

Latin NCAP has clarified that the rating applies only to Baleno models sold in its markets, which often have different feature packaging compared to Indian variants. The test vehicle was confirmed to be manufactured in India and exported, reinforcing Indias role as a global production hub for Maruti Suzukis premium hatchback . Overall, the results underline the importance of evaluating crash test ratings within their regional and regulatory context, rather than drawing direct comparisons across different NCAP programmes.
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MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia's fish exports are expected to reach 6 billion U.S. dollars by 2025, marking a significant increase compared with 2024, according to the country's fisheries agency.

The growth in exports is driven mainly by higher value rather than by increased volumes, said the head of Russia's Federal Agency for Fishery Ilya Shestakov on Friday, noting that 30 to 35 percent of Russia's total exports are processed products rather than raw materials.

Featuring abundant fishery resources, Russia's Sea of Azov and Lake Baikal have seen an increase in sturgeon and omul fish respectively in recent years, he said.

The catch volumes of various aquatic biological resources nationwide have exceeded last year's levels, Shestakov said, adding that modern technologies are being applied to ensure more efficient vessel operations and to better detect fish stocks. 
Japan, as a defeated country in World War II, must do deep soul-searching regarding its historical crimes, abide by the political commitments it made on the Taiwan question, immediately stop provocative actions that cross the line, and retract its erroneous remarks, a Chinese envoy said Thursday.
BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday she remained confident the European Union (EU) could sign a free trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur in January, even after the plan was delayed at an EU summit where support fell short.

Von der Leyen was supposed to Brazil on Saturday for a signing ceremony, but the trip was contingent on securing a broad majority among EU member states. Italy asked for more time, leaving the Commission without enough backing to proceed.

"This evening, we have achieved a breakthrough to pave the way for a successful completion of the agreement in January. We need a few extra weeks to address some issues with member states," von der Leyen said.

She argued the timing was important as trade tensions intensify globally. "In a year dominated by news of rising tariffs and new trade restrictions, the positive impact of this pact matters, not just for our two regions, but for the global economy," she said.

Von der Leyen also sought to reassure sceptical capitals and farming lobbies. "With additional checks and safeguards, we have built in all necessary protections for our farmers and our consumers," she said.

Critics led by France and Italy warn the pact could open the door to a surge of cheaper commodities that would undercut European farmers. The European summit that began on Thursday triggered a protest of thousands of farmers, which later turned violent after protesters threw potatoes and rocks and smashed windows within a stone's throw of the European Parliament and the Europa Building, prompting Belgian police to use tear gas and water cannon.

Initiated more than 20 years ago, the deal reached an agreement in principle in 2019, with negotiations finalized in 2024. In terms of tariff cuts, the deal would be the EU's largest trade deal.

Procedurally, the deal required approval under qualified majority voting by EU governments, at least 15 member states representing 65 percent of the bloc's population. But with Italy's position pivotal, it failed to reach the required threshold. 
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The suspect in last week's mass shooting at Brown University was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Fox News reported on Thursday. 
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A suicide blast followed by armed assaults on an army fort in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province left one security forces soldier dead and four militants killed on Friday, security sources said.

The incident took place in North Waziristan district, where militants launched a coordinated attack on the Boya army fort in the morning, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Heavy firing continued for several hours before subsiding, the sources said.

According to preliminary information shared by the sources, four militants were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces.

Four troops were also injured in the attack, and civilian casualties were also reported, but their details had not yet been confirmed, the sources added.

Security forces cordoned off the area soon after the attack and launched a clearance operation to ensure no militants remained in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, a militant group associated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, identifying itself as Aswaad ul Harab, claimed responsibility for the attack through a message on the Telegram messaging platform, the sources said.

Authorities said investigations were underway, and security in the area has been further tightened. 
BEIJING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- No matter how many advanced weapons are sold to China's Taiwan region, they cannot hinder the historical trend that China will eventually and surely be reunified, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here on Friday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query related to the latest arms sales approved by the United States to Taiwan.

"No one or any force should underestimate the strong will and ability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Guo. 
London stocks were steady in early trade on Friday as investors mulled the latest retail sales and borrowing figures.

At 0850 GMT, the FTSE 100 was flat at 9,839.81.

Data released earlier by the Office for National Statistics showed that retail sales softened in November, undershooting expectations for a small rise, after Black Friday failed to bolster demand.

Retail sales volumes were estimated to have fallen by 0.1% on a seasonally-adjusted basis, following an upwardly revised fall of 0.9% in October. Analysts had been expecting a 0.4% uplift.

In the three months to November, sales rose 0.6%, boosted by strong performances from both clothing shops and computer and telecommunication retailers. However, the three-month rise was below expectations, for a 0.9% increase.

Seasonally-adjusted figures strip out the effect of Black Friday, which this year was on 28 November; last year it fell into the ONSs December reporting period.

On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, sales volumes jumped 11.9%, compared with a 4.4% rise in October.

The ONS said data suggested that the Black Friday effect was "slightly weaker than usual" this year.

According to its own research into public opinions, less than a third of adults said they planned to shop in the Black Friday sales.

Separate figures from the ONS showed that government borrowing hit a four-year low in November.

Borrowing - which is the difference between total public sector spending and income - came in at 11.7bn, down 1.9bn on November 2024 and the lowest borrowing figure for that month since 2021. Nevertheless, it was above economists expectations for a decline to 10bn.

Borrowing in the financial year to November was 132.3bn, up 10bn on the same period a year earlier and the second-highest April to November borrowing on record after that of 2020.

ONS senior statistician Tom Davies said: "Despite an increase in spending, this months borrowing was the lowest November for four years. The main reason for the drop from last year was increased receipts from taxes and National Insurance contributions.

"However, across the financial year to date as a whole, borrowing is higher than last year."

Investors were also digesting the latest survey from GfK, which revealed that consumer confidence improved a little in December but remained subdued.

In equity markets, WH Smith slumped as it said the Financial Conduct Authority has begun an investigation into the group after accounting failures in its US operations and as it reported a drop in full-year profit before tax and non-underlying items to 108m from 114m.

The company also said it was looking to recover overpaid bonuses from former executive directors following the restatement of profits in the 2023 and 2024 financial years.

Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor, said: "The lack of a bounce to the update, when perhaps the bad news should already have been factored in, is proof if it were needed that investor confidence is sorely lacking. The decline follows a precipitous drop when the North American issue was announced, with the shares 37% down since the announcement and 42% lighter over the last year, as compared to a gain of 9.4% for the wider FTSE250.

"The slump has also prevented the group from recapturing its pre-pandemic glories, instead of which the share price is 74% lower than the levels of December 2019. With so much investor confidence damage to repair, a market consensus which has reduced from a previous buy to stand at a hold for the time being is of little surprise."
London stocks were set to fall at the open on Friday following solid gains in the previous session, as investors mulled the latest retail sales and borrowing figures.

The FTSE 100 was called to open down around 38 points.

Data released earlier by the Office for National Statistics showed retail sales softened in November, undershooting expectations for a small rise.

Retail sales volumes were estimated to have fallen by 0.1% on a seasonally-adjusted basis, following an upwardly revised fall of 0.9% in October.

In the three months to November, sales rose 0.6%, boosted by strong performances from both clothing shops and from computer and telecommunication retailers.

However, the three-month rise was below expectations, for a 0.9% uplift.

ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: "Retail continued to grow in the three months to November, helped by a strong performance from clothing and tech shops.

"This year Novembers Black Friday discounts did not boost sales as much as in some recent years, meaning that once we adjust for usual seasonality, our headline figures fell a little on the month.

"Meanwhile, our separate household survey showed that although some people said they were planning to do more shopping more this Black Friday than last, almost twice as many said they were planning to do less."

Separate figures from the ONS showed that government borrowing hit a four-year low in November.

Borrowing - which is the difference between total public sector spending and income - came in at 11.7bn, down 1.9bn on November 2024 and the lowest borrowing figure for that month since 2021.

ONS senior statistician Tom Davies said: "Despite an increase in spending, this months borrowing was the lowest November for four years. The main reason for the drop from last year was increased receipts from taxes and National Insurance contributions.

"However, across the financial year to date as a whole, borrowing is higher than last year."

In corporate news, infrastructure group Balfour Beatty said it has sold Foundry Courtyard, a 536-bed student accommodation building in Glasgow to an undisclosed buyer.

After allowing for debt repayment and normal adjusting items, net disposal proceeds to Balfour Beatty are 26m, with the sale generating a profit on disposal of 24m, the company said.

Electricity infrastructure firm SSE said that its majority-owned subsidiary, SSEN Transmission, has secured a 1bn bank facility backed by an 800m financial guarantee from the UK Government's National Wealth Fund.

SSE, which owns 75% of SSEN Transmission, said the 12-year bank facility would support four major grid upgrade projects underway in the north of Scotland and has been syndicated to a group of SSEN's relationship banks, led by Bank of America, and including BBVA, HSBC, JP Morgan, Lloyds, MUFG, NatWest and Santander.
TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX  ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on 22 January, according to an internal memo seen by he Associated Press and Reuters. The TikTok chief executive officer, Shou Zi Chew, said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.  Guardian

Britains roads and runways will take a festive pounding on Friday as traffic peaks before Christmas and record numbers head to the skies. Motoring organisations are forecasting exceptionally busy roads, with getaways expected to peak on Saturday and Christmas Eve. However, they say the mix of commuter travel, shopping trips and early departures will make Friday the most congested day.  Guardian

BPs new chief executive must abandon net zero and steer the company decisively back to oil and gas, shareholders have said. Investors said the shock departure of chief executive Murray Auchincloss should prompt the BP to refocus on what it does best. The British oil giant shocked the world by announcing the departure of Mr Auchincloss late on Wednesday evening. He is to be replaced by Meg ONeill, a 55-year-old American who currently heads up the Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy. - Telegraph

Hogan Lovells, Britains sixth highest-earning law firm, is to merge with the oldest legal practice on Wall Street in a deal creating a business with annual revenue of 2.7 billion. In an announcement on Thursday evening, partners in London said that they had struck an agreement with their opposite numbers at Cadwalader in what is expected to result in the creation of the fifth biggest law firm in the world by revenue.  The Times

The American investment firm that owns Waterstones and Barnes & Noble is reported to be gearing up to float the booksellers in London or New York next year. Elliott Management has approached potential advisers about a possible multibillion-pound initial public offering (IPO) and could appoint investment banks in early next year, according to the Financial Times.  The Times
Chloe Gong (Our Violent Ends) delivers a fractured not-too-distant future in her electric, visionary dystopian cyberpunk trilogy opener, Coldwire.

Catastrophic climate disasters and rapidly mutating pandemics have forced most of the world's population to live virtually in "upcountry"--a computer-generated reality run by the corporate juggernaut NileCorp--while the less privileged remain "downcountry" in the deteriorating real world. In addition, the two most powerful nations, Atahua and Medaluo, are locked in a cold war. Eirale, a corporate soldier for NileCorp and Medan by birth, is stationed in downcountry, where she is framed for a crime and forced to work with "Atahua's most wanted anarchist" to prove her innocence. Lia, a Medan adopted by an Atahuan family, is a graduate of Atahua's military academy and must prove her merit in her final assignment: tracking down an Atahuan traitor in upcountry. Eirale's and Lia's missions converge around an AI program that could upend the countries' power balance and challenge the boundary between what's real and what isn't.

Gong shares a glimpse into a possible stark future through Lia's and Eirale's alternating perspectives, spotlighting child exploitation and corporate influence on government while discussing the complexity of relationships with social media and AI. Gong's well-thought-out world is complex and layered, giving rise to nuanced conversations about identity and otherness, whether that's related to a Medan not being Atahuan enough or a cadet feeling disconnected from reality. She also deftly poses questions about users' right to privacy, survival under capitalism, and resource equity. This high-stakes dystopian thriller is a cinematic blend of cyberpunk, political intrigue, and sharp social commentary. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader
Daniel Woodrell, who was "known for prose as rugged and elemental as the igneous rock of the Ozark Mountains, his birthplace, which he returned to just as his artistic craftsmanship peaked," died November 28 at age 72, the New York Times reported. Woodrell was best known for his novel Winter's Bone (2006), which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly, "a girl in rural Missouri whose family home will be seized unless she finds her father, a meth cook on the lam."



Two more of his novels were adapted into films: Woe to Live On (1987), which became Ride With the Devil (1999), directed by Ang Lee; and Tomato Red (1998), a 2017 movie starring Julia Garner. Woodrell's other books include Give Us a Kiss (1996), The Death of Sweet Mister (2001), and The Maid's Version (2013).



Despite the attention from Hollywood, Woodrell "did not become a public figure himself. Instead, he was an artist admired by close observers of contemporary fiction as a master storyteller of rural America," the Times noted. In the early 2010s, Esquire described him as "one of American literature's best-kept secrets," and the Times said he "writes about violence and dark deeds better than almost anyone in America today."



"He writes high Greek tragedy about low people, and he never panders or looks down on the people he writes about," author Dennis Lehane told Esquire. "As a prose stylist, he's done what all the best do: taken the regional voice of the world he writes about and turned it into poetry."



Woodrell considered his novels "country noir," which he described in a 1994 Times article as portraying "the allegedly folksy and bucolic heartland as the frequently rude and savage and dark world those of us who've done our time there know it can be is to explode a happy myth of fantasy-America."



After serving in the military during the Vietnam era, Woodrell "took to hitchhiking with his military duffel and landed in Tijuana," the Times wrote. While eating street tacos, he was approached by "a scruffy young man" who offered to trade a copy of Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast for his last two tacos. Woodrell made the trade and went on to "read the book feverishly, not sleeping."



In Hemingway's descriptions of becoming a writer, Woodrell discovered, as he later recalled in an essay in the Atlantic, "a sense of vocation.... I needed very much to devote myself to something demanding, something I would give everything to all the while knowing my everything might not be enough." He earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Kansas in his late 20s and then a master's degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.



Woodrell once told Esquire that the Ozarks "were a place to mind your own business, go off the grid, avoid the law, hide." In an Associated Press piece, he said that he was the last of his family still in West Plains, Mo., but was reluctant to move: "There are a lot of things you can hear in the air that you can't read. About half the stories are anecdotes I heard around town."
A darkly entertaining satire set in present-day Cambridge, Mass., The Award by Matthew Pearl tells the story of an unscrupulous writer's improbable rise to the upper echelons of literary society. It is a superb caricature of a ruthlessly ambitious young man who will stop at nothing, even murder, to claw his way to the top.

Armed with an MFA, dwindling funds, and an endlessly patient fiancee, David Trent is "always trying to finish the same first novel" while fending off panic that "he could never be good enough." His rival is the self-assured, Harvard and Iowa Writers Workshop-educated Barnaby Masters, whose career trajectory, in Pearl's marvelously twisted plot, is inextricably linked to David's.

When David and his intended, Bonnie, rent an apartment above that of renowned author and New Yorker fiction editor Silas Hale, David is convinced the proximity to literary greatness will rub off on him. Remarkably, it does. David wins the "Boston Literary Prize for Best First Novel" for his debut, a feat that catapults him to national fame. Barnaby is grudgingly impressed, as is Silas, a mean old curmudgeon who bullies his new neighbor. But how far will David go to maintain his literary perch?

Pearl (The Last Bookaneer), wickedly witty in describing his compatriots, refers to writers as "domesticated dogs, easily suspicious just at the sight of each other for no particular reason." Luck, "a Cambridge writer's most coveted commodity," might be on David's side for a time, but in the end, it is Barnaby who turns out to be the perfect foil for the spectacular moral reckoning Pearl has in store for his cunning protagonist. --Shahina Piyarali
Professional and personal issues occupy British private detective Charles Lenox in Charles Finch's stylish The Hidden City, set in 1879.

As he heals from being stabbed during a recent investigation in the U.S., Lenox is drawn into a cold case involving Mrs. Huggins, his beloved former housekeeper. She relates that the previous owner of her home, a chemist with a nasty reputation, was murdered seven years earlier, and she fears the killer has returned. A stranger has been sleeping on her front stairs, and scratches at her keyhole indicate that someone attempted to break into her house. The case takes Lenox to London's backstreets, brothels, and drug dens, where opiates are dispensed.

Meanwhile, Lenox and his wife, Lady Jane, open their home to Angela, the daughter of his recently deceased cousin Jasper, who lived in India. Accompanying Angela without advance notice is Sari, an Indian girl who was taken in by Jasper; she and Angela grew up together. Lenox and Lady Jane don't hesitate to welcome both girls, though they are concerned that society may not be accepting of brown-skinned Sari. Lenox also worries about Lady Jane's safety when she joins a women's suffrage protest and threatening notes arrive afterward.

Finch (The Woman in the Water) alternates between Lenox's work and home life. Rather than link the two through a series of coincidences, Finch's purposeful separation of the business and the personal makes for a stronger story, which thoughtfully explores issues as he moves through different parts of society.

The Hidden City, Finch's 15th installment in his Charles Lenox series, moves at a brisk clip, led by an intelligent, compassionate detective. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer
The News in Brief Friday, December 19, 2025

United National Movement chairwoman Tina Bokuchava said Georgia's decision to join the International Claims Commission for Ukraine is an attempt by ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to improve his standing with Western partners rather than a genuine show of support for Ukraine.Her comments came after Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili signed the convention establishing the claims commission, which was created by 34 countries and the European Union to address damage caused by Russia's war in Ukraine.Bokuchava pointed to the government's earlier refusal to back a special tribunal for Russian war crimes discussed under the Council of Europe, calling the shift in position opportunistic."This means only one thing, Bidzina is bargaining," Bokuchava said. "He needed to appear in a positive light internationally, and supporting Ukraine in a legal format was the easiest way to do that."She accused Ivanishvili of sending mixed signals to Western partners, arguing that symbolic gestures abroad contrast with domestic actions."Like Putin, who negotiates during the day and bombs civilians at night, Ivanishvili will continue his actions at home while trying to trade favors with the West," Bokuchava said.According to Bokuchava, the move does not represent a real policy change but another attempt to strike a deal with international partners.The International Claims Commission aims to create a legal mechanism for compensation linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Georgia joined the initiative with the signing of the convention by Botchorishvili.First Vice-Speaker of Georgian Dream Parliament Gia Volski said there is no legal basis for suspending Georgia's visa-free travel to the European Union, dismissing concerns raised in the latest conclusions of the European Council Presidency on enlargement.Volski argued that the EU does not have a unified or clear position on punitive measures against Georgia and that the criteria for suspending visa-free travel apply broadly to dozens of countries."There is no prerequisite for stopping visa-free travel for Georgia, although everything is possible," Volski said. "They will try, but this is not a clear-cut attitude. People in Europe do not think that their taxes should be spent on war or on organizing a revolution in Georgia."The conclusions issued by the European Council Presidency state that Georgia's EU accession process has effectively reached a deadlock until the authorities demonstrate a firm commitment to returning to the path of integration. The document also criticizes Georgia for failing to implement recommendations from the seventh report under the visa suspension mechanism and urges the government to meet visa liberalization criteria without delay.Volski rejected claims that Georgia has failed to meet technical requirements, particularly on border management and migration control. He said Georgia has effective oversight in these areas and that recent changes to the suspension mechanism focus mainly on asylum applications and border crossings.One remaining point of criticism, according to Volski, concerns the treatment of political opponents. He described this as a double standard, arguing that authorities are expected to refrain from enforcing the law in response to violent or destabilizing actions."They tell us the law should not respond to setting fires in the street, attacking police officers or occupying state institutions," Volski said. "That cannot be done."Volski also pointed to divisions within the EU, noting that member states were unable to agree on a formal resolution regarding Georgia. Instead, a chairman's document was adopted, reflecting a lack of consensus. He said a similar split exists over the issue of visa-free travel."The level of justice that Brussels has offered does not meet the standards the European Union has," Volski said.Despite the criticism from Brussels, Volski insisted that public opinion in Europe does not support suspending visa-free travel or escalating pressure on Georgia."In Europe, people do not believe their taxes should be spent on war or revolution in Georgia," he said.
WELLINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's fruit exports rose 28 percent to 6.1 billion NZ dollars (3.52 billion NZ dollars) in the year ended November 2025, buoyed by strong Chinese demand for gold kiwifruit and apples, Stats NZ reported Friday.

This marked the second time that New Zealand's fruit exports reached 6 billion NZ dollars after first getting to this value in the year ended October 2025, according to the statistics department.

Kiwifruit and apples accounted for more than 90 percent of total fruit export value in the year ended November 2025, said Stats NZ international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward.

China and the European Union were the top destinations for New Zealand's gold and green kiwifruit respectively, while China remained New Zealand's largest market for apples, taking over a quarter of its total apple export value, Stats NZ said.

Exports of New Zealand apples climbed 29 percent, or 280 million NZ dollars, from a year earlier, with volumes up 13 percent and unit prices up 14 percent, it said.

Cherries exports earned 125 million NZ dollars over the period, and avocado exports totaled 107 million NZ dollars, statistics showed. (1 NZ dollar equals 0.58 U.S. dollar) 
The second novel in a trilogy featuring an unnamed boy, The Sorrow of Angels by Icelandic author Jon Kalman Stefansson (Your Absence Is Darkness) will leave readers breathless and eager for the final installment but not before taking them on an epic journey through ice, snow, and the dark corners of the human heart.

Like the trilogy's opening volume, Heaven and Hell, this fiercely intelligent title pits its characters against the capricious climate of Iceland, rightly identifying its importance early on: "The weather controls everything here, it models our lives like clay." The Sorrow of Angels begins as the boy emerges from the warmth of his new home to greet Postman Jens, frozen to the horse he's riding. Only later does the boy find he must forgo his pending education and follow Jens over the heath "on a journey, out to the end of the world. Where Iceland ends and eternal winter begins."

With a lilting, direct translation from Philip Roughton, The Sorrow of Angels describes the men and their grueling trek to deliver the mail. They are knocked down time and again by the force of nature but rise through sheer will and perseverance. This is an unremitting tale that rushes through its final pages to an unexpected and unresolved ending, but it is also a wonder, fascinating and full of truth. As Jens and the boy walk, "two men in search of themselves," they face universal questions: how to move forward despite uncertainty, how to love in the face of loss, and how to trust--themselves and others. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian
Emma Stonex's second novel (after The Lamplighters) is a slow-burn psychological revenge thriller that uses multiple timelines, points of view, and geographic locations to create a layered and nuanced portrait of human nature and the need for adequate nurturing.

The Sunshine Man begins in 1989 as Birdie, one of two narrators, learns that Jimmy Maguire, the man who killed her sister, Providence, is being released from prison. Taking the gun she has saved for this occasion, Birdie leaves her family in London and travels to Devon to track down and kill Jimmy. Along the way, Birdie recalls her childhood: abandoned by her mentally unstable mother but raised, along with Providence, by a loving grandmother. Jimmy, the youngest of a troubled, violent family forever on the wrong side of the law, was taken in by Birdie's family and grew close to Providence until a series of disturbing events upended all their lives. The second point of view is Jimmy, whose narrative alternates between flashbacks to his youth, his prison diaries, and the present, when he senses he is being stalked. Stonex skillfully juxtaposes the two points of view to illustrate how differences in perception can have devastating consequences.

Moody, suspenseful, and filled with some surprising twists, The Sunshine Man succeeds as a literary thriller. However, Stonex offers her readers much more with a novel that excavates questions of how people can be shaped by their earliest relationships and how access to basic support systems throughout someone's life can not only alter its trajectory but allow for redemption. --Debra Ginsberg, author and freelance editor
Adani Group is in talks to build small modular nuclear reactors in Uttar Pradesh

The project could add about 1,600 MW to Adanis clean energy portfolio

India has opened the nuclear sector to private players to boost investments

The Adani Group is preparing to enter Indias nuclear energy space as the government opens the sector to private companies. According to people familiar with the matter, the conglomerate is in discussions with the Uttar Pradesh government to develop a commercial nuclear power project, marking a major step in its clean energy expansion plans.

The proposal involves setting up eight small modular reactors (SMRs), each with a capacity of 200 megawatts, which would together generate around 1,600 MW of nuclear power. Talks are still at an early stage, and the state government has not yet finalized a suitable riverside location, which is essential to ensure a reliable water supply for reactor operations.

This potential move aligns with the Adani Groups broader strategy to diversify its renewable and low-carbon energy portfolio. It also comes at a time when India is working to reduce dependence on fossil fuels while meeting rising electricity demand driven by data centers, digital infrastructure, and AI-led growth.

The timing is significant. Parliament recently approved reforms allowing private firms to enter the nuclear power sector, which was tightly regulated for decades. The policy shift is expected to unlock investment opportunities worth nearly $214 billion. As part of this push, the central government announced a Nuclear Energy Mission in the Union Budget, committing Rs 20,000 crore toward research and development of small modular reactors.

Also Read: Mexico's Tariff Hike Poses Threat to India's Auto and Aluminum Shipments

Other large Indian groups, including Tata Group and JSW Group, are also exploring opportunities in nuclear energy, signaling growing industry interest in the newly opened sector. SMRs, in particular, are seen as a scalable and safer option compared to traditional large nuclear plants.

While the Adani Group and the Uttar Pradesh government have not issued official comments yet, the discussions highlight how major conglomerates are positioning themselves early in Indias evolving nuclear landscape. If finalized, the project could play a key role in strengthening Indias long-term clean energy mix.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island man and two alleged co-conspirators pleaded guilty Thursday in Brooklyn federal court to orchestrating a multimillion-dollar investment fraud scheme that targeted investors nationwide, including senior victims, prosecutors announced.

Peter Girgis, 44, of Pleasant Plains; John Cangialosi, 44, of Manalapan, New Jersey; and Gene Sarabella, 37, also known as Jerry, of Monroe, New Jersey, admitted to all counts of a five-count indictment before U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, investment adviser fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Each faces a potential sentence of up to 60 years in prison. The men had been scheduled to stand trial Jan. 12.

The defendants were the architects of a vast fraud scheme targeting investors here in the Eastern District of New York and all throughout the country, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement.

He said the men concealed excessive fees, misrepresented securities and used investor funds to enrich themselves, largely through the purchase of luxury watches.

Court filings allege the defendants operated Max Infinity Management LLC and Elder Fund Management LLC, which marketed investments in privately held companies purportedly preparing for initial public offerings.

The businesses functioned as a boiler-room-style call center (a high-pressure sales operation) that made repeated misrepresentations about both the investments and the firms themselves, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the defendants falsely told investors that Max Infinity would profit only through a 20% share of gains following an initial public offering. An IPO is the process where a private company first sells shares of its stock to the general public.

In reality, they secretly charged markups exceeding 95% of an investments value and paid sales commissions of up to 15% using investor funds, while concealing those fees, prosecutors said.

Court documents describe multiple layers of deception. The defendants claimed they acquired shares directly from companies or employees but instead allegedly purchased most interests from other investment funds or through publicly available online platforms.

They also allegedly told investors shares were in inventory and that funds would be held in escrow, though the interests often had not been purchased and investor money was largely spent.

Prosecutors said the defendants diverted millions of dollars through undisclosed distributions to themselves. They also falsely claimed Max Infinity had invested in Palantir, Facebook and Airbnb  all of which went public before the company was founded  and never returned a profit to any investor, prosecutors said.

According to court filings, the defendants misled clients about Max Infinitys regulatory status by sending a link to a website that falsely suggested registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The defendants also concealed that Girgis and Cangialosi had each been suspended for nine months by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and had extensive disciplinary histories, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the operation relied on scripted, high-pressure sales tactics that specifically targeted elderly investors. Scripts promised triple digit returns, described securities as dirt cheap and falsely claimed they spent millions on research before recommending investments, authorities said.

Court documents allege the defendants laundered millions of dollars in proceeds from the scheme, including through the purchase of dozens of high-end watches.

Prosecutors noted that two other defendants  Enrico Carini, 40, also known as Ed, of Pleasant Plains, and Caner Otar, 38, also known as John, of Brooklyn  previously pleaded guilty in the case.

The guilty pleas were announced by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York and the FBI.
Assemblyman Charles D. Fall has introduced legislation that would create a tax credit for restaurants that donate meals to address food insecurity while supporting local small businesses.

Fall announced the proposal at Lebanese Eatery on Port Richmond Avenue in Staten Island, alongside nonprofit organization Rethink Food. The bill was developed through Falls partnership with the organization and informed by work connecting local restaurants with families facing food insecurity.

Under the proposal, New York state restaurants would be eligible for up to $10,000 per year, per location for donated meals. Federal support could provide up to $50,000 per year, per location, capped at $800 million nationwide.

Food insecurity is a daily reality for too many New Yorkers, and it affects health, stability, and dignity all at once, Fall said. This tax credit turns local restaurants into anchors for community care. It keeps small businesses strong while ensuring families, seniors, and neighbors have access to real, nutritious meals.

The legislation aims to mobilize local businesses to expand access to nutritious meals while keeping dollars circulating in local economies. Fall said the proposal comes at a time when federal uncertainty around SNAP benefits and food assistance programs has strained working families.

Tarek Wazzan, owner of Lebanese Eatery, said restaurants want to help their neighbors but need support. Assemblymember Falls efforts recognize that small businesses can be powerful partners in supporting our neighbors, Wazzan said.

Matt Jozwiak, founder and CEO of Rethink Food, said the tax credit would enable restaurants to sustainably serve their communities at scale. Chef-owners like Tarek want to do more for their neighbors, and the Chef-to-Community tax credit gives them the support to do just that, Jozwiak said.

Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, called the tax credit a critically important tool to support small businesses and workers who give back to their communities, sustain this vital work, and encourage more restaurants to participate.

Rethink Food has provided more than 33 million meals to local communities since 2017, turned over 3 million pounds of donated food into meals, and directed more than $144 million to small local restaurants and food businesses.

The bill has been formally introduced in the New York State Assembly and will be advanced through the legislative process in the coming session.
STATEN ISLAND, NY -- The New York Police Department retirees Verrazano 10-13 Association held their annual Christmas holiday luncheon on Wednesday, where they awarded educational scholarships to family members and announced a change in leadership.

The luncheon, held at LiGrecis Staaten in West Brighton, brought together current leaders, association members and NYPD officials, including Assistant Chief Melissa Eger, Deputy Chief Matthew Harrington and Deputy Inspector Eric J. Waldhelm as well as representatives from District Attorney Michael McMahons office. It also featured live music and raffles.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

Christopher Piazza, the current association president, began the event with an opening address, congratulating members on a successful year and reminding them of the importance of continuing to participate.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Courtesy of Mya Greene

Theres a list that goes on and on that helps contribute to this association to make us grow, to help us give out those scholarships, to make sure that we give out those donation checks to fallen brothers and sisters in the NYPD, or if theres tragedy in a retired officers life, he shared. Thats what this association was created for. Hence the 10-13, an officer in emergency need, when thats what this association is about, and I was proud to be your president for the last five years.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

Piazza also announced that this would be his last luncheon as president. After nearly five years leading the organization, he has decided to step down to an advisory position. Current vice president and recording secretary Tom Dembinski will step into the role in the new year.

Eger, the first female borough commander in Staten Islands history, also said a few words, sharing her love for the association and gratitude for their involvement.

I just want to thank you for your support, for recognizing us, for inviting us here today. We love hearing your stories, she said. Theres so much experience and wisdom in this room, and its just really refreshing and amazing to see how you give back to each other. A job that takes a lot from us, that has taken a lot from us, and its nice to spend time together.

The event included a scholarship awards ceremony featuring four recipients, who had all been sponsored by members of the association.

Its about giving back to our brothers and sisters. They have opportunities for their children. You know, times are tough, and its a way of us giving back to the retirees that put in the time and the service on the job, Piazza said. We want to help assist with them and their grandchildren and their childrens educations.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Assistant Chief Melissa Eger also spoke at the event. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten. Christopher Piazza awarded a scholarship to a member's relative during the lunch. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

The Verrazano 10-13 College Scholarship, valued at $1,000 and given in memory of Richard Commesso, went to Lucy Dattilo for Molloy College. She was sponsored by Thomas Dembinski.

The Charles Maganato College Scholarship, valued at $500, was awarded to Sidney Paul for San Diego State University. She was sponsored by Thomas Marten.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

The Blue Wreath College Scholarship, valued at $500, was awarded to Markos Zaranis for Seton Hall University. He was sponsored by John Zaranis.

The Verrazano 10-13 High School Scholarship was awarded to Joseph Masella for Monsignor Farrell High School. He was sponsored by his grandfather, Joseph Masella.

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

The Verrazano 10-13 Association's annual holiday luncheon at LiGreci's Staaten featured scholarship presentations and President Piazza's farewell after five years of service. Advance/SILive | Nicolette Cavallaro

While contributing to education is a core part of the association, their main goal is to continue to support the health and wellbeing of their members, while continuing to grow the community.

This was a tradition thats been going on for probably over 10 to 15 years. Were here to educate them on their health care programs. Were trying to help them on whats going on in the world and financial assistance, he shared. This is more than a monthly meet and greet where were keeping everybody in the loop, and its a brotherhood and sisterhood that will never change. Theyre here to gather and talk about the old stories and to reminisce.
Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York after Dolan reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 earlier this year. Archbishop Ronald Hicks will succeed him in leading one of the nations largest Catholic archdioceses.

Dolan served as archbishop for 16 years, overseeing an archdiocese that spans Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and counties to the north including Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. The archdiocese operates nearly 300 parishes and serves approximately 2.5 million Catholics.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis issued a statement acknowledging the transition and expressing gratitude for Dolans tenure.

I congratulate Cardinal Timothy Dolan as he begins this next chapter after 16 years of faithful service to the Archdiocese of New York, Malliotakis said. Over the years, Ive come to know Cardinal Dolan well. All who have been in his presence know what a positive, joyful, faithful individual he is. My Catholic constituents and I will miss his guidance and good humor, and I am grateful for his leadership and commitment to New Yorkers.

Malliotakis also welcomed the incoming archbishop, saying she looks forward to working with Hicks as he assumes leadership of the archdiocese.
STATEN ISLAND, NY  Trinity Lutheran Church in Stapleton will host a Christmas concert featuring the holiday portion of Handels Messiah and festive carols on Dec. 20, 2025, at 4 p.m.

Wonder & Light: A Concert of Christmas Glory will take place in the historic Gothic sanctuary at 309 St. Pauls Ave. The performance will include a choir, chamber orchestra, and five New York soloists performing selections from Handels Messiah, ranging from Comfort Ye through the Hallelujah Chorus.

The soloists include soprano Sylvia Maisonet, mezzo-soprano Leanne Surace, alto Leslie Thompson, tenor Andrew Kay, and bass Michael Cheng. Thompson is a Staten Island native.

After intermission, the program will continue with Christmas works by John Rutter and David Willcocks, traditional carols, and a community finale.

With Wonder & Light, we want to give Staten Island a moment of beauty, warmth, and shared celebration during the Christmas season, said Trent Whisenant, artistic director. Trinitys sanctuary was built for sound that lifts the spirit, and this program brings that to life.

A complimentary reception with cocoa and cookies will follow the concert.

Doors open at 3:15 p.m. Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com/e/1758226856859?aff=oddtdtcreator or at the door.
Avatar director James Cameron is pulling no punches when it comes to President Donald Trump.

In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the Tinseltown legend called the president the most narcissistic a**hole in history since f***ing Nero.

The Titanic helmsman didnt back off from the criticism either.

Yeah, he told the magazine. You can quote that.

Its not the first time that Cameron has unloaded on Trump.

He had previously said he looked into becoming a citizen of New Zealand, where he lives part-time, after Trump won a second term in the White House.

Speaking in February, Cameron said he believes America was losing its core values under Trumps leadership.

He said, America doesnt stand for anything if it doesnt stand for what it has historically stood for. It becomes a hollow idea, and I think theyre hollowing it out as fast as they can for their own benefit.

Despite living outside the United States, Cameron said that there can be no escaping Trumps worldwide impact.

We are all in this together globally, he said.

Cameron said that looking at American coverage of Trump was like witnessing a car crash over and over and over.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, the Terminator director said: Im frustrated because the human race seems to be delusional about what they think is going to happen next. We are going backwards.

He said, But whos to say we wouldnt be going backwards even faster if it wasnt for these films? There isnt an alternative Earth without Avatar we can point to and say, It made the measurable difference.

He said, What we can say is the films are on the right side of history.

Avatar: Fire and Ice is out this week.
DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has called on citizens to remain alert and reject attempts by individuals seeking to incite violence and destabilize the country's long-standing peace.

Addressing a public rally on Thursday in Kiwira, in the Mbeya region, Nchemba emphasized that recent unrest was aimed at undermining national stability and disrupting economic and social activities.

Nchemba was in Mbeya for an official tour to inspect public infrastructure and private property damaged during the Oct. 29 disturbances, when violent protests erupted in parts of Tanzania following disputed presidential elections.

He warned that groups attempting to provoke chaos were driven by interest in Tanzania's natural resources, noting that the country's strategic wealth makes it a target for external manipulation.

Stressing that peace remains the foundation of all development, Nchemba called on citizens, particularly young people, not to be swayed or used by individuals with harmful intentions.

"Where there is no peace, no development activity can take place," he said, underscoring the need for national unity and cooperation in safeguarding stability.

He also directed public servants to strengthen service delivery by engaging directly with communities, particularly in remote areas, to better understand their needs and work with them to resolve challenges.

Responsive governance, he added, is essential to maintaining public trust and social cohesion. 
GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, a top MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, on Friday suddenly withdrew from the race to challenge Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in next years election, the New York Post reported.

Stefanik, long a favorite of the presidents, also announced that she will not seek re-election to her House seat in 2026s critical midterm congressional elections.

While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family, Stefanik posted on X.

The congresswoman continued, While we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.

Stefaniks shocking decision means that the GOP will avoid what could have been a bruising gubernatorial primary between the congresswoman and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Hochul widely led both Republicans in a recent poll even though more than half of those surveyed said that wanted a new governor.

Trump had not taken sides in the developing GOP gubernatorial primary.

Hes a friend. Shes a friend. These are two great people running. In a way, I hate to see them running against each other. I hope theyre not going to be damaging each other, the president had previously said.

Its not the first political disappointment for Stefanik, who represents the upstate 21st Congressional District.

Stefanik was Trumps first pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

While she accepted the post, Stefaniks name was eventually withdrawn due to concerns about losing her congressional seat with the GOPs already-slim majority in the House.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is under fire from his neighbors over a very relatable problem: parking in the neighborhood.

The New York Post reports that Newsoms ritzy neighbors are in an uproar about the ultra-exclusive parties at the govs house because the guests cars block the street and hog all the parking spots.

A shindig on Tuesday at Newsoms six-bedroom, 12,000-square-foot mansion in the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks resulted in massive SUVs taking up spots in a no-parking zone.

Newsom neighbor Andrea Marrapodi also griped that valets for the guests used all the parking on the street.

They were parking there all day and it was making it hard to turn, she said.

She said, I asked security three times very nicely, saying youre blocking traffic in the neighborhood. They said theyd move [the vehicles] but never did.

She said, They dont seem to really care about the neighbors.

A video that went viral on TikTok shows a row of vehicles occupying a roughly half-block section of the neighborhood next to a sign that reads: No parking at any time.

The video shows how the clogged block could be a potential safety hazard for people in the neighborhood navigating the narrow roadway.

DONALD TRUMP HAS MADE AMERICA SO DIVIDED THAT NEIGHBORS NOW DECLARE WAR ON CHRISTMAS, ONE PARKED CAR AT A TIME! Newsoms spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said in a dismissive, mocking statement to The Post.

The statement continued: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF CALIFORNIA, EVEN THE GRINCHES!!

The Newsoms moved into the home in 2019, according to reports, but later moved to a $9 million estate in exclusive Kentfield, Calif.

The property in Fair Oaks is now used for fundraisers and other events, Marrapodi said.

Theyre valeting cars all over the place so people who live here dont have anywhere to park, she said.

Marrapodi said, And all day yesterday it was cleaning up the event, with loud trucks, parking, people screaming.
Rep. Elise Stefanik dropped her bid for New York governor on Friday, citing the difficult path she would face to win after a divisive Republican primary.

Stefanik made her surprise announcement only 10 days after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman launched his own bid for the GOP nomination.

Stefanik and Blakeman are both fierce supporters of President Donald Trump, and the president declined to make an endorsement in the GOP race when asked last week.

Stefanik made it clear Friday that she hadnt counted on facing a primary challenger in her bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the 2026 election.

While we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York, Stefanik said in a note to supporters on Friday afternoon.

Stefanik said she also would not seek reelection to her seat in New Yorks 21st Congressional District, representing most of the North Country.

Instead, Stefanik said she will take a break from politics.

And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom, Stefanik said. I believe that being a parent is lifes greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this, and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I dont further focus on my young sons safety, growth, and happinessparticularly at his tender age."

The decision is a remarkable turn of events for Stefanik, whom Trump once praised as a rising star in the Republican Party. Trump backed Stefaniks bid to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney in 2021 as chair of the House Republican Conference.

Last year, Stefanik was among those Trump considered to serve as his vice presidential candidate. After Trump won the presidential election, he nominated Stefanik for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

But Trump pulled the nomination earlier this year and asked Stefanik to remain in Congress over concerns about the slim GOP majority in the House.

If Stefanik had won New Yorks Republican primary for governor next year, she would have faced an uphill challenge against Hochul.

A Siena College poll published Tuesday showed Stefanik trailed Hochul by 19 points. Blakeman trailed by 25 points.

The same poll showed that Stefanik had an early lead over Blakeman in a Republican primary race, 48-17%. The poll was completed a day before Blakeman announced his candidacy.

Stefanik had quickly won the endorsement of most Republican and Conservative Party leaders in the state.

Only days after launching her campaign, she locked up support from a dozen key Republicans in Central New York, including Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente.

New York Republican Chair Ed Cox also endorsed Stefanik and discouraged Blakeman from forcing a primary challenge.

After Stefaniks announcement Friday, Cox quickly endorsed Blakeman.

Elise Stefanik will remain a leader in our party and a powerful voice for our principles, Cox said. We respect her decision and thank her for her efforts.

New York Conservative Party Chair Gerard Kassar held off on endorsing Blakeman.

We are disappointed that Congresswoman Elise Stefanik wont be running for governor this year, but we respect her decision and wish her the best in all her future endeavors, Kassar said.

Blakeman, who was reelected in Nassau County in November when a Democratic blue wave swept over New York, has maintained that he has a better chance in a general election against Hochul.

Blakeman maintained that Stefanik was not electable in a statewide race in New York.

I have tremendous respect for Elise, however our party must nominate a candidate that has broad based appeal with independents and common-sense Democrats, Blakeman said in November before kicking off his campaign.

Blakeman has gained support from Republicans after he backed a ban on transgender athletes, worked alongside federal authorities in Trumps immigration crackdown, and established a volunteer law enforcement unit on Long Island, which Democrats called an illegal, taxpayer-funded civilian militia.

Blakeman also refused to recognize Juneteenth, making Nassau County the only county in New York state that does not observe the federal holiday.
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Updated BusinessCompaniesMergers & acquisitions The secret sauce in TikToks US deal led by Trumps billionaire friend Barbara Ortutay Updated December 19, 2025  12:54pm ,first published December 19, 2025  10:51am 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

TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX  to form a new TikTok US joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on January 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium. Outspoken Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is a close confidante of Donald Trump. AP I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued dedication and tireless work. Your efforts keep us operating at the highest level and will ensure that TikTok continues to grow and thrive in the US and around the world, Chew wrote in the memo to employees. With these agreements in place, our focus must stay where its always beenfirmly on delivering for our users, creators, businesses and the global TikTok community.

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Half of the new TikTok US joint venture will be owned by a group of investors  among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15 per cent share. Oracle was founded and is majority-owned by Larry Ellison, a close confidante of Trump. 19.9 per cent of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo. The memo did not say who the other investors are and both TikTok and the White House declined to comment. Related Article Updated

Mergers & acquisitions Huge conflict of interest: Trumps $600 million windfall after nuclear deal The US venture will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that protect Americans data and US national security. US user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle. The memo said US users will continue enjoying the same experience as today and advertisers will continue to serve global audiences with no impact from the deal. TikToks algorithm  the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed  will be retrained on US user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, the memo said. The US venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

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American officials have previously warned that ByteDances algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect. The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the US regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties  specifically the algorithm  with ByteDance. The deal, set to close on January 22, would end years of efforts to force ByteDance to divest its US business over national security concerns. Bloomberg The deal is a major step toward resolving years of uncertainty about the short video apps future in the United States since August 2020, when then President Donald Trump first tried unsuccessfully to ban the app that is now used regularly by more than 170 million Americans. The details of the deal are in line with one unveiled in September, when Trump delayed until January 20 enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it amid efforts to extract TikToks U.S. assets from the global platform. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed  and President Joe Biden signed  a law that would ban TikTok in the US if it did not find a new owner in the place of Chinas ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the laws January 2025 deadline. For several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.

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Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with US ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trumps tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns. Related Article Opinion

TikTok Trumps TikTok deal: A $21b bargain for his billionaire mates Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist About 43 per cent of US adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published this fall. Shares of Oracle jumped $US9.07, or 5 per cent, to $189.10 in after-hours trading. AP, Reuters The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.

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BusinessMarketsTrump's White House He has confidence in what I tell him: The billionaire who has Trumps ear Eric Lipton and Rebecca F. Elliott December 19, 2025  5:30pm 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

The executives dining at the White House to celebrate President Donald Trumps $US300 million ($450.8 million) ballroom  and their role in financing it  were a whos who of American industry. Seated among them was billionaire Harold G. Hamm, founder of an oil company  Continental Resources  that is little known outside energy circles. Donald Trump and Harold Hamm together in 2019. The New York Times Not long ago, it seemed as if Hamm and his allies in the oil industry were losing. They were out of favour in Washington  and on Wall Street  shunned for contributing to climate change and failing to deliver the returns investors wanted. But with Trump back in power, Hamm is, too.

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The alliance between the two is now playing a big role in American energy. Together, they have remade federal policy to benefit oil and gas companies, including Hamms Continental, and put off the transition to greener alternatives such as solar power and batteries. Related Article Opinion

Oil Americas new sanctions on Russian oil may be biting too late Stephen Bartholomeusz Senior business columnist Hamm was among Trumps earliest oil industry backers, and that loyalty  paired with more than $US2 million in campaign contributions  has earned him outsize influence. Hamm, who recently adopted the title of chair emeritus as he stepped back at Continental, has used that influence to position loyalists for top administration jobs. They include Chris Wright, a longtime fossil fuel executive and former director of an oil industry lobbying group that Hamm co-founded. Wright is now Trumps energy secretary. The interior secretary job went to Doug Burgum, a former North Dakota governor and close ally of Hamms whose family has leased land to Continental for drilling.

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Trumps return to the White House is paying off handsomely for Continental, which has said it expects to benefit from expanded tax breaks. The company also recently secured long-sought permits from the Trump administration to drill for oil and natural gas in Wyoming. At the same time, the Trump administration and Congress have moved to undo or weaken policies that threatened oil and gas, including fuel-efficiency standards, methane emissions regulations, and tax credits for electric vehicles and renewable power. Such rollbacks have helped offset the industrys frustration with low oil prices and higher tariffs, which have squeezed profits this year. Hamm and Continental declined interview requests and did not respond to written requests for comment. A White House spokesperson said in a written statement that Hamm was among the oil industry executives who offered Trump advice. The president frequently listens to the recommendations and concerns of many top stakeholders and business leaders to ensure Americas oil and gas industry has the adequate resources and capabilities to DRILL, BABY, DRILL and deliver for the American people, she said. The Hamm-Trump partnership was birthed in 2012, when Trump, already flirting with a presidential run, invited Hamm to visit him at Trump Tower in New York.

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The two men, so different on paper, had much in common. Both were contrarians. Both used symbols of American patriotism to boost their own pursuits. The oilman pledged his support should Trump run for president. Harold Hamm (centre) at a fund-raising dinner for President Trumps ballroom at the White House in Washington. The New York Times I think he has a great deal of confidence in what I tell him, Hamm told a Washington Post reporter in 2016. That year, Hamm was among the first oil and gas executives to endorse Trump, declaring at the Republican convention that President Trump will fuel Americas future and become the first president to achieve American energy independence.

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Trump's White House The truth of Trumps terrible November? His weapons are losing their potency Melanie La'Brooy Writer Born a few months after the end of World War II, Hamm moved around as a young boy before settling in Enid, Oklahoma. In his early 20s, he started a one-truck oil field services company and eventually began drilling his own oil wells, building Continental into a major player in the West. A breakthrough came in March 2004, on the edge of an oil and gas deposit known as the Bakken in North Dakota. Hamm had a hunch that if he applied new drilling techniques  now known as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing  he could squeeze oil out of the ground where others had failed. He was right. Continentals success helped propel North Dakotas oil output, ushering in the fracking boom that would transform the United States into the worlds top producer of oil and natural gas. Hamm took the company public in 2007, by which point he was a wealthy man with growing influence in Oklahoma City, where Continental is based. After Trump took office in 2017, Hamm was not shy about leaning on the administration and Republicans in Congress.

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On one visit to Washington, in June 2018, the oilman used his clout to push for weakening automotive fuel-efficiency standards. Hamm told House lawmakers that the rules were archaic and onerous. Not long ago, it seemed as if Hamm and his allies in the oil industry were losing. Bloomberg The Trump administration soon rolled back the US fuel efficiency rules. That was just the start. Hamms lobbying group, the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance, worked to weaken protections for threatened species such as sage grouse. It also lobbied the Trump administration to cut regulations intended to curb air pollution near oil drilling sites.

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Both the air pollution and wildlife protection measures were curtailed. Before long, however, Hamm found himself in the cold. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, oil demand shrivelled and prices plunged. Continentals market valuation dropped below $US4 billion, from about $US22 billion 18 months earlier, wiping out a large chunk of Hamms wealth. He held about 80 per cent of the companys stock at the time. Meanwhile, concerns about climate change were growing. Partly under pressure from environmentalists and some policymakers, big investors began to squeeze public corporations to curb fossil fuel use and production. After Joe Biden took office in 2021, Congress encouraged electric vehicle purchases, invested billions of dollars into charging stations and subsidised battery manufacturing.

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By this time, many larger oil companies had begun committing themselves to cleaner energy. Hamm took the opposite tack, shielding Continental from investor pressure by taking the company private in 2022. Related Article Billionaires Billionaire CEO branded as Putins puppet cashes out By April 2024, Hamm was marshalling support for Trump. He helped to organise many oil and gas executives to dine with Trump that northern spring, including Wright, then CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy. Trump pressed the group at that dinner to raise $US1 billion for his campaign, in return for his promise to do away with a laundry list of regulations. (In the end, oil and gas interests gave about $US75 million to Trumps re-election effort.)

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It is a dream team of unimaginable proportions, Hamm said after Trump tapped Wright as energy secretary and Burgum as interior secretary. A mechanical humming, mixed with the clanking of steel, echoed one recent evening in central Wyoming. This site, where mule deer and pronghorn antelope outnumber humans, is where Continental and others hope to drill up to 5000 wells. Perhaps no place better demonstrates what Hamm has accomplished since Trump returned to office. The Interior Department first approved the project in late 2020. But after local groups sued, a federal judge blocked any new permits, saying the government had failed to adequately evaluate how drilling would affect the environment. (The federal government owns many underground oil and gas deposits and therefore controls permitting, even though private individuals often own the land.)

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This was more than just a frustration for Hamm: The Bakken in North Dakota, Continentals lifeblood, was in decline, and the company needed new targets. With Trump back in power, Continental and others quickly moved to get around the roadblocks. They had submitted a report from a consultant they hired that concluded that oil drilling would not affect groundwater. On a second front, Continental and its allies had asked the Interior Department to open up more federal land for lease in Wyoming and elsewhere and accelerate related environmental reviews. The Trump administration and Congress have moved to undo or weaken policies that threatened oil and gas AP Hamm, of course, had a close supporter in Burgum, who as interior secretary oversees oil and gas leasing.

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This past northern spring, barriers to Hamms ambitions suddenly lifted. In April, the Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management in effect endorsed the industrys groundwater report. That same month, Burgum announced that his agency was slashing what had sometimes been a multiyear review of permits on federal lands nationwide to no more than 28 days. Were in a very good spot in the US. We are in the era of abundance. Harold Hamm The department said it did no special favours for Hamm. Efforts to improve permitting efficiency are long-standing and based on agency policy  not on any individual or company, Alyse Sharpe, an agency spokesperson, said in a statement. She also said that agency specialists had independently reviewed the industry-funded groundwater data. The benefits for Continental were clear. In August, the Interior Department began to issue Hamms company dozens of new permits to drill in Wyomings Converse County.

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Continentals production in Wyoming hit a record as of late this year. The push has brought mixed reviews from longtime residents. The problem is, when there is oil, no one in my lifetime has decided to just leave it in the ground, said Maria Katherman, who grew up on a nearby ranch and is now part of a group suing to block the new project. These permits to drill are just the start. A special Biden-era fee on methane emissions  which penalises companies that emit large amounts of the pollutant  has been put on hold, saving oil companies such as Continental hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming decade. Other items high on Hamms wish-list included rolling back policies that forced vehicle manufacturers to build more electric and hybrid vehicles; and increasing tax breaks for oil companies to pump carbon dioxide underground to extend the life of ageing oil fields, as in North Dakota. Trump has also helped expand exports of natural gas.

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Pulling a unique snow-sweeping device made out of brooms, a truck helped to clear streets in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province. #SnowClearing #WinterVibes #Innovation
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CultureMoviesChristmas We took a look at the most popular movie Santas. One truly deserves a Christmas cheer Nell Geraets December 19, 2025  3:00pm 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

Come Christmastime, its all about the big man in red. Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, St Nick  whatever you call him, hes one of the most recognisable holiday figures around. And how have many of us come to know this jolly old elf? On screen, of course. Santa has featured in a litany of holiday movies, from The Christmas Dream (1900) to Red One (2024). But the issue with being in so many titles is that it becomes difficult to know which of these bearded, cookie-eating blokes represents the ultimate Santa. Many Santas have come and gone on screen, but which one sleighs the most? To work this out, Ive devised a list (and checked it twice) of criteria that arguably best define Santa. Lets see how some of the most popular iterations stack up.

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The Santa Criteria While everyone may have a slightly different perception of Santa, there are a few key traits most would agree on (and which an endless number of Christmas songs can back up). Hes generous He sets children as the top priority Hes wise, with an air of authority Hes playful and jolly Hes got a bit of junk in the trunk (no shame, Santa) He loves the colour red The Santa power ranking

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Edmund Gwenn helped shape our perception of Santa today. He was so convincing as Father Christmas he won an Oscar for it in 1948 (no other Santa actor has managed the same, though Richard Attenborough in the 1994 Miracle on 34th Street remake surely came close). If Gwenn doesnt scream holly jolly, I dont know what does. His generosity of spirit and truth knows no bounds, and his entire MO is to look out for the kids, paying special attention to the young Susan whos beginning to lose faith in Christmas (not on his watch, though). His quiet wisdom and moral clarity convinces an entire courtroom of his innocence, and while he may not be as boisterous as other Santas, hes a gentle kind of playful throughout. The only criteria he doesnt quite dominate are merely superficial  hes full-bellied, sure, but not overly so, and though he wears his classic red suit, we dont really see it as the film is in black and white. Overall ranking: 25/30

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Tim Allens Santa is solid. By the end of the film, his son is top of mind, he cracks a wicked one-liner  can we take a direct flight back to reality, or do we have to change planes in Denver?  and hes suitably round and rosy-cheeked. However, it took a while to get there, so we only really see him as an ultimate Santa for a small portion of the film, making some of his rankings a little lower. He also famously has little clue whats going on, so that unfortunately hits him pretty hard in the wisdom department. Overall ranking: 19/30

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A Santa with a red Chevrolet, a burgundy leather coat and a penchant for bluesy rock? Kurt Russells St Nick may not sound like a classic Santa on the surface, but he still possesses many of the trademark characteristics. Firstly, his entire mission is based around locating the lost gifts so that the children of the world maintain their festive spirit. Moreover, he displays 1700 years of Christmas wisdom, commanding respect from his elves and astounding people with his knowledge of their deepest wishes. That being said, his playfulness has more of a modern swagger, and he does technically get into a car chase and locked in jail, where he bursts into a rock ballad. He also actively rejects famous Santa catchphrases, despises the commercialisation of his look and is way too trim to scream Father Christmas. Overall ranking: 20/30

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On the surface, David Harbours Santa is everything Christmas isnt. Hes belligerent, unmotivated, jaded, a drunkard. When hes cracking a joke, its either dripping with sarcasm or not entirely PG. And his beefy physique gives a boxer who let himself go vibe more than jolly old St Nick. However, peek below the surface and youll find a gooey centre. Despite initially wanting to run after discovering the hostage situation, he decides to stay for the sake of a little girl who still believes in him. His Viking warrior past also imbues him with a deep sense of authority, even if it often seems more intimidating than protective. And no one can deny his love of red  just look at all the blood he spills. Overall ranking: 19/30

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Ed Asner shows us that even Santa can get burnt out sometimes. Pressured by the never-ending job and dejected by the number of people losing their Christmas spirit, Asners Kris Kringle comes with an edge and pragmatism not conventionally associated with the big man in red. He even threatens to whack Buddy with a crowbar at one point. But what he lacks in jollity he makes up for in everything else. His slightly world-weary voice lends him the authority needed to keep the North Pole a well-oiled machine. Not only does he run the show, but he truly cares about it. Asners Santas dedication to and unrelenting faith in Buddy is evident throughout, offering support as Buddy searches for his real father even though it means Buddy leaves him and the elves behind. And when Buddy helps him repair his sleigh and reinstate New Yorkers Christmas cheer, his festive spirit sparkles once again. Overall ranking: 24/30

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The winner is... Only one Santa can reign(deer) supreme and that is Edmund Gwenn. His endlessly benevolent spirit and very shapely beard are the epitome of Father Christmas, even if we cant actually see any red in the film. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
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EnvironmentSustainabilityFood sustainability Can we eat our way out of this thorny problem? This team thinks so Bianca Hall December 19, 2025  4:30pm 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

The first thing to notice about the sea urchin roe carefully arranged on my plate is its resemblance to tiny orange tongues. Oomph-Loompah tongues, I think. The second is the taste. Salty, creamy, rich and sweet, the roe is bursting with umami. Unprocessed long-spined sea urchins. Eddie Jim And the third? The texture. Its mushy in a way that sends waves of mild panic through anyone whos ever eaten prawns or white-fleshed fish left out in Australias summer heat. But this roe is as fresh as they come. Less than 24 hours ago, it was inside one of our nastiest invasive predators  a long-spined sea urchin. Long-spined and short-spined sea urchins are native to Australian waters: long-spined urchins in NSW, and short-spined urchins in Victoria. But as climate change warms our oceans and changes ocean currents, sea urchins are reaching plague proportions, shifting their range and devastating ocean habitats.

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Its estimated there are billions of long-spined sea urchins in NSW waters alone, and perhaps hundreds of millions more marching along the 8000-square-kilometre area between southern NSW to Tasmania, and further along to Western Australia. Sea urchins feed on kelp forests that provide food and shelter for marine species and remove pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous from water. When urchins numbers become overabundant, their voracious feeding patterns wipe out kelp forests entirely, creating what scientists describe as urchin barrens. A barren created by long-spined sea urchins on the NSW South Coast. Great Southern Reef Foundation A study in August estimated 240 million short-spined urchins proliferate in Port Phillip Bay. Kelp cover has declined by 59 to 98 per cent over the past 40 years, and native urchins have become up to four times more abundant. But where scientists see devastation, restaurant managing director James Liew and head chef Johnson Teoh see opportunity. Which brings us back to the urchin roe on my plate.

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From their high-end dedicated urchin restaurant and museum in suburban Melbourne, aptly named The Roe, the pair and their colleagues  about 200 in total  are building a fledgling empire they hope will help address the scourge of urchins. They have divers working urchin hotspots in Batemans Bay in NSW, Mallacoota in Victoria and in Tasmania, where urchins have devoured more than 30 per cent of the kelp forest over the past 30 years. Sea urchin specialist restaurant The Roe. Eddie Jim Harvested urchins are whisked to Melbourne, where they are processed and then either served to diners within a day, or sent out to retailers around the country and overseas. Last year, they exported about 500 tonnes of urchin roe. We call it sea butter, Teoh says. It really melts in your mouth and you really can taste the oceans. It just lingers long after.

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Its not just roe, also known by its Japanese name uni, on offer here. Staff ferment lesser-grade roe, and create byproducts including urchin kombucha, urchin cold-brew coffee, urchin umami seasoning and urchin soy sauce. Sea urchins are a prized delicacy in many Asian countries, particularly in Japan, which consumes 80 per cent of the worlds supply. Sea urchins being processed in the kitchen at The Roe. Eddie Jim But globally, supplies are dwindling due to overfishing. Australia has the opposite problem  in our clean and warm waters, urchins are proliferating. To make matters worse, they can live up to 200 years. The Great Southern Reef actually covers 8000 kilometres of coastline in the south of Australia, Tiew says. At the moment, the sea urchins are populating and cover about 2000 kilometres of the coastline, which is a quarter.

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Upstairs from The Roe restaurant, Tew walks us through a fever dream of a museum, its walls lined with aluminium foil, and decorated with diving equipment and inflatable sea urchins. The eye-catching decor may be whimsical, but the museums message is serious: without concerted intervention, long-spined sea urchins will destroy Australias kelp forests, which are critical habitat for scores of species. A fever dream with a serious message: upstairs at The Roe in Glen Waverley. Eddie Jim They eat everything, Tiew says. Even when they are out of food, they could still stay alive for 10 years, because they could just scrap off some of the minerals of the rocks. The Invasive Species Council says there is no evidence of commercial industries successfully controlling pest species, let alone eradicating them.

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However, co-founder Tim Low said management zones established in south-west Tasmania had probably slowed the progress of sea urchins. For urchin harvesting programs to be successful from a population management perspective, he said, any harvesting program should be subsidised with ongoing funding, and harvesting should be targeted to specific problem areas. Get to the heart of whats happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.
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Review Eating outPerth Vivid spice awaits those who seek out this colourful gem hidden near Curtin University Hit the road and be rewarded with charry stir-fried noodles, vast plains of crunchy lentil pancake, juicy fried chicken and a new perspective on Malaysian cuisine. Max Veenhuyzen December 20, 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

1 / 4 Nasi lemak with fried chicken. Matt O'Donohue 2 / 4 Buzzing with vivid, slow burning chilli, Mamak Gorengs mee goreng mamak is a splendid example of its genre. Matt O'Donohue 3 / 4 Nasi goreng Pattaya. Matt O'Donohue 4 / 4 The thosai sets feature an assortment of boldly spiced vegetarian curries and chutneys. Matt O'Donohue Previous Slide Next Slide 14 / 20 How we score Malaysian$$$$ Its been a busy December at Mamak Goreng, a colourful and modern Malaysian restaurant that opened a year ago at Karawaras Village Green shopping centre. (Or at least thats what it seems to your correspondent: a Village Green regular and stalker of hospitality operators.) Perhaps this spike in business reflects the Christmas rush: a time of year when buyers buy, delivery people deliver, and office pals and WhatsApp groups congregate for end-of-year lunches. Perhaps the restaurant recently blew up on social media. Or perhaps, as was the case for me, the October closure of Kitchen Inn Express meant shoppers needed a new place to scratch their Malay food itches when ducking out for milk and toilet paper. Mamak Goreng is a new beacon of Malaysian-Indian cooking in Karawara. Matt O'Donohue

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Having said that, while Kitchen Inn Express and Mamak Goreng are both Malaysian restaurants, they occupy different bands of the Malay food spectrum. The former focused on East Malaysia and the handmade noodles, porky wonders and other predominantly Chinese-influenced hits of Sabah and Sarawak. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Mamak Goreng, meanwhile, is a halal joint showcasing the vegetarian wizardry, earthy curries, breads and other cooking influences that Southern Indian migrants brought with them to the Malay peninsula. Not that this means each cooking style wont occasionally cross into the others lane. Although Mamak Goreng doesnt make its own noodles  did you know that Kitchen Inn Express was opened by Joseph Lau of Two Hands Noodle Shop?  it does make an exemplary mee goreng mamak: an ugly-delicious tangle of egg noodles, chicken and prawns stained liquorice-red with chilli. Even in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore where mamak food is everywhere, ordering this dish can be a crapshoot. (Too wet, too dry, too sweet, too one-dimensional are among diners common complaints.) Thanks to a finely tuned sauce base and furiously hot wok, eaters can enjoy this dish in all its 4K HD sweet and spicy glory. Related Article Exclusive A Margaret River favourite finds a new home  just in time for summer

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The wok also helps upscale nasi goreng into the smoky, carby wonder that it can and should be. Once youre ready to let go of the special fried rice safety rope, consider ordering yours Pattaya-style (cloaked with a shroud of thin egg omelette) or the kampung (Malay for village) variant that ups the ikan bilis (fried anchovy) quotient. Mamak Gorengs other rice-based attraction is nasi lemak: jasmine rice made rich through simmering in coconut milk. While the rice  a reasonable example of its category  might headline, the crowd is really here for the sambal: a slow-burning, long-cooked slurry of chilli, lemongrass and shrimp paste. Just as its the ragu that maketh the tagliatelle, a good sambal unites, inspire and lifts, Al Pacino, Any Given Sunday-style, the contents of any plate of nasi lemak. The entry-level version here is splendid as-is but bolting on some extra protein  a saucy beef rendang, maybe, or juicy fried chicken drumsticks rubbed down with cumin  is an easy way to add some rich, or lemak, to meal. While these curries (and much of the menu) are the work of head chef Jeyandhy John Smith, her husband and fellow co-owner Rao Simmasalam oversees the breads.

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The menu, sadly, doesnt include the flaky roti offered over the years at the couples various Kopi Time iterations, however the sprawling thosai made the cut for their flagship restaurant. (They also run Mamak Goreng food court stalls in Armadale and Maddington, albeit with smaller menus.) Made from rice and black lentils, these gluten-free pancakes are as crunchy as they are vast. Theyre great straight up, but shine when swiped through the accompanying vegetarian chutneys and curries. Love the tamarind backbeat underpinning that eggplant-and-tomato number. Related Article 14.5 / 20 Review This suburban Perth wine bar is proof that great hospitality can change neighbourhoods As is the case with most (Malaysian) restaurants serving deep menus, there are, inevitably, some weak spots in Mamak Gorengs range. The meat in the boneless lamb curry is surprisingly dry; the curry laksas personality is best described as generic coconut richness plus warming spice; while limp, CD-sized flaps of naan (not house-made) should be given a wide berth. But as is also the case with many Malaysian restaurants, the mood is upbeat; the service is less grumpy uncle and auntie and more smiley what-can-I-get-for-you? Serving sizes are also generous-as. While the portions arent as OTT as, say, Thornlies legendary Rasa Sayang  reports that a single diner has finished a Rasa Sayang combo plate solo should be treated with similar scepticism as news of Elvis sightings  many dishes are big enough to be split between two. (One nasi lemak bolstered with a side of extra fried chicken equals a fine dinner for my girlfriend and I.) But for those with the flavours of the Malay peninsula hard-wired into their souls, limiting yourself to just one item on the Mamak Goreng menu will be hard. Which probably explains why many of the rooms 45 seats are filled by groups, shouting, passing around tissues and sharing dishes and opinions on dishes. Im glad I (eventually) wised up and took it for a spin. You should too if youre out near Curtin University.

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I also hope that you can learn from my mistake and consider what eating and drinking habits youve unintentionally developed and how defaulting to cafe X or wine bar Y could be stopping you from discovering a new diner, dish or drink that changes the colour of your day. (Or, for those braving the crowds, offers some respite against the December madness.) Be safe out there, friends. Thanks for reading along this year. Its a privilege to write these weekly reviews, and Im looking forward to picking up where we left off in 2026. The low-down Atmosphere: a cheery introduction to the many joys of Indian-Malay food. Go-to dishes: mee goreng mamak ($17.90), nasi lemak with fried chicken ($15.90). Drinks: strong kopi (coffee), pulled milky teh tarik, lemon teas and other hot and cold Malay coffee shop favourites, plus the usual soft drink suspects. Cost: about $40 for two people. Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant cant pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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Mamak Goreng Max Veenhuyzen is a journalist and photographer who has been writing about food, drink and travel for national and international publications for more than 20 years. He reviews restaurants for the Good Food Guide.
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NationalHealth Australia to subsidise weight-loss drugs for the first time  but only for some Henrietta Cook and Angus Thomson December 19, 2025  6:26pm 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

Weight-loss drugs are set to be subsidised by the federal government for the first time, but only for patients with obesity who have established heart disease. In a long-awaited decision published on Friday, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommended that semaglutide, sold as Wegovy, be subsidised for patients with obesity and heart disease who have experienced a heart attack, stroke or have symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has applied for Wegovy to be included on the PBS twice previously, both of which were rejected. Bloomberg The move lays the groundwork for weight-loss drugs to be subsidised for more patients with obesity. While this class of drugs is currently only subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for the treatment of diabetes, thousands of Australians are using them for weight loss, paying up to $400 a month for private prescriptions.

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The committee recommended limiting PBS access to high-risk patients who have a BMI of 35 or higher, or 32.5 or higher for patients of Asian, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander ethnicity. Related Article Science Ozempic in a pill? The next generation of weight-loss drugs emerges It pored over evidence from a large clinical trial, funded by the drugs manufacturer Novo Nordisk, involving over 17,000 people who took semaglutide alongside their usual heart medicines. The trial found this cohort of patients had a lower chance of having another major cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, compared to those who took usual heart medicines only. Professor Jason Kovacic, a cardiologist who is the chief executive of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, said the trial had provided the evidence he needed to prescribe semaglutide for his own patients.

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Kovacic said the recommendation was welcome news, but subsidies should be considered for patients who have not had a serious cardiac event. Its always unfortunate to tell someone that theyre not eligible because theyve not yet had a heart attack or a stroke, he said. Were in this era [when] overweight and obesity is a treatable risk factor  theres still a broader group that benefited in the select trial that arent going to be eligible. The committee estimated that, based on the trial results, for every 1000 people treated with semaglutide over 3.5 years that also had a BMI above 35, there would be 39 fewer major heart events and four fewer deaths compared to those who did not take the drug. It is not known how many Australians will benefit from the proposed changes, but an estimated 13 per cent of the population lives with severe obesity, defined as having a BMI of 35 or above. A Novo Nordisk spokesman said the decision recognised the importance of addressing cardiovascular risk in people with obesity.

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They described it as an important first step toward securing more equitable access. Related Article Exclusive

Healthcare Why weight-loss drugs may be creating a perfect storm for unplanned pregnancies The pharmaceutical giant has unsuccessfully applied for Wegovy to be included on the PBS twice previously. A federal government spokesperson said the Department of Health would work closely with Novo Nordisk to ensure all requirements were met to progress the medicine to PBS listing. Dieticians Australia chief executive Magriet Raxworthy said people experienced significant health benefits from semaglutide when it was appropriately prescribed and supported by dieticians.

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Dietitians Australia continues to call for safeguards to ensure that anyone prescribed weight-loss medicines for any purpose is also supported with access to a dietitian, she said. She said the drugs suppressed appetite, and could lead to malnutrition, loss of muscle and bone mass and disordered eating. The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier this month urged governments to make GLP-1 medicines such as Wegovy more affordable, recommending their use for weight management in adults with obesity, alongside traditional interventions such as exercise, diet, and counselling. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
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Exclusive NationalNSWHSC Meet every student who got 99.95 in the 2025 HSC Emily Kaine, Ricky Blank and Frances Howe December 19, 2025  11:51am 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

Students from four Sydney selective public schools have taken out more than half of the top ATAR ranks awarded to this years HSC students. While North Sydney Boys claimed the top spot in this years HSC school rankings, its rival, James Ruse Agricultural High School, came out on top on another metric: nine of its students received ATARs of 99.95 on Thursday, the most of any school. Seven students at North Sydney Boys took home the maximum score. Six of the nine James Ruse students who received an ATAR of 99.95. From left: Terry Chen, Nina Chen, Selina Ma, Nikil Andepalli, Peter Shan and Srihaas Komminni. Dylan Coker Baulkham Hills High School had six students achieve top ATARs, while three students at North Sydney Girls received a 99.95.

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Girls claimed 19 of the 53 maximum ATARs awarded this year, significantly narrowing the gender divide between top-scoring students. In 2024, just nine of the 51 top ranks awarded that year went to girls. Last year, the Herald attributed the gap between boys and girls to the positive scaling of maths and science subjects, which tend to attract more male students. But Roseville College graduate Sophie Firek beat the odds this year, claiming the coveted 99.95 ATAR with a course load dominated by the humanities. Placing first in the state for legal studies, she also took English advanced, modern history, and economics. In addition, she took three-unit mathematics, but that did not end up counting towards her ATAR.

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I do all humanities, so everyone always told me you cant get a really good ATAR if you dont do science and maths, so I never thought I would get this, Sophie said. Friends from Roseville College: Sophie Firek, who received a first in course award for legal studies, and Stacy Zhang, who was first for both biology and chemistry. Janie Barrett Her classmate Stacy Zhang also scored an ATAR of 99.95 after topping the state in biology and chemistry. Violinist and Meriden School student Selina Wang placed first in the state for music advanced and music extension, but she never expected to also come away with a 99.95 ATAR. Meriden student Selina Wang, who topped both music extension and music 2, achieved the top ATAR of 99.95. James Brickwood

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These results are beyond anything I had imagined, Selina said. I almost started crying. I didnt expect it at all. Related Article HSC North Sydney Boys, James Ruse bolt away in HSC rankings Academically selective Sydney Grammar School took out six of the top ATARs, the most of any private school. Sydney Grammar student Jaden Gargya achieved an ATAR of 99.95, excelling in Latin and French languages. He also received a state rank in English advanced. At Grammar, they teach language from the ground up. It is like building a tower ... with a shaky base, the tower will fall. You need a strong foundation, he said.

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Jaden was surprised to learn of his results. My hands were shaking when I got the news  when I state ranked for English. I think the main takeaway was, no matter what it is, if you work hard, youll do well. Presbyterian Ladies College student Jio Yim was one of two students at her school who landed a 99.95 ATAR, which will get her into medicine at the University of Sydney  something she said she had not even allowed herself to hope for. Medicine [at the University of Sydney] is what I was shooting for. But I honestly did not think I would get this ATAR, she said. Jio said she and the schools other 99.95 student, Emma Zhang, had been study buddies since year 7, and helped each other excel academically. Loading

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North Sydney Boys student Jiaao Jay Chen knew 99.95 was a special rank, but he said, in complete honesty, he would have been happy regardless of the result. I know it is meant to be special, but I dont think too much about it  I am happy because I gave it my all in my exams, he said. Overall, 32 of the students who received a 99.95 ATAR attended academically selective public or private schools. The remaining 21 students attended other private schools. No student at a comprehensive public school received the top rank. With Emily Kowal, Siena Fagan, Christopher Harris and Cindy Yin
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Exclusive NationalNSWBondi shooting Muslim community warned police about radical preacher linked to Bondi shooter Mostafa Rachwani December 20, 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

Sydneys Muslim community has been told to expect counterterrorism raids in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack, as Islamic leaders reveal it has been sounding the alarm about the hate preacher connected to one of the shooters for 10 years. This masthead can reveal police held a secret meeting on Thursday night, where community leaders were told about the terror raids and that authorities expected them to help monitor extremism. Radical preacher Wissam Haddad (left) and Bondi shooter Naveed Akram. Edwina Pickles/ supplied Two senior members of Sydneys Muslim community have also revealed they told NSW Police a decade ago about the behaviour of radical preacher Wissam Haddad. The Bankstown-based cleric has been the focus of new significant attention, given his association with Bondi shooter Naveed Akram. On condition of anonymity, they told this masthead that police said they wanted to keep Haddads Islamic centre open because it was a good source of intel.

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NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon on Friday said he had regularly met with members of the Muslim community in Sydney, adding that they were deeply offended by the shooting at Bondi. I do have conversations with members of the Islamic community. They are deeply offended by what we saw on Sunday. It is an abhorrent act, Lanyon said. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon. Sam Mooy All of the community are hurting. All of the community have been affected. One attendee at Thursdays meeting, speaking anonymously so they could freely describe the meeting, said leaders felt the police were patronising and demonised the entire community.

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They were absolving themselves. They had no contrition for their own failures. Many of us felt spoken down to and belittled, the attendee said. Related Article Exclusive

Bondi shooting Hes a honeypot: The radical Islamic cleric linked to the Bondi shooter who keeps dodging the law Police allegedly left the meeting without taking any questions or engaging in any conversation with the attendees, leaving many of the assembled leaders offended. The source said the leaders had pushed back at the idea that they should monitor their own community, and that they were at fault for the situation. They just dropped their grenade and left. And they implied that if we dont comply, well be at fault for not helping curb extremism.

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A police spokesman said he was unable to confirm the information. Muslim leaders said they raised concerns about radical cleric Haddad  also known as Abu Ousayd  who has over many years cultivated a network of followers, some of whom have been convicted of terrorist offences. Loading The community has been saying for over 10 years, Why havent you arrested this individual? He is destroying lots of these young men, he said. When asked about the meeting, a NSW Police spokesman said the officer who reportedly made the comment had since retired. He said the force was unable to substantiate the claims.

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Another senior member of the Muslim community, speaking on the condition of anonymity so they could speak freely without damaging relationships, said NSW Police had a strong relationship with Sydneys Islamic community while Andrew Scipione was commissioner until 2017, but that it had declined since. The Lindt Cafe siege, the community played a good role, the person said. Even before then. You develop a friendship at a time of peace because you need it at a time of crisis. Naveed Akram pictured in 2019. Street Dawah Movement The stronger relationship was now with the Australian Federal Police. One hundred times better, the leader said. The leader says the Muslim community does not spy on itself, but rather works with police to protect its young people from harmful influences.

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Its for our own safety, for our own kids protection, the leader said. For police to do their job properly, and to understand whats in the community, they need to maintain channels of dialogue. Thats how Ive always seen it. At a press conference held on Friday by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett, the government announced a national gun buyback scheme in response to the Bondi shooting. Loading Barrett commented on the prevalence of antisemitic incidents in Australia, describing the current rate as unbelievable. The AFP has 21 current investigations and 10 individuals already been charged. It is just unbelievable. As a country, we should reflect on those statistics, she said.

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Later on Friday, seven men who had been arrested as part of a dramatic counterterror raid were released less than 24 hours after being apprehended, telling reporters they had been targeted because they were Muslim. Related Article Updated

Bondi shooting Because were Muslims: Men released after dramatic arrest by armed police Heavily armed tactical forces swooped on the men and pulled them from two cars in Liverpool on Thursday afternoon, arresting them on the street and hauling them into custody. But the men were free to go after Lanyon said the justification for their ongoing detention no longer exists. The men hugged one another as they emerged from Liverpool police station. They said they were in Sydney on holiday, adding they believed the entire ordeal was a misunderstanding.

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We were going for a swim, one of them said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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Sussan Ley wants parliament urgently recalled to pass legislation that eliminates antisemitism (Antisemitism laws to push constitutional limit, December 19). She misses an important fact. Laws might suppress the explicit promotion of violence, but they will not sweep away the underlying sickness of religious and racial hatred. Its possible (though highly improbable) that Ley genuinely does not understand this, but more likely that her call is an attempt to gain political capital by attacking Albanese in the parliamentary theatre. In a moment when Ley should have risen above politics, she didnt. Gary Stowe, Springwood Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and immigration spokesman Paul Scarr. Oscar Colman The Australian Institute of Criminology confirms that in 2024-25 there were 33 Indigenous deaths in custody  26 in prison, six in police custody and one in youth detention. The Voice to parliament referendum was an attempt to ameliorate some of the problems that culminate in this tragic toll. It was rejected because opponents were against dividing Australia and treating one community differently from another. Yet the most strident opponents of the Voice are now demanding urgent legislation that will fundamentally alter Australia and is specifically designed for one community. Jack Amond, Cabarita The Racial Discrimination Act 18C makes it unlawful for someone to publicly offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate a person or a group of people. In 2014, the Liberals wished to amend 18C after Andrew Bolt offended Indigenous Australians. George Brandis, then attorney-general, stated that people do have a right to be a bigot. The response to stop incubators of hate is appropriate, but political parties need to appreciate the nuances of the debate. Otherwise, it looks like the bigots win after all. Jo Rainbow, Orange In the wake of such an unfathomable tragedy, the demands that parliament be recalled next week are disappointing. This is a time for families and the community to grieve. Its a time for government and security agencies to consider what needs to be done urgently and what needs more time and consideration before we act. Its a time when we want our leaders to make good decisions for our future. Most importantly, it is a time when we need to stand together against hate. The backdrop of an unruly, angry, divisive debate on the floor of parliament is the last thing we need. Everything I have seen this week suggests that recalling parliament so close to the tragic event will only divide us further. We need to stand together, grieve together and take a breath. There will be a time for reckoning and recriminations. Now is not that time. Tony Judge, Woolgoolga I think the letter writers in The Sydney Morning Herald capture the mood of the nation far better than opposition politicians and many in the media. Australians want to mourn the loss of life, remember the bravery of those at Bondi and rejoice in the strengths of this country of ours. Continually seeking to blame and attack governments is not what we are about. Caring for each other in this terrible time of need is what we want to focus on. Ron Brown, Wallsend At this time of national pain, I feel the words of former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks are particularly poignant. Jews cannot fight antisemitism alone. The victim cannot cure the crime. The hated cannot cure the hate. It would be the greatest mistake for Jews to believe that they can fight it alone. The only people who can successfully combat antisemitism are those active in the cultures that harbour it. Jeremy Brender, West Richmond (SA)

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No protection Just like after other antisemitic events in his country, Prime Minister Albanese has condemned the attack on Jews at Bondi Beach. I am not an expert on security matters, but I do know that there are not a huge number of Jewish institutions and events for Australian security services to guard. Therefore, it stands to reason that Australia should have the capability to protect its Jewish population (Police were young and outgunned: Where was the back-up at Bondi?, December 18). Its leaders have merely lacked the will. Attacks on Jews are rising. In the face of that, how many police officers were at Bondi to guard 1000 Jews? Four? Eight? That is an outrageous dereliction of duty. Enough of this already. A leaders priority is to protect people from violence, not condemn the violence. Richard Schlussel, New Jersey (USA) Police at Bondi Pavilion at the memorial for shooting victims. James Brickwood While I agree that the actions of all political parties to tackle antisemitism have been too little, too late, Samantha Selinger-Morris best expresses the daily reality for Jewish Australians (Hate stalks us. Will it follow my kids?, December 19). The terrible fact is that even if more had been done, the two extremists would have remained intent on perpetrating last Sundays atrocity. According to ASIO, the probability of an attack was 50 per cent. In hindsight, this probably points to critical shortcomings at a range of security agencies. I trust that a thorough, objective review will be forthcoming because, regrettably, it will be more than a generation before Australians can consider relaxing the intense security arrangements needed for our Jewish communitys safety. Peter Allen, Castle Cove Much is being made of the lack of police security at the Hanukkah gathering at Bondi and how it should have been the responsibility of the government to provide it. Many festivals have been forced to shut down, including the wonderful Katoomba winter magic procession, because of the exorbitant cost of compulsory insurance and police security. Perhaps in this time of tragedy we should reflect on whose responsibility it is to pay for security at any large event. Is it the governments duty, or that of the event organisers? Katriona Herborn, Blackheath While many of us are concerned about the rise of artificial intelligence in our work and studies, providing relevant information on security issues of the type that led to the Bondi massacre could be an ideal application. Three apparently unrelated events  a son previously investigated for potential extremist links, a father who obtained a gun licence and a trip by the pair to the Philippines  are probably too disparate to be picked up by human observers in different agencies of government with limited resources, but an appropriately trained Deep Learning platform could be deployed to identify potential connections linking these activities and raise a red flag. Dale Bailey, St Leonards

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Former PM calls it out Just as former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert acknowledges he is not always on the same page with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, I dont agree with everything Olmert writes in his opinion piece (Your PM is right to back a two-state solution, December 19). But hes correct about two things. First, Palestinian nationhood is essential to Israels security. Blaming the Bondi massacre on Australias recognition of Palestine, as some have done, is ill informed and irresponsible. On this score, the Albanese government deserves credit for having proceeded, if ever so slowly, with integrity. Second, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus criticisms, foolishly echoed by Coalition politicians and some sections of the media, must be ignored. As Olmert says, Netanyahu exploits tragedies to attack allies, only to deflect from his own profound failures. One might say something similar about the Coalitions political opportunism. Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic) Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. AP It was good to read former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmerts sensible column. He said clearly that Anthony Albanese cant be blamed for the shootings at Bondi. The Jewish Council of Australia is a group that has shown itself to be moderate and able to work constructively with Palestinians. It is time to widen the circle of consultation to include more progressive Jews, Muslims and Christians, to bring about changes that protect against religious hate in all its forms. Unlike some, I believe guns are the problem, and much stricter measures need to be taken. Amalina Wallace, Erskineville Teach your children well There is no need to teach any more religious ideology or single-interest topics in schools (Antisemitism fight to be taken into kinders, schools and universities, December 19). What is needed is ethics education  the teaching of values and morals, critical thinking and discerning judgment. Religious organisations have long fought against ethics instruction in schools in favour of their own particular belief systems. Now is the time to introduce a secular curriculum that applies to all religious denominations. Please, David Gonski, be brave enough to take this step. Patricia Farrar, Concord I appreciate the governments intention to combat antisemitism. However, as it pertains to schools, shouldnt the objective be broader? Antisemitism and other prejudices would be equally addressed with the introduction of ethics in schools. Ethics broad scope puts all religions, non-believers, races and cultures on an equal footing. Along with this, teach civics, in which our understanding of government and citizenship rights and responsibilities is developed, including the capacity to determine fact from fiction. Just a little each week goes a long way. If the idea is to develop citizens informed of our shared humanity and responsibilities, then ethics and civics should become core topics in schools. Marie Del Monte, Ashfield

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In 40 years of public school teaching, I can say I never witnessed antisemitism in the classroom. I have taught students with texts like the Diary of Anne Frank (Letters, December 19) and others that also portray the tragic history of the Jewish people in World War II, such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Book Thief, The Fiftieth Gate and Life is Beautiful. Students are also universally taught about the Holocaust to educate them about such history, and I have always found them to display real empathy for the victims. I hear the call from politicians, particularly Josh Frydenburg, to direct teachers to fix yet another social ill. The classroom is not where hate lives. Teachers are not breeding antisemitism. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point Anne Frank died in the Holocaust at age 15. AP Mark Twain famously wrote that travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, his point being that personal interaction with people of varying backgrounds is a gateway to understanding others. The same can be said for our comprehensive public schools. There, children mix every day with a broad range of others from various religions, races, cultures and economic circumstances. Many other children, however, are segregated into faith and culturally based private schools, and thus have limited interactions with different people. The calls from cultural and religious leaders for the broader teaching of their own historical perspectives, when at the same time children of their very cohort are sheltered in educational silos are ironic. Theres a better solution to entrenched bigotry staring us in the face. Michael Murray, Cammeray In NSW public schools, there is still a designated period each week in which members of faith communities are invited to come into schools to teach about their particular religions. I would propose that this period of religious education in one faith be converted to a period in which children learn about many different religions and belief systems. As a retired teacher, I understand that the curriculum is already overcrowded, but it would seem to me that learning to live in peace and harmony with people of all (or no) faiths should be the highest priority for our society. Sadly, this understanding must be taught, as the structure of our demographics and the large number of independent and often religion-based schools means that most children have little opportunity to interact and gain experience with others from different ethnic, religious or socio-economic backgrounds. Judi LeVine, Manly One only has to look at the list of secondary schools in Australia to see one possible cause of division in our society. The downgrading of public schools and the continued rise of religious and other schools creates a them and us mentality in the student cohort. Having worked in public and private schools, I know this to be true. By all means, include studies of antisemitism in the curriculum, but those in authority should look more widely for solutions. Vicki Barker, Harrington There have been calls for greater education in our schools and universities regarding the Holocaust. I fully support the idea, and would add the history of Israel from the first Zionist conference in Switzerland in 1897 to the present day. Graeme Finn, Campsie

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Nation in good hands The HSC results show that Australias future is in good hands (Class of 2025 told HSC results, December 19). We clearly have talent galore to move the country forward. Well done to everyone who did their best, and congratulations to all those who did so well. Now that you have taken this big step, its time to decide on a career that suits you. Choose wisely and you will enjoy a rewarding working life. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach Amid the darkness, hope, in news of our top-performing HSC students (North Sydney Boys, James Ruse on top of HSC rankings, December 19). For me, the most refreshing part of the stories was the wide range of careers our students hope to pursue: politics, ecology, teaching and law. Its great to see our best and brightest are choosing such varied career paths. Ross MacPherson, Seaforth Penrith Selective High School students Yingye Chen, Shabad Nagpal, Freya Stewart, Ryan Wen and Rupali Wadhwa celebrate their HSC results.. Sam Mooy When I see all those smiling faces of the North Sydney Boys HSC class of 2025 I am reminded what an amazing country this is. Many, if not most, appear to be first- or second-generation migrants, here in this country to better their lives while at the same time providing us with the extraordinary standard of scholars who will become our future leaders in science, medicine, business and hopefully politics. Congratulations guys. Amanda Jordan, Artarmon Heed call for action Does Shaun Carney seriously believe Anthony Albanese would have rushed to announce his five-point plan (Labor races to write new laws targeting hate preachers, December 19) if John Howard hadnt provided his scathing critique. If Carney thinks Howard went too far (Albanese critics have gone too far, December 18), I shudder to think what he makes of Josh Frydenbergs systematic dismantling of the leadership capabilities of Australias prime minister. The federal governments appeasement of radical anti-Israel sentiment has facilitated a climate in which antisemitism has been allowed to grow. Howard didnt go too far. Nor have the public figures who demand the prime minister take action. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach

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NationalQueenslandQueensland Rail Buses to replace trains with major Brisbane track closures over five weeks Felicity Caldwell December 19, 2025  10:16am 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

People are being warned to plan ahead when travelling on trains in December and January due to track closures that will affect all rail lines. The track closures, from Saturday through to January 26, were scheduled as part of Cross River Rail work and Queensland Rail maintenance. During the Christmas week, December 20-28, all rail lines will be impacted by track closures and travel changes. There will be track closures on every Queensland Rail line at various stages over a five-week period. Tammy Law On the northside, buses will replace trains on all lines between Roma Street and Northgate/Eagle Junction, and on the Ferny Grove line.

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On the southern lines on December 20 and 21, Beenleigh and Gold Coast trains will run as a combined all-stops service between Varsity Lakes, on the Gold Coast, and Banoon station in Sunnybank. Buses will replace trains between Yeerongpilly and Banoon. From December 22 to 24, stations from Roma Street to Northgate/Eagle Junction station and the Ferny Grove line will be closed. Buses will replace trains during this time. From December 29 to January 1, all train lines will operate on a special timetable, with extra New Years Eve bus and train services.

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All train lines will run on a regular timetable on January 2. From January 3 to 26, Beenleigh and Gold Coast line trains will run as a combined all-stops service between Varsity Lakes and Banoon stations. From January 3 to 11, buses will replace trains between Yeerongpilly and Banoon. From January 12 to 26, buses will replace trains between Boggo Road and Banoon. Buses will also replace trains between Cleveland and Manly stations on the long weekend from January 24 to 26 so Queensland Rail crews can recondition the Birkdale Road overbridge.

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All services will return to the regular timetable on Tuesday, January 27, for the start of the 2026 school year. Related Article Queensland Rail Inside the room where officers control the entire Brisbane train network Translink acting head Dean Helm asked people to plan ahead and allow plenty of travel time. We understand this will be an inconvenience to customers which is why these works occur mostly during the school holidays, when less customers travel on the network, he said. We will have plenty of services available to help get you where you need to go, including connections to regular bus routes and rail replacement buses.

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The Cross River Rail Delivery Authoritys work includes installation of signalling infrastructure, forming new tracks, and draining works between Albion and Bowen Hills. It will also include cable relocation and testing, overhead and communication wiring installation, and under-track crossing installing between Salisbury and Boggo Road station. Over the festive season, Queensland Rail will do track maintenance between Bowen Hills, Wooloowin and Ferny Grove, as well as on the Cleveland line. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalVictoriaBondi Beach I can get him: Texan rabbi asked injured policeman for his gun before being wounded in Bondi massacre Nicole Precel December 19, 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

When a police officer began yelling, I got shot, I got shot, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff did not hesitate. Amid gunfire at Bondi Beachs festival of lights celebration on Sunday, the young Texan removed his shirt and wrapped it around the officers shoulder in a bid to save him. Leibel (left) with his father, Yossi. His father, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff, says Leibel told the officer, Dont worry, you got shot in your shoulder. You are going to be OK. The 20-year-old, who was helping Rabbi Eli Schlanger with the Hanukkah event and has held a gun licence since he was 18, pleaded with the officer to give him his weapon. I can get him; let me do it. Please let me save some people, Yossi said of his sons actions.

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But seconds later, a bullet went through his own left side and out his back, moments before he saw Schlanger, his mentor, colleague and friend fatally shot in the chest. A talented pianist, singer and artist, Leibel received his rabbinical ordination last year. Yossi says his son runs events, and had travelled to Sydney in September to learn from Schlanger and help with the long-running Hanukkah by the Sea celebration. He came here alone, without any friends, without any companionship, for Rabbi Eli. He would have taken a bullet for Rabbi Eli, he wanted to save lives, he knew in the process of saving lives he was putting himself at risk, he would have done it for anyone. It was 3.45am when Yossi was woken.

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Leibel Lazaroff remains in hospital after Sundays Bondi shooting. I was sleeping, not thinking there was going to be a terrorist attack in Sydney and my son was going to be shot, he said. Already, Leibel has had three life-saving surgeries to treat the bullet wounds he sustained to his abdomen and thigh. His ribs are damaged and breathing hurts, and he is still too unwell to walk, or move. Doctors estimate he will be in hospital for at least another fortnight, but its hard to know. Yossi, who is now in Sydney and at his sons bedside with his wife Manya, says people took shifts to be with Leibel until he arrived, and have returned each night to give him respite. My son has had an amazing community and friendships in the last two or three months. He hasnt been left alone since they found him.

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The funeral for Schlanger, who was one of 15 victims who died on Sundays attack, was held on Wednesday. Yossi attended the service for a person they lovingly described as a giant of the community and as a man who believed in my son perhaps more than himself, while Manya stayed by their sons bedside. Liebel believes the police officer he ran towards may have been Constable Scott Dyson, who had been eastern suburbs police area command for 18 months. Dyson was shot in the shoulder and abdomen and is in a serious but stable condition in hospital. NSW Police could not confirm the account, but in a statement they hailed Dyson and officer Jack Hibbert, who was also shot on Sunday, saying they ran towards the gunmen. A photo provided by the family of NSW Police Constable Scott Dyson, who remains in hospital. Dyson family He does not regret trying to save a police officers life, Yossi says of his sons bravery. He just says he wishes he could have done more. I hope the Australian government appreciates that, appreciates him.

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Yossi says that after he was shot, Leibel felt like he was dying and worried he would bleed to death. But he wants to live. He says, People need me. I need to help the community because Rabbi Elis not there to do it. I have to step up. Hes unbelievable. Recovery will be a long journey, but Yossi is glad hes not burying his son. When he opens his eyes he is with us. When he closes them, then he is back at the Bondi terror attack. Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff speaking about his son Leibel When he opens his eyes he is with us. When he closes them, then he is back at the Bondi terror attack, he said. Hes lucky to be alive. Yossi works at Texas A&M University as a rabbi and growing up, his children had always seen their father care for, feed, and help students on a daily basis. They have been raised to be givers and doers.

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My son was raised in that environment since he was born. The irony, Yossi says sadly, for a father and son duo to proudly go and hunt Jews down from an ideology of hate, to infuse terror and take lives. He said planning an attack on the Jewish people on Hannukah, one of the first places to light the candles of religious freedom, of light over darkness, good over evil, to infuse not just terror on the people of Australia, but Jews around the world. While he never expected a terror attack in Sydney, he said, we cant be naive. We have to root it out. We cant have antisemitism, Jew hatred, left unchecked; this is what happens. This emboldens people. Unfortunately, if you continue the way it is now, its not going to get better. It cant be the status quo, it will get worse. He also feels there should have been better training for a terror attack.

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Related Article Bondi shooting Melbourne activists change plans after being warned not to use Bondi grief for protests A gunman walking around freely, not even hiding, standing there in the open hunting Jews down makes no sense, he said. He had the ability to do it in broad daylight, unabashed, unafraid. Its inexcusable. Yossi and Mayna left their eight children, including an 18-month-old, a two-year-old and a four-year-old, to be by their sons bedside. The financial strain, as well as uncertainty is tough. A GoFundMe page set up for the Lazaroff family has already raised over $65,000. To the Jewish Australian community, Yossi said their family felt their pain.

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We understand the suffering. We are focusing on our son because thats our responsibility, but if we could be there to comfort the other families, we would. Leibel, in Yiddish, means lion. Its what Yossi says his son is. Hes a brave boy, he said.
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Exclusive NationalVictoriaProperty development Not possible: Data centre frenzy threatens to overwhelm Victorias power grid Daniella White December 31, 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

A slew of new data centre proposals threatens to tip Victorias power demand past total current supply and could send electricity bills rocketing as developers try to cash in on the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom. In its latest planning report, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has revealed connection enquiries for large industrial loads  mostly data centres in Melbournes north and west  have swelled to more than 18 gigawatts. A leading energy expert has warned the data centre boom could lead to higher electricity bills. Marija Ercegovac In a blunt assessment, the operator warned that if these projects proceeded, peak demand would more than double  an explosion it stated was not possible to support. To manage even a fraction of this load, the report outlines the need for significant new infrastructure, including potential new terminal stations at Truganina, Donnybrook and Somerton. However, the AEMO noted there was no certainty regarding which projects would go ahead.

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Related Article Business investment Melbourne is turning rust-bucket suburbs into a thirsty, power-hungry billion-dollar data empire Energy experts are now urging the Allan government to intervene and charge developers for the extra burden placed on networks. They also warn that demand is, in part, being fuelled by developers inflating power needs to secure permits they intend to sell. Victorian network operator AusNet revealed it is assessing a pipeline of more than 10 gigawatts of data centre connection requests  a figure that the Victorias auditor-general has said could exceed demand above the states current supply capacity. However, the energy giant warned the market operator that this unprecedented level of interest was being driven partly by applicants lacking demonstrable experience in the sector. Leading energy market expert Professor Bruce Mountain has warned that Victorias data centre boom has the hallmarks of a gold rush, fuelled by speculative developers overstating their power needs, seeking to secure grid approvals to create options they hope to on-sell.

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Renewables AI energy demand to grow tenfold He said the enormous and breathtaking connection figures received by AusNet and AEMO defied reality. Hopeful developers have an incentive to overstate their prospects to create options to later sell, Mountain said. There will be a huge gap between the total electrical demand of those proposals and what actually gets developed. Mountain, the director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, warned of a misalignment of incentives: developers want valuable permits, the government wants to facilitate those applications in the name of economic growth, and network monopolies are eager to expand their regulatory asset base to boost profits. Fuelled by the explosive growth in cloud computing and AI tools such as ChatGPT, data centres are massive industrial warehouses filled with the servers and storage needed to process vast amounts of digital information.

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These sites not only have a massive thirst for electricity, but also use huge amounts of water to cool servers down. Data centres have also emerged as a shining light in Victorias economy, driving a surge in commercial building investment that has kept construction pipelines going amid a broader market slowdown, according to the budget update released this month. AI platforms have experienced explosive growth. Bloomberg But if billions of dollars worth of grid upgrades are completed for demand that never materialises, Mountain says it will be Victorian households and businesses that could be left paying the bill  a repeat of the gold-plating of the past, when electricity distribution networks overinvested in poles and wires in the name of demand growth that never materialised. If policymakers and network companies fail to be disciplined in sheeting back augmentation expenditure to these data centre companies, then well end up with exactly the same problem of wasted overcapacity we have had, he warned.

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Related Article AI Fears big tech AI plants voracious appetite for power will drain grid Mountain says that to protect consumers a system of financial bonds and minimum payment obligations should be introduced. This would ensure that if a data centre failed to consume the power it promised (and so generate the promised revenues), the developer  not the public  would remain responsible for the network costs. It is the only way, he argues, to sort the wheat from the chaff and ensure realism. I get a little bit weary when I hear of governments promising expansion, Mountain said. This Victorian government has shown great willingness to pass costs on to others in pursuit of its own policies. The government must protect consumers.

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Related Article Water restrictions $840m desal expansion tipped as Melbourne faces AI water drain Premier Jacinta Allan has vowed to make Victoria the data centre capital of the country and secure data centre jobs. Despite this, the government has so far been silent on how it will protect consumers and ensure centres are forced to pay for the extra burden they place on networks. Melbourne Water said it was fielding applications from hyperscale data centres that required more water for cooling than nearly all the citys top 30 business customers, a massive spike in demand that was missing from its long-term forecasts. It said that to ensure this pressure didnt result in higher bills for the broader community, it would be prudent for tech companies to pay upfront for the infrastructure upgrades required to support them. A spokesperson for Energy Minister Lily DAmbrosio did not address questions about the demand of data centres on Victorias grid, nor did they answer questions about whether the state government was developing any mechanisms to charge operators.

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However, DAmbrosio joined her interstate counterparts at Decembers Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council to order a review to ensure data centres pay for network upgrade costs. Our focus is on securing the states water supply, while also supporting the tech and innovation industries to grow local jobs and our economy, the spokesperson said. An expert review is being undertaken by DEECA [the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action] and VicWater, the industry peak body, to ensure existing water use policies for large industrial users, including data centres, keep pace with this rapidly emerging sector. An AusNet spokeswoman said Australias network regulatory arrangements had in-built safeguards to ensure data centre developers funded 100 per cent of the costs associated with their connection to the transmission network (i.e. individual connection costs). This includes funding the establishment of new terminal stations or zone substations required to facilitate their connection, she said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
MOSCOW, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The launch of island-wide special customs operations in China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will serve as a foundation for Hainan's continued successful development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

At a press briefing, Zakharova said this new progress will also expand business opportunities for those from China and other countries.

The establishment of the Hainan FTP and other free trade zones in China is an effective measure for promoting and diversifying foreign trade and improving foreign trade structure, Zakharova said.

She noted that relevant authorities of Russia and China attach great importance to the development of cooperation in the area of special economic zones.

China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan FTP, the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures. 
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NationalVictoriaCourts Tony Mokbel bound for Queensland holiday as prosecutors delay retrial decision Erin Pearson December 19, 2025  1:54pm 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

Gangland figure Tony Mokbel will see in the new year in Queensland after having his bail conditions significantly relaxed. Mokbel, 60, attended the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday, expecting to learn if the Director of Public Prosecutions would persist with a retrial of drug charges after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in October. Tony Mokbel (centre) and his lawyers on Friday. Jason South Instead, prosecutor Simon Thomas told the court there was still no finality on the question and asked the court for an extension until February. Mokbels defence barrister, Julie Condon, KC, expressed frustration at the delay and said it was time to bring this sorry saga to an end.

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She told the court that immediately after Mokbel was granted a retrial on a charge of conspiracy to import drugs charges, his legal team submitted a 30-page application to permanently stay, or halt proceedings, for the DPP to consider. Related Article Crime Tony started the underworld: The original gangland crime boss who survived and, eventually, beat the system It was completely unfathomable, Condon said, for no decision to have been made. Its not a complicated matter. Its an extremely confined allegation of one count of incitement. The evidentiary basis is these two meetings on the 29th and 30th June, 2005 between Mokbel and two undercover operatives for the AFP, Condon said. [Then] a phone call on July 13, 2025, by Mokbel where he tells one of the operatives hes not interested [in importing drugs].

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It is very unfortunate ... that this sorry saga has not come to an end today. Thomas said prosecutors were still considering the stay application, but needed more time to review the evidence. Mokbel arrives at court with barrister Julie Condon, KC. Jason South Judicial registrar Timothy Freeman echoed the defences concerns about the delay and ordered the matter return to court in early February. He also flagged that any retrial could occur in the County Court, not the Supreme Court, given the nature of the charges.

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Freeman then reduced Mokbels bail conditions, allowing the 60-year-old to use a smartphone, move house. He also removed a curfew that had required Mokbel to be home after dark. Related Article Courts Tony Mokbel cleared of some serious drug trafficking charges over Lawyer X scandal While in Queensland, Freeman said Mokbel would still need to report to a police station three times a week. In 2012, Mokbel was jailed for 30 years, with a non-parole period of 22 years, after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate. On October 3 this year, Court of Appeal judges Stephen McLeish, Maree Kennedy and Stephen Kaye unanimously tossed out one of Mokbels major drug convictions, ordered a retrial on a second and upheld a third.

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The Orbital case  which Mokbel was ordered to face a retrial on  alleged he commissioned the importation of MDMA powder into Australia in 2005. It was alleged he did so by placing an order with undercover police for 100 kilograms at a cost of $1.2 million. In its judgment, the Court of Appeal found supergrass Nicola Gobbos involvement corrupted one case against Mokbel  known as Operation Quills  to a degree that his conviction should be quashed. Mokbel in 2004 with his then-lawyer, Nicola Gobbo. Nine News The judges though found that didnt automatically extend to other prosecutions, known as Magnum and Orbital. Gobbo was previously Mokbels defence lawyer, but he was not made aware she was working with police before entering his guilty plea.

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The Magnum conviction, which still stands, related to Mokbel trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine via a large-scale criminal enterprise while he was overseas. The Quills case, which was dismissed, had alleged Mokbel trafficked ecstasy while the head of a criminal enterprise in 2005. Police said it involved the large-scale pressing of 30 kilograms of MDMA into ecstasy pills using two pill presses at a Coburg factory, and later a third pill press in a Craigieburn garage. Mokbel on Friday has had his bail conditions relaxed. Jason South At his sentencing in 2012, Mokbel was handed a joint sentence for all three cases. After being released on bail earlier this year after serving 18 years in prison, Mokbel agreed to abide by a raft of bail conditions, including reporting to police and staying at a single bail address.

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Last month, his 30-year sentence was wound back to 13 years, seven months and 15 days, which the court said was time already served before his appeal was heard. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalVictoriaUniversity Top professor accuses Melbourne Uni of employing neo-Nazis Noel Towell December 19, 2025  4:46pm 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 states top university is facing a fresh race row after one of its highest-profile academics accused the institution of employing neo-Nazis and labelled its policies on antisemitism an embarrassment. In an article published by The Australian on Friday, University of Melbourne professor of Australian Indigenous studies Marcia Langton claimed some of her colleagues had engaged in devious and underhanded antisemitism, and that at least two neo-Nazis were employed in academic positions. The University of Melbourne is considering appealing the decision. Penny Stephens As an academic at the University of Melbourne, I find the devious and underhanded antisemitism of some of my colleagues intolerable, and our policy an embarrassment, she wrote. My university employs at least two neo-Nazis in academic positions, and one of them is clearly committed to the Great White Replacement Theory, although guileful in his various public and private statements.

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Related Article Bondi shooting Antisemitism fight to be taken into kinders, schools and universities The great replacement theory is a far-right conspiracy that posits so-called elites are conspiring to replace people of European descent with non-white people, particularly those from Asian and African heritage. Langton did not name the academics she referred to, and when contacted by this masthead on Friday, she declined to reveal their identities or comment further on her article. Racism and alleged antisemitism have been flashpoints at universities across Australia in recent years, including the University of Melbourne. The institutions attempts to sack another academic, law school professor Eric Descheemaeker, over what it alleges was a pattern of racist remarks, has been held up in the courts.

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The university tried to dismiss Descheemaeker after an email he sent to Matthew Harding, then dean of the universitys law school, in August 2023, was leaked earlier this year and posted around the Parkville campus. Professor Marcia Langton James Brickwood In the email, Descheemaeker referred to the universitys recently announced Indigenous cultural safety review as an ideological re-education camp. The review was ordered after a series of resignations of Indigenous academics, culminating in the high-profile departure of former Northern Territory discrimination commissioner Eddie Cubillo from his role as associate dean of the nations top-ranked law school. Cubillo described the school as the most culturally unsafe place Ive worked.

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The Age does not suggest Descheemaeker, whose case against the university is scheduled to return to court in February, is one of the academics Langton referred to. Related Article University Melbourne University professor fights sacking in racism row A university spokesperson did not respond on Friday when asked about how the institution would respond to Langtons public attack, but defended the institutions effort to fight antisemitism. We remain steadfast in our commitment to combat antisemitism on our campuses, the spokesperson said. In January 2023, the university adopted the non-legally binding International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism as part of its anti-racism commitment.

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This year we worked with the special envoy to combat antisemitism and the Group of Eight Australia to contribute to develop a definition of antisemitism for the higher education sector. We will continue to use these two definitions as educative tools to inform our understanding of antisemitism. The university had another recent setback over its expulsion of two students it accused of harassing and intimidating Jewish academic Steven Prawer as they occupied the professors office over his links with the University of Jerusalem. An internal appeals panel found last month that the university had failed to give proper consideration to the students human rights when it decided to kick them out. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Editorial ASIO has a record billion-dollar budget, but fumbled terrorist threat The Herald's View Editorial December 19, 2025  5:14pm

December 19, 2025  5:14pm 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 the fraught days after the Bondi Beach shootings came promises of gun law reform and a gun buyback, legislation to crack down on antisemitism and impose limits on public assembly and protest marches and the application of the blowtorch to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but somehow the role of Australias security authority slipped below the radar. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and ASIO director general Mike Burgess. Alex Ellinghausen On Monday were learned that the man subsequently charged with 15 counts of murder, Naveed Akram, had been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation six years ago, but no action was taken. His dead accomplice, his father Sajid Akram, had applied to own guns years before and was issued a category AB firearm licence in 2023 that allowed him to possess six guns. Ensuing information revealed Akram as a teenage street proselytiser who followed a notorious Sydney jihadist preacher Wisam Haddad with connections to self-declared Islamic State group commander Isaac El Matari and convicted IS youth recruiter Youssef Uweinat. Haddad has denied any knowledge of Sundays attack. Not only that, Akram flew to the Philippines and back without popping up on ASIOs radar.

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On Sunday, as authorities scurried to piece together the massacre, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said one of the attackers was known to his organisation before the shooting but not in an immediate threat perspective. Were looking to see if theres anyone in the community that has similar intent. Its important to stress at this point, we have no indications to that fact, but that is something we have active investigations on, he said. Of course, ASIOs books would be crowded with Sydney persons of interests from the time of the Lindt Cafe siege in 2014 and radicalised young men who went to fight with or join the ISIS caliphate more than a decade ago. The younger Akram was interviewed by ASIO as the last holdout in Syria was overrun in 2019. But authorities seem to be racing to piece together the activities of the two Akrams between that date and last Sunday. Surely, the Hamas raids on Israel in October 2023 and the tensions that flowed from those atrocities here should have triggered ASIO into taking another look at people of interest on their books. Yet on the evidence so far, ASIO seems to have been playing catchup since failing to join the dots on the Akrams.

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Burgess offered no explanation but said in a roundabout way there was a 50 per cent chance of an act of terror in the next year. Burgess is the highest profile spy chief in Australian history whose regular dramatic warnings attract attention and hard cash. For decades, crisis has underwritten ASIOs need for more powers and more money to confront terrorism, espionage and cyberattacks. In 2024-25, ASIOs budget topped a record $1.1 billion. Yet, the agency was unable to link a registered cache of six guns to known terrorism. Albanese has conceded that ASIO and other agencies missed something between 2019 and the Sundays Bondi Beach massacre and foreshadowed reforms to ensure federal and state agencies  intelligence, security agencies and police  interact better with each other. Politicians repeatedly admitted this week that the first responsibility of government was to protect citizens. This should be the first responsibility of our spy agency. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
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Analysis PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Cynicism about Frydenberg is familiar  and tempting. Its also grossly uncharitable Rob Harris Updated December 19, 2025  10:15pm ,first published 7:25pm 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

Josh Frydenbergs speech at Bondi Beach this week did not sound like anything produced by the Australian political system in a long time. That was its power. It came outside of parliament, after office, after many years of offering caution. It was the most important moment of his public life because it stripped everything else away. What remained was anger, grief and a refusal to sanitise reality. Josh Frydenberg spoke passionately at Bondi. Matthew Absalom-Wong Theres no shortage of people ready to reduce Frydenbergs intervention to political calculation. A former treasurer who lost his seat in 2022s landslide against the Morrison government. A potential return to public life. A moment of national grief. The cynicism is familiar  and tempting. It is also, as even his most hardened critics this week believe, grossly uncharitable.

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What set Frydenbergs address apart was not just its bluntness, but the fact that it came from someone speaking as a parent and as a Jew before speaking as a politician. During his 12 years in parliament, no one ever called Frydenberg a conviction politician, but here he spoke with the type of moral clarity now rarely heard in public life. That distinction mattered  and it was audible. He spoke not in abstractions but from lived experience. As a father raising Jewish children in Melbourne, where their schools and synagogues now need armed guards and families calculate risk before attending public celebrations. This was not borrowed outrage. It was personal fear, publicly expressed. Unscripted and pointed. Related Article Opinion

Bondi shooting You have failed us: Josh Frydenbergs full speech at Bondi memorial We, as a Jewish community, have been abandoned, and left alone by our government. Our governments have failed every Australian when it comes to fighting hate and antisemitism, he said. Our prime minister, our government, has allowed Australia to be radicalised on his watch. He did not speak delicately. He accused governments of moral failure  of hiding behind euphemisms, of refusing to name Islamist extremism, of indulging antisemitism under the cover of balance and process. His charge was blunt: if leaders cannot say what is driving the violence, they cannot stop it.

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That directness was jarring precisely because it is now so rare. It left MPs on all sides in Canberra wondering why no one else could manage the same cut-through. Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, a former attorney-general, Jewish, and a political opponent of Frydenberg, was invited by ABC radio to address claims that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must accept some responsibility for the increasing number of violent attacks on Jewish communities, culminating in Sundays massacre. Dreyfus handled it deftly. Loading There are many people speaking out now who are reflecting the anger and the pain and the grief that is being felt, and thats understandable, he said. I say again, this has been an extraordinarily distressing event for the Australian Jewish community, for all Australians. He went on to say that more must be done to combat antisemitism, flagging many measures the federal government would announce the following day.

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Blame is not a very useful sentiment, Dreyfus said. What we need to do now is work with each other. And Ive said from the start, we can and should do more. Weve got to do everything that we can. Labor MP Mark Dreyfus (centre) at Bondi Beach the day after the massacre. Oscar Colman Like Dreyfus, Frydenbergs authority on this issue does not derive from identity politics, but from history. He is the most senior Jewish cabinet minister Australia has produced. He is also the product of a postwar nation that integrated Jewish refugees successfully and confidently, without apology and without fear. Their parents survival, and their own careers, were evidence that Australia once understood how to manage difference without surrendering cohesion. Frydenberg, now unbridled by political office, issued a warning that this inheritance is being squandered. That argument will be uncomfortable for Labor, particularly for a party struggling to manage elements of its own base. Frydenberg made no effort to soften that discomfort. Like John Howard after Port Arthur, he argued, leadership means confronting your own side first.

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On arrival in Bondi, he had planned to say only a few words to mourn the dead, but in the end, he admitted he let rip, unsure if he would finish or break down. He told The Nightly on Thursday hed so far shielded his own young children from news about the attack because he did not want them to be fearful living in Australia as proud Jews. Frydenberg did not speak this way on matters affecting the nation when he sat in cabinet. Power disciplines language. Ambition can sharpen it. He told the ABCs Sarah Ferguson that he was deeply offended by suggestions that his speech was politically motivated. But neither fact diminishes the substance of what he said. Related Article Bondi shooting If not me, who? Frydenberg lashes ABC hosts deeply offensive political question Australian politics has developed an unhelpful reflex: when a speaker might benefit politically, their argument is treated as suspect by default. Motive becomes a substitute for engagement. That reflex is especially convenient when the subject is uncomfortable. Preselections wont be dealt with in Victoria for the next federal election until after next Novembers state election. Those close to Frydenberg genuinely dont know if he will try to return to parliament. Their best guess is the Liberals current fortunes would dramatically have to rise if he were to throw in his new life in corporate Australia and run again.

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PoliticsNSWGun control Stricter gun laws are coming to NSW. Heres what is changing Jessica McSweeney and Angus Thomson December 19, 2025  3:19pm 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

Follow our live coverage of the Bondi shooting here. Gun owners who have more than four firearms will be forced to hand them into police in NSWs strictest crackdown since the Port Arthur massacre. In response to Sundays Bondi terror attack, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced sweeping changes that would ban the Islamic State flag, prohibit mass gatherings in certain parts of the state, and impose a 10-gun limit for farmers and sporting shooters. Premier Chris Minns said ISIS flags will be banned in NSW. Sam Mooy Minns, who said he took a deep responsibility for what happened on Sunday, drew a connection between pro-Palestine rallies including the Harbour Bridge march and the terror attack, declaring that organisers were unleashing something in the community they could not contain.

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The state government will jointly fund a buyback scheme with the federal government, requiring recreational shooters to surrender straight-pull and pump-action guns. There will be an exemption for farmers and other primary producers. We dont believe that these are all of the answers to fulfil our responsibility to keep the public safe and to fight antisemitism in the community and hate speech and racism in the community, Minns said. So well be careful about our next steps when parliament resumes, but you can expect further reform and further legislative change. Sajid Akram, the elder of the two Bondi gunmen, was licensed to hold six firearms used during Sundays attack. The licence had been granted two years ago, even after his son and alleged accomplice, Naveed Akram, had been investigated by ASIO. The premier said the ban on protests during terror declarations was not targeted at specific groups, but that the situation in the community was combustible. When you see people marching and showing violent, bloody images, images of death and destruction, its unleashing something in our community that the organisers of the protest cant contain, Minns said.

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He said the state could not risk another mass demonstration on the scale of the Harbour Bridge protest for Gaza, which Minns and NSW Police had not supported. Asked if members of his own party, including senior minister Penny Sharpe, and other well-meaning Sydneysiders had been wrong to participate in the Harbour Bridge march, Minns said he would not dwell on the past. I didnt think it was consistent with community harmony, he said. But a lot of people, including people who approached that issue with goodwill whod be appalled by what happened on Sunday, disagreed. Changes to protest laws will face staunch opposition from the Greens, who called the proposed protest ban during terror declarations an authoritarian overreach. Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees said any attempt to draw links between protests and Sundays attack was an outrageous claim with no basis in evidence.

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Related Article Bondi shooting The Sydney suburbs with the most guns, as overall numbers rise Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the cost could be four or five times larger for NSW to get the guns off owners than in Western Australia, which set aside $63 million for its buyback scheme. Licence holders will be required to be a member of a gun club, magazine capacities for category A and B firearms will be limited to a maximum of five to 10 rounds, and there will be a blanket ban on firearms that can use a belt-fed magazine. New Zealand citizens who become permanent residents will be exempt from a ban on non-citizens owning guns if they work in primary production or security. Licence terms will be reduced from five to two years, and existing licence holders will be audited to look at high-risk cases. When parliament is recalled on Monday, the opposition will revive its own legislation that failed to pass parliament earlier this year, to give police and courts powers to block repeat protests on the basis of policing costs and social cohesion.

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It also proposes expanding laws that ban Nazi symbols to capture symbols linked to proscribed terrorist organisations, and increasing the maximum jail term from 18 months to five years. The proposal would mirror Commonwealth laws and allow NSW Police to arrest anyone displaying a symbol linked to terror. When you allow hate speech to go unchecked, when we do not stand up against words, those words lead to violence, said NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane. Bondi Beach incident helplines: Bondi Beach Victim Services on 1800 411 822

Bondi Beach Public Information & Enquiry Centre on 1800 227 228

NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511  or Lifeline on 13 11 14

 or Lifeline on Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at kidshelpline.com.au More Bondi terror coverage

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PoliticsWAWA budget Henderson shipbuilders called up to help Metronet expand along the river Michael Philipps December 19, 2025  4:54pm 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

Henderson-based shipbuilder Echo Marine Group has been awarded the contract to design and construct five new electric ferries as part of the state governments Swan ferry expansion project. The $66 million contract is set to deliver WAs first electric ferry fleet, with each vessel designed to carry about 140 passengers at a maximum operating speed of 25 knots. Echo Marine Group has received a $66 million contract to design and construct five new electric ferries. The ferries will be designed to produce a low wake and will feature toilet facilities, bike storage and external seating for passengers. About 130 Echo Marine employees, including apprentices, are expected to work on the vessels, with construction set to begin within weeks and the new ferry services predicted to start before the end of 2027.

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Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the locally made ferries would expand public transport options for Western Australians and provide a high-quality experience for passengers. Todays milestone marks another step forward in the biggest ever expansion of Perths ferry network and I look forward to seeing these new services operating from late 2027, she said. Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the Swan River had the potential to be a key transport link for Perth commuters and visitors. Thats why weve invested in the expansion of the Perth ferry network, she said. An expanded ferry network needs more ferries, and WA has a proven record of building quality ferries.

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The contract follows the approval of two new ferry terminals at Applecross and Matilda Bay, despite community opposition to the plans. Related Article Updated

Metronet Protester told to leave as tensions boil over in Metronet on Swan meeting A protester was told to leave a WA Planning Commission meeting about the Cook Governments $107 million Metronet on the Swan ferry plan earlier this month, before commission members approved both ferry sites. The $107 million ferry network expansion was a key Labor election commitment and will see the existing South Perth to Elizabeth Quay route continue out to Matilda Bay and down to Applecross near the Raffles Hotel. The Matilda Bay site has been particularly controversial given the impact it would have on users of the bay.

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More deals struck in red-hot Henderson The ferry contract is not the only shipbuilding deal announced for Henderson on Friday. Austal Ships has been awarded a further contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class patrol boats for the Australian Border Force. Austal Australia has been awarded a contract extension for two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats. Austal Australia Parent company Austal Limited said the latest award, valued at more than $135 million, brings the total number of the patrol boats contracted to Austal to 14 vessels.

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Austal Limited chief executive Paddy Gregg said the additional vessels continue to strengthen Maritime Border Commands readiness and operational reach. Related Article AUKUS Scott Morrison thinks this beachside port should house Australias next joint US base Over the past five years, the Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats have proven themselves as highly capable, reliable assets for Australias border protection missions, he said. With nine Evolved Capes already delivered and performing exceptionally with the Royal Australian Navy, and two more already under construction for the Australian Border Force, this new order further enhances Australias maritime surveillance and response capability across Northern Australia and our vast maritime domain. Austal delivered eight original Cape-class Patrol Boats to the Australian Border Force between 2012 and 2015, followed by additional orders and deliveries for two vessels to the Royal Australian Navy in 2017 and two more to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard in 2021. 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 License this article More: WA budget Michael Philipps is a producer and reporter with WAtoday.
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WorldEuropeBondi shooting Intolerable: UK police crack down on hate after Bondi massacre David Crowe December 20, 2025  10:21am 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

London: British police have hardened their stance against antisemitism amid claims that some people in the United Kingdom had welcomed the murders of Jewish Australians in the Bondi Beach terror attack. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he knew of reports that some people in his home city had celebrated the killings. He condemned the sickening response and vowed to toughen measures against hate speech. Emergency services at the scene of the attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester in October. AP But an apparent video of one event, said to show Muslim men in Manchester applauding the Bondi attack this week, featured rebadged old footage from June, unrelated to the Australian atrocity. The video, which spread quickly on social media with the false claim that it showed pro-Palestine activists in the past few days, highlighted the challenge for police in separating genuine threats from misinformation.

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The Greater Manchester Police confirmed to this masthead that the video showed an older protest unrelated to Bondi, while fact-checking units at Reuters and Agence France-Presse both found the video showed an event in Manchester on June 8. Manchester, which has Britains largest Jewish population outside London, has been on heightened alert since a terrorism attack on the Heaton Park synagogue on October 2. The aftermath of the October 2 attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on October 2. Getty Images The assailant in Manchester, Jihad Al-Shamie, was born in Syria and was given refuge in the UK. He killed one man with a knife and wounded several others before being shot dead at the scene. Another man was killed by a police bullet while attempting to hold the door of the synagogue closed to protect people inside. Watson, the most senior police officer for the Manchester region, revealed the concerns about the response to the Bondi attack but did not name specific cases.

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I know that I had reports that there were people in Manchester celebrating the Bondi attack in ways which [are] just sickeningly distasteful, he said at the Policy Xchange think tank on Wednesday. It seems to me that we need to get to the heart of that, we need to get behind that, because there is stuff which is lawful but it is intolerable. And what is intolerable can, over time, become unlawful. Manchester Chief Constable Stephen Watson after the October 2 attack with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham (left) and Secretary of State for the Home Department Shabana Mahmood. Getty Images British police chiefs are stepping up patrols and taking a more assertive line against hate speech because of the escalating threats, and have named Bondi as a new factor in justifying the arrest of protesters. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who is responsible for most of greater London, issued a joint statement with the Manchester chief constable to single out chants like globalise the intifada as grounds for arrest.

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Violent acts have taken place, the context has changed  words have meaning and consequence. We will act decisively and make arrests, the two police chiefs said. Related Article Bondi shooting We know their grief: Bondis trauma feels painfully close to Manchesters Jewish community Crown prosecutors have found in the past that globalise the intifada is not hate speech even though the uprisings among Palestinians, particularly the second intifada from 2000 onwards, included suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. Rowley and Watson said the situation had changed and that many of the phrases used by protesters generated fear in Jewish communities. Now, in the escalating threat context, we will recalibrate to be more assertive, they said.

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The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians condemned the police statement and argued that intifada meant uprising. Which pro-Palestinian slogan will be next to face criminalisation? the centre said. Police arrest a pro-Palestine protester in London on October 4. Getty Images This sets a dangerous precedent for the erosion of freedom of expression in the UK. This marks another troubling low in the suppression of protest in support of Palestinian rights. The Metropolitan Police detained two people on Thursday for racially aggravated public order offences after they allegedly called for an intifada at a protest in central London.

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The concerns about the British response to the Bondi terrorism made headlines in the UK, with The Times reporting the claims on Friday. But Manchester police found that the video on social media was old footage. Related Article Bondi shooting A father, a son and the radical world of terror We arent aware of any celebration events in GM in response to this attack, a police spokesperson told this masthead, using the acronym for Greater Manchester. A fact-check by Reuters found that the video that purported to show a pro-Palestinian group celebrating the Bondi mass shooting was previously posted on June 8, when activists said it showed a demonstration in Manchester the previous day. In the Agence France-Presse fact-check, the news agency said a similar false claim had been made about a demonstration in Pakistan that purportedly welcomed the Bondi attack.

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The videos predate the shooting and depict a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Manchester in June and a fireworks display in Karachi organised after Hamass attack on Israel, it said. Related Article Exclusive

Bondi shooting Hes a honeypot: The radical Islamic cleric linked to the Bondi shooter who keeps dodging the law Watson argued that firmer action was justified against hate speech because of the way Jewish communities were being targeted. I think its [a] very important point to reflect upon  that Jewish children are the only children in our country who, day to day, go to school behind large fences, guarded by people with [high-vis] jackets, and where there are routine police patrols in and around those areas, he said. Our Jewish communities put up with a way of life in our country, today, that nobody else has to put up with.

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I do think there is something very significant in that, something very significant in the realisation of it. And we all, I think, need to question ourselves, afresh, as the dynamic continues to change, as to whether what we are doing continues to be adequate. 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.
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WorldNorth AmericaSyria Hegseth announces effort to eliminate Islamic State fighters in Syria after deaths of Americans Konstatin Toropin , Ben Finley and Aamer Madhani December 20, 2025  10:11am 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: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the start of an operation to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites in Syria following the deaths of three United States citizens. This is not the beginning of a war  it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trumps leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people, he said on Friday on social media. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the start of an operation in Syria following the deaths of three United States citizens. AP Two Iowa National Guard members and a US civilian interpreter were killed on December 13 in an attack in the Syrian desert that the Trump administration has blamed on the Islamic State group. The slain National Guard members were among hundreds of US troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting Islamic State. Soon after word of the deaths, US President Donald Trump pledged very serious retaliation but stressed that Syria was fighting alongside US troops. Trump has said that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was extremely angry and disturbed by this attack and the shooting attack by a gunman came as the US military was expanding its co-operation with Syrian security forces.

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Syrian state television reported that strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces and in the Jabal al-Amour area near Palmyra. It said they targeted weapons storage sites and headquarters used by ISIS as launching points for its operations in the region. Related Article Islamic State Trump pledges retaliation after three Americans are killed in Syria ambush A US official told the Associated Press that the attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said more strikes should be expected. When asked for further information, the Pentagon referred AP to Hegseths social media post. White House officials noted that Trump had made clear that retaliation was coming.

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President Trump told the world that the United States would retaliate for the killing of our heroes by ISIS in Syria, and he is delivering on that promise, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supported the action. These strikes are a direct response to ISIS attacks on US defence personnel and the actions of the United States government are timely, swift and decisive, and we support those actions, Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra on Saturday. ISIS has caused untold suffering around the world, but directly with the actions that theyve taken, but also through their evil ideology that they spread. And last Sunday was an ISIS inspired attack here in Australia, and that evil ideology represents something that should have no place in any consideration of humanity and who we are as global citizens, let alone as Australians. This week Trump met privately with the families of the slain Americans at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware before joining top military officials and other dignitaries on the tarmac for the dignified transfer, a solemn and largely silent ritual honouring US service members killed in action.

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Loading The guardsmen killed in Syria on Saturday were Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the US Army. Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a US civilian working as an interpreter, was also killed. The shooting nearly a week ago near the historic city of Palmyra also wounded three other US troops as well as members of Syrias security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and was recently reassigned because of suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba has said. The man stormed a meeting between US and Syrian security officials who were lunching together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards. AP 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.

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Updated WorldNorth AmericaMass shooting How an anonymous tipster cracked the US university shooting case Kimberlee Kruesi Updated December 19, 2025  5:51pm ,first published 12:58pm 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

Providence: Information from a tipster who had had a strange encounter with another man on a footpath outside Brown University in Rhode Island was key to police identifying the suspect they believe killed two students at the Ivy League school and then two days later gunned down a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Known only as John in a Providence police affidavit, the source is being hailed by investigators as the key figure who gave law enforcement the details needed to determine who was behind the Brown shooting last Saturday, as well as the killing of MITs Nuno Loureiro, who was shot at his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts on Monday, about 80 kilometres north of Browns campus. Ever since a shooter unloaded more than 40 rounds inside a Brown engineering building, anxiety and frustration have plagued the Providence, Rhode Island, community as police appeared no closer to identifying the person. People gather outside a storage facility where a suspect in the Brown University shooting was found dead. AP Yet on the sixth day of the investigation, the case gathered steam, ending with police announcing late on Thursday (Friday AEDT) that they had found the suspected gunman dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a rented self-storage facility in New Hampshire.

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The tipster, John, was the reason why. He blew this case right open, said Rhode Island Attorney-General Peter Neronha of the information provided by the individual that resulted in finding the suspect nearly 24 hours later. When you crack it, you crack it, he said. According to police, John had had several encounters with 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente before Saturdays attack. As police posted images of a person of interest  now identified as Valente  John began posting on the social media forum Reddit that he recognised the person and theorised that police should look into possibly a rental grey Nissan. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did. The police affidavit said they learned about the tip on December 16, three days after the shooting and a day after the tip line was created.

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Up until that point, the police affidavit says officials had not connected a vehicle to the possible shooter. That detail led them to get more video of a Nissan Sentra sedan with Florida plates and enabled Providence police officers to tap into a network of more than 70 street cameras operated around the city by surveillance company Flock Safety. MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, was fatally shot in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. AP The next day, police publicised a new video where Valente appeared to run away from another man. The Reddit commenter didnt respond to questions from The Associated Press earlier in the week but he returned to the forum later that Wednesday night to say that he had just been interviewed by Providence and state police investigators. The affidavit says John gave investigators additional critical details: he encountered Valente in the toilet of the engineering building just hours before the attack, where John noted the suspects clothing was inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.

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Violence Authorities to release person of interest detained in US university shooting John also bumped into Valente outside, mere blocks from the building, where John watched Valente suddenly turn around from the Nissan when he saw John. What ensued was then a game of cat and mouse, according to Johns testimony  where the two would encounter each other and Valente would run away. At one point, John says he yelled out, Your car is back there, why are you circling the block? The suspect responded, I dont know you from nobody, then the suspect repeatedly asked, Why are you harassing me?  according to the affidavit. John told police he eventually saw Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

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Respectfully, I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people, John wrote on Reddit on Wednesday night. As of Thursday (Friday AEDT), its unknown whether John will receive the $US50,000 ($75,700) reward the FBI had offered for information about the Brown shooting. Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI, said it was possible when asked by reporters. It would be logical to think that, absolutely, that individual would be entitled to that, he said. AP 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.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration on Thursday approved a possible foreign military sale to NATO worth an estimated 136.1 million U.S. dollars to extend Stinger missiles' service life.

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) requested to buy additional booster pellets, flight motors, gas generator cartridges, Stinger warheads sections, as well as U.S. government and contractor engineering and technical services, said the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency in a statement.

"This proposed sale will contribute to U.S. and NATO defense goals by increasing readiness and enhancing the air defense capabilities of NATO Allies. Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into their armed forces," it said.

NSPA, NATO's lead organisation for multinational acquisition, support and sustainment across all domains, manages the Stinger Service Life Extension Program on behalf of Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

The Stinger missile is a lightweight, self-contained air defense system that can be rapidly deployed by ground troops, according to Raytheon, the U.S. defense firm that produces the missile. 
POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) and Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) convened a high-level think tank session on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, aimed at strengthening collaboration between St. Maartens two primary gateways.

The session, led by PSG Chief Executive Officer Alexander Gumbs and PJIA Chief Executive Officer Michael Cleaver, focused on identifying joint opportunities to enhance the islands long-term competitiveness, elevate the visitor experience, and maximize positive community impact.

During the meeting, both organizations reaffirmed their commitment to operating as aligned partners, positioning the port and airport as a unified entry system and a powerful driver of national development. This collaborative approach reflects a shared vision of ensuring that St. Maartens gateway infrastructure evolves in a coordinated and forward-looking manner to support sustainable growth.

Discussions resulted in agreement on four key areas of collaboration. The first is strategy alignment and long-term planning, with an emphasis on synchronizing future development plans to ensure complementarity. This includes aligning upcoming infrastructure concepts, coordinating design initiatives that influence passenger movement across the island, and taking future ventures such as homeporting into account. A shared strategic framework will help ensure that decisions made at either gateway support St. Maartens broader national vision.

The second focus area is commercial and promotional initiatives, aimed at strengthening the islands commercial footprint through co-branded representation and future promotional concepts that enhance destination visibility. These efforts will also extend to community-driven initiatives that reinforce St. Maartens brand and economic vitality.

Additionally, events and community engagement emerged as a key pillar, with both entities committing to expanding community-centered programs for groups such as youth and seniors, supporting cultural events, and exploring innovative concepts that highlight St. Maarten as a premier destination.

The further development of mentorship programs was also discussed, recognizing the importance of nurturing local talent as a foundation for long-term growth, continuity, and national development.

The fourth area of collaboration centers on development and guest experience enhancements, with a focus on improving the overall visitor journey. Collaborative approaches to infrastructure planning, public-facing spaces, and future commercial zones were explored as means to elevate both customer satisfaction and community experience.

In conclusion, PSG and PJIA underscored that joining forces is a necessary step to move both their businesses and the destination forward. Beyond commercial objectives, both organizations emphasized that their combined efforts must also deliver meaningful benefits to the community, reinforcing their shared responsibility as stewards of St. Maartens growth and future.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten National Heritage Foundation & Museum successfully hosted a Historical Train Trolley Tour through Philipsburg on Saturday, December 13, 2025, bringing over a hundred attendees, including seniors, families, and children, together for an engaging journey through the islands past.

The event formed part of the ongoing Tours of Culture project, supported under the Lets ACT Program, which aims to connect communities to Sint Maartens heritage through accessible, interactive cultural experiences. The holiday-season tour offered residents and visitors the opportunity to explore the history of Philipsburg in a relaxed and safe setting, with free participation for seniors and children under 12.

Due to strong interest, all available tour slots filled quickly. The registrations were full in no time, which really showed us how much people value these kinds of experiences, said Shanica Romney, coordinator of the event. We were especially happy to see so many families attending together, with children and seniors sharing the experience side by side.

The guided tour was led by historian Jean-Marc Augusty, who shared historical facts and stories as the train trolley made its way through the heart of Philipsburg. A highlight of the afternoon was the active participation of several seniors, many of whom chimed in with their own memories and historical knowledge at times even outpacing the historian himself. The lively exchanges sparked laughter and prompted jokes that they could easily lead the tour next time.

The Foundation expressed appreciation for the support of Raphael Dorra, train captain and owner of We Tour, whose company provided the trolley service for the event. More information about We Tour can be found at we-tour.net

The Historical Train Trolley Tour follows the official launch of the Tours of Culture project in October 2025 and is one of several planned activities running through 2026. The project is part of the Lets ACT Program, a collaboration between CEDE Aruba, the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), and the Foresee Foundation, funded by the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie.

For updates on upcoming Tours of Culture activities, including future storytelling events and heritage tours, the public is encouraged to follow the Sint Maarten National Heritage Foundation & Museum on Facebook or visit www.sintmaartenmuseum.org. Enquiries can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
PHILIPSBURG:--- NV GEBE has announced that its billing system has been further restored, now also featuring a new bill format that displays customers complete outstanding balances. The company acknowledges the concerns raised by some residents and underscores its commitment to guiding the community through this transition with empathy, transparency, and support.

NV GEBE expresses appreciation for the communitys patience throughout the system restoration process.

  

The process of sending bills via e-mail is now fully automated. Customers are encouraged to contact NV GEBE to ensure that their e-mail addresses are correct. Once NV GEBE attaches your e-mail address to the contract account, the bills are created monthly, and the system follows through to automatically send it to customers. If we dont have an email, then the bill gets printed and delivered to you by our meter readers.

 

If the bill is two weeks past due, the system automatically proposes disconnection. We urge customers with past due bills to contact NV GEBE to make payments and/or create a payment plan.

plan to avoid disconnection.

Customers who have not received their bill, whether by hand delivery or e-mail, are encouraged to visit the Customer Care Department or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for

immediate assistance.

   

The company reminds customers making bank transfers to always include their contract account number so payments can be applied automatically and correctly to the respective bill.

  

NV GEBE has a structured process in place to investigate unusually high bills automatically, including checks for:

--Water leaks, which fall under the customers responsibility.

--Abnormal consumption trends, which can be monitored along with the customer.

--Possible tampering with NV GEBE equipment, which are subject to fines, once detected through the company's checks and balances.

Each situation is reviewed individually, and bill adjustments are made when justified.

 ,   &  

A new website and Customer Portal will be launched in the first quarter of 2026, allowing customers to track usage, view billing details directly, and make payments online, with real-time updates. Furthermore, to keep customers up to date, NV GEBE is also continuing its community-focused initiatives, including:

  to help residents understand how to read and manage their bills.

     an outreach program that brings staff into neighborhoods to answer questions and provide on-site guidance with hands-on resolution of billing concerns.

NV GEBE remains dedicated to serving customers and supporting the community through ensuring that every customer has access to clear information and compassionate assistance.

The company reaffirmed its dedication to working closely with the community, emphasizing shared responsibility, transparency, and the importance of sustaining essential utility services

for the community of St. Maarten.

Customers who need support or to schedule an appointment may contact NV GEBE at:

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WhatsApp: ((721) 588-3117
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) confirms the arrest of a suspect in connection with a deadly shooting that occurred on January 22nd, 2022, on Zozo-Moran Drive in Cole Bay.

The suspect, identified by the initials D.M.P., a French national, is believed to have been involved in the fatal shooting in which a male victim was shot and killed. Following the incident, the suspect fled Sint Maarten and remained outside the jurisdiction for several years.

On December 18th, 2025, officers of the Police Force of Sint Maarten arrested the suspect upon his arrival at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). The arrest was carried out without incident. The suspect is currently being held in custody pending further investigation.

The Major Crimes Team of KPSM has been actively pursuing this suspect internationally since the incident, working closely with local, regional, and international law enforcement partners. This arrest represents a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into this fatal shooting.

KPSM reiterates that time and distance are not shields against justice. Serious crimes will continue to be investigated, regardless of how much time has passed or how far suspects may have traveled to evade the law.

The Police Force of Sint Maarten extends its sincere gratitude to all local and international partners, both at home and abroad, whose cooperation and assistance were instrumental in bringing this suspect into custody.

The investigation remains ongoing. Further information will be shared as it becomes available.

KPSM Press Release.
US strikes kill 5 on alleged drug boats in Pacific



Washington, United States, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



The US military said it killed on Thursday five more alleged drug traffickers aboard two vessels in the Pacific Ocean, bringing the divisive campaign's death toll to over 100.

The Trump administration has carried out such strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September but has provided no evidence that the boats are involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the operations' legality.

The latest strikes hit two vessels in international waters that were "engaged in narco-trafficking operations," US Southern Command said on X.

Three people were killed in the first vessel and two in the second vessel, it said.

The strikes have now killed 104 people, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

During a September operation, the US military launched a second strike that killed survivors of an initial attack on the same vessel, generating accusations of a war crime.

The use of the military for the anti-drug campaign and Trump's warnings of a potential land strike in Venezuela have also raised the question whether he should seek authorization from Congress.

The House of Representatives rejected two Democratic resolutions on Wednesday aimed at halting the strikes and "hostilities in or against Venezuela" without its authorization.
Six Colombian soldiers killed in guerrilla attack: defense minister



Bogota, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Colombia's ELN guerrilla group attacked a military base near Venezuela with drones and explosives, killing six soldiers and wounding more than two dozen more, the defense minister said Friday.

Founded in 1964 and inspired by the Cuban revolution, the ELN is the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, and controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia. Efforts to negotiate a peace settlement have repeatedly stalled.

The Thursday night attack on the rural military outpost in Aguachica, near the border with Venezuela, was the second deadly clash with security forces in a week, with at least eight soldiers killed.

"I categorically reject the ELN's terrorist action using drones and launching of explosive devices against a Military Base... with the regrettable loss of 6 of our soldiers and at least about 28 soldiers wounded," Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on social media early Friday.

In October, the United States imposed sanctions on Colombia's President Gustavo Petro for his alleged reluctance to target armed cocaine-trafficking cartels.

After taking power in 2022, Petro, himself a former guerrilla, attempted to engage well-armed cocaine-producing groups in talks, rather than conduct open warfare. But negotiations faltered.

Washington, conducting a campaign against alleged narco-trafficking off the coast of Venezuela, has warned Petro that he could "be next" over his country's mass cocaine production.

Colombia is the world's top cocaine producer, according to the UN.

The ELN, which is present in over a fifth of Colombia's 1,100-plus municipalities, vowed last week to fight for Colombia's "defense" in the face of US "threats of imperialist intervention."
US strikes kill 5 on alleged drug boats in Pacific: military



Washington, United States, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



The US military said it killed five alleged drug traffickers aboard two vessels in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, taking the overall death toll in Washington's campaign to more than 100 people.

Under President Donald Trump, US forces have carried out numerous strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September.

The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.

The latest attacks hit two vessels in international waters that were "engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the US military's Southern Command said on X.

Three people were killed in the first vessel and two in the second vessel, it said.

Since the start of the campaign, the strikes have now killed 104 people, according to an AFP tally based on official data.

Thursday's operation came the same day Trump claimed he did not need lawmakers's approval to strike suspected drug cartels on land in Venezuela, citing concerns over information leaks.

"I wouldn't mind telling them, but you know, it's not a big deal. I don't have to tell them," he said in the Oval Office.

Democratic lawmakers have maintained that the Trump administration needs congressional authorization to use the military for the purported anti-drug campaign.

The House of Representatives rejected two Democratic resolutions on Wednesday aimed at halting the strikes and "hostilities in or against Venezuela" without its authorization.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed the US campaign seeks regime change instead of its stated goal of stopping drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, Trump ordered a blockade of "sanctioned oil vessels" to and from Venezuela, a move some Democrats labeled an "act of war."

A day later, the US military said it killed four suspected drug traffickers in another strike in the Pacific Ocean.

During a September operation, the US military launched a second strike that killed survivors of an initial attack on the same vessel, prompting accusations of a possible war crime.
Russian FM slams 'brazen' Western plan to deploy force to Ukraine



Cairo, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday slammed a European proposal to create a multinational force to police any potential peace deal in Ukraine as a "brazen" threat to Russia.

"This is not so much about security as it is about yet another attempt, you know, a brazen one... to carry out the military development of Ukrainian territory as a springboard for creating threats to the Russian Federation," Lavrov said, during a visit to Egypt.

Leaders of Kyiv's key European allies -- including Britain, France, Germany and Italy -- said this week they were ready to deploy a European-led "multinational force Ukraine" to "assist in the regeneration of Ukraine's forces, in securing Ukraine's skies, and in supporting safer seas, including through operating inside Ukraine."

Moscow has repeatedly railed against the idea of Western troops being deployed to Ukraine, warning that it would consider them "legitimate targets" for Russia's armed forces.

Ukraine is pushing for strong security guarantees if it signs up to a deal to end the four-year war, including Western military commitments that it sees as necessary to prevent Russia from invading once again.
ANTANANARIVO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of China's first medical team being dispatched to Madagascar was held on Thursday in the southern city of Ambovombe.

In his address, Madagascar's President Michael Randrianirina expressed gratitude to Chinese medical teams for the considerable assistance they have provided to the Malagasy people.

He said that since 1975, Chinese medical teams have worked closely with local counterparts in Madagascar's health sector, making an important contribution to the country's development, and reaffirmed Madagascar's readiness to deepen cooperation with China.

Chinese Ambassador to Madagascar Ji Ping said that over the past half-century, more than 700 members of Chinese medical teams have served in Madagascar, offering medical services to local communities with dedication and medical expertise and writing a vivid chapter in the friendship between the two countries.

According to the ambassador, China will continue strengthening bilateral communication and actively advance some health projects to promote more pragmatic cooperation.

Li Xingxiang, head of the 24th Chinese medical team in Madagascar, said that Chinese medical workers, far away from home, have successively served in the country to build a solid bridge of health and friendship between the two peoples.

He said that the Chinese medical teams in Madagascar will remain committed to their mission and continue safeguarding the health of the Malagasy people.

During the event, the Chinese Embassy in Madagascar donated livelihood supplies to local residents and awarded scholarships to 100 local students.

Over the past 50 years, China has sent 24 batches of medical teams to Madagascar, providing medical services for nearly five million patient visits. 
Armenia, Azerbaijan mark first post-war trade deal



Yerevan, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Azerbaijani fuel entered Armenia for the first time since the two long-time rivals fought multiple wars, Yerevan said Friday, hailing it as a historic step in post-conflict settlement.

The ex-Soviet Caucasus republics fought two wars over the Karabakh region before Baku regained control of the enclave in 2023, prompting the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Baku and Yerevan agreed on the text of a peace deal in March and initialled it at a White House ceremony in August, though its final signing remains uncertain.

In October, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev lifted all restrictions on cargo transit to Armenia.

A train carrying 1,300 tonnes of Azerbaijani-produced gasoline crossed into Armenia via Georgia, Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said.

"This is probably the first trade and economic transaction between Armenia and Azerbaijan not only since peace was established between the two countries, but since their independence as a whole," he wrote on Facebook.

The Armenian government hailed the deal as "an important confidence-building measure that supports the peace agenda."

Azerbaijani state news agency Azertag reported earlier that the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) had dispatched the fuel from a terminal in Baku, sending it through Georgia en route to Armenia.
Drone crashes in northwest Turkey: media



Istanbul, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



A drone crashed in a rural area of northwestern Turkey, after a series of incidents linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Turkish media reported on Friday.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was discovered near the city of Izmit -- around 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, the private DHA news agency reported.

Authorities have launched an investigation to find out the origin and the type of the drone, which was damaged in the crash. Some experts said it appeared to be Russian-made.

The incident came days after Turkey shot down a drone on Monday that had "lost control" as it approached its airspace from the Black Sea.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an "area of confrontation" between Russia and Ukraine, following several strikes in recent weeks on ships in the region.

A Turkish vessel was damaged last week in a Russian air strike near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, just hours after Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of a summit in Turkmenistan.
NANNING, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and one was injured in a knife attack Friday morning in a residential compound in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, confirmed local authorities.

The incident occurred at about 7 a.m. in the Xincheng County, Laibin City. The suspect has been brought under control by the police. The injured person was rushed to hospital, while investigation of the case is ongoing. 
There are many who feel the whole takeover saga is driven by the egos of the leading players, with Wall Street  in line to pocket up to $1 billion in advisory fees  egging them all on. John Colley, professor of practice at Warwick Business School and an expert on mergers and acquisitions, said it reminded him of the scene in Succession  itself a product of Warner Bros Discovery subsidiary HBO  when three of Logan Roys children recklessly outbid him for a takeover target. His scathing response? Congratulations on saying the biggest number, you f**ing morons!
On the tour, were told the best time to see the Aurora is in the winter months, when the long, dark polar nights prevail. From late November through to mid-January, the sun doesnt rise in Troms at all, while the summer gifts the city with days where the sun stays just above the horizon for 24 hours. I watch as sections of the day are lit in a dreamlike wash of deep blue and violet, before giving way to complete nightfall, courtesy of my December trip.
He told Theroux: I probably didnt take it seriously enough at that moment. Maybe I should have just stood my ground, taken a deep breath, and had the f***ing balls to just flush everything down the toilet and be there when the police came. But I didnt want to see the police. I didnt want to. It was a f***ing inconvenience to me and thats an awful thing to say because hes lying there, dead on the street and I was more concerned about getting nicked for possession.
Kerrigan asked to be sentenced this month, more than a year after he pleaded guilty. He had originally been made to wait, in the hope he could be sentenced alongside his co-defendant if he was convicted at trial. But that trial is stuck in Londons chronic court backlog, and the judge agreed to sentence Kerrigan alone.
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JUBA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Friday strongly condemned the killing of one of its staff in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

In a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the UN mission said a staff member had been reportedly detained by security actors since Monday, during which time it was engaging with the relevant authorities to locate the individual and ensure his safe release.

"We are devastated by the loss of our colleague," UNMISS Officer-in-Charge Anita Kiki Gbeho said in the statement.

Gbeho said such killing of UN personnel is unacceptable and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to determine the circumstances of his detention and subsequent death.

The UN official also called on the authorities to ensure those responsible are held to account. "It is imperative that the safety and security of United Nations personnel is respected," she added. 
Archbishop Moth said: "My first task here is to get to know everybody... to get to know priests and people, to get to know schools, to get to know the life of this wonderful diocese here in Westminster".
Last year that in year funding accounted for over 400 million, that hasnt happened this year, there has not been the same funding, and that is why the Department of Education is facing the budgetary pressures that we do have within this financial year, he said.
A man opens the TikTok app on his cellphone in Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 21, 2020. TikTok has reached agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form a new U.S.-based joint venture allowing the app to continue operating in the United States. Anjum Naveed/Associated Press file photo

SAN FRANCISCO  TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors  Austin-based Oracle Corp., Silver Lake and MGX  to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by the Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium.

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Software giant Oracle announced in December 2020 that it had moved its corporate headquarters to Austin. American-Statesman file

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued dedication and tireless work. Your efforts keep us operating at the highest level and will ensure that TikTok continues to grow and thrive in the U.S. and around the world, Chew wrote in the memo to employees. With these agreements in place, our focus must stay where its always been  firmly on delivering for our users, creators, businesses and the global TikTok community.

Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group of investors  among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15% share. ByteDance will own 19.9% of the new venture, and another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo. The memo did not say who the other investors are, and both TikTok and the White House declined to comment.

The U.S. venture will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It also will be subject to terms that protect Americans data and U.S. national security.

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Oracle moved its headquarters to Austins South Shore district in 2020. The company is among a group of investors that has agreed to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, a deal aimed at allowing the social video platform to continue operating in the United States. Austin American-Statesman file photo

U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle. The memo said U.S. users will continue enjoying the same experience as today, and advertisers will continue to serve global audiences with no impact from the deal.

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Having the Austin-based cloud computing giant oversee security had been floated at least as early as September, when a senior official in President Donald Trumps administration said Oracle would secure a licensed version of TikToks recommendation engine under a proposed divestment deal.

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At the time, Trump speculated that prominent billionaires  including Texas tech titans Michael Dell and Oracle founder Larry Ellison  could be part of a group involved in the deal.

TikToks algorithm  the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed  will be retrained on U.S. user data to ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation, the memo said. The U.S. venture also will oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

American officials have previously warned that ByteDances algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way thats difficult to detect.

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The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties  specifically the algorithm  with ByteDance.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States.

After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed  and President Joe Biden signed  a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of Chinas ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the laws January 2025 deadline. For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.

Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership. But that deal fell apart after China backed out following Trumps tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.

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TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S. About 43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published this fall.

Oracle officially moved its corporate headquarters to Austin in late 2020, about two years after opening its campus along Lady Bird Lake. The company employs an estimated 4,200 people in Central Texas, according to Opportunity Austin.

Shares of Oracle closed up 6.6% Friday.
HONG KONG, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The resources China funnels into college education, along with its vast talent pool, will help foster the development of artificial intelligence (AI), said 1986 Turing Award winner John Edward Hopcroft on Friday on the sidelines of the inaugural Hong Kong AI Art Festival.

"Chinese students have an advantage because they live in a country which really believes that education in AI is important," Hopcroft told Xinhua. He devoted much of his life to AI education and has taught at multiple Chinese universities.

Hopcroft said Chinese universities gave him the leeway to hire capable faculty and supported his vision of improving the quality of education.

"I find it very enjoyable because I can have an impact," said Hopcroft.

Hopcroft is a proposer of Project 101, a nationwide pilot project spearheaded by China's Ministry of Education to enhance undergraduate education. First rolled out in computer science in 2021, it has since expanded to eight fundamental disciplines including mathematics and chemistry. The AI arm of the project was launched in 2024.

The project resulted in the creation of the "best content for courses in AI in Mandarin," said Hopcroft. He said that China is making a difference in AI education because the textbooks are available online for students, teachers and anyone interested in the subject.

Noting that Chinese universities have many of the best students in the world who are very good at solving problems, Hopcroft encouraged them to look beyond technical skills and cultivate creativity and personal goals.

"You only get one life to live. You should figure out what you enjoy and then develop a career that you enjoy," he said. 
Tamales are made with a soft corn-based dough called masa and filled with a range of ingredients like beans, cheese, seasoned meats, vegetables and more. The dish itself is far from a 21st-century concept: Tamales have ties to the Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, Toltecs and Olmecs, according to Gold Belly. The corn dough is the crucial element, as corn was often sacrificed to the gods who were believed to create humans from the crop. They then became associated with the Mexican holiday the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which celebrates the interaction between the Virgin Mary and a peasant named Juan Diego in the 16th century. This period spans from Dec. 12 through Jan. 6.
Dr. Mark Malone and Advanced Pain Care have agreed to pay more than $13.6 million to settle allegations that they improperly billed federal and state health care programs for urine drug testing, according to federal prosecutors. American-Statesman file

An Austin-based pain management doctor and his medical practice have agreed to pay more than $13.6 million to settle allegations that they improperly billed federal and state health care programs for urine drug testing, according to federal prosecutors.

Dr. Mark Malone, the founder of Advanced Pain Care, and more than a dozen related entities will pay $13.6 million to the United States and the state of Texas to resolve the claims under the federal False Claims Act and Texas law.

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The federal government will receive the vast majority of the settlement, while Texas will receive about $34,000, officials said.

Advanced Pain Care operates pain medicine clinics and surgical centers across Texas, including locations in Austin, Amarillo, Waco and Houston. Malone is an interventional pain management physician who founded the practice.

Federal officials allege unwarranted urine drug testing

Federal authorities alleged that from 2017 through 2021, Malone and Advanced Pain Care knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and other government health programs for urine drug tests that were not medically necessary. Prosecutors said the practice billed for both preliminary and more advanced drug tests on the same patients and dates of service without first reviewing initial results to determine whether further testing was warranted.

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The government also alleged the practice used multiple billing codes for individual drug analytes when billing the Department of Veterans Affairs, inflating reimbursements.

U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said in a statement that while medical professionals take an oath to do no harm, it didnt stop Advanced Pain Care from allegedly committing these violations.

Some, like Dr. Malone, instead cause harm by submitting false claims for procedures, thereby enriching themselves to the detriment of the American taxpayer, Simmons said. These settlements demonstrate my offices commitment to protect the healthcare programs on which the American people have come to rely.

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Advanced Pain Care settles billing allegations

As part of the settlement, Advanced Pain Care entered into a five-year corporate integrity agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The agreement requires the practice to strengthen compliance oversight, conduct risk assessments and retain an independent organization to review billing claims.

The settlement resolves allegations raised in five lawsuits. Officials emphasized that the claims are allegations only and that no determination of liability was made.
A former Bastrop federal corrections officer has pleaded guilty to bribery in connection to receiving $300 to smuggle cigarettes to an inmate, officials said. American-Statesman

A Williamson County jury has sentenced an Austin man to life in prison without parole for continuous sexual abuse of a child, officials said. Garrett Andrew Bailey, 37, was sentenced Thursday, according to court records. He was found guilty Wednesday.

This defendant is responsible for trafficking and abusing children across Central Texas, and due to the incredible work of our prosecution team and the hard work of the Jury, this defendant will never get out of prison, District Attorney Shawn Dick said Friday in a news release.

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District Court Judge Donna King ordered that Baileys life sentence be served consecutively to a prior sentence in Bexar County for child sex trafficking, according to the release. "This stacking of sentences ensures that Bailey will remain in custody for the remainder of his life, reflecting the gravity of his crimes across multiple jurisdictions," the release said.

The Williamson County district attorney's office found videos of Bailey's sexual abuse of a child under the age of 8 and showed them to the jury during Bailey's trial, according to the release. Detectives began investigating the case in May 2023 after the child reported being sexually assaulted by Bailey and a female accomplice in Round Rock, the release said.

"Critical information provided by the Live Oak Police Department also linked Bailey to a separate case originating in Comal County involving the exploitation of a 10-year-old girl," the release said. It said investigators found Bailey in Oregon, where the U.S. marshal's office arrested him in August 2023 after he fled from Texas authorities.

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Austin Police Department cruiser Austin American-Statesman

Austin police arrested a South Austin man Tuesday who is accused of repeatedly driving through neighborhoods in the early morning hours, tossing explosive devices from his car and detonating blasts powerful enough to shake homes, setting off car alarms and narrowly missing pedestrians and pets, authorities said.

Derek Austin Gillespie, 49, was charged with possession of a prohibited explosive weapon, a third-degree felony, after police say he manufactured and detonated improvised explosive devices over several months, according to police. The arrest ends an investigation that began in August.

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This investigation began with concerned community members vocalizing public safety concerns, said Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran of the FBI San Antonio Field Office, who assisted APD with the case. Through the hard work and collaboration of Austin Police and their partners, and our ability to leverage the collective investigative expertise of the Central Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), we were able to identify the suspect.

Months-long string of explosions in South, Central Austin

The investigation started after residents reported explosions near Jones Road and the Blunn Creek Greenbelt, initially described as fireworks, loud booms or shots fired, according to Gillespies arrest affidavit. Police later determined the blasts were not consistent with consumer fireworks and posed a risk to public safety.

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On Aug. 13, the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad responded to an explosion in the 2500 block of Jones Road, where technicians recovered remnants consistent with an improvised explosive device, police said. As additional reports came in, investigators identified a pattern of similar incidents spanning several months.

According to the affidavit, more than a dozen explosions were reported across Central and South Austin, many occurring between midnight and 5 a.m. Witnesses described blasts strong enough to shake houses, rattle windows and set off car alarms.

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In one October incident, a woman walking her dogs in the 300 block of East Live Oak Street narrowly avoided injury when an object thrown from a passing sedan exploded roughly 20 feet away, the affidavit detailed. Investigators later concluded that had the device landed closer, it could have caused serious bodily injury to the woman or her dogs.

Other explosions were reported near St. Edwards University, Lightsey Road, South 1st Street and Krebs Lane, prompting repeated responses from the APD Bomb Squad, which recovered explosive remnants from several scenes, according to police.

As these incidents have continued, numerous persons in the community have expressed that they no longer feel safe living in their own homes, the affidavit said.

APD said it partnered with multiple local and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBIs Central Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, Austin Fire, the Austin Regional Intelligence Center and the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

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Investigators link blasts to suspect through surveillance, cell phone data

Investigators said they zeroed in on a silver Honda Civic and a dark Toyota Camry captured on surveillance near multiple blast sites, along with cell tower data placing a phone linked to Gillespie near several explosions. Police also cited a 2021 stop in which Gillespie allegedly threw a firework from a moving car near an APD patrol vehicle. Body camera footage showed fireworks and materials consistent with a homemade explosive, though smaller than those used in the recent blasts.

The case came together early Dec. 13, when police surveilling Gillespie tracked him leaving his overnight job at Sammies Italian Restaurant, returning home, then driving through South Austin shortly before a blast was reported at 3:37 a.m. in the 3800 block of Wadford Street.

Surveillance video reviewed by a bomb technician shows a vehicle slowing, stopping briefly and dropping an object with a small light consistent with a lit fuse before it erupts in a bright flash and smoke, shaking a nearby residents home more than 400 feet away.

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Police executed a search and arrest warrant for Gillespie on Dec. 16 at a home in the 500 block of Lightsey Road, where they say multiple improvised explosive devices were found in the house and a vehicle, according to authorities.
Welding student Angel Diaz, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

In the last days before winter break, students at Glenn High School in Leander soldered the edge of a long, metal beam onto the siding of a partially built cattle trailer. Blue sparks flew from welding torches as students bent over their project, which theyll enter into a competition and also use to haul cattle and steers later in the year through the schools agriculture program.

If one thing is off, the whole thing is off, junior Angel Diaz said.

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Students' participation in classes like welding is just one way that Leander leaders assess the success and needs of their district in an annual locally based evaluation system. This report card, which the district has released since 2021, is meant to enhance other systems for grading school performance, said Brenda Cruz, assistant superintendent of empowered learning.

Its much more of a holistic approach, than just one test, Cruz said.

Leanders self-assessment is one response to the perennial debate about how to grade schools in Texas  a longstanding fight that has launched lawsuits and often pitched school districts in a battle against the state. While many researchers and local educators agree that providing an expansive look at schools performance gives parents more information, boiling down that information for families can prove tricky.

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Multiple methods of grading schools from the state, federal government, nonprofits and academics can muddy the waters for families seeking clarity about how their local campus is really doing or new parents trying to find the best fit for their child. After districts filed lawsuits over state report cards for two consecutive years, lawmakers are reviewing other ways to assess schools and expect a Texas Education Agency report on possible new measures by 2028.

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Despite a vast lack of consensus about the best way to measure schools, most lawmakers, educators and families seem to agree  school ratings make a big difference on the way a district behaves and how families choose a school.

Im a big believer that what you measure in your accountability system signals your values and drives behavior, said Morgan Polikoff, a professor of education at the University of Southern California.

The most prominently used system in Texas is the Texas Education Agencys A-F accountability system. The states letter grades are based largely on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, an exam taken by students from third to eighth grade and at the end of certain subjects in high school. The letter grade also includes factors like college and career readiness and academic growth of students.

However, critics of the system insist the reliance on STAAR is unfair  especially in elementary and middle schools, where scores reflect a students understanding of several subjects on one day of a school year.

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In a map of A- and F-rated schools in the Austin district that circulated earlier this year, teachers and families were alarmed that many of the green A-rated schools were on the west side, while many of the red F-rated schools were on the east side, tracking socioeconomic divides.

If you look at where most campuses and school districts stand, if they have a high concentration of low-income kids theyre lower on the ratings, said Bob Popinski, dean of policy with education policy group Raise Your Hand Texas.

This is a problem with systems overly reliant on one measure, he said, though Popinski supports accountability that gives a robust snapshot of school performance.

Other systems provide different perspectives on school performance: The Nations Report Card also rates a selection of schools every year; Nonprofit Children at Risk ranks Texas schools annually.

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But for some classroom teachers, many of these school assessment systems just dont seem to encompass everything going on at a campus, said Eric Ramos, treasurer of Education Austin, the Austin school districts largest teachers union, and a Martin Middle School teacher.

We have to find a way to show families that we are preparing their kids for whatevers next in life, Ramos said. The STAAR test is just not that.

Welding student John Sifuentes, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Students in the culinary class at Glenn High School prepare green beans for a meal to serve the staff for their annual holiday celebration, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Quinn Davis, left, and Mikaela Yanez write a script for the TV Broadcast of the school announcements at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Landon Wisian, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Culinary students Morgun Grigsby, left, and Nick Delatorre prepare a holiday banquet meal for teachers at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Students in the audio/visual class prepare a TV Broadcast of the school announcements at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Agriculture teacher Derek Coffee helps welding student Angle Diaz, a junior, work on the class project, a cattle trailer, at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Landon Wisian, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Students in a welding class work on skills and building a cattle trailer at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Angel Diaz, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A welding student works on a pipe welding skill at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Steve Beck, a construction teacher, looks at a tiny house, the advanced class project, in the construction class space at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Angel Diaz, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Angel Diaz, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Students in the audio/visual class prepare a TV Broadcast of the school announcements at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Agriculture teacher Derek Coffee shows a welding class skill- pipe welding- at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Wood planks are stored in the corner of the construction class space at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman The construction class space at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Welding student Landon Wisian, a junior, works on the class cattle trailer project at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A tiny house, the advanced class project, fills the construction class space at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A flower arrangement from the floral class decorates a banquet table at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Culinary student Nick Delatorre, a junior, prepares a holiday banquet meal for teachers at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A poster directs CTE students to their classrooms at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Eli Anderson, a senior, works on a poster for the LEEF district gala during his graphic design class at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman Oliver Remmler, a senior, shows a robotics project idea designed to create RFID hall passes at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

Other ways of assessing schools

The desire for a more comprehensive picture of campus performance is why some school districts, like Leander, have created a different way of measuring the successes and failures of schools and the district.

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The Leander school districts community-based accountability system projects how the district is measuring up on key areas that community groups decided were priorities after years of input.

The district assesses itself on five metrics  including equitable access and family engagement. Each of these areas are like chapters in a book, Cruz said.

Instead of giving itself one grade, a 24-page annual report displays parent and student survey results, student test results and completion rates of specialty programs like career and technology courses.

Its not just did they get this certain score, Cruz said. Thats a piece of it. More and more universities want to see this really holistic lens to a student. If a student can own their learning and think through really certain steps, that is a huge maturity beyond taking a one-day assessment.

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Leander officials also pointed to changes made because of the local system, such as creating events for students to showcase their work to improve the goal of empowering students.

The district showed improvement in empowered student learning surveys and a steady number of industry-based certifications awarded, according to the 2025 report.

However, some fear attempts to be more holistic miss the point of true accountability.

Theres a lot of things that can be hidden in these community-based accountability systems that you cannot hide in the A-F system, said Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of educational and workforce policy at Texas 2036, a legislative think tank.

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Pruneda supports the states A-F rating system in part because of its focus on core academics and its inclusion of the performance of minority and low-income students.

We dont want to leave anyone behind, Pruneda said. I really think that its very easy to leave groups of students behind in these community-based accountability systems.

Students in the culinary class at Glenn High School prepare chicken for a meal to serve the staff for their annual holiday celebration, Dec. 18, 2025. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

Other factors

Inclusion of graduation rates in accountability systems is required by federal law, and many states also include college or career readiness in their report cards, said Polikoff, with the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education.

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Absolutely everyone who has any sense agrees that the purpose of education is not just to raise student achievement on standardized tests, although that is a purpose that students should learn stuff in school and we should measure the extent to which theyre learning stuff, Polikoff said.

Still, some things are easier to measure than others and test scores are fairly easy, he said.

A 2022 TEA report to the Texas Legislature concluded it was possible to include a student activity indicator in the accountability system. But actually including this measurement would require a lot more research to understand how to equitably collect the data, said Iris Tian, TEA's deputy commissioner of analytics, assessment and reporting.

The accountability system could be a lot more complex and include a lot more specific measurements, but TEA tries to balance that with a system people can digest, Tian said.

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If we were trying to make this ultimately as fair as possible for all the different situations and all the different schools, it would be end up being a really, really complicated system that no one would understand, Tian said. Were definitely in the middle of that spectrum.

The TEA is also studying other factors that could be included in the accountability system as part of a study required by House Bill 8, which passed this year and will reshape the STAAR test. That report wont be ready until 2028.

Benjamin Vanderwerf, a senior, edits the video announcements at Glenn High School, Dec. 18, 2025 for the audio/visual class. Leander is one school district that measures success through a community-based accountability system, which includes students achievement in industry based education as well as other, more common metrics like STAAR test scores. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman

Impact

Regardless of factors goes into them, school ratings do matter.

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Many parents moving into a neighborhood will look at the A-F rating of the local school, Popinski said.

Thats why its so important to understand as a parent, when youre moving into a new neighborhood, what that rating actually means, Popinski said.

To Ramos, the Martin teacher, the idea of rating schools on a system at all is somewhat problematic. He worries about what it says to a child if their school is labeled an F.

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Since Dell Medical School welcomed its first students in 2016, the community has been asking questions about the annual $35 million investment Central Health makes in the medical school. Almost 10 years later, the medical school and Central Health, the Austin-Travis County hospital district, have been able to share data to figure out how many Central Health patients are seen by Dell Medical School doctors. Hearst Newspapers file photo

After years of public discussions and lawsuits, Central Health  the hospital district for Austin and Travis County  can finally put some numbers to the question: How much care for the indigent is provided by Dell Medical School, which receives $35 million in taxpayer funding annually?

Until this week, Central Health, funded by a property tax rate of 11.8023 cents per $100 home valuation, had not been able to answer that question. It could tell the Travis County Commissioners Court, which oversees its budget, how many patients it took care of each year through its Medical Access Plan and MAP Basic program; how many people are enrolled in its partner Sendero Health Plans; and are seen at the Central Health specialty clinics or at its partner CommUnityCare clinics. But it could not say how many were treated specifically by Dell Medical School physicians.

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Dell Medical School also could not answer that question. It previously provided annual figures of care delivered by its faculty, residents and fellows, but could not identify how many met the indigent standard of earning 200% or less of the federal poverty level.

Documents the school provided to a Central Health auditor showed that from 2014 to 2022, the annual $35 million helped fund about 1,200 positions, including administrators, medical residents, fellows, professors and assistant professors. Many of those positions provided direct patient care throughout the community, including sites that serve indigent people. But UT could not match indigent patients to providers to produce counts of patients or visits.

With new data-sharing processes between Dell Medical School, Central Health and its partners, and Ascension Seton, the safety net hospital system, Central Health presented these figures Tuesday to the Travis County commissioners:

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In fiscal year 2023 (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2023): 33,391 patients served by Central Health saw Dell Medical School providers with 95,633 patient visits.

In fiscal year 2024: 38,054 patients with 104,377 visits.

In fiscal year 2025: 39,033 patients with 104,929 visits.

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Those figures translate to about 25% of the people Central Health serves were seen by a Dell Medical School doctor.

Donna Rogers was diagnosed with lung cancer last year at age 69 as part of a screening program between CommUnityCare and Dell Medical School at the University of Texas. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

"This certainly illustrates the value of the investment in Dell Medical School," said Monica Crowley, Central Health's chief strategy and planning officer and senior legal counsel, said at Tuesday's meeting.

Commissioners responded favorably. "This is a great step forward," said Brigid Shea. "It's really important and gratifying to get these numbers. ... I have to believe that people's health outcomes have been improved because of this."

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The numbers reflect Central Health's original purpose when it was created in 2004, said Commissioner Margaret Gomez. "People want to know what's being done with their money."

These figures are still not the full picture of the care Dell Medical School provides to people earning 200% or less of the poverty level. Not in the figures: People who do not have MAP or MAP Basic and are seen by Dell Medical School physicians in non-Ascension Seton hospital systems like Baylor Scott & White or St. David's HealthCare or in non-CommUnityCare clinics like People's Community Clinic and LoneStar Circle of Care clinics; and people who have Medicaid and Medicare but meet the 200% of poverty level or less category.

Dr. Hunter Daigle guides Dr. Ada Earp on CPR in the simulation room at Dell Children's Medical Center using the cart he designed. He won $40,000 from the Texas Health Catalyst program at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas to improve the cart and market it throughout the country. That cart is being used on all patients at Dell Children's, many of whom meet the poverty level criteria for Central Health. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

Why does Central Health give money to Dell Medical School?

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Dr. Puja Patel sets up at the Dell Children's Medical Center for a telehealth call with a student. The University of Texas Dell Medical School serves more than 303,000 students in 412 campuses across Central Texas through this telehealth program. Mikala Compton / American-Statesman

Why is there controversy about the $35 million?

Because UT and Central Health previously said they could not produce counts of patients and patient visits involving medical school staff, the public had trouble seeing the relationship between Central Health's uses of taxpayer money to help fund the medical school and Central Health's obligation to provide health care for people at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

A group of taxpayers filed a lawsuit in 2017. That case remains pending despite Central Health's attempts to have it dropped.

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In January 2023, Central Health and Ascension Seton sued one another over the Community Care Collaborative agreement. Central Health alleged Ascension Seton did not provide enough care; Ascension Seton alleged Central Health enrolled more people in MAP than the agreement anticipated.

In 2017, a group of local residents, including plaintiff Richard Franklin III, right, filed a lawsuit asking a judge to require Central Health to spend its money only on indigent health care and not the $35 million a year it gives to Dell Medical School. Local attorney Fred Lewis, left, and the parties went to court in May 2024, but the lawsuit is ongoing. Ralph Barrera/American-Statesman file

What are the next steps?

Central Health said it will continue to improve data sharing and work to expand reporting to include uninsured people and those with Medicare or Medicaid who are served by medical school doctors.

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More data might help Central Health and Dell Medical School identify care gaps and help both inform staffing and new programs.

"What we will uncover as we continue to develop the data set will certainly help with collaborative planning," said Dr. Pat Lee, the CEO and president of Central Health.
Tejano singer Bobby Pulido, left, now a candidate for Congress in South Texas, campaigns with Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico at the Mustang Lounge Night Club in Weslaco on Dec. 18, 2025. John C. Moritz James Talarico greets the crowd as he kicks off his campaign for U.S. Senate at Backyard on Broadway in San Antonio, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. Marvin Pfeiffer/San Antonio Express-News James Talarico talks to the crowd as he kicks off his campaign for U.S. Senate at Backyard on Broadway in San Antonio, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. Marvin Pfeiffer/San Antonio Express-News

WESLACO  U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico may be on the path to becoming a Presbyterian minister in his private life, but he used an appearance in South Texas on Thursday to dispel any notion that he would be a choirboy in Congress.

The seminarian and Democratic state representative used a form of the word "fight" more than a dozen times in a 16-minute speech onstage at a nightclub 10 miles from the Rio Grande, where he appeared with Tejano music legend and rising Democratic star Bobby Pulido.

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"If you're ready to remake this broken political system in our own image, we're ready to fight alongside you," Talarico told about 900 people inside the Mustang Lounge Night Club. "We're going to fight for every vote, including right here in the Rio Grande Valley."

Talarico is battling U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas to take on the winner of the Republican primary. Pulido, who is running for Congress in South Texas, offered a full-throated endorsement of the Austin Democrat, saying Talarico embodies the same South Texas values that he does.

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"We believe in the dignity of work. We believe families deserve leaders who actually listen to them, and we believe public service isn't about ego or headlines, it's about responsibility," said Pulido, who is being challenged in the Democratic primary by emergency room physician Ada Cuellar. "James shows up not just when it's easy, not just when it's popular, but when it's hard. And that's something I deeply respect."

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Although Talarico has been in the Senate race since September, polls show him trailing Crockett. In her announcement Dec. 8, Crockett made clear that she would be as combative in the Senate and she's been in the U.S. House. She promised to challenge President Donald Trump on issues ranging from health care to the economy and has battled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana in the halls of Congress and in TV appearances.

He Talarico didn't mention Crockett by name, but he said fighting in politics goes far beyond straight combativeness. He noted that even in the Republican-control Texas Legislature he's been able to pass bills to lower prescription drug costs and to reduce class sizes for pre-kindergarten students.

"Many of you have seen the viral videos of me going toe to toe with my Republican colleagues on the House floor," Talarico said. "We desperately need a senator who knows how to fight and knows how to win. Because the only thing better than a fighter is a winner."

The stakes for any Democratic in South Texas are high, in both the primary and the general election. Crockett's power base is in Dallas, where she lives, and in Houston, where she earned her law degree. Talarico's state House district is anchored in Austin, but he was an elementary school teacher in San Antonio before entering politics in 2018, at age 28. He has also claimed South Texas connection, noting that his mother was born in Laredo, and that his grandfather had been a Baptist preacher there.

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Democrats once seemed invincible along the Texas-Mexico border, but the party's grip has slipped. In 2016, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton beat Trump in Hidalgo County, the state's ninth largest, by a better that 70-30 margin. Four years later, Trump whittled Democrat Joe Biden's edge to 58 to 41. And in 2024, Trump narrowly won Hidalgo and nearly all of its neighboring counties.

Karrol Rimal, a spokesperson for the Crockett campaign, said the congresswoman has not yet announced plans to visit South Texas, but that she is not writing off any region or any constituency.

"She is focus on gaining support from all 30 million Texans, and South Texas certainly fits into that," Rimal said.

In the audience at the Mustang Lounge, Fernando Espinosa, a lifelong resident of Hidalgo County and an active Democrat, said he likes what he heard from Talarico but is not yet convinced any Democrat can retake the region his party has long taken for granted.

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"I like him. Most of my friends like him," said Espinosa, a retiree. "But can he win here? I don't know. I hope he can."

One thing both Talarico and Pulido have going for them, Espinozsa said, is that neither is co-opted by the national Democratic Party.

"We want to elect fresh blood," he said.

Pulido leaned into that desire for new faces, even if it means poking some Democratic voters in the eye with the March 3 primary looming while blaming Trump and other Republicans for talking a good game in 2024 but failing to deliver on the kitchen-table needs of South Texans.

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"I talk to constituents all the time, voters, and people here who are frustrated," Pulido said in an interview after the event. They don't want party people. They want people that fight on the issues for them, this is not a party issue anymore."

Sonia Dougherty, who was among the last people in a long line to have pictures taken with Talarico and Pulido, said she's part of the reason that the Democrats have lost their once solid grip on South Texas.

"I swing back and forth," Dougherty said of her voting history. But she said Trump's hardline approach to immigration and border enforcement is an over-correction from the lax policies under Biden.

"I got stopped three times on my way to work and had to show my passport," Dougherty said, making clear that she is a U.S. citizen. I said, 'That's it. I'll be voting for the Democrats.'"

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David De Los Rios, the managing partner of the Mustang Lounge who is also an elected trustee of South Texas College, said Talarico is wise to align himself with Pulido, and that both would do well by keeping national the Democratic Party at arm's length.
The Texas Legislature passed a bill this past session that, effective January 1, 2026, creates a 36-month regulatory sandbox allowing companies to test and refine new AI inventions under relaxed regulatory requirements. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/TNS

When Washington fixates on Big Tech  companies like Apple, Google, Meta and others  it neglects Little Tech.

Little Tech  the younger companies building specialized solutions using emerging technologies like AI, robotics and more  is the engine of American innovation. Its experimenting bravely and solving problems too complex or too early for the incumbents to tackle.

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Yet when it comes to shaping tech policy, Little Tech is rarely invited to sit at the table. Last year, I joined Y Combinator President and CEO Garry Tan and founders from across the country in Washington, D.C., where Garry warned of the existential fight entrepreneurs face. He underscored how high the stakes are  not just for Americas startups, but for Americas prosperity.

Hes right. Regulation is increasingly written by and for the Goliaths, to the detriment of the Davids. App store terms, algorithm rules, AI governance frameworks and data mandates tend to reflect the priorities of the mega-caps. Its regulatory capture at its purest: Incumbents get a protective moat, while upstarts are shut out of the castle altogether.

But theres one place where startups still have the freedom to compete: Texas.

Texas is one of the last safe havens for innovators. While states like California burden entrepreneurs with excessive taxes, regulations and pick-the-winner policies, Texas remains open, flexible and growth-oriented. Its a dynamic business climate that pulled me to Texas from Washington, D.C., years ago  underpinned by an entrepreneurial culture, a dense ecosystem of tech founders and funders, a pipeline of innovation and talent flowing through the University of Texas at Austin, a frictionless process to start a business and a lack of state income or capital gains taxes. Moreover, its why founders reach out to me regularly about building companies here.

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Texas continues to punch above its weight, with startups modernizing the grid, advancing diagnostics and reinventing manufacturing. The pandemic boom may have subsided, but the depth of founder interest hasnt. Startups still see Texas as a place to test ideas and solve real problems. Here, our optimism is palpable  and our future is as bright as the Texas sun.

Recognizing the importance of flexibility for Little Tech, the Texas Legislature passed a bill this past session that, effective January 1, 2026, creates a 36-month regulatory sandbox allowing promising companies to test and refine new AI inventions under relaxed regulatory requirements and without risk of enforcement under those waived rules. Examples like this underscore Texas willingness to foster an equal playing field for Little Tech to grow and incubate emerging technologies.

After two decades operating across both Little and Big Tech, Ive seen what happens when regulations are shaped only by the giants: Big Tech grows bigger while startups get eaten alive. If the future of innovation depends on a handful of powerful gatekeepers, we lose the dynamism that built Americas tech leadership in the first place.

We face a choice: Do we want a society where every new idea must pass through the bureaucratic bottlenecks of a handful of massive companies? Or do we want one where new entrants can fight in the free market and rise on the strength of their ideas?

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Heres why Texas matters: The Lone Star State is, on its own, the equivalent of the worlds eighth-largest economy based on GDP. But even as a single state, the policies we develop here often create the template for reforms in other states and even at the federal level. Take Texas AI sandbox: Theres now legislation in Congress to establish a national AI sandbox to ensure that the U.S. leads the global AI race. What happens in Austin can help or hinder Americas competitiveness in the world.

Texas remains committed, both structurally and culturally, to our freedom to build. And its preserving something even more important than a business climate: Its protecting the conditions that allow startups to grow and have a fair shot at competing with Big Tech.

If we want to promote innovation, we must make room at the table for the builders, not just the billionaires. Texas knows the difference. Washington should remember it too.

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Dont mess with Little Tech. Let it compete, and watch what it can do for us all.
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned the arbitrary detention of 10 more UN personnel by the Houthis in Yemen, his spokesperson said.

"The Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained personnel from the UN, non-governmental and civil society organizations and diplomatic missions, and calls on the Houthis to rescind the referral of UN personnel for prosecution," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

With the 10 people detained on Thursday, the total number of detained UN personnel in Yemen has risen to 69, he said.

The detentions render the delivery of UN humanitarian assistance in Houthi-controlled areas untenable, which directly affects millions of people in need and limits their access to life-saving assistance, Dujarric said.

Dujarric said the UN chief further called for the respect of international law, including the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, which are essential to enabling humanitarian action in a secure and principled environment.

He added that the Secretary-General and the United Nations will continue sustained efforts with UN member states and the Security Council, as well as through direct engagement with the Houthis, to secure the release of all detained UN personnel. 
ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A court in central China's Henan Province on Friday sentenced three individuals to prison terms ranging from six to seven years on charges of crime of major safety accident in educational facilities.

Thirteen students were killed and another one injured in a fire that took place in a dormitory of Yingcai School of Dushu Town in the province's Fangcheng County in January 2024.

The Fangcheng County People's Court sentenced Li Yu, the de-facto controller of the school, to seven years in prison. Xu Xiangyang, the school's principal, received a six-and-a-half-year sentence, and Jia Xia, a third-grade teacher who also served as a dormitory supervisor, was sentenced to six years in jail.

All of the three are prohibited from working in professions related to education and teaching within five years from the date of completion of their prison terms, according to the court verdict.

The court found that the school had been operating in violation of regulations and had not obtained a required registration certificate. When the fire occurred, there was no water in the rooftop water tank, and indoor fire hydrants were dry, hampering initial firefighting efforts. Meanwhile, smoke detectors in the school were out of power, failing to sound the alarm in time. Relevant people failed to effectively evacuate the students.

The court also found that the number of students living in the dormitory room that caught fire severely exceeded limits.

The court stated that the severe penalties were handed down to the three individuals given the extremely bad social impact of the accident. 
HARARE, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's support through credit facilities and market access has been critical to the growth of Zimbabwe's tobacco sector, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has said.

"China has been a very important partner to Zimbabwe on the regeneration of the tobacco sector to a point where the sector has exceeded all expectations," Ncube told journalists on Thursday in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, following the signing of letters of exchange between the two countries on the upgrading and maintenance of the China-aid irrigation schemes project.

Ncube noted that Zimbabwe's tobacco output surpassed 350 million kg this year, marking a breakthrough for the southern African country.

The minister said that Chinese assistance through China Tobacco, a Chinese state-owned company, has been key in the growth of the tobacco sector, which is dominated by small to medium-scale farmers.

"China has been critical in the tobacco sector, but it does not just stop there. Apart from providing credit, China also provides the market," said Ncube.

China's support for Zimbabwe's tobacco sector has enabled Zimbabwe to maintain its position as Africa's top tobacco producer and a significant global player, Ncube added.

Tobacco production is critical to Zimbabwe's agriculture sector. According to the Zimbabwean government, the tobacco industry sustains more than 160,000 households. 
In recent years, regenerative has become something of a buzzword in sustainability, appearing in everything from regenerative farming to regenerative business models. It refers to approaches that restore, renew, or enhance systems rather than simply reduce harm. Examples include rebuilding soils, increasing biodiversity, and improving social wellbeing.

The concept is also gaining traction in research fields such as sociology, economics, and management. Yet, within sustainability science it has not been as prominent, at least not in comparison with resilience, according to a new paper in Ambio authored by Carl Folke and researchers from Germany and Spain.

While resilience thinking has been a central tenet of sustainability science for decades, a second body of literature on the concept of regeneration has evolved in parallel, but so far with less influence, they write.

The authors argue that the two concepts are highly complementary: while resilience thinking has traditionally focused on what enables systems to endure difficult times, the regenerative mindset is more about creating inherently healthy systems capable of continuous renewal.

The focus [of regeneration] is less on averting the collapse of a much-cherished system, but instead on creating something new that is characterized by healthy dynamics from the outset, they explain.

Some scholars have even suggested that regenerative could become the new sustainable, with a stronger focus on positive outcomes, agency, and mutualistic relationships between people and nature.

Drawing on insights from both bodies of scholarship, the authors outline seven principles that can guide proactive governance for resilient and regenerative futures:

Respect planetary boundaries Seek to improve, not just sustain, the status quo Recognize and reinforce dynamics that maintain or recover desirable stable states Work with ongoing change and cross-scale interactions Maximize regenerative dynamics and minimize degenerative ones Foster mutualistic interactions between human and more-than-human entities (people and nature) Identify and enhance positive cross-domain interactions

The paper concludes that resilience and regeneration may together form the foundation for a new vision of thriving societies and ecosystems, guiding the transformation toward sustainability.

Read "Resilience and regeneration for a world in crisis" 
Airmen assigned to the 11th Air Task Force move cargo at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)



ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam  A new type of Air Force expeditionary unit designed to deploy in a crisis is wrapping up its first Indo-Pacific mission, testing how the service might fight and survive across vast distances under threat from advanced missiles.

The 11th Air Task Force  one of six such units activated in September and October 2024  is the first to deploy. About 300 airmen began a six-month mission in July on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, Col. Brett Cassidy, the task force commander, told Stars and Stripes.

When you think of an air expeditionary wing, thats basically what we are, Cassidy, a CV-22 Osprey and C-130 Hercules pilot, said by phone from Guam on Monday.

Airmen assigned to the 11th Air Task Force load cargo at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)



The task force has been honing the Air Forces agile combat employment concept, or ACE  dispersing aircraft to smaller, less predictable airfields to complicate enemy targeting in wartime. The strategy has taken on urgency as China expands its missile arsenal and as U.S. planners consider scenarios involving Taiwan.

On Saipan, 135 miles north of Guam, the task force operated from the islands civilian airport, setting up in shipping containers, said Maj. Godfrey Manera, director of operations for the 11th Combat Air Base Squadron. He oversaw logistics, security, engineering and feeding airmen.

The task force commanded HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and HC-130J Combat King aircraft with the 563rd Rescue Group during Resolute Force Pacific, a large-scale exercise involving more than 300 aircraft, Manera said Dec. 12 at Andersen.

Austere conditions meant airmen often worked outside their specialties, Cassidy said, as the unit sought to reduce its logistical footprint.

Maj. Godfrey Manera, left, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert Davis, of the 11th Air Task Force, discuss the units role in constructing a storage facility at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)



The task force later moved to Daegu Air Base in South Korea, where it controlled six F-16 Fighting Falcon jets during Ulchi Freedom Shield, one of two major annual U.S-South Korea exercises.

The unit is designed to be agnostic to aircraft type, Cassidy added.

Whatever needs to be attached to us for the mission should be anticipated, he said.

Since September, the task force has operated on Guam without assigned aircraft, focusing instead on support functions as it prepares to redeploy. Crews have been packing containers of tents, medical gear and communications equipment for shipment back to bases in the United States.

The task forces motto, first to fight, and its rising phoenix patch are a nod to airmen who fought across the Pacific in World War II under Gen. George Kenney.

The problem of the vast Pacific and how to get around it is not new, Cassidy said. We are just doing it with modern tools and equipment.
A team of airmen load a mock casualty onto a stretcher during the Tactical Combat Casualty Care relay at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)



YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Airmen at this airlift hub in western Tokyo put their battlefield first-aid skills to the test during a recent Tactical Combat Casualty Care relay designed to simulate stress and urgency in real-world emergencies.

Teams of four raced through stations that required applying tourniquets, packing wounds, carrying a mock casualty on a stretcher and completing other core tasks used to stabilize injured troops in combat.

Referees amplified the pressure by blasting recorded screams and shouting instructions as participants worked.

Ultimately, what were working on is the skills that we think are important and necessary if we were ever in a conflict, Col. Donovan Laskey, the 374th Airlift Wings deputy commander, told Stars and Stripes during Wednesdays relay.

A team of airmen with the 21st Special Operations Squadron apply tourniquets while a referee shouts and plays the sounds of pained screams through a speaker during the Tactical Combat Casualty Care relay at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)



After each team completed the circuit, evaluators offered immediate feedback. One recurring issue was communication breaking down as stress levels rose.

Were adding stressors with the yelling and the screaming because the reality is if youre in one of these TCCC events, its probably not going to be in a classroom setting, Laskey said. It just reinforces the classroom learning with a real-world field exercise.

The relay was part of Yokotas monthly fitness challenge, but its lessons extend beyond wartime scenarios. Airmen trained in TCCC have used those skills while off duty to assist local civilians.

In July, two Yokota airmen were recognized by the Tokyo Fire Department after helping a Japanese woman who fell into a river canyon. One airman assessed her injuries and helped keep her calm until rescuers arrived.

A team of airmen with the 21st Special Operations Squadron receive feedback from referees about their performance in the Tactical Combat Casualty Care relay at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 17, 2025. (Jeremy Stillwagner/Stars and Stripes)



TCCC, especially tier one, which everyone will know, is imperative because this is how we save lives, this is how we get them from point A to point B and get them that higher level of care, said relay organizer Tech Sgt. Wilmer Hernandez, a radiology technician with the 374th Medical Group.

Tier one training focuses on immediate actions such as applying tourniquets, packing wounds and moving casualties out of danger until advanced medical care is available.

These are imperative skills that we are imparting, both physically and mentally, ensuring were mission ready at all times, Hernandez said.
An F-15EX Eagle II departs for Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore., in this undated photo. (Brian Brackens/U.S. Air Force)



A South Korean defense technology firm will supply advanced cockpit displays for the U.S. Air Forces new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet and South Koreas F-15K Slam Eagle under a new deal with Boeing.

Hanwha Systems announced Thursday that it had signed a contract with the U.S. aircraft manufacturer to provide Eagle Large-Area Displays for both jets.

The upgraded display consolidates information previously spread across multiple cockpit screens into a single large touchscreen, giving pilots quicker access to critical data, the company said in a news release.

The system is derived from the multifunction display used in South Koreas KF-21 fighters and will be designed to suit the mission environment of the F-15EX, according to the release.

The agreement is the first contract under a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2024 by Boeing and South Koreas Defense Acquisition Program Administration to expand cooperation between the two countries, Hanwha said.

A spokesman for the administration declined to provide additional details by phone Friday. Some South Korean government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

The multirole F-15EX, while not a stealth aircraft, features next-generation avionics and networking capabilities and can fly faster, farther and carry a larger payload than earlier F-15 variants, according to Boeing.

In July 2024, the Air Force announced plans to permanently station 36 F-15EX fighters on Okinawa to replace Kadena Air Bases aging fleet of F-15C/D aircraft. The move is part of a broader effort to deploy more advanced combat aircraft across Japan. The first F-15EX is expected to arrive between March and June next year.

The first operational F-15EX aircraft were unveiled in June at Portland Air National Guard Base in Oregon. Deliveries resumed recently after production was halted for more than three months by a strike at Boeings St. Louis facility, according to a Monday news release from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

South Koreas F-15K Slam Eagle is a variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle. Initially fielded for air-to-air missions, it later transitioned to multirole operations following the introduction of the F-15E derivative in 1988, according to the South Korean air force.
Monica McClinton holds a photo of her son, Spc. Clarence CJ White Jr., alongside his dog tags outside the Lawrence William Judicial Center at Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 18, 2025. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)



FORT HOOD, Texas  A soldier will spend nine years in prison after admitting Wednesday in court that he shot a fellow soldier in the head while driving him in a car and then shot himself in the leg to cover up the crime.

Spc. Kip Holloway Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Spc. Clarence CJ White Jr., 25. Holloway was driving along Interstate 14 in Nolanville, Texas  east of Fort Hood  with White in the passenger seat of his car when he shot him in the head on Jan. 27, 2024.

I think about what happened that night every day, Holloway said in an unsworn statement. Im shocked by what I did. My emotions got the better of me.

The soldiers both carried their fathers names, were friends and came from large, close-knit families, according to information presented in court. They served within 2nd Brigade Combat Team  White in the infantry and Holloway as a tank crewmember  and met during a deployment to Poland.

Family members of each soldier were shown photos by attorneys of family moments and milestones: Graduation from high school and boot camp, vacations and smiling faces. However, Holloways photos were all from the past year  time that Whites family has spent without their soldier.

He will never get to have the life we all talked about, Monica McClinton, Whites mother, told the court.

Monica McClinton holds a photo of her son, Spc. Clarence CJ White Jr., alongside his dog tags outside the Lawrence William Judicial Center at Fort Hood, Texas, on Dec. 18, 2025. (Rose L. Thayer/Stars and Stripes)



The shooting occurred at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 27, after Holloway had picked up White at a Killeen nightclub roughly four hours earlier. White was drunk and had called Holloway to give him a ride. Holloway said he brought his pistol with him and knew that White was unarmed.

The things that were said to me frustrated me, Holloway said in response to questions of motive from military judge Col. Javier Rivera Rosario.

I could have told him to get out of the car or not did what I did, he said.

In his telling of those hours driving between Bell and Coryell counties, Holloway said that White first asked him to follow a pickup truck, then to stop at a gas station to use the restroom. Sometime during the travel, they talked about the pistol and White had it for some time before returning it to Holloway.

Then they stopped at a fast-food restaurant, where White got out of the car and confronted people in another vehicle. He got back in with no incident, Holloway said.

He then drove to the Clarke Road Gate at West Fort Hood, but they were turned away because White had lost his wallet and military ID card. A Coryell County Sheriffs Office deputy then pulled over White near that gate at about 6:20 a.m., because he noticed the Nissan Altima idling in the roadway with the passenger door open.

When Davon Lemon said he pulled up behind the car, it drove off and began speeding. His body camera footage was played in court and showed White happily engaging with the officer, telling him Holloway was his noncommissioned officer and taking good care of him while he was drunk.

Lemon, an Army veteran, told the court he was happy to see an Army leader taking care of a soldier instead of having to arrest a soldier for drunken driving. He was the last person aside from Holloway to see White alive.

Army Spc. Clarence James CJ White died from a gunshot wound Jan. 27, 2024, in Nolanville, Texas, while assigned to Fort Cavazos. (Photo provided by Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home)



Sometime after that interaction, Holloway told the court that Whites demeanor changed and he began making threats to his family and his two children. He stopped at his apartment, texted his girlfriend that he wasnt coming inside because White was acting erratic.

They continued in the car and Hollway said in a moment of anger and passion, he put the gun to Whites head and pulled the trigger. He then pulled over, and when he got out of the car, he shot himself in the leg. He called 911 and described a fight in which White shot him.

He maintained that story in previous court hearings. However, evidence discussed in court showed the only blood in the car was Whites, and Holloways gunshot likely occurred with the driver-side door open. Holloway told the judge that self-defense did not apply.

There were massive opportunities to do the right thing, said Capt. Rachel Bokmeyer, a prosecutor. During her closing arguments, she described that Holloway could have asked the guards at the gate or the police officer for help if he felt threatened by White but never did.

As part of a plea agreement, Holloway faced between seven and 10 years in prison. The judge also sentenced him to a dishonorable discharge. The charges of unpremeditated murder and aggravated assault were dismissed in the agreement.

McClinton told the court she still did not understand what could have caused Holloway to shoot her son, who the family described as a gentle giant.

Why did you feel the need to shoot him? she asked Holloway, looking directly toward him from the witness stand.

Around her neck she wore the Army dog tags that were returned to her home with her sons belongings. Hanging with them was a photo of her son printed on a dog tag that she bought at his basic training graduation at Fort Benning, Ga.

It reminds me of C.J., and I can see his face every day. He can see what Im doing, she said.

Many of Whites family traveled from Cincinnati for the two-day court-martial at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center. Ten family members, including Whites mother, father and siblings, spoke, sometimes directly to Holloway, during testimony and while reading unsworn victim impact statements.

Im a heartbroken father, devastated by the loss of my son, said Clarence White Sr. Its been 691 days since I last spoke to my son.

Holloways family members traveled primarily from Franklin, Va., or spoke to the court over the phone to support him and ask the judge for leniency in the sentence. His parents, sister and pregnant girlfriend said they would support Holloway during his time in prison and once he got out.

They described him as a caring person devoted to his Catholic faith who often buys food for a Killeen-area homeless shelter and dedicated to his two children who do not live with him.

We pray everything will work out and he will overcome this tragedy, Kip Holloway Sr. said in court. Both sides are going through something right now and its real heartbreaking,

Three soldiers testified to Holloways work ethic and positive attitude. Since the shooting, Holloways work incudes helping new soldiers in the unit acclimate, and he often volunteers for extra duties, said Sgt. John Garcia, his section leader. Holloways work ethic will help him rehabilitate in prison, he said.

Holloway will serve his prison sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

No punishment will make up for what Spc. Holloway did when he killed Spc. White, nor will it make up for the loss of their child, Maj. Tara Goble, a prosecutor, said in a statement following the trial. Although we argued for and had hoped for a 10-year sentence, we do hope that the imposition of this sentence and the end of these proceedings will aid the family as they continue to navigate what it means to live their lives without Clarence White Junior.
Sailors aboard the rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor use fire-fighting equipment to sink the M/V Voyager near Guam on Oct. 6, 2025. (U.S. Navy)



A U.S. Navy salvage ship has removed an abandoned vessel from waters off Guam, ending a two-year ordeal that followed a powerful typhoon and raised persistent environmental and safety concerns.

The rescue and salvage ship USNS Salvor towed the 116-foot expeditionary cruise vessel M/V Voyager away from the island on Oct. 2, nearly two years after Typhoon Mawar shoved the ship onto coral and sand near Piti Channel, a protected harbor just north of Naval Base Guam.

The Voyager had become such a fixture that locals used it as a navigational reference, according to the incident management division chief for U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam.

You would point it out every time you went by  that would be the thing we would show admirals, or anybody that would come here, because it was one of the biggest things in Guam for us to try and fix, Lt. Whip Blacklaw said by video call Tuesday.

Though the grounding happened during Mawar in May 2023, the Voyagers troubles began earlier. The Indonesia-flagged vessel arrived in 2021 at the Port of Guam, where the owner planned to sell it, but a Coast Guard inspection found structural deficiencies and the sale collapsed, according to Blacklaw and Lt. Jay Delnnocentiis.

I call it The Saga, you know, because it just had so many layers, said Delnnocentiis, the sectors waterways management division chief. This vessel went through so many iterations of ownership, of position, of challenges.

The owner abandoned the ship and its nine-person Indonesian crew, who remained on board for months without pay, Delnnocentiis said. They survived on donated food and welfare checks before being repatriated.

U.S. Navy sailors work with commercial salvage consultants to remove the M/V Voyager from Piti Channel, Guam, Sept. 17, 2025. (U.S. Navy)



Legal disputes delayed removal efforts until Mawar forced the issue. Once grounded, the Voyager posed a navigation hazard and threatened sensitive marine environments, Blacklaw said. Cleanup crews removed hazardous materials, including 51,000 gallons of oily waste, at a cost of about $800,000.

Despite consensus that the ship had to go, regulatory hurdles slowed progress until the Salvor arrived on Guam and proposed using the operation as a training mission.

They wanted to use it as a training opportunity to remove this vessel, which was phenomenal for us, Delnnocentiis said.

Funded through the Defense Departments Innovative Readiness Training program, the Salvor towed the Voyager about 25 miles offshore, where it was scuttled at an Environmental Protection Agency-approved site.

Sinking the ship proved to be the most environmentally responsible and cost-effective solution, given Guams remote location, Blacklaw said.

In the end, it took nearly 200 people from numerous agencies  and two years of effort  to remove the ship.

I know that once it was done, I was able to sleep a lot better knowing that was no longer a threat, Blacklaw said. Every time I go into the port, I look over in that direction and Im happy to see that theres no longer something sitting there.
U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Nick I. Brown and U.S. Navy Capt. Jeffrey Richer address barracks discrepancies during Operation Clean Sweep at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024. (Jeslianne Torres/U.S. Marine Corps)



All Marines living in barracks can expect a new mattress and furniture, while sailors will see housing improvements at 50 Navy bases as the services invest $615 million to improve housing for junior enlisted troops.

Quality of service is inseparable from readiness, said Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command, said in a news release. Providing safe, comfortable, and clean housing is not optional. It is a responsibility we owe to every sailor who volunteers to serve.

The new funding stemmed from a Defense Department-wide barracks task force stood up in October to overhaul the militarys aging housing for junior enlisted and unaccompanied service members. Government reports and the militarys own assessments have found substandard conditions including mold, non-working appliances and air conditioning, plumbing issues and broken locks and windows.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month announced $1.2 billion for barracks renovations across all service branches provided through the massive spending package signed into law earlier this year commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

The Navy will invest $375 million into safety, comfort and cleanliness projects across the shore enterprise. About $75 million of that amount will support 95 prioritized projects across 50 installations and will meet the specific needs at each base. This money will go toward kitchen updates, heating and cooling systems, new floors and new furniture, the Navy said.

The remaining $300 million is flagged for major work at six bases:

Naval Support Facility Indian Head in Maryland: $22 million toward the Marine Corps barracks for the Joint Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force will modernize barracks with structural, mechanical, electrical and fire suppression upgrades.

Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia: $91.8 million toward the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Student Housing for a comprehensive renovation with roof replacement, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire system updates, mold remediation, cabinetry replacement, new flooring, closet upgrades and painting.

Oceana Dam Neck Annex: $78.3 million toward Marine Corps Intelligence School Mardet Student Housing for a full restoration and modernization of HVAC, plumbing, electrical system replacement, new flooring, closets, paint, updated bathrooms, new furniture and in-room refrigerators and microwaves.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam: $30.3 million toward Building 1489 for repairs to plumbing, exterior, roofing, interior finishes, HVAC and electrical. Interior renovations include upgrading kitchens, lounges, flooring, windows and shower areas.

Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia: $13.5 million for Shields Hall will support major HVAC system work, dropped ceiling replacement and the installation of lockable access doors.

Naval Base Kitsap in Washington: $12.1 million to Keppler Hall to repair damage from an August fire and sprinkler flooding, upgrade fire alarm system and interior restoration of flooring, new ceilings, updated bathrooms and electrical updates.

This is not a one-time fix, but a sustained commitment, Gray said in the release. We are dedicated to continuous improvement and ensuring our sailors have the quality housing they deserve throughout their careers.

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander of Navy Installations Command, inspects a house ceiling at Naval Air Station Key Wests Sigsbee Park Annex during a visit to the Florida site on Oct. 8, 2024. (Nicholas V. Huynh/U.S. Navy)



The Marine Corps said it will spend $22 million across all installations to fund self-help programs and other minor repairs. Officials said this will empower commanders to act on local improvements.

Another $55 million will purchase new barracks furniture and mattresses across all installations, and $10 million will buy new door locks and a standardized barracks access control system.

The Marine Corps also designated $218 million for improvements and renovations of 16 barracks across six installations: Camp Lejeune, N.C., Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., 29 Palms, Calif., Quantico, Va., and Camp Fuji in Japan.

Those renovations will cover HVAC repairs, mechanical repairs and work on major building systems.

The barracks task force also covers the Army and Air Force, though neither provided as granular a breakdown of the work to be done.

The Army will push $50 million to local commanders for barracks improvements and another $65 million to soldier self-help programs, the service said. Another $405 million will fund major renovations. Officials said they are still inspecting all barracks to find what work needs to be prioritized.

The Air Force will put $41.5 million toward immediate dormitory fixes of door locks, sinks, exhaust fans, lights, toilets, HVAC components, mold remediation, roof, flooring and window repairs. Another $89 million will support larger projects.
This file picture shows the Leviathan gas platform of Noble Energy under construction in the Mediterranean Sea, some 10 kilometers off the Israeli coast, on Jan. 31, 2019. (Xinhua/Marc Israel Sellem-JINI)

CAIRO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) said Thursday that the recently announced natural gas deal with Israel is strictly commercial and carries no political implications, dismissing media reports that suggested otherwise.

In a statement, SIS Chairman Diaa Rashwan said the deal is "a purely commercial transaction" based on economic and investment considerations, involving international energy companies such as U.S.-based Chevron and specialized Egyptian firms, without "direct government intervention."

He said the deal supports Egypt's strategic aim of cementing its position as a regional gas trading hub, underpinned by advanced liquefaction plants and gas transport infrastructure.

Rashwan cautioned against what he called "hostile media campaigns" that seek to politicize the deal, noting that its timing does not change its commercial nature.

He also reiterated Egypt's "firm and unwavering" stance on the Palestinian cause, including support for a two-state solution and opposition to forced displacement, highlighting Egypt's diplomatic role in Gaza reconstruction efforts.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had approved a gas deal worth 112 billion shekels (about 34.7 billion U.S. dollars) under which Israel will supply natural gas to Egypt, calling it "the largest gas deal in Israel's history."

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen, speaking alongside Netanyahu, described the approval of the agreement as "a historic moment" for Israel, both diplomatically and economically.

Back in August, Egyptian authorities clarified that the deal is an amendment to an earlier agreement in 2019, extending Israeli gas supply to Egypt until 2040. 
Marking its 17th anniversary, the Seoul Lantern Festival has returned with more than 400 illuminated works, blending traditional lantern craftsmanship with large-scale media art. (Seoul Tourism Organization)



Seouls winter season is shining brighter than ever with the Seoul Lantern Festival transforming the Cheonggyecheon and Uicheon streams into a vivid display of light and art.

Marking its 17th anniversary, the festival has returned with more than 400 illuminated works, blending traditional lantern craftsmanship with large-scale media art under this years theme: My Light, Our Dreams, and the Magic of Seoul.

Marking its 17th anniversary, the Seoul Lantern Festival has returned with more than 400 illuminated works, blending traditional lantern craftsmanship with large-scale media art. (Seoul Tourism Organization)



The event at Cheonggyecheon features four themed zones stretching from Cheonggye Plaza to Samilgyo Bridge, each offering a unique interpretation of Seouls past, present and future.

The first zone  Miracle Seoul  presents a fusion of traditional lanterns and modern media art, including displays inspired by the first lighting of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Marking its 17th anniversary, the Seoul Lantern Festival has returned with more than 400 illuminated works, blending traditional lantern craftsmanship with large-scale media art. (Seoul Tourism Organization)



Nearby, Golden Secret reimagines global K-culture trends with light-art designed for younger audiences, while Dream Light uses large-scale lanterns to depict years of life along Cheonggyecheon, including shantytowns and markets.

A major attraction this year is the I LOVE Carp King collaboration with Pokemon Korea, filling a 73-meter stretch of the stream with 100 Magikarp lanterns and a massive feature piece drawing fans from across the region.

The final zone  Seoul Fantasia  includes a 15-meter moon positioned above the water, surrounded by local characters like Teenieping.

Marking its 17th anniversary, the Seoul Lantern Festival has returned with more than 400 illuminated works, blending traditional lantern craftsmanship with large-scale media art. (Seoul Tourism Organization)



Uicheon stream will host an additional 350-meter exhibition called Soul Light, featuring crowd favorites such as Fish Matrix and new works focusing on Seouls past through time-travelinspired sculptures.

The Seoul Lantern Festival runs through Jan. 4, coinciding with the citys larger Winter Festa celebrations taking place across downtown.

Service members and families at Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys can join ITT or MWR-sponsored trips for convenient transportation, coordinated itineraries and a stress-free way to experience one of Seouls most celebrated winter traditions.

Seoul Lantern Festival

Directions: Take Subway Line 5 to Gwanghwamun Station (Exit 5).

Times: Open daily, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., through Jan. 4.

Costs: Free

Food: Restaurants and street vendors are plentiful along the route.

Information: Online: stolantern.com
A CH-53E Super Stallion trains at Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji in Japan in September 2024. (Kendrick Jackson/U.S. Marine Corps)



A U.S. Marines helmet fell from a military helicopter during a Monday training flight southwest of Tokyo, prompting a safety warning from Japan, though no injuries or damage were reported.

The helicopter was training about 17 miles southwest of Naval Air Facility Atsugi near Hakone when strong winds caused the helmet to fall from the aircraft around 12:30 p.m. Monday, an official with the South Kanto Defense Bureau  an arm of the Ministry of Defense  said by phone Friday.

Attempts to locate the flight helmet were not successful, however the estimated location is in an uninhabited area without people or buildings, and there is no reported damage at this time, 2nd Lt. Isaac Lopez, spokesman for the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, told Stars and Stripes by email Friday.

The helmet landed somewhere within Kanagawa prefecture, said the bureau official, who was involved in the investigation.

He and Lopez did not specify the aircrafts type, origin or destination.

Kyodo News, citing unnamed government officials, reported Thursday that the aircraft was a CH-53 Sea Stallion traveling to Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji, a Marine Corps installation in Shizuoka prefecture.

Japans Defense Ministry has urged the U.S. military to ensure thorough safety measures are in place to prevent a recurrence, the bureau official said.

The safety of the local community and our personnel remain our highest priority, Lopez wrote. We will review the incident to mitigate any future recurrence.

Some Japanese government officials must speak to the press on condition of anonymity.
Col. Richard McElhaney, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing, speaks at a dedication ceremony for a UH-1N Huey static display at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 19, 2025. (Marc Castaneda/Stars and Stripes)



YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  A retired Huey helicopter that once flew combat, disaster-response and medical missions is now a permanent landmark at this airlift hub in Tokyo, symbolizing decades of U.S. military service in Japan.

One of four UH-1N helicopters retired in September by Yokotas 459th Airlift Squadron was unveiled Friday as a static display near the headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force. The aircraft  tail number 69-6614  now sits on a roundabout known as Nina Circle.

Developed in the 1950s by Bell Helicopter, the UH-1 series became an icon of the Vietnam War, flying missions that ranged from troop transport to combat support.

On a cool ribbon-cutting day, 69-6614 right behind us rests quietly, its rotors still but its story anything but, Lt. Col. Terry Martin, the 374th Operations Groups deputy commander, told airmen and guests at the ceremony.

Martin said the twin-engine UH-1N flew missions from Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, in 1971, escorting special forces teams, rescuing wounded troops and providing nighttime illumination with flares. After returning to the United States in 1972, tail number 69-6614 served in Florida conducting anti-drug operations and later supported nuclear test missions in Nevada.

The aircraft joined Yokotas fleet in 1995 and later took part in Operation Tomodachi, the U.S. militarys response to Japans 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. During the operation, Hueys flew reconnaissance and low-level radiation mapping missions, said Martin, who flew UH-1Ns at Yokota for five years beginning in 2012.

Airmen salute during a ceremony to open a static display of a recently retired UH-1N Huey helicopter at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo on Dec. 19, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)



In more recent years, the helicopters served as air ambulances for Yokota and nearby installations, including Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture.

The display preserves the legacy of the Hueys contributions to Yokotas mission and the U.S.-Japan alliance, said Col. Richard McElhaney, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing.

It is always hard to say goodbye, especially to an aircraft so historic, he told the gathering.

The roundabout previously featured a bulldozer to mark a nearby civil engineer compound and before that displayed the Nina II, an F-86F Sabre donated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to honor 5th Air Force pilots who flew the aircraft during the Korean War. The jet was relocated to USFJs headquarters building in 2012.
Spectators watch a self-propelled howitzer in action at a German military open house in Greding, Germany, June 28, 2025. According to a report released Dec. 18, 2025, by the Munich Security Conference think tank, a majority of Germans now consider the security situation in Europe more dangerous than in the Cold War era, but many still remain conflicted about the justification of ever using military force. (Heike Westhofer/German armed forces)



A majority of Germans now consider Europes security situation more dangerous than the Cold War era amid growing doubts about the willingness of the United States to come to the Continents defense, according to a new survey.

A Munich Security Conference report released Thursday found that 53% of those polled consider current conditions less secure now than during the Cold War, when Germany was divided and the threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union loomed over the NATO alliance.

The findings highlight how much Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine has changed attitudes in Germany, Europes economic powerhouse.

The situation is a sharp reversal from public sentiment just five years ago, when 65% of Germans considered their national security safe or very safe, the report said.

But the findings also pointed to a persistent skepticism among the German public about being a military power on the world stage, a condition likely connected with two world wars that left the country in ruins.

While 64% of those polled said they believe the importance of military power is increasing, that didnt translate into a willingness to demonstrate military strength, the report said.

Compared with the populations of France, the U.K., and the U.S., Germans are comparatively antimilitaristic and less inclined to invest in military strength or to use military force, the report said.

A German soldier reacts to simulated gunfire during training at Grafenwoehr, Germany, June 4, 2025. A majority of Germans now view the security situation in Europe as more dangerous than it was during the Cold War, but the question of whether using military force is ever acceptable is still a polarizing matter for the German public, according to a Munich Security Conference report released Dec. 18, 2025. (Collin Mackall/U.S. Army)



The survey found that 63% of Germans said military force is never justified. By comparison, only 29% of Americans feel the same way, the report said.

The disconnect exists even though nearly half of Germans believe the risk that NATO could come under Russian attack within the next five years to be somewhat or very likely, the report said.

The unease with flexing military might also persists despite shaky confidence in the United States willingness to come to Europes defense.

Only 6% of those polled said they were certain the U.S. would defend European security, while 31% said it was somewhat likely.

By contrast, 11% of Germans ruled out the possibility of America coming to Europes defense and 36% saying it was somewhat unlikely.

The triple crisis of Russias war of aggression, doubts about the role of the US as Europes security guarantor, and the economic challenges of the second China shock mean that Germany needs to recalibrate key pillars of its foreign policy  and do it all at once, the report said.

This is a Herculean task for the German government given the security and economic dependencies that have evolved over the decades.
Maj. Gen. Sean Salene, right, greets the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., July 16, 2025. Salene was nominated to serve as the U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem. (Joshua Bustamante/U.S. Marine Corps)



Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Sean Salene has been nominated to lead a key security operation in Jerusalem as President Donald Trumps administration seeks to push the Gaza ceasefire agreement into its second phase.

If confirmed by the Senate, Salene will be promoted to lieutenant general and take the helm of the Office of the Security Coordinator in Israels capital. He is currently performing the duties of deputy commander for U.S. Central Command.

The head of U.S. Army Central, Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, has also been nominated to take over the role of deputy CENTCOM commander, according to the Pentagon.

In his current role, Frank also serves as the co-lead of the Civil Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, Israel, the U.S. militarys hub for facilitating aid into Gaza.

The commander of U.S. Army Central, Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, second from right, looks at humanitarian aid routes on a map at the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on Dec. 3, 2025. Frank was nominated to be the deputy head of U.S. Central Command, according to the Defense Department. (Aiden Griffitts/U.S. Army)



Neither the Pentagon nor CENTCOM immediately responded to questions about how Franks nomination will affect his role at the center.

The office Salene is nominated to lead was established more than 20 years ago to build the capacity of the Palestinian Authoritys security forces and facilitate coordination with Israeli forces, according to the State Department.

It has since become an important vehicle for training Palestinian Authority personnel who govern parts of the West Bank and could play a role in a postwar Gaza security force, according to the Israel Policy Forum, a U.S.-based think tank that advocates for a two-state solution.

While the office is led by an American three-star general, nearly a dozen other nations contribute to its mission, according to the think tank. They include the U.K., Turkey and Germany.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal struck in October between Hamas and Israel halted nearly two years of brutal war, but the path forward for Gaza remains fragile.

Shortly after news of the deal broke, the U.S. military deployed 200 troops to southern Israel to quickly stand up the coordination center, which acts as an international operations hub for monitoring the ceasefire and moving aid.

A security force for Gaza is top of mind today as U.S. leaders and international partners gather in Florida in a bid to push the Gaza ceasefire agreement into its second phase, according to The Associated Press.

The second phase of Trumps 20-point peace plan includes the creation of an international stabilization force, which will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, according to the text of the agreement.

Under the vision outlined by the agreement, the international force would include troops from different countries, but international leaders have so far been hesitant to commit to participating.

The meeting Friday will be led by the presidents Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Representatives of Qatar and Turkey have also confirmed their presence at the meeting, according to the AP.
Alabama Army National Guard soldiers with the 122nd Special Troops Command stand in formation during the change of command ceremony on June 7, 2025. (Jordan Renfro/U.S. Army)



President Donald Trump signed the annual defense policy bill on Thursday, which authorizes a 3.8% pay raise for troops, curbs efforts to reduce the number of troops in Europe and South Korea, and forces more transparency from the Pentagon.

The bill, which is known as the National Defense Authorization Act and tops more than 3,000 pages in length, authorizes spending on defense programs.

One part of the bill is related to the strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed nearly 100 people since September. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon will not release the entire unedited video of a divisive follow-up strike on a vessel on Sept. 2 to the public, but a provision in the bill withholds a fourth of his travel budget until he turns over the orders behind the boat bombing campaign as well as unedited videos of the strikes to the Armed Services Committees.

The White House had scheduled a public bill signing for the president but eventually kept the event closed to the news media.

No explanation was given for the change.
A ferry pier at Alameda Point, which is part of the former Alameda Naval Air Station, is seen in Alameda, Calif., with the San Francisco skyline visible in the distance. Part of the former naval station was set to host a VA clinic until the project was canceled. (City of Alameda)



(Tribune News Service)  The Department of Veterans Affairs cancellation of a long-awaited $395 million VA clinic project that was to be part of the redevelopment of a former naval base in Alameda, Calif., is drawing fire from elected officials in the San Francisco area who call the decision unfathomable.

Beginning in 2014, the city of Alameda, the VA and the Navy began planning construction of a veterans health care center at Alameda Point, which served as a critical base for naval operations during World War II. The proposed plans would establish a modern outpatient clinic, a columbarium with 25,000 niches and offices on 112 acres.

With more than 42,000 veterans, Alameda County has the largest number of veterans across any county in the region  but there is no dedicated VA clinic located in the regions East Bay  resulting in complicated medical referrals that can make seeking care more difficult, according to a 2022 VA report. The report affirmed that a new VA hospital was needed in Oakland or Alameda Point.

In August, however, the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs published a memo stating that the VA no longer intends to construct and operate the Community Base Outpatient Clinic, the official name of the Alameda Point veterans project.

In a letter to VA Secretary Douglas Collins last week, Rep. Lateefah Simon, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Adam Schiff and Sen. Alex Padilla demanded an explanation.

When we found out that we were on a list of legacy projects that the VA essentially jettisoned us, we were shocked, Simon told Bay Area News Group. Its unfathomable, particularly with an administration that claims to want to support our veterans.

Padilla criticized the stated intention of the VA to dispose of the site  a break from more than a decade of planning.

Hundreds of millions in funding and years of restoration work have already been dedicated to this critical project to ensure those who dedicated their lives to our country have their health and burial needs met, he said in a statement. I call on the Trump administration to immediately reverse this cancellation and explain their decision to turn their backs on American heroes.

The August memo cited sea level rise, inaccessibility to Alameda Island and contamination of Alamedas groundwater by PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, for shutting down the project, which puzzled stakeholders.

After a thorough review of site conditions and Veteran population data, we believe this area is not suitable for these projects as it is contaminated with PFAS, VA Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz wrote to Bay Area News Group.

But local officials involved with planning the Alameda Point project said PFAS are a moot point, as the environmental review finalized in 2021 did not flag them as a public health threat that would impact the project. The city of Alameda, including Alameda Point, does not even get water from the ground, Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said.

Were waiting to hear back on the PFAs study  which theyve never shared with us  they used in (the) list of reasons for terminating this project, Ezzy Ashcraft said.

Project stakeholders and Congressional representatives did not receive the VAs explanation  which the letter from Bay Area elected officials described as opaque  until mid-September, Ashcraft said. The remaining project funds were canceled on Sept. 30 and were transferred to the VA.

Simon questioned the memos disregard for the regional plan to address Bay Area veterans needs for health services, which can often involve months-long waits for appointments.

She said she has raised her concerns about the suddenly canceled project with the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chair Rep. Mike Bost, an Illinois Republican, and learned that numerous other long-term projects across the Bay Area had been had been terminated in similar fashion.

As of Thursday, Simons office still had not received a response from the VA.

My goal is to have the full attention of the Veterans Affairs Committee in Congress and the office of Veterans Affairs to push to reverse this decision and others, Simon said. (Bost) was completely unaware of the project being jettisoned and canceled. He just he had no idea, and vowed to work with me to figure out what was going on.

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Visit at mercurynews.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Participants of the 2025 China-Ethiopia Friendship Award pose for a group photo in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Dec. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Fangqiang)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 China-Ethiopia Friendship Award ceremony was held Friday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, honoring more than 40 Ethiopian students and researchers dedicated to the study and promotion of Chinese language and China-Ethiopia friendship.

Speaking at the event, Samuel Kifle, president of the Addis Ababa University (AAU), said the award is a testament to a continued commitment of the Chinese government to improving the quality of education in Ethiopia through enhancing the capacity and skills of local researchers and Chinese language learners.

"With this support, we have had our students dispatched to China to study in various levels, and also our researchers get the necessary support to pursue their PhD as well as conduct their research. But above all, this support has helped Addis Ababa University strengthen its initial capacity to improve the quality of education in many aspects," Kifle said.

Recalling that Ethiopia and China have witnessed growing political, diplomatic, cultural, trade, investment, and social collaborations, the president said strengthening friendship with China is not a "matter of choice but a wise decision."

Noting that China and Ethiopia have already established all-weather strategic partnership, Sun Mingxi, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, said the China-Ethiopia Friendship Award is meant to help Ethiopians gain a deeper understanding of China and study China-Ethiopia relations.

"Learning Chinese, and studying China and China-Ethiopia relations help better understand China's distinctive major-country diplomacy and better promote our cooperation, in a bid to safeguard the common interests of the Global South," he said.

Ekram Ahmed, one of the award recipients, said the scholarship provides him and his fellow students with an opportunity to delve deep into China, a country they had previously only known through television, movies and social media.

"Now we have developed a deeper understanding of China's beautiful culture, advanced technology and impressive developmental achievements," said Ahmed, who is also a Chinese language student at the Confucius Institute of the AAU. 
A teacher working in a religious school in Antequera in the north of Malaga province is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault of a student. According to police sources, the teacher at the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus school, run by the salesian religious congregation, was arrested, but then provisionally released by the court while the investigation continues.

The investigation, which has been carried out by the family and women's unit of the National Police in Antequera, was initiated following a complaint from the girl, who reported that the teacher had approached her from behind and rubbed up against her in the school playground.

After enquiries, the police arrested the teacher on 21 November. Although the High Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA) has communicated the suspect's provisional release, he is still under investigation.

The school headmaster has stated that the school is "collaborating with the justice system" and waiting for a decision in order to "take the appropriate measures". At the moment, the teacher under investigation is on sick leave.
Guests unveil the event "China Bookshelf" in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec. 19, 2025. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Tanzania branch on Friday donated 300 books to Tanzania's University of Dar es Salaam, cementing cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries.(Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman)

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Tanzania branch on Friday donated 300 books to Tanzania's University of Dar es Salaam, cementing cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries.

The books, covering core areas such as Chinese history, traditional culture, modern development, and technological achievements, were donated at an event jointly organized by the CCCC and the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Collin Kimaryo, acting director of the university's Library Services, said the books, donated under the theme "A Bridge of Books: CCCC Writes a New Chapter with Tanzania," presented in Chinese and English, serve as bridges connecting cultures, narrowing knowledge gaps, and linking students and researchers to global scholarship.

Kimaryo said the University of Dar es Salaam's library serves more than 20,000 students and hundreds of academic staff engaged in teaching, research, and consultancy.

"Each book donated today will touch countless lives, inspiring a student's thesis, informing a researcher's groundbreaking study, or broadening a faculty member's pedagogical approach. The multiplier effect of this donation extends far beyond our campus, as the knowledge gained here radiates into Tanzania's development agenda and beyond," he said.

Deng Honglong, deputy general manager of the CCCC Tanzania branch, said that under the "China Bookshelf" initiative, the company has donated Chinese- and English-language books to the university for three consecutive years.

Deng said the books cover a wide range of fields, including medicine, literature, history, science, and technology.

"Through books, we not only share knowledge but also build bridges of friendship between China and Tanzania, promoting deeper cultural and educational exchange," he said. 

A staff member from the donating organization shows a book to recipients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dec. 19, 2025. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Tanzania branch on Friday donated 300 books to Tanzania's University of Dar es Salaam, cementing cultural and educational exchanges between the two countries.(Xinhua/Emmanuel Herman)
Javier Almellones Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 09:09 Share

Christmas isn't Christmas without something sweet to eat and Malaga's traditional pastries manage to resist whatever the latest fashion trend is for a sweet treat. Pestinos (a honey-glazed fried pastry), borrachuelos (a 'drunk' version of pestinos because they're soaked in anis) and roscos fritos (fried ring-doughnuts) are just a few of the recipes that refuse to disappear in the face of competition from panettones and yule logs. Christmas is also told through sweets and, in Malaga, for generations, that story was written amid pans bubbling over the fire, ovens fired up for days on end and recipes passed down verbally and memorised. Today, while shop windows fill with Italian panettone, turron (Spanish nougat) with increasingly imaginative flavours and yule logs that are a feast for the eyes, another way of appreciating this time of year still survives - a more understated sweet Christmas that is closely linked to the religious calendar and home cooking, a tradition that seems to outlive the trends.

For decades, Christmas sweet treats in Malaga were not bought: they were made. It was not a question of trend or presentation, but of custom. Pestinos, borrachuelos, roscos fritos, alfajores (a crumbly, sandwich biscuit), hojaldrinas (a biscuit made with puff pastry), roscos de vino (a baked, wine-flavoured, ring-shaped biscuit), mantecados (similar to shortbread) and polvorones (a powdery biscuit) were all part of a collective ritual that began weeks before Christmas Eve and would fill pantries with large metal biscuit tins and then adorn family tables.

Zoom Homemade pestinos. SUR

Today, that custom has faded, displaced by an ever-increasing array of store-bought sweets and a pace of life that leaves little room for slow cooking. Among the recipes that best represent that other sweeter Christmas are pestinos, one of the oldest sweets in the Andalusian recipe book and historically closely linked to wintertime. In Malaga province, the most renowned pestinos are those made at the monastery of the Immaculate Conception in the white village of Canete la Real, where the nuns religiously follow a traditional recipe that has transcended the local area, becoming a benchmark product both within and beyond regional borders. Delicate, aromatic and fried in olive oil, they remain one of the clearest symbols of a Christmas confectionery that has barely changed over time.

Very similar in concept, although much easier to find today, are borrachuelos, probably the most popular Christmas sweet in Malaga. Both share a fried dough base and humble origins, but borrachuelos - usually filled with angel hair (cabello de angel) and flavoured with wine and anis - have managed to maintain a stronger presence thanks to the efforts of confectioners and artisan bakeries. Even so, making them at home in large quantities - as they were intended to last for several days - is much less common today than it was decades ago.

Even more precarious is the situation for the fried doughnuts known as roscos fritos, a simple, almost austere recipe that is deeply rooted in domestic memory. Closely associated with grandmothers' kitchens and subsistence economies, they have barely survived outside the family sphere. Their problem is that they lack the visual appeal of other sweets, nor do they fit well in today's kind of shop window displays, but they are part of that confectionery heritage that is quietly fading away.

Zoom Roscos fritos, a classic Christmas pastry in Malaga province. SUR

Alongside them are other traditional Christmas sweets that have been losing their prominence. This is the case for alfajores, heirs to the Andalusian tradition based on honey, almonds and spices, also for roscos de vino, for decades an essential treat in any home at Christmas and for polvorones, nowadays almost exclusively store-bought rather than home-made.

Within this group of traditional sweets, the mantecado holds a unique place in Malaga province because of its close historical ties to Antequera. For over a century, Antequera has been one of the main production centres for this sweet treat, maintaining a deeply-rooted tradition of craftsmanship and industrial tradition.

Various research studies and historical references point to Antequera as one of the possible places of origin of the mantecado, a question that is still the subject of debate as it shares the limelight with other historical sites in Andalucia for that claim to fame. Beyond this discussion, what is undeniable is that the Antequera mantecado has become one of the great symbols of Christmas in Malaga, even when its homemade production has practically faded into memory.

Other sweets

Not all of Malaga's traditional recipes are strictly Christmas-related, but they are certainly deeply seasonal. With the arrival of the cold weather and the holiday celebrations, other sweets that were historically consumed in winter make their return to many tables. This is the case with various traditional cakes. Most are made with similar ingredients - flour, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, sesame seeds, matalahuva (star anise), almonds or sweet wine - and closely linked to specific towns in the province. Notable examples include the torta cartamena (Cartama cake), the tortas de aceite (olive oil cakes) or Algarrobo cakes, with numerous variations in La Axarquia area, the biscuits or tortas de Ardales from the town of Ardales and the roscos carreros (doughnuts) from Alfarnate. All these are humble sweets with a long tradition, some with clear Andalusian roots. Although nowadays they are enjoyed all year round, many of these treats return to our food cupboards at Christmastime, extending the traditional sweet landscape beyond whatever happens to be in fashion right now. Some are disappearing, such as the 'pan de cortijo', a farmhouse bread made by Rosario Gines in Cuevas de San Marcos until her retirement.

In this transition between ancient traditions and adaptation to new consumer habits, turron sits somewhere in the middle. Although not part of the historical core of Malaga's confectionery tradition, its presence in today's Christmas festivities is unquestionable and it has also found its own niche in the province. Alongside the classic flavours of Jijona, Alicante and yema (egg yolk), Malaga's confectioners and bakeries have opted for artisan creations in recent years, with some incorporating local products. Long-established names such as Mira in Malaga and Daver in Ronda and more creative ventures that have emerged in the Axarquia area, such as those of Pasteleria Ramos in La Caleta de Velez, demonstrate how turron has become an essential part of Malaga's Christmas landscape as a complementary treat that coexists with the traditional sweets without displacing them.

Convent confectionery

If there is one area that has sustained Malaga's confectionery traditions regardless of fads and trends, it is that of convent confectionery. Religious communities in towns such as Antequera, Archidona, Coin, Ronda and Malaga city itself keep alive the tradition of handcrafted sweets made in limited quantities, especially during Advent and Christmas. This quiet work has now received symbolic recognition this year: for the first time, the Repsol Guide on food and drink has included convent bakeries in its Christmas selection of Soletes (its sun awards for food excellence), with distinction awards for the monastery of Jesus Maria del Socorro in Archidona and the Carmelite convent museum in Antequera.

In addition, a provincial meeting of convent confectionery was held in Ronda during the 6-8 December long weekend, organised by La Carta Malacitana, which once again shone the spotlight on these traditional sweets and their historical importance. Beyond the occasional showcase, these initiatives are a reminder that a large part of Malaga's Christmas confectionery has its origins in convents and survives today thanks to small-scale production, independent of whatever is trending.

Zoom An assortment of mantecados. SUR

Where to buy

Although home-baking of such sweets has been vanishing, many of these traditional sweets still have clearly-indicated places to go buy them in the province. Within the convent setting, the sweets from the Monasterio de la Purisima Concepcion in Canete la Real, the Monasterio de Jesus Maria del Socorro in Archidona and the Museo Conventual de las Carmelitas Descalzas in Antequera, among others, are still especially sought-after locations at Christmas. Production at these places is limited and closely tied to the Advent calendar.

Alongside these, many historic confectioners and bakeries affiliated with the Sabor a Malaga ('taste of Malaga') promotional brand continue to make mantecados, polvorones, roscos de vino, borrachuelos and alfajores following traditional recipes. This is the case with long-established businesses such as Sancho Melero, La Antequerana and Torcadul in Antequera, Doblado Torres in Cuevas Bajas, Hijos de Cordobilla in Competa, Framancha in Monda, Daver in Ronda and Hermanos Montanez in Malaga city, shops that today function as the main custodians of Malaga's Christmas confectionery outside the home-baking sphere.

Zoom Mantecados on the production line in a bakery in Antequera. SUR

The decline in popularity of these traditional recipes is not so much due to a disappearance of culinary identity as to a profound shift in habits. Cooking for days on end, getting organised as a family and dedicating loads of time to lengthy preparations are no longer part of daily life in many homes. In response, the new style of Christmas sweet treats is all about innovation, aesthetics and convenience.

Panettones, yule logs and differently-flavoured nougats have found their niche and their market, without completely displacing traditional sweets, but rather relegating them to a secondary role. The result is a more diverse Christmas platter of sweet treats, although one that is definitely more dependent on market trends and less tied to those recipes that were handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 11:41 | Updated 11:49h. Share

Although the meteorological winter began on 1 December, the so-called astronomical winter will begin on Sunday, 21 December. For a change, it will arrive with conditions typical of this time of year, which is unusual for Malaga province and other southern territories.

After a stable and sunny Thursday, Friday morning launched another "period of instability, with the successive arrival of high altitude depressions that will gradually drop". According to Aemet meteorological centre, there will be precipitation and a drop in temperatures throughout Friday, until Saturday.

The trough at high altitude will cause a front to rapidly cross Andalucia. It will reach the province of Malaga around 9pm on Friday, for when Aemet has activated a yellow warning (low-risk level). The alert will last until midnight. In that three-hour interval, downpours are expected to leave up to 15mm in one hour.

The coast, Malaga city, Guadalhorce Valley and the Axarquia district may experience storms and downpours this Friday night

Rainfall may also be accompanied by thunderstorms, most likely in the Costa del Sol, Malaga city, the Guadalhorce Valley and the coast of the Axarquia area, while they are less likely in the interior of the province.

Transition Saturday

Saturday will be another transitional day, with no precipitation expected, although temperatures will be generally low. The maximum in Malaga city will not exceed 16C (10C minimum). Minimum temperatures in the Antequera district will go from 10C during the day to 5C during the night.

A new trough will arrive on Sunday and generate potentially heavy downpours in the province. In addition, snow will fall at the highest altitudes in the eastern mountains. No weather warnings have been issued for the day so far. Temperatures will continue slightly dropping, from maximum 15C in Malaga city to 9-10C in the interior of the province.

Although it is still too early to say for sure, there is no high risk of rain on Christmas Eve on the Costa del Sol, but temperatures will remain quite low (15-17C). There could be some showers in the inland parts of Malaga province.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 15:52 Share

The board of directors of the Malaga Port Authority has approved the basic specifications of a tender for the award of a plot of land located on the esplanade next to the San Andres marina, which will be used for the construction and operation of a warehouse for the reception, storage and delivery of refrigerated fresh produce.

According to the port, this infrastructure, which does not currently exist, is in great demand by import and export cargo operators. With this initiative, the aim is to consolidate the port's logistics capacity and improve competitiveness in the traffic of this type of goods. The invitation to tender will soon be published in the official state gazette. Bids will be given two months for submission.

In addition, the port of Malaga expects to close the 2025 financial year with a "particularly positive" balance in terms of traffic, both in terms of goods and cruises, which will consolidate its growth and strategic role within the port network.

530,000 cruise passengers

As far as cargo traffic is concerned, the forecast puts the total volume at around 5.36 million tonnes achieved by the end of the year, which reflects the good growth of port activity and strengthens the facility's role as a logistics hub at the service of its land area of influence and international transport chains.

Cruise ship traffic will close 2025 with around 330 calls and 530,000 passengers, which confirms the strength of the port as a reference destination in the western Mediterranean and its capacity to attract cruise ships from large international shipping lines. This has a direct positive impact on the local economy and the tourist sector.
Chus Heredia Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 09:53 Share

The benefits linked to electric cars in Malaga city's blue zone are coming to an end. Until now, electric vehicles (EVs) could renew their parking permits annually via a form to park for free in the SARE (the city's regulated parking area). The changes are included in the new municipal by-law and have been announced by Malaga city council via Smassa, its municipal company for parking and related services.

The new regulations, which come into effect on 1 January, will treat cars with a blue 'clean' emissions sticker the same as all other vehicles needing to park in these parts of the city. So, what are the rates for next year? Parking remains at one euro per hour (one euro per week for residents, who receive a 98% discount), the half-hour rate increases from 0.30 to 0.50 cents and early payment of fines for exceeding the time limit will also be more expensive. In the latter case, the fee will go up from 3.80 to five euros. The maximum time limit (150 minutes) will also go up to 2.50 euros. The difference in price will be 0.05 or 0.01 depending on whether payment is made at a parking meter or via the app.

Public car parks

What stays, however, is the benefit of 45 minutes of free parking in municipal public car parks. To take advantage of this, a proximity card will be required.

1 euro per hour will be the cost for SARE parking, the same as now. What does go up is the half-hour rate (from 0.30 to 0.50 cents) and also early payment of the fine for exceeding the maximum time: from 3.80 to five euros.

These changes occur within the context of the second year of operation of Malaga's low emission zone (ZBE in Spanish). After an initial grace period, from 30 November of this year until the same date next year, only cars and motorcycles without an environmental classification and that pay their road tax outside Malaga city will be prohibited from entering the designated area. Next year the ban will also apply to B-category vehicles registered outside the city.

How many cars are affected?

How many vehicles will be affected by these changes to the blue zone? According to the study that served as the basis for implementing the ZBE in the city, the most common emissions sticker for cars circulating in this 437-hectare area is C (40.4%), followed by B (31.1%). Almost one in four cars has no sticker and 'clean' cars - those classed as 'eco' or 'zero' emissions - only account for 3% and less than 1% respectively of daily traffic movements.

Market trend shift

Still, these figures will gradually change. Malaga city's vehicle fleet is aging, with an average age of around 14 years, but it's also true that registrations of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are skyrocketing. Data from Anfac, the national association of automobile and HGV manufacturers, showed a 105% year-on-year increase in plug-in hybrids at the end of summer, representing a 9% market share. As for pure EVs, they have seen a 90% increase, accounting for 8% of the total.

105% year-on-year growth in plug-in hybrid registrations this year. Pure electric vehicles, 90%. They represent 9% and 8% respectively of market share.

This trend is confirmed by the fact that the Junta's EV subsidies scheme (Moves III Plan) ran out of funds twice this year. Next year, it will be central government that manages payments directly and EV owners will be reimbursed one month after purchase.

The blue or zero emissions sticker

Which cars have this sticker? They are: 100% electric cars (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) with more than 40 kilometres of electric range, range-extended electric vehicles (REEVs) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs).

The blue zone in Malaga city is gradually being extended. In fact, the new by-law outlines the possibility of applying it to 23 new areas: Los Tilos, La Aurora, Ayala-Gongora, La Paz, Gamarra-Eugenio Gross, Paseo Antonio Machado, Huelin, Pacifico, Parque del Mediterraneo, Poligono Alameda, Las Chapas, Haza Cuevas, Trinidad, Perchel Norte, Perchel Sur, Bailen Miraflores, Arroyo de los Angeles, Camino Suarez, El Molinillo, Alameda Capuchinos, Cristo de la Epidemia, Olletas and Pedregalejo.
Pilar Martinez Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 12:17 Share

Following a record year for Malaga Airport, landing and take-off operations this Christmas (from 19 December to 7 January) will exceed last year's figures. Spain's airport operator Aena has reported that there will be an average of 44 more flights per day than at the same time last year. Family get-togethers and trips to discover new ways of experiencing the Christmas season will increase to 8,051 the number of operations planned at the airport during this period - 872 more flights than last Christmas.

This Friday, 19 December, will be the busiest day at Malaga Airport's terminals and runways, with 448 flights scheduled, followed by 27 December with 444. In contrast, the quietest day of the period will be Christmas Day itself, 25 December, when only 216 air movements are scheduled.

Of the 8,051 flights, some 6,232 depart from or arrive at airports outside Spain. The remaining 1,819 are flights with domestic connections.

872 more flights than last Christmas will land and take off at Malaga Airport between Friday, 19 December and 7 January

With these operations, Malaga consolidates itself as the main airport in Andalucia during the Christmas season. Far behind is Seville, with 3,680 flights, followed by Granada (564), Almeria (306) and Jerez (222).

Malaga Airport is, in general, expecting an unprecedented winter in terms of connections and air capacity. Until the end of March, it will be connected with 135 destinations, seven more than in the same period last year (118 cities in 34 countries).

In addition, the 42 airlines that will operate these flights have enhanced their commitment to the Costa del Sol in the middle of the low season. So much so that it is the first time that the figure of ten million seats has been reached at Malaga Airport, compared to 9.7 million last year. Aena has announced that the airlines have programmed a total of 10.3 million seats for this winter, 6.1% more than in 2024 and the largest increase among major airports.

During this winter season and until March, 58,200 flights, to or from the 274 available routes, will land on the airport's runways, 5.4% more than last year (14 more). Of this total, 182 will connect Malaga with Europe, with 6.3% more seats to eight million and 5.7% more scheduled movements with the Old Continent than at the same time last year, reaching 42,562.
SUR Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 16:04 Share

Spain's Guardia Civil and the National Police force, in collaboration with the French customs authorities, have dismantled a criminal organisation linked to international cocaine trafficking. The operation has culminated in the arrest of five people and the seizure of 2,280 kilograms of cocaine.

Operation Levi-Lobera began in March, when investigators discovered that a criminal group was trying to send drugs from Fuengirola to the Netherlands using a heavy goods vehicle for freight transport.

After cross-checking the data obtained by both police forces, a joint task force was created in order to dismantle this criminal organisation.

With the information gathered by the investigators, which was provided to the French customs authorities, the aforementioned lorry was intercepted in French territory while it was carrying 826 kilograms of cocaine. One person was arrested.

Similarly, the criminal network had sent a second lorry a short distance from the first, which was also detected by investigators in the province of Barcelona, with 500 kilograms of cocaine inside.

The efforts of the investigators continued to bear fruit when, in May, a new road shipment to the UK was intercepted and 200 kilograms of cocaine were seized, leading to the discovery of a 'stash house', where the drugs remained hidden in British territory until distribution. Another 180 kilograms of the same narcotic substance were seized there.

Based in Mijas

Also in May, the police detected that packages were being smuggled by high-speed boats along the coast of Marbella, which allowed them to discover a new stash house in Mijas.

When the investigators went to search the house, the suspects set fire to it, with the aim of destroying it and making the drugs disappear. The police extinguished the fire, rescued and arrested two people. They seized 520 kilos of cocaine, several stolen vehicles and a submachine gun with plenty of ammunition.

The investigation was completed in August, with several raids and searches in Mijas, the town where the criminal organisation was based.

The operation culminated in the arrest of five people, the seizure of 2,280 kilograms of cocaine, several lorries, several vehicles with secret compartments made for hiding the drugs, three stolen vehicles and an MP15 submachine gun.

The detainees have been brought before the court for the crimes of drug-trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and membership of a criminal organisation.
Juan Soto Fuengirola Friday, 19 December 2025, 11:32 Share

Fuengirola has beaten a world record with a lot of Italian flavour and accent: some 2,344 pizzas in a line placed on a table 700 metres long. The event was staged on the town's seafront promenade on 17 December. The challenge managed to beat the previous record held by the city of Dubai.

The organiser is Italian pizza chef Antonio Pucci. With this initiative, he wanted to raise funds for children's cancer association Avoi. All the pizzas were sold with the aim of helping children with cancer.

A total of 25 pizza makers from all over Spain, Italy and Argentina participated in the record, which will now be validated by Guinness (after verification by a local notary and the town hall). Fuengirola has not only beaten the previous record, but also done it faster and with less equipment than that used in the United Arab Emirates: the team took three hours and 45 minutes and used only five ovens with a capacity for five pizzas.

Pucci, who is also the president of Associazione Pizzerie Italiane in Malaga, said he was very satisfied with the achievement. What is more important for him, however, is the number of children this initiative will help. His mother has had cancer, which has motivated him to get involved in all kinds of charities. "I do everything for the children," he said.

The record has not yet been officially validated by Guinness, because the prestigious organisation was asking 17,000 euros to send its own judges - something Pucci was not prepared to pay. "That certificate is only of any use to me so the children can benefit from it," he stated.

A challenging task

Pucci acknowledged that achieving this number of pizzas was not easy and that along the way he had to face different challenges, from the organisation of a massive event to the transport of the equipment and even the crowds. "There are always tense moments, but I was convinced that it was going to end well," he said.

This is not the first time Pucci has tackled something like this. He currently holds five other world records, all of which have raised money for Avoi. He made the world's longest pizza, which measured one kilometre and 240 metres; the world's biggest caprese salad; the longest nutella pizza (147 metres); and 660 pizzas in one hour.

That is why, after achieving this goal, he has already started to think about the next achievement. "My girlfriend told me to take it easy or I'll have a heart attack. But I want to already be thinking about the next challenge."
The Churriana tunnel on the Malaga outer ring road, which has been refurbished.

Ignacio Lillo Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 17:04 Share

Two of the main tunnels of the national road network in Malaga province - the Churriana tunnel on the outer ring road and the tunnel on the San Pedro Alcantara bypass - have undergone a major renovation in recent months, which has just been completed.

The work, carried out by the Ministry of Transport, has improved road safety and modernised both tunnels, located on the A-7 motorway. The project, worth 4.5 million euros IVA sale tax included, has been financed by Next Generation European funds.

The modernisation of tunnels is a road safety requirement on the trans-European road network and is financed by the EU

According to ministerial sources, the intervention was carried out to comply with the safety requirements for tunnels on the trans-European road network and to improve traffic conditions. New emergency and safety lighting systems and photoluminescent signs have been installed to indicate emergency posts, passageways and evacuation exits.

In addition, the signage and beacons have been renewed; the tunnels have been waterproofed; the road surfaces have been repaved; and monitoring systems have been installed. In the specific case of the San Pedro tunnel, new emergency exits have been built and pressurisation systems with fans have been installed.

This action is part of the project to improve and adapt tunnels in the province of Malaga with a total investment of 36 million euros, funded by the EU. Work continues on the San Jose and Cerrado de Calderon tunnels on the A-7 (8.9 million); Capistrano, Tablazo, Frigiliana, Lagos and Torrox tunnels on the A-7 (18.1 million); Ortega Prados on the MA-20 in Malaga city; and Casabermeja 1, Casabermeja 2, Casabermeja 3 and Casabermeja 4 on the A-45 (4.5 million).
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Italian magazine L'Espresso has named Pedro Sanchez as its Person of the Year. It's a surprising choice given that Sanchez is battling corruption allegations on almost every front - but L'Espresso has looked beyond all that: "We don't intend to celebrate the successful or iconic", it stated in its 11 December edition, apparently without irony, "but those who have managed to send a clear message, a signal. This year, the signal comes from Madrid and bears the name of Pedro Sanchez."

In choosing the Spanish prime minister for its annual honour, the left-leaning publication (which, along with the centre-right Panorama, is one of Italy's two most prominent weeklies) points to several factors: the "unmatched" success of the Spanish economy, Sanchez's refusal to submit to Donald Trump's NATO demands, his defence of civil rights, calls for greater EU integration and definition of Israel's attack on Gaza as "genocide". L'Espresso also refers to Sanchez's huge popularity amongst Italians: in a recent poll, he emerged as their second most-trusted European leader, with 44.9%. Only the Pope scored higher.

By celebrating Sanchez, L'Espresso has broadcast a clear signal of its own: that corruption doesn't matter if you get things done. No wonder it admires the Spanish premier, who has flouted the law (lockdown, alleged espionage on Catalan separatists), chosen as his most senior advisers people who are now in prison (Koldo Case), performed complete policy reversals when politically expedient (Catalan independence, Western Sahara) and remains in power, despite losing the last election, only because of a deal that outraged many of his own supporters (Catalan amnesties). Some Spanish media outlets have even raised the possibility that L'Espresso's feature on Sanchez was financed by the Spanish government: "How much did this joke cost us?" ran a bemused headline in OK Diario.

L'Espresso's founders, one of whom was the typewriter magnate Adriano Olivetti, would surely be dismayed by its choice of Sanchez. Established in 1955, the magazine quickly established a reputation for investigative journalism, uncovering several corruption scandals centred on Italy's post-war Christian Democrat government. Back then, a politician like Sanchez would have been investigated by L'Espresso, not celebrated.

The point isn't that L'Espresso is wrong in saying that Sanchez has done things that deserve praise - because he has (although they weren't all mentioned, and some of the reasons that it did give are questionable). Even if you agreed with everything its editors say about the Spanish premier, you could still object to their choice of him as Person of the Year.

Spanish politics is characterised by a culture of unaccountability and impunity. One of the most important functions of a free press is to challenge that at every opportunity - not contribute to it. By choosing Sanchez as its Person of the Year, L'Espresso has done precisely that.
Europa Press Malaga Friday, 19 December 2025, 11:09 Share

Christmas 2025 will be marked by an unstable and colder than usual weather in much of Spain, with a drop in temperatures of between 3C and 5C in the western half of the country, with rain and snowfall in many areas of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, as the forecasts of Meteored and eltiempo.es warn.

Meteored expert Francisco Martin says that, late on Saturday, a new trough will affect mainland Spain, with the entry of cold air of maritime polar origin. This will lead to the appearance of snowfall in several mountain systems of the country on Sunday.

Martin says that temperatures will not be extreme, although they will remain below normal values, which increases the likelihood of snowfall in the mountain systems of the north and centre of the country. In general, snow is expected to alternate with periods of clear and cloudy skies, without continuous precipitation throughout the day.

At the same time, the Canary Islands might also record some showers in their more mountainous areas, although with less intensity than in mainland Spain.

Meteored science writer Gabriel Bernabe forecasts precipitation in the form of snow in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Castilla y Leon, Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha on Sunday.

Snow will accumulate at an altitude of between 1,300 and 1,500 metres in most of central and northern Spain, but dropping to between 900 and 1,100 metres in the north-west during the morning and evening. It may even reach 500 or 700 metres in specific mountain areas.

The highest accumulations will be concentrated in the main mountain ranges, especially in the Central System, with up to 15 centimetres, the Huesca Pyrenees with about ten centimetres and between five and ten centimetres in the Galician Massif, the Cantabrian Mountains, the Iberian System and Sierra Nevada.

In terms of temperatures, Bernabe expects that Asturias, Galicia, Castilla y Leon, Aragon and Castilla-La Mancha will be cold on Sunday, with a greater drop in temperatures in the north-west due to the entry of cold air from the Atlantic.

Minimum temperatures could be around 0C in Oviedo and 3C in places such as Valladolid or Santiago de Compostela, while remaining above 10C in coastal areas of the Gulf of Cadiz and the Mediterranean thanks to the moderating effect of the sea.

In the east, temperatures will be milder, awaiting the gradual arrival of the cold front.

Coldest air before Christmas Eve

Eltiempo.es has forecast that a not very active front will arrive on Thursday and persist until Saturday. On Sunday, two more fronts will cross the country due to a cold storm, accompanied by its respective trough. With them will come more rain, snow and a drop in temperatures.

The first front will arrive on Thursday afternoon, slowly advancing eastwards. As it passes, it will leave rain in Andalucia, Extremadura, Castilla y Leon, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, Madrid and parts of Castilla-La Mancha. It will also leave snow above 900 to 1,200 metres in some areas.

As for temperatures, they will fall from this Friday onwards and bottom out on Monday in most of the country. Maximum temperatures will rise between Tuesday and Wednesday, coinciding with Christmas Eve. Even so, the recovery will be gradual, as unsettled conditions and cold air will persist.

Meanwhile, minimum temperatures will mostly drop, but given the cloudiness and the wind, they will not drop significantly in the early morning. More intense frosts are expected only in high mountain areas.

Looking ahead to next week, Sunday's front will continue on Monday, with heavy precipitation in Aragon, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Snow above 600 metres will accumulate in Aragon and Catalonia, heavy in some areas.

However, in the early hours of Monday morning, a new front will enter from the north-west, heading south-east, which, together with the first one, will weaken and withdraw as the hours go by, leaving precipitation limited to well-exposed mountain areas, such as the Pyrenees or the north-west of the Betic systems.

In the Canary Islands, daily rainfall will continue on the north side of the islands. For the moment, eltiempo.es does not expect them to be very heavy, but they will continue accumulating.

Uncertainty for Christmas

The weather portal says that it is not yet clear exactly how the situation will evolve on Sunday and Monday, so "uncertainty is very high for the following days". In any case, its models seem to indicate that the instability will probably continue with a new cold storm from the north-west to the rest of Spain.

According to current predictions, the storm will move southwards along the Atlantic coasts of Galicia and Portugal on Tuesday. Rainfall would continue in the form of showers throughout Christmas Eve in much of mainland Spain, although with a tendency to subside in the late hours.

Christmas Eve could have somewhat more stable weather, as Spain will be in the middle of a transition between this storm and a pocket of cold air from the north-east. This pocket will arrive at the end of the day, dragging colder air in the middle and lower layers, which could reactivate precipitation over the country.
KABUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Personnel of the Afghan National Army have taken 530 individuals into custody in western Afghanistan's Herat province over the past two days for attempting to cross the border into neighboring Iran illegally, according to a statement from the army's western region command on Friday.

The statement noted that the individuals were detained during day and night patrols conducted by border force personnel, but provided no further details.

Previously, the Afghan border force reported arresting 398 people charged with attempting to enter Iran illegally.

Although hundreds of Afghan refugees return from Iran to Afghanistan daily, many others leave for Iran illegally each day to escape poverty and unemployment in the post-war country.

The Afghan government has vowed to curb human trafficking and illegal border crossings. 
Susana Zamora Friday, 19 December 2025, 09:35 Share

It was his birthday and he wanted to make a gesture to his colleagues at the hypermarket in Spain where he worked and invite them to breakfast with various bakery products, including cakes and croissants, the total of which amounted to 68,82 euros. These products were distributed for consumption at around 8am on trays between the counters of the different sections inside the shop, and were removed before the opening of the centre at 9am. However, at around 11am, the worker brought some more trays to the customer service, security and office areas and went to the cashier's desk to pay for them. The problem, as it turned out, was that the colleague only charged him 10.23 euros for a single unit of each of those four batches of products, which he paid for by card without making use of his employee discount code.

On other occasions the company itself or employees had invited the staff inside the shop and outside the opening hours to a small meal, as this employee had done. This precedent was of little use, as the company decided to dismiss him only one month after, on 14 November 2023, for breach of contractual good faith, as the original employment contract signed with the company included a clause that warned that: "The consumption, appropriation or use for personal use of all kinds of objects or goods belonging to the company, as well as the consumption of any food or drink outside the rest area would be considered a very serious offence, punishable by dismissal."

Employed at the company for 30 years

In disagreement with the decision, the worker, who had been with the company for 30 years, went to court, which in the first instance ruled in his favour, declaring the dismissal to be unfair and ordering the company to reinstate him or pay him 105,716.09 euros in compensation. A decision now ratified by the high court of justice of Galicia.

In the analysis of the appeal, consulted by SUR, the judges start from article 54.2 of the workers' statute (the transgression of contractual good faith, as well as breach of trust in the performance of work). In order to assess whether the worker breached good faith and whether such conduct deserved the maximum penalty of dismissal, the judges state that the position held by the worker in the company and his personal and professional circumstances must be taken into account. "It must not be forgotten that the dismissed worker was the 'establishment manager', and the diligence that must be demanded with greater rigour according to the responsibility of the position held and the trust placed in the worker by the company."

Nevertheless, the court considers that the alleged conduct "cannot be included in a very serious infringement, using the postulated gradualist doctrine". In this regard, they argue that the offences defined in article 54.2, in order to become grounds for dismissal, "must reach sufficient levels of culpability and seriousness, which excludes their application under mere objective criteria, requiring, on the contrary, an individualised analysis of each conduct".

Specifically, the court explained that the circumstances of this case lead them to uphold the contested decision, "since it does not reveal a conscious intention on the part of the plaintiff to appropriate certain products (not to pay for them), but rather a combined error between the note prepared for payment by the bakery section - which was not properly made and was misleading - and the dismissed person's own negligence, who paid what was reflected on the ticket, paying the difference as soon as he was aware of the error and sending an e-mail in which he released the bakery manager from responsibility. In short, on the basis of the factual framework, it cannot be considered that the plaintiff had an intention to defraud the company of money.
Alicia Negre / Raul Hernandez Murcia Friday, 19 December 2025, 16:35 Share

The fear of reoffending was one of the arguments that the magistrate judge outlined in order to justify the provisional imprisonment of the surgeon accused of raping a sedated patient in Murcia. Another risk the judicial authority considered was "possible escape", given that the suspect is of Mexican nationality.

Investigators from the family and women's care unit of the National Police received the woman's complaint, in which she reported feeling discomfort in the genital area following the intervention. She was referred to a forensic doctor for a medical examination. The police have also taken statements from two other women who had undergone cosmetic procedures in the days prior to the alleged victim's surgery.

The investigating judge considers that there is also a possible flight risk, given that the defendant is of Mexican nationality

The nurse who regularly worked with the plastic surgeon has told the police that the suspect may have assaulted more patients. She stated that, until then, she had never been aware of this possibility and that she felt "guilty" about it. She expressed "great disappointment" with her colleague.

However, she said that she had "never noticed any excessive behaviour on the part of the doctor with any patient". According to her, the surgeon would always position women who, like the victim, underwent liposuction of the lower body in a gynaecological position. In this case, the woman was undergoing a breast reconstruction operation using fat extracted from the thighs. According to the nurse's account, the surgeon had recommended this option.

The assistant who was part of the team in that surgery said that the "pelvic movements" that the doctor carried out that day were something she was "used" to seeing on other occasions, so she did not give them any importance. According to her, however, this surgeon was the only doctor who would usually change the orientation of the stretcher when he was going to perform liposuction on the legs, which made it difficult for the rest of the team to see the patient.

The National Police are still investigating the alleged sexual assault. According to sources, they have collected the garment that the victim was wearing during the intervention. The aim is for it to be analysed for any possible biological traces of the suspect. The complainant has already appeared in the case as a private prosecutor represented by renowned lawyer Raul Pardo-Geijo. As she was sedated, she does not remember anything and has not been able to provide details of what happened.
Jose Molins Valencia Friday, 19 December 2025, 15:25 Share

It took ten hours for two health centres, an outpatient clinic and a public hospital in Valencia to get a patient's diagnosis right, but it was already too late and the man died of a heart attack. Now, a court in Spain has ordered the health authority to compensate 128,379 to the deceased's wife and daughter for the grave mistake.

The incident happened in November 2022. The man first went to the emergency department of a local health centre at 9.27am. He was complaining of chest pain and difficulty breathing. The medical staff performed a chest X-ray, but the doctor told the patient to go to the hospital on his own, unaccompanied by an ambulance.

With an undiagnosed heart attack, the man took his car and drove to the hospital, where he waited in the triage room and underwent various tests, including a blood test and an electrocardiogram. That was when he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

He was admitted and given treatment with various drugs, not indicated for a heart attack, which is what he actually had. Instead of improving, the man's condition rapidly worsened. By 5pm, he had started to sweat and suffer from hypertension (blood pressure below normal), oxygen desaturation, very high respiratory rate and lung noise. The inadequate treatment had contributed to his state.

He underwent further tests (another X-ray and analysis), after which he was transferred to the intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure and acute pulmonary oedema. This happened at 7.44pm, ten hours after his visit to the health centre in the morning. Finally, the intensive care team diagnosed him with a heart attack.

Unfortunately, too much time had passed and the patient rapidly deteriorated and went into cardiorespiratory arrest, after which he died. His family say that there was a clear error in the diagnosis, an inadequate technical treatment and a lack of information about the seriousness of the patient's condition.

The medical expert's report determines that there was reckless conduct at the outpatient clinic, where the patient was told to go to the hospital on his own, without supplementary oxygen or an electrocardiogram. Then, at the hospital, he had to wait for more than two hours to be attended to. Although the tests revealed myocardial necrosis of the lower part of the heart, which was evidence of a heart attack, there was a "considerable" diagnostic delay. Despite the results, he was taken to the internal medicine department to be treated for pneumonia, which he did not have.

It was only in intensive care that, according to the report, the tests were correctly interpreted, but since so many hours had passed, the ischaemia and myocardial necrosis had advanced, with the development of heart failure and the final arrest that led to death.

A second medical expert report says that, although the care at the health centre was in accordance with established protocols, the electrocardiogram was misinterpreted at the hospital. Cardiac care was not initiated in the intensive care unit and the infarction code was not activated.

Similarly, a third report, that of the health inspectorate, considers that it was correct to refer him to the hospital, but that once there the diagnosis of acute infarction should have been established and the appropriate measures taken. The report considers that it was a mistake to first leave him in a cubicle and then take him to internal medicine, where he was admitted. "There was no correct diagnosis in the emergency department, which delayed the appropriate treatment and may have contributed to the spread of the infarction," the document states.

All this proves that the chain of medical errors led to his tragic demise. For this reason, the court has upheld the family's claim and urged the health department to pay them 128,379 euros.
Cristina Candido Madrid Friday, 19 December 2025, 15:43 Share

Administrative procedures create thousands of hours of unpaid overtime that weigh down the daily lives of the self-employed in Spain. The more than 3.4 million professionals in this group spend an average of 200 hours a year exclusively on bureaucratic procedures and the fulfilment of tax, labour and social security obligations, as the national federation of associations of self-employed workers (ATA) explains.

Self-employed workers have to specifically put time aside for bureaucracy, at the expense of their active and rest hours. Moreover, this activity has a direct economic impact. At an average cost of 15 euros per hour, bureaucracy represents an annual outlay of around 3,000 euros for each self-employed worker, according to ATA calculations. This amounts to 10 billion euros per year and more than 650 million hours spent on administrative procedures for the entire professional segment.

The magnitude of the problem is amplified when compared to the average working hours in the sector. Self-employed persons work 47 hours a week on average and spend around four hours a week just to fulfil their administrative duties. Overall, the time spent on bureaucracy is equivalent to the full weekly workload of 278,000 self-employed workers.

More rules and costs

Beyond the purely economic aspect, the cost is also social. For nine out of ten self-employed people, the bureaucratic burden has increased in the last year, which significantly reduces their ability to reconcile work and rest. "Every day, we spend more time on paperwork and less on generating wealth," president of ATA Lorenzo Amor says.

Workers with dependent employees, who account for almost one million of the self-employed in Spain, have to also add the increasing complexity of labour regulations, which multiplies the time and administrative costs they spend on their personal obligations. "We have been hearing about administrative simplification and reduction of burdens for years, but this never comes. There are more and more rules, more restrictions and more costs," Amor says, as he calls for a profound change in the relationship between bureaucracy and the self-employed.

ATA warns that, if there is no real reduction in bureaucracy, the excessive hours spent on administrative obligations will keep hampering productivity, competitiveness and the self-employed's capacity to generate wealth, turning the administration into an obstacle rather than a facilitator of economic activity.
Tony Bryant Mijas Friday, 19 December 2025, 10:26 Share

The Mijas contemporary art centre in Calle Malaga is currently hosting an exhibition of paintings by renowned Danish national Kurt Ard, an artist who celebrates his centenary this month. The artist has spent more than half his life living in Spain, specifically in Andalucia. The exhibition, which can be visited until 12 February, consists of 19 acrylic paintings on cardboard and wood. Almost all of the pieces depict typical Andalusian scenes based on the customs and traditions of the 1980s, while one is inspired by Denmark, the artist's country of origin.

"My father's paintings show life as it was before, how people worked and what the festivals and fairs were like. There are also scenes of nature," explained Peter Ard, who represented his father during the opening of the exhibition last week.

The work is distinguished by its remarkable realism and profusion of detail, which at times makes the painting almost indistinguishable from a photograph.

"Kurt's work caught our attention, and we thought it could evoke a sense of nostalgia in people while also allowing them to appreciate the exceptional quality of the works," explained Francisco Javier Fructuoso, director of the Mijas art centre.

Born in Copenhagen on 20 December 1925, Ard emigrated to New York in 1950 and embarked on a career creating illustrations for newspapers and magazines, although he returned to his native Denmark in 1953. He moved to Spain in 1972.

The self-taught illustrator and graphic artist gained international recognition for a large number of magazine covers he created from the 1950s through to the 70s, including Reader's Digest, the Scandinavian magazines Allers and Familie Journalen, as well as the German magazine Horzu.
Tom Farley, the brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, is still keeping his brothers memory alive nearly 30 years after his tragic passing.

Farley, who starred on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995, was found dead in his Chicago apartment from an overdose on Dec. 18, 1997, at age 33. In an article published Thursday, Tom spoke to People about missing the side of his brother that the public never saw.

Noting theres a distinction between Chriss fame and his family life, Tom told the outlet: People come up to me all the time and say, Oh, I miss your brother. Its like, yeah, they miss the celebrity, they miss the laughteras I do. But I want them to miss the brother I miss."

Tom explained that Chris embodied every character he portrayed on the late night sketch comedy series. Every time he showed up in a skit on SNL, Im like, Oh, he used to do that in front of our aunts and uncles,

Tom also highlighted Chriss spiritual life and his genuine nature. First of all, he had more faith than anyone  like he was always going to church," Tom recounted.

This sincerity extended to their time working as camp counselors during college. We were camp counselors in college, and just to watch Chris ... you know, I was there for the camp counselors at the girls camp across the lake. Chris, however, was there for the kids. He was like the Pied Piper, just leading these kids on these adventures. He was Peter Pan. He was great, Tom said.

Additionally, Tom recounted a trip to Disney World where a middle-school-aged Chris convinced him to jump out of a moving ride in a dark tunnel to scare their father.

I followed him, and we stood there like statues in the dark. Then we heard my dads voicethis booming, baritone voice coming closer and closerand we both realized this was the dumbest idea wed ever had. We panicked.

After epically escaping the ride, the brothers spent the rest of the day riding the monorail around Disney World about 20 times in an attempt to avoid their fuming father.

While on SNL, Farley played some legendary characters, such as motivational speaker Matt Foley, who emphasized that he lived in a van, down by the river, a wannabe Chippendales dancer, Cindy, one of the Gap Girls, and a lunch lady in the fan-favorite Lunch Lady Land sketch.

In 1995, Chris was fired alongside buddy Adam Sandler as NBC wanted a cast shake-up due to dwindling ratings. That year, after three years of sobriety, Farley relapsed again. In the years before his passing, he still picked up work in Hollywood, appearing in the movies Black Sheep and Beverly Hills Ninja.

In 2005, Farley was honored posthumously on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to TV.

Sandler has also kept Farleys memory alive, paying tribute to him during Season 44 of the show and SNL 50.
Utica, N.Y.  A former New York state corrections officer convicted of murdering an inmate in a brutal beatdown last year was sentenced Friday.

Oneida County Court Judge Robert Bauer sentenced David Kingsley to the maximum of 25 years to life in state prison.

Kingsley is the only guard found guilty by a jury. Ten guards were charged. Six pleaded guilty and two were acquitted by a jury. The last guard is scheduled to go to trial in January.

Kingsley received the longest prison sentence of any guard charged in the beating death of Robert L. Brooks.

A jury found Kingsley guilty this fall of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of Brooks.

Prosecutor Jed Hudson said Kingsleys refusal to take responsibility and forcing the family to go through the traumas of trial earned him a maximum sentence.

Hudson said Kingsley, who is nearly 300 pounds, can be seen in the video lifting the much smaller Brooks by his neck. Brooks suffered severe injuries to his neck in the fatal beating.

Kingley addressed the Brooks family at the sentencing. He apologized for his role in the senseless actions that led to Brooks death.

Brooks son said that he hopes this case will prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

So many people are living with pain and fear about what this case exposed, Robert Brooks Jr. said in court.

Brooks brother, Jared Ricks, said that while forgiveness is a long way off, justice being served is a step on that path.

A series of corrections officers delivered multiple beatings to Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County on Dec. 9, 2024.

The officers repeatedly punched and kicked Brooks in the groin, abdomen and face in the prisons infirmary. He died hours later at a Utica hospital.

The savage beating  which prosecutors said was the final of three beatings to Brooks  was recorded on video by body cameras worn by four of the officers. None had turned on their camera, but 30 minutes of video was passively recorded without audio.

The beating, and the fact it was caught on video, provoked outrage. More than a hundred people flocked to Utica to see the indictment be unsealed. Brooks father testified before state lawmakers in Albany about reforming the state prison system.

Brooks death was ruled a homicide by the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office. His cause of death was compression of the neck and multiple blunt-impact injuries, according to the autopsy report.

Brooks autopsy showed he suffered extensive bruising, a broken nose bone and bleeding in his genitals and neck.

Sentences for the other guards

Here is what has happened to 10 corrections officers charged in connection with Brooks death.

Nicholas Anzalone pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Anthony Farina pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Christopher Walrath pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Sgt. Michael Mashaw pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 3 to 9 years. pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 3 to 9 years.

David Walters pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years.

Glenn Trombly pleaded guilty to second-degree gang assault. He was sentenced to four years.

Three other former officers went to trial in October. All three men were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter.

David Kingsley was was found guilty of both charges. He was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.

Mathew Galliher was acquitted of all charges.

Nicholas Kieffer was acquitted of all charges.

The last guard, Michael Fisher, is set to go to trial in January for second-degree manslaughter.
Signs showing political demands are pictured during a protest in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Nov. 21, 2025. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

By implying possible military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, Tokyo has crossed a red line that risks destabilizing the entire Asia-Pacific region and shattering decades of hard-won peace.

by Hua Gesheng

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently declared that a potential contingency in Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan -- one that might justify invoking the right of collective self-defense. This statement is not just provocative; it is a dangerous and blatant departure from Japan's postwar identity. By implying possible military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, Tokyo has crossed a red line that risks destabilizing the entire Asia-Pacific region and shattering decades of hard-won peace.

This statement is not an isolated incident. It is the latest symptom of a deeper and more alarming trend: the systematic dismantling of Japan's pacifist principle by the resurgent right-wing forces. Emboldened by incremental gains, they are trying to rewrite historical narratives, erode constitutional constraints, and steer Japan away from its solemn post-war commitment to never again wage war.

Eight decades after the atomic devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some Japanese leaders still cling to a selective narrative that frames Japan solely as a "victim" -- conveniently omitting its role as the aggressor that plunged Asia into 14 years of unspeakable suffering. Without honest reckoning, there can be no true peace. Without accountability, the ghost of militarism will never rest.





HISTORY'S STAINS DO NOT FADE WITH TIME

History does not disappear -- it resonates. The massacre of over 300,000 souls in Nanjing, the systemic sexual enslavement of "comfort women," the biological atrocities of Unit 731, the scorched-earth campaigns from Singapore to Manila, these are not relics of a distant past; they are wounds that still bleed in the collective memory of Asia.

Japan's war of aggression caused over 35 million casualties in China alone and claimed about 50 million lives across the region. It was not an act of "self-defense," as revisionists now claim, but a brutal campaign of imperial conquest launched in 1931 under the false excuse of "survival crisis." To whitewash this legacy -- to pretend Japan was merely "dragged into war" -- is to insult the victims and betray the living.

A nation that refuses to confront its darkest chapters cannot claim moral authority in shaping the future. Genuine peace begins with truth, not denial.

A representative of the Japanese civic group "No More Nanjing" speaks during a testimony meeting on the Nanjing Massacre in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziyue)





SPECTER OF MILITARISM RISES AGAIN

The Potsdam Declaration clearly stipulated that Japan must not rearm, and Japan's post-war constitution codified the principle of "exclusive self-defense." Over generations, this commitment has been the bedrock of Japan's regional credibility and global standing.

But today, that foundation is being shattered. Textbooks are being rewritten to blur its history of aggression. Politicians pay homage at Yasukuni Shrine -- where Class-A war criminals of WWII are enshrined -- framing reverence for the war dead as "patriotism." Defense budgets soar, long-range strike capabilities are pursued, arms export restrictions are lifted, and whispers of "nuclear sharing" grow louder.

Most alarmingly, the Japanese government has publicly linked the Taiwan question to its own security narrative, framing a "Taiwan contingency" as a pretext to justify its military buildup. This contravenes the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, infringes on China's sovereignty, and undermines the post-war international order. This is not a "survival-threatening situation." It is strategic adventurism cloaked in the language of self-defense.





CHINA'S CORE INTERESTS PERMIT NO EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE

China's position on the Taiwan question is consistent and unequivocal: it is purely an internal affair of China and brooks no external interference. China has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side, urging Tokyo to immediately halt its provocative acts or bear the consequences for any further escalation.

The Chinese people defeated Japanese militarism under extremely dire circumstances. Today's China has both the will and the capability to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity with even greater confidence. Japan must not misread China's restraint or underestimate the Chinese people's determination to defend their core interests.

People visit "Unyielding Treasure Island: Loyal to the Motherland," an exhibition on the history of Taiwan compatriots' resistance against Japanese aggression, at the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)





PEACE AND STABILITY SHOULD NOT BE UNDERMINED AGAIN

The post-war international order was built on the victory over fascism, and Taiwan's return to China is an important part of that order. Japan's attempts to change the order challenge not only China's sovereignty, but also the broader framework of regional and global peace. Nations across the Asia-Pacific, including South Korea and Russia, watch Japan's rightward shift with growing concern. However, the United States, in its zeal to counterbalance China, has dangerously enabled Tokyo's rearmament, forgetting the hard lesson of history about Japan: once militarism takes root, the entire region pays a high price.

Let it be clear: the challenges facing Japan lie not in imagined external threats, but in its stagnant economy, aging population and unsustainable public debt. Channeling precious resources into arms expansion and military posturing is not a display of strength -- it is strategic self-sabotage.





JAPAN ON THE EDGE OF CLIFF: IT MUST CHOOSE WISELY

Japan stands at a historic crossroads. One path leads to reconciliation, responsibility, and a renewed commitment to peace. The other, the path it now treads, leads to escalation and the revival of a militarist past that brought catastrophe upon itself and its neighbors.

The tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not random acts of fate. They were the culmination of a militarist trajectory that Japan chose, for which the whole Asia paid in blood.

Today, the warning signs are flashing. But it is not too late to halt this descent. Japan must remember: peace is not inherited -- it is actively chosen, every day, through humility, honesty, and respect for the lessons of history.

The world is watching. Asia is watching. And the Chinese people will not stand by when history is distorted and China's red lines are crossed.





Editor's note: Hua Gesheng is a commentator on international and multilateral affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc. She can be reached at gesheng1213@gmail.com.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency.
A Christmas Story, playing through Dec. 28, features a cast of local young actors who bring the classic story of Ralphie Parkers quest for the ultimate gift to life for Central New York audiences. As anyone who has worked with kids will tell you, it takes a village.

At Syracuse Stage, that village includes Joe McCurdy, who joins the theatre as a youth actor supervisor, but his job title only tells part of the story. On top of making sure the young actors are tended to before, during and after performances, he also serves as a sort of mentor for the budding thespians.

And its a job McCurdy is especially suited for: In addition to being the son of Syracuse Stage general manager Michael McCurdy, Joe also played the role of Ralphie Parker back in his home town of Little Rock, Arkansas almost a decade ago.

Associate artistic director Melissa Crespo sat down with McCurdy to discuss his unique role for A Christmas Story. Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Melissa Crespo: What is your role in this production?

Joe McCurdy: Im one of three youth actor supervisors. So before the production started, I helped with all the rehearsals, and now Im making sure the young actors are getting dressed backstage, making sure their costumes are hung up, and then making sure theyre getting on stage for their scenes. These are young kids, and this really is their first experience in a professional theater. So Im helping them learn the expectations both on stage and off. The expectations are high for these kids, but theyre really smart, and once we got into show mode, theyve been great.

MC: Im sure the parents appreciate the fact that they know that an adult is always with them.

JM: Yeah, and Im with them at drop off and pick up, so its gotten to the point now that I know all of the parents carsits like a little game for myself, remembering which car is for which kid. And all the parents have been super great. They always say to me: You guys let us know if there are any issues. And its like: No! These kids are gems. Nothing we cant handle.

MC: And these are kids, at the end of the day.

JM: Exactly. Of course, I remember when I was that age.

MC: Speaking of, you have a history with A Christmas Story, right?

JM: Yeah. About nine years ago, in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I am originally from, I played Ralphie in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of A Christmas Story. My brother, who is three years younger than me, was Randy. And that was probably the peak of my middle school life, being able to play Ralphie. It was so much fun.

And thats my favorite thing about working with these kids, just making sure that they are enjoying their time at the theatre as much as I did when I was their age. Gavin Lambert, who plays Ralphie at Syracuse Stage, is 13, which is exactly how old I was when I played the part.

Gavin Lambert, Max Elmer, John Tufts and Kate Hamill star in "A Christmas Story" at Syracuse Stage, which runs through Dec. 28, 2025. Photo by Mike Davis. Photo by Mike Davis

MC: So this is a full circle moment for you?

JM: A full circle moment that I was not expecting! I graduate college, I get back home, and I need a job. And my dad, Syracuse Stage general manager Mike McCurdy, said: [Syracuse Stage artistic director and A Christmas Story director] Bob Hupp will be so excited to see you working with these kids. And, now Im here!

MC: Had you done a lot of theatre by the time you played Ralphie?

JM: Before coming to Syracuse Stage, my dad was general manager at Arkansas Rep. So, me and my siblings grew up in the theatre. Arkansas Rep was our second home, and it was all so much fun. Theatre didnt end up being my professional careerI just graduated from the University of Tulsa with a degree in media studiesbut it plays a really big part in my life.

And growing up with that experience is not something I take for granted. What theatre teaches, at a young age, is a sense of professionalism, and responsibility. And for me and my siblings, that has definitely followed through in our adult lives.

MC: I always joke that if theatre people ran the country, our government would be very, very high functioning! You have to be so multi-faceted. Theres a lot of multitasking. You have to be good with people.

JM: Yes, for sure. And when you put kids in theatre, they learn how to interact with people far beyond their age. So for me, now, I just take pride in making sure that these kids are going out there and giving the best performance possible. Because, while I may not be on stage wanting the 200 shot carbine action range model air rifle, I can make sure our Ralphie is on time, and has the energy in and out of each scene, and I can do my part to make sure that hes doing the best he possibly can.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A loud roar rang out when U.S. Army Spc. Vincent Mugishas name was called Thursday morning.

More than a dozen members of his platoon stationed at Fort Drum near Watertown made a surprise visit to a downtown Syracuse courtroom to cheer him on as he officially became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Mugisha and 33 other people took the Oath of Allegiance in the third-floor courtroom in the James M. Hanley Federal Building to become citizens.

The courtroom was packed with both people and emotion.

The new citizens were born in 19 countries. They came here from Ukraine, Jamaica, Iraq, Bosnia, the Dominican Republic and other places.

None were from the 19 countries subject to immigration restrictions implemented by the Trump administration.

Some of the new citizens were parents with young children; their spouses in the courtroom gallery held babies in their arms. Sarina Velez, of the Dominican Republic, kept one of her daughters on her lap.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Mitchell Katz officiated the ceremony. He choked up several times, including when he addressed my fellow citizens for the first time.

I am humbled to be in your company, he said.

At a time when the federal government is aggressively targeting immigrants, Katz said the country is still a melting pot.

We are a work in progress, he said. Today you become part of an ongoing experiment: the United States of America.

Cheers and applause rang out as Katz handed each person their certificate of naturalization.

Representatives from various elected officials addressed the crowd. A staffer for Rep. John Mannion handed a woman a large flag that had been flown over the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

An a cappella group, Harmony Katz, performed for the crowd. They sang the National Anthem, as well as a section of The New Colossus, the famous poem mounted on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

Families hugged after the ceremony and took photos, including with the judge.

One of the new citizens, a woman from the U.S. territory of American Samoa, found a quiet spot to make a video call.

Mugisha, the Army soldier, is originally from Rwanda. He said after the ceremony that it was a fantastic day.

He reflected for a moment on what he was most looking forward to as a newly minted citizen.

More freedom, he said. Opportunities.
Immigration agents who raided a Cato nutrition bar plant violated a workers Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure, the chief federal judge in Syracuse ruled Thursday.

Judge Brenda Sannes said federal agents did the exact opposite of what they said they would do when they convinced a magistrate judge to give them a warrant to go inside the factory in September.

Sannes said the agents conduct was at best, grossly negligent. 

Sannes ruled in favor of a motion brought by Argentina Juarez-Lopez to suppress the evidence federal agents collected in the raid.

The ruling means the government cannot use her statements, fingerprints, her immigration file or any investigation reports and photos taken of her.

It is the biggest immigration raid in Upstate New York since President Donald Trump took office in January.

Juarez-Lopez was arrested with 56 others at the Cato nutrition bar factory in September.

The ruling is a strong rebuke of tactics federal agents used to get into the plant. It could help to clarify what the government needs to establish to secure a search warrant and how a large raid must be conducted.

But Juarez-Lopez may be the only person to get an immediate and direct benefit from Thursdays ruling.

She is the only one of 57 people arrested to challenge her arrest. Four others who had that chance entered guilty pleas to a felony charge for re-entering the country after once before being deported. The others were swept into the civil immigration system and many were quickly deported.

Paul Tuck, who left the U.S. attorneys office earlier this year, filed the motion on behalf of Juarez-Lopez.

Tuck argued that the governments violations in the raid were diverse, plentiful and compounding.

Tuck argued that federal agents secured the wrong kind of warrant to enter the factory. A so-called Blackies warrant is a warrant for an administrative investigation and did not authorize a mass seizure of workers for questioning without attorneys.

Sannes did not specifically rule on the use of Blackies warrants, but she sided with Tuck in her 27-page decision.

Magistrate Judge Therese Wiley Dancks granted the administrative warrant and a second criminal warrant in August that allowed federal agents to seize computers and records at the factory in Cayuga County.

Neither warrant gave the government authority to detain or arrest any specific person, Sannes wrote in her decision.

Agents gathered the employees in a break room and directed them to self-identify as citizens or non-citizens authorized to work.

Agents then directed those who did not self-identify to approach them for interviews - the exact opposite of what the government told the magistrate judge they would do, Sannes wrote.

The New York Civil Liberties Union helped with the motion.

Perry Grossman, a lawyer for the ACLU in New York, said it is too early to say whether the ruling could help others who were deported or are still in detention. He said he hopes the declaration offers a small measure of justice to the 56 others who were arrested.

This ruling sends a really strong, clear message that the governments tactics were unconstitutional and really underscores what a widespread violation of fundamental rights occurred at the factory, Grossman said.

Two judges in Texas have rejected this type of warrant for an immigration raid.

The warrant is nicknamed a Blackies warrant because it is the name of a party in a 1979 case in federal court in Washington, D.C., in which it was used. This type of warrant has been rarely used in New York.

Courts have allowed this type of warrant to be used for inspections of property, for example, a housing code violation, Tuck said.

Sannes was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014.

Read the decision here.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Sharon Owens will turn to current and former colleagues in Mayor Ben Walshs administration to help lead her team.

The mayor-elect on Friday announced senior leadership appointments that include the citys finance commissioner, its economic development leader, a director responsible for its buildings and grounds, and an ex-commissioner of neighborhood and business development.

They will become part of the executive-level team in the Owens administration, which will take office on Jan. 1. Owens has worked with all of them during her time as deputy mayor since Walsh took office in 2018.

Michael Cannizzaro, the citys finance commissioner, will be elevated to chief financial officer. He became Walshs finance department leader in 2023 after joining City Hall in 2020 as director of accounting and becoming first deputy commissioner of finance in 2022. As CFO, hell continue to lead the citys finance department and add oversight of the Office of Management and Budget.

Cannizzaro, 36, is a certified public accountant with private sector experience at the global accounting firm Ernst & Young and Syracuse-based shopping mall developer Pyramid Management Group. He earned a bachelors degree in applied economics and management at Cornell University.

Eric Ennis will serve as the citys chief development officer. Since 2021, Ennis, 34, has been Syracuses deputy commissioner of business development within the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development. Ennis will have specific oversight of the citys Department of Assessment and its intergovernmental affairs operation. Hell continue to lead the Syracuse Industrial Development Agency. More broadly, hell work with all departments to align their work with the citys economic growth strategies.

Ennis current job was the same post held by Walsh when he worked in NBD under former Mayor Stephanie Miner. As deputy commissioner, Ennis oversees the citys economic development efforts, a job that has included serving as executive director of the Syracuse IDA and the Syracuse Economic Development Corp. He previously was the business development director. Ennis has a masters degree in public administration from Syracuse University and bachelors degrees in environmental design and social science.

Kevin Henry will be the citys new chief operations officer. For 12 years, he has been the citys director of building maintenance and operation, overseeing a team of 60 plumbers, carpenters, electricians and other staff who maintain all of the citys roughly 200 facilities. In the new role, hell supervise leaders of the citys public works, engineering, parks and recreation, water, fleet operations and facilities departments.

Henry, 52, has for many years been the board president of Syracuse Juneteenth, the nonprofit responsible for the citys cultural celebration of the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. He also operates Henrys Hen House, a mobile catering business specializing in authentic southern Caribbean food. It has operated at the New York State Fair for more than a dozen years.

Stephanie Pasquale will be the citys chief strategy officer for Owens. Pasquale, 53, is the director of Neighborhood Advancement with the Allyn Family Foundation, a major regional philanthropic organization that has invested millions of dollars in the city of Syracuse on commercial and housing initiatives. She will oversee the Neighborhood and Business Development Department, constituent services, the Bureau of Research and the Mayors Office to Reduce Gun Violence.

Before joining the Allyn Family Foundation in late 2019, Pasquale was the citys NBD commissioner. Walsh appointed her to that role after she had overseen housing efforts in the same department during former Mayor Stephanie Miners administration. Pasquale has also held leadership posts at Home HeadQuarters, Worcester Community Housing Resources and the United Way of Central New York. She has a masters degree in public administration and a bachelors degree in policy studies, both from Syracuse University.

The four chief positions replace three senior aides in the Walsh administration who have different titles and areas of responsibility.

Walshs chief policy officer, Greg Loh, has decided to step away from government service and pursue work as an independent communications consultant. Loh will also have more time to spend with family after he became a grandfather for the first time earlier this year.

Connor Muldoon has been the citys chief operations officer since January, a post he took after working as deputy chief innovation and data officer. He will return to the citys Office of Analytics, Performance and Innovation to oversee that team.

The other senior-level chief for Walsh is Corey Driscoll Dunham, the citys current chief administrative officer who will be deputy mayor and chief of staff for Owens. The mayor-elect announced her appointment last week.

The new titles for Cannizzaro, Ennis, Henry and Pasquale reflect a restructuring in responsibilities for the senior staff based on the expertise and experience each brings to the new administration. Under Walsh, the senior aides were paid between $144,000 and $146,000 in 2024.

In addition to the chief-level officers, Owens will keep Susan Katzoff as the citys corporation counsel, leading the citys legal team. Katzoff, 59, has held the position in the Walsh administration since 2022. Since 2007, shes been counsel to the Syracuse IDA. Since becoming the citys top attorney, shes kept an of-counsel role for the law firm of Bousquet Holstein PLLC. She earned $164,000 in her city job in 2024.
Buying a home in Syracuse has been tough for buyers for much of the last five years, but there are signs the situation could be beginning to change.

The current stretch favoring sellers is the longest Dave Manzano has seen in his 37-year career in real estate.

Its been in the seller side of the market and slowly making its way back where it would be competitive to buyers, said Manzano, president of the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors. I would say 2026, its going to be better for buyers than, absolutely, 24 was, and even 25.

Buyers in Syracuse in recent years have faced conditions that were previously uncommon in Central New York real estate. Bidding wars, cash offers and waived inspections all became commonplace.

Sellers have been closing deals for more than their asking prices on a regular basis.

Competition can still be stiff for some homes, especially those in pristine condition, Manzano said.

But the landscape is shifting. The latest stats show how.

New listings are up: The number of newly listed homes for sale rose for seven straight months as of October, according to data from the Realtors Association. The increases ranged from 4.2% in October to 19% in April.

Inventory is expanding: As of October, the Syracuse area had enough homes for sale to last 2.7 months, according to the Realtors association. That was up 35% from the same month last year. Inventory was up from the prior year in every month dating back to at least November 2024. Higher inventory means less competition for buyers and a potentially easier time shopping.

Prices are still climbing, but perhaps the pressure is easing: Median sale prices were higher than they were a year ago in every month from November 2024 to October 2025. Home prices in Central New York remain high by historical levels. But there are some signs that things are improving for buyers. The average percentage over list price sellers were getting for their properties fell for eight straight months as of October.

Buyers still face challenges. Although inventory and new listings are improving, they remain at levels far below what was typical in Central New York before the Covid-19 pandemic first hit.

Manzano said hes optimistic the situation for buyers will keep improving.

The further away that we get from what I call the post-Covid market, I think the better it is and will be for buyers, Marzano said.
A former Upstate New York assistant high school principal has been arrested after allegedly kissing a student last month.

James J. Nunez, 50, was arrested Dec. 2 and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment following an incident at Geneva High School, according to News10.

The charges stem from a Nov. 18 incident in which court documents allege Nunez put his arm around a 16-year-old male student in a headlock and kissed the teen on the cheek and neck area. The documents say Nunez then followed the student down a hallway and put his arm around him again. Another student witnessed the encounter and contacted someone for help.

The alleged victims mother told 13WHAM she left work to speak with school administrators after learning about the incident from another parent.

I said, I would like to speak to Mr. Nunez, the mother said. I didnt address who I was, why I was there, and he started walking by these glass doors. He opened up the door and told me that it was all in good fun.

The mother said she told Nunez it was not a laughing matter and that she would keep her son home from school until she felt it was safe.

The Geneva City School District placed Nunez on administrative leave following the incident. He later resigned.

We take these types of allegations very seriously, Superintendent Bo Wright said in a statement. We have cooperated fully with law enforcement throughout this process and appreciate their partnership.

Geneva police said they believe the incident was isolated. While Nunez has no prior criminal history, Police Chief Ron Eveland said there was a previous investigation involving a concerned parent that was reported to the school district. After an investigation and consultation with the Ontario County District Attorneys Office, no criminal charges were filed.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Geneva Police at 315-828-6771 or they can contact Detective Jordan Dobies at 315-828-6780 or jdobies@cityofgenevany.gov.
COLOMBO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka expects foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to be between 1.5 billion and 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2026, a senior official told journalists on Friday.

Chairman of the Board of Investment Arjuna Herath said FDI has exceeded one billion dollars in 2025.

Herath said the government sees manufacturing investments critical to strengthening Sri Lanka's industrial base, generating employment, and rebuilding investor confidence after a period marked by economic and policy uncertainty.

Herath cited the recent recovery of Sri Lanka's business sector from cyclone Ditwah as a reason for the country's positive outlook on attracting foreign investment, saying that more than 90 percent of companies that experienced operational disruptions in recent adverse weather have now resumed normal business operations. 
TikTok is moving closer to staying online in the United States after reaching a major deal to separate its US business from its China-based parent company, ByteDance.

The plan, backed by President Donald Trump, would place TikTok's US operations into a new company owned mostly by American investors, according to a memo sent to employees by CEO Shou Chew.

The agreement is not final yet, but it marks a big step forward. A US law passed last year requires TikTok to sell most of its American assets or face a ban.

Enforcement of that law was delayed several times while the Trump administration worked to arrange a transfer of control to US ownership.

In his memo, Chew said TikTok has signed agreements with investors to form a new U.S. joint venture.

"We have signed agreements with investors regarding a new TikTok US joint venture, enabling over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities," he wrote. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the memo, FoxBusiness reported.

Under the deal, the new TikTok US company will be owned 50% by a group led by Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm MGX.

Just over 30% will belong to existing ByteDance investors, while ByteDance itself will keep a 19.9% stake.

This structure is meant to meet US legal limits that require most ownership to be in non-Chinese hands.

BREAKING: TikTok US Sold



Deal Signed with Oracle, Silver Lake & MGX Leading the ChargeByteDance inks agreement to spin off US ops to American-led joint venture.



Oracle handles data, security & algorithm. Massive cloud boost incoming. Closes Jan 2026, ban averted! pic.twitter.com/FfEj81M3Vw  Stock Mom (@stockmom) December 18, 2025

TikTok US Algorithm to Be Retrained

Chew told employees that more steps are still needed before the deal is completed. The companies involved are aiming to finish everything by January 22, 2026, with both TikTok and ByteDance agreeing to the current terms.

The Trump administration has said the deal counts as a qualified divestiture under US law.

According to CNN, an executive order signed in September delayed the ban for 120 days to give the companies time to close the transaction.

The law, which took effect in January, bans apps like TikTok unless about 80% of their US assets are sold to non-Chinese investors.

As part of the plan, TikTok's US algorithm will be retrained using American user data, and Oracle will manage data storage for US users.

The new US company will also handle content moderation. However, ByteDance's global TikTok business is expected to continue managing e-commerce, advertising, and marketing.

The deal still needs approval from regulators in both the US and China. While President Trump has said Chinese President Xi Jinping supports the plan, China has not publicly confirmed its approval.

Originally published on vcpost.com
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan, as a defeated country in World War II, must do deep soul-searching regarding its historical crimes, abide by the political commitments it made on the Taiwan question, immediately stop provocative actions that cross the line, and retract its erroneous remarks, a Chinese envoy said Thursday.

At the UN General Assembly high-level plenary meeting to commemorate the first International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong said the world has yet to emerge from the shadow of colonialism despite the end of colonial occupation and the collapse of colonial system.

He urged the international community to firmly oppose any words or actions that challenge or seek to subvert the post-war international order.

Fu noted that the International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations aims to urge the international community to remember the harm of colonialism, accelerate the ongoing decolonization process, and end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.

"The history of the World Anti-Fascist War teaches us that peace needs to be striven for and safeguarded," Fu said.

Following the victory of World War II, the trials of war criminals at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East ensured that the principal perpetrators of the war of aggression, whose hands were stained with the blood of people of many nations, received the punishment they deserved, Fu said.

"The justice and integrity of the trials are unshakable and beyond challenge," he said.

Fu noted that in history, Japan invaded China, the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia, and imposed horrendous colonial rule.

Japanese aggressors committed innumerable crimes and atrocities in Taiwan, killing over 650,000 Taiwan compatriots, forcibly recruiting around 200,000 young people to serve in the military, forcing more than 2,000 Taiwan women to become "comfort women," occupying 70 percent of Taiwan's land, and destructively exploiting natural resources, including coal and gold mines, Fu said.

"It was the darkest page in Taiwan's history," Fu emphasized, calling on the international community to resolutely defend the victorious outcomes of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and resolutely defend the post-war international order.

"We must never allow any denial or distortion of the history of aggression, never allow the revival of militarism, and never allow the recurrence of historical tragedies," the Chinese envoy said.

"Any words or actions that challenge or seek to subvert the post-war international order could create instability in the world and bring immense suffering to humanity as a community with a shared future," Fu said. 
Ten events that defined 2025



Paris, France, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Donald Trump's return to power, a ceasefire in Gaza and massive investments in artificial intelligence: Here are 10 events that defined 2025.



- Trump returns -



A protectionist offensive. Mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Dismantling entire sections of the US federal government.

Since his return to the White House for a second term in January, Republican President Donald Trump has targeted adversaries, deployed the National Guard in Democrat-voting cities, attacked the media and fought against diversity and inclusion programmes.

He has also launched extensive diplomatic efforts, with mixed results.

And polls suggest Americans are increasingly disgruntled on economic issues -- particularly the cost of living.

Stinging defeats in local elections have put his party in a delicate position for midterm elections due next autumn.



- A ceasefire in Gaza -



US pressure led to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, two years after an unprecedented attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil triggered a devastating war in the Gaza Strip.

The truce allowed for the return to Israel of the last surviving hostages and all but one of the bodies of the deceased, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

It also enabled an increased flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, although still nowhere near enough to meet the territory's needs, according to the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs.

Israel is waiting for the final hostage's body to be returned before beginning negotiations on the second phase of the truce, a step which, under a US-backed plan endorsed by the UN, is intended to lead to the demilitarisation of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to move to the second phase "very soon", but violence continues to plague the territory, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.

And the risk of regional conflict remains, with continuing Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.

Israel, with the help of the United States, also launched raids against Iran's nuclear facilities during a 12-day war in June.

In September, Israel targeted Hamas officials in an unprecedented attack in Qatar.



- Unsuccessful Ukraine talks -



Trump's arrival in the White House energised efforts to end the war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia's 2022 invasion.

Trump's sympathies have flipped repeatedly between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with Kyiv fearing it could be forced into a deal on Moscow's terms.

In February, Trump berated Zelensky in the Oval Office, accusing him of risking World War III and disrespecting the American people.

As direct Russia-Ukraine talks led nowhere, Trump in August hosted Putin for a high-stakes summit in Alaska that ended early, leaving Washington accusing Moscow of not being serious about ending the war.

Trump later hit Russia with his first major package of sanctions.

However, there has been a flurry of international diplomacy to reach a truce based on a draft US plan floated in November, the initial version of which was considered by Ukraine and its European allies to be largely favourable to Russia.



- Global trade war -



Trump imposed waves of tariffs on imports and entire industries deemed strategic -- such as steel, aluminium and copper -- sparking a trade dispute that shook the global economy.

As targeted countries considered or implemented retaliatory measures, tough negotiations led to many deals, including with the European Union and China.

But bilateral talks with Canada were suspended after a Canadian province funded an ad criticising the tariffs.

Under pressure to lower the cost of living for Americans, Trump decided in mid-November to cancel tariffs on some food products, such as imported coffee and beef.



- A new pope -



Robert Francis Prevost became the first American pope on May 8 following the death of his predecessor Francis, whom he had long advised.

White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel to announce the election of the 267th head of the Catholic Church after a less-than-24-hour conclave.

The Chicago-born clergyman, who spent nearly 20 years as a missionary in Peru and eventually obtained citizenship, took the name Leo XIV.

He has followed in the footsteps of his Argentine predecessor by focusing on the poor, migrants and the environment.

He has also offered reassurances to conservative circles by ruling out -- at least in the short term -- the ordination of women as deacons and the recognition of same-sex marriage.



- Gen Z uprisings -



Mass movements spearheaded by the under-30s arose across Asia, Africa and Latin America to fight against poor living standards, social media censorship and elite corruption.

They enjoyed mixed success -- in Morocco, for example, the government promised social reforms, but more than 2,000 protesters now face prosecution.

In other countries, the protests transformed into a broader challenge to power after they were violently repressed.

But Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina were forced from office.

Young people featured prominently in post-election protests in Tanzania, which were brutally suppressed.

The pirate flag from the manga "One Piece" -- a skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat -- is often displayed by protesters and has spread on social media to become a symbol of the fight against oppression across continents.



- AI boom -



Technology giants and investors have spent ever-increasing sums to finance the rapid growth of AI.

AI-related spending is expected to reach roughly $1.5 trillion in 2025 and $2 trillion next year, according to US advisory firm Gartner.

The market's enthusiasm briefly drove chip giant Nvidia's valuation beyond $5 trillion.

But the markets fear a speculative bubble around the technology.

And there are broader concerns.

AI stands accused of fuelling misinformation, copyright lawsuits are mushrooming, and many companies have cited its adoption as an explanation for mass layoffs.

OpenAI faces a lawsuit from the parents of a California teenager who killed himself, alleging its chatbot ChatGPT offered advice on how to carry out his plan.

The company said it had strengthened its parental controls, while California has enacted legislation regulating chatbots.



- A spectacular Louvre heist -



On October 19, thieves dressed in workers' vests used a furniture ladder to get into the Louvre Museum in Paris.

They fled on scooters with crown jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million), though they dropped a diamond-encrusted crown on the way.

Four men suspected of being part of the raid were charged and jailed, but the stolen treasures have not been recovered.



- US strikes anger Venezuela -



Washington has deployed a significant military presence off the coast of Latin America since August, officially to combat drug trafficking bound for the United States.

Around 100 people have been killed since September in US strikes on boats that Washington claims, without providing evidence, were ferrying drugs.

The US Justice Department insists the strikes were "lawful" and rejected accusations by a senior UN official that they were "extrajudicial".

The campaign has drawn angry reactions in Latin America, especially Venezuela, which views the attacks as a pretext to topple President Nicolas Maduro and seize the country's oil reserves.

On December 10, US forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker by rappelling down onto the vessel from a helicopter.

Washington has since announced a "total blockade" against "sanctioned tankers" traveling to or from Venezuela.

US authorities accuse Maduro of heading a cartel, and are offering a $50-million reward for his capture.



- Record-breaking weather -



While Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Indonesia had deadly floods, powerful storms lashed the Caribbean and the Philippines.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more deadly and more destructive due to climate change fuelled by human activity, according to scientists.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful ever to hit the Caribbean, devastated entire regions of Jamaica and flooded Haiti and Cuba.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines was struck by Typhoons Ragasa, Kalmaegi and Fung-wong within the space of two months, while Vietnam was devastated by storms, floods and landslides.

Tropical storms and monsoon rains pummelled Southeast and South Asia at the end of the year, destroying vast tracts of Indonesia's northwest island of Sumatra and displacing thousands of people in Sri Lanka.

Temperatures soared and wildfires intensified in Europe, with a record amount of land burnt during the summer.

The French Mediterranean coast experienced its worst fire in 50 years.

In the United States, fires sparked by lightning led to the closure of the North Rim of the famous Grand Canyon in mid-July for the remainder of the tourist season.

burs-jc-paj/jwp-lmc/jxb/lb/jhb
Pakistan accuses India of disrupting river flows



Islamabad, Pakistan, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Pakistan on Friday said it had detected "abrupt variations" of water flows on a river crucial to its farmers, accusing neighbouring India of releasing water without warning in defiance of a major treaty that New Delhi suspended this year.

India in April announced it was suspending the Indus Water Treaty in the lead up to armed conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours and following a deadly militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, which denied involvement.

Pakistan has said any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water into the country would be considered an "act of war".

Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar told foreign diplomats on Friday that Pakistan's water treaty commissioner had written a letter to his Indian counterpart over "unusual, abrupt variations" observed in the flow of the Chenab river from December 7-15, similar to changes detected in April and May.

"These variations in water flows are of extreme concern for Pakistan, as they point to unilateral release of water by India," he said, according to a ministry statement.

India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment.

"India has released this water without any prior notifiation ... as required under the Treaty," Dar added, saying it represented a "weaponisation of water".

"India's manipulation of water, at a critical time of our agriculture cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods, as well as food and economic security, of our citizens," Dar said in the speech to the international diplomatic corps in Islamabad.

"What we are witnessing now is material breaches by India that strike at the heart of the Indus Waters Treaty" signed in 1960, he added.

India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the attack -- which Islamabad denies -- and said it was suspending the water treaty in response.

The two countries in May then engaged in intense tit-for-tat drone, missile and artillery exhanges which left nearly 70 people, including dozens of cilians dead on both sides.

India has said it is building additional dams on the Chenab that could over the long term further restrict flows to Pakistan, threatening the livelihoods of millions of farmers as well as drinking water supplies in the rapidly growing country.

The 1960 treaty, negotiated with the help of the World Bank over several years, ensured "equitable use" of six tributaries that feed the Indus river system.

India's suspension letter, sent to Pakistan in April, also cited "fundamental changes to the circumstances" since the deal was signed, including "population dynamics" and a "need to accelerate the development of clean energy".
From farms to court, climate-hit communities take on big polluters



Paris, France, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2025



Farmers and fishermen hit by climate change are taking big corporate polluters to court -- and experts say these David-vs-Goliath lawsuits are only set to multiply as the planet keeps warming.

From Pakistan to Belgium and Peru, ordinary people bearing the brunt of failed harvests, rising seas and destructive storms are demanding compensation from the heavy-emitting industries most responsible for the climate crisis.

Once dismissed as legal long shots, climate damage claims are gaining traction, bolstered by scientific advances tying rising greenhouse gas emissions to extreme weather.

While most face steep hurdles, legal scholars say these cases are slowly shifting how courts view responsibility for climate-related economic harm -- and who should pay for it.



- Polluter pays -



The use of courts and other legal avenues to pursue climate litigation has grown rapidly over the past decade, particularly in the United States.

Most climate lawsuits target governments. For example, on Thursday, hundreds of people across Japan sued the central government over its "grossly inadequate" response to climate change in the country's first such litigation.

But cases seeking monetary damages from companies with massive carbon footprints -- mostly fossil fuel and cement giants -- have risen sharply in recent years.

Claimants argue a relatively small number of major polluters bear a historic liability for losses caused by droughts, storms and other climate-fuelled extremes.

"Their responsibility dwarfs many even industrialised nation states, let alone other companies or individuals," Jonathan White, a lawyer at ClientEarth, told AFP.

More than 60 "polluter pays" cases have been filed globally and dozens are ongoing, Zero Carbon Analytics said in March, citing data from Columbia University's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law.



- Breaking ground -



In one closely watched case, a Peruvian farmer took German energy company RWE to court, alleging its emissions helped melt an Andean glacier threatening to flood his home.

Swiss cement producer Holcim is being sued by Indonesian islanders over rising seas, while in another landmark case a Belgian farmer is accusing French fossil fuel major TotalEnergies of contributing to his crop losses.

This month, typhoon victims in the Philippines filed a lawsuit in the UK targeting oil giant Shell, while flood-hit Pakistani farmers announced legal action against RWE and German cement producer Heidelberg Materials in October.

Not all cases involve distant polluters: South Korean farmers are suing a national coal-fired power generator, and lawsuits in New Zealand, Brazil and the United States have targeted climate-harming activity at home.



- Justice moves slowly -



Corporations argue they cannot be held solely responsible for climate damages and so far no court has ordered a company pay compensation for any alleged harm caused by their global emissions.

"It's a very difficult claim to win, and the courts are very cautious," Sophie Marjanac, a lawyer and director of legal strategy at the Polluter Pays Project, told AFP.

But experts said this could change in time, particularly as climate attribution science draws a clearer line between humanity's burning of fossil fuels and the impact on specific extreme weather events.

"It's worth just underscoring that justice moves gradually," said White.

Although no case has succeeded in directly linking a company's emissions to a specific storm or flood, in Brazil judges have ordered that climate damages be paid for illegally felling carbon-rich forests.

In May, a German court dismissed the Peruvian farmer's claim against RWE, but in a major step, ruled that corporate polluters could -- in principle -- be held liable for climate damages.

This "set a significant legal precedent" that could influence cases in Europe and beyond, the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics said in a June report.



- Litigation landslide -



While climate rulings in one country are not legally binding in another, judges considering the merits of a case look to decisions elsewhere for guidance, said White.

Experts said that corporate polluters should expect an avalanche of litigation as climate damages mount.

"I can't really foresee a world where these arguments simply go away," said White.

Zero Carbon Analytics said estimates of climate damages vary but could reach "trillions of dollars globally" by mid-century.

Experts pointed to historic class-action lawsuits against tobacco and asbestos companies as examples where courts eventually held corporations accountable for harm.

"Over the past five years especially there has been an absolute revolution in climate change law... the law can evolve, and I believe that in the future these cases will eventually succeed," said Marjanac.

np/lt/sbk

RWE

Holcim Group

TotalEnergies
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Idris Elba has described the creation of his waxwork at London's Madame Tussauds as both "surreal" and "amazing".

The 53-year-old Hackney-born star's first figure at the Baker Street attraction is meticulously dressed in a long-sleeve suit, replicating the ensemble he wore to meet the King in July 2024.

Completing the look are patent Christian Louboutin dress shoes, personally donated by Elba for the display.

He said: Its truly an honour to be recognised in this way and even more special to know this other version of me will be standing tall in London.

So, even when Im away, a part of me is always at home.

Elba, best known for his roles as Stringer Bell in The Wire and as TV detective Luther, has been involved with the attractions artists for months, and called the process fascinating.

open image in gallery Elba poses with the new waxwork ( Madame Tussauds/PA Wire )

He said: Its not dissimilar to prepping for a movie role  working with talented artists to flesh out the character, getting the costume just right, but this time its for me.

Its really surreal to see another version of me standing in Madame Tussauds London, it feels like a full circle moment.

Elba has more recently been seen on screens in apocalyptic thriller A House Of Dynamite, and Disneys family film Zootopia 2.

The actor was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for his services to drama by Queen Elizabeth II.

He is also the face behind the Dont Stop Your Future campaign, launched in 2024, which aims to raise awareness of serious youth violence and knife crime in the UK.

Elba has since met with the King twice to discuss this matter and creating positive opportunities for young people.

Steve Blackburn, general manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: Its a privilege to be able to create Idriss first-ever figure right here in London, where it all began.

His collaboration has been invaluable, and were delighted to see his reaction to the finished figure.

Elbas waxwork stands in the attractions awards party zone, joining figures such as Gillian Anderson, Timothee Chalamet, Harry Styles, Zendaya and Lady Gaga.
MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called the European Union's attempts to seize Russian assets "robbery," warning that such actions could have serious consequences for Europe's financial credibility and the global financial system.

Speaking during his annual press conference, Putin said Russia will defend its interests related to overseas assets primarily in courts, stressing that confiscating Russian property abroad would not be easy and would face legal challenges.

Putin warned that seizure of Russian assets in the EU would go beyond reputational damage, undermining trust in the eurozone and shaking confidence in Europe as a safe place to hold reserves. He said some countries have already begun to doubt the security of their assets stored in Europe.

Putin also said that proposals to extend loans to Ukraine backed by Russian assets would increase the financial obligations of EU member states, many of which are already dealing with budgetary pressures. 
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Harrison Ford is to receive a lifetime achievement award from SAG-AFTRA in March, recognising his six-decade career and global impact.

Sean Astin, the union's president, lauded Ford as "a singular presence in American life; an actor whose iconic characters have shaped world culture."

He added: "We are honoured to celebrate a legend whose impact on our craft is indelible."

The 83-year-old star will accept the Life Achievement Award on March 1 at the 32nd Actor Awards, presented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The ceremony will be streamed live on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall.

open image in gallery Harrison Ford is interviewed at the photo call for the film 'Captain America: A Brave New World ( Invision )

Ford, 83, has numerous iconic roles in a career spanning six decades. He became a global star as Han Solo in the 1977 Star Wars, reprising the role several times as the first film grew into a franchise.

As swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana Jones, he launched another franchise in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark. And he starred in two Blade Runner movies as Rick Deckard, along with a full slate of television roles.

Through the years, Ford has earned numerous accolades, including the Critics' Choice Career Achievement Award (2024), Golden Globes Cecil B DeMille Award (2002), AFI Life Achievement Award (2000) and more.

open image in gallery Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise ( Lucasfilm )

Expressing his gratitude, Ford stated: "I am deeply honoured to be chosen as this years recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award. To be acknowledged by my fellow actors means a great deal to me. Ive spent most of my life on film sets, working alongside incredible actors and crews, and Ive always felt grateful to be part of this community."

The SAG-AFTRA life achievement accolade honours an actor who demonstrates the "finest ideals of the acting profession." It also recognises his work on various humanitarian and environmental causes.

open image in gallery Harrison Ford as a man on the run in The Fugitive ( Warner Bros )

Last years recipient of the award was Jane Fonda, whose career in acting and activism was also celebrated at the ceremony.

What we create is empathy. Our job is to understand another human so profoundly that we can touch their souls. We know why they do what they do. We feel their joys and their pains, said Fonda, whose rousing speech was marred by technical issues.

The honour was first introduced in 1962 with previous winners being notable names like Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, Paul Newman, Gene Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Robert DeNiro and Helen Mirren,
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James Cameron has revealed the truth behind Matt Damons story about rejecting the lead role in Avatar and missing out on a payout worth over a quarter of a billion dollars.

For years, Damon has repeated the same regretful tale in press junkets and sit-down interviews: Cameron approached the actor for the role of Jake Sully in the 2009 hit film and reportedly offered him 10 percent of whatever the movie made.

Damon has claimed he declined the job because he was shooting a Bourne franchise movie at the time. The blockbuster went on to gross $2.92 billion worldwide, meaning that if what Damon said was true, he potentially turned down hundreds of millions of dollars by rejecting the movie.

But Cameron remembers the situation quite differently, he told The Hollywood Reporter.

He was never offered the part, the director told the outlet in an article published Thursday. I cant remember if I sent him the script or not. I dont think I did? The Oscar-winning director said that in a conversation over the phone, Damon said he would love to do the movie, but he was forced to turn it down because of his conflicting schedule with The Bourne Ultimatum and The Green Zone.

But he was never offered, Cameron said. There was never a deal. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was simply an availability issue. The role went to Sam Worthington, who has starred in the franchises two sequels as well.

James Cameron has called out Matt Damon for over exaggerating the story of his near involvement in the Avatar franchise ( Getty Images )

The Titanic creator said Damon had extrapolated the part of the claim where Cameron offered him 10 percent of the gross, adding: And if, in his mind, thats what it wouldve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldnt have happened. Trust me on that.

Damon did not immediately return The Independents request for comment.

The Oscar-winning actor first revealed his story about missing the last train to Pandora in a 2019 interview when he said, Ive left more money on the table than any actor.

He told GQ at the time: Jim Cameron offered me Avatar. And when he offered it to me, he goes, Now, listen. I dont need anybody. I dont need a name for this, a named actor. If you dont take this, Im going to find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesnt really need you. But if you take the part, Ill give you ten per cent of... he then trailed off, but the reporter confirmed that he meant a tenth of the movies gross.

The story had been circulating for years when Cameron finally responded to it while on the press tour for Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, teasing, Hes beating himself up over this. And I really think you know, Matt, youre kind of like one of the biggest movie stars in the world, get over it.
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Hollywood actor Paul Rudd has revealed a surprising detail from his early career, admitting that one of his first managers fabricated his CV by claiming he had been directed by Sir Ben Kingsley.

The Ant-Man star, 56, shared the anecdote during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

Rudd explained that, having "no credits to put" on his CV at the time, he had included a brief "afternoon masterclass" he once attended with the Oscar-winning Sir Ben Kingsley while still in school. His manager, however, embellished this experience significantly.

"My manager put this down as, Paul played Hamlet in a production directed by Sir Ben Kingsley," Rudd recounted.

open image in gallery Paul Rudd says he lived in fear that Kinglsey would one day see his CV ( PA Archive )

"I lived in fear that he would one day see my CV!" Both Rudd and Sir Ben, 81, are now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the Gandhi star known for his role as Trevor Slattery in films such as Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.

Rudd, celebrated for roles in Clueless and This Is 40, is currently promoting a new film alongside Jack Black. The upcoming project sees the pair star in a meta-comedy about a group of friends attempting to film an amateur remake of the 1997 cult classic, Anaconda.

Speaking about the film, Rudd said: "Jack and I are both huge fans of Tom Gormicans The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent and when this script showed up, it seemed to have similar DNA in that it was a clever meta comedy take on a reboot. I was very excited to work on it, particularly when I found out Jack was involved."

Black, 56, echoed Rudds enthusiasm, adding: "It is really very funny and crazy. I had never read anything like it. I was mainly excited to work with Paul because he makes me laugh so much. I made sure he was definitely attached to the film before I signed anything."

He continued: "When I read a script, I need at least three worth the price of admission moments and this definitely has some powerful scenes."

open image in gallery Sir Ben Kingsley in Iron Man 3 ( Marvel/Disney )

Also joining Norton on the sofa this week are Hamnet star Jessie Buckley and comedian Michelle de Swarte.

Buckley shared an emotional experience watching her new film, which explores William Shakespeares marriage to his wife, Agnes, and the profound grief following the death of their young son. "There have been some beautiful moments in putting it out into the world," she said. "I watched it first when I was eight months pregnant and I was not OK. It was so embarrassing to cry at my own film, but it was so beautiful."

Musical guest Tom Odell will perform "When I Close My Eyes" from his album, A Wonderful Life (Epilogue), live in the studio before joining the guests for a chat.

The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday at 10:40pm.
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We need James Cameron. We need the Hollywood titan who can chaperone technological progress without betraying his creative principles. We need someone to reject generative AI, to preserve the theatrical experience, and to respect the artistry of his VFX workers. A few mocked Damien Chazelle for including the original 2009 Avatar in his canon-enforcing montage of cinema history at the end of Babylon (2022). They were fools to do so.

Yet it can also be true that, at 197 minutes long, the third film in his Avatar series may make you feel like a restless child forced to sit through an Easter sermon. Cinemas plushier pews still start to feel a little rough on the back when Jake Sullys (Sam Worthington) flock of Navi children (plus one human) are, for what feels like the hundredth time, slapping each others backs with a bro! and arguing like camp counsellors over how to save their precious planet of Pandora.

open image in gallery Sigourney Weaver in James Camerons Avatar: Fire and Ash ( 20th Century Studios )

The leap in motion-capture technology between Fire and Ash and its predecessor, The Way of Water, isnt quite as impressive  though, at this point, the ability to pick up on an actors micro-expressions is starting to make it look as if real people have been caked in prosthetics. And, whether in the hand-to-hand combat, the dragon-like banshees, or the return of the (fan favourite) tattooed, whale-like tulkun, theres an endless supply of dynamic camerawork  diving shots, spinning shots, POV shots, tight close-ups in a mix between the standard 24fps and the crisper 48fps.

What, however, feels inescapable about Fire and Ash is the sense of emotional stasis. Pandoras extraterrestrial, bioluminescent vacation spot continues to be given a meditative grace by the composer Simon Franglens use of the original James Horner themes. But is there a story to drive here? Or is this simply a world we like to hang around in?

Supposedly, Fire and Ash is about the limits of faith: Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are wrestling with the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam, who was killed in the previous film. Neytiri leans into her commitment to Eywa, the Great Mother  as does her adoptive daughter, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), who was birthed through miraculous means by the Navi avatar of a human scientist, Grace Augustine (also Weaver).

Kiri finds her way to Eywa blocked. So does Fire and Ashs new antagonist, Varang (Oona Chaplin), the shamanistic leader of the Mangkwan clan, whose home was devastated by a volcanic eruption. She believes Eywa abandoned her people, so she has instead vowed her loyalty to a different, darker kind of power: the firearms of the colonialist, human invasion force, among them the Navi-ified Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).

open image in gallery Oona Chaplin in James Camerons Avatar: Fire and Ash ( 20th Century Studios )

Chaplin is so slinky and strange in the role, a seductress with a blow dart full of hallucinogenic drugs and promethean desires, that she immediately emerges as the films standout. But its quite the achievement when Camerons script, co-written with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, continues to be so frustrating in how little it gives its actors. What should be an impassioned clash of ideals between Jake and Neytiri  loyalty to family versus loyalty to people  is muddled by the decision to have them swap perspectives purely to move the action forward; the teen characters are torn apart and brought together ad nauseam; and the climactic action sequence is largely a repeat of the previous films.

Varangs own fetishistic attitude towards guns becomes irrelevant when the heroes start blasting too; Kiris prophetess demeanour is undercut by the impulse to hand Weaver an Aliens throwback. Fire and Ash, Im sure, will find its place in the canon. But that doesnt excuse its flaws.

Dir: James Cameron. Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet. Cert 12A, 197 minutes.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is in cinemas from 19 December
The historical record is pretty divided on what kind of woman Mary Todd was. Was she a gracious Southern belle who staunchly supported her husband, President Abraham Lincoln? A gauche, crude upstart who embarrassed him in fine company? Or a wanton spendthrift who nearly bankrupted the White House with Trump levels of interior design extravagance? Who knows? But what she almost certainly wasnt is anything resembling the nightmarish, clownish, puerile star of Cole Escolas hysterically ahistorical comedy Oh Mary! This Broadway hit takes a sideways look at one of the most famous chapters of North American history  and unlike Hamilton, it sticks its tongue out and waggles it, too.

This imaginary version of Mary is a captivating creation  melodramatic, childish, and monstrously self-absorbed. In New York, she was played by Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon. Here, non-binary actor Mason Alexander Park plays the part with the dark energy of a crinolined poltergeist, their black ringlets bobbing as they smash up Lincolns presidential office in search of forbidden gin. As Lincoln, Giles Terera is her subtler, sleeker adversary, wittily capturing the hypocrisy of a powerful man who wanted to marry an interesting woman  then make her life as dull as possible. Hes consumed by the civil war he dragged the country into. But Marys waging a battle of her own, fighting against the tedious chore of being a dignified first lady. Shes hellbent on returning to her boozy glory days as a cabaret star, and she doesnt see why a little thing like the country being in ruins should stand in her way.

Escolas writing fizzes with confidence and brash, crude wit in this plays early scenes. The stage is Marys playground, and its a delight to watch her make mischief. Theres an unexpected tenderness to the way this lonely woman cradles a tasselled velvet cushion like a doll (even if there is a bottle of booze lurking inside it). And a jarring darkness to the scene where she slurps down a bucket of... well, lets leave that one to the imagination. The total blackouts between scenes feel like a mic drop, the uproarious audience laughter clashing with melodramatic Victorian-style piano chords that dare us to take this story seriously.

Oh Mary! is full of queer, subversive and very silly twists that it would be a shame to spoil. But if theres a message to this frivolous creation, its that repressed things turn into monsters that emerge from the shadows to destroy your whole life. Mary is kept from expressing herself, so she turns into a twisted creature hell-bent on revenge. And the harder Lincoln tries to keep his own private life a secret, the higher the stakes become when the truth finally outs.

Its easy to see why Oh Mary! has delighted Broadway audiences. Escolas play basically sits in a genre of its own, one that mixes the farcical humour of am-dram classics like Charleys Aunt with the disturbing queer energy of early John Waters films. Its initial energy peters out, a little, towards the end of its short 80-minute runtime, with a glitzy finale that feels dangerously close to showboating. But isnt that Marys prerogative? Like a drag queen milking her turn for every last drop of laughter, this fabulous confection has earned our attention.
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Kevin Spacey is set to make his first major television appearance since he was fired from Netflix over sexual misconduct allegations eight years ago.

The two-time Academy Award winner will appear in Minimarket, an Italian comedy series due to be released on state broadcaster RAIs streaming platform later this month, according to Variety.

It will be his first significant TV role since he was fired from House of Cards in 2017. Spacey has since been acquitted on all counts of alleged sexual misconduct by a UK court, as well as having allegations against him dismissed in the US.

Minimarket follows a young man called Manlio Vigano, played by Italian actor Filippo Lagana, who harbours ambitions of becoming an entertainer while working in a small convenience store in Rome.

Spacey plays himself as Viganos imaginary artistic conscience and unpredictable mentor with the relationship defined by bickering, misunderstandings and mutual teasing.

The 10-episode series sees a true friendship develop between the men  one with the experience of someone who has graced the worlds most important sets, the other with the recklessness of someone who doesnt realise he has an Oscar winner at his side.

Minimarket will be released on Raiplay on 26 December.

Spacey was exiled from mainstream Hollywood in 2017 after multiple men accused him of sexual misconduct, allegations that he consistently denied.

Actor Anthony Rapp was the first to accuse Spacey of sexually abusing him. He claimed the incident occurred in 1986 when Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14. Thereafter, more than a dozen men came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against the actor, all of which he either denied or insisted the encounters were consensual.

Rapps allegations were dismissed by a Manhattan court in 2022. The next year Spacey stood trial in the UK after four men alleged he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents between 2001 and 2013. He was again cleared of all nine offences.

Since his acquittal, Spacey has appeared in several small projects, including Italian director Massimo Paoluccis 2024 psychological thriller The Contract, in which he played the Devil.

He returned to acting in 2021 in Luomo che disegno Dio (The Man Who Drew God), a low-budget Italian drama directed by and starring Franco Nero in which he played a police detective.

In March last year, Spacey briefly returned to US cinemas with the indie thriller Peter Five Eight, co-starring Rebecca De Mornay, which received little critical attention.

Kevin Spacey in Michael Zaiko Halls independent thriller Peter Five Eight' ( Invincible Films )

He has since appeared in the yet-to-be-released British action-thriller The Awakening and Dustin Fairbanks historical thriller 1780 and also directed the supernatural movie Holiguards.

Earlier this year, he was presented with the Maximo Award for Excellence at the Italian Global Series Festival, adding to his recent string of honours as he attempted to make a career comeback.

Spacey made headlines last month when he opened up about living in hotels in an interview with The Telegraph.

However, he later clarified he wasnt exactly homeless, and said that he had said he was basically living in hotels and Airbnbs and going where the work is.

And there are many people, as we all know, who are indeed actually living on the streets or in their cars or are in terrible financial situations  and my heart goes out to them, he said. But it is clear from the article itself that I am not one of them nor was I attempting to say that I was.
If theres one thing December never fails to deliver, its the creeping realisation  usually sometime around the office party or the second cheeseboard of the week  that your digestive system is staging a quiet, festive season revolt.

With the festive season often comes a level of indulgence that leaves many of us feeling slightly worse for wear, says Shona Wilkinson, lead nutritionist at Dr Vegan. Rich meals, sugary treats and constant grazing between meals place extra pressure on your gut, meaning bloating becomes one of Decembers most common, and least welcome, symptoms.

The Christmas bloat has become as much a seasonal inevitability as last-minute panic-buying or googling how long to cook a turkey. But its not just gluttony for gluttonys sake. Theres a physiological reason December leaves so many of us feeling, well, inflated. Bloating occurs when the digestive system struggles to efficiently break down and move food, says Wilkinson. During the Christmas period, this is particularly common as people consume larger portions, eat a wider variety of foods and often stray from their usual routine. In other words, its not you; its your gut, desperately trying to keep up with the sudden influx of roast potatoes, cheese boards, cocktails, canapes and late-night leftovers.

The good news? There are simple, natural ways to support digestion and reduce feelings of heaviness and discomfort in the gut, Wilkinson explains. Certain foods contain the enzymes, fibres and beneficial bacteria that help the gut work at its best, even when festive indulgences are at their peak.

Wilkinson has five recommendations for foods that dont demand restriction or reinvention of saintly behaviour, yet can still stop your Christmas from feeling like one very long, slow-moving meal.

Fermented foods: the microbiomes festive rescue squad

open image in gallery A forkful of fermented food is the simplest way to stop the Christmas buffet fighting back ( Getty/iStock )

Fermented foods are one of the most effective ways to naturally support digestion, Wilkinson says. Foods like probiotic-rich yoghurts, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha contain healthy bacteria designed to help maintain a balanced gut microbiome.

That microbiome takes a beating in December: more alcohol, more sugar, less fibre and less routine. Its chaos for the trillions of microbes that normally keep our digestion humming along.

When these foods are eaten regularly, Wilkinson adds, they introduce this healthy bacteria to the gut, supporting the breakdown of food while reducing gas production and digestive discomfort. Essentially, they can soften the blow of the Christmas buffet before it lands.

Fermented foods also keep things moving, essential when your mealtimes resemble a tasting menu without an endpoint. Probiotics also help regulate bowel movements, which is particularly important during a month when eating patterns can become irregular. A spoonful of sauerkraut or a morning kefir is hardly the height of festive glamour, but neither is feeling like your stomach has turned into a snow globe someone wont stop shaking.

And crucially, they dont need to be eaten in huge quantities to make a difference. If fermented food simply isnt your vibe, Wilkinson suggests making use of gut-friendly supplements with ingredients like milk thistle, silymarin and dandelion, such as Dr Vegans Debloat and Detox range.

Ginger: the digestive accelerator your stomach will thank you for

open image in gallery Ginger: the tiny root doing the heavy lifting after your third cheese course ( Getty/iStock )

If fermented foods are the slow-and-steady helpers, ginger is the fast-acting first responder. Ginger has long been used around the world to support digestion and ease digestive discomfort, Wilkinson says. It works on a mechanical level, not just a folkloric one. It contains natural compounds that help stimulate the digestive tract and encourage efficient gastric emptying. That means food doesnt linger in the stomach for hours, which is precisely when bloating and fullness set in.

When food leaves the stomach more steadily, feelings of bloating and fullness are significantly reduced, she adds. Its particularly helpful at Christmas because zingibain  the enzyme in ginger  helps to break down proteins. Which, when you consider the sheer volume of meat, cheese, nuts and canapes consumed in December, feels less like a nice-to-have and more like festive survival.

It helps that ginger is easy to weave into your routine without feeling like a health kick. Fresh ginger tea made with hot water, lemon and grated ginger is a soothing option after meals, and ginger can also be added to smoothies, soups or stir-fries for an effortless digestive boost throughout the week.

Oats: the quiet hero of a comfortable December

open image in gallery A bowl of oats  the calm, steadying counterbalance to Decembers chaos ( Getty/iStock )

If youre oscillating wildly between sugar highs and gravy-induced slumps, oats might be the grounding force your gut needs. Oats are one of the most beneficial, affordable foods for maintaining steady, comfortable digestion, says Wilkinson. While December eating is heavy on refined carbohydrates and low on fibre, oats do the opposite. They provide slow-release energy and the kind of soluble fibre your digestive system is crying out for.

They contain beta-glucans, a type of soluble fibre that supports digestive regularity, maintains healthy gut bacteria and helps reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. That means fewer spikes and crashes, a more cooperative gut and, crucially, less of the bloating that creeps in when your body is overwhelmed.

Beginning the day with porridge or overnight oats can make a meaningful difference to digestive comfort throughout the festive period, she says. The stabilised blood sugar also reduces energy crashes and cravings that can lead to further overeating. Translation: a bowl of porridge might save you from inhaling half a yule log at 11am because you havent eaten anything yet.

Papaya: the enzyme-packed surprise entry

open image in gallery Papaya brings enzyme power to a month built almost entirely on protein and dairy ( Getty/iStock )

Papaya might not be the first thing you reach for in December, but Wilkinson argues it should be. Papaya is rich in an enzyme called papain, which helps break down proteins and supports smoother, more comfortable digestion. This is particularly relevant when your regular meals have been replaced with turkey sandwiches, cheese selections and yet another portion of pigs in blankets.

Beyond its enzyme benefits, papaya offers hydration, fibre and antioxidants, she says. These elements work together to reduce irritation in the digestive tract and contribute to regular bowel movements.

Fresh papaya is best, though dried papaya can also offer benefits as long as it is consumed in moderation and with minimal added sugars. Its worth noting her caveat that papaya is not recommended for pregnant women, a crucial detail often missed in wellness content.

Apples: the humble digestive workhorse

open image in gallery The humble apple quietly outperforms most festive gut fixes  and costs far less ( Getty/iStock )

While papaya brings the drama, apples bring the reliability. Apples are one of the simplest yet most effective foods for easing bloating and supporting a healthy gut, Wilkinson says. Theyre rich in pectin, a form of soluble fibre that absorbs water and helps move food steadily through the digestive tract.

Steady movement is key. It prevents the bunged up feeling that often defines the later stages of December, when meals begin to stack on top of each other. Apples also contain natural prebiotics, especially in the core, which help strengthen the microbiome and improve digestion.

Crucially, Wilkinson specifies that eating apples raw will benefit your digestive system most, though they can also be blended into smoothies and even baked into desserts. They are, quite simply, the easiest festive gut support going.

A gentler, less bloated Christmas

Of course, no single food is a cure-all. And Wilkinson is clear about the bigger picture: In addition to the foods listed above, its also super important to stay hydrated, get enough sleep, though this isnt always possible during the festive season.

Still, with a few fermented foods, a grating of ginger, a bowl of oats, a slice of papaya or an apple tucked into your bag, you can embrace the excess without feeling like your stomach is staging a mutiny. Christmas, after all, is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
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Its that time of year when your throat may start to feel a little itchy, scratchy and gunky.

A sore throat is often the cause of a cold, flu or another viral infection and happens when the lining becomes inflamed, making it uncomfortable to swallow or talk.

More than five million Americans visit doctors because of sore throats each year, according to the American Medical Association.

The most common reason for someone to develop a sore throat would be a virus, and this is often accompanied by a runny nose, cough or malaise, Dr. Julina Ongkasuwan, an assistant professor of otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine, said in a statement.

But relief - even if temporary - may be achieved using products already in your pantry. And several home remedies are backed up by experts and years of research.

open image in gallery Experts recommend drinking tea and other home remedies to soothe a sore throat ( Getty Images/iStock )

Tea time

Sipping a warm tea or broth helps keep the throat moist and loosens up mucous. Warm temperatures may also reduce coughing by soothing the back of your throat, Cleveland Clinic family medicine specialist Dr. Amy Zack said.

Certain kinds of teas come with anti-inflammatory benefits, as well. One cup of chamomile or green tea throughout the day can work to ease swelling, research shows.

If youre not a tea person, cool liquids have a similarly soothing effect, Zack noted. A bottle of cold water will do. Try both warm and cold to see what works best for you, she advised.

Sweet treat

In addition to being smooth and sweet, the sugary substance is a natural antioxidant - a compound that can help fight inflammation - and has antibacterial properties.

Just one or two drops was enough to relieve cough symptoms in adults, according to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research.

Stir a spoonful into tea for combined benefits. However honey is not suitable for children under one year old, as it can raise their risk for a rare but serious illness known as infant botulism.

Salty savior

Gargling your throat with salt water can also help reduce swelling, lessen pain and clear out mucus.

A small study in 2019 found that people with nonbacterial sore throats who gargled with salt water had less severe pain and trouble swallowing after a week compared to those who used thymol, a type of antiseptic mouthwash.

Half a teaspoon mixed into an eight-ounce glass of warm water is recommended and you can repeat this hourly.

A spicier solution

This may seem counterintuitive, but UCLA Health recommends eating a hot pepper - or, at least hot sauce.

Why? Cayenne and some other peppers contain capsaicin, which is a natural compound that fights inflammation and blocks pain.

A small study in cancer patients found that capsaicin offered pain relief from swollen membranes and a larger study showed it helped relieve cough symptoms.

Just a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce mixed into a glass of warm water and gargled can do the trick.

However, do so sparingly. Capsaicin breaks up mucus, which can help effectively relieve coughing and a sore throat. However, capsaicin can increase the production of mucus, causing a more prevalent runny nose, Rochester Regional Health warns.

open image in gallery Adding hot sauce to your meals or water can help fight inflammation from a sore throat ( Getty Images/iStock )

Pass the lozenges

This is a no-brainer. Sucking on a lozenge stimulates saliva production and keeps the throat moist.

Many are made with menthol, which can soothe sore throat pain, and several studies have shown using them led to rapid relief.

Ever notice that a sore throat seems worse in the morning? Its because your throat gets so dry overnight, Dr. Valerie Riddle, an infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, explained. Having lozenges or hard candies - or anything that stimulates saliva production - will keep your throat moist.
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Russell Brand has shared his thoughts on his ex-wife Katy Perrys new relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The embattled British comedian  who earlier this year was charged with five counts of assault and rape in the U.K.  brought up his ex at a Turning Point USA event Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona, where Perrys mother, Mary, was reportedly in attendance.

Look, Katy Perry, I was married to her. I love her still, and Im glad that her moms in the room to hear me say this, but look. I was okay with Orlando Bloom, but Justin Trudeau? Come on, man! Dont put me in a category with that guy! That globalist stooge, Brand said.

Perry, 41, and Brand, 50, were married from 2010 to 2012, with the comedian filing for divorce.

Perry got engaged to Pirates of the Caribbean actor Bloom in 2019 before calling off their engagement in June of this year after nine years together. They share a daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, whom they welcomed in August 2020.

Russell Brand waded in on his ex-wife Katy Perrys new relationship with Justin Trudeau ( Getty/katyperry/Instagram )

Perry and Trudeau, 53, first sparked romance rumors in July after they were seen dining together at a restaurant in Montreal, Canada.

The following night, Trudeau was spotted in the crowd at Perrys Lifetime Tour concert in the city with his teenage daughter.

In late October, they took their romance public as they were seen exiting Le Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris together on Perrys birthday.

And earlier this month, the couple made their romance Instagram official days after their first diplomatic date as a couple. The former prime minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, shared a photo of himself and his wife, Yuko, meeting Perry and Trudeau for lunch.

Great to see you... Katy and I were so glad to have the chance to sit down with you and Yuko, the former Canadian PM replied on X.

Trudeau announced his separation from his wife of 18 years, former model and TV host Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, in August 2023. He stepped down as prime minister earlier this year after a decade in office.

The charges against Brand were announced in April, following a joint investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times in September 2023, which led to a number of allegations being received by the police.

In May, the former Big Brothers Big Mouth host appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. He has vehemently denied the allegations, telling his followers on X that he has never engaged in non-consensual activity.

I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes, he said. Of course I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and Im incredibly grateful for that.
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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.
MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia and Europe would prosper by uniting and complementing each other rather than fighting.

Speaking during his annual year-end press conference, Putin said closer cooperation between Russia and European countries could generate significant economic benefits for all sides.

"If we combined our efforts with European countries, our combined gross domestic product measured by purchasing power parity would be larger than that of the United States," Putin said. "This is theoretical, of course, but it is absolutely clear that by uniting and complementing our capabilities, we would prosper instead of fighting each other."

"We are ready to work with you, with Great Britain, with Europe as a whole, and with the United States, but on an equal footing, with mutual respect," Putin said. "If we ultimately achieve this, everyone will benefit." 
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Claudio Valente, the suspect in the Brown University mass shooting, was socially awkward and complained about moving to the United States," his former classmate said.

Scott Watson, who earned his PhD in physics from the Ivy League university in 2005, said that he took classes and became close with Valente, who police said died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire on Thursday. Valente was enrolled at the school between 2000 and 2003.

During his time at Brown, I was essentially his only friend, Watson told The Independent. He was socially awkward, and so was I, which I think is why we connected.

Watson said that he first met Valente, who is from Portugal, during their orientation, when he spotted the now-deceased man sitting alone.

He often complained about moving to the United States and about the university, Watson, a physics professor at Syracuse University, said. He would say the classes were too easyhonestly, for him they were. He already knew most of the material and was genuinely impressive. I remember him getting irritated about the quality of food on campus, especially the lack of high-quality fish.

open image in gallery A former classmate of Valentes said he was socially awkward and genuinely impressive. ( Providence Police Dept )

He said that he would go out to dinner with Valente at a Portuguese restaurant in Providence, adding that he could be kind and gentle. Equally, though, Valente sometimes grew frustrated about courses, professors, and living conditions.

Watson also said he recalled Valente making derogatory comments about a fellow classmate from Brazil.

Claudio would insult and call him his slave, Watson said. I had to break up a fight once.

The last time I spoke with him, we walked to his apartment and I tried to convince him not to leave, Watson said. He refused, and that was the last time I heard from him. He told me he was returning to Portugal, though it now appears that may not have been the case.

open image in gallery Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, both Brown University students, were killed in Saturdays mass shooting. ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

open image in gallery The shooting, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, took place inside the Barus and Holley building on campus.

The mass shooting at Brown University on Saturday left two people dead and nine others injured. Valente is also suspected of killing an MIT professor at his home in Brookline, New Hampshire, two days later.

Police said they were able to track down Valente thanks, in part, to a Reddit poster, who claimed to have seen Valente shortly before the shooting.

The Reddit user, referred to in legal documents as John, crossed paths with the alleged shooter in the campus bathroom. He said his clothing was not appropriate for the weather and thought he appeared suspicious. He later reported the incident to the authorities.

He blew this case right open, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said when discussing the tipster, who reportedly was homeless and resided inside the college building where the shooting took place.

Using surveillance footage and car rental records, police eventually located Valente in New Hampshire. Law enforcement found his body inside of a storage unit in Salem on Thursday. An autopsy determined he had been dead for two days when his body was discovered, New Hampshires attorney general said Friday.

Its unclear what motivated the two fatal attacks.
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A homeless hero proved instrumental in helping track down the suspect in the Brown University shooting, who is also believed to have killed an MIT professor, after posting a tip on Reddit.

The suspect, identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday, Leah B. Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, told reporters. The 48-year-old Portuguese national died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found with a pair of firearms matching those used in the attack at Brown University, Foley said.

He blew this case right open, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said when discussing the tipster.

It was a Reddit user, referred to in documents as John, who said that they saw the car driven by Neves Valente getting into a grey Nissan sedan with a Florida license plate, steps away from the Barus and Holley building, where the Brown shooting took place.

I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental, the person posted on Tuesday. Officials later confirmed that the post was consistent with and corroborated by other surveillance footage.

open image in gallery Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national believed to have carried out the shooting at Brown University, has been found dead ( Providence Police Department )

John spotted the suspected shooter between 1:45 pm and 2 pm on December 12, just two hours before Neves Valente would open fire at the university.

A source told Fox News on Thursday that he was a homeless man who slept in the Barus and Holley building.

The pair crossed paths in a campus restroom, with John noting that Neves Valente was wearing clothes that were unsuitable for the weather.

According to an arrest affidavit, they made eye contact shortly before the suspected shooter left the restroom.

John decided to follow the mysterious man, suspicious of his intentions because of his strange attire.

open image in gallery The Reddit post made by John that helped lead officials to Valente ( Providence Police Department )

The redditor described the pursuit as a game of cat and mouse and revealed that he even confronted Neves Valente, police say.

Your car is back there, why are you circling the block? John asked.

Why are you harassing me? Neves Valente responded before storming away. The 48-year-old is believed to have carried out the shooting shortly after.

When police asked John about the vehicle that the stranger had used, they showed him a photograph of Neves Valentes car.

That might be it, John said, according to the affidavit. Cops said that was the breakthrough they needed to catch the killer.

On Thursday, the Reddit user whose post tipped off police posted a follow-up message, writing, This evening I spoke to Providence Police, the Rhode Island State Police and I imagine the FBI were listening in another room...I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people.

The FBI has not said whether the Reddit tipster will be given the $50,000 reward offered by the bureau for information about the shooter. In a statement provided to CBS News on Friday, a spokesperson said the FBI "will not comment on whether reward money has been paid and to whom."

open image in gallery Neves Valente is believed to have also killed Professor Nuno F.G Loureiro ( AP )

Meanwhile, new evidence shared by Brown University has revealed that Neves Valente had attended the Ivy League school during the fall of 2000, before taking a leave of absence in 2001. He later dropped out entirely in 2003.

Foley confirmed that Neves Valente was also a former classmate of murdered MIT physics professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, with the pair attending an academic course in Portugal from 1995 until 2000.

Neves Valente allegedly killed Loureiro at his home in Brookline, New Hampshire, three days after the Brown shooting, prosecutors say.

However, his reason for targeting his former classmate and his alma mater remains unknown.

Foley said authorities had located Neves Valente after obtaining video footage of his car, which they quickly traced to a dealership.

Upon obtaining the rental agreement for the vehicle, police were finally provided with Neves Valentes name. That allowed them to track him to New Hampshire, where authorities were investigating the murder of leading nuclear fusion scientist Loureiro.

There was security footage that captured him within a half mile of the professors residence in Brookline, Foley told reporters. And there is video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professors apartment.

He was seen about an hour later entering the storage unit, wearing the same clothes that he had been seen wearing right after the murder.

open image in gallery Conspiracy theories about the shooting have been rampant on the internet, as investigators continue to search for a motive ( Reuters )

The internet has been awash with conspiracy theories about the killing, with sources telling The Jerusalem Post that Israeli officials are questioning whether Iranian agents played a role in his death.

Loureiro was one of the U.Ss leading nuclear scientists and had publicly spoken in support of Israel. However, The Jerusalem Post admitted that U.S. and Israeli authorities confirmed that no evidence has been found to substantiate the theory yet.

The shooting has led Donald Trump to axe the green card lottery program that Neves Valente used to re-enter the U.S in 2017.

The program offers 50,000 green cards per year and allows people from countries underrepresented in the US to obtain visas.

This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote on X. In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.

At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.

open image in gallery Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov were killed in the shooting on December 12 at Brown University ( AP )

Neves Valentes alma mater is currently mourning two of its students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, whom he murdered after he opened fire on December 12.

Umurzokov, 18, was an aspiring neurosurgeon before being shot, whom his family described as their biggest role model in a GoFundMe campaign.

Cook, 19, had served as the vice president of the Brown University College Republicans before being killed by Neves Valente.
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A Minnesota man who worked as a funeral director in the early 2000s has been charged in connection with a human skull that was discovered more than two decades ago in a ravine in Wisconsin near a Boy Scout camp.

Benjamin Carl Hanson, 57, of Bayport, was arrested Wednesday and charged with hiding a corpse and felony theft over $2,500.

The skull, which was found in St. Croix County in 2002, belonged to Alyce Catharina Peterson, who died at the age of 92 in July 2001, according to the St. Croix County Sheriffs Department.

According to court documents obtained by KARE11, Hanson was employed as a funeral director at Simonet Funeral Home at the time the skull was discovered.

open image in gallery Benjamin Hanson, 57, has been arrested in connection with a stolen skull found in a revine in 2002. ( St. Croix County Sheriff's Office )

Peterson reportedly suffered a medical emergency and was cremated at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Maplewood, Minnesota. Her family was given her ashes.

On October 19, 2002, a group of Boy Scouts hiking at a camp in Somerset Township, Wisconsin, discovered garbage bags containing human remains and called the St. Croix County Sheriffs Department.

DNA testing was conducted, but the remains could not be identified at the time, and the case eventually went cold.

Years later, in February 2021, the skull was sent to Astrea Forensics in Santa Cruz, California, for advanced DNA testing. With help from the DNA Doe Project, investigators identified the remains as belonging to Peterson.

This is the first time that I have seen a Doe identified as someone who had a death certificate and who was supposedly cremated, case manager Eric Hendershott said. The fact that Alyces skull ended up where it did was a real shock, but Im glad that the team was able to identify her and reunite her with her family.

Former Simonet Funeral Home employees were interviewed, and investigators were told that Hanson was suspected of stealing from the business, was fired, and later became the subject of a harassment order after swerving his vehicle toward his replacement, according to the criminal complaint. That order was denied.

open image in gallery The skull, which was found in St. Croix County in 2002, belonged to Alyce Catharina Peterson, who died at the age of 92 in July 2001, according to the DNA Doe Project ( DNA Doe Project )

One former employee told investigators he covered for Hanson during the summer of 2001 while Hanson was hospitalized after going off the deep end.

Another employee reported Hanson used the funeral homes credit card to purchase school supplies, lawnmower parts, and to pay for HVAC work at his residence.

Details of how the skull ended up in the ravine or what actions Hanson is alleged to have taken have not been revealed. St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said in a statement that no additional information will be released while the case is active.

The current owners of Simonet Funeral Home did not own the business at the time of Hansons alleged misconduct, it was reported.

An attorney for the funeral home released a statement expressing their deepest empathies to the family of Alice Peterson, according to KARE.

We are both saddened and angry at the situation as it is not how professional funeral directors conduct themselves, the statement continued. The current owners want the families we serve to understand that the events in question took place back in 2001, 12 years prior to when the current owners purchased Simonet Funeral Home in 2013.

The statement clarified that the person who is alleged to have engaged in illegal conduct has never been an employee of the current owners of Simonet Funeral Home, and that at all times the current owners have fully cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do such.

Hanson is being held at the St. Croix County Jail.
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A former Florida state trooper has been charged with killing and dismembering a woman whose remains were found along Gilgo Beach in New York nearly three decades ago, with prosecutors alleging the murder was committed to conceal an affair and a child.

Andrew Dykes, 66, pleaded not guilty Thursday to murdering Tanya Denise Jackson in 1997. He did not speak further in court and was ordered held in custody until his next court date on January 16.

Prosecutors say Dykes, who was married with children at the time, killed Jackson after she wanted to start a life with him following an affair that resulted in a baby.

Jacksons body was dumped along Gilgo Beach on Long Island, where she remained unidentified for nearly 30 years and known only as Peaches, a nickname derived from her distinctive tattoo. While the case was one connected to the Gilgo Beach serial killer, prosecutors now say a different man was responsible for her death.

Dykes attorney, Joseph Lo Piccolo, said after the brief hearing that he expects to challenge the DNA evidence prosecutors say links his client to the killing, ABC7 reported. He described Dykes as a law-abiding citizen in the decades since Jacksons death.

open image in gallery Decades after the remains of a young mother were found on Long Island  once believed to be tied to the Gilgo Beach murders  Andrew Dykes has been charged in their slayings. Dykes was arraigned at the Nassau County Courthouse Thursday after being extradited from Florida. ( AP )

Hes a father. He led a life that many would respect in law enforcement, in the military, Lo Piccolo said.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder pushed back, saying Dykes past service did not outweigh the allegations against him.

He might have worn that uniform; he may have served, but he was a homicide subject. Hes a murderer, Ryder said.

Investigators say a key break in the case came through advances in DNA technology. Prosecutors allege DNA recovered from Jacksons torso in 1997 was matched decades later to genetic material extracted from a plastic straw used by Dykes at a Charleys Cheesesteaks restaurant in Tampa. The straw, discarded in a plastic cup, was retrieved by investigators in October 2024.

The technology used to reach a conclusion that he may be involved in this case I believe is the newer technology and its very subject to scrutiny and challenge in New York State, Lo Piccolo said.

open image in gallery Tanya Jacksons remains were first discovered in 1997, but investigators were unable to identify her beyond the peach tattoo. Both Jackson and her child were identified in 2025 through advanced DNA technology ( Nassau Police )

open image in gallery Prosecutors allege DNA recovered from Jacksons torso in 1997 was matched decades later to DNA extracted from a plastic straw used by Dykes at a Charleys Cheesesteaks restaurant in Tampa ( Nassau District Attorney's Office )

Dykes was arrested earlier this month in Tampa and held in a Florida jail before being extradited to New York.

He was not charged Thursday in the killing of the two-year-old, whose remains were discovered years later near Gilgo Beach, but prosecutors and police say investigators believe he is responsible for both deaths.

He threw a baby out like the trash into the weeds, Ryder said. He cut the other body up and dumped it in a container and threw it into a sump.

Jacksons remains were first discovered in 1997 in a Long Island state park, but investigators were unable to identify her at the time. In 2011, while searching a beachfront stretch near Gilgo Beach, authorities uncovered additional skeletal remains, including those of her daughter.

Investigators said the 26-year-old Alabama native, a Gulf War veteran, had been living in Brooklyn with her daughter at the time of her disappearance and was largely estranged from her family.

open image in gallery When Jackson wanted to start a life with him, Dykes killed her and disposed of her remains along Gilgo Beach in New York nearly 30 years ago, prosecutors say ( AP )

open image in gallery The Peaches case had long been considered potentially connected to the Gilgo Beach murders. Rex Heuermann has been charged in seven of those killings and has pleaded not guilty ( Getty )

At the time of the investigation, police said the toddlers father was cooperating with authorities and was not considered a suspect.

The case had long been considered potentially connected to the Gilgo Beach serial murders.

Former architect Rex Heuermann has been charged in seven of the murders and has pleaded not guilty. Authorities say there is no apparent link between Heuermann and Dykes, who is a Florida resident.

A total of 10 sets of human remains were discovered along a beachside parkway near Gilgo Beach. Many of the victims were women whose disappearances were never thoroughly investigated.

Police have said the area may have been used as a dumping ground by more than one killer.
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A federal judge overturned the conviction of a man who was found guilty of the 2002 murder of Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay on Friday.

Ruling that there wasn't enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill the hip-hop luminary, Karl Jordan Jr. was acquitted on the murder charges.

Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, the decision came from the same Brooklyn federal judge who presided over the trial.

An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the pioneering DJ  his own godfather  in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002. But Jordan's lawyers have long argued that the evidence didn't support prosecutors' claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, as revenge for a failed drug deal.

The funeral of Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell Jason was held at New Yorks Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in 2002 ( Getty Images )

We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served, one of his attorneys, John Diaz, said in an email. Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.

A message seeking comment was sent to prosecutors.

Separately, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall denied co-defendant Ronald Washington's bid for an acquittal or a new trial.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, worked the turntables in Run-D.M.C. as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as Its Tricky and a fresh take on Aerosmiths Walk This Way.

His killing became one of the hip-hop worlds most elusive cases.
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A Salvation Army bell ringer was fatally shot inside a Michigan Kroger Thursday night by a suspect that he knew, authorities said.

The unidentified suspect, a teenage boy, is accused of shooting and killing the man collecting donations at the grocery store on Ford Road near Central City Parkway in Westland around 6 p.m., Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman confirmed and reported by WXYZ.

Officers found the victim inside the store with multiple gunshot wounds and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The suspect fled but was arrested early Friday, with their identity being withheld until arraignment.

Authorities added that the shooting was not random and the victim and suspect knew each other. The motive for the shooting is unclear.

The Independent has contacted Coleman and Westland Police Department for more information about the shooting.

A teenage boy, reportedly confirmed by Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman, is accused of fatally shooting a man serving as a Salvation Army bell ringer at a Kroger in Westland, Michigan. ( Getty Images )

Since 1900, the Salvation Army, a global Christian church and charity, has deployed bell ringers nationwide to staff red kettles from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Many are volunteers, though a few are paid for their time.

These ringers help raise crucial funds that support local Salvation Army programs year-round, including food assistance, shelter and other social services.

Lt. Colonel Steve Merritt of The Salvation Armys Great Lakes Division released a statement following the Michigan Kroger shooting.

"The Salvation Army is profoundly heartbroken by the tragic incident that took place at the Kroger in Westland. We lift up in prayer all who are affected, especially the individual involved, their loved ones and the Westland community. We are working closely with the Westland Police Department as they investigate the situation."

Kroger also released a statement addressing the shooting, saying, "We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred outside of our Westland Kroger located at 36430 Ford Road. We are cooperating with local law enforcement and will continue to follow their guidance while the police investigation continues.

To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are deferring all questions to Westland Police Department, the statement concluded.
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A Los Angeles man is behind bars after police say he stole an airplane from a flight school before crashing it into a nearby hangar shortly after getting airborne.

Authorities identified the suspect as 37-year-old Ceffareno Michael Logan. He allegedly entered Van Nuys Airport Thursday morning around 5 am, reports ABC Los Angeles.

LAXPD immediately responded and took [the] subject into custody, police told ABC7 in a statement.

The plane was a Cessna 172, which is an American four-seat, single-engine, high-wing aircraft.

Police allege a man tried to steal the plane but crashed it in the hangar ( ABC News7 )

Owner of the L.A. Flight Academy, Anthony Nercessian, told KTLA that the suspect managed to get on the airport ground, broke into the hangar, started the aircrafts engine before it began to roll away in an attempt to fly.

Nercessian said the man managed to go about 50 to 60 feet before slamming into the hangar. This caused extensive damage to the plane, the hangar, and damaged a Porsche in the process.

He fled, but I heard he got caught, Nercessian said.

Logan was not injured and is not known to Nercessian. Police arrested the man and booked him on charges of burglary and theft of an aircraft.

Bail was set at $150,000.

Los Angeles Airport Police and the FBI continue to investigate the situation.

Earlier this year, also in California, a man found that someone had been stealing his plane and taking it for joyrides before returning it in the morning.

Jason Hong, 75, owns a 1958 Cessna Skyhawk and told The Los Angeles Times in August that he visited the plane on July 27 to find it was not in its hangar at Corona Municipal Airport, just east of Anaheim.

"I got confused," he told the paper. "I thought, did I park it somewhere else, did the airport manager move it? But I looked all over."

Hong eventually learned that, on at least two occasions, an unknown pilot had been flying it across Southern California, but neither he nor the police could figure out who stole the plane.
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AI running in data centers will likely produce more CO2 this year than many small countries or the entire city of New York, new research suggests.

In a study published on Monday by the peer-reviewed journal Patterns, data scientist Alex de Vries-Gao estimated the carbon emissions from electricity used by AI at between 33 million and 80 million metric tons.

That higher figure would put it above last year's totals for Chile (78m tons), Czechia (78m tons), Romania (71m tons), and New York City (48m tons, including both CO2 and other greenhouse gases).

But de Vries-Gao also warned that there was "significant uncertainty" about these estimates due to the lack of transparency by major AI companies such as Microsoft, Google, and ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

That was especially true for the study's estimate of AI water use  an issue that has driven numerous local and national protests against AI data centers this year (although some experts argue these concerns are exaggerated).

open image in gallery Attendees await the arrival of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the Google Midlothian Data Center on November 14, 2025 in Midlothian, Texas ( Ron Jenkins/Getty Images )

De Vries-Gao calculated AI's total water footprint in 2025 at somewhere between 312 billion and 767 billion liters, while noting that this is "even more difficult to assess" than carbon emissions due to corporate secrecy and dearth of public information.

If those figures were true, AI's water use could top the 446 billion liters in bottled water that humanity swigs every year.

"Despite AI system power demand approaching that of a country the size of the United Kingdom, the environmental impacts of this growth remain unclear," de Vries-Gao wrote.

"Without transparent data, the biggest opportunities for mitigating the climate impacts of data centers and AI cannot be easily identified, and the effects of interventions will remain hidden as well."

Where the data comes from

Over the past few years, Silicon Valley's AI blitz has created skyrocketing demand for high-end computation in vast dedicated data centers, causing a scramble to secure new electricity sources and soaring power bills for ordinary citizens nearby.

Many data centers also use water cooling to prevent their machines from overheating. While some of that water is recycled, much of it evaporates and is lost to the local ecosystem.

open image in gallery These colourful pipes are responsible for carrying water in and out of the Oregon data center. The blue pipes supply cold water and the red pipes return the warm water back to be cooled ( Google )

All of which has made data centers and their resource consumption a hot-button issue across the U.S., with 230 environmental groups recently urging Congress to impose an immediate national moratorium on new facilities.

De Vries-Gao's study builds on his own previous research, which estimated that AI's global electricity demand was 9.4 gigawatts at the end of 2024 and could reach 23 gigawatts by the end of 2025.

He then combined that with estimates from the International Energy Agency about the CO2 output of data centers in general in order to calculate a range of 32.6 million to 79.7 million tons for AI specifically.

However, he noted that different data centers cause very different amounts of pollution, and that there is no systematic public data on AI's carbon emissions, making these figures uncertain.

AI companies fight to hide their water use

Water is an even trickier issue. Some researchers have estimated very high usage totals for AI data centers, and individual companies have reported steep increases in their annual water consumption.

Many local officials have become concerned about the amount of water data centers want from their systems, especially at a time of rising drought due to climate change.

Take Newton County, Georgia, which has reportedly suffered rising water prices, damaged wells, and is facing a water deficit by 2030 after Facebooks parent company Meta, built a new data center there.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Arizona, one recent report found that annual water stress in Phoenix, Arizona, will rise by 32 percent if all currently planned data centers end up getting built.

But some commentators, as well as AI industry lobbyists, argue that popular concerns about AI water use are overstated, especially given that other industries  notably agriculture  consume far more water with less controversy.

Many estimates include not only the water used directly by data centers but also the water used by power plants to generate the extra electricity. Thats not unimportant, but its also not unique to AI.

Vries-Gaos figures incorporate both direct and indirect water consumption, putting the total figure for 2025 at between 312.5 and 746.6 billion liters.

open image in gallery An aerial view of a 33 megawatt data center with closed-loop cooling system on October 20, 2025 in Vernon, California. A surge in demand for AI infrastructure is fueling a boom in data centers across the country and around the globe ( Mario Tama/Getty Images )

Water consumption can also vary enormously between data centers, based on the local climate and the specific cooling methods they use. That makes it much harder to draw reliable estimates from public information.

"In the near term, it's not a concern and it's not a nationwide crisis," Cornell professor Fengqi You recently told Wired, in a detailed article exploring this question. "But it depends on location. In locations that have existing water stress, building these AI data centers is gonna be a big problem."

Meanwhile, AI companies and city governments have sometimes fought bitterly to keep the details of their water use secret, inflaming public suspicion.

"Ultimately, further disclosures from data center operators are required to improve the accuracy of these estimates," wrote de Vries-Gao.

This story was updated at 8:12a.m. on Friday December 19, 2025 to correct a typo in the amount of bottled water consumed per year (its 446bn liters, not 46) and an inaccurate description of Vries-Gaos paper (it only looks at water consumption, not water withdrawal in general).
MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia has been deceived several times by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) promises about non-expansion eastward, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

During his annual press conference, Putin said the movement of NATO military infrastructure towards Russian borders has caused legitimate concern for Russia.

Russia had discussed the possibility of joining NATO, but realized its accession was not expected there, he said.

The Russian president added that building a new security system in Europe is "quite relevant," and any country's choice of its own means of defense should not threaten other countries. 
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CultureTV & radioAustralian TV Thats been keeping her going: David Campbells Christmas wish for Magda Szubanski Bridget McManus December 20, 2025  5:30am 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

When Today Extra co-host David Campbell steps onto the stage at Melbournes Sidney Myer Music Bowl, to host  for the 12th year in a row  Vision Australias Carols By Candlelight concert, there are two people very dear to him who he hopes will be watching from home. One is his dad, Jimmy Barnes, who has been ordered by Campbell, his sister Mahalia Barnes, and Barnes wife, Jane, to relax, after a hectic year of touring amid health troubles. The other is Campbells friend, bridesmaid at his wedding, and godmother to his 10-year-old daughter, Betty, Magda Szubanski. David Campbell and Sarah Abo are hosting the 88th Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight concert in Melbourne. Magda is really receiving everyones goodwill, says Campbell, who met the comedy legend while they were performing in the Melbourne Theatre Companys 2006 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where Szubanski introduced Campbell to his wife, Lisa. I think thats the thing thats been keeping her going. Certainly, shes been getting it from our family, but also from the nation. When Szubanski announced in July she was undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma, the Campbells took an honest approach in telling their children.

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Bettys nearly 11. I think that if she was much younger, itd be much harder, he says. But what we just said was what Magda told everybody: Shes not well, but she is surrounded by the most incredible doctors, particularly in Melbourne. Editor's pick Streaming Bit of a Grinch: Claudia Karvan hates Christmas movies, but she made one anyway This years Carols line-up is soothingly familiar: Marina Prior, Silvie Paladino, Denis Walter, Casey Donovan, Rob Mills and the cast of the current hot musical theatre ticket in town: MJ the Musical. These are the sorts of things that people expect from Carols. Its their own traditions, its their own favourites and I think wed be unlucky if we didnt supply that. I dont want to jinx Christmas! Campbell will again be joined by Today co-host Sarah Abo, who was whisked to hospital last year with appendicitis before the concert.

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I was so lonely last year! We had to rewrite the whole show on the day, and luckily people like Casey and Rob stepped up, Campbell says. But to walk out by yourself on Carols was the weirdest feeling. I felt like Ray Martin back in the day. Vika and Linda Bull perform at Vision Australias Carols by Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. He credits his decorated musical theatre career (his trophy room includes three Helpmann Awards), with his ability to think on his feet. An ADHD diagnosis last year has also made sense of his need for diversity in his work, which takes him from the Today Extra news desk, to live theatre, to the recording studio where he makes compilation albums. For me, [the diagnosis] has helped really calm my mind, to work out that the issues I was creating for myself were because my brain was too chaotic, he says. And sometimes, in a good way. Sometimes, theres a superpower and sometimes youre getting in your own way. Therapy has allowed me to have a bit more emotional distance and forgive a lot of stuff, which is really handy as you get older. In keeping with his own Carols tradition, Campbell will perform on the night.

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Related Article Australian TV It was electric: The ABC show reuniting a couple of original Australian Idol mates I am going to sing this year. Were still locking down what thats going to be, but its really something very different for me, he says. Ive been thrown a challenge. So if the challenge is pulled off, Ive never done anything like this on stage before, so well have to wait and see. The latest string to Campbells bow is a podcast he records with wife Lisa called Into the Austenverse, to mark the 250th birthday of Jane Austen. More men should read Jane Austen, because she allows men to see how women think and act and deal with things. She can get men to teach themselves how to be better men. A special guest joined them on the podcast earlier this month to discuss Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. Magda came in and she was very funny and she seemed to have really good spirits and shes getting her energy back. Its been a big year. 88th Vision Australias Carols By Candlelight Live airs at 8pm on Wednesday, December 24, on Nine.

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MOSCOW, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the method another country chooses to defend itself should not threaten Russia's security.

"We're not saying that any country doesn't have the right to choose its own method of defense, but it should be a method that doesn't threaten anyone, including us," Putin said during his annual press conference. 
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EnvironmentClimate changeDonald Trump Trump threatens world-leading forecasting and climate research centre Lisa Friedman , Brad Plumer and Jack Healy December 19, 2025  3:56pm 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: The Trump administration said it will be dismantling the National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, one of the worlds leading Earth science research institutions. The centre, founded in 1960, is responsible for many of the biggest scientific advances in humanitys understanding of weather and climate. Its research aircraft and sophisticated computer models of the Earths atmosphere and oceans are widely used in forecasting weather events and disasters around the country, and its scientists study a broad range of topics, including air pollution, ocean currents and global warming. US President Donald Trump, who has labelled climate change a con job, has relaxed emissions standards and wiped out the fines for carmakers for breaching fuel-economy standards. AP But in a social media post announcing the move late on Tuesday, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, called the centre one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country and said that the federal government would be breaking up the institution. Vought wrote that a comprehensive review is under way and that any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

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USA Today first reported on the White House plans. Scientists, meteorologists and lawmakers said the move was an attack on critical scientific research and would harm the United States. The National Centre for Atmospheric Research was originally founded to provide scientists studying Earths atmosphere with cutting-edge resources, such as supercomputers, that individual universities could not afford on their own. It is now widely considered a global leader in both weather and climate change research, with programs aimed at tracking severe weather events, modelling floods and understanding how solar activity affects the Earths atmosphere. For decades, the centre has operated with the freedom to develop outside-the-box ideas that have advanced weather forecasting. Its researchers identified atmospheric patterns that meteorologists rely on today to predict the weather. In the 1970s, NCAR scientists Roland Madden and Paul Julian discovered a pulse of clouds and rain that circumvents the equator every 30 to 90 days. This phenomenon, now known as the Madden-Julian oscillation, fundamentally changed the field, helping forecasters predict weather patterns weeks to months in advance.

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NCAR scientists also developed GPS dropsondes, instruments that are dropped from aircraft to gather crucial data about a cyclones strength and centre. This data became pivotal for the computer models used to predict hurricane paths today. Related Article Renewables Trump blew up Americas offshore wind industry  now hes blowing up ours The centres research has often proved useful in unexpected places, such as when its studies of downdrafts in the lower atmosphere in the 1970s and 1980s led to the development of wind shear detection systems around airports that helped address the cause of hundreds of aviation accidents during that era. Those systems still protect planes today. The lab is operated by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of more than 100 universities, but the vast majority of its funding comes from the federal government, including through hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the National Science Foundation. Scientists said dismantling the centres climate research would do irreparable damage to cutting-edge meteorology and advances in weather forecasting.

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Its the beating heart of our field, Kim Cobb, a climate scientist and the director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, wrote in a post on Bluesky. Generations of scientists have trained there, and almost everyone I know relies on deep collaborations with NCAR scientists. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, wrote on social platform X that the institution is quite literally our global mothership. She said nearly everyone who researches climate and weather around the world has worked at or with NCAR. It supports the scientists who fly into hurricanes, the meteorologists who develop new radar technology, the physicists who envision and code new weather models, and yes  the largest community climate model in the world, she wrote, adding, Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet. President Donald Trump routinely mocks climate change as a hoax, and his administration has labelled virtually all efforts to study climate change, reduce the level of dangerous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere or protect communities from the impacts of global warming as alarmism. The administration said the centre had supported what it called frivolous and ideological issues, such as research on how to protect wind turbines from hurricanes and a project to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into studies of how climate change would affect coastal communities.

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Yet experts said much of the centres activities focused on basic atmospheric science that had little to do with political debates over climate change. Related Article Climate policy Interstate refugees: Why more Aussies are moving south If you asked me where youd find the most politicised elements of climate research, NCAR would be way down that list, said Roger Pielke Jr, a political scientist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute who has often criticised climate researchers elsewhere for engaging in activism. A lot of what NCAR does is atmospheric science beyond climate change, like improving short-term weather forecasts, added Pielke, who worked at the centre early in his career. Destroying it makes no sense. Putting the facility on the chopping block would also be an economic blow to Colorado. Trump has feuded with Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, in recent days, calling him a weak and pathetic man and accusing the governor with no evidence of being run by Venezuelan gang members.

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The dispute stems from the case of a former state election official in Colorado, Tina Peters, who was convicted of multiple felonies after she gave Trumps supporters unauthorised access to voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Trump has pardoned Peters, but Colorado officials have countered that presidential pardons do not apply to state crimes. A senior White House official, who declined to be identified, said in response to the announcement that Colorado constituents would be better served if Polis wanted to work with the president. Polis said in a statement that the federal government had yet to inform the state of its plans. If true, public safety is at risk, and science is being attacked, he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Get to the heart of whats happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.
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NationalBondi shooting Opinion Dont let this barbaric assault on my home  my happy place  tear us apart Nick Bryant Journalist and author December 20, 2025  5:00am

December 20, 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

On the morning after, the walk down to Bondi became a solemn procession. Locals who usually head to the beach with towels slung casually over their shoulders cradled flowers in their arms. The flags at Icebergs already were at half-mast. After the gunshots, screams and sirens of Sundays murderous mayhem, a quietude descended. A soulful silence. Knowing glances replaced words. Bereaved families were locked in tearful group hugs. An expanding carpet of floral tributes outside the shut gates of Bondi Pavilion became a measure of community and national sorrow. On the shoreline of Australias most charismatic crescent of surf and sand came wave after wave of grief. Illustration by Simon Letch Too many times on too many continents have I covered the aftermath of mass shootings and terrorist massacres, but never before in a setting cherished by so many as a happy place. A sanctuary from the pressures of everyday life. A safe haven from the troubles of the world. No wonder we are all so shell-shocked. No wonder emotions are so raw. This, at the risk of sounding platitudinous, was an attack on a cherished idea in Australia: that the centuries-old conflicts of distant lands should not be fought on this soil. This was also an attack on the Australian way of life. Just as the Twin Towers were totems of American might, so Bondi has always been an emblem of the Australian mindset. Laid-back. Egalitarian. Fun. Grateful. That fabled democracy of the beach.

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Today I write not so much as a columnist but as a community member. Bondi is our home. We live alongside Jewish neighbours whose houses at this time of year are adorned with Hanukkah decorations. Were we listening attentively enough to their fears? Did we as a nation do enough to safeguard Australian Jews? The answer, clearly and collectively, is no. A woman sits on Bondi Beach before a paddle out to pay tribute to the victims. Kate Geraghty As we reflect on the enormity of Sundays atrocity, and vest it with broader meaning, never should we lose sight of the prime targets: above all, this was an attack on Australian Jews. Bondi, a suburb that in postwar years provided a haven for so many Holocaust survivors seeking to put as much geographic distance as possible between themselves and the horrors of the gas chambers, became a killing field. A Holocaust survivor, 87-year-old Alexander Kleytman, was among the first named victims. Understandably, words of incomprehension have come to all our lips. Unthinkable. Unimaginable. Unbelievable. Unfathomable. But the reaction in the Jewish community has been quite different. I have to say that Ive been holding my breath, fearing that something like this would happen because it hasnt come without warning, said Jillian Segal, the envoy to combat antisemitism appointed by Anthony Albanese. The writing was on the wall, said Alex Ryvchin, from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. That writing came, daubed large, in antisemitic graffiti scrawled on walls and cars in the eastern suburbs. The suspected arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. The attack on the office in Melbourne of the Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns. The anti-Jewish chants at that pro-Palestinian protest on October 9, 2023 on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The brandishing of a portrait of Irans Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, a spewer of antisemitism, near the front of the March for Humanity on Sydney Harbour Bridge in August this year  a gathering, it should also be noted, of overwhelmingly well-intentioned people.

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The announcement from the government in late August that the Iranian regime was behind arson attacks at a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher deli in Sydney contributed to the downplaying of the home-grown threat. The allegation of foreign interference was both alarming and allaying. It shifted the blame. Perhaps we took succour from thinking the poison of antisemitism had been imported, and was a non-native venom. Julian Assange and Craig Foster (front) in the pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3. In the background, a protester carries a picture of Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Getty Images Certainly, the self-congratulatory story we have told ourselves since the gun laws enacted after Port Arthur also lulled us into an unjustified sense of security. After the Westfield Bondi Junction attack  which many initially thought bore hallmarks of an antisemitic attack  how many of us expressed a measure of almost smug relief that the murderer was carrying a knife and not a semi-automatic rifle. I know I did. Maybe we have become complacently isolationist, thinking that our geographic detachment offers us inalienable protections  a trait magnified by benefiting for the past 30 years from a near recession-proof economy and by shuttering the portcullis of Fortress Australia during COVID. We relocated as a family to Bondi  partly to escape the scourge of American gun violence.

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The two years between the October 7, 2023 atrocities committed by Hamas and the Bondi massacre of December 14 have also demonstrated how binary is our thinking, and how angrily tribal has become our political, media and online culture. Have those who not unreasonably condemned the excesses of the Netanyahu governments brutal war in Gaza done enough to condemn antisemitism here at home? Have those naturally horrified by Hamas terrorism on October 7 shown sufficient empathy for the tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians killed in the Israeli governments response? Have we become so captive to the algorithms of animosity that we have lost the capacity for nuance, balanced thinking and empathy? I fear we have. Dopamine-driven division runs the risk of turning us into a continent-sized Tower of Babel. Related Article Bondi shooting Antisemitism laws to push constitutional limit, says Burke We relocated as a family to Bondi four years ago partly to escape the scourge of American gun violence. Our kids had reached the age when they realised school lockdown drills were not in preparation for hurricanes but rather a hail of bullets. Yet another reason we left was to get away from the polarisation of the misnamed United States: a country now defined by mutual loathing. American disunion has deep historical roots, but it was accelerated and aggravated at the start of the 21st century because the country squandered the chance of national unity offered by its own darkest day, September 11, 2001. After a fleeting coming together, the war on terror became politicised and polarised. Judging by the heated rhetoric of the past few days, Australia is racing through those gears quicker than America did after 9/11.

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The partisan point-scoring and personalised finger-pointing, in a polity that has become so relentlessly oppositional and nasty, comes as little surprise. It shows how much the political culture has changed for the worse since Port Arthur, when John Howard, who was so fiercely critical of the present-day prime minister this week, benefited from patriotic bipartisanship. In such an emotionally charged moment, politicians  such as Pauline Hanson, who was applauded when she visited the floral memorial at Bondi this week  might eye vote-winning opportunities. The tabloids, staying true to their business model, will stoke division. Its time to stop all this bullshit about harmony was the headline in the Melbourne Herald Sun the morning after. But do we really want to fall into the trap of further ripping the social fabric, especially when the widespread revulsion at what happened at Bondi presents an opportunity to repair it? I covered America in the aftermath of 9/11. I watched the US tear itself apart. Bipartisanship broke down. Voices of moderation were drowned and driven out. Politics not only became oppositional but nihilistically destructive. Again, I write as a permanent resident in the process of becoming an Australian citizen: dont let that happen here. Surfers gathering on Friday to paddle out at Bondi Beach to pay tribute to the victims. Kate Geraghty Since the first time I came to live here almost 20 years ago, I have seen enough of this country to know the decent-minded and community-spirited make up the overwhelming majority: Australias reasonable people. We saw that this week. In the tens of thousands who donated blood. In the admiring response to the heroism of Ahmed al Ahmed, who was only granted Australian citizenship in 2022. In the measured words of the envoy to combat antisemitism, Segal, and other Jewish figures. In the impressive leadership of local politicians such as state member and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane, NSW Premier Chris Minns and federal MP Allegra Spender. I have not used their political affiliations for a reason. They did not matter. State and local politicians, in collaboration with faith and community groups, will probably be more constructive over the coming months than federal politicians. Practical rather than performative, they conduct politics at a lower temperature. Ultimately, it is for us to decide. We all have agency. Do we want this atrocity to become a bloody milestone along the path of further polarisation, or the moment where we chose comity over mutual hate?

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Bondi has always had convening power. Multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multi-generational, multilingual, it is a place where modern Australia gathers en masse. It is still a place that can draw us together. I saw that for myself on that hushed morning after, when I took the short walk to the beach. Nick Bryant, a regular columnist, is a former BBC correspondent and 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.
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Graphic content NationalNSWCourts Man jailed for decades for murdering Sydney mother inside her apartment Clare Sibthorpe December 19, 2025  12:49pm 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 man has been jailed for more than four decades for murdering 28-year-old Dayna Isaac inside her apartment in Sydneys west, with a judge describing the terror she would have felt in her final moments. Described as an amazing mother and life of the party, Isaac was killed by 35-year-old Paul Jason Sultana inside her Penrith unit three years ago. He murdered her out of rage that she did not want to be with him, fled in her car and took his mother to the crime scene. Dayna Isaac wasd murdered by Paul Sultana. At the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, following a judge-alone trial, Justice Peter Garling sentenced Sultana to 44 years jail with a non-parole period of 33 years. Intimate partner violence is a scourge on civilised society. The offenders conduct is to be denounced completely, Garling said.

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[Sultana] displayed significant jealousy and controlling behaviours in the week leading up to the murder. The Crown had argued for a life sentence without parole. When the judge delivered his guilty verdict in September, dramatic court scenes unfolded as Sultana stabbed himself in his arm with a sharp object inside the courtroom. He was taken to hospital. Damage to a wall found inside Dayna Isaacs Penrith home, following her murder. NSW Police Sultana met Isaac through his brother in 2018. The pair formed a friendship, which developed into an intimate relationship in 2022.

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At the time of the murder, Garling said, their relationship was as at a developmental stage with a varying level of commitment. Tension brewed as Isaac refused to agree a fuller, more settled relationship. He was intent on taking her life her last minutes are ones in which she must have been terrified. Isaacs father Garry English testified that his daughter repeatedly told him she wanted to be friends, and had expressed frustration the day before her death that he was moving his belongings into her apartment, despite not having a key. Dayna Isaacs father, Garry English. Kate Geraghty On the morning of January 16, 2023, Isaac had completed a trial for a potential new job, when Sultana cycled to her apartment with rope and tape, and forced his way in.

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A neighbour later heard an argument from inside the unit, including a man yelling dont and stop, loud thuds and a woman crying out. The neighbour described it as one of the worst screams shed ever heard. Sultana brutally bashed and fatally strangled the mother of two young children, as she pleaded with him to stop, Garling said. He was intent on taking her life  her last minutes are ones in which she must have been terrified. His DNA was later found on her clothes, her body and a cord wrapped around her neck. The neighbour witnessed Sultana flee in Isaacs car. His mother, Janet Tsiliris, later told police he had called her and said: Its bad, its bad, its bad.

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Dayna Isaacs burnt-out car was found in bushland near her Penrith apartment. He drove his mother to the murder scene. She said she saw Isaac covered in blood and ran out, screaming, Oh my God, what have you done? You cant fix this. I cant be here. Sultana set Isaacs car alight in bushland and burnt his clothes inside a metal drum. He was arrested after his mother reported him to police. He has been in custody since. A fellow inmate of Sultana testified he had made admissions while in custody on remand, telling him Sultana forced his way into the house and violently assaulted Isaac. The defence argued an unknown person murdered Isaac while Sultana was asleep in her unit.

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While a doctor suggested that Sultana suffered from schizophrenia, Garling noted this opinion was given after the murder. The judge could not determine whether he was mentally ill at the time or whether any potential illness contributed to his behaviour, but found he was likely to have been affected by enduring impairment in decision-making and emotional regulation. He said victim impact statements outlined the significant harm and distress caused by Isaacs death. As Garling delivered the sentence, he said to the court officers, Take the prisoner away. Sultana, who had shown no regret or remorse, will be eligible for parole in January 2056.

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If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114, beyondblue on 1800 512 348, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalNSWCourts This is not a man: Jail for murder of woman after years of abuse Clare Sibthorpe December 19, 2025  5:52pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A

A man has been jailed for a maximum of 24 years for murdering his ex-partner in her Sydney apartment, in the culmination of years of violence that a judge said was fuelled by a dangerous fixation and anger at rejection. On May 26, 2023, Danny Zayat killed 34-year-old Tatiana Dokhotaru inside her 22nd-floor apartment in Liverpool in Sydneys south-west, after ending her desperate Triple Zero call and throwing her phone off her balcony. Tatiana Dokhotaru was murdered by her ex-partner inside her 22nd floor apartment in Liverpool Instagram Zayat, 30, fled with money Dokhotaru had earlier saved for their future, left her body in the apartment for 20 hours, and blamed her death on suicide when emergency services found her the next day. At the NSW Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Desmond Fagan sentenced Zayat to 24 years jail with a non-parole period of 18 years, after a jury earlier found him guilty of murder.

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He said that too often the threat of a heavy jail sentence does not penetrate the thoughts and actions of fixated, controlling males, who are dangerous for women who have rejected them and are trying to break free. There was ample time for [Zayat] to get a grip, to recognise that he was routinely assaulting, injuring and frightening a defenceless woman, and that his actions were wrong by any human standard, Fagan said. Instead, he pressed on with the final lethal assault on 26 May. Danny Zayat has been jailed for a maximum of 24 years for murdering his ex-partner, Tatiana Dokhotaru. Instagram Fagan read out a message a doctor sent Dokhotaru as she urged her to report the abuse: This is not a man, and such people do not stop.

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Russian-born and Canadian-raised Dokhotaru met Zayat in 2017. She described him to friends as the love of her life. Throughout the next five years, their relationship spiralled into violence, with friends witnessing Zayats physical abuse in public. In late 2022, the pair moved out of their shared home and Dokhotaru rented the Liverpool apartment in which she was killed. Despite their separation, Zayat remained possessive of Dokhotaru, exploding into violent rage whenever he discovered shed spoken to other men. In early April 2023, the month before Dokhotaru was killed, their relationship was at rock bottom. They had broken up but continued communicating, expressing their love for each other despite Zayats escalating violence. In one of hundreds of texts released to the court, Dokhotaru said their relationship was like putting together broken glass and Zayat had destroyed her.

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Crime Texts expose Tatianas inner turmoil in weeks before domestic violence murder Weeks before her murder, after Zayat had attacked her and then showered her with compliments, apologies and promises to change, Dokhotaru wrote: I love you  Im giving you a second chance. Zayat responded: Trust me we are going to be better than ever. Zayats abuse included beating her, choking her and spitting on her. Sometimes she confided in friends about his violence; other times, she made up excuses, such as falling over or being in a car crash. As well as repeated physical abuse, Zayat would coercively control Dokhotaru by secretly monitoring her phone and dictating her social media use. He threatened to kill her if she spoke to another man and commonly called her vulgar names. Tatiana Dokhotaru and Danny Zayat wait for the lift to her unit in the hours before she was murdered.

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As Dokhotaru remained trapped in the cycle of abuse, Zayat slept at her apartment for the last few nights of her life. On her last night alive, she shared a meal and some wine with a friend in her unit. After the friend left, she texted Zayat that she missed him and was in so much pain following an earlier attack by him. An apprehended domestic violence order was in place at the time, but did not prevent Zayat from spending time with Dokhotaru. A text exchange between Tatiana Dokhotaru and her murderer Danny Zayat in the lead up to her death. Zayat arrived at her unit at 10.35pm and was there for 65 minutes, CCTV footage showed. Dokhotaru was never heard from again. Fagan found beyond reasonable doubt that, sometime after 11pm, Zayat inflicted three significant blunt force injuries to Dokhotarus head, either by striking her with his body or an object, thrusting her head against a hard surface  such as a wall or bench  or pushing her and causing her to fall against a hard surface.

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Courts Like putting together broken glass: How Tatianas fairytale descended into fatal violence Dokhotaru died from a brain bleed caused by blunt-force head trauma. She had called Triple Zero during Zayats attack, saying her ex-boyfriend was trying to kill her and steal her money. But, Zayat threw her phone off the balcony, murdered her and fled. Emergency services tried to attend but did not know her unit number. Almost 24 hours later, at 8pm the next day, Zayat returned to the unit and called Triple Zero, telling them that he found her dead, she had been depressed and shed been taking pills. Fagan found Zayat had tried to steal her money, having known she had a shoebox full of cash in her apartment.

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During a period of reconciliation, the pair discussed plans to move to Dubai. Dokhotaru told Zayat about cash shed saved from her luxury goods business and sent him a photo of a shoebox full of $100 bills, messaging: Lets build an empire. Fagan hoped that increasing public discussion or education may, in time, help women to recognise early in a deteriorating relationship whether they may be facing grave danger from an obsessed, violent partner. The defence unsuccessfully argued Dokhotaru could have died accidentally, such as falling over while under the influence of several substances. She had alcohol, cannabis, diazepam, opiates and antihistamines in her system, but they were all found in low doses. Zayat will be eligible for parole in 2043. If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline on 131 114, beyondblue on 1800 512 348, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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Letters NationalVictoriaLetters Attempting to salvage Jewish Australian dream December 19, 2025  8:00pm 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

Bad news. Vintage Matt Golding October 22, 2023 To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. BONDI ATTACK When my parents emigrated from Czechoslovakia, they chose Australia for its distance from where our ancestors were persecuted for centuries. My grandparents were lucky to escape the Holocaust with their lives, the sole survivors in their families.

My parents grew up ashamed of their Jewishness, hiding it from colleagues, friends, and even their own children. We only learnt we were Jewish outside the UNHCR in Belgrade, as we began our long journey to Australia.

For 35 years, I had the privilege of openly, even proudly, calling myself a Jewish Australian. But things are different now. My father worries about his grandchildren becoming targets of antisemitism. After Bondi, its difficult to dismiss his concerns, especially as my son was subjected to a vile antisemitic comment the very next day at school.

For over two years, as the Jewish community grew increasingly alarmed about antisemitism, I resisted. Now, the scales have fallen from my eyes. I sincerely hope its not too late to salvage the Jewish Australian dream that my parents, and so many others, came here searching for.

Pete Koval, Carnegie Selfish and pointless chest beating

The murder of so many innocents at Bondi has torn a hole in the fabric our society. While it is impossible to stop deranged individuals from attacking crowded venues, this is a moment when all Australians should be gathering together in a show of unity, not indulging in the selfish and pointless chest beating that has been the reaction of so many of our politicians, both past and present.

We can all give thanks to those who showed heroism, like Boris and Sofia Gurman, and especially Ahmed al Ahmed, who has helped repair that hole in our society, for us all.

Mike Francis, Fitzroy

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Not divisive to call out Albaneses failure

To all your correspondents saying it is unfair to blame the Albanese government for the Bondi massacre and asking what he should have done, the Jewish community organisations had been warning for two years that something like this would happen, suggesting concrete steps to combat the rife antisemitism that led to this horror, and pleading with the government to do more.

And it is not divisive politics to point this failure out. It is incredibly disappointing that so many are rushing to defend Albanese and attack the Coalition rather than heeding the Jewish communitys views.

Danny Samuels, Malvern Unedifying pile-on for political gain

At a time of deep sorrow, what we needed was political solidarity and unity from all sides of the political fence, regardless of ideology or other beliefs.

Instead, weve seen an unedifying pile-on, united only in seeking to obtain some form of political gain from attacking Albanese. Hanson and a conga line of Liberals (including John Howard) lined up to take bites out of Albanese.

Where was the leadership, understanding, compassion and empathy that Australia needs right now? I am so disappointed  and deeply hurt.

Mason Blunt, Doncaster A royal commission not the right inquiry

A royal commission would be the wrong response to the terrorist attack at Bondi. Royal commissions take a long time and never seem to have much long-term effect. The best of the royal commissions was into Robodebt, and not all its results have been made public yet.

What is needed is a three-person inquiry consisting of experienced experts in the field of security and policing. Steps can be taken immediately instead of waiting years for a royal commissions findings.

David Fry, Moonee Ponds THE FORUM Agree to not agree

Your correspondent (Letters, 19/12) asked: Why do people ... hate people of a different group? If we can answer that question ... we can focus on teaching people to celebrate ... differences.

Those differences are often exploited for retribution, ideological, financial or political imperatives. Try Hillary Clinton dismissing anyone who disagreed as a basket of deplorables.

So, too, the Indigenous Voice referendum where those who questioned, hesitated or disagreed with Yes were dismissed by some as racist.

The Victorian premier explicitly selected Brighton to launch division and resentment into the housing crisis, augmented by the prime minister uttering the word NIMBY on the ABC when labelling dissent as selfish.

Even a mention of global population, immigration, consumption and the survival of life on Earth now risks cancellation.

Ronald Elliott, Sandringham

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Grieve in peace

The strength and stoicism Im seeing from relatives whove lost family members is extraordinary as they must appear on television and speak to the media about the tragedy of losing loved ones. Lets now leave them alone and their families to grieve in peace please.

Jenny Smith, East Melbourne No skin in the game

My overwhelming grief and rage at the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi on Sunday has been compounded by reading the letters to The Age (19/12).

Josh Frydenbergs searing speech and subsequent comments come from his lived experience and his very raw and emotional response to not just Sundays massacre, but the inaction of the government to act when the warning signs were abundantly clear is deeply personal.

Sussan Leys role as leader of the opposition is to hold the government to account, and in this case it is with respect to a grave failure to keep Australians safe, which the prime minister himself has now admitted and for which he has (reluctantly and belatedly) accepted responsibility.

To characterise these as political opportunism and divisive or corrosive to social harmony speaks volumes about political tribalism and cocooned privilege of living without threat.

Perhaps letter writers should listen to those most seriously affected, the Jewish community, who overwhelmingly support the statements of both Frydenberg and Ley and try to display empathy and understanding rather than sitting in judgment about an issue in which I am guessing they have no skin in the game.

I had hoped that the silent majority might now finally understand what the Jewish community has been facing and where it inevitably would lead, but the letters in the paper have shattered that illusion, more concerned with denigrating the response than with tackling the underlying hate.

Lisa Mann, Kooyong Act like a leader

Sussan Ley ought to be ashamed of herself for politicising a terrorist attack and casting aspersions on the prime minister when ASIO had not issued any warnings of an imminent attack.

Previous opposition leaders Kim Beazley, Simon Crean and Bill Shorten didnt behave like this following the Port Arthur massacre, the Bali bombings and the Lindt cafe siege. She is Australias alternative prime minister, and its time she started acting like it.

Adele Homburg, Elsternwick Albanese acted

Its revealing that former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert can, from the other side of the world, see the concrete steps our government had taken before the terrible Bondi massacre to combat the rise of antisemitism in Australia.

However, so many shrill commentators here are determined not to acknowledge such steps and have made damning accusations against Anthony Albanese (Australia is right to support a two-state solution, 19/12). So, are we to believe there is no politics involved in any of these accusations?

Peter Kartsounis, Warrnambool Prejudice is learnt

As we welcome government efforts to promote tolerance and respect across kindergartens, schools, childcare centres, and universities, it should not be limited to antisemitism.

Prejudice is learnt. And can be learnt by anyone. Research shows that prejudice is fuelled by perceived threats to resources  especially economic  (immigrants are taking our land, houses, and jobs); perceived fear of and insecurity towards other ethnic groups; and also, by limited positive interaction with different groups. This last factor is critical in order to humanise the other, to increase empathy, and to build a sense of shared identity. Mono-ethnic or mono-religious schools wont work. They dont prepare children to live in a diverse society. In the absence of systemic change, the taskforce will hopefully include every learning institution in our education system. Teaching tolerance should not be selective, but be inclusive.

Varuni Ganepola, Mentone

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The need for humanities

Teaching humanities is important after all (Antisemitism fight to go into kinders, schools and unis, 18/12). Despite all the propaganda for STEM, we humanities teachers knew the value of our studies. We most definitely need STEM, for careers, jobs, the economy. But Australians dont live by bread alone: Humanities teach students their history, their culture, their society.

In such a multicultural society as ours, students must know more than their family or ethnic history; if they are not Jewish, they must know something of what it means to be Jewish; likewise, to know something of what it means to be Indigenous or Muslim, or any of our other heritages.

The humanities take students out of the immediate, the local, the insular, and encourage broader perspectives that make them better citizens in a modern, democratic state. Its terribly sad that it took a massacre to realise this.

Pam Cupper, Dimboola Educations limits

Seriously, how on earth would changes to the curriculum in our schools or universities have reduced the possibility of the heinous actions of the Bondi terrorists?

Priscilla Pyett, Fitzroy North Multicultural fractures

While the terrorist atrocities in Bondi and the Hamas massacre in Israel are unconscionable, the Australian government must be very careful to ensure that its response to hateful antisemitism does not demonise Australian Muslims and fracture the nations valued multicultural fabric by stoking divisions.

Josh Frydenbergs condemnation of Islamic ideology runs the risk of forming the perception that the Islamic religion itself is antisemitic and unAustralian; hardly borne out by the condemnation by Islamic spokesmen and clerics of the killings in Bondi and the heroic actions of Ahmed al Ahmed who risked his life to disarm the killer.

It is wrong to conflate the ideology of the IS terrorist organisation with Islam. Protesting against the Zionist ideology of members of the Israeli government, who demonise Palestinians and deem Palestinian territories Greater Israel and expand illegal settlements in the West Bank to ensure a two-state solution is impossible, should similarly not be seen as antisemitic.

Secondary and tertiary curriculums must teach about the Holocaust and the horrendous results of antisemitism. But equally, history teachers must be able to teach Palestinian history and look at the consequences of the creation of the state of Israel for the Palestinians without being regarded as antisemitic.

David Crawford, Balwyn Opportunity? Or not?

Best of luck to whoever becomes the new CEO of Woodside (Woodside boss resigns to run global oil giant BP, 19/12). Taking the helm of a company that continues to damage ecosystems and accelerate climate instability  all to extract short-term profit from fossil gas that is expected to become a stranded asset  is more of a reckoning than a career opportunity. Larni Dibben, Glen Iris

The renewable question

Your correspondent reminds us that beauty is subjective (Renewables arent free, 19/12). The facts arent.

About 70 per cent of people, even those living in renewable energy zones, support investment in wind and solar.

So lets be blunt: Do we Australians want clean horizons  or a new generation of coal smokestacks and nuclear towers across the countryside?

Karen Lamb, Geelong Dirty coals legacy

Your correspondent (Letters, Renewables arent free, 19/12) casting aspersions on renewable energy, obviously has no problem with the transmission lines running through Gippsland of the dirty coal-powered electricity.

No problem either with the coal dust those in the Latrobe Valley have endured for the past almost 100 years.

The same coal dust that lingered in the ceilings of homes in those towns and the impact it had on residents health.

No doubt, he has enjoyed the bright lights that same dirty coal has provided him all his life.

Michael McKenna, Warragul

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Take a bike

I would advise the premiers husband Yorick Piper to get a bike and for Jacinta Allan to provide him (and the rest of us in Victoria) with a suitable and safe cycling network.

We are yet to see any progress on delivering the Strategic Cycling Corridors as part of Victorias Cycling 2018 strategy and maybe now is a good time to put some focus on delivering the 12 priority corridors in Melbourne and a further four in each of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Wangaratta, as per Infrastructure Victorias recent report.

David Blom, Nunawading AND ANOTHER THING Matt Golding Bondi attack

I so envy those non-Jewish commentators and correspondents offering comments and advice on the killings of Jews, this time by jihadists at Bondi, who have never experienced racial hatred, nor are likely to be targeted for being Jewish.

Henry Herzog, St Kilda East Ill never be able to sing Waltzing Matilda again without sorrow and pain.

Myra Fisher, Brighton East

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Re the video of Ahmed el Ahmed wrestling with and disarming one of the shooters: As a human, he did what we would like to expect others would do in the same situation  to aid and protect others. We get subsumed by culture and religion, so we forget the important fact that we are humans first.

Gabrielle Baker, Windsor Ashes

Lets move Snicko into Parliament House.

Bernd Rieve, Brighton Poor Snicko seemingly gets affected by heatstroke.

Ian Macdonald, Traralgon Watching and enjoying the Ashes. I dont think I have ever seen two quieter wicket keepers than Carey and Smith.

Des Parkyn, Norseman, WA Interesting that Ben Stokes, the chief proponent of entertaining cricket, bats like Boycott on valium.

Malcolm Fraser, Oakleigh South

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Have to wonder if the England team were not encumbered with jewellery they might do better. Thought it was the Australians who were in chains.

Doris LeRoy, Altona Furthermore

Is Tottenham Hotspur the Premier Leagues St Kilda?

Ursula Miller, Frankston South Two hundred teenagers brawl with police on Mordialloc beach for the second time in two days. As George Bernard Shaw said  youth is wasted on the young.

Paul Custance, Highett The opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.

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Exclusive NationalWAHospitals WAs premier maternity hospital put on notice after damning report into baby boys death Michael Genovese December 19, 2025  2:45pm 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 director general of WA Health will issue an improvement notice to King Edward Memorial Hospital and oversee an unprecedented cultural reform program following a harrowing report into the circumstances surrounding a baby born dead at the hospital. Doctors and midwives at Western Australias premier maternity hospital will undergo new training as part of a cultural reform which will also see an extra obstetric consultant rostered on from Friday. Tommy and his mum, Alana Starkie. Alana and Paul Starkie Alana and Paul Starkie had travelled from Manjimup to Perths King Edward Memorial Hospital to induce labour when Alana was 38 weeks and six days pregnant in August. However, after more than four hours of labour, Alana realised there was something wrong and told the midwives she felt an agonising pain she had not experienced during the births of her three other children.

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Tommy Starkie was born not breathing, and with no heart rate, and in the following days was diagnosed with a near-total brain injury. He died after 23 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Now, an inquiry into the baby boys death  known as a Severity Assessment Code 1 report  has revealed Tommys declining heart rate was ignored despite CTG data showing he was being deprived of oxygen for more than an hour before his birth. SAC1 reports are saved for the worst incidents of harm during care provision in a public hospital. The independent panel behind the report found failings in communication, teamwork, leadership, workload management and a lack of situational awareness within the hospitals labour birthing suite contributed to a multitude of breaches of policy during Starkies labour and in the days that followed. Alana told 9News Perth the report confirmed King Edward failed us in almost every aspect of our care, and there was a blatant disregard for following their own policies that permeated the organisation.

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There would have been 50 instances or more where they didnt follow their own policies, and that resulted in the unnecessary death of our son, she said. Related Article Graphic content

Healthcare Tommy was born dead. His parents are still searching for answers They didnt follow their policies monitoring him during the birth. They failed to escalate to a doctor. They failed to communicate. They failed to document anything  they missed four CTG interpretations. The list goes on and on and on. Its just a catastrophic and cultural failure. None of their policies were followed. No one can tell me that this isnt happening right now in other births in that hospital, you cant tell me that 20 people didnt follow their policies in just our birth.

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WAs Director General of Health, Dr Shirley Bowen, has apologised and admitted the Starkies were failed, but was confident King Edward Memorial Hospital was safe. I absolutely regret whats happened to Alana, and I agree that the policies were not followed for her individual circumstance, but I can assure the public that we do have a safe, quality, high-care system of care at King Edward. I recognise thats hard given the circumstance weve got in front of us, Bowen said. A timeline of failures and missed opportunities For the birth of her fourth child, Alana was referred to King Edward for an induction after her 37-week ultrasound found the possibility of a coarctation of the babys aorta. This condition was later ruled out, according to the report. The SAC1 panel found multiple occasions of staff breaching hospital policy beginning 24 hours before Tommys birth, with a lack of an overnight medical review labelled a missed opportunity for an abnormal cardiotocography  or CTG  monitor to have been flagged at morning handover.

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CTG interpretations should occur half-hourly at a minimum and a fresh eyes review by a second practitioner every two hours. The report repeatedly found this did not occur. On another occasion, a CTG interpretation should have been countersigned by a second practitioner. The SAC1 panel was unable to identify why this did not occur. The report notes: The CTG indicates that the toco was not recording adequately to monitor uterine activity and made interpretation of the trace difficult. Eighteen hours after she was admitted, Alana was transferred to the labour birth suite, received oxytocin and underwent a process to induce labour. However, staff failed to perform a CTG immediately prior, which breached the hospitals policy.

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Once the CTG was up and running staff failed to interpret it every half hour. At one point, two staff reviewed the CTG collaboratively, but nothing was documented. The SAC1 panel found that both staff may have assumed the other would complete the required documentation. Tommy Starkie and his parents, Alana and Paul. Alana and Paul Starkie Once the abnormal CTG was identified, the midwife raised it with the registrar face-to-face twice, however this escalation was not documented nor was a review by the registrar documented, according the SAC1 finding. About 90 minutes before Tommys birth, a midwife documented abnormal features on the CTG which prompted an escalation to the registrar, who reviewed it remotely. Shortly after the midwife noted nil concerns voiced.

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The panel found this escalation did not result in appropriate action as it should have prompted a reduction or cessation of oxytocin which did not occur, and around that time the registrar was involved in the management of an instrumental assisted birth. Alanas oxytocin was increased about two hours before Tommy was born, which the panel agreed should not have happened in the context of inadequate CTG monitoring and increasing contractions with inadequate resting tone. And by 8pm  an hour before Tommy was born  the panel found the CTG demonstrates features highly likely to be associated with fetal hypoxia. The infant was being deprived of oxygen. Alanas oxytocin was reduced upon recognition of hyperstimulation, despite the hospitals guidelines requiring oxytocin to cease in those circumstances. From 8.15pm, Alanas contractions could no longer be tracked adequately.

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Following a vaginal examination, a midwife hit the staff assist button because of concerns over the babys heart rate. A shift coordinator and a second midwife entered the room but failed to act. Related Article Hospitals Royal Perth Hospital calls in AI as new figures paint grim picture of WA emergency departments Neither the primary midwife nor the additional midwives clarified the intent of the staff assist bell, reflecting a lack of shared understanding. the report found. Alana experienced immense pain during the final hour of her fourth labour, with the report detailing how she told her medical team she was unable to cope, warning somethings not right and that she wanted to cut the baby out. But staff perceived this as normal for women during this stage in labour, according to the SAC1 report, and Alanas description of wanting the baby cut out was not perceived as a request for consideration for an emergency caesarean section.

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Tommy was born at 9.08pm with poor tone, required intubation and CPR and was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. He had a near-total brain injury and died 23 days later. The case is currently before the coroner. The panel concluded it was unlikely a four-minute period of shoulder dystocia was the primary cause of Tommys hypoxia, and that the harm likely occurred throughout labour. Hospital tech a focus of reports recommendations The investigation highlighted potential to improve King Edwards primary fetal monitoring system, known as Phillips Intellispace Perinatal, which relies on an algorithm that was not validated for use during labour, according to the SAC1 findings. The hospital is adamant the system works safely. The panel concluded that the organisations fetal monitoring technology is not optimised, and may lack the AI capability of other systems, resulting in a missed opportunity for a technological safety net to have supported the identification of fetal compromise, the report stated.

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Health officials are assessing whether improvements can be made to the software including enhanced AI capability. Staff will also undergo additional education and training to improve CTG interpretations. The SAC1 report not only finds failures during Tommys birth but also with the way his mother was treated in the days that followed. An ultrasound on September 1, almost 24 hours after Tommys traumatic birth, raised the possibility of a uterine tear, which was later confirmed. No one at King Edward Memorial Hospital ever discussed the finding with Alana. North Metropolitan Health Service says the ultrasound findings were included in Alanas digital medical records, however the SAC1 report contradicted that, saying: No contemporaneous nor subsequent documentation appear in the patients DMR about how the ultrasound findings indicated a potential uterine rupture/tear, nor was there documentation outlining that a possible uterine tear/rupture was a differential diagnosis in relation to the patients ongoing pain.

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The omission of documentation does not align with the organisations Results Acknowledgement and Communication of Critical Results policy, which articulates the requirement that all clinical decision making and/ or actions arising from the review of electronic test results must be documented in the patients medical record, the report reads. The possibility of its existence was known and therefore should have formed part of the discussion with the patient as part of an effective open disclosure discussion. Bowen told 9News Perth this week that Tommys birth was a tragic event. She said the ultrasound that could have revealed a uterine tear was in Alanas digital medical record, and an obstetrician was meeting with the Starkies to discuss the situation further. The report made eight recommendations, including a major cultural reform program aimed at reducing human and technological error, and boosting staffing levels by adjusting ratios for the labour birthing suite. It also recommended King Edward review the system used to monitor babies as they are being born, with concerns it may lack the AI capability of other systems, resulting in a missed opportunity for a technological safety net.

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A major review of the labour birthing suites emergency response processes, a new clinical documentation policy, and an overhaul of the open disclosure of serious adverse events at the hospital formed the remainder of the reviews recommendations. Related Article Updated

Development $1.6 billion Perth convention centre upgrade scrapped to buy and build hospitals North Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Robert Toms has also apologised to the Starkie family. The review identified eight contributing system factors and eight recommendations have been identified to improve these systems to ensure such incidents dont happen again, he said. All of those involved are deeply impacted. They go to work each day wanting to provide the best possible care.

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Alana welcomed the reports recommendations  if theyre implemented. If theyre implemented, I do think the recommendations are good, and I do think it will make it safer, but Ill say this: how do you fix a broken culture, a culture that is broken so badly that this SAC report is showing? Our primary focus is making sure this disaster never happens again, that another baby doesnt have to suffer like our Tommy did in his 23 days and no family has to go through the trauma and distress of holding your baby son while he dies in your arms, no parent should have to go through that and no parent should have to go through that because of a fundamental failure of the medical system, she said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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NationalBondi shooting Opinion What kind of Australia do we want to be? Lets stop dodging the hard questions Josh Szeps Journalist and podcaster December 19, 2025  3:30pm

December 19, 2025  3:30pm 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

The worst terrorist attack in Australian history has triggered no shortage of hot takes. Pro-Israel writers blame critics of Israel. Anti-Israel activists blame Israel for putting a target on Jews backs. Lefties blame conservatives for suppressing legitimate criticism of Israel. Conservatives blame the prime minister for allowing anti-Jewish sentiment. Some say we mustnt scapegoat Muslims or collectively blame pro-Palestinians. Others say the attack proves that Israel is not to blame for antisemitism, the worlds oldest hatred. And everyone agrees on the answer: Say no to hate. Well, thats nice, innit? Mourners gather at Bondi Pavilions floral memorial at for victims of the massacre on Sunday. Mark Baker/AP One of our groups, Jewish Australians, can no longer gather in public without a legitimate fear of violence. In the aftermath of last Sunday, the same is probably true for Palestinian and Muslim Australians, who deserve our sympathy and care. How do we pull back? Multiculturalism isnt easy. You cant sustain a mosaic of different communities in a peaceful equilibrium without tethering them to something universal. For my generation, which grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, that tether was liberalism, meaning respect for free speech, for women, for gay people, for tearing down dogmas, for playing the ball not the person, for judging people by their arguments and behaviour, not by their skin colour or tribe.

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Bondi shooting PM must return to Bondi and meet the moment James Massola Chief political commentator But the past decade has seen a shift away from defending universal values towards fetishising group identities. Weve valorised difference, obeyed new language rules, pandered to grievances, and flaunted our virtuousness via ever more outraged social media posts about the controversy du jour. This allows us to dodge hard questions: how to address the demographic anxiety some Australians feel about high immigration, how to integrate insular migrant communities into the mainstream, how to defuse ancient beefs, how to criticise religious fanaticism without insulting peoples faiths, how to balance free speech against extreme beliefs. Fleshing out such questions is what allows multiculturalism to survive. But weve dropped our bat and walked off the field, preferring to recite cliches about how we oppose all forms of bigotry and how difference is our strength. In the vacuum, many Australians now get their moral guidance from provocateurs, ideologues and algorithms, rather than from the tradition that gave us the Enlightenment. Standing up for universal principles may require courage, but no great insight. It isnt rocket science to oppose fanatically religious, homophobic, infidel-hunting, blasphemy-obsessed, Jew-hating, anti-Enlightenment jihadist sympathisers. It goes without saying that most Australian Muslims abhor such views  a nuance that is lost on the kind of xenophobic bigots who will gain popularity if the rest of us refuse to take religious lunacy seriously.

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This is not to say that if only we had all tut-tutted a bit more about jihadism, then Islamic State supporters would have thrown in the towel. The ineffable, sloshing vibes that constitute a culture are complex. But when a culture rewards loud pronouncements of easy groupthink  while penalising contrarianism and rational analysis  it is not optimally defusing its internal threats. Pro-Palestinian protesters march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in August. Max Mason-Hubers Week after week, chunks of our cities were overtaken by protesters carrying signs that had nothing to do with Israeli policies, such as globalise the intifada and by any means necessary. The ubiquitous from the river to the sea, benign-sounding to bystanders, proposes that an Arab state ought to sit on top of all the land of Israel  that Jewish people should live at the pleasure of rulers whose theocratic education would make Australias most radical imam look like a Jew-loving hippy. Is such a sentiment just innocent political speech? Or, in the wake of the jihadism on October 7, 2023, could it be understood as a threat to conquer the worlds only Jewish safe space? Related Article Updated

Antisemitism Ambassador expelled, terror law changes: Irans brazen antisemitic attacks on Australian soil If this subtext seems a bit in-the-weeds for a layperson at a rally, thats understandable. Luckily, laypeople had two other terrific options: they could hold their tongues, or they could speak with some Jewish people and then decide what to do.

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Jewish Australians were avoiding parts of their own cities every weekend for fear of being heckled. More Australians attend these marches than the total number of Jews in Australia. The scale, logistics and co-ordination of the protests were staggering. According to British police and US intelligence, Iranian agents have posed as online activists to create unrest in Western countries, encouraging Gaza protests and providing organisers with financial support. When the Albanese government, to its credit, expelled the Iranian ambassador in August, it was because the Islamist fanatics who run Iran were accused of firebombing Jewish-Australian schools, homes, vehicles and synagogues to make it look like spontaneous home-grown anger. Tehran has been actively pursuing a strategy to divide Australians. So if you found yourself marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge chanting slogans you didnt write, about a complex issue youre not really across, surrounded by crowds chanting the same thing, which others found intimidating  you may, in fact, not have been elevating the discourse. Intifada technically means uprising, but in the context of Palestinian resistance it implies exploding buses, drive-by shootings and suicide bombers in cafes. (See: Second Intifada in Wikipedia, kids). Presumably, most of the protesters didnt know this. After last weekend, they do. The Intifada has been globalised. This is the point in the article where one ought to do a lot of bum-covering and throat-clearing, acknowledging, for example, that Free Palestine is not antisemitic (most of the worlds Jews also wish for a Palestinian state that accepts Israel), and that it is disingenuous of pro-Israel hawks to cry antisemitism at every criticism of Israeli policies. But must we swaddle every claim in both-sidesism? Might this squeamishness not be part of the problem? Imams who indoctrinate young Australians into harbouring theocratic hang-ups about female impurity, Jewish depravity, homosexual deviance and infidel blasphemy are inconsistent with what made Australia the kind of country that attracted migrants in the first place. If we cant figure out whats wrong with such beliefs  or, rather, if we feel the need to pretend that we cant figure it out  then by what values will Australian multiculturalism be sustained? Say No to Hate?

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Genuine grievances cant be wished away. Many Australians are worried about demographic change, high immigration, migrant integration and cultural unity. When the only people talking openly about such issues are Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce, were not bringing our best team to the field. One Nations Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce at Bondi on Tuesday. James Brickwood Its up to all of us to refresh multiculturalism by tethering it to universal values and admitting that it demands sacrifices all around. It demands that people in the majority make themselves uncomfortable, around unfamiliar languages, faiths, customs and food. And it demands that people in the minority give up dogmatism, grudges and cultural feuds. Yes, its uncomfortable. But if liberals wont defend Australian values, voters will elect illiberals to do the job. Josh Szeps is the host of the podcast Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps.

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Bondi Beach incident helplines: Bondi Beach Victim Services on 1800 411 822

Bondi Beach Public Information & Enquiry Centre on 1800 227 228

NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511  or Lifeline on 13 11 14

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PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Editorial ASIO has questions to answer on Bondi attack The Age's View Editorial December 20, 2025  5:00am

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In the fraught days after the Bondi Beach shootings came promises of gun law reform, a gun buyback, legislation to crack down on antisemitism and the application of the blowtorch to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, but somehow the role of Australias security authority largely slipped below the radar. Loading On Monday, we learnt that the man subsequently charged with 15 counts of murder, Naveed Akram, had been investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation six years ago, but no action was taken. His dead accomplice, his father, Sajid Akram, had applied to own guns years before and was issued a category AB firearm licence in 2023. He went on to amass six guns. Ensuing information revealed that Akram as a teenage street proselytiser followed a notorious Sydney jihadist, preacher Wissam Haddad, with connections to self-declared Islamic State group commander Isaac El Matari and convicted IS youth recruiter Youssef Uweinat. Haddad has denied any knowledge of Sundays attack. Not only that, Akram and his father flew to the Philippines and back last month without popping up on ASIOs radar. On Sunday, however, as authorities scurried to piece together the massacre, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said one of the attackers was known to his organisation before the shooting but not in an immediate threat perspective.

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Were looking to see if theres anyone in the community that has similar intent, he said. Its important to stress at this point we have no indications to that fact, but that is something we have active investigations on. For more than a year, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess has assessed the terrorism threat as probable. Alex Ellinghausen Of course, ASIOs books would be crowded with Sydney people of interest from the time of the Lindt Cafe siege in 2014 and radicalised young men who went to fight with or join the IS caliphate more than a decade ago. The younger Akram was interviewed by ASIO as the last holdout in Syria was overrun in 2019. But authorities seem to know little about the activities of the two Akrams between that date and last Sunday. Surely, the Hamas raids on Israel in October 2023 and the horror that flowed from those atrocities should have triggered ASIO into taking another look at people of interest on their books. Yet on the evidence so far, ASIO seems to have been playing catch-up since failing to join the dots on the Akrams.

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Burgess offered no explanation but said in a roundabout way there was a 50 per cent chance of an act of terror in the next year. Related Article Editorial

Bondi shooting Memo to security agencies: Lives are worth more than a flip of a coin The Age's View Editorial Burgess is the highest-profile spy chief in Australian history whose regular dramatic warnings now attract attention and hard cash. For decades, looming crisis has underwritten ASIOs need for more powers and more money to confront terrorism, espionage and cyberattacks. In 2024-25, ASIOs budget topped a record $1.1 billion. Yet, the agency was unable to link a registered cache of six guns to known terrorism. Albanese conceded that ASIO and other agencies missed something between 2019 and Sundays Bondi Beach massacre and foreshadowed reforms to ensure better interaction in future between federal and state intelligence and security agencies and police. One avenue of inquiry could be the consideration of making criminal intelligence gathered by security agencies available when assessing applications for gun licences. Currently, licences are determined only on an applicants criminal history.

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The funerals of the Bondi Beach victims who were slaughtered while celebrating the first day of Hanukkah continued throughout last week. But on Sunday, the final day of festival marking the endurance of Jewish life, a national day of reflection will allow all Australians to honour the victims and to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community. It is a fitting call to unity. Australians have a right to feel safe living their daily lives. During this sad week, the politicians repeatedly told us that the first responsibility of government was to protect citizens. This should also be the first responsibility of ASIO. Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.

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Editorial The Age's View  Since The Age was first published in 1854, the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers, always putting the public interest first.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the biggest gun buyback since the Port Arthur massacre almost 30 years ago, as he works with states to impose strict limits on the number of guns a person can own and calls for bipartisan support to enact the reforms in parliament. The federal government is cracking down on gun ownership after it was revealed slain Bondi gunman Sajid Akram legally owned six weapons despite his son and fellow shooter Naveed having been investigated for alleged terrorism links. The Nationals branded the buyback a smokescreen for lack of action on Islamist extremism and Liberal leader Sussan Ley demanded more detail before announcing a position. Both parties are calling for a royal commission into antisemitism, which Albanese has rebuffed. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces the gun buyback on Friday. Getty Images Albanese said on Friday he expected the scheme to recover hundreds of thousands of guns, which would be surrendered by individuals for financial compensation, with the federal government splitting the bill 50-50 with states and territories.

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Related Article Bondi shooting Bondi shooting as it happened: PM says Australia to establish national gun buyback scheme; men arrested in Liverpool had no confirmed links to Bondi gunmen, police say The government is proposing that states and territories will be responsible for the collection, processing and payment to individuals for surrendered firearms. The Australian Federal Police will then be responsible for the destruction of these firearms, he told reporters in Canberra. Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said the number of guns a person could legally own would be negotiated with each state and territory, after national cabinet agreed in principle to bring in caps earlier in the week. [The limits are] whats now being negotiated with the states in terms of what those numbers should be  but effectively, if it becomes illegal to be holding the number of firearms that you hold, then at that point you have to dispose of it. And the buyback scheme is the way that you do that. Albanese said Australians overwhelmingly want politicians to co-operate on the response to the Bondi attack, and he was seeking the Coalitions support.

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Ive made it very clear publicly that I want to see bipartisanship on this issue. But thats not something that I can impose, he said. A spokesman for Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the Coalition supports a proportionate examination of gun laws, but that the government must provide more details before it would form a position on the buyback. The government says this wont be determined for months, but there are laws that the parliament could pass today to directly eradicate antisemitism, combat extremism and strengthen counterterrorism measures, she said. The Nationals were sceptical of the buyback, with party leader David Littleproud branding it a shallow smokescreen. Youve got to look at this bloke [Albanese] and see how shallow he has become in this desperate attempt to divert attention away from the real problem, which is Islamic extremism, he said.

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The Coalition called for the government to recall parliament to work on new laws to curb Islamic extremism. A government source said on Thursday the departments of Home Affairs and the attorney-general would work through Christmas and the new year to fast-track antisemitism legislation, and MPs would be called back in January if the legislation was finalised. According to a government source, it is estimated the total cost of the buyback scheme would be $1 billion. The Sporting Shooters Association of Australia claimed it could be as much as $15 billion, when considering business buy-outs, equipment and firearms purchases. Related Article Bondi shooting Howard slams Albaneses leadership, calls changes to gun laws a diversion Western Australia is the only state that already caps the number of guns a person can have, and the Cook government set aside more than $64.3 million for the buyback scheme that ran for six months last year. NSW Premier Chris Minns has recalled state parliament to debate legislation next week that would cap firearm ownership in his state at four per person, with an exemption allowing primary producers and sporting shooters to hold 10.

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NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said on Friday she expected NSW  the state with the most guns, at more than 1.1 million  would need three to four times the WA budget. The prime minister said it was clear there was a problem with the licensing system after his backbencher Dan Repacholi  a former professional shooter  on Friday morning said NSWs reforms should not unfairly target responsible, law-abiding firearms owners. If a bloke in Bonnyrigg needs six high-powered rifles and is able to get them under the existing licensing scheme, then theres something wrong. I think Australians can see that, Albanese said. Related Article Gun control Why WAs gun laws may become a road map for the rest of the nation Repacholi was contacted for comment about the federal governments buyback scheme.

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Analysis PoliticsFederalBondi shooting Once untouchable, Albanese ends the year under siege Paul Sakkal December 19, 2025  5:41pm 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

Anthony Albanese appeared untouchable in November, when Canberra was consumed by conversations about the Coalitions internal feuds. But the political environment feels markedly different now. Earlier this month, Albaneses judgment was called into question as he let an expenses saga run for more than a week before reluctantly seeking advice on family travel perks. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday. Getty Images Four Labor MPs, speaking to this masthead on the proviso they were not named, said Albanese had reacted in a clumsy, uninspired and slightly stubborn manner after the Bondi terror attack and during the Anika Wells blow-up, recalling memories of the rockier periods of his first term when Labor feared it might lose office. Theres a sense hes been treated unfairly by some sections of the media after Bondi, but its pretty obvious his leadership has been lacking and the Jewish community isnt listening to him, one MP said.

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A summer Albanese hoped would be spent at the cricket and the tennis will now be dominated by the fallout from Sundays terrorist attack. Nobody can know yet if the governments disastrous December will be seen in the polls, but the atmosphere has changed and the Albanese ascendancy has been jolted. For an opposition left in a dishevelled state after the last election, putting a harsh spotlight on Albanese is worth more than any reputational benefit gained from maintaining decorum and convention, so bipartisanship after Bondi has been controversially sidelined. Businessman Mark Bouris with Liberal MP Andrew Bragg and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on the Bondi memorial this week. Oscar Colman The Coalition wants this to be Albaneses I dont hold a hose moment. He has not been on holiday, but he has been slow to respond to a report from the envoy to combat antisemitism, which contains some contentious recommendations, that he has had since July. On Thursday, he made belated moves to counter antisemitism, knowing many Australians would not blame him for Bondi but that action was needed. On Friday, he announced a landmark national gun buyback and brushed off calls from the Coalition and the Jewish community for a royal commission into the flare-up in antisemitism that could expose his government.

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Editor's pick Bondi shooting A father, a son and the radical world of terror All Im focused on is continuing to work, Albanese said in Canberra. He offered no suggestion on alternative federal or state probes into either antisemitism or how authorities failed to stop the attack. The prime minister used the same press conference to emphasise new videos more firmly tying the Bondi killers to Islamic State. This has been around for a long period of time, he said, pointing out that Islamic extremism was not new and attempting to de-link the massacre from the antisemitism debate. When asked if Islamic extremism was the nations biggest security threat, as news emerged about the religious motivations of men on the way to Bondi, Albanese placed jihadists alongside other bad actors.

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I want to deal with all of the threats, whether it be extremist perversions of Islam leading to support for the ideology promoted by ISIS, whether it be also concerned about the issue of sovereign citizens killing police  Im concerned about neo-Nazis, he said. Albanese is right to say there are myriad bad actors in the world. However, one of his MPs said the prime minister should have spoken in black-and-white terms from at least Monday about the scourge of fundamentalism. Related Article Analysis

Bondi shooting Cynicism about Frydenberg is familiar  and tempting. Its also grossly uncharitable The prime minister will never match the demands of right-wingers, some of whom are plainly bigoted towards Muslims, on how he should speak about extremists at the fringes of the Muslim community. But some MPs in his own camp believe he has sometimes avoided taking values-based stances on antisemitism for fear of angering Muslim voters in Labor seats, a claim the prime minister would deny. Albanese showed a hint of contrition on Thursday about Labors response to the rise in bigotry towards Jews. Part of what has frustrated Jewish leaders is their view that Albanese has tended to create false equivalence.

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PARIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A joint committee of French lawmakers from the National Assembly and the Senate failed on Friday to reach a compromise on the country's 2026 budget, said the National Assembly on its social media X, highlighting deep divisions that mean France will not have a state budget in place by year end.

"In accordance with the deadlines set by the Constitution and organic laws, the parliament will therefore not be able to vote on a budget for France before the end of the year," French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on his X account.

Lecornu said he would convene key political leaders to consult on the steps needed to protect the French people and identify conditions for a possible solution. He said earlier that the government would not invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows legislation to be adopted without a parliamentary vote, as done in previous years.

Lawmakers are now expected to pass a stopgap measure rolling over the 2025 budget into next year, before resuming work on a final 2026 budget in the new year. On Tuesday, parliament narrowly approved the social security budget bill, a key component of the government's broader spending plans.

France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, is under pressure to rein in its deficit and soaring debt, but efforts have been hampered by a political deadlock.

Lecornu's minority government has little room for manoeuvre in France's fractious parliament, where budget battles have already ousted his two predecessors over cost-cutting measures in a little over one year. 
Wissam Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd, who ABC Four Corners program has identified as a spiritual leader of Australias pro-Islamic State network, at the March for Humanity in August. He was accompanied by about a dozen younger men.

Bondi gunman Naveed Akram is the latest Islamic State sympathiser linked to western Sydney cleric Wissam Haddad, who himself has never faced serious criminal sanction. Why?

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In 2017, before he was a convicted supporter of the Islamic State terror group, a young Australian named Radwan Dakkak endorsed a book by a Salafi cleric on social media. A friend, Wissam Haddad, agreed: a very good book, he commented on the now-deleted Facebook post. The book in question, Verily, the Victory of Allah is Near by Sulaiman Al-Alwan, a Saudi national whose students in the early 2000s included one of the future 9/11 plane hijackers, discusses the permissibility of jihad aimed at terrorising the usurping Jews and the transgressing Christians. The benefits of suicide attacks, he wrote, had been shown because it shocked the enemies and [had] sown fear in the hearts and caused the fleeing of many of the Jews from the lands of Palestine. Haddads endorsement of the pro-Jihad book, and his link to Dakkak, who in 2020 was jailed over his links to the terror group, is just one example in the western Sydney clerics history of radicalism, and his associations with Australian IS devotees. Haddads association with one of the Bondi terrorists, Naveed Akram, has focused significant new attention on the Bankstown-based cleric. On Thursday, the federal government announced a crackdown on so-called hate preachers, and AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said clerics who spew hatred and cause fear are on my radar. Also known as Abu Ousayd, the Salafi cleric has, over many years, cultivated a network of followers, some of whom have been convicted of terror offences.

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In 2019, Youssef Uweinat, a now-27-year-old who was convicted of being an IS recruiter, wrote in an encrypted message in 2019: you dont know how much shit were (sic) in cuz, they know we are all linked .... me  abu ousayd, the boys they got locked up. In August, among the hundreds of thousands of people who crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge supporting Palestine, Haddad was spotted in the crowd along with about a dozen associates, including Uweinat, with the black flag of IS. Wisam Haddad at the March for Humanity. Andrew Quilty Yet despite terror raids which found IS material at his home, links to the extortion and intimidation of a religious rival, and a Federal Court ruling this year which found he vilified Jews by posting his fundamentally racist and antisemitic lectures online, Haddad has so far avoided serious criminal sanction. That ability to evade police has befuddled and enraged many members of the Muslim community, who despise Haddads hardline rhetoric. But, in revelations which will raise questions about the tactics of law enforcement agencies in dealing with hardline fundamentalists, two senior members of Sydneys Muslim community have told the Herald that in a private meeting with NSW Police a decade ago, a senior officer conceded they would not shut Haddad down because his Islamic centre was a good intel source. Haddad was, in effect, a honey pot, the two sources who were at the meeting say police told them.

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It was also around this time that Haddad founded what he described as Australias first street Dawah initiative. A form of proselytising popular among some hardline Salafi Muslims, street Dawah, where volunteers preach on street corners and outside train stations, has been linked to violent extremists both in Australia and overseas. At least seven of the 15 men detained during counter-terrorism raids in 2014 knew each other through a street Dawah group in Parramatta, for example. In 2012 the group held a brothers day out at a shooting range in Menai, in the citys south. Video from the day shows Haddad alongside Ahmed Elomar, the brother of slain ISIS fighter Mohamed Elomar. Let me tell ya we got some sharpshooters on board, text inserted over the video states. Thats right we teach them how to shoot Haddad has been linked to multiple high-profile cases  including the intimidation and extortion of a neighbouring business and religious rival  and has been described as a spiritual leader of a pro-IS network in Australia. Wissam Haddad (centre) leaves the Federal Court in Sydney after a court found he contravened the Racial Discrimination Act in three lectures. Edwina Pickles

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He said in a statement there was no evidence to support this allegation, and that he had never been charged, tried, or convicted of ISIS membership. Indeed, the only criminal charge Haddad has been convicted of related to the discovery of weapons during a raid on his home in 2015. He has, however, appeared in court judgements related to Australian IS devotees. Tapped phone calls recorded before police broke up a six-man terror cell in 2014 and 2015 included a conversation between aspiring jihadist Sulayman Khalid and another member of the cell, a minor, in which they discussed wanting to make a decision over whether to fight overseas, or commit to a domestic terrorist attack in Australia. The transcripts contained in the court judgement state the minor, referred to as IM, told Khalid that Haddad was right here and that he wanted to ask whether they should make banana over there or here. Banana was a code word the terror cell used for firearms. Another decision shows that when a high-risk terror offender listed Haddads home as his intended address if he was released on parole in 2014, a judge noted his bookshop was said to be a haunt of adherents of violent extremism. More recently, in 2023, when Nowroz Amin, a committed IS supporter who was jailed for preparing for a terror attack in Bangladesh, was released from prison, Haddad appeared alongside convicted terrorists such as Issac El-Matari and Dakkak on a list of people he was banned from associating with.

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PoliticsVictoriaCity life Public housing to be razed after appeals court gives final green light Rachael Dexter December 19, 2025  11:07am 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 legal green light has been given to demolish three of Melbournes public housing towers in the citys inner north, after the Court of Appeal dismissed a last-ditch bid by residents to save their homes. The Court of Appeal on Friday morning upheld an original ruling that the state governments 30-year redevelopment plan had not impinged on tenants human rights, despite intense criticism from a parliamentary inquiry that accused the state of a blatant disregard for democratic accountability. The towers on Racecourse Road and Holland Court (at rear), Flemington are set for demolition. Chris Hopkins The courts ruling allows the state to proceed with the demolition of the first three occupied towers  33 Alfred Street in North Melbourne, and 120 Racecourse Road and 12 Holland Court in Flemington  where 91 per cent of tenants have been moved out, according to the government. Early demolition works have already begun, and the towers are set to be torn down next year. Outside court, Louisa Bassini, managing lawyer at Inner Melbourne Community Legal, expressed deep disappointment, noting the decision meant the notices to vacate could now be served to the final remaining tenants.

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Related Article Public housing Classic Daniel: How the ex-premiers housing gambit created Labor schism Some of our clients will be facing the prospect of eviction leading up to the Christmas period, she said. The government says the current buildings fail noise, sustainability, energy efficiency, ventilation, private open space and seismic standards, as well as accessibility and minimum amenity standards.

The wider project will eventually move 10,000 residents at 44 sites across Melbourne and lease the public land to private developers for 40 years. The sites will be rebuilt with a mix of private rentals and community housing  properties owned and managed by not-for-profit organisations, rather than the state. So far, the only traditional public housing confirmed to be rebuilt is a pair of red-brick towers in Carlton, for which the federal government has committed separate funding.

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Public housing residents protest outside Parliament House this month. Chris Hopkins R-Coo Tran, a spokeswoman for the group 44 Flats United  which comprises tenants from across all 44 towers slated for redevelopment  said the group had vowed to continue fighting the plans despite the courts ruling. The only thing that will safeguard public housing for current and future generations to come is the power of residents standing up and organising together against these atrocious plans, she said. We want the Allan government to know, leading into an election year, that community support for our campaign is growing and that we will continue to fight them at every door, on every floor, of every building, on every estate until they drop these plans. Housing Minister Harriet Shing welcomed the decision, saying families deserve homes to be proud of and in a statement took aim the Greens  strident opponents of the redevelopment plan.

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The Greens hypocrisy on the towers redevelopment is breathtaking  calling for more housing while simultaneously blocking and opposing its delivery, she said. Related Article City life A sewing circle, a home, a lifeline: the community under threat as older peoples homes to be torn down The courts ruling follows a scathing final report from a year-long parliamentary inquiry this month, which called for the immediate halt to the demolition program until the Allan government hands over key evidence justifying the multibillion-dollar project. The final report, tabled in parliaments upper house, recommended an independent legal arbiter be appointed to review 146 secret documents the government has blocked under executive privilege. The report accused the Allan government of ignoring parliamentary rules to hide the key documents.

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The committee found the refusal to produce the documents meant it was impossible for parliament to verify if demolition, followed by a rebuild, was the most cost-effective option instead of infill and refurbishment. Greens housing spokesperson Gabrielle de Vietri said Fridays court loss did not absolve the government of its obligation to release the documents. If Labors case stacks up, they should release the documents and let them be independently assessed, she said. People are seeing that Labors mass demolition and privatisation of public housing has no legs to stand on, and it is only a matter of time until the wheels fall completely off.

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Opposition housing spokesman David Southwick has committed to releasing the secret documents if the Coalition wins government in November, saying the public deserves to know what Labor are hiding and exactly what they have signed taxpayers up to. The Court of Appeal refused a bid by the state government to force the residents to pay $10,000 in its legal costs. Justice Richard Niall noted that while the residents appeal was dismissed, the case involved very complicated questions of law of importance to the public and that the decision to implement the housing policy without consultation had caused significant grief to residents. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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Travel newsTourism Travel influencers are under threat from these three women. Theyre AI Julie Weed December 20, 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

Radhikas thick black hair falls in artfully imperfect waves below her shoulders, the misty hills of northeastern India providing the backdrop to her series of Instagram posts. The young influencer, whose skin looks impossibly flawless, perches at a wooden table at a cafe showing off her lunch, a bowl of saffron-coloured noodles, to her nearly 7500 followers. She rhapsodises about the fiery chutneys, spices and bamboo handicrafts of the region. But Radhika cant taste those fiery chutneys, smell the spices or buy any souvenirs. And oddly, the person behind her seems to have her head on backward. Radhika is a product of artificial intelligence. AI influencers. From left: Emma, created by the German National Tourist Board; Sama, created by Qatar Airways; Radhika Subramaniam, created by Indias Collective Artists Network. Travel companies, tourism boards and other businesses are turning to AI-created influencers like Radhika to lower costs, control messaging and create content more quickly, and human influencers fear theyre being elbowed out. Influencers, who typically amass social media followers with fabulous photos and videos of destinations, have become critical to the travel industry. According to Expedias 2025 Traveller Value Index, 73 per cent of consumers say an influencers recommendation has helped them choose a destination, a hotel or another element of a trip. For responders under 40, that number increases to 84 per cent.

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Companies and destinations have showered top influencers with money and freebies. It can be incredibly lucrative to be a major influencer, said Steve Morris, the founder of the marketing agency New Media, who works with travel brands in the United States, Europe and Asia. And travel is one of the most profitable categories. A single post can earn $US100,000 ($151,000) or more, he said. Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. That may be why a 2023 Morning Consult report stated that 57 per cent of young people ages 13 to 26 said they would become an influencer if given the opportunity. Blurring reality Large travel organisations appear to favour beautiful young women for their AI avatars  there seem to be few, if any, men  and they often blur the line between the digital and real worlds. Sama, Qatar Airways AI flight attendant, who represents the airline on its website as well as on social media, wears her onyx hair in a neat bun when she appears in her burgundy uniform, and more casually when shes off-duty in her Instagram feed.

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She looks strikingly lifelike, if a bit too face-tuned. Sometimes she posts to her 328,000 followers as if she is a person, appearing to converse with a real couple aboard a plane and asking if they had remembered to bring her a souvenir magnet from Tanzania. Or she writes emoji-peppered posts that make it seem as if she has had actual experiences: My camera roll after a 48-hour layover in Hanoi. Scooters, street food, and sunsets  this city has my heart. Other times she acts like a digital persona, saying in one post, As a virtual cabin crew, I have never been a child. The German National Tourist Boards digital storyteller, Emma, has shoulder-length blond hair and wears casual clothing, like an oversize sweater. She promotes destinations like the German wine country on social media, including Instagram, where she has 29,600 followers. In one post, she carries two buckets of green grapes, writing, There I was, clippers in one hand, a full bucket in the other.

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Comments on AI influencers accounts range from heart emojis and words of affirmation to attempts to out them as AI. Some people dont seem to realise, or perhaps care, that the digital influencers are not real, with some followers posting suggestive comments like from behind I see you very beautiful on an AI-generated photo of Sama, the virtual flight attendant, boarding a plane. Fear of being replaced Related Article AI I asked AI to do my Christmas shopping. Heres how it went Human influencers, especially those just getting a foothold, are starting to worry. Jen Ruiz, a lawyer turned solo travel expert who posts to nearly 50,000 followers under the Instagram handle Jen on a Jet Plane, said the rise of AI influencers had caused an uproar among content creators who feel theyre being replaced. To make matters worse, she said, its by an entity that doesnt share their passion or experience. AI influencers will take audience share, sponsorships and ad revenue from human influencers, said Aida Mollenkamp, who shares her travel and food experiences with 34,000 followers on Instagram. Theyll compete for the same attention spans, and in some cases, they already are, she added.

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The shift is also starting to affect more established influencers with huge numbers of followers. Christiana Ballayan, a lifestyle influencer who posts as kristline__ to more than 5 million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram, said she had experienced a decrease in available paid work from brands. Just a year ago, she said, hotels wanting to show off luxury experiences might cover creators flights, rooms and a lot of extras, along with paying for their work. Now, they might pay for the room and say, Thats what you get, Ballayan said. They have another advertising option: AI. Cheaper than live talent Morris, of New Media, has seen a substantial increase in spending on AI-generated photos, captions and social media avatars by hotel and other travel clients in the United States, Europe and Asia. About half the businesses he works with are experimenting with using AI for marketing, he said, and he expects more to follow suit. Those using the new technology are currently devoting about 20 per cent to 30 per cent of their marketing budget to it, he added. Creating a travel avatar, say a local guide, with some basic customisation can cost $US500 to $US2000 with the help of an AI avatar library like Hey Gen. A set of AI-generated imagery and video  showing a hotel in different seasons, for example  costs the same. A fully synthetic character, an avatar created from scratch with a unique visual design, personality, voice and mannerisms, costs $US5000 to $US10,000, or up to $US15,000 if the AI is constantly learning and updating, Morris said. Such advanced digital personas might be used as social media personalities with dedicated Instagram or TikTok accounts. Using an avatar and AI-generated imagery together, instead of hiring live talent and a travelling production crew, can significantly reduce the time and cost of producing an online marketing campaign, Morris said.

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Despite its investment in creating Sama, Qatar Airways says it does not plan to use fewer human influencers. It is not about choosing between humans or AI; it is about using both together to make our brand more accessible and more intuitive for travellers, said Babar Rahman, senior vice president for marketing and corporate communications at Qatar Airways. Related Article Opinion

Tripologist Im a travel expert, but Im now letting AI plan my trips Michael Gebicki The Tripologist As technology advances, AI-created travel bots and influencers are likely to become agentic (a term that describes a system that can take an action on its own), said Ari Adnan Cibari, founder at the marketing and technology consultancy AtlasPerk. That could mean an AI influencer could, for example, help followers book travel arrangements or make dinner reservations. And while viewers may value the feeling that human travellers are sharing their unvarnished adventures and opinions, the AI avatars lack of authenticity will soon be harder to detect. The colours, the detail  they are already insanely good, Cibari said. It can already be impossible to tell the difference. All this leaves some travellers, like Taliesen Black-Brown, 28, a filmmaker from Seattle, feeling even less trusting of what they see online. Social media, he said, already felt fake and vapid. Now, he added, this stuff is even more inauthentic because its not even connected to someones real life experience. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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WorldEuropeCourts French anaesthetist Dr Death killed 12 patients to feed his thirst for power Henry Samuel December 19, 2025  6:30pm 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

Paris: A French doctor branded one of the worst criminals in history has been sentenced to life in prison for poisoning 30 patients in an attempt to feed his thirst for power. Frederic Pechier, 53, worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon, when patients went into cardiac arrest in suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017. Twelve of the victims died. Prosecutors described Pechier as one of the worst criminals in history who used medicine to kill. French former anaesthetist Frederic Pechier arrives at Besancons courthouse this month. AFP His youngest victim, a four-year-old boy called Teddy, survived two cardiac arrests during a routine tonsil surgery in 2016. Pechiers oldest victim was 89.

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You are Doctor Death, a poisoner, a murderer, prosecutors at an earlier hearing said. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard. Related Article Crime Baby-murdering nurse to die in prison after being given life sentence An investigation was launched in 2017 after suspicious cardiac arrests during operations on patients otherwise considered low-risk. At the end of a three-month trial, the Doubs assize court handed out a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years, as well as a permanent ban on practising medicine. Pechier, who denied wrongdoing and had not been detained since the start of the investigation, appeared impassive as the verdict was read out. You will be incarcerated immediately, said the presiding judge, Delphine Thibierge.

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The judges and jury found that Pechier had deliberately contaminated intravenous fluid bags and syringes with potassium, lidocaine, adrenaline and heparin, triggering sudden heart attacks or haemorrhages during routine procedures. Its a relief, a liberation, because shame has changed sides, said Stephane Giuranna, a lawyer for several civil parties. You bring shame on all doctors. You have turned this clinic into a graveyard. Prosecutors at an earlier hearing He has been found guilty of all the charges, making him the biggest criminal in French legal history. I have no doubt that there will be a retrial, and we are ready to face it, he said. Prosecutors argued that Pechiers motive was not mercy but power; he aimed to psychologically damage colleagues with whom he was in conflict by engineering medical disasters on their watches.

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They painted a picture of a man obsessed with control, who derived satisfaction from watching others panic or fail, and then intervening to save the day to feed his thirst for power. Long seen as the star anaesthesiologist of Besancon, prosecutors said his uncanny ability to administer a life-saving injection, sometimes outside of recommended best practices, eventually became suspect. Pechier worked as an anaesthetist in two clinics in the eastern city of Besancon. Getty Images His too-good clinical intuition was tied to his knowledge of the true problem facing the patient, the investigating judges said. Several doctors testified to careers ruined by unexplained collapses on operating tables, while families described loved ones who had entered clinics for minor surgery and never came home.

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One lawyer for the civil parties said Pechier had turned hospitals into cemeteries, adding that patients were drawn at random to serve a private vendetta. He wanted hearts to stop, one investigator said during the trial. The life of the patient did not matter. Editor's pick LGBTQ Junk science: RFK Jr moves to eradicate gender-affirming care for trans youth While he eventually accepted that an unidentified individual must have contaminated perfusions in at least one of the clinics, he insisted that he was not responsible. I am not a poisoner, he repeated in court. His defence lawyer, Randall Schwerdorffer, pleaded judicial error, accusing investigators of building a theory around the doctor as a common denominator rather than proving guilt beyond doubt.

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He likened his clients plight to that of Patrick Dils, the Frenchman wrongly convicted as a teenager of murdering two children. Coincidences exist, Schwerdorffer told jurors. He argued that no one had seen Pechier poison a patient, that some incidents occurred when he was not present, and that his reserved, taciturn manner had been wrongly construed as a lack of empathy. Is there an instrument that measures empathy? he asked. After the verdict, the lawyer said he would appeal. Im not at all convinced by the prosecutions case and remain convinced of Frederic Pechiers innocence, he said. He is facing this new ordeal with his head held high.

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WorldNorth AmericaTragedy Seven dead after jet erupts into giant fireball shortly after take-off Allen G. Breed and Gary D. Robertson Updated December 19, 2025  1:27pm ,first published December 19, 2025  10:41am 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

Statesville, North Carolina: A business jet crashed while trying to return to a North Carolina airport shortly after take-off, killing all seven people aboard, including retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, authorities said. The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground on Thursday, North Carolina time. It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 70 kilometres north of Charlotte, but soon crashed while trying to return and land, North Carolina Highway Patrol said. Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. The cause of the crash wasnt immediately known, nor was the reason for the planes return to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions. Biffle was on the plane with his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, according to the highway patrol and a family statement. Others on the plane were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

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Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives, the joint family statement said. Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCARs three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002. Greg Biffle holds his daughter Emma before a race in 2012. AP Known as The Biff, he was named as one of the sports 75 Greatest Drivers. NASCAR said it was devastated by the news. Greg was more than a champion driver; he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many, NASCAR said.

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His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport. A screengrab shows firefighting crews responding to the crash at Statesville, North Carolina. AP The plane, bound for Florida, took off from the Statesville airport shortly after 10am on Thursday, local time, according to tracking data posted by FlightAware.com. Golfers playing next to the airport were shocked as they witnessed the disaster, even dropping to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered with debris. We were like, Oh my gosh! Thats way too low, said Joshua Green of Mooresville. It was scary.

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The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were investigating. The Cessna plane, built in 1981, is a popular mid-sized business jet with an excellent reputation, aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said. It has two engines and typically seats six to eight passengers. In 2024, Biffle was honoured for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the United States, even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina. The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. Thats who the Biffles were, said US Representative Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina.

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Wadsworth was Biffles friend and helped him with odd jobs, including delivering supplies to places hit by Hurricane Helene, roommate Benito Howell said. He didnt know how to say no, Howell said of Wadsworth, who had worked for several NASCAR teams. He loved everybody. He always tried to help everybody. The joint family statement also spoke about Dutton and his son Jack, saying they were deeply loved as well, and their loss is felt by all who knew them. AP Get alerts on breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.

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Hyundai Motor Company leads the industry with 10 2025 TSP/TSP+ ratings

Hyundai has eight 2025 TSP+ awards: 2025 Elantra (built after October 2024), Sonata (built after November 2024), IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6, and 2025-26 Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe (built after November 2024) and 2026 IONIQ 9 and two TSP awards: 2026 Palisade and 2026 Santa Cruz

IIHS TSP/TSP+ awards now require more stringent testing criteria for second-row occupants

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 16, 2025 -- The 2026 Hyundai Palisade has been awarded a 2025 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) designation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Hyundai leads the industry with 10 TSP/TSP+ ratings (8 TSP+ and 2 TSP) for 2025. The TSP and TSP+ awards identify the best vehicle choices for safety within their vehicle categories by IIHS.

"The 2026 Hyundai Palisade offers a suite of new safety technologies including available built-in-dual camera dash cam, ten airbags, third-row seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, "said Cole Stutz, chief safety officer, Hyundai Motor North America. "Hyundai continues to enhance occupant protection and crash-prevention performance in our products to protect occupants in all types of roadway situations."

Palisade Safety Features

The 2026 Hyundai Palisade has earned an IIHS 2025 TOP SAFETY PICK thanks to its advanced safety engineering and comprehensive SmartSense suite of driver-assist technologies. Standard features include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assisti, Blind-Spot Collision Warningii, Safe Exit Assistiii, and Remote Smart Parking Assistiv, among others. With ten airbags, including third-row coverage, and seat belt pretensioners for all rows, Palisade sets a new benchmark for occupant protection. Its robust structure, built with Advanced High Strength Steel, enhances crash energy absorption while reducing weight. Additional innovations like Advanced Rear Occupant Alertv further demonstrate Hyundai's commitment to passenger safety.

2025 TSP/TSP+ Award Criteria

The 2025 IIHS test criteria now has more stringent requirements for second-row occupant safety. To earn a 2025 TSP/TSP+ award, vehicles must earn good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests as well as an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation, which gauges performance in both daytime and nighttime conditions. All trims must be equipped with acceptable- or good-rated headlights. An acceptable rating in the updated moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for TSP, but a good rating is required for TSP+. For more information on the changes to the award criteria, visit IIHS.org.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles, while supporting Hyundai Motor Company's Progress for Humanity vision. Hyundai has significant operations in the U.S., including its North American headquarters in California, the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant, the all-new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, and several cutting-edge R&D facilities. These operations, combined with those of Hyundai's 850 independent dealers, contribute $20.1 billion annually and 190,000 jobs to the U.S. economy, according to a recent economic impact report. For more information, visit www.hyundainews.com.

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok

i The Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped) is intended to be a supplement to safe driving practices. The system is not designed to detect certain stationary objects such as trees or poles, and may not detect all vehicles or pedestrians under certain conditions. The system is a driver assistance system and is not a substitute for safe driving. The driver is responsible for being attentive and maintaining control of the vehicle, and should not wait for the system's alerts before braking as there may not be sufficient time to brake safely. See Owner's Manual for further details and limitations.

ii Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) can assist the driver by warning of other cars in the blind spot region. While your turn signal is on, it can alert you visually, by sound and/or by haptic feedback when equipped. It senses the rear side territory of the vehicle when it is traveling over approximately 12 mph. There are limitations to the function, range, detection and clarity of the system. It will not detect all vehicles or objects in the blind spot. Its operation depends on the size, distance, angle and relative speed difference between your car and other cars. BCW may not operate if sensors are obscured in any way. Do not rely exclusively on BCW. BCW is a supplemental system, and the driver must still be attentive and exercise caution when driving. It is the driver's responsibility to be aware of the surroundings and ensure it is clear before changing lanes or directions. See Owner's Manual for further details and limitations.

iii When the vehicle is parked, Safe Exit Warning (SEW) can alert the driver when a vehicle is approaching from behind. SEW does not work in all situations and is not a substitute for driver or passenger attentiveness. Always be aware of your surroundings and attentive of approaching vehicles. See Owner's Manual for further details and limitations.

iv Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) can remotely help park the vehicle. However, several factors can impact RSPA performance. RSPA may not function correctly if one or more of the parking sensors is damaged, dirty or covered or if weather conditions (heavy rain, snow or fog) interfere with sensor operation. Always inspect the parking area with your own eyes. See Owner's Manual for further details and limitations.

v Upon turning the engine off, Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) will provide a visual alert on the instrument cluster. ROA is not a substitute for driver attentiveness. Never leave a child or pet unattended in a vehicle. See Owner's Manual for further details and limitations.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
All Deals Available on Cars Priced Under $50,000*

ATLANTA, Dec. 17, 2025 -- Autotrader, a Cox Automotive brand, announces major end of the year deals from automakers to help consumers make their final purchase of 2025 or first purchase of 2026 even easier. The deals, available on cars under $50,000, include low annual percentage rate (APR) financing and lease deals on SUVs, cars, trucks, and electric vehicles (EVs). This year-end list includes vehicles for all lifestyles, such as those looking for outdoor adventure, great gas mileage, tech-forward features, family friendly cabins and more.

"As new models arrive at car dealerships, more deals become available on outgoing models," said Sean Tucker, managing editor for Autotrader. "Automakers understand the importance of delivering value to potential buyers and these impressive year-end deals go a long way towards helping consumers feel more confident in their car-buying decisions, even amid today's economic pressures."

Best Year-End Holiday Car Deals of 2025 (in alphabetical order)

2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

2025 Ford Explorer

2026 GMC Sierra 1500

2026 Honda Civic Hatchback

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

2025 Mazda CX-50

2025 Nissan Kicks

2025 Subaru Impreza

2026 Toyota Corolla

2026 Toyota Corolla Cross

For vehicle photos, the specific deals, sticker price, and expiration for each model, visit https://www.autotrader.com/car-deals/best-year-end-car-deals.

*Prices quoted within full list are for the base model unless the deal is for a specific trim, in which case the price is for the model on special. Not all deals will be available in all areas. Prices include destination charges but do not include other mandatory fees like tax, title, or licensing.

About Autotrader

Autotrader is the most recognized third-party car listings brand, with the most engaged audience of in-market car shoppers. As the foremost authority on automotive consumer insights and expert in online and mobile marketing, Autotrader makes the car shopping experience easy and fun for today's empowered car shopper looking to find or sell the perfect new, used or Certified Pre-Owned car. Using technology, shopper insights and local market guidance, Autotrader's comprehensive marketing and retailing solutions allow consumers to build their deal online, and guide dealers to personalized digital marketing strategies that grow brand, drive traffic and connect the online and in-store shopping experience. Autotrader is a Cox Automotive brand. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive is the world's largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, vAuto, Dealertrack, NextGear Capital, CentralDispatch and FleetNet America. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Autotrader
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 17, 2025 -- The Kia PV5, the brand's first all-electric Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV), is building one of the most comprehensive global award records ever achieved by a first-generation model, confirming Kia's competitiveness in the traditional light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment from its very first year on the market.

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Kia PV5 Earns Global Recognition Across Safety, Performance, Design and Innovation in 2025 View PDF

Since its global debut, the PV5 has earned major international accolades spanning performance, safety, design, family usability and long-distance capability. Together, these recognitions underscore not only the strength of the product itself, but also the market relevance of Kia's PBV strategyrooted in customer insight, practical usability and decades of commercial-vehicle experience.

"The momentum behind the PV5 reflects Kia's long-term commitment to redefining purpose-built mobility," said Sangdae Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of PBV Business Division, Kia Corporation. "By combining modular design, electrification and a scalable PBV ecosystem, we aim to create lasting value for businesses, cities and individual customers worldwide."

Europe has emerged as a key proving ground for the PV5's global competitiveness. In the UK alone, the PV5 Cargo has secured multiple 'Van of the Year' titles from Electrifying.com, What Van?, Parkers and News UK, with judges consistently praising its modular PBV platform, refined EV driving experience, conversion flexibility and operator-focused practicality. Kia was also named 'EV Brand of the Year' at the 2026 Electrifying.com Awards.

On the global stage, the PV5 was unanimously selected as the 2026 International Van of the Year (IVOTY) by 26 commercial vehicle journalistsmaking it the first Korean van and Asia's first EV to receive the honor. Judges highlighted its modular architecture, real-world efficiency and strong safety credentials.

Safety leadership was further reinforced when the PV5 Cargo achieved a five-star rating in the 2025 Euro NCAP Commercial Van Safety Assessment, placing it among Europe's safest electric vans.

Design excellence has also been recognized through multiple Red Dot Awards, including a Best of the Best honor for the PV5 WKNDR Concept, while real-world capability was validated by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the longest distance driven by a fully loaded electric van on a single charge.

Together, these achievements position the PV5 as both an award-winning vehicle and the starting point of Kia's long-term PBV journey toward more flexible, efficient and customer-centered mobility solutions.

For more information, visit the Kia Global Media Center for more.

SOURCE Kia Corporation
Hundreds of local broadcast TV stations nationwide unite during the holiday season to air lifesaving PSAs

NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2025 -- The Ad Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), today announced the launch of the 22nd annual Project Roadblock. Each year, local broadcast TV stations across the country donate airspace to Buzzed Driving Prevention public service advertisements (PSAs) during the holiday season, reminding holiday travelers about the dangers of buzzed driving and encouraging them to plan ahead for a safe ride.

Project Roadblock spans the six-day period between December 26 and 31, with a special emphasis on 10 p.m. local time on New Year's Eve  an important night to encourage safe and sober driving. According to data from NHTSA, alcohol-impaired driving crashes claimed 4,931 lives during the 2019-2023 December months. On average, alcohol-impaired driving crashes claimed one life every 42 minutes, according to the latest available data.

"For more than two decades, our partnership with TVB and hundreds of local broadcast stations has showcased the power of local television to reach communities with vital messages about the dangers of impaired driving," said DJ Perera, chief media officer at the Ad Council. "We're deeply grateful to every partner who makes Project Roadblock such an immense success."

Since its inception in 2004, Project Roadblock has reached virtually every U.S. television household, with the 2024 Project Roadblock reaching 208 of 210 Designated Market Areas (DMAs) nationwide, covering 99.96% of all U.S. households. Last year's effort saw more than 65,900 detections of donated local broadcast TV airtime, generating an estimated $6.5 million in media value  a 9% year-over-year increase in detections and 68% in value. To date, participating stations have contributed more than $200 million in donated media value, driving over 8 billion total impressions since the initiative began.

"Project Roadblock harnesses the power of local television to remind drivers to make smart choices about driving this holiday season. NHTSA appreciates all of our broadcast partners for helping us spread the word that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. We encourage everyone to celebrate responsibly and arrange for a safe, sober ride home from their festivities," NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said.

"Project Roadblock is a powerful example of how local broadcast television can make a real difference," said Steve Lanzano, President and CEO of TVB. "Each year, stations across the country use their trusted community connections and unparalleled reach to share this life-saving message that helps keep our roads and families safe during the holidays."

The PSAs, available in both English and Spanglish, highlight the dangers of driving after drinking, and that "Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving." Local TV stations can register and download campaign material through the Project Roadblock campaign page. Extreme Reach, a longtime partner of the initiative, will once again donate all PSA distribution and delivery services.

For more information about Project Roadblock, visit TVB.org/ProjectRoadblock and follow the campaign online using the hashtag #ProjectRoadblock.

About the Ad Council

The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change. For more than 80 years, the nonprofit organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country's most iconic social impact campaigns  Smokey Bear, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and view campaign creative on YouTube.

About TVB

TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America's local broadcast television industry, including linear and digital platforms. Its members include the U.S. television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium's multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including its website, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.

About NHTSA

For more than 50 years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been the primary federal agency responsible for safety on the nation's roadways. As part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA works to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by promoting the use of seat belts and child safety seats; helping states and local communities address the threat of distracted, drunk and drug-impaired drivers; regulating vehicle safety standards and investigating safety defects in motor vehicles; establishing and enforcing fuel economy standards; conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety; and providing consumer information on issues ranging from child passenger safety to impaired driving. For more information visit www.nhtsa.gov.

SOURCE The Ad Council
HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 18, 2025 -- As new energy commercial vehicles become increasingly prevalent, paper specifications no longer suffice to convince discerning users. Only real-world testing under extreme conditions can provide credible validation of true range performance. Recently, the Farizon SV underwent two rigorous trials: a five-day multi-terrain test in the UK and a high-altitude loop test along the QinghaiGansu route in China. One trial featured low temperatures, persistent rain, and long-distance European road conditions; the other involved high altitude, significant elevation changes, and complex temperature variations on the plateau. Despite the vastly different environments, both tests led to the same conclusion: the Farizon SV's robust range performance far exceeded expectations, fully meeting the practical needs of users in both countries.

UK EV Rally: 1,043 miles in Five DaysActual Efficiency Exceeds Official Ratings

In early September, in one of the world's most demanding EV range proving expeditions - the GREENFLEET Explorer EV Rally - the Farizon SV accomplished an "impossible challenge" over five days. From September 1 to 5, a fleet of SV set off from Newquay in Cornwall, traversed the countryside of Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Hampshire, explored the coastlines of England, battled the motorways of Kent and Greater London, crossed the Midlands, visited the Peak District uplands, and finally arrived in Knutsford, Cheshire. The average distance covered per vehicle reached 1,043 miles (approx. 1,678 km), encompassing a comprehensive mix of highway, trunk road, urban, and rural driving conditions. Notably, under real-world loads, variable weather, and actual road conditions, the energy efficiency of two of the tested variants surpassed their official WLTP-certified figures, while a third variant - an L1H1 - achieved a range fulfilment rate of 92.5%.

The top-tier L3H3 model, equipped with a 106kWh battery, achieved an energy efficiency of 2.402 miles/kWh, outperforming its WLTP rating by 9.7%. Even when carrying heavy equipment and powering a refrigerator, the vehicle handled diverse road conditions - highways, country lanes, and city streets - with ease. Calum James, General Manager for Farizon Auto at Jameel Motors UK, remarked that these real-world results strongly demonstrate the Farizon SV's efficiency and reliability in genuine commercial operating scenarios.

QinghaiGansu Plateau Test: 462 km Extreme Challenge, Full-Load Range Achievement Rate Outperforms Class Competitors

Around the same period, another Farizon SV embarked on a high-altitude endurance test along the topographically and climatically demanding QinghaiGansu loop in China. Covering 287 miles (462 km) from Lanzhou to Zhagana, the route included 100 km of highway and over 300 km of rugged national roads, with an altitude variation of 1,500 meters and a peak elevation reaching 4,500 metersall conducted in low-temperature conditions.

During the test, the vehicle was fully loaded with three occupants and 368 kg of luggage, while the cabin temperature was maintained at 26C. Throughout the journey, the range performance showed remarkable consistency. Faced with multiple stretches of extreme road conditions, the Farizon SV achieved a range fulfillment rate of 82.5%, proving that it truly "goes far and remains dependable."

Vehicle Mileage recorded Efficiency recorded WLTP combined efficiency % over/under WLTP achieved L1H1 83kWh 1031 miles (1658 km) 2.365 miles/kWh 3.805 km/kWh 2.55 miles/kWh (4.10 km/kWh) 7.25% under L2H2 83kWh 1093 miles (1759 km) 2.335 miles/kWh 3.757 km/kWh 2.30 miles/kWh (3.70 km/kWh) 1.52% over L3H3 106kWh 1004 miles (1616 km) 2.402 miles/kWh (3.864 km/kWh) 2.19 miles/kWh (3.523 km/kWh) 9.68% over

(UK test data)

Road type Actual mileage (KM) Displayed mileage (KM) Mileage achievement rate Urban road sections 134 163 82.20 % Highway section 93 130 72 % 248 national highway 187 213 86.30 % Steep slope section 48 54 88.80 %

(China test data)

China test conditions: alpine (min. 6), high-altitude (cumulative elevation gain 1,500m, max. 4,500m), full journey AC internal circulation & L1 energy recovery.

From the changeable roads of the British Peninsula to the extreme high-altitude environment of the QinghaiGansu Plateau, the Farizon SV's "Dual-Scenario Real-World Testing" has spanned continents and reached a consistent verdict: its range capability stands up to the stringent challenges of diverse global conditions. Built on three core technologies, the Farizon SV establishes a range advantage that is difficult to replicate. In core powertrain terms, the CATL 106 kWh battery paired with next-generation CTP-S pack technology provides the foundation for extended range. In vehicle body design, the SV employs an ultra-lightweight architecture that reduces structural weight by 13%, contributing to an agile and efficient form.

Dual-Scenario Real-World Testing, Globally Verified. From the damp, winding lanes of the UK to the thin, cold air of the QinghaiGansu Plateau, the Farizon SV delivers real, uncompromised rangeaddressing range anxiety in the new-energy commercial vehicle sector and offering the global logistics industry a more efficient, more reliable, and more confidence-inspiring electrification solution. Wherever it operates, it stands ready to power every commercial journey ahead.

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European Council President Antonio Costa attends a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years. According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

BRUSSELS/KIEV, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing.

Because EU-level joint borrowing often hinges on unanimity, the statement adds that any EU budget guarantee for the loan "will not have an impact on the financial obligations" of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, an opt-out meant to secure their nod and keep the deal intact.

The statement noted that part of the Ukraine-related text was "firmly supported" by 25 leaders. However, Russia's TASS news agency reported that Hungary and Slovakia did not sign the joint statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday welcomed the EU's decision to provide the loan.

"This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience," Zelensky wrote on X, adding that the deal provides Ukraine with a financial security guarantee for the coming years. 

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (L) talks with Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk before a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz enters the venue of a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Kaja Kallas, the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Commission, enters the venue of a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Luc Frieden attends a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (R) talks with European Council President Antonio Costa during a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

European Council President Antonio Costa (C), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attend a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

European Council President Antonio Costa enters the venue of a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 18, 2025. The European Council on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (about 105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years.

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets and backed by the EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support EU borrowing. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
SINGAPORE, Dec. 18, 2025 -- Singapore Airshow, one of the most inuential international aerospace and defence exhibition, will return from 3 - 8 February 2026 at the Changi Exhibition Centre. Marking two decades of dening the future of ight, the biennial event will once again bring together global industry leaders, government and military delegations, innovators and investors to exchange ideas, forge partnerships and chart the next era of aerospace and defence.

Since its debut in 2008, the show has grown into one of the world's leading platforms for aviation and defence, serving as a critical gateway to Asia Pacic's dynamic markets. The 2026 edition will unveil new perspectives, fresh participants and expanded opportunities for an industry in transformation.

Trade attendees can expect more than 1,000 participating companies from more than 50 countries/regions. In addition to returning exhibitors such as Airbus, AVIC, Bell, Boeing, COMAC, GE Aerospace, Gulfstream, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, MBDA, Rolls-Royce, RTX, Saab, SIA Engineering, ST Engineering and Thales, attendees can also look out for the presence of next-generation defence technology companies like Helsing, Quantum and Shield AI.

Country pavilions expected at the event include Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, with expanded presence from both the Italian Trade Agency Pavilion and the China Pavilion.

"Reaching our 10th edition is a signicant milestone for Singapore Airshow. Over the past two decades, the Airshow has evolved alongside the industry, serving as a key global meeting platform for stakeholders across the aviation and defence ecosystem. In 2026, we are proud to expand our horizons further with new features and partnerships that reect the industry's transformation. This edition underscores our continued commitment to supporting the region's growth and fostering meaningful collaboration," said Mr Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director of Experia Events, organiser of Singapore Airshow.

Introducing Space Summit 2026: Expanding Frontiers

Singapore Airshow 2026 will introduce a brand-new feature  Space Summit 2026, held from 2  3 February 2026 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, marking a key expansion of the show's scope from air to the frontiers of space.

Officially endorsed by Singapore's Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn) and the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Summit positions Singapore as the hub for space dialogue and collaboration in Asia-Pacic. Themed "New Frontiers: Shaping a Responsible and Inclusive Space Future," it will convene global policymakers, space agencies, investors and innovators to discuss topics such as infrastructure, sustainability, investment and the in-space economy  a sector projected by McKinsey to reach US$1.8 trillion by 2035 .

By bringing the space agenda into the Airshow, the Space Summit underscores Singapore's growing role as a collaborative hub for the expanding space economy and encourages cross-sector engagement across aviation, connectivity and emerging technologies.

Collaborating Towards a Sustainable Future

Sustainability continues to anchor the Singapore Airshow's vision for the industry. The 2026 edition will place sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and net-zero initiatives in the spotlight, showcasing real-world applications and technologies that move aviation closer to decarbonisation.

Neste, the global leader in renewable fuels, joins as the Sustainable Aviation Partner to share insights at AeroForum on SAF adoption, supply chain transformation and enabling greener aviation operations. Attendees can also offset their travel-related emissions through the CarbonClick counter, rst introduced in 2024, reinforcing the Airshow's commitment to responsible travel.

Through a series of forums, showcases and sustainability partnerships, Singapore Airshow 2026 will continue to drive conversations and collaborations that accelerate the transition towards a cleaner, more resilient and sustainable aviation ecosystem.

Nurturing Innovation and Emerging Technologies

Innovation remains at the heart of the Singapore Airshow. What's Next, our startup showcase will return with a sharper focus on emerging and dual-use technologies across aerospace and defence. The 2026 edition will also feature expanded exhibition zones spotlighting digital aviation, sustainable propulsion and future defence technologies, fostering connections between global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and technology start-ups.

These platforms will reinforce Singapore Airshow's role as the nexus for collaboration between established industry players and the next generation of innovators shaping the aerospace landscape.

A Platform for High-Level Exchange and Collaboration

Beyond the exhibition, the Singapore Airshow continues to serve as a vital networking hub through its exclusive trade days and strategic forums.

The AeroForum at Singapore Airshow 2026 will feature a comprehensive programme spotlighting the industry's most pressing priorities, including market and budget outlooks, autonomy and human machine teaming, cybersecurity, sustainable aviation pathways, advanced air mobility, workforce transformation and the global race to commercialise next generation technologies. These sessions bring together thought leaders and technical experts to share insights across both civil and military domains.

Our AI-driven AeroConnect business matchmaking platform will further enhance networking by connecting participants with the right opportunities.

AeroCampus will also return as a dedicated platform to inspire and nurture the next generation of aerospace talent. Bringing together educational institutions, training organisations and industry partners, AeroCampus will offer students and young professionals rst-hand exposure to career pathways, emerging skillsets and innovations shaping the future of aviation.

Captain Leo and Leonette welcome the public to "Weekend@Airshow"

Popular Singapore Airshow mascots Captain Leo and Leonette will make special appearances throughout Weekend@Airshow, welcoming fans of all ages. Visitors can look forward to a vibrant weekend that brings the excitement of aviation to life, with interactive activities and family-friendly experiences.

Happening on 7  8 February 2026, Weekend@Airshow will see the skies come alive with thrilling aircraft aerial performances and an exciting showcase of aircraft on static display, featuring the latest commercial, military and business aircraft. These highlights offer an up-close look at cutting-edge capabilities and aviation excellence.

Tickets will be available via SISTIC from 10 December 2025, priced at SGD 39 for adults, SGD 19 for children aged 3 to 12 and SGD 250 for a group package (four tickets plus one car park label).

More details on the ying displays will be available in the new year.

Enhancing Attendee Experience

Experia Hospitality Services (EHS) is an initiative by Experia Events designed to enhance overall attendee experience through a curated suite of hospitality solutions.

As a value-adding platform, EHS streamlines and elevates the attendee journey. From facilitating airport transfers and hotel arrangements to supporting dining reservations, business meetings and local experience planning, EHS provides added convenience and efficiency at every step of the visit.

More information is available at https://www.singaporeairshow.com/visit/experia-hospitality-services

Changi Aviation Summit 2026: "Rising Above Disruption: Building the Aviation Ecosystem of Tomorrow"

The Changi Aviation Summit brings together senior government officials and industry leaders to exchange views on key issues faced by the civil aviation industry. Organised by the Singapore Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, this year's summit will explore how the aviation sector can capture opportunities, navigate challenges and build new partnerships to drive competitiveness and sustainable growth even as passenger traffic reaches new heights.

The Summit will host a series of focused panel discussions on 2 February, which will bring together leaders and experts across the sector including airlines, airports, regulators and international organisations, to discuss how the industry is building networks, reinventing business models and designing airports for the future. A Welcome Reception will be held on 1 February, and an official Opening Ceremony will take place on 2 February.

About Singapore Airshow
We'll fly from Anchorage to 17 nonstop destinations in the Lower 48 and Hawai'i next summer  the most we've ever offered during that peak travel season to Alaska

We keep growing in the Rose City: New flights offer convenient connections at PDX for journeys that continue across our network

New flights begin as early as this March, with most beginning in mid-June

SEATTLE, Dec. 18, 2025 -- Alaska Airlines continues to strengthen our network with new nonstop routes from our key hubs in Anchorage and Portland to destinations across the country  offering our guests convenient travel options and improved connectivity.

Beginning in spring next year, we'll fly three additional routes from Anchorage to Boise, Boston and Spokane, and four additional routes from Portland to Bellingham, Everett/Paine Field and Pasco in Washington state, and Jackson Hole in Wyoming. Tickets for the newly added routes are available for purchase now at alaskaair.com.

New Anchorage Routes

Flights between Anchorage and Boise, Boston and Spokane begin in mid-June for service through mid-August  just in time for summertime adventures in the Land of the Midnight Sun, when the days are long and the air is warm. Those new flights add up to 17 nonstop destinations to the Lower 48 and Hawai'i, the most we've ever served in the summer.

The twice-weekly service connecting Anchorage to Boise is an all-new route for us, with roundtrips offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Our weekly flight between Anchorage and Boston will welcome guests from New England heading west to Alaska's largest city for exploration, culture, food and maybe even a cruise.

We'll also serve Anchorage-Spokane twice a week. It has been 10 years since we last flew this route, so we're excited to reconnect Eastern Washington to Alaska with a nonstop flight, along with convenient flight times.

Due to strong demand, we've added a second weekly nonstop between Anchorage and both Sacramento and San Diego for the summer season.

New Portland Routes

With four new routes next spring and summer, we'll offer our guests convenient connections at PDX to more than 65 nonstop destinations, including Hawai'i and Mexico.

New flights begin as early as mid-March with all-new daily, year-round service between Portland and Bellingham, Washington.

In mid-June, we'll start flying twice daily between Portland and Pasco, Washington. The flights will be offered year-round.

We'll resume daily, year-round flights on June 10 between Portland and Everett, Washington, home of Paine Field Airport  the Seattle region's second airport.

For a long summer stretch, we'll fly nonstop between Portland and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, twice a week starting June 10.

Also of note: As we resume our daily Portland-Fairbanks service in the summer, it'll be served by a larger 737 aircraft.

"Anchorage and Portland are essential airports to our guests and us in our growing global network," said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of revenue management and network planning at Alaska Airlines. "The state of Alaska remains high on the wish list of travelers, especially in the summer months, and we're excited to add new nonstops to get them there. Portland is not only a great city to visit, but we also offer convenient nonstop connections for those continuing their travel across our wide network."

New routes from Anchorage and Portland

City Pair Start Date End Date Frequency Aircraft Anchorage  Boise, ID June 10, 2026 Aug. 15, 2026 Wed/Sat 737 Anchorage  Boston, MA June 13, 2026 Aug. 15, 2026 Saturday 737 Anchorage  Spokane, WA June 10, 2026 Aug. 15, 2026 Wed/Sat E175 Portland  Bellingham, WA March 18, 2026 Year-round Daily E175 Portland  Everett, WA June 10, 2026 Year-round Daily E175 Portland  Jackson Hole, WY June 10, 2026 Sept. 30, 2026 Wed/Sat E175 Portland  Pasco, WA June 10, 2026 Year-round 2x Daily E175

Guests across our expanding network can enjoy a premium travel experience and award-winning service on their next Alaska flight. We are the West Coast's premier airline, offering our flyers generous legroom in First Class and Premium Class, no change fees, a variety of fare options and West Coast-inspired fresh meals that can be pre-ordered before flights. We offer the most fresh food options of any U.S. airline including on flights as short as 670 miles.

Atmos Rewards is our newly evolved loyalty program  ranked the #1 airline loyalty program by U.S. News and World Report for 2025-26. It's designed to deliver more choice, more rewards, and more global access than ever before to our members, who earn 1 point and 1 status point for every mile flown (excluding Saver fares). Points can be redeemed for flights, hotels and more, and status points track progress toward status levels and milestones. Later in 2026, members can choose how they earn based on the distance they travel, the amount they spend or the frequency of their flights.

About Alaska Air Group

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and McGee Air Services is a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. We are a global airline with hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. We deliver remarkable care as we fly our guests to more than 140 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific. We'll serve Europe beginning in spring 2026. Guests can book travel at alaskaair.com and hawaiianairlines.com. Alaska is a member of the oneworld alliance, with Hawaiian scheduled to join oneworld in spring 2026. With oneworld and our additional global partners, guests can earn and redeem points for travel to over 1,000 worldwide destinations with Atmos Rewards. Learn more about what's happening at Alaska and Hawaiian at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Air Group is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as "ALK."

SOURCE Alaska Airlines
Photos of Spirit's new holiday livery available here

DANIA BEACH, Fla., Dec. 18, 2025 -- Spirit Airlines Guests will unwrap a great value on travel this holiday season as the carrier prepares to connect family and friends across more than 8,900 flights during the peak holiday travel period. Travelers looking to fly in style can treat themselves or a loved one to a decked-out experience with Spirit offering more premium seats this holiday season than ever before. Beyond offering unmatched value on travel, the airline is spreading the magic of the holidays across the communities it serves with its first-ever holiday livery, festive concerts, activations and more.

"Delivering the best value on travel means even more when it brings families and friends together for the holidays," said Rana Ghosh, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Spirit Airlines. "We can't wait to welcome our Guests on board this holiday season and continue connecting them to the people and places they love most in 2026."

Spreading Unmatched Value and Cheer

Highlights of Spirit's peak holiday travel period, which runs Dec. 19, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, include:

More than 8,900 Spirit flights are scheduled to operate.

Top five busiest Spirit travel days are Dec. 19, Dec. 22, Dec. 26, Jan. 2 and Jan. 5.

More than 3,000 cups of hot chocolate will be available on board.

Spirit flights are scheduled to travel over 8.9 million miles, enough to wrap holiday lights around the Earth more than 350 times.

New Holiday Sweater Livery

Spirit aircraft N628NK is getting cozy this season with a new limited-time holiday livery. The new livery is styling a holiday sweater with snowman and gingerbread man designs and will take to the skies throughout the winter season.

Rocking Into the Holidays with iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball

Spirit is proud to be the official airline sponsor of iHeartRadio Y100.7's Jingle Ball in Miami and sponsor of the iHeartRadio 103.5 KISS FM's Jingle Ball in Chicago and iHeartRadio Channel 95.5's Jingle Ball Detroit this year. The airline's partnership with Jingle Ball helps bring festive performances to the communities it serves this holiday season and strengthens its engagement in key markets.

About Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is committed to safely delivering the best value in the sky by offering an enhanced travel experience with flexible, affordable options. Spirit serves destinations throughout the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean with its all-Airbus fleet, connecting travelers with the people and places that matter most. Discover elevated travel options with exceptional value at spirit.com.
Genesis Inspiration Foundation awards $3 million in grants to 83 youth arts organizations nationwide

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 18, 2025 -- Genesis Inspiration Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization championing youth arts education, proudly announced its 2025 grant recipients. As part of its annual commitment, Genesis Inspiration Foundation awarded a total of $3 million in grants to support arts programming at 83 nonprofit organizations across the United States.

"Genesis Inspiration Foundation is honored to fund a record 83 youth arts organizations, the most in a single year since our founding in 2018," said John Guastaferro, executive director, Genesis Inspiration Foundation. "With $3 million in grants, we are continuing to expand access to creative learning so more children nationwide can experience the transformative power of the arts."

Driven by the belief that inspiration is the greatest luxury, Genesis retailers contribute a portion of every new vehicle sale to Genesis Inspiration Foundation. Through this support and additional charitable contributions from Genesis Motor America, Genesis Inspiration Foundation awards grants to schools, museums, and cultural organizations that provide meaningful arts opportunities fostering creativity and discovery for underserved children. This year's commitment brings the lifetime giving to more than $13 million.

Genesis Inspiration Foundation Grant Recipients

Organization City State Alabama Shakespeare Festival Montgomery AL Amp Up Arts Montgomery AL Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona Phoenix AZ Anaheim Family YMCA Anaheim CA TGR Foundation (TGR Learning Lab) Anaheim CA Pretend City Children's Museum Irvine CA Amazing Grace Conservatory Los Angeles CA Debbie Allen Dance Academy Los Angeles CA Inner-City Arts Los Angeles CA SPIRIT SERIES Los Angeles CA Broadway Sacramento Sacramento CA DrawBridge San Francisco CA El Sistema Colorado Denver CO Feel the Beat Englewood CO INTEMPO Stamford CT Children's Chorus of Washington Washington DC Dance Place Washington DC DC Youth Orchestra Program Washington DC Kennedy Center Education Washington DC Dancing for a Difference Brandon FL Camp Boggy Creek Eustis FL Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Fort Lauderdale FL Broward Center for the Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale FL Banner Lake Club Hobe Sound FL Breakthrough Miami Miami FL URGENT, Inc Miami FL Quest, Inc Orlando FL The Lionheart School Alpharetta GA The Creatives Project Atlanta GA Deep Center Savannah GA Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club Savannah GA Savannah Children's Theatre Savannah GA SkyART Chicago IL The Simple Good Chicago IL Uniting Voices Chicago Chicago IL Arts for Learning Indiana Indianapolis IN Acadiana Center for the Arts Lafayette LA Jefferson Performing Arts Metairie LA KID smART New Orleans LA Young Audiences of Louisiana New Orleans LA Equitable School Partnerships of Boston Boston MA Open Door Arts Boston MA Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids Baltimore MD Washington Conservatory of Music Glen Echo MD Living Arts Detroit Detroit MI Upstream Arts Minneapolis MN Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis St. Louis MO Arts+ Charlotte NC The University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston-Salem NC The Nashua Community Music School Nashua NH

Genesis Inspiration Foundation

Genesis Inspiration Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to connecting youth to the transformative power of the arts. Our mission is to improve educational outcomes by providing access to arts programs that engage and inspire children in under-resourced communities. Founded in 2018, the Genesis Inspiration Foundation has awarded over $13 million in grants to expand youth arts at museums, schools, and community organizations nationwide. With the support of Genesis and its retailers, we are introducing children to a new world of the possible. To learn more, visit us online at www.genesisinspirationfoundation.org.

Genesis Motor North America

Genesis is a new global automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of design, safety, refined performance, and innovation while looking towards a more sustainable future. Drawing from its cultural heritage and distinctly Korean hospitality, Genesis crafts experiences focused on customers as "son-nim", or honored guests.

Genesis Motor North America offers a growing range of award-winning SUV, sedan, and electric models through its network of more than 200 independent U.S. retailers, in addition to its more than 30 Canadian agency distributors. Genesis now counts more than 90 standalone retail facilities across the North American region, with dozens more in development. Consumers can discover the brand through its many retail points, at Genesis House, the brand's flagship space in New York City, or online at www.genesis.com.
New "Cycle Boat" Experience Coming to Tempe Town Lake in January

TEMPE, Ariz., Dec. 18, 2025 -- Arizona Party Bike Founder Robert Mayer announces today the launch of his newest venture, Tempe Boat Cruisin', coming to Tempe Town Lake in January 2026. Developed in collaboration with the City of Tempe, the concept introduces a one-of-a-kind way for locals and visitors to experience the Valley's only major urban lake through hosted, social cruises on the water.

Tempe Boat Cruisin' features custom-designed cycle boats, a unique hybrid between a party bike and a boat. Each vessel has a total capacity of 26 passengers, which includes pedal stations for up to 12 riders, allowing guests to actively participate by pedaling together to help power the boat's paddle wheel. The cycle boat also features a quiet, no emissions electric propulsion system that powers the boat when the pedaling stops - so pedaling is not required.

"We've had tremendous success bringing hundreds of thousands of people together through Arizona Party Bike, and activating Tempe Town Lake with Tempe Boat Cruisin' is the next step for our brand," says Mayer. "Tempe Town Lake is one of the most iconic destinations in the Valley, and we're excited to introduce a completely unique and fun way to experience it, found only in Tempe."

The cycle boat experience by Tempe Boat Cruisin' is fully captained and crewed. It is designed to be interactive, social, and safe, offering a destination experience unique to Tempe Town Lake and found nowhere else in Arizona.

"Tempe Town Lake is an iconic destination, where residents and visitors alike gather daily to work, recreate and celebrate special occasions," says Tempe Mayor Corey Woods. "We couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Tempe Boat Cruisin' to the mix, and their innovative approach will bring a fresh and exciting new offering that's not available anywhere else in Arizona."

Guests can book both public and private cruises, making Tempe Boat Cruisin' ideal for any celebration, company team-building events, family gatherings, ASU tailgating, sunset cruises, and casual days or nights out with friends. Cruises will feature music, scenic views, unlimited lake vibes, and the ability for guests to responsibly enjoy alcoholic drinks purchased at the on-site store, all within a professionally crewed and safety-focused environment.

Arizona Party Bike has grown into one of the most recognizable recreation and tourism businesses in the Phoenix metro area, known for delivering memorable, high-energy outings for locals and visitors alike. With Tempe Boat Cruisin', Mayer expands onto the water while maintaining the same focus on safety, customer service, and unforgettable group experiences.

Final testing of the boats is currently underway. While the first cruises are expected to embark in late January, the public is invited to sign up on the website to be the first to receive early booking access and a special promotional offer.
All-new Hyundai Palisade powers past the three-row competition with compelling gas and hybrid powertrain options

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 18, 2025 -- The all-new Hyundai Palisade has been named Best Midsize SUV in Good Housekeeping's 2026 Family Car Awards. The winners were selected based on input from the Good Housekeeping Institute experts, Car and Driver editors, and real-world families.

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The 2026 Hyundai Palisade is photographed in Bodega Bay, Calif., on April 16, 2025.

"The 2026 Palisade is ready to meet the needs of today's modern families better than ever before," said Ricky Lao, director, product planning, Hyundai Motor North America. "The Palisade's larger interior can accommodate seven or eight passengers in connected comfort for the perfect road trip. Add advanced safety system upgrades including ten airbags, new third-row seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, and an available built-in dual-camera dash cam, and you've got true piece of mind for your family. We are honored that Good Housekeeping is recognizing Palisade as its Best Midsize SUV for 2026."

The next-generation Palisade has launched to record response and sales, posting double-digit growth in November. The recent addition of a hybrid variant, complemented by an internal combustion V6 model and the adventure-ready XRT PRO off-road trim, provides a comprehensive range of options to meet the diverse needs and wants of today's families.

Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles, while supporting Hyundai Motor Company's Progress for Humanity vision. Hyundai has significant operations in the U.S., including its North American headquarters in California, the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama assembly plant, the all-new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, and several cutting-edge R&D facilities. These operations, combined with those of Hyundai's 850 independent dealers, contribute $20.1 billion annually and 190,000 jobs to the U.S. economy, according to a recent economic impact report. For more information, visit www.hyundainews.com.

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok

SOURCE Hyundai Motor America
BRUSSELS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- After late-night bargaining, European Union (EU) leaders on Friday approved a 90-billion-euro (105.4 billion U.S. dollars) loan package to support Ukraine's military and economic needs over the next two years, abandoning a plan to leverage Russia's immobilized assets.

Analysts said the deal offers Ukraine a near-term lifeline, but also underscores a reality in which EU support is increasingly held together by opt-outs. With Ukraine's financing needs far exceeding this package, the EU is walking a tightrope, seeking sustainable funding without crossing legal red lines.

UNITY IN DISGUISE?

According to a European Council statement, the loan will be financed through EU borrowing on capital markets and backed by EU budget "headroom," the unused margin in the budget that can be mobilized as a guarantee to support borrowing.

A senior EU official told reporters that the chosen approach differs from the proposed "reparations loan" in one key respect: under the reparations-loan option, the EU would have tapped cash already sitting in the system to fund Ukraine, whereas under the agreed solution it will borrow from capital markets. That entails interest costs, but the official said the EU budget will subsidize them, so Ukraine does not have to pay.

Because EU-level joint borrowing often hinges on unanimity, the statement added that any EU budget guarantee for the loan "will not have an impact on the financial obligations" of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, an opt-out designed to secure their approval and keep the deal intact. In practical terms, the 27-country bloc is acting more like a "coalition of 24" on this issue.

"Joint borrowing for Ukraine? Grants disguised as loans fueling conflict. Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have successfully stayed out of it," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other leaders moved quickly on Friday to praise the borrowing plan, even though it had not been their preferred option.

As analysts at the European Policy Centre (EPC) noted, the outcome lays bare persistent fractures over ambition, unity and Europe's willingness to fully leverage its economic power at a decisive moment for European security.

IS 90-BLN EUROS SUFFICIENT FOR UKRAINE?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned EU leaders that without a firm funding decision, Ukraine could run out of money within months, a scenario that would quickly erode its ability to sustain the war effort.

The International Monetary Fund estimates Ukraine will need roughly 135 billion euros in 2026 and 2027, implying a remaining gap of about 45 billion euros that still has no clear solution.

This concern is compounded by mounting strains in 2025. In a report earlier this month, analysts at the Kiel Institute in Germany warned that new aid allocations in 2025 could fall to their lowest level since 2022 and are on track to come in far below what would be needed to offset the loss of U.S. support.

Kiel's tracking also highlights widening imbalances within Europe itself: while France, Germany and the United Kingdom have stepped up, Nordic countries remain the top contributors, whereas Italy and Spain have "contributed very little."

Zhao Yongsheng, director of the French Economy Research Center at China's University of International Business and Economics, noted that against the backdrop of a U.S. pullback, Europe would need 2.5 to 3 times the current 90-billion-euro level in 2026 to maintain the balance on Ukraine's frontlines, a sobering benchmark that looms over what is likely to be a long and difficult financing road ahead.

IS "REPARATION LOAN" OPTION DEAD?

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told reporters after the summit that "politics is not an emotional job" and that "rationality has prevailed."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared the idea "dead, done and dusted" on X. However, some leaders insist that using Russia's frozen assets should remain on the table.

Last week, the Council of the EU decided to prohibit any transfers of immobilized assets belonging to Russia's central bank within the bloc back to Russia "indefinitely," paving the way for their potential use as a backstop for Ukraine-related financing.

A senior EU official stressed that the joint-borrowing package remains tied to the immobilization of Russian assets: under the deal, Ukraine would repay the joint loan only once reparations are received.

Yet analysts caution that any attempt to actually use those immobilized assets to repay the loan could reopen the same legal and political battles that derailed the reparations-loan route in the first place.

Zhao said the "reparation loan" concept tests the boundaries of the existing legal and institutional order, and that mobilizing sovereign assets risks crossing legal and political red lines shaped in the post-World War II system.

However, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) believes the idea could still make a comeback. The think tank noted that a 90-billion-euro package will be nowhere near enough to close Ukraine's funding gap over the next two years. "In other words," ECFR wrote, "this is probably not the last chapter of the story of Russia's central bank reserves." 
Bomb hoax at Nyay Mandir disrupts normal work





BDDS personnel with sniffer dog conducting search operation in an around Nyay Mandir premises, on Thursday.

Staff Reporter :

Work at Nyay Mandir housing Sessions Court in city was disrupted on Thursday after the administration received an email claming a bomb placed in the premises. The email, as per Sadar Police, was received at 10 am. As per the procedure, the court officials informed the police who swung into action. The email was received on the courts email ID and mentioned that the bomb would go off anytime in the premises located in Civil Lines area. A unit of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) was activated and it reached the multi-storey Nyay Mandir. Entire premises was thoroughly searched for any suspicious material.

Police Inspector Amol Deshmukh with his team was also at the spot. They met the court officials and got the copy of the email. He said, the search operation continued till 2 pm and no suspicious or explosive material was received anywhere. Thereafter the call was declared as hoax. The entire court premises, however, remained unaffected and work continued as per the regular procedure, said Roshan Bagde, President, District Bar Association (DBA). Since the BDDS team continued with scanning each of the rooms and corner, with machines and sniffer, the crowd was little thin on Thursday compared to other working days.

Following the incident, strong police bandobast was in place as a precaution. Adv Bagade felt that the bomb threat email might be an act of mischief as similar reports have come from Mumbai and other places. The email at Nagpur mentioned about placing of RDX material in the building. The sender also wrote ISI and Madras Tigers. PI Deshmukh, when contacted, said, they cant disclose the email ID from where the email originated as the same is part of the investigations. The cops have roped in cyber experts to trace the sender through IP address in a bid to pin down the culprit.
Centenarian statue manRam Sutar passes away





NOIDA :

RENOWNED sculptor Ram Sutar, whose creations included the gigantic Statue of Unity at Kevadia and the iconic Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Parliament complex, died late on Wednesday night at his Noida residence. He was 100 and suffering from age-related illnesses, said his son Anil Sutar. Among those who mourned his death was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said his works were powerful expression of Indias history and culture.

Known as the statue man, Sutar was active till the very end and was involved in projects such as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mill in Mumbai and soon-to-be-unveiled statue of Gopinath Bardoloi in Guwahati. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2016. Deeply saddened by the passing of Shri Ram Sutar Ji, a remarkable sculptor whose mastery gave India some of its most iconic landmarks, including the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, PM Modi said in a post on X.

President Droupadi Murmu said his monumental works, including the Statue of Unity, stand as great symbols of Indias enduring legacy. His art will continue to inspire generations of artists. I extend my deepest condolences to his family members and admirers, Murmu said. The last rites of renowned sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar were performed at around 3 pm on Thursday at the Sector 94 crematorium here, with Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and several local leaders joining in to pay their final respects.
Eight MPs honoured with Lokmat Parliamentary Awards





Former CJI Bhushan Gavai, Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr S Y Quraishi, MP Praful Patel, Chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat Media Group Dr Vijay Darda, Editor-in-Chief of Lokmat Media Group Rajendra Darda, MD of Lokmat Media Group Devendra Darda, Sudha Murty and others at the function.

Business Reporter :

Citizens must continuously move forward with commitment to the values and vision enshrined in the Constitution, and work to ensure political, economic and social justice for all, said the former Chief Justice of India Justice Bhushan Gavai on Wednesday. He was speaking as the chief guest at the sixth edition of Lokmat Parliamentary Awards ceremony organised by the Lokmat Media Group at New Maharashtra Sadan in the national capital. Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale, former Chief Election Commissioner Dr S Y Quraishi, Founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti Acharya Dr Lokesh Muni, Chairman of the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards Jury Board and MP Praful Patel, Chairman of Editorial Board of Lokmat Media Group and former Member of Rajya Sabha Dr Vijay Darda, Editor-in-Chief of Lokmat Media Group Rajendra Darda, Managing Director of Lokmat Media Group Devendra Darda and other dignitaries were seated on the dais. On this occasion, eight members of Parliament from both the Houses were honoured with the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards in various categories.

The awardees included Digvijaya Singh (Lifetime Achievement Award - Rajya Sabha), T R. Baalu (Lifetime Achievement Award - Lok Sabha), Sanjay Singh (Best Parliamentarian Award - Rajya Sabha), Jagdambika Pal (Best Parliamentarian Award - Lok Sabha), Dola Sen (Best Woman Parliamentarian Award - Rajya Sabha), Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo (Best Woman Parliamentarian Award - Lok Sabha), Sudha Murty (Best Debutant Parliamentarian Award - Rajya Sabha) and Iqra Choudhary (Best Debutant Parliamentarian Award - Lok Sabha). Justice Gavai said the three pillars of democracy -- legislature, judiciary and executive -- are all working towards delivering justice to citizens. The Constitution grants citizens the right to social, economic and political justice.

While Parliament enacts laws, the judiciary safeguards those laws and rights. The underlying objective is to reduce inequality and promote equality in the country. Dr S Y Quraishi said the opposition is often seen engaged in confrontation more than dialogue and discussion in Parliament. However, when meaningful debates take place, they instill a sense of pride. Initiatives like the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards will inspire the MPs to perform better. Ramdas Athawale noted that although MPs may belong to different political parties, the nation is one for all. In his distinctive style, he praised former CJI Justice Gavai for his commendable contribution to society. Acharya Dr Lokesh Muni stated that communal extremism and caste-based fanaticism are enemies of democracy.

Praising the Lokmat Media Groups consistent efforts to promote social harmony, he recalled the all-faith conference organised in Nagpur. The Jury Board chairman Praful Patel clarified that the selection of awardees was carried out in a completely impartial manner, adding that these are among the most prestigious awards given to parliamentarians by a non-parliamentary institution. Earlier, Dr Darda delivered the introductory address while Rajendra Darda proposed a vote of thanks. At the outset, tributes were paid to former speaker of Lok Sabha and former Union minister Shivraj Patil by observing two-minute silence. The programme was conducted by Shweta Shukla Shelgaonkar.
Gen Dwivedi pitches IKIGAI IKIGAI frameworkat Japan-hosted Land Forces Summit





NEW DELHI :

ARMY Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday virtually addressed the 3rd Land Forces Summit hosted by the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF), outlining Indias vision for deeper land power cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through the proposed IKIGAI Framework. The high-level summit brought together Chiefs of Armies and senior military leaders from key Indo-Pacific nations, including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United States, reinforcing the growing emphasis on multilateral military cooperation amid evolving regional security dynamics. In his address, General Dwivedi postulated the IKIGAI Framework as a comprehensive and structured roadmap aimed at enhancing Indo-Pacific land forces collaboration.

Drawing from a shared regional outlook, the framework seeks to strengthen coordination, preparedness and trust among partner armies to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges. The IKIGAI Framework rests on six core pillars. These include (I) Interoperability and Information Sharing, focusing on seamless coordination and intelligence exchange; (K) Knowledge and Professional Military Education, aimed at developing common understanding and leadership capabilities; (I) International Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, (G) Generative Technological Partnerships, (A) Assurance for Security Partnerships and (I) Integrated Logistics and Sustainment.

General Dwivedi further underlined three key pillars of convergence essential for meaningful multilateral engagement Shared Diagnosis, Shared Principles, and Shared Actions. According to the Army Chief, the IKIGAI Framework reflects a common purpose among IndoPacific nations to harness collective land power in support of regional peace, stability and prosperity, while respecting sovereignty and international law. He emphasised that the IKIGAI Framework reflects a common purpose among IndoPacific nations to harness collective land power in support of regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The Land Forces Summit is a key multilateral platform designed to strengthen Army-toArmy defence cooperation through senior leadership engagements and structured Land Forces Dialogue. A leopard sits inside its enclosure at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi on Thursday.
Kolhapurs Saee Jadhav becomes first woman cadet to pass out of IMA





PUNE :

SAEE Jadhav from Maharashtras Kolhapur has become the first woman Territorial Army officer to complete pre-commissioning training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, breaking the institutions 93-year-old tradition of male-only officer training. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated her and said her achievement is an inspiring milestone that gives direction to the dreams of countless young girls across the country. Jadhav, 23, was commissioned as a Lieutenant during the Passing Out Parade of the 157th course held last week, marking a historic milestone for the IMA, which was established in 1932 and has since produced generations of Army officers.

She was commissioned into the services on December 13 during the commissioning ceremony at IMA, Dehradun. Speaking to PTI, Saees father Sandip Jadhav, a serving major with the Territorial Army, said that Saee has been commissioned into the 130 Territorial Army (ecological) battalion of Kumaon Regiment at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. Saee is currently pursuing her MBA through distance learning, he said.

While pursuing her MBA, she was also preparing for competitive exams and TA (Territorial Army). She appeared for the exam in December 2023. There was only one vacancy for a woman officer in TA and since her rank was at the top in merit, she was selected, said Major Jadhav. She is now commissioned into 130 Infantry Battalion of Kumaon Regiment at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, he said.
L Catterton partners with Haldiram, acquires stake in snacks major





L CATTERTON, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm, on Thursday said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Haldiram and acquired a stake in the countrys leading snacks and food brand. L Catterton, which manages approximately USD 39 billion in equity capital, has not mentioned any details about investment or valuation at which it has acquired the stake. The firm only said, It has entered into a strategic partnership with, and invested in, Haldiram.

The collaboration aims to fortify Haldirams market leadership in the country and accelerate its international expansion on the back of its robust fundamentals, brand equity, and growth potential, said L Cattertons statement. Earlier this year, Indias largest packaged snacks and sweets company and restaurant operator had sold stakes to three strategic investors - - Singapore-headquartered global investment firm Temasek, Alpha Wave Global, and International Holding Company (IHC). At that time also, details of the deal were not disclosed but industry insiders said it was done at the valuation of USD 10 billion (around Rs 85,000 crore), which is considered to be the largest for the Indian packaged food industry. L Catterton in India is led by former HUL CEO and Managing Director Sanjiv Mehta, who is currently its Executive Chairman. According to the statement, Mehtas experience will help Haldiram to endeavour to foster a global India for the World brand.

This will involve unlocking further value via a comprehensive range of initiatives in areas such as brand building, new product development, supply chain and distribution optimisation, geographic expansion, as well as talent development, it said. L Catterton has significant experience in building brands in the packaged food space across the world. Its current and past investments in the space include Cholula Hot Sauce, Farmley, Ferrara Candy Company, Goodles, Kettle Foods, Kodiak, Little Moons, NotCo, Planted, and Plum Organics. Commenting on the development, Mehta said, We are delighted to back Haldirams and drive growth in Indias evolving and flourishing consumer market, as well as galvanise its internationalisation. Established in 1937 as a retail sweets and namkeen shop in Bikaner, Rajasthan by Ganga Bhishen Agarwal, Haldiram products are now sold in over 80 countries.
LS passes G RAM G Bill





NEW DELHI :

LOK SABHA onThursday passed a bill to replace the 20-year-old scheme MGNREGA amid tearing of papers by Opposition members who accused the Government of destroying the rural economy and ignoring the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. In a spirited reply to the eighthour discussion on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin (G RAM G) Bill, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claimed large-scale corruption in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

As Opposition members tore papers and raised slogans, Chouhan argued that MGNREGA has outlived its utility and the focus of the Government was now on creating permanent assets and developing model villages, instead of just paying wages. Opposition members accused the Government of trying to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi by scrapping his name from the rural jobs scheme. The minister said the G RAM G Bill was brought after extensive deliberations as it was felt that amount to the tune of Rs 10-11 lakh crore should be spent on initiatives such as water conservation, developing core rural and livelihood related infrastructure and taking up special works to mitigate extreme weather events.

Later, addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Chouhan slammed the Opposition for resorting to hooliganism in the Lok Sabha by tearing papers and standing on the desks in the House. Through their behaviour, the opposition disgraced democracy, tore parliamentary traditions to shreds and turned democracy into bheedtantra (mobocracy) and goondatantra (hooliganism), he told reporters. In the Lok Sabha, Congress member K C Venugopal had urged the chair to refer the G RAM G Bill to a parliamentary panel for close examination. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla turned down the request saying members, cutting across party lines, had debated the bill in detail for eight hours during the sitting of the House that stretched beyond midnight on Wednesday night. Several Opposition members took out a protest march inside the Parliament House complex against the G RAM G bill.

SECURITIES MARKET CODE BILL INTRODUCED IN LS; GOVT PROPOSES SENDING IT TO PARLIAMENTARY PANEL: FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday introduced the Securities Market Code Bill in the Lok Sabha and proposed referring it to the departmentrelated standing committee for further discussion. Arun Nehru (DMK) and Manish Tewari (Congress) opposed the Bill at the introduction stage, saying it gave excessive powers to a single body, which was against the principle of the separation of powers.

They described the bill as a case of excessive delegation of power. Responding to their claims, the Finance Minister said that since the Government is referring it to the standing committee, such details can be discussed by the panel.
Ram Sutar: A sculptor who shaped modern Indias monumental art





MUMBAI :

RAM V Sutar, the legendary sculptor whose monumental creations, including the Statue of Unity, defined the countrys public art landscape, was instrumental in giving Indian memorial sculpture global recognition. Sutar, who passed away late on Wednesday night at the age of 100, was a towering figure of modern Indian sculpture. In a career spanning over seven decades, he created some of the countrys most iconic statues and memorials, blending artistic realism with historical depth. Also known as the statue man, he commanded immense respect in India and abroad for his unparalleled mastery over bronze and stone. Born on February 19, 1925, in Gondur village of Maharashtras Dhule district, Sutar rose from a humble background to become one of Indias most celebrated artists.

He passed out as a gold medalist from his alma mater Sir JJ School of Art in Mumbai, where his talent for figurative sculpture began to draw attention. Sutar was based in Noida and had a studio there. He attained global prominence as the chief sculptor of the Statue of Unity, the 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarats Kevadia. The project, which created the worlds tallest statue, cemented his reputation as a master of large-scale monumental art. Among his vast body of work are statues of Mahatma Gandhi, seated in a meditating pose, at the Parliament complex. Dr B R Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and several national leaders and historical figures across India and abroad. His sculptures are known for their lifelike expressions and attention to detail.

For his contribution to art, Sutar received several prestigious honours, including the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, as well as the Maharashtra Bhushan, the highest civilian award of Maharashtra. Despite international acclaim, Sutar was known for his simplicity, humility and lifelong dedication to his craft. He remained professionally active well into his later years and mentored generations of young sculptors, many of whom went on to establish successful careers. Sutar is survived by his family, including his son Anil Sutar who collaborated with him on several major projects. , including a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtras Sindhudurg district.
NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed Thursday after a small jet crashed at a regional airport in Statesville, U.S. state of North Carolina, police said.

According to the police, among those killed in the crash were former NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time while landing at the airport and triggered a large fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and attempted to land there.

Video footage showed first responders rushing onto the runway as scattered wreckage from the plane was engulfed in fire.

John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport manager, told reporters that the FAA was taking over the crash scene. "The airport now is closed until further notice. It will take some time to get the debris off the runway, to get it safe again," he said.

The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are launching an investigation into the accident. 
Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET  Get Free Report) shares traded down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $16.19 and last traded at $16.2150. 16,125,409 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 14,895,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.39.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on ET. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Energy Transfer to a moderate buy rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays reissued an overweight rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Energy Transfer from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a sector outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Energy Transfer presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $21.62.

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Energy Transfer Stock Down 1.1%

The firms fifty day moving average is $16.68 and its 200-day moving average is $17.26. The company has a market capitalization of $55.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $19.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. Energy Transfer had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 10.71%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.46 EPS for the current year.

Energy Transfer Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.3325 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.33 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.2%. This is an increase from Energy Transfers previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Energy Transfers dividend payout ratio is presently 106.40%.

Insider Transactions at Energy Transfer

In other news, Director Kelcy L. Warren bought 1,000,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $16.95 per share, for a total transaction of $16,950,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 104,577,803 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,772,593,760.85. This trade represents a 0.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 3.28% 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. Ryan Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Energy Transfer during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. CNB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Energy Transfer by 111.1% during the second quarter. CNB Bank now owns 1,900 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer in the third quarter worth $34,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Energy Transfer by 54.4% in the second quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,270 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Energy Transfer in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 38.22% of the companys stock.

About Energy Transfer

(Get Free Report)

Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates natural gas transportation pipeline, and natural gas storage facilities in Texas and Oklahoma; and approximately 20,090 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline. It also sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution and other marketing companies, and industrial end-users.

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American Tower (NYSE:AMT  Get Free Report)s stock had its sector perform rating reissued by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $220.00 price target on the real estate investment trusts stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas target price suggests a potential upside of 27.17% from the stocks current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of American Tower in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup restated a market outperform rating on shares of American Tower in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Argus set a $210.00 price objective on American Tower in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of American Tower from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, October 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of American Tower from $255.00 to $250.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, American Tower presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $226.67.

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American Tower Stock Performance

NYSE AMT traded down $1.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $173.00. 904,526 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,775,273. The businesss 50 day moving average is $182.21 and its 200-day moving average is $199.53. The company has a market capitalization of $80.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.91. American Tower has a 1 year low of $172.51 and a 1 year high of $234.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.24, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.64 by $0.14. American Tower had a return on equity of 28.79% and a net margin of 28.11%.The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.52 EPS. American Towers revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. American Tower has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.600-10.720 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Tower will post 10.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Eugene F. Reilly acquired 5,554 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $178.99 per share, with a total value of $994,110.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 5,689 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,018,274.11. This represents a 4,114.07% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Tower Corp /Ma/ American sold 2,288,621 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.75, for a total value of $159,631,314.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 211,379 shares in the company, valued at $14,743,685.25. This represents a 91.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Tower

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in American Tower by 9.1% in the second quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,042 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Resolution Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of American Tower during the first quarter worth about $72,706,000. Stack Financial Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of American Tower in the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,020,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of American Tower by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 321,661 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $71,094,000 after purchasing an additional 110,671 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in American Tower by 47.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 109,124 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $24,119,000 after buying an additional 35,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.69% of the companys stock.

About American Tower

(Get Free Report)

American Tower, one of the largest global REITs, is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of multitenant communications real estate with a portfolio of over 224,000 communications sites and a highly interconnected footprint of U.S. data center facilities.

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W.P. Carey (NYSE:WPC  Get Free Report) and DiamondRock Hospitality (NYSE:DRH  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Dividends

W.P. Carey pays an annual dividend of $3.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. DiamondRock Hospitality pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. W.P. Carey pays out 220.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. DiamondRock Hospitality pays out 128.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. W.P. Carey has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and DiamondRock Hospitality has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. W.P. Carey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

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Institutional & Insider Ownership

73.7% of W.P. Carey shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of W.P. Carey shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of DiamondRock Hospitality shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio W.P. Carey $1.58 billion 8.98 $460.84 million $1.65 39.30 DiamondRock Hospitality $1.13 billion 1.68 $48.05 million $0.25 37.06

This table compares W.P. Carey and DiamondRock Hospitalitys revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

W.P. Carey has higher revenue and earnings than DiamondRock Hospitality. DiamondRock Hospitality is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.P. Carey, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

W.P. Carey has a beta of 0.78, indicating that its share price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, DiamondRock Hospitality has a beta of 1.04, indicating that its share price is 4% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for W.P. Carey and DiamondRock Hospitality, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score W.P. Carey 1 8 3 0 2.17 DiamondRock Hospitality 0 6 1 0 2.14

W.P. Carey presently has a consensus price target of $68.50, suggesting a potential upside of 5.64%. DiamondRock Hospitality has a consensus price target of $9.38, suggesting a potential upside of 1.19%. Given W.P. Careys stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe W.P. Carey is more favorable than DiamondRock Hospitality.

Profitability

This table compares W.P. Carey and DiamondRock Hospitalitys net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets W.P. Carey 21.75% 4.40% 2.06% DiamondRock Hospitality 5.69% 4.04% 2.05%

Summary

W.P. Carey beats DiamondRock Hospitality on 14 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About W.P. Carey

(Get Free Report)

W. P. Carey ranks among the largest net lease REITs with a well-diversified portfolio of high-quality, operationally critical commercial real estate, which includes 1,424 net lease properties covering approximately 173 million square feet and a portfolio of 89 self-storage operating properties as of December 31, 2023. With offices in New York, London, Amsterdam and Dallas, the company remains focused on investing primarily in single-tenant, industrial, warehouse and retail properties located in the U.S. and Northern and Western Europe, under long-term net leases with built-in rent escalations.

About DiamondRock Hospitality

(Get Free Report)

DiamondRock Hospitality Company is a self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) that is an owner of a leading portfolio of geographically diversified hotels concentrated in leisure destinations and top gateway markets. The Company currently owns 36 premium quality hotels with over 9,700 rooms. The Company has strategically positioned its portfolio to be operated both under leading global brand families as well as independent boutique hotels in the lifestyle segment.

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Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report)s share price rose 5.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $132.52 and last traded at $131.29. Approximately 12,458,296 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average daily volume of 9,803,333 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Arista Networks from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research note on Monday. Rosenblatt Securities restated a neutral rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Arista Networks in a report on Monday, November 24th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on shares of Arista Networks from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Zacks Research cut Arista Networks from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Arista Networks from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned 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 $163.56.

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Arista Networks Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.73 and a 200-day moving average of $127.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $165.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.92, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.41.

Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.03. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.28% and a net margin of 39.73%.The firm had revenue of $2.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.40 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 27.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Arista Networks, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Arista Networks

In other news, insider Kenneth Duda sold 26,000 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.61, for a total value of $3,343,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 542,400 shares in the company, valued at $69,758,064. The trade was a 4.57% 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, Director Kelly Bodnar Battles sold 422 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.15, for a total transaction of $49,437.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,052,007. This trade represents a 4.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 160,464 shares of company stock worth $21,701,628. 3.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arista Networks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ANET. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Arista Networks by 2,118.2% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 244 shares of the technology companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its position in shares of Arista Networks by 56.7% during the third quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 199 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arista Networks in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 141.3% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 222 shares of the technology companys stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Arista Networks during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 82.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arista Networks Company Profile

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Arista Networks, Inc is a technology company that designs and sells cloud networking solutions for large-scale data centers and enterprise environments. The company is best known for its high-performance switching and routing platforms, which are used to build scalable, low-latency networks for cloud service providers, internet companies, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise IT. Aristas offerings emphasize programmability, automation and telemetry to support modern, software-driven network architectures.

Central to Aristas product portfolio is its Extensible Operating System (EOS), a modular network operating system that provides consistent programmability, stateful control and advanced visibility across the companys hardware platforms.

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SouthState Bank (NYSE:SSB  Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by Barclays from $125.00 to $122.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Barclayss price objective points to a potential upside of 25.48% from the stocks current price.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on SouthState Bank from $121.00 to $118.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cowen started coverage on shares of SouthState Bank in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. They set a buy rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of SouthState Bank in a report on Friday, December 12th. They issued an overweight rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of SouthState Bank from $127.00 to $120.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on SouthState Bank from $117.00 to $116.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, SouthState Bank currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $115.07.

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SouthState Bank Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SSB traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $97.23. The companys stock had a trading volume of 358,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 880,885. The firm has a market cap of $9.77 billion, a PE ratio of 13.37 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.11. SouthState Bank has a 1-year low of $77.74 and a 1-year high of $109.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

SouthState Bank (NYSE:SSB  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $698.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $660.41 million. SouthState Bank had a net margin of 20.25% and a return on equity of 10.70%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SouthState Bank

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SSB. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of SouthState Bank by 12.4% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 991 shares of the companys stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management increased its holdings in SouthState Bank by 1.7% in the third quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 6,456 shares of the companys stock valued at $638,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in SouthState Bank by 4.9% during the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,480 shares of the companys stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of SouthState Bank by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 7,201 shares of the companys stock worth $663,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of SouthState Bank by 14.0% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,090 shares of the companys stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 89.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About SouthState Bank

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SouthState Bank (NYSE: SSB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida, that provides a range of commercial and retail banking services. Through its subsidiary, SouthState Bank, the company serves businesses, institutions and individuals with deposit, lending and treasury management solutions. Its core business lines include commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate lending, consumer mortgages and home equity loans.

In addition to traditional lending and deposit products, SouthState Bank offers specialized services such as treasury and cash management, merchant services, payment solutions and online banking.

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Blackrock Silver Corp. (CVE:BRC  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$1.01 and last traded at C$0.98, with a volume of 1656445 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.93.

Blackrock Silver Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 8.57 and a quick ratio of 3.14. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$0.74 and its 200 day moving average is C$0.66. The stock has a market cap of C$335.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.63 and a beta of 2.50.

About Blackrock Silver

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Blackrock Silver Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada and the United States. It primarily explores for gold and silver deposits. The company's flagship property is the Tonopah West silver-gold project comprising 100 patented and 83 unpatented lode mining claims covering an area of 10.3 square kilometers located in the Walker Lane trend of western Nevada. It also holds 100% interest in the Silver Cloud project comprising 572 unpatented lode mining claims covering an area of 46.9 square kilometers located in Northern Nevada Rift, Nevada.

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Ryder System (NYSE:R  Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from $196.00 to $218.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a buy rating on the transportation companys stock. Citigroups price target suggests a potential upside of 14.30% from the companys current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on R. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Ryder System in a research report on Friday, December 5th. They set an overweight rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ryder System from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ryder System from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Ryder System in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Ryder System from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $205.67.

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Ryder System Price Performance

R stock traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $190.72. The companys stock had a trading volume of 97,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 370,963. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.35. The companys 50 day moving average is $175.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.11. Ryder System has a fifty-two week low of $125.54 and a fifty-two week high of $200.53. The stock has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.14 and a beta of 0.97.

Ryder System (NYSE:R  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The transportation company reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.56 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.19 billion. Ryder System had a return on equity of 17.69% and a net margin of 3.96%.The companys quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.44 EPS. Ryder System has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 3.500-3.700 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 12.850-13.050 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Ryder System will post 13.68 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ryder System

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ryder System by 51,455.2% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,868,534 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $456,097,000 after buying an additional 2,862,970 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Ryder System by 0.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,995,292 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $317,251,000 after purchasing an additional 7,447 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Ryder System by 15.4% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 1,005,382 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $159,856,000 after buying an additional 134,423 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Ryder System by 6.7% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 988,117 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $157,111,000 after buying an additional 62,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in shares of Ryder System by 3.5% during the third quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 883,338 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $166,633,000 after purchasing an additional 30,144 shares during the period. 87.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ryder System Company Profile

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Ryder System, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and supply chain management solutions, serving commercial customers across a range of industries. The companys Fleet Management Solutions segment offers full-service leasing and rental of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors and trailers, along with maintenance and repair services at its network of service locations. Its Supply Chain Solutions segment provides integrated, technology-driven offerings that span managed transportation, dedicated contract carriage, warehousing and distribution, and e-commerce fulfillment.

Founded in 1933 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, Ryder has grown from a regional truck leasing operation into a diversified, global logistics provider.

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Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C  Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 117,314 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 47% compared to the average daily volume of 79,651 call options.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

C has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Citigroup from $123.00 to $120.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Citigroup from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wolfe Research reiterated an outperform rating and set a $121.00 price objective on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Citigroup from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $118.00 target price on shares of Citigroup in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citigroup presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $114.50.

Citigroup Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:C traded up $1.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $114.79. The companys stock had a trading volume of 37,395,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,853,152. The firm has a market capitalization of $205.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $102.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.28. Citigroup has a fifty-two week low of $55.51 and a fifty-two week high of $115.61.

Citigroup (NYSE:C  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The company reported $2.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $22.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.92 billion. Citigroup had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 8.73%.The firms revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Citigroup will post 7.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Citigroup Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Citigroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citigroup

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMB Wealth Management increased its stake in Citigroup by 4.1% in the third quarter. FMB Wealth Management now owns 2,618 shares of the companys stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Citigroup by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 4,989 shares of the companys stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Citigroup by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Onyx Bridge Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the companys stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Citigroup by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 418 shares of the companys stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fullcircle Wealth LLC raised its stake in Citigroup by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 13,097 shares of the companys stock worth $1,206,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. 71.72% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Citigroup Company Profile

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Citigroup Inc is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City with roots tracing back to the City Bank of New York, founded in 1812. The modern Citigroup was created through the 1998 merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group and has since operated as a diversified bank holding company that provides a broad range of banking and financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments and institutions worldwide.

Citis principal businesses include retail and commercial banking, credit card and consumer lending products, wealth management and private banking, and a full suite of institutional services.

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Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE:CYH  Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Hold from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $3.7250.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CYH. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Community Health Systems in a research report on Monday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Community Health Systems from $3.20 to $3.60 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Community Health Systems from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Community Health Systems from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Community Health Systems

Community Health Systems Price Performance

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in CYH. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Community Health Systems by 8.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,413,077 shares of the companys stock worth $3,815,000 after buying an additional 112,741 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Community Health Systems in the 1st quarter valued at about $433,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Community Health Systems by 29.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 209,043 shares of the companys stock worth $564,000 after purchasing an additional 47,067 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Community Health Systems by 571.0% in the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 592,712 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,600,000 after purchasing an additional 504,377 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Community Health Systems by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 114,595 shares of the companys stock valued at $309,000 after purchasing an additional 10,184 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.99% of the companys stock.

CYH stock opened at $3.21 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.93 million, a P/E ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 2.00. Community Health Systems has a fifty-two week low of $2.24 and a fifty-two week high of $4.47. The business has a 50-day moving average of $3.42 and a 200-day moving average of $3.22.

Community Health Systems (NYSE:CYH  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.30) by $1.57. Community Health Systems had a negative return on equity of 6.90% and a net margin of 2.60%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.30) EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Community Health Systems has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.800-0.900 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Community Health Systems will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Community Health Systems Company Profile

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Community Health Systems, Inc owns, leases, and operates general acute care hospitals in the United States. It offers general acute care, emergency room, general and specialty surgery, critical care, internal medicine, obstetrics, diagnostic, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services, as well as skilled nursing and home care services.

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military on Thursday destroyed two more suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing five people aboard, the U.S. Southern Command said.

"On Dec. 18, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," said the command in a press release.

"A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions -- three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel," it said.

The command added that intelligence had confirmed that both boats were involved in narco-trafficking operations.

The Pentagon has sunk more than 28 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 104 people aboard.

In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that the U.S. military would begin land strikes targeting drug traffickers in the Caribbean "very soon," escalating tension between the United States and Venezuela.

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. 
Currys plc (LON:CURY  Get Free Report)s stock price rose 10% on Thursday after Berenberg Bank raised their price target on the stock from GBX 200 to GBX 210. Berenberg Bank currently has a buy rating on the stock. Currys traded as high as GBX 146 and last traded at GBX 139.26. Approximately 565,698,688 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 6,247% from the average daily volume of 8,913,231 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 126.60.

Separately, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Currys from GBX 150 to GBX 166 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of GBX 168.67.

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Currys Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 134.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 126.55. The stock has a market capitalization of 1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.66 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 45.83, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Currys (LON:CURY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The company reported GBX 1.60 earnings per share for the quarter. Currys had a return on equity of 9.53% and a net margin of 2.38%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Currys plc will post 9.5199569 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Currys announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, September 4th that permits the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

Currys Company Profile

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Currys plc is a leading omnichannel retailer of technology products and services, operating online and through over 800

stores in 8 countries. We Help Everyone Enjoy Amazing Technology, however they choose to shop with us.

In the UK & Ireland we trade as Currys; in the Nordics under the Elkjp brand and as Kotsovolos in Greece.

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Partnership Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,236 shares of the companys stock after selling 528 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up approximately 12.5% of Partnership Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Partnership Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $16,203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Eli Lilly and Company during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Steph & Co. raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 290.0% in the 3rd quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 39 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on LLY shares. Wolfe Research upped their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a moderate sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Guggenheim reiterated a buy rating and issued a $1,163.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Berenberg Bank increased their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $830.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,038.00 to $1,182.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,141.73.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

LLY stock opened at $1,056.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.55. The companys fifty day moving average price is $956.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $828.10. Eli Lilly and Company has a one year low of $623.78 and a one year high of $1,111.99. The company has a market capitalization of $998.86 billion, a PE ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.37.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The company had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Companys revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is a boost from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 29.35%.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $1,075.38 and last traded at $1,071.35. Approximately 5,749,879 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 42% from the average daily volume of 4,035,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,056.88.

Key Eli Lilly and Company News

Here are the key news stories impacting Eli Lilly and Company this week:

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on LLY shares. Erste Group Bank raised Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. National Bankshares set a $1,286.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,141.73.

Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 52.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.37. 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 businesss fifty day moving average is $956.00 and its 200-day moving average is $828.10.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 109.52%. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Company Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.35%.

Institutional Trading of Eli Lilly and Company

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LLY. Finivi Inc. grew its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 4,920 shares of the companys stock worth $3,754,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. AIA Group Ltd raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 46,963 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,833,000 after acquiring an additional 12,150 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% during the third quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 3,609 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,753,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.7% during the third quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 1,632 shares of the companys stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% during the third quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,922 shares of the companys stock worth $2,992,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Eli Lilly and Company

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Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company founded in 1876 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of medicines and therapies for patients worldwide. Eli Lilly maintains operations and commercial presence across North America, Europe, Asia and other regions, serving both developed and emerging markets. The company has been led in recent years by President and Chief Executive Officer David A.

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Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE:EEX  Get Free Report)s stock price fell 3.9% on Friday . The company traded as low as $4.92 and last traded at $4.88. 29,047 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 97,736 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.08.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Emerald from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a buy rating and set a $7.70 price target on shares of Emerald in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d) rating on shares of Emerald in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $7.70.

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Emerald Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average of $4.16 and a 200-day moving average of $4.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $927.93 million, a P/E ratio of 157.05 and a beta of 0.77.

Emerald (NYSE:EEX  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $77.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $76.80 million. Emerald had a net margin of 1.05% and a return on equity of 1.20%.

Emerald Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th were paid a $0.015 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. This represents a $0.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Emeralds dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 200.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MSD Partners L.P. grew its stake in Emerald by 1.6% in the second quarter. MSD Partners L.P. now owns 1,066,638 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,173,000 after acquiring an additional 16,638 shares during the period. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Emerald by 12.1% during the third quarter. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 879,000 shares of the companys stock worth $4,474,000 after purchasing an additional 95,138 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Emerald by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 675,356 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,654,000 after purchasing an additional 131,200 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in shares of Emerald by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 93,698 shares of the companys stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 7,409 shares during the period. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Emerald by 197.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 92,276 shares of the companys stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 61,273 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 14.90% of the companys stock.

About Emerald

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Emerald (NYSE: EEX) is a global provider of independent data, news and analytics for commodity, financial and energy markets. The company operates digital platforms that deliver real-time and historical price assessments, market commentary, research reports and risk-management tools. Its subscriber base spans traders, asset managers, corporate hedgers and financial institutions seeking timely intelligence to support trading, risk management and investment decisions.

Serving clients across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Emerald covers a broad range of markets including metals, energy products, agriculture, freight, environmental emissions and treasury benchmarks.

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Emerson Electric Co. (NYSE:EMR  Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.0625.

EMR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price target on Emerson Electric from $127.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Emerson Electric in a research report on Monday. They set an outperform rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated an equal weight rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down from $150.00) on shares of Emerson Electric in a report on Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Emerson Electric from $151.00 to $150.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Emerson Electric from $150.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Emerson Electric

In related news, CEO Surendralal Lanca Karsanbhai sold 7,263 shares of Emerson Electric stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.00, for a total value of $965,979.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 196,292 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,106,836. This trade represents a 3.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Insiders own 0.50% of the companys stock.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Emerson Electric during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Emerson Electric during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Emerson Electric in the third quarter worth $33,000. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Emerson Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Emerson Electric by 65.9% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 272 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 74.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Emerson Electric Stock Performance

Shares of EMR opened at $131.59 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.37. The stock has a market cap of $73.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.57, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.26. Emerson Electric has a 12-month low of $90.06 and a 12-month high of $150.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Emerson Electric (NYSE:EMR  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 6th. The industrial products company reported $0.79 earnings per share for the quarter. Emerson Electric had a net margin of 12.73% and a return on equity of 15.87%. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Emerson Electric will post 5.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Emerson Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a dividend of $0.555 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Emerson Electrics previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Emerson Electrics dividend payout ratio is currently 54.95%.

Emerson Electric announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Emerson Electric Company Profile

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Emerson Electric Co, a technology and software company, provides various solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. It operates in six segments: Final Control, Control Systems & Software, Measurement & Analytical, AspenTech, Discrete Automation, and Safety & Productivity.

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FedEx (NYSE:FDX  Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by research analysts at Evercore ISI from $275.00 to $288.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. Evercore ISIs price objective would indicate a potential upside of 1.49% from the companys current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on FDX. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of FedEx in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and set a $210.00 target price on shares of FedEx in a research note on Friday. Dbs Bank raised FedEx from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on FedEx from $293.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of FedEx in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, FedEx has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $291.36.

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FedEx Price Performance

FDX opened at $283.78 on Friday. FedEx has a 52-week low of $194.29 and a 52-week high of $295.24. The company has a 50 day moving average of $261.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $240.75. The company has a market cap of $66.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

FedEx (NYSE:FDX  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The shipping service provider reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.80. FedEx had a net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business had revenue of $23.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.05 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. FedEx has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.800-19.000 EPS. On average, analysts expect that FedEx will post 19.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of FedEx

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of FedEx by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 53,881 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $12,248,000 after purchasing an additional 2,987 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in FedEx by 24.3% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 262,121 shares of the shipping service providers stock worth $59,583,000 after purchasing an additional 51,294 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of FedEx in the second quarter valued at $586,000. Sage Capital Advisors llc increased its holdings in shares of FedEx by 136.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 34,697 shares of the shipping service providers stock valued at $7,887,000 after purchasing an additional 20,024 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in FedEx during the second quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Institutional investors own 84.47% of the companys stock.

FedEx Company Profile

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FedEx Corporation provides transportation, e-commerce, and business services in the United States and internationally. It operates through FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Services segments. The FedEx Express segment offers express transportation, small-package ground delivery, and freight transportation services; and time-critical transportation services.

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Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $49.37 and last traded at $49.4440, with a volume of 5024115 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $47.92.

Freeport-McMoRan News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Freeport-McMoRan this week:

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an outperform rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, CICC Research decreased their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $51.60 to $42.30 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Freeport-McMoRan presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $49.11.

Freeport-McMoRan Trading Up 2.7%

The company has a market cap of $70.67 billion, a PE ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.49. The stocks 50 day moving average is $42.39 and its 200-day moving average is $42.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The businesss revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 EPS for the current year.

Freeport-McMoRan Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. Freeport-McMoRans payout ratio is presently 21.13%.

Insider Activity at Freeport-McMoRan

In other news, CAO Stephen T. Higgins sold 28,423 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.99, for a total value of $1,364,019.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 105,294 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,053,059.06. This trade represents a 21.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Ellie L. Mikes sold 9,572 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.66, for a total value of $456,201.52. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 38,761 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,847,349.26. This represents a 19.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 229.9% in the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 26,983 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 18,803 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 215,058 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $9,323,000 after acquiring an additional 22,766 shares during the period. Arrow Capital Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 88.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arrow Capital Pty Ltd now owns 113,100 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $4,903,000 after acquiring an additional 53,100 shares during the period. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 331,549 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $14,373,000 after acquiring an additional 24,803 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,970,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.77% of the companys stock.

Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile

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Freeport-McMoRan Inc is a U.S.-based natural resources company primarily engaged in the exploration, mining and processing of copper, gold and molybdenum. Its operations encompass large-scale open-pit and underground mining as well as associated concentrator and milling facilities. The company produces copper in the form of concentrates and cathodes, and also recovers gold and molybdenum as co-products; its business model includes exploration, development, mining, beneficiation and the sale of bulk commodities to smelters and industrial customers.

Freeport-McMoRan conducts operations and development activities across multiple geographies, with substantial assets in the Americas and Indonesia.

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Shares of Fresnillo plc (LON:FRES  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 3,044 and last traded at GBX 2,974.18, with a volume of 5289841 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 2,924.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on FRES. Citigroup upped their target price on Fresnillo from GBX 2,700 to GBX 3,000 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Berenberg Bank reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 2,600 price objective on shares of Fresnillo in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Fresnillo from GBX 980 to GBX 2,440 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fresnillo has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 2,308.

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Fresnillo Price Performance

About Fresnillo

The company has a market capitalization of 23.36 billion, a PE ratio of 51.29, a PEG ratio of -1.58 and a beta of 0.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 2,476.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 1,986.15. The company has a current ratio of 5.88, a quick ratio of 3.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 23.55.

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Fresnillo plc is the worlds largest silver producer and Mexicos largest gold producer, listed on the London and Mexican stock exchanges.

The Group seeks to create value for stakeholders across precious metal cycles, focusing on high-potential silver and gold projects that can be developed into low cost, world-class mines.

Following a decade of consistent and successful progress, the Group is now focused on consolidating its growth and advancing its pipeline in order to deliver further growth in the years ahead.

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Shares of Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. (NYSE:GAB  Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 495,145 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 2% from the previous sessions volume of 505,824 shares.The stock last traded at $6.1750 and had previously closed at $6.18.

Gabelli Equity Trust Trading Up 0.6%

The stocks 50-day moving average price is $6.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $5.99.

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Gabelli Equity Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.7%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gabelli Equity Trust

Gabelli Equity Trust Company Profile

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its holdings in Gabelli Equity Trust by 456,629.4% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 123,298,660 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $674,594,000 after purchasing an additional 123,271,664 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in Gabelli Equity Trust by 74.7% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,258,278 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,323,000 after purchasing an additional 537,971 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Gabelli Equity Trust by 761.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 457,149 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,661,000 after buying an additional 404,110 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Gabelli Equity Trust by 38.6% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 358,969 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,089,000 after buying an additional 99,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Gabelli Equity Trust by 18.8% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 631,227 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,844,000 after buying an additional 99,912 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.24% of the companys stock.

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Gabelli Equity Trust, Inc (NYSE: GAB) is a closed-end management investment company focused on generating long-term capital appreciation through an actively managed portfolio of primarily U.S.-listed equity securities. Incorporated in Delaware, the Trust pursues a value-oriented approach, leveraging intensive fundamental research to identify small- and mid-cap companies with growth potential and favorable valuation metrics.

Since its initial public offering in 1977, the Trust has invested across a range of sectors, including consumer staples, financial services, industrials and technology, aiming to construct a high-conviction portfolio of companies expected to outperform over time.

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Gainplan LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 100,089 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $24,218,000. iShares Russell 2000 ETF makes up about 10.3% of Gainplan LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 211.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000.

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iShares Russell 2000 ETF Trading Up 0.6%

NYSEARCA:IWM opened at $248.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $245.24 and a 200-day moving average of $233.05. The firm has a market cap of $68.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 1.13. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a twelve month low of $171.73 and a twelve month high of $258.20.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

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Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered data centers are now booming. The AI infrastructure space remains rock solid, supported by an extremely bullish demand scenario. Research firm McKinsey & Co. has estimated that global AI-powered data center infrastructure capex will reach around $7 trillion by 2030.

The energy-hungry AI space has made nuclear energy one of the hottest industries on Wall Street over the past year. Nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as a key solution to meeting rising global electricity demand and shifting toward cleaner energy sources. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reported that the U.S. data center electricity demand is expected to climb to 35 gigawatts (GW) in 2030 from 19 GW in 2023.

To strengthen the nations nuclear sector, President Donald Trump has issued four executive orders aimed at modernizing regulatory frameworks, expediting reactor testing and approvals, leveraging nuclear technology for national security, and expanding the domestic nuclear industrial base. These measures target an increase in U.S. nuclear capacity from about 100 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 to 400 GW by 2050.

The galloping requirement of electricity for data centers, significantly boosted the demand for those electric utilities that have access to nuclear power. Here we recommend three nuclear power stocks to buy for the long term.

These stocks are: Constellation Energy Corp. CEG, Talen Energy Corp. TLN and Dominion Energy Inc. D. Each of these stocks currently carries either a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Constellation Energy Corp.

Zacks Rank #3 Constellation Energy is a leading energy company in the United States with a significant thrust on clean energy, especially nuclear energy. CEGs strategic $5.1 billion capital expenditure through 2025 should help acquire nuclear fuel and increase inventory levels. CEG aims to eliminate 100% of greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging innovative technology.

As a result of its steady investment to upgrade its nuclear units, CEGs 21 nuclear reactors across 12 sites from the Midwest to the Northeast achieved a 98.8% operating rate during June through August 2025, reliably powering about 16 million homes and businesses.

Constellation Energy is an industry leader in operating nuclear plants safely, efficiently and reliably. Its acquisition of NRG Energy Inc.s (NRG) 44% ownership stake in the South Texas Project Electric Generating Station has added a 2,645 MW, dual-unit nuclear plant to its portfolio.
Gildan Activewear (TSE:GIL  Get Free Report) (NYSE:GIL) has been given a C$95.00 target price by analysts at Desjardins in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock. Desjardins price objective would suggest a potential upside of 8.61% from the companys current price.

GIL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup downgraded shares of Gildan Activewear from a buy rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from C$60.00 to C$63.00 in a report on Monday, October 20th. TD Securities increased their price target on shares of Gildan Activewear from C$73.00 to C$74.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, National Bankshares boosted their price objective on shares of Gildan Activewear from C$91.00 to C$92.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$81.00.

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Gildan Activewear Stock Performance

Shares of GIL stock traded down C$1.61 on Friday, reaching C$87.47. The stock had a trading volume of 481,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 482,349. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 101.26, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.31. Gildan Activewear has a 1 year low of C$52.77 and a 1 year high of C$90.06. The stock has a market cap of C$16.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of C$82.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$75.87.

Gildan Activewear (TSE:GIL  Get Free Report) (NYSE:GIL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported C$1.00 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$1.27 billion for the quarter. Gildan Activewear had a return on equity of 23.10% and a net margin of 13.05%. Equities research analysts expect that Gildan Activewear will post 4.5460385 EPS for the current year.

About Gildan Activewear

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Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel. The Companys product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, and intimates sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters, embellishers, retailers or e-commerce platforms, as well as global lifestyle brand companies. Gildan markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands including Gildan, Hanes, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, ALLPRO, GOLDTOE, Peds, Bali, Playtex, Maidenform, Bonds, as well as Champion which is under an exclusive licensing agreement for the printwear channel in the U.S.

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Gildan Activewear Inc. (TSE:GIL  Get Free Report) (NYSE:GIL) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$87.04 and last traded at C$85.39, with a volume of 241437 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at C$82.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GIL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Gildan Activewear from a buy rating to a neutral rating and raised their price objective for the stock from C$60.00 to C$63.00 in a report on Monday, October 20th. National Bankshares increased their target price on Gildan Activewear from C$91.00 to C$92.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, TD Securities lifted their price target on Gildan Activewear from C$73.00 to C$74.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gildan Activewear has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of C$77.25.

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Gildan Activewear Trading Up 2.4%

The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$82.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$75.87. The company has a market cap of C$16.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 101.26, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.31.

Gildan Activewear (TSE:GIL  Get Free Report) (NYSE:GIL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported C$1.00 earnings per share for the quarter. Gildan Activewear had a return on equity of 23.10% and a net margin of 13.05%.The firm had revenue of C$1.27 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that Gildan Activewear Inc. will post 4.5460385 earnings per share for the current year.

Gildan Activewear Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.226 per share. This represents a $0.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 19th. Gildan Activewears dividend payout ratio is presently 28.39%.

About Gildan Activewear

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Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel. The Companys product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, and intimates sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters, embellishers, retailers or e-commerce platforms, as well as global lifestyle brand companies.

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Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated (NYSE:HR  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the eleven brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $18.8889.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Healthcare Realty Trust from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. BTIG Research restated a buy rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Healthcare Realty Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a sector perform rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Scotiabank raised Healthcare Realty Trust from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and increased their target price for the company from $18.00 to $20.00 in a report on Friday, September 5th.

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Institutional Trading of Healthcare Realty Trust

Healthcare Realty Trust Price Performance

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rush Island Management LP grew its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 13.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rush Island Management LP now owns 14,260,152 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $226,166,000 after buying an additional 1,728,491 shares during the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. boosted its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. now owns 12,086,673 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $222,032,000 after purchasing an additional 231,650 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 233.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,700,760 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $138,845,000 after purchasing an additional 5,393,651 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Healthcare Realty Trust by 15.0% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,859,453 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $108,791,000 after buying an additional 893,938 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Healthcare Realty Trust by 11.2% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,794,815 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $107,766,000 after acquiring an additional 683,211 shares during the last quarter.

NYSE HR opened at $17.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.11 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $17.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.03. Healthcare Realty Trust has a 1-year low of $14.09 and a 1-year high of $18.97.

Healthcare Realty Trust (NYSE:HR  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $297.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $291.10 million. Healthcare Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 30.51% and a negative return on equity of 7.32%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. Healthcare Realty Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.590-1.60 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Healthcare Realty Trust will post 1.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Healthcare Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 11th were issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Healthcare Realty Trusts dividend payout ratio is -90.57%.

Healthcare Realty Trust Company Profile

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Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc provides real estate investment services. It owns, leases, manages, acquires, finances, develops, and redevelops income-producing real estate properties associated primarily with the delivery of outpatient healthcare services throughout the United States of America. The company was founded by David R.

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Heritage Family Offices LLP reduced its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 38.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,317 shares of the companys stock after selling 821 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLPs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $1,005,000 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. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 92.8% during the third quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,648,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 11,972 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,135,000 after purchasing an additional 1,825 shares in the last quarter. StrongBox Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. StrongBox Wealth LLC now owns 2,052 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 112.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd now owns 2,451 shares of the companys stock worth $1,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Finally, Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 8,783 shares of the companys stock worth $6,701,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.53% of the companys stock.

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Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance

Eli Lilly and Company stock opened at $1,056.57 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $623.78 and a 12-month high of $1,111.99. 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 company has a market capitalization of $998.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.37. The firms fifty day moving average price is $956.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $828.10.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 109.52% and a net margin of 30.99%.The companys revenue was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $1.73 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This is an increase from Eli Lilly and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio is 29.35%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LLY shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Monday. Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Daiwa Capital Markets set a $1,230.00 price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,286.00 to $1,268.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,141.73.

View Our Latest Research Report on Eli Lilly and Company

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.

Further Reading

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).

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY  Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Bank of America from $200.00 to $210.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Bank of Americas target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.50% from the stocks current price.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Barclays set a $188.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a sell rating to a buy rating and increased their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $184.95.

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Hershey Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE HSY traded up $1.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $190.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 620,973 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,740,812. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.41 and a beta of 0.19. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $181.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Hershey has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $199.00.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total value of $269,340.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 55,319 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,933,079.64. The trade was a 2.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $819,960 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Farmers National Bank purchased a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $235,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 35,617 shares of the companys stock worth $6,662,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Investment Research Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth $515,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $241,000. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $10,235,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Company Profile

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The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hersheys business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hersheys product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hersheys, Reeses, Hersheys Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.

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Shares of Hypermarcas (OTCMKTS:HYPMY  Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $4.05, but opened at $4.34. Hypermarcas shares last traded at $4.35, with a volume of 427 shares traded.

Hypermarcas Stock Up 7.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 0.73. The firms fifty day moving average price is $4.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.51.

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Hypermarcas (OTCMKTS:HYPMY  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $408.83 million during the quarter. Hypermarcas had a return on equity of 6.89% and a net margin of 12.03%.

Hypermarcas Company Profile

Hypermarcas SA is a Brazil-based consumer health and pharmaceutical company whose shares trade over the counter in the United States under the symbol HYPMY. Founded in the early 2000s and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, the company operates as a holding group for a broad portfolio of branded products in the healthcare and personal care sectors.

Through its various subsidiaries, Hypermarcas develops, manufactures and markets prescription and over-the-counter medications, alongside personal care, baby care, home care and nutritional supplement products.

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Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (OTCMKTS:IMPUY  Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $13.4250, but opened at $14.41. Impala Platinum shares last traded at $14.55, with a volume of 98,734 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Zacks Research raised Impala Platinum to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Impala Platinum Stock Performance

About Impala Platinum

The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $11.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $10.63.

(Get Free Report)

Impala Platinum Holdings Limited engages in the mining, processing, concentrating, refining, and sale of platinum group metals (PGMs) and associated base metals. The company produces platinum, palladium, rhodium, nickel, and by-products, as well as ruthenium, iridium, and gold. It has operations on the PGM-bearing orebodies, including the Bushveld Complex located in South Africa; and the Great Dyke situated in Zimbabwe, as well as the Canadian Shield.

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Arcus Biosciences, Inc. (NYSE:RCUS  Get Free Report) CFO Robert Goeltz II sold 6,702 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.88, for a total value of $146,639.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 80,436 shares in the company, valued at $1,759,939.68. The trade was a 7.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Arcus Biosciences Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Arcus Biosciences stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.02. 1,175,874 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,446. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $20.82 and a 200-day moving average of $13.98. Arcus Biosciences, Inc. has a 12 month low of $6.50 and a 12 month high of $26.40. The company has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a PE ratio of -6.40 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 3.65 and a current ratio of 3.65.

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Arcus Biosciences (NYSE:RCUS  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported ($1.27) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.33) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $26.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.89 million. Arcus Biosciences had a negative return on equity of 68.17% and a negative net margin of 136.40%.The businesss revenue was down 45.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.00) EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Arcus Biosciences, Inc. will post -3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arcus Biosciences

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 24.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,687,800 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,584 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 23.2% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 714,002 shares of the companys stock worth $5,605,000 after buying an additional 134,379 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in shares of Arcus Biosciences by 10.9% in the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 20,202 shares of the companys stock worth $159,000 after buying an additional 1,986 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Arcus Biosciences by 35.9% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 133,596 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,049,000 after buying an additional 35,300 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Arcus Biosciences by 24.5% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 254,024 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,994,000 after buying an additional 50,037 shares during the period. 92.89% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on RCUS shares. Wall Street Zen raised Arcus Biosciences from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a research note on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Arcus Biosciences from $14.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Arcus Biosciences from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Arcus Biosciences in a research note on Monday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $28.89.

Check Out Our Latest Report on RCUS

Arcus Biosciences Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Arcus Biosciences, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, develops and commercializes cancer therapies in the United States. The company's pipeline products include Domvanalimab, an anti-TIGIT antibody, which is in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trial; and AB308, an investigational anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase 1b clinical trial to study people with advanced solid and hematologic malignancies.

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Several analysts have recently updated their ratings and price targets for Grupo Aeromexico (NYSE: AERO):

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Citigroup Inc.. They set a buy rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.. They set a buy rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Morgan Stanley. They set an overweight rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Barclays PLC. They set an overweight rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft. They set a buy rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.. They set a buy rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Barclays PLC. They set an overweight rating and a $27.00 price target on the stock.

12/17/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Evercore ISI. They set an outperform rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock.

11/30/2025  Grupo Aeromexico is now covered by analysts at Itau BBA Securities. They set an outperform rating on the stock.

11/15/2025  Grupo Aeromexico was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen to a hold rating.

We are uniquely positioned as the only full service carrier, or FSC, based in Mexico and the only airline that provides long-haul, wide-body service connecting Mexico with the rest of the world. We offer a premium experience to both international and domestic destinations. As of June 30, 2025, we served every major city in Mexico and 52 international cities in 22 countries across multiple continents: North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

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VanEck Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX  Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 1,250,007 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 665% compared to the average volume of 163,457 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $309,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in VanEck Gold Miners ETF in the second quarter valued at about $68,000. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in VanEck Gold Miners ETF in the second quarter valued at about $10,277,000. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in VanEck Gold Miners ETF by 32.2% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of VanEck Gold Miners ETF during the first quarter worth about $254,000.

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VanEck Gold Miners ETF Stock Performance

VanEck Gold Miners ETF stock traded up $2.28 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $87.95. The company had a trading volume of 16,567,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,241,004. The firm has a market cap of $26.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.70 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $77.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.01. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has a 1 year low of $33.42 and a 1 year high of $88.69.

About VanEck Gold Miners ETF

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.

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Investing.com -- Shares in sportswear giants Adidas (ETR:ADSGN) and Puma (ETR:PUMG) fell Friday, a day after Nike (NYSE:NKE) warned that sales would decline in the current quarter amid ongoing weakness in China and continued pressure at the Converse brand.

The company said revenue is expected to decline in the low-single digits in the three months that began Dec. 1, marking a setback after two consecutive quarters of growth.

Nike stock slumped more than 10% in extended trading. Rival Adidas shares slipped 1.8% in early Friday trading, while Puma dipped more than 3%.

Nike is down 13% so far this year through Thursdays close and is on track for a fourth straight annual decline.

While the company pointed to progress in North America and in running, investors remain focused on parts of the business that are still lagging. Converse sales dropped 30% in the latest quarter, while revenue in Greater China fell 17%.

Chief executive officer Elliott Hill described the recovery as in the middle innings, signaling that a full turnaround remains some distance away.

On the earnings call, Hill said Nikes recovery wont be a straight line, but were acting decisively to accelerate the lagging areas  with China at the top of that list.

The company flagged declining store traffic in Greater China and challenges clearing older inventory, prompting a sharper focus on Beijing and Shanghai alongside a tighter product assortment.

What weve done is a start, but its not happening at the level or the pace we need to drive wider change, Hill said.

Nike is also attempting to reinvigorate Converse, which has relied heavily on the Chuck Taylor franchise and struggled to generate momentum beyond it.

For the fiscal quarter ended Nov. 30, Nikes revenue rose 1% to $12.4 billion, topping analyst expectations. Gross margin, however, fell for a second straight quarter, dropping 300 basis points, and Nike warned margins could decline a further 175 to 225 basis points in the current period.

Net income fell 32% year over year, though adjusted earnings per share of 53 cents exceeded forecasts.

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iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:HYBB  Get Free Report)s share price were up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $47.19 and last traded at $47.11. Approximately 42,715 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 44% from the average daily volume of 76,581 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.03.

iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $407.50 million, a P/E ratio of 59.99 and a beta of 0.39. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $47.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.93.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF by 29.8% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,298 shares of the companys stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF by 12.2% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 3,392 shares of the companys stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 369 shares during the period. Zuckerman Investment Group LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF by 2.6% during the third quarter. Zuckerman Investment Group LLC now owns 16,855 shares of the companys stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 11,406 shares of the companys stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RMR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. RMR Capital Management LLC now owns 18,121 shares of the companys stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the last quarter.

iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF Company Profile

The iShares BB Rated Corporate Bond ETF (HYBB) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market value-weighted index that only includes bonds with a credit rating of BB. HYBB was launched on Oct 6, 2020 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Shares of iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF (TSE:XEU  Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$37.75 and last traded at C$37.75, with a volume of 1181 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$37.43.

iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF Price Performance

The stocks 50-day moving average price is C$37.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$35.84.

About iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF

(Get Free Report)

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of the MSCI Europe Investable Market Index (the Index), net of expenses. To achieve its investment objective the Fund uses an indexing strategy. Under this strategy, the Fund seeks to replicate the performance of the Index, net of expenses, by employing, directly or indirectly, through investment in one or more iShares ETFs and/or through the use of derivatives, a replicating strategy or sampling strategy.

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Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC cut its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (BATS:QUAL  Free Report) by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,412 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,796 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF accounts for 0.9% of Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF were worth $7,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC grew its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 2.6% during the second quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC now owns 2,095 shares of the companys stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 2,517 shares of the companys stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. GFG Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. GFG Capital LLC now owns 1,442 shares of the companys stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC grew its stake in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Global Financial Private Client LLC now owns 10,696 shares of the companys stock worth $1,955,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 2,461 shares of the companys stock worth $450,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Price Performance

QUAL stock opened at $197.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $57.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.59 and a beta of 1.05. iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has a 12 month low of $148.34 and a 12 month high of $187.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $189.70.

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality index. The fund tracks an index of US large- and mid-cap stocks, selected and weighted by high ROE, stable earnings growth and low debt\u002Fequity, relative to peers in each sector.

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Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Free Report) had its price target decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d+) rating on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Conagra Brands from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Conagra Brands currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $20.25.

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Conagra Brands Stock Performance

NYSE:CAG opened at $17.80 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of 10.11 and a beta of -0.01. Conagra Brands has a 52-week low of $16.60 and a 52-week high of $28.51.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 1st. The company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.62 billion. Conagra Brands had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 7.42%.The businesss quarterly revenue was down 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. Analysts forecast that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Conagra Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, January 27th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. Conagra Brandss payout ratio is presently 79.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total transaction of $223,659.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Conagra Brands

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CAG. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Conagra Brands by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 64,687 shares of the companys stock worth $1,725,000 after buying an additional 5,015 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Conagra Brands by 44.3% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 153,056 shares of the companys stock worth $4,082,000 after acquiring an additional 46,979 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Conagra Brands by 49.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,162,251 shares of the companys stock worth $217,686,000 after acquiring an additional 2,702,407 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in Conagra Brands by 98.2% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 317,924 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,497,000 after purchasing an additional 157,486 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. raised its position in Conagra Brands by 42.0% during the first quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 60,024 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,601,000 after purchasing an additional 17,748 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.75% of the companys stock.

Conagra Brands Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Conagra Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer packaged goods food company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice segments. The Grocery & Snacks segment primarily offers shelf stable food products through various retail channels.

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Shares of Lenovo Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 203,007 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 138% from the previous sessions volume of 85,342 shares.The stock last traded at $23.83 and had previously closed at $24.23.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Lenovo Group from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold.

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Lenovo Group Trading Down 1.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $14.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.77, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

Lenovo Group (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The technology company reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $20.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.09 billion. Lenovo Group had a net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 28.73%. Analysts anticipate that Lenovo Group Ltd. will post 2.06 EPS for the current year.

About Lenovo Group

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Lenovo Group is a multinational technology company known primarily for the design, manufacture and sale of personal computers, servers, storage and smart devices. Its product portfolio spans consumer and commercial PCs (notable brands include ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Yoga and Legion), workstations, enterprise-class ThinkSystem servers and storage, as well as tablets, smartphones (notably through its Motorola Mobility acquisition), smart home devices and related software. Lenovo also provides IT services and solutions, including systems integration, managed services and lifecycle support for enterprise customers.

The company traces its origins to 1984 when it was founded in Beijing as Legend by Liu Chuanzhi; it later adopted the Lenovo name and expanded through a series of strategic acquisitions.

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Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV  Free Report) by 3.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 248,682 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 7,859 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF accounts for about 3.3% of Long Run Wealth Advisors LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF worth $16,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,125,413 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,451,560,000 after buying an additional 23,376,524 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 28.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 15,814,518 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,003,906,000 after acquiring an additional 3,518,683 shares during the period. Hamilton Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the first quarter worth about $197,545,000. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF during the first quarter worth about $190,961,000. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 296.7% during the 2nd quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 3,963,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $251,571,000 after purchasing an additional 2,964,000 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Stock Performance

BATS EFV opened at $70.47 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $28.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.81. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 52-week low of $51.05 and a 52-week high of $66.83.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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Manolete Partners Plc (LON:MANO  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 60 and last traded at GBX 62, with a volume of 130512 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Manolete Partners from GBX 172 to GBX 130 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of GBX 130.

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Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Manolete Partners

Manolete Partners Trading Down 1.6%

The company has a current ratio of 4.92, a quick ratio of 6.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 33.92. The stock has a market capitalization of 26.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.55 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 79.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 85.50.

Manolete Partners (LON:MANO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The company reported GBX (1.09) EPS for the quarter. Manolete Partners had a net margin of 180.12% and a return on equity of 109.76%. On average, equities analysts predict that Manolete Partners Plc will post 4.2845258 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Manolete Partners news, insider Leigh of Hurley sold 65,000 shares of Manolete Partners stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 71, for a total value of 46,150. 11.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Manolete Partners

(Get Free Report)

Manolete Partners Plc is the UKs leading insolvency litigation financing company which was founded in 2009 by its Chief Executive, Steven Cooklin, a UK Chartered Accountant.

Manolete finances the pursuit of claims through litigation and alternative dispute resolution to produce optimal returns for the creditors of insolvent companies.

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Stokes Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD  Free Report) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 41,100 shares of the fast-food giants stock after buying an additional 3,407 shares during the quarter. McDonalds makes up 2.9% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Stokes Capital Advisors LLCs holdings in McDonalds were worth $12,490,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCD. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of McDonalds by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 71,331,031 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $20,840,787,000 after purchasing an additional 921,936 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of McDonalds by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,828,352 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $10,175,800,000 after purchasing an additional 272,139 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonalds by 1.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,828,420 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $4,901,595,000 after purchasing an additional 276,065 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of McDonalds in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,780,712,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in McDonalds by 16.8% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,341,460 shares of the fast-food giants stock worth $2,917,993,000 after buying an additional 1,344,954 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the companys stock.

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McDonalds Price Performance

MCD stock opened at $319.72 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $306.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.91. McDonalds Corporation has a 12 month low of $276.53 and a 12 month high of $326.32. The company has a market cap of $227.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.52.

McDonalds Increases Dividend

McDonalds ( NYSE:MCD Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.33 by ($0.11). McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 280.89% and a net margin of 32.04%.The company had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 earnings per share. McDonaldss revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that McDonalds Corporation will post 12.25 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $1.86 per share. This is a boost from McDonaldss previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. McDonaldss dividend payout ratio is currently 63.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MCD. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of McDonalds from $322.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a market perform rating on shares of McDonalds in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. KeyCorp restated an overweight rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of McDonalds in a report on Monday, October 20th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of McDonalds from $381.00 to $375.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of McDonalds from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $324.57.

Read Our Latest Report on McDonalds

Insider Activity at McDonalds

In related news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 3,195 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.82, for a total transaction of $977,094.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 6,088 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,861,832.16. The trade was a 34.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Manuel Jm Steijaert sold 13,134 shares of McDonalds stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.42, for a total transaction of $3,945,716.28. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,606 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,383,734.52. The trade was a 74.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 42,516 shares of company stock worth $13,036,090. 0.25% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

McDonalds Profile

(Free Report)

McDonalds Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.

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Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered shares of Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC  Free Report) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $80.00 price target on the asset managers stock, up from their prior price target of $78.00.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Moelis & Company in a report on Monday, December 8th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Moelis & Company from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a neutral rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Moelis & Company from $74.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Moelis & Company in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a market perform rating and a $74.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Moelis & Company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.63.

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Moelis & Company Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Moelis & Company stock opened at $70.12 on Tuesday. Moelis & Company has a 1 year low of $47.00 and a 1 year high of $82.89. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $65.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.42. The company has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.90.

Moelis & Company (NYSE:MC  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The asset manager reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $356.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $336.14 million. Moelis & Company had a net margin of 15.98% and a return on equity of 45.62%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 30.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Moelis & Company will post 2.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moelis & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 10th. Moelis & Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 86.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in shares of Moelis & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,718,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Moelis & Company by 153.9% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 419 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in Moelis & Company during the 3rd quarter worth about $244,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Moelis & Company by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 962,778 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $68,665,000 after purchasing an additional 17,220 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Moelis & Company during the 3rd quarter valued at about $565,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.53% of the companys stock.

About Moelis & Company

(Get Free Report)

Moelis & Co operates as a holding company. It engages in the provision of financial advisory, capital raising and asset management services to a client base including corporations, governments, sovereign wealth funds and financial sponsors. The firm focuses on clients including large public multinational corporations, middle market private companies, financial sponsors, entrepreneurs and governments.

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Montecito Bank & Trust bought a new position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO  Free Report) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 3,855 shares of the oil and gas companys stock, valued at approximately $656,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 15.7% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $21,770,000 after buying an additional 21,997 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 8.9% in the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 46,474 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% during the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,571 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 2,199 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,666,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $866,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a strong-buy rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $183.20.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $161.83 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $185.62. The stock has a market cap of $49.36 billion, a PE ratio of 33.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $171.21 and a 200-day moving average of $155.28.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firms quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the companys stock.

About Valero Energy

(Free Report)

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.

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AeroFarms confirmed the US-based vertical-farming business is continuing to operate after securing new funds from an undisclosed investor.

Doubts about the future of the business emerged from a WARN notice filed earlier in December with the Department of Workforce Development and Advancement in Virginia saying the company planned to close its Ringgold indoor vertical farm in the state located at Danville.

Efforts to raise new financing had failed, AeroFarms said in the notice as it warned 173 jobs would be terminated at Danville.

In the WARN notice in Virginia, AeroFarms said its largest investor  unnamed  had unexpectedly decided to withdraw any further financial investment.

However, AeroFarms issued a statement on Friday (19 December) announcing the new funding support but did not clarify if the jobs would be saved.

Recently, AeroFarms was provided with sudden and unexpected notice that it would not be receiving the necessary funding it required to continue operations, the statement read.

Since that time, the companys circumstances have evolved rapidly. An existing stakeholder has agreed to provide funding to AeroFarms, enabling the company to continue operations and explore strategic alternatives.

AeroFarms has faced financial difficulties in the past. In September 2023, the New Jersey-headquartered company said it had exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings entered in June that year.

At the time, AeroFarms had received approval from a bankruptcy court in Delaware for an asset purchase agreement with existing investors Grosvenor Food & AgTech and Doha Venture Capital.

Molly Montgomery, a partner at agri-food investor Grosvenor Food & AgTech became acting CEO and executive chair of AeroFarms board of directors.

In August this year, the company said it planned to build a second vertical-farming facility in addition to the Danville site, for which it had refinanced debt to support ongoing operations.

Just Food has asked AeroFarms to clarify the current operational status of the Danville farm and whether the jobs will now be saved.

Vertical farming, or controlled-environment agriculture, is a capital-intensive industry mainly revolving around leafy greens and herbs. Most companies are early-stage start-ups that usually require external financing and many, if not most, are not generating profits. Some have gone out of business.

Daniele Benatoff, the co-founder and CEO of Italy-based Planet Farms, told Just Food earlier this year that his company was profitable but mainly through diversification.

Asked to explain his own theory of why so many vertical farming operators had fallen by the wayside, he said: Part of the issue in this sector is it was approached as a pure technology business. But the reality is this is a complex business because it brings together three different technological innovations under one roof.
Montecito Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,885 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,117,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% during the second quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,041,223,000 after buying an additional 11,230,626 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,857,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,018,555,000 after acquiring an additional 2,235,380 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 69.0% in the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,512,311 shares of the companys stock worth $821,826,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842,754 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 111.1% in the 1st 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 Philip Morris International by 475.5% during the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,325,951 shares of the companys stock valued at $210,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095,557 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.63% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

PM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 5th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $189.00.

Philip Morris International Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of PM stock opened at $157.27 on Friday. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.12 and a 12-month high of $186.69. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $153.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $244.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.42.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%. As a group, research analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is 106.52%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE:NSA  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $28.01 and last traded at $28.0080, with a volume of 81336 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $28.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NSA shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and upped their price objective for the company from $30.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Friday, December 5th. National Bankshares set a $32.00 target price on shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded National Storage Affiliates Trust from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average price target of $33.09.

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National Storage Affiliates Trust Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 46.19 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.25. The companys fifty day moving average price is $29.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.03.

National Storage Affiliates Trust (NYSE:NSA  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.01. National Storage Affiliates Trust had a net margin of 8.94% and a return on equity of 5.09%. The firm had revenue of $188.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.04 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. National Storage Affiliates Trusts revenue was down 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. National Storage Affiliates Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.170-2.230 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that National Storage Affiliates Trust will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current year.

National Storage Affiliates Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. National Storage Affiliates Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently 373.77%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Long Pond Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust during the 2nd quarter worth about $79,936,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust by 172.0% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,146,936 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $100,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,989,965 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,082,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of National Storage Affiliates Trust by 723.7% during the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,067,548 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $32,261,000 after acquiring an additional 937,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in National Storage Affiliates Trust by 159.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,163,764 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $35,169,000 after purchasing an additional 714,840 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.97% of the companys stock.

About National Storage Affiliates Trust

(Get Free Report)

National Storage Affiliates Trust is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado, focused on the ownership, operation and acquisition of self storage properties predominantly located within the top 100 metropolitan statistical areas throughout the United States. As of December 31, 2023, the Company held ownership interests in and operated 1,050 self storage properties, located in 42 states and Puerto Rico with approximately 68.6 million rentable square feet, which excludes 39 self storage properties classified as held for sale to be sold to a third party.

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Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in Brookfield Corporation (NYSE:BN  Free Report) by 110.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 43,392 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 22,803 shares during the quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLCs holdings in Brookfield were worth $2,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in Brookfield in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Brookfield in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Brookfield in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Brookfield by 109.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 632 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Brookfield during the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. 61.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Brookfield Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BN opened at $44.77 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.85 billion, a PE ratio of 124.36 and a beta of 1.57. The firms 50 day moving average price is $45.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.07. Brookfield Corporation has a twelve month low of $29.07 and a twelve month high of $49.47.

Brookfield Announces Dividend

Brookfield ( NYSE:BN Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.02. Brookfield had a net margin of 1.34% and a return on equity of 3.92%. The business had revenue of $1.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.58 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Brookfield Corporation will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. Brookfields dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BN shares. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Brookfield in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $58.00 target price (up previously from $57.00) on shares of Brookfield in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Brookfield from $48.67 to $55.33 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Brookfield in a research report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an outperform rating and issued a $49.00 target price (up previously from $46.00) on shares of Brookfield in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $53.87.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on BN

About Brookfield

(Free Report)

Brookfield Corporation is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients.

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Pacifica Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC  Free Report) (TSE:MFC) by 263.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 39,702 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 28,765 shares during the quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc.s holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $1,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MFC. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Manulife Financial in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Eastern Bank grew its stake in Manulife Financial by 156.1% during the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 968 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Manulife Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Goodman Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Manulife Financial during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in Manulife Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. 52.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MFC. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b+) rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $51.00 target price on Manulife Financial in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets restated an outperform rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $51.50.

Manulife Financial Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MFC opened at $36.15 on Friday. Manulife Financial Corp has a 52-week low of $25.92 and a 52-week high of $36.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.83 and a 200 day moving average of $32.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 0.83.

Manulife Financial (NYSE:MFC  Get Free Report) (TSE:MFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.10. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 9.81%.The business had revenue of $12.90 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.00 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. This is a positive change from Manulife Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Manulife Financials payout ratio is 55.56%.

About Manulife Financial

(Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.

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Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC increased its position in GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE  Free Report) by 95.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,674 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 6,665 shares during the quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLCs holdings in GE Aerospace were worth $4,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GE. Hilltop National Bank raised its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 24.9% during the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,465 shares of the companys stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 344.8% in the third quarter. Teamwork Financial Advisors LLC now owns 42,955 shares of the companys stock worth $12,922,000 after purchasing an additional 33,297 shares during the last quarter. Dixon Fnancial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in GE Aerospace in the third quarter valued at $240,000. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in GE Aerospace by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Firethorn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the companys stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Private Trust Co. raised its position in GE Aerospace by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Legacy Private Trust Co. now owns 28,918 shares of the companys stock worth $8,699,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. 74.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at GE Aerospace

In related news, SVP Russell Stokes sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.71, for a total transaction of $2,381,680.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 150,434 shares of the companys stock, valued at $44,785,706.14. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on GE Aerospace from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on GE Aerospace from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded GE Aerospace from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of GE Aerospace from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $309.94.

View Our Latest Report on GE

GE Aerospace Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of GE Aerospace stock opened at $301.76 on Friday. GE Aerospace has a one year low of $159.36 and a one year high of $316.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stocks 50-day moving average is $299.40 and its 200 day moving average is $279.50. The firm has a market cap of $318.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.29, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.40.

GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $11.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.29 billion. GE Aerospace had a return on equity of 34.01% and a net margin of 18.34%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 earnings per share. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.200 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that GE Aerospace will post 5.4 EPS for the current year.

GE Aerospace Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 29th. GE Aerospaces payout ratio is presently 19.23%.

GE Aerospace Profile

(Free Report)

GE Aerospace (also known as General Electric) is a company that specializes in providing aerospace products and services. It operates through two reportable segments: Commercial Engines and Services and Defense and Propulsion Technologies. It offers jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft.

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PCCW Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PCWLF  Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 6,432 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 190% from the previous sessions volume of 2,215 shares.The stock last traded at $0.7578 and had previously closed at $0.75.

PCCW Stock Down 0.2%

The firms fifty day moving average is $0.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $0.70.

About PCCW

(Get Free Report)

PCCW Limited provides telecommunications and related services in Hong Kong, Mainland and other parts of China, Singapore, and internationally. The companys services include local telephony, local data and broadband, mobile, enterprise solutions, international telecommunications, and satellite-based and network-based telecommunications services; outsourcing, consulting, and contact center services; and technical consulting and engineering services.

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Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Portland General Electric (NYSE: POR) in the last few weeks:

12/17/2025  Portland General Electric had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $51.00 to $49.00. They now have a neutral rating on the stock.

12/15/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/12/2025  Portland General Electric had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $47.00 to $49.00. They now have a neutral rating on the stock.

12/8/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/4/2025  Portland General Electric had its sell rating reaffirmed by analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH. They now have a $43.00 price target on the stock.

12/1/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/25/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/19/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/19/2025  Portland General Electric had its neutral rating reaffirmed by analysts at UBS Group AG. They now have a $51.00 price target on the stock.

11/19/2025  Portland General Electric was downgraded by analysts at UBS Group AG from a buy rating to a neutral rating. They now have a $51.00 price target on the stock.

11/13/2025  Portland General Electric had its hold (c+) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/3/2025  Portland General Electric was given a new $47.00 price target on by analysts at Mizuho.

10/27/2025  Portland General Electric is now covered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company. They set an equal weight rating and a $45.00 price target on the stock.

10/22/2025  Portland General Electric had its price target raised by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from $43.00 to $46.00. They now have a hold rating on the stock.

10/22/2025  Portland General Electric was upgraded by analysts at BTIG Research to a strong-buy rating.

10/21/2025  Portland General Electric is now covered by analysts at BTIG Research. They set a buy rating and a $52.00 price target on the stock.

10/21/2025  Portland General Electric had its price target raised by analysts at Barclays PLC from $43.00 to $47.00. They now have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Portland General Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. Portland General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.36%.

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Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR) is an investor-owned electric utility headquartered in Tigard, Oregon, with roots tracing back to the late 19th century. The company generates, transmits and distributes electricity to residential, commercial and industrial customers across a broad territory in Oregon, primarily encompassing the Portland metropolitan area and surrounding regions.

As one of Oregons largest electric utilities, Portland General Electric operates a diverse portfolio of generation assets, including hydroelectric facilities, natural gasfired plants and renewable energy sources.

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Premium Brands (TSE:PBH  Get Free Report) has been assigned a C$120.00 target price by stock analysts at Desjardins in a research note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has a buy rating on the stock. Desjardins price target would indicate a potential upside of 19.17% from the stocks previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$106.00 to C$111.00 in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$108.00 to C$118.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Premium Brands from C$111.00 to C$125.00 in a research note on Thursday. CIBC increased their price objective on Premium Brands from C$115.00 to C$120.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$115.00 to C$125.00 in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of C$121.64.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Premium Brands

Premium Brands Stock Performance

Shares of PBH stock traded down C$0.80 during trading on Friday, reaching C$100.70. 51,056 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,213. Premium Brands has a twelve month low of C$72.57 and a twelve month high of C$103.89. The firms fifty day moving average price is C$95.52 and its 200-day moving average price is C$91.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 163.00. The stock has a market capitalization of C$4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 68.50, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.38.

Premium Brands (TSE:PBH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported C$1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Premium Brands had a return on equity of 5.66% and a net margin of 1.55%.The business had revenue of C$1.99 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Premium Brands will post 6.039823 EPS for the current year.

More Premium Brands News

Here are the key news stories impacting Premium Brands this week:

Positive Sentiment: TD Securities raised its target sharply to C$160 (57.6% upside vs C$101.50), signalling strong conviction on longerterm upside and likely supporting buying interest. BayStreet.CA

TD Securities raised its target sharply to C$160 (57.6% upside vs C$101.50), signalling strong conviction on longerterm upside and likely supporting buying interest. Positive Sentiment: Raymond James bumped its target to C$125 (23% upside), reinforcing elevated analyst enthusiasm across the street. BayStreet.CA

Raymond James bumped its target to C$125 (23% upside), reinforcing elevated analyst enthusiasm across the street. Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its target to C$125 (23% upside), adding to the cluster of upward revisions that could attract momentum buyers. BayStreet.CA

BMO Capital Markets raised its target to C$125 (23% upside), adding to the cluster of upward revisions that could attract momentum buyers. Positive Sentiment: CIBC increased its target to C$120 (18% upside), another sign that brokers are revising earnings/valuation assumptions higher. BayStreet.CA

CIBC increased its target to C$120 (18% upside), another sign that brokers are revising earnings/valuation assumptions higher. Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded PBH from Hold to Outperform and lifted its target to C$120 (from C$99), which could bring incremental buy-side interest from institutional clients following Scotiabank coverage. BayStreet.CA

Scotiabank upgraded PBH from Hold to Outperform and lifted its target to C$120 (from C$99), which could bring incremental buy-side interest from institutional clients following Scotiabank coverage. Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its target modestly to C$111, adding to the consensus of higher targets across brokers. BayStreet.CA

Stifel raised its target modestly to C$111, adding to the consensus of higher targets across brokers. Negative Sentiment: The company completed a C$600 million offering combining equity and convertible debentures  proceeds bolster the balance sheet and fund growth but dilute existing shareholders and introduce potential future conversion-driven supply. This financing likely offsets some of the positive analyst momentum and helps explain downward pressure. Premium Brands Holdings Corporation Announces Completion of $600 million Equity and Convertible Debenture Offerings

About Premium Brands

(Get Free Report)

Premium Brands Holdings Corp is engaged in specialty food manufacturing, premium food distribution, and wholesale businesses with operations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nevada, and Washington State. The companys business segments include Specialty Foods, Premium Food Distribution, and Corporate. The Specialty Foods segment consists of its specialty food manufacturing businesses, which contributes about two-thirds of the group revenue; the Premium Food Distribution segment consists of the companys distribution and wholesale businesses; the Corporate segment includes the companys head office activities along with its finance and information systems.

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Shares of Primerica, Inc. (NYSE:PRI  Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $300.00.

PRI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Primerica from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their target price for the company from $292.00 to $318.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Piper Sandler set a $292.00 price target on Primerica and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Primerica from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $292.00 price objective on Primerica in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Primerica in a research note on Monday.

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Check Out Our Latest Report on Primerica

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Primerica

In related news, Director Joel M. Babbit sold 700 shares of Primerica stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total value of $178,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,142,000. The trade was a 7.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, President Peter W. Schneider sold 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.30, for a total transaction of $510,600.00. Following the sale, the president owned 7,301 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,863,945.30. This trade represents a 21.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing . Insiders have sold 5,200 shares of company stock worth $1,338,225 in the last three months. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Olympiad Research LP grew its holdings in Primerica by 3.9% in the second quarter. Olympiad Research LP now owns 1,061 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in shares of Primerica by 1.2% in the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 3,866 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,058,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Primerica by 6.5% during the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 836 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $232,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Primerica by 3.2% during the second quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,776 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in Primerica by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 22,844 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $6,252,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 90.88% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Primerica Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE PRI opened at $258.73 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $258.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $264.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89 and a beta of 0.90. Primerica has a 12-month low of $230.98 and a 12-month high of $298.75.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $5.52 by $0.81. Primerica had a net margin of 22.36% and a return on equity of 31.75%. The company had revenue of $838.88 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $817.81 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.83 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Primerica will post 20.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Primerica declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, November 19th that permits the company to buyback $475.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 5.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Primerica Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a $1.04 dividend. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Primericas dividend payout ratio is 19.12%.

About Primerica

(Get 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.

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Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O  Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Hold from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $62.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Realty Income from $58.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an underweight rating and set a $61.00 price target on shares of Realty Income in a research report on Thursday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Realty Income from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Realty Income from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Realty Income from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th.

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Realty Income Price Performance

NYSE:O opened at $56.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $52.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $57.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.03. Realty Income has a 12 month low of $50.71 and a 12 month high of $61.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Realty Income (NYSE:O  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.01. Realty Income had a return on equity of 2.45% and a net margin of 17.17%.The firm had revenue of $1.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.05 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Realty Income has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.250-4.270 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Realty Income will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Realty Income Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from Realty Incomes previous monthly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. Realty Incomes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 299.07%.

Insider Transactions at Realty Income

In related news, Director Mary Hogan Preusse sold 11,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.43, for a total transaction of $664,730.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 19,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,160,920.73. This represents a 36.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Realty Income

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in O. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Realty Income by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,101 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Realty Income in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $571,000. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Realty Income by 50.2% in the first quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 29,016 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,683,000 after buying an additional 9,702 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Realty Income by 10.9% in the first quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 86,668 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,028,000 after buying an additional 8,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC grew its holdings in Realty Income by 5.4% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 13,139 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $755,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.81% of the companys stock.

About Realty Income

(Get Free Report)

Realty Income, The Monthly Dividend Company, is an S&P 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats index. We invest in people and places to deliver dependable monthly dividends that increase over time. The company is structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT), and its monthly dividends are supported by the cash flow from over 15,450 real estate properties (including properties acquired in the Spirit merger in January 2024) primarily owned under long-term net lease agreements with commercial clients.

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Affirm (AFRM) stock closed nearly 12% higher on Dec. 16 after the financial technology company said Amazon (AMZN) has renewed its partnership with it for five more years.

The announcement marks a crucial victory for AFRM as the e-commerce giant serves as one of its most important distribution channels and revenue resources.

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Despite the rally, Affirm stock is down some 20% versus its year-to-date high set in August.

www.barchart.com

Significance of Amazon Partnership for Affirm Stock

Investors cheered the Amazon news on Tuesday mostly because it enhances visibility into Affirms future revenue and validates its position in the increasingly competitive fintech landscape.

The renewed partnership signals confidence in AFRMs technology platform and risk management capabilities, factors that have become increasingly scrutinized in the lending space.

It positions Affirm to steal market share and improve its unit economics to better rival competition from traditional financial institutions as well as emerging fintech names like Klarna (KLAR).

In its latest reported quarter, Affirm came in ahead of Street estimates, maintaining strong credit performance as users demonstrated payment discipline.

This makes AFRM shares all the more attractive to own heading into 2026.

What Makes AFRM Shares Worth Owning for 2026

Affirm shares remain appealing as a long-term holding also because the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) industry more broadly is growing at a fast clip.

In 2025, the holiday season spending through these platforms is expected to reach a record $20.2 billion, up sharply from $18.2 billion last year.

In fact, recent data confirms BNPL usage hit an all-time high on Cyber Monday, driving more than $1.0 billion in online spending, indicating strong consumer adoption.

On Tuesday, Affirms chief of finance, Rob OHare said the company is performing in line with expectations this quarter as well, offering another reason for investors to own the fintech stock.

From a technical perspective, AFRM stock looks headed to challenge its 100-day moving average (MA) at the $75 level. A decisive break above that price in the days ahead could accelerate bullish momentum.
Richard P Slaughter Associates Inc lessened its position in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:IWR  Free Report) by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 34,771 shares of the companys stock after selling 13,833 shares during the quarter. iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF comprises 0.7% of Richard P Slaughter Associates Incs holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Richard P Slaughter Associates Incs holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF were worth $3,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Traub Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF by 123.1% during the 2nd quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 415 shares of the companys stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. 80.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF Price Performance

Shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF stock opened at $96.42 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $95.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.59. The stock has a market cap of $45.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.00 and a beta of 1.06. iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF has a 1-year low of $73.17 and a 1-year high of $99.12.

iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF Profile

iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell Midcap 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 Midcap Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization sector of the United States equity market.

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Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:SIELY  Get Free Report)s share price traded up 6.6% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $10.50 and last traded at $10.50. 105 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 1,643 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.85.

Shanghai Electric Group Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.17.

About Shanghai Electric Group

(Get Free Report)

Shanghai Electric Group Co, Ltd. provides industrial grade green intelligent system solutions in Mainland China and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Energy Equipment, Industrial Equipment, and Integration Services. The Energy Equipment segment designs, manufactures, and sells nuclear power, energy storage, wind power, coal-fired power generation and corollary, and gas-fired power generation equipment; and vessels for chemical industry, as well as provides power grid and industrial intelligent power supply system solutions.

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Skeena Resources (TSE:SKE  Free Report) had its target price boosted by CIBC from C$36.00 to C$40.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,BayStreet.CA reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. TD Securities raised their target price on Skeena Resources from C$28.00 to C$35.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Desjardins upgraded shares of Skeena Resources to a moderate buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Skeena Resources from C$34.00 to C$53.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Skeena Resources from C$21.00 to C$26.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Skeena Resources presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of C$33.60.

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Skeena Resources Trading Down 2.5%

Skeena Resources Company Profile

Shares of TSE:SKE opened at C$32.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.27, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 1.87. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$26.80 and its 200-day moving average is C$23.79. The company has a market cap of C$3.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.69 and a beta of 1.98. Skeena Resources has a 52-week low of C$12.15 and a 52-week high of C$35.73.

(Get Free Report)

Skeena Resources Ltd is a Canadian mining exploration company focused on developing prospective precious and base metal properties in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, Canada. The companys primary activity is the exploration and development of the past-producing Eskay Creek mine acquired from Barrick.

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Swedbank AB (OTCMKTS:SWDBY  Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as SEK 34.20 and last traded at SEK 34.16, with a volume of 5520 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at SEK 33.66.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Swedbank in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Swedbank from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research raised Swedbank from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating on shares of Swedbank in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays restated an underweight rating on shares of Swedbank in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Reduce.

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Swedbank Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.83, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a market cap of $38.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.81 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of SEK 31.35 and a 200 day moving average price of SEK 28.98.

Swedbank (OTCMKTS:SWDBY  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported SEK 0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of SEK 0.64 by SEK 0.15. The business had revenue of SEK 1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of SEK 1.73 billion. Swedbank had a return on equity of 15.55% and a net margin of 26.30%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Swedbank AB will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Swedbank

(Get Free Report)

Swedbank AB is a major Swedish banking group headquartered in Stockholm that provides a broad range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional clients. The banks operations focus on traditional banking functions such as deposit-taking, lending and payment services, as well as wealth management and insurance solutions. Swedbanks franchise is centered on serving households, small and medium-sized enterprises and larger corporate customers, with an emphasis on everyday banking and long-term client relationships.

Products and services offered by Swedbank include savings and current accounts, mortgages and consumer lending, business loans and transaction banking, payment and card services, and digital banking platforms.

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Talbot Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 4.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 192,691 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 8,117 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab makes up approximately 1.6% of Talbot Financial LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Talbot Financial LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $18,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 151,182,081 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,793,853,000 after acquiring an additional 2,786,829 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 12.3% in the first 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 purchasing an additional 8,954,248 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 0.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 72,464,619 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,611,672,000 after purchasing an additional 531,329 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 2.9% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,381,183 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,399,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038,376 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 30,035,937 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,740,479,000 after buying an additional 815,625 shares during the last quarter. 84.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Charles Schwab

In other Charles Schwab news, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 3,072 shares of the firms stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 11,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,168,454. This trade represents a 20.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,205 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.33, for a total value of $299,122.65. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,778 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,245,830.74. This trade represents a 8.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 6.30% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Price Performance

Charles Schwab stock opened at $97.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $172.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $94.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.63. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a one year low of $65.88 and a one year high of $99.59.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.06. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 35.93%.The firm 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 company posted $0.71 EPS. The companys revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is 25.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on SCHW shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Charles Schwab from $130.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Charles Schwab from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. UBS Group began coverage on Charles Schwab in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued a buy rating and a $119.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $108.37.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Charles Schwab

About Charles Schwab

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM  Free Report) by 25.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 36,538 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after selling 12,788 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $8,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TSM. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the first quarter worth $28,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the companys stock.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:TSM opened at $284.95 on Friday. 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 Company Ltd. has a 12-month low of $134.25 and a 12-month high of $313.98. The business has a 50 day moving average of $292.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.79. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.23, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.31.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( NYSE:TSM Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.33. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 43.72% and a return on equity of 34.34%. The business had revenue of $32.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $951.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.94 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 40.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be issued a $0.9678 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is presently 25.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on TSM. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Itau BBA Securities started coverage on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. They issued an outperform rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Sunday, December 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, October 10th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $355.00.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Profile

(Free Report)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others.

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Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO  Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Truist Financial from $40.00 to $36.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a hold rating on the real estate investment trusts stock.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on VNO. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Vornado Realty Trust from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Vornado Realty Trust in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Vornado Realty Trust from $43.00 to $42.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Vornado Realty Trust from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Vornado Realty Trust from $42.00 to $40.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have 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 $38.46.

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Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VNO

Vornado Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of Vornado Realty Trust stock opened at $33.60 on Tuesday. Vornado Realty Trust has a 52 week low of $29.68 and a 52 week high of $45.37. The company has a current ratio of 5.58, a quick ratio of 5.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a PE ratio of 8.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 1.47. The companys 50-day moving average price is $36.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.25.

Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.02. Vornado Realty Trust had a net margin of 49.91% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $453.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $435.19 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vornado Realty Trust will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vornado Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 220.0%. Vornado Realty Trusts payout ratio is currently 17.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vornado Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Vornado Realty Trust by 37.7% during the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 6,886 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,886 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its holdings in shares of Vornado Realty Trust by 17.7% during the first quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 64,921 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,401,000 after purchasing an additional 9,768 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. grew its position in Vornado Realty Trust by 3.0% during the first quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 39,433 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,489,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Vornado Realty Trust by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,790,326 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $103,214,000 after buying an additional 49,197 shares during the period. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Vornado Realty Trust by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 167,209 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $6,185,000 after buying an additional 13,335 shares during the period. 90.02% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Vornado Realty Trust

(Get Free Report)

Vornado Realty Trust is a fully  integrated equity real estate investment trust.

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V2X, Inc. (NYSE:VVX  Get Free Report)s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $54.70, but opened at $53.01. V2X shares last traded at $53.2550, with a volume of 19,554 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VVX. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and set a $61.00 price target on shares of V2X in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on V2X from $58.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of V2X in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised V2X from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of V2X from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $63.11.

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Read Our Latest Research Report on V2X

V2X Stock Up 0.5%

The stock has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.47.

V2X (NYSE:VVX  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. V2X had a net margin of 1.81% and a return on equity of 15.22%. V2Xs revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.29 earnings per share. V2X has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.650-4.950 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that V2X, Inc. will post 4.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at V2X

In other news, Director Dino M. Cusumano sold 2,250,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $123,750,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,750,001 shares of the companys stock, valued at $316,250,055. This represents a 28.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder American Industrial Partners C sold 2,250,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $123,750,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,750,001 shares in the company, valued at $316,250,055. This trade represents a 28.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 5,700,000 shares of company stock worth $313,560,000 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On V2X

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in V2X by 21.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 172,685 shares of the companys stock worth $8,470,000 after acquiring an additional 30,800 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of V2X by 2.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 923,334 shares of the companys stock worth $45,290,000 after purchasing an additional 25,222 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of V2X by 29.6% in the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 22,516 shares of the companys stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 5,146 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of V2X by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 231,744 shares of the companys stock valued at $11,367,000 after purchasing an additional 5,439 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in shares of V2X by 21.3% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 33,600 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.18% of the companys stock.

V2X Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

V2X, Inc provides critical mission solutions and support services to defense clients worldwide. It offers a suite of integrated solutions across the operations and logistics, aerospace, training, and technology markets to national security, defense, civilian, and international clients. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Mclean, Virginia.

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Voya Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report) by 0.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,449,166 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 20,946 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $548,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% during the 2nd quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Morgan Stanley in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Morgan Stanley by 91.9% during the third quarter. Family Legacy Financial Solutions LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.19% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Morgan Stanley news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 574,986 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $94,493,199.24. This represents a 14.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the companys stock.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of MS opened at $172.93 on Friday. Morgan Stanley has a twelve month low of $94.33 and a twelve month high of $181.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $274.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.74, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.22. The firms 50-day moving average is $166.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.39.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The business had revenue of $17.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 16.40% and a net margin of 13.85%.The companys quarterly revenue was up 18.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.88 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Morgan Stanley Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanleys payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on MS shares. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley to a moderate buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Morgan Stanley from $184.00 to $202.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $174.77.

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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.

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A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (NYSE: BIP) recently:

12/17/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its price target raised by analysts at National Bankshares, Inc. from $36.00 to $38.00. They now have an outperform rating on the stock.

12/15/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/8/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/2/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

12/2/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners was given a new $44.00 price target on by analysts at Morgan Stanley.

11/26/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/20/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners had its hold (c) rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings.

11/14/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners was upgraded by analysts at Weiss Ratings from a sell (d+) rating to a hold (c) rating.

11/8/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a sell rating to a hold rating.

10/29/2025  Brookfield Infrastructure Partners was given a new $37.00 price target on by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc.. They now have a hold rating on the stock.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Brookfield Infrastructure Partnerss payout ratio is currently 256.72%.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Utilities segment operates approximately 2,900 km of electricity transmission lines; 4,200 km of natural gas pipelines; 8.1 million electricity and natural gas connections; and 0.6 million long-term contracted sub-metering services.

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Alstom has secured a 1bn ($1.17bn) share of a contract for the Suburban Rail Loop East project in Melbourne, Australia.

The overall contract, valued at 4.9bn, was granted by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority to the TransitLinX Alliance, which comprises Alstom, John Holland, KBR, WSP, and RATP Dev.

Alstoms responsibilities include supplying rolling stock, digital infrastructure, signalling systems, maintenance services, and overseeing system integration for the projects East section.

The manufacturing of 13 four-car automated Metropolis metro trains will take place at Alstoms Dandenong facility in Victoria.

These trains will operate under Grade of Automation 4 and use Alstoms Urbalis Forward Communications Based Train Control system.

Alstom will also deliver its FlexCare Perform maintenance solution for 15 years covering the train fleet, signalling, and infrastructure.

Maintenance operations will be based at a new dedicated facility in Heatherton, Melbourne. The introduction of the first Metropolis trains is planned for 2035.

Alstom Australia and New Zealand managing director Pascal Dupond said: This contract award further deepens our partnership with the Victorian Government to deliver the rail transport priorities of the Victorian Government with leading rail industry partners.

The Suburban Rail Loop solutions Alstom will provide draw from a range of our leading global technologies across rolling stock, signalling and services complemented by our local knowhow in Victoria, which uniquely we bring to our customers.

The Suburban Rail Loop is a 90km orbital railway through Melbournes middle suburbs.

Its initial stage, SRL East, spans 26km with six underground stations located near key employment, education, and health areas.

The technologies provided by Alstom will create Australias second driverless train fleet after the Sydney Metropolis metro trains that entered service in 2019.

Alstom Asia-Pacific region president Ling Fang said: As the worlds leading pure rail player, we bring comprehensive turnkey solutions to meet the needs of our customers in Australia and the wider Asia Pacific Region.

This project is of global significance in its ambition and scale, and Melbourne joins the ranks of other leading global cities in deploying Alstom solutions to enable advanced rail passenger solutions.

"Alstom wins 1bn role in Melbournes Suburban Rail Loop East project" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Wilsey Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 12.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,103,543 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 118,248 shares during the quarter. Pfizer makes up 5.2% of Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Pfizer were worth $28,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in PFE. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Pfizer by 2.9% during the second quarter. Capital Advisory Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,542 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 388 shares during the last quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 46,103 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,118,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Peak Asset Management LLC now owns 28,768 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Able Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Pfizer by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Able Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,128 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boltwood Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Pfizer by 0.7% during the third quarter. Boltwood Capital Management now owns 58,274 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. 68.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Pfizer Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PFE opened at $25.06 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $25.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.82. The firm has a market cap of $142.48 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57 and a beta of 0.46. 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 1-year low of $20.92 and a 1-year high of $27.69.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

Pfizer ( NYSE:PFE Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.94 billion. Pfizer had a return on equity of 20.17% and a net margin of 15.65%.Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. Research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 23rd. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PFE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group restated a neutral rating and set a $28.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Pfizer from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pfizer from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, September 28th. Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research set a $24.00 target price on Pfizer and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $28.06.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Pfizer

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited (OTCMKTS:YORUY  Get Free Report)s stock price rose 53.5% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $36.8515 and last traded at $36.8515. Approximately 300 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 2,033 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.01.

Yokohama Rubber Price Performance

The firms 50-day simple moving average is $26.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.81.

About Yokohama Rubber

(Get Free Report)

The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited manufactures and sells tires in Japan, the United States, India, China, the Philippines, and internationally. It offers tires for passenger cars and light trucks, trucks and buses, construction and mining equipment, industrial vehicles and agricultural and forestry machinery, and motorsports, as well as aluminum alloy wheels and other automotive related components under the ADVAN, BluEarth, iceGUARD, GEOLANDAR, YOKOHAMA, ALLIANCE, GALAXY, PRIMEX, and AICHI brand names.

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Key Takeaways

Amazon is reportedly in talks with OpenAI about investing $10 billion or more in the ChatGPT maker. The deal is also expected to see OpenAI use Amazon AI chips.

Earlier this year, OpenAI agreed to buy $38 billion in cloud computing capacity from Amazon Web Services over the next several years.

Amazon (AMZN) could be set to unveil an investment of $10 billion or more in ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

The companies are in talks for a deal that would see OpenAI buy some of Amazon's custom AI chips, and that would likely push OpenAI's valuation above $500 billion, according to a report from The Information and confirmed by CNBC.

The talks reportedly started in October, after OpenAI completed its restructuring to a for-profit company with an agreement with Microsoft (MSFT), its largest investor, making it easier for OpenAI to seek funding from other companies. Amazon and OpenAI did not respond to Investopedia's requests for comment in time for publication.



Why This Matters to Investors

A deal between Amazon and OpenAI would represent the latest in a string of big circular deals in the AI space, with major cloud and hardware providers investing in startups that also count them as suppliers. Such deals have exacerbated worries about an AI bubble, drawing parallels with the dotcom bubble of the late 1990s.

OpenAI has already signed over $1 trillion in agreements in recent months to buy chips and computing power. The startup struck massive chip deals Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and agreed to buy $38 billion in computing power from Amazon Web Services earlier this year.

OpenAI's ChatGPT and other products don't currently generate enough revenue to cover those commitments, however, raising concerns the company may continue pulling in money from investors and lenders in the years to come before it turns a profit.

Investors and analysts have grown increasingly skeptical in recent months of the growing number of circular deals within the AI industry, viewing them as unsustainable signals of a brewing AI bubble.

Amazon shares were up less than 1% in recent trading, leaving them just 2% higher for the year so far and about 12% off their highs last month after a pullback in tech stocks in recent weeks.

Read the original article on Investopedia
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

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Aoris Investment Management, a specialist international equity manager, released its Aoris International Fund Q3 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Global equity markets, represented by the MSCI AC World Accumulation Index ex Australia, rose by 6.5% in AUD for the September quarter. In local currencies, gains were 8.0%, but currency fluctuations reduced the AUD return by 1.5%. In the quarter, Portfolios Class A (Unhedged) returned -2.6% after fees compared to a 6.5% return for the benchmark. The funds Class C (Hedged) declined by 1.0% compared to an 8.0% return for the benchmark. In addition, you can check the funds top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2025.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Aoris International Fund highlighted stocks such as Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH). Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) designs and manufactures electrical, electronic, and fiber optic connectors. The one-month return of Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) was -1.51%, and its shares gained 83.64% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On December 18, 2025, Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) stock closed at $129.24 per share, with a market capitalization of $158.65 billion.

Aoris International Fund stated the following regarding Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) was the strongest gainer in the portfolio for the September quarter, as was the case in the June quarter. Its share price appreciated by 23% in the three months to September, adding 1.6% to returns. Amphenol is a leading provider of electronic connectors and sensors, which the company supplies across a broad range of end markets. Data centres account for about one-third of Amphenols revenue currently. Demand from this market has been extremely strong and this looks set to continue for some time to come."

Whats Fueling Wall Streets 90-Day Optimism on Amphenol (APH)?

Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 89 hedge fund portfolios held Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) at the end of the third quarter, which was 81 in the previous quarter. Amphenol Corporations (NYSE:APH) third quarter sales were up 53% in US dollars and 52% in local currencies to $6.194 billion. While we acknowledge the potential of Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) 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.
By Xinghui Kok and Claire Fu

SINGAPORE, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A growing number of Chinese companies are looking to domicile in Singapore, betting a move to the trade-focused city-state would reduce risks their operations get disrupted by Sino-U.S. geopolitical tensions.

The trend, billed as "Singapore washing" by some analysts, started gaining traction near the end of U.S. President Donald Trump's first presidency and has since accelerated, spreading to various sectors from critical minerals to tech and biotechnology, analysts and experts said.

More from Yahoo Scout Why are Chinese companies relocating to Singapore? What challenges do relocated Chinese companies face? How effective is Singapore domiciling for large companies? What advantages does Singapore offer Chinese firms?

"Demand has always been rising...and the key thing right now is that it's probably going to accelerate at a more rapid pace," said KG Tan, CEO of InCorp Group, which helps companies relocate or expand in nine Asia-Pacific locations.

There is no official data on how many Chinese companies are domiciled in Singapore, but Tan said interest from Chinese firms is "very strong" with about 15-20% more inquiries now year-on-year.

Singapore-domiciled companies include optical products maker Terahop, backed by China-based Zhongji Innolight, which set up shop in the city in 2018.

More recent additions include data centre operator DayOne, spun off from GDS Holdings; Manus AI, an artificial intelligence agent from China's Butterfly Effect; and ChemLex, an AI-powered chemical synthesis company.

Neither Manus AI's nor Terahop's websites make reference to their Chinese backers. ChemLex CEO Sean Lin said he considers his Shanghai-founded startup a Singapore company.

DayOne CEO Jamie Khoo said in July that it always intended to split from its Chinese parent, as both companies operate under different regulatory regimes. Manus AI and Terahop did not respond to requests for comment.

SINGAPORE PROVIDES A STRATEGIC SWEET SPOT

Singapore offers an attractive base for firms looking to navigate U.S. tariffs and maintain access to key American technologies whose sales are restricted in China. Washington imposes tariffs of just 10% on goods from Singapore.

"The Singapore brand is trusted worldwide. Singapore is valued for its international flavour, neutrality, and is culturally easy for Chinese firms and their expats to adapt to," said Maybank China economist Erica Tay.

"With a whopping 28 free trade agreements, it is also a good base from which to grow markets outside China."

But that advantage has also left Singapore on a tightrope, as the U.S. steps up its scrutiny over Chinese firms and as some of those foreign entities have been involved in criminal activities.
In December, under the leadership of Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., the Texas General Land Office celebrated completion of the final home rebuilt through the Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) disaster recovery mission. The final home, located in Houston, marked a major milestone of completion in the Harvey recovery effort, which consisted of both home rebuilding and repair reimbursement programs. The programs were funded through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

"The Texas General Land Office is proud to be a national leader in helping communities rebuild and recover from major disasters," said Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. "Administering federal grants is extremely complicated, but the GLO's dedicated recovery experts never quit. Our mission is to serve the people we are supposed to serve and do it well. Today, the homes and lives of more than 13,500 Texas families have been rebuilt thanks to the perseverance and dedication of the GLO's Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery team and our partners."

Initially the GLO allocated more than $1.3 billion to rebuild homes in 48 federally designated eligible counties impacted by Hurricane Harvey while Harris County and the city of Houston administered similar programs with funds allocated directly by HUD. Due to lack of progress, by 2021, the city and county's programs were fully transferred to the GLO. The GLO rebuilt 8,750 homes for families impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Additionally, nearly 3,000 homeowners received more than $86 million from the GLO's Homeowner Reimbursement Program in reimbursements for out-of-pocket home repairs. Houston and Harris County's programs reimbursed 1,700 homeowners for repairs and collectively rebuilt 408 homes. Combined across the GLO, Houston and Harris County programs, more than 9,100 homes were rebuilt, and more than 4,400 repairs were reimbursed across 49 counties for Texas families impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

The Texas GLO has also helped more than 700 homeowners impacted by Imelda, Laura and repetitive flooding events in the Rio Grande Valley.

In July, the GLO successfully launched applications for both the home rebuilding and repair reimbursement programs for Texans impacted by the 2024 Disasters, including Hurricane Beryl, across 27 federally eligible counties. The City of Houston and Harris County received direct allocations from HUD to administer housing recovery funding directly.

In December the GLO held the first preconstruction meeting for Shirley Theodore whose Alvin home was devastated by Hurricane Beryl. Soon, Shirley will be celebrating 2026 will a safe and resilient new home thanks to the GLO! Find more information at recovery.texas.gov/apply.

Source Texas General Land Office, Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D.

In total, across all disaster recovery housing programs, the GLO helped more than 14,000 (and counting) Texas families have a safe and resilient home for the holidays!
Why Meiteilon deserves its rightful place in Indias classical pantheon

|

Dr Abul Khair Choudhury (Moijing Mayum)

Contd from previous issue

Such a continuous, secular historical record is a rarity in world literature and comparable to the Rajatarangini of Kashmir.

PoireitonKhunthok (3rd Century AD): This prose narrative describes the migration of people and the colonization of the Manipur valley. It is a vital anthropological document that details ancient agricultural practices and settlement patterns .

Science in the Hills: The Intellectual Tradition

Manipuri literature was not confined to poetry; it was a vehicle for science.

Subika Laisaba: This illustrated manuscript on astrology and cosmology is a visual encyclopedia of the ancient Meitei worldview. It uses indigenous dyes and a unique illustrative style found nowhere else in India.

Maibarol: The ancient texts on healing document an indigenous medical system that includes pulse diagnosis, pharmacology, and surgical techniques independent of Ayurveda .

Metallurgy: The existence of iron-smelting clans and records of advanced metallurgy in the Kakching region prove that the language possessed a technical vocabulary for industry and science centuries ago .

Conclusion: A Matter of Right and Identity

The inclusion of Manipuri in the list of Classical Languages is not a plea for charity; it is a claim to our legitimate constitutional and civilizational right.

When Manipur merged with the Indian Union in 1949, it did not just bring land; it brought a civilization that had flourished for 2,000 years. Since that merger, the people of Manipurboth Meiteis and Pangalshave stood like a rock for the nation. From the battlefields of nation-defense to the podiums of international sports, we have sacrificed sweat and blood to enhance the honor of this country.

Therefore, it is our right (hak) that our language receives its due respect in the Indian mosaic. A language is not merely a tool for communication; it is our true identity . To deny it Classical Status is to deny the antiquity of the Northeast itself. By recognizing Manipuri, India would not only be honoring a state but would be enriching its own definition of what it means to be an ancient civilization.

About the Author



Dr. Abul Khair Choudhury (Moijing Mayum) is a scholar of Manipuri Folk Culture and Modern Manipuri Literature, with specialized work on classical manuscripts and the civilizational history of Manipur. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D., and is NETSLET qualified. He is currently serving as Assistant Professor & Head, Department of Manipuri, S.R College, Assam.
Resettled IDPs demand

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IMPHAL, Dec 19 : In light of the recent attack by armed Kukis at Torbung and Phougakgao Ikhai, numerous CSOs have come together to demand resettled IDPs to be guarded by village volunteers.

The demand was raised by the Indigenous People Organisation Manipur (IPOM), Meitei Pangal Council Manipur (MPCM), Anouba Senmitlon, Manipur Peoples Front (MPF), World Meitei Organisation (WMO) and Progressive Alliance for Leadership and Empowerment of Mothers (PALEM).

Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club today, Kh Chandramani Khumancha, vice-president, IPOM, strongly condemned the December 16 attack.

Displaced folks have lost faith in the Government as well as the State and Central forces to protect them from such gun and bomb attacks.

Suggesting resettled villages to be guarded by village volunteers instead, he said that IDPs will feel secure under their protection.

Assuring all possible help from the aforementioned groups to ensure the resettlement of IDPs in their original homes, he also sought the help of the public.




Schools appeal

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IMPHAL, Dec 19 : The All Manipur Recognised Private Schools' Welfare Association (AMRPSWA) has urged the Board of Secondary Education, Manipur to ensure that textbooks for Class I-X are available before the commencement of the 2026 academic session.

Recently, representatives of AMRPSWA met officials of BoSEM to discuss the matter, said a press release issued by secretary P Romen Singh.

During the meeting, BoSEM assured that the textbooks will be made available latest by the first week of February, 2026. In response, AMRPSWA made a strong appeal to guarantee their availability before classes start for the upcoming 2026 session.

AMPRSWA went on to say that it has followed BoSEM's common syllabus as mandated by a Government order without fail.

It urged all schools, both Government and private, to continue following BoSEM's common syllabus and refrain from using books published by outside firms.

On another note, AMRPSWA reacted positively to a "reliable report" stating that BoSEM will publish NEP 2020 aligned textbooks (for some classes) in the coming years. It expressed belief the step will introduce a new chapter in the State's education sector.
NCC Group Commander meets cadets

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KAKCHING, Dec 19: Colonel Anil Kumar, Officiating Group Commander, NCC Group Headquarters, Imphal, paid a visit to the ongoing National Cadet Corps (NCC) Annual Training Camp at Padma Ratna English School, Kakching, on Thursday.

The visit aimed to motivate cadets and review the various training and leadership activities being conducted at the camp.

During the visit, Colonel Kumar delivered the opening address of the camp, motivating cadets and reviewing the various training and leadership activities being conducted.

On arrival, the Officiating Group Commander was warmly received by Major Bigyanchandra Rajkumar, Camp Commandant, along with Thokchom Jiten, principal of Padma Ratna English School, NCC Officers, PI staff and cadets.

A ceremonial guard of honour was presented by the cadets, followed by a detailed briefing on the camp's objectives, daily training schedule and the achievements of the participating cadets. Addressing the cadets, the dignitaries praised their enthusiasm, discipline and commitment to the value of the NCC. They emphasized the importance of youth participation in nation-building and encouraged cadets to uphold unity, leadership and service.

The visit also included interactions with instructors and camp officials, as well as an inspection of the training activities. The event concluded with the rendition of the NCC song followed by the National Anthem.


By Yoruk Bahceli and Samuel Indyk

LONDON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - For European markets overshadowed by the United States since the summer, investors are hoping a spending bonanza in Germany - the European Union's biggest economy - moves the dial in 2026. But first, they need to see evidence it will deliver.

More from Yahoo Scout What factors could drive European market outperformance in 2026? What impact could Ukraine peace have on European markets? How significant is Germany's fiscal rule overhaul for Europe? Why does the euro's performance depend on dollar movements?

A Ukraine peace deal could boost sentiment too. European stocks have barely recovered the cash that has left since Russia's 2022 invasion of its neighbour.

European shares outperformed U.S. stocks in the first half of 2025. The region united to boost defence spending, Germany shook up its borrowing rules, and U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs dented investor confidence in American assets, generating a long-awaited MEGA, or "Make Europe Great Again" moment.

But as tariff fears have abated, European stocks, though continuing to rise, returned to their usual pattern of underperforming U.S. shares, while the euro remains below September's four-year high near $1.20.

European equities have seen just over $86 billion of inflows in 2025, but the pace has slowed to $23 billion in the last six months, according to EPFR data tracked by Barclays.

They are projected to do well again next year but are nonetheless likely to remain in the United States' shadow. Four of the six biggest U.S. and European investment banks expect Europe to lag, also due to U.S. markets' greater exposure to the AI boom.

For the euro, much will hinge on how the U.S. dollar fares. Highlighting the uncertainty, two of the banks expect the European currency to drop.

"Now the focus turns on what Europe can do in terms of a 'pull' factor given the 'push' factor out of the U.S. isn't going to be as pronounced as we thought," said Arun Sai, Pictet Asset Management senior multi-asset strategist.

GERMAN DELIVERY KEY TO BOOSTING STOCK PERFORMANCE

In March, Germany, which accounts for roughly a quarter of the 28-nation bloc's gross domestic product, overhauled its fiscal rules to boost infrastructure and defence spending, a potential game-changer for Europe's economy.

But it has been using some of that leeway on day-to-day spending rather than the kinds of additional infrastructure that would boost the economy and stock performance more durably.

Infrastructure spending will pick up in 2026, but Barclays economists say that, looking across this year and next, social spending is rising faster.

Germany's budgetary plans are "not as ambitious as we would have liked," said Ross Hutchison, head of euro zone market strategy at Zurich Insurance Group, which favours U.S. stocks over European.
The U.S. launch of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to the two leading cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), in 2024 marked a watershed moment in the short history of digital assets.

An asset, once ignored and derided by the traditional finance industry, found support among the leading Wall Street giants like BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) and Franklin Templeton (NYSE: BEN).

Related: Wall Street firm files new Bitcoin ETF that trades only after dark

The retail traders gave a terrific reception to both the ETFs.

But come the recent crypto crash and traders are retreating from these funds, as data from the onchain analytics platform SoSoValue shows.

Quite often, the trading days witness millions of dollars getting drained out of crypto ETFs, whether Bitcoin or Ether funds.

Only XRP ETFs, launched in mid-November during the ongoing crash, have seen a positive net flow every day since their debut.

However, the amount is incredibly lower as compared to daily inflows of Bitcoin and Ether ETFs.

So far, Bitcoin ETFs have accumulated $57.73 billion in net inflow, Ether ETFs $12.62 billion, and XRP ETFs barely over $1 billion.

Analyst predicts crypto ETF liquidations by end of 2027

Despite the receding reception, a wave of crypto ETF issuers have lined up to submit their filings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Bitwise, the crypto index fund manager, predicted that more than 100 crypto ETFs will launch in the U.S. in 2026.

More News:

It underlined how the SEC's generic listing standards for crypto ETFs allow issuers to launch their offerings under a general set of rules, setting the stage for an ETF-palooza.

James Seyffart, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, noted there are at least 126 filings but warned that a lot of crypto ETFs are going to liquidate amid the space getting crowded.

"Might happen at tail end of 2026 but likely by the end of 2027."

Seyffart has given a 2-year deadline when he expects a wave of crypto ETF shutdowns to come.
The second edition of the Auroville Literature Festival 2025 is underway in the international township of Auroville, bringing together writers, scholars and students to explore Sri Aurobindos ideas across science, management, aesthetics, ecology, spirituality, the world and human unity. Announced at a press conference at the Unity Pavilion in the International Zone, the weeklong, multilingual festival spans Sanskrit, Tamil, French and English, with officials from the Auroville Foundation and the Government of Puducherry inviting students, aspiring authors and seekers of knowledge to participate.

The Sanskrit Literature Festival, held on December 15 and 16, opened with a Bhagavad Gita invocation by Team Auroville. Guest of Honour Dr Jayanti S. Ravi spoke on Sanskrit as a Vehicle for National Integration, while keynote speaker Prof. Sampadananda Mishra highlighted the role of Sanskrit in the Indian Knowledge System.

It also featured a twoday childrens workshop titled Discovering Sanskrit through The Mothers Verses, conducted by Udaya Shreyas of The Sanskrit Channel.

It was a pleasure to inaugurate & be a part of Auroville Literature Festival 2025, featured thoughtful & knowledge filled sessions, offering valuable insights into our literary & cultural traditions.

A meaningful gathering of scholars and literature enthusiasts. pic.twitter.com/zG6701N4JF  Jayanti Ravi (@JayantiRavi) December 16, 2025

Other key sessions featured Dr Rajalakshmi Srinivasan on Bhasha to Devabhasha and a presentation by Sashka from the Sanskrit Research Institute on Sanskrit digital tools and cataloguing for preservation and wider access. The day ended with a Gita Natyam performance by Pavitra Srinivasan.

The second day of the Sanskrit segment included the launch of Mishras book The Wonder That Is Avadhanam, followed by a talk by Sri Rangan on applying Vedantic wisdom in daily life and a panel on Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges in Health, Leadership, and Life. The segment concluded with Sushrut Badhes talk on Sri Aurobindopanishad and an evening of devotional sagun and nirgun bhajans by Siddhant Negi, accompanied by Sri Tapan.

The Tamil Literature Festival on December 17 and 18 opened with a keynote by S. Ramachandran on The Secret of the Vedas. A special childrens segment celebrated the works of Manoj Das and Azhavalliappa, followed by a session on the Indian Knowledge System by Namrata and Srihari of The Vedic Pond.

The afternoon featured a powerful musical presentation of Sri Aurobindos epic Savitri by 17yearold Sreevaidehi and a session on Sri Aurobindo and Bharatiyar by Dr Sudha Seshayyan. Day two began with a Silambam performance by Auroville schoolchildren and continued with talks on Cultural Portrayal in Tamil Literature by Jatayu, a book launch and discussion on Kambanil Kaattiruppu by S. Jagannathan, a session on SanskritTamil translation and national integration, and a talk on The Divine Feminine by Dr Aravindan Neelakandan.

As the festival moved into its English segment on Friday, December 19, and is set to continue till December 21, authors and speakers have started arriving in Auroville.
After successfully lifting the face and service of Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram aerodromes, the Adani Group now wants to run more airports as part of its massive Rs 90,000 crore push to grow airport business, Reuters reported, citing a top company executive.

The Gautam Adani-led conglomerate, already India's biggest airport operator by number of airports, plans to bid aggressively for all 11 airports that the government is putting up for long-term private lease, according to Adani Airports Holdings Limited director Jeet Adani.

Adani Enterprises's airport arm currently manages seven airports across the country.

In the latest list of airports are Amritsar and Varanasi, part of the BJP-led union government's plan to expand India's airfield network from the current 163 to 350400 by 2047.

Back in October 2021, Adani took over operations in two state capitals, one in Rajasthan and one in Kerala. While the Jaipur one was smooth, the Thiruvananthapuram one found heavy opposition from the ruling CPIM-led LDF and the opposition alliance UDF led by the Indian National Congress.

But the anti-incumbency wave in the state capital, along with steady support by technocrats who wanted a PPP model to come to Thiruvananthapuram, helped Adani Group gain ground support. "So many international companies left my city because our airport looked like a bus stand," recounted Suresh P, a Technopark employee. "I still do not understand why the politicians in this state were against the development of Thiruvananthapuram airport when they had no issues with Kochi and Kannur airports," the 32-year old technocrat alleged.

Despite this, the Kerala government and parties in the state assembly opposed handing the airport to Adani, with the Assembly unanimously passing a resolution against privatisation and calling the decision not in the public interest, arbitrary, illegal and violative of the provisions of the AAI Act of 1994.

The state even floated its own company (TIAL) to bid and later challenged the award in the Supreme Court and High Court, but lost.

Currently, GMR Group leads India's airport management in sheer passenger numbers. But Adani is looking to add more assets.

While Adani's activities are limited to the operation, management and development of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the Jaipur International Airport has been consistently developing under the group's oversight.

"Our airport was so small. Look at it now, and it also looks great inside. And I feel connectivity has increased, too," said Rakesh Shah, a researcher in a top Jaipur institute who hails from Pune and a frequent flyer.
Washingtons National Security Strategy 2025 (NSS 2025) reads as a sober inventory from a power that knows the ground has shifted. The old idea of America as the worlds constant stabiliser is gone; what replaces it is a blunt, interest-first playbook built around burden sharing, economic protection, and a realignment of where the US power will actually be focused.

To the world, a superpower that draws its own red lines is easier to read than one pretending to be everywhere at once. For India, this shift matters more than it appears. A United States that prioritises selective engagement will expect New Delhi to carry real weight in its own theatre, not merely echo shared talking points.

For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India

President Trump frames this strategy as a course correction after decades of drift. He argues that past elites stretched the US ambition beyond logic, chasing global dominance while hollowing out the domestic base needed to sustain it. His foreword positions his leadership as a break from that era, redefining national interest around sovereignty, security, industrial strength, and a hard-nosed realism about what America should and shouldnt try to do overseas. The reference to IndiaPakistan is not incidental; it signals Washingtons belief that regional crises should be locally contained, not internationally managed.

The NSS 2025 focuses on four priorities: homeland security, sealing the borders, empowering the industrial base, and dominance of Americas military and technological capability. It rejects global policing and binds foreign policy to American security and economic power. The document focuses on renewal based on abundant energy, resilient supply chains, equitable commerce, as well as alliances that share actual weight.

The first marker is geographic. Washington is drawing a tighter map of priorities. The Western Hemisphere comes first. Asia is framed as a space for hard economic and military deterrence rather than an open-ended presence. Europe is treated as a project of renewal rather than protection. The Middle East is no longer central, while Africa is approached through capital and influence, not security guarantees. The signal is unmistakable: America intends to stabilise its own strategic neighbourhood before projecting power beyond it. This does not dilute the importance of Indo-Pacific, but indicates a change of approach as an offshore balancer; lean, mobile, selective.

This model assumes capable regional anchors. In the Indian Ocean, that anchor is India by default, not by choice. And that comes with an expectation: India isnt an optional partner against China; its structurally built into this posture.

The framing is the sharpest part of the document. No Cold War cosplay, no ideological chest-thumping, just a list of the tools Beijing uses to tilt the global field: industrial coercion, tech infiltration, precursor chemicals, espionage networks, and data-driven influence operations. Americas vulnerability is economic, not military, and that is exactly where it expects partners to step in. India gets a temporary advantage here with a space to project itself as a supply-chain anchor and production base, but that opportunity comes with strings. That window will not stay open. Countries that fail to convert diversification rhetoric into scale, speed, and reliability will be bypassed, not courted. Washington will push for tighter screening on taxes, technology, and trade. The idea of floating between rival supply systems is fading fast.

Russia sits in a colder, more clinical box. The US isnt obsessing over Moscow the way it once did, nor is it pretending Russia is irrelevant. Washingtons bet seems to be that Europe can hold the line while America waits out Moscows economic and demographic slide. For India, this means a review of its dependencies. New Delhis defence ecosystem still leans heavily on Russian platforms, spares, and design bureaus. The NSS doesnt demand a break, but it makes clear that American tolerance for deep Indian dependence on Russia isnt bottomless. India has to unwind this reliance without gutting its operational readinessnever an easy balance, but unavoidable now. The risk is not sanctions alone, but readiness erosion during a contingency when spares, upgrades, or ammunition timelines slip beyond control.

The real centre of gravity in the NSS is economic power. Washington has fused economic security with national security, and that merger changes how it bargains. India should expect harder negotiations, sharper reciprocity, and more scrutiny on tech flows. But there is also genuine space for gains, especially in propulsion, space ISR, undersea awareness, and advanced materials, if India negotiates from demonstrable capacity and market leverage, not from strategic sentiment or assumed goodwill.

In the larger picture, India is sitting in a messy but opportune position. China is a full-spectrum rival. Russia is useful but shrinking. The US remains the one player with global bandwidth, money, and tech. The NSS just spells out the tension India will face: each partner will pull in a different direction through the 2030s. The only stable escape is hard power and economic strength; anything less locks India into managing other powers priorities rather than shaping its own.

This decade demands hard power, not pageantry. India needs future-ready capabilities, long-range precision fires, assured ammunition reserves, a drone ecosystem that can fight in numbers, and naval assets that can reach distant waters fast. Parallel to that, the country must invest heavily in C5ISR, cyber, space, AI, quantum and information warfare, because tomorrows fight wont wait for institutional catch-up.

Capability without scale is symbolism. Defence reforms must move from policy to production to surge capacity, domestic manufacturing lines that dont freeze under stress, faster procurement cycles, and industry-military integration that actually survives wartime disruption. Alongside this, India should take what it can from the US technology without letting its entire modernisation hinge on it or creating dependencies.

The Indo-Pacific will be the primary testing ground. With the US moving into a more discriminating position, India will be left with even greater responsibility between the Gulf of Aden and the Malacca Straits. It will necessitate a superior maritime intelligence network, dependable logistics, as well as a future-ready naval force that can be deployed at short notice. Should the US dilute its presence, China will move fast and fill the vacuum. India cannot afford to be a spectator. Vacuums in the maritime domain are not theoretical; they are filled quickly and reversed slowly.

On the economic front, Indias dependence on Chinese supply chains is a strategic choke point. No country survives a crisis when its adversary controls its inputs. Semiconductors, rare earths, pharma precursors, electronics; these arent optional buffers but strategic lifelines. Reducing that exposure isnt about pleasing Washington; its about ensuring India can fight, function, and recover under pressure from Beijing. In wartime, supply chains become targets long before borders do.

Diplomatically, the balancing will continue, but with clearer edges. India must keep Russia close enough to retain access, while accepting that Moscows defence industry is slowing, costlier, and less reliable with every passing year. The Quad must move from signalling to systems: shared logistics, stockpiles, maintenance, and real-time maritime picture building. It is important to keep the manoeuvring space that has served India well, without mistaking flexibility for drift.

The 2025 NSS makes American partnerships openly conditional. This isnt a warning but a preview of the global order: every major power is now transactional. For India, the task is to build sovereign capability, extract real technology and leverage from partners, and hedge with purpose. Sentiment is no longer a currency; leverage is.

Indias priorities are straightforward: build deterrence in tune with modern tools of future warfare, align military doctrines for being future-ready. India must move from a reactive posture to a pre-emptive posture and change its equipment philosophy to capability cum opportunity rather than threat cum capability. This must be backed by a time-sensitive, technological smart procurement process that is outcome-oriented, not process retarded.



India must convert its market size into enforceable technology access that upgrades domestic design, tooling, and production depth. Secure the mineral and semiconductor supply chain by stockpiling and upstream and downstream partnerships. Optimise Russian channels but diversify the dependency across Western and domestic suppliers.

It warrants India to treat information security as part of national defence and shield research centres, digital platforms, and public utilities from foreign manipulation. The need is to revitalise the neighbourhood first policy, maintain vigil on borders, improve joint counterterror mechanisms, and build maritime capabilities. This will ensure it isnt leaning on distant powers to stabilise its own arc.

Americas new security map reflects a harsher world, one where leadership comes with terms and where dependence invites pressure. India can define its own terms only if it moves with speed and intent. And the question still hangs: where is Indias own National Security Strategy? Strategic autonomy without a written doctrine risks becoming habit, not strategy. Great powers dont improvise their security doctrine; they write it, own it, and act on it.
"On Goa Liberation Day, the nation remembers with gratitude the bravehearts who fought relentlessly to liberate Goa from colonial rule. We salute our freedom fighters and armed forces for their unwavering resolve and unflinching dedication. I wish the people of Goa a bright and prosperous future," President Droupadi Murmu said on Friday morning as the country commemorated the absolute end of colonialism in India.

The Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on December 19 every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay' undertaken by the armed forces to liberate the state from the Portuguese in 1961. Operation Vijay was planned to annexe the Portuguese State of India, the then territories of Goa, Daman, and Diu. It stemmed from diplomatic talks meant to pressure the Portuguese Goan Administration to give in. However, these did not yield the intended result Nehru had hoped for, which led to Krishna Menons suggestion of taking Goa by force.

The operation is often termed the Liberation of Goa as well as the Invasion of Goa. It was an internationally debated and discussed issue with multiple perspectives, which cemented foreign relations for some and eroded them for others. While India saw the action as the liberation of traditionally Indian territory, Portugal viewed it as aggression against its soil and citizens.

Meaning victory in Sanskrit, this operation by the Indian Armed Forces involved air, sea, and land strikes for over 36 hours, from which India emerged victorious, ending 451 years of Portuguese rule in the region. In the clash, 22 Indians and 30 Portuguese were killed.

ALSO READ | No compromise with colonialism: How Arab world, communist bloc backed Indias military action against Portugal to liberate Goa

The end of the rule signified a new beginning, wherein Goa was placed under a military administration led by Major General Kunhiraman Palat Candeth. The following year, on 8 June 1962, military rule was replaced by civilian government.

The conflict arose after India gained independence in 1947 and Portugal continued to have control of Goa, Daman, Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, together known as Portuguese India. The economy in these areas relied on agriculture and iron ore mining, which the Portuguese authoritarian Estado Novo regime considered integral, subsequently rejecting decolonisation.

For more defence news, views and updates, visit: Fortress India

Events took a turn as local resistance emerged under leaders such as Tristao de Braganca Cunha, founder of the Goa Congress Committee, and Ram Manohar Lohia. Alongside peaceful movements, armed groups such as the Azad Gomantak Dal and the United Front of Goans, supported by India, carried out sabotage and guerrilla attacks. Diplomatic efforts failed as Portugal refused negotiations or a referendum, leading India to impose sanctions and visa restrictions, and to withdraw diplomatic ties.

Hostilities piled up and the operation started on 17 December, with the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force advancing. While ground forces tackled Panaji and Mormugao, the air force destroyed the Dabolim airstrip and key communication centres, ensuring air superiority. Naval engagements included the disabling of the Portuguese sloop NRP Afonso de Albuquerque at Mormugao and the capture of Anjidiv Island. Continued air, naval, and ground assaults forced a Portuguese surrender by 19 December 1961.

Portugal requested a UN Security Council debate on Goa on the 18th, backed by the US, UK, France, and others. Portugal accused India of aggression, while India argued Goa was an inalienable part of India and that colonialism must end. The US condemned Indias use of force, whereas the Soviet Union defended India, calling the issue domestic and criticising Portuguese colonialism.

An Afro-Asian resolution supporting India failed, whereas a Western-backed ceasefire and troop withdrawal resolution passed with seven votes. The Western resolution was vetoed by the Soviet Union, preventing UN intervention.

Indian forces had recaptured most of Goa from the shackles of colonialism by 18 December 1961. Fearing civilian casualties, Governor-General Vassalo e Silva ordered a ceasefire. Portugal formally surrendered on 19 December, ending 451 years of rule.

Scholars debated the legality of Indias annexation of Goa. As Quincy Wright noted, it revealed an EastWest divide in interpreting UN law. India argued colonial acquisition was illegal and that Goa was integral to India, invoking self-determination. While the Indian Supreme Court upheld the annexation and Portugal eventually recognised it in 1974, many international legal scholars maintained that forceful annexation after the UN Charter was illegal, even if later accepted politically.
Amidst a lukewarm response in theatres, the Dileep-starrer Bha Bha Ba has become embroiled in a controversy. The first project of the Malayalam actor to hit screens after his acquittal in the actress's abduction and assault case, Bha Bha Ba has a scene that takes a cruel dig at the survivor and the criminal case that rocked Kerala as a whole.

#Bhabhaba Disgusting scene



inspired from real events



they demonstrate dileep character kidnapping a women,and another character asks what happened to her, he simply replies that he milked her 



later he confirms that it was a cow that he kidnapped#Dileep #Mohanlal pic.twitter.com/g7JPMgSdVO  Varun R  (@VarunNR_79) December 19, 2025

It is much worse than a poorly written "double-meaning joke"a trademark component of Dileep movies in the past two decadesmany people wrote on X.

FULL REPORT | Dileep's 'Bha Bha Ba' movie gets massive backlash for kidnapping, rape jokes; netizens are 'disgusted'

Theres a scene where a character casually drops, annan kidnapped her and milked her, lets the shock linger, and then brushes it off with relax bro, its a cow.#BhaBhaBha pic.twitter.com/1WXO3ODpHj  AV (@akhil_v4) December 19, 2025

In the said scene in the Dhananjay Shankar directorial, a character casually says, Annan (the Malayalam word for elder brother) kidnapped her and m***** her, and later adds, Relax bro, she is a cow. Netizens pointed out that "the problem gets worse because the narration is backed by a visual: Dileep literally arriving in a vehicle to kidnap a woman."

"The intent feels impossible to ignore, and if that moment is even remotely meant as a wink towards a real-world case associated with Dileep, that isnt satire; its deeply uncomfortable at best," the viral posts added. For the unversed, Dileep was accused of ordering his henchmen to kidnap the survivor, who was sexually assaulted in a moving car.

'Mohanlal and Sreenivasan brothers cannot remain silent'

This is not a sick joke. This is inhumane. Ethically indefensible. Absolute abasement. Rot.



Youd have to be stupendously idiotic to miss that this is used to, whats the word for it- no not humour or visual gag- retraumatise perhaps, what she went through. That which has been pic.twitter.com/D66q83CBci  Nidheesh M K (@mknid) December 18, 2025

The problematic scene reportedly involves Vineeth and Dhyan Sreenivasan, who need to be held accountable, some users said. Mohanlal and Gokulam Gopalan, who apologised for hurting the sentiments of a political party with L2: Empuraan, cannot remain mum now, another user said. "...responsibility should be shared by Mohanlal, every producer, editor, and other stakeholders who signed off on this scene. Mohanlal and Gokulam Gopalan apologised and voluntarily cut scenes from Empuraan because it hurt the sentiments of a political party. If you claim yourself to be #avalkkoppam, does this not hurt your sentiments towards her?" the user wrote.

'Bha Bha Ba' review: Good mass entertainer spoof, weak revenge story

"This is not a sick joke. This is inhumane. Ethically indefensible... Youd have to be stupendously idiotic to miss that this is used towhats the word for it?no, not humour or a visual gagretraumatise her, perhaps, for what she went through. That which has been established in court, for which punishment has been delivered, is poked at here. For what? Retraumatisation through recognition?" the post further read.

The presence of Mohanlal in the trailer of Bha Bha Ba and glimpses of his song with Dileep helped the film's pre-release sales on the opening day, and it is set to be the third biggest opening day of 2025 in Kerala, only behind L2: Empuraan and Coolie.

Dileep was acquitted in the 2017 actress assault case on 8 December 2025. The court held the first to sixth accused guilty on charges of gang rape and criminal conspiracy. Their bail has been cancelled following the verdict. Along with Dileep, who was listed as the eighth accused, Charly Thomas, Sanil Kumar, and G. Sharaththe seventh, ninth, and tenth accusedhave also been exonerated in the case.

Mollywood actress abduction case

A prominent actress, who worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested in her car by a group of men for nearly two hours in Kochi on the night of 17 February 2017.

The accused were arrested soon after the incident, and police filed the first chargesheet in April 2017. Dileep was arrested on 10 July 2017, after the probe team found that the prime accused, Suni, had contacted him from jail. Dileep was granted bail on 3 October 2017.

In November 2017, police filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven more persons, including Dileep. Five of them were later discharged or turned approvers. The trial began in 2020 after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by Dileep seeking a CBI probe into the incident.

A total of 261 witnesses were examined during the trial, including several from the film industry. Many actor-witnesses turned hostile. The investigation officer alone was examined for 109 days. The court admitted 834 documents and two defence witnesses. Two key witnessesformer MLA PT Thomas and director Balachandra Kumardied during the trial stage.

The prosecution claimed that Dileep had animosity towards the victim after she allegedly informed Manju Warrier, the actors first wife, about his affairs with another actor. It said Dileep hatched a conspiracy to harm the actress after they had an intense quarrel during the rehearsal of a stage event in 2016.
People's Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti slammed Union Minister Giriraj Singh over his comments on the Bihar hijab row on Friday. The Jammu and Kashmir leader charged that Singh was in favour of 'Kaurav Rajya', and not 'Ram Rajya'.

Mufti's comments come on a day when his daughter and PDP leader, Iltija Mufti, lodged a complaint with the police against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the naqab row. Talking to presspersons, Mehbooba Mufti criticised Kumar's actions and said the Bihar chief minister should not have done what he did.

"India is a secular country. It is the country of (Mahatma) Gandhi, who laid down his life for secularism. But leaders like Giriraj Singh want to turn it into 'Kaurav Rajya'. I am not saying 'Ram Rajya', in which the Kauravs stripped Draupadi's clothes," Mufti said.

Defending the Bihar chief minister's actions, Singh said on Thursday that Kumar did nothing wrong. On reports of the woman doctor declining the appointment, Singh said it is up to the woman to refuse the appointments or "go to hell".

Linking Singh's mentality to that of the Kauravs, Mufti said, "There is no respect for women. Draupadi was not a Muslim and was not veiled, yet her clothes were stripped off in public, with Kauravs like Giriraj applauding and laughing. They continue to do the same, so it should not surprise us. I have no expectations from the BJP leaders."

In her complaint, Iltija said Kumar's actions have caused immense distress and hurt among Muslims, especially women.
The adjournment of the Parliament's Winter session has led to one of the biggest discussions, Delhis air pollution, being put on hold.

The session was adjourned sine die on December 19, 2025.

While several bills, including the VB-G RAM G bill and the Shani bill, were passed, the elephant in the room went unaddressed.

Opposition MPs had tried repeatedly to bring up the subject on the floor of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha throughout the 19-day sessions in the parliament.

However, the debate fell through as the toxic smog and hazardous air quality continue to affect the residents of the city.

The subject was scheduled for the final day of the Winter session in the Lok Sabha, and MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and Bansuri Swaraj were expected to highlight the matter.

Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav was scheduled to respond to pollution in the Lok Sabha at around 6 pm on Thursday. Priyanka Gandhi was scheduled to initiate the debate on behalf of the opposition.



However, just an hour after the house assembled on Thursday, opposition MPs raised slogans against the G RAM G bill set to replace the MNREGA scheme. The uproar shut down the house. The bill was later passed and approved in the Rajya Sabha as the opposition continued to oppose the bill.

VIDEO | Delhi: On the Parliament Winter Session, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) says, Till yesterday noon, we were expecting and were fully prepared for a discussion on air pollution in the Lok Sabha. The governments claim that it pic.twitter.com/SyXytI1ycM  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 19, 2025

Several Congress MPs submitted adjournment notices for an immediate discussion on pollution. Kanyakumari MP Vijay Vasanth demanded that a national health emergency be declared in Delhi-NCR. However, the efforts were in vain.

The cancellation of the discussion received major flak online as it was expected to happen.

Sources who were close to speakers said that MPs cut across party lines and asked Speaker Om Birla to not take up the matter due to the deteriorating atmosphere in the House.

Congress general Secratary Jairam Ramesh said, Till yesterday noon, we were expecting and were fully prepared for a discussion on air pollution in the Lok Sabha. The governments claim that it wanted a discussion is a mere show-off, and I reject it. This is the same government that told the House there is no link between air pollution and the lungs. They have repeatedly claimed that air pollution has no effect on death rates. Fearing exposure and expecting us to present facts, the government ran away from the discussion.

On Thursday, the Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh, said that there was no conclusive data establishing a direct link between AQI levels and lung diseases. He later admitted in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha that air pollution is one of the major causes of respiratory diseases and related ailments.

The response was to a question by BJP MP Laxmikant Bajpai who questioned if the government was aware about studies that confirmed that prolonged exposure to hazardous AQI levels in Delhi-NCR is causing lung fibrosis, an irreversible reduction in lung capacity. The MP had also asked if the government has any "solutions" to protect millions of Delhi/NCR residents from life-threatening diseases like pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, emphysema, reduced lung function, and progressive decline in lung elasticity.

The minister listed off several programs and initiatives by the government in his response.

The smog continues to choke the city with AQI readings standing above 400. The discussion on air pollution may not take place until the next Budget Session of 2026.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Ranaghat in Nadia district on Saturday aims to reach out to Hindu minority voters, the Matuas, who comprise 17 per cent of the population in the state. This is Modis first visit after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft list was released in West Bengal on Tuesday. The list saw 58 lakh deletions out of the 7.6 crore electorate. The Matua Community feared their names being left out of the latest SIR list due to the unavailability of relevant documents as required by the Election Commission (EC), with their roots being from Bangladesh.

The community made inroads into West Bengal after facing religious persecution. The Matua community electorate is divided between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC). The split is why Nadia also witnessed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's visit to Krishnagar last week to consolidate her partys votes. Both parties have their members of parliament representing the community. Lok Sabha MP Shantanu Thakur from the BJP is also a junior minister in the Union government, and Rajya Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur represents the TMC.

A prominent aspect of the BJPs rise in West Bengal in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was due to their Matua community outreach. The Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) promise infused hope within the community of formally becoming Indian citizens. The 2021 Assembly elections too saw the community building more confidence in the BJPs citizenship rhetoric. Fifty assembly seats are seen as Matua-dominant in Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas districts.

This is Prime Minister Modis third visit to the state in five months. With the SIR draft list casting questions on the future of the Matua community, the BJP will do whatever it can to ease fears of being left out.

The trend so far is that the BJP will have an enormous challenge to address the Matua community, as a lot of Matua voters have been deleted. They are angry and anxious at the same time. This is something Modi has to address immediately, said Professor Maidul Islam of the Political Science Department at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences.

Both in the Matua and non-Bengali front, a lot of deletions have happened. So far, the BJP will lose in these constituencies if this is the situation. Of course, there are other issues of logical discrepancies and verifications which amount to more than 1 crore," Professor Islam goes on to reflect on the Bihar SIR data, where there were a total of 68 lakh deletions. However, there were 21 lakh inclusions, hence the net deletions were only 47 lakh.

A large number of Matua deletions have happened as they were unable to establish a link with the 2002 list. Earlier, the law was that one had to stay for 11 years in India, which was later brought down to six years. Then, by naturalisation, they could apply for citizenship. Hence, their names were not in the 2002 list. Their children could vote when they turned 18, but could not prove their family tree on the 2002 list. As a result, a lot of Matua deletions have happened," said Professor Islam.

Meanwhile, both the BJP and Trinamool Congress camps, led by Shantanu Thakur and Mamata Bala Thakur, are offering evidence of Hindu identity. The Hindu identity will be used by members of the Matua community to prove they are Hindus and come under the six religions to be eligible for citizenship under CAA. The task, however, is to prove they migrated to Bengal after facing religious persecution. Until the final SIR list is out in February 2026, it is an uneasy situation for anxious Matuas who have called West Bengal their home, in the hope of finding security and a permanent citizenship identity with voting rights.
Argentina's nuclear plan will roll out in stages. The first phase involves building small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant site, already underway, to ensure nationwide energy supply and reduce power outages. Photo by CNEA/EPA

BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Argentina has formally created the Secretariat of Nuclear Affairs, a significant structural shift in the country's national energy strategy under President Javier Milei, aimed at positioning Argentina as a global energy leader and attracting large-scale investment.

In announcing the move, the government highlighted the country's strengths for developing a nuclear plan, including its pool of highly trained human capital and vast, low-temperature lands in Patagonia seen as suitable for hosting artificial intelligence data centers. These advantages, officials said, allow for a combination of clean nuclear energy and cutting-edge technology.

The plan will roll out in stages. The first phase involves building small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant site, already underway, to ensure nationwide energy supply and reduce power outages.

SMRs produce stable and low-cost electricity, making them well-suited to power AI data centers, and would position Argentina as a regional hub for digital innovation and nuclear energy exports.

In the second phase, the government plans to develop uranium reserves to meet domestic demand and turn Argentina into an exporter of high-value nuclear fuels.

The Economy Ministry summed up the strategy in a recent statement, saying the government aims to "turn Argentina into the 'Saudi Arabia of uranium.'"

This ambitious goal is based on the country's uranium reserves, estimated at 36,483 tons identified and concentrated in provinces such as Mendoza, San Juan and Chubut, according to a report by the National Mining Secretariat.

Those reserves could generate significant export volumes and position Argentina as a key supplier in a growing global market driven by the energy transition.

However, physicist Alberto Baruj urged caution.

"Argentina has enough uranium for its reactors for decades. It does not have the extraordinary reserves found in other countries. Talking about being the Saudi Arabia of uranium is an exaggeration that I cannot support from a technical standpoint," Baruj told UPI.

Baruj said Argentina could export uranium, thanks to its processing capacity. However, "it makes no sense to do so with raw ore. It would be far more convenient to process it for use in domestic reactors, including small modular reactors such as the domestically designed CAREM."

The new nuclear institutional framework will also be tasked with leading policy on the exploitation of rare earth elements, minerals critical for batteries, cellphones and green technology, as well as nuclear minerals, in coordination with other government agencies.
Names of over 97.37 lakh voters have been either permanently deleted or removed from the draft electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after the end of the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

In a press conference at the state secretariat, Tamil Nadus Chief Election Officer (CEO), Archana Patnaik, stated that the current draft roll includes a total of 5,43,76,755 voters comprising 2.66 crore men and 2.77 crore women. Prior to the SIR, Tamil Nadu's total voter count stood approximately at 6.41 crore. The 40-day-long SIR exercise in the state has resulted in the deletion of 97,37,832 voters across all the districts. The deletions include absent or shifted voters, deceased voters and voters registered in multiple polling stations.

#WATCH | Chennai: Archana Patnaik, Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, says, "Today in our draft electoral roll we have 5,43,76,755 electors. Women are 2,77,6332, men are 2,66,63,233, third gender, 7,191. PWDs, that is, persons with disabilities, 4,19,355."



On the SIR pic.twitter.com/r3kEqKT4Ro  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

As per the breakdown published by the ECI, 66.44 lakh voters had either permanently shifted or migrated from their registered address. They were found not residing at the registered address after three rounds of door-to-door verification. A total of 26.94 lakh voters, i.e., 6.2 per cent, are identified as deceased and so removed from the list. The shifted or migrated voters, deleted from the draft list, alone contribute for 10.36 per cent of the total voters. A total of 3.39 lakh voters have been found enrolled in multiple places, which contribute to 3.98 per cent of the total voters registered in the state.

Out of the 97.37 lakh deleted voters, 25.79 lakh voters are from 16 constituencies in the capital city of Chennai. This includes 12.47 lakh male voters, 13.31 lakh female voters, and 743 transperson voters. A total of 14.25 lakh voter names have been deleted due to reasons such as death, relocation, duplication, and absence.

Speaking in detail on the draft rolls, Patnaik said that printed and digital booth-wise copies have been provided to all recognised political parties and also uploaded online in the ECI website. Booth-wise lists of the absent, shifted, deceased or duplicate electors, whose names are not included in the draft roll, will also be displayed on the notice board of the respective local offices. These lists will also be published on DEO or CEOs website, which can be accessed by the voters, Patnaik explained.

Any claims and objections to the draft rolls can be made from December 19 to January 18, 2026. During this period, any elector or any political party can file claims or objections for the inclusion of eligible electors or the deletion of ineligible names.

A total of 234 EROs and 1,776 AEROs have been pressed to duty to scrutinise such cases. However, no elector can be deleted from the draft roll published now. Any such deletion cannot be done without the notice and a speaking order by the ERO or AERO. Any aggrieved elector may appeal to the district magistrate and then with the CEO under Section 24 of the Representation of People Act, 1950, Patnaik said.

However, those whose names didnt appear in the draft rolls due to shifting or any other valid reason can enrol as voters by January by either filing petitions or getting enrolled as fresh voters. Special camps will be held to enrol fresh voters during this period, said Patnaik. The final list is likely to be published by mid-February.

A district-wise breakup of the voter deletion released by the ECI shows that over 6.50 lakh voters have been removed from the 11 constituencies in Coimbatore, while around one lakh voters have been deleted from the rolls from Chief Minister M.K. Stalins Kolathur constituency, and 89,421 voters have been removed from Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalins Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency. In Congress leader P. Chidambarams Sivaganga constituency, the names of 1,50,828 voters have been removed from the list. In contrast, opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami's Edappadi constituency saw only a small drop in the number, with just over 26,000 voters.

The mass deletion in the draft rolls has however come as a shocker for the people of the state.
The Donald Trump administration on Friday paused its Diversity Visa (DV1) Program, better known as the green card lottery system, alleging that a violent criminal from a recent shooting came into the US via this route.

In an X post on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declared that she had instructed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to "immediately" pause the DV1 programme, after orders from the US president.

Though she claimed that the Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, had entered the US via a DV1 visa, she was fact-checked by netizens, citing reports that he had come into the US via a student visa in 2000, and obtained permanent residency 17 years later.

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.



In 2017, President Trump  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025

Valente, who is also suspected of having killed MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro earlier this week, should "never have been allowed in our country", she said.

"In 2017, President Trump fought to end this programme ... At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 programme to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme," Noem added.

Will Indians be affected?

The green card lottery system, which makes up to 50,000 green cards available in the US, is only for people from countries that are little represented in the US, as per the USCIS website.

India, however, has had far more than 50,000 peoplethe eligibility capemigrating to the US over the past five years. This automatically makes Indians ineligible for DV1 visas (till 2028) anyway.

In 2021, 93,450 Indians emigrated to the US, as per an NDTV report. This jumped to 1.27 lakh people in 2022, but steeply declined to 78,070 people in 2023.

Other nations that don't qualify for DV1 visas for 2026 include China, South Korea, Canada, and Pakistan.
The United States is hosting a high-level summit in Miami today to advance the Gaza peace process, following a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October. President Donald Trumps special envoy Steve Witkoff is chairing the talks, which seek to move the conflict from a temporary truce towards a more durable settlement under a US-designed 20-point peace plan.

The meeting brings together senior representatives from the principal mediating states: Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. Among those attending are Turkeys Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, Qatars Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and Egypts Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty.

Notably absent from the gathering is Israel. According to reports from Jerusalem, Israel is currently in what has been described as a period of waiting, while the United States works with regional partners to finalise the framework for the next stage of the agreement. This diplomatic effort comes as Trump has claimed that the ceasefire has delivered peace to the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years, a remark that has drawn scepticism but underscores the administrations desire to present the process as a historic breakthrough.

The primary focus of the Miami talks is the implementation of the so-called second phase of the peace deal. The first phase, which took effect on October 10, ended more than two years of war in Gaza. During this initial stage, most hostages held by Hamas were released, thousands of Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails, and humanitarian aid was allowed to enter the besieged territory.

The US administration is now pressing to move ahead with Phase Two, which is significantly more complex, both politically and structurally. Under the 20-point plan, this phase envisages the deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to maintain security in Gaza, along with the disarmament of Hamas. The latter remains a core Israeli demand but Hamas leaders have publicly rejected it, insisting that they have a legitimate right to retain their weapons.

Phase Two also calls for the creation of a temporary, technocratic Palestinian committee to govern Gaza, effectively replacing Hamass rule. At the same time, Israeli troops would fully withdraw from the territory. A newly established Board of Peace, chaired by President Trump himself, will oversee the process, reflecting Washingtons desire to retain tight control over the post-war settlement.

A major element of the Miami discussions centres on the formation of the International Stabilisation Force. Washington has taken the lead in attempting to assemble this force and recently convened a meeting of around 45 countries in Doha to assess potential contributions. Turkey has indicated a willingness to deploy troops, arguing that its participation would help ensure that justice is served. Israel, however, is unwilling to accept any role for Turkey, saying Ankara always sides with Palestine and is not a neutral party.

Qatar, meanwhile, has made it clear that the proposed international force should always remain bipartisan, highlighting the delicate balancing act facing mediators. They will have to address Israeli security concerns and at the same time meet Palestinian demands for sovereignty. Both Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of repeatedly violating the truce. Israel recently killed one of Hamass senior-most commanders in Gaza in a targeted strike, in what was the most high-profile killing of a Hamas figure since the truce began. Raed Saad, a senior commander in the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, was killed in a drone strike on December 13. There have been reports that it prompted Trump to warn Israeli leaders that such actions risk undermining the truce.

Another key issue that could complicate negotiations is that of the remaining hostages. Israel is seeking the remains of Ran Gvili, believed to be the last captive held by Hamas. On the other hand, Hamas wants the international community to pressure Israel to open border crossings and halt military strikes. Although famine conditions have eased slightly since the ceasefire, the territory continues to struggle with widespread shortages and the slow pace of reconstruction.

While Israel is not represented at the Miami summit, further high-level engagement is expected shortly. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump on December 29, either at the White House or at Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence, to discuss the next steps in advancing the plan.
"Goa Liberation Day reminds us of a defining chapter in our national journey. We recall the indomitable spirit of those who refused to accept injustice and fought for freedom with courage and conviction. Their sacrifices continue to inspire us as we work towards the all-round progress of Goa," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X on Friday, as the country celebrates an illustrious chapter in its era-defining struggle against European colonialism. Goa Liberation Day is celebrated on 19 December every year to mark the success of 'Operation Vijay', undertaken by the armed forces to liberate the state from the Portuguese in 1961.

Goa Liberation Day reminds us of a defining chapter in our national journey. We recall the indomitable spirit of those who refused to accept injustice and fought for freedom with courage and conviction. Their sacrifices continue to inspire us as we work towards the all-round  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 19, 2025

The 1961 Goa Liberation War was the shortest major conflict India has fought since independence, lasting just three days, and was the first to feature a major role for the Navy. A total of 4,668 Portuguese-affiliated personnel were captured, as the European nation's order to fight to the last man and destroy Goa was rejected by Governor-General Manuel Antonio Vassalo e Silva, who found it futile to have his soldiers die fighting an unwinnable war. Thirty Portuguese soldiers and 22 Indian bravehearts laid down their lives before Lisbon officially surrendered, making Goa and Daman and Diu part of the Republic of India.

However, Lisbon tried to involve the United Nations, along with fellow European powers, against what it described as India's aggression towards its territories. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Brazil, Pakistan, and the United States were among the nations that condemned India's decision to use force to annex Goa. However, full support for the Indian action was expressed by the Soviet Union and all Soviet-bloc countries, Yugoslavia, the Arab States, Ghana, Ceylon, and Indonesia, history documents show.

The United Arab Republic, a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971, expressed its full support for India's legitimate efforts to regain its occupied territory. India has been extraordinarily patient, and a non-violent country has been driven to violence by Portugal, a representative of the Moroccan Government said. Tunisian Foreign Minister, Dr Sadok Mokaddem, commented that the liberation of Goa will bring nearer the end of the Portuguese colonial regime in Africa. Similar expressions of support for India were forthcoming from other Arab countries, as reported by Keesing's Record of World Events (Volume 8, March 1962).

For latest news and analyses on Middle East, visit: Yello! Middle East

Throwing its weight completely behind New Delhi, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry spokesman said: We know that India is a peace-loving nation which has been compelled to use force. There can be no compromise with colonialism.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who was the then Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), also openly backed its neighbour. In an order issued on 18 December, Bandaranaike directed that "transport carrying troops and equipment for the Portuguese in Goa shall not be permitted the use of Ceylon's seaports and airports," Keesing's Record of World Events claimed.

"Similar expressions of unreserved support for India were made by governmental leaders in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Eastern Germany," the report added.
A Hindu man was lynched in Bangladesh over alleged blasphemy on Thursday.

Police officials who spoke to BBC Bangla said the incident took place in the Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh.

The group of attackers had beaten the man to death. They then tied his body to a tree before they set it on fire, Bhaluka police station Duty Officer Ripon Mia said.

The deceased, Dipu Chandra Das, worked at a local garment factory and lived in the Dubalia Para area as a tenant.

He had allegedly made objectionable remarks about Prophet Muhammad. Police said that individuals who were questioned about the incident could not recall where or how he had insulted Islam.

"An angry crowd caught him around 9 pm Thursday over allegations that he made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. They beat him to death and later set fire to the body," Ripon told BBC Bangla.

A video of the incident surfaced on social media, claiming to show the incident. A massive crowd is seen filming the man burning, on mobile phones. The authenticity of the video has not been verified.

The man's body was set on fire on the Dhaka Mymensingh highway.

ALSO READ | Bangladesh: Why were anti-India slogans raised during massive protests over student leader Osman Hadis death?

Police rushed to the scene after the crime was reported. Traffic in the area was blocked for hours due to the mob.

Dipus body had been sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination. No case was filed after the incident, and police are trying to track the mans family.

"We are trying to locate his relatives. Legal action will be taken in accordance with the law once a case is filed," said Ripon.
With Bangladesh descending into chaos once again, major media houses in the country came under attack by mobs who were protesting over the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore on Thursday night.

A prominent leader of the July Uprising which led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, 2024, Hadi was shot in the head by masked gunmen last week. He was flown to Singapore for advanced treatment but he succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment. Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to Bangladeshs interim government, confirmed his death in a televised address to the nation on Thursday night.

ALSO READ | Im not a general to take over anything, says Muhammad Yunus

VIDEO | Dhaka, Bangladesh: Protesters vandalised the office of the country's largest newspaper, Daily Prothom Alo, amid widespread outrage over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson for the political platform Inquilab Mancha.



(Full video available on PTI Videos  pic.twitter.com/6klEh8xj4U  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 18, 2025

Violent protests broke out soon after, with hundreds of students and citizens gathering at the Shahbagh intersection in the capital, near Dhaka University. The demonstrations were marked by slogans invoking Hadis name, with protesters vowing to continue their agitation and demanding swift justice.

Videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalising the offices of the countrys largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as The Daily Star at the capital's Karwan Bazar, near the Shahbagh intersection. Reports said they vandalised several floors while journalists and staff of the newspaper were trapped inside.

"Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11pm and later surrounded the building, PTI quoted a witness as saying. He added the protesters then set the The Daily Star office on fire.

Both newspapers are known for their passive support for Yunus and his interim government.

Who is Zyma Islam?

It was The Daily Star journalist Zyma Islams post on Facebook that caught everyones attention.

I cant breathe anymore. Theres too much smoke. Im inside. You are killing me, she posted, highlighting the fact that the protesters set the building on fire with the staff trapped inside.

Reports say that around 25 staff were rescued from the media offices. A comment under her post said that she was rescued and is safe, though THE WEEK could not independently verify the development.

ALSO READ | Sheikh Hasinas World Exclusive to THE WEEK: I have faced down unelected politicians before

Zyma is a senior reporter with The Daily Star, the country's leading English-language newspaper, and writes on human rights, state-backed corruption, and governance. According to bjim.org, she graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is an alumna of Asian University for Women.

Interestingly, she played a critical role in documenting police violence during the 2024 student-led July Uprising that led to the ouster of Hasina. She has been a vocal critic of censorship in Bangladesh.
It is a litmus test for Bangladeshs interim government adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, to steer the country towards parliamentary elections due in February next year. The students who led the violent protests in July 2024, popularly called the July uprising, which led to the ouster of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, are once again on the streets, this time as an organised political party under the banner of the National Citizen Party (NCP), joined by cadres of other political parties like Jamaat e Islami, demanding justice. They are putting pressure on the interim government to bring justice for the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, who died from gunshot wounds sustained in an attack last week.

Hadi was one of the leaders of the youth protests that forced Hasina to flee and was planning to contest the elections in February. While the interim government has called for restraint and patience, it is expected to be an uphill task to control the law and order situation, which has been deteriorating over the last few months.

While a section of protesters is demanding action against the killers who shot Hadi, police investigations will need to bring evidence forward to establish the complete identity of the attackers and their motive. It is only once their identity is established that the police can trace their whereabouts.

The protesting crowds are also demanding that the Yunus administration put pressure on investigating agencies to speed up the probe and explore whether the killers have crossed the borders. With no official details available from the government so far, the next step is unlikely to come soon. Until then, the challenge is to assure the protesters, including the NCP, that their concerns will be addressed sooner rather than later.

#WATCH | Bangladesh: Visuals of the aftermath from Prothom Alo office in Dhaka, which was burned down by protesters. Firefighters are present at the spot.



After the death of Osman Hadi, a key leader in the protests against Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has erupted in unrest, and pic.twitter.com/SbH0kiLglE  ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

State mourning has been declared in Dhaka on Saturday, even as the city remains engulfed in a fresh wave of violent protests. At the same time, questions are being raised about the role of political parties in Bangladesh in ensuring there is no political violence and killings that can fuel unrest and allow fringe elements to take advantage of the situation. Political parties like the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, the NCP, and even Awami League cadres will need to be reined in by political leaders, said security sources, to ensure that violence and killings do not take place in the run-up to the elections next year.

There has been brewing discontent among people over law and order, jobs, and the economic situation. Besides this, a basket of reforms that were promised now awaits a new government in Bangladesh to be fulfilled. The upcoming elections are critical not just for parliamentary representation, but also for constitutional reforms outlined to strengthen the judiciary, police, and other institutions that have lost the faith of the people. Hadis shooting came a day after authorities announced that the countrys first national election after Hasinas ouster would be held in February. Violence is now spilling over onto the streets, and the offices of media houses are being vandalised. It remains to be seen how the Yunus administration, which accepts the role of fringe elements in actively trying to disrupt peace this time, is able to contain the protests.

Political observers point out that the difference between the July 2024 protests and the present violence on the streets of Dhaka is that while the former had the single goal of overthrowing the Sheikh Hasina government, the current crisis does not have a single grievance, rather is an accumulation of the worsening law and order situation, and ironically becomes the single biggest test case for the interim government that was installed a year-and-a-half ago.
Violent and massive protests broke out once again in Bangladesh after Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising who was shot last week, succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital.

Hadi, who was a candidate in the February 12 general elections, was shot in the head by masked gunmen last week soon after he launched his election campaign at central Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. With doctors in Dhaka terming his condition extremely critical, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus had flown Hadi to Singapore in an air ambulance for advanced treatment.

Violent Protest outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong, Bangladesh tonight. pic.twitter.com/0ik1YOJP3w  Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) December 18, 2025

Yunus confirmed his death in a televised address to the nation on Thursday night, and promised to arrest those responsible for the attack, emphasising that "no leniency will be shown" to the killers.

"Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news. Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us," chief adviser Yunus said. "I sincerely call upon all citizens to keep your patience and restraint."

Until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai...

However, soon after news of Hadis death was made public, hundreds of students and citizens gathered at the Shahbagh intersection in the capital, near Dhaka University, chanting slogans in his memory. A student group named Jatiya Chhatra Shakti held a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus, eventually joining the larger demonstration at Shahbagh. It also burnt an effigy of the adviser, calling for his resignation over the failure to arrest Hadi's killers.

They were joined by the National Citizen Party (NCP), a major offshoot of the 'Students against Discrimination' (SAD) movement. The NCP voiced anti-India sentiments, claiming Hadi's attackers had fled to India and demanding the closure of the Indian high commission until they are returned. "The Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai. Now or Never. We are in a war!" said Sarjis Alm, a key NCP leader.

The Inqilab Mancha, a group Hadi represented, had earlier warned it would organise a sit-in protest at the Shahbagh intersection until the attackers were arrested. "If the killer flees to India, they must be arrested and brought back at any cost through discussions with the Indian government," the group had said.

In his address, Yunus called Hadi an "enemy to the defeated forces and fascist terrorists," which was seen as a reference to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's now-dissolved Awami League party. Hadi was a frontline leader in the protests that led to the ousting of Hasina's government on August 5, 2024.

Media offices set on fire

The protests took a violent turn when a group of demonstrators attacked the offices of the Bangla newspaper Prothom Alo and the nearby The Daily Star in the capital's Karwan Bazar area.

The mob, reportedly, vandalised several floors of the Prothom Alo building while employees were trapped inside. The group then lit a fire in front of the Daily Star office.

Protesters also set fire to the house of former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel in the port city of Chattagram, with similar attacks reported in other parts of the country.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its rival, Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed sorrow over Hadi's passing.
As protests turn violent in Bangladesh following the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, the spokesperson of the anti-India organisation Inqilab Manch, Bangladeshs young leaders are now attempting to divert the blame to India, aiming to whip up tensions. Hadi, an independent candidate for the Dhaka 8 constituency, was shot in the neck by a gunman while returning after campaigning.

Bangladeshi authorities claim Faisal, who was riding pillion on the motorcycle, fired at Osman Hadi last Friday. He then went to his sisters residence in Agargaon on the same motorcycle and left the place in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, accompanied by the motorcycle rider Alamgir Sheikh. The duo then crossed the border into India that same night via Mymensingh by road, according to the police.

Bangladeshs aggression against India is clearly engineered by the @Yunus_Centre regime

Local shooting of the feral Islamist thug #OsmanHadi falsely pinned on India  The Bangladeshi cockroaches played diplomatic theatrics 

mob incitement in the name of Allah and the Kafir pic.twitter.com/5bonxNdwkW  Adit (@IndicSocietee) December 19, 2025

Bangladeshi media reports said Faisal was assisted by two individuals, Sibyon Diu and Sanjay Chisim, in crossing the border. Both have been arrested and have been remanded by a Bangladeshi court. The police said Sibion Diu was the nephew of a former Awami League member of parliament and had long controlled a syndicate facilitating illegal cross-border movement of people and goods in the Haluaghat, Dhobaura, and Sherpur areas into India.

The murder that came two months before the general elections, the first after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, has now been capitalised on by other parties, including the National Citizens Party, founded by the student leaders who were responsible for the 2024 unrest.

National Citizens Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has already urged the interim government to suspend all relations with India if India doesnt return the killer. Since 1971, neighboring country India has been trying to establish political, economic, and cultural dominance in Bangladesh, Nahid claimed.

Not just Nahid, anti-India forces are now using the pitch to ramp up their tirade. Students of Islamic University (IU) and leaders also took to the streets shouting anti-India slogans. "The India that saves murderers, break that India; The India that saves Hasina, break that India, the Islamists chanted.

"We are here today to demand justice for the murder of Hadi, a strong voice that had risen against Indian domination. Hadi's murder is not an isolated incident. After the murder, we came to know that the killers had fled to India. How they were able to cross the border and escape to India must be made clear to the nation," they added.
Jeffrey Epsteins brother Mark has said that Donald Trump was in the office all the time back then.

The US president and his associates have continued to deny claims that he and the convicted child sex offender Epstein were close. In July, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said, The president was never in his (Jeffery epsteins) office.

White House representatives have continued to uphold that statement. On Thursday, they told the Daily Beast, Stevens statement still stands.

A recent New York Times investigation into the relationship between Trump and Epstein highlighted the claims of Maira Farmer, who had alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the financier and his co-cnspirator Ghilaines maxwell.

Maria said that Epstein once asked her to meet him at his office in Vilard houses, where Trump was waiting.

Trump had allegedly ogled at her before Epstein said, Shes not for you.

The story was backed by Mark Epstein, who said that Trump visited Jeffrey frequently.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the story was fake news.

The truth will remain the same no matter how many times The New York Times tries to change it. President Trump did nothing wrong, and he kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago for being a creep, she said.

One former assistant to Epstein recalled to the NYT that she remembered Trump as a household name, as Epstein often competed with Trump over who got the most women. She recalled one time the two joked about a womans pubic hair.

Daily handwritten notes, which were kept by the assistant, also suggested that Trump was a regular visitor to Epstein.

The US Department of Justice has a deadline of Friday to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

On Thursday, Democrats in Congress released 68 photographs they said provide insight into Epstein's network and his extremely disturbing activities".

Some of the photographs include images of a girl with quotes from the novel Lolita written on several parts of her body.

Some of the photographs also feature Steve Bannon, Bill Gates, Woody Allen, and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

The release of the photographs is expected to increase the pressure on the Trump administration to release the full files.
Elnur Enveroglu



In recent months, amid growing fractures within the European Union and against the backdrop of the Ukraine-Russia war, a range of new interpretations has emerged regarding NATO and the Western camp. Frances increasing drive towards militarisation and the legalisation of private military structures now openly signals Pariss intention to challenge cohesion within the Western alliance, including NATO, an organisation that is over seventy years old. In reality, Frances tensions with the Western bloc are not new. As early as September 15, 2021, when France was excluded from the AUKUS security pact and responded with decisions that contradicted allied unity, deeper and more risky strategic ambitions became visible. Today, new information sheds further light on the dangers inherent in Frances evolving security policy.

At the centre of this shift lies Frances move to formalise the role of so-called trusted operators within its defence framework. Legislative amendments adopted recently allow the French Ministry of the Armed Forces to engage selected private organisations and companies for international military cooperation, training, support missions and foreign operations. Although Paris avoids the explicit term private military companies, the substance of the policy suggests precisely that. The rebranding appears designed to reduce political backlash while expanding Frances operational flexibility abroad.

Under the new framework, contracts with these trusted operators may last up to ten years. These entities would be authorised to take part in military operations in support of third countries facing a crisis or armed conflict. Their remit would include training, operational assistance, technical support and logistics. Their activities would extend across land, sea, air and cyber domains. This scope closely mirrors that of private military companies operating in other global theatres, from Africa to the Middle East.

The legalisation of such actors marks a strategic departure for France. It enables Paris to project power indirectly while limiting formal accountability. Unlike the French Foreign Legion, which remains an official component of the French armed forces and operates openly under the national flag, trusted operators provide plausible deniability. This distinction is critical. It allows the French state to distance itself from direct responsibility while still shaping outcomes on the ground.

The timing of this policy is not accidental. In November 2025, President Emmanuel Macron announced a declaration of intent to sell up to one hundred Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine over a ten-year period. Training Ukrainian pilots to operate these advanced aircraft would take considerable time. In this context, trusted operator companies could provide a convenient solution. French pilots and retired officers could be deployed through private structures to train Ukrainian personnel. The possibility that they could also participate directly in combat operations cannot be ruled out.

Such an arrangement would allow France to maintain a public narrative that its official armed forces are not engaged in the conflict. This would support claims that NATO is not directly intervening in Ukraine. In turn, it would reduce the legal and political grounds for Russia to justify retaliatory military action against France. The use of private military actors thus becomes a strategic tool to manage escalation while still influencing the battlefield.

This approach reflects a broader trend in contemporary warfare. States increasingly rely on indirect means to advance strategic interests while avoiding formal thresholds that trigger collective defence obligations or international retaliation. For France, trusted operators represent a way to assert influence without the constraints imposed by alliance politics and public opinion.

However, this strategy also carries risks. It weakens transparency and undermines established norms of state responsibility in armed conflict. The blurred line between state and non-state actors complicates accountability under international law. It also raises ethical concerns, particularly when private entities are granted authority to operate across multiple domains, including cyberspace, where attribution is already difficult.

The implications extend beyond Ukraine. France maintains close relations with Armenia, a country that has become increasingly militarised following its regional conflicts. Armenia already hosts various private military-style organisations, such as VOMA. It is not implausible that French-trusted operators could establish cooperation with Armenian counterparts. Through lobbying networks and political connections, such collaboration could develop with limited public scrutiny.

If France were to provide military support to Armenia through private structures, it would further illustrate how this model can be used to influence sensitive regional conflicts while avoiding diplomatic costs. This could destabilise already fragile balances in the South Caucasus and increase tensions with regional powers. Once again, the use of trusted operators would allow Paris to deny direct involvement while shaping outcomes in line with its strategic preferences.

The French government may present this policy as a pragmatic adaptation to a changing security environment. Yet it also reflects a deeper ambition to act independently of collective Western frameworks. By creating parallel instruments of force projection, France signals dissatisfaction with existing alliance mechanisms and constraints. This risks further fragmentation within NATO and the European Union at a time when unity is already under strain.

Historically, France has pursued strategic autonomy. From its withdrawal from NATOs integrated military command in the Cold War era to its more recent disputes with allies, Paris has consistently sought freedom of manoeuvre. The trusted operator model fits neatly into this tradition. It allows France to maintain influence without full alignment, cooperation without subordination, and intervention without overt responsibility.

Nevertheless, the long-term consequences may be destabilising. The normalisation of private military actors by a major European power sets a precedent. Other states may follow suit, further eroding international norms governing the use of force. Conflicts could become more opaque, more fragmented and harder to regulate.

In conclusion, Frances move to legalise private military activity under the guise of trusted operators represents a significant shift in European security policy. It reflects a desire for strategic flexibility and political insulation but also exposes deeper fractures within the Western alliance. In the context of the Ukraine war and broader geopolitical competition, this approach may offer short-term advantages. Yet it also risks undermining collective security structures and accelerating the privatisation of warfare. The challenge for Europe lies in recognising these dynamics before they reshape the security order in irreversible ways.
Aristotle Capital Boston, LLC, an investment advisor, released its Small Cap Equity Fund third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the third quarter, the small-cap equities delivered strong results with the Russell 2000 Index reaching its first all-time high since November 2021. A favorable macroeconomic backdrop led the rally. In the quarter, the fund (Class I-2) delivered a return of 3.16% underperforming the 12.39% total return of the Russell 2000 Index. For more information on the funds best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund highlighted stocks such as Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI). Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) is an independent oil and natural gas company. The one-month return for Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) was -4.13%, and its shares lost 30.94% over the last 52 weeks. On December 18, 2025, Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) stock closed at $0.86 per share, with a market capitalization of $178.896 million.

Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund stated the following regarding Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) is an oil and gas exploration company, which engages in acquisition, exploration, development, and production activities. The position was liquidated due to the energy market outlook weakening, thus delaying managements strategic plan to scale through acquisitions and generate necessary operational efficiencies."

Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 15 hedge fund portfolios held Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) at the end of the third quarter, compared to 20 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Ring Energy, Inc. (AMEX:REI) 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.

In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q3 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
India is consistently attempting to undermine the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar alleged on Friday, while claiming the current material breaches strike at the heart of the pact. "Indias manipulation of water at a critical time of the agricultural cycle directly threatens the life and livelihood, as well as the food and economic security, of Pakistani citizens," he said. The consequences of such acts will not be ideal for regional stability, said Ishaq Dar, who is also the Foreign Minister of the country.

The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50, held an urgent briefing for the Diplomatic Corps on Indias persistent material breaches of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).



Indias repeated manipulation of water flows, construction of illegal pic.twitter.com/JGD9s3CCfi  Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) December 19, 2025

A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the 1960-vintage Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance. He warned that the suspension of water will be considered an act of war.

ALSO READ | Why China is not a 'neutral observer' as India, Pakistan wrangle over Indus Waters Treaty

He was speaking to the media a day after Pakistan sought clarification from India regarding variations in the flow of the Chenab River. "We witnessed in April this year India's unilateral abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty. But what we are witnessing now are material breaches by India that strike at the heart of the Indus Waters Treaty, with escalating consequences both for regional stability and the sanctity of international law," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

ALSO READ | Indus Waters Treaty: Done with threats, Pakistan now plans new water storage capacity

From 30 April to 21 May, and from 7 December to 15 December, Pakistan observed unusual, abrupt variations in the flow of the Chenab River twice, Dawn reported him as saying during an urgent media briefing for the diplomatic corps in Islamabad. These variations in water flow are of extreme concern to Pakistan as they point to the unilateral release of water by India into the Chenab River. India has released this water without any prior notification or any data or information sharing with Pakistan as required under the treaty, he was quoted as saying by the Pakistani media outlet.

ALSO READ | India's action has shown Indus Waters Treaty is not sacrosanct

The minister said India had halted the sharing of information, hydrological data, and joint oversight required by the treaty, which had exposed Pakistan to floods and droughts. Such illegal and irresponsible Indian conduct has all the potential to trigger a humanitarian crisis in Pakistan," he said, before accusing India of "pursuing a deliberate strategy to sabotage a well-established arbitration process under the treaty provisions."

Dar reportedly mentioned that India's manipulation of water has prompted Pakistan's Indus Commissioner to write a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matter. He also alleged that the manipulation of Indus basin waters at a critical time of the agricultural cycle directly threatens life and livelihood in Pakistan.

The World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.
LISMORE, Australia, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of dengue forecasting models have been published, but few have been tested in real public-health settings. Now, researchers from the US and Australia are launching a field evaluation in Vietnam to see whether a new early-warning platform can support earlier interventions against a disease that WHO says puts nearly half the world's population at risk. Southern Cross University, Australia



Southern Cross University (Aus) is leading the second phase of this multi-year collaboration, working alongside the University of Queensland (Aus), Yale University (USA) and Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology. This phase has focused on translating predictive modelling into E-Dengue*  an open-source, user-friendly software system tailored for district-level decision-making.



Southern Cross University researcher Dr Vinh Bui, said the team's priority has been creating a tool that frontline staff can use in real-world conditions.



"There are thousands of published studies on dengue prediction models, but very few become tools that are practical for local teams," said Dr Bui.



"Our goal in this stage has been to build a tool that is reliable, actionable, fast and intuitive  something that supports, rather than complicates, routine public health work."



With the predictive models developed and the E-Dengue platform built, the project is now entering its most critical stage: integrating the tool into Vietnam's routine dengue surveillance and beginning a large cluster randomised controlled trial to test whether earlier warnings lead to earlier action and fewer outbreaks.



"We've built a tool with strong potential, but the critical test is ahead of us," said Dr Bui



"The next three years will tell us whether early warnings lead to earlier, better-targeted interventions  and whether this improves health outcomes."



Although interest in disease early-warning systems is growing, very few have been adopted into routine practice anywhere in the world. The research team says understanding why is just as important as building the technology.



This work is guided by the project teams' recently published "Useful, Usable, Used (3U) Framework" in Nature Communications, which examines how digital prediction tools can move from innovation to real-world adoption.



Yale University researcher Dr Robert Dubrow said the next stage of the collaboration will provide crucial evidence on whether early-warning systems can shift dengue control from a reactive to a proactive approach.



"Our team at Yale has led the development of the predictive model underpinning the platform," Dr Dubrow said.



"We now look forward to working with our Vietnamese and Australian partners to rigorously evaluate whether early warnings change outcomes in practice."



Interest in the approach is emerging from neighbouring countries, including Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where dengue risk is rising under climate and population pressures.



Full deployment of the tool across selected districts in Vietnam's Mekong Delta region will begin in early 2026. During 20262028, E-Dengue will be used in real public health decision-making while the research team conducts the randomised controlled trial and associated studies.



"This is a challenging and complex process," said University of Queensland Associate Professor Dung Phung.



"Our long-term aim is to develop a tool that Vietnam's Ministry of Health sees value in maintaining beyond the life of the project."



*Please note the link to the E-Dengue site shows a simulation of the platform.



Virtual briefing recording

A recording of the virtual media briefing hosted by the Australian Science Media Centre on 18 December 2025 is available, featuring researchers leading the project. Media are welcome to download and use excerpts for their coverage:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/XEvT9JEht30FH2LQOH8sN02ZQzqyFqtV1AzJMdPxEnBChoVPh6WhMK32YAtvgNQ.jGa4fdz0weoWhzjo?startTime=1766014219000



Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQHN-CMk9Iw

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2809261/5688210/SouthernCrossUniversityAustralia_Logo.jpg



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR
Canadian Life Companies Split Corp. (TSE:LFE  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as C$7.31 and last traded at C$7.28, with a volume of 106923 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$7.20.

Canadian Life Companies Split Price Performance

The company has a market cap of C$78.23 million, a PE ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 3.68. The businesss 50 day moving average price is C$6.59 and its 200-day moving average price is C$6.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 210.26.

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Canadian Life Companies Split Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a sep 25 dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. Canadian Life Companies Splits dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.

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Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE:CPK  Get Free Report) CEO Jeffry Householder sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.72, for a total transaction of $633,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 71,916 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,113,195.52. This represents a 6.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Chesapeake Utilities Stock Performance

CPK stock traded up $0.48 during trading on Thursday, reaching $128.90. The stock had a trading volume of 102,641 shares, compared to its average volume of 122,632. The firm has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stocks 50 day moving average is $132.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $127.17. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has a 52 week low of $115.12 and a 52 week high of $140.59.

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Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.08). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.77% and a return on equity of 9.03%. The business had revenue of $179.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $167.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.80 EPS. Chesapeake Utilitiess revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.150-6.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Chesapeake Utilities Corporation will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chesapeake Utilities Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a $0.685 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.74 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Chesapeake Utilitiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.50%.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Chesapeake Utilities and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Chesapeake Utilities in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised Chesapeake Utilities from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Chesapeake Utilities in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a neutral rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $141.00.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on CPK

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chesapeake Utilities

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CPK. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 831.0% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 511,428 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $68,884,000 after acquiring an additional 456,497 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 952,045 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $128,231,000 after acquiring an additional 205,742 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new position in shares of Chesapeake Utilities in the third quarter valued at $19,604,000. Tributary Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chesapeake Utilities by 92.5% in the third quarter. Tributary Capital Management LLC now owns 270,642 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $36,453,000 after purchasing an additional 130,071 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its position in Chesapeake Utilities by 1,395.0% in the third quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC now owns 131,022 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $17,647,000 after purchasing an additional 122,258 shares during the last quarter. 83.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Chesapeake Utilities Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida.

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Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY  Get Free Report) insider Scott Lovett sold 34,517 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.15, for a total value of $350,347.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,044,255 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,599,188.25. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Fastly Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE FSLY traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $10.25. 3,021,942 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,291,445. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.33. Fastly, Inc. has a 1-year low of $4.65 and a 1-year high of $12.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.68 and a beta of 0.97.

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Fastly (NYSE:FSLY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.01 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $158.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.04 million. Fastly had a negative net margin of 23.49% and a negative return on equity of 12.02%. Fastlys quarterly revenue was up 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.02 EPS. Fastly has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.040-0.080 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 0.030-0.070 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Fastly, Inc. will post -0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Fastly

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in FSLY. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Fastly by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,590,433 shares of the companys stock valued at $98,687,000 after purchasing an additional 300,572 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Fastly by 37.0% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 224,192 shares of the companys stock worth $1,419,000 after buying an additional 60,524 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Fastly in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,375,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Fastly by 371.7% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 202,850 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,284,000 after buying an additional 159,842 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Fastly by 322.1% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 128,481 shares of the companys stock valued at $813,000 after buying an additional 98,043 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.71% of the companys stock.

FSLY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Fastly in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Fastly from $7.50 to $10.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Fastly from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Fastly from $9.50 to $11.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Fastly from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Fastly has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $10.64.

Read Our Latest Analysis on FSLY

Fastly Company Profile

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Fastly, Inc operates an edge cloud platform for processing, serving, and securing its customer's applications in the United States, the Asia Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The edge cloud is a category of Infrastructure as a Service that enables developers to build, secure, and deliver digital experiences at the edge of the internet.

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B&M European Value Retail SA Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:BMRRY  Get Free Report)s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $8.36, but opened at $9.0105. B&M European Value Retail shares last traded at $9.0150, with a volume of 4,191 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on BMRRY. Zacks Research downgraded shares of B&M European Value Retail from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Citigroup lowered shares of B&M European Value Retail from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of B&M European Value Retail from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, B&M European Value Retail currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

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B&M European Value Retail Stock Performance

About B&M European Value Retail

The stocks 50-day moving average is $9.30 and its 200-day moving average is $12.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.35.

(Get Free Report)

B&M European Value Retail SA operates general merchandise and grocery stores. The company operates a chain of stores under the B&M, Heron Foods, and B&M Express in the United Kingdom; and stores under the B&M brand in France. It also provides property management services. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in Munsbach, Luxembourg.

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BNP Paribas subsidiary Arva has begun exclusive discussions with Mercedes-Benz Group for acquiring Athlon, a multi-brand fleet operator managing over 400,000 vehicles across ten European countries.

The acquisition would bring together Arvals existing 1.9 million vehicles and Athlons fleet, forming a combined presence of close to 2.3 million vehicles in the European leasing market.

Athlon manages more than 56,000 vehicles on behalf of clients.

The proposed transaction is aligned with Arvals two main objectives. The first is to strengthen its market position in France, the Netherlands and Germany, where Arval and Athlon have complementary client bases, while expanding operations across Europe.

Additionally, the proposal includes measures to strengthen business cooperation between Arval and Mercedes-Benz Group.

Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG CEO Franz Reiner stated: "Athlon has been a valuable part of Mercedes-Benz Mobility over the past nine years. This step would create new opportunities to further develop the business and explore new paths for success and, most importantly, to offer customers compelling perspectives for the future.

Arval has recorded average annual growth exceeding 100,000 units over the past three years.

The finalisation of the transaction is expected in 2026 once all necessary regulatory and consultation processes have been completed.

Both parties stated that additional details will be shared as the process moves forward.

A Bloomberg report from August 2025 indicated that the value of the deal may be around 1bn ($1.2bn), though these figures are subject to change as discussions continue.

Earlier in 2025, Mercedes-Benz Group had invited initial interest from potential buyers for Athlon, which was previously acquired from Rabobank in 2016 for about 1.1bn.

"Arval enters exclusive talks to buy Athlon from Mercedes-Benz" was originally created and published by Motor Finance Online, a GlobalData owned brand.




Comptoir Group PLC (LON:COM  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 6.25 and last traded at GBX 6.25, with a volume of 310 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 6.13.

Comptoir Group Stock Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of GBX 5.36 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 4.51. The company has a market cap of 7.43 million, a PE ratio of -26.35 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 275.63.

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Comptoir Group (LON:COM  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 25th. The company reported GBX (0.07) earnings per share for the quarter. Comptoir Group had a negative return on equity of 110.71% and a negative net margin of 7.85%.

Comptoir Group Company Profile

Comptoir Group PLC owns and operates restaurants under the Comptoir Libanais and Shawa brand names in the United Kingdom. It offers Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine dining. It operates restaurants that includes franchises. The company was formerly known as Levant Restaurants Group Limited and changed its name to Comptoir Group PLC in June 2016.

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Douglas Emmett, Inc. (NYSE:DEI  Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $11.43 and last traded at $11.5250, with a volume of 910460 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.67.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Douglas Emmett from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Douglas Emmett from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a sector outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Douglas Emmett from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their price target on Douglas Emmett from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Douglas Emmett from $20.00 to $15.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $16.00.

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Douglas Emmett Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 93.34 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 3.03 and a current ratio of 3.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $12.38 and a 200-day moving average of $14.37.

Douglas Emmett (NYSE:DEI  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.34. The company had revenue of $250.58 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $252.73 million. Douglas Emmett had a return on equity of 0.62% and a net margin of 2.22%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Douglas Emmett has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.430-1.470 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Douglas Emmett, Inc. will post 1.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Douglas Emmett Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.8%. Douglas Emmetts dividend payout ratio is 633.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Douglas Emmett by 220.8% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,694 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Douglas Emmett by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,840 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in Douglas Emmett during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in Douglas Emmett during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Douglas Emmett by 448.3% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,621 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,143 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.37% of the companys stock.

Douglas Emmett Company Profile

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Douglas Emmett, Inc (DEI) is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT), and one of the largest owners and operators of high-quality office and multifamily properties located in the premier coastal submarkets of Los Angeles and Honolulu. Douglas Emmett focuses on owning and acquiring a substantial share of top-tier office properties and premier multifamily communities in neighborhoods that possess significant supply constraints, high-end executive housing and key lifestyle amenities.

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The Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated (OTCMKTS:KAEPY  Get Free Report) traded up 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $7.91 and last traded at $7.91. 3,451 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 12,488 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.80.

Kansai Electric Power Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $7.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.00.

About Kansai Electric Power

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The Kansai Electric Power Company, Incorporated engages in electricity, gas and heat supply, and telecommunication businesses in Japan. It operates through four segments: Energy Business, Power Transmission and Distribution Business, Information and Communication Business, and Life and Business Solution Business.

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Boliden AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:BOLIF  Get Free Report) shares shot up 15.7% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $51.58 and last traded at $51.07. 782 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 84% from the average session volume of 425 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.14.

Boliden AB (publ) Trading Up 15.7%

The stocks 50-day moving average is $43.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.32.

About Boliden AB (publ)

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Boliden AB (publ) engages in the exploring, extracting, and processing of base metals and precious metals in Sweden, other Nordic region, Germany, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, North America, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Business Area Mines and Business Area Smelters.

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Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG  Free Report) in a report issued on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $160.00 target price on the insurance providers stock.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (a-) rating on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on The Hartford Insurance Group from $147.00 to $140.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on The Hartford Insurance Group from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of The Hartford Insurance Group from $151.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $144.60.

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The Hartford Insurance Group Price Performance

NYSE HIG opened at $139.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $38.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $130.82 and a 200 day moving average of $129.09. The Hartford Insurance Group has a one year low of $104.93 and a one year high of $139.92.

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE:HIG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The insurance provider reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.76. The Hartford Insurance Group had a net margin of 12.75% and a return on equity of 21.07%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.53 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hartford Insurance Group will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

The Hartford Insurance Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This is a boost from The Hartford Insurance Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The Hartford Insurance Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 19.61%.

Insider Transactions at The Hartford Insurance Group

In other news, EVP Lori A. Rodden sold 7,841 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.41, for a total transaction of $959,816.81. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 18,400 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,252,344. This represents a 29.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hartford Insurance Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Hartford Insurance Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group by 707.7% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 210 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Hartford Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in The Hartford Insurance Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 93.42% of the companys stock.

About The Hartford Insurance Group

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The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and financial services to individual and business customers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Its Commercial Lines segment offers insurance coverages, including workers' compensation, property, automobile, general and professional liability, package business, umbrella, fidelity and surety, marine, livestock, accident, health, and reinsurance through regional offices, branches, sales and policyholder service centers, independent retail agents and brokers, wholesale agents, and reinsurance brokers.

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Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS  Free Report) had its price objective upped by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods currently has an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial reissued an outperform rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down previously from $68.00) on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Webster Financial in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. They set an overweight rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Webster Financial from $69.00 to $67.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b-) rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Webster Financial has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $70.92.

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Webster Financial Price Performance

Webster Financial stock opened at $64.72 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.07. Webster Financial has a 52-week low of $39.43 and a 52-week high of $65.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $58.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.26.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $756.06 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.22 million. Webster Financial had a net margin of 21.32% and a return on equity of 11.07%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Webster Financial will post 5.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Webster Financial Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 20th. Investors of record on Monday, November 10th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Webster Financials payout ratio is 29.80%.

Insider Transactions at Webster Financial

In related news, CEO John R. Ciulla sold 8,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.45, for a total transaction of $443,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 231,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,857,302.40. This trade represents a 3.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.54% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Webster Financial

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Webster Financial in the first quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial in the first quarter valued at $23,603,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Webster Financial by 107.1% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,367 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new position in shares of Webster Financial during the 1st quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in Webster Financial by 31.4% in the 1st quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 152,815 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $7,798,000 after acquiring an additional 36,481 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.58% of the companys stock.

Webster Financial Company Profile

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Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial products and services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking.

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Shares of Nabors Industries Ltd. (NYSE:NBR  Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $66.00 target price on shares of Nabors Industries and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of Nabors Industries in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler raised shares of Nabors Industries from an underweight rating to an overweight rating and raised their target price for the company from $32.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating and set a $58.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of Nabors Industries in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Nabors Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th.

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Nabors Industries Price Performance

Shares of Nabors Industries stock opened at $51.09 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $48.90 and a 200 day moving average of $39.90. Nabors Industries has a 52 week low of $23.27 and a 52 week high of $69.20. The company has a market cap of $743.87 million, a PE ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.50.

Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The oil and gas company reported ($3.67) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($2.37) by ($1.30). Nabors Industries had a net margin of 7.08% and a negative return on equity of 30.85%. The company had revenue of $825.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $824.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($6.86) earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Nabors Industries will post -6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nabors Industries

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC grew its position in Nabors Industries by 244.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 889 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 58.5% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,444 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 533 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Nabors Industries by 3,866.7% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,309 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,276 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Nabors Industries by 23.0% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 1,545 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its holdings in Nabors Industries by 47.7% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 3,231 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.92% of the companys stock.

Nabors Industries Company Profile

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Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells in the United States and internationally. The company operates through four segments: U.S. Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running services, including casing and tubing running, and torque monitoring; managed pressure drilling services; and drilling-bit steering systems and rig instrumentation software.

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Shares of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:AEE  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $108.80.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Ameren in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $112.00 price objective for the company. Barclays set a $113.00 price target on shares of Ameren in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Ameren from an overweight rating to a sector weight rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Argus upgraded shares of Ameren to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Ameren in a research report on Monday.

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Ameren Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:AEE opened at $99.25 on Tuesday. Ameren has a 12 month low of $86.40 and a 12 month high of $106.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $102.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.43. The firm has a market cap of $26.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.57.

Ameren (NYSE:AEE  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $2.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.10 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.64 billion. Ameren had a net margin of 15.75% and a return on equity of 10.92%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. Ameren has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 4.900-5.100 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ameren will post 4.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ameren Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Amerens dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.62%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael L. Moehn sold 6,500 shares of Ameren stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.44, for a total value of $659,360.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 198,973 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $20,183,821.12. The trade was a 3.16% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ameren

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Ameren by 70.9% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 258 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Ameren by 285.5% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 266 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ameren in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 6,040.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 307 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ameren by 728.9% during the 2nd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 315 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. 79.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ameren Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Ameren Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas, and Ameren Transmission. It engages in the rate-regulated electric generation, transmission, and distribution activities; and rate-regulated natural gas distribution business.

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Dutch Bros Inc. (NYSE:BROS  Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the twenty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $76.6842.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on BROS. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Dutch Bros from $73.00 to $63.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Dutch Bros from $81.00 to $72.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Dutch Bros from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley set a $84.00 target price on shares of Dutch Bros in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of Dutch Bros in a report on Monday, December 1st.

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Insider Activity

Institutional Trading of Dutch Bros

In other news, major shareholder Dm Individual Aggregator, Llc sold 648,089 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.44, for a total transaction of $35,930,054.16. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 9,817 shares of the companys stock, valued at $544,254.48. This represents a 98.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Also, Chairman Travis Boersma sold 1,678,616 shares of Dutch Bros stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.44, for a total value of $93,062,471.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 9,817 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $544,254.48. This represents a 99.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing . Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,465,214 shares of company stock worth $189,800,291. Corporate insiders own 42.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Dutch Bros by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,420,200 shares of the companys stock valued at $211,163,000 after buying an additional 788,100 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in Dutch Bros by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,690,760 shares of the companys stock worth $140,834,000 after acquiring an additional 180,993 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in Dutch Bros during the third quarter worth $135,336,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Dutch Bros by 4.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,426,657 shares of the companys stock valued at $127,011,000 after purchasing an additional 93,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Dutch Bros by 14.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,173,710 shares of the companys stock valued at $148,643,000 after purchasing an additional 267,074 shares during the period. 85.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Dutch Bros Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of Dutch Bros stock opened at $65.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $10.73 billion, a PE ratio of 130.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 2.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $56.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.45. Dutch Bros has a 1 year low of $47.16 and a 1 year high of $86.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.32.

Dutch Bros (NYSE:BROS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $423.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $414.81 million. Dutch Bros had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 8.91%. The firms revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Dutch Bros will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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Canadian Utilities Limited (OTCMKTS:CDUAF  Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.34 and traded as high as $30.9340. Canadian Utilities shares last traded at $30.9340, with a volume of 4,705 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CDUAF. BMO Capital Markets reissued a market perform rating on shares of Canadian Utilities in a report on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating on shares of Canadian Utilities in a research report on Monday, November 10th. National Bankshares restated a sector perform rating on shares of Canadian Utilities in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, CIBC restated a neutral rating on shares of Canadian Utilities in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold.

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Canadian Utilities Price Performance

Canadian Utilities Company Profile

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.28.

(Get Free Report)

Canadian Utilities Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the electricity, natural gas, renewables, pipelines, liquids, and retail energy businesses in Canada, Australia, and internationally. It operates through ATCO Energy Systems, ATCO EnPower, and Corporate & Other segments. The ATCO Energy Systems segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in northern and central east Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan; and integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia.

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After falling by 2% YoY in Q3 2025, ASEAN Light Vehicle (LV) sales increased by 1% YoY in October, with growth observed in all countries except Indonesia.

Source: GlobalData

In Indonesia, volumes contracted by 5% YoY in Octoberthe sixth consecutive month of declinedue to weak purchasing power, an increase in VAT, tighter auto loan approvals, and political protests. Recent data indicates that November sales totaled 69k units, the same level as was achieved during the month last year. The delivery and introduction of new models from Chinese automakers, particularly BYD Auto and Chery Group, were key factors in this improvement. In addition, an aggressive sales campaign during the GAIKINDO Jakarta Auto Week at the end of November contributed positively to the months performance. Consequently, Indonesia's LV sales declined by 9% YoY in January-November overall.

In terms of the forecast, Indonesia's 2025 sales estimate was lowered from 730k units in our previous report to 721k units in this report owing to November sales being weaker than projected and consumers potentially delaying purchases while awaiting automotive stimulus policies. According to local media reports, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Industry have differing views on automotive incentives, with the latter arguing that such incentives are necessary to support the local industry amid weak market sentiment and to prevent layoffs.

In Malaysia, LV sales increased by 9% YoY in October, and registration data indicates that volumes in November continued to rise by 8% YoY. As a result, year-to-date (YTD) sales improved from -1% YoY in January-October to -0.1% YoY in January-November. Given that Novembers performance exceeded our expectations, the outlook for Malaysia in 2025 and 2026 was raised by an average of 1% compared to our previous report. Consequently, sales are now projected at 815k units (-0.1% YoY) in 2025 and 783k units (-4% YoY) in 2026. Moreover, the near-term outlook presents upside risks as national brands begin to enter the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) segment, particularly with the recent launches of the Perodua QV-E and Proton eMas 5.

Thailands sales continued their upward trajectory in October, reflecting a significant 26% YoY increase. The Passenger Vehicle (PV) segment demonstrated remarkable resilience during the month, achieving a YoY expansion of 43%. In contrast, Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales declined by 7% YoY. In January-October as a whole, total volumes increased by 5% YoY, with PVs up by 13% YoY and LCVs down by 14% YoY. Preliminary data suggests that the upward trend continued into November, with an estimated YoY increase of nearly 20%.
Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure Co. (NYSE:BIPC  Free Report) by 534.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,575 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 17,331 shares during the quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc.s holdings in Brookfield Infrastructure were worth $854,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BIPC. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Brookfield Infrastructure by 338.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 710 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure by 1,307.5% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 746 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure by 117.1% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,064 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Brookfield Infrastructure by 107.6% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,119 shares of the companys stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.38% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Brookfield Infrastructure in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Brookfield Infrastructure from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $53.00 price objective on Brookfield Infrastructure and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $53.00.

Brookfield Infrastructure Price Performance

NYSE:BIPC opened at $45.48 on Friday. Brookfield Infrastructure Co. has a one year low of $32.08 and a one year high of $47.71. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $45.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.47. The stock has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.85 and a beta of 1.38.

Brookfield Infrastructure Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 384.0%.

About Brookfield Infrastructure

(Free Report)

Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates regulated natural gas transmission systems in Brazil. The company also engages in the regulated gas and electricity distribution operations in the United Kingdom; and electricity transmission and distribution, as well as gas distribution in Australia.

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Sterling Manor Financial LLC reduced its holdings in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWP  Free Report) by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 57,820 shares of the companys stock after selling 7,934 shares during the quarter. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF comprises approximately 5.2% of Sterling Manor Financial LLCs holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Sterling Manor Financial LLCs holdings in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF were worth $8,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Ryan Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Berkshire Money Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF in the second quarter valued at about $45,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF by 101.1% during the 2nd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 370 shares of the companys stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 74.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Stock Performance

Shares of IWP stock opened at $137.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.48 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.87. iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF has a 52 week low of $99.85 and a 52 week high of $145.60.

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF, formerly iShares Russell Midcap Growth Index Fund (the Growth Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell Midcap Growth Index (the Growth Index).

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Park Edge Advisors LLC cut its holdings in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) by 77.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 723 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 2,484 shares during the quarter. Park Edge Advisors LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in American Express in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in American Express during the second quarter worth approximately $37,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute purchased a new stake in American Express during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Express in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 84.33% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Express from $400.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered American Express from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays upped their target price on American Express from $336.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $370.00 price objective on American Express in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on American Express from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Eight investment 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 company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $334.30.

American Express Price Performance

Shares of AXP stock opened at $375.82 on Friday. American Express Company has a twelve month low of $220.43 and a twelve month high of $387.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $358.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $330.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $258.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.14.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 17th. The payment services company reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.16. The company 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%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.49 earnings per share. American Express has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.200-15.500 EPS. On average, analysts predict that American Express Company will post 15.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Express Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 10th. Investors of record on Friday, January 2nd will be 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 is Friday, January 2nd. American Expresss payout ratio is 22.01%.

Insider Activity at American Express

In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.73, for a total transaction of $1,753,650.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 7,726 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,709,739.98. This represents a 39.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CMO Elizabeth Rutledge sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.21, for a total value of $18,010,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 85,577 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $30,825,691.17. This trade represents a 36.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 57,515 shares of company stock valued at $20,658,509 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock.

American Express 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.

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U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI  Free Report) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 284,939 shares of the companys stock after selling 9,030 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $15,125,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 48.6% during the third quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 633 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in British American Tobacco in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new position in British American Tobacco in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in British American Tobacco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the companys stock.

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British American Tobacco Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE BTI opened at $57.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $54.66 and a 200 day moving average of $53.35. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a one year low of $34.82 and a one year high of $59.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BTI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, December 12th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $51.00.

View Our Latest Report on British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco Company Profile

(Free Report)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

Further Reading

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U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,086 shares of the investment management companys stock after purchasing an additional 10,108 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $16,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,800.0% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 38 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Graney & King LLC boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 50 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 45.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 54 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 71.21% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GS. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $843.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $756.00 to $810.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on The Goldman Sachs Group in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They set a market perform rating and a $785.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $720.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $792.67.

The Goldman Sachs Group Trading Up 0.5%

The Goldman Sachs Group stock opened at $876.46 on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $439.38 and a 12-month high of $919.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $262.88 billion, a PE ratio of 17.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $807.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $750.79.

The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $10.27 by $1.98. The firm had revenue of $15.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 19.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $4.00 per share. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is presently 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.

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Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS  Get Free Report) insider Patrick Harrison Carroll sold 10,021 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.71, for a total transaction of $367,870.91. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 169,940 shares in the company, valued at $6,238,497.40. This trade represents a 5.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Hims & Hers Health Stock Performance

Shares of HIMS stock opened at $34.74 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $42.22 and a 200 day moving average of $48.68. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.97 and a 1 year high of $72.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 2.41.

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Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.09 by ($0.03). Hims & Hers Health had a net margin of 6.05% and a return on equity of 24.67%. The firm had revenue of $598.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $578.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.32 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 49.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Hims & Hers Health, Inc. will post 0.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Hims & Hers Health announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Monday, November 17th that permits the company to repurchase $250.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp began coverage on shares of Hims & Hers Health in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They set a sector weight rating for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a buy rating and set a $68.00 target price on shares of Hims & Hers Health in a report on Friday, September 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Hims & Hers Health in a report on Monday. Bank of America upped their target price on Hims & Hers Health from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised Hims & Hers Health from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $45.50.

Check Out Our Latest Report on HIMS

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hims & Hers Health

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in Hims & Hers Health by 13.7% during the third quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 43,900 shares of the companys stock worth $2,490,000 after purchasing an additional 5,300 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 83.6% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 8,758 shares of the companys stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 3,989 shares during the period. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hims & Hers Health during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,153,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hims & Hers Health by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 4,312 shares of the companys stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 889 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Hims & Hers Health in the 3rd quarter valued at $85,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.52% of the companys stock.

About Hims & Hers Health

(Get Free Report)

Hims & Hers Health, Inc operates a telehealth consultation platform. It connects consumers to healthcare professionals, enabling them to access medical care for mental health, sexual health, dermatology and primary care. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

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Wilsey Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 9.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 552,771 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 54,561 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company comprises approximately 8.5% of Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $46,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 585.5% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 377 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter worth $27,000. 1248 Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Kilter Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.90% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $87.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $92.04.

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $91.42 on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.42 and a fifty-two week high of $94.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $286.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.11. The firms fifty day moving average price is $86.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.19.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.18. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 12.51% and a net margin of 17.18%.The business had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio is 29.61%.

Wells Fargo & Company 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.

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Wilsey Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE:TAP  Free Report) by 4.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 591,259 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 27,819 shares during the quarter. Molson Coors Beverage comprises approximately 4.9% of Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Wilsey Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Molson Coors Beverage were worth $26,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Molson Coors Beverage by 7.0% during the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 22,285 shares of the companys stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 162,153 shares of the companys stock worth $9,870,000 after buying an additional 11,325 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 344.7% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,632 shares of the companys stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 32.3% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,839 shares of the companys stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 1,670 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Molson Coors Beverage in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,760,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.46% of the companys stock.

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Molson Coors Beverage Stock Performance

NYSE TAP opened at $47.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market cap of $9.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.46 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $46.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.17. Molson Coors Beverage Company has a 1-year low of $42.94 and a 1-year high of $64.66.

Molson Coors Beverage Announces Dividend

Molson Coors Beverage ( NYSE:TAP Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.72 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. Molson Coors Beverage had a positive return on equity of 8.78% and a negative net margin of 15.89%.Molson Coors Beverage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.360-5.360 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Molson Coors Beverage Company will post 6.35 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Molson Coors Beverages dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -17.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Molson Coors Beverage

In related news, Director David S. Coors acquired 2,245 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $44.47 per share, with a total value of $99,835.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,586 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,360,159.42. The trade was a 7.92% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Andrew Thomas Molson bought 7,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $46.79 per share, with a total value of $350,925.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 22,654 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,059,980.66. This trade represents a 49.49% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 2.71% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on TAP shares. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on Molson Coors Beverage from $54.00 to $50.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their price objective on Molson Coors Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Molson Coors Beverage from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $51.00 to $49.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Molson Coors Beverage has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $53.59.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Molson Coors Beverage

Molson Coors Beverage Company Profile

(Free Report)

Molson Coors Beverage Company manufactures, markets, and sells beer and other malt beverage products under various brands in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers flavored malt beverages including hard seltzers, craft, spirits and energy, and ready to drink beverages.

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Voya Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Free Report) by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,363 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after buying an additional 3,541 shares during the quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc.s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $2,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the first quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 474.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 155 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 85.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 206 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on BDX. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $224.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Argus boosted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Becton, Dickinson and Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $202.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $205.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael David Garrison sold 629 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.03, for a total value of $123,302.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,568,973.15. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bertram L. Scott sold 217 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.58, for a total transaction of $38,317.86. Following the transaction, the director owned 35,816 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,324,389.28. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,036 shares of company stock valued at $197,225 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.36% of the companys stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $194.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $189.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $185.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.63 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 52 week low of $162.29 and a 52 week high of $251.99.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 14th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $5.32 billion for the quarter. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.42% and a net margin of 7.68%. On average, research analysts predict that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is an increase from Becton, Dickinson and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Becton, Dickinson and Companys dividend payout ratio is 72.04%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

(Free Report)

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.

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Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE:SQM  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $69.64 and last traded at $69.2530, with a volume of 554705 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $64.17.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SQM. Jefferies Financial Group restated a hold rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down from $53.00) on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Monday, October 6th. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. They issued an outperform rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on Sociedad Quimica y Minera from $36.50 to $43.50 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group set a $79.00 price objective on shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera in a research report on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $59.75.

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View Our Latest Analysis on SQM

Sociedad Quimica y Minera Trading Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 2.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $54.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.96. The company has a market cap of $19.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.00 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 the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.06). Sociedad Quimica y Minera had a return on equity of 9.79% and a net margin of 12.12%.The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. will post -1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Sociedad Quimica y Minera

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 6,354 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 4.6% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 8,339 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Sprott Inc. lifted its stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 3.8% in the first quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 14,860 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 548 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 153.0% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 969 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Sociedad Quimica y Minera by 26.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,905 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $125,000 after buying an additional 616 shares during the period. 12.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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IonQ builds universal, gate-based quantum computers, which use sequences of quantum gates to perform calculations using trapped-ion qubits -- charged atoms held in place with electromagnetic fields. The company has already achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, meaning that its calculations involving two qubits are accurate 99.99% of the time.

The company also boasts a strong balance sheet, with a pro forma cash balance of $3.5 billion (as of Oct. 14) and no debt. Hence, while the company is not yet profitable, it does not face near-term funding risks.

IonQ is rapidly scaling its business, as evidenced by its 222% year-over-year revenue growth to $39.9 million in the third quarter. Management now expects 2025 revenues to be in the range of $106 million to $110 million, up from its previous guidance range of $82 million to $100 million. IonQ also exited the quarter with remaining performance obligations (a measure of contracted backlog) of $141.1 million, offering impressive visibility into its future revenues.

Currently, most progress toward the commercialization of quantum computing has been made through cloud-based and hybrid workflows -- in other words, quantum computing combined with classical computing -- rather than standalone quantum computing systems. To capitalize on this opportunity, many investors are assessing two pure-play quantum computing stocks that have been dominating the headlines: IonQ (NYSE: IONQ) and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS).

Quantum computing with even a small number of truly entangled qubits (a multi-qubit state where individual qubits do not have independent states) can prove far superior to classical computers in simulating complexity and ranges of possibilities. This is precisely why governments and enterprises have been testing quantum approaches to solving unusually complex problems that are beyond the capacity of conventional supercomputers.

However, progress in this field does not involve just building more qubits. The biggest challenges in quantum computing are associated with reducing errors, correcting errors, and improving reliability, scalability, and deployability. This, of course, must all be done while also controlling costs and managing power usage.

Quantum computing is advancing gradually from academic pursuit to early commercialization, and according to the market research firm The Quantum Insider, between now and 2035, the technology could add more than $1 trillion to the world economy.

Story Continues

The company's Tempo system has also reached an algorithmic qubit score that indicates it can execute complex and deep computations comparable to a system with 64 high-quality algorithmic qubits. Although these milestones do not directly translate into near-term commercial success, they represent significant progress in addressing the core challenge of error reduction in quantum computing. IonQ is also aiming to scale its quantum systems to 256 physical qubits by the end of 2026 and up to 10,000 physical qubits by the end of 2027.

D-Wave Quantum

D-Wave Quantum is a leading pure-play developer of quantum annealing systems, which are best used for finding optimal or near-optimal answers for optimization problems rather than for more general-purpose quantum computing. The company's systems are gradually gaining a bit of traction in the marketplace, and its revenues soared nearly 100% year over year to $3.7 million in the third quarter.

The company reported an impressive non-GAAP gross margin of 77.7%, up 10.5 percentage points on a year-over-year basis. Its balance sheet is also solid, with $836.2 million in cash on hand.

D-Wave Quantum is already seeing some success with hybrid quantum technology, which combines quantum annealing with classical computing, in commercial use cases. Customers such as BASF, North Wales Police, and Japan Tobacco's pharmaceutical division have reported impressive results in addressing their operational challenges with these hybrid solutions.

Recently, it secured a 10 million euro commitment from Swiss Quantum Technology, which is leasing access to 50% of the capacity of one of D-Wave's Advantage2 annealing quantum computers for five years, with deployment expected in 2026. The contract includes an option that allows Swiss Quantum Technology to purchase the system at a later date.

The application of D-Wave's technology to real-world problems today, rather than just experiments, gives it a significant competitive advantage. Yet its systems are not witnessing robust enterprise adoption at scale.

Which is better?

IonQ is pursuing a capital-intensive strategy to become a dominant player in universal, fault-tolerant quantum computing. If successful, its quantum computing systems could tackle large-scale complex problems across industries and functions. The company's revenue base is already significantly larger than D-Wave's, while its contract backlog also highlights continued traction in 2026. IonQ also has a higher cash balance, which is a significant positive in a capital expenditures-heavy industry like quantum computing.

Although D-Wave's quantum annealing technology has already demonstrated value in early commercial proofs of concept, it has more limited use cases. Management has been working on developing a gate-model quantum computing program as well, but it may be several more years before a commercial-grade fault-tolerant system comes into focus. This may restrict D-Wave's long-term commercial scale.

IonQ is trading at about 204 times sales, which is undeniably a steep premium. However, with gate-based quantum computing being widely expected to provide previously inaccessible solutions to advanced problems in materials science, cryptography, and advanced simulation, investors may be ready to pay this premium for IonQ. In comparison, D-Wave Quantum trades at an even more elevated valuation multiple of about 344 times sales.

Considering all the factors, IonQ seems to offer a better risk-reward profile for long-term investors.

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Voya Investment Management LLC cut its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) by 31.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,488,677 shares of the restaurant operators stock after selling 1,598,636 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.26% of Chipotle Mexican Grill worth $136,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMG. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Lavaca Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 109.3% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 517 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the second quarter worth about $29,000. 91.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

CMG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $59.00 to $49.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $58.00 to $40.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Rothschild Redb upgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $43.00 to $38.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $49.81.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Performance

CMG opened at $37.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.79 billion, a PE ratio of 33.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.99. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $29.75 and a one year high of $62.88. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $35.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.58.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 45.39% and a net margin of 13.04%.The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Chipotle Mexican Grill

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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.

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The European Equity Fund, Inc. (NYSE:EEA  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.165 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, January 30th. This represents a yield of 304.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 30th.

The European Equity Fund Trading Up 0.5%

EEA stock opened at $10.85 on Friday. The European Equity Fund has a 1-year low of $8.05 and a 1-year high of $11.34. The businesss 50 day moving average is $10.70 and its 200-day moving average is $10.50.

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The European Equity Fund, Inc is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc The fund is managed by Deutsche Asset Management International GmbH. It invests in the public equity markets of Europe. The fund seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,063,067 shares of the credit services providers stock after buying an additional 33,306 shares during the quarter. Mastercard makes up 0.6% of Voya Investment Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Mastercard worth $604,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MA. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Mastercard by 73.2% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 698 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the period. Curio Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Mastercard by 22,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 225 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 78,475,807 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $44,098,695,000 after buying an additional 931,132 shares during the last quarter. Wheelhouse Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% in the second quarter. Wheelhouse Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.3% in the second quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,463 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $3,632,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $713.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $665.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Compass Point set a $620.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Macquarie upped their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $655.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Mastercard presently has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $657.48.

Mastercard Price Performance

NYSE MA opened at $565.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.40. The company has a market cap of $508.16 billion, a PE ratio of 36.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.87. Mastercard Incorporated has a 52 week low of $465.59 and a 52 week high of $601.77. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $553.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $566.13.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.31 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.53 billion. Mastercard had a return on equity of 202.03% and a net margin of 45.28%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.89 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Mastercard Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $0.87 dividend. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This is a positive change from Mastercards previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Mastercards payout ratio is currently 22.25%.

About Mastercard

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Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.

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Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE:KYN  Get Free Report) announced a monthly dividend on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.085 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, January 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This is a 6.3% increase from Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.08.

Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE KYN opened at $11.64 on Friday. Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has a 1-year low of $9.82 and a 1-year high of $13.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.18.

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Kayne Anderson MLP Investment Company is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by KA Fund Advisors, LLC. It is co-managed by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating in the energy sector.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $202.00 and last traded at $202.00, with a volume of 710 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $226.61.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on BR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. DA Davidson reissued a neutral rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $261.00 to $256.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $259.83.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions Trading Down 0.6%

The firm has a market cap of $26.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.85 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $227.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $239.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a return on equity of 43.28% and a net margin of 13.11%.The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.975 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio is presently 49.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Broadridge Financial Solutions

In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, President Christopher John Perry sold 3,984 shares of the stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 8.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Thomas P. Carey sold 10,214 shares of the companys stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BR. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 692.3% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 3,690,705 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $879,015,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224,891 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 28,222.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 949,657 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $230,254,000 after acquiring an additional 946,304 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 577.9% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,035,938 shares of the business services providers stock worth $251,513,000 after acquiring an additional 883,125 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 3,228.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 700,536 shares of the business services providers stock worth $166,846,000 after acquiring an additional 679,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Broadridge Financial Solutions in the second quarter valued at about $123,812,000. 90.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Company Profile

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.

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KB Home (NYSE:KBH  Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $59.00 to $54.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the construction companys stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target indicates a potential downside of 7.01% from the stocks previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of KB Home in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of KB Home in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of KB Home from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Evercore ISI set a $65.00 price objective on shares of KB Home and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer assumed coverage on shares of KB Home in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued a market perform rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned 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 presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $63.45.

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KB Home Stock Performance

KB Home stock traded down $4.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.07. 949,432 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,383,009. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.40. KB Home has a fifty-two week low of $48.90 and a fifty-two week high of $72.64. The firms 50 day moving average is $62.13 and its 200-day moving average is $59.96.

KB Home (NYSE:KBH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The construction company reported $1.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.13. KB Home had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 12.91%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.52 earnings per share. KB Homes revenue for the quarter was down 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that KB Home will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Albert Z. Praw sold 20,284 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.08, for a total value of $1,218,662.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 104,062 shares in the company, valued at $6,252,044.96. The trade was a 16.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.89% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KB Home

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP bought a new stake in KB Home in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of KB Home in the second quarter worth $44,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in KB Home by 44.4% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 781 shares of the construction companys stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in KB Home by 2,848.4% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 914 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in KB Home in the second quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.09% of the companys stock.

About KB Home

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KB Home operates as a homebuilding company in the United States. It operates through four segments: West Coast, Southwest, Central, and Southeast. It builds and sells various homes, including attached and detached single-family residential homes, townhomes, and condominiums primarily for first-time, first move-up, second move-up, and active adult homebuyers.

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Shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:VLRS  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after Barclays upgraded the stock from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating. Barclays now has a $11.00 price target on the stock. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion traded as high as $9.99 and last traded at $9.8350, with a volume of 634410 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.32.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Citigroup lowered Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $7.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $8.67.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion Stock Performance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLRS. Ancient Art L.P. raised its holdings in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 22.2% in the first quarter. Ancient Art L.P. now owns 1,816,225 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $9,481,000 after purchasing an additional 329,496 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 48.9% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,720,522 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $12,353,000 after buying an additional 565,250 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 322.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,280,268 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $6,683,000 after buying an additional 977,249 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,268,133 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $6,610,000 after acquiring an additional 71,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,312,000. 53.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.67. The businesss 50-day moving average is $7.01 and its 200-day moving average is $6.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of -17.85 and a beta of 1.95.

Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (NYSE:VLRS  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The transportation company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.08. Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion had a negative net margin of 2.07% and a negative return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $784.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $783.85 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. will post 1.21 earnings per share for the current year.

About Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion

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Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, SAB. de C.V., through its subsidiary, Concesionaria Vuela Compania de Aviacion, SAP.I. de C.V., provides air transportation services for passengers, cargo, and mail in Mexico and internationally. The company operates approximately 590 daily flights on routes connecting 43 cities in Mexico, 22 cities in the United States, 4 cities in Central America, and 2 cities in South America.

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Shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF (NYSEARCA:HEZU  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $44.10 and last traded at $44.1550, with a volume of 1979 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.87.

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $43.13 and a 200 day moving average of $41.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $706.72 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.09 and a beta of 0.76.

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Institutional Trading of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF in the second quarter worth $41,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF by 14.9% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,750 shares of the companys stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC grew its holdings in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 6,614 shares of the companys stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 1,159 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. bought a new stake in shares of iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at $279,000.

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF Company Profile

The iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Eurozone ETF (HEZU) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks a cap-weighted index of large- and mid-cap securities from the eurozone, while hedging out its exposure to the euro currency relative to the US dollar. HEZU was launched on Jul 10, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Shares of First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (OTCMKTS:FQVLF  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $25.6735 and last traded at $25.6735, with a volume of 1645 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FQVLF has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Canada raised shares of First Quantum Minerals from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an outperform rating on shares of First Quantum Minerals in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of First Quantum Minerals in a research report on Tuesday. TD Securities reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of First Quantum Minerals in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a market perform rating on shares of First Quantum Minerals in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Quantum Minerals has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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First Quantum Minerals Trading Up 2.1%

The firms fifty day simple moving average is $22.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 507.90 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.94.

First Quantum Minerals (OTCMKTS:FQVLF  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. First Quantum Minerals had a return on equity of 0.29% and a net margin of 0.92%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that First Quantum Minerals Ltd. will post 0.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Quantum Minerals Company Profile

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First Quantum Minerals Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration, development, and production of mineral properties. It primarily explores for copper, nickel, pyrite, silver, gold, and zinc ores, as well as produces acid. The company has operating mines located in Zambia, Panama, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Australia, and Mauritania, as well as a development project in Zambia.

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Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BH  Get Free Report) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $323.67, but opened at $340.40. Biglari shares last traded at $345.7440, with a volume of 1,231 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Biglari from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th.

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Biglari Trading Up 2.7%

Insider Buying and Selling at Biglari

The business has a 50 day moving average of $332.82 and a 200-day moving average of $311.33. The stock has a market cap of $796.31 million, a PE ratio of 31.04 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 2.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

In other Biglari news, CEO Sardar Biglari purchased 3,452 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $463.34 per share, with a total value of $1,599,449.68. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,335,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $618,889,261.42. This trade represents a 0.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 13,772 shares of company stock valued at $5,050,068. Insiders own 71.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in Biglari by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,501 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP raised its stake in shares of Biglari by 6.9% during the third quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP now owns 1,011 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $327,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Biglari by 162.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 11,563 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $3,742,000 after purchasing an additional 7,163 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Biglari by 4.1% during the third quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 16,944 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $5,484,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Biglari by 319.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 40,443 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $13,089,000 after purchasing an additional 30,810 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.30% of the companys stock.

Biglari Company Profile

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Biglari Holdings Inc is a diversified holding company that makes strategic investments and operates businesses across multiple industries, with a primary focus on the restaurant, insurance and media sectors. The company seeks to acquire controlling interests in undervalued enterprises and enhance long-term value through active management and operational improvements. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Biglari Holdings approaches each acquisition with a value-oriented philosophy, emphasizing disciplined capital allocation and hands-on oversight.

In the restaurant segment, Biglari Holdings owns and operates Steak n Shake, a national burger and milkshake chain founded in 1934, as well as Western Sizzlin, a buffet and steakhouse brand.

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The company faced challenges with the US government shutdown, which could have impacted Secure Communications revenue more significantly.

BlackBerry Ltd ( NYSE:BB ) continues to invest in growth, particularly in the QNX business, while maintaining positive operating and free cash flow.

The company achieved its third consecutive quarter of GAAP profitability, with GAAP net income improving by $24.2 million year over year to $13.7 million.

Story Continues

Q & A Highlights

Q: As you think about fiscal '27, where do you think you need to invest more within the GM opportunity space? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, mentioned that from a product perspective, BlackBerry is in good shape, particularly with the GEDP platform. The focus will likely be on investing in go-to-market activities, increasing partnerships with distributors and technology providers, and expanding the sales force to accelerate market entry.

Q: What ultimately allowed BlackBerry to win the luxury China EV deal, and could this be a blueprint for more success in China? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, stated that the win was due to a combination of cost savings, weight savings, and superior software functionality. The Chinese market is price-sensitive, and the cost savings offered by BlackBerry's technology were a compelling factor. This success could indeed serve as a blueprint for further expansion in China.

Q: Can you discuss the progress towards a vehicle platform award and whether we should expect more information at CES? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, explained that there is significant focus on integrating QNX SDP 8 with middleware in collaboration with Vector. The product is sound, and progress is being made. More information will be shared at CES.

Q: How should we think about the trend in QNX business growth given the fluctuating growth rates? A: Tim Foote, CFO, indicated that while specific guidance for fiscal '27 will be provided at the end of Q4, the company is optimistic about the momentum in the QNX business. Strong royalties and new program wins are expected to drive growth, and the backlog conversion into revenue will be a key factor.

Q: Is the Secure Communications business trending towards becoming a growth segment? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, noted that while the business can be lumpy, there is a strong pipeline, and the company is optimistic about fiscal '27. The recent quarter's performance was solid, and the company successfully navigated challenges like the US government shutdown.

Q: Regarding the government shutdown, is everything back to normal, and can you provide more color on the robotics space? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, stated that despite initial concerns, the company navigated the shutdown well, and mission-critical solutions were prioritized. In robotics, QNX is well-suited for high-compute, high-performance applications, and more details will be shared at CES.

Q: Can you speak to the potential ROI or cost savings for automakers from the vehicle software platform, and the economics between QNX and Vector? A: Tim Foote, CFO, explained that the platform offers significant cost savings and efficiency for OEMs, allowing them to focus on differentiating at the application layer. BlackBerry will be the billing entity, with Vector's portion passed through cost of sales.

Q: What is the opportunity with the Canadian federal government, and how is BlackBerry strategizing to expand further? A: John Giamatteo, CEO, highlighted strong momentum with the Canadian government, particularly with UEM. The company is exploring opportunities to expand with Secusmart and AtHoc, leveraging increased defense spending and the Buy Canada initiative.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Get Free Report)s stock price fell 3.7% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $17.10 and last traded at $17.15. 3,619,121 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 59% from the average session volume of 8,879,580 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.80.

Conagra Brands News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Conagra Brands this week:

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CAG shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and issued a $22.00 price objective on shares of Conagra Brands in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Conagra Brands from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Conagra Brands from $18.00 to $16.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Conagra Brands has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $20.25.

Conagra Brands Trading Down 2.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of -0.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $17.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.02.

Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3 billion. Conagra Brands had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 11.72%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.70 EPS. Conagra Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.700-1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Conagra Brands will post 2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Conagra Brands Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 27th. Conagra Brandss payout ratio is 79.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Melissa C. Napier sold 13,011 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total transaction of $223,659.09. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Quaker Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Conagra Brands by 202.3% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 2,427 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Conagra Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Conagra Brands during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Conagra Brands by 844.4% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,596 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in shares of Conagra Brands by 522.1% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,373 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.75% of the companys stock.

Conagra Brands Company Profile

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Conagra Brands, Inc is a leading packaged foods company based in Chicago, Illinois, with a broad portfolio of shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated foods marketed under familiar brands. The company develops, produces and distributes a wide range of consumer food products, serving both retail grocery and foodservice channels. Conagras product lineup includes frozen entrees, snacks, condiments, baking goods and desserts, providing convenient meal solutions for consumers across North America and select international markets.

Among its well-known brands are Birds Eye, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine, Marie Callenders and Banquet in the frozen foods category, as well as Hunts sauces, Orville Redenbachers popcorn, Slim Jim meat snacks and Reddi-wip toppings.

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Lithium Americas (Argentina) Corp. (NYSE:LAR  Get Free Report) rose 12.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $5.61 and last traded at $5.58. Approximately 1,585,089 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 1,866,438 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LAR shares. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) from $3.50 to $4.25 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d) rating on shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithium Americas (Argentina) currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $4.25.

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Lithium Americas (Argentina) Trading Up 10.1%

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $884.54 million and a P/E ratio of -10.90.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) (NYSE:LAR  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.01). On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lithium Americas will post -0.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Lithium Americas (Argentina) by 119.3% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,594,157 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,045,000 after buying an additional 5,219,416 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) during the first quarter valued at approximately $9,308,000. Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lithium Americas (Argentina) in the first quarter valued at approximately $5,368,000. CenterBook Partners LP grew its stake in Lithium Americas (Argentina) by 102.1% in the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 4,200,238 shares of the companys stock worth $14,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,122,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seldon Capital LP purchased a new position in Lithium Americas (Argentina) during the 3rd quarter worth $6,076,000. 49.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lithium Americas (Argentina) Company Profile

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Lithium Americas (Argentina) is a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp. focused on the exploration, development and production of lithium brine resources in the Jujuy province of northwest Argentina. The companys principal asset is the Cauchari-Olaroz project, situated within the Lithium Triangle, one of the worlds richest regions for lithium-bearing brines. Through its Argentine operations, Lithium Americas aims to supply battery-grade lithium carbonate critical to electric vehicle and energy-storage markets.

The Cauchari-Olaroz project encompasses concessions on the Salar de Cauchari and Salar de Olaroz salt flats, where detailed drilling programs and pilot?scale evaporation ponds have demonstrated favorable lithium concentrations.

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Scottish Mortgage (LON:SMT  Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 1,181.22 and last traded at GBX 1,179.29, with a volume of 78646000 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 1,171.50.

Scottish Mortgage Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of 12.86 billion, a PE ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.75. The companys 50-day simple moving average is GBX 1,108.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 1,084.47.

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Scottish Mortgage (LON:SMT  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported GBX 1.55 EPS for the quarter. Scottish Mortgage had a net margin of 94.48% and a return on equity of 11.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Scottish Mortgage

Scottish Mortgage Company Profile

In related news, insider Christopher Samuel purchased 1,833 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 1,148 per share, for a total transaction of 21,042.84. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Scottish Mortgage is a portfolio of what we believe are the worlds most exciting growth companies. We believe that a few exceptional companies will make a positive impact on shareholders returns and society as a whole. Explore our website and youll discover what we mean by investing in progress, how we find and support the companies shaping the future, and how you can be a part of it.

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American Noble Gas Inc. (NYSE:INFY  Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 53,223 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 616% compared to the average daily volume of 7,435 call options.

American Noble Gas Stock Up 4.5%

INFY traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, hitting $20.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 85,874,241 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,926,071. American Noble Gas has a 12 month low of $15.81 and a 12 month high of $30.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.00. The firms 50 day moving average price is $17.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.35.

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American Noble Gas (NYSE:INFY  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The technology company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. American Noble Gas had a return on equity of 29.40% and a net margin of 16.58%.The firm had revenue of $5.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.04 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that American Noble Gas will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Noble Gas

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC raised its position in American Noble Gas by 1,998.6% in the 1st quarter. New Vernon Capital Holdings II LLC now owns 12,617,101 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $230,262,000 after buying an additional 12,015,884 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of American Noble Gas by 39.7% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 26,437,188 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $482,427,000 after acquiring an additional 7,514,613 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its position in shares of American Noble Gas by 53.5% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 9,153,711 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $167,055,000 after acquiring an additional 3,191,155 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in American Noble Gas by 382.5% during the first quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 2,638,154 shares of the technology companys stock worth $48,146,000 after acquiring an additional 2,091,411 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of American Noble Gas by 788.4% in the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 1,498,959 shares of the technology companys stock worth $27,356,000 after buying an additional 1,330,233 shares in the last quarter. 16.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

INFY has been the topic of several research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of American Noble Gas in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued a sell rating and a $12.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of American Noble Gas in a research report on Monday. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of American Noble Gas to a strong sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of American Noble Gas from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on American Noble Gas from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Noble Gas currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.65.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on American Noble Gas

American Noble Gas Company Profile

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Infosys Ltd. is a digital services and consulting company, which engages in the provision of end-to-end business solutions. It operates through the following segments: Financial Services, Retail, Communication, Energy, Utilities, Resources, and Services, Manufacturing, Hi-Tech, Life Sciences, and All Other. The company was founded by Dinesh Krishnan Swamy, Senapathy Gopalakrishnan, Narayana Ramarao Nagavara Murthy, Raghavan N. S., Ashok Arora, Nandan M. Nilekani, and S. D. Shibulal on July 2, 1981 and is headquartered in Bangalore, India.

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Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS (NYSE:CIG  Get Free Report) announced a special dividend on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 29th will be given a dividend of 0.0264 per share by the utilities provider on Wednesday, January 7th. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 29th.

Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS has raised its dividend by an average of 0.3%annually over the last three years. Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS has a dividend payout ratio of 68.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS to earn $0.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.15 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 65.2%.

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Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS Stock Performance

Shares of CIG traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1.98. The companys stock had a trading volume of 3,971,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,873,372. The stock has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS has a 1-year low of $1.59 and a 1-year high of $2.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS in a research note on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Reduce.

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About Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS

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Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais SA (Cemig ADS) is a leading Brazilian energy company primarily engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and commercialization of electric power. Headquartered in Belo Horizonte, the company operates as a vertically integrated utility, serving residential, commercial and industrial customers across its concession areas. In addition to its core electricity business, Cemig maintains interests in natural gas distribution and distinct energy-related ventures, including renewable sources and infrastructure projects.

In its generation segment, Cemig manages a diversified portfolio that includes hydroelectric, photovoltaic and wind power plants.

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North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA  Get Free Report) (NYSE:NOA) had its target price cut by analysts at TD Securities from C$21.00 to C$19.00 in a report released on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the stock. TD Securities price objective would indicate a potential upside of 5.20% from the companys current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. ATB Capital set a C$26.00 target price on shares of North American Construction Group and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on North American Construction Group from C$27.00 to C$25.00 in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, National Bankshares raised their price objective on North American Construction Group from C$26.00 to C$28.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$30.06.

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North American Construction Group Stock Down 5.1%

NOA traded down C$0.97 on Friday, hitting C$18.06. The company had a trading volume of 570,335 shares, compared to its average volume of 107,849. The stock has a market capitalization of C$525.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$19.90 and a 200-day moving average price of C$20.56. North American Construction Group has a 12-month low of C$16.78 and a 12-month high of C$31.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 212.25, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.13.

North American Construction Group (TSE:NOA  Get Free Report) (NYSE:NOA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported C$0.67 earnings per share for the quarter. North American Construction Group had a net margin of 4.80% and a return on equity of 15.24%. The business had revenue of C$317.25 million for the quarter. Analysts predict that North American Construction Group will post 4.0597484 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About North American Construction Group

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North American Construction Group Ltd is Canadas provider of heavy civil construction and mining contractors. The company has provided services to the oil, natural gas and resource companies.

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Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. (CVE:RECO  Get Free Report)s stock price traded down 6.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.89 and last traded at C$0.90. 287,018 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 458,253 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.96.

Reconnaissance Energy Africa Stock Down 8.3%

The firm has a market cap of C$297.18 million, a P/E ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.34. The businesss 50 day moving average is C$0.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$0.53.

About Reconnaissance Energy Africa

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Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd., a junior oil and gas company, engages in exploration and development of oil and gas properties in Namibia and Botswana. The company holds a 90% interest in a petroleum exploration license that covers an area of approximately 25,341.33 square kilometer located in Namibia; and 100% working interest in a petroleum license, which covers an area of 8,990 square kilometer located in northwestern Botswana. Reconnaissance Energy Africa Ltd. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE:BDN  Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $2.97 and last traded at $2.9850, with a volume of 4795811 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BDN. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Brandywine Realty Trust from $5.00 to $4.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Truist Financial cut shares of Brandywine Realty Trust from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $5.00 to $4.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. KeyCorp lowered Brandywine Realty Trust from an overweight rating to a sector weight rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Brandywine Realty Trust from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an underweight rating on shares of Brandywine Realty Trust in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average target price of $4.00.

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Brandywine Realty Trust Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $3.39 and a 200-day moving average of $3.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market cap of $520.23 million, a PE ratio of -2.80 and a beta of 1.30.

Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE:BDN  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.01). Brandywine Realty Trust had a negative net margin of 38.03% and a negative return on equity of 19.55%. The company had revenue of $121.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $119.11 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Brandywine Realty Trust will post 0.66 EPS for the current year.

Brandywine Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 7th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 7th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.7%. Brandywine Realty Trusts payout ratio is presently -29.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Brandywine Realty Trust news, Director James C. Diggs sold 23,190 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.47, for a total value of $80,469.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 128,672 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $446,491.84. This trade represents a 15.27% 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, CEO Gerard H. Sweeney purchased 88,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3.38 per share, for a total transaction of $299,130.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 3,042,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,282,669.80. This trade represents a 3.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 3.30% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new position in Brandywine Realty Trust during the third quarter worth about $184,000. Cambria Investment Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Brandywine Realty Trust by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 133,526 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 18,040 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Brandywine Realty Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in Brandywine Realty Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in Brandywine Realty Trust by 4.8% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 481,901 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,023,000 after buying an additional 22,245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.27% of the companys stock.

Brandywine Realty Trust Company Profile

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Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) is an internally managed real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of office and mixed-use properties. Headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, the company focuses on creating high?quality, transit?oriented workplaces that meet evolving tenant demands for sustainability, technological connectivity, and flexible design. Brandywines portfolio emphasizes Class A office space, often integrated with retail, residential or hospitality components to foster vibrant, live?work?play environments.

Since its founding in 1994, Brandywine has executed a strategy of disciplined property investment and targeted development.

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Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)s stock price was up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday after Oppenheimer raised their price target on the stock from $55.00 to $63.00. Oppenheimer currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Bank of America traded as high as $55.31 and last traded at $55.19. Approximately 71,939,356 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 78% from the average daily volume of 40,345,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.26.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Bank of America from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Bank of America from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Argus lifted their price target on Bank of America from $53.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Phillip Securities boosted their price target on Bank of America from $50.00 to $56.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. 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, Bank of America presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $58.59.

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Key Bank of America News

Institutional Trading of Bank of America

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of America this week:

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BAC. AIA Group Ltd raised its holdings in Bank of America by 61.2% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 394,359 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $20,345,000 after purchasing an additional 149,652 shares during the last quarter. Keel Point LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 44,738 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,052 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Bank of America by 9.7% during the third quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 13,536 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $698,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Farmers National Bank raised its stake in Bank of America by 13.4% during the third quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 5,053 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC acquired a new position in Bank of America in the third quarter valued at $556,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.71% of the companys stock.

Bank of America Trading Up 1.7%

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 firms fifty day moving average is $52.76 and its 200-day moving average is $49.75. The firm has a market cap of $403.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04 and a beta of 1.30.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last released its 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. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 15.70%.The business had revenue of $5.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 30.52%.

About Bank of America

(Get Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation is a multinational financial services company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It provides a broad array of banking, investment, asset management and related financial and risk management products and services to individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, governments and institutional investors. The firm operates through consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking and markets businesses, offering capabilities across lending, deposits, payments, advisory and capital markets.

Its consumer-facing offerings include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity lending, auto loans, credit cards and small business banking, supported by a nationwide branch network and digital channels.

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Shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F  Get Free Report) were up 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $13.48 and last traded at $13.4650. Approximately 60,664,123 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 93,111,797 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.32.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on F. Barclays upped their target price on Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $14.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $13.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Ford Motor from $11.00 to $12.50 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Ford Motor from an underperform rating to a hold rating and increased their price target for the stock from $9.00 to $12.00 in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $12.04.

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Ford Motor Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.20. The businesss fifty day moving average is $12.93 and its 200 day moving average is $11.89. The stock has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 1.60.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The auto manufacturer reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.07. Ford Motor had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 11.94%. The company had revenue of $50.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.49 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Ford Motor Company will post 1.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. Ford Motors payout ratio is presently 51.72%.

Institutional Trading of Ford Motor

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Ford Motor during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Corsicana & Co. acquired a new position in Ford Motor during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Country Trust Bank purchased a new stake in Ford Motor during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ford Motor by 990.9% in the second quarter. Capital A Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the auto manufacturers stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 2,279 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ford Motor by 55.4% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,348 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 837 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.74% of the companys stock.

About Ford Motor

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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is an American multinational automaker headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, the company became an early pioneer of mass-production techniques with the Model T and the adoption of the moving assembly line. Today, Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a broad range of vehicles and mobility solutions under the Ford and Lincoln brands, spanning passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial vehicles.

Fords business activities extend beyond vehicle production to include parts and aftermarket services, fleet and commercial sales, and automotive financing through Ford Motor Credit Company.

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Blackstone and Revolut are in initial discussions regarding a potential partnership focused on wealth management services, reported Bloomberg.

According to people familiar with the negotiations, the proposed partnership is said to allow clients of Revoluts upcoming private banking service to access Blackstones investment funds.

Bloomberg recently reported that Revolut is planning to establish a private markets team to expand its wealth management services.

It is looking to recruit junior investment bankers, asset managers, and private capital advisers to support the development of private-market investment offerings.

According to its job listing, the role involves establishing connections with fund managers across the private capital ecosystem.

The company is also looking to hire a private banker in the UK to manage and support relationships with high-net-worth individuals worldwide.

A potential agreement between Revolut and Blackstone would represent a significant move by private capital firms to access high-net-worth clients, while aiming to diversify their funding sources, the report said.

Blackstone has already expanded its footprint in Europe, which is Revoluts primary market, by tripling the number of wealth managers, private banks and insurers, over the last two years.

This expansion is a part of Blackstone president Jon Grays strategy to broaden the firms reach into the mass market while maintaining its institutional business.

In June this year, BlackRock was reported as planning to expand its private investment businesses, nearly doubling its market value by 2030.

The company has set a goal of raising about $400bn for its private investment divisions, reflecting a strategic shift to compete with other alternative asset giants

"Blackstone,Revolut in talks to collaborate on wealth management  report " was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.




Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:MHVYF  Get Free Report) was down 4.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $25.10 and last traded at $25.20. Approximately 1,841 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 59,091 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.2950.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $85.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.49 and a beta of 0.53. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $27.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27.

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTCMKTS:MHVYF  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.14 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1,282.47 billion. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had a net margin of 4.63% and a return on equity of 10.04%.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a diversified Japanese industrial conglomerate engaged in the design, manufacture and servicing of large-scale capital equipment and systems. The companys activities span shipbuilding and marine propulsion; power and energy systems including gas turbines, boilers and related power-plant equipment; and industrial machinery for sectors ranging from chemicals and manufacturing to environmental control. MHI also supplies heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and other building-related equipment for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to its heavy engineering businesses, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a major participant in aerospace, space and defense markets.

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AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV  Get Free Report) shot up 2.1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $229.47 and last traded at $227.44. 18,590,959 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 192% from the average session volume of 6,369,610 shares. The stock had previously closed at $222.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ABBV. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of AbbVie from $227.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of AbbVie from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AbbVie from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $245.84.

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AbbVie Trading Up 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.14. The firm has a market cap of $401.98 billion, a PE ratio of 172.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $226.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.69.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.77 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $15.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.58 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 4.00% and a return on equity of 3,216.47%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.00 EPS. AbbVie has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 3.320-3.360 EPS. Analysts forecast that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 EPS for the current year.

AbbVie Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a $1.73 dividend. This is a positive change from AbbVies previous quarterly dividend of $1.64. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. AbbVies payout ratio is 496.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AbbVie

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in AbbVie by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 177,747,261 shares of the companys stock valued at $41,155,601,000 after acquiring an additional 448,554 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 2.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 39,178,351 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,240,169,000 after purchasing an additional 924,761 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of AbbVie by 6.0% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 26,783,329 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,970,848,000 after purchasing an additional 1,517,222 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of AbbVie during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,288,200,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of AbbVie by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 12,771,854 shares of the companys stock worth $2,675,959,000 after purchasing an additional 713,148 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AbbVie Company Profile

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AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVies product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and womens health.

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA) on Friday asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a waiver of airplane emissions rules to allow it to sell another 35 Boeing 777F freighters, citing strong customer demand and a delay in the next-generation plane's certification.

More from Yahoo Scout What are the financial implications of Boeing's waiver request? Why is Boeing requesting a waiver from FAA emissions rules? When will Boeing's 777-8 Freighter be available? How do the new FAA emissions standards affect aircraft production?

The rules take effect in 2028. Boeing said the next-generation 777-8 Freighter, which is expected to comply with the limits, will not be ready until after that date. Boeing said the waiver would allow it to meet anticipated customer demand for cargo planes prior to the 777-8F entering service.

Boeing said it was seeking approval by May 1. The company has said it expects to deliver the first 777-8F approximately two years after the first delivery of the 777-9, which is currently targeted for 2027.

Under then-President Joe Biden, the FAA in February 2024 issued final rules adopting international standards to reduce carbon pollution from most large airplanes flying in U.S. airspace. The rules do not apply to airplanes in service before that date.

Boeing said large widebody freighters are crucial to the export of goods.

"Of the $600 billion in goods exported by air cargo in 2024, more than $260 billion were transported on large widebody freighters," Boeing said.

It added that each 777F aircraft exported to a foreign customer contributes $440 million at catalog value to a positive trade balance, indicating that more than $15 billion worth of U.S. export value could be lost without an exemption.

Boeing said the 777F is the most fuel-efficient airplane for the global freight market and the only large widebody freighter in production.

Last year, Congress passed legislation allowing Boeing to continue to produce its 767 freighter for another five years through 2033 in the United States, exempting it from the FAA efficiency rules taking effect in 2028.

Last year, the FAA said civil aircraft were responsible for 9% of domestic transportation emissions and 2% of total U.S. carbon pollution. Under Biden, the U.S. unveiled a climate action plan aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
A principle of a primary school in County Louth was on Live Line recently to discuss how much her school and other schools around the country are struggling financially.

Darver NS Principal Emily Scully said that the school had to reach out to parents via email recently to ask for a roll of toilet paper and a hand towel per student.

"Towards the end of November it got to the stage where funding was so tight we came into decisions of whether to pay the electricity bill or heating bill or whether to order toilet roll or hand tissues for the students," Emily told Patrick Kielty on Live Line.

Emily explained that this is not a new issue and primary schools around the country are also struggling financially, but said "I suppose now it's getting a bit more attention".

She said that the email reached out to parents to ask them to bring in a roll of toilet paper and a hand towel per student to see them over "this tight period".

The principle said that they received a great response from parents and local businesses giving donations to the school after the request for help was sent out.

READ NEXT: Young Irish teen 'nearly died' on flight after 'selfish' passenger 'ignored' safety alert

Emily said that she one of the most stressful parts of her job, in her five years of being principle, is trying to balance the books in terms of the costs schools are dealing with and that it doesn't add up to government funding that is given to schools.

She said that in terms of heating the school, they have the hater on a very strict timer to avoid high heating costs.

"It's turned completely off during the Christmas holidays so the first few days back are always cold...the same on Halloween...".
Suburban democracy MIGHT be hanging in the balance according to this social media blast.

Here's a peek . . .

County election chief Fred Sherman, announced his resignation Thursday saying he had been forced out by Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.



"Sherman, election commissioner for Johnson County since 2021, posted on X, I was given the option to resign or be terminated from the position, and I elected to resign.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

More deets . . .
This is the final update in a courthouse feud that offers a preview of upcoming election season . . .

First, Justice Horn called out the Exec.

And the, surprisingly, the Exec responded.

Now . . .

Here's today's word ahead of campaign season . . .

Justice Horn Responds to County Executive Phil LeVotas Remarks

KANSAS CITY, MO. (December 17, 2025)  Levota: Jackson County is done with Justice Horn.. even a young inexperienced politico like Justice Horn ..Young Justice Horn But he is youngand did I mention he's got my cell phone number? Justice Horn, has issued the following response to public remarks made by County Executive Phil LeVota regarding Horns non-reappointment to the Commission.



I am disappointedbut not surprisedby the County Executives decision to resort to personal insults rather than address the real crises facing Jackson County, Horn said. The County Executive should be focused on resolving the ongoing property tax crisis and the more than 115,000 property tax bills the county is still sitting onnot engaging in childish political beef.



Horn clarified several points raised in the County Executives statement.



My service on the County Plan Commission was never about entitlementit was about responsibility, Horn said. I was elected Vice Chair by my fellow commissioners and took that role seriously. I consistently showed up, asked hard questions, and advocated for residents impacted by development decisions and skyrocketing assessments.



Horn rejected the claim that his concerns amount to misinformation or political grandstanding.



Disagreement is not misinformation, and accountability is not grandstanding, Horn said. Calling criticism reckless does not make the underlying problems disappear. Residents are still waiting for relief, answers, and basic competence from their county government.



Horn also addressed the contradiction in the County Executives remarks.



It is remarkable to claim that I was not politically targeted, while issuing a statement that politically targets me by name, questions my character, and attacks my motives, Horn said. That kind of response reads less like responsible county leadership and more like a Trump-style Truth Social postlong on insults, short on solutions.



Horn emphasized that boards and commissions exist to provide independent oversight.



Jackson County boards are meant to serve the public, not act as loyalty tests for the County Executive, Horn said. If independence and speaking up for residents disqualify someone from service, that is a serious problem. Despite the rhetoric, Horn reaffirmed his commitment to public service.



I will remain focused on the people of Jackson County, Horn concluded. I will continue to fight for transparency, taxpayer protections, and ethical leadership. The residents of this county deserve leaders who prioritize solving problemsnot settling scores.

##############

Developing . . .
Lots of topics to consider tonight as we share a ton of our reading by way of pop culture, community reporting top headlines.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Holiday Recession Workarounds

Kansas City-area shoppers are finding different ways to shop for the holidays Are you following your holiday habits or breaking them for a new tradition? Experts said some people are departing from the norm.

Rerouting Transit Cash

Kansas City considering nearly $16M for KCATA, IRIS, but major changes expected Kansas City council members are considering additional funding for KCATA, but major changes to the bus service and IRIS are expected.

Another Scary Local Commute

Kansas City motorist shares video of driving over raised expansion joint on US 169 A Kansas City-area motorist has shared video with KSHB 41 showing the motorist hitting the raised expansion joint on a bridge that's closed parts of U.S. 169 Highway north of the downtown airport.

Local Connection To Tragedy

Who is Greg Biffle? Kansas Speedway champion, NASCAR legend killed in plane crash On Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that multiple people, including semi-retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, were killed in a plane crash at a Nor...

Aftertaste Reporting . . .

Bittersweet closure: Popular Johnson County chocolate shop closing at end of the month For many in Overland Park, Kansas, Andre's Chocolates has been a go-to spot for Swiss chocolates, pastries and coffee, but soon, this location will serve its last sweet treat.

X-Tina Shares Holiday Trim

Christina Aguilera shows off slim figure as she rings in 45th birthday Christina Aguilera flaunted her figure in an eye-catching look as she created her own holiday smoothie for Erewhon while also ringing in her 45th birthday.

MAGA Enjoys Self-Tribute

President Trump to add his own name to the Kennedy Center The arts institution will be called the Trump-Kennedy Center. The president's press secretary said it comes after a unanimous vote by the center's board, which Trump took over earlier this year.

Gunfire Aftermath Report

Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente identified as Brown University shooting suspect, found dead Authorities identified the Brown University shooting suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente. Two students were killed and nine were injured in the campus attack.

Right-Wing Podcast War Update

Candace Owens Shares Her Side Of What Happened In Meeting With Erika Kirk Candace Owens said Tuesday she held a more than four-hour, no-rules meeting with Erika Kirk and came away believing much of the public narrative surrounding TPUSA.

Class War Court Drama Cont'd

Luigi Mangione defense says cops peddled bogus mom quote as judge weighs if evidence will make it to trial Luigi Mangione's legal team says prosecutors relied on a false statement from his mother as a suppression hearing for evidence in his murder trial concludes.

Tech Biz Spin

TikTok has signed the deal to spin off its US entity with American investor group | CNN Business TikTok has signed the deal backed by President Donald Trump to spin off its US assets to create a new entity with a group of mostly American investors, CEO Shou Chew told employees in a memo Thursday.

More Pix From Not-So-Secret Files

Two US presidents and their associations with Epstein BBC Verify has looked back through online archives to examine what we know about President Trump and Bill Clinton's decades-long associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

Euro War Cash Compromise

Ukraine deal: EU leaders agree 90bn loan, but without use of frozen Russian assets Two-year deal will cover most of Ukraine's needs, but will be secured against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets

Flight Plan 86 Revealed . . .

In a first, a US Navy warship in the Middle East just launched a one-way attack drone A top US commander called the launch a "significant milestone" in delivering cheap drones to American forces.

Canoodler Shares Confession

Kristin Cabot: HR exec in viral Coldplay clip speaks of abuse, threats and trying to find a new job The former tech executive says she was bombarded with abusive and threatening messages after being filmed with her boss on the 'kiss-cam'.

#TBT Rinse & Repeat Advice . . .

Lots of erections prevent impotence in old age, uplifting study says Regular erections could be the key to a good sex life in old age, a new study in Science has found. Connective tissue cells in the penis, called fibroblasts, play a vital role in erectile function.

Holiday Vacay Unwanted

Optum abruptly closes 3 Kansas City-area community centers, members shocked Some of the members of the midtown Kansas City, Missouri, location showed up Thursday morning to find the center permanently closed.

Local Roots Celebrated

A tree older than the US is dying in KC's Northeast; here's how an entrepreneur honored its energy Trees are among humans' most sacred relatives, said Alex Villalobos-McAnderson, a Shawnee-based energy medicine practitioner who noted that connections to the earth run deep even amid the turbulence of modern life and political uncertainty.

Golden Ghetto Building Boom

Apartment units will be built at former Wonderscope building in Shawnee The former Wonderscope building in Shawnee, Kansas, will soon be transformed into new apartments near West 57th and Flint streets.

Blogging Kernel Of Truth . . .

Do you smell what I smell? Topsy's cooks up popcorn and holiday aromas in Waldo

Breezy December Update

Strong winds continue through Thursday evening around Kansas City metro The wind advisory continues until 9 p.m. around the Kansas City metro.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
An important note from law enforcement that ignores so much legal weed in less than a 20 minute drive from the biggest population center in the Sunflower State . . . Check-it:

"Kansas Bureau of Investigation director Tony Mattivi responded to President Donald Trump's rescheduling of marijuana to clarify that the drug remains illegal in Kansas."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

CJOnline: KBI says marijuana in Kansas still illegal after Trump rescheduled it
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Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 25. Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

''Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation and on my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your birthday.

Under your leadership, friendly Azerbaijan is confidently advancing along the path of large-scale transformations aimed at developing the national economy and social sphere, improving the well-being of citizens, and strengthening its authority on the international stage.

I would particularly like to note your constant attention to strengthening Russian-Azerbaijani relations in the spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual respect. In implementation of the decisions taken at the highest level, trade, economic, and investment cooperation is steadily developing, promising joint projects are being brought to life, and interregional ties and business contacts are expanding.

I am convinced that further enhancing practical cooperation and advancing new mutually beneficial initiatives across various fields fully align with the interests of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

I fondly recall our conversations, which always take place in an open and trusting atmosphere. I look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue.

I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, good health, prosperity, and further success in your responsible state activities,'' the letter reads.

XXX

Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

''Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday.

Your political career reflects the path of a leader who moves forward boldly, demonstrating principled stances, decisiveness, and responsibility for the fate of your country, while inspiring like-minded people and supporters with your energy.

Thanks to your many years of dedicated work, Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable results in socio-economic development, strengthening statehood, and enhancing its authority on the international stage.

I am grateful for your consistent attention to expanding Russian-Azerbaijani parliamentary dialogue. I particularly fondly recall my visit to Baku in March 2025 and deeply value your kind attitude toward me.

I wish you robust health and continued success in your important activities for the benefit of the friendly people of Azerbaijan.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration,'' the letter reads.

XXX

Ilgar Rahimov, President of the International Blind Sports Federation sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

Your leadership is closely associated with the modern development of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the strengthening of its statehood, the enhancement of its international standing, and sustainable socio-economic progress. Under your guidance, Azerbaijan continues to pursue a strategic course based on national interests, sovereignty, and consistent development.

Your consistent social policy, aimed at improving the well-being of citizens, supporting the development of sport, and promoting an inclusive society, merits particular recognition. The attention devoted to the Paralympic movement, as well as to the protection of the rights and social integration of persons with disabilities, reflects a forward-looking and human-centred approach to public policy.

On this occasion, I wish you good health, continued energy, and further success in your responsible state duties," the letter reads.

XXX

Sergey Melikov, Head of the Republic of Dagestan of the Russian Federation sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please allow me to warmly and heartily congratulate you on the occasion of your birthday.

Thanks to your tireless efforts, fraternal Azerbaijan has made remarkable progress in the socio-economic sphere, in state-building, and on the international stage.

Your many years of fruitful service, combined with your outstanding professionalism and unwavering devotion to your homeland, have earned you widespread public recognition and undisputed authority both among your fellow citizens and far beyond your country's borders.

In Dagestan, we particularly cherish the long-standing and productive cooperation with the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is rooted in centuries-old traditions of friendship, good-neighborly relations, and mutual respect.

Dear Ilham Heydarovich, please accept my sincere wishes for robust health, prosperity, and continued success in your vital work throughout the coming year of 2026," the letter reads.

XXX

Giuseppe Caniglia, President of the Napoli-Baku Association sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of your birthday, please accept my warmest congratulations and best wishes for your health, personal happiness, and continued success in the discharge of your high responsibilities.

I would also like to convey my sincere hopes for lasting prosperity and well-being for the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the letter reads.

XXX

Ilyas Umakhanov, Senator of the Russian Federation sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of Your birthday.

Under Your leadership, Azerbaijan has for many years been confidently strengthening its positions on the global stage and demonstrating impressive successes, despite the complexity of the international agenda.

Russia and Azerbaijan continue to build interaction, striving to find a balance of interests and mutual understanding on key regional issues.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish You good health, inexhaustible energy, well-being, and new outstanding achievements for the benefit of the fraternal Azerbaijani people and our countries," the letter reads.

XXX

Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of your birthday, on behalf of the International Judo Family and personally, I would like to extend my warmest wishes for health, happiness, success, and fulfilment in every area of your life. May the year ahead bring you new accomplishments and many cherished moments shared with your loved ones.

Your remarkable achievements, together with the distinguished contributions you have made to the advancement of sport in general and judo in particular, speak to the dedication, integrity, and vision that define your leadership. The values you uphold and the long-term perspective you bring to your work continue to strengthen the positive impact of judo and sport on society, in the Republic of Azerbaijan and internationally. The legacy you have envisaged continues to shape the national and global sporting landscape in meaningful ways and remains a source of inspiration for those who believe in excellence, responsibility, and progress.

At the International Judo Federation, we sincerely appreciate our excellent collaboration. We look forward to continuing to build upon it," the letter reads.

XXX

Gio Cristofoli, bp Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to you for your birthday. I wish you a long life, good health, happiness and continued success in your work for the prosperity of your country.

We at bp are proud to be the operator of world-scale energy projects in Azerbaijan and to have built the exceptional relationship with the Government of Azerbaijan and SOCAR and look forward to the continuation of this effective partnership for many years to come. The implementation of these strategic energy projects has been possible thanks to your leadership and unwavering support.

This year marks another milestone in our more than 30-year partnership. In June, we signed four major agreements that will boost oil and gas exploration and production while advancing solar and electrification projects. We hope these projects will also be successfully implemented in the coming years.

I would also like to take this delightful opportunity to congratulate you and the people of Azerbaijan on the Solidarity Day of the World Azerbaijanis and the New Year holidays.

I wish for prosperity, peace and progress for you, your loved ones and all the people of Azerbaijan in the coming year," the letter reads.

XXX

Members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of the members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, we are honored to convey our warmest congratulations and best wishes to you on the occasion of your birthday.

Your visionary leadership, steadfast commitment to Azerbaijan's development, and principled engagement on the international stage have earned you deep respect and admiration across continents. Under your guidance, Azerbaijan has strengthened its sovereignty, advanced inclusive economic growth, and emerged as a trusted partner in promoting dialogue, multilateral cooperation, and regional connectivity.

We commend your dedication to peace, stability, and sustainable development, as well as Azerbaijan's constructive contributions to global agendasparticularly in energy transition, climate action, and intercultural dialogue. These efforts resonate strongly with the mission of our Center, inspired by the humanism and wisdom of Nizami Ganjavi.

On this special day, we extend to you our sincere wishes for good health, continued success, and prosperity. May the years ahead bring renewed strength and fulfillment as you continue to serve the people of Azerbaijan and contribute to global peace and cooperation.

We are looking forward to our meeting at XIII Global Baku Forum in March 2026.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration," the letter reads.

XXX

Zeljka Cvijanovic, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency, Dear President Aliyev,

It is with deep personal joy that I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on the occasion of your birthday. As a friend and colleague who has had the privilege of witnessing your dedication firsthand, I am truly inspired by the warmth and strength you bring to leadership.

Your visionary guidance has not only elevated Azerbaijan to new heights of prosperity and global influence, but has also touched numerous lives through your commitment to peace, cultural heritage, and economic development. Our shared moments in international forums and bilateral meetings, as well as the growing bond between the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Azerbaijan, fill me with optimism for even deeper friendship and collaboration ahead.

On this cherished day, I wish you and your loved ones boundless health, happiness, and many more years of fulfillment in steering Azerbaijan toward an even brighter future," the letter reads.

XXX

Altai Efendiev, GUAM Secretary General sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of the International Secretariat of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM and on my own behalf, I would like to extend our most sincere congratulations on your birthday!

On this occasion, we also want to congratulate you on the impressive achievements in developing your country under your leadership, enhancing its regional and international posture and role. The Republic of Azerbaijan is steadily and successfully transforming into a strong, modern, prosperous country and becoming an increasingly influential actor in regional and global affairs.

We also wish you every success in your persistent and laborious efforts to win and establish a just and lasting peace and to develop an inclusive cooperation in the region after the glorious victory of the liberation war and the complete restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders.

We admire the progress made in the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and reintegration of the liberated lands into the country's social and economic fabric, as well as in the diversification and modernization of the economy.

We commend your leadership in a highly complex and challenging external environment and your principled, consistent stance on key issues in international affairs.

Mr. President, as a regional organization, we stand ready to support your initiatives to promote regional peace, stability, and cohesion by implementing regional projects and initiatives. We are also interested in learning about Azerbaijan's experience that can be shared among the GUAM member states. We value Azerbaijan's contribution to regional cooperation and look forward to further strengthening it within the GUAM framework.

Excellency, once again, I would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations on your birthday and wish you strong health and unquenchable energy to implement all your ideas and initiatives for developing a strong, modern, democratic, and prosperous Azerbaijan," the letter reads.

XXX

Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

I have the distinct honour to convey to Your Excellency my most sincere congratulations and warmest felicitations on the occasion of your birthday.

Your Excellency's dedicated leadership and far-sighted vision have made a significant contribution to the stability, development, and prosperity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in enhancing its growing international standing and constructive engagement in regional and global affairs.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation for Azerbaijan's active and constructive role within CICA in its Chairmanship capacity, which has made a valuable contribution to advancing the principles and objectives of CICA and to promoting peace and dialogue across Asia.

On this auspicious occasion, I wish Your Excellency robust health and continued success in your noble and responsible mission, as well as further progress and prosperity to the brotherly people of Azerbaijan.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration," the letter reads.

XXX

Rashid Temrezov, Head of the Karachay-Cherkessia Republic sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

On behalf of the residents of Karachay-Cherkessia and on my own behalf, I warmly and sincerely congratulate you on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your leadership, Azerbaijan is demonstrating sustainable development across all spheres while preserving its unique cultural and historical identity.

I thank you for your attention to strengthening friendly ties between our peoples. I am confident that relations between Karachay-Cherkessia and Azerbaijan will continue to grow stronger, creating new opportunities for constructive dialogue.

I wish you strong health, well-being, and new successes in your high mission for the benefit of the Azerbaijani people," the letter reads.

XXX

Rabbi Marc Schneier, President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

On this special day marking your 64th birthday, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you.

Your remarkable ability to value and remember your friends, regardless of distance, is truly admirable. In turn, as you celebrate this milestone, I, along with your countless friends and admirers across the globe, wish you continued success, robust health, prosperity, and a future filled with happiness.

As we honor your birthday, I am reminded of the courage and wisdom you have exhibited as a distinguished statesman of the highest caliber. Your significant achievements have profoundly elevated Azerbaijan's standing in the international community as a legendary beacon of interreligious and intercultural harmony.

When evaluating a leader's legacy through their contributions to humanity, few can rival the impact you have had on Azerbaijan and our world. It fills me with joy to anticipate the many more successes that are yet to come in the years ahead, under your unparalleled leadership.

As I convey my warmest birthday wishes, I also express my gratitude for the privilege of sharing in a portion of your extraordinary journey.

Mr. President, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration and esteem, along with my best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the beloved people of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.

XXX

Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

On the joyous occasion of Your Excellencys birthday, it gives me great pleasure to extend my sincerest congratulations to you and the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Please accept my best wishes for continued health, happiness, and prosperity," the letter reads.

XXX

Jack Gerard, First Counselor in the Europe Central Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency Ilham Aliyev,

On behalf of the Europe Central Area Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please accept our heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of your birthday. It was an honor and a privilege to meet you together with Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, during our visit in November. We remain deeply grateful for the gracious time and attention you extended to us.

We wish you continued health, wisdom, and strength as you guide your nation. May the year ahead be filled with success, progress, peace, and joy for you and the people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.

XXX

Abdul-Vakhed Niyazov, President of the European Muslim Forum, and Members of the Board of the Forum sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of the European Muslim Forum (EMF)  a platform representing the interests of Muslims across Greater Europe and uniting leading scholars, community figures, and opinion leaders from 36 European countries  we have the honor, on this day, to extend to Your Excellency our warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

We take this opportunity to express our profound respect for Your Excellency's leadership and statesmanship, which have played a decisive role in strengthening the sovereignty, stability, and international standing of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Under your wise guidance, Azerbaijan has emerged as an influential and respected actor on the global stage, while faithfully preserving its rich cultural heritage, spiritual values, and Islamic identity.

The European Muslim Forum highly values the constructive relations it enjoys with the Republic of Azerbaijan and holds in great esteem Your Excellency's consistent commitment to dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding. As a distinguished Muslim leader within the broader European and Eurasian space, Your Excellency's approach to governance and coexistence serves as an important example of how Islamic values, modern statehood, and intercultural harmony can coexist and mutually reinforce one another.

On this special occasion, we wish Your Excellency continued good health, strength, and success in your noble service to the Azerbaijani people and the Muslim Ummah. We also extend our sincere wishes for lasting peace, prosperity, and further progress for the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration and respect," the letter reads.

XXX

Mohammad Abunayyan, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, management, and the entire ACWA Power family, I extend my warmest congratulations and sincere best wishes to You on the occasion of Your birthday. This day provides a meaningful opportunity to honor Your visionary leadership, which continues to guide the Republic of Azerbaijan toward remarkable achievements across all spheres of national development.

Under Your Excellencys wise and resolute leadership, Azerbaijan has strengthened its sovereignty, restored its territorial integrity, and inspired immense pride among its citizens while earning deep respect from the international community. The nations extraordinary accomplishments, from the successful reintegration and reconstruction of the liberated territories to its emergence as a vital regional and global energy hub, stand as a powerful testament to Your foresight, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the prosperity of Your people.

Your continued emphasis on economic diversification, sustainable development, and the green transition has laid the foundation for a resilient and prosperous future. The honor of hosting COP29 further underscores Azerbaijans growing global influence and its leadership in shaping a sustainable and secure energy landscape.

ACWA Power is proud to support and contribute to this transformative journey. Through our partnership, we remain committed to advancing Your Excellency's vision for a cleaner, more secure, and sustainable energy future, while further strengthening the enduring ties between our nations.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration and my warmest wishes for Your continued health, happiness, and success, and for lasting peace and prosperity for the people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.

Will be updated
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The premiere of Pyotr Tchaikovskys renowned The Nutcracker ballet was held in Mexico City under the baton of Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Ayyub Guliyev, chief conductor of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater and conductor of the Gara Garayev Azerbaijan State Chamber Orchestra, Trend reports.

The Azerbaijani conductors participation in the project was made possible with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijans Embassy in Mexico.

The ballet was performed by the orchestra of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (Art Theater of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, INBAL) under the Mexican Ministry of Culture, together with the ballet troupe of the National Dance Company. The opening performance was staged to a full house.

The production featured leading members of the National Dance Company as well as child ballet performers. In total, more than one hundred ballet dancers and an orchestra comprising over eighty musicians took part in the project.

With a history spanning more than seven decades, the Art Theater orchestra is among the countrys leading musical ensembles. The National Auditorium, which can host ten thousand spectators, is regarded as one of the largest and most significant concert venues in Latin America and the world, regularly hosting major national performances.

This marked the first time an Azerbaijani conductor was invited to such a prestigious project organized by Mexicos leading cultural institutions. Representing Azerbaijans rich and distinguished conducting tradition, Ayyub Guliyevs performance captivated Latin American audiences.

According to the organizers, all tickets for the ballets scheduled performances through December 23 have already been sold, with total attendance expected to reach approximately 100,000 spectators.

PHOTO: CND / Garcia-Jauregui

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Germany has expressed approval over the dispatch of a freight train carrying oil products from Azerbaijan to Armenia, Trend reports.

Niklas Wagner, Director for Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia at the German Foreign Ministry, shared the news on platform X.

He stated: After three decades of conflict, a freight train carrying oil products is being sent from Azerbaijan to Armenia. This event is not only a significant achievement for both sides but also an important step toward economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

It is noteworthy that on December 19, SOCAR delivered the first batch of domestically produced oil to Armenia. A total of 1,220 tons of AI-95 automotive fuel, loaded in 22 wagons, was sent to Armenia via a freight train operated by CJSC Azerbaijan Railways.
The Government of the Republic of Botswana and KP Group have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly develop large-scale renewable energy, including generation, storage, and transmission infrastructure.

This partnership aims to bolster Botswanas energy security and position the country as a clean power exporter in the region, supporting its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.

The agreement sets out a framework for the joint planning, development, and execution of renewable energy and related transmission projects.

The MoU was formalised between Botswanas Ministry of Minerals and Energy and KP Group, which includes KPI Green Energy, KP Energy, and KP Green Engineering.

The capital investment required for the development of renewable energy and infrastructure projects is estimated at approximately $4bn.

The projects under this initiative are projected to increase Botswanas renewable energy capacity to nearly 5GW.

The MoU also includes upgrading and building high-voltage transmission lines within Botswana and enhancing interconnections with neighbouring countries to facilitate regional power transmission.

As part of the partnership, KP Group will fund 30 scholarships annually for Botswana citizens.

Botswana Minister of Minerals and Energy Bogolo Joy Kenewendo said: This memorandum of understanding marks an important step in Botswanas transition towards a sustainable and secure energy future.

Through this partnership with KP Group, Botswana seeks to accelerate clean energy deployment, strengthen regional power connectivity, and deliver long-term economic and environmental benefits, while also promoting skills development and local capacity building, through scholarships for Botswana citizens to support the clean energy transition.

Under the agreement, KP Group will oversee both technical and commercial development activities, including project design, feasibility studies, construction, commissioning, financing and the long-term operation and maintenance of renewable energy and storage assets.

KP Group founding promoter and chair Faruk G Patel said: This MoU reflects a shared vision between KP Group and the Government of Botswana to accelerate the energy transition through scalable and sustainable renewable solutions.

Botswana has immense solar and wind potential, and we are honoured to partner with the government to help unlock this opportunity. Together, we aim not only to support Botswanas journey towards net-zero by 2030, but also to create long-term economic value through significant investments and enabling regional exports of clean energy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR has dispatched the first batch of locally produced oil destined for Armenia from Aghstafa to Georgia, Trend reports.

The train, having departed from Baku Cargo Station, arrived at Boyuk Kesik Station during the night.

Following an inspection at the station, the train will proceed to Georgia before continuing its journey to Armenia.

A total of 1,220 tons of RON95 motor fuel, loaded into 22 railcars, were dispatched by ADY freight train from Baku Freight Station to Boyuk Kesik Station.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President Ilham Aliyev addressed the participants of the international scientific-practical congress dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Institute of Advanced Training of Doctors named after Aziz Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear congress participants,

I extend my greetings to you on the occasion of the opening of the international scientific-practical congress dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Advanced Training Institute for Doctors named after Aziz Aliyev and wish each of you continued success in your responsible and honorable activities.

This congress, which brings together renowned scientists and specialists representing prestigious medical institutions from around the world, will provide an opportunity for in-depth exchanges of views on various aspects of medical science and healthcare. I am confident that your joint efforts, aimed at discussing and addressing topical issues through the mutual exchange of international experience, will yield fruitful results.

The healthcare system in our country has entered a new stage of development. In line with the goals of the states healthcare policy, medical facilities are being reconstructed in accordance with the most modern standards, while research is being actively promoted through the integration of science and practice, with the application of the latest achievements in medical technology. The Advanced Training Institute for Doctors, which successfully fulfills its tasks in this direction, has made unique contributions to this process.

Since its establishment, the Institute has traversed a rich path. The brightest pages of its history are associated with the name of the outstanding statesman and scientist Aziz Aliyev, and the professional environment shaped by generations of eminent scholars within this venerable scientific and educational institution has been carefully preserved to this day. With a highly qualified faculty based at the Institute, it has earned prestige as a center of excellence in the advanced training and specialization of doctors, paying great attention to the study and scientific-practical application of progressive experience, while continuously expanding its international relations.

In this context, the dedication of such an important international event to the 90th anniversary of the Institute carries special symbolic significance. I am confident that the congress will further strengthen cooperation between Azerbaijani specialists and their foreign colleagues, contribute to improving the quality of medical care provided to the population, and promote the overall development of medical science," the address reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The European Parliament has continued its biased policy by adopting a resolution against Azerbaijan, the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Sahiba Gafarova, said at today's plenary session of the parliament, Trend reports.

"We firmly reject the accusations contained in the resolution, such as the existence of political prisoners and the violation of academic freedoms," she noted.

The speaker pointed out that the Azerbaijani state adheres to the principles of responsibility to its citizens. The free functioning of democratic institutions, the establishment of key elements of civil society, and other factors demonstrate the state's determination and will to move forward on the path of democracy.

"The protection of human rights and freedoms should be protected only by observing the principles of national law and state sovereignty," she said.

Gafarova emphasized that attempts to adopt unilateral opinions, ignoring current realities, don't serve to strengthen trust and develop a partnership. On the contrary, such an approach undermines the very idea of equal international cooperation and devalues the concept of constructive dialogue.

Azerbaijan is a responsible participant in international agreements in the field of human rights and consistently fulfills its obligations. However, we cannot remain silent about attempts to link the development of relations with our country with the fulfillment of unfounded demands. Our state is open to cooperation with international organizations based on mutual respect, objectivity and the absence of double standards. However, no organization has the right to speak with pressure language towards Azerbaijan.

Attempts to damage Azerbaijan's reputation through false accusations and unfounded claims are doomed to failure. Azerbaijan will continue to respond resolutely and adequately to all biased steps that contradict its national interests, acting based on the norms and principles of international law, the speaker added.
ANKARA, Turkiye, December 19. Turkic states need a stable communication system amid disinformation, Director of Public Association for Research and Analysis Baku Network, Deputy Director of Trend International Information Agency, analyst and expert Elchin Aghajanov said in an interview with TRT Avaz TV channel on the sidelines of the Turkic States Forum on Combating Disinformation in Ankara, Trend reports.

He emphasized that disinformation has evolved from a mere media concern to a sophisticated instrument for political, ideological, and psychological manipulation, exerting significant pressure on states and societies alike.

Aghajanov further noted that contemporary disinformation campaigns are systemic in nature, deliberately engineered to undermine national security, distort public opinion, and destabilize regional harmony.

"The information space is no longer a neutral platform. It has become a battleground for strategic confrontation, where fabricated narratives, deliberate misinformation, and the distortion of facts are employed as tactics within hybrid warfare strategies. In this context, Turkic states must move beyond sporadic information exchanges and instead build a well-structured, stable, and institutionally unified system of communication," Aghajanov stated.

The expert underscored that the development of a shared communication ecosystem among Turkic states should be founded on a coordinated approach to assessing information threats, establishing joint analytical frameworks, and ensuring alignment in the actions of both governmental and non-governmental entities.

He also stressed the need for institutional collaboration in countering disinformation, ranging from the exchange of operational intelligence and best practices to the creation of joint educational and research initiatives.

The forum is attended by high-ranking representatives of state structures of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Hungary, Turkmenistan, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, responsible for information policy, managers and experts of mass media, specialists in the field of strategic communications, as well as representatives of the academic community and analytical centers.

The main objective of the forum is to establish a sustainable and effective communication environment among Turkic states, as well as to strengthen institutional cooperation in combating disinformation threats.

The forum is discussing the impact of disinformation on national security, public opinion, and regional stability, as well as practical mechanisms for joint actions in the modern information environment.

In line with the Information Action Plan of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) for 2025, the forum serves as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the fields of media literacy, information security, countering disinformation, responsible use of digital technologies, international broadcasting, and the development of the next generation of journalism.

Forum participants expressed confidence that the approaches and recommendations developed in Ankara will contribute to strengthening the information sovereignty of Turkic states and increasing their collective resilience to modern information challenges.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The real reason for the European Parliament (EP) resolution is the dirty campaign of anti-Azerbaijani forces against the independent policy of Azerbaijan, Kamran Bayramov, member of the Committee on Legal Policy and State Building of the country's parliament, said at today's plenary session of the parliament, Trend reports.

" We have once again witnessed a biased and politicized step by the European Parliament, directed against the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, without any legal basis. Yesterday, hearings were held in that institution regarding Azerbaijan, and if that piece of paper can be called a resolution, then a resolution was adopted," he explained.

According to the MP, the EP has been targeting Azerbaijan for years, attempting to pressure our country under the guise of "democracy," 'human rights', and 'rule of law'.

"However, we know very well that the real reason behind this resolution is the dirty campaign led by anti-Azerbaijani forces against our country's independent policies, its growing influence in the region, and the peace agenda it promotes.

The claims made in this resolution are entirely fabricated and based on false information. The rule of law in Azerbaijan is fully ensured, and no one is persecuted for their professional activities or political views. Presenting the accountability of those who have committed crimes as 'repression' is nothing but disrespect for international law and our independent judicial system.

This is not just about the actions of the EP; it concerns the internal decay and moral bankruptcy of an institution that presents itself to the world as the 'beacon of democracy' and the 'fortress of human rights'. Those who have lectured us for years on 'European values' and taught transparency to other countries, what are they actually doing behind the scenes? The answer is simple and clear: Political bargaining and corruption."

The MP emphasized that recent corruption scandals within the EP have shown that even vice-presidents of this double standards machine are being bribed with bags of cash. This is not just the fault of a few individuals, but proof that the system itself is highly susceptible to corruption.

"While the EP, which has now earned the title of a political exchange, is drowning in the swamp of corruption, it still dares to lecture other countries. An institution that cannot manage its own lobbying activities and refuses to ensure financial transparency is the height of hypocrisy when it accuses others.

For them, corruption only becomes a 'problem' when it doesn't serve their own interests. But when millions flow into their pockets, they call it 'diplomacy' or 'cooperation'. This means that the EP's moral authority is even lower than zero.

Therefore, the political bargaining, artificial activities, and fake resolutions coming from Europe's center of power have no right to dictate or show Azerbaijan the way," he concluded.

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Title changed

Details added: first version posted on 12:10

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Azerbaijan's Parliament has adopted a Statement on the European Parliament (EP) resolution against the country, Trend reports.

This issue has been discussed at today's plenary session of the Azerbaijani parliament.

The Parliament Speaker, Sahiba Gafarova, said that a commission was set up to adopt the Statement.

Shahin Ismayilov was elected as the chairman of the commission, and Fazail Ibrahimli, Bahruz Maharramov, Zaur Shukurov, and Parvana Valiyeva were elected as its members.

The Azerbaijani MPs made speeches and strongly condemned and rejected the EP's resolution.

Ismayilov read the text of the Statement.

After discussions, the document was put to a vote and adopted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Over 10,000 prisoners have been released in 71 pardons in Azerbaijan over the past 30 years, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building Ali Huseynli said during discussion of the draft law "On declaring amnesty on the occasion of the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty", Trend reports.

According to him, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has consistently and successfully pursued a humane legal policy.

Huseynli noted that during the mentioned period, the 12 amnesty decisions adopted applied to more than 130,000 people.

"The draft Amnesty Resolution submitted by President Ilham Aliyev to the parliament on the occasion of the 'Year of Constitution and Sovereignty' is considered the most extensive amnesty document during the period of Azerbaijan's independence due to its scope. The decision is expected to apply to a total of about 20,000 people, of whom more than 5,000 will be released from prison," the committee chairman noted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

''Dear Mr. President,

On the occasion of Your birthday, I have the honor to extend to You my sincere congratulations and best wishes.

Under our strategic leadership, ChinaAzerbaijan relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership are developing rapidly. Political mutual trust between our two countries continues to strengthen, and mutually beneficial cooperation is steadily advancing, with international interaction being implemented fruitfully.

Over the course of this year, we have met twice, and the important agreements we reached are being effectively and comprehensively put into practice.

I attach great importance to the development of relations between China and Azerbaijan and am ready to make every effort with you to achieve new results in our comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of our two countries.

I wish you good health and well-being,'' the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your birthday.

I am confident that you are celebrating this years holiday in a special mood. Thanks to your political wisdom and firm will, the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its international authority and achieve its set goals.

In Belarus, we attach particular importance to the strategic partnership between our countries, as well as to the steady development of interstate cooperation in various fields.

I value the trusting contacts and mutual support on multilateral platforms, as well as your attention to deepening the Belarusian-Azerbaijani dialogue at all levels.

I wish you strong health, happiness, and new achievements for the benefit of the Azerbaijani people," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

Please accept my warmest congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

I take this pleasant opportunity to express my conviction that, as a result of our joint efforts, the strategic partnership and excellent relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue to actively develop and deepen in the future.

I recall with pleasure our meetings over the past few years, which always took place in a constructive and friendly atmosphere, during which the strategic relations, the expansion of the fruitful contacts, and the active political dialogue between our two countries have been reaffirmed in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

I hope that your long-delayed visit to Bulgaria, in connection with the opening of Shusha Park in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, for which we have made such great efforts with you, will be possible to take place in 2026, regardless of the current political crisis in Bulgaria.

Following the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), to the successful holding of which your personal commitment and participation undoubtedly contributed, I remain ready to continue the dialogue at the highest political and state levels between our two countries in 2026, including during the Summit, which Azerbaijan will be organizing for the first time within the framework of the upcoming 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).

Wishing you good health, prosperity, and success in your highly responsible endeavors, please accept, esteemed Mr. President, the assurances of my highest consideration," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your wise leadership, fraternal Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable successes in strengthening its statehood, enhancing its international authority, and improving the well-being of its people.

I would like to express my satisfaction that Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations, founded on strong principles of good neighborliness, friendship, and mutual understanding, have recently gained new momentum. These relations are distinguished by a high level of mutual trust and openness, providing a solid foundation for their continued successful development.

On this joyful occasion, I wholeheartedly wish you robust health, happiness, family well-being, and continued success in your state activities, as well as peace, further progress, and prosperity to the fraternal people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Your Excellency,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of Your Excellencys birthday.

Under Your leadership, Azerbaijan has transformed into a modern and successful state, confidently strengthening its role and influence on the international stage, achieving important results for the country, including the restoration and consolidation of its territorial integrity.

I highly appreciate Your personal contribution, as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, to strengthening the friendship between our peoples and the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, based on mutual support, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

This partnership serves the goal of achieving just and lasting peace in the Black SeaCaspian region, as well as the development of mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, economic and trade, humanitarian, and other spheres.

Ukraine expresses its deep gratitude to You and the people of Azerbaijan for the solidarity and practical support provided in the context of the Russian Federations armed aggression. In particular, humanitarian assistance aimed at ensuring the functioning of the countrys energy infrastructure, participation in the reconstruction of the city of Irpin in Kyiv oblast liberated from occupation, and the restoration and rehabilitation of the health of Ukrainian children from frontline regions are highly valued.

Your Excellency, Mr. President, allow me once again to extend my heartfelt congratulations, to wish You strong health and continued success in Your state leadership, and to wish the friendly people of Azerbaijan peace, prosperity, and progress," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has sent a congratulatory letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

In the interests of the country, you have worthily fulfilled the expectations of your people and of your great father.

Thanks to your far-sighted policy, Azerbaijan's international prestige has grown, and a new stage of peace and mutual trust has been established in the region.

I wish your country continued prosperity and new achievements.

I particularly value the respect that has developed between us and fondly recall all our meetings and conversations, which took place in a spirit of friendship and mutual respect.

On this momentous occasion, dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I wish you robust health, success in your noble endeavors, and prosperity and further achievements for the fraternal people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. A total of 22 railcars carrying 1,300 tons of A95-grade gasoline entered Armenian territory via the AzerbaijanGeorgiaArmenia railway, the Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said in a post on his official Facebook page, Trend reports.

"This delivery represents not only the first commercial-economic operation between the two countries since peace was restored but also the first such exchange since Armenia gained independence," he noted.

On December 18, Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR dispatched the first batch of locally produced oil to Armenia. Thus, 1,220 tons of RON-95 motor fuel, loaded into 22 railcars, were sent by ADY freight train from the Baku freight station to the Boyuk Kesik station.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (Trump Route), will boost Azerbaijan's exports and growth over time, said Fitch, Trend reports.

Fitch analysts recall that Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed the text of the peace agreement in August 2025, with the aim of achieving a full peace treaty over time. It envisages a road and rail connection to Nakhchivan through Armenian territory as part of the peace framework.

The rating agency analysts believe that a direct land connection to Nakhchivan would allow Azerbaijan direct land access to Turkiye, which could boost exports and growth over time.

In October, Azerbaijan decided to allow transit of land cargo to Armenia, further signaling reduced tensions. Reduced risks with Armenia could result in a decline in defense spending, which would reduce spending pressures in the medium term, reads the latest report issued by Fitch.

On August 8 in Washington, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, US President Donald Trump, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration. One of the points of the document provides for the launch of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) to unblock regional communications.

During the same meeting, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan initialed the draft Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and signed a joint letter to the current OSCE Chairperson regarding the closure of the OSCE Minsk process, the OSCE Chairpersons personal representative for the conflict discussed at the Minsk Conference, and the High-Level Planning Group.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Dear brother,

Your Excellency, I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday, and take great pleasure in conveying my best wishes to you.

We regard you as a true patriot and dedicated son of our eternal brother, the Azerbaijani people, a wise and loyal leader, an outstanding statesman of our time, a great politician with high respect and influence on the international stage. We hold you in high esteem.

Thanks to your extensive knowledge and experience in the field of public administration, your far-sighted, visionary and effective policy, not only the territorial integrity of your native Motherland has been restored, but also its position and reputation in the international arena have been enhanced year after year, and all of these achievements make us infinitely happy.

At this point, I wish to underscore the comprehensive support of the world community for the major regional and global initiatives you have put forward.

We note with pleasure that thanks to your great services and decisive efforts to strengthen strategic partnership and allied relations between our friendly and fraternal states, our fraternal relations have reached a completely new qualitative level.

Dear Ilham Heydar oglu, I firmly believe through our joint efforts to achieve the ultimate goals we have set, as well as thanks to our high-level active and constructive dialogue, our multifaceted and long-term cooperation will continue to develop productively for the shared progress of our brotherly peoples.

My dear friend, I once again sincerely congratulate you on this joyous and memorable occasion. I pray to Almighty Allah for robust health and happiness for you and your family members. May you attain new achievements in your highly responsible state activity for the peace and prosperity of your country. I also wish the friendly people of Azerbaijan peace, enduring progress and well-being," the letter reads.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. On 1819 December 2025, the 2nd meeting of the Special Group established by a decision of the ministers of environment of the Caspian littoral states was held in Geneva, with the aim of preparing draft documents on the establishment of the Secretariat of the Framework Convention On the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

The meeting, organized by the European Regional Office of the United Nations Environment Programme, which serves as the interim Secretariat of the Convention, was attended by delegations from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan.

The delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Samir Sharifov.

At the meeting, chaired by the Azerbaijani side, discussions continued on the conceptual foundations for the establishment of the Secretariat of the Convention. The parties exchanged views on institutional mechanisms for locating the Secretariat in the Caspian Sea region.

Within the framework of the meeting, the interim Secretariat of the Convention informed the parties about the progress of discussions on the draft Action Plan related to changes in the level of the Caspian Sea.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. A compact disc (CD) showcasing the works of the renowned Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev has been released through the initiative of Gulnara Safarova, an Azerbaijani musician residing in Japan and the head of the Ongakuno-le music school, with the support of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora, the committee told Trend.

This is Gara Garayev's first CD to be released in Japan, as well as in Asia.

The compositions featured on the CD were performed by a group of talented musicians on piano, string, and wind instruments. The production involved a highly skilled team, including a recording director, producer, designer, and other specialists, who contributed to the preparation of the disc.

The recording was made at the world-renowned KAWAI music company studio in Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The audio was subsequently converted into compact disc format, and the final CD was produced in Tokyo.

The CDs will be distributed to KAWAI and YAMAHA music centers, as well as to music enthusiasts at the Zama International Festival, scheduled for January 2026.

The CD will also be presented at Safarova's concert in Tokyo, set for July of the following year.

This project represents a significant step in enhancing Azerbaijani-Japanese cultural relations, advancing the international recognition of Azerbaijani classical music, and broadening awareness of Gara Garayevs artistic legacy to a global audience.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The International Scientific and Practical Congress dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Advanced Training Institute for Doctors (ASATID), named after Aziz Aliyev of the Ministry of Health, is being held in Baku, Trend reports.

At the opening ceremony of the congress, the Minister of Health, Teymur Musayev, read out the address of President Ilham Aliyev to the participants of the congress.

The two-day congress was organized with the support of the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan and is dedicated to the rich history, scientific educational activities, and modern achievements of the institute, which plays an important role in the development of postgraduate medical education in the country.

The main goal of the congress is to discuss new scientific and practical achievements in medical science, improve the knowledge and skills of doctors, and contribute to the scientific development of young doctors in particular.

Will be updated
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The 17th Azerbaijan-Turkiye High-Level Military Dialogue Meeting in Baku has concluded, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said in a statement, Trend reports.

The meetings at various departments of the Ministry of Defense, as well as at the National Defense University, discussed issues of cooperation between the two fraternal countries in military, military-technical, military education, and other fields.

The sides exchanged views on experience sharing, organizing joint exercises, personnel training, and enhancing mutual activities, as well as conducted extensive discussions on regional and international security. They also addressed the improvement of the efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms and the coordination of future action plans.

After listening to the reports of the heads of the Sub-Working Groups regarding the outcomes of the meeting, the co-chairs signed the general protocol of the meeting.
Key Points

LyondellBasell Industries' dividend yields a sky-high 12.8%.

ConAgra Brands and Healthpeak Properties also rank among the S&P 500's highest-paying dividend stocks.

All three of these companies, though, continue to face significant challenges.

These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires 

There's significant diversity in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC). The stocks are differentiated by huge gaps in market cap, varied industry focuses, and more. However, at least one common denominator for more than four-fifths of the stocks in the widely followed index: They pay dividends.

Even on the dividend front, though, there are still significant differences in the dividend yields that S&P 500 stocks offer. Some pay paltry yields, while others pay exceptionally juicy yields. Should you buy the three highest-paying dividend stocks in the S&P 500?

Image source: Getty Images.

1. LyondellBasell Industries

LyondellBasell Industries (NYSE: LYB) is a global chemical company headquartered in Houston, Texas, and London, England. It's one of the largest producers of polymers used in automotive components, food packaging, home furnishings, paints, and more. The company also operates a refinery and markets polyolefin process technologies and catalysts.

No other S&P 500 member comes close to matching LyondellBasell's forward dividend yield of 12.8%. In addition to this ultra-high yield, the company also has a solid track record of dividend increases, having raised its dividend for 15 consecutive years.

LyondellBasell's dividend yield is so high because its stock has declined sharply in recent years. The company continues to face multiple challenges, including a polyolefin supply glut, uncertainty related to tariffs, and soft demand in several markets.

Is the S&P 500's highest-paying dividend stock a good pick right now? I don't think so. Although management continues to make the dividend program a top priority, LyondellBasell has limited financial flexibility. There's also no way to know how long it will be before the challenging market dynamics improve.

2. ConAgra Brands

ConAgra Brands (NYSE: CAG) is a leading food company based in Chicago, Illinois. Its brands include Birds Eye frozen foods, Duncan Hines baking mixes and frostings, Healthy Choice frozen foods, Marie Callender's frozen meals, Slim Jim meat snacks, and more. ConAgra was founded in 1919.

The company's forward dividend yield is roughly 7.9%, ranking ConAgra as the second-highest-paying dividend in the S&P 500. Although ConAgra has only increased its dividend for six consecutive years, it has paid a dividend every quarter since January 1976.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The Supervisory Board of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) held meeting today, Trend reports via the Cabinet of Ministers.

The agenda of the meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SOFAZ Ali Asadov, included a detailed discussion of the forecast indicators of the State Oil Fund's draft budget for 2026, including the fund's revenues and main directions of using its funds, the fund's investment policy, the currency composition and profitability of the investment portfolio, and other current issues.

The meeting heard a report by SOFAZ CEO Israfil Mammadov.

At the end of the meeting, a relevant decision was made to submit the draft budget of SOFAZ for 2026 to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, taking into account the opinions and proposals of the members of the Fund's Supervisory Board.

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The meeting took place within the framework of the "Forum on Combating Disinformation in Turkic States."

However, the meeting highlighted the steady and purposeful development of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkiye within the media sector, particularly in the fight against disinformation.

Moreover, it was emphasized that the rapid proliferation of false and manipulative content in the contemporary information landscape has a significant impact on public opinion and regional stability, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced, coordinated, and sustainable cooperation among Turkic states. In this regard, the Turkish-Azerbaijani media platform was acknowledged as an effective mechanism for facilitating joint efforts, expediting information exchange, and consolidating a unified stance on key issues.

Furthermore, the importance of expanding experience-sharing in the media domain, fostering deeper dialogue, and advancing professional collaboration was underscored. There was a strong sense of confidence that future discussions addressing media and communication challenges, along with the development of practical solutions and shared strategies, will be carried out with even greater intensity.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. On December 19, the Media and Public Affairs of the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry hosted an event on the results of the current year involving representatives of the Ministry, the Media Development Agency, and media organizations, Trend reports.

The event commenced with a tribute to the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, and martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed.

Participants were provided with detailed information about the activities carried out during the current year in accordance with the Communication Strategy of the Ministry of Defense, approved by the relevant decision of Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov.

The media and communication seminar involved briefings on the work carried out by the Ministry of Defense in the areas of communication, including media and public relations; the measures implemented to respond to citizens appeals and ensure citizen satisfaction; the organization of the military educational system; and the admission rules for special educational institutions.

Delivering a speech at the event, Chief of the Media and Public Affairs Department of the Azerbaijan Ministry of Defense, Press Secretary, and Colonel Anar Eyvazov stated that in order to promptly inform the public about the Ministrys activities, nearly 700 pieces of information were published during the current year on the Ministrys official website (www.mod.gov.az) in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English. Additionally, more than 1,330 posts were shared on the ministrys official Facebook account, over 1,050 on Telegram, over 1,300 on Instagram, and over 800 on X.

Approximately 3,200 photos and more than 240 video materials related to events held on military-patriotic and other topics were posted on the Ministrys official website.

In 2025, 90 editions of the newspaper Azrbaycan Ordusu (Azerbaijan Army) were published, along with 4 editions of Sipr (Shield) magazine, which is a special edition of the Azrbaycan Ordusu newspaper.

The radio "Ordunun Ssi" (Armys Voice), which is broadcast online five days a week, has aired 79 live broadcasts to date.

During the current year, nearly 20 inquiries from media representatives in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English were responded to, more than 370 requests related to filming were reviewed, and the necessary assistance was provided to organize the filming.

It was also noted that, to ensure accurate, comprehensive, and prompt public information and to further improve cooperation with the media, media tours were organized to various branches of the Azerbaijan Army, as well as to the Ministrys departments and services, special educational institutions, and military units located in the liberated territories. Within the framework of these media tours, journalists met with servicemen, conducted interviews with them, and became familiar with the organization of the personnels service and combat activities, their social and living conditions, and their logistical and technical support.

During the reporting period, military and government officials participated in events held abroad to study international best practices in the field of communication.

Based on the relevant decision of the minister of defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, citizens are received at least once a month, according to a pre-prepared reception schedule, on pre-announced days and times, by the chiefs of main departments and departments or other responsible officials.

A total of 33,683 citizen inquiries were received through the Appeals section of the Ministry of Defenses official website and its email address, and 35,124 inquiries were received via the Hotline number. The received inquiries were reviewed, directed to the relevant departments as appropriate, and responses were ensured.

During the event, which was held in an environment of mutual discussion, it was emphasized that, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Defenses Communication Strategy, the relevant activities will continue to be carried out in a planned manner in 2026.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The open court hearing in the criminal case against citizens of the Republic of Armenia  Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasian, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others  accused of war crimes, crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, including planning and waging an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, illegal seizure of power, unlawful retention of authority, and numerous other offenses committed as a result of Armenias military aggression against Azerbaijan  resumed on December 19, Trend reports.

The session was held at the Baku Military Court under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with judges Camal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev, and reserve judge Gunel Sadigova.

Each of the accused was provided with interpreters in their preferred language and defense attorneys, ensuring full compliance with procedural rights.

The hearing was attended by the accused, their defense lawyers, some victims, their legal heirs and representatives, as well as prosecutors representing the state prosecution.

The presiding judge Zeynal Aghayev stated that the hearing continued with the final statement of the accused.

It was mentioned that due to the adjournment of the previous hearing, accused David Manukyan will continue his statement during the current hearing.

David Manukyan presented his counterarguments in response to the prosecutions statements. The accused said he disagreed with the points announced by the state prosecution.

Manukyan claimed that he did not attend the "meetings of the security council" of the illegal regime either as a participant or as an observer, as his official duties did not allow him to do so.

David Manukyan also expressed his gratitude to his defense attorneys.

In his final statement, accused Arayik Harutyunyan voiced his disagreement with the prosecutions rebuttals.

Harutyunyan said that he and his two brothers studied at a school in the Garabagh region and that there were no problems with studying in the Armenian language. He added that there were no issues between them and the Azerbaijanis saying: "We attended each other's events."

The war crimes were announced here. In fact, I learned about most of them during the hearing, accused Arayik Harutyunyan said in his final statement. I consider myself a very well-informed person. However, I learned about the incident in the tunnel in Kalbajar here. For example, I learned about the Beylik Baghi incident during the hearing. Of course, these are war crimes, and they have their own perpetrators. If those responsible are not punished in this world, they will be punished for their deeds in the next world, he added.

Harutyunyan listed the charges (joining a criminal organization, engaging in illegal entrepreneurial activity, causing destruction, mercenaries, planting mines, obstructing the movement of aircraft, murders, violence, missile fire on Ganja, etc.), voiced his arguments on these charges, saying that he did not plead guilty to the charges brought against him.

Accused David Babayan said he intends to make his final statement in Russian, whose request was granted.

Babayan presented his counterarguments in response to the statements of the state prosecutors and the victims.

The court proceedings will resume on December 22.

Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state - including the aforementioned criminal association - on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for the purpose of military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others.

The following individuals - Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan - are being charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and additional articles.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The UK is a natural partner for Azerbaijan's economic diversification, and I see our role as bringing world-leading expertise to support Azerbaijan's transformation into a more diversified, sustainable economy, said Lord John Alderdice, UK Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia, in an exclusive interview with Trend.

"I'm delighted to be in Baku for my first official visit as the UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia. This visit comes at an important moment in our bilateral relationship - in August this year, the UK and Azerbaijan announced the elevation of our partnership to a Strategic Partnership, reflecting the depth and ambition of our economic ties," Lord Alderdice said.

He highlighted the scale of UK investment in Azerbaijan, noting that the country is already Azerbaijan's largest foreign direct investor, with over 37 billion invested, and the economic relationship between the sides continues to strengthen.

"What's particularly exciting is how our partnership is evolving in areas where British expertise meets Azerbaijan's development priorities. Clean energy is the standout sector - Azerbaijan's ambitious clean energy agenda aligns perfectly with the UK's new Industrial Strategy. We're seeing real momentum in renewable energy projects, offshore wind supply chains, grid modernisation, and hydrogen development, with over 50 UK companies already active in this space and more joining every year," he said.

Two projects illustrate this momentum. Lord Alderdice spoke about Xlinks, a global leader in renewable energy and green interconnector projects, that signed a non-binding MOU with the Green Energy Corridor Power Company to cooperate on a green energy corridor initiative that aims to take the Caspian's offshore wind energy to the European markets passing through four countries and the Black Sea. "This illustrates how British companies are bringing expertise in interconnectors and grid modernisation to strengthen regional energy security and accelerate decarbonisation," he pointed out.

Lord Alderdice also emphasized UK contributions to sustainable infrastructure: "A landmark agreement between Rapid Solutions and SOCAR Green will modernise Azerbaijan's water infrastructure, one of the country's most energy-intensive sectors. The project will significantly improve energy efficiency whilst supporting Azerbaijan's climate commitments - showcasing how UK innovation in sustainable infrastructure is helping Azerbaijan build the low-carbon systems essential for long-term economic resilience".

Supporting economic diversification

"The UK is a natural partner for Azerbaijan's economic diversification, and I see our role as bringing world-leading expertise to support Azerbaijan's transformation into a more diversified, sustainable economy," said Lord Alderdice. "Our strengths in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, digital technologies, and financial services align perfectly with Azerbaijan's ambitions".

He highlighted key projects and sectors: "Clean energy is where we're already seeing this partnership in action. Projects like BP's Shafag solar plant and the Sangachal electrification demonstrate how our energy cooperation is evolving beyond hydrocarbons. UK companies are now actively engaged in Azerbaijan's plans to export clean energy both westward and eastward, bringing enormous expertise in interconnectors, offshore wind, and grid modernisation  areas where Britain is a global leader. For example, the UK company Arup is currently cooperating with Azerishiq on Distribution Grid Modernisation and Upgrade".

On finance, healthcare, and education, he added that UK firms have supported Azerbaijan's banking sector with expertise on carbon markets, accounting standards, and capital-market development. "In healthcare and life sciences, our collaboration continues through ongoing dialogue with Azerbaijan's health authorities. Education is, perhaps, our most powerful long-term investment in Azerbaijan's future. Seventy percent of Azerbaijani State Scholars choose to study in the UK, and institutions like Warwick University are partnering with Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University to offer dual degrees on renewable energy  training the next generation of professionals who will drive this transformation," he added.

Maximizing the Middle Corridor's potential

Lord Alderdice pointed to Azerbaijan's crucial role in the Middle Corridor, the country being a vital link connecting Europe and Asia. "The UK recognises the Corridor's strategic importance not just for regional trade, but for energy security and sustainable transport across a vast geography that matters enormously to global commerce," he said.

"British expertise in logistics, infrastructure finance, and regulatory reform aligns closely with Azerbaijan's objectives for the Corridor. UK businesses bring world-class capabilities in airport and port master planning, rail modernisation, and integrated multimodal transport systems  the kind of sophisticated infrastructure that can genuinely unlock the Corridor's potential," the trade envoy said.

Moreover, the UK companies are leaders in smart systems that speed cargo movement and reduce friction at borders, which is essential to making the Corridor competitive. "Critically, we believe the Corridor's long-term success must be built on sustainable, low-carbon transport. As the world moves toward net zero, the Middle Corridor has an opportunity to position itself as a green trade route, and the UK's experience in sustainable infrastructure can help Azerbaijan lead that transition," he added.

Leveraging UKEF for strategic projects

Lord Alderdice also spoke about UKEF financing tools: "UKEF is a powerful tool for deepening UK-Azerbaijan cooperation, and we have a substantial 5 billion credit facility available for Azerbaijan. This isn't just about financing - it's about derisking large-scale projects, making them attractive to contractors and investors, and accelerating the strategic investments that support Azerbaijan's economic diversification".

He provided examples, such as the first UKEF-backed transaction in Azerbaijan, which was agreed for a Boeing 777 full-flight simulator for the National Aviation Academy. He explained that this is a deal that not only supports Azerbaijan's aviation sector but opens the door to deeper aerospace cooperation between our countries.

"Clean energy projects are particularly well suited to UKEF support. Whether it's offshore wind, solar, hydrogen development, or grid modernisation - the kinds of large-scale infrastructure that require substantial capital and long-term certainty - UKEF's 22-year extended repayment period for clean growth projects is a critical differentiator. Transport infrastructure linked to the Middle Corridor is another priority area, along with digital systems and city modernisation projects. Water infrastructure and sustainable construction also offer significant financing opportunities where British companies have proven expertise," he added.

British architecture and urban development

"British architects are making significant contributions to Azerbaijan's urban transformation. Companies like Zaha Hadid Architects, Chapman Taylor, and Scott Brownrigg are supporting some of Azerbaijan's most important urban developments, bringing cutting-edge expertise in green buildings, sustainable construction, and future-ready city planning," Lord Alderdice said.

The trade envoy noted the wider impact: "At Baku Build this year, UK architecture and construction companies showcased solutions in digital construction and Building Information Modelling - BIM - which the UK is actively supporting Azerbaijan to adopt. BIM improves efficiency, transparency, and sustainability across the construction lifecycle, while Modern Methods of Construction reduce waste, speed up delivery, and improve energy performance".

Highlighting a flagship initiative, he added: "During my first official visit as Trade Envoy, I was delighted to announce the winners of the 'Women in Architecture' competition at the Heydar Aliyev Centre  itself an iconic Zaha Hadid building. This initiative challenged female students to design creative responses to water scarcity in urban developments. The theme, 'Hope in Every Drop: Art and Architecture for Change,' addresses one of our era's greatest challenges whilst empowering the next generation of female architects."

UK engagement in Central Asia's energy transition

"Central Asia is emerging as a major clean-energy hub, and the region's vast solar and wind potential positions it to play a significant role in the global energy transition. For the UK, this creates enormous opportunities to deepen engagement in a region where British expertise in renewable deployment, clean hydrogen, and low-carbon infrastructure is already making an impact," Lord Alderdice said.

He cited specific projects such as Genesis, which is developing green hydrogen projects in Kazakhstan, Mott MacDonald that designed Uzbekistan's power sector masterplan to 2030, and Worley, which is delivering a 1.5-gigawatt wind project in Uzbekistan. "The UK-Kazakhstan low-carbon hydrogen partnership demonstrates the kind of strategic collaboration we can build, combining Central Asia's renewable resources with British technological leadership," he said.

"The British Geological Survey is helping map critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, whilst UK firms support responsible extraction, processing, and governance frameworks for these vital resources. This matters because Central Asia holds significant reserves of minerals that will power the global shift to net zero, and how they're developed will determine both economic and environmental outcomes," he added.

Finally, he noted climate cooperation: "We're also helping Central Asian countries cut methane emissions under the Global Methane Pledge - addressing one of the most impactful climate actions available whilst supporting the region's existing energy sectors to operate more sustainably. The combination of Central Asia's natural advantages and the UK's clean energy expertise creates a partnership that can accelerate the region's transformation into a clean-energy powerhouse whilst delivering commercial opportunities for British businesses."
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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. Kazakhstan and Japan discussed cooperation in the fields of digitalization, Smart City development, artificial intelligence, and sustainable urban development, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh President.

The issues were discussed during a meeting between Kazakhstan's President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Tokyo's Governor, Yuriko Koike.

The sides also explored strategies for creating more comfortable, environmentally sustainable, safe, and inclusive urban environments for both residents and visitors in major cities.

President Tokayev highlighted the considerable potential for collaboration between the two capitals, particularly in the integration of artificial intelligence within urban management systems.

During the meeting, President Tokayev was introduced to Tokyos Smart City initiative, which leverages advanced technologies to enhance the quality of life, improve governance efficiency, and promote sustainable urban development.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. Kazakhstan and Japan's Sumitomo Corporation discussed the preparation of a joint project in the field of nuclear medicine and the implementation of joint investment projects in transport and logistics, as well as the energy sector, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh President.

The issues were discussed during a meeting between Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, and Shingo Ueno, Representative Director, President, and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation.

Shingo Ueno highlighted that Sumitomo is actively engaged in a project with Kazakhstans national company, Kazatomprom, focused on developing scientifically grounded methods for producing medical radioisotopes from uranium processing by-products.

President Tokayev underscored Kazakhstans deep appreciation for Sumitomos commitment to sustainable growth and responsible business practices, emphasizing the companys role as a long-term strategic partner.

Sumitomo Corporation is a global integrated trading and business investment entity, with a vast network comprising 127 offices across 64 countries and regions.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistan plan to establish cooperation between parliamentary committees, local councils of peoples deputies, and Japans prefectural assemblies, Trend reports via the press service of the Uzbek President.

The issue was discussed during a meeting between President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament Fukushiro Nukaga.

The sides reviewed prospects for further strengthening the UzbekJapanese strategic partnership and expanding multifaceted cooperation, including through parliamentary dialogue.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is currently undertaking an official visit to Japan from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will primarily focus on exploring opportunities for cooperation in key areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, enhancing interconnectivity, fostering regional partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistans Uzbekneftegaz and Kazakhstans KazMunayGas exchanged experience in the oil and gas sector, Trend reports via the company.

As part of bilateral cooperation, a delegation of specialists from KazMunayGas (KMG) visited the Shurtan Gas Chemical Complex and the Bukhara Oil Refinery, where they were introduced to the operations of these key facilities.

During the visit, the delegation was provided with an overview of the entire production process, along with insights into the modern technologies, innovative solutions, and effective management practices implemented at the plants.

The visit also served as an opportunity to observe advanced industry practices, fostering a conducive environment for the exchange of practical knowledge and professional expertise among specialists.

The delegation received comprehensive information on the range of products manufactured at the facilities, including their technical and quality specifications, compliance with international standards, and alignment with market demands.

A particular emphasis was placed on the systems for quality control, testing procedures, and the adoption of modern quality assurance approaches.

Following the visit, the specialists engaged in discussions, exchanging views and exploring proposals and initiatives aimed at enhancing production efficiency.

Meanwhile, in November, KazMunayGas (KMG) and Uzbekneftegaz (UNG) reached an agreement on the foundational principles of the Zharkyn geological exploration project in Kazakhstan. According to KMG, this marks the first joint geological exploration initiative between the two national oil and gas companies and is expected to further strengthen the energy cooperation between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Why EU wavers on using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine

Xinhua) 08:14, December 19, 2025

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever attends a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

"Using frozen Russian assets is legally complex and politically sensitive," commented Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist at the European Policy Center.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- EU leaders are meeting in Brussels from Thursday to Friday for a European Council summit, sparking once again heated debate among member states.

One of the most closely watched items is whether the bloc can move beyond tapping interest from frozen Russian assets and start leveraging the principal to support Ukraine. The debate has run for years, but why does the EU still hesitate at this moment?

HOW MUCH HAS BEEN FROZEN

After the Ukraine crisis escalated in February 2022, Western countries moved to freeze roughly 300 billion U.S. dollars in overseas assets belonging to Russia's central bank, with most of that amount located in Europe. European Commission data put the total frozen inside the EU at about 210 billion euros (about 246 billion U.S. dollars).

Around 90 percent of the frozen assets in the EU are held via Euroclear, the Brussels-based international central securities depository. The pool generates about 3 billion euros in interest per year.

In May 2024, the Council of the EU adopted a package enabling the net proceeds generated by immobilized Russian assets to be used to further support Ukraine, including support for Ukraine's defense industry and reconstruction.

In June 2024, G7 leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a 50-billion-U.S.-dollar loan backed by the proceeds generated by frozen Russian assets. Since then, the EU's internal debate over how to use the assets, and how far it can go beyond, has continued to intensify.

Photo taken on Dec. 18, 2025 shows the headquarters of Euroclear, the Brussels-based international central securities depository, in Brussels, Belgium. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

WHAT IS EU WORRIED ABOUT

Analysts say the bloc's reluctance to take what some describe as a more "radical" step reflects two core concerns: crossing legal red lines and risking financial instability.

First comes the legal issue. Directly confiscating the principal would be difficult to justify under established legal practice and could set a precedent that policymakers fear may be hard to contain.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has repeatedly urged the EU to respect international law and warned that the euro's global standing could be damaged.

Second is the fear of knock-on effects in markets. Analysts note that the move could trigger broader doubts about Europe as a safe jurisdiction for reserves and cross-border holdings. That, they warn, could prompt a large-scale capital exodus and ultimately undermine the euro's role as a reserve currency.

A further complication is retaliation risk. Russia's central bank filed a lawsuit against Euroclear this week, sharpening concerns that Russia could seek to seize or immobilize remaining Western-linked assets in Russia as compensation. Such tit-for-tat dynamics could leave European companies and financial institutions facing a higher risk of stranded assets.

"Using frozen Russian assets is legally complex and politically sensitive," commented Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist at the European Policy Center. He added that with Ukraine's needs growing, budgets constrained, and public support unable to be stretched indefinitely, the issue is becoming increasingly difficult for Europe to avoid.

WHO SUPPORTS IT, WHO OPPOSES IT

With many EU member states reluctant to rely on national budgets to sustain support for Ukraine, the argument over whether to use frozen Russian assets has grown intense both inside the EU and across the Atlantic.

U.S. outlet Politico has reported that the U.S. government opposes the plan to fund Ukraine by using frozen Russian assets and has urged Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, and the Czech Republic to join that stance.

Within the EU, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said the bloc must do everything possible to avoid using Russian assets, while Slovakia has taken a similar position. Belgium, where Euroclear is headquartered, has been another key opponent, citing concerns about retaliation and the prospect that it could end up carrying disproportionate legal and financial exposure.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks to media during the NATO summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, June 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

Supporters of the plan, including European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have sought to align member states ahead of the summit in hopes of achieving a breakthrough.

Ahead of the meeting, the EU decided to keep Russia's assets in the EU frozen, linking the duration to the end of the conflict and compensation for damage. Previously, the EU's asset-freeze measures were renewed every six months, requiring unanimous approval by all 27 member states each time. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollars)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydarovich,

On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation and on my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your birthday.

Under your leadership, friendly Azerbaijan is confidently advancing along the path of large-scale transformations aimed at developing the national economy and social sphere, improving the well-being of citizens, and strengthening its authority on the international stage.

I would particularly like to note your constant attention to strengthening Russian-Azerbaijani relations in the spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual respect. In implementation of the decisions taken at the highest level, trade, economic, and investment cooperation is steadily developing, promising joint projects are being brought to life, and interregional ties and business contacts are expanding.

I am convinced that further enhancing practical cooperation and advancing new mutually beneficial initiatives across various fields fully align with the interests of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

I fondly recall our conversations, which always take place in an open and trusting atmosphere. I look forward to continuing our constructive dialogue.

I wish you, dear Ilham Heydarovich, good health, prosperity, and further success in your responsible state activities.

Sincerely,

Mikhail Mishustin

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation" the letter reads.
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) leader BYD has reinforced its push to build and sell more cars fitted with level 3 (L3) autonomous driving systems after Beijing took its first step towards deregulating the technology.

The company collaborated with authorities in Shenzhen, where it was based, to test some of its cars ahead of mass production, according to China Business News. BYD confirmed the report, adding that it had completed more than 150,000 kilometres of real-world L3 testing.

The company did not elaborate on when production of its first L3 vehicles would start.

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 report came two days after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) granted licences to the first two carmakers to build vehicles featuring L3 technology, considered "hands-off" self-driving.

L3 allows cars to navigate streets by themselves, but drivers are still required to be fully alert to ensure that they can intervene under any circumstances, according to criteria set by global standards organisation SAE International.

BYD is targeting to sell 4.6 million units this year. Photo: Xinhua alt=BYD is targeting to sell 4.6 million units this year. Photo: Xinhua>

L5, or fully autonomous driving, means a vehicle does not need human intervention under any circumstances.

At present, most driver-assistance systems used in intelligent cars are classified as either L2 or L2+, which require drivers to keep their hands on the wheel at all times.

At the beginning of 2025, BYD, the world's largest EV assembler in terms of deliveries, pinned its hopes on preliminary self-driving technologies to bolster its sales in mainland China, the world's largest automotive and EV market.

The carmaker drew up a plan to build cars priced below 100,000 yuan (US$14,200) with a preliminary advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), which was expected to lure millions of young drivers across the country. Most Chinese-made cars with ADAS are priced above 150,000 yuan.

But mainland authorities tightened their oversight of early-stage autonomous driving technologies after three people died in an accident involving an SU7 in Tongling, central Anhui province, in March.

In April, the MIIT stepped in to police street tests of preliminary autonomous driving systems and marketing claims about such technologies. The ministry also cautioned companies not to overstate the role of their assistance systems.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 19. President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, engages with executives of leading Japanese companies during his visit to Japan for the inaugural Central Asia + Japan Dialogue, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen government.

The meeting was held at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, with the participation of members from the Turkmen-Japanese Economic Committee and senior representatives of prominent Japanese corporations, including Mitsubishi Corporation, Sumitomo Corporation, Komatsu Ltd., Toyo Engineering Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyo Boeki Eurasia Limited, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Tohkemy Corporation, and ITOCHU Corporation.

President Berdimuhamedov emphasized Japan's exemplary model of balanced high-tech development, innovation-driven economic growth, industrial progress, and environmental stewardship. He outlined that Turkmenistan is undergoing a comprehensive economic transformation, with a focus on innovation, rapid industrialization, green transition, energy sector diversification, and the enhancement of both national and international transport and logistics infrastructure.

Acknowledging the long-standing contributions of Japanese companies operating in Turkmenistan, President Berdimuhamedov invited them to engage in upcoming investment projects. He highlighted potential areas for collaboration, including water supply and treatment, waste management, green and hydrogen energy, and the transition toward a circular economy.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov is currently on an official visit to Japan, which commenced on December 18. During his visit, Berdimuhamedov is scheduled to participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will center on exploring avenues for cooperation in critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, enhanced interconnectivity, regional partnership building, and the advancement of human capital development.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chairman of Mitsui & Co. Tatsuo Yasunaga have outlined plans to expand joint projects, including a new manufacturing complex construction, Trend reports via the press service of Kazakh president.

These issues were discussed on the sidelines of the summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue.

During the meeting, the sides focused on future cooperation initiatives, including Mitsuis planned participation in the construction of a manufacturing complex in Astana specializing in major repairs and equipment restoration.

President Tokayev expressed interest in broadening Mitsuis involvement in Kazakhstans economy, with discussions also covering prospective projects in critical minerals, transportation and logistics, and the deployment of technologies aimed at preventing natural disasters.

Moreover, it was noted that Mitsui continues to play an important role in international supply chains and the development of infrastructure, energy, and industrial projects, creating a foundation for further cooperation.

The parties also confirmed plans to sign a number of memorandums on the implementation of joint projects during the Presidents ongoing visit to Tokyo, formalizing the next stage of KazakhstanJapan economic cooperation.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistan and Japan have agreed to hold the next Interparliamentary Forum in Uzbekistan in 2026, Trend reports via the press service of the Uzbek President.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Taro Aso, Vice President of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Uzbekistan, and Chairman of the Friendship Group with Central Asian Countries.

The discussion focused on advancing the UzbekJapanese strategic partnership, with a particular emphasis on strengthening parliamentary cooperation.

Both sides underscored the importance of enhancing interparliamentary exchanges and reinforcing the role of parliamentary friendship groups in driving collaborative initiatives.

The Parliamentary Friendship League with Uzbekistan, established in 2002, now counts over 40 members, including prominent political figures, influential lawmakers, and diplomats from Japan.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Hiroyuki Ogawa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Komatsu Ltd., discussed the implementation of a project to build a heavy equipment overhaul and refurbishment complex in Astana, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh President.

In the course of the meeting, Ogawa underlined that Central Asia represents a strategically important market with strong growth potential and significant opportunities. He noted that the new facility would become the largest regional hub, reducing the time and cost of component repairs for mining companies while ensuring prompt and efficient service support.

In turn, President Tokayev emphasized Kazakhstans interest in localizing production, further strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries, and gaining access to advanced technologies to enhance the competitiveness of the national economy.

During the meeting, significant emphasis was placed on workforce development. President Tokayev expressed his full support for Komatsu's initiative to establish a regional training center in Kazakhstan for operators, mechanics, and engineers. He highlighted that this project would play a crucial role in advancing human capital development and fostering a deeper industrial partnership between the two entities.

Komatsu, a global leader in engineering, is renowned for its expertise in manufacturing construction, mining, road, and industrial equipment.

Meanwhile, President Tokayev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, Tokayev will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Masafumi Senzaki, President of Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM), to discuss the development of high-tech and environmentally friendly solutions for Kazakhstans mining industry, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh president.

The parties emphasized the critical role of digitalization, autonomous transport systems, and "green" technologies in the modernization of mining operations. President Tokayev reaffirmed Kazakhstan's readiness to expand collaboration with HCM in the adoption of innovative, low-carbon, and safe solutions.

Senzaki highlighted that the company's global strategic priorities focus on the development and integration of advanced, sustainable technologies, which are being actively incorporated into HCMs projects in Kazakhstan.

The discussions also covered the localization of high-tech production and equipment maintenance, to enhance operational efficiency and fostering environmental sustainability within Kazakhstan's mining sector.

Hitachi Construction Machinery, a global leader in the manufacturing of construction and mining equipment, provides cutting-edge machinery, including excavators and haul trucks, to over 150 countries, with a significant presence in Kazakhstans major mining sites.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Over the past few years, the number of joint ventures between Uzbekistan and Japan has increased tenfold, while the total portfolio of ongoing projects has exceeded $20 billion, Trend reports via the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

The figures were announced during a meeting between President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Japans Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa.

During the discussions, the parties agreed to devise a comprehensive action plan aimed at further enhancing bilateral business relations, with active involvement from the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Association for Trade with Russia and NIS (ROTOBO).

Special emphasis was placed on expanding trade and investment cooperation, while also deepening industrial collaboration in key areas such as alternative energy, decarbonization, critical raw materials, and other strategic sectors.

The parties also highlighted the importance of establishing a ministerial-level intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, recognizing it as a vital mechanism for advancing joint programs and initiatives.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan discussed the application of modern digital solutions and innovative approaches, Trend reports via Uzbekistans Ministry of Digital Technologies.

The issues were addressed in a meeting between Uzbekistans Ministry of Digital Technologies and representatives from Kyzmat, a Kyrgyz state institution functioning under the Presidential Affairs Department of the Kyrgyz Republic.

During the dialogue, the sides exchanged views on key areas of activity, discussed ongoing initiatives, and explored potential avenues for further cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the relevance of digital tools in the tourism sector and service platforms aimed at improving user convenience and enhancing process efficiency.

Following the meeting, the parties expressed mutual interest in continuing the dialogue and further examining potential formats for cooperation.

Meanwhile, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan reached $787.3 million from January through October 2025, marking a 16.7 % increase compared to the same period in 2024, when bilateral trade stood at $674.4 million.
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 19. President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov met with Emperor Naruhito of Japan today as part of his official visit to the country and discussed expanding cultural and humanitarian cooperation, Trend reports via the press service of the Kyrgyz president.

Furthermore, the leaders discussed strengthening friendly ties and enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the peoples of Kyrgyzstan and Japan. Emperor Naruhito highlighted the importance of the visit for deepening bilateral relations.

President Japarov noted the Kyrgyz peoples warm regard for Japan and praised the successful holding of EXPO 2025 in Osaka, where the Kyrgyz National Pavilion received a gold award in the Expanding Life Opportunities category.

The Kyrgyz leader emphasized the role of Japanese technology and educational programs in supporting the countrys socioeconomic development, including scholarship programs that nurture a new generation of civil servants. He highlighted growing interest in the Japanese language and culture among Kyrgyz youth, with approximately 700 students currently studying Japanese studies at four universities in Kyrgyzstan.

Japarov also praised Emperor Naruhitos work in water resources management and expressed interest in deepening cooperation on the sustainable development of mountain regions. He invited the Emperor to participate in the Second Global Mountain Summit Bishkek+25, scheduled for 2027.

Following the meeting, President Japarov expressed gratitude for the warm welcome and extended an invitation to Emperor Naruhito to visit Kyrgyzstan at his convenience.

President Sadyr Japarov is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, Japarov will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
Azerbaijan-Switzerland trade hits new heights in 11M2025

Trade between Azerbaijan and Switzerland reached $890.3 million in the first 11 months of 2025, a 2.1-fold increase. Exports to Switzerland totaled $411.9 million, with a significant rise in non-oil products. Imports from Switzerland amounted to $478.4 million during the same period.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 19. President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, held bilateral meetings with Japanese parliamentary leaders in Tokyo, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen government.

The discussions were held with Fumihiro Nukaga, Speaker of Japans House of Representatives, and Endo Toshiaki, the head of the Japanese-Turkmen Parliamentary Friendship Group. The conversations centered on enhancing bilateral cooperation, with particular emphasis on strengthening inter-parliamentary relations and fostering closer coordination within international platforms such as the United Nations. Both sides underscored their shared commitment to advancing global peace and sustainable development.

President Berdimuhamedov stressed the significance of Turkmenistan's initiative to convene the inaugural meeting of parliamentary leaders from Central Asia and Japan under the "Central Asia - Japan" framework. The discussions included proposals aimed at fortifying the activities of the Turkmen-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Group and creating collaborative mechanisms for women parliamentarians from both countries.

The meetings further reinforced the enduring and stable economic partnership between Turkmenistan and Japan. Existing collaboration in the gas and chemical sectors was highlighted, while both parties emphasized the need to broaden engagement in cultural, humanitarian, and other areas of mutual interest.

Berdimuhamedov is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore cooperation in key areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, partnership building, and human capital development.
China's TikTok owner on Thursday agreed to sell a majority stake in the popular social media app to U.S. investors to maintain access in the United States. Photo by Alex Plavevski/EPA-EFE

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The owner of TikTok has signed an agreement to create a joint venture that will make the popular social media app majority-owned by American investors, the company announced Thursday.

The Trump administration had mandated that ByteDance, TikTok's owner, become primarily owned by a consortium of U.S. companies to continue operating in the United States.

The news was announced to company employees by TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew, according to NBC News.

The tech company Oracle, private equity-based fund Silver Lake and MGX, a United Arab Emirates investment firm are among the biggest investors.

Oracle shares jumped 5% in after-hours trading.

Nearly a third of the venture will be owned by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, with another 20% retained by ByteDance, Axios reported.

Chew said as part of the deal, TikTok will be overseen by a new seven-member major board of directors.

"The U.S. joint venture will be responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance," Chew said in the memo. "It will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software and data for American users is secure."

In September, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Premier He Lifeng came together on a "framework" that would clear the way for American investors to take control of the app in the United States.

Last year, members of Congress expressed concern about China's access to U.S. user data and privacy, especially among an app that is wildly popular with American youth.

They claimed that through the app, TikTok posed a national security threat to the United States by the Chinese government.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, December 19. President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, held a meeting with Emperor Naruhito of Japan during his working visit to Tokyo, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen Government.

During the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction that Turkmen-Japanese cooperation has reached a qualitatively new level. They emphasized their readiness to further deepen bilateral relations in areas such as high technology, renewable energy, information solutions, and sustainable development.

Turkmen side expressed its interest in Japans experience in environmental protection, green energy, water resource management, and eco-friendly technologies. The parties also confirmed their intention to enhance cooperation in science, education, culture, and academic exchanges.

Berdimuhamedov is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore cooperation in key areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, partnership building, and human capital development.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Over the past eight years, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Japan has doubled, while the number of Japanese enterprises operating in Uzbekistan has increased tenfold, Trend reports via the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

The figures were announced during a meeting held by President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the heads of leading Japanese companies, financial institutions, and business associations.

The meeting was attended by Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Ryosei Akazawa, alongside senior executives from major corporations, financial institutions, and banks, including Sojitz, Sumitomo, Toyota, ITOCHU, Mitsubishi, Marubeni, Daito Trust Construction, NEC, SBI Holdings, Ajinomoto, Japan Tobacco, Hitachi, Mitsui, and others.

Furthermore, it was highlighted that, historically, Japanese companies primarily engaged in contractor-based projects. However, this trend has shifted, with Japanese firms now actively investing in Uzbekistan's economy, establishing joint ventures, taking leadership roles in management, transferring advanced technologies, and contributing to the development of local human capital.

As a result of these transformative shifts, Japan has emerged as one of Uzbekistan's most prominent economic and technological partners.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 19. Tajikistan and Japan reviewed the nuts and bolts of enhancing their bilateral relations and the bright prospects for widening their cooperation, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik president.

These issues were considered during a meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Naruhito, held on December 19 in Tokyo.

During the meeting, current issues related to the development of Tajik-Japanese relations were discussed. The head of state expressed his gratitude to the Emperor of Japan for the warm and cordial reception and the attention shown.

It was observed that at this juncture, the ties between Tajikistan and Japan span a broad spectrum of collaborative efforts, touching on trade and economic matters, cultural exchanges, humanitarian initiatives, and other areas of shared interest for both parties.

President Emomali Rahmon is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, Rahmon will participate in the inaugural Summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.

The Summit is anticipated to reaffirm the enduring cooperative relations between Central Asian countries and Japan, a significant partner, while enhancing their mutually beneficial collaboration. During the Summit, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will organize the "Central Asia plus Japan" Business Forum. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will conduct bilateral discussions with the presidents of Central Asian nations to discuss the enhancement of bilateral relations and international affairs, among other topics.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev invited Japanese businesses to take an active part in ensuring energy stability and advancing the countrys green transition, Trend reports via the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

The statement was made during a meeting between President Mirziyoyev and the heads of leading Japanese companies, financial institutions, and business associations.

The initiative is all about putting the pedal to the metal with renewable energy sources and energy storage systems, while also working to cut the carbon intensity of the economy down to size.

During the talks, the head of state also called on Japanese investors to actively participate in the modernization of Uzbekistans economy, aimed at accelerating industrialization, introducing advanced technologies, increasing productivity, and expanding export potential.

Within this framework, several strategic focal points for enhanced collaboration with Japanese corporate entities were delineated. Focused emphasis was directed towards the intricate processing of essential minerals to establish comprehensive value-added ecosystems.



Additional avenues of potential encompass the advancement of mechanical engineering paradigms and the optimization of industrial apparatus, alongside the establishment of a contemporary, high-tech industrial ecosystem. Significant focus was directed towards the evolution of information technologies, encompassing the deployment of artificial intelligence frameworks and the execution of digital transformation initiatives.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.

The Summit is anticipated to reaffirm the enduring cooperative relations between Central Asian countries and Japan, a significant partner, while enhancing their mutually beneficial collaboration. During the Summit, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will organize the "Central Asia plus Japan" Business Forum. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will conduct bilateral discussions with the presidents of Central Asian nations to discuss the enhancement of bilateral relations and international affairs, among other topics.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistan and Japan held a ceremony for the exchange of bilateral agreements in the presence of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Japans Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa, Trend reports via the press service of the President of Uzbekistan.

The document exchange transpired in a strategic convening between President Mirziyoyev and the key stakeholders of premier Japanese corporations, financial entities, and industry coalitions.

The event was attended by Minister Ryosei Akazawa, along with senior executives of major corporations, companies, financial institutions, and banks, including Sojitz, Sumitomo, Toyota, ITOCHU, Mitsubishi, Marubeni, Daito Trust Construction, NEC, SBI Holdings, Ajinomoto, Japan Tobacco, Hitachi, Mitsui, Balcom, Eurus Energy, and Chubu Electric Power, among others.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed the establishment of modern special economic zones designed to serve as centers for high-tech and export-oriented production, as well as the expansion of industrial cooperation through production automation and the introduction of digital management systems.

It was noted that, with the support of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a project is being prepared to create a special economic zone based on Japanese models and standards.

Concluding the meeting, President Mirziyoyev emphasized that Uzbekistan views Japan not only as an investor but also as a strategic partner in building the industry of the future.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Azerbaijan and the United Nations (UN) have discussed key priorities for their ongoing cooperation, focusing on sustainable development initiatives, Trend reports.

Azerbaijans Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov shared the details in a post on his official X page.

"During the meeting with Vladanka Andreeva, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Azerbaijan, we discussed key priorities on the cooperation agenda with the United Nations.

We exchanged views on the implementation of the United Nations-Azerbaijan Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2026-2030, the development of the National SDG Monitoring System to strengthen oversight of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the continuation of efforts to localize the SDGs across regions in cooperation with UN specialized agencies.

We express our sincere gratitude to Ms. Vladanka Andreeva for her valuable contributions to strengthening the high-level partnership between the UN Country Team and the Government of Azerbaijan during her tenure and wish her continued success in her future endeavors," the post reads.

Azerbaijan fully adopts the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing poverty reduction, gender equality, decent work, health, education, and environmental sustainability. The nation aligns these objectives with strategies such as the "National Strategy for Socio-Economic Development" and green transition goals. Key areas include SDGs 1 & 2 (poverty and food security), SDGs 3 & 4 (health and education), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (economic diversification and job creation), SDGs 7 & 13 (clean energy and climate action), SDG 9 (resilient infrastructure), and SDGs 14 & 15 (environmental management). Strategic roadmaps integrate these SDG targets with a commitment to international cooperation to achieve 2030 Agenda targets.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, December 19. Uzbekistan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed new agreements covering the development of economic zones, education, agriculture, the transport sector, and the supply of medical equipment, Trend reports via the press service of the Uzbek President.

The agreements were announced during a meeting between President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Akihiko Tanaka, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The discussions placed significant emphasis on deepening JICAs involvement in the development of Uzbekistan's energy sector, while also focusing on fostering youth and womens entrepreneurship, enhancing employment opportunities, reducing poverty, and cultivating a highly skilled workforce in engineering. Furthermore, the expansion of the One Village, One Product initiative was identified as a key area for collaboration.

The parties also expressed a mutual commitment to expediting the establishment of a special economic zone tailored to attract Japanese investors to Uzbekistan.

Concluding the meeting, President Mirziyoyev underscored the critical importance of timely and efficient project preparation, ensuring that the outcomes of the new cooperation program with JICA, set to extend through 2030, are both impactful and sustainable in the long term.

President Mirziyoyev is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, he will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
Azerbaijan tallies public, private, and individual share distribution in foreign trade

Azerbaijan's total product imports reached $21.19 billion in the first 11 months of 2025. Of this, the public sector accounted for $6.9 billion, the private sector for $12.4 billion, and individuals for $1.9 billion. In exports, Azerbaijan's total reached $23.4 billion, with the public sector contributing $10.6 billion and the private sector $12.6 billion.

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 19. KazTransOil JSC and Russias Transneft PJSC have signed an agreement regulating the transit of Kazakh oil through the Russian Federation for 2026, Trend reports via KazTransOil.

The agreement was reached during a working meeting between delegations of the two companies held in Astana. The talks focused on current issues of bilateral cooperation in the oil transportation sector and future coordination of transit operations.

According to the terms of the agreement, Kazakh oil will continue to be transported through Russian territory to the seaports of Novorossiysk and Ust-Luga, as well as to the RussiaBelarus border for onward delivery to European Union countries. Additionally, the arrangement stipulates the transit of Russian oil through Kazakhstan.

KazTransOil and Transneft emphasized that collaboration is grounded in a long-standing partnership, ensuring the steady and reliable flow of oil transportation in both directions.

In a related development, the Board of Directors of KazTransOil has approved the opening of its first European Union branch in Poland, a move aimed at strengthening energy ties with Europe, particularly with Germany. This new branch is expected to safeguard the companys interests in Poland and play a pivotal role in organizing the transportation of Kazakh oil through the pipeline systems of other countries, including transit through Belarus.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan produced 14 million tons of petroleum products in the period from January through November 2025, marking a 6.5% increase compared to the same period last year. The figures were presented by the Vice Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan, Sungat Yesimkhanov, at the government meeting. He further noted that the production target for 2025 has been set at 14.5 million tons, which aligns with 100% of the actual output recorded in 2024.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Japan is ready to engage in close cooperation with Tajikistan in order to further deepen bilateral relations, Trend reports via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

This was stated by Japans Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi during his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, who is visiting Japan to attend the Summit of the "Central Asia plus Japan" Dialogue (CA+JAD).

During the talks, particular attention was paid to joint efforts to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Earlier, Tajikistan and Japan attached great importance to the development and deepening of inter-parliamentary cooperation, viewing it as one of the key mechanisms for strengthening political dialogue and expanding bilateral relations between the two countries.

This issue was discussed during a meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the Chairman of the House of Councillors of the Japanese Parliament, Sekiguchi Masakazu, held on December 19 in Tokyo.

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Fresno, California-based Community West Bank will acquire fellow Fresno lender United Security Bank in a roughly $191.9 million deal expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, the companies said Wednesday.

More from Yahoo Scout What strategic benefits does this acquisition provide both banks? How will the merger impact Community West's market presence? How will leadership and governance change after the merger? What are the key financial terms of Community West's acquisition?

Buying United Security would give Community West 13 added branches, push the banks asset total to around $5 billion, and make it more robust and more visible, Community West CEO James Kim said.

As part of the transaction, United Security investors will receive 0.4520 shares of Community West common stock, or about $10.88, for each United Security share they own. The deals $191.9 million value is based on Community Wests closing price of $24.06 from Tuesday, the companies said.

Community Wests board will expand by two seats, to include Jagroop Gill, a director on United Securitys board, and another director to be named later, the banks said. Once the deal is complete, Community West shareholders will own roughly 70.6% of the combined company and United Security investors will own the remaining 29.4%.

In a statement Wednesday, Kim called the acquisition a major step forward in our long-term growth strategy and our commitment to the communities we serve throughout Central California.

Both institutions share a strong, long-term foundation of relationship banking, local decision-making and responsible growth, said Kim, who will serve as CEO of the combined company. By bringing our organizations together, we are creating a more robust and more visible banking franchise, with greater depth of expertise, expanded resources and enhanced capacity to support businesses, families and communities.

United Security CEO Dennis Woods called the tie-up with Community West a natural partnership.

With shared values and cultures centered on integrity, personal service and community commitment, this combination strengthens our ability to serve with greater scale, expanded lending capacity and broader market reach, Woods said.

Once the deal closes, Woods will serve as chairman emeritus of the company and focus on retention of key clients, the banks said.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The role of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan is key to the development of bilateral relations, Uzbek political analyst and expert Ravshan Nazarov told Trend.

The high level of personal trust and mutual understanding between presidents Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev sets the overall direction for the entire system of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the expert noted.

According to him, it is precisely political dialogue at the highest level that creates the foundation for sustainable and steady development of bilateral cooperation.

Regular contacts and alignment of approaches on regional security, economic development, and the protection of sovereignty create favorable conditions for prompt decision-making and the implementation of joint projects, Nazarov emphasized.

The expert noted that this gives the relations a stable and long-term character.

Joint participation of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in international projects, including initiatives such as the FIFA 2027 tournament, clearly demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations and their consistently positive perception on the international stage, he said.

He also added that such initiatives require coordinated action at the state level, developed infrastructure, and political stability.

Speaking about the most promising areas of cooperation at the current stage, Nazarov pointed out the priority of energy.

Special attention today is being paid to developing cooperation both in traditional hydrocarbon energy and in renewable energy, including projects in the field of green energy, the expert noted.

He added that geological exploration, transport and logistics cooperation, industrial cooperation, investments, and the promotion of Trans-Caspian transport corridors remain no less important.

Separately, the expert highlighted the strategic importance of joint projects in the oil and gas sector.

The participation of SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz in projects on the Ustyurt plateau demonstrates a high level of trust, technological exchange, and mutual interest of the parties. <...> Such initiatives not only contribute to strengthening the energy security of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan but also lay the foundation for the formation of a common energy space, he added.

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DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 19. Tajikistan and the Japan Association for Trade with Russia & NIS (ROTOBO) discussed prospects for the development of trade and economic cooperation, as well as opportunities to expand business contacts and practical interaction between the business communities of the two countries, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik president.

These issues were considered during a meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the President of the Japan Association for Trade with Russia & NIS, Masami Iijima, held on December 19 in Tokyo.

During the talks, prospective areas of cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan were discussed. The Head of State noted the important role of the Japanese trade association as an effective mechanism for expanding economic cooperation and strengthening trade ties between the two countries.

President Emomali Rahmon is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, Rahmon will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.
Azerbaijan triples crude oil imports from Kazakhstan in 10M2025

From January through October 2025, Azerbaijan imported $58 million worth of crude oil and crude oil products derived from bituminous rocks, totaling 105,400 tons. This represents a 2.5-fold increase in value and a 3-fold rise in volume compared to the same period last year. The import volume increased by 70,800 tons compared to 2024.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. The next meeting of the Supervisory Board of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has been held, SOCAR told Trend.

The meeting, chaired by Supervisory Board Chairman and Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, reviewed SOCARs financial and operational results for the first 9 months of 2025, issues related to the management of budgetary and debt obligations for 2026, as well as the dividend to be paid to the state budget in 2025.

Following the discussions, the dividend payment was deemed appropriate, and instructions were given to finalize the companys 2026 budget in line with the established targets.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Estonian fuel company Olerex and the Kazakh oil refinery Aktobe Refinery will collaborate on the sales and transit of marine fuel oil via the Tallinn port marine terminal, owned by Olerex, for the bunker customers on the Baltic Sea and beyond, Chairman of Olerex Antti Moppel told Trend.

Olerex and Aktobe Refining have formalized a partnership agreement to collaborate on oil refining and marine fuel trading, utilizing Estonian infrastructure. This agreement was signed during the Business Forum in Astana, which took place under the patronage of Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Alar Karis.

Moppel highlighted that Olerex is a leading pan-Baltic energy company, responsible for importing and distributing over 30% of Estonia's total fuel consumption. The company operates 100 gas stations in Estonia, 60 in Latvia, and five under the Olerex brand in Lithuania.

He further emphasized that one of Olerex's strategic assets is its marine fuel terminal in the free port of Tallinn, which has a storage capacity of 78,000 cubic meters.

"Through our cooperation with Aktobe Refining, we are poised to expand our operations in bunkering and marine fuel oil transit. Our marine terminal is equipped with the capabilities and expertise to receive, store, blend, and reload both light and heavy oil products. As a result, we are opening an entirely new market segment for ourselves and our partner, Aktobe Refining," Moppel stated.

Aktobe Refining is located in the industrial zone of the city of Aktobe. The total volume of processed raw materials in 2024 amounted to 224,822 tons. The raw materials were sourced from 15 different fields. The average monthly processing volume was 18,735 tons.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 19. Tajikistan and Japan discussed the implementation of further joint projects in various sectors, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik president.

These issues were addressed during a meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the Chairman of the Tajikistan-Japan Parliamentary Friendship and Cooperation Group, a member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, Keiji Furuya, held within the framework of the Presidents official visit to Japan.

During the discussions, President Emomali Rahmon commended the pivotal role of the parliamentary friendship group in enhancing the bilateral relationship and fostering multifaceted cooperation between Tajikistan and Japan. He underscored the significance of inter-parliamentary dialogue as a crucial mechanism for deepening bilateral ties.

The parties also focused on the implementation of joint projects in several key sectors, including energy, healthcare, science and education, transport, agriculture, and the strengthening of human capacity.

Following the meeting, the sides expressed a shared commitment to further developing the Tajik-Japanese partnership and expanding practical cooperation in priority areas.

Earlier, on December 18, President Rahmon arrived in Tokyo for an official visit to participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue.
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, December 19. Tajikistan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) discussed issues related to the gradual expansion of cooperation in key economic sectors, with a focus on the implementation of joint projects, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik president.

These issues were addressed during a working meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Akihiko Tanaka, held on December 19 in Tokyo.

During the discussions, Emomali Rahmon underscored Tajikistan's deep appreciation for its cooperation with Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He highlighted that the projects supported by JICA have made a substantial contribution to the countrys socio-economic development.

The dialogue also focused on advancing cooperation in key sectors of Tajikistans national economy, emphasizing the implementation of joint initiatives in industry, transport, energy, agriculture, water supply, education, and healthcare.

Following the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in expanding their partnership and continuing practical collaboration in critical areas.

Earlier, on December 18, President Rahmon arrived in Tokyo for an official visit to participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Tajikistan and Japan attach great importance to the development and deepening of inter-parliamentary cooperation, viewing it as one of the key mechanisms for strengthening political dialogue and expanding bilateral relations between the two countries, Trend reports via the press service of the Tajik president.

This issue was discussed during a meeting between the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the Chairman of the House of Councillors of the Japanese Parliament, Sekiguchi Masakazu, held on December 19 in Tokyo.

During the meeting, the Head of State emphasized that Tajikistan pays special attention to the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation with Japan. It was noted that parliamentary diplomacy serves as an effective tool for further strengthening intergovernmental dialogue and expanding bilateral interaction.

President Emomali Rahmon is currently on an official visit to Japan, which runs from December 18 through 20. During this visit, Rahmon will participate in the inaugural summit of the Heads of State of the Central Asia + Japan Dialogue. The summit will explore avenues for cooperation in several critical areas, including the green economy, sustainable development, regional interconnectivity, fostering partnerships, and advancing human capital development.

Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 19. Erste Group Bank AG, based in Vienna, has signed a 200 million guarantee framework agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate wind energy projects across the European Union, becoming the first Austrian bank to join the initiative, Trend reports via the EIB.

The agreement forms part of an 8 billion EU-wide guarantee program aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of European wind turbine manufacturers. Under the framework, Erste Group can enhance its trade finance operations by issuing bank guarantees backed up to 50% by the EIB, unlocking additional financing for critical investments in the sector.

The partnership between Erste Group and the EIB is a natural fit, as both institutions share a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation, the bank said.

In 2024 alone, Erste Group provided over 900 million in support for the renewable energy industry. By combining the EIBs risk-sharing instruments with Erste Groups expertise in financing renewable projects across Central and Eastern Europe, the framework agreement is expected to accelerate wind power development and reinforce the industrial base underpinning Europes green transition.
Lawmakers in California at both the state and federal levels are warning that refinery closures could push prices higher while leaving the state more dependent on foreign oil.

At the center of the warning is the planned shutdown of two major refineries: Valeros Benicia facility and Phillips 66s Los Angeles plant. Together, the closures would eliminate nearly 20% of Californias in-state refining capacity, according to Reps. Vince Fong and Stan Ellis, both Republicans from Bakersfield.

Valero, which has operated its 170,000-barrel-per-day Benicia refinery for roughly 25 years, announced it will close the site in 2026 because of high operating costs and strict state environmental regulations (1). The company reportedly spent about $1 billion preparing to exit (2).

Fong says the impact could ripple far beyond the gas pump.

We have an energy crisis in our state, and it looks like it is only going to intensify, he said, adding that reduced refining capacity could drive up fuel prices while also affecting Californias military supply chain. What appears to be a consumer issue, he said, could quickly become a national one.

Regulations tighten Californias fuel market

California already has the highest gas prices in the country. As of December 2025, drivers are paying about $4.34 per gallon statewide, according to AAA (3). That is roughly $1.40 more per gallon than the national average of around $2.90. Petroleum expert Mike Ariza, who co-authored a recent report on Californias energy outlook, told ABC10 gas could reach $10 to $12 per gallon in extreme scenarios.

Part of that premium comes down to geography and infrastructure. The West Coast is relatively isolated from other major refining hubs, such as the Gulf Coast, making it harder to replace lost supply when refineries shut down. While the Los Angeles and Benicia facilities account for less than 2% of total U.S. refining capacity, they represent about 17% of Californias capacity.

Valero has pointed to years of regulatory pressure, environmental violations and a recent lawsuit settlement as factors behind its decision to close the Benicia refinery, according to a statement cited by ABC7 (4).

During the companys most recent earnings call, CEO Lane Riggs described Californias regulatory and enforcement environment as the most stringent and difficult of anywhere else in North America."

One example is Californias Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which requires fuel producers to steadily reduce the carbon intensity of gasoline and diesel based on emissions across a fuels full life cycle (5). While the policy is designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, it also adds compliance costs for refiners operating in an already constrained market.
Moldova has joined U.S. sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil.

That is according to Point, citing Mold-Street, Ukrinform reports.

The decision to impose sanctions on the Russian companies was approved by the Interdepartmental Supervisory Council, chaired by Moldovan Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu.

The sanctions were applied in accordance with the Law on the Application of International Restrictive Measures and considering the risks associated with the activities of Russian oil companies under sanctions, which support and finance Russia's aggressive capabilities, the report said.

The council stated that Rosneft and Lukoil indirectly contribute to regional security destabilization, increased threats to the international order, and affect Moldova's security interests. The decision is also aimed at preventing the use of the national financial and economic system to support such activities.

Russia's Lukoil group owns Lukoil-Moldova, which controls the largest network of gas stations in Moldova, three oil depots, over 20% of the retail fuel market, and about 40% of diesel imports, while holding 100% in the aviation fuel segment.

On December 16, Munteanu announced that the Moldovan authorities would return Lukoil's property at Chisinau International Airport to state ownership within 20 days due to the company's failure to comply with asset sale requirements.

On October 22, the United States imposed sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft. The restrictions on Russia's largest oil producers were introduced "as a result of Russia's lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine."

Photo: Unsplash
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Jamiat hails passing of Karnataka Hate Speech Bill

Jamiat Ulema i Hind, one of the largest representative bodies of Indian Muslims, has hailed the passing of Karnataka Hate Speech Bill

New Delhi: Jamiat Ulema i Hind, one of the largest representative bodies of Indian Muslims, has hailed the passing of Karnataka Hate Speech Bill.

President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani said that the Jamiat has consistently and for a long time, been demanding the enactment of an effective and comprehensive law to curb hate and hate-driven violence.

He said that the Supreme Court of India has repeatedly observed that a climate of hate prevails in the country, which poses a serious threat to social harmony, fraternity, and the democratic fabric of the nation.

Against this backdrop, the initiative taken by the Karnataka government is a positive and significant step towards promoting social cohesion and upholding the constitutional values enshrined in the Constitution of India, Maulana Mahmood Madani said.

The Jamiat Ulama I Hind statement came a day after Karnataka Assembly passed the Hate Speech Bill after it was cleared by the Cabinet on December 04, 2025.

On the expected lines, the BJP opposed the Bill against Hate Speech, first of its kind in India, and the party leaders urged the Governor not to sign.

The bail however is hailed as a timely decision by the Congress Government in Karnataka.

At the same time, Maulana Madani called for the fair implementation of the law.

The success of any law against hate and violence does not depend merely on its enactment, but rather on its fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory implementation, he said.

He underlined the need for a careful and comprehensive study of the law, and for removing any ambiguities in its definitions, so that no future government is able to misuse it as a tool against minorities or other vulnerable sections of society.

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TN SIR: 97.28 names removed, Chennai reports biggest deletion

The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission Friday December 19, 2025 released the draft voters list after the completion of the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission Friday December 19, 2025 released the draft voters list after the completion of the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The Enumeration round of Special Intensive Revision, popularly known as SIR, was conducted in the poll bound Tamil Nadu from November 04 to December 14, 2025.

In a statement released by Archana Patnaik, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Tamil Nadu, the State Poll Panel said names of 66.4 lakh voters have been removed because they have been shifted to other states or found absent.

The TN State Election Commission also said that names of 26.9 lakh voters were released as they had died and were deceased.

The commission found 3.98 names registered as voters at multiple places and hence removed.

In total, the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission removed 97.28 voters from the electoral rolls of the state, the Poll Panel said in the statement released today.

Cities which saw biggest revisions

As per the data released by the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission, around 6.5 lakh voters were removed from the voter lists in Coimbatore.

Dindigul district saw 2.34 lakh names deleted whereas a total of 2.74 lakh names were removed in Kancheepuram.

Around 80,000 names were removed in Karur whereas state capital Chennai saw the biggest revision where 14.25 voters were removed from the voter lists.

The total population of Tamil Nadu is over 8.3 crore, and the number of voters before the revision was 6.41 crore. After the removal of 97.28 voters due to different reasons, the number of voters in Tamil Nadu is 5.43 crore.

The successful completion of this phase is the result of coordinated efforts of DEOs of all 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, 234 EROs, 776 AEROs, and 68,467 BLOs deployed at as many polling booths, supported by 48,873 volunteers, the Poll Panel said.

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TORONTO (AP)  Canada and the U.S. will launch formal discussions to review their free trade agreement in mid-January, the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.

The prime minister confirmed to provincial leaders that Dominic LeBlanc, the countrys point person for U.S-Canada trade relations, will meet with U.S. counterparts in mid-January to launch formal discussions," Carneys office said in a statement late Thursday.

The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump negotiated the deal in his first term and included a clause to possibly renegotiate the deal in 2026.

Carney met with the leaders of Canadas provinces on Thursday to give them an update on trade talks with the U.S.

Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and more than 75% of Canadas exports go to the country's southern neighbor. But most exports to the U.S. are currently exempted by USMCA.

Trump cut off trade talks to reduce tariffs on certain sectors with Carney in October after the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the U.S. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over Trumps insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

Carney said earlier Thursday that Canada and the U.S. were close to an agreement at the time on sectoral tariff relief in multiple areas, including steel and aluminum. Tariffs are taking a toll on certain sectors of Canada's economy, particularly aluminum, steel, auto and lumber.

Carney also said trade irritants flagged this week by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are elements of a much bigger discussion about continental trade. Greer said a coming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal will hinge on resolving U.S. concerns about Canadian policies on dairy products, alcohol and digital services.

Carney and the provincial premiers agreed to meet in person in Ottawa early in the new year.

Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.

About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, as are 85% of U.S. electricity imports.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.

Carney said U.S. access to Canadas critical minerals is not a certainty.

Its a potential opportunity for the United States, but its not an assured opportunity for the United States. Its part of a bigger discussion in terms of our trading relationship, because we have other partners around the world, in Europe for example, who are very interested in participating, Carney said earlier Thursday.
Donald Trumps executive order to ease restrictions on marijuana is the culmination of more than a yearlong campaign by the cannabis industry to persuade the president to embrace a cause the GOP has historically opposed.

The effort included not only traditional levers of influence such as lobbying and political donations, but encompassed opinion polling and one-on-one conversations with friends of the famously sober president.

I've never been inundated by so many people as I have about reclassifying marijuana, Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Thursday.

High on that list of people was Howard Kessler, a financial services executive and longtime friend of Trumps who attended the future presidents wedding to Melania Trump in 2005. Kessler pushed and prodded Trump to sign the executive order, according to multiple cannabis industry and administration officials with knowledge of how it came about. He was also a champion for one of the other policy changes Trump announced Thursday: a pilot program that would allow Medicare to cover treatments involving CBD for seniors.

Also instrumental was Kim Rivers, CEO of Floridas largest medical marijuana company Trulieve. It was she who convinced the president to include reclassifying marijuana in Thursdays executive order, according to two people briefed on the conversations granted anonymity because they werent authorized to speak publicly.

Rivers met Trump in early 2024 at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, to discuss a ballot measure campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida that year. Trump eventually backed the state legalization effort, which fell short of the supermajority it needed to pass. Once Trump took office, Rivers traveled to the White House to discuss marijuana policy, including for an Oval Office meeting last week.

There hasn't been a single time that I've had the privilege to be with the president where we talked about medical cannabis and research, where he wasn't supportive, Rivers said in an interview, recalling multiple interactions over the past year and a half. Thursdays executive order, she said, was the result of many months of work and did not come as a sudden decision on Trumps part.

The administration has come to treat the cannabis industry like other sectors, Rivers said  a triumph after long being viewed as taboo. She recalled a meeting earlier this year with representatives from a range of industries, including cannabis. Trump asked the same types of detailed questions to each sector, she said  there was no difference despite the illegality of cannabis at the federal level.
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.
Captain Fresh, the Indian seafood processor, has struck a deal to acquire Spanish tuna company Frime.

The financial terms of the deal were not revealed.

Frime has roots going back to 1937 in Barcelona's La Boqueria Market, founded by Jesus Ramon Gomez, with his son Salvador Ramon Gracia officially establishing the brand in 1977.

When approached by Just Food for details on the specific assets involved in the deal, Captain Fresh declined to comment.

The completion of the Frime deal is contingent on regulatory approvals and the fulfilment of standard closing conditions.

Once the transaction is completed we'll be better placed to share our official comments, added the yellowfin tuna specialist.

However, in a statement, Captain Fresh described the acquisition as a watershed moment in its trajectory, unlocking immediate Mediterranean dominance.

In January, CEO Utham Gowda told Just Food the US and Europe remain the company's most important markets and would continue to be so in the next three to four years.

We are not looking to enter any new markets. We are going deeper into the existing markets.

When I say deeper, we will be unlocking a few more channels in the current, existing markets. We are very strong on the foodservice trend in the US, we are looking to unlock the retail channel, he said at the time.

Captain Fresh maintains a presence in Europe through its subsidiaries Senecrus and Koral, operating two seafood processing facilities.

Koral, based in Kukinia, Poland, specialises in smoked fish production, with a focus on cold- and hot-smoked salmon.

It handles a broad range of fish products, such as Norwegian smoked salmon and various seafood items. It supplies retailers in Poland and Germany.

Captain Fresh acquired Koral in July last year from private-equity firm Abris Capital Partners.

As part of that deal, the Warsaw-based investor acquired an undisclosed stake in Captain Fresh, a supplier of shellfish and fish varieties like salmon and tuna to retailers across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Senecrus, headquartered in Rungis, France, focuses on producing and distributing cooked shrimp.

It processes farm-raised Vannamei shrimp sourced from Central America and Asia, maintaining ties with supermarkets and wholesalers throughout France.

Founded in 2020 in the Indian city of Bengaluru, Captain Fresh initially operated as a technology-driven platform offering digital tools for the fish and seafood supply chain.

In recent years, it has expanded by developing its own branded portfolio of products, including shrimp, salmon, crab and lobster, supported by acquisitions such as CenSea, Senecrus, and Koral.
Key Takeaways

A new presidential order speeds up cannabis reclassification for medical research

Marijuana would still not be legal

The change could allow more studies on cannabis and CBD

FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News)  President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could make it easier for scientists to study cannabis for medical use.

The order speeds up the current process to change how cannabis is classified under U.S. law.

If finalized, the move would allow more research into marijuana and CBD, especially for treating chronic pain and other medical conditions.

"It is the policy of my Administration to increase medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors. It is critical to close the gap between current medical marijuana and CBD use and medical knowledge of risks and benefits," the order says.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump called the move common sense, but stressed that it does not legalize marijuana.

"It doesnt legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form or and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug," Trump said.

"Its never safe to use powerful controlled substances in a recreational manner," he added. "So unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just dont do it."

Under current law, cannabis is listed alongside drugs like heroin and LSD as a Schedule I substance, meaning it is considered to have no accepted medical use.

The executive order directs federal officials to move cannabis to Schedule III, a category that includes "drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence" such as Tylenol with codeine and testosterone.

The order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to complete the formal rescheduling process and publish a final rule. That process has already been underway for more than a year.

Moving cannabis to Schedule III would minimize red tape and allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to more easily study marijuanas medical uses.

Officials say that could eventually expand access to cannabis-based treatments, including for seniors and veterans, regardless of state laws.

A senior administration official told NBC News that the goal is to remove barriers to research and to "start working to improve the medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors."

The order specifically addresses CBD (cannabidiol), a related compound derived from hemp plants that does not cause a high. It directs White House officials to work with Congress to allow access to safe CBD products while limiting those that pose health risks.

Some lawmakers welcomed the step. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called it a step in the right direction, but said more work is needed to address past drug policies and banking limitations tied to cannabis.

What's more, a Gallup poll released in November found that 64% of U.S. adults think marijuana use should be legal.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on medical marijuana.

SOURCE: NBC News, Dec. 18, 2025

What This Means For You

The order could lead to more research on medical marijuana, but recreational use remains illegal under federal law.
 According to European Commissioner for the Economy Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia, the Bank of Russias assets held in the European Union, including in central securities depositories (CSDs) such as Euroclear, "are not seized and the principle of sovereign immunity is respected."

European financial institutions holding Russian public assets are "fully protected against any legal proceedings". Thus, "central securities depositories can offset any seizure in Russia with frozen or immobilized assets held here," he said on December 12. For this reason, the EU is not afraid of any future legal proceedings against Russia in international courts (cf. VIN 4408).

 However, in addition to the known opposition of Hungary and Slovakia, now Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, Malta and the Czech Republic have also expressed concerns about any haste at the technical level that could result in the finalization of the financial package for reparation loans.

 Belgium, for its part, is calling for higher guarantees than those proposed by the European Commission. This is one of the stumbling blocks in the ongoing negotiations.

 Three successive protections have been considered by the European Commission for the repayment of the "repair loan", if it were to be repaid to Russia:

 On a voluntary basis, Member States will provide public guarantees for their participation in the EU budget and will have to cover the share of non-participating countries. The European Commission has proposed to increase these guarantees to 210 billion, half of which must be materialized before any of the seized funds can be transferred to Kiev. In reality, if Russia were to file a lawsuit and win, it would be entitled to claim much more in damages.

No one therefore knows how much money would need to be covered, especially since the EU already collects and spends the interest generated by these funds. However, no one is prepared to sign a blank check.

 A second financial protection has been provided in case the first one does not work or is insufficient: a liquidity mechanism will be put in place so that a country that does not manage to provide the necessary funds can borrow them from the EU.

 Finally, a third protection will be introduced in the event that the first two fail: the possibility for the EU to provide other debt instruments allowing financial institutions to honor their financial commitment to the Bank of Russia.

 Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen said she would vote in favor of the repair loan and urged her colleagues not to take Belgiums opinion into account.

 According to director of the Russian Centre for Social Economy Research Alexey Zubets, if the EU has failed to confiscate Russian assets over the past three years, it is unlikely to find a solution now. There cant be no long-term and stable funding for Ukraine at the expense of Russia.

 From the start the EU considered that Russia was in the wrong, that it was waging a war of conquest of its own making, and that it was going to lose it. It welcomed the International Criminal Courts issuance of an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and expected to bring the Russian economy to its knees.

Oblivious to the fact that Russia has been following international law, that it was applying United Nations Security Council Resolution 2202, that its army has new weapons far superior to its own, and that the Russian economy is indeed thriving.

A US recognized Russian victory could have significant financial consequences for the European Union and even ruin it.
I wish to bring to your attention to the escalating risks to regional peace and security in South Asia in the wake of Indias continued weaponization of water.

Under the false pretext of Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025, the Indian government on 24 April 2025 officially notified its decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. On the surface, Indias decision would appear as a reaction to the Pahalgam attack, however in reality it signified a marked escalation in Indias war of attrition against Pakistan in the domain of transboundary rivers. The unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is essentially a reflection of Indias long drawn policy of incrementally undermining the Indus Waters Treaty provisions, which undermines sanctity of international treaties, principles of international law and responsible conduct of inter-State relations.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan under the auspices of the World Bank. The Treaty allocates the three western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) to Pakistan, the lower riparian; and the three eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India, the upper riparian. Article VIII of the Treaty provides an elaborate mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their respective use of the rivers, the Permanent Indus Commission, which has a Commissioner from each side. Article IX sets forth a detailed mechanism for the settlement of differences and disputes. Article XII (4) expressly states that the provisions of this Treaty () shall continue in force until terminated by a duly ratified treaty concluded for that purpose between the two Governments.

It is a matter of serious concern that India bypassed the established mechanisms contained in article VIII and IX of the Indus Waters Treaty and chose instead to unilaterally hold the Treaty in abeyance; whereas no such provision exists in the Treaty. On the contrary, the Treaty expressly provides for its continuity in perpetuity, until both parties agree to modify or terminate it.

The Indus Waters Treaty represents a solemn international commitment, based on the principle of pacta sunt servanda  that agreements must be honoured  as enshrined under international customary law and codified in article 26 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. The unilateral suspension of the Treaty by India is a serious violation of this principle, eroding the sanctity of treaties that form the bedrock of the international legal order.

The Indus Waters Treaty is a trans-boundary water sharing agreement holding a unique and special character, different from other treaties. As trans-boundary water treaties do not change over time, the Treaty cannot be terminated or held in abeyance unilaterally. The principle of rebus sic stantibus codified in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which allows for unenforceability of a treaty under certain conditions, does not apply to the Indus Waters Treaty. The baseless and unfounded allegations used as justification by India are extraneous to the matter regulated by the Indus Waters Treaty. A treaty cannot be suspended based on grievances unrelated to its subject matter. International law demands proportionality and linkage and does not operate on the basis of political expediency, coercion and unilateralism.

I would like to also underscore that the Treaty remains legally intact. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, in its recent decisions of June and August 2025, reaffirmed the continuing validity of the Treaty and its binding dispute-resolution mechanisms. These rulings leave no ambiguity, no party has the authority to unilaterally suspend or abandon this agreement. The Indus Waters Treaty is alive and its provisions remain binding on the parties. India must not be allowed to set a new precedent undermining international law.

Indias action also contravenes the established customary international water law. The Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses codifies three distinct principles widely recognized as customary law: (a) equitable and reasonable use; (b) the no-harm rule; and (c) the duty to cooperate. Indias illegal and unilateral move undermines each one of these three principles. The equitable use principle prohibits unilateral diversion or denial of water flow to co riparian states. The no-harm principle requires that India avoid causing significant harm to Pakistan  an obligation it risks breaching by disrupting water flows to a country whose agriculture depends on the Indus and the other two rivers for over 80 per cent of its irrigation. The duty to cooperate necessitates joint management, exchange of information and peaceful dispute resolution. By renouncing its treaty obligations, India is undermining not just bilateral trust, but also the shared responsibility of trans-boundary water governance pursuant the principles of customary international water law.

If India is allowed to hold a water-sharing treaty in abeyance with impunity, it could set out a new troubling precedent, triggering a domino effect with States opting to walk out of treaties citing change in circumstances as the rationale to conceal their underlying strategic and political objectives. This would be a direct affront to the international legal order and norms governing the inter-State relations. Safeguarding the sanctity of international treaties is thus imperative to avoid conflicts, maintain order and preserve international peace and security. The Security Council has already recognized the link between natural resource management and international peace and security. Nowhere is that link more evident than in the case of the Indus waters.

Besides contravening international law, Indias actions entail grave humanitarian implications. The Indus River system remains a lifeline for Pakistans agriculture and food security. Any disruption of water flows into this system threatens the socioeconomic stability of over 240 million Pakistanis. In a country grappling with water scarcity as a challenge, such disruption could trigger a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

Several resolutions of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have recognized water as a human right, denial of which constitutes a violation of international human rights law. Millions in Pakistan would be deprived of their right to drinking water, right to food, and right to health and hygiene in the absence of adequate water flows from India into Pakistan.

Meanwhile, by holding the Treaty in abeyance, India has put an immediate halt to all facets of the Treaty, including data-sharing, joint oversight and any form of dialogue or cooperation, leaving Pakistan without any advance information on downstream river flows, flood forecasts, or drought risks. This has severely undermined our climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts and our ability to grapple with the devastating impact of floods. The devastation caused by the recent floods in Pakistan was compounded by the denial of timely data-sharing, an obligation clearly enshrined in the Treaty. The absence of critical information turned a natural disaster into a humanitarian tragedy, costing lives, displacing families and eroding trust. This painful episode underscored what is at stake when such Treaty obligations are disregarded and ordinary people bear the brunt: farmers who see their crops drowned, children left without homes and critical infrastructure is destroyed.

Indias disregard of the Indus Waters Treaty risks escalating the protracted Jammu and Kashmir dispute into an even more dangerous flashpoint. Water disputes have the potential to ignite major conflicts, particularly when the parties involved have a long festering dispute, such as the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains unresolved due to Indias non-implementation of Security Council resolutions providing for the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people. The statements by the Indian leadership have manifested the intentions to block water flows to Pakistan. The weaponization of water by India has become an ever-present trigger for conflict in South Asia with far-reaching implications.

In view of Indias illegal action of subverting the Indus Waters Treaty, the National Security Committee of Pakistan declared on 24 April 2025 that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty will be considered as an act of war. Pakistan is fully entitled to take all appropriate steps to safeguard its due share of water as guaranteed under the Treaty. At the same time, Pakistan remains firmly committed to dialogue, understanding and cooperation as the only sustainable pathways to peace and security.

With the foregoing in view, the Security Council, with the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations must seize itself of this urgent and serious matter, call for immediate restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty, and prevent the weaponization of water by India, which poses a grave risk to peace and stability in South Asia.

It is requested that the present letter be circulated as a document of the Security Council in connection with the item entitled The India-Pakistan question.
Key Points

Centrus Energy occupies a critical place as the U.S. seeks to rebuild its nuclear supply chain.

The company is working with the Department of Energy to produce specialized fuel for reactors.

The recent stock sell-off likely reflects investor caution at the nuclear industry's lofty valuations.

10 stocks we like better than Centrus Energy 

Centrus Energy (NYSE: LEU) started 2025 with a share price of about $74. In mid-October, the stock hit a 52-week high of roughly $464 a share, representing a mouthwatering 527% gain. Since then, the stock has fallen about 50%, trading at around $234 at the time of writing.

Throughout all of this, Centrus has remained focused on its mission. It's still positioned to play a dominant role in U.S. uranium enrichment and even delivered 900 kilograms of high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to the Department of Energy (DOE) in late June. So why did it crash?

Apparently, investors needed to reset their expectations for nuclear stocks, as Centrus wasn't the only company in this sector to fall (just look at Oklo). After a huge run like that, investors needed reminding that Centrus isn't a tech company, and its margins will never grow at the rate of, say, Nvidia.

The company seems to be on track for what could be another momentous year. Here's what's coming next.

Centrus is on track for another HALEU delivery

The first thing to know about Centrus is its contract work with the DOE. Since 2019, Centrus has been working with the DOE to produce HALEU at a DOE facility in Piketon, Ohio. In June 2025, that facility produced about 900 kilograms of HALEU. This delivery to the DOE completed Phase II of Centrus' contract.

Image source: Centrus Energy.

Now, Centrus has moved into Phase III, which includes another 900 kilogram delivery and options for another additional eight years of production post-2026.

In December 2025, Centrus also announced it had started work on new infrastructure at the Piketon facility, which will help it expand its uranium enrichment capacity. The company also posted a third-quarter profit of about $4 million on roughly $75 million in revenue.

The stock may be volatile, but the company is still executing on key deliveries and laying the groundwork for expansion. It's not a safe stock but may be worth watching.

Should you buy stock in Centrus Energy right now?

Before you buy stock in Centrus Energy, 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 Centrus Energy wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
The bankruptcy administrator of Terraform Labs has sued the popular proprietary trading firm, Jump Trading, for allegedly profiting from and contributing to the crypto company's collapse in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 18.

Launched in 2018, Terraform Labs was one of the leading crypto companies a few years ago.

But the project's twin cryptocurrencies, TerraUSD (UST) and LUNA, collapsed in 2022 and even led to investor losses worth an estimated $40 billion.

Related: 15-year jail sentence may not be enough for Chapter 11 crypto founder

Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon was arrested by Montenegrin authorities when he was attempting to flee to Dubai in March 2023.

After his extradition to the U.S., the court found him guilty of nine charges, including fraud and money laundering, and recently sentenced him to 15 years in prison and asked him to forfeit $19 million worth of illicit gains.

Even the South Korean authorities could begin a separate trial against Do Kwon and he could reportedly receive additional punishment in the country.

As far as Terraform Labs is concerned, the crypto company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. in January 2024. The firm received a court approval in September 2024 to wind down its operations in bankruptcy.

More News:

Lawsuit seeks $4 billion in damages

The court appointed Todd Snyder as Terraform Labs' bankruptcy plan administrator. It is a court-appointed role that involves managing a companys finances during bankruptcy to make sure the process is fair, legal, and orderly.

As per the WSJ report, Snyder sued Jump Trading, co-founder William DiSomma, and former president Kanav Kariya in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on Dec. 18.

Snyder held Jump responsible for alleged market manipulation, self-dealing, and misuse of assets so that the proprietary trading firm could enrich itself and leave crypto investors to bear the losses.
Rome confirms that the entry fee system will take effect from 1 February.

Tourists visiting Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain up close will be required to pay an entry fee of 2 from 1 February 2026, the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri confirmed on Friday.

The move - both controversial and widely anticipated - comes after a year of a trial system to manage crowds at the Rome landmark which attracts vast crowds every day.

Under the new system, tourists will be obliged to pay the 2 entry fee - between 09.00 and 22.00 every day - to get close to the monument which will remain free to Rome residents.

Gualtieri said that five other cultural attractions that had been free would also start charging entry fees to tourists from 1 February: the Villa of Maxentius, the Napoleonic Museum, the Carlo Baracco Museum, the Pilotti Museum and the Pietro Canonica Museum.

Gualtieri also said that around nine million tourists visited the area in front of the fountain between 1 January and 8 December, an average of 30,000 people a day.

City authorities have stressed that no barriers will be installed in the piazza, which will remain accessible by the public, and that the entry fee and queuing system relates only to the steps leading down to the fountain's basin.

The move is designed to thin out the crowds to improve the visitor experience as well as protect the monument from the negative aspects of mass tourism.

The number of people accessing the monument at any one time is set to be fixed at 400, unlike the thousands who once jostled for space to take selfies.

Funds

Gualtieri said the entry fee should generate an annual treasure chest of around 6.5 million for the capital.

Visitors already throw coins into the fountain - adding up to around 1.5 million a year - however that money goes entirely to the Caritas charity.

According to tradition, tourists who toss coins into the basin of the Baroque monument - right hand over left shoulder with eyes closed - are guaranteed a return trip to the Eternal City.

Precedent

Italys culture ministry introduced a 5 entry fee at the Pantheon in 2023, however the Trevi Fountain is under the jurisdiction of the Italian capital.

In the first six months of this year, the Trevi Fountain recorded over 5.3 million visitors, more than the Pantheon received in all of 2024.

Criticism

Italian consumer watchdog Codacons has voiced its opposition to the entry fee system, saying it was "against the monetization" of cultural sites and arguing that tourists "should be able to enjoy the beauty of Rome for free.

Codacons did however acknowledge that it was necessary "to limit crowds and mass tourism, which create degradation and deface the capitals heritage.

Responding to critics of the scheme, tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato said the entry fee idea was "really super logical" and claimed that if the Trevi Fountain "were in America or anywhere else in Europe, they would charge visitors 50".

Photo credit: Shutterstock / Maria Albi.

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Waterford City River Rescue has emphasised the importance of an early call to the emergency services, following an incident on the Rice Bridge.

In a post on social media, the organisation said that they and Waterford City Fire Service were alerted to the incident in the early hours of the morning by the Irish Coast Guard.

We were stood down prior to launch. The casualty was assisted by members of An Garda Siochana. Thank you to everyone involved and to MRCC, who coordinated this mornings incident.

We would like to reiterate the absolute importance of an early call to the Emergency Services for water incidents so the relevant services can be dispatched promptly.

Please remember if you see anyone in difficulty on our lakes, rivers or coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for The Irish Coast Guard, who will dispatch the services needed to the scene. Do not assume somebody has already made that call, wrote Waterford City River Rescue

Waterford City River Rescue shared the numbers for support services and urged anyone in difficulty to reach out.
A number of events took place recently throughout the Deise county including an intergenerational coffee morning in Central Library.

Waterford News & Star photographer, Joe Evans was there to capture images of those in attendance.

Photos will also appear in the forthcoming print edition of the newspaper.

Photos of other events are also available to view here on the website under the 'Archive' section and collections of nostalgic photos from our archive, titled 'Colourful Memories of Waterford' - volumes one and two, are currently available as fantastic photobooks on sale at The Book Centre or through or office on Gladstone Street.

Hard copy prints of photos are also available to buy through our office.

Members of St. Declan's School Choir, who sang at the Central Library Intergenerational Coffee Morning. All Photos: Joe Evans

Members of the St. Declan's School Choir, Conor and Connor, who sang at the Intergenerational Coffee Morning.

Members of the Bealtaine Choir who sang at the Intergenerational Coffee Morning.

Members of St. Declan's School Choir, Tom and Oscar, who sang at the Central Library Intergenerational Coffee Morning.

Sinead Higgins and Mayor of Waterford City & County Cllr. Seamus Ryan at the Central Library Intergenerational Coffee Morning.

Supporting the Central Library Intergenerational Coffee Morning.
The Bondi Beach shooting, which took place on December 14 in Sydney, Australia, is one of a number of antisemitic attacks around the world in recent months. The Bondi Beach shooting occurred during a Hanukkah celebration attended by approximately one thousand people. The Waterford News & Star spoke to a Jewish person from Waterford who has family in Sydney. They requested their identity to be kept anonymous.

I have Jewish cousins in Sydney, our interviewee said. Weve heard detailed things  the people who have been lost, the people who have been injured. A two-month-old baby had a shrapnel wound to his leg, and hes the son of one of the two rabbis who were murdered at the scene. Its intensely upsetting. The Bondi Beach shooting was the second antisemitic attack to occur in recent months. On October 2, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, worshippers were attacked outside of a synagogue in Manchester.

I feel nervous a lot of the time, the interviewee said, explaining that they have stopped wearing their Star of David, something they said many other Jewish people had also done.

The Jewish community is one of the smallest religious groupings in Waterford - as of the 2022 Census there were only 24 Jewish people registered living in Waterford.

The interviewee said they connected online with a Jewish woman who had emigrated from her country to Waterford due to antisemitism. The womans mother was a holocaust survivor, and a book was written on her experiences.

Our interviewee met with her for coffee, and the woman showed them the book, which had an obvious Jewish symbol on the cover. They started to feel worried that someone would pass by and say something, due to the connection Jewish people have with Israel.

Our interviewee keeps their Jewish faith private. They had elderly neighbours, and they visited them as they were housebound.

In that sort of situation, youre in one's kitchen, and the television is on in the corner. The news comes on, and it posts statistics from Gaza... Youre desperately hoping that the person isnt listening to the news too hard and isnt going to say something derogatory. The statistics our interviewee is referring to are regarding the conflict in Palestine. Roughly 70,000 Palestinians have died during this conflict, over 20,000 being children. Gazans are also experiencing a famine as food and humanitarian aid has been blocked from entry by Israel; according to the U.N.s children agency, a shocking amount of Gazan children are acutely malnourished. Around 1,200 Israelis have died during this conflict. These figures begin on October 7, 2023. Jewish people maintain that antisemitism has increased as a result, due to the connections Jewish people hold with Israel.

We must not allow our light to be dimmed; we must continue to shine and feel the core value of our religion, which is peace. One thing, if nobody knew anything else about Judaism, is that we believe that the image of God is in every single human being. Were trying not let the shock and upset get us down... Jewish people have a very long history of having to regain their trust in God because of terrible events. The interviewee wanted to share a message with the public. Jewish people are living all around the place. You dont know who they are, but their religion holds the same views as Christianity. We are desirers of peace and harmony among all the people; that is what wed love to see.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON/HONG KONG, Dec 19 (Reuters) - TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, on Thursday signed binding agreements to hand control of the short video app's U.S. operations to a group of investors, including Oracle, in a big step toward avoiding a U.S. ban and ending years of uncertainty.

The deal is a milestone for the short video app used regularly by more than 170 million Americans after years of battles that began in August 2020, when President Donald Trump first tried unsuccessfully to ban the app over U.S. national security concerns.

Financial terms of the deal, announced in an internal memo by TikTok (U.S.) seen by Reuters, were not disclosed.

Other details of the deal are in line with those outlined in September, when Trump delayed until January 20 enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it amid efforts to extract TikTok's U.S. assets from the global platform. He also declared the deal met the terms of the divestiture requirements under a 2024 law.

The new U.S. company will be valued at around $14 billion, Vice President JD Vance said in September. That was below analysts' estimates and the final figure was not made public on Thursday.

Under the agreement, American and global investors including cloud computing giant Oracle, private equity group Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will hold an 80.1% stake in the new TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, while ByteDance will retain 19.9%.

Oracle shares rose nearly 6% in premarket trading on Friday.

QUESTIONS OVER ONGOING CHINESE ROLE

The White House said in September the new joint venture would operate TikTok's U.S. app, but questions remain about the deal, including the business relationships between the new joint venture and ByteDance.

The White House on Thursday referred questions about the deal to TikTok.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees the joint venture would "operate as an independent entity with authority over U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurance," according to the memo seen by Reuters.

Chew added that U.S. entities of ByteDance-controlled TikTok "will manage global product interoperability and certain commercial activities, including e-commerce, advertising, and marketing" separately from the joint venture.

Rush Doshi, who served at the National Security Council under President Joe Biden, said it was unclear whether the algorithm had been transferred, licensed or was still owned and controlled by Beijing, with Oracle merely providing "monitoring".
A Waterford librarian has received the title of Staff Champion in this years Library Association of Ireland awards.

Executive Librarian Tracy McEneaney of Ardkeen Library was named Staff Champion for 2025.

Waterford City and County Libraries took to social media to congratulate their colleague.

Tracy's enthusiasm for libraries and reading is obvious to anyone who has met her or heard her on national and local radio promoting libraries and books.

Tracy's creativity and dedication to community make her a wonderful and inspiring colleague, manager and librarian, Waterford City and County Libraries wrote in a social media post.

The Library Association of Ireland said in the announcement that there were some great nominees this year.

They said Tracy was most deserving of a packed field.

A truly inspiring and transformational Library colleague who goes above and beyond! they said.

Tracy is a well-known figure for Deise readers who is known for her work promoting books through radio and social media.

Tracy uses her TikTok account to recommend books and encourage reading, as well as promoting libraries and the beautiful scenery of Tramore, where she is a member of the Tidy Towns.

Tramore Tidy Towns posted on social media: Well done to TidyTowns Tracy, we are truly delighted for her, well done.

That's our girl, well done and congratulations.
Sarah Slater

The trial of an Irish man who allegedly murdered an American nurse in Hungary last year is to begin next February.

Mackenzie Michalski, 31, from Fredonia, New York, was on holiday in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, and was last seen alive at a nightclub in the city in the early hours of Tuesday, November 5th last. She was listed as missing by Budapest Police Headquarters later that day.

A 38-year-old Irishman, who worked in marketing, has allegedly admitted to killing Ms Michalski, a nurse practitioner, accidentally, after claiming they became intimate at a rented apartment while on holiday.

The arrested man allegedly informed police after his arrest that he attempted to conceal her body in a suitcase along with her handbag and credit card, which he transported her in the boot of his rental car to a marshy area in Szigliget in western Hungary.

The Metropolitan Court of Budapest has extended his detention on several occasions while investigations were carried out.

Detectives have also said they found numerous alleged incriminating online searches on a computer and allege that the detained Irish suspect cleaned his apartment.

It is alleged that the Irish man met Ms Michalski at a nightclub on the evening of November 4th last year, where they drank and danced together. They allegedly went to the mans apartment, where the defendant assaulted and strangled the woman during sexual intercourse.

It is further alleged that the man then tidied up the apartment, left, bought a large suitcase, and put the womans body in it. He then hid the suitcase in a wooded area near Lake Balaton, in western Hungary.

The Budapest Metropolitan Court held a preliminary hearing on Wednesday last and heard that the prosecution proposed a 12-year prison sentence without parole and expulsion from Hungary for 10 years if the defendant made a confession and waiver of trial.

The court then referred the case to trial. The proceedings will continue on February 13th next, according to the Hungarian News Agency and Daily News Hungary. The Irish man was remanded in custody by authorities.

A memorial candlelight vigil was held in Budapests Liberty Square on Tuesday night.

Ms Michalskis family flew from the US to Budapest for the court hearing and vigil.

In a social media post Ms Burek Michalski said that her daughters short, amazing life was important and impacted so many. We love you. Endlessly. Always and forever. To infinity and beyond.
Sean McCarthaigh

A special needs assistant (SNA) who was not offered a new contract at a school in Co Waterford because she was pregnant has been awarded compensation of 40,000.

The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that the board of management of St Johns Special School in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, had discriminated against SNA, Amy Beer, on grounds of gender in breach of the Employment Equality Act 1998.

The WRC said it was making the award for the effects of the egregious nature of the schools treatment of the SNA, who was already working in St Johns on a fixed-term contract.

The WRC also ordered the schools board to carry out a review of its procedures and training in relation to its recruitment and selection processes to ensure that they are fair, objective and transparent and comply with employment equality legislation.

It ruled that the school had failed to provide credible evidence that its treatment of Ms Beer, in the process of appointing SNA positions for the school year 2023/24 was not related to her pregnancy.

The WRC said the selection process was tainted and lacked transparency.

WRC adjudication officer, Valerie Murtagh, said she found evidence by the schools principal that she had miscalculated the number of SNA positions available as disjointed, lacking in credibility and unconvincing.

Ms Murtagh said evidence provided by the chair of the board of management also lacked cogency and did not tally with that of the principal and the events as they unfolded.

St Johns Special School had denied that it had discriminated against the SNA and noted it had received 55 applications for positions in the school.

It also pointed out that Ms Beer was offered any vacancy which arose while on maternity leave which she had declined due to the WRC case.

Ms Beer told the WRC that she had informed school management in February 2023 of her pregnancy and later told them informally that she would be taking maternity leave in August 2023.

The SNA said she was also encouraged to apply for a number of positions that were being advertised in June 2023.

However, Ms Beer claimed she was subsequently not offered any position following an interview on June 26th, 2023 which included two members who were aware of her pregnancy.

She told the WRC that she was shocked and confused at the interview because of its short and casual nature.

When she attempted to seek an explanation, Ms Beer said she was phoned by the principal at 9pm but she asked to keep contact formal and in writing.

The SNA said the principal subsequently made cutting remarks in an e-mail and branded her concerns as accusations.

Ms Beer said the principal then attempted to soften the discrimination by stating she was next in line for a position which she said was later corrected by the chairperson of the board of management who stated there were six other candidates in front of her.

The WRC heard she missed the last day of the school year because of stress and did not get to say goodbye to pupils and staff whom she had been working with all year.

She subsequently contacted the boards chairperson to seek clarity about what would happen if more positions became available.

Ms Beer said she was offered a fixed-term contract for one day per week that had become available as she was first on the panel, even though she believed there were others ranked before her.

She told the WRC that she did not accept the principals claim that she had made an error by ranking Ms Beer 10th when she should have been ranked joint 9th.

Ms Beer said the repercussions of the discrimination had been far-reaching beyond immediate financial losses, as she had suffered emotional distress, professional setbacks and a tarnished reputation.

WRC adjudication officer, Valerie Murtagh, noted that Ms Beer had already been performing well in the school, while two of her colleagues who had worked less time in the school than she had were appointed to SNA roles for 2023/24.

She observed that the complainant was the only person not already working in the school not to get a new position.

Ms Murtagh said it was noteworthy that Ms Beer was recommended for a one-year fixed-term contract in an email from the school on June 26th, 2023.

However, she said it was hard to reconcile that fact with the evidence of the principal that she realised the following day that she had overestimated the SNA allocations and vacancies on offer.

In contrast to the evidence of the principal and chair of the board of management, Ms Murtagh said she found Ms Beer a credible witness who had provided clear, cogent and compelling testimony.

The WRC did not uphold a complaint by Ms Beer that she had also been discriminated against on grounds of family status.
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BusinessWorkplaceWorkplace culture I made a bad decision: The woman at the centre of the Coldplay kiss cam scandal breaks her silence Lisa Miller December 19, 2025  5:49am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share A A A

Kristin Cabot has come to believe that her silence no longer serves her. It made sense in the beginning, after she appeared on the Jumbotron, aghast, in the arms of her boss at a Coldplay concert on July 16, 2025, a moment that caused an international furore. The original TikTok received 100 million views within days. Cabot retreated, trying to make things right with the people who mattered most: her two teenage kids; her employer, the tech company Astronomer; and her second husband, Andrew Cabot, from whom she was separated and negotiating a divorce settlement. In the initial phase, all she could think was: Oh, my God, I hurt people. I hurt good people. After months of laying low, Kristin Cabot has opened up. NYT Five months after the TikTok bomb became the defining disaster of her life, she described in her first interview since the concert what it feels like to be a punchline and a target. In online comments she has been called a slut, a homewrecker, a gold digger, a side piece  the usual tags for shaming women. Her appearance has been scrutinised, specific body parts evaluated and found insufficiently pretty. Some of the most famous people in the world have made her humiliation their material. She was doxxed, and for weeks received 500 or 600 calls a day. Paparazzi camped across the street from her house and cars slowly cruised her block, like a parade, she recalled. She received death threats. So while #coldplaygate, as it came to be called, cycled out of view, she lives with it every day. Her children are reluctant to be seen with her. Just before Thanksgiving, a woman recognised her while she was pumping gas. She called Cabot disgusting and said: Adulterers are the lowest form of human. You dont even deserve to breathe the same air that I breathe.

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Related Article Luxury property CEO from Coldplay kiss cam video sells New York apartment for $8.9m I travelled to her home in New Hampshire on a snowy weekend this month, and we hashed over the events of July 16 for hours. For weeks Cabot had been debating, on her own and with family and friends, whether to talk about what happened. Any attempt to correct the record put her at risk of being shredded all over again. But Cabot, 53, came to want to tell the truth, and her children, her mother and her closest friends stood behind her. Cabot hired a communications consultant to help her tell her story while minimising further damage to herself and the people she loves. The two of us started the day in the kitchen. Cabot, her hair twisted up in a bun, was nervous, referring to bullet points as she unspooled her tale. She was not in a sexual relationship with her boss, she said. Before that night, they had never even kissed.

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I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss, she said. And its not nothing. And I took accountability and I gave up my career for that. Thats the price I chose to pay. I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you dont have to be threatened to be killed for them. Cabot came to human resources through advertising and sales and always presented herself as hyper-professional, said her friend Alyson Welch, who worked with her at the tech company neo4j. When, in 2024, Cabot interviewed with Andy Byron, at the time Astronomers CEO, she found they clicked, stylistically. She started as Astronomers chief people officer in November. Cabot filed for divorce from Andrew Cabot, who released a statement confirming that they had been separated at the time of the concert and asking for privacy. NYT In 2025, while grabbing a sandwich near Astronomers New York office, Cabot made reference to her marriage in a tone, as she remembers it, and Byron asked what was up. She was going through a separation, she said. It was stressful, and she worried about her kids.

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Im going through the same thing, she recalled him saying. Reached by phone, Byron declined to be interviewed for this article. For Cabot, the shared acknowledgment sort of strengthened our connection, she said, and a close working relationship grew even closer. At work, they shared confidences and made each other laugh, and for Cabot big feelings grew fast. She began to allow herself to imagine the romantic possibilities, though she knew she couldnt keep reporting to Byron if the relationship progressed. Cabots separation from her husband was still new when she agreed to go with friends to see Coldplay. She liked the band well enough, but what really appealed was being out, with friends, on a summer Wednesday. I hadnt been out in ages, she told me. She asked Byron to be her plus one. Before the concert, Cabot and Byron met up with a small group of Cabots close friends at the Stockyard, an old-school steak joint. The vibe of the evening was open and giddy, agreed two attendees who asked to be anonymous because of what they saw happen to their friend. Loading

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Was any part of her concerned about this outing from an HR perspective? Some inside part of my brain might have been jumping up and down and waving its arms, saying, Dont do this, Cabot replied. But, generally, No. She was pumped to introduce Byron to her friends. I was like: I got this. I can have a crush. I can handle it. On the ride to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Cabot learned, by text, that her soon-to-be former husband was attending the concert, too. It threw me, she conceded. But she and Byron were not an item. Related Article Opinion

Workplace Coldplay kiss cam lifts the lid on an astronomically common issue Tim Duggan Work columnist The seats were on a VIP balcony offering a sweeping view of the stage. Cabot remembers that the setting felt dark and private. She and Byron each had a couple of tequila cocktails, and as the concert went on they began to look like a couple. She made a point of saying that night was the first and only time they kissed. Byron was dancing behind Cabot when she took his hands and wrapped his arms around her. When Cabot saw her own image, and his, on the Jumbotron, it was like someone flipped a switch, she said. Ill never be able to explain it in any articulate or intelligent way, she said. What an instant before felt like joy, joy, joy turned to terror. Cabots hands flew to her face, and she whirled out of Byrons arms. Byron ducked. At that moment, she had two thoughts. First: Andrew Cabot was somewhere in the dark stadium and she did not want to humiliate him.

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And: Andys my boss. I was so embarrassed and so horrified, she said. Im the head of HR and hes the CEO. Its, like, so cliche and so bad. Cabot and Byron fled back to the bar. We both just sat there with our heads in our hands, like, What just happened? Even before leaving the stadium, they began to discuss how to manage their public transgression. And the initial conversation was, We have to tell the board. Cabot has an apartment in the Boston area for when she has custody of her kids, and she and Byron went there to strategise. Who would write the email? What would it say? In her minds eye, she saw the loss of her job and complications in her amicable parting with Andrew Cabot, whom her children adored. And, then, about 4am, Cabot received a text. It was a screenshot of a TikTok. She drove to see her kids, who were staying with their father in Boston. She wanted to talk to them about what happened before they heard it elsewhere. They knew who Andy was, obviously, she told me, and I said, He and I got very swept up in a moment, and now its on social media. Her daughter, who was 14, started to cry.

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Then she drove back to her apartment for a conference call with the Astronomer board. In that conversation, she recalls, they said: Listen. Were human beings. We all make mistakes. But you understand we have to step away and talk about this and figure it out. The company soon began an investigation. On Saturday, Byron resigned. Cabot did not sleep. She spent the weekend pacing, crying and talking on the phone. It felt to her that every producer from every television news show was texting. At some point that weekend, Cabot was doxxed, and her phone flooded. Andy Byron and his chief people officer Kristin Cabot and (right) Chris Martin. She had security cameras installed at her house, and local police boosted their surveillance. After Astronomer concluded its investigation, the company asked Cabot to return to her role, she said. But she could not imagine how she could stand up as HR chief when she was a laughingstock. She negotiated her resignation, which was announced on July 24. (Astronomer declined to comment for this article.) Late summer brought some relief. Cabot filed for divorce from Andrew Cabot, who released a statement confirming that they had been separated at the time of the concert and asking for privacy. (He did not respond to requests for comment. He has been nothing but a gentleman, Cabot said.) She found therapists for the children, who went back to school and were treated with kindness there.

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She and Byron had been in touch all summer. They exchanged news about Astronomer and updates on their families. In early September, they met and agreed that speaking with each other was going to make it too hard for everyone to move on and heal, Cabot told me. Since then, she said, their contact has been minimal. Cabot wants to rebut the assumption that she slept her way to the top. She has worked from the age of 13, having decided she never wanted to depend financially on a man or worry, as her mother did, about a heating bill. Related Article Workplace culture Stunning 24 hours after CEO of $1.5b tech firm appears to be caught out on Coldplay kiss cam In the middle of the worst of it, when she was hiding in her bedroom, she had a fantasy of redemption. Cabot wished for someone with visibility and power to interrupt the spinning, endless, ruthless cycle. She yearned for a rational voice to step in and say, Wait a minute, as she told me. Can we start a conversation where there might be room for a different version of this story? This has gotten really wild. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.

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LifestyleLife & relationshipsAI With ChatGPT, you never have to write another Christmas card. But what kind of person does that make you? Bronte Gossling December 19, 2025  2:15am 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

Carly Scott was making a tree change. But first, she had to leave her job. On her last day, when she opened the farewell card from her former manager, she realised that would have to be left behind too. The offence? It was a little too nice for him to write, says Scott. Handwritten notes, be they a Christmas card or love letter, are meant to be intimate expressions of human emotion. So, do they even count if youve used generative AI to come up with their contents? Aresna Villanueva He had written: You will achieve greatness through your resilience. Nice, if unexceptional. But Scotts Spidey Sense was tingling. It made no sense for someone like him to say that to me because he never really spoke to me or anyone, says Scott, whom he managed for six months. He wasnt the kind of person to do inspirational speeches.

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Loading Personally, I didnt care that my card had AI used on it because I knew it was one of those obligations he had to do, says Scott. But it did feel like a cop-out because he was too lazy to write something [and] pretend to care. Related Article Visual art This artist is a celebrated disruptor. But does her latest project go too far? Nick, a Sydney man who wishes to be identified by his first name only due to privacy reasons, uses ChatGPT for help writing birthday and wedding cards. That doesnt mean they dont come from the heart  Nick says the messages he writes are mainly his own thoughts, memories and ideas.

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Its mainly to get inspiration for the body/filler parts because its easier to pull from ChatGPT than it is to come up with something witty in the moment, he says. We are usually writing the cards in the car as we are pulling up at the event. In theory, its akin to hiring a ghostwriter. J.R. Moehringer wrote Spare, but its Prince Harrys face on the cover. Thats why the memoir moved 3.2 million units globally within its first week of release. What kept people talking about it in the months following  aside from the revelation that he once put Elizabeth Arden lip cream on his frost-nipped penis before Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales royal wedding  was the fact it was the Duke of Sussexs voice pouring out from the pages.

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That can only come from human connection, argues New Zealand wedding celebrant Melanie Vezey. For the couples she marries, Vezey ghostwrites a love letter to read out on their behalf during the ceremony. There are elements of being human that are just not replaceable. Melanie Vezey That involves the couples filling out questionnaires, answering follow-up questions and going back and forth with Vezey, giving feedback and instructions. Part of the skill that a human would have would be [being] able to engage their [intuition], says Vezey. Ive usually met them once on Zoom, and I have a feeling of the synergy between them. Is he more funny? Is she more serious? That kind of stuff. So then I can tune in to write the letters based on that. Related Article HSC Meet the HSC student who built an AI model to detect breast cancer

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Some letters, for which Vezey charges $NZ90 ($79) each, require more emotional intelligence than others. Vezey once had a client ask her to write a final Christmas letter to her terminally ill mother. I said, Oh, thats wonderful. Tell me about her, Vezey recalls. She goes: Well, I hated her guts, but I want closure and I want to say some things and I need to say them properly. You werent there for me and you ruined my life became you showed me how I wanted to be there for my own kids. The client was paying Vezey for a true understanding of her personal circumstance, not an aggregation of publicly available information (LLMs scrape the internet and produce responses based on existing content, including books, journalism and traditional artworks).

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I do not feel that AI can interview you properly  it cant extrapolate. It cant tune in to your feelings, says Vezey. There are elements of being human that are just not replaceable. Sydney copywriter Krisinda Merhi, who charges $300 an hour, has ghostwritten her fair share of letters of wishes, wedding speeches and birthday cards. She can understand how people might sit down and really struggle to write longer-form projects that require more depth, tact or a sounding board. Im almost inclined to say that it feels less OK if its something shorter-form, like a birthday card, says Merhi. Surely you can f---ing write a birthday card. The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
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NationalBondi shooting Opinion My son had planned to be at Bondi. Will hate follow him wherever he goes? Samantha Selinger-Morris Morning Edition podcast host December 19, 2025  2:00am

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Follow our live coverage of the Bondi shooting here. Before I say what Im about to say, I need to tell you one thing. Which is that I, too, know the rapture that seems to spread like liquid through your chest when your toddler sits on you and declares brightly, but matter of factly: I was going to pee on you, but then I realised  youre my joy! Still, as I walked to work on Monday morning, a thought bloomed. Maybe I should never have had my three children. Because, just the night before, on Sunday evening, I had spent hours scrolling through WhatsApp messages from Jewish friends and acquaintances on a group chat. Have they got the shooters? My eldest daughter is there, wrote one. This was only minutes after Naveed and Sajid Akram started shooting their long rifles aimed at Jewish people at Bondi Beach. Mourners embrace at the Bondi memorial. Oscar Colman

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Another wrote of having escaped Bondi on foot, leaving her car there, after running and hiding with her 12-year-old daughter. Yet another friend, who was at the same Hanukkah celebration with her niece, had taken her to the emergency department to remove shrapnel from the childs head. A family member texted to say that a colleagues father had been murdered. My son had planned to be there. He was getting ready to leave for Bondi with friends when he heard the news. As Jews, we know that hate stalks us wherever we go. So, by the next morning, after circling through the immediate, scratchy feelings of panic  what if my son had been there? Do I need to tell my children to not go to communal Jewish gatherings? Ever?  the thought dawned on me: why bring yet another generation of Jewish children into this world?

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Countless leaders and analysts have been saying, on repeat, for the last two years, that we mustnt let overseas hatreds and battles snake their way onto our shores. We cant let our social fabric tear. Each time, Id think: Must be nice to feel that you can escape hatred; simply move out of its path, as you would to let someone pass by on the footpath. Related Article Bondi shooting As if our own daughter were taken from us: Matilda farewelled in funeral for little ray of sunshine Because, as Jews, we know that hate stalks us wherever we go. By the time my grandmother and her family left Poland in 1929, nationwide boycotts of Jewish businesses were being encouraged, and anti-Jewish violence was growing. She moved to Canada, where she was taunted for her foreign accent, and Jews were banned, along with dogs, from visiting Torontos most popular beach. And of course, the hate follows me here, too.

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To think that Jewish people could somehow, if we just tried hard enough, insulate ourselves from hatreds that we see play out overseas. That is a fatal misunderstanding of the threats that Jews, and other groups who are hated wherever they go, have always faced. And now, after the tragic murder of, at the time of writing, 15 innocent people at Bondi, I wonder whether other Australians understanding of who they are, and where we all live, might have changed forever. The lucky country? Maybe, the deluded country? For decades, most people here have lived with a foundational identity myth: that Australians are first and foremost, far away. From everything. So far away, as Robert Hughes put it in The Fatal Shore. Into the 1600s, maps didnt even feature Australia but, rather, an outline with the phrase, Great Southern Land. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Bondi hero Ahmed al Ahmed at St George Hospital on Tuesday, Prime Ministers Office via AP

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And, of course, Australia hasnt moved. The country is still bloody far away from the rest of the world. But that didnt stop the rain of bullets that spilt blood on Australias most famous beach on Sunday. And its no comfort to Peter Meagher, a non-Jewish, and beloved, member of Randwicks Rugby Club, in Sydneys eastern suburbs, who managed to survive the dangerous work as a police officer for nearly 40 years, only to be gunned down at the Hanukkah celebration where he was enjoying his later-in-life passion, photography. Neither he nor any of those killed, such as Holocaust survivor Alexander Kleytman, or 10 year-old Matilda, were saved by the 17,000 or so watery kilometres between Australia and Britain, the so-called Tyranny of Distance, as historian Geoffrey Blainey put it, that kept Australia from the influences of Europe. Related Article Opinion

Bondi shooting PM must return to Bondi and meet the moment James Massola Chief political commentator That this tragedy has brought to light the horrific reality that non-Jewish Australians, too, are now vulnerable to the evil unleashed by ancient hatreds might just be iconically Australian. Its long been said that distance made everything come to Australia late. Colour TV. Contraband copies of Lady Chatterleys Lover. Even the 1960s came to Australia in the 1970s, as the saying goes.

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But this is where my children were born. And its where Ive chosen to raise them. Perhaps we are the canary in the coal mine, a sound of alarm to the rest of you, that you, too, could get caught in the crossfire, as so many non-Jewish Australians were on Sunday evening. But we are truly, tragically, in this together. As are all of our children. Related Article Opinion

Israeli-Palestinian conflict Australia is right to support a two-state solution: former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert Former Israeli prime minister As one non-Jewish colleague wrote to me on Monday, to express empathy over the violence that had struck the Jewish community: You despair for the kids who think this is how the world is now. I remember being seven, and the only thing I had to worry about was finding a tap in somebodys front yard to drink from after riding my bike around unsupervised all day.

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His was just one of countless messages Ive received from friends and colleagues. Of support, and love. Some wrote to pass on messages to my children, to let them know: We are standing with Jewish Aussies. We may be in this horrific new (and old) world together. But lets really be in it together, in the best of ways. Lets help keep each others children safe. Because, like yours, mine are truly the best of me. Samantha Selinger-Morris is the host of The Morning Edition for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
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WorldMiddle EastIsraeli-Palestinian conflict Opinion Australia is right to support a two-state solution: former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert Former Israeli prime minister December 18, 2025  8:47am

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Australias support of a two-state solution in the Middle East is better for securing Israel than the messianic desire of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus partners to annex the territories and ethnically cleanse Gaza of its inhabitants. The atrocious terrorist attack that befell Sydney on Sunday was not a random act of violence. It targeted the peaceful Jewish community of Australia and was fuelled by hatred spread intentionally and insistently by a web of malignant anti-Jewish actors. Unfortunately, there has not always been a forceful enough reaction by senior Australian government authorities to some violent anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish events. A lifeguard places flowers at the memorial for the mass-shooting victims at the Bondi Pavilion. Jessica Hromas It is precisely because of the real and deadly threats faced by Jews around the globe that leaders of the Israeli and Jewish communities have a sacred obligation to address these threats with candour, intelligence and rigour. This is a test that Netanyahu failed utterly in his recent disingenuous, opportunistic broadside against the Australian government. And it is why I want to react to some of Netanyahus most blatant and counter-productive fallacies. Netanyahu baselessly asserted that the Australian governments position in favour of a Palestinian state poured fuel on the antisemitic fire that caused this horror. This is worse than nonsense.

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While I am not always on the same page with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese  and I was disappointed several times when his reactions sounded more anti-Israel than against the Israeli government  I share with him the same perception that a two-state solution is the only possible solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And it is essential for Israels long-term security. If supporting a non-militarised Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel is antisemitism, then many, many Israelis  I being one of them  are in that same place. Related Article Updated

Bondi shooting You let the disease spread: Netanyahu accuses Albanese of failing to curb antisemitism Australia, and particularly Sydney, a city I love, were the focus of some of the most aggressive riots against Israel and Jews immediately after the carnage on October 7, 2023. The antisemitic chants emanating in those days from a hateful few can never be forgotten or forgiven. However, to accuse the government of Australia or its prime minister of promoting and fuelling antisemitism is outrageous, ugly and unjustified. Much more absolutely must be done to counter intolerably rising antisemitism in Australia. But contrary to Netanyahus assertions, the Australian government has taken some important steps under current leadership. To accuse the government of Australia or its prime minister of promoting and fuelling antisemitism is outrageous, ugly and unjustified.

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Some highlights to date include the Australian Federal Polices Operation Avalite to investigate antisemitic acts, unmasking Irans role behind antisemitic arson attacks and then expelling the Iranian ambassador (the first since Japans ambassador was expelled in World War II), assuming new powers to tackle state-sponsored terrorism and domestic hate crimes, and spending $25 million to increase security at Jewish community sites. The appointment of Jillian Segal as Australias first special envoy to combat antisemitism was another important step  one that must now be quickly followed by rigorous implementation of her recommendations. All of Australian society must work against antisemitism. Thankfully, the reactions this week give reason for hope. The weeping crowds at the Bondi memorial have included all of Australias renowned multicultural community. Clergy from every faith have condemned the violence, offered love to Australias Jews, and asked everyone to transcend hate so that we may live together in peace. Though it follows an unspeakable horror, this week in Sydney the loving majority rose up to drown out the hateful few. May it continue to be so. Related Article Updated

Bondi shooting All we know five days after the Bondi terror attack The ultimate lesson from Bondi, and from our broader conflict in the Middle East, remains this: We must live together as brothers, or perish together as fools, as Dr Martin Luther King Jr wisely put it. In living that lesson, I hope you take inspiration from the selfless example of Ahmed al Ahmed, the brave Syrian-born Australian Muslim father-of-two, who risked his life by rushing in to save Jews and all endangered innocents at Bondi. Please tune out Israels PM Bibi Netanyahu, who exploits tragedy to attack allies, only to deflect from his own profound failures as a leader. His spurious inflammation and many leadership failings effect Jewish safety everywhere. Australias Jews  just like Israels Jews  deserve far better leadership than that.

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Our urgent mission, which Israelis and our allies must pursue together, is to keep working for a lasting, secure peace, including a two-state resolution. May your painfully fresh imperative to ensure Jewish safety spur these efforts forward, rather than derail them. Our shared future depends on it. Ehud Olmert served as Israeli prime minister from 2006 until 2009.
President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Azernews reports.

"Dear Ilham Heydar oglu,

Please accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

Under your wise leadership, fraternal Azerbaijan has achieved remarkable successes in strengthening its statehood, enhancing its international authority, and improving the well-being of its people.

I would like to express my satisfaction that Turkmen-Azerbaijani relations, founded on strong principles of good neighborliness, friendship, and mutual understanding, have recently gained new momentum. These relations are distinguished by a high level of mutual trust and openness, providing a solid foundation for their continued successful development.

On this joyful occasion, I wholeheartedly wish you robust health, happiness, family well-being, and continued success in your state activities, as well as peace, further progress, and prosperity to the fraternal people of Azerbaijan," the letter reads.
BEIJING, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with U.S. computer processor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices' CEO Lisa Su in Beijing on Thursday, according to a statement released by Wang's ministry on Friday.

"The two sides exchanged views on the company's business development in China and strengthening cooperation with China," the ministry said, without providing further details.

More from Yahoo Scout How might this affect US-China tech cooperation? What did Chinese officials discuss with AMD's CEO? Why is AMD's China business relationship significant? What are the implications of this meeting timing?

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Joe Bavier)
Citadel is the latest hedge fund to announce it will set up shop in the Gulf, choosing Dubai as its first location in the region. The move is a win for the UAEs most populous emirate, which is competing fiercely with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for global financial hub status. The new office will open sometime next year and is meant to help the $74 billion firm, helmed by Ken Griffin, achieve 24-hour coverage for trading, Bloomberg reported.

DIFC, Dubais financial district, now hosts more than 100 hedge funds, double the number at the start of last year, though it is still far behind established centers such as New York and Hong Kong.

 Kelsey Warner
Clara Resources Australia has signed a binding agreement for the 100% acquisition of the Hodgkinson Basin gold project in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Situated around 90km west of Cairns, the project comprises three granted exploration permits for minerals (EPMs), covering a tenement package of 265km in the historically productive gold region.

These tenements are located within the Hodgkinson province, a geological terrane that yielded more than 1.6 million ounces (moz) of gold from the Palmer River and Hodgkinson goldfields in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The tenement spans more than 13km of a major regional shear zone and contains in excess of 130 historical exploration drill-holes, providing a solid platform for follow-up geological evaluation.

Despite its closeness to historic mining operations, it remains comparatively under-explored, offering considerable potential for new discoveries.

To complete the acquisition, Clara will issue 533,333,333 shares and make staged cash payments totalling A$1.25m ($820,000) .

Completion of the deal is contingent upon shareholder approval and other standard conditions.

Clara plans to implement a two-stage exploration programme in 2026, targeting rapid advancement of the project towards an initial Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant mineral resource estimate while evaluating zones with strong exploration upside.

Clara managing director Peter Westerhuis said: This is a transformational acquisition for Clara Resources. The Hodgkinson Basin is a world-class gold province that has been overlooked for many years. The historical high-grade drill results, combined with the extensive strike length of the mineralised system, give us great confidence in the potential of this project.

We have a clear strategy to rapidly unlock this potential through a systematic and aggressive exploration programme in 2026. This will be a very exciting year for Clara as we simultaneously progress the Ashford Coking Coal Project to pre-feasibility study status.

Clara has appointed Cerberus Advisory and HopgoodGanim Lawyers as its financial and legal advisors for the transaction, which will support the company through the acquisition process.

In July 2024, Clara completed the acquisition of Renison Coal, which owns the Ashford coking coal project in New South Wales, Australia.

"Clara signs binding agreement for Hodgkinson Basin gold project acquisition" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Leesville, LA (71446)

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As holiday celebrations increase traffic and social gatherings across Nebraska, the Kimball Police Department is taking part in a statewide enforcement effort aimed at reducing impaired driving and improving roadway safety during the holiday season.

The department is participating in the nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, running from Dec. 10, 2025, through Jan. 1, 2026. The initiative is coordinated through the Nebraska Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office (NDOT HSO) and supported by grant funding that allows local agencies to increase enforcement during high-risk periods.

Chief of Police Jose Ruiz said the Kimball Police Department actively seeks grant opportunities that support proactive public safety efforts. He explained that applying for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over grant was a priority because it helps fund prevention-based enforcement during times when impaired driving is more likely to occur, adding that the time spent pursuing grants is time well invested for the community.

During the campaign period, Kimball officers will increase patrols and place a heightened focus on impaired driving. Officials say the goal is not only enforcement, but prevention  encouraging drivers to make responsible decisions before tragedies occur.

Impaired driving remains a serious concern statewide. According to NDOT Highway Safety Office data, Nebraska recorded more than 6,300 DUI offenses last year. Alcohol-related crashes accounted for more than 200 incidents, including dozens that resulted in fatal or serious injuries. During a similar holiday campaign in 2024, participating law enforcement agencies issued more than 250 citations for impaired driving.

Grant funding through NDOT HSO allows departments like Kimball Police to expand enforcement efforts without diverting resources from other essential public safety responsibilities. Ruiz said the departments approach focuses on reducing risk through visibility, education, and targeted enforcement rather than simply responding after an incident has occurred.

Kimball Police encourage residents to plan ahead by designating a sober driver, arranging a ride, or stepping in to prevent a friend or family member from driving impaired. Officials remind the public that impairment can result from alcohol, drugs, or certain prescription medications.

Anyone who observes a suspected impaired driver is encouraged to call 911 or the Nebraska State Patrol hotline at *55.
Plans Emerge For Main Street Market To Change Hands, Be Locally Owned

For residents of Kimball, Main Street Market is more than just a grocery store  it is the town's only local source for fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and household necessities. When a notice appeared on the store's front door earlier this week outlining financial challenges and the possibility of closure, concern quickly spread throughout the community.

That concern has sparked action.

Community leaders announced this week that a proposed agreement has been reached to transition the Kimball grocery store into local ownership, a move designed to ensure continued access to a community-focused grocery store for years to come.

According to a press release issued Tuesday, shares of the Kimball Coop Food Store will be made available to the public for $100 per share, with up to 2,000 shares offered. Community members who invest will become local shareholders and play a role in shaping the future of the store.

The plan calls for the formation of a local board of directors to oversee operations, with dividends distributed to shareholders. The initiative prioritizes local management, local hiring, and community involvement in both employment and decision-making.

An open house meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, December 22, from 37 p.m. in the Sagebrush Meadowlark Room, where Kimball Mayor John Morrison and Kim Baliman will present additional details, answer questions, and outline next steps.

Residents who are unable to attend but are interested in purchasing shares are encouraged to contact Morrison or Baliman directly.

Legacy Cooperative Clarifies Position

The local ownership announcement follows recent clarification from Legacy Cooperative regarding the store's future.

In an email to the Western Nebraska Observer, Legacy Cooperative President and CEO Charlie Wright said a letter was mailed Monday, Dec. 15, to cooperative members in the Kimball area explaining the situation and outlining the cooperative's intent.

"A letter to our Cooperative members in the Kimball area was mailed today," Wright wrote. "With that in mind, I relayed that information to the employees this morning before they started receiving questions."

Wright said the letter was intended to encourage interest from potential operators  and that effort was successful.

"It was my hope that this letter would move interested parties into contacting us about assuming operation of this entity, which in fact it did," Wright said. "I have been contacted by several legitimate persons that I believe will take over operation of this store and keep the service going for this community."

Wright acknowledged that emotions have run high.

"I have also been contacted by several disgruntled folks pointing out how stupid, heartless, how can I sleep at night folks," he wrote.

According to Wright, the Kimball grocery store has operated at a loss for more than 15 years.

"This business for us has lost money for over 15 years, through many different CEOs' reign," Wright said. "At some point lending institutions question the ongoing subsidizing of operations such as this."

He emphasized that the situation does not reflect financial trouble for Legacy Cooperative as a whole.

"By no means is this to imply that Legacy Cooperative is in financial straits, as our balance sheet is very strong," Wright said. "Yet continued losses will put that in jeopardy."

Wright also clarified that there is no planned closure date.

"There is no planned closure time," he wrote. "Our goal is to find a new operator and we will continue to operate until that is accomplished, or it becomes evident that no one is able to take this on. Again, I feel confident that qualified individuals are interested and will take over."

Store Manager, Employees, Community Speak Out

Store manager Troy Harper said he has remained committed to keeping the store open and believes the new community-led plan aligns with that goal.

"I'm not willing to accept that these doors could shut," Harper told the Observer. "What would the elderly people in our community do without this store?"

Harper said Wright informed him that several individuals had already expressed interest in assuming operations.

"I would do anything I could to keep this store open," Harper said. "I have built my life here and am not planning to leave. I need someone to step up to the plate and partner up with me so we can save this store."

Harper added that if a transition can occur soon, service could continue without interruption.

Employees also shared concerns during the period of uncertainty.

Sarah Dangler, who works at Main Street Market, said she had recently been hired on full time.

"I just got hired on full time last week," Dangler said. "Hopefully someone buys the store before we all go hungry and jobless."

Another employee, who asked not to be named, said the announcement came unexpectedly.

"I didn't have any advance warning," the employee told the Observer. "I just found out Monday morning when a sign was put up."

Despite the uncertainty, employees continued reporting to work while discussions unfolded.

Community leaders and residents stressed the importance of the store, particularly for older residents and those with limited transportation.

Eileen Rowley, site manager at the Friendship Center, said many residents rely on the grocery store for independence.

"The people of this town cannot get by without a grocery store," Rowley said. "What about the older folks who get their groceries delivered, and those who need help carrying their groceries out? They can't travel 30-plus miles to pick up groceries. Somebody is going to have to do something about this."

Longtime Kimball resident Scott Lockwood echoed those concerns. Lockwood is a lifetime resident of Kimball, as are his parents, and his son Dalton, his wife and growing family.

"It would be a shame to lose this store," Lockwood said. "The better part of our community is aged and cannot travel to buy their groceries. It would be detrimental to lose it."

He added with a smile, "If I win the Powerball, I'll buy Main Street Market and keep it alive."

Looking Ahead

As interest from potential operators continues and a community-led ownership model takes shape, many in Kimball say they are hopeful the town's only grocery store can remain open under local control.

Additional details about the proposed transition are expected to be shared during the Dec. 22 open house meeting.
Kimball Health Services will welcome a highly trained, triple board-certified surgeon this January, expanding access to specialized surgical care for local patients.

Dr. Todd Zuhlke, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, hand surgeon and general surgeon, will begin seeing patients at Kimball Health Services starting in January. His arrival marks another milestone in the continued growth of specialty services offered locally.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Zuhlke earned his Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude from the University of WisconsinMadison, graduating with honors and distinction in biochemistry and molecular biology. Prior to pursuing a medical career, he served for seven years as a police officer with the City of Madison Police Department.

Zuhlke completed medical school at the University of Wisconsin before undertaking an internship at Rush University Medical Center and Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He went on to complete two residencies  one in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona and another in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He later completed a fellowship in orthopedic surgery of the upper extremity and hand at The Hand Center of San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center, training under internationally recognized surgeons.

He specializes in hand surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery including aesthetic procedures and microsurgery, with additional accredited training focused on conditions and injuries of the upper extremity.

Dr. Zuhlke will be a great addition to KHS, said Cassie Gasseling, Kimball Health Services CEO. With the industries we have in the area, hand and wrist conditions are prevalent, whether from injuries or everyday wear and tear. It will be great to have Dr. Zuhlke in town so that our patients dont have to travel outside of town for this specialized care.

Zuhlke is scheduled to travel to Kimball four days each month, with a typical schedule of two clinic days and two surgery days.

Kimball Health Services surgical department has continued to grow since the opening of its new facility. In fiscal year 2025, KHS performed 159 surgeries, in addition to 257 endoscopic and pain management procedures. Orthopedic, ear, nose and throat, and general surgeries have been among the most common procedures performed.

Zuhlke is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and holds memberships in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery. He has authored numerous scientific publications and emphasizes patient education and shared decision-making as key components of quality care.

Since relocating to Colorado in 2016, Zuhlke and his family have embraced an active outdoor lifestyle. He and his wife, who is also a surgeon, have two young sons and two rescued greyhounds. In his free time, he enjoys art, running, hiking, cooking, woodworking and travel.

Patients interested in learning more about Dr. Zuhlkes services may contact Kimball Health Services for additional information or scheduling details.
A new state benefit is on the way for Nebraskas disabled veterans, and local officials want to be sure the public has a clear understanding of what it provides. Beginning Jan. 1., qualified disabled veterans will be able to receive an exemption from the motor vehicle tax and motor vehicle fee on one vehicle they personally own and use for transportation.

Darcee Wheeland, the Veterans Service Office coordinator for Kimball County, said she is thrilled to see this new option become available. At the same time, she worries that some reports have presented the information in ways that may unintentionally confuse veterans about what is covered.

This is an exciting addition to the benefits offered to disabled veterans, she said, but its important that people understand exactly what is being offered so they can make full use of it.

The new exemption stems from LB650, passed into law in 2025. It removes only the motor vehicle tax and the motor vehicle fee for one vehicle. It does not cover sales tax, specialty plate fees, wheel tax (in communities that have one), or other registration-related charges outside the two specific categories outlined by the state.

To qualify, a veteran must meet one of two definitions. The first applies to individuals who served on active duty in the armed forces, separated under honorable conditions, and have a service-connected disability rating from the VA, even if that rating is 0 percent. The second applies to veterans who are receiving VA compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension due to a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department. In general terms, if the VA formally recognizes a veterans disability or pays disability-related benefits, the veteran will likely meet the eligibility threshold.

Any veteran wishing to receive the exemption must first be listed in the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs Military and Veterans Registry. Applications or updates can be submitted online, through an NDVA state service officer, or by working directly with the county veterans service officer. The state advises applicants that registry updates may take up to 48 hours to become visible in the DMV system, so early action is recommended.

When it comes time to renew or register a vehicle, veterans will need to let the county treasurers staff know they qualify. Those who renew online will see a Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption option to select. Timing is important: the request must be made within 30 days of purchasing a vehicle or before the final day of the month during a regular renewal cycle. Requests made after those deadlines will take effect the next time the registration comes due.

Wheeland said her office is more than ready to help walk veterans through the process. I want to make sure veterans here in Kimball County understand how to access this benefit, she said. If anyone has questions about eligibility, paperwork, or the application steps, please contact my office. I am here to help.

The Kimball County Veterans Service Office is located at 114 E 3rd Street, Suite 2, in Kimball. Darcee Wheeland can be reached at 308-235-3141. Fax inquiries may be sent to 308-235-3000.

Additional details about the exemption, eligibility requirements, and the application process can be found at veterans.nebraska.gov/vehicletax. A full directory of county veterans service officers is available at veterans.nebraska.gov/cvso.
A councillor has said the proposed Mary Robinson Centre in Ballina is "in limbo".

Westport-based Fine Gael Cllr Peter Flynn referred to the project during a recent discussion on the councils 2024 end-of-year audit report.

Principal auditor Ray Lavin noted the council had informed him that the overall cost of this project is expected to amount to about 5.3 million, excluding fit-out costs. The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Gaeltacht had committed 2m to the project, of which 1.74m has been received, with the remaining 250,000 allocated towards the fit-out. The Mary Robinson Foundation has committed 1.1m, of which 300,000 is received.

"During 2024, the Council spent approximately 125,000 and allocated funding of 730,000 from reserves to this project. There a closing debit balance on this project at the end of 2024 of 2.24m (2.85m in 2023).

Chief executive Kevin Kelly said the council "remains in dialogue with the Mary Robinson Foundation in respect of the funding and fit-out and efforts will continue in this regard to facilitate the opening of the facility".

Cllr Flynn said the project "lingers on and we still have no solution to it".

"I hope we will get work where the project is ongoing but dont know where the funding is going to come from, so right now it is still in limbo and that is not good for anyone.

Cllr Michael Loftus added: Something definitely needs to be done. The building in Ballina is just deteriorating and works will cost us so much more in the future.
A councillor has expressed concern over water outages in the Bonniconlon area.

Cllr John OHara told last weeks meeting of Ballina Municipal District that the water supply has been coming on and off in Bonniconlon, especially in homes located on higher ground.

In the last month, weve had water outages that can last up to two days in Bonniconlon. Then we might get two days of water before it goes off again."

Cllr O'Hara called on Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) to invest in a new reservoir for Bonniconlon to address the issue.

There has been as much spent repairing pipes as could have been spent replacing them. Mayo County Council do a fantastic job making the repairs but the infrastructure isnt there.

Im calling on Irish Water to get this done. There is water out somewhere every day and it is impacting businesses. We have hairdressers having to use water in bottles, he said.

Were living in a democracy and people should have water. They ring Irish Water and get stuck on hold for 15 or 20 minutes.

Cllr Jarlath Munnelly agreed and suggested that the council write to Uisce Eireann to ask that short-term measures are implemented to address the ongoing outages in Bonniconlon until the longer term solution of a reservoir is developed.
Local councillors have called for an end to the awful and inhumane system whereby people who avail of the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) are suddenly uprooted from areas where they have settled and then moved elsewhere.

There are currently 4,700 Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) from Ukraine and over 1,500 IPAS users living in Mayo.

Head of Integration with Mayo County Council Anna Connor presented these figures before last weeks meeting of the Community, Integration and Recreation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC). She said there are 3,838 BOTP living in the community in Mayo with a further 887 living in accommodation centres. Broken down by municipal district, there are 990 living in Castlebar, 764 in Claremorris, 687 in Westport, 669 in Ballina, 375 in Belmullet and 35 in Swinford. Nationally, there are a total of 20,835 BOTP.

Ms Connor said there were 14 IPAS centres operating in Mayo, housing a total of 1,562 residents, 344 who have status to remain and 745 of whom are children. Nationally, there are 32,879 people living in IPAS centres.

She added the council has launched research into childcare to better understand the implications of specific challenges for IPAS and BOTP in terms of accessing childcare facilities and expect a report on that by the next SPC meeting.

Cllr Ger Deere said from his role in Castlebar Tidy Towns, he has seen Ukrainians and IPAS residents integrating well, working hard and wanting to be actively involved in their local community. However, he said the awful system of families and individuals being suddenly moved has to come to an end.

They want to work and be part of our community but when they settle and suddenly have to move, its crazy, he said. "Twenty-five families living locally got notice that they were suddenly to be transferred all around the country, its an awful system. Moving them on at short notice is inhumane and no one has ever given a rationale behind it.

Cllr John OMalley said if people settle in an area, there should be efforts made to keep them in that area while they are living in Ireland.

When people get uprooted and moved, it causes awful upset, he said.

Cllr Patsy OBrien called on the Government to ensure that there are sufficient services available and that existing services are not stretched as a result of the population increase arising from BOTP and IPAS in Mayo.

Ms Connor said families moving in the IPAS system is something that happens at national level and is outside the control of the council.

Director of Services Joanne Grehan said there is a need to take control of the narrative and shine a light on positive stories of integration.
Coinbase (COIN) is taking its biggest step yet into the broader financial sector. On Wednesday, the company announced customers will now be able to trade stocks on its platform, and also place bets on a wide range of events through a partnership with prediction market startup Kalshi.

The moves signal that Coinbase is moving beyond its longtime roots as a cryptocurrency company, and are likely to intensify its rivalry with fintech firms like Robinhood (HOOD).

En savoir plus sur Yahoo Scout Why is Coinbase expanding into stock trading now? How does tokenization benefit Coinbase's new strategy? How will Coinbase compete with Robinhood directly? What are prediction markets and Kalshi partnership?

The stock trading and prediction markets announcements came at a San Francisco event titled System Upgrade that featured stage presentations by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and other executives, who also announced new trading features and a platform called Coinbase Business aimed at startups and small businesses. The event comes as the company is seeking to brand itself as an everything exchange.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong  Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images

Notably, the company did not announce a release date for its own cryptocurrency token, which executives have teased in recent months, but without providing additional details beyond saying they want to ensure any token launch takes place in a fair manner.

The new stock trading feature is the most significant announcement by far as it will be a crucial test of whether Coinbase can leverage its dominant crypto brand to expand into other sectors. It will also allow it to compete more directly with Robinhood, which made its name as a stock-trading app, but has since made significant inroads into crypto.

Coinbase will initially offer only a curated list of major stocks and ETFs, but says it will expand this to thousands of other stocks in coming months. The company says stock trading will be available 24 hours a day on five days of the week, and that there will be no fee to trade. Early next year, Coinbase plans to roll out perpetual futures for stocksa type of derivative pioneered by the crypto industry that lets traders hold options that do not expire. The perpetual futures offering will only be available outside the U.S.

Coinbases new stock offerings come at a time when the financial market is beginning to embrace tokenization. The term describes turning a variety of assets into tokens that can be traded on a blockchain, a process that results in near-instant settlement and allows traders to more efficiently deploy collateral. Currently, firms like BlackRock are offering tokenized versions of Treasury bill and money-market funds. Tokenized stock offerings are still at a preliminary stage, but are expected to gain traction rapidly, which could play to Coinbases strengths given the firms longtime crypto expertise.
What will we do if our way of making our way in the world disappears? What happens then? We had better get our thinking caps on because we might just need to know the answer.

We make our money in Ireland from being in the European Union (EU), from our membership of the EUs Single Market. The sharing of our decision-making powers  and thus our sovereignty  with our fellow EU member states is how that market operates and survives. We got a lesson on that during Brexit. That is our Plan A.

We should be under no illusions about how important it is. You can list off all sorts of industries and sectors of our economy that dont trade into the Single Market, and that list might seem impressive  and it might fool you. Because if we werent in the Single Market, most of those industries wouldnt amount to much. Why? Because they rely on the income and wealth that comes from our primary source of both: the EUs Single Market. And if you looked at what we would take in and have to spend without our Single Market membership, you would be looking at a lot less money to pay pensions and social welfare, and for hospitals, and all the rest of it.

Our business model rests on membership of the Single Market, which sees American companies invest here to sell into big European markets, like France. Its the third business model we have had since independence. From 1922-'32 we went for political independence without changing much about the economy. We painted the post boxes green and hoped we could continue to sell cattle to England without customs duties. We were under Englands thumb economically as sure as we were in Daniel OConnells time.

From 1932 until the late 1950s, with a more nationalistic mindset driving us on, we went for protection. Close ourselves off to the world, put up high tariff barriers, and try and build a few essential industries to sit alongside a primarily rural economy. We removed the oath of allegiance to the King, we got rid of the Governor General, we gave ourselves a new constitution. Politically a lot happened. Economically, less so.

Because by the 1950s the absolute absurdity of a small country with no native capital trying to go it alone was laid bare. Like a star dying, by 1959 the country was collapsing inwards. While the rest of Western Europe boomed post war, we were on the verge of becoming a failed state. The population was declining as everyone with energy and who had the means got out  many of them to build England, not Ireland.

From then on, we opened our economy; invited inward investment; made things here to sell them elsewhere; educated our people to work in the industries this policy would create. For all our problems today, Plan A has worked really well. It has transformed us.

If the EU and its Single Market were to fail over the next few years, we are going to need a Plan B.

Why would it fail you might say? Well, if you listened to what makes up much of our national debates about international matters, you might well wonder why anyone would think such a thing. But what have we learned over the last few years is that just because something exists doesnt mean it is going to continue to stay that way.

There are plenty of reasons that the EU might fail. We now know that the American government openly opposes the continued existence of the EU. You might say in response that this is only one of President Trumps more wild schemes, and it might not come to anything. But the fact that it is being openly promoted should make us stop in our tracks, because it was once unthinkable and now it isnt.

We also all know the pressures on the EU from the other side of our continent, and on top of that, many people inside the EU itself want it gone. The French state is overwhelmed with debt. The government can make no significant decisions, hopelessly caught between extreme left and extreme right views  both of which are opposed to the very basics of the EU. If one of those forces win the French Presidency next time, the EU is in big trouble. And that is only France.

What would we do in the scenario of an EU collapse? Will we have to go back to protectionism? Put up tariff barriers to Make Ireland Great Again? You might say that we would never do that, but if there is no EU, we will find that the tariff barriers are in our face not in our power. When you are small and rely on exports, its not much of a strategy.

Some might say dont worry, look at Switzerland and Norway: theyre small and they manage just fine without the EU. Well, I suppose they do if you dont factor in that they align their economies and pay a load of money to access the EU Market. But even if you discount that, do we have enough capital built up here in Ireland, like Switzerland, the holder of vast amounts of the worlds wealth, to try and go it alone? Could we amass an almost $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund like Norway has? And they didnt get it from selling fish, but from finding gas in the North Sea. Maybe we can hope to discover a natural resource like that, and live high on the hog off it, but it doesnt seem very likely.

And so, if the EU fails, will we not find ourselves inevitably back under the economic control of our nearest and biggest neighbour? Because in a world where we dont have an EU, big states will dominate small ones as sure as night follows day. That is why so many people around the world want rid of it.

If you hear any voices around here agreeing with them, perhaps you might ask how they see our future unfolding once the EU is gone. And if they tell you all about the problems and limitations of Plan A by way of response, you might remind them thats not actually a plan.
Gordon Deegan

Pre-tax profits at the Cork-based company that operates Trabolgan Holiday Village last year increased 12 per cent to 8.4 million on the back of record revenues.

New accounts for Trabolgan Holiday Centre Ltd show that pre-tax profits increased as the company enjoyed its best revenues of 14.41 million in the 12 months to the end of December 26th last.

Revenues increased by 11 per cent from 12.59 per cent to 14.4 million on the back of the firm providing accommodation to Ukrainians.

The pre-tax profits of 8.4 million last year follow pre-tax profits of 7.49 million in 2023.

The company recorded post-tax profits of 7.33 million after incurring a corporation tax charge of 1.06m.

Figures from the Dept of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth show that Trabolgan Holiday Centre last year received 15 million (incl VAT) for accommodating Ukrainians while payments for the first three quarters of this year show that the company has received 8.59 million (incl VAT).

The directors state that the principal activity of the company is the ownership and operation of a holiday centre.

They state that since March 2022, the holiday centre made some accommodation available to The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) for the provision of accommodation to Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) and the level of accommodation provided increased following closure of the holiday park for extensive renovation works in November 2022.

In their report, the directors state that while the holiday village remains closed to the general public to facilitate extensive renovations, it has made available to Ukrainian BOTP its accommodation units.

They state that the holiday village will remain closed for the 2025 financial year.

On future developments, the directors state that the company has extended its services to include the purchase and sale of mobile homes for use on a serviced mobile home site that it has developed and from which it will earn service fees.

The Ukrainian business has greatly increased the companys balance sheet, with shareholder funds increasing from 13.99 million to 21.3 million. Cash funds increased from 2.2 million to 3.57 million.

Numbers employed in 2024 decreased from 56 to 54 as staff costs increased from 2.58 million to 2.9 million.

Pay to directors last year increased from 718,994 to 935,610, made up of directors remuneration of 515,254 and pension contributions of 420,356.

The profit takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of 784,645.
By Grainne Ni Aodha, Press Association

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on Keir Starmer to intervene in the case of pro-Palestine hunger strikers in Britain.

Some of the eight prisoners, who are accused of break-ins or criminal damage on behalf of Palestine Action, have been taken to hospital.

The hunger strike began in early November in protest at being held in custody while awaiting trial.

Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald has written to the British Prime Minister, Starmer calling on him to urgently intervene before someone dies.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (PA)

Ms McDonald said: Today I wrote to the British Prime Minister to express my concern at the life-threatening situation facing six prisoners in Britain who are currently on hunger strike.

This protest has arisen as a result of the lengthy pre-trial detention of these individuals following arrests in actions to stop the genocide in Gaza.

Some of the individuals have been held for more than a year without trial.

The health of those on hunger strike has deteriorated significantly in recent days, and there is an immediate concern about Qesser Zuhrah who has been moved to the hospital after 47 days on hunger strike.

This is now a serious humanitarian crisis.

Urgent action is needed, and I have urged the British Prime Minister to engage directly to find an immediate resolution to this protest.

The right to a fair and timely trial, including access to reasonable bail, is fundamental in any democratic society and must be upheld without exception.

The eight prisoners on hunger strike are facing charges related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage on behalf of Palestine Action before the group was banned under terrorism legislation  charges which they deny and have called to be dropped.

Four of the group are accused of playing roles in the break-in to an Israeli-linked defence firm in 2024 and are due to go on trial in May next year at the earliest.

The other four are accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton in June, where it is alleged they caused millions of pounds' worth of damage to two military jets.
Declan Brennan and Claire Henry

A young Donegal man who was 16 when he orally raped a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for one year.

Jason McLaughlin of Cashel, Gleneely, Co Donegal pleaded guilty to oral rape at a place in Culdaff, Co Donegal on an unknown date in January 2022.

The court heard that McLaughlin got the young girl to perform oral sex on him after they met behind Culdaff filling station.

Fionnuala O'Sullivan SC, prosecuting, told the court that the injured party wished to have McLaughlin named but did not wish for her name to be published.

The parties knew each other, and the victim had arranged to meet McLaughlin to borrow a phone charger.

Before imposing sentence on Thursday Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said it was worrying that the defendant is still saying that the activity was consensual, referring to the Probation Service report before the court. She also noted that McLaughlin told the Probation Services the injured party was lying.

Ms O'Sullivan told Justice Ring that while it is the position of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) that the complainant could not legally consent because of her age, the DPP does not accept any assertion that she did consent.

Justice Ring noted as aggravating factors the breach of trust and the fact that the defendant had overpowered the victim. She also noted that the injured party had reluctantly gone with McLaughlin to a dark place on a January night, where she was isolated and away from others.

Ms Justice Ring said she was taking into consideration as mitigating factors his lack of previous convictions, his employment record, that he has not come to any adverse garda attentions since this incident and that he comes from a good supportive family.

The judge said, This is sadly yet another case where there was a lack of knowledge or a disregard for consent.

She highlighted that consent is an active discussion and that the days of she did not fight back or run away have passed.

She said there are not enough people speaking out on social media about consent. The judge said that McLaughlin had accessed pornography from a young age and that pornography may be freely accessible, but it comes with a heavy price of jail.

Ms Justice Ring sentenced McLaughlin to two and a half years in prison and suspended the final 18 months for one year. She also placed him under the supervision of the Probation Services for one year post-release, and that he carry out all directions deemed necessary by them.

She ordered that the token of remorse brought to court by McLaughlin in the sum of 10,000 be paid to the injured party in January 2026.

Sadly, in the last month alone, two young men from good families with no previous convictions have ended up serving prison sentences. As a society, we must do better for both the defendants and the injured parties, the judge said.

Garda John Gallagher told Ms OSullivan that on the night of the incident, the victim had a row with her mother over a phone charger. She contacted McLaughlin and another boy and asked to meet them to borrow a charger.

When they met, the defendant asked the girl if she wanted to go with him, but she said no and said she had a boyfriend. The two went behind a filling station, then, while there, he assaulted her, Garda Gallagher testified.

Afterwards the defendant went back to his friend, who was waiting in a tractor, and the girl ran home and was crying.

The offending came to light in July that year after the girl told her mother what had happened. When gardai interviewed McLaughlin in 2023, he confirmed that he was aged 16 at the time and knew she was aged 14. He told gardai that she had given him a blowjob and he had ejaculated.

Gda Gallagher agreed with Shane Costelloe SC, defending, that his client came from a good family and that he had never come to adverse garda attention before or since this offence. Counsel handed in three character references which speak to his character and view this crime as out of character.

Mr Costelloe said his client was naive and struggled to understand the ways of the world.

He said that while he had received some sexual education in school, this did not extend to the law around consent.

He submitted to the court that since 2022, the Department of Education has run a programme in secondary school dealing specifically dealing with the issue of consent. Justice Ring noted that the courts are regularly seeing criminal convictions of sexual offending, which include evidence of preschoolers accessing porn.

The judge said that in light of that, secondary level consent conversations seem a bit late in 2025. She said that accessing of porn from a young age is a sadly constant theme in this court where offending young males are involved.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
High Court Reporters

A minor who gardai believe is dealing drugs on the instruction of an older individual is not in a secure care unit, despite a judges order directing the placement, the High Court has heard.

The court heard evidence on Thursday from a senior garda at the hearing of two actions brought against Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, arising from its failure to comply with court orders directing that it place the vulnerable minors in special care.

In the action the children, through their mothers, are seeking a declaration that Tusla is in contempt of the courts orders.

Highly troubled and vulnerable children aged 11 to 17 can be detained in a secure care unit, known as special care, on foot of a High Court order granted to Tusla.

Two such orders were made in respect of the children in recent weeks by Mr Justice John Jordan.

However, neither order has been complied with as there are no beds available for the two children at any of the States three secure care units.

Opening one of the childrens cases on Thursday, Joe Jeffers SC told Ms Justice Emily Egan that the minor and their family are facing threats on account of the minors drug dealing, and an apparent drug debt that the minor owes.

The minors family home was the target of a petrol bomb attack arising from this debt, Mr Jeffers said.

The childs relationship with their family has broken down, and they are currently placed at a special emergency arrangement (SEA), the court heard.

Mr Jeffers, appearing with barrister Brendan Hennessy, said the minors behaviour has deteriorated since the making of the special care order, and has been charged with several criminal offences. The consequences of non-compliance with the order are grave and serious, Mr Jeffers said.

A senior garda familiar with the minors case told the court it was his belief that the minor is under the control of another older male, and is involved in drug dealing  in particular crack cocaine  on the instruction of this individual.

The garda said it appeared to him that this relationship was an obvious example of an offence under the Criminal Justice Act 2024, which makes it an offence to coerce a minor to engage in criminality.

The garda said he has commenced an investigation into the alleged offending.

However, as long as the minor is out in the community, it is difficult to progress the investigation to an arrest or detention, he said, for fear of harming the wellbeing or safety of the minor.

In recent weeks, since the making of the special care order, the garda said the minor has been observed dealing drugs.

The minor has been arrested on several occasions, and has been before the courts charged with offences relating to the distribution of drugs.

The garda added that he believes the minor to be breaching strict bail conditions arising from the charges.

Cross-examined by Sean Guerin SC, appearing for Tusla, the garda agreed that the minor was convicted of drug offences earlier this year.

Asked by Mr Guerin if remanding the minor in custody on foot of their breaches of bail and probation conditions might offer them respite, the garda replied that one would hope detention in special care would have that affect.

The garda added that the structure of a period in detention at Oberstown Childrens Detention centre would likely have a positive effect.

The childs mother briefly gave evidence, stating that she felt her childs behaviour had escalated in the last month.

Im crying out for help with my family because we feel were in danger, she said.

The childs brother said he noticed a change in his siblings behaviour around 2023. He gave evidence of being confronted and threatened by a group of young men, who told the brother the plaintiff minor owed money.

Opening the second childs case, Michael Lynn SC said the minor has been involved in worrying levels of criminality, associating with a peer group engaging in thefts, assaults, and joyriding.

Mr Lynn said Tusla itself is of the view that the minor needs to be placed in special care to protect [their] life.

The childs court-appointed advocate gave evidence that he was concerned the child is being criminally and sexually exploited, and has access to drugs and money.

The advocate told Mr Lynn, appearing with Alan Brady SC and barrister Nora Ni Loinsigh for the childs mother, that the child is currently placed in a special emergency arrangement (SEA), and does not have access to adequate levels of therapeutic care and threat they require.

Mr Guerin, appearing with barristers Sarah McKechnie and Paul Gunning, stated that Tusla accepted it is in breach of the special care order, but does not accept that it is in contempt of court orders.

The case was adjourned to January, when it is expected that Tusla chief executive Kate Duggan will be among the witnesses called by the agency.
Eilis named Mayo Caregiver of the Month

Congratulations to Brickens woman Eilis Delaney who was named Mayo Caregiver of the Month at homecare provider Atlantic Care.

The company described Eilis as an "outstanding member of the Atlantic Care team, consistently going above and beyond for her clients, who absolutely adore her".

"And its not just them the entire office team thinks the world of her too," the company said.

Local radio calls for more funds

Ballyhaunis-based Midwest Radio is seeking a more equitable share of government broadcasting funding in order to provide more public service news content.

The state agency Coimisiun na Mean funds media organisations to produce public service-oriented programming but the bulk of funds generated by the TV license fee continues to go to national broadcaster RTE. This comes as the Government seeks to amend the national broadcasting bill to combat misinformation as traditional media loses advertising income and audiences to international social media networks.

There is so much more we could do as a public service broadcaster if more funds were made available, explained Midwest Radio station manager Tommy Marren. A number of schemes have been announced to support public service broadcasting of local radio stations and that has to be welcomed. Any funding towards enhancing our local news and current affairs is extremely helpful as local stations are expected to provide the same levels of quality local news and current affairs service as RTE but with much less resources.

Weve always accepted that RTE can cover stories that local radio cant. However, it is also a fact that we can cover local stories that RTE doesn't, so there needs to be balance and structure on how funding is provided on an equitable and balanced basis. It is very difficult to allocate staff to forensically investigate local stories and issues due to lack of resources.

Our Government is constantly saying how important it is for reputable media providers like Midwest Radio to be adequately resourced to combat fake news. The only way this can be achieved is to increase our news and current affairs staff numbers.

"In the current financial climate, it is almost impossible to recruit additional staff and so radio stations like Midwest Radio have to rely on our existing staff to deliver reputable and accurate news reporting. If more financial resources were made available to us, we believe we could provide more comprehensive coverage of local news and current affairs reporting that would not in any way inhibit the reporting currently provided by RTE.

Upheaval in beef sector could impact Ballyhaunis plant

Long-term economic and social factors upending the beef cattle farming sector will force the closure of meat factories in Ireland, potentially upending the economic pillars of towns like Ballyhaunis where Dawn Meats employs several hundred people, according to an expert of the European meat industry.

Rupert Claxton at Gira Foods, a consultancy, explained that the Irish cattle herd has diminished in the past decade and he sees this trend largely continuing.

The Irish herd is in a soft decline, said Claxton who spoke at the recent Teagasc annual beef conference. Lower cattle numbers in turn piles existential commercial pressures on beef processing companies now forced to pay more for cattle, leaving less to invest in modernisation, Claxton explained to the Western People.

Unusually, said Claxton, farmers have not responded to higher cattle prices by restocking.

Farmers are getting good prices for cattle but, with some exceptions, theyre not reinvesting in producing more cattle... In 23 years of studying the beef industry around the world, I have never seen anything like it.

Some of the factories facing shorter working weeks and longer idling times - with less profit to invest in mechanization - will close, Claxton told this column.

The reality is you have many small plants in Ireland for the diminishing number of cattle. This is compounded by high labour costs  its a very labour intense industry - and a shortage of labour as well as increasing environmental requirements on water quality, energy management and by-products management.

Due to a shortage of cattle, some rural plants are now killing just three days of the week and some are operating five or six hours a day, said Claxton.

They have all hung on, farmers like local plants... but there is a commercial cost to idling. Labourers who were on five days are now only getting three days, and theyll say we cannot live like that.'

Claxton doesnt see EU environmental legislation and schemes as the main driver of destocking in the beef sector, though he has seen this impact on the pig farming industry. Instead, he believes the current conundrum is caused by a generational exit from farming.

The next generation is not keen. Farms are being amalgamated and land is going to other uses.

Further mechanisation and use of robotics is not an option for plants with tighter profit margins, said Claxton.

Mechanisation is possible but you need bigger plants to that, he explained.

Meat processing remains a massively labour-intensive business, said Claxton.

For a healthy industry going forward all over packers will need to get a profit. We need both sides of the industry to make a profit. Therefore, we need meat packers to reinvest in automation, we need the right environment for the next 20 years. And we need to attract labour.

Faced with a tightening beef supply at home, Dawn Meats has looked to diversify by purchasing a major lamb meat company in New Zealand. That exporter has major ties to markets in Asia.

Its a positive move if the company can make money overseas," said Claxton who is unworried by the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal.

Theres been an 800,000 ton reduction in EU beef production. This deal would be adding 100,000 tons in imports back in. We have to be realistic, the EU market is short of meat.

The bigger headache is the access of Australian meat to the UK market. Thats the number one export market for Irish beef and now theres a serious competitor doing a quality product. However, the Irish beef retains a good reputation in Britain and is still regarded as part of the local supply chain.

Car park resurfacing

Recent resurfacing of the Ballyhaunis Library car park was funded with 65,000 from Mayo County Councils annual budget for 2025 and funded from the councils own resources, a spokesperson for the local authority said.

Funding was provided by the local councillors and the councils chief executive under the car park renewal programme.

The cost of the work is 65,000 and this includes the resurfacing of the full area, the relining of the car parking spaces and the provision of a new barrier along the river.

"The council also wishes to thank the people of Ballyhaunis for their cooperation during the course of the works."

Jobs for dismantlers at Ireland West Airport

Aircraft dismantler EirTrade Aviation Ireland Limited recently parked two Airbus A320 jets at its yard at Ireland West Airport in Knock for dismantling. The two six-year-old jets will be dismantled by Christmas, once engines are removed and the parts will be offered for sale, according to Dublin-headquartered EirTrade, which has been expanding its presence in Knock.

Strong global demand for passenger and cargo aircraft  particularly in Asia  is good news for EirTrade and for Ireland West Airports efforts to develop a business park adjacent to the airport. Aircraft from around the world have been flown into the breaking yard operated by EirTrade, which dismantles jets for airlines and leasing companies who need parts for growing fleets.

The company can dismantle a narrow-body aircraft like the A320 (the jet popularly used by Ryanair) in two weeks. In November, EirTrade secured planning permission for a new aircraft hangar and warehouse storage facility at Knock, along with a new access road.

Minister of State Alan Dillon explained how planning permission for the Ireland West Airport Knock Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) was officially granted by a special government designation in May 2017 and by Mayo County Councils adoption of the final planning scheme in September 2019.

A business and enterprise campus and a hotel are among the four projects that have received planning permission under the scheme, Minister Dillon explained.

At present, there are no specific tax incentives announced for firms locating at the Ireland West Airport Knock SDZ, he said.

The current scheme focuses on providing other key advantages like planning certainty and prioritised infrastructure development.

While there are no current tax breaks, discussions at a government level suggest that additional financial or infrastructural supports may be considered in the future.

Copper prices to soar with AI boom

Scrap metal collections could be back in vogue due to the soaring demand for copper driven by a global build out of data centres to drive the artificial intelligence boom.

Demand for copper will double by 2050 on 2010 figures, according to BHP, which is also projecting the per ton price of the metal will rise to 11,000 in 2025 from 8,000 in 2021, according to data from the London Metal Exchange (LME), the marketplace which traditionally sets global metal prices.
Coinbase has received regulatory approval from Indias Competition Commission to acquire a minority stake in CoinDCX valued at $2.45 billion, marking a crucial milestone in the US exchanges expansion into one of Asias fastest-growing crypto markets.

The clearance follows months of regulatory review and deepens Coinbases partnership with Indias largest digital asset platform.

Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal called the approval an important regulatory milestone that strengthens Coinbases long-term commitment to CoinDCX, which now serves over 20.4 million users across India and the UAE with more than $1.2 billion in assets under custody.

The investment builds on Coinbases initial backing of CoinDCX in 2020 and comes after the Indian exchange faced significant security challenges earlier this year.

Recovery Following $44 Million Security Breach

The approval arrives seven months after CoinDCX suffered a major hack that compromised $44 million from an internal liquidity account.

Cybersecurity firm Cyvers linked the July incident to North Koreas Lazarus Group, noting the attack followed the same pattern as the $234 million WazirX breach that occurred exactly one year earlier.

Hackers executed the theft in just five minutes across seven rapid transactions, siphoning funds after conducting test transactions days earlier.

Indian police later arrested a CoinDCX software engineer whose compromised credentials allegedly enabled the breach.

However, the employee claimed that hackers exploited his system while he worked as a freelancer using company equipment.

CoinDCX CEO Sumit Gupta confirmed customer funds remained secure throughout the incident and launched a recovery bounty program offering up to 25% of retrieved assets, potentially worth $11 million.

Coinbase explicitly referenced the breach in its investment statement, writing that CoinDCXs response to challenges only strengthened our conviction in their team and platform.

Strategic Positioning in Key Growth Markets

The investment reinforces Coinbases presence in India and the Middle East, following CoinDCXs acquisition of Dubai-based BitOasis last year.

Coinbase described both regions as top regions for crypto growth driven by high adoption rates, supportive regulation, and substantial economic potential.

Gupta said the fresh capital would accelerate new product launches across the Web3 ecosystem while enabling market expansion and enhanced security infrastructure.
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sunshine; the closest to freezing (32) we've been in a week and a half. .

Tonight

Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

A mix of clouds and sunshine; the closest to freezing (32) we've been in a week and a half. .

Tonight

Increasing clouds. There is a slight chance for a little snow late, mainly south of I-78.
EASTON, Pa.  During a special meeting late Thursday afternoon, Northampton County Council voted to override County Executive Lamont McClure's veto of legislation that alters the contractual procurement process. The vote was 6-3.

The legislative body approved a measure at its Dec. 4 meeting to change the administrative code, establishing procedures governing the purchase and disposition of county-owned property.

The change would allow three county commissioners to serve on an evaluation committee to "assist in the evaluation of the proposal responses for a contract valuation beginning at $100,000."

The bill, approved at the legislative body's Dec. 4 meeting, was originally tabled at County Council's Aug. 7 meeting.

McClure vetoed the ordinance Dec. 12, arguing it injects the legislative branch into the procurement process, thus encroaching upon the executive's power to administer county government and violating Northampton County's home rule charter.

"It is an impermissible encroachment of the power of procurement specifically granted to the county executive by the home rule charter and administrative code," McClure told County Council Thursday afternoon.

He added the amendment itself is "logically inconsistent and renders language hopelessly confusing."

Oversight ordinance for contract evaluations on hold in Northampton County An ordinance that would give Northampton County Council more oversight of contracts tied to county business will have to wait for another day.

McClure listed two additional reasons for his veto, stating how the measure was introduced and approved offered potential violations of Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act and Right-to-Know Law. The Sunshine Act ensures the public's right to attend and participate in government agencies and bodies. The Right-to-Know Law provides the public access to state and local government records.

Council solicitor Christopher Spadoni said he "disagreed" with McClure's legal assessment.

Prior to the vote, Commissioner Kelly Keegan described the resolution as "being shoved down [County Council's] throat."

"I also think it's a slap in the face to our new elected County Council members," Keegan said. "...I guess you don't have trust in the new County Council members, because they should be voting on this."

She added, "This was put on our desk one hour before the last meeting of the year."

"To override the veto is short-sighted, and we're not following the law," said Commissioner Ken Kraft. "At minimum, we should have amended the agenda that day, which we didn't do that, either."

In arguing for the resolution, Commissioner Ronald Heckman stated the county's present procurement process was neither efficient nor transparent.

"This has just been a failure to communicate for quite some time, and it results in things like this," Heckman said. "There is a lack of confidence in the procurement systems right now."

The commissioner added that Spadoni was County Council's legal advisor. Others who offered their opinions during the meeting were not.

"I don't know if this is legal or not," Heckman said. "That's the third branch of government that determines that. Not council or the executive."
Corn price action is steady to up 1  cents so far. Futures posted gains of 2 to 4  cents on Wednesday. Preliminary open interest was up 2,852 contracts. Demand continues to be solid, with record ethanol and exports. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price as up 4 cents to $3.96 3/4.

Export Sales data will be updated for the week of 11/27 this morning, with traders looking for between 1-2 MMT of corn sales.

More News from Barchart

EIA data from Wednesday showed another record ethanol corn grind for the week ending on December 12, up 26,000 barrels per day week/week to 1.131 million bpd. Despite the increased output, stocks saw a draw of 157,000 barrels to 22.353 million barrels. That came as ethanol exports were up 66,000 bpd to 191,000 bpd, with refiner inputs of ethanol rising 55,000 barrels per day from the week prior to 906,000 bpd.

Commitment of Traders data, now as of December 2, showed spec funds adding back 34,142 contracts to the long side in that week, mainly on short covering. That flipped their net position to long in corn futures and options to 23,270 contracts as of that date

Brazils December corn exports are estimated to total 6.35 MMT according to ANEC, a 0.05 MMT increase from the week prior.

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.40 1/2, up 4 cents, currently up 1 3/4 cents

Nearby Cash was $3.96 3/4, up 4 cents,

May 26 Corn closed at $4.47 3/4, up 3 1/4 cents, currently up 1 1/2 cents

Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.53 1/2, up 2 1/2 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
Corn futures are trading with contracts 2 to 4  cents higher at Wednesdays midday. Demand continues to be solid, with record ethanol and exports. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price is up 4 1/2 cents to $3.96 1/4.

USDA reported a private export sale of 177,055 MT of corn to Mexico this morning.

More News from Barchart

EIA data from this morning showed another record ethanol corn grind for the week ending on December 12, up 26,000 barrels per day week/week to 1.131 million bpd. Despite the increased output, stocks saw a draw of 157,000 barrels to 22.353 million barrels. That came as ethanol exports were up 66,000 bpd to 191,000 bpd, with refiner inputs of ethanol rising 55,000 barrels per day from the week prior to 906,000 bpd.

A South Korean importer purchased a total of 268,000 MT of corn in a tender overnight. Brazils December corn exports are estimated to total 6.35 MMT according to ANEC, a 0.05 MMT increase from the week prior.

Mar 26 Corn is at $4.41, up 4 1/2 cents,

Nearby Cash is at $3.96 1/4, up 4 1/2 cents,

May 26 Corn is at $4.48, up 3 1/2 cents,

Jul 26 Corn is at $4.53 3/4, up 2 3/4 cents,

On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
Decolonising the airwaves and improving froth flotation

Media Studies scholar Dr Kealeboga Aiseng and chemical engineer Dr Lisa October are the 2026 Friedel Sellschop Fellows.

The fellowships, worth up to R145 000 each per annum for three years, are awarded annually to recognise and encourage exceptional early-stage researchers.

African voices as knowledge sources

Dr Kealeboga Aiseng is a Senior Lecturer in Media Studies in the School of Literature, Language and Media in the Faculty of Humanities.

His research focuses on developing a new theoretical framework for understanding African-language and African community media in the digital age.

While these media forms are often described as ethnic or minority media in global scholarship, my work argues that such labels are conceptually inadequate in African contexts, where multilingualism is the norm and media in African languages function as central infrastructures of culture, politics, and everyday life, explains Aiseng.

Aiseng says that the Sellschop award will enable him to advance a book-length project titled Decolonizing the Airwaves, which develops the first unified theory of African ethnic media grounded in African epistemologies such as orality, Ubuntu, and communal authorship.

The funding will support comparative fieldwork with radio producers, podcasters, digital creators, and language technologists across Southern, West, and East Africa, as well as the analysis of African-language media across platforms such as radio, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp.

Ultimately, the project aims to reposition African media not as peripheral case studies, but as sites of theoretical innovation that can reshape global media studies, debates about digital platforms, and conversations around linguistic justice and decolonial knowledge production.

This award gives me the time and resources to think seriously from Africa, rather than simply about Africa. At a moment when digital platforms are reshaping how people speak, listen, and belong, African-language media are offering powerful alternative models of communication grounded in community, memory, and relationality, says Aiseng.

My hope is that this research helps shift global media theory by taking African voices, languages, and media practices seriously as sources of knowledge in their own right.

Mining strategies to improve mineral separation

Dr Lisa October is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, and holds a PhD in chemical engineering.

Her research focuses on improving a process called froth flotation, which is widely used in mining to separate valuable minerals  like copper, nickel, gold and the platinum group metals  from unwanted minerals (gangue) that come associated with them.

Although froth flotation is essential to South Africas mining industry, it is becoming more challenging as ore grades decline and water becomes increasing scarce.

October says, It thus becomes important to understand why certain unwanted minerals end up in the final concentrate, even when they shouldnt. These unwanted minerals are often collected because of subtle electrostatic interactions (arising from varying water quality) that we dont yet fully understand. When the gangue minerals are recovered unintentionally, they lower the grades of the valuable minerals we are trying to recover.

As a Sellschop scholar, October can now research the specific water conditions that cause unwanted minerals to be recovered and, more importantly, the underlying mechanisms which allow this. Her research will ultimately support the development of strategies to improve mineral separation.

October joined Wits recently from UCT, where flotation chemistry research is exceptionally strong. She acknowledges leading figures in minerals processing at the Centre for Minerals Research who mentored her and with whom she is excited to continue collaborating as she builds on her work here at Wits.

Im truly grateful to receive this award. It not only enables me to answer important questions about managing the recovery of gangue minerals, but it also means something even bigger  it allows us to begin transforming our lab into a dedicated flotation chemistry facility, a space that can support not just my work, but the work of future students and researchers. That is incredibly meaningful to me.

About the Friedel Sellschop Fellowships

The Friedel Sellschop awards are worth up to R145 000 each per annum for three years.

All members of academic staff in all faculties are eligible, subject to their:

being permanent members of staff

having completed a PhD or have comparable demonstrable achievement

being within five years of their first academic appointment

having produced a substantial body of research which is internationally recognised or will likely establish an international reputation as a leader in the field.

A National Research Foundation rating is advantageous but not required.

Who was Friedel Sellschop?

Professor Friedel Sellschop (1930-2002) was the Dean of the Faculty of Science at Wits from 1979 to 1983, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, from 1984 to 1996. He was part of a research group that identified the first neutrino found in nature in one of South Africas gold mines. Neutrinos are tiny particles which are produced in stars and make up a considerable amount of matter in the universe. The University awards the Friedel Sellschop Fellowships annually in his honour.
The News

Corporate events dont exactly conjure up feelings of joy  dry pastries, boring presentations, and pressure to look interested while lap-scrolling on your phone.

But in recent years, as businesses came out of the pandemic eager to push in-person gatherings, company expos have morphed into elaborate affairs with complex pyrotechnics and high-end catering.

Behind many of them is a Blackstone-owned company called Encore, which has through M&A and organic growth quietly taken over a huge swath of the corporate events market in recent years. Six years after Blackstone merged it into another portfolio company, its getting ready to go public.

Theres a straight line between Encores fortunes and the strength of the economy; marketing budgets are the first things to be cut when profits get squeezed, and Dreamforce-style balloon displays and high-end musical acts (like hiring Nelly) can age badly  or end up as anecdotes in press stories when companies struggle.

CEO Ben Erwin told Semafor that other than a few minor speedbumps earlier in the year, around Liberation Day, that demand from customers remains unflappable. This was Encores biggest year ever, beating out 2019, Erwin said. Its results are a sort of proxy for the economy, and suggest that bad vibes are clouding strong underlying performance and business confidence.

Youve seen this explosion in medium to large events  these 100- or 1,000- person events  such that the market has never been larger, he said in an interview.

Erwin acknowledged the company is getting ready for a public offering or sale.

We have a wonderful owner in Blackstone, Erwin said. But theres advantages to being a public company: our team members being able to more directly share in the success of our business, and having a public company currency certainly helps when youre thinking about acquisitions.

Erwin declined to share specific valuation with Semafor, but Encore has a enterprise value of more than $5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.



Know More

Encore doesnt own or operate the venues, but provides staff, build-out services, and technology. Thanks to relationships with hundreds of hotels across the US, it is by far the largest player in the space.

One legacy of the pandemic: companies are convening across America, not just in New York or Washington. Covid meant you had more event organizers go for places like Las Vegas or Phoenix or Dallas, where they have stayed, Erwin said.

As to whether AI will replace in-person gathering, Erwin is a firm no.
Brown University has over 1,200 surveillance cameras. Why that wasnt enough to capture video of the shooting suspect
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For years, deepfakes were treated as a political or social media oddity, a strange corner of the internet where celebrity faces (of women 99% of the time) were pasted onto fake videos (porn in 99% of the cases) and nobody quite knew what to do about it. But that framing is now dangerously outdated, because deepfakes have quietly evolved into something much more systemic: an operational risk for corporations, capable of corrupting supply chains, financial workflows, brand trust, and even executive decision-making.

Most Read from Fast Company



Recent headlines show that synthetic media is no longer a fringe experiment. It is a strategic threat, one that companies are not prepared for.

When a deepfake can steal $25 million

In February 2025, global engineering firm Arup fell victim to a sophisticated deepfake fraud. Attackers used AI-generated video and audio to impersonate senior leadership and convinced an employee to transfer $25 million in company funds. The World Economic Forum described it as a milestone event: the moment synthetic fraud graduated from experiment to enterprise-scale theft.

For any executive who still thinks of deepfakes as a social media phenomenon, this should be a wake-up call.

Arup had strong cybersecurity. What it didnt have was identity resiliencethe ability to verify that the human on the other side of the call was actually human.

CEO fraud, but this time with perfect replicas

In the past year, deepfake CEO-fraud attempts have surged, targeting CFOs, procurement teams, and M&A departments. A 2025 report noted that more than half of surveyed security professionals had encountered synthetically generated executive impersonation attempts.

Its easy to see why:

Deepfake video is now real-time and high-resolution.

Voice cloning requires only a few seconds of audio.

Attackers can now spoof emotion, urgency, or stress, exactly the cues that override employee skepticism.

One midsize tech firm reportedly lost $2.3 million after a convincingly faked audio call instructed finance to transfer funds for an urgent acquisition.

Clearly, traditional anti-phishing training doesnt prepare employees for a perfectly reconstructed version of their boss.

Deepfakes are no longer about politics: Theyre about business models

When a deepfake impersonates a celebrity to promote a fraudulent investment scheme, thats reputational damage. When a deepfake impersonates your spokesperson, CFO, product, or supply chain partner, that becomes a corporate disaster.
Following last Sundays terrorist attack at a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australian federal and state Labor governments are rushing to meet demands by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Australian Zionist leaders to crack down on antisemitism. Above all, this is to be the pretext for banning all opposition and protests against the ongoing Israeli crimes and atrocities in Gaza.

As has happened since the genocide began in October 2023, opposition to Zionism and its historic crimes is being falsely conflated with antisemitism, even though many Jews have joined the anti-genocide protests in Australia and around the world, rejecting the lie that the criminal Netanyahu regime represents them.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns [Photo by AP/Rick Rycroft, X/@ChrisMinnsMP]

Over the past two days, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns have announced sweeping anti-democratic legislation to expand the existing powers to ban anti-genocide demonstrations and to criminalise so-called hate or divisive speechessentially any condemnation of the actions of the Israeli regime.

Minns said the NSW state parliament would be recalled next Monday in an emergency session to rush through legislation, yet to be even drafted, to outlaw protests that could add to community disharmony and to impose limits on the number of firearms a licensed shooter can own.

The foreshadowed changes to the gun laws, which are also being planned nationally, are a bid to bury the still unexplained fact that in 2023 the NSW police gave alleged Bondi Beach shooting gunman Sajid Akram a licence for six firearms.

The gun licence was granted just four years after the domestic political spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) reportedly investigated his son Naveed Akram over his connections to Islamic extremist groups linked to Islamic State.

Father and son used four of these weapons to kill 15 people and to injure more than 40 others at a Chanukah by the Sea event for children at a beachside playground, marking the start of the eight-day Rabbinic Jewish festival of lights.

Sajid Akram was killed by police. Naveed Akram was shot but survived and is still in hospital under police guard. He was charged yesterday with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act.

Minns anti-protest proposals are a bid to outlaw, not only anti-genocide opposition but any political dissent regarded as a threat by governments and security agencies. The NSW premier said the laws would empower the states police commissioner to reject applications for protests on the grounds it will both stretch police resources and, secondly, add to community disharmony and as a result, a combustible situation in the state.

NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley said the legislation would give the police commissioner and police minister powers to declare areas where they fear that a public assembly is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear harassment, intimidation or violence, or to fear for their safety or pose a risk to community safety.

These formulations could extend to any demonstration or strike rally against a government, including over social spending cuts, job destruction, inequality or war preparations.

Minns claimed that the reforms would not target any one group but he particularly singled out demonstrations protesting international events. That was an obvious reference to the anti-genocide marches in Sydney and across the country, which have become the largest ongoing anti-war demonstrations in Australian history.

Minns said the legislation would apply as a blanket ruling after the government and the police issued a terrorism declarationas they have done this week.

Albanese went further, pledging to bolster hate speech laws that his government pushed through in February, create new powers to cancel or reject visas of people who spread hate and division and adopt all 13 recommendations of a report by Labors antisemitism special envoy, Jillian Segal.

Segal, a longstanding Zionist lobbyist, has set out plans to de-fund universities, arts organisations and public broadcasters that fail to suppress allegedly antisemitic dissent, and change school curricula and teacher training in line with Zionist propaganda.

Speaking in Canberra after a meeting of his cabinets National Security Committee, Albanese vaguely outlined the changes. They would include an aggravated hate speech offence for preachers and leaders accused of promoting violence, increased penalties for hate speech allegedly promoting violence and making hate an aggravating factor in sentencing crimes for online threats and harassment.

Albanese said the legislation, also yet to be drafted, would include a regime for proscribing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech, promoting violence or racial hatred, and a new federal offence of serious vilification based on race.

Standing alongside Segal, Albanese said his government adopts and fully supports all her recommendations. Segals plan insists on the adoption by governments and universities of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which essentially prohibits any criticism of Israel as a racist state.

Albanese apologised after being accused by Netanyahu and the previous Liberal-National Coalition governments treasurer Josh Frydenberg, of being personally responsible for the Bondi Beach shootings, supposedly because the Labor government had not taken stronger action to halt the anti-genocide demonstrations.

In fact, the federal and state Labor governments have previously done everything they could to block the near weekly mass demonstrations throughout Australia against the Israeli massacres, including the 300,000-strong march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3.

Governments arent perfect, Im not perfect, Albanese told reporters. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge [antisemitism], much more. I, of course, acknowledge that more could have been done, and I accept my responsibility for my part in that as prime minister of Australia.

This apology followed the latest denunciation by Netanyahu, who wrote in Hebrew on social media: I stated that these heinous acts are a direct result of rampant antisemitism, which is fuelled by a flaccid policy of the authorities in the country and of the Australian government. Netanyahu said the Australian government must act immediately and with all the tools at its disposal to eradicate terrorism and restore security to the Jewish communities.

Netanyahus far-right government, supported and armed by the US and all the major capitalist powers, including the Albanese government, has directed the killing of at least 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, over the past two years.

Netanyahus offensive was echoed by Frydenberg, claiming to speak on behalf of the Jewish community. Addressing a gathering at Bondi Beach, the ex-treasurer declared: It is time for [Albanese] to accept personal responsibility for the death of 15 innocent people, including a 10-year-old child. It is time our prime minister accepted accountability for what has happened here.

Frydenberg issued seven demands, including to ban the hate preachers, outlaw extremist organisations and stop the protests. He called for prosecutions of people who join the widespread chants on the demonstrations of from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Frydenberg falsely branded this slogan, which calls for an end to the oppression of the Palestinian population, as very violent.

The Labor governments are moving with great haste to adopt these measures. Vast police-state powers adopted over the past two decades under the false banner of combatting terrorism are being expanded to seek to silence the opposition of workers and youth to genocide, war, social inequality and austerity.

A mass working-class movement is needed to defeat this assault on basic democratic rights, defend the right to protest, and take forward the fight for the socialist alternative to the capitalist system that breeds racism and terrorism, dictatorship and war.
"No cannon fodder for the profits of the rich!" [AP Photo/Daniel Cole]

On December 5, 55,000 students went on strike nationwide in more than 90 cities in Germany against the reintroduction of conscription. The day of action was a powerful statement against militarism and war, and it shows that we young people are not prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the interests of the rich.

But the strike will achieve nothing if it is not made part of a broad movement against the militarisation of society, against the genocide in Gaza and against war preparations directed at Russia. Students alone cannot win this struggle: the strikes must be extended from schools to the factories and workplaces.

Those who really have the power to bring the country to a standstill must join the striking students: bus and tram drivers, factory workers, teachers, postal workers and all other sections of the working class who create all the wealth and bear the full burden of war and crisis. Across Europe and around the world, strikes and protests are taking place against mass redundancies and cuts that flow directly from war policies and the enrichment of the wealthy. It is towards this social force, the only one capable of stopping militarism, that we must orient ourselves.

The fight against conscription means the fight against war!

The fight against conscription cannot be separated from the struggle against war preparations and militarism. Conscription is not simply the misguided idea of foolish politicians; it flows from the insane war course of the federal government. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have quite seriously declared the goal of putting Germany in a position within three years to be able to win a war against the nuclear power Russia. If this madness is carried through, it is not merely conscription that is at stake, but the survival of human civilisation.

As in the two world wars, the aim of this war policy is not defence, and certainly not for the sake of peace and freedom. It is about enforcing German economic interests by military means in the face of ever more intense international conflicts: securing trade routes, markets and raw materials.

This is shown most clearly in Germanys support for the horrific genocide in Gaza. International law and human rights mean nothing at all to the ruling elites when it comes to enforcing their interests in the region. In that case, they are prepared to do anything and support the right-wing extremist Netanyahu in carrying out the dirty work for us, as Chancellor Merz expressed it.

In Ukraine, the German government is working with the heirs of Nazi collaborators, who are imprisoning opponents of the war and terrorising the entire population in order to wage a proxy war against Russia. To this end, Berlin deliberately provoked the reactionary invasion by the Putin regime and continues to escalate the conflict without interruption, a conflict that has already cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of young Russian and Ukrainian men.

When organisations such as Green Youth or the Left Partys Linksjugend support the war propaganda about fighting for freedom in Ukraine and back massive rearmament spending, they are not allies in the struggle against conscription but our opponents. There is nothing more repellent than such would-be militarists who beat the drums for war but do not want to end up in the trenches themselves. Let the children of workers be voluntarily driven to the front through ever harsher cuts to education and mass redundancies in industry, is their refrain.

No, the fight against conscription can only be waged as a fight against the insanity of war. It must not be reduced to useless appeals to those in power but must be developed into a serious movement against the root cause of war: capitalism.

The fight against war means the fight against capitalism!

When faced with pressure, the ruling elites respond with dictatorship and repression. This is shown most clearly in the United States, where Donald Trump is imposing a presidential dictatorship, with the Democratic Party largely supporting it. The fabulously wealthy financial oligarchy, represented by both Democrats and Republicans, is prepared to enforce its war policy and brutal social attacks by authoritarian means. Here in Germany too, opponents of the war policy and of the genocide in Gaza are being arrested and intimidated.

The reason for this brutality and ruthlessness lies in the fact that governments are defending a social system that is completely bankrupt. While enormous technological progress could enable a decent and dignified life for all of humanity, under capitalism it leads to war, crisis and barbarism. The private appropriation of socially produced wealth and the artificial division of the world economy into competing nation-states inevitably give rise to poverty and war.

This was already evident in the First World War, when all the great powers saw war as the only way to resolve their own crises. The result was 9 million dead and a devastated continent. These horrors were eclipsed 20 years later by the Second World War. In its attempt to reverse the unfavourable outcome of the First World War, the Nazi regime alone murdered 27 million Soviet citizens and a total of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.

A third world war, which would put the existence of all humanity at risk, must be prevented at all costs. But that means bringing capitalism to an end. Only by expropriating the major banks and corporations and placing them under democratic control can catastrophe be averted.

This is already evident in the fact that all the parties that defend capitalism also support the war policy. The Greens long ago abandoned their pacifism in favour of aggressive militarism and even attack the federal government from the right. The Left Party also approved war credits amounting to more than 1 trillion and props up the Merz government whenever it depends on their support.

The trade unions have likewise lined up behind the war policy. They are no longer workers organisations, but function as factory police to enforce the mass redundancies and cuts that accompany war, against the working class.

Principles of a movement against conscription

The movement against conscription must not orient itself towards the capitalist parties and trade unions but must fight for the independent mobilisation of the working class. The strikes and protests by students are very important, but we must not stop there. The school strike movement must be the starting point for igniting a strike movement throughout the entire working class, directed against war and capitalism. Such a movement must be based on the following principles:

It must be international and counter growing nationalism with the international unity of the working class

It must be independent of all capitalist parties and trade unions and rely on the immense power of the working class

It must be socialist and directed against the root cause of war: capitalism

We want to discuss these principles and our socialist perspective with all those interested at our online meeting on Thursday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. Register now to take part. There is no time to lose. Discuss this appeal with friends and fellow students and register now with the IYSSE to link the struggle against conscription with the struggle against capitalism. You can also direct questions about this appeal and our perspective at any time to Socialism AI.
Earlier this year the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) halted the sale of 21 sunscreen products in Australia following reports from consumer advocacy group CHOICE that Sun Protection Factor (SPF) ratings on numerous sunscreens were incorrectly labelled.

The SPF number is the ratio of the time it takes for a lightskinned person to burn while using the sunscreen, compared to the time it takes to burn without it.

CHOICE revealed in June that the SPF ratings of 16 of the 20 sunscreens it tested were well below their labelled claims. This poses serious risks of increased sunburn and melanoma, which is the most dangerous form of skin cancer and responsible for around 75 percent of deaths related to skin cancer.

Two in three Australians are expected to need treatment for various types of skin-related cancers in their lifetimes. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates, over 1,450 people will lose their lives from melanoma this year, proportionally one of the highest rates in the world.

CHOICE called on the TGA to urgently carry out its own sunscreen compliance testing and for the ACCC [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission] to investigate if any SPF claims are misleading.

Ashley De Silva, who heads CHOICE, noted that the TGA relies on reports provided by the manufacturers themselves on the safety, quality and efficacy of their sunscreen products. These reports, he said, may not be providing the accurate information consumers need when choosing sunscreens for themselves and their families.

The most striking discrepancy that CHOICEs testing revealed was for Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Skinscreen, a $52 product, that had an SPF of just 4 instead of the advertised 50+. When the manufacturer rejected those results as scientifically impossible, the consumer advocacy group commissioned a second test from an independent German laboratory, which recorded an SPF of 5.

The base formula for Ultra Violette Lean Screen was manufactured by Wild Child Laboratories in Western Australia, the same formula being used in numerous sunscreen products sold nationwide, prompting a wider TGA intervention.

Wild Child CEO Tom Curnow told the media that the discrepancies were an industry-wide issue, rather than a specific fault in its manufacturing processes, adding that Princeton Consumer Research (PCR) had certified the products SPF 50+ rating.



The company, however, ceased manufacturing and supplying this base, and multiple affected products were recalled, withdrawn or placed under review while retesting was carried out by alternative laboratories.

The TGA conducted its own inspection of Wild Childs Perth facility, with a focus on ingredient control, supplier qualification, manufacturing validation and inhouse testing linked to the disputed base formulation. It reported only nonserious Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) deficiencies and could not identify manufacturing problems that could explain the low SPF results.

Despite this, the TGA has kept open the possibility of regulatory action over sunscreens which used the base formula and that relied on data from the PCR.

An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) investigation later revealed that many sunscreen brandsincluding eight of those tested by CHOICErelied on PCR for initial certification. PCR had also come under scrutiny from the Truth in Advertising group in 2024, and its work is now being questioned across several jurisdictions.

Two former senior staff at PCRBrian Ecclefield (exUS business development manager) and Jane Tervooren (exsenior sales director)told the ABC that they resigned over concerns about the accuracy and integrity of PCRs SPF and other clinical testing.

Ecclefield said he repeatedly saw test results that were too good to be true, including a case where a nonwaterresistant SPF 30 product somehow achieved a waterresistant SPF 41.2 in PCR testing, which he considered implausible and a red flag for manipulated or flawed methods.

Internal emails obtained by ABC show PCR staff acknowledging that an incorrect hybrid methodmixing European protocol with US requirementshad been used in SPF studies, potentially inflating results, and that this may have been done for multiple sponsors without informing them.

Other internal emails show a PCR project manager warning that this incorrect method has been completed for other sponsors in the past, suggesting a pattern rather than a oneoff error. There is no evidence affected brands were proactively notified or their data corrected.

Jane Tervooren described being asked to unblind a doubleblind cosmetic trial by revealing which subjects had the real product versus placebo. This is a serious breach of good clinical practice and opens the door to biased or rigged outcomes.

While PCR says all its testing follows industrystandard protocols, it has not provided a detailed, public methodological defence of the specific anomalies highlighted by whistleblowers and external experts.



The pattern that emerges is one in which manufacturers and regulators alike have relied on data whose accuracy is now in doubt, with potentially serious implications for consumer safety.

Separate to the Australian SPF dispute, Wild Childs facility has been on a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Import Alert, or red list, since 2022, allowing American authorities to block its products at the border without physical examination because of a history of GMP violations.



FDA inspections between 2019 and 2024 reportedly identified systemic qualitycontrol failings, including poor investigation of product defects that could affect label accuracy and an internal case where an incorrect formulation leading to texture changes was treated as cosmetic only without further testing of its impact on claims.

According to ABC reporting, Wild Child products have been refused entry to the US multiple times, including as recently as March 2025, and the import alert remains in place while the FDA awaits evidence that manufacturing issues have been fully rectified. Wild Childs chief executive has said the company has invested in a new purposebuilt facility and addressed the problems, but US restrictions have not yet been lifted.



These testimonies reinforced the view that the problems with SPF mislabelling extend beyond one or two products to the broader system of clinical testing on which regulators and companies rely.

Australian Federal Minister for Health Mark Butler, January 9, 2024 [Photo: Facebook/Mark Butler MP]

Questioned on Channel Sevens Sunrise program in late October, Australian federal health minister Mark Butler downplayed the SPF mislabelling, insisting that the problem was caused by just one ingredient that had been tested by a pretty bodgy laboratory.



Butler claimed that regulatory authorities had addressed the issue, saying: Were very confident now that the products that youll see on the supermarket shelves are there with accurate testimony on their labels about their protection factor. The TGA would continue to monitor these products to make sure that the lab testing reflects the claim on the front of the bottle, he said.

However, wrongly labelled sunscreens are not simply the result of failures by a few companies or testing facilities. The therapeutical regulatory system in which selfpolicing increasingly dominates is itself flawed. TGA is responsible for ensuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of primary sunscreens sold in Australia and has enforcement powers, including ordering recalls and other measures. But it is not obliged to do preliminary testing of sunscreens, instead depending on postmarket surveillance.

Manufacturers are not required to get formal TGA preapproval before marketing their products. They only have to certify that their sunscreen meets all relevant local standards, by securing evidence from testing organisations to support their products SPF and performance claims.

Once these products go on sale, the TGA undertakes what it describes as postmarket surveillance, including reviewing adverse event reports, investigating consumer complaints, auditing manufacturers evidence and facilities, and targeted testing when concerns arise.

In other words, the TGA reacts after it receives complaints, rather than preventing problems before products reach consumers. This loose selfregulatory process is not confined to Australia but is in line with procedures in the United States, the UK and the European Union.



Under these conditions, the manufacturers of sunscreens, pharmaceuticals and other health products, desperate to boost profits and driven by competitive pressures, routinely cut corners. The reliance on private laboratories such as PCR, which are themselves competing for contracts, creates further incentives to deliver favourable results for sponsors, rather than rigorous and transparent science.

Butlers assertion in October that the sunscreen problems were under control was contradicted the following month by further TGA recalls following revelations about sunscreen manufacturing faults. In November, five of Bondi Sands sunscreen products were withdrawn due to the liquid formula splitting into layers.



When this occurs, the medicinal ingredients responsible for UV protection are no longer evenly distributed, thus compromising their official SPF ratings. Early this month, the TGA issued an urgent recall for three specific batches of the Cancer Councils Clear Zinc Kids SPF 50+ sunscreen, also due to potential formula separation problems.

The Cancer Council product had been previously singled out in CHOICEs earlier report for failing to reach its claimed SPF 50+ in independent testing, instead returning an SPF rating of 33. Although the reasons for the latest recalls differ from the earlier recalls that contained the Wild Child formula tested by PCR, the latest announcements have added to increasing popular concerns about the reliability of current sunscreens.

The false labelling and physical failure of sunscreensnow including Cancer Councils own childrens productdemonstrate that these issues are not the failure of a few companies or testing facilities but inherent features of a system that promotes selfregulation, undermining accurate scientific testing and encouraging opaque procedures that prioritise profit over human life and threaten public health.
Autoworkers: Take up the fight against layoffs! Fill out the form at the end of this article to speak out against layoffs and learn more about joining the Autoworkers Rank-and-File Committee.

Factory Zero workers

Friday is likely the last day of work for thousands of GM workers at the Factory Zero plant in Detroit and the Ultium Cells battery plants in Lordstown, Ohio and Spring Hill, Tennessee. GM is cutting shifts and converting large numbers of temporary layoffs into permanent dismissals as part of a coordinated retrenchment across its electrical vehicle (EV) and battery operations.

Two days after Trump boasted about the greatest economy in the history of our country and blamed immigrant workers for every social problem in the US, thousands of GM workers are being thrown into the street.

Approximately 1,145 assembly workers at Factory Zero and 600 workers at the Ultium Cells plant in Lordstown are being laid off indefinitely after the holiday break on January 5. An additional 850 workers in Lordstown and 710 in Spring Hill will be temporarily laid off beginning the same day.

A Factory Zero worker described the devastating social impact of the layoffs to the WSWS:

You have people losing their livelihood and their families are depending on that. The rug is swept under your feet with very short notice and very little time to prepare. I came from another state and have been here a year. They treat their employees like were disposable. GM makes billions because their employees help them to get billions. You cant throw people away like yesterdays trash. We slaved here for 10-and-a-half hours, sometimes 12 hours a day, seven days a week, just for them to say, See you later. We may give you a call next year. Thats crazy.

She said that workers expected the UAW would do something to protect their jobs but that hasnt happened. We pay the unions salary, she said. If youre not going to do anything for me, what are you here for? Expressing her support for building a rank-and-file committee to defend jobs, she added, We have to use our voice collectively, even if its to speak against our own union leaders.

At the Lordstown Ultium Cells planta GMLG Energy Solution joint venture that came online in 2022 to make cells for the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV and other Ultium-platform vehiclesworkers described a similar betrayal.

At first, I was told it would be a temporary layoff, but now they told me it is permanent, one worker told the WSWS, describing a fate shared by many. Another, newly saddled with a mortgage, warned: I have some savings, but with mortgage, utilities, food and car payments I dont know how long it will last. Young parents and workers hoping to start families said their lives are being upended by managements decision.

These cuts come while GM posts massive profits and continues to dole out billions to shareholders through buybacks and dividends. Despite the fall in EV sales, the company is expected to make $13 billion in profits this year, following record 2024 profits of nearly $15 billion.

GM management has invoked market shifts, tariff impacts and Trumps end of federal EV tax credits as explanations. But workers are being sacrificed to maintain profit margins and restructure production to reduce labor costs.

United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and the rest of the UAW bureaucracy have maintained a guilty silence on the massive job cuts. Fain has promoted Trumps tariffs and sought to divide US workers from their brothers and sisters in Canada, Mexico, China and European countries.

Rank-and-file anger at the UAW is widespread. Workers at both Factory Zero and Lordstown repeatedly said the union is in bed with management and has kept them in the dark. Union officials have offered nothing except the possibility of being rehired sometime in the future or being forced to transfer long distances.

History shows that relying on corporate managers, politicians or the union apparatus will not halt corporate restructuring. The 2023 national contract produced nothing but mass layoffs. Closed-door contract talks and patriotic appeals to protect jobs at home are the means through which the bureaucracy helps to destroy jobs.

The only effective basis for defending jobs is democratic, independent organization by workers themselvesrank-and-file committees on every shift and in every departmentto transfer power and decision-making from the UAW apparatus to workers on the shop floor.

Rank-and-file workers must demand an immediate membership meeting, with the podium controlled by workers and not bureaucrats, to discuss a strategy to defend jobs. If the union refuses, workers should hold it themselves.

Workers must discuss concrete, fighting demands: no permanent layoffs; full pay and benefits for all affected; no forced transfers or relocations; a reduction of hours with no loss of pay to preserve jobs; full publication of layoff and retooling plans; and democratic control over safety and production decisions.

Rank-and-file committees should prepare mass actionspickets, plant-wide and industry-wide strikes. GM workers should link up with Ford and Stellantis workers facing similar job cuts along with forced overtime and deadly conditions. They must also document and publicize company profits, executive pay and stock buybacks to expose the lie that we cant afford jobs.

GM is a transnational corporation. Local defenses that accept national isolation will fail. The current wave of layoffs is globalFord, Stellantis and German suppliers are all cutting thousands of jobsand can only be fought through coordinated international action.

The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) rejects the nationalism of the UAW bureaucracy. It has called for a unified global movement against layoffs in the auto industry and for the building of a network of democratic, worker-controlled committees to coordinate strikes and solidarity across plants and borders.

On Thursday, the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees issued a call For a united global movement against layoffs in the auto industry!

It stated:

The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) calls on autoworkers around the world to join a unified counteroffensive against the escalating bloodbath of layoffs sweeping the global auto industry. The defense of the right to a job requires common action on a world scale against the transnational auto companies. This fight requires the building of new organizational structures: rank-and-file committees, democratically controlled by workers and based on the independent interests of the working class, not on nationalist collaboration with the capitalist elite.

Join the fight to build rank-and-file committees to defend the right to secure, good-paying job for all by filling out the form below.
Since its launch on December 12, Socialism AI has been used by workers across different industries and countries to clarify political questions and develop a conscious response to the attacks they face. Grounded in Marxist theory and the historical experiences of the international working class, and drawing on decades of WSWS analysis, the platform is increasingly being taken up as a practical organising tool.

In the statement that follows, an Australian postal worker discusses the relevance of Socialism AI amid the Amazonification of postal services and the growing use of AI to intensify exploitation and destroy jobs.

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Im a postal worker from Australia, and over the last five years we have seen postal services around the world transformed into parcel-delivery operations driven by the relentless pursuit of profit. This transformation has had a major impact on the wages, conditions and safety of postal workers internationally.

AI is already being deployed by Australia Post and postal services globally to intensify exploitation and eliminate jobs. Postal operators are following the example set by corporations such as Amazon and UPS, which have introduced AI systems to cut thousands of jobs in order to compete in the cut-throat parcel delivery market.

Australia Posts Kemps Creek Parcel Facility in Western Sydney [Photo: Australia Post]

What we are witnessing is the Amazonification of postal services and their conversion into gig-economy-style operations. The result is a race to the bottom, as national postal services compete against one another internationally and against logistics giants like Amazon, UPS and FedEx. Workers everywhere face declining conditions, speed-ups and precarious work.

The same pattern is emerging in every country: cost-cutting, intensified workloads, new technologies rolled out to squeeze labour and eliminate jobs, and privatisation where it has not yet occurred.

Under these conditions, the launch of Socialism AI on December 12, 2025 is significant. It offers postal workers something the unions and management never will: clear, accessible political education rooted in Marxist theory, combined with practical guidance for organising. As the World Socialist Web Site explains, Socialism AI was created to bring the scientific outlook of Marxism to workers worldwide and to serve as a guide for the building and expansion of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.

Postal workers are searching for a way to resist the ruling class drive to destroy our conditions and carry out privatisation. Yet in every country the unions function as little more than industrial police for management, collaborating with corporations and governments to suppress opposition and betray workers interests. Under these conditions, Socialism AI can provide the political clarity and practical guidance needed to expose these betrayals and to establish independent rank-and-file committees.

Socialism AI has immediate, practical applications. It can assist workers in drafting safety demands, preparing shop-floor ballots and developing step-by-step plans for independent investigations into workplace deaths and injuries. These tools are urgently needed following tragedies such as the deaths of Nick Acker and Russell Scruggs Jr in the United States, and the growing number of injuries suffered by postal workers facing relentless speed-ups and cost-cutting. The WSWS and the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee have already called for worker-led inquiries into these deaths.

At the same time, Socialism AI provides theoretical education that is indispensable for postal workers. Theory is not abstract for us. It explains why management and the union bureaucracy work together to impose austerity, surveillance and automation. By embedding Marxist analysis and the program of the Fourth International, Socialism AI helps workers understand the connection between local attacksrestructuring, AI-driven speed-ups and job cutsand the global crisis of capitalism. As the projects founders explain, its purpose is to bridge the gap between the objective movement of the working class and the subjective level of socialist consciousness.

The unions deliberately divide postal workers country by country, state by state and workplace by workplace, even though we face the same attacks everywhere.

Socialism AI can help overcome these divisions by sharing lessons internationally. Tactics that succeed in one country can be adapted elsewhere. It can assist in establishing democratic rank-and-file committees, coordinating international action and linking postal workers with logistics and courier workers confronting the same Amazonification drive. Only international coordination can counter a global corporate strategy implemented with the full backing of governments and unions. Socialism AI is intended to assist the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees as the mechanism for this unity.

There is widespread discussion about AI and its use by corporations to destroy jobs. Under capitalism, new technology is used to intensify exploitation. But it can be turned against the bosses. Socialism AI is not a silver bullet. It is an educational and organisational weapon that must be consciously taken up and wielded collectively by workers themselves.

I urge postal workers to take it up, build rank-and-file committees and link up internationally. I call on my brothers and sisters around the world to use Socialism AI to educate, organise and unite. The Socialist Equality Party and the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee offer strategic assistance and a platform for this fight. Join and act so that our struggles become part of a broader international movement for workers power and socialism.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio [Photo: U.S. Department of State]

The defining feature of the Canadian governments response to the Trump administrations escalating campaign of aggression and war against Venezuela is its quiet complicity.

Over the past three months, Washington has acted with brazen criminalityindiscriminately massacring dozens of people in air strikes on defenceless boats, seizing oil tankers, and imposing a de facto blockade on Venezuelas oil exports. These acts of military violence and economic warfare are flagrant violations of international law and constitute war crimes.

For decades, the Canadian ruling class has portrayed itself as a staunch proponent and defender of international law. Yet the Liberal government under former central banker Mark Carney has greeted the criminal acts of Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth with a diplomatic shrug.

Ottawa has failed to breathe a word of criticism of the Trump administrations aggression against Venezuela. This is not just because it is eager to reach an accommodation with the fascist, would-be dictator Trump, in which Canadas privileged access to the US market is preserved and its military-security partnership with the US reinvigorated.

The Canadian ruling class shares the goal of ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and plundering the countrys natural resources. It worked closely with the White House toward that end under the first Trump administration and that of the Democrat Joe Biden.

The coming US war against Venezuela is aimed at placing the worlds largest oil reserves under direct imperialist control. At the same time, the campaign against Venezuela is aimed at denying strategic rivals such as Russia and China access to the hemisphere.

International law, which Ottawa claims to champion, is treated as irrelevant when aims that the Canadian ruling class supportsuch as theseare pursued by the United States.

Since early September, the Trump administration has sharply escalated its criminal campaign against Venezuela. US forces have carried out dozens of lethal airstrikes on small boats in the Caribbean under the pretext of drug interdiction, and seized a Venezuelan-linked oil tanker. Most recently, Trump announced a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, a measure that constitutes an act of war under international law.

The claim that these operations are aimed at combating drug trafficking is a transparent fraud. Venezuela is not a major source of illicit narcotics flowing into the United States. Moreover, no country has the right to kill civilians on the high seas or anywhere else at will. The invocation of drug interdiction serves as a concocted pretext for military actions whose real purpose is regime change and the reassertion of American dominance over Venezuela.

These steps form part of a broader drive to reestablish unbridled American imperialist dominance over Latin America. This ambition is baldly asserted in the Trump administrations National Security Strategy, which was released earlier this month. It speaks of a Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine under which Washington claims the right to intervene militarily throughout the Western Hemisphere to enforce its strategic and economic interests and prevent its geostrategic rivals from establishing a presence.

In announcing the oil blockade, Trump dispensed even with diplomatic euphemism, declaring that Venezuela must return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land and other Assets that they previously stole from us. The statement amounts to an unvarnished threat of imperialist plunder.

At no point has the Canadian government questioned or criticized, let alone publicly condemned, Washingtons illegal military actions and threats of war. It has not demanded clarification, suspended or even threatened to suspend its cooperation with the US in drug interdiction operations in the Caribbean. And it has studiously avoided declaring whether it condones or opposes the killing of people at sea without due process.

The last public expression of Ottawas position came in November at the conclusion of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Ontario. Asked whether US strikes on boats in the Caribbean violated international law, Canadas foreign minister Anita Anand responded that while Canada concerns itself with its own compliance, the legality of US actions is a matter for American officials to decide.

As Canadas foreign minister, I hold responsibility for Canadas compliance with international lawwe are always seeking to comply with international law, Anand declared. Regarding the question that you asked, I would say it is within the purview of US authorities to make that determination.

In plain terms, Ottawas position is that international law does not apply to Washington. The Carney government will not challenge US actions regardless of their clear illegality or human cost so long as they advance American and Canadian strategic objectives. Anands remarks provide political cover for extrajudicial killings at sea and confirm that Canada will continue to work with the United States as it commits acts that meet the definition of war crimes.

Canadas posture exposes the real content of its claims to uphold a rules-based international order. Ottawa invokes international law selectively. When it comes to the enemies of US and Canadian imperialism, it cries from the rooftops, demanding that the perpetrators of both real and concocted war crimes be held to account. But when Washington carries out killings, blockades and plots illegal invasions, international law is of no account. Far from a neutral framework, Canada invokes international law as an instrument of imperialist coercion.

Canadian imperialist interests and ambitions in Latin America

The Canadian governments readiness to defend Trumps criminality is rooted in Canadas long-standing economic and military collaboration with the United States in the Caribbean. Since emerging as an imperialist power in its own right at the turn of the 20th century, Canada has viewed Latin America as a key area of interest, though it has always played second fiddle to its much more powerful American imperialist ally to the south.

Canadas foreign direct investment in the region is now estimated to be in the order of C$100 billion, concentrated in mining, energy and financial services. Since joining the Organization of American States in 1990, its military-security presence in the region has also expanded significantly.

In 2004, Canada and the US invaded Haiti in conjunction with a fascist rebellion led by former Haitian army officers and Tontons Macoutes to overthrow the countrys elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Since 2006, Canada has participated in Operation Caribbe, a US-led naval and aerial surveillance mission presented as a counter-narcotics effort, but long used to assert imperialist control over the Caribbean Sea region. Under this operation, Canadian warships, patrol aircraft and personnel conduct find and track missions and pass intelligence to US Coast Guard forces that carry out interceptions.

In October, with US airstrikes off Venezuelas coast in full swing, a Department of National Defence spokesperson claimed that Canadas interdiction operations under Operation Caribbe were separate and distinct from US airstrikes on purported smugglers.

Since then, the government has said nothing about whether Canadian intelligence, surveillance data or other military assets have contributed to the deadly strikes. It has not suspended or even paused its participation in Operation Caribbe. In the context of an illegal campaign of lethal violence, the continued provision of intelligence and operational support to the US constitutes facilitation of criminal acts.

The Carney Liberal governments alignment with Trumps offensive is the continuation of a long record of aggression aimed at subordinating the oil-rich country to North American imperialist economic and geostrategic interests.

Canada played a central role in the Lima Group, the US-aligned regional formation established in 2017 to isolate Venezuela diplomatically and legitimize regime change. Ottawa acted as an organizer and enforcer, pressing Latin American governments to reject Venezuelan elections, impose sanctions and coordinate political and economic pressure against the Maduro government.

This role assumed its most blatant form in 2019 when Canada rushed to recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuelas interim president following a US-orchestrated coup attempt. Canadian diplomats worked behind the scenes to unify the right-wing opposition and line up international recognition for an unconstitutional seizure of power, lending pseudo-legal legitimacy to an operation that threatened civil war and was considered a potential pretext for US military intervention.

Although the coup failed, Canada never repudiated it. Liberal governments under Justin Trudeau and now Mark Carney have continued to treat regime change in Venezuela as legitimate, escalating sanctions and diplomatic pressure in close coordination with Washington.

Global Affairs Canada publicly congratulated US-backed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, praising her courage and resilience and declaring support for her vision of Venezuelas future. Machado is a far-right politician who has openly advocated for a US invasion to impose regime change. Ottawas endorsement, issued as Washington escalates military operations and tightens its blockade, underscores Canadas active participation in the campaign to engineer the violent overthrow of the Maduro regime under the cover of democratic rhetoric.

Canadian banks, mining companies and energy firms stand to profit from the opening of Venezuelas resources.

At the same time, Ottawas silence on the Trump administrations aggression against Venezuela reflects domestic political calculations.

Large sections of the Canadian population are revolted by the spectacle of US forces carrying out killings on the high seas and imposing blockades in open violation of international law. Carney was elected while posturing as an Elbows Up opponent of Trumps threat to annex Canada as the 51st state.

Moreover, in the eyes of wide sections of the population, Canadas claims to uphold international law and human rights have already been seriously discredited by Ottawas full-throated support for Israel as it has mounted its genocidal assault on the Gaza Palestinians.

The trade union-backed New Democratic Party (NDP) has mirrored the Carney governments stance. It has voiced no substantive opposition to the airstrikes or the economic blockade. This silence is in keeping with the NDPs longstanding integration into the foreign policy consensus of Canadian imperialism, including its support for the US-NATO-instigated war with Russia over Ukraine and for Canadas integration into Washingtons military-strategic offensive against China.

The same class logic that drives Canadas policy toward Venezuela has impelled a massive further lurch to the right in ruling-class politics since Carney assumed the reins of government from Justin Trudeau last March. This includes a massive new austerity drive, an intensification of the state assault on the right to strike, the curtailment of refugee rights and the strengthening of the border in collaboration with the Trump administrations war on immigrants.

At the centre of the Liberal governments agenda is a massive rearmament drive and the building up of Canadas military-industrial base to prepare Canadian imperialism for global war.

This is to be paid for by the working class through the dismantling of public services, the slashing of social supports, and the gutting of democratic rights.

Workers must oppose US and Canadian imperialisms aggression against Venezuela. Such opposition does not imply political support for the Maduro government. The Venezuelan state represents a bourgeois-nationalist faction that has responded to economic collapse and imperialist pressure with repression against workers, restrictions on democratic rights, and offers to Trump to give the US privileged access to the countrys oil wealth.

The struggle against imperialist war demands the unification of the working class in the imperialist centres of North America with workers in the countries targeted for imperialist onslaught, like Venezuela, China and Russia.

The defence of the Venezuelan masses and of working people internationally requires the political mobilization of the international working class. This means building rank-and-file organizations, breaking with the union bureaucracy, and all the political representatives of big business, and developing a mass movement for workers power and socialism.

Canadian workers must oppose the blockade, airstrikes on boats and the threat of direct war on Venezuela; demand Canadas withdrawal from all military operations that facilitate US violence; reject imperialist sanctions and asset seizures; and link the struggle against war abroad to the defence of jobs, social services and democratic rights at home.
The World Socialist Web Site calls on all of its readers to make as large a donation as possible to the WSWS New Year Fund.

The year 2025 is coming to a close and 2026 is beginning under conditions of escalating global crisis.

The United States under the Trump administration is spearheading a global descent into war, dictatorship and social counterrevolution. Trump heads a government of gangsters, fascists and oligarchs. The Pentagon right now is preparing for military conflict across Latin America, carrying out extrajudicial assassinationsin fact, murderand building up for war against Venezuela. Inside the US, the administration is rounding up immigrant families in Gestapo-style raids, criminalizing political opposition and erecting the legal framework for a presidential dictatorship.

In Europe, the ruling classes have effectively declared that they are at war with Russia. The major powers are rapidly escalating military preparations, with the German ruling class whitewashing the crimes of Hitlers Third Reich as it rearms on a massive scale, while the UK and France funnel billions into an expanding war effort. At the same time, in the Middle East, the genocide in Gaza, now more than two years on, continues with the full backing of every imperialist power.

The war drive abroad is inseparable from the war on the working class at home. The past year has seen mass layoffs, a brutal assault on social programs and levels of social inequality that defy comprehension. The ruling class has no solutions to the crises it has created other than imperialist war abroad and repression and dictatorship in every country.

At the same time, the past year has seen many expressions of increasing anger and opposition throughout the worldthe millions who participated in the No Kings demonstrations against Trump; the tens of millions who have protested the Gaza genocide. In Africa, mass demonstrations in many countries have erupted against austerity and imperialist exploitation.

In this context, the World Socialist Web Site is absolutely essential. The WSWS not only provides daily commentary and analysis on the essential political issues facing the working class, but actively intervenes in the struggles of workers and youththe fight by postal and auto workers in the US against mass layoffs and the industrial slaughterhouse in America; the mass protests of young people against the resurgence of fascism and the promotion of the far-right AfD in Germany; the growing anger of workers in Sri Lanka in response to the humanitarian disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah; and countless other expressions of opposition.

The WSWS brings into the struggles of workers and young people a historical and political perspective, and fights for a program that targets the problem at its source: the capitalist system.

On December 12, the WSWS launched Socialism AI, a truly historic advance, a tool for education and for action, connecting the daily experiences of the working class to the revolutionary lessons of the past in order to prepare the fight for the future.

At a time when corporations use AI to carry out mass layoffs, wage war and censor dissent, Socialism AI is being used for the opposite purpose: to apply augmented intelligence to the task of educating, organizing and mobilizing the working class.

This powerful tool would not have been possible without your support. And it is only the beginning. Socialism AI will be continually developed, expanded and integrated, along with other tools, into every area of the WSWS. New features and tools are already in the pipeline. But to carry out this workto develop and strengthen the fight for world socialismwe need your financial support.

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Six pro-Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike in Britain remain in acute danger of death, as the Labour government washes its hands of their fate.

Held in several prisons, the participants in Palestine Action (PA) protests prior to the groups proscription by the Labour government are demanding immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, an end to censorship of their communications, the de-proscription of PA and the closing of all UK sites run by Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit.

Remand prisoners, they have not been convicted of any crime and are innocent until proven guilty. If they do not die first, many will spend close to two years locked up before facing trial.

The eight hunger strikers: From top left to right; Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink (bottom left to right) Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello, Umer Khalid [Photo: Prisoners for Palestine]

The protest initially involved eight hunger strikersaged between 20 and 31. These were Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello, Umer Khalid. This week, two of the participants (Jon Cink and Umer Khalid) ended their strikes after 41 and 13 days respectively. Another, Lewie Chiaramello, participates on alternate days due to being diabetic.

Qesser Zuhrah remains on hunger strike after 48 days; as do Amu Gib (48 days); Heba Muraisi (47 days); Teuta Hoxha (41 days); Kamran Ahmed (40 days); Lewie Chiaramello (26 days)

Death due to lack of food usually occurs after 60-70 days but can come much sooner. Martin Hurson, an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner in Long Kesh prison, died after 46 days of his hunger strike in 1981. Prior to December 11, five of the hunger strikers had already been hospitalised.

At a press conference organised by the strikers families Thursday, Dr James Smith, a qualified emergency physician and lecturer at University College London, told reporters bluntly, The hunger strikers are dying. He added that he was alarmed by accounts of substandard monitoring and treatment within the prison system.

The day before, 20-year-old Qesser Zuhrah was taken to hospital on the 46th day of her hunger strike. It took a sustained protest outside HMP Bronzefield in Surreyincluding Zarah Sultana, a Your Party Member of Parliamentto secure even this.

According to the Guardian, Prisoners for Palestine, a prisoner-led collective in Britain, said the Prison Service was reported to have denied an ambulance entry into Bronzefield on Tuesday afternoon despite Zuhrah having been unable to stand and writhing in pain on her cell floor.

Ella Mousdale, a relative, said thatas was the case with Teuta HoxhaQesser Zuhrah had previously discharged herself from hospital to make her family aware of her failing health. Speaking about the gravity of the situation, Mousdale said, This is a very deadly period, adding that relatives did not know at that moment if Qesser was still alive.

Qessers lawyers explained how she was suffering chest pains, exhaustion, and a consistently high pulse of 100bpm despite doing next to no physical activity. She had told loved ones she regularly collapses in prison.

Rahma Hoxha said of her sister Teuta, The longer this goes on the scarier this gets for her and my family. My sister shouldnt even be in prison. The prison guards called her a terrorist, even though shes on remand. She said it feels as if the government is trying to bury them alive and for them to go quietly.

Labours response has been sadistic. Justice Secretary David Lammy has stonewalled attempts by lawyers, medical professionals and politicians to even secure a meeting on the situation.

Keir Starmer in the House of Commons on December 17, 2025. [Photo by House of Commons / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

By Thursday almost 900 doctors, nurses, therapists and carers had written to Lammy, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, senior NHS officials and senior prison officials to demand action to save the lives of the hunger strikers. They backed a letter from the strikers lawyers who warned the previous week: without resolution, there is the real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence.

On December 16, Your Party MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn raised the case of the prisoners in a parliamentary question, noting they are remand prisoners, that deep concerns had been expressed about their treatment, and asking if a government minister could meet their legal representatives, and their families if necessary, to discuss the situation and try to help with the safety of these prisoners?

Junior justice minister Jake Richards blunt No earned the laughter of several MPs.

The following day, during Prime Ministers Questions, Corbyn repeated the question to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who echoed Richards refusal, stating vaguely, there are rules and procedures in place in relation to hunger strikes, and were following those rules and procedures.

An early day motion calling on the Secretary of State for Justice to intervene urgently to ensure their treatment is humane and their human rights are upheld signed by 62 MPs has been similarly ignored by the government and nine out of ten MPs.

Parliament went into recess on December 18 and will not return from the Christmas holiday period until January 5.

Labour is complicit in Israels genocide and most of its MPs think nothing of a few more deaths on home soil. Fewer than 7 percent have signed the early day motion.

Starmers Labour Party is less concerned to show a trace of sympathy and concern than even Margaret Thatchers government was at the height of British imperialisms Dirty War against the Irish Republican Army. She felt obliged to couple a policy of starving to death 10 IRA prisoners demanding political prisoner status with public statements insisting, The Government is not the inflexible party in this issue, as she wrote in a public letter to Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich.

Her government had, she claimed, repeatedly made clear how much they regret the loss of life through all forms of violence in Northern Ireland, introduced important and humane changes in the prison regime last year and allowed the three Dublin TDs, the ECHR representatives and the Popes representative to visit the Maze where the prisoners were kept.

Thatchers worshippers in todays governing Labour Party see no need for such face-saving hypocrisy, rejecting all pleas to intervene and prevent the deaths of young protesters who have not been found guilty of anything. Starmer is more policeman than politician.

The Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) reiterate our call: A counteroffensive in defence of democratic and social rights and against war and genocide cannot be left to the heroic self-sacrifice of a few. Their cause is the cause of the entire working class and student youth, which must be mobilised in their defence.
I

The WSWS has published a series of articles observing the 100th anniversary of various achievements in fiction, film and music. A recurring theme has been the significance, in direct and myriad indirect ways, of the 1917 October Revolution to global art and culture.

Theodore Dreiser, 1933

The greatest artistic accomplishments in the 20th century came about as the result of the understanding, or more often the intuition, that the new art, as Trotsky suggested, which will lay out new landmarks, and which will expand the channel of creative art, could only be created by those who were at one with their epoch, the convulsive era ushered in by the Russian Revolution, the first stage of the world revolution. To one varied extent or another, the most serious artists in the 1920s and early 1930s, however they may have interpreted the process, anticipated or often even assumed that society was proceeding to a new and higher stage. Absorbing that atmosphere proved essential to the honest and aesthetically rich treatment of the contradictions of contemporary reality.

This conception of 20th century art animates our view of one of the most titanic works of fiction of the last century.

Theodore Dreisers An American Tragedy was published one hundred years ago, on December 17, 1925. The novelinspired by a 1906 murder caserecounts the early life of Clyde Griffiths, from a lower middle class, religious family, and his subsequent pursuit of the American dream of success and status. When his pregnant, factory worker girlfriend, Roberta Alden, becomes an obstacle in that pursuit, he cold-bloodedly plans her murder. Her eventual death, on a deserted upstate New York lake, is one of the most chilling scenes in American and world literature.

A lengthy novel, at more than 800 pages, An American Tragedy was originally published in two volumes. Despite its size and price, it sold some 50,000 copies in the first year. It received wide critical acclaim and made Dreiser the leading American author of the day. Banned in Boston in 1927, later proscribed by the Nazis for dealing with low love affairs, the novel has been adapted several times for the theater and on film.

A Place in the Sun (1951), based on An American Tragedy

It is difficult to think of another novel that proceeds as An American Tragedy does. Dreiser painstakingly builds up piece by painful, intensely intimate piece his picture of a society, a town, a factory, several families and a love triangle as the terrible disaster looms.

Roberta becomes pregnant precisely as Clyde is introduced into the towns better circles and a possible romance with a golden girl, Sondra Finchley, opens up unimagined possibilities of wealth, luxury and beauty. Eventually, Clyde begins to entertain in his own mind the possibility of murder. He calculates that unless Roberta let him go it all spelled defeat for him. He now looked gloomily and even desperately upon [Sondras] face. The beauty of her! The completeness of this world! And yet not to be allowed to possess her or it, ever. And Roberta with her demand and his promise in the immediate background! And no way of escape save by flight! God!

Clyde argues with himself:

But I do not want to kill her [Roberta]. I do not want to kill her. I do not want to injure her in any way. If she will but let me go and she go her own way, I will be so glad and so happy never to see her more. But she will not let you go or go her way unless you accompany her. And if you go yours, it will be without Sondra and all that she represents, as well as all this pleasant life hereyour standing with your uncle, his friends, their cars, the dances, visits to the lodges on the lakes. And what then? A small job! Small pay!  Never another chance like this anywhere. Do you prefer that?

The ultimately doomed efforts of Clyde and Roberta to extricate themselves from their predicament (including the search for a doctor willing to perform an abortion) are particularly heartrending. The chapters leading up to and including Robertas death by water are difficult to read or re-read.

II

Dreiser (1871-1945), born in Terre Haute, Indiana, is an immense figure in American literature. While An American Tragedy was his supreme achievement, he was also the author of at least four other brilliant novels of American life, Sister Carrie (1900), Jennie Gerhardt (1911), The Financier (1912) and The Titan (1914), as well as two fascinating, revealing volumes of autobiography, Newspaper Days (originally published as A Book About Myself in 1922, put out under the new title in 1931) and Dawn (1931). An Amateur Laborer (begun in 1904, but not published until decades later) is also a memoir, covering the three years of psychological crisis after the suppression of Sister Carrie, during which Dreiser worked as a rail worker.

Dreisers Sister Carrie, 1900

His relatively unflattering, although generally sympathetic portrait of the Soviet Union, Dreiser Looks at Russia (1928), and his scathing indictment of US capitalism during the first years of the Great Depression, Tragic America (1931), when read critically, still make illuminating reading. There are also short story collections (e.g., Chains, 1927) and various volumes of letters (edited by Robert H. Elias, Thomas P. Riggio and Donald Pizer).

Dreiser corresponded with notable figures such as Eugene V. Debs, Diego Rivera, John Barrymore, John Ford, Upton Sinclair, Sherwood Anderson, John Steinbeck, Paul Robeson, Edgar Lee Masters, Edmund Wilson, James T. Farrell, H. L. Mencken, George Bernard Shaw, Emma Goldman, H. G. Wells, Max Eastman, Sergei Eisenstein, Edward G. Robinson, William Randolph Hearst and Franklin D. Roosevelt, as well as countless readers, lovers and friends.

Dreiser had his share of personal failings and foibles, prejudices and backwardness. He was susceptible, like many American intellectuals, to pragmatic quick fixes, philosophical charlatanry and worse. He was given on occasion to extreme impressionism about events and people. His lengthy association with Stalinism, although it can be explained from a historical point of view, did him no credit. Despite knowing better, Dreiser declined, in response to the urging of Eastman in 1933, from publicly coming to the defense of Trotskys persecuted adherents in the USSR, claiming the victory of Russia is all-important. I hold with Lincoln: Never swap horses while crossing a stream.

David North has commented on the American liberal intelligentsia in the early part of the 20th century, an amorphous grouping, with little more than a vague commitment to the gradual improvement of social conditions. The Depression, however, produced within this social milieu a certain sense of urgency, a heightened interest in social problems and even a degree of sympathy for radical politics.

Against the backdrop of the American crisis, the apparent successes of the Soviet economy, the excesses of collectivization notwithstanding, generated respect and even admiration for the concept of economic planning. It appeared to many liberal intellectuals that the world had something to learn from the Soviet Union.

In so far as Dreiser was a far more substantial artist and intellectual than the run of the mill, his concern with social problems and his sympathy for radical politics took on a more serious, intense character. He keenly felt the widespread misery and suffering produced by American capitalism during the Depression and wrote movingly about it. Dreiser genuinely stuck his neck out, in defense of the Scottsboro Boys, coal miners in Kentucky and class war prisoners such as Tom Mooney, and brought the wrath of the authorities down upon himself on numerous occasions.

As noted, he condemned US capitalism in Tragic America as unredeemable and backed up his judgment with a plethora of facts and figures. Moreover, Dreiser denounced the class-collaborationist American Federation of Labor (AFL), asserting in a 1931 open letter to its president William L. Green, that the organization:

apart from its continuous aid to capital since 1900, is not so much a failure as a menace to labor in general, its economic, political and social and educational welfare. It offers no breadth or enlightenment. Under the A. F. of L. leadership and guidance as it is today and has been for years, the worker is in no least way encouraged let alone trained in economic, social and political ideas. And why? Because his leaders have none.

Dreiser did not lack courage or principle.

Nonetheless, as he acknowledged in a 1932 letter, Dreisers Marxism was a very liberal thing. In a letter the following year, he set out his concern that the immense gulf between wealth and poverty in America and throughout the world should be narrowed and that government should truly emphasize and, in so far as humanly possible, effect the welfare of all of the peoplenot that of a given class. This helps explain his accommodation with Stalinism and its national-reformist program.

William L. Green, AFL president

Dreiser was most a revolutionist in his examinations of social and personal relationships and their mutual, reciprocal interconnection. He frankly and objectively demystified important thoughts and feelings, desires and ambitions, tracing them to what he viewed as uncontrollable, unconscious external forces. He never entirely overcame his belief in the workings of blind and accidental physical and chemical determinism, which he derived from pseudo-scientific Social Darwinism and other late 19th century trends, with traces of Nietzsche mixed in, but the experience of life and socialist analyses of social laws and structures improved and sharpened his focus. His ability to translate his understanding of why people act as they do in modern class society into fictional-dramatic situations was surpassed by few.

For example, there is his treatment of the mystery of love, as he somewhat sardonically termed it. Dreiser is one of the most acute writers in demonstrating that emotion and, above all, love, are the product of a complex set of social and psychological circumstances. Without moralizing, Dreiser shows that love is not accidental or arbitrary, not something that swoops down on human beings from above. In all his stories men and women fall for particular people for very real reasons, physical, emotional, social and economic.

In a 1913 letter, Dreiser observed:

The whole test of a bookto meisis it true, revealing, at once a picture and a criticism of life. If it measure up in these respects we can dismiss sympathy, decency, even the utmost shame and pain of it all.

In very few circumstances, it must be said, did Dreiser entirely dismiss sympathy. A profound compassion for human beings and their countless difficulties in contemporary class society pervades nearly everything he wrote.

III

One mid-20th century survey of US literary history asserted that Dreiser reveals the very nerves of American society and has exerted a more profound, a more lasting influence than any other novelist on twentieth century realistic fiction in America.

Decades of political and cultural reaction, however, have their consequences. Already in 1991, we argued that Dreiser is treated like a dead dog by the literary establishment in this country. On the whole, the professors, critics and journalists who make up what is called the intelligentsia want no part of Dreiser and no part of An American Tragedy.

That dismal situation has not apparently changed. There has been no resurgence of interest, report various sources, in teaching Dreisers works.

His commitment to social truth, to historical and psychological reality, his tireless building up of his characters situations and dilemmas, his engagement with towering questions, including many of the essential facts of class society, his relentless critique of American illusions and delusions, his refusal to flatter his readers, all this continues to fly in the face of contemporary academic pettiness and subjectivism, lazy, irrationalist postmodernism and political timidity.

Josef von Sternbergs An American Tragedy (1931), which Dreiser sharply criticized

Dreiser, we are informed, is ponderous, dark, an awkward and clumsy stylist, his books too long for modern readers with their supposedly short attention span, he is too heavy-handed and socially explicit, too deterministic by far ... In response, one might refer to the comment by another crude artistic figure Vincent van Gogh that precisely when I become stronger in what Ill call power of expression than I am at this moment, people will say, not less but in fact even more than now, that I have no technique.

Feminist critics have complained that Dreiser reinforces gender stereotypes, his books focus on what men think women should be and objectify women via the male gaze. No one jumps out of his skin, of course, but the novelist, in fact, demonstrated obviously strong and angry determination to expose the plight of his female characters, to the extent of titling two of his major and most moving works, Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt, after such protagonists.

Dreiser urged a correspondent: Observe life directly as much as possible and prepare yourself to write by reading the really worth-while things that have been written by others and then look upon your writing as the most important thing in the worldto youand the petty annoyances that now seem to color your whole life will quite naturally fall into their proper perspective.

One of the main aims of this article is to encourage the reading of Dreisers work, all of his major novels and nonfiction efforts.

IV

To return to An American Tragedy. Dreiser created (or discovered) in the book a series of indelible, truthful social types, types but also highly individuated, concretely existing men and womenthe young man on the make, shallow youths hankering for amusement or even for meaning in their lives, the sensitive young woman factory worker, the religiously infused, impoverished mother (how often we still see her today in the poorest neighborhoods of the US!), the grasping, politically motivated district attorney ready to lie on impulse.

Here is Dreisers description, late in the novel, of the governor of New York when Clydes lawyers and mother petition him for a pardon. They stand before

a tall, sober and somewhat somber man who, never in all his life had even so much as sensed the fevers or fires that Clyde had known, yet who, being a decidedly affectionate father and husband, could very well sense what Mrs. Griffiths present emotions must be. Yet greatly exercised by the compulsion which the facts, as he understood them, as well as a deep-seated and unchangeable submission to law and order, thrust upon him.

A sympathetic, highly objective depiction of a limited individual with enormous power, and, in the circumstances of the novel, a cold man, inadequate and morally prostrate before forces larger than himself.

Clyde Griffiths is brilliantly drawn. He begins lifeand, in a different way, ends itsunk in religious claptrap deeply felt by those around him, but not by himself, and yearns for escape, of almost any kind, into a brighter, more fulfilling world. Intelligent but weak-willed, good-looking, not physically lazy but too easy on himself, Clyde can sense an opening to more money or pleasure when he sees it. At one point, he works as a bellhop at a fancy St. Louis hotel and is mesmerized by the wealth around him, a small portion of which he manages to obtain. He spends it on clothes and manages an outward, surface transformation.

An American Tragedy, 1926

And both Dreiser and his wealthy relatives, when he meets them in an manufacturing town in upstate New York, are on to this. His cousin Gilbert says after meeting him at the family mansion:

He thinks clothes are the whole thing, I guess. He had on a light brown suit and a brown tie and hat to match and brown shoes. His tie was too bright and he had on one of those bright pink striped shirts like they used to wear three or four years ago. Besides his clothes arent cut right. I didnt want to say anything because hes just come on, and we dont know whether hell hold out or not. But if he does, and hes going to pose around as a relative of ours, hed better tone down, or Id advise the governor [i.e., Gilberts father, Clydes uncle] to have a few words with him.

The way in which the need for achievement, status and income distort human relationships in the novel developed out of Dreisers observations of his time and the people of his time, but there is obviously a continuity and a strong resonance in our own day. The Clyde Griffiths have only multiplied.

As Clyde maneuvers desperately, hiding his budding relationship with the glamorous Sondra, and Roberta grows terrified about her pregnancy becoming public knowledge, everything that was kind and tender between the former lovers turns to bitterness and resentment, right up to the moment Clyde kills Roberta, or allows her to die:

More poignantly than ever now she [Roberta] was identifying him [Clyde] with that gay life of which he, but not she, was a part. And yet she hesitated even now to let him know how sharp were the twinges of jealousy that were beginning to assail her. They had such a good time in that fine worldhe and those he knewand she had so little.

There is a profound ambiguity about the killing itself. Roberta, who more or less accidentally falls from their rowboat, dies as the result of Clydes inaction. She is flailing about in the water, she could be saved. Passivity has a social component. Going with the flow, doing what comes naturally is a form of acceptance of the status quo and has a reactionary, submissive content.

The death scene is terrible, but it is one of the most human moments in the book. As Dreiser spins it out, although the action lasts only a matter of seconds, he brings to bear the accumulated effect of Clydes upbringing, his longings and frustrations, his absorption of the societys values and methods. Clyde is never more surrounded by powerful social forces than he is when alone on that secluded lake. A killing like this, semi-accidental but devoutly wished for, is not motivated primarily by hate but by some internalized need that mirrors societys demands.



Yet, even after this, Dreiser allows us to remain sympathetic to someone who has venal and base motives, regardless of whether he was fully able to act on them at the last instant. Without ever needing to say so, the book proves conclusively that Clyde is not the villain, the social organism is. The attentive reader will be drawn to the conclusion that such a social order, which demoralizes, tears apart and exterminates human beings, human beings who believe in it, who worship it, must itself be done away with.

But even if Clyde were more of an outright villain, one of the moral triumphs of the novel, so necessary for our own times, is the sympathy generated for the condemned man, the compassion for the prisoner, the victim of a media hysteria, the friendless person cast out by society, locked up and prosecuted to divert attention from its own culpability. I pity the individual when he is weak, defeated, put upon, wrote Dreiser in a letter. But I also cease to pity him when I find him strong, selfish, vain, cruel or brutal.

Honore de Balzac

In the aftermath of Robertas killing, a highly dramatic and distressing scene, Dreiser inflicts on Clydeand the readera series of psychically harsh blows, the blows delivered one after the other by official society, characteristic of it to this day:



Newspaper frenzy: The moment Clyde is identified as suspect, the press descends upon him. In a phenomenon so common today, the newspapers immediately pre-judge him as a cold-blooded killer, and whip up public anger, destroying any chance of a fair, impartial trial.

An involuntary confession: The police exhaust and terrify Clyde by relentlessly interrogating him, forcing him to reconstruct the scene repeatedly. He is psychologically broken. He finally weaves a narrative that, while containing the truth, is legally damning. This confession is one of the chief pieces of evidence against him.

The calculations of his wealthy relatives: His uncle Samuel Griffiths, who represents the social class Clyde so desperately wished to join, is motivated only by the desire to protect the family name.

Emotional isolation: Clyde receives no genuine empathy from his mother or family until he is already in jail. He has pushed away and let die the one person who loved him, Roberta. The other woman who might have loved him, Sondra, is immediately whisked away by her family and disappears from his life. He is alone.



The district attorneys lies and manipulation: District Attorney Mason manipulates not just the evidence but Clydes own weak character to paint him as a predatory seducer and a coldblooded killer. Mason transforms the pathetic, confused act into a coherent, premeditated plan, solidifying the narrative of Clyde as a vicious murderer.

The guilty verdict: Despite the efforts of his defense attorneys (funded by his uncle), the jury, swayed by public opinion and Masons skillful arguments, finds Clyde guilty of first-degree murder.

Denial of the appeal and clemency: After the conviction, the long, agonizing wait for the appeal. Anticipating the final decision on clemency is torture. When the appeal is denied, it confirms societys bloodthirsty desire for revenge.

Religious fear: In the final moments, Clyde is subjected to the chaplains efforts to have him repent. It is also cold, essentially unfeeling and pro forma. In any case, Clyde waffles, and it brings him as much terror as comfort.

And, of course, most horrifying of all, the death penalty itself...

In a 1931 letter, Dreiser outlined his plan for the novel. The first part, he said, was intended to set forth

such social miseries as might naturally depress, inhibit and frustrate, and therefore exaggerate, the emotions and desires of a very sensitive and almost sensually exotic boy most poorly equipped for the great life struggle which confronts all youth.

In the second portion, the author aimed to show how such an unprepared youth might

be brought face to face with a much more fortunate world which would intensify all his deepest desires for luxury and love, and to show how, in the usual unequal contest between poverty and ignorance and desire and the worlds great toys, he might readily and really through no real willing of his own, find himself defeated and even charged with murder.

And the novels final section would reveal how such a youth might be treated

by an ignorant, conventional and revengeful background of rural souls who would  be the last to understand and comprehend the palliatives that might have, but did not, attend the life of such a boy, and therefore judge him far more harshly than would individuals of deeper insight and better mental fortune.

V

What made this remarkable work possible in 1925? There is the matter of Dreisers individual genius, his sensitivity to and exhaustive working through of social and psychological conditions and problems. His generally impoverished and unstable childhood, his battles with the puritanical American establishment and his keen observations of wealth accumulation by some along with bitter class warfare rendered him open to a frank consideration of the American Dream and related matters. He undoubtedly saw something of Clyde Griffiths in himself, and in many others.

This genius itself was a historical and social product.

It was in 1892, at a time I began work as a newspaper man, Dreiser wrote in 1934, that I first began to observe a certain type of crime in the United States. It seemed to spring from the fact that almost every young person was possessed of an ingrowing ambition to be somebody financially and socially.  I was witnessing the upbuilding of the great American fortunes. And once these fortunes and the families which controlled them were established, there began to develop our leisure class, the Four Hundred [families] of New York..., plus their imitators in the remainder of the states.

Andrew Carnegie, c. 1878

The reference to the decade of the 1890s is significant. Despite falling prices and profit rates from the mid-1870s to the mid-1890s, American capitalism continued to experience explosive growth. Between the end of the Civil War and 1890, industrial output had risen 296 percent. Steel production in the US surpassed the combined totals of Britain, France and Germany by the end of the century. New technologies in oil, electric power and communications facilitated growth.

The period witnessed a dramatic concentration of wealth, social inequality and widespread poverty. In 1890, the wealthiest 1 percent of the population owned a quarter of the countrys assets, while 11 million of the nations 12 million families earned less than $1,200 per year.

The class struggle erupted in ferocious battles. The fight for the eight-hour day led to the Haymarket Affair in May 1886 and the eventual execution of four anarchists. The Homestead strike of 1892 against Carnegie Steel, the Pullman strike of 1894 and coal miners strikes in 1894 and 1898 were particularly intense inflection points. Dreiser lived through this period and absorbed its social drama into the very marrow of his bones.

As he describes it in his Newspaper Days, Dreiser discovered the French novelist Balzac while living in Pittsburgh and working as a journalist (two years after the Homestead strike) and subsequently devoured his works. At first dismayed at finding himself in the Pennsylvania city rather than Paris, it dawned on Dreiser that the convulsive conditions of industrial America and the immense money magnates of the Andrew Carnegie type also might lend themselves to fictional treatment.

Their [the money magnates] ease, luxury, poweror at least the possibilities of the same which they possessedwere duplicated here, and theirs were scarcely superior. Great books might be written hereand of these men  If ever one writer impressed another, and that violently, it was Balzac.

Other favorite authors apparently included Tolstoy, Fielding, Thackeray, Hugo, Dickens, George Eliot, Flaubert and Zola.

Not only did wealth and economic inequality have a strong impact on Dreiser, however, but also the politics and policies they engendered. In addition to its savage attacks on strikers at home, America became an imperialist bully in the 1890s, proclaiming its mission to be the liberation of oppressed peoples. The US celebrated its victory in the Spanish-American War of 1898 by subjugating Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and the Philippines in the Pacific. The liberation of that Pacific archipelago required the brutal suppression of a national democratic insurgency, at the cost of over 200,000 Philippine lives.

Filipino casualties, 1899

The tremendous fortunes of the Rockefellers, Morgans, Carnegies and Vanderbilts and their flaunting of it through mansions, lavish spending and conspicuous consumption engendered anger, and also envy. For Clyde, who felt himself very much of a nobody, the path to the world of roses, perfumes, lights and music leads through violence and murder. How else is he to attain it? His betters among the Robber Barons and the general staffs in World War I have shown him the way. In the immortal words of the Wall Street Journal editorial board in our own day, what Clyde and others learned, and Dreiser had to sort through a trove of murder cases to find the one that most closely mirrored his concerns, was that Force works.

Dreiser gives artistic, sensual flesh and bone to the mercenary and socially narcissistic ambition to succeed over the bodies of others pursued by the American ruling class in its own delusion that it has arrived, and perhaps even outsmarted history.

VI

Last, but not least, there is the matter of the impact of the Russian Revolution and the advent of a revolutionary epoch generally on the artists. This is hardly the first or last word on what is a crucial and many-sided issue.

One should not idealize matters. What Trotsky said about the October Revolutions impact on the Russian intelligentsia in 1917, including its literary left wing, applies in large measure to the artistic and intellectual milieu worldwide. It appeared, he wrote, as a complete destruction of its [the intelligentsias] known world, of that very world from which it broke away from time to time, for the purpose of creating new schools, and to which it invariably returned.

As has been well documented, artistic circles in the pre-World War I period were not generally sympathetic to Marxism and the struggle of Marxists to build parties in the working class. They were far more influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche and various forms of irrationalism and subjectivism.

Nietzscheanism, with its promise of hyper-revolutionary spiritual transformation (and aristocratic superiority), was more tempting to many artists than facing up to life as it was in a period of rapid transformation, and it was certainly more alluring and apparently poetic than looking at the difficult, harsh conditions of the working class.

Aleksandr Voronsky

Nonetheless, the ferocious struggles of the Russian working class and oppressed, led by the Bolsheviks, their willingness and ability to take on and defeat all enemies, in combination with uprisings in Germany, Italy and Hungary and mass strikes in Britain, North America and elsewhere, cut their way into the consciousness of honest artists.

As Trotsky suggested in Literature and Revolution, a more favorable relationship now existed in 1923 between the working class and socialism, on the one hand, and the intelligentsia, on the other.

The law of social attraction (towards the ruling class) which, in the last analysis, determines the creative work of the intelligentsia, is now operating to our advantage. One has to keep this fact in mind when shaping a political attitude toward art.

Victor Serge described the process, pointing out that little by little, the literary people in Russia, those who remained after the revolution, came around: hunger gripped their stomachs and doubts and reservations ravaged their minds. They condemned the terror, but admired the Bolsheviks will to survive. Comparing the Whites with the Reds, they came to the conclusion that the Reds were betterand stronger.

Writing about an older generation of Russian writers, Aleksandr Voronsky commented in 1923 as well that they

reconcile themselves to the revolution only at the expense of the greatest exertion, but they are reconciling themselves. The disintegration of bourgeois civilization, the indisputability of the Russian Revolution, the collapse of the old intelligentsias ideology, the first fresh sprouts of new Russian activity in the soil which has been richly ploughed by the revolutionall this and much more compels these writers, each in his own way, to go along with the Russian Revolution and not against it.

In his comment, Trotsky was referring to a law operating in the USSR, but the power and example of the October Revolution, and, as noted, the thrusting forward of workers in many parts of the planet, had worldwide implications and ramifications.

Isnt that the significance, in its own fashion, of Dreisers December 1920 letter to American socialist David Karsner, the editor of the New York Call and a regular correspondent? (Interestingly, Karsners first wife, Rose Greenberg, after their divorce, married James P. Cannon.)

These sniffy intellectuals give me a pain. They spend their days in sniffing and die sniffing. They are pointlessmere gum on the axles. A man like Lenin or another like Trotsky are worth 8,000,000,000 Wells or Wallings [Fabian socialist novelist H.G. Wells and American liberal journalist William Walling]. They [Lenin and Trotsky] act instead of carefully weighing unimportant thoughts and words all their days. And they have the courage of their convictions, which is more than most penman and parlor reasoners have. I respect them. I wish, and have all along, that I might help in some decisive way.

It is a large and contradictory problem, but, as concretely as possible, by what means did the October Revolution influence artists?

Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry Murals (1933)

Trotsky provides an important insight in his essay Art and Politics in Our Epoch (1938), while discussing Mexican artist Diego Rivera. In the field of painting, the October Revolution has found her greatest interpreter, wrote Trotsky, not among the toadies of Socialist Realism in the USSR, but in the person of Rivera. The artist has remained Mexican, but that which inspired him in his

magnificent frescoes, which lifted him up above the artistic tradition, above contemporary art in a certain sense, above himself, is the mighty blast of the proletarian revolution. Without October, his power of creative penetration into the epic of work, oppression and insurrection, would never have attained such breadth and profundity.

Of course, Rivera, at the time a member of the Fourth International, exemplified this process at a high level, but the truth of Trotskys observation is more wide-ranging.

This notion, that the blast of the proletarian revolution amplifies or augments the artists power of creative penetration into the secrets of the social and historical process (the epic of work, oppression and insurrection), is key. The revolution cracked open the existing social organism, laying it bare to the most observant and sensitive eyes. It created the basis for a new and more objective, firmer and more piercing vantage-point from which to examine the entirety of human activity.

Further, a revolution demonstrates that life in its critical dimensions is alterable, it holds out the prospect of humanity perfecting itself. It dramatically expands the notion of what is possible in every sphere, encouraging experimentation and innovation. The Soviet artist Vladimir Tatlin contended that a revolution strengthens the impulse of invention. The best youthful forces of art were touched to the quick, Trotsky wrote. Describing the experience of the Russian Revolution, he insisted that during those first years, rich in hope and daring, the popular masses thought aloud for the first time in a thousand years.

Trotsky urged the artists to consider revolutionary Russia as a gigantic canvas which it would take centuries to paint in. From here, from the summits of our revolutionary ranges, begin the sources of a new art, of a new point of view, of a new union of feelings, of a new rhythm of thoughts, of a new striving for the word.

The overthrow of all existing authority, with its attendant institutions, economic structures and ruling ideology, and the prejudices, habits and learned behavior built up over decades, even centuries, has a liberating influence, in the short or long run, on serious intellectuals.

October proved that the working class was the social force, as Marxists had foreseen, that could carry out the social overturn. It focused artistic attention on the working class and working class individuals and groups as protagonists, it placed them at the center of things in a new way, as subjects.

It showed that opposition and resistance was not futile or utopian, that the ruling classes were not omnipotent. It established that half-measures were ineffective, that forces and trends (in all fields) that went all the way to the bottom of things were not only possible, but desirable. A successful revolution also exposes in retrospect the nature of its state and the plans, schemes and ruthlessness of the elites, their defense of everything backward and oppressive.

As importantly as anything else, the October Revolution buoyed the spirits of those who believed in and fought for human progress, it gave confidence to the progressive elements in society, it encouraged their belief in themselves and others. Wordsworths enthusiastic response to the French Revolution in 1789, Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven!, was echoed in the best, most advanced circles following October 1917, if not immediately in most cases. Poet Vladimir Mayakovskys Ode to Revolution came out in 1918. Visual artists Tatlin and Kazimir Malevich both prepared texts for a multilingual journal titled Art International, which unfortunately was never published.

The revolution encouraged optimism and a trust in humanity, and more generally, an interest in life and all aspects of succulent reality. It scattered the clouds of skepticism and of pessimism. Encountering heartening developments in the objective world, the artists turn outward toward that world, shed some of their self-centeredness, stop shrinking from reality as it is and develop their interest in the concrete stability and mobility of life.

This complex process can be established positively by the development of art itself in the 1920s and early 1930s, when the example of the revolution was still vibrant and appealing, and in the negative by the subsequent pulling away of artists from socialism and the working class as the betrayals, defeats and demoralization above all attributable to Stalinism accumulated and delivered blow after blow.

In the first place, the October Revolution gave a magnificent impetus to all types of Russian-Soviet art. Before long, Moscow became an epicenter of advanced work in the visual arts, music, photography, film and theater.

Whether consciously left-wing or not, European and global artistic trends in the 1920s emerged in the conditions created by the collapse of the old order in the aftermath of World War I, the successful revolution in Russia and the promise of the extension of that revolution.

Various trends, individuals and works, in addition to Dreisers, are unthinkable outside of that historical context and the intellectual-ideological processes it set in motion: the Bauhaus in Germany, Andre Breton and surrealism in France, Bertolt Brecht, Erwin Piscator and the German theater, Chaplins silent films, the novels of Alfred Doblin, Robert Musil, Joseph Roth, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann and Jaroslav Hasek, the photography of Man Ray and others, music as varied as that of Berg, Schoenberg, Bartok and Gershwin, Paul Nizans Aden Arabie, B. Travens Jungle Novels, etc., etc.

American literature reached its high point to date in the mid-1920s with the publication of An American Tragedy, F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby (1925) and Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises (1926). Sinclair Lewis Arrowsmith also appeared in 1925, as did John Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer. Upton Sinclairs uneven Oil! was published two years later. The Harlem Renaissance, a number of whose leading figures were strongly drawn to the October Revolution and the Communist International as the antidote to oppression, flourished during this same period, in such works as Jean Toomers Cane (1923), Langston Hughes Weary Blues (1926) and Claude McKays Home to Harlem (1928).

* * * * *

The last word goes to Dreiser. In April 1927 he described his motives in writing An American Tragedy:

I had long brooded upon the story, for it seemed to me not only to include every phase of our national lifepolitics, society, religion, business, sexbut it was a story so common to every boy reared in the smaller towns of America. It seemed so truly a story of what life does to the individualand how impotent the individual is against such forces. My purpose was not to moralizeGod forbidbut to give, if possible, a background and a psychology of reality which would somehow explain, if not condone, how such murders happenand they have happened with surprising frequency in America as long as I can remember.
Protest against cuts to Berlin universities, hospitals and cultural sector, Monday, July 14

The budget for 2026 and 2027, adopted by the Berlin Senate (state executive) with the votes of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Thursday, represents a continuation of drastic cuts in education, health care, social services and culture.

While the finances of the federal states are being plundered to finance grotesque levels of rearmament spending, and the number of income millionaires in Berlin alone has tripled in recent years, workers are to pay the price through massive social cuts.

Expenditure totalling just under 89 billion is planned for the next two years. Originally, at least 5 billion less had been planned, before the budget could be expanded through a new credit framework created by the federal government. In addition, transaction loans are being taken out in favour of state-owned enterprises, which are not subject to the debt brake. These alone amount to around 2.5 billion.

Although the budget is therefore higher than in previous years, the state government is continuing the brutal austerity course already implemented this year. As protests against the cuts policy repeatedly erupted, Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) declared in November that 160 million would be reallocated in order to avoid numerous cuts. This, however, is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

In reality, the savings are drastic, and the effects of the cuts amounting to 3 billion imposed this year are already being felt. This will intensify further over the next two years.

In the field of education, the Senate has wielded the axe. For 2025, universities were forced to accept savings of 145 million, which will continue in subsequent years.

At the Technical University, 18 departments face closure; at the Free University, the figure is 14. Tens of thousands of study places, dozens of professorships and hundreds of administrative posts are being cut.

The loss of study places also means fewer teachers are being trained. In future, there will be around 300 fewer teachers per year, even though current demand is already not being met. According to the Education and Science Union (GEW), 1,300 full-time posts remain unfilled.

Cuts in the health sector are also enormous. Berlins Charite hospital alone will receive 56 million less in subsidies for 2026. In the hospital sector, these cuts coincide with federal austerity measures, which envisage reductions of 1.8 billion for hospitals. This will drive ever more hospitals into financial ruin and closure.

It was only recently announced that Schlosspark Hospital in Berlin-Charlottenburg will close in April next year due to insolvency. Only two of its nine departments will be taken over by another provider. No concrete figures have yet been given regarding the resulting redundancies.

In the cultural sector, the unprecedented slash-and-burn policy is being continued with the 2026/27 budget. Cuts totalling 110 million are planned. Smaller institutions and freelance artists are particularly affected. The citys major theatres are being forced to raise ticket prices sharply, increasingly turning culture into a privilege for higher earners. The Komische Oper raised prices by 10 percent, while the Volksbuhne increased them by as much as 11 percent.

Cuts in the social sector hit the most vulnerable layers of society. One example is the increase in the price of the social ticket for public transport. After the price was raised from 9 to 19 euros on 1 April, it is set to rise further to 27.50 on 1 January 2026 under the two-year budget. For many who are already struggling to make ends meet, this renewed increase will be unaffordable.

Several million euros for social and psychosocial support services are also falling victim to austerity measures. In the area of homelessness assistance, projects such as Housing First and specialised advice centres are being severely cut back or eliminated entirely.

Emergency shelters and advice centres are already completely overwhelmed by the constantly rising number of homeless people, a development continually fuelled by the Berlin Senates close cooperation with the property lobby. According to official figures, there were nearly 48,000 homeless people last year; by 2029, this number could rise to over 114,000.

How harsh these measures are for many employees is shown by the protest planned for Thursday by staff of independent providers in the social sector. Despite performing the same work, they earn on average up to 20 percent less and do not receive the capital city allowance paid to their colleagues in the public sector.

Under the slogan Sickout instead of burnout, they intend to organise a wildcat strike to protest against the cuts. We see no other way out, one employee told the daily newspaper ND. We protested in front of the Red City Hall, wrote open letters, but nothing will change as long as we keep putting up with this.

The protest is to take place on the same day that the trade unions have also called for a warning strike by public sector employees of the federal states. The service workers union Verdi, together with the Education and Science Union (GEW), the Police Union and the Construction, Agriculture and Environment Union (IG BAU), is calling for a rally in front of the House of Representatives.

With this rally, we are making it clear that we do not accept good wages being played off against good public services, said Andrea Kuhnemann, Verdis regional leader for Berlin-Brandenburg. Verdi chairman Frank Werneke is also expected to speak at one of the protest actions.

These, however, are nothing but empty phrases. The unions work closely with the parties comprising the Berlin Senate, and at federal level, with the Merz government to enforce the cuts against employees.

The toothless protests and barely noticeable warning strikes are all too familiar. They merely provide the accompaniment for a sell-out that usually yields, at best, only a fraction of the demands and not infrequently ends in cuts in real wages.

In the current pay round for the federal states, Verdi and the German Civil Servants Association (dbb) are demanding a 7 percent pay rise, at least 300 more per month. Employers immediately dismissed this as unaffordable.

While cuts are being imposed in all areas, the security apparatus continues to be generously expanded under the two-year budget. Research by the Justice Collective group has shown that the police budget not only exceeds spending on labour, social affairs, equality, integration, diversity and anti-discrimination, but is also more than twice as large as the budget for culture and social cohesion.

Spending on the Berlin police has risen steadily over the past one and a half decades, from just under 1.2 billion in 2010 to over 2 billion in 2024. According to the report, the number of police officers employed in Berlin relative to the population is now higher than in New York City. In Berlin, there are 723 police officers per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 556 in New York.

By contrast, more than half of all employees in child and youth services in the public sector were cut between 2013 and 2023.

It is telling that the expansion of the police was particularly pronounced during the legislative periods of the SPD-Left Party-Green coalitions. The report concludes that the Left Party also repeatedly called for additional police personnel and more equipment for the police. This makes clear that the Left Partys criticism of the budget is thoroughly hypocritical. Like the CDU and SPD, it stands for social cuts and military rearmament.

The Left Party also approved the one-trillion-euro war credits in the Bundesrat (upper chamber of the federal parliament) and, like the Berlin Senate, recoups this money in the state governments in which it participates through cuts. What remains untouched, however, are the ever-growing fortunes of the super-rich. In Berlin alone, the number of income millionaires more than tripled between 2012 and 2022, rising from 494 to 1,491. For most of this period, the Left Party was part of the government.

The severe social attacks now on the agenda, with which the insane militarisation and enrichment of the wealthy are to be financed, will meet resistance among the population. This is why the police apparatus is being expanded and endowed with ever greater powers.

To fight the cuts, workers must organise independently of the trade unions and the Left Party in rank-and-file action committees that link up across sectors and national borders and counter the logic of profit with the interests of employees.
The International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) has called for an independent investigation, led by rank-and-file workers, into the recent deaths of US Postal Service workers Nick Acker, 36, in the Detroit area and Russell Scruggs, Jr., 44, near Atlanta. We urge postal workers to come forward with information about safety conditions at their facilities by filling out the form below. All submissions will be kept anonymous.

Postal workers at a USPS processing and distribution center. [AP Photo/Ben Margot]

Samantha is a postal worker in Illinois. She reached out to the World Socialist Web Site after reading about the deaths of Nick Acker and Russell Scruggs, Jr., two postal workers who died on the job in November 2025.

She is sharing her story with the WSWS to encourage other postal and logistics workers to come forward to provide evidence to the inquiry launched by the USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee. The investigation has been launched by workers to expose the terrible conditions which management, with the support of the bureaucrats in the postal unions, are covering up.

After reporting persistent sexual harassment by a supervisor, she received thinly veiled death threats and was fired. She is now being further harassed for continuing to fight to expose the conditions that postal workers face on the job.

Samantha: Death is what causes people to pay attention. You can report things to your boss, you can report to higher levels, you can report to OIG [Office of Inspector General], you can report to OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration], but nobody is going to listen to the worker unless there is a significant amount of damage, which is usually death.

Theres no one we can talk to. There was an OIG audit in January of 2024 that stated they were aware they were keeping bad management. Theres a whole audit on this, but what have they done to make any changes? Nothing. They only audit because they had to, because of Congress.

WSWS: Can you tell me your story from the beginningwhen you started working at the post office and when the problems with harassment and retaliation began?

Samantha: I started working at the post office in 2015. My first real issue happened in 2022. I had a supervisor who harassed me about the clothes I was wearing, and I filed an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint. At that time, I had a new male postmaster.

The female supervisor claimed she was just following direct orders. She eventually moved to another office, but the problems didnt stop. At the same time, the postmaster started showing signs of a drinking problem. I wasnt the only one who noticed it.

One day, he left a carrier stranded on the side of the road so he could walk to a store. I had to call someone from another office to go get her. This was shortly after everyone had been talking about a carrier in Florida who died after being left on the side of the road and was attacked by dogs. We all talked about it because everyone knows if you have a bad postmaster, those fears are real. If your truck breaks down and youre stuck out there, youd better hope someone will come get you.

That was the point when I really started getting more deeply involved with the union and filing grievances. I became a steward and not long after that, I was promoted and became an area steward. I started fighting in other offices and quickly realized how systemic these problems really were. I started talking to my union about what I was seeing, and thats when my union started turning against me.

They began saying that I was problematic and argumentative. To me, that was confusing because that was exactly why they wanted me as a steward in the first placebecause I was willing to ask questions and push for the truth. But once I started questioning how they were handling things, suddenly I was the problem.

I eventually resigned as a steward, not because I didnt want to help people, but because there was a case where it was implied to me that I could actually help more if I wasnt in the union. So I resigned. After that, the union started doing the bare minimum for grievances filed by employees who had me to represent them, especially the people they knew I was close to. That made me feel terrible because those employees had nothing to do with what I was going through.

Shortly after I resigned, I received a cease-and-desist order telling me I was no longer allowed to email anyone with a usps.gov email address. My POOM [Post Office Operations Manager] emailed me and told me I had to stop emailing any postal employee.

Disciplinary letter to Samantha. [Photo by Samantha ]

I knew that was illegal. I honestly thought she was just angry and trying to scare me. But they followed it up with a letter of warning. I filed an EEO complaint over that discrimination. Then I was given a seven-day suspension, then a 14-day suspension, and then three separate notices of removal within that same year.

My first discipline came in January. By May, I was fired. It took them only five months after I resigned from the union to remove me. I fought for my job and eventually got it back. At the same time, I was still actively in an EEO case. They were moving to fire me before any of that had even been properly adjudicated.

During that same year, I formally reported my postmaster for sexual harassment. I did it through official channels because I didnt feel safe reporting it directly to him. I reported it as part of a PDI [Pre Disciplinary Interview] so it would be documented with both management and union present. I also filed a 1767 safety form, an OSHA safety report. All of it was swept under the rug and kept inside the office. There was no investigation into him at all.

On the very day I reported him, he brought a weapon into the post office. Hes an avid deer hunter. OIG claimed the weapon had come through the mail and was damaged. That wasnt true. I had text messages showing that the weapon belonged to a previous supervisor.

Hunting bow at Samantha's work station after she spoke out against sexual harassment from a supervisor. [Photo by Samantha ]

When I reported that back to OIG, they stopped contacting me. Nothing was ever followed up. In October of 2024, a threat assessment team came to the office. They tried to force me to work in the same building as my abuser. I refused. By that point, I was experiencing severe anxiety and panic. I was genuinely afraid of him.

When I later returned to work, nobody told me that I would be working alongside him again. Seeing him every day was overwhelming. I didnt know if he was capable of killing me. You read the news. You see what happens when warnings are ignored.

WSWS: He had been sexually harassing you?

Samantha: Yes. He made comments about my body. He said my body was different. I took pictures of the other women in the officeonly with their permissionbecause he was constantly writing me up for my clothes. One day I finally said, I have pictures of the other women in this office dressed exactly the same way or with even less coverage. What is the problem? He started yelling at me that I wasnt allowed to take pictures.

Everything kept escalating. No matter what I did, it got worse. Eventually I had to go out on mental stress leave. When I returned from mental stress leave, he was gone for about six months. During that time, management did what they always do: They created a divide-and-conquer situation.

They picked certain employees and gave them special treatment. If those employees wanted overtime, they got it first. If they didnt want to finish their routes, someone else would be assigned to do it.

There are a lot of perks that come with being someone who will write statements against other workers for management. I had already been dealing with issues from a few employees, and those same people eventually got together and made up a story that I had caused a wreck in the parking lot.

This happened after I had reported to higher levels earlier that morning that one of the people in their group had gotten into a physical altercation with a truck driver on the dock. Less than 10 minutes after I reported that incident, I got a call from an employee telling me that management was now accusing me of causing a collision in the parking lot.

When I obtained copies of the statements, they were completely inconsistent. My biggest shock was that when I turned in proof of the falsified statements, their main concern was how I got the photos, not that employees were falsifying statements. Eventually the investigation was dropped. After that, the supervisor and I continued arguing because I knew she was trying to get me fired.

A short time later, after I had been off work for two days, that same supervisor sent me out in a truck she knew had no brakes. She had been given a direct order the night before to send that vehicle out for repairs and not allow anyone to drive it because it needed to get fixed.

The carrier who had driven it both that day and the day before had already reported that there were no brakes. Her excuse afterward was that she forgot and sent me out in it anyway. She was placed on emergency placement after that.

At the very beginning of my route, my brakes failed completely. The emergency brake didnt work either. I had to slow myself down by gliding the truck and literally grabbing mailboxes with my hand as I passed them. I was going slowly at that point, but it was terrifying.

WSWS: You could have been killed.

Samantha: Im lucky I didnt kill a family or construction workers. So many things could have gone wrong. Once this was discovered, it was finally taken seriously.

I went back to work and was doing well for a short time. Then two employees took me to civil court. They served me with papers and accused me of stalking them simply because I was showing up to work. At the same time, I was still in the middle of my EEO case. I tried to defend myself in court. I didnt do everything correctly, but in the end, I won. Even the states attorney refused to file charges because there was nothing to support the claim. It was all thrown out in August.

After the civil case was thrown out, my postmaster came back to work right around that same time. Then one day I went into work and my supervisor was back in the building too. There was no warning, no conversation with me about what had happened, no explanation of what was found in any investigation. They just brought her back to work.

This woman had neglected me in a life-or-death situation. She sent me out in a truck with no brakes. You cannot say I didnt know as an excuse when it comes to safety. But that was the standard they allowed. I even had an email from December of 2024 that proved she was told not to worry about any discipline because once the postmaster returned, he would remove everything on her record. And thats exactly what happened.

I havent been able to return to work since then. I tried working Saturdays just so I could keep my insurance and get a few hours, but they took that away too. There is never a day when both of those people arent in the building.

The day my postmaster returned, I formally asked for reasonable accommodation. They didnt give me one until October. Even then, they made it nearly impossible for me to participate in meetings. At one point, I tried to attend a meeting virtually from another post office over Zoom. I gave them medical documentation showing that this person was a trigger for my anxiety and panic attacks.

Their response was essentially, If you dont sit in the room with him, you cant have the meeting. Eventually, they scheduled another meeting and allowed me to attend with a supervisor I trusted. The whole process violated the Disability Act. They didnt care. There is no one holding anyone accountable.

There has never been a real investigation into my postmaster at all. But I can tell you he has multiple EEOs in different offices for how he treats women. I know for a fact there are multiple EEOs pending right now from different women in that office.

As of December, the supervisor I trusted has left work because the postmaster will not allow her to stay in her office as he believes women are not allowed to have offices. The male postmaster had one of the clerks pile crap that was in the supply office up in front of that supervisors office. When she came in, he screamed at her to get out of the office. This is because of his feelings of constant misogyny toward the women in my office, not even a supervisor that is a woman can feel safe.

WSWS: What has been the impact of all of this on your daily life and on your family?

Samantha: Its been horrible. I struggle to make ends meet now. I had to take another job because Im not getting paid. I went off my medication for a while. When they first fired me, I stopped seeing my therapist because I couldnt afford it anymore. I recently had to sell my car to make ends meet because that is how hard they make it for anyone financially to be able to speak out.

I know how close Ive been to giving up. My daughter once left me a sticky note when she was seven years old saying she hoped I was okay. That was the first time I realized how much what I was going through at work was affecting my children. This kind of stress destroys families. It causes fights with the people you love. When youre that alone, no one can fix it for you.

Being away from the post office has given me time to reevaluate everything. If anything, its made me even more determined to do something about this. My kids didnt deserve to lose their mom emotionally for years while I was trying to fight this. The pain of watching other people suffer and being unable to fix it is incredibly isolating. Its humiliating to feel completely dehumanized.

I gave up birthdays, holidays and time with my kids for this job. And in return, I was made to feel irrelevant, like if I disappeared tomorrow, theyd clean up my body and Id never be spoken about again. No one should feel that way about going to work. Were not in a Third World country. This is America. Youre supposed to be able to build a life. But you cant even speak. Thats whats so terrifying.

Whatever happens, Im not backing down. People are going to die if this doesnt stop. My kids will not grow up in a world where they believe they have to stay silent out of fear.

WSWS: Could you speak a bit more about the role of the unions in all of this?

Samantha: I had a district representative who would not allow me to file noncompliance without her permission. So if there were grievances in the office that were repeated, for example, a workplace harassment grievance, we couldnt get the union to deter the behavior.

There is no real deterrent to management at the union level. When I questioned it, my cases would go to the next step above me, and suddenly rulings that clearly had precedent were overturned. Discipline would be upheld that shouldnt have been. It stopped being about the worker involved, and it became about me not knowing my place.

Over time, unions changed because once people stop facing real hardship, they stop fighting the same way. Leadership becomes a lifelong career. Greed eventually sets in. Why fight for workers and file charges when you can just manage grievances and keep your well-paying full-time union job? Many union officials make far more than regular workers. Meanwhile, they never stop what the regular worker is enduring.

WSWS: What do you think are some of the broad historical issues behind these problems?

Samantha: Back between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s, there were major changes happening in the postal service. Everything became about numbers and logistics. The people at the top didnt care about any other problems. They needed those numbers to show Congress that they were doing the right thing. Then you had employees going postal. There were multiple deaths.

The mental abuse was through the roof. People committed suicide. People shot supervisors. We knew this. And it still took them several years to admit there were too many deaths, and Congress finally paid attention. Thats when the joint statement on workplace violence came out.

WSWS: What did you experience that you feel is universal to postal workers everywhere?

Samantha: What I learned is that what the post office does is make you feel crazy for speaking out about something you know is true. If you make too much noise, or your case is too big and they dont want to deal with it, they shut you out. They turn people against you. They make you out to be unstable. That makes you question yourself and your own decisions.

They intentionally make you feel hopeless so they can break you down. Thats why they dont talk about suicide at my job. The manipulation is what drives people to that point. Im here to tell people I hope they dont give up. I know how hard it is. Its exhausting to repeat your story and be told over and over that youre crazy and its not happening. They hide everything in paperwork and use it to erase you until you either leave or break down completely. People need to know they can speak out and that there is a safe place to do it. The silence right now is unhealthy. Its extreme mental abuse.

WSWS: When you say people should be allowed to talk about this, in our view the way workers can do that is by forming rank-and-file committees and publishing their stories. What do you think is the best way for workers to speak out?

Samantha: I think rank-and-file committees are necessary. People have been systematically scared to speak out so its hard to get people to talk. We have to make this loud enough that people understand they are protected.

These committees have to find ways for people to report anonymously. In my office, I used to report things I saw happening to other women and other employees. I was told that unless I gave names, nothing could be done. And unless those people spoke for themselves, they couldnt be helped. Thats not right.

Thats why rank-and-file committees matter. Workers need independent teams that can step in and say, No, this is not okay. Yes, we can still go through the NLRB, but in the current political climate, watchdog agencies are being weakened. If you remove watchdog agencies, its because you have something to hide. Something has to change, because right now there are just going to be more deaths until enough people are affected that they finally speak out.
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President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) [AP Photo]

In 1933, analyzing the first months of Hitlers regime in Germany, Leon Trotsky wrote in scathing terms about the historical regression taking place in what had once been a center of European culture.

What inexhaustible reserves they possess of darkness, ignorance and savagery! Despair has raised them to their feet, fascism has given them a banner. Everything that should have been eliminated from the national organism in the form of cultural excrement in the course of normal development of society has now come gushing out from the throat; capitalist society is puking up the undigested barbarism. Such is the physiology of Nazism. (What is National Socialism?)

These words came to mind while listening to the speech delivered by Donald Trump Wednesday night. In the course of 18 minutes, the president spewed a toxic mix of blatant lies, racist bigotry against immigrants and barely veiled threats of violence against political opponents.

His remarks demonstrated for all the world to see that the president of the United States is a sociopath actively preparing for mass repression and the establishment of a military-police dictatorship in America. His sole policy proposal was to award a bonus of $1,776 to all US soldiersa transparent bribe aimed at securing their obedience to Trumps orders, at home and abroad, no matter how illegal.

Trump attempted to cram into the brief time allotted by the television networks all the lies and appeals to backwardness that typically fill his 90-minute campaign-style rallies. He rushed through the speech at a near-manic pace, giving the impression that he was either on medicationor in need of it.

The tone of Trumps speech was significant: He appeared angry at the American population and nearly panicked over the likely consequences of the mass opposition his fascist policies have provoked. In the past two months, millions have marched in No Kings protests, Trump-backed candidates have suffered heavy defeats in the off-year elections, and Trumps own poll numbers have fallen sharply.

His remarks had a Hitlerian character, with immigrants taking the place of Jews in his fascist demonology. He blamed every social ill of American capitalismhigh prices, unemployment, crime, homelessness, the housing shortage, decaying schools and a dysfunctional healthcare systemon immigrants. He singled out Somalis, refugees from a crisis provoked by US military intervention, for particular venom.

The big lie of a supposed invasion by 25 million immigrants (who he claimed come from prisons and jails, mental institutions and insane asylums) was combined with another falsehood: that Trumps policies are benefiting the working class. He boasted of (entirely fabricated) huge wage increases for factory workers, construction workers and miners, while claiming that wages overall are rising faster than prices.

This flies in the face of the actual experience of working people, whose living standards have steadily eroded, not only under Trump and Biden, but for decades, as the super-rich have seized virtually all the growth in national wealth since the 1970s. Adults under 40 now constitute the first generation in modern American history to face lower incomes and poorer prospects than their parents.

Job figures published this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the unemployment rate has risen to 4.6 percent, the highest in four years, with 700,000 more workers unemployed today than when Trump re-entered the White House on January 20.

Trump piled lie upon lie: $18 trillion in foreign investment supposedly obtained through tariffs; gasoline at $1.99 a gallon; food prices falling rapidly; and negotiations to slash drug prices by as much as 400, 500 and even 600 percent. (Since a cut of 100 percent would reduce prices to zero, Trumps figures are simply gibberish.) He operates according to the principle of his mentor Roy Cohn: You create your own reality.

Equally significant is what Trump did not say. He made no mention of the impending war against Venezuela or the slaughter of more than 100 people in bomb and missile strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Nor did he refer to his deployment of troops in American cities or the tens of thousands of immigrants rounded up and held in detention camps, including children.

Media commentary after the speech bemoaned Trumps easily exposed falsehoods, his vicious and menacing tone, and his obsessive fixation on blaming every problem either on immigrants or on the Biden administration. But there was no attempt by the Democrats to offer a political rebuttal. By Thursday night, the speech had disappeared entirely from the evening news.

The Democratic Party is doing nothing to oppose Trumps drive toward dictatorship. There have been no calls by any leading Democrats for his removal from office. Indeed, the Democratic Party leadership has explicitly repudiated any suggestion of impeachment. This despite Trumps repeated violations of the Constitution, including the illegal deployment of the military in Washington D.C. and other US cities.

Just hours before Trump delivered his speech Wednesday night, a majority of Senate Democrats voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, handing the White House nearly $1 trillion in military funding as it prepares to launch a war of aggression against Venezuela.

When Trump forced a government shutdown in October, throwing hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of their jobs, the Democrats moved to bail him out and avert any confrontation. Since their electoral victories in November, Democratic leaders have only deepened their collaboration. The new governors of Virginia and New Jersey pledged to work with Trump. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdanihailed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as a model of democratic socialismvisited the White House for a photo-op and announced a partnership with the fascist president.

Most importantly, the Democrats are doing everything in their power to chloroform the working class and obscure the fact that preparations for a presidential dictatorship are advancing by leaps and bounds. Democratic governors claim to oppose Trumps persecution of immigrantsby filing lawsuits. At the same time, they collaborate with the unions to suppress any organized resistance by the working class to this illegal and unconstitutional regime.

Trump speaks not merely as an individual, but as the embodiment of the American capitalist class. He was placed in the White House to serve as the political representative of finance capital and the oligarchy. He is their man.

His administration acts on behalf of billionaires like Larry Ellison, Steven Schwarzman, Jeff Bezos and the major banks and hedge funds that dominate every lever of political power. Trumps drive to accumulate unchecked authority and establish a presidential dictatorship is not simply the product of his grotesque personality. It arises from the insoluble contradictions of American and world capitalism. The US ruling class, beset by crises at home and growing challenges abroad, is turning to authoritarianism to defend its wealth and global dominance.

This class character of Trumps fascist agenda explains the cowardice and complicity of the Democratic Party. The Democrats, no less than the Republicans, are instruments of corporate America. Whatever tactical differences they have, they both defend the interests of the financial oligarchy and agree on the main elements of policy, abroad and within the United States. The Democrats are terrified above all of opposition from below.

The degraded, panic-stricken, even hysterical character of Trumps speech is not merely a reflection of his personal instability or increasing incapacity. It is an expression of the mounting fears within the ruling class as a whole, which faces convulsions in world financial markets, the rise of China, and growing resistance in the working class at home to its policies of austerity and militarism.

The physiology of the fascist cabal in the White House is a modern manifestation of what Trotsky described in 1933 as the cultural excrement vomited up by a capitalist society in terminal crisis.

The task of the working class is to raise its opposition to the Trump administration and the capitalist system it defends to the level demanded by history: the building of a mass revolutionary movement to establish a workers government, committed to socialist policies and the expropriation of the oligarchy. This is inseparable from the fight to unify the working class internationally in a common struggle against imperialism, dictatorship and war.
The Kurdish nationalist Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced Thursday that a preliminary agreement had been reached for three divisions to remain affiliated with them within the military structure of the Syrian Army. The announcement came immediately after the US Congress on Wednesday voted to permanently lift sanctions on Syria, pointing to the decisive role of US imperialism.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark agreement on March 10, 2025 [Photo: Syrian Presidency]

Hasan Muhammad Ali, Co-Chair of the Relations Office of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC)the parliament of the de facto Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syriasaid on Rudaw Radio that the Syrian Ministry of Defense had presented a new proposal for the SDFs integration into the Damascus regime led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has Al-Qaeda roots.

Ali said, The US, France and Britain agree on a decentralized solution for Syria. It is reported that the new President Ahmed al-Sharaa has also shown flexibility on decentralization.

After the overthrow in December 2024 of the Russian and Iranian-backed President Bashar al-Assad regime by Islamist jihadi militias led by HTS, Washington and its regional allies, including Turkiye, sought to secure an agreement between the SDF and the new Damascus regime.

Israel, which has expanded its occupation in southern Syria and subjected the countrys military infrastructure to extensive air bombardment, wanted the establishment of a decentralized political structure where it could maintain its influence, rather than a centralized Damascus regime aligned with Ankara. Committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Israel posed as a defender of Druze, Alawites and Kurds.

For the integration of the SDF armed forceswhich SDF Commander Mazlum Abdi says consists of 100,000 peopleand the de facto autonomous administration with the Damascus regime, Syrias unelected President al-Shara and Abdi reached an agreement on March 10, 2025, amid massacres targeting the Alawite minority. To date there has been no progress on how that integration will be implemented.

Washington sees it as critical to prevent a civil war between its two allies in the regime-change war it instigated in 2011.

The USs main objective is to bring the region under full domination to block Russia and China from accessing the Middle Easts resources and trade and energy routes. This policy is being built around an anti-Iran axisIran being the principal regional ally of Russia and Chinaand aims to subject Iran to imperialist domination.

The Abraham Accords between Israel and the Gulf monarchies were part of this orientation. The ongoing genocide in Gaza and the new colonial plansthe crushing of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the bombing of Yemen, the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria and imperialist attack on Iranare the consequences of this broad strategy.

Prior to the SDFHTS agreement and the US Congress decision to lift sanctions, it was announced Saturday that an attack on US soldiers in Palmyra, Syria, had killed two US service members, one US interpreter and two Syrian security personnel. These were reported to be the first US troops killed in conflict in Syria since 2020.

Before the attack, alleged to have been carried out by an ISIS operative who had infiltrated Syrian security forces, US forces and a Syrian military convoy had been conducting a joint patrol. On November 10, US President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa at the White House, after which it was announced that Syria had joined the international coalition fighting ISIS.

Israels media sought to justify its own occupation in Syria by interpreting the attack as a sign that the Damascus regime cannot be trusted. In the Jerusalem Post, Seth J. Frantzman wrote that it is in US interests for the SDF to be integrated with Damascus-backed forces. However, in doing so, ISIS-minded individuals or other radicals must not be allowed to derail this integration.

According to reports, Washington asked Israel not to disrupt US plans in Syria. On Monday, US Ambassador to Ankara and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Citing Israeli press, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Barrack outlined US red lines, stressing Trumps desire to see stability there and warning that frequent Israeli operations could risk destabilizing the country.

The SDF argued that the attack confirmed the importance of Kurdish forces and the fight against ISIS. The SDF was fully ready to carry this war to every part of Syrian territory and to work without hesitation to eliminate terrorism wherever it is. The SDF emerged as Washingtons main proxy in Syria during the fight against ISIS, and US bases were established in SDF-controlled areas; around 2,000 US troops remain in the region.

The SDFs agreement process with the HTS regime is being followed closely by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ankara, which continues to exercise military control over various parts of northwest Syria, has so far opposed the SDFs integration into the Syrian Army as a separate unit. Turkiye is pushing for the liquidation of the Syrian Kurdish forces without granting them any legal status and has used its influence over HTS to that end.

In Ankaras negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), to get the organization to lay down its arms, the future of the SDF, which sees Ocalan as its leader, plays an important role. Erdogan and Ocalan have promoted a reactionary Turkish, Kurdish, Arab alliance against Israels growing influence in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and the Middle East more generally.

In recent days senior Turkish officials have threatened that the SDF has to dissolve itself and join the Syrian Army by the end of the year in line with the March 10 agreement, otherwise optionsincluding military operationsremain on the table.

Speaking to TRT World on Thursday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he believed the SDF is trying to buy more time. I think they are hoping to see some other opportunities for themselves, maybe in the form of some other regional crisis, maybe because of the Israelis expansionist policies. Calling for the March 10 agreement to be implemented without further delay, Fidan said, We dont want to see any need to resorting to military means again. But SDF should understand the patience of the relevant actors are running out.

Fidan also stated in his interview with Al Jazeera on December 11 that there is a relationship, a correlation between Israels activity in Syria and the SDFs apparent reluctance... Now that Israel is sending different signals, we see that the YPG [Peoples Defense Units, the backbone of the SDF and sister organization of the PKK] is refraining from taking the necessary steps, thereby accusing Israel.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post on 7 December, SDF leader Abdi did not address Ankaras allegations about SDF-Israel ties. He said: President Trump wants to make Syria great again. In doing so, he must support the SDF. The SDF must be included in the global coalition against ISIS, and the SDF must be included in the new government of Syria. Abdi added, US help is greatly needed with the decentralization of power in Syria.

Backing Trumps plan to make Syria great again, Abdi said of the main force behind Syrias devastation since 2011, US imperialism, Stability inside Damascus needs the United States to stay here in Northeast Syria.

Abdi emphasized readiness to work with the US against Iran: But although Iran is now weaker, it is still trying to rebuild proxy groups. The SDF is ready to work with the United States and other active powers to protect Syria.

These statements confirm the World Socialist Web Sites analysis of the bankruptcy of Kurdish nationalism. The Kurdish movement in Syria and elsewhere, like the Turkish bourgeoisie and state, is a reactionary, NATO- and imperialism-aligned movement, and is inherently incapable of furthering the democratic and social aspirations of the Kurdish people.

Workers in the Middle East of all nationalities, faiths and sects must reject having their fate subordinated to the imperialist powers that have wrecked the region for 35 years, or to their reactionary allies such as Turkiye or Israel, and must unite in the struggle for a Socialist Federation of the Middle East on the basis of their independent class interests.

This is the perspective fought for by the Socialist Equality Party, the Turkish section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).
In what appears to be another case of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) entrapment, the Intercept reports that FBI agents and informants were intimately involved in a New Years bomb plot allegedly orchestrated by a group called the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF) located in Los Angeles, California.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, center, and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, right, stand in front of aerial images in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, . [AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes]

The TILF appears to be a tiny and relatively new organization. It is unclear how many people are in the group. Prior to last weeks charges the TILF Instagram account had fewer than 1,000 followers and only began posting earlier this year. In one of the few videos on the Instagram account, a person identified as Mary states, Turtle Island Liberation Front is looking for reparations and land back for these indigenous groups...

According to a Department of Justice criminal complaint, four people, along with an FBI informant and an undercover FBI agent, were planning on testing pipe bombs in the Mojave Desert of Southern California on December 12 in preparation for a New Years attack targeting two corporations at five different locations across the United States.

The plot was not aimed at killing anybody. As the complaint notes, the alleged bombers planned to warn any security guards or bystanders before setting off their pipe bombs at midnight on December 31, 2025. The complaint alleges that as of yet planned further attacks in 2026 would be aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles and personnel.



The alleged members of TILF that participated in the bomb plot include Audrey Carroll, Zachary Page, Dante Gaffield and Tina Lai. All four were arrested last week by the FBI while in the Lucerne Valley in the Mojave Desert in western San Bernardino County, California. They are currently facing charges of conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, the accused would face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and up to 10 years for the unregistered destructive device charge.

In the criminal complaint, it is clear that the FBIs Confidential Human Source (CHS), i.e., informant, played a crucial role in every step of the alleged bomb plot. The affidavit alleges that near the end of November 2025, Carroll provided the CHS with an eight-page handwritten document titled Operation Midnight Sun that described the alleged bombing plot. Page was also allegedly present at this same meeting with Carroll and the FBI informant.

The alleged plan called for building pipe bombs, placing them in backpacks and setting off the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) simultaneously at five locations targeting two US corporations across the country at midnight on New Years Eve.

In the document Carroll allegedly provided to the FBI informant were instructions on how to create complex pipe bombs, including how to do so without leaving evidence. Carroll is also accused of discussing with the CHS the prospect of testing the explosives in the desert in mid-December 2025.

It is unclear from the document how long the FBI informant had been a part of TILF and his specific role. Nothing in the affidavit confirms who first suggested the bomb plot, Carroll or the informant. It is also not clear if the informant participated in planning discussions before November, prompted or steered the plot into a more violent and illegal direction or if some of the bomb-making material and documentation originated with the informant.

Notably, the complaint makes clear the informant had been working with the FBI long before TILF began posting on Instagram. In a footnote the complaint states:

The CHS is cooperating with law enforcement and is a validated and vetted source. The CHS has been a reliable source of information since in or around August 2021. The CHS is cooperating for financial compensation. The CHS does not have any criminal history. The CHS provided past reliable reporting on other cases, and has provided reliable reporting in this case.

In other words, this informant has been working with, and getting paid by, the FBI for over four years.

The complaint goes on to allege that Carroll and Page recruited Lai and Gaffield to take part in the plot. On December 12, the complaint claims all four, along with an undercover FBI agent and the paid informant, drove into the Mojave Desert and began constructing the pipe bombs for testing, at which point FBI agents intervened and arrested Carroll, Page, Gaffield and Lai.

The informant provided the FBI with the eight-page document on how to make pipe bombs and also supplied the FBI access to a TILF Signal messaging group called Order of the Black Lotus. In the text chain the government claims the accused discussed the bomb plot and plans to test the bombs in the Mojave Desert on December 12. The informant also provided the FBI a recording of a December 2 meeting in which Carroll, Page and the informant discussed the plot further while in downtown Los Angeles.

On December 7 another meeting was held, this time with Carroll, Page, Gaffield, the informant and an undercover FBI agent. During this meeting the bomb plot was allegedly discussed again and Page is alleged to have said that the FBI was 100,000 percent onto them.

The government alleges that Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF) is an anti-capitalist, anti-government movement. To back this claim, the FBI cites posts from the TILF Instagram account, one of which calls for the working class to rise up while another states that direct action is the only way. It appears only one post on the TILF Instagram references the working class, the rest ae a mix of radical phraseology, appeals for donations and aborted events.



While the phrase Turtle Island originates among some indigenous peoples before European colonization to describe North America, it is only in the last few decades, beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, that the term gained political connotations associated with indigenous, decolonization and Native American movements. The movements are oriented to appealing to the US government for tribal recognition, restitution and other agreements within the existing capitalist framework.

In the more recent period, decolonization politics have been cultivated at major universities as a form of middle class identity politics focused on reparations and even reverse migration. This elevation of Native identity above all else is easily adapted into diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks and is attractive to the upper-middle class and professional activists, who reject Marxism and the revolutionary role of the working class.

As poverty among indigenous peoples continues to climb, environmental and anarchist groups, and even capitalist politicians have adopted decolonization rhetoric, including by providing corporate-friendly land acknowledgments before campaign stump speeches, such was the case at last years Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

There is nothing left-wing or anti-capitalist about the alleged actions initiated by TILF. The overthrowing of capitalism and its replacement with socialism will not be accomplished by acts of terrorist violence. Individual acts of terrorism, carried out by one person or by small clandestine groups, provoke intensified state repression and censorship, which is turned against the socialist and working class movement first and foremost.

Under conditions where the Trump administration is widely hated for its unconstitutional and illegal actions, the administration is already trying to use the alleged plot to further attacks on all its opponents.

In a post on X, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that TILF is a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group. FBI Director Kash Patel likewise claimed TILF is an extremist group motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology.

Bilal Bill Essayli, first assistant United States attorney for the Central District of California, also described the group as a far-left, anti-government, domestic terror cell. Notably, Essayli confirmed that the investigation was initiated in part due to the September 2025 executive order signed by President Trump to root out left-wing domestic terror organizations in our country, such as Antifa and other radical groups.

The executive order to which Essayli is referring is the National Security Presidential Memorandum-7. NSPM-7 is aimed at turning the entire repressive machine of the police-intelligence apparatus, including the Department of Homeland Security, against all left-wing opposition to the US government, while at the same time creating a fiction that terrorist violence is centrally directed and largely perpetrated by left-wing organizations.
President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an delivered a keynote speech at the 16th Ambassadors Conference held at the Be?tepe National Exhibition Hall, emphasizing Turkiyes strategic diplomacy, regional stability, and global responsibilities.

Speaking on the importance of consultation in governance, Erdo?an said, In our state tradition, consultation holds a distinct place and importance. The concept of state wisdom is the practical application of a consultation culture, refined through a rich experience. He expressed satisfaction that the conference, held annually since 2008, provides a platform for discussion, deliberation, and debate on crucial issues. As every year, I thank those who contributed to organizing this years conference, he added.

Paying tribute to fallen diplomats, Erdo?an noted, I commemorate with mercy all members of our Foreign Ministry who lost their lives in treacherous attacks by terrorist organizations while proudly representing our country abroad.

This years conference, Erdo?an explained, centers on foreign policy that promotes peace, stability, and prosperity, a theme he described as particularly timely given regional and global developments. Reflecting on nearly four centuries since the Peace of Westphalia established the foundations of modern diplomacy, he observed, Over this period, humanity has witnessed crucial events not only in Europe but in our region and across the world.

On contemporary diplomacy, Erdo?an emphasized the expanded scope of international relations, saying, In recent years, technology and globalization have extended international relations, traditionally led by states, to a much wider field. Multinational corporations, civil society organizations, think tanks, international media, and investors are carrying traditional diplomacy to a digital, dynamic, and increasingly complex terrain.

He also addressed the evolving global order: Over the last 30 years, the international system has shifted from bipolarity to multipolarity, and now power struggles are set to intensify. While noting that concepts such as human rights and global justice have gained attention, Erdo?an warned that all these developments, instead of resolving humanitarian crises, global inequality, wars, conflicts, and instability, have often deepened the problems.

Recalling historical tragedies, he said, In the first half of the last century, two world wars took millions of lives, 20 years apart. The Holocaust left a profound mark in the collective memory of humanity. The post-World War II global governance and security architecture aimed to prevent similar atrocities, yet we cannot claim full success. Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Arakan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic witnessed horrific losses, often as the unjust system protected the powerful and oppressed the innocent.

Turning to Syria, Erdo?an stressed the human cost of conflict: Over 600,000 Syrians lost their lives to attacks by the Assad regime and terrorist groups. Hundreds of thousands were tortured in places like Sednaya, and millions were forced to flee their homeland. Criticizing international silence, he said, While the massacres continued for 13 and a half years and barrel bombs rained on civilians, not a single voice was heard from those claiming to champion democracy and human rights, except from a handful of conscience-driven countries.

On Turkiyes approach, Erdo?an stated, We determine our strategies carefully, plan our steps, and never leave anything to chance. Step by step, we are implementing a multi-dimensional policy to make this century the Century of Turkiye. He emphasized the expanding role of the Foreign Ministry: As Turkiye grows in economy, exports, tourism, defense, and international standing, the responsibilities of our diplomatic corps naturally increase. With 264 overseas missions, we proudly raise our flag across the world. He assured that Turkiyes foreign policy remains steadfast: No shift in axis, no change in course, no detachment from our rootsthese are and will never be part of our policy.

Erdo?an highlighted Turkiyes regional initiatives: We are striving to establish a belt of peace and stability in a region often associated with crisis and conflict. What we do, we do for this purpose. After our meeting with President Trump in New York, the process culminated in a ceasefire agreement on October 10. Despite Israels escalating violations, Hamas calm approach has largely preserved the ceasefire. Humanitarian aid, exceeding 103,000 tons, continues to reach Gaza.

Addressing Syrias stabilization, he added, Since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024, Syria has a historic opportunity. Over 580,000 refugees have returned voluntarily. The pace will increase as security and peace consolidate, though Israeli incursions remain the biggest obstacle. He reiterated Turkiyes role in combating ISIS and supporting the implementation of the March 10 Agreement, stating, As the only NATO ally to fight ISIS head-on, we provide all necessary support to the Syrian government.

Erdo?an also referenced the Ukraine conflict: This year, we brought Russia and Ukraine together three times in Istanbul. Through the Istanbul process, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and prisoner exchanges, we achieved tangible humanitarian results. By meticulously applying the Montreux Convention, we prevented the war from spreading to the Black Sea.

Highlighting the South Caucasus, Erdo?an said, Azerbaijan and Armenia are closer than ever to signing a peace agreement. In parallel, we are advancing normalization with Armenia and will take symbolic steps early next year.

On economic achievements, he credited diplomats: If Turkiyes annual exports grew from $46 billion to $270 billion, your efforts played a major role. Tourism revenue reached $61.1 billion, with 60.5 million visitors, thanks to your contributions. Erdo?an outlined defense industry ambitions: We are currently the 11th largest defense exporter in the world. In the first ten months of the year, we achieved $6.7 billion. By 2028, our goal is $11 billion and to enter the worlds top 10 defense exporters. We will achieve this together.

He stressed continued vigilance against terrorism and organized crime: We must persist in combating FETOs overseas networks. We cannot allow this treacherous organization, a tool of Turkiyes enemies, to threaten our country or democracy again.

Erdo?an also addressed environmental commitments: Under the 2053 vision, we have taken responsibility in global climate action. The Zero Waste project, under the leadership of my wife Emine Erdo?an, has become a global example. Next year, Turkiye will host the COP31 Summit in Antalya.

He concluded by acknowledging ambassadors dedication: I know the difficult conditions under which you serve, far from your families and homeland. Your sincere efforts are deeply appreciated by our state, government, and nation. I thank you all for your invaluable service and urge you to continue with the same dedication and sense of duty. May your journey back to your posts be safe and blessed.
The Dutch Authority for Financial Markets (AFM) has levied a 765,000 ($897,399) administrative fine on BDO Audit & Assurance after uncovering internal exam fraud.

The fine comes after it was found that BDO's quality control mechanisms and business operations did not prevent or detect examination misconduct involving answer sharing and collaboration between employees.

Investigations revealed that professionals at BDO, across all levels from junior staff to partners, collaborated or shared answers during internal examinations.

This activity was identified over a period spanning 2018 to 2023.

The AFM determined that there were no adequate policies or controls in place at BDO to ensure the integrity of these assessments.

The AFM concluded that the absence of proper preventative and detection measures represented shortcomings in both general business operations and specific quality control systems at BDO.

According to the AFM, these violations are particularly serious, given that audit firms are responsible for providing assurance on companies' annual reports. As such, it is essential that the credibility of an audit firm remains unquestionable. In light of this, the imposition of a fine is 'appropriate'.

The audit firm accepted the fine, worked with authorities during the inquiry and has started to implement new steps to reduce future risks.

In June, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) imposed a combined $8.5m penalty on Dutch member firms of Deloitte, PwC, and EY for similar internal exam violations.

Parallel investigations by both the PCAOB and the AFM resulted in intensive supervision measures being imposed by the AFM to deter future breaches.

In October, Forvis Mazars also faced a fine from the AFM due to exam-related breaches.

"Dutch regulator imposes fine on BDO after identifying exam fraud " was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand.




Key Takeaways

Tesla stock closed at a fresh record high on Tuesday, completing a monthslong rebound from severe losses earlier in the year.

Investors have looked past slumping electric vehicle sales to focus on the rollout of Tesla's robotaxi service and its broader mission to pioneer physical AI.

Elon Musk says the future is autonomous. Investors appear to be on board.

Tesla (TSLA) stock rose 3% on Tuesday to close at $489.88, its first record high of the year. Shares got a boost this week after Musk said Tesla had begun testing unoccupied self-driving cars in Austin, Texas, a major step toward realizing Musks vision of operating a ride-hailing network of autonomous vehicles. Tuesdays gains put the stock up 21% for the year, capping off its rebound from a tumultuous first half. (The shares fell today amid a broader pullback.)

More from Yahoo Scout How is Tesla transitioning from EVs to AI robotics? What drove Tesla's stock to new record highs? Why are Wall Street analysts cautious about Tesla's valuation? What's the timeline for Tesla's robotaxi service rollout?

Tesla stock started the year on a high note. Elon Musk was vital in returning Donald Trump to the White House, and investors were betting his close ties with the president-elect would benefit Tesla despite Trumps opposition to clean energy policies aimed at boosting demand for electric vehicles.

Then Trump was inauguratedand everything changed.

Why This Is Important

Investors appear to have bought CEO Elon Musk's pitch that Tesla is first and foremost an AI and robotics company. The outlook for its stock now likely hinges on the company's ability to meet ambitious targets for its full self-driving software and robotaxi service.

Tesla shares plunged in February and March as Musks work with the Trump administration and political advocacy abroad sparked consumer backlash. Investors, meanwhile, worried Musks government work was distracting him from leading Tesla. All the while, Trump pursued tariff policies that whacked the stock market. By mid-April, the stock had lost more than half of its value since a December 2024 record high.

The stock regained momentum once Musk stepped back from his work with the White House. And despite some hiccupsincluding a public falling-out between Musk and Trump in Juneshares have been trending higher ever since.

Teslas ambition to become a leading AI and robotics company has been vital to its turnaround, helping it benefit from investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence that has lifted a range of stocks this year. Tesla in late 2024 unveiled its Robovan and Cybercab at an event laying out Musks vision for the companys AI-driven future. He said fully autonomous Teslas would be operating in Texas and California by the end of 2025, and showcased Teslas humanoid robot, Optimus, which he predicted would be the biggest product ever.
Turning to the balance sheet shown on slide seven, Enerpac's position remains extremely strong. Net debt was $49 million at quarter-end, resulting in a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 0.3. Total liquidity, including availability under our revolver and cash on hand, was $539 million. The timing of receipts of payments in the quarter. Capital expenditures were also lower as the year-ago period included additional CapEx for our new headquarters. Finally, with our balanced capital allocation strategy, we repurchased $15 million of stock in the first quarter while we maintain ample dry powder for strategic M&A. Based on our performance in the first quarter and encouraging trends on the order front, we are maintaining our full-year fiscal 2026 guidance.

However, we were able to successfully offset these on a dollar basis through pricing and productivity actions. We expect the margin pressure from tariffs to ease as we enter 2026. Additionally, we enjoyed a favorable mix shift within the portfolio, which was offset by lower service margins. On the selling, general, and administrative line, we were able to hold spending essentially flat year-over-year, offsetting the inflationary impact from compensation incremental spending and innovation with tight cost controls. As a result, adjusted EBITDA was $32.4 million, representing a margin of 22.4%. First quarter adjusted earnings per share was $0.36 compared with $0.40 in the year-ago period. A higher effective tax rate negatively impacted earnings by 2 per share.

Darren Kozik: Thanks, Paul. Within product revenue, particularly in the UK, turning to slide five, which shows our due to the timing. Describe as a wild card for fiscal 2026 given the underlying economic conditions declined 10%. Again, it's meaningful to separate product from services. In EMEA, product revenue grew 5%, continued strength from infrastructure and government spending and a solid performance in Southern year-over-year growth. In the second quarter and for the full fiscal year. Turning to Slide six. For 2026, gross profit margin of 50.7% was in line with our performance over the past few quarters. As expected, margins were affected by higher tariff-driven costs flowing through cost of goods sold.

With that, let me turn the call over to Darren who will provide more detail on our first quarter performance as well as geographic and end market trends. Darren?

Paul Sternlieb: Thanks, Travis, and good morning, everyone. For our 2026 results, were essentially as expected. And there were some favorable developments and encouraging trends. In our industrial tools and services segment, or IT&S, product sales grew a healthy 4% organically, which we believe is a reflection of our ongoing ability to gain market share and outperform our broader industrial peers. We saw strong IT&S product order growth for the quarter, increasing our confidence in the outlook for the year. And as I will talk about later, we continue to invest in the business to support our growth strategy.

Story Continues

As shown on Slide eight, our expectations include organic revenue growth of 1% to 4%, and adjusted EBITDA growth of 6% at the midpoint. Free cash flow of $100 million to $110 million and earnings per share of $1.85 to $2. With that, let me turn it back to Paul.

Paul Sternlieb: Thanks, Darren. As I mentioned at the top of the call, we enjoy the pickup in order rates in the first quarter. A trend we achieved across all three geographic regions. Demand's been particularly healthy from the infrastructure, defense, and power generation markets. At the same time, we have a strong backlog and excellent pipeline in HLT. And with the global rollout of Enerpac commercial excellence or ECX, we are benefiting from more discipline and rigor in our sales process and funnel management. In light of the strong order flow, we built additional inventory in the first quarter to ensure that we have the right products in the right locations to meet customer demand on a timely basis.

As we've discussed, we are investing in our business to support Enerpac's growth strategy. As Darren mentioned, we are increasing spend on the innovation front, as we expect to deliver even more new product introductions in fiscal 2026. We are also investing in our commercial organization, expanding sales capabilities, coverage, and distribution in countries like India, Australia, and The Philippines. And we are enhancing our e-commerce capability with the implementation of a new technology platform that will improve the user experience and provide us with even more sophisticated marketing and analytical tools, all of which we expect to result in higher conversion rates.

The topic of innovation and growth was front and center during our recent annual global leadership conference, which is a gathering of Enerpac's roughly top 50 leaders held each year in Milwaukee. I was truly inspired by the excitement and energy amongst the team, and the work completed to further refine our growth strategy and update our strategic growth initiatives. Speaking of growth, two of the attractive verticals we mentioned over the past few quarters are power generation and infrastructure. In the former, the proliferation of AI data centers and growing demand for electricity, including a resurgence in nuclear energy, underscores the need for Enerpac's products and services.

As seen on slide nine, Enerpac provides a range of standard and specialized products and services that support the nuclear industry in multiple regions across all phases of building, operations and maintenance, inspection, refueling, and decommissioning. In addition to our standard industrial tools and services that many of you are familiar with, Enerpac sells a line of specialized tensioners under the BIOC name that have been the industry standard for refueling inspection for more than fifty years. The BIAOC lightweight, self-contained tensioner shown here is used to tighten reactor pressure vessel head studs. The SCT brings greater safety, reduces manpower, and shortens critical path time.

With decades of experience serving the industry, and sizable market share in specialized products, we believe we are well-positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities in nuclear. Another strong market we've addressed over the past few quarters is infrastructure, where we've enjoyed significant contract wins for bridge and tunnel projects both in The US and internationally. Recently, Enerpac was selected to design and build a bridge launching system for the Juneau Creek Bridge in Alaska, which can be seen on slide 10. Our custom hydraulic cylinders and computer controls will pull bridge segments into place. When completed, the bridge will be the highest crossing in the state at 285 feet and the longest single-span bridge built in Alaska since 1982.

As we continue to drive profitable growth at Enerpac, we believe we are well-positioned with multiple product lines in these key end markets to take full advantage of these secular trends and the opportunities in the market. Before we take questions, I would like to address a change on the investor relations front. Travis has accepted a position at another company and his last day with Enerpac is tomorrow. Travis has done an outstanding job building relationships and communicating Enerpac's story to investors. Moreover, he's been an invaluable resource internally, sharing intelligence and insight into the industry and capital markets.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his many contributions and wish him all the best in his new role. We have a search underway for Travis's replacement. Until we fill the role, Darren will be the main point of contact for investors. With that, we'd be happy to take questions.

Eric: At this time, I would like to remind everyone, in order to ask a question, please press star followed by the number one on your telephone keypad. Your first question comes from the line of Will Gildea with CJS Securities. Please go ahead.

Will Gildea: Good morning.

Paul Sternlieb: Morning, Will. Thanks for taking our questions. You've talked for a number of quarters about efforts to improve profitability of the service business and investment ways that enable you to tap higher margin opportunities. What caused the sudden sharp decline in service revenue this quarter? And were you surprised by it?

Paul Sternlieb: Right. So, yeah, I think we were certainly disappointed on the top line performance in the service business this quarter. After a strong fiscal 2025 year growth actually for service. You know, the issue, as I referenced in the remarks, was largely driven by a contraction in The UK market. And as part of our ongoing initiatives to capture, you know, higher margin service business, we passed on lower margin projects as we've talked about in the past. But given the consolidation and softness in the oil and gas market, you know, we've not yet successfully backfilled all that with more business, particularly in The UK given some of the market conditions there.

I would say, as a reminder, our service business is a mix of rental and manpower. And overall, it is margin dilutive to Enerpac. We are actively consolidating our service footprint. We've already taken actions underway on that in Europe. While selectively continuing to make growth investments in the business. And I think it will take some time to work through the dynamics on the service side, but keep in mind that based on our reiterated guidance, we do anticipate growth and margin expansion in fiscal 2026.

Will Gildea: Thank you. That's helpful. And then I guess just a follow-up question on that. Can you add some more color to the changes you're making in services to capture higher value business? I know on the last call, you gave the example of transitioning Algeria from an agent-based model to a direct-based model. Can you talk about the reasoning behind that? And if an initiative like that is successful, how long of a runway do you have to make that change in other regions? Thank you.

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. Thanks, Will. So I we're taking a number of initiatives. Some are commercial, like you referenced, where we're moving from an agent to a direct model. That's the direct model is more the norm for our business. The agent is more the exception. In the case of agents and moving to direct, we end up with, obviously, the direct customer relationship, which allows us to do more follow-on business, obviously, capture more margin as well. Just get a closer overall relationship with the customer. So we feel good about that model and the progress that we're making in transition to multiple there.

We're also investing in our service business both in field service capabilities, but also in capital equipment and tools. We've invested in the European market in our leak sealing business, for example, and some new capital equipment. That will allow us, we believe, to capture more growth opportunities and more market share in that service line and be able to respond to customers more quickly for their needs in that kind of service business. So we're making a number of improvements like that. We're continuing, as I talked about, to optimize footprint as well. Not only from a cost standpoint, but to be able to react quickly to customer needs.

Will Gildea: Thank you, and switching gears. Can you add some color on your pricing strategy heading into calendar year 2026? Should we be expecting an annual price increase at the beginning of the year?

Darren Kozik: Well, good question. So just as a reminder for everyone, we talked about in Q4. You know, going into the year, we saw about two points of benefit in price from the actions we took last year. You know, as we look at this year, you know, we will look to kind of remain obviously from a tariffs perspective and a price perspective. We're gonna make up for those on a dollar-for-dollar basis and hold our margin. So with that, we did you know, take a small low single-digit price increase in early December here. That will take some time to roll through the channel as we do have notice periods for that.

But we constantly look at price and productivity to keep our margin targets and margin high. Thank you very much.

Paul Sternlieb: Thank you.

Eric: Your next question comes from the line of Ross Sparenblek with William Blair. Please go ahead.

Ross Sparenblek: Hey. Good morning, gentlemen.

Paul Sternlieb: Good morning.

Darren Kozik: Morning, Ross.

Ross Sparenblek: When we think about your, you know, 2026 organic guide, a little bit of price, what is contributing there from new products? And kind of the cadence of your new product launches? Everything about the rest of the year or fiscal 2026?

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. Ross, we're super excited by our innovation program. We highlighted that on the last Q4 earnings call. We launched, you may recall, five new products in fiscal 2025. We're pleased with the market acceptance. They continue to ramp commercially and globally. We also have a pretty ambitious innovation program and a set number of launches that we that we're targeting for this fiscal. Which are more than we launched in last fiscal. So, we're continuing to accelerate our innovation efforts. Part of it that is driven by additional investments we've made in innovation over the last few years.

In fact, if you look at our 10-K, actually, over the last three years, you'll see incremental R&D spend on a dollar basis, as a percent of revenue every single year. I think that's a good indication. Also, you know, some folks may have visited our new innovation lab here at our global headquarters in Downtown Milwaukee. That's another investment we've made to drive improvements in our innovation program and faster time to market. So, we're pretty excited by the innovation progress we've made. Excited about the commercialization of the ramp of those products, and excited about the products we're planning to launch here in fiscal 2026.

Ross Sparenblek: Okay. Well, when we think about kind of, you know, early days on this, you know, R&D flywheel, what is kind of the trajectory here as we think about, you know, the longer-term growth algo? I mean, are you trying to get a couple extra points of growth in new products? Are we targeting new adjacent TAMs, or is it just kinda upgrading and more defensive in the core portfolio?

Darren Kozik: Know, Ross, I think as we think about growth, I mean, you heard us reaffirm our guidance for this year kind of 1% to 4%. You know, I think as we think of the macro, you know, Europe was the wild card for us. As we look at the higher end of that range, that encompasses a little bit of price. Recovery in the market, and obviously successful launches of our new products. Beyond that, obviously, innovation and the product investments we're making as Paul referenced, really, increase in R&D over the last three years. We'll see that start to take off into the future.

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. And Ross, I yeah. It's certainly part of the growth algorithm, you know, it is part of how we believe that you know, we are targeting to, perform or outperform our peer set. And we believe we've been able to do that successfully here. But I would also make the comment that, you know, obviously, we look very closely at our direct competitors and what they're doing from an innovation perspective. And we continue to firmly believe that we are outpacing not only investment spend, but just the pacing, intensity, and the level of new product launches relative to our competitive set.

So we never rest on our laurels, but we're pleased with the progress we've made, particularly relative to the competitive set.

Ross Sparenblek: Yeah. I can appreciate that. I mean, it looks like you guys are running around 2% of sales in your R&D spend. It has been ticking up slowly. I'm just trying to get a better sense of what your visibility looks like into your R&D funnel, like, how robust of opportunities you see today. Are we still kinda early days of planting the seeds? And, you know, buying the equipment and helping the guys, you know, get to the point where they're, you know, empowered to start building out that pipeline.

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. So we do have a multiyear innovation funnel. So we're always looking several years out. We're working on, you know, now updating that funnel for another year out as we execute on products and projects for this year. And just a reminder, again, you know, we launched five new products in fiscal 2025. You know, our target is to nearly double that number of new product launches here in fiscal 2026. So I think you'll see us gain additional pace and acceleration. And just, again, you know, reflective of the investments and the focus and the new processes that we've put in place. So that all is part of our overall growth algorithm at the end of the day.

Ross Sparenblek: Okay. So we should anticipate a more measured pace of R&D growth going forward?

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. I again, I think three and a percent of sales or five percent tomorrow. Yeah. No. I mean, I think you'll see a consistent ramp over prior years. You know? But, you know, we've talked about beating the market by several 100 basis points in terms of top-line growth at the end of the day. And, you know, part of that clearly will be driven by our innovation program.

Ross Sparenblek: Okay. I appreciate that. And if I can just add one more here. If I go back to last year, the backlog seemed pretty immaterial, but now we're speaking to confidence kind of these, secular growing, you know, project funnels. Any visibility there on sizing where the backlog kinda stands? Versus, like, a normalized basis and what's kind of underwriting that confidence?

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. I mean, I'll make a few comments Darren may in as well. I think, you know, we do you know, we're not a very heavy backlog business, as you know. We tend to be more you know, book to bill or shorter cycle, and most of our products are what we would classify as more OpEx than by our customers. Although, we do have a capital equipment business in HLT, you know, inclusive of DTA. That has more backlog. And, those backlogs tend to be sort of six to twelve-month time frames.

You know, that said, I think we have seen, you know, our backlog tick up and that was driven by, you know, as we referenced on the remarks earlier, pretty strong order activity, and growth in overall orders in the quarter. And we were very pleased with that. And that order growth actually outpaced revenue growth in the quarter. So, again, giving us, you know, just more increasing confidence in our overall outlook for the year. Particularly as we as we go through the year. So I think all of that, you know, you know, just led us to maintain, you know, our current guidance for the full year.

Darren Kozik: Only thing I would add, Paul, is, you know, Ross, as we kinda look at the business, obviously, we acquired DTA last year. DTA being part of our HLT business now is really helping that. As those markets tick off, we now have more products for our customers. As we talked about in Q4, their cross-sell opportunity is huge. We're bullish on HLT for the year.

Ross Sparenblek: That makes sense. Alright. Well, thank you guys for the time. I'll pass it along.

Eric: Your next question comes from the line of Tom Hayes with ROTH Capital. Please go ahead.

Tom Hayes: Hey, good morning, guys. Thanks for taking my questions.

Darren Kozik: Good morning, Tom.

Paul Sternlieb: Hey, Tom.

Tom Hayes: Hey. Just wanted to go back to one of Will's questions on the pricing, Darren. Was that pricing act that you put in place in December across all product families and globally? And then kind of a related question on gross margin for the year. How are you thinking about the margin flowing through the balance of the three quarters? You guys have done a great job of offsetting the tariffs. Just wondering your thoughts on kind of puts and takes on the margin front for the balance of the year?

Darren Kozik: Sure, Tom. You know, I would say from the recent pricing those were in The Americas and in Europe. Now, you know, we did kinda release in this earnings a little bit more of a pie chart to give you a flavor for what our product business looks like. So just remember that low single-digit price increase is solely on product, it's not in the total portfolio. So when you factor that into the math, make sure you look at that aspect of it. I would say the second piece from a margin perspective you know, Q1 was where we thought it would be. Okay. Q2 will probably look more like Q1.

And then as we get into the second half of the year, some of those higher cost tariffs will work off their way through the system, so margin will improve as we enter the second half of the year.

Tom Hayes: Okay. Great. Appreciate that. I appreciate the color that on the product sales by region, but I'm not sure if you gave it by for APAC. Is that something you guys can share?

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. I think it's it's actually in the slides page five. But in APAC, we actually saw growth in this revenue in standard products. We saw we did see a sharp decline in APAC on HLT. I mean, it's a small business, and HLT tends to be lumpy. So that just varies quite a bit from quarter to quarter.

Tom Hayes: Okay. Maybe just lastly, in respect to time, an area we don't talk about a lot, but you called it out on one of the early slides. It continues strong growth in Cortland. Just kind of remind us, a little bit about the business and kind of what's driving that strong growth.

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah. We continue to be really pleased with the progress the team is making at Cortland. As you recall, that's effectively our other segment. And that's Cortland Biomedical. So, you know, roughly a $20 million revenue business annually. Obviously, not connected to our core tools business, but it is a very strong, very solid high growth, and high margin business. And you know, it doesn't draw undue investment or sort of management time or attention. So it runs relatively independent. But that business is very long cycle, very sticky. They design and develop and manufacture, you know, custom biomedical textile fibers for specifically for particular medical devices for giving OEM customers.

So those are specked in and that those ultimate products that the customer has are obviously FDA qualified. So it's a very sticky business. Know, there is a lot of growth happening in that market. Cortland is exceptionally, we believe, well placed to support customers. We've won a number of new commercial opportunities, and you've seen that materialize in the ramp in revenue. So we continue to be quite bullish about the growth opportunities, the margin prospects, and we like the funnel of opportunities that we have there.

Tom Hayes: Appreciate the color. Thank you.

Paul Sternlieb: Mhmm. Thank you.

Eric: Your next question comes from the line of Steve Silver with Argus Research. Please go ahead.

Steve Silver: Thanks, operator, and thanks for taking my questions. And I'd like to offer my best wishes to Travis as well. So in the prepared remarks, you guys mentioned the pickup in order rates and you also mentioned building inventory heading into Q2. I'm curious just whether you can quantify at all the magnitude of the inventory ramp and maybe identify any key products beyond HLT?

Darren Kozik: No, great question. I mean, we think about inventory as we head into, you know, into the quarter, I mean, it's up about 15%. Okay? So we had a really strong Q4. As you think about Q1, our product sales were at 4%. Okay? So we were very pleased with that. With all those product sales coming through, know, we had to work because our order rates were stronger than our product revenue growth rates in the quarter.

Steve Silver: Great. And one more if I may. You guys have talked quite a bit in recent quarters about the balance sheet. Curious as to whether there's been any change in the M&A being in a very strong place to support strategic M&A. Funnel, if you will, just in terms of companies that are dealing with the macro issues that might be gravitating towards M&A at this time?

Paul Sternlieb: Yeah, sure, Steve. I would say I'm pretty encouraged there as well. I mean, I do think M&A activity overall in the market and here for Enerpac has picked up reasonably considerably in the last quarter or two. We are actively evaluating several opportunities so we're spending a lot of our time focused there at, you know, the pace and quantity of deal flow has definitely picked up. We're having very robust dialogue on any number of opportunities. So I feel, you know, more positive and optimistic around that, the same time, I would say, you know, we remain extremely disciplined.

As always, we will certainly not overplay overpay and, you know, our focus ultimately is, of course, on creating value for Enerpac shareholders at the end of the day.

Steve Silver: Fair enough. Thanks again, and happy holidays to the entire team.

Paul Sternlieb: Thank you. Thank you. Thanks very much. Happy holidays.

Eric: As a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, there are no further questions at this time. I will now turn the call back over to Paul Sternlieb for closing remarks. Please go ahead.

Paul Sternlieb: Okay. Well, thanks again for joining us this morning. We will be participating in the CJS new ideas for the New Year virtual conference on January 14, and the annual Roth conference in Laguna Niguel, California in late March. Thank you, and to all our team members around the world, customers, partners, and shareholders, best wishes for a wonderful holiday season, and a happy New Year.

Eric: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today's call. Thank you all for joining, and you may now disconnect.

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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.

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Enerpac (EPAC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
By Arriana McLymore and Ross Kerber

NEW YORK, Dec 18 - A union-aligned investment group sent letters to Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Wednesday, asking how U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies were impacting their finances and supply chains, according to the documents seen by Reuters.

SOC Investment Group owns less than 1% of each of the companies, which include some of the top recipients of H-1B visa petition approvals for skilled foreign professionals. It wants the companies to show how they will navigate Trump's $100,000 fee structure for new visa approvals. The group has succeeded in the past with such resolutions to convince companies to carry out racial-equity audits and disclose more about their lobbying.

"The availability of labor that's skilled in the area ... is really critical to the long term performance of a company," the group's Executive Director Tejal Patel told Reuters. "If they're not able to keep up with consumer demand or competition because they're not able to hire the right people, it poses a threat to the company's value over the long term."

SOC is also asking Amazon and Walmart to detail how Trump's immigration policies, which have included raids on farms, are affecting the trucking and farming sectors needed to stock supermarket shelves, the letters showed.

SOC Investment Group and the funds it works with own about 17 million shares of Walmart, 31 million shares of Amazon, and 41 million shares of Google-parent Alphabet , according to the firm.

Google and Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Amazon declined to comment.

The changes to H-1B rules starting in September fueled panic in places including New York and California's Silicon Valley, where thousands of immigrants - especially Asians - are employed by large tech and financial companies. The changes spurred talk of moving jobs outside the U.S. Law makers sent letters to companies asking for detailed information on the number of employees receiving H-1B visas.

The letters also come days after Trump signed an executive order directing U.S. regulators to consider new regulations for proxy advisors, which would make it easier for companies to ignore shareholder proposals like SOC's on their proxy statements. SOC's resolutions, meant to be voted on at companies' annual meetings next year, are only advisory, but often companies make changes in response to measures that draw over 30% support.

While SOC is hoping for a "productive engagement" with the three companies to get more disclosures, Patel said SOC was "considering all options, which includes litigation" if they did not print the resolution on their proxies.

(Reporting by Arriana McLymore in New York and Ross Kerber in Boston ; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Lincoln Feast.)
By Milana Vinn

Dec 17 - Goldman Sachs Group has hired Brian Cayne, a co-founder of boutique tech investment bank Qatalyst Partners, as a global co-head of its software investment banking group, according to people familiar with the matter.

Cayne is expected to start at the Wall Street giant in January, the people said, asking not to be named to discuss confidential personnel matters. Based in San Francisco, Cayne will co-lead the software banking practice alongside existing co-heads Joe Porter in London and Jason Rowe in New York.

In his new role, Cayne will report to Barry O'Brien and Jung Min, who serve as the global co-heads of Goldman's technology, media, and telecom (TMT) investment banking group, the people said.

A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

Cayne spent 15 years at Qatalyst Partners helping to establish it as a premier advisory firm focused on the technology sector before leaving the bank in 2023, according to his LinkedIn. He joined the firm in 2008 as part of the founding team led by legendary tech banker Frank Quattrone.

The high-profile hire underscores Goldman's push to bolster its advisory practice in the lucrative and highly competitive software sector.

Goldman Sachs & Co ranked No. 1 in global technology M&A in 2025 by deal value, advising on transactions totaling $337.8 billion, giving it a 42.5% market share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Some of the banks largest deals this year included the $56.5 billion leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts and Alphabets $32 billion acquisition of cloud security firm Wiz.

Caynes hire signals the bank's intent to compete aggressively for top talent and major deals as it reshapes its influential TMT group to better capitalize on key growth trends, including artificial intelligence.

Goldman Sachs is undertaking a wider reorganization of its TMT investment banking division. The bank is restructuring the group with a strategic focus on infrastructure deals and AI, according to an internal memo previously seen by Reuters.

As part of that overhaul, the bank combined its telecom and "CoreTech" teams to form two new groups: Global Infrastructure Technology and Global Internet and Media.

(Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York. Editing by Dawn Kopecki and Nia Williams)
Anthony Joshua is in the spotlight again for his upcoming fight against Jake Paul. We all know he's a fighter, but Joshua has enjoyed love in his life as well.

Over the past few years, Joshua has been rumored to have dated model Bella Hadid, actress Cara Delevingne, influencer Faryal Makhdoom, television presenter Vick Hope and television host Maya Jama. The British boxer has not confirmed any of these rumors, however, as he's been open about his desire to keep his private life exactly that: private.

The 36-year-old's latest rumored romance is with influencer Samia Slimani, as Slimani posted pictures of the pair visiting her home country of Morocco while adding a sweet caption.

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"Morocco isnt just where Im from its who I am," Slimani wrote. "And seeing [Joshua] feel that same peace, that same heartbeat Now, its his second home too."

Like his past relationships, Joshua has neither confirmed nor denied whether he and Slimani are an item.

What we do know is Joshua is a father. Joshua has a 9-year-old son, Joseph, with Nicole Osbourne, a dance teacher and yoga instructor he met while they were teenagers. The two aren't together anymore but co-parent amicably.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Who is Anthony Joshua's significant other? What we know
The Gist

Earlier in the day on December 19, Prince Harry and Meghan Markles office released their 2025 Christmas carda photo of just the two of them from the Invictus Games this year in Canada.

But then, Meghan took to her Instagram later in the morning to share a never-before-seen photo of her family of four, all matching in white and sweetly posing together outdoors.

From our family to yours, Meghan wrote alongside the image.

When it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markles 2025 Christmas card offerings, it seems that two is better than one.

On December 19, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released not just one but two holiday cardsone with just the two of them and one with their entire family of four, including Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The second photo released on Friday showed the family, all in white, outdoors, Harry cupping Archies face in his hands while Archie wrapped his arms around his dads waist, both Harry and Archie in white shirts and dark pants. Both stood on a small bridge, as did Lilibet, wearing a white dress, knee-high socks, and metallic shoes. She touched foreheads with her mom Meghan, who stood just off the bridge wearing a sleeveless white dress and black flats. Trees towered behind them in the sweet scene.

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Happy Holidays! Meghan wrote on her Instagram alongside the photo. From our family to yours.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2025 Christmas card Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2025 Christmas card

Earlier in the day, another Christmas card was released, this one a shot of just Harry and Meghan, smiling and holding hands as they walked through the snow at this years Invictus Games, which were held in Canada.

On behalf of the office of Prince Harry & Meghan, Duke & Duchess of Sussex, and Archewell, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year, the message read alongside the photo of the couple.

Instagram/Meghan Markle The Sussex family at Disneyland The Sussex family at Disneyland

Harry and Meghan have released a Christmas card every year since they married in 2018. This isnt the first time Archie and Lilibet have appeared in a holiday card, eitherfor his first Christmas in 2019, Archie was the star of the Sussex family Christmas card, and was also featured as part of a drawing in the familys 2020 card. The first photograph released of Lilibet appeared in the familys 2021 Christmas card, six months after her birth that June, and the two kids also appeared in their parents 2024 Christmas card, their backs to the camera as they ran towards their mom and dad, arms outstretched.

Read the original article on InStyle
Brad Pitt scored a major victory in his ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their French winery, Chateau Miravel.

A judge ruled in the F1 stars favor for the actress to turn over private emails and text message threads regarding the sale of her portion of the vineyard  which they purchased when they were married, according to court documents obtained by Page Six on Thursday.

An insider told Page Six that the emails would prove Jolie has been disingenuous since the start regarding her true intentions about selling her share of the business.

Brad Pitt secured a major legal victory in his ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie and their French winery. Anadolu via Getty Images

According to court documents obtained by Page Six on Thursday, a judge ruled in the actors favor for his ex to submit private communications about the sale of her portion of the Chateau Miravel. Getty Images

Jolie, 50, has 45 days to turn over the communications.

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The Maria stars lawyer, Paul Murphy, told Page Six that they were disappointed by the courts interpretation of Californias privilege law.

The courts ruling violates that law, undermines Ms. Jolies fundamental right to a fair trial, and represents yet another manifestation of Mr. Pitts years-long effort to harass and control her. We will appeal, the attorney said.

The recent filing is a part of Pitts lawsuit against his ex for allegedly illegally selling her share of the vineyard to the Stoli Group in 2021.

In the February filing, the Troy actor, 62, alleged that he and Jolie, who purchased the property in 2008 for $28.4 million, agreed not to sell their shares without consulting each other.

In 2021, the actress sold her portion of the vineyard without allegedly consulting Pitt. Andrea Staccioli Insidefoto/Shutterstock

The exes allegedly had an agreement that they wouldnt sell their shares unless they consulted with each other. GC Images

The exes, who married in 2014 and split in 2019, allegedly planned to raise their kids at the vineyard and build a family business.

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Then, in October, Pitt requested Jolie submit communications with her business manager, Terry Bird, Chloe Dalton and Arminka Helic, her publicists, and two financial consultants.

In the filing, the actor alleged that the Maleficent star communicated with Bird about her personal and professional life, including litigation.

[Jolie admitted] Bird helped [her] identify additional issues on which to seek advice, the docs read.

A source told Page Six that the emails would prove Jolie has been disingenuous since the start regarding her true intentions about selling her share of the business. Anadolu via Getty Images

She has 45 days to submit the filings. Getty Images for FIJI Water

What Jolie is describing here are brainstorming sessions between non-lawyers, the filing continues. The fact that these brainstorming sessions may have followed or preceded advice from a lawyer on the same general topic or a related topic does not shield them from discovery.

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Pitt allegedly believes that Jolies communications with Bird regarding the terms of sale to the Stoli Group in 2021 are the key transaction at issue in this litigation.

[Jolie] has still produced only one internal email that even mentions the terms of the sale at the center of this case, the Fight Club star stated.

Jolies lawyer, Paul Murphy, told Page Six that they were disappointed by the courts interpretation of Californias privilege law. WireImage

Pitt initially sued his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star earlier this year. Samir Hussein/WireImage

Jolie, however, previously insisted that she didnt have to submit the emails and text messages because they involved her discussion about legal matters with others.

At the time, the Girl, Interrupted star responded to the filing and accused Pitt of invading his clients privileged communications with her lawyers.

This once again confirms that this lawsuit is the manifestation of Mr. Pitts years-long effort to harass and control Angelina, Murphy previously told Page Six in a statement.
Conan O'Brien regrets not stepping in during the heated argument Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, had with their son Nick at his Christmas party last week.

The TV icon reportedly believes that stepping in may have prevented the eventual death of the duo, who were found stabbed at their Brentwood home 24 hours after the party.

The couple's son was arrested shortly after the bodies were discovered and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Nick Reiner made his first court appearance on Wednesday, and his arraignment is set for early next month.

Conan O'Brien Feels 'Guilty' After The Murders Of His Pals, Rob And Michele Reiner

MEGA

In the wake of Reiner and his wife's shocking murders, O'Brien, who last saw them at his Christmas party just 24 hours before the incident, is said to be privately battling intense guilt over their deaths.

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According to reports, the TV icon has been reflecting on those moments in recent days, especially being one of the witnesses who saw the couple have a "very loud" argument with their son, Nick.

"He keeps thinking, 'What if I had stepped in? What if I'd pulled Rob aside or shut it down?" an insider told Rob Shutter's #ShutterScoop. "He feels like maybe he could have changed the course of what happened."

"Conan is replaying every detail in his mind," a second source said about O'Brien. "He's wracked with guilt and keeps wondering if anything he didor didn't docould have made a difference."

The Reiners' Son Has Been Charged With Two Counts Of First-Degree Murder

Brent Perniac/AdMedia/Newscom/MEGA

Barely 24 hours after the party hosted by O'Brien, the Reiners were found in their Brentwood home with stab wounds.

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Authorities described the incident as a homicide after launching an investigation. Nick was arrested and charged with the double murder of his parents.

He is being held without bail and made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where he waived his rights.

His arraignment was later set for January 7, when he may enter a plea regarding the two counts of first-degree murder against him. He may also make an argument for bail at that time, although it remains unclear whether he will request it.

He is currently being represented by attorney Alan Jackson, who has previously represented figures such as actor Kevin Spacey and film producer-turned-sex offender Harvey Weinstein.

Nick Reiner May Face The Death Penalty If Convicted

Brent Perniac/AdMedia/Newscom/MEGA

If Nick is ultimately found guilty of the murder of his parents, he could face the death penalty.

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This was made known by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman during a press conference earlier in the week on the murders.

"[Nick's] charges will be two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders," Hochman revealed at the time, per Fox News. "He also faces a special allegation that he personally used a dangerous and deadly weapon, that being a knife. These charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Elsewhere in the press conference, Hochman also revealed that his team will take the "thoughts and desires of the family into consideration" during sentencing. However, this will also depend on "the strength of the evidence, aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and broader policy considerations."

Rob Reiner's Other Children Described Their Death As A 'Devastating Loss'

LuMarPHOTO / AFF-USA.COM / MEGA

As tributes continue pouring in and the investigation into the murders of the Reiners remains ongoing, their other daughter and son, Romy and Jake, have recently broken their silence on the incident.

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In a statement obtained by NBC News, the duo said they are at a loss for words to describe the "unimaginable pain" they are currently feeling.

"The horrific and devastating loss of our parents, Rob and Michele Reiner, is something that no one should ever experience. They weren't just our parents; they were our best friends," they added, per The Blast.

They also expressed appreciation for the condolences they have received and ended their statement by requesting privacy, without mentioning Nick.

"We now ask for respect and privacy, for speculation to be tempered with compassion and humanity, and for our parents to be remembered for the incredible lives they lived and the love they gave."

Rob Reiner And His Wife Were Worried About His Son's 'Deteriorating' Mental Health

Ron Sachs - Pool via CNP / MEGA

Since their gruesome murder, friends of the Reiners have stressed how much they tried to help their son Nick with his substance abuse and mental health issues.

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According to the New York Post, a close family source shared that the actor and his wife were worried that their son was still using drugs and his mental health was declining due to his addiction.

"Rob had been telling people that they're scared for Nick and scared that his mental state was deteriorating," the insider, who is a family friend, told the news outlet. "These poor people did everything to help this kid."

The late couple reportedly sent Nick to multiple rehabilitation facilities, hoping he would beat his addiction.
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Meghan Markle often copies her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana's iconic outfits.

Keep reading to learn why..

MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more top news

Gavin Kent / Mirrorpix/Newscom/The Mega Agency

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According to internet fashion expert Rebecca Uesugi, Meghan Markle purposely evokes Princess Diana. "I do believe this is intentional as Meghan wants these comparisons to be made," she told Daily Express. "Meghan seems to take it to a much different level. From her mirrored body language to certain color combinations or choice in accessories."

James Whatling / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com

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Rebecca Uesugi highlighted Meghan Markle's 2019 visit to Birkenhead, during which she wore Princess Diana's signature purple and red combination. The former Princess of Wales wore the same palette on trips to Hong Kong, Nigeria, India and on numerous other occasions.

Kent Gavin/Mirrorpix/Newscom/The Mega Agency

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Despite the flattering gesture toward Princess Diana, Rebecca Uesugi thinks Meghan Markle takes it to a new level. "Her [Meghan]'s purple and red outfit worn in Birkenhead back in 2019, the deliberate sunglasses placement in Rwanda or the entire outfit, right down to the shoes worn in Nigeria during the last morning and flight home," she said, citing the attention to detail.

MEGA TheMegaAgency.com

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Though Meghan Markle gets criticized for dressing like Princess Diana, people are also intrigued by her. "This is one hundred percent for public impact. Let's not forget the old adage 'bad press is still press' and moves like these keep her in the press and a hot topic on social media," Rebecca Uesugi said.

Dennis Brack/Newscom/The Mega Agency

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If Meghan Markle continues to follow in Princess Diana's footsteps, she'll never create her own fashion legacy. "This completely undermines any credibility," Rebecca Uesugi said. "I have read that Meghan wants to establish herself as a prominent figure in the fashion world, but to do so she really needs to figure out who she is first and foremost."

JAKE ROSENBERG/NETFLIX

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"I think her style should reflect who she is. A mother of two, a businesswoman and whether people like it or not, a celebrity," she continued. "She should lean into the California designers that she enjoys and sometimes showcases, but she does need to introduce a little more color into her wardrobe."
Gisele Bundchen is the center of attention once again thanks to her skintight dress. The model recently returned to Brazil ahead of Christmas. The festival is extra special for her as she will celebrate with her new baby, whom she welcomed this year with her beau, Joaquim Valente. Bundchens comeback was in style as she attended a lavish event.

Gisele Bundchen returns to Brazil in a skintight dress for a party before babys first Christmas

Gisele Bundchen at Vivara's party in Sao Paulo pic.twitter.com/orIe3JkMMn  Gisele Bundchen Daily  (@giseledaily) December 19, 2025

Gisele Bundchen recently showed up for an event in a skintight dress in Brazil. The event was held in Sao Paolo for for the jewelry brand, Vivara. The supermodel wore a golden see-through dress, giving body goals. Moreover, the outfit featured a straight cutout in the middle, held with small button-like plans. She paired this bold attire with matching high heels and accessories, including a golden-bordered clutch, bracelet, minimalist earrings, and multiple rings.

On the other hand, her blonde hair was kept open, along with light makeup that consisted of eyeliner and lip gloss. The 45-year-old is in her native country to celebrate her first Christmas with her new child. She welcomed the child in February, but the name and other details of the child havent been revealed. However, a report stated that the childs middle name is River.

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In a May interview with Vogue France, the activist opened up on the challenges of being a new mom. She said, Now that my little one is sleeping through the night, Im back in control of my routine. As any new mom knows, its incredible how much sleep  or lack of it  can change everything, the diva continued. Bundchen further added, But once again, I feel truly grateful. Being able to be home with my kids and enjoy every moment with them is priceless.

On Mothers Day, Bundchen posted a carousel that included a picture of her carrying her baby in her arms. She wrote, Ive been quiet over here but very busy living life..Sometimes, the most beautiful moments arent shared  theyre simply lived. The mom of three also said, Being a mother has been my greatest gift, a journey that humbles me, teaches me, and fills me with gratitude every single day.

Originally reported by Ritika Singh on Reality Tea.

The post Gisele Bundchens Skintight Dress Signals Special Homecoming in Brazil appeared first on Mandatory.
NEED TO KNOW

Kim Cattrall shared highlights of her "dream" honeymoon in the Maldives with husband Russell Thomas

One photo showed Cattrall posing in an infinity pool at the One&Only Reethi Rah luxury resort

The Sex and the City star married the audio engineer in London on Dec. 4

Kim Cattrall is giving fans a glimpse of her "dream" honeymoon with husband Russell Thomas.

The Sex and the City star, 69, shared a series of highlights on Instagram of the couple's sun-soaked getaway in the Maldives. One post featured a photo of Cattrall wearing a black swimsuit as she posed in an infinity pool by the ocean at the One&Only Reethi Rah resort. She's surrounded by palm trees, white sand and blue skies.

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"A dream come true spending an extraordinary vacation at One&Only Reethi Rah ," she wrote, tagging the luxury, all-villa resort.

Kim Cattrall/Instagram Kim Cattrall in the Maldives Kim Cattrall in the Maldives

In a second post, the actress shared a photo of herself lounging in a hammock on the beach as the sun was beginning to set. She captioned the image: "Sweet dreams ."

A third post documented a visit to the Tapa Sake restaurant.

Kim Cattrall/Instagram Kim Cattrall in the Maldives Kim Cattrall in the Maldives

Cattrall and Thomas, an audio engineer, tied the knot in London, on Thursday, Dec. 4, during an intimate ceremony attended by just 12 guests at Chelsea Old Town Hall. The bride wore a Dior suit, styled by her longtime creative collaborator Patricia Field, who also famously worked as costume designer on Sex and the City.

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The day after the nuptials, Cattrall posted a black-and-white photo of herself kissing her new husband. She later shared more wedding highlights on Monday, Dec. 8, as she thanked the staff of The Peninsula London hotel, along with several other people, for "making our private wedding reception so incredibly memorable."

Liam Pearson Russell Thomas and Kim Cattrall kiss at their Dec. 4 wedding Russell Thomas and Kim Cattrall kiss at their Dec. 4 wedding

"Well never forget your dedication to making our wedding celebration such a success ," the How I Met Your Father star added.

The post featured a photo of Thomas, 55, kissing his bride on the cheek as she cut their classic, three-tier wedding cake. In another shot, Cattrall smiled as she held up a glass of champagne.

Cattrall and Thomas first met and connected in 2016 at the BBC, when she appeared on an episode of Woman's Hour. The pair kept in touch, and Thomas eventually visited Cattrall in Vancouver. They ended up quarantining together at her house amid the pandemic.

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It was very brave of him because we didnt really know each other other than having a few meals together. But he came, and we got along great. And we've been together ever since," she told PEOPLE in 2020.

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.

Im very comfortable around him," she added at the time. "Hes a firecracker and hes got a wicked sense of humor. And hes easy on the eyes!"

Cattrall, who was previously married three times  to Larry Davis, Andre J. Lyson and Mark Levinson  also told PEOPLE that Thomas was "worth waiting for."



Read the original article on People
NEED TO KNOW

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon married in 2007, a year after meeting at a comedy show

The actor and screenwriter's early experiences in their relationship, including a health complication, inspired their 2017 Oscar-nominated movie The Big Sick

Nanjiani and Gordon are still collaborating on different projects, like producing

Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, are no strangers to collaborating throughout their nearly two-decade-long marriage.

Nanjiani returns to stand-up on Dec. 19 with his Hulu special Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts, bringing him back to his comedy roots when he met Gordon, who lightly heckled him at one of his shows in 2006. The couple wed the following year after she recovered from a sudden, rare illness that left her in a medically induced coma.

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The actor told PEOPLE that he started to think more seriously about his future with Gordon while she was in the hospital. Nanjiani explained, It was honestly right when she went under. I remember thinking, Oh, I love this woman, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. If she comes out of this, Im going to marry her. 

Nearly two decades later, the pair are still married and have a long history of working together on projects, including their 2017 film The Big Sick, which was loosely based on their real-life relationship and Gordons illness.

The actor reflected on his relationship with Gordon during a January 2018 MAKERS interview, sharing at the time, What matters is the real connection. With Emily, I got the real connection.

So, who is Kumail Nanjianis wife? Heres everything to know about Emily V. Gordon and her partnership with the comedic actor.

They met at Nanjianis comedy show in 2006

Kumail Nanjiani Instagram Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon

Nanjiani and Gordon first crossed paths in 2006 in Chicago at one of the comedians stand-up shows.

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The couple shared more about their meet-cute in a joint essay for Glamour in June 2017.

Gordon recalled, Onstage, he asked a question of the audience, and I woo-hood because no one else was responding ... OK, yes, that question was Is anyone else here from Pakistan? and Im from North Carolina, but still ... I was helping!

While they soon began dating, Nanjiani revealed that after he had initially asked her out, she said no and later suggested a platonic dinner instead.

Gordon clarified, To be fair, I initially said no because I was trying not to date anyone, but something about Kumail made me miss him even though I barely knew him.

She was in a medically induced coma after being diagnosed with Still's disease

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the premiere of 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' on November 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the premiere of 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' on November 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California

Early on in their relationship, Gordon fell ill. In her essay for Glamour, she recalled being sick with [flu-like] symptoms for a while, but the diagnoses and medications she received didnt work.

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Eventually, Gordon was taken to the hospital after she was unable to catch her breath, noting that the last thing she remembered clearly was calling Nanjiani to share the news. From there, she was put into a medically induced coma.

After being in the hospital for a month, she was diagnosed with adult-onset Stills disease, resulting in a lung surgery. Per the Cleveland Clinic, adult-onset Stills disease is a rare type of inflammatory arthritis developed in adulthood that can cause symptoms including fever, muscle pain and a rash.

Ten years after her diagnosis, Gordon discovered she had common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) in 2017, an immune system disorder that can cause low levels of the proteins in the body that fight infections, per the Mayo Clinic.

During a September 2022 interview with PEOPLE, Gordon reflected on how her disorder impacted her experience and health during the pandemic, as well as her life overall.

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"I've been in a situation for years, where I have had to be careful, she said. I've had to worry about getting sick from having dinner with friends or from being out in the open. For immunocompromised people, we have had to oftentimes live in fear. I'm not interested in living in fear."

They have been married since 2007

Kumail Nanjiani Instagram Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon on their wedding day Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon on their wedding day

After Gordon got out of the hospital, she and Nanjiani wed within months. Gordon wrote in Glamour that they tied the knot in July 2007 at City Hall in Chicago and then had a traditional Muslim ceremony with families a few weeks later.

She added, The ceremonies were intimate and romantic but also felt like a public declaration of what we already knew: We were in it for the long haul.

However, during a January 2024 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Nanjiani revealed that he actually proposed to Gordon after they were already married. In the time following their City Hall wedding, Nanjiani said that Gordon shared that she wished she had gotten proposed to properly.

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A few years later, we were in Montauk. Wed gotten like a really small hotel room on the beach, and at midnight we were playing video games, he explained. I was like, Hey, come outside with me on the beach. 

There, he proposed to his wife, telling host Jennifer Hudson that the best way to have a surprise proposal is to do it three years after youre married.

She was a therapist before pursuing a creative career

Alberto Rodriguez/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

When Nanjiani and Gordon met, she was a counselor. Gordon earned her bachelor's in psychology before she went on to receive an MS/EdS in couples and family counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, per the colleges UNCG Magazine.

She practiced as a therapist in North Carolina, Illinois and New York before adding on creative endeavors to her plate. Gordon told GQ in March 2020 that she had been a therapist for eight years.

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Nanjiani vouched for his wifes empathetic nature, telling GQ, And I will say, Emily was a therapist, but that wasn't just a profession. Emily is that personality type.

You are the person who randomly, at a party, [would] meet someone who we don't know and they'll just start talking about their cat that just died, he added. But Emily is just that type of person, where people really want to share things with her."

They collaborated on the 2017 rom-com The Big Sick based on their relationship

Sarah Shatz/Apatow/Kobal/Shutterstock Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan in 'The Big Sick'. Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan in 'The Big Sick'.

Nanjiani and Gordon are no strangers to teaming up professionally. The pair are likely best known for the 2017 romantic comedy and drama, The Big Sick, which earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The Big Sick, though fictionalized, is based on the couples real-life love story, including their meet-cute, Gordons illness and hospitalization, and navigating the aftermath of her adult-onset Still's disease diagnosis, ending with their marriage.

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Gordon spoke to Deadline in November 2017 about writing a movie with references to her personal experiences, including her relationship with Nanjiani and her health struggles.

At the time, she explained, The writing was definitely a process. Luckily, we wrote for such a long time that I had a while to get comfortable with the idea.

"I think eventually, I went from being frightened about it to hoping, in some way, that it could be something that could resonate with a lot of people," Gordon added.

She is a writer and film producer

Jesse Grant/Getty Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the premiere of 'Predator: Badlands' on November 3, 2025 in Los Angeles, California Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the premiere of 'Predator: Badlands' on November 3, 2025 in Los Angeles, California

In September 2015, Gordon published her book Super You: Release Your Inner Superhero, which served as a guide for readers to become empowered and the hero in their own lives.

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I wanted to take everything Id gotten from my experience as a therapist and write it in a way I wouldnt have rolled my eyes at, she told UNCG Magazine, mentioning her experience as a freelance writer.

In addition to co-writing The Big Sick with Nanjiani, shes written for several series, including The Carmichael Show, Another Period and Crashing, plus sold a pilot to FX, per Vulture.

She told the outlet in June 2017, Writing for TV has been great because every show that Ive written for is with comedians that Ive been friends with, who I also love working with.

In September 2024, Deadline reported that Nanjiani and Gordon launched their production company, Winter Coat Films, with producer Dani Melia as president of the company. Together, the couple served as executive producers of Welcome to Chippendales and Little America, which they also wrote.

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However, they have had to set boundaries. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in November 2022, Gordon explained that they essentially have office hours between Monday and Friday and then shut it down over the weekend.

If were hanging out, and one of us gets an idea about work, we have to ask permission to bring it up, Nanjiani added. Sometimes the other person says, No! 

She and Nanjiani hosted two podcasts together

FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty

While Nanjiani and Gordon have collaborated on projects behind the scenes, theyve also worked together on more public endeavors.

They initially hosted the podcast The Indoor Kids, which centered around video games. The audio show ran for over 200 episodes from July 2011 to October 2015. Years later, they launched the podcast Staying In with Emily and Kumail during the beginning of the pandemic, from March 2020 to June 2020.

Speaking to PEOPLE in May 2020, Nanjiani said that his relationship with Gordon was strengthened, thanks in part to the podcast. "Even though we're married, and we have a really good relationship, we don't get like, 'All right, now for an hour and a half let's really talk about how we're feeling,' " he said.

"We don't have that structured time to really check in with each other without any distractions, where all you have to do is listen, respond, and really have a conversation, he added. It's so easy to kind of not do that. So that's been really good for our relationship, and I'm really finding out stuff about her that I didn't know before, [like] what her coping strategies are. I think I'm better now at knowing."

Shes teased her husband about his body transformation for Marvels Eternals

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the Warner Bros. premiere of 'The Suicide Squad' on August 2, 2021 Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani attend the Warner Bros. premiere of 'The Suicide Squad' on August 2, 2021

Nanjiani received a lot of attention in 2019 for his new look for Marvels Eternals, debuting his ripped body in a pair of thirsty shirtless pictures. Gordon poked fun at Nanjiani's announcement in an Instagram post of her own in December 2019, sharing a photo of her husband shirtless while he played video games on the couch.

Hes super buff but hes also still super this guy: a horrifically focused gamer and the best cat lap, she wrote. And if you dont know what Im talking about, please go to the Instagram of @kumailn.

During a January 2020 interview with The Guardian, Gordon also joked about the transformation, briefly pretending that she hadnt even noticed.

Whatre you talking about? I havent noticed any difference, she said. No, Im kidding, the difference is that its hard for him to type on the individual keys of his computer now because of his massive, muscular hands.

Read the original article on People
Dec 19 (Reuters) - The Chinese unit of Netherlands-based Nexperia has locked in supplies of silicon wafers from local firms to cover its entire 2026 production for one type of power chip, a document showed, after the Dutch firm stopped supplying the raw material in a corporate dispute.

The development will allow the Chinese unit, which declared itself independent of Nexperia's European management two months ago, to continue manufacturing Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power chips and modules, switches that regulate current in electric vehicles and industrial equipment.

The dispute began when the Dutch government took control of Nexperia from its Chinese parent Wingtech in September, citing governance issues. In late October, it suspended supplies of wafers to the Chinese unit, while a Dutch court ordered Wingtech's founder be removed as Nexperia CEO.

Beijing responded by halting exports of Nexperia's finished products, triggering chip shortages for global automakers.

Both governments relaxed their measures last month, but court fights and an internal battle continue over control of Nexperia, with China and Wingtech both warning that disruptions could resume without a long-term resolution.

In a letter sent to its distributors earlier this month and seen by Reuters, Nexperia's China unit said it had locked in wafer production capacity for IGBT products with local suppliers for 2026 and was accelerating verification of wafers from Wingtech's foundry Wingsky Semi to ensure "abundant supply."

The previously unreported move marks a further supply-chain separation between Nexperia China and its Dutch parent that could lead to a complete split.

Nexperia told Reuters that it was not in communication with its Chinese subsidiary and the unit showed "no intention to negotiate a short-term solution to restore the flow of chips to customers."

The company said that IGBT products accounted for about 0.1% of Nexperia total revenue in 2024.

Nexperia China did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Beijing last week called on the Dutch government to implement the consensus they reached on encouraging negotiations between Nexperia and Wingtech and to urge the chipmaker to send representatives to China as soon as possible for talks.

WAFER INVENTORY RUNNING LOW

Nexperia China has told local distributors wafer inventory at its factory in Dongguan in southern China's Guangdong province is low as supply from the Netherlands is not expected to resume soon, a person familiar with the matter said.


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Lauren Sanchez Bezoss name being at the top of my vocabulary this year was not on my 2025 Bingo card, but feel as you will about the new Mrs. Bezos, she gets the people talking.

The former journalists lavish wedding to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos wasnt the only moment of hers that went viral this year (though her ritzy bridal looks did practically send waves across the canals of Venice). Sanchez Bezos also captured eyes with her glamazon honeymoon wardrobe, which included a transparent, black cheetah-print maxi dress that she debuted in Saint-Tropez, and clear, sky-high stilettos that she wore to walk along the rocky beaches of Ibiza, Spain.

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She then took to the designer archives for her Paris Fashion Week appearances, which saw her sitting front row at the Chanel show, and enjoying a date night in the City of Light while in a blood-red Vivienne Westwood minidress.

Since then, Sanchez Bezos has continued to stay true to her bombshell style, often diving into vintage designer collections to deliver her daily doses of va-va-voom on date nights with Bezos or at parties with her starry group of celebrity friendswhich include the Kardashian-Jenners, (her outer space buddy) Katy Perry, and Sydney Sweeney.

Ahead, see Lauren Sanchez Bezoss most eye-catching looks of 2025.





December 17, 2025

Sanchez Bezos in a furry blue floor-length coat and a bedazzled Chanel ball bag while out with Brooks Nader in Los Angeles.

JAST - BACKGRID





December 5, 2025

Sanchez Bezos in a shearling trimmed Alaia coat worn as a minidress, with transparent black tights and tall leather boots. Bezos in all black, for a night out at The Bird Streets Club in Los Angeles.

ALAM, GIDE - BACKGRID





November 11, 2025

At Diors VIP dinner in Beverly Hills, California, alongside Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Sanchez Bezos in a gray tweed minidress with cream lace trim designed by John Galliano for Dior in 1998.

Michael Buckner - Getty Images





October 26, 2025

In a transparent, nude minidress with a black-and-orange rose print and black trim. She paired it with strappy black Christian Louboutin sandals for a Carbone date night with Bezos in Miami, Florida,

VAEM, CAMA, PINE - BACKGRID

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October 6, 2025

Wearing a vintage Chanel rosette dress from 1995, alongside Bezos, at the Chanel Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week.

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October 5, 2025

In a silky red strapless dress from early-2000s Vivienne Westwood, and matching accessories, on a night out in Paris, France.

NACA - BACKGRID





October 4, 2025

Mrs. and Mr. Bezos in coordinating gray suits in Paris, France. The former journalist in an archival John Galliano blazer and pencil skirt set from the designers Spring/Summer 1995 collection, sourced from Resurrection Vintage.

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September 12, 2025

In a silky ivory minidress and clear PVC heelsnext to Bezos in an electric blue suitat the EE72 Magazine launch party at The Cut restaurant in New York City.

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September 11, 2025

At the Kering Foundations fourth annual Caring for Women dinner in New York Citys The Pool.

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September 10, 2025

In a white tank and a transparent, black polka-dot Chanel skirt, plus tights, dotted heels, and Chanel accessories: shades, gold jewelry, and a chain belt. She attends the French fashion houses VIP dinner celebrating the launch of Sofia Coppolas book, CHANEL Haute Couture, at the Doubles Club, to kick off New York Fashion Week.

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August 3, 2025

Te newlyweds matched in white on their honeymoon in Ibiza, Spain. Sanchez Bezos wore a white minidress with clear stilettos to walk along the rocky beach for a dinner date.

XPOS - BACKGRID





July 23, 2025

In a totally see-through black maxi dress with a mixed cheetah and zebra print, with Bezos in Saint-Tropez.

BACKGRID

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July 8, 2025

In a skintight red leather corset dress from Versace, leaving Laperouse restaurant in Paris, France.

NACA - BACKGRID





June 28, 2025

In a strapless blush Versace gown embroidered with lace and small beads, during her and Bezoss wedding weekend in Venice, Italy.

Stefano Mazzola - Getty Images





June 26, 2025

Heading from the Aman Hotel in Venice, Italy, to attend her rehearsal dinner. She wears a body-cinching floral gown by Schiaparelli.

STEFANO RELLANDINI - Getty Images





May 25, 2025

In a semi-sheer, skintight top and see-through tutu-like skirt, at the F1 Grand Prix in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

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March 02, 2025

In a bridal gown, with Bezos, at Vanity Fairs Oscars after-party in Beverly Hills, California.

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Comedian Pete Davidson has become a father for the first time after his girlfriend, actress Elsie Hewitt, gave birth to a "perfect angel girl" named Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson.

The happy couple announced the arrival of their baby girl on Instagram on Dec. 18six days after Scottie was born at a New York City hospitalsharing a series of images of themselves welcoming their bundle of joy into their family home upstate.

"My best work yet, I am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief," Hewitt wrote in her post, revealing that her daughter arrived on Dec. 12.

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Davidson, 32, and Hewitt, 29, announced in July that they were expecting their first child together, just a few months after it was revealed that they were living together.

In a series of photos and videos, the couple can be seen embracing their newborn daughter in hospital, before driving her back through snowy landscapes to Davidson's upstate New York abode, which he revealed during a February appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" he had moved to.

Comedian Pete Davidson has become a father for the first time after his girlfriend, actress Elsie Hewitt, gave birth to a "perfect angel girl" named Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

The happy couple announced the arrival of their baby girl on Instagram on Dec. 18, sharing a series of images of themselves welcoming their bundle of joy into their family home upstate. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

Davidson, 32, and Hewitt, 29, announced in July that they were expecting their first child together, just a few months after it was revealed that they were living together. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

In one photo, the new parents are seen cuddling up to their baby girl while posing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, with the snow-covered ground seen behind them.

Another snap captures Hewitt enjoying a tender moment with her daughter, standing in front of the same window, which opens up to a stunning vista of trees, snow-topped grass, and a frozen pond, with a sprawling terrace seen directly behind her.

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The couple also shared several images of themselves in their hospital room in Manhattan, with Davidson seen giving his daughter a bottle, while sitting on a couch in Hewitt's room, the city skyline visible through the window behind him.

Hewitt also revealed the first big meal she treated herself to after giving birth: a box of takeout sushi, complete with some edamame and a tiny bottle of soy sauce, which she photographed in front of her sleeping baby.

The final post in the carousel of images and videos was a clip of the couple's drive home, showing snow-covered trees and darkening skies as they made the journey back to their upstate escape.

That property also served as the backdrop for the couple's pregnancy announcement in July, when they shared several photos of themselves posing in much warmer climes, with Hewitt proudly showing off her growing baby bump.

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"Welp now everyone knows we had sex," the cheeky caption of the post read.

News of the pregnancy came just four months after Hewitt and Davidson confirmed their relationship on Instagram, where the model shared a video of the "SNL" alum in a white bathrobe.

"My best work yet, I am absolutely overflowing with love and gratitude and disbelief," Hewitt wrote in her post, revealing that her daughter arrived on Dec. 12. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

The Manhattan skyline could be seen through Hewitt's hospital room window as Davidson fed his daughter a bottle. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

The happy couple have named their daughter Scottie Rose Hewitt Davidson. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

Hewitt treated herself to some sushi after giving birth. (Instagram/Elsie Hewitt)

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Just a few weeks later, sources told People that the loved-up duo had taken the next step in their romance by moving in togetherwith the insider claiming that they were splitting their time between Davidson's property upstate and a rented brownstone in Brooklyn.

"Pete and Elsie have been living together in New York for the past few months," the unnamed source shared. "Theyre splitting their time between Petes house in upstate New York and a brownstone they recently started renting in Brooklyn.

"Theyre so happy together and doing great."

The comedian revealed in February 2022 that he was leaving his longtime home in Staten Islandwhere he was born and raisedin order to relocate to Brooklyn, initially taking up residence in a rented penthouse apartment.

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That penthouse, which is in Brooklyn Heights, was later put back on the rental market just one year after Davidson moved in, with a sky-high asking price of $30,000 a month, although that was later dropped to $23,000 a month.

Meanwhile, the actor put his former Staten Island abode on the market for $1.3 million in 2022although records indicate that he still owns a home in the area, along with his sister, Casey, who is also named on the deed.

That property was purchased for $1.3 million back in 2016, although it's unclear whether Davidson has ever actually lived there or if his sister is the main occupant.

While Davidson is understood to still have a home base in Brooklyn in the form of a brownstone rental, his primary abode is located "in the woods," he revealed on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

Hewitt and Davidson announced their pregnancy in July by sharing a series of photos taken at their upstate New York home. (Instagram/Elsie)

"Welp now everyone knows we had sex," the cheeky caption of the post read. (Instagram/Elsie)

During a February appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," Davidson first revealed he had moved to a home "in the woods." (Instagram/Elsie)

The pregnancy announcement came just a few months after their relationship was made public. (Instagram/Elsie)

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Noting that Davidson's choice of location might have come as a surprise to some, Meyers joked: "Not a lot of us predicted you in the woods."

"I know," the Staten Island native replied, adding: "My neighbors are very confused."

Though the comedian has revealed few details about the home, his desire to move to a more remote location was initially revealed by a rather unlikely source: lifestyle guru Martha Stewart.

Back in 2023, when Davidson was still dating Chase Sui Wonders, Stewart revealed that the couple had been house-hunting near her own farm in upstate New York.

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"Pete's looking for a house in my neighborhood," the famed cooking expert said during an appearance on Access Hollywood. "So he came over to see my farm and understand what it was like to live in and around Bedford.

"He had such a nice time; came up to the house and chatted for a while. He seems very happy."

While Davidson's relationship with Wonders ran its course not long after that visit, the actor has always been open about his dream of one day starting a family, telling fellow comedian Kevin Hart in 2022 that it was his "favorite" goal.

"My favorite thing ever, which Im yet to achieve, is I wanna have a kid," he admitted. "Its super corny, but it would be so fun to dress up a little dude.

"Im so excited for that chapter so thats kind of what Im just preparing for now, is trying to be like good as a dude and develop and get better so when that happens its just easier."
Prince Harry is supposedly hoping to have more of his royal family close by. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, have reportedly been speaking to cousin Princess Eugenie.

Her family name has been dragged through the mud for months, largely due to her parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson. Theyve been punished severely for their past association with disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The brother of King Charles lost his title of Prince earlier this year and is being put on notice to vacate his Royal Lodge property by early 2026.

Amid all the bad press, Eugenies been keeping a low profile. Could she be done with the British capital?

Could Princess Eugenie be the next royal to swap London for California?

Photo Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images

Back in 2020, Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal life and relocated their family to California. It sounds like they believe Eugenie should do the same. Harry and Meghan have both said they could absolutely make a place for her (Eugenie) in California, a source told RadarOnline.

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Although Eugenie reportedly doesnt want to turn her back on the royal family in the UK, the source says that things are very uncomfortable for the mother of two. Thats because her dad seems to be at the forefront of everyone.

There were previous reports suggesting that Harry misses home and would like more family close by. Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, split their time between London and Portugal.

Harry apparently has a soft spot for Eugenie and has always been very close to her. He reportedly wants to ensure she emerges from her parents scandals unscathed.

First, Harry and Meghan apparently want to have the Princess and Jack over for a visit before reportedly making a face-to-face pitch to have them relocate to the US. Eugenie and her sister Princess Beatrice maintained their royal titles despite their parents scandals.

TELL US  DO YOU THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA FOR PRINCESS EUGENIE TO RELOCATE HER FAMILY TO THE US?

The post Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Alleged Offer to Princess Eugenie Amid Dad Andrews Epstein Scandal  Source appeared first on Reality Tea.
Pulp Fiction star Peter Greene was reportedly found with some injuries on his body when he was discovered dead in his bloody apartment last week.

Law enforcement sources alleged on Thursday that the actors body showed some injuries but its undetermined what caused the injuries, reports TMZ.

An official cause of death has yet to be released from the Medical Examiners office.

Peter Greene was reportedly found with some injuries on his body when he was discovered dead inside his apartment last week. Getty Images

Law enforcement sources, however, claimed the cause of the injuries is undetermined at this time. MIramax

Page Six has reached out to Greenes rep and the NYPD for comment.

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Greene was found lying face down with a facial injury in a gory scene at his Lower East Side, Manhattan, apartment on Dec. 12. He was 60 years old.

There was blood everywhere at the horrific site, one of Greenes alleged neighbors told the New York Daily News at the time.

An official cause of death has yet to be revealed by the Medical Examiners office. WireImage

Greene was found lying face down with a facial injury when he was discovered dead in his Lower East Side, Manhattan, home last Friday. William Farrington

In addition, the neighbor added that a mysterious note was found at the scene along with Greenes body.

The message read: Im still a Westie, referring to the 1970s Irish-American Hells Kitchen gang.

While Greene has been candid about his past struggles with drug use and a previous suicide attempt, Greenes former manager Gregg Edwards exclusively told Page Six on Wednesday that he found no signs that The Mask star was suicidal in the days leading up to his death.

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Not at all, he said, adding, Greene was in good spirits on Wednesday, two days before he was found.

One of his neighbors later shared that the scene had blood everywhere and he was found with a strange note. FilmMagic

Earlier this week, sources told Page Six that Greene was not showing signs of being suicidal in the days leading up to his passing. WireImage

In fact, the late star was reportedly making New Years Eve plans with friends.

New York actor/musician Skam Dust told us Greene intended to spend the holiday with him and his friends Danny Diablo AKA Lord Ezec, and graffiti writer MQ.

He was going to rent a truck limousine and Peters vision was that we were going to go bar hopping and restaurant hopping. He wasnt suicidal, he said.
Russell Brand has criticised Katy Perrys romance with Justin Trudeau.

The comedian  who is facing trial for five sexual assaults, including rape  said he was OK with his ex-wifes relationship with Orlando Bloom, but did not approve of the former Canadian prime minister as her new partner.

The 50-year-old, who was married to Perry between 2010 and 2012, labelled Mr Trudeau a globalist stooge.

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau went Instagram official earlier this month - Katy Perry/Instagram

He was speaking at a Turning Point USA event on Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona, where Perrys parents were said to be in attendance.

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Look, Katy Perry, I was married to her, he said to the crowds.

I love her still, and Im glad that her mums in the room to hear me say this, but look  I was okay with Orlando Bloom, but Justin Trudeau?

Come on, man. Dont put me in a category with that guy  that globalist stooge.

Brand was married to the American singer-songwriter between 2010 and 2012 - Ian West/PA Wire

After her divorce from Brand in 2012, Perry became engaged to Bloom, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, in 2019.

They had a child together, Daisy Dove Bloom, but she called off their engagement earlier this year after spending nine years as a couple.

Perry became engaged to Orlando Bloom in 2019 - Dave Benett/VF25

She then sparked romance rumours with Mr Trudeau when the two were spotted dining out together in July in Montreal.

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They have since gone public with their relationship.

Earlier this month, the couple met the former prime minister of Japan and his wife for lunch for their first diplomatic date as a couple.

Fumio Kishida said the former Canadian prime minister visited Japan with his partner and joined my wife and me for lunch when sharing a picture of the four of them in front of a Christmas tree.

The couple with the former prime minister of Japan and his wife - X (Formerly Twitter)

Elsewhere in his appearance, Brand said he would never be in Hollywood again and spoke of his radical change thanks to religion.

Im not interested in the arts of deception and false illusion and false idols and celebrity, he said. I know about carnality, Ive got to tell you.

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I lived a dumb, hedonic, Hollywood life.

To go from a Hollywood headiness to a Bible-believing Christian is a big journey. But weve got a lot of big journeys ahead of us, a lot of radical change.

I didnt think it was possible to be changed in the way that Ive been changed. I thought it was inconceivable, unimaginable.

In May he pleaded not guilty to five sexual offences, including rape and indecent assault.

He was charged by post in April with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four women.

His trial is set to take place in June next year.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
Timothee Chalamet made a guest appearance on the latest episode of Druskis Coulda Been Records in Brooklyn. During one of the auditions, Chalamet shared a new detail about his ancestry, revealing his connection to Jamaica. The revelation took fans by surprise, with many impressed by his knowledge of his roots.

Timothee Chalamet shares new detail about his ancestry

During Druskis latest Coulda Been Records episode in Brooklyn, Timothee Chalamet revealed a new detail about his ancestry. As a woman entered and spoke to Druski about herself, they discussed where she is from. The actor-comedian then said to her, Okay, youre Jamaican. You know hes 2% Jamaican, as he pointed toward Chalamet. The Dune actor then confirmed it, saying, 2% yeah. Druski interrupted, I swear to God. Why do you think he says Chalamet? Girl, thats f****g Jamaican, duh.

Chalamet then revealed his connection to Jamaica, explaining, I had a great-grandfather from Kingston. Kingston, Jamaica. Further, addressing a popular Jamaican song, he said, Whats that song? Bend over? reciting a few lines from the song. The song in question is Bend Over by RDX, which came out almost 16 years ago. While the girl got taken away by Druskis two masked security guards, the interaction resulted in fans learning a new fact about the Marty Supreme actor.

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Chalamets film Marty Supreme comes out in theaters on December 25, 2025. He also wore a Marty Supreme hoodie to the set, promoting his film directed by Josh Safdie. For months, Druski has toured cities for Season 2 of Coulda Been Records, where locals showcase talents to impress him.

Chalamets fans also took to the comments section of Druskis video, addressing his appearance on the show. One fan wrote, Timmy just doing anything to get ppl to watch this movie, while another commented, Timothee Chalamet is a man of the people.

The post Timothee Chalamet Just Dropped a Major Reveal About His Roots appeared first on Mandatory.
Wiz Khalifa has reportedly been sentenced by a Romanian court to nine months in jail for a drug possession incident that occurred last year. The decision overturns an earlier fine and orders the artist to serve time in custody, according to court documents.

Wiz Khalifa hit with 9 month jail sentence

A Romanian appeals court has sentenced Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail for smoking cannabis during a live performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti in July 2024. The ruling replaces an initial penalty of 3,600 Romanian lei that had been imposed for drug possession.

As reported by the BBC, the Constanta Court of Appeal said it overturned the fine after determining that the rappers actions sent a message of normalisation of illegal conduct and encouraged drug use among young people. Judges described the incident as an ostentatious act, noting that the performer consumed cannabis on stage in front of a crowd made up largely of young people.

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Romanian authorities briefly detained and questioned Khalifa following the July 13 concert before releasing him. Prosecutors later charged him with possession of risk drugs for personal use. Investigators stated that he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and also consumed an additional amount during the performance.

Despite the ruling, the sentence was delivered in absentia. Khalifa has continued performing and posting online in recent days. He appeared on stage in California and shared content from his home on Twitch and social media platforms. However, following the incident last year, Khalifa addressed the situation on X, writing that he did not intend to offend Romania. I didnt mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. Ill be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time, he said.

Last nights show was amazing. I didnt mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. Ill be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time  Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) July 14, 2024

Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told the outlet that extradition is highly unlikely and called the punishment unusually harsh.

Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.

The post Wiz Khalifa Reportedly Hit With 9-Month Romanian Jail Sentence appeared first on Reality Tea.
NEED TO KNOW

On Thursday, Dec. 18, Wiz Khalifa was sentenced to nine months in a Romanian jail, the Associated Press reported, citing Romanias national news agency, Agerpres

The rapper allegedly had more than 18 grams of cannabis in his possession and consumed some on stage while headlining a festival in Costinesti in July 2024

It is unclear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, as the musician does not reside in Romania and is a U.S. citizen

Wiz Khalifa has been sentenced to nine months in a Romanian jail, over a year after he was arrested and charged with illegal drug possession, the Associated Press has reported, citing Romanias national news agency, Agerpres.

The rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, 38, was headlining the "Beach, Please!" festival in Costinesti, Romania, in July 2024, when he allegedly had more than 18 grams of cannabis in his possession and consumed some on stage.

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The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence on Thursday, Dec. 18, after Khalifa was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption," according to the AP, citing Agerpress.

Kurt Krieger/Corbis via Getty Wiz Khalifa in 2018 Wiz Khalifa in 2018

PEOPLE has reached out to the Romanian anti-organized crime prosecutors' organization, DIICOT, and Khalifa's rep for comment.

The decision, which is final per Agerpress, came months after a lower court in Constanta County issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for illegal possession of dangerous drugs" in April 2025. Prosecutors appealed the court's decision and sought a higher sentence.

According to ABC Audio, the judges wrote in the written reasoning of the Constanta Court of Appeal that the sentence was intended to set an example, arguing that the "Black and Yellow" hitmaker "represents ostentatious conduct that significantly amplifies the social danger of the offence."

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He transmitted to the general public a message of normalisation of illegal conduct, tacitly encouraging tolerance of, and implicitly the consumption of, drugs among young people," the judges added.

John Salangsang/Shutterstock Wiz Khalifa in 2014 Wiz Khalifa in 2014

Shortly after his July 2024 performance, Khalifa addressed the situation in a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), noting that he "didn't mean any disrespect" by smoking marijuana onstage.

"Last nights show was amazing," Khalifa wrote. "I didnt mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. Ill be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time."

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.



Since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and does not reside in Romania, it is unclear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request.

Read the original article on People
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will present 26 Japanese features across U.K. venues, including acclaimed director Miike Takashis latest film Sham among diverse offerings spanning comedy, drama, horror, sci-fi and animation.

The annual celebration, billed as the U.K.s largest showcase of Japanese cinema, centers on the theme Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema, exploring identity and self-perception across multiple genres.

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Miike, known for 13 Assassins, Ichi the Killer and Audition, takes a more realist approach with Sham, adapting investigative journalist Fukuda Masumis report about a teacher falsely accused of child abuse. Go Ayano stars as an elementary school teacher forced into a public apology after allegations from a students mother, triggering a media storm and lawsuit. The social critique will receive its UK premiere during the tour.

Other U.K. premieres include Tsutsumi Yukihikos The Hotel of My Dream, a semi-autobiographical story about author Asako Yuzuki starring Non; Sori Fumihikos Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality, blending historical drama with epic fantasy battles and starring Koji Yakusho and Seiyo Uchino; and Kumazawa Naotos thriller The Final Piece, featuring Ken Watanabe and Kentaro Sakaguchi investigating a murder connected to the world of shogi (Japanese chess).

Maeda Tetsus Petals and Memories stars Ryohei Suzuki and Kasumi Arimura as siblings navigating family secrets. Fujino Tomoakis documentary What Should We Have Done? examines the directors own familys handling of his schizophrenic sister. Iizuka Kashos Blue Boy Trial explores a groundbreaking case that questioned the legality of gender-affirming surgery in Japan.

Kinoshita Bakus anime The Last Blossom follows an elderly prisoner who befriends his potted plant, with Kaoru Kobayashi and Junki Tozuka voicing the protagonists present and past selves.

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The tour includes Morita Yoshimitsus 2003 drama Like Asura, based on a popular 1979 NHK series recently re-adapted by Kore-eda Hirokazu for Netflix, telling the story of four sisters reuniting after learning an unsettling family secret.

Classic cinema receives representation through a 4K restoration of Ichikawa Kons 1958 psychological drama Conflagration, inspired by true events later incorporated into Yukio Mishimas novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

Tamada Shinyas I Am What I Am stars Toko Miura in a story challenging traditional ideals of love and womanhood. Ueda Shinichiros action-comedy Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers features Seiyo Uchino and Masaki Okada teaming up to take down a crooked real estate tycoon.

Yoshida Daihachis Teki Cometh adapts celebrated novelist Tsutsui Yasutakas work about a retired French literature professor who receives an email warning that an enemy is coming from the north.

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Jojo Hideos A Bad Summer follows a welfare caseworker who discovers a colleague may be coercing a single mother for sex in exchange for benefits. Kai Sayakas sci-fi drama Adabana stars Arata Iura as a terminally ill man undergoing a revolutionary full-body transplant procedure.

Ishii Yuyas The Real You tackles AI and assisted dying through the story of a factory worker who seeks to bring his dead mother back to life with Virtual Figure technology.

Kondo Ryotas feature debut Missing Child Videotape, produced by Ju-on franchise creator Takashi Shimizu, follows a man haunted by his younger brothers mysterious disappearance who receives a VHS tape capturing the exact moment the boy vanished.

Kensuke Sonomura and writer Yugo Sakomotos Ghost Killer pairs a university student with the ghost of a murdered hitman in an action film that has played at Beyond Fest, Fantastic Fest and Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival.

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Tanaka Seijis The Man Who Failed to Die blends comedy and the supernatural, starring Katamari Mizukawa as a comedy sketch writer and Bokuzo Masana as a persistent ghost.

Ohku Akikos She Taught Me Serendipity stars Riku Hagiwara as a university student whose tedious life changes when he meets Hana, played by Yumi Kawai.

Wakamatsu Setsuros Silence of the Sea features Masahiro Motoki as a solitary painter devoted to pursuing true beauty in a world of art forgery and murder.

Igashi Ayas Love Doesnt Matter to Me follows three young women scarred by family trauma who redefine love, starring Sara Minami and Fumika Baba.

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Kato Takuyas feature debut Ura Aka: LAventure stars Kumi Takiuchi as a woman who creates a secret social media account and posts sexually provocative photos, only to see the boundary between persona and self dangerously dissolve.

Furukawa Gos debut Kanekos Commissary features Ryuhei Maruyama as a man who runs a commissary service delivering items to prisons and faces a moral crisis when tasked with serving an unrepentant murderer.

Yugo Sakomotos Nemurubaka: Hypnic Jerks, adapted from the manga by Masakazu Ishiguro, follows two young women as one pursues musical stardom while the other realizes shes been drifting through life. The film stars Yuna Taira and Shiori Kubo.

Tominaga Masanoris comedy Strangers in Kyoto stars Mai Fukagawa as a Tokyo-based writer who marries into a traditional Kyoto family and inadvertently causes chaos by misunderstanding the citys culture of honne (true feelings) and tatemae (outward opinions).

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The tour, which runs Feb. 6 to March 31, 2026, will visit 37 venues across the U.K., including Londons Institute of Contemporary Arts, Manchesters HOME, Edinburghs Filmhouse, and regional venues from Aberystwyth to York.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation serves as major supporter.

Best of Variety

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Rapper Wiz Khalifa was stopped by police in Romania after smoking cannabis on stage during a performance at a music festival in 2024. On Thursday, the rapper was sentenced to several months in jail by a Romanian court, who said that its decision was final.

The Constanta Court of Appeal says that Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found with more than 18 grams of cannabis in his possession, some of which was consumed on stage during the festival.

Romania's national news agency Agerpres says that Khalifa was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption, and that he has been sentenced to nine months in jail.

Prosecutors Sought to Escalate Charge

A lower court in Constanta County issued Khalifa a fine of about $830 USD for illegal possession of dangerous drugs, but prosecutors sough more punishment and a higher sentence through an appeal. The appeal was filed after the initial fine was issued in April.

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Khalifa performed at the "Beach, Please" festival, a hip-hop and EDM focused concert event held annually on the shores of Romania's Black Sea. The event was first held in 2022, mostly with Romanian artists as headliners.

Foreign artists debuted at the festival the following year, with DaBaby, Central Cee and NLE Choppa making appearances. Khalifa was one of the major international names at the 2024 edition of the festival, joined by Trippie Redd, Don Toliver, Yeat, Ice Spice, Gucci Mane and Rick Ross, among others. Travis Scott also served as the festival headliner that year.

Over 300,000 people attended the 2024 edition of the festival, making it one of the largest urban music festivals throughout the entire continent of Europe. The event will return for 2026, and it will be held from July 8th through the 12th in Costinesti.

Wiz Khalifa Addresses His Arrest

"Last nights show was amazing. I didnt mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage," Khalifa said on social media after the show back in 2024.

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He was released from custody shortly after being escorted from the stage, as video from the event showed him lighting a hand-rolled cigarette while performing his song "Young, Wild & Free."

"They were very respectful and let me go. Ill be back soon," Khalifa said. "But without a big ass joint next time."

Khalifa released his most recent studio album "Multiverse" in 2022. His songs "Black & Yellow" and "See You Again" both reached the top of the Billboard charts, and he's had four certified gold studio albums in his career.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Dec 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Falcon Finance announced the deployment of USDf, its $2.1 billion multi-asset synthetic dollar, on Coinbase-backed Layer 2 network Base, introducing a new universal collateral asset.

The integration allows users to bridge USDf from Ethereum to Base and access some of the most competitive yields among major yield-bearing stable assets, as onchain activity across the network reaches record levels.

The launch comes as Base continues to consolidate its position as a core hub for decentralized finance and onchain payments, with infrastructure increasingly designed to support both crypto-native and mainstream financial use cases.

Base Activity Surges Following Fusaka Upgrade

The deployment coincides with a pivotal month for Base following the activation of Ethereums Fusaka hard fork, which expanded Layer 2 capacity by approximately eight times.

Since the upgrade, Base said it has recorded a sharp rise in network performance, with monthly transactions surpassing an all-time high of more than 452 million.

Lower transaction fees and expanded gas limits have improved the economics of onchain activity, enabling more complex DeFi strategies and high-frequency use cases such as micropayments.

The improved scalability has also strengthened Bases appeal to developers and institutions seeking reliable, cost-efficient settlement infrastructure.

A Multi-Asset Approach to Stable Value

Unlike traditional fiat-backed stablecoins, USDf is overcollateralized by a diversified basket of assets that includes crypto blue chips such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, alongside tokenized U.S. Treasuries, sovereign bonds, equities and gold.

This structure brings more than $2.3 billion in reserves onchain, positioning USDf among the top ten stable assets by backing and making it a distinct addition to Bases liquidity layer.

Falcon Finance has also been expanding USDf beyond purely crypto-based collateral. Most recently, the protocol added tokenized Mexican sovereign bills (CETES), introducing emerging-market sovereign yield into its onchain reserve mix.

Yield Mechanics and DeFi Integration

The integration introduces new yield opportunities for Base users through Falcons yield-bearing token, sUSDf. Since launch, sUSDf has distributed more than $19.1 million in cumulative yield, including nearly $1 million over the past 30 days.

Returns are generated through diversified strategies such as funding rate arbitrage, cross-exchange price arbitrage, options-based strategies and native altcoin staking.

Expanding USDf to Base is part of a larger shift were seeing across onchain markets, said Fiona Ma, VP of Growth at Falcon Finance. Stable assets need to be more flexible, more composable, and available across the networks where people are actually building. Base is one of those places.
French producer Claude Berda, whose AB Groupe was one of the founding acquisitions of European media group Mediawan, has died at the age of 78 years old.

Although Berda was little known outside of France, his activities as a TV producer and visionary media exec were seminal at home.

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He and Jean-Luc Azoulay co-founded AB Productions in 1977, with the pair lending the initials of their respective family names to make up the company name.

Initially created as a record label, the company moved into audiovisual production in the late 1980s, after it forged a deal with TF1 to produce Le Club Dorothee, which took its cue from French children-focused artist Frederique Hoschede, who was signed to their record label under the stage name of Dorothee.

The show became one of the most popular childrens shows of the time, with the company also expanding into sitcoms with titles such as Salut les Muscles and Helene et Les Garcons.

From the mid-1990s, parent company AB Groupe moved into broadcast, launching its first television channel named AB Channel 1.

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At the same time, AB Productions began expanding its catalogue and production capacity with the acquisition of Hamster Productions, while a merger with The Hamster Group created Frances biggest television production company.

In July 1999, Berda and Azoulay went their separate ways professionally, although they remained friends. Azoulay took most the production capacity, working under the new banner of JLA Holding.

Berda retained the AB Groupe name and focused on the growth of its TV chains, grouped under the Absat umbrella, while also continuing to produce.

The group was acquired by Mediawan in 2017. It was rebranded as Mediawan Thematics and its channels, production companies and international distribution arm became one of the first building blocks of the European content giant, which now gathers 80 production labels.

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The Mediawan group put out a statement paying tribute to Berda following news of his death, describing him as a visionary and passionate entrepreneur.

Claude Berda left a lasting mark on the hearts and memories of several generations of television viewers for over 30 years with legendary programs such as Helene et les Garcons and Le Club Dorothee; through the creation of a portfolio of iconic thematic channels including AB1, RTL9, Action, and many others, and by being among the first to invest in digital terrestrial television (DTT) with NT1 and TMC, said the group.

The management of Mediawan extends its sincerest and warmest condolences to his family, loved ones, and all the colleagues who had the privilege of working alongside him. Claude Berda leaves a profound and indelible mark on the history of the Mediawan group and on the history of French broadcasting.

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Filming for Emily in Paris season 5 was split between Paris, Rome and Venice. . | Credit: Netflix

Diego Borella, an assistant director of Emily in Paris , died at the age of 47 on August 22, 2025

According to Italian news outlet la Repubblica, he collapsed during filming of the show's fifth season at the Hotel Danieli in Venice

Netflix suspended filming of what we now know to be season 5 episode 10

When you think of Emily in Paris, you think of a Netflix series free from the pitfalls of the modern world. There's no disaster, just cosy romance, the occasional heartbreak and a lot of laughs along the way.

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That's why the news of Diego Borella's death during filming for Emily in Paris season 5 came as such a shock. If you're watching the new series this week, you'll notice a dedication to him at the beginning of episode 10's credits.

While Borella wasn't an on-screen face you'll recognize, he was an integral part of making Emily in Paris season 5 smoothly transition from France to Italy.

Diego Borella 'collapsed' on Venice set during Emily in Paris season 5 shoot

On August 23, 2025, it was reported that assistant director Borella "died after collapsing in front of colleagues as they were preparing to film a scene" on set while working on season 5 episode 10 of Emily in Paris, which is set in Venice. He was 47.

According to the Italian newspaper la Repubblica, "Medics were called to Hotel Danieli in the city at around 19:00 local time on Thursday, but were unable to save him."

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Filming for Emily in Paris season 5 was temporarily suspended after his death.

We are deeply saddened to confirm the sudden passing of a member of the Emily in Paris production family, a Paramount Television Studios spokesperson told PEOPLE in a statement. Our hearts go out to the individuals family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.

The episode marks Borella's first and only assistant director credit.

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The disappearance and death of Natalee Holloway will be revisited in an upcoming docuseries on Netflix two decades after she went missing. While the 18-year-olds disappearance has been a fixture in the media ever since she went missing, the streaming service promises to offer a new inside look with surprising information that has never been publicly shared about the case.

Ahead of the new true crime show, Us Weekly breaks down everything to know about Holloways disappearance and the docuseries.

What Is Netflixs Natalee Holloway Docuseries About?

Netflix announced the new docuseries, which does not yet have a title, in December 2025. The project will feature Holloways mother, Beth Holloway, opening up about her daughters disappearance in new candid interviews, according to Netflixs Tudum.

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17 Must-Watch True Crime Documentaries on Netflix Right Now (November 2025)

Per the release, the project will revisit the case through the eyes of those closest to Natalee, revealing forgotten moments, previously unreported elements in the case, and its lasting impact. With exclusive access to investigators, never-before-seen footage, and previously unreleased audio of Natalees family and friends, and the FBI, this series dives into the tragic story that dominated national news and a mothers unrelenting search for truth and justice.

The docuseries was directed by Dani Sloane (The Menendez Brothers, Girl in the Picture) and Matthew Galkin (Murder in Big Horn, One Night In Idaho: The College Murders). Additionally, the project was produced by Story Syndicate. Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin, Dani Sloane and Tommy Coriale all served as executive producers.

What Happened to Natalee Holloway?

On May 30, 2005, Holloway was seen for the last time when she was spending the night at the Carlosn Charlies club during a high school graduation trip in Oranjestad, Aruba. She was seen driving off in a gray Honda with a group of local young men, including Joran van der Sloot.

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Van der Sloot quickly became a suspect after the stories he told authorities didnt line up. He and two brothers Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe were later arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murder in June 2005, though all three of them were released without charges in September of that year.

As van der Sloot continued maintaining his innocence, he and the Kalpoe brothers were arrested again in November 2007. They were once again released without charges in December 2007.

Most Anticipated Scripted True Crime Shows Coming Out Soon: From JonBenet Ramsey to Amanda Knox

The case against van der Sloot was reopened by Aruban officials in 2008 after a tape was released that showed him describing Holloways death, according to ABC News. The clip was taped via hidden camera by Dutch crime reporter Peter de Vries. However, the case fell apart when Aruban officials were unable to corroborate van der Sloot's statements.

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Five years after Holloway disappeared, van der Sloot killed 21-year-old college student Stephany Flores Ramirez in Lima, Peru. He then fled the border to Chile before he was arrested in June 2010 for Flores murder.

Also in June 2010, van der Sloot was indicted in the United States on federal charges of wire fraud and extortion in connection to an alleged meeting he had with Holloways mother in March 2010, in which he demanded money from her.

An Alabama judge declared Holloway legally dead on January 12, 2012. That same month, van der Sloot pleaded guilty to Flores' murder and was sentenced to 28 years in prison in Peru.

In October 2023, van der Sloot pleaded guilty to the federal extortion charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. As a part of the plea deal, van der Sloot agreed to share information about Holloway's death and eventually confessed to killing her, according to ABC News.

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"Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter's murder," Beth told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, after he made the confession, per CBS News. "He is the killer."

Despite admitting to the crime, van der Sloot was not sentenced to serve time for Holloways murder because the 12-year statute of limitations for murder had passed in Aruba by the time he confessed.

What Is Netflixs Natalee Holloway Docuseries Premiere?

A release date for the three-part docuseries has not yet been announced.
Asia continues to attract travelers with its unmatched cultural diversity, dramatic landscapes, and generally accessible travel costs. Many countries across the continent allow visa-free entry or simple visa-on-arrival policies, which significantly reduces planning barriers. This flexibility encourages travelers to explore more deeply and stay longer. Instead of focusing on paperwork, visitors can concentrate on cultural immersion. Visa-free access often leads to more spontaneous and meaningful travel experiences.

Beyond accessibility, Asia offers a balance of affordability and depth that is increasingly rare elsewhere. Transportation networks allow easy movement between regions and cities. Local food cultures keep daily costs manageable. Accommodation options cater to every budget level. Together, these factors make visa-free Asian destinations especially appealing for independent travelers.

Thailand

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Thailand is one of the most widely accessible visa-free destinations in Asia, offering an exceptional balance of convenience and cultural richness. The country presents a wide range of experiences, from bustling metropolitan centers to quiet islands and mountainous regions. Infrastructure is well developed, allowing travelers to move efficiently between destinations without logistical challenges. Cultural traditions remain deeply integrated into daily life across all regions. Thailands long-standing reputation as a travel hub is reinforced by its openness and adaptability.

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Daily expenses in Thailand remain reasonable for travelers across different budgets, especially outside major tourist hotspots. Street food culture provides affordable, high-quality meals throughout the country. Transportation systems allow cost-effective travel between cities and rural areas. Accommodation options range from budget guesthouses to comfortable mid-range hotels. Thailand consistently delivers value without sacrificing comfort or variety.

Japan

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Japan offers visa-free entry to many nationalities while delivering one of the most distinct cultural experiences in the world. Ancient traditions coexist seamlessly with advanced technology across cities and rural regions. Public systems operate with precision, enhancing ease of movement for travelers. Seasonal changes dramatically influence landscapes, festivals, and travel rhythms. Japans diversity extends far beyond its major urban centers.

Although often perceived as expensive, Japan can be navigated affordably with informed planning. Everyday dining options remain accessible across cities and towns. Public transportation offers exceptional efficiency relative to cost. Smaller cities and countryside areas provide particularly strong value. Japan rewards travelers who explore beyond initial assumptions.

South Korea

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South Korea allows visa-free travel for many visitors while offering a dynamic blend of history and contemporary culture. Ancient palaces and temples coexist with modern skylines and digital innovation. Cultural identity remains highly visible in food, language, and daily customs. Cities operate at a fast pace while remaining orderly and efficient. South Korea feels energetic yet structured.

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Travel costs in South Korea remain manageable due to efficient public systems. Street food and casual dining keep daily expenses low. Cultural attractions are widely accessible and reasonably priced. Accommodation options cater to a wide range of budgets. South Korea provides a balanced travel experience with modern convenience.

Vietnam

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Vietnam attracts travelers through its visa-free policies and remarkable affordability. The country features diverse landscapes ranging from mountains to coastlines and river deltas. History is deeply embedded in urban design and daily life. Cities offer constant movement, color, and activity. Vietnam rewards curiosity and patience.

Daily travel costs in Vietnam remain among the lowest in Asia. Local transportation is inexpensive and widely available. Food culture provides variety at minimal expense. Accommodation quality remains high relative to price. Vietnam encourages long-term exploration without financial pressure.

Malaysia

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Malaysia offers visa-free access while blending multiple cultural traditions into a cohesive national identity. Modern cities exist alongside rainforests, beaches, and highland regions. English is widely spoken, easing communication for international travelers. Infrastructure supports efficient travel across regions. Malaysia feels accessible yet culturally layered.

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Living costs remain moderate throughout most of the country. Food reflects the nations multicultural population and remains affordable. Public transportation systems reduce daily expenses. Accommodation options offer strong value across price ranges. Malaysia provides comfort without losing authenticity.

Indonesia

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Indonesia allows visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry, opening access to a vast and diverse archipelago. Cultural traditions vary widely between islands and regions. Landscapes include volcanoes, rainforests, beaches, and coral reefs. Daily life remains closely tied to local customs. Indonesia offers near-endless exploration.

Costs vary by location but remain affordable overall. Local food and transport help keep expenses low. Accommodation options suit both budget and mid-range travelers. Extended stays are financially realistic. Indonesia rewards flexibility and curiosity.

Philippines

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The Philippines welcomes visa-free travelers with a geography defined by thousands of islands, creating a travel experience that is both expansive and deeply immersive. English is widely spoken across the country, which significantly reduces communication barriers and allows visitors to engage more directly with local communities. Cultural identity reflects a complex blend of Asian traditions and Western historical influence, visible in architecture, customs, and daily social interactions. Urban centers feel lively and expressive, while rural islands maintain slower, tradition-focused rhythms. Natural beauty dominates nearly every region, shaping how travel unfolds day by day.

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Travel costs in the Philippines remain accessible for most visitors, particularly outside luxury resort enclaves and peak tourist seasons. Local transportation options, including ferries and buses, allow movement between regions at relatively low cost. Food culture emphasizes affordability, with local dishes widely available at minimal prices. Accommodation ranges from budget guesthouses to comfortable mid-range hotels suited for longer stays. The Philippines reward flexible travelers who prioritize experience over structure.

Singapore

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Singapore allows visa-free entry while presenting one of the most organized and efficient urban environments in Asia. The city-state blends modern architecture with historic cultural districts in a way that feels deliberate and cohesive. Public infrastructure operates with exceptional precision, supporting seamless movement throughout the city. Safety, cleanliness, and reliability significantly enhance daily travel experiences. Despite its compact size, Singapore feels globally connected and culturally layered.

While Singapore is often associated with high costs, careful planning reveals many affordable options for travelers. Hawker centers provide high-quality meals at prices far below typical global city standards. Public transportation minimizes daily expenses while offering comprehensive coverage. Numerous cultural institutions, parks, and neighborhoods can be explored at little or no cost. Singapore demonstrates that efficiency and accessibility can coexist.

Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka offers easy entry while delivering remarkable diversity within a relatively small geographic area. The island combines ancient cities, tropical beaches, wildlife reserves, and tea-covered highlands into a cohesive travel experience. Cultural traditions remain deeply rooted in everyday life, influencing festivals, food, and social customs. Travel distances are short, allowing visitors to experience multiple regions without extensive planning. Sri Lanka feels compact yet surprisingly varied.

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Costs across Sri Lanka remain manageable for travelers with modest budgets. Local food culture emphasizes fresh ingredients and affordability. Transportation options range from budget-friendly trains to inexpensive buses. Guesthouses and small hotels provide strong value without sacrificing comfort. Sri Lanka supports immersive travel without financial strain.

Hong Kong

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Hong Kongs visa-free access opens the door to one of Asias most complex and dynamic cities. Dense urban development contrasts sharply with surrounding mountains, islands, and hiking trails. Cultural influences intersect across neighborhoods, creating a layered social and architectural landscape. Public transportation systems operate with speed and efficiency, supporting constant movement. Hong Kong feels intense, structured, and deeply interconnected.

Although daily expenses can rise quickly, strategic choices keep costs manageable. Public transport remains affordable and extremely reliable. Food options range from inexpensive street meals to upscale dining. Free outdoor spaces, including trails and waterfronts, balance urban density. Hong Kong rewards travelers who understand its rhythm.

Taiwan

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Taiwan allows visa-free entry while offering one of the smoothest travel experiences in East Asia. Cities feel welcoming, orderly, and easy to navigate even for first-time visitors. Cultural traditions coexist comfortably with technological innovation and modern infrastructure. Food culture plays a central role in daily life, shaping how people socialize and move through cities. Natural landscapes remain accessible from urban centers.

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Travel costs across Taiwan stay moderate and predictable. Public transportation offers excellent coverage at reasonable prices. Street food provides variety without high expense. Accommodation options deliver strong value in both cities and smaller towns. Taiwan feels balanced, approachable, and consistently rewarding.

Georgia

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Georgia offers visa-free access while sitting at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, resulting in a layered cultural identity. Historic cities reflect centuries of influence from empires, religions, and trade routes. Mountain landscapes shape regional traditions and lifestyles. Hospitality remains deeply ingrained in social norms. Georgia feels authentic rather than curated.

Costs in Georgia are among the lowest in the region. Food and wine are widely available at minimal prices. Transportation remains affordable across cities and rural areas. Accommodation options deliver exceptional value. Georgia supports long, unhurried stays.

Armenia

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Armenia welcomes visa-free travelers with a sense of history that permeates everyday life. Landscapes range from rugged mountains to fertile valleys. Ancient churches and monasteries anchor cultural identity. Towns and cities maintain strong local character. Armenia feels intimate and deeply rooted.

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Daily travel costs remain very low by international standards. Food culture emphasizes hearty, affordable meals. Transportation options are accessible and inexpensive. Guesthouses offer warmth and personal connection. Armenia rewards slow, reflective travel.

Maldive

The Maldives

The Maldives offers visa-free entry despite its reputation as an exclusive luxury destination. Island geography shapes every aspect of daily life and travel logistics. Natural beauty dominates the experience, from coral reefs to white-sand beaches. Local islands provide alternatives to resort-only travel models. The country feels remote yet navigable.

Budget-conscious travel is possible with careful planning. Public ferries significantly reduce transportation costs. Guesthouses on local islands offer affordable accommodation. Food expenses can be managed through local dining options. The Maldives can be explored beyond luxury narratives.

Nepal

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Nepal allows easy entry while attracting travelers seeking depth rather than convenience alone. Mountain landscapes define the countrys identity and influence daily rhythms. Cultural traditions remain deeply spiritual and visible in public life. Cities feel chaotic yet welcoming. Nepal invites transformation through experience.

Travel costs remain extremely low compared to global standards. Food and accommodation are widely affordable. Transportation suits budget-focused travelers. Trekking opportunities vary in scale and difficulty. Nepal supports journeys that are both physical and reflective.
From the city of Reykjavik to the endless variety of landscapes and attractions peppered all over the island country, there is always something new to experience or rediscover, especially as the country tends to also reinvent itself on a seasonal basis.

Ive been travelling to Iceland regularly for over twenty years and have never once been bored. From kayaking amidst icebergs to hiking in the remote Westfjords, these are the 20 experiences you shouldnt miss while exploring Iceland.

All our recommendations below have been hand-selected and tested by our resident destination expert to help you discover the best things to do in Iceland. Find out more below or for more inspiration, see our guides to the countrys best hotels, restaurants and bars.

Find by activity type

Best for families

National Museum

Get to grips with Icelandic history

This is by far the best spot to get the low-down on Icelandic history. The main permanent exhibition, Making of a Nation, tracks 1,200 years spanning the Viking settlement era right up to the twentieth century and contemporary developments. Highlights include Norse chess piece figurines, an 800-year-old medieval church door and centuries-old manuscripts, while interactive installations and multimedia displays make it fun for kids.

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Insider tip: Try to save at least a couple of hours to have a good look around if you can; reward yourself afterwards at the cafe and a visit to the shop for creative travel gifts (replica statues of Thor, textiles, books and more).

Area: Reykjavik

Website: thjodminjasafn.is

Price: 

National Museum tracks 1,500 years of Icelandic history through its exhibitions - Elma Karen

The Lava Centre

Experience fiery forces up close

Located in the small town of Hvolsvollur, the state-of-the-art Lava Centre is an interactive museum dedicated to the islands epic geology. High-tech displays, cinematic visuals and seismic monitors bring the countrys famed volcanoes, earthquakes and tectonic rifts vividly to life. You can literally feel the tremors beneath your feet, watch the latest eruptions in 4K, and get views of Hekla, Katla and Eyjafjallajokull from an observation platform. Theres a restaurant on-site, too.

Insider tip: If youre not heading to the south coast but want to learn more about volcanoes, check out the Lava Show in Reykjavik.

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Area: Hvolsvollur

Website: lavacentre.is

Price: 

The Lava Centre brings to life the islands epic geology through interactive displays

Kayak on Jokulsarlon Lagoon

Paddle among floating icebergs

Jokulsarlon Lagoon is a serene expanse of glacial meltwater dotted with luminous icebergs that have spilt down from the mighty Vatnajokull glacier. Kayaking tours allow visitors to glide among the floating ice, watch seals swim and play nearby and listen to the occasional crack of ice from up close. There are also motorised Zodiacs and other boat tours.

Insider tip: Book early as these tours fill up in advance. Mornings are best as the lagoon is calm and the local wildlife is most active. Afterwards, check out nearby Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash up onto the black sand.

Area: Hornafirdi

Website: icelagoon.is

Price: - (guided tours)

Kayak on Jokulsarlon in the morning when the lagoon is calm and the wildlife most active - Troll.is

Krauma Baths

Dip into one of Europes most powerful hot springs

Fed directly by Deildartunguhver, Europes most powerful hot springs, Krauma is a great option for those who dont want the scale, crowds and prices of the Blue Lagoon. Located near Reykholt, its six geothermal baths have different temperatures and the water is rich in minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. The aesthetic is dapper too, with black stone pools and a sleek, minimalist design inside and out.

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Insider tip: Theres a good restaurant inside that makes it worth combining a visit with lunch. Also nearby is the former home of Snorri Sturluson, the ancient historian, writer and lawspeaker, now a good museum.

Area: Reykholt

Website: krauma.is

Price: 

Krauma Baths is fuelled by Deildartunguhver, one of Europes most powerful hot springs

Horse riding in the wild east

Ride one of Icelands unique purebred horses

Icelandic horses are renowned for their gentle nature and smooth gaits, making them perfect companions for exploring lava fields, volcanic plains and moss-covered landscapes. Guided tours tend to be open to both beginners and experienced riders and are available all over Iceland  but theres something special about riding through the remote east.

Insider tip: Stora-Sandfell Horse Rental, located between Hofn and Egilsstadir, is a small, family-run farm offering scenic rides through meadows, Sandfellsskogur forest and along the Grimsa river. They also offer accommodation.

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Area: East Iceland

Website: storasandfell.is

Price: 

Explore the countrys volcanic landscapes on the back of an Icelandic horse

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Best free things to do

Dyrholaey and Reynisfjara

Discover dramatic cliffs and black-sand shores

A short drive west of Vik, Dyrholaeys towering sea arch marks one of Icelands most photographed viewpoints  complete with sweeping panoramas of glaciers, cliffs and the Atlantic. Below lies Reynisfjara, the countrys most famous black-sand beach, backed by dramatic basalt columns and sea stacks. If you visit in summer, look out for puffins in both areas.

Insider tip: Try to visit at low tide and stay well back from the waterline; sneaker waves here are notorious and have proved fatal on more than one occasion. In summer, visit at sunrise to photograph the puffins wheeling around Dyrholaeys cliffs.

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Area: Vik

Website: south.is

Dyrholaeys towering sea arch is just a short drive west of Vik - Mirko Costantini /Alamy Stock Photo

Latrabjarg Cliffs

Enjoy Europes largest seabird colony

Latrabjarg, the westernmost point of Iceland, is a towering 10-mile-long cliff thats home to literally millions of seabirds, including puffins, guillemots and razorbills. The cliffs rise dramatically and offer close-up encounters with these nesting birds during the summer months. Walking along the cliff edge, visitors can observe puffins in their natural burrows and photograph other seabirds amidst the spectacular scenery.

Insider tip: To maximise your chances of seeing puffins, plan to visit early morning or late evening, particularly around 10 pm in June and July; during these times, puffins are more likely to be on land as they spend the daytime fishing at sea.

Area: Westfjords

Website: westfjords.is

The 10-mile-long cliff of Latrabjarg is home to millions of seabirds - Melissa Kopka/Alamy Stock Photo

Pingvellir National Park

Step (or snorkel) across continents

Just because its on the Golden Circle tour doesnt mean it isnt worth visiting in its own right. After all, Pingvellir isnt an Unesco World Heritage site for nothing. Althing, founded in 930 AD, is the worlds oldest parliament, but its also home to a dramatic rift valley that lies between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Hiking trails wind through the parks lava fields, forests, and past the striking Oxararfoss waterfall.

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Insider tip: Beyond its geological wonders and historic significance, Pingvellir offers an exceptional snorkelling experience in Silfra fissure, known for its crystal-clear glacial water and visibility exceeding 100 meters.

Area: Pingvellir National Park

Website: thingvellir.is

Pingvellir is a Unesco World Heritage site

Visit Seljalandsfoss (and Skogafoss)

Walk right behind a waterfall

Few waterfalls in Iceland offer the special intimacy of Seljalandsfoss on the south coast; climb the short (but slippery) moss-covered trail that leads up to this 60-metre-high watery cascade and you can walk right behind it and experience its majestic power up close. Be sure to wear waterproof clothing to combat the mist  and do expect to have to shout to be heard.

Insider tip: A short drive away is another of the south coasts most famous waterfalls: Skogafoss. You cant get behind this one, but you can climb the staircase to the top for panoramic views, and follow a hiking trail that takes you past several smaller hidden falls.

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Area: South coast

Website: south.is/seljalandsfoss-waterfall

Climb the short moss-covered trail that leads up to the 60-metre-high Seljalandsfoss - Sergey Blotskiy / Alamy Stock Photo

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Best for adrenaline-seekers

Katla Ice Cave

Look inside a living glacier

Deep beneath the Kotlujokull glacier, near Vik, lies Katla Ice Cave  one of the most stunning caves in the country, known for its shifting mix of translucent walls of blue ice and black volcanic ash. You can only access it through a tour, whereby a super-jeep will bring you to the cave and experienced guides will lead you through it and explain its geological origins and features.

Insider tip: Unlike more seasonal ice caves, Katla can often be visited year-round, but its best in winter, and in early morning since the ice glows brightest when the sun is low. Bring waterproof hiking boots; the floor can be slippery.

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Area: Vik

Website: south.is

Price: -

Walk through the Katla Ice Cave to go beneath the Kotlujokull glacier - Jo Hurford / Alamy Stock Photo

Explore Vatnajokull glacier

Traverse the countrys largest ice cap

Vatnajokull is the countrys largest ice cap, and the second largest in Europe, covering roughly eight per cent of Iceland. It sits atop active volcanic systems, creating a dynamic landscape of ice and geothermal activity and offers a range of experiences, from guided glacier hikes and ice-climbing tours to snowmobiling, ice cave explorations and ice fishing  all of which need to be guided to ensure safety at all times.

Insider tip: The Surrounding Vatnajokull National Park has a range of hiking trails and activities that can be self-guided. These include the Svartifoss waterfall trail, Skaftafellsheidi trails and longer hikes such as Kristinartindar or Sjonarnipa.

Area: Vatnajokull National Park

Website: vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is

Price: - (guided tours)

Vatnajokull covers roughly eight per cent of Iceland - Anadolu

Vatnshellir Lava Cave

Descend into ancient volcanic tunnels

Located on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Vatnshellir Lava Cave is an 8,000-year-old subterranean network formed by flowing lava. Guided tours lead visitors through narrow passages and vaulted chambers of the 200-meter-long lava tube  which descends some 35 meters below the surface  highlighting basalt formations, lava stalactites and the eerie glow of volcanic minerals.

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Insider tip: After visiting, explore the surrounding Snfellsjokull National Park and peninsula, which offers coastal walks, crater climbs, glacier hikes, black sand beaches and more. The Snaefellsjokull glacier is close by, for example, as is Djupalonssandur beach.

Area: Snaefellsnes

Website: summitguides.is

Price: 

Whale spotting in Husavik

Meet the gentle giants of the northern coast

Regarded as Icelands whale-watching capital, the small harbour town of Husavik offers the best opportunities to see humpbacks, minkes and even blue whales. Boats of all shapes and sizes, from traditional wooden to modern RIBs, set out into Skjalfandi Bay  most opt for the afternoon or evening tours to try and get the best sightings, as well as the best light for photography. Be sure to wrap up warm.

Insider tip: Before your tour, visit the local Whale Museum, which adds context to these remarkable creatures and delves into the maritime heritage of the local area and Iceland more broadly.

Area: Skjalfandi Bay

Website: northiceland.is/husavik

Price: - (boat tours)

You can take a traditional boat out from Husavik, Icelands whale-watching capital - David Cherepuschak /Alamy Stock Photo

Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar)

Climb a volcano and get up close to puffins

The Westman Islands are located off Icelands south coast and offer a captivating mix of volcanic landscapes, seabird colonies and seafaring history. The main island, Heimaey, is home to the Eldfell volcano, which last erupted in 1973  climb to the top for sweeping views. Visitors can explore the Eldheimar Museum, observe puffins at Storhofdi, and enjoy lunch in the laid-back harbour.

Insider tip: The ferry ride from Landeyjahofn is short, and its worth staying overnight for the chance to enjoy Heimaey after the day-trippers leave and visit other spots such as the Beluga Whale Sanctuary and Puffin Rescue Centre.

Area: Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar)

Website: visitvestmannaeyjar.is

Price: 

The Westman Islands are located off Icelands south coast

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Best hiking routes

Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Volcanoes, lava fields and coastal cliffs

Snfellsnes Peninsula is often known as Iceland in Miniature because this particularly scenic part of western Iceland seems to encapsulate the range of landscapes and environments of the country  its glaciers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, lava fields, cliffs and charming villages  into one easily explorable region. Alongside Vatnshellir Lava Cave, theres the black-pebbled Djupalonssandur Beach, Londrangar basalt cliffs and charming fishing villages such as Arnarstapi and Hellnar. Alternatively, hike Saxholl Crater for panoramic views of lava fields and the sea, or organise a tour onto the Snaefellsjokull glacier.

Inside tip: The peninsula is part of the Silver Circle tour in west Iceland, which takes in Hraunfossar waterfalls, Deildartunguhver hot spring, the canyon baths in Husafell and Vidgelmir Cave.

Area: Snaefellsnes

Website: snaefellsnes.is

Price: Free (paid activities extra)

Snfellsnes Peninsula packs Icelands diverse landscapes into a smaller, more easily explorable area - JannHuizenga/iStockphoto

Hornstrandir

Get off the beaten path

It takes some effort and time to get to Hornstrandir, since its located in the northernmost part of Icelands Westfjords. Accessible only by boat (ferry from Isafjordur or Nordurfjordur to reach the reserve), visitors can expect pristine beaches, towering cliffs and possible sightings of Arctic foxes (the only place in Iceland that its completely protected from hunting) and seabird colonies.

Insider tip: Do plan carefully and pack camping gear, maps and supplies if you go it alone, as there are no services at all in the park.

Area: Westfjords

Website: westfjords.is

Price: Free / - (ferry/guided tours)

There is a chance of spotting Arctic foxes when hiking in Hornstrandir - Ali S/Getty Images

Hike the Interior

Experience some of the countrys most remote landscapes

The Icelandic Interior, also known as the Highlands, is a vast wilderness of volcanic deserts, steaming vents and glacier-fed rivers. Uninhabited and accessible only in summer, trails like the Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals lead through surreal landscapes of obsidian lava, moss-green hills and pastel-hued rhyolite mountains. Hikers can stay overnight in huts, camp or take guided day trips.

Insider tip: Book mountain huts well ahead of time through Ferdafelag Islands (the Icelandic Touring Association) as they fill up quickly. For fewer crowds, hike in late August or even early September when the freezing rivers are also lower.

Area: The Highlands

Website: fi.is

Price: - (camping/huts) - (guided tours)

Myvatn lake

Hike through otherworldly terrain

Formed by a volcanic eruption over 2,000 years ago, Myvatn is one of Icelands most geologically fascinating regions. The lakes shallow waters and surrounding lava fields teem with birdlife, and the landscape is peppered with craters, steaming vents and some especially eerie lava formations at Dimmuborgir. Visitors can hike, birdwatch or unwind in the local Myvatn Nature Baths. You can dog-sledge and snowmobile on the lake in winter. In summer, hikers can climb the Hverfjall crater or take the family-friendly walk to see the Dimmuborgir lava formations.

Insider tip: Dont miss the Leirhnjukur geothermal trail, which features boiling mud pools and sulphur vents.

Area: Myvatn

Website: northiceland.is/myvatn

Price: Free

Myvatn lake was formed by a volcanic eruption over 2,000 years ago - Travel Wild/iStockphoto

Asbyrgi glacial canyon

Discover a horseshoe-shaped wonder

Asbyrgi is located in north Icelands Vatnajokull National Park. A dramatic horseshoe-shaped gorge carved by glacial floods, its characterised by towering cliffs, dense birch forests and tranquil ponds, and offers walking trails for hikers of all levels. Routes range from short walks to longer treks that provide sweeping views of the canyon floor and the river Jokulsa a Fjollum.

Insider tip: Start at the canyons northern end for quieter trails and the best light for photography; the Eyjan Hill Trail is a moderate hike that gives panoramic views of the canyon. Bring binoculars too, as you might spot Arctic foxes or nesting birds along the cliffs.

Area: North Iceland

Website: northiceland.is

Price: Free

Asbyrgi is a horseshoe-shaped gorge carved by glacial floods - Stefan Wille/Alamy Stock Photo

Borgarfjoerdur eystri

Spot puffins and elf rocks

Tucked into the remote Eastfjords of Iceland, this area is well-known for its dramatic cliffs, colourful fishing villages and rich birdlife. In fact, its a paradise for nature lovers, offering trails through the rugged Dyrfjoll mountains, opportunities to spot puffins during summer, and access to stunning coastal landscapes. The village, with only a hundred inhabitants, is an ideal spot to immerse yourself in the wilderness. There are 27-day hikes around Borgarfjordur eystri; hike the Alfaborg trail to visit the Elf Rock, said to be home to these unique Icelandic creatures.

Insider tip: For a delightful lunch, visit nearby Alfacafe, a cosy spot known for its homemade fish soup and fresh bread.

Area: Eastfjords

Website: borgarfjordureystri.is

Price: Free

Borgarfjrdur eystri offers trails through the rugged Dyrfjoll mountains - Flottmynd/Henry Oude Egberink

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How we choose

Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles  from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks  to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up-to-date recommendations.

About our expert

Paul Sullivan

Paul has been a committed Icelandophile since writing his 2003 music-themed travelogue, Waking Up In Iceland. He has travelled all over the country during his numerous visits and loves hiking through the mountains and dipping in local hot springs and pools.

Telegraph Travels Iceland expert, Paul Sullivan

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
History's most fascinating finds

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Whether through thorough excavations or accidental discoveries, archaeology has unveiled a wide array of ancient civilisations, cultures and traditions across the globe. Buried beneath layers of time, the following artefacts and sites offer captivating glimpses into the world's past. We've ranked the most interesting archaeological finds of all time, ranging from the intricate ruins of Machu Picchu to the mysterious final resting place of an infamous English king.

Explore the most exciting archaeological discoveries ever made...

30: L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

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This 11th-century outpost on Newfoundlands northern tip is the site of the earliest known European settlement in North America  and the first and only site established by the Vikings on the continent too. L'Anse aux Meadows was discovered in 1960 by Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad, and over the next eight years, an international team unearthed building remnants and artefacts similar to those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland. The Vikings never conquered North America, but their exploration is recounted in the centuries-old Vinland Sagas.

29: Cave of Altamira, Spain

EQRoy/Shutterstock

First discovered by a local hunter in 1868, this cave in northern Spain is now world-famous for its astonishing prehistoric paintings. In the 1870s a Spanish nobleman came to the cave to excavate the entrance, and, although he unearthed animal bones and stone tools, it was his eight-year-old daughter Maria who first spotted the bison paintings adorning the ceiling of a side chamber. It would be a while before prehistorians accepted that the 14,000-year-old artworks were genuine, as experts used to think that prehistoric peoples lacked the capacity for figurative art. Access to the original cave is limited, but visitors can examine a replica in a nearby museum.

28: Troy, Turkey

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Troy (or Ilion) was made famous by Homers epic poem The Iliad, which recounts the semi-legendary Trojan War. In 1868, German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann oversaw an archaeological dig on Turkeys Aegean coast and became convinced hed found Troy. He may well have found the city  it's hard to be certain  but his crude methods also destroyed centuries of Bronze Age evidence. Whatever the truth, the site he found contained the remains of not one but 10 settlements and 4,000 years of Trojan history. The site is revered for its significance in understanding the early development of Mediterranean civilisation.

27: Europes oldest lakeside village, Albania

 Marco Hostettler/Courtesy of Universitat Bern

Straddling the North Macedonian-Albanian border lies Lake Ohrid, where in August 2023 archaeologists announced the suspected remains of an 8,000-year-old village. Hundreds of tree-trunk stilts were unearthed on the lakebed, which the team believe may have formed the foundations of prehistoric residences. "It is several hundred years older than previously known lake-dwelling sites in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions," explained excavation leader Albert Hafner, from Switzerland's University of Bern. If the dates prove to be conclusive, it would be the earliest known settlement of its kind anywhere in Europe.

26: Aztec Sun Calendar Stone, Mexico City, Mexico

jejim/Shutterstock

Perhaps the most famous Mesoamerican sculpture, the Aztec Sun Calendar Stone was buried by Spanish conquerors in the 16th century and only found again in 1790. Many researchers think that the 24-tonne basalt stone was used as an altar for human sacrifice, while a study in 2017 interprets the image at the stone's centre as the death of sun god Tonatiuh during an eclipse  an event the Aztecs believed could bring about the end of the world. Researcher Susan Milbrath said the Aztec peoples had a "more foreboding look on their future" than societies today.

25: Riace Bronzes, Italy

Alexander van Loon/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

In 1972, Stefano Mariottini was snorkelling off the coast of Riace when he spotted an arm sticking out of the sand. One week later, Italian authorities hauled two 2,500-year-old bronze statues out of the Ionian Sea. The Riace Bronzes depict two ancient Greek warriors and date to between 460 and 430 BC. In 1981 the pair went on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, after a substantial restoration. No one knows exactly how the statues made their way to the seafloor, but most experts assume it was via a shipwreck.

24: Staffordshire Hoard, England, UK

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Comprising more than 4,000 items, the Staffordshire Hoard is the greatest haul of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever found. Its thought the hoard was buried during the 7th century AD, with its Dark Age craftsmanship proving that Anglo-Saxon goldsmiths were able to use advanced metalwork techniques. The discovery was made by a metal detectorist in an otherwise anonymous field near the English city of Lichfield in 2009. Today the precious items are on display in museums in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent.

23: Canaanite comb, Israel

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

It may be little, but its significance is anything but. This head-lice comb was discovered in 2017 during excavations of Lachish, an ancient Canaanite city-state, and likely dates to 1700 BC. But the headline act is the engravings etched into it, which were only spotted in 2021. The text reads: "May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and beard". Archaeologists say this 3.5cm-long tool was a luxury item, as most equivalent combs were made simply from wood or bone.

22: Etruscan and Roman statues, Italy

Courtesy of the Italian Ministry of Culture

Every now and then, a discovery comes along that completely changes the historical record. In 2022, a haul of 24 Etruscan and Roman statues were unearthed in an ancient sanctuary near the village of San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany. Beautifully preserved, despite dating from between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD, they depict divine figures and replicas of human organs that had been cast into the sanctuary's waters by pilgrims hoping to be healed. It was the cross-cultural context that excited researchers  the statues show that the Romans and Etruscans lived much more closely than previously thought and even prayed together.

21: Petra, Jordan

Alex Vasey/Unsplash

An extraordinary ancient city hewn into the sandstone rocks in the Jordanian desert by the Nabataeans, Petra lay abandoned by the 8th century AD. Then, in 1812, the ruins were rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. This eventually ignited interest from other Western archaeologists, and in 1929 a British team began excavating Petra. Petra is popularly called 'the Rose City' thanks to the rich pastel-red of its cliffs, peaks, facades and buildings.

20: SUE the T Rex, South Dakota, USA

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During a commercial excavation trip in South Dakota in 1990, fossil collector Sue Hendrickson discovered the bones of one of the best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found. It took six people 17 days to extract all the bones and today SUE is perhaps the most famous fossil on Earth. The skeleton is over 40 feet (12m) long, and experts can account for 250 of the species' 380 known bones. SUE dates to the Cretaceous period  about 67 million years ago  and today is on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.

19: Venus de Milo, Milos, Greece

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The Venus de Milo is one of the best-preserved ancient Greek statues in existence. It was discovered in 1820 by Yorgos Kentrotas, a farmer who was removing blocks from an ancient wall on the Greek island of Milos. The elegant female figure is thought to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and was probably created by Greek sculptor Alexandros between 150 and 100 BC. French naval officer Olivier Voutier helped dig up the statue before it was sold to the French ambassador, and its remained on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris ever since.

18: Terracotta Army, Xi'An, China

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In 1974, a group of farmers digging for a well near the western city of Xi'an, China, made a startling discovery. Around 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers and archers, 130 chariots and 520 horses were eventually uncovered, forming the Terracotta Army. The figures  no two the same  guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who died in 210 BC. The site spans three large pits and attracts millions of tourists each year. The tomb of the emperor himself remains unopened and archaeologists are nervous; an account written a century after his death tells of deadly booby traps including crossbow bolts primed to fire and rivers of mercury.

17: Cheddar Man, England, UK

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

The oldest complete human skeleton ever found in Britain, 'Cheddar Man' was discovered during drainage improvement works in Goughs Cave in Cheddar Gorge in 1903. This Mesolithic hunter-gatherer died around 10,000 years ago and was buried alone  an unusual move since communal burials were standard at this time and one of Britains largest Mesolithic cemeteries lies nearby. In 2018, scientists measured and scanned his skull to recreate what he looked like (pictured).

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16: Aten, Luxor, Egypt

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Aten, 'the Lost Golden City', is thought to be the largest ancient city ever uncovered in Egypt. Famed Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass led the initial excavations in 2020, and in April 2021 the team announced the discovery of an entire 3,400-year-old city. Despite being buried beneath the sand for thousands of years, Aten was extremely well-preserved, with finds including three palaces, large bakeries, workshops and a cemetery. The city was likely built by Amenhotep III, who ruled roughly between 1390 and 1353 BC. Atens significance has been compared to that of Tutankhamuns tomb.

15: Gobekli Tepe, Turkey

Cornfield/Shutterstock

The oldest known temple in the world  and perhaps the oldest building of any kind  Gobekli Tepe dates back to between 9600 and 8200 BC. It was first examined in the 1960s, but its credentials weren't taken seriously until German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt reassessed the site in 1994. Excavations revealed large limestone pillars set in circles alongside other megaliths, some carved with animals. Schmidt describes it as "the first human-built holy place". In October 2023, fresh excavations revealed a painted statue of a wild boar  one of the oldest known statues from the Mesolithic period.

14: King Richard III, England, UK

PA Images/Alamy

When the English King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 he was buried at Grey Friars Abbey in the Midlands, but his skeleton was removed in the 1530s and lost for centuries. In one of the great archaeological detective stories of modern times, a team including researcher Philippa Langley became adamant that the king lay beneath the north end of a city council car park in Leicester. In August 2012 excavations began and a skeleton was quickly found  confirmed to be that of the late king in February 2013. In 2015 his remains were interred at nearby Leicester Cathedral.

13: Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece

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We'll get to Pompeii later, but before there was Pompeii, there was Akrotiri. The Bronze Age Minoan settlement was destroyed by the Eruption of Thera in the 16th century BC, but, just like in Pompeii, the remnants were preserved beneath a thick layer of volcanic ash, suspended in time until archaeologists started digging through the ruins in the 19th century. The earliest excavations took place in 1867 and the first modern excavations got underway exactly a century later, turning up ceramics, ancient furniture and even a charred bed. Today, raised walkways ferry visitors above the town's multi-storey houses, preserved wall paintings and sophisticated drainage system.

12: Mungo Lady and Mungo Man, New South Wales, Australia

Taras Vyshnya/Shutterstock

Lake Mungo is home to the oldest human remains in Australia and some of the oldest in the world. In 1968, geologist Jim Bowler discovered the remains of a woman  'Mungo Lady'  who lived between 40,000 and 42,000 years ago and had been ritually cremated by her people. The following year, Bowler uncovered 'Mungo Man', a 50-year-old hunter-gatherer from a similar period who had also been ritually laid to rest. He had been laid on his back and sprinkled with red ochre. In 2003, archaeologists made another discovery  460 ancient footprints which, at 20,000 years old, are some of the oldest in existence.

11: Fossilised Footprints, White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA

NPS

In 2019, fossilised footprints were located around the shores of the ancient (and now evaporated) Lake Otero in White Sands National Park. The size of the footprints indicated they belonged to children and teenagers. Previously, it was understood that humans arrived in North America between 13,500 and 16,000 years ago, but in September 2021 new research dated the ancient footprints to between 21,000 and 23,000 BC. This recent update could completely rewrite the history of human settlement in the Americas.

10: Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece

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The centre of the Minoan world, this discovery pulled back the covers on not only a palace but an entire civilisation. First examined in the late 19th century, this elaborate complex was the royal residence of the legendary King Minos (of Theseus and the Minotaur fame) and was built from around 1900 BC. Greek archaeologist Minos Kalokairinos first excavated the site in 1878, but it was British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans who swept in and helmed the main excavations from 1900 onwards. The excavations drastically changed our understanding of the Minoan Bronze Age civilisation on this archaeologically bountiful Greek island.

9: Rosetta Stone, Egypt

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The Rosetta Stone  one of the worlds most famous ancient artefacts  was discovered by accident. In 1799, French soldiers were building new defences during their invasion of Egypt and robbed stone from a nearby ancient structure. One intriguing-looking slab was spared, a piece of black basalt that bore the same inscription in three different languages: hieroglyphics, demotic and ancient Greek. After the French were defeated, the stone was transferred to the British and was displayed in the British Museum in 1802. In 1822, hieroglyphic writing was finally deciphered  thanks in no small part to the stone  forever changing our understanding of ancient Egyptian life.

8: Dead Sea Scrolls, West Bank

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The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century. In 1946, a teenage shepherd ventured into a cliffside opening on the northwestern shores of the Dead Sea in what is now the West Bank, only to find several jars filled with papyrus and parchment scrolls. Further excavations revealed more scrolls scattered across 11 more caves, at a site now known as Khirbet Qumran. The scrolls, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, are among the oldest biblical manuscripts ever found.

7: Skara Brae, Scotland, UK

WILLIAM EDWARDS/AFP via Getty Images

Located on the remote Orkney Islands off the north tip of Scotland, Skara Brae is one of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in northern Europe. The 5,000-year-old village remained buried underground until a heavy storm in 1850 finally exposed it. The main excavations took place between 1927 and 1930 when it was dated to the Iron Age, but it wasnt until the 1970s  and the advent of radiocarbon dating  that experts dated its construction to 3180 BC. That's older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Giza. To the south of Skara Brae lies another huge mound, which some believe could hide a similar prehistoric settlement.

6: Nazca Lines, Peru

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The ancient Nazca people etched these giant geoglyphs into the sands of the southern Peruvian desert between 500 BC and AD 500. There are more than 300 figures in a range of shapes, from spiders to hummingbirds, and their meaning is still debated. The Nazca Lines were first studied in the 1920s but only gained real attention when pilots flew over them in the 1930s. Thanks to advances in technology, research in 2023 used AI to highlight several previously unknown geoglyphs.

5: Machu Picchu, Peru

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The story of Machu Picchus discovery is almost as incredible as the site itself. In 1911, university professor Hiram Bingham was in search of the lost city of Vilcabamba, but as he ascended a Peruvian mountain ridge he came across Machu Picchu instead. The abandoned Incan city was covered in vegetation and was initially described by Bingham as "a great flight of beautifully constructed stone terraces". Excavations soon commenced and today it is one of Peru's (and the world's) best-loved tourist attractions.

4: Lascaux Cave, France

Charbonnier Thierry/Shutterstock

Lascaux Cave is home to prehistoric artworks created by humans around 17,000 years ago. The underground cavern was accidentally located by four teenagers in 1940 after their dog investigated the entrance. Further exploration revealed 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols, plus up to 1,500 engravings. In 2023, an amateur archaeologist found that some of the paintings make up a lunar calendar by tracking the mating cycles of certain animals. The caves have been closed to the public since the 1960s for their own protection, though an intricately crafted replica of the artworks is visitable nearby.

3: Sutton Hoo, England, UK

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

In the 1930s, Edith Pretty started investigating 18 strange mounds in the land of her Sutton Hoo estate and enlisted the help of local amateur archaeologist Basil Brown. Beneath the largest mound, they uncovered a burial chamber containing a gigantic ship and a host of 7th-century Anglo-Saxon objects. The finds are now considered to be the ship burial of King Raedwald of East Anglia and are described by the National Trust as "one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time". The hoard is now on display at the British Museum, including the famous Sutton Hoo helmet  one of just four Anglo-Saxon helmets to survive the period.

2: Pompeii, Italy

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Pompeii, an ancient Roman port city, was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. In 1748 a group of explorers unearthed remnants of the lost city, preserved beneath layers of volcanic ash. More was uncovered in the 1800s: a huge amphitheatre, a forum, fine villas, ordinary houses, shops, brothels and more. Today, the discoveries are still pouring in  in April 2024 new frescoes were unveiled depicting heroes from the Trojan War. There's still much more to be discovered, as a third of Pompeii remains unexcavated.

1: Tutankhamun's tomb, Luxor, Egypt

MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images

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Tutankhamuns tomb contained some of ancient Egypt's most astonishing relics, including a golden chariot, a golden throne and the pharaoh's ornate death mask (pictured). The boy kings tomb was unearthed by British Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922  an extremely high-profile discovery that made front pages across the globe. Modern technology has helped us learn more about Tuts life  he had a broken left leg that became infected and he had malaria. As for the tomb, some experts believe that an Egyptian queen remains hidden in a burial chamber...

Now discover the most incredible archaeological discoveries uncovered recently
Norwegian Cruise Line passengers visiting the cruise lines private island in The Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, this week got the chance to be the first to experience the Great Life Lagoon, a new 28,000-square-foot heated pool.

The first of multiple new enhancements coming to the island, the oversized pool is a new complimentary amenity. It features two swim-up bars and aquatic features for kids, as well as an adjacent splash pad. A new cruise ship pier is also set to open on the island this winter, along with a new welcome plaza and tram to improve the island arrival experience.

In summer 2026, a new Great Tides Waterpark will open for vacationers who want to add more excitement to their day at Great Stirrup Cay with 19 waterslides, cliff jumps, a dynamic river, a glowing grotto bar, and more.

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Cruise passengers visiting the island in 2026 can also take advantage of a new premium cruise package, Free at Sea Plus, which includes unlimited open bar at Great Stirrup Cay.

Doug Parker shared a look at Great Stirrup Cays new pool, and more cruise line private destination news, on the Dec. 19 edition of Cruise News Today.

Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.

Resort-style pool opens at Great Stirrup Cay

Cruise News Today Transcript:

Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.

Good morning, here's your cruise news for Friday, December 19th.

Norwegian Cruise Line's long-awaited pool at Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas is now open. Guests visiting the island this week on Norwegian Gem confirmed that the new resort-style pool is officially welcoming guests, and Cruise News Today has received photos and videos showing the area fully operational.

Related: Norwegian Cruise Line shifts focus to appeal to more families

The pool adds a new major feature to Great Stirrup, which until now, mostly relied on beaches and cabanas. The opening comes ahead of additional island upgrades planned by NCL, including a larger water park, which is scheduled for opening next year.

Royal Caribbean crowns its new beach club in The Bahamas

And Royal Caribbean's new beach club in The Bahamas has officially received its most recognizable symbol. Yeah, this week the cruise line installed a massive crown and anchor fixture at its new Paradise Island Beach Club in Nassau.

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Now the resort will operate as a shore excursion for guests visiting Nassau, with water shuttles departing from the docks adjacent to the cruise ships.

Pricing is demand-based, starting at $129 per person, or $169 with an all-you-can-drink package. The first visitors will visit on December 23rd.

Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.

Carnivals Celebration Key welcomes its one-millionth guest

And speaking of private destinations, Carnival Corporation has hit a major milestone at its new destination on Grand Bahama Island.

Just five months after opening, Celebration Key has officially welcomed its one-millionth guest. Andrew Sexton from Knoxville, Tennessee, sailing with his family on their first-ever cruise, was surprised with a celebration, a private cabana, and complimentary food and drinks.

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The resort opened on July 19th and has already created jobs for over a thousand Bahamians. A major expansion is set for next year, aiming to double ship visits and even welcoming more cruise lines.

Related: Princess Cruises adds sailings to popular new resort destination

And the photo of the week comes from Phil: Anthem of the Seas in Sydney, Australia. Great photo here, Phil. You can send yours in: photos@cruiseradio.net. All pictures are subject to broadcast.

And cruise stocks were up on Thursday. Carnival Corporation: up 1.1%, 28.34. Royal Caribbean: up a half percent, 286.73. Norwegian: up the same, 21.63. And Viking: up the same, 69.95.

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If you have a lead on a story, let us know: tips@cruiseradio.net.

Here in Southeast Asia, I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great weekend.

(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)

Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.

This story was originally published by TravelHost on Dec 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Theres a quiet revolution taking shape in the travel space, rooted in restoration, cultural connection, and, most importantly, intentional rest. This revolution is happening at many Black-owned resorts and retreats worldwide. In these spaces, Black hoteliers prove that wellness isnt a luxury, but a must in a culture that glorifies hustle.

From forest lodges that immerse people in the healing powers of nature to the coastal hideaways infused with peace, these Black-owned spaces are perfect for restorative travel.

Boheme Retreats in Upstate New York

In Upstate New York, Boheme Retreats is a wellness gem. Boheme Retreats grew from the owners, Keva Niver and Rudel Feliciens, passion for helping others heal through nature while making the outdoor space more inclusive. Each vintage glamping camper is named after a Black woman in history.

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The Catskills stunning natural beauty envelops guests staying at this welcoming nature escape. This glamping site provides a unique RV campground experience in vintage trailers. Prepare to relax, recharge, and reconnect with the outdoors.

The Henderson Beach Resort in Destin, Florida

Stretched out along Floridas Emerald Coast is where Southern charm meets modern luxury and wellness in the Henderson Beach Resort. Both the hotel and vacation rentals allow people to reconnect, discover, and unwind.

The crown jewel here at the Henderson is the spa. Guests will be immersed in a relaxing environment that heals the mind, body, and spirit. Treatments combine indigenous ingredients with the marine properties of the Gulfs crystal waters and ancient quartz sands. Dont leave without experiencing the Himalayan salt suite that overlooks the lush treetops of Henderson Beach State Park, which will leave you feeling refreshed and reconnected.

Jungle Bay in Soufriere, Dominica

On the island known as the Nature Island of the Caribbean is the ultimate luxury wellness resort, owned and operated by Dominican entrepreneur Sam Raphael. Here, people will inhale deeply upon arrival and exhale, leaving their worries at the door. Its the perfect destination to unplug, set intention, and reconnect.

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Jungle Bay is home to the largest Yoga center in the region. Staff regularly host wellness and yoga retreats throughout the year.

For the best value, book the resorts signature adventure and wellness experience, which includes all meals on the menu, fresh juices, daily spa treatments, and off-property excursions.

Mbano Manor Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Mbano Manor Hotel Victoria Falls offers a world-class experience. This intimate five-star luxury boutique is nestled in an ancient teak forest. Amid its seclusion, a sanctuary awaits to rest and restore your mind, body, and soul.

This tranquil luxury hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, offers a uniquely perfect blend of safari lodge ambience, rich cultural history, and access to the majestic Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

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The spa on-site offers a songbird retreat. The treatment allows guests to rest and reconnect with the sounds of nature since the resort is a haven for local birdlife, butterflies, and dragonflies.

Ocean West Boutique Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas

In Nassau, Ocean West Boutique Hotel is the newest luxury hotel on the island, offering breathtaking views of Lake Killarney to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.

This accommodation is best for those seeking solace and wellness by the beach. Its an exclusive resort with remote access only for guests. Theres a massage room on the hotels rooftop, and you will be just minutes away from the Cable Beach strip.







The post Homes That Heal: Black-Owned Retreats For Restorative Travel appeared first on Travel Noire.
If hiking through the rain forest, calypso bar-hopping, and swimming in crystal-clear waters sounds like your perfect trip, youll want to experience this Central American region ahead of the crowds.

For its 2026 trends report, Skyscanner examined which destinations saw the biggest year-over-year increase in search interest, compiling a list of the top 10 locations with the most growth. The travel search engine looked at flight searches from January 2025 to June 2025 compared to searches from the same period in 2024. The No. 1 trending destination is Limon, Costa Rica, with a head-spinning 286 percent increase from 2024 to 2025.

Hugging Costa Ricas Caribbean Coast, Limon province is rich with natural wonders, from its white-sand beaches to its multiple wildlife refuges and volcanic landscapes. The regions invigorating multiculturalism also lures visitors with calypso music, island cuisine, and its history as a port of entry to the Caribbean.

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Limon, the provinces capital city of the same name, is one of the countrys most culturally diverse areas, with influences from Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, and other immigrant groups creating a unique, vibrant community. Guests should come hungry for aromatic cuisines featuring strong spices and coconut milk, a tapestry of live music, and sunset cocktails at laid-back bars. To experience the citys culture at its most pulsating, visit during the annual Carnaval de Limon in October.

John Coletti / Getty Images Tourists visit Parque Vargas in Limon, Costa Rica. Tourists visit Parque Vargas in Limon, Costa Rica.

Remote Tortuguero National Park is an enchanting eco-tourism destination. Only accessible by boat or plane, the park consists of canals, rain forests, and lagoons that are home to manatees, jaguars, and countless other wildlife species. Its also a crucial area for sea turtle nesting. Between June and October, visitors accompanied by licensed guides can take nighttime excursions to the 20 miles of protected coastline where young turtles start their lives.

Moving south along Limons coast, Cahuita National Parks coral reefs and rain forest hikes provide even more opportunities for wildlife observation; laid-back, surf-centric Puerto Viejo can serve as an enriching yet relaxing home base nearby.

Limon is known for having some of the countrys best beaches, with a spot to suit every beachgoers preferences. Crystal-clear local favorite Playa Chiquita, striking black-sand beach Playa Negra, and calm, snorkel-optimized Playa Punta Uva are among the many scenic coastlines to explore. Ride the waves for the first or thousandth time at all-level Playa Cocles or test your surfing technique on the mighty barrels at expert-only Playa Brava.

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According to Skyscanners report, other trending destinations around the globe include Jaipur, India; Bodrum, Turkey; and Madeira, Portugal. In the U.S., travelers are eyeing spots like Vail, Colorado, and New Haven, Connecticut.

Overall, Skyscanners data showed that Americans are leaning toward lesser-known destinations in the coming year, with an emphasis on personally significant experiences like "glomad" travel that incorporates beauty and wellness activities or trips inspired by literary interests.



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The troubles that the spirits industry is facing has meant that some American craft distilleries have had to close over the past year, but there are still more than 2,200 in operation as of last August according to a report from the American Craft Spirits Association. One of the best is Nevadas Frey Ranch, a grain-to-glass operation making bourbon, rye, and some more experimental types of whiskey. The distillerys excellent 100% Barley Whiskey, part of its Single Grain Series, was released in a limited run earlier this year, and the news just arrived that its back for the holiday season in another limited run.

Frey Ranch was founded nearly 20 years ago in 2006 by husband and wife Colby and Ashley Frey on their 2,000-acre farm in Fallon, Nevada at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas. The Freys and their team make whiskey using grain grown on the farm, and mashing, fermenting, distilling, and aging it there as well. Colby Frey recently offered some thoughts on the state of the American whiskey industry in a press release, making some predictions for 2026. He said that he thinks pricing will soften to match the downturn in spirits consumption, distillers will try to find new revenue streams like selling more used barrels or repurposing spent grains, there will be more high age statement releases, and the estate distilling movement will continue to grow (something that weve reported on previously). Of course, it remains to be seen how any of this will play out.

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Both Frey Ranchs bourbon and rye are superb, well-crafted whiskeys that can stand with the best of any of the larger distilleries in Kentucky, Tennessee, or any other state. But the distillery also makes the aforementioned Single Grain Series, consisting of whiskeys made from more unusual mashbills (at least in the world of American whiskey) that consist of just one grain. There is also the Malted Grain Series, which include Quad Malt, a bourbon made from four malted grains, and the 100 Percent Malted Corn Bourbon.

Frey Ranchs 100% Barley Whiskey is made from a mashbill of two-row unmalted barley, aged for four years and eight months, and bottled at a high 110 proof. What makes this different from an American single malt is that the barley is unmalted, and the effect on flavor is marked here with notes of caramel, butterscotch, maple, and brown sugar on the palate. Veering towards the sweeter end of the spectrum, this is a great whiskey for bourbon lovers (even though it doesnt taste like bourbon at all). So why the re-release? We reached out to Colby Frey and told Robb Report it was based on the response they got to the launch. Fans have continued to ask for it, he said. We announced via our newsletter, and in line with the reaction to most of our recent releases, it sold out within minutes. Were seeing strong demand from whiskey lovers for our Single Grain Series, which is really special for us because our goal is always to showcase the grains that we grow on our farm.

This new release will be part of two whiskey bundles that are available at the distillerys online shopone paired with the Malted Four Grain Bourbon (on sale for $99), and one paired with the flagship Four Grain Bourbon (also on sale for $99). Both are currently sold out, but Frey said he anticipates them returning in 2026. You can also find other Frey Ranch whiskeys available at websites like ReserveBar now.

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We came across a bearish thesis on First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. on Valueinvestorsclub.com by anonymouscashflow. In this article, we will summarize the bulls thesis on FWRG. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc.'s share was trading at $16.49 as of December 17th. FWRGs trailing P/E was 204.69 according to Yahoo Finance.

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates and franchises restaurants under the First Watch trade name in the United States. FWRG recently reported a beat-and-raise quarter, driven largely by a ~$7 million one-time tailwind from falling egg prices rather than sustainable operational strength. Beneath the surface, unit economics are deteriorating, same-store-sales growth is decelerating, and franchisees are exiting, signaling structural challenges.

The company operates 600 locations, 85% of which are owned and concentrated in the Southeast, focusing on the premium daytime breakfast and brunch market. While average unit volumes are $2 million with historically strong restaurant-level margins, new unit growth into A markets like NYC, Boston, and Dallas is pressuring margins due to higher rents, larger store sizes, and rising capital expenditures, which have nearly doubled over four years to $1.8 million per location.

The aggressive rollout of large new units temporarily masks negative traffic trends, but as the tailwind from new store ramp-ups fades, same-store sales are expected to decelerate meaningfully. Franchisee buyouts at 55% premiums to build cost further strain the balance sheet, contributing to rising leverage of 2.4x EBITDA and limited free cash flow generation.

Consensus EBITDA expectations for FY26 appear overly optimistic given declining restaurant-level margins, stagnating traffic, and longer new-unit payback periods, with the base case projecting a 35% downside to $11.72 per share and potential 60% downside if multiples converge with peers.

Management incentives are tied to adjusted EBITDA growth rather than durable value creation, reinforcing a growth-at-any-cost strategy. Even under a scenario where consensus targets are met, upside is modest due to aggressive PE sponsor selling and a capital-intensive model. With negative cash flow trends, rising costs, and weakening fundamentals, FWRG represents a compelling asymmetric short, with multiple catalystsincluding decelerating SSS, margin pressure, and Advents share liquidationlikely to drive a material rerating over the next twelve months.

Previously we covered a bullish thesis on The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) by TyNads in May 2025, which highlighted its transformation into a multi-brand restaurant platform with stable profitability and underappreciated growth assets like North Italia and Flower Child. The stock has appreciated approximately 1.22% since our coverage. The thesis still stands, while anonymouscashflow takes a contrarian view on First Watch (FWRG), emphasizing deteriorating unit economics and decelerating same-store-sales.
Rugged, remote, otherworldly; Iceland fully deserves the name the Land of Fire and Ice. Its a country where volcanoes explode with alarming regularity, lavafields resemble lunar landscapes, and where the largest ice-cap in Europe, Vatnajokull, beckons explorers.

There are gentler natural landscapes too: natural hot pools, scenic waterfalls and glorious beaches, along with opportunities to spot puffins and whales, and ride the countrys unique horses.

Iceland has a rich culture, woven with alluring Viking history and related folklore, a highly literary population that generates numerous poets, writers and musicians, and a top-notch gastronomy scene that extends far beyond the hip capital.

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The itineraries below are aimed at exploring outside Reykjavik  from the rugged Western and Eastern fjords to the coast and interior  where you can really get a sense of why this small country attracts so many superlatives. See our insider guide on how to spend a weekend in the capital here.

For more Iceland inspiration, see our guides to the countrys best hotels, restaurants, bars and things to do.

In this guide:

How to spend the perfect day

Morning

From Reykjavik, your first day in Iceland should be a road trip to the countrys southeast, taking in birch forests, geothermal mud pools, rugged cliffs and ocean views in order to get a local taste of the countrys diverse natural charms.

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Set out for Heidmork nature reserve, a sprawling volcanic wilderness right on Reykjaviks doorstep. Popular with locals, this 3,000-plus-hectare conservation area has birch forests, lava formations and tranquil lakes to explore via several interconnected walking trails.

Discover the countrys diverse natural charms - Christophe Lehenaff/Moment RF

Wind your way through fields of red lava rock to find peaceful spots like Lake Raudavatn  where you can watch wild birds or enjoy a quiet picnic  or head to the Burfell crater or the mountain Helgafell, both of which can be hiked to get photogenic views over the park and the city beyond. Several tour companies also offer horse treks through the park.

Afternoon

Drop into Hafnarfjordur for a spot of lunch  Id recommend Sols charming greenhouse restaurant, or head to one of the several spots around the harbour  and then continue south along Route 42 to the Krysuvik geothermal area, which lies right on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Wooden boardwalks lead visitors past the bubbling mud pots, hissing sulfur vents, and streaks of vivid yellow, red and green minerals staining the surrounding hillsides.

See bubbling mud pots and streaks of vivid minerals in the ground at Krysuvik geothermal area - Glen Pearson/iStockphoto

From here, its a short, scenic drive to the fishing town of Grindavik, which is framed by rugged cliffs and black lava shorelines. Grab a coffee or snack at one of the harbour cafes and enjoy the local scenery. Afterwards, visit nearby Brimketill, a natural lava pool carved by the Atlantic surf or check out the rugged Krysuvikurberg Cliffs to enjoy the sight and sounds of the thousands of seabirds that nest there.

Evening

As the day winds down, follow the coastal road west towards Gardur or Sandgerdi, two quiet fishing villages on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Stop at Gardskagaviti lighthouse, the westernmost point of the peninsula, to watch the wheeling seabirds and sea views.

Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland

Take a road trip along Icelands south-east coast, where you can watch wild birds including puffins - Flottmynd, Henry Oude Egberink ; Micah Garen

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Return to Reykjavik for dinner at one of the citys many restaurants before rounding the day off with a drink  our guides to the citys best places to eat and drink can help you select your evenings itinerary.

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How to spend a week-long holiday

It is technically possible to cover Iceland  or most of it  in a week, thanks to the countrys convenient Ring Road. However, it would be a rush and a lot of driving; the itinerary below is aimed at a slower-paced trip that covers the main attractions throughout the west, south and north.

First, head north of Reykjavik to Borgarnes, a quiet coastal town steeped in Viking lore. Stop off at the local Settlement Centre to get an overview of Icelands dramatic sagas before enjoying a dip and some lunch at Krauma Spa, which is fuelled by one of Europes most powerful hot springs. A lovely overnight option in the area is Hotel Husafell; on the way (or the next day), stop off at Reykholt to learn about local legend Snorri Sturluson.

Visit postcard-pretty Stykkisholmur on Snaefellsjokull glacier

Day two, drive to the striking Snaefellsnes Peninsula, often described as Iceland in miniature for how it packs the range of Icelands diverse landscapes into a smaller, easily explorable area. Enjoy the windswept cliffs at Arnarstapi, the iconic Kirkjufell peak, and stretch your legs in the lava fields near Snaefellsjokull glacier. There are several pretty coastal towns along the way that will provide lunch. In the evening, check into Hotel Egilson in postcard-pretty Stykkisholmur, and make a dinner reservation at local seafood hotspot Sjavarpakkhusi.

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Its a four- to five-hour drive to Akureyri, the Capital of the North; break the journey with lunch at B&S in Blonduos for pasta, fish and kids meals. Staying at the Berjaya Akureyri hotel puts you in great proximity to the citys restaurants, galleries and bars  the sushi at Rub23 is an excellent dinner choice.

Soak in the geothermal Myvatn Nature Baths - Michael Marquand/Alamy Stock Photo

On day three, explore local sites such as Godafoss (the Waterfall of the Gods) and the otherworldly landscapes around Myvatn lake, where you can hike amongst the pseudocraters and lava fields, perhaps taking another opportunity for a geothermal soak at the Myvatn Nature Baths. Book two nights at Vogafjos farm, which also has a fabulous restaurant; the next day, head to Husavik for a whale-watching tour.

For day five, enjoy the eastern scenery en route to Egilsstadir, before popping in for lunch at Foss Bistro and taking a stroll around the charming centre. Power on to Hofn, making a dinner reservation at the trendy, cosy Otto and staying the night at the Berjaya hotel. The next morning, you can enjoy a swim before driving back to Reykjavik along the south coast.

hibhj

See the black sand beach of Reynisfjara before stopping at one of Icelands cosy seaside cafes - Ester lo feudo, Alamy Stock Photo ; Otto restaurant

Although its a full day of driving, there are a lot of highlights that make easy stop-offs, including the remarkable Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon, the picturesque town of Vik and the black sand beach of Reynisfjara (grab lunch at the Black Beach), and the iconic Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls. Back in Reykjavik, spend the final night at one of the capitals fine hotels before flying home from Keflavik.

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Where to stay

Luxury living

This four-star Hotel Husafell in west Iceland is the only one in the country that is fully self-sustainable and powered by hot springs. This, along with the high likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights during a winter stay, makes it one of the worlds most unique lodges.

Designer digs

Unpretentious Siglo Hotel is nestled in a small marina in a peaceful northern Iceland village called Siglufjordur. It offers stylish and comfortable rooms with fantastic sea and mountain views, and facilities such as a hot tub and sauna. Staff are friendly and the surrounding landscapes are memorably dramatic.

Budget bolthole

The farmhouse-style Hotel Laxnes is located a few miles outside Reykjavik, in the suburb of Mosfellsbaer. Its surrounded by nature and offers comfortable and cosy rooms, warm and welcoming service, plus a decent on-site bar, games room and hot tubs for watching the Northern Lights.

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When to go

Iceland is a year-round destination, with each season offering something unique. Summer (June to August) has long days, including midnight sun up in the north, very decent temperatures and access to the remote Highlands. Autumn (September to October) and spring (April to May) are cooler but offer fewer tourists and lower prices, while winter (November to March)  despite rendering certain areas such as the Highlands inaccessible  transforms cities and coastlines alike into snow-covered wonderlands that are ideal for northern lights hunting and glacier tours.

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How to get there and how to get around

The main gateway for Iceland is Keflavik International Airport, about 30 miles away from Reykjavik; you can fly direct from the UK with easyJet, British Airways or Icelandair. The capital is compact and highly walkable, making it easy to explore on foot.

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Renting a car is necessary for exploring anywhere outside Reykjavik since bus services are limited; Blue Car Rental and Hertz are reliable options. Note that taxis are incredibly expensive, even for quite short trips.

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Know before you go

Essential information

Iceland Tourist Board: Adalstraeti 2, 101 Reykjavik.

Contact: 00 354 510 4700 ; visiticeland.com

Basics

Currency: Icelandic Krona (ISK)

Telephone Code: +354

Time Difference: GMT (No time difference from the UK during winter; Iceland does not observe daylight saving)

Travel Time from London: three hours direct flight

Local Laws and Etiquette

Icelanders are friendly and polite; a firm handshake and eye contact are enough. Respect nature always; avoid littering and stick to marked paths. Smoking is banned in indoor public spaces, and alcohol sales are regulated.

Accessibility

Reykjavik is reasonably accessible with wheelchair-friendly sidewalks and public transport options. However, some rural areas and natural sites may have limited access due to rugged terrain.

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About our expert

Paul Sullivan

Paul has been a committed Icelandophile since writing his 2003 music-themed travelogue, Waking Up In Iceland. He has travelled all over the country during his numerous visits and loves hiking through the mountains and dipping in local hot springs and pools.

Telegraph Travels Iceland expert, Paul Sullivan

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Passionate about cooking and entertaining, brothers Rudy and Joel Laine embarked on a culinary journey several years ago in Paris. The brothers know their way around the kitchen as they prepare dishes rooted in their parents homelandstheir mother is from Cameroon and their father from Guadeloupeunder their brand New Soul Food that includes two restaurants, a food truck, a food booth and a line of hibiscus-infused drinks.

Rudy and Joel like to call their approach to food Afropean, which allows them to incorporate ingredients and cultures into dishes served on their award-winning food truck, LAfro Truck, and at their restaurants Le Marquis (The Marquis) and La Darkanda (Dark Kitchen).

A Family That Cooks Together

The Laine brothers are no strangers to the kitchen; they come from a family of chefs and pastry chefs. Growing up, the brothers would help their father at the familys restaurant. According to Rudy, the brothers loved to cook with their father, and they couldnt wait until they were grown so they could follow in his footsteps. Now in business for over seven years, Rudy hopes to one day come to America to share his version of soul food. My dream is one day to go to New York, he says.

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At all of their locations under New Soul Food, Rudy and Joel are intentional about representing their family roots and the impact that they can have. When you think about one dish, you think about the country. If you open your mind, I can speak to everyone. All the dishes on the menu some people know. Some [are] from Cameroon and some from Guadeloupe, and this is the best way to talk to people, says Rudy.

Pictured: (L-R) Rudy and Joel Laine of New Soul Food in Paris | Photo credit: New Soul Food

With some recipe modifications needed due to not being able to find specific ingredients, some of the duos popular dishes on the menu include the Afrocaribeenne (braised chicken with West Indian curry, Afro-Caribbean sweet potato duo and coconut vanilla sauce), the Afrosubsaharienne (braised chicken with penja pepper served with basmati rice, plantains and a Cameroonian spiced peanut sauce) and the Afrovegane (cassava semolina, candied tomatoes and herbs, plantains, corn on the cob and braised okra with a sauce of your choice).

The Laines add extra touches to dishes by creating special concoctions, cooking over charcoal, adding special herbs and spices and creating sauces such as a yassa sauce, which uses kankan spices and more.

RELATED: Where to Experience Black Culture in Paris

The Power of New Soul Food

When speaking about New Soul Food, Rudy shares that what he is doing with his brother goes beyond cooking good food. We try to educate White and Black. The food is the best way to touch everybody, he says.

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And they have the fan base to do so. Named Best Food Truck by the Street Food International Festival in Paris in 2017, their first venture, LAfro Truck, has served food on the forecourt of the National Library of France (Francois-Mitterrand site) and La Defense. Everywhere they go, the lines grow with new and repeat customers. This proved helpful when opening Le Marquis in 2019. The culinarians goal is to introduce Parisians and those visiting the city to braised chicken, a dish of African street culture. They have done that and so much more.

If you come for the food, be sure to have a drink, specifically one of the hibiscus-infused drinks, a frozen cocktail or beersap, a blonde-ale beer the duo created.

As word continues to get out about these two brothers in Paris, more food enthusiasts near and far will soon be introduced to their passion and commitment. Both Rudy and Joel believe that using food as a way to connect people and cultures is one way to create a better place for everyone.

Follow Rudy and Joel on Instagram (@newsoulfood) for truck and restaurant happenings, events and more.
With the kick-off to ski season, Lech, Austria  long favored by royal families  is attracting industry insiders eager to escape Instagram-fueled tourism, paparazzi chaos and overcrowded slopes.

Lech is a favorite of celebrities, athletes and royals thanks to its discreetly luxurious ambiance, abundant powder and 190 miles of groomed slopes, says Lisa Vinderskov of Alpine Adventures, curators of hyper-customized ski vacations around the world. Theres the White Ring  Lechs famous clockwise circular route and lots of challenging off-piste terrain, plus that picture-perfect charm, she tells The Hollywood Reporter.

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What sets Lech apart from the Rockies is not only the resorts sense of quiet luxury but also the thrill of whooshing from one fairytale village to another in a single afternoon, while largely avoiding media scrutiny. Its this understated atmosphere that has appealed to illustrious visitors over the years, including Chris and Liam Hemsworth, producer/director Matthew Vaughn, Hugh Grant, Olympic Gold Medalist Julia Mancuso, four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, and royal families galore, including Princess Diana who often vacationed here with William and Harry. Thanks to the resorts absence of press hounds, industry titans even go unnoticed, spared the tabloid frenzy common at U.S. ski resorts.

Cradling western Austria near the Swiss border and easily accessible from the Zurich airport, Lech is part of the vast Arlberg ski region  St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben, Lech, Oberlech, Zurs, and WarthSchrocken  all seamlessly connected by a network of slopes designed for every ability.

Lech is notably easier on the wallet too. Arlberg lift tickets [around $95] average one-half the cost of U.S. tickets [typically between $184  $329 in Aspen and Deer Valley], adds Vinderskov. Guides, ski lessons and rentals are similarly discounted, and lodging  abundant and aesthetically top-notch, runs one-third to one-half the price of top U.S. resorts, often with half-board meal options (breakfast and dinner) and the use of wellness facilities. Food and beverages are more affordable too. On-mountain dining offers high-quality, regionally sourced meals at lower prices than North America, she adds.

Timeless chalets framed by snow-draped peaks dot the landscape. You wont find towering megabrand hotels here. Thanks to multigeneration-owned properties and significant restrictions on new construction, most of the boutique lodging is individual and family-run. And the crown jewel in the center of town is the whimsical Hotel Post Lech Arlberg, a Relais & Chateaux property that exudes Grimm Brothers flair (from $860). Guests are greeted by a pink-and-dark-brown exterior studded with green shutters. For the past eighty years, the Moosbrugger family has been at the helm. We feel an emotional connection to this land and share that passion with our guests, proprietor Florian Moosbrugger tells THR.

Inside, old-world grandeur abounds: antler-strewn chandeliers, folkloric carved timber beds, cuckoo clocks, and the cheerful dirndl-draped staff. Still, theres no shortage of modern comforts, including a reinvigorated spa, indoor childrens pool, and 15-meter heated outdoor pool with views of the surrounding peaks. The newer wing of rooms blends contemporary heritage with touches of the Tyrolean quirk expected in a historic property.

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From cozy nooks to haute cuisine, Lechs culinary scene extends across the hamlet. Located at 1,800 meters, Schlegelkopf serves up juicy steaks, a lively Apres ski scene and is one of the few restaurants to feature Los Angeles-caliber sushi. Post Lechs Postblick restaurant is a favorite for classic Austrian fare like pan-fried veal Wiener Schnitzel and hearty goulash (beef stew). And both gourmands and design enthusiasts will feel right at home at Jagerstube, the timber-cabin-inspired fine dining retreat where youll become intimately acquainted with Gruner Veltliner, the regions prized white wine. You could hop on the bus and stroll to the impossibly quaint Gasthaus Alpele dining hut for a lager and the charcuterie board of your dreams, but the more adventurous and quintessentially alpine method of transport is by cross-country ski.

After a day on the slopes, there are plenty of other spoils. Stock up on an array of Austrian delicacies like locally crafted gummy candies and salamis at the neighborhood market or head to the mountain top village of Oberlech. Accessible by skis or the Bergbahn cable car, the area is beset with heaps of storybook restaurants and inns. From there, a 20-minute trek takes you to Tannegg, where artist James Turrells must-see Skyspace installation turns Lechs ethereal natural light into meditative wonder.

For shopping, Arlberg Club House is a restaurant, bar and concept store flowing with designer treasures like Iris von Arnim cashmere, Diemme boots and Lyn Harris fragrances. And much like Aspens Gorsuch, the legendary Strolz Sport & Mode has been decking visitors with swanky sportswear and ski gear for over 100 years.

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France is a nation of contradictions, its engineering trends being simultaneously ultra-conservative yet radically inventive to the point of absurdity.

The forces of conformity and eccentricity have long been at odds in this great European nation. The looks of Frances aircraft designs have been equally contradictory, swinging wildly from extremely beautiful to utterly gross. Today, we look at the latter:

10: Breguet 1050 Alize

Breguet 1050 Alize

Arguably, the Breguet Br.1050 Alize (French: Tradewind) does not match the spectacularly appealing ugliness of its British counterpart, the Fairey Gannet, but it is still a monster. This carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft flew in 1956 and was introduced into the French Navy in 1959.

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Powered by a single Rolls-Royce RDa.7 Dart Mk 21 turboprop engine putting out up to 2099 horsepower, the Alize could reach 322 mph. Armament options included torpedo or depth charges in the internal bay. Bombs, depth charges, rockets, or missiles could be carried underwing.

The Indian Navy operated 14 Alize aircraft from shore bases and the INS Vikrant. These planes played key roles in Goas 1961 liberation and the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, sinking three gunboats. One Alize was lost to a Pakistani F-104 Starfighter while conducting anti-submarine warfare patrols.

Visually, the aircraft was an incoherent mess. The already cluttered lines were further muddled by a mass of aerials, radio antennae wires, a pipe-like exhaust and other bulges and protrusions. But looks aside, the Alize was an effective aircraft that served from 1959 until 2000.

9: Breguet 763 Deux-Ponts

Breguet 763 Deux-Ponts

With all the elegance of a python digesting an elephant or a Lockheed Constellation that has committed carbocide, the Breguet 763 was a French four-engine aircraft that first flew in 1949. It was known informally, but almost universally, as Deux-Ponts, meaning double-decker.

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Design work on the aircraft began during the war, in 1944, with the intention of creating a 100-passenger airliner that utilised readily available engines, which could be quickly developed for the new era of peace. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA18 eighteen-cylinder radial engines rated at 2400 horsepower.

The aircraft faced twin commercial threats: a glut of surplus wartime piston-engine transports and a new generation of far faster jet aircraft. Against such competition, the unlucky lumpen Deux-Ponts didnt stand a chance. Production of the series was halted after a mere 20 were made.

Its double-deck configuration foreshadowed the Boeing 747 and A380. Air France aircraft had room for 59 passengers on the top deck and 48 on the lower deck. In a higher-density configuration, 135 passengers could be carried. A military variant, the Breguet 765 Sahara, served in small numbers with the French Air Force.

8: Amiot 143

Amiot 143

Looking as awkward and unlikely as a flying cable car cabin held aloft by a giant mechanical bison, seemingly nobody told Amiot that the 1930s was supposed to be an era of beautiful aeroplanes. Where to begin in describing this visual horror story is hard, but the wing must be mentioned.

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The chord of a wing is the distance from the front to the back of the wing. The chord of the 143 is so vast its wings looked more cheeseboard than aeronautical. However, there are advantages to a broad chord wing: it offers a large internal volume that can be used for fuel and may also allow for a reduced wingspan.

Armament consisted of four 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 light machine guns (one each in the nose and dorsal turrets, forward gondola and rear gondola) and up to 800 kg of bombs carried internally plus a maximum of 800 kg externally.

In the autumn of 1939 Amiot 143s carried out reconnaissance and propaganda leaflet drops over Germany. In the Battle of France of 1940, the Amiot 143 was used in night attacks against airfields and communications lines. The aircraft proved exceptionally vulnerable in daylight raids.

7: Airbus BelugaST

Airbus BelugaST

Seemingly possessing a disproportionate forehead with a swollen sausage of a fuselage, the Airbus Beluga is almost nobodys idea of elegance. Although not aesthetically pleasing, the Beluga excels in its primary role of transporting oversized wing and fuselage sections of incomplete aircraft for the Airbus company.

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Airbus is an international company making airliners. The parts, made at different factories around the world, need to be moved for final assembly. The quickest way is by air, but some parts are too large to fit in standard transport aircraft.

Airbus used to rely on the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy, a heavily modified Boeing C-97/ 377, for their outsize transport needs, but as this grew long in the tooth, they designed a new transporter based on their own A300, and able to carry twice the load.

Also known as the A300-600ST Super Transporter, the Beluga first flew in 1994. It can carry up to 40 tonnes of freight and has a maximum range of 1650 km. It is capable of moving objects 39 metres long and 7 metres high.

6: Nord.500 Cadet

Nord.500 Cadet

The Nord-Aviation N.500 Cadet was one of the many experimental ADAV (VTOL to English speakers) research aircraft built in France during the 60s. Its basic configuration was similar to the Canadian CL-84 or US XC-142 tilt-wings of the same period - and it was developed at the request of the French armed forces.

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The French military wished to replace helicopters and conventional fixed-wing military transports with fast vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The role of the Cadet was to test and develop the new technology of tilt-rotor ducted propellers, even before the first test of the prototype.

The second prototype flew on July 23 1968, in captive flight (attached to the ground by strong steel cables to limit the risk of accidents). The N.500 Cadet made its first and only free flight in 1969 but never transitioned from vertical to horizontal flight. The programme was scrapped in 1971 despite the promise of larger and more powerful versions.

The government preferred conventional helicopters and instead opted for the Sud-Aviation SA-330 Puma. Though it never entered service, it was probably the inspiration for the fictional Hunter-Killer drones of the Terminator movies, and the ducted fan VTOL concept has never gone away, appearing on many uncrewed aircraft and personal transport concepts.

5: Breguet 410

Breguet 410

If you design an aeroplane with aerodynamics as the priority, it will tend to be beautiful; if you design an aircraft with uninterrupted arcs of fire for defensive machine guns as a key concern, you may end up with a monstrosity. And Sacre bleu, the 410 was a monstrosity

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Its proportions, with its massive tail, truncated tadpole fuselage and oversized main undercarriage, hurt the eyes. Its towering forward fuselage looked like 60s experimental architecture that should have never been built.

5: Breguet 410

Breguet 410

This sesquiplane (a biplane where one wing, typically the lower one, is significantly smaller than the other) was developed by Breguet Aviation in the late 1920s to create a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, classified as a Multiplace de Combat. Only a single unit of the initial Breguet 410 variant was produced, with the design ultimately being rejected in favour of the competing (and also hideous) Amiot 143.

Although the Amiot 143 was chosen, production of an improved Breguet variant (the 413 still began), albeit in limited numbers. The French Air Force acquired several units. One Breguet 413 variant was sold to the Spanish Republican Air Force, where it may have participated in the Spanish Civil War, what would be its only known combat deployment.

4: Riout 102T Alerion

Riout 102T Alerion

Rene Louis Riout built his first flapping wing aircraft in 1913, the DuBois-Riout. It got off the ground in 1916 but crashed almost immediately. Undeterred, Riout continued to develop his ornithopters. He built larger models until a state body coordinating aeronautical efforts expressed interest in the engineers strange proposals and agreed to create an experimental prototype.

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And so, the Riout 102T Alerion was born (or hatched). Its fuselage was made of tubular steel and covered with aluminium. The closed cockpit was located at the very front of the machine; in the nose and the engine, a small V-twin engine was installed behind the pilot and the attachment point of the four flapping wings.

4: Riout 102T Alerion

Riout 102T Alerion

The aircraft had four small retractable wheels and four wings operating in pairs. By early 1938, construction of the Alerion had been completed, and it had been moved to Chalais-Meudon (an aeronautical research and development centre southwest of Paris).

Wind tunnel testing began with the wings stationary, then later flapping, before the final stage of deformation was tested (it is this deformation that produces thrust to propel the aircraft). The wings gave way under the rigours of the wind tunnel combined with the violence of the flapping. The machine was not repaired  and it never flew.

3: Bleriot 125

Bleriot 125

In 1928, the Bleriot company created a modern airliner that looked  and still looks - like nothing else, the rather buoyant Bleriot 125. The specifications called for a passenger aircraft that could carry between ten and twelve passengers over a range of 1000 kilometres.

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The aircraft was distinguished by the presence of two passenger cabins and a central cockpit, making it a double-beam aircraft. The two massive pods have been compared to clown shoes. The 125 was powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12HBr inline engines installed in a push-pull configuration that was rather unusual for the time.

3: Bleriot 125

Bleriot 125

It was at the Grand Palais Air Show in Paris in 1930 that the aircraft was presented to the public for the first time. Although there was no aesthetic standard for the perfect design of an airliner as there is today, visitors were surprised by its strange configuration.

An American press correspondent cruelly called the twin-engine aircraft a Flying Joke" - despite his complete lack of knowledge of the aircrafts performance in the air. For that, it was necessary to wait for the first flight on March 9, 1931. The Flying Joke actually had relatively good flying characteristics and was fairly easy to fly.

2: Papin & Rouilly's Gyroptere

Papin & Rouilly's Gyroptere

Seemingly a biz-jet designed by H. R. Giger to take him to the depths of Hieronymus Boschs hell, lets meet the utterly unlikely Gyroptere. Engineers Papin and Rouilly created a sort of helicopter whose flight technique was directly inspired by the fall of the samaras, the winged seeds of the sycamore tree.

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It consisted of a single rotating 17-metre-long blade driven by a tip-jet of compressed air, produced by an 80-horsepower Rhone rotary engine driving a compressor. The engine also served as a counterweight to the blade. The pilot sat at the centre of gravity in a small gondola, which was stabilised from the rotation of the blade by a second jet of compressed air.

2: Papin and Rouilly's Gyroptere

Papin and Rouilly's Gyroptere

The configuration allowed, in (the quite likely) case of failure, the pilot to gently lower the machine back to the waters surface...at least in theory. A prototype was built in 1913, but tests were delayed by both a troubled development and the outbreak of the First World War, and the machine did not make its first attempt to take off until March 1915 from the Cercey reservoir in France.

After starting the engine, the canopy began to turn, and the machine took off and left the water for a short time before becoming violently unstable. The weird craft hit the surface of the water and sank. The overall Gyroptere concept was a technological cul-de-sac but a fascinating vision of another universe where the giant mechanical tomahawk was a viable form of transport.

1: Farman F.120 & F.170 Jabiru

Farman F.120 & F.170 Jabiru

The jabiru bird from which the Jabiru aircraft were named is a large stork found in the Americas. It is an impressive bird, but not the most beautiful or gainly. Rarely has an aircraft been so appropriately named.

The Farman F.120 (pictured) was a series of aircraft that first flew in 1923. The series was used in various roles, including as airliners and bombers. It was utterly grotesque, a strong contender for the ugliest aircraft ever made. Perhaps the most hideous member of the family was the three-engine F-4X (pictured).

1: Farman F.120 & F.170 Jabiru

Farman F.120 & F.170 Jabiru

As the Farman F.170 Jabiru (which first lumbered into the air in 1925) sat low on its wheels, it was derisively nicknamed the ventre-a-terre (belly to the ground). Although ugly, the F.170 (pictured) was, in many ways, a sound design.

Like the Amiot 143, the Farman F.170 Jabiru had a hideously broad chord wing. This inelegant wing was combined with a comical fuselage and windmill-like propeller, giving an uninspiring toylike look. In the F. 170s defence, it was at least better looking than the F.120.

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For Royal Caribbean vacationers, 2026 is set to be a year of bolder beach days with the opening of two new exclusive beach destinations in two popular cruise ports over the next year and more to follow in 2027.

Royal Caribbeans new beach clubs will offer passengers an easy way to enhance their visits to some of the busiest cruise ports in the world with a day pass to an exclusive beach resort destination that blends local culture with signature Royal Caribbean experiences.

If an all-inclusive, resort-style beach day is your port day vibe, youll want to consider one of these new shore excursions for your Royal Caribbean cruise in 2026 or 2027.

Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island opens Dec. 23, 2025. Image source: Royal Caribbean (Image source: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island  Nassau, Bahamas

Opening on Dec. 23, 2025, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island is a 17-acre resort destination built around a picturesque Bahamas beach located near the Nassau cruise port.

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Passengers who purchase a day pass to visit the new beach club will be shuttled straight from the pier to the resort destination via vibrant water ferries. Once they arrive, vacationers can explore three neighborhoods offering distinct vibes from laidback to lively: Chill Beach, Family Beach, and Party Cove featuring a huge swim-up bar and DJ. Each area features its own pool with swim-up bar as well as Bahamian food and an atmosphere that celebrates Bahamian culture.

Royal Beach Club Paradise Island day passes include unlimited drinks, all-day dining, Wi-Fi, umbrellas and lounge chairs, and more.

Royal Beach Club Santorini will open in summer 2026.Image source: Royal Caribbean (Image source: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Beach Club Santorini  Santorini, Greece

In summer 2026, Royal Caribbean is bringing the Royal Beach Club experience to Mediterranean cruises with Royal Beach Club Santorini. The new beach club will not only bring a new beach resort experience to the Greek port, it will help ease tourist congestion on the popular island.

The beach club will be part of an Ultimate Santorini full-day excursion that will include a beach club visit and a scenic ferry tour of the island with stops in Oia and Fira. Vacationers will begin the excursion in one of three locations, which will help to better disperse visitors throughout the island and improve the port experience for cruise passengers.

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At Royal Beach Club Santorini, visitors will enjoy a volcanic black sand beach along the Aegean Sea, complimentary gourmet beachfront dining, umbrellas, loungers, Wi-Fi, and more.

Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.

Royal Beach Club Cozumel is expected to open by early 2027.Image source: Royal Caribbean (Image source: Royal Caribbean)

Royal Beach Club Cozumel  Cozumel, Mexico

If youre taking a Royal Caribbean cruise to popular Cozumel, Mexico in early 2027, you can be among the first to visit Royal Caribbeans first beach club in Mexico.

The beachfront resort destination will feature two pools with swim-up bars, locally-inspired drinks and dining, water activities like snorkeling, and Mexican spirit in an authentic, all-inclusive beach club experience. Like the other Royal Beach Clubs, Royal Beach Club Cozumel day passes will be available as a Cozumel shore excursion.

Related: Royal Caribbean brings back a popular, exclusive beverage

In fall 2027, another new exclusive destination will come to Mexico cruises as Royal Caribbean opens Perfect Day Mexico in Costa Maya. A 200-acre resort destination, Perfect Day Mexico will feature a waterpark with 30 waterslides, the worlds longest lazy river, six pools, three beaches, regionally inspired dining, and more. Like Royal Caribbeans popular Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas, Perfect Day Mexico will offer free admission for Royal Caribbean passengers.

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(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)

Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.

This story was originally published by TravelHost on Dec 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The de Havilland Mosquito was the Wooden Wonderoutrageously fast, and formidable.

But it wasnt the only aircraft fashioned from timber. In an age when aluminium promised the future, war forced designers to turn back to wood: abundant, adaptable, yet flawed. Here are 10 Wooden Wonders & Misfits of the Second World War.

10: Messerschmitt Me 321/323 Gigant

Messerschmitt Me 321/323 Gigant

The planned German invasion of Britain required the swift delivery of tanks, guns and men across the English Channel, prompting a call for a massive glider. Built in weeks, the Messerschmitt Me 321 was then the worlds second-largest aircraft. The massive Me 321 used wood to conserve scarce metals, easing production despite shortages.

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It immediately became apparent that it was exceptionally difficult to launch the enormous machine  it had a wingspan as wide as todays B-52. The initial tow aircraft, the Junkers Ju 90, was too weak; using three Messerschmitt Bf 110s at once was attempted, but it proved to be tricky and extremely dangerous.

10: Messerschmitt Me 321/323

Messerschmitt Me 321/323

Although the arrival of the twin Heinkel He 111Z tow aircraft (essentially two He 111s joined at the wing  see previous picture) eased the issue somewhat, a more straightforward solution was to convert the transport glider into a powered aircraft. The Me 323 emerged with six 1140-hp (850kW) Gnome-Rhone 14N 14-cylinder piston engines.

Though slaughtered whenever it met enemy fighters (not unusual for a transport aircraft), the Messerschmitt Me 323 is the father of modern transport aircraft in many ways. The clamshell nose that opened to load or deliver outsize loads easily foreshadowed a new breed of transport aircraft with large nose or rear doors, as did the multi-wheel undercarriage.

9: Supermarine Walrus

Supermarine Walrus

As the Walrus was an amphibious flying boat intended for catapult launch from battleships, designer RJ Mitchell built it like one. The Walrus was astonishingly robust, a fact demonstrated in several wheel-up landings. These incidents were learned from, and the Walrus became one of the first aircraft to have an automatic undercarriage position indicator (a horn would also sound should a pilot fail to notice).

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The Supermarine Walrus had a metal hull to start with, but then Supermarine switched to wood in the Mk.II to free up materials for more essential types. There arent many aircraft types that make that seemingly backwards progression.

9: Supermarine Walrus

Supermarine Walrus

It did vital work in the roles of fleet gunnery spotting and observation. After catapult launch, it was recovered from the water by crane. The small bomb load proved enough to sink a U-boat. But just as the Walrus was not quite a pure aeroplane, it was not quite a warrior. When the better, faster and meaner came along, it was given over to air-sea rescue. It found its true calling in saving, not killing.

For the half-drowned, who know hypothermia isnt far off, a Walrus meant a blanket, a thermos of hot tea laced with rum; it was life. And when the weight of ten Americans from a ditched B-17 couldnt be flown, the pilot just pointed the bow towards England, and taxied home by water. Not bad for an aircraft that can be looped.

8: Caudron C.714 Cyclone

Caudron C.714 Cyclone

The series of Cyclone fighters achieved respectable top speed despite modest engines thanks to their small size and lightweight wooden construction, following the French predilection for petite fighters. The Caudron C.714 Cyclone emerged in 1938; its monocoque fuselage was fashioned from laminated plywood, skinned smooth for aerodynamic efficiency, while its wings combined wooden spars and ply coverings.

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The rather attractive 714 embodied Frances ambition to conserve aluminium without sacrificing modernity. Carpenters and craftsmen played as vital a role as engineers, shaping fuselages in workshops more accustomed to furniture than fighters. Each airframe bore the scent of resin and varnish, a reminder that timber, abundant and familiar, was being pressed into the urgent service of aerial warfare.

8: Caudron C.714

Caudron C.714

Performance on paper suggested promise: a top speed near 300mph and fine handling. Beneath its elegant appearance, the Cyclone suffered from the weediness of its small Renault 12R engine. Pilots quickly discovered that speed alone (it reached 283mph, still slower than the Me 109) could not compensate for underpowered climbs and sluggish acceleration.

Deployed briefly in 1940, the C.714 proved inadequate against German fighters, and production ceased. Yet the wooden fighter remains notable as an experiment born of necessity. A sizable force of 80 was intended for the Finnish Air Force, though only six were delivered. The 714 was armed with four 7.5mm MAC machine guns.

7: Heinkel He 162 Volksjager

Heinkel He 162 Volksjager

Conceived in Nazi Germanys desperate last days, the tiny Heinkel He 162 Volksjager (Peoples fighter) was born of the hope that a mass-produced, cheap yet highly advanced design could defend against the hundreds of Allied bombers pummelling Germany. Cheap manufacture came courtesy of the misery of subterranean forced labour and resulted in appalling build quality.

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Conception to first flight took just three months. It was an extremely innovative design combining the new technologies of jet propulsion and ejection seat that was intended to be flown by young, fanatical men (and boys), minimally trained on gliders. Though an impressive achievement, capable of 550mph, it was difficult to fly.

7: Heinkel He 162 Volksjager

Heinkel He 162 Volksjager

In the final days of the project, it became apparent that jet engines were too costly and used too many valuable materials. A simple solution was considered: the replacement of the jet engine with one or two pulse jets as used on the V-1 cruise missile.

Another proposal was for an He 162 to form the upper component of a Mistel composite, atop a massive air-launched bomb, the Ar 377 or Ju 268, to guide it near its target and then detach. The bomb (or missile or drone, depending on how you wish to define it) was essentially a twin-engine jet bomber in its own right.

6: Bell XP-77

Bell XP-77

The rather tiny and gawky Bell XP-77 took Miles M.20 philosophy even further. Where the M.20 had sought to be an expedient fighter built from non-strategic materials, the Bell XP-77 pursued this notion to its ultimate conclusion. Conceived in 1941, it was imagined as a lightweight interceptor fashioned largely from laminated wood to be manufactured and deployed if the tide of war had gone very badly for the US.

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Americas aircraft industry was straining under demands for aluminium, and the idea of a wooden fighter had great appeal. Bell envisaged a machine that could be quickly built, using techniques familiar to furniture makers and boatyards. The XP-77s structure was accordingly of resin-bonded plywood, a striking departure from mainstream American practice.

6: Bell XP-77

Bell XP-77

The aircraft itself was tiny, elegant in an odd kind of way, and somewhat austere. Powered by a modest 520 horsepower engine, it was intended to rely on high manoeuvrability for survival. Armament was to consist of a pair of machine guns or cannons, housed neatly in the nose, keeping construction simple. It bears interesting comparison with the Italian Ambrosini SAI.207.

In the event, performance, including a top speed of 330mph, disappointed. It was underpowered, with vibration and handling issues. The wooden structure, though ingenious, did not confer the expected advantages. Only two prototypes were completed, and the project was quietly abandoned. Yet it remains a fascinating experiment in wartime improvisation. Had it entered service in 1944, this rather meek aeroplane would have faced fighters with more than a 100mph speed advantage, a daunting prospect.

5: Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito

Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito

The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 was one of Germanys more unusual responses to the pressing demands of the second world war. Conceived as a fast night fighter, it owed much of its inspiration to Britains de Havilland Mosquito, earning the nickname Moskito from the Luftwaffe. Its defining feature was its use of wood, a feature it shared with the Horton Ho 229.

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At a time when aluminium was increasingly scarce, German engineers sought alternatives, and wood offered an attractive solution. The Ta 154s fuselage and wings were built largely from plywood, bonded with synthetic adhesives. This was both pragmatic and ironic, given Germanys own propaganda had previously mocked Britain for using furniture materials in aircraft.

5: Focke-Wulf Ta 154

Focke-Wulf Ta 154

The choice of wood carried both advantages and severe drawbacks. On the one hand, the Ta 154 could be produced with fewer strategic resources, and its light structure promised excellent speed and agility. On the other, quality control was disastrous. A shortage of suitable adhesives led to structural failures, and entire airframes were lost to glue that literally dissolved in rain. A few Ta 154s did see service in January 1945, and 28 were produced in total.

Three bizarre uses of the Ta 154 were considered, all involving it being used as an explosive-filled anti-bomber device: one involved it being taken to battle by a piggy-backing Fw 190; another as a towed bomb; the most alarming involved the bomber being steered on to its target by a pilot in the rear of the aircraft who was then expected to escape via a downward-firing election seat.

4: Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose

Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose

Only missing out the top slot as it missed the war it was intended to take part in, no story about wooden aircraft could miss out the incredible H-4. Popularly known by its nickname of the Spruce Goose, the Hughes H-4 Hercules was a colossal wooden flying boat designed by the famously eccentric Howard Hughes.

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Conceived during the Second World War, the intention was to create a vast strategic transport aircraft to move troops and cargo across the Atlantic, bypassing the menace of German U-boats. Its massive size and innovative design captured global attention.

4: Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose

Hughes H-4 Hercules Spruce Goose

Constructed primarily from birch, not spruce, the plane boasted an unprecedented 320-foot wingspan. With eight powerful engines, it was intended to carry 750 troops or heavy equipment. Wartime restrictions delayed its completion, and the war ended before the H-4 could serve its intended purpose.

On November 2, 1947, Hughes piloted the Spruce Goose for its only flight. Lifting off from Long Beach Harbor in California, it flew for about a mile, reaching a height of only 70 feet. This brief journey proved its airworthiness but also marked its retirement, as critics questioned its practicality and cost. The war had ended, and with it, the need for the Hercules. Though it never saw operational use, its legacy endures as one of the great wonders of aviation. It survives today at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in Oregon, USA.

3: VL Myrsky (Storm)

VL Myrsky (Storm)

The VL Myrsky first took to the air on 23 December 1941, marking Finlands ambitious attempt to design and build its own modern fighter during the Second World War. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engine, licence-built in Sweden, it achieved a decent maximum speed of around 332mph.

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Armed with four 12.7 mm wing-mounted heavy machine guns and the ability to carry small bombs, the Myrsky served in both fighter and ground-attack roles. Its distinctive wooden airframe, built from laminated birch and plywood, reflected Finlands need to conserve scarce metals, balancing resource constraints with performance demands. The two-spar wing was plywood-skinned.

3: VL Myrsky

VL Myrsky

In total, 51 Myrsky aircraft were built, including prototypes and production models. Finland was the sole operator, and although the type never matched the performance of the most advanced German or Soviet fighters, it provided the Finnish Air Force with urgently needed reinforcements at a critical stage of the war.

It was flown operation over Lapland against German forces. Operationally, pilots appreciated the Myrskys handling, but its wooden structure was susceptible to damp weather, resulting in warping and maintenance difficulties. Its durability was always in doubt, and when one broke up during a dive in 1947, the type was retired. Another wooden fighter worthy of attention was the Latvian VEF I-16.

2: Miles M.20

Miles M.20

The Miles M.20 was constructed largely of wood due to wartime necessity. Britain faced shortages of strategic metals like aluminium, prioritised for Spitfires and Hurricanes. Wood allowed rapid, inexpensive production with existing skills and materials. This design aimed to provide an emergency fighter should conventional aircraft production be disrupted.

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To maintain simplicity, the M.20 dispensed with a hydraulic system, and while this meant that the landing gear wasnt retractable, the weight saved allowed for a large internal fuel capacity and the unusually heavy armament of twelve machine guns with twice as much ammunition as either the Hurricane or the Spitfire.

2: Miles M20

Miles M20

Tests revealed that the M.20 was slower than the Spitfire but faster than the Hurricane, and its operating range was roughly double that of either. It also sported one of the first clear-view bubble canopies to be fitted to a military aircraft.

Due to the M.20 being viewed as a panic fighter  an emergency back-up if Hurricanes or Spitfires couldnt be produced in sufficient numbers  production of the M.20 was deemed unnecessary, since no serious shortage occurred of either of the existing fighters.

1: Lavochkin La-5FN/ La-7

Lavochkin La-5FN/ La-7

Lavochkin reinvigorated the lacklustre LaGG-3 fighter, by replacing its inline 1260 horsepower Klimov-M 105PF engine with the Shvetsov M-82 radial engine. The new aircraft, the La-5, was massively improved with this new 1649 horsepower engine. The first La-5 was completed in December 1941, two months after design work began.

It was further improved with the addition of the M-82FN (FN short for fosirovanny meaning boosted). The new fuel-injected engine was a beast, with 1850 horsepower at take-off. Faster than 400mph, the La-5FN proved formidable in combat. It was the mount of the greatest Allied ace, Ivan Kozhedub (1920-1991), for the most of his victories.

1: Lavochkin La-5FN/ La-7

Lavochkin La-5FN/ La-7

With delays in the development of the all-metal La-9, the La-7 was only intended as an interim fighter. However, the relatively low-key refinements and timing of world events meant this interim fighter became the ultimate Lavochkin fighter of World War II, as well as the last new fighter of largely wooden construction. The Lavochkin La-5FN and La-7 fighters extensively used wood in their construction, particularly laminated plywood for fuselages and wings. This reduced reliance on scarce aluminium.

The Soviet Unions vast forests provided abundant timber, ensuring steady aircraft production even during wartime shortages, making wood a strategic resource in aviation. Though formidable in many ways, Lavochkin took the La-5FN and further improved it. They started by removing the supercharger air intake from the top of the engine cowling and repositioning it on the port wing root. This improved the pilots view as well as reducing drag. The oil cooler was also relocated, along with the starter dog. This new, cleaned-up aeroplane was impressive with a top speed greater than 410mph.

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A 14-year-old girl has plunged to her death from an elite New York City private school building, according to the cops.

Authorities rushed to The Chapin School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at around 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday to find the girl with injuries indicative of falling from an elevated position, The New York City Police Department told The Independent.

First responders took the girl to a nearby hospital in critical condition but she later died from her injuries. Its unclear whether the incident was an accident.

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Her exact cause of death is yet to be determined. The Independent has reached out to New York Citys Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for comment.

A 14-year-old girl plunged to her death from an elite New York City private school building, according to the cops (Getty/iStock)

No arrests have been made in the investigation into the girls death as of late Thursday afternoon.

Police say the girls identity is being withheld until the family is notified of her death.

The Chapin School is a K-12 all girls school established in 1901. There are more than 800 students currently enrolled. This years tuition cost more than $68,000.

Students from Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens attend The Chapin School. The school also has students from New Yorks Long Island and Westchester County as well as Connecticut and New Jersey.

No arrests have been made and an exact cause of death has yet to be revealed following the incident at The Chaplin School (Google Earth)

Prominent alumni of the school include former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and President Donald Trumps eldest daughter Ivanka Trump.

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The Independent has reached out to The Chapin School for comment.

Wednesdays incident comes just weeks after a 16-year-old boy plunged to his death from a Catholic all-boys school on the Upper East Side, according to police.

A representative from Regis High School called the incident an unimaginable tragedy.

It is with heavy hearts that we write that one of our students tragically lost his life," the representative told PEOPLE.
Like our incredibly upset significant other, these archaeologists, geologists, and every other ologist out there are really throwing the past right in our faces. Mental health experts seem to agree that dwelling on the past is futile, but if these folks keep drumming up highly interesting finds, they deserve a pass. Well tell their therapists to take it easy on them.

Historians and scientists might not be so kind though. Earthly discoveries can sometimes rewrite our history and understanding of the natural world, which might inadvertently negate some poor saps life work. Dont worry, little buddy. You were working with the best info you had available to you at the time. Take this list, for example. This batch of gems from 2025 can only stay fresh for so long. 2026 might bring discoveries that question these findings, and were just going to have to be okay with that.

15 A 2700 year-old Greek Noblewomans burial site

In late November, 2025, archaeologists discovered the 2,700 year-old burial site of a woman wearing a bronze crown placed upside down on her head (which could be a rare and symbolic funerary detail). She was buried with jewelry, beads, copper earrings, amulets, and a bronze pin. The tomb adds to understanding of power structures, social upheaval, and ritual/burial customs in Greece during the Archaic period.

14 A perfectly-preserved 53 million year-old gecko

A remarkably well-preserved gecko from the Lower Eocene period was found trapped in Baltic amber in Russia. Its the first of its species ever found, and with its primitive digits, it proves that geckos had climbing abilities very early on. This greatly advances our understanding of reptilian evolution.

13 A lost world was found under Antarctica

Under a mile of Antarctic ice, scientists uncovered a hidden 12,000 square-mile landscape that hasnt seen sunlight in over 34 million years. Researchers used satellite scans and ice-penetrating radar to find this stretch of valleys and ridges that may have once supported rivers, forests, and life.

12 The pink bumpy snailfish

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On September 26, 2025, researchers identified three previously unknown species of deep-sea snailfish  including this striking pink bumpy snailfish living thousands of meters below the Pacific surface.

11 Hundreds of previously unknown bacteria strains

In 2025, scientists have been able to identify hundreds of unknown bacteria strains from a single forest soil sample. A few of which could potentially form new antibiotics. Experts say that this is especially important, since antibiotic resistance is rising worldwide, and it proves that soil is a largely untapped source of medical breakthroughs.

10 How half-billion year-old reefs were built

On June 12, 2025, scientists uncovered new evidence about how ancient reef-like ecosystems may have formed. They studied how tiny, fossilized sea creatures called small shelly fauna (some of the earliest animals with hard shells ever found on Earth) were building the planet's earliest reefs over 514 million years ago.

9 An endangered whales amazing migration

This right whale, photographed off the coast of Boston on November 19, 2025, was previously photographed in Donegal Bay, Ireland, in July 2024. Researchers say this 3,000-mile journey is the first theyve ever seen from a North Atlantic right whale (which have a population of under 400). Experts say that this journey offers new insights into whale migration patterns  information that is crucial for conservation efforts.

8 A new venomous spider in California

At the University of California - Davis, scientists found a new trapdoor spider species (Aptostichus ramirezae) living under Californias dunes. Its venom isnt considered deadly to humans, but a bite would be about as painful as a wasp or bee sting.

7 Fossils show that dinosaurs were thriving when the asteroid hit

For much of the past century, scientists thought dinosaurs were already in decline long before the asteroid impact ended their reign. However, scientists say that a new study of fossils in New Mexico shows that distinct bioprovinces of dinosaurs existed until the very end. Their extinction was sudden, not gradual.

6 Parasitic wasps are spreading across the U.S.

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Two species of Bootanomyia dorsalis wasps were recently found to have been introduced to North America from Europe. Theyre killing North American gall wasps at alarming rates, and disrupting natural ecosystems.

5 Scientists discover what could be the next pandemic threat

On June 25, 2025, scientists discovered new viruses in bats inhabiting orchards in southwestern China. Two new viruses are closely related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses, which are pathogens that can cause severe brain inflammation and respiratory disease in humans.

4 A Jurassic-era fly changed what we know about evolution

A 151 million year-old fly in Australia reveals that freshwater insects may have first evolved in the Southern Hemisphere. Named Telmatomyia talbragarica, the fossil shows freshwater adaptations previously thought to exist only in marine species.

3 Ancient Egyptian pleasure boat

Submerged off the coast of Alexandria, the 35 meter-long vessel features a central pavilion and likely required over 20 rowers. It dates back to the 1st century AD and archaeologists say it offers rare, unprecedented insight into luxury, ritual, and ceremonial culture of the early Roman-period Egypt.

2 A 2400 year-old sacrificial complex

In the summer of 2025, archaeologists unearthed the richest site of nomadic-era funerary/ritual practices ever discovered. This deposit in the southern Ural Mountains included hundreds of pieces and ornaments from between the fourth and third centuries B.C. It sheds new light on how ancient nomadic societies buried and commemorated their dead, including ritual practices and trade connections.

15 The glow-in-the-dark mini pocket shark

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The mini pocket shark or Mollisquama Mississippiensis is only the second of its kind ever recorded. Found in the inky black depths of the Gulf of Mexico, this 14-centimeter (5-inch) predator lures its unsuspecting prey by mimicking faint sunlight.

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Los Angeles police are searching for two assailants who stabbed two people during a robbery attempt at Westfield Topanga mall amid the busy holiday shopping season.

Paramedics responded to the popular Canoga Park mall on Topanga Canyon Boulevard sometime before 5 p.m. Thursday.

The two suspects are now on the run after they allegedly tried to snatch jewelry from the victims and stabbed them, police said.

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At least one victim was hospitalized. The victims' conditions are unknown.

AIR7 captured video of LAPD patrol cars and an ambulance at the entrance to the parking garage.

Police did not provide a description of the suspects.
The number of Tennessee public schools that earned an A letter grade from the state increased in 2024-25 compared to the previous year, while the ones given an F dropped slightly.

Tennessee released its annual letter grades for every public school in the state on Dec. 18 alongside its annual State Report Card, marking the third time it's done so under a law that took effect in 2023. A total of 1,905 public schools were included in the data released by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Around 19% of the state's public schools earned As in 2024-25, up from around 15% the year before. And while the spread of Bs, Cs and Ds remained relatively unchanged in that same time, the number of schools getting Fs dropped from 4% to 3%.

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Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds said the 2024-25 State Report Card is a celebration of the progress and achievements for public schools statewide.

"We are inspired by the dedication of schools that excelled in School Letter Grades and are making a meaningful difference for students," Reynolds said in a Dec. 18 news release. "We invite all Tennesseans to join us in supporting, uplifting and advancing the growth of every school in our state."

Students walk toward the doors on the first day of school at the Shwab Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

How school letter grades spread out across Tennessee

Here's how many schools earned each letter grade in the 2024-25 school year, with percentages rounded to the nearest whole number:

A: 355 schools (19%)

B: 483 schools (25%)

C: 491 schools (26%)

D: 302 schools (16%)

F: 66 schools (3%)

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Additionally, 208 schools were not eligible for letter grades in 2024-25. That represents the approximately 11% of remaining schools statewide. According to the education department, schools can be ineligible for letter grades due to a variety of factors, including the type of school. For example, public school programs geared toward adult learners or students with special needs do not qualify for letter grades.

2023-24 Tennessee letter grades: See how the state's public schools did

Schools that receive a D or F may be asked to appear before the State Board of Education. They may also be required to follow a corrective plan or even face academic and financial audits. These things would not apply until the 2026-27 school year.

In 2024-25, around 21% of schools received Ds and Fs, which is the same as the previous year.

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Williamson County Schools earned the most A grades in the state in 2024-25, while Memphis-Shelby County Schools had the most Fs. That remains unchanged from the previous year.

See what letter grade your school got for the 2024-25 school year

Use the searchable table below to look up your school's letter grade. You can search by county, district or school. You can also see which number score each school received. Letter grades are determined on a scale of 1-5, with 1 as the lowest.

A look at school letter grades in Middle Tennessee

Here is a look at how A-F letter grades panned out for districts around the Middle Tennessee region.

Cheatham County School District

A: 2

B: 6

C: 2

D: 2

F: 1

One school was not eligible for a letter grade in Cheatham County.

Clarksville-Montgomery County School System

A: 9

B: 21

C: 8

D: 4

F: 0

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Two schools were not eligible for a letter grade in Montgomery County.

Dickson County School District

A: 3

B: 7

C: 4

D: 0

F: 0

Three schools were not eligible for letter grades in Dickson County.

Franklin Special School District (Williamson County)

A: 4

B: 4

C: 0

D: 0

F: 0

Lebanon Special School District (Wilson County)

A: 3

B: 4

C: 0

D: 0

F: 0

Maury County Public Schools

A: 2

B: 5

C: 10

D: 5

F: 0

Two schools were ineligible for letter grades in Maury County.

Students arrive at West Wilson Middle School for the first day of school in Mount Juliet, Tenn., Friday night, Aug. 2, 2024.

Metro Nashville Public Schools (Davidson County)

A: 14

B: 23

C: 57

D: 39

F: 10

Sixteen schools were ineligible for letter grades in Davidson County.

Murfreesboro City Schools (Rutherford County)

A: 1

B: 4

C: 6

D: 2

F: 0

Robertson County Schools

A: 2

B: 8

C: 4

D: 2

F: 1

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Six schools were ineligible for letter grades in Robertson County.

Rutherford County Schools

A: 26

B: 14

C: 6

D: 4

F: 0

Four schools were ineligible for letter grades in Rutherford County.

Sumner County Schools

A: 19

B: 14

C: 11

D: 5

F: 0

Four schools were ineligible for letter grades in Sumner County.

Williamson County Schools

A: 33

B: 11

C: 8

D: 0

F: 0

Wilson County Schools

A: 13

B: 6

C: 4

D: 0

F: 0

Two schools were ineligible for letter grades in Wilson County.

Additionally, there are 10 public charter schools that operate under the authority of the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission in Middle Tennessee. Nine are in Davidson County, and one is in Rutherford County. Here's how they fared:

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A: 5

B: 1

C: 1

D: 3

Learn more about Tennessee school letter grades

School letter grades are part of the annual update to the State Report Card, which includes in-depth data on the state, district and school level for things like test scores, attendance, academic growth and demographics.

The grading system weights achievement and growth scores, which measure year-over-year academic progress for students. High schools have an additional weight added for college and career readiness indicators, like SAT and ACT scores.

View the full State Report Card at ReportCard.TNedu.gov. To find a specific school, enter its name into the search bar at the top right. To find letter grades and other performance metrics, select the "2025 performance metrics" drop-down menu along the top menu bar.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN school letter grades are out. Look up your school here
Dutch geological data company Fugro has secured a contract with Mubadala Energy (South Andaman) to provide soil investigation services for the South Andaman Deepwater Development offshore North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Fugro will collect geo-data leveraging its deep-water autonomous underwater vehicle and robotic seafloor drill, Seafloor Drill 2, deployed on support vessels.

The current contract will support the front-end engineering design (FEED) and the engineering procurement and construction (EPC) award, and help in the detailed design for the development of the Tangkulo field on the South Andaman basin.

The Tangkulo field development includes offshore subsea wells linked through flowlines to a floating production, storage and offloading vessel, facilitating gas processing and export.

The processed gas will be transported via a dedicated export pipeline to an onshore receiving facility in the Indonesian province of Aceh.

Fugro Marine Site Characterisation Asia-Pacific regional business line director Shalu Shajahan said: We are proud to support Mubadala Energy on this deep-water development.

This project showcases our global expertise in deep-water geology and geohazard assessments, critical for confident decision-making during development.

It reflects our commitment to enabling complex offshore developments through high-quality geo-data insights and technical excellence.

Earlier this month, a heads of agreement (HoA) was signed between Mubadala Energy and PLN Energi Primer Indonesia for the supply of gas from the Andaman Sea.

The HoA establishes a framework for prioritising energy supply for North Sumatra and Aceh, including the strategic utilisation of the Tangkulo gas field.

Located approximately 65km offshore from North Sumatra, the Tangkulo field holds an estimated gas-in-place volume of more than two trillion cubic feet.

In September this year, Fugro signed two contracts with Constellation, an offshore energy services company, for deep-water exploration in key oil and gas regions in Brazil, including the Equatorial Margin and the Campos Basin.

"Fugro to provide soil investigation services for South Andaman Deepwater Development " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Community activist Cedric Dean filed a claim to recover his property from the federal government.

READ MORE: Charlotte activists halfway houses closing, residents left in limbo

Earlier this year, investigators froze Deans assets and seized his property, including a boarding house in Shelby.

Dean is accused of Medicaid fraud.

He used Medicaid information from people that he housed or helped and billed the government program for services that were not provided, federal investigators said.

That investigation is ongoing.

Dean has not been charged with a crime.

VIDEO: 9 Investigates: Once praised for his work, Cedric Dean now under investigation
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Wisconsin Republicans threatened Friday to impeach embattled judge Hannah Dugan if she doesn't resign immediately after she was convicted of obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers, saying her time serving the people of the state is over.

Federal prosecutors in April accused the judge of distracting federal officers trying to arrest a Mexican immigrant outside her courtroom and leading the man out through a private door. A jury convicted her of felony obstruction late Thursday after a four-day trial.

Dugan faces up to five years in prison when she's sentenced, though federal judges have discretion to go lower. No sentencing date has been set.

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The Wisconsin Constitution bars convicted felons from holding public office. The state Judicial Commission, which disciplines state judges, and Milwaukee County Chief Judge Carl Ashley, Dugan's boss, haven't responded to questions Friday about when Dugan's office will officially become vacant. Under state law, a vacancy doesn't begin until a convicted office holder is sentenced.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Tyler August, both Republicans, on Friday morning threatened to impeach Dugan if she doesn't immediately resign. They cited a legal opinion issued by then-Attorney General Bronson La Follette in 1976 that a state senator lost his seat the moment he was convicted of a felony.

Wisconsinites deserve to know their judiciary is impartial and that justice is blind, Vos and August said in a joint statement. Judge Hannah Dugan is neither, and her privilege of serving the people of Wisconsin has come to an end.

Dugan's defense team has not responded to a message seeking comment.

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The case against Dugan played out against a background of political turmoil over President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats insisted the administration was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation. Trump's administration branded Dugan an activist judge and posted photos of her being led away in handcuffs.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted Friday that NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.

No one can obstruct law enforcement as they carry out their basic duties, she said in a social media post. This Department of Justice will not waver as our agents and law enforcement partners continue to make America Safe Again.

Dugan never took the stand. Steve Biskupic, her lead attorney, said that he didnt understand how the jury could have reached a split verdict since the elements of both charges were so similar. Her team is expected to appeal the verdict.

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A coalition of 13 advocacy groups, including Common Cause Wisconsin and the League of Women Voters Wisconsin, said higher courts must carefully review the serious constitutional questions this case raises about due process, judicial authority, and federal overreach.

The Democracy Defenders Fund, a group that says it works to defend the foundations of our democracy, sent a fundraising email shortly after the verdicts were handed down to help cover Dugan's legal expenses.

This case is far from over, the group's executive chair, Norm Eisen, said in the email. Higher courts will have the opportunity to determine whether this prosecution crossed the lines that protect the judiciary from executive overreach.

John Vaudreuil, a former U.S. attorney in Madison, said Dugan faces an uphill fight to overturn the verdict. Appellate courts typically view evidence in the light most favorable to the government.

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Vaudreuil wasn't surprised to see a split verdict, saying the jury likely felt she intentionally tried to throw some sand into the gears but didn't go as far as concealing the immigrant in the general sense of the word, like hiding him in her house.

The two charges gave them two different ways to look at the evidence, he said.

Vaudreuil said he expects U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman to set a sentencing date within the next few days, but sentencing could be months away because the government needs time to examine Dugan's background for a pre-sentencing report.

On April 18, immigration officers went to the Milwaukee County courthouse after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.

Dugan confronted agents outside her courtroom and directed them to Ashley's office. After the agents left, she led Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in November he had been deported.
Dec. 18Spokane commuters will soon have a new option for flying to Alaska.

Alaska Airlines announced Thursday that it is adding nonstop flights to Anchorage from Spokane International Airport.

The twice-weekly service begins on June 10 and runs through Aug. 15.

"We continually assess the travel needs and preferences of our community, and know Anchorage, particularly during the summer travel period, is a sought-after destination by Inland Northwest passengers," Spokane Airports CEO Dave Haring said in a news release. "In fact, on average, more than 100 passengers per-day each-way travel between our region and Anchorage, which is why this new route is such a meaningful addition to our community's nonstop offerings."

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The twice-weekly flights to Anchorage will depart Spokane at 2:50 p.m. and arrive in Anchorage about 5:45 p.m.

The return leg departs Anchorage at 6:30 p.m. and arrives in Spokane at about 11:13 p.m., according to the release.

"Alaska Airlines has been a tremendous partner in leveraging customer feedback to connect our community to key markets across the country, and we are grateful for their continued investment in Spokane with this new route," Haring said in the release.
There are steps marketplace shoppers can take to ensure they make the right choices for the upcoming plan year. (Nevada Health Link video screengrab)

Nevada Health Link, the state-based marketplace where Nevadans sign up for Affordable Care Act plans, wont say how many people have enrolled in plans for coverage in the upcoming year.

Nevada Health Link Executive Officer Janel Davis, in a statement provided to the Nevada Current by a public relations firm, said the exchange does not plan on releasing enrollment numbers until the open enrollment period ends on Jan. 15.

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This year looks different than previous years due to several significant changes, including the scheduled expiration of enhanced subsidies, the introduction of new carriers, and new plan options on the marketplace, read the statement. Because of these changes, we are seeing trends showing individuals are taking more time to carefully review their options before selecting a plan.

In previous years, Nevada Health Link has announced in December the number of enrollments that took place in November, the first month of open enrollment.

For example, in December 2024, the exchange announced that more than 17,815 people had actively shopped and enrolled in plans during the first month of open enrollment for 2025 coverage. They boasted of a 10% increase in the number of new enrollees.

On Tuesday, Nevada Health Link announced only that early activity indicates steady engagement from both new consumers and returning enrollees and that active enrollments remain steady from the same time last year.

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The Current has formally requested open enrollment numbers but has not yet received a response.

The cost of existing plans available through Nevada Health Link were approved by the state to rise by 26% for 2026 coverage. Similar increases are happening across the country.

Health care advocates have warned that many people will not be able to absorb the cost of skyrocketing premiums, which are happening as a result of the expiration of federal subsidies. As a result, many may opt to go without medical insurance.

Thats of particular concern for Nevada, which perennially had one of the nations highest uninsured rates prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

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A national poll conducted by the nonpartisan health organization KFF found that nearly 60% of enrollees surveyed could not cover the costs of a $300 annual increase in their premiums.

Health care navigators  people trained by Nevada Health Link to provide outreach and assistance to people enrolling or reenrolling  say they are seeing this play out in real time.

One health care navigator, who requested their name be withheld because they work with immigrant communities, told the Current that at least 1 in 5 of the clients they have met with during the current open enrollment period are opting to decline insurance altogether because of cost.

One of them is a 78-year-old man in the country under a green card. His plan is skyrocketing from $35 per month to more than $3,000 monthly. His family, who financially support him and worked for years to have him immigrate to the country legally, cant absorb that big of a change.

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Another client, a single mom who works numerous part-time jobs to support two young daughters, is facing an increase from $23 per month to $675 per month.

The navigator said other clients are remaining insured but switching to plans with lower premiums and high deductibles.

Nevada Health Link has previously said that 9 out of 10 enrollees receive a federal subsidy that brings down the cost of their premium. This year approximately 110,000 Nevadans got their health insurance through Health Link.

Open enrollment is currently underway and runs through Jan. 15, 2026.

Nevadans who enroll on or before Dec. 31 will have coverage beginning Jan. 1. For those who enroll between Jan. 1 and Jan. 15, coverage will begin Feb. 1.

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Visit NevadaHealthLink.com for more info

The exchange has encouraged people to review their options through their website, speak to navigators, and dont assume that there are not affordable options just because the average plan price is increasing.

Enrollees who have shopped and changed plans during this Open Enrollment Period have saved an average of $287 per month on premiums, read the press release from the exchange Tuesday.

Pennie, Pennsylvanias state-based ACA marketplace, has reported a 16% decrease in new enrollees so far this year compared with last year. For every one new enrollee, 1.5 existing enrollees have terminated coverage, with the majority of those terminations coming from people with incomes in the 150% to 200% of federal poverty level.

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That equates to an income between $48,225 and $64,300 for a family with two adults and two children.

Covered California, another state-based exchange, is reporting a 28% decrease in new sign ups as of Dec. 13.
Sen. Josh Kimbrell is seen during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in Columbia, S.C. on March 15, 2022. Kimbrell, who is running for governor, told voters not to count him out, even as a lawsuit has overshadowed his campaign. (File photo by Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA)

State Sen. Josh Kimbrell says voters should not to count him out, even as a lawsuit from a former business partner has overshadowed his run for the South Carolina Governors Mansion.

Kimbrell, in a 21-minute Facebook video, called the months of legal drama that have dogged him since the start of his campaign the roughest period of life since Ive been on the planet.

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In an interview with the SC Daily Gazette, Kimbrell went on to blast his former associate, Frank Rogers, as a raging narcissist who had destroyed his business and left him forced to sell his home to pay his ongoing legal fees.

An attorney for Rogers did not respond to phone calls from the SC Daily Gazette Thursday.

The legal drama started two weeks after Kimbrells June gubernatorial launch. Rogers sued him, alleging the legislator had diverted more than $2 million out of their joint company and used the money for personal and campaign expenses.

Kimbrell denied the allegations and counter-sued for defamation.

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Now, the Boiling Springs Republican is urging voters not to dismiss him in the five-way Republican primary, despite his low profile and nearly non-existent fundraising compared to other candidates.

Anybody thats writing me off as irrelevant does so at their peril, he told the SC Daily Gazette.

Kimbrell highlighted his record of co-sponsoring anti-abortion and tax-cutting laws and said hell further prove himself to voters in the upcoming legislative session.

But what the former conservative Christian radio host is probably best known for are a pair of special budget rules: one threatening to pull state funding for public libraries unless they restrict childrens access to books deemed inappropriate and another yanking funds for any city with bans on so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors.

Exodus Aircraft

In addition to his radio career, Kimbrell founded Exodus Aircraft, a company that charters private flights, in 2017. Five years later, Rogers bought a half-stake in the company, according to his July lawsuit.

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Kimbrell said he was in the process of selling the business when Rogers sued him. Rogers, in court filings, claims he wasnt adequately informed of the sale plans.

Kimbrell told the SC Daily Gazette that he believed, after Rogers sued him, that Rogers would soon destroy the company and wanted to sever ties as soon as possible.

He agreed to resign and turn over all Exodus business records in anticipation of counter-suing.

In a dueling lawsuit, several Exodus investors sued alleging Rogers was fully aware of the impending sale and blew up the deal by orchestrating a hostile takeover.

About two weeks after Rogers filed suit, both he and Kimbrell signed on to an agreement saying that Kimbrell would resign from Exodus Aircraft and surrender all company assets and business records. Rogers lawyers have argued in recent filings that Kimbrell has not abided by terms of that agreement. They alleged Kimbrell has contacted former Exodus employees and investors and has not turned over all business records Rogers lawyers requested.

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Meanwhile, the legal mess continues to grow as Rogers and Kimbrell each seek to drag more people and businesses into the fray. A judge will hear arguments about potential new parties in the suit Friday.

According to recent quarterly fundraising reports, Kimbrell has raised $23,000 for his run for governor. Three of his Republican competitors have raised over a million dollars; the fourth has raised over $800,000.

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Along with its many other innovations, the Roman Empire revolutionized architecture with never-before-seen features, such as large-scale arches and dome roofs. And many of these structures still stand today despite being more than 2,000 years old.

None of it would have been possible without the Romans infallible building material: self-healing concrete. Now, an ancient construction site has revealed the recipe for creating this sturdy foundation.

At the time Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, covering Pompeii in as much as 6 meters (19.7 feet) of volcanic ash, construction workers were in the process of repairing and renovating a house. International researchers excavated the site in 2023, revealing some completed walls and others that were half-built, as well as raw materials and tools.

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When I entered this archaeological site in Pompeii, everything was so vivid and also kind of perfectly preserved, to be able to just reconstruct clearly what was going on there, said Admir Masic, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and lead author of a new study documenting the discovery. Theyre frozen in time. Its literally a time capsule.

The findings, which were published December 9 in the journal Nature Communications, are the clearest evidence of mixing processes that the ancient Romans used to create concrete, according to a release from MIT  and they allow researchers to make conclusions that we were not able to make, or at least not with this certainty about the Roman technology, Masic told CNN.

Uncovering an active construction site

About one-third of Pompeii remains to be excavated, enabling scientists to continue making new discoveries about the ancient Roman way of life. The active construction site described in the new study was first investigated in the late 1880s, but excavations were halted and did not begin again until 2023. It was then that Masics team realized the magnitude of its discovery.

This is typical for Pompeii. Archaeologists are just slowly but surely, you know, uncovering parts, Masic said. I think there is this kind of standard, very cautious way of excavating, because once excavated, you actually break that time capsule and things start to degrade.  You basically remove that protection that ensures that everything is perfectly preserved.

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After excavations, the study authors performed analysis on evidence found at the site, including piles of mixed dry materials that builders had been using to create the concrete, a wall that was in the process of being built and other structural walls that were already completed.

But this discovery was not the first that Masic made on the recipe for Roman concrete. A paper he authored in 2023 had analyzed samples from a 2,000-year-old city wall in the archaeological site of Privernum in central Italy. In that article, he identified lime clasts in the wall  small, white mineral chunks that give the concrete a self-healing ability. When cracks formed, water or rainfall could be added, which would dissolve the lime, allowing the mineral to fill and seal the fractures as it dried and recrystallized.

Differing recipes

Masic and his team determined that these minerals were added through a process known as hot-mixing in which the lime fragments were combined with dry ingredients such as volcanic ash. Water was then added, creating a chemical reaction that produced heat and trapped the lime clasts in the concrete.

However, Masics team was initially unsure if the city wall was representative of all Roman architecture, as the concrete recipe differed from one described in the first century manuscript De architectura by the famed ancient Roman architect Vitruvius.

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Vitruvius described water being added to the lime before any other materials instead of the hot-mixing method. The newly excavated construction site, however, shows that the materials were mixed when they were dry, which confirmed that Romans had used the hot-mixing process instead of Vitruvius method, according to the study.

Its really difficult to think that Vitruvius was wrong. And I respect Vitruvius, and he inspired literally all my work, Masic said. He added that it is possible that Vitruvius method was used elsewhere throughout the Roman Empire, or that scholars have misinterpreted his writings or not fully examined them.

John Senseney, an associate professor of ancient history at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said he does not find it surprising that Vitruvius methods are not representative of the process used in the construction site.

Expecting scientific discoveries to conform to what Vitruvius writes would be misguided. Vitruviuss corpus was indeed authoritative for humanist architects during the Renaissance over a thousand years later, but youd be hard pressed to find much in Roman imperial era buildings that followed that reflect his prescriptions. If Roman builders had any detailed awareness of what he wrote, they invariably discarded it, Senseney said in an email. He was not involved with the new study.

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Discoveries like this throw light on the incredible contributions of common workers and even enslaved persons in ancient history, which is very difficult to appreciate directly in the written works of elite authors, Senseney added. He pointed to ancient buildings such as the Pantheon and Colosseum that reflect the expertise and innovation of these everyday people who were masters at their craft.

Studies like this allow us to see them and the wonders they gave to their world, and to us in return. When we recognize that, were better able to appreciate the stunning achievements that everyday people make possible in our own world, Senseney said.

Masic said he hopes the discovery will inspire other scholars to look further into Vitruvius work in relation to the Roman architecture that stands today. He also wants to examine how the ancient processes could translate into and possibly improve modern practices.

I will never forget being able to just open a time capsule and travel in time and feel like I am in 79 AD looking at people making their concrete, he said.

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Thats what really fascinates me in dissecting these, particularly when it comes to ancient Roman concrete and infrastructure Romans built that is still standing here after 2,000 years  Im not sure how much of our things will be there in 2,000 years from now.

Taylor Nicioli is a freelance journalist based in New York.

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POLITICAL AFFAIRS: There is anger in the Arab street because the Arab politicians havent managed to work together," political analyst Mohammed Darawshe tells the Post.

The increased talk about holding general elections in Israel has awakened the countrys Arab citizens, who seem particularly interested in the vote, the first since the Gaza war. Arab parties in Israel have already started preparing for what may come, organizing their political campaigns as competition heats up between them.

Many in the Arab sector are watching closely, and are preoccupied with one big question: Will all four Arab parties unite and run together in a joint list in the next elections?

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In recent days, discussions about the possibility of uniting the Arab parties took place, including a special conference held in Nazareth, which brought together the leaders of four parties. The meeting was marked by mutual accusations, highlighting deep disagreements. So far, efforts to form a single political list have reached a dead end.

'Most citizens want Arab parties to reunite'

Most Arab citizens want the Arab parties to reunite into a joint list, said Mohammed Darawshe, a prominent Arab Israeli political analyst. There is anger in the Arab street because the Arab politicians havent managed to work together, or take steps toward running as a united faction, he said.

Established in 2015, the Joint List was a political alliance that consisted of the four parties: Raam, led by Mansour Abbas; Hadash, headed by Ayman Odeh; Taal of Ahmed Tibi; and Balad by Sami Abou Shahadeh. They ran together in previous Knesset elections under one political umbrella, representing a united front.

Joint List party chairman Ayman Odeh visits the home of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin, in the east Jerusalem Neighborhood of Beit Hanina, May 11, 2022 (credit: JAMAL AWAD/FLASH90)

In 2020, the Joint List won 15 seats, the largest number since its establishment. On the eve of the 2021 election, however, Abbass Raam quit the Joint List to run on its own. The other parties stayed together and won only six seats. Before the November 2022 elections, more disagreements led to another split among the remaining three parties of the Joint List, dividing them into two.

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This time, Odehs Hadash and Tibis Taal joined forces, gaining five seats, while Abu Shahadehs Balad ran on an independent ticket but failed to cross the threshold and was left out of the Knesset. Raam, for its part, secured five seats. Since then, the Joint List hasnt reunited.

People are dissatisfied with this ongoing split. If the parties dont reach an agreement to come together, some Arab citizens will likely boycott the elections and will not go out to vote, Darawshe told The Jerusalem Post, noting the widespread frustration felt in the Arab community. A new survey conducted by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation shows that if the Joint List is reestablished, 62% of Arab citizens in Israel would participate in the vote. In the absence of such a list, the poll found, voter turnout is expected to drop to 51%. Another 77% said they support an Arab party joining the coalition formed after the next elections.

Many Arab Israeli residents are convinced that political unity may bring them more power and a better chance to address the critical problems they face, especially the escalating violence and crime.

What has prevented the Arab parties from reuniting is a deep struggle between two camps. The first, headed by Raam leader Mansour Abbas, has been pushing for integration in the State of Israel and focusing more on civil rights for Arab citizens. Abbas made history as the first Arab Israeli leader ever to join an Israeli coalition in 2021.

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The other camp, which includes politicians like Ayman Odeh, puts its main focus on Arab-Palestinian identity rather than civil issues. In principle, members of this camp are opposed to being part of any coalition to avoid any responsibility for controversial and sensitive decisions.

Unlike Abbas, who takes a pragmatic approach and declares that he recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, members of the rival group maintain a hardline position. They view the Arab citizens living in Israel as an integral part of the Palestinian people, and often stress the national aspirations of the Palestinians, calling for an end to the occupation.

Abbass political opponents have accused him in recent days of foiling efforts to form a joint list ahead of the elections, claiming that he doesnt want to close the door to a future coalition.

Increasing the number of seats is not a goal in itself, Abbas pushed back in an interview with the Arab media. Its only a tool for achieving our aim, which is to serve the Arab society in Israel and change its reality for the better. He explained that winning more seats as part of the Joint List is not enough, and that the real challenge is to turn political power into meaningful achievements for Arabs in Israel.

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In response, members from Odehs camp criticized Abbas for prioritizing budgets while overlooking the Palestinian cause and the national aspects of Israeli-Arabs.

Later, Odeh himself joined the critics, describing Abbass acceptance of Israel as a Jewish state as a sellout. He said he disagrees with Abbass view that the Jewish identity of the state is an existential matter for the Jews. I believe this issue is an existential matter for us, the Arabs, Odeh argued. We were the ones who were expelled when they established a Jewish state.

Despite the controversy, Darawshe, the political analyst, said he did not rule out the possibility of a technical unity shortly before the elections, to prevent a waste of Arab votes. The day after the election, however, the differences are likely to resurface as both camps are set to resume the debate over joining the coalition.
UPDATE: We got him: Police ID dead suspect in Brown University, MIT professor shootings

An arrest warrant connected to the deadly Brown University mass shooting from Saturday night was issued Thursday, according to local news outlets.

Earlier in the day, several local news stations and newspapers reported that law enforcement sources had informed them that the person of interest investigators have released numerous photos and videos of over the last few days had been identified.

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Around 5 p.m., multiple local news stations reported that an arrest warrant had been issued in connection with the Dec. 13 shooting. No outlets have reported the suspects name or the charges against them.

On Thursday, many news outlets also reported that police sources were telling them law enforcement was now investigating a possible connection between the shooting at Brown and the killing of an MIT professor at his home in Brookline on Monday. Officials previously denied that the two incidents were related.

Around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, multiple local news stations reported that police were searching for the Brown University shooter in Salem, New Hampshire. The investigation is reportedly focused around a vehicle of a similar make and model to one seen near the scene of the shooting in Brookline.

Around 7 p.m., Providence police officers could be seen at the investigation scene in Salem, New Hampshire. Approximately an hour later, Methuen police shared a community alert stating that local, state and federal law enforcement were working to locate a suspect in a recent death near the citys border with Salem, New Hampshire, but that there was no imminent risk to the city residents.

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Around 8:15 p.m., police could be seen investigating at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Providence police officials declined to confirm whether the person of interest in the Brown University mass shooting had been identified Thursday afternoon.

FBI Boston and Norfolk County District Attorney officials previously declined to comment on whether police were investigating a link between the Brown shooting and the shooting of MIT physics professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro.

Loureiro, 47, was shot in his home on Gibbs Street in Brookline on Monday night, the Norfolk County District Attorneys office said previously. No arrests had been made in connection with his killing as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

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Loureiros death came two days after a gunman opened fire at Brown Universitys engineering and physics building, killing two students and injuring nine others. So far, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been announced.

Brown University Shooting, Dec. 13, 2025

Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
BELMORE  The Ohio Auditors office declared a fiscal emergency for the Putnam County village of Belmore on Thursday, the agency announced in a press release.

The auditor found the village had fund deficits exceeding what it allowed under state law in its fiscal emergency analysis. The office of State Auditor Keith Faber will provide oversight to help develop a plan to correct the financial conditions.

I dont think it will affect us much at all, Belmore Mayor Walter Harper said. We dont spend anything unless we absolutely have to anyhow. Weve already been pretty much prepared for this fiscal emergency for the last couple of years.

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The auditors office found a substantial deficit balance of $37,363 on Dec. 31, 2024, and $47,316 on July 31, 2025. It also found a treasury deficiency of $35,621 on Dec. 31, 2024, and $33,849 on July 31, 2025.

Harper said the village fell behind on paying federal, state and school income taxes back in 2022.

When we found out all that, we had to pay all that back, Harper said. It put us behind the 8-ball.

Harper said the village hasnt made cuts and continues to maintain a part-time police officer for the northeastern Putnam County village, which had a population of 65 in the 2020 U.S. Census.

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Belmore had been the subject of past recent scrutiny for its financial practices. The state auditors office declared it unauditable multiple times from 2018 through 2021.

In August, the state issued a finding for recovery of $1,369 against former fiscal officer Tammy Rayle after a special audit found Rayle, who served as fiscal officer from 2009 through August 2022, couldnt properly account for all sewer receipts collected between July 2016 and September 2022. At the time, the auditors Special Investigations Unit said there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges.

When questioned by the financial audit team, Ms. Rayle claimed the money from the customer payments was being stored in a safe at her home. Throughout the course of the financial audit, Ms. Rayle made multiple large cash deposits into the villages bank account, $7,247.60 of which was deposited only after being questioned by the financial audit team, according to a press release.

Reach David Trinko at 567-242-0467 or on Twitter/X @Lima_Trinko.
The Medical Examiner's Office in Roanoke has confirmed the identity of the suspect who died in an officer-involved shooting on Dec. 17 on Parkersburg Turnpike in Augusta County.

Dustin R. Griffin, 42, was killed while authorities were trying to take him into custody.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m., three deputies assigned to the Sheriffs Office Narcotics Unit were attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Griffin when shots were fired in the 800 block of Parkersburg Turnpike near Miss Phillips Road, just west of Staunton. Court records show that Griffin's address was 846 Parkersburg Turnpike.

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Griffin died at the scene.

An Augusta County Sheriff's Office deputy was also wounded after being shot in the arm. The deputy was taken by a medical helicopter to UVA Health in Charlottesville for treatment for injuries that were not life-threatening.

According to his obituary, Griffin was a 2001 graduate of Buffalo Gap High School and he attended Virginia Tech, where he majored in forestry and wildlife.

In 2020, he was convicted of dealing methamphetamine after authorities found a stash of drugs in a storage unit, according to court records. He was sentenced to 10 years behind bars with eight suspended, giving him two years to serve.

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Griffin's identity was initially reported by the Augusta Free Press.

Virginia State Police have yet to release details on how Griffin was killed.

Correction: In his 2020 conviction, authorities found drugs in a storage unit, not at Griffin's address on Parkersburg Turnpike.

More: As it plans search for new principal, Buffalo Gap names interim head

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Augusta County man's ID confirmed following officer-involved shooting
Meanwhile, despite the burgeoning losses in their flagging EV operations, Detroit auto giants have been reporting stellar profits, thanks to the strength of their ICE operations. GM particularly stands out and expects to post adjusted pre-tax profits between $12 billion and $13 billion in 2025. The company also raised its 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) guidance to between $9.75 and $10.50 and projected adjusted automotive free cash flows between $10 billion and $11 billion.

Legacy automakers have also been hit by the slowdown in EV sales and have had to incur massive charges on the investments they made to boost their EV production capacity. In Q3, General Motors (GM) took a $1.6 billion hit related to the pullback in its EV business. Now, Ford (F) has announced a $19.5 billion hit, of which $5.5 billion would be in cash, as it rejigs its EV strategy. The company has stopped production of the all-electric avatar of the F-150, whose internal combustion engine (ICE) has been Americas best-selling pickup for decades. Instead, Ford would double down on hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs). The latter are quite popular in China as they come with a gasoline tank to recharge the battery, thereby extending the range.

Meanwhile, the phasing out of the tax credit is expected to hit U.S. EV adoption rates, and even Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk sees a few rough quarters ahead. While Tesla bulls can still argue that EV deliveries wont matter much for the company, which is now increasingly a play on physical artificial intelligence (AI) with products like Optimus humanoid and robotaxi. The expiration of the EV tax credit has amplified startup EV companies woes.

The U.S. automotive industry landscape has changed greatly over the last few months. After phasing out the electric vehicle (EV) tax credit, the Trump administration is now easing fuel economy standards. The pivot in U.S. energy policy shouldn't come as a surprise, as President Donald Trumps stance towards green energy was no secret, and he had talked about ending the (nonexistent) EV mandate during his campaign.

Story Continues

GM Has Outperformed Ford

The splendid financial performance of Ford and GM hasnt been lost on markets, and they have gained 38% and 53%, respectively, so far this year. Amid the tariff chaos that would add billions of dollars in costs for legacy automakers, not many would have given Ford and GM much of a chance of being top-quartile gainers in the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) this year.

www.barchart.com

General Motors' performance has been particularly impressive, as tariffs hit it harder than the Blue Oval since it imports cars from South Korea and China to the U.S. However, the company was able to mitigate some impact from the tariffs.

GM has been outperforming Ford for quite some time now, and while F had closed in the red last year, GM rose by around 49%. Markets have given a thumbs-up to GMs strong operating and financial performance, which it has bolstered with a prudent capital allocation strategy, including aggressive share repurchases. GMs outstanding share count fell to 954 million at the end of Q3, 15% lower than the corresponding period last year, and it expects it to dwindle further as it doubles down on share repurchases.

As I have noted previously, share repurchases make perfect sense for GM given its single-digit price-to-earnings (P/E) multiples. If anything, the company might accelerate the buyback pace over the coming quarters as it scales back on EV capex.

Notably, one of the reasons Morgan Stanley cited while upgrading GM was the companys capital discipline. The brokerage, however, downgraded Rivian (RIVN) and long-time favorite Tesla amid the EV industry woes.

Can GM Continue to Outperform in 2026?

GM now trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 7.8x, which, while still in single digits, is higher than what it has averaged over the last couple of years. GMs earnings are expected to rise by 12.7% next year, which gives us a P/E-to-growth (PEG) multiple of 0.92x.

The multiples still look reasonable to me, especially considering the strong execution that we have seen from GM in recent years. Overall, while 2026 might not be another year of 50% gains from GM, I still see some heat in the rally as the company makes merry from its legacy ICE business, even as pure-play EV companies brace for the impact of the worsening slowdown.

www.barchart.com

On the date of publication, Mohit Oberoi had a position in: F, GM, TSLA, RIVN. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
Police in Kirkwood, Missouri, are warning people about a scam that steals money from people via bitcoin ATMs.

What's happening?

Fox 2 Now reported on the scam warning, noting a recent surge in incidents among Kirkwood residents.

The scammers reach out to people through calls, texts, and online messages, claiming to be a government agent, police officer, tech support, utility providers, banks, or other financial institutions. They'll even pretend to be family members in trouble or online romantic interests.

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Cryptocurrency scammers often claim that the victim's bank account is vulnerable and push them to take urgent action.

A spokesperson for the Kirkwood Police Department explained in a statement, per Fox 2, "They will then direct you to withdraw cash and send it using a bitcoin ATM, often by scanning a QR code they provide."

Kirkwood police want to remind people that no legitimate agencies or businesses will request bitcoin as payment, and you should never scan QR codes at ATMs.

Why is this scam concerning?

All scams are concerning, but this bitcoin-focused one is especially unsettling. Once the victims withdraw their money, convert it into bitcoin, and send it to the scammer, it's difficult to retrieve it.

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Police can trace bitcoin transactions to certain accounts, but finding the scammer behind the fraudulent account is another problem.

Unfortunately, this means many victims never recover their stolen money. Elderly people and those unfamiliar with bitcoin are often the targets of these scams.

This isn't the only concern surrounding bitcoin, though. Cryptocurrency servers require vast amounts of energy to run and water to stay cool. While some think they're more environmentally friendly than paper money, cryptocurrency does have a negative impact on the planet through associated pollution and water scarcity.

How often do you worry about having your personal info stolen? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

However, some crypto operations are powered by more sustainable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or hydro power. This helps to avoid excessive burning of planet-warming energy sources, such as coal, gas, and oil, to run them.

What's being done to stop scammers?

The Kirkwood police are spreading awareness in the community and educating residents about how to recognize and avoid scams. Knowing what to look out for protects you from scammers.

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It's important to educate others about these scams, and don't let these criminals sour you on cryptocurrency's potential. It's a complex topic, but bitcoin can be beneficial when used properly.

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Perth is entering a new phase of a battle it never wanted to fight: protecting its tree canopy from a beetle no bigger than a sesame seed. After years of rapid spread and thousands of dead trees, officials are shifting from trying to wipe out the polyphagous shot-hole borer to figuring out how to live with it, 7News reported.

What's happening?

Western Australia has redrawn its quarantine map for the entire Perth metropolitan area, marking a major shift from the state's earlier, more aggressive attempts to eliminate the polyphagous shot-hole borer. The insect, first found in Fremantle in 2021, has carved through thousands of trees and forced removals in Hyde Park and Kings Park. With no effective chemical treatments and persistent challenges identifying early infestations, the state formally ended its push for eradication in June.

It was a pivot that alarmed experts. The Invasive Species Council warned the decision "could put the rest of the country at risk."

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Under the new plan, Perth is now split into two zones: an inner management zone where the borer is firmly established and an outer containment zone where officials hope to stop it from spreading further. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development will prioritize pruning and removals in the containment area to keep the beetle from reaching regional communities and agricultural corridors.

Why is the borer's spread concerning?

Invasive species disrupt ecosystems by outcompeting native plants and animals and weakening the landscapes they've long supported. Once this beetle tunnels into a tree, it introduces a fungus that blocks the transport of water and nutrients, slowly starving the tree until it dies. Losing canopy cover affects everything from neighborhood heat levels to wildlife habitat to food-growing conditions.

"Early detection and management of high-risk infestations, particularly in the containment zone, remain critical to managing the spread and impact," DPIRD's Mia Carbon told 7News.

Since native species often have no natural defenses against invaders, delays can give pests a massive advantage. That imbalance threatens biodiversity as well as soil and water health, and it increases the risk of future pest-borne diseases.

What's being done about the borer?

DPIRD is working directly with affected property owners, giving them the option of pruning or removing for free trees that were selected during the eradication phase. They may also choose to manage their trees independently with department guidance. The state has committed 4.7 million Australian dollars to local governments in impacted areas and for research into treatment options.

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Residents can support containment by reporting suspicious tree damage, avoiding moving untreated wood, and choosing native plants to strengthen local ecosystems.

"By working together, we will have the best chance of limiting the spread of the borer and minimising its impact on our tree canopy and valuable horticulture industries," Carbon said.

Do you feel like the air quality is safe where you live? Always Usually Not in the summer  Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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US-based Avery Dennison has entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The MoU has been signed to introduce a Management Development Programme aimed at mid-level professionals in the packaging industry.

The agreement was formalised at IIPs Mumbai campus.

It was signed by R K Mishra, director of IIP and additional director general of foreign trade, Mumbai, on behalf of the institute, and Saurabh Agrawal, vice-president and general manager, Avery Dennison South Asia.

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As part of the collaboration, the two organisations will offer a three-day intensive course.

The course is targeted at professionals working in a wide range of segments, including food and beverages, home and personal care, wine and spirits, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, agrochemicals, solar, batteries, automobiles, appliances, and related industries.

The inaugural cohort, limited to 20 participants, is scheduled to commence in March 2026.

The programme will be delivered through sessions at IIPs Mumbai campus and at Avery Dennisons facility in Pune, combining classroom-based learning with practical exposure to industry operations.

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According to the agreement, the course will be led by senior industry practitioners, academics and thought leaders in the sector.

It is intended to help mid-career packaging professionals address themes such as AI, sustainability, regulatory compliance and shifting consumer preferences, with an emphasis on equipping them for prospective leadership positions.

Last month, IIP opened a new centre in Bengaluru for advanced education, research, testing and certification in the field of packaging.

The facility includes laboratories for material testing, chemical analysis and transport testing, as reported by the Hindu. It will be a hub for testing, training, research, and technology transfer, integrating AI-based testing, data analytics, and demonstrations in smart packaging.

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"Avery Dennison enters MoU with Indian Institute of Packaging" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand.




Dec. 19SUPERIOR  A new school for barbers is opening in Superior. Classes start Jan. 5 at Just In-Time Barber Academy, located in the Board of Trade Building on Tower Avenue. The school has space for up to 12 students  six full-time and six part-time.

Owner Ta-Raj "Raj" Benness brings more than 12 years of hair-cutting experience.

"I cannot wait to share some of the things that I've learned," Benness said. "We're going to have some good barbers coming out of here. If they put the work in and, you know, pay attention and learn the different techniques ... they're going to do great."

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Benness, who grew up in South Minneapolis, took an unconventional route to become a barber. While serving a prison sentence for murder, he started cutting hair for 25 cents an hour.

"I just got good at it. And that was when I fell in love with the art, the creativity, how relaxing it is. I just love it," he said.

Benness fatally shot a man during an argument in 2005 in Hennepin County, Minnesota, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to a prison term of more than 25 years, according to court documents.

While in prison, Benness said, he found God and changed his life. He became an ordained minister, earned his GED diploma, learned about business management and married his wife, Patricia.

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That chapter of his life is an open book  literally. He's the author of "More Than A Conqueror: The Life and Times of Ta-Raj Benness," published in 2015, and "My Son Hear My Voice: A Father's Words to His Son" in 2021. The books share his life, from incarceration to entrepreneurship.

"I'm super proud of this man. He came a long way, and he's determined," Patricia said.

After his release from prison, Benness, a father of five and grandfather of three, decided to continue barbering. In addition to earning his barber's license, Benness is one of the owners of Speak Life Barber Shop and youth ministries in Osseo, Minnesota.

He received the license to open the Superior barber school Dec. 3. Benness and his family moved to Duluth to start this new chapter.

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Patricia said she appreciates her husband's drive and the vision he has for the school.

"It's like his second chance to prove himself to be the man that he truly is," she said.

In addition to taking pride in a job well done, Benness said he enjoys the social aspect of the work.

"Getting to know people, sharing our stories ... we all can relate to pain, we all can relate to love," he said.

On Wednesday, Dec. 17, Benness was practicing the techniques he'll teach. With an array of clippers, combs, brushes, shears and a straight razor, he gave Jason Baker a fade cut at Kwik Cuts in Superior.

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The ability to use a straight razor is what sets a barber apart from a cosmetologist, Benness said. Barbers can provide the same services as cosmetologists, from cuts and color to perms, with the addition of the straight razor.

His first lessons for his first students will be on safety and sanitation, with a focus on quality and professionalism.

"Your name is on that haircut," Benness said. "So you want to make sure that you're referencing yourself right."

Future lessons will include how to run a shop and create a great experience for customers.

Services will be offered to the public; no appointment is required. For $10, barber school students will offer haircuts, straight-razor shaves, facials and massages, and beard trims. The school will be open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

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Academy tuition is $10,000. The 1,000-hour program meets Wisconsin licensing requirements. An additional 500 hours is needed to meet Minnesota requirements, bringing the course cost to $15,000. In-house financing is available, Benness said.

Call 715-227-8393 or visit the

jtibarberacademy Facebook page

for more information.
NEW BEDFORD  The New Bedford Port Authority has responded to a damning report issued by the state Office of the Inspector General Nov. 18 on its management of Popes Island Marina, calling it unfair and inaccurate.

The report was critical of the Port Authority, which manages the 198-slip recreational marina, and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the marinas docks. That arrangement has been maintained for more than 30 years, according to the NBPA.

The report asserted that the New Bedford Port Authority cannot properly maintain the marina, that more than two decades of financial records were improperly kept, and that $190,000 in capital repair funds could not be accounted for.

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Approval: New Bedford council OKs chief's appointment, saves rancor for mayor

The New Bedford Port Authority has responded to a damning report issued by the state Office of the Inspector General Nov. 18 on its management of Popes Island Marina, calling it unfair and inaccurate.

Report says no evidence timely repairs completed

The report also stated it has no evidence the Port Authority completed repairs to the marina required for its safe operation in a timely fashion. According to the report, a 2014 inspection by engineering company Pare Corp. revealed the floating dock system needed to be replaced in three to five years at a cost of $4.5 million. An updated inspection in July 2020 showed the floating dock now needed to be entirely replaced at a cost $5.5 million.

The NBPA states in a press release that the report painted both agencies with the same brush as being negligent in their responsibilities.

However, the NBPA states the Office of the Inspector General failed to conduct a complete, rigorous investigation that would have distinguished between the culpability of the two agencies.

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The NBPA also sent a 58-page letter to Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro with a point-by-point refutation of the report that includes supporting documentation.

The report stated that the Port Authoritys record-keeping was so poor that it couldnt determine whether its financial obligations to the DCR were current.

Historic preservation: Historic sawmill site uncovered in New Bedford could become attraction

Report conclusions based on dated documentation

In its refutation letter, the NBPA states that this conclusion was based on documents that were generated 10 to 32 years ago. Thats a time range beyond which the NBPA was required to retain those records, it states.

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Whatever its findings on DCR management and financial practices, the NBPA disagrees with the findings on two main grounds, according to a press release.

The first is the OIG failed to take basic investigative steps, including interviewing NBPA staff. The OIG didnt request essential financial records, such as the NBPAs annual operating budgets or third-party audits, and it didnt conduct a physical examination of the marina.

The NBPA adds, Similarly, there also is no indication that the reports findings rely on any witness statements except from the anonymous complainant (or complainants), whom the report does not identify.

Report 'glossed over' public records laws

Secondly, the OIG glossed over applicable laws that govern the retention of public records. It claimed that the NBPA failed to produce complete records of its historic payments to the state, while ignoring the fact that Massachusetts law does not require public agencies to retain routine financial records for decades beyond their audit periods.

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The OIGs conclusions are based on the absence of records that state law never required to be preserved, rather than on any evidence of wrongdoing, according to the NBPA.

The OIG report should, therefore, not be accepted as an accurate portrayal of the New Bedford Port Authority or its management of the Popes Island Marina, according to the NBPA.

It 'simply does not reflect all the facts'

The Inspector Generals report simply does not reflect all the facts, said Gordon Carr, NBPA executive director. At no point during its two-year investigation did the OIG interview NBPA staff, request our annual audits or budgets, or conduct a site visit of the Marina. These basic steps would have demonstrated that the Port Authority has responsibly managed and maintained Popes Island Marina for decades.

Popes Island Marina is widely recognized as a successful, professionally managed public asset, under NBPA stewardship, according to the press release.

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It has operated at full capacity for years, maintains a substantial waiting list, and has earned Elite Fleet designation from Marinas.com for three consecutive years  an honor achieved by only two other marinas in Massachusetts, according to the NBPA.

Slip fees have been held steady since 2009 at rates well below regional market levels to keep boating accessible and affordable, according to the NBPA.

Repair obligations rest with DCR, not Port Authority

The release states that central to the questions raised in the report about the performance of DCR and NBPA is the deteriorating condition of the marinas floating docks, which are owned by the state.

Independent engineering inspections commissioned by the NBPA in 2014 and again in 2020 concluded that the docks had reached the end of their useful life and required full replacement  an obligation that rests with asset owner DCR, not the NBPA as operator, according to the NBPA.

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Notwithstanding repeated warnings and the passage of a $4.1 million state bond authorization for the dock replacement, DCR has not undertaken the necessary capital investment.

Marina has a strong performance record

The NBPA also emphasized the marinas strong performance over the past decade:

Recipient of Marinas.coms Elite Fleet Award in 2023, 2024 & 2025, recognizing marinas with an average rating above 4.7 stars

More than $500,000 in recent renovations to restrooms, showers, and laundry facilities

$1.6 million in repairs and maintenance performed by NBPA since 2013, including replacement of 57 of 104 original state-installed floats

A waiting list of more than 101 customers and counting, reflecting strong public demand

The NBPA has gone above and beyond its contractual obligations, Carr stated. The NBPA staff performed extraordinary maintenance and capital-level repairs  including replacing more than half of the original finger floats and investing over $1.2 million in storm-damaged docks  simply to keep the marina operating safely.

The sun rises above Pope's Island Marina in New Bedford on a foggy morning.

Mayor Mitchell says difficult to take incomplete report seriously

Mayor Jon Mitchell stated, Having led numerous investigations of large organizations during my career as a federal prosecutor, I find it difficult to take the OIGs allegations against the Port Authority seriously when the OIG interviewed no Port Authority employees, didnt bother to inspect the marina itself, and neglected to obtain basic financial records.

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Mitchell added, It is evident on the face of its report that at the end of a two-year investigation, the OIG has little understanding how the NBPA maintains its finances or manages the marina. The reality is that the Port Authoritys annual audits, which the OIG never read, reflect an agency that has a firm handle on its finances, and the Popes Island Marina is one of the best run marinas in Massachusetts.

Carr stated, At the end of the day, most disappointing to the NBPA and the boating community we serve, is the fact that OIG, prior to reaching its conclusions, had ample opportunity to conduct basic investigatory due diligence such as interviewing key staff, carrying out site inspections, or requesting relevant financial materials beyond certain decades-old payment records - all of which we believe would have fundamentally altered their assessment of the performance of our agency. There is abundant information related to the NBPAs financial and operational management which would have easily disproven the OIGs erroneous assertion that the Marina was and is grossly mismanaged by the agency, but the investigators simply never asked for it.

Carr added, We cannot allow an incomplete and misleading report to undermine the reputation of an entity that manages the nations leading commercial fishing port and has overseen more than $1.2 billion in port investments over the last decade. Our commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility, safety, and customer service remains unwavering.

DCR has a 'checkered history' in managing state assets

Carrs letter to Shapiro concludes, As financial investigations go, this was not a serious effort. Yet, two years into it, the OIG felt compelled to abruptly publish an incomplete product coincidentally with the release of DCRs pending request for proposals for the operation of the marina. In one sense, we can appreciate why the OIG would use this report as an opportunity to take DCR to task on festering management issues. The agency has a checkered history in managing state assets over several gubernatorial administrations, and a chronic lack of investment from the Legislature. As this response makes plain, we have been extremely frustrated in our dealings with the agency. But the OIG had no basis to accuse the NBPA likewise of shirking its responsibilities. The unjustified reputational damage to the Port does a disservice to the residents and businesses that rely on it.

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Asked for comment, the OIG responded that it stands by its letter to state officials Nov. 18 that provided findings from its investigation into the Popes Island Marinas operations.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Popes Island Marina report unfair, says New Bedford Port Authority
The car was "near her [the director's] home" when the bullet was found, and a complaint has been filed with Israel Police.

A bullet was discovered on the hood of a car belonging to the Director of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvirs office, Israeli media reported on Thursday night.

The car was "near her [the director's] home" when the bullet was found, and a complaint has been filed with Israel Police.

Israeli minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir seen at the entrance to the Temple Mount, before entering, in Jerusalem's Old City. October 08, 2025. (credit: CHAIM GOLDBEG/FLASH90)

Previous threats against Israeli officials

The bullet is not an unprecedented find.

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Ben-Gvir himself has previously been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including an explosive drone plot thwarted by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in September 2025, and a plan to attack him in Kiryat Arba using rocket-propelled grenades in April 2024.

In early December, a Tiberias resident was arrested after threatening to kill Tiberias Mayor Yossi Neveah, as well as construction workers renovating a local promenade, and another was arrested after issuing threats against Druze IDF official and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian.

Two others were arrested in October for allegedly threatening to kill Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This is a developing story.

Tzvi Jasper, Shir Perets, Danielle Greyman-Kennard, Avi Solomon, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
Ben Shapiro turned on his fellow MAGA podcasters in a fiery display at Turning Point USAs AmericaFest conference, amid a growing dispute over controversial firebrand Candace Owens.

Shapiros turn saw him tear into Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes, while also blasting his friend Megyn Kelly over what he perceives as her cowardice over failing to condemn Owens.

His furious outburst was in response to Owens pushing of conspiracy theories about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September.

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These people are frauds, and they are grifters, and they do not deserve your time, Shapiro raged at the event, which the Right Side Broadcasting Network broadcast.

Shapiro added that he had a moral obligation to call out Owens theories.

He claimed that Owens was spouting absolutely baseless trash implicating everyone from French intelligence to Mossad to members of TPUSA in Charlies murder, or a cover-up in that murder.

Ben Shapiro blasted his fellow MAGA podcasters for failing to condemn Candace Owens conspiracy theories (REUTERS)

Currently, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson is the only suspect in the shooting of Charlie Kirk, which took place at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have claimed that Robinson allegedly carried out the shooting because of Kirks political activism.

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Meanwhile, Owens has continued to allege that Israeli government agents were behind the shooting. She claims that Kirk was moving away from his well-documented support for the Jewish state, prompting agents to kill him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied the claims as a monstrous, big lie.

Owens is also currently mired in a lawsuit with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, whom the podcaster claims was born a man.

Owens recently opened up a second feud with France, after claiming that a French official told her that their country was behind Kirks killing and even claimed that plans were being made to assassinate her.

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Erika Kirk, the wife of the Turning Point USA founder, has also condemned Owens theories and held a four-hour meeting with her on Monday.

Candace Owens has suggested that Israel or France could be behind the killing of Kirk (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The people who refuse to condemn Candaces truly vicious attacks, and some of them are speaking here, are guilty of cowardice. Yes, cowardice, Shapiro said.

He named his friend Megyn Kelly in his rant, criticizing her for characterizing Candace as a young mother and thus shying away from condemning her actions or fibbing about them.

Kelly responded on social media to what she labelled an attack on yours truly.

Prob should have checked w/ @TPUSA & @MrsErikaKirk first, she wrote, referring to Shapiro. Im embarrassed for them.

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Shapiro also railed against former Fox presenter Tucker Carlson for meeting with far-right commentator Nick Fuentes.

Shapiro also hit out at Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson (SiriusXM)

He suggested Fuentes was a Hitler apologist, Nazi-loving, anti-American piece of refuse and that Carlson had built Nick Fuentes up by publicly interviewing him.

Tucker Carlson responded to Shapiros criticism during his own speech, joking that he had not watched the first part of the program.

He also jabbed that he did not think he missed anything meaningful, before adding that he did watch Shapiros speech and had laughed.

To hear calls for like deplatforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, Im like, what?! Thats hilarious, he said.

The Independent has contacted Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro for comment.
Dark-brown, spongy soil and expanses of white crushed stone make for uneven footing surrounding Crimson Crossing, the high-profile, six-story residence hall well under construction on the Florida Institute of Technology's Melbourne campus.

"I apologize for the rough terrain," said Greg Campbell, senior superintendent with CBG Building Co., leading a small group of visitors across thick, shoe-staining dirt toward the center wing of the E-shaped structure.

Crimson Crossing, a 556-bed student housing complex, should open by August in time for fall semester at the northeast corner of Babcock Street and University Boulevard. Typical apartment-style arrangements will be four-bedroom suites equipped with two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living-dining area.

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Crimson Crossing: Florida Tech future six-story, 556-bed student housing complex to open in August 2026

Looking ahead, plans call for construction of a future elevated pedestrian bridge spanning busy Babcock Street. This walkway will lead from the new 212,237-square-foot building to campus academic buildings. The Florida Tech board of trustees recommended spending up to $5.9 million on that project.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, Florida Tech officials invited guests to the bustling Crimson Crossing construction site for a "topping-out" ceremony. This tradition marks when crews place the last piece of structural steel atop a building, according to the American Institute of Steel Construction.

Event attendees used colorful markers to write autographs and inspirational messages on a pair of metal bandings. Speakers delivered remarks from a podium atop an earthen slope near a construction trailer, alongside pallets stacked with chrome structural studs and yellow buckets of acrylic wall finish.

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"It's easy to see how a modern residential facility at the campus entrance along a major thoroughfare strengthens our identity as a contemporary hub for learning and innovation," Vice President for Student Affairs David McMahan told the crowd, amid thumping sounds from heavy equipment and metallic grinding noises.

McMahan said some of Florida Tech's aging student-housing stock dates back more than 70 years. Crimson Crossing is projected to boost the campus housing supply, which consists of 2,048 beds, by 27%.

This artist's rendering depicts the Florida Institute of Technology's future Crimson Crossing six-story residence hall at Babcock Street and University Boulevard in Melbourne.

Master plan: With enrollment rising, Florida Tech unveils vision of new buildings across Melbourne campus

President John Nicklow commended the construction workers who are attending to "every beam, every bolt, every weld" of Crimson Crossing. As he spoke, workers wearing bright orange and yellow shirts applied stucco to upper floors across a rectangular scaffolding network on the building's north-facing exterior wall.

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Campbell previously oversaw his company's construction of Lark on 42nd, a six-story, 512-bed student-housing complex at the University of South Florida. He led a handful of reporters and photographers on a brief Crimson Crossing ground-floor tour.

"We just started hanging drywall (about) a week ago," Campbell said.

Inside future four-bedroom suites near the east wing, pink insulation fills voids between metal-skeleton walls. Electrical-switch boxes and snakes of wiring await drywall installation, and boxes packed with building materials sit arranged alongside ladders and toolboxes.

Campbell said foundation work kicked off in mid-April, framing started in July, and parking-lot asphalt was poured in mid-August. He said crews have installed about  of the windows, the roof should be complete by the second week of January, and elevator installation should start Jan. 19.

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Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com. Click here and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida Tech 6-story student housing building taking shape in Melbourne
A blueprint for reducing gun violence by 2040, according to experts

Shootings have killed more than 800,000 people and injured over 2 million others in the United States since the start of this century. In March, dozens of violence prevention leaders convened in Chicago at the JAMA Summit on Reducing Firearm Violence and Harms to discuss steps to reduce gun violence, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The report, published on Nov. 3, shows that the 60 leaders who attended the summit represented multiple disciplines. They included emergency physicians, public health scholars, psychiatrists, historians, and social workers. The summit was the first of its kind presented by the medical journal. Its purpose: to develop a roadmap for substantially curtailing the number of shooting deaths and injuries over the next 15 years.

Weve gained a lot of knowledge and can point to a variety of things that seem to reduce gun violence, but still, theres a lot we dont know, and theres still a lot of challenges, Daniel Webster, a public health scholar at Johns Hopkins University who has studied gun violence for over 30 years, told The Trace.

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Gun violence as a major public health issue has received more attention and federal funding in recent years. In 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued his offices first-ever warning about gun violences far-reaching effects, reinvigorating prevention efforts.

But since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration has rolled back much of that progress. Layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have decimated the unit responsible for studying and helping to prevent shootings, and federal funding for research and community programs has dwindled.

During the summit, leaders called for a research revolution on preventing gun-related harms as one of the five steps needed to improve public safety by 2040, according to the report. The other steps emphasized strengthening communities, reframing gun injury as a preventable issue, taking a whole-of-government and society approach to addressing violence, and harnessing regulatory and technological opportunities responsibly.

Dr. Stephen Hargarten, an emergency physician and professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, has spent his career studying how regulatory and technological innovation can help reduce firearm deaths. He spoke about the firearm lethality index, a new metric to measure the deadliness of different guns and bullets, something that could help policymakers better decide how to respond to varying levels of harm.

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We wanted to look at how technologies and innovation affect things like suicide rates, homicides, and firearm thefts, and whether something like a smart gun could play a role in reducing gun-related harms, Hargarten told The Trace. He also explained to the other leaders how Congress could empower federal regulators to require certain safety features in firearms. As it stands, they dont have oversight, and we feel that thats something for us to be looking at.

The report on the summit lays out several approaches that research has shown reduce firearm deaths, many of which The Trace has covered over the past 10 years. They included firearm policies, community violence intervention programs, environmental changes, alcohol policies, socioeconomic policies, and policing interventions.

The report also noted that, even though homicide rates have declined over the past two years, more people believe that crime is increasing. More effective research and communication are needed to combat these misconceptions, the report argues. It is a dark and challenging time for Americans who care about public health and reducing gun violence, Nick Wilson, a summit participant and the senior director for gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress, said in an email.

The summit reaffirmed my optimism that we will get through this and rebuild our institutions stronger than ever, Wilson said. It will help build support for future federal action by demonstrating what works.

This story was produced by The Trace and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Qabil Ashirov



ADA Universitys newly established School of Design and Architecture has organized a series of seminars within the Azerbaijan Urban Planning Awareness Campaign to strengthen the exchange of scientific and practical knowledge and to create a platform for intellectual dialogue ahead of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF 13), to be held in Baku in 2026, Azernews reports.

Lectures delivered by the Schools professors  Angel Ampuero Cordero, Ermes Invernizzi, Melania Vicentini, and Dina Jovanovi? Lombardo  brought together academic and professional audiences to explore themes such as the interaction between architectural spaces and human experience, the relationship between collective memory and national identity, the role of new technologies in the preservation and management of cultural heritage, and user participation in spatial design.

The seminars also focused on the application of user-centered and participatory design approaches in shaping contemporary work environments, as well as examining the role of emerging technologies in protecting and managing cultural heritage. These discussions encouraged the adoption of multidisciplinary approaches in Azerbaijans design and architecture sector, strengthening constructive dialogue between international expertise and local context.

The School is also committed to expanding cooperation with international academic and creative networks. Professor Tijen Ro?ko from the University of Manitoba in Canada delivered a guest lecture, speaking about innovative and sustainable design practices, the relationship between academia and the creative industries, and sharing her professional experience on international creative platforms with young designers and students.

In 2026, ADA Universitys School of Design and Architecture will continue this series of seminars to support the development of innovative, inclusive, and globally informed design and architecture education in Azerbaijan.
MILAN  The M&A scene in Italy is not winding down before Christmas.

Golden Goose on Friday evening said international venture capital and private equity firm HSG will acquire a majority stake in the group, with investment company Temasek, and True Light Capital, joining as minority investors.

More from WWD

Funds advised by Permira, as well as other existing shareholders including Carlyle, will retain a minority investment in the group.

Silvio Campara will continue to helm the company as chief executive officer and Marco Bizzarri, currently a non-executive director of the board, will become non-executive chairman.

Silvio Campara, Golden Goose, CEO, FN Summit, Footwear News

I am so happy, this was my dream, said Campara in an interview after revealing the sale, referring to the growth of the brand so far and the long-term prospects with the new investors. I am also really happy that a story apparently so different and inclusive, that puts the consumer before everything else, has shown it can be successful.

Campara also trumpeted Bizzarris support, with his industry expertise, helming Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Kering over the years. He will play an important role in accelerating Golden Gooses next phase of global expansion, he said. Bizzarri also just joined the Giorgio Armani board.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but market sources peg the acquisition at 2.5 billion euros. The transaction is expected to close by next summer.

Campara enthused about HSG and Temasek, viewed as strategic partners to step up the brands expansion. They understood our strategy and our culture, and their investment is yet another vote of confidence in the success of our model at the intersection of luxury, lifestyle and sportswear, beloved by a growing, global community of Dreamers. With their experience of scaling international leaders across luxury and the broader business spectrum, HSG and Temasek will help us unlock the vast opportunity ahead for Golden Goose, he said.

The investment comes as Golden Goose closed the first nine months of the year with a 13 percent increase in revenue year-over-year to 517.1 million euros, driven by 21 percent growth in its direct-to-consumer channel and an expanded store network. This reached 227 directly operated stores, up from 97 in 2019.

In 2024, Golden Gooses sales amounted to 655 million euros, up from 266 million euros in 2020, when Permira acquired the company, best known for its Super-Star sneakers and strong global community.
Boynton Beach officials donned construction helmets and swung golden sledgehammers into the walls of the former Inn hotel on Dec. 17, kicking off a demolition that will put the property's troubled history to rest.

Mayor Rebecca Shelton called the site at Interstate 95 and Boynton Beach Boulevard an eyesore and said its scheduled demolition is a turning point for the city.

This building has been a strain on our city resources for far too long, and its removal sends a clear message: Owners who neglect their properties and allow unacceptable conditions and crime wont define our community, Shelton said.

Boynton Beach officials Thomas Turkin, Aimee Kelley, Rebecca Shelton, Angela Cruz, and Woodrow Hay, holding their sledgehammers with the former Inn hotel behind them at the Dec. 17 demolition kickoff ceremony.

The city recently purchased the property for $8.1 million to bring the hotel to dust, with support from a $75,000 grant from the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authoritys Blighted and Distressed Property Clean-Up Program.

Boynton Beach mayor wants 'something beautiful' for the site

The development plans have not been announced. However, Shelton told The Palm Beach Post that once the site is cleared, there will be opportunities for community input on the propertys future, opening the door for builders to pitch their redevelopment ideas.

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The one thing we dont want is just slamming down more apartments in Boynton. We want this to be somewhat of a destination coming into our city, Shelton added. While plans are not set, she envisions something beautiful for the site.

Aimee Kelley, a Boynton Beach city commissioner and Community Redevelopment Agency board member, said at the ceremony that the hotel property had long been a nuisance, affecting not only the surrounding neighborhood but also the city as a whole.

The demolition is a step toward erasing the area's reputation as a crime hot spot and enhancing safety for residents, she said, noting that with its visibility from I-95, the site has the potential to become a gateway feature, attracting visitors to Boynton Beach and boosting the citys profile.

Development, along with I-95 interchange upgrade, will help revamp Boynton

Boynton Beach purchased the Boynton Inn property for $8.1 million and on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, city officials donned their construction helmets and swung golden sledgehammers into the walls of the former Inn hotel.

In an effort to revamp the surrounding area, the Florida Department of Transportation has recently begun a $64 million project to improve the I-95 interchange at Boynton Beach Boulevard. The work is expected to enhance safety, reduce congestion and improve traffic flow in the area.

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City officials also plan to use the property to improve the Boynton Beach Boulevard corridor, which stretches east from the former Inn site to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks leading to the downtown district and other major city destinations.

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The City of Boynton Beach master plan and the Community Redevelopment Agencys vision aim to redevelop the downtown district through multiple mixed-use projects currently underway, building up the area into a hot spot.

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Officials at the demolition ceremony described the event as a milestone, emphasizing the citys future rather than its past. The redevelopment of the former hotel site is part of the broader vision to elevate the city as a whole.

Michael Cook is a freelance journalist for The Palm Beach Post.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach officially begins demolition of old Boynton Inn hotel
While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family.

I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York.

However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.

And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom. I believe that being a parent is lifes greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I dont further focus on my young sons safety, growth, and happiness  particularly at his tender age.

I am incredibly grateful to the people of New Yorks 21st District for entrusting me to represent you in the United States Congress. Thank you to my dedicated staff over the past decade. I am proud of the significant results that we successfully delivered for the hardworking families in our district and across America. It has been a tremendous professional honor to serve as your Congresswoman over the past eleven years.

Thank you for your support and encouragement as my family and I look forward to the next meaningful personal and professional chapter.

God Bless and Merry Christmas
Legislators have introduced a new bill that would aim to restore access on state Route 165 at the site of the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge.

Jayme Peloli, the mayor-elect of Wilkeson, told The News Tribune that House Bill 2149 would ramp up the process of replacing the bridge, which closed permanently due to safety reasons on April 22.

Its basically creating a roadmap for this particular situation to bypass the red tape and get something going on this bridge, and paying for a new one, putting it up and not waiting  because right now, there is no process and thats why there are no answers, Peloli told The News Tribune.

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Legislators introduced the bill on Dec. 16, with Rep. Andrew Barkis and Rep. Josh Penner sponsoring it. Barkis and Penner are both Republicans. The bill now has to go through the state House of Representatives and Senate, with the legislative session slated to start on Jan. 12, 2026.

The closure of the 103-year-old, single-lane bridge has had a huge impact on surrounding communities. The bridge was the only way for residents to access key areas of Mount Rainier National Park from state Route 165, such as Mowich Lake, Tolmie Peak and Spray Park. Local businesses in Wilkeson who relied on the tourist traffic to the park are struggling to stay afloat. Neighbors who live on the other side of the bridge, in the Carbon Canyon, are isolated by the closure. An alternate route has provided limited access for those residents.

Peloli previously asked the Washington State Auditors Office to look into the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)s lack of repairs to the bridge which had not been painted since 1988. WSDOT previously told The News Tribune this was due to a lack of funding from the legislature to address the hundreds of bridges across the state that needed repairs.

Right now, theres no legislative bill or anything thats put in place for state-neglected transportation or anything that was neglected by the state, Peloli told The News Tribune. Essentially, you cannot declare it an emergency  it has to be hit by a truck, or bombed, or some kind of natural disaster. Theres no legislative pieces that support the infrastructure if its neglected by the state or its the states fault. Theres no roadmap to fix that.

What will this bill do?

This bill, if passed, would declare the bridges closure an emergency  which would allow WSDOT to circumvent legal loopholes and red tape that could prevent a timely response to the closure. It also opens up doors for funding that wouldnt be possible without an emergency declaration.

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Its a special situation on its own, it doesnt necessarily set the pathway moving forward for a similar situation, Peloli said. But it directs WSDOT to restore access and quickly to do it, to expedite the planning. We dont want to have unnecessary delays, so it basically allows for temporary suspension of statutory or legal requirements that would hinder an emergency response.

According to the text of the bill, this state of emergency would allow WSDOT to use funds from the states climate investment account to build a new bridge.

During the 2025-2027 and 2027-2029 fiscal biennia, the legislature may provide full funding for the emergency replacement of infrastructure on state route number 165 caused by failure to adequately address the impacts of climate, the bill says.

What would solutions look like?

After WSDOT closed the bridge, they launched a $1.5 million planning study that explored seven options for addressing the fate of the bridge. Each of the seven options varied in terms of timeline and pricing.

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In August, WSDOT announced they had narrowed it down to two options:

Build a bridge replacement north of the bridges existing location.

Tear down the existing bridge without replacing it with a new one, essentially keeping the area inaccessible.

Building a bridge replacement to the north would cost about $160 million and take six years, WSDOT previously told The News Tribune. The option for tearing down the existing bridge and not building a replacement would cost $70 million to $80 million and take about three years.

WSDOT does not currently have a source of funding; these time frames would start from whenever officials were able to identify funding.

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The current infrastructure, the original bridge that was put there, you dont see those bridges anymore in general. It was made for that exact situation 103 years ago, Peloli told The News Tribune. The terrain is very unique to that location and it sits over the Carbon River, so I think its going to take a lot of planning and a lot of people coming to the table with ideas and what it looks like. But I realized, and Rep. Barkis realized, that even if they were to find a path forward, the biggest hurdle would be the funding.

By declaring a state of emergency and unlocking that state funding, it would expedite the process of finding solutions, Peloli said.

We spoke up even when it was uncomfortable

Peloli told The News Tribune that seeing this bill introduced was emotional for her.

Its emotional for me, its emotional for the Fairfax residents, anybody who enjoys being up in the park and using those public lands, Peloli said. This is something weve been working really hard to get eyes on.

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In a Dec. 17 Facebook post, Peloli said this bill was a symbol of the change that can happen when a community comes together.

For a long time, it felt like our concerns were dismissed, minimized, or treated as something small. But we kept showing up. We asked questions. We dug deeper. We spoke up even when it was uncomfortable, Peloli wrote. And little by little, the truth started to come out. This work has never been about headlines or recognition. Its about protecting our town, our mountain, our public lands, our history, our safety, and our future.
A third suspect in a fatal Brockton shooting last summer has been arraigned following an investigation.

According Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, Victor Oliveira, 22, of Brockton, was taken into custody at his home yesterday without incident.

Oliveira appeared in court on Thursday morning facing charges of First-Degree Murder, Carrying a Firearm Without a License, Carrying a Loaded Firearm Without a License, Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, Possessing Ammunition Without a Firearm Identification Card, and Discharging a Firearm Within 500 Feet of a Building.

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Govanni Carapinha, 25, and Marcus Miranda, 21, were arraigned on related charges in August and remain in custody without bail.

Officers responding to a home at 27 Vesey Street in Brockton just before midnight on July 24, 2024 found 22-year-old Romualdy Pierre-Charles suffering from a gunshot wound.

Pierre-Charles was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surveillance footage captured three individuals dressed in black approaching the home before gunfire erupted.

Investigators recovered 11 projectiles from the victim and numerous shell casings nearby.

During the incident, Carapinha was shot in the leg. Miranda and Oliveira were seen helping him into a gray Infiniti, later driving him to Boston Medical Center.

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Hospital surveillance video showed the trio arriving, with Carapinha in a wheelchair.

Oliveira was ordered held without bail and scheduled to return to court on February 12 for a pre-trial conference.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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More than five days after two Brown University students were killed and nine others were injured in a mass shooting on the Providence, Rhode Island, campus, police found the suspected shooter dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Federal officials soon confirmed that the person suspected of opening fire at Brown  48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente  was the same person suspected of shooting and killing 47-year-old MIT physics professor Nuno F. G. Loureiro at his Brookline apartment complex on Dec. 15.

Redacted court documents filed Thursday in Rhode Island paint a clear picture of how the police investigation into the shooting at Brown progressed over the last few days, as well as how investigators finally identified Neves Valente as a suspect.

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Prior to the discovery of Neves Valentes body, Providence police were set to charge him with 25 counts, including two charges of first-degree murder, according to court documents.

The day of the mass shooting

Providence police responded to Brown Universitys Barus and Holley building on Hope Street at 4:06 p.m. on Dec. 13, Detective Ryan Fedo wrote in a Thursday court filing. The building is home to the universitys engineering and physics programs.

Police and firefighters found the victims in an auditorium in which an economics class final exam review had been finishing up, Fedo wrote. The two students who died  sophomore Ella Cook and first-year student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov  were declared dead at the scene.

Students interviewed by police said theyd heard gunfire coming from the back of the auditorium, and that the shooter then walked to the front while firing, Fedo wrote. Some students hid themselves under the teachers desk until police arrived.

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Witnesses described the suspect as a man with a medium build who wore a face mask, Fedo wrote. Police found 44 spent shell casings at the scene.

The initial evidence

Investigators recovered two different full DNA profiles from evidence collected at the scene, but neither matched any existing profiles from the FBIs database, Fedo wrote. Security video from the area showed a suspicious person circling Brown University as early as 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 13.

Footage also showed the same person interacting with a man police refer to in the court filing as John at 2:16 p.m. that day, according to Fedos account. Investigators used the security videos to identify the suspects unique gait and determine that he was between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 inches tall.

Multiple students who were shot confirmed that the suspicious person from the security footage was the shooter, Fedo wrote. Images from the security videos were later released to the media in the hopes that the public would provide police with the suspects identity.

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A Brown University custodian told police in an interview that hed seen a man wearing the same clothing and face mask as the person in the security footage come into the Barus and Holley building multiple times in the last month, Fedo wrote. The custodians account was soon corroborated by security video from the building.

A break in the case

On Dec. 16, police received a tip referencing a comment from the Providence sub-Reddit in which the commenter claimed to have interacted with the suspicious person from the security footage on the day of the shooting, Fedo wrote. The description of the interaction matched that of the suspect and John.

The comment advised investigators to search for a gray Nissan with Florida license plates that might be a rental vehicle, Fedo wrote. They soon found a gray Nissan Sentra in security video from the scene.

Providence police interviewed John on Dec. 17, and he provided a detailed description of the suspect and the Nissan, as well as multiple interactions he had with him on the day of the shooting, Fedo wrote. At one point, the suspect ran away from John, then accused him of harassing him, and John noted that the suspect may have a hispanic accent.

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A Brown University faculty member independently told Rhode Island State Police on Dec. 17 that shed noticed a gray Nissan with Florida plates driving slowly around the neighborhood on Dec. 11, Fedo wrote. Security video from the area revealed that the same car had been in the area 14 different times in recent weeks, beginning on Dec. 1.

Police soon discovered that the gray Nissan was a rental from an Alamo Rent-A-Car in downtown Boston, Fedo wrote. It had last been rented by Neves Valente on Dec. 1. Video footage from the Alamo Rent-A-Car showed him wearing clothing matching that of the suspect from the Brown shooting.

Neves Valentes connection to Loureiro

Brown Universitys records indicated that Neves Valente had been a doctoral student studying physics from the fall semester of 2000 to the spring semester of 2001, Fedo wrote. He took a leave of absence the following semester before dropping out in the fall of 2003.

Neves Valente became a legal permanent resident of the U.S. in 2017, Fedo wrote. His last known address was located in Miami, Florida.

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During a press conference Thursday night, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she believed Neves Valente and MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro knew each other. Both men were from Portugal, and Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez Jr. said at a different conference earlier that night that theyd previously studied at the same university in Lisbon.

But as of Thursday night, there was no clear motive in the mass shooting at Brown University or in Loureiros killing, Foley said.

Brown University Shooting, Dec. 13, 2025

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Is the viral Hulken Bag really worth it? I put it to the test for 10 months

I rolled and schlepped the heavy-duty Hulken tote to the laundromat and grocery store to see if it's worth the splurge.
A Reddit user provided a crucial tip that helped investigators track down the suspected shooter of Brown students and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.

Three days after the deadly Brown University shooting, with the authorities struggling to find the perpetrator, cops were sifting through a torrent of leads when one anonymous tip stood outpointing investigators to a post on the popular social media site.

Im being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental, the user wrote, according to a Providence police affidavit.

Ella Cook, who was killed along with fellow student Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov in the Brown attack, was described by her instructor as being a bright and engaged student. / Bing Guan/AFP via Getty Images

Authorities say the message ultimately helped crack open the hunt for the campus gunmanand, in the process, tied the case to the killing of a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologybringing an end to a manhunt that had rattled both communities.

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According to the affidavit, the day after the post appeared, the person behind the accounta Brown University graduate-turned-janitor listed only as Johncontacted law enforcement and described an encounter with a man he found suspicious inside Browns Barus and Holley building.

Rhode Islands attorney general Peter Neronha, speaking on Thursday at a press conference after authorities announced that shooting suspect Claudio Neves Valente, 48, had been found dead in a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility, said John the Redditor blew this case wide open.

That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, he added.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the man had confronted the suspect before the shooting because it seemed like he didnt belong in the building.

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The suspect then ran and asked the man, Why are you harassing me? according to Perez. The tipster then walked away.

That information was critical to us because it was able to corroborate what our detectives were seeing on video, and it was able to provide a great explanation, Perez added.

Authorities tracked the car to a rental agency in Massachusetts, and from there to New Hampshire.

Valente died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

On Monday, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual responsible for the Brown University mass shooting.

Nuno Loureiro, a MIT physics professor, was killed in the foyer to his building in Brookline, Massachusetts. / Nuno Loureiro/MIT

The FBI and the Providence Police Department did not immediately confirm reports that the tipster is homeless. In an affidavit, authorities refer to the witness, listed as John, as a custodian.

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The FBI separately told the Daily Beast it could not disclose whether it would pay out the reward or to whom.

But FBI Boston Special Agent Ted Docks said at Thursdays press conference that the man who confronted Valente will likely... absolutely [get] some aspect of that reward.

Weve had a lot of other tips, I will tell you as well, that have come in from the public, he added. I dont deal typically with the distribution of those rewards, but it would be logical to think that absolutely that that individual would be entitled to some of that reward.

Perez said the man who was very cooperative and helpful to them was a Brown University graduate.

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Neronha weighed in moments later: He was incredibly articulate, and his testimony, had we needed it, would not only have been credibleit would have been persuasive. He was as outstanding a witness as Ive seen.

I dont know if hes going to get the reward or not, but if I had a vote, he would, he said.

Valente was a former Brown student, having been enrolled from 2000 to 2001, pursuing a graduate degree in physics, Brown University President Christina Paxson said.

The majority of physics classes at Brown have always been held within the Barus and Holley classrooms and labs, she added, referring to the shooting locations.

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Valente, police said, is also suspected of killing Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Nuno Loureiro in a Monday night shooting.

Authorities believe the two had attended the same school in Lisbon, Portugal.

I think theres a lot of unknowns with respect to motive, Neronha said.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing oversees nursing homes in the state of Iowa. (Photo via Getty Images; logo courtesy of the State of Iowa)

An Iowa nursing home where gift cards for residents were stolen has been fined $500 by the state.

State inspectors allege that in September, a Walmart gift card belonging to a resident of REM Iowas care facility on 33rd Avenue in Cedar Rapids was found to have been spent fraudulently and no receipts could be located.

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Also that month, it was determined that at least four McDonalds gift cards belonging to a different resident had also been spent fraudulently. The inspectors later determined the facilitys program supervisor had kept resident gift cards inside an unlocked cabinet within an unlocked office during the months of June, July and August, 2025.

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Previously, the office and cabinet were locked, but the program supervisor stopped locking them once it became too much of a hassle, inspectors reported.

The facility was cited for failing to ensure all allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation were reported to the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing in a timely manner and was fined $500.

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Other Iowa care facilities fined recently by the inspections department include:

 REM Iowa-Birch Cottage in Shelby was fined $500 for failing to provide nursing interventions to meet a residents needs after a 44-year-old male resident of the home died due to a bowel obstruction that contributed to acute respiratory failure. According to inspectors reports, the man was breathing heavily the morning of Sept. 19, 2025, and at one point began convulsing and having seizures.

An ambulance was summoned at which point, inspectors said, the resident acted normal, answered questions, and jumped up from the chair onto the cot to be taken to a hospital. While at the hospital, the mans heart stopped and he was pronounced dead at 10:40 a.m., about two hours after the incident at REM Iowa-Birch Cottage.

 Stratford Specialty Care in Hamilton County was fined $500 for improper use of physical restraints. The incident involved a nurse who had placed two dining room chairs behind the wheelchair of a male resident as he sat in a common area so he couldnt move or tip the wheelchair backward. The facility was cited for failing to report the matter in a timely fashion and failing to immediately separate the nurse, who was later suspended, from the resident.

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 Sunrise Hill Care Center in Traer was fined $500 for failing to conduct a timely employee background check for any findings of abuse or criminal convictions. Inspectors alleged an employee of the home underwent a background check in January 2025, but wasnt hired until mid-April of 2025. By law, background checks are to be performed within 30 days of an individual being hired.

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Dec. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday it has trained a record number of new recruits, and in new ways to deter undocumented migrants from crossing the border.

The new recruits, many who are Latino, Spanish-speaking and from border towns, will be trained at the agency's academy in Artesia, N.M, according to CNN. They will be taught more assertive tactics than previous recruits, and the training will include vehicle chases.

Better weapons technology is also being newly introduced to the training curriculum, which CBP leaders say is the result of a broader agency makeover by President Donald Trump, an agenda item he announced at the start of his second term.

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Changes at the agency come amid Trump's pledge to deport undocumented migrants, and as Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions have been increased in large, predominantly Democrat-led U.S. cities, despite pushback from local and state policing agencies who say they don't need the help from ICE or the National Guard, whose soldiers have also been deployed.

CBP said the training is being paid for by funding in the federal budget bill. They said the money will allow the agency to hire an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents, adding to the 19,000 currently deployed nationwide.

There are currently 1,100 trainees enrolled at the CBP academy, the highest number since 2009. Only 500 were enrolled in 2024, according to agency data. The agency reported it will have roughly 1,500 trainees by the middle of next year, CNN reported.

CBP officer training includes 105 hours of practical exercise training, classroom instruction and interactive scenarios, according to the agency. Trainees are required to pass seven practical tests, eight written exams and 23 practical exercises.
In a move called historic by charter advocates and shameful by opponents, Indianapolis officials reached agreement on a plan to provide all charter students with buses and close struggling schools.

The proposal, recommended to the state legislature by a panel of leaders from around the city calls for creating a powerful new government agency, the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, handing charters a measure of control over citywide education decisions they have never had.

The corporation  Indianas legal term for a school district  would oversee a unified transportation system for all schools; along with the ability to decide which schools are not serving students. The agency would also oversee a single enrollment system.

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The plan, which still needs approval by the state legislature, is a big win, in some ways, for charter schools that have grown rapidly in recent years and now educate more than half of Indianapolis students.

Along with gaining transportation for students, charters will have representatives on the new board with equal standing to district officials for the first time in shaping Indianapolis school policy.

That power, though, is taken from the Indianapolis Public Schools district, whose schools could be closed by the corporation and which already saw the state legislature shift property taxes away from the district to charters earlier this year.

Related

Indianapolis Tries to Shape a Grand Bargain for Charters, District

Robert Enlow, CEO of the national charter advocacy group EdChoice, based in Indianapolis, called the recommendation historic in its support of charters.

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It is a bold and courageous direction that represents a groundbreaking pathway, Enlow said after the vote on Wednesday.

But the proposal has tradeoffs for all sides, which have already sparked howls of opposition from voters and other charter advocates, as well as worry from the district about how the legislature could change the plan.

That more power could go to charters has enraged some residents since leaders started discussing the new plan this summer. Right before the vote, Rev. Clyde Posley, president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Indiana, spoke on behalf of several clergy calling the entire effort a heavy-handed public overreach in support of private agendas.

(It) not only invites scavengers and investors to pillage off the plight of a broken school system, Posley said. It is not only wrong, it is vicious.

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Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson, who worked on the plan for several months, urged residents to keep fighting as the plan goes to the legislature, but said change is necessary.

The proposal tonight is an imperfect solution for a challenging set of realities, Johnson said before voting in favor of it..

Those realities include growing pains from the rapid rise of charters in a city with a stagnant population. Many charter schools dont offer buses, forcing students to use public transport or be driven by parents who have pleaded for buses for their children.

The city also has about 50,000 school seats for 41,000 students, leaving 9,000 open, while the Indianapolis Public Schools faces a budget deficit that will require a tax increase from voters.

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Whether the plan will pass as is by the Republican-dominated, pro-charter legislature is unclear. State Sen. Jeff Raatz, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development, had no immediate comment.

Bob Behning, the chairman of the House Education Committee who wrote the bill forcing Indianapolis officials to work out a partnership, said he was pleased with the decision. He did not elaborate on details of the plan, some of which he has opposed.

The new corporation would move toward mayoral control of schools, which cities across the U.S. have tried with varying success. It would have an executive director and a nine-member board appointed by the mayor  three chosen from the Indianapolis Public Schools board, three charter school leaders and three others.

That proposal for a mostly-unelected board immediately drew protest from residents, many with the Central Indiana Democratic Socialists of America. After constant shouts of Unelected! and This is a sham! residents called for the citys voters, not the legislature, to approve the new corporation. One climbed onto the platform where the panel was seated and was removed by security. And audience members chanted Shame! as the panel ended its meeting.

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Charter schools are also raising opposition, including the recommendation that every charter must share money and participate in the new busing system, even as the overall recommendation would give them more power.

Related

Indiana Leads Republican Push To Cut Red Tape of Federal Grants

One charter school advocacy group, the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, called that an unfunded mandate.

The proposals put forward would place significant burdens on charter schools without providing funding, would reverse major legislative progress, and would create a structure that pulls decision-making farther from the schools and families most affected, the center said in a social media post.

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The center also objected to the recommendation to limit charter authorizers  organizations that oversee charters and decide which can open  just to the mayors office, the state charter board and, as a recent development, the Indianapolis Public Schools board.

Andrew Neal, a member of the panel making the recommendation, said requiring all schools to be part of the plan is a significant equity issue.

I know there are some individuals out there who fear how that will impact their schools, or how that will impact their systems, Neal said just before the vote. But I am telling you, this is an opportunity for studentsthe ones that because of a fragmented system, continue to fall through the cracks.

Stand for Children, an education advocacy group that has led the push for busing, said parents will appreciate the new system.

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One parent, Christa Salgado, has repeatedly asked state and local officials for help with transportation after driving her son to school every day took a toll on her and her son had to move to live with his father.

I had to drive across the city about 30 minutes back and forth in the morning, and then in the afternoon to pick him up, as a single mother, she told the panel just before Wednesdays vote. This was unsustainable, and unfortunately, I could only do this for a year.

The district still isnt sure, with the final result still up to the legislature, what impact it will have on its authority and budgets. But superintendent Johnson voted in favor of the recommendations, while urging residents to put pressure on the state legislature to make sure the district doesnt lose too much to charters.

If we continue to have an elected board with just the same oversight as they do today, she conceded, the challenges of incoherence and thinning resources will remain.
Goldman Sachs has appointed Brian Cayne as its software investment banking group global co-head, reported Reuters, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

A co-founder of Qatalyst Partners, Cayne will begin his role in January 2026, based in San Francisco, jointly leading the software banking practice with Jason Rowe in New York and Joe Porter in London.

In the new position, Cayne will report to Goldman Sachs technology, media, and telecom (TMT) investment banking group co-heads Barry O'Brien and Jung Min.

According to the news agency, Cayne previously worked at Qatalyst Partners for 15 years, where he joined as part of the founding team led by Frank Quattrone in 2008.

The hiring comes as Goldman Sachs seeks to strengthen its advisory business in the software sector.

The bank is undertaking a broader TMT investment banking unit reorganisation, and restructuring the group with a focus on AI and infrastructure deals, according to an internal memo previously seen by Reuters.

Goldman Sachs has merged its telecom and CoreTech teams to create two new units, Global Infrastructure Technology and Global Internet and Media.

In 2025, the bank ranked advised on transactions worth $337.8bn holding a 42.5% market share, Reuters reported, citing LSEG data.

Its notable transactions this year included the $56.5bn leveraged buyout of Electronic Arts and Alphabets $32bn purchase of Wiz, a cloud security company.

Recently, Goldman Sachs has signed an agreement to acquire Innovator Capital Management, a provider of defined outcome exchange-traded funds (ETFs), in a transaction worth around $2bn.

Innovator currently manages 159 defined outcome ETFs.

"Goldman Sachs names software investment banking group co-head  report" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.




For over a century, the dream of efficiently concentrating low-grade heat into high-temperature industrial energy has been constrained by a stubborn ceiling: 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). Now, a team from China has shattered that temperature limit.

The Japanese government has spelled out its position on Taiwan - although only in part - based on the 1972 document that normalised diplomatic ties to ease tensions, while insisting that the Taiwan issue should be resolved "peacefully through dialogue".

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.

href=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3336418/jimmy-lai-trial-all-eyes-hong-kong-court-set-deliver-verdict data-entity-uuid=dc41017f-fe28-4539-aa39-ec105ecfcc7d data-entity-type=node data-entity-bundle=article>Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai found guilty on all charges in national security trial

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Three Hong Kong judges who presided over former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying's high-profile national security trial for more than 1 years returned their verdict on Monday, finding him guilty on all charges.

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Malaysians hit back online this week after Indonesia's home affairs minister appeared to play down the significance of flood relief Malaysia sent to the neighbouring nation's disaster-hit Aceh province, where catastrophic floods and landslides on Sumatra's northern tip have killed more than 1,000 people.

href=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336467/chinese-main-battle-tank-upgraded-high-altitudes-could-be-sent-border-india data-entity-uuid=f7b5c077-7237-450c-a1ec-fe7e876ac2a8 data-entity-type=node data-entity-bundle=article>Chinese tank, upgraded for high altitudes, could be sent to border with India

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One of China's newest main battle tanks, the Type 99B, is an upgraded model designed to perform better in high-altitude and cold weather operations, according to state media - suggesting it could be sent to the Himalayan border with India.

China has launched a national-level service platform to help returning overseas students find work and start businesses, as the country steps up its efforts to attract talent and the number of returnees surges.

href=https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3335176/china-woman-spends-us1-million-cosmetic-surgery-resemble-famous-actress-fan-bingbing data-entity-uuid=7360be99-7c44-4d07-9eb6-3473e18bfbde data-entity-type=node data-entity-bundle=article>China woman spends US$1 million on cosmetic work to resemble actress Fan Bingbing

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A woman in China, who spent eight million yuan (US$1 million) on cosmetic surgery to make her look like the actress Fan Bingbing, has been forced to change her life after the star's reputation collapsed.s.

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.
He told his physician he couldnt stand or sit without significant pain, authorities say.

Household chores were anything but routine.

California Highway Patrol Officer Jordan Roy Lester claimed a medical retirement was the only recourse because of a debilitating injury, according to authorities. Then the departments internal affairs investigators observed Lester on property he'd newly purchased cutting down trees, stacking firewood and operating heavy machinery.

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Fast-forward two years and the 17-year veteran pleaded guilty in Sacramento County court on Wednesday to felony insurance fraud and was sentenced to 270 days in a county jail.

Lester, 45, is also on two years' formal probation and has been ordered to pay $232,829 in restitution to the CHP and $127,791 to the state compensation insurance fund.

Read more: Los Angeles County fire victims sue AAA and USAA, alleging insurance fraud

Hell also lose his service and pension credit for the years in which fraud was committed.

We take workers compensation fraud very seriously as it has an immediate and lasting financial impact on employers and delays medical care and financial assistance to employees legitimately injured at work, Sacramento County Dist. Atty. Thien Ho said in a statement.

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Ho added: To have a peace officer commit this fraud is not only a violation of their duty to serve and protect with integrity, but it is also a violation of public trust.

Lester was arrested in Quincy , in the Plumas National Forest of Northern California, in August 2024 after a multiyear investigation by the CHP's Workers Compensation Fraud Investigation Unit. Lester filed a workers' compensation claim in July 2021, though his superiors said the injury was not significant, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's office. He was not taken off duty.

Lester had been assigned to the CHP's Central Division but briefly was moved to Quincy, according to the CHP office there. The home he purchased was located in Quincy.

On his days off he worked the property, according to the D.A.s office, and eventually reached out to a former officer about obtaining medical retirement, according to authorities.

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Read more: Central California carjacking turns out to be insurance scam, investigators say

If he'd succeeded in getting medical retirement, he would have received 85% of his salary for life, tax-free, the D.A.s office said.

As a CHP officer, Lester earned more than $260,000 in pay and benefits in 2021, according to the public pay database Transparent California .

In January 2022, Lester visited a doctor to have his claim substantiated, authorities said. He immediately was taken off his normal shift. His fortunes unraveled not long after when investigators witnessed him on his property engaging in heavy physical activity, according to the D.A.s office.

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An independent medical examiner tested Lester in February 2024 and said that not only could Lester perform all work duties, but the CHP veteran also exaggerated his complaints, according to the D.A.s office.

He was arrested six months later.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The City of Charlotte is suing pharmaceutical companies over inflated insulin prices, alleging they have overpaid millions for the medicine through their employee health plans.

Charlotte officials claimed in the lawsuit that insulin, which costs about $2 to produce, can be sold by manufacturers for as much as $700.

The lawsuit accuses certain drug companies and Pharmacy Benefit Managers of colluding to raise insulin prices, alleging violations of the states unfair and deceptive trade practices law.

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Gaston and Lincoln Counties filed similar lawsuits earlier this year.

READ: Two local counties, others sue over price of insulin

The lawsuit names about a dozen companies as defendants, including major insulin manufacturers.

In response to earlier lawsuits filed by other North Carolina governments, Eli Lilly characterized the lawsuits as baseless. Novo Nordisk described the allegations as meritless.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx reported that their members typically pay less than $25, $23, and $18 per month for insulin, indicating their practices do not contribute to high costs for consumers.

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Sanofi has stated that its pricing practices have always complied with the law, responding directly to the accusations.

CVS issued the following statement in response:

Pharmaceutical companies alone are responsible for the prices they set in the marketplace for the products they manufacture. Nothing in our agreements prevents drug manufacturers from lowering the prices of their insulin products and we would welcome such an action. Allegations that we play any role in determining the prices charged by manufacturers for their products are false, and we intend to vigorously defend against this baseless suit.

Novo Nordisk said to use its statement the company provided in February: It believes that the allegations against it are meritless, and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. While we will not comment further about pending litigation, we recognize that not all patient situations are the same and we have a number of different insulin affordability offerings available through NovoCare. Importantly, we continually review and revise our offerings as well as work with diverse stakeholders to create solutions for differing patient needs.

Channel 9 Attorney Jason Stoogenke is reaching out to the companies named in the lawsuit to receive updated statements.

WATCH: Two local counties, others sue over price of insulin
FAIRMONT  A member of the City of Fairmont Board of Zoning Appeals may have been in his position illegitimately for 14 months.

A Fairmont resident voiced her concerns over the board members term and the citys handling of the situation to City Council at Tuesday nights regular meeting. The city reappointed Aron Majic to the Board of Zoning Appeals last year, a seat which he vacated earlier this month.

The vacancy exists because the Board of Zoning Appeals member resigned from the position on Dec. 3, 2025, but should have been deemed ineligible on Oct. 25, 2024, due to moving outside of the Fairmont city limits, resident Shawna Santee said. Instead, this ineligible board member was recommended by the City Manager to be reappointed in December of 2024 and subsequently voted in as president of the Board of Zoning Appeals in March of 2025.

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Santee alleged the city allowed an ineligible member to sit on the board for 14 months without checking the members eligibility. Santee also questioned the citys choice to advance former Council Member Gia Deasys application from January 2025, rather than consider applications submitted from October to December of 2024. Its the time period in which the sitting board member became ineligible to when Deasy submitted her application. Santee accused the city of creating the appearance of impropriety by appointing an individual that could not have been considered when the vacancy legitimately arose, particularly a former council member.

Deputy Mayor Josh Rice asked Santee if she had proof the former Board of Zoning Appeals member was ineligible for the previous 14 months. Santee replied she did a record search of real estate. City Attorney Kevin Sansalone stepped in to reply.

I can tell you one thing, he bought a house in October 2024, but that doesnt mean he lived there, Sansalone said. He had other homes at the same time. So he bought a home outside the city, and he said he still had a home inside the city. So you honestly dont know when he lived there and when he didnt.

Santee pointed out the address on record in October of 2024 was sold and not in his possession any longer. Sansalone replied as soon as the matter came to the citys attention, the city requested a resignation from the board member. Santee asked Sansalone if the board member had a valid application on file in December of 2024 when the city reappointed him to the board, to which Sansalone said he couldnt answer.

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A review of Majics application approved by city Council on Dec. 17, 2024, shows Majic checked off the line asking if he lived within city limits.

Majic strongly denied any impropriety.

I grew up here, and I love to help when I can, and this whole thing is just, Im not sure, I certainly didnt do anything seedy or try to pull the wool over anybodys eyes or anything like that. I promise you, theres no story there. Id rather not get into it, to me its beating a dead horse, Majic said.

City Communications Manager David Kirk said the city attorney was very clear during the council meeting that once the city became aware on Nov. 18, 2025 that a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals could potentially be living outside the city, staff connected with the member and shared that if that was the case, his resignation must be submitted. He said city staff moved swiftly to address the issue as soon as it was discovered.

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Council Member Anthony Horton asked Santee if she got what she wanted with Majics resignation. Taken aback, Santee replied, no, she just wanted things to be fair. On Thursday, Santee added she just wanted the city to check over all applications to ensure theyre valid. She also expressed concern that any decisions made by the board while there was an illegitimate appointment ran the risk of being null and void.

In other business:

The city reflected on its past year. Pointing to the opening of Norwood Park, the announcement of Momentum Adventure Park and the major upgrades to Windmill Park and start of improvements to the newly renamed Rotary Club of Fairmont Mini Park, the city has made major strides toward delivering the improvements the citys residents deserve, Kirk said. The city also made major improvements to its aging water and wastewater infrastructure. The city worked with the West Virginia Division of Highways to resurface its downtown roads and sidewalks.

In the year to come, were extremely excited for the Momentum Adventure Park and West Fork River Trail Extension build out to get underway, Kirk said. As well as continuing our partnerships with WVDOH as we eye improvements to East Park Avenue and the Gateway Connector.
Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente was identified by police as the suspect in last weeks Brown University shooting on Thursday after he was found dead by an FBI SWAT team in a New Hampshire storage unit.

In a press conference, Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez and FBI Special Agent Ted Docks identified Valente as the suspect in the shooting, which killed two students and injured nine others.

The individual was identified as Claudio Neves Valente, and he was a 48-year-old man. He was a Brown student, he was a Portuguese national, and his last known address was in Miami, Florida, Perez told reporters. And I will tell you that he took his own life tonight.

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In his own statement, Docks said:

We got him. Shortly before 9 oclock tonight, the FBI SWAT team executed court-authorized search warrants at a storage unit facility in Salem, New Hampshire. This is where we located Claudio Neves Valente, the individual who we believe was responsible for the Brown shooting. The latest development in an intense 5-day manhunt, and its the result of an incredible amount of work dedicated by the law enforcement team standing before you here tonight.

He continued, Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered. Theres a lot of evidence that needs to be processed and most importantly the victims and their families deserve special care and consideration.

Docks concluded, The FBI and our partners across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire will continue to search for answers for the victims, survivors, and their families to see what motivated this individual to carry out such a senseless act of violence.

According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Valente was enrolled at Brown from the Fall of 2000 to the Spring of 2001.

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He was admitted to Browns graduate school to study in a masters of science PhD program in physics, beginning on September 1st, 2000, and he took a leave of absence effective April 2001 before formally withdrawing effective July 31, 2003, she said.

The suspect also studied at the same university in Portugal as plasma physicist Nuno Loureiro, who was killed this week in Massachusetts just days after the Brown University shooting.

Watch above via Fox News.

The post Who Is Claudio Neves Valente? Brown University Shooting Suspect Found Dead in Storage Unit first appeared on Mediaite.
Megan Schwalm is full of energy. She sees the excitement and ambition of every member of the coffee group she started three years ago. Yet she is often afraid to trust what she sees and feels  afraid she will be let down again.

Its a numbers game, right? Schwalm said before a recent meeting of her Liberal Ladies Social Group. And so while there are moments of hope for me, there are often overwhelming moments of hopelessness as well.

The source of the competing hope and worry: a recent House special election in Tennessees 7th Congressional District. The Democratic candidate lost by 9 points. A year ago, Republican Mark Green won by 22 points. (Green resigned his seat in July.)

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There was so much excitement, Schwalm said.

But the reality of where she lives is not lost on her. The numbers are the numbers. If we can keep closing that gap, thats incredible. But gerrymandering makes it nearly impossible to win.

Nearly impossible. Its worth remembering that. But the energy among Democrats here is palpable, and they are vowing to do all they can to make Nashville and its suburbs a most unlikely 2026 midterm battleground.

Theres something happening, said Lisa Quigley, who was chief of staff to the last Democrat to represent the Nashville area in the House. And so as long as we are smart enough to put our best players on the field, I think were going to be able to take advantage of that. And I think that next November is going to be a big year for us.

John King speaks to a group of liberal women voters in the Nashville suburb of Mount Juliet. - CNN

Quigley, too, is aware of the daunting math.

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The old 5th Congressional District included all of Nashville and some of its suburbs. It was represented by a Democrat for 148 years  from 1875 to 2023. But Republicans who now dominate state politics redrew the lines before the 2022 midterms.

Nashville was carved into three districts that stretch from the city into the suburbs and out to reliably Republican rural areas. Republicans won the new 5th, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts easily in both 2022 and 2024. President Donald Trumps 2024 margins were lopsided: 18 points in the 5th, 35 points in the 6th, and 22 points in the 7th.

Not easy, but doable, is nonetheless Quigleys 2026 take on flipping at least two of those three House seats.

Conversations with Democrats here just after the special election persuaded us to add a Tennessee visit to our All Over the Map project, an effort to track major political developments through the eyes and experiences of voters. Democratic successes throughout 2025 give the party reasons to be bullish heading into 2026. But Tennessee is ruby-red, and it would be extraordinary if the House seats that include parts of Nashville are truly competitive come next fall.

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Schwalm moved to Mount Juliet from Iowa just as the new lines were taking hold. Shes 25 miles from Nashville, but it seems much farther.

When you are here, its very clear you are in the Bible Belt, Schwalm said. Beliefs are very different from beliefs in Nashville, and politically its very different going from Nashville to here.

After her move, Schwalm decided to reach out to a handful of other liberals she had met, then started a Facebook page.

Within a matter of like two months, the group had grown to over 200 people online, Schwalm said. Now were almost at 700, and we have a weekly coffee meeting where we come together just really to socialize. Its really about building community because its very isolating here.

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Local school board fights over books and diversity and policies regarding transgender children were the groups most common shared interest at the beginning. Over time, a few Republicans unhappy with the Trump and MAGA agenda joined the group. And now, the experience of the special House election has the women setting their sights on Washington.

Tennessee Republican redrew the lines before the 2022 elections and carved blue Nashville into three red districts that stretch from the city to the suburbs and out to rural Tennessee. - CNN

The coffee group members all live within an hour of Nashville but are sprinkled across the three House districts. But even members who do not live in the 7th Congressional District helped in the special election, writing postcards and joining phone banks.

Aftyn Behn, a state legislator, was the Democratic candidate who lost by 9. She is progressive, and there is some chatter here that perhaps a more moderate candidate might have fared even better.

Just the mention of that talk brings a mix of groans and eye rolls at the liberal coffee group.

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Weve been running moderates, member Lindsey Patrick-Wright said. It doesnt work and hasnt gotten us anywhere.

I really believe the way we win is to run true liberal candidates and not liberal lite as we like to do in Tennessee, Schwalm said. I think the way we get younger folks to vote is by running candidates who understand the issues we are facing.

But Schalm did qualify her remarks some.

She said she believed Behn had proven herself worthy of another shot at the 7th District. Schwalm lives in the 6th  the most Republican of the three districts that include slices of Nashville. We might not be able to run someone quite as liberal, Schwalm said of her home district.

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The Red Bicycle coffee shop, where the liberal group meets, is in the 5th District, which all agree is likely the Democrats best shot  though still difficult.

About 40 percent of the 5th Districts voters live in Nashville, and the Republican incumbent, Rep. Andy Ogles, is a lightning rod. Ogles sponsored legislation allowing Trump to run for a third term. It is a nonstarter, but Democrats see it as a plus for their argument that Ogles is extreme.

Republican Matt Van Epps won the special election in the 7th District. Democrats hope a year as an incumbent in Washington proves a drag when the midterm election comes next November. The incumbent in the 6th District, Rep. John Rose, is running for Tennessee governor. But while Democrats promise to contest the seat, they also concede it is even more of a long-shot than the other two.

Quigley worked for former Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, a moderate who represented Nashville for 20 years until the lines were redrawn for the 2022 election. Her instincts and experience tell her a moderate has a better shot in the suburbs and rural areas, but the excitement for Behns candidacy in the special election makes her wonder.

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She has a national fundraising base now, Quigley said of Behn. She has a social media following. These are the things that you need in modern politics to be able to get the excitement and the interest of the voters to come out and cast their ballot for you.

Now, given the energy among Democrats, Quigley predicts crowded primaries for the Nashville-area House districts.

Lisa Quigley says next year has the potential to be very big for Democrats. - CNN

There are already several declared candidates in the 5th District. Quigleys favorite is Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, about 50 miles south of Nashville in rural Maury County.

Trump won 72 percent of the vote in Maury County last year, and Quigleys case for Molder is that he has experience  and some success  winning votes in the deep-red parts of the district.

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Behn hasnt said what her specific 2026 plans are. This is not the end  it is the beginning of the next chapter, she said in a statement after conceding the special election. The road ahead is bright for Tennessee and for this country.

There is buzz among some Tennessee Democrats that she might run in the 5th instead of trying again in the 7th, because it viewed as more favorable to Democrats.

I think it would be an unfortunate food fight, Quigley said of that idea.

Names aside, Quigleys expectation is there will be several candidates in each district and, yes, almost guaranteed tension between Democratic liberals and moderates.

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Primary voters are going to figure out who they want to be their standard-bearer, Quigley said. I do think that voters are also smart enough to figure out whos the person whos been able to sort of put this together and is in alignment with the district they are running in.

The long-shot Democratic hopes here also depend on something beyond their control: the mood of the Republican base. Behn didnt just run up impressive numbers in Nashville proper. The district spans 14 counties, from the Kentucky border to the Alabama border, and Behn over-performed the Democrats 2024 percentage in every one of them. Republicans insist it was a special election and all will be fine next year; Democrats argue results coast to coast in 2025 proved the Republican base is not as motivated to vote.

Luis and Cyndi Cortes own the Mount Juliet location of the coffee shop where the women meet.

They are Trump supporters. Luis cant vote because his parents brought him to the United States illegally as a child. They were deported to Mexico when he was 17, but he was allowed to stay as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created by President Barack Obama.

Luis has permanent resident status now and hopes to one day become a citizen and run for office. Cyndi voted for Obama and Hillary Clinton, but said being a parent and owning a business has made her more conservative.

They moved to Mount Juliet from Nashville two years ago because they feel more at home here.

There is something in this kind of suburban Nashville that we really hold dear. And thats our love of God first and then our love for family and then our love for country, Luis said.

The couple own three coffee shops in Middle Tennessee. Tariffs on coffee and paper goods have hurt their bottom line in 2025, but they say they are willing to make a little less to give Trump time for his policies to fully take hold.

I guess my patriot side  Im saying I hope that the president is making the right investment in the country so that in a few years and a couple of generations, we can reap the rewards of that, Luis Cortes said.

Two-time Trump voter Cyndi Cortes says she's open to voting for a Democrat in 2026, expressing dissatisfaction with her current congressman. - CNN

Both believe it is imperative the country have a secure border and an organized immigration system. They acknowledge, though, that the aggressive deportation roundups implemented by the Trump administration give them some pause.

The means at which we are getting there is difficult, not comfortable to watch, Cyndi Cortes said. And its definitely affected Latin American communities.

Both believe that their area is too conservative to elect a Democrat to Congress.

Yet Cyndis 2026 take could become important.

She voted for Ogles in 2024 as part of a straight Republican ticket. But she had become disillusioned with him because of questions about his financial disclosure and other issues. She plans to vote against him in the GOP primary next year.

I cant put a vote for a candidate that I just dont feel embodies the values that matter to us, she said. A strong character and honest, you know, honest character is important.

And if Ogles win the primary?

Im not opposed to voting for a Democratic candidate if his values and what he wants to do for this district is aligned with our goals as well, Cyndi Cortes said. So it is not off the table.

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A mail carrier is facing charges after being accused of stealing the mail she was supposed to be delivering.

Austell police say 31-year-old Adrienne Braziel, a United States Postal Service employee, is accused of taking some of the mail she was supposed to be delivering on her route.

They say that between Sept. 10 and Dec. 14, Braziel was taking AT&T rewards cards.

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The USPS Office of Inspector General received complaints from several people in Austell about missing AT&T rewards, so they began investigating and learned they were all on the same mail carriers route.

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Braziel was later spotted on surveillance cameras using the stolen cards.

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She was arrested and charged with two counts of financial transaction card fraud.

She is currently being held in the Cobb County Jail.

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United States Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley revealed chilling new information about the man behind two deadly attacks in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

In a one-on-one interview with Boston 25s Bob Ward, Foley called Claudio Neves Valente a cold-blooded killer. She also revealed that even though the manhunt has come to an end, the investigation is far from over.

Valente is accused of attacking Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13, killing two students and injuring nine others in a mass shooting, before fatally shooting MIT nuclear physics professor Nuno Loureiro at his Brookline home on the night of Monday, Dec. 15.

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Authorities say Valente was found dead Thursday night in a rented storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, from an apparent suicide. Inside the unit, investigators discovered:

Two 9mm Glock handguns

Hundreds of rounds of ammunition

Receipts from a New Hampshire shooting range dated from November

Foley told Ward that the evidence points to a carefully planned attack.

This was very premeditated. He had a plan, and he did not want that plan to fail, Foley said.

Investigators believe Valente drove a rented Nissan to Brookline days after the Brown University shooting.

Wearing a reflective vest, he rang Loureiros doorbell. When the professor answered with his 12-year-old child nearby, Valente allegedly shot him point-blank in the face, then fled to New Hampshire and killed himself, according to Foley.

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Authorities have video of Valente entering the storage unit around 9:45 p.m. Monday. He was never seen alive again.

In an update late Friday afternoon, the New Hampshire Department of Justice Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced Valente died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled his death a suicide. Officials also estimated that he had been dead since Dec. 16.

Foley confirmed that Valente didnt leave a note or manifesto behind and noted that the attacks dont appear to be terror-related.

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest or indicate this was an act of Islamic terrorism, Foley said. We have not seen any evidence that this was antisemitic.

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Foley also explained to Ward that there is no indication a foreign government was involved.

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By Kenrick Cai

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Alphabet's cloud computing unit and cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks on Friday announced an expanded partnership that one source told Reuters was by far Google Cloud's largest security services deal.

The contract comprises a commitment by Palo Alto to pay a sum "approaching $10 billion" to Google Cloud over several years, according to the person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Executives at both companies declined to comment on the specific figures of the contract. Some of the spending will go into migrating Palo Alto's existing offerings to Google's platform, but a sizable portion will go into adding new services that involve artificial intelligence, Palo Alto president BJ Jenkins told Reuters.

"AI has spawned a tremendous amount of demand for security," said Matt Renner, chief revenue officer for Google Cloud.

But while some business functions like software development have been fundamentally altered by AI, cybersecurity remains in its nascency.

"This is the same as when the cloud began to emerge and there were new security threats that no one had ever imagined," Jenkins said.

Cyberattacks are increasingly being perpetrated by the same generative AI tools that security providers are using to strengthen defenses.

Both Google and Palo Alto have invested heavily into security software as enterprises seek to adopt AI.

Google's $32 billion acquisition of security firm Wiz is pending regulatory approval. Palo Alto launched AI-driven offerings in October and announced plans to buy software company Chronosphere for $3.35 billion last month.

Renner said the new deal is the latest showcase of Google Cloud's advantageous positioning as AI reshapes the competitive landscape against hyperscaler rivals Amazon and Microsoft.

The two companies have been strategic partners since 2018. Palo Alto CEO Nikesh Arora was a longtime Google executive, serving as its chief business officer until 2014.

(Reporting by Kenrick Cai in San Francisco; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Community leaders within Columbus' Somali community rallied together and hosted an "emergency meeting" amid an increase in immigration enforcement by federal agents in the city.

State Rep. Ismail Mohamed, D-Columbus, said he and David Harewood, a local activist, coordinated the Dec. 18 meeting due to the noticeable increase in ICE agents and what he says is "dehumanization" coming from the Trump administration targeting Somali immigrants.

Between 40 and 50 people attended the meeting, where politicians and community leaders spoke about the increase in activity and encouraged residents and neighbors to look out for immigrant communities and offer a helping hand.

State Rep. Ismail Mohamed speaks during an emergency meeting regarding an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity on Dec. 18, 2025 at the Jigjiga Mall on Columbus' Northeast Side.

State Rep. Munira Abdullahi, another Columbus Democrat whose district includes where the event took place, encouraged attendees to look out for their neighbors and said that safety comes from collaborating and sharing information with each other.

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"We keep each other safe," said Abdullahi.

Brooke Leonard, who was introduced as an immigration attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Southeast and Central Ohio but later clarified that she was at the event in her personal capacity, echoed Abdullahi and urged people whose immigration status is not in question to step in and help immigrant communities when possible.

"Leaning on each other is the only way that we get through this," Leonard said.

Throughout the past few weeks, social media users on websites like Reddit have reported what they have said are ICE agents carrying out immigration operations and arresting people in Columbus.

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On Dec. 18, a Dispatch reporter witnessed agents tackle a man who was riding a bicycle and take him into custody. In response to questions from The Dispatch, an unidentified ICE spokesperson from the Detroit field office said they "continue to arrest criminal illegal aliens and immigration violators in the city of Columbus, across Ohio, and throughout the United States."

The agent did not directly address the Dec. 18 arrest. Numerous media have found that immigrants without criminal records and even American citizens are increasingly getting caught up in immigration raids.

Principal says school staff questioned by ICE agents

Mohamed Ali, a Somali community activist and engineer, said he filmed ICE agents just before they stopped and questioned two staff members who work at the Horizon Science Academy's Columbus Elementary School at 2899 Morse Road on the Northeast Side.

Photos of ICE agents outside Horizon Science Academy on Dec. 18, 2025. The agents approached two staff members and asked them to show citizenship paperwork, according to the school's principal.

The video appears to show four agents standing and talking outside a Ford Explorer. Ali, who filmed the agents just before 11 a.m. on Dec. 18, said that after he recorded them, they approached two staff members who were walking to another building on the school's property and asked them to show paperwork with their immigration status. The two staff members were later released, according to Heather Duchene, principal at Horizon Science Academy Columbus Elementary School.

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Duchene, who also spoke at the gathering, said that the school is a "building of education" and that it would not be a site for immigration enforcement.

"Your students are safe in our schools. No one will get past me," Duchene told attendees.

In Ohio, it is legal to film ICE agents as long as you are not interfering with their work. There are also no limitations on how far you have to be away when recording, so long as you are not interfering and you obey orders from the officer if they give any in the course of their duties.

Columbus police, sheriff's office say they are not helping ICE agents

During a press conference hours before the emergency meeting, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, police Chief Elaine Bryant, City Attorney Zach Klein, and city council members emphasized that Columbus police officers are not collaborating with ICE agents or sharing any resources with agents and were completely unaware of their plans to pursue immigration enforcement in the city.

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ICE has an office in Columbus and regularly makes arrests. Under the Trump administration, there have been large-scale immigration enforcement operations in other cities and promises of increased enforcement nationwide. The increase in immigration enforcement sparked thousands of protests nationwide, with Columbus seeing several protests and demonstrations during the summer.

Jordan Waidelich, a spokesperson for the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, said the agency "has not made any changes" to their immigration enforcement policies.

"We do not enforce immigration violations, and we are not involved in any ICE activities in Columbus, nor have we been asked to assist," Waidelich said in an email to The Dispatch.

"We will continue to respond to calls to enforce criminal law and maintain safety for those living in Franklin County."

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Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: State legislator holds 'emergency meeting' amid spike in ICE activity
For six days, Claudio Neves Valente managed to stay one step ahead of the largest manhunt in the country with counter-surveillance techniques. Valente used international SIM cards, multiple license plates, and credit cards in different names to vanish after the shooting at Brown University.

According to a 35-page Providence Police affidavit, Valentes evasion was aided by meticulous planning. While more than 800 security cameras blanket the Brown University campus, investigators say Valente specifically targeted an older building with limited surveillance coverage.

For weeks leading up to the attack, Valente reportedly cased the campus numerous times and parked his rental vehicle beneath large trees, using the natural canopy to obscure his car from overhead and street-level cameras.

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Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, noted that Valente was highly sophisticated in hiding his tracks. She detailed his tactics to bypass modern law enforcement technology, including the use of European SIM cards. Foley said Valente also used a type of phone that made it nearly impossible for police to ping his location in real-time. Valente is a legal permanent U.S. resident or green card holder from Portugal.

Valente attempted to avoid License Plate Readers by removing the front plate of his rental and covering the cars original Florida plate with an old Maine plate in the rear. The front plate was never detected by a license plate reader, according to the affidavit, because it had been removed.

Retired Boston Police Superintendent Dan Linskey highlighted the challenge these tactics posed to investigators. Not only was he trying to get away from the license plate readers that possibly could detect him, but also avoiding toll detectors and even just good old-fashioned police work where someone sees the car, Linskey explained.

A law enforcement source told 25 Investigates reporter Ted Daniel that no evidence has been found to suggest Valente had any counter-surveillance training.

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Valentes undoing came from a vigilant citizen who had an encounter with Valente in the hours before the Brown shooting. That witness, identified only as a former Brown student named John, recognized Valente and initially posted about it on Reddit. This tip pointed investigators to a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates.

Linskey noted that this was the breakthrough investigators needed. All the pieces of the puzzle came together, Linskey said. Once they were able to positively identify a vehicle plate associated with him in the area of Providence, run that plate and find out if its a rental car in Boston, they were able to identify who had rented it and gather a positive identification on them pretty quickly.

Because Valente had used his actual Florida drivers license to rent the vehicle in Boston, investigators were able to determine his identity. Once identified, the manhunt converged on a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, where Valente was eventually found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Even DNA from a spent shell casing offered no initial help, as Valentes lack of a criminal record meant his profile was not in the national CODIS database. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha emphasized that the difficulty in locating Valente stemmed from the fact that he knew what he was doing.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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On this date in 2009, a historic noreaster dumped up to 2 feet of snow across the mid-Atlantic region, bringing blizzard conditions and daily snowfall records.

An area of low pressure developed in the Gulf on Friday, Dec. 18. It then tracked just east of the Carolina coast by Saturday morning, Dec. 19, and continued to move northeastward as it intensified off the East Coast.

With an abundance of cold air in the area already, the moisture brought with the system resulted in heavy bands of snowfall for the region. Winter storm watches and warnings were issued for many areas across Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

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Significant snow accumulations were recorded from this event. Philadelphia recorded its third-highest snowfall ever for a single event with 23.2 inches. Snowfall totals ranged from 20 to 25 inches across parts of northern New Jersey and Maryland, with snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches further south.

The daily snowfall records for Dec. 19 were broken for the most snowfall for any calendar day during December at the Reagan National Airport with 15 inches and at the Baltimore Washington Airport with 20.5 inches.

Throughout this event, temperatures remained in the 20s for most of the region, causing the snow to be slight and fluffy. Winds were strong with this event as well, with average speeds of 12 to 25 mph, resulting in blowing snow that significantly reduced visibility, delaying and cancelling hundreds of flights.

Heavy snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour made it difficult for snow plows to keep up, causing dangerous and impassable roads. Although snow left the region by Sunday morning, schools across central to southern New Jersey and Philadelphia were closed Monday as roads and sidewalks werent cleared yet.

NASA via NWS/NOAA

Miriam Guthrie graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with an undergraduate degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and is now a meteorology intern with weather.com while working toward her masters.
The deaths of a mother and her 3-year-old daughter from Jackson, Mississippi, have been ruled a murder-suicide, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation.

The Jackson Police Department said Shardee McGill, 32, and her daughter Janae McGill, 3, were last seen Sept. 21 leaving their northeast Jackson home in Shardee's 2017 Chevrolet Equinox.

Jackson police said Jonathan McGill, Shardee's husband, reported the two missing the following day, prompting a search that extended into Alabama.

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Jackson Police Chief Tyree Jones disclosed that authorities in Alabama recovered the vehicle unoccupied Sept. 23 near the Tombigbee River in Epes  approximately 130 miles outside of Jackson.

Shardee's body was recovered from the Tombigbee River on Sept. 25. Janae's body was found the following day, on Sept. 26, officials said.

The bodies of Shardee McGill, 32, and her daughter Janae McGill, 3, both of Jackson, Mississippi, were found separately on Thursday, Sept. 25, and Friday, Sept. 26, in a shallow body of water in Alabama.

Get details on: MS Goon Squad victim arrested on drug, gun charges in Louisiana. Bond set

Jones said Alabama law enforcement agencies found Janae's body not far from where her mother was found.

Based on the findings from the investigation, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Sgt. Reginal King said both Shardee and Janae's deaths were the result of drowning.

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King said Shardee's death was determined to be a suicide. King also said Janae's death was determined to be a homicide, with the mom as the suspect.

According to King, no additional suspects were involved.

According to Jackson police officials, Shardee's husband was initially detained for questioning but later released during the early phases of the investigation.

This is an ongoing investigation. The case findings will be turned over to a district attorney's office in Alabama for review.

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: Jackson, MS, mother, daughter deaths ruled murder suicide in AL
Dec. 19A defense attorney for a man charged in August with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a secret compartment challenged the arresting officer's testimony Thursday in Morgan County District Court, arguing the vehicle was manufactured with the compartment and that his client did not know a gun was inside.

Tevin Jerome Bennett, 33, of Huntsville, was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 65 by Priceville police Officer Patrick Wiley. Court records show Bennett was booked into the Morgan County Jail on Nov. 2, where he has been held without bond due to a hold from Madison County.

Bennett appeared in jail clothing and shackles alongside his attorney, Carl Cole of Decatur, for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Shelly Waters. Morgan County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Cimino called Wiley to testify about the stop.

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"I observed a vehicle lane change without a proper signal, an improper tag light and an obstructed windshield," Wiley testified.

Wiley said that after approaching the 2008 GMC Yukon and requesting Bennett's license and insurance, he smelled what he described as the odor of "raw and burnt" marijuana and observed a scale and rolling papers in the center console.

"I requested additional units to the scene and discovered Mr. Bennett had multiple warrants out of Madison County," Wiley said.

Court records show Bennett pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances in 2016 and 2018 and has an open Madison County case stemming from a 2023 arrest on the same charge. He was also charged in Madison County with third-degree domestic violence involving reckless endangerment in a 2020 Huntsville case that was later remanded to municipal court, records show.

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Wiley testified that he had probable cause to search the vehicle and located a Glock 17 pistol in a compartment beneath the front center console cupholder, which he described as a non-factory modification.

"So when you say non-factory, you mean someone altered the vehicle after it was manufactured to create a compartment to hide items?" Cimino asked.

"That's correct," Wiley said.

During cross-examination, Cole questioned Wiley about the alleged drug paraphernalia and noted no significant quantity was recovered. Cole also asked whether Wiley had researched the Yukon model.

"Did it not inform you that it comes with a compartment under the cupholder?" Cole asked.

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Wiley said the space exposed wiring and components and was not designed as a storage compartment. He testified that he took photographs of the area but did not have them in court.

"Well, it wouldn't be illegal if the factory manufactured the vehicle with a secret compartment, because that's what the statute says," Cole said.

Wiley maintained that the compartment had been modified.

Cole then called Bennett's father, William Johnson, who testified that he owned both the Yukon and the Glock 17. Johnson said he loaned the vehicle to his son and had placed the firearm in the compartment for protection while traveling to Birmingham for medical treatment, later forgetting it was there.

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During cross-examination, Cimino asked whether Johnson knew Bennett was aware of the firearm. Johnson said he did not believe his son knew.

"So you would be surprised to hear Mr. Bennett told the officer he knew the gun was in the vehicle?" Cimino asked.

Cole objected on hearsay grounds, which Cimino disputed.

Cimino also questioned Johnson about whether he knew of Bennett's domestic violence charge, which would prohibit firearm access. Johnson said he was unaware of his son's criminal history.

"We don't get into what's going on in his life," Johnson said.

During closing arguments, Cole argued the compartment was factory-made and did not meet the statutory definition of a secret compartment, while Cimino said the area was intended to house wiring and components and was not designed for storage.

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Waters found probable cause and ordered the case bound over to the grand jury. She granted Bennett an unsecured bond, noting the Madison County hold must be resolved before his release, and ordered him to remain in Alabama and comply with all other bond conditions.

 wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.
Democrats are fighting for the mantle of most electable in the Senate race in Kentucky, a state largely overlooked by the national party, despite some recent successes. A recent target map released by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee shows the national Democratic apparatus isnt even aiming to break the GOP supermajority in either house of the state legislature. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is only targeting one seat in the state. In 2024, the Democratic National Committee sent over $2.5 million out to the state parties; the Kentucky Lantern reported that there was only a five-figure sum coming to the Bluegrass state.

This is despite the recent success of Andy Beshear, the popular two-term governor of the state, who probably couldve cleared the field in the Senate race, had he chosen to run. Instead, it appears that Besear, a Democrat, may be angling for a 2028 presidential run.

Now, Democrats in Kentucky are jockeying for position as to who might successfully carve out the image as the most electable, a tacit acknowledgement of the fact that any Democrat will face a disadvantage in the general election, which will ultimately be a race to replace the outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

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What little polling has been done in the Democratic primary suggests that, in Beshears absence, two familiar names dominate the field: former state Rep. Charles Booker and former fighter pilot Amy McGrath, both of whom have run in previous Senate elections in 2022 and 2020 respectively. Dale Romans, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer, has also made waves in the race since entering the primary in November, though no polling has been conducted that includes Romans.

Each of these candidates has a different claim to the electability argument. McGrath, in her 2020 bid, raised nearly $100 million in the race against McConnell, and now is running as a mainstream Democrat. Booker, in his 2022 race against Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., posted basically the same performance in the general election (both candidates received 38% support), but did so with less than a tenth of the funds that McGrath had. Romans, a political outsider, has pitched himself as an independent Democrat, drawing inspiration from former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., who was the last person to win West Virginia as a Democrat in his 2018 campaign.

So far this year, McGrath has spent considerable time re-litigating criticisms of her 2020 campaign. In an interview with Salon in October, she touted the field operation the money was able to pay for, while insisting that No one got rich off my campaign.

Booker, the most recent entry into the race, told Salon that he was aiming to build on his 2022 bid, which was focused on economic populism, and that moderates in the party are now coming around to his theory of how to win in red states.

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Booker pointed to the endorsement of former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, a moderate Democrat, as evidence of this shift, with Patrick saying, Hes exactly what Kentucky and what America needs in the United States Senate.

Charles Booker is one of the most exciting candidates on the national scene today: serious, proven, deeply connected to working people, and committed to government doing what it can to help everyone prosper, Patrick said in his endorsement, first reported by Salon. At a time when freedom is under assault, decency is out of fashion, opportunity is scarce, and regular people have no voice in the halls of power, Charles believes in and will work for an America that works for all Americans.

Bookers agenda includes familiar staples of progressive campaigns, like support for Medicare for All and refusing corporate PAC and special interest donations. He has, however, proposed fresh ideas like his 40 for 40 proposal that would guarantee a minimum pay of $40,000 a year for a full-time 40-hour work week.

Booker is also critical of the increasingly fragile leadership of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., saying this is not about the breadth of his career, his service, but at this moment in time, the disconnects from regular people and what we need, and the type of fight we need to see in our leadership.

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In terms of his message on electability, Booker said that Democrats need to present an affirmative agenda, in other words, something for people to vote for.

If youre saying that health care is a human right, youve got to mean it. If youre saying housing is a human right, youve got to mean it. If we actually want people to be able to afford to do more than just struggle. That means we cant use and take tax dollars past the pockets of billionaires and these major corporations, Booker said. Thats why turnout lags in a lot of ways. A lot of people dont vote because theyre like, What the hell is the point? No one cares about us.

Though he has yet to stake out positions on many policies, Romans has also alluded to memories of economic populism in the Democratic Party, namely in his announcement video, which featured Romans having a conversation with his mother at a kitchen table.

In the video, Romans mother, holding a photo of his father, said that he was a big union man and a fan of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Romans, in turn, said thats when the Democratic Party was for the working class, before his mom says thats the way it should be.

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Romans pitch leans on his status as a political newcomer, a likely asset in a Republican state like Kentucky, his personal profile and the notion that electing a Democrat like Romans to the Senate would likely allow him to exercise outsized power in the Senate, akin to that wielded by Manchin. Romans has said Kentuckians can also count on him to buck his party on certain issues.

Ive been a lifelong Democrat, but Im also more of a centrist person. An independent Democrat, to me, is someone running in a red state. If they get to Washington, theyre independent of the party. Theyre not a puppet to the president like any Republican freshman senator would have to be, and you can vote strictly on the issues of whats best for Kentucky and best for the United States, Romans told Salon in an interview.

Romans would, however, be a vote in support of some key Democratic priorities, like restoring funding for Medicare and Medicaid, empowering organized labor, raising the cap on Social Security taxes and strengthening the Affordable Care Act.

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Hes also supportive of limiting money in politics, though he said in his current bid that he would be accepting donations from anyone who wanted to donate to him, while maintaining that I cant be bought.

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Some type of reform needs to be done on the amounts of money that it takes to run for office, and that goes for both parties, and how much the party can pick the candidate that they want to run, and theyll get behind, and they can put money into the campaigns, Romans said. I think that keeps a lot of good people from running and there needs to be some kind of campaign reform on how much money is dumped into it.

Romans also entered the race with the blessing, but not yet the endorsement, of Beshear, who passed over a Senate bid of his own, and Manchin, whom Romans consulted with ahead of his announcement.

I think the thing about Manchin that I like so much is that he went up there and he did what he thought was right all the time, voted with his conscience, and didnt bow to the pressure of anyone. And I thought that was a good thing, Romans said, but added, I dont know how much our policies line up.

What is certain for any of these candidates is that they will be facing a hard fight in the general election next year. The race is not considered a likely pickup opportunity for Democrats in the Senate, and thus the race is likely to be a lower priority when compared to races happening in states like New Hampshire, Maine or even Alaska. What it could be, however, is a proving ground for Democrats hoping to make inroads in and test strategies in red states.

The post Can a Democrat take Mitch McConnells seat? appeared first on Salon.com.
The Department of Justice will not be releasing all of its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by Fridays deadline, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday morning.

In an interview with Fox News, Blanche said the department would release several hundred thousand documents today.

But he acknowledged Fridays release would not encompass all of the DOJs documents for the investigation into the late financier.

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I expect that we're going to release more documents over the next couple of weeks, so today several hundred thousand and then over the next couple weeks, I expect several hundred thousand more, Blanche said. Theres a lot of eyes looking at these and we want to make sure that when we do produce the materials we are producing, that we are protecting every single victim.

The delay means the White House is in apparent conflict with a law President Donald Trump signed in November that mandated the wholesale release of all of its non-exempt Epstein information within a 30-day period.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined a request to expand on Blanches comments, saying they speak for themselves.

President Trump signed that law 30 days ago, Blanche told Fox News. And we have been working tirelessly since that day to make sure that we get every single document that we have within the Department of Justice, review it and get it to the American public.

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Blanche later told ABC that Trump would not be shown any favoritism in the Justice Department's handling of the file release, and that the DOJ had not been instructed to redact the president's name.

"There's no effort to hold anything back because there's the name Donald J. Trump or anybody else's name," he said.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)  who led the successful discharge petition effort to trigger eventual passage of the law  pointed to a video on X on Thursday where he indicated hed know whether the administration had met his disclosure standards. Following conversations with lawyers for Epsteins victims, he believes the FBI has at least 20 names of men who are accused of committing sex crimes.

If we get a large production on Dec. 19, and it does not contain a single name of any male who is accused of a sex crime or sex trafficking or rape or any of these things, then we know they havent produced all the documents, he said. Its that simple.

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who partnered with Massie to push the discharge petition, said in a statement that if DOJ is producing real documents of interest that are not overly redacted, and if they are clear about a timeline for full production then that is a positive step.

They ultimately must release all of it, he said. The north star remains justice for survivors and holding the rich and powerful men who raped young girls or covered up the abuse accountable.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer panned Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for the delayed release in a statement Friday, saying that "this just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth."

Senate Democrats are working closely with attorneys for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and with outside legal experts to assess what documents are being withheld and what is being covered up by Pam Bondi," he said. "We will not stop until the whole truth comes out."

Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
After questions from residents last summer about whether a deer hunt at Quabbin Park was necessary  and whether the state's methods for counting deer were reliable  the Department of Conservation and Recreation turned to a new tool: infrared-equipped drones.

The result, DCR officials told members of the Water Supply Protection Trust on Thursday, Dec. 18, was a more precise snapshot of the deer population that ultimately reinforced what earlier surveys had already suggested  that deer numbers in Quabbin Park were high enough to threaten forest health and justify a managed hunt.

Quabbin Park is part of the larger Quabbin Reservation, a vast protected landscape in central-western Massachusetts that surrounds the Quabbin Reservoir, the primary water supply for Greater Boston. Created in the 1930s, the reservation was largely closed to hunting for decades, a policy that allowed white-tailed deer populations to grow well beyond sustainable levels, according to DCR.

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To protect forest regeneration and water quality, the state began two-day controlled deer hunts in parts of the reservation in the early 1990s, gradually scaling back hunting as populations declined. Quabbin Park was added as a controlled hunt zone in 2024, with hunters selected through a lottery and the park closed to the public during the hunts.

Ken MacKenzie, director of natural resources for DCR's Division of Water Supply Protection, said deer density estimation  the core question behind whether hunts are warranted  is "one of the most fundamental tools in wildlife management," but also one of the most debated.

"It's long debated, and it is a hot topic in wildlife management," he said, noting that biologists across the country rely on a mix of methods, from helicopter surveys and trail cameras to harvest data and counts of deer droppings, known as pellet group surveys.

Since 2015, DCR has used pellet counts at Quabbin Park, conducted after the leaves fall, to track population trends. Those surveys averaged about 56 deer per square mile over several years and produced a 2025 estimate of 26.8 deer per square mile, with a wide range.

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"I'll tell you or remind you," MacKenzie said, "any deer density greater than 20 deer per square mile has an impact on forest health and regeneration, and is usually a good indicator that deer management is necessary."

Still, that method came under scrutiny. At an August 2024 stakeholder meeting hosted by former DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo and Rep. Todd Smola in Ware, attended by several hundred people, residents questioned whether pellet counts reflected what they personally observed in the park.

"As a result, we agreed to study, to undertake another independent study, to try to get a better deer density estimate," MacKenzie said.

DCR partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division to fly drones equipped with thermal infrared cameras over Quabbin Park. The technology, MacKenzie explained, allows autonomous flights over large forested areas and makes warm-bodied animals stand out clearly against cooler backgrounds, especially in winter conditions.

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The roughly 2,600-acre park was divided into 22 flight transects, launched from Quabbin Tower to maintain visual contact and comply with federal aviation rules. Two prehunt flights, conducted Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, estimated deer density at between 24.4 and 32.7 deer per square mile  closely aligning with the pellet survey results.

"That really homed in that number," MacKenzie said.

The two-day controlled hunt at Quabbin Park took place Dec. 8 and 9, resulting in the harvest of 24 deer  about a six-deer-per-square-mile reduction. A posthunt drone survey conducted Dec. 17 estimated the remaining density at 16 deer per square mile.

"So after the hunt, we went from about 24 to 32 deer per square mile to 16 deer per square mile," MacKenzie said, adding that another round of flights is planned in January to further refine the estimate.

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Trust members reacted enthusiastically to the presentation. Vandana Rao, director of water policy at the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, called the technology "so cool" and asked what density DCR considers acceptable.

"Twenty deer per square mile is what were shooting for," MacKenzie replied. "Anything higher than that is when we start to see impacts on forestry regeneration."

Beyond the Quabbin Park debate, MacKenzie said the experiment could help DCR refine deer management across the watershed.

"Were hoping we can use this technique in other parts of the reservoir," he said, calling the effort a way to better understand both the park and "the critters that are running around in there."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Drones provide precise deer count, justifying Quabbin Park hunt
A Duke University Hospital nurse was arrested Thursday on multiple charges of sexually assaulting patients.

Jomil Uy Tugado, 39, of Durham, faces charges including sexual battery, sexual acts by a government or private institution employee, and sexual contact or penetration under the guise of medical treatment, according to documents obtained by ABC11.

University police allege he assaulted two female patients while they were incapacitated, with one incident occurring in May and the other earlier this month.

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Tugado's nursing license was suspended on Thursday, according to state records. He made his first court appearance Friday morning.

A Durham County Judge ordered Tugado to be held without bond. His next court appearance in scheduled for January.

Duke Health confirmed that Tugado was removed from patient care and placed on administrative leave on Dec. 7. Tugado began his employment in July 2023, Duke Health says.

Jomil Uy Tugado, 39, of Durham was arrested on sex crime on Dec. 18, 2025.

In a statement, Duke Health officials said: "At Duke Health, our top priority is to maintain a safe environment for all patients to receive care. We have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct and take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously... We are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in their ongoing investigation and remain committed to supporting those who have been impacted. If patients have witnessed or experienced inappropriate conduct at Duke Health, we ask that they call our hotline at 919-385-3575."

This comes after a former nurse at UNC Rex Hospital was charged with sexually assaulting three patients.

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The North Carolina Nurses Association released the following statement in response to these incidents:

"These allegations are beyond horrifying, and our primary concern is for the victims. We hope they are getting the support they need. Patients should always be able to trust every member of their care team; that's especially important when they are at their most vulnerable. This type of incident is exceedingly rare and we hope most people discern that this is not representative of the rest of the profession. The vast majority of nurses spend their careers building up trust through the care they provide, and it is infuriating for the entire profession to see anyone abuse that trust.

NCNA is grateful that North Carolina has a strong Board of Nursing (NCBON) that acted quickly to suspend the licenses of both of these people while the investigations run their course. We support a zero-tolerance policy for these types of allegations from both employers and the NCBON."
Greenvolt Power, a subsidiary of Greenvolt Group, has signed an agreement to sell its 253.1MW onshore wind farm to Engie Romania, part of the Engie Group.

Located in Ialomita County, Romania, the wind farm is currently under construction by Greenvolt Power, with completion set for 2027.

The wind project will comprise 42 high-efficiency turbines and is poised to become one of the largest wind installations in the country, contributing to the energy transition and enhance security of supply across Europe.

The acquisition is expected to expand Engie Romanias presence in the country and support its efforts to achieve 95GW of renewable and storage capacity by 2030.

Engie Romania vice-president Cristian Buzan said: This acquisition reflects ENGIEs commitment to accelerating the energy transition in Romania and across Europe.

By integrating a large-scale wind project of this size into our portfolio, we are doubling our renewable footprint in a market with strong growth potential, while contributing to security of supply and the achievement of our net-zero carbon ambition by 2045.

The project has also received a 15-year contract for difference for a portion of its capacity, ensuring long-term revenue stability and enhancing its investment appeal.

Greenvolt Group CEO Joao Manso Neto said: Greenvolts ability to originate, develop and bring to market high-quality renewable energy assets is once again demonstrated through this project, which represents a clear contribution to the European energy transition and to Romania in particular.

Throughout 2025, we have continued delivering on the groups strategy of rotating a portion of our utility-scale assets, concluding several successful operations that allow us to reinvest in new opportunities across our core markets.

The sale comes as a part of several asset-rotation initiatives by Greenvolt in 2025, including the sale of wind projects in Poland, a greenfield pipeline in Spain, and recent battery energy storage system transactions in Poland.

"Greenvolt Power to sell 253.1MW onshore wind project to Engie Romania" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




A recently approved injectable eczema drug provides quick itch relief to patients with the maddening skin disease, a new study says.

Nemolizumab (Nemluvio) relieved itchiness within two days for three times as many patients as a placebo, researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

The drug also helped twice as many eczema patients sleep better within a couple of days, researchers said.

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"These new data reinforce our understanding of nemolizumab's rapid onset of action in relieving itch and, in turn, improving sleep in patients living with atopic dermatitis and prurigo nodularis," researcher Dr. Christophe Piketty said in a news release. He's program head of therapeutic dermatology for the Swiss pharma company Galderma.

Galderma, the developer of nemolizumab, funded the study.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved nemolizumab in 2024 for treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, as well as for itchy bumps that often appear alongside eczema in a condition called prurigo nodularis, according to Drugs.com.

Eczema occurs due to immune system problems that hamper the skin's defenses against allergens and irritants, the Cleveland Clinic says.

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A monoclonal antibody, nemolizumab targets a receptor which activates an inflammatory immune system chemical that drives itch and other symptoms in eczema, researchers said in background notes.

For the new study, researchers performed a follow-up analysis of the clinical trial data that led to FDA approval of the drug. They reviewed data from trials involving nearly 2,300 people.

Results showed that nemolizumab reduced itch within 48 hours for nearly 11% of patients, compared to 3% of patients taking a placebo.

It also reduced itch that swiftly for 17% of patients with prurigo nodularis, compared to just under 4% of those on placebo.

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Sleep also improved within two days for 10% of eczema patients on nemolizumab compared to under 5% of those on a placebo, and more than 13% of prurigo nodularis patients compared to about 4% of those on placebo.

By two weeks, a quarter of patients with eczema and more than a third with prurigo nodularis had shown clinically meaningful improvements in itch and sleep, the study said.

"Itch is the most burdensome symptom reported by patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and patients with prurigo nodularis, and rapid improvement in itch intensity is a key treatment goal," researchers concluded.

"Treatments that rapidly reduce itch and provide clinically meaningful improvements in disease severity and patients' quality of life are key in the current treatment landscape for both AD and PN," they wrote.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on eczema and prurigo nodularis.

Copyright  2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, once a rising Republican star with close ties to President Donald Trump, is dropping out of next year's race for New York governor but also packing her bags to leave Washington.

"While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for governor and will not seek re-election to Congress," she said in a Friday, Dec. 19, post on X. "I did not come to this decision lightly for our family."

It's been a bumpy year for the 41-year-old lawmaker, who a decade ago became the youngest woman in history elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and later converted from a New York moderate into one of the Trump's fiercest defenders aligned with his Make America Great Again movement.

Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump arrives to watch the proceedings with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio along with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. and Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y. during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The second day of the RNC focused on crime and border policies. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y., House Republican Conference Chair, delivers remarks during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The second day of the RNC focused on crime and border policies. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y., House Republican Conference Chair, delivers remarks during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The second day of the RNC focused on crime and border policies. Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y., House Republican Conference Chair, delivers remarks during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The second day of the RNC focused on crime and border policies. Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) attends Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., July 15, 2024. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks during a hearing with subcommittee members of the House Education and the Workforce committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on May 8, 2024, in Washington, DC. Members of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education subcommittee held the hearing to speak with education workers and a member of the ACLU to discuss cases of antisemitism in K-12 schools. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO), Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) hold a news conference with to decry pro-Palestinian protests at universities across the country at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on April 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Republicans have threatened to demand the firing of college and university leaders and to withhold funding to institutions of higher education unless they dismantle and erase protest encampments and work to prevent demonstrations on their campuses. US Representative Elise Stefanik, Republican of New York, listens during a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing about antisemitism on college campuses on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 17, 2024. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the House Republican Conference, attends the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. U.S. House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks as Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) (R) and House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) listen during remarks regarding Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumers (D-NY) criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government and his call for a new election in Israel at the Greenbrier Hotel on March 14, 2024, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. House Republicans are holding their 2024 House Republican Issues Conference, also known as the annual House GOP retreat, in West Virginia from March 13-15. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks during a television interview in the U.S. Capitol on March 7, 2024, in Washington, DC. U.S. President Joe Biden will make his State of the Union address to Congress to highlight his administration's achievements and priorities for the coming year ahead of the 2024 Presidential election. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., nominates Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio for Speaker of the House as House lawmakers hold a vote to elect a new speaker in Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. House Republicans nominated the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to the speakership last week. Jordan's chances of earning 217 votes, the number needed to become speaker, are unclear. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) (C) awaits the arrival of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on May 17, 2022 in Washington, DC. A day earlier, Mitsotakis held bilateral meetings with President Joe Biden, where the two leaders discussed Greek-U.S. relations and their support of the people of Ukraine in the face of invasion by Russia. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 26, 2020. Rep. Elise Stefanik asks former National Security Council Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs Tim Morrison a question as he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill Nov. 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony during the third day of open hearings in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, who House Democrats say withheld U.S. military aid for Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian investigations of his political rivals. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) during the House Select Committee on Intelligence holds its 2024 Annual Threat Assessment in Washington. Rep. Elise Stefanik, Chair of the House Republican Conference, (R-NY), during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., stands as she's acknowledged by President Donald Trump as he speaks one day after the U.S. Senate acquitted on two articles of impeachment, in the East Room of the White House Feb. 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. Stefanik served as a member of Trump's impeachment defense team in early 2020. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., speaks to members of the media as Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, Rep. Mike Johnson R-La., Rep. Doug Collins, R-GA,, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, listen prior to the Senate impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. stands with Matthew Manda and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., for a ceremonial swearing-in and photo-op during the opening session of the 115th Congress on Jan. 3, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) reviews paperwork during a recess for the House Intelligence Committee hearing on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Oct. 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. (L to R) Honorees Va. First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, Gwen Ifills, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Jen Psaki, Cecilia Munoz, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Stephanie Schriock pose for a photo with Robbie Myers (C), Editor-in-Chief, ELLE, at the ELLE and HUGO BOSS Women in Washington Power List Dinner at on March 18, 2015 in Washington, DC. Rep. Elise Stefanik, New York Republican 1 of 23 Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump arrives to watch the proceedings with Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio along with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. and Rep. Elise M. Stefanik, R-N.Y. during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum. The second day of the RNC focused on crime and border policies.

When asked for comment the White House pointed to Trump's statement on social media.

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"Elise Stefanik, a fantastic person and Congresswoman from New York State, has just announced she wont be running for Governor," Trump wrote. "Elise is a tremendous talent, regardless of what she does. She will have GREAT success, and I am with her all the way!"

The announcement is a stunning development given that Stefanik was considered the frontrunner by most political observers in the Republican primary next year to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. It comes almost two weeks after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced his candidacy, raising the possibility of a costly and ugly primary battle.

"He's a friend, she's a friend  these are two great people running," Trump told reporters at the White House earlier this month. "In a way, I hate to see them running against each other. I hope they're not going to be too damaging each other."

Political forecasters consider the New York gubernatorial contest to be a likely Democratic hold. Hochul was leading Stefanik by 19% and Blakeman by 25% in a December survey conducted by Siena University.

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Democratic Governors Association spokesman Kevin Donohoe noted in a statement to USA TODAY that Stefanik exiting the race comes months after Rep. Mike Lawler, another New York moderate in Congress, passed on running.

"The fact that two major candidates who planned to run against Governor Hochul have now called it quits tells you just how formidable (Hochul) is," he said.

Stefanik could signal GOP mass exodus ahead of 2026

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), U.S. President Donald Trumps nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Stefanik also joins a growing list of GOP incumbents leaving the House, which is being taken as a bad sign for Republicans who are hoping to hold onto their majority ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Chief among them being Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, of Georgia, who announced last month she will resign from Congress in January after recent public rifts with Trump. Others include Reps. Don Bacon, of Nebraska, a well-known centrist who has often broken with the president, and Troy Nehls, of Texas, a Trump ally.

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Stefanik indicated she plans to serve out the rest of her current term.

"And while many know me as congresswoman, my most important title is mom," Stefanik, who has a 4-year-old son, said in the social media post.

"I believe that being a parent is life's greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness -- particularly at his tender age."

Stefanik's meteoric rise began in 2019 when she aggressively defended Trump during his first impeachment. Her colleagues elevated her to the third-ranking GOP leader in the House in 2021 after Republicans members ditched former Rep. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, over Cheney's sharp criticism of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his supporter's invasion of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 2021.

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"We are going on offense and we are going to win on the issues," Stefanik said at the time. "We are going to win the majority in 2022."

Her alliance with Trump led to her being on the shortlist of his potential running mates in 2024. Although she didn't get that role, Trump plucked her to be the ambassador to the United Nations in March, but he later withdrew her nomination citing the GOP's razor-thin majority in the House.

Contributing: Thomas C. Zambito

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stefanik passes on NY governor's race and reelection for Congress
Ukraines dramatic escalation of its sea-drone attacks on tankers carrying Russian oil could spread to the English Channel, experts have warned.

The hit on an Oman-flagged tanker on Friday widened the Ukrainian operation from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, signalling that sanctioned tankers could be hit anywhere on their journey.

The Ukrainians are now operating across a much wider area. If youre a shadow fleet vessel then theres now a risk wherever you are, said Matthew Wright, of trade intelligence firm Kpler.

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You get shadow fleet vessels that come out of the Baltic Sea, they are essentially going through the North Sea. The threat to them is now higher.

Empty tankers targeted to avoid environmental disaster

Michelle Bockmann, from maritime data company Windward, said the Ukrainians were likely to continue focusing on empty tankers rather than those laden with oil, but the attacks could impose massive costs on the vessel operators.

She added: Marine insurers have been saying for quite a while now that one of these vessels, if they have a casualty, especially if they go through the English Channel, that theyre a billion-dollar marine accident waiting to happen.

Ukraine is aware of this risk, and I think thats why this is a new strategy, an evolving strategy, and definitely one to watch.

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There are close to 1,000 tankers involved in Russias shadow fleet  the vessels, often false-flagged and with obscure ownership, that ferry crude or refined Russian oil to customers primarily in India and China.

About 600 carry exclusively Russian oil, which puts them within the Western sanctions net. Roughly another 350 carry Russian oil alongside other cargo.

Ukraine has carried out drone attacks on three shadow tankers in the Black Sea in the past month, and is also thought to have been behind an apparent limpet-mine explosion off the coast of Senegal.

Risk versus reward

Experts said the broadening attacks could prompt some vessel owners to question whether the risk of working for Vladimir Putin was still worth the reward.

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The attacks could drive up ship owners insurance premiums. The insurers are believed to be mostly Russian or Chinese, and Kpler said operators might start to worry about whether they would get a payout if attacked.

Kplers Mr Wright said: The London insurance market is incredibly well capitalised. It can handle a lot of large claims because the risk is spread. Whereas we dont have a lot of visibility of how well capitalised the insurers are who cover the Russian shadow fleet.

If youre a shadow fleet owner, youd be asking whether you might get paid out. It will make a lot of the owners who have been leading players in the shadow fleet think about whether the risk-reward is worth it.

The targeted tanker was identified as the Qendil

The vessel owners could react to the bigger risks by raising the prices they charge Russia, further squeezing the Kremlins war chest.

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Ukrainian security sources told local media this calculus made these tankers fair game.

The aggressor state used this tanker to circumvent sanctions and earn money that was used for the war against Ukraine, the sources were quoted as saying.

Therefore ... this is an absolutely legitimate target. The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop, and will beat him anywhere in the world.

Blurring of commercial and military lines

The Ukrainian action underscores the extent to which civilian tankers have become involved in geopolitical conflict and tension this year, with the US also blockading oil-freight traffic around Venezuela.

Ms Bockmann said this blurring of the line between the commercial and military domains was making the industry uneasy.

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Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the UNs International Maritime Organisation, this week urged restraint.

As the situation continues to escalate in the Black Sea, I call on all parties to refrain from targeting innocent seafarers, port workers and merchant ships, he said.

Shipping should not be used as collateral in geopolitical situations and there is an increased environmental risk developing.

The Ukrainians appear to be targeting only empty tankers, to avoid triggering an environmental disaster.

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Photos of billionaire Bill Gates with an unidentified woman, as well as pictures of Steve Bannon and Noam Chomsky in the company of Jeffrey Epstein, form part of a new trove of documents handed over by the sex traffickers estate.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

As the Trump administration approaches a deadline to disclose the Epstein files by the end of the week, House Democrats released the images on Thursday to once again spotlight the issue.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The photos also contained a creepy image of a foot with a quote from Lolitaa novel about a pedophileand text messages in which someone is discussing sending girls.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

I dont know try to send someone else. I have a friend scout she sent me some girls today. But she asks 1000$ per girl. I will send u girls now. Maybe someone will be good for J? the messages say.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

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The photos, which were released without context, are the latest in a series of documents that have fueled speculation about Epsteins powerful networks.

They form part of 95,000 photographs the Oversight Committee received from the Epstein estate, with more expected in coming weeks and months.

House Oversight Democrats

A batch of images were also released last week, including one of Donald Trump posing with a group of mystery young women, and another one featuring a bowl of novelty condoms bearing a caricature of the presidents face, along with the text: Im HUUUUGE!

The issue has continued to haunt the president, whose chief of staff, Susie Wiles, confirmed in a jaw-dropping interview this week that he is in the Epstein files and travelled on the sex offenders plane.

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But she insisted hes not in the file doing anything awful, telling Vanity Fair: They were, you know, sort of young, single, whateverI know its a passe word but sort of young, single playboys together.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The latest batch of photos featured heavily redacted passports from Ukraine, Czech Republic and Russia.

There was also a prescription for the urinary tract infection medication Phenazopyridine, and another image of Google co-founder Sergey Brin and a photo of Epstein and film maker Woody Allen.

Bannon, a former Trump adviser, is featured sitting at a desk with Epstein, while Chomsky, a philosopher and linguist, is pictured on a plane with Epstein.

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Other photos showed a woman with what appear to be handwritten phrases from Vladimir Nabokovs novel Lolita all over her body.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip, reads one below a womans collarbone and above her chest.

She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock, said another message on a womans foot.

She was Lola in slacks, reads another. She was Dolly at school.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The photos do not suggest that any of the people in Epsteins network committed any crimes.

But the timing is sensitive for Trump, who came to office promising his MAGA base that he would release the Epstein files, only to later describe them as a Democratic hoax.

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In July, the Department of Justice also sought to kill the issue by releasing a memo stating that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Then last month, in a stunning reversal, he finally signed new laws officially directing the DOJ to release all unclassified records and documents connected to the convicted sex offender.

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

The reversal came only after it became clear that enough Republicans would break ranks with the president and vote in favor of releasing the files.

Asked by the Daily Beast if it would release the files by tomorrows deadline, a DOJ spokesperson declined to comment.
PHOENIX. Arizona  Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk has endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president, an early sign of influential support for a likely leading candidate in 2028.

Kirk, who took over leadership of Turning Point after her husband, Charlie, was killed in September, announced her decision during a speech Thursday at the organizations America Fest conference in Phoenix.

Vance is scheduled to speak at the conference on Sunday.

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We are going to get my husbands friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible, Kirk said.

Vance has not yet committed to running in 2028, but as vice president he is widely expected to seek the White House. TPUSA  founded by Charlie Kirk  holds major influence for the MAGA movement, particularly among young conservatives, and the early endorsement could give an early lead among the Republican hopefuls.

My attitude is the American people elected me to be vice president, Vance told the New York Post in October. Im going to work as hard as I can to make the president successful over the next three years and three months, and if we get to a point where something else is in the offer, lets handle it then.

Kirk made the endorsement in front of a crowd of thousands of people, many of whom are ardent supporters of President Donald Trump  and they responded with resounding applause.

Vance and Charlie Kirk were particularly close before Kirk's death.
During her opening remarks at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest conference, Erika Kirk, CEO of the influential conservative organization, endorsed Vice President JD Vance for president in 2028.

"We are going to get my husband's friend, JD Vance, elected 48 in the most resounding way possible," the widow of Charlie Kirk, the slain co-founder of Turning Point USA, said as the crowd erupted in applause.

Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, widow of late right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, speaks at the organization's annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix on Dec. 18, 2025. / Credit: Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images (Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images)

Vance has not publicly indicated whether he intends to run for president but is widely expected to make a decision after the 2026 midterm elections. Still , an early endorsement from a powerful conservative group that helped galvanize young voters in 2024 for the Trump-Vance ticket underscores his growing stature within the movement and would carry significant influence in a future GOP presidential primary field.

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The vice president is scheduled to address the annual conference of thousands of conservatives on Sunday.

Turning Point USA's annual conference is being held in Phoenix.

Person of interest identified in deadly Brown University shooting

John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois sign off after their last "CBS Evening News" broadcast

Trump administration official says only part of the Epstein files will be released today
The EU has delayed the signing of a free-trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of countries.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen yesterday (18 December) confirmed the EU had agreed to delay signing the deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, to January.

"We need a few extra weeks to address some issues with member states," she said in a statement. "We have reached out to our Mercosur partners and agreed to postpone slightly the signature."

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The agreement has seen opposition from Italy and France.

The trade deal, originally agreed in 2019 after more than 20 years of negotiation, has faced repeated delays due to resistance from several EU member states.

A "political agreement" was reached between the EU and the Mercosur bloc in December last year.

If ratified, the deal would establish the worlds biggest free trade zone, encompassing a market of over 700 million people, according to the Commission.

"This deal is of crucial importance for Europe  economically, diplomatically and geopolitically," von der Leyen insisted on Thursday.

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"It opens new trade and economic opportunities for all our member states.

"With additional checks and safeguards, we have built in all necessary protections for our farmers and our consumers."

Yesterday, the European Parliament and Council negotiators also informally agreed on agriculture "safeguards" that are intended to protect EU farmers.

Both parties have agreed to tougher rules on the imports of goods from the Mercosur bloc, which could see the Commission temporarily suspend tariff-free imports on "sensitive" agricultural goods, including poultry, beef, sugar, eggs or citrus products if shipments are viewed as harming European producers.

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Under the agreed measures, "an investigation into suspending preferential tariffs" would be triggered by a rise in import volume of over 8% or a slump in prices of more than 8% compared to a three-year average.

The Commission could also choose to monitor "non-sensitive products" if requested by the local industry.

As it stands, the provisional agreement still requires the "formal adoption" from the European Parliament and Council before it can officially enter law.

In September, the Commission had originally tabled a proposal to temporarily suspend or reduce tariff concessions if import levels rose by over 10%.

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In September, a group of EU agri-food organisations criticised the proposed safeguard mechanisms, expressing concern the deal could drive up competition and lower prices and product standards.

At the time, nine organisations, including principal EU farming lobby Copa-Cogeca and AVEC, representing the poultry sector, claimed the ECs package still falls short.

"While this initiative clarifies certain aspects of safeguard implementation, critical questions remain over how such a unilateral legal act would be voted on, enforced, and accepted by Mercosur countries as a binding commitment by the Commission, a statement read.

"EU delays signing of Mercosur deal" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.




BRUSSELS (AP)  European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need 137 billion euros ($161 billion) in 2026 and 2027. The government in Kyiv is on the verge of bankruptcy, and desperately needs the money by spring.

The plan had been to use some of the 210 billion euros ($246 billion) worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium.

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The leaders worked deep into Thursday night to reassure Belgium that they would protect it from any Russian retaliation if it backed the reparations loan plan, but as the talks bogged down the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.

We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros ($106 billion) of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered, EU Council President Antonio Costa said in a post on social media.

Not all countries agreed to the loan package. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic refuse to support Ukraine and opposed it, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the package and were promised protection from any financial fallout.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe and describes himself as a peacemaker, said I would not like a European Union in war.

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To give money means war, said Orban. He also described the rejected plan to use the frozen Russian assets as a dead end.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal was a major advance, saying that borrowing on capital markets was the most realistic and practical way to fund Ukraine and its war efforts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also hailed the decision.

The financial package for Ukraine has been finalized, Merz said in a statement, noting that Ukraine is granted a zero-interest loan."

These funds are sufficient to cover the military and budgetary needs of Ukraine for the two years to come, Merz added. He said the frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid war reparations to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that would cost over 600 billion euros ($700 billion).

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If Russia does not pay reparations we will  in full accordance with international law  make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan, Merz said.

Zelenskyy, who traveled to Brussels for a summit that took place during fiery protests by farmers angry about a proposed trade deal with five South American countries, had appealed for a quick decision to keep Ukraine afloat in the new year.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned early on Thursday that it would be a case of sending either money today or blood tomorrow to help Ukraine.

The plan to use frozen Russian assets got bogged down as Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever rejected the scheme as legally risky, and warned that it could harm the business of Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearing house where 193 billion euros ($226 billion) in frozen assets are held.

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Belgium was rattled last Friday when Russias Central Bank launched a lawsuit against Euroclear to prevent any loan being provided to Ukraine using its money, which is frozen under EU sanctions slapped on Moscow after its launched its full-scale war in 2022.

For me, the reparations loan was not a good idea," De Wever told reporters after the meeting. When we explained the text again, there were so many questions that I said, I told you so, I told you so. There are a lot of loose ends. And if you start pulling at the loose ends in the strings, the thing collapses.

We avoided stepping into a precedent that risks undermining legal certainty worldwide. We safeguarded the principle that Europe respects law, even when it is hard, even when we are under pressure, he said, adding that the EU "delivered a strong political signal. Europe stands behind Ukraine."

Still, Costa said that the EU "reserves its right to make use of the immobilized assets to repay this loan.
Europes 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) interest-free loan to keep Ukraines economy and military from a budgetary blackhole through 2027 didnt come about in the way some leaders wanted, but the fact it came about at all is a win for the bloc.

Had we left Brussels divided today, Europe would have walked away from geopolitical relevance, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told reporters a little before 4 a.m.

It would have been a total disaster.

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Leaders of the European Unions 27 member states failed to agree to a historic loan using frozen Russian state funds, but the compromise was clear. Ukraine wouldnt pay back a cent until the war ended, and Europe reserved the right to use Russian assets to fund the loan.

The blocs executive arm now has a mandate to explore how to do this.

And for now, the funds unlocked by the loan will be welcomed in Kyiv as it battles to hold off Russian battlefield gains while negotiating with Washington over a peace plan to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned that a failure to provide finding for Ukraine would leave Kyiv in a position where the country would not have enough money for life and weapons.

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He hailed the 11th-hour breakthrough on Friday.

This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience, he Zelensky wrote on X. It is important that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has received a financial security guarantee for the coming years. Thank you for the result and for unity.

European leaders also took aim at Moscow.

The message we are sending to Russia today is crystal clear. First, you have not achieved your objectives in Ukraine. Second, Europe stands with Ukraine, today, tomorrow and as long as necessary, European Council President Antonio Costa said.

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Due in part to the United States cutting funding, Ukraine would have had a funding gap of $160 billion (137 billion) over the next two years, according to forecasts by the International Monetary Fund. The EU was looking to meet two-thirds of that, or about $105 billion (90 billion).

A serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine checks ammunition for a Bohdana self-propelled howitzer at a position on a front line in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on December 3. - Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters

The idea of using frozen assets isnt a new one. It was floated from the early days of Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

And its long seen fierce opposition from some European powers. Frances President Macron in the Oval Office in February declared the idea of touching Russias state funds as a breach of international law.

This week, he cheered on the European move as all-important visibility for Ukraine on its budget.

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As with so much regarding Western support for Ukraine, yet another red line has fallen.

Tough talk

But it wasnt all plain sailing. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic all voted for the loan but on condition it would not impact them financially.

Belgium  which holds a large majority of the immobilized funds  is fearful of future retaliation by Russia or liability if a peace agreement leads to Moscow demanding return of the funds.

Ahead of the vote, Belgiums De Wever demanded binding guarantees from all EU member states in return for his nations approval of the reparations loan.

Mere oral promises are not enough, he said at the Belgian parliament Thursday.

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Until now, the EU has been using the interest from the assets, which are mostly bonds, to finance some of its support for Kyiv. But as the bonds themselves mature, they are turned into cash, and this is the cash the EUs executive wanted to borrow and lend to Ukraine until Russia pays reparations.

On Monday, the Russian central bank filed a lawsuit seeking billions in damages from Belgiums Euroclear depository. The bank called the move a preemptive measure against the EU plan to transfer the frozen assets held by Euroclear to third parties, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

In a press release Friday, the Russian central bank said that it would claim damages from European banks in the amount of the frozen assets and lost profits.

Side effects

As the longest night of the year loomed in Brussels, the outlook looked dark for Europe.

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US President Donald Trump lashed out at European leaders as weak in a recent interview, days after his administrations new National Security Strategy accused Europe of being trapped in political crisis, and suffering from a lack of self-confidence.

A US-backed, 28-point peace plan that was leaked last month called for investing $100 billion of the Russian central bank assets frozen around the world in US-led efforts to rebuild and invest in Ukraine, and for the US to receive profits from those investments. The assets frozen in Europe account for most of Moscows immobilized assets globally.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 2. - Alexander Kazakova/AFP/Getty Images

That set off a flurry of diplomatic efforts among European leaders, outraged at the thought of the White House commandeering assets in their custody.

In a thinly veiled swipe at the US, President of the European executive Ursula von der Leyen called this Europes independence moment hammering the idea 10 times in her short speech before the European Parliament Wednesday.

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This weeks summit, she said, was about facing the reality of the world that has become dangerous and transactional. A world of wars, a world of predators.

Europe must be responsible for its own security. This is no longer an option, it is a must, she said.

The transatlantic trust long taken for granted has evaporated this year.

Europe is now wary of forces stoking division on two fronts: from the cultural attacks of a transactional White House but primarily from the subversion and antagonism of Moscow. Before the EU summit began, President Putins near-constant efforts to undermine Europe hit new levels Thursday when he referred to the continents leaders as piglets in an address to Russias military officials.

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The Russians work day and night to fragment Europe, and they are better at doing that than Europe is at remaining cohesive, Tom Keatinge, director of the Centre for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, told CNN.

Lifeboat

The White House has publicly latched on to Ukraines past battlefield difficulties or structural weaknesses as leverage towards a hasty peace deal.

Talking before the European negotiations concluded, Zelensky said he that a funding deal would allay that threat.

We are more confident at the negotiating table if we have these assets, he said, with Kyivs ability to resist publicly secured for at least another couple of years.

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He conceded that no deal would have badly wounded Kyivs all-important drone industry, a lifeline for frontline troops.

Similarly, the countrys vaunted long-range attacks on Russia, including against Moscows oil and natural gas infrastructure, would be affected, he said.

All of that will disappear, he told journalists.

The early hours of Friday morning brought some relief then for Kyiv and for Brussels.

Facing Russias pitiless attacks in Ukraine and a White House seemingly hungry for a quick  rather than a just  peace, Europes lifeboat for Ukraine, one clawed back from the jaws of division and delay, promises an emboldened friend to Kyiv in the uncertain months ahead.

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As part of a statewide day of action, Eugene and Springfield residents gathered for "A Day Without an Immigrant" demonstrations to show support for the local immigrant community.

Dee Perez, 19, and their grandmother, Maria Flores, 68, demonstrated on the Ferry Street Bridge to defend Latinos and Mexicans in Lane County. Perez said Flores came to the U.S. 40 years ago to seek a better life for her family.

"We are all immigrants from other countries," Flores said in Spanish. "We came to this country because we need to work for our families left in the countries we came from."

Protesters mill along both sides of the Ferry Street Bridge for the "A Day Without an Immigrant" demonstration on Dec. 18, 2025.

Flores noted the money made by undocumented immigrants feeds the U.S. economy. A study performed by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy found undocumented immigrants paid nearly $100 billion in taxes in 2022. The "A Day Without an Immigrant" economic boycott is meant to show the impact immigrants have on the U.S. economy.

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Perez and Flores said they were glad to see the turnout of at least 100 people on the Ferry Street Bridge on Dec. 18. Perez would like to see more Latinos participating in demonstrations, but people are afraid.

"We have to worry now whether or not we have to carry our passports or birth certificates," Perez said. "We're living somewhere where they don't want us here and they would rather see us die than see us survive."

Cities across Oregon held "A Day Without an Immigrant" including Woodburn and Portland.

Organized by groups like Oregon for All, Party for Socialism & Liberation Eugene and Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), "A Day Without an Immigrant" calls for people to miss work, skip school and avoid making purchases.

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The demonstration comes after a spike in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity across the state. In November, the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition said at least 373 people were detained by ICE in Oregon, with 26 of those known detentions happening in Lane County.

Why were people waving signs on Eugene's Ferry Street Bridge?

At least 100 protesters leaned over the railing of Ferry Street Bridge on Dec. 18, waving signs and encouraging cars to honk their horns.

While the near-constant string of honking was encouraging to some, for others it was a disappointment.

Jacob Griffin, organizer with Trans Alliance for Lane County, said while he was glad to hear the horns, he was frustrated with the relatively small turnout.

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"Right now, the week before Christmas, there are children whose parents aren't going to be home with them for no reason other than the United States government doesn't like the color of their skin," Griffin said. "As a trans person, I'm terrified, absolutely terrified for my very life. But right now, my focus is on immigrants."

Griffin said he hopes immigrants and their families can see the support they have from the community. But more than that, he hopes the people honking will get out of their cars and join the demonstration.

Jacob Griffin, Trans Alliance of Lane County organizer, attended the "A Day Without an Immigrant" demonstration to show support for his immigrant neighbors, friends and community members in Eugene on Dec. 18, 2025.

He said the only way to enact change is if enough people show up and demand that change.

Griffin referenced the famous World War II poem "First They Came" by Pastor Martin Niemoller that warns of collective inaction.

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"All of us believe that when the Nazis came, we would behave a certain way, and now I'm asking everyone who reads this, 'are you behaving the way you thought you would be?'" Griffin said.

Rob Fisette, organizer with Lane County Immigrant Defense Network and PSL, was pleased with the turnout given the rainy weather and flood watch.

He said the Dec. 18 demonstrations were the first in a series of "A Day Without an Immigrant" actions. There are additional call-to-action days on Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 16 and April 1, all culminating in a final demonstration on May 1, according to Fisette.

"We're not really focused on local and state leaders at this point, we're focused on the people," Fisette said. "We're building for the May 1, 2026, day of general strike around the state. This is a movement of the people. If we get the people organized and committed to that action, then that is the source of our power where we can make credible demands of the state and local leaders."

At least 100 protesters gathered on the Ferry Street Bridge for the "A Day Without an Immigrant" demonstration, advocating for immigrant rights on Dec. 18, 2025

A slew of Lane County organizations endorsed the demonstration including:

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United for Immigrant Justice

Eugene Friends of the Farm Workers

Community Alliance of Lane County

Lane County Immigrant Defense Network

Party for Socialism and Liberation

Indivisible Eugene/Springfield

50501 Eugene

Showing Up for Racial Justice Eugene-Springfield

Trans Alliance of Lane County

Activist Coalition of Eugene/Springfield

Rural Organizing Project

Eugene-Springfield Solidarity Network

Plaza de Nuestra Comunidad

University of Oregon Student Workers Union

Oregon Community Asylum Network

Oregon Just Transition Alliance

People gather at the Springfield City Hall for "A Day Without an Immigrant" vigil in a steady rain Dec. 18, 2025.

"We deserve a safer Springfield"

Clad in rain jackets, carrying umbrellas and gripping battery-powered LED lights, over three dozen people gathered outside the Springfield City Hall in the pouring rain for a candlelight vigil honoring local families impacted by federal immigration enforcement and calling on the community to support each other.

The event began at 5:30 p.m. Organizers and community advocates called on the City of Springfield to declare a state of emergency regarding ICE actions, create a fund for families affected by ICE detentions, and donate to local organizations working on the ground to help community members in fear.

Johanis Tadeo speaks to a group of protester on the steps of the Springfield City Hall for the "A Day Without an Immigrant" vigil Dec. 18, 2025.

"When your residents are living in fear, silence is not neutral. Silence becomes part of the harm. We should not have to beg our own city to say, 'We stand with you," Johanis Tadeo told the crowd. "Tonight, we hold candles for our people, for our families, for our neighbors, for the ones that were taken from communities like ours, and for the ones who never made it home. Immigrants hold up the world around us."

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Alex Tadeo said locals deserve a "safer Springfield."

"We deserve a new chapter for our Latino community," Alex Tadeo said. "A chapter where we're not surviving but building. Where kids feel safe, and families feel protected. We're workers, students, neighbors, human beings. We're asking for real change, a safer Springfield."

Several other individuals spoke at the event, which ended around 6:30 p.m. with chants of "ICE Out," and "When our neighbors are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back."

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on X @mirandabcyr.

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Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Day Without an Immigrant Eugene Springfield
Global hedge fund Qube Research & Technologies (QRT) is set to become the largest private tenant at Two International Finance Centre, signing a multi-story lease as falling rents drive a wave of office upgrades across Hong Kong's premier business district.

The London-based firm will take up to 146,000 sq ft of space across six floors owned by MTR Corp in Two International Finance Centre, for an undisclosed rental amount. The space was previously occupied by the UBS Group.

QRT's lease was set to begin in 2027. "Hong Kong has been viewed as a key regional and global hub since Qube's inception, and the move reflects the firm's confidence in the city's long-term prospects," said Murray Steel, Qube's Asia-Pacific chief operating officer in a statement on Thursday.

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.

Qube's expansion mirrors a broader trend among financial firms taking advantage of softer rents to upgrade into higher-grade offices in Central. The firm is currently leasing offices in Central Tower, an A-grade office building near the Landmark, but would expand and upgrade its office space under the new lease at Two IFC.

The deal would make Qube the largest private-sector tenant in the IFC complex, according to property consultancy JLL, which advised on the transaction. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority remains the largest single tenant in Two IFC.

A view of Two IFC (left) and One IFC in Central from a porthole in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang alt=A view of Two IFC (left) and One IFC in Central from a porthole in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang>

The transaction is the second-largest office lease signed in Central this year, and among the biggest in the district over the past 10 years.

Founded in 2018 as a spin-off from Credit Suisse, QRT has rapidly grown into one of the world's largest hedge fund managers. The firm employs more than 2,000 people globally, with roughly one-third based in Asia. It operates 13 offices worldwide, five in Asia-Pacific, and is expanding in markets including Singapore, Shanghai and Mumbai.

Qube is the latest in a growing list of global hedge funds committing to large office footprints in Hong Kong's most expensive locations. In June, Henderson Land Development said it had leased 223,000 square feet at its New Central Harbourfront project to Jane Street Asia, in the largest leasing transaction in the district in a decade, with handover expected in 2027 and the lease starting in 2028.
Gov. Tony Evers meets with children at a Fitchburg child care center in September 2023. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)

Gov. Tony Evers approved an administrative rule change Thursday meant to make it easier to place children, who are in foster care because they are unable to safely remain in their home, with relatives or like-kin caregivers.

We know that kids do better when they have supportive and loving people around them, and theyre in settings where they feel safe and can be their best and full selves. Keeping adults in kids lives who know and love them can go a long way toward making sure a kid has the stability they need so they can be focused on being a kid, Evers said in a statement. This is about doing whats best for our kids and helping increase the likelihood of youth being in an environment with their family and loved ones, especially during difficult, chaotic times in their lives.

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According to the Evers administration, the rule change will help by providing a separate, streamlined licensing pathway for relative and like-kin caregivers as well as ensure that there is fair financial support available for them.

The rule change is a continuation of work on the issue. In 2024, the state Legislature passed and Gov. Tony Evers signed 2023 Wisconsin Act 119 which expanded the definition of those eligible to be kinship caregivers to include first cousins once removed and adults with a like-kin relationship with the child, meaning people with a significant emotional relationship with a child.

According to the Department of Children and Families, in 2024, 39% of children in Wisconsin who entered out-of-home care were initially placed with relatives, increasing the likelihood that they would be placed with their siblings, experience more stability during their placement and help them achieve permanency with family.

We know kids do better when theyre with family  however they define it. And families do better when they can spend less time running up against unnecessary administrative and financial barriers and more time together, being a family, DCF Secretary Jeff Pertl said in a statement.

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A federal appeals court has granted a request that former Louisville Metro Police detective Brett Hankison be released from federal prison while he appeals the 33-month sentence he received for firing shots during the 2020 raid that killed Breonna Taylor.

A Dec. 19 order signed by Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Clerk Kelly Stephens orders Hankison to be released on his own recognizance from prison "under the conditions of release that the district court previously imposed."

The move comes after the U.S. Department of Justice last month asked for Hankison to be released from prison pending the appeal. Hankison's attorneys have also requested he remain free while the appeal continues.

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In the order, the court wrote that Hankison satisfied conditions for release pending appeal as he is not a flight risk or danger to others, the appeal is not an attempt at a delay and the appeal, if successful, would vacate his conviction.

The court also wrote that Hankisons compelling concerns about his safety in prison also weighed on the decision to grant the request.

In short, he has shown exceptional reason for release, the order said.

Hankison, 49, is incarcerated at FCI Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in New Jersey. As of Friday afternoon, he was still listed as an inmate at the facility with a release date in 2028 according to an online Bureau of Prisons inmate database.

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He was given a 33-month sentence in July after being found guilty in November 2024 of violating Taylor's civil rights. Ahead of sentencing, the Department of Justice, in a sharp reversal, had pushed for him to only serve a one-day sentence.

Hankison fired 10 shots into Taylor's apartment during the botched LMPD raid that killed the 26-year-old Black ER tech. None of the shots Hankison fired hit Taylor.

The shots Hankison fired went through a sliding glass door and window, both of which were covered. Some of the shots passed into a neighboring apartment where a man, a pregnant woman and a young child were present.

He was terminated from LMPD in June 2020 for "blindly" firing 10 rounds during the raid. Taylor's death resulted in months of protests in Louisville.

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An attorney for Hankison did not immediately return a call seeking comment or further details.

The three judges empaneled on Hankison's appeal were each appointed to the bench by Republican presidents  one by former President George W. Bush, and two by President Trump.

Reach reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X at @JWoodJourno.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Brett Hankison who fired shots in Breonna Taylor raid to leave jail
By David Hood-Nuno and Bianca Flowers

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Federal inquiries into corporate diversity programs are underway, signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration, the head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told Reuters Thursday.

Andrea Lucas, the EEOC chair, said companies that factor race, sex or other protected characteristics into employment decisions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act could face enforcement actions or litigation. She confirmed that inquiries are in progress and warned that initiatives tied to hiring, promotion, or marketing may come under scrutiny. Lucas declined to share which companies are facing scrutiny.

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"My goal is to shift to a conservative view of civil rights," said Lucas, the head of the Trump administration's top anti-discrimination workforce enforcer, in a wide-ranging interview with Reuters.

Lucas's vision for the workplace discrimination agency entails "attacking" all forms of race discrimination, including DEI; "attacking widespread" religious liberty issues like antisemitism and Covid-19 vaccine mandates; "pushing back" on gender identity and focusing on women's sex-based rights; and "national origin discrimination," protecting all American workers.

Lucas told Reuters that enforcement may target a host of initiatives companies have deployed to create, cater to or advertise to any race or gender-based group, including employee resource groups designed to be safe spaces where employees can speak candidly.

"If you have a DEI program or any employee program that involves taking an action in whole or in part motivated by race or sex or any other protected characteristic, that's unlawful," Lucas said.

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Earlier this year, a group of former EEOC officials, including former Commissioner Chai R. Feldblum, published an open letter, saying under well-established legal principles, employers can lawfully take proactive steps to identify barriers that have limited opportunities for applicants and employees based on any protected characteristic. "Properly constructed, such efforts are not discriminatory," they said.

A NEW DIRECTION

The hard pivot represents a new direction for the independent agency to echo policies championed by conservatives and the administration. The EEOC was created out of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act to enforce federal laws prohibiting workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, in companies' hiring, retention or promotion practices.

Lucas also said the White House's position is that white men have been discriminated against in the workplace by DEI programs, encouraging submission of complaints.

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"Chair Lucas and the Trump Administration are ensuring all Americans are treated fairly by rigorously enforcing civil rights laws, ending illegal DEI-motivated race and sex discrimination, and upholding the Constitution," White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement to Reuters.

In contrast, three former EEOC officials told Reuters the agency would have to prove a pattern or practice of discrimination in order to go after companies and demonstrate that the employer is not in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, a high bar to prove in a court of law.

The transformation of the EEOC is likely to face significant pushback from experts, as civil rights advocates and Democrats have long said DEI policies are necessary to address longstanding structural inequities and discrimination.

But the redirection means no company is safe from enforcement actions, subpoenas or litigation now that Lucas is chair after Trump designated her as chair in early November, giving the agency a 2-1 Republican majority, with two vacancies. There can only be three of one party on the commission. Last month, the Senate confirmed Republican Brittany Panuccio, while Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal is the lone Democrat.

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The EEOC's inquiries will intensify in 2026 with all the tools the agency plans to employ, including expanded web-archive searches to target companies that have only changed how they've talked about DEI.

Her focus is on "race-restricted programs or sex-restricted programs or other actions that involve overt distinctions between people based on race," she said. "It doesn't matter if you call that DEI or belonging or 'EO' or anything: If it functions like that, it's illegal."

Lucas's new direction follows Trump's flurry of executive orders earlier this year, including two that targeted DEI initiatives, such as mandatory racial equity trainings for staff.

The move prompted several Fortune 500 companies  including Target, Walmart and Amazon, all of which employ large numbers of workers from historically marginalized groups  to scrap or reassess such initiatives altogether.

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In response, some companies quietly stripped DEI language from policy documents and recruitment messaging, while others went further, dissolving employee resource groups and ending longstanding efforts to diversify their supplier networks.

It's an open question Lucas said her agency will answer in the new year: whether those initiatives meet the threshold to take broad, swift action, she said.

"We're talking about potentially thousands of people being involved or like a very blatant racial or sex-discrimination-related restricted programming," Lucas said. "Either way, we're looking for strategic impact."

(Reporting by David Hood-Nuno and Bianca Flowers; Editing by Kat Stafford)
By Stephen Eisenhammer and Shariq Khan

Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has contacted seven maritime shipping companies as part of an inquiry into cartel-linked fuel smuggling between the United States and Mexico, asking the firms to explain their vetting procedures for ensuring their tankers aren't used to transport illicit hydrocarbons, according to copies of the letters seen by Reuters.

The letters from Wyden, who is the most senior Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, were dated Friday. They come as stolen crude and bootleg fuel have become the second-largest revenue source for Mexican cartels after drugs, according to the U.S. Treasury.

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Narcos have done it by embedding themselves inside North America's vast energy sector and mastering the logistics of moving petroleum products by truck, rail and most recently tankers. It's an audacious display of ingenuity by Mexico's cartels, which have enlisted a variety of legitimate oil industry players to help them procure and transport the products, some unwittingly, others actively participating, law enforcement sources say.

"I want to be sure both shipping companies and the U.S. government are doing everything in their power to shut off this revenue stream," Wyden, the senior senator from Oregon, told Reuters by email. "These letters are the first step in my effort to learn more about how these criminal networks operate, and where existing controls are failing."

Wyden's letters referenced a Reuters investigation which pieced together how the alleged scheme works and how it exploits loopholes in the vast and complex U.S. energy sector, touching a host of entities including oil majors, shipping companies and government agencies.

The letters were sent to seven of the biggest players in the global oil tanker business: Torm, International Seaways, Norden, CMB.Tech, Frontline, Teekay and Scorpio. Wyden has requested detailed information by Jan. 10, 2026, about the due diligence each company conducts "to ensure its oil tankers are not utilized to transport illicit fuel," the letter said.

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None of the firms has been charged with wrongdoing.

Torm was the manager of two vessels that were allegedly used for oil smuggling earlier this year, according to the October 22 Reuters investigation, which cited documents and security sources.

CMB.Tech said it practices due diligence, follows know-your-customer standards and complies with all applicable regulations. The Belgium-based company said it would be responding to Wyden's questions.

Norden confirmed receipt of Wyden's letter and said its sea carriages are performed in compliance with applicable laws.

The other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Wyden's inquiry.

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Mexican cartels have increasingly muscled their way into the multi-billion dollar trade of smuggling fuel from the United States to Mexico, the news agency found.

The scheme largely boils down to a lucrative tax dodge. Mexico slaps a levy known as IEPS on a wide variety of goods, including imported diesel and gasoline. Crooks evade the tax, charged by the liter and often costing upwards of 50% of the cargo's value, by declaring the foreign fuel to be some other type of petroleum product that's exempt from the duty. A single tanker load can save millions of dollars in taxes, a Reuters calculation based on the tax rate and volumes typically carried by these vessels showed.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful and violent cartels, is the unquestioned leader in fuel and crude oil smuggling and the only cartel using tankers, according to Mexican and U.S. security sources.

Fuel smuggling has grown so fast that bootleg imports now account for as much as one-third of Mexico's diesel and gasoline market, swiping profits from some of the biggest names in the oil industry, five current and former Mexican government sources told Reuters earlier this year. Illegal fuel entering the country is now valued at more than $20 billion a year, according to one of the people who helped Mexico's treasury calculate the size of the illicit trade.

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"The scope of these illicit fuel smuggling operations is staggering," Wyden wrote in the letters. "Cracking down on this illicit industry is critical to blunt cartels' ability to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and other deadly drugs in the United States, and the international shipping industry must play its part to end this lawless practice."

(Reporting by Stephen Eisenhammer in Mexico City and Shariq Khan in New York;Editing by Marla Dickerson)
As Pennsylvania hunters gear up and head into the woods this fall, an expert has warned that the state is seeing more ticks than usual.

What's happening?

Nicole Chinnici, director of the Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab, told WNEP 16 that the tick population is much higher than usual in the state this fall, and the most common tick her lab is seeing is the deer tick. She attributed 2025's weather to the lingering presence of the creatures.

"[The] amount of rain that we've had early summer, I think, played a role in keeping them incubated underneath the leaf litter," she told the news station. "We did have a bit of a drought, but then we got some nice rain, and then all of a sudden they were out and about."

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The lab has also found that tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus, are on the rise. Chinnici added that many ticks carry more than one of these illnesses.

Why is this announcement important?

Pennsylvania is not the only state to report an increase in tick-borne diseases in recent years. Maine officials, for instance, warned the public that ticks can stay active in the fall as the state edged toward a record-breaking year for tick-borne illnesses.

A warming climate is one of the drivers behind this surge, as it helps ticks survive for longer periods throughout the year and can even help them expand their ranges to new territories that were previously unsuitable, upping the risk of tick-borne diseases.

For instance, Quebec officials announced the Canadian province's first case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne disease.

What's being done about tick-borne diseases?

The best way to avoid getting sick is to fight the bite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear long clothing when they're outside and spray it with insecticide containing 0.5% permethrin.

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Scientists are also developing a tick-repelling medication that can protect people from bites.

Generally, though, reducing pollution to slow the rapid rise in global temperatures can help limit the length of the tick season. Whether you swap a gas-guzzling car for an electric vehicle or just eat more plant-based meals, even small changes can make a difference.

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.
Earlier this month, an elderly couple in Pennsylvania lost more than $1.3 million in an elaborate scheme executed by a thief posing as a Social Security Administration employee.

The heartbreaking story highlights the importance of consumers of all ages knowing how to spot a Social Security scam and understanding what a real administration employee will and wont do.

Taking a team approach to spotting scams can equip older consumers with the support they need to protect their finances and retirement, said Ricardo Amper, CEO at identity verification firm Incode Technologies.

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Family members can help by having open, ongoing conversations about common scam tactics and setting a simple rule: always verify before acting, Amper wrote in an email to The Independent. Helping loved ones secure online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication can reduce the impact if information is exposed.

The first step in fighting Social Security scams? Knowing what a legitimate representative of the federal department will never do.

The Social Security Administration issued a warning earlier this year against scammers pretending to work for federal agencies ((Alamy/PA))

No threats or scare tactics

John Hammond, principal security researcher at cybersecurity firm Huntress, said that real employees of the Social Security Administration will never take a threatening tone or try to scare you over the phone.

They won't suggest a suspension of benefits or any legal action over the phone, and they certainly will never ask for immediate payment, Hammond told The Independent in an email. If you are ever asked for your Social Security number or bank details from an unsolicited call or text message, you aren't talking to a legitimate SSA representative.

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Earlier this summer, the Social Security Administration warned consumers of phone-based scams in which crooks were pretending to be from the administration or other federal departments.

Stay skeptical and think scam anytime you get an unexpected or unsolicited call, the administration said.

Beware of urgency and catchphrases

A growing type of scam, that isnt limited to Social Security Administration ruses, is one in which a scammer calls the victim and creates a sense of urgency. For example, the Pennsylvania couple was told one of their Social Security numbers had been stolen and that they needed to take quick action.

Some of the red flags for scams that consumers should be aware of are simply the usual fear tactics - urgency, unrealistic expectations, requests for unusual payment methods, Hammond said.

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Another red flag to watch for? The caller uses certain scripted phrases like compromised when talking about your Social Security account, said Eric ONeill, a former FBI operative and owner of investigative and security consultancy The Georgetown Group.

Red flags includeclaims that your account has been compromised, and instructions not to tell family members or advisors, ONeill wrote in an email to The Independent.

If someone claims to be SSA, hang up and call SSA back using a number you look up yourself, an expert recommended (Getty Images)

To simplify it, the Social Security Administration emphasized the four Ps scammers use: pretend, problem, pressure, and pay. They pretend to be someone theyre not, then they leverage a fake problem to pressure you to resolve the situation through payment.

What to do if you receive a call

If you believe the Social Security Administration is calling you, multiple experts suggested the same thing, no matter what the voice on the end of the other line says.

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Pause and verify, said Brian Long, CEO of cybersecurity firm Adaptive Security. If someone claims to be SSA, hang up and call SSA back using a number you look up yourself (not the number they gave you).

The best weapon you have against criminals is to distrust anyone who calls you claiming to work for the government, Long told The Independent in an email.

Normalize skepticism, he said. The biggest security gap isnt in our systems; its in our people, and scammers target trust.
Does the 1986 Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, "authored" by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, make it legal to "blow drug boats out of the water"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed the text of the law, and it says nothing about an unrestricted use of lethal force. An expert in maritime law confirmed to Lead Stories that the Act has no provisions that could be interpreted as permitting such actions. According to congressional records, Schumer co-sponsored a broader bill that included the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, not that specific piece of legislation as a standalone bill.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on December 18, 2025. It opened:

BREAKING: The law that allows President Trump to take out drug boats was authored by none other than Chuck Schumer. 'This is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act of 1986 authored by...Chuck Schumer. He wrote the law that makes it legal to blow drug boats out of the water.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of post at x.com/DerrickEvans4WV

The entry on X shared a clip from the show called "Stinchfield Tonight" uploaded one day prior, on December 17, 2025. In the fragment reused in the post (begins at the 6:35 mark in the original recording archived here), the host says:



This in front of me, this is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act of 1986, authored by a member of Congress in 1986 from the state of New York. His name? Chuck Schumer. He wrote the law that passed almost unanimously that makes it legal to blow drug boats out of the water. It happened in the '80s a lot and the '90s a lot. Go ahead. Look it up, folks. Chuck Schumer, the author of this bill that made what we're doing with Venezuelan drug boats fully legal. We don't need permission from the rest of the world. Chuck Schumer gave us that in 1986.

Lead Stories reviewed the 1986 Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (archived here), which became law as part of a broader piece of legislation, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, H.R. 5484 (archived here). The document, however, says nothing about the unrestricted use of lethal force against suspected drug-carrying vessels in international waters.

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Ian Ralby (archived here), an attorney and non-resident senior fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy who specializes in maritime security, told Lead Stories via email about the 1986 Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act:

No, it 100% does not make it legal 'to take out drug boats' by blowing them up in the fashion pursued by the Trump Administration. The MDLEA is a domestic law that allows the United States to engage in law enforcement operations against vessels suspected of drug trafficking outside the territory of the United States.

He continued:

... there is no area of law enforcement that would allow for extraterritorial and extrajudicial summary executions as have occurred in these several dozen incidents. None of these attacks can be construed as law enforcement operations. That is not a comment on the overall legality of the operations, but neither the MDLEA nor any other U.S. or international law could be used to make these a lawful exercise of law enforcement powers.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (archived here) described in the post on X as the author of the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, was not on the list of the bill's sponsors. He, however, was one of 301 co-sponsors of the bipartisan Anti-Drug Abuse Act that incorporated the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (archived here).
Claim:

On Dec. 18 and 19, 2025, the White House's live cameras were turned off as U.S. President Donald Trump's helicopter flew him to a hospital.

Rating:

Rating: False

A rumor circulating online on Dec. 18 and 19, 2025 claimed the White House "live cameras" had been turned off and suggested U.S. President Donald Trump was transported by helicopter to a hospital.

One Facebook post (archived) with the claim read: "So the White House live cameras are turned off and reports are his helicopter headed to the hospital again. Yes Virginia, maybe there is a Santa Claus."

(Facebook user Reginald Reggie Magpayo)

The rumor spread across social media platforms including Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Bluesky, X and TikTok. The earliest version we found appeared on Threads (archived) around 7 p.m. EST Dec. 18.

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In short, there was no evidence the White House "turned off" its live cameras on Dec. 18 and 19, 2025 because Trump's helicopter was headed to a hospital. The message on the White House's "Live News" website was a routine placeholder that appears when no livestream is running and has been used for months. We also found no credible reporting from major news outlets indicating Trump was hospitalized during that period, an event that would have been covered widely. We reached out to the White House, who told us the claim was "fake." For these reasons, we rated this claim as false.

We have contacted the Secret Service for comment and will update this article if we receive a response.

How the rumor spread

The rumor appears to have been sparked by confusion over the White House's "Live News" page, which is used for scheduled White House event livestreams rather than a continuous 24/7 camera feed.

On Dec. 19, 2025, the page displayed the message: "Stay tuned  we'll be live again shortly." However, that banner was not a breaking alert about an emergency, but rather a placeholder used when there is no active livestream. The Wayback Machine and archive.today tools showed the "Stay tuned" wording was not new and had appeared for months on the page when no livestream was running.

(archive.today)

There was also a legitimate oddity involving "Live News" website around the same time. The Associated Press reported that a YouTube creator's personal-finance livestream briefly appeared on the White House live page for at least eight minutes on Dec. 18, prompting questions about whether the site had been hacked. The White House told The Associated Press it was "aware and looking into what happened."

No evidence of a hospital flight

There was no credible reporting showing Trump was taken by helicopter to a hospital on Dec. 18 or 19, 2025.

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Meanwhile, White House channels published material indicating normal activity around those dates, including official items posted to the White House website dated Dec. 18. The White House video library listed recordings from Dec. 18, including "President Trump Signs an Executive Order" and "President Trump Delivers an Address to the Nation," both recorded at the White House and running more than half an hour each. In addition, news outlets reported Trump was expected to make an announcement at the White House on the afternoon of Dec. 19, which was inconsistent with the rumor he had been secretly hospitalized.

All in all, the "Stay tuned  we'll be live again shortly" message on the White House's website was a routine placeholder, and we found no credible evidence Trump was flown to a hospital on Dec 18 or 19, 2025.

Sources:

Live  The White House. 1 Apr. 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20250401160726/https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/.

"Live News." The White House, 18 Dec. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/live/.

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"Mystery as YouTube Creator's Finance Livestream Appears on White House Website." AP News, 19 Dec. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/white-house-website-youtube-livestream-88d79b896ca6e5ecea33f3bf3e5c9278.

"News." The White House, 18 Dec. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/.
A Salt Lake City police officer wears a body camera at the scene of a shooting at a No Kings protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

The following story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and was reported by The Utah Investigative Journalism Project in partnership with Utah News Dispatch.

When a Unified police lieutenant tried to pull body-worn camera footage for a case where the suspect had confessed to arson and attempted homicide, he discovered something curious. The video wasnt there  and apparently the missing footage wasnt a one-off incident.

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In fact, officer Mario Widdowson hadnt uploaded any body camera videos during the first three months of 2023 and had failed to turn on his body camera 103 times during the same period.

When confronted with those facts, Widdowson apologized and said he didnt know it was that bad and that he was embarrassed by it.

This wasnt his first time violating the department policy. During Widdowsons five years with the department, he neglected to properly log body camera recordings, turn in reports on time, and activate his body camera, including during at least one incident involving use of force.

Between 2019 and 2023, Widdowson received several disciplinary actions, according to documents The Utah Investigative Journalism Project obtained through a records request. Those interventions included at least four formal warnings, several informal conversations, two corrective action plans and a no-pay suspension of about 180 hours.

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In the arson case, however, Widdowsons second chances had run out and he was given a notice of termination that chronicled a pervasive pattern of policy violations.

This is not the first time you have been disciplined for dereliction of duty, insubordination, report submission or failure to activate your body worn camera, the notice reads. I cannot, in good faith, allow the citizens of Salt Lake County to bear the burden and liability of an employee who demonstrates this type of behavior.

That notice was among dozens of disciplinary records the UIJP received over the course of a year after filing nearly 170 records requests with 48 Utah law enforcement agencies  specifically to every sheriffs office and police department of larger cities, ranging from Salt Lake to St. George. The requests asked for disciplinary records of officers who had violated body-worn camera policies between January 2019 and June 2025 as well as the agencies policies themselves. The UIJP also attempted to reach the individual officers named in this story through their current or former departments but received no response.

The records identified 25 officers across 11 agencies with such violations. Ogden Police Department had the most at six, followed by West Valley City with five and Salt Lake City and Unified police with three each. Of those agencies, Ogden police was the only agency that did not respond to UIJPs request for comment.

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The 25 officers represent a small fraction of the majority of the agencies total number of officers, with some agencies employing hundreds of officers.

Some of the records document what appear to be one-off incidents, while others paint the picture of more egregious patterns of behavior. In several of the cases, the records documented other misconduct, ranging from disrespectful language to mishandling of evidence and failing to fill out reports.

A Salt Lake City police officer and Draper police officer wear body cameras at the scene of a shooting at a No Kings protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

An investigation into former Davis County sheriffs deputy Tyler Young, for example, found he had accessed and shared information from the states criminal justice database without authorization, violated a drivers constitutional rights after stopping them on private property, and tried to use his position as a deputy to argue against a Brigham City officers decision to screen custodial interference charges against him. Young resigned during the investigation.

Former Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank, who pushed the department to adopt cameras during his tenure and now works as a law enforcement consultant, said body camera violations are often an indicator of underlying problems for both the employee and the agency as a whole.

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You just become less credible  I think thats more of the problem than the fact of youre not wearing your body camera, he said. When you start to see that, its like, Well, OK, what other things are you not addressing as the administrator of this department?

Salt Lake City police spokesperson Michael Ruff and Davis County chief deputy Taylor West concurred with Burbank. Ruff said because violations can be indicative of wider issues, the departments audits go beyond just checking one or two videos and instead include follow up on whether violations are a pattern of behavior. Likewise, West said the office has an early intervention program that will flag issues like a deputy routinely shutting off their body camera. An alert is then sent to the deputys entire chain of command.

West Valley City police spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku, however, disagrees. She pointed to the fact that violations can have several causes, many of which do not reflect misconduct or systemic problems. Likewise, Unified police spokesperson Sgt. Aymee Race said some violations are also the result of equipment malfunction or low battery.

Only a few of the disciplinary actions reviewed by the UIJP show what appear to be genuine, one-off mistakes. One West Valley officer, for example, did not turn on his camera during a vehicle pursuit because he was on his way to work, before he could pick up the camera.

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What violations do indicate is that our accountability systems are functioning, Vainuku said over email. The fact that we identify, track, and correct issues through transparent processes demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement, not a deficiency in officer performance or agency culture.

Facing the consequences

Adam Schwartz, privacy litigation director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, agreed that law enforcement personnel should be held to the same accountability standards as any other professional. The foundation has advocated for strict safeguards for body cameras.

Theyre the ones with a badge and a gun who are enforcing the law, he said. They, more than anyone else, should be following rules.

The records obtained by the UIJP show that in the majority of cases, officers received a formal reprimand when they violated body camera policies.

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That includes one Ogden officer who neglected to turn on his body camera during an incident where he used force on a female minor who kicked him, according to an employee counseling form. And a West Valley parking compliance officer who failed to turn on her camera during an argument with an armed suspect.

Another officer, this one from Unified police, received only a formal reprimand after failing to wear his camera, including during a domestic disturbance where officers used physical force to arrest a man. The mans family later filed a complaint alleging excessive force, which triggered an investigation that revealed the officer was not wearing his body camera.

Because of the officers failure to address his broken body camera in a timely manner, valuable evidence in the case was not captured and could not be used as evidence for the criminal case or to dispel the allegation levied by the Family, reads a letter documenting the officers reprimand.

In other cases, officers were suspended without pay, placed on a corrective action plan or removal from specialized teams.

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Ogden Officer Karson Garcia, for instance, received two days of suspension without pay, a work improvement plan and removal from the Ogden Metro SWAT team after he failed to activate his body camera during a use of force incident.

An Ogden Police vehicle is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

An employee counseling form for Garcia states he had been warned three times previously about failing to use his body camera and was suspended for two days without pay over previous misconduct. An internal affairs investigation determined Garcia neglected to turn on his body camera on 47 cases.

Widdowson was one of only two officers who was terminated over offenses that included body camera compliance. The other, officer Brandon Lyman, also worked for Unified police. He had turned on his body camera only seven times  once on accident  during a three-month period while he was on a corrective action plan for previous policy violations, according to discipline records.

The National Police Index, which tracks police employment history data, shows both Widdowson and Lyman continued their careers in law enforcement after they were fired at Unified. Utah data was only gathered after the UIJP and the Invisible Institute fought for the records to be released.

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According to that data, Widdowson began working for Cottonwood Heights about six months after being fired; Lyman began working for the Utah Department of Corrections almost a year after his termination.

Unified police declined to comment on Widdowson or Lyman, citing a policy not to comment on personnel matters beyond releasing discipline records.

Cottonwood Heights police did not respond to a request for comment. Utah Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Tapahe declined to comment on Lymans hiring for similar reasons. However, she said the department does perform background checks as part of its hiring process as well as additional interviews or investigations when necessary. That includes for applicants that were terminated by a previous employer.

Burbank said that in his experience as an administrator, a first offense would result in a reprimand and discussion of the policy. After one warning, however, Burbank said termination would be on the table. While that may seem harsh, Burbank said its an issue of trust.

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Im not an advocate for firing people for the little things, he said. Im an advocate for firing people for failing to display the honor and privilege it is to be a police officer in this country and the responsibility that comes with it.

A look at policies

The agencies policies on body cameras are largely the same, with many including similar or verbatim language. Many used Lexipol, a private consulting company that provides policy manuals to law enforcement.

Almost all of the policies reviewed required officers to wear their body cameras conspicuously. Likewise, 89% directed officers to make sure their body camera equipment is functioning at the start of each shift, and 91% required officers to report if and why they failed to use their body cameras.

All the policies also identified when officers need to activate their body cameras  a safeguard that Schwartz highlighted. Some of the policies simply referenced state code governing body cameras, while others listed out specific types of interactions that necessitate body camera use, ranging from traffic stops to use of force and execution of warrants.

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If the officer has discretion to decide when theyre going to turn that camera on and off, that absolutely ceases to be any kind of accountability tool, Schwartz said. The kind of rule that we like to see is an officer must activate their camera whenever they start an investigative encounter with a civilian.

The majority of policies did not include explicit requirements for auditing officers use of body cameras. In fact, only eight of the 35 policies outlined specific auditing procedures. Another said audits may be conducted.

Everybodys going to make a mistake at some point, right? said David Ferguson, executive director of Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. I do think that departments need to be aware of and are hopefully keeping track of officers where thats a repeated problem.

Of those eight policies, West Valley City Police Departments was one of the most specific. It states that in addition to random audits by supervisors, the chief will also audit five body camera recordings at least twice a year.

Vainuku, the departments spokesperson, said the specificity was intentional to strengthen transparency and public trust. She said the departments auditing process allows it to proactively identify areas for improvement rather than relying solely on complaints.

A Provo Police Department cruiser is pictured on Monday, May 13, 2024. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch)

While Provo Police Departments policy doesnt mention how frequent audits will be done beyond on a periodic basis, it does include how body camera audits should be conducted and what they should look for.

Policies for the South Jordan Police Department and Sevier and Summit County sheriffs offices include the same language: Supervisors should conduct audits at regular intervals to confirm BWC media is being properly uploaded and tagged by their subordinates.

Likewise, Emery, Grand and Davis County sheriffs offices direct their respective body camera coordinators to conduct periodic audits to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and office policy.

Ruff, the spokesperson for Salt Lake City police, said that a lack of audit procedures in an agencys body-camera policies doesnt mean audits arent taking place. He pointed to a city ordinance that requires a mayoral designee to review body camera recordings at least monthly as well as a 2024 memo from the departments chief. The memo outlines a weekly audit (which Ruff equates to about 10% of the departments officers each month) as well as disciplinary procedures that include a 30-day review of an officers recordings and a referral to internal affairs depending on the violation.

Burbank, who is working on a project that would use AI to audit body camera footage, is a big proponent of the accountability mechanism, although he acknowledged it can be a burden for agencies to manually go through such large amounts of footage. But he believes its well worth doing so to get in front of issues before they grow.

Why would you not want to deal with it up front? But Ive actually had police chiefs tell me, Well, I dont have a problem now and if I let them review this or I look at them proactively, then I have a problem, he said. Thats irresponsible. Thats doing your job so you sit in the seat longer.

Human failings

Schwartz said while there may be some instances where its not possible for officers to activate their body cameras, those instances should be extremely rare.

All you have to do when an officer sees someone theyre going to detain is lift their hand up and press a button on a device which is fixed to their uniform, he said. So its hard to see when it is not feasible for the officers to turn the camera on.

Only a few of the records obtained by UIJP include the officers reasoning behind not using their body cameras.

One officer reported not feeling like he had to turn on his camera, instead opting to drive away because the encounter had become adversarial. Another said he relied on his cars dash cam. A third said he wasnt wearing his body camera because it wasnt working, even though his department policy required officers to check their equipment each shift. A fourth officer, who had multiple violations, offered a number of explanations ranging from the cameras battery being low to simply not remembering to turn it on.

Burbank said simply forgetting to use a body camera is a weak excuse.

How many cops do you see wandering around without a gun in their holster? he said. They dont forget their Taser, they dont forget their flashlight.

A tool for justice?

Body camera footage is often used as a way to hold law enforcement to account. But without the correct safeguards in place, body cameras become a tool for surveillance rather than accountability, said Schwartz of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Whenever a police officer walks up to a civilian and exercises their coercive power to interrupt that persons day, stop them from going to work, detain them, etc.  this is a situation where police can be abusing their power, Schwartz said. If its an accountability tool, then every single one of those situations, the officer needs to be turning it on.

Ferguson, the director of Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, has a more positive outlook on body cameras, calling them an exceptionally good development in criminal justice.

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This stuff is just huge. It gets to the truth better and faster than just about anything else can, he said. Both sides really benefit from body cameras.

Defendants, for instance, use it to show they didnt actually commit a crime, Ferguson said. Meanwhile, law enforcement, who are under increased scrutiny in the modern world, can point to body camera evidence as proof of proper conduct. But those benefits are only present when cameras are used correctly.

Ferguson has litigated cases in which officers have purposefully turned their body cameras away or off. In one DUI case, he said body camera footage recorded an officer telling his partner that he would turn away to avoid recording a field sobriety test.

So, yeah, this does happen. Its real; its not a figment of our imagination. Officers actually do this sort of thing, Ferguson said. Police officers are like everybody else. No one wants to have their failures recorded.

Burbank, likewise, stressed that they have limitations.

Its just one piece of evidence, but we tend to take that and say, no, no, its everything, he said. I just think we need to be careful of that.

Four agencies reported that they do not use body cameras: sheriffs offices in Salt Lake, Piute, Millard, Kane and Emery counties. Wasatch County only provided a copy of its policy on recording systems in police vehicles.

Ferguson said cases can be more complicated when agencies dont use body cameras.

As a defense attorney, when you get those kinds of cases and you know that theres no body camera, and your client is saying something that is different than what the police is saying, it just becomes so much harder to decide the appropriate course of action, he said. Were not better off because of a lack of body cameras.
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Honda has announced that it will suspend production at several sites in Japan on January 5 and 6, with reduced operations until January 9. While its unclear which factories will be affected, some estimates suggest that it will affect the companys Suzuka and Saitama plants, which primarily produce vehicles for the domestic market. Aside from this, it will close three factories in China from December 29 through January 2. According to Digitimes, the Japanese car manufacturer had to reduce or halt its operations because of the lack of supply of legacy chips, which it sourced from Nexperia.

While Nexperia does not produce cutting-edge semiconductors like TSMC and Samsung, its still one of the largest legacy chip manufacturers in the world. Although these may be cheap parts, theyre still essential components found in every vehicle where theyre used in major systems like power steering and automatic windows. The trouble began in mid-October when the Dutch government seized it from Wingtech, its Chinese owner, following concerns of illegal technology transfers from the Netherlands unit to its China-based parent company.

This move led to an ongoing spat, which involved Beijing, as it blocked the export of certain Nexperia products, negatively impacting the global automotive supply chain. It was also revealed that Washington may have had a hand in the takeover, especially as Wingtech was put on its entity list since 2024. As the weeks rolled by, the Japanese automotive industry said that the conflict could lead to disruption, especially as it can take time before they can either receive components from Nexperia again or find new chip sources. Volkswagen and BMW have reportedly eased production in late October, as car companies are still ringing alarm bells on an automotive chip shortage in mid-November.

There has been some positive development with the issue in recent times, with China allowing the company to resume exports following talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. The Dutch government also said that it was ready to relinquish its control of Nexperia provided that chip shipments from its China unit have been restarted and its financial issues have been resolved. Despite this, it seems some issues remain unresolved, and the effects are still being felt across the chip supply chain for the automotive industry.

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A family expressed relief after a judge ordered that their loved ones killer will remain in a mental hospital following a ruling earlier this month.

They spoke exclusively Thursday to Channel 2s Michael Seiden for the first time since the judges ruling.

The family of 26-year-old Allen Willard Jr. has spent nearly seven years seeking justice after he was shot and killed by Daniel Colvin in November 2018.

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Colvin was found not guilty by reason of insanity in September, leading to the recent ruling that he must stay in a mental facility due to concerns that he poses a threat to himself and the community.

Kelly Willard, Allens brother, shared his ongoing sense of loss and admiration for his sibling,

When I think of what a man is, I think of my brother. Thats the ideal person the ideal way to live, he said.

Jessika Willard Sheehan, Allens sister, expressed her disbelief about the betrayal by Colvin, who was once considered a friend to their family.

Its just unspeakable. Unimaginable. How can you betray a family that brought you in? she said.

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Allen Willard Jr. served six years in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Afghanistan, before coming back to help run his familys wrecker service, where he worked alongside Colvin.

He would give the shirt off his back. If you needed him, he was there, said Allens brother Collin Willard.

The family endured numerous delays before the trial finally commenced nearly seven years after the murder.

Despite the judges decision to keep Colvin in a mental hospital, the Willard family still feels they have not received the justice they sought.

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A former Department of Education walks out of the building with boxes of belongings after being laid off in March. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch/Capital News Service)

By Jory Heckman

A federal judge in San Francisco is reversing the terminations of hundreds of federal employees finalized during the recent government shutdown.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a preliminary injuction, late Wednesday that orders the departments of Education and State, the Small Business Administration and the General Services Administration, to rescind reduction-in-force notices for employees who were terminated between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12  the start and end dates of the government shutdown.

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Absent a contrary ruling from a higher court, Illston is giving agencies until Tuesday to carry out the terms of her injunction.

Defendants must do what the continuing resolution says. They may not take any further steps to implement or carry out a RIF through January 30, 2026, regardless of when the RIF notice first issued, Illston wrote.

These agencies sent RIF notices to employees before the recent government shutdown, with separations in most cases scheduled to take effect in October or November, during the shutdown.

The American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association, who are leading a lawsuit with other unions, argued agencies that finalized RIFs during the government shutdown, regardless of when they were issued, violated a stopgap spending bill passed by Congress that prohibited layoffs through Jan. 30, 2026.

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Illston issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month that blocked the finalization of layoffs of nearly 250 Foreign Service officers at the State Department. Those layoffs were originally scheduled for Nov. 10, but were pushed back to Dec. 5, and remain on hold.

The Trump administration has followed a narrower interpretation of the stopgap spending bill, and has only reinstated federal employees who received RIF notices between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12.

The continuing resolution Congress passed on Nov. 12 to reopen the government states that between Nov. 12, 2025 and Jan. 30, 2026, no federal funds may be used to initiate, carry out, implement, or otherwise notice a reduction in force to reduce the number of employees within any department.

It also states that any reduction in force proposed, noticed, initiated, executed, implemented, or otherwise taken by an executive agency between October 1, 2025, and the date of enactment, shall have no force or effect.

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At a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Illston said she would grant the preliminary injunction requested by the unions, because the chaotic nature of these RIFs has been continuing.

The continuing resolution, ending the longest shutdown the government has experienced to date, said that no federal funds would be spent RIF-ing people through Jan. 30. But that is not what is happening in some of these agencies, Illston said.

The judges order will impact about 680 total federal employees: The nearly 250 Foreign Service officers, 200 employees at GSA, 150 at the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights and nearly 80 at SBA.

Illston agreed to the Justice Departments request to delay her preliminary injunction from taking effect until Dec. 23, while the Trump administration considered whether to ask a higher court to stay her ruling. Illston said this would minimize some of the whiplash some federal employees have felt in other court cases, in which lower courts have reinstated them, only for an appeals court to allow layoffs to continue.

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Theyd have to send a notice, and then another notice, and a notice saying, Forget what we said yesterday. It would be terrible, Illston said.

Brad Rosenberg, a DOJ attorney, said that rescinding layoffs now would be logistically a big lift for agencies, especially if the courts later allow those RIFs to proceed.

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If a RIF is rescinded, and if this court either decides at final judgment in this case, or if the government were to appeal, and an appellate court were to stay or vacate this Courts preliminary injunction, government agencies would presumably have to start all over again with that, with that process, and it would be awfully hard to unscramble that egg, Rosenberg said.

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Thats not going to provide the type of long-term relief that I suspect plaintiffs are seeking here, he added.

Rosenberg argued that employees should bring their individual cases before the Merit Systems Protection Board. An appeals court recently allowed President Donald Trump to proceed with firing a Democratic member of the MSPB.

This is merely the administration trying to carry out its policy objectives. And I realize that those policy objectives have consequences for individuals, and that they can be significant consequences, although we do think that those consequences can be remediated through proper channeling to the Merit Systems Protection Board, he said.

Danielle Leonard, an attorney representing the plaintiff unions, said the mandate was clear from Congress, and that agencies should nullify those RIFs.

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We have Congress stepping in here and being incredibly clear about what the public interest needs in this very circumstance, and the public interest is in restoring these employees to their employment status and giving them clarity, Leonard said. Congress could have just said, Stop. Congress could have just said, Halt, lets just freeze everything. They went further than that.

Leonard said recently separated federal employees face real and ongoing harm, including eviction notices and unpaid bills.

We have seen agencies exploit their lack of communication to keep employees in the dark, to keep them confused. They have not even told them whether theyre still employed when they directly ask. There absolutely has been harm, she said.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley called Illstons ruling another victory for federal employees and for the rule of law.

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When Congress voted to end the longest government shutdown in history, it spoke clearly and unambiguously that further reductions-in-force were prohibited, and any RIFs that occurred during the shutdown were required to be reversed. The administrations continued defiance of that mandate is part of a troubling pattern of egregious actions against federal employees and the American public, Kelley said.

John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, said Congress was clear that reductions in force were prohibited when it passed the continuing resolution, and that the administrations efforts to proceed with RIFs were unlawful.

Todays ruling confirms this, Dinkelman said. We will continue to fight to ensure that Foreign Service professionals are treated with the respect the law demands.
The Crane Clean Energy Center, formerly the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)

Federal regulators directed the operator of the nations largest electricity grid to establish transparent rules for AI data centers to connect directly to power plants.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the revisions will help to manage electricity costs as the race to develop artificial intelligence drives an unprecedented increase in electricity use across the country.

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Listen to Peter and Emilys audio recap:

https://penncapital-star.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19epphFERCwebtrue.mp3

In Thursdays meeting, the commission unanimously approved an order directing PJM Interconnection to revise its tariff  a compilation of rate schedules and terms of a particular company or utility  to detail the terms and conditions for customers to follow when using generating facilities to serve co-located load. The order directs PJM to offer customers who want to co-locate four options to manage how data centers and other large loads interact with the grid.

Montgomery County-headquartered PJM manages the wholesale electricity market and grid for about 65 million customers in Pennsylvania and 12 other states plus Washington, D.C.

PJM has been actively engaged with stakeholders throughout 2025 to address the rapid growth of data centers and the related increase in demand for electricity, spokesman Jeff Shields said in a statement.

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Shields added the PJM board intends to move forward with a proposal to FERC derived from its own process in which stakeholders have provided their input on possible solutions.

We share FERCs focus on clear and transparent rules as data centers expand their role as an engine of the U.S. economy. PJM is reviewing the order and will assess how it impacts efforts already underway.

FERC Chairperson Laura Swett said Thursday the decision would advance the nation in the AI and manufacturing revolution while safeguarding the prices consumers pay for electricity.

While uncertainty has abounded across our country on how we will facilitate data centers, this morning, my colleagues and I are taking a critical step to give investors and consumers more certainty on how FERC believes we can solve the problem, Swett said.

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In February, FERC initiated a proceeding to review issues associated with the co-location of AI data centers, which can use as much electricity as a small city, and generators to ensure the clarity of the rates, terms and conditions of service that apply to co-location arrangements.

Co-location arrangements are a fairly new phenomenon that entail huge ramifications for grid reliability and consumer costs, former Chairperson Mark Christie said in February. Given these ramifications, the commission truly needs to get it right when it comes to evaluating co-location issues.

Advanced Energy United, an association for the renewable energy industry, said the order has potential to bring welcome regulatory clarity for large load customers and safeguards to minimize the impact of co-location on the electric rates and system reliability of all other customers.

Caitlin Marquis, managing director at Advanced Energy United, said demand is outpacing the ability of the market alone to reliably and affordably serve data centers and existing customers.

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Advanced energy solutions like battery storage, solar, wind, demand response, and distributed energy resources are well-suited to reliability and affordably serve new large loads in PJM and across the country, Marquis said. The advanced energy industry will welcome new rules within PJM that empower large load customers to bring their own new clean energy to the system, benefiting all energy users.

Co-location, the group noted, is attractive to AI hyperscalers because it can result in faster connections for data centers, which companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft are competing to bring online first.

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Microsoft has a $1.6 billion deal with Constellation Energy to restart the remaining nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Dauphin County to power its data centers elsewhere in the PJM service area. Amazon announced an agreement to buy a data center development adjacent to Talen Energys Susquehanna Steam Electric nuclear power station in Luzerne County.

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Co-location also raises questions about who will pay for additional transmission infrastructure and how large loads or other customers will be affected by fluctuations in electricity supply across the grid.

Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, which represents competitive power generators, said the order provides options, recognizing that there are a variety of approaches to co-locating large electricity users and generating stations.

Clearly, this is the first step in a process that will require quick action and durable consensus from many stakeholders and highlights the urgency in getting solutions onto the system and for that we applaud FERCs approach, Snitchler said.
The Beacon Pacific Village housing complex where Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced new proposed housing investments on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

SEATTLE  Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is asking lawmakers to fund $244 million in additional housing investments as part of a budget proposal released Thursday.

His plan comes as the state grapples with an ongoing shortage of affordable housing, and after lawmakers have already pumped hundreds of millions of dollars toward the states main housing account over the past few years. Some of the funding Ferguson is proposing would go to help people whose homes were damaged in record flooding over the past two weeks.

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Almost all of the money would be from the states capital budget, which is healthier than the cash-strapped operating budget.

The governor also signed an executive order to get the ball rolling on establishing a new cabinet-level Department of Housing.

Im enormously gratified to stand here today and be able to make the following statement: We have a housing governor, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, who has advised Ferguson on housing issues, said during a press conference at an affordable housing complex in south Seattle.

Of that $244 million, $50 million is for housing preservation, including to repair flood-damaged homes, Ferguson said. Another $5 million will go specifically to a grant program to help low-income homeowners with flood-related repairs.

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Ferguson said he would work with lawmakers early in the legislative session that begins next month to open up that money quickly. The governor called the funding a down payment as the state determines the scope of the flood damage. Itll also serve as a bridge as the state works to get disaster aid from the federal government in the aftermath.

When you ask for disaster relief, the state is saying we cant handle the scope of the damage thats being caused, Ferguson said. But were working to make sure we do everything we can in the short term to help folks out, to make sure we get support during this really critical time.

Fergusons housing proposals are in response to an estimated million-home shortfall the state faces over the next two decades. Its estimated that half of those homes need to be affordable to those making less than half of the median income.

The sum Ferguson is proposing builds upon $760 million in spending on affordable housing that lawmakers authorized in Washingtons construction budget this year. Of that, $605 million is directed to the Housing Trust Fund. Thats up from $527 million shoveled into the fund in the previous two-year budget.

The details

Most of the additional $244 million Ferguson is calling for would go toward the Housing Trust Fund.

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It includes $81 million to develop nearly 2,000 new affordable housing units, he said. Another $73 million to build over 600 units for first-time homebuyers, and $20 million would go to acquire and preserve mobile and manufactured home communities.

There is also $6 million to speed up development by modernizing permitting systems.

The proposed spending would largely come from state bonds. A small amount is included in the operating budget proposal and some money from carbon auction proceeds under the states Climate Commitment Act, said Fergusons budget director, K.D. Chapman-See.

We feel very confident that we have absolutely maximized every dollar that is possibly available in our budget to go to housing, Ferguson said.

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Ferguson described the funding ask as potentially the biggest housing investment in a supplemental budget in the states history.

Legislators will also look at more policy solutions to get and keep people housed.

This year, they passed legislation to push more housing development around transit stops, increase condo development, cap residential rent increases, ease parking requirements that serve as an impediment to construction and allow for more lot splitting.

Ferguson is partnering with Sen. Emily Alvarado, D-Seattle, on a housing bill this next session. The legislation would require cities and counties to permit residential and mixed-use development in commercial zones. The Democratic governor said hell also be supporting other housing legislation next year.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announces proposed housing investments in a press conference in Seattle, alongside, from left to right, state Sen. Emily Alvarado, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck and Housing Development Consortium Executive Director Patience Malaba on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

There are tens of thousands of parcels where housing is prohibited and where real barriers exist that make development infeasible, Alvarado said. Think about it, vacant strip malls or big box stores that are boarded up or empty parking lots, and now imagine the transformation of those places into homes. What a better future for our communities.

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Former Gov. Christine Gregoire has been a vocal supporter of the proposed legislation.

Other housing policy priorities next year include barring jurisdictions from denying permits for permanent supportive housing, transitional housing or indoor emergency housing or shelter in certain residential and commercial zones and limiting corporate homeownership, Alvarado said.

The state faces new housing challenges this year, as the Trump administration looks to shift federal funding away from permanent supportive housing. Washington and other states are suing over the move. A hearing in the case is set for Friday in federal court in Rhode Island.

Even with this recent development, housing has always been a top priority for Ferguson as governor, he said.

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Im not sure I needed any extra motivation, he said.

Fergusons executive order on the new Department of Housing creates a task force to develop it. The task force is required to file a report by Nov. 15, 2026, with recommendations for the agency that lawmakers can consider in the 2027 legislative session.

The governor will release his proposals focused on supplemental funding for the transportation and operating budgets before Tuesday, the statutory deadline. Lawmakers begin their 60-day session Jan. 12 and will consider Fergusons plans.
Rep. Andy Barr, locked in an already contentious 2026 Republican Senate primary in Kentucky, projected strength this week by announcing endorsements from more than 100 of his House colleagues.

But when they were reached Thursday by NBC News, spokespeople for two of those members said they were declining to endorse in the race. Another member on the list said he wasnt, at that moment, endorsing Barr  though he changed his tune hours later, offering his backing.

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is focused solely on his campaign for governor and is not endorsing in the Kentucky Senate race, a spokesperson told NBC News. Rep. Tony Wied, R-Wis., hasnt endorsed Barr, said an adviser, who also noted that the Barr campaign initially misspelled Wieds last name in the news release proclaiming his support.

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And Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said in an interview Thursday afternoon that his endorsements are typically accompanied by formal letters  one of which, he emphasized, he hadnt yet written for Barr.

Barrs including Issa on his list of House endorsers was probably not smart, Issa told NBC News. He leaned a little ahead of his skis on this.

Thursday evening, after Barrs campaign was asked about the dispute, Issa wrote in a text message that he had decided to officially endorse Barr but didnt elaborate on what had changed.

Ive worked with Andy Barr for many years, Ive seen what he delivers for Kentucky, and Im pleased to endorse him for U.S. Senate, Issa said later in a statement shared by his political director.

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Feenstra, Wied and Issa were among 107 House members whom Barr initially included in the Dec. 16 release, which was posted to the campaigns website. Feenstras name was removed from the list Thursday.

Others listed and reached Thursday confirmed their support for Barr, who is running against former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron and businessman Nate Morris for the GOP nomination to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is retiring.

Barr spokesperson Alex Bellizzi issued a statement for this article Thursday night that added eight House members to the endorsement list and asserted that more than half the House Republican conference is now backing Barr for the Senate in Kentucky.

Thank you for pointing out the change to the list, Bellizzi said in the statement. Please add the following to your reporting: Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL), Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA), Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ).

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Mistaken and friction-fueling endorsement announcements arent uncommon in political campaigns. In Illinois, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthis Democratic Senate campaign recently implied he had been endorsed by Rep. Ted Lieu, a fellow Democrat from California who had yet to weigh in on the race. And in Michigans competitive Democratic Senate primary, Rep. Haley Stevens backtracked after having boasted a September endorsement from a county commissioner. Her campaign chalked it up to a miscommunication.

Barr is seeking to assert himself in a crowded primary as a candidate tightly aligned with President Donald Trump. The release trumpeting his supporters emphasized backing by President Trumps allies, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Ronny Jackson, President Trumps WH Physician in his first-term.

We need more MAGA Patriots in the U.S. Senate to support President Trump and the America First Agenda. Kentucky could send no one better into the fight than my friend Andy Barr, Jackson said in a separate statement issued by Barrs campaign. (Jackson also affirmed his endorsement on social media.)

The early dynamics of the Kentucky primary arent that clean-cut. The legacy of McConnell  the longtime Senate GOP leader who tangled with Trump and whose retirement has put the seat up for grabs  looms over the race. Morris has characterized Barr and Cameron as extensions of the McConnell establishment that has clashed with Trump and his MAGA movement at times.

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Morris also has played up his ties to Trumps MAGA base, including his friendship with Vice President JD Vance, who encouraged him to consider the race, and an endorsement from Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist, before Kirk was murdered in September. (Trump and Vance havent endorsed in the primary.) Morris also has been endorsed by Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana and Bernie Moreno of Ohio, two key Trump allies.

Barr has positioned himself both as an experienced legislator worthy of succeeding McConnell and as someone who, unlike McConnell, is unwavering in his support for Trump.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., one of the Barr backers who confirmed his endorsement this week, said: I have operated and worked with Andy on both a personal and a professional level for well over a decade now, and I truly believe he is one of the smartest, most strategic thinking people that we have here, in all of the U.S. Congress. He is sensitive to political realities, but hes also aspirational in his policies, and hes just an outstanding guy and will make an outstanding senator.

Huizenga added: I know he can work with the president, because Ive seen him work with the president even through some very contentious issues.

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Others who confirmed their support for Barr include Reps. Mark Alford, R-Mo.; Brian Babin, R-Texas; Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.; Carol Miller, R-W.Va.; Max Miller, R-Ohio; Pete Sessions, R-Texas; and Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind.

Burchett has enjoyed serving with Barr in the House and is honored to call him a friend, Burchett campaign manager Thomas McAfee wrote in an email.

Early polls commissioned by Camerons campaign and a Barr-aligned super PAC have shown Cameron  who has won, and lost, a statewide election  leading the Republican primary field, followed by Barr and the largely unknown Morris.

The Democratic field includes two past Senate nominees, former state Rep. Charles Booker and Amy McGrath, as well as horse trainer Dale Romans, state House Minority Leader Pamela Stevenson, attorney Logan Forsythe and defense contractor Joel Willett.

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Whoever wins the GOP nomination will be heavily favored to win the Senate seat. Kentucky hasnt elected a Democrat to the Senate since it awarded Wendell Ford a fourth and final term in 1992.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Cumberland Countys Financial Management Committee approved a sole bid for the second phase of replacing and rewiring the electrical system at Martin Elementary School.

The sole bid was $552,005 submitted by Eberhart Electric LLC of Crossville.

Stanley Hall, road superintendent, motioned to accept the bid. Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, supported Halls motion and it was approved in a 4-1 vote with Charles Seiber, 4th District commissioner, voting no.

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Only one bid. I will vote no, Seiber said.

Later in the meeting, Seiber said he could not support a sole bid on such a large project.

Jennifer Turner, Cumberland County Finance director, said the information to bid on the project was sent out to several vendors and Eberhart was the only one who bid.

Jack Davis, 5th District commissioner, said, Its getting hard to find companies to bid on larger projects like these.

Kim Chamberlin, architect with Upland Design, said they promoted the project as well.

He explained that the project is complex. It consists of replacing switch gear and electrical systems.

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In October this year Eberhart Electric was awarded phase one of the project and was the sole bidder then, also.

Other members of the committee who approved the bid were Davis, and Rebecca Farley, director of schools.

The committee also approved a low bid of $59,500 by Larseneer LLC for the construction of pavilions at Stone and South Cumberland elementary schools. The bid was unanimously approved after Davis motioned for approval. Hall supported the motion.

East Tennessee Contractors was the other bidder on the project with a bid of $129,510.
Dec. 19Decatur Fire & Rescue is getting two fire trucks soon at a time when order response time is typically slow.

The first is due at the beginning of 2026. The department is taking advantage of an opportunity that will bring in the second truck within the next 3 1/2 months.

Fire Chief Nathan Springer said Tuesday that a new engine truck, purchased in 2022 for $612,598, is in Ashland at Williams Fire Apparatus, the Sutphen dealership that serves most of Alabama. It will replace the 2016 model at Station 1, located at 702 Fifth Ave. S.W.

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"We send a crew to Williams when a truck we ordered comes in," Springer said. "The crew will identify the equipment and where they want it placed on the truck. They will also make any other changes we want made to the truck before it's delivered to Decatur, which will likely be in January."

The City Council jumped on a "lucky opportunity" on Monday when it approved purchasing a new, $999,619 fire truck almost three years ahead of what has become the normal delivery time.

The council voted 4-0 to buy a heavy-duty pumper engine from Sutphen Corp., of Dublin, Ohio

Springer said grabbing this truck would mean they could get delivery in three and a half to four months when "the current delivery schedule for a fire truck once we get in line is 36 to 44 months." He said new federal mandates are also creating challenges for his department.

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"The bigger issue is the price increases," Springer said. "We're seeing about 5 to 10% annual increases across the industry."

He said they were accruing funds in fiscal 2024 for a truck that would be delivered in the fall of 2027, "but then we had an opportunity presented to us. Another city had purchased four trucks. They decided they only needed two of them."

Springer said that, after discussions with Mayor Kent Lawrence and Chief Financial Officer Kyle Demeester, they decided they could only afford to buy one of those two available trucks right now.

"It would put a truck in a place that's much needed," Springer said. "It would also give us a chance to put ourselves in a better strategic plan and budget moving forward."

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Council President Kyle Pike said they will buy the truck scheduled for delivery in a few months with money from the unassigned fund balance and leave $1 million in the budget for when they decide to order the next fire truck.

Councilman Carlton McMasters said he appreciated Decatur Fire leadership for being alert for the opportunity.

"With the way prices are increasing, we were really lucky," McMasters said. "This truck would be $1.2 million if we had to wait another 36 to 44 months."

Springer said the truck that's due for delivery this spring would more than likely go to Station 6, located on 1402 Point Mallard Parkway, or Station 7, located on 3810 Spring Ave. S.W.

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"Both of those trucks (at the two stations) are 2016 models, and we're bumping up against 10 years on those trucks," Springer said.

He added that this would allow them to move whichever fire truck they decide to replace to Station 8, at 3701 Indian Hills Road S.E., where it would replace a 2003 model, the oldest truck in their fleet. The 2003 truck will then become a reserve truck, so Decatur Fire can retire or sell to a smaller fire department one of three trucks they're now using in reserves, he said.

"Two of our frontline engines need some repairs because they're showing signs of wear and tear," Springer said.

This would also make the oldest truck in the fleet a 2016 model. The department has a 2017 ladder truck at Station 3, 1602 16th Ave. S.E., and a 2020 tower truck at Station 4, 131 Nelms Road. As for engine trucks, Station 2 has a 2017 model and Station 5 has a 2020 model.

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Springer said location choices for fire trucks are made based on vehicle age, call volumes and need. For example, he said Station 2's 2017 engine "is beefed up" because it serves the industries along the Tennessee River.

 bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432
Willagillespie Elementary third graders whispered "sweet everythings" to their fish friends before releasing the tiny creatures into the pond near Nobel Peace Park.

Willagillespie was one of many elementaries in Eugene School District 4J participating in the annual "Fish Eggs to Fry" tradition that teaches students about the life cycle of Chinook salmon through a hands-on project.

"We focus the education on third and fourth because it ties in really nice with the curriculum that the teachers are charged with teaching," said Tana Shepard, K-12 climate energy conservation specialist for 4J, who referenced a third-grade ocean unit and a fourth-grade tribal history unit. "It's a supplement activity, very popular, and we almost had to do a lottery for it this year, because we had so many people interested. At this point, we have almost every elementary participating."

Legend, left, and Alex, third-grade students at Willagillespie Elementary School, watch their recently released salmon fry swim.

In mid October, 53 classrooms across 4J received a total of 6,000 Chinook salmon eggs to rear from eyed egg to alevin to fry. At the fry stage, when the fish are 1 to 2 inches long, it is time to send them on their next journey to make their way through the Willamette River and out to the Pacific Ocean.

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In early December, more than 1,100 students make the trip to Alton Baker Park for the release. Each student lines up to receive a clear plastic cup filled with water and a salmon fry. The students make their way onto stone slabs in the pond, kneeling, leaning or sitting to say a few words to their salmon or give them a name. The students then gently pour their salmon fry into the pond.

The tradition has been going for more than 20 years at 4J in partnership with Eugene Water & Electric Board, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has been running the Fish Eggs to Fry program since the 1990s.

In raising the salmon, the students learn about their life cycle and their status as an endangered species. Shepard said it's really up to the teacher how they incorporate the project into their day-to-day lessons.

Carter, left, receives a salmon fry from Tana Shepard, K-12 climate energy conservation specialist with 4J School District.

All the teaching culminates in the big release at Alton Baker Park. Shepard has been stewarding the project for 9 years. She never imagined she'd love the little fry as much as she does now, but every year she's still learning new things about the slippery creatures.

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Shepard likes to encourage students to feel the big emotions that come with the release, encouraging them that "the more love, the better" before sending the fish on their way. She said Fish Egg to Fry makes science tangible for kids, adding an extra element of curiosity and wonder.

"It makes it real for them," Shepard said. "It isn't a video; it's a tangible thing that they can check in on every day, I think that's it.

"Anytime that we can bring the real in, it makes it come alive for the kids."

Shepard said she hopes this project helps inspire students to take an interest in the outdoors. She values "green time over screentime," getting students outside rather than using electronic devices.

Willagillespie Elementary School students release salmon fry during a class trip to Alton Baker Park on Dec. 11, 2025.

"The more they fall in love with the planet, the more they'll understand what's happening to her and how we can steward her together," Shepard said.

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Shepard, a lifelong Eugene resident, said she loves this community. She hopes students will ask their families to return to Alton Baker Park over winter break.

"They're making memories, and I just hope that it's something that they're going to carry into their future," Shepard said. "No matter what it is, if it was they enjoyed the water quality, they just like being outside, they thought salmon were amazing  it's just a hook into their future to open their eyes to our environment and just what it means to be on this beautiful planet."

A Chinook salmon fry awaits release by students of Willagillespie Elementary School.

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on X @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene 4J makes science real for kids with Fish Eggs to Fry tradition
Authorities credit Flock Safetys license-plate reader technology for playing a pivotal role in identifying and tracking a fugitive killer connected to the mass shooting at Brown University and murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.

Those AI-powered license plate readers led investigators to an Alamo Rent A Car on Atlantic Avenue in Boston near the Boston Aquarium.

Thats where authorities recovered surveillance of Claudio Neves Valente renting a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates.

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The cameras allowed police able to track his movements from Rhode Island to Massachusetts up into New Hampshire, even though he changed license plates.

Flock Safetys Chief Legal Officer told Boston 25 News the company reached out to Providence Police after learning about the manhunt.

He said Flock Safety offered to enable more advanced features on the more than 70 Flock cameras operated around the city of Providence.

We were literally able to query the images from their system for that vehicle and identify the vehicle very quickly, said Flock Safety Chief Legal Officer Dan Haley. They added it to whats called a hot list, and we were able to determine that the vehicle had left Massachusetts and had switched out its license plates.

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The technology traced Valentes movements through communities where the technology is used in Massachusetts.

He passed several cameras in Massachusetts that flagged the system, and they were able to tell he was headed north ultimately into New Hampshire, explained Haley. Criminals dont respect town lines. They dont respect state lines. The value of sharing information with appropriate safeguards is illustrated by this situation.

Nearly 100 agencies across Massachusetts use Flock Safetys license-plate reader technology.

Concerns over privacy and data sharing with the federal government have prompted some communities to reconsider or step back from using Flock Safety technology.

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Boston ended a pilot program, and the topic has been front in center in other communities big and small.

The Brookline Select Board recently paused a proposed agreement to let police access data from Flock Safety cameras installed by a private realty company.

Brookline to vote on accessing data from privately installed AI-powered license plate readers

Earlier this month, Cambridge ended its relationship with Flock Safety over two of their automatic license plate readers that officials werent aware of.

16 Flock cameras across Cambridge were deactivated and removed by the city.

That was a work order in the system to install cameras. Shame on us, we didnt delete the work order when they told us to pause their program, Haley told Boston 25 News.

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Flocks system promotes cross-department sharing, but Haley emphasizes that each department controls access to their own data.

Police departments can choose to share their data with other agencies and with a nationwide database.

There is no back door. There is no global access. If a community chooses to not share data with anyone, whether it be the federal government or the town next door, that is up to the community period, full stop, said Haley.

Civil rights and privacy advocates, including the ACLU, have shared concerns about how the data could potentially be used.

Theyve pointed to scenarios where information has been shared with immigration enforcement officials and other federal officials.

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Massachusetts State Representative Steve Owens filed a bill that aims to regulate the use of license plate recognition systems in Massachusetts.

The Commonwealth currently has no laws specifically regulating the use of ALPR systems, unlike at least 16 other states, including Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.

We respect, particularly in this moment in this country, people have legitimate concerns about surveillance and about government authority, added Haley. However, its important to recognize what were talking about here. Were talking about photographs of vehicles on public roadways.

Earlier this year, Flock Safety determined some communities had inadvertently shared information with the federal government by accepting a batch of requests.

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Haley said Flock Safety has now made it impossible for that mistake to happen by highlighting federal requests.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Frank Athen Walls was executed by three-drug lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18

He was executed at Florida State Prison near Starke, Fla., marking the 19th prisoner execution in Florida this year

Walls was convicted of two counts of murder and was sentenced to death in 1988 for the murders of Edward Alger and Alger's girlfriend, Ann Peterson

A Florida man was put to death for killing two people, a man and his girlfriend, during a home invasion.

Frank Athen Walls was executed by three-drug lethal injection on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 18. He was executed at Florida State Prison near Starke, Fla., the Associated Press reports. The death of Walls, 58, marks the 19th execution in Florida this year, the outlet reports.

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Walls was convicted of two counts of murder and was sentenced to death in 1988, the AP reports. The Florida Supreme Court went on to reverse the conviction and order a new trial, during which Walls was convicted once again and re-sentenced to death in 1992. Walls was convicted of committing the murders of Edward Alger and his Alger's girlfriend, Ann Peterson.

The execution began at 6 p.m. local time, and Walls was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m., the outlet reports. A Catholic priest was seated near Walls with his right hand extended toward Walls lower leg or foot, per the AP.

Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told the outlet that Walls made a brief statement before being put to death.

Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say whats on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years, Walls was quoted as saying, per the AP.

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Per court records obtained by the AP, Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of Alger, who was an Eglin Air Force Base airman, and Peterson, in July 1987. Walls is believed to have then tied the couple up  and after Alger broke loose, Walls slit his throat and shot him in the head. Walls then went to attack Peterson and shot her as she struggled to break free, the outlet reports.

Years later, when new technology was developed, DNA evidence linked Walls to the May 1987 rape and murder of Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest in an attempt to avoid another trial and potential death sentence. Walls went on to admit responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors, per the AP.

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Walls became the 47th prisoner in the U.S. to be executed this year after receiving a death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

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The highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014 since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, per the AP. Florida has executed the most prisoners in the U.S. this year.

Florida executions are done via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, per the state's Department of Corrections.

Read the original article on People
Shares of crypto-linked companies are rallying after the price of bitcoin (BTC) surged more than 2.8% in an hour to rise above $90,000, marking a fresh high and reigniting interest across the sector.

The price jump triggered gains across mining stocks, trading platforms and cryptocurrency infrastructure firms. Bitcoin miner Hut 8 (HUT) outperformed the wider sector, rising 14.4% to $42, while rival CleanSpark (CLSK) saw a 5.1% rise after the opening bell to top $12, and Riot Platform (RIOT) rose 3.5% to near $14.

Read more: Bitcoin re-takes $90,000 as price spikes early in U.S. session

These mining firms depend heavily on bitcoins price for revenue, with rising BTC prices often meaning fatter mining margins and a more sustainable environment. However, HUT had surged 20% in early trading after announcing a 15-year, $7 billion lease agreement with AI infrastructure firm Fluidstack.

Potential catalysts for the broader rally include traders weighing the possibility of Fed Governor Chris Waller as the frontrunner to succeed Jerome Powell as the next Chair of the Federal Reserve. Waller has made dovish comments, saying the neutral fed funds rate may be 50 to 100 basis points below previous expectations.

However, on prediction markets, the Feds' perceived future policy direction doesnt appear to be as dovish. On Polymarket, traders are assigning a 77% probability to a no rate cut next month. On Kalshi odds are at 78%. CMEs FedWatch shows a similar chance.

Coinbase (COIN), the largest publicly traded crypto exchange in the U.S., also posted solid gains, up 2.27% to $258. The company earns a cut of trading volume, which typically spikes during volatile periods, as December has been proving to be.

The company is also set to unveil a series of upgrades later in the day, which are expected to include tokenized assets, onchain AI agents, and additional Base features.

Bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR), which holds 671,268 BTC worth $60.3 billion, rose 1.6% to $170. While bitcoin rose to surpass the $3,000 mark, several other cryptocurrencies saw similar performance, with ether increasing 2.3% in an hour to surpass $3,000 and XRP rising 2.5% to near $2.

The broader crypto market is showing signs of renewed momentum after weeks of consolidation.

Read more: Bitcoin shorts scramble for the exits as BTC climbs

UPDATE (Dec. 17, 15:51 UTC): Updates to add prediction markets' odds for rate cuts.
STARKE  A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year.

Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Walls was convicted of two counts of murder and other charges and sentenced to death in 1988. The Florida Supreme Court later reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial, and Walls was again convicted and sentenced to death in 1992 for the murders of Edward Alger and his girlfriend, Ann Peterson.

The curtain to the death chamber went up precisely at the scheduled 6 p.m. execution time. Walls was already strapped to the gurney and covered mostly by a blanket with his left arm extended and an IV in place. A Catholic priest was seated at the foot of the gurney with his right hand extended toward Walls lower leg or foot.

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Walls then apologized in a brief statement, said Alex Lanfranconi, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, relaying the last words from the scene.

Good evening, everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to say whats on my heart. If any of the members of the family are here, I am sorry for all of the things I did, the pain I caused, and all of that you have suffered all these years, Walls was quoted as saying.

After the statement, the execution began while the priest remained, apparently praying beside Walls.

Walls began to breathe heavily for several minutes and appeared to lose consciousness. A warden then shook Walls several times and shouted his name, getting no response. Walls breathing eventually stopped. A medic was called in several minutes later, and the inmate was then pronounced dead. At that point, the priest knelt on the floor and made the sign of the cross.

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Court records indicate Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of Alger, an Eglin Air Force Base airman, and his girlfriend in July 1987. Walls tied the couple up, but Alger managed to break free and attack Walls. Walls cut Algers throat and then shot him in the head when the airman continued to fight. Walls then attacked Peterson and shot her as she struggled.

Walls was arrested the day after the bodies were found when his roommate tipped off police about Walls odd behavior. During a search of the home, investigators reported finding items from the crime scene, and Walls later admitted to the killings.

After Walls conviction, DNA evidence linked him to the May 1987 rape and killing of another woman, Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest, avoiding another trial and possible death sentence. Walls also admitted responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors.

DeSantis, the Republican who signed the death warrant, has ordered more executions in a single year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976. The previous state record was eight executions in 2014. DeSantis said earlier this year that his goal is to bring justice to victims families who have waited decades for the death sentences to be carried out.

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The U.S. Supreme Court denied Walls request for a stay of execution on Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Walls met with one visitor as well as a spiritual adviser and had a meal of steak, chicken and cheesecake, authorities said.

Including Walls, a total of 47 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and more than a dozen other people are scheduled to be put to death in 2026. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each.

All Florida executions are carried out by an injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.

By DAVID FISCHER, Associated Press
State Budget Director Chad Ranney, right, speaks with reporters alongside House Ways and Means Chair Jeff Thompson, left, and Senate Appropriations Chair Ryan Mishler on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Indianas state budget surplus could grow to nearly $5 billion by the middle of 2027 under new and much rosier tax revenue projections.

An updated report presented Thursday to the State Budget Committee forecast tax collections growing by 4.2% this fiscal year and by 2.7% the following year.

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That would give the state about $2.4 billion more than officials expected when the new state budget was finalized in April  and revenue growth was anticipated at 0.8% and 0.1% for the two years of the spending plan.

But Republican state fiscal leaders showed no signs of any spending boosts for the tight budget that took effect July 1.

It was a positive forecast and it was good news for our state, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jeff Thompson said. But remember, were less than 25% through this biennial budget, so theres some uncertainty still.

The revenue growth would push the states cash reserves from what had been an expected $2.7 billion in mid-2027  about 12% of annual state spending  to $5 billion, or about 22% of state spending. That is well above the 10-15% level that leaders usually aim for.

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Democrats said the unexpected revenue should allow the state to restore spending cuts made after the Legislature was spooked by the dismal April forecast.

Rep. Greg Porter, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, said the state needed to make better use of the available funds rather than more tax cuts.

The people who really need it, the special needs individuals, our children, seniors, theyre going to be left out in the cold, Porter said.

Gov. Mike Braun touted the revenue forecast as evidence that our focus on jobs and wages to grow the economy is working.

We are boosting Hoosier wages and lowering taxes, Braun said in a statement. While many other states are struggling to gain momentum, Indiana is thriving and Hoosiers are keeping more money in their pockets.

Medicaid costs growing slower

New projections also show Indianas Medicaid program costs will grow slower than expected as the number of people it covers has dropped about 15% in the first year of Brauns administration.

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob speaks during a State Budget Committee meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Medicaid officials are also planning a 10% cut in the payment rate for an autism therapy program that has drawn particular concern for its fast-growing expenses.

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The states rising Medicaid expenditures have been a major worry of state budget officials for the past several years  and a new forecast of those costs released Thursday indicated some relief.

The previous forecast released in April had Medicaid costs jumping by 9.5% during the current state fiscal year and 7.7% next fiscal year, for a total increase of $1.2 billion over those two years.

The new projections have those growth rates slowing to 3.2% and 6.4% per fiscal year, totaling about $465 million less in state spending for the two-year period.

That cost slowdown comes as Indianas enrollment in the low-income health care coverage has dropped from about 2 million people at the beginning of this year to 1.7 million in November  a removal of about one in every seven people who were enrolled.

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Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob, who oversees the Medicaid program, attributed much of the enrollment drop to the income verification letters now sent every three months that started in April.

But the states Medicaid expenses havent dropped by a similar rate because those whove not maintained their enrollment are healthy and not often seeking health care, Roob said.

You have fewer patients, but youre covering the sicker patients, Roob told the Indiana Capital Chronicle ahead of Thursdays State Budget Committee presentation.

Roob said the state agency doesnt know yet how frequently those dropped from the Medicaid rolls by not responding to the income-verification letters eventually are re-enrolled.

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Youd probably need at least 18 months worth of data to discern that, Roob said. I think thats an important question and its worth knowing, but we dont know it yet.

Payment cuts for autism therapy

Medicaid officials presented their plan to reduce payments for applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy that is often used to improve communication and learning skills in children and young adults with autism or other developmental disorders.

The plan is to reduce the states current ABA therapy payment rate of about $68 an hour to near what Medicaid officials say is the national average of $61 an hour.

The payment cut is planned to take effect in April for a program that has seen its use surge in recent years. More than 8,000 Hoosiers rely on Medicaid to pay for ABA therapy, with most of them between three and eight years of age.

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Roob said Braun had told him to get ABA therapy costs to a reasonable spot.

We think smack dab in the middle is reasonable, Roob said. We value ABA therapy, right? But we cant afford ABA therapy for all in perpetuity.

Indianas Medicaid program began covering ABA services in 2016, spending about $21 million over the following year.

Expenditures peaked at $611 million in 2023, and dropped slightly to $445 million in 2024, after former Gov. Eric Holcombs administration set lower reimbursement rates.
Michele Morrow, who was the Republican nominee for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction last cycle, is challenging former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley for the states open Senate seat next year.

[North Carolina] cannot afford four more years of Roy Cooper, Morrow said in a statement upon announcing her candidacy.

I plan to expose Roy Cooper for the self-interested, career politician he is. His 8-year reign left NC with soaring crime rates, disastrous education outcomes, and unaffordable living, culminating in complete abandonment of our neighbors in Western NC, she continued. With me in this race, his good-guy facade will crumble.

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Morrows name is listed a Republican candidate for Senate, according to a candidate list compiled by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Morrow, whos previously called public schools indoctrination centers and socialism centers, ran to be the states top education official in the state in 2024, narrowly losing to Democrat Mo Green, now the states Superintendent of Public Instruction, last year.

The Republican candidate drew headlines last cycle during her campaign for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction for a slew of inflammatory and controversial statements she made in the past about former Presidents Obama and Biden, among other Democrats.

CNNs KFile last year reported that Morrow had a made a series of posts online between 2019 and 2021, including some that expressed support for violence against Obama and Biden.

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Responding to a user on X who asked in May 2020, Who wants to see Obama tossed into Gitmo for treason?!, Morrow responded: I prefer a Pay Per View of him in front of the firing squad I do not want to waste another dime on supporting his life. We could make some money back from televising his death. #Obamagate.

She defended those controversial posts during her bid afterward, saying: According to @KFILE and @CNN @CNNPolitics, Obamas drone attacks on hundreds of innocent Muslims in Yemen are not treasonous. The insanity of the media demonstrates the need to teach K-12 students real history and critical thinking skills. #ncpol.

Morrow is one of several Republicans challenging Whatley for retiring Sen. Thom Tilliss (R-N.C.) seat next year. Whatley has received President Trumps endorsement, complicating the path for some of his opponents.

Meanwhile, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) is seen as the favorite for the Democratic nod. Coopers campaign slammed her candidacy in a statement.

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From calling public schools the greatest threat to humanity and pushing to eliminate the Department of Education, to denying the results of the 2020 election and calling for the execution of public officials, Michele Morrow is an ultra-right wing candidate who is wrong for North Carolina, said Coopers campaign manager Jeff Allen.

Governor Cooper is running to fight for North Carolinas hardworking families, lower costs, and put the middle class back in reach and voters will reject Morrows dangerous agenda.

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 Ted Hesson and Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Four immigrants died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in the past week, according to the agency, as deaths in 2025 reached a two-decade high.

The four detainees, from Haiti, Nicaragua, Eritrea and Bulgaria, died between December 12 and 15, ICE notices said. While the incidents remain under investigation, ICE said two followed medical emergencies and two were believed to be the result of natural causes.

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President Donald Trump, a Republican, has pushed for the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally. To increase removals, his administration has ramped up ICE detention to record levels, with roughly 66,000 people detained as of late November.

At least 30 people have died in ICE detention this year, according to agency notices. The total for 2025 - which still has 12 days remaining - is the highest level since 2004, according to ICE statistics.

"ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments," the agency said in a statement announcing one of the latest deaths.

Democrats on Thursday criticized the deaths in detention, blaming the Trump administration.

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"ICE has a responsibility to take care of these people, something they are clearly disregarding," said U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal, whose district includes most of Seattle. "This is beyond horrifying."

A federal judge on Wednesday said the Trump administration could not bar members of Congress from making unannounced visits to immigration detention centers. Democratic lawmakers had sued over the lack of access, saying the visits were protected under U.S. law and necessary for oversight.

Following the judge's order, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, a Democrat, on Friday visited an ICE holding facility in Lower Manhattan in New York City.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson and Susan Heavey; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Wadesboro police arrested another suspect, a juvenile, in connection with the October homicide of David Colston.

Police say the juvenile was taken into custody Thursday in Pageland, South Carolina.

This marks the fourth arrest since Colston was shot and killed on Orchard Street on Oct. 14, according to officials.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

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Davon Ramsey was also arrested in Chesterfield County on Dec. 2. He is facing murder charges related to Colstons death.

In addition to Ramsey, Robert Watts Jr. and another juvenile were taken into custody and charged with murder.

Authorities have not released a motive for the killing.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assisted in the investigation.

VIDEO: Police chief expands force after arrests in Wadesboro murder case
Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham told participants at the Pentagon s Christmas Worship Service that the God of love theyre familiar with also hates.

Graham addressed troops and Pentagon employees Thursday at the event hosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Hegseth.

You know, we think about, God is a God of love, Graham said before reciting Bible verse John 3:16, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that he whoever believeth in him shouldnt perish, but have everlasting life.

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Graham continued, We know that God loves, but did you know that God also hates? Do you know that God also is a God of war? And many people dont want to think about that, or forget that.

Graham read a Bible passage where Saul was called on to attack Israels enemies, saying, Utterly destroy all that they have. Dont spare them.but kill them, both men, women, infant, nursing child, oxen, sheep, camel, and donkey.

Now, people will say, Franklin, that is so hard. Thats not the God I believe in. Well, youd better believe in him! Graham said.

Graham then talked about the sins of our country.

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I pray that God will forgive the sins of our country, he said. When you think of all the things we do, and the mistakes we make, pray that God will heal our land, and that America will once again turn to the God of our fathers and serve him.

Pete Hegseth closed the event by remembering the American soldiers and interpreter who were killed in Syria last week.

I just got back from Dover for a dignified transfer for three great Americans, Hegseth said.

Theres no way to manage what to say when youre in that room with those families, he continued. But almost to a man and a woman, you see them find hope, that there is something bigger. A place where they know where their loved-ones are. Yes, they served our nation, the put on the cloth of our uniform, served all of us, on behalf of all of us. But they serve a bigger and greater God. And we know where they are.

The post Franklin Graham Says God Also Hates and Is a God of War at Pentagons Christmas Worship Service first appeared on Mediaite.
A months-long investigation into organized retail theft has led to an arrest and the recovery of stolen Amazon packages in Fresno, police said on Thursday.

The investigation began in August after Amazon employees reported that a third-party delivery driver failed to deliver packages and did not return them to the Amazon facility.

According to Fresno PD, an internal audit revealed that thefts began in January 2025 and totaled more than $4,500 in stolen packages.

Detectives identified a suspect and served a search warrant Thursday morning at a location near North Seventh Street and East Shields Avenue.

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Fresno PD's Organized Retail Theft team were assisted by Amazon loss prevention staff.

Police say the suspect was taken into custody and found many of the stolen items, which were returned to Amazon.

The value of the recovered stolen property is estimated at more than $950.

The suspect was booked into the Fresno County Jail on charges of grand theft and possession of stolen property.
After six days of heartbreak and anxiety for the Brown University and Providence communities, investigators say a key witness helped them identify and track down the suspect in the deadly campus shooting and the fatal shooting of prominent MIT professor Nuno Loureiro.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez confirmed that the breakthrough came when a person who encountered the suspect before the shooting came forward. Police had released photos of that individual on Wednesday, asking for the publics help.

The witness, Known only as John in a Providence police affidavit, spoke briefly with the suspect  later identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a 58-year-old Portuguese national found dead at a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday night and questioned why he was on Browns campus. Valente fled the scene shortly after the exchange, according to investigators.

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The affidavit says John gave investigators additional critical details: he encountered Neves Valente in the bathroom of the engineering building just hours before the attack, where John noted the suspects clothing was inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.

John also bumped into Neves Valente outside, mere blocks from the building, where John watched Neves Valente suddenly turn around from the Nissan when he saw John. What ensued was then a game of cat and mouse, according to Johns testimony  where the two would encounter each other, and Neves Valente would run away.

At one point, John says he yelled out, Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?

The Suspect responded, I dont know you from nobody, then Suspect repeatedly asked, Why are you harassing me? according to the affidavit.

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John told police he eventually saw Neves Valente approach the Nissan sedan once more and decided to walk away.

That tip led detectives to Valentes vehicle, which was confirmed through Flock safety cameras.

Which led us to a car rental place in Massachusetts, Chief Perez said. Through that, the agents and their work as well were able to get us footage of this individual, as well as a copy of the agreement, which provided his real name. The video of that subject matched the description of that person of interest that this police department was desperate to put handcuffs on.

Police say Valentes rental car matched the vehicle sought in the investigation. Detectives later learned Valentes last known address was in Miami, Florida.

He had previously been a Ph.D. student at Brown from 2000 to 2001 and spent significant time in the Barus and Holley building on campus.

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Authorities are still working to determine a motive for the shooting, which has shaken both Brown University and MIT communities.

Respectfully, I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people, John wrote on Reddit Wednesday night.

Its unknown whether John will receive the $50,000 reward the FBI had offered for information about the Brown shooting.

Associated Press reporting was included in this article.

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Over the next several weeks, the very first members of Generation Beta will celebrate their first birthdays. If youre like me, youre probably saying, Wait, hold on: Generation What? I was just barely getting used to Gen Alpha, or the concept that there are Gen Z parents already. Who gets to decide this stuff, anyway?

The answer, in fact, is whoever the heck wants to. Gen Alpha and Gen Beta were apparently coined by social analyst and demographer Mark McCrindle, who heads an Australian-based research firm that bears his name. A cursory search suggests that most of the media just picked up his names and rolled with them. You have to give McCrindle points for creativity, because something indeed had to change after we reached the end of the alphabet with Gens X, Y and Z. I suppose the Greek alphabet makes sense, although personally, I might have gone with Gen A1 (with a shout-out to A.1. sauce) and Gen B2 (as in 2B or not 2B).

Point being, there is no inherent logic to any of this, and no scientific basis for the labels we give generations. In fact, neither the boomers nor Gen Z actually exist, in any definable way. You can call clusters of people divided by age whatever you want. Its entirely arbitrary. Neither the federal government nor international scientific communities have a Department of Generational Epithets (and for that matter, the DOGE acronym is taken).

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I will admit that on too many occasions I have personally invoked the phrase As a millennial because it feels good to be part of a group, but according to sociologists, I should stop. We should all stop doing this. This isnt just a benign misunderstanding of various human cohorts, either  these are brazen marketing terms that shroud real economic and social disparities, and treat large structural issues as personality quirks or individual failings. Maybe thats why it always seemed hokey and gross to define oneself as a millennial  I should have known better. And there are better ways of understanding aging and trends in human behavior.

The whole idea of slapping a label on people based on when they were born is a 20th-century invention, originating in Hungarian sociologist Karl Mannheims 1952 book The Problem of Generations. Mannheim proposed that generations are formed through two important elements: a common location in historical time, such that there are shared events and experiences, and an awareness of that historical location, as summarized in a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report.

But Mannheim didnt think of generations as concrete groupings that emerge at regularly spaced intervals, and he certainly wasnt proposing that we could understand individual behavior or consumption trends through this framework. Instead, he was trying to grasp the winds of social change as they are shaped by major historical events. For the baby boom generation, those included the JFK assassination and the Vietnam War. For millennials, it was the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

A few years ago I was buying beer in a local store and handed over my driver license per routine. The clerk behind the counter noted that we had the same birthday.

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He was clearly younger than me, so I asked him when he was born. In 2003, he told me.

Oh, so you dont remember 9/11, I responded. I really dont know why I said that, but it struck me as important in the moment. He just looked at me blankly.

That incident made me feel both young and old at the same time. On one hand, why are you still carding me? Do I really look under 30 to you? And, wow, was never forget really that long ago?

That kind of dividing line feels real, so its only natural to want to map that onto a social identity, as Mannheim was proposing. But weve taken that way too far, turning these concepts into categorical absolutes and all-purpose explanations for all kinds of social, political and economic behavior.

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In the early 90s, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe, who were credited with coining the term millennials, took generational labels deep into the realm of pseudoscience. Their book Generations retconned this idea all the way back to 1584  on extremely dubious evidence  and predicted future generational waves all the way to 2069. Generations follow fixed cycles roughly every 20 years, they claimed, and move through four stages of evolution: the high, the awakening, the unraveling and the crisis. Those sound like useful titles for a YA fantasy series, but Strauss and Howe were basically making a lot of non-falsifiable claims backed up by speculation and hand-waving. Many critics noted that their work suffered from selection bias and determinism; a 1991 Newsweek article described it as an elaborate historical horoscope that will never withstand scholarly scrutiny.

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That didnt stop Generations from becoming a bestseller  Al Gore, then a Democratic senator from Tennessee, sent a copy to every member of Congress. That, in a sense, defines the problem: generational labels arent just cute tags we can place on someone to blame them for avocado toast. They become excuses for inaction or cowardice: Why do anything about climate change, wage stagnation, housing shortages, the collapse of health care or obscene wealth inequality  when its just those kids and their damn screens? At their core, generational labels turn marketing lingo into widely accepted social facts that allow policymakers to avoid accountability.

Of course, the effects of age are real, and follow familar patterns: A person is likely to behave differently at age 18 than at 36 or 72. And major historical events, like pandemics and wars, clearly leave their scars on people in different ways. But people experience their lives  and their history within the world  differently depending on a host of factors, including sex, race, religion, social class, educational status and where they were born. Age can be a significant factor, but its never the only one and not necessarily predominant.

In 2021, Philip Cohen, a sociology professor at the University of Maryland, spearheaded an open letter to the Pew Research Center, urging it to stop promoting the use of generational labels. Pew is a highly influential think tank specializing in public opinion polling and demographic research, so how it chooses to categorize the people it surveys can be highly consequential. More than 150 demographers and social scientists signed the letter, which included these points:

The generation names encourage assigning them a distinct character, and then imposing qualities on diverse populations without basis, resulting in the current widespread problem of crude stereotyping. This fuels a stream of circular debates about whether the various generations fit their associated stereotypes, which does not advance public understanding.  Pews reputation as a trustworthy social research institution has helped fuel the false belief that the generations definitions and labels are social facts and official statistics. Many other individuals and organizations use Pews definitions in order to fit within the paradigm, compounding the problem and digging us deeper into this hole with each passing day.

In a Washington Post editorial, Cohen argued that these baseless categories are worse than irrelevant [and] drive people toward stereotyping and rash character judgment. This is disappointing, because measuring and describing social change is essential, and it can be useful to analyze the historical period in which people were born and raised. People should write books and articles on these topics. But drawing arbitrary lines between birth years and slapping names on them isnt helping.

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Cohen further suggested that there are lots of good alternatives to todays generations. We can simply describe people by the decade they were born. We can define cohorts specifically related to a particular issue  such as 2020 school kids.

Pew actually listened to the criticism, and altered its mode of operations, outlining a new approach to generational research that would control for other demographic factors and offer greater methodological rigor. By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when theyre not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying peoples complex lived experiences, wrote Kim Parker, director of social trends research at Pew.

But despite the fact that theres no tangible meaning to generational labels, American society has latched onto them hard, which has had real policy impacts. It wont be easy to move away from reflexively dismissing some irritating phenomenon by saying good old Gen Z or OK boomer, but we could definitely use less branding in this deeply divided society. Maybe if more of us saw that we are, in a way, one cohort, not many, we would stop gutting funding for things like social security and pre-K. Maybe wed stop dismissing each other as lazy and entitled and instead try to understand one anothers needs and background.

It might also be worth remembering some basics of human biology. We are unusual animals in that we breed whenever we want, within broad biological limits, and are not exactly tied to mating seasons. Were not like the Chinook salmon that seek out upriver spawning zones or feline species that go into heat each spring and summer. Humans are being born all the time in a cascading waterfall of being. There are more of us than ever before, but we all have the same deep genetic roots, stretching back to our African origins. We are a continuous, unbroken chain of life, far more intertwined than we usually realize. That may sound like hippie woo-woo nonsense, but Im too young to be a member of the Woodstock generation. Certain things are just true.

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A months-long investigation into gang activity reached a major turning point Tuesday night, as law enforcement agencies carried out coordinated raids across Richmond County and Grovetown, leading to multiple arrests and large drug seizures.

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The Richmond County Sheriffs Office says it worked alongside the Grovetown Police Department to execute search warrants at three locations: Henry Circle and Feldspar Court in Augusta, and Candleberry Drive in Grovetown.

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During the searches, investigators seized 30 pounds of marijuana, methamphetamine, gang-related evidence, and $211,116 in cash. Authorities also arrested three men they say are connected to the street gang known as Youngins with Money (Y.W.M.), including the groups alleged leader.

Those arrested include:

Mikael Javaro Williams, charged with trafficking marijuana and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute;

DeAnte Cannon, charged with trafficking marijuana, unlawful participation in street gang activity, and obstruction;

Kareem Levon Butler, charged with trafficking marijuana;

Chief Lewis Blanchard called the arrests a meaningful step toward improving safety across Augusta and the CSRA.

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These results reflect months of hard work and strong partnerships, Blanchard said, thanking the Grovetown Police Department for its continued collaboration. When agencies work together, were able to make a real impact.

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According to the sheriffs office, the investigation into Y.W.M. began in February 2025 after intelligence linked the group to violent crime, illegal firearms, and large-scale drug trafficking throughout Richmond County.

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Over the course of the year, deputies carried out a series of arrests and seizures connected to the gang. In March, two members were arrested after marijuana was found inside their vehicle on Tubman Home Road, the RCSO said.

In September, investigators recovered nine guns, drugs, and oxycodone pills from a Brookshire Drive home. Later that month, a grand jury handed down a sweeping 42-count indictment against 11 defendants tied to the gang.

Deputies said additional arrests followed throughout October and December, involving guns, stolen weapons, and large amounts of marijuana found in homes and vehicles across Augusta.

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Since January 2025, the sheriffs office says enforcement efforts tied to the investigation have led to the seizure of 20 guns, more than 40 pounds of marijuana, methamphetamine, oxycodone pills, and a significant amount of cash believed to be used to fund gang activity.

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While authorities acknowledge the gang has not been completely dismantled, Sheriff Eugene Brantley says the arrests have significantly weakened the group by removing leadership, weapons, drugs, and money from the streets.

Gang life is a dead-end, Brantley said. Were committed to prevention and reaching young people before they get pulled into this lifestylebut we will not tolerate gang violence, drug trafficking, or illegal firearms in Richmond County or the CSRA.
Spanish utility Iberdrola has signed an agreement with Partners Group and OPTrust to purchase full ownership of the Ararat wind farm located in Victoria, Australia.

The wind farm, which has an installed capacity of 242MW, has been operating since 2017.

Most of its electricity is sold under power purchase agreements (PPAs) with major customers, providing stable and predictable revenue streams.

The asset is projected to benefit from rising electricity prices driven by growing demand for renewable energy in Victoria, where the state government has set a target of sourcing 95% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

Iberdrola said, Ararat is also positioned to benefit from upcoming transmission upgrades such as the Western Renewable Link and Project Energy Connect, which will expand its ability to export power.

This deal is said to reinforces Iberdrolas strategy to grow its renewable energy portfolio in Australia and supports the countrys broader electrification goals.

Completion of the transaction remains subject to standard closing conditions.

The acquisition aligns with Iberdrola Groups 2025-28 strategic plan, which includes more than 1bn ($1.17bn) of planned investment in Australia.

Iberdrola noted that this announcement follows its acquisition of the Tungkillo BESS and its appointment as development partner by VicGrid for the Victorian section of the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector, both finalised in October this year.

The company stated that these steps strengthen its commitment to helping Australia achieve its clean energy objectives.

Under its investment strategy, Iberdrola plans to invest a total of 58bn, with 85% earmarked for countries that hold an A credit rating and offer stable, predictable, and appealing regulatory conditions.

Within this plan, the UK is set to receive 20bn, the US 16bn, the Iberian Peninsula 9bn, Brazil 7bn, and a combined 5bn will go to other EU nations and Australia.

In September, Iberdrola agreed to acquire an additional 30.29% stake in Neoenergia, a Brazilian energy distributor.

"Iberdrola expands with Ararat wind farm acquisition in Australia" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




The Georgia Department of Driver Services has reinstated a mans license after it was suspended over a DUI charge in another state that he has never visited.

Channel 2 investigates first introduced you to Justin Jones, a Carroll County high school administrator, on Wednesday during Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 p.m.

I received a letter in the mail, the beginning of October, that my license was suspended. That was a surprise, Justin Jones told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.

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The letter said his license was suspended for a DUI charge in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The problem?

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Never been to New Mexico, never driven through New Mexico. Ive never even stepped foot in the state off a plane, Jones said.

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Jones said the date listed for the DUI was Dec. 24, 2005, the day after his 21st birthday. He knows he was home celebrating.

Jones visited the Georgia Department of Driver Services to try and clear up the confusion. Instead, he was told he had to come up with the proof that it wasnt his DUI charge.

He provided a stamped and sealed document from the court clerk in New Mexico stating he has no convictions there. The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department also sent a letter.

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Jones still couldnt get his license back. Hes been without it for months until Thursday when Gray received an update from the DDS.

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The department said it has reinstated Jones drivers license and that it is reviewing procedures for team members from when this situation occurred.

The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) has reached out to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division (NMMVD) on numerous occasions requesting confirmation that the suspension they transmitted to our agency was incorrect.

Today, DDS was informed that the required release had been erroneously transmitted from NMMVD to another state instead of the Georgia DDS. After receiving the needed documentation, DDS promptly corrected the customers record, immediately contacted the customer to apologize, and inform him of next steps.

We sincerely apologize for the difficulty that the customer has had and will be reviewing the procedures that our Team Members follow when this situation arises at a Customer Service Center (CSC)."
A southwest Georgia man known in dog-fighting circles as a breeder and trainer has been convicted on dozens of federal charges after authorities rescued 67 abused dogs from his rural property.

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Dun Bradford, of Sale City, Ga., was found guilty Tuesday on 69 counts, including 67 counts of possessing dogs for use in animal fighting, as well as drug manufacturing and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime.

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The verdict came after a two-day trial in Albany, the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Middle District of Georgia announced.

Braford now faces the possibility of life in prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

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Prosecutors say the case exposed the brutal reality of dog fighting and its ties to other serious crimes, including drug and illegal guns.

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The cruel and inhumane realities ofdogfighting are closely linked to illegal drugs, firearms and other serious crimes, said U.S. Attorney William R. Will Keyes for the Middle District of Georgia.

He credited a concerned citizen whose complaint ultimately led investigators to the property and shut down what authorities described as a long-running operation.

The investigation began when the Mitchell County Sheriffs Office and code enforcement responded to a complaint about tethered and neglected animals at Bradfords 17-acre property. Deputies said they found numerous pit bull-type dogs chained outside, some showing aggression toward one another. Federal agents were called in, and search warrants were obtained.

Agents rescued 67 dogs, many chained without adequate food, water, or shelter. Multiple dogs had fresh injuries and scarring consistent with dog fighting, including at least one dog with severe, recent wounds, according to authorities.

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Officials said, inside a shed on the property, investigators uncovered dog-fighting equipment and supplies, including veterinary drugs, anabolic horse steroids, a breeding stand used to forcibly breed dogs, training and execution tools and paperwork documenting the dogs fighting histories.

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Evidence presented in court showed the property had been used for years to breed and train dogs for fighting. Authorities also found guns inside Bradfords home, along with crack cocaine and evidence it was being manufactured in his kitchen, according to court documents.

All 67 dogs were placed into protective custody and now are being cared for, giving them what officials say is a chance at a safer future.
A man wanted in a deadly stabbing is now in jail after police say he was found hiding in a womans car trunk.

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John Thomas Howard, 28, is accused of stabbing Ronald Carswell, 57, to death. Brunswick police said officers found Carswell stabbed around 4:46 p.m. Monday

He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

There was a manhunt for Howard following the stabbing that included Brunswick and Kingsland police departments and Camden and Glynn County sheriffs offices.

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Howard was arrested at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday following a traffic stop in Camden County.

At the time of the arrest, Howard was traveling in the trunk of a vehicle driven by Regina Alvin, 49 of Killeen, Texas, according to a Brunswick police release.

Howard faces charges of felony murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime. Alvin was also arrested. Shes facing charges of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive.

Regina Alvin, 49 of Killeen, Texas.

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German lawmakers have passed a law banning people under 18 from possessing or purchasing nitrous oxide.

Also known as laughing gas, the substance has been increasingly circulating in Germany as a party drug.

The upper house of the parliament, the Bundesrat, approved the law on Friday. It had already been passed by the lower house, the Bundestag.

Under the new law online sales and purchases from vending machines will be banned altogether. Consumption of nitrous oxide is associated with high health risks, especially for minors, ranging from unconsciousness to permanent damage to the nervous system

Strict new rules will also apply to the chemicals gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (BDO). These are known as knockout drops, and can be added to drinks as date rape drugs. The new regulations are expected to come into force in April 2026.
The Bundesrat, Germany's upper house of parliament, on Friday commemorated Sinti, Roma and Yenish people murdered by the National Socialists with a minute's silence.

Around 500,000 members of these communities had fallen victim to the National Socialists' racial mania, Bundesrat President Andreas Bovenschulte said at the start of the session.

"Their cultural heritage was largely destroyed."

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The three groups were itinerant peoples who were brutally persecuted by the Nazis during World War II.

Coming to terms with these crimes took a long time in Germany, he said

Bovenschulte, who head's the Bremen state government, called for decisive action today against authoritarian, far-right and sometimes openly fascist politicians who damage the core values of liberal democracy, such as the unconditional protection of human dignity.

"Wherever inhumane ideologies - whether anti-Roma racism, anti-Semitism or anti-Muslim racism - are propagated, we must take a clear stance and raise our voice for a free, democratic and solidarity-based society," he said.
Newly released transcripts of Ghislaine Maxwells July interview with the Justice Department depict a surprisingly chilly relationship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, despite varied reports that the glitterati socialites were each others closest friends.

In transcripts made available Friday by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Maxwell noted that Trump was always very cordial and very kind to her, and that she admired his extraordinary achievement in becoming the president.

So that is the sum and substance of my entire relationship with him, Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to the transcript.

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Trump was photographed with Maxwell several times over his long friendship with Epstein: She and Trump partied together, attended fashion shows together, and went out on the town together, according to a 1997 postcard.

When asked about Trumps relationship with the notorious child sex trafficker, Maxwell was equally reserved.

I dont know how they met, and I dont know how they became friends, Maxwell said. I certainly saw them together and I remember the few times I observed them together, but they were friendly. I mean, they seemed friendly.

She went on to claim that she had only ever seen the socialites together in public, and never in privatedespite flight logs indicating that Trump flew aboard Epsteins private jet several times and an email from Epsteins estate in which he said Trump was with him on Thanksgiving 2017.

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I think they were friendly like people are in social settings. I dontI dont think they were close friends or I certainly never witnessed the President in any ofI dont recall ever seeing him in his house, for instance, Maxwell said.

I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting, she continued, casually referring to a grooming tactic she and Epstein would employ to bypass nonconsensual sexual contact. The larger Epstein files release Friday included a note detailing some 254 masseuses in Epsteins contact files.

I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.

That would be very surprising, considering that Epstein and Trump allegedly enjoyed being sexually inappropriate in public together, reportedly bonding over trophy hunting women. Further still, Trump has openly boasted about his sexual entitlement, claiming that he likes to grab women by the pussy.

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Maxwell was sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in jail for playing an active role in Epsteins crimes, identifying and grooming vulnerable young women while normalizing their abuse at the hands of her millionaire boyfriend. Maxwells attorneys have pressed the White House for a pardon for several months now, and the British ex-socialite signaled in a court filing earlier this month that she would ask a court to free her from her captivity.

Whether the DOJ interview was intended as a quid pro quo is still unclear, but shortly after the information exchange, Maxwellone of the worst sex criminals of the centuryreceived an extremely cushy transfer, shipping her from a Florida prison to a low-security prison camp in Texas that lawmakers have described as not suitable for a sex offender.

Of course, in the same testimony, the famed manipulator also vehemently denied that anything inappropriate happened while she was with Epstein.

I never saw a tear, Maxwell told Blanche.

Trump has not been charged with any crimes related to Epstein or Maxwell.
Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger at a rally in Norfolk days before her election. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)

Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger detailed how she plans to work with legislators to make utility bills more affordable, as the cost of electricity continues to rise across the commonwealth. The incoming Democratic governors ideas range from bolstering battery storage capacity to reducing power use and the need for expensive transmission lines.

I recognize the complexity of our current challenges and threats posed by the future demands, but the answer is not to sit so our problems only get worse, Spanberger said at the state Capitol Thursday morning, as top Democratic lawmakers looked on.

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Spanbergers interest in increasing battery storage is complimented by a bill being carried by Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax and Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, which will increase the amount of battery storage the major utilities need to invest in as part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act.

As the battery technology is evolving, it is becoming more affordable and helps solar power be more dispatchable when the power is needed and not being produced. The measure was vetoed by term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin in this years session.

We have to expand generation, and in doing so, it is about ensuring we can continue to attract businesses and investment. Its also about ensuring we can literally keep the lights on for Virginians across our communities, Spanberger said.

Spanberger also echoed the priorities of House Democrats who want to look into barriers that some homeowners face when trying to utilize efficiency and weatherization programs. One of the bills urges the utilities to expand their efficiency programs.

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If the state rejoins the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), as Spanberger has stated she would make happen, then funding will flow back into the state to help fund efficiency and flood mitigation programs.

If we were actually leveraging RGGI dollars for weatherization projects as prescribed by the programmer, we could be reducing the cost for Virginians by building up on energy efficiency, Spanberger said.

Two bills the governor-elect is pushing would also give the State Corporation Commission the ability to create a process to measure how well the current grid infrastructure is being utilized, in hopes of cutting down on the need for new expensive transmission lines to be built.

Many of the current and recent high-voltage transmission line cases before the SCC have been proposed to push more power directly to data centers, plans that have raised community concerns over routes and cost.

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While the legislation in Democrats priority affordability package does not directly address data centers and the costs associated with their power demands, another bill Spanberger is supporting pushes the State Corporation Commission to come up with a review process to ensure demand load growth estimations given by utilities are accurate.

Some residents and advocates have questioned if the true amount of power being calculated based on data center proposals may potentially be inflated compared to the real amount that ends up being built. The utilities have their own ways of verifying what they say are accurate counts. This legislation would create a backup check through the SCC.

In an effort to expand small solar projects to bring every electron possible onto the grid, Spanberger said she supports a recommendation from the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation to make small solar projects more accessible, including balcony solar panels that would be exempt from utility approval requirements.

All of these bills will be formally filed and considered in the regular legislative session that begins Jan. 14.

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Dec. 18Faced with what he described as a "crisis," Gov. Bob Ferguson has proposed spending $244 million on housing investments across the state.

"It's not really unique to our state," Ferguson said during a news conference Thursday in Seattle. "I talk to governors across the country, this is an issue that comes up all of the time. The need for more housing is something that is urgent in our state, and in many communities across the country."

The announcement is part of a series of budget proposals the governor is expected to unveil in the coming days. The investment, he said, is needed to address a problem residents across the state experience.

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"I'm often asked, 'Hey, you went to all 39 counties, what issue did you hear about the most in going to all 39 counties?' " Ferguson said, recalling his campaign for governor. "And the answer was always the same: more housing, more housing, more housing. It really didn't matter what part of the state I was in, but that was something I heard about over, and over, and over again from Washingtonians on both sides of the mountains, in communities large and small."

Under the housing proposal, the state would direct $225 million in bonds for the state's Housing Trust Fund, which he said will build or preserve more than 4,000 housing units. The governor also signaled his support for a proposal by state Sen. Emily Alvarado, D-West Seattle, that would require jurisdictions that use growth management plans to permit residential and mixed-use development in areas that are currently zoned for commercial use.

"In our state, there is underused land within urban growth areas where housing is compatible, but right now, it's not allowed to be built, in commercial zones and in mixed-use zones," Alvarado said Thursday. "These are places where we're already planning for future urban development, there are tens of thousands of parcels where housing is prohibited and where real barriers make development infeasible."

Alvarado said while the proposal wouldn't ensure new housing is built, it's "necessary to ensure that homes can be built."

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According to the Washington Department of Commerce, the state will need to build around 1.1 million new units over the next 19 years, with at least half of the units designated as affordable housing. Ferguson said about half of Washington's renters spend more than a third of their income on housing, a group that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development classifies as "rent-burdened."

"At the risk of being redundant, but some things bear repeating, we are in a housing crisis, we have a severe housing shortage. The governor gets this," Lt. Gov. Denny Heck said Thursday. "The solution is fairly obvious, harder to implement, but fairly obvious: We need to build more homes, of all kinds, for all of our neighbors, especially affordable homes."

While on the campaign trail, Ferguson pledged to build 200,000 new units of housing in the state during his first term in office. On Thursday, Ferguson signed an executive order to begin the process of establishing a new Department of Housing, an agency the governor said would be focused on creating more housing supply.

"This is a huge issue for our state, it's going to be for a long, long time," Ferguson said. "And to have that elevated to a cabinet level, I think, sets the right priorities for the state, the right priorities for the governor, and the right priorities for the people of our state."

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Ferguson's announcement follows recent pushes in the Legislature to increase housing supply in Washington.

Earlier this year, Ferguson signed a slate of bills passed during the legislative session he said would reduce red tape and cut construction costs, which he hopes will spur the construction of more housing and further the state's efforts to reach his goal.

The legislation included cutting the number of required parking spaces for new developments and directing developers to build affordable housing near transit centers.

"The list really goes on and on and on," Ferguson said Thursday. "No one of those things, again, is going to solve this crisis, and that is for sure. But continued focus on this is going to help."

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Following the recent flooding across the state, Ferguson said he also modified his budget proposal to include $55 million for rehabilitation and housing preservation. The governor said the money would allow state officials to continue to assess the scope of the damage.

"We also consider this funding to be, really, a bridge while we pursue federal relief for this historic crisis," Ferguson said. "I want to be clear, we are seeking disaster relief from the federal government. That relief, if granted, is designed for folks whose homes have been impacted by the flood. That's really what it's there for."
The sale of popular THC-infused drinks will be prohibited in Ohio after Gov. Mike DeWine uses his veto pen to strike out a provision that would've permitted sales.

DeWine said on Dec. 19 that he would strike the carve out for the beverages from Senate Bill 56, which includes sweeping restrictions on intoxicating hemp products and new penalties for marijuana users. Ohio voters legalized cannabis in 2023.

"They cannot be sold," DeWine said of the THC drinks. He is expected to sign the bill later today. He said that retailers and manufacturers understood there was a good chance that they wouldn't be allowed to continue making and selling THC drinks.

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In October, rumor that DeWine would sign an executive order banning the THC-infused seltzers sent retailers and manufacturers scrambling to sell off inventory. A court order temporarily blocked DeWine's order and lawmakers worked to craft Senate Bill 56.

THC-infused drinks on display at a Columbus beer and wine store.

Retailers and manufacturers will likely repeat the sell-off to clear their inventories before mid-March when the bill takes effect.

DeWine said that Ohio should have uniformity with federal law on hemp.

The new law requires hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams per container to be sold in licensed marijuana dispensaries. The change mirrors a federal hemp ban that Congress passed in the bill to end the government shutdown.

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The bill as passed had an exception for THC-infused beverages: Ohio would have allowed breweries and bars to sell drinks with no more than 5 milligrams of THC per serving until the end of 2026. DeWine vetoed that part of the bill.

Hemp products have gone largely unregulated since the 2018 Farm Bill. DeWine pleaded with lawmakers to restrict sales, especially to children who might mistake the packaging for candy. Frustrated, DeWine issued an executive order to ban intoxicating hemp, only to have a judge block it as unconstitutional.

But Senate Bill 56 does much more than restrict hemp sales. The bill also:

Releases nearly $100 million in revenue for municipalities and townships with dispensaries.

Allows restrictions on unemployment benefits, organ transplants, rental homes and parenting time based solely on marijuana use.

Requires people who drive with marijuana products to store them in the trunk in their original packaging.

Bans the smoking and vaping of marijuana anywhere except a private residence, which goes further than Ohio's cigarette smoking ban.

Prohibits smoking and home grow in transitional housing and homes used as childcare facilities.

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Opponents say these changes go against the will of Ohio voters, who backed legalizing marijuana, 57%-43%, in 2023.

State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@usatodayco.com or @jbalmert on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gov. Mike DeWine bans THC-infused drinks and products in Ohio
Ohioans must now return absentee ballots by Election Day if they want their vote to count.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation on Dec. 19 that eliminates the grace period for mail-in absentee ballots. The move came nearly two years after DeWine said he didn't expect further changes to election law during his time in office.

Ohio previously allowed local officials to accept ballots that arrive up to four days later, as long as they were postmarked the day before the election. Now, absentee ballots must arrive by the close of polls. The change does not apply to military and overseas voters.

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Senate Bill 293 also allows the secretary of state's office to automatically cancel the voter registrations of people who appear to be noncitizens based on state and federal databases.

Stickers await voters at on Election Day at Thompson Community Center in Columbus on Nov. 4, 2025.

GOP lawmakers and Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the new deadline will align Ohio with the majority of states that require ballots to arrive by Election Day. Critics contend the grace period is necessary to account for mail delays, especially in rural areas.

Ohio is changing its policy amid a national debate over absentee ballot deadlines.

President Donald Trump wants to eliminate mail-in voting altogether. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case against Mississippi that will determine whether states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day. The U.S. Department of Justice contends these grace periods violate federal law and threatened to sue Ohio over its policy.

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An attorney for the Brennan Center for Justice, which sued the Trump administration, said Ohio was not breaking federal law and not obligated to follow executive orders or decisions in ongoing lawsuits.

State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.

Tell us what you think of this

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mike DeWine signs bill to change Ohio mail-in ballot deadline
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is included among the 12 Best Dogs of the Dow to Invest in.

IBM and Pearson Team Up on AI-Powered Learning

IBM and Pearson announced on December 11 that they are teaming up on a global partnership focused on AI-powered learning. The goal is to build more personalized learning tools for businesses, public-sector groups, and schools. These products are designed to help individuals acquire the right skills more quickly and transition smoothly between roles.

Pearson, which is based in London, pointed to recent research showing how costly skills gaps have become. According to the study, inefficient career moves and mismatched skills are draining about $1.1 trillion a year from the U.S. economy in lost earnings.

Under the partnership, International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) will help Pearson develop a custom AI-driven learning platform. It will be similar to IBM Consulting Advantage and will combine human expertise with AI assistants, agents, and digital tools. Pearsons enterprise learning products will also be rolled out across IBMs customer base and its workforce of around 270,000 employees.

The two companies also plan to explore tools that can verify what AI agents are actually capable of doing. The idea is to give organizations more confidence as they put these systems to work.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna made the following statement:

IBM and Pearson are bringing AI-powered education to more organizations to help people learn faster. Together, were helping companies and their teams adapt to change and succeed, while helping Pearson transform its own internal operations.

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is a technology company best known for its software, consulting business, and its focus on hybrid cloud and AI solutions.

While we acknowledge the potential of IBM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 13 Best Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Under $50 and11 Best Low Priced Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

Disclosure: None.
They want my son to die.

That thought has been hovering just below my consciousness for the past year. Wednesday night it surged above the surface. Since Thursday morning, its all I can hear.

My son turned 12 last month. Hes in seventh grade. And hes trans. Yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stood at a microphone and essentially proposed a federal ban on  him. And that wasnt the only attack on my child this week.

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I should be used to the terror by now. Were living in Trumps America, and this time around hes been truthful about at least one thing: He intends to soar to autocracy on the backs of the trans communityespecially trans kids. But the last 24 hours have brought a one-two-three punch.

First, the House passed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes parting gift, House Resolution 3942, the Protect Childrens Innocence Act, which would make providing or seeking gender-affirming care for minors a crime; then, the White House unleashed what trans journalist Erin Reed called the single most aggressive attack on transgender healthcare in U.S. history, a proposed rule that would bar Medicaid-dependent hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to minors; and finally, on the flip side of the Medicaid strategy, the House voted to cut coverage for youth gender-affirming care. While the Senate seems unlikelyplease, I think, pleaseto enact a felony ban on gender-affirming health care for trans youth or approve the cuts to Medicaid coverage, the power of the federal purse strings alone is enough. The Hyde Amendmentlike threats to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funds from any hospital which provides such care will force them to stop offering it, and thus eliminate access to it, for the overwhelming majority of trans youth nationwide.

Only those with the privileges of money, geography, and parental support will be able to continue (or start) receiving puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones from the courageous doctors who dare to treat them outside of hospital systems. (So will cisgender youth who are prescribed those medications for other reasons.) The rest will turn to sympathetic women on hormone-replacement therapy, to the black market of internet forums and gym locker roomsor to despair. Existing disparities will deepen. According to the Trevor Projects 2024 survey, 46 percent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered suicide in the past year and 16 percent made an attempt. Studies have repeatedly shown that receiving gender-affirming care can slash that rate by as much as 73 percent. Access to care is among the most protective factors, after having an affirming family and community.

The culture war over trans youth reached a fever pitch in the 2024 election cycle. GOP operatives spent an astounding $222 million on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ advertisingmore than on housing, immigration, and the economy combined. The presidents drumbeat of discriminatory, overreaching executive orders began on Inauguration Day and hasnt stopped. Twenty-five states now outlaw gender-affirming care for youth, up from one (Arkansas) in 2021, with bans under consideration in Montana and New Hampshire, which means half of all trans young people cant access care. House Republicans, as Rep. Sarah McBride put it on Wednesday, think more about trans people than trans people think about trans people, and have already stripped many trans Americans of their livelihoods and health care, particularly those who are incarcerated, federal employees, or in the military.

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My family is fortunate to live in New York, where Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have led the charge to defend our trans community, and where last years NY Equal Rights Amendment enshrined trans rights in our state constitution. But their ability to protect trans New Yorkers has significant limitations, hindered further by Governor Kathy Hochuls refusal to sign three bills which would protect recipients and providers of both gender-affirming and reproductive care. Even in a blue state. Even here in what Id consider to be the safest place in the country for trans kids.

Hence that awful refrain that keeps repeating in my mind. They want my sonand every kid like himto die. In the wake of the suicide of former Middlebury College swimmer Lia Smith, Erin Reed argued, Policies designed to make life unlivable for transgender people bear responsibility too; every trans suicide is a murder by those in power.* Ill take that one step further. By making life for trans youth too difficult to bear, the GOP is hellbent on a genocide by suicide. (With the assistance of a few spineless Democrats and general distancing of the party from the cause.) And you better believe theyll be hunting trans adults before long. Eventually, the reprobates clenching the levers of powerwhether they really believe the vile things they say about trans people or are merely using the issue to whip up voterswill wield them to eliminate all those who stand in opposition to their values.

If this playbook sounds familiar, Ill give you a one-word hint: abortion. Weve already seen the right overturn Roe v. Wade, seen its disproportionate impact on people of color, those who live in rural areas and red states, the disabled, and those trapped in poverty. This is where the authoritarian leaders of late-stage capitalism want us: bent over, vulnerable, and powerless over our own bodies and lives. Gender-affirming and reproductive care are two sides of the same coin. We need to unite the forces fighting for both in a joint effort to preserve and restore bodily autonomy.

The bodies and minds of children have long been a particular point of contention in American politics. Conservatives have made parental rights a cornerstone of their theocratic agenda. By natural right and moral authority, parents are the primary protectors of their children, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in March. Their think tanks argue that parents rights trump everything, much as radical organizations like Moms for Liberty do when they confront school boards on DEI curricula, vaccine mandates, and fairness in sports. But not all parents. Not parents like me. Why are we the only ones who cant be trusted to make medical decisions in tandem with our childrens doctors? The only ones who arent the experts on our own kids?

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My sons due for his biannual Triptodur injection next month. My immediate response to yesterdays breaking news? I called the specialty pharmacy to place the order. The mere thought of going through estrogen puberty is enough to send his anxiety spiraling. Ive got to protect him from that however I can. For now, for us, that means staying proactive when it comes to his careand panicking each night as I lay in bed. If that changes, I will stop at nothing. If the Senate passes Greenes bill, I will become a felon.

This has been my life since last November; however, its been reality in other parts of the country for years now. Medical providers have been sued. Parents have been accused of abuse and threatened with having their kids removed by protective services. Families have left their homes and communities behind to seek safety and care in more liberal states. As the American Civil Liberties Unions Chase Strangio explained in an announcement that they will sue to block these laws and policies: If they take effect nationwide, there will be no place of domestic refuge. If our family has to flee the only home weve ever knownthe America my German Jewish refugee grandma so proudly claimed and servedwe will leave. Just like she fled Germany. The irony isnt lost on me that we could only do so because Germany restored our citizenship as reparation for the devastation wrought on my ancestors eight decades ago.

I often ask my kids, Whats my most important job as your parent? To keep us safe and healthy, theyll reply with practiced eyerolls. Simply put, safe and healthy are more palatable metonyms for alive. I conceived them and brought them into existence. Its my fundamental responsibility as a parent to keep them hereand my responsibility as a human to ensure the same for all trans youth, not just my son.

I never imagined Id become a felon. But when gender-affirming care is outlawed, only outlaws will get the care they or their children need. As government persecution of trans people intensifies, its going to be harder and harder for those of us with the most at stake to be the loud ones. So, to the rest of you: Its time to step up.
New details have emerged following the reported plane crash in North Carolina that claimed the lives of former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife, their children, and four others, according to published reports. Information released through PEOPLE indicates that Biffles wife, Cristina, sent a brief distress message to her mother shortly before the crash occurred.

According to the report, Cristina Biffle contacted her mother only minutes before the aircraft went down, signaling that something had gone wrong during the flight. That message was the final communication received before the crash, leaving family members devastated by the sudden loss.

The crash occurred Thursday in North Carolina and involved a private jet identified as a Cessna C550. The aircraft was registered to a company owned by Biffle. Reports state the jet went down in a fiery crash, resulting in seven fatalities. Those reported to have been on board include Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, their two children, along with Dennis Dutton, Duttons son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

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Flight details indicate the aircraft departed from Statesville Regional Airport and was scheduled to travel to Florida. Roughly 26 minutes after takeoff, the jet crashed near a runway. Data referenced in reports suggest the aircraft appeared to turn back toward the airport shortly after departure, though no official explanation has been released regarding why the plane changed course.

No confirmed cause of the crash has been announced, and investigators have not released findings related to mechanical issues, weather conditions, or pilot communications. Authorities have not provided further details about the moments leading up to the crash or the emergency response.

Biffle was a well-known figure in American motorsports, having competed at NASCARs top levels during his career. News of his reported death, along with that of his family and others aboard the aircraft, has prompted widespread reaction across the racing community and beyond.

As of now, information surrounding the crash remains limited to what has been reported publicly. Officials are expected to continue examining the circumstances of the incident, with further updates anticipated as more facts become available.

Image via WBTV/Source
Expect a high of 36 degrees that feels more like 21, with an overnight low of 19. Forecasters predict a couple of morning flurries; otherwise, mostly cloudy, windy and much colder.

Throughout the day, wind will be blowing west at 17.3 miles per hour.

You can search for more information on hourly, daily, and monthly weather forecasts and current air quality conditions for your location here.

What to know about Friday's Guernsey County weather

With low temperatures forecast in the upcoming days, be sure to follow these safety tips from the National Weather Service.

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Before heading outside, check the weather and avoid being outside for prolonged periods of time during the coldest time of the day.

Ensure that water pipes won't freeze and that animals aren't exposed to the extreme cold.

Make sure your car has a winter survival kit - check out the National Weather Service's page for more details.

Cold and flu: The weather increases the risk of catching a cold. Plan activities accordingly. The weather will not significantly impact the risk of catching the flu, nor its severity or duration.

COPD and arthritis: The risk of a pulmonary attack due to weather conditions is low. There is a risk of weather-related arthritis pain. Plan activities accordingly.

Weather almanac: How Friday's forecast compares to other years

Guernsey County saw a record-breaking temperature high for Dec. 19 in 2008 at 59 degrees. On this day in 1985, a record low of 1 degree below zero was set.

Historically, this day is usually a bit wet, with an average 0.08 inches of precipitation.

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The forecast high is below average for this time of year. The 30-year average maximum temperature for Dec. 19 is 42 degrees. The forecast low is seven degrees cooler than the established normal of 26 degrees.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across Ohio, generated with data from AccuWeather. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Guernsey County weather forecast for Friday, Dec. 19: A few morning flurries; windy
The gunman responsible for the deadly shooting at Brown University last Saturday knew the MIT professor and nuclear physicist he also allegedly murdered days later.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Investigators believe Valente is responsible for fatally shooting two students and wounding nine Brown University students and then killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro two days later at his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline, nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Providence.

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United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah B. Foley detailed that Valente and Loureiro were classmates at an enginerrring program in Portugal, between 1995 and 2000.

Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugals premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. The same year, Neves Valente was let go from a position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the schools then-president in February 2000.

It was not clear if the two former classmates had communicated at all since their days in school.

Foley said that surveillance video at the apartment complex where Loureiro was shot on Monday linked the Brown University shooting to that crime.

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Valente was allegedly seen in the Brookline neighborhood days before and around the time of the professors murder, Foley said. Surveillance video captured at the Salem, NH storage facility in which Valente was found dead showed the suspect wearing the same set of clothes he was caught wearing in Brookline around the time and place of Loureiros death, Foley said.

Loureiro was also the Director of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

The two Brown students killed during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. Cook was active in her Alabama church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans. Umurzokovs family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan when he was a child, and he aspired to be a doctor.

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Of the nine students injured in the Brown University shooting, three had been discharged and six were in stable condition Thursday, officials said.

Neves Valente had come to Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, Foley said. It was not immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for providing a crucial tip that led authorities to him.

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Brown University student Ref Barin was inside the physics and engineering building last weekend when a gunman opened fire on campus.

He was in my major, physics and even worse to top it all of he was a physics grad student, Barin told Boston 25 News as he spoke about the gunman, now identified as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente. Valente is also a former Brown grad student.

January 21 is the first day of spring semester. So, Brown has about a month to essentially secure the campus and make everyone feel safe enough to return, said Barin.

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Barin says keeping mental health resources at the forefront and adding security protocol to the Barus and Holley building should be the universitys focus.

Although he says he is looking forward to returning to campus, he says theres a long healing journey ahead.

Theres going to be a lot of hard conversations, theres going to be a lot of tough things, emotionally, psychologically that everyone has to deal with, said Barin. Do I wish that he could be rotting in a jail cell or getting the worst kind of punishment the law can offer right now of course I wish that, but reality is I guess much more complicated and were all just glad that this has come to an end.

The Office for Victims of Crime website has a list of resources available to the community, including Mental Health, Well-Being, and Immediate and Spiritual Support services.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The News

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley takes a lot of idiosyncratic positions in the Republican Party: support for raising the minimum wage, skepticism of AIs rise and extending the expiring Obamacare subsidies.

Turns out, his stances are pretty popular in a conservative state like Missouri, according to polling shared with Semafor.

Chart showing results on OnMessage poll of Missouri voters

A healthy majority of 55% of likely Missouri voters support extending the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits, while 63% support raising the minimum wage.

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Roughly three-quarters of respondents said AI is likely to cost US jobs and support banning AI chatbots for kids, as well as Hawleys proposal to cut taxes on health care expenses.

And 69% of respondents support quicker union contracts.

Those are working-class positions, so it just reflects a slice of their life. My job is to give voice to that, Hawley told Semafor.

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The takeaway from the poll is clear: Hawleys position may irk his GOP colleagues, but they arent doing damage to him back home. He was just reelected in 2024, and the poll shows his approval rating is 51%, versus 41% disapproving.

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Theres a similar logic behind Sen. Rand Pauls, R-Ky., continued popularity: You can be out of step with your national party if you are in step with your state.

Hawley argues that Congress should start executing more of his and President Donald Trumps shared agenda, even if it requires an unusual bipartisan coalition. He says hes not trying to be provocative: Hes just pushing what his constituents want.

Im just representing my state. People here are like, why are you in favor of this? Well: I reflect my state, I hope, he said. That is a good window. Is it a conservative state? Yeah, very much so. But it is a working-class state, and thats why I think you see people taking the positions that they do.
Two people have been arrested following a months-long missing person investigation that began in Greenville, according to the Hunt County Sheriffs Office.

Samuel Rafael Rios, 30, of Greenville was booked into the Hunt County jail on a charge of capital murder for financial gain. His bond was set a $1 million.

Also arrested was Cassie Len Smith, 30, of Greenville. She was charged tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair involving a human corpse. No bond amount was listed.

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The case began when Greenville police received a missing person report in June involving a case that originated within the city limits. The investigation was later referred to the HCSO and expanded with assistance from the Texas Rangers.

The identity of the victim has not been confirmed by law enforcement officials.

Rios has previously been arrested in Hunt County on multiple charges of abandoning or endangering a child in November of 2024, according to a jail database.

HCSO officials said the investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
Heavy rain and powerful wind gusts have led to damage across the Tri-State area on Friday, including on Long Island, where high winds knocked down a tree and sparked a chain reaction.

The wind wreaked havoc across New Jersey as power lines and trees came crashing down, some even snarling the evening commute.

In Midtown at 49th and Park Avenue, during the height of the wind storm, the Department of Buildings responded to bricks raining down after straps holding a window-washing rig in place broke.

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The rig swung off the roof and part of the wall went with it.

Four pedestrians were hurt by falling debris.

Mother nature showed its fury, splitting a tree in two, and knocking down power lines and utility poles around 10 a.m. on Second Avenue and South Broadway in Lindenhurst.

"The wind was howling. I heard a loud bang and crash," said neighbor Tony Trinceri. "Then I heard another boom, and all of a sudden I heard the electricity pulsing. You can just hear it zapping and frying, and they started setting the tree on fire and the fire department came and had to put it out. It was really scary. I was worried about my neighbor. I didn't know if it came down on the house or not."

That neighbor, Henry White, considers himself lucky.

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"Thank god my car was right here, so it missed my car by an inch," White said.

Crews worked quickly to clean up, but this was just a snapshot of the damage across Long Island.

In Great Neck, Long Island, a downed tree hit power lines that set two cars on fire on West Mill Drive, according to the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department.

Heavy winds knocked down a tree onto a car on Brooklyn Avenue in Baldwin.

In Stony Brook, Citizen App video shot from inside a car showed a downed tree across a roadway and in front of a home. It appeared that the tree struck a red car parked in the home's driveway at 97 University Heights Dr.

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Meanwhile in New York City, Citizen App video showed a tree that fell onto cars on the Upper East Side.

Thousands of power outages have been reported in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

As of 9 p.m., PSE&G Long Island has restored power to more than 31,200 affected by the storm. Work is continuing to get the remaining 3,000 customers their power back. They say their crews are working 16-hour shifts to restore power.

At the major local airports, dozens of flights have been cancelled in addition to delays.

Click here for the latest advisories, watches and warnings from the National Weather Service

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The Tri-State area will finally dry out Saturday, and stay mainly dry this weekend.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration launched military strikes Friday in Syria to eliminate Islamic State group fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week ago.

A U.S. official described it as a large-scale strike that hit 70 targets in areas across central Syria that had IS infrastructure and weapons. Another U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said more strikes should be expected.

This is not the beginning of a war  it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trumps leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media.

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The new military operation in Syria comes even as the Trump administration has said its looking to focus closer to home in the Western Hemisphere, building up an armada in the Caribbean Sea as it targets alleged drug-smuggling boats and vowing to keep seizing sanctioned oil tankers as part of a pressure campaign on Venezuelas leader. The U.S. has shifted significant resources away from the Middle East to further those goals: Its most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in South American waters last month from the Mediterranean Sea.

Trump vowed retaliation

President Donald Trump pledged very serious retaliation after the shooting in the Syrian desert, for which he blamed IS. Those killed were among hundreds of U.S. troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting the militant group.

During a speech in North Carolina on Friday evening, the president hailed the operation as a massive strike that took out the ISIS thugs in Syria who were trying to regroup.

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Earlier, in his social media post, he reiterated his backing for Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who Trump said was fully in support of the U.S. effort.

Trump also offered an all-caps threat, warning IS against attacking American personnel again.

All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned  YOU WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE IF YOU, IN ANY WAY, ATTACK OR THREATEN THE U.S.A., the president added.

The attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, the U.S. officials said. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan and HIMARS rocket artillery also were used, one official added.

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U.S. Central Command, which oversees the region, said in a social media post that American jets, helicopters and artillery employed more than 100 precision munitions on Syrian targets.

How Syria has responded

The attack was a major test for the warming ties between the United States and Syria since the ouster of autocratic leader Bashar Assad a year ago. Trump has stressed that Syria was fighting alongside U.S. troops and said al-Sharaa was extremely angry and disturbed by this attack, which came as the U.S. military is expanding its cooperation with Syrian security forces.

Syrias foreign ministry in a statement on X following the launch of U.S. strikes said that last weeks attack underscores the urgent necessity of strengthening international cooperation to combat terrorism in all its forms and that Syria is committed to fighting ISIS and ensuring that it has no safe havens on Syrian territory and will continue to intensify military operations against it wherever it poses a threat.

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Syrian state television reported that the U.S. strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces and in the Jabal al-Amour area near the historic city of Palmyra. It said they targeted weapons storage sites and headquarters used by ISIS as launching points for its operations in the region.

IS has not said it carried out the attack on the U.S. service members, but the group has claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian security forces since, one of which killed four Syrian soldiers in Idlib province. The group in its statements described al-Sharaas government and army as apostates. While al-Sharaa once led a group affiliated with al-Qaida, he has had a long-running enmity with IS.

The Americans who were killed

Trump this week met privately with the families of the slain Americans at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware before he joined top military officials and other dignitaries on the tarmac for the dignified transfer, a solemn and largely silent ritual honoring U.S. service members killed in action.

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The guardsmen killed in Syria last Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown. Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, also was killed.

The shooting near Palmyra also wounded three other U.S. troops as well as members of Syrias security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and recently was reassigned because of suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba has said.

The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards.

___

Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed.
Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new regulations on Thursday that restrict the ability for transgender minors to access gender-affirming healthcare.

The regulations work to "carry out President Trump's executive order directing HHS to end the practice of sex-rejecting procedures on children that expose young people to irreversible harm," a press release said.

The new rules will ban hospitals from "performing sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs."

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"These actions will ensure that the federal government in no way funds directly gender transition procedures on minors and also does not fund facilities that perform these procedures," a department official told reporters Thursday.

The department said what it calls "sex-rejecting procedures" on children, including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery, "expose them to irreversible damage, including infertility, impaired sexual function, diminished bone density, altered brain development, and other irreversible physiological effects."

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other department officials will offer details about the moves later Thursday.

Gender-affirming care is a holistic approach to treating gender-dysphoria and is supported by every major medical association as treatment for both adults and children.

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It includes a range of therapies, from psychological and behavioral to medical interventions, with surgeries for minors being exceedingly rare.

The medical practice, however, has been a target for conservatives for years amid a larger campaign that civil rights organizations see as a threat to the rights of LGBTQ Americans.

St. Louis pediatrician Dr. Kenneth Haller called HHS' actions "anti-science" during a Human Rights Campaign press briefing. He pointed out that these efforts still allow the treatments for children with other conditions that affect hormone production.

Haller said that as long as the condition doesn't change a child's gender, "these people don't have a problem with [prescribing hormones]. That same care for kids who are transgender is what they say is wrong. There's no science behind it."

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HHS said the Food and Drug Administration would send warning letters to manufacturers and sellers of breast binders for minors alleging they are doing illegal marketing, the department official said.

"Illegal marketing of these products for children is alarming, and the FDA will take further enforcement action such as import alerts, seizures, and injunctions if it continues," FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement.

The Human Rights Campaign said these rules infringe on the rights of families.

"Families deserve the freedom to go to the doctor and get the care that they need and to have agency over the health and wellbeing of their children," said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement. "But these proposed actions would put [President] Donald Trump and RFK Jr. in those doctor's offices, ripping healthcare decisions from the hands of families and putting it in the grips of the anti-LGBTQ+ fringe."

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And Advocates for Trans Equality told UPI in an emailed statement that are a "discriminatory attack" that lacks credible medical or financial basis.

"These sets of rules mark a serious escalation in this administration's ongoing efforts to dismantle healthcare programs and services for trans youth," Fiadh McKenna, A4TE senior staff attorney, said in the statement.

"Targeting healthcare for trans people is unlawful and discriminatory; no one should be denied healthcare because of who they are."

The new CMS rules will be finalized after a 60-day comment period on the Federal Register, the department official said.

Trump has issued several executive orders against transgender people. In May, the Pentagon began removing transgender service members from the military. In March, the Department of Veterans Affairs began phasing out medical treatments for gender dysphoria. In February, Trump signed an executive order banning transgender women from participating in women's sports. In January, Trump signed an executive order that restricts gender-affirming care for minors.
The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation has renewed its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Ministry of Finance.

This move ensures that the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) will continue operating its office in Beijing.

This ISSB Beijing office, which opened in 2023, helps facilitate knowledge exchange, cooperation and capacity building in China and other developing or emerging markets.

The revised MoU was formalised during a recent visit to Beijing by IFRS Foundation chair of the trustees Erkki Liikanen, part of a week-long visit to Asia.

Besides the updated MoU, Minwen Zhang has been named director of the ISSBs Beijing office. Zhang will also serve as special advisor to the ISSB chair.

Zhangs background includes leadership in international economic and financial initiatives.

She previously led China at Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations forums for the Ministry of Finance, and worked for organisations including the World Bank Group in Washington, DC, and the Asian Development Bank in Manila.

Liikanen said: Our Beijing office has been effective in building capacity for ISSB Standards across China, as well as supporting our engagement within the worlds second-largest economy.

The updated MoU ensures we can continue this important work into the future, organised by Minwen Zhang as our new office director. I would also like to thank our previous office director Zhengwei Zhang for his excellent contribution to our work over the last few years."

Meanwhile, Joong-Kyung Choi and Yaprak Baltacioglu have joined the IFRS Foundation as trustees.

Joong-Kyung Choi previously served as South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry & Energy, First Vice-Minister of Finance and Economy, and as Chief Economic Policy advisor to former President MB Lee.

Yaprak Baltacioglu has experience in national policy development and governance. She is currently an independent director at Deloitte Canada and Chile, and director at MDA Space and CSA Group.

In November, IFRS Foundation announced the publication of supporting materials for the IFRS for SMEs Accounting Standard for small and medium-sized enterprises around the world.

"IFRS Foundation renews MoU with Chinas Ministry of Finance " was originally created and published by The Accountant, a GlobalData owned brand.




OSNABURG TWP.  A person was killed in a four-vehicle accident Dec. 18 on U.S. Route 30 at Cindell Street SE, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

The victim, who hasn't been identified, was driving a suspected Ford Escort and was stopped at 4:57 p.m. behind an eastbound Chevrolet Silverado driven by Emily Foutty, 19, of East Canton.

The Silverado was turning left onto Cindell when an eastbound Ford F-150 driven by David Reed Jr., 33, of Minerva struck the suspected Escort, pushing it into the Silverado. The Escort and Silverado caught fire, the patrol said.

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A westbound Tesla Model Y driven by Nathaniel Koloniar, 50, of Akron was struck by debris from the crash.

Foutty and Reed suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at the scene. Koloniar did not report any injuries, the patrol said. The driver of the suspected Escort died at the scene, and their identity will be made pending positive identification by the Stark County Coroners Office, the patrol said.

The patrol was assisted on scene by the Osnaburg Fire Department, Louisville Fire Department, Sandy Creek Fire Department, Quad Ambulance, Rockys Towing, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The crash remains under investigation.

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The Stark County Coroner's Office said identifcation of the deceased will be made through DNA.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information is made available.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Highway Patrol investigating fatal four-vehicle crash in Osnaburg Twp.
A historic Pittsburgh bar has reopened more than four years after its closure.

The Park House, located on East Ohio Street in the North Side, is once again offering food, drinks and live music.

Owner Michelle Lynch purchased the business in 2021 with her husband. The bar finally opened on Friday, after undergoing renovations and getting an expanded food menu.

We are tremendously honored to oversee the effort to bring the Park House back to life, Lynch said. We intend to continue the Park Houses tradition of serving up good times, good food and great beverages, all delivered in warm and welcoming environment.

Opened in the 1800s, the Park House was put up for sale in 2020.

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A Home Depot in Los Angeles installed three high-pitch noise-emitting machines outside to deter day laborers from seeking work there, causing them to suffer headaches and nausea, advocates alleged at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (Idepsca), an advocacy organization that helps day laborers, called for the removal of these machines from Home Depots Cypress Park location, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Advocates for day laborers also demanded that Home Depot speak out against ICE raids in store parking lots. Immigration enforcement agents have repeatedly targeted the Cypress Park location, which is located near one of Idepscas support hubs, the Times reported.

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Maegan Ortiz, Idepscas executive director, alleged that Home Depot deployed these noise machines to drive day laborers from the parking lot.

We have been here and remain open through global pandemics, providing services and creating community, Ortiz said at the press conference. Were not going to let sound machines, gates and intimidation get rid of us. Day laborers are here to stay. IDEPSCA is here to stay. The immigrant community is here to stay.

One day laborer said he now wears earplugs to block the noise while he waits for work. The man said the sound penetrates your bones.

They chose to weaponize sound, Los Angeles city councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez said at the news conference, in remarks she shared on Instagram. Devices like these are used as torture against our people.

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Hernandez also argued that the devices were placed on property owned by the California department of transportation property. This is the peoples land, she said. This is Caltrans land that is owned by Californians who pay taxes. The peoples land is being used to torture the people.

While the noise machines were off during the news conference, workers reportedly said that they were turned on approximately one hour later.

The noise machines are mounted on lampposts in the parking lot under a highway overpass. Home Depot set up these noise machines several days after the most recent ICE raid at its Cypress Park location, advocates claim.

The Cypress Park Home Depot has seen extensive ICE activity, with Ortiz reportedly saying that immigration agents have detained about 50 people there this year. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents also detained a US citizen at that Home Depot whose child was in the car, and then drove off with the toddler, the Times reported.

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Undocumented day laborers across the US have long convened at Home Depot locations to find work, but these stores have become an epicenter of aggressive enforcement under Donald Trumps deportation-centered immigration policy.

Immigration officers have targeted Home Depot locations in Los Angeles suburbs. In January, federal agents rounded up migrants at a Home Depot in Kern county, California, per reports.

One raid at a Los Angeles Home Depot was among the immigration actions that spurred sprawling protests in LA this summer. Trump subsequently tried to clamp down on demonstrations by mobilizing national guard troops.

Asked for comment, Home Depot spokesperson George Lane said the company has several initiatives we use to keep our stores safe, including human and technology resources.

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To say that we are cooperating with these immigration enforcement activities is just false, Lane said in an email. We are not informed when these activities are going to happen, and were in no way involved in the operations. We cannot legally interfere with federal enforcement agencies, including preventing them from coming into our stores and parking lots.

Another spokesperson for the company insisted that the noise machines are a safety initiative  intended to deter and prevent illegal overnight parking in the area with no connection to immigration enforcement.
The military added that the terrorist was approaching Israeli forces in the area.

The IDF killed a terrorist on Friday who was identified and seen crossing the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip, the military announced.

The military added that the terrorist was approaching Israeli forces in the area.

Later that same day, the military identified and fired on a number of suspicious individuals in command structures west of the Yellow Line. The military is reviewing the incident.

Terrorists attempt Yellow Line crossing in Gaza

Earlier this week, the operations against terrorist threats on the Yellow Line were conducted by the IDF. An incident on Tuesday saw a terrorist approach Israeli troops and was subsequently killed.

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An incident the day before saw another terrorist killed who crossed the Yellow Line.

These three incidents occurred after Israel killed top Hamas official, Raad Saad, on Saturday.

Golani Brigade troops along the Yellow Line area in eastern Rafah. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT)

Dismantling infrastructure on Yellow Line

On Monday, the military operated to dismantle terrorist infrastructure on the Yellow Line in eastern Rafah.

Thursday saw the IDFs 2nd Brigade being replaced by the 16th Brigade after successfully dismantling Hamas infrastructure, killing terrorists, and destroying weapons caches.
A joint drill between the IDFs elite Shayetet 13 navy commandos and US Army Special Forces (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON

The operation to capture Imad Amahz, a key terrorist of Hezbollah's covert maritime terror network, was done by the Shayetet 13 special naval ops. unit in a city almost 140 km away from Israel.

The IDF on Friday revealed details of the operation to capture Imad Amahz, a key terrorist from Hezbollah's covert maritime terror network, which operated under civilian cover and with direct supervision from former Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.

"Amahz revealed that he played a key role in Hezbollahs covert maritime framework and disclosed details about some of the organizations most sensitive and tightly compartmentalized programs," the military said in a statement.

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The operation was conducted one year ago in the coastal town of Al-Batroun in northern Lebanon by the Shayetet 13 special naval operations unit, marking a ground mission in a city almost 140 km from the Israeli border, according to Army Radio.

"The operation enabled the IDF to disrupt the advancement of the covert maritime portfolio at a critical juncture, preventing its consolidation within Hezbollah," the military said.

Nasrallah's maritime terror network

The IDF also shared a video of the interrogation of Amahz, where the terrorist shares the names of the Hezbollah leaders involved in the operation (all of which were eliminated during the war) and how Nasrallah was involved in the network.

He also explained that the main objective was using "transfers in commercial vessels for operations against the State of Israel," with them being centered on transferring military personnel, assets, weapons, and equipment, among others.

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He also said that these operations might target both Israeli and international objectives. "As long as you had people, money, and a ship its possible to do an operation," said Amahz.

The captured terrorist had extensive naval experience and also underwent training at the Lebanese Civil Naval Institute, according to Army Radio.
A leading index of employment prospects in Germany fell once again in December - reaching its lowest figure since the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020 - despite the government's economic stimulus package.

The employment barometre from the ifo Institute published on Friday fell to 91.9 points, down from 92.5 points in November. One of the main reasons is the prolonged weakness of the manufacturing sector, the Munich-based think tank said.

In 2025, we experienced gradual job cuts, especially in industry, Klaus Wohlrabe, head of surveys at ifo, said in a press release.

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"The weak economy is continuing to slow down the labour market.

Pessimism dominates

The German economy will grow again slightly next year thanks to the government's 500 billion ($85.4 billion) debt package, ifo and many other economists believe.

However, according to the monthly survey of several thousand companies conducted by the Munich-based economists, almost all sectors of industry plan to continue cutting jobs in the coming months.

Service providers and retailers are also cautious or are planning to reduce their workforce, ifo said. The construction industry is less pessimistic and intends to at least maintain its current staffing levels.

Only the tourism industry and management consultancies are optimistic about the coming months and plan to hire more employees next year, the report states.
A leading index of employment prospects in Germany fell once again in December - reaching its lowest figure since the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020 - despite the government's economic stimulus package.

The employment barometre from the ifo Institute published on Friday fell to 91.9 points, down from 92.5 points in November. One of the main reasons is the prolonged weakness of the manufacturing sector, the Munich-based think tank said.

In 2025, we experienced gradual job cuts, especially in industry, Klaus Wohlrabe, head of surveys at ifo, said in a press release.

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"The weak economy is continuing to slow down the labour market.

Pessimism dominates

The German economy will grow again slightly next year thanks to the government's 500 billion ($85.4 billion) debt package, ifo and many other economists believe.

However, according to the monthly survey of several thousand companies conducted by the Munich-based economists, almost all sectors of industry plan to continue cutting jobs in the coming months.

Service providers and retailers are also cautious or are planning to reduce their workforce, ifo said. The construction industry is less pessimistic and intends to at least maintain its current staffing levels.

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Only the tourism industry and management consultancies are optimistic about the coming months and plan to hire more employees next year, the report states.

Germany weak compared to other industrialized nations

According to a forecast updated in October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects moderate average growth of 1.5% in Western industrialized countries and Japan.

The German economy, on the other hand, could stagnate once again this year, with the ifo Institute expecting gross domestic product to rise by 0.1%.

In 2026, German economic output could then grow by 0.8%, significantly less than hoped for when the new government took office in May.
A photograph depicting the quiet strength of a 10-year-old girl in Afghanistan engrossed in her schoolbook has won the UNICEF Photo of the Year 2025 competition.

It was taken by French photojournalist Elise Blanchard in a remote village east of Kabul, the United Nations Children's Fund said on Friday.

UNICEF patron, Elke Budenbender, the wife of the German president, said that for many girls in Afghanistan childhood means fighting for something that should be a given: the right to learn.

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UNICEF explained that the photo of the girl named Hajira represents the quiet but unwavering resilience of millions of Afghan girls who are denied access to secondary education by Afghanistan's extremist Taliban government.

Second prize went to Natalya Saprunova, born in Russia and living in France, for a picture from her reporting in Mongolia, where children suffer from extreme air pollution.

The picture shows toddlers sleeping in a kindergarten around an air filter that is supposed to reduce the concentration of pollutants.

Third place went to Indian photographer Sourav Das, who has often documented the bitter fates of children struggling to survive in the harshest conditions.

The theme is childhood in Jharia, notorious as India's "burning city" and one of the country's largest coal fields for some 100 years. An underground fire smoulders there, causing massive environmental problems.
Theres an ongoing battle over a proposed retail development in Indian Land. Neighbors helped shoot it down, but theres a chance it could still have life.

A developer wants to rezone 71 acres of land near Sun City, but some people who live there tell Channel 9s Tina Terry that this is too much.

Yeah, theres way too much development, said Jonathan Griffin, a neighbor who lives near Highway 521. We remember when there was one red light. Now theres 50 every 10 feet.

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CF Smith Property Group LLC has asked the county planning commission to rezone the area from low-density residential to regional business. That would make room for commercial development.

SEE MORE >> New Target and Costco opening in Lancaster County as leaders push road improvements

Griffith says hes concerned about the traffic the project could create.

Traffic in the morning instead of 10, 15 [minutes] to the state line, you gotta spend 30 to 40 minutes going all the way around to Rock Hill, Griffith said.

Hes not alone, neighbors spoke out at a packed meeting Tuesday night saying recent development, including a new Costco and Target stores have already created too much congestion.

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At 6:30 p.m., Route 160 at 521 was bumper to bumper at 6:30 this evening, and then we want to add another 1,500 parking spaces for stores, one neighbor said.

The planning commission denied this rezoning request, but Channel 9 learned the county council will have a final say in a meeting next year.

(VIDEO: New emergency facility in Indian Land to address growing healthcare needs)
Bahrain should move faster to diversify government revenue and cut spending in order to bolster its finances, according to a top IMF official. The Gulfs most-indebted nation needs to accelerate the program of fiscal reforms while keeping fiscal policy tight in order to signal to investors it is serious about tackling government borrowing, Jihad Azour, IMF Middle East and Central Asia director, said in an interview.

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Bahrain further into junk bond status last month, citing its rising debt levels. The IMF says Bahrains debt-to-GDP ratio could rise to 139% in 2028.

Bahraini officials say the country is attracting foreign investment, growing non-oil revenues, and taking measures to address government debt. But the challenge it faces is how to compete with larger neighbors like Saudi Arabia and the UAE for investment and talent.
Inside the fight to save Namibia's wildlife

Moments before the sun set behind Namibias burnt-orange mountains, a large truck rumbled onto the desert landscape below. Inside were ostriches, springbok, and oryx, restless and stamping around their transport crate. Members of the local tribe and a handful of journalists watched from safari vehicles as conservationists readied the doors. Soon, the animals would charge into their new home: the Orange River Karoo conservation area.

Wildlife translocation projects dont always go well; sometimes, the animals dont survive the journey. For the Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area, a nonprofit working to restore 2.4 million acres in the countrys south, this inaugural release was years in the makingand they were prepared. Once the doors finally opened and each group of animals clumsily stumbled out before striding across the land as if theyd always been there, any potential worry dissolved. One emotion was unmistakable on every face: joy.

Honestly, it was one of the happiest days ever, in terms of how many years and days have gone into getting us to where we are today, said Andreia Pawel, cofounder of ORKCA.

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The Orange River-Karoo region has been around for millennia, but its ecosystem suffered greatly in the last two centuries as southern Namibia lost 90% of its wildlife to poaching, mining, and the conversion of open land to livestock farming, according to ORKCA. Where 10,000 elephants and 3,000 hippos once roamed the region, there are now zerothe largest extinction of megafauna in sub-Saharan Africa. A robust population of 20 million springbok has dropped to just 5,000, while giraffe numbers tumbled from 6,000 to 30. These metrics are equally bleak for the lands historic predators. There were once 2,000 leopards throughout the landscape. Today, there are just 10 remaining. Lion numbers have cratered from 3,000 to total extinction.

Even so, the story of conservation work is hardly one of defeat, Atmos reports. While many experts have completely written off the Orange River-Karoo, as is the case for many desert landscapes, ORKCA formed in 2020 when its members recognized the potential for restoration. Three years later, the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, which since 2019 has committed itself to the protection of the planet, also recognized ORKCAs vision, and decided to aid in the organizations first wildlife release.

The unique ecology of the region spans three different biomes: the desert, the driest of biomes; the Nama Karoo, characterized by low shrubs and rugged terrain; and the Succulent Karoo, the worlds only arid biodiversity hotspotmaking the Orange River-Karoo an ecotone, a natural crossroads and a catalyst for evolution.

When youre talking about research in the far south, in the desert, everyone laughs and asks you what is there? said ORKCA chief executive Nabot Mbeeli. When you really start looking closely, close to the surface, you'll be amazed by the amount of life that is actually there.

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Local tribes have always known this. Karoo is derived from the Khoisan word meaning land of thirst. For the Namathe largest and only remaining group of the KhoiKhoi people, now living in Namibias Karas regionthe landscape is demanding, but not hopeless. Life begets life; and when people, plants, and wildlife live in symbiosis with the living land, it always gives back. The Nama people rely on this reciprocity.

Traditional healers depend on indigenous species for remedies, herders rely on healthy grazing ecosystems, and our way of life is shaped by the balance between people and nature, said Lizle Jacobs, a member of a local Nama womens group called Orange River Queens.

Over the past few years, the health of the land has improved dramatically, Mbeeli says. From above, the 395,000 acres that ORKCA has set aside for conservation stand in sharp contrast to the surrounding farm communities. Theres grass as high as and as thick as your hip because the area has had no livestock pressure; it's just been allowed to rest for five years now, said Mbeeli. It's amazing the amount of difference.

ORKCA has been working to restore the land and ensure its viability for the remaining wildlife and for the animals they plan to continue to reintroducemore animals like the oryx, springbok, and ostriches. Before the release, two animals from each species were collared to keep track of their whereabouts, as part of the translocation project plan.

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The day after the release, the familiar cohort of ostriches was resting and seemed to be doing well. Later, the group of oryx, quickly followed by a sighting of 10 or so springbok, were spotted. While springbok and oryx tend to be herd animals, ostriches are not; yet they remained together in their first 24 hours of life on the ORKCA landscape.

These are the first animals to be collared on the land; but part of ORKCAs daily operations has always included tracking animalsit was just done by following footprints and observing dung piles rather than chasing a satellite signal. The new collaring method is part of a broader strategy that uses technology to track migration patterns and collect data that will eventually feed into the research center ORKCA is now building.

We are understanding how theyre moving within this section of the landscape, how they will be dispersing across a greater landscape, and so on, Mbeeli said. Its a massive landscape, and trying to study without using tech would be a lot more challenging. So, this is a first step in collecting the data.

Restoration and rewilding of the Orange River-Karoo includes a lot of grunt work, such as long days spent removing fences previously put up by farmers to protect livestock from wildlife encounters. ORKCA is also installing radio towers to help ranger teams communicate across the field. With support from the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, more than 90 camera traps have been placed throughout the property and at watering holes to capture passing wildlifeand to detect potential threats, including poachers. In this way, ORKCA helps boost the animals odds of survival in the conservation area.

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A lot of conservation is actually taking down fences, cleaning out water holes, Pawel said. It's very hard work, and it's long days in the field, so it's really important for us to also get hands-on and have that connection with wildlife, the ones that we're actually passionate about, and that inspires us as a team.

While tracking the released animals, a range of animated wildlife could be seena curious kudu staring from a mountain top, a family of raucous baboons, two Karoo korhaan birds performing a mating dancein addition to, conversely, death. Maggots engulfed the bloated belly of a fallen oryx, its spear-sharp horns tangled in a wiry bush. Adriaan Mulder, a tour guide and reservation manager for part of the region, inspected the animal and confirmed it wasnt one of the releases. This oryx had been dead for at least a couple of days, he said, and hypothesized the likely cause of death as a bite from a poisonous snake.

Climate change has also made its mark on the ORKCA landscape. As the driest country in the sub-Sahara, Namibia experiences some of the most dire effects of a warming world. The southern areas endemic plant species are in decline, including a range of succulents and the ubiquitous quiver tree. The areas wetlands are threatened, too. The Orange River, which divides South Africa and Namibia and is considered a lifeline in the region, often suffers from drought conditions while pesticides from nearby commercial farms threaten water quality.

But as the ecological health of the Orange River-Karoo conservation area improves, signs of resilient life are returning in remarkable ways. Weve had [some years] that we get good rain, and we start seeing species of flowers that just pop up that weve never seen before in areas that we thought were barren, said Pawel. Then, all of a sudden, it's this amazing vegetation that is there. The Orange River feeds these plants, so the health of the waterway is paramount. ORKCA now plans to make it part of a transboundary park, so that the river no longer serves as a porous national border. Instead, it will form the core of an area designed to protect biodiversity, wildlife, and ecological processes.

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ORKCAs efforts have renewed interest in the region, drawing geologists and botanists back to a landscape that was once abandoned. That momentum is likely to spur further research and more conservation work.

While the Orange River-Karoo still bears the scars of loss, the memories of its former abundance linger in its water, plants, and the animals that still roam its plains, waiting for more to return. Together with the Indigenous stewards of this land, ORKCA is committed to bringing that vision back to life. And if the organizations first wildlife reintroductionmarked by song, dance, and interspecies communionis any indication, this is only the beginning.

Rolex hosted Jasmine Hardy on a trip to Namibia in September 2025.

This story was produced by Atmos and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.




Weeks after a rare interstellar comet made its closest pass to the sun, it will make its closest pass to Earth.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was first discovered in July via a regular sky survey by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), after which the comet was named. The 3I designation stands for third interstellar, because it is just the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system  after 2I/Borisov in 2019 and 1I/'Oumuamua in 2017.

NASAs Psyche mission acquired four observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS over the course of eight hours on Sept. 8 and 9, 2025, when the comet was about 33 million miles (53 million kilometers) from the spacecraft. The data, captured by Psyches multispectral imager, is helping astronomers both refine the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS and learn more about the faint coma, or cloud of gas, surrounding its nucleus (shown in the zoomed-in inset image). (Courtesy/NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)





The comet has traveled billions of miles through other systems in space. Its orbit is strongly hyperbolic, meaning its moving with enough speed to avoid our suns gravitational pull  even when it reached its closest point to the Sun on Oct. 30, at around 130 million miles. For reference, Earth is roughly 93 million miles from the sun.

When does Comet 3I/ATLAS pass Earth? Can I see the comet?

The astronomical wonder will reach its closest point to Earth on Friday, Dec. 19, at around 168 million miles away. Experts say it will be closest in the pre-dawn hours between 2:30 and 5 a.m. in the east to northeast skies near Regulus, the bright star in the constellation Leo.

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Unfortunately, Comet 3I/ATLAS won't be visible to the naked eye. Viewers will need a small telescope or powerful binoculars to see what appears to be a faint, misty smudge.

Don't fret, though, the online space exploration publication Space.com is hosting a livestream on Dec. 18-19 courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project, beginning at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 18.

What we know about Comet 3I/ATLAS

The interstellar origins of Comet 3I/ATLAS make it an extraordinary find for astronomers. Such objects can give scientists the opportunity to sample material from other star systems and compare it with our own.

[Interstellar objects are] like cosmic time capsules, delivering samples from distant exoplanetary systems we could never otherwise visit and study directly, Space.com states. The discovery of 3I/ATLAS opens the door to a completely new branch of study in astrophysics.

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However, this opportunity is fleeting  upon its discovery, 3I/ATLAS was hurtling through our solar system at around 130,000 miles per hour, which, according to NASA, is the highest velocity ever recorded for a solar system visitor. Its believed to have increasingly moved faster in the months since, and will soon leave our system and continue its journey through interstellar space.

JTNDZGl2JTNFJTBBJTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy5nb29nbGUuY29tJTJGcHJlZmVyZW5jZXMlMkZzb3VyY2UlM0ZxJTNEc3RhdGVzbWFuLmNvbSUyMiUzRSUwQSUzQ2ltZyUyMHNyYyUzRCUyMmh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGcy5oZG51eC5jb20lMkZwaG90b3MlMkYwMSUyRjU0JTJGMzUlMkYzNiUyRjI4NDMyMzA3JTJGMyUyRnJhd0ltYWdlLmpwZyUyMiUzRSUwQSUzQyUyRmElM0UlMEElM0MlMkZkaXYlM0U=

A few weeks after the comet was identified, NASAs Hubble Space Telescope gathered enough information to give astronomers a better understanding of its size and makeup. 3I/ATLAS has a solid, icy nucleus that is believed to be between 1,000 feet and 3.5 miles in diameter. The University of Californias David Jewitt, science team leader for the Hubble observations, explained the difficulty in drawing deeper conclusions about the object.

No one knows where the comet came from, Jewitt said. Its like glimpsing a rifle bullet for a thousandth of a second. You cant project that back with any accuracy to figure out where it started on its path.

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The comets chemical makeup suggests it formed in a cold, distant region of its parent systems disk, under temperature, radiation or disk-environment conditions much different than those of our solar system. Experts theorize 3I/ATLAS is likely very old, between three and 14 billion years per the Planetary Society. For comparison, our solar system is around 4.6 billion years old.

Comet 3I/ATLAS timeline by NASA images

This image shows the observation of comet 3I/ATLAS when it was discovered on July 1, 2025. The NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Chile first reported that the comet originated from interstellar space. (Courtesy/ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA)





Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus. (Courtesy/NASA/ESA/David Jewitt UCLA)





NASAs James Webb Space Telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Aug. 6, with its Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument. (Courtesy/NASA/James Webb Space Telescope)





NASAs Psyche mission acquired four observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS over the course of eight hours on Sept. 8 and 9, 2025, when the comet was about 33 million miles (53 million kilometers) from the spacecraft. The data, captured by Psyches multispectral imager, is helping astronomers both refine the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS and learn more about the faint coma, or cloud of gas, surrounding its nucleus (shown in the zoomed-in inset image). (Courtesy/NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)

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Is 3I/ATLAS an alien ship? Harvard professor's theory met with criticism

The rumor that 3I/ATLAS may not be a comet at all sprouted from Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard University and the head of its Galileo Project. Loeb, along with two others, wrote a paper published in July that speculated the object could be "hostile" alien technology. The publication justified the claim, in part, by pointing out its unusual features, like its hyperbolic trajectory, alignment with the ecliptic plane (the plane of Earth's orbit), and "non-natural" chemical and physical makeup.

Many experts and agencies like NASA have shared doubts about Loeb's theory, as reported by The Guardian.

"It looks like a comet. It does comet things. It very, very strongly resembles, in just about every way, the comets that we know," Tom Statler, a lead scientist for NASA, said. "It has some interesting properties that are a little bit different from our solar system comets, but it behaves like a comet. And so the evidence is overwhelmingly pointing to this object being a natural body. Its a comet."

The theory of 3I/ATLAS being tied to extraterrestrial beings isn't the first such claim by Loeb. In 2017, he made a similar claim about 1I/'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object detected in our solar system. That theory has since been debunked, including world-class astrophysics programs like the one at the University of Hawaii.
The suspect in the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor was found dead Thursday night inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

Authorities identified the suspect as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national and former Brown University student who attended the school from 2000 to 2001.

His last known address was in Miami.

During a Thursday night press conference, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente was found with two firearms and was wearing the same clothing seen in images police previously released of a person of interest.

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Investigators received a tip about a vehicle linked to the suspect and later identified a rental car Valente had picked up in Boston and driven to Rhode Island.

The car was spotted outside Brown University, and police said Valente had covered the rentals license plate with a Maine plate.

He knew what he was doing, Neronha said.

Surveillance video then showed Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiros home, then about an hour later entering a storage facility where he was later found dead on Thursday.

Neronha detailed that a person who was in close proximity to Valente around the time of the shooting came forward and provided invaluable information regarding the car Valente used, which they tracked to a Massachusetts rental facility.

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Police were originally drawn to the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility on Thursday due to a car of the same make and model that was seen near the Brown University shooting and the murder of Nuno Loureiro.

Authorities said he was wearing the same clothes seen shortly after the murder.

The storage unit where Valente was found was not one he had rented.

Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. said investigators were able to identify Valente through surveillance footage and rental records.

Authorities also confirmed that Valente and Loureiro attended the same university in Lisbon.

The attack on Brown Universitys campus triggered hours of chaos across campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place.

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Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Uzbekistan, were killed when a man walked inside the engineering building and opened fire.

In terms of why Brown, that is a mystery, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. That is really unknown to us. That may become clear. I hope that it does. But it hasnt yet.

The investigation into these incidents remains ongoing, but there is no longer a threat to the public.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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BEIRUT (AP)  Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on southern and northeastern Lebanon on Thursday as a deadline looms to disarm the militant Hezbollah group along the countries' tense frontier.

The strikes came a day before a meeting of the committee monitoring the enforcement of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago. The gathering on Friday will be the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border.

In Paris, Lebanons army commander, Gen. Rodolph Haikal, held meetings with U.S., French and Saudi officials to discuss ways of assisting the army in its mission to boost its presence in the border area. Haikal started his meetings first by holding talks with French military officials.

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Gen. Fabien Mandon, the French armed forces' chief of staff, posted on X Thursday that he discussed with Haikal the strategic environment and security challenges in Lebanon and the region.

Mandon said that Frances help to the Lebanese army is guided by a common objective, which is to contribute to maintaining stability and lasting peace, in respect with Lebanons sovereignty.

The French Foreign Ministry said political parties meeting in Paris on Thursday agreed to hold a conference in February aimed at supporting the Lebanese armed forces.

The ministry added that the talks focused on how to demonstrate progress toward Hezbollah's disarmament, as French, Saudi and U.S. officials met with the head of the Lebanese army to work on a road map for a disarmament mechanism.

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A Lebanese army statement quoted Haikal as telling Mandon that Lebanon's military is committed to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire deal near the border with Israel within the specified time frame.

The Lebanese government has said that the army should have cleared the whole border area south of the Litani River from Hezbollahs armed presence by the end of the year.

The Israeli military said that the strikes hit Hezbollah infrastructure and launching sites in a military compound used by the group to conduct training and courses for its fighters. The Israeli military also said that it struck several Hezbollah military structures in which weapons were stored, and from which Hezbollah members operated recently.

The intense airstrikes stretched from areas in Mount Rihan in the south to the northeastern Hermel region that borders Syria, according to Lebanons state-run National News Agency, or NNA.

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Shortly afterward, a drone strike on a car near the southern town of Taybeh wounded four people, NNA reported.

This is an Israeli message to the Paris meeting aiming to support the Lebanese army, parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri said about the strikes.

The fire belt of Israeli airstrikes is to honor the mechanisms meeting tomorrow (Friday), Berri said during a parliamentary meeting in Beirut.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.

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Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then, mainly targeting Hezbollah members, but also killing 127 civilians, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Over the past several weeks, the U.S. has increased pressure on Lebanon to work harder on disarming Hezbollah.

___

Associated Press writer Thomas Adamson in Paris contributed to this report.
After appearing in a closed-door deposition with the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week, Jack Smith, the former special counsel who led the criminal cases against President Donald Trump, still wants the chance to defend his work in a public hearing  and defend himself against continued Republican attacks.

Attorneys for Smith are pressing for their client to be allowed to testify in an open forum in a new letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, obtained first by POLITICO.

[We] reiterate our request for an open and public hearing, Smiths lawyers, Lanny Breuer and Peter Koski, wrote to Jordan. During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed all legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law. He stands by his decisions.

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Breuer and Koski also requested that the videotape of Smiths testimony be released in full so that he can speak to the public directly rather than through second-hand accounts.

Smiths deposition spanned more than eight hours Wednesday, as he spoke to House Judiciary members under oath and stood by his decisions to levy criminal charges against the then-former president for allegedly mishandling classified documents and attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election.

According to portions of his statement shared with POLITICO, Smith argued the evidence in his offices possession would have provided proof of the Presidents criminal behavior beyond a reasonable doubt.

He never got to fully present that evidence, as Smith was forced to drop both his cases as a result of Justice Department policy that prevents prosecuting the current occupant of the White House. But Trump and his allies have continued to paint Smith as a villainous leader in the campaign to politicize the Biden-era Justice Department.

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House and Senate Republicans have vowed to investigate Smith and his offices work in a crusade that has only become more intense in the wake of revelations that Smith requested phone data for Republican members of Congress as part of his election subversion probe.

Jordan, who has separately already referred Smiths senior assistant special counsel for criminal prosecution for failing to cooperate with his investigation, said he has not ruled out allowing the Biden era special counsel to testify in an open forum.

There are relatively few details about Smiths remarks and the exchanges with lawmakers, beyond the portions of his statements shared with reporters. Members of the Judiciary Committee leaving the deposition Wednesday provided relatively few details.

Amid an ongoing Justice Department campaign to levy criminal charges against the presidents perceived enemies, Smith is also navigating a complicated legal minefield: His testimony is hamstrung by grand jury secrecy rules, DOJ policy and an order from a federal judge that a volume of his report surrounding the classified documents case remain under seal.

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Its not clear to what extent Smith told Congressional investigators he could not provide certain information due to the various restrictions on his testimony.

Democrats have argued the decision to hold the private deposition deprived the American public of important information about the president and amounted to an effort to distort the record of Smiths testimony.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was still hopeful Smith could be given the chance to speak publicly.

I think somebody should prepare Donald Trump for it, because he will be devastated and humiliated by what he hears, Raskin said in a brief interview Thursday.
The attorney representing the family of a man who was killed in a road rage incident is now calling for answers and an arrest.

They said Joe Starkey was unarmed and did not pose a threat when he was shot after an encounter with another driver on St. Johns Bluff Road.

Starkey and his wife were on their way home from dinner last week when, according to their attorney, John Phillips, a jeep started swerving into their lane and brake-checking them.

Phillips said Starkey did not want to lead the driver to his home, so he pulled over, hoping the jeep would keep going, but it didnt.

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My husband got out of the car because he did not want him following us to our house, Joes wife, Tina Starkey, said.

Starkey tried to speak with that driver, and his attorney said at no point did he threaten him or use any force.

Joe didnt have anything threatening, Phillips said. No conversation, no threats, no nothing. Killed him in cold blood.

Police said the alleged shooter turned himself in.

Phillips said he believes its being investigated as a stand-your-ground case.

You cant be the aggressor and have stand your ground, Phillips said.

The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said it is an active homicide investigation.

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As the family continues to seek justice, Starkeys son had this message for the driver who killed his dad.

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You were so scared of him that you felt the need that you had to shoot him, Joes son Damien Starkey said. You could have driven away, you were pulled up behind him, and you chose not to.

The family is urging anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

I just want to get to the bottom of this and make sure he gets the justice he deserves, Damien said.

There will be a memorial service for Joe on Saturday at 2 p.m. It will be held at the Hidden Hills Country Club.

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The tranche of nominees advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday would fully staff benches in Atlantic and Mercer counties. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)

A Senate panel advanced more than a dozen judicial nominees Thursday that could bring court vacancies to their lowest levels in years after confirmation votes that are planned to go before the full chamber next week.

If confirmed, the 13 would-be Superior Court judges, plus the one jurist confirmed during Thursdays voting session in the Senate, would drop vacancies on New Jerseys bench to 30, a level top court officials have said is sustainable for the judiciary.

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There are hardly going to be any vacancies left, Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) told reporters following Thursdays voting session.

There were 44 vacancies in New Jerseys courts on Thursday, up from 33 at the start of July. That number will fall to 43 once New Brunswick Chief Municipal Court Judge James Hoebich, who was confirmed to the Superior Court Thursday, is sworn in.

The 13 court nominees advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday are set to be confirmed by the full chamber during Mondays voting session, according to Sen. Brian Stack (D-Hudson), the Senate judiciary chairman.

Sen. Brian Stack (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)

The judiciary committee intends to meet again to advance more judges before the current legislative session ends in mid-January, Stack said.

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I think well have another one or two meetings, depending on the Senate presidents direction on it. Definitely one more. Possibly two more, he told the New Jersey Monitor.

The nominees advanced Thursday include Murphy administration attorneys Valentina DiPippo, Melissa Medoway, and Kerry Soranno, plus Dan Kelly, a longtime advisor who runs the governors disaster recovery office.

Each of these talented individuals have worked diligently to advance our state. I am confident they will excel in their new roles on the bench, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

There are 17 remaining Superior Court hopefuls who have been nominated by Murphy, who leaves office on Jan. 20. Murphys nominations expire when new legislators are sworn in at noon on Jan. 13.

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Though most of the court nominees awaiting committee hearings were nominated in recent weeks or months, three have been waiting longer.

Murphy nominated Department of Corrections Commissioner Victoria Kuhn and former Newark Municipal Chief Judge Richard Nunes in June. Shantika Dorsey, an attorney for East Orange, has been awaiting confirmation votes for just over a year.

In New Jersey, individual senators can indefinitely and unilaterally block judicial nominees who reside in their home county or legislative district by invoking an unwritten rule called senatorial courtesy. The practice could block the confirmations of some nominees, though its unclear how many.

When asked whether there were court nominees awaiting courtesy sign-offs, Stack said, I believe there might be, but Im not 100% sure.

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Court observers who have long urged legislators to speed judicial confirmations  and Murphy to nominate judges  welcomed this weeks progress. Christine Amalfe, president of the New Jersey State Bar Association, said vacancies have strained the states courts and swelled case backlogs.

Passing todays slate of judicial nominees will meaningfully ease that burden, and the NJSBA thanks the Governor and Legislature for taking this important action, she said. The NJSBA will continue to urge state leaders to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities and restore the Judiciary as a co-equal branch of government by confirming a full complement of judges. We look forward to further progress.

The judiciary reported 36,396 backlogged cases in October, down from the record 97,032 cases reached in September 2021, but the number remains about 52% above prepandemic levels.

In March 2020, before COVID-19 forced the judiciary to shutter courthouses and hold proceedings virtually, the judiciary reported 23,917 backlogged cases.

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Court officials mark a case as backlogged if it has not been heard after a period of time, which varies based on the type of case.

If confirmed by the full Senate, the nominees advanced Thursday would fully erase the Mercer Vicinages six vacancies and cut vacancies in Atlantic County from one to zero.

Middlesexs vacancies would fall from four to three, then two once Hoebich is sworn in. Ocean, Burlington, and Monmouth counties would each see their vacancies reduced by one if the nominees are confirmed.

Judicial vacancies have been a longstanding problem under Murphy. Though just nine seats on the bench were empty after Gov. Chris Christie left office in January 2018 following a court expansion that added 20 new judgeships to aid then-nascent bail reform, vacancies ballooned early in Murphys tenure.

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Only one of his judicial nominees was confirmed in 2018, when the governor found himself at odds with legislative leaders from his own party. The clash extended to budget negotiations, only narrowly avoiding a government shutdown.

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Bay Area Jewish leaders are calling on Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez to resign after he reposted several LinkedIn posts promoting conspiracy theories that blamed Israel for the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia.

Screenshots captured by the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area show Martinez reposting content from a Palestinian activist and professor who speculated that an Israeli soldier might have committed the Bondi attack, claiming that "paid actors have a history of carrying out false flag, anti-Jewish attacks in Australia and then blaming others."

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Another repost featured an image of a Star of David alongside the caption: "The root cause of antisemitism is the behaviour of Israel & Israelis."

Martinez later deleted the posts.

"I want to apologize for sharing my previous posts without thinking," he wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday. "Of course we know that antisemitism was here before the creation of the state of Israel. As I've said many times before, we should not conflate Zionism with Judaism. They are two separate beliefs."

In an open letter sent Thursday, the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area urged Martinez to resign.

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"Such rhetoric is dangerously antisemitic, deeply offensive, and wholly unacceptable - particularly coming from a sitting mayor," the group wrote. "Words from public officials carry weight and when those words echo antisemitic tropes they place people at risk."

A call to Martinez on Thursday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Martinez also was criticized by Jewish organizations this fall when he spoke at a pro-Palestinian conference in Detroit and wore a hat reading "DDTTIDF," which stands for "Death, Death to the Israel Defense Forces."

"Taken together, these actions reflect a consistent and deeply troubling disregard for the safety and dignity of Jewish people," the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area wrote. "They erode public trust and send a chilling message to Jewish residents that they are neither protected nor respected by their own mayor."

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Richmond was one of the first Bay Area cities to pass a ceasefire resolution related to the war in Gaza, just weeks after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. The ordinance called for "an end to Israeli apartheid and the occupation and blockade of Palestinian land by Israeli military forces."

A retired Richmond schoolteacher, Martinez was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2014 and became mayor in 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the Richmond Progressive Alliance.

The Sunday shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, left 15 people dead. Police shot two suspected gunmen, a father and son, killing the father. Authorities have said the shooting was linked to the Islamic State terrorist organization.

Martinez's posts drew condemnation from both faith leaders and former elected officials around Richmond.

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"He seems incapable of expressing the most minimal compassion or empathy for Jews that have been murdered, or their families," said Dean Kertesz, who served as rabbi for 40 years at Richmond's Temple Beth Hillel. "If you can't condemn the murder of innocent people because they're Jews, then you're not qualified to be a public servant."

Former Mayor Tom Butt said he believes Martinez "has crossed a line in his criticism of Israel and support for Hamas." Still, he said he doesn't expect Martinez will resign over his comments.

Richmond City Council member Sue Wilson said that while she disagreed with Martinez's posts, she thinks the mayor should get a chance to make things right.

"I let him know about my disapproval as soon as I was made aware," Wilson wrote in a statement. "He has started the process of making public apologies and reaching out to Jewish community leaders to try to make amends. I think he deserves a chance to do that."

This article originally published at Jewish group demands East Bay mayor resign after posts on Bondi Beach shooting.
One of the two convictions in the Jam Master Jay murder was overturned by a judge

Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall voided the conviction of Karl Jordan Jr. on murder charges.

The judge ruled that there wasn't enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill Jason Mizell, also known as Jam Master Jay.

An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the DJ - his own godfather - in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002.

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But Jordan's lawyers had argued that the evidence didn't support prosecutors' claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, as revenge for a failed drug deal.

"We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served," one of his attorneys, John Diaz, said in an email.

Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is reviewing the decision.

Separately, the judge said the government proved the motive in the case against co-defendant Ronald Washington, so his motion for an acquittal was denied.

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Mizell worked the turntables in Run-D.M.C. as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as "It's Tricky" and a fresh take on Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

His killing became one of the hip-hop world's most elusive cases.

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to media at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, November 20, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Four House Republicans joined with Democrats in supporting a discharge petition which will force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are currently set to expire at the end of the year.

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Robert Bresnahan (R-PA), and Ryan MacKenzie (R-PA) helped Democrats reach the needed 218 votes on Wednesday.

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Lawler accused his own party of political malpractice for not having an up or down vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies following a closed door meeting with Republican lawmakers.

I am pissed for the American people. This is bullsh*t, Lawler told Politico.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters on Tuesday that there would be no vote on extending subsidies.

Many of them did want to vote on this Obamacare Covid-era subsidy the Democrats created, he said. We looked for a way to try to allow for that pressure release valve, and it just was not to be.

The discharge petition was filed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

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Lawler warned Johnson this week that he was considering jumping to the other side to support the petition in order to send a message. Johnson previously rejected attempts to hold a vote on the issue.

We have worked for months to craft a two-party solution to address these expiring healthcare credits. Weve worked for months with both parties, in both chambers, and with the White House, all in good faith, to balance all equities and offer a responsible bridge that successfully threaded the needle, Fitzpatrick said in a Wednesday statement. Our only request was a Floor vote on this compromise, so that the American Peoples voice could be heard on this issue. That request was rejected.

The lawmaker said it was House leadership that is to blame for Republicans supporting the petition.

As Ive stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge, he said. Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome.

The post JUST IN: House to Vote on Obamacare Subsidies Extension After Republicans Defect first appeared on Mediaite.
With a market cap of $11.6 billion, Invesco Ltd. (IVZ) stands as a major U.S. investment management firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations in more than 20 countries. It provides a broad range of asset management and investment services to retail investors, institutional clients, high-net-worth individuals, pension funds, endowments, foundations, sovereign wealth funds, and other entities.

Companies worth over $10 billion or more are typically classified as large-cap stocks, and Invesco fits the label perfectly, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the asset management industry. The company manages diversified portfolios across equity, fixed income, multi-asset, commodity, and alternative strategies and offers a variety of investment products, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), closed-end funds, and private funds. Invescos strategies cover growth and value equities, bonds (government, municipal, and corporate), structured securities, and quantitative approaches. The firms global assets under management are measured in the trillions of dollars, reflecting a significant presence in both U.S. and international markets.

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Invescos rally has been hard to ignore. The wealth-management heavyweight is currently trading just 3.1% below its recent 52-week high of $27.31, reached on Dec. 12, and momentum has been firmly on its side. Shares of IVZ have rallied 19.1% over the past three months, considerably outpacing the Financial Select Sector SPDR Funds (XLF) 1% rise during the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

The outperformance becomes even more striking over longer horizons. Invesco has surged 48.3% over the past year, surpassing XLFs 11.3% rise, while the stock has rocketed 81.8% over the past six months, compared with the ETFs 8.7% advance.

Technically, the trend remains decisively bullish, with IVZ trading above its 200-day moving average since early July and consistently holding above its 50-day moving average since early May.
The Department of Justice is staring down a Friday deadline to release its files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after Congress last month passed a bill mandating the documents be made public within 30 days of the measure becoming law.

The legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law on Nov. 19 after reversing his position and recommending Republicans vote for the bill, gave his administration until Friday to release its material related to Epstein.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who spearheaded the effort to release the files along with Massie, also chimed in on Tuesday, writing on X: Any person who attempts to conceal or scrub the files will be subject to prosecution under the law. The text of the law does not specify a penalty for failing to meet the Friday deadline.

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The Trump administrations reluctance to release all of the federal governments files on Epstein has ignited an uncommon rift with the presidents base, as MAGA firebrands openly criticize the White Houses approach to managing the release of the files. Democrats have seized on the issue to accuse their Republican opponents of covering for the president, while Trump has repeatedly pointed the finger at high-level Democrats connections to Epstein.

The DOJ has provided scant details on how it intends to comply with the law, which specifies only that it must make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in its possession related to Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said last month that the Justice Department would continue to follow the law with maximum transparency while protecting victims.

The bill, which advanced to a floor vote in the House after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in signing onto a discharge petition against Speaker Mike Johnsons wishes, also mandates the DOJ declassify any covered files to the maximum extent possible.

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It allows for the department to redact or withhold records that would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution but explicitly prohibits omissions on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity. The prohibition is an effort to prevent the Trump administration from withholding files that could provide further insight into Epsteins relationship with the president, his allies and other powerful people.

Before signing the bill into law, Trump ordered Bondi to open an investigation into Epsteins ties to prominent Democrats, sparking concerns that the administration may cite the active investigation as a justification for withholding or redacting certain records.

Tens of thousands of pages of documents previously released by the House Oversight Committee in a separate tranche of material have shed light on Epsteins vast network of influential friends and associates, with photos handed over by Epsteins estate showing him with Trump, former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaire Bill Gates and others. Emails released by the committee last month also revealed Epsteins apparent fixation with Trump; the disgraced financier shared his private musings about the president with friends including journalist and author Michael Wolff and artist Andres Serrano.

In one 2019 email sent to Wolff, Epstein wrote that Trump knew about the girls, and in another, he referred to Trump as a dog that hasnt barked.



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Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing associated with Epstein  maintaining that the two had a falling out decades ago  and there has been no evidence to suggest Trump took part in Epsteins trafficking operation.

Serrano did not initially respond to a request for comment on the emails when they were disclosed last month, though later replied to POLITICO but did not provide a detailed comment. Wolff also did not respond to requests for comment, but in November told ABC News that he didnt recall the specific emails or the context, but I was in an in-depth conversation with Epstein at that time about his relationship with Donald Trump. So I think this reflects that."

After signing the bill into law, Trump accused Democrats of using the Epstein issue, which he has repeatedly referred to as a hoax, in order to distract from his administrations victories.

The DOJ said in July that it had over 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence related to Epstein, including over ten thousand photos and videos of pornography and illegal child sex abuse material.

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After Bondi ordered a review of the departments files relating to the matter, the DOJ maintained it had found no incriminating client list, a longtime fixation of conspiracy theories pushed by MAGA firebrands including now-FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges over his alleged abuse of underage girls. The federal case was formally dismissed in August 2019. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to lesser state charges in Florida as part of a controversial plea deal that allowed him to avoid severe federal charges at the time.
Dec. 19A Kalispell man who allegedly pulled a gun on his wife while drunk and high earlier this year earned a pair of suspended jail sentences in September.

Joashua Allen Willard, 45, initially pleaded not guilty to felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor tampering with a communication device in connection with the alleged June 7 confrontation on Fourth Avenue West. He was arraigned before Judge Heidi Ulbricht in Flathead County District Court on June 19.

But Willard had changed his tune by August, when he took a deal with prosecutors. In exchange for a guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to amend the charges to misdemeanor counts of negligent endangerment and assault.

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Under the terms of the deal, prosecutors planned to recommend Willard receive a suspended one-year jail sentence for negligent endangerment and a suspended six-month jail sentence for assault.

Ulbricht stuck to the deal at Willard's Sept. 4 sentencing. She also gave him credit for four days of time served on each sentence and ordered him to pay a combined $560 in court fines and fees.

Willard's gunplay began after a day of drinking heavily and smoking marijuana, according to court documents. His wife told arriving Kalispell Police officers that she confronted him after he started yelling at the children.

Willard allegedly pulled a gun from his waistband and stuck it next to her head, aiming at the house. He later fired the gun into the ground, court documents said.

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When his frightened wife told him to leave and warned that she was calling the police, Willard grabbed her and her daughter's mobile phones, according to court documents.

During an interview with investigators, Willard allegedly admitted to getting angry, but said he was upset after his wife argued with him about his girlfriend. He also admitted to aiming the gun at the house and firing it into the ground, court documents said.

Willard allegedly told investigators he took the mobile phones, but said it occurred before his wife threatened to call the police.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].
Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert greets lawmakers as she arrives Jan. 11, 2023, in the House chamber in Topeka. Behind her are Supreme Court Justices Eric Rosen, Dan Biles and Caleb Stegall. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert will step down from her position at the start of the new year and retire within weeks, she announced Friday.

Luckert, the second woman appointed to the state Supreme Court, suffered a stroke in October and temporarily withdrew from her public-facing duties. She said in a video address the decision to resign and retire was one of the hardest of her life.

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I am on a path to recovery, she said in the video, but I have had to face a difficult truth.

She is unable to fully fulfill the demands of chief justice, she said. Luckert said she will resign from the office of chief justice Jan. 2 and retire weeks later, in late January or early February. As the most senior member on the court, Justice Eric Rosen, who has been serving as interim chief justice while Luckert was on medical leave, will step into the role Jan. 2.

Luckerts retirement will give Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a fifth installation on the court before her term is up at the end of 2026. Justices Dan Biles and Rosen will be required to retire after completing the term during which they turn 75 years old, per state law. Justice Evelyn Wilson retired in July, citing a Lou Gehrigs disease diagnosis, and her replacement, Justice Larkin Walsh, took the bench in November. Voters in August 2026 will decide if they want to change the way state Supreme Court justices are selected. They will have the choice of switching to a popular vote system or retaining the current nomination and gubernatorial appointment process.

Luckert, 70, also announced her resignation from three national committees.

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Before the Supreme Court, she was a district judge in Shawnee County, becoming the first woman in Kansas to be a chief district judge.

I wanted small town Kansas children, including girls, to see themselves reflected in positions of leadership and to know their voices, their intelligence and their perseverance matter, she said.

Luckert was born in Goodland, and she obtained undergraduate and law degrees at Washburn University in Topeka. She worked in private practice before Gov. Joan Finney appointed her to the district court.

Gov. Bill Graves appointed Luckert to the Supreme Court in 2003, where she has sat for 22 years. She became chief justice in 2019 following the retirement of former Chief Justice Lawton Nuss.

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Serving as chief justice has given me a front row seat to the courage and compassion that define our judicial system, Luckert said. I have watched judges make difficult decisions with integrity. Courts staff treat people with dignity during their most vulnerable moments, and employees adapt to change with grace and resolve.

Rosen said in a news release Luckerts time on the bench has been fraught with challenge. He lauded her efforts to build relationships in state government and overcome major obstacles. She made the court system stronger, more resilient and better prepared for the future, he said.

Luckert said Kansas three branches of government have come together during her tenure to create a more accessible, more efficient and better equipped judiciary that can respond to complex issues such as mental illness and the needs of children in care.

That spirit of cooperation gives me great hope for the future, Luckert said, and confidence that the three branches can continue to build upon that foundation, and to continue to strengthen a dedicated court system designed to bring accessible justice to all.
The board of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., voted to rename the cultural institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X on Thursday (Dec. 18). The formal name would be the Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building, she wrote.

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Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur, Leavitt added.

In remarks to reporters later Thursday at the White House, Trump said he was surprised and honored by the boards vote to change the centers name.

This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members, and they voted on it, and theres a lot of board members, and they voted unanimously. So I was very honored, he added.

Shortly after Leavitt wrote her post, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of the board, disputed Leavitts account that the vote was unanimous.

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Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Beatty said that the question of renaming the Kennedy Center was not on the agenda provided to board members before Thursdays meeting and she was surprised when it came up.

I said, I have something to say, and I was muted, and as I continued to try to unmute to ask questions and voiced my opposition to this, I received a note saying that I would not be unmuted, the congresswoman told reporters.

Jack Schlossberg, grandson of the late President John F. Kennedy, picked up on that point, writing on X: Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous Im told Trump explicitly motivated to act by JACK FOR NEW YORK Our campaign represents everything Trump cant stand or defeat.

Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, is running to be the Democratic candidate in New Yorks 12th congressional district in the 2026 U.S. House of Representatives election.

Microphones were muted and the board meeting and vote NOT unanimous



Im told Trump explicitly motivated to act by JACK FOR NEW YORK



Our campaign represents everything Trump cant stand or defeat.  Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) December 18, 2025

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also denounced the decision, telling reporters that the name change was not legal.

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Efforts to rename the Kennedy Center could face legal hurdles. The original laws that guided the creation of the Kennedy Center specifically prohibited the renaming of the building. It would take an act of Congress to change that now.

President Trump largely ignored the Kennedy Center during his first term in office (2017-21), becoming the first president since the Kennedy Center Honors launched in 1978 to go a full term without once attending the gala. But since the start of his second term in January, the president has sought to reshape the Kennedy Center and its programming.

In February, he abruptly fired members of the centers board and installed himself as chair, writing in a post on Truth Social at the time, At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN.

Weeks later, the newly installed members of the Kennedy Center board, handpicked by Trump, officially elected Trump as board chair.

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Trump had a big say in naming this years Kennedy Center Honorees: George Strait, Gloria Gaynor, KISS, Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone. He personally announced the honorees, something past presidents have not done, and explained his role in the process. He said he was presented a list of about 50 candidates and rejected most on the grounds that they were too woke. These five met with his approval.

Trump hosted this years Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on Dec. 7, becoming the first U.S. president  sitting or otherwise  to host the show.

Trump has referred to the cultural institution as the Trump/Kennedy Center, writing in a post on Truth Social in August, GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER. He played it off as if he was making a joke.

Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, condemned the change, writing on X, President Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just.

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She added, President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity, and compassion for those who suffer. President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedys.

Former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, a grandnephew of the former president, also spoke out against the name change, saying in a statement, The Kennedy Center is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened on Sept. 8, 1971, nearly eight years after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. In 1968, George London became the Kennedy Centers first executive director. In 1991, Lawrence Wilker assumed the newly created position of president. In 2014, Deborah Rutter became its third president. On Feb. 10, Trump named Richard Grenell to serve as interim executive director.

Celebrities who have disassociated themselves from the Kennedy Center this year include Rhiannon Giddens, Issa Rae, Renee Fleming, Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds. The landmark musical Hamilton and play Eureka Day soon cancelled performances at the center.

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BRUSSELS (AP)  European Union leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years.

The 27-nation bloc's heads of state had planned to use some of the 210 billion euros ($246 billion) worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium. But despite working through the night into Friday morning, they failed to convince Belgium that the country would be protected from any Russian retaliation if it backed the reparations loan plan.

They settled on an alternative: borrowing $106 billion on capital markets.

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After almost four years of war, the International Monetary Fund estimates that Ukraine will need 137 billion euros ($161 billion) in 2026 and 2027. The government in Kyiv is on the verge of bankruptcy, and desperately needs the money by spring to pay for everything from ammunition to infrastructure repairs.

Here's what to know about the loan.

EU to shoulder debt

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had brought to Thursday's summit two proposals to keep Ukraine afloat.

The first plan had been to use some of the 210 billion euros ($246 billion) worth of Russian assets that are frozen in Europe, mostly in Belgium. The money has been frozen under EU sanctions slapped on Moscow after its launched its full-scale war in 2022.

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Leaders like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron backed this first option, especially since that method of funding would require support from two-thirds of the 27 EU nations.

That majority was expected to be far easier politically to reach than the total unanimity required by the EU foundational treaty for the second option: borrowing money from capital markets.

But throughout the long night, Belgiums Prime Minister Bart de Wever refused to budge on the reparations loan. It was Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban has long objected to Brussels embrace of Ukraine, that compromised.

The European Council said it would use Article 20 of the Treaty of Europe to allow the EU to shoulder debt for a zero-interest loan to Ukraine.

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Its a simpler and possibly safer solution compared to the reparations loans. It is also akin to how the EU took on 750 billion euro in debt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic for a gigantic economic recovery fund. Large borrowing has become a hallmark of the administration of von der Leyen.

Outliers protected from financial burdens

Not all countries agreed to the loan package. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic refused to take on debt for Ukraine, but a deal was reached in which they did not block the loan package and were promised protection from any financial fallout.

Orban, who is Russian President Vladimir Putins closest ally in Europe, claimed double victory at the summit in a post on X.

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We did not allow Europe to issue a declaration of war on Russia by using Russian assets and we succeeded in protecting Hungarian families from additional debt, he said. He estimated the cost to Hungarians would have been 1000 billion HUF or $3 billion.

Orban praised the cooperation of Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, which were all excluded from financial burdens from the loan to allow for the unanimity required by the EU treaty.

But Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis distanced himself Friday from Slovakia and Hungarys anti-Ukraine position during the summit, and said that Prague could simply not afford additional debt.

Use of Russian assets still on the table

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The plan to use frozen Russian assets got bogged down at the summit as De Wever rejected it as legally risky. He warned that it could harm the business of Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial clearing house where 193 billion euros ($226 billion) in frozen assets are held.

Belgium was rattled last Friday when Russias Central Bank launched a lawsuit against Euroclear to prevent any loan being provided to Ukraine using its money.

But while the reparations loan was set aside, using frozen assets remains on the table.

The EU has said the assets will remain frozen until Russia has paid war reparations to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that would cost over 600 billion euros ($700 billion.)

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If Russia does not pay reparations we will  in full accordance with international law  make use of Russian immobilized assets for paying back the loan, Merz said.

EU leaders agreed that this loan would be repaid by Ukraine only once Russia compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by its war of aggression. Until then, Russias assets will remain immobilized and the EU reserves the right to use them to repay the loan, in accordance with EU and international law, according to a statement.

Council president Costa said that the EU reserves its right to make use of the immobilized assets to repay this loan.

Few believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay reparations, so the assets could well remain in Europe and make their way to Ukraine.

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What the loan will be spent on

At a press conference on Friday in Warsaw, Zelenskyy said the loan gives Ukraine financial certainty for the coming years and said it would be spent on either reconstruction or arms.

If Russia drags out this war  and that is exactly the signal the entire world hears from Moscow, as they continue to threaten us  we will use these funds for defense, if the war continues, he said. "If the world compels Russia to make peace, we will use these funds exclusively for the reconstruction of our country.

___

Associated Press writers Karel Janicek in Prague, Justin Spike in Budapest, and Illia Novikov contributed to this report.
Question : How is it that some eateries and coffee shops can get away with not having restrooms for their customers ? I thought it was a state law that eateries had to provide public restrooms.

Answer : Hawaiis Department of Health used to require that food establishments serving liquor have public bathrooms, but those rules were repealed. Now the requirements depend on the type of restaurant and location, as specified in the building code. Heres the full response from the DOHs communication office :

The Hawai i Department of Health does not currently have administrative rules requiring food establishments to provide restroom facilities for customers. Previously, only liquor-dispensing establishments were required to provide patron restrooms under Hawai i Administrative Rules (HAR ) 11-11, Sanitation. That section was repealed and was not replaced with new restroom requirements.

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Under current DOH food safety regulations, food establishments must have restroom access for employees while in operation, but there is no required fixture count and no requirement to make these facilities available to patrons.

The Department notes that counties, including the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, may adopt and enforce their own plumbing or fixture-count requirements through their building codes or plan review processes. Members of the public may contact their county government for additional information on local requirements.

We followed up with Honolulus DPP. Spokesperson Curtis Lum confirmed that restroom requirements vary, including by location, such as if the restaurant is in a shopping mall. You had complained about the lack of a public bathroom at a coffee shop at Ala Moana Center. Lum said the establishment appears to comply with building code requirements for onsite restrooms for customers, noting that the 2018 International Building Code Chapter 29, Sec. 2902.3.4, states :

In covered and open mall buildings, the required public and employee toilet facilities shall be located not more than one story above or below the space required to be provided with toilet facilities, and the path of travel to such facilities shall not exceed a distance of 300 feet. In mall buildings, the required facilities shall be based on total square footage within a covered mall building or within the perimeter line of an open mall building, and facilities shall be installed in each individual store or in a central toilet area located in accordance with this section. The maximum distance of travel to central toilet facilities in mall buildings shall be measured from the main entrance of any store or tenant space. In mall buildings, where employees toilet facilities are not provided in the individual store, the maximum distance of travel shall be measured from the employees work area of the store or tenant space.

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The Ala Moana Center, as well as other Oahu malls, have toilet facilities open to the public.

Mahalo Mahalo to the AAA Hawaii staff, especially service technician Jake, who came to my rescue when my tire blew out on the Likelike Highway on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon. Courteous and capable, he changed my tire quickly. While waiting for the repair truck, so many cars and trucks zoomed by in a mad rush to get to town. Suddenly a large white truck approached me slowly. The driver opened his window to ask if I was all right and whether help was on the way. Thank you Mr. good Samaritan. I felt reassured that there are still good people out there looking out for each other. Happy Holidays and thanks again.Stranded kupuna------------Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813 ; call 808-529-4773 ; or email.------------
Following the shooting at Brown University that killed two and injured nine on Dec. 13, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) would be paused, effective immediately.

On Thursday, Dec. 18, law enforcement identified Claudio Manuel Neves Valente as the shooter at Brown University, and as the killer of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro, who was shot to death in his Brookline home on Dec. 16.

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, was in the country on a DV1 visa, according to officials. He died by suicide and was found in New Hampshire on Dec. 18.

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"The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country," Noem wrote on X. "In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people. At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program."

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.



In 2017, President Trump  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025

Under the program, up to 55,000 immigrants can enter the country each year from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States, according to the State Departments website.

Thao Nguyen at USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Noem pauses visa program Brown shooting suspect used to enter US
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Kshamenk, the last killer whale held in captivity in Latin America, died of cardiorespiratory arrest in Argentina at age 35, Mundo Marino said.

The mammal spent 33 years in a marine park, exceeding the typical life expectancy of male killer whales in captivity and becoming an emblematic case in the debate over the confinement of marine species.

Mundo Marino said Kshamenk died Sunday after a sudden deterioration in its health and that veterinarians and caretakers were monitoring the animal at the time of its death. The park said the cause was consistent with age-related complications.

"Kshamenk was under permanent veterinary supervision, and its death occurred despite ongoing care," the park said in a statement.

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Kshamenk arrived at the Mundo Marino park in November 1992 after becoming stranded along Argentina's Atlantic coast. Three fishermen found a group of killer whales trapped in a mudbank in Buenos Aires province after pursuing a school of fish during high tide.

According to Mundo Marino, three of the whales managed to return to the ocean the following day as the tide rose, leaving Kshamenk behind.

Specialists determined it was most appropriate for the calf to remain under the care of the park's team for rehabilitation, as it was in critical condition, showing signs of severe weakness, dehydration and abnormal blood parameters.

Mundo Marino said later evaluations ruled out the possibility of returning Kshamenk to the ocean, arguing that relocation would have posed a serious risk to its life and well-being.

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Statements from rescuers and Mundo Marino differ from those of environmental and animal rights groups, which for years have alleged that Kshamenk was captured along with two other specimens.

Some groups describe the episode as the abduction of three killer whales, claiming that one died during transport and another later died after striking the walls of its tank.

For years, Kshamenk lived alone, without contact with other members of its species. In recent years, its situation drew international attention after aerial drone images showed the killer whale floating and circling in a small tank.

The videos went viral on social media and prompted online petitions that gathered tens of thousands of signatures calling for its release and transfer to a marine sanctuary.

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Mundo Marino rejected accusations that it profited from the animal's confinement and said Kshamenk depended on human care to survive, noting that killer whales are highly social animals that live in complex family groups in which calves learn to hunt by observing adults.

Caretakers said Kshamenk became a central part of daily life at the park for decades, with some veterinarians describing the whale as the animal that shaped their careers and professional lives.

Globally, killer whales have been kept in captivity since 1961. At least 166 were captured in the wild, according to records from organizations specializing in marine mammals. As of January 2024, at least 54 killer whales were estimated to remain in captivity at marine parks in various countries.

Other captive populations are concentrated in the United States, with 18 killer whales at SeaWorld parks and China, with about 20, as well as Japan, Spain, France and Russia.

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The captivity of cetaceans also includes beluga whales, one of the species most commonly confined in aquariums and marine parks.

In Canada, the case of 30 belugas held at a closed amusement park has sparked a dispute among federal authorities, local governments and animal rights groups, after the government blocked their sale abroad and the park operator warned it could euthanize the animals if it does not receive emergency funding to cover the cost of their care.

More than 300 belugas are estimated to live in captivity in at least 10 countries, with the largest populations in China, Canada, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken heard additional testimony during a two-hour hearing on Dec. 18 in Innovation Law Lab's lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security over what they say is a systemic denial of access to counsel at Oregon ICE facilities.

Attorneys with Innovation Law Lab first filed the suit in October on behalf of CLEAR Clinic and the farmworker union Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste. An amended complaint was filed on Nov. 13, adding "Leon X" as a plaintiff and seeking class action status.

The suit asks Aiken to issue a preliminary injunction requiring the federal government to grant access to counsel before someone is transferred out of state.

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In a Dec. 15 court filing, Innovation Law Lab said ICE, CBP and DHS's system for access to counsel is "no system at all."

Director of Legal Advocacy at Innovation Law Lab Tess Hellgren again told Aiken that the federal government has been making mass arrests and detaining people across Oregon to meet quotas disclosed in other cases.

"What defendants have not made efforts to increase, as established by their own declaration, is access to counsel at the Oregon field offices," Hellgren said. "Individuals detained at these Oregon field offices are allowed to access counsel only if it is convenient for defendants."

Hellgren said access to counsel at Oregon field offices is crucial.

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What happens at these Oregon facilities before transfer may result in irreversible consequences for an individual case, Hellgren said.

Reyna Lopez, president of the farmworker union PCUN, speaks at a press conference in Portland on Oct. 31 after more than 30 people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Woodburn.

Surge of ICE arrests in Oregon in recent months

Civil immigration arrests increased 1,400% since October and 7,900% compared to 2024, according to Innovation Law Lab.

Emily Ryo, a professor at Duke University Law School, submitted research in a declaration for the lawsuit using data released by ICE in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

That dataset revealed that the average daily ICE arrest rate in Oregon rose from 0.3 to 1.39 per day in the summer of 2025. In October, daily arrests in Oregon surged to 17.45 arrests per day.

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The Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition said that during October, the hotline received reports of more than 292 detentions, at a rate of 15 to 45 per day. PIRC received reports of at least 35 people detained in Woodburn in a single day.

Woodburn declared a state of emergency on Nov. 21. Other nearby cities, like Salem, have also declared emergencies.

In November, PIRC received reports of 373 detentions, and the hotline received reports of 94 detentions in the first week of December, according to court documents.

Organizing Director for PCUN Marlina Campos said the organization has had to stop focusing on key campaigns to be in "rapid response mode."

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Staff patrol the streets to monitor ICE activity and notify PCUN members if they cannot leave their homes or go to work. Staff have also canvassed door-to-door and heard directly about ICE's impact, Campos said. At least four PCUN members have been arrested, she said.

Campos described Oct. 30 on the stand, saying she saw masked agents cross the street as she made her way to PCUN's office in Woodburn. Campos said she got out of her car, started recording and contacted PIRC.

"There was a lot of panic," Campos said. "It was unbelievable."

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Springfield Nov. 19 where at least 11 people were detained. Eugene attorneys have been repeatedly denied access to clients, according to testimony during a Dec. 18 hearing.

Lawyers detail difficulties contacting Oregon detainees before transfer

Aiken heard testimony from CLEAR Clinic staff attorney Josephine Moberg and Eugene immigration attorney Katrina Kilgren about their recent difficulties in meeting with clients at ICE offices in Portland and Eugene. Both submitted more than one declaration in support of the case.

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Moberg said she's been to the Portland field office approximately 20 times since she began working at the CLEAR Clinic in June.

She said "oftentimes" officials say there is a problem that prevents her from meeting with prospective or current clients at the facility. Moberg said it takes a "few exchanges" before officers permit her entrance.

She spoke further about her experience of being denied access to the facility on July 30. According to a declaration, Moberg was at the facility, waiting in the lobby for more than an hour to meet with prospective clients, but was never able to do so. Her clients were transported out of Oregon, presumably while she was waiting, she said. Moberg submitted another declaration about a similar experience on Nov. 11 when she attempted to meet with seven prospective clients who had been arrested.

Officers came outside and told her and another attorney that the building was closed for Veterans' Day. Large vans with tinted windows entered and left the facility as Moberg was outside.

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Kilgren said attorneys have been told to wait outside the Eugene building since May and June of 2025. She said three dates stood out: Oct. 15, Nov. 5 and Nov. 19, when several people were arrested in the Eugene area.

In a Nov. 4 declaration, she said she had appointments with two people she was representing but was refused permission to join them. A building security guard threatened to trespass her if she did not exit, she said.

She said access at the Eugene office keeps getting "more and more limited."

Both Moberg and Kilgren spoke of difficulties scheduling meetings with clients at the Tacoma, Washington detention center and other facilities.

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Moberg said she went to attend a video call with a client at the Louisiana detention center last week and learned he had already signed voluntary departure paperwork and had been deported before he was able to receive any advice about his rights.

Federal government limits hearing response, denies claims

U.S Department of Justice attorney Michael Velchik did not provide an opening statement and called only CLEAR Clinic executive director Elena Tupper as a witness.

Velchik asked how many CLEAR Clinic attorneys she supervises and whether CLEAR Clinic is registered to have itself listed at ICE offices. Tupper said CLEAR Clinic is not, but the Equity Core of Oregon, which CLEAR Clinic is part of, is.

ICE, CBP and DHS denied that they regularly restrict access to lawyers and also asked the court not to grant class-action certification.

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They said limitations exist at all three of ICE's field offices in Oregon, located in Portland, Eugene, and Medford, because individuals cannot be held longer than 12 hours at the offices under land use agreements. Those limitations mean it is not always possible to accommodate immediate in-person visitation with attorneys before transport, lawyers for ICE, CBP, and DHS said in a Dec. 15 filing.

They said Innovation Law Lab presented "no evidence" that Leon X was likely to be arrested and subsequently unlawfully denied access to an attorney while in custody. They also pushed back against the existence of a uniform policy or practice as a reason Aiken should decline class-action certification.

Velchik said the government was concerned that the lawsuit could be used "to leverage the machinery of the judiciary" to interfere with and affect the safety of ICE facilities and enforcement of immigration law.

"I can't stress enough that the government emphatically opposes any injunction that would restrict our ability to protect the safety of federal officers and detainees by limiting where and how long they must be detained," Velchick said.

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He said the plaintiffs would want a CLEAR Clinic attorney to sign off before DHS could perform a transfer, a notion he called "insane."

Aiken said she would take the court filings and testimony into consideration.

She said she would issue an opinion "as quickly as possible," but did not provide a projected date for that decision.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com on X @DianneLugo or Bluesky @diannelugo.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Lawyers claim repeated denial to clients at Oregon ICE facilities
Don't go downing the spiked eggnog quite yet, Ohioans.

With the winter holiday season in full swing, teenage cashiers and 50-year-old cubicle dwellers alike tend to be eagerly awaiting one thing  at least a couple days of guaranteed time off. Be it to travel across the country, attend a few festive parties or relax with family, employees of all ages seem to agree that time away from work just might be the gift that keeps on giving.

The only downside? That time off isn't exactly guaranteed.

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Whether you're a barista, engineer, professor or anything in between, here's what you need to know about Ohio's work requirements for Christmas, New Year's Day and all other holidays.

Can my boss make me work Christmas?

In Ohio, and most other states for that matter, there is no law prohibiting private employers from requiring their employees to work on Christmas, among other holidays. The only states with specific laws restricting businesses from requiring employees to work on holidays are Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Though Christmas Day is on the list of official state holidays for Ohio, that entitles only public-sector workers  or state employees  to time off, not those in the private sector.

If a state employee is required to work on a holiday, they are entitled to overtime pay or compensatory time, according to the Ohio Revised Code. This includes state troopers, emp;loyees at state universities, health care workers at state hospitals and any other employee whose wages are paid in whole or in part by the state of Ohio.

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So, unless restricted by a union contract, employment agreement or company policy, your boss can legally make you work Christmas.

Of course, there is one other nationwide exception that could come into play.

What about religious holidays?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says employers must give "reasonable accommodation" for employees' religious beliefs, unless doing so would cause "undue hardship" on the business.

The U.S. Supreme Court clarified a couple years ago in Groff v. DeJoy that the standard for requiring an employee to work on a religious holiday they observe is higher than just "undue hardship." Employers have to accommodate religious practices unless doing so would cause a "substantial burden" on the business.

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So while you're not automatically exempt from working Christmas if you're Christian, for example, your boss must seriously consider your request for the day off or work to find another accommodation.

Do I have to get extra pay for working holidays?

You might hear some businesses offer "time-and-a-half" to employees who work holidays. But there's no legal requirement to do so.

Ohio does not require private employers to pay extra for work done on holidays. This is because pay requirements are governed at the federal level by the Fair Labor Standards Act, which does not require extra holiday pay unless an employee exceeds 40 hours a week and triggers overtime.

Are there legal limits on business hours during holidays?

At one point in the not-too-distant past, the Buckeye State had restrictions on retail operations during Sundays and holidays.

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Commonly referred to as "blue laws," these provisions meant certain holidays were treated as mandatory closure days for most Ohio retailers. By the 2000s, though, those laws had been almost entirely repealed, and the current Ohio Revised Code does not restrict retail operations on holidays.

Is Christmas Eve a federal holiday? Do state employees in Ohio get the day off?

As for government employees, President Donald Trump has ordered two extra days off for those workers in 2025, including Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. State employees, however, may not get the same break.

In a Dec. 18 executive order signed by Trump, all executive departments and agencies will be closed on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, the days before and after Christmas. While most federal workers will have an extended break, the extra days may not extend to state workers and other employees.

Ohio typically follows the federal holiday calendar, but the state had not confirmed extra days off as of Dec. 19.

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Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Can Ohio employers require staff to work on Christmas, other holidays?
Aristotle Capital Boston, LLC, an investment advisor, released its Small Cap Equity Fund third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the third quarter, the small-cap equities delivered strong results with the Russell 2000 Index reaching its first all-time high since November 2021. A favorable macroeconomic backdrop led the rally. In the quarter, the fund (Class I-2) delivered a return of 3.16% underperforming the 12.39% total return of the Russell 2000 Index. For more information on the funds best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund highlighted stocks such as Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC). Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) is a US-based independent natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and oil company. The one-month return for Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) was -9.77%, and its shares gained 3.56% over the last 52 weeks. On December 18, 2025, Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) stock closed at $34.36 per share, with a market capitalization of $8.184 billion.

Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund stated the following regarding Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"Range Resources Corporation (NYSE:RRC) is a Texas-based exploration and production company focused on extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale formations within the Pennsylvania portion of the Appalachian Basin. The companys large acreage position (800,000 Marcellus acres) provides a deep inventory (30+ years) of low-cost development locations that are expected to allow the company to capitalize on increased global demand for natural gas. Opportunities for increased drilling efficiencies should lower total operating costs, enhance earnings, and drive greater cash flow generation that can be used to enhance shareholder value over the next several years."

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The newly appointed head of the Catholic Church in England compared Jesus, Mary and Joseph to migrants arriving in Britain.

Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel & Brighton since 2015, said the Holy Family had to travel to Egypt as refugees and called on Catholics to empathise with all who come to this country for their safety.

On Friday, Pope Leo XIV announced him as the 12th Archbishop of Westminster.

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The 67-year-old will replace Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is retiring after 16 years in the role, and will be installed in February.

Speaking to reporters after being named in the top job on Friday, he said the role would be a very big change for him but told of his gratitude to the Pope for placing trust in him to continue the great work of the Church.

He said while he looked forward to having a much bigger platform in the London-based position, there was also a little bit of sense of apprehension about it.

Richard Moth, the Archbishop-elect of Westminster, sitting next to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, left, speaks to the press in the Throne Room of Archbishops House in London - Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty

He had issued a statement earlier this week in his role on social justice in the Church, calling on people to empathise with all who come to this country for their safety.

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The statement came days after Tommy Robinson, the far-Right activist, led a carol concert in London which he claimed was to put the Christ back into Christmas.

Robinson had described it as a religious celebration rather than a political event but a priest sitting among the crowd on Saturday shouted that Jesus had been a migrant.

A statement was issued on Wednesday by Archbishop-elect Moth alongside Bernard Longley, the Archbishop of Birmingham, to share concern at societal tensions and division in our communities.

Archbishop-elect Moth told reporters he would continue to proclaim the Gospel, which he said enabled the Church community to persevere in the proclamation of the dignity of the human person, to continue to remind society that everybody, wherever they come from, has something that they contribute.

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He said that was a very good way of answering some of the kind of tendencies that were seeing.

Asked about the issue of assisted dying, which Cardinal Nichols has spoken out strongly against amid the continued consideration of a draft law in Parliament, Archbishop-elect Moth indicated there was always a role for the Church to speak on such matters.

He said: The Church can always speak into the situation, provided, as a Christian community, we are authentic to ourselves.

I cant pretend to be what I am not, I wouldnt want to. Neither can the community of the Church.

The issue is how we say things. And again, it goes back to relationship. Its about listening. Its about speaking truth in a way that is charitable, even if it might not be accepted.

Richard Moth hailed the Pope for trusting him to continue the great work of the Church - Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty

Earlier this week, the Archbishop-elect called for empathy towards migrants in a joint statement with the Archbishop of Birmingham.

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We are concerned about the tensions that are growing in society and the desire by some groups to sow seeds of division within our communities, they said. This does not reflect the spirit or message of Christmas.

Earlier this year, Archbishop-elect Moth became the first bishop outside the London dioceses to hold a Mass for Migrants earlier this year.

During the mass in May, he spoke of the Catholic Churchs teachings on the dignity of every person and the importance of welcoming the stranger.

He referred to the enriching contribution that people born in countries across the world bring to the UK through skills, talents, experiences and culture.

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After the announcement, he said: I am moved greatly by the trust that Pope Leo has placed in me, in appointing me to the Diocese of Westminster.

Archbishop-elect Moth was born in Zambia in 1958 and brought up in Kent. He was ordained a priest in June 1982 and went on to serve as the Catholic Bishop of the Forces from 2009 until 2015.

He is the chairman of the Department for Social Justice for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales and regularly speaks out on social issues.

Large families are a blessing

He has praised Labours decision to scrap the two-child benefit cap, saying that large families are a blessing and that the introduction of the cap had pushed many families into poverty.

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Archbishop-elect Moth is also chairman of governors at St Marys University in Twickenham as well as liaison bishop for prisons, while he is said to enjoy riding and walking in his spare time.

Serving the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton has given me the wonderful opportunity of sharing the Churchs mission with lay faithful and clergy, and I give thanks for the many blessings of these last 10 years, he said.

As I prepare to move to the diocese, I am so grateful for the support being given to me by Cardinal Vincent Nichols at this time. He has given dedicated service to the diocese and will be missed greatly.

Cardinal Nichols said he was delighted at this news, adding: Archbishop-elect Richard Moth will bring to our diocese many gifts and considerable episcopal experience from his years of ministry in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, and before that as Bishop of the Forces.

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The 80-year-old Liverpudlian had offered his resignation as is usual when cardinals reach the age of 75, but said the late Pope Francis had asked him to stay in office.

He came in for criticism around that time over a damning report into child sex abuse allegations.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report into the Catholic Church, published in November 2020, found Cardinal Nichols seemingly put the reputation of the church above his duty to sex assault victims.

It added that he had demonstrated no acknowledgement of any personal responsibility to lead or influence change.
A man was injured following a shooting with Louisville Metro Police officers in the Gardiner Lane neighborhood, Deputy Chief Ryan Bates said in a statement.

LMPD officers were conducting a traffic stop in a parking lot in the 3000 block of Bardstown Road around 12:28 a.m. Dec. 19, Bates said. While conducting the stop, a Chevrolet Tahoe and another SUV were traveling northbound on Bardstown Road parallel to each other. The Tahoe was in the southbound lanes, and the SUV was in the northbound lanes.

The two cars appeared to be in some type of altercation, Bates said.

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As the vehicles reached the traffic stop and gunshots were heard, Bates said. An LMPD officer ordered them to stop, and an officer fired his weapon. The SUV left the area, and its location is currently unknown.

Officers ordered the man in the Tahoe to drop his weapon and rendered aid once he complied. The driver had gunshot wounds to both arms and was taken to UofL Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No officers were injured.

The incident marks the second LMPD officer-involved shooting within 24 hours in Louisville.

Bates said investigators recovered a handgun from inside the Tahoe.

It is unclear at this time what led to the altercation between the two motorists, Bates said.

LMPDs Public Integrity Unit will lead the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD officer shoots, injures man during altercation in Louisville
Dec. 19A 25-year-old accused of defacing a Lakeside church in September with symbols linked to Satanism and a slogan connected to a mass shooting in Minnesota is facing felony charges in Flathead County District Court.

Orion Jacob Glace of Lakeside is expected to be arraigned on two counts of felony malicious intimidation or harassment of civil or human rights before Judge Danni Coffman on Jan. 8. He remains held in the county jail with bail set at $500,000.

A member of the church reported the vandalism Sept. 2, telling Flathead County Sheriff's Office deputies that someone had painted a pentagram near the front door of the church and stolen the church flag, replacing it with a banner also bearing the pentagram. The church's surveillance system captured an individual on a skateboard and carrying a backpack on the premises at 1:09 a.m., according to court documents.

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The individual was described as wearing a hooded sweatshirt and white sneakers, court documents said.

Examining the pentagram-emblazoned flag on Sept. 5, deputies noticed several phrases written on it with paint. One of them contained a slogan used by the 22-year-old shooter in the deadly attack on children attending a Catholic Mass in Minnesota in August, court documents alleged.

Church members contacted the Sheriff's Office again on Sept. 6 after the surveillance system caught the suspected vandal returning the stolen flag to the house of worship about 3:30 a.m., court documents said. The flag was now scrawled with the same phrase linked to the Minnesota shooting, according to court documents.

Investigators homed in on Glace after a storeowner's daughter identified him as the person in the surveillance footage, court documents alleged. The storeowner told deputies that he had also seen Glace in his shop wearing the same clothes as the person on the recording.

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Another person also came forward to the authorities and reported seeing Glace at a store in Lakeside about 5:30 p.m., Sept. 6. That person remembered Glace had with him a skateboard decorated with a pentagram, court documents said.

Malicious intimidation or harassment of civil or human rights is punishable by up to five years in Montana State Prison and a $5,000 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or [email protected].
A man accused of pretending to be a licensed doctor and disfiguring a woman during multiple surgical procedures has a warrant for his arrest.

Investigators say Niuver Borroto, 47, illegally practiced medicine without a license, leaving the woman with severe injuries that required additional corrective surgeries by "actual doctors."

The woman says her ordeal began after she sought reconstructive care following a battle with cancer. After undergoing a double mastectomy, she received breast implants as part of her recovery. In 2022, she decided she wanted the implants removed and says a trusted friend introduced her to Borroto, whom she believed to be a licensed plastic surgeon.

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According to the victim, Borroto told her he could safely remove the implants and proposed a plan involving three surgeries. She says the procedures were performed at a medical clinic on Hillcroft, where Borroto represented himself as a plastic surgeon.

She says Borroto removed the implants and injected fat taken from other parts of her body as part of the reconstruction process. By the third surgery, she says she was really sick.

"What he did almost cost me my life," she said. "Not just my body, not my looks. My life."

The 54-year-old woman, who did not want to be identified out of fear of retaliation, says she suffered severe pain, infections, and necrosis, a serious condition in which body tissue begins to die.

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She also alleges Borroto injected fat into her face without her consent while she was under anesthesia, later causing painful lumps.

"He said he did it because he wanted to give me a gift. I said, 'Excuse me, a gift?'"

According to the Texas Medical Board, Borroto is not a licensed physician. The board issued a cease-and-desist order against him in December 2024.

Court documents show Borroto allegedly charged the woman more than $30,000 in cash for the procedures.

After undergoing four corrective surgeries, with more expected, the woman says she decided to speak publicly to prevent others from experiencing the same harm.

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"Research, research, research," she said, urging others to verify medical providers thoroughly.

Borroto now has an active warrant for his arrest.

Borroto's attorney, Paul Doyle, said his client plans to surrender and sent a statement.

"The complainant is not credible, and we will litigate it in court," the statement said. "If HPD or the medical board was so worried about this, they would have taken action when that complaint was filed or when the civil litigation didn't produce what their key witness wanted."

The case was investigated by HPD's Major Offenders Unit. Anyone with information is urged to contact them at 713-308-3100.

For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram.
A homicide investigation is underway after a man was found shot to death inside an apartment in Beaver County early Friday morning.

The shooting happened at the Juliet Apartments in the 400 block of New York Avenue in Rochester Borough shortly after midnight.

When officers arrived, they said they found a man in his mid-20s dead.

Police have not released any information regarding a suspect, but said they believe this was an isolated incident.

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Rochester Police are asking you to call them at 724-775-1100 if you have any information or surveillance video from the area.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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Police are searching for the gunman who opened fire at a man in his car following an argument in northeast Fresno.

Officers say the shooting happened around 7 p.m. Thursday in the area of Santa Ana and First, which is across the street from Fashion Fair Mall.

Investigators say a man in his late 20s drove past a group of men and an argument broke out.

The argument eventually led one of the men to open fire on the victim's car.

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The victim was hit at least once in his legs by the gunfire and is expected to be okay.

Detectives say the suspects fled on foot and there is no indication that anyone involved came from the mall.

Fresno Police are now canvassing the area for surveillance footage to help with their investigation.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.  A man who is suspected of killing two and wounding several others at Brown University has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility where he had rented a unit, officials said.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said at a news conference. Perez said as far as investigators know, the suspect acted alone.

Investigators believe Neves Valente is responsible for both the shooting at Brown and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who was fatally shot in his Brookline home Monday, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said.

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Two people were killed and nine were wounded in the mass shooting Saturday at Brown University. The investigation had shifted Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown mass shooting and an attack two days later near Boston that killed 47-year-old MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001. He was admitted to the graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. He has no current affiliation with the university, she said.

Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, Foley said.

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the two shootings.

How the investigation has unfolded

A second individual who was identified in proximity to the suspect came forward after Wednesdays press conference and helped blow the lid off the case, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said.

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When you crack it, you crack it. That person led us to the car, led us to the name, Neronha said.

Foley said investigators identified the vehicle Neves Valente rented in Boston and drove in Rhode Island. That vehicle was seen outside of Brown University.

Foley said after leaving Rhode Island for Massachusetts, the suspect stuck a Maine license plate over the rental cars plate to help conceal his identity.

Video footage showed Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiros. About an hour later, he was seen entering the storage facility where he was found dead, Foley said.

Neves Valente had studied at Brown on an F1 visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent residence status in September 2017, Foley said. His last known residence was in Miami.

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There are still a lot of unknowns in regard to motive, Neronha said. We dont know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom, he said.

Frustration had mounted in Providence that the person behind the attack managed to get away and that a clear image of their face hadnt emerged.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didnt capture footage of the person.

What happened in past investigations?

In such targeted and highly public attacks, the shooters typically kill themselves or are killed or arrested by police, said Katherine Schweit, a retired FBI agent and expert on mass shootings. When they do get away, searches can take time.

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In the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, it took investigators four days to catch up to the two brothers who carried it out. In a 2023 case, Army reservist Robert Card was found dead of an apparent suicide two days after he killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston, Maine.

The man accused of killing conservative political figure Charlie Kirk in September turned himself in about a day and a half after the attack on Utah Valley Universitys campus. And Luigi Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last year, was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania.

MIT mourns the loss of an esteemed professor

Loureiro, who was married, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the schools Plasma Science and Fusion Center, where he worked to advance clean energy technology and other research. The center, one of MITs largest labs, had more than 250 people working across seven buildings when he took the helm. He was a professor of physics and nuclear science and engineering.

He grew up in Viseu, in central Portugal, and studied in Lisbon before earning a doctorate in London, according to MIT. He was a researcher at an institute for nuclear fusion in Lisbon before joining MIT, the university said.

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He shone a bright light as a mentor, friend, teacher, colleague and leader, and was universally admired for his articulate, compassionate manner, Dennis Whyte, an engineering professor who previously led MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, told a campus publication.

Loureiro had said he hoped his work would shape the future.

Its not hyperbole to say MIT is where you go to find solutions to humanitys biggest problems, Loureiro said when he was named to lead the plasma science lab last year. Fusion energy will change the course of human history.
Two students, Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, were killed by a gunman at Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Another nine students were injured in the mass shooting that has rocked the greater Providence community. Rhode Island Hospital has discharged three of the patient as of Thursday. The other six are in stable condition.

The shooting is also possibly connected to the shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old theoretical physicist and fusion scientist from Portugal, two days later at his home in Brookline, according to authorities.

What to know about Ella Cook

The Catholic community center at Brown University set up a memorial for Ella Cook, who was involved with the group and was identified as one of the two students killed in the Dec. 13 shooting on campus.

Cook was a native of Mountain Brook, Alabama and a parishioner at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama.

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Rev. Craig Smalley described Cook as incredibly grounded and generous and faithful who was engaged in the church and the broader community in livestreamed remarks.

She was an incredible light, not only here growing up at the Advent in the myriad ways in which she served faithfully and encouraged those around her, the church said, but at Brown University as well.

In her obituary, her family talked about her faith and her heart.

"Ella was known for her wide array of interests, from being with her precious friends, to babysitting so many children who were special to her, to teaching young people in Bible studies, Sunday School, and academic subject," the obituary said. "Ella dearly loved children. In fact, she believed her highest calling would one day be to have children of her own. She had a love for piano, dance, spending time outdoors in Hale County, and travelling anywhere  especially where French is spoken!"

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They also highlighted her faith.

"The qualities of Ella's personality and 'soul; that most touched others were, foremost, her Christian faith, and especially her faith in the Death and Resurrection of Christ. She really meant it! And she wanted to share the good news of the grace that she received from the Cross. Not only did her personal faith shine out like a bright Christmas star, but she loved others as real people, not as objects. Ella loved God with her whole heart and she loved people  with her whole heart!," it reads.

Describing her as having a "heart as large as the sun" her siblings spoke of her "silent leadership" and described her as "the best big sister ever" and "protective, responsible, and selfless" within the obituary.

What to know about MukhammadAziz Umurzokov

MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, left, one of the two Brown University students killed in the Dec. 13 mass shooting.

Umurzokov "had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people," according to a GoFundMe account.

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The 18-year-old Uzbek American student attended high school in Chesterfield, Virginia, was was an aspiring neurosurgeon in his first semester at Brown.

"He was incredibly kind, funny, and smart," says the account set up by a family member. "He continues to be my familys biggest role model in all aspects. He always lent a helping hand to anyone in need without hesitation, and was the most kind-hearted person our family knew. Our family is incredibly devastated by this loss. Any donations will help significantly with any expenses my family will have to face, and the rest of the funds will be donated to charity in his name."

His friend and fellow Brown student Jack DiPrimio said he thought Umurzokov was "going to change the world."

He was the quintessential Brown student. He was not only interested in science, but also deeply interested in the humanities. He loved both medicine and law, DiPrimio said. He always had questions. He had questions about my work experience, what grad school was like, what classes he should take in undergrad.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: How many people died in Brown University shooting?
NEW YORK  Mayor Eric Adams appointed four members late Thursday to the citys Rent Guidelines Board in a last-minute attempt to stymy Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdanis promise of a rent freeze for stabilized tenants.

The mayors move comes in his last days in office. Mamdani is set to take office Jan. 1.

We are just as committed to a four-year rent-freeze for the more than two million rent-stabilized tenants who call this city home and deserve relief amidst this affordability crisis, Dora Pekec, a spokesperson for Mamdani, said in response to the mayors move. We will use all the tools at our disposal to deliver it and last minute appointments do not change these facts.

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Adams tapped to be appointed to the RGB Lliam Finn  a senior financial adviser with Merrill Lynch who will serve as a public representative  and Sagar Sharma, a lawyer for Legal Services NYC who will serve as a tenant rep. The mayor reappointed Arpit Gupta as a public representative and Christina Smyth as an owner representative.

Were using every tool in our toolbox to tackle our citys housing crisis, and that includes appointing smart, seasoned experts to the citys Rent Guidelines Board, Adams, who is currently vacationing in Mexico, said of the appointments. These respected appointees bring decades of experience in the housing sector and I am confident they will serve as responsible stewards of our citys housing stock, using facts and data to reach the right decision for both tenants and property owners.

Sources familiar with the matter told The New York Daily News the Real Estate Board of New York, an industry group opposed to a rent freeze, helped the Adams administration screen candidates before the mayor unveiled the appointments.

Daniel Marans, a spokesperson for Adams, denied that REBNY had any role in the vetting process. Spokespeople for REBNY did not immediately return requests for comment on the vetting process.

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The new appointees, which were first reported by Gothamist/WNYC, could complicate Mamdanis push for a rent freeze as Adams appointees will now make up a majority of the board for at least the next year.

These new appointments threaten to lock in yet another rent increase, precisely when families across the city are struggling to make ends meet, Legal Aid said in a statement. This policy decision at the eleventh hour undermines the will of the people  and the ability of the next administration to act responsibly in the public interest.

Adams has been sharply critical of Mamdanis rent freeze promise. Under Adams, rent-stabilized tenants have seen a cumulative 12.6% raise in rent.

The board is made up of a nine members. Each year, a simple majority of the boards members need to come to a consensus to decide what the permissible stabilized rent increases should be.

Adams previously considered Netflix reality show star Eleonora Srugo for a role on the board, she told the Daily News in October.

(Chris Sommerfeldt contributed.)
A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. 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.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Bubs Australia Limited ( ASX:BUB ) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

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After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. 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 (3.3%) 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 6.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2035  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$8.6m (1 + 3.3%)  (6.7% 3.3%) = AU$262m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$262m ( 1 + 6.7%)10= AU$138m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is AU$158m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of AU$0.1, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

ASX:BUB Discounted Cash Flow December 19th 2025

Important Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Bubs Australia as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Check out our latest analysis for Bubs Australia

SWOT Analysis for Bubs Australia

Strength

Currently debt free.

Weakness

No major weaknesses identified for BUB.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Australian market.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Bubs Australia, there are three pertinent factors you should assess:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Bubs Australia you should know about. Future Earnings: How does BUB's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is sending his Ukraine advisor Gunter Sautter to Florida for US-Russia talks on a peace settlement in the war, government sources told dpa on Friday.

It is unclear whether, and in what format, the chancellor's foreign policy adviser will take part in the talks, which are planned for this weekend. dpa sources said no separate meeting with the Russian side was planned.

Sautter played a key role in preparing and shaping the talks between the Europeans, the United States and Ukraine in Berlin last Sunday and Monday.

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A 20-point US plan was further developed there that is intended to lead to a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine after almost four years of war. In particular, progress was made on security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, but there was no movement on possible territorial concessions by Ukraine to Russia.

In Miami, representatives of the US government and the Kremlin are now meeting for further talks on the plan. There are also expected to be further US meetings with Ukraine.

The Ukrainian negotiators were already on their way to the US, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, according to the news agency Interfax-Ukraine.

"On Friday and Saturday our team will be in the USA," he told the agency.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a call for evidence seeking input from the healthcare providers, industry, public, and clinicians on AI regulation in national healthcare.

The initiative aims to shape future standards and safeguards for the way AI is used in healthcare settings.

This call for evidence will inform the work of the newly established National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare.

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The commission brings together experts from global AI fields, clinicians, patient advocates, and regulators to advise MHRA on the future regulatory landscape for health-related AI.

MHRA is inviting opinions from a broad group, including health professionals, patients, members of the public, and innovators.

It aims to gather a diverse range of perspectives to guide the development of proportionate regulation for the wider healthcare system and emerging AI technologies in the NHS.

The call addresses several themes, including clarification of responsibilities among companies, healthcare organisations, individuals, and regulators involved in deploying AI technology; whether current rules for AI in healthcare are adequate or require modernisation; and strategies for maintaining patient safety as AI systems evolve.

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MHRA CEO Lawrence Tallon led the formation of the commission.

Tallon said: AI is already revolutionising our lives, both its possibilities and its capabilities are ever-expanding, and as we continue into this new world, we must ensure that its use in healthcare is safe, risk-proportionate and engenders public trust and confidence.

Today we are asking the public to contribute by sharing their thoughts, experiences and opinions.

We want everyone to have the chance to help shape the safest and most advanced AI-enabled healthcare system in the world at this truly pivotal moment.

The commissions call for evidence will run from 18 December 2025 to 2 February 2026. The findings will inform its recommendations to the MHRA in 2026.

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In November 2025, MHRA granted approval to Roches Itovebi (inavolisib) for the treatment of adults with hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer.

"MHRA launches call for evidence on AI regulation in UK healthcare sector" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




Nearly as soon as the web was born, scammers were using it to con people out of their money. From foreign princes who need your help to reclaim their family fortunes to chain emails with embedded ransomware, there's no shortage of schemes deployed by those unscrupulous fraudsters. But one of the most tried and true is the Microsoft support scam, and new research conducted by a cybersecurity firm attests to its popularity.

Phishing scams that leverage brand recognition come in a few forms. In some cases, the attacker will try to trick users with low tech literacy on the phone, convincing them to grant remote access under the pretext of official tech support. In other cases, a link in a phishing email will lead to a fake website that steals personal information, including credit cards. Scammers take advantage of the trust their victims may have in the brand being impersonated. New cybersecurity research shows that Microsoft is the most impersonated brand by scammers. It's crucial to know the difference between official communications from the tech company and scammers trying to breach your accounts to keep yourself safe online.

Read more: 8 Of The Worst Places To Put A TV, And Why

Microsoft and Windows are familiar, trusted brands, making them targets for scams

Magnifying glass over Microsoft 365 products - IB Photography/Shutterstock

According to research conducted by human risk management platform Hoxhunt, Microsoft beats out other companies in an undesirable metric. It's the company most commonly impersonated by scammers, with DocuSign and generic HR communications rounding out the top three. Microsoft has issued phishing warnings related to Office 365, among other schemes. Phishing refers to the act of using deceptive tactics to extract personally identifying or financial information from a victim. Hoxhunt notes that Microsoft scams use scare tactics to convince victims that their account is in jeopardy unless the scammer's instructions are followed, hoping they'll click a malicious link or compromise their account by handing over a two-factor authentication code.

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Microsoft scammers are essentially digital con men. Because Microsoft is one of the most widely known brand names in the world, and because Windows is the de facto operating system for over a billion active users, scammers can exploit that name recognition. Regardless of your personal opinion of the company and its software, many average users see it as trustworthy. That means their guard is lowered when they see what claims to be legitimate communication regarding their Microsoft account, making them more likely to click a link and fall victim.

The company behind this report is a risk management firm that helps workplaces train employees to better defend themselves against cyberattacks, so these reports are a form of marketing. Nonetheless, the information is valuable. Like the majority of scams, Microsoft impersonators hack people, not computer systems. Why battle your way through layers of security when you can convince an account owner to give you access? That's why it's essential to recognize the signs of a phishing attempt so you can steer clear.

How to protect yourself from Microsoft impersonation scams

The login page of Outlook, Microsoft's web-based email service, is seen on a smartphone - Tada Images/Shutterstock

If you ever receive an email claiming to be from Microsoft (or Google, or another service with which you have an account), check the email address. Legitimate communications will end with the company's domain (e.g., microsoft.com). Even if the domain is legitimate, make sure the links are, too, by checking where they lead before you click (most browsers show the destination of an embedded link when you hover your mouse over them.) If you receive communications about your account status and aren't sure if they're above board, try logging into the account in question through the website rather than following a link.

Most suspicious of all is unsolicited support from someone claiming to work for Microsoft. Think about how difficult it can be to get human support from big tech companies at the best of times. Proactive offers to help you with a computer issue are far more likely to be scams than they are to be altruistic efforts from a tech giant. If you believe you have a problem with your Windows computer, reach out to Microsoft directly through its website or the Get Help app on your PC. Microsoft does have live technicians who can remotely access your computer, but they will do so using built-in tools already installed on your Windows 11 PC. Hackers may try to breach your account by requesting a two-factor authentication code. Never give a 2FA code to anyone.

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Some other methods of phishing are pop-ups on websites or spam notifications on Chrome. Never click on anything that looks designed to scare you into action, especially if it comes through an unrelated website or app. Along with aggressive requests for financial or identifying information, those are all signs you're on a scam website.

Want the latest in tech and auto trends? Subscribe to our free newsletter for the latest headlines, expert guides, and how-to tips, one email at a time. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.

Read the original article on SlashGear.
Mike Johnson may have already lost

House Speaker Mike Johnsons unenviable situation got a little worse on Wednesday when four centrist Republicans  all from competitive districts  joined a Democratic effort to force a vote on extending the Affordable Care Acts expiring health insurance subsidies. Alongside last months successful push to override his obstructionism on the Epstein files, Wednesdays revolt adds to a growing chorus of GOP lawmakers rejecting their leaders bad political judgment.

Unlike his predecessor, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Johnsons tumultuous two years as speaker have been marred by embarrassing withdrawn votes and high-profile party defections. He ends 2025 in perhaps the worst political position of any speaker in recent memory, facing down both internal party dissent and the likelihood of an electoral bruising next year. Wednesdays revolt isnt a one-off  its a sign of things to come for a broken Republican Party.

Mike Johnson is weaker than ever  and his Republican colleagues know it.

Johnsons time in the speakers chair coincided with some of the least productive terms of any Congress in history, including presiding over the longest-ever federal shutdown. Thats not just bad timing on Johnsons part  its a direct result of his inability to lead the House at a moment when voters want swift action from their representatives. Johnsons colleagues now worry his tone-deafness to the problems facing voters will ultimately cost them their jobs.

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In other words, Johnson is weaker than ever  and his Republican colleagues know it.

The speakers latest face-plant came after Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, along with Rep. Mike Lawler of New York, lost patience with Johnsons unwillingness to compromise on extending the ACAs popular health care subsidies.

Health care affordability has been a burning issue for voters this year, and anger over the threat of skyrocketing health insurance premiums played a prominent role in Democrats resounding overperformance in Virginias and New Jerseys statewide elections. Fitzpatrick, Lawler, Bresnahan and Mackenzie all represent districts Democrats aim to flip next year.

Support for the ACA, also known as Obamacare, has never been higher. A recent Gallup poll showed national approval of the program at a record 57%, driven by a surge in support from crucial independent voters. An NBC News Decision Desk poll published this week found that voters trust Democrats (57%) more than Republicans (43%) to address rising health insurance prices.

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Americans are also sure of where to lay the blame if Congress fails to protect their health insurance premiums from shooting through the roof. A December survey by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, or KFF, found that most ACA enrollees would blame President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for failing to act. Fitzpatrick, Lawler, Bresnahan and Mackenzie all fear that Johnson is providing voters with the perfect image of a powerful GOP leader visibly failing to act.

As Ive stated many times before, the only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge, Fitzpatrick said in a statement. Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome.

But Johnsons headaches didnt start in December. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and outgoing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., have been vocal critics of Johnsons refusal to release the thousands of documents connected to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Johnsons stonewalling led Massie to launch his own discharge petition, which ultimately forced the speakers hand.

Johnson now looks so unreasonable that even his own colleagues would rather work with Democrats to solve Americans problems.

Even before the ultimately successful vote, plenty of Republicans openly fretted that Johnsons myriad evasions made Republicans look like they had something to hide. Far from tempering voter fury over the GOPs Epstein Files hypocrisy, Johnson only guaranteed the issue remained at the top of international headlines. For Republicans facing tough reelection races, Johnsons spectacular failure to navigate the Epstein Files seriously damaged their confidence in his ability to read the political winds ahead of the 2026 midterms.

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Those suspicions only worsened when Johnson dug in his heels against an ACA subsidy extension despite pleas to compromise from within his own caucus. Now that Republicans realize how easy it is to go around their leader, why would any of them feel obligated to tie themselves to Johnsons bad political judgment? Instead of marching off the electoral cliff with Johnson, embattled Republicans such as Massie, Lawler and Fitzpatrick are turning to an unlikely collaborator: Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

In contrast to Johnsons reflexive and often wrong political gambits, Jeffiries decision to stand firm behind Democrats proposed three-year ACA subsidy extension now looks shrewd. Not only has Jeffries managed to get his proposal to a floor vote without surrendering key elements to Johnson, he succeeded by going over Johnsons head with his own colleagues. Jeffries now puts Johnson in the nasty position of rejecting a bipartisan proposal supported by four Republican lawmakers who Johnson has consistently praised as serious policymakers. To borrow a popular MAGA phrase, Jeffries move feels a lot like 5D chess.

Johnson now looks so unreasonable that even his own colleagues would rather work with Democrats to solve Americans problems. The political ad practically writes itself. But Johnson isnt done making missteps, because hes now fallen back to the last-ditch play of a desperate man: delay, delay, delay.

In remarks to NBC News chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles, Lawler urged Johnson to bring Jeffries three-year ACA extension to a vote before the House leaves for its holiday break. Thats a direct challenge to Johnson, who earlier in the day refused to specify when the vote might take place. Lawler and his rebel Republicans dont want voters to spend the long holiday break blaming Republicans for how much their health care costs are about to increase. Johnson, it seems, doesnt share his colleagues concerns.

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Increasingly ignored and overruled by his own caucus, Johnson will enter the new year with none of the influence and power traditionally associated with the speakership. If 2025 proved to be a headache for him, 2026 is shaping up to be a migraine. Effective leadership requires strong character and firm values. Johnson lacked both, and now his caucus is moving on without him.

The post Mike Johnson may have already lost appeared first on MS NOW.

This article was originally published on ms.now
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrills decisive victory gives her an important chance to set a new tone in Trenton. She made clear that opportunity and affordability will be at the top of her agenda, and many New Jerseyans voted for her because they want a leader focused on practical solutions to ensure the states economy works for them.

One of her first major decisions will be whether to stop or advance a proposal from the New Jersey Department of Labor  one that poses a serious threat to New Jerseys gig and freelance economy and directly contradicts her promise to make life more affordable.

What's in the NJ Department of Labor's proposed rule?

The proposal would expand the ABC test under current law, redefining employment status by establishing a restrictive definition of what it means to be an independent contractor, and thus unilaterally classifying nearly all existing independent contractors as employees.

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The proposed rule would even impact workers who actively choose to be independent contractors. Employers would suddenly face higher labor costs, and many would cut back on work or raise prices to compensate, making life less affordable for everyone. Workers who prefer or depend on flexible schedules would be pushed into arrangements they did not choose. Others would simply lose work.

Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill fields questions from reporters during a press conference discussing the transition to governor in Trenton on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.

New Jerseyans have already weighed in. When the state released the written public comments, the results were staggering. Out of about 8,300 comments, only 26 supported the rule.

Yes  99% expressed opposition or serious concern. Workers, small businesses and entrepreneurs across every sector warned that this change would threaten their livelihoods. It is difficult to imagine a stronger signal that the proposed regulation is fundamentally wrong and out of step with economic reality.

Academic research shows why. The Mercatus Center, a think tank, examined nine states that adopted stricter worker classification laws, including New Jersey, and found that they led to significant declines in employment across the board. W-2 employment fell by 4.73%, self-employment dropped by 6.43%, and overall employment declined by 4.79%. These losses contradict the idea that tightening classification rules supports traditional jobs. Instead, opportunities vanish entirely.

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Independent contracting is more than a work category. It is a pathway to autonomy. It allows people to build a schedule around family needs, pursue more than one client and enter industries that may otherwise seem inaccessible. In fields such as construction, transportation, child care, media and personal services, this flexibility is essential. Restricting these arrangements will hit the very communities that rely on them most.

Opinion: Sherrill can fix NJ's criminal justice system. Here's how

How NJ's Hispanic communities would be impacted

That includes underserved communities across the state, including the Hispanic community, which played a significant role in Sherrills win.

Hispanics own more than 122,000 businesses in the state, which contribute an estimated $14.4 billion annually to New Jerseys economy. As is the case in other communities, many of these enterprises depend on independent contractors to stay competitive and meet seasonal or variable demand. Hispanic workers and entrepreneurs are central to New Jerseys economic strength. A restrictive rule would make it harder for small businesses to grow, hire and maintain affordable operations.

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At a time when other states are modernizing labor laws to reflect how people work, New Jersey can hardly afford to move backward. Families are stretched by the rising cost of housing, taxes, insurance and basic goods. Eliminating flexible work opportunities removes a vital source of income for many and reduces the states overall economic mobility.

Instead, Sherrill should deliver on her commitment to the promises she made to voters about expanding opportunity and helping working families by repealing this proposed regulation.

As Sherrill prepares to take office, she has the chance to set a clear direction. New Jersey can remain a place where innovation and independence thrive, but only if its officials reject rules that limit opportunity and increase costs. To uphold her promise of an affordable New Jersey, Sherrill must stop this harmful proposal and champion policies that support every worker in the state.

Mario H. Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a public policy advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity and prosperity for all.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mikie Sherrill restrictive NJ labor rule | Opinion
Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony count of obstructing federal agents seeking to make an immigration arrest outside her courtroom, a precedent-setting case that has been closely watched nationally and drawn passionate protests.

A jury of seven men and five women deliberated more than six hours before delivering a split verdict. They found the judge not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person.

The case thrust Dugan, a judge for nine years, into the center of the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration over its crackdown on illegal immigration.

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We werent trying to make an example out of anyone. This was necessary to hold Judge Dugan accountable because of the actions she took, Interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel said. Theres not a political aspect to it.

Dugan attorney Steve Biskupic highlighted that the jury delivered a split verdict and the elements between the two counts are the same.

Steven Biskupic, the former U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Wisconsin speaks after the fourth day of Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan's federal obstruction case at the Milwaukee Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Dec. 18, 2025. - Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Dugan, 66, showed no emotion as the verdict was read.

The case is a long way from over, Biskupic said.

Biskupic said the team would be filing a motion asking Adelman to set aside the conviction, especially based on the split verdict. No sentencing hearing was set.

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The jury foreperson, who did not provide his name, was asked how he was doing and said, "I am not feeling too good."

"I will say the jury followed [Judge] Adelman's instructions faithfully," the foreperson said.

Other jurors declined to speak to the media.

Schimel urged people to keep this case in proper perspective.Some have sought to make this about a larger political battle. While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day  a single day  in a public courthouse, Schimel said.

Schimel also said courthouses are the safest place to make arrests, and it was safer than a traffic stop. He also said it appeared clear from Chief Judge Carl Ashleys draft policy on courthouse ICE arrests that there was little that court officials could do to stop them.The defendants actions provided an opportunity for a wanted subject to flee outside of that secure courthouse environment, he said.

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Before the trial, the government made a plea offer to Dugan, but no deal was struck. Details were not provided.

During their six hours of deliberations, the jury had three questions: one about ICE regulations and who needed to be told when agents were making an arrest. The next two were if Dugan needed to know who was being arrested. The answer Adelman sent back was different to the similar questions.

The jury was drawn from 12 counties that make up the Eastern District of Wisconsin, from Sheboygan to Kenosha and to the western border of Waukesha County.

The government brought in 19 witnesses, ranging from federal agents to a fellow judge. The defense called two fellow judges, a public defender and former Mayor Tom Barrett, a longtime friend. Dugan herself did not take the stand.

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The case against Dugan was factually simple and could be legally monumental. This is the first time a state judge has gone to trial on charges of obstructing immigration agents.

The case has become a bellwether in the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration as it executes a sweeping immigration crackdown nationwide.

Case began with an ordinary day in state court

On April 18, Dugan was presiding over a misdemeanor court on the sixth floor of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Tensions were high among county judges as federal immigration officers had earlier arrested two people suspected of being in the country illegally.

Federal agents were there to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, charged with battery and appearing before Dugan. Flores-Ruiz illegally re-entered the U.S. in 2013.

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Dugan learned of the planned arrest from her clerk. She went to the main corridor with another judge, questioned the agents, and directed them to the chief judge's office, who was working on a plan on how such arrests were to be treated.

Dugan returned to her courtroom, moved Flores-Ruiz's case up first and then directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a non-public door and into a hallway used by judges and staff, witnesses testified.

Flores-Ruiz and his attorney emerged into the public corridor. Federal agents followed them. He was arrested outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase.

A week later, FBI agents arrested Dugan, leading her out of the Milwaukee County Courthouse in handcuffs. Flores-Ruiz has since been deported.

Prosecutors focused on five acts, avoided politics

The sides largely agreed on the basic facts of what happened. The question centered on Dugan's intent.

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Federal prosecutors used the indictment as a roadmap for their case, highlighting things they said Dugan did that were unusual, even in a busy courtroom.

They also used video of Dugan's interaction with the agents and audio from inside the courtroom to paint a picture of a judge bent on defying the ICE agents.

Dugan's court reporter offered to walk out the pair but Dugan says she'll do it. "I'll get the heat."

Judge Kristela Cervera was a key witness, testifying that she was reluctant to go in the hallway with Dugan and she was shocked to learn the allegations against Dugan.

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"Judges should not be helping defendants evade arrest, Cervera testified.

On cross-examination, Cervera admitted she texted her sister, a lawyer, after the incident to warn her that ICE agents were in the building. Defense attorneys said she helped the government in order to save herself. The government downplayed the text to her sister.

Defense questions the details

President Trump's name came up just a couple of times in the trial, but his stepped-up immigration enforcement was a theme throughout the defense strategy.

Dugan's attorneys said the Trump administration was trying to make an example out of Dugan to "crush" her.

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They described Dugan as an earnest public servant trying to follow guidance on how to handle such arrests, not trying to obstruct agents.

Several of the actions the government called criminal are things that happen every day in the bustling state court, her attorneys argued.

Dugan's team tried to get the case tossed out, arguing that as a judge, she was immune from prosecution. U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman denied their motion, though the team preserved its ability to make that argument later.

Reporter Hope Karnopp contributed to this article.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan found guilty of felony obstruction
A jury convicted a Milwaukee judge on one count of felony obstruction Thursday, the Associated Press reported, after she was accused of helping a man who was in the U.S. illegally evade federal immigration authorities during a law enforcement operation at her courthouse.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was acquitted on a count of concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor.

Dugan was arrested in April and pleaded not guilty to both charges. She attempted multiple times to dismiss the case against her on the grounds that she was acting within the scope of her official duties as a state court judge and therefore was entitled to judicial immunity, but those attempts were denied.

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The trial lasted four days in Milwaukee federal court.

Dugan's legal team argued that the "top levels of government" were involved in bringing charges against her, while federal prosecutors argued that Dugan intentionally interfered to block federal immigration officials from arresting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the Associated Press reported.

Dugan did not take the stand in her own defense, but a colleague of Dugan's who testified for the government said she was shocked by her behavior, according to the AP.

Flores-Ruiz has since been deported.

According to a sworn statement by the FBI agent, Dugan helped direct Flores-Ruiz out of her courtroom through the jury door as federal immigration agents were waiting to arrest him in the hallway of Dugan's courthouse.

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"Judge Dugan then escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the 'jury door,' which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse," the agent wrote, adding that Dugan also instructed the man's attorney to also leave the courtroom through that door.

Agents later spotted Flores-Ruiz "looking around the hallway" in the courthouse and followed him out of the courthouse, where a foot chase ensued and he was arrested.

As the result of her arrest, Dugan was suspended from the bench in late April by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Chief Judge Carl Ashley said Dugan's docket would be taken over by a reserve judge "as needed."

Dugan's attorney, Steven Biskupic, told reporters he was disappointed with the verdict, the AP reports.

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Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche hailed the conviction, arguing on X that Dugan "betrayed her oath and the people she served."

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Former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney called for taxing the ultra-rich at a higher rate to help save Social Security for future generations, saying that its time for rich people like me to pay more.

Romney, a former Republican presidential candidate and governor of Massachusetts, wrote in an op-ed published by The New York Times on Friday that wealthy Americans ought to contribute more to help save the Social Security Trust Fund.

Politics: Turning Point USA Has An Erika Kirk Problem

The fund is projected to run out of money by 2034, a rapidly approaching cliff that would sharply reduce peoples retirement benefits absent action from Congress.

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I believe in free enterprise, and I believe all Americans should be able to strive for financial success. But we have reached a point where any mix of solutions to our nations economic problems is going to involve the wealthiest Americans contributing more, Romney wrote in the op-ed.

Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. US President Joe Biden's $7.3 trillion fiscal 2025 budget proposal, unveiled on Monday, lays out a second-term vision that would deliver more services, middle-class tax breaks and price controls to voters funded through higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Romney also said he supports closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy, referring to them instead as tax caverns. This includes ideas many Democrats have proposed over the years, like increasing the tax rate on carried interest and taxing large inheritances over $100 million that avoid the capital gains tax after they are passed down following the asset owners death.

The former Utah senator used Tesla CEO Elon Musk as one prominent example of a wealthy American who takes advantage of these loopholes, noting that Musks now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency failed spectacularly at cutting government spending earlier this year.

Politics: White House Deputy Press Secretary Called Out For Falsifying Michael Jackson, Diana Ross Photos In Epstein Files

Yes, taxes can slow growth, Romney wrote. But most of the measures I propose would have a relatively small impact on economic growth. If my party wants to be the one to give working- and middle-class Americans greater opportunity  to be the party that is trying to restore some sense of confidence in our capitalist system  this would be a start.

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Romney was one of the wealthiest members of Congress before leaving the Senate after one term in 2024. Hes long supported cutting taxes and reforming entitlements to deliver long-term solvency for Social Security.

But the rising national debt of more than $38 trillion, which has ballooned thanks in part to the tax cuts for the wealthy in President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill  along with growing voter concerns with income inequality  seems to have changed Romneys mind on the subject of raising taxes.

It would help us avoid the cliff ahead, and may tend to quiet some of the anger that will surely grow as unemployed college graduates see tax advantaged multibillionaires sailing 300-foot yachts, Romney concluded.

Politics: Trump Announces Who He's Endorsing For New York Governor

Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist running for governor in California as a Democrat, agreed with Romney.

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Tax me more. Ive been saying it for a long time, Steyer wrote online. Even rational Republicans agree, because theyre looking at the numbers.

Read the entire op-ed from Romney here.

Political Updates

Read the original on HuffPost
Jarod Beardon gives a speech honoring people who died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness during a vigil at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City on Dec. 18, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

Heidi Barr. Hoi Holly Xuan. Anjala Evans. Jose Hernandez.

As he read their names aloud Thursday night in front of a somber crowd illuminated by candlelight, Herbert Elliot  co-chair of the consumer advisory board for the Fourth Street Clinic, which provides health care for the homeless in Salt Lake City  dropped a small stone into a glass jar for each name.

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Clink. Clink. Clink.

By the end of the list, about 80 stones filled the jar.

Thats how many known people died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness or having been homeless. There is likely more. Thursdays vigil in Pioneer Park is part of an annual tradition to honor the lives lost in Utahs homeless community  and to honor those who might otherwise be forgotten.

When the name James Owen Dennis was read aloud, a hooded man in the crowd named Darien Willardson murmured, Love you, James.

His face glowed from the single candle he held in his hands. By the time the rest of the names were read aloud and the last stone clinked into the jar, the candle Willardson held had melted down to the bottom of its wick.

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After the vigil, Willardson told Utah News Dispatch he knew two men on the list. One was Dennis. The other was Rodney, whose last name was listed as unknown on the vigils program.

Willardson  who leads outreach teams for the Rescue Mission, a faith-based nonprofit helping the homeless in Salt Lake City  said Dennis went through the Rescue Missions recovery program. After Dennis moved away to take care of his dad, Willardson said he was diagnosed with cancer. He died just two weeks ago.

People hold candles to honor those who died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness during a vigil at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City on Dec. 18, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

He loved coming to Bible study and just reading the word. He didnt preach or judge  he would just read the word and sit with it, Willardson said of Dennis.

Willardson also knew Rodney because he said he used to meet him under a bridge near the Jordan River Trail.

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Though Willardson said he would try to encourage Rodney to come to the Rescue Mission, he never wanted to come, he said. He wanted to live out his days comfortably under the bridge, and that was his home.

So Willardson said he struck a deal with Rodney  that he would continue to keep checking on him and bring what I could to make his stay a little more comfortable.

But one day, when Willardson came to find him, Rodney was gone.

He passed away living under that bridge, Willardson said.

He said it could have been because of exposure, sickness, or a drug overdose. He didnt know. All Willardson said he did know was that when he went to check on Rodney in October, some nearby campers said his body had been taken away the week prior.

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Willardson said sometimes he wished he could grab him by his collar and pull him out. But I think I am at peace with it, knowing I did everything I could.

I can only do so much, Willardson said. I cant change hearts. But I can do everything in my power to show them love.

A lack of resources

Through song and prayer, vigil speakers and attendees honored the lost lives with tears  but also calls to action. They also urged Utahns to come together to do more for the states homeless.

Among them was former Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, who earlier this month retired from his role as state homeless coordinator. Tearfully, Niederhauser said a lack of resources is a constant struggle when it comes to dealing with homelessness.

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Its a scarcity of treatment and housing and a lot of other things, he said. And it seems that when theres a scarcity of something, its our most vulnerable populations that end up without.

But Niederhauser also gave a nod to the progress that weve made over the last several years to commit more funding to homeless services, housing and shelter throughout the states system.

He thanked homeless service providers who are by no means getting rich working in homeless services, but they are getting rich in a way where theyre helping humans.

The reward of helping others is riches beyond anything on this earth, he said.

Former Utah state homeless coordinator Wayne Niederhauser gives a speech honoring those who died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness during a vigil at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City on Dec. 18, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

We need to do more

Jarod Beardon once lived on the streets of Salt Lake City but now works for the INN Between, which provides end-of-life care for people experiencing homelessness. He also spoke during the vigil  which he said he was at first reluctant to do because his experience with homelessness has scarred me.

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I remember having to walk the streets at night, having to look for a safe and secure place to sleep, he said. I remember feeling so tired that I felt like at any moment I could pass out on the streets or in some random ditch.

Beardon said he also remembered having a working cellphone, and yet not one person that I could call that would let me come stay the night.

I remember the drugs and everything that comes along with that, he said, but he added what he remembered most was the looks that I would get from people going to work, and how low I felt. For the first time in my life, I felt less than and, quite frankly, not human.

Beardon said the wonderful, courageous people being honored during the vigil arent just a name to me. In many ways, they are me. And I am them.

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Ive met people that have at one point earned six-figure incomes that now by some unexpected circumstance are now spending their nights (in homeless shelters), he said.

People hold candles to honor those who died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness during a vigil at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City on Dec. 18, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

Through his work at the INN Between, Beardon said hes learned that what connects us all is that we all have trauma, and thats helped him heal from his own trauma every day.

Now, many of the names we are reading tonight belong to people who did not pass away in a safe space, surrounded by care, and were never formally memorialized, he said. Some, however, spent their final days at the INN Between, resting in a bed and not on the streets. Surrounded by people who cared deeply for them.

After their deaths at the INN Between, he said their lives were honored by a candlelight ceremony because everyone deserves that basic dignity. Everyone.

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Beardon thanked the more than 100 people who showed up for the vigil  but he also issued a call for everyone to do more for Utahs homeless.

Even though we are making progress, it is just a small, small dent, he said. We need to do more. We need more of everything. More of your support. More of your money. More of things like socks, clothing, food, anything you can possibly give.

The most important thing, he said, is we need people not to judge.

We need people not to look at homeless people like theyre not people, he said. Because they are. We need your compassion.

People hold candles to honor those who died in 2025 while experiencing homelessness during a vigil at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City on Dec. 18, 2025. (Katie McKellar/Utah News Dispatch)

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
In cloud and DCI, we saw higher revenue due to strong execution as we ramp our second hyperscale customer in Mexico, along with robust results from our data center power operations in Memphis. The upside in networking was primarily driven by stronger demand for next-generation liquid-cooled platforms, which we currently support in India. Core operating margin for the segment was 5.2%, up 40 basis points year-over-year, supported by mix and strong execution. Connected Living and digital commerce revenue was $1.4 billion, ahead of expectations with broad-based strength in automation, robotics and retail warehouse programs. Core operating margin for the segment was 5.5%.

Gregory Hebard: Turning now to performance by segment in the quarter. Regulated Industries generated $3.1 billion in revenue, in line with expectations and up 4% year-over-year. Automotive and renewables came in largely as expected, and health care continued to deliver steady, reliable revenue performance. Core operating margin was 5.8%, up 110 basis points year-over-year reflecting solid and disciplined execution across the segment and ongoing strength in health care. Intelligent Infrastructure revenue was $3.9 billion, ahead of expectations. The upside was primarily driven by strength in our cloud and data center infrastructure as well as our networking end markets.

On a GAAP basis, operating income was $283 million, and GAAP diluted earnings per share was $1.35. Core diluted earnings per share for Q1 was $2.85, coming in at the upper end of our guidance range.

Gregory Hebard: Thanks, Adam, and good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining our call today. This quarter, we exceeded expectations across the board: revenue, core operating income, core margins and core earnings per share all came in strong. Our performance underscores the value of our diversified portfolio and our consistent execution. Intelligent Infrastructure led the way with impressive growth while Regulated Industries and Connected Living and Digital Commerce delivered steady results in line with or above our outlook. Let's now walk through our numbers. Net revenue for Q1 was $8.3 billion, at the high end of our guidance range. The mix in revenue and ongoing cost discipline helped us achieve core operating income of $454 million and a core operating margin of 5.5%.

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Gregory Hebard: Next, I'll provide an update on our cash flow and balance sheet metrics. Inventory days for the quarter came in at 70 days. Net of inventory deposits from customers inventory days were 57 days, consistent with our targeted range of 55 to 60 days. Cash flow from operations in Q1 was $323 million, and net capital expenditures were $51 million, resulting in adjusted free cash flow of $272 million for the quarter. We remain on track to deliver $1.3 billion in adjusted free cash flow for the full year. We ended the quarter with a healthy balance sheet, including net debt to core EBITDA of 1.2x and cash balances of $1.6 billion.

During Q1, we repurchased $300 million of shares under our existing share repurchase authorization.

Gregory Hebard: With that, let's turn to our guidance for Q2 FY '26. Beginning with revenue by segment, we anticipate Regulated Industries revenue of $2.78 billion, up 2% year-on-year, reflecting an appropriately disciplined outlook for automotive and renewables with continued growth in health care. Intelligent Infrastructure revenue of $3.76 billion, up 42% year-on-year, supported by sustained strong demand across cloud, data center infrastructure, data center power, networking, liquid cooling and capital equipment. This also includes a modest contribution from the previously announced Hanley Energy acquisition, which our guidance assumes will close sometime in January. Connected Living and Digital Commerce revenue of $1.21 billion, down 10% reflecting planned program attrition and customer pruning, partially offset by continued growth in warehouse and retail automation.

Putting it all together to enterprise level, total company revenue for Q2 is expected to be in the range of $7.5 billion to $8 billion. Core operating income is expected to be in the range of $375 million to $435 million. GAAP operating income is expected to be in the range of $312 million to $382 million. Core diluted earnings per share is expected to be in the range of $2.27 to $2.67. GAAP diluted earnings per share is expected to be in the range of $1.70 to $2.19. We expect second quarter net interest expense to be approximately $69 million and full year interest expense to be approximately $270 million.

The increase in interest expense next quarter reflects 2 key factors: first, additional debt associated with the anticipated acquisition of Hanley Energy Group, which we intend to fund through a combination of cash and new borrowings. And second, the anticipated refinancing of our existing senior notes maturing in April. Our core tax rate for Q2 and the full year is 21%. In closing, Q1 was a strong start to the year, and we carried good momentum into Q2. Our results reflect the strength of our diversified portfolio and the consistency of our execution. As we move through the balance of the year, we remain focused on margin expansion, capital efficiency and sustained cash generation.

With that, I'll turn the call back to Mike, who will offer additional color on fiscal 2026 and our updated guidance.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: Thanks, Greg, and good morning, everyone. I'd like to begin by personally recognizing and thanking our global team for their extraordinary efforts they continue to deliver. I'm extremely pleased with the strong start to fiscal 2026, which could not be accomplished without your focus, discipline and commitment to our customers. I see that dedication every day across our operations, and I am sincerely grateful for everything the Jabil team continues to deliver. As Greg outlined, the first quarter was better than expected in both revenue and core margin, which ultimately drove core EPS high end of our guidance range.

And while AI continues to be the primary driver of growth, it was great to see all of our 3 segments contribute to our better-than-expected performance. In summary, our Q1 results, I believe, reinforced the strength of the strategy we laid out in September and the value of our diversified model. And more importantly, we now expect this momentum to continue throughout fiscal 2026 and beyond into fiscal 2027.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: With that momentum as a backdrop, I'd now like to take a few minutes to walk through each of our segments for FY '26. Beginning with Intelligent Infrastructure. We're raising our fiscal 2027 outlook by approximately $900 million, driven by higher revenue in both cloud and DCI as well as networking. Cloud and DCI is now expected to be up an incremental $600 million for the year to $9.8 billion. The stronger-than-expected outlook is primarily driven by the recent program wins with our second hyperscale customer in Mexico and upside in our data center power business in Memphis. This also includes approximately $200 million associated with the Hanley Energy acquisition, which we expect to close in January.

Hanley strengthens our capabilities in modular power distribution and energy systems for next-generation data centers. This will diversify our racks and server business. We now expect our networking and comms end market to be up approximately $300 million for fiscal 2026 to $2.7 billion. This is supported by stronger demand for next-gen liquid cool platforms with meaningful demand increases in India as customers expand high-speed interconnects, including both Ethernet and InfiniBand capacity to support the rapid growth in AI workloads. Altogether, we now expect AI-related revenue of approximately $12.1 billion in fiscal 2026, which represents approximately 35% year-over-year growth, up from 25% originally expected in September. The strength we're seeing here clearly validates our strategy.

By designing and delivering fully integrated systems that combine compute, networking, power distribution and advanced cooling, we materially shorten deployment time lines and reduce total cost for customers, precisely what is required as AI capacity scales.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: On a separate note, and as we discussed in September, we're in the process of retrofitting our East Coast rack and silver factories to accommodate for liquid cooling. And these efforts remain slightly ahead of schedule, positioning Jabil very well for the second half of fiscal 2026 and into fiscal 2027. In Regulated Industries, fiscal 2026 is tracking above our September expectations by roughly $100 million, driven by better-than-expected results in renewables, although we remain cautious with our outlook for the year. Automotive continues to perform as expected, and we continue to focus on powertrain agnostic solutions in next-gen vehicles.

Importantly, over the longer term, we remain well positioned in both renewables and automotive markets as the team has consolidated share with existing customers. In health care, our business remains solid and aligned with our expectations for growth, supported by continued strength in drug delivery platforms, including GLP-1, and continuous glucose monitors as well as ongoing demand across diagnostics and minimally invasive technologies. Our pipeline remains healthy with good visibility into program ramps across drug delivery, chronic disease management and other regulated devices categories. Overall, we expect health care will be a durable multiyear growth engine for Jabil.

Putting it all together, we now expect our regulated segment to return to growth this year, representing nearly 40% of our revenue in fiscal 2026.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: And finally, in Connected Living and Digital Commerce, our outlook is also ahead of our expectations at the beginning of the year as we now anticipate approximately $100 million in incremental revenue for the year driven primarily by broad-based strength in automation, robotics and advanced retail warehouse program. Altogether, we now expect CLDC to be down by roughly 11% year-over-year due to previously announced customer pruning in Connected Living, offset slightly by growth in digital commerce. Given the strength of Q1 and the visibility we have across the business, we're raising our full year guidance for revenue, core margins and core EPS.

For fiscal 2026, we now expect revenue of approximately $32.4 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion from our prior outlook. Importantly, we are also raising our margin expectations for the year. We now anticipate core operating margins of roughly 5.7%, a meaningful improvement of 10 basis points versus our earlier view. This improvement reflects strong mix, continued execution and the underlying leverage in our model. As a result of both higher revenue and higher margins, we now expect core diluted earnings per share of $11.55 for the year, an increase of $0.55 from our previous estimate.

And we continue to expect adjusted free cash flow of more than $1.3 billion, consistent with the framework we outlined in September, which will allow us to continue to invest in future growth while continuing to return capital to shareholders. Across the company, our priorities remain the same: profitable growth, diversified mix, margin expansion, consistent cash generation and strong commitment to buybacks, which was evident in Q1. This focus is driving momentum across the business, allowing us to navigate changing market conditions, deliver consistent results and steadily build long-term earnings power. To summarize, our first quarter results were better than expected and fiscal 2026 is now tracking well above our initial expectations.

What's notable to me about a higher FY '26 outlook is that it's broad-based. All 3 segments are contributing with intelligent infrastructure leading the way. As we move forward, we remain focused on driving long-term value for our shareholders. Before closing, I want to again thank our teams, customers and suppliers for their commitment and partnership. The consistency in our results is a direct reflection of their efforts, and I am grateful for the trust they continue to place in Jabil. I also want to wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday season and a happy New Year. With that, I'll turn the call over to Adam.

Ruplu Bhattacharya: Mike, you raised the full year revenue guide by over $1 billion. There's lots of things that are happening in the intelligent infrastructure space. The slides mentioned some new wins, can you give us some more color on those? There are a lot of new projects coming up as well, like the OpenAI, AMD, Anthropic, AWS. I mean do you think Jabil has the intent or the opportunity to benefit or some of those projects? And then there are other things you mentioned like retrofitting factories for liquid cooling and acquiring Hanley Energy Group. So maybe just lay out for us the impact of all of these factors.

And overall, would you say the guidances for the fiscal year is still conservative?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: I really think our intelligent infrastructure is outperforming. I -- one of the reasons I think our AI strategy is working so well is because of the holistic view that we're taking of data centers. So we're not just focused on sale products. So product lines, we're actually invested in design and engineering across the board which allows us to cross pollinate, which allows us to cross-sell, which allows us to use our liquid cooling capability with some of the Silver X and other parts of our Intelligent Infrastructure business. So Intelligent Infrastructure performing really well. I think in '25, our revenue was $9 billion, in September, we've taken it to $11.2 billion, which was up 25%.

We've now taken it up to $12.1 billion, which is 35%, about a $900 million increase in that revenue level. I think out of the $900 million think of it in 2 buckets. One is the cloud and DCI bucket, which is up about $600 million, $200 million of that is Hanley, and I'll touch on that in a minute. The balance is made up of upside on some recent wins that we had maybe during Q4 of last year with our second hyperscaler, and that's in Mexico. It's all AI storage racks that we're manufacturing for that second hyperscaler. And then on the DCI business in Memphis, I think there's a whole bunch of upsides there.

The switch gear business is going really well, the inroad heat exchanges, again, going really well. So cloud and DCI up by $600 million in total. Networking and comms is up by about $300 million, and that's mainly in India operations around air and liquid-cooled switches, adapters, network adapters across Infiniband and the Ethernet portfolio. So $900 million is a big number for us to be taking it up in a short -- a relatively short period of time. On Hanley, if I could just touch on that, I think the revenues that we indicated in my prepared remarks is about $200 million for FY '26. We expect it to complete in January.

I would think of Hanley as being modestly accretive in '26. '27 will be when it's more accretive. It's -- I think everybody knows it's a power and energy management solutions company that we acquired. It's more services-enabled business as opposed to manufacturing. And it gives us a really good sort of platform, not just for deployments, but for maintenance as well, which will be an ongoing revenue stream. So overall, really happy with Hanley. Do I think guidance is conservative? I think it's appropriately conservative. We're seeing solid upside everywhere. And as is now being appropriately conservative by there, Ruplu.

Ruplu Bhattacharya: For my follow-up, if I can ask operating margins, Jabil is going to be at 5.7% operating margin this fiscal year. So is it reasonable for investors to assume that operating margin can get above 6% in fiscal '27, what are the puts and takes there? And longer term, how high can operating margin go? Like with the current mix of business, do you see Jabil getting to 7% operating margin at some point? So -- just your thoughts on -- next or what should we keep in mind in terms of operating margin progression and how high that can go over time?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So Ruplu, we put out 3 quarters left in FY '26. So we're just going to be focused on that. We'll provide guidance nearer the time for FY '27. As you know, we increased our margin from 5.6% to 5.7%, which is about 30 bps up from the '25 number and that's for FY '26 due to 2 or 3 reasons, which is mainly better mix. I think the mix is coming in stronger or better utilization of capacity. Our capacity utilization has gone up from that 75% range, closer to the 80% range. And then SG&A leverage as well.

So I think overall, the incremental revenue, what we're seeing, the $1.1 billion that you referenced earlier, that's giving us some nice leverage. In FY '27, we will be seeing a full year impact of Hanley. So there will be some level of accretion on the margin there. And then we'll see continued leverage from the incremental revenues. The pipeline that I'm seeing, Ruplu, is extremely strong. It's been a long time since I've seen such a healthy pipeline. So I feel better about 6% than I ever have.

I think if you're asking beyond 6% and getting to 7%, of course, we're not going to stop getting leverage, you're not going to stop getting efficiencies as soon as we hit 6%. So 6% is just a point in time on a march to a much higher number. Is it '27, '28, '29, I don't know. 6%, though, I feel really good about at this stage for future.

Ruplu Bhattacharya: Got it. If I can sneak one more in. Looking at health care and packaging, for the last 3, 4 years, it's been mostly flat. This year, it's growing low single digits to $5.6 billion. Any thoughts like you had talked about some further J&J type of deals and you've got this impact from Croatia. So just -- can you give us some more color on how you think that business can evolve? Is it still a low single-digit business going forward? Or do you think it can accelerate?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So Croatia was going really well. I think we've always referenced sometime in '27, maybe second half '27 is going to actually start delivering some good returns. Again, just remind you, the margin is higher in that GLP-1 space. So Croatia going really well. As opposed to -- on the whole deal piece, I do think the team is actively working all of that. They are currently engaged in B2B conversations. They're engaged in M&A sort of capability-driven type of sort of deals as well. So it's an active sort of process that we're going through right now, and we'll provide updates again throughout FY '26 in terms of what we're seeing out there from a deal.

And again, just to remind you, the deals that we're looking at mainly would be to sort of add capabilities so that we can go vertical in the health care space. A bit like our -- a bit like our -- the GLP-1 OSD transaction that we did last year, where we added a capability on pharma sort of filling up the GLP-1 itself, oral doses, et cetera. So there'll be more of those more capability driven across the board where we operate.

Unknown Analyst: This is [ Hampi ] on for Samik Chatterjee. Firstly, congratulations on great results. My question is on second hyperscaler. I think you highlighted high second hyperscale driving up to your intelligent infrastructure outlook for the year. Like how much of it is your better execution relative to your customer demand versus customers -- customer actually preponing their deployment plans? And then in the past, you have highlighted $750 million of revenue scale for this business for FY '26. Like how should we think about that scale now? And then any color on the broader potential hyperscaler customers? Like how exactly those discussions are going? And then I have a follow-up.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: Yes, the upside on the second hyperscaler, as I mentioned earlier on, is on the AI storage piece, we continue to get some upside on that business. I'm not sure if that's predeployment or it's just the demand has always been there. It's a matter of fulfilling it. I -- we feel really good about upside even from there on some of these hyperscalers that we're in discussion with. So I think if you're looking at the revenue piece for the second hyperscaler roughly in that $1 billion range. I think earlier we said $750 million, so taking that up by some amount as well. So really good interest levels coming through.

And we're not just stopping in the second hyperscaler, we're in discussions with even more hyperscalers. So pipeline, again, looking very strong.

Unknown Analyst: Yes. And then my next question is around gross margins for this quarter. I think like despite the revenues being higher quarter-over-quarter from F 4Q, like gross margins were lower, like can please help us understand the drivers for that?

Gregory Hebard: Yes. So Q1, our gross margins were at 8.9%. Year-over-year, it is up 10 basis points. So typically, we do have a little bit of a lower gross margins on the year. So really nothing there other than just mix in Q1 for the gross margin piece.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: And Samik, we've always sort of mentioned 9% to 9.5% is the range for our gross margin. That's still the FY '26 estimate.

Steven Fox: I had 2 questions, if I could. I guess, first of all, just switching gears. On the health care business, like you mentioned, Mike, it's been very steady. My understanding is providing pretty good margins for you guys as well. I guess off of all the growth you're seeing in cloud, what's the prospects for maybe us more aggressively to accelerate that growth since it's such a good contributor to profitability? And then I had a follow-up.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: Yes. So Steve, we're constantly evaluating M&A activity in that space. We're constantly in discussions on B2Bs. So I think it's highly likely that we'll do something. We're obviously a conservative company from an M&A perspective. So we'll do all the right groundwork for that. But I feel like health care is such a steady business with higher margins, long, long product life cycles and steady cash flows that it's a great sort of upset from a diversification standpoint for us, and that is an area that I'm most excited about from a deal perspective.

Steven Fox: Great. That's helpful. And then just on the cloud business. So a quarter ago, you were warning us about that you still face some bottlenecks later in the year. Now you're ahead of schedule a little bit, which is great, and you're talking about what sounds like a bigger pipeline. So I'm just wondering how we sort of equate your ability to meet demand or meet the growth expectations of adding a new customer or existing customers with all the capacity you have or may need? Like how are you planning out beyond this year for capacity in order to continue to grow that cloud business?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: When we talked about the retrofitting piece on the September call, it was mainly associated with our hyperscaler factory on the East Coast of the U.S. A lot of the upside when we talked about upside that $900 million, some of it is in Mexico where we had some surplus capacity, some of it is in India where it's a combination of existing capacity and new capacity. As you know, North Carolina is going coming up relatively soon in the next 6, 7, 8 months, and that were prefitting, if you want to use that phrase for liquid cooling. So we've got some decent upsides.

We're planning our capacity in that way, Memphis is another area I talked about, that's seeing some really good growth as well. So we might expand there as well. So this current expansion plans that we're looking at, and those might be even sooner than the North Carolina facility. Again, it doesn't change CapEx outlook. The CapEx outlook has been 1.5% to 2% of revenue, and that's going to remain consistent for FY '26.

Ruben Roy: Mike, I wonder if you could spend a minute on just kind of longer-term thinking around Hanley. And I'm wondering, there's been a lot of discussion, obviously, around power and power distribution as the industry is trying to figure out how to get to 800 volts current. And if you think about this acquisition longer term, one of your competitors have been talking a lot about modularized power. Does this help you, do you think, in terms of content per rack and gaining more server rack business by having this? Or is the strategy maybe a little bit different as you think about adding that into the mix?

And also one follow-up on that is, would they own the design of the power distribution? I imagine that's the answer would be yes, given the EBIT margins that you get, but any color on that would be helpful.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So I'd like to call out a couple of transactions as it relates to that whole thermal management piece. Obviously, Hanley is a service provider. I'll talk about that in a minute. But the liquid cooling acquisition we made with Mikros in '24 has also been a big game changer. I think thermal management, thermal participation is not new to hyperscalers, whether it's cooling at the chip level or a switch level or a component level or even at an infrastructure level with liquid -- to liquid heat exchanges. That's one of the reasons we invested in Mikros as we acquired a technology, we didn't acquire a product.

We acquired a design and engineering team which is constantly pushing the boundaries for forward-looking liquid cooling activities. So to me, that old Mikros acquisition is a game changer. I think particularly as the thermal management piece becomes more critical, the ability to design, the ability to engineer liquid cooling at chip level, at the network switch level at different sort of parts and integrate it into a pool system. That's the big differentiator where Jabil will last steps in.

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: As it relates to Hanley, it's more of a services organization. It's the provider of power and energy management solutions. I think the engineering expertise that we have in there is across power distribution, switchgear, energy monitoring, digital power management platforms. It allows us to go vertical as well. And I'll give you an example. Today, we build low-voltage, medium voltage switchgear in Memphis. Hanley will allow us to deploy, install and then maintain those in data centers, which previously was done by other parties. So if you sort of combine the whole silver ad business with the ability to delay install and maintain, that is highly accretive type of business for us.

So Hanley, I think is a really good transaction. We sort of welcome the team hasn't closed yet. We expect it to close in that first week of Jan. So as soon as that takes place, just like the Mikros transaction has created so much opportunity for us, so does Hanley. And again, it's exactly the area that you talked about and it's all around thermal management and -- it's not a surprise to any hyperscale. It's not a surprise to anyone who has a data center that's something that they need to address, and they are addressing that. So I do think the 2 transactions will be well received.

Ruben Roy: It's a lot of detail. I hope this is a quicker follow-up. But just on the capital equipment. I think you said that was in line with your expectations, maybe a little bit better. Is there any change to I guess, on your sort of thinking around overall spend in the capital equipment market relative to 90 days ago as you think about this year?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So the automated testing equipment side of the business, the back end, I think has been outperforming, it outperformed last year. It's outperforming this year, and we'll continue to be -- it will outperform the WFE site for sure. I think there's multiple dram stacking for high-bandwidth membrane that's creating more demand. One good thing we are seeing, and it's forward looking, so we haven't built that into our forecast, but there's some level of WFE improvements coming along as well with the whole AI compute expansion and the NAND factory sort of upgrades. So WFE, think of that more as an opportunity. In the past, we like WFE is going to be steady and static.

We are seeing some signs of improvements there. And until that happens, those sort of expectations normally move to the right or to the left, so we haven't included that in our guide, but the WFE side could actually be a sublevel of upside for us.

Melissa Dailey Fairbanks: I wanted to start off by asking about automotive and transport. You see that you maintained the outlook for the full year, down a little bit from last year. Just wondering if the mix of that business or any of kind of the geographical trends have changed. We have heard from some suppliers, Europe suppliers are being a little bit more cautious going into next year? Just wondering what the complexion of that business looks like in the near term?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So let me start by saying automotive is an area that we continue to be appropriately conservative on. I think we're seeing relatively good performance. I think -- has it hit a bottom, I do feel like it has and there will be upside going forward on automotive. Is it a '26 event or a '27, '28 event? We just don't know the exact timing. So we're being appropriately conservative from an automotive standpoint. One of the things the team has done really well is invest in powertrain agnostic technologies and what do we mean by that is software-defined vehicles. ADAS, those sort of programs go into any platform, whether it's hybrid or EVs or combustion engines.

They're all -- we're talking to all sorts of companies. And then if you factor in the whole Tier 1 sort of the OEMs still want to the design and the IP as they want to do with the EV platforms, that's a good opportunity for us EMS companies as well. And I think those program wins, we do expect where we're in discussion again for '27-'28. And we're doing really well because there's a shift in the way the whole automotive space is working out, not just for EVs. It's now being extended to hybrids and ICE as well or at least the concept is.

So we'll continue to add some capabilities, and I do think '26, and best way to define '26 is a conservative year. In '27, we could see some upside. I don't forget a program in automotive takes 12 to 18 months to win. So programs we're winning today will only show up in '27-'28.

Melissa Dailey Fairbanks: Okay, great. Keep up the good work. Maybe just a quick follow-up. Everyone has to ask about at least one question on data center. As you're ramping your second hyperscale customer. I know your lead hyperscale customer. A lot of that business goes through consignment. Just wondering how much, if any, of some of these new programs that you're ramping are on consignment, and the gross revenue is actually coming in a little bit better than even what we're seeing on the net revenue side?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: I think it's a little bit of a mix. I think the consignment model is more our largest customer perspective. Some of the other customers were still going through gross versus consignment discussions. But at this stage, we're just factoring in gross levels, I do think that's more likely than consignment models popping up everywhere. I think that was more -- that was specifically for that first hyperscaler, will it apply across every single hyperscaler. I'm not sure. I think it's a wait-and-see approach.

Mark Delaney: Do you able to took up its view for AI growth this year to 35%. I realize you already spoke on your own capacity planning. Can you speak to any constraints your data center customers may face from the supply side, including having enough power supply to their data center sites? And to what extent you factored any constraints they may be seeing into your guidance?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: Look, our power sort of constrained the data center is not a new thing. I think it's always been around, and we've grown, I think, I can't remember the exact numbers from '24 to '25, we grew exponentially '25 to '26, again, we're growing at 35%. And this is all while data center power issues continue to perforate.

I think overall, like I said, the offering that we have, the solutions that we have, the design, engineering and including some level of liquid cooling across our offerings, be it on the chip, be it on the rack service, be it on networking switches, be it run in the data center infrastructure itself, we're actually engaged with customers to address a lot of those heat questions. So I'm not seeing any major impact of slowdown. Like I said earlier, it's actually -- I've never seen such a healthy pipeline now before it is strong, and it continues to be strong. I don't know, people talk about AI bubbles. We're not seeing any of that at all.

Mark Delaney: Very helpful. Mike, last quarter, you mentioned the possibility of winning that third hyperscaler customer and you spoke to that possibility again on the call today. Can you give more color on that, including what types of product or products you're hoping to sell to that CSP and when you think you may know if you've converted on that opportunity?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: We continue to have discussions, Mark. It's a little premature to talk about the products and the revenue. I think that was more -- the last call was more of, hey, this is our overall strategy. We're not just targeting one hyperscaler or 2 hyperscalers. There's definitely a third hyperscaler, fourth hyperscaler so needed our offering. It's that design and engineering architecture capability that's driving a whole bunch of hyperscalers to us. And in a weird way, the discussion could start about a server in a rack and server before you know it, it's moved into liquid cooling, and certainly move into silicon photonics.

It's moved into other parts of our data center infrastructure piece with heat exchanges and some of the liquid cooling solutions that we're providing. So it's the offering that we have today that is driving hyperscalers to have these discussions with us. And like I said, it's not built into any of the numbers. We're not talking about our third hyperscaler yet in any of the numbers, but I think going forward, we're still in current discussions currently.

Timothy Long: Two, if I could, as well. First, I was hoping you could touch a little bit on that the larger hyperscale customer wasn't really excited as a part of the strength here. So curious what kind of trends are going on there. I do think there's some product transitions in some of their compute platform. So curious if impacting or if there's anything else going on there? And then secondly, just more broadly, a lot of movement around custom ASICs and XPUs. Curious how you see Jabil participating, obviously, PPU gaining a lot of traction and announcements at least over the last few months, how you see Jabil playing in the toll XPU directly and related type of equipment?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So when we talked about the whole retrofitting piece on the September call, we were specific on one site only. Like I said, the rest of the new business is coming in all different sites. The retrofitting is ahead of schedule. I do feel our second half will be stronger in terms of getting it ready. I think originally, we'd anticipated retrofit out to be combination of Q2 and Q3 that might come in earlier in Q3, which would give us some level of upside there. The demand is there. The -- it's crazy what we're seeing in terms of demand. So I have no concerns about the demand side.

Regarding chips, I think we're relatively agnostic in terms of chips, in terms of what we're doing and who we're doing it with, the custom chips or even multiple individual companies on those chips. I don't think one replaces another. It's all complementary in my view. So I see it more as an upside than a replacement.

David Vogt: So Mike, maybe one for you and one for Greg. So you talked about strength in data center infrastructure powered networking. We're folding Hanley into the numbers. We're seeing strength in the second hyperscaler above expectations. I guess what I'm trying to think through is how do you think about the second half of your fiscal year, particularly given what the growth implies is a fairly meaningful deceleration where the underlying demand probably doesn't support that view. Is that just a rev rec issue? Is it a capacity issue? How should investors think about sort of the second half of the year, which kind of implies like 10% growth dynamic is there enough capacity?

And then maybe I'll give you my question as well. Obviously, you took up the full year numbers for revenue margin in EPS and less kind of the free cash flow outlook unchanged. I recognize that CapEx is probably going to go up, I don't know, $50 million to $100 million year-over-year. Anything else from a working capital perspective or a timing perspective that impacts free cash flow this year versus your original expectations?

Michael Meheryar Dastoor: So on the second half piece, I think with the $900 million that we've sort of added a large part of that comes through in Q3 and Q4. Q2, I think we've taken that up by $300 million to $400 million from our previous sort of indications. The retrofitting obviously had a little bit of impact on the Q2. We're continuing to win -- we'll continue to win share. I think if you look at last year, the comps from last year, a little difficult to sort of match up with.

We went from 0 to 60 literally in a matter of a few seconds there, where Q3, Q4 saw solid performance from the previous Q1, Q2, where we didn't have some of the additional facilities that we took over from a competitor. So I would caution against doing comps for Q3 and Q4 because that was a huge growth number in Q3 and Q4, which was going from nothing to multiple buildings in that facility. I feel -- look, I think there's no rev rec. There's no other issues going on here. We're being conservative. And I do think second half now reflects a much better picture than it did 90 days ago.

And I think it will continue to evolve through the year. We have a tendency of being conservative, appropriately conservative. So second half, I think there is some good upside for us as well.

Gregory Hebard: David, it's Greg. So on your free cash flow question, yes, still sticking to our guidance of $1.3 billion plus for the year. Again, a real strong Q1 with $272 million. You're absolutely correct. We do see CapEx slightly ticking up, but still staying in our range. And we also do see working capital with the growth we're seeing in the back half of the year, slightly going up as well. So what I'd say is our guide is -- we feel is prudent at this time, and we'll continue to update as we go through the year.

Adam Berry: Thank you. Thank you for your interest in Jabil. This now concludes our call.

Operator: Thank you. This now concludes today's teleconference. We appreciate your participation. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Enjoy the rest of your day.

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Jabil (JBL) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
A mother seriously injured in a Chester house fire last month has died from her injuries.

The fire broke out Nov. 19 on the 200 block of Wilson Street and also claimed the life of her 3-year-old son, Sy-Aire Redd. He died after being rescued from the second floor.

On Thursday, Delaware County officials confirmed news of the woman's death, but further details were not immediately released.

The blaze reached two alarms before it was brought under control.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW)  A new storage facility for MoWest's state-of-the-art Houlne Center will don the name of one family long known for its dedication to the community.

Missouri Western State University announced the completion of its new 10,000-square-foot storage building Thursday located next to its new Houlne Center for Convergent Technology opened last November, an advanced center designed to prepare students for careers in manufacturing, construction and engineering.

Now, the university is renaming the new building in honor of one St. Joseph family long known for entrepreneurship and philanthropy, renaming it the Thevenot Family Building in recognition of their support for the Houlne Center and promoting careers in manufacturing.

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The family recently provided a generous contribution to the university in support of the effort. The new storage building will be used to house equipment not currently in use, as well as raw materials, and vehicles associated with the Center, helping free up space for more programming.

The Thevenot Family Building makes the Houlne Center even more flexible, allowing our staff to have even more state-of-the-art equipment and materials on hand while keeping the main building free for education and training, said Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, MoWest president, in a news release.

The family is well known for its ownership of Perka Buildings, a manufacturer and distributor of steel frames and building structures for use in a variety of industries, from agriculture to other commercial activities.

The Thevenot familys involvement in St. Joseph spans more than two decades, including volunteer work with South Side nonprofit organizations like the South Side Business Development Board and South Side Rotary Club to work with the United Way of Greater St. Joseph and Performing Arts Association.

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It means the world to our family to support a place dedicated to curiosity, learning, and hands-on innovation, Martial Thevenot said in a news release.

Thevenot hopes the new building serves as a strong and steady home for equipment and resources to aid and support the next generation of builders. Thevenot is set to begin serving his first term on the Missouri Western State University Foundation Board of Directors.
A total of 2.75 inches of rain fell in the Eugene area Dec. 18, breaking the previous Dec. 18 record of 1.52 inches set in 2018.

That rain has translated into two river floods in Lane County: the Siuslaw River in Mapleton, which peaked at 21.6 feet of water at 4 a.m, and the Mohawk River near Springfield, which is projected to peak at 16.32 feet at 4 p.m. The Siuslaw is considered flooded when it reaches 18 feet and the Mohawk is considered flooded when it reaches 15 feet.

Mike McGillivray with Springfield Public Works said the flooding on the river hasn't translated into flooding in the city proper. He said crews have so far only heard of one reported flood in Springfield on Centennial Boulevard and they've since resolved it.

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He said if Springfield residents are aware of more flooding they should report it by calling 541-726-3761 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or 541-726-3714 (the police non-emergency line) after hours.

Last night's rain also broke records in Portland, Salem and Hillsboro. Of the four cities, Salem was hit the hardest with 2.93 inches of rain. While not record setting, southwest Oregon also saw its share of rain with 0.84 inches in Roseburg and 2.27 inches in Drain. And the coast was not left out either, with 1.51 inches falling in Mapleton and 1.92 inches in North Bend.

Protesters brave rain along both sides of the Ferry Street Bridge for the "A Day Without an Immigrant" demonstration on Dec. 18, 2025

NWS' flood warning for the Willamette Valley lasts until Dec. 20. More rain is in the forecast, but it won't be as dramatic as last night. NWS still predicts it will rain every day until at least Christmas.

NWS forecasts Eugene will see:

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.1 inches of rain during the day on Dec. 19.

.08 inches of rain during the night on Dec. 19.

.01 inches of rain during the day on Dec. 20.

.01 inches of rain during the night on Dec. 20.

.15 inches of rain during the day on Dec. 21.

.29 inches of rain during the night on Dec. 21.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached byemail at atorres@registerguard.com, on X @alanfryetorres or on Reddit at u/AlfrytRG.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: More rain through Christmas for Eugene Springfield NWS forecasts
A crash briefly closed all southbound lanes of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia on Friday morning.

Pennsylvania State Police say it happened around 10 a.m. in the southbound lanes near the Academy Road Exit.

Southbound lanes were closed for a period of time between the Academy Road and Cottman Avenue exits.

The highway reopened to traffic around noon.

There's no word on what caused the crash or if there are any injuries.

For the latest traffic conditions in your area, click here.
A deal struck in Brussels to finance Ukraine without directly using frozen Russian assets represents a loss of credibility for the European Union, former top German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger said on Friday.

The agreement, reached in the early hours of Friday morning, gives Ukraine what it urgently needs, so the EU achieved its goal but at a "considerable price," he told Deutschlandfunk radio.

"Namely, the price of credibility, determination and the European Union's ability to act as a credible, internationally respected player. That has fallen by the wayside a little here," said Ischinger, who for years led the Munich Security Conference.

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He stepped down in 2022 but is currently acting as chairman of the conference again until the role is taken up by Jens Stoltenberg, who is currently Norway's finance minister.

"We continue to give the impression that we are driven and then looking for alternative solutions," Ischinger said.

After months of wrangling, EU countries agreed on a compromise to finance Ukraine for the next two years.

Under the deal, Ukraine will receive an interest-free loan of 90 billion ($105.5 billion). If Russia does not pay compensation for war damage, frozen Russian assets in the EU are to be used to repay the loan.

Ukraine has been under attack from Russia since February 2022.
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One of the navigation cameras aboard NASA's Perseverance captured this image of the tracks made by the rover during its climb up the rim of Jezero Crater on Oct. 11, 2024, the 1,295th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover may soon set a record for the longest distance driven on another planet.

Nearly five years into its mission on the Red Planet, the car-sized rover still has enough remaining capability to drive more than twice the distance it has already logged, mission scientists said Wednesday (Dec. 17) at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Louisiana. If all goes according to plan and nothing breaks, Perseverance could drive as much as 62 miles (100 kilometers) by the time its mission is over.

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That estimate puts the six-wheeled robot on track to surpass the current distance record of 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers), set by NASA's Opportunity rover after more than 14 years of exploration on Mars before a monster dust storm ended its mission in 2018. Perseverance is "in excellent shape," Steve Lee, the rover's deputy project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told reporters at the conference.

Lee said engineering tests completed over the summer certified that the rotary actuators used to steer Perseverance's wheels can operate optimally for at least another 37 miles (60 kilometers). Since touching down inside Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, the rover has already traveled about 25 miles (40 kilometers), according to NASA . "It just turned out to add up to a nice even 100 kilometers," Lee said.

Perseverance was originally tested and certified to drive a total of just 12 miles (20 kilometers). Its extended durability reflects lessons learned from Curiosity, its predecessor, whose wheels accumulated an increasing number of dings and punctures after encountering terrain sharper and more rugged than anticipated. That led engineers to design Perseverance's wheels for even tougher conditions, making them larger in diameter and giving them twice as many treads as Curiosity's, Lee said.

"That is proving to play out very well," Lee added. The rover's wheels, he said, "are in fantastic shape" with no known punctures or tears.

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Since its wheels-down landing in Jezero Crater  the remnant of a massive impact about 3.9 billion years ago that was later home to a large lake and river delta  Perseverance has drilled and cached rock samples in its search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover has since climbed more than 1,300 feet (400 meters) up the crater's inner wall and onto the rim , exploring new terrain.

This image was taken by Perseverance's right-front navigation camera to look over the rim of Jezero Crater on Dec. 10, 2024. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Along the way, Perseverance found one of its most intriguing targets yet  an arrowhead-shaped rock nicknamed Cheyava Falls that contains chemical signatures and structures scientists say could have formed through processes associated with microbial life billions of years ago, when Mars was much wetter than it is today.

In a paper published Dec. 17 in the journal Science, scientists report results from the crater's "Margin Unit," where Perseverance collected samples rich in the mineral olivine. This olivine likely formed at high temperatures deep within the Red Planet until being later exposed at the surface, where it interacted with water from Jezero's long-gone lake and with carbon dioxide in Mars' early atmosphere.

Those interactions produced carbonate minerals, which can preserve chemical signatures of past environments and potentially of biological activity, scientists say.

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"This combination of olivine and carbonate was a major factor in the choice to land at Jezero Crater," study lead author Ken Williford of the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in Washington said in NASA's statement . "These minerals are powerful recorders of planetary evolution and the potential for life."

As Perseverance moves beyond the crater's rim, scientists hope to collect additional olivine-rich samples and compare them with those gathered from the Margin Unit.

The rover currently carries six unused sample tubes, and at least two tubes contain samples that have been collected but not yet sealed, meaning they could be replaced if more compelling targets emerge, Lee said.

That flexibility may prove important as the rover pushes into new terrain. This week, the rover is expected to reach a site nicknamed Lac de Charmes, just beyond the rim of Jezero Crater, where ancient rocks appear to be more intact  and potentially more revealing of early Martian geological processes  than those closer to the crater, Briony Horgan of Purdue University in Indiana who co-authored the new Science paper, told reporters on Wednesday.

NASAs Perseverance Mars rover captured this view of a location nicknamed Mont Musard on Sept. 8, 2025. Made up of three images, the panorama also captures another region, Lac de Charmes, where the rovers team will be looking for more rock core samples to collect in the year ahead. | Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Perseverance captured this panoramic view that includes Lac de Charmes, where it will look to collect additional samples next year. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS)

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Scientists are eager to bring Perseverance's haul  the 10 sample tubes dropped onto the crater floor in 2023  back to laboratories on Earth, but their return remains uncertain as NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return program languishes in limbo .

That uncertainty has not altered Perseverance's near-term science plans, Lee said. The mission team is working with NASA headquarters to finalize the rover's next 2.5 years of exploration, extending through most of 2028, he said, with no current plans to deposit additional sample tubes beyond those already awaiting potential pickup.

The team is also beginning to explore how artificial intelligence might assist mission operations and data analysis. Lee described AI as "an exciting emerging capability," particularly for identifying long-term trends in the rover's growing data archive, and potentially helping develop short-term activity plans.

"We still are at that stage where we want to make sure to do that very carefully," Lee said.

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Any AI-assisted plans would still undergo the same rigorous simulations and human oversight as traditional command sequences, he said, "to make sure any plans that are developed are going to make sense and are safe."

When asked how long Perseverance may last on Mars, Lee said the rover carries no consumables, such as propellant, that would impose a hard end to the mission. A NASA assessment of the rover's subsystems predicts that Perseverance could continue operating through at least 2031.

The primary life-limiting factor for the rover is its radioisotope thermoelectric generator, which generates electricity from the heat released by the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 and gradually produces less power over time. That will require more conservative operations, Lee said, likening it to a phone charging more slowly on a weaker power source.

"We'll start seeing that and have to adjust our appetites in operations," Lee said. In the meantime, "there is a lot to keep us busy."
NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his family have died following a plane crash at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.

Airport officials confirmed on Thursday, December 18, that an aircraft registered to Biffle burst into flames upon landing.

I can confirm there were fatalities, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said in the first statement to AP.

A family friend of Biffle subsequently took to Facebook and confirmed that the NASCAR racer and his family were on board the aircraft. Biffle is married to Cristina Grossu and they share 5-year-old son Ryder Jack. The athlete is also the father of teen daughter Emma with ex-wife Nicole Lunders.

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Who Was Greg Biffle? 5 Things to Know About the NASCAR Legend Whose Plane Crashed

Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma and son Ryder were on that plane  because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us, Garrett Mitchell wrote on social media. We are devastated. Im so sorry to share this.

As the story develops, keep scrolling for everything to know so far:

Who Was Greg Biffle?

Biffle was a decorated NASCAR driver having racked up over 50 wins across the sports three series. He was also named one of the one of the 75 best NASCAR drivers in history in 2023.

Who Was on Board Greg Biffles Plane?

The AP confirmed on Thursday that there were six people on board the aircraft that crashed. North Carolina State Highway Patrol later revealed that there were seven passengers.

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North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson and family friend confirmed in a social media post that Biffle and his three family members were among the deceased.

I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them, he wrote. They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track.

Hudson remembered the hundreds of rescue missions flown by Biffle following Hurricane Helene in September 2024.

The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. Thats who the Biffles were, he concluded. Our prayers are with their family, friends, and everyone grieving this unimaginable loss.

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Dennis Dutton, his son Jack and Craig Wadsworth were also killed in the crash, a joint statement from the families of the deceased confirmed.

Dennis Dutton and his son Jack were deeply loved as well, and their loss is felt by all who knew them, the statement read. Craig Wadsworth was beloved by many in the NASCAR community and will be missed by those who knew him.

Biffles family also spoke out in the statement.

We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones. This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words, the statement read. Greg and Cristina were devoted parents and active philanthropists whose lives were centered around their young son Ryder and Greg's daughter Emma (mother  Nicole Lunders). Emma was a wonderful human being with a kind soul who was loved by many people. Ryder was an active, curious and infinitely joyful child.

When Did Greg Biffles Plane Crash?

According to a report from the AP, the plane took off at 10 a.m. local time before attempting to return to North Carolina. A statement from airport officials on Thursday to The Charlotte Observer stated that the aircraft crashed at 10:15 a.m.

Where Was Greg Biffles Plane Going When It Crashed?

The plane was set to take off at the Statesville Regional Airport and head to Sarasota, Florida before heading to the Bahamas. The aircraft was then set to return to Florida, this time heading to Fort Lauderdale before returning to North Carolina.

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Celebrity Deaths of 2025: NASCAR Star Greg Biffle, Gil Gerard and More Stars Weve Lost This Year

What Kind of Plane Was Greg Biffle on?

The AP reported that Biffle was on a Cessna C550, otherwise known as the Citation II, a light or midsized business jet.

Was Greg Biffle Flying the Plane?

Further details about the plane crash have yet to be released.

Was Weather a Factor in Greg Biffles Plane Crash?

Its unclear what exactly caused Biffles plane to crash. However, the Vice President of Forecasting Operations at AccuWeather, Dan DePodwin, released a statement regarding the weather in North Carolina.

Adverse weather conditions were reported in the vicinity of Statesville Regional Airport around the time of the plane crash. Heavy drizzle and a cloud ceiling near 1,200 feet were reported at 10:15 a.m., the statement, shared with Us read. The cloud ceiling had reportedly lowered to around 400 feet, with heavy rain reducing visibility to less than 2 miles at 10:30 a.m. Weather conditions are often a critical factor that investigators carefully review after a plane crash. It may take months to a year or longer for investigators to determine if the weather conditions contributed to the crash.
Greg Biffle, the retired NASCAR driver who died alongside his wife and two children in a plane crash in North Carolina, survived an aircraft malfunction 14 years before the fatal tragedy that took his life on Thursday, December 18.

According to the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Associated Press (via the New Haven Register), the 55-year-old was not hurt in the 2011 incident.

Biffle described the ordeal as a small plane accident that was due to a mechanical failure, the AP reported.

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At the time, a landing gear reportedly malfunctioned, causing his plane to partially collapse while landing at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky.

He told his X (formerly Twitter) followers that he was OK when he posted an update on March 9, 2011, writing, My pilots are purely heroes for maintaining control of the aircraft keeping on the runway, if not it wouldnt have been the same outcome.

As Globe previously reported, authorities confirmed that multiple people died when a Cessna C550 business jet, owned by the race car driver, crashed while landing, according to local outlet WSOC-TV.

Congressman Richard Hudson confirmed via X that Biffle and his family, including wife Cristina Grossu Biffle, were on the plane and were among the casualties.

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I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them, Hudson wrote. They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others.

Biffles friend Garrett Mitchell also confirmed the news on social media.

Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Christina Grossu, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that planebecause they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us, Mitchell, who is known as internet personality Cleetus McFarland, wrote on Facebook. We are devastated. Im so sorry to share this.

Biffle shared son Ryder, 5, with his wife of nearly three years Cristina, and Emma, 14, with ex-wife Nicole Lunders.

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According to the Associated Press, the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating. After the plane crashed, it erupted in flames.

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This story Late NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle Previously Survived Small Plane Accident Years Before Fatal Crash first appeared on Globe. Add Globe as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The U.S. Navy has confirmed its decision to acquire a new FF(X) frigate with a design based on the U.S. Coast Guards Legend class National Security Cutter, though there are immediate questions about its expected configuration. The new warships, the first of which is set to be launched in 2028, are intended to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the abortive Constellation class frigate program. As TWZ just recently explored in detail, axing Constellation, itself intended to help make up for the chronically underperforming Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, had highlighted a concerning hole in the services future force structure plans.

The Navy had previously announced its intention to acquire a new class of frigates, but had only said they would be based on an unspecified American design. Breaking Defense had reported last week that the Legend class National Security Cutter, developed by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), was the design in question, citing anonymous sources.

The USGCS Hamilton, one of the US Coast Guards Legend class National Security Cutters. USCG

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan announced the decision to cancel the Constellation class program at the end of November. The Navy had awarded the first contract for what had been expected to be a fleet of at least 10 of those frigates, based on the existing Franco-Italian FREMM design, in 2020. With the idea that only relatively minor changes would be necessary in the Americanized version, and that this would help keep the program on track, the original goal was to see the future USS Constellation delivered in 2026. However, extensive Navy-directed design changes resulted in an almost completely different vessel with only 15 percent commonality with its European parent, and the delivery schedule had slipped to 2029 at the earliest.

A previously released rendering of a Constellation class frigate. USN

Now, to deliver at speed and scale, I have directed the acquisition of a new frigate class based on HIIs Legend class National Security Cutter design, a proven American-built ship that has been protecting U.S. interests at home and abroad, Secretary Phelan said in a video announcement today. The President [Donald Trump] and SECWAR [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] have signed off on this as part of the Golden fleet. Our goal is clear: launch the first hull in the water in 2028.

I have directed a new Frigate class as part of @POTUS Golden Fleet. Built on a proven American design, in American shipyards, with an American supply chain, this effort is focused on one outcome: delivering combat power to the Fleet fast. pic.twitter.com/ovnASiHYaF  Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan (@SECNAV) December 19, 2025

We look forward to supporting the Navy on this critical program, Chris Kastner, President and CEO of HII, also said in a statement in a company press release. Speed matters, and the NSC ship design is stable and producible and will lead to predictable schedules. I have great confidence in the Ingalls team to execute this program, and in our ongoing efforts with our partners to successfully expand the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base to meet the Navys needs.

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In terms of the future frigates themselves, the FF(X) is a highly adaptable vessel. While its primary mission will be surface warfare, its ability to carry modular payloads and command unmanned systems enables it to execute a broad spectrum of operations, making it ready for the challenges of the modern maritime environment, according to a Navy release. Small surface combatants have always been essential to the fleet, handling a wide range of missions where a large warship isnt required. The FF(X) will continue this vital role, and will take on more routine operations, enhancing the fleets operational flexibility, adaptability, and mission readiness.

The Navy has not yet released more specific details about FF(X)s expected capabilities, but has shown renders of the design. USNI News has also published an additional Navy rendering of the design, seen at the top of this story. What is seen is notably distinct in various ways from Patrol Frigate concepts derived from the National Security Cutter that HII has previously proposed to the Navy, including in the FFG(X) competition that led to the Constellation class. In particular, a very prominent shelf has been added to the bottom of the front end of the main superstructure.

A rendering of the FF(X) design as seen from the side. The shelf in front of the main superstructure is clearly visible. USN capture

A comparative rendering of a previous Patrol Frigate concept, called the FF4923, that HII has presented in the past. HII capture

Where a Vertical Launch System (VLS) array might be found is an immediate question. This is something that one would expect to be a key feature on any future Navy frigate. Past HII Patrol Frigate concepts have included VLS arrays of varying sizes between the main superstructure and the turreted gun on the bow, as can be seen in the video below.

However, the FF(X) design, as it has been shown so far, does not have a VLS clearly installed in its bow, and the new shelf cuts into the space used in previous Patrol Frigate concepts for this purpose. With this in mind, it is possible that a VLS array will be, or at least could be, installed directly in the expanded forward superstructure. This design change would presumably make it easier to fit a larger VLS array into the existing Legend class hull configuration, as below deck alterations to accommodate it would be reduced, especially if longer strike-length cells are not planned.

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The shelf could also serve as a pedestal for other weapon systems, such as a laser directed energy weapon or some other form of point defense system, but this seems far less likely given the other features of the design.

A rendering of the FF(X) design as seen from the top down, which underscores how much the new shelf extends past the rest of the forward superstructure. USN capture

The VLS requirement was a particularly hot topic of discussion around the FFG(X) effort that led to the Constellation class. After work began on those ships, there continued to be questions about whether their 32-cell VLSs were sufficient for meeting their expected mission requirements, as you can read more about in this past TWZ feature.

The FF(X) renderings do clearly show angled deck launchers for missiles at the stern end of the ship, but what they are intended to be filled with is unknown. What is depicted does align with launchers for 16 Naval Strike Missiles (NSM), an anti-ship cruise missile with secondary land-attack capability that the Navy has already been integrating onto some of LCSs, and has been exploring as an option for arming other ships. The U.S. Marine Corps is also fielding a ground-based NSM system.

The ships only other clearly visible weapon systems are a Mk 49 launcher for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM), for close-in defense, and what appears to be the same 57mm gun in a turret on the bow that is found on the Coast Guards Legend class configuration. Whether this has anything to do with the FF(X) nomenclature for the new frigate effort, which notably lacks the G reflecting naval vessel designs explicitly intended to carry guided missiles, is unknown.

A wider look at the stern end of the FF(X) rendering showing the Mk 49 RAM launcher, at right, and additional angled missile launchers, at left. USN via USNI News

The FF(X)s main mast configuration, as depicted in the rendering, also looks largely unchanged from the existing Legend class design. It does appear to feature a Saab AN/SPS-77 Sea Giraffe medium-range multi-mode surveillance radar that is not found on the Coast Guards cutters. A much larger AN/SPY-6(V)3 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), coupled with a derivative of the Aegis combat system, had been set to be a key feature on the Constellation class frigates. More significantly expanded sensor suites were also a feature in past HII Patrol Frigate concepts.

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The explicit mention of modular payloads in the Navys release raises additional questions. One of the most significant areas where the LCS program has failed to deliver has been in the promise of its modular mission modules. These were supposed to allow the ships to rapidly shift from one mission set to another. As it stands now, the Navys Independence and Freedom class LCSs are deployed with largely fixed configurations. It is also worth noting that modular payloads for the FF(X) could refer to containerized systems, such as the Mk 70 Payload Delivery System, which contained a four-cell missile launcher derived from the Mk 41 VLS. There is space on the fantail of the FF(X) design, behind the box launchers, that could be used for a containerized payload.

An SM-6 missile seen being fired from a Mk 70 containerized launcher mounted on the stern flight deck of a US Navy Independence class LCS. USN

The Navy has otherwise made clear that it expects the new frigate design to allow for the integration of new and improved capabilities and functionality down the line.

The frigate will follow the same proven approach weve used with the Arleigh Burke destroyers, building it smart from the start, then upgrading it in steps over time, as the threat and technology evolve, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle also said in todays video announcement.

Arleigh Burke class destroyers, also sometimes referred to as DDG-51 class ships, are the primary workhorse of the Navys current surface fleets, something that looks unlikely to change for decades to come. The service has now begun fielding the Flight III subvariant, which features significantly improved capabilities. There are a number of major upgrade programs underway for existing versions, as well. At the same time, it is worth noting that Navy officials have been warning for years that the underlying design is maxed out from a structural perspective, as well as when it comes to meeting the needs of increasingly power-hungry mission systems.

The USS Jack H. Lucas, the US Navys first Flight III Arleigh Burke class destroyer. USN

Any major physical modifications to the initial FF(X) design, such as the installation of a larger VLS or a new mast for a larger and/or more capable radar array, could be complex and costly. The Navy has its own history with large-scale upgrade programs becoming expensive boondoggles, with previous work on its Ticonderoga class cruisers having become a particular case study in what not to do.

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The Navy has shared details about its acquisition strategy for the new frigates, which it clearly hopes will help avoid some of the issues that befell the Constellation program. The service also plans to eventually competitively award contracts for additional hulls to multiple shipyards. This is in line with broader trends across the Navy and the rest of the U.S. military to be better about obtaining and retaining key intellectual property rights for major weapon system programs to prevent being locked into a particular vendor.

We will acquire these ships using a lead yard and competitive follow-on strategy for multi-yard construction, according to Secretary Phelan in todays video. Shipyards will be measured against one outcome, delivering combat power to the fleet as fast as possible.

A 2023 Navy briefing slide showing work on the future USS Constellation. USN

Leveraging a complete design and production baseline approach will allow the Navy and shipbuilders to reduce costs, schedule, and technical risk, Adm. Caudle added. We know this frigate design works. We know it operates with the fleet, and most importantly, we know how to build it now.

The new frigate program is also being presented as a way to help bolster domestic U.S. shipbuilding capacity. Americas shipbuilding industry has contracted to a very worrying degree over the past few decades, especially in contrast to Chinas heavy investment in the opposite direction, as you can read more about here.

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We will deliver on a wartime footing, and we will unleash the American industrial base to do it, competition, accountability, and real output, steel in the water, per Secretary Phelan.

Comments from Navy officials today also seem clearly intended to head off questions about why the service is not considering any of the wide array of capable frigate designs that allies and partners have in active production now. This is something TWZ explicitly touched on in our recent piece on the Navys future frigate outlook.

Weve also been clear-eyed about what happens in conflict. Other countries will always prioritize their own fleets, not us, ships that depend on foreign industry, Adm. Caudle said in the video released today. Thats why this is an American design backed by American workers, American suppliers, and an established logistics and maintenance network. So wherever the ship sails, when the American flag goes into port, it does so with American industry firmly behind it.

What is not in question is the Navys need for more capable small surface combatants, and more of them overall, especially given the underperformance of the LCS program. In particular, the new frigates will offer a way to free up Arleigh Burke destroyers for more pressing taskings, as well as reduce operational strain on the destroyers overall.

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Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean make the requirement undeniable, Adm. Caudle stressed in the video today. Our small surface combatant inventory is a third of what we need. We need more capable blue water, small combatants to close the gap and keep our DDGs focused on the high-end fight.

With what happened to the Constellation class program, one can expect the new FF(X) effort to be subjected to a particular significant degree of scrutiny, including from Congress. With the official plan now declared to be to leverage the Legend class National Security Cutter design already in Coast Guard service, more specific details may begin to emerge.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A New Mexico man has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison in two separate cases, the Dona Ana County District Attorneys Office said Friday, Dec. 19.

Javier Levario, 33, was sentenced to nine years of additional jail time following a guilty plea to kidnapping. Levario held his girlfriend at knifepoint, and for three days, he did not allow her to leave his truck while beating her and threatening to kill her, the DAs Office said.

Man found guilty of sexually assaulting minor relatives in 2011

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This sentence follows Levarios prior conviction earlier this month for criminal sexual penetration of a minor, a delayed-disclosure case stemming from offenses committed in 2011. The DAs Office said this second case involved Levario raping a 6-year-old and molesting an 11-year-old.

Levario received the maximum possible sentence of 24 years for that crime, the DAs Office said.

In total, Levario was sentenced to 33 years.

Both convictions are designated as serious violent offenses under New Mexico law, requiring Levario to serve 85% of both sentences before becoming eligible for release, the DAs Office said.

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District Attorney Fernando R. Macias called the outcomes a significant and just result, emphasizing the gravity of the crimes and their lasting impact on the victims.

The outcomes of these cases are a clear demonstration of our offices commitment to accountability and ensuring that victims are heard, Macias said.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Willson said: I want to thank the victims in these cases for their courage and strength in coming forward. Facing an offender in court is never easy especially in delayed-disclosure cases  and their bravery ensured that justice was done. I hope this encourages others to step forward in the future.

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 KTSM 9 News.
We recently published 12 Stocks on Jim Cramers Radar. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer's radar.

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) factored into the discussion after Cramer and his co-hosts discussed Pfizer and Merck. The firms shares are up by 46% year-to-date and have had a good December so far. During this time period, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) has reported several important developments. For instance, the firm announced on December 12th that it had secured the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) approval for its New Drug Application for the AKEEGA drug to treat patients with certain kinds of prostate cancer. The AKEEGA update followed Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)s revelation on December 9th that the phase three study of TECVAYLI and DARZALEX FASPRO drugs had shown an 83% reduction in disease risk or death for patients suffering from with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

Jim Cramer Couldn't Stop Gushing About Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)'s Cancer Drugs

Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock.com

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)s recent announcements have also been met with analyst enthusiasm as Bank of America raised its share price target to $220 from $204 and kept a Neutral rating on the stock on December 15th. Cramer also noted the firms cancer drug portfolio and added that Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)s decision to spin off its orthopaedics business was the correct one:

Look, the king of them all though, is JNJ. I mean JNJ is doing everything right plus theyre actually getting rid of the low margin knees. . .

While we acknowledge the potential of JNJ as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.
COURTESY NWS Radar shows rain around Oahu early this afternoon.

COURTESY NWS Radar shows rain around Oahu early this afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory for Oahu this afternoon as the weather system that has drenched the western islands this week continues.

At 11 :27 a.m., radar and automated rain gauges indicated heavy rain over central Oahu. Rain was falling at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour,  forecasters said.

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The advisory is in effect until 2 :30 p.m. today, and forecasters warned that the rains may cause minor flooding on roads, in poor drainage areas, and in streams.

The weather service said Hawaii will continue to see a chance for showers statewide through the weekend.

Southerly winds through the weekend will give way to returning tradewinds Monday, which will carry showers into the islands early next week,  forecasters said.

NWS briefly issued a tornado warning for Niihau around 7 a.m. today as a strong thunderstorm cell threatened the islands. No tornadoes were reported and the warning was lifted after several minutes.

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The man suspected of killing two students at Brown University, then days later, gunning down an MIT professor in Brookline, attended the same academic program as the professor decades ago, prosecutors said.

Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, was identified on Thursday as the shooter in both cases. Investigators linked Neves Valente to both shootings by the car he was driving, which was seen on surveillance at Brown in Rhode Island and near the professors apartment.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she believed Neves Valente and MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, knew each other. Both men were from Portugal and attended a program there together between 1995 and 2000.

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But there was no clear motive for either the killings at Brown or the killing of Loureiro, Foley said.

He was very careful in his communications, and we just dont have any information right now to answer that question [of motive], she said.

At a press conference late Thursday night, Foley also provided a timeline of his movements across the region, dating back to November.

Neves Valente is seen at a car-rental agency on Nov. 17, 2025, picking up a vehicle. He then rented a hotel room in Boston from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30.

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On Dec. 1, Neves Valente went back to the Alamo Rent a Car on Atlantic Avenue in Boston, where he rented a gray Nissan Sentra with Florida plates that he drove to Brown.

Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 12, the car was seen in and around Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

On Saturday, Dec. 13, Neves Valente opened fire in a building on the Ivy League schools campus while students were in a study session, Foley said. The shooting killed two students  Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov  and left nine injured.

At some point while in Massachusetts, Neves Valente swapped the plates on the car  from the Florida plates seen at Brown to an unregistered plate out of Maine, according to Foley.

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Neves Valente killed Loureiro on Dec. 15 in the foyer of Loureiros Brookline apartment building. Immediately after the murder, Neves Valente drove to a Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit that he rented in November.

On Thursday, Neves Valente was found dead in an adjacent storage unit with a satchel that matched one he was seen wearing at the time of the shooting at Brown.

The manhunt for Neves Valente stretched across six days. It lasted so long, in part, because Neves Valente was sophisticated in hiding his tracks, Foley said.

Neves Valente was using a phone that made it difficult for investigators to track him, she said. At the time, he was using a Google phone that investigators couldnt ping in real time and possibly European SIM cards through a U.S. provider that also couldnt be traced. He also had several credit cards not in his name.

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There was financial investigations that were going on in the background that linked him, not only to that car, but also to the hotels that he had rented and ... the car that he had used to not only drive to Rhode Island, but then back to Boston, Foley said.

Neves Valentes last known address was in Miami, Florida. He is a former student at Brown University, who attended the university from 2000 to 2001, Brown University President Christina Paxson said at a separate press conference in Rhode Island.

Neves Valente was in the United States on an F-1 visa, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha. In 2017, he applied for and got lawful resident status, Neronha said.

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Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts filed a criminal complaint under seal on Thursday, charging Neves Valente with transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony with the firearm.

In it, they revealed that a review of ballistics showed that Neves Valente used different guns to carry out the shootings. Officials in Rhode Island said he was found in the storage unit with two guns.

Prosecutors believe Neves Valente had the weapon he used to kill Loureiro with him when he travelled to Brown.

Brown University shooting

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Dec. 19A proposed Ohio Environmental Protection Agency permit that would allow data centers to release wastewater into Ohio's lakes and streams, under certain conditions, garnered concerns during a public hearing this month.

If approved, the five-year permit would allow data centers to discharge water used to cool down tech components, and water from air compressor condensation and boiler blowdowns. Not all data centers would qualify for the permit, and those that do qualify would have to apply, pay fees, provide information about its discharge plans and then track certain statistics about what they discharge into Ohio's waterways.

The drafted permit has specific limitations:  Data centers couldn't discharge water that "exhibits the reasonable potential" to break Ohio's minimum water quality standards.  Any discharged water that isn't up to public water supply standards couldn't be discharged within 500 yards upstream from a public water supply intake.  Discharges can't occur in a lake other than Lake Erie, or into groundwater supplies.  Discharges cannot contain large traces of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds.

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Ohio EPA staffers told this outlet the permit would streamline the process both for the agency and for data centers.

"Anyone looking to develop a data center in Ohio would have a very good idea of what the expectation for environmental compliance in terms of discharge to surface waters would be," said Walter Arris, an environmental engineer with the agency's Division of Surface Water.

Commenters on Wednesday honed in on a phrase from an Ohio EPA document informing Ohioans that the permit was in the works: "It has been determined that a lowering of water quality of various waters of the state associated with granting coverage under this permit is necessary to accommodate important social and economic development in the state of Ohio."

Matt Baumann, who said he wasn't an expert but has worked on public water quality initiatives for Buckeye Lake, bemoaned the language at Wednesday's meeting. "That is total bull," he said.

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"When I read this  this is a common person on the street  this says 'They're allowed to pollute the water,'" Baumann said. "Why would would the environmental protection agency tell them they're allowed to pollute the water?'"

His sentiment, focused on the environmental damage that wastewater discharges could bring, was echoed by about a dozen other commenters. Given that this was a public input meeting, the Ohio EPA staffers didn't engage with the concerns head-on during the meeting.

Afterward, however, Arris told this outlet that the general permit isn't necessarily a shortcut for data centers to just dump polluted wastewater into Ohio's waterways.

"They need to provide whatever treatment that they need to in order to be in eligible for this permit, or they can seek an individual permit, which may allow for different limits," Arris said. He noted that this general permit sets "super restrictive" water quality standards at the Ohio EPA's standards.

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Today, most data centers are clustered in central Ohio and have developed partnerships with public sewer systems to route the centers' high volume of wastewater into stormwater treatment plants.

Arris told this outlet that the current system puts a strain on stormwater treatment plants, and limits data centers to areas that have the capacity for such a high volume of wastewater. He said the Ohio EPA has seen a recent influx of inquiries ranging outside the central Ohio area.

One project is in the works on 141 acres of land in the city of Trenton in Butler County. The city sold the land to real estate developer Prologis in mid-October for $7.7 million. The plans, reviewed by this outlet, are for a data center called "Project Mila."

Barry Blankenship, a Trenton resident who's attempting to preempt the project through a city-wide referendum, came to Columbus Wednesday to listen to others' concerns and speak in opposition to the state's drafted permit.

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"What that draft said in there ... says that data centers have carte blanche to do whatever they want to," he told this outlet after the meeting. "That's the gathering I took."

The Ohio EPA's public comment period for the drafted permit is open until Jan. 16, 2026. The public can submit written comments via the Ohio EPA's website. Once the comment period is over, the agency will review the comments and issue a response. Ohio EPA Director John Logue has the final say over the permit's approval.

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An Ohio woman accused of meeting men for sex and then drugging them to rob them has pleaded guilty to causing their deaths.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Rebecca Auborn, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to four counts of murder and one count of felonious assault in what Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts office called a serial murder case.

Auborn was originally indicted on nearly 30 counts in 2023 for the intentional, deadly overdoses of four men and an attempted overdose of another man.

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The investigation began after the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received information that Auborn was meeting men for sex in northeast Columbus, then dosing the men with drugs with the intent to steal their belongings.

Yost said in a statement that the plea closes a tough case.

An overwhelming amount of convincing evidence and an airtight investigation conducted by (the Bureau of Criminal Investigation) and Columbus Police left no doubt that a conviction was forthcoming. When law enforcement works together, theres hope for families to secure justice, Yost said.

Auborn will be sentenced in February.

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State schools Superintendent Lindel Fields says work already is underway on preparing a new set of state social studies academic standards, just days after the Oklahoma Supreme Court permanently dismissed the previous set, passed under Fields predecessor, Ryan Walters.

Fields discussed the social studies standards and several other subjects  including open-records requests and a statewide survey of teachers, parents and other education stakeholders  as part of the state Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18.

Whether the new set of standards will be ready in time to be submitted to the Oklahoma Legislature for approval during the upcoming legislative session  which runs from February through May  is unclear, but that remains the goal, agency spokeswoman Bailey Woolsey said. In the meantime, Oklahoma schools still are using standards approved in 2019 that are considered among the nations best.

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Fields is looking to avoid the controversy that accompanied the standards pushed by Walters. Those standards would have required Oklahoma students to learn about the influence of Christianity, as well as 2020 election-denial language that pushed a theory thats widely been discredited.

A draft version of the just-nullified set of standards was released for public comment in December 2024. That version remained on the state Department of Educations website when the board met in late February. The board members had not been sent the final version of the standards  a lengthy document  until about 4 p.m. the day before a 9:30 a.m. meeting.

By a 5-4 vote in the lawsuit known as Randall v. Walters, the Supreme Court ruled the standards were nullified because of violations of the state Open Meeting Act that occurred during the February meeting in which the standards were approved. By the time that court ruling occurred, Fields had already announced plans to review the standards, with an eye toward making changes to them.

Fields said three high-ranking Oklahoma State Education Department officials in its standards and learning division  Roni McKee, Sharon Morgan and Theodore Murray,  are leading the work.

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There are sketching out a plan that will be reported to (the agency) cabinet next week, he said. We believe we'll have a plan available for the public just after the first of the year that will provide for the appropriate feedback from the content experts, the public at large, the Board of Education, the Legislature and then ultimately the governor. We will move expeditiously but very deliberately to ensure that all those voices are heard.

State schools Superintendent Lindel Fields said work already is underway in updating academic standards for social studies after the Oklahoma Supreme Court nullified the previous set.

Walters, who resigned Sept. 30 to take a private-sector job, expressed his displeasure with the courts ruling to invalidate the standards. In a video posted on X, he said the court just launched an incredibly aggressive attack on Christianity, the Bible, on President Trump and was spitting in the face of so many Oklahomans and, frankly, common sense. These justices should be ashamed of themselves. They should resign immediately.

Education agency works through public records logjam

Under Walters, the agency was publicly chided by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond for its slow response to open-records requests. Fields said there were 88 outstanding records requests when he began on Oct. 2, a number that didnt include multiple requests from The Oklahoman that remain outstanding but had been marked as completed by agency employees during Walters tenure.

Fields told board members that as of Friday, 19 outstanding open records requests remained, with the hope of reducing that number to single digits by the end of 2025.

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That does come with one caveat: Current agency employees who handle open-records requests have told reporters that multiple requests made during Walters tenure wont be fulfilled unless they are resubmitted. Theyve said the agencys previous record-keeping system was so poor, they have no way of tracing any requests that were marked as fulfilled during Walters tenure, when in reality those requests werent filled.

More: List of who was on Walters' Library Media Advisory Committee not accessible

Fields also said a statewide survey of educators and parents conducted by the agency received more than 10,000 individual responses and more than 100,000 comments. The survey, launched in November with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, sought input on how the agency might chart a new course for public education in our state  especially related to literacy, career pathways, and teacher recruitment and retention," according to an email sent with a link to the survey.

He said a report on the surveys findings should be available by mid-January.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Board of Education starts on new social studies standards
This article was originally published in EdSource.

When Vevian Nguyen heard the strike of a gong echo for the 10th time, signaling that 10,000 meals had been made, her school cafeteria erupted in applause, and she knew her gloves and hairnet were staying on.

Every time we hit the gong, it felt like a little pat on the back, like, Oh, you did something good, Vevian said. Now you can keep doing it.

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Within an hour, Vevian and more than 200 students at Laguna Creek High School, a school in the Elk Grove Unified School District in Sacramento County, packed more than 10,000 meals to be donated during the holidays, exceeding their goal for the night. But Vevian, who is a junior and president of Laguna Creek Highs service-oriented Interact Club, said she wasnt there to simply check off her service hour requirements.

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We want to be involved in our community, which is having to be able to know that youve helped a family or at least just one person out there, the 16-year-old said. And, I feel like that helps your character, it builds who you are and where you stand within your school and your community.

The October food-preparing night was part of an international initiative called Rise Against Hunger, which is run by a coalition of student groups such as the National Honor Society and the Rotary International Club. This was Laguna Creeks second Rise Against Hunger. During the holidays, their 20,000 meals will reach families in Vietnam that were affected by major floods and landslides this year.

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Sandi Peterson, a positive behavior intervention support administrator and adviser for the National Honor Society, had helped Vevian prepare for the event throughout the school year. At weekly club meetings, students created infographics and posters, spread the word on social media, and promoted their goal of packing 10,000 meals to every classroom on campus. It was a student-led collaboration and a clear, ambitious objective, Peterson said, that drove hundreds of students to sign up, show up, and lock in.

Not one student was on their phone; they were all talking to each other, chatting, laughing. Once we heard the 10,000 gong, it was this huge celebration, and then it started moving so fast, Peterson said. We were having to hit the gong for 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 (more) all at the same time. These kids, in less than two hours, assembled 20,000 meals.

Like most schools in California, Laguna Creek has struggled to recover from high rates of chronic absenteeism after the pandemics school closures. Many of those students across the state also report a persistent feeling of loneliness and detachment from their school communities. For Cynthia Dettner, an instructor and supervising teacher for the Interact Club at Laguna Creek High, the night of meal-packing also showcased a rare school connectedness among students.

After the Covid years, where students were often isolated, watching all of these students laugh and smile and build their own character by reaching out to help others, its a gift, Dettner said. Its a joy to see them come together and befriend each other.

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On each side of a cafeteria table, students sporting red hairnets and plastic gloves measured and assembled nutritionally balanced portions of dried rice, vegetable protein, vitamin packets, dried tofu and protein additives into pre-labeled bags. They then rotated each bag to teams of students who stapled, heat-sealed, and counted each package to be ready for distribution worldwide.

It looks almost like a Hallmark movie where you see the cookie factory in progress, Dettner said. Its all kinds of hands and smiles working together, theyre all engaged and involved, and that lifts the community.

Students plan to pack more than 40,000 meals next year for families in need. (Sandi Peterson)

Although Peterson had spent the year raising sponsorship funds for the event, she said the students who packed the meals soon took ownership of the initiative.

Within two weeks, I had students come up to me and say, Ms. Peterson, maybe if we go around and start collecting money on our own, we could do another one in a couple months, Peterson said. So, now theyre trying to tag-team and do 40,000 meals in our next school year. The ticket to longevity is I know that the kids will always show up.

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Vevian grew up in a low-income family, and after watching friends and family members struggle financially in recent months, she said shes felt more compelled to help others. Laguna Creeks new holiday ritual has further motivated her year-round commitment to community service.

To contain the attributes of a leader, I learned that you have to actually step up and use your voice and really hold yourself accountable, Vevian said. If you just make one impact, it can slowly build that momentum for the rest of everyone else to stand behind you.
Claims Conference and Western Wall Heritage Foundation hosted the ninth annual event honoring survivors, October 7 victims, and the fight against rising antisemitism.

Some 120 Holocaust survivors across Israel lit the fifth Hanukkah candle at the Western Wall on Thursday night, in a ceremony organized by the Claims Conference and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

The event, now in its ninth year, sought to strengthen national resilience and Holocaust remembrance, honor the victims of October 7, and confront the global rise in antisemitism, the organizers said.

Voices of survivors and organizers

You show us all what personal and national resilience truly mean We will maintain our faith and hope, and you will remain the compass for the entire Jewish people, Tziona Koenig-Yair, the Claims Conference vice president in Israel, said.

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Greg Schneider, CEO of the Claims Conference, added: Holocaust survivors have shown the entire world the ability to turn suffering into purpose As we salute them today, we also commit to our responsibility to ensure that Holocaust education continues and that the lessons they fought for are never forgotten.

Dr. Anna Sapozhnikov, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated from Ukraine, shared her wartime story and emphasized the centrality of Israel for the Jewish people after all she endured.

Some 120 Holocaust survivors lit the fifth Hanukkah candle at the Western Wall, December 18, 2025. (credit: Claims Conference)

Also attending were Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, and Colette Avital, chair of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, alongside community leaders and volunteers supporting the survivors visit.

The Claims Conference continues to fund survivor welfare and Holocaust education initiatives worldwide, including new programs launched this year to connect survivors with social support.

Linking past and present

Organizers framed the ceremony within the context of the October 7 attacks and a documented surge in global antisemitism over the past two years. Recent monitoring has recorded thousands of antisemitic incidents worldwide since the attacks, a trend Jewish leaders warn requires sustained public vigilance and education.

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Similar Western Wall events dedicated to survivors were held in previous years, with organizers emphasizing continuity and intergenerational responsibility to preserve testimony and educate the public.

As we salute them today, Schneider said, we also commit to our responsibility that the lessons they fought for are never forgotten.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has been threatened with jail time if she doesnt cough up the full Epstein Files by Fridays deadline.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna made the pointed threat on Thursday evening in an X video ahead of the 11:59 PM deadline.

Khanna, whose Epstein Transparency Act spearheaded the charge towards the release, said: Let me be very clear, we need a full release. Anyone who tampers [with] documents, or conceals documents, or engages in excessive redaction will be prosecuted because of obstruction of justice.

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He then asserted: We will prosecute individuals regardless of whether theyre the attorney general, or a career or political appointee. We need full transparency and justice for the survivors.

He added in his written post: Any person who attempts to conceal or scrub the files will be subject to prosecution under the law.

Donald Trump is known to have long been friends with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. / Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images

Khanna said rich and powerful men have raped underage girls and they will be held accountable, as will those who helped cover up the abuse.

The text of the law, however, does not specify a penalty if the DOJ fails to meet the deadline. Khanna told NBC News earlier this week that while officials would likely avoid charges during the current administration, they could be subject to prosecution given the federal law, and the statute of limitations will likely run into a new administration.

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He added that they also could be hauled in front of Congress, the Oversight Committee, and there could be federal lawsuits over any inaction.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California delivered the stinging message to Bondi on X. / Tom Williams / Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

It comes after President Trump was forced to sign a bill ordering Bondis DOJ to release the files after a rare show of bipartisanship on the Hill.

A 30-day deadline, which expires Friday night, was imposed.

The law allows for redactions in certain circumstances, but Khannas X appeal makes clear that Democrats demand the fullest release possible.

However, it is expected that the Justice Department will obscure some details relating to victims identities or related to ongoing investigations. There has been speculation that the investigation was re-opened in order to give the authorities an excuse to limit what is released.

Photos released this month have continued to show how close the president was to the convicted pedophile. / House Oversight Democrats

The law expressly prohibits redactions related to embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity.

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It comes after a new tranche of Epstein-related files was released by the House Oversight Committee on Thursday.

This included a load of photographs, provided by the late financiers estate. The trove of roughly 70 images includes heavily-redacted photographs of womens passports, pictures of prominent men linked to the late sex offender, and concerning text messages about recruiting women for Jeffrey Epstein, according to a statement from Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the committees ranking Democrat.

The committee released the images without providing any explanation of the circumstances under which the photos were taken, but they caused fresh headaches for the Trump administration ahead of Fridays deadline.

Voters, many in Trump's MAGA base, eagerly await the release of the files. / Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images

The White House was also put on the defensive on Thursday by a fresh New York Times investigation. The piece, which carries interviews with more than 30 former Epstein employees and victims, closely links President Trump to the man he sought to distance himself from.

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The two mens relationship was both far closer and far more complex than the president now admits, it read.

The article detailed how their relationship started in the 1980s, and said they bonded as they pursued women in a game of ego and dominance. It stated, Female bodies were currency.

Epstein was perhaps [Trumps] most reliable wingman as he hit up parties in New York and Florida over nearly 20 years.

The DOJ has been contacted for comment on Khannas video.
PARIS, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A Paris court ordered Shein to implement age verification measures for any adult products sold on its marketplace on Friday and set a 10,000 euro ($11,709) fine for any breach, after uproar over childlike sex dolls for sale on its website.

The court rejected the French government's request to suspend Shein's website as a whole for three months, saying it would be "disproportionate", a decision that alleviates some of the pressure the Chinese online platform has faced in France.

"We welcome this decision. We remain committed to continuously improving our control processes, in close collaboration with the French authorities, with the aim of establishing some of the most stringent standards in the industry, and we have been intensifying these efforts," a Shein spokesperson said in a statement following the ruling.

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"Our priority remains protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations," they added.

Shein has been at the centre of a scandal since France's consumer watchdog found banned weapons and sex dolls resembling children for sale on its marketplace, prompting a government attempt to suspend the platform.

The French government began proceedings to suspend Shein on November 5, less than two hours after its first ever physical store opened in the BHV department store in Paris.

Shein suspended its marketplace - where third-party sellers list their products - but its site selling Shein-branded clothing remains accessible. The company also stopped selling sex toys on its marketplaces worldwide.

($1 = 0.8540 euros)

(Reporting by Helen Reid, Dominique Patton, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Alexander Smith)
NEED TO KNOW

John Paul Miller has been indicted on accusations of harassing his wife Mica Miller in the lead up to her suicide in 2024

Authorities allege on one occasion, John Paul contacted Mica as many as 50 times in a single day

According to authorities, John Paul bought a tire-slashing device and shared information about Mica's car before her tires were found slashed

Disgraced South Carolina pastor John Paul Miller, who came under the spotlight following his wife Mica Miller's 2024 death, has been indicted on allegations he stalked and harassed her before she died.

Mica, 30, was found dead at the Lumber River State Park in Orrum, N.C. on April 27, 2024, the Robeson County Sheriff's Office said at the time. Her death was ruled a suicide, even though her loved ones had expressed suspicions there was more to the case.

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"This has to be at least looked into deeply. Theres got to be some accountability here, Kenn Young, a friend of Miller's, told WDPE days after her death. "Because yeah, a tragic life was lost, and its not just as simple as mental health issues."

Much of the focus went to her estranged husband, 46-year-old John Paul Miller, a renowned pastor from Myrtle Beach, S.C.. He has maintained Mica died by suicide.

Now, nearly two years after her death, federal prosecutors in South Carolina have secured an indictment against John Paul on cyberstalking charges, alleging he harassed Mica in various ways between November 2022 and her death.

In a Thursday, Dec. 18 press release announcing the indictment, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina said John Paul "sent unwanted and harassing communications" to Mica during this time, allegedly posting a nude of her online without her consent.

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He also allegedly had tracking devices on her vehicle and, on one occasion, contacted her over 50 times in a single day, authorities said in the statement. John Paul is further accused of damaging her tires and interfering with her finances and daily activities.

Authorities further allege John Paul lied to police about damaging Mica's tires, even though investigators found evidence that he had bought a tire deflation device and reached out to others about Mica's vehicle.



Mica's body was found by authorities after she called 911 and told a dispatcher she was about to take her own life.

Following her death, John Paul faced heavy scrutiny. A petition created in the aftermath of her death claimed Mica "lost her life due to no one helping her from being harassed and excessively stalked" by John Paul, who she was "desperately trying to get away from."

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"She made report after report, no contact order was made and received no help, not even from law enforcement," the petition alleged.

Mica Miller/facebook

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.

John Paul came under further scrutiny in February when an Indiana woman accused him of raping her when she was 15, and he was a 19-year-old youth church leader,

John Paul's father Reginald Wayne Miller was also named in the lawsuit, which was reviewed by PEOPLE.

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Behind their religious facade, John-Paul Miller and Reginald Wayne Miller engaged in sexual abuse and predatory conduct  often targeting minors," reads the complaint. "They used their positions of power to manipulate and exploit vulnerable victims while concealing their actions from the public."



John Paul faces a maximum of five years in prison for cyberstalking and two years for making false statements to federal investigators, according to the release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 and is set to be arraigned on Jan. 12, 2026.

PEOPLE reached out to his attorney who declined to comment on the case.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



Read the original article on People
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) is one of the stocks that Jim Cramer shared his take on. Cramer highlighted the companys role in the data center business, as he commented:

And if you really want to own data centre stocks, one of the names thats been crushed, investment club stock, is Corning, because its working to displace copper wiring everywhere, and the data centre is the legitimate copper, ultimate copper backer. That would be the one I would suggest to start with. Start small. We dont want to miss a possible rotation right back because of the news flow Im anticipating from OpenAI next week.

Jim Cramer Says Corning (GLW) Is the One I Would Suggest to Start With

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) develops optical fiber, cables, and related hardware for telecommunications, and produces glass substrates for displays used in TVs, computers, and mobile devices. Moreover, it supplies specialty materials, emission control products, and laboratory equipment. During the October 1 episode, Cramer mentioned the company while discussing noteworthy stocks of Q3, as he stated:

When you reach number six of the best performers this quarter, you get to a company that Ive had my eye on for the Charitable Trust, and that company is Corning. This is the finest glass maker in the world. I recently spent a nice chunk of time with Wendell Weeks, hes the CEO, at this Harrodsburg, Kentucky facility that we went to, where they make the cover glass for your iPhone and Apple Watch.

While we acknowledge the potential of GLW 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: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
A man set a fire on a CTA Blue Line train on the city's Northwest Side on Friday morning, Chicago police said.

Police said it happened near the CTA Blue Line's Damen Avenue stop in the Wicker Park neighborhood just after 6 a.m.

A 52-year-old man on a moving train intentionally lit his belongings on fire, causing burns to his leg, police said.

The fire was extinguished, and the man was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, police said.

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Earlier Friday, the Chicago Fire Department said the man set himself on fire, adding that he was in critical condition.

CPD's arson detectives and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents responded to the scene.

Police said ATF agents took the man into custody. No other injuries were reported, police said.

"There is no threat to rider safety stemming from this incident," the CTA said.

Longtime CTA passenger Meghan Joost said she was riding the Blue Line when her train came to an abrupt halt on Friday morning.

Joost said a passenger used an onboard intercom to alert the conductor to what CPD called a small fire before the train ultimately came to a stop.

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"I've been spit on. I've been harassed. I've been threatened. You know, it gives me severe anxiety," Joost said.

Friday morning's fiery incident happened on the same day CTA officials planned to bolster their police presence at stations and stops across the city after submitting a safety plan earlier this week to the federal government.

"Where were these patrols this morning? In my mind, unless you have someone on each and every CTA train car, there's absolutely no way you can stop this," Joost said.

The plan calls for more police officers, along with additional private security K-9 units.

"I'm going to be honest: I get on certain stops. I see the police are security, and they're just standing around, talking to one another. They are not patrolling," Joost said.

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SEE ALSO | Man accused in Blue Line fire attack facing new arson charges in separate blaze at City Hall

This investigation is also unfolding just one month after a man set a woman on fire on a Blue Line train in the Loop and left her with serious injuries. That man is now facing several charges.

Joost says the new CTA safety plan does not make her feel any safer. She says she wants more city leaders to ride the CTA to get a better sense of just how safe some passengers feel.

"You're putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg," Joost said. "I want you to ride with with me on the CTA at 5:30 in the morning, without your security detail, and tell me it is safe, because it is not. And any regular CTA rider will tell you the exact same thing."

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Some riders said they noticed the additional officers on-hand.

"I see a lot more police in the area; I feel like that's actually what's helping. But I feel like it's really our mindset. Police can be around, but it's really how you think," CTA rider Jamell Foster said.

The incident caused extensive delays for Blue Line riders.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood
When you unlock a phone, step into view of a security camera or drive past a license plate reader at night, beams of infrared light - invisible to the naked eye  shine onto the unique contours of your face, your body, your license plate lettering. Those infrared beams allow cameras to pick out and recognize individual human beings.

Over the past decade, facial recognition technology has gone from science fiction fantasy to worldwide reality  nowhere more so than in China, home to more security cameras than the rest of the world combined.

At airports and train stations, passengers line up for face scans at gates and by officers.

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On the streets, cameras scan pedestrians and flag vehicles breaking traffic rules.

By law, anyone registering new SIM cards in China must show themselves to a face scanning camera, the images stored in telecom databases. And until recently, Chinese authorities required most guests to scan their faces when checking in to a hotel.

For many, such technology has offered convenience and safety, seamlessly woven into the backdrop of their lives. But for some, it's become an intrusive form of state control.

Associated Press investigations have found that such surveillance systems in China were to a large degree designed and built by American companies, playing a far greater role in enabling human rights abuses than previously known. It has cemented the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, offering it a powerful tool to control and monitor perceived threats to the state like dissidents, ethnic minorities and even its own officials.

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Dozens who spoke to AP, from Tibetan activists to ordinary farmers to a former vice mayor, described being tracked and monitored by vast networks of cameras that stud the country, hampering their movements and alerting the police to their activities.

For years, such technology faced legal barriers in the country where it was first developed, the United States. But over the past five years, the U.S. Border Patrol has vastly expanded its surveillance powers, monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, AP found.

Under the Trump administration, billions are now being poured into a vast array of surveillance systems, including license plate readers across the U.S. that have ensnared innocent drivers for little more than taking a quick trip to areas near the border.

In this series of photographs, an infrared filter was used on a modified camera converted to capture the full spectrum of light, including ultraviolet, visible, and infrared.

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This filter, which cuts out some visible light to better reveal infrared, is red by design in order to block certain light wavelengths.

AP photographers on three continents snapped photos showing how these beams are used to track vehicles and people, enable facial recognition - and ultimately, assert digital control.



This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
Betsy Elsberry, an attorney representing Greenpeace International, delivers oral arguments before the North Dakota Supreme Court on Dec. 18, 2025. (Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

A court case involving Greenpeace and the Dakota Access Pipeline developer went before the North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday, with justices asked to stop a counter-suit pending in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam-based Greenpeace International is a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit in North Dakota district court, where Energy Transfer accuses it and two other Greenpeace entities of conspiring to use unlawful tactics to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from being built.

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All three Greenpeace defendants deny the allegations and claim the case is a tactic to waste their time and money as punishment for opposing the pipeline.

This led Greenpeace International to counter-sue Energy Transfer in a Dutch court in February under a European Union directive that provides recourse to those targeted by frivolous lawsuits for exercising their free speech.

The overseas lawsuit also argues Energy Transfer harmed Greenpeace International by bringing a similar federal lawsuit against it in 2017, which was dismissed, and for defaming the environmental group.

Greenpeace International wants the Dutch court to order Energy Transfer to award it monetary damages.

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Energy Transfer this summer asked Southwest Judicial District Court Judge James Gion to suspend the Dutch lawsuit until the North Dakota case plays out, which Gion denied in September. Energy Transfer appealed the decision.

Rather than take responsibility for its misconduct, Greenpeace ran to Amsterdam seeking protection from this lawsuit, Brad Hubbard, an attorney arguing for the pipeline developer, told the North Dakota Supreme Court on Thursday.

Brad Hubbard, representing Dakota Access Pipeline developer Energy Transfer, asks the North Dakota Supreme Court to block a foreign lawsuit against the company brought by Greenpeace International. (Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

Gion found that the lawsuits are about fundamentally different legal claims, so he didnt think it necessary to stop the foreign action.

Hubbard disputed Gions conclusion that the cases dont overlap. He said the European Union directive is designed to undermine the authority of foreign courts.

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This courts intervention is needed to block the wasteful litigation of the issues tried and decided by the jury, he said.

Betsy Elsberry, an attorney representing Greenpeace International, said the overseas lawsuit is wholly separate from the case before Gion.

Elsberry also argued that Gion acted within his discretion as district court judge when he denied Energy Transfers request.

It is Judge Gion who listened to the North Dakota claims for three weeks, she told the high court. He determined that they are not the same as those being brought forth in the Dutch court.

Jurisdiction was another recurring issue during the hearing.

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Some of the justices asked why Greenpeace International filed the suit in the Netherlands as opposed to seeking relief by bringing counterclaims in North Dakota.

Elsberry said it would be improper to bring such claims in North Dakota since Greenpeace International is a Dutch organization, and Energy Transfer is headquartered in Texas. North Dakota courts wouldnt have jurisdiction, she said.

Gion doesnt have the authority to stop the Dutch case for similar reasons, Elsberry added.

Chief Justice Jon Jensen said the North Dakota Supreme Court will take the matter under advisement. District court judges James Shockman and Stephanie Hayden sat on the court in place of Justices Douglas Bahr and Daniel Crothers, who recused.

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Gion has yet to make a final decision on the outcome of the lawsuit.

A Morton County jury in March handed down a more than $660 million verdict against Greenpeace after a three-and-a-half week trial. Gion recently cut that sum by about half.

Energy Transfer said previously it planned to ask the North Dakota Supreme Court to reverse Gions revisions to the defamation and conspiracy awards.

Marco Simons, interim general counsel for Greenpeaces USA affiliate, said once Gion enters a final judgment, they plan to ask for a new trial. If that request is unsuccessful, they will appeal.

Greenpeace was one of many activist groups that backed a movement led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which drew thousands of activists to protest in south-central North Dakota in 2016 and 2017.

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The pipeline, often referred to as DAPL, carries crude oil from wells in northwest North Dakota to Illinois and has been in operation since 2017.

North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com.

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Newly released police reports from Miami University detail at least three incidents of hate-based graffiti across multiple residence halls, spurring a university investigation and statements of condemnation from religious groups.

The incidents gained attention after a Dec. 2 statement shared on Instagram by the school's Hillel organization. The Jewish student group raised concerns about "recent antisemitic acts" at the university's residence halls. Police records obtained by The Enquirer indicate that the incidents also involved racial and gender identity-based prejudice.

The first incident of the graffiti was reported on Nov. 7. A student alerted staff at Clawson Hall of a swastika drawn with shaving cream on the floor between an elevator and a gender-neutral bathroom, police records show.

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The graffiti could have been motivated by religion, ethnicity and gender identity-based prejudice, according to a report from Cecilie McGhehey, Miami's Deputy Title IX and Title VI coordinator for students.

The second and third hateful messages occurred in Tappan Hall and were reported several hours apart on Nov. 23. Police responded at around 8:16 p.m., records say, to a report of the words "I hate Jews" written on the name tag on a resident advisor's door.

Several hours later, around 10:15 p.m., Miami University police were again dispatched to Tappan Hall on reports of the words "Jew" and " "n---er" written in permanent marker on the walls of a communal bathroom.

A few days after the Nov. 23 incidents, Hillel at Miami University posted a statement to its Instagram, saying it is "aware and alarmed by the recent antisemitic incidents taking place on campus and in the residence halls."

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"These acts are serious, disturbing, and absolutely unacceptable. After learning about the incidents from the University, we immediately had conversations with the Dean of Students and the Office of Residence Life. We are in constant contact with them, demanding swift action and ensuring the safety of Jewish students," the statement read.

University, religious leaders respond to residence hall graffiti

In a message to students sent Monday, Nov. 24, Dean of Students BaShaun Smith said the school received reports over the previous weekend of an antisemitic message written on a student's door at Tappan Hall in addition to an antisemitic message and racist message in one of the hall's communal bathrooms.

"This deplorable behavior is a direct contradiction of our values and the welcoming community we strive to be at Miami," Smith wrote in the message to Tappan Hall residents. "Please be aware that if you are responsible for writing these hateful messages, we are committed to investigating fully."

The university's Title IX, Title VI, and Hazing Prevention Coordinator Georgia Hensley is investigating the recent incidents. If the school identifies those responsible for the messages, it "will pursue all law enforcement or university actions within our authority," Miami's communications director Seth Bauguess said in a statement.

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"We are actively investigating these matters and urge anyone with information regarding them to come forward," Bauguess said. "Antisemitism and other forms of hate have no place at Miami or anywhere else."

In 12 years working with Miami's Jewish students, Rabbi Yossi Greenberg from Chabad at Miami University said, he's never experienced anything like this on campus.

He initially learned about the messages from university officials. And after ensuring all students affected were safe, Greenberg said he set his sights set on protecting the dignity of the community he serves.

"We talk to our students not to see themselves as victims, and we strive to lead by example. Haters will be haters. We address the problem, move forward, and continue living beautiful enriching Jewish lives," Greenberg said in a written statement.

Rabbi Yossi Greenberg (left) with Miami University President Greg Crawford.

Lindsey Topf, a senior at Miami and president of Chabad, said the university has been supportive of Jewish students.

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"We're not gonna let one coward stop us from what we're doing here," she said. "I feel nothing but safe on this campus (and) hate towards anyone is horrible. What happened is horrible."

Are hate crimes more common during finals season?

Hate crimes as defined by the FBI have risen in recent years.

A 2024 report by the Leadership Conference Education Fund, the education arm of a civil rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., said hate crimes have jumped by more than 80% since 2015.

Using data from the most recent report by the FBI on hate crimes at schools, the advocacy group stated that the uptick is partly driven by the rise of organized white supremacy spurred by the election of President Donald Trump in 2016. Racist ideals of the white race being superior to others, antisemitic conspiracy theories and attacks against the LGBTQ+ community are some of the mainstays of white nationalist ideology, the report stated.

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And FBI historical data indicates that this white supremacist hate tends to swell around general elections, the report shows.

Rodney Coates, a professor in Miami's Global and Intercultural Studies department with a research background in race and ethnic relations, said that he's unsurprised by the timing of the recent acts of vandalism. But his view is that it arises from stress among students.

"There's a pattern of these kinds of isolated incidents occurring almost regularly about this time of the year  right around finals," Coates said. "It reflects when are students going to be most pressed. 'When can I do the most damage?' if that's what I'm trying to do."

The university countered his opinion in a written statement by Bauguess when asked about if finals stress could be a catalyst for these sorts of incidents.

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"Stress is not an excuse for, nor do we believe it is a cause of, deplorable behavior," Bauguess said.

Rodney Coates is a professor in Miami University's Global and Intercultural Studies department.

Coates, who has been a member of Miami's faculty for over 35 years, also proposed the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah as a "tangential reason" behind the November incidents.

"All I know is that the same pattern has existed over the last two to three years, (during) the same time," he said.

The FBI's most recent special report, looking at crime data during 2018-2022, found that October was the most common month for hate crime at schools, with an average of 4.1 hate crime offenses reported per day.

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Even so, experts say, concrete hate crime data is difficult to come by given that many victims may not report their experiences. Also, most law enforcement agencies are not required to report hate crimes. Mandatory reporting is only required for federal law enforcement agencies.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Miami University police release hate-based graffiti details in reports
Police are searching for a missing 15-year-old girl from Port Orchard.

According to the Port Orchard Police Department, Ashlynn Hanley has been missing since December 10.

Police say she may have been heading to Seattle.

She is 51 with brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a pink puffy jacket.

Bremerton PD also asked the community for help in finding the missing and endangered juvenile.

If you have seen Ashlynn or know where she is, please call 911.

If you have additional information, please contact Detective Smith with Port Orchard PD: nsmith@portorchardwa.gov
Pope Leo is replacing proTrump Cardinal Timothy Dolan as New Yorks archbishop in a major shake-up of the Catholic Church in the U.S.

The first-ever American pope has accepted the resignation of Dolan, a prominent figure known for engaging in culture wars, and has appointed the relatively unknown Illinois-based Bishop Ronald Hicks in his place.

Replacing Dolan as leader of the nations second-largest Catholic diocese marks a potentially seismic shift in the direction Pope Leo wants to take the Church.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan leading a prayer during Donald Trumps second inauguration. / Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Dolan has earned a reputation as an eager Trump supporter, with regular appearances on the pro-Trump Fox News and prayer appearances at both of the presidents inaugurations. He appeared alongside Trump at a Catholic Charities fundraiser last year, and referred to slain MAGA commentator Charlie Kirk as a modern-day Saint Paul in the wake of his September killing.

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Trump, likewise, is such a fan of Dolan that he appeared to suggest the cardinal could be the next pope following the death of Pope Francis in April, though he also floated himself as a candidate to head the Catholic Church.

I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York whos very good, so well see what happens, Trump said at the time.

Pope Leo XIV seemingly wants New York to move away from Cardinal Timothy Dolan's culture-war conservatism. / ALBERTO PIZZOLI / Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images

By contrast, Hicks, 58, currently the bishop of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, is viewed as a more moderate figure who has largely avoided weighing in on political issues. As noted by The New York Times, Hicks and Pope Leo grew up just a few blocks from each other in Chicagos south suburbs, and both have missionary backgrounds in Spanish-speaking countries.

Dolans departure also comes as Pope Leo has become increasingly critical of Trumps inhuman hardline immigration policies. Earlier this month, the pope also urged Trump to find another way to dealing with Venezuela rather than potentially waging war.

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I believe the message from Leo is that he wants an archbishop of New York who can be less identified with one political party, with one platform, with one trench in this situation of polarization, Massimo Faggioli, a professor of ecclesiology at Trinity College Dublin, told The Washington Post.

Bishop Ronald Hicks has led the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois since Pope Francis appointed him in 2020. / Diocese of Joliet

Hicks is not a woke liberal, for sure, but he is very different from Dolan, whose instincts were to very openly justify and excuse President Trump, Faggioli added. I dont think thats going to continue, honestly. This is a sign of change.

Cardinal Dolan offered to resign in February upon turning 75, the age at which all bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope. While cardinals often continue serving until the mandatory retirement age of 80, Pope Leo accepted Dolans resignation, with Bishop Hicks scheduled to be installed as New Yorks next archbishop on Feb. 6.

In an interview with Vatican News, Hicks outlined his hopes for the church in the U.S.

Im looking for a Church that brings Gods light to the worldHis peace, His healing, His love, Hicks said. Im also looking for ways of doing so not in a divisive way or tearing people apart, but in ways that foster unity and cooperation.
Police in a Massachusetts town are warning residents to take precautions after coyotes killed at least two dogs within the last week.

Wrentham Police Chief Bill McGrath said that in both incidents, smaller-sized dogs were outside alone in yards at night or the early morning when they were attacked and killed.

One attack happened at a home around Thurston Street near the Foxboro line, and the more recent attack occurred in a neighborhood off Creek Street, McGrath noted.

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Please take precautions when letting your dogs out. Take them out on a leash or, at least, be out there with them, McGrath wrote in a Facebook post. Bottom line is, do not let them out unattended. Look online for other helpful suggestions.

There were no additional details immediately available.

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Hundreds lined up in the cold Friday to hear President Trump speak at the Rocky Mount Event Center.

Terri Mrazek drove out from Winston-Salem for the president, and a candidate who will be on the ballot next November.

"I'm here for not only our president, but for Michael Whatley as well. We want to help him, you know, win this election," she said.

President Trump urged voters to support Michael Whatley. The former RNC chairman is running for Senate next year in North Carolina.

WATCH: ABC11 Special on Presidential Visit

ABC11 Special: President Trump visits Rocky Mount

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Whatley tells Eyewitness News he was excited to hear about the President's visit.

"To be endorsed by the president, supported by the president, and have him come here to North Carolina, it's absolutely fantastic," he said.

President Trump spent much of his speech Friday night talking about one topic, the economy.

"One year ago our country was dead, now we are the hottest country of anywhere in the world," said President Trump. "Since my inauguration, we've created more than 53,000 North Carolina jobs and 8,000 North Carolina construction jobs."

The President specifically highlighted tariffs he placed on China, which he says will help revitalize the North Carolina furniture industry.

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"I approved 25, 30, and 50% tariffs to save North Carolina's cherished furniture industry, which has been decimated by China," he said.

U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer tells Eyewitness News the administration is making investments in developing a skilled workforce, including here in the Tar Heel State.

"We want to make sure that they can earn while you learn. We have a skilled workforce. We're going to see biotech come to North Carolina," said Sec. Chavez-DeRe We're seeing investments in the industry here. We want to make sure that the workforce is prepared."

The president also spoke out about Congressman Don Davis. Rep. Davis represents the district, including the area of Rocky Mount. The district has been redrawn ahead of the midterm elections next year.

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President Trump also talked about the relief needed to rebuild western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, and spoke about the full federal recognition received by the Lumbee Tribe this week.

Trump was last in North Carolina in June to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary.

SEE ALSO: Ahead of President Trump's visit, Rocky Mount community say they feel squeezed by high costs

WATCH | President Trump's full June remarks at Fort Bragg

Full speech: President Trump gives remarks at Fort Bragg to kick off the Army's 250th birthday celebration.
In response to the tragic shootings that claimed two lives at Brown University and left a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor dead, President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the green card lottery.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday night on X that she has instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program, citing serious national security concerns.

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, Noem wrote in the post.

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Noem added, In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people. At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.

The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.



In 2017, President Trump  Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025

Neves Valente, 48, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, earlier in the night on Thursday.

Neves Valente, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, is suspected in the shooting deaths of 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook and 18-year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov at Brown on Saturday and in the Brookline murder of 47-year-old MIT physicist and fusion scientist Nuno Loureiro.

United States Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said Neves Valente and Loureiro previously attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.

Claudio Neves Valente

After officials revealed Neves Valentes identity, Trump ordered Noem to suspend the program.

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The diversity visa program makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year by lottery to people from countries that are little represented in the U.S. This year, only 38 slots were allocated to Portuguese citizens through the lottery.

Neves Valente had no criminal record in the United States prior to the shootings, according to federal officials.

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Kering has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Raselli Franco Group, an Italian manufacturer of luxury jewellery.

The owner of Gucci will initially acquire 20% of the family-owned business as part of a staged transaction that may lead to full ownership by 2032.

Kering is set to purchase the initial holding in the first quarter of 2026 for 115m ($134.78m), subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Kering CEO Luca de Meo said: This acquisition marks a strategic milestone for Kering, embodying our ambition in jewellery. Raselli Franco Group brings exceptional savoir-faire and innovation, anchored in a rich heritage and a strong commitment to sustainability.

By securing critical manufacturing capabilities for our jewellery activity, this partnership will strengthen our value chain and accelerate the growth of our Houses.

Established in 1969, Raselli Franco Group focuses on the development and manufacture of high jewellery and fine jewellery for luxury brands.

Its operations span the entire jewellery production process, from sourcing raw materials and precious stones to research and development, design, component manufacturing, assembly and quality control.

The company employs both casting techniques and computer numerical control machining across its production sites.

Raselli Franco has worked for many years with Kering and its jewellery houses, including Group Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Qeelin.

Kering said the transaction is aimed at supporting the long-term development of these brands while reinforcing its oversight of jewellery manufacturing.

Raselli Franco Group CEO Andrea Raselli added: I am delighted of this agreement with Kering. It will reinforce us and allow us to continue to serve to the best of our abilities the Maisons with whom we have been proud to collaborate for so many years.

Kering operates across fashion, leather goods, jewellery, eyewear and beauty, employing around 47,000 people worldwide and reporting revenue of 17.2bn in 2024.

"Kering sets out phased takeover plan for Raselli Franco Group" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand.




SMITHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Four children were saved from human trafficking in Smithville, and several people were arrested.

This happened after investigators say the children were brought across the border to Tennessee and forced to work at a restaurant.

Theres all kinds of dangers that lurk in labor trafficking, The Child Labor Coalition Director Reid Maki said.

At Chabelitas Restaurant and Market in Smithville, a sign on the door read, Closed for maintenance on Thursday. But behind the walls is where the child labor unfolded, according to police.

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PREVIOUS | Children rescued amid human trafficking investigation in Smithville

Its pretty rare that these cases are found, Maki said.

After a three-month investigation, four children were rescued: three boys and one girl. Police said they were forced into labor at the restaurant after being smuggled across the border. Investigators believe Mexican drug cartel smugglers brought the children to Arizona and then to Smithville.

Theyre trying to avoid the authorities, Maki said. Theyre trying to live a quiet life and not be noticed, so its really hard to detect when a child might be vulnerable to this kind of human trafficking.

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This kind of human trafficking, now coming to light after the girl ran away from the restaurant and went to police to report she was a victim of human trafficking and child labor.

Experts said this kind of trafficking happens more often than we think.

These kids were trafficked into a restaurant situation, Maki said. Thats probably the second most common place for kids to be labor trafficked. There are a lot of restaurants in the U.S., and a lot of teenagers already work in those restaurants, so if youre trafficking a young person into a restaurant, theyre not very likely to be noticed.

Its a problem that Nashville nonprofit, Rescue 1 Global, is trying to combat. They help house people who have been trafficked.

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The founder, Lacy Tolar, said victims of trafficking usually face poverty and a lack of education.

They have been brought here, most of the time, under some false pretense, Tolar said.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the majority of potential victims trafficked were between the ages of 13 and 17 in 2024. Middle Tennessee generated the most tips and calls.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Theres more law enforcement that are looking and working these cases, and the numbers are increasing because theres more identification, Tolar said.

Experts said theres still more work to do to prevent this crime.

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We want kids to succeed, go to school, be educated and have a productive life ahead of them, Maki said.

Police said the girl was living with adults while the boys were found living alone at a separate house. All four children were turned over to the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services.

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 WKRN News 2.
Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Privately owned, standalone infusion centers are increasingly providing a comfortable and convenient alternative to hospitals and doctors' offices for people on prescribed medications for chronic diseases administered via infusion, experts told UPI.

However, despite the recent growth of infusion-based medications for disorders that range from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis to migraine and Alzheimer's disease, infusion services, depending on the location where they're provided, may not be covered by insurance, they said.

In addition, not all infusion centers have the necessary expertise in-house to safely deliver medications and deal with any potential side effects or complications.

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"The advantage many of these private centers offer is convenience," Kavita V. Nair, a professor of neurology and pharmacy at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, told UPI in a Zoom interview.

"If you have a chronic disease that requires infusion therapy, you can go someplace close to you, and that place may be open at night and on weekends, unlike a hospital infusion center," she said.

"Our place is there for people with chronic illness and we depend on [prescription] orders written by specialists," said Shaya Fogel, owner of Nobel Infusion. Photo courtesy of Noble Infusion

Freestanding businesses

Standalone, or ambulatory, infusion centers are freestanding businesses, suites in pharmacies and other outpatient settings in which patients receive prescription medications, according to the National Infusion Center Association, a trade association and accrediting body that represents these facilities.

"The advantage many of these private centers offer is convenience," said pharmacist and researcher Kavita V. Nair. Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado Anschutz

Many are housed in storefront locations, in retail centers or shopping malls, Nair said.

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Once largely the domain of hospital-based and doctors' offices, the facilities these services provide typically focus on the preparation and administration of biologic therapies for conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and migraines.

Collectively, more than 40 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with these diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

An emerging market for infusion centers has been the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, a condition that could impact up to 15 million people nationally by 2030, said Nair, who specializes in pharmaceutical therapy for neurological disorders.

Two infusion-based therapies designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer's have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in recent years, she said.

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More than 800 standalone infusion centers exist across the United States, many of them part of large corporate chains, according to industry reports.

Collectively, these locations administer about 5% of all infusion-based medicines nationally, the National Infusion Center Association estimates, with hospitals still administering the bulk of them.

However, this percentage is expected to grow before the end of the decade, it says, particularly as more infusion-based medications are brought to market.

In all, more than 550 infusion-based therapies have been approved by the FDA to treat a variety of diseases, with more than 250 others in the pipeline, according to the association.

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"So many of the new therapies coming out for conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease are infusions, and these are chronic diseases, requiring as many as two infusions per month," Nair said.

"With the patient volume, and the number of infusions needed, there is definitely business there for standalone centers -- and these are very lucrative drugs," she said.

In Colorado, Nair said she knows of 25 privately owned, standalone infusion centers, up from three in 2019.

Infusion information

One reason for the proliferation of private, ambulatory infusion centers across the country has to do with cost, according to Nair.

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Infusion is expensive -- at a large, academic medical center, the service may cost up to $5,000 per treatment, depending on the drug being used, research suggests.

At hospitals, this cost often includes "facility fees," which are surcharges billed to patients, and their insurance providers, to cover expenses related to staffing and the operation of the facilities themselves, Nair said.

Private, ambulatory infusion centers may charge a fraction of that -- as low as one-fifth of the billed amount -- because they have lower overhead costs, she said.

"These non-hospital infusion centers really rose as a result of commercial payors saying, 'We're not going to pay for infusions in traditional hospitals,'" Nair said.

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"In general, standalone infusion centers are easy to construct," she added -- because they don't have to be built within an existing hospital.

Although they vary by center, infusion rooms can be open bays with multiple reclining chairs and partial privacy walls or private rooms with beds.

That said, not all insurers are willing to pay for the full cost of infusion, and may not cover the service at privately owned centers if they don't meet certain requirements, according to Shaya Fogel, COO of Noble Infusion, which operates three infusion centers in Florida.

Most centers accredited by the National Infusion Center Association, including his, are able to work with patients' insurers to get services covered, he said.

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To receive accreditation, centers have to meet certain, specific standards for the storing and preparation of medications, the cleanliness of the facility and the expertise of the staff, which ideally should include nurses, pharmacists and even consulting physicians, among other criteria.

Unique benefits

Fogel opened Noble Infusion, which is an "Elite member" of the National Infusion Center Association, in July 2024.

All of its patients receive medications intravenously or via injection as prescribed by their physicians.

"Even though there are places offering hydration services and other things, we don't want to mix it," Fogel told UPI in a phone interview.

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"Our place is there for people with chronic illness and we depend on [prescription] orders written by specialists," he said.

Much of their work includes denosumab injections for osteoporosis, ocrelizumab for multiple sclerosis and infliximab for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, Fogel said.

The centers also work with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy for these and other autoimmune diseases and increasingly donanemab and lecanemab for Alzheimer's disease, he said.

Most of its patients receive monthly infusions, although that depends on the dosing schedule for the medication, he said.

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"The hospital was everybody's answer for infusion until now, but a lot of patients just won't go to a hospital," Fogel said.

Well-run infusion centers offer a level of comfort and convenience not found at most hospital-based facilities, he said.

"We offer a calm, personal and professional environment, with locations that are easy to get to, with parking," he said. "Our nurses try to establish relationships with patients."

Patients with chronic illnesses considering looking beyond the hospital for infusion services should discuss their options with their doctor and ask for recommendations, according to Fogel.

They should also ensure that any infusion center they work with is staffed by qualified nurses trained in infusion, he said.

"Good infusion centers are advocates for their patients and fight on their behalf" to make sure their services are covered by insurance, whether that's with commercial payors or Medicare and Medicaid," Fogel said.

"Do your research and don't assume hospital is only option," he said.
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was determined to continue the war in Ukraine until his conditions are met, which include taking Ukrainian territory.

Putin spoke at his annual press conference and touted Russia's recent gains in the region.

"The strategic initiative is completely in the hands of the Russian forces," Putin said. He added that Russia is "ready to end the conflict peacefully" if Ukraine cedes large areas of its eastern territories.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine won't give up its land, which is set by the country's constitution.

Russia has also demanded that Ukraine give up its bid to join NATO and said that if NATO members sent troops, Russia would view them as "legitimate targets."

"The ball is entirely in the court of our Western opponents," he said, adding that Russia had agreed to compromises proposed by the United States in its peace plan negotiated by the President Donald Trump administration.

Earlier this week, Zelensky was asked if Kyiv would give up its attempts to join NATO. He said Ukraine's "position remains unchanged."

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"The United States don't see us in NATO, for now," he said. "Politicians change."

European leaders have agreed to continue funding Ukraine in its fight against Russia with a two-year, $105 billion loan for munitions in the ongoing war.

European leaders couldn't agree on their first choice to arm Ukraine using frozen Russian state assets to back the loan.

The plan to use frozen Russian assets fell apart in the final moments after Belgium pushed back, fearful that it would be at legal and financial risk. The bank holding the assets is in Belgium, and Russia has sued to block the plan.

European leaders announced Thursday that they will instead use money from the EU budget. The new plan could be more costly and difficult to mobilize.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the European Union of the attempted "robbery" of Russian state reserves, which he claimed had failed for the time being.

He said that Russia would continue to defend its interests and seek politically independent courts that would grant the claim for the return of the state billions frozen in the EU. "Whatever they steal, at some point it must be returned," Putin said on Friday.

Putin made these remarks in response to a question about the consequences of the overnight EU-level decision to support Ukraine through the issuance of billions in loans. The loans had led to further indebtedness of EU countries such as France, Putin said.

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At the same time, Putin reiterated that the EU's pursuit of using Russian state funds could shatter trust in the international financial markets.

Putin was responding to questions from journalists and citizens during his annual televised Q&A session broadcast on state television in Moscow.

The EU agreed overnight to support Ukraine with 90 billion ($105.4 billion) through interest-free loans. However, the plan by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to use Russian state funds frozen in the EU for the support of Ukraine failed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Ukrainians living in Russia to be able to participate in potential elections in the neighbouring country, against which he is still waging a devastating war.

"The authority in Ukraine must finally become legitimate - and that is impossible without elections," the head of the Kremlin said at his annual press conference in Moscow on Friday.

Putin said that Russia is ready to consider a partial ceasefire. At the same time, however, he insisted that the voting rights of Ukrainians who have fled to Russia must be ensured. Putin estimated their number to be between 5 million and 10 million.

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Putin has been demanding new elections in Ukraine since last year. President Volodymyr Zelensky is no longer legitimate after his five-year term ended in May 2024, Putin says.

Putin himself secured his fifth term with a constitutional amendment in Russia.

The demand for new elections in Ukraine has also recently been adopted by US President Donald Trump.

Although martial law has been in place in Ukraine for over three and a half years due to the full-scale invasion ordered by Putin in February 2022, which prohibits elections, Zelensky recently showed his willingness to allow a vote. He said he would ask parliament for the necessary legal changes. However, he linked this promise to the demand for a ceasefire.

Putin points to elections in his own country during wartime

According to Putin, the demand for security during elections is a diversionary tactic. He argued that Russia conducted elections - for the lower house of parliament, or State Duma - last year without a prior ceasefire.

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However, he said he is willing to consider steps for security during the election. For instance, he offered that Russia could refrain from strikes against Ukraine's interior during voting.

The participation of the allegedly 5 million to 10 million Ukrainians living in Russia is difficult to ensure from an organizational perspective. Since the beginning of the war, there has been neither a Ukrainian embassy nor consulates on Russian territory. Where the voting should take place and who would oversee it is therefore completely unclear.
The Biloxi Police Department has arrested the person they believe to be responsible for placing razor blades and a fishing hook in several bakery items at two Biloxi Walmart stores, according to WLOX-TV.

Razor blades were first found in loaves of bread purchased at Walmart more than a week ago, but police were not called until Monday.

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On Tuesday, 33-year-old Texas woman Camille Benson was taken into custody. A tip to investigators stated she had been seen in the 1000 block of Division Street, leading to her arrest.

Around noon, Biloxi investigators released surveillance photos of Benson exiting a Walmart store, identifying her as a person of interest. By 5pm, she was behind bars in Harrison County.

Over the past 11 days, razor blades were found in both a banana nut muffin and several loaves of bread at two Biloxi Walmart stores: the Superstore on CT Switzer Sr. Drive and the Neighborhood Market on Pass Road.

Monday, multiple customers complained to Walmart that they found razors in their loaves purchased at the Superstore.

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Turns out, this wasnt the first incident. A razor was found in a banana nut muffin on December 5 at the same Superstore, and in a loaf of bread on December 7 at the Neighborhood Market.

According to Biloxi investigators, the two stores each believed the first reports were isolated incidents. It wasnt until Mondays customer complaint that managers realized the extent of this crime.

[Walmart workers] did another sweep of their merchandise for sale and found multiple loaves of bread that were compromised with razor blades. They also found a muffin with a fishing hook in it, Lt. Candice Young told WLOX News. Somebody had poked those items through the plastic packaging.

Young called the crime strange and said that if the customers werent so vigilant, this could have been much worse.

No injuries have been reported.

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ALBANY, New York  Rep. Elise Stefanik is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to her upstate House seat, she announced Friday.

I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York, she wrote in a social media post.

However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.

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Stefanik entered the race to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in November  months after President Donald Trump cleared the field by endorsing moderate GOP Rep. Mike Lawlers reelection in his swing House seat.

But her bid became complicated this month by the entrance of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman into the race for governor. Both Stefanik and Blakeman are Trump allies, and the president has publicly praised both candidates as great. Blakemans campaign on Thursday announced it would begin airing ads during the week of Christmas in West Palm Beach  the location of the presidents Florida residence.

The party establishment quickly started to rally behind Blakeman following Stefaniks announcement.

"Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me, New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said in a statement. Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain. As County Executive, he cut taxes, fought against radical leftwing social policies and made Nassau County the safest county in America.

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Long considered a rising star among New York Republicans, Stefanik was first elected a decade ago to a rural House district that borders Canada. Initially a Republican in the mold of former House Speaker Paul Ryan, Stefanik became a vocal Trump supporter and rose to prominence during his first impeachment as an ardent defender.

That Trump support initially appeared to pay off when he returned to the White House.

Stefanik was previously nominated by Trump to become United Nations ambassador. That nomination was yanked earlier this year amid concerns over House Republicans narrow majority. The 41-year-old Republican then turned her attention to the New York governors office  a seat her party has not held since George Pataki was elected three times.

The race was immediately an uphill battle for Stefanik, who hammered Hochul repeatedly as the worst governor in America and signaled she would link her to incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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Early polling, though, showed her to be in a challenging race to win in a deep blue state. A Siena University survey this month found Hochul holding a 19-point advantage over the GOP challenger.

Another indication of trouble came as Trump embraced Mamdani during an Oval Office meeting  undercutting a core message of her campaign. Blakemans bid called into question whether she would be forced to spend time and resources on a costly primary against a Republican who represents a suburban bellwether.

Stefanik had been scheduled to be the featured guest at the Oneida County GOPs holiday dinner Friday night. But she canceled, citing business in Washington  despite the fact the House has adjourned for the year.

The departure leaves Blakeman as the only candidate in the GOP field as the party seeks to end what will be a 24-year drought in statewide contests in 2026.

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Hes little known outside of Long Island  the recent Siena poll found 59 percent of Republicans didnt know or have an opinion of him. And while hes started to tour upstate in an effort to build bridges, hes made few inroads in the vote-rich corner of northern New York where Stefanik has been building her base for a decade.

Blakeman has based his candidacy on support for law enforcement and his electability  he comfortably won reelection in purple Nassau County last month despite a strong night for Democrats practically everywhere else in the state.

Stefanik in recent days lambasted House Speaker Mike Johnson in a remarkable and public outburst, after months of simmering tension between the two. She accused Johnson of failing to lead the House GOP conference and argued at that point he didnt have the support to win the speakership again.

Many Republicans in Johnson's leadership circle are not sad to see her go, one senior Republican aide said.

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Hochuls campaign took a victory lap after the news.

Elise Stefanik has finally acknowledged reality: If you run against Governor Kathy Hochul, you are going to lose, Hochul spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said. As Donald Trump raises costs on New Yorkers and targets this state relentlessly, Governor Hochul has cut middle-class taxes, put money back in New Yorkers pockets, and fought this administration and won when New York has come under attack.

Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
Complaints to the state ombudsman's office, many of which come from Iowa's jails and prisons, represented the second-highest total in the history of the office. (Photo via Getty Images)

Iowas Office of Ombudsman, which investigates complaints related to local and state government, saw an almost 10% increase in cases opened during the last fiscal year.

The agencys annual report, published this week, indicates that during fiscal year 2025, the office opened 6,266 cases  a 9.6% increase from the previous year.

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The number of opened cases represents the second-highest total in the history of the office, and is 57% higher than what was recorded in 2014. The highest number of opened cases was in 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still creating issues for government agencies and the people they serve.

The ombudsmans office consists of 16 employees, a total that includes two administrative staffers.

Iowa Ombudsman Bernardo Granwehr. (Photo courtesy Iowa Office of Ombudsman)

In the new report, Ombudsman Bernardo Granwehr said that with such a big workload, we must be selective about the cases we choose to investigate. He said the office is focused on prioritizing complaints and as a result, we can better handle situations when we are called to do more with our finite resources.

Granwehr credited the staff with building relationships with key employees of governmental entities across the state, which he said has made the office more efficient in its investigations and increased the probability that state and local government officials will be receptive to our recommendations.

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With regard to the complaints dealing with state entities, the annual report shows that 56% of those cases involved the Iowa Department of Corrections, and 24% involved the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

In December 2024, the office published a public report, Sitting in Place: A Re-Examination of Restraint Device Use and Regulations for Iowas County Jails. While restraint chairs can serve a legitimate function in protecting inmates and staff, prolonged use and a lack of medical oversight can lead to injury. The report noted that some Iowa jails lacked written policies that aligned with state standards, while other jails failed to document the duration and justification for their use of the devices.

The Office of Ombudsman says it will continue to monitor restraint-chair use in county jails, but notes that the Department of Corrections has yet to complete needed revisions to jail administrative rules.

Among the cases highlighted in the annual report:

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 Medicaid MCO: In 2025, an Iowa resident complained that he had been receiving repeated phone calls from a managed care organization affiliated with the states Medicaid program. The calls were not only unwanted, they included confidential health information  such as test results  for other individuals the complainant didnt even know. Despite the complainant asking the MCO to stop calling, the calls continued.

The man then complained to the ombudsman, noting his concern with not just the inconvenience he was experiencing but also the privacy violations and the fact that the intended recipients of the calls werent receiving critical information related to their own health. With the ombudsmans intervention, the calls finally stopped.

 Bureaucratic red tape: A South Carolina man informed the ombudsmans office that for 15 years, he had been receiving erroneous tax bills from the State of Iowa. Each year, the man had complained to the states taxing agency where officials confirmed he owed nothing and assured him the matter was resolved  although the tax bills kept coming.

After the ombudsmans office intervened, the erroneous billing was stopped. In its annual report, the ombudsmans office noted the case highlights the value of our offices role in cutting through red tape and ensuring that agencies follow through on their commitments.

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 Constitutional rights: A state prison inmate complained that his communication privileges were restricted for 90 days for unauthorized possession of contraband. The ombudsman found that under DOC policies, communication privileges could be restricted only when evidence shows that communication was used for the introduction of any contraband into the institution  and there was no indication of that occurring in the case at hand.

Although the ombudsman expressed its concern with the prisons adherence to its own policies, the warden and deputy warden maintained the restriction was justified and so the restrictions remained in place for 90 days. Our office maintains that while other forms of communication may be restricted, mail is not merely a privilege, it is a constitutional right, the ombudsman observed in the annual report.

 Delayed surgery: In 2025, a prison inmate complained about a long overdue surgical procedure to remove a bullet fragment from his arm. The ombudsmans office investigated and found that while a surgery referral had been submitted to a hospital, no appointment had been scheduled and the referral was never processed.

The oversight meant the inmate was left waiting for a medically necessary procedure with no timeline for resolution, the office concluded. Upon our inquiry, the hospital scheduled the surgery months later than originally intended.

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 Medical care in jails: The report includes two complaints that it said underscore the importance of proper training and adherence to medical standards in correctional settings. In one of the two cases, a county jail inmate complained that after he refused one of his prescribed medications, the jail staff informed him that refusing any single medication would result in a denial of all medications at that specific point in time. After the ombudsmans office intervened, the jail administrator agreed to speak with the staff and review the jails medication policies.

In the second case, a county jail inmate noticed employees werent changing gloves after being exposed to bodily fluids from one inmate before they tended to other inmates. Noting that this practice poses a significant risk of cross-contamination and violates widely accepted medical protocols, the ombudsman raised the issue with the jail administrator, who confirmed the practice violated policy.

Editors note: Reporter Clark Kauffman worked for the Iowa Office of Ombudsman from October 2018 through November 2019.
MADISON - Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders will seek to remove Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan if she does not resign after being convicted of obstructing federal agents who had planned to arrest an undocumented Mexican immigrant in her courtroom.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August said the chamber would start impeachment proceedings if Dugan does not step down immediately.

"Judge Hannah Dugan, while wearing judicial robes of the State of Wisconsin, attempted to impede the lawful work of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents," the leaders said in a statement.

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"The last time a Wisconsin judge was impeached was in 1853. If Judge Dugan does not resign from her office immediately, the Assembly will begin impeachment proceedings."

Dugan was convicted Dec. 18 of a felony count of obstructing a federal agency, stemming from her actions April 18 when an undocumented immigrant appearing in her courtroom was targeted for arrest by federal agents. She had pleaded not guilty. She was found not guilty of a related lesser charge. An appeal is likely.

Vos and August said Dugan must step down, citing a 1976 opinion by Democratic Attorney General Bronson La Follette concluding a state lawmaker who had been convicted of a felony "was effectually divested of any right or title to the office."

"It's our view that based on her conviction last night she's out of office, and so she needs to acknowledge that fact or we'll acknowledge it for her," August said in an interview.

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An attorney representing Dugan did not immediately respond to the Assembly's plans.

The state Supreme Court could also take steps to remove Dugan following her conviction, or voters could seek a recall election to remove her from the bench.

The court suspended Dugan with pay during the case. She earns nearly $175,000 annually.

In a statement, the court said Dugan's suspension remains in place.

"The Court is further aware that in the federal criminal case, a judgment has not yet been entered and that proceedings in that case are ongoing before U.S. District Judge Adelman," the statement said. "The Court will continue to monitor those proceedings and will respect the federal judicial process."

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers does not have power to remove Dugan, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

Under state law, impeachment may be used by state lawmakers to remove state officers for corrupt conduct in office or for committing a crime.

Proceedings would start in the state Assembly, where a simple majority must vote to impeach before the state Senate can take up the matter.

From there, the Senate conducts a trial based on evidence. If two-thirds of senators present vote to convict, the official is removed from office. There are no criminal sentences or penalties involved.

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To remove Dugan, at least a couple of Democratic state senators would need to join Republicans to convict.

It's unclear how Democratic lawmakers are reacting to the idea, but in April, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein called the prosecution alarming and said it was "part of a pattern by this Administration  defying court orders, flouting the democratic system of checks and balances, ignoring the right to due process, and threatening judicial independence. "

Lawmakers also could seek to sideline Dugan through a process known as removal through address, which would require a supermajority of both legislative houses to vote to remove her.

John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Republican leaders vow to impeach Hannah Dugan if she doesn't resign
WASHINGTON  Republican lawmakers support President Donald Trumps increasingly hostile military campaign against Venezuela, including lethal U.S. strikes against suspected drug smuggling boats and seizing sanctioned oil tankers coming to and from the South American country.

But theres one step they arent willing to endorse, at least so far: a military invasion involving land-based troops.

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I dont think having troops on the ground in Venezuela is a good idea, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) told HuffPost. Putting pressure, in terms of the sanctions on the oil  a lot of that oil has already been sanctioned, as you know  I think its fine.

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My views havent changed about landing ground troops or offensive operations in Venezuela. Im not a forcible regime change guy, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) noted.

But the questions surrounding the legality, strategy and wisdom of Trumps pressure campaign against Venezuela and its president-turned-dictator Nicolas Maduro, have so far not resulted in significant Republican pushback against the administrations approach, even as rumors swirl of further escalations and potential pushes for outright regime change.

A lot of us have been asking the president: What are you doing out there? Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said. Is it a war on drugs, or is it regime change? We havent heard.

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That has worried former U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran who handled the end of the Iraq War and the rise of the Islamic State group under President Barack Obama. Hagel told HuffPost in an interview on Capitol Hill this week that he worried about the U.S. getting drawn into another endless war without a clear path to success or exit strategies.

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Every one of these wars  Afghanistan, Iraq, [and] Vietnam  have ended very badly for this country, Hagel, a Republican senator before joining the Obama administration, said in an interview with HuffPost.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Trump must seek congressional approval before engaging in war with Venezuela, as required by the U.S. Constitution.

Its not what the Constitution intended, and not what the Founding Fathers intended, said Paul, who often joins Democrats in efforts to limit U.S. interventionism. They intended that war would be, one, declared by Congress, but two, that most wars would be fought in defense of our country, not in the desire to change the government of other countries.

If our operating procedure is to get rid of bad governments, you know, I could probably list 20 other governments that are equally as, you know, problematic as the Venezuelan government, he added.

President Donald Trump speaks as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on during a meeting of his Cabinet at the White House. A bipartisan congressional investigation has begun regarding Hegseth's role in ordering U.S. military strikes on small boats in the waters off Venezuela that have killed scores of people. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Trumps escalating military campaign, which has drawn bipartisan scrutiny, has killed over 100 peopleand counting. The Trump administration has provided no evidence that the boats are involved in drug trafficking. Still, Trump and his GOP allies argue that the strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean are legal and necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, despite legal experts calling them violations of international law.

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On Friday, Trump told NBC News it is possible the U.S. could go to war with Venezuela, as his administration continues to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. He also said he does not need congressional approval to launch strikes on land against Venezuela.

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I dont rule it out, no, he told the news network when asked about the prospect of war.

The buildup toward the invasion, and Trumps reportedfocus on what would happen to Venezuelas plentiful oil supplies, has reminded critics of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. (Trump has long falsely claimed he opposed the invasion.)

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South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Congress most hawkish members, predicted Maduro would be ousted soon, and said American oil companies should be able to reclaim drilling rights they lost after a negotiated process in the 1970s.

The oil fields belong to Venezuela, but the property rights we lost need to be restored, Graham said. So I believe the day he leaves, which is close at hand, we got a chance to reconstruct a relationship with Venezuela that would be mutually beneficial and the Venezuelan people would get to live without oppression and fear.

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Trumps designs on Venezuelan oil have created bipartisan alarm in Congress, and undercut both the administrations stated rationale for the conflict  stopping the flow of drugs to the United States  and Trumps own self-image as a skeptic of foreign intervention and regime change.

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They think the most powerful nation in the hemisphere has the right to dominate all of the other countries. I think that that is absurd, outrageous, and anti-democratic, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told HuffPost. I think he let the cat out of the bag by saying hes interested in protecting his oil company friends and seeing what they can get out of Venezuela. We dont go to war to protect the billionaires.

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives this week rejected two Democratic resolutions aimed at halting the strikes and hostilities in or against Venezuela without congressional approval. Similar efforts aimed at limiting military actions against Venezuela were blocked in the GOP-controlled Senate earlier this month.

Senate Republicans have pushed back on the Trump administration in one instance, however. They included a provision in the annual defense policy bill that Congress passed this week pressuring the Pentagon to disclose footage of a controversial Sept. 2 double tap military strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat near Venezuela. The strike killed two stranded survivors, and lawmakers froze U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths travel budget until he provides Congress with the footage of the incident. Hegseth did so only for a select few members, but not all of Congress.

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The U.S. military has amassed about 15,000 troops near Venezuela, the largest military buildup in the region in modern history. The armada enforcing a blockade around the country includes 10 U.S. Navy warships and the nations largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.

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This is pretty dangerous when you amass a force that hes amassed off the coast of Venezuela and make the threats that hes made, and then try to sort out what consequences there may be, Hagel warned on Thursday. You cant do any of that until you think through the strategy. What is your strategy? What are your objectives? How are you going to do it? What could go wrong?

If its the overthrow of another country, I mean, theres international law, he added. Thats not who we are. Weve tried all of that in different situations over the years, and its all ended pretty badly.

Political Updates

Read the original on HuffPost
Krafton, the South Korean gaming company behind hit titles such as PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), is launching a growth investment fund focused on India, stepping up its push into the worlds largest internet user base.

Called the Unicorn Growth Fund, the investment vehicle is a collaboration between Krafton and South Korean internet conglomerate Naver and investor Mirae Asset. It aims to deploy up to 60 billion (around $669.3 million) over four years, Krafton confirmed to TechCrunch.

The fund, which will be managed by Mirae Asset Venture India, is expected to be established in January and begin operations with an initial size of more than 30 billion (about $334.6 million). Krafton will contribute 12.3 billion (approximately $137.2 million) at the first close, the company said.

Navers capital commitment is expected to be broadly comparable to Kraftons $137 million investment, a Krafton spokesperson told TechCrunch. The fund will not operate with rigid country-allocation thresholds, and typical investment sizes are expected to range between $10 million and $30 million, the spokesperson said.

Krafton said investments through the new fund would primarily be treated as financial positions rather than strategic bets, though the level of engagement with portfolio companies could vary depending on the opportunity and long-term potential of each business.

To date, Krafton has invested more than $200 million in India, backing companies in the gaming, content, and fintech spaces. Recent investments include fintech Cashfree and venture fund IMM Investment, alongside earlier bets on gaming and content platforms such as Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Pratilipi, and Kuku FM. The company also launched a gaming incubator in India in 2023 and acquired a controlling stake in Indian gaming studio Nautilus Mobile for $14 million earlier this year.

Kraftons expansion in India has not been without setbacks. New Delhi banned BGMI, the companys flagship local title, in 2022, before allowing it to return in 2023 following a three-month trial approval. Krafton subsequently announced a $150 million investment commitment in the country.

BGMI, which has surpassed 240 million downloads, launched in 2021 as a revamped, localized version of PUBG Mobile, another popular title that was banned by the Indian government in mid-2020 over national security concerns. Since then, Krafton has made a series of operational changes in the country  including cutting ties with Tencent as its publisher and migrating its India servers to Microsofts Azure cloud  to address regulatory concerns.

With the new fund, Krafton is looking to extend its India strategy beyond gaming, channeling capital into a wider set of technology startups as it seeks to build a long-term presence in one of Asias fastest-growing digital markets.
MADISON - The nation's top justice officials on Friday celebrated the conviction of a sitting Milwaukee County judge in a case at the heart of a partisan battle over how to address illegal immigration.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in separate posts on social media, said the conviction of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan shows "no one is above the law."

"No one can obstruct law enforcement as they carry out their basic duties," Bondi said in a post on X. "This Department of Justice will not waver as our agents and law enforcement partners continue to make America Safe Again."

NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. No one can obstruct law enforcement as they carry out their basic duties. This Department of Justice will not waver as our agents and law enforcement partners continue to make America Safe Again. https://t.co/7KO0Bzj39v  Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 19, 2025

Dugan was found guilty Thursday by a federal jury drawn from the state's Eastern District of a felony count of obstructing federal agents who in April came to the county courthouse seeking to make an immigration arrest outside her courtroom.

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A jury of seven men and five women deliberated more than six hours before delivering a split verdict. They found the judge not guilty on a lesser misdemeanor charge of concealing a wanted person.

The case thrust Dugan, a judge for nine years, into the center of the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown.

No one is above the law pic.twitter.com/yAlzfBhAZW  FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 19, 2025

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case showed the U.S. Department of Justice "will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account  even those who wear robes."

The conviction rippled through Wisconsin's political ecosystem, drawing praise from Republicans and largely silence from Democrats.

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"GUILTY. Now lock her up," U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor in 2026, said in a post on X.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, said, "let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can try to block federal agents."

No one is above the law.



Obstruction of justice against ICE agents doing their job is illegal. Let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can try to block federal agents. https://t.co/lEwbFiQfhS  Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) December 19, 2025

State Sen. Julian Bradley of New Berlin said Dugan "put her personal politics ahead of her sworn duty."

Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson of Milwaukee said Dugan was targeted.

"We have a criminal president who is selling pardons for cash, refusing to follow the law, and refuses to release files related to his intimate relationship with the worlds most famous pedophile," Larson said in a post on X.

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"And yet, a judge was targeted by a politicized justice department for doing what every patriotic American should be doing: standing up to ICE thugs who are trying to usurp the justice system."

We have a criminal president who is selling pardons for cash, refusing to follow the law, and refuses to release files related to his intimate relationship with the worlds most famous pedophile. https://t.co/AcIfar3GYj  Chris Larson (@ChrisJLarson) December 19, 2025

Republican state Rep. Barbara Dittrich of Oconomowoc said Dugan should be impeached and disbarred.

"Now, this woman needs to be removed from the bench, and her law license revoked. This was shameful judicial misconduct," Dittrich said.

Dugan could be removed from the bench by an order of the Wisconsin Supreme Court or through impeachment proceedings in the state Legislature. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Tyler August vowed to initiate such proceedings unless Dugan resigns.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, other Republicans react to Dugan verdict
Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump are trying to flip the health care script to an issue thats worked for them in the past: restricting transgender care for children.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday to make providing hormones or surgery to transgender children a felony and another Thursday to bar the treatments for children on Medicaid. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his advisers announced a slew of rules that would effectively end gender-affirming care at hospitals. In the states, GOP candidates are running ads again condemning Democrats for supporting the care  as Trump did successfully in his 2024 campaign.

With the next election less than a year away, the strategy makes good sense, said Joel White, a former House GOP aide now in the lobbying sector: The midterm is all about getting your base out. To the extent that there is a divide across the parties on this issue, it helps Republicans.

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Besides winning elections, Republicans believe theyre doing right by kids they think are harmed by hormones and surgeries that transgender people sometimes seek to align their bodies with their gender identity.

These procedures will fall in the deepest abyss of the dark periods of American history like the lobotomies represent today, said Mehmet Oz, the former TV doctor who now runs Medicaid for Kennedy, in announcing the rule changes Thursday. They should be a deeply historic relic that brings shame.

U.S. medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, disagree. They support gender-affirming care for adolescents and say doctors are more likely to recommend counseling, social transitioning and hormone replacement therapy than surgery.

The GOP push comes as Republicans are struggling to find a message on health care affordability, which polls, including POLITICOs , have found is a leading concern for voters going into the election year. Insurance is about to get more expensive for millions because subsidies Democrats increased in 2021 for Obamacare coverage are slated to expire on Dec. 31. The vast majority of Republicans oppose an extension, but moderates among them are deeply worried it could cost them their seats.

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Opposing transgender care, by contrast, mostly unites Republicans and they think their position appeals to voters. Trumps most famous ad of his 2024 campaign targeted his Democratic opponents support for the care. Only four GOP representatives opposed House legislation by Georgias Marjorie Taylor Greene on Wednesday that would make it a felony to provide the care to kids. Republicans were unanimous in backing Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaws bill to bar Medicaid funding. Neither has the votes to pass in the Senate, where bipartisan support is required.

A peer-reviewed research letter published by JAMA Pediatrics earlier this year suggested that relatively few kids, about 18,000 as of 2022, would be affected, with less than 1,000 having used drugs that block puberty to prevent physical changes that dont align with their gender identity. An estimate this year from UCLAs Williams Institute, relying on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data covering 2021-2023, said about 724,000 American teenagers under 18 identify as transgender, about 3 percent of the total.

The VIP section at the health department announcement Thursday brought together a cross-section of GOP lawmakers. There were Republicans on the right, such as Crenshaw and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, who has set up a Make America Healthy Again Caucus to promote Kennedys agenda on Capitol Hill.

The chair of the Senate health committee, Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, was there. Up for reelection this year, hes stressed his agreement with Trump in opposing gender-affirming care at the same time hes criticized administration policy on vaccines. He took his seat near Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the hard-right challenger to GOP Sen. John Cornyn.

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Kennedy opened the event by saying that doctors associations have betrayed Americans by endorsing transgender care, and his advisers framed gender identity as a cultural brainwashing by the left.

Men are men. Men can never become women, said Kennedys deputy, Jim ONeill. Children are innocent, and they need our protection.

Ozs agency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, issued two rules to ban the use of Medicaid funds for the treatments and to bar hospitals from receiving Medicare and Medicaid dollars altogether if they offer the care to kids.

Some states currently require their state Medicaid programs to cover gender-affirming care, while about half have already restricted or banned the treatments for kids. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program for low-income people.

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In addition to those rule changes, the Food and Drug Administration is warning manufacturers of breast binders, which transgender men and boys use to flatten their chests, not to market the products to transitioning children. HHS will also no longer classify gender dysphoria, the feeling of discomfort or distress some transgender people experience when their bodies dont align with their gender, as a disability. Finally, the department will issue a public health notice to parents that hormones that help transgender people align their appearance with their gender are not a safe and effective treatment.

Republicans have already seized on transgender issues in a handful of high-profile races ahead of the midterms, while GOP candidates running in competitive primaries in deep-red areas have sought to position themselves as most ardent on the issue.

In Georgia, the GOP leadership-aligned group One Nation spent $350,000 in April on an ad targeting Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat and one of Republicans top targets, over his vote against a bill that would have prevented youth assigned male at birth from participating in girls or womens sports, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks political advertising. Rep. Buddy Carter, one of several Republicans aiming to challenge Ossoff, has similarly spent more than $500,000 on TV ads that mention transgender issues.

The GOPs Senate campaign arm has honed in on the topic. Theyve called out Democrats in the key battlegrounds of North Carolina, Maine and Minnesota for supporting transgender rights.

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These are the candidates Democrats are putting front and center after voters rejected Democrats radical transgender ideology in 2024, and theyre going to be held accountable for it again, said Joanna Rodriguez, a National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman, in a statement.

In Oklahoma, several GOP candidates vying to replace Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt have clashed over transgender issues ahead of next years primary. After former state house Speaker Charles McCall, a Republican, faced an attack ad from an outside super PAC that called him a transgender ally, McCall released an ad of his own declaring that cutting a banana does not make it an orange and highlighting his work in the legislature to ban transgender surgeries for minors. A majority of TV ad spending in the governors race so far has been on ads that mention transgender issues, according to AdImpact data.

White, who is a partner at Monument Advocacy, said that the heated debate over Affordable Care Act subsidies may have also reignited the partys desire to rein in taxpayer-funded transgender care.

Its been linked to the ACA subsidies, its been linked to Medicaid, its been linked to Medicare, White said of gender-affirming care. As a matter of policy, should taxpayers finance these procedures?

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Now the Trump administrations health leaders are also leaning in. Marty Makary, the FDA commissioner, suggested in some high schools more than half of students identify as nonbinary. Kennedy accused doctors associations of breaking the Hippocratic oath, in which they pledge to do no harm, after their endorsement of transgender care.

If the proposed CMS rules are finalized, it would effectively shut down hospitals that continue to offer gender-affirming care, given their financial reliance on patients insured by the government programs.

According to the department, the measures make good on an executive order Trump signed back in January.

Democrats said they saw the push on transgender policy as a cruel bid to change the subject that substitutes Republicans opinions about the care for that of doctors and families.

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Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) blasted Greenes and Crenshaws bills as nonsense during a Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday. The transgender community is not responsible for health care costs rising. Republicans are, he said.

Moderate Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)  who also broke with their party to force a vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies  opposed Greenes bill, along with Gabe Evans of Colorado and Mike Kennedy of Utah, while Democrats in south Texas, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, and Don Davis of North Carolina, joined most Republicans in supporting it.

The same three Democrats, along with Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, voted for Crenshaws bill to restrict Medicaid funding.

Advocates for transgender people said the GOP moves will just hurt vulnerable children.

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The harms of these ideas and the threats to care have been so clear and so pronounced among patients, said Scott Leibowitz, a child psychiatrist and board member of WPATH, a medical group that recommends standards for the care.

Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the LGBTQ+ rights organization, said in a statement that Trumps policies would completely cut off medically necessary care from children.
Sea otters living along the British Columbia coast are exposed to and absorb high levels of "forever chemicals," or PFAS.

Otters living near dense human populations and shipping zones are most affected by PFAS, signaling heightened threats to marine ecosystems.

What's happening?

A new study found that toxic, synthetic chemicals are prevalent in sea otters along Canada's coast and threaten their survival.

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Researchers collected tissue samples from 11 sea otters found dead along the British Columbia coastline. All of them tested positive for PFAS. The researchers observed high PFAS levels in the deceased otters' livers, where the chemicals are readily absorbed and accumulate.

PFAS levels in the otters were highest in regions near busy urban centers and shipping lanes. In these places, otters had PFAS concentrations more than three times higher.

An unaffiliated Raincoast Conservation Foundation scientist, Peter Ross, described these findings as "no surprise, but troubling nonetheless."

He also offered the reminder that these "chemicals are a health risk to some species, including humans, and we've been really, really slow to work through the regulatory frameworks that we have in place."

Why are high PFAS levels a problem?

Although sea otters are wild animals, they are absorbing human-made chemicals that harm their health. The animals' proximity to humans impacts their exposure levels, and their health reflects the health of shoreline ecosystems.

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PFAS are chemicals that don't break down easily and build up in tissues over time, especially in the liver. Studies have linked PFAS exposure to everything from organ damage to impaired reproduction, hormone disruption, and immunotoxicity.

For otters, this could mean that despite their impressive resiliency, their metabolism and immunity are compromised by PFAS contamination. Sea otters were reintroduced into the wild after being exploited in the fur trade. However, this PFAS contamination discovery stands to undermine these recovery efforts, posing a new ecosystem hazard with broader implications for the marine food web and coastal food chains.

What's being done to control PFAS?

Studies like this one encourage researchers and policymakers to scale up wildlife monitoring and tighten PFAS restrictions to protect it. They also help raise public awareness of the risks posed by PFAS and enable us to protect and restore coastal habitats.

What's happening to sea otters in British Columbia is one of the many examples of PFAS' prevalence in our world today. With greater mindfulness of the issue, we can help curb this invisible form of pollution that lingers for so many years.

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You can help raise awareness about the impacts of PFAS by sharing news like this with family and friends. Gaining a more thorough understanding of critical climate issues, such as the spread of PFAS, can help us take action in our communities to protect the health of people and animals.

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.
By Heather Schlitz

CHICAGO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Allyson Lopez had been hoping for business to bounce back at her dress shop in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, which specializes in ballgowns for quinceaneras, a coming-of-age ritual in many Latino communities celebrating a girl's 15th birthday. Instead, this week brought the return of the federal immigration raids that have emptied the normally vibrant streets.

The first phase of the Department of Homeland Security deportation campaign, named "Operation Midway Blitz," racked up over 4,200 arrests across the city in under three months. The operation rattled Chicago, but for Little Village, the working-class Mexican neighborhood that was repeatedly targeted, the effect has been catastrophic.

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The return of roving U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino on Tuesday in a large convoy of agents in camouflage, some with assault rifles peeking through car windows, was met by jeers and whistles from dozens of protesters who livestreamed the encounters on social media.

At Estela's Bridal, a second-generation family business, Lopez specializes in custom designs, which sell for an average of $1,000. It can take 16 hours to make a dress, fitting the shimmering fabrics to size, and adding embroidered flowers, rhinestones and sequins. She said she lost 90% of her clients during the first wave of arrests as people decided to stay home out of fear of immigration agents.

BUSINESS STRUGGLES TO MAKE RENT

"Were going to suffer again as businesses," Lopez said. We didnt even make the rent this month, so its scary."

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A DHS spokesperson did not respond when asked about the impact of the raids on businesses.

Even before Bovino's return, Little Village had been deflated by the raids.

The tourists who came to the "Mexican Capital of the Midwest" to eat tacos, sweet bread and tamales and to shop for quinceanera dresses, pinatas and Mexican chiles disappeared. Dozens of neighborhood residents were detained or deported, community leaders said. Others went into hiding.

"It's like those old Western movies where all you see is tumbleweeds blowing in the breeze, said Roxana, a 42-year-old hair salon owner from Guatemala. She declined to share her last name or immigration status out of fear of retaliation from immigration agents.

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In her empty hair salon, with half the chairs wrapped in plastic, Roxana pulled back her neatly styled bangs to reveal patches of thinning hair, which she said started falling out from the stress of an 80% drop in revenue since the start of the immigration enforcement campaign.

As the Border Patrol convoy descended on Little Village again this week, Roxana shuddered. The salon was open, but devoid of customers.

"They've broken into the neighborhood again," she said. "It's definitely shocked and devastated us because it wasn't something that we were expecting."

A NEIGHBORHOOD'S COMMERCIAL HEART

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Roxana's salon sits near the stucco arch that marks the beginning of 26th Street, a two-mile-long strip of shops, bakeries and restaurants that has become the second-most profitable shopping corridor in the city, according to the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. Many business owners said their savings dwindled after customers, including people who are in the U.S. legally, stopped visiting for fear of immigration officers.

Before the immigration crackdown, the shops selling elaborate ballgowns, glittering tiaras and satin flower bouquets, were joyous places, where girls giggled and twirled in their dresses to the satisfaction of their mothers, shop owners said.

But anxiety over venturing outside  as well as fears that big parties could become targets for immigration enforcement  have hit Little Villages quinceanera shops hard.

Two shop owners said they lost 90% of their revenue to the initial stages of Midway Blitz.

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Evelyn Flores, the owner of the Alborada quinceanera store, said she laid off seven staff members. I can't sleep at night right now, and during the day I'm always freaking out.

Maria Ortiz, who owns a shop selling party supplies, said there are days when nobody walks into her store.

THE FAMILY LEFT BEHIND

For one family, the aftershocks of the fall raids have lingered for weeks. Kamila, 15, said she has been afraid to leave her apartment other than to go to school after her cousin was detained by immigration agents in November while on his way to a job as a rug installer. He had been living in the U.S. for 18 years without legal status.

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Im scared. We cant step outside because they might be waiting for us," she said.

Asked for comment, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said: Theres no reason to be afraid of law enforcement, unless you are breaking the law."

The cousins small apartment sits mostly as he left it - the bed unmade and his fluffy cream-colored dog, Peluchin, scampering through the apartment. Every day since his owner was detained, Peluchin pushes the dusty window blinds aside with his small snout to stare for hours at the street, waiting for him to return, a neighbor who comes by to walk him said.

All his dreams, all his effort, all his work  its here, empty, said Sofia, Kamilas mother and a 47-year-old housekeeper.

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My daughter is 15 years old, she shouldnt be living like this, said Sofia, who came to the U.S. from Mexico without legal status and is considering self-deporting. Theres not a life here.

RESISTANCE

On a recent afternoon, the Little Village Community Council hummed with overlapping voices as people coordinated school pick-ups, shared videos, and called family members of people who were detained.

The LVCC president, Baltazar Enriquez, has led local resistance to immigration enforcement, organizing patrols for federal agents and distributing plastic whistles now used across the city to warn of immigration agents in the area.

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The tight-knit nature of La Villita, the Spanish name for Little Village, has given residents an organizing edge as they take to WhatsApp, Facebook and Signal groups to coordinate. Though Little Village has long struggled with bouts of gun violence and has the highest number of gang-related crimes in the city, residents said they felt safe before federal agents came to town.

Other forms of resistance have been quieter  like Vicky Martinez, a 55-year-old resident, who drops off groceries for friends and neighbors who are too scared to go to the store.

"It just feels like you're in prison. We don't even know what they're gonna throw at us, Martinez said.

(Reporting by Heather Schlitz; Additional reporting by Daniel Cole, Carlos Barria and Emily Schmall. Editing by Emily Schmall and Suzanne Goldenberg)
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS: While a veneer of normalcy has returned, true feelings of security and trust in Israel's defense may never be the same as before the war.

As I write this, Im sitting in my living room, and my shoes and keys are in another room.

I feel like Im getting away with something.

At the same time, Im half-listening for a siren or an app alert that will let me know that missiles are headed my way. That hasnt happened in over two months.

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If it does, I will need my phone to text whoever in my family isnt with me and find out if theyre OK, my shoes because our buildings bomb shelter floor is cold and rough, and my keys to open the shelter and then to get back into my apartment when the missile alert ends.

If you spent any time in Israel over the last couple of years, you know what Im talking about. Tens of thousands of missile attacks were launched  including about 5,000 on a single day, October 7, 2023  by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Iranians. Some families lost those they loved on October 7. Many more soldiers were killed in the fighting that followed, and thousands more have had to serve months, even years, of military reserve duty.

People take cover as siren warns of incoming missiles fired from Iran, at a public bomb shelter in Jerusalem, June 15, 2025. (credit: NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90)

But even those who didnt lose anyone and dont serve in the military saw their lives turned upside down with no warning, as sirens sounded at all hours of the day and night, forcing millions into bomb shelters. Sometimes a few times a day, sometimes a few times a week, sometimes less often.

Precisely how many missiles were fired at Israel from the various fronts is a matter of debate, but so many fell all over the country that being ready to dodge a missile attack changed the way we live our lives. I think its weird that despite how much we all must be thinking about this, we talk about it so little.

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Which brings me back to the feeling of liberation at not having to keep my shoes, keys, and phone within arms reach at all times. I first learned that Israel was under attack on October 7, as did many people, when sirens rang out in my neighborhood. It wasnt unprecedented; this had been happening in Jerusalem about once a year, and many times during the war with Hamas in 2014. My building has a bomb shelter, but until this war, it was basically used by tenants as a storage unit. It was kept locked and was filled with bicycles, exercise equipment, and strollers.

On October 7, I was the first to the shelter and unlocked it, trying to remember where the light switch was. With all the junk piled up there, there was only room for about 10 people, and all the others stood outside or on the staircase. After we stayed for the required 10 minutes, we went back to our apartments, thinking it was just one of those annoying attempts by Hamas to mess up our morning. But not long afterwards, the siren rang again, and again. There were about six sirens within an hour. At some point in between sirens, I turned on the news and learned of the massacre that was in progress. Later in the day, people began taking their junk to their apartments.

You never knew when the missiles were coming

In the weeks that followed, Jerusalem was hit a number of times by missiles, many fewer than in most parts of the country. Still, you never knew when they were coming. One day in late October, the siren sounded when I was in a neighborhood I didnt know well, and I wasnt sure where to go. I pulled my car over and tried to take shelter in a nearby building, but couldnt find an unlocked entrance. I saw a government building across the street, and as I headed over, the first booms sounded. I had never heard anything louder in my life. It sounded like the explosion was happening a few centimeters from my head. My ears were ringing when I reached the office building, and the guards on duty in a booth at the entrance, who did not seem in the least freaked out by this noise, let me in and handed me a cup of water. I later found out that there had been an interception and that debris had fallen about two kilometers away.

I continued with my day as usual. As thousands were mourning their loved ones and thousands more were risking their lives, it didnt seem like anything worth dwelling on. In the context of the war, it was nothing, less than nothing. But the ringing in my ears continued for hours, and from then on, I changed the routes I drive around the city so I would be more likely to find shelter quickly.

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I still drive those alternate routes I developed. And until a few days ago, I always kept my shoes on or nearby, and my phone and keys in my purse, which I put right next to me.

The missiles from Hamas mainly fell in the south but also in the center of the country  in the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas  intermittently for the rest of the war. Missiles from Hezbollah hit all over the North, including in and around Haifa, until the ceasefire in November 2024. But it did not remain a two-front war. The Iranians got into the act, and in April and October 2024, fired hundreds of missiles, including ballistic missiles. After Israel destroyed some of Irans nuclear facilities in June 2025, Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles and about one thousand suicide drones into civilian areas in Israel in less than two weeks. In the first Iranian attack in April, the missiles sounded as if they were exploding right outside my building, although they probably werent that close at all.

Ive written in these pages before about how, following the first Iranian attack, my 29-year-old son on the autism spectrum was understandably terrified. He still needs frequent reassurances  Im talking about five minutes, sometimes 10 minutes, of being told that loud noises wont hurt him, every hour. Following the June 2025 attacks, his need for this kind of reassurance intensified. But while once he awakened several times a night with nightmares, now he has many fewer.

Missiles coming from three enemies sounds like a lot. But then the Houthis, a Yemenite Iran-backed terror proxy, got involved in a big way. They had been bombing on and off since the war began, but at a certain point in 2024, I remember that more of the attacks were coming from them. Toward the end of the war, they seemed to bomb Israel on an almost daily basis, often in the evening. It was tough on families with young children, who would have to scoop up their sleeping kids and head to the shelter. One father of three children under 10 in my building said that he and his wife often let their kids stay up late because they felt that a later bedtime was less harmful for the children than being awakened after an hour or two by sirens.

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The Houthis were the comic relief of this war. For one thing, Eretz Nehederet, Israels top comedy show, had great routines making fun of their bizarre dances and hats. Often, this terror group would send one ballistic missile hurtling toward Israel, causing a million people to run to shelters because no one knew where the debris would land. One friend in Tel Aviv who lives in a building with no shelter  a predicament that turns out to be surprisingly common  where the tenants had to gather on the staircase, told me, If its the Iranians, I go to the stairs. If its the Houthis, I dont bother.

Eylon Levy, a former government spokesperson who now works for the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons Office, made a very funny video about people in Tel Aviv spending their time in the shelter trying to guess who was bombing them now.

Through all this, I never cancelled an appointment or missed a deadline due to the bombings, and neither did anyone I know, although the Haifa International Film Festival had to be postponed and many cultural events were cancelled. But it shaped how I planned many aspects of life. If I were about to cook, wash my hair, or take a drive, I would think, There was a missile yesterday, so there probably wont be one two days in a row at this time. I never put on my pajamas without thinking whether they would look OK in the bomb shelter in front of all my neighbors.

A piece I wrote, meant to make people laugh, on whether women were sleeping with their bras on after an Iranian attack was predicted, made page one, and I got emails like never before. I think it touched a chord because it was something so many people were thinking about but werent talking about.

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While those of us who went through the war in areas like Jerusalem could occasionally laugh about it, the missile attacks made me realize how difficult life had been for decades for those living in Israels south. They had to contend with hundreds of missiles every year, with only 15 seconds to make it to shelter, for nearly two decades. In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, by contrast, people have the luxury of 90 seconds. Last spring, the Home Front Command started sending messages that there was likely to be an alert soon, giving us five minutes or so to get ready.

The missile that sounded as if it were right by my ear in October 2023 made me think about what civilians in Gaza have experienced during the war. The released hostages have described the deafening booms and their fear that they would be killed in IDF missile strikes, as some of them were, and as thousands of Gazans were. Israel has the Iron Dome, and most Israelis have access either to public shelters (although these are often difficult for the elderly and the disabled to make it to in time, and few Bedouin villages in the Negev have enough of them), safe rooms built in homes, or shelters in buildings.

Gazans dont have the Iron Dome, but they do have one of the most extensive networks of tunnels in the world at their feet, which has 500+ kilometers of tunnels. The difference is, Israelis by and large can make it to shelters, while Hamas forbade Gazan civilians from taking refuge in their tunnels. Surely many, if not most, civilian deaths in Gaza could have been prevented by allowing people to enter the tunnels. We know from recovered video that Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar and his family fled below ground after attacking a much better-armed neighbor and knowing that a war would start. But even children, the elderly, and the disabled were not allowed into the tunnels during the war, according to reports.

Compare that to London during the Blitz, where children were sent to the country out of harms way, and the citizens who remained in the city often slept deep in the safety of the Underground train system. As the winter rains fall, Gazans living in tents are apparently still not permitted to shelter in the tunnels.

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Following the release of all the living hostages and the return of the remains of all but Ran Gvili, Israelis are trying to return to their patterns of pre-war life, as much as possible. But even though the missiles have ceased, some factors make this challenging. One is that Hamas has not disarmed, and despite the frequent reports from Israeli government officials that they had crumbled, they are still there and are now killing their opponents among the Gazan population.

Another issue is that Israeli officials dont seem to talk much about how they have taken steps to ensure no massacre like October 7 can happen again. How have they reformed the system so that warnings like those sent by border observers, which went unheeded, will be taken seriously next time? If another terrorist incursion were to take place, does the army now have an emergency plan, which it apparently lacked two years ago, when television reporters seemed to know more about the ongoing massacre than the military and the government? An independent commission of inquiry into the war would seek to answer these questions and many others, but the prime minister is refusing to allow one to be established. No one can really go back to normal until these questions, and many others, are answered.

How do we fix this?

When I was in college, I had a Russian literature professor from Moscow who said that whenever something went wrong in the USSR, people would ask, Who is the guilty one? rather than, How do we fix this? We know how that attitude turned out for the USSR, and the Israeli governments refusal to look hard at what happened could be putting lives at risk here.

Its hard to look ahead with so much uncertainty. I think back to the early days of the war, and I remember watching the news and seeing the death toll climb by hundreds every hour. There were no regular commercials on television, only public service announcements, and I recall one with actress Miri Bohadana explaining how to make a tourniquet and treat the wounded at home. I have told friends abroad about this, and they were incredulous, but in those first days of the war, it seemed conceivable that many of us might need to take care of gunshot and stab wounds or injuries from missiles on our own.

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After learning how quickly military bases and police stations were overrun, of finding out how a quarter of the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz were killed or kidnapped hours before soldiers showed up  even as they called news outlets pleading to be rescued I am not sure my trust in the government and the defense establishment will ever be completely restored, not unless there is a serious reckoning that does not seem to be on the horizon. I know Im not alone in this.

There was music on the radio even in the early days of the war, and when, needing a break from the news on October 8, I turned on 88 FM, the first song I heard was Yehudit Ravitzs Just a Kind Word: Usually a kind word/Immediately makes me feel better/

Just a kind word or two/No more than that. It sounded so sweet, and it reminded me of a time before the war, which seemed like a faraway era even a day later. Now, at least for people who did not lose loved ones, there is a veneer of normalcy. I can watch The Next Star for Eurovision, Master Chef, or Dancing with the Stars. There are commercials for banks, insurance, perfume, and snacks. I can leave my keys and shoes in another room. I can wash my hair even during the Houthis favorite time of the evening to bomb us. But I still cant imagine a time when I wont be half-listening for a siren or an app alert.

During one of the last Houthi bombings in October, the children in my building sat down at a kid-size table in the shelter, on top of which people had put paper, crayons, markers, and other art supplies. The kids got to work on the drawings they had left there. All the bikes and strollers were long gone, and there was now a carpet on the floor, posters and pictures the kids had made on the walls, and bottles of water and snacks. My son leafed through a box of books he likes that I had put there.

One of the children, looking up from his drawing, asked, Remember when we used to be in here all day?
WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State Marco Rubio was hopeful but clear about the challenges facing the Trump administration's Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas peace efforts and defended increasing U.S. military pressure on Venezuela during a marathon end-of-year news conference Friday.

In a freewheeling exchange with reporters running more than two hours, Rubio offered no predictions for timing or success on any of those three issues. He also said he was proud of President Donald Trump's radical overhaul in foreign assistance and that the administration was working to reach a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan in time for the new year.

Rubios rare and lengthy appearance in the State Department briefing room came as key meetings on Gaza and Russia-Ukraine are being held in Miami on Friday and Saturday after a tumultuous year in U.S. foreign policy. Rubio has assumed the additional role of national security adviser and emerged as a staunch defender of Trumps America First priorities on issues ranging from visa restrictions to a shakeup of the State Department bureaucracy.

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Talks on Ukraine and Gaza are planned

Rubio spoke about peace efforts as national security officials from Britain, France and Germany were taking part in talks in Florida with Ukraines lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss the latest iteration of Trumps Ukraine-Russia peace proposal.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Witkoff and Kushner, who is Trump's son-in-law, also would see Egyptian, Turkish and Qatari officials Friday for talks on how to get to the next phase of Trump's plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Progress on Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan has moved slowly since it was announced in October. U.S. officials have been pushing to get the plan implemented by setting up a Board of Peace that would oversee the territory after two years of war and create an international stabilization force that would police the area.

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I think we owe them a few more answers before we get there, Rubio said when asked about contributions to the stabilization force. After establishing the Board of Peace and a Palestinian technocratic group to govern Gaza, that will allow us to firm up the stabilization force, including how its going to be paid for, what the rules of engagement are, what their role will be in demilitarization.

In a whirlwind of diplomacy, Witkoff and Kushner are also set to meet Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putins adviser Kirill Dmitriev in Miami, officials said. Rubio, who will be at his home in Florida for the holidays, said he would probably attend the meeting.

But he said there would be no peace deal unless both Ukraine and Russia can agree to the terms, making it impossible for the U.S. to force a deal on anyone. Instead, the U.S. is trying to "figure out if we can nudge both sides to a common place.

We understand that youre not going to have a deal unless both sides have to give, and both sides have to get," Rubio said. "Both sides will have to make concessions if youre going to have a deal. You may not have a deal. We may not have a deal. Its unfortunate."

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The U.S. proposal has been through numerous versions with Trump seesawing back and forth between offering support and encouragement for Ukraine and then seemingly sympathizing with Putin's hard-line stances by pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to agree to territorial concessions. Kyiv has rejected that concession in return for security guarantees intended to protect Ukraine from future Russian incursions.

Rubio defends US policy toward Venezuela

On Venezuela, Rubio has been a leading proponent of military operations against suspected drug-running vessels targeted in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. The actions have ramped up pressure on leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged with narco-terrorism in the U.S.

Rubio defended Trumps prerogatives on Venezuela and said the administration believes nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war. He added, We have very strong legal opinions.

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In an NBC News interview Friday, Trump would not rule out a war with Venezuela. Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have publicly maintained that the current operations are directed at narco-terrorists trying to smuggle deadly drugs into the United States. Maduro has insisted the real purpose is to force him from office.

Rubio sidestepped a direct question about whether the U.S. wants regime change in 2026 in the South American country.

We have a regime thats illegitimate, that cooperates with Iran, that cooperates with Hezbollah, that cooperates with narco-trafficking and narco-terrorist organizations, Rubio said, including not just protecting their shipments and allowing them to operate with impunity, but also allows some of them to control territory.

Other peacemaking efforts at risk

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Trump has spoken of wanting to be remembered as a peacemaker, but ceasefires his administration helped craft are already in trouble due to renewed military action between Cambodia and Thailand as well as Rwanda and Congo. Rubio, however, said those deals created a list of commitments that can now be used to push the parties back to peace.

Those commitments today are not being kept, Rubio said of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, which now threatens to reignite following Thai airstrikes. The work now is to bring them back to the table."

In a departure from his predecessors who often limited questions to just four, Rubio responded to queries, including a handful in Spanish, from nearly every reporter seated in the 59-seat briefing room, which has not been used since the State Department ended its twice-weekly press briefings in August.

Since taking over the department, Rubio has moved swiftly to implement Trump's America First agenda, helping dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development and reducing the size of the diplomatic corps through a significant reorganization. Previous administrations have distributed billions of dollars in foreign assistance over the past five decades through USAID.

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Critics have said the decision to eliminate USAID and slash foreign aid spending has cost lives overseas, although Rubio and others have denied this, pointing to ongoing disaster relief operations in the Philippines, the Caribbean and elsewhere, along with new global health compacts being signed with countries that previously had programs run by USAID.

We have a limited amount of money that can be dedicated to foreign aid and humanitarian assistance," Rubio said. And that has to be applied in a way that furthers our national interest.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
(Corrects spelling in story identifier to RUSSIA-CYBER/UKRAINE)

By AJ Vicens

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Russian technology companies working on air defense, sensitive electronics and other defense applications were targeted in recent weeks by a cyber espionage group using AI-generated decoy documents, according to a cybersecurity analyst.

The discovery by cybersecurity firm Intezer shows how AI tools can be easily harnessed for high-stakes operations, senior security researcher Nicole Fishbein said, and offers a rare look at hacking campaigns targeting Russian entities.

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The campaign, not previously reported, is likely the work of a group tracked as either "Paper Werewolf" or GOFFEE, Fishbein said, a hacking group active since 2022 that is widely thought to be pro-Ukrainian and has focused nearly all of its efforts on Russian targets.

The hack also suggests just how aggressively Ukraine and its allies are pursuing a military advantage in the war, which has included drone attacks on defense supply chain entities in recent months. And it has come to light as delicate negotiations play out over a potential end to Russia's war in Ukraine, with Moscow threatening to take more land by force if Kyiv and its European allies do not engage with U.S. proposals for peace.

The hacking campaign targeted several Russian companies, according to suspected AI-generated decoy documents discovered by Fishbein, who is the lead author of an analysis prepared by Intezer.

The Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

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HACKING CAMPAIGN MADE USE OF ACCESSIBLE AI TOOLS

In one case, an apparently AI-generated document purports to be an invitation, written in Russian, to a concert for high-ranking officers. In another case, a document purports to be sent from the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, asking for price justification under government regulations around pricing, according to the analysis.

Fishbein said the campaign stands out as a rare opportunity to examine attacks on Russian entities. "This isn't necessarily because those attacks are rare, but because visibility into them is limited," she said.

The group's use of AI-generated decoy documents also demonstrates how "accessible AI tools can be repurposed for malicious goals," Fishbein said. "(It) shows how emerging technologies can lower the barrier for sophisticated attacks and why misuse, not the technology itself, remains the core problem."

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The targets, which are all major defense contractors, indicate the attackers' broad interest in Russia's military industry, said Oleg Shakirov, a Russia cyber policy researcher, while potential access to the contractors could offer visibility into "the production of everything from scopes to air defense systems, but also into defense supply chains and R&D processes.

"(There's) nothing unusual about pro-Ukrainian hackers trying to spy on Russian defense companies during the war," Shakirov added, while suggesting that Paper Werewolf may have expanded its targeting beyond government agencies, energy, finance and telecoms to other sectors.

While Intezer attributed the operation to Paper Werewolf, based on the infrastructure supporting the effort, the particular software vulnerabilities exploited, and how the decoy documents were constructed, Fishbein said it was an open question whether the hackers were working with a specific nation-state or other hacking group.

Others, however, have suggested a link between the group and other known pro-Ukrainian hacking efforts. A September 2025 report published by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said Paper Werewolf has potential overlaps with Cloud Atlas, a pro-Ukrainian hacking group dating back more than a decade. The group is known for targeting pro-Russian entities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to cybersecurity firm Check Point.

(Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
Vitaly Zvyagnitsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who arrived in Israel with a foreign worker permit, was arrested in early December 2025 on suspicion of maintaining contact with Iranian operatives.

A Russian citizen was arrested for sending pictures of ports, ships, and infrastructure in Israel to Iranian intelligence elements, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and MALMAB (Director of Security of the Defense Establishment) announced on Friday.

Vitaly Zvyagnitsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who arrived in Israel with a foreign worker permit, was arrested in early December 2025 on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence elements.

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According to the investigation, Zvyagnitsev established contact with an Iranian intelligence operator in October 2025, who went by the name "Roman" and claimed to be a fellow Russian citizen living in Moscow.

"The suspect carried out a variety of photography missions of infrastructure and ships in ports throughout the country, and more. In exchange for these tasks, he received money through digital means," the Shin Bet statement said.

The investigation also discovered that Zvyagnitsev understood that his contact intended to use the supplied photographs to harm the state of Israel, but "he continued to carry out additional tasks he received from his operator, this for financial reasons."

An illustrative image of the silhouettes of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to a backdrop of their respective countries' flags. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

According to Army Radio, Zvyagnitsev managed to take dozens of videos of extremely sensitive installations in Israel, operating under the nose of the Israeli security establishment for an extended period.

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In one instance, the police detained the Russian national while filming in the Herzliya Marina, after which he was released on the condition that he deleted the videos and continued spying for Iran, the report said.

Among the places he filmed and photographed were the Haifa port, sensitive military vessels of the Israeli and US Navies in the port of Eilat, the port of Ashdod, and Haifa's oil refineries.

He was finally caught while attempting to film the Ramat David Air Force base and was unable to send the footage to his Iranian handler.

Bat Yam mayor warns residents against Iranian intelligence recruitment attempts

Earlier in December, Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot warned the city's residents not to cooperate with Iranian handlers who are trying to recruit them as agents.

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The Bat Yam municipality has been in contact with security agencies, including the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), regarding the "possibility that our residents might fall into the net of Iranian intelligence," Brot said.

The residents may "cooperate" with Iranian handlers, "following all the messages they are sending to our phones," Brot commented.

"We know that there are also residents of Bat Yam who, these very days, are maintaining such contacts," he affirmed.

These residents are "endangering not only Israels security but also their personal future" by being in contact with Iranian handlers.

James Genn contributed to this report.
Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride is receiving the credit for lobbying a handful of Republicans to vote against a bill banning gender-affirming care for youth.

The first out transgender member of Congress reportedly spoke to the few Republicans who would oppose the measure ahead of Wednesday's vote. Rep. Becca Balint, an Equality Caucus co-chair alongside McBride, told NOTUS that the group was "looking at names, we were figuring out who had relationships with whom, and then each of us had separate conversations and then we would huddle back up and share information.

Related: Marjorie Taylor Greenes bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors passes with Democrats support

Were most interested in the caucus, right? But we also suspected we might lose some Democrats, which is why Sarah was like, Look, Ill pick up votes wherever I can, Balint said, adding that McBride "takes her work very seriously, she will talk to anyone."

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The House on Wednesday approved the bill, which would impose felony penalties of up to 10 years in prison on physicians who provide puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or surgical care to patients under 18 for the purpose of gender transition. Introduced by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the bill would also expose parents and others who consent to or help minors access that care to criminal liability.

The legislation passed by a vote of 216 to 211. As McBride and Balint predicted, three Democrats  Texas Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, and North Carolina Rep. Don Davis  voted in favor of the bill. However, they were successful in pushing four Republicans to vote against: Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, New York Rep. Mike Lawler, Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy, and Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans.

McBride has not publicly spoken about her conversations with the Republican representatives, but criticized the GOP while speaking on the steps of the Capitol ahead of the vote, saying that they would rather have us focus in and debate a misunderstood and vulnerable one percent of the population instead of focusing on the fact that they are gutting everyones health care in order to pay for tax breaks for the wealthiest one percent."

Related: Sarah McBride says GOP should protect Americans health coverage, not criminalize trans kids medical care

We are two legislative days away from the Affordable Care Act tax credits expiring, when millions of people will see their health care premiums skyrocket," McBride said. "And GOP leadership ... has decided to schedule two votes on anti-trans bills and precisely zero votes on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits."

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All Republican politicians care about is making the rich richer and attacking trans people, she added. They are obsessed with trans people. I actually think they think more about trans people than trans people think about trans people.

This article originally appeared on Advocate: Sarah McBride knew some Democrats would betray trans people, so she lobbied Republicans

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It's much harder to track data high up in the mountains, but a new study published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment is showing just how vital that research can be. A team of researchers from the University of Portsmouth led by Dr. Nick Pepin "analyzed data from multiple sources, including global gridded datasets, alongside detailed case studies from specific mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Andes, and the Tibetan Plateau," per a write-up in Phys.org from the university.

What's happening?

The research found that, between 1980 and 2020, mountain ranges warmed on average 0.21 degrees Celsius per century faster than nearby lowlands. Unpredictable rainfall was also hitting the mountains when the snow turned to rain.

Dr. Pepin explained, "Mountains share many characteristics with Arctic regions and are experiencing similarly rapid changes."

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He added that both areas are experiencing significant snow and ice loss, and it's changing the ecosystems.

"What's less well known is that as you go higher into the mountains, the rate of climate change can become even more intense," he said.

Why is snow and ice loss in the mountains concerning?

While the loss of snow and ice is harmful to mountain communities, it's not just those communities that suffer. More than 1 billion people worldwide rely on glaciers for their water, including in China and India.

Dr. Pepin also noted, "When you transition from snowfall to rain because it has become warmer, you're more likely to get devastating floods. Hazardous events also become more extreme."

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While extreme weather events, such as unpredictable rain, were always going to happen, it's the warming temperatures that are intensifying these storms.

Additionally, as temperatures rise, the animals living there are forced farther up the mountain in search of cooler temperatures. However, they will be pushed over the edge and could end up lost as their ecosystems are changed forever.

Unfortunately, it's much harder to collect data in harsh conditions, resulting in a data gap. In turn, scientists could be underestimating how quickly temperatures are rising.

What's being done about the lack of data?

While "computer models are improving," according to the University of Sheffield's Dr. Emily Potter, it's not enough. She believes action is needed on climate commitments. Reducing society's reliance on energy sources that warm the planet, such as coal and gas, is one example.

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You can also do your part by donating to climate organizations engaging in this vital work.

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.
SRx Health (SRXH) shares soared a remarkable 85% on Dec. 16 after the Florida-based company announced a pivot into digital asset treasury management.

As part of this pivot, the health and wellness firm has agreed to merge with EMJ Crypto Technologies (EMJX) in an all-stock deal valued at about $55 million.

More News from Barchart

Eric Jackson, a renowned hedge fund manager, will lead the joint company once the transaction closes in the first quarter of 2026.

At one point after the EMJ announcement, SRx Health shares were seen trading over 200% higher than their year-to-date low in November.

www.barchart.com

Why Did SRXH Stock Soar on Tuesday?

Following the initial surge, SRXH stock reversed nearly all of its intraday gains by market close on Dec. 16.

This suggests the upward momentum was more sentiment-driven than fundamental backed, which has been a trend with micro-cap companies announcing a crypto pivot in 2025.

While Eric Jacksons lead does bring some credibility to SRXHs digital asset treasury strategy, the shift, nonetheless, remains untested, highly speculative, and far too risky to justify an investment.

Whats also worth mentioning is that MSCI is considering excluding companies with north of 50% crypto exposure from major indices, which adds uncertainty to the overall bull case for SRx Health.

Is It Worth Buying SRXH Shares Today?

SRXH shares remain unattractive also because the companys digital asset treasury strategy comes at a time when the broader cryptocurrency market is struggling to regain momentum.

While this could prove advantageous if crypto assets ended up recovering in early 2026, for now, the timing exposes investors to continued volatility and regulatory uncertainty.

Investors should also note that despite the recent rally, SRx Health continues to trade at less than $1, which means the immediate risk of delisting remains on the table.

Moreover, being a penny stock, it runs the risk of price manipulation and pump-and-dump behavior as well that often hurts late investors.

Wall Street Doesnt Cover SRx Health

Another major red flag on SRXH stock is the absence of Wall Street coverage.

So, there arent any analysts vetting the companys claims, no independent earnings models you can benchmark against, and no professional scrutiny to help you separate genuine progress from promotional noise.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. On the date of publication, the editor 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
Only a scattering of light penetrates the deep water, more than 300 feet beneath the ocean surface off the coast of Guam. Its like twilight to the human eye, even in the middle of the day.

This part of the ocean, known as the upper twilight zone, is one of the least explored ecosystems on Earth because its so difficult, expensive and dangerous to reach. Its only accessible by submarine, remotely-operated vehicle or by specially trained technical divers.

But humans are starting to unravel the mysteries of life here. In November, a group of scientific divers from the California Academy of Sciences successfully navigated a series of perilously deep dives.

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Their mission was to fetch monitoring devices lodged in Guams deep reefs that have been collecting data on marine life and ocean temperatures for more than eight years.

The divers found a swath of ocean populated by weird and wild creatures, from delicate corals and shimmering worms to spiky sea slugs and hairy crabs. The monitors are also providing an insight into temperature changes, suggesting climate change may be having an impact even in these deep waters.

Divers ascend after installing monitoring devices in Guam in 2018. Only specially trained divers can reach the ocean's upper twilight zone. - Luiz Rocha/California Academy of Science

Diving to the oceans upper twilight zone is a treacherous endeavor. Standard gear simply doesnt cut it at these depths  recreational divers breathing compressed air dont venture below 130 feet. Instead, trained technical divers need specialized equipment allowing them to breathe a cocktail of helium and air.

The deeper the divers go, the more gas gets dissolved into their bodies, and it needs to come out very slowly to avoid decompression sickness, known as the bends, where bubbles form in the blood causing severe pain and even death.

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The only way to avoid this is to ascend very slowly, stopping every 10 feet or so. If we stay just 10 minutes at 500 feet, it would take us six hours to go up, said Luiz Rocha, one of the divers and an ichthyology curator at the California Academy of Sciences. It means they rarely get more than 30 minutes to do their work.

But over eight dives in November, Rocha and the team managed to safely collect 13 monitoring devices. These ridged structures are made up of 1-foot-square PVC plates that function as artificial reefs on which animals can settle and grow. They are essentially small underwater hotels that coral reef organisms colonize over time, Rocha said.

The surface of one of the reef monitors collected by divers from Guam's deep reefs. - California Academy of Sciences

Monitoring devices pictured in November 2025 after spending eight years in Guam's deep reefs. - California Academy of Sciences

The retrieved monitors  which look like works of art, splashed with vivid hues of amber, burnt orange, deep blues and pinks  were taken to the surface and rushed to the University of Guam Marine Laboratory for processing.

There, scientists sifted through the encrusted materials and identified, photographed and collected each individual specimen. Everything else was scraped off and sent away for DNA analysis.

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After two weeks of processing, the scientists have so far found 2,000 specimens, 100 of which were recorded for the first time in the region and 20 of which are potentially newly discovered species.

A pilumnid crab. - California Academy of Sciences

A possible new species of sea slug in the genus Cratena. - California Academy of Sciences

A possible new species of cardinalfish. - California Academy of Sciences

They found a possible new species of cardinalfish, a species of orange-clawed crab never before reported in Guam and a new species of sea slug, speckled with yellow and pink.

One of Rochas favorite discoveries was a hermit crab that uses clam-like shells as its home. Every hermit crab Ive seen before used gastropod (snail-like) shells as homes, but this species has some really interesting adaptations that allow it to use clams instead, he said.

But as well as the exciting discoveries, there are also fears for the future of the deep reefs. More than half of the species that live here are unknown, yet these reefs are already being affected by fishing, pollution, and climate change, Rocha said.

A juvenile Pacific crown-of-thorns starfish collected on the reef during a dive in shallower waters at around 80 feet deep. - California Academy of Sciences

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A small species of octopus found among the fauna collected from the monitoring device. - California Academy of Sciences

Recent research into plastic pollution on coral reefs found the amount of plastic debris, most of which came from the fishing industry, increased with depth, peaking in the upper twilight zone. We are almost always the first humans to set eyes on these deeper reefs, and yet we see human-produced trash on every dive, Rocha said.

Climate change is another big threat. Temperature data is still slowly trickling in from the monitoring devices, but the scientists are already seeing that deeper water may be following the same warming trends seen elsewhere. This contradicts assumptions that this depth would be a safe refuge, protected from warming, Rocha said.

The November expedition to Guam marks the start of a two-year process to collect a total of 76 monitors from deep in the reefs across the Pacific, including in Palau, French Polynesia and the Marshall Islands. The scientists hope this will give them a much more detailed picture about life in the twilight zone  and how to protect this mysterious part of the ocean.

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Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that U.S. negotiators have made "progress" attempting to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, but ultimately "it's not our war."

The Russian invasion of Ukraine was one of several global issues Rubio addressed during his 2-hour year-end news conference with reporters. He said despite the progress in negotiations, "we have a ways to go" to end the nearly four-year war in eastern Europe.

"And obviously, the hardest issues are always the last issues," he said during the briefing.

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"Maybe that happens this week, maybe that happens next month, maybe that's not ready for a few months," Rubio said of a deal.

His comments came ahead of a weekend meeting in Miami between U.S. and Russian negotiators. He said that while the United States is trying to work on a deal that would make both parties happy, he's not willing to force a plan.

"It's not our war. It's a war on another continent.

"We can't force Ukraine to make a deal. We can't force Russia to make a deal. They have to want to make a deal."

White House officials said they were optimistic this weekend's meeting would result in an agreement. Previous talks resulted in about "90%" consensus on terms, the officials told The Hill.

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Those terms included a multi-national force deployed to Ukraine to respond to acts of aggression against the country in the future. Earlier this week, European leaders pledged to provide military support to Ukraine in protection against Russia, however Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded over the weekend his country may have to give up its dream of joining NATO to end the war.

As peace talks have gone on, U.S. negotiators have put pressure on Ukraine to make more concessions to Russia, which has remained staunch in its demands, which including giving up land. Politico reported that the Trump administration believes Russia will accept EU membership for Ukraine as well as offers of mutual defense from the United States and European countries.
Senate leaders are nearing a deal to pass a package of five appropriations bills that would fund most of the federal government through fiscal 2026, which has the potential to largely take the threat of a government shutdown off the table early next year.

Senators were waiting Thursday afternoon for a deal to set up votes on a series of amendments to the so-called minibus, which would fund the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Commerce, Justice, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.

Senators on the Appropriations Committee estimate that if the five-bill package becomes law, it would fund roughly 85 percent to 90 percent of the federal government and eliminate the threat of a government shutdown in February.

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The House would also have to agree to the package, as would President Trump.

Much of the government will shut down Feb. 1 without a new funding bill.

Trump last month signed a separate deal that funded military construction, veterans affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through Sept. 30, 2026. That bill would also cover the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major issue in the fall shutdown.

If the House approves the Senate minibus, something that is by no means assured, it would mean that only the departments of Homeland Security, State, foreign operations energy and water projects, and financial services would face a funding deadline of Jan. 30.

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A senator involved in negotiations over votes on amendments to the bill said Republicans had settled on a list of eight amendments they want considered before the package comes to a final vote. The source said that as many as five of those GOP amendments could be settled by voice votes.

A group of Democratic and Republican senators gathered on the Senate floor Wednesday evening to negotiate a pathway to passing the package before senators adjourn for the year on Thursday.

Democrats were demanding votes on an unwieldy list of 40 amendments Wednesday night.

By Thursday afternoon, Democrats had whittled their list of amendments down to 15, according to a Senate source familiar with the state of play.

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Republicans still need to agree to scheduling votes on the Democratic priorities, some of which are likely to be controversial.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has pushed an amendment to strip away senators rights to sue the Department of Justice for targeting them in an investigation of attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a Senate aide familiar with the behind-the-scenes back-and-forth.

The legislation to allow a group of eight GOP senators to sue the Justice Department was included in bill that reopened the federal government last month after a 43-day shutdown.

That shutdown was largely over the issue of expiring enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats had demanded that those subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, be extended.

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The shutdown ended after a group of Democratic senators agreed to reopen the government without an extension of those subsidies.

On Wednesday, four Republicans in the House joined a Democratic discharge petition to force a vote in the chamber on legislation to extend those subsidies for three years. The Republicans signed the discharge petition after leaders in their own party refused to allow votes on amendments that had backed an extension of the subsidies.

In the Senate, lawmakers last week voted down rival efforts from Democrats and Republicans on health care. Four GOP senators joined a Democratic bill to extend the health care subsidies.

The House bill to extend those subsidies for three years now appears to have the support to clear the House in January. But it is uncertain whether it would have the votes to pass the Senate.

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On the GOP side, Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) has pushed for an amendment to strip earmarks out of the minibus bill.

He also favors an amendment that would strip language from the Interior Department appropriations bill that would require the federal government to continue to manage federal lands in national parks as federal lands.

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.
The United States largest public utility will be able to make changes to policy for the first time since April after the Senate voted to confirm four of President Donald Trumps nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authoritys board of directors.

Knoxville attorney Jeff Hagood and Memphis hospital CEO Mitch Graves soon will be sworn in as TVA board members, along with Florida chemical engineer Arthur Graham and Randall Jones, the owner of an insurance agency in Alabama.

The start of their tenures will shift the board's partisan balance while bringing its historic gridlock to a close. The nine-member panel requires five members for a quorum, which it has been without since Trump fired board chair Joe Ritch in April.

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The president had previously fired Michelle Moore and later fired Beth Greer, both Biden-appointed members, before nominating their replacements. The three directors who have remained on the board  Bobby Klein, Wade White and Bill Renick, now the board's chair  are also Biden appointees.

The president can fire TVA board members but cant hire replacements all on his own. The law that created TVA requires senators to confirm nominations from the president.

The recent appointees were forwarded to the full Senate from a committee earlier this year on a party-line vote. One remaining Trump nominee, Nashville businessman Lee Beaman, has not yet gone before the Senate for a vote, leaving two empty seats on the utilitys board.

Tennessee's senators, both of whom have criticized TVA's leadership, and other Senate Republicans have praised Beaman. Senate Democrats, on the other hand, grilled him in a committee hearing earlier this year.

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A vote to send Beaman's nomination forward has been postponed.

Who are the new Tennessee Valley Authority board members?

Mitch Graves will give West Tennessee representation on TVA's board, while Knoxville attorney Jeff Hagood will join Bobby Klein, of Chattanooga, in representing East Tennessee.

In addition to his role as a hospital CEO, Graves is a Memphis Light, Gas & Water board member.

All but one of the new members  Arthur Graham, from Florida  come from TVAs seven-state service region.

Graham is a chemical engineer who has served since 2010 on the Florida board that regulates state utilities. Randall Jones, who owns an insurance agency in Alabama, is familiar with utilities having chaired the Guntersville Electric Board in his home state.

What do new board members have planned for TVA?

The new board members are all proponents of TVAs nuclear program. During Senate hearings on their confirmation, each said they were committed to nuclear power. It's a stance that keeps them in alignment with Trump and Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, who've promoted a quick pace for nuclear development.

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Trump also has issued executive orders directing cuts to regulatory processes that delay nuclear development.

The new board members also are committed to keeping TVA public, a stance they all took amid questions from Senate Democrats about the future of the utility.

Privatizing the utility or handing it over to state control isn't a new proposal. National politicians from Barry Goldwater to Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama have suggested it.

TVA is a nearly-century-old product of the New Deal federal government but is funded by ratepayers, not taxpayers. The utility sells power to 153 companies, including the Knoxville Utilities Board.

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Defending the public power model has been a priority for the utility, historically and in recent months. The three board members who remained after Trump's firings earlier this year have said they  like the new members  believe public power is best for TVA and the region it serves.

Mariah Franklin reports on technology and energy for Knox News. Email: mariah.franklin@knoxnews.com. Signal: mariahfranklin.01

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Senate sends East TN attorney, three other Trump nominees to TVA board
Sharon Hill Borough Council approved its 2026 budget following a contentious meeting in which requests from the local fire department for additional funding and a dedicated fire tax were denied.

The approved budget allocates $121,679 to the Sharon Hill Fire Company, an amount fire officials said is $10,000 less than the previous year. Fire department leaders and some residents warned that the decision could affect emergency coverage in the community.

"If you start closing fire companies down, they won't have coverage and could be fatalities," said Carl G, a Sharon Hill resident.

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Council President Tanya Allen said the borough based its budget on recent spending patterns.

"We do our budget based on current spending, and last year's spending came in 10,000 less," Allen said.

Deputy Fire Chief John Croce, who said he has spent decades serving the department, urged council members to reconsider.

"Ive been a member of this fire company for 44 years and lived in this town. I've dedicated almost my whole life to this fire company, so I would appreciate you helping us now when we ask," Croce said.

Fire company officials said their requests for additional financial assistance were denied. They presented two proposals to the borough: funding for part-time firefighters and the creation of a fire tax dedicated solely to the fire company.

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"You guys have been good to us in the past, and we need your help now with funding to be able to have firefighters during the day to respond when our volunteers are at work," Croce said.

Borough officials said limited resources and broader financial pressures guided their decision.

"We do want to support our company, but we have to do it with a good mind for our community were being taxed from different directions, and we had to raise our municipal tax this year," Allen said.

Some residents expressed hope that a compromise could still be reached.

Council members encouraged residents to donate to the fire company or volunteer their time to help keep it operating, while borough leaders said they will continue seeking additional funding.
A Silver Alert has been issued for a 73-year-old man living with dementia or Alzheimers in Watauga County Friday.

Authorities are searching for Cameron Ross.

They say he left work at the Harris Teeter in Boone in a 2012 silver Ford Expedition with a North Carolina tag: JKM2499.

ALSO READ >> Man charged with murder in death of missing Charlotte mother

He was last seen wearing a red Harris Teeter work shirt with a black long sleeve shirt underneath, black slacks and work shoes.

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Hes 6 feet 1 inch tall with brown hair and green eyes.

Anyone with information about Ross whereabouts should call the Boone Police Department.

VIDEO: Victim identified as missing mother in west Charlotte homicide
Flashing red and blue lights lit up the darkness on Reams Road, near Legado Dr, on Wednesday night. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a 6-year-old boy with autism got out of his house and wandered into the road.

FHP said a woman driving a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe hit him. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

The kid is not good, said Hewerton Alves.

Alves is a neighbor and family friend. He talked to us while he was on the phone with the mother, who was at the hospital at the time. He said the boy is bleeding in the brain and has several broken bones.

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The problem is outside the body, he said. He has too much trauma.

Alves said the mother and her three kids had just gotten home minutes before the crash.

She put the kids inside the home. She looked [to make sure] everything [was] okay, he said.

She went back to the car to get something else, then boom kids not there, he said.

Hewerton said he also went out to the scene after the crash. He talked to the driver, along with others. He said she was shaken up.

The lady... she put her hands on her head. She said sorry, sorry, I didnt [see] him, Alves said. Everyone said its ok. Its not your fault. It was an accident.

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The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old female, remained on the scene following the incident, FHP said.

FHP said the crash remains under investigation.

Alves said this is all really hard on the 6-year-old single mother.

Shes [traumatized], bro, said Alves.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Joshua Ray Glenn, 44, the town administrator of Great Falls and former police chief Kimberly Deane Benenhaley, 41, were arrested and charged Thursday by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for their involvement in a conspiracy to place unauthorized tracking devices on private vehicles in Chester County.

ALSO READ: Construction begins on new state park along Catawba River

The charges against Glenn and Benenhaley stem from incidents that occurred around May 26, during which they allegedly placed tracking devices on three vehicles without obtaining proper legal authorization. According to SLED, the tracking was facilitated through Tracki, a monitoring service that was paid for using a Town of Great Falls credit card assigned to Glenn.

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Angel Leonhardt said her car was tracked but doesnt know why.

I dont know why he did it because it dont make no sense why he done it, the citizen said.

Leonhardt said state police came to her door a few days ago and told her a tracker was put on her car.

They told her Glenn and Benenhaley were responsible.

I told them no way theres a tracker on my car, Leonhardt said. They knew it before they come, and he went straight to it and pulled it off.

Both Glenn and Benenhaley face serious charges, including misconduct in office, criminal conspiracy and three counts of harassment in the first degree.

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During the surveillance, Glenn reportedly shared maps generated from the Tracki service with a town councilmember via text message. The data corroborated information obtained by investigators, leading to the recovery of the tracking devices from the vehicles in question, SLED reported.

SLED has not given a motive for these alleged crimes.

Upon their arrests, Glenn and Benenhaley were booked into the Chester County Detention Center, where they face ongoing proceedings regarding the misconduct and the ramifications of their alleged actions.

We dont know if they bonded out Friday morning.

A city meeting is planned for Saturday to talk about the allegations.

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The investigation began when the Great Falls Police Department and the Chester County Sheriffs Office requested assistance from SLED.

This case is being prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office.

This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.

VIDEO: State investigates alleged misconduct by Chesterfield County sheriff
Warning: This story contains details of a violent crime.

The man accused of beating his elderly mother to death at her home in Leamington, Ont. earlier this year has pleaded guilty.

Kevin Goodings, 61, stood in Superior Court in Windsor, Ont., on Thursday to admit guilt to second-degree murder for the killing of 83-year-old Anita Goodings.

Dan Scott, Goodings' lawyer, said his client was not under the influence of drugs nor having any psychological issue at the time of the incident.

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"He acknowledges what he did was wrong, and he's demonstrated that by appearing in court today," Scott said outside the courthouse.

"I think it was a situation where he just lost it. And he's accepted responsibility for that."

(Shari Taggart-Noland)

The court heard that the crime happened during the afternoon hours of March 11 on the patio of Anita Goodings' ground-floor apartment on Sherk Street.

A surveillance camera at a neighbouring apartment building recorded the incident. Excerpts from the video were shown in court.

Reading from the agreed-upon statement of facts, assistant Crown attorney George Spartinos explained how Goodings' attack on his mother included stomping on her head multiple times, kicking and punching her motionless body.

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He returned to the apartment at times, then re-emerged to continue the attack.

At one point, Kevin Goodings placed a pillow over his mother's face and punched her in the head at least eight times, Spartinos said.

Anita Goodings was left on the patio under a blanket. Kevin Goodings could be seen in the video fleeing the Leamington residence after donning a jacket, a toque and two backpacks.

(Dalson Chen/CBC)

Spartinos said other surveillance videos from after the time of the assault show Kevin Goodings was at the VIA Rail station in Windsor and at outside the Caesars Windsor property.

Spartinos said the evidence indicates Kevin Goodings attempted to hire a taxi cab to drive him to Toronto. He was denied due to lack of funds.

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The accused then went to the Downtown Mission in Windsor, where he took shelter while using an alias. He also found a person willing to provide him with a bus ticket out of the city.

Spartinos said Kevin Goodings chose to stay at the Mission. Essex County OPP officers located and arrested him there on March 15.

(Dalson Chen/CBC)

The body of Anita Goodings was found by a friend the day after the assault. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Spartinos said a post-mortem examination determined that the cause of death was severe blunt force trauma that resulted in severe concussion and fatal brain stem dysfunction.

Among the damage to the body was brain injury, multiple lacerations, a fractured nose, and fractured ribs.

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Family members of Anita Goodings were in attendance for Kevin Goodings' court appearance. Two of them excused themselves from the room to avoid seeing the video evidence.

A former bodybuilder and martial artist, Kevin Goodings moved into his mother's Leamington apartment in October 2024.

A social media account under Kevin Goodings' name shows him doing kickboxing-style workouts inside the apartment, with multiple video posts per day.

(Kevin Goodings/Instagram)

Scott noted the relatively quick court proceedings in this case, owing to his client's full acceptance of guilt.

"Let's not lose sight of the fact if he wanted to leave the community, it would have been done," Scott said.

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Asked if his client has offered any reasoning for the fatal attack, Scott said Kevin Goodings had "a very difficult upbringing."

"My client has had a very strenuous and tough life with his mother."

(Dalson Chen/CBC)

Kevin Goodings' next court appearance will be on Jan. 14, where the defence and the Crown will jointly submit a sentencing recommendation to presiding Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia.

Victim impact statements by other members of Anita Goodings' family are expected to be heard at that time.

Until then, Kevin Goodings will remain at the South West Detention Centre, Scott said.

According to the Criminal Code of Canada, the offence of second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, with no eligibility for parole until at least 10 years of imprisonment.
The Australian Government has announced the opening of the Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic (UCC), increasing access to urgent care for residents in Sorell, Tasmania.

Commissioned by the Tasmanian Primary Health Network, the clinic is open seven days a week with extended operating hours. Patients can attend without an appointment, with all care provided being bulk billed.

This UCC is staffed by nurses and doctors trained to manage urgent but non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains, cuts, and viral infections.

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By offering an alternative to hospital emergency departments, the Sorell Medicare UCC aims to reduce pressure on the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Data from 2024-2025 shows that approximately 32% of visits to the hospital involved semi-urgent or non-urgent conditions.

The Sorell clinic joins five other Medicare UCCs operating in Devonport, Launceston, Bridgewater, and Hobart.

Two additional clinics in Kingston and Burnie are scheduled to open in the coming months. The expansion aligns with the Australian Governments goal to have four out of five Australians live within a 20-minute drive of a clinic.

Since June 2023, the Medicare UCCs have recorded over 2.2 million visits nationally, with more than 130,000 in Tasmanian clinics.

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The usage pattern shows that over a quarter of visits occur on weekends, and more than a third of weekday visits happen after 5pm.

Families with children make up the majority of patients, with about one in four visits by young people under 15.

Australian Health and Aged Care Minister Mark Butler said: The Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a game changer for families in the region. The clinic will ease pressure on the emergency department at the Royal Hobart Hospital and free up staff to provide care to people with more serious conditions.

The Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is a key part of the Albanese Governments commitment to the region to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.

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In June 2024, the Australian Government announced plans to open two Medicare UCCs in south-west Sydney.

"Sorell Medicare Urgent Care Clinic opens in Sorell, Tasmania" was originally created and published by Hospital Management, a GlobalData owned brand.




Investing.com -- JPMorgan downgraded Lockheed Martin to Neutral, saying its longer-term cash flow outlook looks weaker than the market expects, even as demand across aerospace and defense remains broadly strong into 2026.

Pension-related cash outflows expected in 2027 could limit Lockheeds ability to grow free cash flow, making consensus expectations for about 8% growth look optimistic. JPMorgan said parts of Lockheeds portfolio also face revenue pressure and uneven execution, offsetting strength in its missiles business. It set a $515 price target.

The downgrade came alongside JPMorgans 2026 outlook for aerospace and defense, which remains positive overall, especially in commercial aerospace.



The bank pointed to large order backlogs at Boeing and Airbus, steady growth in air travel, and an aging global aircraft fleet as key drivers of continued demand for aircraft production and maintenance.

JPMorgan within aerospace favors Boeing, StandardAero and ATI. It said Boeings main task remains increasing aircraft deliveries, with a visible path to stronger cash generation later in the decade. It also said demand for engine maintenance remains strong, supporting growth for aftermarket-focused companies.

JPMorgan remained constructive on GE Aerospace and Howmet Aerospace despite sharp share price gains over the past year. It said both companies continue to benefit from strong demand for engines and related services, with scope for further earnings growth.

JPM analysts said global military spending is rising as US allies increase their own defense budgets, creating export opportunities for US contractors. However, it warned that the US defense market has become more complex, with greater emphasis on new suppliers and company-funded investment.

Among defense names, JPMorgan said it prefers L3Harris Technologies in products and Leidos in services, citing clearer growth paths and more attractive valuations compared with larger peers.

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The suspect in the Brown University shooting and the murder of an MIT professor who drew a horde of law enforcement agencies to a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility was found dead Thursday night.

Officials identified the suspect as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente during a news conference on Thursday night.

Valente was originally from Portugal but had legal permanent residency in the United States and was a former student at Brown University, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said. Valente had allegedly been living in Miami.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said that Valente was found dead inside with two firearms and was wearing the same clothes as pictured when police distributed images of a person of interest in the investigation.

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Valente is suspected of opening fire on a study session inside a classroom of the school of engineerings Barus and Holley Building around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Two students were killed and nine others were injured.

The US Attorneys Office of Massachusetts announced that Valente is also suspected of killing Nuno Loureiro, who was gunned down inside his Brookline home on Monday.

Police sources told Boston 25 News on Thursday that they are investigating possible ties between Saturdays shooting at Brown University and Mondays deadly shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in Brookline.

Police were originally drawn to the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility on Thursday due to a car of the same make and model that was seen near the Brown University shooting and the murder of Nuno Loureiro.

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Neronha detailed that a person who was in close proximity to Valente around the time of the shooting came forward and provided invaluable information regarding the car Valente used, which they tracked to a Massachusetts rental facility.

Investigators then obtained the rental agreement Valente used to get the car.

Brown President Christina Paxson said that Valente was a PHD student in physics at Brown and spent lots of time as a student in the building back in 2001.

Officials also detailed that Valente and Loureiro, the murdered MIT professor, apparently attended university together in Portugal.

Law enforcement just confirmed for me The MIT professor who was shot and killed went to the same school in Portugal as the shooter.  Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) December 19, 2025

The U.S. attorney for Massachusetts said that surveillance video at the apartment complex where Loureiro was shot on Monday linked the Brown University shooting to that crime.

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Investigators identified the vehicle that Valente rented, drove to Brown, and then drove back to Boston.

Security footage then captured him within a half-mile of the professors residence in Brookline.

The attack on Brown Universitys campus triggered hours of chaos across campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place.

Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old freshman from Uzbekistan, were killed when a man walked inside the engineering building and opened fire.

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Law enforcement officials in Providence have spent the past several days asking residents to scour their personal security cameras for any hint of a person of interest in the shooting.

Police and federal agents carrying weapons and wearing tactical gear were seen entering and exiting the facility for several hours.

Providence PD in NH

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After Milwaukee saw its snowiest November in 50 years, many residents are wondering about the status of city leaf collection efforts.

Milwaukee Alderman Lamont Westmoreland's office has received "many complaints and concerns" regarding collection, according to a Dec. 18 press release.

The Milwaukee Department of Public Works has more than 400 documented pile locations across the city, the release noted. Officials add spots to the list after resident reports are reviewed.

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"While DPW works to document all large piles, there is always room for error and some piles may not yet be accounted for," Westmoreland said. "For that reason, resident reporting is strongly encouraged to ensure no eligible locations are missed."

A Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm paused the citywide effort through Dec. 1, despite DPW extending the initial deadline from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30.

Efforts have since resumed, but DPW noted "it is not feasible" to resume rake out and collection until it warms up. Another limited opportunity will be planned for spring 2026, according to the department's website.

If you're still dealing with piles of leaves on your property, here's what to know:

How can I report leaf piles to the city?

Residents can submit requests to DPW for leaf pickup. Requests can be made online at https://iframe.publicstuff.com/#?client_id=1000167 or by calling 414-286-CITY, according to the department's website.

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If a location is not currently on the collection list, officials will assess the site for possible collection.

The following kinds of leaf piles will not be addressed, according to DPW:

Small piles of leaves

Leaf piles pushed back towards curbs or driveways

Compressed leaves

More: Poll results: What's the best way to clean up fall leaves in Wisconsin?

What should I do if I missed Milwaukee's leaf collection deadline?

If you missed the deadline, or if you had leaves that accumulated afterwards, you still have a few options:

Compost or mulch leaves into your lawn to return the leaves' nutrients back to your soil. Check out the city's how-to video on leaf mulching for more information.

Bring the leaves to a city Drop Off Center. The two centers are open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. You can find them at 3879 W. Lincoln Ave. and 6660 N. Industrial Road.

Maia Pandey contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How to report life piles for collection in Milwaukee
A severe thunderstorm moved through North Jersey on the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 19 causing power outages in the region.

JCP&L is reporting over 38,000 outages statewide at 6:30 p.m. with hardest hit counties being Morris (12,519), Warren (8,311) and Sussex (5,797).

PSE&G outage map was showing over 11,039 customers without power with Burlington the hardest hit with 2,018.

Earlier, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:15 p.m.

Highways closed in Wayne

Two routes are closed in Wayne due to down poles and low hanging wires.

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The Wayne Police Department posted on their Facebook page at about 4:30 p.m. that Route 23 South to Route 46 East and Route 46 East to Route 23 North in Wayne was closed.

Route 208 closed in Hawthorne

A downed tree took out wires on Route 208 in Hawthorne on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.

A tree fell reportedly taking down wires and closing the southbound lanes on Route 208 in Hawthorne.

The NJ Department of Transportation's 511NJ.org reported just before 4:30 p.m. all southbound lanes are closed because a utility pole came down near Utter Avenue.

The Hawthorne Police Department posted on social media at 4:11 p.m.: "Transformer Fire 208 SB in Glen Rock / live wires across roadway. Rt 208 will be closed at Goffle Road Please avoid the area until further notice."

Morris County 9-1-1

The Morris County Office of Emergency Management issued an alert that its 9-1-1 was being hit with high volume due to the weather.

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"We are currently managing a weather-related emergency and are receiving high call volume, including multi-county emergency calls. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless you have a true emergency that requires immediate response," the Morris OEM posted.

The OEM said crews were responding to "numerous reports of downed trees and power lines."

A tree toppled in Morris County during severe thunderstorm on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.

Record temperatures forecast to tumble

Bergenfield set a record high on Friday at 58 degrees, topping the old mark of 55 set in 2017, according to Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Weather Observers.

However, Dominic Ramunni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said temperatures will be back down into the 30s by Friday evening and will drop into the 20s overnight.

Rough morning commute

North Jersey commuters already dealt with a rainy morning.

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Some of the commuting issues included a downed tree on Route 17 in Ridgewood and Route 208 in Wyckoff, flooding on Route 3 in Secaucus and U.S. 1&9 in Kearny, and a crash on Route 287 in Oakland, according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

A wind advisory will remain in place across North Jersey throughout the day and into the night with gusts as high as 55 mph, which, according to Ramunni, is "strong enough to blow around anything that might be unsecured outside, any sort of holiday decorations, things like that, even some of the weakened trees, huge tree limbs."

Morning power outages

As of around 8:30 a.m., PSE&G was reporting 80 active outages throughout the state and JCP&L was reporting more than 8,600 customers out, most of which were in Sussex County which had a total of 2,584 outages. In Bergen County over 1,000 customers were without power.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ weather forecast shows storm with flooding, power outages
A man suspected of killing two and wounding nine others at Brown University, and then killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility where he had rented a unit, officials said.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and a former Brown student, was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said at a news conference. Perez said as far as investigators know, the suspect acted alone.

Leah Foley, the US attorney in Massachusetts, said at a separate news conference in Boston that Neves Valente also killed Nuno FG Loureiro, the MIT physics professor who was shot in his home on Monday, two days after the Brown attack.

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He took his own life tonight, Perez said at a press conference, where he identified Valente and described the chain of events that had led law enforcement officers to the storage facility.

Peter Neronha, the attorney general of Rhode Island, said Valente was found dead with a bag and two firearms, as well as evidence in the car that matches exactly what we see at the scene here in Providence.

Neronha told reporters that a person with information about the suspected shooter played a key role in finding him. After officials released a photo of a person they wanted to talk to in the case about 24 hours ago, an individual came forward to two Providence police officers over on the east side and said he had information that he was that person and that he had information that could help this case.

He blew this case right open, Neronha said at a press conference. He blew it open.

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The persons information led authorities to a vehicle that helped them find a name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence, that matched the satchel, Neronha explained.

Neronha said the suspect tried to evade law enforcement by changing license plates.

This guy was changing plates was one of the reasons, he said. He knew what he was doing  we got a Maine plate and weve got a Florida plate on the same car.

The Brown University president, Christina Paxson, said Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001. He was admitted to the graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. He has no current affiliation with the university, she said.

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Physics classes typically require access to special equipment, Paxson said, which was located in the building where the shooting took place.

Two people were killed and nine were wounded in the mass shooting on Saturday at Brown.

The investigation shifted on Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown mass shooting and an attack two days later near Boston that killed 47-year-old Loureiro.

Ted Docks, FBI special agent in charge of Boston, told reporters that authorities thought the suspect attended the same university in Lisbon as the MIT professor.

Peter Neronha, the attorney general of Rhode Island, said the suspect obtained lawful permanent resident status in September 2017.

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Confirmation of the suspected shooters death came hours after dozens of law enforcement agents convened on a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. Shortly before 8pm, journalist Eli Sherman reported: Multiple law enforcement officials carrying weapons and wearing full tactical gear entered the storage facility.

The manhunt for the shooter had started afresh on Monday morning after the states attorney general announced that a person of interest detained on Sunday had been released, a development that Providences mayor, Brett Smiley, conceded was likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community.

Smiley told CNN that while the release of the original person of interest had been a setback, that didnt mean that the other pieces of the investigation were stopped or in any way paused.

The FBI director, Kash Patel, faced criticism on Monday for rushing to social media to celebrate the bureaus work, only for the person arrested to be freed hours later.

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The two students killed were identified by family as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national in his first year at Brown. Cook was vice-president of Browns College Republicans of America chapter; Umurzokov dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon.




Authorities announced Dec. 18 that Claudio Manuel Neves Valente is the man responsible for both the deadly Brown University assault and the shooting death of Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later. Valente later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit.

Neves Valente, 48, originally from Portugal, was a former Brown University PhD physics student, who knew Loureiro, authorities said at two separate news conferences on the night of Dec. 18.

Law enforcement in four states pieced the details together, said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley during a news conference in Boston. Collectively, she said, they believe "that we identified the person, and that person is dead, and that he was the person responsible, not only for the Brown shootings, but for the Brookline (MIT) shooting."

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Neves Valente was "sophisticated in covering his tracks," including obscuring his cell phone so it couldn't be tracked, switching plates on his rental car and not using credit cards in his name, Foley said.

Investigators first identified Neves Valente on the afternoon of Dec. 17 and were able to connect him to both crime scenes through financial background information, including rental records for a car he drove to Providence and Massachusetts.

An affidavit signed by a Rhode Island district judge said police cracked the case after a tipster recognized a rental car circling the area. The tipster said police should be looking for a gray Nissan Altima and license plate, information the police hadn't previously released. Police then tracked down images of Neves Valente renting the car at an Alamo location in Boston.

Here's what to know about the shooter:

A still image of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, the suspected Brown University shooter at an Alamo Car Rental facility in Boston on Nov. 17, 2025.

When did Claudio Manuel Neves Valente enter the U.S.?

Neves Valente entered the country in 2000 on a student F-1 visa. He was admitted as a lawful permanent resident in September 2017.

What are Neves Valente's links to Brown University?

He was a PhD student at the school between 2000-2001 before taking a leave of absence in April 2001, Brown President Christina Paxson confirmed during the Rhode Island news conference. He withdrew on July 31, 2003. His last known address was in Miami, according to police.

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During his time at Brown, he took only physics classes, Paxson said. The majority of physics classes at Brown have always been held in the Barus and Holley classrooms, she said. The shootings at Brown, which left 2 dead and nine others injured, occurred in that building.

"I think it's safe to assume that this man, when he was a student, spent a great deal of time in that building for classes and other activities as a PhD student in physics," Paxson said, adding he had no current active affiliation with the university.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said investigators had evidence that the suspect was near the university hours before the shooting. Footage from neighborhood cameras shared by authorities showed the person in dark clothing and wearing a mask walking along streets a few blocks away from the campus on Dec. 13.

Investigators believe it was likely the person was "casing" the scene, according to Perez. "There's a lot of leads we have here that show that the person who committed this tragedy is the guy in this video," the police chief said.

Tipster in Brown shooting posts information to Reddit

The announcement comes after authorities urged the public to help with the widening investigation and dayslong search for the person suspected of carrying out the attack. Authorities had released enhanced images and video footage of the person investigators believe could be tied to the Brown shooting that killed two students and injured nine others.

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The tipster took his information first to the social media site Reddit, posting: "I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental," John, whose last name is being withheld by authorities, wrote, according to the affidavit.

That description matched information authorities had not publicly released, the affidavit said. On videos captured in the area, police noticed the suspect was seen several times circling an area near the Barus and Holley building. One video showed him encountering an unknown person and then running away.

Providence Police released images of that unknown person interacting with the suspect on Dec. 17. The person approached police shortly after and identified himself as John, the individual in the video and the Reddit poster.

John told police he first encountered the suspect inside a bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus Holley building on Dec. 13. He described the man as having "weathered" skin, a "cinnamon color complexion," and chubby faced. John said he watched the suspect leave the building and, apparently because he was acting suspiciously, followed him.

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He described seeing the suspect approach a gray or silver sedan with a Florida license plate, unlocking it with a key fob. But the suspect suddenly turned around and walked in the opposite direction, looking at John as if he knew him, according to the affidavit.

John observed the suspect looping back to the area, then switching directions every time they saw each other, which John described as "a game of cat and mouse." When they encountered each other on George Street, the suspect ran in the opposite direction, according to John, who described slowing to a speed-walk, walking past the suspect then turning around to confront him approximately two feet away.

"Your car is back there, why are you circling the block," John told authorities he asked the suspect. The suspect replied "I don't know you from nobody," and repeatedly asked John why he was harassing him, in what John thought appeared to be a Hispanic accent or cadence, according to the affidavit. From that point, John told police they had no other encounters. When police showed John photos of the suspect and his vehicle, the tipster recognized one of the images as the person he encountered.

A break in the case

The tipster's interview was the break investigators needed, Perez said.

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A Brown University faculty member also reported seeing the suspicious vehicle driving unusually slow on the morning of Dec. 11. Cameras in the vicinity showed the Nissan with the Florida plate in the area 14 different times, starting on the evening of Dec. 1.

On the morning of Dec. 17, police were able to connect the car to a vehicle rented in downtown Boston by a driver who presented a Florida driver's license.

Authorities say Neves Valente linked to both Brown and MIT shootings

Once the car and Neves Valente were identified, authorities were able to link it to the shooting death of Loureiro, the 47-year-old MIT professor, and to hotels Neves Valente had rented, said Foley, the Massachusetts U.S. attorney.

On December 15th, "he murdered MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at Loureiro's home in Brookline, Massachusetts," she said. They found security footage of him within a half-mile Loureiro's apartment, and entering an apartment building in the location of the professor's apartment.

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According to the FBI's legal attache in Lisbon, Loureiro and Neves Valente attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal during the same five-year period, between 1995 and 2000, a federal affidavit filed in Massachusetts stated.

Foley also said they have information of Neves Valente "being in New England throughout 2025."

"Once we get the information about why he came up here, what drove him to be up here, we will share that with the public," she said.

Images of the shooter at Brown University, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, are displayed during a press conference as civic leaders and law enforcement announce Valente has been found dead, in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, with Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, announce that the Brown University shooter, shown in photographs behind them and identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead, during a press conference in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025. Local, state and federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, take part in the search for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, NH on Dec. 18, 2025. Providence Police Officers join state and federal law enforcement agents searching for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, NH on Dec. 18, 2025. Local, state and federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, take part in the search for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, NH on Dec. 18, 2025. Local, state and federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, take part in the search for the Brown University shooter, in Salem, NH on Dec. 18, 2025. Police swarm a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on December 18, in connection with the shooting at Brown University Police swarm a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on December 18, in connection with the shooting at Brown University Police swarm a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire on December 18, in connection with the shooting at Brown University Authorities are searching for the gunman in the deadly attack at Brown University on Dec. 13 that killed two students and wounded nine others after investigators released a person of interest. The person of interest in connection with the December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., walks in a screengrab from video released by the Providence Police. FBI agents search the grounds around the site of the Brown University shooting as the manhunt continues for the gunman in Providence, Rhode Island, on Dec.15, 2025. A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman Dec. 15, 2025, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. A security camera stands outside the site of a shooting at Brown University, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, December 15, 2025. Law enforcement officers speak with a resident on E George Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. A law enforcement officer waits to speak with a resident on E George Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. A law enforcement officer canvasses with a police dog as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. A police dog works while law enforcement officers canvass, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. Law enforcement officers canvass E George Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. A resident looks out their window to watch the law enforcement officers canvass on Pitman Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. Law enforcement officers canvass Pitman Street as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dec. 15, 2025. Brown University President Christina H. Paxson takes questions during a press conference as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, December 16, 2025. The FBI released this new poster on Dec. 15 with images and a description of the suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University An FBI Evidence Response Team searches the grounds of a building, with a security camera on the second floor, next to the site of the Brown University shooting, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, December 15, 2025. An FBI Evidence Response Team searches the grounds of a building, with a security camera on the second floor, next to the site of the Brown University shooting, as the manhunt continues for the gunman, in Providence, Rhode Island, December 15, 2025. Authorities find Brown University gunman dead in New Hampshire 1 of 24 Images of the shooter at Brown University, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, are displayed during a press conference as civic leaders and law enforcement announce Valente has been found dead, in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025.

'Bright light' and 'role model.' Brown University victims remembered

The shooting occurred at Brown shortly before 4:05 p.m. local time on Dec. 13 in an engineering building with unlocked doors as final exams were underway. Authorities said the suspect opened fire with a 9mm gun inside a classroom and then fled.

People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025.= A note on one of the many bouquets of flowers at a memorial outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University along Prospect St. has the names of the two victims of the mass shooting. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Barus & Holley, the school's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Bouquets of flowers at a memorial outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University along Prospect St. has the names of the two victims of the mass shooting. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Bouquets of flowers at a memorial outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University along Prospect St. has the names of the two victims of the mass shooting. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Providence police heading along Waterman Ave near Brown campus. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. A long-time Providence native works her way through campus to leave flowers outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Bouquets of flowers at a memorial outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University along Prospect St. has the names of the two victims of the mass shooting. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. A note on one of the many bouquets of flowers at a memorial outside the Van Wickle gates of Brown University along Prospect St. has the names of the two victims of the mass shooting. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025. Memorials placed at Brown University in aftermath of mass shooting 1 of 14 People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025.

The two students killed were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Virginia who immigrated from Uzbekistan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brown, MIT suspect found dead. What to know about Claudio Manuel Neves Valente
An AI-powered private school is expanding its footprint in the Bay Area. Alpha School, which opened in San Francisco's Marina neighborhood this academic year, is looking to expand with campuses in Palo Alto and the East Bay due to growing demand. There are no grades, no teachers and the students complete their focused learning in just two hours a day.

You might picture classrooms led by robots or chatbots with no human connection, but proponents of Alpha argue that there is a greater human connection than in traditional classrooms.

These middle schoolers are in the same class, but each is working on something different.

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"I'm doing my math right now, and I'm working on percentages," said June Rockefeller, an Alpha 8th grader.

MORE: Labor vs. social robots? Humanoids focusing on accessibility were featured at Silicon Valley summit

It's the two-hour learning period inside Alpha School. Students like Rockefeller are using laptops for their lessons.

"As you can see, I got it incorrect, and it'll give you an explanation on why you got it incorrect and how you can fix it, which is really helpfu,l and it kind of walks you through it," said Rockefeller.

Alpha School is the brainchild of MacKenzie Price.

"School should be a place that kids love going to," said Price.

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Price launched the first Alpha School in Austin, Texas.

She says there are now 13 campuses nationwide built on "one-to-one mastery-based tutoring."

Instead of teachers, there are guides.

"The adults in the building are able to do what they're passionate about and what they love, which is mentoring the students, providing emotional support, providing motivational support," said Carson Lehmann, San Francisco Alpha School Lead Guide.

14-year-old Rockefeller convinced her parents she should enroll at Alpha.

MORE: Trump signs executive order blocking states from enforcing their own regulations around AI

"I'm excited to like wake up and go to school because it doesn't feel like school, it's more of like a business environment," said Rockefeller.

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The day begins with a morning launch followed by two hours of AI-powered learning.

"Time back is where we can access all of our apps for all of our subjects," said Rockefeller.

"Depending on the subjects I struggle with the most, I usually do those first because I think in the beginning of the day, I'm more focused. This is great because the apps are meeting where I'm at," she continued.

Price says the impetus for Alpha came from her own child's boredom at school.

"Kids can learn twice as much in only two hours a day," said Price.

The two-hour learning block, which includes breaks, is followed by lunch and workshops in the afternoon.

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Instead of grades, there are check charts that cover more than reading, writing and math; there's teamwork, grit and independence to name a few.

Students are incentivized to learn with "Alphas" that can be spent at the Emporium and real money, too.

"If you get 100%, you get a $100," said Rockefeller.

MORE: Colin Kaepernick launches AI storytelling tool to help boost student literacy

And while that $100, which comes right from Alpha's $75,000 a year tuition, could be spent here in the Marina, Rockefeller says most of her peers prefer to grow it elsewhere.

"Basically, we can spend it on whatever we want, but a lot of us want to put it into an investment account," said Rockefeller.

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It's those life skills that Kate Liemandt says she carried from Alpha school in Austin to Stanford University, where she tells her college classmates, "I haven't had a teacher since I was in 4th grade."

Liemandt got a 1600 on her SAT and talks about her Alpha experience in her newsletter "Austin Scholar."

"I finished all of my high school math content when I was a sophomore," said Liemandt.

"It's all based on personalization," she continued.

Liemandt says Alpha taught her how to take control of her education.

While Stanford is a more traditional education experience, Liemandt still finds ways to reward and motivate herself to get her work done.

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"I still do it today. I have a Chick-fil-A brownie waiting for me after I submit one of my essays for one of my classes," said Liemandt.

Alpha is not without critique, whether it's from those questioning the screen time, tuition or amount of human connection.

But even the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, is taking notice.

"I do think AI is going to need guardrails, but I have witnessed AI firsthand. I was at the Alpha school in Austin, Texas," said McMahon.

"The AI is really acting as an individual tutor for those students, allowing the students that progress faster to do that, those who need a little catch-up it refeeds information to them," she continued.

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While Price says she applied for Charter status in several states and was denied access, SF's Alpha School Lead Guide believes she's opening doors.

"I do believe that this is the way of the future, that this is the best way to teach students," said Lehmann.

As Alpha School expands, Price says she believes it will become more accessible and affordable.

If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Alex Bores. Wrong on AI. Wrong for Congress, warned an attack ad launched last week in New York. The Democratic contender for a Manhattan House seat fired back in an online video, filmed as he walked down a city street.

AI billionaires, go have fun, said Bores, a State Assembly member whom the ad accused of threatening innovation by sponsoring a state bill that would require large AI companies to publish safety data on their technology. Were standing up for New Yorkers.

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.

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The exchange was the opening skirmish in a battle set to play out across the country as a super PAC backed by Trump-supporting tech moguls and an independent effort by the social network giant Meta try to use the 2026 elections to reengineer Congress and state legislatures in favor of their ambitions for artificial intelligence.

The super PACs from tech figures and Meta aim to wrest control of the narrative around AI, just as politicians in both parties have started warning that the industry is moving too fast.

The largest of the pro-AI super PACs, Leading the Future, has a war chest of more than $100 million from prominent investors and executives. It has an affiliated nonprofit that launched a $10 million campaign last month to pressure Congress to pass legislation that would unleash American AI companies to innovate faster and challenge China.

The Silicon Valley push hopes to dramatically extend the gains the tech industry has reaped from the second term of President Donald Trump. He has struck down AI restrictions introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden and last week signed an executive order threatening to sue states that pass laws on AI. State legislators introduced more than 1,000 bills to regulate AI in 2025, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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By knocking down candidates such as Bores, who favor regulations, and boosting industry sympathizers, the tech-backed groups could signal to incumbents and candidates nationwide that opposing the tech industry can jeopardize their electoral chances.

Bores just happened to be first, but hes not the last, and hes certainly not the only, said Josh Vlasto, co-head of Leading the Future, the bipartisan super PAC behind the attack ad. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the AI bill Bores sponsored into law Friday afternoon.

Leading the Future plans to support and oppose candidates in congressional and state elections next year. It will also fund rapid response operations against voices in the industry pushing for more oversight. The super PAC is funded by tech elites, including the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, whose co-founder Marc Andreessen is a Trump adviser and supporter; Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, a friend to Vice President JD Vance; and the president of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Greg Brockman, and his wife.

The strategy aims to replicate the success of the cryptocurrency industry, which used a super PAC to clear a path for Congress this summer to boost the sectors fortunes with the passage of the Genius Act.

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The crypto industrys reputation had previously plummeted after fraud convictions at crypto exchange FTX in 2023. To fix it, investors and companies backed a super PAC called Fairshake that aggressively challenged candidates who didnt back its agenda. The group helped defeat left-leaning Democrats, spending $10 million to defeat Rep. Katie Porter in her Senate campaign in California and $40 million to unseat then-Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio.

Some of the same powerful players are now working with Leading the Future, including Andreessen Horowitz. Reusing the Fairshake playbook makes sense, Vlasto said, because if you dont push Congress to do something, it wont. But signs that voters are increasingly wary of AI suggest that approach may be challenging to replicate.

More than half of Americans believe AI poses a high risk to society, Pew Research Center found in a June survey. As AI usage continues to grow, more people are being warned by chief executives that AI will disrupt their jobs, seeing power-hungry data centers spring up in their towns or hearing claims that chatbots can harm mental health.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle are attempting to channel AI angst into a campaign platform, pitching voters on safeguarding children from chatbots or opposing new data centers.

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Republican division over the AI industry in the Senate in July killed a bid, backed by some of Trumps tech allies, to pass a 10-year federal moratorium on state AI laws.

The presidents more recent moves to block state AI regulation triggered pushback from major Republican figures including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative commentator Stephen K. Bannon, who complained that the presidents coziness with tech figures risked alienating his base amid voter frustration with rising energy bills.

John McAuliff (D) last month flipped a Virginia House of Delegates seat that had been Republican for nearly 30 years, after running ads that tapped into concerns about data center construction. The size and the scale of these companies and the size and the scale of the investments that they were willing to make versus the actual returns that our community has been getting - people understood that that is off-kilter, he said.

The day after Leading the Future was announced in August, Meta revealed its own super PAC, the social media giants first since Facebook launched in 2004. The company announced a second super PAC in September. The bipartisan effort is also focused on AI policy and preventing state laws from creating a patchwork of rules, but it will operate independently of Leading the Future, said Meta spokeswoman Rachel Holland. One will operate solely in California and the other across multiple states.

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Meta has donated tens of millions to each group, Holland said.

Vlasto of Leading the Future said it is starting with four states expected to be key policy battlegrounds that have active state bills on AI: New York, California, Illinois and Ohio.

He said that in addition to advocating for federal preemption of state AI laws, the group wants a national regulatory framework for AI. Andreessen Horowitz on Wednesday published AI policy proposals that would largely restrict states to regulating the technology for consumer protection reasons like child safety and insurance fraud.

Vlasto said Bores was targeted because he is tied to a political movement intended to slow American progress on AI technology.

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The New York candidate has made enacting federal regulation of AI part of his pitch to midterm voters as he vies to succeed retiring fellow Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler. Bores raised $1.2 million in the first 15 hours after launching his campaign in October, according to a post on his Instagram account.

Financial disclosures for those donations have not been released, but Bores spokesperson Alyssa Cass said, No AI billionaires or oligarchs have given to his campaign. And he isnt taking PAC money.

Candidates like Bores targeted by the pro-AI political groups may get extra support from two super PACs that former congressman Brad Carson (D-Oklahoma) said he plans to launch as part of an effort to counter the industrys big political spenders. He is president of Americans for Responsible Innovation, a bipartisan AI policy think tank.

Carson said his bipartisan super PACs will intervene in races targeted by Leading the Future or Metas PACs to level the playing field for candidates who champion AI transparency and protect Americans from the technologys worst risks. He said he plans to raise money from groups interested in enhancing guardrails on AI, including people who work in the AI industry.

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I would hope - and expect - that we raise funds from people at all of the major labs, said Carson, but he declined to specify further. The money will be raised through Public First, a 501(c)4 nonprofit that can influence elections through ads and is not required to disclose its donors.

Leading the Future has also established a 501(c)4 nonprofit, called Build American AI, described as its public-education arm, to promote its vision for the industrys future.

An early adviser to the super PAC, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose private information, said the nonprofit plans to counter a doomer movement inside the tech industry that the person said has spent years persuading regulators and the public that AI poses an existential threat to humanity.

Sarah Myers West, co-executive director of the AI Now Institute, which studies the social impact of AI, said that none of the new political groups appear to be focused on issues already affecting voters, such as AIs effects on labor markets or the potential health impacts of living near a data center.

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Its hugely problematic if the scope for policy debate is narrowed [by] two very well-capitalized interest groups that are largely based out of Silicon Valley, for a technology that is already having profound effects on the world, she said.

Michael Toscano, director of the Family First Technology Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, a conservative think tank, said a broad swath of Americans have developed concerns about AI as chatbots like ChatGPT have become widely used.

He predicted whiplash for Trumps MAGA coalition, because Republican voters who supported his attacks on the tech industry in his first term around claims like censoring conservative speech are concerned by his recent alliance with Silicon Valley over AI. This is perhaps the thing that writes the epitaph of the MAGA movement, Toscano said.

- - -

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Naomi Nix contributed to this report.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Sen. Angela Paxton agreed to unseal records in their divorce after several media organizations, including the Texas Tribune, sued to make the records available to the public.

Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, filed for divorce in July on biblical grounds, alleging her husband had committed adultery, according to the divorce filing. A Collin County judge subsequently sealed all records related to the divorce proceedings. Several news and watchdog organizations, including ProPublica, The Texas Newsroom and Campaign for Accountability, then filed a plea in September for the records to be unsealed.

The order, signed by the Paxtons lawyers, will restore full public access to the case file, according to the filing. A judge still needs to sign the order, and a hearing on whether the records would be unsealed is scheduled for Friday.

Ken Paxton, who is currently running to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next years Republican primary, has served as Texas attorney general for almost a decade. Ken Paxton accused the news organizations who sought to have his divorce records unsealed of invading his personal life.
Government entities opt for open bidding on most public works contracts to make the process transparent, avoid conflicts of interest and help ensure qualified contractors are hired.

This weeks commission vote suspends the competitive bidding requirement thats meant to ensure ratepayers get the best deal available on new power plants. Generally, competitive bidding requires multiple contractors to submit estimates of what it would cost them to complete the job. The estimates are then published and voted on at an open meeting.

Coussan said his directive creates a lightning speed path for certain power plant proposals brought before the Public Service Commission, echoing the title of Landrys Sept. 16 executive order to fast-track state agency permitting. In a phone interview Thursday, he said it lets the commission more easily replicate the quick approval process it used for Entergy Louisianas construction of a power plant with three natural gas-powered turbines to run the massive data center Meta is building in Richland Parish, which the commission signed off on in August.

In a 4-1 vote Wednesday, the Louisiana Public Service Commission adopted the rule, which creates a streamlined approval process that would drastically reduce the time it takes to greenlight utility projects primarily geared toward data centers. The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, who expressed concerns that the proposal could hurt consumers. Lewis has argued that the commission should focus on making energy less expensive for household customers rather than the wealthiest companies in the world, like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram that is building the worlds largest artificial intelligence data center in Northeast Louisiana.

The rule change also directs these large-scale customers to pay for half the cost of these new power plants, meaning regular ratepayers could be on the hook for the remaining cost.

Louisiana regulators have adopted a new rule that suspends certain consumer protections if utility companies need to quickly build power plants for certain industrial developments, including data centers, that require massive amounts of electricity.

Meta is building what would be the world's largest data center in north Louisiana. Entergy Louisiana plans to spend $3.2 billion on a power plant to run the center, plus additional money on a related gas plant in south Louisiana and transmission lines. (Meta)

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The new Public Service Commission rules still require approvals at open meetings, though there would be no need to accept multiple bids.

Coussan said the commissioners would still act as a backstop on any proposals that seem overpriced. Any utility using the lightning speed avenue must still demonstrate that the proposal is using the lowest reasonable cost, he said.

This could cut our regulatory process down from, say, two years down to eight months, Coussan said. This is not a rule in place that can be exploited.

He referenced the recently truncated timeline in which the commission waived its normal rules in special consideration of Metas needs. The commission approved construction of the Entergy power plant for its Northeast Louisiana facility in August despite intense public opposition to the shortened eight-month timeline, considered very fast in the energy regulatory sphere.

The three gas turbines that Entergy is building for Metas AI data center will have the capacity to generate 2,200 megawatts of electricity, more than twice what the entire city of New Orleans uses during peak demand hours. Electricity from the power plants is dedicated specifically to Metas data center, though it will be connected to the larger electric grid and could, if needed, sell power to other customers.

Because of this setup, Meta agreed to pay 100% of the cost for all three turbines that would have otherwise been added to the monthly bills of Entergy Louisiana customers.

Critics of Coussans directive include the Louisiana Energy Users Group, a trade coalition of 26 large industrial and petrochemical companies. The groups attorney, Randy Young, said at Wednesdays meeting that allowing companies with large power needs to cover only half the cost of new power plants is too lenient and places other ratepayers at risk of having to pay for the remaining cost even if they arent using the power plants.

If you need new generation and you wanna waive the [competitive bidding] requirement, commit to paying the full cost of whatever generation you need  not just half of it, Young told the commission.

Utility companies will only be able to use the commissions new lightning approval track for projects with forecasted electricity demand that is beyond the utilitys capacity unless the proposed power plants are built. The rule also requires the utility to have a 15-year contract in place to sell the electricity to its new customer, up from the 10 years Coussan initially proposed. He agreed to the change to assuage some of the concerns of critics who said ratepayers would have to bear the electricity costs if the contract isnt renewed.

Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, said the Public Service Commission has long guaranteed utility companies the right to earn an annual profit on their investments, meaning they make money on new power plants and other additions to their infrastructure by passing along the cost to ratepayers. The previous rules are meant to protect consumers from such impacts, she said.

Competitive bids are not meant to slow the process, Burke testified. They are made to ensure we are all getting the most reasonable deal for every ratepayer dollar.

Coussan said expediting power plant approvals is meant to spur economic growth and bring new jobs to the people of Louisiana.

The Meta data center is expected to create about 500 direct jobs.

Im trying to create jobs and create a positive national perception of Louisiana for business, Coussan said. We have cheap and abundant energy sources like natural gas and the workers to deliver it.

The Public Service Commission can only approve use of the new rule with a written endorsement from the Louisiana Economic Development agency that verifies the projects power needs. It requires utilities to give the commission a 60 days advanced notice if they intend to pursue expedited approval, and the commission has to take a final vote on the proposal within eight months.

Young, the Louisiana Energy Users Group lawyer, asked commissioners to consider more flexible criteria that would allow fast-tracking approvals on a case-by-case basis. Lewis proposed an alternative that he said would provide a similar level of flexibility to balance expedited approvals with consumer protections, but it was sidelined indefinitely after his colleagues heard and approved Coussans.

An eight-month timeline to approve a power plant for a data center stands in contrast to the four-year delay and regulatory hurdles the commission placed on Youngs group when they made a similar request for new energy. Young asked commissioners in June 2024 to let his members buy solar energy from an independent, non-utility company. At that time, the groups members had been waiting over four years for the commission to vote on the request, which most of the states utility companies had opposed.

The commission gave Young its approval but with several big caveats  the group is only allowed to buy a maximum of 500 megawatts and the electricity must be transmitted through a utilitys power lines, letting the utility companies approve or deny the third-party agreements and ensuring they still get a cut of the electricity sales.

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WESLACO  In a joint Democratic rally in South Texas, U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico and Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, who is running for Congress, endorsed each other, forming an early alliance this election cycle and solidifying Talaricos intentions of wooing Latino voters.

Pulido and Talarico praised each others desire to look beyond party lines as they both hope to gain the support of Latinos who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

We refuse to be confined to our party, said Talarico, a state representative from Austin. Were speaking to something deeper in this state and in this country, and I think youre already seeing it in Bobbys campaign. He is bringing people together across the political spectrum.

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Pulido, who is running to be the nominee in Texas 15th Congressional District, said hed been a fan of Talarico since before he gained popularity online from his interviews or his speeches on the floor of the Texas House.

He resonated with me a long time ago, Pulido said.

The duo rallied voters in the Rio Grande Valley who were excited at the prospect of two candidates who could have bipartisan reach.

I feel like hes really speaking to both sides, Genesis Ponce, a 30-year-old social worker from Brownsville, said about Talarico.

Ever since I was in high school, we heard about the blue wave in Texas that never came, so Im like, this feels like the moment, Ponce added. I mean, its felt like the moment since Beto ORourke but, I dont know, Im just like an optimist, so I hope this is the moment.

Bobby Pulido speaks to attendees at a campaign event on Dec. 18, 2025, in Weslaco. Gabriel V. Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

Thursdays event marked Talaricos second visit to the Valley since he announced his Senate bid in September. He told the crowd he would be making more campaign stops here in the lead-up to the March primary election.

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Talaricos courting of Latino voters in the Rio Grande Valley comes as his opponent, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, has faced scrutiny over comments she made in Vanity Fair last year.

The immigration thing has always been something that has perplexed me about this community. Its basically like, I fought to get here, but I left yall where I left yall, she told Vanity Fair, later adding that it reminded her of slave mentality.

On Dec. 9 in an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper, Crockett defended her comments, telling Tapper she didnt say that every Latino who voted for Trump has a slave mentality.

She also issued a statement to Spectrum News 1s Capital Tonight, clarifying her past comments.

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My point then  and now  is to highlight the shared struggle between Black and Brown communities, she said.

Talarico and Pulido are each facing competition in their respective races. For Talarico, in particular, his bid for the Democratic nomination has turned into an uphill battle since he last visited the Valley in October.

People cheer while posing for a photo during the campaign event. Gabriel V. Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

Currently, Talarico is trailing Crockett, who entered the race on Dec. 8, by 8 percentage points, according to a new statewide poll conducted by Texas Southern University.

During Thursdays rally, Talarico noted the poll showed he had a lower name recognition, an obstacle he plans to overcome as he meets with more voters across the state.

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Pulido is running in hopes of flipping Texas 15th Congressional District back into the Democratic fold.

Stretching from the border town of Hidalgo up to Central Texas, Republicans triumphantly flipped the Latino-dominated district with the election of U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Edinburg in 2022.

De La Cruzs election followed congressional redistricting in 2021 that made the district more favorable to Republicans, but also as Latino voters in the Valley began to gravitate more toward the Republican ticket.

Despite large Republican gains in the region, Democrats are strongly targeting the district as a possible flip in November.

James Talarico speaks to attendees during an event that he co-hosted with Bobby Pulido in Weslaco on Dec. 18, 2025. Gabriel V. Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

Before Pulido can face De La Cruz directly, he must win the Democratic nomination over his competitor Ada Cuellar, a doctor from Harlingen.

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Cuellar  who has no relation to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, the Democrat from Laredo  jumped into the race in July and has since focused her campaign on advocating for increased wages, affordable health care and investments in education.

In November, Cuellar launched a digital ad promoting herself as the only candidate in the race fighting for womens health care and in favor of codifying Roe v. Wade.

Pulido has described himself as pro-life but ultimately believes abortion is a matter of personal responsibility.

Whoever wins the Democratic nomination is expected to face a tough battle against De La Cruz who comfortably won reelection by 14 points in 2024.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
The biological cycle of our existence seems relatively straightforward: were born, we live, we die. The end.

But when you examine existence at the cellular level, things get a bit more interesting. You, me, and all of the 108 billion or so Homo sapiens whove ever walked the Earth have all been our own constellation of some 30 trillion cells. Each of our bodies is a collective organism of living human cells and microbes working in cooperation to create what our minds view as life. However, a growing number of new studies have found that, at least for some cells, death isnt the end. Instead, its possibly the beginning of something new and wholly unexpected.

A growing snowball of research concerning a new class of AI-designed multicellular organisms known as  xenobots  is gaining scientific attention for their apparent autonomy. In September 2024, Peter Noble, PhD, a microbiologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, along with Alex Pozhitkov, PhD, a bioinformatics researcher at the City of Hope cancer center, detailed this research on the website The Conversation .

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Xenobots are cells that form new roles beyond their original biological functionfor example, using hairlike cilia for locomotion rather than transporting mucus. Because they appear to reassemble into this new form and function, the authors argue that xenobots form a kind of third state of life, wherein cells can reorganize after the death of an organism to form something new. These forms likely wouldnt materialize in nature, but xenobots show that cells have a surprising ability to adapt to changes in their environment. Experiments with human cells, or anthrobots, exhibit this behavior, too.

Taken together, these findings  challenge the idea that cells and organisms can evolve only in predetermined ways, the authors write in The Conversation. The third state suggests that [an organisms] death may play a significant role in how life transforms over time.

The implications for these cellular robots, or biobots, are pretty bigimagine tailor-made medicines crafted from your own tissues to avoid a dangerous immune response. But they also form a complicated picture of what a cell actually is. At least, thats what evolutionary biologist and physician William Miller thinks. Hes the co-author of the 2023 book The Sentient Cell, which explores ideas found in the Cellular Basis of Consciousness (CBC) theory suggesting that cells retain a kind of consciousness. Miller believes that xenobots are just another example of how we dont give credit to the inherent cognitiveor even consciousabilities of the cells that make up our bodies.

The organism as a whole no longer responds as it had, but subsets of cells are active, decision-making, and problem-solving, Miller says. So this fundamentally reconstitutes how we see the living frame  the fundamental unit of biological agency is the conscious cell.

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Consciousness is a notoriously slippery term, and one whose definition can change based on fields of a study, context, or even across time. Famously, the 17th-century philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and all-around smart guy Rene Descartes thought only the human mind was conscious (which led to some inhumane experiments). Thankfully, today science recognizes various types of consciousness throughout the animal kingdom; but when it comes to forms of life fundamentally unlike us, human biases of what can be conscious or intelligent slowly creep in.

We, as humans, have very limited capacity and finely honed ability to see intelligence in medium-sized objects moving at medium speeds through three-dimensional space, says Tufts University developmental and synthetic biologist Michael Levin, PhD, in a video exploring cellular intelligence. His lab constructed xenobots, and he says human beings are bad at recognizing intelligence when its extremely small or extremely large.

For Miller, the concept of a sentient cell is a fundamental sea change in biology that challenges some Neo-Darwinian ideas like survival of the fittest. Because cells must work in concert to be successful, a more accurate microbial catchphrase might be I serve myself best by serving others, Miller says.



Putting the intelligent cell at the center of biology spills out an entirely new biological narrative where genes are not controlling, genes are tools. In which we understand why organisms choose to stick together in their trillions, to solve problems, [for] decision-making, mutual support, partnerships, synergies, co-dependencies, collaborationits not survival of the fittest, Miller says.

Many scientists arent sold on this brave new future for biology. A 2024 letter published in the journal EMBO Reports ] describes CBC theory as merely an intellectual exercise without empirical evidence and the authors remain equally skeptical of consciousness claims regarding xenobots or other third state organisms.

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Its been known for maybe 75 years or more that cells can be induced to develop abnormally when taken out of context and cultured in vitro. This is nothing new, University of California, Santa Cruz plant biologist Lincoln Taiz, PhD and co-author of the letter, said in an email. When an insect herbivore secretes hormones into plant leaves, causing the leaves to form galls [abnormal growths] that serve as houses for the insect, is that a third state of life? Taiz has also tackled what he describes as myths surrounding plant consciousness and co-authored a review in 2019 titled Plants Neither Possess nor Require Consciousness.

And for Wendy Ann Peer, PhD, a biologist at the University of Maryland who also served as co-author of the dissenting CBC letter, the idea of cellular consciousness simply lacks the scientific rigor necessary to be considered a theory. With the scientific method, there has to be a control and a hypothesis thats clearly tested, Peer says. And the key for your hypothesis is that it has to be falsifiable.

When cells are taken out of context and are no longer exchanging information or signals from nearby cells, different genes can be expressed than whats normal, Peer says. Simply put, the xenobots are an advanced version of animal caps, a well-known technique in developmental biology in which cells retain the ability to differentiate into other cells.

While some experts say cells are more than just automatons following strict genetic orders, scientists still overwhelmingly define consciousness as pertaining to something with a nervous system and a brain capable of yielding a subjective point of view. However, despite this disagreement, both groups agree on at least one important pointunderstanding cells and exploring their many capabilities is a huge opportunity. Taiz compares the potential use of anthrobots in medicine to humans behaving as their own gall-forming insects in plants, via altering the development of stem cells to create particular cell behaviors.

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Meanwhile, Miller agrees. Levins work is a good example of trying to discern how to partner with cells to create living forms to help humans, he says. Were learning to do what cells do, and were going to partner with them if were smart.

Conscious or not, it looks like cells will undoubtedly play a starring role in the unfolding future of human health.

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Dec. 19There were still thousands of Avista customers without power in the Quad Cities region as of Thursday evening, according to the utility company.

Avista said crews restored power to approximately 86% of its customers following Wednesday's powerful windstorm.

On the Palouse, there were just over 2,000 customers still affected by the outages, according to Avista's outage map.

In Nez Perce and Asotin counties, there were just over 500 customers affected.

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Avista says all available employees are working on restoring the power. Most outages are concentrated in northern Idaho, where some residents may experience outages until Sunday.

Historically strong winds and moisture on the ground Wednesday caused trees and branches to fall, which damaged power lines across the Inland Northwest. One damaged power pole can take up to eight hours to replace, Avista says.

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM

In total, some 80,000 of Avista's customers across the Inland Northwest were affected by the windstorm.

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"Once critical customers and transmission lines are restored, crews work to repair distribution feeder lines that serve larger groups of customers," Avista said in a news release. "This will leave some customers ... without power while their neighbors have been restored. Crews will return to address individual outages in neighborhoods, so customers may see service people multiple times."

The local 911 dispatcher Whitcom reported it received 869 emergency calls Wednesday. Among those calls, 69 were to report electrical hazards, 53 were for traffic hazards, 23 were for utility problems and 15 were for property damage.

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The Moscow Fire Department alone responded to 51 calls for service, despite experiencing a "significant outage" to its radio dispatch system, the department announced on Facebook.

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The City of Pullman is reminding residents that the Neill Public Library and the Pullman Recreation Center are available for those who need a heated space, water or Wi-Fi.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
Security officials at Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport offered advice for passengers navigating the busy holiday travel season this December.

Tim Goodman, Wisconsin assistant federal security director at the Transportation Security Administration, said Dec. 19 that the agency is prepared for high passenger volume at Milwaukee Mitchell in the next two weeks.

Goodman said the airport expects to process as many as 12,000 travelers during the busiest holiday travel days. These dates are projected to see the most traffic:

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Sunday, Dec. 21

Monday, Dec. 22

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Sunday, Dec. 28

Monday, Dec. 29

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Here's what to know about holiday travel at Milwaukee Mitchell this year:

Arrive early, especially for morning flights from Mitchell Airport

Goodman recommended travelers arrive no later than 90 minutes before their flight takes off, and longer if they're boarding early morning flights.

Mornings are the busiest time of day for the airport, Goodman said.

"We are at capacity at the early morning hours," he said. "We may see as many as 2,000 passengers going out before 7 a.m. on our busiest days."

Don't forget your Real ID when traveling through Mitchell

This is also the first winter holiday season after TSA began enforcing Real ID requirements for domestic flights. Starting on May 7, 2025, all domestic passengers must present a Real ID-compliant drivers license or other other acceptable forms of identification.

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Earlier this month, TSA announced it will charge passengers $45 if they do not present a Real ID or other accepted identification starting Feb. 1, 2026.

In Wisconsin, Real ID-compliant drivers licenses are marked with a star in the upper right corner. More information about how to obtain a Real ID is available on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's website.

Goodman said 97% of Wisconsin passengers already have a Real ID. Those who don't have proper identification will see longer waits and additional screening at security checkpoints.

A list of acceptable identification is available on TSA's website.

Some holiday items may not get through security at Mitchell

Goodman said some common holiday items should not be put in carry-on bags since security officials struggle to open and inspect them.

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Those items include snow globes and wrapped gifts. Goodman recommended any gifts instead be put in a gift bag.

Goodman also said passengers should completely empty bags before packing them for a flight. It's common for travelers to forget to remove prohibited items in their bag, only to find themselves stopped at security checkpoints.

Forecast looks clear, but weather is always a 'wild card'

Goodman said the current weather forecast shows no significant winter storm activity, but that could change closer to the holidays.

"We can plan for everything else," Goodman said. "The weather is always the wild card."

Goodman also said severe weather at popular hubs like Chicago and Minneapolis could impact flights at Milwaukee Mitchell.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: TSA offers tips for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport travelers
Toyota will begin selling three U.S.-made vehicles in Japan, starting in 2026.

The automaker will begin exporting the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and Tundra pickup.

Along with broadening its lineup in Japan, the automaker hopes the move will improve trade relations between the United States and Japan.

Toyota will begin selling three of its U.S.-made vehicles in Japan, the automaker announced. Toyota hasn't announced a detailed timeline for the decision yet, but said that it is beginning preparations to begin importing models starting in 2026.

Michael Simari - Car and Driver

Toyota is planning to bring the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and Tundra pickup to Japan. Both the Camry and the Highlander were previously sold in Japanleaving in 2023 and 2007, respectivelythough this will be the first time that Toyota has sold its full-size pickup in its home market since the Tundra was introduced for the 2000 model year.

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According to Toyota, the decision to export/import the U.S.-made vehicles is twofold. First is quite simplly to shore up its lineup in Japan. Second, and perhaps more important, the automaker is hoping the decision to bring vehicles in from the United States will improve trade relations between the U.S. and Japan.

Michael Simari - Car and Driver

It's not uncommon for automakers to build cars in one country and export them to another. It wouldn't make financial or logistical sense to have vehicle factories in every country around the world. But this move is notable because of where Toyota is exporting from. Most vehicles produced in the United States stay in North America, if not in the United States. Of course, part of the Trump administration's goal with the sweeping automotive tariffs it put in place earlier this year was to increase automotive exports, which this move will do.

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In November 2025, US President Donald Trump announced transformative actions to lower prescription drug costs and secure the pharmaceutical supply chain in the US. Building on Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing agreements, the Trump Administration unveiled landmark deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that dramatically reduced prices for the companies essential diabetes and obesity medicines while mandating their historic investment in US-based pharmaceutical manufacturing. These integrated efforts represent a coordinated strategy to ensure that the nations most critical therapies are both manufactured in the US and available at significantly reduced prices in the US market.

The announcement focused on the new agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that simultaneously drove down drug prices and committed the companies to major expansions of their US-based production. Through the federal TrumpRx direct-to-consumer platform, the administration secured steep MFN-based discounts on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies and other major diabetes and obesity drugs, reducing the prices for Novo Nordisks Ozempic (semaglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide), as well as other similar high-expenditure medicines, by more than two-thirds. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk must maintain these discounts and apply similar future pricing across their pipelines as they scale up US manufacturing. Under the agreements, the cost of Ozempic and Wegovy will fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350 per month. Once approved, Eli Lillys Zepbound (tirzepatide) and orforglipron will be available at $346 per month. Potential oral GLP-1 drugs, pending Food and Drug Administration approval, will launch at $150 per month. These pricing reforms expand access and enable Medicare and Medicaid to cover antiobesity medications for the first time, with Medicare capping patient copays at $50.

The Trump Administration emphasised the urgent need for accessible obesity treatments, as 40% of US adults are obese, which is a driving factor behind the increase in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and other chronic conditions. Making innovative drugs more affordable through MFN pricing and expanded Medicare coverage is a pivotal step in the fight against obesity.

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Sustaining these price reductions is only possible through a decisive move away from a dependence on imported medicines and towards robust, large-scale domestic manufacturing. Eli Lilly has announced at least $27bn in new US manufacturing investments as part of a broader post-2020 expansion exceeding $50bn, constituting the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing buildout in US history. Three of Eli Lillys four new facilities will produce active pharmaceutical ingredients such as tirzepatide, which is used in its Zepbound and Mounjaro, while the fourth facility will focus on injectable medicines, anchoring GLP-1 and biologic supply chains within the US.

Novo Nordisk has committed an additional $10bn to strengthen its footprint in the US, including domestic, end-to-end production of a potential Wegovy tablet. The companys expanded North Carolina facilities are already supporting oral semaglutide manufacturing, reflecting the administrations push to rebuild US capacity and shield patients from the supply disruptions experienced during recent shortages. Together, these commitments support the shift towards making the US both a manufacturing hub and the global price-setting market for advanced metabolic therapies.

In a separate but related initiative, the Trump Administration announced a sweeping agreement with EMD Serono to reduce the cost of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The deal delivers a 42-79% reduction in drug costs for a typical IVF cycle and will bring the companys full fertility portfolio onto TrumpRx starting in 2026. In exchange, EMD Serono secured an exemption from upcoming US pharmaceutical tariffs, conditional on an expansion of its domestic manufacturing and a research investment. This mirrors the administrations broader strategy of tying pricing concessions to concrete commitments that strengthen the US pharmaceutical industrial base.

Taken together, the MFN pricing agreements and associated manufacturing pledges represent a fundamental shift in how the US approaches both drug affordability and pharmaceutical production. The strategy moves beyond price regulations to a deliberate industrial transformation that positions the US as both the anchor customer and primary manufacturing platform for next-generation therapies, especially GLP-1 and IVF medicines. The Trump MFN initiative reframes the conversation from short-term price controls to long-term national health and industrial revitalisation, ensuring that affordable, innovative medicines are produced first and foremost within the US.

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"Transforming US drug access and production: MFN pricing deals and historic manufacturing investments" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.




President Donald Trump unveiled new plaques on the White Houses Presidential Walk of Fame this week, offering his own unique reviews of past U.S. leaders. Critics call this a move of retribution and a breach of presidential norms, while the White House describes them as eloquently written descriptions.
A sign with the words "Vote Here Today" posted outside a polling place in Camden, S.C., during the 2024 presidential election. (File photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)

The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a confidential draft agreement to more than a dozen states that would require election officials to remove any alleged ineligible voters identified during a federal review of their voter rolls.

The agreement  called a memorandum of understanding, or MOU  would hand the federal government a major role in election administration, a responsibility that belongs to the states under the U.S. Constitution.

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A Justice Department official identified 11 states that have expressed an interest in the agreement during a federal court hearing in December, according to a transcript reviewed by Stateline. Two additional states, Colorado and Wisconsin, have publicly rejected the memorandum of understanding and released copies of the proposal.

The 11 states all fall into the list of, they have expressed with us a willingness to comply based on the represented MOU that we have sent them, Eric Neff, the acting chief of the Justice Departments Voting Section, said at the hearing. He spoke at a Dec. 4 hearing in a federal lawsuit brought by the Justice Department against California, which has refused a demand for the states voter data.

Neffs courtroom disclosure, which Stateline is the first to report, comes as the Justice Department has sued 21 states and the District of Columbia for unredacted copies of their voter rolls after demanding the data from most states in recent months. The unredacted lists include sensitive personal information, such as drivers license and partial Social Security numbers.

The states Neff identified are led by Republicans  Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia.

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The draft memorandum of understanding represents a new effort by the Trump administration to gain access to some states voter data without litigation.

Whats happening in SC

South Carolina officials have said theyre working with the DOJ to reach an agreement to share voter data.

The states Election Commission is being sued over the issue by a voter who cited concerns about how her data would be used by the federal government. State law prohibits divulging certain personal information, her attorney wrote in a recent court filing.

In hearings in that lawsuit, state officials said they wont hand over any confidential voter data until they reach an agreement with the federal government that does not violate privacy rights enshrined in the states constitution.E

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Election Commission officials have not publicly clarified what, if any, pieces of voter data they may seek to keep private. The commissions public information director did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 Adrian Ashford, SC Daily Gazette

The administrations lawsuits mostly target Democratic states, where election officials refused initial requests for voter data and allege the demand is unlawful and risks the privacy of millions of voters. They have also voiced fears that the Trump administration could use the information to target its political enemies.

Neff said four states with Republican secretaries of state  Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas and Wyoming  have complied voluntarily with the Justice Departments demand without memoranda of understanding.

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What the DOJ is trying to do is something that should frighten everybody across the political spectrum.

 David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research

The Justice Department says it needs voters detailed information to ensure ineligible people are kept off state voter rolls and that only citizens are voting.

Federal officials say they will follow federal privacy laws, but critics fear voter data is being shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which operates a powerful citizenship verification tool known as SAVE. The Trump administration has previously confirmed the Justice Department plans to share voter data with Homeland Security.

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What the DOJ is trying to do is something that should frighten everybody across the political spectrum, said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. Theyre trying to use the power of the executive branch to bully states into turning over highly sensitive data: date of birth, Social Security number, drivers license  the holy trinity of identity theft.

Becker, who worked as a senior trial attorney in the Justice Departments Voting Section during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, told reporters on Dec. 8 that several states received the memorandum. But Neffs identification of 11 states wasnt widely available until the judge in the California lawsuit on Tuesday ordered the transcript of the Dec. 4 hearing immediately posted to the lawsuits public docket, where Stateline accessed it.

A transcript of a Dec. 4 federal court hearing showing Eric Neff, acting chief of the Justice Departments Voting Section, listing states that he says are willing to comply with a request for voter data based on a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU). (Screenshot by Jonathan Shorman)

The draft memorandum of understanding, which is labeled confidential, outlines the terms of the proposed agreement between each state and the Justice Department. After a state provides its voter roll, the federal department would agree to test, analyze and assess the information. The department would then notify states of any voter list maintenance issues, insufficiencies, inadequacies, deficiencies, anomalies, or concerns found.

Each state would agree to clean its voter roll within 45 days by removing any ineligible voters, according to the memorandum. States would then resubmit their voter data to the Justice Department for verification.

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While the Justice Department has demanded states voter rolls since this summer, the memorandum of understanding offers the most detailed picture to date of how the Trump administration plans to use the data.

It lays out in a way that we havent seen in any other context their plan for one of the things, I will say, that they plan to do, which is disturbing, said Eileen OConnor, a senior counsel and manager in the voting rights and election program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, a progressive think tank.

OConnor was a trial attorney in the Justice Departments Voting Section during the Obama, first Trump and Biden administrations. I think with each passing lawsuit, they are clearly trying to create a national database of every voter in the country, she said.

The Justice Department didnt answer questions from Stateline about how many states had been sent the memorandum and whether any had signed it.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, wrote in a statement to Stateline that the department has a statutory mandate to enforce federal voting rights laws. Ensuring the voting publics confidence in election integrity is a top priority of the Trump administration, she wrote.

Clean voter rolls and basic election safeguards are requisites for free, fair, and transparent elections, Dhillon wrote.

Federal involvement in elections

The Justice Department memorandum, if implemented, would mark a significant departure from how election officials typically maintain voter rolls.

States, often in coordination with local election officials, check lists for changes in address, deaths and other reasons for ineligibility, such as a felony conviction. States typically perform this task with little to no federal involvement.

Some states participate in voluntary programs that allow election officials to share voter information with other states for the purposes of looking for voters who may have moved or who are registered in multiple locations. But those dont include the federal government, which plays a limited role in election administration under the United States decentralized approach to elections.

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Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said clerks continually look at death records and other sources of data to update voter lists. He said the United States localized election system is a strength that guards against election interference.

The federal government has no role in list maintenance, Crane said.

But that has begun to change under the Trump administration, as President Donald Trump has made removing noncitizen voters a priority.

Earlier this year, Homeland Security overhauled the SAVE program into a tool that can scan millions of voter records against government databases for evidence of citizenship. The program was previously used for one-off searches to check whether noncitizens were eligible for government benefits.

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Some Republican secretaries of state have agreed to upload their voter rolls into SAVE. Democratic secretaries of state object to using the program and say they are wary of what will happen to the voter information once its provided to the Trump administration, including its potential use by the Department of Homeland Security.

While SAVE can flag voters with potential eligibility issues, the onus now is still on state officials to investigate whether those voters are actually ineligible and decide whether to initiate a process to remove them from the rolls.

By contrast, the Justice Department memorandum would empower federal officials to take a more active role, allowing them to check the work of state election officials as they remove  or dont remove  voters.

We have a system that allows Americans to voice their opinions and to hold government accountable, and that is so fundamentally central to the way our system works, Oregon Democratic Secretary of State Tobias Read, who has been sued by the Justice Department, said in an interview. We should be focused on how to make that better, not on erecting artificial barriers and putting peoples privacy and confidence at risk for no reason.

Republican interest

Some GOP election officials have welcomed the Trump administrations interest and have accused the Biden administration of not doing enough to help states vet their voter rolls. In particular, they praise the overhaul of SAVE, which some GOP secretaries of state had requested before Trump took office.

Some secretaries have touted the removal of noncitizen voters after using SAVE. Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a Republican, in November announced three voters identified as noncitizens had been removed from his states voter rolls. Gray has also provided the Justice Department with full access to Wyomings voter roll.

The voter list maintenance that we have been conducting is extremely important for election integrity, Gray said in a news release.

But as of early December, nearly all states hadnt provided the Justice Department access to their unredacted voter rolls, with Neff identifying only four that had shared their lists. It also remains unclear whether any state has signed the memorandum of understanding. No state has told Stateline it signed the document.

Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen, a Republican, has received a memorandum of understanding and plans to comply with the Justice Department request, pending the outcome of an ongoing lawsuit, Evnen spokesperson Rani Taborek-Potter wrote in an email to Stateline. A voting advocacy group has sued to block the release of the data.

In an interview with Kentucky Lantern, Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said that his office was going back and forth a little bit with the Justice Department over what federal law requires.

Weve not really figured out exactly where that line is of what-all theyre entitled to, Adams said. Whats not in dispute is theyre entitled to the vast majority of information  peoples names, addresses, birthdays  and weve given them all of that.

Adams added that many state officials are in the same boat of trying to figure out what exactly they need to do their job and what our obligations are legally.

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, confirmed in a statement to Stateline that her office received a proposed memorandum of understanding from the Justice Department. We are in the process of reviewing the document with our attorneys and carefully considering our options, Henderson wrote.

Rachael Dunn, a spokesperson for Missouri Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, wrote in an email that the state hadnt entered into an agreement with the Justice Department at this time.

DOJ contractor could get voter data

The draft agreement would give the Justice Department wide authority to share the voter data of states that sign on.

The department would be authorized to share the data with a contractor who needs access to perform duties related to voter list maintenance verification, according to the draft agreement. The agreement doesnt name any contractors or specify whether they would be inside or outside of government.

Two states have publicly rejected the draft agreement. Colorado Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced Dec. 3 she would refuse to sign the memorandum. The Justice Department later sued Colorado.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission also rejected the draft agreement that week. In a Dec. 11 letter to Neff, the Justice Department official, the commissioners wrote that state law prohibits them from releasing certain personally identifiable information, such as date of birth, Social Security numbers and drivers license numbers.

I dont look at the action that were taking today to be commentary on the motive of the appropriateness of the Department of Justices request, Commissioner Don Millis, a Republican appointee, said at a virtual commission meeting the same day. The U.S. DOJ is simply asking the commission to do something that the commission is explicitly forbidden by Wisconsin law to do.

The Justice Department on Thursday sued Wisconsin for its voter data.

Justin Levitt, who served as senior policy adviser for democracy and voting rights in the Biden White House and is now a law professor at Loyola Marymount University, told Stateline in an email that he expects no states to sign the agreement.

Its no surprise that both Colorado and Wisconsin said no  and I dont think thats a question of political leadership, Levitt wrote. Its hard for me to imagine any Republican state with faith in its own list maintenance capacity agreeing to outsource that decision to the DOJ.

VRLData Sharing Agreement DOJ-WI (2)

Colorado Newslines Lindsey Toomer contributed reporting.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.
As the federal government moves towards rescheduling marijuana, opening the door for more research and opportunities for businesses in the industry, Florida leaders arent budging on the issue.

Marijuana remains illegal outside of medical use, and possession of more than 20 grams carries felony charges.

In 2024, an effort to legalize recreational use just barely missed the mark, receiving more than 55 percent support from voters.

It needed 60 to pass.

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I mean, this is not a question of if, it is a question of when, said Josephine Cannella-Krehl with The Flowery, one of Floridas 28 authorized medical marijuana treatment centers.

With yet another effort to put full legalization on the 2026 ballot, Cannella-Krehl argued lawmakers would be better served to legalize recreational use on their own, rather than waiting for a constitutional amendment to force their hand.

Which would give them the opportunity to regulate it as opposed to waiting to see what happens when the constitutional amendment passes and then, again, theyre strong-armed, said Cannella-Krehl.

But the renewed effort to legalize cannabis is also headed for a tough battle.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

This week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier petitioned the State Supreme Court to decide whether this years effort to legalize recreational marijuana can be placed on next years ballot.

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While its technically just a procedural move hes required to do, given his history fighting the legalization effort in 2024, its safe to assume hell likely ask the court to block this years measure.

Cannella-Krehl argued that if lawmakers wont follow the lead of the President, they should at least listen to their own voters.

If 70 percent of Floridians are saying that they want adult use passed and our lawmakers are not being the voice of the people up at the legislature, then I mean that kind of tells me something, said Cannella-Krehl.

This years recreational marijuana initiative currently has more than 675,000 valid signatures.

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It needs just over 200,000 more by February to qualify for the ballot, assuming the state supreme court doesnt block it.

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Aristotle Capital Boston, LLC, an investment advisor, released its Small Cap Equity Fund third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the third quarter, the small-cap equities delivered strong results with the Russell 2000 Index reaching its first all-time high since November 2021. A favorable macroeconomic backdrop led the rally. In the quarter, the fund (Class I-2) delivered a return of 3.16% underperforming the 12.39% total return of the Russell 2000 Index. For more information on the funds best picks in 2025, please check its top five holdings.

In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund highlighted stocks such as ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS). ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) is a U.S.-based regulated natural gas distribution utility company. The one-month return for ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) was -4.92%, and its shares gained 14.73% over the last 52 weeks. On December 18, 2025, ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) stock closed at $78.84 per share, with a market capitalization of $4.72 billion.

Aristotle Small Cap Equity Fund stated the following regarding ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:

"ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) is an Oklahoma-based, fully regulated gas utility company with service territories in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. The company has a proven track record of consistent rate base increases driven by population growth and infrastructure investments. A favorable regulatory backdrop in each of their service territories should allow for continued operational consistency and regular modest dividend increases, creating an attractive total return opportunity for the Fund."

ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 28 hedge fund portfolios held ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) at the end of the third quarter, up from 24 in the previous quarter. In the third quarter of 2025, ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) net income of $26.5 million or $0.44 per diluted share compared with $19.3 million or $0.34 in Q3 2024. While we acknowledge the potential of ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE:OGS) 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.

In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q3 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington donned a new name  the Trump-Kennedy Center  on the exterior of the building Friday, just a day after President Donald Trump's hand-picked board voted to change the arts institution's name.

The move came despite concerns about the legality of the shift and objections from members of the Kennedy family and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle after the center announced that its board on Thursday voted unanimously to approve the name change.

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was "surprised" and "honored" that the board, of which he is chair and which is composed of members he appointed earlier this year, approved the name change.

Workers pose for a photo after adjusting the name of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts" on Dec. 19, 2025. (Heather Diehl / Getty Images) (Heather Diehl)

"This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members, and they voted on it, and there's a lot of board members, and they voted unanimously. So I was very honored by it," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

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The president, who has revamped programming and events at the Kennedy Center since the start of this term, had previously teased to the prospect of changing the institution's name, writing in a post on Truth Social in August, GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER.

Several Republican lawmakers had also proposed changes to the name of the Kennedy Center and its opera house, floating the idea of naming the latter after the first lady.

Donald Trump's name is added to the facade of the Kennedy Center on Friday. (Heather Diehl / Getty Images) (Heather Diehl)

Legal experts told NBC News earlier this year that the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administration-era statutes governing the creation of the Kennedy Center had enshrined the original name in legislation. They added that a new law passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president would be needed to change the name.

It does not appear that officials in the Trump administration heeded those legal concerns, which were shared by lawmakers in both parties on Thursday, before installing his name on the building Friday.

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Former Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, a grandnephew of the late president, said Thursday afternoon in a statement that the center "is a living memorial to a fallen president and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says.

In a separate statement Thursday, six Democratic lawmakers who serve as ex-officio members of the Kennedy Center board said they would hold the administration accountable for violating the law.

Beyond using the Kennedy Center to reward his friends and political allies, President Trump is now attempting to affix his name to yet another public institution without legal authority. Federal law established the Center as a memorial to President Kennedy and prohibits changing its name without Congressional action," the lawmakers wrote in a statement, adding later, "as ex-officio members of the Kennedy Center Board, we will be unwavering in our commitment to holding this Administration accountable.

The minority leaders of the House and Senate  Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.  were among those who signed the statement.

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Another ex-officio member of the board who didn't vote for the change, Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.V., told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday, the Kennedy Center, in my view, is the Kennedy Center."

Capito and several other Republican senators said they believed the name would have to be changed through legislation in Congress.

"I would assume so, because it's mentioned more than a few times as the Kennedy Center in legislation, so I would imagine that's the case," the West Virginia senator told reporters.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday "we'll look at" whether a name change requires new legislation.

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"Im not familiar with the process of how this is done," Thune said. "Theres a question of whether or not its in law. Is it statutory? Do we have to change the law to do these sorts of things? And Im sure well get all the answers to that in due time."

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, another ex-officio member of the board, disputed the president's assertion that the board vote was "unanimous," saying a name change wasn't on the agenda distributed before the meeting and that she was repeatedly muted on a video call when she sought to raise her concerns about it.

"I said, 'I have something to say,' and I was muted, and as I continued to try to unmute to ask questions and voiced my opposition to this, I received a note saying that I would not be unmuted," Beatty told reporters Thursday.

Roma Daravi, center's vice president of public relations, told NBC News in a statement that Beatty is not a voting member of the board and that she was granted the "privilege" to listen into Thursday's board meeting.

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"The entire board was invited to attend in person and the privilege of listening in on the meeting was granted to all members, even those without a vote, such as ex-officio member Joyce Beatty," Daravi said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump told NBC News that war remains possible with Venezuela, a country whose leadership he labeled a terrorist regime and which he has targeted militarily because of alleged drug smuggling.

"I dont rule it out, no," Trump told NBC on Dec. 18 in a phone interview.

Trump ordered a blockade Dec. 16 of oil tankers leaving and arriving in the South American country, part of a months-long buildup of U.S. military forces.

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 U.S. seized a tanker on Dec. 10 bound for Cuba with cargo owned by a businessman with ties to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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"If they're foolish enough to be sailing along, they'll be sailing along back into one of our harbors," Trump told NBC News.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2025.

The U.S. military is also striking boats allegedly smuggling drugs out of Venezuela. The attacks on 28 boats have killed more than 100 people.

Congress is scrutinizing a second strike on Sept. 2 on a boat where people were clinging to wreckage in the water after the initial explosion.

A drone view of the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Sampson DDG-102 docked near the entrance to the Panama Canal, amid a large buildup of U.S. naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean, in Panama City, Panama, on Aug. 30, 2025.

Trump aims to pressure Venezuela to change its leadership through his military campaign. He declared Maduros regime a foreign terrorist organization in a social media post on Dec. 16.

He told members of the military on Nov. 28 that strikes on land could begin very soon.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump leaves war option with Venezuela on table
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 18 to federally classify marijuana as a less dangerous substance, the biggest change for the drug since 1970 and an opportunity for the industry to operate more easily.

Trump directed the government to stop classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which includes the most dangerous substances such as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. The Drug Enforcement Administration describes Schedule I substances as having no "medical use and a high potential for abuse."

Instead, Trump ordered that marijuana be classified as a Schedule III drug, which the DEA describes as having "a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence."

"Today, I'm pleased to announce that I will be signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a schedule one to a schedule three controlled substance with legitimate medical uses," Trump said.

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He added that the order "is not the legalization  does it legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form, and no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug."

What did Trump's order do?

Trumps order directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process" to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. His order also said the administration would work with Congress to redefine hemp-derived cannabinoid products so that Americans can get access to CBD products.

"This gives (rescheduling) a big push forward and sends a pretty clear signal about the likely outcome," said David Pozen, a law professor at Columbia University who wrote the book "The Constitution of the War on Drugs." Pozen added: "It's a big deal for the rescheduling debate but it's by no means going to bring closure to our marijuana policy fights."

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the ceremony, Trump signed an order reclassifying marijuana as a schedule III drug.

Marijuana businesses expect to benefit from reclassification

Trumps change doesn't make marijuana legal at the federal level. But the reclassification could lower tax burdens for firms, accelerate research, enable standardized drug development and improve access to capital.

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An immediate advantage for the industry is a business-tax break for companies making Schedule III drugs, in contrast to no tax breaks for those making Schedule I drugs. But unless the Food and Drug Administration approves of marijuana for medical uses, companies will still be unable to sell their products across state lines.

"The main effect of rescheduling will be a tax cut for marijuana firms," Pozen said. "This wont authorize medical marijuana at the federal level."

Shares of cannabis firms rose in premarket trading Dec. 18 because of expectations about Trumps action. Tilray shares gained nearly 5%, SNDL rose 3%, Canopy Growth was up more than 5% and AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis was up 6.5% before the bell.

Trump is considering a Medicare pilot program that would provide some seniors access to CBD, according to reports.

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Rescheduling and Medicare coverage would likely attract investments from financial institutions and other investors.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on December 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. During the ceremony, Trump signed an order reclassifying marijuana as a schedule III drug.

Nearly all states regulate marijuana but it remains contentious

The federal Controlled Substances Act lumped marijuana with the most dangerous drugs in 1970.

Since then, two dozen states, three territories and the District of Columbia have allowed or regulated recreational use of marijuana, according to Reuters. Nearly all states  45  allow the medical or recreational use of marijuana.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans supported legalization in a Gallup survey from October, up from 36% two decades ago.

But the push to decriminalize marijuana by removing criminal penalties associated with it or to legalize it at the state level remains contentious.

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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said he would sign legislation approved this month further restricting where marijuana can be grown. Businesses have sued DeWine over a ban on over-the-counter sales of products infused with THC, the intoxicating element in marijuana.

A Florida ballot initiative in 2024 aimed to legalize marijuana for people at least 21 years old, and allow them to possess up to 3 ounces. Supporters spent hundreds of millions of dollars advocating for the measure, but Gov. Ron DeSantis strongly opposed it. Despite support from nearly 56% of voters, the measure fell short of the 60% majority needed for approval.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine holds a box of Gushers-style intoxicating candies as he announces a ban on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, such as THC-infused gummies and beverages sold in gas stations, tap rooms and retail shops, for 90 days. Intoxicating hemp products are any THC-containing items sold outside of licensed marijuana dispensaries. He announced the ban during a news conference at the Riffe Center in Columbus on Oct. 8, 2025.

Trump's stance on marijuana contrasts with enforcement against other drugs

Former President Joe Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to review marijuana's classification in 2022. The administration in 2024 proposed a rule to reschedule marijuana, but it has been on hold since March.

Trump has considered the change for a while. He said in August he was "looking at reclassification" of marijuana, noting the issue has supporters and detractors.

A marijuana plant sits on a table in Washington Square Park in New York City, on April 20, 2023.

"Some people like it, some people hate it. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana," he said.

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Trumps stance on marijuana contrasts with his aggressive approach to drug enforcement against fentanyl and cocaine. During his second term, the Pentagon has been striking alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela.

But during the 2024 campaign, Trump supported a Florida ballot measure that would have legalized the drug in the Sunshine State. The measure failed.

"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.

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump reclassifies marijuana as less dangerous drug
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 18 to federally classify marijuana as a less dangerous substance, a move applauded by Michigan's marijuana industry.

The order doesn't legalize marijuana and also doesn't immediately reschedule marijuana.

What the executive order does is it directs the Attorney General to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in the most expeditious manner in accordance with federal law."

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It will take time  perhaps months  for that change to go through the regulatory process.

A customer smells marijuana flowers while shopping at BOWDEGA Cannabis dispensary in Utica on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.

But if marijuana is rescheduled, it would change from a Schedule I drug  considered highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use  to a Schedule III drug  like Tylenol with codeine and ketamine  which would mean it can be lawfully prescribed as medication.

More on Trump's executive order: Trump orders less dangerous federal classification for marijuana

Trump's signing of the order builds on work started by then-President Joe Biden in 2022, when he asked the departments of Justice, and Health and Human Services to review how marijuana should be scheduled under federal law.

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In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended it be rescheduled to Schedule III. The Justice Department then did its own analysis and reached the same conclusion. But then the process stalled.

Now, with Trump's executive order, rescheduling cannabis is a possibility once again.

The executive order comes at a time when Michigan's cannabis industry is already going through a lot of change. A new 24% tax on the wholesale price of marijuana is set to go into effect on Jan. 1, which will likely lead to higher prices for consumers and could impact sales, leading to business closures.

More on the tax's potential impact: Michigan's cannabis market is on the verge of a shake-up with new tax, license cap proposal

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Those in Michigan's cannabis industry generally celebrated the executive order, and said that, at a high level, it gives the industry more credibility. Rescheduling cannabis will also likely allow marijuana companies to benefit from tax deductions and exemptions available to businesses in other industries.

The executive director of Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency said in an emailed statement that while he's still assessing the details of the order, "this development has the potential to move the federal marijuana policy debate forward after years of advocacy by patients, businesses and states across the country."

"Rescheduling marijuana carries important implications  but also clear limitations  for state-regulated markets," Brian Hanna, executive director of Michigan's CRA, said in the statement.

Hanna pointed to comments the agency submitted to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration during the rescheduling rulemaking process last year, which he said emphasized the need for federal policy to reflect the realities of state-regulated markets like Michigans.

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Robin Schneider, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, in an emailed statement called the order "a significant win for our industry." She said the move eliminates 280E tax implications and "opens the door to critical reforms, including expanded access to banking and financial services."

Section 280E  the Internal Revenue Code that prohibits taxpayers who are engaged in the business of trafficking certain controlled substances from deducting typical business expenses associated with those activities  would likely not apply to these companies.

Ross Sloan, a senior vice president and cannabis banking officer at Michigan-based Dart Bank, described rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III as a "meaningful but limited step."

Sloan said in emailed comments that the relief from 280E "should free up capital for reinvestment, improve cash flow and strengthen operators ability to service debt over time."

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However, he noted that rescheduling marijuana doesn't change restrictions on interstate commerce and also introduces new considerations, such as the potential for increased regulatory oversight through the FDA and possibly greater competition from larger pharmaceutical or institutional players.

"Those pressures come at a time when many cannabis businesses are already facing tight margins and pricing challenges," Sloan said.

Detroit Free Press staff writer Todd Spangler contributed to this report.

Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump wants to reschedule marijuana: What that means for Michigan
After Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he was proud that his city had the largest Somali community in the United States, President Donald Trump unleashed a vicious rant during a press conference ostensibly about the auto industry: "I wouldn't be proud to have the largest Somalianlook at their nation. Look how bad their nation is. It's not even a nation. It's just people walking around killing each otherThey have destroyed Minnesota."

Trump also penned a social-media post claiming Somali gangs have taken over Minnesota and "are roving the streets looking for 'prey' as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses." The Hennepin County District Attorney's Office, which is the top law-enforcement agency overseeing the Minneapolis area, released a video debunking those claims. Nearly 90 percent of Somalis there are legal residents, with 58 percent of them having been born in the United States.

"They contribute nothingI don't want them in our country," Trump added, as he has pushed forward a plan to reduce the nation's refugee-acceptance program by 90 percent. Somalis actually have revived some downtrodden Minneapolis neighborhoods as they mostly pursue the American dream, but why pick nits? The bulk of the new refugees will be white South Africans, but I'm sure race has absolutely nothing to do with his latest immigration-related tirades and decisions.

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It's seems hardly a coincidence that Trump also has directed ire at Haitian immigrants in Ohio whom he falsely accused of eating pets. His decision to eliminate free-entry days at national parks on the Juneteenth holiday commemorating the end of slavery and Martin Luther King Jr. Day also don't seem like coincidences. In reality, the only roving gangs that Twin-Cities residents need to worry about are the masked ICE patrols Trump has sent to the region, but that's apparently the point.

Trump is maligning "garbage," as he referred to a Somali member of Congress and her "friends," to justify efforts to quash immigration from non-white countries. Can the GOP stop pretending otherwise?

Conservative media are focusing on Minnesota's social programs, with City Journal's Christopher Rufo explaining that "fraud has allegedly been perpetrated by members of Minnesota's sizeable Somali community" with "millions of dollars in stolen funds have been sent back to Somalia, where they ultimately landed in the hands of the terror group Al-Shabaab." Minnesota's Democratic politicians and media have been loath to "connect the dots" because of their "progressive pieties," Rufo added.

That may be true and any fraud is appalling, but perhaps one reason for the lack of dot-connecting is Minnesota officials' fear that the administration and its supporters would react as they have, by blaming the entire Somali community for the criminal acts of a few and using the scandal to justify heavy-handed immigration policies.

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There are two schools of conservative immigration thought. The first, to which I subscribe, acknowledges immigrants often flee countries ravaged by crime, tyranny and disorder. That's why many people come to the United States. Our nation's settlers fled persecution. My father escaped Nazi Germany, which was literally putting people in ovens (although many Republicans lately have struggled with their views on such horrors). Under this long-standing view, Americans should welcome immigrants, but promote E Pluribus Unum.

The other conservative view, which is clearly embraced by national conservatives and populists, is that America is fundamentally a white, Christian nation and that immigration, to whatever limited degree we allow it, should align with those demographics. Some conservatives still tout the, "we're only against illegal immigration" canard, but that's not what's going on here. Trump's policiesalong with much of the anti-immigration rhetoric on the right these daysare about limiting immigration in general. Minnesota's Somalis and Springfield's Haitians are, after all, primarily legal.

No one disputes that law-enforcement should clamp down on government fraud. The root problem is the government freebies themselves, which often are overly generous and lacking in oversight. But it's not like fraud scandals are confined to immigrant and minority communities. One can find similar scandals involving any ethnic group (including native-born Americans).

The president always doubles down. Following the brouhaha over his comments, Trump said to supporters: "Why is it we only take people from sh**hole countries, right, why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a fewWe always take people from Somalia, places that are a disaster, dirty, filthy, disgusting, ridden with crime." It's clear what he's saying.

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By contrast, in his last presidential speech, Ronald Reagan said, "We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our peopleour strengthfrom every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation." Reagan was right. Trump is wrong. Americans shouldn't be ashamed that our nation is a beacon to the tired, poor, huddled masses, but we have reason to be ashamed of him.

This column was first published in The Orange County Register.

The post Trump's Somali Insults Are a Disgrace appeared first on Reason.com.
The U.S. is conducting airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria in retaliation for the attack that killed two American soldiers and a U.S. interpreter on Saturday, officials said. Multiple sources told CBS News earlier Friday that the strikes were being conducted.

One of the officials said the U.S. began striking dozens of targets at multiple locations across central Syria using fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and artillery. More than 70 targets were struck, a U.S. official said.

F-15 fighter jets, A-10 Thunderbolts  known as "Warthogs"  and Apache attack helicopters were used to target ISIS positions in Syria on Friday, U.S. officials told CBS News. F-16 fighter jets from Jordan were also involved in the operation.

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U.S. Central Command described the operation as a "massive strike" and indicated that it was retaliatory in a post on X. In a follow-up post, U.S. Central Command said it used "more than 100 precision munitions targeting known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites."

A U.S. fighter jet prepares for a large-scale strike on ISIS targets in Syria. Dec. 19, 2025. / Credit: U.S. Central Command (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base earlier this week for the two soldiers killed, Sgt. William Howard and Sgt. Edgar Torres Tovar, both of the Iowa National Guard, and the interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat.

The three individuals were killed when, according to the Pentagon, a lone ISIS gunman ambushed them while they were supporting a key leader in Palmyra, Syria. Three other members of the Iowa National Guard were wounded in the attack.

Mr. Trump vowed "very serious retaliation" in a TruthSocial post after the attack, and Hegseth also vowed to "avenge these fallen Americans with overwhelming force."

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Hegseth announced in a post on Friday on X that U.S. forces have begun "Operation Hawkeye Strike" in Syria "to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces."

"Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies," Hegseth continued. "Lots of them. And we will continue."

Speaking Friday night during remarks in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Mr. Trump said he "ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week." The strikes were "very successful," and "we hit every site flawlessly," the president said.

After the operation began, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement, "President Trump told the world that the United States would retaliate for the killing of our heroes by ISIS in Syria, and he is delivering on that promise."

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U.S. Central Command said Friday that since the attack on the American soldiers last weekend, it has conducted 10 operations in Syria and Iraq that have resulted in the death or detention of "23 terrorist operatives."

Trump administration official says only part of the Epstein files will be released today

Suspect in Brown University shooting, MIT professor's murder found dead after massive manhunt

Brown University shooting suspect found dead in New Hampshire | Special Report
Ukraine says it supplies its troops with nearly 1,000 interceptor drones a day.

It's a major milestone for the anti-Shahed tech, which was still being developed in early 2025.

Ukraine's defense ministry said it's been working with over 10 interceptor manufacturers.

Ukraine's defense ministry said on Thursday that it has been supplying its troops with roughly 950 interceptor drones every day since the beginning of December.

In its statement, the ministry said these drones were specifically to "counter enemy Shahed-type UAVs."

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Reaching nearly 1,000 daily delivered interceptors is a significant milestone for the production of such drones, which were largely still in prototyping stages at the start of the year.

These interceptors are first-person-view drones designed to fly into and destroy enemy aerial systems, typically using explosives or direct impact. A typical interceptor drone flies with four motor-powered propellers, but unlike the usual quadcopters, it is often shaped like a bullet or a rocket.

Initially built to destroy high-flying reconnaissance craft, they've since been evolved by Ukrainians to take down long-range attack drones at a low cost  primarily as a response to Russia launching large waves of Iranian-designed Shaheds this year.

"These systems strengthen protection against drone terror while preserving resources for intercepting cruise and ballistic missiles," Ukraine's defense minister, Denys Shmyhal, said in Thursday's announcement.

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The defense ministry also said it's been working with more than 10 interceptor manufacturers and has placed more orders for next year.

For Ukraine, interceptors must be fast enough to chase down drones such as the Shahed-136, which flies at a typical speed of 115 mph, while remaining cheap so that Kyiv's troops can sustainably use hundreds of them a day. Russia has recently been attacking with roughly 5,500 Shahed-type drones a month.

Some Ukrainian drone makers have also been attempting to develop interceptors that can catch the Geran-3, the Russian version of the jet-powered Shahed-238, which can reportedly fly at an estimated 230 mph.

Ukraine's new production capacity comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in November that his country was producing roughly 600 to 800 interceptors a day, falling short of his initial goal.

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In July, Zelenskyy had set a production target of 1,000 interceptors a day.

Ukraine's volunteer movements directly sponsor some interceptor drones for select military units, though their quantity is often limited compared to the scale of what the Ukrainian government provides.

For example, deliveries of the Wild Hornets' Sting, a $2,500 interceptor, were mostly sponsored this year by the Sternenko Foundation, a local crowdfunding organization.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukrainian drones hit a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time.

A Ukrainian security source said that the attack was carried out over 1,200 miles away.

It marks a major expansion of Ukraine's deep-strike campaign against Russia's vast energy sector.

Ukrainian forces used long-range drones to strike an oil tanker said to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time, a security source told Business Insider on Friday.

The attack, carried out over 1,240 miles from Ukrainian territory, represents a dramatic expansion of Kyiv's push to target Russia's vast energy sector, a key source of revenue fueling its war machine.

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Ukraine had previously limited its attacks to land-based targets, such as oil refineries and port infrastructure. In recent weeks, though, it has begun striking tankers in the Black Sea and facilities in the Caspian Sea  and now it's hitting targets in the Mediterranean.

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, called the drone attack an "unprecedented special operation" that targeted and critically damaged the tanker Qendil. The source was only authorized to speak on the condition of anonymity to discuss military developments.

The SBU source said the Qendil wasn't carrying any oil cargo at the time of the attack, so there isn't any risk to the environment. Footage shows several explosions on the exterior of the tanker.

Publicly available ship-tracking data show that the Qendil was sailing under the flag of Oman. It's unclear when the attack took place; the vessel last reported its location on Friday sailing off the coast of Libya in the eastern Mediterranean.

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Neither Russia's defense ministry nor its US embassy immediately responded to a request for comment on the attack.

Ukraine has attacked at least four tankers, including the Qendil, that have been identified as belonging to the "shadow fleet" since late November. There are hundreds of vessels in the fleet, which Moscow relies on to transport oil and circumvent sanctions on its energy exports.

Russia used the Qendil "to circumvent sanctions and earn money that went to the war against Ukraine," the SBU source said in translated remarks shared with Business Insider, calling the ship a "legitimate target" for the SBU.

The enemy must understand that Ukraine will not stop and will beat him anywhere in the world, wherever he is," they added.

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Since August, Ukraine has stepped up its use of long-range drone strikes to target Russian energy infrastructure in an effort to squeeze a key source of revenue for Moscow. While the campaign initially focused on land-based facilities, Kyiv has recently expanded it to maritime targets, hitting oil tankers in the Black and Mediterranean seas and striking three oil platforms in the Caspian Sea.

The expansion to maritime targets appears to reflect a shift in Kyiv's strategy as it continues to press its international partners to be more aggressive in clamping down on Russian oil exports.

Ukrainian officials have described the ongoing deep-strike campaign as "long-range" sanctions against Moscow. These operations have been a bright spot for Kyiv as it faces incremental  but costly  Russian gains on the battlefield.

Read the original article on Business Insider
This story was originally published on Manufacturing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Manufacturing Dive newsletter.

Dive Brief:

Manufacturers are planning to pass along cost increases and raise sales prices as input costs rise due to tariffs, according to the Institute for Supply Managements December 2025 Supply Chain Planning Forecast published Tuesday.

Among the manufacturing leaders surveyed for the forecast, 32% said they plan to pass on all of their tariff-related cost increases into sales prices. Another 42% intend to employ a combination of price hikes and absorbing costs into their margins. Only 6% said tariffs wont affect their costs.

By contrast, reshoring production to the United States to avoid tariffs and associated cost increases is a less common strategy. Just 36% are actively looking to shift production domestically.

Dive Insight:

Tariffs and trade policies have risen to be top of mind for manufacturers, according to Susan Spence, chair of ISMs Manufacturing PMI  a sentiment echoed in other recent manufacturing surveys from the group as well as advisory firms such as KPMG.

The shifting nature of the tariffs has halted a lot of manufacturers decision-making throughout the year, Spence said during a call with reporters Tuesday. Many put large capital expenditures and hiring plans on hold as they awaited more clarity on trade policies. The dust, however, is starting to settle as the Supreme Court reviews the legality of the tariffs.

The fact that the tariff decisions are now in the highest court of the land...I think folks are trying to be optimistic that the chaos is possibly going to be over, Spence said.

With the expectation of more certainty ahead, manufacturers are starting to make decisions about their supply chains and how to handle increased costs from import duties.

The manufacturing panelists by and large have decided, we're just going to have to pass it on, Spence said. They have such a direct impact from the cost of these materials.

In fact, the survey revealed 86% of manufacturers plan to pass on at least some of their cost increases. Raw material price increases averaged 5.4% for 2025, but are projected to see an overall increase of 4.4% in 2026.

Meanwhile, 64% dont intend to bring production to the U.S. to avoid tariffs costs, despite the hope of the administration that this would drive manufacturing to reshore, Spence added, noting that for many manufacturers its still cheaper to go offshore or diversify into a different geographic area. This response was split between companies who dont intend to make any changes in their supply chain partners and those who are looking for alternative trade partners in less tariff-impacted countries.
JERUSALEM (AP)  An attempt by Israeli authorities to write a routine parking ticket in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem turned violent on Thursday as members of the community quickly gathered to protest, attacking and injuring 13 police officers, authorities said.

The violence reflected growing tensions between the Israeli authorities and the ultra-Orthodox, known as Haredim, as the government mulls plans to draft them into the military. Clashes have often broken out recently when Israeli authorities have entered the crowded and insular ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.

Police said the clashes first broke out after an inspector tried to issue a parking ticket and was met with violence and threats. The police made one arrest. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox protesters soon arrived, trying to free the suspect, damaging police cars and throwing stones and eggs at the police, they said.

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In response, police threw stun grenades, fired water cannons and beat protesters with batons, according to videos circulating on Israeli social media.

Residents accused the police of trying to arrest the man for failing to register for the draft  an accusation police denied.

Five policemen were brought to the hospital and several others were lightly injured. As of Thursday afternoon, police said they had arrested four people and an were investigating several others.

Photos circulating on Israeli social media showed an overturned car and vehicles with broken windshields.

Later on Thursday, ultra-Orthodox protesters blocked a major highway along Israels coast, police said. No violence was immediately reported.

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When Israel was founded in 1948, a small number of gifted ultra-Orthodox scholars were granted exemptions from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jews. But with a push from politically powerful religious parties, those numbers have swelled over the decades.

Many secular Israelis  especially those who have served multiple rounds of duty in the latest war between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas group in Gaza  now support rolling back that exemption and drafting the ultra-Orthodox.

However, measures to draft the ultra-Orthodox have been met with staunch opposition and at times violence from religious protesters, who claim that serving in the military will destroy their way of life.

Roughly 1.3 million ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 13% of Israels population and oppose enlistment because they believe studying full time in religious seminaries is their most important duty.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it has found no evidence of the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah rearming since a ceasefire with Israel came into effect.

"Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last year, we have not seen south of the Litani river evidence of new weapons entering, of new non-state military infrastructure being built, or of military movements by non-state actors," UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told dpa on Friday.

The peacekeepers are on the ground daily to monitor the situation, she said.

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"Before and during the open fighting, they observed and reported activities by non-state actors, including Hezbollah, in the area of operations in southern Lebanon," Ardiel said.

She added that the situation in the south is fragile, but peacekeepers are continuing to work to consolidate the stability that has been rebuilt following the conflict last year.

"Peacekeepers are patrolling and reporting their observations every day, and at this point we have discovered almost 400 weapons caches and infrastructure sites that we have referred to the Lebanese Army for disposal, while the army themselves are making similar discoveries," Ardiel said.

"Its not possible for me to give you a specific percentage, but what I can say is that we continue to discover abandoned weapons caches and infrastructure sites," she said.

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A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has officially been in place since the end of November last year.

This includes the disarmament of the militia and its withdrawal  in accordance with UN Resolution 1701  across the Litani river, about 30 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it has found no evidence of the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah rearming since a ceasefire with Israel came into effect.

"Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last year, we have not seen south of the Litani river evidence of new weapons entering, of new non-state military infrastructure being built, or of military movements by non-state actors," UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told dpa on Friday.

The peacekeepers are on the ground daily to monitor the situation, she said.

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"Before and during the open fighting, they observed and reported activities by non-state actors, including Hezbollah, in the area of operations in southern Lebanon," Ardiel said.

She added that the situation in the south is fragile, but peacekeepers are continuing to work to consolidate the stability that has been rebuilt following the conflict last year.

"Peacekeepers are patrolling and reporting their observations every day, and at this point we have discovered almost 400 weapons caches and infrastructure sites that we have referred to the Lebanese Army for disposal, while the army themselves are making similar discoveries," Ardiel said.

"Its not possible for me to give you a specific percentage, but what I can say is that we continue to discover abandoned weapons caches and infrastructure sites," she said.

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A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has officially been in place since the end of November last year.

This includes the disarmament of the militia and its withdrawal  in accordance with UN Resolution 1701  across the Litani river, about 30 kilometres north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.

However, Israel accuses Hezbollah of reorganizing and rearming in the south of the country, prompting the Israeli military to launch daily attacks on the area.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, more than 300 people have been killed. According to the UN, this includes more than 120 civilians.

Hezbollah is considered to have been significantly weakened since the open war with Israel.
DENVER (KDVR)  An employee for United Airlines has died after an accident at the Denver International Airport overnight Thursday into Friday.

A spokesperson for United Airlines confirmed that a facilities maintenance technician was involved in a vehicle accident at work that resulted in his death.

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Details about what vehicles were involved or how the crash happened have not been released.

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We are working with the employees family and coworkers to provide them support during this time and we are investigating the circumstances of the accident, United Airlines said in a statement.

FOX31 is working to gather more information and this article will be updated.

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 FOX31 Denver.
More than 10 million people are unemployed across Europes five largest economies as of late 2025.

As people look ahead to job opportunities in 2026, the outlook is fairly bleak in some countries, particularly the UK, according to global hiring platform Indeed.

That's despite a push from the British government to boost jobs and growth in the country, a task hindered by sluggish productivity, the Brexit fallout, and weak business investment.

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But how exactly does the UK compare to its European neighbours, and which countries have the most job openings?

Indeed has measured current job postings against the level seen on 1 February 2020, with 100 showing the number before COVID-19.

UK stands alone in negative territory

As of 28 November 2025, job postings in the UK (80.2) remain 20% below their pre-pandemic level. That's 8 percentage points lower than during the same period in 2024, when the index was at 88.3.

The UK's relative underperformance partly reflects increased employment costs and policy uncertainty, Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed told Euronews Business.

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The UK government raised employer social security contributions this year, increasing them to 15% on salaries above 5,000. That's up from a 13.8% rate on salaries above 9,100.

Adding to the burden on businesses, the UK has seen fairly large increases in the minimum wage in recent years, as well as uncertainty over the contents of the government's Employment Rights Bill.

The bill, which seeks to improve protections for workers, has been travelling back and forth between the House of Lords and the Commons as politicians fail to agree on the proposed measures.

These factors have weighed on employer confidence and acted as headwinds to hiring, particularly for low-wage jobs where costs have risen the most, Kennedy added.

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The unemployment rate reached 5.1% in the UK in the third quarter, a level previously exceeded only in early 2021.

If the economy performs at the higher end of expectations in 2026 and employer confidence recovers, that could translate into a stabilisation or even a modest rise in vacancy levels and a moderate dip in unemployment, Kennedy said.

Germany and France above pre-pandemic levels

Job postings in France (113.3) and Germany (115.6) are around 15 percentage points above their pre-pandemic levels in late November 2025.

However, compared with the same period a year earlier, the index has fallen in both countries. Germany is down by 13 points and France by 20 points.

Differences between the five countries in the posting index started to emerge in mid-2022.

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Lisa Feist, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, pointed out that Frances labour market is shaped by political and economic uncertainty, with downgraded credit ratings weighing on activity.

Due to political disagreements over how to plug the national deficit, France has seen repeated government collapses over the past year. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has now managed to secure a consensus on a social security budget for 2026, although a state budget has yet to be agreed.

This uncertainty is having a detrimental effect on consumption and investment, which in turn impacts those involved in the labour market, Feist said.

The OECD projects that real GDP or national output will grow only 0.8% in France in 2025. It forecasts growth at 1% in 2026 and 2027.

Spain continues to perform strongly

Spain (153.5) and Italy (168.1) are performing far better than the other three economies. Job postings are 54% above pre-pandemic levels in Spain and 68% higher in Italy.

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Compared with the same period in 2024, these two countries are the only ones showing an increase. Spains index rose by 13 points while Italy recorded a modest 1-point rise.

Italy's and Spain's strong performances reflect generally positive growth trends, with job postings staying elevated alongside rising labour shortages, Kennedy said.

While Spain and Italy continue to perform better in terms of job vacancies, Lisa Feist underlined that their labour markets are less tight than those in France or Germany, and Spain has a higher unemployment rate. According to Eurostat, Spain had the highest unemployment rate in the EU in October 2025 at 10.5%.

Among Europes top five economies, Spain is expected to show the strongest real GDP growth in 2025 (2.9%), 2026 (2.2%) and 2027 (1.8%).
By Nate Raymond

BOSTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has appealed a judge's ruling holding that it unlawfully terminated more than $2 billion in grants awarded to Harvard University and can no longer cut off research funding to the Ivy League school.

Lawyers with the U.S. Department of Justice filed the notice that the administration was appealing the ruling late on Thursday, close to the end of a 60-day deadline to do so. The appeal will be heard by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

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The decision in September by U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston marked a major legal victory for Harvard as it sought to cut a deal that could bring an end to the White House's multi-front conflict with the nation's oldest and richest university.

A spokesperson for Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard said in a statement that the judge's ruling had reinstated "critical research funding that advances science and life-saving medical breakthroughs."

"We remain confident in our legal position," the spokesperson said.

The administration reinstated grants and contracts previously awarded to Harvard after Burroughs' ruling, and since then the university has received the majority of the funding it was owed.

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Harvard has been a central focus of the administration's broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at U.S. universities, which Trump says are gripped by antisemitic and "radical left" ideologies.

The administration canceled hundreds of grants awarded to Harvard researchers on the grounds the school failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students on its campus, prompting Harvard to sue.

It has been seeking a settlement with Harvard, with Trump declaring that it should pay "nothing less than $500 million" as it had "been very bad." Yet no deal has emerged in the months since he said that.

The termination of Harvard's grants was one of a number of actions the Republican president's administration has taken against the university since Trump returned to office in January.

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The administration has also sought to bar international students from attending the school, though Burroughs blocked that effort as well in an earlier ruling. The administration is also appealing that decision.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Rosalba O'Brien)
Opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrate Nov. 1, 2023, ahead of a public hearing in Bismarck on the draft environmental impact statement. (Photo by Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday issued a long-awaited Dakota Access Pipeline environmental impact statement, recommending that the pipeline keep operating but with some new conditions for its Missouri River crossing in North Dakota.

The pipeline has been operating since June 2017, carrying crude oil from North Dakotas Bakken oil field to Illinois. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has opposed the project and challenged it in court, citing concerns about impacts to the tribes Missouri River water supply.

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A judge ordered the Army Corps to conduct the study in 2020 after he found the federal government unlawfully had granted an easement allowing the pipeline to pass underneath the Lake Oahe reservoir on the Missouri without taking a full account of the potential environmental impacts. The pipeline has been operating without the easement for the past five years.

More Dakota Access Pipeline coverage

The 464-page environmental impact statement evaluated five paths forward for the project. One option would allow the pipeline to continue operating with no changes, while another would add new conditions. Two options involve shutting down the pipeline, either leaving the pipe in the ground or removing it. A fifth option would reroute the pipeline north of Bismarck, requiring more permitting and new construction.

The Corps said its preferred alternative is to grant the easement, allowing the pipeline to keep operating, but with some additional conditions to make the pipeline safer. The Corps said that option protects environmental resources and responds to comments raised by Tribal Nations.

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The recommendation is not official until after a 30-day waiting period required under the National Environmental Policy Act. After that period concludes on Jan. 20, the Corps may issue a record of decision.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe said in a statement Friday the environmental impact statement does not remedy any of its concerns related to the pipeline safety or tribal sovereignty.

At every turn, our rights and the health and safety of our people and the environment are ignored, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Steve Sitting Bear said in the statement. We will continue to fight for our homelands and the promises the United States made to our Tribe in Treaty.

Pipeline developer Energy Transfer has said the pipeline has always complied with regulations. The pipeline crosses at minimum 95 feet below the riverbed of Lake Oahe.

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The Dakota Access Pipeline is built to be one of the safest, most technologically advanced pipelines in the world, a website affiliated with Energy Transfer, the pipelines developer, states.

North Dakota officials have supported the continuing operation of the pipeline. The project transports just under half of the states oil production.

After eight years of operating safely, the Dakota Access Pipeline has become an essential part of our nations energy infrastructure, Gov. Kelly Armstrong said in a Friday statement. Its continued operation will ensure energy security and affordability for the country while providing positive economic impact that touches every North Dakotan.

Added safeguards

The conditions added to the easement would mostly be the responsibility of pipeline company Dakota Access to implement. The requirements are meant to prevent an oil spill and minimize the impacts of a spill, such as implementing new leak detection technology as it becomes available and conducting groundwater monitoring and surface water sampling. The conditions would require installing groundwater monitoring wells but no other construction.

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Another safeguard is requiring Dakota Access to provide an alternate water supply in the event of an oil spill that affects Lake Oahe.

According to the Army Corps review, there have been no oil spills from the pipeline underneath Lake Oahe or anywhere else along the main pipeline route. The report states there have been 12 spills at above-ground facilities, but that all were minor and have been addressed.

The study says the Dakota Access Pipeline is less at risk for spills than the average pipeline.

The environmental impact statement included a section on environmental justice, which considered the potential effects of the pipeline on tribal sovereignty and culture, particularly for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota.

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The pipeline crosses underneath Lake Oahe less than a mile north of the Standing Rock Reservation. It passes through unceded land that was recognized as belonging to the Sioux Nation in 19th century treaties with the U.S. government.

Pipeline opponents demonstrated for months in 2016 and 2017 near the pipeline water crossing.

The Army Corps acknowledges that tribal citizens may be disproportionately affected by any negative environmental impacts of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The tribes rely on the health of Lake Oahe and surrounding natural resources for cultural and spiritual reasons, as well as for their water and food supply. Many tribal community members are more than 20 miles away from a grocery store, according to the study.

Under the Corps recommended alternative, Dakota Access would need to develop a food distribution plan for communities that rely on Lake Oahe for hunting and fishing, in the event those resources would be affected by an oil spill.

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The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe initially collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the environmental impact statement as a cooperating agency, which allowed it to have greater involvement in certain parts of the study. However, the tribe stopped participating in 2022, voicing concerns about the transparency of the pipeline companys emergency response plans, The Bismarck Tribune reported. Tribal citizens still submitted comments to the Corps.

Standing Rock in its Friday statement again criticized what it called a lack of adequate consultation by the Army Corps, and said the agency continues to withhold important information from the tribe.

The Army Corps held two meetings in Bismarck in November 2023 to collect public comment on the environmental impact statement. At the time, Corps officials said the final statement was expected in 2024.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe launched a new legal challenge to the pipeline in a lawsuit against the Army Corps in 2024. The suit was dismissed by a federal district court judge, who said the tribe could not bring the case until the environmental impact statement was finalized. The tribe has appealed that decision.

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The tribe in the lawsuit pointed to evidence of potential lost drilling fluid during the construction of the pipeline. The environmental impact states that no drilling fluid was released at the Lake Oahe crossing during construction.

The study states that shutting down the pipeline would have permanent, moderate to major adverse impacts on the local economy, including by reducing tax revenue.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota in comments submitted to the federal agency said that shuttering the Dakota Access Pipeline would cost it millions of dollars in revenue. The tribe said it relies on this funding to support public health care, child and senior programs, and public safety, among other services.

A large amount of oil produced on the Fort Berthold reservation moves on the Dakota Access pipeline, MHA Chairman Mark Fox said in a statement Friday. We are pleased that the preferred alternative is to keep the pipeline operating with additional conditions to assure safety and address concerns.

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Dakota Access developer Energy Transfer did not respond Friday to a request seeking comment.

The study notes that President Donald Trumps administration rescinded climate change and environmental justice-related federal guidance when the Corps was working on finalizing its environmental impact study. The Corps says its analyses of climate change and environmental justice impacts were left in the study to avoid delay in decision making and the significant time and resources required for document revisions.

North Dakota Monitor staff Jeff Beach, Jacob Orledge and Michael Achterling contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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By Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will appeal court rulings tossing out criminal cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, according to court filings on Friday, seeking to revive two cases against adversaries of President Donald Trump following a series of legal stumbles.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie last month dismissed both cases on the grounds that the prosecutor who brought them, Trump ally Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. Attorney for Virginia's Eastern District.

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Trump pressured the Justice Department to prosecute Comey and James as he called for retribution against officials who have criticized him or pursued investigations into him.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time the Justice Department would immediately appeal the ruling, but prosecutors first considered bringing new indictments. They encountered obstacles in both cases.

Two grand juries rejected a new indictment against James on mortgage-related charges, a rare rebuke for prosecutors.

A federal judge in Washington blocked prosecutors from using crucial evidence in the Comey probe without securing a new warrant, ruling that investigators had improperly seized records from a Comey lawyer and confidante.

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The appeal will now put the legality of Halligan's appointment and the validity of the two indictments before the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia. Prosecutors are poised to argue the original indictments should be revived.

Comey pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of making false statements and obstructing a congressional inquiry by lying in testimony before a Senate committee.

James faced charges of bank fraud and lying to a financial institution centered around allegations she misled on mortgage documents to secure better loan terms for a Norfolk, Virginia home.

Both officials denied the allegations and argued that the prosecutions were vindictive and brought only because of Trump's personal animosity.

(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone and Rosalba O'Brien)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the start of an operation to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure and weapons sites in Syria following the deaths of three U.S. citizens.

This is not the beginning of a war  it is a declaration of vengeance. The United States of America, under President Trumps leadership, will never hesitate and never relent to defend our people, he said Friday on social media.

Two Iowa National Guard members and a U.S. civilian interpreter were killed Dec. 13 in an attack in the Syrian desert that the Trump administration has blamed on the Islamic State group. The slain National Guard members were among hundreds of U.S. troops deployed in eastern Syria as part of a coalition fighting IS.

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Soon after word of the deaths, President Donald Trump pledged very serious retaliation but stressed that Syria was fighting alongside U.S. troops. Trump has said Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was extremely angry and disturbed by this attack and the shooting attack by a gunman came as the U.S. military is expanding its cooperation with Syrian security forces.

Syrian state television reported that strikes hit targets in rural areas of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces and in the Jabal al-Amour area near Palmyra. It said they targeted weapons storage sites and headquarters used by ISIS as launching points for its operations in the region.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the attack was conducted using F-15 Eagle jets, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations, said more strikes should be expected.

When asked for further information, the Pentagon referred AP to Hegseths social media post.

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White House officials noted that Trump had made clear that retaliation was coming.

President Trump told the world that the United States would retaliate for the killing of our heroes by ISIS in Syria, and he is delivering on that promise, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.

Trump this week met privately with the families of the slain Americans at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware before he joined top military officials and other dignitaries on the tarmac for the dignified transfer, a solemn and largely silent ritual honoring U.S. service members killed in action.

The guardsmen killed in Syria on Saturday were Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, according to the U.S. Army. Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Macomb, Michigan, a U.S. civilian working as an interpreter, was also killed.

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The shooting nearly a week ago near the historic city of Palmyra also wounded three other U.S. troops as well as members of Syrias security forces, and the gunman was killed. The assailant had joined Syrias internal security forces as a base security guard two months ago and recently was reassigned because of suspicions that he might be affiliated with IS, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba has said.

The man stormed a meeting between U.S. and Syrian security officials who were having lunch together and opened fire after clashing with Syrian guards.

Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed.
By Stephen Nellis

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A group of nine U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging the Pentagon to add a slew of Chinese technology firms to a list of entities allegedly assisting the Chinese military.

The letter, sent late on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $1 trillion must-pass military spending bill into law, asks Hegseth to place AI firm DeepSeek, smartphone maker Xiaomi and electronic display maker BOE Technology Group on what is known as the Section 1260H list.

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That list includes major Chinese firms such as Tencent Holdings, one of China's largest tech companies, and CATL, a major battery maker in the electric vehicle industry.

While the 1260H list does not formally impose sanctions on Chinese firms, it sends a message to suppliers to the Pentagon and other U.S. government agencies about the U.S. military's opinion of the firms, some of which have sued the U.S. over their inclusion.

In a statement, Xiaomi said there was no basis for putting it on the 1260H list.

"Xiaomi is not a Chinese military company nor is it affiliated with any Chinese military entities," its statement said. "The Company has always been and continues to be a consumer products company. It provides products and services for civilian and commercial use only."

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Reuters in June reported a senior U.S. official had said DeepSeek aided China's military and evaded U.S. export controls. BOE, a supplier to iPhone maker Apple, was also among a number of Chinese display firms that the U.S. lawmakers are asking the Pentagon to strip from its supply chain by 2030.

The lawmakers - all Republicans and several of them the heads of key congressional committees - recommended also adding WuXi AppTec, GenScript Group, RoboSense, Livox, Unitree Robotics, CloudMinds, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Shennan Circuit Co and Kingsemi Co.

The lawmakers signing the letter were Senator Rick Scott of Florida and Representatives John Moolenaar of Michigan, Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Rob Wittman of Virginia, Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Darin LaHood of Illinois and Andy Ogles of Tennessee.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco, Editing by William Maclean)
We recently published 12 Stocks on Jim Cramers Radar. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer's radar.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Its shares are flat year-to-date and would have been lower had it not been for a run that started on November 3rd. During this time period, Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) has benefited from several catalysts, which include optimistic data about its heart drug called Winrevair. On November 18th, the firm announced that phase two trials for the drug had been successful to allow it to proceed with a phase three study. Drugs such as Winrevair are important for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) due to the success of its cancer drug Keytruda. With Keytrudas patents set to expire soon, new drugs improve the firms chances of sustaining its revenue.

Merck (MRK)'s CEO Has a "Better Hand," Says Jim Cramer

Positive news about the drug pipeline has also been accompanied by analyst optimism. For instance, Bank of America raised Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)s share price target to $120 from $105 and kept a Buy rating on the stock on December 15th. The note outlined that the bank was basing its target on a new estimate of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)s FY27 EPS. Yet, while BofA has a Buy rating, Morgan Stanley reiterated its Equal Weight rating and raised the share price target to $102 from $100 on December 12th. Cramer discussed Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) after he discussed Pfizers latest guidance figures. Despite the recent strong performance, he believes the shares can go higher:

I think Merck, on the other hand, Rob Davis, has a better hand. Stocks going higher.

While we acknowledge the potential of MRK as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.
Congress is haggling over appropriation bills this week for federal departments like the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior. Those bills create annual budgets, but also include a variety of language that can have significant effects as they become law.

Which is why there was some uproar this week when Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, proposed an amendment to the Interiors 2026 appropriation bill that would strike language stipulating that all National Park Service land remain as part of the park service.

The Department of the Interior shall maintain all federal lands designated as, or as a part of, a national park unit, a national scenic or national historic trail, or a wild and scenic river as of May 2, 2025 as federal land, and continue to operate such ... as an entity of the National Park Service, reads Section 130 added by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

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Lees amendment would have stripped that section from the bill. But after two days of consideration and misconceptions, he removed the amendment late Thursday  allowing Collins language to stand  so that the bill had more time to be considered and colleagues concerns could be addressed.

Lees office said that the absolute terms of all land in the park service staying under its control is impractical for Congress and the Interior Department to do their jobs.

It would restrict the agencys ability to implement legislation like routine land swaps between agencies that Congress  specifically the Energy and Natural Resource Committee  appraises all the time, according to the senators office.

This amendment resolves an error that interfered with bills routinely considered by the (Energy and Natural Resources) Committee, a Lee spokesperson told the Deseret News in a statement Wednesday, before deciding to pull the amendment and let the bill stand.

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The Interior sent a request from the National Park Service to the Senate that asked for the section to be removed from the bill. The letter outlined more than 20 different completed and proposed land exchanges or boundary alterations  from Acadia National Park through Theodore Roosevelt National Park  that it would prohibit if included.

The language, as currently written, lacks precision ... This ambiguity could lead to confusion about management responsibilities, reads the National Park Service letter.

Committee chairman Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on Capitol Hill, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Washington. | Mark Schiefelbein

Interior flagged that Section 130 would permanently freeze park service boundaries, blocking routine land exchanges Congress has long approved, such as past legislation returning sacred lands near Denali to the Doyon Alaska Native Corporation, wrote a spokesperson for Lee following the decision to let Section 130 stand. That was the concern.

Several conservation groups, however, interpreted striking the section as part of a larger attempt to dispose of  an old legal term referring to transferring ownership or getting rid of something  public lands.

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This is a blatant and tone-deaf attack on Americas public lands. With this amendment, Mike Lee is telling President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that even our national parks can be sold to the highest bidder, Aaron Weiss, the deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, said in a statement. Our parks are the legacy that we pass along to our kids and grandkids, not lines on a balance sheet.

There is no language in the bill suggesting the Interior sell national park lands  or other public lands; Section 130 does prevent park service lands from being transferred to states. As much of the conservation community has lingering concerns over the potential for federal land to lose its protections, Lees amendment set off alarm bells.

Lees office clearly challenged the implication and reiterated Thursday that the senator categorically oppose(s) selling national parks, and that selling national parks was never on the table.

The Department of the Interior has no authority to sell national parks, and nothing in this amendment would create such authority, Lees spokesperson said Wednesday. Sen. Lee opposes the sale of national parks.

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Though it does often make changes to boundaries and land swaps, the Interior Department cannot sell national park lands without congressional oversight.

Senator Mike Lee is not trying to sell Park Service lands or end the Park Service as we know it. Those who are claiming that should know better and need to knock it off. He filed an amendment to strike a well-meaning provision of the Interior Appropriations bill that would have  Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) December 18, 2025

Why were the conservationists concerned?

This past May, the White House submitted a budget request seeking to reduce the National Park Services funding by $900 million. The reason cited was that the service included many sites that are not national parks, in the traditionally understood sense ... and are better categorized and managed as state-level parks.

The White House suggested that there is an urgent need to ... transfer certain properties to state-level management.

At the time, some estimates found that more than 300 properties would need to close or be transferred to different entities to cut nearly a billion dollars from the park service budget. As such, those lands could not continue to operate ... as an entity of the National Park Service, as the language that Collins added to the spending bill stipulated.

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The Center for Western Priorities and the National Parks Conservation Association both suggested that the budget request and the implication that some NPS properties would be transferred to state ownership was the reason why amendment was added by Collins in the first place.

Burgum has said at several congressional hearings over the past year that public lands are Americas greatest asset. And, as the largest balance sheet in the world, theyre not bringing in enough of a return on the investment to American citizens. In House committee hearings, Burgum said that transferring smaller parks service units to state management was an idea that was still under consideration and had not yet been brought to any potential units or states.

Lees office said that any such changes have not yet come up.

Can the Interior move properties from the National Park Service?

Land swaps between land agencies are not uncommon and there are currently at least 22 such actions pending or completed this year. Many are minor in nature such as one in San Francisco. There was a land swap completed between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service that facilitated moving the administrative offices of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

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There are also others that still require congressional action. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is working on a bill called the Chugach Alaska Land Exchange and Oil Spill Recovery Act to swap park service land with private land owned by the Chugach Alaska Corp., a Native American community-owned company with a variety of Alaskan interests.

Now that Section 130 is still in the bill for now, such considerations are going to have to be made in light of the appropriation bills new language or a work-around found by the Senate.

It remains that the Interior Department has no role to change the boundaries of national parks. If it were legally allowed to do so, it could remove some of Congress workload in terms of navigating the backlog of potential land swaps that are considered every year, but those changes still require an act of Congress.

Ultimately, however, the Senate chose not to take up the appropriations package Thursday, which included the one for the Interior. The bill did not have a chance to be fully considered, and misconceptions about the effect of the amendment existed beyond just the outspoken concerns of conservationists.

That confusion demanded more time to address any concerns and to find better terms to both protect national parks and get out of the way of the routine work of both the Energy and Natural Resources committees and the Interior.
Utahs court system is still planning to end public parking at one of its busiest courthouses in 2026, but officials are making a temporary exception.

Public parking will no longer be allowed at the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse parking garage, 450 S. State in Salt Lake City, beginning on Jan. 1. However, that will not immediately apply to visitors with either a valid disability placard or license plate, Utah State Courts officials wrote in an update on Wednesday.

Those patrons should be aware that access will be subject to increased security screening and should plan additional time when traveling to the courthouse, the agency added.

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Officials said they still plan to close off all public parking at the courthouse in the future, but the final date for parking spots for people with a valid disability placard will be determined at a later time.

Utah State Court officials announced the planned closure last month, citing an effort to enhance courthouse safety and security. The closure doesnt apply to jurors, as well as other court users and staff.

The goal is to ensure that access occurs in a way that maximizes safety for everyone in the courthouse, said Chris Palmer, Utah State Courts director of security.

Visitors are urged to use street parking or parking at nearby buildings, or take transit to reach the courthouse, as its located within a free-fare zone.
Voters prefer moderate candidates over both progressive and MAGA contenders for the next presidential race, according to a new Emerson College Polling survey.

In a hypothetical 2028 match-up against a progressive Democrat, voters sided with a moderate Republican by roughly 12 points. A moderate Democrat, on the other hand, won a showdown against a MAGA Republican by 9 points.

It is clear that a moderate candidate on both the Democratic and Republican side has appeal toward independent voters that a label of progressive or MAGA does not appeal to: the moderate Democrat has a 17-point advantage over the MAGA Republican and the moderate Republican has an 18-point advantage over the progressive Democrat, said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.

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In another test between a progressive Democrat and a MAGA Republican, the Democrat eked out a 1-point win. And in a hypothetical race between moderates of both parties, the Republican had a 5-point advantage.

The poll results come as both major parties grapple with competing visions ahead of next years high-stakes midterms.

Moderate Democrats won big in New Jersey and Virginia off-year gubernatorial elections this fall, while progressives scored a major win in New York Citys mayoral race.

And other recent polling has suggested Trump has lost some ground among his MAGA base, raising questions about where those voters might turn in 2026 and 2028.

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The Emerson College Polling national survey was conducted Dec. 14-15 among 1,000 U.S. active registered voters. It has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

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.
A Waco justice of the peace who refused to marry same-sex couples filed a federal lawsuit Friday that asks the courts to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 Supreme Court decision that recognized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The case, filed by Judge Dianne Hensley against the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, asserts that the Obergefell ruling was unconstitutional because it subordinat[ed] state law to the policy preferences of unelected judges. Hensley is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, a conservative attorney best known as the architect of Texas 2021 abortion ban that skirted around the legal protections of Roe v. Wade.

The federal judiciary has no authority to recognize or invent fundamental constitutional rights, Mitchell wrote.

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In November, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a similar case from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk.

While Mitchell acknowledged that a lower court does not have the authority to overturn a Supreme Court precedent, he indicated in the filing that he was introducing this argument now with the hopes of the case eventually reaching the high court.

Hensleys case goes back to 2015, soon after the Supreme Courts decision, when she opted to stop performing marriages due to her religious opposition to same-sex marriage. The next year, she resumed performing marriages for opposite-sex couples and began referring same-sex couples to other officiants.

In 2018, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct opened an inquiry and in 2019, Hensley received a public warning for violating a canon of judicial conduct, which prohibits judges from doing things outside their judicial role that would cast doubt on their ability to act impartially.

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She sued in state court, and last year, after the Texas Supreme Court allowed her case to go forward, the judicial conduct commission withdrew its previous warning.

Meanwhile, another judge sued, seeking assurances that he would not be penalized for marrying only opposite-sex couples. Earlier this year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived that case and sent it back to the Texas Supreme Court to get clarity on the state law.

In response, the Texas Supreme Court amended the judicial canon that had been used to discipline Hensley, adding as a comment that it is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct  Texas judicial oversight body  said in a filing earlier this month that this comment does not amount to permission for judges to perform weddings for opposite-sex couples but not same-sex couples.

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The comment only gives a judge the authority to opt out of officiating due to a sincere religious belief, but does not say that a judge can, at the same time, welcome to her chambers heterosexual couples for whom she willingly offers to conduct marriage ceremonies, lawyers for the commission wrote.

Lawyers for the commission did not respond to a request for comment.

Mitchell said in the new lawsuit, filed in federal court in Waco, that this astounding position leaves Hensley at the same risk of discipline that she faced in 2016. The lawsuit asks the judge to block the commission from investigating and disciplining Hensley and declare that the commissioners have violated her constitutional rights.

And, Mitchell wrote, the courts should take this opportunity to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges and throw the question of same-sex marriage back to the states, as they did with abortion in the Dobbs case.

The Commissions bullying of Judge Hensley and its menacing behavior toward other Christian judges is the direct result of the Supreme Courts pronouncement in Obergefell that homosexual marriage is a constitutional right, Mitchell wrote. There is nothing in the language of the Constitution that even remotely suggests that homosexual marriage is a constitutional right.
A 33-year-old Wahiawa man was sentenced in Circuit Court Wednesday to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of two foster children under the age of 14 that took place over several years in the home of his mother and with her knowledge.

Bryson Joshua Mahoe pleaded guilty on Sept. 30 to two counts of continuous sexual assault of minors, a Class A felony, and one count of third-degree promotion of child abuse.

These crimes represent a profound violation of trust and cause lifelong harm to children,  Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said in a news release today. These children showed remarkable bravery in reporting the incident and working with law enforcement and our office to hold the defendant accountable.

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Mahoe had entered into a plea deal with prosecutors that included a 20-year prison term and the dismissal of two counts of first-degree promotion of child abuse.

On July 30, a Circuit Court jury in Honolulu found his 55-year-old mother, Dorothy Mahoe, guilty of four counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of persistent nonsupport.

The evidence showed Dorothy Mahoe physically abused and neglected all four siblings, including leaving them locked in a room for extended periods without food or water, the Honolulu Prosecutors Office said in the release. She was also aware that her son committed sexual assaults and did nothing to protect the children, it said.

The Family Court judge granted the Honolulu Prosecutors request for consecutive terms, sentencing Dorothy Mahoe on Nov. 17 to four years in prison.

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The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has recognized Samuel Watson Elementary School for surpassing pre-pandemic student achievement levels in MCAS math and literacy, according to a community announcement.

The recognition comes after Watsons exit from underperforming status in November 2023 and highlights the schools continued academic growth. A leadership team from Watson Elementary was invited to participate and present at the Celebrating Academic Success Conference, a statewide event honoring schools with notable MCAS gains.

Watson Elementary was among 94 schools out of approximately 1,500 statewide serving grades 3-8 whose student achievement data in MCAS math and literacy has met or exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

Karen Wood was appointed as the new principal for Samuel Watson Elementary School in Fall River.

This recognition is a powerful affirmation of the sustained work happening at Watson Elementary, Superintendent Tracy Curley said. The schools progress reflects a deep commitment to student-centered learning, strong instructional leadership, and a culture where both students and educators are supported to grow.

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Since 2021, Watson Elementary has increased its accountability percentile from the 6 in 2021 to 21 in 2025. This growth has been driven by several instructional and cultural shifts, including a strong sense of belonging and community, with social-emotional learning embedded throughout the school day. The Professional Learning Community model has been redefined, shifting from a focus on weekly lesson plans to deep learning internalization. Strategic academic investments, including meaningful data conversations, have empowered students to take ownership of their learning paths.

Our school has truly created a culture of achievement, where our students feel connected, supported, and challenged, Watson Principal Karen Wood said. Our team is proud of the progress our students have made, and we remain focused on building upon this momentum to ensure continued success for every learner.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's recognition highlights Fall River Public Schools commitment to sustained academic improvement and equitable outcomes for all students.

This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Watson Elementary earns state recognition for MCAS rebound
The fatal shooting of a Salvation Army bell ringer Thursday evening outside a Kroger grocery store in Westland is under investigation, with police saying late Friday morning that a suspect had been arrested.

The suspect's identity, police said, was being withheld until his arraignment.

But police said the shooting was "not a random occurrence," and that the victim and suspect knew each other prior to this incident." Authorities did not disclose additional details about how the two men were connected  or offer a motive.

Victim was Salvation Army bell ringer

"I want to offer my condolences to the family," Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman told the Free Press on Friday, confirming that the victim was a volunteer Salvation Army bell ringer. Coleman added the shooting was "not a normal thing around here."

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The mayor said he expected police also would release details about the man who was shot.

Westland's Kroger, on Ford Road.

Police said when officers arrived at the Kroger at 36430 Ford Road at about 6:10 p.m. Dec. 18., the victim had been shot several times and died, despite the lifesaving measures that were taken, in the store.

The suspect got away, police said. But he was caught early Friday.

After the shooting on Thursday, Westland City Council President Mike McDermott in a statement posted to social media urged residents to "be safe" and "avoid the Kroger location" so police could "do their job and investigate the scene."

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The store, a worker confirmed to the Free Press, was open Friday.

Both Kroger and the Salvation Army also released statements to the news media that expressed sympathy for the victim, but offered few details, saying mostly they were cooperating with the active police investigation.

The supermarket chain said it was "deeply saddened by the incident," but "to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation," it wasn't releasing details, and instead directed questions to Westland police.

In October, a man was stabbed and killed at the Southgate Kroger in what the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office ruled was self-defense. Authorities said the scuffle in that case was over a woman, with the victim and the defendant having never met in person.

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Salvation Army Red Kettles have long been a way to give loose change or a few dollars to the less fortunate at Christmastime. The practice was inspired by charitable pots in England and dates to the late 1800s.

In recent years, the kettles also have become places where mystery donors have, on rare occasions, deposited valuable coins worth thousands of dollars.

The Free Press left a message with the Salvation Army.

More: How much is one ring worth after gold prices soared in 2025?

For years, a donor slipped a gold Krugerrand into a kettle in St. Clair Shores. This week, someone dropped one worth an estimated $4,300 into a kettle on Ford Road in Canton.

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In its public statement, the Salvation Army called the shooting a "tragic incident," and added the charitable organization sought to "lift up in prayer all who are affected, especially the individual involved, their loved ones and the Westland community."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Salvation Army bell ringer killed outside Kroger store in Westland
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump ordered the green card lottery be suspended Friday after it was revealed the Portuguese suspect in the Brown University shooting, in which two students were killed, entered the United States via the program.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a post on X, said the so-called diversity lottery immigrant visa scheme had been paused at the direction of Trump "to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program."

Noem said the suspect, 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, came to the United States through the DV1 program in 2017 and was granted a green card.

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"This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country," she said.

Noem said she had instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials to discontinue the DV1 program, with immediate effect.

The scheme allocates as many as 50,000 visas a year to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration, selecting them randomly in a lottery-style draw.

The move came just hours after Neves Valente was found dead Thursday night in a storage unit in Salem, N.H., from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot, bringing to an end a massive five-day manhunt involving federal, state and local law enforcement.

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The Brown graduate school dropout opened fire inside the university's engineering faculty auditorium, killing Ella Cook, 19, of Birmingham, Ala., and Uzbek-American Muhammad Aziz Umurzakov, 18, and injuring nine others before making his escape.

Neves Valente is also the main suspect in Monday's fatal shooting of Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro, who was also Portuguese-born, at his suburban Boston home two days after the attack at Brown in Providence, R.I.

Loureiro and Neves Valenta were students at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s.

Noem noted that Trump had first attempted to revoke the scheme after a 2017 ISIS terror attack in New York in which a man who entered the United States from Uzbekistan under the DV1 program seven years previously used a rented truck to murder eight people.

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Sayfullo Saipov was sentenced to eight life terms for murder in May 2023 plus 260 years for 18 attempted murders, after being convicted in a trial in January 2023 in which the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on sentencing him to death.

Since re-entering the White House for his second term in January, Trump has made several efforts to restrict entry by immigrants and foreign nationals, many of whom he claims are criminals, militants, or mentally ill, most recently a Nov. 28 travel ban on all "Third World Countries" after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The federal jury delivered a mixed verdict on Hannah Dugan, convicting her of obstructing a federal proceeding and acquitting her of concealing a person from arrest.

A Wisconsin judge was found guilty on Thursday of helping a migrant evade a planned immigration arrest outside her courtroom, a U.S. Justice Department official said, a victory for President Donald Trumps administration in its effort to deter interference with its hardline immigration tactics.

The federal jury delivered a mixed verdict on Hannah Dugan, 66, an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, acquitting her of one of the two charges she faced. She was convicted of obstructing a federal proceeding and cleared of a lesser charge accusing her of concealing a person from arrest, according to media reports.

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Dugan had pleaded not guilty. A spokesperson for her legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account - even those who wear robes," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a social media post.

The unusual case put a judge on trial for actions she took in her courtroom while overseeing cases and reflects tensions over the Trump administrations use of courthouses to stage arrests byImmigration and Customs Enforcement.

The prosecution stemmed from a directive by the Justice Department ordering prosecutors to pursue cases of alleged obstruction of ICE enforcement by local activists and officials resisting Trumps drive for mass deportations.

Masked law enforcement officers, including HSI and ICE agents, walk into an immigration court in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., May 21, 2025. (credit: REUTERS)

Prosecutors alleged that Dugan intended to help a migrant from Mexico, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, escape an immigration arrest when he was scheduled to appear before her on domestic violence charges. They said she diverted federal agents and escorted the man and his attorney out of a non-public exit of her courtroom.

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"She was focused on orchestrating Flores-Ruiz's escape," prosecutor Keith Alexander said in court. "She knew what she was doing. She did it anyway."

Dugan's lawyers had argued that she was following a policy directing staff to alert a supervisor to ICE's presence in the courthouse. They argued that the incident took place at a time of confusion and uncertainty following two prior ICE arrests in the courthouse.

"All she did was send him out into the hallway with his lawyer," Dugan's lawyer, Steven Biskupic, told the jury during the trial.

ICE agents planned arrest outside courtroom

Agents from ICE and other agencies, dressed in plainclothes, planned to arrest the man in a hallway outside Dugan's courtroom following his hearing.

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Dugan angrily confronted the agents and directed them to the chief judge's office after learning that ICE was present, according to witness testimony in the case. She then dealt privately with Flores-Ruiz's case and directed the man and his attorney through a private "jury door," prosecutors alleged.

Flores-Ruiz walked through a public hallway and was arrested outside the courthouse following a brief foot chase.

Dugan was first elected as a county judge in 2016, and before that served as head of the local branch of Catholic Charities, which provides refugee resettlement programs, among other services.

She spent much of her early career as a lawyer at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, which serves poor people.

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Justice Department officials touted the case as an example of prosecutors' willingness to pursue powerful public officials. The Trump administration has escalated immigration enforcement at state and local courthouses, viewing them as a reliable and safe venue to make arrests.

Activists and some judges have criticized those efforts, arguing the presence of ICE agents undermines trust in the legal system and could dissuade people from seeking justice.
A federal womens prison that shut down in 2024 due to rampant ****** abuse could possibly reopen as an immigration detention facility under the Trump administration.

Hundreds of women alleged they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by prison staff at FCI Dublin, a northern California facility so notorious for ****** violence it was dubbed the rape club. Ten prison guards, including the warden and chaplain, were charged with sexually abusing inmates. The majority have been convicted or pleaded guilty.

Politics: Gov. Newsom Warns European Leaders That Trump Is Playing Them For Fools: 'He's A T-Rex'

Dozens of those women were specificallysubjected to ****** assault because of their immigration status. A federal criminal investigation revealed that prison guards explicitly target[ed] immigrant women for abuse, leveraging the threat of deportation, according to a class action lawsuit filed by more than 100 women who were formerly incarcerated at FCI Dublin. The U.S. government later paid out a $116 million settlement in the suit.

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Guards allegedly looked at womens files to find out if they were undocumented, promised to help with citizenship if they did ****** favors, or threatened to alert U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement if they reported the abuse.

The site  which has also been plagued with such dangerous conditions as asbestos, black mold and water contamination  could reopen as a detention center for immigrants, as part of President Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda.

The federal Bureau of Prisons is divesting itself of FCI Dublin and transferring it to the U.S. General Services Administration, according to a letter BOP sent to the Dublin City Council on Dec. 10. Effectively, BOP is washing their hands of the facility and the surrounding 87-acre property, and is handing it over to the administration, which can reassign it to another agency like DHS.

Politics: Donald Trumps Incoherent Marathon Presser Goes Viral For All The Wrong Reasons

Its the first concrete move weve seen in a while where BOP is potentially making the first step toward transferring the property into the hands of DHS, Susan Beaty, an immigration attorney who has worked with hundreds of FCI Dublin victims, told HuffPost.

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A BOP spokesperson told HuffPost in July that FCI Dublin remained under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, and there were no plans to reopen it. But now, the Trump administration, which has made an all-out assault on immigrant communities its top priority, can do whatever it wants with FCI Dublin.

A DHS spokesperson told HuffPost this week that the agency has nothing to announce about new detention facilities for illegal aliens at this time. The White House referred HuffPost to DHS when reached for comment.

ICE toured FCI Dublin in February, less than three months after the prison had shut down due to widespread ****** violence and structural, environmental hazards.

A view of the Federal Correctional Institution at Dublin in Dublin, California, on Feb. 14, 2025. Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

Using defunct federal prisons to aid ICE is not a new tactic for the Trump administration. The federal government has converted 16 shuttered prisons across a dozen states into ICE detention centers, NPR reported this week.

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ICE has been aggressively looking to add a new detention center in Northern California since the agency currently has no facilities in the area. Dublin  about 45 minutes east of San Francisco  would be a prime location for DHS, which tends to create ICE hubs near city centers.

Politics: 'Have A Backbone': Gavin Newsom Slaughters European Leaders' 'Pathetic' Attitude Toward Trump

Beatriz, a survivor of ****** abuse at FCI Dublin who has since been deported, previously articulated how stressful it would be to have to go back to the prison. She talked about the anxiety and panic attacks she struggles with after her time at FCI Dublin, and how her kids still dont know what happened to her there. Although the staff would likely be different if the facility reopened under ICE, it would still be deeply concerning to see the crumbling building repurposed.

Imagine, if I get sent back to Dublin but now for immigration? Beatriz, who is being identified by a pseudonym to protect her privacy, told HuffPost in July from an ICE detention center in Miami. After everything that I went through at that place its terrifying.

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Beatriz was incarcerated for over a decade at the California prison where she says a prison guard sexually abused her for years using her immigration status. Beatriz was deported back to Mexico  a country she hadnt seen in nearly 35 years  shortly after speaking with HuffPost. Her three adult children and several grandkids live in the U.S.

The unsafe living conditions at FCI Dublin pose at least one hurdle if the federal government pursues reopening the shuttered prison. The former director of BOP testified under oath that the facility was structurally unsafe and needed tens of millions in repairs to become habitable. BOP announced in its letter that it will conduct an environmental assessment on the facility before handing it back to GSA.

Immigration advocates, FCI Dublin survivors and Dublin residents are still deeply concerned. There have been ongoing protests outside of the closed federal facility, and over 8,300 people signed a petition to block the shuttered prison from reopening as a detention center.

Politics: Democrats Urge Trump Administration To Stop ICE Arrests Of Pregnant Women

Our community would be a better and safer place if this facility were simply demolished, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), a leading advocate for the survivors of FCI Dublin, told HuffPost.

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The Dublin City Council unanimously passed a largely symbolic resolution on Tuesday, voting against the reopening or repurposing of the closed womens prison. Nearly 40 people spoke in opposition to the reopening of FCI Dublin during the public comment portion of the council meeting.

Im afraid for a future where our neighbors are afraid to go outside, where my childrens classmates are kept home from school to avoid masked federal agents snatching them or their loved ones up without due process, a Dublin resident and mother of two said. It feels dystopian to even express this fear to electeds [sic] in an American council chamber. Yet, here we are.

Research shows that immigration arrests are higher in areas with detention centers. An 850-bed facility, roughly the size of FCI Dublin, would result in a 6.4 times higher rate of ICE arrests of residents, Stacy Suh, the program director at Detention Watch Network, noted during the city council meeting.

Politics: Democrats Support Bill That Would Give ICE $10 Billion

Many of the women who came forward about ****** abuse at FCI Dublin, worked with federal investigators and testified in court against their abusers  only for the U.S. government to swiftly detain and deport them as soon as they got out of prison.

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Two survivors who worked with federal officials to build a case against former FCI Dublin guard Darrell Wayne Smith were later detained and deported, Beaty told HuffPost. Two others who testified against Smith are currently facing deportation. Smith allegedly leveraged prisoners immigration statuses to perpetrate ****** violence and was charged with 15 counts of ****** abuse of five prisoners  the most counts of the nine other prison guards.

After being deported, the U.S. government subpoenaed the survivors to testify in Smiths federal trial, forcing two of them to travel back to the U.S. after Smiths first trial ended in a deadlocked jury. His second trial also resulted in a deadlocked jury. Federal prosecutors dismissed all charges against Smith in November.

The federal government could have offered these women a U visa, which was created to encourage victims to report crimes without the threat of deportation. Instead, the government chose not to protect the majority of immigrant survivors who came forward about the rampant ****** abuse at FCI Dublin.

FCI Dublin is a toxic and decaying facility, and a symbol of ****** violence against incarcerated and immigrant women, Beaty said. Survivors of FCI Dublin staff abuse fought for years to hold the federal government accountable and shut down the facility Reopening the notorious Dublin prison to incarcerate immigrants would be an affront to these survivors, and would only perpetuate abuse.

Related...

Read the original on HuffPost
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish President Karol Nawrocki discussed mutual concerns during a private meeting in Warsaw on Friday.

The meeting was the first between the two European leaders since Nawrocki was inaugurated as Poland's new president on Aug. 6, and they discussed security matters largely involving Russia, along with economic concerns and historical issues, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Zelensky said the meeting was the start of a new chapter for the relationship between the two nations and is "bad news for Russia."

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"I very much hope that this visit opens a new and even more substantial chapter in our relations -- the relations between Ukraine and Poland, the relations not merely of neighbors, but of two European pillars without which there will simply be no freedom in our part of Europe, because there will be no security," Zelensky told media afterward during a joint press conference.

"Russia wants discord, wants to destroy and dismantle such a strong alliance -- the alliance of two peoples of many generations of Ukraine and Poland," Zelensky said. "We will not allow them to do this."

He said Ukrainian and Polish independence deters Russian aggression in Eastern Europe but warned that Russia would continue into Poland if Ukraine were to fall amid the nearly four-year war there that began when Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

Nawrocki said Poland has supported Ukraine during the war and might exchange MiG-29 fighters in return for Ukrainian drone technology.

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Poland's president has criticized Ukraine's desire to join the European Union and NATO, both of which Poland is a member state.

The two presidents also discussed the Volyn massacres of 1943-1944, during which Ukrainian Insurgent Army members killed tens of thousands of Poles in Nazi-occupied territory in western Ukraine.

Retaliatory attacks caused the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians, and the historical conflict remains a source of tension between Polish and Ukrainian leaders.

The meeting between the two presidents followed Zelensky's trip to Belgium, where he met with European Union leaders in Brussels and secured a $105.5 billion, interest-free loan for Ukraine.

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The loan is in place of allocating funds to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets, which EU leaders considered but declined after failing to reach a consensus.

Zelensky said the loaned money will either help fund Ukraine's defense against Russia or support rebuilding the nation if Russia agrees to a peace deal and ends its aggression, The Independent reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday described the billions in further aid approved by the European Union as a "great victory" for his country.

The approval of these funds is positive news for the Ukrainian people and at the same time a signal to Russia that a continuation of the war is not worthwhile, Zelensky said in Warsaw after his meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

After months of negotiations, the EU states reached a compromise last night on financing Ukraine for the next two years.

Kiev will receive an interest-free loan of 90 billion ($105.5 billion) from the EU. If Russia does not pay compensation for the damage that the war has done to Ukraine, Russian assets frozen in the EU will be used for repayment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signalled a willingness to reach out to Poland in the dispute over a dark chapter in the shared history of both countries.

Ukraine is ready to expedite the exhumation of Polish victims of the Volhynia massacres at the end of World War II, Zelensky said in Warsaw on Friday after a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki.

The remarks refer to ethnic expulsions and massacres in the 1943-45 period, primarily in the Volhynia region, previously Polish and now part of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army murdered up to 100,000 Poles at the time, hoping to underpin the Ukrainian claim to the territory by rising up against the German occupiers and eliminating the civilian Polish population.

Handling of WWII atrocities strain on relations

Ukraine only allowed excavations to search for the victims a few months ago. Exhumations have begun at two locations.

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However, progress is slow, which Ukraine blames on the difficult conditions in light of the ongoing Russian invasion.

The issue has long been a strain between Warsaw and Kiev.

Poland, a member of both the EU and NATO, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 and has taken in almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees.

Nawrocki, a national conservative and opponent of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has repeatedly demanded more gratitude and willingness to compromise from Ukraine.

A historian by profession, Nawrocki expressed satisfaction. He said he was convinced after the conversation with Zelensky that all bureaucratic and legal issues, which had previously been obstacles to resolving the consequences of the World War II massacres, would be cleared away.

Zelensky thanked the Poles emphatically for their military assistance and for taking in the refugees. "Poland has always supported us, has always been by our side," he said. For this, Ukraine will always be grateful, he added.
The Justice Department on Tuesday released thousands of new documents related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after acknowledging that its initial release of heavily redacted material last week was incomplete.

The latest batch contains numerous references to Donald Trump, the current president, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. Trump has said he had a falling out with Epstein, and authorities have not accused Trump of any criminal wrongdoing in the case.

Documents posted by the DOJ on Tuesday include an email from a federal prosecutor in New York who states that Trump was listed as a passenger on Epsteins private plane at least eight times between 1993 and 1996.

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In a statement posted to X, the Justice Department said that some of the documents posted Tuesday contain untrue and sensationalist claims against Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.

To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already, the DOJ said. Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the DOJ is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epsteins victims.

How we got here

After months of opposing it, Trump on Nov. 19 reluctantly signed into law a bill that required the DOJ to release all of its Epstein files within 30 days.

On Dec. 19, an Epstein Library containing publicly downloadable files sorted into multiple categories appeared on the DOJs website. Visitors initially encountered a waiting-room-type queue akin to what concertgoers see when they attempt to purchase tickets online.

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In a statement, the White House said that the release shows how the current administration is the most transparent in history.

But many of the files  which included photos, call logs, grand jury testimony and interview transcripts  were heavily redacted. And according to the Associated Press, at least some have already been in the public domain.

In a letter to Congress, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ had identified 1,200 Epstein victims or relatives of victims and that it had redacted or withheld any materials that could reveal their identities. Blanche added that the departments privacy review would continue and that the process would be complete by the end of this year  at which time the rest of the files would be released.

They promised to release the files. They havent done it, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California argued in a television interview. They could have been completely ready for this moment, and theyre not, or theyre just simply willfully withholding the materials.

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Epstein has long been the focus of unfounded conspiracy theories that claim the disgraced financier  who was found dead in his jail cell in Manhattan in August 2019 after his indictment on federal sex trafficking charges  was actually murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret client list.

Now that at least some of DOJs investigative documents have been released, reporters, operatives and internet sleuths will start digging for dramatic revelations.

But we already know plenty about Epsteins sordid past and high-profile connections. Plus the new law has some important loopholes that could limit what comes out.

Speaking to Fox News on Dec. 19, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said to expect several hundred thousand documents by the end of the day, followed by several hundred thousand more over the next couple weeks.

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What were doing is we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce, making sure that every victim, their name, their identity, their story, to the extent it needs to be protected, is completely protected, Blanche explained.

So will the release of the so-called Epstein files actually reveal anything new? Heres what you need to know to make sense of this long-awaited moment.

Why is this happening now?

Trump had long opposed efforts to release the full Epstein files, lashing out at supporters for their interest in what he repeatedly referred to as a Democrat hoax.

But when four House Republicans  Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado  signaled last month that they would join with House Democrats to force a floor vote, the president suddenly reversed course, writing on his Truth Social network that House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide.

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I DONT CARE! Trump added.

On Nov. 18, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan measure known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The vote was near-unanimous: 427 to 1. A few hours later, the Senate agreed to pass the bill by unanimous consent, a procedure that allows legislation to proceed to the presidents desk without a formal vote as long as no senator objects on the floor.

The text of the law is clear: Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall  make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice  that relate to Jeffrey Epstein, including all investigations, prosecutions, or custodial matters.

So Attorney General Pam Bondi had until Dec. 19 to comply.

What do the Epstein files actually consist of?

Blanche said to expect documents to come in in all different forms: photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr. Epstein.

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Beyond the investigative, prosecutorial and custodial documents referenced above, the law specifies eight additional categories of material that the DOJ had to release by Friday. To quote the law itself, that means anything in the departments possession that relates to:

Ghislaine Maxwell [the Epstein partner and accomplice who was convicted of related crimes and is serving a 20-year prison sentence]

Flight logs or travel records, including but not limited to manifests, itineraries, pilot records, and customs or immigration documentation, for any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity.

Individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epsteins criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigatory proceedings.

Entities (corporate, nonprofit, academic, or governmental) with known or alleged ties to Epsteins trafficking or financial networks.

Any immunity deals, non-prosecution agreements, plea bargains, or sealed settlements involving Epstein or his associates.

Internal DOJ communications, including emails, memos, meeting notes, concerning decisions to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates.

All communications, memoranda, directives, logs, or metadata concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data related to Epstein, his associates, his detention and death, or any investigative files.

Documentation of Epsteins detention or death, including incident reports, witness interviews, medical examiner files, autopsy reports, and written records detailing the circumstances and cause of death.

The FBI conducted two probes into Epstein: one that began in 2006 and ended in a controversial nonprosecution deal, then another that led to his 2019 indictment. According to CNN, those investigations generated more than 300 gigabytes of [Epstein] data that lives within the FBIs primary electronic case management system, called Sentinel, and includes videos, photographs, audio recordings and written records.

In recent court filings, the DOJ has indicated that it possesses  and expects to release  materials obtained from FBI raids on Epsteins homes in Florida, New York and Little Saint James, his private Caribbean island; hundreds of pages of memos from FBI interviews with witnesses; and financial records, bank records, travel logs from commercial and private flights, materials subpoenaed from internet providers like Google, whats referred to as school records, information from law firms representing victims, arrest reports, depositions from related civil lawsuits, immigration records, documents from the Palm Beach Police Department and forensic reports from seized dozens of Epsteins electronic devices, according to CNN.

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Federal judges have also paved the way for the DOJ to release grand jury materials from the Epstein indictment, the Maxwell trial and the related probe in Florida.

What materials might be withheld?

The law states that no record shall be withheld, delayed, or redacted on the basis of embarrassment, reputational harm, or political sensitivity, including to any government official, public figure, or foreign dignitary.

But it also gives Bondi permission to withhold or redact portions of records that fall under five categories, as long as she publicly explains every redaction within 15 days.

The exceptions, according to the text of the law, are documents that:

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contain personally identifiable information of victims or victims personal and medical files and similar files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy;

depict or contain child sexual abuse materials

would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary;

depict or contain images of death, physical abuse, or injury of any person

contain information specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy

The attorney general could use these loopholes to limit what the DOJ releases.

Bondi has already cited concerns about identifying victims or disseminating images of child sexual abuse to explain why the Trump administration did not release more files earlier this year  concerns Blanche echoed on Friday.

Massie warned in an online video that there will be penalties if Bondi does not comply with the law.

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This is a case where the president who appointed the attorney general and for whom the attorney general works has signed the law and the ink is not even dry yet on his signature, Massie said. Theres nothing subject to interpretation.

Investigative conflicts create another possible rationale for redactions. Last month, Bondi followed orders from Trump and immediately opened a probe into several Democrats who were mentioned in Epsteins emails  even though the DOJ and FBI had previously declared that nothing in the Epstein files warranted further scrutiny.

Speaking at DOJ headquarters on Nov. 19  the day Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law  Bondi said new information obtained by investigators had prompted her to reverse her decision to close the case. She declined to say what that information was.

Bondi also sidestepped questions about when or how much material would be released, insisting she would "continue to follow the law  while protecting victims but also providing maximum transparency."

What materials have already been released?

Over the last month or so, Republican and Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee have released multiple batches of files and photographs from Epsteins estate. Last Friday, Democrats released roughly 90 images, including some of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and the former Prince Andrew; another tranche followed, showing billionaire Bill Gates along with other wealthy philanthropists. One photo captures handwriting on a womans body that appears to quote from Vladimir Nabokovs novel Lolita.

The committee did not accuse the men in the photos of wrongdoing.

As for the DOJ, it has released its findings from an internal investigation into Epsteins 2008 nonprosecution, its inspector generals report on Epsteins death and hundreds of pages from its controversial interview with Maxwell earlier this year.

In February, the department dropped what it described as the "first phase of the declassified Epstein files  341 pages of material that was mostly available already, including flight logs from Epsteins plane and a redacted version of his contacts book.


Chinese and U.S. Cargo containers Image by Canva

A New Hampshire plastics distributor has avoided criminal prosecution in a scheme to dodge tariffs on Chinese imports by falsifying origin documents. This comes after voluntarily disclosing the misconduct and paying $6.8 million to settle related civil claims.

The Justice Department credited the payment from MGI International LLC and its subsidiaries under the False Claims Act toward resolving its criminal probe under the Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. The resolution stems from efforts to evade Section 301 duties on Chinese plastic resin.

In a separate criminal case, MGIs former chief operating officer, David Guimond, 48, of Manchester, New Hampshire, has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States.

Court documents allege that in 2021, Guimond directed employees to falsify manufacturer and country-of-origin details on submissions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to skirt the tariffs.

Guimond faces up to five years in prison, with a plea hearing to be set by a federal judge.

As this announcement demonstrates, the department will hold to account individuals and corporations who lie to evade tariffs and duties, said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. This resolution makes clear what the incentives for corporations are to voluntarily self-disclose and remediate identified criminal conduct.

David Guimond is charged with lying to avoid paying customs duties to enrich his companies and himself, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Trade fraud deprives the government of revenue and harms American manufacturers. This corporate resolution and plea agreement demonstrate that the Criminal Division will hold accountable those who defraud the public fisc.

Our systems of commerce depend on the fair and accurate application of tariffs, said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England.

When bad actors attempt to evade these tariffs, they undermine the integrity of our trade system and disadvantage honest businesses. We are committed to enforcing tariff regulations and will relentlessly pursue those who seek to circumvent them. This company worked with the government to bring past violations to light and cooperated fully with our investigations. Their actions highlight the importance of corporate responsibility and the value of transparent self-disclosure in maintaining the integrity of our tariff enforcement efforts.
Gov. Bob Ferguson speaks to the press in the Governors Conference Room at the Washington State Capitol, reflecting on the many deaths that occurred this year among lawmakers throughout the state, on May 20, 2025. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)
We forecast an HBM TAM CAGR of approximately 40% through calendar 2028, from approximately $35 billion in 2025 to around $100 billion in 2028. This $100 billion HBM TAM milestone is now projected to arrive two years earlier than in our prior outlook. Remarkably, this 2028 HBM TAM projection is larger than the size of the entire DRAM market in calendar 2024. We are excited about our customized HBM4E customer engagements, which offer further differentiation opportunities to us, and we continue to make excellent progress on our HBM roadmap. Memory is now essential to AI cognitive functions, fundamentally altering its role from a system component to a strategic asset that dictates product performance from data center to the edge.

Sanjay Mehrotra: Thank you, Satya. Micron Technology, Inc. had an outstanding start to fiscal 2026, delivering fiscal Q1 revenue, gross margin, and EPS well above the high end of our guidance. This financial performance was driven by our strong execution across end markets and products in a tight supply environment. We achieved a number of records in fiscal Q1. Total company revenue, DRAM and NAND revenue, as well as HBM and data center revenue, and revenue in each of our business units also reached new records. We have completed agreements on price and volume for our entire calendar 2026 HBM supply, including Micron's industry-leading HBM4.

These statements are based on our current assumptions, and we assume no obligation to update these. Please refer to our most recent financial reports on Forms 10-K, Forms 10-Q, and our other filings with the SEC for more information on the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Today's discussion of financial results is presented on a non-GAAP financial basis unless otherwise specified. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures can be found on our website. I will now turn the call over to Sanjay.

Satya Kumar: Thank you, and welcome to Micron Technology, Inc.'s fiscal first quarter 2026 Financial Conference Call. On the call with me today are Sanjay Mehrotra, our Chairman, President and CEO, and Mark Murphy, our CFO. Today's call is being webcast from our Investor Relations site, at investors.micron.com, including audio and slides. In addition, the press release detailing our quarterly results has been posted on the website along with the prepared remarks for this call. Today's discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our future financial and operating performance, as well as trends and expectations in our business, contractual terms, market, industry, products, and regulatory and other matters.

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This structural shift means that system capabilities heavily rely on advanced memory for real-time contextual processing, which is vital for achieving autonomous and intelligent behaviors in AI data centers as well as in applications ranging from self-driving cars to advanced medical diagnostics. With our technology leadership, differentiated product portfolio, strong operational execution, and solid balance sheet, Micron Technology, Inc. is in the best competitive position in its history and is one of the semiconductor industry's biggest enablers of AI. We anticipate substantial new records in revenue, gross margin, EPS, and free cash flow for both the second quarter and the full fiscal year 2026, and we expect our business performance to continue to strengthen through the year.

Sustained and strong industry demand, along with supply constraints, are contributing to tight market conditions, and we expect these conditions to persist beyond calendar 2026. We are making progress with customers in our multiyear contracts with specific commitments. Simultaneously, we are focused on maximizing our production output from our current footprint, ramping our industry-leading technology nodes, and investing in new clean room space to add to our supply capability. Micron Technology, Inc.'s technology leadership is foundational to our strong competitive position. Micron Technology, Inc. has led the industry for four consecutive technology nodes in DRAM and three nodes in NAND with progressively faster yield ramps in every node. Our 1-gamma DRAM node is ramping well.

1-gamma will be the primary driver of our DRAM bit growth in calendar 2026 and will be the majority of our bit output in the second half of the calendar year. Looking beyond 1-gamma, development is underway for 1-delta and 1-epsilon nodes, which will feature innovations that we expect to extend our differentiation and technology leadership. In NAND, we are ramping our G9 node with robust yield ramps across both data center and client SSDs. Our QLC NAND mix, including G9 QLC, reached a record high during the quarter. Technology transitions to G9 will be the primary driver of our NAND bit growth in calendar 2026, and we expect it to become our largest NAND node later in fiscal 2026.

I am pleased to report that calendar 2025 is a record year for Micron Technology, Inc. in terms of both internal and customer quality measures, positioning us well to deliver for our customers as the memory industry's quality leader. As our products are increasingly integrated into higher value applications, our leadership in quality is becoming a more important differentiator. Turning to our end markets, as the world's leading technology companies advance toward artificial general intelligence and transform the global economy, our customers are committing to an extraordinary multiyear data center build-out. This growth in AI data center capacity is driving a significant increase in demand for high-performance and high-capacity memory and storage.

Server unit demand has strengthened significantly, and we now expect calendar 2025 server unit growth in the high teens percentage range, higher than our last earnings call outlook of 10%. We expect server demand strength to continue in 2026. Server memory and storage content and performance requirements continue to increase generation to generation. Micron Technology, Inc. has a differentiated portfolio of high-value data center solutions to address these requirements, including our HBM, high-capacity server memory solutions, and data center SSDs. Micron Technology, Inc.'s HBM4, with industry-leading speed over 11 gigabits per second, is on track to ramp with high yields in the second calendar 2026, consistent with our customers' product ramp plans.

Our HBM4 uses advanced CMOS and advanced metallization process technologies on the base logic die and DRAM core dies, which are designed and manufactured in-house. This, along with our unique HBM design, packaging, and test capability, enables Micron Technology, Inc.'s industry-leading performance and low power leadership. Micron Technology, Inc. pioneered the adoption of LPDRAM in the data center. Micron Technology, Inc.'s low power DRAM server modules consume one-third the power of DTR DRAM server modules. Building on this leadership, we have sampled our 192-gigabyte LP SOCAM2 product, which enables a 50% increase in capacity per module and a rack-scale LPDRAM density of over 50 terabytes.

Our data center NAND portfolio revenue exceeded $1 billion in fiscal Q1, and we are seeing strong momentum across our data center SSD portfolio enabled by our leadership NAND technology. In the performance SSD category, Micron Technology, Inc. has introduced the world's first PCIe Gen6 SSD, leveraging our G9 NAND. We are seeing rapidly increasing qualification commitments for this product, including at hyperscalers. In mainstream storage, our SSDs based on G9 NAND are already seeing robust demand in 2026. In capacity storage, our QLC-based 122 and 245 terabytes G9 SSDs are entering qualification at multiple hyperscale customers. PC demand continues to be driven by Windows 10 end of life and AI PCs.

We forecast PC unit sales to grow in the high single-digit percentage range in calendar 2025, above our prior expectations provided in our last earnings call of mid-single digits. As we look ahead into 2026, we expect these demand drivers to continue while memory supply constraints may affect some PC unit shipments. Micron Technology, Inc. has completed multiple OEM qualifications of our 16-gigabit, 1-gamma based DDR5 and our G9 based PCIe Gen4 QLC SSDs. Turning to mobile, smartphone unit volumes in calendar 2025 are on track to grow in the low single-digit percentage range. AI is driving memory content growth.

The shipment mix of flagship smartphones with 12 gigabytes of DRAM increased to 59% in calendar Q3, more than twice the level from a year ago. Micron Technology, Inc. is accelerating innovation across our mobile DRAM portfolio. In fiscal Q1, we began sampling our breakthrough 1-gamma 16-gigabit LPDDR6 product to leading OEM and ecosystem partners, marking a major milestone in next-generation memory technology. LPDDR6 will power AI at the edge, delivering over 50% higher performance and improved power efficiency for flagship smartphones and AI PCs. Micron Technology, Inc. also sampled our 1-gamma LP5X 24-gigabit product and began volume shipments of the previously announced 1-gamma LP5X 16-gigabit product to multiple OEMs. Turning to auto, industrial, and embedded.

In automotive, L2 plus and LC adoption is driving robust demand today, and our customers' roadmaps indicate a significantly higher memory content in fully automated vehicles. Micron Technology, Inc. is uniquely positioned for growth with our differentiated product portfolio and automotive market share leadership. Our ASIL-rated LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1 NAND products, optimized for automotive and advanced robotics that include bandwidth-enhancing features, are seeing strong demand and have already secured billions of dollars in design wins. In industrial, demand continues to strengthen, driven by the growing adoption of autonomous systems across various applications.

Long-term demand trends trajectory remains robust for memory and storage in industrial applications, such as in factory automation, aerospace and defense, humanoid robotics, edge networking, and video surveillance. Across both auto and industrial markets, LPDDR4X and DDR4 are also experiencing strong demand, and we are making investments to provide long-term supply from our Manassas, Virginia fab. Now turning to our market outlook. Over the last few months, our customers' AI data center build-out plans have driven a sharp increase in demand forecast for memory and storage. We believe that the aggregate industry supply will remain substantially short of the demand for the foreseeable future.

The dramatic increase in HBM demand is further challenging the supply environment due to the three-to-one trade ratio with DDR5, and this trade ratio only increases with future generations of HBM. Additional clean room space is necessary to address this increased demand, and lead times for clean room build-out are lengthening across geographies. Together, these demand and supply factors are driving tight industry conditions across DRAM and NAND, and we expect tightness to persist through and beyond calendar 2026. Calendar 2025 DRAM and NAND bit demand growth expectations are higher than in our last earnings call outlook. We now expect calendar 2025 DRAM bit demand growth to be in the low 20% range versus high teens previously.

We expect 2025 NAND bit demand growth to be in the high teens percentage range versus low to mid-teens previously. We expect calendar 2026 industry DRAM and NAND bit shipment growth to be constrained by industry supply. We expect both DRAM and NAND calendar 2026 industry bit shipments to increase around 20% from 2025 levels. Micron Technology, Inc. is working hard to support our customers' demand during this time, and we expect to grow our DRAM and NAND bit shipments approximately 20% in calendar 2026. Despite significant efforts, we are disappointed to be unable to meet demand from other customers across all market segments.

Micron Technology, Inc. plans to increase our fiscal 2026 CapEx to approximately $20 billion versus our prior estimate of $18 billion. This increase will primarily support our HBM supply capability and also our 1-gamma supply in calendar 2026. We are pulling in equipment orders and accelerating installation timelines to maximize output capability. Micron Technology, Inc. is also investing across our global manufacturing footprint to add supply to support longer-term demand. We are seeing an enthusiastic customer response to our planned US supply. We are pulling in our first Idaho fab timeline, and we now expect first wafer output in mid-calendar 2027, earlier than our prior expectation of the second half of calendar 2027.

Earlier this year, we announced our plans for the second Idaho fab, which will begin construction in 2026 and be operational by 2028. We are making good progress on securing necessary permits for our New York site and appreciate the partnership with the state of New York and the Trump administration. We plan to break ground on our first New York fab in early calendar 2026, which we expect will provide supply in 2030 and beyond. In Japan, with the support of METI, we are making technology and manufacturing investments. We are enabling future DRAM technology transition in coordination with our Boise R&D team.

We are also adding clean room space in our Hiroshima fab to support these advanced nodes, which will increase production scale and optimize fab economics. In Singapore, our HBM advanced package facility is on track to contribute meaningfully to our HBM supply in calendar 2027. As HBM becomes a part of our Singapore manufacturing footprint, we expect opportunities for synergies between NAND and DRAM production. We are pleased with the progress on our assembly and test facility in India, which has initiated pilot production and will ramp in 2026. As we make progress on our strategic manufacturing initiative, we will continue to be responsive to the market environment and disciplined with our CapEx plans.

I will now turn it over to Mark for our fiscal Q1 financial results and outlook.

Mark Murphy: Thank you, Sanjay, and good afternoon, everyone. Micron Technology, Inc. delivered strong financial results for the fiscal first quarter, with revenue, gross margin, and EPS all exceeding the high end of our guidance. During the quarter, we generated record free cash flow, reduced our debt, and returned to net cash. Total fiscal Q1 revenue was $13.6 billion, up 21% sequentially and up 57% year over year, setting a quarterly record for the third consecutive quarter. We saw sequential revenue growth across all our business units. Fiscal Q1 DRAM revenue was a record $10.8 billion, up 69% year over year, and represented 79% of total revenue.

Sequentially, DRAM revenue increased 20%, bit shipments were up slightly, and prices increased 20%, driven by tight industry DRAM supply, pricing execution, and favorable mix. Fiscal Q1 NAND revenue was a record $2.7 billion, up 22% year over year, and represented 20% of Micron Technology, Inc.'s total revenue. Sequentially, NAND revenue increased 22%. NAND bit shipments increased in the mid to high single-digit percentage range, and prices increased in the mid-teens percentage range, driven by tight NAND industry supply, pricing execution, and favorable mix. The consolidated gross margin for fiscal Q1 was 56.8%, up 11 percentage points sequentially. This improvement was driven by higher pricing with strong cost execution and favorable mix.

Now turning to quarterly financial performance by business unit. Cloud Memory Business Unit revenue was a record $5.3 billion and represented 39% of total company revenue. CMBU revenue was up 16% sequentially, driven by an increase in bit shipments and higher prices. CMBU gross margins were 66%, higher by 620 basis points sequentially, supported by cost execution and higher pricing. Core Data Center Business Unit revenue was a record $2.4 billion and represented 17% of total company revenue. CDBU revenue was up 51% sequentially, driven by robust bit shipments and higher pricing. CDBU gross margins were 51%, up 990 basis points sequentially, supported by higher pricing and cost execution.

Mobile and Client Business Unit revenue was a record $4.3 billion and represented 31% of total company revenue. MCBU revenue was up 13% sequentially, driven by higher pricing partially offset by lower bit shipments. MCBU gross margins were 54%, up 17 percentage points sequentially, driven primarily by higher pricing. Automotive and Embedded Business Unit revenue was a record $1.7 billion and represented 13% of total company revenue. AEBU revenue was up 20% sequentially, driven by higher bit shipments and higher pricing. AEBU gross margins were 45%, up 14 percentage points sequentially, driven primarily by higher pricing. Operating expenses in fiscal Q1 were $1.3 billion, up $120 million quarter over quarter and in line with our guidance range.

The sequential increase was driven by higher R&D expenses in support of technology and product development on our new DRAM and NAND technology nodes. We generated operating income of $6.4 billion in fiscal Q1, resulting in an operating margin of 47%, up 12 percentage points sequentially and 20 percentage points year over year. Fiscal Q1 taxes were $977 million on an effective tax rate of 15.1%. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share in fiscal Q1 was $4.78, with 58% sequential growth and 167% versus the year-ago quarter. Turning to cash flow and capital expenditures. In fiscal Q1, operating cash flows were $8.4 billion, and capital expenditures were $4.5 billion, resulting in free cash flow of $3.9 billion.

Fiscal Q1 free cash flow was a quarterly record, exceeding our prior record in fiscal Q4 2018 by over 20%. Ending inventory for fiscal Q1 was $8.2 billion, down $150 million sequentially, with days of inventory at 126. DRAM inventory days remain tight and below 120 days. On the balance sheet, we held $12 billion of cash and investments at quarter-end and maintained $15.5 billion of liquidity when including our untapped credit facility. In fiscal Q1, we repurchased $300 million of shares as permitted by the terms of the CHIPS agreement. During the quarter, we also reduced debt by $2.7 billion, paying off a $1 billion balance of term loans and redeeming $1.7 billion of senior notes.

We closed the quarter with $11.8 billion of debt and a net cash balance of over $250 million. Through the fiscal year, we expect to further strengthen our balance sheet as we generate additional free cash flow. Before turning to our outlook, I would like to share an update on how we are benefiting from AI use across Micron Technology, Inc. Today, over 80% of our professional workforce actively uses GenAI, with total usage up tenfold since last year. In manufacturing, integrating AI into yield and quality management has cut root cause identification time by half in some cases. Our coding teams are realizing gains of 30% or more using AgenTeq AI.

In R&D, GenAI is accelerating development by reducing cycle times in design verification, product validation, issue triage, and root cause analysis. Across business functions, GenAI is broadening automation opportunities, and we are deploying conversational analytics to accelerate and improve decision-making. We expect Micron Technology, Inc.'s use of AI across the enterprise to further strengthen our competitiveness in the coming years. Now turning to our outlook for the fiscal second quarter. Industry demand is greater than supply for both DRAM and NAND. We expect higher prices, lower costs, and favorable mix to all contribute to gross margin expansion in Q2. Operating expenses for fiscal Q2 are projected to be approximately $1.38 billion.

As mentioned last quarter, Micron Technology, Inc.'s fiscal Q4 2026 OpEx will also reflect the effect of an additional work week in this 53-week fiscal year. We expect a fiscal Q2 and fiscal year 2026 tax rate of around 15.5%. Micron Technology, Inc. is investing in a disciplined manner across our global manufacturing footprint to better meet demand. To address tight supply-demand conditions, if extending beyond 2026, we now project our capital spending in fiscal 2026 to be approximately $20 billion, weighted to the second half of the fiscal year. We expect free cash flow to strengthen in fiscal Q2, and we expect to generate significantly higher free cash flow year over year in fiscal 2026.

Any impacts that may occur due to potential new tariffs are not included in our guidance. With all these factors in mind, our non-GAAP guidance for fiscal Q2 is as follows: We expect revenue to be a record $18.7 billion, plus or minus $400 million, gross margin to be in the range of 68%, plus or minus 100 basis points, and operating expenses to be $1.38 billion, plus or minus $20 million. Based on a share count of approximately 1.15 billion shares, we expect EPS to be a record $8.42 per share, plus or minus $0.20. I will now turn it over to Sanjay to close.

Sanjay Mehrotra: Thank you, Mark. AI-driven demand is here, and it is accelerating. Micron Technology, Inc. is capturing these opportunities with the best competitive position in its history. This success is built on the strength of our global team, and I want to thank our team members worldwide for their hard work and dedication. We are in the most exciting time in Micron Technology, Inc.'s history, and the best is yet to come. We will now open for questions.

Operator: Operator, can you queue up the questions?

Operator: Yes, sir. And I show our first question comes from the line of Timothy Arcuri from UBS. Timothy Arcuri from UBS, your line is open.

Timothy Arcuri: Thanks a lot. Sanjay, I wanted to ask you about customer LTAs. I know we are hearing about DDR5 that's being bundled with HBM, and in some cases, even NAND. So can you just talk about these LTAs? I know it sounds like these are, you know, stretching out through 2026 and in some cases even 2027. I have even heard of some stuff into, you know, 2028. So can you talk about the nature of these LTAs? And then I had an AI follow-up as well. Thanks.

Sanjay Mehrotra: These are multiyear contracts that we are in discussions with several of our key customers. And these contracts, of course, involve DRAM as well as NAND. And you know, with respect to the returns, of course, these contracts that we are under discussions for are very different from prior LTAs. They have specific commitments in them and a much stronger contract structure. And beyond that, I cannot be giving you specifics at this point. Of course, in the future, if and when appropriate, we will be sharing further details.

Timothy Arcuri: Thanks. And then, Mark, I want to ask you about CapEx. So you took it up to $20 billion net, but it still seems, I mean, you are not guiding all fiscal '26 revenue, so we do not really know what the capital intensity number is. But it seems like it is like 25 to 30%, which is a little below your 35%, you know, metric that you usually think of. So is that because you are constrained because of fab space? And can you just talk about does that sort of like roll into fiscal '27 where we would see, you know, cap up more near that 35% range? Thanks.

Operator: Thank you. And I show our next question in the queue comes from the line of CJ Muse from Cantor Fitzgerald. Please go ahead.

CJ Muse: Gotcha. Back to you. CJ Muse, your line is open.

Operator: Yeah. Yeah. They did not answer the prior question. Operator?

Operator: Yes, sir. Can you turn it back to management so they can answer the prior question?

Operator: Sure. Management's line is open. Please proceed.

Mark Murphy: I believe the speaker's lines are muted at this time.

Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, please continue to stand by. Your call will resume momentarily.

Mark Murphy: Operator, can you hear us?

Operator: Yes. We can now. You are unmuted, sir. Please proceed.

Mark Murphy: Okay. I am not sure what happened there. We were on mute here. So I just want to make sure that you heard Sanjay's response. Correct?

Timothy Arcuri: We did not.

Mark Murphy: You did not hear Sanjay's response. Okay. Thanks, Tim. So Sanjay, we heard the I heard Sanjay's response to the first question, but I did not hear your response, Mark, to my question on CapEx and on capital intensity.

Mark Murphy: Okay, Tim. Okay, Tim. Thank you. So you are right, Tim. We are not providing a full-year revenue guide. We did indicate that our CapEx was going up in fiscal '26. And, you know, a substantial part of that CapEx is to support DRAM and specifically HBM and the 1-gamma and 1-gamma RAM. You know, I would say that from '25 to '26, the plan is roughly to double the brick-and-mortar construction CapEx. And at this time, we would expect '27 CapEx to be up, you know?

But I want to emphasize that Micron Technology, Inc. is going to remain disciplined on CapEx growth to support, you know, bit demand and that bit supply and that supply will be in line with demand.

Timothy Arcuri: As your question of capital intensity, our capital intensity, of course, is dropping as the market conditions remain very constructive, and of course, we are working to be very efficient with our capital spend.

Timothy Arcuri: Okay, Mark. Thank you.

Mark Murphy: Thank you.

Operator: And I show our next question comes from the line of CJ Muse from Cantor Fitzgerald. Yes. Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the question. I guess, Mark, to follow up on the prior question around CapEx and the relative growth seems very conservative and backdrop that we are in. And, you know, it feels like that you are just sitting here without clean room space, and it also does not sound like you are, you know, meaningfully pulling in clean room. So can you talk about the philosophy there? And, you know, I guess what I am taking away from your commentary is that you are being very conservative and judicious with adding capacity here.

Mark Murphy: Well, I would say that we have been indicating issues with supply for several quarters that we were working inventories down, that node transitions were going to be the principal source of supply growth in fiscal '26. And that is, you know, that is exactly what is happening. And, you know, we know that clean room space takes time. And the HBM growth, which has only picked up with AI-driven demand, has further pressured supply. So there is no, you know, near-term solution. As we said in the prepared remarks, the entire industry we expect to be short to demand. And we are no different in that case.

But we are moving quickly to do our best to provide customer supply. And we have pulled in tools. We have accelerated construction in Idaho. We are doing everything we can within our existing footprint and near-term capacity expansions to deliver supply. And so, you know, we provided a bit growth number for '26. And that is supply constrained.

Sanjay Mehrotra: And I will just add that, of course, we are continuing to make the investments in technology transitions in our existing footprint. And as we highlighted, that 1-gamma node will be, you know, the majority driver of our supply growth in '26. And, of course, you have seen us make investments not only in technology transitions but also in greenfield capacity, but also enabling greater technology production capability in our existing clean rooms in Japan, and we are making the necessary investments there as well. So of course, we remain disciplined, but we are very much focused and trying to work hard toward increasing our supply there.

And pleased with our plans for Idaho one, Idaho two, and, of course, New York as well. Of course, in the short term, very much focused on maximizing production efficiencies, maximizing our production output from the existing footprint as well. But, yes, I mean, demand fundamentals are pretty strong. Driven by AI from data center to edge with the build-out of our customers, supply is significantly short. And, you know, I would say that, you know, in the medium term, we are only able to meet about 50% to two-thirds of our demand from several key customers. So we remain extremely focused on trying to increase the supply here and making the necessary investments.

CJ Muse: Very helpful. And then I guess as a follow-up for gross margins, obviously, the guide is quite stellar. But curious as you go through calendar '26, how should we think about cost down across both DRAM and NAND? And as you transition from 3E to 4, is there anything that we should keep in mind or we should think about contemplating in our models where there might be, you know, higher cost temporarily giving yields or whatnot. Thanks so much.

Mark Murphy: Yeah. So our CJR cost execution has been very good across both DRAM and NAND. Of course, we are getting some volume leverage, but spend control has been very good. Yields have been good. We do have some startup costs coming in for the new fabs, new construction across the network. That starts to come in '26 and into '27. But at these, you know, size of the business, at these levels, it is a relatively small impact on margin. We are not going to provide cost guidance for the rest of the year as it depends on many factors, including mix.

But to our earlier question, I can say that, you know, we have talked about up 1-gamma DRAM and G9 NAND. That LAN for supply in '26. And those ramps are proceeding well and will be a tailwind to our cost as these nodes ramp.

Sanjay Mehrotra: Regarding your question on HBM3E and HBM4, as we have said, we will be beginning to ramp production of HBM4 in CQ2 time frame in line with our customer demand. And, of course, our HBM4 is progressing extremely well. Very pleased with our product, industry-leading product with the highest performance of over 11 gigabits per second. And so, I mean, that is the highest performance. And we are very pleased with its overall yield ramp, and we expect that HBM4 to be expecting having a faster yield ramp than our HBM3E.

And, of course, our mix of HBM3E and HBM4 during '26 will be very much based on our overall customer demand, and we will have both of these products with strong profiles in our '26 revenue.

Mark Murphy: Thank you.

Operator: And I show our next question in the queue comes from the line of Harlan Sur from JPMorgan. Please go ahead.

Harlan Sur: Hey. Good afternoon, and great job on the quarterly execution. You know, just over the past three to four months as we track the different ASIC AI XPU programs, there has been a significant upward revision on ASIC XPU volume shipments next year. You have Google TPU, AWS Trinium, and so on. Right? And all of these XPUs are still going to be using HBM3E. Have you has the team seen this near-term positive dynamic in your order book for 3E?

And given that you are fully contracted for calendar '26, like, what and what appears to be growing upside to next year's view, how is the team how is the Micron Technology, Inc. team going to try and manage this upside dynamic in 3E alongside a strong HBM4 demand profile?

Sanjay Mehrotra: As I mentioned, Harlan, earlier, the top course, 2026 will have a mix of HBM3E and HBM4. And we have shared with you in the past that, you know, we are engaged with multiple with the entire ecosystem here of HBM customers. And very much engaged with them. And, you know, they will all contribute to our strong year-over-year growth in revenue in '26, and of course, that will be made up of both HBM3E and HBM4. So as I said, I mean, we will continue to manage the mix of the two based on, you know, customer requirements. I can tell you that, you know, in 2026, supply on HBM will be tight.

A non-HBM DRAM will be tight as well. So we are continuing to see as we have highlighted in our prepared remarks, you know, tightening supply environment. And, of course, we see strong year-over-year growth in '26 for our HBM. We today upped our, you know, revenue forecast or if for each HBM, we highlighted that by 2028, we expect it to be $100 billion TAM, and that is two years ahead of our prior outlook. So, of course, HBM is on a good trajectory.

And what I can also tell you is that customers, as their architectures are evolving, you know, as their platforms are evolving, and these are customers across the ecosystem, of course, they are requiring more and more HBM. I mean, the value of memory in terms of ability to deliver the AI capabilities and the functionality and the performance memory is critical, and more HBM is required, and that is across the various AI platforms in the industry.

Harlan Sur: No. I appreciate that, Sanjay. And then after two to three quarters of enterprise, this is the sort of muted trends. I believe the team saw a strong reacceleration in the business, right, according to some of the third-party research estimates. I think your enterprise SSD business grew, like, 25% sequentially in the most recent quarter. Right? So you are the number three market share leader amongst eight or nine competitors. Right? Very strong share position. Given, I would assume, increasing demand trends here, expanding lead times, is the Micron Technology, Inc. team also entering into long-term supply agreements with your enterprise SSD customers?

And then secondarily, I mean, SSD demand, is it more tied to expansion in inferencing workloads as customers aggressively move to monetization? In other words, is storage intensity higher on inferencing versus training workloads?

Sanjay Mehrotra: So with respect to enterprise SSDs, really, very proud of our engineering and business teams and, of course, our sales teams in terms of our customer engagement and the strong momentum and the share gains that we have with our enterprise SSD. Of course, our enterprise SSDs are a big part an important part that we say, of our data center strengthening mix. You know, of course, DRAM is continuing to increase in mix toward data center, but data center SSDs are an important part of our overall revenue mix. And, you know, we expect to continue to focus on share gains with our take a strong SSD roadmap, customer engagement, and great quality that we provide to the customers.

And as I mentioned, that our multiyear contract that we are in discussions with our several key customers. Our SSDs, our data center SSDs are also part of that. And let me tell you that these multiyear contracts are not just about data center customers. They also are about multiple customers across our market segments here. And in terms of your questions on you know, is the SSD requirement growing with inferencing versus training? What I can tell you is that in the data center AI applications, I mean, as the generative AI moves to more and more video, of course, that drive greater demand. For more SSDs as well.

So I mean, you know, the rapid evolution of AI from training to inferencing and the evolution rapid evolution of AI models and applications they are all driving greater growth of enterprise SSDs. Yes. Fueled by GenAI.

Harlan Sur: Thanks, Sanjay.

Operator: And I show our next question comes from the line of Thomas O'Malley from Barclays. Please go ahead.

Thomas O'Malley: Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my question. Sanjay, you have been helpful in the past about kind of talking about Micron Technology, Inc.'s ramp in HBM and then also the ramp of the total market. You gave some new color on HBM with the $35 billion moving at a 40% CAGR. But Micron Technology, Inc. specifically, I was curious if you could give us any color on the percentage of the DRAM business today that is HBM from a dollars perspective? And then on share as you move into next year, obviously, there is a large competitor that is looking to become more competitive. Competitive at three. We have not heard anything on four yet.

How do you feel about your competitive positioning into next year? And do you think that you are going to make any strategic decisions differently based on the public, you know, certification of their memory in the next couple of months? Thank you very much.

Sanjay Mehrotra: We feel very good about our competitive position. We feel very, very good about our product and our HBM4 product that we have highlighted as industry-leading performance over 11 gigabits per second. The best specifications in the industry with our performance, and, of course, we feel very good about the power consumption in our product as well. You know, in the past, we have shared with you that how our HBM3E is 30% lower power than any of the competitors in the industry, and we are maintaining that momentum of low power, which, you know, is in data center applications is very important. Yeah. So we are maintaining our performance and power.

And, of course, our strong capacity position with HBM4 roadmap as well. So we feel very good about our competitive position, about our roadmap, and our roadmap going beyond HBM4 for the future years. Beyond '26 as well. And we are very proud of our team's ability to execute successfully over the course of the last several quarters in terms of ramping up production capabilities of HBM3E. We shared with you that in CQ3, we reached our share of HBM to be in line with our, I mean, our HBM share to be in line with our DRAM share.

And we have always highlighted that as we have reached that share, we will particularly in this tight supply environment, we will be managing the mix of our HBM as well as our non-HBM. All of it is in high demand. And, you know, HBM as well as non-HBM has strong profitability. So looking at our strategic customer relationships as well as our overall profitability goals, and, you know, growth objectives, we will continue to manage that mix between HBM and non-HBM. But, of course, HBM, you know, is growing, and we have highlighted that how we expect the TAM to be $100 billion by 2028, a couple of years ahead of our prior projection.

And, of course, we will grow our HBM as well. 2026 will see a strong year-over-year growth in our HBM. And you know, in this tight supply environment, as I mentioned, that the gap between the demand and supply for all of DRAM, including HBM, is really the highest that we have ever seen, and I quantified it earlier as well. So in this environment, of course, working closely with our customers, we are continuing to manage our mix of the product here.

Thomas O'Malley: Thank you, Sanjay. And just as we focus on also continuing to increase supply to better address our customers' demand requirements.

Thomas O'Malley: Perfect. And then just as a follow-up, you have said historically kind of the $8 billion run rate. If you look at November and February, you are taking up the total TAM, but any color specifically on HBM contribution in the November quarter and what you are expecting in the guide?

Sanjay Mehrotra: You know, we are not really providing those specifics here in terms of the breakout. Our HBM revenue was a record. We did highlight that. I mean, we highlighted that in FQ1. And beyond that, we are really not going to be providing the specifics in terms of revenue. And just would tell you again that year over year in '26, we will be seeing a strong growth in our HBM revenue.

Mark Murphy: Thank you, sir. And our product is very well positioned. So, I mean, that is a very good place to be in terms of managing the overall mix of the business.

Thomas O'Malley: Thank you.

Operator: And I show our next question comes from the line of Krish Sankar from TD Cowen. Please go ahead.

Krish Sankar: Congrats on the phenomenal results and guidance. My first question is for Mark. I know you spoke about the sustainability for next year. I am kind of curious how to think about gross margins beyond February, like into May. Is it going to improve or sustain at these levels? How to think about the gross margins? I have a follow-up for Sanjay.

Mark Murphy: Thanks, Krish. And we are not guiding margins beyond Q2. We did guide a record Q2, as you know. Sixty-eight percent. Eleven points sequential improvement, seven points better than the previous record. We did indicate that we would our business would strengthen through the year. And so we do believe margins can be up. We do believe that they will be up for DRAM and NAND. Now keep in mind that at these high gross margin levels, you know, mathematically, you know, we get less in gross margin percent for the same increase in price. So, yeah, we would expect gross margins to expand beyond fiscal Q2.

But we would expect that growth to be more gradual than what we have seen in the last couple of quarters. Or the first quarter and the second quarter guide.

Krish Sankar: Got it. Thanks a lot, Mark. That is super helpful. And then for me just and, Chris, just one last thing.

Mark Murphy: You know, we have indicated that, you know, strengthen through the year because we believe this constructive market environment will remain so through the year. These favorable market conditions. But we also, you know, we are executing very well on cost. And as Sanjay mentioned earlier, we are deploying the bits to, you know, the valuable part of the market. And where we can serve our customers best.

Krish Sankar: Got it. Super helpful, Mark. Thanks for that. And Sanjay, just as a follow-up to the earlier question, I understand you want to, like, put some boundary conditions. But, you know, a year ago, you totally nailed it when you said you are going to get, like, HBM market share close to your DRAM market share, the DRAM market share. So when you talk about, like, 2028, 40%, $100 billion TAM, how to think about Micron Technology, Inc.'s HBM market share in that realm? Should we as you know, it is going to be the 20%? So that spectrum, or it is going to be lower? Thank you.

Sanjay Mehrotra: So, Krish, again, we are not really going to be specifying, you know, the share. As we have said, we will be managing the mix of the business between HBM as well as our non-HBM. It is like any other product. In our portfolio that, you know, when you have a strong product roadmap across the portfolio, you know, then, of course, you know, we manage the mix across our portfolio with all the strategic and customer relationships in mind. So, Krish, we are not really going to break that down. And, you know, all I would say is that, you know, in this current industry environment, which we see as durable industry fundamentals, you know, in the foreseeable future.

We are in a very good position with all the tailwinds of our product portfolio and, of course, the increasing value of memory across the board, you know, of course, HBM, but also a non-HBM in data center and other markets. We will just remain very focused on managing the mix of our business and, of course, managing for the best in the midterm as well as keeping in mind the longer term.

Krish Sankar: Thanks a lot, Sanjay. Appreciate it.

Operator: Thank you. One moment for our next question. And our next question comes from the line of Chris Danely from Citi. Please go ahead.

Chris Danely: Hey. Thanks, guys. So I just wanted to dig in on these long-term customer contracts you guys are negotiating. Can you give us any more sense of when you think you will be able to sign these and then maybe just talk about what the holdup is. Is it just the unprecedented length? Or size? And given that the AI company is asking for so much of your capacity, are you able to get them to, you know, more or less contribute to the building of a new fab? Thanks.

Sanjay Mehrotra: So we will not really get into the specifics around our contract discussions with our customers. But again, I will highlight a couple of important factors that, you know, customers are concerned about long-term access to adequate memory in the environment that we are heading into. And, you know, that is leading to constructive dialogues with, you know, several key customers in with them and across our multiple markets. You know, in terms of, you know, their supply as well as other important specific commitments related to these longer-term estimates. So not getting into the specifics, but as I highlighted, our contract structures that we are discussing are not like anything before.

You know, they are far stronger contract structures with specific commitments, and, of course, different from prior contracts is that those used to be, money and contracts, and these are multiyear in nature as well. And as we look at addressing the customer discussions, of course, we have to look at our overall supply. And I have mentioned to you that in the midterm, medium term, we are only able to meet, you know, half to two-thirds of the demand from our several key customers.

All of that, you know, as we are managing our customer relationships and, you know, keeping, you know, our strategic objectives in mind, all of that has to be taken into account as we manage our contract discussions. But really, not getting into the specifics here.

Chris Danely: That is still very helpful, Sanjay. Thanks. And for my follow-up, just a question on HBM and the pricing there. So given that the demand is so strong, I think you said you are sold out for '26. Are you guys locked into a set price, or can you let that price, more or less float a little bit given how strong demand is like, you know, DDR5 does, for example?

Sanjay Mehrotra: You know, we are really pleased with our product position and our, you know, ability to work with our customers as we highlighted. In our prepared remarks that our HBM for 2026 is sold out in terms of volume and our negotiations with customers have been completed for calendar year 2026 for volume as well as pricing. And as we have always highlighted that our HBM has strong profitability, you know, and of course, you know, very much focused on ROI. And our non-HBM business also clearly has healthy profitability as reflected in the results that we produce as well as in the guidance that we have provided here.

Chris Danely: Great. Thanks, Sanjay, and congrats again on the results.

Sanjay Mehrotra: Thank you.

Operator: Thank you. And I show our next question comes from the line of Vivek Arya from Bank of America Securities. Please go ahead.

Vivek Arya: Thanks for taking my questions. Sanjay, I am curious, at what point does increasing memory price impact, you know, demand for electronics? If you set aside the data center and the AI market, do you see some elasticity? Do you see any impact on demand as you look into 2026 for more consumer and kind of traditional enterprise products? How does that shape where memory pricing can go next year?

Sanjay Mehrotra: You know, we have highlighted in our prepared remarks that, you know, in some of the consumer markets, yeah. I mean, some of the unit demand may get impacted, you know, given, you know, semiconductor prices here, given memory prices here. And, of course, some of the customers may have, you know, for example, in smartphone and PCs, they may have some mix adjustments in their portfolio as well to address available supply to them. But, you know, these are accounted for in our forecast that we have. And so it I mean, some of the possible impact on unit demand and some of the customer mix changes have been accounted for in our forecast.

And we, of course, even then, we see a very, very tight supply environment here in the large gap between the demand and supply. However, I will highlight to you that AI experience across from data center to edge, including in these edge devices like smartphones and PCs and other devices, AI experience really more memory is essential. So without sufficient memory, you know, that AI experience, the functionality, the capability does get impacted in these edge devices as well. So, I mean, the punch line here is that AI across the board from data center to edge is driving an increase in content and increasing requirement for memory as the customers look ahead at their roadmaps.

And, you know, that is why customers are, of course, you know, working with us with respect to access to supply for their long-term multiyear plans here as well.

Operator: Thank you. This concludes our Q&A session and today's conference call. At this time, I would like to end today's conference call. Thank you all for participating. You may now all disconnect.

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Micron (MU) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool
The clarification came after the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media Centre Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam claimed that the two suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, accused in the murder of Osman Hadi, had crossed into India through the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh.
Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. (MAA) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns, manages, acquires, develops and redevelops multifamily apartment communities primarily across the Southeastern, Southwestern and Mid-Atlantic United States, focusing on delivering long-term, risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. MAA is headquartered in Germantown, Tennessee, and has a market cap of $16.3 billion.

Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally considered large-cap stocks, and Mid-America Apartment Communities fits this criterion perfectly, signifying its substantial size, stability, and influence in the residential REIT industry. The company is a prominent and established residential REIT operating with a clear, successful strategy focused on high-growth regional markets.

More News from Barchart

The stock is trading 22.2% below its 52-week high of $173.38, which it hit on March 4. MAA has declined 3.4% over the past three months, underperforming the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) 2.1% gains during the same time frame.

www.barchart.com

In the longer term, MAA is down 12.2% on a YTD basis and 13% over the past 52 weeks. In comparison, SPX surged 14.6% in 2025 and has climbed 11.4% over the past year.

The stock has been largely trading below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages since mid-May.

www.barchart.com

Mid-America Apartment Communities has faced continuing pressure on its stock in 2025 largely due to weak rental market conditions in key Sun Belt regions and an elevated supply of apartment units. The company reported declines in its same-store Net Operating Income (NOI), further dampening investor sentiment. In the most recent quarter (Q3 2025), MAA reported that its same-store net NOI declined year-over-year by 1.8% for the quarter.

MAA now expects same-store NOI to decline between 1.85% and 0.85%, reflecting continued pressure on property income. Also, Core FFO per share is expected in the range of $8.68 to $8.80. This represents a modest downward revision from the prior guidance range.

Additionally, its rival, Invitation Homes Inc. (INVH), has underperformed MAA and SPX, declining 14.8% YTD and 16% over the past year.
Eight years after co-founding Securitize in 2017, Carlos Domingo is steering what has quietly become one of the core infrastructure players of the tokenized asset trade.

This feature is a part of CoinDesk's Most Influential 2025 list.

The firm says it has about $3.6 billion in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) outstanding as of late November and expects to finish the year above $4 billion in assets under management. Securitize is profitable  revenue has grown roughly 10x over the past 18 months  and the firm is preparing to go public via a SPAC merger with Cantor Fitzgeralds vehicle, with a listing targeted for early next year.

This has been the best year in the company's history, by far, Domingo said in an interview with CoinDesk. Its been the inflection point wed been waiting for.

Doing tokenization before it was cool

If tokenization is one of cryptos big narratives now, Domingo is quick to point out that Securitize was there when it decidedly wasnt.

In 2021 I would talk to investors and theyd say, Why would we invest in tokenization? Look at FTX, Celsius, BlockFi, theyre growing so fast, he said. Id say, Sure, but are you sure those guys will be around tomorrow? There were a lot of red flags. Still, we were not the cool kids on the block.

It was a challenging path. Securitize had to raise fresh funding roughly every 18 months, with modest rounds compared to the mega-raises going to unregulated trading platforms.

Hiring talent was harder, too. We couldnt give people big token packages. We couldnt pay the highest salaries, Domingo said.

What kept him going was conviction and a bit of survivalist philosophy.

One of our board members, Brad Stephens from Blockchain Capital, told me: you need to be like a cockroach, Domingo said. Digitization of any industry is unavoidable, the only thing you dont know is when. So you need to make sure you dont die before it happens.

Hes blunt about what happened to early tokenization rivals. If you look at the companies that looked like they were going to dominate, most disappeared, ran out of money or sold on bad terms, he said. Being early is a problem if you dont survive.

Carlos Domingo will be speaking at CoinDesk's upcoming Consensus Hong Kong in February and Consensus 2026 in Miami in May.

From tech vendor to one-stop shop

When Securitize launched, Domingo thought he was building a software company.

The original idea was to sell a tokenization platform as technology, he recalled. Banks, asset managers and other issuers would license the stack, tokenize their assets and handle everything themselves. Securitize would just ship code.
Nestle's water business has been sued by a local French competitor, Bonneval Emergence for alleged "unfair competition".

Local publication Le Monde on Wednesday (17 December) reported it had learned Bonneval Emergence had filed a suit against the Perrier water maker with the economic activities court in Nanterre.

The group has also asked the court to pause sales of Nestle's bottled water brands, including Vittel, Contrex and Perrier, and to recall bottles, with a 1m ($1.2m) penalty for each day of delay.

It has asked for 1.6bn in damages to cover the alleged economic disadvantage it has experienced due to the "unlawful" existence of those Nestle products in France and other markets.

The group has also argued Nestle's water products have benefited "unduly" from being able to use the "natural mineral waters" term for its products.

Bonneval Emergence, which does business under the name Bonneval Waters, declined to comment on the issue but confirmed to Just Drinks it had filed the lawsuit, as well as the accuracy of the Le Monde report.

The group's portfolio is made up of packaged mineral water products, including its namesake brand, as well as Roche Claire and Josephine.

Responding to the filing of the suit, a spokesperson for Nestle's waters business in France said: Nestle Waters takes note of this summons, filed on grounds that we believe are wholly unfounded. We will vigorously defend our position.

"In view of the ongoing procedure, we will not comment further, however we would like to reiterate that the food safety of our natural mineral waters is and has always been guaranteed, as has been confirmed many times by the authorities.

Earlier this month, batches of Perrier bottled mineral waters were blocked from the market by local authorities in France following a bacterial analysis of one of Nestles wells in Vergeze.

An investigative report from Radio France shared by Franceinfo then suggested two of the groups mineral water wells had been shut for a five-day period at the end of November after new bacterial contamination was found at its Vergeze site in the Gard department.

When questioned on the topic by Just Drinks, Nestles water business said: As is normal in these situations, some pallets were blocked at our site.

These will remain at our site until further notice from the relevant authority.

In mid-November, a French court ruled Nestle could continue to market its Perrier water products in France using the term natural mineral water.

The Nanterre judicial court rejected a request from French consumer rights group UFC Que-Choisir to remove Perrier water products from the market.
(In Thursday's story, makes clear in paragraph 3 that Zhao Xiaobao is general manager of Dongfang Yilin, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group, not Hainan representative for Geely Tech; in paragraph 7, attributes plan to Dongfang Yilin, not Geely Tech)

Dec 18 (Reuters) - On the Chinese tropical island of Hainan, Huanghuali trees - a rare kind of rosewood - are being photographed so that they can be turned into digital assets.

Huanghuali or "yellow flowering pear" produces wood with a beautiful lustre and golden sheen. Favoured by Chinese emperors in times past, the wood continues to be highly prized. But a tree takes decades to mature, testing the patience of farmers.

Converting the Huanghuali into real world asset (RWA) tradeable tokens would bring capital to an industry facing cashflow problems, says Zhao Xiaobao, general manager of Dongfang Yilin, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group.

"We are converting the dormant resource of precious wood into tradeable assets," Zhao said, adding that the tokenisation business model could revolutionise the forestry industry and "turn green mountains and clear waters into gold and silver."

His company aims to raise HK$100 million ($13 million) in an initial tranche of tokens to be launched in Hong Kong in the next few months. Each tree will be assigned a different value, depending on its size and quality, which would then be broken up into a number of tokens.

BAIJIU LIQUOR, ARTIFACTS, COLLECTABLES

Dongfang Yilin's plan, Zhao believes, could mark the world's first tokenisation of tradeable real world assets that are biological in nature.

It's also not just prized trees. All sorts of Chinese goods, from fine tea to expensive baijiu liquor, are now being turned into digital assets.

"Artifacts, collectables, data assets, commodities and real estate  we have received many enquiries about how to tokenise these assets," Liao Renliang, a lawyer at Yingke Law Firm, told a seminar on the topic last month.

While many Chinese companies appear excited about this new avenue of funding that has opened up for them in Hong Kong since last year, blockchain-based RWA tokenisation is very much in its infancy. In particular, it remains unclear whether a potential onslaught in supply will be met with sufficient demand, given limits on investment from mainland China.

"There are way more assets .... than investors willing to buy them. We need to expand the investor base," said Eric Zuo, managing director at Tadwill & Co.

Zuo is working on a project that is seeking to raise 523 million yuan for a bankrupt hydro dam in Sichuan province via digital tokens in Hong Kong.
Ireland's Central Bank is warning that climate-driven economic instability is no longer a future concern. Instead, it's already reshaping the country's financial system.

What is climate-driven economic instability?

According to the Irish Examiner, the Central Bank and the Climate Change Advisory Council reviewed Ireland's preparation efforts and found a widening gap between rising climate risks and current national investment.

Climate-driven economic instability refers to the financial disruption caused when climate impacts  such as storms, flooding, heat waves, and erosion  damage infrastructure, interrupt business activity, and increase public spending. Extreme weather slows down work and raises insurance premiums.

Ireland already experienced this firsthand. Storm Eowyn caused record-breaking damage, leaving many communities without power, water, phone service, or internet.

The catastrophe led to more than 300 million in insured losses, Ireland's highest weather-related insurance payout on record.

Why does climate-driven economic instability matter now?

Ireland's adaptation budget sits far below what experts say is necessary to prepare for worsening climate impacts.

The new assessment projects that the country may need up to 2.2 billion by 2030, a level that current budgets don't meet. Without proper investment, future storms and infrastructure failures will result in significant financial consequences.

Vasileios Madouros, deputy governor of monetary and financial stability at the Central Bank, captured the urgency clearly.

"We're already seeing the impact extreme weather has on communities, businesses and infrastructure, and we recognise the importance of addressing climate-related risks, including the growing need for investment in adaptation measures," he told the Examiner.

The challenge isn't unique to Ireland. Canada has issued its own climate-risk warnings, highlighted again in debates about the federal carbon tax.

A review of adaptation across 54 African nations shows how long-term global underinvestment exposes the entire region to repeated losses.

The United Nations continues to call for stronger adaptation systems before temperatures and costs rise further.

How do assessments help with climate-driven instability?

National assessments make climate-related financial risks more visible and harder for policymakers to delay. They help identify weak infrastructure, highlight projects that struggle to secure funding, and clarify which upgrades will deliver the biggest long-term savings.
By Scott DiSavino

NEW YORK, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up on possible disruptions from a U.S. blockade of Venezuelan tankers as the market waits for news about a possible Russia-Ukraine peace deal.

Brent futures rose 65 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $60.47 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 51 cents, or 0.9%, to settle at $56.66.

That put Brent and WTI down about 1% this week after both crude benchmarks fell about 4% last week.

In other energy markets, a recent drop in U.S. gasoline futures to a four-year low cut 321- and gasoline crack spreads, which measure refining profit margins, to their lowest since February.

"The (oil) complex is posting small gains in holding above lows established earlier this week as it awaits further guidance regarding Ukraine/Russian peace talks as well as fresh headlines out of Venezuela as to the potential impact of the apparent Trump tanker blockade," analysts at energy advisory firm Ritterbusch and Associates said in a note.

As U.S. President Donald Trump seeks an end to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the onus was on Ukraine and Europe to make the next move toward peace.

European Union leaders decided on Friday to borrow cash to loan 90 billion euros ($105 billion) to Ukraine to fund its defense against Russia for the next two years rather than use frozen Russian assets, sidestepping divisions over an unprecedented plan to finance Kyiv with Russian sovereign cash.

Putin offered no compromise on Friday on his terms for ending the war in Ukraine and accused the European Union of attempting "daylight robbery" of Russian assets.

Ukraine, meanwhile, struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping.

VENEZUELA BLOCKADE

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday told reporters that the United States is not concerned about an escalation with Russia when it comes to Venezuela, as the Trump administration builds up military forces in the Caribbean.

Trump told NBC News in an interview that he was leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table.

Uncertainty over how the U.S. would enforce Trump's intent to block sanctioned tankers from entering and leaving Venezuela tempered geopolitical risk premiums, IG analyst Tony Sycamore said.

Venezuela, which pumps about 1% of global oil supplies, on Thursday authorized two unsanctioned cargoes to set sail for China, said two sources familiar with Venezuela's oil export operations.
Dec 17 (Reuters) - OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) has held preliminary talks with some investors about raising funds at a valuation of around $750 billion, the Information reported on Wednesday.

The ChatGPT maker could raise as much as $100 billion, the report said, citing people with knowledge of the discussions.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report and OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If finalized, the talks would represent a roughly 50% jump from OpenAI's reported $500 billion valuation in October, following a deal in which current and former employees sold about $6.6 billion worth of shares.

Separately, Microsoft-backed OpenAI is preparing for what could be among the largest IPOs ever, with a potential valuation of up to $1 trillion. The company has been laying the groundwork to go public and may file with securities regulators as early as the second half of 2026, Reuters has reported.

The potential fundraise underscores the AI sector's unrelenting appetite for computing power as companies sprint to build systems that match or exceed human capabilities.

Companies including Nvidia and Oracle have signed multibillion-dollar AI deals with OpenAI this year. Still, investors reamain cautios, looking for any indication that AI demand might be cooling or that the hefty investments are not paying off as expected.

(Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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.

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 .

How far off is Infineon Technologies AG ( ETR:IFX ) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

The 43.67 analyst price target for IFX is 20% less than our estimate of fair value

Story Continues

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 (1.6%) 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 8.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2035  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 7.1b (1 + 1.6%)  (8.7% 1.6%) = 102b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 102b ( 1 + 8.7%)10= 44b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 71b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of 35.5, the company appears quite good value at a 35% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

XTRA:IFX Discounted Cash Flow December 19th 2025

The Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Infineon Technologies as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.690. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

See our latest analysis for Infineon Technologies

SWOT Analysis for Infineon Technologies

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Semiconductor market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the German market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Infineon Technologies, we've compiled three essential aspects you should assess:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Infineon Technologies . Future Earnings: How does IFX's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every German stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is included among the 12 Best Dogs of the Dow to Invest in.

P&G Shares Seen as a Longer-Term Story, Says Deutsche Bank

On December 8, Deutsche Bank lowered its price target on The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) to $171 from $176 and kept a Hold rating after meeting with management. The firms view was that the stock may require more time to play out.

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)s core strength remains its brand portfolio. The company owns a wide range of household and personal care brands that are deeply embedded in daily consumer habits. That positioning gives it the ability to raise prices when costs increase, without meaningfully disrupting demand.

The business has also shown it can perform steadily in a difficult operating backdrop. Its supply chain is well run, and its exposure across categories and regions provides balance. Weakness in one area does not derail the overall picture, as the company can rely on segments or markets that are holding up better.

At the moment, growth is being driven primarily by regions outside North America. Greater China and Latin America are showing the strongest momentum. Within the portfolio, skin and personal care continue to perform well, while other areas are seeing minimal growth or modest declines in organic sales.

In addition, Consistency remains a defining feature of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG). The company has paid dividends for 135 years and increased its payout for 69 consecutive years. As of December 16, the dividend yield was around 2.9%, which remains above the broader market average and underscores the stability of the business.

While we acknowledge the potential of PG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 13 Best Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Under $50 and11 Best Low Priced Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

Disclosure: None.
Polands lower house of parliament has again approved a contentious cryptocurrency bill, reviving a regulatory push that President Karol Nawrocki blocked only weeks ago

They are setting the stage for another confrontation over how tightly the country should police its digital asset market.

In a vote held on Thursday, the Sejm passed the Crypto-Asset Market Act with 241 lawmakers in favor, 183 against, and one abstention.

Source: Sejm

The bill, which had previously been vetoed by Nawrocki, was forwarded to the Senate on Friday for further consideration.

Reintroduced Without Changes, Polands Crypto Bill Tests Presidential Limits

Lawmakers reintroduced the legislation without changes, despite the presidents earlier objections that it threatened civil liberties, property rights, and legal certainty.

The bill is designed to bring Polands crypto rules in line with the European Unions Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, known as MiCA, which all member states must implement by July 2026.

Poland remains the only EU country that has not yet adopted a national framework to accompany the bloc-wide rules, a gap the government says has left the domestic market exposed to abuse and foreign interference.

The renewed vote follows weeks of political tension, as in December, Nawrocki vetoed the same legislation after it cleared both chambers of parliament.

They argued that it went beyond EU requirements and granted authorities overly broad powers, including the ability to block crypto-related websites through administrative orders.

At the time, lawmakers failed to secure the three-fifths majority needed to override his decision, forcing the government to restart the legislative process.

Poland Bill Tightens Grip on Crypto Firms

The legislation would place crypto-asset service providers under the supervision of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, or KNF.

Exchanges, custodians, and issuers would be required to obtain licenses, meet capital and compliance standards, and adhere to anti-money laundering rules.

The KNF would gain the power to impose fines of up to 10 million zlotys and, in serious cases, pursue prison sentences of up to five years.

Critics across the political spectrum and within the crypto industry have warned that the framework is among the most restrictive in the EU.

Opposition lawmakers have pointed to the KNFs average licensing timeline of around 30 months, the longest in the bloc, and argued that the rules could push firms to relocate to jurisdictions with lighter implementations of MiCA.

Polands President Faces Defining Choice on Contested Crypto Rules

Industry figures have said the bill risks disrupting a market estimated to serve about three million users in Poland.
Person holding small bars of gold while working at their computer - mojo cp/Shutterstock

If you have been looking for a way to expand your investment returns in recent years, you might have considered gold. While there is a caveat to buying gold in 2025, it did go up in value throughout the year. As of mid-December 2025, it was solidly on its way to its largest year-over-year value increase in more than four decades. With those kinds of gains already locked in, you may now be wondering if gold is again worth buying in 2026.

A new poll from Goldman Sachs says that you may want to add gold to your portfolio before the new year. The investment bank took a survey in mid-November 2025 of more than 900 institutional investor clients using the Goldman Sachs Marquee platform. Almost 70% of the people responding to the poll expect gold to exceed $4,500 per ounce by the end of 2026 (via CNBC). As of December 15, 2025, that amount of gold is trading for around $4,300, so that suggests the potential for a pretty sizable increase.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television in late November 2025, Daan Struyven, the co-head of global commodities research at Goldman Sachs, said the company's outlook for gold in 2026 matches its poll respondents' optimism. He predicted at least a 20% increase in the price of gold by the end of 2026, and that it could reach $4,900 per troy ounce in that time.

Read more: A Complete Guide To Buying Gold Bars At Costco

There's widespread optimism that gold will keep appreciating

People looking at a price chart on a computer screen - Nattakorn Maneerat/Getty Images

According to the Goldman Sachs poll, 36% of those surveyed predict that the price of gold will surpass $5,000 per ounce by the end of 2026. A slightly smaller portion believes gold will settle at between $4,500 and $5,000 per ounce by the time 2026 comes to an end. About 22% of poll participants expect that gold will be roughly stagnant during 2026 and finish out the year at between $4,000 and $4,500 per ounce. Only 5% see gold's per-ounce price dropping during the next year and settling at between $3,500 and $4,000. Even fewer  about 3%  predict it will fall below $3,500.

If the majority is correct, it would mean a continuation of gold hitting unprecedented milestones. This trend has made it difficult for people trying to predict market movements. Many of the predictions that market experts made at the end of 2024 for gold prices in 2025 were surpassed before the midpoint of the year, causing many researchers to adjust their predictions upward. Gold had never surpassed $4,000 per ounce until October 2025. In December 2016, gold was priced at about $1,150 per ounce. If it surpasses $4,500 per ounce by the end of 2026, as many predict it will, it would represent a nearly 300% increase in gold's price over roughly a decade. For comparison, the S&P 500 stock index has only climbed by roughly 236% from December 2015 to December 2025.
We recently published 12 Stocks on Jim Cramers Radar. The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) is one of the stocks aon Jim Cramer's radar.

The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) is a well-known American apparel retailer. Its shares are up by 15% year-to-date but have spent a tumultuous time on the market. The volatility in The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s shares comes at a time when it is in the midst of a turnaround under CEO Richard Dickson. For instance, the shares dipped by 20% on May 30th after the firm shared that it could face as much as $300 million in excess costs due to tariffs.

President Trump's Supreme Court Tariff Case Is Seeing People Recommend Gap (GAP), Says Jim Cramer

Northfoto / Shutterstock.com

Since the dip, The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s shares are up by more than 21%. During this time period, several analysts have shared their thoughts about the firm. One such coverage came from Morgan Stanley as it increased The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s share price target to $28 from $27 and kept an Overweight rating on September 16th. A little over a month later, on November 14th, Jefferies raised its share price rating for The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s stock to Buy from Hold and increased the share price target to $30 from $22. The investment bank pointed out that the retailer was benefiting from improved web and foot traffic for key brands such as Old Navy.

As for Cramer, he commented on the tariff overhang for The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s stock. With the Supreme Court deliberating President Trumps emergency use of tariffs and expected to announce a decision in January, Cramer commented that the legal tussle is also making its way to The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)s shares. His remarks came after Telsey and Baird upgraded the shares to Outperform and set the share price target to $32 and $33, respectively:

Although its interesting that, people are now starting to recommend stocks like Gap, on the idea that were going to get the Supreme Court to go against the President.

While we acknowledge the potential of GAP as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.
BENGALURU, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Gaming giant Krafton will lead a new $666 million investment fund in Asia, partnering with South Korean peers Naver and Mirae Asset to diversify beyond gaming into a wider pool of tech startups, primarily in India.

The fund's launch underscores South Korea's deepening economic footprint in the South Asian nation. Cumulative foreign direct investment from South Korea reached roughly $6.8 billion by mid-2025 in India, according to government data, as Seoul seeks to diversify supply chains and consumer market exposure away from China.

The "Unicorn Growth Fund" marks the first major joint venture between the three South Korean majors in India, where Krafton is best known for its mobile hit Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

The fund, which will be managed by Mirae Asset Venture India, expects to begin operations in January 2026 with an initial pool of over $333 million before scaling to its total target, Krafton said on Friday.

Krafton has separately invested more than $200 million so far in India, including in its gaming sector, which is often riddled with regulatory volatility.

BGMI, which currently boasts over 240 million downloads, has faced a temporary ban in recent years over data security concerns.

It was launched in India following New Delhi's 2020 ban of Krafton's popular game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), citing concerns about data sharing with China.

($1 = 90.0650 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Regulating the two companies is a core competency of the FHFA. Fannie specializes in buying mortgages from big banks, packaging them into securities and then selling those securities to create liquidity in the home-loan market. Freddie plays the same role for smaller lenders. Pulte has proposed some policy changes in the market, such as introducing a 50-year mortgage. That idea, aimed at making monthly loan payments more affordable than under the standard shorter terms, has drawn criticism from some quarters as it would mean more interest payments over the life of a loan.

This reliance on a buddy system  in which people are getting into positions because of their political or personal connections  is unprecedented at these organizations, said Richard Painter, a Bush administration ethics attorney who co-authored a book about ethical lapses in the banking industry and the 2008 crisis. Its a potentially explosive and dangerous situation that could be damaging not only to the mortgage industry but to our economy as a whole.

By favoring loyalty and personal ties over experience, and politicizing the once low-profile FHFA and the companies it supervises, Pulte risks undercutting the credibility of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government-ethics specialists say. The government-sponsored enterprises, under FHFA conservatorship since the 2008 financial crisis, underpin the U.S. housing market by backing the majority of all mortgages.

In an early move, he ordered staff to hand over control of the Fannie Mae account on X, the social media platform, according to four people familiar with his actions. He soon began using the account, as well as his own personal X profile, to trumpet the White House agenda and level accusations of mortgage fraud against prominent Democrats perceived to be political enemies of Trump. Pulte accompanied those accusations with criminal referrals to the Justice Department.

Since taking over the Federal Housing Finance Agency in March, Pulte has driven out hundreds of employees from the mortgage regulator and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Fortune 500 mortgage-buying companies he oversees. The brash scion of a homebuilding empire bearing his familys name, Pulte has supplanted industry veterans with politically or personally connected advisors, including a business partner of Trumps eldest son and a former registered sex offender who campaigned for the Republican president.

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Days after being sworn in as President Donald Trumps appointee at a top U.S. housing agency, Bill Pulte began cleaning house.

Story Continues

But Pultes maneuvers have drawn attention mostly for reasons other than the workings of the mortgage industry.

Within Fannie and Freddie, some of his appointments have angered staffers who perceive a political agenda more focused on fighting Washington wokism than on the actual mortgage business. Pulte has used his status as a Trump appointee to promote cryptocurrency initiatives, a move some critics see as a conflict of interest because Trumps family has significant investments in the sector and the president has sought to deregulate it.

Pultes accusations of fraud against political targets led the Government Accountability Office, the investigative agency of Congress, this month to say it would investigate whether Pulte abused his position and government resources in that effort. The GAO probe came at the behest of Democratic senators. Federal prosecutors in Maryland also began recently to review Pultes conduct in the investigation of Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat he accused of mortgage fraud.

In a recent post online, Attorney General Pam Bondi, who oversees federal prosecutors, wrote: There is no investigation into Bill Pulte.

Pulte didnt respond to questions from Reuters for this report.

This examination of Pultes tenure is based on interviews with more than two dozen people familiar with the impact of his management at the FHFA and his role as chairman at Fannie and Freddie. Reuters also reviewed internal documents from the agency and the two companies as well as Pultes extensive social media postings.

Jonathan Coppage, a spokesperson for the FHFA, in an emailed statement to Reuters said Pultes leadership at the FHFA has created a safer and sounder mortgage sector. Fannie and Freddie, he added, are now being run like standard businesses and not special interest welfare entities, so there is no room for waste, fraud, or abuse.

Spokespersons at Fannie and Freddie didnt respond to requests for comment.

On X, Pulte has justified his cuts at the mortgage giants as the elimination of not core positions and a reversal of DEI nonsense, a reference to employment policies that sought more inclusive and equitable workplaces. He has touted his hires, meanwhile, as recruitment of the best and brightest. He has defended his criminal referrals against officials including Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James as an urgent effort to eliminate fraud thats damaging the mortgage industry.

Both James and Schiff have denied wrongdoing. A federal judge dismissed charges against James brought by a prosecutor after Pultes criminal referral, and two grand juries have subsequently declined to indict her. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment.

In the agencys statement, the FHFA spokesperson didnt answer specific questions about Pultes accusations of mortgage fraud.

Steven Cheung, a White House spokesperson, has told Reuters that criticism of Pultes tenure at FHFA is a pathetic attempt to distract away from all of the victories being delivered for the American people. He added that Bill Pulte is one of the Presidents most loyal and important advisors who is doing a great job.

SHARED BUSINESS AND SOCIAL CIRCLES

Although his family originally hails from Michigan, where his grandfathers construction company grew into one of the biggest homebuilders in the United States, Pulte was born in Florida, where he has moved in the same business and social circles as Trump. On his financial disclosure form ahead of his confirmation for the FHFA post, Pulte declared assets worth at least $190 million, mostly through stakes in home-service companies and Pulte Capital Partners, an investment firm at which he listed his position as chief executive.

In a February letter to a government ethics official, Pulte said he would step down from his roles at various investment vehicles including Pulte Capital Partners and Pulte Family Office, a related entity.

Pulte has been a regular presence at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, and is friendly with Donald Trump Jr, the presidents eldest son. Reuters couldnt determine whether those ties led to Pultes nomination as FHFA boss, but some of his own appointments as regulator hail from the same social circles.

The FHFA spokesperson didnt respond to a question about Pultes relationship with the Trumps or their acquaintances. The White House didnt respond to questions about the matter, either.

After Pulte was confirmed as director last March, he installed himself as chairman of the board at both Fannie and Freddie. The move was unprecedented, surprising some staffers at both enterprises, accustomed to a formal remove between the regulator and the companies.

It also prompted the FHFAs inspector general, an independent internal watchdog, to review whether the self-appointment was a conflict of interest, according to three people familiar with the matter. Tensions with that office increased when Pulte, breaking with standard procedures, circumvented the inspector before making the criminal referrals, Reuters reported in October

The White House later fired the inspector general for reasons it hasnt disclosed. Joe Allen, the former inspector general, didnt reply to requests for comment from Reuters.

Pulte, in an X post on Thursday, referenced Reuters inquiries about his appointment as chair of Fannie and Freddie. He wrote that Allen in April confirmed to the Federal Housing Finance Agency that the Director acting as Chairman is legal.

The inspector generals office, for its part, appeared to contradict Pulte.

In a statement to Reuters, also on Thursday, a spokesperson said it is not the role of the FHFA-OIG to provide legal advice to FHFA. The statement added that in April, when Congress asked the former inspector general about the legality of the director serving as chair, he referred them back to the agency as best positioned to provide the factual and legal basis for its decisions.

Pulte revamped Fannie and Freddies boards, ultimately removing 14 directors, and replacing most of them, at the two companies. He also implemented a series of management changes, including the chief executives at both companies.

More broadly, Pulte announced layoffs of not core employees, including staffers responsible for diversity efforts and ethics enforcement, according to public records and statements by Pulte. Three people familiar with the changes within Fannie said some staff there were disturbed when Pulte aides earlier this year told them, as they prepared marketing materials related to mortgage financing, not to include too many Latino or African-American families in their visuals. The marketing, the aides stressed, needed to reflect the administrations shift away from DEI, these people said.

The FHFA spokesperson denied the incident. No one at the Federal Housing Finance Agency ever said this, he wrote, it is completely made up.

On their own, personnel changes are common under a new boss. Still, the nature of Pultes appointments has bothered some staffers at Fannie and Freddie because they have included some aides with little experience in the mortgage sector. Still others are perceived to represent potential conflicts  in one case because a new board member as recently as January shared a common financial interest with a Pulte family investment office.

In April, Pulte named Omeed Malik, founder of venture fund 1789 Capital and a prominent Trump donor, to Fannies board. Trump Jr is a partner in the fund, based in Palm Beach and known for its conservative bent. Months earlier, according to a release by the family investment office in which Pulte was quoted as chairman, the office had invested in GrabAGun, a Texas-based firearm retailer that Malik helped go public this year. Trump Jr is also a board member there.

Normal government ethics say you shouldnt have these shared financial interests, James Lockhart, who served as the first-ever FHFA director, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, told Reuters.

The FHFA spokesperson, without elaborating, said Pulte hasnt owned any shares in GrabAGun since being in Government. He didnt explain if the Pulte family office sold the stake in the company after Pulte joined the Trump administration.

Trump Jr, 1789 Capital and GrabAGun didnt respond to requests for comment. In response to questions from Reuters, a lawyer for Malik declined to make him available for an on-record interview.

THERE WAS NOBODY THERE

Other Pulte personnel decisions have also raised eyebrows.

Earlier this year, Reuters reported, Pulte enlisted Mark Zarkin, a Michigan restaurateur with no significant experience in the mortgage sector and who had once been convicted of a felony sex offense, as a consultant to the two mortgage companies. A judge had later vacated the felony conviction.

Zarkin didnt respond to a request for comment.

Reuters couldnt identify exactly what role Zarkin has performed, but three people familiar with his presence said he often accompanied Pulte at Fannie offices and in March escorted a film crew there to shoot footage that soon after was shown by Fox News.

The footage, the people said, was filmed on a Monday, a day when many employees typically work from home. Pulte on camera showed empty cubicles and made comments, considered inaccurate and disparaging by some staffers, about truant workers. We've got this big beautiful area where employees are supposed to work, Pulte said in the Fox segment. There was nobody there.

In an email, a Fox News spokesperson said the video it used was supplied by the FHFA and that it didnt work with Zarkin.

The FHFA spokesperson said Zarkin is currently not an employee or consultant to the agency, Fannie or Freddie. He didnt answer follow-up questions about any role Zarkin may have held earlier in the year.

Another early move by Pulte was his demand for access to Fannies X account, the four people familiar with the order told Reuters. Previously, posts by the company on social media were vetted by experts and lawyers. But after internal discussions, these people said, the staffers complied.

The FHFA spokesperson said: In 2025, it is very common to use social media platforms like X to communicate with the public.

Soon, Pulte began using the platform to promote Trumps policies.

His posts, some staffers believe, blur the lines between Pultes political views and his role as a regulator. Reuters couldnt determine whether Pulte himself has posted from the Fannie account, but the account has reposted some of Pultes own X writings regarding FHFA initiatives, including his claims of widespread fraud in the mortgage industry.

At times, people familiar with his activities told Reuters, Pultes prolific posts led staffers within Fannie and Freddie to learn of new policy initiatives even before they had been analyzed, let alone announced, at the companies themselves.

Last month, for instance, Pulte on X said that Thanks to President Trump, we are indeed working on The 50-year-mortgage - a complete game changer. The idea was pitched as a way to broaden access to a mortgage market currently dominated by 30-year loans. But it was promptly criticized by staffers, economists and mortgage industry experts, some of whom said it would burden homeowners with more debt and expose lenders to higher risk.

The idea hasnt been implemented.

Then there was his announcement that Fannie and Freddie would wade into an industry that President Trump, once a skeptic, has embraced  cryptocurrency. In October, Reuters reported that Trumps family reaped more than $800 million from crypto sales in the first half of 2025. During that period, the Department of Justice axed its crypto enforcement team and the administrations banking regulators relaxed guidance for banks regarding the historically volatile currencies.

In June, Pulte posted that he had ordered Fannie and Freddie to make adjustments so borrowers could count cryptocurrency among their assets when applying for loans. After significant studying, and in keeping with President Trumps vision to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, today I ordered the Great Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare their businesses to count cryptocurrency as an asset for a mortgage, he wrote.

The directive caused confusion.

Some staffers perceived yet another conflict of interest in a measure that seeks mass-market acceptance for a sector in which the presidents family has significant investments. The order, one person familiar with the response at Fannie and Freddie said, led both companies to scramble for ways to implement it, particularly because many mainstream lenders remain uncertain about the risks that still plague volatile cryptocurrencies.

A functional plan still hasnt been formulated, the person added.

The FHFA spokesperson, without providing details, in the statement wrote: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have made great progress with implementing cryptocurrency.

(Editing by Paulo Prada.)
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio is the latest business executive to pledge cash for President Donald Trump's investment accounts for kids.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Wednesday that Dalio will be donating seed money for Connecticut kids under a new federal initiative to rally philanthropists around the program. The U.S. government will provide $1,000 for each account.

"Ray has made the first move, but we welcome other donors and foundations in Connecticut and across the country to join him in the 50 State Challenge," Bessent said at a press conference.

The administration also unveiled a website for the program, which is restricted to kids born during Trump's second term. Both Ray and his wife Barbara Dalio are listed as philanthropists with "more to come," the website said.

Dalio, who founded the Bridgewater Associates Investment Firm, said the couple planned to seed the investment accounts with an extra $250 for 300,000 kids in Connecticut. The funds will flow to children living in a zip code with median incomes below $150,000.

At an early age, I was exposed to the stock market, and it changed my life," Dalio said in a statement. "By providing children with savings accounts that compound over time, we are providing them with early insights into financial literacy and a path towards financial independence."

Under the program, beneficiaries can withdraw the cash starting at age 18 under specific circumstances such as paying for college. They stand to gain full control over the money at age 30, and parents will be allowed to deposit up to $5,000 annually. Employers will be allowed to make contributions too. There's one catch: The money can only be invested in low-cost U.S. stock index funds.

The account functions similarly to a traditional individual retirement account, better known as an IRA. Children born after Dec. 31, 2024 and before Jan. 1, 2029 will qualify for an account.

Earlier this month, CEO Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and his wife Susan announced a donation of $6.25 billion for the initiative that will seed 25 million accounts with $250 a piece.
Key Takeaways

Benchmarking your contribution rate against others your age can help you see whether your current savings habits are on track.

A new report shows Gen Z workers contribute about 3.7% of their salary to workplace plans on average, while Millennials contribute 5.0%, Gen X 6.0%, and Boomers just over 7%. All are below the recommended contribution rate of 10% or more.

A 1% annual bump to your contribution rate can substantially improve long-term outcomes, especially when done early in your career.

Why Retirement Contribution Rates Matter More Than Most People Realize

Most workers have only a rough sense of whether theyre contributing enough to their workplace retirement plan. Contribution rates are often set early in a career, when your budget is tight, and may stay unchanged for years. Yet these seemingly modest choicessetting a rate of 5%, 6%, or 7%hold far more influence over long-term retirement readiness than many people realize.

Defined contribution plans, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457 plans, and other employer retirement accounts, remain the primary way many Americans save for retirement. But most workers have little insight into how their own contribution rate stacks up.

Plan dashboards highlight balances, not behavior, and people rarely discuss their contribution choices with colleagues or friends. That lack of visibility makes it tough to assess whether youre on trackand many workers dont realize how much even a modest contribution change can add up to over time.

Why This Matters to You

Understanding how your contribution rate compares with others your age can make it easier to gauge whether youre on track for your long-term goals. Even if you find only a little room to improve at a time, small, sustained increases can really strengthen your retirement readiness.

What the Data Reveal About How People Contribute at Every Age and Income Level

The 2025 installment of J.P. Morgans annual Retirement by the Numbers report shows that contribution habits vary widely across age and income groups, with contribution rates rising steadily with age. Among middle earnersthe group that roughly captures the median for each generationGen Z workers contribute about 3.7% on average, Millennials 5.0%, Gen X about 6.0%, and Baby Boomers a bit over 7%.

Income adds another layer to the picture. Within every generation, higher earners contribute morebut not by much. The lowest-earning third of workers contribute 4% to 6.5% on average, with middle earners generally showing slightly higher rates.

Top earners unsurprisingly contribute the most, yet even among those nearing retirement, average rates are under 9%. So while income influences contribution habits, it doesnt overcome the broader pattern: Most workers contribute less than the commonly recommended 10% or more of pretax income.


RWE has entered into an agreement with PGE to sell its F.E.W. Baltic II offshore wind project with a planned capacity of 350MW in Poland.

The wind farm is set be located about 50km off the coast, north of Ustka, in the Baltic Sea.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026.

As part of the transaction process, RWE and PGE have already finalised the transfer to PGE of the environmental permit and related data for the neighbouring offshore wind area 44.E.1.

The company currently runs onshore wind and solar installations in Poland with a total capacity exceeding 660MW.

RWE offshore wind chief executive officer Sven Utermohlen said: We are convinced that, in synergy with their other portfolio, PGE is better positioned to realise this project than RWE would be on a standalone basis. However, our target to further grow our offshore wind portfolio remains unchanged.

We are currently building four large-scale offshore wind farms in four European countries and have several further offshore projects under development.

RWE currently operates 19 offshore wind farms in five countries, with a combined installed capacity of 6.2GW, of which 3.3GW is attributable to the company.

The company is also building four new offshore wind projects, including Sofia off the coast of northern England, Thor in Denmark, OranjeWind off the Dutch coast, and Nordseecluster north of the German island of Juist.

Once completed, these projects will provide an additional 4.8GW of capacity in total, with RWEs share being 3.1GW.

In a separate development, RWE has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M), a subsidiary of American Electric Power, for the entire output of RWEs 200MW Prairie Creek located in Blackford County, Indiana, US.

Under the 15year agreement, I&M will buy electricity from Prairie Creek as part of its plan to secure enough generation capacity to match rising electricity demand in Indiana.

The contracted output from Prairie Creek will help I&M serve its expanding customer base by broadening and strengthening its energy supply portfolio.

When Prairie Creek begins operation, it will produce enough power to meet the annual electricity needs of roughly 42,000 Indiana households, supporting I&M in delivering affordable and reliable energy to its customers.

Earlier in October, RWE officially begun construction of Germanys largest battery storage facility at its Gundremmingen site in Bavaria.

"RWE to sell F.E.W. Baltic II wind project to PGE" was originally created and published by Power Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.
Top crypto firms, which say they need the bill in order to get the regulatory clarity they have long sought, have piled more than $140 million into a super PAC network known as Fairshake that backed industry-friendly candidates in both parties last cycle . And in a big new twist this week, major U.S. banks announced they would fund an effort that could help push their own interests in the crypto debate  a non-profit group called the American Growth Alliance that will engage with leaders in a bipartisan manner.

The crypto industry is pushing hard for the so-called market structure legislation, which would divvy up which digital assets are commodities and fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and which are securities and overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The political tensions hanging over the crypto bill illustrate how a once-niche topic has come to play an outsized role in American politics. Hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending are resting on the result of the crypto legislation, which has injected campaign politics into an otherwise arcane policy debate over securities and commodities regulations.

It can still get done, although I think it has to get done in the first quarter because little is going to get done after that, said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a senior member of the Banking panel who is not running for re-election. After about March, he added, were in the political silly season.

Looming over both sides is a massive campaign spending push by the crypto and banking industries, which are at odds over some issues related to the legislation. Competing industry pressure could scramble the political dynamic further as the midterms approach.

The future of the bill, which aims to establish a new regulatory framework for digital assets, hinges on whether Republicans can strike a deal with a group of Senate Democrats who are involved in negotiations that addresses an array of sticking points  including ethics concerns surrounding President Donald Trumps family crypto businesses that could become an election year focal point. Republicans hope to send a final product to the presidents desk that delivers on what could be a marquee legislative achievement of his second term.

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who punted a committee vote to next year to allow bipartisan negotiations to continue, will now need to overcome Congress signature election-year inertia to pass the crypto legislation . As elections near, lawmakers typically turn most of their attention to their re-election bids  and away from policymaking.

The Senate is facing a closing window to pass a landmark cryptocurrency bill, as bipartisan negotiations stretch into an election year and the tensions of next years midterms begin to loom larger over the effort.

Story Continues

The incentives created by the campaign cash are complicated  especially for Democrats  and they can point in different directions. Republicans have blamed Democrats for delays in the crypto bill process, accusing them of slow walking the effort at points. If Democrats work with Republicans to pass the legislation next year, it may help keep some of them on the crypto sectors good side  and spare them from ire they could receive if lawmakers fail to clinch a deal.

On the other hand, if no bill passes, crypto firms could still be incentivized to curry favor with Democrats, since bipartisan support would be needed to advance the industrys top legislative priority in the future.

This, in my view, is and always has been a nonpartisan issue, said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), a leading crypto industry ally in the Senate who sits on the Banking Committee. But in the world of political contributions, this industry is proving its willingness to pitch in to both parties. And thats a powerful incentive for politicians to pussyfoot around.

Crypto firms have pushed for Congress to take action now, and its political groups are signaling that they will spend based on how lawmakers act during this Congress. The industry-backed pro-crypto advocacy group Stand With Crypto said this week that it will be scoring lawmakers based on how they vote during market structure markups.

This is the most pivotal moment for crypto in the USA, the group said on X. Failure to pass Market Structure jeopardizes everything that this community has built and fought for.

Democrats say they are focused on the substance of the legislation.

We want to get something done because we know if we dont get it done, theres a good opportunity thats going to be wasted, because were going to get into election season and nothings going to happen, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said in October following a meeting with crypto executives. Then, a lot of these industries are going to decide to stay overseas and-or its going to be used on the illicit market, which we dont want.

It is unclear how the banks new group, which was launched by the Financial Services Forum, will deploy its war chest. The group said in its announcement that it will spend tens of millions of dollars to raise awareness of key issues and promote economic policies and priorities critical to the economic and financial well-being of the country. Wall Street groups are lobbying to bar crypto exchanges from paying yield via rewards programs that they offer to consumers who hold dollar-pegged stablecoins.

Despite the challenging political backdrop, lawmakers involved in the effort say they remain committed to making law in an election year. Some of the biggest legislative efforts to emerge out of the Banking Committee in recent decades have passed during midterm years. The Dodd-Frank Act, which instituted an array of reforms to Wall Street oversight following the 2008 financial crisis, became law in July 2010. And a subsequent bipartisan bill that rolled back some Dodd-Frank regulations was signed by Trump in his first term in May 2018.

Scott is expected to move quickly once the Senate returns in 2026 to push for a markup. The South Carolina lawmaker said in a statement this week that lawmakers are making steady, bipartisan progress on digital asset market structure legislation.

Members on both sides of the aisle are engaging constructively and working through the text in a thoughtful, deliberate way, he said. As that work continues, my focus is on building a durable framework that provides regulatory clarity, protects investors, and keeps America at the forefront of financial innovation.

In addition to negotiating with Democrats, Scott is also working to shore up support from some GOP members of his panel who have cautioned against moving too quickly.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who has warned for months against speeding ahead on a complicated market structure bill, said pushing the markup to next year was inevitable.

Chairman Scott has done a superb job of creating a sense of urgency, he said. I think he made the right call. He was under a lot of pressure. If we werent making any progress, that would be one thing. But Ive been in all of these senator-to-senator meetings, and people are negotiating in good faith.
Brands

Copenhagen contemporary label Ganni has announced three executive appointments as the Danish B Corp continues its global expansion drive. Marcelo Noschese joins as president, Americas; Marie Valot joins as communication and PR executive director; and Guillaume Dacquet joins as marketing and image executive Director. All three will report directly to CEO Laura du Rusquec, supporting Gannis executive committee and long-term global vision.

Noschese will oversee retail, wholesale and e-commerce across the region, bringing extensive experience from leading roles at Prada, Louis Vuitton and Ferragamo, most recently serving as CEO of Prada Americas. Valot, recently associated with Balmain, will expand the houses visibility and cultural reach, fostering meaningful relationships across media, talent and creative communities. Dacquet is tasked with overseeing its global marketing strategy, image direction and content. He previously served as global marketing and consumer engagement director for Estee Lauder Cos.

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Retail

Resale marketplace Poshmark announced the appointment of Elizabeth von der Goltz.

as its first chief revenue officer. Von der Goltz will join in January, overseeing all commercial and marketing functionsincluding merchandising and sourcing, partnerships, customer acquisition and growth, brand and creative, as well as communications and social media. She brings more than two decades of global experience in fashion, luxury, and e-commerce, having previously held senior leadership roles at Bergdorf Goodman, Net-a-Porter, Matches Fashion, Browns, and Farfetch.

Logistics

Ocean freight company Maersk has named Robert Erni as chief financial officer and executive board member. Current CFO Patrick Jany will step down during the first fiscal quarter of 2026. He has held the position since May 2020. Erni brings significant experience from the logistics industry, having previously served as CFO at Dachser and, before that, spent many years with Panalpina and Kuehne+Nagel. Jany will oversee the year-end closing and the annual report, to be announced on Feb. 5, after which the transition takes effect.

Digital freight booking platform Freightos announced founder and chief executive Zvi Schreiber will step down, effective Jan. 31, 2026, to pursue other entrepreneurial interests. After 14 years at the helm, Schreiber will continue serving as a non-executive board member and will provide ongoing guidance to the company as it pursues its vision for digital freight pricing, procurement, and booking. To support a smooth transition, CFO Pablo Pinillos will serve as interim CEO while the board continues its comprehensive executive search.


South Korean crypto and blockchain stocks are on the rise as the government races to legalise stablecoin issuance.

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or KOSPI, the index of all common shares on the Korea Exchange, continues to slump, blockchain-related share prices are surging.

The KOSPI is down over 3% in the past five days. In the same time, crypto company Danal rose by 5%, with prices up as high as 7% on December 17.

Other notable gainers were TS Investment, with over 3% in the same period, Atinum Investment, which grew by over 2% and Nuon, which grew by over 1%.

The growth comes at a torrid time for South Korean tech shares, with even blue-chip stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix suffering this week.

Blockchain businesses stock rises come after two rough months for the crypto industry, with shares prices falling amid a crypto price slump and fears of further drops to come.

South Korea banned all forms of domestic coin issuance in early 2018. But the ruling Democratic Party wants to let banks and big tech companies issue won-pegged tokens.

The South Korean publication Money Today reported that securities experts think Danal will benefit the most from the legalisation of stablecoins. This optimism has spurred investor sentiment, the publication wrote, with the optimism dragging up related share prices.

Lee Chang-young, a researcher and analyst at Yuanta Securities Korea, said that when won-denominated stablecoins receive the green light, companies like Danal stand to benefit.

As the crypto-powered payment system expands, Danal will benefit the most, Lee said.

Last year, Danal registered a patent related to offline payments using virtual currency, the analyst said. That will give it the most advantageous position among domestic payment companies when won stablecoins are legalised in South Korea.

Danal is one of South Koreas only Korea Exchange-listed blockchain startups, while the likes of TS Investment and Atinum Investment have made significant investments in crypto exchange operators and other blockchain specialists.

Atinum was notably an early investor in Dunamu, South Koreas largest crypto exchange operator. The latter is hoping to complete a merger with the tech giant Naver next year, with a Naver stablecoin at the heart of the firms business plans.

South Korean lawmakers are determined to force through a stablecoin legalisation bill in the first few weeks of 2026, despite the reluctance of the Bank of Korea.

The newspaper Maeil Kyungjae reported that at a financial sector event on December 18 that brought together 300 financial services group chiefs  including the heads of the Financial Services Commission, Financial Supervisory Service, and the countrys biggest banks  AI and stablecoins were clearly the two key topics for next year.

Tim Alper is a news correspondent at DL News. Got a tip? Email at tdalper@dlnews.com.
The Trump administration has issued an ultimatum to the European Union regarding its regulation of U.S. technology companies, threatening to deploy every tool at its disposal to retaliate against what it describes as unfair targeting of Silicon Valley giants, which could mean imposing fees on European services that operate in American markets, such as Spotify and DHL.

In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) accused European regulators of pursuing a persistent course of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives against U.S. service providers. The Trump administration says if these practices continue, the U.S. is prepared to impose fees and restrictions on European companies operating in the American market.

If the EU and EU member states insist on continuing to restrict, limit, and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will have no choice but to begin using every tool at its disposal to counter these unreasonable measures, the USTR said.

Potential targets for retaliation

The Trump administrations warning went beyond vague threats, explicitly naming several major European corporations that could face retaliatory measures. The list includes logistics giant DHL, consulting firm Accenture, industrial manufacturer Siemens, software company SAP, music streaming service Spotify, and artificial intelligence startup Mistral AI.

In the statement posted to social media, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer argued these European companies have long benefited from open access to the American economy, a privilege he suggests is not being reciprocated. EU service providers have been able to operate freely in the United States for decades, benefiting from access to our market and consumers on a level playing field, Greer wrote.

The USTR emphasized the economic contribution of American firms abroad, noting that U.S. tech companies provide substantial free services to EU citizens and reliable enterprise services to EU companies while supporting millions of jobs and more than $100 billion in direct investment in Europe.

The core dispute: DMA and DSA

At the heart of the conflict are the European Unions landmark regulatory frameworks: the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). These laws were designed to curb the dominance of gatekeeper platforms and ensure online safety, but American officials view them as tools of economic protectionism aimed specifically at U.S. success stories.
Careful consideration must be used in determining how to use these benefits and how to prepare for the transitions that come as the child ages, Melissa Brennan, a certified financial planner at ARS Private Wealth Management, shared with AARP.

With this in mind, Rebecca has the opportunity to earn a significant amount of money over the coming years, and managing these funds responsibly is essential.

In Rebecca's case, assuming she's still in high school at 19, she could potentially receive these benefits throughout the next three years. After a year of collecting survivor benefits, Rebecca has already received about $9,000, and three more years of $800 monthly benefit checks would give her another $28,800.

Survivor benefits for minors can equal up to 75% of a deceased parents Social Security benefit. If a deceased parent did not claim their benefits prior to their death, a minor child would get what the deceased parent was entitled to receive at the time of death. Theres also a maximum family payment that can be 150% to 180% if more than one child in a family is receiving survivor benefits.

According to AARP, approximately 1.3 million minor children receive survivor benefits in America (1). The SSA allows minors to receive benefits until the age of 18, or 19 if the child is a full-time high school student.

But since hes far from a finance expert, Steve feels overwhelmed with the situation. Here are a few things parents should know about survivor benefits, as well as some tips on what to do with the funds.

The Social Security Administrations (SSA) survivor benefits are meant to help support children like Rebecca due to the loss of one of her parents income. Steve, who will be managing the funds until Rebecca turns 18, wants to be smart with the money to ensure long-term financial stability for his daughter.

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Imagine Steve, a 45-year-old father from Portland, Oregon. After Steves wife passed away about a year ago, his 16-year-old daughter, Rebecca, began collecting $800 per month in Social Security benefits.

Raising teenagers can be tricky, but things can get particularly challenging when a teenage child suddenly comes into some money.

Story Continues

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What Steve needs to keep in mind

Because Rebecca is under 18, Steve will act as her representative payee, which means hes legally responsible for setting up her benefit deposits  into a family bank account or one owned by Rebecca  as well as making sure the money goes toward Rebeccas current needs (1).

These needs can include food, clothing, medical and dental care, shelter, as well as personal care items. If the benefit funds are not needed for these purposes, the representative payee must save or invest the money for the beneficiary.

Since Steves managing the survivor benefits on his daughters behalf, there are certain things he should be aware of that could affect Rebeccas benefits.

A record of spending

As part of a representative payees main duties, Steve must maintain a record of expenses while managing Rebeccas survivor benefits (2).

The SSA requires representative payees to keep track of how every benefit dollar is spent. Steve is required to use the benefit funds to pay for Rebeccas current and future needs, while properly saving whats left. If the SSA were to request a report on Rebeccas benefits, Steve would have to provide it with proof of how her benefit funds were either spent or saved.

Potential overpayment

While Steve is managing Rebeccas benefit payments, he should keep a close eye on the deposits to make sure she isnt receiving more money than she should. Overpayments within the SSA can occur from time to time, typically because of missing or wrong information (3).

If the SSA believes a payment error has occurred, it will send an overpayment notice to the recipient or representative payee. The SSA will then give the benefit recipient 30 days to correct the overpayment before it starts collecting the money on its own.

If the recipient doesnt pay the SSA back within 30 days, the SSA will withhold 50% of the benefit  or 10% of the recipients Supplemental Security Income  each month until the overpayment is paid back.

If an overpayment notice is sent while the recipient is no longer receiving benefits, the SSA can get its money back in a variety of ways, including withholding the recipients tax refund or certain state payments, as well as garnishing wages.

To avoid this headache, it's important for Steve to monitor Rebecca's payments to make sure she doesnt receive an overpayment and act quickly in the event that she does. Steve would also be wise to make sure his SSA information  as well as Rebeccas  is correct and up to date.

How Steve should manage Rebeccas benefits

Once Rebeccas current needs are met, Steve is permitted to invest the remaining benefit funds for his daughters future. Two great options for Steve to consider are custodial UGMA or UTMA accounts, which allow an adult to manage investments for a minor until theyre old enough to gain full control of the account.

UGMA accounts are primarily for cash and securities, while UTMA accounts can also hold a wide range of assets, including art, real estate and jewelry (4). The funds in a custodial account belong to the minor and grow over time with potential tax advantages based on the minors tax bracket. Another advantage with these accounts is that they dont have any contribution limits.

A 529 plan  which is an investment account that gives adults the ability to save money for a minors future education costs  is another investment option for Steve to consider. If he prefers to save Rebeccas benefit funds for her post-secondary education, a 529 plan is a great option since it has more tax advantages than a UGMA or UTMA account (5).

If he firmly understands the rules and manages these funds responsibly, Steve can make sure that this benefit contributes positively to Rebeccas future. Consulting with financial professionals and staying informed about SSA guidelines will also help them navigate this process effectively.

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

AARP (1); Congress.gov (2); Social Security Association (3); Thrivent (4); Saving for College (5)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
During a recent episode of the EntreLeadership podcast, personal finance expert Dave Ramsey went full throttle on a small business owner from Dallas who called in with a tough question about growth and debt.

Sarah, who owns a pediatric therapy private practice with 18 employees, told Ramsey she expects to bring in around $1 million in revenue this year. But theres a problem: her team has outgrown their current leased space, and every new location shes considering would require $250,000 to $300,000 in buildout costs. She doesnt have that kind of money and wanted to know how to keep growing without going into debt.

Don't Miss:

Ramsey Slams Expansion Without Profit

I wouldnt do it. Thats my recommendation, Ramsey said immediately. Im not going to go $250,000 in debt for leasehold improvements in somebody elses building. Thats dumb. No, Im not doing that.

He pressed Sarah on whether she was even turning a profit on a million dollars in revenue. Sarah admitted margins were extremely thin, citing the high cost of clinical staff. That's when Ramsey dropped the line that stunned her: Are you not making a profit on a million dollars?

Why would you want to expand it if youre not making money? Ramsey continued. I dont want more of this.

Trending: Deloitte's #1 Fastest-Growing Software Company Lets Users Earn Money Just by Scrolling  Accredited Investors Can Still Get In at $0.50/Share.

Sarah explained that her motivation was to help more children, but Ramsey said that good intentions don't excuse bad business math. You dont grow a business model thats broken.

According to Ramsey, Sarah either needs to raise her rates, cut costs, or both. Until she does that, expansion shouldn't even be on the table. Then you'll have the money to expand, he said. You'll have this magic thing called profit.

A Better Way Forward

Instead of jumping into an expensive new lease, Ramsey suggested she negotiate with her current landlord to extend the lease for a year. That time, he said, should be used to fix the business model and get the practice running with healthier margins.

See Also: GM-Backed EnergyX Is Solving the Lithium Supply Crisis  Invest Before They Scale Global Production

He also advised Sarah to look for landlords willing to cover buildout costs themselves, saying thats how he handled his first few office moves. I told the guy, Im not going to fix up your building unless you reduce my rent by that much.'
TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees of the social media app Thursday that its owner, Chinas ByteDance, has signed binding agreements to create a joint venture for the app in the United States, as agreed to in a deal with the Trump administration.

That deal means the U.S. version of TikTok will become majority-owned by American investors, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

The investors include American tech giant Oracle, the California-based private equity fund Silver Lake and the United Arab Emirates investment firm MGX.

Silver Lake and MGX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the White House and the Treasury Department likewise did not reply to requests for comment on the deal.

Oracle declined to comment but shares of the company jumped more than 5% in after-hours trading.

An employee who received the memo said that the internal reaction to the news was generally positive among TikTok's American staff but that most of their colleagues in Asia and Europe had not yet seen the memo or had not yet weighed in on it if they had.

As part of the deal, TikTok U.S. will also be overseen by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, Chew said.

"The U.S. joint venture will be responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance," Chew wrote in his memo. "It will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure."

In September, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reached a "framework" deal to clear the way for American investors to take control of the U.S. version of the app.

TikTok's legal saga in the United States stems from concerns shared by members of Congress across parties and by the intelligence community that ByteDance's complicated relationship with the Chinese government poses a national security threat to the United States.

Millions of people in the U.S. post videos on TikTok every day, effectively giving the app and its owners access to much more information about people's daily lives than many users realize.

The concerns about the data TikTok collects and how it could be used were the chief drivers behind U.S. lawmakers' decision to take action to curb TikTok in 2024.

Under a bipartisan law passed by Congress, ByteDance was required to divest majority ownership of the U.S. version of the app or face a ban initially set to go into effect in January.

In January, as Donald Trump was preparing to return to office as president, the Supreme Court upheld the law. It rejected TikTok's argument that an outright ban would violate free speech protections.
TikTok told employees it signed a deal with investors for a US joint venture, per an internal memo.

The move will allow TikTok to operate as an independent entity in the US, the memo said.

The Trump administration earlier said it had blessed a sale of TikTok to an investor consortium.

TikTok reached a deal with a group of investors to form a new joint venture for its US business, according to an internal memo viewed by Business Insider.

An investor group will own 50% of the joint venture and will include Oracle, private-equity firm Silver Lake, and MGX, an investment firm based in Abu Dhabi, per the memo. TikTok's owner ByteDance will retain a minority stake just below 20%, and affiliates of existing ByteDance investors will own around 30% of the new entity.

The deal, which TikTok expects to close in January, comes more than a year after Congress passed a law that forced its owner, ByteDance, to divest from its US operations or face a ban, because TikTok was deemed a "foreign adversary-controlled" company.

The new US joint venture will operate independently in areas like US data protection and training its content recommendation algorithm while still connecting to TikTok's global product and business lines like e-commerce and advertising, per the memo from company CEO Shou Chew.

The announcement is the culmination of a lengthy battle for survival by TikTok, which briefly went dark in the US in January to comply with the divest-or-ban law.

TikTok and ByteDance had sought recourse through the courts, arguing that the law  the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act  violated the First Amendment. In January, the Supreme Court ruled against TikTok and upheld the divest-or-ban law.

Since then, TikTok has been facing a looming deadline to find a US buyer. The app's future remained in limbo for months as the White House repeatedly extended the deadline and administration officials sought to work out a deal.

In September, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that approved the sale of TikTok's US operation for around $14 billion.

Trump said at the time that Oracle and Larry Ellison would be part of the deal, and Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch may also be involved. Vice President JD Vance said the buyer group would include "four or five world-class investors."

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. The White House referred Business Insider to TikTok.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements with three major investors to sell just over 80% of the company's U.S. assets to American and global investors to avoid a U.S. government ban, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees on Thursday.

The deal is a major step toward resolving years of uncertainty about the short video app's future in the United States since August 2020, when then President Donald Trump first tried unsuccessfully to ban the app that is now used regularly by more than 170 million Americans.

The details of the deal are in line with one unveiled in September, when Trump delayed until January 20 enforcement of the law that bans the app unless its Chinese owners sell it amid efforts to extract TikTok's U.S. assets from the global platform. He also declared that the deal met the terms of the divestiture requirements.

The company told employees on Thursday that ByteDance and TikTok signed binding agreements with three managing investors: Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX, to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.

Oracle declined to comment. The White House referred questions to TikTok. TikTok said in the memo that the deal will enable "over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part of a vital global community. "

The deal, set to close on January 22, would end years of efforts to force ByteDance to divest its U.S. business over national security concerns.

Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX will collectively own 45% of the new entity, according to the memo, which confirms what Reuters and other outlets reported in September.

The U.S. joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX with 15% each; 30.1% held by affiliates of certain existing investors of ByteDance; and 19.9% will be retained by ByteDance, the memo said.

ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Matthew Lewis)
The agreement to sell TikToks US business. comes after a long delay Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters  Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors  Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX  ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on 22 January, according to an internal memo seen by he Associated Press and Reuters. The TikTok chief executive officer, Shou Zi Chew, said in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.

The new TikTok US joint venture will be 50% held by a consortium of new investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX with 15% each. Another 30.1% will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors and 19.9% will be retained by ByteDance, according to the memo.

White House officials have said Oracle, which was co-founded by Donald Trumps supporter Larry Ellison, will license a copy of TikToks recommendation algorithm as part of the deal, in a partnership that will expand on Oracles existing management of TikToks trove of data collected about its US users.

Ellisons role in the new ownership of the most popular social media platform in the US has raised concerns about the decreasing share of media firms not under the control of pro-Trump billionaires, with Ellisons son David now driving wholesale changes at CBS, Elon Musk in control of X, formerly known as Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg overseeing both Instagram and Facebook, and Jeff Bezos owning the Washington Post.

First Paramount/CBS and now TikTok, Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, wrote on Bluesky in response to the news. Trump wants to hand over even more control of what you watch to his billionaire buddies. Americans deserve to know if the president struck another backdoor deal for this billionaire takeover of TikTok.

Rush Doshi, who coordinated US government policy on China and Taiwan as a Biden National Security Council official, noted that there were still some questions about who controls the algorithm. They say it will be trained on US data. Great, but has the algorithm been transferred, licensed, or is it still owned and controlled by Beijing  with Oracle merely providing monitoring?

The agreement comes after a long delay. Trump said in September that he had spoken with Chinas president over the phone about the deal and he had a very good talk with president Xi and he gave us the go ahead.

In October, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, announced that the US and China had reached a final deal on TikTok.

In 2020, during his first presidency, Trump had threatened to ban TikTok in retaliation for Chinas handling of Covid.
As the FTSE 100 faces pressure from weak trade data out of China, impacting companies with strong ties to the Chinese economy, UK investors are increasingly seeking stability in dividend stocks. In such uncertain market conditions, a good dividend stock is often characterized by consistent payouts and a resilient business model that can weather global economic fluctuations.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In The United Kingdom

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Treatt (LSE:TET) 3.99%  Seplat Energy (LSE:SEPL) 7.54%  RS Group (LSE:RS1) 3.42%  MONY Group (LSE:MONY) 6.69%  Keller Group (LSE:KLR) 3.13%  Impax Asset Management Group (AIM:IPX) 8.05%  IG Group Holdings (LSE:IGG) 3.61%  ICG (LSE:ICG) 4.06%  Begbies Traynor Group (AIM:BEG) 3.95%  4imprint Group (LSE:FOUR) 4.55% 

Click here to see the full list of 47 stocks from our Top UK Dividend Stocks screener.

Let's uncover some gems from our specialized screener.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: City of London Investment Group PLC is a publicly owned investment manager with a market cap of 185.93 million.

Operations: City of London Investment Group PLC generates its revenue primarily from its asset management segment, totaling $73.04 million.

Dividend Yield: 8.4%

City of London Investment Group offers an attractive dividend yield of 8.45%, placing it in the top 25% of UK dividend payers. However, its high payout ratio of 112.9% raises concerns about sustainability, as dividends are not fully covered by earnings despite being supported by cash flows at a cash payout ratio of 84%. Recent approval for a final dividend and new board appointment reflect ongoing commitment to shareholder returns amidst past volatility in payments.

LSE:CLIG Dividend History as at Dec 2025

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: 4imprint Group plc operates as a direct marketer of promotional products in North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, with a market cap of approximately 1.09 billion.

Operations: 4imprint Group plc generates its revenue primarily from North America with $1.33 billion, supplemented by $25 million from the UK and Ireland.

Dividend Yield: 4.6%

4imprint Group provides a reliable dividend yield of 4.55%, though it falls short of the top UK payers. Its dividends are well-supported by earnings and cash flow, with payout ratios of 57.2% and 54.2%, respectively, indicating sustainability. Despite a forecasted earnings decline, recent revenue guidance suggests strong near-term performance with expected revenue reaching $1.32 billion for 2025. The upcoming leadership change may influence future strategic direction, potentially impacting dividend policy stability.
On Wednesday, Manhattan federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against two Tricolor executives.

Founder Daniel Chu and COO David Goodgame were charged with "systematically defrauding" lenders.

Tricolor's collapse left banks exposed to hundreds of millions in loan losses.

By August 2025, top executives of auto lender Tricolor knew they were in trouble: The company had pledged approximately $2.2 billion of collateral to lenders and investors, but only had approximately $1.4 billion of real collateral, Manhattan federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Founder Daniel Chu and the company's Chief Operating Officer David Goodgame, who were arrested and charged with bank fraud and wire fraud on Wednesday, planned to frighten at least one lender into a favorable deal, prosecutors allege. According to the indictment, the executives discussed telling a lender that the company might otherwise implode, much like the energy trading firm Enron in 2001, if a deal wasn't reached. This would be bad for the lender because it would put them at risk of losing everything.

"Enron obviously has a nice ring to it, right?" Chu said when discussing with other Tricolor executives how to deal with one particular lender who had figured out the double-pledging issue.

"I mean, Enron, Enron raises the blood pressure of the lender when they see that. It, it has to, right?" Chu said while laughing, documents show.

It's just one of several recorded conversations that emerged as part of a newly unsealed indictment against Chu and Goodgame. The indictment accused the men of orchestrating a years-long scheme to defraud banks and other private credit providers.

Chu is expected to be presented in a Florida court on Wednesday. Goodgame should be presented in a Texas court on Thursday. The men could not be immediately reached for comment.

Tricolor rocked the banking industry when it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in September, leaving lenders like JPMorgan, Fifth Third Bank, and Jefferies exposed.

At the time of the company's September 10 bankruptcy, its largest lenders were owed more than $900 million "as a result of the fraudulent double-pledging and collateral manipulation schemes" orchestrated by Chu and supported by Goodgame, the feds said.

But that didn't stop Chu from using company money to enrich himself, according to prosecutors. They said Chu directed another executive to pay him the final installments of a $15 million bonus as the company approached bankruptcy, resulting in two payments from Tricolor totaling $6.25 million. Chu then used some of this money to purchase a multimillion-dollar property in Beverly Hills, California  weeks before Tricolor filed for Chapter 7, the feds said.
President Donald Trump's social media startup plans to merge with fusion company TAE Technologies in a deal valued at more than $6 billion.

The all-stock transaction marks the latest twist surrounding Trump Media & Technology Group, the publicly traded parent company of Truth Social that has become a new pillar in Trump's business empire over the last two years. Trump, who is the largest owner with more than 114 million shares, saw the value of his stake jump by about $400 million to about $1.6 billion with the 35 percent rally in the stock by midday.

The deal represents a significant bet on a growing clean energy source that has not yet reached commercial viability  just as electricity demand skyrockets in part fueled by growing demand from artificial intelligence and data centers that the administration has promoted.

Shareholders in Trump Media and TAE Technologies will own about 50 percent of the combined company on a fully diluted equity basis, the companies said Thursday. Trump Media's stock, which trades under the ticker "DJT", popped on the news  rising more than 20 percent shortly after.

In merging with TAE Technologies, Trump Media is venturing into new territory once again. The company's business has to date primarily revolved around advertising revenues generated through Truth Social, its prized asset. But Trump Media has recently branched out into other areas like the cryptocurrency markets and streaming. Still, the company has recorded several straight quarters of net losses, the latest of which came in at $54.8 million for the three months ended Sept. 30.

Trump Media and TAE Technologies said in a statement that their merger will create "one of the world's first publicly traded fusion companies." They plan to begin work on building "the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant" in 2026, according to the statement.

"Trump Media & Technology Group built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans, and now we're taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement America's global energy dominance for generations," Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes said.

"Fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s  an innovation that will lower energy prices, boost supply, ensure America's A.I.-supremacy, revive our manufacturing base and bolster national defense."

The Trump administration has frequently emphasized the role of nuclear power to help reach its goal of winning the global AI race. The Trump Energy Department recently reorganized its structure to create an Office of Fusion, and it has been meeting with industry officials who are seeking more federal support.
Norfolk Southern President and CEO Mark George highlighted the complementary nature of the two networks, explaining that the combination would bring together Union Pacifics expansive western reach and Norfolk Southerns access to eastern manufacturing and population centers in an end-to-end combination. The result would be a unified rail system capable of bridging the gap between east and west, allowing freight to bypass congested interchanges and take the fastest and most efficient, price-competitive route.

The combined entity would create a network encompassing 50,000 route miles in 43 states and more than 100 ports. Union Pacific Chief Executive Jim Vena emphasized the importance of the merger in adapting to changing freight delivery demands, stating that as time and technology continue to transform how freight is delivered, the industry must keep pace and move forward, reaching underserved markets with new rail solutions and strengthening the United States supply chain. Vena expressed confidence that customers deserve stronger, more connected freight rail, and that the merger would deliver on that promise.

The proposed combination would unite Union Pacifics expansive western reach with Norfolk Southerns access to eastern manufacturing and population centers. Union Pacific currently operates across 23 western states. Norfolk Southern operates a 22-state network in the eastern United States, with connections to every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as major ports across the Gulf Coast and Great Lakes.

The two companies expect the merger to be completed by early 2027, pending regulatory review and approval within the statutory timeline established by the STB.

The merger has also drawn opposition from trade groups including chemical and energy shippers, unions representing locomotive engineers and track workers, and rival carrier BNSF.

The merger agreement between the two companies in which UP is acquiring NS was initially executed on July 29, 2025, setting the stage for this regulatory filing. The application highlighted 2,000 letters of support from stakeholders. Shareholders at both Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP ) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC ) earlier voted 99% in favor of the proposed transaction.

The filing represents a landmark moment in American transportation history, proposing the creation of a unified rail network spanning the nation from coast to coast. The nearly 7,000-page application provides extensive details on how this end-to-end combination would enhance competition throughout the freight industry while delivering substantial public benefits to customers, employees, and communities across the country.

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern on Friday submitted a comprehensive application to the Surface Transportation Board requesting approval to combine the two major freight railroads into what would become Americas first transcontinental railroad.

Story Continues

Enhanced competition and operational efficiencies

The Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern combination represents a classic end-to-end merger, with each railroad currently serving distinct geographic regions with complementary networks, customers, and markets. Unlike mergers that might reduce competition by combining overlapping services, this transaction would connect two systems that have historically operated independently in their respective territories. The application notes only three customer locations out of more than 20,000 served would be impacted by both railroads serving them exclusively, and competitive shipping alternatives would be retained for these locations.

One of the most significant operational improvements promised by the merger involves the transformation of interline service into single-line service. Currently, shipments moving across the country must be handed off between railroads, creating delays and inefficiencies. The combined company would convert 10,000 existing lanes from interline service requiring time-consuming handoffs into faster, more efficient single-line service. This improvement would eliminate an estimated 2,400 rail car and container handlings and 60,000 car-miles each day, dramatically improving the speed and reliability of transcontinental freight movement.

The companies point to research demonstrating that when single-line rail service is available, the share of freight traveling by rail versus highway is roughly two to three times greater than with interline service. This finding suggests that creating a seamless transcontinental network would fundamentally change the competitive dynamics between rail and trucking, particularly for long-haul freight movements.

Benefits for customers

The merger application outlines numerous benefits that customers would realize from the combination. Faster, more efficient service represents the cornerstone of customer benefits, with the integration creating an additional 84,000 county-to-county lanes where shippers currently moving freight by road could, for the first time, utilize single-line rail service. This expansion of service options would provide shippers with alternatives they have never previously had access to.

The combined railroad has announced plans to introduce several new routes as part of its optimized operating plan. Two new daily intermodal train pairs would connect the east and west with more direct service, reducing estimated transit times from Southern California to the Ohio Valley and Northeast by up to 20 hours. Service from Southern California to the Southeast would see transit time reductions of more than two days. Additionally, six new manifest trains would be introduced to bridge the east-west divide more efficiently, reducing over 600 daily car handlings. To meet expected intermodal growth, the combined company plans to introduce a total of six premium intermodal lanes operating seven days a week.

Customers who own rail cars would benefit from improved productive use of their assets. With faster, more predictable service, customers can turn cars more quickly, minimize idle time, and lower equipment costs. The unified digital experience promised by the merger would allow shippers to integrate scheduling, tracking, and shipment visibility through a single platform. Customers would benefit from having one commercial team, one contract, one invoice, and one accountable partner for their entire rail journey.

The application introduces Committed Gateway Pricing, a voluntary enhancement designed to further competition by streamlining pricing of interline moves for thousands of customer locations that otherwise may not directly benefit from the merger. The combined company would keep all existing gateways open for eligible traffic on commercially reasonable terms. As an added protection for customers, Union Pacific would voluntarily create an alternative dispute resolution program to efficiently address certain claims regarding merger-related service issues.

Short line railroads would also benefit from the merger. As Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern create new single-line routes, open competitive markets, and streamline service, short lines are positioned to capture new volumes flowing directly onto their rails, potentially spurring growth throughout the regional rail network.

Nationwide economic benefits

The merger promises substantial economic benefits for the nation, particularly for regions that have historically been underserved by rail transportation. The application identifies what it terms the upper midwest watershed region, an area where trucking was often the only viable option because crossing the divide between eastern and western railroads made rail service too expensive and complicated due to handoffs between carriers. This previously underserved rail market would gain access to single-line manifest service for the first time.

The railroads quoted industry consultant Oliver Wyman estimates that 105,000 carloads of merchandise traffic would convert from road to rail when single-line service becomes available to the watershed markets. By providing domestic shippers with a cheaper alternative to truck transportation, the merger would make American businesses more competitive, strengthening the entire national economy.

The seamless transcontinental railroad would compete more aggressively with long-haul trucking, with the companies estimating that approximately 2 million truckloads of freight annually would shift from road to rail. This modal shift would reduce congestion on Americas highways, create safer roads for motorists, and decrease wear on taxpayer-funded infrastructure. The benefits would extend beyond the freight industry to all road users and the government agencies responsible for maintaining highway systems.

The combined network would provide efficient, flexible, and reliable single-line access to more than 100 ports connecting to global markets and 10 international gateways to markets in Canada and Mexico. This enhanced connectivity would strengthen the position of American businesses in international trade and improve the resilience of the national supply chain.

Environmental and sustainability benefits

Rail transportation already represents the most sustainable way to move freight over ground. According to the Association of American Railroads, rail shipping produces roughly 75 percent less carbon emissions than trucks. The merger would further enhance these environmental benefits through multiple mechanisms. Removing an estimated 2 million trucks from the road annually would directly reduce transportation-related emissions. The combined company would also be positioned to run trains more efficiently, invest in cleaner and more efficient technologies, and provide customers with better tools to achieve their own sustainability goals.

Protecting railroad employees

The application addresses workforce considerations with commitments designed to protect railroad employees. The companies pledge that every employee with a union job at the time of the merger will continue to have one following the combination. Union Pacific has formalized groundbreaking jobs-for-life agreements with multiple unions, providing unprecedented job security for represented workers. Any merger-related union job efficiencies would be achieved solely through attrition rather than layoffs.

Beyond job protection, the companies expect the combined entity to grow, creating approximately 900 net new union jobs by the third year following the merger to handle expected volume growth.

Safety considerations

Safety remains the highest priority for both railroads, and the application includes a comprehensive safety integration plan developed in collaboration with the Federal Railroad Administration and submitted to the STB. The plan outlines how the new company would combine best practices from each railroad to further enhance safety outcomes.

Both companies have demonstrated significant safety improvements in recent years. Comparing the first three quarters of 2023 to the same period in 2025, Union Pacific improved its personal injury rate by 41% and now leads the industry in employee safety. Norfolk Southerns advanced technologies and industry-leading rail safety practices have improved its Federal Railroad Administration accident rate by 45% over the same period. The merger would allow both companies to share their respective safety innovations and best practices, potentially accelerating safety improvements across the combined network.

The application also addresses passenger rail considerations. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would maintain dedicated systems to support passenger rail operations. A route-by-route analysis of projected volume growth verified sufficient capacity to continue fulfilling all service obligations to Amtrak and commuter rail agencies, ensuring that the freight merger would not adversely impact passenger transportation.

The companies anticipate investing an estimated $2.1 billion of incremental capital to integrate the two systems and deliver benefits to customers. The combined company also expects $133 million in annual capital synergies by leveraging the combined network and fleet more efficiently.

The application is now subject to a 30-day review by the STB for completeness. The formal evaluation could take a year or longer. Following approval, the combined company would continue to operate under ongoing STB oversight.

Subscribe to FreightWaves Rail e-newsletter and get the latest insights on rail freight right in your inbox.

Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Related coverage:

Application day nears for UP-NS rail merger

Unions oppose historic transcontinental rail merger

Union Pacific completes Arizona yard expansion

Union Pacific adds retiring CF Industries CEO to its board

The post Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern file historic rail merger application appeared first on FreightWaves.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is included among the 12 Best Dogs of the Dow to Invest in.

UnitedHealth Exits South America With Banmedica Sale

In a latest development, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has agreed to sell Banmedica, its last remaining business in South America, to Brazilian private equity firm Patria Investments. The deal is valued at $1 billion.

This has been a long time coming. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has been working its way out of Latin America since 2022. It already sold operations in Brazil and Peru. Banmedica, which operates in Colombia and Chile, was the final piece. Talks around this sale have been going on for close to a year.

As of June, Banmedica served about 1.7 million health insurance members. It also ran seven hospitals and 47 medical centers, after exiting Peru earlier. The exit clears another hurdle for CEO Stephen Hemsley, who has been focused on getting the business back on track.

In October, UnitedHealth raised its annual profit forecast and said it expects growth to return in 2026, with momentum building in 2027. The retreat hasnt been cheap. Last year, the company booked an $8.3 billion loss tied to its South American exits. About $7.1 billion came from Brazil, with another $1.2 billion linked to Banmedica.

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is an American company that operates mainly through two units, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, covering insurance, care delivery, data, and health services at scale.

While we acknowledge the potential of UNH as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 13 Best Blue Chip Stocks to Buy Under $50 and11 Best Low Priced Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

Disclosure: None.
PALM COAST, Fla., Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly released Artist and Her Lover: A Travel Romance Trilogy by author/illustrator Edwina Louise Dorch is a sensual, globe-spanning romance trilogy that explores the complexities of artistic identity, love triangles, and cultural transformation.

A Trilogy of International Temptation and Transformation

Through the adventures of the main character, Autumn Simmons, a naive American artist, readers come to appreciate the contributions of naive (self-taught) artists worldwide.

Part I: The artist travels to Jamaica  Autumn, a naive American artist, journeys to Jamaica, where she meets two men: DeAngelo Desota, a Rastafarian and djembe drummer from Fleet Street, Kingston, Jamaica, and Colin Acieta, a National Geographic marine photographer.

Part II: The artist travels to Algeria  Autumn travels to the Sahara Desert to negotiate Colin's release from domestic terrorists. There, she meets Ghali, a Muslim Berber who believes in polygamy and maintains a harem.

Part III: The artist travels to Hispaniola  Autumn escapes the domestic terrorists in the Sahara Desert and flees to Hispaniola, where she is pursued by two men: Xavier Cordoba, a piano prodigy, and Francois Dubois, a Haitian-born artist.

Spoiler Alert: In the end, the artist marries one of her suitors in Puerto Rico.

Designed with the male reader in mind, the trilogy serves as an immersive guide to becoming an "international lover"not through conquest, but through emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and deep interpersonal connection.

Narrative devices that distinguish Dorch's storytelling:

Music: Song lyrics and the sound of musical instrumentals enhance each scene's tone and mood, and male characters assume and become ' branded' with a certain sound.

Dance: Male characters' movements externalize their internal state, reveal their psychological complexities, and their emotional turmoil. Their movements are a visual representation of their emotional connection to Autumn, the protagonist.

Literature: The plight of characters in Somerset Maugham's travelogues is cited throughout the trilogy, and like Robert Lewis Stevenson's (In the South Seas) and Joseph Conrad's (An Outcast of the Islands) travelogues, a set of values is thrown into question, and characters must acknowledge the limitations of their cultural values.

Steamy Scenes

Reading the love scenes in the trilogy is akin to reading the consummation scene in D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. However, unlike that classic wherein there are thirteen scenes of sexual intercourse, twelve of which are described in the greatest detail, leaving nothing to the imagination, sensual scenes in the trilogy are the climax of each story.
Key insights : Visa and Mastercard are building mobile wallet scale through a series of partnerships.

What's at stake : Both card networks say internal research is tracking popularity for mobile wallets.

Forward look: Apple's agreement with EU regulators to open its NFC technology will draw more wallet providers in the next year.

As 2025 winds to a close, Mastercard has advanced two partnerships designed to enable merchant access to mobile wallets in dozens of countries, joining rival Visa in building global distribution as consumers and merchants migrate more of their lives to smartphones.

Mastercard's December moves include a collaboration with TerraPay, a London-based cross-border payments company, to enable TerraPay's mobile wallet users to access more than 150 million Mastercard acceptance points for Near-Field Communication-based payments.

NFC is a key enabling technology for smartphone payments. Under regulatory pressure , Apple has agreed to ease access to NFC, which the tech giant traditionally controlled. This is expected to open the market to dozens of mobile wallets, creating a need for Visa and Mastercard to broaden their ability to support a range of new ones.

Mastercard's TerraPay partnership comes as the card brand plans to boost mobile wallet usage in Latin America via a joint venture with Telefonica, a Madrid-based telecom. Telefonica and Mastercard plan to launch a mobile wallet in Brazil and surrounding countries that could have an addressable market of up to 87 million consumers.

Mastercard's other recent collaborations include "Pay like a local," a partnership between: Alipay and Mastercard to offer international travelers an option to make cashless payments in China; an integration with Alipay Wallet; and a contactless pay technology tie-up with Alipay.

"Collaborations with key ecosystem players like Terrapay play a key role in scaling the positive impact via their multiple wallet partners and simplifying the implementation process," said Prakriti Singh, executive vice president for core payments at Mastercard for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in a statement.



Mobility
Visa (V) is making a bold push into blockchain-based payments, launching a USDC stablecoin settlement for U.S. banks and fintechs. This move could reshape how money moves through the global financial system.

The credit card giant announced that issuer and acquirer partners can now settle obligations in Circle's (CRCL) dollar-pegged USDC. It is the first time a major payment network has brought stablecoin settlement to the U.S. at scale.

More News from Barchart

Visa's stablecoin settlement program has already hit a $3.5 billion annualized run rate as of November, with early U.S. participants including Cross River Bank and Lead Bank settling transactions over the Solana (SOLUSD) blockchain.

The company plans a broader rollout through 2026 while deepening its partnership with Circle by helping design Arc, a new Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for high-volume commercial activity.

For Visa, the stakes are clear: financial institutions want faster, programmable settlement options that operate seven days a week rather than the traditional five-business-day window.

www.barchart.com

Stablecoins offer near-instant transfer of funds and enhanced treasury efficiency without changing the consumer card experience. The stablecoin launch suggests that Visa expects blockchain rails to gain traction as infrastructure for modern finance is poised for disruption.

It will be interesting to see whether Visas blockchain bet gives it a first-mover advantage and a competitive moat.

The Bull Case of Investing in Visa Stock

Visa's core business continues to perform well amid a challenging macro environment. The payments giant grew its payment volumes by 8% in the U.S., while cross-border volumes rose by 11% in fiscal Q4.

Visa explained that consumer spending remains resilient across discretionary and nondiscretionary categories, while cross-border travel and e-commerce volumes show no signs of slowing.

The company recently settled longstanding merchant litigation that will reduce average U.S. credit interchange rates by 10 basis points for five years and give merchants more flexibility around surcharging and card acceptance. Visa's management believes merchants will continue to prioritize the network's reliability, security, and customer experience over pure cost considerations.
Vista Energy SAB, one of Argentinas leading shale oil producers, is preparing for a new phase of expansion in the Vaca Muerta formation and is weighing potential asset acquisitions that could be financed through an equity issuance.

The company has called a shareholder meeting for January 27 to seek approval to pursue one or more acquisitions, according to a regulatory filing. While no specific target will be discussed, Vista said the meeting will also consider funding options, including the issuance of shares or American depositary shares.

Vista has already expanded aggressively in Vaca Muerta. Just eight months ago, the company acquired shale acreage from Malaysias Petronas in a transaction with an estimated net present value of about $1.3 billion, further consolidating its position in one of the worlds most prolific shale basins.

Deal activity across Vaca Muerta has accelerated under Argentinas libertarian President Javier Milei, whose administration is dismantling capital controls and market restrictions that previously deterred investment. Milei is also moving to extend Argentinas flagship investment incentives program to crude oil drilling and production, a shift welcomed by producers.

Vista Chief Executive Officer Miguel Galuccio said scale and regulatory reform will be critical to unlocking further growth. Speaking at an investor event in Buenos Aires, Galuccio pointed to discussions with the government on reducing export taxes and reforming restrictive labor laws, arguing that improved competitiveness would translate into higher production, exports, and fiscal revenues.

Vista also holds a stake in VMOS, Argentinas flagship shale oil export project, which includes a new pipeline and port infrastructure expected to be operational in roughly a year. The project is seen as key to unlocking large-scale crude exports from Vaca Muerta.

Looking ahead, Vista outlined a five-year growth plan targeting production of more than 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2030, nearly double its current output of around 114,000 barrels per day.

The reform momentum has also revived interest in capital markets, with several Argentine companies considering U.S. listings or follow-on share sales. Vista, which first listed in Mexico and sold equity in New York in 2019, is seen as a potential beneficiary. Goldman Sachs recently lowered its price target on Vista shares to $53.20 from $59.60, while maintaining a Buy rating.

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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.
Warner Bros studios are behind hits such as Harry Potter and Succession - Mike Blake

Warner Bros Discovery has accused Paramount of misleading investors as it urged them to reject the companys hostile $108bn (81bn) takeover bid.

The Hollywood giant said Paramount, which is controlled by the billionaire Ellison family, had consistently misled investors about the structure of its offer, which is backed by three Gulf states.

In a letter to shareholders, Warner Bros rejected claims that the Ellison family had a full backstop on its offer, saying: It does not, and never has.

Instead, the Hollywood giant said Paramounts bid was reliant on the familys unknown and opaque revocable trust.

Paramount has said the trust holds about $250bn in assets, largely through shares in Larry Ellisons Oracle. However, Warner Bros said it had repeatedly called for a full and unconditional personal commitment from the family.

Paramount, which has a market value of $15bn, has faced fierce scrutiny over the financing of its takeover bid.

Its $30-a-share offer includes $40bn of equity funding, about $24bn of which is being provided by the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

The Ellison family is putting in $12bn while RedBird Capital, the US private equity fund that mounted a takeover bid for The Telegraph and is Paramounts second-largest shareholder, is also funding the bid.

Larry Ellison, the Oracle billionaire, is an ally of Donald Trump - Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law, had been involved in the deal through his private equity firm Affinity Partners, but withdrew from the consortium on Tuesday. The Chinese tech giant Tencent also backed out after pledging $1bn for a previous bid.

The board of Warner Bros unanimously urged shareholders to vote against Paramounts illusory offer, saying it represented an untenable degree of risk and potential downside.

It insisted that a previously agreed $83bn offer from Netflix remained superior as it was backed by a public company with a market value of more than $400bn and an investment-grade balance sheet.

Samuel Di Piazza, the chairman of Warner Bros Discovery, said: Following a careful evaluation of Paramounts recently launched tender offer, the board concluded that the offers value is inadequate, with significant risks and costs imposed on our shareholders.

Jared Kushners private equity firm, Affinity Partners, is no longer backing Paramounts bid for Warner Bros - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This offer once again fails to address key concerns that we have consistently communicated to Paramount throughout our extensive engagement and review of their six previous proposals.

We are confident that our merger with Netflix represents superior, more certain value for our shareholders and we look forward to delivering on the compelling benefits of our combination.
Board members said they were concerned that Paramount's financing appeared shaky and the Ellison family's assurances were far from ironclad. Instead, Paramount's proposal contained "gaps, loopholes and limitations," Warner said, including troubling caveats, such as saying in documents that Paramount "reserve[d] the right to amend the offer in any respect."

Netflix shares ended the trading day Wednesday up about a quarter of a percent at $94.79. Warner Bros. Discovery closed at $28.21. Paramount shares ended the day at $13.10.

In its letter, the Warner board reaffirmed its support for Netflix's $27.75 a share proposal, saying it represented the best deal for shareholders. Warner board members urged investors not to tender their shares to Paramount.

The Warner auction has taken several nasty turns since Warner board members on Dec. 4 had unanimously approved Netflix's $82.7-billion deal for the Warner Bros. film and television studios, HBO and HBO Max.

"We will continue to move forward to deliver this transaction, which is in the best interest of WBD shareholders, consumers, and the creative industries," Ellison said.

"We remain committed to bringing together two iconic Hollywood studios to create a unique global entertainment leader," Paramount Chairman and Chief Executive David Ellison said Wednesday, reaffirming Paramount's strategy to take its case directly to Warner shareholders.

Paramount disputed Warner's contention that the Ellison family had not come through with needed financial guarantees.

For Warner, what was missing was a clear declaration from Paramount that the Ellison family had agreed to commit funding for the deal. Paramount last week told Warner stockholders that it would pay them $30 a share  or $78 billion for the entire company. Paramount also has said it would absorb Warner's debt, making the overall deal valued at $108 billion.

Warner's board voted unanimously to reject Paramount's hostile bid, concluding it was not in the best interests of shareholders.

"It does not, and never has," the Warner board said.

Paramount "has consistently misled WBD shareholders that its proposed transaction has a 'full backstop' from the Ellison family," Warner Bros. Discovery's board wrote Wednesday in a letter to its shareholders filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Warner Bros. Discovery has sharply rejected Paramount's hostile offer, alleging the $108-billion deal carries substantial risks because the Larry Ellison family has failed to put real money behind its bid for Warner's legendary movie studio, HBO and CNN.

Story Continues

The Warner board argued that its shareholders could be left holding the bag.

Netflix touted its winning cash and stock bid in a separate letter to Warner shareholders.

"Our deal structure is clean and certain, with committed debt financing from leading institutions," Netflix Co-Chief Executives Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters wrote. "There are no contingencies, no foreign sovereign wealth funds, and no stock collateral or personal loans. We are a scaled company with a +$400 billion market cap and a strong investment grade balance sheet."

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison has argued his $108-billion deal is superior to Netflix's proposal. (Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)

David Ellison has championed Paramount's strength in recent weeks, saying his company's bid for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes HBO, CNN and the Warner Bros. film and television studios, was backed by his wealthy family, headed by his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, one of the world's richest men.

"Our proposal clearly offers WBD shareholders superior value and certainty, a clear path to close, and does not leave them with a heavily indebted sub-scale linear [cable television] business," Ellison said on Wednesday.

He sent a letter last week to Warner shareholders, asking for their support. The tech scion wrote his family and RedBird Capital Partners would be strong stewards of Warner's iconic properties, which include Batman, Harry Potter, "The Wizard of Oz," "The Lord of the Rings," and HBO's "Game of Thrones."

Ellison wrote that Paramount delivered "an equity commitment from the Ellison family trust, which contains over $250 billion of assets," including more than 1 billion Oracle shares. Notably, the trust has been a counterparty in other public company transactions, including for Twitter.

In regulatory filings, Paramount has disclosed that, for the equity portion of the deal, it planned to rely on $24 billion from sovereign wealth funds representing the royal families of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi as well as $11.8 billion from the Ellison family (which also holds the controlling shares in Paramount).

This week, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners private equity firm pulled out of Paramount's financing group.

Paramount's bid would also need more than $60 billion in debt financing.

Read more: Why theater owners are nervous about the Warner Bros. sale

Paramount has made six offers for Warner Bros., and its "most recent proposal includes a $40.65 billion equity commitment, for which there is no Ellison family commitment of any kind," the Warner board wrote.

"Instead, they propose that [shareholders] rely on an unknown and opaque revocable trust for the certainty of this crucial deal funding," the board said, noting that such a trust could always be changed. "A revocable trust is no replacement for a secured commitment by a controlling stockholder," the board's letter said.

Throughout the negotiations, Paramount, which trades under the PSKY ticker, failed to present a solid financing commitment from Larry Ellison  despite Warner's bankers telling them that one was necessary, the board said.

"Despite ... their own ample resources, as well as multiple assurances by PSKY during our strategic review process that such a commitment was forthcoming  the Ellison family has chosen not to backstop the PSKY offer," Warner's board wrote.

Read more: Paramount launches hostile $78-billion bid for Warner Bros., with backing from Trump's son-in-law

Paramount disputed the characterization, saying it was Warner Bros. Discovery that sought to "mislead its shareholders into believing this is a complicated question about legal documents."

"In reality, it is all quite simple: $30 in cash fully backstopped by a well-capitalized trust (in existence for approximately 40 years) of one of the most well-known founders and entrepreneurs in the world, Larry Ellison," Paramount said in a statement. "What is glaring is the absolute resistance on the part of WBD to even engage in a single negotiating session with Paramount or its advisors, and a refusal even to provide a mark-up of any transaction document."

David Ellison has insisted Paramount's offer of $30 a share was superior to Netflix's winning bid.

Warner plans to spin off its linear cable channels, including CNN, HGTV, Cartoon Network and TBS, next year.

"WBDs formal rejection of Paramounts offer changes nothing," Mike Proulx, a Forrester research analyst, said in a statement. "The ultimate decision still rests with WBDs shareholders and that vote is months away. What's unfolding now feels like a real-life, far more consequential episode of HBOs 'Succession.'

"And if you think you know how this plot ends, think again," Proulx said.

Paramount's lawyers have argued that Warner tipped the auction to favor Netflix.

Paramount, which until recently enjoyed warm relations with President Trump, has long argued that its deal represents a more certain path to gain regulatory approvals. Trump's Department of Justice would consider any anti-trust ramifications of the deal, and in the past, Trump has spoken highly of the Ellisons.

Read more: The $8-billion Skydance-Paramount Global deal is finally closing. Now what?

However, Warner's board argued that Paramount might be providing too rosy a view.

"The Board does not believe there is a material difference in regulatory risk between the PSKY offer and the Netflix merger," the Warner board wrote. "The Board carefully considered the federal, state, and international regulatory risks for both the Netflix merger and the PSKY offer with its regulatory advisors."

The board noted that Netflix agreed to pay a record $5.8 billion if its deal fails to clear the regulatory hurdles.

"This deal is a win for the entire industry," Peters said during an appearance on CNBC. "It brings an important, iconic studio into a sustainable model that means more investment, that means more opportunities, more American jobs, more union jobs, more production staying in the United States."

Paramount has offered a $5 billion termination fee.

Should Warner abandon the transaction with Netflix, it would owe Netflix a $2.8 billion break-up fee.

Read more: Hollywood has already faced steep job cuts. The Warner deal could make it worse

The companies anticipate that it will take a year to 18 months to secure the blessing of regulators around the world.

Warner also pointed to Paramount's promises to Wall Street that it would shave $9 billion in costs from the combined companies. Paramount is in the process of making $3 billion in cuts since the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners took the helm of the company in August.

Paramount has promised another $6 billion in cuts should it win Warner Bros.

"These targets are both ambitious from an operational perspective and would make Hollywood weaker, not stronger," the Warner board wrote.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
As Paramount detailed in regulatory filings about its pursuit, the sale process conducted by WBD was itself illusory, as its repeated interest was met with no serious engagement. Paramount told investors today that it continued to believe its bid was never taken seriously. During the entirety of the sale process undertaken by the Warner Bros. board, representatives of Warner Bros. did not provide a single markup of a single transaction document, have a single meeting to go page-by-page through the documents, or engage in a real time back-and-forth negotiation with Paramount or its advisors, Paramount wrote on Dec. 8.

The WBD letter took pains to argue to shareholders that the board had conducted the process carefully, with the subtext of the Revlon precedent, as Fortune previously reported a pivotal plank of corporate law for heated takeover battles exactly like this one. In particular, the WBD letter stressed two arguments to shareholders for why it considered the Netflix offer superior: the illusory nature of Paramounts offer and the questionable backstop from the Ellison family, which controls Skydance Media. Paramount CEO David Ellisons father is Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, the second-richest man in the world, a longtime Republican donor, and a reported friend to President Trump. (The night before, the president implicitly questioned even this: If they are friends, Id hate to see my enemies!)

In a statement, Netflix said it welcomes the recommendation from the WBD board. The news comes one day after a sudden, blistering attack from President Donald Trump on Paramount, specifically regarding its ownership of CBS News and the flagship newsmagazine 60 Minutes, followed shortly afterward by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, withdrawing from the Paramount bidding group.

In a detailed letter released Wednesday , the WBD board said it had concluded that the tender offer launched by Paramount Skydance (PSKY) on Dec. 8 is not in the best interests of WBD shareholders and does not qualify as a Superior Proposal under the companys existing merger agreement with Netflix. The board reiterated its recommendation that shareholders back the Netflix transaction and not tender their shares into the PSKY offer.

Warner Bros. Discoverys board unanimously rejected Paramount Skydances all-cash bid for the company, valued at roughly $108 billion, while accusing its suitor of consistently misleading WBD shareholders about the financing behind its takeover bid, calling it inferior to the companys planned merger with Netflix .

Story Continues

Ellison backstop called into question, offer deemed illusory

The WBD letter criticized Paramounts repeated public assertion that its proposal was backed by a full backstop equity commitment from the Ellison family, which controls Skydance Media. PSKY has consistently misled WBD shareholders that its proposed transaction has a full backstop from the Ellison family, the board wrote. It does not, and never has.

The Dec. 8 offer from Paramount worth $30 per share, according to WBD, relies on a $40.65 billion equity commitment with no Ellison family commitment of any kind, but on something rather different. Instead, they propose that you rely on an unknown and opaque revocable trust for the certainty of this crucial deal funding. Despite having been told repeatedly by WBD how important a full and unconditional financing commitment from the Ellison family wasand despite their own ample resources, as well as multiple assurances by PSKY during our strategic review process that such a commitment was forthcomingthe Ellison family has chosen not to backstop the PSKY offer.

WBD directors warned that a revocable trust is no replacement for a secured commitment by a controlling stockholder, stressing that its assets and liabilities are not publicly disclosed, can be changed at any time, and are subject to gaps, loopholes, and limitations in the documents provided. The letter adds that even in the event of a willful breach, the trusts liability for damages would be capped at 7% of its commitmentabout $2.8 billion on a $108.4 billion transactionfar below the potential harm to WBD shareholders if the deal failed to close.

The board further criticized PSKYs tender as illusory, pointing out that it explicitly reserves the right to be amended, including on price, or terminated at any time before completion and cannot realistically close by its current expiration date given the time required for global regulatory approvals. Nothing in this structure offers WBD shareholders any deal certainty, the directors wrote, urging investors to read the companys Schedule 14D9 filing and proxy materials before casting their vote on what could be one of the media industrys defining transactions.

Netflix deal pitched as safer, richer

Countering David Ellisons claims that WBD failed to meaningfully engage throughout his pursuit, the WBD board said it prefers the Netflix offer for many reasons, and none of these reasons will be a surprise to PSKY given our clear, and oft-repeated, feedback on their six prior proposals.

The board said its preference for Netflix followed a monthslong competitive process launched in October after multiple approaches from PSKY and other suitors, including six formal proposals from Paramount. Directors said they held dozens of meetings and calls, including four inperson sessions involving WBD chief executive David Zaslav and David and Larry Ellison, and repeatedly alerted PSKY to material deficiencies in its bids, but never received an offer that surpassed Netflixs terms. After each bid, the WBD board said, we informed PSKY of the material deficiencies and offered potential solutions.

The board framed the Netflix merger as superior because it is a fully financed, binding agreement backed by a company with a market capitalization above $400 billion and an investment-grade balance sheet. Under the Netflix deal, WBD shareholders would receive $23.25 in cash, $4.50 in Netflix stock (within a specified price collar), plus shares in Discovery Global, a new entity that will hold certain WBD assets not acquired by Netflix, giving investors additional upside.

The board emphasized that the Netflix transaction requires no equity financing and is supported by robust debt commitments, while PSKYs financing depends on the revocable trust and a bidder with a roughly $15 billion market value and a credit rating at or near junk status. (Netflix was formerly known as Debtflix in the 2010s, when it regularly issued billions worth of high-yield bonds to scale its content spending.)

Costs and regulatory issues

WBD warned shareholders that, if completed, the PSKY deal would saddle the combined entity with an estimated 6.8x 2026 debt-to-Ebitda leverage ratio and virtually no current free cash flow before synergies. This would result in a risky capital structure that is vulnerable to even potentially small changes in the PSKY or WBD business between signing and closing. WBD also warned that the deal would make Hollywood weaker, not stronger, as Paramount highlights $9 billion in synergies, to come mostly in the form of job cuts to the two largely similar businesses.

On antitrust and regulatory issues, the board rejected PSKYs public suggestion that its offer faces less scrutiny than the streaming giants deal. After consulting regulatory advisors, WBD concluded there is no material difference in regulatory risk between the two transactions and highlighted Netflixs agreement to a $5.8 billion reverse break feehigher than PSKYs $5 billionto underscore its confidence in closing.

In its statement, Netflix said it is highly confident that regulators will see this deal for what it is: pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, pro-creator, pro-growth, and pro-competition. The company reiterated that it expects the deal to close in 12 to 18 months, after customary regulatory approvals. Netflix has submitted its Hart-Scott-Rodino filing, a mandatory premerger notification report submitted to both the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice for large deals of this kind. Netflix also noted that its financing structure is not subject to review by CFIUS, or the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which is an open question given the extent of the Paramount bids Middle Eastern funding. Netflix steered shareholders to the website netflixwbtogether.com for more information on the deal.

WBD also argued that the Paramount bid exposes investors to substantial additional costs and downside. If shareholders backed PSKY and the offer ultimately failed, WBD would owe Netflix a $2.8 billion termination fee and forgo a planned debt exchange, triggering an estimated $1.5 billion in extra financing costsabout $4.3 billion, or $1.66 per share, in potential value erosion. Paramount has not offered to reimburse the $2.8 billion termination fee, and has ignored these additional costs in its communications, the board argued. The New York Posts Charles Gasparino reported that WBD was open to accepting the Paramount offer if it was raised to $35 per shareessentially enough to cover the termination feee.

Editors note: The author worked for Netflix from June 2024 through July 2025.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Japan must do deep soul-searching regarding its historical crimes: Chinese envoy

Xinhua) 08:29, December 19, 2025

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan, as a defeated country in World War II, must do deep soul-searching regarding its historical crimes, abide by the political commitments it made on the Taiwan question, immediately stop provocative actions that cross the line, and retract its erroneous remarks, a Chinese envoy said Thursday.

At the UN General Assembly high-level plenary meeting to commemorate the first International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong said the world has yet to emerge from the shadow of colonialism despite the end of colonial occupation and the collapse of colonial system.

He urged the international community to firmly oppose any words or actions that challenge or seek to subvert the post-war international order.

Fu noted that the International Day Against Colonialism in All Its Forms and Manifestations aims to urge the international community to remember the harm of colonialism, accelerate the ongoing decolonization process, and end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.

"The history of the World Anti-Fascist War teaches us that peace needs to be striven for and safeguarded," Fu said.

Following the victory of World War II, the trials of war criminals at the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East ensured that the principal perpetrators of the war of aggression, whose hands were stained with the blood of people of many nations, received the punishment they deserved, Fu said.

"The justice and integrity of the trials are unshakable and beyond challenge," he said.

Fu noted that in history, Japan invaded China, the Korean Peninsula and Southeast Asia, and imposed horrendous colonial rule.

Japanese aggressors committed innumerable crimes and atrocities in Taiwan, killing over 650,000 Taiwan compatriots, forcibly recruiting around 200,000 young people to serve in the military, forcing more than 2,000 Taiwan women to become "comfort women," occupying 70 percent of Taiwan's land, and destructively exploiting natural resources, including coal and gold mines, Fu said.

"It was the darkest page in Taiwan's history," Fu emphasized, calling on the international community to resolutely defend the victorious outcomes of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and resolutely defend the post-war international order.

"We must never allow any denial or distortion of the history of aggression, never allow the revival of militarism, and never allow the recurrence of historical tragedies," the Chinese envoy said.

"Any words or actions that challenge or seek to subvert the post-war international order could create instability in the world and bring immense suffering to humanity as a community with a shared future," Fu said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) is one of billionaire David Teppers top stock picks heading into 2026. Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) carries a Hold consensus from 6 analysts (1 Buy, 3 Hold, 2 Sell). Their 12month price targets average $68.25, implying a 13.45% drop from the current price of $78.86.

Whirlpool Corporation (WHR)s $1B India Unit Divestment Push Falls Through

The companys plan to divest its India unit for $1 billion has hit a snag. On December 6, reports emerged indicating talks with private equity firm Advent International had collapsed due to disagreements on valuation.

Advent had indicated its intent to acquire a 31% stake in Whirlpool India from its parent, a transaction that could have opened the door to acquiring a majority stake. Whirlpool, which owns about 51% stake, had indicated earlier in the year plans to reduce its stake in the Indian unit to about 20%. The divestment is part of the companys push to raise funds as it looks to repay its debts.

The negotiations collapsed as Advent was pushing for a much lower price, given that Whirlpool is facing short-term headwinds in India. Stricter regulations on product standards and energy efficiency norms have also rattled the home appliance maker prospects in the country.

Meanwhile, Whirlpool has confirmed that its Brazilian unit will stop production at its manufacturing facility in Argentina. The discontinuation aligns with its long-term strategic guidelines of operational efficiency. Nevertheless, importation, commercialization, and distribution activities will continue in Argentina.

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) is a leading global home appliance company that designs, manufactures, and sells central kitchen and laundry appliances, focusing on improving life at home through brands like Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir, and Amana, offering everything from basic to smart, connected devices for cooking, cleaning, and preserving food.

While we acknowledge the potential of WHR 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: 12 Best Industrial Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts and 12 Best 52-Week High Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has broken below the psychological $90,000 level, marking a break from its consolidation range that signals increased pressure on leveraged positions.

What Happened: In a recent podcast, prominent analyst Trader Mayne described the breakdown from the triangle apex as a decisive short-term development.

While the broader "Santa Rally" narrative remains intact on higher timeframes, he warned that the near-term path is likely to involve further downside as leverage is flushed out.

Dont Miss: If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it?

According to Mayne, the market is actively punishing excessive risk-taking.

The break to $87,000 cleared the first major support, but additional downside targets are still in play.

Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), however, continues to show relative strength.

ETH is holding key monthly demand zones, while the ETH/BTC pair trends higher. Mayne acknowledged the upcoming "Fusaka" upgrade as a potential narrative catalyst but stressed that technicals matter more than headlines.

"If we bounce here, everyone will credit the upgrade," he said. "In reality, price was simply ready to bottom."

See Also: Missed Nvidia and Tesla? RAD Intel Could Be the Next AI Powerhouse  Invest Now at Just $0.85 a Share

What's Next: Mayne sees a high probability of Bitcoin sweeping the $80,000 lows if U.S. equities weaken further, noting that a 2%3% pullback in the S&P 500 could push risk assets into demand zones.

For now, the higher-timeframe downtrend remains in control.

Until Bitcoin breaks its diagonal resistance and reclaims key levels, bears retain the advantage.

Mayne advises patience over aggression: wait for either a liquidity sweep near $80,000 or a confirmed breakout before positioning.

Macro risks also loom.

This week's Bank of Japan policy decision could spark renewed unwinding of the yen carry trade if rates are raised, adding pressure to global risk assets just as U.S. non-farm payroll data is released.

Image: Shutterstock

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Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That's why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn't tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
MILAN  Luxury industry concerns hit a peak this year after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his trade policy that involved a 15 percent tariff on all exports. Since then, leaders here have been banking on a reprieve that hinges on the swift approval of a crucial European Union deal with Mercosur, the South American bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. This deal, for which talks commenced in 1999, could potentially create the worlds biggest free-trade area.

Brazil, which is by far the biggest Mercosur nation with a population of about 213 million, is ripe for luxury expansion. The nation is currently highly protected with an applied customs duty averaging 13.5 percent, according to the European Commission.

More from WWD

On Wednesday, Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy wont sign off on the trade deal until further revisions are made to protect European farmers, who have expressed concerns about, among other issues, a potential flood of cheap imports.

We believe that signing the [Mercosur] agreement in the coming days is still premature, Meloni told the lower house of Italys Parliament. Meloni added that Italy was waiting for additional measures that would protect the agricultural sector. She said that she also needed to discuss such changes with the nations agricultural alliances.

It does not mean that Italy intends to block or oppose it, but it intends to approve the agreement only when it includes adequate reciprocity guarantees for our agricultural sector, she added, highlighting that she was confident that these conditions would be met by the beginning of 2026.

President Emmanuel Macron echoed this. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he said France would firmly oppose the European Union forcing through a trade deal with South American bloc.

Confindustria Moda's headquarters in Milan.

Italys Fashion Sector Reacts

On Wednesday, Italys industrial federation Confindustria Moda responded to the delay, urging a speedy resolution.

Swiftly bringing the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries to a conclusion is a strategic priority for the entire European industry and, in particular, for Italys textileclothingfashion value chain, the federation said in an emailed statement to WWD, adding that it is a key step in ensuring the sectors growth amid a challenging macroeconomic situation.
Google has quietly become a financial safety net for Bitcoin miners, providing at least $5 billion in credit support to help them pivot into Artificial Intelligence (AI). This isnt a direct investment but something much smarter: a guarantee. Stocks of miners making this move, like Cipher and IREN, have surged between 300-500% in 2025 as a result.

What Is Really Happening Between Google and Bitcoin Miners?

This trend is a direct response to AIs massive hunger for power, a resource that Bitcoin miners have in abundance. As the AI sector in crypto grows, the demand for this kind of infrastructure is exploding.

So, how does it work? Think of Google as a wealthy parent co-signing a lease for their child (the Bitcoin miner). The bank (like JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs) sees Googles guarantee and feels safe enough to lend the money for a big project.

Miners like Hut 8, TeraWulf, and Cipher Mining provide the land and power connections. A data-center operator called Fluidstack signs a long-term lease, and Google financially backs Fluidstacks obligations. This clever structure turns a volatile crypto company into a bank-friendly infrastructure project.

Visiting TeraWulfs Lake Mariner site makes it clear: this AI pivot isnt just software. HPC clusters need liquid-to-chip cooling, far beyond standard Bitcoin air-cooling, which is why build-out costs are so high.

Its important to note that Google isnt handing out this credit for free. In exchange for backing these deals, the company has taken equity warrants in the miners, about 14% in TeraWulf and 5.4% in Cipher. This effectively makes the guarantee a cost of capital, aligning Googles upside with the miners success while ensuring the tech giant benefits if these AI pivots pay off.

DISCOVER: Top 20 Crypto to Buy in 2025

Why This Signals a Major Shift for Crypto

This is a huge vote of confidence. For years, banks viewed Bitcoin miners as too risky to finance. Their income depends on Bitcoins wild price swings and the ever-increasing difficulty of mining.

Now, Googles backing transforms them into stable, predictable businesses in the eyes of Wall Street. According to Yahoo Finance, this pivot is allowing miners to secure revenue streams that are far more reliable than mining alone. With the average cost to produce one Bitcoin nearing $75,000, finding a stable income is a top priority.

This signals a new wave of institutional Bitcoin demand, not for the coin itself, but for the powerful infrastructure that supports the network. It legitimizes the entire industry, connecting it directly to the biggest technology story of the decade: AI.
Mole Taqueria y Bar (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)



Since its the holiday season, the 1.2-kilometer-long street in Tokyos Marunouchi area and the district from the Imperial Palace to the facade of Tokyo Station, is currently beautifully lit up with dazzling champagne-gold illuminations, allowing us to enjoy a romantic or family night stroll.

The area also has plenty of restaurants and bars if youre hungry on your holiday walk or want to enjoy a pricey cocktail al fresco or up in some of the skyscraper lounges for a higher view.

During a recent visit to the area, I stopped by Mole, a tasty Mexican restaurant located on the seventh floor of Shin-Marunouchi Building, a stones throw from the facade of Tokyo Station.

Moles unique exterior reminded me of the entrance of Aztecan ruins, inviting me in to sample some authentic homemade Mexican dishes.

Inside, the modern interior with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and cactus plants provided a bright and open atmosphere. The views of the stations Marunouchi side were a nice touch.

From the weekday menu, I ordered the weekly special tacos lunch set for 1,400 yen ($9), along with original blended Five Elements iced tea for an additional 200 yen.

When the lunch set arrived, I was surprised to see its large, colorful plate with three generously-sized tacos, a large portion of salad and French fries, along with a complimentary Mexican soup came as well. A big meal at a reasonable price!

Each charred corn tortilla had a different filling - mango, shrimp and avocado and spicy chorizo. It was a fun experience to sample the three tacos and compare the different ingredients and sauces.

The taco with mango pieces stood out. Against my expectation, the mango was not sweet, but instead had a subtle, sophisticated savory flavor. This taco was well balanced with other veggies and spices in its exquisite homemade sauce. The ground shrimp tacos came topped with avocado and onion, giving it a refreshing, juicy flavor. The spicy chorizo taco had a nice (but not very strong) kick with a full-bodied meaty flavor.

Staffers were cheerful and friendly enough to explain the ingredients of the tacos and helped me to enjoy the meal, so even a first-timer like me could feel at ease.

While sampling the three tacos, one after the other, the different flavors and textures reminded me as if I was enjoying a full-course French dinner. And the hot and sour Mexican soup served with the meal provided a tasty break from the heaping plate of tacos, which included a large portion of French fries and fresh salad.

The shelves in the restaurant, stacked with hundreds of wine bottles, reminded me that Moles offers cocktails and other adult beverages like margaritas, mojitos and sangria.

Mole is a great eatery to enjoy authentic Mexican food in an open, casual atmosphere with a beautiful view of Marunouchi district, and an ideal place to enjoy the holiday spirit with some tasty spirits!

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)



Mole Taqueria y Bar
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"What is going on with Australia?" my wife asked. It's a good question. The horrific Bondi Beach shooting is merely the latest atrocity Down Under. Since the Oct. 7 massacre, antisemitic violence has risen steadily in a country long thought to be a safe haven for Jews.

Nevertheless, it's the wrong question. Because it's not only Australia, and it's not only since Oct. 7.

In the last decade, violent attacks on Jews have surged in the United States, Britain and France. We've seen grotesque Jewish caricatures in a Belgian parade; proposed legislation in Ireland criminalizing tourism in Israel; synagogue and cemetery desecrations; unprovoked threats and physical assaults; openly antisemitic epithets from members of the American Congress and British Parliament.

After more than half a century of dormancy, why this ugly resurgence of antisemitism? It's a question we can't possibly answer without first understanding why Jew-hatred exists at all.

Sigmund Freud (and many others) proposed Jewish cultural "otherness" as the most obvious explanation for antisemitism. But history proves otherwise: assimilation intensifies, rather than inhibits, antisemitism. The large majority of Jews in pre-Nazi Germany, pre-Inquisitorial Spain and pre-Chmielnicki Poland were thoroughly assimilated.

The deeper and far more disturbing explanation can be found in the schoolyard.

In Please Stop Laughing at us ... One Survivor's Quest to Prevent School Bullying, bestselling author Jodee Blanco attempts to deconstruct and quantify the social dynamics that divide children  and sometimes adults  into predators and prey.

Based upon countless interviews and observations, Ms. Blanco identifies the typical bullying victim as an "ancient child," who possesses a more highly developed capacity for empathy than his or her peers. In contrast, those most likely to bully sense their own inferiority in the presence of greater emotional maturity. Feeling threatened and inadequate without understanding why, they lash out in response.

The underlying factor, Ms. Blanco suggests, is this week's entry into the Ethical Lexicon:

Empathy Deficit Disorder

An underdeveloped level of sensitivity that inhibits the ability to feel compassion.

Among the community of nations, it is the Jews who have historically been the ancient child, introducing the world to the universal values of peace, justice, charity and social conscience. Rather than embrace the ideals of human nobility, the world responded with centuries of violent oppression.

Gradually, however, liberal sensitivities began to take hold. As articulated by Locke, Kant and Rousseau, the fundamental values drawn from the ancient teachings of Jewish law and ethics became enshrined as axioms of moral philosophy.

And then, after the Nazi Holocaust confronted the world with the ghastly handiwork of unbridled evil, the world embraced the Jewish people as poster children for the overarching moral standards that govern civilized society. The innate empathy of mankind began to emerge. Antisemitism became as indefensible as infanticide.

But even the most noble virtues can be corrupted and distorted. Under the corrosive influence of social media, Western culture has descended into intellectual laziness and moral astigmatism. Nuance, reason and principled compromise are supplanted by inflexible dogma. Ideologies become entrenched. Truth becomes subjective. Civil discourse disintegrates. Rhetoric becomes weaponry. Society descends into empathy deficit disorder.

Today, progressive ideology simplistically divides the entire world into oppressors and the oppressed, transforming victims into perpetrators and villains into heroes. The impulse to judge every person favorably mutates into non-judgmentalism. Charity morphs into entitlement. Liberty devolves into libertinism. Civility becomes weaponized into political correctness.

Most perversely, Israel has been compared to Nazi Germany. Inevitably, violence follows as institutional bullying becomes the new normal.

The resurgence of Jew-hatred, therefore, symbolizes the moral decline of man, not into immorality but amorality  rejecting moral absolutes and embracing moral relativism.

Ironically, the new antisemitism has more to do with non-Jewish society than it does with either the Jew or his Judaism. It is the bully's reflexive response in the face of moral maturity on the playground of human society.

That's why empathy deficit disorder extends to every form of ethnic, racial, religious, cultural and ideological prejudice. We don't want to think; we want to vindicate our feelings. The rise of identity politics and cultural tribalism has normalized misinformation, hyperbole and character assassination, turning us all into victims and, paradoxically, granting us license to bully our perceived oppressors.

To win the battle for the soul of Western Civilization, we need to restore rational debate, renew civil discourse and reject ideological extremism on either side. Only by breaking the vicious circle of empathy deficit disorder can we marginalize voices of hate. Only then will the ancient ideals of human nobility prevail.

You can be a bully or a victim. You can be both. Or, you can be neither.

Which will you be?

Rabbi Yonason Goldson graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in English, which he put to good use by setting off hitchhiking cross-country and backpacking across Europe. He eventually arrived in Israel where he connected with his Jewish roots and spent the next nine years studying Torah, completing his rabbinic training as part of Ohr Somayach's first ordination program. After teaching yeshiva high school for 23 years in Budapest, Hungary, Atlanta, Georgia, and St. Louis, Missouri, Rabbi Goldson established himself as a professional speaker and advisor, working with business leaders to create a company culture built on ethics and trust. He has published seven books and given two TEDx Talks, is an award-winning host of two podcasts, and writes a weekly column for Fast Company Magazine. He also serves as scholar-in-residence for congregations around the country.



Previously:



 The rank stupidity of 'Just let it go'

 To create a functioning, biblically-based civilization

 The difference between optimism and hope

 The Next Piece of the Puzzle Might Fill the Hole in Your Heart

 Self-Esteem Isn't Given -- It's Earned

 Remember the Past to Promote a Successful Future

 Are We Making Failure the Price of Success?

 Demoralization Is More About Culture than Feelings

 The Lesson We're Missing From the Death of Charlie Kirk

 Invest in Your Own Success by Building Up Others

 The Most Valiant Heroes Fight on a Different Battlefield

 How Pundits Came to Give Punditry a Bad Name

 The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know

 Success Thrives in the Light of Purpose and Passion

 When Seeking Peace, Don't Release the Dogs of War

 Greta Thunberg Sails Toward Moral Hypocrisy

 Checking More Boxes Is Not the Solution

 Why Sometimes NOT Seeing Is MORE Believing

 A Healthy Diet for the Brain Promotes Ethical Clarity for the Mind

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Filthy, vile, and disgusting. And I would add: Reprehensible, repulsive, and rebarbative.

These words perfectly describe the latest Democrat scheme to shaft industrious, economically embattled Americans, all so that the Left can Get Trump.

There are no depths too low for Democrats to dig to hurt this president. They were at Sub-basement Level 14 and have shoveled their way to Sub-basement Level 15.

The Trump/GOP One Big Beautiful Tax Cut includes No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and a new tax-deduction for Social Security benefits. These promises helped Donald J. Trump secure the White House and Republicans the U.S. House and Senate. The GOP's huge win in November 2024 gave Republicans a solid mandate to keep these promises. And they did.

Nonetheless, the Democrat-mismanaged states of Colorado, Illinois, Maine, and New York are rigging their tax codes so that this Trump/GOP tax relief does not reduce corresponding state levies. The same holds for Democrat-smothered Washington, D.C., which will keep higher taxes on 13 of the GOP's 84 federal tax-cut provisions.

Colorado's House Bill 25-1296, decoupled its state taxes from these federal tax reductions. So, next April 15, factory workers will have to render unto Democrat Governor Jared Polis the overtime pay break that Trump and Republicans let them enjoy.

Bartenders and waitresses who applaud federally tax-free tips in New York, must obey Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul. The updated IT-225 tax form will require their "Add-back of exempt tip income." What Trump and Republicans giveth in Washington, Klueless Kathy taketh in Albany.

These five Democrat strongholds (aggregate population: 40.7 million) have enacted or are expected to impose such limits on the GOP's federal tax-cuts on tips, overtime, and Social Security.

Some of these Left-wing jurisdictions are going even further. They are picking the pockets of jobmakers by ignoring various pro-growth aspects in the One Big Beautiful Tax Cut. So federal tax limitations for research and development, instant write-offs of capital purchases, qualified small- business stock exclusions, and other commercial activity would remain fully taxable at the state (or District) level. This Democrat-fueled government greed should speed the march of CEOs toward Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and other low-tax states.

"It's disheartening that certain blue-state governors are choosing to withhold money from their constituents while decrying the federal government for its efforts to undo years of fiscal mismanagement and economic turmoil," a Treasury spokesman told me Friday. "While residents of New York, Illinois, and Colorado will continue to see more money in their pockets from higher federal tax refunds, these states have chosen to make tax-filing season more difficult and less fruitful for millions of Americans."

More work. Less reward. Thank you, Democrats!

"By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state-tax burdens," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared Wednesday in a statement. "This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion."

Indeed, Democrats echo each other, like a pandemonium of parrots, as they screech about "affordability!"

"Affordability is our watchword in Illinois," Governor JB Pritzker squawked. "Colorado is focused on real solutions for affordability," Governor Polis chirped.

So, at last, Republicans deliver concrete relief to the "affordability crisis" that has become the Democrats' latest obsession. The Trump/GOP tax cuts will help Americans pay their bills, buy groceries, fill their gas tanks, and maybe even get out of town, to pursue happiness. What could be more wonderful?

Rather than celebrate with everyday people, Democrats decrease taxpayers' additional income and diminish their economic security. For Democrats, making Americans poorer is a bargain compared to the bonanza of denying Trump and Republicans any credit for feeling and easing the people's pain.

President Trump and every Republican should make these sadistic Democrats famous and hammer them mercilessly until they let every American who is entitled to these tax cuts savor them in full.

 2026 Deroy Murdock
Do words have any meaning? Most people think so, which is why there is an endless debate about which words should be permitted by law, which should be a matter for the law, and which words should be debated in the realm of manners.

Where does Gas the Jews fit into that? There are contexts where those words could be in the realm of manners. For instance, somebody might use them in a comedy club, doing a routine about forbidden statements. But how about using them immediately after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? How about if the words are used on the streets by a mobnot in a spirit of jest, but of intent?

Thats what happened outside the Sydney opera house on October 9, 2023two days after Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtered 1,200 people, and took another 250 hostage. The people in the mob outside the opera house that night were not objecting to the war that resulted from that massacre. They were not trying out some new comedy material. They were using the massacre of Jews as the impetus to stand in their own city, oceans away, and advocate for the gassing of Jews.

Of course, the Australian authorities did not take any meaningful action regarding that protest. No more than they chose to take action against the numberless protests in major Australian cities since October 2023 in which protesters have chanted Globalize the Intifada and much more.

Which is not to say that the Australian government are free-speech absolutists. They are not. Nor does Australia have an equivalent of the First Amendment which strictly protects Free Speech, even up to the point of incitement. On the contrary, the Australian authorities are among the toughest in the world when it comes to policing speech.

Just this past June, Australia barred an Israeli called Hillel Fuld from coming into the country. Fuld is a pro-Israel activist whose brother Ari Fuld was stabbed to death by a jihadist terrorist in 2018. Ari Fuld was a hero in his life and in his final moments when, taking on the terrorist, he saved many more lives. But the Australian authorities were persuaded that the brother of the slain Ari could cause a risk to health, safety or good order in Australia. And so, he was barred from entry.

It is worth digesting that for a moment. A man whose brother was killed by a terrorist should not enter Australia because he could potentially alert people to the threat of Islamist terrorism. Which could in itself cause public disorder.

Not to become too personal about this, but Ive had a similar experience with the Australian authorities. When I last did a speaking tour of theaters in Australia, in the summer of 2024, I received a letter warning me about the terms of my visit. Though they granted this British-born, American-based author the right to speak in Australia, they made it clear that if I said anything, or was even reported as having said anything, which could cause community tensions (a supremely vague concept), then I would instantly have my visa revoked and be removed from the country.

This is standard in modern Australia. Yet calls for Jihad, Intifada, gassing, and more have been tolerated and gone unpunished.

It is not just the Israeli government, but Jewish groups inside Australia that have been begging the Australian authorities to take threats against the Jewish community seriously. After all, the threats long ago became real. During the last two years, synagogues and other Jewish sites in Australia have been repeatedly assaulted. In December 2024, a Melbourne synagogue was firebombed. Jewish businesses have been attacked. And Jews have been the targets of constant harassment.

Then this past weekend came the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney. It is the most serious terrorist attack in the nations history.

There will be plenty said in the coming days about why the two perpetrators (father and son) were allowed to own guns, despite their connections with individuals jailed for plotting terror attacks. There will be many questions raised about how their shooting spree could go on for almost ten minutes and why the Australian police were so unprepared for it. There will be questions about why a Jewish event celebrating Hannukah on the beach was not better protected, given the escalating risks against Australian Jews. And there will be official expressions of mourning for the 15 victims counted so far, ranging from a ten-year-old girl to an elderly Holocaust survivor who died sheltering his wife.

But the main question is why the Australian authorities did not take the concerns of Jewish Australians seriously, and why indeed they spent the last two years pandering to the ever-growing contingent of Muslim immigrants and others who have clearly been on the path to radicalization. It will not be enough for them to say that they did not know.

Far from tamping down the problem, the Anthony Albanese government has been viciously maligning Israel since October 7, 2023. It has expressly tried to stop people from correcting those denigrations. It has allowed mass incitement every week on Australian streets and tried to bar those who oppose such incitement.

If anyone thinks that this is an edge case, they do not need to look simply at the blood spilled on Bondi Beach. They merely have to ask a question many of us have asked for the past two years: What other group would expect to be treated like this?

In 2019, there was a terrible attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, by a lone gunman. It was a vicious, appalling attack. Outpourings of sympathy issued from all communities.

But imagine for a moment that there had not been. Imagine that immediately after that attack there had been huge crowds of Australians outside the Sydney opera house calling for Muslims or Arabs to be gassed.

Does anyone think that the Australian authorities would have taken this lightly? Does anyone think that if there had been anti-Muslim or anti-Arab demonstrations on the streets every week for the two years following the 2019 attackexpressly celebrating the attack and calling for it to happen againthat the Australian authorities would have stood by, or actually placated the mob? To ask the question is to answer it.

In the meantime, Jews in Australia will be asking the same question that Jews in New York and around the world are asking. And they will be facing the same conundrum that Jews around the world now face. If they are in Israel, they are attacked. If they are outside Israel, they are attacked. And if they are in New York or other cities outside Israel, feeling increasingly unsafe and wondering whether to move to Israel, thenas happened at Park East Synagogue in New York City last monththey will be attacked as well.

The problem has been in plain sight all along. Its shameful that so many people in positions of power decided to metaphorically shoot the messengers, while all the time clearing a path for the real-life shooters to take aim, and fire.

Douglas Murray is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and the bestselling author of seven books, including On Democracies and Death Cults (2025) and The War on the West (2022).
For as long as I live I will never get over Jane's death. The hole in my heart is too large to heal. My sadness will not go away. If nothing else negative had transpired this year it would still have been the worst year of my life. But this year has been the year of so many horrible events. One after another. And every tragedy that occurs brings tears to my eyes. Here are some, but not all, of the worst.

On January 1st, the 2025 new year began when an Islamic terrorist drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans then jumped out of the truck and started shooting. He killed 14 people and injured more than fifty-seven others before police finally shot and killed him.

From January 7 through the end of the month a series of wildfires swept through southern California, particularly the Pacific Palisades and Eaton communities, burning over 57,000 acres of land, destroying over 18,000 homes and structures, and killing dozens of people. More than 200,000 evacuated. Most of the homes destroyed have still not been rebuilt even now.

On May 21 a pro-Palestine antisemite shot and killed two staff members of the Israeli Embassy, a young man and his girlfriend, as they were leaving the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The Islamic terrorist was screaming Free Palestine and I did it for Palestine as he entered the building after he killed them.

In June two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses were shot at their homes by a deranged man who was captured the next day. The state representative, Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, state senator John Hoffman and his wife were seriously injured.

On Sept, 10th conservative spokesman and founder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk was assassinated as he was speaking with students at Utah State University. A proponent of nonviolent debate, his hallmark, he was shot dead by a pro-trans lunatic as he was engaging in a debate with students. Kirk, 31 years old, left a wife and two young children.

On November 26, two national guard members were shot in cold blood by an Afghan refugee just blocks from the White House in Washington, DC. One of the members died from her injuries, the other was critically wounded.

And last weekend, in one of the worst weekends ever, 3 more Americans were killed in Syria on December 13th by ISIS while conducting operations. That same day a mass shooting occurred at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island. Two students were killed and nine others were wounded. The killer is still at large.

The next day, December 14th the first day of Hanukkah, two Islamic State terrorists opened fire on a large gathering of Jewish people there to celebrate Hanukkah on Bondi Beach in Australia. 15 people were killed including a Holocaust survivor, a 10 year old child, and a Chabad rabbi. The dead ranged in age from 10 to 87. Another 40 people were injured. One of the antisemite Islamists was killed and the other remains hospitalized. An act of pure evil, it is the most horrendous mass killing of Jews since the October 7 2023 attack in Israel by Hamas.

And the very same December 14th, Rob Reiner and his wife were knifed to death in their home in Brentwood by their son, Nick, a 32 year old with a history of drug abuse, homelessness, and mental problems. The Reiners were found dead by their daughter.

The same weekend Federal authorities say they disrupted a credible terrorist threat over the weekend, arresting four trans-antifa members of a radical pro-Palestinian anti-American extremist group accused of plotting coordinated New Year's Eve bombings at five separate locations in Los Angeles. Thankfully they got them in time.

These were just some of the tragic events so far this year. We still have a couple of weeks left. You know what? I can't wait for this year to be over. I don't need more things to make me cry. It's enough.

Postscript: There was one wonderful thing that happened this past year. My nephew, Benjamin, was married in a beautiful wedding in June. His Auntie Jane was so looking forward to being there.

I believe she was.

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America learned to add medications. Add one for sleep. Add one for nausea from the first. Add one for weight gain from the second. Add a second antidepressant when the first loses effect. Add a stimulant when a mood stabilizer slows a teenager down. Add an antipsychotic when anxiety erupts in the clinic room. Add a statin because a lab number sits outside a guideline range. Patients, however, feel the accumulation and families live with the fallout. Clinicians carry moral injuries. Each refill feels like a promise. Each new prescription feels like rescue. Years pass. Rescue turns into routine. Routine turns into a cage.

Deprescribing offers a different posture. Deprescribing means a planned and supervised reduction or stopping of medication when harm outweighs benefit, aligned with patient goals and values. Psychiatry now uses this language. The word moved from geriatrics into psychopharmacology, and clinicians argue about scope, timing, and safety. Debate signals progress. Silence signals stagnation.

During my NIH years, I learned from Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel as he spoke publicly about declining medical interventions after age 75, including antibiotics and vaccines. Clinicians reacted with anger or admiration. The lesson matters. A thoughtful clinician chooses fewer interventions without choosing abandonment. A clinician honors quality of life and personal values without sliding into neglect.

The Deprescribing America movement started long before headlines. Clinicians started this work at the bedside. Geriatricians faced medication lists longer than family trees. Hospitalists watched delirium follow anticholinergics and benzodiazepines. Primary care clinicians watched older adults fall after blood pressure regimens stacked too high. Pharmacists caught drug interactions before harm reached crisis. Researchers built networks and trials to test structured deprescribing, including federally funded research such as the U.S. Deprescribing Research Network. Evidence also grows in outpatient settings. A 2025 JAMA Network Open analysis linked deprescribing interventions with lower medication counts and fewer potentially inappropriate medications in community-dwelling older adults.

KevinMD writers sounded the alarm years ago. One essay challenged expanding statin prescribing and asked readers to weigh side effects and trade-offs. The cholesterol debate still matters because the statin story mirrors a broader pattern. Guidelines expand. Thresholds drop. Fear rises. More people enter long-term therapy without a plan for reassessment.

I wrote about overmedication in 2025 because I see the same pattern in psychiatry. Too many patients receive psychotropics without an exit plan. Discontinuation syndromes and withdrawal masquerade as relapse. Clinicians misread withdrawal as illness and add medication. Patients lose trust in their bodies. In my clinic, I hear the same sentence again and again: Nobody told me how to stop.

Now federal policy adds momentum. The presidents Make America Healthy Again Commission directs a review of potential overutilization of medication, with emphasis on prescribing of SSRIs, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight loss drugs, with an explicit focus on children. This mandate moves deprescribing into national strategy. Clinicians should treat this moment as a quality initiative, not a culture war. Measure prescriptions, side effects, and function. Report taper outcomes. Learn from failures. Share protocols. Build teams with pharmacists and therapists. Protect time for follow-up.

Psychiatry feels the tremor. Professional organizations urged stepwise deprescribing with attention to individual risk, context, and relapse hazards. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry also pressed the field to define deprescribing clearly and to reclaim the term from misuse. The term entered the medical lexicon in 2003. Psychiatry now has to build definitions, training, and shared standards.

Deprescribing in youth demands rigor.

Deprescribing in youth demands rigor. Children grow and brains develop. Families hold fear. Schools hold expectations. The prescriber defines the target symptom, the functional goal, and the timeline. The prescriber measures sleep, appetite, school function, irritability, suicidality, and substance use. The prescriber builds nondrug supports before dose reduction, including therapy, sleep routines, exercise, family work, and school coordination.

Start with a medication ma.p

Start with a medication map. Each drug needs an indication in plain words, a start date, and a response history. Each drug needs a side effect inventory, including weight, blood pressure, glucose, cognition, and emotional blunting. Then choose a single priority. Reduce the highest risk drug first. Taper slowly with scheduled follow-up and a clear rescue plan. Recheck the original diagnosis after each taper step. Many labels soften once medications stop fighting each other.

Deprescribing also needs a trauma lens.

Deprescribing also needs a trauma lens. Many patients carry dismissal, stigma, and coercion in prior care. A taper demands trust. Trust grows through shared decisions, predictable follow-up, and honest education about withdrawal and rebound symptoms. Some voices fold vaccines into the deprescribing conversation. Vaccines do not match the category of daily chronic medications, yet public trust in medicine touches both. Public debate intensified after the CDC adopted individual-based decision-making for hepatitis B vaccination timing for infants born to mothers who test negative. The CDC suggested beginning the series no earlier than two months when parents defer the birth dose. The American Academy of Pediatrics maintained a recommendation for a hepatitis B birth dose within 24 hours. Clinicians should protect shared decision-making while keeping prevention, safety, and clear documentation at the center of care.

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Deprescribing demands a culture shift.

Deprescribing demands a culture shift. Clinicians need permission to stop. Patients need permission to ask. Health systems need incentives aligned with outcomes, not volume. Payment should reward medication reconciliation, adverse event reduction, and patient-reported function. Insurers should pay for the time taper work requires. Deprescribing also demands moral clarity. Deprescribing does not mean denial of care. Deprescribing does not mean moral superiority. Deprescribing does not mean war on medication. Many medications save lives. Many medications restore function. A person with schizophrenia who thrives on a stable antipsychotic deserves stability and dignity. A child with severe ADHD who regains school success with a stimulant deserves careful monitoring and continuity.

You lead this movement one chart at a time. You ask why medication started. You ask what has changed since the start date. You ask what outcome the patient wants next. You build a taper plan with milestones. You write the plan in plain language. You schedule follow-up. You set guardrails for safety.

America does not need a purge. America needs an upgrade. Deprescribing offers a disciplined way to reduce harm, restore agency, and rebuild trust. The work starts in the room with you and your patient.

Muhamad Aly Rifai is a nationally recognized psychiatrist, internist, and addiction medicine specialist based in the Greater Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. He is the founder, CEO, and chief medical officer of Blue Mountain Psychiatry, a leading multidisciplinary practice known for innovative approaches to mental health, addiction treatment, and integrated care. Dr. Rifai currently holds the prestigious Lehigh Valley Endowed Chair of Addiction Medicine, reflecting his leadership in advancing evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders.

Board-certified in psychiatry, internal medicine, addiction medicine, and consultation-liaison (psychosomatic) psychiatry, Dr. Rifai is a fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), the American Psychiatric Association (FAPA), and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (FACLP). He is also a former president of the Lehigh Valley Psychiatric Society, where he championed access to community-based psychiatric care and physician advocacy.

A thought leader in telepsychiatry, ketamine treatment, and the intersection of medicine and mental health, Dr. Rifai frequently writes and speaks on physician justice, federal health care policy, and the ethical use of digital psychiatry.

You can learn more about Dr. Rifai through his Wikipedia page, connect with him on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or subscribe to his YouTube channel. His podcast, The Virtual Psychiatrist, offers deeper insights into topics at the intersection of mental health and medicine. Explore all of Dr. Rifais platforms and resources via his Linktree.
It was past 7 p.m. when I finally reached home after another long day in the outpatient oncology clinic. My mind still echoed with the days stories: patients fighting pain, families clinging to hope, and the small victories that made the exhaustion feel almost worthwhile. There was emotional fatigue, but also peace.

Then I opened WhatsApp. The headline jolted me: Doctor in Chennai stabbed by patients son after mothers death. He believed the wrong drug had been given. The faint smile I had brought home faded into heaviness. Sadness loomed over me, a reminder that our profession, built on healing, now seems to require armor.

Every few months, another such story circulates: a doctor assaulted, a ward vandalized, another familys grief turning violent. Outrage floods social media, colleagues demand justice, and then the storm settles, until it rises again. Why does this keep happening? And what can we do about it?

There are no simple answers, but many of us know the familiar triggers: inadequate communication, financial strain, denial of prognosis, and overwhelming emotional overload. Violence is never justified. Yet I find myself asking what we, as clinicians, might do differently. As we often remind our patients: Prevention remains better than cure.

The quiet power of honest communication

In my experience, anger seldom arises from malice alone. It often grows from misunderstanding. Families feel blindsided by sudden deterioration, unspoken realities, or the loaded language of medicine. Documentation may protect us legally, but it does not shield us from instant violence or abuse. A progress note cannot defuse an angry relative the way a sincere conversation can.

A few extra minutes spent explaining what lies ahead, the likely complications, the limits of medicine, can turn confrontation into collaboration. I once asked my teacher, Dr. Sachin Hingmire, how to discuss the permanent side effects of chemotherapy without scaring patients away from treatment. He said, Your demeanor and words make all the difference. The patient should leave the room believing you can handle the side effects, even if they happen. That wisdom has stayed with me. Communication is not merely the transfer of information; its the transfer of confidence and care.

The work that goes unseen

Much of a doctors labor happens silently: tracing reports, revisiting pathology, weighing treatment plans in conference hallways or messaging groups. Families rarely see this effort, and sometimes our silence is mistaken for indifference. Over time, I have learned to gently mention, We discussed your case in the tumor board meeting today, or I spoke with the pathologist again this morning. Not for praise, but to show that their loved one is not forgotten after clinic hours. Revealing this invisible work builds trust, and trust protects both sides.

Teaching the art, not just the science

Medical education still prizes scientific precision over human connection. Students master guidelines yet stumble when breaking bad news. Skills in communication and emotional intelligence are treated as optional, not essential. And yet, the ability to deliver difficult truths gently is what sustains the bond between physician and patient. I see communication as a clinical skill, as necessary as prescribing the right drug. Teaching young doctors how to navigate fear, hope, and uncertainty may prevent not only misunderstandings but also tragedies.

The weight of money

Cancer care carries an enormous financial burden, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Emotional turmoil deepens when families exhaust savings only to face worsening disease. Financial distress can fuel resentment, especially when expectations collide with reality. Understanding a patients socioeconomic background is not bureaucratic formality; it is clinical necessity. If an expensive therapy is unlikely to deliver proportionate benefit, I steer families toward realistic choices. Clarity about cost and outcome early in the journey helps prevent bitterness later.

Guiding, not deciding

Families often urge, You decide for us, doctor. It feels noble to take charge, but it can be dangerous. When outcomes disappoint, that same trust can transform into blame. I once heard my mentor, Dr. Padmaj Kulkarni, say, The doctors role is to guide, not decide. I often share with my residents a lesson from the Mahabharata, an Indian epic in which Krishna guides the warrior Arjuna in making difficult choices. Likewise, the doctors role is to support and counsel, but the final decision must belong to the patient. Empowering patients to choose fosters ownership, not dependency.

The healing power of small gestures

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Not every encounter needs to stay strictly formal. A kind joke, a question about a daughters wedding, a smile during a tense moment, these gestures humanize medicine. For patients who know their illness may not be curable, such moments offer something precious: dignity. One of my teachers, Dr. Chetan Deshmukh, embodied this lesson. He talked to patients about local food, hometowns, or even told those with oral mucositis to enjoy ice cream. His warmth dissolved fear faster than most drugs. Being informal does not weaken professionalism; it reinforces humanity. In a world where medicine feels increasingly transactional, these moments of connection can be our strongest shield.

Compassion with boundaries

Compassion, however, should not blind us to risk. Occasionally we encounter families whose anger simmers from the beginning: voices raised, suspicion at every turn, multiple second opinions. With time, one learns to recognize such patterns, and it is prudent to involve hospital administration, call security quietly, or invite another clinician into the room. Protecting oneself is not cowardice. It is a professional responsibility.

Violence against physicians cannot be solved by outrage on social media alone. The real protection lies in everyday acts: clearer explanations, honest prognoses, acknowledgment of effort, and emotional presence. We cannot eliminate grief or anger, but we can soften their expression through empathy. Compassion, far from being a weakness, is often our most potent defense.

Medicine will always be about more than disease and diagnoses. It is about human beings. The gentlest words we speak become the most powerful shield we have.

R.N. Supreeth is an oncologist in India.
Alibabas travel platform Fliggy is strengthening ties with Macau as the city grows in popularity among young mainland Chinese travelers, according to Leon Li, Fliggys vice president of Public Affairs.

The platform, part of the Alibaba ecosystem, has served over 1 billion users in China and more than 300 million globally, with Macau ranking as one of its top destinations.

During the National Day holiday, Li revealed, sales of Macau-related travel products on Fliggy grew by more than 40%, he said, with hotel bookings seeing strong gains in both sales value and guest numbers.

Data from the platform show that more than 60% of users booking Macau products are women, and more than 60% are young people born after 1995 and 2000.

Speaking earlier this week during a panel at the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) in Harbin, Li said this profile underscores Macaus potential as a leisure destination and informs Fliggys promotion strategy.

Looking ahead, he outlined three main directions. For mainland visitors, Fliggy aims to use cross-platform cooperation within the Alibaba ecosystem and data analysis to design more cross-border products that encourage tourists to stay longer and explore local communities beyond major events and shows.

For international travelers, Li said the focus will be on developing tailored air ticket, hotel, and vacation packages and using platforms such as Lazada and AliExpress to reach overseas markets. He added that artificial intelligence will increasingly help the tourism industry balance scale, efficiency, and cost  an impossible triangle that has long challenged operators  and that Macau can benefit from AI-driven tools as it seeks to attract more independent travelers.

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This Christmas and New Year, Barra District becomes a lively seasonal playground where culture, lifestyle and local creativity come together. Visitors can immerse themselves in Macaus innovative spirit through everyday moments, from visual storytelling to comforting flavors and shared experiences.

At Navy Yard No. 1, DecadeExhibition of Macao Illustrators marks the 10th anniversary of the Macau Illustrators Association, inviting visitors to explore a decade of creativity and the citys thriving artistic scene.

A short distance away, the Festival of Wishing Star transforms Barra Pond into an immersive winter landscape, where more than 30 local IPs and SMEs present a variety of art installations, DIY activities, outdoor film shows and hands-on workshops to animate the neighborhood with festive cheer and artistic energy.

Upping the lifestyle quotient, Horizon Cafe at Navy Yard No. 2 offers a unique fusion of coffee, light dining, retail, and music in a charming vinyl record corner. Occasionally featuring exclusive IP collaborations and themed events, the cafe makes for a dynamic, multi-experience gathering spot.

Meanwhile, Barra Kitchen continues to serve up home-style flavors from seven of Macaus most beloved eateries  perfect for warming up during the festive season.

Schedule:

Festive of Wishing Star: 2025/12/20 to 2026/01/04 (excluding 2025/12/23, 2025/12/30 and 2026/01/02)

Horizon Cafe: 2025/12/20 to 2026/02

Decade  Exhibition of Macao Illustrators: 2025/12/17 to 2026/01/11

Barra Kitchen: Ongoing

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Missouris top prosecutor said China is suing after the state pressed federal officials for help collecting on a roughly $25 billion court judgment related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said earlier this week in a news release that China is demanding a public apology from the state in a complaint filed in the Intermediate Peoples Court of Wuhan. The Chinese government also is seeking compensation equivalent to $50.5 billion plus legal fees and the right to claim further compensation.

This lawsuit is a stalling tactic and tells me that we have been on the right side of this issue all along, Hanaway said in the news release.

At issue is a lawsuit Missouri filed alleging that China hoarded personal protective equipment during the early months of the pandemic, harming the state and its residents. A federal judge ruled for Missouri earlier this year after China declined to participate in the trial. It called the lawsuit  very absurd  when it was filed in 2020.

Last month, Missouri escalated its efforts to collect, asking the U.S. State Department to formally notify China that the state intends to pursue assets with full or partial Chinese government ownership to satisfy the judgment.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an emailed statement yesterday [Macau time] that he wasnt familiar with the specifics of the new case. But he said the earlier Missouri lawsuit was a purely politically motivated maneuver.

China firmly opposes it, will never accept it, and reserves the right to take strong countermeasures, Pengyu said.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier this year that its actions during the pandemic arent subject to U.S. jurisdiction and it doesnt recognize the ruling.

Some legal experts have cast doubt on whether Missouri can collect on the judgment, because federal law generally shields foreign nations from lawsuits in U.S. courts.

The case has taken an unusual path. U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh initially dismissed the lawsuit in 2022, saying Missouri couldnt sue China, its Communist Party and seven other government or scientific agencies. But an appeals court allowed one part of the lawsuit to proceed: the allegation that China hoarded personal protective equipment, such as respirator masks, medical gowns and gloves.

After Chinese officials didnt respond, Limbaugh accepted Missouris estimate of past and potential future damages of more than $8 billion, tripled it as federal law allows, and added 3.91% interest until its collected.

The lawsuit was originally filed by state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, an ally of President Donald Trump who subsequently won election to the U.S. Senate, and alleged that Chinese officials were to blame for the pandemic. It was carried on by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, another Trump ally who resigned in September to become co-deputy director of the FBI.

Hanaway, a former U.S. attorney and Missouri House speaker, inherited the case when she was appointed state attorney general by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.

The complaint accuses Missouri, as well as Schmitt and Bailey, of fabricating enormous disinformation, and spreading stigmatizing and discriminating slanders that have harmed Chinas reputation. HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, KANSAS CITY (Mo.), MDT/AP

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South Koreas Constitutional Court yesterday formally removed the countrys impeached police chief for deploying hundreds of officers to support ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeols brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.

The court said Cho Ji-ho actively disrupted legislative activities by sending police forces to the National Assembly and trying to block lawmakers from reaching the main chamber to vote to lift Yoons decree.

Cho also infringed upon the independence of the National Election Commission, the court said, by dispatching police to help the militarys seizure of two NEC offices. Yoon said the actions were intended to investigate unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.

Cho, who was impeached by lawmakers and arrested a week after Yoons power grab, is the first commissioner general of the National Police Agency to be removed by the Constitutional Court. He was granted bail in January after a Seoul criminal court cited his need for cancer treatment and faces a separate criminal trial on charges of assisting a rebellion.

Yoon imposed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, describing the action as necessary to suppress an anti-state liberal opposition controlling the legislature. Hours later a quorum of lawmakers managed to break through the military and police blockade and unanimously voted to revoke the order.

Lawmakers later in December voted to impeach Yoon, suspending his powers and placing his fate with the Constitutional Court, which formally removed him from office in April. He was rearrested in July and faces a slew of serious charges including rebellion, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.

In its ruling on Chos impeachment motion, the Constitutional Court said he cannot remain as the national police chief when he carried out Yoons orders despite being clearly aware they were unconstitutional, unlawful.

The ruling noted Cho and the Seoul metropolitan police chief were summoned by Yoon to a safe house hours before the declaration of martial law, where they discussed plans to carry it out with Yoons then defense minister.

Following Yoons declaration, Yoon and the Seoul police chief deployed about 300 officers around the entrances of the National Assembly, which also was swarmed by heavily armed troops, including special operations units with Blackhawk helicopters, in what the court described as an effort to block the legislative vote.

After protests by lawmakers and civilians at the National Assembly, police briefly allowed lawmakers and legislative staff to enter before sealing the grounds for more than two hours later that night after the militarys martial law command announced the suspension of political activities. A quorum of lawmakers still managed to enter with some, including current President Lee Jae Myung, climbing fences to reach the main chamber.

Cho argued his actions did not constitute support for Yoons martial law, claiming he sent police to the Assembly to maintain order and prevent accidental clashes.

Considering that lawmakers and others had no choice but to enter the National Assembly by abnormal means, such as climbing over fences, due to the respondents order to block the entrances, the respondents claim is not acceptable, the court said in a statement. MDT/AP

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Filipinos in Macau have begun their annual Simbang Gabi tradition, with evening and dawn masses running from December 15 through Christmas Eve, keeping a cherished Catholic devotion alive in the city.

Simbang Gabi, translated as Night Mass, is a cherished Filipino Catholic devotion, and several churches in Macau have been holding masses to carry on the tradition.

The tradition is said to be a well-known folk belief that if a devotee completes all nine days of Simbang Gabi, God may grant a wish as part of the novena.

Evening masses, held from December 15 to 23, include St. Lawrence at 7:30 p.m., the Se Cathedral at 8:30 p.m., and St. Augustine at 9 p.m. Dawn masses, held from December 16 to 24, take place at St. Augustine at 5:30 a.m.

According to the Catholic Pastoral Center for Migrant Workers  Macau  Filipino Chaplaincys official Facebook page, this practice, deeply rooted in Philippine culture and faith, serves as a spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ.

Beyond its religious significance, Simbang Gabi also fosters a strong sense of community among overseas Filipinos, who gather not only to worship but also to celebrate our heritage. Simbang Gabi will always have a special place in the hearts of Filipinos as a joyful celebration of faith and unity.

Attendees who have never skipped a year of attending the masses and completing the nine nights of Christmas novena spoke to the Times last night before the mass at Se Cathedral.

Lisa Montemayoro, an attendee living in Macau since 2007 who was only able to return to the Philippines once in the past 18 years for Christmas, shared what Simbang Gabi means to her: Of course you feel like youre serving God and feel happy to attend. We have gotten used to having Simbang Gabi here, so I do this every year.

Despite a busy work schedule, another attendee, who attended the fourth night of services, still made time for the masses, stating: Before, I couldnt attend because I was working a lot. Now that I have time, Ill finish the nine days. When attending for the first time, I really enjoyed it.

For Michael Manalastas, this tradition holds a special place for him and his family.

This is not my first time. Since birth, this has been my familys tradition, following my grandma.

He continued, They say Simbang Gabi is for people to have a wish granted, but the priest says attending is to show thanks. That is the tradition of Filipinos. Out of my 10 years in Macau, I have never skipped Simbang Gabi. This is my first time attending in the evening; I have always attended early in the morning. For me, it is a sacrifice. You cannot truly fulfill the essence of Simbang Gabi if it is not in the early morning. But I wanted to try something different this year.

Lovely Dionisio, attending for the first time, expressed her feelings toward Simbang Gabi, saying, Simbang Gabi is the feeling of Christmas, being with family as well. The presence of Christmas, being with Filipinos and close to God. December is the birth of Jesus.

Attendees for last nights Simbang Gabi mass at the Se Cathedral fully occupied the church, with several standing outside the doors. Ricaela Diputado

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Macau is celebrating the 26th anniversary of its return to the motherland on tomorrow, with a host of events and activities taking place throughout the month.

The official holiday will see a mix of cultural, social, and economic initiatives commemorating the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

The days official proceedings include flag-raising ceremonies and formal government functions to honor the citys development since the 1999 handover.

Citizens and visitors can also enjoy a range of cultural activities, including the Above the Abyss solo exhibition by Zhang Lanpo and a celebratory concert at the historic Ruins of St. Pauls.

Adding to the festivities, the 2025 Macao International Parade will present the citys cultural scene.

In a move to promote local businesses, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) is running a Celebrating the Return: Dine-in Discount campaign from tomorrow to December 22. Over 500 restaurants are participating, offering diners a 30% discount.

A special edition of Chronicle of Macao (19992024) is also available at a discounted price, showcasing key milestones in the citys economic, social, and cultural growth.

Throughout the city, festive posters, floral arrangements, and national and SAR flags adorn streets and popular landmarks, in a bid to create a celebratory atmosphere. LV

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Hundreds of mourners bearing bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief gathered at a funeral in Sydney yesterday for a 10-year-old girl who was gunned down in an antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.

Matilda, whose last name is being withheld at the request of her family, was enjoying a petting zoo at the festivities on Sunday just before she was killed along with 14 other people in a mass shooting targeting Jews. The suspects, a father and son, were inspired by the Islamic State group, Australian authorities have said.

Beaming photos of Matilda have become a focal point for Australias grief at one of the worst hate-fueled attacks ever committed in the country. The massacre has prompted a national reckoning about antisemitism and questions about whether the countrys leaders took seriously enough the threat to Australian Jews.

Matildas parents, who arrived in Australia from Ukraine, moved away from war-torn Eastern Europe to come here for a good life, Rabbi Dovid Slavin told The Associated Press as he entered the service.

They did something that a parent is OK to do, take their child to a family event at Bondi beach, he added. If it ended this way, its something for collective responsibility for every adult in this country.

Speaking to reporters in Australias capital Canberra at the same Matildas service began, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a tranche of legislative plans he said would curb radicalization and hate.

Among his proposals were measures to broaden the definition of hate speech offenses for preachers and leaders who promote violence, to bolster punishments for such crimes, to designate some groups as hateful, and to allow judges to consider hate as an aggravating factor in cases of online threats and harassment.

Officials would have greater powers to reject or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division in this country, or would do so if they were allowed to come here, Albanese added. He didnt suggest a timeline for the reforms, citing their legal complexity.

I of course acknowledge that more could have been done and I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia, Albanese said yesterday. But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation.

Meanwhile, investigators continued to probe the suspected gunmens links in Australia and their travel to the Philippines before the attack, said Krissy Barrett, the countrys police chief. Authorities earlier divulged that the younger shooting suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, was investigated for six months by Australias security services in 2019.

The older shooter, Sajid Akram, 50, who was shot dead on Sunday, had amassed the guns used in the massacre legally. His gun license was granted in 2023, after his son came to the attention of authorities.

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press yesterday that there was no indication that the two received any training for the attack in the Philippines. He said that the suspected gunmen had stayed in a budget hotel in downtown Davao city for the whole of their visit in November. MDT/AP

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The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Anton Tai, announced yesterday that government departments will now require suppliers bidding for cleaning and security services to factor minimum wage adjustments into their contract bid prices.

At yesterdays Legislative Assembly session, the Secretary for Economy and Finance emphasized the response measures taken by various public entities regarding minimum wage adjustments and future policy implementation, disclosing that suppliers bidding for cleaning and security services must now incorporate minimum wage adjustments into their bid prices for the duration of the contract.

While not all departments have such flexible provisions, Tai emphasized, we will continue to encourage other departments to adopt similar measures to ensure that future procurement projects can adapt flexibly to changes in the minimum wage. This will be a key focus of our future work.

The commitment was made in response to lawmaker Nick Leis concerns about the adjustment of the minimum wage. Lei noted that the focus should not solely be on the increase itself but on the supportive measures the government will implement once the adjustment takes effect. He pointed out that some small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) providing government cleaning and security services have raised issues regarding inconsistencies in bidding standards across different public entities, with some tender documents allowing for adjustments in response to the minimum wage while others do not.

According to Lei, the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) issued guidelines in February advising public entities to include flexibility clauses in contracts to accommodate future minimum wage adjustments; however, recent tenders have still lacked such clauses.

The assembly passed the detailed provisions of the bill to amend the law on the Minimum Wage for Employees yesterday. Under the new bill, minimum wage rates will be adjusted to MOP35 per hour, MOP280 per day, MOP1,680 per week, and MOP7,280 per month, effective January 1 next year.

Notably, this adjustment will benefit approximately 18,200 employees, representing about 4.4% of the workforce, with the first committee reviewing the bill deeming the effective date reasonable, ensuring timely biennial adjustments to the minimum wage.

In a subsequent joint voting statement, legislators from the labor sector underscored the importance of implementing and reviewing the minimum wage law, highlighting the need for policy transparency and a deep understanding of local contexts.

The three lawmakers, Ella Lei, Leong Sun Iok, and Leong Pou U, reiterated recommendations for the government to actively refine labor laws and regulations  such as the Nonresident Worker Employment Regulations  to prioritize local employment, optimize training subsidies, and enhance the workers compensation system, thereby better safeguarding employee rights.

Business sector legislators proposed improving transparency in future minimum wage reviews by signaling policy directions to the public in advance, allowing enterprises ample time to prepare, stabilize business expectations, and maintain overall competitiveness. The three Chui Sai Peng, Kevin Ho, and Si Ka Lon  also recommended streamlining administrative measures to protect labor resources while fully considering the actual affordability of small and micro enterprises when assessing enhancements to employee benefits.

Next fiscal years budget detailed provisions approved

Additionally, yesterdays plenary session approved the detailed provisions of next fiscal years budget, which projects a gross gaming revenue of MOP236 billion as the primary basis for its formulation, with estimated general consolidated revenue set at MOP118.8 billion.

The budget anticipates a surplus of MOP5.31 billion, with total expenditures amounting to MOP113.48 billion, covering the continuation of funding multiple livelihood measures, including the cash handout scheme, medical vouchers, and education allowances. At the same time, various tax relief measures will be maintained to support the development of the financial sector and technological innovation.

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We are proud to announce a marxist.com exclusive! Here, we are making available online for the first time in English a brand new translation of a historic pamphlet written by Trotsky in 1904. Titled, Before the 9th of January, Trotsky shows how utterly reactionary the liberal bourgeoisie in Russia had become. He draws the important conclusion that the forthcoming revolution in Russia will find them in the camp of the enemy, and will instead be led by the revolutionary proletariat  a stunningly accurate prediction. As far as we are aware, this is available nowhere else in English online.

At the outset, we would like to give our special thanks to Maria Sverdlova for the enormous amount of work she put into translating this text from the original Russian.

[Wellred Books, the publishing house of the Revolutionary Communist International, publishes a wealth of texts by Trotsky, all of which are available to buy in print, digital or audiobook formats here]

Introduction by the editor of marxist.com

In a series of articles written in 1904, months before the outbreak of the Russian Revolution on 9 of January 1905 [Old Style], Trotsky boldly anticipated that the Russian liberals were totally unwilling to wage a serious struggle against Tsarism. He argued that, in order to accomplish the democratic tasks of bringing down the autocracy and convening a Constituent Assembly, the proletariat must play the leading role, and correctly predicted the revolution would begin with a general strike.

It is in these writings that Trotsky first began to formulate the key ideas that would lay the basis for his theory of Permanent Revolution. These articles were later collected as a pamphlet, titled Before the 9th of January, of which we have provided the first freely available English translation online!

Trotsky later explained the history of the pamphlet's publication:

Proceeding essentially from Plekhanov's well-known position that the Russian revolutionary movement will win as a workers movement or not win at all, in 1904, on the basis of the experience of the violent strike movements of 1903, I came to the conclusion that Tsarism will be overthrown by a general strike, on the basis of which open revolutionary clashes will develop and expand, bringing decomposition into the army and pushing the best parts of it to the side of the insurrectionary masses. This pamphlet was handed over by me to the foreign publishing house of the Mensheviks, who at that time were still undecided on tactics and among whom an internal struggle was going on, with Martov defending the position of class against class (his programmatic article in the 1st issue of Sotsial-Demokrat), while Vera Ivanovna Zasulich and others defended the policy of agreement with the liberals and support for the bourgeoisie. Martov soon gave up his position and, with a few caveats, began to pursue the policy of Dan, who, for his part, had only slyly concealed Zasulich with scraps of Marxist phraseology. The Mensheviks delayed the printing of my pamphlet in every possible way, and when the 9th of January broke out in Petrograd, quite confirming the significance of a general strike, they declared the pamphlet obsolete. During proof-reading the brochure was looked at by comrade Parvus, who at that time held quite an internationalist revolutionary position. Parvus drew the conclusion that a revolution whose driving force is the working class and whose decisive methods are a general strike and uprising means the transfer of power to the workers in the event of the victory of the revolution. In this sense Parvus wrote the preface to my pamphlet, and together we insisted on its publication. It was published under the title Before the 9th of January.

The articles were written against a backdrop of mounting crises for Tsarism.

In February 1904, Tsarist Russia plunged into a disastrous war with Japan, arrogantly expecting an easy victory. The conservatives and liberals alike all dutifully rallied to the national flag and pledged their support for the war effort. But the Russian army and navy suffered a humiliating series of defeats, exposing the rottenness of the regime.

The war served to intensify opposition on the homefront. The liberals expressed their discontent through the organs of local government where they predominated, the zemstvos. They arranged a series of political meetings disguised as banquets across the country to discuss their demands.

Under the Minister of the Interior von Plehve, the regime clamped down on the zemstvos. But when he was assassinated and replaced with the liberal Prince Svyatopol-Mirsky, the zemstvos were allowed to organise a congress, as a means of relieving pressure on the regime. This congress, held in November, formulated a list of demands which included the right to free speech, assembly and a representative parliament. It stopped short, however, of demanding a constitution.

In February 1904, Tsarist Russia plunged into a disastrous war with Japan, arrogantly expecting an easy victory / Image: public domain

In December 1904, the Tsar issued a declaration promising to accede to some of these demands, but Tsarist absolutism, of course, remained untouched.

The first half of this pamphlet exhaustively proves the anti-democratic, anti-revolutionary nature of the so-called liberal opposition expressed through the many resolutions, speeches and articles issued from zemstvos, banquets and liberal newspapers. He also exposes the impotence of the democratic intellectuals who clung to the coattails of the liberals.

However, the liberals were not the only ones in ferment. Russias young proletariat was beginning to discover its strength.

By the turn of the century, there were about 3 million workers in Russia, concentrated in massive factories. They began to seriously flex their muscles in 1903, with a wave of strikes particularly in the south of the country. The war served to fan the flames of discontent to previously inert and backward layers of the masses.

Trotskys pamphlet is absolutely scathing of the cowardice and treachery of Russias bourgeois liberals, which explains why the Menshevik-controlled Iskra editorial board delayed publication of these articles in 1904. After the 1905 Revolution, the position crystalised among the Mensheviks that because of the bourgeois democratic character of Russias coming revolution, the liberals were destined to lead it, with the workers playing a supporting role. The Mensheviks castigated the workers for going too far in 1905, thus scaring off the liberals.

Trotsky countered that the servile and irresolute actions of the liberals meant that a revolution against Tsarist absolutism could only be carried out by the working class. He argued they would shove the liberals aside and pull the genuinely democratic forces in the country (peasants in rebellion, radical students and intellectuals) behind them.

Trotskys prognosis was confirmed in January 1905. A powerful strike was already underway at the Putilov Works (an artillery and railway plant) in St. Petersburg. On 9 January (Old Style), a peaceful procession of workers marched to the Winter Palace with a petition for reforms for the Tsar, only to be fired upon by armed cossacks. The massacre of Bloody Sunday kicked off a wave of strikes across Russia that became general, and soon reached revolutionary proportions, forcing the Tsar to make promises of a constitution in a desperate bid to defuse the revolution.

Although 1905 turned out to be merely a dress rehearsal for an even greater revolution in 1917, centuries of absolutism was brought to the precipice by a worker-led revolution. The liberals played no active role in the revolution, and, as the revolution reached its culmination, passed over to playing an openly counter-revolutionary role.

In this remarkable text, especially its later parts under the subheadings Democracy and revolution and The proletariat and revolution, Trotsky predicts these features of the coming revolution. In the year of 1905, during which Trotsky played a leading role at the head of the St. Petersburg Soviet, the reactionary role of the liberal bourgeoisie and the leading role of the proletariat became crystal clear, as Trotsky himself predicted. In Results and Prospects, written while awaiting trial, Trotsky went further and concluded that only the proletariat could seize power, at the head of all the revolutionary layers of Russian society, and that once in power, it would not only complete the democratic tasks of the revolution, but would begin the socialist transformation of society. This pamphlet should thus be regarded as an important step towards the elaboration of this immortal theoretical conquest.

[Note on footnotes] We have translated all footnotes that were written in the original by Trotsky himself and marked them [Trotsky]. We have translated some of the footnotes from the footnotes, where they were found to be useful, by the editor of the 1925 Russian edition that this translation is based on, and have marked them [Russian ed.]. In some places we have also added our own footnotes where we thought clarification would be useful, and these are simply marked [ed.].

Before the 9th of January

War and the liberal opposition

Let us look back at the past three months.

Prominent zemtsy[1] gather in St. Petersburg, hold a meeting that is neither secret nor public, and formulate constitutional demands. The intelligentsia hold a series of political banquets. Members of the district courts sit intermingled with returned exiles, members of the intelligentsia with red carnations in their buttonholes are interspersed with active state councillors[2], professors of state law sit side by side with workers under police surveillance.

The merchants of the Moscow Duma[3] express their solidarity with the constitutional programme of the Zemstvo Congress, the Moscow stockbrokers solidarise with the duma merchants.

Sworn attorneys organise a street demonstration, the political exiles agitate against exile in the newspapers, those under surveillance agitate against spies; a naval officer starts a journalistic campaign against the whole naval department, and when he is imprisoned the legal society collects money for his kortik[4].

The improbable becomes real, the impossible becomes probable.

The legal press reports on banquets, prints resolutions, gives accounts of the demonstrations, mentions in passing even the well-known Russian proverb,[5] and scolds generals and ministers  mostly, however, those already deceased or retired.

Journalists flounder, reminisce about the past, sighing, hoping, then warning each other against excessive hope; at a loss of what to do, they try to get away from slavish language but can't find the words and end up being cautioned; they earnestly strive to be radical, wanting to call for something, but with no idea of what that something is; they utter many harsh words, but very hastily, because they are not sure of the future; behind sharp phrases they hide the feeling of uncertainty; everyone is confused, and each wants to make the others think that he is the only one not confused

Now, this wave is receding of course, only to immediately give way to another, higher wave.

Let us use this moment to take into account what has been done and said over the last period, and then draw a conclusion: what's next?

The present situation, in the final analysis, has been created by the war. It is dramatically accelerating the natural process of the destruction of the autocracy, pulling lazy social groups onto the stage of political life with pincers and, as fast as it can, driving forward the formation of political parties

In order not to lose all perspective, we need to step back a little from the period of the spring turmoil  back to the beginning of the war, and at least cursorily review the policies of the various parties during this time of war on two fronts.

The war was presented to society as fact  all that remained was to make use of it.

The party of Tsarist reaction did everything it could in this regard. Absolutism, completely compromised as a representative of the interests of the nations cultural development, found the war to be an opportunity to show what seemed to itself and to others to be its strongest side. Taking advantage of this favourable circumstance, the reactionary press took on an aggressive tone and put on the order of the day slogans in which the autocracy, the nation, the army, Russia  all were united by the common interest of immediate victory.

In no other thing, repeated and still repeats Novoe Vremya,[6] can a nation so consciously feel its unity as in its army. The army holds in its hands the international honour of the nation. The defeat of the army is the defeat of the nation.

The task of reaction was thus clear: to turn the war into a national enterprise, to unite society and the people around the autocracy as the guardian of Russias might and honour, to create around Tsarism an atmosphere of devotion and patriotic enthusiasm. And reaction pursued this aim to the best of its ability and skill. It endeavoured to inflame feelings of patriotic indignation and moral outrage by mercilessly exploiting the so-called treacherous attack on our fleet by the Japanese. It portrayed the enemy as cunning, cowardly, greedy, petty, inhuman. It played on the fact that the enemy was yellow-faced, that he was a heathen. It endeavoured in this manner to arouse a surge of patriotic pride and a squeamish hatred of the enemy.

The events did not bear out the reactions predictions.The ill-fated Pacific fleet suffered loss after loss.[7] The reactionary press excused the failures by attributing them to accidental causes, and promised revenge on land. A series of land battles began, a series of monstrous losses, of retreats by the invincible Kuropatkin,[8] the hero of so many caricatures in the European press. The reactionary press endeavoured by the very facts of the defeats to injure the people's pride and awaken a thirst for bloody vengeance.

During the first period of the war, the reaction organised patriotic demonstrations of students and urban rabble and covered the whole country with luboks,[9] in which the advantages of the Russian army over the Japanese were portrayed in the brightest colours available to patriotic painters.

When the number of wounded began to increase, the reaction urged support for the government-run Red Cross, in the name of patriotism and love of mankind; when the superiority of the Japanese fleet over ours became obvious, it encouraged the public to donate to the navy in the name of patriotism and public interest.

In short, the reaction did everything it could to make the war serve the interests of Tsarism, i.e., its own interests.

How did the official opposition, which held in its hands the organs of self-government  the zemstvos and the dumas  and the liberal press, act at this critical time?

Let us be blunt: they behaved shamefully.

The zemstvos not only obediently bore those war-related labours and expenses which were imposed on them by law; no, in addition to that they voluntarily came to the aid of the autocracy with their organisation of aid to the wounded.

This is a crime that continues to the present day  a crime against which no one in the liberal milieu has raised a voice of protest.

If patriotic feeling urges you to take an active part in the calamities of war, go and feed and provide warmth for those who are shivering, treat the sick and the wounded, taught Mr Struve,[10] sacrificing not to patriotic feeling but to patriotic hypocrisy the last vestiges of his sense of opposition and political dignity. Is it not clear that at the moment when the reaction was creating the bloody mirage of a national cause, every honest opposition party should have recoiled from this cause as from a plague!

At the moment when the governments Red Cross, which has sheltered in its ranks all the corrupt officials, is withering from a lack of funds, when the government is in the grip of financial need, the zemstvo appears and, using its authority as the opposition as well as public money, assumes a good share of the costs of the military adventure. Does it help the wounded? Yes, it helps the wounded, but it thus relieves the government of a part of the financial burden and facilitates its further conduct of the war and, therefore, the further creation of wounded people.

But this does not yet exhaust the issue, for the task is to overturn once and for all the order in which the senseless slaughter and maiming of tens of thousands of people hinges on the political passions of a gang of officials. The war has made this task all the more urgent by revealing the disgrace of Tsarisms internal and foreign policy  policy that is senseless, predatory, clumsy, wasteful and bloody.

The reaction endeavoured  and, from the point of view of its interests, this was quite reasonable  to draw the whole nation materially and morally into the maelstrom of the military adventure. Where yesterday there still were groups and classes engaged in struggle  reaction and liberalism, the rulers and the people, the government and the opposition, strikes and repression  there, according to the reactions plan, a realm of national-patriotic unity was to be established at once.

The opposition should have exposed all the more sharply, energetically, daringly and ruthlessly the gulf between Tsarism and the nation, should have all the more resolutely tried to push the true national enemy, Tsarism, into this very gulf. Instead, the liberal zemstvos, with secret oppositional desires (to seize into their hands a part of the military economy and make the government dependent on themselves!), harness themselves to the rattling military chariot, picking up the corpses, and wiping up the bloody tracks.

The matter, however, is not limited to donations towards aid organisations. Immediately following the declaration of war, the same zemstvos and dumas that are always complaining about their lack of funds suddenly donated ridiculous amounts of money for the needs of the war and the strengthening of the fleet. The Kharkov zemstvo snatched a whole million from its budget and put it at the direct disposal of the Tsar.

But even this is not all! The people of the zemstvos and dumas did not limit themselves to merely participating in the grunt work of the disgraceful slaughter and taking on a part of its expenses, i.e. passing it on to the people. They were not content with silent political connivance and tacit endorsement of Tsarism  no, they publicly declared their moral solidarity with the perpetrators of the greatest of atrocities. In a whole series of loyal addresses, the zemstvos and dumas, one after another and without exception, fell at the feet of the imperious leader who had just trampled the Tver zemstvo[11] and was preparing to trample several others. They declared their indignation at the insidious enemy, religiously swore allegiance to the throne, and pledged themselves to sacrifice their lives and property  they knew they would never have to do so!  for the honour and glory of the Tsar and Russia. Behind the zemstvos and dumas trailed a disgraceful procession of professors' corporations.[12] One after another, they responded to the declaration of war with loyal pronouncements, in which the scholastic ornateness of form harmonised with the political idiocy of the content. This series of servile displays culminated in the patriotic forgery by the Council of Bestuzhev courses, which vouched not only for its own patriotism but also for that of its students, who it never consulted on the matter.

To complete this ugly picture of cowardice, sycophancy, lies, petty diplomacy and cynicism, it will suffice, as a final brush-stroke, to mention that the delegation that presented the loyal address of the St Petersburg Zemstvo[13] to Nicholas II in the Winter Palace featured such beacons of liberalism as Messrs Stasiulevich and Arseniev.

Should we dwell on all these facts? Should we comment on them? No, it is enough to name and establish such facts for them to burn as a slap on the political face of the liberal opposition.

And the liberal press? That wretched, mumbling, grovelling, lying, wriggling, corrupted and corrupting liberal press! With a slavish longing for the Tsar's defeat hidden in its heart, but with slogans of national pride on its tongue, it threw itself  without exception  into the filthy torrent of chauvinism, trying to keep up with the press of the reactionary thugs. Russkoye Slovo and Russkiye Vedomosti, Odesskiye Novosti, and Russkoye Bogatstvo, Peterburgskiye Vedomosti and Kurier, Rus, and Kievskiy Otklik  all proved themselves worthy of each other. The liberal left, vying with the liberal right, spoke about the treachery of our enemy, of his powerlessness and our strength, of the peace-loving nature of our Monarch, of the inevitability of our victory, of the completion of our mission in the Far East  while not believing their own words and with a slavish longing for the Tsar's defeat hidden in their souls.

Already in October, when the tone of the press had had time to change dramatically, Mr. l. Petrunkevich, the beauty and pride of zemstvo liberalism, the bogeyman of the reactionary press, assured the readers of Pravo that whatever ones opinion about the present war is, every Russian knows that once it has been started, it must not end at the expense of our country's state and popular interests We cannot offer Japan peace now and are compelled to continue the war until Japan agrees to peace terms that would be acceptable to us both from the point of view of our national dignity and from the point of view of Russian material interests.

The best and the most dignified  all disgraced themselves equally.

...The initial surging wave of chauvinism, as Nashi Dni explains now, not only met no obstacles on its way, but even carried away many leading figures, who apparently expected that its current would bring them closer to the desired shore.

This was not an oversight, nor an accidental mistake, nor a misunderstanding. Here we see tactics, a plan. Here is the whole soul of our privileged opposition. Compromise over struggle. Rapprochement at all costs. Hence the endeavour to relieve absolutism of the emotional burden of this rapprochement. To organise not in the cause of fighting Tsarism, but in the cause of serving it. Not to defeat the government, but to entice it. To earn its gratitude and trust, to become indispensable to it. Finally, to bribe it with the people's money. A tactic which is as old as Russian liberalism, and which has become neither cleverer nor any more honourable with time!

The Russian people will not forget that in a difficult moment the liberals did only one thing: attempt to buy for themselves the trust of the people's enemy using the people's own money.

From the very beginning of the war, the liberal opposition did everything possible to ruin the situation. But the revolutionary logic of events would not stop. The Port Arthur fleet was defeated, Admiral Makarov was killed, and the war spread onto land. Yalu, Kin-Chou, Dashichao, Wafangou, Liaoyang, Shahe[14]  all these are different names for the same autocratic disgrace. The Japanese army was smashing Russian absolutism not only on the seas and fields of East Asia, but also on the European stock exchange and in St. Petersburg.

The Japanese army was smashing Russian absolutism not only on the seas and fields of East Asia, but also on the European stock exchange and in St. Petersburg / Image: public domain

The position of the Tsarist government was becoming more difficult than ever. Demoralisation in government ranks made consistency and resoluteness in domestic policy impossible. Fluctuations, attempts at reaching an agreement and appeasement became inevitable. The death of Plehve[15] provided a favourable occasion for a change of course.

Plehve's place [as Minister of the Interior  ed.] was taken by Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky.[16] He set himself the task of conciliation with the liberal opposition, and began this process of appeasement by expressing his confidence in the Russian population. That was foolish and arrogant. Is it up to a minister to trust the population? Not the other way around? Shouldn't the minister depend on the trust of the public?

The opposition should have made Prince Svyatopolk understand this simple fact. Instead it began to fabricate addresses, telegrams and articles of gratitude and delight. On behalf of a population of one hundred and fifty million, it thanked the autocracy, which had declared that it trusted a people who did not reciprocate this trust.

A wave of hope, expectation and gratitude surges through the liberal press. Russkiye Vedomosti and Rus join forces to wrest the Prince[17] from Grazhdanin and Moscovskiye Vedomosti, the district zemstvos express gratitude and hope, the towns express hope and gratitude; and now, after this policy of trust has already completed its full circle of development, the provincial zemstvos, one after another, send the minister belated votes of their reciprocal confidence In this way the opposition prolongs internal turmoil and turns a silly political anecdote into a long-lasting political condition of a troubled country.

And once again a conclusion has to be drawn. The opposition, which failed to find its feet in such a favourable position, in which it was needed and fawned over; the opposition which responded to a single sign of governmental confidence with confidence of its own  has deprived itself of the right to any confidence whatsoever on the part of the people.

At the same time, it has deprived itself of the right to the enemys respect. The government, in the person of Prince Svyatopolk, promised to give the zemtsy the opportunity to convene legally, but did not fulfil this promise. The zemtsy did not protest and instead came together illegally. They took all possible measures to make their congress secret from the people. In other words, they did everything to deprive their congress of any political significance.

At their meeting on 7-9 November, the zemtsy  chairmen of provincial administrations and generally prominent figures of local self-government  formulated their demands. The zemstvo opposition, in the form of its most prominent, though not formally authorised, representatives, for the first time presented its programme to the people.

The conscious elements of the people have every reason to regard this programme with full attention. What do the zemtsy demand? What do they demand for themselves, and what for the people?

What do the zemtsy demand?

I. The right to vote

The zemtsy want a constitution. They demand that the people, through their representatives, participate in legislation. Do they want a democratic constitution? Do they demand that all people participate in legislation equally? In other words: are the zemtsy in favour of universal, equal and direct suffrage with secret ballots to ensure the independence of the vote?

The matter of universal suffrage does not exhaust the democratic programme, and calling for it does not yet make one a democrat  both because, under certain conditions, this demand can just as well be seized by reactionary demagogy, and because, for revolutionary democracy, universal suffrage is not just one of the demands, but an integral part of a comprehensive programme. But the converse statement  that without universal suffrage there is no democracy  is certainly true.

Let us look at how the zemstvo congress treated this cardinal democratic demand. We reread point by point all the resolutions of the congress  and nowhere do we find any mention of universal suffrage. This solves the question for us. We conclude: the programme of the zemtsy does not speak of universal suffrage, which means that the zemstvo opposition does not want universal suffrage.

Political mistrust is our right, and the entire history of the liberal opposition turns that right into our responsibility!

The zemstvo liberals care about their influence and political reputation. They have an interest in safeguarding themselves from criticism and exposure by social-democracy. They know that social-democracy has put forward the demand for universal suffrage and that it is vigilantly and suspiciously watching how the other opposition parties respond to said demand.

That is why the zemstvo liberals, had they stood for universal suffrage, would be obliged, in their own political interests, to print it in bold type in their programme. They did not do that. Which means they do not want universal suffrage.

One of the participants of the congress, radical Mr Khizhnyakov, a member of the Chernigov zemstvo with a casting vote, argued at a meeting of the Kiev literary-artistic society that the resolutions of the zemstvo congress did not contradict the demand for universal suffrage. Mr Khizhnyakov reasoned scholastically. He either forgot or did not know that besides formal logic there is also political logic, for which omission is sometimes tantamount to rejection. And this was soon confirmed best of all by Mr Khizhnyakov himself, when he signed the resolution of the Chernigov zemstvo which demanded the convocation not of representatives of the people, but of representatives of the zemstvos and dumas. The congress did not go any further in its endeavours. With the vagueness of its wording, it was concealing the moderation and narrowness of its demands.

The resolutions of the congress do, however, contain one paragraph that gives reason to assert that the zemtsy not only did not reject universal suffrage, but even spoke in favour of it. The seventh paragraph says: The individual civil and political rights of all citizens of Russia must be equal.

Political rights are the rights to participate in the political life of the country, i.e. first of all the right to vote. The zemstvo congress decided that these rights should be equal for all.

In that case, wasnt Vodovozov  another radical  correct when, at the aforementioned meeting of the literary-artistic society, he objected in the following manner to the social-democrat who reproached the zemtsy for their omission of universal suffrage: I unequivocally object to the speech of the disgruntled speaker. Paragraph seven speaks of the equality of individual civil and political rights. If you were more familiar with the science of statecraft, said Mr Vodovozov, you would see that this formula implies universal, equal, direct and secret suffrage!

Mr Vodovozov is undoubtedly very familiar with statecraft. But he makes extremely bad use of his knowledge: he deceives his listeners.

Undeniably, equality of political rights, if taken seriously, means that citizens voting rights should be equal. But it is equally indisputable that paragraph seven limits this equality to male citizens, without extending it to female citizens. Or will Mr Vodovozov say that the zemtsy had women in mind as well? No, he will not say that. Thus, paragraph seven does not signify universal suffrage after all.

But it does not signify direct suffrage either. The electoral rights of citizens may be equal, but the constitution might give them the right to pick electors of the second degree, who in turn choose electors of the third degree, and the latter finally elect the representatives of the people. This system is deadly for the people, because it is easier for the ruling classes to influence a small circle of filtered electors than the masses of the people.[18]

Further, the equality of suffrage in itself says nothing about secret balloting. Meanwhile, this technical aspect of the matter is of enormous importance for all dependent, subordinate, economically oppressed strata of the people. This is especially true in Russia, with its age-old habits of despotism and slavery. With our barbarous traditions, a system of open voting could for a long time nullify the value of universal suffrage!

We have stated that it is only equal suffrage for men that logically flows from paragraph seven. But the zemtsy hasten to show that, contrary to the instructions of Mr Vodovozovs statecraft, they do not bind themselves even to this obligation. The equality of political rights applies, of course, not only to the future parliament, but also to the zemstvos and dumas. Meanwhile, paragraph nine requires only that the zemstvo representation should not be organised on the basis of estate, and that, if possible [sic!], all available forces of the local population should be involved in the zemstvo and self-government of the city. Thus, the equality of political rights will only be applied if possible. The zemtsy explicitly speak out only against the estate-based census, but they fully allow for the possibility of a property-based census. In any event, there is no doubt that all those who do not fulfil any kind of permanent residency requirement  and such requirements by their whole character are directed against the proletariat  will still end up outside the boundaries of political equality.

So, contrary to the assurances of those who are democrats out of opportunism and those who are democrats out of political hypocrisy, paragraph seven does not in fact mean the universal, direct, equal or secret right to vote. In other words, it means nothing. It is a political flare meant to deceive simpletons and to serve as an instrument of deception in the hands of the opportunistic corrupters of political consciousness.

But even if the equality of political rights was as rich in meaning as Mr Vodovozov's science of statecraft wants us to think, we would still have to ask: did the zemtsy themselves invest these words with the content that said science does? Of course not. If they really had democratic convictions, they would have been able to express them in a clear political form. It is not without reason, we would hope, that one of the secretaries of the zemstvo Congress, the Tambov radical Brukhatov, comments on paragraph seven in the democratic Nasha Zhizn by stating that the people will receive the full extent of civil rights and the necessary [sic!] political rights. The radical zemstvo spokesman and the democratic newspaper remain deliberately silent on the question of who is qualified to divide political rights into necessary and unnecessary

Those who genuinely make democratic demands always count on the masses and appeal to them.

But the masses know nothing of the subtleties and sophistries of state law. They demand to be spoken to clearly, that things be called by their proper names, that their interests are protected by precisely worded guarantees and not left to the discretion of obliging interpreters.

And we consider it our political duty to help develop in the masses a distrust of that Aesopian language that has become second nature to our liberalism, which conceals not only political untrustworthiness, but also political unscrupulousness! 

II. The autocracy of the Tsar or the autocracy of the people?

What, then, would be the political system in which the liberal opposition considers the participation of the people necessary only if possible? Not only do the zemstvo resolutions say nothing about a republic  the mere connection of the zemstvo opposition with the demand for a republic sounds bizarre to the ear!  not only do they not speak of the destruction or restriction of the autocracy, they do not even say the word constitution in their manifesto.

It is true that they speak of the proper participation of the popular representation in the exercise of legislative power, in the establishment of the state's revenue and expenditure accounts, and in the control over the legality of the administrations actions  therefore, they are referring to the constitution. They are only avoiding calling it by its name. In that case, is this something worth dwelling on?

We think it is. The European liberal press, which hates the Russian revolution just as much as it sympathises with Russian zemstvo liberalism, pauses with delight before this tactful omission by the zemstvo declaration: the liberals have managed to express what they wanted, avoiding at the same time the use of words that could have made it impossible for Prince Svyatopolk to accept the zemstvos decisions.

This constitutes a perfectly correct explanation of why the zemstvo programme says nothing not only about the republic, which the zemtsy do not want, but also about the constitution, which they do want. In formulating their demands, the zemtsy had in mind only the government with which they must come to an agreement, and not the mass of the people to whom they could appeal.

They were working out the terms of a commercial and political compromise, not directives for political agitation.

Russian liberalism in general and zemstvo liberalism in particular has never broken with the monarchy and is not breaking with it now / Image: public domain

They did not for a moment abandon their anti-revolutionary position  and this is clear not only from what they say, but also from what they omit.

While the reactionary press insists day after day that the people are devoted to the autocracy, and incessantly repeats  through Moskovskiye Vedomosti  that the true Russian people not only have no wish for a constitution, but that they do not even understand this foreign word  the zemstvo liberals do not dare to utter this word and thereby bring it to the attention of the people. Behind this fear of the word lies the fear of the deed: the struggle, the masses, the revolution.

We repeat: anyone that wants to be understood by the masses, that wants them to support him, must first and foremost express his demands clearly and precisely, call everything by its proper name, call a constitution  a constitution, a republic  a republic, universal suffrage  universal suffrage.

Russian liberalism in general and zemstvo liberalism in particular has never broken with the monarchy and is not breaking with it now.

On the contrary, it endeavours to prove that it is in itself, in liberalism, that the monarchys only salvation lies.

Prince S. Trubetskoy writes in Pravo:

The vital interests of the Throne and the people require that the bureaucratic organisation does not usurp full power, that it ceases to be virtually uncontrolled and irresponsible And this, in turn, is possible only with the help of an organisation standing outside the bureaucracy, with the aid of a true rapprochement of the people and the Throne  the living centre of power.

The zemstvo Congress not only refused to renounce the monarchical principle, but based all its resolutions on the idea of the throne as the living centre of power, as formulated by Prince Trubetskoy.

Popular representation is put forward by the congress not as the only means of taking the peoples affairs into their own hands, but as a means of uniting the Sovereign Power with the population, currently separated from each other by the bureaucratic system (paragraphs three, four and ten). It is not the absolute power of the people that is opposed to the autocracy of the Tsar, but only popular representation counterposed to the Tsarist bureaucracy. The living centre of power is not the people, but the throne.

III. Who holds constitutive power?

This pathetic point of view, this seeking to reconcile Tsarist autocracy with popular rule, expressed itself in the completely treacherous answer to the question: by whom, and how, will that state transformation be carried out which was characterised, with such ominous uncertainty for the people, in the resolutions of the zemstvo congress?

In the last (eleventh) paragraph of its decisions, the Council (this is what the zemstvo congress calls itself) expresses its hope that the Supreme Power will call upon the freely elected representatives of the people in order to, with their assistance, lead our fatherland onto a new path of state development in the spirit of the establishment of the principle of law and of the interaction between the state power and the people. This is the path down which the opposition wants to direct the matter of Russias state renewal. The Sovereign Power must call to its aid the representatives of the people. The resolution, even here in this decisive paragraph, does not say anything about who said people are.

Meanwhile, we have not forgotten that in the Programme of the Russian Constitutionalists, which Osvobozhdeniye[19] declared to be its own programme, the role of such representatives of the people is taken to be the duma and zemstvo deputies, who essentially represent the ground floor of the future constitutional building By necessity,  says the Programme,  one has to follow historical precedent and leave this preparatory work in the hands of the representatives of the existing institutions of public self-government This way is more certain and better than that leap into the unknown which any attempt at ad hoc elections for a given case would represent, under the governmental pressure that is inevitable in such cases and taking into consideration the difficult-to-define mood of social strata unaccustomed to political life.

But, let us further assume that the representatives of these qualified people do assemble and begin the work of the Constituent Assembly. To whom does the decisive voice in this work belong: to the Throne  the living centre of power  or to the people's representatives? This question decides everything.

The resolution of the Council says that it will be the Supreme Power, assisted by the popular representatives it calls upon, that will lead our fatherland onto a new path. Thus, the zemstvo Council confers the constituent power on none other than the Crown. The very idea of a National Constituent Assembly as the supreme authority is here completely eliminated. In establishing the foundations of law the Crown enjoys the assistance of the people's representatives  but if it comes into conflict with them, it can just as well do without their assistance, and send them away through the same gates through which they were summoned.

It is precisely this organisation of constitutive power and this way of constitution building that the resolution of the zemstvo council indicates. We need not create any illusions in this respect. And really, such a solution to the question pre-emptively puts the entire fate of the Russian constitution at the discretion of the Crown!

In the period of constitutive work, as in any other period, there can only be one Supreme Power  it can belong either to the Crown or to the Assembly. Either the Crown working with the co-operation of the Assembly, or the Assembly working against the opposition of the Crown. Either the sovereignty of the people or the sovereignty of the monarch.

One may, of course, endeavour to interpret the eleventh paragraph of the resolution of the zemstvo council to mean that the Crown and the assembly of representatives, as two independent and therefore equal powers, could enter into a constitutional agreement. This is the most favourable assumption one could make about the zemstvo resolution. But what would come out of it? The Crown and the Assembly are independent of each other. Each side has the right to say yes or no to the other's proposals. But this also means that the two parties entering into negotiations may not come to any agreement.

Who will have the casting vote in such a case? Who will arbitrate? The assumption of two equal parties brings us to an absurdity: in the case of conflict between the Crown and the people  and such conflict is inevitable  we are in need of an arbitrator. But life never stops in the face of a legal impasse. It always finds a way out.

And this way out, in the end, will be a revolutionary proclamation of the supremacy of the people. Only the people can play the role of arbitrator in their own struggle with the Crown. Only a National Constituent Assembly  not only independent from the Crown but possessing power in its entirety, holding in its hands the keys and lockpicks of all rights and privileges, and the right of categorical decision on all matters, including the destiny of the Russian monarchy  only such a sovereign Constituent Assembly will be able to freely create a new democratic law.

That is why an honest and consistent democracy must tirelessly and irreconcilably appeal  not only over the head of the criminal monarchy, but also over the narrow-minded heads of those representatives of the qualified people that the monarchy calls upon for assistance  for the all-powerful will of the people, expressed in a Constituent Assembly via a nationwide, universal, direct and secret ballot.

Does anyone need to be reminded that the zemstvo programme does not address the agrarian and workers' questions at all? It evades them so easily, as if these questions did not exist in Russia

The resolutions of the zemstvo council of 7, 8 and 9 of November are the highest achievements of zemstvo liberalism. In the subsequent provincial zemstvo meetings, liberalism takes several steps back from the November resolutions.

Only the provincial zemstvo of Vyatka signed on to the programme of the zemstvo Council in its entirety.

The provincial zemstvo of Yaroslavl firmly believes that Nicholas will wish to call upon the elected representatives to work together  in order to bring the Tsar closer to his people  in accordance with the principles of greater [!] equality and personal inviolability. Greater (than at present) equality for the Tsar's people does not rule out, of course, political nor even civil inequality.

The Poltava zemstvo repeats in its address the tenth paragraph of the resolution, which mentions the proper participation of people's representatives in the exercise of legislative power, but does not say a word about political equality or the forms of popular representation.

The Chernigov zemstvo most loyally requests His Majesty to hear the sincere and truthful word of the Russian land, for which purpose he should summon the freely elected representatives of the zemstvo and command them [!] to independently and autonomously draw up a draft of reforms and permit them [!] to submit this draft directly to His Majesty. Here representatives of the zemstvo are clearly and openly named as representatives of the Russian land. The Chernigov zemstvo asks that these representatives be given only an advisory vote, only the right to outline and submit a draft of reforms. In addition, the Chernigov zemstvo most loyally requests that the representatives of the Russian land be commanded to be independent and autonomous!

The Bessarabian zemstvo requests the Minister of Internal Affairs to convene the representatives of provincial zemstvos and the most important cities of the Empire for joint discussion of the proposed reforms.

The provincial zemstvo of Kazan deeply believes that in the search for ways to implement the will of the autocratic power, the representatives of the zemstvo freely elected for that purpose will not be deprived of their votes.

The Penza zemstvo expresses its loyal and unbounded gratitude for the reforms outlined in the Tsar's decree and, for its part, promises zealous service in the vast sphere of local improvements.

The Petersburg zemstvo, on the initiative of Mr Arsenyev, who signed, among others, the resolutions of the zemstvo council, proposes to initiate a petition requesting that the representatives of zemstvo and municipal institutions be allowed to participate in the discussion of government measures and bills.

The Kostroma zemstvo requests that projects concerning zemstvo life should be discussed by the zemtsy beforehand.

Other zemstvos confined themselves to loyal gratitude for the Tsar's decree[20] or a request to Prince Svyatopolk to preserve the precious vow of trust in his soul.

For now, that is the end of the opposition campaign of the zemstvos.

The democracy

We have touched upon the behaviour of the reaction and dwelt more closely on the behaviour of the bourgeois-noble opposition. Now we must ask: where was the democracy?

We do not mean the masses of the people, the peasantry and the urban petty bourgeoisie, who  especially the former  represent a huge reservoir of potential revolutionary energy, but who still play too little a conscious part in the political life of the country. We have in mind those broad circles of the intelligentsia who see their calling in the formulation and representation of the political demands of the country. We have in mind the representatives of the liberal professions, the doctors, lawyers, professors, journalists, of the the third element[21] of the zemstvos and dumas, namely, the statisticians, physicians, agronomists, teachers, and so on and so forth.

What was this democratic intelligentsia doing?

Apart from the revolutionary students  who honestly protested against the war and, contrary to the shameful advice of Mr Struve, shouted not, Long live the army! but, Long live the revolution!  the rest of this democracy was weary with the knowledge of its own impotence.

These democrats saw two choices before them: either to get closer to the zemstvos, in whose political strength they believed  but at the cost of the complete rejection of any democratic demands; or to come closer to a democratic programme  at the cost of breaking with the most influential of the zemstvo opposition. Either democratism without influence, or influence without democratism. Because of their political limitations, they did not see the third way: to unite with the revolutionary masses. This option offers strength and, at the same time, it not only allows, but requires the development of a democratic programme.

The elements for a spontaneous explosion were accumulating at the bottom of society / Image: public domain

The war caught the democracy in a state of total impotence. It did not dare oppose the patriotic bacchanalia. From the lips of Mr Struve it shouted: Long live the army! and expressed the conviction that the army will fulfil its duty. It gave its blessing to the zemstvos supporting the autocratic adventure. It reduced its opposition to the cry: Down with von Plehve! It kept hidden its democratism, its political dignity, honour and conscience. It tailed the liberals, who, in turn, followed the reaction.

The war continued. The autocracy suffered blow after blow. A black cloud of terror hung over the country. The elements for a spontaneous explosion were accumulating at the bottom of society. The zemstvos did not take a single step forward. Then, the democrats appeared to become more self-aware. In Osvobozhdeniye, there appeared insistent speeches about the need for independent organisation on the basis of a democratic platform. Occasional voices against the war could be heard. This natural process was interrupted by the assassination of Plehve and the change in the government's course, which caused an unusually rapid rise in the zemstvo oppositions political activity. Happiness began to seem so possible, so near

The zemtsy put forward the programme discussed above  and the democrats began praising them unanimously and with great enthusiasm.

In the zemstvo resolutions, they found an expression of their own democratic demands and readily proclaimed the zemstvos decisions to be their own.

Osvobozhdeniye stated that although the zemstvo congress consisted exclusively of landowners  primarily from the privileged gentry  its resolutions do not bear any imprint of class or estate[22] and on the contrary, are imbued with a purely democratic spirit.

The whole left wing of our liberal press just as solemnly proclaimed the democratic spirit of the zemstvos.

Based on the November resolutions, Nasha Zhizn declared the full convergence of the zemstvo-liberal and democratic tendencies.

This old and terrible ulcer on Russian life, says this newspaper, the spiritual and cultural divergence of the people and the intelligentsia can only be cauterised by the heroic means of democratic state-building. The zemtsy understood this, leading them to commit firmly to a common platform with the democratic intelligentsia. This is an event of historical significance. It marks the beginning of a social-political collaboration that could have enormous significance for the destiny of our country.

Syn Otechestva, which first appeared during the time of the Minister of trust[23] but was soon slaughtered by none other than said minister, began its short life by proclaiming that the notable characteristic of the historic moment we are living through is the radicalism of the political tendencies that exist in our country. This paper accepted the programme of the zemstvo congress in full. It recommended that representatives of the cities take the same true and glorious path that the zemstvo people have already taken with such success before them, and repeat word for word, point by point, everything that has been and is being said so clearly, eloquently, coherently and with such dignity and strength by the representatives of zemstvo Russia.

In a word, the democracy calls upon each and all to rally around the zemstvo banner. It does not see any tears or stains on this banner. And so we ask: can the people trust such a democracy?

Are we to give them a vote of confidence, view their omissions as accidents, interpret their evasions in a democratic spirit, and shout that today there are no more of those disputes or disagreements that still existed yesterday  are we to do all this for the sole reason that, in a moment of excitement, under pressure from below and with somewhat of permission from above, the zemtsy scribbled their vague constitutional programme onto a piece of paper?

Kind sirs! These are tactics of those who betray the democratic cause.

After 7 November 1904 there will be many more decisive moments in the struggle for liberation  and the task of the zemstvo opposition will not always be limited to merely outlining constitutional resolutions under the unofficial protection of Svyatopolk-Mirsky.

Can we have any confidence that the zemstvos will rise to the occasion? If our history teaches us anything, if we do not believe in miraculous transformations, the answer must be: definitely not! Trust in the democratism and oppositional steadfastness of the zemstvos is not our policy. What we must do at once is rapidly assemble the forces that we could lead into the arena against the all-Russia zemstvo at that decisive moment when it starts trading its lighthearted opposition for the real gold of political privileges.

But no, instead of rallying forces around implacable democratic slogans, we are supposed to sow confidence in the democratism of the liberal leadership, to swear left and right that the zemtsy are committed to the fight for universal suffrage, to insist that yesterday there were still some disagreements, but today there are none!

None?

Does it mean that the zemtsy led by Mr Shipov, or those led by Mr Iv. Petrunkevich, have recognised that it is only the people that can radically liquidate the autocratic economy and build the foundations for a democratic system on Russian soil? That the zemtsy have given up on the hope of the monarchy making compromises? That the zemtsy have stopped their shameful cooperation with absolutism in the sphere of military adventures? Or that the zemtsy have agreed that the only path to freedom is the revolutionary path?

Not only is it not possible for the conscious elements among the people to have political trust in the anti-revolutionary, estate-based opposition, they will not succumb, not even for a minute, to illusions concerning the democratism of that unstable and confused democracy that only knows one slogan: that of merging with the anti-revolutionary and anti-democratic zemstvo opposition.

A classic example of democratic confusion, inconsistency and hesitation is the resolution worked out by a meeting of the Kiev intelligentsia for the consideration of the zemstvo congress.

The meeting dwelt on this question: what must the congress of representatives of the zemstvo say regarding the necessary reforms? The meeting concluded that this congress, made up of people who have come together on their own initiative, has no right to regard itself as the spokesperson for the wishes of the people. Therefore, the congress is obliged first and foremost to announce to the government that it does not consider itself competent to submit a finished reform project, but instead recommends convening an assembly of the peoples representatives, elected by universal (equal?), direct and secret balloting. It is this kind of Constituent Assembly that will, after discussing the present situation, have to propose (?) a reform project.

Isnt this energetic, decisive and clear? But let us proceed.

If the government refuses to convene such an assembly, then the congress must present a certain minimum of political demands accepted by everyone Some thought that this minimum should consist of demands for: personal freedom, freedom of conscience, of speech and the press; freedom of assembly, public associations, and the right to convene a legislative assembly consisting of elected representatives of the zemstvos and the cities Another layer of congress attendees found this kind of legislative assembly not compliant with the principle of universal suffrage and expressed concerns that a constitution built on such foundations would indefinitely delay the possibility of introducing universal suffrage. This group of attendees found it more appropriate for the congress of representatives to limit itself to the demands for personal freedom, freedom of conscience, speech and the press, alongside freedom of assembly and public association Then, the congress as a whole agreed that it is necessary to restore the zemstvo Statute of 1864.[24]

Such is the voice of the democracy.

A nation-wide Constituent Assembly must be demanded. If the government does not agree, however, a council of aristocrats and merchants will be enough. We can ask for universal suffrage, but we will settle for suffrage with rank and property qualifications. The Kiev intelligentsias resolution essentially says that if the autocracy wants to get rid of the demand for a nation-wide Constituent Assembly, it is enough for it to respond to us by saying: I do not agree to this demand  and we, in turn, will easily settle (only temporarily, of course!) for representation of the zemstvos and dumas!

The Kiev congress printed its resolution. It did not keep it a secret from Prince Svyatopolsk-Mirsky. Does the Kiev intelligentsia not think that by doing so, it is giving the government very authoritative guidance on how democratic demands can be shelved without fuss or complication: it can just refuse to accept them. Can there be any doubt that the government will immediately act on this advice? In order not to set out on the easy path that is being recommended to it, the autocracy would itself have to value universal suffrage. In other words: it would have to be more democratic than the authors of the resolution. This is, of course, impossible.

In that case, what does the entire first part of the declaration, which so clearly and categorically denies to the zemstvos any right to speak in the name of the people, and which so decisively advances the demand for universal suffrage, constitute? Nothing but empty democratic phrase-mongering, with the aid of which the Kiev intelligentsia reconcile themselves to their actual abandonment of democratic demands. But, having betrayed from the very outset the political rights of the masses, the Kiev democracy gets absolutely nothing in return: it still does not have an answer to the question  what happens if the autocracy, seduced by an easy victory over democratic demands, later refuses to accept the minimum of constitutional demands that the authors of the resolution do not want to give up on?

This resolution, which was adopted in Kiev, the centre of the left-wing Osvobozhdentsy, is by no means an exception. Resolutions passed by other democratic banquets differ from the Kiev one only in that they do not ask the question: what is to be done if the autocracy does not approve the democratic programme?  just as the zemstvo liberals have nowhere yet answered the question: what is to be done if the autocracy does not accept their programme of suffrage with property qualifications?

Democracy and revolution

The only true democracy under conditions of absolutism is revolutionary democracy. A party that, on principle, advocates for peaceful means  the activity of which is aimed at compromise and not revolution  in Russias political conditions, such a party cannot be a democratic party. This is indisputably clear. Absolutism may enter into certain agreements, make one concession or another, but the goal of these concessions will always be self-preservation and not self-destruction. This predetermines the political weight of said concessions and the democratic value of reforms.

The government may summon representatives of the people, or at least their more compliant elements, in the calculation that they can be transformed into a new pillar of support for the Tsarist throne. Democracy, if it is true to its name, demands unlimited popular rule. It counterposes the sovereign will of the people to the sovereign will of the monarch. It counterposes the collective we of the people to the individual I of divine right.

But, in counterposing the will of the people to that of the monarch, a democracy that believes in its own programme must understand that its real task lies in opposing the power of the people to the monarchs power. And such an opposition means revolution. Faced with absolutism struggling for its existence, democracy that believes in its own programme can only be a revolutionary democracy. Anyone who clearly understands this simple and indisputable idea will have no trouble tearing off the false epaulettes of democratism that many thoroughly corrupt liberal opportunists adorn themselves with, and in ever-greater numbers.

Any deal between absolutism and the opposition can only be reached at the expense of democracy. For absolutism, no other kind of deal would make sense. Faced with a democracy that is decisive and true to itself, absolutism has no alternative but to struggle against it to the end. But if that is the case, then democracy has no other path open to it either.

This means that a democracy that turns its back on revolution, or fosters illusions in a peaceful reformation of Russia, is in reality weakening itself, undermining its own future. Such democracy is a self-contradiction. Anti-revolutionary democracy is not a democracy.

Osvobozhdeniye, which today parades under the banner of democratism, assures us that thanks to the decisiveness and bravery of the zemtsy, the path of peaceful constitutional reform is still open for the government. Stepping onto this path decisively and firmly would be an act of simple governmental wisdom.

The editor and publisher of the newspaper Syn Otechestva[25] exclaims with pathos:

As a son of my century, I do not share the superstitions of centuries past and deeply believe that the new temple to the god of freedom, truth and law will be founded here without any atoning sacrifices I deeply believe that if not today, then tomorrow we will hear the peaceful sound of a hammer hitting the first stone, and hundreds of industrious stonemasons, summoned to Petrograd, will gather here for the building of new temples.

This is the reasoning of the many naive sons of the fatherland who sincerely believe themselves to be democrats. Revolution, to them, is the superstition of past centuries. Wearing white aprons, in a reverent mood, they begin the construction of the temple to the so-called god of freedom, truth, and law. They believe. They believe in the possibility of doing without atoning sacrifices, of keeping their white aprons unstained. They believe in the possibility of a peaceful transition to fruitful work, because the realisation of the inevitability of fundamental changes must, at last, penetrate even the highest spheres.

They believe, these spineless Petrograd democrats, and they passionately proclaim their faith until a representative of the highest spheres, enlightened by their propaganda, puts an end to their idealistic buzzing. But even after that they piously preserve their sole political heritage  the belief in the enlightenment of the authorities The path of peaceful constitutional reform, promises Osvobozhdeniye, is still open for the government. Stepping onto this path decisively and firmly would be an act of simple governmental wisdom.

Mr Struve is trying to prove to absolutism that constitutional reform will be to its own political advantage / Image: public domain

Mr Struve is trying to prove to absolutism that constitutional reform will be to its own political advantage. What conclusion can be drawn from these words? There are two options:

Maybe the peaceful constitutional reform that Mr Struve speaks of will force absolutism to forgo only part of its prerogatives and to strengthen its position by converting the liberal tops into supporters of a semi-constitutional throne. The only peaceful reform that would be politically beneficial to the government is one that covers up naked absolutism, which is suffering from its own nakedness, with decorations of legal order; that would convert it into a Scheinkonstitutionalismus, a ghostly constitutionalism, which would be even more dangerous to democratic progress than absolutism itself. Such a deal  the ground for which is being prepared by the spineless behaviour of the zemstvos  would certainly be in the interests of absolutism. Peaceful reform of this sort, however, could only be achieved by betraying the political interests of the people, and, therefore, the goal of democracy. Is this the outcome that the democrat Struve is looking for? Or is it not?

But in that case, when speaking of an act of simple governmental wisdom, Mr. Struve must simply be hoping to lure absolutism into a disadvantageous deal. He is attempting to talk down the enemy; to convince the autocracy that renewal and rebirth await it after a democratic baptism; to reassure the government that there is nothing more advantageous than committing suicide for the glory of democracy; to convince the wolf that granting the gift of Habeas Corpus to the pitifully mooing democratic calves would be simply an act of zoological wisdom. What profound politics! What a genius strategy!

Either betraying the democratic mission for the sake of a pseudo-constitutional deal, or using deceitful speeches to lure absolutism onto the path of democracy.

Futile, pitiful, laughable, puny plans! Servile policy!

But our quasi-democracy will not be able to offer anything more worthwhile so long as it keeps clinging to the ghost of peaceful constitutional reform, so long as it treats revolution as a superstition of past centuries

If it does not go further, future revolutionary development will throw it backwards; it will force it to abandon its democratic superstitions and, tailing the zemstvo liberals, to step onto the path of peaceful constitutional betrayal of elementary popular interests.

Moskovskiye Vedomosti poses the question sharply and clearly when they write that among the Russian population there is no political party strong enough to force the government into political reforms that are a threat to its wholeness and power. This reactionary newspaper takes the question for what it is, i.e. a question of strength. That is exactly how the democratic press, too, should look at this question. Its time to stop seeing in absolutism a political conversation partner that can be enlightened, convinced, or, failing that, confused or deceived with words. Absolutism cannot be convinced, but it can be defeated. But for that, what one needs is not the force of logic, but the logic of force. Democracy must gather its forces, i.e. mobilise the revolutionary ranks. And this work can be done only by destroying the liberal superstitions about peaceful constitutional transformation and reassuring prospects of governmental enlightenment.

Every democrat must acknowledge, as an act of elementary state wisdom, that hoping for a democratic initiative from an absolutist regime  which has but a single interest: self-preservation  amounts to encouraging faith in the future of absolutism, creating an atmosphere of hesitant anticipation around it, thereby strengthening its position, and ultimately betraying the cause of freedom.

To say this clearly means, at the same time, to say something else: no agreements, no compromises, but only the solemn proclamation of the people's will, i.e. revolution.

Russian democracy can only be revolutionary, or it ceases to be democracy at all.

It can only be revolutionary, for in our society and state there are no such official organisations from which a future democratic Russia could trace its lineage. We have, on the one hand, a monarchy, supported by a colossal, far-reaching bureaucratic apparatus, and on the other, the so-called organs of public self-governance: the zemstvos and the dumas. Liberals envision and build the future Russia based on precisely these two historical institutions. Constitutional Russia, in their view, should emerge as the legal product of a legal agreement between legal counterparts: absolutism and the duma and zemstvo representatives. Their tactic is one of compromise. They want to carry over into a new, or rather, renewed Russia the two legal traditions of Russian history  the monarchy and the zemstvo.

Our democracy is deprived of the opportunity to rely on national traditions. Democratic Russia cannot be born simply by the permission of the autocracy. However, it cannot rely on the zemstvos either, as they themselves are built not on a democratic principle, but on the basis of class and property qualifications. Democracy, if it is true to its name, if it really is the party of popular sovereignty, cannot even for a single moment allow the zemstvos the right to speak in the name of Russia. The democracy should denounce any attempt by the zemstvos and dumas to enter into an agreement with absolutism in the name of the people as the usurpation of popular sovereignty and a political masquerade.

But if not absolutism or the zemstvo gentry, then who? The people! The people, however, do not have any legal forms for expressing their sovereign will. They can only create these forms by taking the revolutionary road. The appeal for a National Constituent Assembly is a break with the entire official tradition of Russian history. By summoning the sovereign people onto the historical stage, democracy cleaves into legal Russian history with the wedge of revolution.

We have no democratic traditions, we have to create them. Only revolution is capable of this. A party of democracy must be nothing other than a party of revolution. This idea must enter social consciousness and permeate our political atmosphere; the very word democracy must be imbued with the content of revolution, so that at a single touch it would severely burn the fingers of liberal opportunists who try to convince their friends and enemies that they have become democrats just by calling themselves that name.

Peaceful cooperation with the zemstvo or revolutionary cooperation with the masses? This is a question democracy must decide for itself  we will force it to decide, by posing this question to it not only in general terms, not only in literature, but in the most concrete form, in every vital political action.

Of course, democracy wants an alliance with the masses and strives towards it. But it is afraid of losing its influential allies and dreams of becoming the connecting link between the zemstvo and the masses.

A remarkably instructive article in Nasha Zhizn puts forward the idea that for a painless realisation of democratic reforms, it is necessary for the intelligentsia at once, without losing precious time, to come into close contact with the broad popular masses and enter into continuous communication with them. The article does not deny that a part of the intelligentsia strove for this earlier as well, but says that it did so by emphasising exclusively the class contradictions existing between the popular masses and those layers of society from which the majority of the Russian intelligentsia had emerged, and continues to emerge still Today, a different kind of work is needed. It is necessary to awaken the free citizen who is conscious of his rights and fearlessly defends them in the people, first of all in the peasant. This work demands that democratic intelligentsia must cooperate with the elected representatives of the zemstvo! In other words, the so-called democratic intelligentsia must awaken free citizens not only without emphasising exclusively the class contradictions within the opposition, but also in friendly cooperation with the zemstvo opposition. This means that the intelligentsia is not only deprived of the opportunity to boldly and decisively raise the questions of agrarian reform, but it also denies itself the right to address the constitutional problem in a revolutionary and democratic way. This internally contradictory task  to awaken the masses, while trudging behind the zemtsy  cannot create a worthy political role for the democrats. In their agitation, therefore, the democrats will inevitably tell lies  not the bold, unintentional lies of the Jacobin demagogues, whose revolutionary self-sacrifice merits a share of forgiveness  but those miserly liberal lies that fearfully glance around with shifty eyes, avoid sharp questions as if afraid to step on nails, and speak in lisping, slippery language, because every yes and every no burns the evasive tongue. Osvobozhdenies proclamation about war and the constitution, which we analysed in Iskra at the time, is an example of this. This proclamation was written for the masses, strives to speak a language the masses understand, and tries to appeal to the interests of the masses.

And what does Osvobozhdenie say to the people in its proclamation? They tell the people that no one needs the war, that the Tsar didn't want it, that the Tsar is peace-loving. They know this for a fact. They go on to say that the Tsar was misled by bad advisors who didn't inform their sovereign about the true needs of the people, because some dignitaries conduct state affairs not according to conscience, but to the profits they can pocket and honours they can receive, and other dignitaries are simply stupid. To help the cause, it's necessary to summon popular representatives. The Tsar will learn the truth from them, as it occasionally happened in the old days, when Russian Tsars lived in Moscow. Affairs will be managed jointly  by the sovereign, the ministers, and the assembly of popular representatives.

This is how the liberal democrats of Osvobozhdenie are building a free Russia. They take the Tsar and the whole monarchy along with him under their protection. They assign a prominent role to the Tsar in their constitution. They convene an assembly of popular representatives not to express the sovereign will of the people, but to assist the monarch. The Osvobozhdenie Party, not yet defeated in the struggle with the monarchy, not even having begun that struggle, kneels before the bearer of divine power in front of the entire Russian people.

Such is their liberalism!

Popular representatives must be situated around the throne, which is acknowledged to possess the inviolable right of historical tradition. But just what people will they represent? The people of the zemstvos and dumas  who, after all, also possess the inviolable right of historical tradition? Will the people without traditions be represented, the people without class, property, or educational privileges? The proclamation does not give an answer to this question. It remembers that the task of the Osvobozhdenie-ists is not only to awaken the citizen in the common man, but also to remain in good agreement with the privileged citizens from the zemstvos. While appealing to the people with constitutional propaganda, the Osvobozhdenie-ists do not mention universal suffrage with a single word.

Such is their democratism!

They do not dare say: down with the Crown!  because they do not have the courage to counterpose one principle with another, monarchy with a republic. Even before the struggle for a new Russia, they stretch out their hands for an agreement with the crowned representative of the old Russia. They base themselves on the example of the estate-based, consultative Zemskiye Sobory[26] of the past, instead of appealing for a triumphant proclamation of popular will in the future. In a word: they appeal to the anti-revolutionary tradition of Russian history, instead of creating a historical tradition of Russian revolution.

Such is their political courage!

And so, the Russian constitutional government is to consist of: the sovereign (unclear why he is needed), the ministers (unclear who they answer to) and the assembly of peoples representatives (unclear which people they represent).

Once state power is organised on these principles, then  and here begins the central point of the Osvobozhdenie-ist vademecum [programme]  then all issues will resolve themselves, all the troubles and misfortunes of the Russian people will be lifted as if by a hand. In those countries where the people succeeded in securing a constitution, they, according to the proclamation, everywhere established fair courts, equalised levies and eased taxes, eliminated bribery, opened schools for their children, and quickly became wealthy And if the Russian people,  so write the Osvobozhdenie-ists  demanded (how?) and achieved (how?) a constitution (what kind?) from the Tsar, then they too would be saved from destitution, ruin, and all oppression, just as other peoples were saved from it When Russia has a constitution, the people, through their representatives, will certainly abolish passports, establish good courts and administration, eliminate autocratic officials, such as the zemstvo chiefs, and in local affairs will be governed by their own freely elected people, will establish a multitude of schools so that everyone will be able to receive higher education, be freed from all constraint, corporal punishment (after receiving higher education?), and live in prosperity. In short, with a constitution, meaning the country being governed by the Tsar (how about without the Tsar?) together with an assembly of popular representatives, the people will be free and will achieve a genuine, good life.

So write the democrats who condemn exclusive emphasis on class contradictions!

Constitutional limits on the Tsars power will not only save you from the birch rod and the knout, but will also protect against poverty, deprivation, economic oppression, and provide the opportunity to quickly become wealthy  that is the idea they wish to instil in the people. Add a Zemsky Sobor to the Tsar, and questions of destitution, oppression, unemployment, prostitution, and ignorance will vanish. This is what the Osvobozhdenie-ists say.

But to speak this way is to openly and shamelessly mock the entire social reality, to call what is black  white and what is bitter  sweet. It means closing one's eyes  and the eyes of others  to all of the historical experience which bourgeois Europe has gone through over the last century; it means trampling over obvious facts, ignoring everything that an educated person can learn from any European newspaper; it means gambling on the ignorance of the Russian popular masses, on the Egyptian darkness of the police state, and on the low level of political morale in the ranks of ones own party. It means replacing an appeal to the people with corrupting the people, agitation with lies, political competition with dishonest manoeuvring. It means confidently moving in the direction of transforming the party which is ideologically supposed to be a representative of the people, into simply a clique that consciously exploits popular ignorance. We say this with all our energy, and our words must be heard not only by every revolutionary proletarian, but also every Russian democrat.

Educated people wrote this proclamation. They know that nothing they are telling the people is true. They know that even after the Tsar accepts the support of a Zemsky Sobor, Russias social order will remain bourgeois. They know perfectly well that a constitution does not save a small property owner from proletarianisation, does not provide work, or protect the worker from poverty and debasement. They know that higher education is not accessible to all, that it is the monopoly of the wealthy. They know all of this  they have read about it, seen it, have spoken and written about it themselves  they know and cannot help but know it. For example, you, Mr Struve, who approve of this simple in form and comprehensive in content appeal, please answer us directly in Osvobozhdenie: do you know all of this or not?[27] Yes, they know it all. However, on top of that they also know that the people, to whom they are appealing, do not know anything about this yet. And they tell people things that are not true, that they themselves do not believe in. They lie to the people. They deceive the people.

Did they really not think that Social Democracy would meet them right at the threshold? That it would see to it that they were brought face to face with the historical truth? Are they really unable to understand that it is the right, the duty of Social Democracy? And could they possibly believe that Social Democracy would enter into an agreement with them as comrades, in order to deceive the people together?!

Even if Social Democracy were only a party of honest, resolute, consistent, irreconcilable democratism, even then it could not but stand out in complete isolation and independence. Even then, it could not make its actions in any way dependent on the actions, or rather, the inaction, of that liberal opposition which dares not name what it strives for, and does not know the means by which to achieve that which it is afraid to name. Even then, it could not give any political credit to that democracy which fights for democratic demands only in its dreams, but in reality has played and continues to play the role of advocate, secretary, and errand-boy to estate-based liberalism.

At a time when the opposition that looks for compromise at any cost  an anti-oppositional opposition  acquires a devoted servant in the form of anti-revolutionary, and therefore also anti-democratic, democracy; at a time when the latter is allied with non-proletarian and anti-proletarian socialists, who, by this alliance, show the true value of both their socialism and their democratism  at such a time Social Democracy alone remains a party of honest, resolute, consistent, unwavering democratism. And this is precisely why it provokes such hatred, veiled with sanctimony, in all those democrats who, by the mere fact of its existence, find it more difficult to liquidate the last remnants of the idea of duty to the people.

Conscious Russian proletarians! Hatred veiled by sanctimony  that is the attitude of the united so-called democracy to your party. You must clearly understand this.

Conscious Russian proletarians! Hatred veiled by sanctimony  that is the attitude of the united so-called democracy to your party / Image: public domain

Both Osvobozhdeniye and Revolutsionnaya Rossiya condemn our irreconcilability and our struggle on two fronts. More and more often, the legal, liberal press throws the same reproaches at us. The democrats want us to calm down and reconcile. They, in turn, are magnanimously willing to reconcile with us, but only if we abandon our stubbornness and begin to sing in unison with them, while they themselves sing in tune with the estate-based opposition.

The publications Osvobozhdeniye and Revolutsionnaya Rossiya, having learned from certain experience, try to give this shameless demand a more modest form. But the legal press of the democratic bloc, taking advantage of the fact that it is not facing an immediate rebuff, presents its demand to Social Democracy with frank cynicism: step aside!

Besides the Okhraniteli [conservatives], there are unfortunately other tendencies, and progressive ones at that, which still (!) talk about all sorts of contradictions and still put exactly these contradictions first, rather than the common ground that can unite all classes and all estates at certain times, laments Nasha Zhizn. In general, however,  this democratic paper reassures itself  the estate and class differences have today disappeared in that powerful, living torrent which is sweeping over the Russian land and taking with it the Moscow merchant, the Tambov, Saratov and other zemtsy, the Petersburg official and the usual liberal intelligentsia.

Your party, conscious proletarians, is guilty of putting forward demands that differ from the demands of the Moscow merchant, the Tambov nobleman, and the Petersburg official! The democratic intelligentsia presents you with the demand: reconcile yourselves on that common ground which can unite all classes and all estates. This unifying common ground can only be the programme of the most backward part of the liberal opposition. As soon as you try to rise above their political level, it turns out that you, like the reactionary Okhraniteli, are putting forward what divides, not what unites. Conscious proletarians! Democracy demands of you that, in the name of unity, you renounce your revolutionary democratism. Democracy demands of you that, in the name of solidarity with the liberal opposition, you betray the cause of the democratic revolution. Because, if anything distinguishes you so sharply from all other classes and estates, it is precisely your indestructible devotion to the cause of the democratic revolution.

You will respond with words of merciless indignation, comrades, to these irreconcilable supporters of opportunistic appeasement, these democratic lackeys of liberal and semi-liberal merchants, nobles and officials.

You will say to them: we, the proletarians, do not demand that the liberals renounce their class interests, adopt our point of view and fight for our socialist programme  although we are ready to guarantee that, as soon as they do so, they will once and for all pull the rug out from under our policy of highlighting contradictions.

Nor do we accuse the so-called democrats of not joining the ranks of revolutionary socialism  but what we do demand of it is loyalty to their own programme. And they cannot bear this demand of ours and respond by accusing us of being unable to stand by silently and watch as they, hiding behind the zemstvo opposition, take aim at our party, the sole representative of honest, resolute, uncompromising democracy!

Are we introducing what divides, rather than what unites? Is it not the other way around? Are you not to blame for this?

We, the Social Democrats, entered the field of revolutionary struggle at a time of complete political lull. From the very beginning, we formulated our revolutionary democratic programme. We awakened the masses. We gathered strength. We took to the streets. We filled the cities with the noise of our struggle. We awakened the students, the democrats, the liberals And when these groups, awakened by us, began to develop their own slogans and tactics, they turned to us with a demand which, in its pure, undisguised form, sounds like this: Step aside. Remove from your revolutionary programme and revolutionary tactics that which distinguishes you from us. Renounce those demands that cannot be accepted by the Moscow merchant and the Tambov nobleman. In short, betray the slogans you put forward while we were still peacefully resting in the swamp of political indifference, the tactics that made you strong and allowed you to perform a miracle: awakening us from our shameful political slumber.

The zemstvo could not spring into action without, in turn, setting in motion the entire intelligentsia which fills its every pore, which surrounds it in a wide ring, which is, finally, bound to it by ties of blood and political interests. The zemstvo congress of 6-8 November gave rise to a whole series of political banquets of the democratic intelligentsia. Some were more radical, some less; some speeches were bold, others less so; in one case, they spoke of the active participation of the people in legislating; in another, they demanded restrictions on autocracy and even went so far as to demand a National Constituent Assembly. But there was not a single banquet at which a liberal zemstvo member or a Osvobozdenie-democrat stood up and said:

Gentlemen! In a few days, the zemstvo members will gather (or have gathered). They will demand a constitution. Then the zemstvo members and the dumas will demand  if they do  constitutions in the zemstvos and dumas. Then, at banquets, the zemstvo members and duma members will gather together with the intelligentsia  just as we have gathered today  and again pass a resolution on the necessity of a constitution. The government will respond to this with a more or less solemn manifesto, in which (the speaker would not need to be a prophet to foresee this) the immutability of autocracy will be proclaimed, the zemstvos will be asked to return to their usual activities, and political banquets will be mentioned only in connection with the relevant criminal articles. What then? How shall we respond to such a statement by the government? In other words: what is our further tactic, gracious sirs?

After these simple words, awkwardness would reign in the assembly, the democratic children would look uncertainly at their zemstvo fathers, the zemstvo fathers would frown discontentedly, and everyone would immediately feel that the speaker had committed a great blunder.

His tactlessness would have consisted in saying, at a liberal banquet, exactly how matters stand. But our speaker did not commit such a tactless act, for he did not exist. None of the zemtsy or the Osvobozdenie-democrats who served them asked aloud: what next?

Only the socialist proletarians dared to commit such a faux pas.

They appeared in Kharkov at a meeting of the Legal Society, whose chairman proposed sending a telegram of welcome and gratitude to the Minister of Spring Affairs.[28] One of them told the assembly that the only spring in which the proletariat believes, and the only one in which democracy can believe, will be brought about by revolution. They appeared at a meeting of the Yekaterinodar Duma, where a worker said:

The dying autocracy is thinking of throwing you a bone it hopes to deceive you, just as it has deceived you many times before! But it will feel that a new force has been born in Russia, one that from the very beginning of its existence has been an irreconcilable, mortal enemy of Tsarist despotism. This force is the organised proletariat And we, a handful of fighters from the great army of labour, call on you to join us. You and we are representatives of opposing social classes, but we can be united by our hatred of the same enemy  the autocratic regime. We can be allies in our political struggle. But to do so, you must abandon your former path of humility and boldly and openly join our demand: Down with autocracy! Long live the Constituent Assembly, elected by the entire people! Long live universal, direct, equal and secret suffrage!

The proletarians appeared at a banquet of the Odessa intelligentsia, where their speaker said:

If you, citizens, find enough courage to openly and unhesitatingly support our democratic demands, we, the proletarian Social Democrats, invite you to join us in the struggle against Tsarism. In this brutal struggle, we, the Social Democrats, will defend the great principles of freedom, equality and brotherhood to the last drop of our blood.

The proletarian speakers were not afraid to ask openly: what is to be done?  for they have a simple answer to this simple question: we must fight, we must defend the great principles of liberty, equality and fraternity to the last drop of blood!

And as if to show that this is not just a phrase in the mouths of the proletariat, the Baku strikers, these harbingers of the impending nationwide storm, left on the ground dozens of dead and wounded who shed their blood for the great principles of liberty, equality and fraternity!

And so, representatives from this class, which teaches its children to fight and die in this way, appeared at liberal banquets, where people speak so eloquently about heroic struggle and heroic death.

Did they have the right to be heard?

The liberal press spoke a lot about the gulf between the intelligentsia and the people. Liberal orators know no other oath than oaths in the name of the people.

And now, in the person of the proletariat, the people themselves are taking the stage before them. Not as the object for educational endeavours, but as an independent, self-responsible and demanding political figure.

And what happens?

Get out of here! shout the liberals, who had hoped that the high property qualification (the price of a liberal dinner is two to four roubles) would prevent the proletariat from crossing the gulf separating the intelligentsia from the people.

Professor Gredescul could not find words to adequately express his indignation when workers scattered leaflets at a meeting of the Kharkov Legal Society, and shouted to the entire hall: If those who did this are honest and decent people, let them leave voluntarily. He doubted whether they were honest and decent people!

This is a violation of the rules of hospitality! shouted the chairman of the Rostov liberal banquet, not allowing the workers  who were waiting for a decision on their fate in the cold to read their resolution. They are already on the street, after all, the liberal gentleman said anxiously, they can gather wherever they want! He knew that the Rostov workers knew perfectly well how to gather, and that they pay for their meeting places not with rubles, but with blood.

Get out of here! Out, out, out!  the Odessa liberals greeted the speech of the Odessa proletarian. Enough! Enough!  they interrupted him at every turn.

These are the solemn circumstances under which the intelligentsia and the people grew closer together.

What anger must have filled the heart of the revolutionary worker, how the hot blood must have rushed to his head, how convulsively his fists must have clenched when he stood as the herald of the revolution before this educated society, drunk on its own narcissism, in order to remind the liberals of their liberal duties, to confront the democrats with their democratic conscience. Then, in response to the first, still uncertain sounds of his voice  he is not accustomed, gentlemen, to the atmosphere of ceremonial dinners!  a cry rang out from the depths of these liberals guts: Down with him! Silence! Get him!  Citizens! In the name of the proletariat gathered at the walls of this building  Out, out, out! Be quiet! Get him!...

Osvobozhdeniye anticipates the appearance of workers at zemstvo assemblies and, criticising the workers for their behaviour in Kharkov and Yekaterinodar and demanding that they observe the order of the assembly and the rights of the chairman, the democratic organ, for its part, promises:

One can assume that the zemstvo people will not treat any statements presented to the zemstvo assemblies with hostility or even inattention, without violating the rights and order of the latter.

Hear this, proletarians, neither hostile nor even inattentive! You can assume that if you behave properly, the gentlemen of the zemstvo nobility will not treat your statements with hostility or even  hear this  even inattentiveness!

I fear, comrades, that you will respond to the gentlemen who represent you before the zemstvo nobles, that you do not need the charity of liberal attention, that you are not here to ask, but to demand and call for answers. And when the people's demands you present are met with hostility or inattention, you still have another duty: to denounce them before the people. And you will fulfil this duty over the head of the chairman and the entire assembly, with all its rights!

When German workers, who did not yet have their own independent party and supported the liberal bourgeoisie, in 1862 turned to the liberal leaders with demands  first, to introduce universal suffrage into the programme and, second, to change the procedure for paying membership fees in order to facilitate workers' access to the liberal German National Association (Nationalverein)  the latter responded to their demands with considerable attentiveness but also extreme hostility: they flatly rejected the first demand, and in response to the second, they explained that workers can consider themselves natural-born members of the liberal party  and therefore? And therefore they can remain outside its organisation.

The liberals believe that the natural right of workers is to fight on the barricades, to give their lives for the cause of freedom, but not to disturb the tranquillity of liberal organisations, meetings and banquets with their presence!

Fortunately for itself and for the cause of freedom, our proletariat does not have to knock on the windows of the liberal party as a supplicant. It has its own party. The fate of its demands does not depend on whether they find a place in the programme of the bourgeois opposition.

But this does not mean that the Russian proletariat is not interested in what the liberals say in the zemstvos and dumas, which are closed to the masses by class and property restrictions, and at liberal banquets, which are closed to the masses by four-ruble dinners.

The proletarians come and will continue coming to liberal meetings, not in order to petition the liberals or to ask for their intercession, but with the aim of counterposing their revolutionary programme of action to the liberal spinelessness that is covered up by verbiage; they will come with the aim of summoning to revolution those elements of democracy that for now still remain under the spell of liberalism And it is not supplicants that the esteemed liberals greet with cries of down with them!; it is not from beggars that they protect themselves with entrance tickets  no! Like insolvent debtors to the cause of freedom and democracy, they cowardly evade strict punishment, they fear the condemnation of the very people they love so much  from a great distance  whom they sympathise with so ardently when they die on the pavements of Baku.

The proletariat will keep appearing at meetings of society a
Turkiyes OYAK Group and Somalias Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday, 17 December, granting Turkish fishing interests access to Somalias territorial waters, widely regarded as among the worlds richest fishing grounds.

The deal is designed to unlock new employment opportunities for Somalis while strengthening the countrys integration into global trade networks through the sustainable exploitation of marine resources.

The agreement was formalised in Ankara by Somali Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy Ahmed Hassan Aden and OYAK General Manager Murat Yalcntas, in the presence of senior officials from both countries, including Turkiyes National Defence Minister Yasar Guler. It provides for the centralised, sustainable and regulated management of fishing activities across Somalias territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, with a strong emphasis on marine conservation, licensing, monitoring and compliance.

As part of the framework, the SOMTURK Company has been established to oversee all fishing licences within Somalias exclusive economic zone, with permits to be issued exclusively through the entity. Authorities say the arrangement will ensure transparency and accountability, deepen bilateral economic cooperation, and drive job creation through the development of fish processing and related value chains.
Nigeria has formally apologized to Burkina Faso following the emergency landing of a Nigerian military aircraft in Bobo Dioulasso last week, without prior permission. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar delivered, on 17 December, the apology during a meeting at the Presidential palace in Ouagadougou with President Captain Ibrahim Traore and Burkina Fasos Minister of Defense, conveying a message of solidarity and brotherhood from President Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

The discussions focused on the irregularities surrounding the aircrafts flight and landing. Tuggar described the incident as unfortunate and confirmed that the 11 crew members remain in Burkina Faso, where they are reportedly being well treated.

Details regarding the crews release or the return of the aircraft were not provided. The meeting underscores diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation amicably and maintain cordial relations between the two neighbouring West African countries.
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Current medical guidelines discourage the use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) among people who experience migraine with auraa type of migraine accompanied by temporary neurological symptomsdue to a heightened risk for stroke. Despite these concerns, a notable percentage of people diagnosed with migraine with aura are still receiving prescriptions for these oral contraceptives, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers.

Published in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, the study found that COC use among this population has declined over the last two decades, but not fully stopped. About 15% of reproductive-aged people who were diagnosed with migraine with aura still received prescriptions for these contraceptives.

Similarly, some clinical guidelines suggest that older women who experience migraine with aura exercise caution in taking hormone therapy to treat menopause, as older research has linked this form of therapy to varying risks for stroke, depending on certain risk factors, such as age.

Despite this potential risk, the study also found that hormone therapy for menopause is still commonly used among post-reproductive age women with a history of migraine with aura, with about half of this population receiving a prescription for this treatment at some point after they were diagnosed with these migraines.

Most of the studies about stroke risks associated with use of contraceptives in people with migraine with aura were published decades ago, and this new insight into the continued use of these medications among people who may be at elevated risk for health complications emphasizes the need for updated research that can inform guidelines and decision-making for people with migraine with aura.

"There is some historical data about stroke risk in people with migraine with aura using estrogen-containing contraceptives, but most of that research was on higher doses than are used today and didn't include a relevant point of comparison, such as non-estrogen contraceptives, for context," says study lead and corresponding author Liza Gibbs, doctoral candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at BUPSH.

"As a result, we don't have a great understanding about whether someone with migraine with aura specifically is more susceptible to the small known risks of combined oral contraceptives relative to the general population."

There is also a lack of data on stroke risks associated with hormone therapy, specifically among people with migraine with aura.

"These findings tell us that these medications are being taken by people with migraine with aura, despite treatment cautions or even contraindications, underscoring the need for high quality, modern-day evidence regarding their risk of stroke in people with this type of migraine," Gibbs says.

At least 39 million people worldwide experience migraines, and up to 1 in 3 people who have this headache disorder experience migraine with aura, which can include a range of temporary visual and sensory symptoms such as vision loss, light sensitivity, numbness, nausea, speech issues, dizziness, and more. The headache disorder itself is also linked to an increase in stroke, possibly due to a combination of cardiovascular, behavioral, and genetic components.

For the study, Gibbs and colleagues from BUSPH, BU's Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine (CAMED), and the Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program utilized electronic medical records from a United Kingdom-based clinical practice research database to examine the use of COCs and progestogen-only pills (which do not contain estrogen) among reproductive-age individuals, and hormone therapy among post-reproductive age individuals, before and after they were diagnosed with migraine with aura. They focused on nearly 143,000 reproductive-aged people and nearly 45,000 post-reproductive people who received these diagnoses between 2000 and 2024.

Many of the reproductive-aged people with migraine with aura who continued to receive prescriptions for COCs had also used COCs prior to their migraine diagnosis, and had received a diagnosis in earlier years of the data. But overall, the researchers observed a decline in COC prescriptions among reproductive-aged people with migraine with aura over the years, with a marked shift to progestogen-only pills after diagnosis.

"This post-diagnosis shift could be an indicator that people are being steered away from their preferred form of contraception based on the current guidelines, underscoring the need for an accurate understanding of the safety of these medications among people with this common condition," says study senior author Dr. Susan Jick, adjunct professor of epidemiology at BUSPH.

Even with this shift to progestogen-only pills, there was a small decline in overall use of all oral contraceptives in the most recent years of the study period, compared to earlier years. This decline could be due to multiple factors.

"Progestogen-only pills became available over the counter in the United Kingdom in 2021, so we may have captured fewer prescriptions for these contraceptives in medical records after this point," Gibbs says. "This decline could also reflect a real reduction in use of hormonal contraceptives or increased preference for non-oral options, but we didn't specifically look at trends in contraceptive type over time in this study."

The team also observed shifts in hormone therapy use for menopause throughout the study period, with the highest use occurring among 51% of post-reproductive participants in the early 2000s, before dipping to 41% between 2015-2019, and rising again to 45% by 2024. Transdermal formulations of hormone therapy, such as adhesive patches, were most common, especially among people who received more recent diagnoses of migraine with aura.

This study was coauthored by Dr. Matthew Fox, professor of epidemiology and global health at BUSPH, and Dr. Hugo Aparicio, associate professor of neurology at CAMED.

Publication details Liza R. Gibbs et al, Utilization of Oral Contraceptives and Hormone Therapy for Menopause Among Female Individuals With Migraine With Aura: A Descriptive Study, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (2025). DOI: 10.1002/pds.70266 Journal information: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
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Credit: Abdallah Chilungo

With 9.5% of its population estimated to be HIV-positive in 2019, Malawi has one of the highest rates of HIV prevalence in the world. While untreated HIV can lead to infection and death, antiretroviral therapy (ART)a combination of medications that suppresses the virus, restores immune function, and reverses the progression of AIDSis available to Malawian patients at no cost. But success depends on patients adhering to regular treatment, and tracing patients who have lapsed from care is expensive and time-consuming for clinics that are already understaffed.

To address the challenge, the nonprofit Baobab Health Trust and Malawi's Ministry of Health, began migrating clinics from paper-based patient records to electronic medical records (EMRs) in 2005.

In a recent study by Wharton School assistant professor Leandro "Leo" Pongeluppe and colleagues, researchers examined the impact of this change on patient outcomes in 106 HIV treatment clinics between 2007 and 2019. Their findings, published in the Review of Economics and Statistics, show that EMR introduction led to an estimated 28% reduction in deaths after five years, with the greatest reduction among children.

Pongeluppe and co-authors, Ragnar Frisch Center For Economic Research researcher Laura Derksen and University of Toronto professor Anita M. McGahan, estimate that, over time, EMR adoption prevented roughly 5,050 AIDS deaths.

"We are using management technology to help support the ones who are most vulnerable among the vulnerable," Pongeluppe says. "We can save lives, especially the lives of the most vulnerable, and in a way that is very cheap. This hopefully will be a way for us to incentivize further implementation."

The authors estimate that the cost of EMR implementation is about $448 per life saved in the first five years. Pongeluppe says that EMR usage is limited in other Sub-Saharan African countries, along with parts of Latin America, meaning there is great opportunity for nongovernmental organizations to expand this system across developing countries.

The EMR system allows staff to track scheduled ART visits, identify patients who are at least two months late for an ART appointment, and prompt for referrals to other services and screenings for tuberculosisone of the leading causes of sickness and death for people with HIV/AIDS. In clinics without EMR, staff must examine thousands of paper records to identify lapsed patients.

Their findings suggest that these improvements in health care outcomes are the result of gains in efficiency rather than changes in medical care, and the reduction in deaths is driven by an increase in lapsed patients returning for care.

"The broad efficiency gains delivered by the EMR system enable clinics to manage higher patient volumes and retain patients more effectively without exceeding capacity limits," they write. "We contribute to a broader literature on health care policy that goes beyond the provision of medicines by showing that managerial interventions such as EMR systems have important health impacts and can be implemented at scale in low-resource settings."

Looking ahead, Pongeluppe is planning to analyze the impact of using shipping containers transformed into clinics on main roads in Sub-Saharan Africa to deliver ART, an intervention designed to reach transient populationssuch as truck drivers and sex workerswho often don't continue visiting the same clinic.

Publication details Laura Derksen et al, The Lifesaving Impact of Electronic Medical Records for HIV Patients, Review of Economics and Statistics (2025). DOI: 10.1162/rest.a.1617 Journal information: Review of Economics and Statistics
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T stem cells normally undergo asymmetric cell division (left) whereby one daughter cell becomes a long-lived memory T cell. When autophagy is disrupted, both daughter cells inherit old mitochondria (red) and become effector T-cells (right). Credit: University of Oxford

When killer T cells of our immune system divide, they normally undergo asymmetric cell division (ACD): Each daughter cell inherits different cellular components, which drive the cells toward divergent fatesone cell becomes a short-lived fighter called an effector T cell, the other cell becomes a long-lived memory T cell.

Research by Professor Mariana Borsa at the University of Oxford and colleagues in the Cell Biology of Immunity lab of Professor Katja Simon at the Max Delbruck Center has shown for the first time that cellular autophagya "housekeeping" mechanism by which cells degrade and recycle cell cargoplays a critical role in this decision process.

"Our study provides the first causal evidence that autophagy plays a central role in ensuring that T cells go through ACD normally," says Borsa, first author of the paper who is now at the University of Basel.

"We found that when T stem cells divide, daughter cells inherit different mitochondria, which influences the T-cell's destiny," says Borsa. "By understanding this process, we can start to think about ways to intervene to preserve the function of immune memory cells as we age."

The findings, published in Nature Cell Biology, could help boost vaccine response in older adults.

Split personality

To study ACD in greater detail, the researchers used a novel "MitoSnap" mouse model in which they could tag mitochondria sequentially and discriminate between those in mother and daughter cells. T-cells contain many mitochondria. By tracking how old, damaged mitochondria were distributed between daughter cells, they found that in healthy cells, autophagy was crucial in ensuring that one daughter cell was clear of old mitochondria.

This inheritance profile sent the cell down the path toward becoming a long-lived memory precursor cellimmune cells that "remember" a pathogen and begin rapidly dividing when the pathogen is encountered again. Meanwhile, the other daughter cell that took on the older mitochondria became a short-lived effector T-cella type of immune cell that rapidly divides to fight off immediate threat. These cells die when the threat is cleared.

When autophagy was disrupted, however, this careful sorting broke down. Both daughter cells inherited damaged mitochondria and hence, were destined to become short-lived cells.

"It was surprising to see that autophagy plays a role beyond just cellular housekeeping," says Borsa. "Our findings suggest asymmetric inheritance of mitochondria as a potential therapeutic target for memory T cell rejuvenation."

Boosting vaccine response

By boosting autophagy before or during T stem cell division, it may be possible to enhance the generation of memory cellsthe backbone of long-term immunity and vaccine effectiveness.

What's more, the researchers analyzed daughter cells using single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics and found that effector cells burdened with damaged mitochondria depend heavily on a metabolic pathway called one-carbon metabolism.

Targeting this pathway could offer another way to subtly shift the immune balancenudging T stem-cells toward becoming memory instead of effector cells, Borsa says.

"In the long run, this research could inform strategies to rejuvenate the aging immune system, making vaccines more effective and strengthening protection against infections," adds Simon. The researchers are planning to further validate their findings in human T-cells.

Publication details Autophagy-regulated mitochondrial inheritance controls early CD8+ T cell fate commitment, Nature Cell Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41556-025-01835-2. Journal information: Nature Cell Biology
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A new Moffitt Cancer Center study suggests a widely used genomic test can more accurately identify which men with early prostate cancer are at high risk for their disease to come back quickly after treatment, particularly African American men who face the highest burden from this disease. The findings were published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in men worldwide and a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. African American men have about a 73% higher incidence of prostate cancer and a 23% higher mortality rate than white men, yet they have been underrepresented in genomic research that informs treatment guidelines.

Genomic risk tests, such as the Decipher classifier, can reveal hidden tumor biology beyond PSA level, Gleason score and imaging findings. Until now, however, there has been limited prospective evidence that these tests perform reliably in African American men with localized disease who are treated in real-world settings.

Inside the VANDAAM study

The VANDAAM study enrolled 243 men with early stage prostate cancer treated at Moffitt, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital or Bay Pines VA Healthcare System between 2016 and 2021, with equal numbers of African American and white participants who had similar clinical risk at diagnosis. All men had the Decipher genomic test on their biopsy tissue prior to treatment and, when available, on prostate tissue removed during surgery, and were then followed for about two years to watch for early signs that the cancer was coming back.

For the main analysis, researchers focused on 207 men who had complete test results and follow-up, including 104 African American men and 103 white men. Everyone received treatment with either surgery or definitive radiotherapy with or without short-term hormone therapy according to standard-of-care guidelines and had regular PSA blood tests for two years after treatment to check for a rise that could signal the cancer's return.

Key findings on early recurrence risk

When the team looked at all 207 men together, those with a high genomic-risk Decipher score were about five times more likely to have their PSA rise again within two years than those with a low-risk score, even after considering age, PSA, Gleason score and other clinical details. Among African American men, the signal was especially strong because a high genomic-risk score was linked to roughly 17 times higher odds of early recurrence, and every African American man who had a recurrence was in the high genomic-risk group.

By combining the genomic scores with routine clinical information for African American men, the researchers were able to accurately separate those whose cancer came back within two years from those who stayed recurrence free. The link between a high genomic-risk score and early recurrence looked similar in both African American and white men and in men treated with either surgery or definitive radiotherapy.

"One of the most important messages from this study is that genomic risk information adds useful detail on top of the tools clinicians already use," said Kosj Yamoah, MD, Ph.D., principal investigator of the study and chair of the Radiation Oncology Department at Moffitt. "For African American men with early prostate cancer, this test helped separate a small group with rapid recurrence from the large group who remained cancer free at two years."

Implications for treatment decisions and equity

The study also showed that in about three out of four men who had the Decipher test on both their biopsy and their prostate tissue removed during surgery, the risk category was the same, suggesting that testing the biopsy alone can often give reliable guidance before treatment decisions are made. In men whose tumors were labeled as having a higher genomic risk after surgery, cancers in the front part of the prostate were more likely to be upgraded, pointing to areas that routine biopsies may not fully capture.

A smaller group of African American tumors had a distinctive genomic pattern with more immune activity and lower levels of DNA repair signals, which may help explain why some African American patients do particularly well with radiotherapy in this and other studies.

"These data support using genomic testing earlier in care to better match African American patients with the treatment intensity and type that fit the biology of their tumor," Yamoah said. "It is one practical step toward narrowing long-standing differences in prostate cancer outcomes."

Next steps and need for larger cohorts

Because only 15 men had their cancer come back during the two-year follow-up, the researchers note that larger studies with more participants from different racial and ethnic backgrounds will help sharpen these risk estimates and track longer-term outcomes, such as the spread of cancer and survival. The investigators suggest that Decipher genomic testing can already be used as part of routine risk assessment to help doctors identify African American men with early localized prostate cancer who may need closer follow-up or more intensive treatment.

More information A Prospective Validation of the Decipher Genomic Classifier in Men With Early Localized Prostate Cancer: The VANDAAM Study, DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2025.7089
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Hybrid health options are an underdeveloped, key tool for improving access to primary care in Ontario's remote communities, with a new University of Ottawa study highlighting the positive impact of in-person mixed with virtual care options have in rural regions.

Published in BMC Health Services Research, this study of such services in rural Ontario has examined the experiences and challenges of clinicians and non-clinical staff within a hybrid primary care program in Renfrew County, Ontario.

The findings by Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon and his team, coupled with previous studies, support the scale and spread of a hybrid approach, which could alleviate challenges like staff recruitment and retention, and equitable care access for patients, including more comprehensive, team-based primary care.

"Hybrid care is an effective, complementary approach to recruiting providers in underserved areas and serves as an additional mechanism to help counter the inverse care law, where regions with the greatest health care needs often have the least access to services," explains Dr. Fitzsimon, from uOttawa's Department of Family Medicine. "Evidence suggests virtual care is well accepted by patients and providers, producing clinical outcomes comparable to those of traditional, in-person models."

Researchers spoke with staff working at the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centrethe largest county in Ontario. They also consulted Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) staff, including physicians, interprofessional health providers (IHPs), and non-clinical personnel, who predominantly found that IVC played a positive, impactful role for residents who are struggling to access primary care due to a lack of available physicians.

"In [large city], if [patients] can't see you, they can go to the walk-in clinic next door. But it's not the case in rural settings," one physician explained. "Having this rewarding job means that I can actually provide care for people who actually need care and can't access it properly."

While physicians found meaning by contributing to this underserved community, strong in-person support is also essential for success, particularly as increased administrative demands followed. Despite some onboarding challenges and added logistical complexity, the program served approximately 1,500 patients, individuals who otherwise would have lacked access to consistent primary care, a number that has expanded significantly since then.

"From a policy perspective, IVC is an innovative approach to address the challenge of recruiting physicians in more rural communities," write Dr. Fitzsimon and his co-authors, Shawna Cronin (uOttawa), Kush Patel (uOttawa) and Antoine St-Amant (Institut du Savoir Montfort).

The Ontario government also recently announced it is investing nearly $2 billion to connect people to a publicly-funded family doctor or primary care team within four years.

"These findings, and future evaluation findings may be relevant when considering alternative physician compensation and employment models. In addition, considering the health human resource supply of IHPs, particularly nurse practitioners, is an important consideration for future potential expansion," they add.

More information Shawna Cronin et al, Understanding the experience of clinicians and non-clinical staff in Integrated Virtual Care, a hybrid primary care program in rural Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study, BMC Health Services Research (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s12913-025-13501-2

Key medical concepts Primary Health CareTelemedicine

Clinical categories Family medicine
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A new study suggests that considering these factors jointly can capture a more accurate representation of disparities in residential greenspace exposure, driven by structural racism and decades of disinvestment in marginalized communities.

Exposure to trees, grass, and other greenspace provides numerous benefits for physical and mental health. Inequities in access to greenspace persist today as a result of structural racism, driven by historical policies such as redlining and segregation, as well as economic and environmental disinvestment in marginalized communities.

While previous research has explored differences in greenspace access by individual factors of race/ethnicity, income, and education, a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers sheds light on how these factors also intersect to drive disparities in greenspace exposure, and how these disparities vary by type of vegetation.

Published in the journal Environmental Epidemiology, the study found that intersecting levels of race/ethnicity, education, and neighborhood social economic status (NSES) accounted for more disparities in residential exposure to greenspace than each of these factors individually.

The researchers utilized a powerful multi-level analysis called the Multilevel Analysis of Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA) approach, along with street-view greenspace metrics, to quantify unequal distribution of residential greenspace by vegetation type for intersecting combinations of race/ethnicity, education, and NSES.

The study group included nearly 6,000 geographically and racially diverse participants enrolled in the longitudinal Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, beginning in 2000. Exposure focused on the percentage of trees and grass among total vegetation in the participants' neighborhoods.

Overall, white residents of all education and NSES levels had greater exposure to trees and grass compared to Black, Chinese American, or Hispanic residents, but these patterns became more nuanced when residents were grouped by intersecting levels of race/ethnicity, education, and NSES.

For example, among those with more education and higher NSES, Black, Chinese American, and Hispanic participants were exposed to a higher percentage of trees (versus other vegetation), while white participants were exposed to a lower percentage of trees. But this trend persisted only for white participants in higher-densityi.e. urbanareas, which have less greenspace overall than lower-density, or rural, areas.

"These findings highlight the importance of viewing greenspace exposure through intersecting factors and by type of vegetation," says study lead author Dr. Tara Jenson, a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Epidemiology at BUSPH.

"Differences in exposure to different types of vegetation can have important implications for health outcomes. Research has shown that higher exposure to trees and other non-grass greenspace is associated with better cardiovascular and behavioral outcomes, compared to no benefits for higher grass exposure."

In total, the team created 36 combinations of intersecting levels of race/ethnicity, education, and NSES (such as Hispanic participants with some college education living in a low socioeconomic area, or Black participants with a college degree living in a high socioeconomic area) and found that trees and grass exposures were higher overall for white participants than participants of other races/ethnicities.

"This study shows that race, education, and NSES are experienced jointly, and considering these factors together allows us to capture a more complex and realistic explanation of greenspace distribution," says study senior author Dr. Marcia Pescador Jimenez, associate professor of epidemiology at BUSPH.

A core aim of epidemiologic studies is to generate evidence that can guide targeted interventions, she says. "Distinguishing between types of greenspace and their relative impacts allows us to better direct intervention efforts."

It is also important to consider a "greening without gentrification" approach to prevent displacement of long-time residents and community resources, says Dr. Jenson.

"Interventions to improve residential greenspace in historically under-resourced areas where marginalized communities are concentrated can inadvertently lead to gentrification as more affluent populations move into the area in response to improved amenities and higher property values. This often results in the original residents, businesses and communities being displaced."

The team says that further research is needed to better understand greenspace distribution patterns in urban and higher density areas.

"Future work should investigate neighborhood socioeconomic level at a more narrow, granular level than the US Census tract level neighborhood area as an intersecting factor contributing to greenspace disparities. This is important, as each Census level neighborhood can encompass a diverse range of housing types and amenities driven by different patterns and sources of economic segregation, inequalities and gentrification," Dr. Jenson says.

"This research should also incorporate additional area measures of economic segregation and inequality, as well as more nuanced measures of individual and family income, wealth and financial insecurity beyond just individuals' income."

More information Tara E. Jenson et al, Street-view greenspace distribution across racial/ethnic, neighborhood income, and individual education subgroups, Environmental Epidemiology (2025). DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000441

Key medical concepts Behavioral SymptomsCardiovascular Diseases
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Children's Hospital Colorado Team Performing Region's First Pediatric Heart and Liver Dual Organ Transplant. Credit: Children's Hospital Colorado

Children's Hospital Colorado (Children's Colorado) successfully performed the hospital's first-ever heart and liver dual organ transplant, with support from dozens of team members across 25 different multidisciplinary care teams. Only 38 other pediatric heart and liver dual organ transplants have been completed in the United States.

"Performing Children's Colorado's first-ever heart and liver dual organ transplant is an amazing accomplishment for our Pediatric Transplant Program," said Dr. Megan Adams, surgical director of the Pediatric Liver Transplant and Kidney Transplant Programs.

"Thanks to years of dedication and a team committed to being the trusted leaders in pediatric transplant across our seven-state region, we're grateful to provide this level of care to even more kids who need complex organ transplants to treat life-threatening illnesses and help them live healthy and happy lives."

Children's Colorado care teams have been preparing for years to perform a dual heart and liver transplant in anticipation of future patient needs. Thanks to strong collaboration across specialtiesincluding surgery, cardiology, hepatology and morein addition to unwavering support from hospital leadership, the team was ready when 11-year-old Gracie Greenlaw and her family needed them most.

Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Gracie's heart had only one chamber pumping blood into her body. Gracie would need three surgeries before the age of threethe Norwood, the Glenn and the Fontanwhich made it possible for her heart to function. While most children with HLHS live into adulthood, there are long-term effects of this heart defect, including liver dysfunction and even liver failure because of the way the heart defect and treatments affect other organs.

In 2016, Children's Colorado founded the Fontan Multidisciplinary Clinic as part of the Single Ventricle Program to address this chronic outcome for HLHS patients and to provide holistic care to patients with multiple single ventricle diagnoses, like tricuspid atresia, unbalanced common atrioventricular canal and more. With support from the multidisciplinary team of experts, including Dr. Kathleen Simpson, cardiologist, and Dr. Dania Brigham, hepatologist, Gracie received integrated care for her heart and liver up until her team determined it was time for the transplant.

"The Fontan is a lifesaving surgery, but the longer someone lives after the procedure, there is an increased chance of developing comorbidities," Simpson said. "Our care team worked to keep her healthy and living a typical day-to-day life as long as possible before we determined a dual organ transplant would give her the best long-term quality of life."

Gracie had been living with plastic bronchitisa condition that causes thick, protein-like deposits in her airwaysfor years. In the last year, the condition worsened, and her liver also started to fail. Her care team determined it was time to move forward, and she was officially put on the waitlist for a dual organ transplant in April. A multidisciplinary team with dozens of experts met regularly to prepare for every possible scenario in the operating room. They developed a plan of action that took into consideration the complexity of transplanting two organs with unique surgical considerations, like different blood volume requirements and electrolyte needs.

Within one month of being on the waitlist, a heart and liver became available for Gracie, thanks to another family giving the gift of life through organ donation. Because the heart has a limited amount of time it can remain viable, Dr. Matthew Stone, surgical director of the Pediatric Heart Transplant Program, and Dr. Emily Downs, congenital heart surgeon, performed the heart transplant first, which took nine hours alone.

During this time, the donor liver was kept on a TransMedics Organ Care Systema specialized pump that mimics the body's normal liver functionwhich kept the liver viable for longer and gave the heart surgeons ample time to complete the heart transplant. Adams and Dr. Kendra Conzen, transplant surgeon, took over to perform the liver transplant, which took an additional seven hours. Coordinating closely with the anesthesiology team was critical to ensure Gracie's health and safety during the procedure.

The surgery was a success. Gracie was discharged from the cardiac progress care unit just over one month after her surgery. Now seven months post-transplant, Gracie continues monthly appointments with her care team, but more importantly, she's back in school and back home with her dogs. Like all pediatric heart transplant patients, she will need an additional heart transplant in the future, but her new liver will last her a lifetime.

"This procedure showcases the expertise, talent and level of care Children's Colorado provides to our patients, including those with complex medical needs," said Dr. Duncan Wilcox, Surgeon in Chief. "As the top-ranked pediatric hospital in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, we are proud of our leading-edge transplant care and look forward to supporting more patients who need dual organ transplants in the future."
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Is it possible to spot personality dysfunction from someone's everyday word use? My colleagues and I have conducted research that suggests you can, and often sooner than you might expect.

Whether in a quick text message, a long email, a casual chat with a friend, or a comment online, the words people choose quietly reveal deeper patterns in how they think, feel, and relate to others.

Everyone has personality traitshabitual ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. When these patterns become rigid, intense or disruptive, they can cause ongoing problems with emotions, sense of self and relationships.

At the more severe end are personality disorders, where these patterns create significant distress and impairment. Common personality disorders include narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline personality disorder.

But not everybody has a full-blown disorder. Personality functioning actually exists on a spectrum. We're all a little narcissistic, after all.

Many people you meetat work, when dating, or onlinemay show milder difficulties, such as mood fluctuations, negativity, rigid thinking or darker traits like manipulation and callousness. These patterns often slip into how people speak or write long before they show up in more explicit behavior.

There are some extreme examples. Linguists analyzing the personal letters of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterwegerwidely viewed as a classic case of malignant narcissismfound unusually high levels of self-focused language, such as "I" and "me." He also had a notably flat emotional tone. Likewise, letters from Dennis Rader, the BTK killer (bind, torture, kill) displayed strikingly grandiose, detached and dominance-focused wording.

Psychologists have long known that certain linguistic habits reveal how people are functioning internally. For example, people experiencing distress consistently use more self-focused language and more negative emotion words. That's because they internalize a lot and experience negative affect.

Those with darker personality traits often use more hostile, negative and disconnected language, including more swear words and anger words, such as "hate" or "mad." At the same time, they use fewer socially connected terms like "we."

Vitally, these patterns aren't usually deliberate. They emerge naturally because language tracks attention, emotion and thought. With computational text analysis, researchers can now analyze these subtle cues at scale, and rapidly.

Our research findings

Across four studies using computational text analysisthree of which formed my Ph.D. researchmy colleagues and I found clear evidence that personality dysfunction leaves a detectable trace in everyday communication.

In one study of 530 people, published in the Journal of Personality Disorders, we analyzed written essays about peoples' close relationships. We also collected data on their levels of personality dysfunction. Those with greater personality dysfunction used language that carried a sense of urgency and self-focus"I need", "I have to", "I am".

This was expressed alongside ruminative, past-tense wording. They also had more negative, particularly angry, emotion terms, such as "furious" and "annoyed." At the same time, they used noticeably less intimate or affiliative language such as "we," "love" and "family."

In a second project, published in Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, we again analyzed written essays (530 people), as well as transcribed conversations from 64 romantic couples which included women with diagnosed personality disorders.

Across both written and spoken communication, those with more dysfunctional or disordered personalities used more negative emotion wordsand a wider variety of them. Even during mundane conversations, their language carried heavier negative affect, indicating a preoccupation with negative feelings.

Turning to online communication, in a study recently published in npj Mental Health Research, we analyzed nearly 67,000 Reddit posts from 992 people who self-identified as having a personality disorder. Those who frequently engaged in self-harm used language that was markedly more negative and constricted.

Their posts contained more self-focused language and more negationssuch as "can't." They also used more sadness and anger terms, and more swearing, while referencing other people less. Their wording was also more absolutist, reflecting all-or-nothing thinking, favoring words like "always," "never," or "completely."

Together, these features created a linguistic picture of emotional overwhelm, negativity, withdrawal and rigid thinking.

Finally, in an ongoing project analyzing more than 830,000 posts from the same 992 individuals with personality disorder, plus 1.3 million posts from a general-population comparison group of 945 people, we examined how people express their self-beliefs ("I am ", "I feel ", "My "). Using an advanced self-belief classification tool, we found that people with personality disorders shared self-beliefs on online discussion forums far more often, and their wording differed profoundly.

Their self-beliefs were more negative, extreme, and disorder-focused, including phrases like "my mental health," "symptoms," "diagnosis" and "medication." They also used more emotional descriptors such as "depressive," "suicidal" and "panic." Many self-belief statements centered on pain and trauma"abusive," "abandonment," "hurt," "suffer."

They also frequently referenced childhood or significant relationships ("mother," "partner," "relationship"). These patterns arose across a wide range of discussion contexts, suggesting that deeper struggles with identity may surface in language universally.

Why this matters

Understanding these linguistic patterns isn't about diagnosing people from their texts. It is about noticing shifts in language that can provide gentle clues. If someone's messages suddenly become unusually urgent or extreme, emotionally negative, absolutist, inward-focused and socially detached, it may be a sign they're struggling.

And in everyday situationsdating, befriending, online interactionsrecognizing patterns of hostility, extreme negativity, and emotional and cognitive rigidity can help people spot early red flags. This is particularly for dark personality styles, such as psychopathy or narcissism. For instance, noticeably high use of self-references ("I," "me"), anger words ("hate," "angry"), and swear words, combined with a lack of terminology indicative of social connection ("we," "us," "our"), may be important language patterns to look out for.

But no single word or phrase reveals someone's personality. People vent, joke, and use sarcasm. What really matters is the pattern over time; the emotional tone, themes and recurring linguistic habits. Subtle linguistic traces can offer a window into someone's emotional world, identity, thinking patterns and relationships long before they speak openly about their difficulties.

Noticing these patterns can help us learn about and understand others, support those who may be struggling, and navigate our social lives safelyonline and offlinewith greater awareness.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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For many newborn infants, access to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can mean the difference between life and death. The specialized staff and equipment available at NICUs are essential for infants with complex medical needs, but a new study from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health shows that many people in rural America live far from hospitals equipped with these potentially life-saving facilities.

To conduct the study, researchers analyzed data from a 2021 survey of 89 rural hospitals with childbirth services in the U.S. The survey asked hospital administrators and maternity unit managers to report the distance to their nearest NICU. The researchers also analyzed additional hospital- and county-level data to assess how the conditions of a local community and the amount of resources in the community related to NICU proximity.

The study, published in the Journal of Perinatology, found:

Most rural hospitals are far from NICU care. More than half of surveyed hospitals were located over 60 miles from the nearest NICU, and a third of rural hospitals were between 30 and 60 miles away. Only five of the surveyed rural hospitals had a NICU onsite.

More than half of surveyed hospitals were located over 60 miles from the nearest NICU, and a third of rural hospitals were between 30 and 60 miles away. Only five of the surveyed rural hospitals had a NICU onsite. Hospitals farther from NICUs tended to have fewer resources. Facilities more distant from NICUs had smaller birth volumes, fewer beds and higher proportions of Medicaid-paid births, indicating more limited hospital resources and capacity.

Facilities more distant from NICUs had smaller birth volumes, fewer beds and higher proportions of Medicaid-paid births, indicating more limited hospital resources and capacity. Communities without nearby NICUs faced greater socioeconomic disadvantages. Hospitals lacking close NICU access were more often located in counties with higher poverty rates, lower median household incomes and higher unemployment levels.

Distance to the nearest neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) among rural hospitals with childbirth services in 2021 (n = 89). Credit: Journal of Perinatology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41372-025-02518-4

"As rural communities face rising infant mortality and declining access to obstetric services, understanding how far families must travel for advanced newborn care has never been more important," said Emily Sheffield, lead author and a researcher at the School of Public Health's Rural Health Research Center. "Infants born in communities with fewer resources not only face greater risks, but are often the farthest from the life-saving neonatal care they may urgently need."

Future research should examine how distance to NICU care affects infant outcomes and explore effective models for supporting rural hospitals and emergency transport systems in regions located far from NICUs.

Publication details Emily C. Sheffield et al, Local availability of neonatal intensive care at rural hospitals with childbirth services, Journal of Perinatology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41372-025-02518-4 Journal information: Journal of Perinatology
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On Dec. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to end the universal U.S. recommendation for the newborn dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, instead adopting a policy urging individual-based decision-making.

Under the new approach, only infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B will automatically receive a dose of the vaccine and hepatitis B antibodies shortly after birth. For everyone else, if the parents choose to vaccinate, the birth dose can be delayed until 2 months of age.

All the committee members were appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist. In an 8-to-3 vote, the panel decided that since most pregnant women now receive hepatitis B testing, administering the vaccine at birth should be reserved for infants whose mothers test positive.

They framed the shift as a way to reduce interventions deemed unnecessary, align vaccination with test results, and give parents more control over timing. Supporters of the decision described it as a move toward parental choice rather than a reflection of changing epidemiology.

But to many clinicians and epidemiologists, the change represents a dangerous rollback that could reverse three decades of progress toward eliminating a disease that still infects as many as 2.4 million Americans and kills tens of thousands each year. They see echoes of the 1980s, when risk-based vaccination left entire generations unprotected, and worry the country is about to repeat that mistake.

Moreover, the panel's move on hepatitis Bin the face of overwhelming data that shows the birth dose is effective and safeportends further upheaval for the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, a cornerstone of public health.

"They're not just trying to change one vaccine," said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist and an editor of the scientific journal Vaccine. "They're trying to dismantle how vaccine policy is made."

Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard responded: "ACIP reviews all evidence presented and issues recommendations based on evidence and sound judgment to best protect America's children."

The authors of a new independent review by the Vaccine Integrity Project, which evaluated more than 400 studies and reports, warned in a public comment that delaying the birth dose "would reduce protection for infants and increase the risk of avoidable HBV infections, undermining decades of progress" toward eliminating the hepatitis B virus.

The review was led by researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which created the Vaccine Integrity Project in response to what it regards as Trump administration actions that " put the federal vaccine landscape at risk," and it was vetted by outside experts.

"We fought hard for that universal birth dose because targeted approaches missed too many babies," Wang said. "We know what happens when you wait."

What's unfolding now is not just a technical policy update but a fundamental test of the systems meant to protect the most vulnerable. The debate turns on a few critical questionswhether testing is reliable enough to replace universal safeguards, how infectious hepatitis B truly is, why past strategies failed, and what the CDC's internal shake-ups mean for vaccine policy writ large.

The limits of testing

Hepatitis B testing sits at the center of the new ACIP recommendation, but even the CDC acknowledges that testing alone can't guarantee protection. Pregnant women may test negative if the virus was acquired late in pregnancy or during the "window period," before hepatitis B surface antigens become detectable.

False negatives happen. No testing system, no matter how well designed, can catch every infection. That's why universal vaccination was created in the first place.

If a mother's status is unknown at delivery, hospitals are supposed to give the newborn a hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours, adding hepatitis B antibodies for premature infants or if the mother later tests positive. But in real clinical settings, these safeguards routinely break down. Results take time. Nurses miss or misread labs. Pharmacies delay deliveries. Documentation gets lost.

"Every step you add increases the chance that something falls through the cracks," Su Wang, medical director for viral hepatitis programs at RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, said. "Delaying the vaccine just adds another."

ACIP's vote shows how that logic is being challenged.

Some committee members suggested dropping the third hepatitis B shot if antibody levels look high after the second.

But Brian McMahon, a liver disease specialist who has spent decades treating hepatitis B, told the panelists that the data doesn't support that idea. "Only maybe 20% to 30%" of infants have an adequate antibody level after the first dose, he said.

"You need two doses to really reach a high level of protection," he said, with the third shot giving a stronger, longer-lasting response.

He said the overall message coming from the committee seemed designed to "discourage the birth dose."

"They're making it more and more difficult," McMahon said.

In a second vote, ACIP also encouraged parents and clinicians to order post-vaccine serology testsblood tests that measure protective antibody levelsafter the second or third dose. The tests, ACIP said, should be covered by insurance.

More infectious than HIV or hepatitis C

Hepatitis B can survive on toothbrushes, razors, and household surfaces for a week. It spreads not just from mother to child but also through ordinary family contact: shared items, open sores, small blood exposures. In the 1980s, researchers found that about half of infections in American children came not from mothers but from other household members.

That's why state health departments continue to insist that every newborn be vaccinated within 24 hours of delivery, regardless of maternal status. "Delaying vaccination misses a crucial period of potential exposure," a New York advisory warned this year. The vaccine, it noted, is 80% to 100% effective when given on time.

The Vaccine Integrity Project report underscores the stakes. Since the universal birth dose was introduced in 1991, pediatric hepatitis B infections in the U.S. have dropped by more than 99%. A 2024 CDC analysis estimated that the current schedule has prevented more than 6 million hepatitis B infections and nearly 1 million hospitalizations.

The benefits are lifelong. Infants vaccinated at birth are shielded not just from hepatitis B but also from the liver failure and cancer it can cause decades later. Yet because the disease unfolds slowly, the consequences of policy shifts may not surface for 20 or 30 years.

Trieu Pham, a California physician, doesn't need to imagine those consequences. Born in Vietnam in 1976, he probably contracted the virus at birth. "If the vaccine had existed then, I wouldn't have gone through what I did," he said. Diagnosed in his 20s, he developed cirrhosis by 40. At 47, he was coughing blood from ruptured esophageal veins. Eventually, he required a liver transplant to survive.

"You live with this constant fatigue and fear," he said. "And the saddest part is it was preventable."

His three children, all vaccinated within hours of birth, are free of hepatitis B. "That's the difference a day can make," Pham said.

A lesson already learned

In 1982, ACIP recommended the new hepatitis B vaccine only for adults at high risk: health care workers, injection drug users, and men who have sex with men. But by the late 1980s, it was clear that risk-based vaccination couldn't contain transmission. Many newly infected adults didn't fit any defined risk group. Identifying high-risk people proved imperfect, stigmatizing, and ultimately ineffective.

Meanwhile, infants infected during or shortly after birth had a 90% chance of developing chronic infection, compared with less than 5% in adults. Yet public health officials repeated the same targeted strategy, this time with newborns. In 1988, the CDC recommended universal prenatal screening and linked an infant's vaccination to the mother's test result, again basing protection on a risk marker instead of vaccinating all infants.

As before, it failed. Many infected mothers weren't correctly identified. Some were never tested, some were tested too early, and others had results that were misread or never communicated. Too many infants slipped through the cracks, proof that another targeted approach couldn't reliably protect them.

In 1991, the CDC issued its landmark guidance recommending that all infants, regardless of their mother's infection status, receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth, followed by two additional doses in infancy. By 2005, the policy was fully embedded in the routine immunization schedule, then reaffirmed in 2018. This evolution was based on data showing that a universal strategy, rather than a targeted one, was the most effective in preventing infections.

A matter of trust

The CDC's new hepatitis B policy rests on the premise that moving the decision to parents will strengthen trust in the vaccine system. Supporters frame it as an empowerment shifta way to give families more control.

In 1999, when it was last recommended to postpone the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine for infants born to uninfected mothers, vaccination rates also dropped among infants born to those who were infected.

"Opt-in policies sound patient-centered," Wang said, "but in practice they're inequitable. They leave behind the very families who need protection most"the ones most likely to miss prenatal care and testing, have infections that go undetected or arise after testing, or slip through gaps in hospital care, as well as infants who can be exposed and infected by other caregivers and household members.

Those are often immigrant families, including from Asian and Pacific Islander communities in which hepatitis B remains endemic. "We already underdiagnose and undertreat these populations," Wang said. "This change would deepen that gap."

The United States is now the only country to abandon a universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation. Though it will take decades to gather outcomes data, some researchers predict that delaying the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to 2 months of age could result in over 1,400 preventable infections and about 300 cases of liver cancer per year.

"We don't get to choose what we inherit," Wang said. "But we do get to choose what we pass on."

2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Four of the top medical leaders in Virginia have signed a letter opposing a vote last week by a Centers for Disease Control committee to end the agency's recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccines for all newborns at birth.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommends "individual-based decision making" for infants born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B.

The vote means, according to the Health and Human Services website, that "parents and clinicians may decide together whether to administer the hepatitis B vaccine at birth or begin the series later in infancy," and that if parents decide not to vaccinate at birth, that the vaccine series should be initiated at least two months after birth.

If the mother tests positive for hepatitis B or if their infected status is unknown, the CDC still recommends the infant should receive the vaccine within 12 hours of birth.

The signatories of the letter are:

Eric Lowe, chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University, who also serves as the chief clinical academic officer at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters and a professor of Pediatric Hermatology/Oncology

Madhu Misra, the chair of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia and the Physician-in-Chief at the UVA Health Children's

Cynthia Gibson, the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital and an associate professor of medical education at the UVA School of Medicine

Karen Hentricks-Munoz, chair of Pediatrics at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and the Physician-in-Chief of the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU

The letter was provided to The Virginian-Pilot.

They urge medical providers to follow the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which advises all newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine.

"We want to reassure all families in Virginia that there has been no new or concerning information about the hepatitis B vaccine that prompted this new recommendation. We believe that changing the recommendation sends a confusing message to families with no evidence to support a concern of vaccine safety," the letter reads. "The hepatitis B vaccine is one of the most studied vaccines in history with a very well-established safety and efficacy record."

In the letter, the signatories warned that without being vaccinated at birth, up to 25% of infants who become chronically infected with hepatitis B will die prematurely due to liver cancer or cirrhosis. There is no cure for hepatitis B, and treating it involves lifelong use of antiviral medication, according to the letter.

The signatories also took aim at the CDC's plan to rely on maternal testing alone to determine whether a newborn should receive the vaccine, saying this is ineffective "since transmission is not limited to mother to infant, many women receive little or no prenatal care, screening tests can be falsely negative, and infection can occur after testing."

Lowe said in an interview with The Pilot that part of the reason they felt compelled to write the letter is because the effects of people not getting the hepatitis vaccine will not be seen quickly like it would if people stopped taking the measles or COVID vaccines, but rather in 20 or so years when cases of liver cancer dramatically increase. He said the medical community used to do things the way ACIP is now recommending, but the dramatic reduction in hepatitis B cases in the years since shows "there's no reason to mess with it."

"As pediatricians, we wanted to support our general pediatricians who are giving the hepatitis B vaccine because every single one of them has a conversation with the familynone of the (vaccines) are given without consent, we already do all of that," Lowe said.

"We understand that people are worried about side effects, but we want to make sure that we compare them to the actual diseases as well  that the adverse effects of contracting hepatitis B at birth, which is chronic hepatitis B and then potentially an early death from liver cancer or liver cirrhosis," he continued.

He added that the American Academy of Pediatrics is just one of more than 40 other medical societies who have come out against the ACIP's hepatitis B decision.

Hampton Roads medical providers contacted for this story did not provide comment by deadline Wednesday.

The hepatitis B vaccine has been recommended for all newborns since 1991 and over that time there's been a reduction in annual infections from about 18,000 to about 20, CNN reported.

Hepatitis B is a condition in which a person's liver becomes inflamed due to infection with the hepatitis B virus, which in some cases could lead to liver failure, cancer and death.

This is the latest rift in the medical community stemming from the CDC's skeptical posture towards vaccines under the Trump Administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy removed all previous members of ACIP this summer and replaced them with his own selections.

In September, The Pilot reported that Sentara advised its providers not to administer the latest COVID-19 vaccine without a prescription ahead of a vote by ACIP on whether to recommend the 202526 vaccine. There was widespread confusion at major pharmacies across the country about whether to require a prescription, differing by state.

2025 The Virginian-Pilot. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
For decades, the Ghosalkars symbolised the Shiv Senas muscle, street presence and organisational depth in the DahisarBorivali belt. That legacy now stands fractured, with Tejasvee Ghosalkars switch to the BJP marking a decisive break in what was once considered an impregnable Sena stronghold in north Mumbai.

As things stand with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls a few weeks away, Shiv Sena UBTs organisational base has been eroding steadily steady erosion in Dahisar following the 2022 party split, culminating in the defection of a key political heir and exposing the partys weakening grip.

Of the 11 civic wards spanning Dahisar and the BorivaliMagathane belt, eight were held by the undivided Shiv Sena in the 2017 BMC elections. However, the split in 2022 dramatically redrew the political map.

Of those eight Sena corporators, six moved to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. Of the remaining two, only one has so far stayed with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).

The latest, and arguably most damaging, setback for the UBT camp came a few days ago when Tejasvee Ghosalkar, daughter-in-law of Shiv Sena strongman Vinod Ghosalkar, formally joined the BJP. The move has sent ripples through Uddhav Thackerays north Mumbai unit, striking at the heart of what was long considered a Sena bastion.

Vinod Ghosalkar is no ordinary party functionary. For decades, he has been the face of the Shiv Sena in Dahisar, a formidable organiser and vote-puller who has anchored the partys dominance across civic wards and assembly segments during its peak years. His late son Abhishek Ghosalkar and daughter-in-law Tejasvee later emerged as familiar political names, symbolising the familys continuing influence in the region.

That influence was shaken in February 2024 with Abhisheks assassination  a tragedy that left the family and the local Sena organisation reeling. Vinod Ghosalkars subsequent defeat in the assembly elections deepened the leadership vacuum in Dahisar. Tejasvees defection now appears to have turned that vacuum into a full-blown political rupture, further weakening the UBTs once-solid grip on the area.

This is not just a symbolic loss. This is the loss of organisational memory, cadre confidence and emotional connect, said a senior UBT functionary in the region. The leader admitted privately that Dahisar is no longer a guaranteed Sena stronghold and said the leadership is scrambling to work on strategies to regain lost ground.

A pattern of erosion, not an isolated exit

Tejasvees switch is only the most visible sign of a longer trend. Since the Shiv Sena split in 2022, Dahisar, once considered immune to political churn, has witnessed a steady bleed of Sena (UBT) loyalists to rival camps  primarily the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Several former corporators, shakha pramukhs and second-rung leaders, many of whom built their careers under Bal Thackerays Sena, have either gone quiet, crossed over, or shifted allegiance discreetly ahead of elections.

While Tejasvee is the biggest blow for Uddhav in recent times, other big names too changed alliance soon after the party split in 2022. Sheetal Mhatre shifted from the undivided Shiv Sena to the Shinde faction, as did Harshad Prakash Karkar. In the Magathane belt, Balakrishna Brid, Sanjay Ghadi, Riddhi Khursange and Geeta Singhan all moved from the undivided Shiv Sena to the Shinde faction, while Sujata Patekar remains with the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Earlier, the Sena didnt need campaigns here. It needed presence. That presence is now fragmented, said a former Sena (UBT) office bearer who recently joined the BJP.

Rivals move in as UBT scrambles

Rival parties, sensing an opening, have moved aggressively to absorb local Sena faces, particularly those with booth-level influence and strong community ties. Their strategy is clear: weaken UBT not just electorally, but structurally, said a Shiv Sena (UBT) shakha office bearer from Magathane.

Tejasvees induction fits squarely into this strategy. Beyond the optics, she brings with her networks built over decades, including mandals, local volunteers, festival committees and welfare groups that once formed the backbone of Sena mobilisation in Dahisar.

For the UBT, the challenge is two-fold: replacing legacy leadership and rebuilding trust among cadres who feel politically orphaned after the split. Senior party leaders concede that Dahisar now requires active firefighting, regular presence, visible leadership and renewed grassroots engagement, something the party has struggled with as it battles defections across Mumbai.

What makes Dahisars churn especially significant is its history. This was not a marginal ward cluster or a swing seat. It was a Sena bastion where loyalty often ran deeper than ideology. Today, that loyalty is fractured. With BMC elections looming, Dahisar has transformed from a safe Sena pocket into a high-stakes battleground, where old equations no longer hold and familiar surnames are changing camps. For Uddhav Thackerays Shiv Sena, the message from Dahisar is blunt: the party is no longer just losing leaders, it is losing territory that once defined its identity.

Taking a swipe at the UBT, Sheetal Mhatre, now a Shinde faction leader and former Dahisar corporator, said the partys claim over the area had collapsed. Calling Dahisar their stronghold is now a far-fetched dream. They have become faceless, not just in Dahisar but across Mumbai. They are struggling to even find candidates for the upcoming civic elections, she said, adding that the erosion was self-inflicted.

Mumbai-based political observer Sanjay Patil said the long gap between elections and shifting power dynamics had fundamentally altered ground-level politics. After nearly four years, elections are finally being held. Without access to power or resources, it becomes extremely difficult to hold constituencies for so long, he said, noting that money and muscle power now play a decisive role.

The civic cadre base remains firmly with us. Even if former corporators have left the party, our cadres and office-bearers stand united. This will be evident in the upcoming civic elections, where our strength will be reflected on the ground and at the ballot box, Kishori Pednekar, former mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson said.


The Thackeray cousins have decided to challenge the BJP in the upcoming Mumbai civic elections through a strategic alliance, but sharp disagreements over seat-sharing are delaying a formal announcement. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has demanded at least 100 seats in the 227-member civic body  a figure the Shiv Sena (UBT) is currently unwilling to concede.

To bridge this gap, sources indicate that Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS are locked in prolonged negotiations, with the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction likely to join the front. Each party is meticulously weighing its electoral strength and past performance to maximise bargaining power ahead of the high-stakes municipal poll. These discussions have now moved to the micro-level, with leaders analysing individual assembly constituencies to find common ground.

The MNS logic for its 100-seat demand is rooted in securing a presence in at least three wards per constituency. However, Sena UBT is hesitant, reportedly prepared to offer only 75 to 80 seats across Mumbai. This cautious approach mirrors the 2012 elections, when the then-undivided Shiv Sena allotted 90 seats to the BJP. Today, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party appears determined to keep its own footprint above the 125-seat mark.

The entry of the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction adds another layer of complexity. A senior UBT leader noted that if the NCP joins, it would require an allotment of at least 20 to 30 seats, further squeezing the available pool.


The Kenya Bankers Association (KBA) has proposed a significant revision of the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax bands, recommending an increase in the minimum taxable income from Ksh24,000 to Ksh30,000 while capping the highest rate at 30 per cent.

Under the proposal, income below Ksh30,000 would be exempt from PAYE, income between Ksh30,001 and Ksh50,000 would be taxed at 15 per cent, Ksh50,001 to Ksh100,000 at 20 per cent, Ksh100,001 to Ksh400,000 at 25 per cent, and any income above Ksh400,000 would attract the top rate of 30 per cent.

The recommendation comes as the National Treasury seeks public input ahead of drafting the Finance Bill 2026, with KBA arguing that higher take-home pay would boost household spending and strengthen the economy.

The purchasing power of salaried Kenyans has fallen significantly in recent years. Adjusting PAYE bands is a practical step to restore household income, stimulate spending, and support businesses, said KBA CEO Raimond Molenje. He added, When workers take home more pay, they spend more, save more, and invest more, strengthening the economy, improving loan repayment, and ultimately growing government revenue.

KBA highlighted that beyond supporting households, the proposal could have a major impact on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Increased disposable income would drive higher consumption, boost sales, improve cash flow, and enhance loan repayment performance for these businesses.

The bankers also argued that the proposed PAYE adjustments could spur job creation. With reduced tax burdens, businesses could redirect resources toward hiring, especially targeting youth and entry-level employees amid rising unemployment.

Additionally, KBA emphasized that higher disposable income would encourage long-term savings and investments while improving credit health. More reliable loan repayment, they noted, would reduce default rates and strengthen the stability of financial institutions.

Importantly, the association rejected concerns that lowering PAYE would shrink government revenue, asserting that increased consumption and expanded business activity would broaden the tax base and potentially generate higher long-term revenue.

This proposal reflects KBAs call for fiscal measures that not only relieve household financial pressure but also stimulate economic growth and support business development across Kenya.
President William Ruto has dismissed criticism from some political leaders who claim that Kenyans invited to State House only visit for food, terming the remarks unfair, demeaning, and disrespectful to ordinary citizens.

Speaking on Wednesday during the national commemoration of World Minority Rights Day 2025 at State House, Nairobi, President Ruto said hosting citizens and ensuring they are well fed is a basic duty of leadership and hospitality.

I do not know why some people do not want ordinary Kenyans here. When I host people here, there are leaders who start insulting me, saying those who have gone there have just taken their stomachs to State House, the President said.

Ruto responded to the criticism with humour, questioning the logic behind the remarks.

I want to ask, can someone come here without their stomach? Those saying it, do they move around without their stomachs? he added, drawing laughter from the audience.

The President pointed out that sharing meals is part of Kenyan culture and leadership engagements, recalling his recent development tours across the country where he partook in food offered by residents.

I was in Turkana the other day, they gave me food which I ate. Yesterday, I was in Migori, I did not leave my stomach behind, they gave me food and I ate, Ruto said.

He further assured guests attending the State House event that hospitality would extend beyond meals, especially during the festive season.

So if you did not come with your stomach, dont blame anybody because I have prepared food for you. And as you go home, I must take care of you. It is the Christmas season, a time to celebrate, he said.

Ruto added that no guest should leave State House empty-handed during the holidays.

Can one come to State House and go home without a Christmas gift? I must get you something for Christmas.

The World Minority Rights Day, marked annually on December 18, brought together about 5,000 delegates from minority and marginalised communities across the country. The attendees represented diverse groups, including the Ndorobo, Ogiek, Dasenach, Njemps, Walwana, Rendille, Burji, El Molo, Sakuye, Suba, Kuria, Makonde, Shona, and Nubian communities, among others.
President William Ruto has come to the defence of the governments ambitious Ksh5 trillion project, stating that the project is aimed at transforming the economy at a faster rate.

Speaking on Thursday, President Ruto said Kenya cannot continue operating under the same economic model it has followed since independence if it hopes to achieve meaningful and sustained development.

We are rolling out a Sh5 trillion programme. If we continue at the rate at which we have in the last 60 years, Kenya will lag behind. We must do things differently, Ruto said.

The President argued that the continued use of traditional methods has limited the growth of the country, adding that daring reforms are needed to correct the development path of the nation.

It is said madness is doing the same thing year after year and expecting different results. We are not mad people. We know what we want to do, he added.

Ruto said the government has anchored its strategy on clear priorities and a willingness to depart from past practices, noting that lasting change will only come through new methods and decisive action.

We cannot continue doing things the same way and Kenya will change, he said.

His remarks come days after the Cabinet approved the establishment of the National Infrastructure Fund and the Sovereign Wealth Fund, effectively launching a long-term Ksh5 trillion economic and development transformation agenda.

The two funds will form the backbone of the governments plan to transition Kenya into a first-world economy through a sustainable, investment-led growth model that reduces overreliance on borrowing and taxation.

According to State House, the Cabinet endorsed the National Infrastructure Fund as a limited liability company, and this vehicle will be central in aligning government financial resources with development priorities. The National Infrastructure Fund will play a key role in mobilizing domestic capital and generating financial value from existing infrastructure assets as well as private investment in infrastructure development.

Through innovative resource mobilisation, strategic asset monetisation, the democratisation of ownership via capital markets, and the deployment of national savings, the government aims to unlock long-term private capital to finance priority investments.

The new funding model will support shifting infrastructure development away from debt funding and towards collaborative models in order to preserve value while increasing the pace of delivery.

Under the framework, the government will ring-fence all proceeds from privatisation and invest them exclusively in public infrastructure projects that generate and safeguard long-term economic value.

State House said the strategy will ensure that the sale of public assets directly translates into productive investments that benefit both current and future generations.

Every shilling invested through the Fund is expected to crowd in up to Sh10 additional shillings from long-term investors, including pension funds, sovereign partners, private equity funds and development finance institutions, the Cabinet dispatch stated.
President William Ruto has unveiled plans to establish a Ksh500 million annual National Minority Scholarship Programme aimed at expanding access to quality education for Kenyas minority, indigenous, and marginalised communities.

Speaking on Thursday during the International Day for Minority Rights celebrations at State House, President Ruto said the government will partner with private sector players to support learners from poor minority and marginalised backgrounds to join both secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

In a major boost to education infrastructure, the President also announced that the Ministry of Education will set aside Ksh200 million annually through an Education Infrastructure Fund. The funding will go toward building, upgrading, and equipping schools and middle-level colleges in minority and marginalised regions.

In addition to this, President Ruto instructed the Ministries of Water, Roads, and Health, together with the Equalization Fund, to consider minority and marginalised groups in the construction of projects that entail provision of clean water, accessibility, and health facilities. He argued that this will greatly boost the standards of living of those affected.

The President explained that the new initiatives will be implemented under the National Policy on Ethnic Minorities, Indigenous and Marginalised Communities (20252035), which the government recently launched to address persistent social, economic, and political challenges affecting these groups across the country.

Under the policy framework, the government will establish a Minorities and Marginalised Communities Directorate as the central coordinating unit, alongside a National Council for Ethnic Minorities and Marginalised Communities, which will be created through legislation.

This guarantees a permanent, authoritative voice for minority concerns across government, with focal points in every ministry and county, President Ruto said.

He directed that the government immediately set up the Minorities and Marginalised Communities Directorate within the Office of the President to oversee and coordinate implementation across all sectors.

President Ruto also instructed county governments to establish County Minority Inclusion Units and to domesticate the policy in their upcoming County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) to ensure grassroots implementation.

In a further policy shift, the President elevated the Unit into a semi-autonomous agency, granting it the legal and financial authority required to effectively coordinate, implement, and safeguard all issues affecting minority and marginalised communities in Kenya.

The Attorney-General, in consultation with the Kenya Law Reform Commission, shall commence drafting the necessary legislation to establish the National Council and align existing laws with this policy, he added.

President Ruto said the reforms will usher in a new era of inclusion, dignity, and shared national progress, stressing that minority communities remain central to Kenyas identity and are indispensable to the countrys peace, unity, and long-term prosperity.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Aiken has deep roots in Scottish and Northern English heritage, originally derived from the medieval personal name 'Atkin,' which itself was a diminutive of Adam. As a Christian name, it carries the symbolic weight of the 'son of Adam' lineage while also connecting to the natural symbolism of the oak tree. Throughout history, the name has been particularly prominent in Scotland, where the Aiken and Aitken families were established in various regions, with notable bearers contributing to religious, political, and literary spheres.



The name's evolution from a patronymic surname to a given name reflects the broader trend of surname adoption in English-speaking Christian communities, where family names often became first names to honor ancestors and maintain family traditions. In American history, the name gained prominence through figures like William Aiken, who served as governor of South Carolina and contributed significantly to early American infrastructure development. The literary legacy of Conrad Aiken further enriched the name's cultural standing in the 20th century.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Aziz holds profound significance in Islamic culture as one of the 99 Names of Allah (Al-Aziz, meaning The All-Mighty). This connection elevates the name beyond mere personal identity to embody divine attributes of strength, honor, and invincibility. Throughout Islamic history, the name has been borne by caliphs, scholars, and leaders, symbolizing both spiritual authority and temporal power. In many Muslim societies, naming a child Aziz expresses the parents' hope that their son will embody strength of character, moral integrity, and respected standing in the community.



The name carries centuries of cultural weight, representing the ideal of balanced strength - both physical and moral - that characterizes Islamic masculine virtues. Beyond the religious context, Aziz has been adopted across various cultures influenced by Arabic, from North Africa to Southeast Asia, often maintaining its core meaning while adapting to local linguistic patterns. The name's endurance through centuries reflects its powerful cultural resonance and the universal appeal of its core values across different Muslim societies and historical periods.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Bride holds profound significance in Celtic culture, originating from the pre-Christian goddess Brigid, who was revered as the deity of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. This triple aspect represented the three pillars of Celtic society: wisdom, health, and craftsmanship. The goddess was so deeply embedded in Irish culture that when Christianity arrived, Saint Brigid of Kildare essentially absorbed many of the goddess's attributes and sacred sites, creating a seamless transition from pagan to Christian worship. In Scottish tradition, Bride was celebrated during the festival of Imbolc (February 1st), marking the beginning of spring and the return of light. The name became synonymous with strength, creativity, and renewal throughout Celtic regions, with numerous holy wells and churches dedicated to Saint Bride across Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The cultural legacy of Bride extends beyond religious contexts into folklore, where she appears as a protector of women and children, and in agricultural traditions as a guardian of livestock and hearth.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Brittnee carries significant cultural weight as it directly connects to the historic region of Brittany in northwestern France, originally known as Armorica to the Romans and later settled by Celtic Britons fleeing Anglo-Saxon invasions of Britain. These Celtic immigrants gave the region its name ('Little Britain') and maintained distinct cultural traditions, including the Breton language, which remains one of the six Celtic languages still spoken today. The Christian significance of the name stems from Brittany's early conversion to Christianity and its reputation as 'the land of saints,' producing numerous influential religious figures throughout the Middle Ages. When Bretons emigrated to England, they brought with them both their Celtic heritage and deep Christian faith, creating a cultural bridge that influenced English religious and maritime traditions. The modern spelling 'Brittnee' represents an American innovation that emerged during the late 20th century, reflecting both the enduring appeal of European place names and the creative spelling trends popular in English-speaking countries during that period.
Carine is typically associated with a personality that balances intellectual depth with emotional intelligence. Those bearing this name often exhibit natural leadership qualities combined with a collaborative spirit, making them effective in both professional and personal settings. Their innate sense of style and aesthetic appreciation frequently manifests in their surroundings, whether through fashion choices, home decor, or creative projects. Carines are known for their loyalty and dedication to relationships, often serving as the emotional anchor in their social circles. They possess a quiet confidence that doesn't need external validation, yet they're often admired for their poise and composure under pressure. The name's connection to purity translates into a personality marked by honesty and straightforwardness - Carines tend to be people who say what they mean and mean what they say. Their analytical minds combined with strong intuition make them excellent problem-solvers who can see multiple perspectives. While they may appear reserved to strangers, those who know them well appreciate their dry wit, thoughtful insights, and capacity for deep emotional connections.
Shouting expletives during physical effort can boost performance and help people push harder for longer.

Man swearing

The researchers' findings, published in the journal American Psychologist, suggest swearing helps people overcome internal restraints by increasing focus, confidence and mental immersion in the task at hand.

Dr. Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele University, England, and lead author of the study, said: "Swearing is literally a calorie neutral, drug free, low cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance.

"These findings help explain why swearing is so commonplace."

The research builds on earlier work showing that people who swear tolerate pain better, such as keeping their hand in ice-cold water for longer. This latest study aimed to explain why swearing has that effect.

Dr. Stephens and his team ran two experiments involving 192 participants.

In each test, volunteers were asked to perform chair push-ups while repeating either a swear word of their choice or a neutral word every two seconds.

Afterwards, participants reported how focused, confident, distracted and emotionally engaged they felt during the task.

The results were clear - those who swore were able to support their body weight significantly longer than those repeating neutral words.

The performance boost was linked to higher levels of psychological flow - a state of deep focus and immersion - as well as increased self-confidence and reduced distraction.

Dr. Stephens explained: "In many situations, people hold themselves back - consciously or unconsciously - from using their full strength.

"By swearing, we throw off social constraint and allow ourselves to push harder in different situations."

The researchers believe swearing temporarily removes inhibition, allowing people to go for it when they might otherwise hesitate. That effect could have practical value beyond the gym.

Pointing to possible applications in sport, rehabilitation and high-pressure situations, Dr. Stephens said: "In this way, swearing could serve as an accessible way to unlock our full potential when peak performance is needed."

Co-author Nick Washmuth, a PhD student at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, said future research will explore whether swearing helps in other areas where people hesitate.

He added: "Our labs are now studying how swearing influences public speaking and romantic approach behaviours."
Those bearing the name Celyddon are often characterized by a profound connection to tradition and nature, reflecting the name's woodland origins. They typically exhibit a calm, grounded demeanor combined with deep inner strength, much like ancient trees that withstand storms while remaining rooted. These individuals tend to be patient observers who think carefully before acting, possessing the wisdom that comes from understanding natural cycles and historical patterns. Their protective nature extends to both family and principles, making them reliable guardians of what they value most.



The name also suggests a person with hidden depths and complexity, akin to the layered ecosystems of a forest. While they may appear reserved initially, Celyddons often reveal rich inner lives and creative thinking when comfortable. They balance wild independence with strong community ties, embodying the Celtic ideal of individual strength serving collective wellbeing. Their leadership style tends to be inclusive and wisdom-based rather than authoritarian, drawing respect through consistency and deep understanding rather than force or ambition.
Women named Cherilynn are often perceived as compassionate, creative individuals with strong interpersonal skills and a natural grace in social situations. They tend to be nurturing and empathetic, often drawn to caring professions or roles that allow them to support others. Their combination of Cheryl's warmth and Lynn's fluidity suggests someone who balances emotional depth with practical sensibility.



Cherilynn's typically possess artistic inclinations and appreciate beauty in various forms, whether in art, nature, or human relationships. They are often described as having a calming presence and the ability to mediate conflicts with diplomacy and understanding. Their strong sense of intuition combined with their communicative abilities makes them excellent listeners and trusted confidantes in both personal and professional settings. The name suggests a personality that values harmony and connection, often serving as the emotional anchor in their relationships and communities.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Dearbhail holds significant cultural importance as a name deeply embedded in Irish heritage and mythology. Originating from ancient Gaelic traditions, the name appears in early Irish texts and legends, often associated with women of noble birth and strong character. The element 'dearbh' meaning 'true' or 'genuine' reflects the Celtic cultural emphasis on authenticity and truthfulness as fundamental virtues. During the medieval period in Ireland, names containing this element were particularly valued among aristocratic families, symbolizing not only personal integrity but also the genuine aspirations of their lineage and community.



The name's cultural significance extends to modern times, where it represents a connection to authentic Irish identity and cultural preservation. During periods of English colonization and cultural suppression, traditional Irish names like Dearbhail became symbols of resistance and cultural pride. In contemporary Ireland, the name's revival reflects a broader movement to reclaim and celebrate native Irish language and traditions. It serves as a living link to Ireland's rich linguistic heritage and continues to embody the values of authenticity, cultural pride, and personal integrity that have characterized Irish identity throughout history.
People named Durant are typically characterized by remarkable resilience and determination, living up to their name's meaning of 'enduring.' They possess an inner strength that allows them to weather life's challenges with grace and persistence. This isn't merely stubbornness but a deeply rooted capacity to maintain focus on long-term goals despite obstacles. Durant's often exhibit calm, steady demeanors that make them reliable anchors in both personal and professional relationships. Their approach to life is methodical and thoughtfulthey prefer to build lasting foundations rather than seek quick successes. This makes them excellent in roles requiring sustained effort and commitment, whether in careers, friendships, or family life. While they may not be the most emotionally demonstrative individuals, they form deep, lasting bonds with those who appreciate their loyalty and consistency. Their strength often manifests as quiet confidence rather than overt dominance, and they tend to lead by example rather than through forceful persuasion. The enduring quality of their personality makes them valuable members of any community, as they provide stability and continuity through changing circumstances.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Erim holds a distinctive place in Celtic naming traditions as a rare but persistent masculine name that appears in various Gaelic-speaking regions. Historical records show scattered appearances of the name in medieval Irish annals and Scottish clan records, suggesting it was used among certain families, particularly in regions with strong bardic traditions. The name's rarity indicates it may have been reserved for individuals of specific social standing or those believed to possess particular spiritual or intellectual qualities.



In modern Celtic revival movements, Erim has gained attention as an authentic yet uncommon choice that connects contemporary bearers to ancient cultural roots without being overly common. Its obscurity in historical records has allowed for creative reinterpretation while maintaining its Celtic authenticity. The name's persistence across centuries, despite its rarity, suggests it carried meaningful cultural weight within specific communities and families who valued its distinctive sound and potential symbolic associations.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Freja is one of the most important deities in Norse mythology, belonging to the Vanir tribe of gods. She is the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, death, and seir (a form of Norse magic). Freja rules over Folkvangr, a meadow or field where she receives half of those who die in battle (the other half go to Odin's Valhalla). She rides a chariot pulled by two cats and possesses the precious necklace Brisingamen. As a fertility goddess, she was invoked for love, marriage, and childbirth, while her warrior aspect made her a protector of heroes.



Her cultural significance extends beyond ancient times, representing feminine power, independence, and the complex nature of womanhood in Scandinavian heritage. During the Viking Age, Freja was one of the most widely worshipped deities, with numerous place names across Scandinavia referencing her. In modern times, she has become an icon of feminist spirituality and Norse pagan revival movements. The name Freja embodies the ideal of a complete woman who can be both loving and fierce, creative and strategic, embodying the full spectrum of feminine power.
Individuals named Kenryk are typically perceived as natural leaders with a strong sense of responsibility and tradition. They often exhibit a commanding presence combined with thoughtful deliberation, making them effective in positions of authority. Their inherent dignity and respect for established systems can make them appear reserved initially, but they possess deep loyalty to those they trust and protect. Kenryks tend to be strategic thinkers who value stability and order, often demonstrating patience in achieving long-term goals.



These individuals balance ambition with moral conviction, frequently guided by strong personal principles. While they can be traditional in their approach, they also possess the wisdom to adapt when necessary, showing flexibility within their core framework of values. Their leadership style typically combines strength with compassion, making them respected rather than feared. The name suggests someone who takes their responsibilities seriously but also understands the human element in leadership.



In personal relationships, Kenryks are often the pillars of their families and communitiesreliable, protective, and guided by a clear moral compass. They may not be the most expressive emotionally, but they demonstrate care through consistent action and commitment. Their combination of strength and principle makes them natural problem-solvers who others turn to in times of difficulty or uncertainty.
Cultural & Historical Significance

In Vietnamese culture, Lan carries deep significance as both a given name and a symbolic reference to the orchid flower. The orchid (phong lan) represents refinement, integrity, and noble character in Vietnamese tradition, often associated with scholarly pursuits and artistic sensibilities. Historically, names containing 'Lan' have been popular among both genders, though with different connotations - for males, it often suggests elegance combined with strength, while maintaining connections to nature and botanical symbolism that are central to Vietnamese cultural identity.



The name's botanical connection places it within Vietnam's rich tradition of nature-inspired names, reflecting the importance of flora in Vietnamese poetry, art, and daily life. As Vietnam modernized, Lan has maintained its cultural relevance while adapting to contemporary naming trends, representing a bridge between traditional values and modern sensibilities. The unicorn association in this context adds a layer of mythical significance, connecting to both Eastern and Western mythological traditions of noble, magical creatures.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Layton has deep roots in English Christian culture, originating as a surname derived from place names meaning 'farm in the meadow.' The name gained prominence during the Middle Ages when surnames became hereditary, often indicating one's origin from a specific location. Many English villages called Layton or Leighton contributed to the name's distribution across Britain. In Christian contexts, the name's pastoral meaning resonated with biblical themes of shepherds and fertile lands, making it appealing to religious families.



The name maintained steady usage through centuries, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire where the original settlements were located. During the Victorian era, Layton experienced a revival as part of the trend toward using surnames as first names, often chosen by families wanting to honor their geographic heritage while maintaining Christian naming traditions. In modern times, the name continues to carry connotations of English countryside valuesstability, hard work, and connection to the landwhile adapting to contemporary naming patterns that value both tradition and individuality.
Women named Lizandra are often perceived as possessing a unique blend of traditional values and modern independence. They typically demonstrate strong leadership qualities combined with deep empathy, making them natural caregivers and community builders. The 'Liz' component suggests someone who is faithful, reliable, and spiritually grounded, while the 'Alexandra' influence contributes strength, determination, and protective instincts.



Lizandras are frequently described as having warm, engaging personalities with the ability to connect with diverse groups of people. They tend to be creative problem-solvers who approach challenges with both practical wisdom and innovative thinking. Their dual-nature name often reflects in their ability to balance tradition with progress, making them effective in roles that require both stability and adaptability, whether in family life, professional settings, or community leadership.
Visa-free measures spur surge in visitors

Chinadaily.com.cn) 08:42, December 19, 2025

China saw some 40.6 million foreign nationals enter through its ports over the past year, a 27.2 percent year-on-year increase, according to the latest statistics released by the National Immigration Administration on Thursday.

In particular, the number of travelers utilizing the 240-hour visa-free transit policy surged 60.8 percent compared with the period before the policy was optimized.

Officially implemented on Dec 17, 2024, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy applies to citizens of 55 eligible countries, covering 65 open ports across 24 provincial regions in China. It unified and extended the previous 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit options to 240 hours, with Indonesia being added to the list of eligible countries on June 12, 2025, and five new ports being incorporated on Nov 5.

Among the open ports, those in Beijing recorded more than 3.4 million foreign arrivals, with 55 percent of those travelers enjoying the visa-free convenience. Shanghai saw nearly 5.35 million inbound foreign visitors, 56 percent of whom benefited from the policy, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province handled more than 3.2 million foreign entries, with over 57 percent of passengers opting for the visa-free transit service.

To facilitate the policy, major hubs have launched "one-stop processing" and online declaration services.

In Beijing, the average waiting time for each foreign traveler has been reduced by 15 minutes, and multilingual service teams have been organized to provide guidance and consultation services for foreign passengers.

The policy has significantly enhanced China's appeal in terms of tourism and business activities. The 10-day stay allows for in-depth and inter-provincial travel, while providing ample time for business inspections, negotiations and conferences, thus optimizing the business environment.

Arjun Dev Grover, a traveler from the United States, shared his experience of visiting China last week. "I was learning Chinese at the time, so I wanted to go to China. However, my vacation time was limited," he said. After searching online about how to apply for a Chinese visa, he found out about the visa-free policy.

"This is perfect  it's too good to be true. Since my stay in China was under 10 days, I didn't have to pay anything for the application process," he said, adding that China's modern infrastructure, friendly locals and safe, clean environment all left a strong impression on him.

Data from Qunar.com, one of China's leading travel platforms, showed that bookings of domestic flights by foreign passport holders rose 20 percent year-on-year in 2025, covering 175 destination cities. Smaller cities such as Datong in Shanxi province and Yichun in Jiangxi province saw over 300 percent growth in the number of foreign visitors. Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the US were the top source countries for such bookings.

Zeng Liangliang, a 20-year veteran tour guide based in Xiamen, Fujian province, said that driven by the visa-free policy, the number of foreign tourists visiting major cities in China has surged multiple times. In Xiamen, more people are coming for family visits and conferences.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Erika Jayne claims her estranged husband Tom Girardi is yet to divorce her because he is "incompetent".

Erika Jayne blasts 'incompetent' Tom Girardi and confirms she has filed for 'separation'

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, initially filed for divorce from Tom, 86, in November 2020, and the pair were later sued for embezzlement.

It was later found Erika didn't participate in "any wrongdoing", but Girardi was sentenced to seven years in federal prison in June.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live this week, Erika was asked by a fan why she "hadn't filed for divorce", but she clarified: "Oh, I have! You guys have got it so wrong.

"Yes, of course I have. I filed for separation.

"Its very difficult to get someone whos incompetent to divorce.

"I have to ask the conservator. Its just not that easy. You guys, just stop with all that.

"Chill on that."

But Erika has no plans to see Girardi anytime soon.

Asked if she had thought "at all about seeing him", she replied: "I have ... no.

"It's just too much.

"That's enough. He's done. It is what it is."

Six months ago, former attorney Girardi was handed an 87-month jail term for embezzling tens of millions of dollars of settlement money that belonged to his clients, some of whom awaited payment for treatment of severe physical injuries.

United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Girardi to pay a $35,000 fine and $2,310,247 in restitution.

United States Attorney Bill Essayli said: "This self-proclaimed champion of justice was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of the millions of dollars.

"My office will vigorously prosecute corrupt lawyers and those who assist them in criminal activities."

In 2022, Judge Richard Fruin found there was no evidence Erika participated in "any wrongdoing".

Speaking to MailOnline, she said: "Its a good day."

When asked if she felt "vindicated" by the court ruling and she replied: "Yes, I do."

And when quizzed on what she would say to her critics, she added: "All I asked for was some time and some understanding. And today is a good day."
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Rabbani holds profound significance in Islamic culture, derived from the Arabic word 'Rabb' meaning Lord or Sustainer. It signifies a deep connection to divinity and spirituality, often associated with individuals who demonstrate exceptional religious knowledge or spiritual insight. Throughout Islamic history, the name has been particularly revered in Sufi traditions, where it denotes someone who has attained a high level of spiritual realization and closeness to God.



In many Muslim societies, the name Rabbani is considered prestigious and is often given to children with the hope that they will embody divine qualities and spiritual leadership. The name carries historical weight in regions with strong Islamic scholarly traditions, including the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia, where it has been borne by numerous religious scholars, mystics, and community leaders over centuries. The cultural importance of this name reflects the Islamic emphasis on knowledge, spirituality, and service to both God and community.
Individuals named Raedself typically exhibit a profound combination of wisdom and intuition, marked by their ability to provide insightful counsel while maintaining a gentle, almost mystical presence. They are often characterized by their exceptional listening skills, empathy, and capacity to understand complex emotional and spiritual matters. Their 'elfin' quality manifests as a certain otherworldly wisdom that allows them to see beyond surface appearances and offer guidance that feels both practical and spiritually enlightened.



Raedself personalities tend to be deeply introspective yet highly communicative when offering advice. They possess a natural grace in navigating difficult situations and often serve as peacemakers or mediators in their communities. Their counsel is typically marked by a blend of practical wisdom and spiritual insight, making them valued advisors in both personal and religious contexts. While they may appear reserved at first, their warmth and genuine concern for others quickly becomes apparent to those who seek their guidance.
Symbolically, Reaghan represents the embodiment of noble leadership, cultural continuity, and personal integrity. The name's core meaning of 'little king' carries profound metaphorical significance, suggesting that true leadership begins with self-mastery and personal responsibility before extending to others. In Celtic symbolism, the concept of kingship was intimately connected with the land and communitya ruler's worth was measured by their ability to ensure prosperity and justice for all. Thus, Reaghan symbolizes the sacred relationship between individual excellence and communal wellbeing.



Metaphorically, the name also represents the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern application. It suggests someone who honors tradition while embracing innovation, who understands that cultural heritage provides foundation rather than limitation. The 'little' modifier in 'little king' symbolizes humility and the understanding that leadership is service, not domination. In broader symbolic terms, Reaghan represents the potential for greatness inherent in every individual, the idea that royal character is defined by actions and values rather than birthright alone. This makes the name particularly resonant in contemporary contexts where authentic leadership and cultural authenticity are increasingly valued.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Ridwan holds profound significance in Islamic culture as the name of the angel appointed by Allah to guard the gates of Jannah (Paradise). This celestial association makes the name particularly revered among Muslims worldwide. The name appears in Islamic eschatology and Hadith literature, where Ridwan is described as welcoming the righteous into Paradise with divine acceptance and mercy.



Throughout Islamic history, the name has been borne by numerous scholars, leaders, and pious individuals, reflecting the aspiration for divine acceptance and spiritual excellence. In many Muslim societies, naming a child Ridwan expresses the parents' hope that their child will be among those granted entry to Paradise and will embody the qualities of acceptance and goodwill in their earthly life. The name serves as a constant reminder of the ultimate spiritual goal in Islam - to earn Allah's pleasure and eternal reward.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Seton carries profound cultural and historical significance rooted in Scottish heritage and Catholic tradition. Originating as a geographical surname from coastal settlements in Scotland, the name first appeared in historical records during the 12th century when the Seton family established themselves as powerful landowners in East Lothian. The family played crucial roles in Scottish history, with members serving as advisors to Scottish monarchs and participating in significant historical events like the Wars of Scottish Independence. The Setons were staunch Catholics who maintained their faith during the Protestant Reformation, with several family members becoming martyrs for their religious convictions.



The name's Christian significance was further amplified by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who transformed from a New York socialite to a pioneering Catholic educator after converting from Anglicanism. Her establishment of the first Catholic schools in America and founding of the Sisters of Charity created an enduring legacy that made Seton a revered name in American Catholic communities. The name thus bridges Scottish clan heritage with Catholic educational tradition, representing both earthly nobility through its aristocratic origins and spiritual nobility through its saintly associations. This dual heritage makes Seton particularly meaningful for families with Scottish ancestry seeking names that honor both their cultural roots and religious faith.
Individuals named Taregan are often perceived as thoughtful, observant, and deeply connected to their environment, much like the crane that inspires their name. They tend to exhibit patience and careful consideration in decision-making, preferring to observe situations thoroughly before taking action. This thoughtful approach often makes them excellent problem-solvers who can see patterns and connections that others might miss.



Taregan's typically possess a strong sense of responsibility toward their community and natural surroundings, showing protective instincts toward those they care about. They often demonstrate grace under pressure and maintain composure in challenging situations, reflecting the crane's elegant demeanor. Their communication style tends to be deliberate and meaningful, valuing quality over quantity in both words and relationships. Many Taregan's develop a keen interest in tradition, history, or environmental causes, feeling a natural pull toward preserving what they value.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Weddell holds significant cultural importance rooted in English and Scottish heritage, particularly in Christian communities where surnames were often adopted as first names to honor family lineage and geographical origins. Historically associated with the Anglo-Saxon term meaning 'from the advancer's hill,' it represents both physical elevation and spiritual advancement within Christian symbolism. The name gained prominence through notable explorers and diplomats who carried the Weddell name across continents, particularly in Antarctic exploration and international diplomacy, cementing its association with courage, discovery, and cross-cultural engagement.



In Christian tradition, the 'hill' element connects to biblical references of mountains as places of revelation and divine encounter, while 'advancer' suggests spiritual progress and leadership within the faith community. The name's geographical origins in northern England and Scotland further enrich its cultural tapestry, representing a blend of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon influences that have shaped British Christian heritage. Throughout history, the Weddell name has been associated with educational and religious institutions, particularly in Anglican and Protestant traditions, where it symbolizes both intellectual pursuit and spiritual growth.
Individuals named Wine are typically perceived as loyal, compassionate, and community-oriented. They often possess a natural ability to form deep, meaningful relationships and excel in roles that require diplomacy and interpersonal skills. Their friendly disposition makes them excellent mediators and trusted confidants. Wines tend to be thoughtful and considerate, often putting others' needs before their own, which aligns with the Christian virtue of selfless love and service to community.



These individuals are generally stable and reliable, valuing tradition and continuity while adapting well to changing circumstances when necessary. Their strength lies in building bridges between people and fostering harmony in groups, making them natural leaders in community and religious settings. While they may not seek the spotlight, their quiet influence often has lasting impact on those around them. The name suggests someone who embodies the Christian ideal of being a 'friend to all' while maintaining strong personal convictions and spiritual depth.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Yameen holds profound significance in Islamic culture, derived from the Arabic word meaning 'right side' or 'right hand,' which symbolizes strength, trustworthiness, and fidelity. In Islamic tradition, the right hand is considered pure and is used for eating, greeting, and taking oaths, making Yameen a name that embodies honor and commitment. Throughout Islamic history, the concept of 'yameen' (oath) has been central to social contracts and religious covenants, with the Quran frequently emphasizing the importance of keeping one's promises and oaths.



The name is particularly popular in South Asian Muslim communities, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, where it carries connotations of reliability and moral integrity. In many Muslim families, naming a child Yameen reflects the parents' hope that their son will grow up to be a person of his word, someone who honors commitments and stands by his principles. The name also connects to the Islamic concept of 'yameen' in marriage contracts and business agreements, where oaths form the foundation of trust in relationships and transactions.
Sydney Sweeney is "very proud of how she looks", according to director Paul Feig.

Sydney Sweeney isn't fighting insecurities like other movie stars, according to Paul Feig

The 63-year-old Bridesmaids moviemaker worked with Sydney, 28, on new thriller The Housemaid and he's revealed the actress is very "body positive" and isn't fighting "insecurity" like other movie stars.

Feig told The Times newspaper: "Shes very proud of how she looks, and you should be. There are so many people Ive encountered where youre fighting against their insecurity. She would say: I love womens bodies, and thats so healthy."

Sydney had to film intimate scenes with co-star Brandon Sklenar for the new movie and Feig insisted the pair didn't have any issues with stripping off on camera although nudity onset does make the director himself feel "uncomfortable".

He told the publication: "Theres nobody more uncomfortable with it [onscreen nudity] than this guy [me]."

Feig went on to praise the work of the film's intimacy co-ordinator, adding that the introduction of the role on film sets is a good thing for Hollywood.

He said: "[It's] the greatest thing thats happened in Hollywood. When you have a 63-year-old man amongst all these beautiful young people, you dont want to be the pervy porn producer, telling people to do stuff."

The Housemaid - which is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Freida McFadden - also stars Amanda Seyfried and she praised her co-star for how she's coped with the pressures of fame and success.

Amanda told Vanity Fair: "I dont envy anything shes going through. Ive spent a lot of time with her; we just hit it off immediately. Shes a sweetheart.

"Shes a very generous, kind person at her core. I have to be honest: I did not have a moment like shes having ever.

"[My Mean Girls co-star] Lindsay Lohan, were buddies, and its really, really, really harmful to people to have that kind of overnight spotlight.

"Because any press, good or bad, is still a blinding spotlight, and you have to manoeuvre and negotiate your way around it and outside of it. Its acrobatics that I dont think most people are capable of figuring it out at that age."
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi led an Odisha Investor Meet, a two-day investment roadshow in Hyderabad, organised by the Government of Odisha to deepen industry partnerships and present the state's expanding industrial capabilities to national and global investors. During the first day of the visit on Thursday, the Chief Minister held one-to-one interactions with senior leadership from leading companies across priority sectors including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, green energy, textiles, food processing, engineering goods, automotive components, and capital equipment manufacturing. The discussions focused on exploring new investment opportunities and expanding industrial presence in Odisha. A total of 15 Government-to-Business (G2B) meetings were conducted, with participation from leading companies such as Indorama Industries Ltd, Jindal Poly Films (rare earth processing), ABI Showatech Pvt Ltd (defence production), Maruti (metals and downstream sector), among others, a statement from the Odisha government said. During these interactions, investment intentions amounting to approximately Rs 19,500 crore, with an employment potential of around 7,500 persons, were received, the statement noted. Further strengthening these engagements, seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed today, involving investments worth Rs 19,200 crore and generating employment opportunities for nearly 12,700 people, the statement added. "The engagements were held in the presence of the Minister for Industries and Skill Development & Technical Education, Shri Sampad Chandra Swain, along with senior officials of the State Government. The strong industry response reflects growing confidence in Odisha's progressive policy framework, robust infrastructure ecosystem, and sustained efforts to enhance ease of doing business," the Odisha government statement added. A sectoral roundtable with pharmaceutical industry leaders was also organised, reflecting continued industry interest following the Odisha Pharma Summit 2025. Discussions highlighted the impact of the state's recently notified Pharmaceutical Policy and ongoing development of dedicated Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Parks, aimed at strengthening Odisha's manufacturing ecosystem. Commenting on the investor interactions, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, "The response from industry during today's engagements clearly reflects the growing confidence in Odisha's industrial direction. Our focus is on building long-term partnerships through policy clarity, responsive governance, and a future-ready ecosystem that enables innovation, job creation, and sustainable growth. The roadshow provides an important platform to align industry aspirations with the state's development priorities and to ensure that investment proposals translate into timely and meaningful outcomes." The interest from new-age industries highlights Odisha's ongoing transition towards a diversified, market-driven industrial economy, with a growing focus on value-added and emerging sectors. The mega roadshow, Odisha Investor Meet, is scheduled to be held today in Hyderabad, where a larger investor conference will be held with participation from industry leaders, business associations, and institutional stakeholders. The programme is scheduled to include investment presentations, interactions with the state leadership, and exchange of MoUs, offering industry participants an opportunity to gain deeper insights into Odisha's growth trajectory and investment potential. In a post on X on Thursday, the CM wrote on Day 1, "In today's Hyderabad visit, I engaged with leaders from top sectors like pharmaceuticals, green energy, and manufacturing. Following 15 high-level G2B meetings with industry giants, we secured investment intentions worth 19,500 crore, promising to create 7,500 jobs for our people. Taking this further, we signed seven landmark MoUs today, bringing in 19,200 crore in investments and generating nearly 12,700 new employment opportunities. From defense to electronics, these partnerships will fuel our industrial growth and transform Odisha into a premier global investment hub." (ANI)
Vizag (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 19: Boreum Beauty Retail Private Limited is a science-driven personal care company focused on advanced formulation systems, proprietary ingredient development, and capital-efficient brand building across consumer and B2B platforms. Boreum Beauty Retail has entered into a strategic research collaboration with GITAM University to jointly develop next-generation cosmetic ingredient delivery systems, positioning India to play a larger role in high-value global personal care innovation.

The collaboration focuses on advanced delivery technologies such as nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), controlled-release systems, and stability-enhanced carriers designed to improve the performance, tolerability, and shelf stability of sensitive cosmetic actives.

Under the partnership, Boreum and GITAM will co-develop nine advanced delivery-system ingredients, including NLC-based versions of epidermal growth factor (EGF), human recombinant collagen type III, ceramides, retinoids, and peptides. The program also targets 20-30 patent filings over the next three years, strengthening domestic intellectual property creation and reducing reliance on imported specialty ingredients.

Unlike conventional cosmetic R&D, which often relies on free-form actives with limited stability and higher irritation risk, the collaboration emphasizes delivery intelligence a growing area of focus as global skincare shifts toward barrier-safe, clinically tolerable formulations.

"Partnering with GITAM University supports our mission to build India's most advanced R&D ecosystem for NLCs and next-generation delivery technologies," said Sivaramakrishna Moolagundam, Founder and CEO of Boreum. "This collaboration is designed to accelerate high-performance ingredient development while creating long-term scientific and commercial value."

The initiative reflects a broader trend in the beauty and personal care industry, where innovation is increasingly driven by formulation science, delivery systems, and defensible IP, rather than branding alone. By combining academic research depth with industry-led commercialization, Boreum aims to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and scalable global applications.

The collaboration will be based in Vizag and will involve joint research teams from both organizations, focusing on delivery frameworks relevant to sensitive skin, advanced actives, and next-generation dermocosmetic applications.

https://boreum.co/

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Idris Elba is "honoured" to have a Madame Tussauds waxwork.

Idris Elba posing with his Madame Tussauds waxwork

The award-winning actor is the latest star to have the red carpet rolled out for him at the London wax museum.

And from Friday (19.12.25), he joins a stellar star-studded lineup of wax figures, including actress Gillian Anderson, 57, actor Timothee Chalamet, 29, and pop stars Lady Gaga, 39, and Harry Styles, 31, in the Baker Street attraction's Awards Party zone.

Idris, 53, said: "Its truly an honour to be recognised in this way and even more special to know this other version of me will be standing tall in London. So, even when I'm away, a part of me is always at home."

The Hijack legend's waxwork - which took Madame Tussauds Londons expert artists a couple of years to create - dons a long-sleeved version of the monochrome blue Eve of Winston suit.

It was designed by Idris for when he met King Charles during an event about addressing youth violent crime in July 2024.

Completing the chic look are patent Christian Louboutin dress shoes, which the Hollywood legend donated for his Madame Tussauds waxwork to sport.

Idris added: "The process has been fascinating. Its not dissimilar to prepping for a movie role  working with talented artists to flesh out the character, getting the costume just right, but this time its for me!

"Its really surreal to see another version of me standing in Madame Tussauds London, it feels like a full circle moment.

As well as appearing in blockbusters and hit TV dramas, the Luther star has been championing community projects in his home district, Hackney, East London, promoting African arts and enterprise, and leading the Dont Stop Your Future campaign against knife crime in the UK.

And Steve Blackburn, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, is proud to have Idris as a member of the attraction's waxwork line-up.

Steve said: "Idris is a Londoner through and through. While his extraordinary talent has taken him on a journey from Hackney to Hollywood, he has never forgotten his roots  always giving back to the city that raised him and using his voice to fight for a better future for all.

"Its a privilege to be able to create Idris first-ever figure right here in London, where it all began. His collaboration has been invaluable, and were delighted to see his reaction to the finished figure."
PRNewswire Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 19: Dr. Resul Pookutty, the Oscar-winning sound designer, and Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the legendary filmmaker, joined author Radha Chadha to release her latest book 'The Maker of Filmmakers' at an event hosted by the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). * IFFK hosted a special evening in Thiruvananthapuram, celebrating the legacy of Jagat Murari, with two esteemed FTII alums: award-winning filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Oscar-winner Dr. Resul Pookutty. Radha Chadha's book, 'The Maker of Filmmakers: How Jagat Murari and FTII Changed Indian Cinema Forever', traces the remarkable life and legacy of her father, Jagat Murari, the visionary who built the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Published by Penguin India, the book follows Murari's journey in shaping many of India's most influential filmmakers. "It is the Festival's honour to release a book like this," said Resul Pookutty, who is IFFK's Festival Director and Chairperson of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. "He [Murari] not only gave us the Institute, but also gave us a very illustrious daughter who could chronicle it for us, for the generation of filmmakers to come, to imbibe this true spirit of cinema." Adoor Gopalakrishnan spoke insightfully about the book, saying, "I particularly congratulate Radha for this excellent book. It's very well-written and it's well-researched." He recalled Jagat Murari's influence on his own creative path. "But for the Film Institute, there was no chance of me ever becoming a filmmaker. Who was responsible for the Film Institute? It was my own great Murari saheb; He was a father figure to us students." C. Ajoy, the Executive Director of IFFK and Secretary of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, reflected on Jagat Murari's far-reaching impact, saying, "We have two institutions that changed Indian cinema. One was, of course, FTII, and the other one - Jagat Murari saheb. His life and work as a pioneer of documentary filmmaking, as a part of Directorate of Film Festivals, as a Director of FTII, as part of NFAI...you will be able to walk through this book." The panel included Sunny Joseph, the esteemed cinematographer and FTII alum. "What the Institute did to me is something magical. FTII made me a world citizen," he said. "There were a very high calibre of names that taught at the Institute, and the scale was enormous," said Radha Chadha. While writing the book, she unearthed an archive of material her father had left behind - documents, letters, and rare photographs that revealed FTII's foundational years. "The impact on the students, of course, was extraordinary. Not only did they learn from the best minds, but just seeing these stalwarts in the flesh, breathing the same air, had a 'role model' effect. The kind of thinking was 'If Ismail Merchant and James Ivory can do it, surely I can, too'." Talking of his time at FTII, Resul Pookutty said, "When I walked into the Film Institute, when I saw those hanging roots of the Banyan trees, and the low, winding road from the main gate to the boys' hostel, I knew that I am standing in a place which has a history, which has a time imprinted on it. When I flipped through the pages of this book, [I had the same feeling]... I was taken through those pages of cinema, pages of frozen time." Pookutty shared how the book threw light on Murari's educational vision, which informed the workings of FTII. "It was quite a fascinating read, what this man was, how he made the gospel, and gave us such illustrious people. Very apt name - 'The Maker of Filmmakers'." About the Book When Jagat Murari, a young film student in post-war America, found himself at the feet of one of cinema's true giants--Orson Welles--during the making of Macbeth in 1947, the lessons he absorbed on that set shaped not only his future but the future of Indian cinema. Returning to a newly independent India, Jagat went on to build the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from the ground up. In The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha offers an intimate and meticulously researched portrait of her father--a celebrated documentary filmmaker--and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII turned out top talent--Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha and Mani Kaul, and other cinema legends. His alumni became the leading names of Bollywood and beyond. They spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kick-started regional language cinema and helped usher television into the country. How did Jagat go about 'making' such extraordinary filmmakers? What was his secret formula? A gripping story of ambition, adversity and artistic brilliance--richly illustrated with rare photographs--The Maker of Filmmakers paints a vivid picture of how one man's vision and determination helped turn Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today. About the Author, Radha Chadha Radha Chadha is an author, columnist, speaker and one of Asia's foremost experts on marketing and consumer insights. Her book The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury was a bestseller, and is the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. After two decades at top advertising agencies--Ogilvy, JWT, Grey and Bates Asia--she founded her own brand consultancy in Hong Kong. For over a decade, Radha also wrote a widely read column for Mint, one of India's leading business newspapers. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA from St Stephen's College, Delhi. Radha grew up on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where her father, Jagat Murari, shaped a generation of filmmakers. Media ManagerRitesh Verma+91 88604 08458info@chadha-strategy.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849475/Radha_Chadha_Film_Festival_of_Kerala.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)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 19: Afcons Infrastructure Limited has been conferred with two prestigious recognitions - Grand Award for Top Innovative Company and the Top Innovative Company in the Service Category (Large) - at the CII Industrial Innovation Awards 2025. These recognitions underscore the company's strong innovation-led incredible engineering and technical leadership in the infrastructure sector.

All participating 900 leading organisations and multinational companies underwent a rigorous three-stage evaluation process comprising an online application, assessor-led evaluation, and a Grand Jury review. The final evaluation involved a high-level Grand Jury of Directors of all major IITs & IIMs, Industry Leaders and International Experts, where the innovations were presented and deliberated.

The awards were accepted by Mr V Manivannan, Director & Chief Technical Officer; Mr Jayadatta Lad, Deputy General Manager; and Mr Prajwal Halagatti, Manager, from Afcons at an event in New Delhi on December 16, 2025.

These honours reaffirm Afcons' continued focus on innovation, operational excellence, and knowledge-driven execution as key pillars of long-term value creation. The awards further strengthen Afcons' positioning as a leading global infrastructure company, delivering sustainable and technologically advanced solutions across geographies.

About Afcons Infrastructure Ltd

Afcons Infrastructure Ltd is flagship infrastructure engineering and construction company of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. It has a legacy of over six decades, with strong track record of executing numerous technologically complex EPC projects both within India and internationally. As per the latest ENR survey, Afcons is ranked in Top 140 international Contractors globally; 12th in Bridges and 14th in Marine & Ports.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849622/Afcons_bags_Innovation_Awards.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2581782/5690853/Afcons_and_SP_Logo.jpg

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VMPL New Delhi [India], December 19: HSBC India has expanded its collaboration with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an implementing partner of the PM POSHAN programme, to strengthen its ongoing efforts to support school nutrition delivery for low-income students in Lucknow. The Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri. Brajesh Pathak, together with leadership teams from HSBC India and Akshaya Patra, inaugurated Solar powered upgraded kitchen and distribution facilities designed to enhance sustainability and efficiency under the PM POSHAN programme and state-level mid-day meal initiatives. The initiative was flagged off by the Deputy CM at the newly opened branch of HSBC India at Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Magar, in the presence of Sandeep Batra, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, HSBC India, and Anil Swarup, Trustee, the Akshaya Patra Foundation. The upgraded facilities include the installation of a 150-kW solar plant, which provides uninterrupted power, reduces reliance on the grid, and lowers long-term operating costs. Additionally, five electric vehicles have been deployed to deliver meals to nearly 1,500 schools, helping to reduce emissions, cut operational expenses, and ensure reliable distribution. The kitchen has also been equipped with modern grinders, roti machines, vegetable washing machines, and rice batching systems, which collectively boost production capacity, improve food safety and hygiene, and help maintain rigorous nutritional standards for every meal. These upgrades are projected to deliver a carbon reduction of 10,115 kg over the next decade, aligning with broader environmental goals and setting a benchmark for sustainable social impact in the region. Aloka Majumdar, MD and Head of Sustainability, HSBC India, said "At HSBC, we believe that nourishing young minds is fundamental to building a brighter future. Our partnership with The Akshaya Patra Foundation reflects our commitment to driving positive change, combining innovation, sustainability, and compassion to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and grow. By investing in sustainable energy, modern transport, and upgraded kitchen facilities, we're not just improving operations--we're investing in the future of Lucknow's children." Anil Swarup IAS (Retired), Trustee - The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Former Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Department (MHRD), Government of India, said, "HSBC's enduring support over the years has enabled us to expand our reach, enhance operational efficiency, and adopt sustainable practices in our kitchens. This year's kitchen upgrades in Lucknow reflect a shared vision--to nourish children while reducing our environmental footprint. Through this partnership, we are fostering healthier children, stronger communities, and a more sustainable future." HSBC India and Akshay Patra Foundation's partnership has grown year on year. In 2024-25, HSBC India supported the serving of 1,303,324 nutritious mid-day meals to 29,621 children across 20 locations, including Vadodara, Udaipur, Delhi, Chittorgarh, Surat, Nathdwara, Srikakulam, Silvassa, Vizag, Varanasi, Bhilwara, Hyderabad, Nayagarh, Panvel, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhavnagar, Bhubaneshwar, and Dehradun. In 2022-23, the collaboration facilitated 8,575,829 mid-day meals across 13 locations, ensuring thousands of children received the daily nutrition essential for their growth and learning. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
VMPL New Delhi [India], December 19: Team Marksmen Network successfully hosted the Most Preferred Workplaces 2025-26 - Healthcare, Pharma & Biotech on December 11 at Novotel Mumbai International Airport. Themed "Redefining Workplaces, Reigniting India's Growth Story," the day-long conference and awards ceremony brought together over 200+ senior leaders from across the pharmaceutical and healthcare ecosystem to deliberate on the evolving dynamics of workplace culture, talent, and leadership in India. The summit commenced with a welcome address by Rajesh Khubchandani, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Team Marksmen Network, who emphasized, "As we start this journey, we have seen a lot of narratives and stories being told. The way a select few organisations manage them is truly remarkable. Today, we celebrate the success of every organisation and hope they become harbingers of something even greater." The agenda featured a high-impact Panel Discussion on "Humanizing Healthcare Workplaces: Empathy Meets Innovation," moderated by Mandar Dani, Director - People & Organization (Health Industries), PwC. The panel brought together eminent HR leaders including Namita Patwari, CHRO, Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited; Dr. Jagmohan Singh Rishi, Global Head - Learning & Digital Business Excellence, Wockhardt Ltd; Rajan B. Saawant, VP Corporate HR, Indoco Remedies Ltd; Rashma Nathani, Head - Human Resources, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital; Vishnupriya Manoharan, Vice President - Human Resources, Kauvery Hospital; and Vamsi Garimella, AVP - People & Culture, Matrix PharmaCorp. The discussion explored how healthcare organizations can balance technological advancement with empathy, wellbeing, and inclusive people practices. Following the panel, the summit featured an engaging fireside chat titled "From Pressure to Purpose: Crafting Healthcare Workplaces That Thrive." The conversation brought together Gautam Khanna, CEO, P. D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, and Dr. Sujit Paul, Group CEO, Zota Healthcare Limited, and was chaired by Karan Karayi, Editor-in-Chief, Team Marksmen Network. The session offered candid leadership perspectives on navigating workforce pressures, fostering purpose-driven cultures, and building resilient healthcare organizations that empower talent while enhancing patient outcomes. The summit also celebrated excellence by recognising a select group of organisations as the Most Preferred Workplaces 2025-26 in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, honouring those driving innovation, inclusive culture, and talent-first practices. Dr. Anuj Gupte, Vice President - Government Projects, MDIndia Health Insurance TPA Pvt. Ltd., heading the State and Central Health Scheme of Maharashtra, joined the forum as Guest of Honour. In his address, Dr. Gupte emphasized, "As India expands its state and central health schemes, the success of these programmes depends on organisations that combine operational excellence with a people-first mindset. Celebrating such workplaces reinforces the importance of collaboration, accountability, and empathy in healthcare delivery." The brands felicitated at the gala ceremony included:Abbott India * Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd. * Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited * CADILA PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED * Dr. Reddy's and Nestle Health Science Limited * INDOCO REMEDIES LIMITED * Kauvery Hospital * Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital * Matrix Pharmacorp * Medtronic * P. D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre * WOCKHARDT LTD * Zota Healthcare Limited This one-of-a-kind platform served as a powerful crucible where vision met courage--bringing together leaders committed to shaping purpose-led, people-first workplaces that inspire excellence and resilience across India's healthcare ecosystem. For media queries or partnership opportunities, please write to contact@teammarksmen.com. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
The Winter Session of Parliament was heavy on the financial agenda, with several key legislations passed, including the bill to amend insurance laws, the Appropriation Bills, and the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill. The session, which began on December 1, was adjourned sine die on Friday. During the session, 10 Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha and eight Bills were passed by the upper House of Parliament. The two Houses passed eight bills during the session which had 15 sittings. The financial and related bills passed by the two Houses include the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025, the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025, the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, (SHANTI Bill), which opens up the nuclear sector to private entities, was passed by the two Houses of the Parliament. Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025 seeks to raise the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in Indian insurance companies from the existing 74 per cent to 100 per cent. The government said the move is intended to attract stable, long-term foreign capital, facilitate technology transfer, and enhance insurance penetration and social security coverage across the country. First Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2025-26 were discussed and related Appropriation Bills were passed by the two Houses. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was also passed by the two Houses. It seeks to revise the excise duties on tobacco and related products after the expiry of the GST compensation cess. The Securities Markets Code (SMC) Bill, 2025, introduced in Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, was referred to the Departmental Standing Committee. It aims to modernize India's securities market framework by consolidating and replacing three decades-old laws governing capital markets. The proposed Code seeks to merge the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, the SEBI Act, 1992, and the Depositories Act, 1996 into a single, unified statute. The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, passed by both the Houses, seeks to implement the further decisions of the GST Council, including a plan to consolidate existing GST rates into two main slabs of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, in Manipur. The two Houses saw heated debate on SHANTI Bill. In his reply to the debate in Lok Sabha, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said the Bill seeks to modernise India's nuclear framework in line with contemporary technological, economic and energy realities, while retaining and strengthening core safety, security and regulatory safeguards that have been in place since the Atomic Energy Act of 1962. He underlined that the proposed legislation consolidates existing laws and upgrades the regulatory architecture by giving statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, which until now functioned through an executive order. He stressed that safety norms, security controls over fissile material, spent fuel and heavy water, and periodic inspections remain firmly under government oversight, regardless of private participation. The Minister clarified that private entities will not have control over sensitive materials, and that spent fuel management will continue to be handled by the government, as has been the practice for decades . On liability, a central theme of the debate, the Minister said the Bill does not dilute compensation to victims. He explained that operator liability has been rationalised through graded caps linked to reactor size to encourage newer technologies such as small modular reactors, while ensuring that full compensation is available to affected persons through a multi-layered mechanism. This includes operator liability, a proposed Nuclear Liability Fund backed by the government, and additional international compensation through India's participation in the Convention on Supplementary Compensation. He maintained that supplier liability was removed after detailed consideration of global practices and advances in reactor safety, while negligence and penal provisions remain enforceable under the law . Jitendra Singh also rejected the view that the Bill signals a retreat from public sector capability, pointing to a nearly 170 per cent increase in the Department of Atomic Energy's budget over the past decade and a doubling of installed nuclear capacity since 2014. He said India's nuclear contribution to the energy mix remains modest compared to global peers, and scaling it up is essential to meet rising demand from sectors such as data processing, healthcare and industry, alongside renewables. The Bill, he added, enables responsible private and joint venture participation to bridge resource constraints, shorten gestation periods and support the national goal of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047, without compromising national security or public interest . Placing the legislation in a broader context, the Minister said nuclear energy has applications beyond power generation, including cancer care, agriculture and industry, and the Bill for the first time explicitly recognises environmental and economic damage within the definition of nuclear harm. With dedicated investments announced for small modular reactors and research and innovation, Jitendra Singh said the proposed law aims to create an enabling ecosystem. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday inaugurated the World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2025 in Mumbai, describing it as a powerful global platform that connects economic growth with India's civilizational values. The two-day international forum has brought together policymakers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders from across the world. WHEF 2025 aims to strengthen global Hindu economic collaboration while contributing to India's long-term growth story. Previous editions of the forum have been held in cities such as London, Bangkok, Los Angeles and Adelaide, highlighting its expanding international reach. Addressing the World Hindu Economic Forum 2025, industrialist Sajjan Jindal emphasized the urgent need to strengthen India's manufacturing sector to ensure long-term economic growth. He pointed out that while India's economy has traditionally been driven by the services sector, a balanced growth model requires a stronger focus on manufacturing. Addressing the World Hindu Economic Forum 2025, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that the Fifth Industrial Revolution will be led by India, driven by the strength and innovation of the country's technologists and innovators. He said that India possesses the talent and capability to emerge as a global leader in advanced technologies. Fadnavis noted that artificial intelligence (AI) is currently dominating the technological landscape and has brought significant disruption, leading to fundamental changes in the nature of business and industry. He expressed confidence that India will play a leading role in the AI sector in the coming years. Referring to the importance of self-reliance, the Chief Minister said that discussions around Swadeshi remain highly relevant for the country's growth. He highlighted that this vision was strongly articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the clarion call of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. To achieve this goal, Fadnavis stressed the need to strengthen Swadeshi products and promote indigenous innovation. He further said that leveraging new technologies will be key to making India truly self-reliant. Highlighting the Prime Minister's emphasis on technology transfer, Fadnavis pointed out that India's defence sector has witnessed rapid growth in recent years as a result of policy reforms and increased domestic manufacturing. Drawing a global comparison, the Chief Minister said that while China has grown rapidly, there is a lack of complete trust globally. In contrast, he said, the world places greater trust in India due to its belief in coexistence and collaboration. Looking ahead, Fadnavis identified Africa as the next major growth market and emphasized the need for India to deepen engagement with African nations. He called for a model of co-creation and co-development with African countries. Fadnavis further revealed plans for a new 54-storey building in Navi Mumbai, with each floor representing one of Africa's 54 nations, aimed at strengthening institutional and economic cooperation. (ANI)
India is engaging with countries where Halal certification for the export of meat and meat products is mandatory, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed yesterday facilitates mutual recognition arrangements for Halal certification, acceptance of India's NPOP certification for organic products, and enhanced cooperation in standards and conformity assessment. "For many years, three-four years, we have been trying to get the Gulf countries who are the largest users of Halal, other than some other Islamic countries, to accept formal Halal certified products rather than the current informal processes," Piyush Goyal told reporters at a press conference focused on the Oman CEPA. Recognition of India's halal certification in Oman will reduce duplication of testing and certification, lower costs and improve market access for Indian exporters. "We are going to focus on all the countries...We're going to engage with all 55 countries on a mission mode wherever Halal certification is largely required," he said. "We are going to insist that only formally approved Halal certification should be accepted, because that is a proper process-driven Halal certification. We want to make sure that their religious sentiments are respected through a formal and official Halal certification process rather than the irregular processes that have prevailed for many decades in this country," he added. The Commerce Minister also apprised the media that for the first time India's National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) regime has been accepted. Organic products certified by India's Export Inspection Council (EIC) will now be accepted straight away in Oman. "Oman will not require further testing. Any EIC (Export Inspection Council) inspected products will automatically be accepted in the Oman market," he noted. The mandatory acceptance of certificates issued by EIC will facilitate trade and avoid unnecessary testing and inspection of India's exports at the port of arrival in Oman. Negotiations for the India-Oman CEPA started in November 2023. The agreement was signed yesterday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Oman. Piyush Goyal and Oman's Minister of Commerce, Industry & Investment Promotion Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef signed the agreement. India is getting 100 per cent duty-free market access for its exports to Oman, which almost covers 98 per cent of Oman's tariff lines and 99 per cent of the trade value. The average duty structure is 5 per cent and almost 80 per cent of India's current exports are covered. Duty concessions are kicking in from day one itself. Agriculture segments, which is very strategic for India and is related to livelihoods, has also been safeguarded in order to ensure the farmers' interests. (ANI)
Amid reports surrounding actor David Harbour's "erratic behaviour", the 'Stranger Things' star will skip out on attending the Netflix show's grand finale event, as per People. Harbour, who was scheduled to attend the 'Stranger Things: The Final Season Celebration' in New York, has not been listed as an expected attendee. He is also not a part of the screening and conversation on the venue's website. According to People, David Harbour will not be present at the event due to a "scheduling conflict." The development comes at a time when the series' leading star, Millie Bobby Brown, has also stepped out of attending the event due to a recent injury. David Harbour has lately been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Previously, speculations about Millie Bobby Brown filing a harassment report against him gained momentum; however, the duo eventually cleared the air at the 'Stranger Things' UK premiere. Brown also praised her longtime co-star, who plays her on-screen father figure Jim Hopper, and said, "It's been amazing. We're so lucky to have each other. The show means so much to both of us, and to everyone here. This has been the last 10 years of our lives," as quoted by Deadline. On the other hand, a video of Harbour also surfaced online showing him running down the street with a bar patron's hat in an altercation. According to TMZ, the actor threw the hat to the ground and enquired about the Iraq War before he fell to his knees in prayer. A source explained, "David has always been honest about managing his bipolar disorder. Wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's dealing with here, after working non-stop all year and having his personal life under public scrutiny. That would be stressful for anyone, but even more so for someone who is bipolar." David Harbour is currently seen on the fifth and final season of Netflix's hit series 'Stranger Things'. Days after the release of Volume 1, fans are eagerly awaiting the second volume, which will be dropped on December 25. The trailer for 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Volume 2 was recently unveiled, showing the Hawkins residents waging a war against Vecna and his army of Demogorgons from the Upside Down. The finale will be out on New Year's Eve. (ANI)
"I am deeply honoured to be chosen as this year's recipient of the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award. To be acknowledged by my fellow actors means a great deal to me. I've spent most of my life on film sets, working alongside incredible actors and crews, and I've always felt grateful to be part of this community," added Ford as quoted by Variety.

According to the outlet, the award is given annually to an actor who exemplifies the "finest ideals of the acting profession," including past recipients such as Mary Tyler Moore, Sidney Poitier, Betty White, Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Earl Jones.

"Harrison Ford is a singular presence in American life; an actor whose iconic characters have shaped world culture," SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said.

"His career has been endlessly exciting, always returning to his love of acting. We are honoured to celebrate a legend whose impact on our craft is indelible," added Sean Astin as quoted by Variety.

In a career spanning over three decades, Ford's work includes blockbusters like the 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones' franchises, as well as hits such as 'Air Force One,' 'The Fugitive' and 'What Lies Beneath.'

When not playing an action hero, Ford starred in rom-coms like 'Working Girl' and dramas such as 'The Mosquito Coast.'

Other credits include 'Blade Runner' and 'Witness,' which earned him an Oscar nomination.

Ford has previously won the Critics' Choice Career Achievement Award (2024), Golden Globes Cecil B. DeMille Award (2002) and the AFI Life Achievement Award (2000).

He was an Emmy nominee last year for Apple TV's 'Shrinking.' (ANI)
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday slammed the BJP-led government over provisions of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, (SHANTI Bill), saying that the party was going against the stance of its own leaders Arun Jaitley and Jaswant Singh when the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, was enacted in 2010. Participating in the debate on the SHANTI Bill in Rajya Sabha, he said Modi government was deft in coining acronyms, saying they appear to coin acronyms first and draft policies later. "I have no objection to accepting that there is no match for the Modi government when it comes to finding acronyms, inventing family-related words, using them effectively, and giving colourful names to bills. They come up with an acronym first and then an Act, first an acronym and then a policy, and today we are seeing examples like first 'Shanti' and second 'G RAMG'," he said. He detailed progress made in the atomic energy sector over the decades and said the Modi government wants people to believe that various initiatives started in 2014, when it came to power. "I want to place three issues before the House. What is the history before 2014? Because we are repeatedly told that everything began only in 2014, especially the nuclear energy programme, the space program, and the various programs related to science and technology. We are given the impression that before 2014 there was no foundation at all, and that after 2014 a new revolution took place," Ramesh added. The Congress leader accused BJP of forgetting real history and being always keen to rewrite its own version. He said the first Atomic Energy Bill was passed on April 6, 1948, and the Atomic Energy Commission was established on August 15, 1948. Jairam Ramesh said SHANTI Bill is opposite of what the BJP had stated when Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, was enacted. He said the government had made another U-turn. The Congress leader said India had vast resources of thorium and the government should heed to suggestions of eminent expert Anil Kakodkar. He said that India has made a lot of progress in peaceful use of atomic energy and was operating nuclear reactors of various sizes.He said that Indian private players should be encouraged to capitalize and build on India's own strengths and not look towards foreign companies. In his reply to the debate, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh sought to allay the apprehensions of opposition members and said safety aspect has not been diluted. The bill seeks to repeal the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. Jitendra Singh said the new legislation is aligned to achieve the objectives of increasing the share of nuclear energy in the total energy mix of India, will facilitate innovation in atomic science and technology, expand its applications to non-power applications and continue to honour India's obligations towards safety, security, safeguards and towards nuclear liability. India has set an ambitious target to achieve energy independence with a roadmap for decarbonisation of the economy by 2070 and to achieve 100 Giga Watt of nuclear power capacity by 2047. The bill seeks to leverage the contribution of domestic nuclear energy to augment the global nuclear energy ecosystem. Opposition members strongly demanded that the bill be referred to the standing or select committee, stating that it has wide-ranging implications and its impact will be felt for decades. They alleged that the government had diluted the liability clause and asked whether it was bringing the bill under any pressure. The amendments moved by the opposition members were negatived. Jitendra Singh said that wide consultations were held before framing the bill. "Jairam Ramesh ji started his intervention with a suggestion that when the rules are framed, the views of others and all stakeholders should be taken into consideration. I have no hesitation to say that the bill has taken one year or so, or more than that, with very serious and multiple considerations, consultations at different levels inter-ministerial levels, sectoral level--with industry leaders, scientific experts, business potential partners, and even the startups. So all sections of stakeholders have been involved, and the process is continuing because it is a new experience for us (government) also," he said. The minister said the bill is a part of India's larger nuclear energy ecosystem which includes small modular reactors. (ANI)
Debbie Rush has been left devastated after her son died aged 31.

Debbie Rush's son William Rush has died aged 31

The former Coronation Street actress admitted her family's hearts are "completely broken" after Waterloo Road actor William Rush - who portrayed schoolboy Josh Stevenson in the BBC One drama, from 2009 to 2013 - passed away on Wednesday (17.12.25).

Debbie - who played Anna Windass in the ITV soap - wrote on Instagram: "Our beautiful baby boy, William, passed away on 17th December. As a family, our hearts are completely broken, and there are no words that can truly capture the depth of our loss."

Brassic star Debbie revealed William became an organ donor in his "darkest moment", and insisted kindness "will forever be part of his legacy".

She added: "Even in our darkest moment, William gave the most precious gift of all. Through being an organ donor, he has given hope and life to other families, thinking of others right to the very end. His kindness and love will forever be part of his legacy.

"We kindly ask that our privacy be respected as we navigate this unimaginable grief. William will always be loved, always missed, and forever in our hearts.

#bekind"

Several of Debbie's former Corrie stars paid tribute to William following the tragic news.

Sally Dynevor commented: "Oh Debbie Im so shocked to hear this news. Sending you so much love. What a beautiful boy he was"

Jack P. Shepherd wrote on Instagram: "Terrible to read that Debbie. Devastating news. thinking of you all xxx"

Catherine Tyldesley commented: "Oh love. Im heartbroken for you all. I am so deeply sorry. Im sending so much love and strength"

A number of Will's former Waterloo Road co-stars also paid tribute to the late actor.

Denise Welch wrote: "He was a joy. I'm so sorry Debbie"

Chelsee Healey wrote: "oh debbie my heart breaks for you all im so so sorry ! Rest in peace Will (sic)"

Hollyoaks star Jamie Lomas also remembered Will, writing: "My thoughts are with you all at this very difficult time.

"I have so many brilliant memories with Will. Devastated. Rest in peace mate"

William also starred in Shameless, Grange Hill, Vera and Casualty.

His cause of death has not been revealed.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy dared the BRS President K Chandrashekhar Rao to a debate on the injustice meted out to Telangana in the sharing and utilisation of the Krishna and Godavari waters during the 10-year BRS rule in the state, the Telangana CMO said in a release. The State Government is ready to hold a special session of the Assembly on water-sharing issues and present evidence in the house on the deprival of rights of the Telangana state in claiming its due share in the previous government, the Chief Minister declared. Addressing the press here today, the CM said that Congress defeated KCR and brought the party to power while the BRS leader was active in politics. Now, the leader was not active in politics. "I am directly challenging KCR to write a letter as an opposition leader. We are ready for a discussion on who committed injustice regarding Krishna and Godavari waters by holding a special session anytime," the CM said. The Chief Minister charged KCR with betraying Telangana by ceding the state's rights to utilise its due share of water from the two rivers. Further, CM Revanth Reddy said the government was ready to discuss the 42 per cent BC reservations democratically in the assembly and move forward. Referring to changes to the rural employment scheme under a new act, the Chief Minister said the ruling BJP at the centre conspired to weaken the important scheme. Congress alone will safeguard the country's democratic spirit. Exuding confidence that Congress will retain power in the next assembly elections with a 2/3 majority, the CM said Congress won 7,527 panchayats out of 12,702 and that Congress rebels won 808. Congress and its allies won 8,335 Gram Panchayats, accounting for 66 per cent of seats. The BRS and BJP alliance secured 33 per cent, and the Communists won 1 per cent of the results. "The Congress victory is an outcome of the performance of the People's government," the CM said, adding that people already voted in support of Congress in Jubilee Hills and Secunderabad cantonment by-elections. Across 94 assembly constituencies where local body elections were held, the Congress achieved the best results in 87 seats. The Chief Minister said that the BRS won in only six constituencies, and the BJP in 1. The schemes, mainly Fine Rice distribution, bonus for Jowar crops, cooking gas cylinder at Rs 500, Indiramma houses, 200 units of free electricity, interest-free loans for women's self-help groups, implementation of SC categorisation, caste census, and other schemes, drew good results in the panchayat elections. CM Revanth Reddy said that, along with the six guarantees, the People's government provided freedom to the people as the seventh guarantee. The Chief Minister reaffirmed that Telangana would be promoted as the number one state in the country. The Chief Minister alleged that BRS leaders were displaying arrogance despite the party's defeat in the assembly and panchayat elections. "The BRS won not a single election after KTR was promoted as the party's Working President. Harish Rao group launched a social media campaign to remove KTR from the leadership role, and it could be the main reason KTR embarked on district tours," he said. The CM suggested that the BRS leaders stop obstructing efforts to improve people's welfare. CM Revanth Reddy said that the Panchayat elections were held in a free and fair manner. The Chief Minister congratulated the officials for conducting the polls peacefully and thanked the people for blessing the Congress party. (ANI)
Missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed's mother, Fatima Nafees, has moved a petition in the Delhi High Court against a trial court order accepting CBI's closure report. The Rouse Avenue court accepted the closure report in June 2025. Fatima Nafees is seeking further investigation by CBI. The petition is listed for hearing on Friday, December 19, 2025. Najeeb Ahmed went missing in October 2016 after an alleged altercation with a group of students. Fatima Nafees has moved a petition through advocate Govind Manoharan, who told ANI that she has challenged the order. She is seeking some direction, including a further investigation. Her petition is listed before the bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula for hearing tomorrow. Fatima Nafees told ANI that she has challenged the order and will not allow the case to be closed. "I am waiting for justice. Neither did I get my son back, nor did I get justice," she said. On June 30, 2025, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court accepted the closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the JNU student Najeeb Ahmed's missing case, who had gone missing in October 2016. This case was transferred to the CBI by the Delhi High Court. The agency filed a closure report in 2018. His mother, Fatima Nafees, had challenged the closure report. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Jyoti Maheshwari accepted the CBI's closure report. "The CBI is at liberty to reopen the case if any evidence is found in connection with this case," ACJM Maheshwari said orally while pronouncing the order. Earlier, the Investigation Officer (IO) informed the court that the statements of Quasim, Najeeb's mother, Fatima, his friend from Jamia, and the JNU hostel warden were recorded. It was also stated that the auto driver's statement was recorded by both the Delhi Police and the court. It was also clarified that the hostel warden, who saw Najeeb take an auto from JNU, had made a statement. Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, had moved a protest petition against the CBI's closure report. The Delhi High Court has transferred the case from the Delhi Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigation. It was alleged that Najeeb went missing following an altercation with students. Initially, an FIR was lodged by the Delhi police. The case was transferred to the CBI on May 16, 2017. Thereafter, the CBI registered an FIR in June 2017. The CBI had filed a closure report in 2018. (ANI)
Garg said that the SIR work is almost complete, and any remaining gaps are being filled in the meantime.

"An inspection related to the SIR was done here. The work is almost complete... I held a meeting with the DM and all the EROs (Electoral Registration Officers), and they were instructed to re-verify everything and fill the gaps, if any, in time," he stated.

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 an official statement.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the Election Commission published the draft rolls after the SIR of voter lists in West Bengal, with 58,20,899 electors, accounting for 7.59 per cent, deleted due to death, being untraceable, or permanent migration.

According to a press release by the Election Commission, out of a total 7,66,37,529 voters, 7,08,16,630 electors have submitted their enumeration forms as of December 11.

The poll body stated that genuine electors can still be added back in the electoral rolls during the Claims and Objections period from December 16 to January 15, 2026.

Alongside West Bengal, the draft electoral rolls for Rajasthan, Goa, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep were also published on the same day.

Meanwhile, the revised schedule, the draft roll for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, 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.

Also, the enumeration period for Kerala will end on December 18, and the draft roll will be published on December 23. The final electoral roll will now be published on February 21, 2026, instead of February 14, 2026. (ANI)
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat raised questions in Parliament over documents related to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru that were taken from the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML) in 2008, urging former Congress President Sonia Gandhi to return them in the interest of preserving the country's documentary heritage. Speaking on the issue on Thursday, Shekhawat said that between 1971 and 1992, documents related to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru were handed over to the Prime Ministers' Museum on nine different occasions. "Today (on Thursday), a question was raised regarding the documents of the Prime Ministers' Museum... From 1971 to 1992, during this entire period, documents related to Pandit Nehru were handed over to the Prime Ministers' Museum on 9 different occasions. These documents, numbering approximately 4 lakh, were related to Jawaharlal Nehru," he said. Shekhawat added that these documents were deposited for safekeeping and were not gifts. "When they were handed over, it was written that 'these are not gifts, they have been deposited for safekeeping...' Taking advantage of this clause, in 2008, on the instructions of Sonia Gandhi, M.V. Rajan came there and took the documents, saying that they needed some documents back that had been kept for safekeeping. Accordingly, 21,000 documents were returned to them," he stated. He further said that the PMML had later written to Sonia Gandhi requesting the return of the documents to maintain continuity, but they were not sent back. "In response to that letter, Sonia Gandhi wrote, 'I will look into this matter...' I would urge her to return these documents to the Prime Ministers' Museum," Shekhawat said. Meanwhile, following the Ministry of Culture's clarification that no document related to Jawaharlal Nehru is "missing" from PMML as their whereabouts are known, historian and author Rizwan Kadri, a member of the Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, expressed hope that Sonia Gandhi would return the collections. Speaking to ANI, Kadri said he was appointed to the PMML Society in 2019 and that efforts were made to ensure researchers faced no difficulties. "I wanted to study Edwina Mountbatten's papers. The original collection was donated to the institution by her daughter, but I could not see it. This issue was discussed during our annual general meeting. Sonia Gandhi had taken these papers into her custody," he said. He added that the issue was formally acknowledged in 2024. "After the 2024 meeting, for the first time in the minutes, the organisation acknowledged that Sonia Gandhi was the chairperson of this institution in 2008. The collections were segregated. She took a total of 9 collections," Kadri said. Kadri further said that despite repeated requests, there was no response until the issue was raised publicly. "After receiving no response from her in December 2024, I requested LoP Rahul Gandhi to help me with my research. Then, in January 2025, our executive council requested Sonia ji, but there was no response from her. Yesterday, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat brought this matter into the public domain... I hope she returns back the collection to the autonomous body," he added. The clarification from the Ministry of Culture came after Congress objected to Shekhawat's written reply in Parliament to a question by BJP MP Sambit Patra on whether Nehru's letters were missing from PMML. Shekhawat had stated that no document related to the country's first Prime Minister was missing, prompting Congress to demand an apology from the Centre. In a post on X on Thursday, the Ministry of Culture said the papers are not missing because their location is known and sought their return, describing them as "part of the nation's documentary heritage." "Vide letter dated April 29, 2008, M V Rajan, representative of Smt. Sonia Gandhi requested that Smt. Gandhi wishes to take back all of the private family letters and notes of former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru. Accordingly, 51 cartons of Nehru Papers were sent to Smt. Sonia Gandhi in 2008," the Ministry said. It added that PMML has remained in continuous correspondence with Sonia Gandhi's office for the return of the papers, including letters dated January 28, 2025, and July 3, 2025. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ram Kadam got a haircut on Thursday after keeping his hair uncut for four years, following the resolution of the long-standing water problem in his constituency, Ghatkopar West. Kadam had taken a vow four years ago not to visit a barber until a permanent solution was found to the water scarcity faced by residents in the area. He fulfilled the vow after key infrastructure work related to water supply was initiated. According to the BJP MLA, the project includes the construction of water tanks with a total capacity of over two crore litres and the connection of a water pipeline from Bhandup. The start of this work marked a major step towards addressing the local water crisis. Speaking to ANI, Ram Kadam said, "Five years back, I started thinking about how water can reach the mountain areas. I am happy that water tanks that can accommodate over two crore litres of water are going to be constructed here. The waterline from Bhandup has also been connected here." He added that the water-connection model implemented in Ghatkopar could be replicated in other parts of the country and even globally in a positive manner. The BJP MLA also reacted to the resignation of Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate following his conviction in the house quota cheating case. Kadam said he respects the decision taken by the judiciary. "We all have to respect the decision made by the court, and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar have decided to respect the judiciary's decision. If there is a decision by the court like this for any minister, then he has given his resignation on his own based on ethics," he said. Commenting on the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, Kadam said party leaders would take decisions at the appropriate time. "Who will stand in the election or who will not will be decided by the ministers of the party, and ground-level MLAs like us are completely ready for it. But our flag will fly over the Mumbai Mahanagar Palika," he said. (ANI)
In a humanitarian gesture to support the state, the Vice Chancellor of Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Prof. R.S. Chandel, contributed one day's salary from the University staff to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Prof. Chandel presented a cheque of Rs. 25,66,606 to Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu towards the Fund. In return, the Chief Minister thanked the university and its vice-chancellor for the generous gesture and said that such contributions go a long way in helping those in need. Moreover, he appealed to the state's residents to contribute generously to this fund. President of the Teachers Association of the University, Dr. B.S. Dilta; President, Personal Staff Association, Rakesh Kumar Handa; and other staff members and union presidents also attended the event. Himchal Pradesh, a winter wonderland that becomes a tourist hotspot during the winter months, grapples with extreme weather conditions such as monsoons, floods, landslides, and snowfall. This causes significant disruptions to public utilities, affecting hundreds of roads, power transformers, and water schemes. Just in this monsoon season, SEOC reported a total of 866 roads were blocked across the state as of the morning of September 7, 2025. This includes three National Highways: NH-03, NH-05, and NH-305. The maximum number of road blockages was reported in the Kullu district, with 225 roads affected, followed by Mandi with 191 and Shimla with 154. The number of road blockages in other districts was reported as follows: Chamba (116), Sirmaur (45), Kangra (42), Una (33), Solan (22), Bilaspur (18), Lahaul & Spiti (11), Kinnaur (6), and Hamirpur (3). The power supply was also severely affected, with 1,572 Distribution Transformers (DTRs) out of service. The Kullu district was the worst-hit, with 873 disrupted DTRS, followed by Mandi with 259 disruptions and Lahaul & Spiti (L&S) with 142. During peak tourist season and freezing weather, the state's Chief Minister's funds support relief, rehabilitation, and a sense of security during times of distress. (ANI)
Low-cost Indian airline and subsidiary of the Tata Group, Air India Express, cancelled the Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam flight on Friday due to a technical issue that was identified prior to departure. According to an Air India Express spokesperson, passengers were provided with hotel accommodation and offered the option of a full refund or complimentary rescheduling. "In the interest of safety, our Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam flight returned to the ramp after the pilot identified a technical issue prior to departure. The flight was subsequently cancelled. Guests were promptly provided with hotel accommodation and refreshments. Guests were also offered options, including a full refund or complimentary rescheduling. We regret the inconvenience caused and reiterate that safety remains paramount in all aspects of our operations," said an Air India Express spokesperson. Earlier, on December 15, Air India Express issued a travel advisory warning that fog at select airports in North India may affect flight schedules. According to the airline, affected services included flights between Varanasi (VNS) and Mumbai (BOM) and Delhi-Srinagar (SXR). Additionally, Delhi-Indore (IDR), Delhi-Guwahati (GAU), Delhi-Ranchi (IXR), Mangaluru (IXE)-Delhi, Delhi-Mangaluru (IXE), and Lucknow (LKO)-Riyadh (RUH) flights were also affected by the flight scheduling. Air India Express said passengers affected are eligible for a one-time flight change without change fees for up to seven days from the original travel date, or for a full refund to the original payment method. Meanwhile, IndiGo has overtaken Air India and Air India Express in international passenger traffic during the July-September 2025 quarter, according to official data by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Data for the quarter shows IndiGo carried a total of 41.36 lakh international passengers, with 19.88 lakh passengers arriving in India and 21.47 lakh departing from the country. By comparison, Air India carried 11.79 lakh passengers to India and 11.97 lakh from India, while Air India Express recorded 8.08 lakh arrivals and 9.13 lakh departures. Even when combined, the Air India group's international passenger volumes for the quarter fell short of IndiGo's standalone numbers. This change occurred after Air India reduced its flights following a June plane crash. This reduction in flights created capacity that IndiGo quickly filled by increasing flights on key international routes. (ANI)
Taking it to X, the Punjab Chief Minister remembered the brave heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation's freedom.

"We pay billions of salutations to the great revolutionary warriors and martyrs of the Kakori Rail Action, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil Ji, Ashfaq Ullah Khan Ji, and Roshan Singh Ji. The entire nation will forever remain indebted to the sacrifices made by them for the freedom of the country," he wrote on X.

The Kakori Train Action was a train robbery that took place at Kakori, a village near Lucknow, on August 9, 1925, during the Indian Independence Movement against British colonial rule.

The robbery was organised by the Hindustan Republican Association, and more than 40 persons were arrested in this incident. They were finally sentenced to death by the British government, and severe punishments were also given to those people who helped with the incident.

The main purpose of the robbery was to protest against the heavy tax that was collected from the Indians and use the money to fund the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) rather than leaving it with the Britishers.

Following the incident, Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, and Roshan Singh were sentenced to death on December 19, 1927.

Earlier in August, the Uttar Pradesh government renamed the 'Kakori Kand' to 'Kakori Train Action', as the word 'Kand' denotes a sense of insult to this incident under India's Independence struggle. (ANI)
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Dola Sen on Friday said that the party has been holding a 12-hour protest against the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) bill, 2025, also known as the VB-G RAM G bill, since 12 am. "We have to do this until Modi is here. We, the Opposition, walked out in protest, and we have been staging this protest here since last night. The protest started at 12 am last night and will end at 12 noon today. It is our responsibility to raise the voice of the people. We will not let them remove the MG analogy in merely five hours. This is our duty; that is why we are here," she said. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, while speaking about the protest, accused the Modi government of using "bulldozer tactics" to pass the Bill without consultations with the Opposition and of treating Parliament in a "cavalier manner". TMC MP Sagarika Ghose said, "We have been sitting on a 12-hour dharna. We started at midnight, and our dharna will go on till 12 noon. We are sitting in dharna because of the manner in which the MGNREGA has been destroyed by the Modi Govt. It has been replaced by the VB- G RAM G Bill, but it was given to us just 5 hours before the government introduced it in the House. The Modi government is using bulldozer tactics to push through legislation. It is treating Parliament in a cavalier manner; it is not allowing any consultation with the Opposition parties; it is not holding meetings with the Opposition parties; you are just coming into Parliament and pushing through bulldozer tactics with these bills. Also, in response to the renaming of MGNREGA as VB-G RAM G, she claimed that the Modi government had "assassinated" Mahatma Gandhi for the second time and that the government had "attacked" the poor through this bill. The TMC MP said, "By destroying this Bill, the Govt has attacked the rural poor; it has attacked the rural workers and insulted Mahatma Gandhi. The Modi Govt has assassinated Mahatma Gandhi for the second time..." The ongoing dharna is being held outside Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2025, and was later cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of December 19 amid strong opposition. Following the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill in both Houses and the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha till Friday afternoon, Opposition members protested the manner in which the government pushed the legislation through. Several TMC MPs, including Sagarika Ghose, Derek O'Brien, Sushmita Dev, Dola Sen, Ritabrata Banerjee, Mausam Noor and Prakash Chik Baraik, along with MPs from the INDIA bloc, were present at the protest site. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, who was also at the dharna, termed the passage of the Bill as "the second assassination of Mahatma Gandhi" and said it showed disrespect to Rabindranath Tagore, who had conferred the title 'Mahatma' on Gandhi. Earlier on Friday, Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace MGNREGA, was passed. They demanded that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill would play an important role in the welfare of the poor. He accused the Congress of showing disrespect to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40. For the Northeastern states, Himalayan states and Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the ratio will be 90:10. Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating up to 60 days in a financial year, covering peak agricultural seasons such as sowing and harvesting. (ANI)
Sanjay Jaiswal, Member of Lok Sabha submitted a notice under Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House, alleging breach of privilege and contempt by several Members during the proceedings on the "Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025". The notice highlighted the alleged misconduct of Members of Parliament, including Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, S. Murasoli, K. Gopinath, Sashikant Senthil, Shafi Parambil, S. Venkateshan, Jothimani, and certain others, during the debate on "The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-GRAM Bill, 2025." According to the notice, these Members reportedly used unparliamentary language, entered the well, and reached the table of Officers, including the Secretary General, obstructing the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development and Officers assisting the House. "They repeatedly obstructed the House's smooth functioning by impeding the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development (who was responding to the debate) and the Officers assisting the House. As such, this is misconduct in the presence of the House, disobedience to the authority of the Speaker, obstructing Officers of the House in discharge of their duties, which is clearly a breach of privileges of Members of Parliament collectively and the contempt of the House (Lok Sabha)," the letter read. The notice calls on the Speaker to take strict action under the rules to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future. "You are requested to please take strict action against the above-mentioned erring Members as per rules so that in future this kind of incident does not re-occur," the notice added. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it received the Lok Sabha's nod. Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill seeking to replace MGNREGA was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the bill will play an essential role in the welfare of the poor. He accused Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the Northeastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10. Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare". (ANI)
Love Island alum Ched Uzor is engaged.

Ched Uzor and his fiancee in August /  Instagram

The hunky scaffolder - who shot to fame on the debut winter series of the ITV dating show in 2020 - took to Instagram on Thursday (18.12.25) to share the joyous news that he and his fiancee are set to tie the knot.

Ched - who has never revealed the name of his partner - shared a cute photo of the brunette beauty hugging him as she flashed her huge, sparkly engagement ring.

The star - whose back was facing the camera - captioned the post with: "Forever, my lover."

Ched's 2020 Love Island cast members rushed to the upload's comments section to congratulate the smitten couple.

Molly Smith, 31 - who got engaged to her Love Island All Stars 2024 co-star Tom Clare, 26, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in September - penned: "Congratulations!!! (sic)"

Luke Mabbott, 30, wrote: "Congratulations bro! (sic)"

And Biggs Chris, 33, left: "Jheeez congratulations to you both. (sic)"

Ched's fans also sent their best wishes to the couple.

One person said: "Tell me why I'm crying again! Congratulations love you forever (sic)."

A second supporter penned: "Oh this is just the cutest. Massive congratulations to you both!"

And a third user wrote: "Congratulations again and again, so happy for you both."

A few months ago, Ched and his fiancee went Instagram official.

He shared a loved-up shot of them posing in front of a grand, stately home as they attended a wedding together.

The pair had their arms wrapped around each other.

Ched became famous after he appeared on the first winter series of Love Island in 2020.

He arrived at the vibrant Cape Town, South Africa-based villa - which is reportedly worth 5.3million and is five times bigger than the ordinary series' retreat in Mallorca, Spain - on day 21.

The TV personality wasted no time in coupling up with Jess Gale, 26, who got on like a house on fire and made their way to the final, finishing in fourth place.

Ched and Jess lost out on winning Love Island 2020 to Paige Turley, 28, and 26 year old Finn Tapp.

Three months after the show wrapped in February that year, Ched and Jess broke up.
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat on Friday strongly criticised the passing of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill 2025 in Parliament, accusing the BJP-led government of "assassinating the name of Gandhi ji." "Their parent organisation assassinated Gandhi ji in 1948, and yesterday Modi ji's government assassinated the name of Gandhi ji. They did this because they have an allergy to things where Gandhi ji's and Nehru ji's names appear. They want to remove those names. They played a negative role in the freedom struggle," Bhagat said. "So, they do this. The rural economy was very dependent on this... If they Govt wanted, they would have done away with the flaws and added things...But they wanted to drop Gandhi ji's name. So, they did this..." Congress MP added further. The passing of the Bill triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties, who accused the government of rushing the legislation and weakening protections for labourers and the rural poor. Several MPs alleged that the Bill undermines the spirit of MNREGA and was pushed through Parliament without adequate consultation. Meanwhile, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala described the day as "the saddest day for labourers in the history of our independent nation." "Today is the saddest day for labourers in the history of our independent nation. The BJP government has inflicted a great wound on the livelihood of 12 crore people by abolishing the MNREGA..." Surjewala told the media, adding that the decision would have long-term consequences for employment security in rural India.Parliament on Friday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it received the Lok Sabha's nod. Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha, demanding that the Bill be sent to a Select Committee before approval. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the Bill, saying it will play an essential role in the welfare of the poor and accused Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central and State Governments will be 60:40, while for North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, it will be 90:10. (ANI)
Former UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar supports the use of Indian language words in the new proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025. He stated that we should be proud of our Indian roots and language, rather than the use of Hindi and Sanskrit words in the proposed bill. Expressing happiness that Indian words are incorporated and highlighted in the system, he said, "It's important for us to take pride in our Indian roots and languages. I am happy that Indian words are used in this new system" He mentioned that the UGC is continuing its efforts to prioritise the Indian language medium in higher education. "We are working on giving importance to the Indian language medium even in higher education. UGC is working on developing digital resources and writing new textbooks in Indian languages.", says Kumar. Additionally, he noted that Indians should take pride in naming the new regulatory system using familiar Indian words like "Bharat" and "Vikas," noting that Bharat is in the constitution and Vikas is a common name, and that Indian languages are interconnected. "As an Indian, all of us should take pride in naming the new regulatory system using Indian words. Most of these words are familiar across the country... Bharat is there in our Constitution... Vikas is a common name nationwide. All our Indian languages are in some way or another linked to each other." The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill was proposed to overhaul India's higher education regulatory framework by establishing a single, unified umbrella body. It includes the formation of three councils to streamline decisions and maintain academic standards: Regulatory, Accreditation and Standards. (ANI)
JK Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday chaired the UT-level Conference on the lines of the DGPs/IGPs conference in Jammu on Friday. In his address, the Lieutenant Governor said that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the UT-level security conference will serve as a hub for deliberation and collaboration to develop a whole-of-government approach to counter terrorism in all its forms. He also noted that during DGPs/IGPs conference in Raipur this year, threadbare discussions were held on the theme 'Viksit Bharat: Security Dimensions', reflecting the Government of India's commitment to transform policing institutions to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. Moreover, the Lieutenant Governor underlined the need for coordinated action against the terrorists, enablers and ideologues to eradicate the ecosystem and the haven. "The real security gains since 2019 must be defended, and every single terrorist and their supporter operating in the valley, forest, hills or village must be neutralised," Sinha said. Further in his address, Sinha highlighted the collaborative efforts of the J&K Police, the Army, Intelligence agencies, and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) over the past 6 years, which have strengthened the security grid, leading to a significant decline in terrorist violence, the number of active terrorists, and recruitment. "Armed terrorists and their supporters, OGWs and those elements intimidating the common citizen should be treated equally. We must ensure they pay a very heavy price for their action," the Lieutenant Governor said. The Lieutenant Governor also discussed strategies to tackle evolving threats, enhance intelligence capabilities, and build a next-level security grid for new-age security challenges. "The landscape of security threats has undergone a profound change in recent years. We need to shift from reactive to proactive security strategies and use sophisticated tools like AI to counter terrorism, terror financing, radicalisation, and narco-terrorism threats," the Lieutenant Governor said. Senior officials from the J&K Police, Intelligence, Civil Administration, and CAPFs attended the one-day UT-level security conference. (ANI)
Members of the opposition on Friday staged a protest against the passing of Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill in the Parliament premises. The opposition held posters of Mahatma Gandhi in protest to demonstrate their disappointment with the decision to pass the bill to remove his name from the Act. Earlier, members of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also started a 12-hour dharna (sit-in protest) against the passing of the VB-G RAM G Bill. It started at 12 am and will conclude at 12 noon today. The ongoing dharna is being held outside Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill. The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 18, 2025, and was later cleared by the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of December 19 amid strong opposition. Meanwhile, the Parliament on Friday passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill, with Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it got the nod of the Lok Sabha. The opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill seeking to replace MGNREGA was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee. They demanded that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee. However, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill would play an important role in the welfare of the poor. He accused the Congress of showing disrespect to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40. For the Northeastern states, Himalayan states and Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the ratio will be 90:10. Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating up to 60 days in a financial year, covering peak agricultural seasons such as sowing and harvesting. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday met with Leaders of political parties and Members of Parliament in his chamber at Parliament House on the conclusion of the Winter Session of Parliament 2025. Meanwhile, amid Opposition protests over the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill, Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die by Speaker Om Birla after Vande Mataram was played in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who returned from a three-nation visit yesterday, was present in the House. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the Upper House of Parliament shortly after it resumed at 11 am today. Prior to its adjournment, statements and reports were laid on the table of the House. While adjourning the Rajya Sabha sine die, Radhakrishnan said, "The conduct of members during the Minister's reply yesterday, which included protesting and tearing of papers, was unbecoming of the House." In addition, the Opposition continued its vocal protest against the passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill. On Friday, a united Opposition staged a protest outside Parliament, while members of the Trinamool Congress continued their demonstration on the steps at the entry to the House. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is currently in Germany, joined the chorus of criticism against the Bill and termed it "anti-state" and "anti-village" by design. "Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day. VB-G RAM G isn't a 'revamp' of MGNREGA. It demolishes the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and turns it into a rationed scheme which is controlled from Delhi. It is anti-state and anti-village by design," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X.He said that the earlier scheme empowered rural workers and strengthened rural livelihoods. "MGNREGA gave the rural worker bargaining power. With real options, exploitation and distress migration fell, wages increased, working conditions improved, all while building and reviving rural infrastructure. That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break. By capping work and building in more ways to deny it, VB-G RAM G weakens the one instrument which the rural poor had," he added. Highlighting the role of MGNREGA during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress leader further said: "We saw what MGNREGA meant during COVID. When the economy shut down and livelihoods collapsed, it kept crores from falling into hunger and debt. And it helped women the most - year after year, women have contributed more than half the person-days." (ANI)
On the last day of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly session in Belagavi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah firmly rejected claims of a "two-and-a-half-year" power-sharing agreement, asserting that he remains the Chief Minister. Addressing repeated questions and interruptions from the Opposition regarding his tenure, Siddaramaiah clarified that no such arrangement exists and that he will remain Chief Minister until the party high command decides otherwise. "First, the people must bless us. Then the legislators elect the leader in the Legislative Party meeting, and after that, the high command decides. That is all I have said. Even now, I am the Chief Minister, and I will remain the Chief Minister until the high command decides otherwise," Siddaramaiah stated. Reacting to the remarks, BJP MLA and Karnataka Assembly LoP R Ashoka questioned, "You were elected for five years by the Legislative Party. What about 2.5 years?" Siddaramaiah responded unequivocally, "I never said anything about two and a half years. There is no such agreement as two and half years." On Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister reiterated that he will complete his "full term". "We will complete the full term and return to power in 2028...I'm the CM till the high command says," the Karnataka CM said. Speculation over whether DK Shivakumar would be appointed CM by the Congress high command persisted for a few days and was subsequently clarified by the party after the two leaders met for breakfast at each other's residences and held a joint press conference to demonstrate party unity. Earlier, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivkumar dismissed speculation about the nature of a dinner meeting that he had. Shivakumar said, "Who said? There was no dinner meeting or anything. I had gone for a dinner to my former DCC president to pay respect, they contributed a lot to Karnataka, Belgavi. So to honor them, I went along with my friends. There is no other politics." Meanwhile, BJP MLC Chalavadi Narayanaswamy alleged that in the tussle between CM Siddaramiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar over the top post, the state's interests have been ignored. (ANI)
UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya replied to the argument by Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Vande Mataram to be discussed in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday. When talking to the media, the UP Dy CM stated that Vande Mataram is the great mantra of India, which aided the fight against the British enslaving our country. He noted that the Samajwadi Party's President should not be commenting on this. "Akhilesh Yadav shouldn't give lectures. Discussing Vande Mataram is about singing that great mantra of India, the mere mention of which, and the resounding chants of which, made the British flee India," he stated. "This is the same great mantra whose proclamation will lead to a developed India, where the poor will become rich, farmers will prosper, women will be empowered, and the youth will have a bright future...", says Maurya. He said that the government has made a sound decision for the Assembly and that they expect the opposition to act in an orderly way while discussing the same. Additionally, he maintained that the government is ready for any question from the opposition. "The government is ready to answer all the questions raised by the opposition, even if their behaviour causes a ruckus." Meanwhile, UP Cabinet Minister Suresh Khanna also addressed the conversation around the Vande Mataram discussion. He underscored the importance of Vande Mataram for freedom fighters and how it was adopted by other states. "Vande Mataram was sung by our Freedom Fighters and from thereon, it became popular in other states. That's because it's showing respect to Bharat Mata and the discussion will happen." Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that during this session, members will discuss public issues and advance legislative work on Uttar Pradesh's development. The supplementary demands of various departments will also be addressed. "An important discussion will be held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the National Anthem 'Vande Mataram', and thanks will be given to its author, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. The date of establishment of Uttar Pradesh and the date of notification of recognition of 'Vande Mataram' as per the Constitution are the same, so discussion on this issue in the Legislature will be very important," he said. CM Yogi stated that it was made clear at the all-party meeting that the government is fully prepared to discuss all issues. He stated that the government has a positive outlook on development-related topics and expects cooperation from all parties to ensure the smooth running of the assembly session. (ANI)
On the other hand, the court remanded the accused, Shoyeb, to five days' judicial custody. Both Accused were produced after expiry of their NIA custody.

Principal District and Session Judge (Special NIA Judge) extended the custody of Bilal Nasir Malla till December 26. Accused Shoyeb has been remanded in judicial custody till December 24. The hearing was conducted in a closed courtroom.

On Monday, the special NIA judge remanded both accused to NIA custody for 4 days.

During the hearing, the special NIA judge had allowed an application of the NIA seeking permission to take handwriting samples of Bilal Nasir Malla. Thereafter, the handwriting samples were obtained before a magistrate.

The next day, his voice samples were also obtained with the court's permission.

A total of 15 people were killed and over two dozen others injured in the Delhi blast that occurred around 7 pm on November 10 in a moving Hyundai i20 car driven by one alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi.

NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the vehicle-borne IED as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama district and Assistant Professor in the General Medicine Department at Al Falah University at Faridabad.

The anti-terror agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Nabi. The vehicle is being examined for evidence in the case, in which NIA has so far questioned 73 witnesses, including those injured in the blast that rocked the national capital. Working in close coordination with Delhi Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police and various sister agencies, the NIA is continuing its investigation across states. (ANI)
PDP leader Iltija Mufti on Friday lodged a police complaint against the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for pulling down the veil from a woman doctor's face while handing her the letter of appointment. In her complaint to the Kothibagh Station House Officer (SHO) requesting registration of an FIR against the Bihar CM, Iltija Mufti mentioned that the incident had caused "immense stress" among the Muslim women. "I'm writing to bring to your attention a vile incident which has caused immense distress and hurt among Muslims, especially women. A few days ago, we watched with shock, horror and worry as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled down the 'naqab' of a young Muslim doctor in full public glare at a government function," she wrote in the complaint. She added that what made the "matters worse was the unsettling reaction of the people around, including the deputy chief minister (Samrat Choudhary), who chuckled and watched with glee". She stated that the incident is not just a "brutal assault" on the Muslim woman but "on the autonomy, identity and dignity of every Indian woman." "The forceful stripping of her naqaab isn't just a brutal assault on a Muslim lady but on the autonomy, identity & dignity of every Indian woman. The fact that it transpired at a time when the deliberate othering, political & economic disempowerment of Muslims all across India is even more disconcerting," she alleged. https://x.com/IltijaMufti_/status/2001927268336333162?s=20 Later, speaking with reporters, Iltija Mufti expressed concern about the BJP leaders' statements regarding the incident. "Instead of apologising, the Bihar Chief Minister's allied BJP leaders are making vulgar statements and attempting to justify the act," she said. This comes amid mounting criticism from opposition parties over a widely circulated video from a government event in Patna, where Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was seen pulling down the hijab of a woman while handing her a certificate. The video, which has sparked outrage, shows the incident taking place during a ceremony at the Chief Minister's office where appointment letters were being distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. Before she could respond, Kumar reached out and lowered the head covering, revealing the woman's mouth and chin. Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary was seen trying to stop Kumar, while some people in the background laughed. (ANI)
Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rahman Barq on Friday termed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's action to pull down the veil from a woman doctor's face as "unfortunate". He said it is "regrettable" that the nation is not protesting against the Bihar CM, noting that Nitish Kumar has not even apologised for his actions. "This incident is very unfortunate. It is regrettable that even after such an incident with a muslim woman, the nation is not protesting. He has not apologised, nor has any action been taken," Zia ur Rahman Barq said. Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) national spokesperson Waris Pathan, describing the hijab and burqa as a symbol of women's honour, dignity and respect and "the crown on their heads," strongly criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Pathan accused him of insulting women's dignity and constitutional rights. Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Pathan demanded an unconditional apology from the Chief Minister, calling the incident an affront to women's modesty and religious freedom. "Article 25 of the Constitution grants the right to practice religion. Article 19 guarantees freedom of choice; whoever wants to wear a burqa or hijab can wear it. Even the Supreme Court has said this. The actions of Nitish Kumar deserve the strongest condemnation. Even a father doesn't have the right to do so. This hijab, burqa, is a symbol of our women's honour, dignity, and respect. It's the crown on their heads. You insult them like this, and then you talk about women's respect? We have said that Nitish Kumar should apologise to all the women of the country. An unconditional apology. This is an outrageous incident, an insult to the modesty of a woman," he said. His remarks come amid mounting criticism from opposition parties over a widely circulated video from a government event in Patna, where Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was seen pulling down the hijab of a woman while handing her a certificate. The video, which has sparked outrage, shows the incident taking place during a ceremony at the Chief Minister's office where appointment letters were being distributed to newly recruited AYUSH doctors. Before she could respond, Kumar reached out and lowered the head covering, revealing the woman's mouth and chin. (ANI)
Ji Chang-wook, lead actor in the Disney+ original drama 'The Manipulated', met with reporters on December 11 at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of December 11. He commented on audience response related to the open ending and possibility within the drama.

Talking about issues with regard to the credibility of the drama, Ji made it clear that he understood there were varying opinions. As he explained, "With a certain concept, while it might be fun for some, it might be boring and absurd for others. How can we adapt something like this to the public? We have a lot of meetings and discussions about this"

His focus on making sure that he maintained the drama and made it as credible as possible should be noted. As he said, "It might seem implausible, but within the genre of our work, I thought that it was plausible. ... So, I did my best,"per OSEN.

READ MORE: Ji Chang Wook's 'Nosy' Move at Recent Awards Show Has Fans Divided  Was He Just Being Polite or Too Curious?

Ji also broke down why he made certain decisions with regard to the ending of the drama. Reflecting on some of the actions that were made within the plot by the main character, he said, "Actually, looking at my previous works, I thought it would be better to have a clear revenge scene ... Tae-joong is someone who saves people, so to what extent should he use his action scenes? ... He's an avenger, but he's curious about how far and how much violence should he use against a certain villain." He added that the ending's approach, in which Yohan is not killed, was deliberate, stating, "I hope that person pays for his crimes until the end, so I thought that wouldn't be revenge."

He then added that he specifically made the ending about Yohan not getting killed because he wanted that character to pay for what he did at the very end.

As for speculation about season 2, Ji replied that it's not going to happen. It seems that he wanted to make it clear that he doesn't have any intention of joining season 2.

About giving an answer regarding season 2, Ji added, "People sometimes develop feelings even when they're completely empty. This project has been really difficult right now, and I really don't want to do any action scenes for the time being. ... If you offer me a season 2, I would be so grateful."

Ji responded to audience queries about his character and girlfriend, Pyo Ye-jin, regarding the romantic subplot: was a little disappointed as well. ... Actually, I think that was the director's choice during the directing process."

Regarding a relationship between two of his co-characters, he said, "was a little disappointed as well. ... Actually, I think that was the director's choice during the directing process," a per The Chosun Daily

READ MORE: Ji Chang Wook Reveals His Shopping Obsessions with Unusual Purchases and Priceless Antics
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday met Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar in New Delhi and sought the Centre's approval for the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada Metro Rail Projects. The Chief Minister informed the Union Minister that the revised Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for both metro systems have already been submitted to the Ministry for approval. He emphasised that early clearance is crucial for accelerating the development of two of Andhra Pradesh's fastest-growing urban centres. CM Naidu explained that Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada require robust, modern and sustainable urban mobility solutions to keep pace with their expanding populations, growing economic activity and rising transportation demands. He highlighted that metro rail connectivity would significantly reduce congestion, enhance productivity, improve mobility for citizens, and support long-term economic growth. The Chief Minister urged the Union Minister to prioritise and fast-track the approval process so that groundwork for both metro projects can begin at the earliest. The Andhra Pradesh CM also met with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and requested funding support through Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) to develop Rayalaseema as a horticulture hub. "Delighted to meet the Hon'ble Union Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Ji, in New Delhi today. With the support of Central initiatives such as Purvodaya, Andhra Pradesh has the potential to emerge as a major growth engine for eastern India. I also requested funding support through SASCI, support for our plans to develop Rayalaseema as a horticulture hub, and Central budgetary assistance to accelerate the long-term economic development of our state." https://x.com/ncbn/status/2001946322165993686?s=20 Chandrababu Naidu also met with the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri and discussed the progress of the BPCL Greenfield Refinery Project in Nellore. https://x.com/ncbn/status/2001981478021054602?s=20 In a post on X, Chandrababu Naidu said, "It was a pleasure to meet the Hon'ble Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Ji, in New Delhi today to discuss the progress of the BPCL Greenfield Refinery Project in Nellore. I also extended an invitation to the Hon'ble Minister to grace the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the refinery." (ANI)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi on Friday and sought strong Central support for the development of the Dugarajapatnam shipbuilding ecosystem and key fishing harbour projects in the state, TDP said in a release. The Chief Minister thanked the Union Government for the proactive policies introduced to strengthen India's port sector and shipbuilding capabilities and said Andhra Pradesh is committed to contributing to the national "Chip to Ship" vision. CM Naidu informed the Union Minister that Andhra Pradesh is fully prepared to take up the National Mega Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Cluster at Dugarajapatnam. He said the state has already agreed to allocate 3,488 acres of land for the project and that the Techno-Economic Feasibility Report (TEFR) has been completed. Plans are in place to develop the project as a comprehensive cluster with MSME ancillary units and common infrastructure required for large-scale shipbuilding and ship repair activities. He stressed that the project holds special significance as it aligns with the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Chief Minister urged the Centre to grant early approval to declare Dugarajapatnam as a National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster. During the meeting, CM Naidu also requested the Centre to extend additional financial assistance for the state's fishing harbour infrastructure. He said the government is implementing these projects on priority to improve the livelihoods of fishermen and modernise the fisheries sector. Under Phase-1, the state has taken up four fishing harbours--Juvvaladinne, Nizampatnam, Machilipatnam and Uppada--at a total cost of Rs 1,361.49 crore. Of this, only the Juvvaladinne harbour has received Central assistance of Rs 138.29 crore, while the remaining three harbours are still awaiting support from the Union Government. The Chief Minister informed the Union Minister that the Andhra Pradesh government has already spent Rs 782.29 crore on Phase-1 works but an additional Rs 440.91 crore is still required to complete the four harbours. He appealed to the Centre to sanction Rs 150 crore under the Sagarmala scheme for the construction of the proposed fishing harbour at Odaravu in Prakasam district. In total, the state is seeking Rs 590.91 crore in Central support for fishing harbour development. (ANI)
Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students jostled with Delhi police on Friday, while students tried to get inside the Examination Block of the DU North Campus Arts Faculty during their protest against the Delhi University Administration. Visuals from DU showed certain students trying to climb over the locked metal gates and shout slogans while police officials tried to get them away from the gates. ABVP students held a protest rally outside the North Campus Arts Faculty against the DU Admin over irregularities in examinations. The ABVP-affiliated students are demanding transparency and accountability from the administration. "Our exam dean did not conduct exams based on the tentative timings told to us, because of which multiple students faced problems. On that note, ABVP has gone to the streets, today we will gherao their office if they don't listen to us," said one of the protesters, and ABVP member Kunal Chaudhary. "We demand that they should do grace marking, or reschedule the exam. We will continue to protest, we will do a hunger strike if this doesn't happen" "Today, I have gathered today to address the irregularities in the examination, and they should be finished or they (the admin) should resign. I believe that they should fix their exams, or we will make our sloganeering permanent," said another ABVP member Riya Malik. The protest by ABVP comes a week after thousands of students faced delays in their semester examinations on December 13. Various papers had been cancelled too, across various disciplines. The delays caused disruptions to other non-exam taking students, as the exam halls were to be used for evening classes later on. Students faced delays of more than 2 hours, with hundreds of papers originally scheduled for more than 1 lakh students. According to teachers, there has been a sharp increase in the number of examinations following the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), which allows Four Year Undergraduate Courses, which in turn increased the exam workload. Replying to the exam delays, DU in an official notice said, "This is to notify all concerned that approximately 800 papers were scheduled for the morning session today and due to some logistical issues, few papers could not be dispatched and the same could not be conducted at some examination centres." The semester exams for DU students began on December 10. (ANI)
Following the row over renaming the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Bill), Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the opposition was doing politics on this, and names have been changed from time to time as per necessity. Speaking to ANI, Arjun Ram Meghwal said, "The Winter Session of Parliament was very good. Most of the bills that came were related to reforms. The VB-G RAM G Bill that came into place of MGNREGA was also related to reforms. People living in villages wanted the reform. The bill on insurance was also a part of the reform. The opposition is doing politics on this. Didn't you change the name of the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana? Does that mean an insult to Jawaharlal Nehru ji? Names are changed from time to time as per necessity." "Didn't they change the names? In this, the name has not only been changed, but to provide infrastructure in villages, the rural population is welcoming the amendments to this scheme's rules. Their opposition is for political reasons; they also acknowledge that the improvements are good," he further said. On Friday, the Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill, with Rajya Sabha approving the legislation, which was earlier passed in the Lok Sabha. Following passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill in both Houses, Opposition members protested the government's push to expedite the legislation. Several TMC MPs, including Sagarika Ghose, Derek O'Brien, Sushmita Dev, Dola Sen, Ritabrata Banerjee, Mausam Noor and Prakash Chik Baraik, along with MPs from the INDIA bloc, were present at the protest site. TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, who was also at the dharna, termed the passage of the Bill as "the second assassination of Mahatma Gandhi" and said it showed disrespect to Rabindranath Tagore, who had conferred the title 'Mahatma' on Gandhi. Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill would play an important role in the welfare of the poor. He accused the Congress of showing disrespect to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40. For the Northeastern states, Himalayan states, and Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the ratio will be 90:10. Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating up to 60 days in a financial year, covering peak agricultural seasons such as sowing and harvesting. (ANI)
While Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill on Thursday, the move triggered strong opposition protests. Opposition parties criticised the Centre, with some leaders branding it the "descendants of Nathuram Godse" and alleging that the government had insulted Mahatma Gandhi. The Trinamool Congress staged a 12-hour dharna outside the Parliament complex to protest the passage of the VB G RAM-G Bill. Members of other opposition parties also joined the demonstration, voicing their objections to the legislation outside Parliament. Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who is currently in Germany, joined the chorus of criticism against the Bill, calling it "anti-state" and "anti-village" by design. "Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day. VB-G RAM G isn't a 'revamp' of MGNREGA. It demolishes the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and turns it into a rationed scheme which is controlled from Delhi. It is anti-state and anti-village by design," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X. Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla on Friday criticised the move, saying many states are already burdened with debt and that the Centre has raised the funding ratio to 60:40 for most of them.He argued that the legislation does not adequately serve the interests of labourers and questioned the decision to rename the MGNREGA Act. Aujla also alleged that the Centre has claimed lineage from Nathuram Godse. "The states are already debt-ridden and the funding ratio for most states has been increased to a 60:40 split between the Centre and states...This is not a decision in the best interests of the labourers and why did they remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi?... This shows their thinking. They are descendants of Nathuram Godse," Aujla told ANI. While the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday night, the opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill seeking to replace MGNREGA was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee.They demanded that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sharply criticised the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, asserting that the original MGNREGA scheme, structured with the Centre paying the bulk of funds (often referred to as 90%), was the backbone of the rural economy and the greatest support for very poor people facing employment difficulties. Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Friday slammed the government's hasty passage of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Bill), which reframes MGNREGA, amid uproar in both Houses of Parliament. He contrasted the bill's introduction, details of which he claims the opposition knew only days prior, against MGNREGA's enactment in 2005, which involved years of deliberation, a Standing Committee review, and unanimous bipartisan support. Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad on Friday criticised the central government, stating that the bill was passed only because the government had a majority in the House. He further claimed that the government will eventually remove Mahatma Gandhi's photograph from currency notes. The Congress Lok Sabha MPs also held a meeting at the CPP Office at 10:30 am, following the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 (Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)) in both houses of Parliament. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the bill will play an essential role in the welfare of the poor. He accused Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals. The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10.Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to "dismantle rights-based welfare". Earlier today, amid opposition protests over the passage of the VB-G Ram G Bill, Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die by Speaker Om Birla on Friday after Vande Mataram was played in the House. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who returned from a three-nation visit yesterday, was present in the House today. Rajya Sabha chairman Vice-President C.P Radhakrishnan adjourned the Upper House of Parliament shortly after it resumed at 11 am today. Prior to its adjournment, statements and reports were laid on the table of the House. While adjourning the Rajya Sabha sine die, Radhakrishnan said "The conduct of members during the Minister's reply yesterday, which including protesting and tearing of papers, was unbecoming of the House, and expresses the wish that they reflect on their behaviour." (ANI)
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), on Thursday organised the Safety Seminar 2025 at the Indian Aviation Academy in New Delhi, bringing together senior government officials, regulators, industry leaders and aviation professionals from across the country. The seminar was held under the theme "Enhancing Aviation Safety through Collaboration." Inaugurating the event, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha, highlighted that aviation safety is a continuous process requiring constant vigilance, strict compliance and shared accountability. He emphasised that safety is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing journey that requires collective responsibility from all stakeholders across the aviation ecosystem. Sinha noted the rapid growth of India's civil aviation sector, stating that the country is now the world's third-largest domestic aviation market. Over the last decade, domestic passenger traffic has grown at an average annual rate of 9 per cent, while cargo volumes have increased by nearly 3 per cent. India's aircraft fleet has expanded significantly, more than doubling from 395 aircraft in 2014 to 844 in 2025, reflecting the sector's strong momentum. Referring to recent experiences, the Secretary said 2025 has been a year of learning and transformation for Indian aviation. While challenges have tested the sector's resilience, they have also reinforced the resolve to improve safety, efficiency and public confidence. He also flagged operational risks arising from maintenance errors, warning that such lapses can lead to mechanical faults and system failures. In his welcome address, DGCA Director General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai reaffirmed the regulator's commitment to proactive safety oversight and alignment with global best practices. He highlighted key initiatives, including the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, the State Safety Programme, and the National Aviation Safety Plan (2024-2028). The day-long seminar featured three technical sessions focusing on runway incursions, fostering a positive safety culture, and mitigating maintenance-related errors. Experts from regulatory and industry backgrounds discussed root causes, best practices and mitigation strategies, stressing the need for a proactive, risk-based approach to safety management. Industry participants widely appreciated the DGCA's initiative, calling it a timely platform for dialogue and collaboration. The seminar marked a significant step in strengthening India's aviation safety framework and deepening partnerships across the sector. (ANI)
Ahead of the upcoming municipal corporation elections, the Shiv Sena has received an overwhelming response from aspirants in Thane district, with as many as 3,348 party workers submitting applications for candidature across six civic bodies. The large turnout, including a significant number of women applicants, underscores the intense competition expected in the selection process. According to Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Naresh Mhaske, 1,548 women have applied for party tickets, reflecting strong enthusiasm among women to contest local body elections under the party banner. Interviews of aspirants from the six municipal corporations in Thane district are scheduled to begin on Saturday. The six civic bodies include Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Navi Mumbai, Bhiwandi-Nizampur and Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporations. Collectively, these corporations have 618 corporate seats, while the number of applicants is four to five times higher than the available seats, indicating a highly competitive selection process. The Thane Municipal Corporation, which has 131 corporator seats, recorded the highest number of applications, with 1,277 aspirants seeking Shiv Sena candidature. The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, with 112 seats, received 682 applications, while the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, with 78 seats, received 385 applications. Similarly, 496 aspirants submitted applications for the 111-seat Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation, with 90 seats, received 176 applications, while the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, with 96 seats, received 332 applications. Mhaske said the response in Thane district mirrors the enthusiasm seen in Mumbai, where over 2,700 aspirants appeared for interviews seeking Shiv Sena candidature, with women making up the largest group. Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde announced earlier that the party will contest the municipal elections as part of the Mahayuti alliance. In line with this, seat-sharing talks between Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party are currently underway at the municipal level, party leaders said. (ANI)
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of rain and snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh for a 72-hour period beginning after December 20, a senior weather official said on Thursday. Speaking to ANI, Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Senior Scientist at the IMD's Meteorological Centre in Shimla, said that the weather across most parts of the state remained largely clear over the past 24 hours, though intermittent cloud cover was observed. "Temperatures have largely remained near normal," Sharma said, adding that the highest maximum temperature was recorded at Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district at 24C. Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 16.2C, which is about 2C above normal. On the colder side, the lowest minimum temperature was recorded at Kukumseri in Lahaul-Spiti at minus 4.1C, while Tapo reported minus 2.0C. Shimla's minimum temperature stood at 12.2C, and Sundernagar recorded 5C. "Temperatures across most other regions are near normal, with slight variations in Shimla and Manali," he noted. Sharma said dense to moderate fog was observed in the lower plains of Bilaspur during the early morning hours. According to the IMD, a western disturbance is approaching late on December 20, which is expected to increase cloud cover from night onwards. "Light rain and snowfall are likely in the higher reaches of Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and the mountainous areas of Kangra. There is also a possibility of light snowfall in the upper areas of Shimla, Sirmaur and Kangra, while Mandi may witness light rain at one or two places," Sharma said. He added that rainfall chances in the plains are low, though cloudiness may persist. "On December 21, weather activity is likely across the entire state, which may also lead to a drop in temperatures. From December 22 onwards, as the weather clears, temperatures are expected to return to near-normal levels," he said. Sharma further stated that today and tomorrow are expected to remain mostly clear, while late Friday night, scattered light snowfall and rain may occur in the higher reaches of Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti. "Cloudy conditions will prevail in the plains, and light rain may occur in parts of Mandi and Kullu districts," he added. (ANI)
The Rohini District court has issued a notice on an election petition challenging the result of the MCD bypoll on the Ashok Vihar ward seat. This petition has been filed by the Aam Admi Party (AAP) candidate Seema Goyal against Veena Asija. Asija was declared the winner in the bypoll. Principal District and Session Judge Nisha Sahay Saksena on Thursday issued notice on the plea and listed the matter for hearing on December 24. A notice has also been issued on an application seeking a stay of the election process of Ward 65. "This is an Election Petition under section 15 of DMC Act, 1957, challenging the results in Bye-Elections to Municipal Corporation of Delhi, 2025, Ward No.65, Ashok Vihar," the court noted in an order passed on December 18. Seema Goyal has filed an election petition through Advocate Parashant Manchanda and Nancy Shah. Petitioner has made Veena Asija, other candidates and the State Election Commission respondents in the petition. The petitioner has alleged that the Bye election was vitiated by declaring the Respondent (Veena Asija) as a purported Returned (elected) Candidate, whereas up till the 10th round of the Counting, the Petitioner Seema Goyal was leading by 179 votes, and thereafter in suspicious circumstances, scrapping the said results and declaring Respondent Veena Asija as the Returned Candidate with a lead of 405 votes. It is also alleged that corrupt practices were adopted in the area. AAP leader has challenged the validity of the election of Veena Asija on the ground that the said election stands irreparably vitiated by a series of grave and fundamental illegalities striking at the root of the electoral process. The Petitioner has submitted that she is aggrieved by the fact that the entire conduct of the bye-election was carried out in blatant disregard of the binding Delimitation Order of 2022 and the statutory notifications governing ward boundaries and polling areas. It is also alleged that electors and polling areas belonging to Ward 64 outside Ward 65 were unlawfully included in the electoral roll and in the polling scheme for Ward 65 without any Gazette notification or lawful authority. The petitioner has alleged that the Polling Stations were kept outside the territorial area of Ward 65 in serious non-compliance with the notification of the State Election Commision issued on October 6, 2025. (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, while addressing the National Conclave of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India) held in Delhi on Friday, underlined the vital role of the real estate sector in realising the vision of a Viksit Bharat given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CM Patel stated that the real estate sector will play a key role in achieving the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat@ 2047, according to an official statement. Speaking at the conclave held a week before the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, CM said that Vajpayee laid the foundation of good governance and 21st-century India, which PM Modi has taken forward. Referring to 'Housing for All', he said the Prime Minister is committed to ensuring permanent housing for the poorest, with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana as a key initiative, and urged CREDAI and the real estate sector to work with the Centre and States, the statement read. Highlighting the role of developers, CM said that real estate goes beyond buildings, as it is where family dreams take shape, businesses grow, and lives are uplifted. CM urged developers to build homes rooted in the Indian ethos, adopt Indian designs inspired by global technology, and reflect the spirit of 'Made in India' along with the nation's heritage and values. Emphasising sustainability and innovation, the Chief Minister called for eco-friendly buildings, promotion of research, and farsighted planning to manage resources amid rapid urbanisation. Referring to Gujarat's progress, CM said that over the past 25 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Gujarat has emerged as a role model of development with well-planned urban growth and has become the country's most urbanised state. Gujarat has attracted developers with systems like the Single Window Clearance, digital land records, and time-bound approvals. Its focus on green buildings, renewable energy, water conservation, and waste management has made it a top destination for real estate investment. CM said that a Viksit Bharat should reflect Atmanibharta, ease of doing business, and quality of life, integrating innovation, technology, and sustainability, and urged the real estate sector to create liveable, lovable, and future-ready cities. (ANI)
The startup scene in Seoul is moving at a pace that is hard to describe unless you are standing in the middle of it. From the high-rise offices in Gangnam to the creative hubs in Seongsu, there is a shared energy built on the idea of moving fast and breaking things. But as any founder will tell you, moving fast only works if you have a solid foundation to stand on. In the past, that foundation was built on spreadsheets and manual bookkeeping. Today, it is built in the cloud.

Korean startups are increasingly turning to cloud accounting to manage their rapid growth. The traditional way of doing things, which often involved physical receipts and end-of-month reconciliations that took weeks, simply cannot keep up with a company doubling its headcount every quarter. By moving financial data to the cloud, these companies are finding a level of agility that was previously impossible.

The Shift from Manual to Digital

For a long time, accounting was seen as a back-office chore. It was something that had to be done for tax purposes, but rarely provided real-time value to the business. Many early-stage companies in Korea relied on external accountants who would visit once a month to collect paper documents. This created a massive lag in information. Founders were making critical decisions based on data that was already thirty days old.

The introduction of modern financial tools changed the math. Startups realized that financial clarity is a competitive advantage. When you can see your burn rate, your revenue trends, and your cash flow in real time, you can make bolder moves. You can hire that extra engineer or sign that new lease because you know exactly what is in the bank.

Automation as a Growth Engine

One of the biggest hurdles for a scaling startup is the administrative burden. As a company grows, the number of transactions explodes. Processing these manually is a recipe for burnout and human error. Cloud platforms solve this by automating the most tedious parts of the job. Bank feeds are synced automatically. Expenses are categorized using machine learning.

This automation allows the finance team to act more like strategic advisors rather than data entry clerks. In the competitive Korean market, where talent is expensive and hard to find, being able to do more with a smaller team is a huge win. It allows the core team to focus on product development and market expansion rather than chasing down missing invoices.

Security in the Modern Age

There is often a concern when moving sensitive financial data to the cloud. Startups deal with investor money, payroll information, and proprietary financial models. However, the reality is that professional cloud providers offer a level of security that a local server in a startup office could never match.

Using secure accounting software has become a non-negotiable standard for these growing firms. These platforms offer encrypted data transmission, multi-factor authentication, and regular backups. For a Korean startup looking to go global or attract international venture capital, showing that you have professional and secure financial systems in place is a major trust builder. It proves that the company is mature and ready for the big leagues.

Real Time Collaboration

Scaling fast usually means working with a variety of stakeholders. You have founders, department heads, external auditors, and board members who all need different levels of access to the numbers. In the old world, this meant emailing versions of Excel files back and forth, which inevitably led to confusion and errors.

Cloud accounting creates a single source of truth. Everyone who needs access can log in and see the same numbers at the same time. This transparency is vital for fast decision-making. If a marketing lead needs to know if there is budget for a new campaign, they do not have to wait for a weekly report. They can see the status of their budget immediately.

Preparing for the Global Stage

Many Korean startups have their sights set far beyond the peninsula. Whether they are looking at Southeast Asia, Europe, or North America, global expansion brings a whole new layer of accounting complexity. You have to deal with different currencies, different tax laws, and different reporting standards.

Cloud based systems are designed for this kind of complexity. They can handle multi-currency transactions and help generate reports that meet international standards. This makes the transition to new markets much smoother. Instead of rebuilding the finance department from scratch for every new country, startups can simply scale their existing cloud infrastructure.

The Cultural Change

The move to cloud accounting is more than just a software update. It represents a cultural shift in how Korean startups view their business. It is a move away from the traditional, hierarchical way of managing information toward a more open and data-driven approach.

Founders are realizing that they do not need to be experts in tax law to have a deep understanding of their business health. They just need the right tools to surface the insights. This democratisation of data empowers everyone in the company to be more mindful of the bottom line. It creates a culture of accountability and precision that is essential for long-term success.

The speed of the Korean market shows no signs of slowing down. For the startups that want to lead the pack, the choice is clear. They can spend their time buried in paperwork, or they can embrace the cloud and keep their eyes on the horizon. The ones who choose the latter are the ones we will be reading about for years to come.
BJP MP Vivek Thakur on Friday hit out at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the passage of Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Bill), which reframes MGNREGA, saying Congress leader failed to understand the core issues involved in governance and accountability. Speaking to ANI, Thakur defended the bill, stating it ensures accountability from both state and central governments, unlike the previous MGNREGA framework. "Unfortunately, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi does not understand the issues properly. There was no state accountability in MGNREGA; now the responsibility of the state and central government will be ensured," he said. The VB-G RAM G Bill aims to increase rural employment days from 100 to 125 and involves a 60:40 fund-sharing pattern between Centre and states. Opposition parties oppose the bill, citing concerns over worker rights and the removal of Gandhi's name from MGNREGA. Backing the Centre's stand, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said the reforms introduced across welfare schemes, including MGNREGA, were aimed at strengthening delivery mechanisms and serving national interests. "The reforms introduced by the government, be it in the MGNREGA and other schemes, are in the best interests of the nation," Singh said, dismissing opposition allegations that the changes dilute the rights of rural workers. Singh also commented on the evolving political and security situation in neighbouring Bangladesh, expressing concern over recent developments. "It is regrettable that Bangladesh is following the footsteps of Pakistan, and there are leaders like Mamata Banerjee in the nation who want to turn India into Bangladesh," he said while taking a swipe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This comes as the Opposition continues to protest against the passage of the VB-G RAM G Bill in Parliament. Taking to X LoP, Rahul Gandhi joined in the protest, calling the legislation "anti-state" and "anti-village" by design. In his post, Gandhi accused the Modi government of "demolishing twenty years of MGNREGA in one day." Gandhi asserted that the VB-G RAM G bill was not a reform but a dilution, replacing a legal guarantee of work with a rationed, Delhi-controlled scheme. In a tweet, Gandhi further said that MGNREGA had given rural workers bargaining power, reduced exploitation and distress migration, improved wages and working conditions, and strengthened rural infrastructure. "That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break," he said. He also highlighted the scheme's role during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it prevented millions from falling into hunger and debt when livelihoods collapsed. Gandhi stressed that women, who account for over half of MGNREGA person-days, along with Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers and the poorest OBC communities, would be the worst affected by any cap on employment. Critising the legislative process, Gandhi said the bill was "bulldozed through Parliament" after the government rejected demands to send it to a Standing Committee. He maintained that Congress would oppose the move and stand with workers, states and panchayats to ensure the law is withdrawn. (ANI)
The Election Commission of India on Friday released the draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu, after collecting 5,43,76,755 enumeration forms of voters across the state. The Election Commission in Tamil Nadu has deleted 97,37,831 electors from the list due to being deceased, having shifted/absent from their residence, or being enrolled at multiple places. The final publication of the electoral roll is scheduled for February 2, 2026. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is scheduled just 5 months before the 2026 Assembly elections, which are expected in April-May 2026. Earlier, the ECI had extended the deadlines for the SIR of electoral rolls in five states, including Tamil Nadu. The state''s enumeration period was extended to December 14. Out of the more than 97 lakh electors, 26,94,672 have been marked as deceased, 66,44,881 electors were marked as shifted or absent (from their addresses), and 3,98,278 electors were enrolled at multiple places, according to the SIR list published by the Election Commission. Since this is a draft list, electors will have an opportunity to appeal to have their names included, with the "Claims and Objections" period running from December 19 to January 18, 2026. Similarly, any first-time voters who will become 18 years old on or before January 1 are encouraged to apply to include their names on Form 6. As of December 19, out of more than 6.4 crore electors, more than 5.4 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms. According to Archana Patnaik, Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, two the draft roll has 2,77,6332 women electors; 2,66,63,233 men; 4,19,355 Persons with Disabilities; and 7,191 belonging to the ''third gender'' (transgender persons). "Today in our draft electoral roll, we have 5,43,76,755 electors. Women: 2,77,63,232; men: 2,66,63,233; third gender: 7,191. PWDs, that is, persons with disabilities, 4,19,355," the TN CEO said. She also appreciated the large number of volunteers, which made the exercise possible, including the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and the Booth Level Agents (BLAs). Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the list, pointing to the "high number of deletions" in Kolathur, the Chief Minister''s constituency, which she claimed "proves" how Chennai became a DMK stronghold. "I welcome this list and appreciate the work of the Election Commission and the political parties... The highest number of votes has been removed from the Chief Minister''s constituency, Kolathur. So now we understand why Chennai was a DMK stronghold. This indirectly reveals how Chennai became a DMK stronghold," BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan told ANI. According to the EC''s list, the Chennai district has the highest number of deletions, with a total of 14,25,018 electors removed. The majority of deletions have occurred because electors have moved or are absent from their residences. According to published data, 12,49,691 electors were deleted due to being absent or having moved from their residence. Meanwhile, DMK has claimed that the SIR process has been "rushed" by the poll body, saying they will monitor for any wrongful deletions and approach the court if required. DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan told ANI, "The SIR process requires at least three months. That''s what we wanted, but they rushed it before the state elections. We will go door-to-door to verify that all names are included. If any wrongful deletion occurs, we will pursue legal action. We will fight this legally." (ANI)
TikTok has signed the deal backed by US President Donald Trump to sell its US assets to a group of American investors, CEO Shou Chew told employees in a memo on Thursday (local time), as per CNN. Although the transaction is not yet complete, the move brings TikTok one step closer to securing its long-term future in the United States. It comes after a law passed last year required that the US version of the app be spun off from its parent company, ByteDance, or be banned in the United States, CNN reported. Trump signed an executive order on September 26 clearing the way for the completion of a deal to sell TikTok's US assets to a consortium of mostly American investors. The order marked an important procedural step toward finalizing the TikTok sale, but the deal is not yet complete. Although both US and Chinese officials have signaled they are aligned on the deal's framework, it will still likely require regulatory approvals from both countries. However, during the signing event, Trump said Chinese leader Xi Jinping had green-lit the deal and expressed confidence that it would be completed. "I had a very good talk with President Xi," Trump said, referring to a phone call between the two leaders. "And we talked about TikTok and other things, but we talked about TikTok and he gave us the go-ahead" for the deal, as per CNN. The executive order states that the deal constitutes a qualified divestiture as required by the ban-or-sale law that passed with strong bipartisan consensus last year. The US law, which went into effect in January, bans the app unless parent company ByteDance divests approximately 80% of its US assets to non-Chinese investors. Trump has repeatedly delayed enforcement of the law. "I have determined that the proposed divestiture would allow the millions of Americans who enjoy TikTok every day to continue using it while also protecting national security," the order states. It adds that the deal to transfer control of TikTok's US assets will also apply to ByteDance's other popular platforms, Lemon8 and CapCut, as per CNN. (ANI)
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected seven sorties of Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval vessels operating around its territorial waters as of 6 am (local time) on Friday. Taiwan said it monitored the situation and responded. In a post on X, the MND said, "7 sorties of PLA aircraft and 11 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2001819771608645827?s=20 Earlier on Thursday, the MND detected 40 sorties of Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels around itself. Of the 40, 26 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. In a post on X, the MND said, "40 sorties of PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 26 out of 40 sorties crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, central, southwestern and eastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded." https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2001457384565203424?s=20 Meanwhile, China has assigned two to four individuals specialising in Taiwan issues to its embassies in various democratic nations to observe and intimidate Taiwanese, actions that the host countries are unlikely to accept, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen stated, according to the Taipei Times. Tsai made these remarks during a session of the legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee, which requested him and Minister of National Defence Wellington Koo to discuss potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military readiness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin voiced worries that Beijing has dispatched personnel from China's Taiwan Affairs Office to its embassies abroad to surveil and intimidate Taiwanese businesspeople, expatriates, and exchange students, according to the Taipei Times report. Tsai acknowledged that China occasionally sends two to four staff members with expertise on Taiwan issues to its foreign embassies, though he could not specify which countries are involved. The bureau is monitoring the situation and working with local authorities to ensure that Chinese officials do not harass Taiwanese citizens overseas, Tsai said, according to the Taipei Times. (ANI)
Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's conferment of Ethiopia's highest award- The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia, a great honour for the country. Singh said that since PM Modi's first tenure, India's foreign relations have made great strides. "It's a great honour for our country and for our party. Our honourable prime minister, who has led this country since 2014, has made significant progress in our foreign relations with all countries. And there's another big step. And again, it's an honour for us. And it shows how our priorities are also aimed towards improving our relations and improving our position in this world," he said. Singh, speaking to ANI, added that India believes in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and that building relations with all nations is important in a multipolar world. "And as I said, these foreign relations are playing a major part in world politics today. And again, it's a great honour. It's a big achievement for us. We follow the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which is that the world is one family. And as I said, we are building good relations with all these countries, which had largely been ignored in the past. And this is very important. Now it's a multilateral world. We need to build our own position. We have to build our own advantages. And these relations will help us to progress and help everyone to progress," he said. Ethiopia on Tuesday conferred its highest award, the Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi is the first global Head of State or Head of Government to receive this award. The award was conferred during PM Modi's visit to the African country. Ethiopia's top honour marks the 28th foreign State award bestowed on PM Modi. PM Modi said that the award is a matter of great pride for him. "Just now, I have been conferred with the highest award of the country - The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia. To be honoured by a very ancient and prosperous civilisation of the world is a matter of great pride for me. On behalf of all Indians, I humbly accept this honour. This award is for all those numerous Indians who shaped our partnership," the Prime Minister said. (ANI)
European leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with 90 billion euros in financial support for 2026-27, a decision aimed at funding Ukraine's military and economic needs. "We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered," Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, wrote on X, announcing the agreement. The financial package includes an interest-free loan of EUR90 billion, a measure intended to send a clear signal to Russia. "This sends a clear signal from Europe to Putin: This war will not be worth it. We will keep Russian assets frozen until Russia has compensated Ukraine," said Olaf Scholz, former German Chancellor, who suggested the interest-free loan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the package was the result of focused discussions among EU leaders. "We gathered today with a clear objective: to address Ukraine's pressing financing needs. We delivered. Ninety billion euros for the next two years through EU borrowing on the capital markets," she said. The announcement followed a meeting on Thursday between President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and European leaders in Brussels, where he made a last-minute appeal for the EU to tap frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's war effort and sustain the country economically, The New York Times reported. "The decision is now on your table," Zelensky said, calling the package "one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made." He stressed that, without the funds, Ukraine would have to significantly reduce its drone production and could face difficulties obtaining missiles for Patriot defence systems. Belgium had opposed the plan for months, citing potential legal risks if Russia retaliates, prompting Zelenskyy to engage directly with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever to make his case. https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2001661838744809820 Sharing a post on X, after meeting Bart De Wever, he wrote, "Together with Prime Minister of Belgium @Bart_DeWever, we discussed mechanisms for using frozen Russian assets. I understand all of Belgium's concerns; however, a decision on the reparations loan must be made. It is fair and will ensure long-term predictability for Ukraine." "We also discussed coordination in diplomacy between Europe and the United States for the sake of peace, Ukraine's future membership in the European Union, support for Ukraine's energy system, and reconstruction. I thank Belgium and the entire Belgian people for supporting Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale war. I am also grateful for Belgium's contribution to the PURL initiative," the post added. On Wednesday, as European leaders were preparing to meet, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised European leaders as "subordinate little pigs" following the lead of the Biden administration, which he said had believed that "Russia could be swiftly broken up and dismantled," according to The New York Times. Putin added that President Trump had changed American policy toward Moscow, allowing for what he called "nascent progress." But he said that a similar shift in relations with Europe was unlikely unless its current leaders were replaced. The remarks came a day before Putin was scheduled to hold his annual year-end news conference on Friday. In Brussels, Zelenskyy acknowledged that not all European leaders supported a program set up by the United States and NATO for Ukrainian allies to buy American weapons after the Trump administration halted aid, as per The New York Times. "How else are we supposed to get through this winter?" Zelenskyy asked. "We need missiles for Patriot systems." In talks with the United States on a potential settlement, Zelensky said there was still no agreement on the postwar use of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant now under Russian occupation or on a Russian request that Ukraine withdraw from territory Kyiv controls in the Donbas region. (ANI)
Police in Hub prevented a press conference by Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) activist Mahzaib Baloch over the alleged enforced disappearance of her father, after sealing the local press club and warning of detention under public order laws, according to the report by The Balochistan Post (TBP). Mahzaib Baloch said police personnel were deployed outside the Hub Press Club, and its gates were locked to stop her family from addressing journalists. She said officials warned that any attempt to hold a press conference on the street could lead to detention under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). She added that police had also refused to register a first information report (FIR) regarding her father's disappearance. Her father, Shafiq Zehri, a professor of political science at Degree College Hub, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon from Hub Chowki and transferred to an undisclosed location, according to family members. The incident was reported earlier by this outlet, as cited by the TBP report. Norway-based Baloch journalist Kiyya Baloch said in a post on X that press clubs had historically been regarded as protected spaces, where police interference was considered unacceptable. "For the second time in two years, police have entered press clubs in Balochistan to block press conferences," he said, adding that attempts to silence voices through force were ineffective in the era of social media, as reported by TBP. Rights groups condemned the enforced disappearance of Shafiq Zehri and the restrictions placed on his family. In a statement, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee said Shafiq Zehri, the elder brother of forcibly disappeared activist Rashid Hussain Baloch, was abducted on 17 December while carrying out his professional duties. The group noted that Zehri had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance in 2013. The BYC said the case illustrated what it described as "collective punishment", in which family members of political activists are targeted in response to peaceful human rights advocacy. Paank and the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) also condemned the disappearance and held authorities responsible for Shafiq Zehri's safety, calling for his immediate production before a court or release, TBP reported. (ANI)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday welcomed the European Union's decision to provide 90 billion euros in financial support to Ukraine for 2026-27, calling it "significant support" in strengthening the country's resilience amid the ongoing war with Russia. "Thank you to all the leaders of the European Union for the European Council's decision regarding financial support for Ukraine in the amount of 90 billion euros in 2026-2027. This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience," Zelenskyy said, adding that it is important that Russian assets remain immobilised and that Ukraine has received financial security guarantees for the coming years. "Together we are protecting the future of our continent," he said. European Council President Antonio Costa announced the decision following hours of talks in Brussels. "We have a deal. The decision to provide 90 billion euros of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 was approved. We committed, we delivered," Costa wrote on X. The package will be provided as an interest-free loan, financed through European Union borrowing on the capital markets. Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the move sent a strong signal to Moscow. "This war will not be worth it. We will keep Russian assets frozen until Russia has compensated Ukraine," he said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement was reached after focused discussions among EU leaders. "We gathered today with a clear objective: to address Ukraine's pressing financing needs. We delivered. Ninety billion euros for the next two years through EU borrowing on the capital markets," she said. The decision followed a meeting between Zelenskyy and European leaders in Brussels, where he made a last-minute appeal for the EU to tap frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's war effort and economy. "The decision is now on your table," Zelenskyy said earlier, calling it "one of the clearest and most morally justified decisions that could ever be made." The EU also asked the European Commission to continue exploring a reparations loan using frozen Russian assets, but the plan is not possible for now, mainly because Belgium, where most of the money is held, had opposed the use of frozen assets for months due to legal risks, prompting Zelenskyy to hold talks with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. The EU also confirmed that 210 billion euros of Russian assets in Europe will remain frozen until Russia pays war reparations to Ukraine. If Russia ever does pay, Ukraine could use that money to repay the EU loan. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said they discussed mechanisms for using frozen Russian assets, coordination between Europe and the United States, Ukraine's future EU membership, support for Ukraine's energy system and reconstruction. As European leaders prepared to meet, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised them as "subordinate little pigs", accusing them of following the Biden administration's approach toward Russia, according to The New York Times. Putin said relations with Europe were unlikely to improve unless current leaders were replaced. Zelenskyy also said discussions with the United States on a potential settlement remain unresolved, including issues related to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and Russia's demand that Ukraine withdraw from territory it controls in the Donbas region. (ANI)
Thousands of Pakistanis have been deported from different countries for begging, while tens of thousands were stopped at airports this year over suspected illegal travel attempts, Geo News reported. During the session of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Rights, chaired by Agha Rafiullah, the Director General of the FIA, Riffat Mukhtar Raja, detailed enforcement actions and recent trends. He informed the committee that 51,000 Pakistanis were denied entry this year. Further, he reported that Saudi Arabia had the highest rate of deportations, sending back 24,000 individuals for begging. The UAE also deported 6,000 Pakistanis on similar grounds, while around 2,500 beggars were expelled from Azerbaijan. He noted that several people attempting to reach Europe under the guise of going for Umrah were intercepted after authorities discovered documents indicating their intention to enter European countries. "Those passengers were denied entry based on evidence," the FIA DG stated, as noted by Geo News. Additionally, the committee was briefed that 24,000 Pakistanis travelled to Cambodia this year, with 12,000 still unreturned, while 4,000 went to Myanmar on tourist visas, and approximately 2,500 of them did not return, as reported by Geo News. The FIA chief remarked that enhanced controls had raised Pakistan's passport ranking from 118 to 92, highlighting that the country was previously among the top five nations for illegal migration, but had improved its standing due to updated policies. He also mentioned a decrease in illegal migration to Europe, with 8,000 Pakistanis travelling illegally last year, compared to 4,000 this year. The FIA DG conveyed that Dubai and Germany had made official passports visa-free, and an e-immigration application is set to launch by mid-January, as reported by Geo News. Earlier in January this year, over 200 Pakistanis were deported from several countries, including Saudi Arabia and the US, in the past week, Geo News reported on Wednesday. According to Geo News, these deportations stem from a variety of issues such as visa violations, legal problems, and human trafficking. (ANI)
The Bangladesh interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Friday issued its first response to the ongoing unrest in the country, urging people to resist acts of mob violence. It said it "strongly and unequivocally" condemns all forms of violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property, warning that such actions threaten to derail the country's democratic process. The government urges all citizens of Bangladesh to resist all forms of mob violence which it said was committed by a few fringe elements. "We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties", the interim government said in a statement on Friday. Highlighting the nation's ongoing democratic transition, the statement said, "This is a critical moment in our country's history. We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace." The government also stressed the significance of the upcoming elections and referendum, calling them "not merely political exercises, but a solemn national commitment." It added, "This promise is inseparable from the dream for which Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi gave his life. Honouring his sacrifice demands restraint, responsibility, and a firm commitment to reject hatred." Expressing support for journalists, the government said, "To the journalists of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and New Age: we stand with you. We are deeply sorry for the terror and violence you have endured. The nation has witnessed your courage and tolerance in the face of terror. Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice." The statement also condemned a recent lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, saying, "There is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared." "We wholeheartedly condemn the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared", the statement said. "At this critical hour, we call upon every citizen to honour Saheed Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred", it added. Meanwhile, protests over the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman bin Hadi continued to spiral. After a night of violent unrest where offices of Media houses like Daily Star and Prothom Alo were targeted, protestors vented their ire at the partially demolished home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As unrest erupted across the country following Osman Hadi's death, Inqilab Moncho urged the public to avoid violence, vandalism, and arson that have erupted across the country. In a late-night Facebook post on Thursday, the organisation said: "Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand -- 32 and 36 are not the same." The post continued, "As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country. To maintain stability in Bangladesh, fully cooperate with the government and refrain from violence." (ANI)
Baloch Voice for Justice has strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of Hajra Baloch, the wife of Sanaullah Baloch, alleging that she was unlawfully detained by Pakistani forces, including the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and other security agencies, from the Daru Hotel area of Hub Chowki in Balochistan. In a statement, the rights group said Hajra Baloch's detention and subsequent disappearance constitute a clear violation of fundamental rights and due process. Describing the incident as a serious crime under international human rights law, Baloch Voice for Justice said such actions reflect a growing trend of repression in the region. The organisation highlighted several similar cases over the past year, including the enforced disappearances of Mahjabeen Baloch from Quetta on May 29; Nasreena Baloch from Hub Chowki on November 22, Raheema Baloch from Dalbandin on December 9, and Farzana Baloch from Khuzdar on December 1. According to the group, these incidents point towards a policy of collective punishment, where family members, particularly women, are allegedly targeted as part of broader crackdowns. Baloch Voice for Justice has called on the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and independent media to take urgent notice of what it termed grave and ongoing violations in Balochistan. The group demanded the immediate recovery of all forcibly disappeared Baloch women and stressed the need for accountability for those responsible. Enforced disappearances have been a highly controversial issue in Balochistan, with families frequently accusing state security agencies of detaining individuals without any charges. Over the last twenty years, families in the province have organised numerous protests and sit-ins to seek information about their missing loved ones. Human rights organisations, including the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), have recorded thousands of such cases, though the official statistics provided by the Pakistani government significantly disagree. Human rights bodies such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have continuously voiced their concerns regarding this matter, urging Pakistani authorities to investigate reports of enforced disappearances, ensure accountability, and put an end to the practice of secret detentions, as noted in the TBP article. Pakistani authorities have consistently denied these claims, maintaining that many of the missing individuals have either affiliated with insurgent groups or are residing abroad. Despite these denials, protests by the families of the disappeared remain a regular feature in Balochistan's civic environment, with activists highlighting the necessity for justice, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India is entering what he described as a "decisive phase" in negotiations with the European Union on a free trade agreement, and stressed the importance of support from key EU members, including the Netherlands. "We also count on your support as we are moving to what I hope is a decisive phase in our negotiations with the European Union on the free trade agreement," Jaishankar said during his meeting with the Netherlands Foreign Minister David van Weel. Jaishankar said India places a high value on its ties with the Netherlands, both bilaterally and in its role within the European Union. "We value our relations with the Netherlands enormously, bilaterally as well as a key player of the European Union," he said. He noted that cooperation between the two countries has expanded in recent months, with several agreements adding new dimensions to the relationship. "A number of important agreements have been reached in the last few months, which have added more dimensions to our cooperation," Jaishankar said, adding that there was further potential to deepen engagement. "There's scope for raising the ambition of our relationship," he said. The External Affairs Minister also said he was keen to hear the Netherlands' views on key global and regional developments. "I would, of course, also like to get your perspectives on global and regional issues," he said. Netherlands Foreign Minister David van Weel, in his remarks, underlined the need for like-minded democracies to work more closely amid shifting global geopolitics. "In these turbulent times when geopolitics are changing, countries like us, which adhere to democracy, the international rule-based order, and free trade, need to stick together and intensify our cooperation to stand the test of time," van Weel said. He welcomed progress in bilateral engagement, particularly in security, defence and emerging technologies. "I'm really happy that we're able to get to a letter of intent to work more together in the field of security and defence, but also, in the field of new technologies," he said. Highlighting the alignment between the two countries despite differences in size, the Dutch minister said, "We are two countries of completely different sizes geographically, but I think psychologically and in mentality we are very much aligned and happy to work on that relationship." Earlier in the day, Jaishankar interacted with members of multi-party parliamentary delegations that recently represented India at the United Nations General Assembly, and praised their role in presenting India's views on key global issues. "Glad to interact today with the members of the multi-party Parliamentarian delegations who recently represented India at the @UNGeneralAssembly," Jaishankar wrote on X. He said the meeting provided an opportunity to hear directly from the parliamentarians about their engagements and experiences during the UN General Assembly sessions. "Listened to their experiences and appreciated their feedback," he said. Jaishankar also thanked the members of the delegations for articulating India's position on international platforms. "Thank them for effectively putting across India's stance on the global stage," he said. (ANI)
Former Bangladesh minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury on Friday alleged that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is deliberately instigating violence in Bangladesh to delay upcoming elections. Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury claimed that the attack on India's Deputy High Commissioner's residence was "pre-planned and state-sponsored" to instigate India. Violence erupted across Bangladesh following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadin, with overnight protests in Dhaka escalating into arson and attacks on media houses. "Sharif Osman Hadin was a firebrand fanatic who openly called for blood. According to information available in the media, he was gunned down by someone close to him, a member of his own armed group," Chowdhury, who served as Education Minister under the now-ousted Sheikh Hasina government, said. He alleged that the Yunus regime used Hadin's death as a pretext to mobilise extremist elements and sympathetic political groups to engineer nationwide unrest. "The primary objective is to delay the elections they themselves keep talking about. The second objective is to eliminate grassroots political workers who are still active inside the country," he added. The unrest also took on a strong anti-India dimension, with protesters surrounding the residence of India's deputy ambassador in Dhaka. Chowdhury claimed that foreign missions were deliberately targeted to internationalise the crisis. "They attacked foreign missions, including the Indian High Commission in my home city of Chittagong, to provoke a reaction from India, Bangladesh's long-standing friend and strategic partner," he said. The former Bangladesh minister further accused members of the interim government of openly inciting violence instead of restoring law and order. "Instead of investigating the incident or deploying security personnel, members of the Yunus cabinet themselves called for blood," he alleged. Referring to a former minister of the interim cabinet, Chowdhury said, "Although he has submitted his resignation, he continues to enjoy government protocol. He publicly spoke about dead bodies and even said they would become martyrs if needed." Protesters also targeted major media houses in Dhaka, storming and setting fire to buildings housing two of the country's leading newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo. Chowdhury claimed that attacks on media houses, including those perceived to have earlier supported these groups, were part of the same pattern. "If anyone says this violence was spontaneous, it clearly was not. For days, there was no public reaction, but once ministers began calling for blood, the extremist crowd responded accordingly," he said. (ANI)
Farmers affected by Pakistan's catastrophic 2022 floods announced plans to move a climate justice claim in Germany against two leading global carbon emitters, asserting that the scale of devastation highlighted Pakistan's severe exposure to climate change impacts, though it contributes just one per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Dawn. The decision was announced at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club by farmer claimants Hamza Khan Kalhoro, Abdul Hafeez Khoso and Abdul Khaliq Leghari, representing flood-ravaged areas of Larkana, Jacobabad and Dadu. The organisers said the farmers are set to initiate climate accountability proceedings in Germany against two companies listed among the world's largest carbon dioxide emitters. Details shared at the briefing indicated that the legal action would be filed under German civil law and anchored in the polluter pays principle, with the farmers seeking compensation for climate impacts that played a role in the 2022 disaster, Dawn reported. The farmers said the floods wiped out crops, livestock and housing, leaving thousands of agricultural families trapped in long-term economic distress. They pointed out that Pakistan contributes less than one per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions but continues to bear a disproportionate burden of climate-driven extreme weather. On this basis, they said entities with a history of high emissions must be held responsible for climate-related loss and damage. They said the claim would be filed against RWE and Heidelberg Materials. They added that 43 farmers from Sindh are part of the case and are seeking compensation for losses suffered during the 2022 floods, Dawn reported. National Trade Union Federation leader Nasir Mansoor said climate change should be viewed as both a livelihood and labour rights concern, noting that repeated climate shocks are weakening rural employment and endangering food security. He said the absence of climate-resilient policies was intensifying inequality and pushing working communities further into poverty, while backing the farmers' move to take legal action. Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed of the HANDS Welfare Foundation said the 2022 floods were not a "natural disaster alone" but were linked to global warming. "Our farmers are paying the price for emissions they did not cause," he said, stressing the need for accountability from major polluters and compensation for affected communities. Speaking from Germany over the phone, constitutional lawyer and European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights representative Miriam Saage-Maab said the case seeks to bring the voices of flood-hit communities into international legal spaces. Karin Zennig of Medico International, Germany, said the case forms part of a broader global push to demand accountability for climate harm through courts, adding that climate litigation is increasingly connecting climate science, human rights and justice, Dawn reported. Those present at the press conference urged the international community to address climate-induced loss and damage as a matter of justice and responsibility. (ANI)
Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday met with German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider in Berlin to discuss the shared challenge of climate change and the importance of sustainable, people-centric solutions for the future. The Indian National Congress shared a post on their official 'X' handle and informed about the development. "LoP Rahul Gandhi had an insightful conversation with Carsten Schneider, Germany's Federal Minister for Environment and Climate Protection. They discussed the shared challenge of climate change and how sustainable, people-centric solutions are crucial for the future," the 'X' post said. Earlier, Gandhi also addressed the Indian community at the Connecting Cultures event organised by the Indian Overseas Congress. "We defend the truth of India." LoP Rahul Gandhi addressed the Indian community at the Connecting Cultures event organised by the Indian Overseas Congress, reaffirming our shared commitment to truth and democratic values," an 'X' post from INC read. Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi had lunch with former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his 5-day visit to Germany. On Tuesday, LoP Gandhi visited the BMW World museum in Munich, Germany, where he marvelled at the feats of Indian engineering being displayed with the TVS 450 cc motorcycle, developed in partnership with the German automobile manufacturer. During the visit, he interacted with visitors while checking the display of various cars made by BMW."India needs to start producing; production is the key to success in any country. Our manufacturing is declining; it should actually be going up," Rahul Gandhi said during his visit. In the video shared by the party, Gandhi said, "We went to the BMW factory -- fantastic experience --, and I was particularly excited to see that they have a 450 CC bike, the TVS, and I think that's going to do well. Good to see that the Indian flag is flying here." (ANI)
Quad partners carried out the first Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN) Field Training Exercise from December 8 to 12, aimed at strengthening shared logistics capacity for "swift and effective responses to regional humanitarian needs," the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday Highlighting the significance of the exercise, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the initiative was designed to improve coordination and preparedness among Quad countries for swift and effective responses to regional humanitarian needs. "On the sidelines of Operation Christmas Drop, Quad partners carried out the first Indo-Pacific Logistics Network Field Training Exercise (8-12 Dec 2025) to enhance shared logistics capacity for swift and effective responses to regional humanitarian needs," Jaiswal said in a post on X. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/2001912728722739408?s=20 The field training exercise marked the operational follow-up to earlier preparatory efforts undertaken by the Quad to institutionalise coordinated humanitarian logistics in the Indo-Pacific. Operation Christmas Drop (OCD) is a yearly US Air Force humanitarian mission that involves preparing and airdropping essential supplies such as food, tools and clothing to over 55 isolated islands across the South-Eastern Pacific, including the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau. Earlier On May 8, the Quad partners had convened at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii for a Tabletop Exercise, which simulated the launch of the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN), according to a statement by the US Department of State. "From April 28 to May 2, the Quad partners (the United States, Australia, India, and Japan) convened at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii for a Tabletop Exercise, a simulation to launch the Quad Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN)," the statement said. Explaining the purpose of the framework, the statement said the IPLN enables Quad partners to leverage shared logistics capabilities in the Indo-Pacific to support civilian responses to natural disasters more rapidly and efficiently across the region. As per the statement, the IPLN reflects the Quad's broader commitment to regional stability and cooperation. "Together with the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the IPLN reflects the Quad's commitment to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific and highlights the value of strengthening practical cooperation to address regional challenges," it added. These logistics-focused initiatives align with the Quad's expanding cooperation across other critical domains, including health security. Earlier, on March 17, India, under its presidency of the Quad, began hosting the "Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region" from March 17 to 19, 2025. The workshop was a key outcome of the 6th Quad Leaders' Summit held in September 2024 and aimed to strengthen regional health security through collaboration on governance, surveillance, and emergency response mechanisms. Senior health officials, technical experts and policymakers from Quad nations--India, the United States, Japan and Australia-- participated in the event. The workshop had also drawn over 25 delegates from 15 Indo-Pacific countries, including Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga and Tuvalu. Representatives from international health organisations also attended it. (ANI)
A recent statement by Hasnat Abdullah, a leader and Southern Chief Organiser of Bangladesh's newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), warning that India's northeastern "Seven Sisters" could be isolated if Bangladesh were "destabilised", has triggered concern among regional observers, according to the report by the Times of Israel. Analysts say the remarks reflect a deeper shift in Bangladesh's political and social landscape following last year's political transition. Since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 and the subsequent assumption of authority by Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh has witnessed increasingly hardline rhetoric, a resurgence of Islamist networks, and a marked rise in violence against religious minorities. Political transitions often create power vacuums, and analysts note that Bangladesh's post-2024 environment has seen such a vacuum filled by forces drawing on grievance-driven and identity-based politics. The emergence of the NCP and the growing prominence of figures such as Hasnat Abdullah indicate a recalibration of political messaging that increasingly attributes domestic instability to external actors, particularly India. This narrative, experts say, has resonated with radical groups historically opposed to secular governance and regional cooperation, allowing them to advance their agendas under the cover of nationalist discourse, as reported by Times of Israel. According to analysts at the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), writing in the South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Islamist actors previously constrained under earlier governments have become more emboldened since 2024. SAIR researcher Sanchita Bhattacharya observed that weakened deterrence mechanisms and political signalling perceived as prioritising appeasement over accountability have created what she described as "an enabling ecosystem" for radical mobilisation. Anti-India rhetoric, once largely confined to fringe organisations, has increasingly entered mainstream political discourse, blurring distinctions between nationalist assertion and strategic risk-taking. The consequences of this shift are most evident in the sustained targeting of religious minorities. Between January and December 2025, multiple killings and violent incidents highlighted the vulnerability of minority communities, particularly Hindus, TOI reported. On December 7, police recovered the bodies of freedom fighter Yogesh Chandra Roy and his wife, Subarna Roy, from their residence in Rangpur district. Both had suffered head injuries. Days earlier, Hindu fish trader Utpal Sarkar was murdered in Faridapur, while jeweller Prantosh Karmakar was shot dead in Narsingdi on December 2. These incidents followed earlier killings of Hindu businessmen, activists, and journalists in districts including Sylhet, Natore, Habiganj, and Munshiganj. Violence has not been limited to Hindu communities. Churches in Dhaka were targeted with crude bombs in October and November 2025, Buddhist temples were robbed, and sectarian violence against minority Muslim groups also increased. Partial data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management records at least 34 instances of minority persecution since August 2024, including cases of arrest, lynching, abduction, land seizures, and the desecration of places of worship across nearly every region of Bangladesh, the Times of Israel report stated. Independent assessments underscore the scale of the crisis. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated in its 2025 annual report that hundreds of Hindus were reportedly killed in violence following Sheikh Hasina's removal from office. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documented 2,442 incidents of violence against minorities between August 2024 and June 2025, including 27 murders in the first half of 2025 alone. These figures stand in contrast to official assurances that law and order remain under control. Beyond physical attacks, symbolic developments have raised concerns about the erosion of Bangladesh's pluralist cultural legacy. The demolition of filmmaker Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Mymensingh and vandalism at Rabindranath Tagore's Rabindra Kacharibari were widely criticised as assaults on icons central to Bengali cultural identity, as noted by the Times of Israel report. Islamist organisations have simultaneously grown more assertive. Hefazat-e-Islam has led campaigns opposing currency notes depicting Hindu and Buddhist heritage sites, while Jamaat-e-Islami organised street protests over alleged blasphemy involving Hindu individuals. Observers note that such movements appear increasingly confident, thereby testing the state's willingness to enforce constitutional protections, as reported by the Times of Israel. For India, the challenge lies in responding without reinforcing narratives of external threat promoted by hardliners. For Bangladesh, the stakes are even higher. Continued minority persecution, weakening of pluralist traditions, and tolerance of extremist mobilisation risk undermining the social fabric rebuilt since the country's independence in 1971. Observers say Bangladesh now faces a defining choice: to reaffirm its constitutional commitment to secularism and regional cooperation, or to allow radical forces to shape further its political trajectory, a decision that will have lasting implications for both domestic stability and South Asia's fragile strategic balance, according to a Times of Israel report. (ANI)
The US Embassy in Dhaka on Friday issued a security advisory for American citizens, citing media reports related to the arrival and funeral of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi and warning of potential traffic disruption and unrest in the capital. In a statement posted on X, the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka said, "Media reports that the body of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi will land in Dhaka at 6:05 pm today, Friday, December 19." https://x.com/usembassydhaka/status/2001950191067296111?s=20 Providing details of the funeral arrangements, the embassy said, "His funeral prayer is expected to be held on Manik Mia Avenue (in front of the National Parliament Building) after Duhar prayer (around 1400 hours) on Saturday, December 20." Linking the events to expected disruption in the city, the advisory noted, "Extremely heavy traffic is expected in the area and throughout Dhaka." Cautioning US nationals about safety risks amid the gathering of large crowds, the embassy said, "U.S. citizens should practice vigilance and remember that gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence." Advising avoidance of crowded areas, the statement added, "You should avoid demonstrations and exercise caution in the vicinity of any large gatherings." The advisory comes as Dhaka continues to witness protests following the death of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the prominent figures associated with last year's July Uprising that led to a regime change in Bangladesh. Amid the unrest, Hadi's family on Friday demanded the construction of a memorial in his honour at Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection, where he initiated the movement. According to bdnews24, Hadi's brother-in-law Amir Hossain Howlader said the family was seeking formal recognition of his contributions as relatives and supporters gathered at Hadi's residence in Nalchity, Jhalakathi district, after news of his death surfaced. "Hadi rose to prominence at Shahbagh. A memorial should be built for him there," Howlader said, as quoted by bdnews24. The family also called for Hadi's poetry to be included in school textbooks, his biography to be taught in schools and colleges, and for those responsible for his killing to be identified and given exemplary punishment. According to bdnews24, Hadi was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area, when two assailants arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire and fled the scene. Critically injured, Hadi was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital, where he was placed in intensive care. On December 15, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance for advanced treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Following his death, protests broke out across the capital, with a fresh wave of demonstrations erupting on Friday as activists gathered at Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection demanding justice for the slain leader. During the protests, some anti-India slogans were also raised, with demonstrators calling for the interim government to make way for a "revolutionary government," bdnews24 reported. Earlier episodes of unrest saw protesters vent their anger at the offices of media organisations such as The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, as well as at the partially demolished residence of Bangladesh's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Amid the escalating tensions, Inqilab Moncho urged the public to refrain from violence, vandalism and arson. In a late-night Facebook post on Thursday, the organisation said, "Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand -- 32 and 36 are not the same." Linking stability to the political roadmap, the post added, "As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country. To maintain stability in Bangladesh, fully cooperate with the government and refrain from violence." Meanwhile, the Bangladesh interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus issued its first response to the ongoing unrest on Friday, urging citizens to resist acts of mob violence. It "strongly and unequivocally" condemned all forms of violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property, warning that such actions threaten to derail the country's democratic process. (ANI)
Netherlands Foreign Minister David van Weel on Friday expressed strong optimism over the ongoing India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, describing India and the EU as "natural partners" at a time when trade is facing increasing challenges in the global environment. David van Weel, on a three-day visit to India, noted that FTAs with like-minded partners have become increasingly significant amid disruptions to global trade and supply chains. "FTAs with like-minded partners now are more important than ever. We see a world where trade is becoming increasingly difficult, where countries sometimes don't adhere to the rules we set, and where we need to diversify our supply chains to become more resilient and autonomous," the Dutch Foreign Minister said. "There the EU and India are natural partners. I really hope that we will soon reach a conclusion on those negotiations," he added, highlighting the convergence of interests between both sides. Earlier on Monday, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the India-EU FTAs were "narrowing down the differences". "We have done nearly 14 rounds of negotiations till now. Their team was here for the entire week in December, and both sides had deep engagement on multiple issues. We are narrowing down the differences," he said. "When you reach closer, there are a set of differences. We are now narrowing them down. Both sides are virtually engaged on multiple issues," the secretary added. During his visit, the Dutch Foreign Minister also held meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, describing the discussions as productive against the backdrop of global geopolitical shifts. "There were good discussions. In these times of geopolitical change and unrest around the world, democracies need to stick together. India and the Netherlands are passionate about democracy, the rule of law, and the right of passage in the high seas, and all those values are under pressure," he stated. On defence and security cooperation, van Weel said both sides share concerns over developments in the Indo-Pacific region, noting that they joined New Delhi's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. He further announced increased naval engagement between the two countries with the Dutch Deputy Chief of the Navy's visit to India in February, along with a Dutch frigate visiting Kochi in the spring. "In the field of defence and security, we've concluded that we share concerns about developments in the Indo-Pacific region. The threats are multiple, and we also joined your Indian Ocean Pacific Initiative. Our Deputy Chief of the Navy will be here in February to discuss with the Chiefs of the Navy what the developments are and what should be done. There will also be a Dutch frigate that will visit Kochi in the Spring of next year as a testimony to how important we find it to show our presence here also in the region," van Weel added. In November 2019, India launched the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) to give a concrete shape to India's Indo-Pacific Vision, which is built on India's Act East Policy and MAHASAGAR doctrine. (ANI)
Former Foreign Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday pointed to the escalation in "orchestrated" protests targeting Indian diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, linking the developments to organised political efforts by "anti-India elements" ahead of elections. Highlighting recent incidents, Shringla said, "We have seen some escalation in terms of protests against the Indian High Commission and consulates," placing the unrest within a broader political context. Linking the protests to intent and timing, he said, "These are clearly being orchestrated by those who are opposed to India," indicating that the actions were not spontaneous. "This is a way to ratchet up pressure and appeal to anti-India elements before the elections." He further connected the protests to internal political dynamics, saying, "Some elements within the ruling interim administration have followed this policy." "What we are seeing is an attempt to cater to those sentiments, which, in my view, are a minority sentiment in Bangladesh, but nonetheless are making their voices heard in today's environment," he added. Shringla's remarks come amid continuing unrest in Bangladesh following the death of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with last year's July Uprising that led to a regime change in the country. Hadi was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. Following his death, protests intensified across Dhaka, with a fresh wave of demonstrations erupting on Friday as activists gathered at Shahbagh demanding justice for the slain leader. During the protests, anti-India slogans were also raised. Videos circulating on social media showed groups pelting stones near the diplomatic mission in the area. Demonstrators called for the interim government to step aside in favour of a "revolutionary government," bdnews24 reported. Amid the unrest, Hadi's family on Friday demanded the construction of a memorial in his honour at Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection, where he rose to prominence and initiated the movement. According to bdnews24, Hadi's brother-in-law Amir Hossain Howlader said the family was seeking formal recognition of his contributions as relatives and supporters gathered at Hadi's residence in Nalchity, Jhalakathi district, after news of his death surfaced. "Hadi rose to prominence at Shahbagh. A memorial should be built for him there," Howlader said, as quoted by bdnews24. The family also called for Hadi's poetry to be included in school textbooks, his biography to be taught in schools and colleges, and for those responsible for his killing to be identified and given exemplary punishment. According to bdnews24, Hadi was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area, when two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire and fled the scene. He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, later shifted to Evercare Hospital, and subsequently airlifted to Singapore on December 15 for advanced treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Protesters on Thursday night also target offices of media organisations such as The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, as well as vent anger at the partially demolished residence of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Chhayanaut Sanskriti Bhaban was also attacked. Reports of similar incidents emerged from parts of Chittagong, Rajshahi and several other areas, as protests spread across the country. Amid the escalating tensions, Inqilab Moncho urged the public to refrain from violence, vandalism and arson. In a late-night Facebook post on Thursday, the organisation said, "Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand -- 32 and 36 are not the same." Linking stability to the political roadmap, the post added, "As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country. To maintain stability in Bangladesh, fully cooperate with the government and refrain from violence." Meanwhile, the Bangladesh interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus issued its first response to the ongoing unrest on Friday, urging citizens to resist mob violence. It "strongly and unequivocally" condemned all forms of violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property, warning that such actions threaten to derail the country's democratic process. (ANI)
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Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Friday expressed condolences to India over the terror attack that took place in April this year, describing terrorism as a shared global threat that requires close international cooperation. Speaking during an interview with ANI, van Weel said that countries across regions are confronting similar challenges. "First of all, I offered my condolences for the terrible things that occurred in April of this year. Terrorism is a threat that we all face. We face that in Europe; you face that in India," he said. Referring to recent violent incidents elsewhere, the Dutch foreign minister also mentioned the attack at Bondi Beach earlier this week, underlining the global nature of the threat. "We are a partner in combating terrorism," he added, reiterating the Netherlands' commitment to working with India on counter-terrorism efforts. Addressing concerns raised about Dutch arms exports to Pakistan, van Weel clarified that the shipments were approved before recent developments. He said the exports involved earlier orders for two ships intended for use on the high seas. "On the arms exports to Pakistan, these were pre-dating the events. There were orders for two ships at the high seas," he explained. The Dutch minister emphasised that the Netherlands follows stringent guidelines when approving weapons exports. "In all weapon exports that we do, we always adhere to strict rules, and we always take the end use and the end user into serious account," he said. His remarks came after his discussion with the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi during his visit, where both Ministers discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment. They reaffirmed the commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation with a focus on developing defence cooperation as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership. The discussions highlighted the shared commitment of India and the Netherlands to a free, open, inclusive, and rule-based Indo-Pacific region. The Ministers emphasised the need for a closer defence partnership and for connecting the defence industries of both nations, especially in niche technology. A Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation was exchanged between Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Ambassador of the Netherlands to India, Marisa Gerards, in the presence of the two Ministers. (ANI)
Pakistan's military-backed establishment is increasingly using transnational repression to intimidate critics and activists living abroad, according to Mehlaqa Samdani, executive director of the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice, an advocacy group focused on human rights, democracy and accountability in US foreign policy. Samdani said she personally experienced this campaign of intimidation when, two months ago, Pakistan's National Cybercrimes Investigations Agency (NCIA) sent a legal notice to her ancestral home in Pakistan, accusing her of spreading "anti-state content" on social media. The notice did not specify the posts in question but demanded that she appear in person before investigators, warning that failure to comply could result in the seizure of her "tangible or intangible identity, property, and accounts." Samdani, a US citizen based in Massachusetts, said the notice was issued in response to her public advocacy against Pakistan's human rights violations and served as a chilling reminder of how far the Pakistani regime is willing to go to monitor and intimidate activists beyond its borders. According to Samdani, the case is emblematic of a wider pattern of transnational repression, a practice in which authoritarian governments target diaspora and exile communities. Citing Freedom House, she noted that such repression includes tactics such as family harassment, digital surveillance, misuse of cybercrime laws, smear campaigns, abuse of INTERPOL mechanisms and, in some cases, extraterritorial killings. While such practices are often associated with countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Russia and Iran, Samdani highlighted that Pakistan is officially identified by both Freedom House and the US State Department as one of 26 countries engaged in transnational repression, despite being a key US security partner. Samdani warned that the issue has become particularly urgent amid renewed US engagement with Pakistan. She pointed out that the Trump administration has sought cooperation with Islamabad on critical minerals, cryptocurrency ventures and counterterrorism, while, in her view, disregarding serious human rights violations. "This is not just a diaspora issue," Samdani stated, arguing that transnational repression represents a test of whether the United States can defend its own democracy and protect the constitutional rights of its citizens. Highlighting other cases, Samdani referred to the March abduction of the brothers of Pakistani-American investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, which took place shortly after Noorani published a report alleging corruption and nepotism within the Pakistani military. She said the brothers were subjected to weeks of psychological torture and physical abuse and were released only after sustained international pressure. According to Samdani, intimidation is not limited to journalists or activists. She said Pakistani-American small business owners, students and social media influencers have also faced reprisals, including family abductions and business closures in Pakistan, simply for posting criticism online. Samdani linked these incidents to what she described as Pakistan's broader pattern of military authoritarianism and systemic human rights abuses. She cited allegations that Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies manipulate elections, censor the media, use lethal force against unarmed protesters, abduct and forcibly disappear Baloch and Pashtun activists, intimidate judges through surveillance and detain hundreds of political prisoners. Among those detained is former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose continued incarceration has been deemed unlawful by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, Samdani noted. She also pointed to the recent passage of Pakistan's 27th constitutional amendment, which grants lifetime immunity to Army Chief General Asim Munir and effectively ends judicial independence, as evidence that the military leadership has consolidated its control over the country's institutions. Samdani criticised President Donald Trump's public praise of General Munir, whom he referred to as his "favorite Field Marshal", saying such remarks reflect US indifference to repression in Pakistan and carry serious consequences. "When the US government supports authoritarianism abroad, it exposes its own citizens to foreign coercion and weakens democratic norms at home," Samdani warned, adding that it also sends a dangerous signal to other authoritarian regimes. Referring to recent legislative action, Samdani welcomed a letter sent by 44 Democratic members of Congress, led by Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Greg Casar, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging accountability for Pakistani military and civilian leaders accused of targeting Pakistani-Americans and violating their First Amendment rights. However, she stressed that more action is required. Samdani noted that the United States currently lacks specific legislation addressing transnational repression and urged Congress to advance bills such as the Transnational Repression Policy Act. She also highlighted that the US does not have an official legal definition of transnational repression, forcing prosecutors to rely on fragmented statutes. Citing the New Lines Institute, Samdani said a formal definition is critical to establishing a "whole-of-government approach" to countering the threat. Samdani further called on US law enforcement agencies to expand outreach to diaspora communities, increase awareness and establish clear reporting mechanisms for harassment and threats, noting that many affected individuals are unaware that what they are experiencing has a name and legal remedies. Finally, she urged Washington to use its leverage over Pakistan, including through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme, maintenance support for Pakistan's F-16 fleet and influence over IMF lending and financial access, to push back against democratic backsliding and transnational repression. (ANI)
As negotiations between India and the European Union on a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) enter a "decisive phase," Netherlands Foreign Minister David van Weel has underscored the growing importance of such pacts with like-minded partners amid global trade uncertainties. In an interview with ANI on Friday, David van Weel, who is on a three-day visit to India, said that the global trade environment is becoming increasingly challenging, making closer economic cooperation essential. "FTAs with like-minded partners now are more critical than ever," he said, pointing to disruptions in global trade and the need to diversify supply chains. "We see a world where trade is becoming increasingly difficult, where countries sometimes don't adhere to the rules we set, and where we need to diversify our supply chains to become more resilient and autonomous," the Dutch foreign minister added. He said he was hopeful that the India-EU FTA talks would reach a conclusion soon. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, hosting his Dutch counterpart, lauded the support of key EU members such as the Netherlands in negotiations for India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Jaishankar reaffirmed India's deepening cooperation with the Netherlands, both bilaterally and in the context of broader India-EU engagement, spanning sectors like water, agriculture, technology, and semiconductors. "We count on your support as we are moving to what I hope is a decisive phase in our negotiations with the EU on the Free Trade Agreement," he said. Earlier on Monday, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that the India-EU FTAs were "narrowing down the differences". "We have done nearly 14 rounds of negotiations till now. Their team was here for the entire week in December, and both sides had deep engagement on multiple issues. We are narrowing down the differences," he said. "When you reach closer, there are a set of differences. So, now we are narrowing them down. Both sides are virtually engaged on multiple issues," the secretary added. During his visit, the Dutch Foreign Minister also held meetings with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, describing the discussions as productive against the backdrop of global geopolitical shifts. "There were good discussions. In these times of geopolitical change and unrest around the world, democracies need to stick together. India and the Netherlands are passionate about democracy, the rule of law, and the right of passage in the high seas, and all those values are under pressure," he stated. On defence and security cooperation, van Weel said both sides share concerns about developments in the Indo-Pacific region. He further announced increased naval engagement between the two countries with the Dutch Deputy Chief of the Navy's visit to India in February, along with a Dutch frigate visiting Kochi in the spring. "In the field of defence and security, we've concluded that we share concerns about developments in the Indo-Pacific region. The threats are multiple, and we also joined your Indian Ocean Pacific Initiative. Our Deputy Chief of the Navy will be here in February to discuss with the Chiefs of the Navy what the developments are and what should be done. There will also be a Dutch frigate that will visit Kochi in the Spring of next year as a testimony to how important we find it to show our presence here also in the region," van Weel added. (ANI)
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Friday observed that India and the Netherlands are closely aligned in outlook and approach despite differences in geographical size, stressing the need for deeper cooperation at a time of shifting global geopolitics. Speaking during a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, van Weel highlighted shared values between the two countries and the importance of standing together. "I believe in these turbulent times where geopolitics are changing, countries like us, who adhere to democracy, who adhere to the international rule-based order, who adhere to free trade, need to stick together and intensify their cooperation in order to stand the test of time," he said, while also thanking Jaishankar for the warm welcome extended to him. Referring to recent steps to strengthen ties, the Dutch Foreign Minister said, "So, I'm really really happy that before arrival, we were able to get to a letter of intent to work more together in the field of security and defense but also as you mentioned in the field of new technologies." Placing technological cooperation in context, van Weel spoke about his visit to an Indian facility of a Dutch company. "I visited one of the Dutch companies yesterday NXP who is already very established here in India and who is willing to take the collaboration to the next step and there are more to come," he said, pointing to the growing role of technology partnerships. Underscoring the shared mindset between the two nations, he added, "We are two countries of completely different sizes geographically. But, I think psychologically and in mentality we are very much aligned and happy to work on that relationship." On Thursday, van Weel met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, with the two sides signing a Letter of Intent focused on defence and maritime security cooperation. Reflecting on the engagement, the Dutch Foreign Minister wrote on X, "Security depends on cooperation. India's Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and I signed a Letter of Intent, setting out our joint efforts aimed at deepening our partnership on defence & maritime security. This includes efforts to protect open and secure sea lanes in the Indo-Pacific." As part of his engagements, van Weel also met Congress MP and Chair of India's Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor. Sharing details of the interaction, he posted, "A good conversation with Shashi Tharoor, Chair of India's Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. We explored how domestic debate shapes foreign policy, India's role on the global stage, and opportunities for cooperation between India and the Netherlands." The visiting minister arrived in New Delhi on Thursday after completing engagements in Mumbai, where he visited the Netherlands Consulate and interacted with students, entrepreneurs and social partners. Highlighting the outreach, the Netherlands Embassy in India said, "Yesterday David van Weel paid a visit to our Consulate in Mumbai and also met with students, entrepreneurs and social partners. A ministerial visit is always a good opportunity to connect with the people who give shape to our bilateral ties. At Netherlands Embassy in India, and across the world." During his visit to Maharashtra, van Weel also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss cooperation at the state level. Sharing details of the meeting, he wrote on X, "Honoured to meet with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to discuss India-Netherlands cooperation in the state of Maharashtra, including maritime innovation, circular economy, water and agriculture. Encouraging to see the potential to deepen our partnership." (ANI)
Netherlands Foreign Minister David van Weel on Friday described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an "existential threat" for Europe, stressing that the war must end, warning that a Russian victory would undermine the global rules-based order. Speaking to ANI during his visit to India, van Weel noted that during his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, this topic was discussed prominently, given its far-reaching implications for European and global security. The Dutch Foreign Minister also emphasised the urgency of ending the conflict and stopping the violence. "The war was definitely discussed because for us in Europe, this is an existential war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine and the outcome of this war cannot be that Russia wins because that would mean that all of our rules based on territorial integrity and sovereignty are off the table and that makes a more dangerous world for all of us," he said. "For us in Europe, that would mean that Russia would have a stronger foothold for future aggression, also potentially against us. This is an existential threat. We all want this war to end. We all want the bloodshed to end," the Dutch FM added. He further stated that discussions were ongoing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the contours of a lasting peace, urging international partners to press Moscow into negotiations as a matter of diplomatic pressure. "We have been talking to President Zelenskyy about what would be an acceptable and durable peace outcome... I've asked my partners where they can exert pressure on Moscow to also seriously come to the negotiating table," he said. Earlier today, the European Union announced it would provide EUR 90 billion in financial support to Ukraine for 2026-27, with Zelenskyy calling it "significant support" in strengthening the country's resilience amid the ongoing war. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would achieve its objectives and rejected the idea of war with the West, as the European Union considers seizing Russian funds to support Ukraine, with the conflict now entering its fourth winter, Al Jazeera reported. During a high-level meeting with Russian Ministry of Defence officials, Putin was quoted by state media as describing calls in the West to prepare for war with Russia as "hysteria and a lie", while asserting that the Kremlin's war goals will "undoubtedly" be achieved, according to Al Jazeera. (ANI)
The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has strongly condemned the brutal murder of a young Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, in Bangladesh. "Yesterday (18 December) around 9:00 pm in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, a group of miscreants brutally beat to death a garment worker named Dipu Chandra Das on allegations of so-called blasphemy. They then hung his body from a tree and set it on fire, provoking actions that undermine communal harmony," the largest minority group of Bangladesh said in a statement. "The Council has strongly condemned and protested this heinous incident and has demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and the assurance of exemplary punishment," it added. The Bangladesh interim government also condemned the incident. "We wholeheartedly condemn the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh. There is no space for such violence in new Bangladesh. The perpetrators of this heinous crimine will not be spared," the interim government said in a separate statement. The condemnation of the Mymensingh lynching came as the Bangladesh interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Friday issued its first detailed response to the wider unrest in the country, urging citizens to resist acts of mob violence. The interim government said it "strongly and unequivocally" condemns all forms of violence, intimidation, arson and destruction of property, warning that such actions threaten to derail the country's democratic process. "We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson, and destruction of properties," the interim government said in a statement on Friday. Placing the appeal in the context of the country's political transition, the statement said, "This is a critical moment in our country's history. We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace." Emphasising the importance of the democratic process, the government said the upcoming elections and referendum are "not merely political exercises, but a solemn national commitment." "This promise is inseparable from the dream for which Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi gave his life. Honouring his sacrifice demands restraint, responsibility, and a firm commitment to reject hatred," the statement added. Addressing attacks on media institutions amid the unrest, the interim government expressed solidarity with journalists. "To the journalists of The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and New Age: we stand with you. We are deeply sorry for the terror and violence you have endured. The nation has witnessed your courage and tolerance in the face of terror. Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself. We promise you full justice," it said. On the Mymensingh lynching, the government said there is "no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh" and that "the perpetrators of this heinous crime will not be spared." "At this critical hour, we call upon every citizen to honour Saheed Hadi by rejecting and resisting violence, incitement and hatred," the statement said. The appeals from both the interim government and minority rights groups come against the backdrop of escalating unrest following the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman bin Hadi. After a night of violent protests, offices of media houses including The Daily Star and Prothom Alo were targeted, while protesters also vented their anger at the partially demolished residence of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As protests spread across the country following Osman Hadi's death, Inqilab Moncho urged the public to refrain from violence, vandalism and arson. In a late-night Facebook post on Thursday, the organisation said, "Through destruction and fire, certain groups aim to render Bangladesh an ineffective state. They seek to undermine the independence and sovereignty of our country. You must understand -- 32 and 36 are not the same." Linking stability to the political calendar, the post added, "As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country. To maintain stability in Bangladesh, fully cooperate with the government and refrain from violence." (ANI)
Protests continued on Friday at the Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, with demonstrators blocking roads and chanting slogans as unrest deepened following the death of activist Osman Hadi. The agitation intensified after Hadi's death, with the situation in the capital deteriorating further as two newspaper offices were set on fire, highlighting growing law and order concerns. Amid escalating tensions, Inqilab Moncho urged its supporters not to respond to any "instructions or provocations" from sources other than the platform itself, coinciding with the arrival of Hadi's body in Bangladesh from Singapore. In a statement posted on Facebook, the group said it would accompany Hadi's body to the Dhaka University Central Mosque. "The Inqilab Moncho will be coming to the Dhaka University Central Mosque with the martyr Osman Hadi. Students and the general public will occupy the streets and continue chanting slogans demanding justice," the statement said. It added, "Do not heed any instructions or provocations from anyone other than the Inqilab Moncho," while indicating that a "strong programme" would be announced soon. The arrival of Hadi's body was confirmed by Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in a post on X. "Body of martyr Osman Hadi, who died in Singapore while undergoing treatment. The carrier flight reached the country. Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying Hadi's body today Friday evening at 5:48 pm (BG-585) landed at Hazrat Shahjalanal International Airport in Dhaka from Singapore," the post said. Hadi, a key figure associated with last year's July Uprising and spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. According to bdnews24, citing police, two assailants arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire and fled. Critically injured, Hadi was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, later shifted to Evercare Hospital, and flown to Singapore by air ambulance on December 15 for advanced treatment, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Following his death, protests spread across several parts of the country, with incidents of vandalism and arson reported. Hadi was also being considered as a potential Dhaka-8 candidate for the February 2026 national election. (ANI)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday confirmed that Pakistan has offered to send troops for the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza, as part of President Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan framework, for peacebuilding in the conflict-hit region. Responding to questions on whether Pakistan has formally consented to participate, Rubio said, "We're very grateful to Pakistan for their offer to be a part of it, or at least their offer to consider being a part of it. I think we owe them a few more answers before we can ask anybody to firmly commit." He further expressed confidence that multiple nations have indicated their willingness to contribute to the stabilisation force for the peacebuilding effort. "But I feel very confident that we have a number of nation-states acceptable to all sides in this conflict who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilisation force," Rubio added. Meanwhile, Pakistan has said that it has not yet decided whether to contribute troops to the proposed ISF for Gaza, Dawn reported. In a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson, Tahir Hussain Andrabi, said, "Regarding Pakistan's participation in the ISF, no decision has been taken to join the force as of now," as quoted by Dawn. The ISF is one of the central elements of Trump's 20-point plan, which helped facilitate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October. On November 17, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution endorsing the plan and authorising the formation of the ISF as a temporary multinational force to assist with security, demilitarisation, and reconstruction in Gaza. Russia and China abstained, while Pakistan supported the resolution. As per Dawn, the Foreign Office's statement comes amid growing speculation that the Trump administration may be pressing Pakistan to commit troops to the ISF. (ANI)
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra urged the Centre to take cognisance of the increasing violence against Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities after the murder of Hindu youth Deepu Chandra Das in Bangladesh. Vadra pointed at the brutal killing of religious minorities in Bangladesh. In a post on X, she said, "The news of the brutal murder by a mob of Hindu youth Deepu Chandra Das in Bangladesh is extremely alarming. In any civilised society, discrimination, violence, and murder based on religion, caste, identity, etc., are crimes against humanity. The Government of India should take cognisance of the rising violence against Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist minorities in the neighbouring country and firmly raise the issue of their safety with the Government of Bangladesh." https://x.com/priyankagandhi/status/2002041903295119654?s=20 Spokesperson for the Government of Assam, Piyush Hazarika, condemned the barbaric act. In a post on X, he said, "The horrific lyn*hing of Dipu Chandra Das, just 90 km from Assam's border, is a tragedy. We condemn in the strongest terms the barbaric act of publicly burning a man alive and pray for his Sadgati. This incident is also a stark reminder of the dangers posed by demographic shifts. We have seen how targeted threats and propaganda can escalate into real-life violence. Protecting our people, culture, and territorial integrity is now a national priority, especially as Hindus are becoming minorities in several districts of the region. Assam sits on a ticking time bomb making vigilance, awareness and action all more imperative." https://x.com/Pijush_hazarika/status/2001954429231366497?s=20 Hazarika made the comments while responding to a journalist's post on the incident. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council has strongly condemned the brutal murder of a young Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, in Bangladesh. "Yesterday (18 December) around 9:00 pm in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, a group of miscreants brutally beat to death a garment worker named Dipu Chandra Das on allegations of so-called blasphemy. They then hung his body from a tree and set it on fire, provoking actions that undermine communal harmony," the largest minority group of Bangladesh said in a statement. As protests spread across the country following Osman Hadi's death, Inqilab Moncho urged the public to refrain from violence, vandalism and arson. (ANI)
The Second WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit has achieved its objectives, with nations realising the value of traditional medicine and integrating it into their healthcare systems. The summit saw strong support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government, and attendees emphasised the importance of science, regulation, and policies to promote traditional medicine. Steering Committee for the Second WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit and Deputy CEO of the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Obaid Alanazi, said the summit successfully achieved its objectives. Alanazi said that today, nations are realising the value of traditional medicine and are keen to integrate it into their national healthcare systems. He said, "The summit has achieved all the objectives and targets planned. The country states are now aware of the value of traditional medicine and of the global mission to integrate it into their national healthcare systems. We noticed strong support from PM Modi and the Indian government representative. They played a great role in the success of this summit." The WHO's Chief Scientist, Sylvie Briand, highlighted the political commitment to advancing traditional medicine, leveraging technologies such as AI to protect and integrate traditional knowledge. She said, "The summit was essential because there was a political commitment to push for traditional medicine and foster the development of science around traditional medicine, but also regulation and policies to integrate traditional medicine in current health systems... It's a fantastic opportunity because with the new technology like AI, there are new opportunities as well to protect, but also foster integration of traditional knowledge in modern technologies." Speakers noted that traditional medicine is a preferred choice for its holistic approach and alignment with nature. Director ad interim (a.i.) of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, Shyama Kuruvilla, said that the shift towards traditional medicine is preferred because it's holistic and aligned with nature. She said, "Traditional medicine is a global reality. In almost every country people are using traditional medicine either because it's their first access to healthcare or it's a preferred choice because it's holistic, it's restoring balance, it's in line with nature and for WHO the mandate is to look at the science to ensure their safety, to have standards for regulation but in an equitable way so that all communities can benefit from health and also from the economic benefits of traditional medicine. The leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the WHO DG is visionary in taking this forward." The summit showcased success stories, such as Uganda's innovation hub supporting herbal medicine and natural products. As the world embraces traditional medicine, experts call for more studies and interdisciplinary developments to unlock its full potential. Co-Founder, Innovation and Business Management, Uganda, Anke Weisheit, said they were supporting innovators developing herbal medicines. She said, "I had the opportunity to be one of the H21 finalists, and was able to showcase the Innovation Incubation Hub. We are supporting young innovators producing herbal medicine, natural cosmetics, and nutritional drinks... Traditional medicine often is the primary health care in Uganda." Herbalist, Executive Director, and Editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, Roy Upton, said that now 'Ashwagandha' is the fourth-best-selling botanical. He said, "I was at the first summit in 2023... When I left, I was both excited and very angry. I was excited about all the advances other countries are making in traditional medicine. I was angry about how little the United States is doing regarding traditional medicine... In the United States, ashwagandha is the fourth-best-selling botanical." Director of the Wi Jieu Yee Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in Hong Kong, Terence Lt Lau, said that the world is increasingly using traditional medicines and called for more studies on the topic. He said, "Everybody in the world is trying to make use of traditional medicines to facilitate better primary health care... We need to have more studies and more interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary developments to make sure that we can unlock the full value of traditional medicine." (ANI)
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Deckard Technologies reported record results for local governments this year, announcing that its Rentalscape platform helped more than 400 jurisdictions monitor over 15 million short-term rental listings, increase compliance to an average of 95.3 percent, and drive a 40 percent increase in tax collection tied to accurate identification and enforcement.

The company stated that the results underscore a growing national demand for reliable data and technology that can support communities facing rapid growth in short-term rental activity.

Deckard Technologies Rentalscape (PRNewsfoto/Deckard Technologies)

"Local governments are under mounting pressure to protect neighborhoods and ensure compliance, and 2025 made that clearer than ever," said Nick Del Pego, CEO of Deckard Technologies. "Rentalscape delivered the visibility and enforcement power they needed, and our partners are now seeing measurable improvements in fairness, transparency and revenue recovery."

Across the country, jurisdictions reported major gains. In Redondo Beach, California, the city identified and addressed more than 1,000 unlicensed listings.

In Southold, New York, officials discovered more than 400 properties that appeared to violate the minimum stay rule of 14 nights or longer. Ben Johnson, the assistant town attorney of Southold, said Rentalscape allowed the town to see violations occurring at a scale that had previously been hidden.

In Fort Myers Beach, Florida, officials transitioned from manually monitoring multiple websites to a centralized Rentalscape system and described it as a significant step toward more consistent and efficient enforcement.

Customers in other regions reported similar results. Michael Simmons, a code compliance supervisor in Arizona, said the platform fundamentally changed how his team manages STR activity.

"Before Rentalscape, we were always reacting. Now we can see issues early, address them faster, and explain policies more clearly to the public," Simmons said.

Deckard also expanded its operational capacity to meet growing demand. The company reorganized and tripled the size of its Client Experience team, an effort aimed at reducing response times and strengthening hands-on support for jurisdictions implementing both new and maturing programs.

According to Del Pego, the team improvements were directly shaped by customer feedback and will continue expanding through 2026.

Product development accelerated, as well.

Guided by user input, Deckard delivered 75 enhancements to Rentalscape this year, including expanded artificial intelligence tools, a new Inspection Portal that simplifies field and office compliance tracking, and improved communication features such as automated tax reminders. The company also launched an AI-powered violations management system to help governments identify and categorize enforcement issues more quickly.

Principal Product Manager Gert Erasmus said every update reflected the needs of jurisdictions working daily to balance tourism, local housing pressures and community quality of life.

Looking ahead to 2026, Deckard plans to introduce additional AI capabilities, new automation features, and the company's first predictive modeling tools designed to help communities forecast tax revenue, understand housing impacts, and communicate data more effectively to residents and policymakers.

Deckard added 120 new municipal customers this year, including 14 in Florida and 10 in New York, and secured venture debt to continue advancing product development. In addition to the measurable successes, the company earned recognition as the 2026 PropTech Award winner for Property Compliance Platform of the Year and expanded its national presence through more than 60 government events, conferences and community meetings.

"We are grateful for the trust our partners place in us," Del Pego said. "This year proved that when local governments have the right tools, they can enforce STR policy in a way that is fair, transparent, and sustainable. We are excited to build on this progress next year."

About Deckard Technologies:

Deckard Technologies is a GovTech company dedicated to helping local governments address residential property-related challenges. Founded in 2018, the firm operates globally with offices in the U.S., Colombia and Australia. Using publicly available data, Deckard does not create new listings or listings data; rather, it indexes, organizes and analyzes open-source information to turn fragmented property-listing signals into actionable insights. Deckard's mission is to empower cities and counties with the tools they need to maximise compliance, unlock vital public revenue and protect the quality of life for residents.

SOURCE Deckard Technologies
Morocco has secured a place among the top three global recipients of US Excess Defense Articles (EDA), alongside Greece and Israel, according to a recent report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The ranking underscores Washingtons view of Rabat as a reliable and strategically important ally, deeply committed to military interoperability with American and allied forces.

The GAO report, submitted to congressional committees, reveals that the three countries account for 40% of the total authorized value of EDA offers between fiscal years 2020 and 2024.

For Morocco, this reflects a deliberate US strategy to strengthen the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and enhance joint operational capabilities. US officials in Rabat confirmed that every Moroccan request is assessed based on its contribution to interoperability goals.

Morocco is also among five nations subject to rigorous End-Use Monitoring (EUM) procedures, alongside Colombia, Greece, Israel, and the Philippines, a sign of trust in Rabats ability to manage sensitive equipment responsibly.

The EDA program allows the Pentagon to transfer surplus military assets to partner nations, reducing storage and disposal costs while reinforcing allied defense capabilities. Since 2019, global EDA deliveries have exceeded $900 million in value. For beneficiaries like Morocco, the program offers access to proven systems without the expense and delays of acquiring new equipment.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), on Thursday, 18 December 2025, announced a strategic partnership with Dubai-based AMEA Power and Japans Kyuden International Corporation to develop a 1,000-megawatt solar power plant integrated with a 600MWh battery energy storage system in Aswan, southern Egypt.

The $571.8 million financing package, led by IFC with support from international partners, will fund the Abydos II project, expected to generate more than three million megawatt-hours of clean electricity annually while supplying emission-free power during peak evening demand.

The project is projected to cut carbon emissions by 1.6 million tonnes per year, advancing Egypts targets of reducing power sector emissions by 37 per cent and raising renewable energys share to 42 per cent by 2030.

Construction is expected to create over 4,000 jobs, with more than 95 per cent allocated to Egyptians, reinforcing local economic participation. IFC is providing an $83.5 million senior loan and has mobilised $465.2 million from partners including Italys CDP, Dutch FMO, Germanys DEG, British International Investment, the OPEC Fund for International Development and Europe Arab Bank, alongside concessional finance from climate-focused funds.

Abydos II forms part of Egypts fast-track 4GW Emergency Renewable Energy Programme and aligns with the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy platform, as well as the World Bank Groups Country Partnership Framework for Egypt (FY20232027). The project builds on earlier IFCAMEA collaborations and marks Kyuden Internationals first investment in Egypt, underscoring growing SouthSouth cooperation in large-scale clean energy development.
The United Nations has reported that 50,445 people fled Sudans Kordofan region between Oct. 25 and Dec. 17, as deteriorating security conditions triggered repeated waves of displacement.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 39 displacement-triggering incidents were documented in the region from Oct. 25. Of those affected, approximately 40,350 people were displaced from six localities in North Kordofan, 9,845 from nine localities in South Kordofan, and 250 from West Kordofan.

Sudanese authorities, the United Nations, and local and international rights groups have accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of abuses, including rape, in several cities across the region. The RSF has denied deliberately targeting civilians, while acknowledging some violations in Darfur and stating that investigations have been launched.

Of Sudans 18 states, the RSF controls all five Darfur states in the west, with the exception of parts of North Darfur still held by the army. The Sudanese army maintains control over most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east and centre, including Khartoum.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands and displaced millions, entrenching a humanitarian crisis that continues to ripple across the country.
Egypt and Burundi have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral relations and strengthening coordination on African Union (AU) priorities, following talks held in Cairo on Thursday, 18 December 2025.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with Burundis Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Development Cooperation, Edouard Bizimana, congratulating him on his appointment and underscoring Cairos intent to sustain close diplomatic engagement.

The discussions highlighted longstanding ties between the two countries, with particular emphasis on Egyptian companies role in Burundis infrastructure and construction sectors. Water security featured prominently, with Abdelatty calling for cooperation and consensus among Nile Basin states, rejecting unilateral actions and supporting ongoing consultative processes under the Nile Basin Initiative to restore inclusivity and advance development projects in line with international law.

The Egyptian minister also expressed Egypts full support for Burundis forthcoming AU chairmanship next year, stressing the need for coordinated positions on continental issues, especially the gradual and inclusive reform of AU institutions.

Both sides exchanged views on regional peace and development, notably in the Great Lakes region, and agreed to maintain close coordination in regional and international forums to advance shared strategic interests.
Moroccan Media and regulatory authorities have mobilized against surging fake news, emphasizing need for coordinated public action to combat disinformation threatening national cohesion and democratic functioning. The Ministry of Communication organized a conference addressing multiple challenges confronting media and digital spaces, particularly fake news impacts on individuals and society.

High Authority for Audiovisual Communication President Latifa Akharbach stressed that combating disinformation and deconstructing false, manipulative narratives require coordinated public action. Sustainable, effective disinformation fighting inevitably requires approaches founded on shared responsibility and coordinated action within genuine public policy frameworks, she stated during the Combating Fake News: Approaches and Perspectives conference.

Such policies should guarantee sustainable establishment of necessary conditions regarding fundamental freedoms, media and regulatory professionalism, citizen education, and technological mastery to anticipate and manage informational risks threatening national cohesion and democratic space functioning. Akharbach emphasized professional medias central role in combating disinformation, calling for strengthening their capacity through quality and credibility emphasis while overcoming various economic, professional, and ethical fragilities affecting the national media ecosystem.

Informational risks global character paradoxically necessitates developing adapted local responses anchored in national realities, the HACA president said, insisting on digital actors accountability importance, given electronic platform informations direct impact on public debate quality and political life. She highlighted transformed media usage patterns, noting 78 percent of Moroccan internet users obtain news online according to the Reuters Institutes 2025 Digital News Report covering 48 countries including Morocco.

Maghreb Arab Press Research and Strategy Director Ahmed El Attari reviewed the agencys strategy combating fake news, positioning MAP as a responsible communication actor and informational reliability bulwark. Beyond maintaining high professional requirements, verification, and editorial responsibility within an informational sovereignty strategic vision, MAP deploys various operational tools countering disinformation within the national media landscape.
Irrefutable evidence exposes atrocities of Japan's Unit 731, warns world to defend peace, justice

09:10, December 19, 2025 By Jin Chengmin ( People's Daily

Time does not fade the truth. The more evidence is uncovered, the harder it becomes to erase the traces of aggression.

In December 1949, a military tribunal convened in Khabarovsk, then known as Boli, in the Soviet Union, marking the first public trial in human history dedicated to biological warfare crimes.

Through irrefutable evidence, the tribunal exposed the crimes against humanity committed by Japan's Imperial Army Unit 731 in China, setting a benchmark of justice for the establishment of the postwar international order.

Recently, Russia transferred to China a collection of archival documents evidencing Unit 731's atrocities. These materials center on the Khabarovsk trial records and span the periods before, during, and after the proceedings. They complement the 1950 multilingual publication Materials on the Trial of Former Servicemen of the Japanese Army Charged with Manufacturing and Employing Bacteriological Weapons, collectively providing a comprehensive historical account.

The transferred archives primarily comprise interrogation records of war criminals, witness testimonies, handwritten confessions, and medical forensic reports. These materials corroborate Unit 731 crime archives and physical evidence preserved in China, forming a complete and mutually reinforcing evidentiary chain.

Collectively, these records substantiate the war crimes committed by Unit 731, encompassing human experimentation, biological weapons development, and biological warfare deployment. They conclusively demonstrate that Japan's biological warfare program constituted not isolated incidents, but state-sponsored crimes executed through an organized, premeditated, and systematic chain of command.

Evidence first disclosed at the Khabarovsk tribunal, including records of so-called "special transfers," human experimentation, and biological warfare operations, further exposed the extent of Japan's medical crimes and war responsibility.

As former Unit 731 military doctor Ryuji Kajitsuka testified, commander Shiro Ishii told him that the "secret of secrets" was the research, application, and human experimentation associated with biological warfare.

Former military police squad member Satoru Kurakazu described witnessing frostbite experiments in which the fingers of five Chinese victims turned black and broke off, leaving only exposed bone.

A "special detention prison" preserved within the core Unit 731 site known as the "square building" was the place of suffering cited in tribunal testimony, where innocent civilians from China, the Soviet Union, the Korean Peninsula, and elsewhere were forcibly subjected to frostbite, anthrax, plague, and other experiments before being tortured to death.

These findings are corroborated by archives from Japan, the United States, and other countries. The Roster of the Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department of the Kwantung Army preserved by the National Archives of Japan identifies the perpetrators by name, while declassified human experimentation reports from the U.S. Library of Congress and National Archives echo the Khabarovsk testimony with precise data. Together, these sources render the crimes of Unit 731 irrefutable and beyond any attempt at reversal.

Critically, Unit 731's operations extended far beyond a single unit. During World War II, under the direct command of Unit 731, the Japanese army constructed a so-called "epidemic prevention and water purification" system comprising as many as 69 units, spanning most of China as well as parts of East and Southeast Asia, weaving a vast and sinister network of atrocities.

At present, the growing rightward shift in Japan's political landscape and the potential resurgence of militarism warrant serious vigilance. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has continued right-wing policies in an attempt to revive militarist tendencies.

Such historical revisionism is profoundly harmful. Legally, it contravenes the foundational principles of key international documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, thereby undermining the postwar international order. Emotionally, it gravely wounds the peoples of victimized countries, including China. In terms of regional security, Japan's expansion of arms exports and its shift towards offensive defense capabilities have rendered it widely perceived as a source of risk to peace and stability.

Facing history squarely and engaging in deep reflection is an international obligation Japan must fulfill as a defeated country in World War II, and it is also a prerequisite for maintaining regional peace and stability. Tokyo Trial, the Nuremberg trials, and the Khabarovsk trial constitute a cornerstone of the postwar world order.

The crimes against humanity committed by Unit 731 were legally established by the Khabarovsk tribunal long ago. Moreover, a first-instance ruling issued by the Tokyo District Court in 2002 recognized that the Japanese Imperial Army violated international law during its war of aggression against China by using biological weapons, resulting in massive Chinese casualties.

These judicial conclusions, together with an overwhelming body of irrefutable evidence, demand that Japan face up to its historical culpability.

Having emerged from profound suffering, the Chinese people understand deeply the preciousness of peace. Today's China is no longer the impoverished and weak country of the past. It will never allow right-wing forces in Japan to reverse the course of history, nor will it permit the resurgence of militarism.

China stands ready to work with all peace-loving people to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, uphold the international order, and protect world peace.

(Jin Chengmin is the curator of the Exhibition Hall of Evidences of Crime Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Galbot has successfully completed a new funding round exceeding $300 million, bringing the company's total funding to $800 million. This round once again sets new records for both the largest single-round financing and cumulative financing in the embodied AI sector, further cementing Galbot's leadership in the rapidly evolving field of embodied AI and humanoid robotics.

Galbot Store - the worlds first smart retail solution operated fully autonomously by humanoid robots. Speed Speed Galbot G1 at an automotive manufacturing plant, showcasing its precision and autonomy in industrial applications.

The financing round attracted significant investors from China, Singapore, and the Middle East, underscoring global confidence in Galbot's cutting-edge technology. With this investment, the company's valuation has reached $3 billion, reflecting its strong market position and the continued faith in its growth prospects.

Leading the Charge in Embodied AI Innovation

Galbot is the world's first company to fully achieve full-stack in-house development across hundreds-of-billion-scale high-quality datasets, embodied foundation models, and robotic hardware. This groundbreaking approach has positioned Galbot as a global leader in the embodied intelligence field. The company's self-developed key technologies, including its embodied intelligence large models, have pioneered global firsts in areas such as multi-task generalization, whole-body motion control, cross-embodiment autonomous navigation, and dexterous hand manipulation. These innovations have laid a solid technological foundation for the large-scale deployment of humanoid robots.

Commercializing Embodied Intelligence Across Industries

Galbot has already achieved remarkable success in deploying humanoid robots at scale across various industries:

Industrial Manufacturing: Galbot has partnered with leading companies such as CATL, Bosch, Toyota, and Hyundai, becoming the first company globally to deploy humanoid robots for real autonomous operations on manufacturing floors. With these advancements, Galbot has secured orders for thousands of units, demonstrating the scalability and reliability of its humanoid robots in real-world industrial applications.





Smart City Service: Galbot has launched Galbot Store, a fully autonomous retail solution powered entirely by Galbot G1 robots. Currently operational in over 30 cities nationwide, Galbot Store is revolutionizing the smart retail and city service sectors by offering customers a unique and seamless interaction experience.





Warehouse Logistics: Galbot's autonomous warehouse solutions are deployed in multiple locations, demonstrating stable and continuous 24/7 operations for over a year. These solutions are addressing critical operational challenges, enhancing efficiency and meeting the growing demands of the retail logistics industry.





Healthcare: In collaboration with leading hospitals like Xuanwu Hospital, Galbot is deploying humanoid robots to assist in patient rooms, pharmacies , and hospital guidance systems. These robots are improving patient care while helping streamline hospital operations and enhance overall efficiency.

With this new investment, Galbot is positioned to accelerate its technology development, scale its deployments, and expand its global reach. The company remains committed to advancing embodied AI technology, bringing innovation to new sectors, and strengthening its position as a leader in the global robotics market.

About Galbot

Beijing Galbot AI Co., Ltd. is a global pioneer in embodied AI and general-purpose robotics. With R&D centers in Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Hong Kong, Galbot brings together world-class scientists and engineers with decades of experience in embodied intelligence and robotics. Its flagship product, the Galbot G1, has been widely deployed in manufacturing, logistics, retail, and healthcare, achieving over one year of proven and stable real-world operations.

As an industry leader, Galbot is driving continuous innovation in embodied AI and accelerating the industrial deployment of autonomous, general-purpose humanoid robots worldwide.

SOURCE Beijing Galbot AI Co., Ltd.
Proposals allegedly discussed by the U.S., Israel, and the UAE to use Gazas offshore gas resources to fund reconstruction are creating more unease across the GCC. GCC states were expected to underwrite much of Gazas rebuilding, but those expectations were built around a grant-based model tied to a post-conflict political framework with some Arab and Palestinian ownership. Rewriting the playbook here to focus on an asset-based financing approach using Gaza gas changes more than simple funding. It leaves Israel with decisive leverage over development, security, and revenue flows,

New drone attacks on oil-related infrastructure in Sudan have reinforced the risks surrounding South Sudans export route to Port Sudan. The attacks did not halt flows, but did further expose the GNPOC pipeline corridor to Sudans raging civil war. That corridor runs through West Kordofan, where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controls territory around Balila and can restrict movement or interrupt operations without operating the fields themselves. Operators have responded by limiting staff exposure and moving cautiously, increasing insurance and transit costs. For South Sudan, Dar blend exports fund the state, and any delay or slowdown affects revenues immediately. With security along the route dependent on local arrangements rather than state authority, South Sudans oil exports remain incredibly vulnerable to developments inside Sudan.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

New drone attacks on oil-related infrastructure in Sudan have reinforced the risks surrounding South Sudans export route to Port Sudan. The attacks did not halt flows, but did further expose the GNPOC pipeline corridor to Sudans raging civil war. That corridor runs through West Kordofan, where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controls territory around Balila and can restrict movement or interrupt operations without operating the fields themselves. Operators have responded by limiting staff exposure and moving cautiously, increasing insurance and transit costs. For South Sudan, Dar blend exports fund the state, and any delay or slowdown affects revenues immediately. With security along the route dependent on local arrangements rather than state authority, South Sudans oil exports remain incredibly vulnerable to developments inside Sudan.

Proposals allegedly discussed by the U.S., Israel, and the UAE to use Gazas offshore gas resources to fund reconstruction are creating more unease across the GCC. GCC states were expected to underwrite much of Gazas rebuilding, but those expectations were built around a grant-based model tied to a post-conflict political framework with some Arab and Palestinian ownership. Rewriting the playbook here to focus on an asset-based financing approach using Gaza gas changes more than simple funding. It leaves Israel with decisive leverage over development, security, and revenue flows, while Gulf capitals would end up carrying the massive political cost (it would look like major acquiescence to Israeli resource occupation) without getting any influence at all. But theres also a timing issue. The GCC doesnt want reconstruction to come before there is a real ceasefire and a credible governance setup. They dont want to fund a rebuild that could be destroyed again before its even finished. Layered onto this is donor fatigue from repeated cycles of destruction and rebuilding. For Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, any serious funding commitment now will likely have to be accompanied by clearly enforceable political guarantees and a governance structure that gives Arab donors actual leverage, not just financial responsibility.

On 19 December, EU leaders agreed in principle to maintain financial support for Ukraine into 2026; however, the decision deferred the key question of how that support will be funded. Finance ministries are now working toward a January-February decision timeframe to either extend the existing interest-only mechanism (from frozen Russian assets) or supplement it with new budget commitments. Several member states remain firmly opposed to touching the principal of these seized assets. But, the problem is that interest income alone is not enough to cover Ukraines projected needs beyond the first quarter, and governments are reluctant to reopen domestic budget debates until they absolutely have to. That means there is a very narrow timeline to get the financing in place past early 2026, even though the political agreement to keep funding Ukraine is there.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

ADNOC lined up about $11 billion in financing for the Hail and Ghasha sour gas project after Lukoil exited because of sanctions. The funding is structured to be repaid from future gas production rather than ADNOCs corporate balance sheet. Hail and Ghasha is a flagship development meant to lift UAE gas output and cut reliance on imports. This deal was announced within the last few days and keeps the project on track despite the partner shake-up.

Petrobras is buying 49.99% of Lightsource bps solar business in Brazil, which is basically a minority stake in a ready-made portfolio of operating and planned solar projects. This isnt a power grab. Its simply Petrobras paying to get a seat at the table and learn the business without owning the headaches. The assets sit in Brazil, where Petrobras already has scale, grid access, and political familiarity. The deal still needs regulatory sign-off before closing.

The U.S. Treasury rejected a consortium led by Xtellus Partners from acquiring Lukoils ~$22 billion portfolio of foreign oil and gas assets because the proposed deal involved using sanctioned Lukoil securities in the transaction, which isnt authorized under current sanctions rules. The Xtellus bid, which had support from Lukoil and involved swapping frozen U.S.-held Lukoil shares back to the company in exchange for its overseas assets, was seen as too complex and ran into compliance limits. This rejection follows earlier moves by the Treasury to block other potential suitors and underscores how geopolitics and sanctions are now as critical as economics in any sale. Buyers including Exxon, Chevron, Carlyle and Saudi-linked Midad Energy remain in the broader process, but any successful offer still needs Treasury clearance.

Trump posted on Truth Social backing about $6 billion in federal funding for nuclear fusion, pitching it as a strategic U.S. energy move. The money would go toward building and testing pilot-scale fusion reactors, not basic science or conventional nuclear plants. Fusion is still experimental and wont add power to the grid anytime soon, even with new funding. What this actually does is give fusion startups and national labs a clearer funding path instead of year-to-year grant roulette.

Crescent Energy closed its acquisition of Vital Energy, folding Vitals Permian assets directly into Crescents existing footprint. The deal adds a meaningful chunk of Midland Basin production and, more importantly, a stack of drilling locations that would be expensive to replace in todays market. Crescent is basically buying inventory and scale in areas it already knows how to operate, not branching out into new basins. This is Permian consolidation driven by scarcity, not growth-for-growths-sake.

Discovery & Development

Sea Lion in the Falklands finally got a green light after sitting idle for more than a decade. The plan is to develop around 300 million barrels of recoverable oil using an FPSO, with initial output of about 50,000 barrels per day. This delay was all about oil prices, financing, and partner churn. With FID now in place, Sea Lion shifts from a paper discovery to a real offshore oil project with a development clock.

Var Energi committed NOK 15 billion, about $1.5 billion, to a group of new offshore oil and gas developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The projects are mostly tie-backs and smaller field developments designed to use existing infrastructure. This keeps costs down and shortens time to first production, with most barrels coming online between 2026 and 2028. The investment is aimed at sustaining output rather than chasing large new discoveries.

Ionic Mineral Technologies reported a rare earth and critical metals discovery at its Silicon Ridge project in Utah, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium. The mineralization sits near the surface and runs continuously across the project area, which matters for mineability. Ionic plans to use its ion-exchange processing approach rather than conventional hard-rock methods. This is early-stage work, but its being pitched as a potential U.S. supply source for magnet and technology metals.
Washingtons second risk is opposition containment. Machados leverage depends on being seen as the vehicle for national restoration, not foreign enforcement. If U.S. actions dominate the story, the opposition could lose momentum for being viewed as an external project. A foreign

This is a risky strategy in terms of timing. Washington is losing control of the narrative inside Venezuela, with Maduros oil theft framing traveling quite well through social media channelsmuch more swiftly than sanctions technicalities can travel. That narrative is starting to capture audiences that arent pro-Maduro. It is bleeding into opposition-leaning and undecided segments that are hostile to Maduro but deeply sensitive to sovereignty violations. Once sanctions enforcement becomes more visible and makes for better headlines, it becomes harder to separate anti-regime pressure from anti-country punishment.

The current U.S. approach to Venezuela is a deliberate financial strangulation strategy, as we have previously noted, with the objective of degrading Maduros ability to fund his patronage network and parallel economic networks. This weeks escalation in the form of asset seizures and tanker interdictions is designed to raise transaction costs prohibitively, if it doesnt backfire first. This is classic soft regime change logic that assumesperhaps erroneouslythat this economic pain will fragment the elite faster than it will create new nationalist sentiment to boost Maduro.

The current U.S. approach to Venezuela is a deliberate financial strangulation strategy, as we have previously noted, with the objective of degrading Maduros ability to fund his patronage network and parallel economic networks. This weeks escalation in the form of asset seizures and tanker interdictions is designed to raise transaction costs prohibitively, if it doesnt backfire first. This is classic soft regime change logic that assumesperhaps erroneouslythat this economic pain will fragment the elite faster than it will create new nationalist sentiment to boost Maduro.

This is a risky strategy in terms of timing. Washington is losing control of the narrative inside Venezuela, with Maduros oil theft framing traveling quite well through social media channelsmuch more swiftly than sanctions technicalities can travel. That narrative is starting to capture audiences that arent pro-Maduro. It is bleeding into opposition-leaning and undecided segments that are hostile to Maduro but deeply sensitive to sovereignty violations. Once sanctions enforcement becomes more visible and makes for better headlines, it becomes harder to separate anti-regime pressure from anti-country punishment.

Washingtons second risk is opposition containment. Machados leverage depends on being seen as the vehicle for national restoration, not foreign enforcement. If U.S. actions dominate the story, the opposition could lose momentum for being viewed as an external project. A foreign plant. Historically, that is something that benefits the incumbent. Even more than economic recovery, Maduro needs enough social cohesion to prevent a mass defection. Trump is playing this game a bit too quickly.

The balance has to be perfect. If things move too slowly, the regime could adapt (helped a bit by some occasional lifelines thrown by Iran and China), and the fact that sanctions have largely already been priced in as a permanent element of Venezuelan economic life. Even though his patronage network is being squeezed, Maduros most loyal are even more so now. Washington requires a more cautious approach in order to avoid the story shifting from elite politics to national identity.
China has rattled Tehran by again backing the United Arab Emiratess claim over three Persian Gulf islands controlled by Iran.

Following a visit to Abu Dhabi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the countries in a joint statement on December 13 highlighted Beijings support for the efforts of the UAE to reach a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa. Notably, there is no explicit mention of Iran in the statement.

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei criticized the UAEs insistence on misusing every diplomatic delegations visit to raise claims about the three islands.

The Taiwan Card

While Baqaei didn't criticize China, Iranian media have been more explicit in their assessment of Beijing's statement.

Keyhan, a hard-line newspaper whose chief editor is appointed by the supreme leader, argued that Chinas support for the UAEs claim meant that it has implicitly accepted that its own claim over Taiwan is disputable and should be resolved through negotiations.

Ahmad Naderi, a member of the presiding board of Irans conservative-leaning parliament, echoed a similar sentiment, accusing Beijing of adopting a double standard and saying it cannot insist on its One China policy while simultaneously questioning Irans territorial integrity.

In an implicit reference to Taiwan, the state-affiliated Mehr news agency said China itself considers any mention of its territorial integrity a violation of its security red line.

Therefore, it argued, Chinas support for a statement questioning Irans sovereignty of the islands is unjustifiable and cannot be ignored.

The Islands

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a decades-old sovereignty dispute that has long tested Irans relations with its Gulf neighbors.

The three islands lie near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint through which about one-fifth of the worlds seaborne oil passes.

Iran seized control of the islands on November 30, 1971 -- one day before the British withdrawal from the Gulf and the formation of the United Arab Emirates -- asserting historical claims that date back to the Persian Empire.

Declassified British files released in 2022 show London had agreed to transfer the Greater and Lesser Tunbs to Iran while establishing joint IranianEmirati administration over Abu Musa. The dispute reignited in the early 1990s when Tehran tightened its control and expanded its military footprint on Abu Musa.

Despite repeated calls from Gulf Arab states for arbitration or adjudication, Iran has consistently rejected the International Court of Justices jurisdiction, insisting that the islands are an inalienable part of its territory and not open to negotiation.

Irans strategic partners China and Russia have backed calls by Gulf Arab states on Iran to resolve the issue. Iran last year summoned both Chinese and Russian envoys separately to protest.

Centrist newspaper Jomhuri-ye Eslami, which is generally critical of closer ties with Beijing and especially Moscow, particularly targeted Iran's governments -- and the Foreign Ministry above all -- for "serious inertia and inefficiency.

Iranian website Asia News said Chinas attitude toward the islands has raised serious doubts over Tehran-Beijing relations despite a much-touted 25-year strategic partnership agreement.

Beijing, in its pursuit of energy security and an expanded footprint in the Middle East, appears -- after weighing the costs and benefits -- to have placed greater emphasis on its relations with Arab countries, it argued.

By RF/ERL

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Energy Transfer has dropped plans to build an LNG plant in Louisiana to focus on natural gas pipelines, which are a more lucrative business.

The decision follows reports that Energy Transfer was planning to make the final investment decision on the Lake Charles LNG project by the end of this year. Lake Charles LNG was fully permitted, it was going to use existing infrastructure, and was expected to benefit from an abundant natural gas supply through existing connections to the Henry Hub and connectivity to Energy Transfers vast network of natural gas pipelines, the company said earlier this year.

On top of that, Energy Transfer had struck several offtake deals for future supply from Lake Charles, including with Chevron, which had committed to 3 million tons of LNG from the facility, and Japans Kyushu Electric Power Company, for 1 million tons of LNG.

However, Energy Transfer needed more partners to share the financial load with, as noted during its third-quarter earnings call. At the time, Energy Transfer said it was looking for buyers for up to 80% of the projects equity before the final investment decision was made.

We are in advanced discussions with MidOcean Energy related to its participation as a 30% equity owner of Lake Charles LNG with a commensurate percentage of LNG offtake, co-chief executive Thomas Long reported during the companys earnings call in early November. We're in discussions with other parties for the remaining equity we intend to sell in order to reduce Energy Transfer's equity interest to 20%.

The decision to drop the project reflects a growing fear in the industry that there is too much new LNG capacity coming in the near future, which would pressure prices and squeeze profitability. Energy Transfer was also challenged by rising costs, which is quite usual for LNG projects. Reuters quoted one unnamed source as saying that Energy Transfers management had also gotten nervous about venturing into a new space, LNG, when the company was, above all, a pipeline player.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Harbour Energy has made a gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian section of the North Sea, which could be tied back to existing infrastructure, the Norwegian Offshore Directorate said on Friday.

Harbour Energy, as operator of the license, and its partners have proven gas condensate in the Camilla Nord prospect, the regulator said, adding that preliminary estimates indicate the size of the discovery is between 2.2 million and 4.7 million barrels of oil equivalent.

Wildcat wells 35/8-8 S and A were drilled in production licenses 248 LS and 248 B, which are part of the Vega Unit in the North Sea, 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Flor.

The licensees will now consider tying the discovery back to existing infrastructure on the Vega field.

Harbour Energy operates the Vega field, which began production in 2010. The well stream from Vega is sent to the Gja field for processing. Oil and condensate are transported from Gja to the Troll Oil Pipeline II for further transport to the Mongstad terminal. The rich gas is exported to the Far North Liquids and Associated Gas System on the British continental shelf for further transport to St Fergus in the UK.

However, output at Vega is now on the decline.

In recent years, operators offshore Norway have stepped up exploration of prospects near operational fields to take advantage of the existing infrastructure to raise oil and gas production via tie-backs and with smaller capital expenditure.

Earlier this month, the top independent operator offshore Norway, Var Energi, confirmed an oil discovery very close to its Goliat field in the Barents Sea, the first operating Arctic oilfield offshore Norway. The discovery boosts the overall gross discovered resources at the so-called Goliat Ridge and could be tied back to the nearby Goliat floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit.

Energy major Equinor has recently announced an oil discovery and a separate gas discovery close to its Johan Castberg oilfield in the Barents Sea and will assess potential tie-ins to the Arctic field which started up earlier this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The economics of shipping additional volumes of heavy crude from Iraq to compensate for a potential loss of Venezuelas supply are just not there at present, Shafaq News reported on Friday, quoting Iraqi economist Nabil Al-Marsoumi.

Concerns in the heavy crude market are that the U.S. blockade of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil and heightened tensions in the Caribbean would reduce supply of the extra heavy crude.

In theory, the sour and heavy grades from the top producers in the Middle East could be substitutes for Venezuelas crude.

But apparently, these would not come from Iraq.

Its not financially viable for Iraq to replace Venezuela in the US market, Shafaq News quoted Al-Marsoumi as posting on Facebook post.

The Iraqi grade Basrah Heavy currently trades at about $4 per barrel below Basrah Medium. Transporting Bashrah Heavy to the United States would add $3.50 per barrel in shipping and insurance costs, according to the economist.

The margin just doesnt justify it, Al-Marsoumi said.

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Moreover, Iraqs oil production is limited by the OPEC+ agreement under which Baghdad is also compensating for previous overproduction by not raising output as much as it is entitled to.

Venezuela, for its part, may be forced to start shutting in oil production as it runs out of storage space amid the U.S. tanker blockade, Bloomberg reported earlier this week, citing unnamed sources.

Further disruption for Venezuelas oil industry comes from the impact of the tanker blockade on its supply of Russian naphtha, which state oil firm PDVSA uses to dilute its heavy crude. At least one tanker with 32,000 metric tons of Russian naphtha was traveling to Venezuela last week, but it made a U-turn at the end of the week and is now en route to Europe with the cargo still on board, according to data from LSEG that Reuters cited earlier this week.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Crude oil prices were down today, set for the second consecutive weekly loss as glut perceptions deepen amid reports of rising oil inventories.

At the time of writing, Brent crude was trading at $59.71 per barrel while West Texas Intermediate was changing hands for $55.99 per barrel, both down by around $2 since the start of the week. Brent briefly slid below $59 earlier in the week.

All the major oil market forecasters expect an oversupplied world in 2026 and consequently predict even lower oil prices, with some seeing Brent crude slipping closer to $50 per barrel. Reuterss Ron Bousso earlier today cited Kpler figures suggesting the amount of crude oil on water had reached 1.3 billion. This would be the largest amount of crude on water since March 2020, Bousso noted.

Meanwhile, the volume of oil stored on tankers is also climbing. Per Kpler, the amount of crude oil in floating storage for at least 20 days had reached 51 million barrels, deepening oversupply concerns among traders.

Some counter-pressure on prices came earlier in the week amid reports that President Trump was tightening the tanker blockade noose around Venezuela, which was already disrupting the flow of crude from the country to buyers, and that the UK was also stepping up the pressure on Russia by imposing sanctions on three smaller oil producers. Tatneft, Russneft, and NNK were sanctioned for obtaining a benefit from or supporting the government of Russia". The sanctions come as flows from the two largest exporters of crude from Russia see declines in flows but smaller exporters ramp up shipments abroad.

Yet the effect of the bullish news was short-lived, the oversupply fears dominating market sentiment. A new peak oil demand forecast from Chinas CNPC reinforced this, with the energy major predicting that the worlds largest importer would see its demand for oil peak by 2030.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Russia and China arent even attempting to hide anymore the rise of sanctioned LNG trade as they continue to defy U.S. and other Western sanctions on Russian energy exports and vessels of the shadow fleet.

The China-linked Kunpeng LNG carrier has docked at Portovaya, a small export plant on the Baltic Sea run by Russias gas giant Gazprom, marking the first time a Chinese tanker has been sent to ship LNG from the export facility sanctioned by the United States, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed on Friday.

Ownership and management of the Kunpeng LNG tanker was transferred earlier this year to little-known companies located in China and the Marshall Islands, according to Bloombergs data.

Earlier this month, China received the first shipment from Portovaya on a U.S.-blacklisted vessel, as Russia and China continue to flaunt Western sanctions on their LNG trade.

The LNG tanker Valera, sanctioned by the United States, docked at the Chinese LNG import terminal of Beihai early last week, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.

In October, Valera loaded LNG from the Portovaya, Gazproms only LNG export facility. Portovaya and its Russia-based operator, Gazprom SPG Portovaya Limited Liability Company, were sanctioned by the United States in January 2025 in one of the last actions of the Biden Administration in a barrage of sanctions to degrade Russias energy sector.

Russia has been stepping up efforts to sell its sanctioned LNG supply in China in recent months.

Clear evidence of these efforts is the rising exports from Russias Arctic LNG 2 project to China in defiance of U.S., UK, and EU sanctions on the project and tankers serving its exports.

China is estimated to have received more than a dozen LNG cargoes from Arctic LNG 2 this year.

The increased shipments from Portovaya come as thick ice hinders LNG exports from the Arctic project.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Russia is heading into 2026 with a familiar problem wearing a sharper edge: the oil revenues that bankroll its budget  and its war  are shrinking fast.

According to Reuters calculations released Friday, Russias tax proceeds from crude oil production in January could fall to about 380 billion roubles ($4.7 billion), the lowest monthly take since late 2022. That would mark a 16% drop from December and a collapse of more than 50% compared with January last year. For a government that still leans heavily on oil income to fund military spending and social obligations, the timing is awkward.

Oil prices did most of the damage. Russias export blends were cheaper in December than in November, with average prices down about 12%, which mechanically reduced the mineral extraction tax tied to those prices. According to Argus, Russia's main export grade Urals was selling below $35 per barrel on Friday, December 19th. The stronger rouble compounded the hit by shrinking the value of export earnings once converted into local currency. Refining margins also weakened, dragging down tax receipts from oil products alongside crude.

The mineral extraction tax is due at the end of each month and reflects the previous months production. For crude produced in December, the effective tax rate is estimated at about 14,266 roubles per tonne  nearly 20% lower than November and more than 50% below the level seen a year earlier. Those rates are back in territory last visited in December 2022, when the European Unions embargo on Russian oil formally kicked in.

This slide is not an isolated data point. Reuters calculations earlier this month showed Russias combined oil and gas revenues nearly halved year on year in December, falling to levels last seen during the pandemic-era demand crash of 2020. Lower prices, a stronger currency, and widening discounts on Russias Urals crude (exacerbated by U.S. sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil) have all squeezed cash flow.

The strain is beginning to show in policy debates. Moscow has already floated the idea of tax relief for Gazprom to cushion the collapse in pipeline gas exports to Europe. The thought being that there may be some offset by higher taxes elsewhere in the energy sector. That kind of fiscal reshuffling is very telling of the problem: oil and gas still supply roughly a quarter of Russias budget, but the cushion is thinning.

For now, Russia can possibly absorb the blow. But if oil prices stay soft and sanctions continue to bite, early 2026 is shaping up to be less forgiving than the Kremlin would like.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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BEIJING, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- An interview from China.org.cn with ZHOU Mi, Senior Researcher at Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation on Hainan FTP:

On December 18th, the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) entered a new phase marked by the launch of its island-wide special customs operations.

Hainans Special Customs Operations Lay the Groundwork for Higher Level Opening Up Speed Speed

This marks another step towards a higher-level opening up. But what exactly is embodied in the special customs operations? Under this arrangement, the Hainan FTP is designated as an open special-customs supervision zone, implementing a customs framework distinct from that of the rest of China. It is characterized by "freer access at the first line, regulated access at the second line, and free flows within the island." Freer access at the first line is expected to greatly extend the scope and volume of zero-tariff imported goods; at the second line, which refers to the customs boundary between Hainan and the mainland, goods will be subject to precise and targeted customs oversight. Within the island, various factors of production may flow relatively freely.

These measures are underpinned by deep strategic considerations. Lower tariffs can significantly expand the scope and depth of cross-border collaboration. A case in point is the rapid rise of North America's automobile industry in the late 20th century, which was catalyzed by the low-tariff environment created by NAFTA. As economic globalization progresses, tariffs exert an increasingly profound impact on cross-border production and service models. With more stages of production and coordination spanning national borders, tariff-related costs tend to rise exponentially. For multinational enterprises, Hainan's commitment to a stable low-tariff institution represents a durable, long-term advantage.

Following the launch of the special customs operations, the flow of factors of production between Hainan and overseas markets will become ever more convenient and efficient. Backed by the vast Chinese market, the Hainan FTP is well-positioned to become a key convergence point of multinational supply chains, offering solid institutional support for enterprises that are willing to explore and seize development opportunities in China. Meanwhile, the Hainan FTP provides a "calm harbor" for advancing international economic and trade cooperation amid the impact of rising trade protectionism.

The story doesn't end here. Since 2018, Hainan has accelerated its institutional build-up, rolling out more preferential individual as well as corporate income tax policies, better-connected transportation infrastructure, and more efficient flows of production factors. Together, these measures have lowered business operating costs, fostered a hub for innovation factors, and made Hainan an increasingly appealing destination for high-level and highly skilled talent. These improvements  both hard infrastructure and soft institutional arrangements  enhance policy predictability and lower institutional costs for multinational companies investing, operating and innovating in China.

What's more, a pattern of multi-sector innovation-driven growth is already taking shape in Hainan, spanning from port logistics to commercial spaceflight, deep-sea industries and the medical special zone. Various differentiated growth poles are being fostered, offering fresh growth drivers and opportunities for foreign investment.

Not long ago, China's Central Economic Work Conference concluded in Beijing. The meeting reaffirmed China's commitment to expanding opening up, including steadily advancing institutional opening-up and making solid progress in developing the Hainan Free Trade Port as a key task. With the island-wide special customs operations as a starting point, a new exemplar of the country's high-level opening up earmarked by innovation, fairness and sustainability is beginning to stand out on the global horizon.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

Hainan's Special Customs Operations Lay the Groundwork for Higher Level Opening Up

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2025-12/19/content_118236492.shtml

SOURCE China.org.cn
Shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk completed on Friday the first transit of a container ship via the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait in almost two years, after having stopped voyages through the Suez Canal following Houthi attacks on vessels in the region.

Since December 2023, global shipping traffic has been upended by intensified attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea before and after entering or exiting the Suez Canal.

The Houthi attacks forced many tanker and container ship operators, including Maersk, to reroute voyages via Africa. The longer voyages have increased travel times, delayed goods delivery, disrupted supply chains, and raised shipping costs.

In a first in nearly two years, Maersk said on Friday that on December 18-19, 2025, the Singapore-flagged vessel Maersk Sebarok transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea, with the highest possible safety measures applied during transit.

However, Maersk warned that Whilst this is a significant step forward, it does not mean that we are at a point where we are considering a wider East-West network change back to the trans-Suez corridor.

Assuming that security thresholds continue to be met, we are considering continuing our stepwise approach towards gradually resuming navigation along the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, Maersk said, but noted that there are no planned sailings currently.

Apart from upending trade routes and shipping costs, the major shift in ocean vessel traffic has also boosted global demand for fuel oil to multi-year highs.

Contrary to earlier expectations, global demand fuel oil demand has jumped the most since 2019 as longer routes to avoid the Houthi threat around the Red Sea and the surge in shadow fleet numbers have contributed to higher fuel oil use in the shipping industry, analysts told Reuters in October.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Ukraine has hit an empty oil tanker of Russias shadow fleet in the Mediterranean in the first such drone attack in this sea in another escalation of the Ukrainian strikes on Russian vessels.

The Qendil tanker, flying the flag of Oman, was targeted and hit by drones, Ukraine said on Friday.

The vessel was empty, and its blow-up does not pose an environmental threat, sources with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on empty vessels of the Russian shadow fleet in recent weeks.

As a result of this, oil tankers carrying Russian oil appear to be avoiding the fastest Black Sea route to the Turkish straits and travel along the Georgian and Turkish coasts to avoid drone attacks from Ukraine, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

At least two tankers that have loaded oil from Novorossiysk, the Russian port on the Black Sea, have recently traveled along the Georgian and Turkish coasts instead of taking the shortest route to the Bosphorus Strait, according to the data compiled by Bloomberg.

The detour along the Georgian and Turkish coasts would add about 350 miles, or 70%, to the journey of an oil tanker from the port of Novorossiysk to the Turkish straits.

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Crude oil exports from the Russian terminals on the Black Sea were much lower in November than originally planned as bad weather and Ukrainian attacks on infrastructure have delayed loadings and departures.

Ukrainian attacks have also crippled Russias fuel exports from the Black Sea ports in recent weeks.

Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted Russian oil-refining, storage, and export infrastructure using drones and missiles. The campaign has gained intensity in recent months, with the Center for European Policy Analysis noting a shift in strategy from smaller-scale strikes on storage tanks to targeting hard-to-replace refinery equipment, like cracking units, much of it western-made and subject to sanctions.

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A dominant all-round performance, led by a century from Sameer Minhas and a four-wicket haul by Ali Raza, guided Pakistan U19 to a thumping 191-run win over India U19 in the final of the ACC Mens U19 Asia Cup at the ICC Cricket Academy Ground in Dubai on Sunday.

By PakPassion Staff (December 21, 2025)

This marked Pakistans first outright ACC Mens U19 Asia Cup title, having previously been declared joint winners in the 2012 edition.

After being put into bat, Pakistan posted an imposing 347 for eight in their allotted 50 overs. Sameer Minhas anchored the innings with a magnificent 172 off 113 balls, striking 17 fours and nine sixes. He laid a solid foundation before accelerating through the middle overs, including vital partnerships with Usman Khan (35, 45b, 3x4s, 1x6) and Ahmed Hussain (56, 45b, 3x4s, 1x6) to put Pakistan firmly in command.

Left-handed batter Ahmeds fluent half-century provided further momentum, while skipper Farhan Yousaf (19, 18b, 2x4s, 1x6) and late contributions from Niqab Shafiq (12 not out, 17b, 1x4) and Mohammad Sayyam (13 not out, 8b, 1x6) ensured Pakistan finished strongly.

In turn, Pakistans bowlers produced a disciplined and clinical display to dismiss India for 156 in 26.2 overs. Right-arm fast bowler Ali spearheaded the attack with four wickets, striking early to derail Indias chase. Mohammad Sayyam and Abdul Subhan claimed two wickets apiece, while spinner Huzaifa Ahsan also struck twice as Pakistan maintained pressure throughout the innings.

Sameer Minhas was adjudged player of the match for his match-winning century and was also named player of the tournament after amassing 471 runs from five matches at an average of 157.

Pakistan U19 will now travel to Zimbabwe to feature in a tri-series involving Afghanistan and hosts Zimbabwe, starting from Thursday, 25 December. The ICC Mens U19 World Cup will be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia from 15 January to 6 February 2026.

Scores in brief:

Pakistan beat India by 191 runs at the ICC Academy Ground, Dubai

Pakistan 347-8, 50 overs (Sameer Minhas 172, Ahmed Hussain 56, Usman Khan 35; Deepesh Devendran 3-83)

India 156 all out, 26.2 overs (Deepesh Devendran 36, Vaibhav Suryavanshi 26; Ali Raza 4-42, Huzaifa Ahsan 2-12, Abdul Subhan 2-29, Mohammad Sayyam 2-38)

Player of the match and tournament  Sameer Minhas (Pakistan)
" " These colleges offer the support and flexibility that veterans and active duty servicemembers need. cheapbooks / Shutterstock

For service members and veterans, navigating college can feel like entering a different world. Fortunately, military-friendly colleges are designed to support military students with flexible programs, tuition assistance, and dedicated resources.

Here are institutions that make education accessible for the armed forces community.
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The plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, which we see edge-on from our perspective on Earth, cuts a luminous swath across the image. Credit: ESO/S. Brunier

Long before scientists discovered that other stars in the universe host their own planetary systems, humanity had contemplated the existence of life beyond Earth. As our technology matured and we began monitoring the night sky in multiple wavelengths (i.e., radio waves), this curiosity became a genuine scientific pursuit. By the 1960s, a scientific field dedicated to the search for advanced life (similar to ours) emerged: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). Since then, multiple SETI surveys have been conducted to search for potential signs of technological activity (aka "technosignatures").

To date, the majority of these searches have looked for signs of possible radio transmissions, including the most ambitious SETI project to dateBreakthrough Listen. Other surveys have included looking for thermal emissions that could be alien megastructures. So far, these searches have failed to find decisive evidence of technosignatures or advanced life. According to a new study led by the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) at Arizona State University (ASU), humanity's SETI efforts to date may have been constrained by anthropocentric bias.

The team also included researchers from ASU's Beyond Center, the School of Complex Adaptive Systems (SCAS), and the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society. Additional contributions were made by scientists from the Santa Fe Institute, the BioFrontiers Institute, and various departments of the University of Colorado. The work is published on the arXiv preprint server.

'Like Ourselves'

As the team notes in their paper, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been a search for the familiar. In essence, we have been looking for signals and technosignatures that mirror our current stage of technological development. For instance, Project Ozma was informed by humanity's own development of radio communications, which by the 1960s had progressed to the point that our signals could be detected from space. This approach is not without merit, since radio signals can be transmitted over vast cosmic distances.

However, Earth has become less "radio loud" over subsequent decades, thanks to the development of satellite communications, the internet, and other transmission technologies that do not rely on radio. Ergo, searching for radio transmissions is tantamount to looking for evidence of advanced civilizations during a brief window of technological development. In recent years, SETI researchers have expanded the possible range of technosignatures to include optical transmissions (lasers), neutrinos, gravitational waves (GWs), and other exotic ideas.

Alas, our efforts are still hampered by the fact that we have no prior knowledge of what to look for. "SETI has traditionally spanned two extremes: an anthropocentric search for human-like technosignatures and an anomaly-based search for signals that deviate from known astrophysics," explained co-author and SESE Ph.D. candidate Estelle Marie Janin to Universe Today via email.

"Because we don't know whether intelligence is likely to look familiar or inherently 'weird,' the field needs stronger theoretical frameworks that identify generalizable features of life and intelligent communication without requiring either complete prior knowledge or no assumptions at all."

As an alternative approach, she and her team recommend broadening the search to include non-human species and their respective communication methods. As they explain, the primary focus of both SETI and the emerging field of Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence (METI) is the identification of signals that could be universally understood.

Specifically, the team used firefly communication patterns, which consist of evolved flashes that are distinct from their visual backgrounds. This broadening of perspective also addresses another ongoing problem in SETI research: the way "intelligence" is poorly constrained.

Said Janin: "Communication is a fundamental feature of life across lineages and manifests in a wonderful diversity of forms and strategies. Taking non-human communication into account is essential if we want to broaden our intuition and understanding about what alien communication could look like, and what a theory of life ought to explain.

"It also keeps the search empirically grounded: rather than relying solely on undefined anomalies, we can start from what life on Earth demonstrably doesnot restricted to humansand ask which aspects might reflect more universal, generalizable regularities, based on evolution and selection."

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Methods

As they summarize in their paper, fireflies produce periodic flash sequences during their mating season that are species-specific. When multiple species of fireflies are present in the same location at the same time, their flash patterns allow fellow members to distinguish between other species while minimizing the risk of predation. Their study builds on the firefly communication model that simulates the evolution of firefly flash sequences over several generations. They then examined how such signaling might influence the detectability of an extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) against the background of space.

They also developed a model of their own that generated an evolved signal distinct from a background of naturally occurring pulsar signals. The signal that resulted minimized energy consumption in a way that mimics how firefly flash patterns maximize distinctiveness while minimizing the risk of attracting predators.

The team selected pulsars because they are common throughout our galaxy and produce highly ordered emissions at regular intervals. This is why, when they were first discovered in 1967, many in the astronomical community thought they might constitute transmissions from an ETI, and why many today consider them as viable "navigational beacons."

They were further chosen because pulsars provide an appropriate analog for firefly flash behavior, and they offer a practical and observable backdrop against which ETI signals could be distinguished. In this respect, their approach preserves the strategy of looking for life "like ourselves," but expands what that means by examining communication across the entirety of Earth's biosphere. It also takes advantage of advancements made in the study of animal communication and digital bioacoustics, said Janin, which have yet to be applied to SETI and life detection efforts:

"Our study is meant as a provoking thought-experiment and an invitation for SETI and animal communication research to engage more directly and to draw more systematically on each other's insights. More broadly, remote-sensing astrobiology has often struggled to keep pace with progress in biology, particularly when it comes to appreciating and integrating the full diversity of Earth's living systems, and has tended to focus more on issues related to the nature of astrophysical data rather than on the properties of life it seeks to infer. "

Results

Their model consisted of a background of 158 pulsars within a 5 kiloparsec (~16,300 light-year) search area centered on Earth. The pulsars were generated using data from the Australia National Telescope Facility (ATNF) database. They then added artificial signals modulated based on different relationships between dissimilarity and energy costs. Both the "pulse" and "flash" profiles were grouped based on on/off states, with a mean flux density used as the cutoff. They ran multiple permutations in this setup, accounting for different energy levels.

Their results showed that most of the pulsar population have energy costs that are much higher (~84% to 99.78%) than that of the optimized artificial signals. Their model also incorporated energy constraints alongside dissimilarity, enabling them to compare how each influences the structure of the output sequence.

As Janin summarized, "We show that alien signals don't have to be complicated or semantically decipherable to be recognized; rather, their inherent structure can be identified as a product of selection and evolution, uniquely and robustly implying the presence of life. This approach challenges SETI to consider the broader Earth biosphere and to adopt less anthropocentric methods, grounded in the ubiquitous structural properties of life and communication."

The research is part of a growing chorus dedicated to expanding the scope of SETI to include more exotic technologies, life forms, and forms of communication. As the technology and instruments for SETI become increasingly sophisticated, the possible frameworks (i.e., what we should be looking for) are growing accordingly.

In the not-too-distant future, there could be SETI projects dedicated to looking for "spillover from directed-energy propulsion and communications, quantum communications, and neutrino signals using everything from radio antennas and infrared telescopes to solar gravitational lenses.

"Studying non-human signaling can keep SETI empirically grounded while expanding our expectations for what alien communication might look like," said Janin. "Using firefly flashes as an example of signals evolutionarily optimized to stand out from their environmental background, we argue that SETI should engage more deeply with animal communication and digital bioacousticsfields that have rapidly advanced but remain under-connected to life-detection efforts."

Publication details Cameron Brooks et al, A Firefly-inspired Model for Deciphering the Alien, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2511.06139 Journal information: arXiv
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UVic researchers have captured audio and video of fish in the ocean and used artificial intelligence to differentiate between the sounds of different species. Credit: Shane Gross.

University of Victoria (UVic) biologists have discovered that even closely related fish species make unique and distinctive sounds and determined that it's possible to differentiate between the sounds of different species. The discovery opens the door to identifying fish based on sound alone.

Using passive acoustics, the researchers identified unique sounds for eight different Vancouver Island fish species in their natural habitats. They then developed a machine learning model that can predict which sounds belonged to which species with up to 88% accuracy.

This could have positive implications for marine conservation efforts and allow scientists to monitor specific fish species using acoustics, says Darienne Lancaster, a Ph.D. candidate in biology who led the project.

"We knew previously that many fish were making sounds in the wild, but we didn't know which sounds belonged to which species, or if it was possible to tell these sounds apart. Now, just as we use bird song to identify specific bird species in the wild, we can also listen to fish sounds to identify specific fish species," said Lancaster, lead researcher.

The research, published in the Journal of Fish Biology, is part of the larger fish sounds project run out of the Juanes Lab at UVic.

UVic researchers have captured audio and video of fish in the ocean and used artificial intelligence to differentiate between the sounds of different species. Credit: UVic.

Fish grunts, knocks and growls

While researchers have been identifying fish sounds for years, these sounds were typically recorded in a laboratory setting, rather than in the wild, and whether different species made unique sounds had never been tested.

Lancaster identified unique sounds for eight different species of fish commonly found on the coast of British Columbia: the Black Rockfish, Quillback Rockfish, Copper Rockfish, Lingcod, Canary Rockfish, Vermilion Rockfish, Kelp Greenling and Pile Perch. This was the first time, in the lab or the wild, that sounds had been identified for the Canary and Vermilion Rockfish.

"It has been exciting to see how many different species of fish make sounds and the behaviors that go along with these calls," says Lancaster.

"Some fish, like the Quillback Rockfish, make rapid grunting sounds when they're being chased by other fish, so it's likely a defensive mechanism. Other times, fish, like Copper Rockfish, will repeatedly make knocking sounds as they chase prey along the ocean floor."

The Black Rockfish make a long, growling sound similar to a frog croak and the Quillback Rockfish make a series of short knocks and grunts.

Two scuba divers setting up the sound localization array used to capture underwater audio and visual. Credit: Shane Gross.

The role of passive acoustics

Lancaster used a technique called passive acoustic monitoring to identify the fish sounds. She collected underwater audio and video using a sound localization array designed by former UVic Ph.D. student and project collaborator, Xavier Mouy, and then used sound characteristics to identify differences in species calls.

Her machine learning model used a set of 47 different sound features, such as duration and frequency, to detect small differences in each species' sounds that can be used to tell them apart. The model used these small differences in sound features to group species calls together.

"The ability of passive acoustics to identify specific fish by sound could be an important new tool for conservationists and fisheries managers," says Francis Juanes, UVic biology professor and principal investigator on the project.

"Passive acoustics could allow us to estimate population size, monitor activity, and assess the overall health of a fish population in a way that is minimally invasive to vulnerable marine animals."

The techniques that Lancaster developed can be adapted by scientists all over the world to decipher other fish calls.

Publication details Darienne Lancaster et al, Knock knock, who's there? Identifying wild speciesspecific fish sounds with passive acoustic localization and random forest models, Journal of Fish Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1111/jfb.70294 Journal information: Journal of Fish Biology

Key concepts ichthyologyAcoustics
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Right hand image shows candida auris filaments during infection stage. Credit: University of Exeter

Scientists have discovered a genetic process which could unlock new ways to treat a mysterious and deadly fungal infection which has shut down multiple hospital intensive care units.

Candida auris is particularly dangerous for people who are critically ill, so hospitals are vulnerable. While it seems to live harmlessly on the skin of increasing numbers of people, patients on ventilators are at high risk. Once infected, the disease has a death rate of 45%, and can resist all major classes of antifungal drugs, making it extremely difficult to treat and eradicate from wards, once patients are infected.

The disease was only detected in 2008, and its origins remain a mystery, but since it emerged, more than 40 countries have reported outbreaks, including the UK.

Also known as Candidozyma auris, it has become named a global health threat, and is on the World Health Organization's critical priority fungal pathogens list. In the UK, the number of cases has steadily risen.

New research methods and findings

Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Exeter have investigated how genes are activated during infection using a new approach involving fish larvae.

The findings, published in Communications Biology, show early promise for identifying a target for developing new drugs, or repurposing existing medications, if the genetic process is found to be the same during human infection. The paper is titled "Xenosiderophore transporter gene expression and clade-specific filamentation in Candida auris killifish (Aphanius dispar) infection."

The research was co-led by NIHR Clinical Lecturer Hugh Gifford, of the University of Exeter's MRC Center for Medical Mycology (CMM), who said, "Since it emerged, Candida auris has wreaked havoc where it takes hold in hospital intensive care units. It can be deadly for vulnerable patients, and health trusts have spent millions on the difficult job of eradication.

"We think our research may have revealed an Achilles heel in this lethal pathogen during active infection, and we urgently need more research to explore whether we can find drugs that target and exploit this weakness."

Studying the pathogen's unique characteristics

One of the issues so far in studying Candida auris has been its ability to withstand high temperatures. This, combined with a particularly high tolerance to salt, has led some to speculate that it could originate from tropical oceans or marine animals. For researchers, it has meant finding a new way to study the pathogen. The Exeter team pioneered a model of the Arabian killifish, whose eggs survive at human body temperatures.

The researchers discovered that Candida auris can switch to form elongated bodies of fungus, known as filaments, possibly to search for nutrients.

They also investigated which genes are switched on and off during infection, and therefore could represent vulnerabilities. Genes activated during infection include several that code for nutrient pumps, snatching molecules which scavenge for iron and drawing them into cells.

Implications for future treatments

Co-senior author Dr. Rhys Farrer, at the University of Exeter's MRC Center for Medical Mycology, said, "Until now, we've had no idea what genes are active during infection of a living host. We now need to find out if this also occurs during human infection. The fact that we found genes are activated to scavenge iron gives clues to where Candida auris may originate, such as an iron-poor environment in the sea. It also gives us a potential target for new and already existing drugs."

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Dr. Gifford, who is also an intensive care and respiratory medicine resident physician at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, added, "While there are a number of research steps to go through yet, our finding could be an exciting prospect for future treatment. We have drugs that target iron scavenging activities. We now need to explore whether they could be repurposed to stop Candida auris from killing humans and closing down hospital intensive care units."

An Arabian killifish larvae model was established as an alternative to using mouse and zebrafish, which are used in some studies to study interactions between a pathogen and the host. Dr. Katie Bates said, "This new publication demonstrates the utility of the replacement model to study Candida auris infection and enables unprecedented insights into cellular and molecular events in live infected hosts. This is a brilliant example of how innovative alternative approaches can overcome key limitations of traditional animal studies."

Publication details Xenosiderophore transporter gene expression and clade-specific filamentation in Candida auris killifish (Aphanius dispar) infection, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-09321-z Journal information: Communications Biology
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3D and cross-sectional views of an optimized SuperConducting (SC), Soft-FerroMagnetic bilayer (SFM) cloak. At the left no SFM is used showing the diamagnetic response of the SC. At the right the cloaking effect phenomenon is shown. Credit: University of Leicester

University of Leicester engineers have unveiled a concept for a device designed to magnetically "cloak" sensitive components, making them invisible to detection.

A magnetic cloak is a device that hides or shields an object from external magnetic fields by manipulating how these flow around an object so that they behave as if the object isn't there.

In Science Advances, the team of engineers demonstrate for the first time that practical cloaks can be engineered using superconductors and soft ferromagnets in forms that can be manufactured.

Using computational and theoretical techniques such as advanced mathematical modeling and high-performance simulations based on real-world parameters, they have developed a new physics-informed design framework that allows magnetic cloaks to be created for objects of any shape. Until now, cloaks were mostly theoretical or restricted to simple shapes like cylinders.

This study demonstrates for the first time how to design magnetic cloaks for the irregular geometries we see in the real world. These cloaks also maintain their effectiveness across a broad range of field strengths and frequencies.

Magnetic cloaks could play a vital role in protecting sensitive electronics and sensors from magnetic interference, which is a growing challenge in everything from medical devices to renewable energy and space technology.

Unwanted magnetic fields can disrupt the operation of precision instruments, sensors, and electronic components, leading to signal distortion, data errors, or equipment malfunction. This is a growing concern in environments such as hospitals, power grids, aerospace systems, and scientific laboratories, where increasingly sensitive technologies require effective protection from magnetic interference.

The research opens the door to building magnetic cloaks and magnetic guides tailored to specific devices or components using materials that are already commercially available. Potential applications include shielding of components in fusion reactors, protecting medical imaging systems (like MRI scanners), and isolating quantum sensors in navigation or communication systems.

Dr. Harold Ruiz from the University of Leicester School of Engineering said, "Magnetic cloaking is no longer a futuristic concept tied to perfect analytical conditions. This study shows that practical, manufacturable cloaks for complex geometries are within reach, enabling next-generation shielding solutions for science, medicine, and industry.

"Our next step is the fabrication and experimental testing of these magnetic cloaks using high-temperature superconducting tapes and soft magnetic composites. We are already planning follow-up studies and collaborations to bring these designs into real-world settings."

Publication details Yusen Guo et al, Designing Functional Magnetic Cloaks for Real-World Geometries, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aea2468. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aea2468 Journal information: Science Advances
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

For people living in the EU, the price of their next car, home renovation and even local produce may soon reflect a climate policy that many have never even heard of. This new regulation, which comes fully into force on New Year's Day, does not just target heavy industryit affects everyday goods which now face an added carbon cost when they enter Europe.

The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) puts a carbon price on many imported goodsmeaning that EU-based importers will pay for the greenhouse gases emitted during the production of certain carbon-intensive materials.

If goods come from countries with weaker climate rules, then the charge will be higher. To sell to the EU, producers will effectively need to show their goods aren't too carbon intensive.

The goal is to prevent companies from relocating their production to places with looser regulations, ensuring fair competition between EU and non-EU companies, while incentivizing global decarbonization.

After a trial phase, full payment obligations begin on January 1 2026, when importers will need to buy CBAM certificates to cover the embedded emissions in goods such as iron and steel, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, hydrogen and (eventually) electricity.

Although it is an EU climate policy, CBAM looks set to be a gamechanger for global trade. Countries that rely on EU exports may need to make costly investments in cleaner technologies and better emissions tracking, or risk losing market share. The UK government plans to introduce its own version of CBAM in 2027although how this links to the EU's is yet to be decided.

A positive shift is already underway: more and more companies are now measuring and reporting their emissions accurately, responding to the growing demand for reliable carbon data. At the same time, an increasing number of countries are introducing their own carbon pricing systems to stay aligned with the EU and protect the competitiveness of their exports.

Morocco is a prominent example: its 2025 finance law gradually introduces a carbon tax from January 2026. As Moroccan firms will already pay a carbon price domestically, their exports are likely to avoid additional CBAM charges at the EU border, helping them remain competitive.

In many countries, CBAM is also accelerating interest in renewable energy and greener industrial processes. Some see it not as a threat, but an opportunity to attract investment and position themselves as low-carbon manufacturing hubs.

However, this mechanism is still controversial. For businesses, CBAM is complex and administratively heavy. Firms need robust systems to measure embedded emissions, collect data from suppliers and produce environmental product declarations. Many will also need new renewable energy contracts to cut their carbon footprint.

Around the world, CBAM has faced strong criticism. India and China describe it as "green protectionism", arguing that it puts unfair pressure on developing economies. At the same time, the EU has not yet created dedicated funding to help exporters in lower-income countries adapt. Without this support, the mechanism may not achieve the desired results.

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What about consumers?

Although CBAM is mainly aimed at industry, its ripple effects will reach consumers in the EU. Importers are unlikely to absorb the full additional cost, meaning prices are likely to riseparticularly for goods that rely heavily on steel, aluminum or cement. This could mean Europe sees higher costs for cars, home appliances, electronics, building materials and, indirectly, food production (through fertilizers).

At the same time, CBAM may bring more transparency. Because importers must report the emissions embedded in their goods, consumers may eventually have clearer information about the climate impact of what they buy.

The mechanism will also generate EU revenues from certificate sales. These are expected to support vulnerable households in many European countries, as well as funding clean technologies and improving energy efficiency. How the funds are used will be crucial to public acceptance of Europe's new carbon tax.

Even before full implementation, CBAM is already reshaping supply chains and influencing government policies far beyond Europe's borders. It may trigger trade disputes, push exporters to adopt carbon pricing, and highlight the need for more climate finance to support developing countries undergoing green industrial transitions.

For many European consumers, it's likely to mean gradual price increasesand potentially, more climate-conscious purchasing decisions. Behind the scenes, it marks a significant shift in how global trade accounts for carbonand how climate policy reaches into people's everyday lives.

Key concepts Climate Change

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Credit: Iijima Daichi

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have, for the first time, recorded the songs of the Chinese hwamei Garrulax canorus (designated as an invasive alien species) in the alpine zone of Mt. Kisokoma in the Central Alps (approximately 2,770 m above sea level). These songs, produced by males during the breeding season, serve to establish territories and attract females. This finding, published in Bird Research, raises concerns that the breeding range of Chinese hwamei may be expanding from lowland habitats into the alpine zone.

The Chinese hwamei, an invasive alien bird species, is native to eastern Eurasia, ranging from southern China to Southeast Asia. In Japan, the species arrived as a pet birds since the Edo period. Since the first field records in Kitakyushu City during the 1980s, its distribution has expanded steadily. In 2024, it was formally designated as an invasive alien species due to its potential ecological impacts. Its expansion in Japan was largely restricted to lowland regions, but observations in recent years indicate that it has begun to colonize the mountainous regions. However, no previous records existed from alpine zones above the treeline.

On August 6, 2024, members of the research team recorded songs of Chinese hwamei in Japanese stone pine scrub at 2,770 m above sea level (a.s.l.) on Mt. Kisokoma. On September 10, 2024, songs were confirmed in the forest north of the Shirabidaira Station on the Komagatake Ropeway (approximately 1,700 m a.s.l.). On October 18, 2024, they were documented in the forest surrounding the Ikeyama Hut (approximately 1,750 m a.s.l.) on Mt. Kisokoma.

Traditionally, high-elevation areas with heavy snow cover were considered an unsuitable habitat for the Chinese hwamei. However, contemporary studies in Japan suggest that some individuals breed in mountainous regions during summer and migrate to areas with reduced snow cover in winter.

The present study indicates that the Chinese hwamei, which exhibits seasonal altitudinal migration, has begun to use alpine zones during the breeding season. Because songs are typically produced by males to assert territory and attract mates, these observations underscore the need for continued monitoring in alpine and subalpine zones to evaluate the potential impact of Chinese hwamei on native alpine bird communities.

More information Daichi Iijima et al, Record of the song of the invasive alien species, the Laughingthrush, in the alpine zone, Bird Research (2025). DOI: 10.11211/birdresearch.21.S6. www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/b  3/_article/-char/ja/

Key concepts birds
Expanded Outpatient Programs and New Culturally Specific Recovery Support Increase Statewide Access to Treatment

ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kai Shin Clinic is expanding access to evidence-based addiction treatment services at its Bloomington location and is now accepting new patients across all outpatient levels of care. This update increases reachability for Minnesotans seeking integrated addiction treatment grounded in clinical excellence, cultural responsiveness, and whole-person recovery support.

Kai Shin Clinic is now enrolling in its Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Outpatient Program (OP), and Long-Term Remission (LTR). These programs offer structured clinical support with flexible scheduling options designed to meet individuals at various stages of their recovery journeys. For more information on our treatment programs please visit kaishinclinic.com/treatment to learn more.

As part of this expansion, Kai Shin Clinic is introducing a culturally specific Native American recovery group developed in collaboration with Red Lake Nation. The group provides a culturally grounded, supportive environment for Native American patients in early sobriety, integrating Indigenous values, healing practices, and community-focused recovery support.

Kai Shin Clinic is also strengthening partnerships with community organizations to support patients beyond treatment. These collaborations include access to housing resources, employment support, family services, transportation coordination, and community-driven recovery opportunities, reinforcing the clinic's commitment to reducing barriers to care and strengthening long-term recovery stability.

"Expanding access at our Bloomington clinic allows us to meet clients exactly where they are," said Alana Sasaki, MD, CEO. "When care is easy to reach and well-integrated, people are more likely to stay engaged throughout their recovery."

"The winter months bring predictable stressors that can increase relapse risk," said Alex Vigil, Treatment Program Manager. "By opening additional treatment access, launching our Native American group, and strengthening community partnerships, we support recovery earlier and more effectively."

To learn more about Kai Shin Clinic's programs or to enroll in IOP, Outpatient, Long-Term Remission, or the Native American Recovery Group, visit kaishinclinic.com .

About Kai Shin Clinic

Kai Shin Clinic is an integrated care organization focused on addiction medicine, mental health, and primary care. With a commitment to clinical excellence and compassionate support, the clinic provides medication-assisted treatment, outpatient services, lab-based screening, and wraparound recovery care. Kai Shin Clinic is dedicated to advancing access to high-quality addiction medicine across Minnesota.

Media Contact:

Katelyn Galvin

Marketing & Communications

Kai Shin Clinic

651-447-3755 | [email protected]

www.kaishinclinic.com

SOURCE Kai Shin Clinic
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The City of Fort Lauderdale may soon make it easier for waterfront properties to install living seawallsinnovative underwater shoreline structures that mimic natural habitats, improve water quality and give marine life a home.

City commissioners showed interest in a proposed program that incentivizes residents and businesses that own waterfront property to install living seawalls at Tuesday afternoon's commission meeting. Unlike typical, flat concrete seawalls, living seawalls can be designed to look like mangrove roots, which provide small spaces for crabs and fish to live, promotes biodiversity and absorbs some of the impact from storm surges and strong waves.

The program, which the city hopes to launch in Spring 2026, covers 100% of the base fees for living seawall permits and expedites the permitting process, said Marco Aguilera, the Fort Lauderdale chief waterways officer.

The marine critters, like oysters, that attach themselves to living seawalls boost water quality by filtering excess nutrients, pollutants and suspended particles, according to Florida International University. In fact, just one oyster can filter 20 to 50 gallons of water daily. Aguilera cited a recent FIU study that analyzes existing living seawalls in South Florida, which found an increase in the amount of overall fish species and algae and the establishment of soft coral colonies.

"It's a program that will be citywide, so residents along the North Fork, residents along the South Fork, residents along Las Olas," Aguilera said at the meeting. "We have to make it available to everyone. All of our waterways are connected. If we improve the waterway quality in one section of the city, it will eventually leach over to other sections of the city as well."

The proposal asks for a $50,000 dedicated fund from the city to cover living seawall permit base fees on a first-come-first-serve basis. In Fort Lauderdale, seawall permit base fees for both residential and commercial properties are 1.75% of the cost of the seawall installation.

The proposed program would cover up to $3,500 for residential properties and up to $7,000 for commercial properties. The average seawall installation costs about $100,000, which makes the base permit fee $1,750, Aguilera said.

From October 2023 to October 2025, there were 176 seawall permits issued in Fort Lauderdale, but only one was a living seawall, Aguilera said. The proposed $50,000 fund could cover 28 living seawall $1,750 base permit fees, leaving $1,000 left over, he said.

Property owners interested in installing a living seawall have to meet certain criteria to qualify for the program, including that the living seawall must be over 50 percent of the linear length of the seawall. Other building permit fees are not included in this program.

KindDesigns, a Miami-based tech startup, has been promoting the benefits of living seawalls for South Florida waterfront cities, like Miami Beach. Maddie Rieger, a KindDesigns project lead, spoke at the commission meeting about how the startup 3D-prints living seawalls, which are made of a pH-neutral material that doesn't leach harmful chemicals into the water.

"You see oyster growth, fish marine life flourishing around it because of the macro and micro habitat that a living sea wall creates," she said. "Compared to a flat wall, you wouldn't see the same habitat creation, same water filtering capacity, or same wave reflection that you get with a living sea wall."

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Most commissioners were excited by the proposal. Vice Mayor Steven Glassman thanked Aguilera for the work he's gotten done in the short time he's been chief waterways officer and quipped, "You've really gotten your feet wet." Audience members groaned at the pun.

Commissioner Pamela Beasley-Pittman said she thinks the program will be popular considering she's received many phone calls from residents about the high cost of installing seawalls.

"This is a great opportunity to do an alternative option and I believe those who are really trying to move forward, they're going to take advantage of this," she said. "So Marco, get ready for your fireworks."

There was some pushback from Commissioner John Herbst, who said he likes the idea but does not agree with providing financial assistance to wealthy waterfront property owners, especially since the city has denied requests for fee waivers in the past.

"I support the program. I don't support the financial contribution," Herbst said. "These are not folks that need government welfare."

Key concepts hard shoreline stabilization

2025 Miami Herald. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Newly published research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine highlights student-led work in medical education and examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can assist with qualitative research.

The study, published in the journal Medical Science Educator, explored whether ChatGPT can support thematic analysis.

Corresponding author and third-year medical student Jonathan Bowden, of Pickerington, Ohio, collaborated with fellow third-year medical student Megha Mohanakrishnan, of San Jose, California, to lead the project. Both Bowden and Mohanakrishnan earned their undergraduate degrees in medical sciences at UC.

Both students also served as learning assistants during their first year of medical school for Andrew Thompson, Ph.D., professor-educator in the Department of Medical Education. Through their work with Thompson, they joined a project analyzing survey responses from fellow first-year medical students about their thoughts and feelings surrounding cadaveric dissection, which is part of their coursework.

The team identified several common themes: "We noted feelings of gratitude toward donors and their families and appreciation and excitement for a valuable learning opportunity," said Bowden. "We also noted some nervousness and apprehension."

With their manual analysis serving as the gold standard, the students then evaluated whether AI could perform similar thematic coding.

"So much of this project came from genuine curiosity about whether we, as medical students, could use AI to work more efficiently," said Bowden. "We chose ChatGPT because it's free and widely accessible."

Three methods

The team tested three methods for prompting the AI, running each method three times:

Method one instructed ChatGPT to code responses using only a list of themes and their definitions.

Method two added 25 example responses with assigned themes and brief explanations. The AI was told to reference these examples in its coding.

Method three asked ChatGPT to code each of the 25 example responses individually. After each attempt, the students provided feedback on incorrect or missing themes, and the AI revised its theme definitions accordingly. Once the 25 examples were complete, ChatGPT coded the remaining responses using the updated definitions.

"We tried to engage more and more with the AI to improve its accuracy," said Bowden. "Method three had the highest accuracy."

Reflections

Bowden described the research, which earned the students a national award, as a long process that was helpful in establishing possibilities for future research projects.

"I learned how to take on a project from the ground up," he said. "We gained insight into the planning and execution of a research project."

Bowden said he may wish to both practice medicine and teach medical students in the future.

"I appreciate how much work current physicians have done for us and how they are helping us find our passions," he said. Bowden is currently considering internal medicine for residency.

More information Jonathan Bowden et al, Incorporating Artificial Intelligence in Qualitative Research: Exploring the Role of ChatGPT in Thematic Analysis, Medical Science Educator (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s40670-025-02587-2
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Close examination of Horneophyton revealed that its circulatory system was made of transfer cells. Their characteristic ingrowths of the cell wall are highlighted by the arrows. Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

The tallest plants alive today can grow to over 100 meters tall. But they evolved from ancestors that were just a few centimeters high.

Exactly how they got so big is uncertain, but new research on a 400-million-year-old fossil is helping to shed some light on the mystery.

In the early 1900s, a small fossil plant was discovered near the village of Rhynie in northern Scotland. Now, a century later, Horneophyton lignieri is changing what we know about plant evolution.

Until not that long ago, scientists widely agreed on the evolutionary journey that plants took from the oceans to land. They thought that algae evolved into mosses and their relatives, known as the bryophytes, which eventually gave rise to the vascular plantsthe group containing ferns, conifers and flowering plants.

However, recent genetic studies have cast doubt on this narrative by suggesting that the common ancestor of plants wasn't a bryophyte or a vascular plant. It's a finding that's provoked strong debate among botanists, as well as making it uncertain what the ancestor of plants would have looked like.

The fossil plant Horneophyton lignieri contains cells that could be the predecessors of xylem and phloem. Credit: Paul Kenrick

Now, the 407-million-year-old Horneophyton may provide the answer. Research led by Dr. Paul Kenrick, one of our fossil plant experts, found that it could shed light on this elusive ancestor.

"Unlike modern plants, which transport water and sugars separately, Horneophyton moves them around its body together," Kenrick explains. "This kind of vascular system has never been seen before in any living plant."

"It suggests that the ancestor of modern plants was more complex than we originally thought and already had some kind of vascular system. It's a discovery that will help us to interpret how later plants evolved and tie their relationships together."

The findings of the research were published in the journal New Phytologist.

What are the xylem and phloem, and what came before them?

The vascular system of plants acts a bit like the circulatory system of animals, as it moves water, minerals and other vital substances around its tissues. Without this system plants can't grow very big because nutrients can't reach all the parts of their body.

Other plants found in the Rhynie Chert have a range of different vascular systems. Asteroxylon, for example, already has xylem and phloem. Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

This vascular system is divided into two main tissues called the xylem and phloem. The xylem is a system of tubes made up of dead cells that carries water and minerals from the roots all the way up to the leaves. It's driven by a variety of processes including transpiration, where evaporation in the leaves draws water up through the plant.

The phloem, in contrast, is a system made of living cells that transports the products of photosynthesis, such as sugars, up and down the plant to where they are needed. These nutrients are sometimes transported in and out of the phloem by specialized cells that have distinctive folds in their cell wall.

When Horneophyton was first discovered and studied, scientists believed it had true xylem and phloem as the extraordinary preservation in the Rhynie Chert seemed to show details that looked like a modern vascular system.

But when Kenrick and his colleagues took a fresh look at the fossils using more powerful modern microscopes, they realized that this wasn't the case.

"Using confocal laser scanning microscopy, we were able to create 3D models of Horneophyton's inner structure," recalls Kenrick. "They clearly showed that this plant had a novel conducting tissue that comes from an earlier stage of the vascular system's evolution."

"Its vascular system appears to be made mostly of transfer cells that were moving both water and sugars around. It suggests that phloem-like cells seem to have evolved first, and that the xylem only came later. A system like this can only work in small plants."

If this is the case, then Horneophyton would represent an intermediate stage in the evolution of the plant vascular system.

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Evolving plant vascular systems

The origins of the vascular system in plants can be seen in the ancient eophytes. These were millimeter-sized plants thought to have been among the first to move onto land around 420 million years ago.

They had moss-like structures known as food conducting cells that moved nutrients around their bodies and which share certain characteristics with the phloem.

This new type of vascular system now seen in Horneophyton appeared a little after this. It allowed the plant to grow much bigger than the eophytes, with some reaching up to 20 centimeters in height.

But even by this time Horneophyton's vascular system was an evolutionary relic.

One of its contemporaries, the plant Asteroxylon, had already evolved a separate xylem and phloem that allowed it to grow to around twice the size of Horneophyton. This paved the way for the eventual evolution of towering trees and sprawling ferns millions of years later.

Other plants in the Rhynie Chert probably had different conducting systems, but they disappeared long ago. Kenrick is hoping to examine these lost vascular systems as he reinvestigates the Rhynie Chert fossils that we look after.

"These plants have been known about for a long time, but they've tended to be shoehorned into pre-existing categories that don't fit them," Kenrick says. "By putting aside our existing ideas and looking at them with modern technology, we can see that their tissues are very different from what we expected."

"As we drill down into the other plants of the Rhynie Chert, we'll get a much better idea of how they evolved and transformed Earth into the world we now know."

Publication details Paul Kenrick et al, Transfer cells in Horneophyton lignieri illuminate the origin of vascular tissues in land plants, New Phytologist (2025). DOI: 10.1111/nph.70850 Journal information: New Phytologist

This story is republished courtesy of Natural History Museum. Read the original story here
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers at ETH Zurich recently explained the role of a molecular complex that orchestrates the production of proteins in our cells. They now show that this complex also controls the processing of proteins that compact DNA. These new insights could form the basis for new approaches in cancer treatment, but they also critically extend the current understanding of protein biosynthesis.

The protein factories in cellsribosomeshave a central task: during a process known as translation, amino acids are linked together according to messenger RNA, forming a growing peptide chain that later folds into a functional protein.

However, before a newly emerging protein can even begin to fold, it must be processed and transported to the correct location within the cell. As soon as it emerges from the ribosome, enzymes can remove its initial amino acid, attach small chemical groups, or determine to which cellular compartments the protein should be sent.

These activities already take place during translation and are essential for the correct function of most proteins. And this requires a coordinator.

What is NAC and why is it important?

This coordinator is a protein complex known to experts as the nascent polypeptideassociated complex (NAC). Without NAC, these early modifications become inefficient or erroneous.

Since its discovery around 30 years ago, NAC's functions have remained unclear. However, recent work from the laboratory of ETH biologist Nenad Ban shows how NAC regulates protein maturation by recruiting specific enzymes precisely when and where they are needed.

NAC sits exactly at the point where newly synthesized polypeptide chains emerge from the ribosome, making it ideally positioned to coordinate the earliest processing steps.

NAC consists of two proteins that form a central ball-shaped core with four highly flexible extensions, giving it an octopus-like appearance at the molecular level. One of these arms anchors NAC to the ribosome. The other three can bind a wide range of enzymes and other molecular factors involved in protein production, including a molecule that directs proteins specifically for insertion into membranes.

Capturing the right enzymes at the right moment

But this is not all that NAC can do. In their new study, published in Science Advances, Ban and his colleagues from the Universities of Konstanz, Germany, and Caltech reveal a previously unknown function: how NAC ensures the correct chemical modification of the histones H4 and H2A while they are still being synthesized.

Histones are small, abundant proteins that must be produced rapidly when cells prepare for division. Eight histones assemble into so-called nucleosomes, around which DNA is wrapped and thereby compacted.

Chemical modification of these proteins while they are being synthesized is crucial for proper chromosome function, and errors can contribute to diseases such as cancer.

In their study, the researchers show that NAC brings two enzymes to the ribosome to first remove the first amino acid from the histone protein and then to modify the newly exposed end with an acetyl chemical group. Because histones are assembled very rapidly, these two processing steps must occur in the correct sequence and almost instantaneously.

"For histones, the time window for modifications is incredibly tight because their protein chains are very short," explains first author Denis Yudin, a doctoral student in Nenad Ban's lab. "NAC ensures that the right enzyme is at the right place at exactly the right time."

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Structural insights open possibilities for therapies

Other studies show that the enzyme that modifies histone proteins with acetyl group, NatD, is frequently overproduced in certain types of cancer, altering gene regulation and promoting tumor growth. NAC's control over the access of the enzyme NatD to the ribosome could therefore provide new insights into tumor biology.

Detailed structural information about NAC and the enzymes it recruits, including how NatD binds to one of NAC's flexible arms, could open up new therapeutic strategies. These include drugs that block NatD's interaction surface or prevent its recruitment to translating ribosomes. Other diseases that result from faulty processing during ongoing translation could also benefit from these findings.

A fundamentally changed understanding of protein biosynthesis

"The new findings change our view of protein synthesis," explains Ban. "They show how coordinated and dynamic the processes at the ribosome are, and how a small complex at the tunnel exit sets the pace for a large fraction of protein production in our cells."

The insights also mean that future efforts to achieve a deeper understanding of protein formation must necessarily take NAC's function into account.

"They also point to a larger field of research emerging in my lab: the question of how NAC integrates co-translational targeting, enzymatic modification, protein folding, and assembly into a coordinated system."

In this sense, NAC behaves less like a passive scaffold and more like a molecular gatekeeper.

"By selectively opening or closing access to the ribosome depending on the type of protein that is being synthesized, NAC acts like a remarkably precise sorter that nonetheless fully obeys the principles of thermodynamics," says the ETH professor.

Publication details Denis Yudin et al, Mechanism of co-translational modification of histones H2A and H4 by MetAP1 and NatD, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb1017. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aeb1017 Journal information: Science Advances
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Whitefly nymphs on a leaf (black ones are dead/parasitised). Credit: Journal of Economic Entomology (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jee/toaf338

Using insects such as wasps to control agricultural pests remains a resilient method, despite increasing resistance, a new University of Stirling study has shown.

Research led by Dr. Mia McGowan, of the University's Faculty of Natural Sciences, studied the glasshouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), a common sap-feeding insect, and the Encarsia formosa wasp that is used to control it.

The study found that, although some whiteflies can genetically resist parasitism by Encarsia, survivors have low reproductive successmaking the evolution of widespread resistance unlikely.

The study, "Is resistance futile? Life-history costs of escaping parasitoid attack in a major crop pest," is published in the Journal of Economic Entomology.

How biological control methods work

Using other insects like predators and parasitic wasps to control agricultural pests is considered safer and more environmentally friendly than using chemical pesticides. Encarsia formosa lay their eggs inside whitefly larvae before consuming their host from the inside out, making them a natural pest-controller.

The experimental set upaubergine plants infested with whitefly and wasps. Credit: Journal of Economic Entomology (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jee/toaf338

Additionally, these biological control agents have the capacity to evolve alongside the pests they attack, reducing the likelihood that pests will evolve resistance like they rapidly do when confronted with chemical control agents. In recent years, however, there have been reports of pests evolving resistance to biological control agents like parasitoid wasps.

Study lead Dr. McGowan explained, "There have been increasing reports of resistance to biocontrol agents presenting a problem in recent years.

"Our study shows that, while this is something that is possible, the complex evolutionary interactions between hosts and parasitoids limit the likelihood, making biocontrol evolutionarily resilient when compared to chemical control."

Details of the experiments conducted

Research saw Dr. McGowan run two experiments in the Controlled Environment Facility (CEF) at the University.

In the first, she exposed whiteflies of known relatedness to Encarsia and examined whether those that survived parasitism were more likely to be related, to determine whether resistance is likely to be genetically inherited.

Another experiment then took place in the CEF where Dr. McGowan collected whitefly that had survived parasitism, looking at how many eggs they laid and whether these hatched successfully. They were then compared to unexposed control whitefly to determine whether resisting parasitism reduced lifetime reproductive success.

Dr. Rebecca Boulton, Lecturer in Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Stirling, who supervised the study said, "Our results add to the small but growing number of case studies that demonstrate resistance to parasitoid-based biocontrol can evolve under certain circumstances.

"However, these findings reinforce the view that, compared to chemical insecticides, biocontrol is an evolutionarily stable and resilient strategy to resistance evolution."

Publication details Mia C McGowan et al, Is resistance futile? Life-history costs of escaping parasitoid attack in a major crop pest, Journal of Economic Entomology (2025). DOI: 10.1093/jee/toaf338 Journal information: Journal of Economic Entomology

Key concepts pest control
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

Many scholars have assumed nudgesa small push that encourages better choicesare always good for society. But UC Berkeley Economics professor Dmitry Taubinsky says it's not that simple. Instead, policies that create nudges to influence behavior should be tested with data and careful thinking to make sure they actually help.

Professor Taubinsky's paper, "When do nudges increase welfare?," published in the American Economic Review, challenges the idea that nudges always have positive effects in influencing consumer and societal behavior. He developed a simple economic model that helps policymakers and scholars determine when a nudge truly benefits society by examining cases where nudges may influence the "wrong people."

For example, some nudges such as labels on soda cans are intended to help heavy soda drinkers reduce their consumption of sugary drinks. However, heavy consumers may not pay attention to these nutritional labelswhich is precisely how they became heavy consumers.

Instead, moderate consumers who do pay attention to them may feel guilty and stop drinking sugary drinks altogether, even though drinking them in moderation isn't harmful.

"Standard economic analysis would then lead us to conclude that despite lowering sugary drinks consumption, this label is actually bad for society because it ends up influencing exactly the wrong people," Professor Taubinsky said. "It's what economists call 'bad targeting.'"

A nudge works well if it reaches the intended audience without influencing those who are already making good choices, Taubinsky said. He emphasizes that scholars and policymakers should account for ineffective nudges affecting the "wrong audience."

"I like to use data and rigorous economic logic to figure out if something is actually good for societynot just assume it," Professor Taubinsky said. "These are the standards for analysis that we employ for taxes and other economic policies, so why not nudges?"

Taubinsky suggests a different approach to avoid nudges affecting the "wrong people." An "optimal tax," like a 1-cent-per-ounce soda tax, affects everyone equally, rather than depending on how people respond to labels.

However, taxes are general, he adds, discourage everyone roughly in the same way. Ideally, if the type of nudge is precise, only affecting who we want to affect, then it would be well-targeted and thus a useful lever in the policy mix.

"My hope is that the lasting contribution of this paper will be helping folks get better at figuring out what is actually good or bad for broader society," Taubinsky said.

He hopes his research can also help policymakers and scholars carefully design and evaluate nudges using data and reasoning to ensure they target the right people without unintended consequences.

Publication details Hunt Allcott et al, When Do Nudges Increase Welfare?, American Economic Review (2025). DOI: 10.1257/aer.20231304 Journal information: American Economic Review
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, write the authors of a new article from Polity, neoliberalism was "consolidated as the only legitimate form of doing politics." But in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and with the entrenchment of far-right governments across the world, neoliberalism's dominance was threatened by the rise of populism. And while some analyses of populism present the phenomenon as a continuation of neoliberalism, Asaf Yakir and Doron Navot argue that it in fact represents a rupture with the neoliberal order.

In "Right Wing Populist Re-Politicization and the "Hollowing Out" of the Neoliberal State," Yakir and Navot use Viktor Orban's Hungary and Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel as case studies to demonstrate neoliberalism's vulnerability to populist rule.

Neoliberalism is often theorized as a withdrawal of the state from the economy, but, argue Yakir and Navot, it can be more accurately characterized as state intervention into markets for the benefit of private profit. And although right-wing populism as enacted by the Orban and Netanyahu governments also necessitates increased state intervention, its strategies differ than those of neoliberalism in their rejection of bureaucracy, their re-politicization of state policy, and their subversion of institutional independence.

Viktor Orban was once involved in Hungary's neoliberalization program following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. But since his election in 2010, Orban has instituted political reforms that clash with neoliberalism's technocratic tendencies.

His government replaced 274 judges with sympathetic allies, and solidified parliament as an extension of the executive branch, rather than an organ with any power of oversight. Orban also reduced the independence of the Hungarian central bank, and, during an economic downturn in 2011, shifted significant capital into a "workfare" program that provided jobs to the nation's unemployed at salaries above welfare benefits but below minimum wage.

All of these initiatives align, write Yakir and Navot, with the populist insistence on enacting a policy agenda even at the cost of a heavier fiscal burden and a greater entanglement of the state and the market.

Benjamin Netanyahu, too, write the authors, has challenged neoliberal governance through his transformation of the Israeli government. In 2015, the Israeli Prime Minister appointed his populist ally Moshe Kahlon to the head of the Ministry of Finance, an agency long viewed as the "cornerstone of the neoliberal Israeli state."

Under Kahlon, Netanyahu's government involved itself in a controversial plan to address the nation's housing crisis. The state sold land below market price to contractors and provided housing grants to buyers in lower-income districts that had supported Netanyahu's party in the election. This program increased the country's budget deficit and incurred the criticism of the International Monetary Fund, who "encouraged Israeli authorities to adopt supply-side measures that are more adaptable to the tenets of neoliberalism."

Both Orban's and Netanyahu's governments are conservative ones, guided by a populism that is right-wing in its "declared commitment to the well-being of 'ordinary' people at the expense of other sections of society." And as such, write the article authors, their brand of populism, unlike a left-leaning one like that of the Syriza party in Greece, poses "no threat to capitalism."

Nonetheless, Yakir and Navot conclude, the success of these populist overhauls shows that the neoliberal regime "could be more fragile than previously assumed by critics and sympathizers alike," and undermines "the apparent solidity of the state, unmasking its existence as a contradictory form of social relations."

More information Asaf Yakir et al, Right-Wing Populist Re-Politicization and the "Hollowing Out" of the Neoliberal State, Polity (2025). DOI: 10.1086/737289
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Schematic illustration of the variational methodbased proof approach used by the research team. Credit: Annals of PDE (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s40818-025-00212-4

A team of researchers affiliated with UNIST has made a significant breakthrough by mathematically proving that a special type of vortex pair, called the Sadovskii vortex patch, can exist within ideal fluid flows. This marks the first time such a solution has been rigorously demonstrated, more than 50 years after the model was first proposed.

The findings have been published in the Annals of PDE.

Professor Kyudong Choi from the Department of Mathematical Sciences at UNIST, along with his graduate student Young-Jin Sim and Professor In-Jee Jeong from Seoul National University, announced that they have confirmed the existence of the Sadovskii vortex patch as a solution to the Euler equations.

Understanding the Sadovskii vortex patch

The Sadovskii vortex patch is a unique shape where two vortices of equal strength rotate in opposite directions while remaining in contact along a symmetry axis. Although they resemble the vortices behind airplane wings or ships, these idealized structures are based on assumptions of inviscid flow, allowing them to maintain their shape and move in a straight line indefinitely.

The idea was first introduced by Russian mathematician V. S. Sadovskii through numerical simulations in 1971. However, proving that such a vortex pair could actually exist as a real solution has been a long-standing challenge in fluid dynamics.

The mathematical breakthrough and its significance

To do this, the researchers used a mathematical approach, called variational analysis, which involves finding the configuration that maximizes or minimizes a specific quantityin this case, the energy of the flowunder certain constraints. They set the distance between the vortices to be small and imposed an upper limit on their circulation strength, then identified the vortex pair with the highest possible energy.

Their analysis showed that this energy-maximizing configuration matches the shape and structure of the Sadovskii patch originally proposed. Beyond establishing the existence of vortex pair, the team also demonstrated that such a structure could be physically stable, meaning it could persist in an ideal fluid environmentan important step toward understanding real-world vortex phenomena.

Professor Choi explained, "We have been competing with Professor Huang-Tong's team from Peking University to mathematically prove the Sadovskii vortex's existence."

He added, "What sets our work apart is that we have also shown these vortex pairs could be physically stable, which makes them more than just mathematical curiosities."

Implications for fluid dynamics research

This discovery has broad implications for fluid dynamics, including turbulence research, wake analysis behind aircraft and ships, and the study of vortex interactions in atmospheric and oceanic systems. For example, understanding the dynamics of vortex pairs could help explain phenomena, like the Fujiwara effect, where multiple cyclones interact and influence each otherfirst observed by Japanese meteorologist Fujiwara Sakuhe in 1921.

More information Kyudong Choi et al, On Existence of Sadovskii Vortex Patch: A Touching Pair of Symmetric Counter-Rotating Uniform Vortices, Annals of PDE (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s40818-025-00212-4
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Borehole at the foot of the Hornligrat ridge on the Matterhorn. The graphic shows a cross section of the substrate with green serpentinite. The SLF's boreholes in the permafrost reach depths of up to 60 meters. Credit: Jeannette Notzli/Samuel Weber/SLF

Mountain permafrost is warming and thawing worldwide due to climate change, with ground temperature being a key control of its mechanical stability. Heat conduction is the dominant mode of heat transfer in frozen ground, and thermal diffusivity governs the rate at which temperature changes propagate through the subsurface. Despite its relevance, there are few field-based estimates of thermal diffusivity.

SLF researcher Samuel Weber explains his new method for determining how quickly heat penetrates deep into permafrost. This will help to detect changes in mountain regions at an early stage and make it easier to assess instabilities and rockslides. The study is published in The Cryosphere.

Mr. Weber, you've been investigating how quickly heat spreads in permafrost. Is that important?

It certainly is. We determine how well the rock conducts heat, which is a material-specific property. If we understand how quickly temperature changes penetrate deep into permafrost, we can produce much more reliable estimates and better models of how the permafrost will develop in the face of climate change. That's important because this knowledge will ultimately also help to identify changes in high-alpine regions and possible effects on natural hazards at an early stage.

What's special about your work?

Until now, values derived from the literature and a few laboratory results were all that was available for thermal diffusivity in permafrost. There were no values from the field measured directly in the permafrost. What's special about our method is that we don't have to laboriously collect and analyze rock samples in order to determine density, heat capacity or thermal conductivity. Instead, the temperature profiles in boreholes in the permafrost over depth and time are enough.

From these, we can directly work out the thermal diffusivity of the material using a physical equation, the heat conduction equation, and its solution. We determined this for all depths of the 29 boreholes in the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network PERMOS and, in the process, identified differences between landforms such as rock glaciers, talus slopes and rock faces.

That sounds complicated.

Think of it like a spoon in a teacup. If the spoon is made of metal, it becomes noticeably hot after a few seconds. One made of wood takes much longer, maybe several minutes. Each material absorbs and transfers the heat at different rates. A similar thing happens in rock. Granite typically conducts heat around twice as fast as slate.

An illustration of thermal diffusivity. A cold spoon is placed in a cup of hot tea. As time passes, the heat spreads up through the spoon from the lower, heated part. The speed of this heating varies from material to material and descri Credit: Samuel Weber/SLF

What does that mean?

In granite, the heat penetrates to depth much more quickly. This process also happens in slate, but a lot more slowly. This means that there are differences in how quickly climatic changes reach deep into the substrate.

So granite rock faces are likely to collapse sooner than slate ones?

That's too simplistic a way of putting it. Heat is only one factor in these processes. However, our findings are now being incorporated into models, and based on these, more precise statements can be madeboth about heat transport in the rock and about the properties of the material present.

Why is that?

In physical terms, thermal diffusivity describes the relationship between temperature change with time and with depth. We then compare the modeled temperatures based on the determined diffusivity with the measured values. In doing this, we've also detected anomalies. These are important because they indicate additional effects. This is because permafrost contains not only rock, but often also air, ice and water. From the anomalies, we can detect, for example, when water reaches deep into the permafrost, as the infiltrated water transports heat much faster.

It's also interesting to note that heat spreads more slowly in talus slopes than in rock. Talus slopes contain much more air, water and ice between the rocks. There's a clear relationship between these three components.

In what way?

The ratio between them determines the speed at which heat propagates in a mixture of these three components and rock. Air has a high thermal diffusivity and accelerates the process, while water and ice slow it down. If thermal diffusivity changes over time, this can provide an indication of what combination of the three components is present in the cavity.

Publication details Samuel Weber et al, Thermal diffusivity of mountain permafrost derived from borehole temperature data in the Swiss Alps, The Cryosphere (2025). DOI: 10.5194/tc-19-6727-2025 Journal information: The Cryosphere
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The invasive raccoons in Europe are infested with the parasitic raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis in many cases. Credit: ZOWIAC/Goethe University

While the spread of raccoons in Europe is often discussed, their companion tends to remain unnoticed: The raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis arrived in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century with the first raccoons from North America.

Since their release or escape from fur farms, raccoons have spread uncontrollably across large parts of Central Europeand their parasites with them. Germany is now considered the main distribution area for both species in Europe.

Dangerous companion of the raccoon

"This parasite can also infect humans and cause so-called larva migrans, in which migrating larvae damage tissues and organs," explains Prof. Dr. Sven Klimpel from Goethe University Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center. Humans become infected by accidentally ingesting infectious eggs found in soil, water, or on objects contaminated with raccoon feces.

A research team from the collaborative research project ZOWIAC (Zoonotic and Wildlife Ecological Impacts of Invasive Carnivores) has now investigated how far the parasite has already spread in Europe.

The work is published in the journal Parasitology Research.

Insidious life cycle

The parasite's life cycle is complex: Adult roundworms live in the small intestine of raccoons. Females produce up to 180,000 eggs daily, which enter the environment via feces. At so-called raccoon latrinespreferred defecation sitesthe resistant eggs accumulate.

In the environment, they develop into infectious larvae within two weeks under adequate temperature and humidity conditions, and can survive for several years.

Necropsy in the laboratory reveals how heavily the intestine of a single raccoon is infested with Baylisascaris procyonis. Credit: ZOWIAC/Goethe University

Children particularly at risk

Human infection with the raccoon roundworm is called baylisascariasis. Anne Steinhoff from Goethe University Frankfurt and first author of the study explains, "If the larvae enter the central nervous system, the disease can have severe consequences. Due to frequent hand-to-mouth contact, young children are primarily affected."

Most known cases occur in North America, the natural distribution area of raccoons and the roundworm. There, in most documented cases, the disease led to permanent neurological damage or even death.

"Furthermore, it is assumed that many cases remain undetected or are misdiagnosed due to non-specific symptoms," Klimpel adds. "In Europe, diagnosis in humans is further complicated by the lack of specific diagnostic testing options." Definitive diagnosis is currently only possible at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. and Canada.

First comprehensive Europe-wide analysis

The aim of the study was to provide a current overview of the parasite's distribution in Europe and to identify research needs. To this end, the team led by Klimpel and Steinhoff examined raccoons from Germany by necropsy and supplemented these new data with a comprehensive analysis of available scientific studies and infection data from Europe.

Of the 146 raccoons examined, 66.4% were infected with Baylisascaris procyonis: 77.4% in Hesse, 51.1% in Thuringia, and 52.9% in North Rhine-Westphalia. The study provided prevalence data for Thuringia for the first time.

"The results show both an expansion of the roundworm's distribution area and stable infection occurrence at high levels in German raccoon populations," Klimpel explains.

The analysis revealed that the roundworm occurs in wild raccoons in nine European countries, primarily in Central Europein some cases with extremely high infection rates. In three additional countries, infections were detected in raccoons or other animal species in captivity.

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Spread coupled to raccoon populations

"The studies show a steady expansion of the distribution area in Europe. The distribution of the roundworm is linked to the steady spread of its definitive host, the raccoon, which now occurs throughout Europe," Klimpel continues. "The actual distribution of the roundworm is likely significantly underestimated due to insufficient or absent data collection."

Particularly concerning: The urbanization of raccoon populations increases the likelihood of contact between humans and contaminated areas. Three documented cases of baylisascariasis in Europe are knownall resulted in permanent visual impairment.

"The results of this study make it clear that further research on the raccoon roundworm in Europe is urgently neededparticularly in light of growing raccoon populations and their increasing adaptation to urban habitats," Klimpel concludes.

More information Anne Steinhoff et al, Baylisascaris procyonis on the rise in Europe: a comprehensive review and analysis of occurrence data, Parasitology Research (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s00436-025-08611-z

Key concepts zoonotic diseasesroundworms
HUGE to Benefit from L Catterton's Experience and Operating Capabilities in the Sector as it Accelerates its Growth in Japan and Expansion into Other Markets

TOKYO, Dec. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- L Catterton, a leading global consumer-focused investment firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to make a strategic investment in HUGE, a multi-concept restaurant group in Japan. The transaction positions HUGE for further growth in the country's bustling restaurant market and to expand overseas by leveraging L Catterton's expertise.

Japan's urban restaurant scene is lauded across the world and continues to excite both domestic and international consumers. Bolstered by rising demand for experiential dining, the premium segment in which HUGE operates has been expanding the most and forecast to remain the fastest-growing part of the market over the coming years.

HUGE has carved a name for itself in the sector by offering elevated dining experiences across its 47 premium casual restaurants spanning an array of brands which specialize in Spanish, Italian, Mexican, American, Modern Asian, and other cuisines. Around 30 of them are located at attractive sites in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the rest are in other major cities like Fukuoka, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Okinawa.

The group therefore enjoys best-in-category customer ratings in aspects such as restaurant atmosphere, food and drink quality, as well as menu variety. It has market-leading booking rates as well, with most of its customers making reservations in advance across both lunch and dinner times, underscoring their patronage as destination visits. The group also has a large base of repeat customers underpinned by the 470,000 members of its official reservation platform and loyalty program, THE HUGE CLUB.

Taka Shimizu, a Partner at L Catterton, commented, "HUGE is a truly differentiated restaurant group rooted in its unique ability to successfully create and operate multiple dining establishments in Japan with a wide range of concepts across a variety of cuisines. Given its distinctives, as well as strong brands and broadening loyalty program membership base, it is very well poised for further growth in the country's restaurant market. We look forward to working closely with HUGE's founder and chief executive officer Yoshihiro Shinkawa as well as his management team to enlarge the group's presence in Japan and overseas as it pursues its ambition to be a global restaurant business."

Mr Shinkawa added, "HUGE's vision since its founding has been to 'create high-quality restaurants that can last for over 100 years and add value to the towns in which they are situated', offering locals and tourists outstanding dining experiences. Partnering with L Catterton enables us to better realize our vision as the firm has a proven track record of successfully investing in and growing restaurant companies with world-class brands. We are confident that L Catterton's extensive experience and operating capabilities in the sector will be gamechangers as we strategically accelerate our domestic and international expansion."

L Catterton has significant experience building restaurant brands across the globe. The firm has invested in around 30 restaurant businesses till date, with current and past portfolio companies in the space including Baja Fresh, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Cigierre, Dishoom, Hopdoddy, Mendocino Farms, P.F. Chang's, and Velvet Taco. In Japan, it recently acquired Kisshokichi, the world's largest Kobe beef restaurant chain, and has been helping to optimize operations and catalyze further growth.

About HUGE

HUGE is a leading multi-concept restaurant group in Japan founded in 2005 that has a portfolio of brands specializing in Spanish, Italian, Mexican, American, Japanese, and other cuisines. The group's vision is to 'create high-quality restaurants that can last for over 100 years and add value to the towns in which they are situated', and currently has 47 premium casual dining restaurants located primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other major cities across the country. Its official reservation platform and loyalty program THE HUGE CLUB has over 470,000 members who underpin its large base of repeat customers. For more information about HUGE, please visit huge.co.jp.

About L Catterton

L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing approximately $39 billion of equity capital across three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit, and real estate. The firm's funds have the ability to invest between $5 million and $5 billion, across the capital structure, in well-positioned consumer businesses. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 18 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 300 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.

CONTACTS

Julie Hamilton (U.S.)

[email protected]

+1 203 742 5185

Bob Ong (Asia)

[email protected]

+65 6672 7619

Teruka Katayama / Arisa Kamei (Kekst CNC, for L Catterton in Japan)

[email protected]

+81 80 4659 0677 / +81 70 3251 6044

SOURCE L Catterton
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Federal officials gave the clearest timeline yet for when a breakthrough could come in closed-door negotiations over the water supply of 40 million Americans.

On Dec. 17, Assistant Secretary of Water and Science Andrea Travnicek said the public will have another document to review as early as the end of this year. It will come amid what could prove to be the most critical policy talks in the history of the American West.

The seven states that draw water from the Colorado River system, including Nevada, are wrapped up in heated negotiations with time running out to strike a deal before a Feb. 14 deadline. This week, all eyes are on Las Vegas as the Colorado River Water Users Association conference sparks discussion about the precarious future of the basin.

"The time of grandstanding and rhetoric has passed," Travnicek said in her keynote address at Caesars Palace. "The river will not wait for us."

A shrinking river has bred enduring conflict. The Lower Basin states of Nevada, California and Arizona have been at odds with the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming over whether cuts to water use should be shared.

Officials from California indicated at a news conference on Dec. 16 that they are willing to compromise on several of their legal arguments, and appointees from each of the seven states will speak on a joint panel on Dec. 18.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo revealed last week that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had invited the seven states' governors and negotiators to meet in Washington, D.C., and Lombardo hopes that will happen in January.

Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, declining water availability and anticipated shortages will have immense implications for the growing economies of Western states, from the dense population centers of Salt Lake City and Phoenix to the billion-dollar agriculture industries of Arizona and California.

A draft environmental impact statement, in which the federal government will lay out multiple potential paths for an agreement, will be released in the next few weeks, said Carly Jerla, a senior water resource program manager at the Bureau of Reclamation.

Much of the interstate talks have centered on the perspectives of state negotiators, but a rare public comment period will open following the document's release. The Valentine's Day deadline for a seven-state consensus stands, and the final documents in the process will become available in the spring or summer, Jerla said.

Between the next two releases of documents, the federal government will identify its preferred path, she said.

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"We want to continue to facilitate, but not dictate these operations," Jerla said. "The goal here is to inform decision-makers and encourage parties to adopt agreements that put consultation and negotiation first in terms of controversies, rather than resorting to litigation."

Jerla spoke of worsening conditions for the Colorado River Basin, namely that the federal government is projecting that flows into Lake Powell this winter are likely to land anywhere between 44 and 73 percent of average.

Since 2006, that crucial, annual replenishment of Lake Powell from the Rocky Mountain snowpack has declined about 15%, Jerla added.

A throughline of the remarks from federal officials was that ending up in court is an unattractive option.

Scott Cameron, acting commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, has said that Burgum is prepared to intervene should the states not come to an agreement. Experts say that's a recipe for a court case.

On Dec. 17, however, Cameron reaffirmed his intention of coaxing the states toward a deal rather than having the states waste time arguing in court.

"A bunch of water lawyers are going to be able to put their children and grandchildren through graduate school," he said. "There are much better ways to spend several hundred million dollars in the face of hydrologic changes."

Cameron added that he and Travnicek have flown to the West every other week since early April to have meetings with the negotiators. The meetings are "not low-key," he said, and "typically involve a frank exchange of views."

"Crisis must become a catalyst for problem-solving," Cameron said. "We have the data and the knowledge, not withstanding the deep uncertainty.  What we need is the will, the individual and collective will, to act boldly, to accept the risk, to think creatively and to prioritize the long-term health of the river and the communities it sustains."

Key concepts water resource management

2025 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Whipworm egg from the analysis of sediment from the sewer drain leading from the latrine block at the 3rd century CE bath complex at Vindolanda. Credit: Marissa Ledger

A new analysis of sewer drains from the Roman fort of Vindolanda, close to Hadrian's Wall, has shown that the occupants were infected by three types of intestinal parasiteroundworm, whipworm, and Giardia duodenalis.

These parasites are all spread by ineffective sanitation, with contamination of food, drink or hands by human feces. Roundworms are 2030 cm long and whipworms about 5 cm long. Giardia are microscopic protozoan parasites that cause outbreaks of diarrhea. This is the first evidence for Giardia duodenalis in Roman Britain.

Vindolanda was located near to Hadrian's Wall in northern England. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans in the early 2nd century AD to defend their province of "Britannia" from attack by tribes from the north and remained in use until the end of the 4th century. The site of Vindolanda is located between Carlisle and Corbridge in Northumberland, Britain.

Hadrian's Wall runs east-west from the North Sea to the Irish Sea and was constructed with forts and towers spaced regularly along it. It was defended by a range of infantry, archery and cavalry units from across the Roman Empire.

Vindolanda is famous for the organic objects preserved in the waterlogged soil at the site, such as more than 1,000 thin wooden tablets written with ink that document daily life at the fort and a collection of over 5,000 Roman leather shoes.

3rd century baths and latrine block at Vindolanda, the Roman fort close to Hadrian's Wall in the UK. Credit: Vindolanda Trust

How the parasite analysis was conducted

The analysis of sediment from the sewer drain leading from the latrine block at the 3rd century CE bath complex was performed jointly by researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and is published in the journal Parasitology.

Fifty sediment samples were taken along the length of the latrine drain, which measured around nine meters and carried waste from the communal latrine down to a stream north of the site. Artifacts recovered from the drain included Roman beads, pottery and animal bones.

These samples were split between labs at Cambridge and Oxford, where researchers conducted microscope analyses to hunt for the ancient remains of helminth eggs: parasitic worm species that infect humans and other animals.

Some 28% of the samples contained either roundworm or whipworm eggs. One sample contained remnants of both species, so researchers analyzed it using a technique called ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) in which antibodies bind onto proteins produced by single-celled organisms, and found traces of Giardia duodenalis.

The team also took a sample connected to an earlier 1st-century CE fort, constructed around 85 CE and abandoned by 91/92 CE. The sample came from a ditch that was part of the fort's defensive system, and contained both roundworm and whipworm.

Roundworm egg from the analysis of sediment from the sewer drain leading from the latrine block at the 3rd century CE bath complex at Vindolanda. Credit: Patrik Flammer

Health impacts and historical context

"The three types of parasites we found could have led to malnutrition and cause diarrhea in some of the Roman soldiers," said Dr. Marissa Ledger, who led the Cambridge component of the study as part of her Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology.

"While the Romans were aware of intestinal worms, there was little their doctors could do to clear infection by these parasites or help those experiencing diarrhea, meaning symptoms could persist and worsen. These chronic infections likely weakened soldiers, reducing fitness for duty. Helminths alone can cause nausea, cramping and diarrhea."

Study senior author Dr. Piers Mitchell, Affiliated Scholar at Cambridge's McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, said, "Some soldiers could have become severely ill from dehydration during summer outbreaks of Giardia, which are often linked to contaminated water and can infect dozens of people at a time. Untreated giardiasis can drag on for weeks, causing dramatic fatigue and weight loss."

"The presence of the fecal-oral parasites we found suggests conditions were ripe for other intestinal pathogens such as Salmonella and Shigella, which could have triggered additional disease outbreaks," Mitchell said.

The predominance of fecal-oral parasites at Vindolanda is similar to Roman military sites elsewhere, say researchers, such as Carnuntum in Austria, Valkenburg on Rhine, in the Netherlands, and Bearsden in Scotland. Urban sites, such as London and York, had a more diverse parasite range, including fish and meat tapeworms.

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"Despite the fact that Vindolanda had communal latrines and a sewer system, this still did not protect the soldiers from infecting each other with these parasites," said Dr. Patrik Flammer, who analyzed samples at the University of Oxford.

"The study of ancient parasites helps us to know the pathogens that infected our ancestors, how they varied with lifestyle, and how they changed over time," said Prof Adrian Smith, who led the lab at Oxford where part of the analysis was performed.

Dr. Andrew Birley, CEO of the Vindolanda Charitable Trust, who leads the excavations at Vindolanda, added, "Excavations at Vindolanda continue to find new evidence that helps us to understand the incredible hardships faced by those posted to this northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago, challenging our preconceptions about what life was really like in a Roman frontier fort and town."

W. H. Auden's famous poem about a miserable Roman soldier guarding a rain-soaked wall in northern Europe mentions "lice in my tunic and a cold in my nose." It seems the poet could have added serious stomach trouble to that list of woes.

Publication details Marissa L. Ledger et al, Parasite infections at the Roman Fort of Vindolanda by Hadrian's Wall, UK, Parasitology (2025). DOI: 10.1017/s0031182025101327 Journal information: Parasitology
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

It's that time of year again, and retailers are pulling out all the stops to get us spendingfrom Black Friday to New Year's sales.

The average Briton expects to shell out around 300 on Christmas gifts. But as budgets tighten, more people are turning to buy-now-pay-later schemes to spread the cost over time. Our research has uncovered how these services have become woven into many people's festive spending.

One shopper told us how a brand's email about an early Black Friday discount led her to buy items she had been considering for a while, as the reduced prices made the decision feel too good to pass up.

But not everyone can afford this seasonal spending spree. About a third of Britons worry about the financial hit of Christmas. Many turn to credit cards or overdrafts. And that's now being joined by the fast-growing buy-now-pay-later options to make ends meet.

One man said he had built up about 120 in buy-now-pay-later debt after picking up "bits and bobs" for Christmas, and hoped his total spending wouldn't climb beyond 500 this year.

By the end of 2025, more than half the UK population will have tried buy-now-pay-later. It has become mainstream across all ages and incomes, reaching this status in just over a decade. This is much faster than credit cards, which took decades to catch on. This Christmas, buy-now-pay-later's influence is impossible to miss.

Frictionless credit at the click of a button

But why has its use spread so quickly? One reason we discovered from our interviews with shoppers is because it's incredibly easy to access. Minimal checks and balances mean almost anyone can sign up, though regulation is on the way.

One woman said what drew her to buy-now-pay-later was how effortless it felt. The service was readily available, convenient and allowed her to manage costs she otherwise might not cover upfront.

Buy-now-pay-later isn't just easy, thoughit's everywhere. Whether you're shopping online, in-store, at global brands, or with local sellers, buy-now-pay-later is available at the checkout. Some even feel it's safer than entering card details online: "I believe, or I see it as a safer way to pay in the sense  prevents me from entering in my card details  on the website."

Buy-now-pay-later providers also sweeten the deal with special promotions, and their apps let you use the service even when stores don't officially offer it. For many, it's become an essential part of holiday shopping. As one participant told us: "Now the festive season approaches, the utility of buy-now-pay-later schemes becomes especially evident in my Christmas budgeting."

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For some people, buy-now-pay-later is a lifeline for impulse buys and last-minute must-haves. One respondent explained that it had made her recent clothes shopping easier. She had ordered multiple outfits for a Christmas event, kept just one and returned the rest. She said it was reassuring that no payment had been taken while she waited to make her final choice.

Buy-now-pay-later also helps people stretch their budgets, especially when giving gifts is tied to family expectations or self-indulgence. An interviewee told us that she often uses it in the run up to Christmas, when she needs to buy several gifts but doesn't have the funds available all at once. To her, it made the service particularly useful during the festive period.

Still, not everyone is comfortable borrowing to buy gifts; as one person told us: "When I buy gifts, I prefer to have them paid instantly as one-off payments as opposed to over time because I think in my head when I'm giving the gift, I don't want to think about, you know, two months later I'm still paying for that gift."

Others see a downside to the buy-now-pay-later habit: "What I don't really like about Klarna at times is the fact that it's kind of addictive  I can feel myself getting attached [to] the idea of paying later rather than straight away, because I feel like I'm technically not spending."

The lure of 'future money'

Buy-now-pay-later can also appear to soothe the sting of spending. Instead of feeling the pain at checkout, you get to delay it, and sometimes until well after the festive glow has faded.

Young people, especially Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2009) and millennials (born between 1980 and 1994), often see buy-now-pay-later as a modern way to access their "future money," quite unlike the old-school credit card.

But the bill always comes eventually. Overdoing it with buy-now-pay-later can leave you struggling to keep up with repayments, especially if you've bought more than you can afford.

Our research found that frequent users are more likely to incur late fees, interest charges and have current money worries. Young users may lack financial skills, but they're optimistic about bouncing back. Sometimes too optimistic.

We all want a joyful Christmas. Buy-now-pay-later can help, but it's no magic wand. Rely on it too much, and you may start the new year with more debt than you bargained for.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

From beginning to end, 2025 was a year of devastation for scientists in the United States.

January saw the abrupt suspension of key operations across the National Institutes of Health, not only disrupting clinical trials and other in-progress studies but stalling grant reviews and other activities necessary to conduct research. Around the same time, the Trump administration issued executive orders declaring there are only two sexes and ending DEI programs. The Trump administration also removed public data and analysis tools related to health disparities, climate change and environmental justice, among other databases.

February and March saw a steep undercutting of federal support for the infrastructure crucial to conducting research as well as the withholding of federal funding from several universities.

And over the course of the following months, billions of dollars of grants supporting research projects across disciplines, institutions and states were terminated. These include funding already spent on in-progress studies that have been forced to end before completion. Federal agencies, including NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Agency for International Development have been downsized or dismantled altogether.

The Conversation asked researchers from a range of fields to share how the Trump administration's science funding cuts have affected them. All describe the significant losses they and their communities have experienced. But many also voice their determination to continue doing work they believe is crucial to a healthier, safer and more fair society.

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Pipeline of new scientists cut off

Carrie McDonough, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University

People are exposed to thousands of synthetic chemicals every day, but the health risks those chemicals pose are poorly understood. I was a co-investigator on a US$1.5 million grant from the EPA to develop machine-learning techniques for rapid chemical safety assessment. My lab was two months into our project when it was terminated in May because it no longer aligned with agency priorities, despite the administration's Make America Healthy Again report specifically highlighting using AI to rapidly assess childhood chemical exposures as a focus area.

Labs like mine are usually pipelines for early-career scientists to enter federal research labs, but the uncertain future of federal research agencies has disrupted this process. I'm seeing recent graduates lose federal jobs, and countless opportunities disappear. Students who would have been the next generation of scientists helping to shape environmental regulations to protect Americans have had their careers altered forever.

I've been splitting my time between research, teaching and advocating for academic freedom and the economic importance of science funding because I care deeply about the scientific and academic excellence of this country and its effects on the world. I owe it to my students and the next generation to make sure people know what's at stake.

Fewer people trained to treat addiction

Cara Poland, Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University

I run a program that has trained 20,000 health care practitioners across the U.S. on how to effectively and compassionately treat addiction in their communities. Most doctors aren't trained to treat addiction, leaving patients without lifesaving care and leading to preventable deaths.

This work is personal: My brother died from substance use disorder. Behind every statistic is a family like mine, hoping for care that could save their loved one's life.

With our federal funding cut by 60%, my team and I are unable to continue developing our addiction medicine curriculum and enrolling medical schools and clinicians into our program.

Meanwhile, addiction-related deaths continue to rise as the U.S. health system loses its capacity to deliver effective treatment. These setbacks ripple through hospitals and communities, perpetuating treatment gaps and deepening the addiction crisis.

Communities left to brave extreme weather alone

Brian G. Henning, Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies and Sciences, Gonzaga University

In 2021, a heat dome settled over the Northwest, shattering temperature records and claiming lives. Since that devastating summer, my team and I have been working with the City of Spokane to prepare for the climate challenges ahead.

We and the city were awarded a $19.9 million grant from the EPA to support projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience and build capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges.

As our work was about to begin, the Trump administration rescinded our funding in May. As a result, the five public facilities that were set to serve as hubs for community members to gather during extreme weather will be less equipped to handle power failures. Around 300 low-income households will miss out on efficient HVAC system updates. And our local economy will lose the jobs and investments these projects would have generated.

Despite this setback, the work will continue. My team and I care about our neighbors, and we remain focused on helping our community become more resilient to extreme heat and wildfires. This includes pursuing new funding to support this work. It will be smaller, slower and with fewer resources than planned, but we are not deterred.

LGBTQ+ people made invisible

Nathaniel M. Tran, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois Chicago

This year nearly broke me as a scientist.

Shortly after coming into office, the Trump administration began targeting research projects focusing on LGBTQ+ health for early termination. I felt demoralized after receiving termination letters from the NIH for my own project examining access to preventive services and home-based care among LGBTQ+ older adults. The disruption of publicly funded research projects wastes millions of dollars from existing contracts.

Then, news broke that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would no longer process or make publicly available the LGBTQ+ demographic data that public health researchers like me rely on.

But instead of becoming demoralized, I grew emboldened: I will not be erased, and I will not let the LGBTQ+ community be erased. These setbacks renewed my commitment to advancing the public's health, guided by rigorous science, collaboration and equity.

Pediatric brain cancer research squelched

Rachael Sirianni, Professor of Neurological Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School

My lab designs new cancer treatments. We are one of only a few groups in the nation focused on treating pediatric cancer that has spread across the brain and spinal cord. This research is being crushed by the broad, destabilizing impacts of federal cuts to the NIH.

Compared to last year, I am working with around 25% of our funding and less than 50% of our staff. We cannot finish our studies, publish results or pursue new ideas. We have lost technology in development. Students and colleagues are leaving as training opportunities and hope for the future of science dries up.

I'm faced with impossible questions about what to do next. Do I use my dwindling research funds to maintain personnel who took years to train? Keep equipment running? Bet it all on one final, risky study? There are simply no good choices remaining.

Inequality in science festers

Stephanie Nawyn, Associate Professor of Sociology, Michigan State University

Many people have asked me how the termination of my National Science Foundation grant to improve work cultures in university departments has affected me, but I believe that is the wrong question. Certainly it has meant the loss of publications, summer funding for faculty and graduate students, and opportunities to make working conditions at my and my colleagues' institutions more equitable and inclusive.

But the greatest effects will come from the widespread terminations across science as a whole, including the elimination of NSF programs dedicated to improving gender equity in science and technology. These terminations are part of a broader dismantling of science and higher education that will have cascading negative effects lasting decades.

Infrastructure for knowledge production that took years to build cannot be rebuilt overnight.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Prepare for That Stupid World

by Ploum on 2025-12-19

You probably heard about the Wall Street Journal story where they had a snack-vending machine run by a chatbot created by Anthropic.

At first glance, it is funny and it looks like journalists doing their job criticising the AI industry. If you are curious, the video is there (requires JS).

But what appears to be journalism is, in fact, pure advertising. For both WSJ and Anthropic. Look at how WSJ journalists are presented as "world class", how no-subtle the Anthropic guy is when telling them they are the best and how the journalist blush at it. If you are taking the story at face value, you are failing for the trap which is simple: "AI is not really good but funny, we must improve it."

The first thing that blew my mind was how stupid the whole idea is. Think for one second. One full second. Why do you ever want to add a chatbot to a snack vending machine? The video states it clearly: the vending machine must be stocked by humans. Customers must order and take their snack by themselves. The AI has no value at all.

Automated snack vending machine is a solved problem since nearly a century. Why do you want to make your vending machine more expensive, more error-prone, more fragile and less efficient for your customers?

What this video is really doing is normalising the fact that "even if it is completely stupid, AI will be everywhere, get used to it!"

The Anthropic guy himself doesnt seem to believe his own lies, to the point of making me uncomfortable. Toward the ends, he even tries to warn us: "Claude AI could run your business but you dont want to come one day and see you have been locked out." At which the journalist adds, "Or has ordered 100 PlayStations."

And then he gives up:

"Well, the best you can do is probably prepare for that world."

Still from the video where Anthropics employee says "probably prepare for that world"

None of the world class journalists seemed to care. They are probably too badly paid for that. I was astonished to see how proud they were, having spent literally hours chatting with a bot just to get a free coke, even queuing for the privilege of having a free coke. A coke that cost a few minutes of minimum-wage work.

So the whole thing is advertising a world where chatbots will be everywhere and where world-class workers will do long queue just to get a free soda.

And the best advice about it is that you should probably prepare for that world.
NEW DELHI (AP)  India signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Oman on Thursday as part of its broader strategy to offset the impact of steep U.S. import tariffs and widen export destinations during growing global trade uncertainties.

This is the second free trade agreement signed by New Delhi in the past six months, the first one being inked with the United Kingdom in May.

The India-Oman agreement was signed in Muscat in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Omans head of state, Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

The deal aims to boost bilateral trade and push Indias exports of engineering goods, textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. It will provide Indian goods zero-duty market access on 98.08% of Omans tariff lines, India's Trade Ministry said in a statement.

India has offered Oman tariff liberalization on 77.79% of its tariff lines, which will cover nearly 95% of New Delhis imports from Muscat, the ministry said.

In recent months, India has accelerated a push to finalize several free trade agreements, or FTAs. The country is in advanced talks with the European Union, New Zealand and Chile, among other countries.

FTAs are a central pillar of Indias economic strategy as it seeks deeper integration into global supply chains, stronger export growth and sustained job creation. By lowering tariffs and setting predictable trade rules, the pacts would help Indian businesses remain competitive and expand access to newer markets.

With global trade increasingly shaped by tariff disputes and geopolitical tensions, India is betting that a wider network of trade agreements will help cushion external shocks and anchor its export ambitions.

The stepped-up negotiations come as Indian exporters face pressure from higher U.S. import tariffs of 50%, which went into effect in August. While the two countries have been negotiating a bilateral trade agreement, the tariffs have weighed on sectors such as textiles, auto components, metals and labor-intensive manufacturing.

India is clearly using FTAs as a strategic tool to diversify export markets and soften the impact of steep and uncertain U.S. tariffs, trade analyst Ajay Srivastava said.

In all, India has 15 free trade agreements covering 26 countries and six preferential trade agreements, with another 26 nations while negotiating with more than 50 other partners, Srivastava said.

Once the ongoing talks conclude, India will have trade agreements with virtually all major global economies except China, he said.

India signed comprehensive economic cooperation and trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Australia in recent years, lifting bilateral trade with both countries. In May, Britain and India announced that they had agreed on a hard-wrought FTA that will slash tariffs on products including Scotch whisky and English gin shipped to India, and Indian food and spices sent to the U.K.

The recent agreements have reinforced the case for faster negotiations and clearer frameworks for business, officials said.

India is negotiating several FTAs at a time of challenges in global trade, Trade Secretary Rajesh Agarwal told reporters this week. I see positive progress on several of these, next year.

But challenges remain as Indian negotiators face pressure to protect small farmers and domestic industries, even as trading partners push for greater market access.

India and the U.S. hoped to have the first tranche of a bilateral trade agreement by the fall, but it hasn't come through, because ties have been strained following Indias unabated purchase of discounted Russian crude oil. Washington says the purchases help fund Moscows war machine in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

In recent weeks, there have been signs of tempers cooling. Modi applauded Trumps peace plan to try to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and the two leaders recently spoke over the phone to discuss mutual interests, including trade.

A team of U.S. negotiators led by Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer visited New Delhi last week and held talks with Indian officials. Switzer discussed a India-U.S. economic and technological partnership as well as opportunities to boost two-way trade, Indias Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

New Zealands trade and investment minister, Todd McClay, met with Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal last week. They discussed key aspects of an FTA and explored ways to advance the negotiations for mutual benefits, Goyal said on X.

EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sef?ovi? also met Goyal last week to review progress on the India-EU free trade agreement and explore ways to resolve issues and advance negotiations.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Medome is the first AI technology for Personal Health Records for consumers. Patented and clinically validated with thousands of real patients, it represents a groundbreaking approach to medical diagnostics, officially launching today to prevent misdiagnoses and improve patient outcomes. Created by physicians and technologists who have personally experienced the consequences of medical errors, Medome leverages advanced AI to bridge the gap between patients and the accurate healthcare they crave.

Medome arose from a tragic loss. Dr. Steven Charlap, a physician and entrepreneur, lost his brother to a preventable cancer medical diagnosis error. These preventable events underscore a devastating reality: nearly 400,000 people in the U.S. die each year due to errors in the diagnostic processes.

Driven by these experiences, the Medome team has harnessed the potential of AI to change the course of patient safety. "Medome exists so no one else dies again from misdiagnosis," Dr. Charlap says, emphasizing that this platform was built to save lives through superior medical diagnostics.

Medome is not just another patient-facing symptom checker or a basic ai doctor; it is a comprehensive ai doctor diagnosis system. By utilizing sophisticated AI systems to organize, synthesize, and analyze personal information from lab results to family history Medome portrays a complete picture, uncovering patterns that often get missed.

Unlike other tools, Medome performs multiple intense calibrations in real time to narrow down possibilities. Dr. Charlap explains, "Medical knowledge now exceeds human intellectual capabilities. Our goal is not to replace human doctors but to enable patients to assist clinicians by being more contributory to their health journeys." By using artificial intelligence as the bridge, the platform enhances decisions and identifies safety issues early when they are most effectively treated.

Medome represents a paradigm shift where enabled patients work alongside their providers. By applying proprietary methodologies to complex data, Medome which received support from Stanford, Harvard, the NIH, and the UK's National Health Services enables patients to exert greater control over their diagnosis and treatment plan.

"We built Medome to save lives and ensure no one has to encounter a physician alone again," Dr. Charlap concludes.

About Medome

Medome is an ai medical diagnosis and health intelligence platform that consolidates your medical history to provide a personalized treatment plan and prevent crises. It analyzes symptoms against your unique risk profile and distinguishes a local emergency from manageable problems. When you do need urgent care, it instantly generates a comprehensive medical summary to optimize diagnostic processes. Think of it as a medical command center that knows you better than any 15-minute appointment ever could.

Users can learn more at: www.medome.ai

Contact

Medome

[email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2849829/Medome_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Medome
HELSINKI, Finland (AP)  Finlands government is facing heavy pressure and accusations of racism from several Asian countries after its representative to the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was seen pulling the corners of her eyes in a photo -- and some Finnish politicians posted their own photos repeating the gesture.

Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo of Dzafce pulling the skin at the corners of her eyes posted on social media went viral late last month. The photo, and its caption reading eating with a Chinese, was decried by governments and commentators across Finland and Asia as discrimination against Asians.

Dzafce, who won Miss Finland in September, has told Finnish media that she was trying to alleviate a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she said a friend had shared the private image and wrote the caption without her input. Dzafce did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment Thursday.

Dzafce posted an apology to social media on Dec. 8 and said it was never her intention to hurt anyone.

The Miss Finland title is not just a crown for me, but also a responsibility. A responsibility for how I speak, how I act, and how my actions can affect people, she wrote in Finnish.

She added: I take responsibility for my actions and will learn from this.

Days later, the Miss Finland Organization revoked her status as Miss Finland 2025  known as Miss Suomi in Finnish.

The events of recent days have caused deep hurt, disappointment, and concern both in Finland and internationally  fully understandably, the organization wrote on social media. We are deeply sorry for the harm these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected. Racism is never acceptable in any form.

The controversy snowballed when several far-right Finnish politicians rallied around Dzafce after she lost her crown. Members of the parliament who are part of the ruling coalition posted their own photos of them pulling the skin around their eyes.

The furor has spread throughout Asia, prompting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to issue an apology to several countries, including Japan and South Korea, through statements in their languages posted to Finnish embassy social media accounts.

These posts do not reflect Finlands values of equality and inclusion, Orpo's statement said. "Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society. Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the Government takes racism seriously and is committed to combat the issue. Finland always aims to do better. Politicians have a responsibility to serve as examples in this respect.

Japans government has reached out to the Finnish embassy in Tokyo expressing its concerns.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the government's top spokesperson, said Japan hopes to maintain close communication with Helsinki.

I understand that Finnish Prime Minister issued a statement expressing his deepest apology for the recent insulting posts made on social media by some parliamentarians, Kihara said. As the Japanese government, we have conveyed via the local embassy our concern about the case and expectations for an appropriate response.

Finland is a major tourist destination for visitors from Asia, and some users on social platform X have called for a boycott of travel to Finland and of Finnair, the country's largest airline.

Paivyt Tallqvist, the airlines senior vice president of communications, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the scandal has hurt the company's international operations without providing details.
KATHMANDU, December 19, 2025  Following a directive from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), 39 schools within the metropolis have officially changed their names to better reflect Nepali identity and cultural heritage.

The KMC Education Department issued the mandate requiring educational institutions to adopt names that honor national history and local legacy.

According to the Concerned KMC officials, the initiative aims to replace foreign or non-descriptive titles with names that resonate with Nepali values.

This move follows a period of rigorous oversight by the Metropolitan City to ensure all schools comply with the School Education Management Regulations, which prioritize the promotion of indigenous identity within the academic sector.
Kathmandu, Nepal, December 19, 2025  Following the 11th General Convention of the CPN-UML, which re-elected KP Sharma Oli as Party Chairman for a third consecutive term, the veteran leader has signaled a shift toward a more aggressive political path. Oli secured a landslide victory, with nearly all candidates aligned with his camp winning their respective seats.

A Decisive Mandate

In the leadership race, Oli secured 1,663 votes, convincingly defeating his challenger, Ishwar Pokharel, who received 564 votes. Beyond the chairmanship, the "Oli Panel" swept the leadership positions, winning 17 out of 19 office-bearer seats. This includes the re-election of Shankar Pokharel as General Secretary, who defeated rival candidate Surendra Pandey. Furthermore, the Oli panel secured an overwhelming majority within the party's Central Committee.

Defiance and Directives

During the closing ceremony on Thursday, Oli employed defiant language against those who opposed him and his party, particularly the incumbent interim government formed in the wake of the Gen Z movement.

Addressing the crowd at Bhrikutimandap following his oath-taking ceremony, Oli lashed out at the Sushila Karki-led government and the youth-led movement that ousted him from power in September. He ordered the party to establish a "defense force" to counter what he termed "conspiracies" and "fake legal cases" targeting party leadership following the unrest of September 89.

There are rumors of physical attacks and attempts to frame UML leaders with fraudulent charges, Oli declared, adding: The day anyone lays a hand on this leadership, the entire country must be brought to a standstill.

During the program, he also demanded the reinstatement of the dissolved House of Representatives, arguing for a return to the previous constitutional order rather than proceeding with the elections scheduled by the interim administration.
Criminal with outstanding warrant in Texas captured in central Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  A criminal wanted in Texas has been captured with another man in central Playa del Carmen. The Interinstitutional Group for Peacebuilding reported Friday on the arrests two men, one of which has an outstanding warrant in the United States.

Erik N and Edgar Nemesio N were arrested while driving in central Playa del Carmen. Both are suspected of drug-related offenses. Police say Erik N has a criminal record in the state of Texas related to arson of a truck and a motel room.

Both detainees are also allegedly linked to a report of extortion and/or protection money targeting a laundromat.

Following the extortion report, and through the use of technology, field investigations, and surveillance via C5 cameras, an interinstitutional coordination effort was established between the Secretariat of Citizen Security, the Secretariat of the Navy and the Secretariat of National Defense, the SSC (Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana) of Quintana Roo said Friday.

This allowed the Centurion Group, comprised of personnel from this institution and the State Attorney Generals Office, in coordination with the Mexican Navy, to detect a Chevrolet vehicle with two occupants during patrols. Upon noticing the police presence the occupants acted suspiciously.

The incident occurred on 50th Avenue North between 38th Street North and Andres Quintana Roo Avenue, in Playa del Carmen.

In their report, the arresting officers said during the stop they seized 91 small Ziploc bags containing a green, dried herb resembling marijuana, 50 small Ziploc bags containing solid fragments resembling crystal methamphetamine, a white Chevrolet Tracker with license plates from the State of Mexico, two cell phones, two debit cards, three SIM cards and a backpack.

The evidence and both men were placed at the disposal of the State Attorney General (FGE). Authorities did not comment on the possible extradition of Erik N to Texas where he is wanted by American authorities.

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President Sheinbaum leads distribution of 2.5 million free books for Mexico and Latin American readers

Mexico City, Mexico  President Claudia Sheinbaum lead the distribution of 2.5 million free books from the 25 for 25 collection to young people in Latin America. The event was held Thursday in Mexico City that will see books distributed around Mexico and Latin America.

The collection consists of Latin American authors and will be distributed in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. The free books will be distributed to readers aged 15 to 30 from the 25 for the Twenty-Five collection of the Fondo de Cultura Economica (FCE).

The goa is to make reading an act of transformation and a collective reflection on the great revolution of consciousness that the country is experiencing.

We never would have imagined 39 years ago when we were fighting for the right to education, that we would be here defending the right of young people to always build a better country, to continue transforming Mexico, and to continue doing this, which is an act of collective reflection and transformation.

The great revolution of consciousness that Mexico is experiencing at this historical moment, she said at the event held in the Plaza de la Constitucion in Mexico City.

Sheinbaum reflected on the importance of reading in the age of social media and invited young people to continue reading because what a book offers cannot be found on social media.

Young Mexicans, lets keep reading, building yourselves up as individuals and as a society, she said.

She recalled that 39 years ago, on December 17, 1986, was the first time she spoke publicly at a rally, and therefore, he highlighted the symbolism that more than three decades later, today the Government of Mexico is giving away books throughout Latin America.

I never imagined that 39 years later we would be giving away books to young people in Mexico and Latin America in an extraordinary effort to transform public life, he added.

Paco Ignacio Taibo II, the General Director of the Fondo de Cultura Economica (FCE), emphasized that the goal of this international effort is to ensure that everyone in Latin America has access to a book.

He also recognized the retired teachers who make the existence of 24,000 reading clubs in the country possible.

The list of titles and authors in the 25 for the Twenty-Fifth collection include Juan Gelman  How to Shoot Against Death; Nona Fernandez  Space Invaders; Manuel Rojas  The Glass of Milk and Other Stories; Raul Zurita  Poems; Piedad Bonnett  The Privileges of Oblivion; Gabriel Garcia Marquez  Operation Carlota; Roberto Fernandez Retamar  Poems; Miguel Donoso Pareja  The Death of Tyrone Power; Roque Dalton  The Forbidden Stories of Tom Thumb; Dante Liano  Requiem for Teresa; Alaide Foppa  Winds of Spring; Miguel Angel Asturias  Weekend in Guatemala; and Carlos Montemayor  War in Paradise.

In addition, Fabrizio Mejia Madrid  Shots in the Dark; Adela Fernandez  Sleepless Nights; Guadalupe Duenas  Shoes for Life and Other Stories; Amparo Davila  Concrete Music; Sergio Ramirez  The Fox; Jose Maria Arguedas  Quechua Song; Blanca Varela  Villain Song; Eduardo Galeano  The Brief Wondrous Life of Ernesto Guevara; Mario Benedetti  Geographies; Luis Britto Garcia  Speak Word; Osvaldo Bayer  The Expropriating Anarchists; Juan Carlos Onetti  The Much-Feared Hell and Other Stories; Andres Caicedo  The Crossed One; and Eduardo Rosenzvaig  Tomorrow Is Far Away.

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Thick fog at Tijuana International causes over two dozen delays into Cancun

Cancun, Q.R.  Adverse weather conditions in Tijuana Wednesday caused flight delays at Cancun International. Domestic flights heading for the Caribbean side of Mexico were delayed due to thick fog in the Baja California city.

More than two dozen flights coming in and out of Cancun were affected as a result of operational disruptions at the Tijuana International Airport, one of the countrys main hubs.

On Thursday, Cancun airport managing company Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) said the delays included flights also connecting to other cities in Mexico. Some of the affected destinations included Tijuana, Guadalajara, Queretaro, Santa Lucia, Oaxaca, Toluca, Puebla, San Luis Potosi and Monterrey.

Thick fog in Tijuana responsible for 30 delayed flights into Cancun International. December 17, 2025.

Airport authorities and airlines noted that the disruptions were not limited to only direct flights, but also affected itineraries with layovers since Cancun International maintains a direct connection with Tijuana, a terminal that serves as a connection point for numerous domestic routes.

The airline havoc was due to reduced visibility at the Tijuana airport from thick fog Wednesday which forced operational adjustments to ensure air safety.

By the end of the day, airports reported four cancellations and 30 flight delays. The cancelled flights affected travelers from San Luis Potosi and San Jose, Costa Rica.

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We will never agree with actions that criminalize migrants says Mexican President on International Migrants Day

Mexico City, Mexico  On International Migrants Day, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo reminded everyone that Mexico is synonymous with migrants, whom she recognized as heroes and heroines of the nation.

She reiterated that the Mexican governments position is to protect its citizens abroad and to foster cooperation for development among nations to reduce this phenomenon by investing in countries with the greatest poverty and inequality.

We will never agree with actions that criminalize migrants. Our position is that there must always be cooperation for development, from any country to another, and at the same time, the protection of migrants.

And we must always offer an alternative. For migrants arriving in Mexico from other countries we seek to provide them with employment opportunities in Mexico, if they so wish, or to repatriate them, to return to their countries with the support of the government if they so desire, and this has worked.

That will always be our position, she said Thursday.

Rosa Icela Rodriguez Velazquez, Mexicos Secretary of the Interior, highlighted that through the Mexico Embraces You strategy, from January 20 to December 17, 145,537 repatriations have been carried out, of which 116,156 were by land and 29,381 by air.

Rosa Icela Rodriguez Velazquez December 18, 2025.

She detailed that there are currently nine care centers with a combined capacity of 1,800 people to receive repatriated people from Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Chiapas and Tabasco.

She added that of the repatriated individuals, 99,924 were assisted through this strategy, 70,543 at service centers and 29,381 at the PRIM modules in airports, providing 846,000 services.

These services included food distribution, transportation to their communities of origin, IMSS (Mexican Social Security Institute) enrollment, distribution of Finabien Paisan cards, issuance of CURP (Unique Population Registry Code) and birth certificates, lodging, phone calls, enrollment in Welfare Programs, medical and psychological care.

It also included services from agencies such as Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National System for Integral Family Development and the Ministry of Women, job placement assistance, distribution of Federal Electricity Commission SIM cards, and assistance with educational procedures.

Furthermore, a 24/7 Command Center was established on January 20th.

The commissioner of the National Migration Institute (INM), Salomon Cespedes Peregrina, detailed that the Winter 2025 Heroines and Heroes of the Countrymen program will be implemented from November 28, 2025, to January 8, 2026.

Salomon Cespedes Peregrina December 18, 2025.

To date, 463,879 cases have been handled and complaints resolved. He added that on Wednesday, December 17, the INM attended the meeting, reception and support of the Organized Caravan of Countrymen, in which 20,000 Mexicans entered through Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas in 5,231 vehicles.

On Thursday, authorities said that this week, the collaboration between the Mexican Consulate in Chicago and partner organizations in the Midwestern United States was finalized, enabling hundreds of Mexican nationals to be released on bail from immigration detention centers.

Those eligible for release will include those detained without a warrant and without a criminal record in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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Yucatan police investing possible murder of businessman believed accidently run over by Maya Train

Uman, Yucatan  An investigation into a man that was believed killed after being run over by a Maya Train has taken a turn. Early Thursday morning, Yucatan police were notified that a body had been found on the tracks.

The body was seen laying on a stretch of Tren Maya track outside the town of Poxila in the municipality of Uman, Yucatan. At the time of police arrival, it was believed that the man died from being run over by a train.

However, on Thursday afternoon, Yucatan police identified the man as someone reported missing.

On December 17, the family of 86 year old Alvaro Pena Quintal reported him as missing from the municipality of Chochola, an area near where his body was found on the train tracks Thursday morning.

After an investigation, Yucatan police are now looking into his death as a possible murder. According to obtained information, State Investigative Police (PEI) learned that Alvaro Pena Quintal, a well known businessman, had been abducted.

Witnesses reported seeing him being forced into a vehicle and driven off by a man and woman. That man and woman are belived to have robbed him of money he had on him at the time before physically assaulting him and leaving him on the train tracks.

Reports say the man and woman cut through a wire fence and dragged him onto the tracks where he was run over. Yucatan authorities have not made a public comment on what has become a possible murder investigation.

The PEIs Homicide and Injury Department has taken over the case. An autopsy will determine the official cause and time of death.

The body was found on the Maya Train tracks early Thursday morning. December 18, 2025.

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MIAMI, Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami-Dade County older condominiums continue selling faster than newer units showing that demand for well-priced, older condos remains strong in a market posting surging affordable condo transactions, total sales and single-family transactions, according to November 2025 statistics released by the MIAMI Association of Realtors (MIAMI) and the MIAMI Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service (SEFMLS).

Miami-Dade condos in older buildings (30+ years) are spending less time on the market than those in newer ones (29 years or less); 66 days versus 81, respectively, according to year-to-date data. Sales for affordable Miami-Dade condos priced between $200,000 to $400,000 increased 21% year-over-year in November 2025, from 135 to 164 sales.

"New state condo regulations are making Miami condos more resilient, financeable, stronger and safer and buyers know older condos boast location, value and affordability," MIAMI Chairman of the Board Eddie Blanco said. "Many of Miami's older condos are in prime locations in a market where land is limited. Some have a lot of charm with great layouts and the key is affordability. Condos have always been South Florida's entry point for first-time homebuyers."

New state condo regulations went into effect in Jan. 2025 requiring inspections of older condominium buildings, and adequate reserves for repairs. Condo buildings that were previously not financeable because they didn't have the proper reserves, will now be financeable. This will increase buyer affordability and opportunity.

South Florida market fundamentals point to more growth in 2026:

Rising Population: Florida gains a new taxpayer every two minutes. California loses a taxpayer every minute via the National Taxpayer Union Foundation

Florida gains a new taxpayer every two minutes. California loses a taxpayer every minute via the National Taxpayer Union Foundation Job Growth: Over the six-year period from August 2019 through August 2025, the Miami MSA saw a cumulative 9.5% increase in non-farm employment compared to 5.5% nationally.

Over the six-year period from August 2019 through August 2025, the Miami MSA saw a cumulative 9.5% increase in non-farm employment compared to 5.5% nationally. Rising Multifamily Permits: Miami ranks No. 7 in the U.S. in multifamily permits via RealPage. Miami had 10,695 multifamily units permitted year-ending August 2025, a year-over-year increase of 43.9%.

Miami ranks No. 7 in the U.S. in multifamily permits via RealPage. Miami had 10,695 multifamily units permitted year-ending August 2025, a year-over-year increase of 43.9%. Rising Wealth Migration: Out-of-state job movers typically earn more in the destination job in the Miami Metro Area than in-state job switchers, led by job movers from Washington ($190,656), and California ($186,004) in 2024 Q2 (latest data)

Miami Total Sales and $1M & Up Transactions Rise, Underscoring Wealth Migration

Total Miami-Dade sales increased 0.5% year-over-year in November 2025, from 1,510 to 1,518.

The growth was fueled once again by total $1M and up transactions, which increased 13.2% year-over year in November 2025 from 272 to 308. Wealthy home buyers have been encouraged by Wall Street's continued bullish performance, the extension of federal tax cuts and Florida's own favorable tax picture.

South Florida is on pace to post the second-most $10M and up home sales for a calendar year. At its current selling pace, South Florida is projected to have 426 ultra-luxury sales by the end of the year. That would be just shy of the record 444 set in the pandemic home-buying craze of 2021.

The sales total doesn't include South Florida's new construction, pre-construction and condo conversion sales because they are largely not reported in the MLS. But MIAMI led the charge to publish two new construction reports.

International buyers purchased 49% of new South Florida construction, pre-construction and condo conversion sales over an 18-month period ending in July 2025, according to MIAMI REALTORS first-ever New Construction Global Sales Report in collaboration with industry leaders.

Our second New Construction Global Sales Report, published in November 2025, showed an increase in global sales and buyers from 73 countries, according to the MIAMI REALTORS November 2025 Global Sales Report in collaboration with industry leaders.

Miami-Dade Single-Family Home Sales Rise for Third Consecutive Month

Miami single-family home sales increased for the third consecutive month. Miami single-family home sales increased 5.31% year-over-year in November 2025, from 716 to 754.

Miami existing condo sales decreased 3.78% year-over-year in November 2025, from 794 to 764.

Sales for affordable Miami-Dade condos priced between $200,000 to $400,000 increased 21% year-over-year in November 2025, from 135 to 164 sales.

The lack of Federal Housing Administration loans for many existing Miami condominium buildings is preventing further market strengthening. Of the 2,397 condominium buildings in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, only 21 are approved for FHA loans, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Just 0.9% of South Florida condo buildings are approved for FHA loans. Florida is the only state in the U.S. that requires a client to put down 25% for a limited review if the condo building doesn't have enough in reserves. The requirement for every other state is 10%.

Miami-Dade Condominium Sale Prices Have Appreciated 95% in the Last 10 Years

Miami condo prices have risen 94.6% from November 2015 to November 2025, from $203,000 to $395,000. While Miami existing condo median prices decreased 9.48% year-over-year in November 2025, from $436,354 to $395,000, the price appreciation remains among the highest in the nation.

Miami condo median prices have stayed even or increased in 162 of the last 174 months, a span that covers 14.5 years.

Miami-Dade County single-family home median sale prices increased 3.27% year-over-year in November 2025, from $650,000 to $671,250. Miami single-family median prices have risen in 167 of the last 168 months (14 years).

Miami single-family prices have risen 144.8% from November 2015 to November 2025, from $274,200 to $671,250.

Miami's surging multifamily market and the Florida Live Local Act should boost affordability in the future. Miami ranks No. 7 in the U.S. in multifamily permits via RealPage. Miami had 10,695 multifamily units permitted year-ending August 2025, a year-over-year increase of 43.9%. This is important because it adds more overall housing/apartment supply to a city, creates more affordability and adds to Miami's economic growth.

Florida's Live Local Act, which was passed in 2023 and amended in May 2024, is encouraging developers to build more affordable housing. The Live Local Act gives developers the highest density allowed in a local area if they allocate 40% of its units for affordable housing. The state law defines an affordable unit as being at or below 120% of an area's median income.

Miami remains a bargain in comparison to other global cities. For $1M, homebuyers can purchase 58 square meters of prime property in Miami, according to the 2025 Knight Frank Wealth Report. That is almost four times more than Monaco (19 square meters), nearly two times more than New York (34) and London (34) and more than Paris, Sydney, Tokyo and more.

Miami Real Estate Home Equity & Appreciation is Nearly 2X the National Figure

Home equity is crucial for wealth building, provides a financial safety net, investment opportunities, refinancing options and more.

Miami's home equity gains are nearly two times the national figure. Home equity gains on a Miami single-family home purchased in Q4 2009 and sold in Q4 2024 is $555,900 versus the U.S. average at $306,600, according to MIAMI REALTORS Research.

Home equity gains on a Miami condo purchased in Q4 2009 and sold in Q4 2024 is $342,600 versus the U.S. average of $252,000.

Over the last five years, the average homeowner's wealth has increased by $140,900, according to NAR. Research also shows a growing wealth gap between owners and renters: Based on the latest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finance, NAR projected in March that homeowners' median net worth would reach $430,000 in 2025 versus $10,000 for renters.

Mortgage Rates Declining

Mortgage rates, which were above 7% at the start of the year, are trending down after the third Fed rate cut of the year in December 2025. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.25% in November 2025.

"Falling mortgage rates in the second half of the year really kicked up homebuying, with single-family sales up for the third consecutive month in November across all Southeast Florida counties," MIAMI REALTORS Chief Economist Gay Cororaton said. "With this positive momentum, the housing market is poised for a turnaround in 2026, with single-family sales projected to increase 5% and single-family prices forecasted to increase 4%."

Total Miami Inventory is 17% Below Pre-Pandemic; New Listings Drop

New listings are trending down and active listings are not growing as fast as they were at the start of the year.

Total Miami-Dade inventory (18,287) is 16.7% below November 2019 pre-pandemic inventory (21,942)

Total active listings at the end of November 2025 increased 13.5% year-over-year, from 16,117 to 18,287. Homebuyers are in a great position to find the right home and negotiate for a better price.

Inventory of single-family homes increased 15.78% year-over-year in November 2025 from 4,797 active listings last year to 5,554 last month.

Condominium inventory increased 12.48% year-over-year in November 2025, from 11,320 to 12,733 listings during the same period in 2024, but the total is still significantly below pre-pandemic. Current Miami condo inventory (12,733) is 17.2% below November 2019 pre-pandemic inventory (15,369).

Months' supply of inventory for single-family homes is 6.5 months, which indicates a balanced market. Inventory for existing condominiums is 14.1 months, which indicates a buyer's market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six- and nine-months supply.

Nationally, total housing inventory is 1.43 million units, according to NAR. That is up 7.5% from November 2024 (1.33 million). There is 4.2-month supply of unsold inventory, up from 3.8 months in November 2024.

Miami Real Estate: $195 Million in Local Economic Impact

Every time a home is sold it impacts the economy: income generated from real estate industries (commissions, fees and moving expenses), expenditures related to home purchase (furniture and remodeling expenses), multiplier of housing related expenditures (income earned as a result of a home sale is re-circulated into the economy) and new construction (additional home sales induce added home production).

The total economic impact of a typical Florida home sale is $129,000, according to NAR. Miami-Dade sold 1,518 homes in November 2025 for a local economic impact of $195 million.

Miami-Dade total dollar volume increased 8.49% year-over-year in November 2025 to $1.4 billion.

Single-family home dollar volume increased 10.02% year-over-year to $861 million. Condo dollar volume increased 6.36% year-over-year to $581 million.

Miami Distressed Sales Remain at Historic Lows, Reflecting Healthy Market

Only 2.4% of all closed residential sales in Miami were distressed last month, including REO (bank-owned properties) and short sales. In 2009, distressed sales comprised 70% of Miami sales.

Short sales and REOs accounted for 0.3% and 2.0%, respectively, of total Miami sales in November 2025.

Nationally, distressed sales were 2% in November 2025, unchanged from a year ago.

National and State Statistics

In Florida, closed sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 17,674 in November 2025, up 3.4% year-over-year, while existing condo-townhouse sales totaled 6,099 up 1.6%.

The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $410,000, down 0.2% year-over-year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. Last month's statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $299,320, down 3.8% vs. last year. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

Nationally, total existing home sales decreased 1% year-over-year to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.13 million, according to NAR. Median existing home prices increased to $409,200, up 1.2% from one year ago ($404,400)  the 29th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Miami Real Estate Attracting Near List Price

The median percent of original list price received for single-family homes was 94% in November 2025. The median percent of original list price received for existing condominiums was 93%.

The median number of days between listing and contract dates for Miami single-family home sales was 46 days, up from 36 days last year. The median time to sale for single-family homes was 83 days, up from 81 days last year.

The median number of days between the listing date and contract date for condos was 72 days, up from 50 days. The median number of days to sale for condos was 111 days, up from 93 days.

Miami Cash Sales More than National Figure

Cash sales represented 36.8% of Miami closed sales in November 2025, compared to 37.4% in November 2024. About 27% of U.S. home sales are made in cash, according to the latest NAR statistics.

Cash buyers are not deterred by rising rates. The high percentage of cash buyers reflects Miami's top position as the preeminent American real estate market for foreign buyers, who tend to purchase with all cash as well as some moving from more expensive U.S. markets who can buy more with their profits from real estate sales.

Cash sales accounted for 49.8% of all Miami existing condo sales and 23.6% of single-family transactions.

To access November 2025 Miami-Dade Statistical Reports, visit http://www.SFMarketIntel.com

Note: Statistics in this news release may vary depending on reporting dates. MIAMI reports exact statistics directly from its MLS system.

About the MIAMI Association of REALTORS

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) was chartered by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS in 1920, and is celebrating 105 years of service to REALTOR members, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Composed of six boards: MIAMI- RESIDENTIAL, MIAMI- COMMERCIAL; BROWARD-MIAMI, a division of MIAMI REALTORS; JTHS-MIAMI, a division of MIAMI REALTORS in the Jupiter-Tequesta-Hobe Sound area; MIAMI YPN, our Young Professionals Network Council; and the Corporate Board of Directors. MIAMI REALTORS represent 58,000 total real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local REALTOR association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with 299 international organizations worldwide. MIAMI's official website is www.MiamiRealtors.com

SOURCE MIAMI Association of REALTORS
One thing about HuffPost readers  they love French skincare. Whether were writing about Bioderma micellar water or Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre, our readers give a big, Oui! to anything en Francais because of the consistent efficacy of the formulas. We werent super shocked when yall took to the A313, high-retinol face cream, but weve been pleasantly surprised to see it become a consistent best-seller. Its French, of course, but it also features a dreamy texture and three different types of effective retinol.

Weve covered this magic potion on sale before, but today the 50-gram size is finally stacked with an additional discount when you clip the on-page coupon, making it over 30% off  the lowest price its been in months. According to our price trackers, a tube usually runs around $45, but right now, you can snag it for less than $31!

A313s distinctive thick texture is closer to a balm, which according to reviewers, feels more hydrating than the pricier formulations. The brand claims that the 2% retinol concentration can help unclog pores, minimize fine lines, reduce hyperpigmentation and even out skin texture.

Per Dr. Rebecca Marcus, a board-certified dermatologist, retinol i ncreases cell turnover, stimulating collagen production and reducing the appearance of skin aging.

Dermatologists have consistently expressed how essential retinoids, like retinol, are to a well-rounded skincare routine. This is especially true for routines geared toward age prevention. A powerful active ingredient, theres an ongoing debate about the value of prescription-only retinoid compositions versus their over-the-counter counterparts. Marcus explained that prescription retinoids are already in active form, often making their effect stronger and faster than OTC products.

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Yet, she continues that stronger doesnt always mean better, especially if your skin doesnt need the extra power.

Prescription-strength retinol has a notorious reputation for causing irritation  especially for mature skin. Though OTC retinol can potentially be less effective, Marcus said its often less sensitizing and better tolerated by delicate skin.

[A313] contains minimal ingredients in its vehicle, Marcus said. Which is helpful for those who are sensitive to fragrances or other ingredients that are commonly found in OTC retinol products.

And while she acknowledged the fact that the actives in A313 are not the same potency as the retinoid acid present in prescription-strength formulas like Tretinoin, the three types of retinol in A313 are effective over-the-counter-strength retinol ingredients.

In fact, some users who had been using prescription-strength Tretinoin then made the switch to this alternative, say they prefer A313 and have maintained the same results that they had with the prescription-strength formula.

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Reviewers suggest adhering to a gradual and minimal application process in order to avoid redness or skin flaking  similar to the tolerance building period required for prescription retinoids. This period typically involves just applying a pea-sized amount one or two times a week for a few months before increasing to a more frequent application. Also, you want to make sure youre rocking face sunscreen when using anything retinoid, as youll be more sensitive to the sun. When in doubt, its always a good idea to check with your dermatologist to know if retinol is a good option for you.

Ready to put the A313 retinol face cream to the test? Take a peek at some promising reviews, if you need more convincing.

This is my very first time trying retinol, so I was both curious and a little nervous. I applied A313 last night and was surprised by how gentle it felt right from the start. The texture is smooth and balm-like, with absolutely no smell, and it spread evenly without leaving my skin feeling greasy. Best of all, there was no tingling, burning, or irritation, which I honestly expected since so many people talk about the retinol purge. Instead, it felt comfortable and soothing on my skin.

When I woke up this morning, I was amazed at how plump and refreshed my skin looked after just one use. My complexion felt soft, hydrated, and almost like I had a full nights sleep, even though I didnt. For a first-time retinol user, this has been such a positive experienceI can already see why people rave about it. Im excited to keep using it consistently and see how my skin improves over time.  Yecenia Ive been using this pomade for the last 2 weeks (only before bed) and i have seen a drastic change in my skin. Softer, less visible pores, not itchy in drier spaces, and my fine lines and wrinkles are shrinking. I use other products during the day but i feel like this has had a great effect on my skin. The texture of the pomade is almost like a vasoline. It might be a little on the pricey side but this is a pomade. You only need a pea size drop to get your whole face. If you use too much, your face will be sticky / greasy and feel heavy. You wont need to buy this often. I feel like this is a tried and true quality cream and worth every penny.  Allison Williams Im only 3 days into using this product and it has already transformed my skin. Im 31 I suffer from occasional hormonal acne and fungal acne. After night one my skin was 90% clearer. Also so much smoother as well. All of my dry flaky skin was gone. I dont have much wrinkles, but the ones I do have seem smoother as well. Some people commented on the smell, and I dont smell anything. Also the consistency is not bad either. I apply it at night with my moisturizer and wash it off in the morning. Ill update in a few weeks. This stuff is amazing!  Lacey

Looking for other strongest OTC retinols you can get without a prescription? Check out this list from the Senior Shopping Writer Lourdes Avila Uribe .

Target

Differin adapalene gel 0.1% acne treatment (0.1% adapalene)

Differin is probably the best known adapalene-based product. It claims that the more toned-down nature of this active ingredient compared to other retinoids which makes it a good all-over face treatment that is suitable for everyday use, even for sensitive skin types. In previous reporting, Dr. Ariel Ostad, a cosmetic surgeon based in New York City, explained that like other forms of retinoids, adapalene, which until 2018 was only available by prescription, works by increasing the skins cellular turnover rate  a process that slows down naturally as we age. This means that even though adapalene-based products are marketed as acne treatments, Ostad said that they can also be used to help promote collagen production  and more collagen can mean plumper, more youthful skin with fewer fine lines.

$13.49 at Target

Dermstore

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 20 (0.2% retinal)

I've long heard people rave about this highly-rated serum from Medik8, and I can't say I'm surprised. Everything I've tried from the brand thus far has been effective and left my skin looking and feeling great. This serum can help to address typical signs of aging like wrinkles, texture and tone quickly and efficiently. It's balanced with hyaluronic acid and glycerin to help keep skin supple, soft, smooth and hydrated. It's a great mid-price jumping-off point for anyone curious about trying a retinal.



This cream is the highest run on Medik8's Crystal Retinal ladder, boasting 0.2% retinal (if you're wondering about the difference between retinol and retinal, read this). It's for the most advanced skin care lovers and has double the concentration of the previous highest strength. It's as good as it gets.

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$121 at Dermstore

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Dermstore

SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0 maximum strength refining night cream (1.0% retinol)

If you've ever invested in SkinCeuticals products, you know that they are made with potent, high-quality ingredients that will give you the most bang for your buck. This cream has such a high concentration of retinol that the brand recommends priming your skin with its .5% strength cream for a few months beforehand to see if it can tolerate such a high concentration of retinol. In the more potent version featured here, the strong 1.0% retinol is balanced out with a soothing complex of calming ingredients derived from chamomile and other botanicals to comfort skin and negate potential irritation.



In previous HuffPost reporting, Dr. Deanne Mraz, a board-certified dermatologist at Modern Dermatology in Connecticut and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, thinks the varying retinol strengths available make this cream a great option for "anyone who needs to downshift to a gentler strength in the cold, dry winter months and turn up the volume [spring through fall]."

$102 at Dermstore

Sephora

Youth To The People Retinal + Niacinamide Youth Serum (0.15% retinal)

This highly-rated and oft-reviewed serum utilizes retinal, niacinamide and ceramides to not only improve the look and feel of skin texture and and common signs of aging, but also reinforce the skin's barrier, smooth skin, even tone and moisturize. It's a powerhouse combo in the form of a lightweight serum that won't feel heavy. It contains .15% retinal, significantly more than most traditional retinol-based products on the market.

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$72 at Sephora

Dermstore

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Retinoid Acne Treatment (0.1% retinol)

This popular and affordable La Roche-Posay treatment is made with adapalene, a prescription-strength retinoid that is primarily used to treat acne, but also has all the other benefits of a traditional retinol. It's incredibly effective and one of only two FDA-approved prescription-strength retinoid acne treatments, along with Differin, that can be purchased over the counter. I used adapalene for years before switching to retinol and tretinoin and found it to be incredibly effective.

$39.99 at Dermstore

The Real Deal: We use deal trackers and commerce experience to sift through fake hike-and-drop deals and other deceptive sales tactics. Products will usually be rated at least 4 stars with a minimum 15% discount. (And when theres an exception, well tell you why.)

Related...
The privilege is not lost on me: to be married to a chef is to have someone who is legally forced to dote on you, and make sure you are well fed and that the fridge is always stocked with in-season produce and grass-fed proteins. Through osmosis, Ive absorbed many of my spouses quirks since living together for half a decade, like having my finger on the pulse of what a food enthusiast or home cook should own for maximum pleasure and efficiency in the kitchen.

When shopping for my chef husband, or someone with equally discerning taste in kitchen equipment, gadgets and edibles, I look at two things: what are real-life chefs using in their commercial or personal kitchens? Whats really blowing up on social media right now, and is it worth the hype?

To shop for a foodie is such a treat that it brings me great delight to share these thoughtful gift ideas with you from brands like Breville, KitchenAid and Hedley & Bennett, just in time for holiday entertaining and feasting.

Hedley & Bennett

An impressive set of Hedley & Bennett knives

These are, without a doubt, the knives to get for the knife aficionado in your life. When I gifted this trendy set of Hedley & Bennett knives to my husband, it nearly brought a tear to his eye. Theyve become so important to him that he uses the set to prepare food at the restaurant where he serves over 300 clients a day. They retain their sharpness even throughout heavy usage and feature all you need to accomplish a range of straightforward cooking tasks such as a catch-all chefs knife, a serrated bread knife and a utility knife for smaller jobs.

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Shipping note: We're outside of the recommended window from Hedley & Bennett for delivery by December 24th. Still, we bet that this is such a good gift that your recipient won't care if it's a little late.



Promising review: These knives make great gifts. I own the utility and chef knife (as well as knives by other makers), but these are the blades I use most often. They feel great in the hand, are well-balanced and hold an edge. I just bought my nephew the utility and chef knives for his birthday and he was thrilled. Customer service is very attentive as well; they have responded to many emails promptly and been very helpful. Highly, highly recommend the company.  David J.

$228 at Hedley & Bennett

Nightly Good Dream

A silicone baking mat to handle dough like a pro

Dough that gets stuck to your work surface is truly an energy suck. This silicone mat has saved my husband several times for its non-stick properties and built-in measurements that make it perfect for rolling out dough and ensuring it fits properly in your desired pan. Its such a practical gift for your favorite baker, and even if theyve never touched a rolling pin in their life, this might just get them to start.



Promising review: This silicone pastry mat has truly improved my baking and cooking experience. The large size provides plenty of space for rolling out dough, whether Im making bread, pizza or pie crusts. The nonstick surface is fantastic  dough doesnt stick, and I barely need any flour to keep everything moving smoothly. Its also non-slip, so it stays securely in place on my countertop while I work. Ive had it for nearly two months now, and it still looks brand new with no signs of wear or discoloration.  Pang yu

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$30 at Amazon

Le Creuset

A Le Creuset pie dish too pretty to put away

I initially bought this Le Creuset pie dish for my sister, an absolutely legendary baker. But after taking a closer look at its gorgeous scratch-resistant stoneware construction and its cherry red finish that makes it worthy of display, I knew we needed one for ourselves. Since purchasing it a year ago, my husbands pie output has increased tenfold. Results are even and tender, whether sweet or savory is on the menu. It is a joy to bake in it and proudly show off once its time to serve.



Promising review: The best reason to plop down this kind of money for a pie pan is that it makes the best pies...EVER. The way it heats and cooks so evenly is truly amazing. I've been cooking for 50+ years and I just discovered Le Creuset. The colors, quality and ease of cleaning add up to a forever piece for your kitchen but also makes an incredible gift. That color!  Suri Sound-Waters

$56 at Amazon

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$56 at Macys

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Our Place

A non-stick pan theyll rely on for every meal

The Our Place Always Pan will always be in our rotation, full stop. Between its deep walls to accommodate batch cooking for a family of three to its coating-free non-stick surface for easy cleanup, the Always Pan is at the foundation of every great dish my husband dreams up. This particular edition, the Titanium Pro, features near-indestructible materials like titanium and aluminum for even heat distribution and reliable performance. Its mixed metals are a surprising way for the pan to earn style points too.



Promising review: I got rid of most of my old pots and pans because they were no good, and I was looking for something that could replace most of what I used to use. This is really the perfect replacement. I can boil pasta (something I thought it wouldn't be deep enough for) and make a large stir fry. It's the perfect size, and the quality is top notch. Beautiful, shiny finish that is basically a mirror you can see yourself in (super clean!). The nonstick technology on this pan is great, works like a charm, and nothing gets stuck. I'm happy to minimize chemicals as much as possible as well.  Cristina

$135 at Amazon

$145+ at Our Place at Amazon

Oxo

A bench scraper to keep their workspace tidy

This bench scraper is the unsung hero of a kitchen in that it doesnt look very glamorous, but it does some serious heavy lifting for its low price of $15. Instead of having your giftee inadvertently dull their good knives in the pursuit of scraping food off their cutting board, get them this bench scraper. Not only is it the ideal tool for transferring ingredients from a board to a bowl, for instance, but it levels, chops and portions like a pro. Basically, it does everything but their taxes.



Promising review: Great quality like every other OXO thing I own. Has been a lifesaver when making rolls and when frosting cakes. I love this thing. The blade bit is a good size and thickness, the handle is thick and sturdy, it's easy to clean and store, and the price is pretty good for what you get!  Bab A.

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$15 at Amazon

$15 at Target

A sous vide machine to cook proteins to perfection

This thing is the third member of our marriage. Several times a week, I listen to the dull yet hypnotic whirr of the sous vide machine tenderizing tough meats in a warm temperature-controlled bath so its ready for cooking. Chefs, including my husband, swear by this gadget for cooking proteins to low and slow levels usually reserved for Michelin-starred establishments. We love our Joule because you can set timers remotely through its app for cooking so hands-off it just might incite a case of impostor syndrome.



Promising review: I absolutely love this sous vide machine! It has completely changed the way I cook at home. The setup was simple, and the instructions were very clear. It heats the water quickly and keeps the temperature steady, which makes all the difference for perfectly cooked meals. Ive used it for chicken and vegetables, and everything comes out tender, juicy, and full of flavor. The machine is also quiet and compact, so it doesnt take up much space when not in use. If youre looking to step up your cooking game and get restaurant-quality results at home, this is an amazing tool to have in the kitchen.  Christina B

$250 at Amazon

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$250 at Target

A giftable spice collection curated by chefs

My husbands background is Pakistani, which partially explains his affinity for bold and fragrant seasonings that make any ordinary weeknight meal dance off the dish. The kindest thing you can do for a home cook is extend the gift of flavor this season. This Collected Foods spice set includes blends like Sunburned Aleppo Pepper and Wild Rose Harissa to instantly elevate soups, stews and marinades. Plus, they arrived all boxed up and ready to gift.



Promising reviews: It was a gift for my son. He is vegan and loved the variety of the spices and their originality!  Celia Nieves



Great hit as a present for my vegan relatives who love to cook!  Kindle Customer

$38 at Amazon

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A hosting gift for every palate

Want to show up to the function with a gift almost too impressive to serve? Dont miss this extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and martini juice trio to check off every entertaining box. My husband loves using the extra virgin olive oil as a finishing garnish on special dishes like heirloom tomato salad and roasted veggie soups while I cant get enough of it mixed with the balsamic vinegar and paired with fresh baguette.



Promising review: Best extra virgin olive oil we've ever purchased. We use Ancient Olive Trees EVOO in our dressings, sauteing, and more. It has a nice smooth flavor with nutty flavor notes and perfect viscosity. It has a noticeable polyphenol taste without the lingering, greasy taste, with wonderful fresh and bright aromas. This is definitely a must-purchase to bring your EVOO game to the next level!  Jonathan

$99 at Amazon

KitchenAid

A KitchenAid stand mixer that puts in the elbow grease for you

My husband has been dropping not-so-subtle hints that he requires this specific and highly viral KitchenAid stand mixer to function, and something tells me your giftee will feel the same. Its tilting head allows you to comfortably switch out attachments or adjust your ingredients, while its 10 speeds allow you to achieve a range of consistencies, whether youre looking to manipulate dough, whip cream, grind meat, pull chicken or whisk egg whites to achieve stiff peaks that are chefs kiss.



Promising review: I absolutely LOVE this KitchenAid stand mixer. This is definitely one of my favorite purchases from Amazon. it works amazing and really speeds up my Christmas tradition of making Christmas cookies for the family! This KitchenAid has gotten me through many memorable years of baking cookies. The size is great, the color does not chip, and it has many adjustable speeds for mixing. I love it so much!  Stephanie

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$279 at Amazon (regularly $400)

$280 at Target (regularly $400)

A magnetic meat thermometer for ultimate food safety and convenience

If the foodie in your life is a fanatic about proteins and food safety, dont miss the opportunity to stock them up with a meat thermometer. My husband resorts to this one daily for its ability to temp food quickly and accurately for a perfect cook each time. Most importantly, its got a magnetic backing that allows it to stick securely on the fridge, so its always ready to use without getting lost in the clutter of a utensil drawer.



Promising review: This is such a great item that I have purchased several for gifts. It works great cooking inside the home or outside BBQ-ing. Gone are those round metal thermometers that you had to insert and hope the display needles showed an accurate reading. The temperature window has a back light so it is easily readable. The probe folds down neatly into the case and is easy to clean. It has a magnet feature as well, so you can keep it conveniently on your refrigerator if you desire. Such a good price for a handy useful product.  CA Amazonlvr

$17 at Amazon

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$18 at Target

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Global Times: Foreign media reported that the U.S.s large-scale arms sales to Taiwan announced yesterday were to assist Taiwan in maintaining sufficient self-defence capabilities, commensurate with the threat it faces. What is Chinas comment?

Guo Jiakun: Weve stated Chinas serious position on this issue yesterday. The U.S.s massive arms sales to Chinas Taiwan region grossly interfere in Chinas internal affairs, undermine Chinas sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, disrupt peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and send a seriously wrong message to Taiwan independence separatist forces and others. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and has immediately lodged serious protests with the U.S. side.

Let me stress that Chinas core interests must not be eroded, the Taiwan question must not be interfered in, and Chinas bottom line must not be crossed. Taiwan independence and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Any move of arming Taiwan will face serious consequences. The real threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the separatist activities of the Lai Ching-te authorities and external interference. The so-called assistance in response to threat to Taiwan will only embolden Taiwan independence separatists, put the people in Taiwan on a powder keg, push the Taiwan Strait towards danger, and inevitably increase the risk of China-U.S. conflict and confrontation.

No one or force should underestimate the strong will and capability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. No matter how many advanced weapons are sold to Taiwan, this will not reverse the inevitability towards Chinas reunification. China will take all measures necessary to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, act on the serious commitments made by U.S. leaders, stop the dangerous move of arming Taiwan, stop disrupting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and stop sending wrong messages to Taiwan independence separatist forces.

AFP: TikTok said yesterday it has signed a joint venture deal with investors that would allow the company to maintain operations in the United States and avoid a ban due to its Chinese ownership. This is according to multiple U.S. media reports. Does the Chinese government approve of this deal and does the Foreign Ministry have comment?

Guo Jiakun: Id refer you to competent authorities for anything specific. Chinas position on TikTok is consistent and clear.

Reuters: China has sent a special envoy to Cambodia and Thailand as a mediator. Has the discovery of Chinese-made weapons in Cambodia by Thailand complicated this shuttle diplomacy and has Chinas position in the peace mediation process been undermined by the discovery?

Guo Jiakun: Weve previously made a response to that. Thailand also made a clarification.

As a close neighbor and friend of Cambodia and Thailand, China closely follows the border situation between the two countries. We do not want to see the fighting and are deeply saddened by the civilian casualties on both sides caused by the conflict. China has been actively shuttling between the two sides to promote peace in light of their will and creating conditions and providing platforms for their dialogue. Foreign Minister Wang Yi yesterday talked to Cambodian foreign minister and Thai foreign minister over the phone, and the Chinese Foreign Ministrys Special Envoy for Asian Affairs has embarked on another shuttle-diplomacy trip to Cambodia and Thailand in an effort to bridge the two sides to realize a ceasefire and rebuild peace at an early date. We call on the two sides to bear in mind peace and stability along the border as well as the interests of the two peoples, and stop the fighting at an early date. China will continue to do what it can to promote talks for peace, bridge the two sides, and play a constructive role through its own way to rebuild mutual trust between Cambodia and Thailand.

CCTV: On December 19, Beijing time, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 was signed into law which contains negative content on China. What is Chinas comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 plays up the China threat narrative, interferes in Chinas domestic affairs, and undermines Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this and has lodged serious protests with the U.S. side.

China urges the U.S. to view Chinas development and China-U.S. relations in an objective and rational way, work with China in the same direction, jointly deliver on the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in Busan, not implement the negative articles concerning China in the Act, and undo the negative influence. If the U.S. keeps refusing to change course, China will be firmly resolved in taking strong measures to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Bloomberg: A senior government official who advises Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi on security expressed a personal opinion that Japan should have nuclear weapons, according to local media reports. Were wondering if the Foreign Ministry has any comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: China is closely following the report. If thats true, it will be a serious issue that exposes the dangerous attempts by some in Japan to breach international law and possess nuclear weapons. China and the rest of the international community must stay on high alert and express grave concern.

For some time, weve been witnessing erroneous remarks and moves from the Japanese side on military and security issues, who revamped security and defense policies, removed the ban on exercising the right to collective self-defense, and attempted to once again acquire nuclear weapons from allies through strengthening cooperation on extended deterrence, seeking nuclear sharing, revising the three non-nuclear principles and other means. Right-wing conservative forces in Japan are floating the idea of owning nuclear weaponsanother case in point of their inflated ambition to revive militarism, break free from international order and speed up re-militarization.

Trying to picture itself as the advocate of a world free of nuclear weapons, Japan has claimed in its own narrative to be the victim of nuclear weapons in WWII. However, in fact the Japanese side has never completely reflected on the wars of aggression it has waged, and has become the source of instability that challenges the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. The international community must be clear-eyed about Japans hypocritical stance on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Recently, political parties, political figures and civil groups and agencies in Japan have called for the countrys commitment to the three non-nuclear principles, in order to prevent the tragedy of war from repeating itself. 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. The Japanese side must deeply reflect on its historical crimes, abide by international law and Japans Constitution, stop finding excuses to expand military buildup, and stop testing the bottom line and red line of international justice on the issue of owning nuclear weapons.

PTI: Reports yesterday said that China started issuing the new licenses for the rare earth metals previously halted. This issue figured very prominently in the recent consultation talks between the foreign ministry officials of both countries. Is China now resuming or has resumed the rare earth exports to India, considering that now you started issuing licenses?

Guo Jiakun: Id refer you to competent authorities for anything specific. Wed like to stress that given the dual use nature of medium and heavy rare earth and related items, exercising export control on the items is in line with international practice and reflects Chinas consistent position of firmly upholding world peace and regional stability and actively participating in international non-proliferation effort. Chinas export control on rare earth-related items in accordance with laws and regulations does not target any specific country. As long as the export is for civilian use and complies with regulations, the Chinese government will approve the application in a timely manner. China stands ready to step up dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries and regions to jointly keep the global industrial and supply chains stable.

Peoples Daily: The World Heritage Committee (WHC) of UNESCO recently released the first conservation document on the Sado Island Gold Mines submitted by Japan, which failed to provide the historical context of forced labor from the Korean Peninsula. Japan said it has been engaging in close dialogue with the ROK. The ROK side urged the Japanese side to faithfully implement the WHCs decision, its own commitments and the agreements reached between the governments of Korea and Japan, and said that the ROK will continue to engage in dialogue with the Japanese government. Whats Chinas comment?

Guo Jiakun: The forced recruitment and enslavement of laborers from China, the Korean Peninsula and other Asian countries is a serious crime committed by Japanese militarism during its foreign aggression and colonial rule. The Japanese side needs to face up to and repent for history. Issues left over from history must be properly handled with an honest and responsible attitude, and only with concrete actions can Japan earn trust from its Asian neighbors and the international community.

PTI: Reports say that in the last few days, several media offices have been attacked and the situation in Bangladesh is increasingly getting worse ahead of the February elections. Does China have any comment on this?

Guo Jiakun: China noted that Bangladesh has announced it will hold parliamentary elections on February 12, 2026. China wishes Bangladesh safe, stable and smooth elections and believes that various sectors of Bangladesh will properly advance important political agendas and uphold national solidarity and stability.

Nippon TV: Part of senators of the United States have submitted a resolution which is expressing support for Japan and on the other hand criticizing Chinas economic and military pressure towards Japan. Does the Ministry have any reaction to this?

Guo Jiakun: To safeguard the outcomes of WWII victory and defend the post-war international order is the common responsibility of the international community, including China and the U.S. Justice lies in everyones heart. It needs to be stressed that after Prime Minister Takaichi made the erroneous remarks, there has been indignation from the Chinese people as well as objective and rational opposition and criticism from Japan, U.S. strategists and international commentators. What the Japanese side should do is to listen to these calls and do soul-searching rather than persuade other countries into believing their groundless explanations and shift the responsibility and seek endorsement. We once again urge the Japanese side to sincerely repent for and correct its wrongdoings, retract Prime Minister Takaichis erroneous remarks as it should, fully and accurately articulate its political commitments made on the Taiwan question in the four political documents between China and Japan, and fulfill its obligations as a defeated country stipulated in documents with full effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.

Beijing Daily: We noted that recently, Japanese politicians, academics, non-governmental organizations and civil groups criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis erroneous remarks and moves on Taiwan and a string of dangerous signals of military buildup sent by the Japanese government. They called on the government to retract Prime Minister Takaichis remarks. Whats your comment?

Guo Jiakun: We noted these voices. Prime Minister Takaichis erroneous remarks on Taiwan made on November 7 and Japans recent moves to remilitarize have been met with vigilance and opposition from the neighboring countries. More and more Japanese political dignitaries and people have expressed their objection. A senior Diet member said that in history, there have been innumerable examples of politicians stoking external crisis which triggered peoples indignation and evolved into real survival-threatening situation. As a result, people paid a huge price. Recently, when questioning Prime Minister Takaichi at the Diet, a member stressed that children should never be sent to the battlefield or get involved in warfare. Takakage Fujita, the secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, said that recent remarks by Takaichi point Japan towards a dangerous direction of the pre-emptive use of military force, and Japan must not permit any political faction to steer the nation back towards the path of war. According to some Japanese media, there is no guarantee that what Prime Minister Takaichi did will not put Japan on a course of fascism once chosen by militarists.

Eighty years ago, the Japanese people, offered an empty promise of victory in the war, paid a heavy price for the complete failure. The history and reality show that returning to militarism will only lead a country astray to a dead end. To make a clean break with militarism and embrace the path of peaceful development is an important prerequisite for Japan to get the trust and understanding of the international community, especially its Asian neighbors, and is the right choice that meets the fundamental interests of the Japanese people.
BEAVERTON, Ore., Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Touchmark is pleased to announce the expansion of its Texas footprint with the acquisition of The Hacienda at Georgetown, now known as Touchmark at Georgetown. Located just minutes from Sun City, Texas, one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing active-adult hubs, and less than an hour north of Austin, the retirement community officially joined the Touchmark family on December 17.

Located near Sun City, Touchmark at Georgetown provides full-service retirement living designed for active adults planning ahead while remaining connected to their community and lifestyle.

Touchmark at Georgetown offers full-service retirement living with a range of amenities, wellness offerings, and life-enrichment opportunities. Its close proximity to Sun City positions Touchmark as a natural next step for active adults seeking future-ready living options while remaining connected to the community, lifestyle, and region they know well. As part of the transition, Touchmark will retain existing team members, and Annika DiNovi will continue leading the community as Executive Director.

For more than 45 years, Touchmark has built and operated full-service retirement communities where residents feel known, supported, and valued. As a 100% employee-owned and operated organization with no outside or Wall Street investors, Touchmark makes decisions guided solely by what best serves its residents and team members. With this addition, Touchmark now operates 16 full-service retirement communities across the United States and Canada, including one in McKinney, Texas  Touchmark at Emerald Lake  offering a continuum of services such as independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

"Welcoming this community into the Touchmark family is an exciting moment for us and an important step as we continue expanding our footprint in Texas," says Marcus Breuer, CEO of Touchmark. "Touchmark at Georgetown is well positioned to serve active adults who want to remain close to the area they love while gaining access to a full continuum of care, exceptional hospitality, and lifestyle support and enrichment. Our commitment is to provide a warm, vibrant environment where residents and team members feel known, supported, and celebrated."

Residents at Touchmark at Georgetown will benefit from access to the company's signature wellness and lifestyle programs, along with expanded resources, training, and operational support for team members. Over the coming months, Touchmark will work closely with residents, families, and team members to ensure a seamless transition and thoughtfully enhanced offerings across the campus.

"Joining the Touchmark organization strengthens our ability to serve residents with the highest standards of care and hospitality," says Executive Director Annika DiNovi. "I am grateful our team members have been welcomed into the Touchmark family, and I look forward to the opportunities this partnership will bring for our residents and the greater Sun CityGeorgetown community."

Touchmark at Georgetown is located at 60 Del Webb Boulevard, Georgetown, TX 78633. For additional information or to schedule a tour, visit the Touchmark at Georgetown website or call 512-591-0100.

About Touchmark

Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Touchmark develops, owns, and operates full-service retirement communities that offer a continuum of services including independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Learn more at Touchmark.com .

SOURCE Touchmark
On December 18 and 19, ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone donated food packages to vulnerable Sierra Leoneans and the Sierra Leone Police. Charge d'Affaires a.i. Mr. Zhang Dianbin, Sierra Leonean Minister of Social Welfare Hon. Melrose Karminty, leaders of major religious organizations, and Assistant Inpect General of Sierra Leone Police Mr. John Martin Senesi attended the ceremony.

Mr. Zhang Dianbin extended warm holiday greetings, noting the enduring friendship between China and Sierra Leone. He stated that the Embassy has organized food package donation activities for consecutive years, aiming to assist needy individuals in celebrating the holidays. He also expressed hope that Sierra Leonean individuals and organizations would continue to actively contribute to the cause of China-Sierra Leone friendship.

Minister Karminty and other representatives of the recipient community expressed gratitude for the Embassy's renewed food package initiative. They pledged to further play an active role in fostering people-to-people bonds between China and Sierra Leone, safeguarding the interests of Chinese institutions and citizens in Sierra Leone, and advancing bilateral friendly cooperation to new heights.

Major local media outlets, including Serbia's National Television and Voice of Africa Youth Television, covered the event.




You might not expect that the man who directed three of the four highest-grossing movies in history would spend much time on the defensive. But before the press got their first look at the new Avatar movie, Fire and Ash, James Cameron wanted to clear something up. In a video introduction to early screenings, the most successful director of all time wanted us all to know: Avatar movies are not made by computers.

Its been 16 years since the first Avatar, and untold thousands of words in print and hours of video have been devoted to educating audiences, journalists, and, perhaps most critically, Oscar voters, about the process behind the movies. And yet Cameron and his actors are still at pains to underline the nature of their contributions. I can imagine how people would think, Oh, its cartoons,  Kate Winslet, who plays the Navi priestess Ronal, says in the official documentary Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films, in a clip that also appears in that videotaped preamble. But it is really those actors, putting life and blood into every single one of those characters.  Everyones really doing it, more than you could possibly imagine.

With Fire and Ash, Cameron has the added burden of convincing viewers that the movie was made entirely without the use of generative A.I. (The generative part is key, since Camerons movies have employed machine learning techniques for decades.) But his most longstanding gripe is when people confuse the films revolutionary production method with a different kind of film altogether. It drives me nuts when people say, Oh, Sigourney voiced Kiri, he says in the documentary, referring to the teenage alien Sigourney Weaver plays in both The Way of Water and Fire and Ash. On an animated film, you sit at a podium, it takes you a day, maybe two days, to voice a character. Sigourney worked on these movies for 18 months.

A year and a half is a very long shoot for a live-action movie, but its not the longest part of making any of the Avatars. According to Cameron, filming for both The Way of Water and Fire and Ash was mostly complete in the fall of 2020, but it took two years to finish the first and three more for the second, a period during which visual effects artists were creating what, for large chunks of the films, amounts to virtually everything you see on screen. And so, while I dont want to pick a fight with the most powerful person in the movie business, that fact leads us towards a controversial but inescapable conclusion: Avatar is an animated movie.

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The distinction is a particularly sensitive one for the actors. Studios tend to shy away from releasing behind-the-scenes footage of scenes involving large amounts of visual effects, mostly because it tends to make the process look a little bit silly. (Could you stay wrapped up in the latest Marvel movie, for example, if you knew that Tom Hollands Spider-Man suit was actually a hairnet and a beige leotard?) But the Avatar series has graced us with a comparative wealth of material, particularly with Fire and Ash. In what amounts to an illustrated lecture on the performance-capture process, Stephen Lang, who plays the bellicose antagonist Quaritch, says in a featurette released last week that for the earlier movies, Cameron was reluctant to reveal too much, like a magician concealing the technique behind his tricks. The mystery was maintained, the magic preserved, Lang concludes. But the price paid was a lack of understanding and appreciation, a trade-off he admits to finding both wearying and frustrating.

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Its astonishing to watch the footage of Ronal emitting bone-deep wails over the death of a majestic tulkun and learn, via Fire and Water, that Winslets scene partner was a pool noodle zip-tied to a metal grate. Even moments that look entirely practical, like the footage of human tulkun hunters piloting their boats through Pandoras seas, involve some element of digital reality; according to Cameron, not a single shot was filmed on the open ocean. (The director of The Abyss and Titanic may love the deep sea, but hes learned better than to make another movie on it.) So its understandable that Cameron wants those actors to get full credit for their efforts, and for his. In making the Avatar films, he told Fire and Ashs audience, I work as hard with the actors as I have on any live-action film.

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To James Camerons way of thinking, the Avatar movies basically created a new form of cinema, and its true that nothing made before, or even after, the first Avatar feels anything like it. (There have, technically, been other attempts to make movies so extensively reliant on motion capture and virtual environments, but most, like The Polar Express or Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, are so dreadful theyre better off forgotten.) So perhaps they do belong in a category of their own, but right now, that category doesnt exist, and Im not sure its wise or helpful to concede the point, at least without a little soul-searching. Big-budget action movies regularly include shots and even full sequences that are created entirely with digital effects, but theyre still considered live-action because theyre mostly composed of things that exist in the real world. Youre watching a real person drive a real caror at least pretend to drive oneeven if the scenery outside their window might have been shot somewhere else, or never shot at all. Even the Planet of the Apes series shoots its simian actors on physical sets and in real locations. In animated movies, by contrast, nothing youre looking at is real. Thats obvious when youre looking at, say, a mystical K-pop star slicing a glowing sword through a room full of otherworldly demons, but its equally true when youre watching a pride of real-seeming lions prowl across a virtual savannah. Disneys attempt to rebrand a photorealistic mode of digital animation as live-action doesnt obscure a simple fact: Nothing youre looking at ever existed.

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The Avatar series process differs substantially from the way most digital animation is made. But back in the mid-90s, you could have found plenty of people willing to argue that real animation involves drawing by hand, not tinkering with algorithms. And while some consider it insulting to lump performance capture together with the expressive practice of building an animated performance from scratchfine-tuning not just a characters facial expressions but their body language, making innumerable decisions about how natural or exaggerated you want them to be at each momentanimators have often taken their cues from actors physical performances, whether it was tracing over their movement one frame at a time or studying footage of them in the recording booth.

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That is, of course, not the same thing as applying what Cameron has called digital makeup to the faces of Avatars actors. But while Cameron and his actors insist that, as Sam Worthington puts it in Fire and Water, there is not one thing that you see us do that is animated, the production footage tells a different story. When you watch Weaver side-by-side with Kiri or Winslet next to Ronal, they dont line up precisely. The latter character doesnt even look much like the actress who plays her; when I saw The Way of Water, I kept wondering when Kate Winslet was going to show up, until I realized Id already been watching her for several minutes. Thats not to say Winslet doesnt deserve credit for the performance, but it might mean she shares it with the artists who created what we actually see on screen.

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In practical terms, it might not matter much whether we think of Avatar as live action or animation. The Oscars are certainly happy to include it out. Even before the first movie was released, the Academys animation branch rewrote its eligibility rules to deliberately exclude movies like Robert Zemeckis Beowulf, defining an animated movie as one in which movement and characters performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. (It was the same year that Ratatouille was released with an end-credits guarantee that the movie was 100% genuine animation, with no motion capture or any other performance shortcuts involved.) Theyve also taken issue with the interpolated rotoscoping technique used in Richard Linklaters Waking Life and Apollo 10 , the latter of which was initially rejected for relying too heavily on live-action footage.

Where the Oscars are concerned, these arguments have as much to do with protecting existing power structuresand, frankly, jobsas they do with issues of aesthetic purity, which is why the award has often gone to a middling studio movie produced within the Hollywood system rather than a more accomplished one produced outside it. (Am I still mad about Soul beating Wolfwalkers in 2021? Maybe.) And Avatar does present a challenge to those structuresalthough, given their astronomical budgets, theres not much danger of anyone flooding the market with knockoffs.

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But its a challenge to which the industry could stand to rise. Of the highest-grossing movies of 2025, five of the top seven are either animated movies or live-action remakes of them. But the highest by far is one most Americans have never even heard of: Ne Zha 2. The Chinese sequel has already amassed the fifth-highest box-office gross of all timeits only $115,000 shy of Titanicand while its wacky remix of 16th-century mythology can be unabashedly goofy (there is plenty of room for fart jokes), it also features a sense of epic storytelling that feels more like The Lord of the Rings than the soft-edged family fare of most American animation studios. Its not a coincidence that filmmakers such as Cameron and Linklater are pushing the boundaries of what techniques count as animation at they same time theyre expanding the kinds of stories that the medium is allowed to tell. Watching majestic ships sail through the air, held aloft by giant balloons that glow with opalescent light, youre in a world that only the combination of Camerons visionary imagination and the talents of the worlds greatest visual artists could bring to lifeand never once do you think, Oh, its cartoons. If we can convince James Cameron that hes a great animation director, maybe hell admit to being one.
They want my son to die.

That thought has been hovering just below my consciousness for the past year. Wednesday night it surged above the surface. Since Thursday morning, its all I can hear.

My son turned 12 last month. Hes in seventh grade. And hes trans. Yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stood at a microphone and essentially proposed a federal ban on  him. And that wasnt the only attack on my child this week.

I should be used to the terror by now. Were living in Trumps America, and this time around hes been truthful about at least one thing: He intends to soar to autocracy on the backs of the trans communityespecially trans kids. But the last 24 hours have brought a one-two-three punch.

First, the House passed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes parting gift, House Resolution 3942, the Protect Childrens Innocence Act, which would make providing or seeking gender-affirming care for minors a crime; then, the White House unleashed what trans journalist Erin Reed called the single most aggressive attack on transgender healthcare in U.S. history, a proposed rule that would bar Medicaid-dependent hospitals from providing gender-affirming care to minors; and finally, on the flip side of the Medicaid strategy, the House voted to cut coverage for youth gender-affirming care. While the Senate seems unlikelyplease, I think, pleaseto enact a felony ban on gender-affirming health care for trans youth or approve the cuts to Medicaid coverage, the power of the federal purse strings alone is enough. The Hyde Amendmentlike threats to withhold Medicare and Medicaid funds from any hospital which provides such care will force them to stop offering it, and thus eliminate access to it, for the overwhelming majority of trans youth nationwide.

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Only those with the privileges of money, geography, and parental support will be able to continue (or start) receiving puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones from the courageous doctors who dare to treat them outside of hospital systems. (So will cisgender youth who are prescribed those medications for other reasons.) The rest will turn to sympathetic women on hormone-replacement therapy, to the black market of internet forums and gym locker roomsor to despair. Existing disparities will deepen. According to the Trevor Projects 2024 survey, 46 percent of trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered suicide in the past year and 16 percent made an attempt. Studies have repeatedly shown that receiving gender-affirming care can slash that rate by as much as 73 percent. Access to care is among the most protective factors, after having an affirming family and community.

The culture war over trans youth reached a fever pitch in the 2024 election cycle. GOP operatives spent an astounding $222 million on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ advertisingmore than on housing, immigration, and the economy combined. The presidents drumbeat of discriminatory, overreaching executive orders began on Inauguration Day and hasnt stopped. Twenty-five states now outlaw gender-affirming care for youth, up from one (Arkansas) in 2021, with bans under consideration in Montana and New Hampshire, which means half of all trans young people cant access care. House Republicans, as Rep. Sarah McBride put it on Wednesday, think more about trans people than trans people think about trans people, and have already stripped many trans Americans of their livelihoods and health care, particularly those who are incarcerated, federal employees, or in the military.

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My family is fortunate to live in New York, where Attorney General Letitia James and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani have led the charge to defend our trans community, and where last years NY Equal Rights Amendment enshrined trans rights in our state constitution. But their ability to protect trans New Yorkers has significant limitations, hindered further by Governor Kathy Hochuls refusal to sign three bills which would protect recipients and providers of both gender-affirming and reproductive care. Even in a blue state. Even here in what Id consider to be the safest place in the country for trans kids.

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Hence that awful refrain that keeps repeating in my mind. They want my sonand every kid like himto die. In the wake of the suicide of former Middlebury College swimmer Lia Smith, Erin Reed argued, Policies designed to make life unlivable for transgender people bear responsibility too; every trans suicide is a murder by those in power.* Ill take that one step further. By making life for trans youth too difficult to bear, the GOP is hellbent on a genocide by suicide. (With the assistance of a few spineless Democrats and general distancing of the party from the cause.) And you better believe theyll be hunting trans adults before long. Eventually, the reprobates clenching the levers of powerwhether they really believe the vile things they say about trans people or are merely using the issue to whip up voterswill wield them to eliminate all those who stand in opposition to their values.

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If this playbook sounds familiar, Ill give you a one-word hint: abortion. Weve already seen the right overturn Roe v. Wade, seen its disproportionate impact on people of color, those who live in rural areas and red states, the disabled, and those trapped in poverty. This is where the authoritarian leaders of late-stage capitalism want us: bent over, vulnerable, and powerless over our own bodies and lives. Gender-affirming and reproductive care are two sides of the same coin. We need to unite the forces fighting for both in a joint effort to preserve and restore bodily autonomy.

The bodies and minds of children have long been a particular point of contention in American politics. Conservatives have made parental rights a cornerstone of their theocratic agenda. By natural right and moral authority, parents are the primary protectors of their children, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in March. Their think tanks argue that parents rights trump everything, much as radical organizations like Moms for Liberty do when they confront school boards on DEI curricula, vaccine mandates, and fairness in sports. But not all parents. Not parents like me. Why are we the only ones who cant be trusted to make medical decisions in tandem with our childrens doctors? The only ones who arent the experts on our own kids?

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My sons due for his biannual Triptodur injection next month. My immediate response to yesterdays breaking news? I called the specialty pharmacy to place the order. The mere thought of going through estrogen puberty is enough to send his anxiety spiraling. Ive got to protect him from that however I can. For now, for us, that means staying proactive when it comes to his careand panicking each night as I lay in bed. If that changes, I will stop at nothing. If the Senate passes Greenes bill, I will become a felon.

Related From Slate Republicans Have Found a New Kind of U.S. Citizen They Cant Accept Read More

This has been my life since last November; however, its been reality in other parts of the country for years now. Medical providers have been sued. Parents have been accused of abuse and threatened with having their kids removed by protective services. Families have left their homes and communities behind to seek safety and care in more liberal states. As the American Civil Liberties Unions Chase Strangio explained in an announcement that they will sue to block these laws and policies: If they take effect nationwide, there will be no place of domestic refuge. If our family has to flee the only home weve ever knownthe America my German Jewish refugee grandma so proudly claimed and servedwe will leave. Just like she fled Germany. The irony isnt lost on me that we could only do so because Germany restored our citizenship as reparation for the devastation wrought on my ancestors eight decades ago.

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I often ask my kids, Whats my most important job as your parent? To keep us safe and healthy, theyll reply with practiced eyerolls. Simply put, safe and healthy are more palatable metonyms for alive. I conceived them and brought them into existence. Its my fundamental responsibility as a parent to keep them hereand my responsibility as a human to ensure the same for all trans youth, not just my son.

I never imagined Id become a felon. But when gender-affirming care is outlawed, only outlaws will get the care they or their children need. As government persecution of trans people intensifies, its going to be harder and harder for those of us with the most at stake to be the loud ones. So, to the rest of you: Its time to step up.
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By now youve seen them: Karoline Leavitts lips flecked with injection punctures and slathered in gloss too thin for the job, in one of Christopher Andersons fascinatingly unflattering viral images captured for Vanity Fairs story on Trump 2.0. While the consensus on TikTok seems to be that the White House press secretarys injector hates her, the photograph is just the latest, most confronting example of MAGA worlds increasingly compulsory, almost uncanny cosmetic interventions for women, the more obvious the better. Its what Occidental College political scientist Caroline Heldman characterizes as an aesthetics of capitulation, in which, for women like Leavitt, Kristi Noem, and Laura Loomer, it becomes like a badge of honor.

Showing the work is the point. Aesthetics for women in politics have always been fraught, but once upon a time, conservative women commentators could get away with a commitment to a brassy Fox & Friends blond dye job and a crucifix. These days, going full MAGA seems to mean getting a new face too. It means injections. It means work, in every sense of the word.

But first: What, exactly, is going on with 28-year-old Leavitts lips? Its baffling even to experts like Kristy Hamilton, a board-certified plastic surgeon and social media chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The puncture marks, she said, suggest that the photo was taken almost immediately post-injection.

But new filler usually causes more swelling, making the image a little bit of a mystery, said Hamilton, who noted that even the use of more-opaque lipstick would have helped conceal the punctures. Leavitts visible vertical lip lines, she added, also dont align with the typical appearance of fresh filler. That does not look like someone who had lip filler the day prior, other than that it appears to be injection marks, she said. Hamilton floated a theory that perhaps Leavitt had had a very, very conservative touch-up immediately before the shoot, but she noted that this would have been extremely ill advised. (Two dermatologists and a plastic surgeon told a beauty writer at the Cut that they also thought the injections had likely been done very recently, possibly even the day before the photo shoot.)

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Hamiltons response when I asked how a similar last-minute request would be received at her practice? Were not doing it. Normally, she said, lip filler needs four weeks to settle in advance of a special event like a weddingor a Vanity Fair shoot. The goal is for patients to feel beautiful.

But according to Heldman, the extreme cosmetic surgery currently animating the right wings aesthetic plays a different role: You are communicating to the world that you are not just capitulating but embracing these ideas of femininity that have very conservative roots in the sense that theyre about controlling womens bodies and putting a lot of pressure on women to perform femininity in a very specific, narrow, traditionally gendered way, she said.

The strange case of Leavitts filler is an extreme, and perhaps unintentional, example of the sinister parallel between the political party currently limiting the bodily autonomy of women, trans people, and nonbinary people, and the self-regulation of the women tasked with selling that toxic agenda.

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Its the Marjorie Taylor Greene problem: If your political partys MO is to constrain women and gender-nonconforming people across the country, you shouldnt be surprised when you, too, end up on the wrong side of that dynamic. To avoid this fate, it appears that women like Leavitt are wearing their compliance on their faces and bodies. If theres a brutality to this, its because its a reflection of an administration whose calling card is harm, greed, and rising fascismdelivered, as the Vanity Fair shoot reveals, without an ounce of style or self-awareness.

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Although the GOPs cluster of obvious cosmetic interventions might be the most prominent example, Hamilton said, any kind of cosmetic surgery preference can be influenced by group dynamics. You can end up in a little bit of an echo chamber in terms of a certain aesthetic, she said. For some, cosmetic procedures have also become an indicator of financial status. We see people discussing these things as a luxury item, Hamilton said. In the case of women like Noem and Leavitt, it seems a combination of these factors is to blamealong with the pressure to conform to a conservative gender norm.

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Theyre far from alone in succumbing to this pressure: Theres a long history of heightened, compulsory beauty work on the American religious right, and among conservative communities more broadly, which could be why Salt Lake City has the second-highest number of plastic surgeons per capita among American citiesafter only Miami, naturally. According to the Utah Women and Leadership Project at Utah State University, the Mormon churchs emphasis on marriage and motherhood could be a contributing factor to this outsized demand for cosmetic procedures, since these norms give women the impression that physical beauty is the key to social success.

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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, with its constant references to Botox and body enhancements, is a compelling reflection of this dynamic, although, in the case of MomTok, attaining ever-greater physical beauty is rolled into professional success more than the pursuit of marriage; many of the women on the show are divorced or in tense romantic partnerships, but all have lucrative careers as influencers. Its telling that Jessi Draper, the only MomTokker with a job outside social media, owns a salon.

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Though its more extreme in these spaces, the rise of cosmetic procedures isnt just a right-wing phenomenon: Getting work done has become normalized in the years since early COVID, and more and more people are talking openly about it. With the advent of Zoom, we all know too much about our own faces. And with every swipe across another short-form video featuring a filtered and fillered TikTokker, its easy to understand the allure of purchasing beauty.

Related From Slate Kimberly Guilfoyles Uniquely MAGA Humiliation Is Complete Read More

But the rights fascination with body modification belies something more insidious than the mere desire for beauty, which is ordinary and human and, as long as it doesnt tip into addiction or reinforce body dysmorphia, can be a healthy form of self-expression. To the contrary, I think this performative plastic surgery is a way to signal your conformity to the traditional gender binary during a time when it is perceived to be under threat, said Heldman. Were in a moment of cultural backlash, and some of us are wearing it on our faces.

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The emphasis on beauty work for women like Leavitt, then, reflects a deep discomfort with an ongoing fracture of gender norms. The rights radical, surgical insistence on the gender binary is a transparent effort to cling to a crumbling foundation, though its no less damaging for being one. This, after all, is the same set of principles propelling attempts to erase through policy and language the existence of people outside the gender binary, to set the conditions to gut access to abortion nationwide, and to peddle a policy agenda that demonizes birth control and fabricates a crisis of childlessness while ignoring truly dire public health concerns, all in the name of an idea of gender thats increasingly out of step with mainstream values and scientific reality.

If gender were so simple and clearly defined, said Heldman, then you wouldnt need to police it, and you wouldnt need to get plastic surgery or work out at the gym to conform to it.

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So, in the end, its not really about Karoline Leavitts filler at all, if thats what caused the punctures in her lips. Its about the worldview her aesthetic choices reflect and the harm that worldview is actively causing to marginalized people across the nation, making our country a little bit worse and a little bit more cruel and a little bit more unserious with every passing day.

Thats the real power of the photographs Anderson took. For once, Leavitt and her cronies were caught in the act of their greed-based political project, complete with unflattering makeup, rumpled clothing, exposed outlets, deflated posture, and a crumpled American-flag blanketa banal, slapdash Death of Stalinstyle portrait that would be almost funny if it werent so deeply tragic. It looks ugly because it is.
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Its hard to put numbers behind what feels like a rise in antisemitism in American political discourse. But people are trying. Back in 2024, a Democratic pollster named David Shor released some polling data from more than 100,000 voters. He said he found that a quarter of those younger than 25 held an unfavorable opinion of Jewish people. That sentiment plummeted with age, but Isaac Saul has started to wonder if this is a warningespecially because of how younger people are getting their information online and from far-right influencers.

I think what people miss is just how ubiquitous it is, says Saul, who writes the Tangle newsletter and is Jewish. Everybody talks about Nick Fuentes or Candace Owens and theyre the superstars, but there are dozens, hundreds of other people who are smaller that still have bigger platforms than me.

On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Saul about why antisemitism is everywhere and how to confront it. This transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: How worried are you about antisemitism right now? From a scale of 1 to 10?

Isaac Saul: I would say pretty worried. And its changed pretty seriously. If you asked me this question three years ago, I would have said 3. I was somebody who laughed at and mocked my mom or grandmother for seeing antisemitism everywhere. I was always telling them Nobody cares about the Jews anymore. But then I started to experience it.

I would get soft antisemitism, like people making Jew jokes or stuff that I could laugh at. And now Im experiencing stuff that I dont think is funny.

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Were speaking this week of this attack at Bondi Beach in Australia. Im curious if you put these fears together, the fear of an attack and the fear about what youre talking about now, which is more of a creeping rhetorical antisemitism that seems to be on both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. And what Im so concerned about in this moment is something almost gentler, a creeping sense, especially among young people, that something is off with Jews or Judaism. What do you think?

I cant get over just how ridiculous it feels that were having this conversation in 2025. I do think that thats a smart distinction. But I also lend some credence to the view that has been expressed by some Jews and Zionists after this attack that this is why chanting Globalize the intifada sends a chill up some peoples spine. When I see college students doing that at Columbias campus, I dont think theyre going to shoot up a beach in Australia. But its also true that what just happened in Bondi Beach is, to many people, what globalizing the intifada looks like. This is why a lot of Jews want to nip that rhetoric in the bud. They want to hear Zohran Mamdani condemn it. They seek that because they fear this. And it justifies the fear for a lot of them, and I dont blame them for feeling justified.

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You have drawn a line between true believers in antisemitic beliefs and Gen Z converts. Can you just tell me more about what that line is?

There are actual 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22-year-old kids who are asking, Why are there so many Jews in finance? I dont get it. And nobodys answering the question, which theres an actual sensible answer to that question, so then theyre going to fill the gaps with the answers that theyre getting on YouTube. If theyre not allowed to ask that question in school, if theyre not allowed to ask that question to their parents, if they are not to ask that question to Jewish friends, then they are going to go ask it on Reddit, or 4chan. And theyre going to get a very different answer than they would have gotten from a Judaic studies teacher at their college.

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If thats not something you can raise your hand and ask in a college classroomwhich it is not, it is a very taboo thing to saythen youre not going to do it, and youre going to turn to the other sources that kids use to get information these days. Theres a really good argument for making that kind of stuff a little bit less taboo so we can fill in those gaps for people.

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For centuries, Jews were considered less than, and Christians were prohibited from doing things like money lending because that was viewed as an immoral job. So they gave it to the Jews, and because they were second-class citizens, that was the only job available to them, because they couldnt own land, and they werent allowed to be part of trade networks. They started making money, and it turned out being a money lender was actually a pretty good profession. Thats the actual story, which makes total sense, which you can explain to somebody, but only if theyre allowed to probe it and hear it.

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But I think some people would say, Once you say, Yes, but,  youre letting the bad idea in. People may not listen, right?

We have to stop acting like we have something to hide. Thats my point. Somebody says, Six percent of Congress is Jewish. Were only 2 percent of the population. Go us, we did it! And if youre asking me for an explanation, I can give you an explanation thats about the history of education in the Jewish community. The great Jewish diaspora required us to be really literate so we could keep studying our religious texts while not having a synagogue that we could go to because all you guys bombed and burned them and committed a bunch of pogroms and ran us off. There is a historical explanation for why Jews have high literacy rates or are going to school and university at high rates in the mid-19th century.

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Theres an interesting moment in your writing where you basically say, It was always going to come to this. You essentially make the argument that no matter what happens, there is this durability to antisemitic beliefs. And there are so many things that even in the current moment are being blamed on Jewish people.

You can think about that in a couple ways. You can think of it as like, OK, it was always going to happen. Thats really depressing. Or, Weve always known that this is going to be on all of us to keep explaining why this is wrong. What do you think?

I really reject the framework that Jews shouldnt have to do the work. Its part of the anti-racist framework too, that Black people shouldnt have to do the work, and they need white allies. Theres always been something a little bit problematic with that. Yes, they need allies, but also the people who need to hear it the most often need to hear it from the people that they think they hate the most.

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It is literally what all the evidence suggests. If you go look at how deradicalization groups work, how people get pulled out of being in neo-Nazism or white nationalist groups, almost every single one of these guys has stories along the lines of how they had a Jewish boss who was really nice to them when their mother died.

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We dont really have the choice. The option is we sit back and let it be whatever, or we say, Actually, were going to be part of the solution. Were going to fight the rising tide. And some of thats going to be killing them with kindness. Some of that is going to be aggressively trying to defend against misinformation and nonsense and conspiracies. And some of that is just by being a good person in your existence as somebody who is part of the ethnicity.

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I think its hard to do all that when youre scared. And I think a lot of American Jews are scared right now. What would you say to them?

First of all, I would say we are the majoritynot the literal Jews, but the good people. We are the majority. I know it doesnt feel that way, but were the ones who actually have the strength in numbers. This isnt the normie thing to view this stuff this way, to hate Jews. The average person you meet on the street, the odds of them being a Jew hater are not better than them liking Jews. Exist in the world with that confidence.

And fear is not a productive feeling to embrace and swim in. Im not a particularly brave person, but I dont think youd have to be brave to walk around with this mentality. You just have to have the confidence that we dont have anything to hide. We have a history and a story about our people that we know, that we can learn, that we tell, that we can communicate, that there are more good people out there than bad people.

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When I put on a yarmulke and go to Shabbat services, and Im walking a mile to my synagogue in Philadelphia, Im not thinking about, Oh my God, I hope nobody sees me in my yarmulke and they do something terrible to me. Im thinking, Im a Jew whos representing as a Jew. And Im representing all Jews walking down the street right now, so I better be a good fucking person. I smile at people, and I say hi. I am an ambassador for my people right now in this little neighborhood in South Philly, where maybe theres a bunch of antisemitesprobably not, but if I run into one tonight on accident and I am really nice to him, maybe it will have an impact on his worldview. I think that is a more empowering, productive, helpful way to live your life than just looking around for ghosts at every corner and being scared of whats going to happen to you next.
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In the past year, a short video was pinned to the social media feed of Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, of Sydney. In that video, filmed last Hanukkah, Schlanger steps out of his home, smiling, announcing: Heres the best response to combat antisemitism! As a songJust a Little Bit of Lightplays, he lifts a large menorah from his car, fastens it onto the roof, lights it, and dances beside it, out in the street. It is a moment of joy, confidence, and trust in the idea that anyone facing bigotry can bring their full self into the public square. This year, at a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach, Schlanger was murdered together with another 14 Jews who had assembled to publicly celebrate the holiday.

Schlangers video and his killing point to a question that reaches beyond the Jewish community: Who is able to bring their full identity into public civic life, and what does that say about the society in which we live?

For minority groupsreligious, ethnic, racialpublic visibility is not merely expressive. It is a measure of belonging. The ability to appear as oneself in shared civic spaces signals confidence that ones neighbors see that expressed identity as legitimate, accepted, and safe. When visibility becomes dangerous, it is not simply an indication that the minority community is at risk. Its a sign that the social contract itself has begun to fray.

This is not a theoretical or faraway concern for Americans. As Yair Rosenberg reported in the Atlantic this month, recent surveys show that the generation now coming of age in the United States reflects levels of hostility toward Jews unmatched in any other recent generation. In a 2024 survey of nearly 130,000 Americans, one-quarter of voters under 25 reported an unfavorable opinion of Jewish peoplewith negligible differences between left and right. The Yale Youth Poll found an identical pattern: Younger respondents were dramatically more likely to say that Jews have too much power or a negative impact on the country.

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Across polls, the same curve appears again and againage, not ideology, is now the strongest predictor of anti-Jewish sentiment. This is not about fringe extremists. It is about the cohort that will shape campuses, media, technology, politics, and public norms in the coming decades. By default, then, this is the cohort that determines Jewish safety in public spaces. Notably, the killers at Bondi Beach were a 24-year-old man and his father.

This all matters because public space is not neutral. It is built and maintained by the people who inhabit it. If younger Americans increasingly view all Jews with suspicion, then the simple act embodied in Schlangers videoa Jew standing visibly and joyfully as a Jewwill become harder, not easier, to express in the next generation. His murder forces us to confront the dangers Jews face today, not just in Australia but in the shifting American landscape that now forces us to ask who will feel safe tomorrow.

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Jews have been grappling with the relationship between visibility and belonging for generations. In 1978 Rabbi Joseph Glaser, a Reform leader, argued that Jewish rituals should remain confined to private property. Public space, he insisted, should be religiously neutrala buffer protecting minorities from majoritarian dominance. His approach reflected an era in which safety seemed to lie in discretion.

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The Chabad movement, of which Schlanger was a part, came to wider prominence in Judaism under the leadership of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in the last half of the 20th century and argued the precise opposite: Jews should not disappear themselves, and public religious expression strengthened both Jewish identity and Americas pluralistic character. A menorah in the public square was not a breach of neutrality but a sign that the country belonged equally to all.

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These were not theological disagreements. They were different assessments of a democratic societys capacity to welcome difference. Glasers caution and Schneersons confidence each assumed something radically different about the U.S.: its norms, its protections, its willingness to embrace or merely tolerate Jewish presence.

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Neither view alone determines whether Jews feel safe in public. That depends on society.

Minority visibility is not a minority decision. It is a majoritarian responsibility.

When Jews can gather openly, when they can sing and celebrate without fear, it signals that the countrys commitmentsto equality, pluralism, and mutual careare holding. When they cannot do so, it indicates the oppositeand not just for one group alone.

Related From Slate People Are Taking the Wrong Lesson From This Weekends Dual Massacres Read More

Only one year ago, Schlanger believed he could answer hatred with light. He believed that public joy was not only permissible but meaningful. His belief did not fail. Society failed him. And that failure raises broader questions: Who gets to feel safe while visible? Whose identities are treated as unexceptional in public life? Which communities must negotiate their presence as a risk?

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These questions become even more pressing when set against the growing antisemitism among young Americans. It is tempting to read these trends as destiny, but they are not. Prejudice is not merely a matter of sentiment; it is shaped by the norms that a society chooses to reinforce or neglect. These shifts do not simply describe a generational changethey pose a civic challenge. If belonging in public space can erode, it can also be rebuilt. The responsibility lies not only in confronting hatred, but in strengthening the democratic norms that make visibility safe in the first place.

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A healthy democracy does not ask its minorities to calculate whether they can appear as themselves in shared spaces without risking their safety, or even their lives. It does not demand that visibility be balanced against survival. When that comes into question, it signals that something deeper is unsettled: that the norms meant to protect the vulnerable have weakened, and that belonging itself has become conditional.

The burden of ensuring Jewish safetyor in fact the safety of any minorityshould never fall on the minority alone. It belongs to all of us. History has taught Jews to protect themselves when others wont. But the real measure of a society is whether it makes that instinct unnecessary.

Schlangers final message remains clear: People flourish when they are able to stand fully as themselves. The question his murder forces upon us is whether the countries Jews call home will choose to affirm or deny that possibility.
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A Wisconsin jury found state court Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of obstructing federal immigration enforcement on Thursday, delivering a victory to the Trump administrations crusade against anyoneeven judicial officerswho attempt to impede its mass deportation campaign. Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, helped a noncitizen evade ICE agents at the state courthouse by instructing him to exit the courtroom through a specific door. Agents apprehended him anyway, and prosecutors promptly charged Dugan with obstruction, a felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

On this weeks Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed the jurys verdict, and the dissonance of a legal regime in which the president can break the law with impunity while a judge faces prison for impeding an immigration arrest inside her own courtroom. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Dahlia Lithwick: Judge Dugan allegedly pointed an undocumented immigrant to a side door in her courtroom to evade ICE agents. And now she has been found guilty of a felony offense. This verdict is so depressing in so many ways. Can we count them?

Mark Joseph Stern: We are living in a world in which the Supreme Court has granted sweeping criminal immunity to presidentsspecifically, to Donald Trumpfor actions that they take that fall anywhere within the outer perimeter of their official responsibilities. SCOTUS simply made that rule up in Trump v. United States. Yet there is a real doctrine of judicial immunity that has deep roots in American law. It provides an absolute shield against prosecution of judges for all actions taken in their official capacity. That has long been understood to include how judges direct activities within their courtrooms. Now, remember what Dugan allegedly did: She directed a criminal defendant in her courtroom to leave through a certain door so ICE would not arrest him, thereby preventing her from continuing to adjudicate his case. The Trump administration argued that Dugan should not receive judicial immunity for this act. And U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman agreed, paving the way for Thursdays guilty verdict.

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The idea that a judge cant claim judicial immunity for the act of telling someone to leave through a certain door in her courtroom strikes me as absurd. Set aside professional penalties. How in the world can a judge face criminal prosecution for this conduct after Trump v. United States? The Supreme Court has now granted the president absolute immunity for ordering a sham investigation into a free and fair election in order to nullify valid votes and overturn the results. But Dugan can be prosecuted for this? I just cant square those things.

Im not saying that what Dugan did was unquestionably right or good. I am saying that when a judge in her robes, in her own courtroom, tells someone who is going to appear at her hearing to leave through a particular door, she is surely acting within the outer perimeter of her official duties. Certainly much more so than Trump was acting within the outer perimeter of his official duties when he attempted to secure himself another term by overturning the results of an election.

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I think youre making a subtle argument and its worth landing on it really squarely. Its one thing to confer maximalist, seemingly boundless authority on the executive branch and on the president that, by definition, circumscribes the judicial role. But to aggressively chip away, cut away, minimize, and cabin the powers of the judiciary at the same time? Thats really salt in the wound, and a threat to an independent judiciary.

Lets be clear: This is an effort to chill the conduct of judges, especially state court judges, who believe they should decide the case before them without worrying that ICE agents are going to ambush plaintiffs or defendants or witnesses and thwart their effort to carry out justice. That is what happened here. That is what is happening in many states around the country. Some, like New York, have tried to block ICE agents from going into state courthouses. This was Judge Dugan doing much the same thing; trying to contend with the fact that ICE was about to arrest someone who was due to appear before her.

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I think the verdict shows a real failure of the jury to understand how vindictive and partisan this prosecution was, and to see the deeper issues lurking here. Its awful that the U.S. attorney brought this case in the first place. I think the prosecutors who worked on this case should be ashamed of themselves. I guess my one consolation is that Judge Adelman is known to be a very lenient sentencer. If Dugans conviction is upheld on appeal, I think its unlikely that hell give her any term of confinement behind bars. She has no criminal record and there are no other factors that would call for a higher sentence. Adelman might impose house arrest, but probation seems more likely.
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(HedgeCo.Net) The hedge fund world is known for fierce competition and shifting fortunes  and todays data shows that Viking Global is lagging its Tiger Cub peers in 2025 performance, even as tech-led market rallies boost others. Business Insider

? Performance Breakdown

In its first full year without longtime investing leader Ning Jin, Vikings flagship fund posted a modest 5.8% gain  trailing the S&P 500s ~16% and attracting industry scrutiny. Business Insider

Meanwhile:

Maverick Capital : ~23%+

: ~23%+ D1 Capital : ~28%+

: ~28%+ Coatue: 13%+

These Tiger Cub affiliates, spun out from Tiger Managements lineage, have thrived on tech-heavy portfolios aligned with the AI and growth narratives driving public markets. Business Insider

? Leadership and Strategy Shifts

Justin Walsh, Vikings new CIO, has steered a more diversified investment portfolio focused on financials and short positions  a strategy that protected capital in earlier downturns but lagged during the years tech surge. Business Insider

This divergence offers a stark lesson on style drift and timing in hedge fund performance. Diversification is valuable, but missing major sector rallies can materially affect relative returns.

? Broader Hedge Fund Trends

As macro drivers continue to oscillate between AI-led tech growth and broader equity market momentum, hedge fund strategies are adapting:

Macro funds are capitalizing on rate, currencies, and global economic shifts.

Quant strategies harness machine learning and algorithmic signals to capture real-time alpha.

Activist funds are targeting strategic restructurings (similar to Ackmans insurance play).

Performance dispersion among major hedge fund groups illustrates how tactical positioning matters more than ever in an era of rapid technological adoption.
The Standardbred breed has always been known for its stamina and durability, and in no place will this trait be more evident than on Saturday, Dec. 20 during Cumberland Raceways fifth annual Au Revoir retirement ceremonies.

Twelve 14-year-old harness horses with Maine connections will be recognized for their racing achievements, as well as their longevity during the all-day presentations. Prior to the 10:55 a.m. post time of the first race, the first retired horse named Air Force Grad, a gray fan favourite and barn pet of Cumberlands outrider Sherry Cushing, will be ridden to the winners circle to kick off the exhibitions.

All of the horses connections will receive a couple of commemorative programs complete with photos and bios, as well as a custom-made plaque with the horses name and images proudly displayed.

In addition to the aforementioned Air Force Grad, the other retirees are: Archetto Hanover, Bali, Dancin Hill, Diabando, Frankandjoanne, Mr Bo Diddley, One Swan For All, Pembroke Scorpio, Royal Reception, Skyful Of Lighters and Warrawee Preferred. All horses will parade in front of the stands, individually and sequentially, before the first seven races on the program.

Among the group, whose combined earnings exceed $3.5 million with an average of more than $292,000, there are a few horses with distinctions worth noting.

Archetto Hanover may be the Standardbred who has competed at more extended pari-mutuel tracks (26) than any other horse in recent history, noted Derick Giwner, editor of DRF Harness. The son of Bettors Delight is also the richest ($593,169) and has the most starts (421) of any other horse being feted.

Local trotting war-horse Warrawee Preferred has the distinction of the highest win percentage (22 per cent) and is tied with pacer Bali as having the most wins (68).

Dancin Hill is the groups fastest pacer at 1:50.1 and Lisa Watsons One Swan For All is the swiftest trotter with a mark of 1:54.1.

Overall, the group has been behind the starting car an impressive 3,501 times, with an average of 292 starts per retiree.

The lone starter on the day will be Pembroke Scorpio who is listed as 6-1 on the morning line in the fifth race with Andy Harrington driving for owner-trainer Patricia Sumner. She stated, I can say without hesitation hes brought a happy smile to me for a long time, hes part of me and he deserves the best of everything in his retirement.

A life-long resident of Maine, his prior name was Scorpio Seelster, but was purchased as a yearling by Bill Varney and re-named Pembroke Scorpio. Then he was sold to Ken Underhill and Heath Campbell, then passed to Valerie Grondin, and then ended up in the barn with the Sumners.

There is yet another retiree that will have to wait another few days before he can officially call it quits. Mr Bo Diddly, owned by Adalberto Silva and Courtney Pitts, was in-to-go on Friday, Dec. 19 but that card was postponed to Monday, Dec. 22 due to high winds in the region. He scores from post five with Aaron Hall in the opener and has been listed as 4-1 on the morning line.

Aside from the Au Revoir ceremonies, Cumberland also hosts several Winter Pop-Up Series finals this weekend. The $10,000 USD Prancer final and two consolations ($5,000 USD Cupid and $6,000 USD Comet) go postward on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Sundays card features the $12,500 USD Blitzen final, two $10,000 USD finals of the Comet and Dasher, and the $7,500 USD Cupid Pop-Up Series final.

Mandatory payouts originally scheduled for Sunday will now be must pays on the original Friday (Dec. 19) card postponed to Monday (Dec. 22). First post time remains 10:55 a.m.

(First Tracks Cumberland)
A new high-tech system puts out fires using sound waves. It may seem like magic but it's not - it's science.

This revolutionary technology from Sonic Fire Tech could help protect homes in high fire-danger zones.

So how does it work? The sound waves break up the chemical reaction that's fueling that fire. Sonic Fire Tech believe this is the future of home hardening.

"In the fires, we recognize we can't depend on the utilities, we can't depend on water or power being available. so the system needs to run efficiently, run on back-up battery, and run continuously for not just a period of minutes, but days, as we saw those fires burning homes down days after the event. The home should protect itself," said Remington Hotchkis, the chief commercialization officer at Sonic Fire Tech.

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Eyewitness News covered a recent Sonic Fire Tech demonstration in Pacific Palisades, where two products were on display for fire victims rebuilding, architects and local firefighters.

In one demonstration, a tree was lit on fire. A few seconds later, a firefighter wearing a backpack that sends out sound waves you can't hear was seen putting the flames out.

Besides the backpack, Sonic Fire Tech's main product looks like a gutter system around the roof of a home and was designed by former NASA engineers. The technology causes embers to bounce off a home rather than set it on fire.

But what if you're dealing with hurricane force winds like we saw in the Palisades and Eaton fires?

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"Our system will autonomously be able to pick up the wind, calculate the ratio of suppression velocity, and then put that energy against it," said Hotchkis.

The Sonic Home Defense System creates a 30-foot non-ignition zone around a home, where fire can't exist because the sound waves cause the oxygen to vibrate - the oxygen which the fire needs to survive.

"It's genius. It's technology. It's brilliant. It's science. I love the idea," said Jill Smith, a Palisades Fire victim. "We're doing everything we can to harden our home. We're gonna comply with everything we need to, but we wanna go beyond that and make our house as fire safe as possible because we never thought a house in this neighborhood could burn in a million years. We're surrounded like by cement here. It's flat. It just was astonishing that our house could be gone."

"We don't have a lot of infrastructure really that we can depend on. So when we can supplant that with something that's better and lighter on the planet, right? Less carbon footprint but does the job, that's a good win," said Andrew Pedrick, a Palisades Fire victim and architect.

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Sonic Fire Tech plans to install the home defense system in 20 homes in Southern California early next year, starting with higher-end homes to help the company grow. The Home Defense System costs roughly 1% - 2% of the home's value, and it could one day be installed inside homes as well.

MORE: 'Game changer' - New gel spray gives 90% fire protection for homes

The Canadian company Altek Advanced Materials' new Wildfire Guardian gel spray gives 90% protection to homes during wildfires.
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Credit: ASML

A secret laboratory in China has quietly assembled a prototype extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system and is now testing it stealthily, which means that the country may be close to replicating the most advanced technology that currently exists on Earth, reports Reuters.

The tool was reportedly developed by reverse engineering existing scanners from ASML and is said to be on-track to make prototype chips in 2028. If the information is correct, then Chinese scientists have made numerous breakthroughs across multiple disciplines in just a few years instead of decades, a scenario that appears extremely unlikely. Further analysis of the report indicates that China's laboratory is far from completing the tool, meaning that the country is years away from making chips using EUV lithography.

China's alleged EUV scanner

The system was reportedly completed in early 2025 inside a highly secured facility in Shenzhen and occupies nearly an entire factory floor. The Chinese machine reportedly generates EUV light with a wavelength of 13.5nm using the same laser-produced plasma (LPP) method as ASML Twinscan NXE machines, not the particle accelerator-based steady-state microbunching (SSMB) method designed at Tsinghua University or discharge-produced plasma (DPP) technology developed at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), which might prove the point that the system was reverse-engineered or at least contains a substantial amount of technologies pioneered by ASML.

Credit: ASML

ASML's laser-produced plasma (LPP) method uses tiny molten tin droplets, roughly 2530 microns in diameter, which are injected into a vacuum chamber at a rate of about 50,000 droplets per second. Then, a high-power CO laser first fires a low-intensity pre-pulse at each droplet, flattening it into a disk-like shape, followed by a more powerful main pulse that vaporizes the flattened tin and creates a superheated plasma with temperatures exceeding 200,000C. This plasma emits isotropic EUV light, which is then collected by a large multilayer collector mirror and directed into the lithography system's reflective optics for patterning silicon wafers. This process repeats tens of thousands of times per second.

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The machine is reportedly larger than the original, but it is operational in the sense that it can generate EUV radiation. However, it has not progressed to make usable chips as it still struggles to replicate 'the precision optical systems' features by Twinscan NXE systems. Furthermore, there is no word about power of the EUV light source, a crucial parameter that defines whether a tool can or cannot be used for volume production.

Not operational, for now

The report clearly states that the Chinese EUV scanner cannot currently be used to make chips, but the Chinese government reportedly wants the first chip prototypes to emerge in 2028, two or three years down the road. However, a more realistic target is 2030, four or five years from now, which is a long time. Meanwhile, from the report, it is not completely clear what stage the Chinese team is at today.

Credit: ASML

The report does not disclose which specific components of the optical system are the primary bottlenecks, as the article groups them rather generally. In particular, it is uncertain if the alleged EUV tool struggles to replicate the ultra-precise collector mirror system coated with multilayer molybdenum-silicon (Mo/Si) stacks, illuminator optics (which shapes and uniforms the beam using faceted mirrors), or projection optics (a series of aspheric mirrors for 4X  8X reduction imaging with sub-nanometer wavefront errors). ASML outsources the development and production of these components to Carl Zeiss from Germany. If the developers failed to replicate the collector itself, then the rest of the machine can hardly be called an EUV lithography system, as technically, the only thing they have is some kind of light source that they have yet to learn how to use. Yet, even if the developers cannot replicate illuminator optics or projection optics (suggesting that the collector itself is there), it still means they do not have even a poorly working EUV lithography tool, but rather a set of certain components.

When talking about advanced lithography equipment, we must keep in mind that such tools rely on seamless integration of sophisticated light sources, advanced optics, ultra-precise mechanical engineering, complex control software, and specialized materials, all of which must function reliably within nanometer-scale tolerances demanded by modern chip manufacturing. The story has no word about the state of the mechanical systems of the alleged tool: we know nothing about the wafer stocker system, wafer stages, or reticle stages, all of which are crucial for operation and yields.

Credit: ASML

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To put China's EUV efforts into perspective, the secret lab is not even close to building an alpha tool. For now, what the Chinese lab has cannot even put the light on a wafer, save for printing lines and spaces, something ASML's tool could do in 2006, about 11 years before the company shipped its first Twinscan NXE:3400B system meant for high-volume manufacturing. Of course, reverse engineering certain components can give Chinese engineers a speed boost, but it remains to be seen how significant this one is going to be.

Reverse engineering an ASML Twinscan NXE?

According to Reuters's sources familiar with the effort, the Chinese EUV tool was 'developed' by a team that includes former engineers from ASML and recent university graduates, who allegedly reverse-engineered the company's EUV machines. The secret lab was so stealthy that its employees were given fake IDs to avoid detection of their concentration in one place by foreign spies.

Credit: ASML

Yet, it is unclear how any engineers from China could reverse engineer an EUV lithography scanner, as the Dutch company has never supplied one to China and hardly taught personnel from China how to service its EUV systems that are not allowed to be shipped to the People's Republic.

Reverse engineering a machine that contains over 100,000 parts is a hard task that takes hundreds of engineers with knowledge of the matter, which is why the secret entity led by the Government of China hired not only former engineers from ASML China, but also former employees of the Dutch company from elsewhere, presumably from Europe, Taiwan, and the U.S. For example, Lin Nan, formerly responsible for EUV light source technology at ASML, now leads a team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Optics that has filed eight EUV-related patents in just 18 months. Yet, this may mean that he uses his experience and knowledge rather than trying to replicate what he did at ASML or reverse engineer what he did at ASML due to the absence of an EUV scanner in his lab.

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It makes sense that companies would want to replicate our technology, but doing so is no small feat, a statement by ASML published by Reuters reads.

The report says that around 100 recent university graduates are tasked with reverse-engineering parts from EUV and DUV lithography tools, with each workplace monitored by a dedicated camera that records the disassembly and reassembly process, an important part of the whole China's lithography program, according to the report. Employees who successfully put components back together receive bonuses. Yet again, a Twinscan NXE tool is a mechanism consisting of over 100,000 parts working together, not just a sum of all parts.

To sum up, China has reportedly built a secret prototype EUV lithography system and begun testing it, which suggests that the country may be closer to reproducing the most advanced chipmaking technology in existence than previously believed. However, details provided by the report indicate that China is still years  if not a decade  away from making chips using EUV lithography.

Credit: ASML

The machine can generate 13.5-nm EUV light using the same laser-produced plasma (LPP) method employed by ASML, which may demonstrate extensive reverse engineering of Western technology rather than the use of alternative domestic approaches. However, the tool is significantly larger than commercial systems available today, it cannot produce usable chips, and appears to struggle with other elements of EUV lithography, particularly ultra-precise optics supplied to ASML by Carl Zeiss. In fact, details about the system like light source power, optical subsystem maturity, and the state of critical mechanical components remain unclear.

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While China expects first prototype EUV chips to emerge in 2028, Reuters's sources suggest 2030 is more realistic. Yet, the whole effort relies heavily on recruiting former ASML engineers and reverse engineering parts from existing EUV and DUV tools, which are not only hard to develop, but are extremely hard to make. Meanwhile, there is no word whether the current team responsible for disassembling and reassembling components can actually make an ultra-complex machine consisting of over 100,000 parts work flawlessly to produce semiconductors in high volumes.

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Lockheed Martin logo and a decreasing stock graph are seen in this illustration taken July 26, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Dec 19 (Reuters) - The Space Development Agency, part of the U.S. Space Force, said on Friday it has reached agreements with four defense suppliers to build 72 satellites, worth about $3.5 billion collectively.

The agency said Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and Rocket Lab USA have signed fixed-priced contracts for 18 space vehicles each.

The infrared satellites, which will be used for missile warning, tracking and defense systems, are expected to be launched into low-earth orbit in 2029.

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"The addition of these satellites will achieve near-continuous global coverage for missile warning and tracking, along with payloads capable of generating fire control quality tracks for missile defense," said the agency's Acting Director Gurpartap Sandhoo.

These satellites belong to Tranche-3 and support the space agency's objective of launching a new tranche every two years to refresh its satellite architecture with updated technology.

In September, the first Tranche-1 space vehicle, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

The agency plans to include a total of 154 operational space vehicles in Tranche-1, which will be ready for initial warfighting capability in 2027.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
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Credit: Innospace

Update for 7:40 p.m. ET on Dec. 19: Innospace has called off today's planned launch of the Spaceward mission due to a technical issue . A new target date has not yet been announced.

South Korean startup Innospace is set to attempt its first orbital launch today (Dec. 19), and you can watch the action live.

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Liftoff is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST (9:30 p.m. local time and 0030 GMT on Dec. 20) from the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil. Innospace's Hanbit-Nano rocket will aim to insert five small satellites for customers from Brazil and India into a 186-mile-high (300 kilometers) orbit and mark a first for a private Korean company.

Watch it live here at Space.com , courtesy of Innospace, or directly via the company . Coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. EST (2330 GMT).

Innospace team members together with officials from the Brazilian Air Force and the Brazilian Space Agency pose with the companys first commercial launch vehicle Hanbit-Nano at the Alcantara Space Center in Brazil. | Credit: Innospace

"Hanbit-Nano has been successfully rolled out from the integration facility and transported to the launch pad ahead of liftoff. Preparations for the Spaceward mission are right on track," Innospace said Wednesday (Dec. 16) in a post on the social media platform X.

The 57-foot-tall (17.3 meters) rocket is designed to be able to launch 198 pounds (90 kilograms) into a sun-synchronous orbit from Brazil. The rocket's first-stage hybrid engine burns paraffin and liquid oxygen while the upper stage uses methane and liquid oxygen or paraffin and liquid oxygen, depending on its configuration.

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Innospace CEO Kim Soo-jong told Space.com at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia, in October that the company was established in 2017 and employs 260 people.

"All of our technology is developed by ourselves. The engineers are Korean, and the development is fully indigenous," Kim said. "Korea has built an ecosystem to develop a launch vehicle. We work with more than 100 supply-chain companies in South Korea," he added.

Kim said Innospace is very focused on the global market. "We already have around 14 contracts with global satellite companies."

A lot is riding on this first launch. Kim said that Hanbit-Micro, an advanced model of Hanbit-Nano that can carry 375 pounds (170 kg) to orbit, is set to begin commercial flights early next year, should all go according to plan.

Today's launch was originally scheduled for Wednesday (Dec. 17), but Innospace pushed it back two days to replace a part in the cooling system of the rocket's first stage.
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Brown University researchers have demonstrated a promising new strategy for combating dendrite penetration in solid state lithium batteries. By heating one side of a solid electrolyte and cooling the other, the researchers created thermal stress that kept dendrites from penetrating the electrolyte. The result was a 3-fold increase in the cell's critical current density. Credit: Sheldon lab / Brown University

New research by Brown University engineers identifies a simple strategy for combating a major stumbling block in the development of next-generation solid-state lithium batteries.

Solid-state batteries are considered the next frontier in energy storage, particularly for electric vehicles. Compared to current liquid electrolyte batteries, solid-state batteries have the potential for faster charging, longer range and safer operation due to decreased flammability. But there's been a consistent problem holding back their commercialization: lithium dendrites.

Dendrites are filaments of lithium metal that can grow inside a battery's electrolyte (the part of the battery that separates the anode from the cathode) during charging at high current. When they grow across the electrolyte, dendrites cause circuits between the battery's anode and cathode, which destroy the battery. So while solid electrolytes canin theoryenable faster charging than liquid electrolytes, the dendrite problem is one of the primary limitations that has to date prevented them from reaching that potential.

A temperature-based solution

But in a study published in the journal Joule, the Brown researchers demonstrate a surprisingly simple method for combating dendrite growth. They show that mechanical stress created by temperature differences on either side of an electrolyte can significantly suppress dendrite formation, enabling dramatic improvements in dendrite-free charging performance.

"Dendrites are one of the biggest challenges plaguing next-generation solid-state batteries," said Zikang Yu, a graduate student in Brown's School of Engineering and the paper's lead author. "But we show that temperature-induced mechanical stress effectively suppresses them. We can get a three-fold performance improvement in the charging performance of the cell with just a 20-degree temperature gradient."

How the experiment was conducted

For the study, the researchers, who are affiliated with Brown's Initiative for Sustainable Energy, tested battery systems using lithium metal electrodes separated by the solid electrolyte LLZTO (Li . LaZr . Ta . O), a material known for its high ionic conductivity but also its vulnerability to dendrite formation at high charging rates. They heated one side of the electrolyte with a ceramic heating ring and cooled the other side with a copper heat sink.

"When you heat something up it expands," explained Brian Sheldon, a professor of engineering and the study's corresponding author. "But if you heat it up more on one side than the other, the expansion is constrained by the cool side, which forces it into compression. That's the whole trick here."

Testing showed that the thermal compression markedly reduced dendrite penetration, even in a material that's prone to them. With compression applied, the LLZTO electrolyte's critical current densitythe maximum charging current it can withstand without failingincreased three-fold.

Implications for future battery design

Yu said he's hopeful that the work could point toward a practical solution for the dendrite problem in solid-state batteries.

"We think there's potential to implement this into a practical cell," Yu said. "Whenever a battery is cycled, heat is generated, and there are thermal management systems to deal with that. We think it may be possible to align that thermal architecture in a way that produces the kinds of gradients we generated in this work."

Chenjie Gan, an engineering graduate student and study co-author who worked on the theoretical side of the research, said these promising results have encouraged the team to continue exploring their approach.

"This experiment was a validation of our theoretical work," Gan said. "We can now think about proposing optimal material properties and loading conditions to fully take advantage of this effect. That's the future direction with this work."

More information: Zikang Yu et al, Dendrite suppression in garnet electrolytes via thermally induced compressive stress, Joule (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.joule.2025.102232 Journal information: Joule
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Ph.D. candidate Yuchen Lian. Credit: Leiden University

Ph.D. candidate Yuchen Lian (LIACS) wants to understand why human languages look the way they doand find inspiration to improve AI along the way. She defended her thesis on 12 December.

"Languages change all the time. Think about ancient Chinese and modern Mandarin. There is a huge difference between them," Lian starts talking about her research enthusiastically. "And even more so between different languages."

At the same time, there are universal characteristics, the Ph.D. candidate explains. "Linguists want to understand which features are common and why they appear. With the increase in computational power of the last years, we can now learn about language evolution through computer models in increasingly realistic settings."

Artificial miniature languages

Lian completed her Ph.D. under the supervision of Tessa Verhoef and Arianna Bisazza, and with support from the China Scholarship Council. As part of the program, she spent three years at Leiden University before returning to China to continue her doctoral work. "I missed Leiden quite a lot, the atmosphere here is really good. I'm happy to return for my Ph.D. defense."

In her research, the Ph.D. candidate is inspired by miniature languages used in linguistics experiments with people. Participants are given three words: a subject, object and verb. For example, cat, mouse, and chasing. In various assignments, researchers monitor how they use these words. In English, for example, the word order is fixed, explains Lian. "The cat chases the mouse" is the only correct sentence. But in Japanese, there are markers after a word to indicate its function. The order of words is therefore more flexible.

A conversation between AI agents

Lian models two or more AI agents that can communicate with each other. These agents are first trained on a pre-defined artificial language, like the experiments with human participants. "We basically give them a vocabulary at the start," says Lian. "Then we let the agents interact in pairs or even groups through interactive language games. When they accomplish a task successfully, all agents get a reward. That's how they learn."

The different agents can have the same vocabulary, but different grammar rules to analyze various scenarios. The results show that these agents can replicate the trade-off between word order flexibility and the use of markers. "So we know the model works. Moreover, it allows us to extend the results with humans to a larger scale. This complements experiments with humans nicely."

Human language inspires AI chatbots

Lian opened a new avenue to learn about language evolution. At the same time, her work has the potential to improve AI. "We can take inspiration from human language and use that to improve the outcomes of an AI chatbot, for example. Currently, they are trained predominantly through passive exposure to enormous amounts of data. But humans clearly acquire language in a much more interactive way. My simulations demonstrate that repeated communication can result in more efficient interactions and spontaneous emergence of human-like patterns."

A computer scientist in the field of linguistics

"My topic extends over the borders of computer science," reflects Lian on her Ph.D. "It's quite a challenge to get into this interdisciplinary field. We speak different languages and have different standards in publishing, for example. It was sometimes hard for me that language evolution has no ground truths, propositions cannot be proved in a mathematical sense."

At the same time, she also found the combination to be fulfilling. "Luckily, my promotors had expertise in both fields. I believe it's crucial to combine computer science and linguistics to reach a full understanding of language evolution."

Lian defended her thesis successfully on 12 December. Aske Plaat was the promotor, Tessa Verhoef and Arianna Bisazza the co-promotors.

More information: Emergence of linguistic universals in neural agents via artificial language learning and communication. hdl.handle.net/1887/4285152
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The Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation wind-tunnel model installed in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Credit: NASA / Mark Knopp

The airliner you board in the future could look a lot different from today's, with longer, thinner wings that provide a smoother ride while saving fuel.

Those wings would be a revolutionary design for commercial aircraft, but like any breakthrough technology, they come with their own development challengeswhich experts from NASA and Boeing are now working to solve.

When creating lift, longer, thinner wings can reduce drag, making them efficient. However, they can become very flexible in flight.

Through their Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation collaboration, NASA and Boeing recently completed wind tunnel tests of a "higher aspect ratio wing model" looking for ways to get the efficiency gains without the potential issues these kinds of wings can experience.

"When you have a very flexible wing, you're getting into greater motions," said Jennifer Pinkerton, a NASA aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. "Things like gust loads and maneuver loads can cause even more of an excitation than with a smaller aspect ratio wing. Higher aspect ratio wings also tend to be more fuel efficient, so we're trying to take advantage of that while simultaneously controlling the aeroelastic response."

Take a minute to watch this video about the testing NASA and Boeing are doing on longer, narrower aircraft wings.

Without the right engineering, long, thin wings could potentially bend or experience a condition known as wing flutter, causing aircraft to vibrate and shake in gusting winds.

"Flutter is a very violent interaction," Pinkerton said. "When the flow over a wing interacts with the aircraft structure and the natural frequencies of the wing are excited, wing oscillations are amplified and can grow exponentially, leading to potentially catastrophic failure. Part of the testing we do is to characterize aeroelastic instabilities like flutter for aircraft concepts so that in actual flight, those instabilities can be safely avoided."

To help demonstrate and understand this, researchers from NASA and Boeing sought to soften the impacts of wind gusts on the aircraft, lessen the wing loads from aircraft turns and movements, and suppress wing flutter.

Reducing or controlling those factors can have a significant impact on an aircraft's performance, fuel efficiency, and passenger comfort.

Testing for this in a controlled environment is impossible with a full-sized commercial airliner, as no wind tunnel could accommodate one.

Another view of the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation wind-tunnel model installed in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Credit: NASA / Mark Knopp

However, NASA Langley's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel, which has been contributing to the design of U.S. commercial transports, military aircraft, launch vehicles, and spacecraft for over 60 years, features a test section 16 feet high by 16 feet wide, big enough for large-scale models.

To shrink a full-size plane down to scale, NASA and Boeing worked with NextGen Aeronautics, which designed and fabricated a complex model resembling an aircraft divided down the middle, with one 13-foot wing.

Mounted to the wall of the wind tunnel, the model was outfitted with 10 control surfacesmovable panelsalong the wing's rear edge. Researchers adjusted those control surfaces to control airflow and reduce the forces that were causing the wing to vibrate.

Instruments and sensors mounted inside the model measured the forces acting on the model, as well as the vehicle's responses.

The model wing represented a leap in sophistication from a smaller one developed during a previous NASA-Boeing collaboration called the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR).

"The SUGAR model had two active control surfaces," said Patrick S. Heaney, principal investigator at NASA for the Integrated Adaptive Wing Technology Maturation collaboration. "And now on this particular model we have ten. We're increasing the complexity as well as expanding what our control objectives are."

A first set of tests, conducted in 2024, gave experts baseline readings that they compared to NASA computational simulations, allowing them to refine their models. A second set of tests in 2025 used the additional control surfaces in new configurations.

The most visible benefits of these new capabilities appeared during testing to alleviate the forces from gusting winds, when researchers saw the wing's shaking greatly reduced.

With testing completed, NASA and Boeing experts are analyzing data and preparing to share their results with the aviation community. Airlines and original equipment manufacturers can learn and benefit from the lessons learned, deciding which to apply to the next generation of aircraft.

"Initial data analyses have shown that controllers developed by NASA and Boeing and used during the test demonstrated large performance improvements," Heaney said. "We're excited to continue analyzing the data and sharing results in the months to come."

NASA's Advanced Air Transport Technology project works to advance aircraft design and technology under the agency's Advanced Air Vehicles program, which studies, evaluates, and develops technologies and capabilities for new aircraft systems. The project and program fall within NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
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US policymakers, including Donald Trump in his first presidency, have warned that China could use TikTok to mine data from Americans or exert influence through its state-of-the-art algorithm.

TikTok said Thursday it has signed a joint venture deal with investors that would allow the company to maintain operations in the United States and avoid a ban over its Chinese ownership.

The move caps a lengthy tussle over the hugely successful video-sharing app in the world's largest economy, where TikTok says it has more than 170 million users.

According to an internal memo seen by AFP, TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees that the social media company and its Chinese owner ByteDance had agreed to the new entity.

Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX are on board as major investors, the memo said. Oracle's executive chairman Larry Ellison is a longtime ally of US President Donald Trump.

"The US joint venture will be responsible for US data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance," Chew said in the memo.

"It will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure."

Chew told staff that half the US venture will be held by a consortium of new investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGXwhich will have 15% each.

Affiliates of existing ByteDance investors will own a touch over 30% of the venture, with ByteDance retaining just shy of 20%, the maximum ownership allowed for a Chinese company under the terms of the law.

TikTok Global's US entities will manage global product interoperability, and certain commercial activities, including e-commerce, advertising, and marketing, according to the memo.

Chew noted that there is more work to be done ahead of the January 22 closing date for the deal.

Ellison amassing media?

The new set-up is in response to a law passed under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, that forced ByteDance to sell TikTok's US operations or face a ban in its biggest market.

US policymakers, including Trump in his first presidency, warned that China could use TikTok to mine data from Americans or exert influence through its state-of-the-art algorithm.

Trump has delayed enforcement through successive executive orders, most recently extending the deadline into January.

The deal largely confirms a September announcement by the White House that said a new venture had been agreed with China and would meet the requirements of the 2024 law.

"If I could make it 100% MAGA I would, but it's not going to work out that way unfortunately," Trump told reporters after the TikTok announcement in September.

Trump in September had specifically named Oracle boss Ellison, one of the world's richest men, as a major player in the arrangement.

Ellison has returned to the spotlight through his dealings with Trump, who has brought his old friend into major AI partnerships with OpenAI.

Ellison has also financed his son David's recent takeover of Paramount and is involved in his son's bidding war with Netflix to take over Warner Bros.

ByteDance impact

Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun did not directly address reports of the deal, reiterating Friday that "China's position on the TikTok issue is consistent and clear".

ByteDance did not immediately comment, but experts said it was a compromise that had averted the blow of losing access to the lucrative US market.

"Keeping the US operation live is itself a victory" for ByteDance, Li Chengdong, founder of Chinese technology consultancy Dolphin, told AFP.

Settling the issue allows ByteDance to focus on new ventures including artificial intelligence projects, and could help it move towards an initial public offering (IPO), Li said.

Zhang Yi of technology research firm iiMedia said the US market was of "paramount importance to TikTok" but warned the deal did not guarantee smooth sailing going forward.

"The US side could still leverage its regulatory power... to impose unfair demands on TikTok," Zhang said.

 2025 AFP
Fifty-five students of the Layou Government School, on Wednesday 10th December, 2025, were recipients of Christmas cheer in the form of gifts compliments 1st National Bank of St Lucia  St. Vincent Branch.





The presentation party at the school included Santa Claus and his Elves, and Staff Members, accompanied by a music truck, playing Caribbean Christmas selections, led by a Police out-rider.





According to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer - Monique Jacob, over 600 students, identified at 11 schools on the Leeward and Windward sides of mainland St. Vincent, will be recipients of gifts.




Kaschaka Cupid - Minister of Culture, newly installed, promised to do his all to continue to grow the festival.

Even as he committed to continuing the development of the Nine Morning Festival, newly installed Minister of Youth, Sport, Culture and Creative Industries - Kaschaka Cupid called on citizens across the state to embrace the "deeper meaning of Christmas, and to keep that message and the joy of Christmas in their hearts all year around.





Minister Cupid made the call while delivering his maiden Nine Mornings Address, at the official launch of the 2025 edition of the festival last Sunday, Dec. 14, at Heritage Square.





The Minister recognized that the festival was a unique expression of Vincentianness, describing it as a combination of "our spirituality, community and creativity.





In that light he referenced it as being more than a mere cultural event but an event that connected the countrys past with its future.





And as he looked to the future, he made a commitment to do all he could, resources permitting, to grow the festival.





The opening was also addressed by Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday.

Speeches aside, the event was filled with cultural performances by individuals and community and special interest groups, activities involving children, adult mothers and other adults, among other activities.





As is the custom, Nine Mornings activities will also be held in rural communities. Richland Park and Barrouallie have already launched their versions of the festival.





The 2025 Nine Mornings Festival, to run from December 16 to 24, is being held under the theme: Stop the Yawning We going Nine Mornings.
Representatives of the Spring Village Police Youth Club (centre & right) accept the Junior Champions trophy.

The Central Police Station Grounds came alive on Friday night as the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force hosted the 2025 Police Christmas Carolling Competition.





As in previous years, this years event drew strong public support, reaffirming the competitions place as one of the most anticipated fixtures on the national Christmas calendar.





From the opening performance to the final announcement, the competition reflected weeks of preparation, healthy rivalry, and a shared commitment to preserving a tradition that has endured for more than 20 years.





The Junior Category featured confident, well-rehearsed performances, with the Spring Village Police Youth Club successfully retaining their title as overall winners. Stubbs Police Youth Club and Sandy Bay Police Youth Club shared second place, while the Questelles Police Youth Club secured third place.





The award for Best Dressed Junior Choir was presented to the Stubbs Police Youth Club, whose presentation reflected strong coordination and attention to detail.





The Senior Category emerged as a major highlight of the evening, with each choir bringing a distinct sound and stage presence. The Traffic Angels, the defending champions, once again rose to the occasion and retained their overall title, delivering performances defined by discipline, creativity, and strong vocal execution.





The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) placed second overall, while the CID Crime Busters secured third place.





Additional awards included: Best Dressed Senior Choir  Traffic Angels; Best Speech  Crime Busters

In category performances, Traffic Angels led the Traditional Song segment, while Crime Busters claimed the top spot in the Original Song category.





The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Major the Hon. St. Claire Leacock, along with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Enville Williams, commended the participating choirs, coordinators, corporate sponsors, and members of the public for their role in the success of the event.





Both men noted that the Police Christmas Carolling Competition continues to serve as an important platform for unity, morale, and positive engagement, while strengthening the relationship between the Police Force and the wider community during the Christmas season.




7 killed in small plane crash at U.S. North Carolina airport

Xinhua) 09:19, December 19, 2025

NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed Thursday after a small jet crashed at a regional airport in Statesville, U.S. state of North Carolina, police said.

According to the police, among those killed in the crash were former NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time while landing at the airport and triggered a large fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and attempted to land there.

Video footage showed first responders rushing onto the runway as scattered wreckage from the plane was engulfed in fire.

John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport manager, told reporters that the FAA was taking over the crash scene. "The airport now is closed until further notice. It will take some time to get the debris off the runway, to get it safe again," he said.

The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are launching an investigation into the accident.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Opinion

The ordinance will go into effect 30 days after it is adopted, but the Council will give the public a one-year grace period to comply with the mandatory spaying, neutering and microchipping requirements  and, to get a license  before any penalties are imposed. The amount of the penalties, the fees to get a breeders license, and the fees for unaltered cats and dogs have not yet been decided or even discussed. Under this ordinance, a person cannot sell or give away a cat or dog, unless they meet all the mandated requirements. In order to get a license for an unaltered animal, the owner will need to meet certain conditions and get written confirmation from their vet, another new cost to the public.

The City Attorney was asked by the Council to draft a Spay and Neuter Ordinance with the laudable goal of attempting to control the over population of cats and dogs in our city. Discussion at the two meetings when this issue came up was primarily focused on two issues  mandating the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs, and the appropriate age for dogs to be spayed or neutered. Both of these issues remain unresolved.

On Tuesday, January 19, 2016, the City Council majority voted 3-2 to move forward with an ordinance that would potentially require every cat and dog in Santa Paula to be spayed or neutered, microchipped and licensed. This decision is not yet final. The item must come back to the Council again, so you have time to let the Council know how you feel about it. It should also be noted that the authors of this letter fully support the spaying and neutering of the animals in our city. There are, however, some important questions that remain unanswered. Should we require the licensing of cats? What will be the cost to the city to enforce this ordinance? What will be the added cost to the residents of Santa Paula if this ordinance is enacted? Is this what we want to ask the residence of Santa Paula to spend their money on?

Most responsible pet owners spay or neuter their pets, and, stray pets who wind up in shelters are spayed or neutered before they are adopted. This is a good thing. Unfortunately, the City Council did not discuss the animal control program in Santa Paula, our fiscal limitations or even decide whether we want to license cats, something that is not done currently. Instead, the Council moved forward, with unknown costs to the City (in terms of the staff time needed to implement a new database and animal program), no idea what new annual fee would be imposed on our residents, and whether it makes sense to license cats or if this program can even be implemented. This lack of information gives the appearance that the Council was rushing forward to copy the Countys Spay and Neuter Ordinance and create a new program without having all of the pertinent information or carefully considering all the implications and consequences of such an action.

Lets start with some basic information  cats and dogs are not the same and shouldnt be treated as such. There are public health reasons to require the licensing of dogs. The City of Santa Paula currently requires all dogs to be licensed annually with a valid vaccination certificate to prevent the spread of rabies. The fees for an unaltered dog are $75 per year but, as an incentive, the fees are only $20 per year for a spayed or neutered dog. The current City dog permit asks the vet to provide a tattoo number (which may no longer be relevant) and the City does not seem to be collecting microchip information for dogs at this time. Most dogs wear a collar, usually with their license and other pertinent information attached. This being said, we have spoken to dog owners in the city that have animals with a microchip, but have no idea what the number of the chip is or even if the information on the chip is correct.

In contrast, there are currently no such vaccination requirements for cats in California. Further, many cats do not wear collars, as their owners seldom walk them through the neighborhood and many cats do not like collars. Some cats are housebound, but many cats come and go outside on their own. Where will you attach the license? If you are a cat owner, do you have records of having your animal spayed or neutered or microchipped in the past? Even feral cats have a place in our semi-rural environment because they help keep the rodent population under control.

Lastly, there is great debate over the appropriate age to spay or neuter a cat or dog. Based on the information received by the Council there is some controversy on this issue in the veterinary community. There is a contention that spaying and neutering too early can cause physical injuries and disease to the animal later in life. If the City arbitrarily requires all animals to be spayed or neutered by 4 months of age, could the City be liable for damages if that animal becomes ill or disabled later on? Wouldnt it be best for the pet owner and their vet to make the decision on when to spay and neuter and thereby assume all the responsibility for doing so?

Right now, the City of Santa Paula has no information about animal control or obtaining licenses on the website. Animal Control is staffed by one person who answers calls and is very busy. Figuring out which residents have cats and how many cats, creating a new database for them, creating and sending out license applications and licenses, modifying the database for dogs, creating breeding permits, administering breeding tests, and enforcing these new programs is well beyond the capacity of one person.

The City of Santa Paula has many callenges, and while reducing the animal population is a laudable goal, it may not be the most pressing issue that warrants additional fees from the public. Is this more important than fixing our streets, dealing with police and fire department issues or working to restore the services that have been cut? Before the City moves forward, we ought to know the total annual extra cost to the City for the program and total costs to be imposed on our residents by such an ordinance. There is still time to let your opinion be known  in particular to those voting to proceed with the ordinanceMayor Hernandez, and Councilmen Tovias and Procter.
The Temporary Parliament Building that will host the first sitting under the new NDP government could be meeting without opposition members.

The first session of the Twelfth Parliament and Swearing of Members of the House of Assembly will takes place on Tuesday 23 December 25.





This is the first sitting of the House since the New Democratic Party (NDP) took the reins of government from the Unity Labour Party (ULP) in the general elections of November 27, 2025.





Speculation is rift as this date draws close.





As of press time, Thursday, the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the sole ULP survivor of the 14-1 mauling at the hands of the NDP in the November 27 elections, has not yet cleared the air on whether he will attend this first sitting.





During a press conference he hosted on December 10, before the date for the first sitting of parliament was announced, Dr. Gonsalves said " whether or not I will attend on the first day, which is entirely formal, where you just do the oath of allegiance, that oath of allegiance can be done on that day, can be done on any subsequent day.  I have it under prayerful consideration as to whether I will take my oath of allegiance on that day or another day.





The last time Dr. Gonsalves was in Opposition was during the short-lived period (1998  2001) of the NDP administration. He is the longest serving parliamentarian among the current crop, he having been first elected in 1994.





In addition, to his attendance or not, Dr. Gonsalves has not yet named the two senator allowed the opposition as per the constitution.





The Opposition uncertainty aside, citizens are also eagerly awaiting the appointment of a Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House. The Speaker of the last parliament was Rochelle Forde and her deputy was Ashelle Morgan.





Expected too are changes in the persons who served as Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the House, since the appointment of Debra Charles, Clerk, and Simone Williams-Huggins, Deputy, were quashed by the High Court on Dec. 4.





Their appointments were quashed following a lawsuit by Celena McDonald against the Public Service Commission, which has responsibility for making these appointments.





It is anticipated that these positions, as least that of Clerk of the House, will be made before Tuesday 23 since the House cannot be convened without a sitting Clerk.
Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Opposition Leader, seemed to have cautioned the new government about settling the Vaccine Mandate ex gratia.

Whether the Privy Council has the final say, or the ruling New Democratic Party settles it, will be determined in due time.





The issue at hand is the Vaccine Mandate case. The Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal on November 13, granted the applicants leave to advance the matter to the Privy Council.





This after the same court had ruled in favour of the governments position.





The Vaccine Mandate is the common reference to the case in which persons challenged the Public Health (Public Bodies Special Measures) Rules, 2021 (Special Measures) 2021, which made it mandatory that public worker - teachers, nurses, police officers, et al  be vaccinated against the Covid-19 disease, or be deemed to have vacated their jobs without leave.





Former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, now Leader of the Opposition, alluded to the issue Wednesday December 3, at a press conference held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Murrays Road, Kingstown.





He disclosed that the government under his leadership had contracted a lawyer to advocate at the Privy Council.

That said, he was waiting to see how the recently installed New Democratic Party government would deal with the matter.





Dr. Gonsalves is "suspicious that the new regime may prefer to handle the matter "ex gratia, and will not take the case to the Privy Council.





The ex-Prime Minister thinks that a settlement out of court can see the government having to pay out $60 M if the Privy Council appearance is shelved. He is keen on seeing if the Privy Council appearance would be shelved.
(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.
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PHOENIX  Arizonans may get the chance to reconsider whether they think it's OK for every adult to purchase and use marijuana.

Sean Noble has filed paperwork to put the whole question of recreational marijuana on the 2026 ballot. He contends that the measure hasn't lived up to its promise.

That promise, said Noble, is not that people who want the drug can't get it. That has happened: There are more than 100 state-licensed outlet in Arizona, including some that deliver.

It's what else he said they promised.

"They said 'we're not going to be marketing to children, we're not going to be making this easy, we're not going to be making THC levels super extreme,' '' he said, the last referring to how much of the psychoactive element is in the drug. And while there are laws restricting how marijuana can be advertised, he contends they are not sufficient.

But Noble could have an uphill fight.

He will need 255,949 valid signatures on petitions by July 2. Given the number that are normally disqualified, that makes the real goal in the 300,000 range.

What it will also take is money, with Noble saying he is getting cash from a national group called Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

He figures it will take $5 million just to collect the signatures to get on the ballot. And the campaign itself, Noble said, can run as little as $10 million or as much as $20 million.

There's also the fact that the original measure was approved in 2020 by a margin of close to 3-2.

And if he gets the signatures there will be opposition from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws which was instrumental in getting states like Arizona to approve recreational use in the first place.

"Prohibitionists failed to make the case for continuing to criminalize cannabis consumers in Arizona and other states where voters had a choice in the matter,'' said Morgan Fox, the organization's political director.

"Now they are trying to mislead voters into thinking that recriminalizing responsible behaviors and pushing consumers back to the underground market will somehow improve public health and safety,'' he said. "It's shameful, disrespectful to voters, and woefully misguided.''

The initiative drive comes even as President Trump this week signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs. Those are drugs that the government have restricting as having no medical use, including heroin and LSD.

None of that would eliminate the laws making possession, sale and transportation of marijuana a federal crime.

Instead, it would classify it as a Schedule 3 drug which, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, has a "moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.'' And Trump also said rescheduling will make it easier to conduct research on both the benefits and potential dangers of the drug.

"It's going to have a tremendously positive impact,'' the president said.

Trump's action is also a recognition that 38 states already allow doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients. And 24 allow its use for recreation without running afoul of state laws.

The initiative also comes as state Rep. Selina Bliss wants to amend existing medical marijuana laws to give terminally ill patients a legal alternative to opioids or other painkillers. The Prescott Republican who is a nurse said that drug in many circumstances can be a far better alternative than what is being used legally now.

Her HB 2081 is modeled after what's become known as Ryan's Law in California, crafted by a father dealing with his 41-year-old son who was dying of pancreatic cancer. He said Jim Bartell managed to find a facility that would allow him to be medicated with marijuana, meaning that Ryan was able to wake up, tolerate his pain, and "had quality of life for his last few days.''

"And I've got to say, being a nurse, seeing people in their final days and hours, that's what really rang true to me why this is so important,'' she said.

A patient or a patient's caregiver would have access to the drug in an acceptable form, be able to administer it, and then lock it back up to ensure its security. And the legislation even would add a patient's use of medical marijuana to the required medical records.

None of that, Bliss said, is covered under existing laws, whether the 2010 medical marijuana act or the 2020 measure permitting recreational use.

And if Noble and his backers get their way, any option under the 2020 law would disappear.

This isn't the first fight for Noble, the founder and president of American Encore which has worked on Republican priorities, going back to a 2014 effort to kill the Affordable Care Act. His organization also has sued Secretary of State Adrian Fontes over provisions in the state's Elections Procedures Manual.

Noble also worked to kill the 2016 effort in Arizona to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. That measure went down to defeat by a 51-49 margin.

That year, Noble said, foes actually financed a campaign against that initiative. By contrast, he said, there was no organized opposition four years later.

That 2020 measure expanded the original 2010 law which said that individuals have to have a doctor's recommendation before being able to go to a state-licensed dispensary.

Those recommendations, by law, are limited to certain specific "debilitating medical conditions'' like cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, hepatitis C and Crohn's disease.

But it also allows a doctor to write a recommendation for conditions that produce severe and chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, and muscle spasms. It is that list to which Bliss seeks to add terminal illness.

Those who qualify are entitled to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana, with permission for those who live at least 25 miles from a dispensary to cultivate their own.

By contrast, the 2020 law permits adults  define as 21 and older  to have up to an ounce and up to six marijuana plants. Users also pay a tax, which doesn't apply in cases of medical marijuana.

All that, however, leaves the question of whether Arizonans are ready to roll back a law that is less than six years old.

Noble said a poll he ran showed that 48% of those he asked support both medical and recreational marijuana use. But scrapping the latter and keeping the former, he said, boosts support to 52%.

That, however, assumes people really care one way or the other, at least enough so to repeal the law.

He also asked respondents how the availability of marijuana for recreational use has impacted them. Noble said 60% said not at all, with 7% saying positive and the negatives "in the double digits.''

Still, he insisted, that's enough to put his measure over the top.

Even if his measure passes and the 2020 law is repealed, Noble insists that adults who really want marijuana, for whatever reason, are likely to be able to get it. He noted that when marijuana was available only medically, the vast majority of those who got a recommendation did so under the "chronic pain'' category.
AWG criticises Productivity Commission report

Writers take aim at a report on AI technology released the Friday before Christmas.

The Australian Writers Guild and Australian Writers Guild Authorship Collection Society yesterday issued a press statement following a Productivity Commission report on AI released the Friday before Christmas.

AWG and AWGACS CEO Claire Pullen said, Its been two years since we first reported our members intellectual property had been stolen to train AI datasets, and since then the theft has only grown. While its good to see the Productivity Commission tacitly acknowledge its overstep into copyright and walk back its sweeping and ill-informed position in the draft report, we must question why, after a year of consultation, their final report still evades any concrete action to support the productivity and growth of Australias creative sector and why the report was dropped the Friday before Christmas in a packed news week.

It is staggering to suggest that protecting a companys AI dataset  a collection of works they did not create nor own under Australian copyright law  should supersede protecting a creators right to their own intellectual property, said Pullen.

If the Productivity Commission is serious about supporting the continued creation of new works, as they claim, there are clear steps that can and should be taken as soon as possible, including standalone legislation or certain amendments to the Copyright Act.

The fundamental issue the Productivity Commission has failed to address is that AI technology has been built on the stolen property of Australian screenwriters, playwrights, authors, artists and musicians, all knowingly infringed by bad-faith actors.

Australian creative workers have criticised the Productivity Commissions lack of meaningful action to support the growth of Australias creative industries in its final report on Harnessing Data and Digital Technologies, with the Friday 19 December release date drawing attention.

The report advocates for a cautious approach to AI-specific regulation, stating it should be enacted as a last resort and that Government should monitor the development of AI and its interaction with copyright over the next three years, despite clear evidence that AI datasets have already infringed upon creator copyright and will continue to do so at the expense of creative workers.

After a notably bad appearance from the Productivity Commission highlighting a lack of modelling in front of a Senate committee early this year, the report continues to espouse the unfounded benefits of AI and continues to advocate for big tech, going as far to suggest that requiring dataset transparency would have a chilling effect on innovation.

The AWG and AWGACS are advocating for legislation including:

the protection of First Nations cultural assets;

a new economic right to use a work to train an AI model;

protections for voice, face, and likeness for all Australians;

a moral right against using a work to train AI.
Damien Richardson sentenced

Actor sentenced to a process of restorative justice following banned Nazi salute.

Actor Damien Richardson, who featured in Neighbours and City Homicide, was sentenced in Moorabbin Magistrates Court yesterday after performing a Nazi salute in public in September 2024.

In November he was found guilty of intentionally performing a Nazi salute at a gathering of the National Workers Alliance at Urban St restaurant when he discussed how there was a war on men and Western tradition, Western values.

The former actor complained about The Age likening him to Adolf Hitler before performing the gesture, which closely resembled a Nazi salute.

The event was also attended by neo-Nazis and livestreamed to social media.

The maximum penalty for performing a banned salute in Victoria is a fine of $23,000, 12 months in jail or both.

Magistrate Justin Foster on Friday sentenced Richardson to a process of restorative justice.

This includes 10 psychology counselling sessions from Sydney, two of which would be done in person, and a day shadowing a member of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Richardson will be required to write an apology to the Australian Jewish community, addressing the harm, fear and intimation of the Nazi salute and the historical and contemporary impacts of antisemitism.

He must also undertake museum-based education, including visiting the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Melbourne Holocaust Museum.

Richardson, 56, featured on City Homicide, Neighbours, Jack Irish and The Hard Word prior to an standing as an independent candidate for the Australian Senate in the 2022 Australian federal election and in the 2022 Victorian state election representing the far-right Freedom Party of Victoria.
Vale: Amanda Brotchie

Writer / director Amanda Brotchie, whose credits include Lowdown, Doctor Who, Gentleman Jack and Riot Women, has died.

Writer / director Amanda Brotchie, whose credits include Lowdown, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Doctor Who, Gentleman Jack and the recently-launched Riot Women, has died.

Husband and frequent collaborator, actor / writer Adam Zwar, has confirmed she passed away after a long battle with cancer.

When I first met Amanda, we talked for hours. I assumed she was just one of those remarkable people who got along with everyone. I was right. She did. But it turned out she liked talking to me too, he wrote on Instagram.

We had 23 wonderful years together. I would do anything to get one day back from any one of those years.

My beautiful girl, I will miss your love, your joyful laugh, your sense of adventure, and your bravery. You never met a spider or snake you didnt like, always gently ushering them outside while I cowered in the corner. You cooked like you wrote and directed  with perfect balance, effortlessness, and a lightness of touch. I will miss your dhal, your roast chicken, your chilli con carne, your chocolate mousse. I will miss Sunday mornings on the couch, eating pancakes and watching Insiders.

You were right, I did have to make this about me. Farewell, beautiful. You left the world better. But right now, it feels so much sadder.

Amandas television directing career began on Neighbours in the late 1990s, at a time when Australian television had yet to fully embrace female directors. But her talent was always undeniable.

She won an AACTA Award and two Australian Writers Guild Awards for Lowdown, which she co-created and directed, and an AFI Award for directing the short film Break and Enter. Her career took off when Lowdown was in discussions for a US adaptation, leading to a US Netflix directing role.

I got Girlboss, and that was great and then after that, I kept flying home because I was getting work in Australia, which was wonderful.

Her other directing credits include The Letdown, Picnic at Hanging Rock, A Place to Call Home, Mr Black and Squinters.

More recently, she directed Doctor Who and the Sally Wainwright dramas Gentleman Jack, and Renegade Nell.

In the 2025 season of Doctor Who she directed both The Well and Lux telling TV Tonight, producer Russell T. Davies was drawn to her vision for the episodes.

I just pulled a whole lot of images together. I developed a look book and took some risks, because I didnt want it to look generic, she said of Lux.

I had things like a Daffy Duck image, Cinema Paradiso, (Martin Scorsese film) Hugo and a bunch of eclectic pieces to try and capture the Doctor Who tone. It has a real twinkle in it, it mixes the humour with the action and sci-fi.

I went to bed exhausted. A few hours later I looked up and there were nine downloads from the Dropbox. Theyd reached back immediately!

Pre-production spanned 10 weeks in Cardiff, with shooting of two episodes across 6 weeks.

Newly-launched Sally Wainwright drama Riot Women, on which she directed 3 episodes, has also received critical acclaim on BBC One in recent weeks.

Amanda made directing look effortless, said Zwar. She always put story first, drawing real, nuanced performances from actors and bringing clarity and depth to every script. Thats why showrunners such as Russell T Davies, Sally Wainwright and Kay Cannon sought her out.

She was a passionate advocate for writers and consistently elevated the work she was involved in.

Before committing to a career in television, Amanda also completed a doctorate in linguistics.

Sophie Harper, Executive Director, Australian Directors Guild said, Amanda Brotche was an exceptional director, widely respected by fellow directors for work that combined precision, emotional intelligence and respect for story and performance. She built a remarkable career across Australian and international television, starting when pathways for women directors were even more limited. Her impact on the industry, on the people she worked with, and on audiences, will be enduring.
Pushing Muslim Political Consciousness Back to Pre-Partition Mindset

The Indian Muslims are currently not just back to square one  they are, in truth, below zero, because whatever political capital the community had before the Partition has eroded further

In the politics of Mumbra - Indias largest Muslim-majority ghetto, a term coined during last years Maharashtra legislative assembly elections has resurfaced with fresh intensity: The Bhoonga Company and its Maulanas. As the local body elections approach and political groundwork accelerates, the phrase has re-entered the political vocabulary, triggering renewed debate about its meaning, role, and relevance.

During the previous Assembly elections, Jitendra Awhad, a three-term sitting MLA, was re-elected with a thumping majority. His opponents attributed his victory to this so-called Bhoonga Company, portraying it as a force that diverted attention from everyday civic issues and mobilised the Muslim electorate en bloc against the BJP in the name of saving Islam and protecting Muslims.

According to these critics, the group  largely comprising local Maulanas, took to the streets and did the ground work for the INDIA bloc, advocating for the defence of the Constitution and the secular fabric of the country. Their messaging resonated strongly in a community already deeply anxious about political developments and inclined toward any campaign that promised the electoral defeat of the BJP. Since the massive victory that the BJP secured in last years legislative assembly elections, this so-called company has been blamed for giving the Hindu side the very fodder it needed to counter-polarise and mirror the same communal campaign in reverse.

The group went into full action after one of the countrys most senior Muslim scholars, Khalil-ur-Rahman Sajjad Nomani, held a press conference at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh and released a list of 288 candidates. Critics argue that this move effectively turned the Muslim electorate into a mirror image of the BJP voters  equally identity-driven, equally communal, and equally conscious of religious boundaries.

And this raises an uncomfortable question: Socially, what difference does this make?

I myself support the electoral and political defeat of the BJP, but if that defeat is pursued through the same identity-polarising methods, what would be the long term cost of this defeat?

Equally communalizing and essentially the same and opportunistic in nature, can Muslims mirror the attitude of the Hindu electorate and outsmart the Hindu right wing? When religious issues and consciousness take centre stage, they are bound to end, in every existential question into being reduced essentially to a non-issue.

Pursuing short-term electoral gains through clerical mobilisation risks causing long-term damage to an already fragile social fabric. Elevating a few religious figures into unquestionable authorities over a diverse and non-homogeneous Muslim population and asking them for electoral/political guidance consolidates the community under the banner of Islam under attack.

Yet the moment this mobilisation happens, the very democratic act of voting is turned into a battlefield of religious identities, with the language of liberal democracy invoked only superficially and to keep the illusion of constitutional democracy intact

This rhetoric found sharp resonance just before the last MLA elections, when the then Chief Minister visited the ashram of Ramgiri Maharaj who had, according to a large section of Muslim blasphemed the Prophet and declared that no one could touch him. This fed communal tensions at a critical moment. Muslims across Maharashtra protested and demanded an FIR against Maharaj, and from that point onward the election discourse in places like Mumbra was reduced to the Maharaj and his remarks. The secular opposition amplified this line more effectively than the clerics themselves, attacking the Mahayuti candidate Najeeb Mulla as a friend of a blasphemer, while essential local issues disappeared from the conversation.

This is the immediate and troubling drawback of such politics: It fuels communal polarisation precisely when attention should be on governance, development, and civic needs and other genuine grievances of the Muslim Citizenry. The pre-election opportunity to negotiate or demand accountability is lost.

The Maharaj was believed to be shielded by Eknath Shinde, and the so-called Bhoonga Company attempted to turn this into an emotional flashpoint to push votes toward the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). But the idea that Muslims voted en bloc because of clerical influence does not hold. These groups may have tried, but Muslim voters  as citizens, were not simply swayed by them. Rather, they acted from a broader political understanding shaped by their opposition to the BJP. The so-called clerical influence is overstated; Muslim political behaviour is driven far more by lived realities than such company.

But this so-called company is also guilty of something serious: It has tried its best to whitewash the conduct of local hooligans, MLAs, and discredited power brokers. Its support for them does not come from any democratic consciousness  it comes from a raw religious understanding similar to a normal Hindus support for BJP due to the construction of Ram Mandir.

A mix of clerics, habitual mischief-makers, and corrupt politicians roamed the streets urging Muslims to vote against the anti-Muslim party, yet the same Muslim voters were discouraged from demanding any accountability from the self-proclaimed defenders of secularism and democracy, and denied opportunity to look within and the secular parties continued pandering Muslim Communalism under the garb of minority rights.

In doing so, the company pushed Muslim political consciousness back to a pre-Partition mindset, when similar appeals were made asking Muslims to vote for the Muslim League on the promise that overwhelming electoral support would secure Pakistan.

The logic then was: vote for us so we can show the British the strength of our mandate. That politics did not deliver salvation thenand what makes anyone believe that a worn-out version of the same formula will deliver anything now? Fear drove the community then; fear drives it now. But fear delivered no relief then, and it delivers none today.

Muslims are therefore not just back to square one  they are, in truth, below zero, because whatever political capital the community had before the Partition has eroded further. The so-called secular parties spent years pandering to clerical egos while ignoring the genuine civic aspirations of citizens who happen to be Muslim. The result is a population deprived of basic developmental rights and repeatedly diverted into being cannon fodder for clerics and secular parties during elections.

On the opposite side, the offer is no better in Mumbra where the NCP (Ajit Pawar) now experiments with a new kind of Muslim politics, one that takes shape under the shadow of Hindutva itself. What is this leadership supposed to stand for? What does it aspire to? What future does it imagine for the community?

Sadly, the propagators of this politics have no answers  what political alternative does the non-secular ( BJP allied) parties offer to citizens who happen to be Muslim, will be something that could be witnessed in the coming and ongoing local body elections.

Surprisingly, this so-called company has not reappeared since the tragic defeat of the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) last year. This absence suggests that, despite whatever good faith some of its members claimed, the groups real objective was narrowly limited to the five-year ritual of voting in an electoral democracyand nothing more.

Such a constrained vision has only harmed the democratic development of Muslim citizens. Muslims, who are diverse and politically aware, cannot be persuaded so easily to support one side or oppose another. But when politics is reduced to these periodic theatrics, Muslims are dragged into a political role where their only function is to vote every five years, and their issues are restricted to protecting their religious symbols and every genuine grievance is pushed under the carpet.

This is dangerous, because question of human dignity that Muslims aspire for, cannot be protected in isolation. It can only be secured through structures and rights that extend universally to everyone, not through dispatching human dignity aimed exclusively at Muslims.

Yet the companys rhetoric pushed Muslims into a narrow, reactive politics, and in its very first major intervention, it failed miserably. Worse, its narrative of saving Islam and saving Muslims left the community with a troubling question: If the BJP wins, is Islam finished? If the answer is YES, then it implies Muslims have no faith left in their own religion and the Mullahs are out of Islam. If the answer is NO, then what was the point of all this fear-mongering in the name of religion?

The fact remains: Such a senseless act was carried out in the name of Muslim leadership. Sajjad Nomani chose to walk alongside individuals whose political intentions were shallow, and whose vision for Muslim politics was no better than ordinary power-brokers. Eventually a tactic in electoral politics is said to have worked when it achieves what it wanted to achieve, it has failed on that front as well. By doing so, he inadvertently legitimised a company that offered no long-term roadmap for the political future of Muslims.

This top-down, anti-democratic method of instructing voters through clerical authority fundamentally violates the spirit of democracy. The idea that a person who merely studies religion is automatically qualified to guide millions on political choices makes no sense in the 21st century. The pre-modern model where the king and the religious authority were fused into one moral order was buried after the Enlightenment, and attempts to revive it today only limits how one can exercise citizenship . By empowering clergy to influence elections, the so-called secular forces also lose the moral right to criticise the Hindu Right for its use of religious symbolismbecause they end up replicating the same communal logic under a different name.

When the results came last year, all the accumulated anguish of Maharashtras Muslims erupted in Asaduddin Owaisis sharp criticism of the company that had mobilised the community. His anger highlighted an unresolved question: in what capacity are these actors intervening in the political processare they individual influencers, an organised network, religious authorities, or simply opportunists?

Until this is clarified, their role will remain opaque and unaccountable. If clerics attempt endorsements again this year, they will invite renewed accusations of vote jihad, further polarising an atmosphere already charged with suspicion. Exercising democracy in such an undemocratic way forces citizens to abandon genuine civic concerns and respond instead to manufactured identity anxieties.

The larger danger is that this style of mobilisation helps cultivate a TLP (Tehreek-e-Labbek) like consciousness within the communitya universe where accusations of blasphemy, emotional and clerical coercion, and mob-certified religiosity shape political behaviour. Once normalised, such attitudes can easily be turned inward, giving religious hardliners the authority to target Muslim reformers under the pretext of protecting faith.

The politicisation of blasphemy is not a one-way street; it inevitably pushes society toward a Pakistan-like situation where dissent becomes punishable and clerical authority overrides democratic choice. Yet some clerics seem frustrated that Muslims are not as bigoted, enraged, or violently mobilised as their Hindu counterparts, as though moral restraint were a weakness.

The Company, in this sense, would be a logical extension of the vote jihad narrative. It mirrors the communal strategies it claims to resist. Those who claim to support the secular alliance are often no less communal than the BJP; they simply operate from the other side of the identity divide. Fighting one form of communalism with another exposes the confusion at the heart of the secular bloc and its cynical willingness to employ any forcereligious or otherwiseto counter the BJP. If secularists are comfortable seeking blessings from Muslim communal actors, then what moral principle prevents the BJP from intensifying identical tactics among Hindu voters?

Whenever elections approach, fundamental civic concernsbasic amenities, public services, and the everyday ways one exercises citizenshipare pushed to the margins. In their place, personal beliefs and identity-based anxieties take centre stage. This shift has transformed the regions politics: from a city that could have demanded civic accountability to a citizenry compelled to constantly prove and perform and exercise ones citizenship in religious terms .

In this context, the alleged Bhoonga Company has been remarkably effective. It has enabled a subtle but deep penetration of religious discourse into the political sphere while maintaining a veneer of secular respectability. This quiet seepage appears benign at first glance, yet it is far more insidious than the overt strategies of Hindutva forceswho simply mirror and appropriate the same tactics from within Muslim political mobilisation and threaten the very foundations of our republic .

[The writer, Osama Rawal, is a Journalist based in Thane.]

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TruScreen investigates commercial opportunities for Western Europe and the Middle East

 TruScreens India distributor, Renovate Biologicals Pvt Ltd has been authorised to investigate commercial opportunities in Western Europe and the Middle East

 TruScreen to be launched for Europe and the Middle East at the upcoming World Health Expo in Dubai in February 2026

 Middle East countries have an estimated screening population of 99.7 million women*

 Western European countries have an estimated screening population of 84.3 million women*

TruScreen Group Limited (TruScreen or the Company) advises that it has authorised Renovate Biologicals Pvt Ltd (Renovate) to investigate commercial and market opportunities in the Middle East and Western Europe from 1 January 2026.

Middle Eastern commercial activity has been authorised for Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Iran and Turkey. These countries have an estimated screening population of 99.7 million women*. Renovate will represent Truscreen at the World Health Expo in Dubai from Feb 9 -12, 2026.

Western European commercial activity has been authorised for Finland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Sweden and Germany. These countries have an estimated screening population of 84.3 million women*.

The TruScreen medical device is CE Mark (Conformite Europeenne), certifying that it meets essential EU health, safety, and environmental standards and allowing it to be sold freely within the European Union.

Renovate is a fast-growing international medical device distributor who was appointed, in April 2025, to distribute the TruScreen medical device in India. Established in 2015 in Hyderabad, Renovate distributes gold standard, advanced and innovative technologies which have transformed clinical outcomes in Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Critical Care, Organ Transplantation, Hematology and Ophthalmology to global markets.

Renovates leadership team has a combined experience of over 50-man years and are supported by a rapidly expanding sales team and network of sub-distributors, with offices in Hyderabad, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam. The team aims to gain a 70-80% share of the cervical cancer screening device market by 2030.

TruScreen CEO, Martin Dillon commented:

It is incredibly exciting to be launching TruScreens next phase of global marketing activity with Renovate. They are well positioned to support our continued global expansion, connecting us with government and screening initiative leaders.

Western Europe has had a focus on cervical cancer for many years, and Middle Eastern countries have been increasing their efforts on womens health. Significant barriers to full population screening remain and many of these countries are long way off meeting WHO target rates (70% by 2030), so the opportunity for TruScreen to have an impact on the incidence and mortality from cervical cancer in these regions is real.

This announcement has been approved by the Board.

* CIA World Factbook (female population aged 15-64yrs)

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Trumps Plan to Reshape The World

C5 (Core Five) and Pax Silica - US President Donald Trump is looking to present a new global alliance

Last week witnessed both a loss and a win for the Indian diplomacy. The win was being included in the latest proposal by the American President Donald Trump to form a new regional grouping called C-5, and the loss was India being denied a seat at the Pax Silica.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly looking to present a new global alliance, the C5, or Core Five, as a forum for global powers. It would include the US, Russia, China, India and Japan. It would seek to sideline the current European-dominated G-7, and other traditional democratic and wealth-based organisations.

The move followed the release of the USs new National Security Strategy (NSS), which caused a stir around the world, due to the controversial issues such as the US policy to counter China and the USs withdrawal from the defence of Europe. However, many aspects of the document have not been made public, or if made public, have been discussed very little.

It includes several major changes planned by the Trump administration. It mentions the C-5, which has attracted the attention of defence experts around the world. While the public document calls for the US to withdraw from European security, other undisclosed elements include a plan to Make Europe Great Again.

The detailed document appears to emphasise Americas ideological dominance over Europes future. The draft says that Europe is facing a crisis of civilisation due to immigration policy and censorship of free speech. Therefore, it suggests that Washington should build closer ties with countries like Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland.

What is C-5?

The leaked NSS draft also includes an interesting proposal for a balance of power among global powers. It calls for the creation of a new organisation, the C-5, that would not be based on economic or democratic criteria like the G-7 or G-20, but would be a forum for the worlds five most populous and powerful countries: the US, China, Russia, India, and Japan.

According to the Trump administration's plan, the C5 will also hold regular summits and seek to resolve major geopolitical and political issues. The proposed agenda for its first meeting is also included in the document, which calls for normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

It should be noted that President Donald Trump had opposed the expulsion of Russia from the G-8. Russia was expelled from the G-8 after its invasion of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014. Moreover, another interesting thing is that the Trump administration believes that it is impossible to maintain American dominance over other countries.

The document clearly states that "maintaining American dominance is neither possible nor wise". The document states that "since the end of the Cold War, American policymakers recognized that sustained American dominance in the world is essential to the national interest". However, the document states that the United States should intervene in the internal affairs of another country only when that country poses a direct threat to American national security.

The American publication Politico reported that the idea for the new hard power group emerged as part of a long, unpublished vision of the national security strategy that the White House published last week. According to Politico, the White House has denied the existence of the document, with Press Secretary Hannah Kelly insisting that there is "no alternative, private or secret version" of the 33-page official plan.

What is Pax Silica

Meanwhile, Pax Silica, the US State Departments new flagship initiative on AI and supply-chain security, seeks to unite the worlds most technologically advanced economies behind a shared goal: building a secure, innovation-driven silicon and semiconductor ecosystem capable of supporting the next generation of artificial intelligence.

Announced at the inaugural summit on December 12, the initiative formalizes a growing consensus among partner nations that the global economy is being reorganized by AIand that secure access to critical minerals, semiconductor manufacturing, compute capacity, energy, and trusted digital infrastructure is now a matter of economic and national security.

The United States convened partners from Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Australia, with guest contributions from Taiwan, European Union, Canada, and OECD. Collectively, these countries anchor the semiconductor and AI supply chain, home to companies such as Sony, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Samsung, SK Hynix, Temasek, DeepMind, MGX, Rio Tinto, and ASML.

The initiative also underscores a geopolitical shift. The United States has asserted that economic security is now inseparable from national security, particularly as AI accelerates global competition. Partner countries echoed the view that trustworthy systemssuch as secure fibre networks, hardened data centres, and protected semiconductor linesare essential for safeguarding innovation, investment, and future growth.

India and the United States have been at odds over tariffs and trade deal negotiations. Amid this, the ongoing tussle for critical minerals has also opened multiple fronts where the world powers are competing for a slice of the resources, largely controlled by China. Reportedly, India has been left out of the league, over the seemingly uncompromising American stance on tariffs being imposed against India.

Overall, Trump's new move seems to reflect global politics and reality. Though Trump's several decisions so far have faced a lot of criticism, but this is perhaps the first time that any of Trump's plans can be considered based on reality and truth. This is perhaps the first time that the way in which the United States has destroyed peace and order in various countries for the past several decades for its own interests is acknowledged and a desire put an end to it, has been expressed.

Trump, who is basically a businessman and most of whose decisions have been criticised, has also faced reality and, for the first time in history, as an American politician, said what anti-American individuals and organisations had been saying for decades, but Trump's business ideology is at the forefront because he wants to reduce the US defence budget by blocking US forces from Europe and other countries and spend this money to make America a superpower.

This proposal has also revealed another aspect of his personality, that he considers it better to not turn a blind eye to the reality but accept it. A personal aspect that has been hidden from the world until now. At the same time, this proposal can bring both political and public benefits to his personality as a world leader.

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On February 13, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing retaliatory import tariffs on foreign countries.

Under the directive, the United States would match the import tax levels other nations impose on American goods.

By the early hours of April 3 (Vietnam time), President Trump officially announced the new tariff policy, applying countervailing duties to all countries worldwide.

For Vietnam, this meant a sudden 46% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. - a serious blow, given Vietnams $104.4 billion trade surplus with the U.S. in 2024.

The Ministry of Finance warned that the 46% tariff would severely impact key Vietnamese export sectors, including electronics, textiles, agriculture, and footwear.

Enterprises were thrown into crisis mode, scrambling to renegotiate contracts and adjust business plans to stay afloat.

On April 3, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien sent an official diplomatic note to the U.S., urging a delay in tariff enforcement to allow time for negotiations.

Previously, Vietnam had worked to address many concerns of U.S. businesses operating locally, including tax reductions for 13 key American product categories and support for multiple U.S.-backed investment projects.

Businesses brace for impact, then breathe a sigh of relief

Following the U.S. announcement, Vietnamese exporters moved swiftly to adapt.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade advised companies to diversify into key traditional markets and explore new niche opportunities to reduce reliance on U.S. demand.

On the evening of April 4, General Secretary To Lam held a phone call with President Donald Trump to discuss bilateral trade ties.

General Secretary To Lam expressed Vietnams willingness to bring U.S. import tariffs down to zero and urged the U.S. to reciprocate.

He also encouraged further U.S. investment in Vietnam and highlighted the importance of facilitating trade flow in both directions.

Both leaders agreed to pursue a bilateral agreement to formalize these goals.

During an emergency government meeting on April 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed ministries to step up diplomatic efforts and hold broad discussions with U.S. stakeholders.

He called for increased imports of U.S. goods to rebalance trade, alongside a review of Vietnams tariff structure on U.S. imports.

Pause in tariffs sparks hope for resolution

Vietnam and the United States have held multiple rounds of negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement.

On April 9, President Trump unexpectedly announced a 90-day postponement of the retaliatory tariff hike for more than 75 countries, including Vietnam.

During the temporary delay, affected countries would only face a basic 10% tariff rate.

This three-month pause was hailed as a "golden window" for Vietnam to prepare, negotiate, and build strategic defenses against long-term risk.

On April 23, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien launched official talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson L. Greer, marking the start of bilateral negotiations on the reciprocal trade agreement.

Technical and ministerial-level rounds of negotiations soon followed.

Toward a fair, balanced trade pact

The talks covered a wide range of issues: tariff frameworks, rules of origin, customs procedures, agriculture, non-tariff barriers, digital trade, services, investment, intellectual property, sustainable development, and supply chain resilience.

Multiple bilateral agreements were signed between Vietnamese and U.S. enterprises, showcasing a shared commitment to rebalancing trade.

On July 2, General Secretary To Lam again spoke with President Trump to review progress.

Both leaders praised the joint negotiation teams for reaching a draft of the VietnamU.S. Joint Statement on the Framework for a Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade Agreement.

President Trump affirmed the U.S. would significantly cut tariffs on many Vietnamese exports and would work with Vietnam to resolve remaining issues affecting trade.

By August 1 (Vietnam time), the White House published a new executive order adjusting tariffs for 69 countries and territories.

Vietnams tariff was officially lowered from 46% to 20%.

A turning point for bilateral trade

After months of diplomacy, Vietnam and the U.S. officially released their Joint Statement on the Framework for a Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade Agreement on October 26.

The agreement outlined a commitment by the U.S. to maintain a 20% reciprocal tariff as per Executive Order No. 14257 dated April 2, 2025 (as amended).

It also provided for a possible 0% reciprocal tariff on products listed in Appendix III of Executive Order No. 14356, titled Adjustments to Potential Tariffs for Aligned Trade Partners.

Technical negotiations on the final agreement continue, and a number of Vietnamese exports are expected to qualify for the 0% rate.

Remarkably, despite a year of volatility, Vietnam's exports to the U.S. reached $126 billion in the first 10 months of 2025 - surpassing the total for all of 2024 and setting a new record.

The U.S. remains one of Vietnams most important export destinations.

Tam An
That was the key message of the thematic session Promoting green transition and developing the circular economy to realize high growth and sustainable development goals - held under the umbrella of the Vietnam Economic Forum 2025, looking ahead to 2026.

Vietnam's new model: Growth with sustainability and inclusion

According to Pham Dai Duong, Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commissions Policy and Strategy Department, Vietnams economy is facing the strategic challenge of transforming its growth model to meet national development goals.

By 2030, the country aims to become a modern industrial nation with upper-middle income, and by 2045, a high-income developed economy.

Achieving such ambitions requires Vietnam to consistently reach double-digit growth from 2026 onwards - growth that must now be sustainable, inclusive, and based on quality and long-term competitiveness.

This transformation will rest on four revolutionary transitions: digital, green, energy, and workforce restructuring.

Agriculture: A paradox of growth and emissions

Vietnams agriculture sector contributes over 15% of national GDP, but also accounts for nearly 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

That duality makes agriculture both a vital economic driver and a key area for climate action. Building a low-emission, technology-driven agricultural model is essential for Vietnams green transition and sustainability roadmap.

Since 2011, initiatives like the National Context Programme (NCP) have improved farmers livelihoods while producing measurable environmental benefits.

Low-carbon agriculture takes root

Le Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, pointed to promising trends in the greening of production and consumption, particularly within agriculture.

Numerous ecological and low-carbon farming models have been launched, involving businesses and cooperatives in applying advanced technology to monitor and control production environments - raising both yield and product quality.

In September 2025, the Ministry approved a national low-emission crop farming roadmap for 20252035. This strategy aims to bring Vietnams crop production in line with low-carbon goals, safeguard national food security, and boost the global competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural exports.

PV
Launched in May 2024 with a total investment of nearly 200 million USD, the project was completed in just over 18 months, ensuring construction proceeded safely while accommodating hundreds of daily flights.



The inauguration comes at a crucial time, relieving congestion at the Norths busiest airport ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year peak and tourism season.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh attends the inauguration ceremony of the expanded Terminal T2 at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on December 19, 2025 (Photo: VNA)

The project expands the terminals floor area to over 200,000 sq.m, increases passenger capacity from 10 million to 15 million, even up to 18 million per year, and boosts operational capacity with boarding gates rising from 17 to 30 and jet bridges from 14 to 27, meeting strong growth in international travel demand.



Beyond expanding infrastructure, the Terminal 2 extension also marks a significant step in the ACVs digital transformation strategy.



For the first time at a Vietnamese international airport, a fully integrated digital ecosystem has been implemented. From Kiosk Check-in and Self Bag Drop to automated immigration lanes and biometric security checks, the system creates a seamless digital passenger flow.



The digital passenger flow marks a transformative step, shifting operations from manual to automated processes, enhancing efficiency, and bringing the passenger experience closer to the standards of top regional and global airports.



In addition to technology, the terminal features an open design that maximises natural light and incorporates ecological green spaces. Local cultural elements are also subtly integrated into the modern layout, reinforcing Noi Bai International Airports role as a cultural gateway welcoming international visitors.



As the capital citys international gateway, serving VIP and priority flights nationwide, the Terminal T2 is more than just infrastructure facility, it embodies a strong commitment to sustainable airport design (Green Airport)./. VNA
The unnamed god

Located on a narrow street that shares its name, An Tai Temple in Binh Dong Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, stands out with a newly renovated three-gate entrance adorned with golden dragons on a crimson backdrop.

Beyond the ornate gate lies a breezy courtyard filled with lush greenery. Scattered across the compound are various small shrines dedicated to deities like the Mother Goddess, the Five Elements, fallen soldiers, and a group of four female spirits.

But the most elaborate and striking features are the vo ca (ceremonial stage) and the main sanctuary devoted to a mysterious god.

Inside the vo ca, a large altar holds an aged portrait of an elderly deity with flowing silver hair and beard. Behind this area lies the main sanctuary, spacious and richly decorated.

According to Truong Thanh Lam (born 1971), head of the temples management board, An Tai Temple was built about a century ago, rooted in a legend where a nameless deity began appearing in local dreams.

The newly restored three-gate entrance of An Tai Temple. Photo: Ha Nguyen

A god from dreams

Back in the early 1900s, the site where the temple now stands was nothing more than a remote marshland surrounded by rivers, sparsely populated.

Around 1930, ethnic Chinese migrants from nearby Cho Lon arrived to clear the land and build storage facilities. Over time, rice milling factories emerged, drawing an influx of laborers.

"Local workers and residents began reporting dreams of an old man with silver hair and beard," said Lam. "In these dreams, he claimed to be the spiritual guardian of the land."

Moved by the shared visions, locals erected a small shrine on the present-day temple site. Since the deity's name was unknown, and only his silver beard was consistent across the visions, they began calling him Silver Beard God. The modest thatched shrine was soon known as the Silver Beard Shrine.

The ceremonial hall houses the portrait of the Silver Beard God. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Faith in hard times

The shrine quickly became a spiritual refuge, especially for exploited mill workers who had no rest and worked long hours.

They would pray at the shrine, hoping for better conditions. Coincidentally - or perhaps miraculously - some machines at the mills began breaking down, temporarily halting production.

News of this spread, prompting even factory owners to visit the shrine, expressing intentions to improve business practices.

In time, local agriculture flourished, and mills operated more smoothly. In gratitude, workers and owners jointly restored and expanded the shrine into a proper temple, naming it An Tai - symbolizing peace and prosperity.

The portrait of the Silver Beard God at An Tai Temple is more than 90 years old. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Tradition preserved

Not long after the temples establishment, a devotee pledged to paint a portrait of the Silver Beard God based on dream descriptions. The image, still enshrined above the altar, portrays a kind-faced elder in armor, long silver beard and hair tied high, wielding a massive broadsword.

Lam said the painting is now more than 90 years old, with its own supernatural tale. In one account, a man attempted to remove the portrait from the temple but found himself unable to exit the altar area. Only when village elders intervened and restored the painting did peace return.

During wartime, despite bombings that devastated nearby houses and trees, the temple and a small adjacent shrine remained untouched - an occurrence that deepened its spiritual reputation.

After 1975, the road in front of the temple was widened and officially named An Tai Street. Pilgrims began visiting in greater numbers.

To accommodate the growing devotion, locals built a new sanctuary behind the vo ca, complete with a white horse statue and a pair of cranes. At its center is a large statue of the Silver Beard God, broadsword in hand, modeled after the original portrait.

The temples courtyard is filled with lush greenery. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Rituals of the past still alive

Every year, the temple hosts the Ky Yen (peace-seeking) festival on the 16th, 17th, and 18th days of the second lunar month. The ancient rituals continue, including the rare live pig offering.

"In the past, we sacrificed three live pigs over three days," said Lam. "Today, we only offer one, on the 16th."

The selected pig must meet strict criteria: it must be male, completely white with no spots, weigh over 100 kilograms, and be physically flawless.

A ceremonial team is hired to conduct the rites exactly as they were done in the past. The rituals typically last over an hour and draw large crowds of both locals and visitors.

Ha Nguyen
Born in 2006, Tuan, a student at Hanoi Law University, is a San Chi ethnic minority from Thai Nguyen. From a young age, he accompanied his parents to pick tea and help with farm work. Growing up with the tea plants made him deeply understand the hardships his family faced.

At that time, Tuan began to develop the conviction that he had to study well to change his life and escape the daily routine on the hills. Only knowledge is the key to changing ones destiny, he said.

Despite being farmers, Tuans parents always guided their children to study hard to have the chance to step into a wider world.

While studying at Thai Nguyen boarding school for ethnic minorities, Tuan achieved two provincial awards in grade 10: excellent student in literature and third prize in the science and engineering contest.

In grade 11, he won the provincial excellent student award in History, third prize in the provincial science and engineering contest, and first prize in the Thai Nguyen youth innovation awards. In grade 12, he continued to win the provincial excellent student award in History.

At the 2024 high school graduation exam, Anh Tuan scored 29 points, becoming the top scorer of C exam group (literature, history, geography) in Thai Nguyen Province. Thanks to these achievements, he was honored at the 2024 national ceremony recognizing outstanding ethnic minority students and youth.

After that, Tuan chose to study at Hanoi Law University. Explaining his choice, he said that even in high school, he realized many legal issues made life difficult for people in his hometown. He wanted to gain legal knowledge to help change perceptions and assist his community in resolving legal matters.

With clear goals, Anh Tuan pursued university study with discipline and initiative. I think studying is not a battle. When you have clear goals, you can stay focused and make your efforts most effective, he said.

In class, he listens actively instead of taking excessive notes. He shared that the content in class is extensive, and lecturers often move quickly. Without focus, students can easily miss important knowledge.

At home, he reviews textbooks and studies in groups to consolidate and expand what he has learned.

Having a study group is important because classmates can fill in the gaps in your knowledge. I also often volunteer to be group leader in assignments to understand the subjects more deeply, he shared.

Being honored as an outstanding ethnic minority student has also motivated him to keep striving to meet expectations.

During his first year at Hanoi Law University, Anh Tuan achieved excellent academic results and outstanding conduct scores. He participated in professional clubs and is a member of the management team of Cong dong 54 dan toc Viet Nam (the community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam), a project sharing information about ethnic minority groups in Vietnam on social media.

This work helped him spread the cultural values of his own ethnic group, learn about others, and help ethnic minority communities have a stronger voice.

Tuan said that since high school, he had taken part in two research projects related to preserving and promoting ethnic minority cultural identity, including preserving San Chay culture through the Tac Xinh dance and traditional costumes and language.

At university, he continued a research project on providing legal information to ethnic minority communities that aims to narrow the legal gap and help people access legal information.

For Tuan, being an ethnic minority is not something to feel insecure about. He believes every ethnic group has its own cultural identity, which is a foundation and a springboard for further development.

There is no reason to feel inferior for being an ethnic minority. Anyone can rise as long as they persist, keep learning, and remove self-doubt, the barrier that prevents us from stepping into the world, he said.

In the near future, Tuan aims to complete his bachelors degree and take the bar exam. Looking further ahead, he hopes to return to his hometown to support local people in resolving legal issues properly and transparently, and to help improve legal awareness in ethnic minority communities.

Knowledge plays an important role in changing ones destiny. With knowledge, we have more opportunities, can shift our thinking, and broaden our perspective. This is the foundation for contributing more to our hometown and preserving the cultural identity of our ethnic group, Anh Tuan shared.

Thuy Nga
Many seek out Mr. Cos rare sidewalk repair booth for lighters.

It was a quiet afternoon when a man, about 60 years old, approached Cos aging wooden cabinet with a malfunctioning Dupont lighter. Though worn and wobbly, the cabinet has stood its ground at the same spot for decades, marking the presence of one of the last remaining gaslighter repairmen in the city.

Before taking up this niche craft, Co had dabbled in various jobs before joining the army in 1976.

A year later, he was deployed to Cambodia, then reassigned in 1979 to help defend the coastal region of Nam Dinh in northern Vietnam.

In 1980, after completing his military service, Co returned to Ho Chi Minh City with no clear path ahead. A fellow soldier introduced him to the lighter refill trade, and he decided to give it a try.

Back in the 1980s, luxury lighters like Zippo, Dupont, and Dunhill were already in Vietnam - but they remained out of reach for most people. Disposable lighters hadnt taken over yet, so refillable gas lighters were in high demand.

The lighter refill business was thriving then, offering stable and decent income.

While working, Co often encountered broken high-end lighters that owners wanted salvaged.

Driven by curiosity and customer requests, he began teaching himself how to fix them. That spark of problem-solving soon became a lifelong passion.

A vanishing craft kept alive

Mr. Co is one of the last craftsmen who still refills and repairs lighters in HCMC.

His old wooden cabinet holds mostly self-made tools for his trade.

I started this job at 27, Co said. Now, its been 45 years. Back then, I earned enough to support my wife and two kids.

With the rise of disposable lighters, the gas refill business faded. Yet Co survived by mastering the repair of both common and luxury lighters.

Today I earn only 200,000 to 300,000 dong a day (around $8 to $12), he added.

His main clientele now includes lighter collectors and traders of vintage models. And thanks to his deep knowledge and skill, Cos spot remains busy.

Hes never had formal training. Everything he knows - every technique, every tool - he developed through observation and experimentation.

Many of his tools are handcrafted inventions, tailor-made for the intricate repairs he performs.

What began as a job of simple gas refills gradually evolved into a highly specialized repair trade.

Co can now fix a wide range of lighters, from basic to the most luxurious models.

Admired by collectors and travelers

He started with gas refills, but kept the job alive with manual repair skills.

Among his loyal customers is Tran Dai Hanh, a 66-year-old collector from Chanh Hung Ward, whos been passionate about lighters since his youth.

Mr. Co is incredibly versatile. He can fix gas lighters, flint ones, even those that use fuel, Hanh said.

He works entirely by hand. Everything - spare parts, tools - he makes himself.

Many expensive lighters cant be fixed by regular shops and are deemed irreparable. But Co finds a way - modifying, adapting, recreating missing parts. Thats what I respect the most, Hanh added.

Over the years, Co has earned admiration not only from local clients but from foreign visitors as well.

One such moment came when a tourist from Taiwan spotted Co working and asked - through a translator - whether he could fix a Dupont lighter.

Co examined it briefly, then calmly said it would take 30 minutes.

The visitor, half skeptical, agreed to wait.

Exactly half an hour later, the job was done. The customer, stunned by the precision and speed, praised Cos workmanship - and spread the word.

Since then, many overseas lighter enthusiasts have sought him out when visiting Vietnam.

Still waiting for an heir

He can fix both common and luxury lighters. In the right image, he repairs a Dupont model.

Mr. Hanh (left), a collector of vintage lighters, has become Mr. Cos friend.

After 45 years, what troubles Mr. Co the most is that none of his apprentices stayed with the trade.

Behind his smile, though, lies a quiet sadness.

After four and a half decades of mastering the craft, Co has yet to find someone to carry it forward.

Im getting old, but Ive never thought of retiring, he said. I love this job too much. Even after 45 years, I still feel like I havent learned everything there is to know.

The older I get, the more I realize how deep this craft really is. Theres always something new to explore.

But I fear one day this will just become a memory in this citys history.

Ha Nguyen
Representative from the research group presents findings. Photo: Lan Quyen

This marks a significant positive shift in public attitudes and behaviors around health, particularly as Vietnams health system continues to face increasing pressure.

The study, conducted between June and December, was carried out in Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hue, and An Giang. The research was based on the Global Self-Care Readiness Index developed by the Global Self-Care Federation.

Vietnam scored 3.04 out of a possible 4. Among its strongest indicators was the level of support for self-care within the health system.

The score for trust and support from healthcare professionals reached 3.03 - above the average and higher than several regional peers. An impressive 73.1% of health workers said they regularly advise patients on self-care as part of treatment plans.

However, the public trust score was lower at 2.38, suggesting that while people are inclined toward self-care, many still lack confidence and reliable information. Nonetheless, the survey noted widespread openness to using over-the-counter medications for minor ailments like coughs and colds, as well as engaging in physical exercise.

Patient and consumer empowerment scored 3.06 - higher than seven of the ten countries in the 2022 comparative report.

The highest score came from self-testing, with 3.36 points, indicating that more Vietnamese are accessing home-use medical devices and monitoring tools.

Health literacy among the population earned 3.26 points, reflecting improved awareness and application of self-care strategies for common health issues.

Despite this progress, access to personal health data and digital health tools remains only average. The lack of a unified electronic health record system continues to hinder individuals ability to manage their health comprehensively.

Misinformation on social media still a major challenge

Policy readiness scored 3.05. However, the study also pointed out several pressing challenges.

One is the ease of exposure to unverified health information on social media, while official health content remains less accessible - particularly for the elderly.

Many primary healthcare workers are overloaded, lack specialized counseling skills, and receive little incentive for patient education, leading to inconsistent guidance.

On the legal front, Vietnam received its highest score of 3.26, indicating a favorable regulatory environment. Non-prescription medications, supplements, and medical devices are widely available across both physical and digital platforms.

However, the research team noted that this convenience also calls for greater transparency and quality control to protect consumers.

Dr. Nguyen Khanh Phuong, Director of the Health Strategy and Policy Institute, stated that Vietnam has solid foundations for advancing self-care but still has untapped potential.

Moving forward, she emphasized the importance of enhancing mainstream health communications, strengthening healthcare worker training in patient counseling, and accelerating the integration of electronic health records with the national digital ID system (VNeID). These steps are seen as key to empowering the public to better manage and protect their health.

Phuong Thuy
Vietnam rejects unobjective and inaccurate assessments of its actual situation contained in the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)s Vietnam update report issued on December 9, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang on December 19.



Hang made the statement while responding to reporters questions regarding the USCIRF's Country Update: Vietnam.



She stressed that Vietnams consistent policy is to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of belief and religion.



In Vietnam, no one is discriminated against on the basis of religion or belief, and the activities of religious organisations are ensured in accordance with the law, she affirmed. This is enshrined in the 2013 Constitution and legal system of Vietnam, and is respected in practice, the spokesperson emphasised.



She added that Vietnams policies, efforts and achievements in ensuring human rights, including freedom of belief and religion, have been recognised and highly appreciated by many countries.



We have been working and will continue to discuss with the US on issues of mutual concern in a frank, open and mutually respectful spirit, contributing to the promotion of the VietnamUS comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development, Hang stated./. VNA
Vietnams coffee industry is approaching a major milestone, with export revenues nearly reaching $8 billion in 2025. As the year wraps up, coffee farmers in the Central Highlands are enjoying a prosperous harvest thanks to strong yields and high market prices.

Vietnam's coffee exports in the first 11 months of 2025 reached nearly $8 billion. Photo: Nguyen Hue

According to data from the General Department of Customs, Vietnam exported nearly 89,000 tons of coffee in November alone, earning around $508 million - an impressive 41% increase in volume and 44.4% rise in value compared to the same month in 2024.

Over the first 11 months of 2025, total coffee exports reached 1.4 million tons, bringing in $7.94 billion. While export volume rose by 15.1% year-on-year, value skyrocketed by 60.9% due to an average export price of $5,661 per ton - up 39.8% from the previous year.

Experts consider 2025 a landmark year for Vietnamese coffee, as rising global prices, tightened supply, and steady demand from key markets have driven export growth. Gradual improvements in product quality have also elevated Vietnams international coffee reputation and export value.

If the current trend holds, 2025 is on track to set a new record in export revenue, further solidifying coffees role in Vietnams booming agricultural sector. At the same time, local farmers are reaping the benefits of a profitable season.

In Dak Lak, the heart of the Central Highlands coffee region, farmers are entering a bustling new harvest season - what some call a money-picking period.

In Dak Sak commune, Dak Nong province, Nguyen Van Tao and his family head out daily to harvest early-ripening coffee cherries. Although their early-ripening crop is small, theyve had to hire extra labor to keep pace with the harvest.

Peak harvest comes at the end of December. Thats when it really gets busy, with harvesting, drying, bagging, and storing, he shared.

Tao noted that while the early crop had lower yields, the main season promises excellent output and quality. He estimates each hectare can yield between 5 and 5.5 tons of processed beans. His familys total of 7 hectares is expected to produce 3537 tons.

At the moment, coffee is selling for about 95,000 VND per kilogram (around $3.91), slightly down from earlier prices, but still very profitable, Tao said. However, his family typically stores coffee and waits until after the Lunar New Year to sell, when prices usually rise. Besides coffee, they also grow durian and black pepper on a smaller scale, so coffee revenue mostly goes into savings or business ventures for their children.

In a previous harvest, Tao sold 35 tons of beans at a peak price of 127,000 VND/kg (approx. $5.24), earning nearly $177,000.

Central Highlands farmers have entered the new coffee harvest season. Photo: Nguyen Hue

Similarly, Le Van Quan and his wife in Dak Nong have started their new harvest just weeks after pocketing nearly $80,000 from their last sale.

With 4 hectares of coffee (excluding intercropped areas), Quan expects at least 20 tons this season. Favorable weather, especially the absence of drought, has led to a better crop than last year.

Some agents have approached me, but Im waiting for a better price, he noted.

Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of the Vietnam Coffee  Cocoa Association (VICOFA), told VietNamNet that national output for the 20252026 harvest is expected to rise by 510% from the previous season.

He attributed this to two years of sustained high prices, which have encouraged farmers to reinvest in their coffee farms. With better care and favorable weather, both yields and quality have improved.

However, since early December, domestic coffee prices have dropped sharply as the main harvest peaks in the Central Highlands, and global prices fall. Exporters have adjusted purchasing prices accordingly.

Currently, domestic coffee bean prices range from 92,00094,000 VND/kg (approx. $3.79$3.87).

Despite this, Hai noted that both Brazil and Vietnam - the worlds two largest coffee suppliers - are seeing strong harvests. While prices may continue to fall, he does not expect them to return to historic lows.

Even if prices dip to 80,00085,000 VND/kg ($3.29$3.50), farmers will still enjoy solid profits this season, he said.

Tam An
December 19, 2025: Ukraine recently introduced its Magura V7 naval drone, which weighs about 1.2 tons and can carry 650 kg of weapons. Its operational range is a thousand kilometers. The V7 can also be equipped with an electricity generator, enabling it to stay at sea for up to seven days. This model can move at speeds of up to 72 kilometers an hour. Cruising speed is 43 kilometers an hour.

Ukrainian naval drones have revolutionized naval warfare that takes place within a few hundred kilometers of a coastline. So far, no other navy has shown much interest in duplicating the Ukrainian success with naval drones. The U.S. Coast Guard has used naval drones to assist in interdicting drug smuggling boats. The U.S. Navy has access to Ukrainian naval drone technology and is paying attention because the Chinese are doing a lot of work on naval drones, including a ship described as a drone carrier, equipped with aerial and naval drones.

It all began in 2022 when the Russian Black Sea fleet dominated the Black sea and threatened Ukrainian grain exports, which accounted for 41 percent of its export income. Most of these grain products went to Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ukraine needed to deal with the Black Sea Fleet and do it quickly. The initial problem was that Ukraine did not have much of a navy. They had some patrol boats, which were a nuisance, not an obstacle, to continued Russian control of the Black Sea.

Ukraine had a secret weapon, the Magura naval surface drone. About a hundred of these drones defeated the Black Sea fleet. When the war started, the Magura V5 was just a concept, a preliminary design for a one ton 5.5 meter long naval drone. Magura initially used a fishing boat that had a solid waterproof cover added, along with batteries for propulsion. There were sensors and a compartment for 300 kg of explosives or weapons. These include a machine-gun protruding above the drone top while two Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles were in launch tubes, ready to be fired at Russian aircraft or helicopters. Magura has a substantial number of electronic components, including several day/night video cameras that give the remote operator a view of what is around the drone. There is also an autopilot, so the remote operator does not have to personally maneuver the drone over long stretches of open water. Magura is equipped with contact fuses at the front of the boat

Most Magura missions are one-way, but those equipped with machine-guns and surface-to-air missiles are also used to attack Russian aircraft. In May a Magura V7 used those two missiles to shoot down two expensive Russian SU-30 jet fighters. This was the first time a naval drone had shot down warplanes. Earlier a Magura had used Ukrainian R-73 heat-seeking missiles to take down one Mi-8 helicopter and damage another.

The Ukrainian experience using naval drones to defeat the Russian Black Sea Fleet was unique. Ukraine had only surface-to-ship missiles when the war started, but eventually shifted to three new naval drones, Sea Baby, Mother, and MAGURA, or Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus.

Some of these naval drones were used for a mid-2023 Kerch Bridge attack. One of the drones varied 850 kg of explosives and inflicted enough damage to halt use of the bridge. The Mother drone carried 450 kg and MAGURA 320 kg. In addition to attacking targets, these drones can also be used for reconnaissance and surveillance using video cameras that broadcast what they see back to the drone operator. Some drones have been armed with small rocket launchers. The Mother drone has a range of over 700 kilometers and can operate on the high seas. Endurance is about 60 hours, and top speed is over 70 kilometers an hour. Mother was used for an attack on the Russian naval base at Novorossiysk, which is a thousand kilometers from Crimea.

Ukraine has been developing subsurface drones and in early 2023 the first one, the Toloka2 TK-150 was introduced. This drone was 2.5 meters long and equipped with a sensor mast that remained above the surface for navigation and to identify targets. Toloka2 can also carry a small explosive warhead. Later, Ukraine developed the larger Marichka drone that is six meters long and one meter in diameter. Ukraine sought a Western manufacturer to build and weaponize Ukrainian drones.

Ukrainian drones have been quite successful in attacking and sinking or disabling Russian navy ships. So far there have been over a dozen attacks which resulted in sinking or damaging about twenty ships.

Ukrainian drone operations in the Black Sea forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to withdraw to the eastern shore of the Black Sea. Sevastopol was no longer a safe place to be, and Russian ships could no longer launch their Kalibr cruise missiles without risking attack by Ukrainian drones. The presence and aggressive use of the drones meant that Ukraines grain corridor was kept open despite Russias threats to interfere. Beyond symbolic significance, the corridor holds critical economic importance for Ukraine and is expected to contribute up to seven percent to GDP growth in 2024 and even more in 2025 because of the grain shipments.

Russian countermeasures to Ukrainian naval drones included using aircraft and helicopters to destroy slow-moving drones before they attack, and expanding use of jamming to disrupt drone control signals. These changes made it much more difficult for Ukrainian naval drones to reach and destroy targets. But by 2025 the Russians had already lost control of the Black Sea and were not getting it back.

This left Russian warships dependent on bases in the north, near the land border with Norway, and in the Far East, near Japanese and South Korean naval bases. In a post-Cold War development the Japanese and South Korean fleets are now far larger than the Russian Far East fleet. Before the 1990s, the South Korea fleet was largely non-existent and the Japanese fleet tiny and purely defensive. Chinese naval power began to emerge by the late 1990s but took another decade to become a significant force. Then as now, the American western Pacific fleet was the major naval power in the region.

The lessons learned by American, Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Ukrainian and Russian naval commanders is that these drones have changed the rules for naval warfare. If China tries to invade Taiwan, they have to prepare countermeasures for numerous naval drones blocking the way. Everyone continues to observe Black Sea operations for details on what new tactics, techniques and drones designs appear. The U.S. has an edge because they are a major supporter of Ukraine and are seeking to make the most of their insider knowledge of the Ukrainian naval drone effort.
This diplomatic consultation followed their in-person meeting at the G20 Summit in November 2025, and highlighted the commitment of both leaders to regional cooperation amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his pleasure in reconnecting with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, noting the importance of their frequent exchanges in addressing challenges and seizing opportunities. He praised the positive momentum in VietnamSingapore relations since the elevation to a comprehensive strategic partnership, and affirmed both sides intent to implement the 20252030 Action Plan efficiently and decisively.

The two leaders discussed plans to establish new cooperation mechanisms, including a Strategic Dialogue between the two ruling parties.

Strategic economic cooperation gains momentum

Both Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the continued success of VietnamSingapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) and committed to upgrading them into second-generation models - greener, smarter, and more inclusive. They aim to expand to 30 VSIPs by 2030, and explore replicating the model in other regional nations.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed joint efforts to assess wind power exports from Vietnam to Singapore, and proposed further collaboration on small modular nuclear reactors, carbon credit development, and food security initiatives.

He also encouraged Singapore to participate in Vietnams financial center projects in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, and continue supporting the development of Vietnams high-quality human resources, making VietnamSingapore a model of solidarity, cooperation, and regional dialogue.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed with these proposals, emphasizing Singapores desire to work closely with Vietnam in realizing the full potential of their upgraded partnership. He noted that in a complex regional context, Singapore views the bilateral relationship as a "lighthouse" within ASEAN - symbolizing win-win cooperation and mutual benefit.

Shared concerns over regional tensions

The two leaders voiced deep concern over escalating tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, and jointly called on both nations to exercise restraint, refrain from using force, and prioritize dialogue and peaceful solutions.

They pledged to work closely with other ASEAN members to strengthen unity, uphold ASEANs central role, and leverage existing ASEAN mechanisms to promote dialogue and maintain peace, stability, and cooperation in the region.

The two Prime Ministers also reaffirmed their joint commitment to regional leadership in 2027, when Vietnam will host APEC and Singapore will chair ASEAN.

Tran Thuong
In 2025, VietNamNet celebrates its 28th anniversary (December 19, 1997  December 19, 2025). While 28 years is not long in the history of journalism, it is enough for a news outlet to shape its identity, earn public trust, and continuously renew itself in a fast-evolving media landscape.

This anniversary also marks a pivotal milestone: VietNamNet begins a new chapter as the official media agency of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs. This transition is not merely organizational - it represents an expansion in purpose, vision, and responsibility.

For nearly two decades under the Ministry of Information and Communications (now the Ministry of Science and Technology), VietNamNet established itself as a reputable political news outlet in the digital space. It has been bold in embracing new technologies and steadfast in upholding the values of integrity and professionalism in revolutionary journalism.

At 28, now under the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, VietNamNet carries with it the aspiration to become the voice of a multi-colored Vietnam - where every identity is honored, every voice is heard, and every piece of information contributes to consensus and progress. The message Honoring identity  Leading information is not just a slogan - it is a long-term commitment.

Todays media faces more challenges than ever, yet one thing remains unchanged: revolutionary journalism always serves the people and prioritizes the nations interests. For 28 years, VietNamNet has remained on that path - providing accurate, timely information; embracing innovation in the digital age; and spreading human values and positivity across society.

With a team of dedicated journalists, VietNamNet hopes to continue being a trusted companion to the 54 ethnic groups across Vietnam - from lowlands to highlands, from urban centers to remote villages. No matter the location, every citizen's voice deserves to be heard and respected.

In this new phase, VietNamNet clearly defines its pioneering role in covering ethnic affairs and religious policy. The outlet aims to contribute to the development of ethnic minority and mountainous regions, strengthen national solidarity, and foster trust in the Party and State among ethnic communities and religious groups.

VietNamNet values every ounce of support and every piece of feedback - both praise and critique - from readers across the country. These connections are the driving force behind our desire to go further, do better, and continue our journalistic mission with faith, responsibility, and a deep commitment to public service.

VietNamNet
Tran Van Bang, Deputy Director of Viettel Software Investment Company, and Pham Cao Dinh, Deputy Director of Viettel IDC Cooperation Service Center at the seminar

In the context of rapidly developing AI and its ability to do certain jobs better than humans, many students are concerned about what knowledge and skills they need to equip themselves within the next 3-5 years to avoid unemployment. Experts from Viettel suggest that instead of being afraid, one should learn how to master technology and master AI.

Tran Van Bang, Deputy Director of Viettel Software Investment Company, and Pham Cao Dinh, Deputy Director of Viettel IDC Cooperation Service Center, shared their insights on the topic with a large number of university students.

Dinh said that instead of being afraid of being replaced by AI, students need to learn to master AI, turning technology into their assistant and helper. In essence, AI will never understand jobs involving emotional or humanistic factors.

However, to master technology, students must first master themselves. "A successful person is not necessarily the best at any given time, but one who possesses the elements of discipline, perseverance, and effort every day, always being better than the day before," Dinh said.

This is clearly demonstrated through time management. All humans have only 24 hours in a day, and how we use those 24 hours is what makes our difference, he said.

He gave the example that the founders of the world's largest technology corporations often start their day at 5 am; they have their own schedule and know their goals clearly.

In terms of knowledge, the two Viettel experts emphasized that knowledge is never enough. Tran Van Bang pointed out that the only thing that does not change is change.

Today it is AI, tomorrow it could be something even more disruptive. Therefore, the question should not be what to study, but how to study in order to stay updated and not be left behind.

Sharing the same view, Pham Cao Dinh offered his advice to students: There is a small tip to never being unemployed: that is to stay within trends, because trends can never be stopped.

For example, with todays hottest technologies such as AI and Big Data, young people need to understand what they are, how they operate, and what they need to function. From there, they can explore further knowledge in fields such as electrical engineering, automation, servers, graphics cards, or data centers.

"Follow practical demand; start with what an application needs to run and then conduct in-depth research, supplementing your expertise and skills," Dinh continued.

In general, both speakers agreed that the current technology market is thirsty for human resources, but especially high-quality human resources.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Students need to proactively turn themselves into people who are always ready to embrace changing times, understand what the times demand, and supplement their knowledge accordingly.

The UNDP has released a report showing that the impact of AI is particularly severe on young people. AI is gradually replacing basic entry-level jobs that young people often use as career stepping stones, such as administration, scheduling, document drafting, translation, and research.

Also according to the report, Vietnam is among the countries with the highest rate of citizens worrying about job loss or inability to find a job due to AI in the region, at 61 percent.

In countries like South Korea, this rate is much lower because they already have strategies for reskilling and coping with career changes.

To ensure that AI serves human development equitably, the UNDP report proposed an action framework based on three core principles.

First, a human-centered approach, placing technological innovation within the framework of human development, prioritizing the expansion of human capabilities and unleashing human potential.

Next, responsibly governing innovation. This involves building clear, risk-based regulations and strengthening accountability to balance progress with the protection of ethics and privacy.

Finally, building future-ready systems through strong investment in local talent and sustainable infrastructure, ensuring that digital access is considered essential infrastructure.

Du Lam
The US Department of Education is implementing significant changes to the federal student loan system that could make it more difficult for some students to finance their education. Advocacy groups warn these reforms may force many to turn to riskier private loans or even abandon plans for higher education altogether.

The overhaul stems from President Donald Trump's sweeping One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, a multi-sector reform package that bundles changes to education, immigration, taxes, and federal spending into a single legislative push.

Framed by the administration as a return to "simpler, leaner government," the education provisions were designed to shrink the federal loan footprint and shift more responsibility onto states, institutions, and families. Supporters argue the law reins in ballooning federal liabilities, while critics say its scale and speed leave students with fewer safeguards just as higher-education costs continue to rise.

Major Changes Set to Take Effect in 2026

Under the legislation driven by President Donald Trump's plan, entire loan programmes will be either phased out or heavily capped. These new rules will come into force on 1 July 2026, with wide-ranging implications for current and future borrowers.

1. New Loan Caps

The new regulations will limit federal loans for graduate and doctoral programmes to $20,500 (15,512) annually, with a total lifetime limit of $100,000 (75,669). However, professional degree programmes such as law, medicine, and dentistry will have higher federal loan limits. An agency committee has proposed designating these high-cost fields as professional degrees, allowing students to borrow up to $200,000 (151,338) over their lifetime.

2. End of the Grad PLUS Loan

Trump's bill also eliminates the Graduate PLUS program for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026. This federal student loan program is for students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and enrolling in graduate or professional programs, such as master's, law, or medical school. Previously, students could borrow up to their graduate school costs through the PLUS program and avoid private loans.

3. Fewer Repayment Plans

The Department of Education plans to phase out several existing repayment optionsincluding Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Savings on a Valuable Education (SAVE)by July 2028. In their place, the department will expand the income-based repayment plans for high earners and introduce a new Repayment Assistance Plan next year. Ultimately, only two income-driven repayment plans will remain, streamlining options but reducing flexibility for borrowers.

4. Taxation of Loan Forgiveness

The legislation does not extend tax relief for loan forgiveness under income-driven plans. As a result, forgiveness at the 20- or 25-year mark under IBR, ICR, and PAYE plans is likely to be taxed as income starting 1 January 2026. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 had temporarily exempted forgiven student debt from taxation until the end of 2025. However, other forgiveness optionssuch as Public Service Loan Forgiveness and debt discharged through Total and Permanent Disabilitywill continue to be tax-free.

5. Parent PLUS Borrowers Face Restrictions

Parents with Parent PLUS loans who do not consolidate their debt through the federal Direct Consolidation Loan programme by 1 July 2026 will lose access to income-driven repayment options and, effectively, the ability to qualify for loan forgiveness. Parents are advised to act quickly and must enroll in the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan, making at least one payment before July 2028 to switch to other income-driven plans.

6. Challenges for Medical Students

While the bill raises the loan cap for professional degrees, it may not cover the rising costs of medical school. The average medical student graduates with around $232,100 (175,627) in debt. Previously, students could supplement federal loans with Grad PLUS loans to cover extra expenses; now, the removal of this option could push future medical students toward high-interest private loans, increasing financial burdens.

7. Impact on Nursing and Healthcare Education

The Department plans to narrow the definition of professional degree programmes, which could limit access to federal aid for certain graduate students. This change could make it harder for nurses to obtain necessary credentials, potentially worsening the ongoing nursing shortage in the US. The restrictions may also disproportionately affect women pursuing careers in healthcare.

8. Act Now to Prepare

Borrowers are encouraged to apply before the new rules take effect to access existing limits and repayment options. However, some uncertainties remain, such as whether current students eligible for Grad PLUS loans after July 1, 2026, can opt out of Grad PLUS to access the new $50,000 (37,834) unsubsidised loan cap. Acting early may help minimise future financial challenges.

These reforms mark a significant shift in US student lending, with stricter limits and fewer flexible repayment options on the horizon. Students and parents should review their options carefully and consider acting promptly to mitigate potential financial impacts.

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Originally published on IBTimes UK
At AmChams Annual Meeting in Hanoi on December 10, Citi Vietnam received the 2025 AmCham CSR Recognition Award, presented by US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper alongside AmCham leaders. The award honoured 38 companies for strong CSR performance and their contributions to long-term economic and social development in Vietnam.

Citi Vietnam was recognised for its sustained efforts in advancing inclusive economic growth, sustainable finance, community resilience, and social impact initiatives, including support for children, disaster relief, environmental sustainability across the country.

Citi celebrated the 20th anniversary of global community day in Vietnam this year. Hanoi-based Citi volunteers planted trees at Hung Cuong Primary and Secondary School in Hung Yen province. Ho Chi Minh City-based Citi staff helped build a new playground for Gia Huynh Primary School in Binh Thuan province. Citi Foundation also announced the funding of $500,000 for Blue Dragon, to help homeless children in Vietnam get off the streets, reunite with their families and build positive futures.

This recognition from AmCham is a meaningful affirmation of Citis long-standing commitment to responsible banking and sustainable development in Vietnam. At Citi, we believe that strong business performance must go hand in hand with positive social impact. We are proud to work closely with our clients, partners, and communities to support Vietnams economic growth while contributing to social resilience and long-term development," said Hanh Do, head of Public Affairs at Citi Vietnam.

Citis CSR strategy in Vietnam focuses on creating shared value by aligning global best practices with local needs, particularly in areas such as climate action and community development.

With over three decades of presence in Vietnam, Citi continues to play an active role in supporting the countrys integration into the global economy, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility, governance, and sustainability.

The AmCham CSR Recognition Awards are presented annually to highlight exemplary corporate citizenship among member companies operating in Vietnam, reinforcing the importance of ethical business conduct and sustainable development in the USVietnam business community.

Citi Vietnam celebrates 20th anniversary of Global Community Day Hundreds of Citi Vietnam employees and their families joined Global Community Day 2025 on June 7.

Citi Vietnam holds annual blood drive To support Vietnams National Blood Donation Month this June, Citi Vietnam held events in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on June 20.
The opening ceremony marking the launch of four major Vingroup projects in Ha Tinh

On December 19, Ha Tinh Peoples Committee, in coordination with Vingroup and its member companies, held a groundbreaking ceremony for four large-scale projects worth tens of trillions of dong. The projects are part of a nationwide programme being implemented simultaneously in 34 cities and provinces to mark the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and include the VinMetal Ha Tinh steel plant, the Ky Anh wind power plant, the Eco Wind Ky Anh wind power plant, and the Song Tri ward urban area.

Covering 461 hectares, the VinMetal Ha Tinh, with total investment of nearly VND80 trillion ($3.2 billion), is a large-scale industrial venture applying modern, environmentally friendly technologies. The project is expected to help form a synchronised steel production and processing ecosystem in Vung Ang Economic Zone. Its first phase will have an annual capacity of 56 million tonnes, rising to 20 million tonnes across all three phases.

Meanwhile, VinMetal is being envisioned as a leading high-tech steel complex in the region, producing hot-rolled steel, steel plates, special alloy steel, rail steel, and structural steel that meet international standards. The plant is expected to begin operations in 2027, enabling Vingroup to achieve greater self-sufficiency in steel for its real estate, infrastructure, and industrial projects, while also supplying export markets.

Beyond VinMetal, the Ky Trinh new urban area project in Song Tri ward, with total investment of VND8 trillion ($320 million) across more than 84 ha, is expected to drive the development of a modern urban area and meet demand for high-quality housing and services for experts, workers, and residents.

Meanwhile, the Ky Anh wind power plant development, with an investment of VND17.05 trillion ($682 million), will have a capacity of 400 MW, while the Eco Wind Ky Anh wind power plant, worth VND22.6 trillion ($904 million), is designed to generate nearly 500 MW.

"I believe that with the strong support and decisive action of the government, the efforts and determination of businesses, and the consensus and support of the people, the projects will soon be completed and put into production," said Tran Bau Ha, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province. "These contribute to boosting industrialisation and modernisation, creating new momentum for Ha Tinh's rapid and sustainable development in the coming period."

Vingroup to develop $352-million Son Duong international port Vingroup will develop Son Duong, a $352 million international port in Ha Tinh provinces Vung Ang Economic Zone, following approval of the undertaking.

Vingroup builds Vietnam's future by pursuing the hard path Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup is building Vietnam's future by pursuing the hard path of innovation and sustainable development across its business units.

VinFast to invest additional $500 million in India VinFast will inject $500 million to secure industrial land for the expansion of its manufacturing facility in India.

Vingroup broadens Africa footprint with $28 million DRC move Vingroup is expanding its overseas footprint with a new investment aimed at testing opportunities in Africas emerging markets.
On December 18 in Hanoi, the Vietnam Digital Communications Association (VDCA), in coordination with the Institute for Policy and Media Development Studies, held a workshop to discuss policies and legal frameworks for the development of digital technology in Vietnam.

The event took place against the backdrop of Vietnams recent major institutional advances, particularly following the National Assemblys passage of the Artificial Intelligence Law along with legal documents governing data and electronic transactions on the afternoon of December 10.

The workshop also formed part of the Vietnam-Australia Responsible Technology Technical Cooperation Programme for the 2023-2026 period, which focuses on developing an appropriate AI governance framework and safeguarding human rights in the digital environment. The initiative aims to further refine policies, shape a safe and transparent digital ecosystem, and lay the foundation for sustainable innovation in Vietnam.

Sharing data at the event, Nguyen Minh Hong, chairman of VDCA, cited findings from the Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report, noting that Vietnams digital economy is estimated at $40 billion, ranking third in Southeast Asia, with growth of 17 per cent compared to 2024 and continuing to lead ASEAN in terms of growth rate.

Vietnam is witnessing a rapid expansion and maturation of its digital ecosystem and digital economy, said Hong. However, digital technology development also presents significant challenges, particularly the ethical and responsible use of technology, and how to ensure that all citizens, including vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, can be included and benefit from technological progress.

According to Hong, the workshop was organised to review Vietnams recent policy additions while discussing key issues such as safeguarding human rights in the digital environment, international experience in AI governance, and major highlights of the new law on AI.

Nguyen Minh Hong, chairman of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association

From an international perspective, Joe Bourke, second secretary at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, noted that Australia has recently launched its National AI Plan and established an AI Safety Institute to ensure that technology is developed in a safe and inclusive manner.

The Australian government is committed to working alongside Vietnam through bilateral cooperation schemes with partners such as IPS, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to build a digital transformation roadmap grounded in human rights and aligned with international best practices, he said.

Joe Bourke, second secretary at the Australian Embassy in Vietnam

From the human rights protection angle, Joanna Mansfield, head of International Engagement at the Australian Human Rights Commission, stressed the importance of striking a balance between innovation and the protection of human rights.

Emerging technologies, including AI, carry risks of misuse if not properly governed. AI therefore must be developed for people, rather than to infringe upon or undermine fundamental rights, said Mansfield.

Embedding human rights from the design stage, ensuring transparency and accountability, and paying particular attention to the protection of vulnerable communities are becoming increasingly urgent requirements in the current context, she added.

Discussing policy aspects, Ho Duc Thang, director of the National Institute for Digital Technology and Digital Transformation under the Ministry of Science and Technology, observed that amid the rapid development of models such as ChatGPT, Vietnam is becoming the fourth market globally, after the EU, South Korea, and Japan, to make concerted efforts in AI governance.

The newly enacted Artificial Intelligence Law is among the fastest-passed laws in Vietnams legislative history. Its core principle lies in striking a balance while prioritising development through mechanisms such as AI vouchers and free computing infrastructure for small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.

Ho Duc Thang, director of the National Institute for Digital Technology and Digital Transformation

One notable feature highlighted by Thang is the development of an AI ethics assessment framework.

This is essentially a specialised certification examination for computer systems to ensure human-centricity and transparency in line with Vietnamese values before they are deployed at scale, stated Thang.

Complementing this perspective, Prof. Jeannie Marie Paterson, director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne, Australia, offered comparative insights into the value frameworks underpinning Australias and Vietnams regulatory approaches.

Paterson proposed six principles for the responsible use of AI, including identifying accountable entities, understanding impacts and planning accordingly, measuring and managing risks, ensuring transparency, conducting testing and monitoring, and maintaining meaningful human oversight.

While Australia tends to rely more on flexible, guidance-based mechanisms, or soft law, Vietnam demonstrates strong commitment through concrete legal obligations on safety and sustainable development, she said.

SOAR initiative launched at TECHFEST Vietnam 2025 Vietnam is turning to social open innovation to bridge technology, people, and sustainable development, launching the SOAR initiative.

MST to allocate $3.8 billion for sci-tech in 2026 State funding for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation is set to rise sharply, signalling stronger policy support for these fields in the coming year.

TECHFEST Vietnam 2025 links startups with policy and capital TECHFEST Vietnam continues to position itself as the countrys central platform for innovative entrepreneurship, linking ideas, capital, and expertise across the startup ecosystem.
The Brown University community is mourning the loss of two students, including a freshman aspiring to be a neurosurgeon, who were killed in a mass shooting on Saturday. The attack, which left nine others injured, has shattered the campus and drawn attention to the personal stories of the victims.

Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Uzbekistan, was identified as one of the two fatalities in the attack inside the Barus and Holley engineering building. As tributes pour in for the student described as having 'a real academic passion,' the police investigation has taken a complex turn after an initial person of interest was cleared.

Who Was Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov? A Life Of 'Academic Passion' Cut Short

One of the victims has been identified as Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman student with immense ambition. An aspiring neurosurgeon, he had travelled far to pursue his education, with Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming his passing.

His family have described him as 'incredibly kind, funny and smart' and 'the most kind-hearted person our family knew'. A GoFundMe campaign launched to help with expenses quickly surpassed its goal, a testament to the impact he made in his short time on campus.

While his primary focus was neuroscience, his intellectual curiosity knew no bounds. Jack Diprimio, a 23-year-old postgraduate student studying public policy, met Umurzokov at a legal philosophy book event in September. He recalled a student who was not content to focus on a single field.

'But he wasn't just interested in STEM, he also was really interested in philosophy and law and politics and the way society works, and he was passionate about politics,' Diprimio shared. 'He just had a real academic passion for so many subjects.'

Friends Recall Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov As 'Curious' And 'Open'

To those who knew him, Umurzokov was more than just a student; he was a connector. Diprimio noted that he often felt 'protective' of the younger student, who looked to him as a resource for navigating life at Brown, from work experience to undergraduate relationships.

'He was very curious and open. He loved talking to new people,' Diprimio said. 'He was genuinely interested in other people and their lived experiences, and he was very passionate.'

Their last conversation was tragically mundane, centred on movies they wanted to see. Diprimio had told him he should see Wicked. The silence that followed is now a haunting memory for the postgraduate student.

'He texted me the day before the shooting, he was telling me about some of his plans for the weekend,' he said. And the last message I sent him was on Saturday, because I heard he was missing, and I just said, 'Where are you?' And it went unanswered.'

Diprimio emphasised the humanity behind the headlines: 'He's not just a victim, he's a person.'

Police Clear Initial Suspect In Case Involving Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov

As the community grieves, the hunt for justice has taken a complicated turn. Authorities initially detained a person of interest, identified as Benjamin Erickson, but he was released on Sunday night. According to NBC News, ballistics evidence played a key role in clearing him.

Two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter stated that a gun found with the man did not match the ballistics recovered at the scene. Consequently, authorities found 'no basis' for suspicion. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha confirmed that the man is not a suspect and is not being surveilled.

The @FBI and @ProvidenceRIPD are releasing new images of a person of interest in the mass shooting at Brown University on December 13, 2025.



The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual. pic.twitter.com/8LdPVxn7EV  FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 15, 2025

The Providence Police Department has since released new surveillance video of a different person of interest and is appealing to the public for help. Mayor Brett Smiley and law enforcement officials are expected to provide further updates as the investigation continues.

Ella Cook Identified Alongside Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov As Victims

Tragically, Umurzokov was not the only life claimed in the attack. Ella Cook, a 19-year-old sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama, was also killed.

Serving as the Vice President of the campus Republican club, Cook was remembered by her community as a 'tremendous bright light' who was 'faithful' and 'grounded'.

Devastated to hear that one of the students senselessly killed at Brown this weekend was Midlothian High School graduate Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov.



Today, pause to remember Mukhammad, read about his life, and think of his family. pic.twitter.com/I2trf5LOco  Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) December 15, 2025

Friends noted that she commanded respect across the political spectrum, a rare trait in today's polarised climate.

A vigil was held for both students on Sunday night, uniting a campus fractured by violence but bound together in grief.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
North Wales Police chief constable granted permission to retire for one day

The chief constable of North Wales Police has been given permission to retire for one day in order to protect her pension.

North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman had requested the Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbins approval to participate in the national retire and rehire scheme.

He then asked for the support of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel in approving the move.

The scheme is described as a way that police can retain skills, knowledge and experience of police officers at all levels.

Agreeing the scheme effectively allows her to formally retire as an officer before she is reappointed to the same rank the next day in her 170K-a-year job.

The break in service ensures that pension entitlement can be abated without any impact on entitlement to lump sum or monthly payments.

A report said the break would not create any additional cost to the taxpayer. At a North Wales Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday (15 December), the panel voted behind closed doors to unanimously offer their support.

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: Im making this application understanding and knowing that I could retire but wanting to carry on with my role here as Chief Constable in North Wales, not only because of the fact we have work to do and things to achieve still but also in the changing landscape that we are seeing across policing at the moment.

Only in the past week or so weve seen press articles about the changes of the sizes and scales of forces across the country, and I think it is really important we have an experienced leader at the helm of North Wales Police so that we are able to put the voice of our communities forward as those deliberations are taking place.

She added: I want to ensure that we have the very best for our communities here in North Wales and that we ensure they get the very best police service that we can deliver. Mr Dunbobbin said the retire and rehire scheme was open to all police officers including chief constables and was designed to retain the skills of officers.

He added: It must be noted that the Chief Constables request comes at a time of greater reform within policing in the UK and at a time of tremendous uncertainty. I believe consistency and continuity of leadership will be of great benefit to the force.

The report said: The Chief Constable intends to take a break in service for one day only, 16 January 2026.

During this period, in line with the legislative requirement for every police force area in England and Wales to have a chief constable in post at any given time, the Deputy Chief Constable will be acting Chief Constable.

Ms Blakemans reappointment will be for a period of three years, the maximum that can be awarded for a second fixed-term agreement.

By Richard Evans  BBC Local Democracy Reporter
Christmas crackdown sees 90+ drink and drug drive arrests

More than 90 motorists have been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence as part of an annual Christmas anti drink and drug drive campaign.

Since the launch of Operation Limit on December 1, 36 drink-drive arrests and 61 drug-drive arrests have been made across the region.

According to North Wales Police, this years campaign has seen a 25% increase in those testing positive for cocaine at the roadside (12 to 15) and a 117.8% increase in the number of drug drive arrests (28 to 61) when compared to the same period last year.

Those arrested tested positive for either cannabis or cocaine at the roadside. Two individuals tested positive for both alcohol and drugs.

Among those arrested on suspicion of drink driving was HGV driver Olegs Markusonoks, who was arrested after being stopped on the A55 near Bodelwyddan following a report by a concerned member of the public.

The 57-year-old Lithuanian national failed a roadside breath test and was taken into custody and was later charged with drink driving.

He was remanded to appear before Llandudno Magistrates Court, where he pleaded guilty and was disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined 500, ordered to pay 85 costs and a 200 victim surcharge.

Another HGV driver arrested as part of the campaign has also been charged and will appear before Caernarfon Magistrates Court next month.

The 34-year-old man was arrested by officers from the Roads Crime Unit on December 10 after providing a positive roadside breath test near Rhosneigr on Anglesey.

Sergeant Emma Birrell of the Roads Crime Unit is continuing to urge people to think before they get behind the wheel.

She said: We have a zero-tolerance approach to drink and drug driving all year round, but our December campaign sees us conducting extensive patrols across the region.

Weve carried out several operations in areas such as Llandudno, Bontddu, Menai Bridge, Bangor, Towyn and Queensferry which thankfully, resulted in all drivers providing negative readings. Other offences  such driving with no licence, no insurance, no valid MOT and using a mobile phone were also discovered.

Driving whilst under the influence risks the lives of all road users and Id like to thank all those who have contacted us so far with information. Your calls really do make a difference.

Anyone who is considering driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs should know that we are fully committed to help make the roads safer for all and well continue to target those who endanger their own lives and the lives of others. So far, weve made arrests across all six counties. There really is no hiding place.

With the last Friday before Christmas just days away I would urge people to plan their journey home, added Sgt Birrell.

Either book a taxi or arrange a lift with a family member or friend. Alcohol and drugs stay in your system longer so were also reminding drivers that they could still be over the legal alcohol limit the next morning. The message is simple  if youve been drinking or taking drugs, dont drive.

We want everyone to enjoy a safe and happy festive season and so this is one of our most important annual campaigns. Despite our regular updates and constant warnings around the dangers and consequences of drink and drug-driving, too many people are still prepared to put their lives and those of other road users at risk.

If you suspect someone is driving while unfit to do so, please report it immediately to police on 101 (or 999 if they are posing imminent danger) or phone it through anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Formal green light for Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone

The Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone has been formally approved by the UK and Welsh governments  marking the start of a 10-year programme that will turbo-charge the regional economy.

Work will now begin in earnest, with a programme of grants, training, infrastructure improvements and business support helping to unlock new opportunities for local employers, investors and communities.

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council and Chair of Ambition North Wales, the strategic body co-ordinating the work, said: By focusing on Advanced Manufacturing, Innovation, Skills and Infrastructure, the Investment Zone will play a vital role in driving sustainable economic growth.

It will help create high-quality jobs and strengthen the regions position as a powerhouse for advanced industry in Wales, and Im delighted that the UK and Welsh governments have given their formal approval. This is the start of a really exciting journey for Flintshire and Wrexham.

Councillor Dave Hughes, Leader of Flintshire County Council, said: This is a hugely positive step, and the new Investment Zone will give us a platform to attract new investment, ideas and opportunities  supporting businesses, creating jobs and inspiring the next generation.

Flintshire and Wrexham already have an incredible base of innovative, world-class manufacturers, and the Investment Zone will allow us to build on this and help unlock the regions massive potential.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said:

The Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone will support the delivery of our Economic Mission by attracting major investment, creating thousands of well-paid jobs, and cementing the regions reputation as a hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation.

This announcement is the culmination of extensive partnership working by regional partners and government, and presents a huge opportunity to unlock growth and deliver significant benefits for businesses and communities in the area.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: The UK Government is investing 160 million in this Investment Zone to super-charge economic growth, drive private investment and create thousands of new well-paid jobs which will put money in the pockets of people in North Wales.

There is huge potential for growth and for building on the advanced manufacturing expertise that already exists in this part of Wales. Im delighted that we are moving forward with the programme which will have a transformational impact for people living and working in northeast Wales.

(Top image  general pic of Wrexham Industrial Estate)
Senedd approves 116m transitional relief for business rates

Businesses facing sharp hikes in tax bills after the 2026 revaluation will see increases phased in over two years after the Senedd backed a new transitional relief scheme.

Senedd members unanimously approved regulations to help businesses which face significant rises in non-domestic rates bills after a revaluation taking effect in April 2026.

The Welsh Government estimates the transitional relief will support 25,000 ratepayers at a cost of 77m in 2026/27 and 39m in 2027/28. The partial relief covers 67% of the increase in the first year and 34% in the second.

Mark Drakeford, Wales finance secretary, stressed the 116m scheme comes on top of permanent rate reliefs which are currently worth 250m a year. He said ratepayers for two-thirds of properties will pay no bill at all or receive some level of relief.

The former first minister told the Senedd: In providing this transitional relief scheme, we are closely replicating the scheme of relief we provided following the 2023 revaluation  supporting all areas of the tax base in a consistent and straightforward manner.

Steep increases

The Conservatives Sam Rowlands expressed his partys support for the transitional relief scheme which will help ratepayers facing sharp increases after the 2026 revaluation.

He said: We are grateful that the Welsh Government has at least brought forward a scheme that will soften the immediate impact for thousands of Welsh businesses.

We also understand that if these regulations are not approved or supported this relief scheme will not be in existence. Many businesses across Wales would face steep increases with no protection at all and that is certainly not an outcome we would want.

But the shadow finance secretary warned businesses up and down Wales are worried about the increase in rates that they are liable to pay.

Advocating scrapping rates for all small businesses in Wales, Mr Rowlands said: Weve heard first-hand from many of those in the hospitality and leisure sector, some of whom are facing increases of over 100% in the tax rates they are expected to pay.

Its not enough

Responding as the Senedd signed off on the scheme on December 16, Prof Drakeford said the Welsh Government had to wait for the UK budget to know if funding was available. As a result of the time constraints, the regulations were not subject to formal consultation.

Prof Drakeford agreed with Mr Rowlands that voting against the regulations would not improve support, only eliminate the transitional relief package before the Senedd.

Earlier in Tuesdays Senedd proceedings, former Tory group leader Paul Davies warned Welsh businesses have already been hit with some of the highest business rates in the UK.

He said: The latest business rates revaluation has meant that some businesses are now facing rises of several hundred per cent compared with previous assessments

Whilst I appreciate that a transitional relief scheme will help some businesses manage these changes, the reality is that for many businesses its not enough and some businesses will be forced into a position where they will have to close.

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
A mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on 13 December 2025 left two students dead and nine others wounded, triggering an ongoing search for the person responsible. The attack occurred during final examinations in the Barus & Holley Engineering and Physics Building, and authorities have released images and video of a person of interest. The gunman's identity remains unknown.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Providence Police, have appealed to the public for assistance in identifying the suspect. The FBI has offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest or conviction. Officials have emphasised that the investigation is ongoing and that no suspect has been named or taken into custody.

Meanwhile, unverified claims have spread online suggesting that the shooter was a student whose social media accounts and university profiles have disappeared. There has been no confirmation of this, and experts have cautioned against drawing conclusions from online speculation in high-profile cases.

The Shooting and Ongoing Investigation

The attack took place at around 4:05pm local time in a crowded classroom, during a review session for final examinations. Two students were killed and nine others injured, according to authorities. The deceased have been identified as 19year-old sophomore Ella Cook, described by friends as a passionate student and community leader, and 18year-old freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, who had aspired to be a doctor, according to CBS News.

Police and federal agents have released images and surveillance footage of a male individual of average height and build, wearing dark clothing and a face covering. Investigators have said the person may be connected to the shooting, but his identity remains unconfirmed. Authorities have urged anyone with video or photographic evidence from the scene to come forward.

FBI agents and analysts are working closely with law enforcement partners to track leads and gather intelligence to identify the person responsible for the mass shooting that occurred at Brown University. Members of the #FBI Evidence Response Team and specialists from the FBI pic.twitter.com/DQw92SRWoS  FBI (@FBI) December 16, 2025

ENHANCED VIDEO: We are releasing an enhanced video of the person of interest in the Brown University incident. Footage was captured on the East Side of Providence on Saturday afternoon before the incident.



Please share widely and contact the official tip line if you have pic.twitter.com/mewBSflOiO  Providence Police (@ProvidenceRIPD) December 16, 2025

Suspect Detained and Released

In the immediate aftermath, a man believed to be a person of interest was detained at a hotel some distance from campus. Authorities later released him after determining there was no evidence linking him to the shooting. Providence's mayor and the state attorney general reiterated that the search for the shooter is ongoing, and that residents should remain vigilant and support investigative efforts, according to ABC11 News.

Despite the absence of an official identification, social media users have circulated speculation about a student's disappearance from university digital platforms. Law enforcement and university officials have not verified these claims. Experts have warned that such narratives can spread quickly in rapidly evolving situations where confirmed information is limited.

 BREAKING: Rhode Island AG Peter Neronha asked about Mustapha Kharbouch  the pro-Palestine activist whose Brown University profiles were mysteriously scrubbed today.



AG explodes at reporters asking about him: "You're playing a dangerous game



Why the rage? pic.twitter.com/DfcHs5ZDKn  Alec Lace (@AlecLace) December 16, 2025

Campus and Community Response

Brown University cancelled classes and examinations following the attack, and a memorial has been established for the victims. University president Christina Paxson and other officials expressed profound sorrow at the loss of life and praised the efforts of first responders and community members.

Why don't you release a statement on why Brown University is actively scrubbing all information on student Mustapha Kharbouch? pic.twitter.com/CGZJapzKse  Tony Kinnett (@TheTonus) December 16, 2025

Umm, why did @BrownUniversity just scrub its entire website of Mustapha Kharbouch (Free Palestine, LGBTQ activist)? pic.twitter.com/GjnJ9vxmjS  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 16, 2025

Students have described feelings of shock and insecurity, with some recounting experiences of barricading themselves in buildings during the attack. Questions have been raised about campus security and the communication of emergency alerts, and authorities have stated they are reviewing procedures alongside the ongoing investigation.

As the search enters its fourth day, law enforcement continues to pursue credible leads that could identify the person responsible. The focus remains on both supporting the Brown University community and ensuring that accurate information is shared as the investigation progresses.

Originally published on IBTimes UK
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is being paused this month in northern Nevada due to a lack of funding.

The library is a program that provides children with books right to their homes, completely free to families.

Daniel Amaya, Director of Marketing and Communications for United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra, tells us, "One of the biggest issues we see a lot of times with families is they don't have the means or time to go purchase books."

This program is for kids under the age of five.

In the past, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library was funded through a bill, so they were able to receive federal funding.

This year, with federal dollars dried up, they did not get the funding for the Imagination Library in Northern Nevada.

Amaya explains, "We've been working with the Rotary Clubs in Reno and Sparks, as well as the reading coalition, to raise funds to continue the program, but it's a lot of money we have to raise."

On average, they spend around $22,000 to $23,000 a month just sending out books to over 10,000 kids.

Amaya discussed the impact of the program.

"Studies show kids that have healthy reading habits at home are more likely to succeed all throughout elementary school, Amaya said. "Some families don't have the means or resources to be able to access books or even be able to read at home. It puts books in homes. It promotes healthy reading habits from the youngest of ages so that they're ready for things like preschool, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade, and reading is not a foreign concept. It's something they do in their home every day."

He says it's all about promoting early reading.

"At the earliest of ages, how can a kid learn how to read? Well, we have to get a book in front of them first," he said. "I know my daughter, for instance, loves getting a book in the mail every single month. She gets so excited to go, 'Daddy, it's the first of the month! Let's go check the mail. Did my Dolly Parton book come?' And that's the book we read at night, and it creates a healthy relationship with reading."

The biggest thing they need now is the money to be able to run the program, and you can donate to help out by clicking the link here.

Amaya says that at United Way, they identified that education in the Northern Nevada region needs help to bridge literacy gaps, and they use the Dolly Parton Imagination Library as a tool to achieve this.

He says, "From there, we offer Nevada Ready Pre-K, which is free Pre-K for families that qualify all over northern Nevada, here to Elko and counties in between. We also have the United Readers Program that brings interventions into schools and provides resources for kids who wouldn't otherwise get those resources."

Amaya adds, "Our main goal is how do we create a better education system here? How do we help aid the education system we have here? And how do we promote bridging literacy gaps throughout northern Nevada?"
by David J. Lobina

a los gritos de Viva Espana! Viva La Legion! muere a nuestros pies lo mas florido de nuestra companias Franco, Diario de una Bandera [i]

In these times in which the term fascism is forever abused, especially in the English-speaking world, and more specifically in the US, where large swathes of the liberal intelligentsia have convinced themselves that they are living through actual fascism,[ii] it is perhaps inevitable for the hispanist historian Paul Preston to be asked, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Francisco Francos death, why he is not so keen to call Franco a fascist (and, by extension, Francoist Spain a fascist state). And a historians answer he provides (not my own translation, because I am lazy, though I have edited it; my emphasis):

The use of the word fascist is a problem for me. If you ask me what a fascist is, I would say that the clearest example is Mussolinis Partito Nazionale Fascista. Everything else is different. The problem with the word is that it is used as an insult. Today we say that Trump is a fascist. But of course, I am a university professor, and when I was at Queen Mary, University of London, I taught a course on the nature of fascism where I always asked to what extent Nazism was a case of fascism, because the problem is that it is something much worse. And Francoism, in many ways, was also worse.

Furthermore, [Italian] fascism had a rhetoric of doing away with everything old, something that Franco did not have, as he supported large landowners and the aristocracy. The part about the violence, which many associate with fascism, comes in Francos case from being a colonialist military man, an Africanist. Without Africa, I dont understand myself, he said. Just like the Belgian or British military of the time. Thats why Im uncomfortable using the word fascist with Franco.

This is par the course for a historian, as I have stressed many times before at 3QD (see, for instance, this piece)  most historians of Fascism, Nazism or Francoism have always kept them quite apart conceptually, despite some prima facie clear commonalities, which seem to me to be overemphasised in general anyway.[iii] But no more of this argumentative line now.

More to the point of this series, and as the Prestons quote alludes to, it is Francos experiences in North Africa that explain a great deal of both his own outlook and that of the milieu he surrounded himself with  and this is a better foundation to understand Francoism than any analogies to Italian Fascism, let alone Nazism. The world I described in part I, based on Francos own diary of his time as a leader of the Spanish Legion in Morocco, is one of extreme violence, of the dehumanisation of the enemy, of unspeakable punishments to both the enemy and ones own troops, of unbounded cruelty and even revelling on ones atrocities, of no quarter given whatsoever. It is a world in which military honour and death  certainly not life  are celebrated and even glorified, as the quote heading this post indicates; or as Jose Millan-Astray, the founder of the Spanish Legion, once infamously put it: Viva La Muerte! (Long Live Death). And considering that the 1936 coup to overthrow the Spanish Republic was initiated by Franco and other Africanist generals, the consequent 3-year-long civil war could not be but a story of atrocities (see here, for background).

But it is the post-war period that I want to focus on here. So, what did Franco do after winning the war, then? As mentioned in part I, Nicolas Sesmas recent book, Ni Una Ni Grande Ni Libre (Neither One Nor Great Nor Free), is a good guide to outline the post-war Spanish world (minus the insistence to link Francoism to fascism in every other page).

The first noteworthy issue I want to draw attention to from the book is the nature of the offence the Spanish Republic posed to Franco and others  as they saw it, of course.

In February 1939, with the civil war won, Francos side passed the Ley de Responsabilidades Politicas (LRP; Law of Political Responsibilities), a repressive piece of legislation with the aim to punish those Franco and others viewed as traitors to Spain. Nothing new under the sun in this respect: even though it was Franco and company who staged a coup detat, by the end of the war they set it all up so that they presented themselves as saviours of the nation, having been forced to act to save the country.

Interestingly, the law backdated the beginning of all subversion of law and order  the excuse the nationalists (so-called during the war) used to justify the coup  to October 1934, during the so-called Revolution of 1934, an uprising and general strike that mostly took place in Catalonia (where a Catalan state was declared, lasting one day) and Asturias (in the north of Spain). The uprising was eventually put down and some 2000 people died, many of these executed, with Franco having participated in this suppression, though not directly. This was a full two years before the coup and the beginning of the civil war, and 5 before the end of the war; but no matter, the coming repression would include anyone who may have had something do with the events in October 1934  the beginning of all ills, it seems.

A second noteworthy aspect worth highlighting from Sesmas book is the nature of the enemy that Francoism identified. Despite Francos obsession with a Jewish-masonic-Bolshevik conspiracy, and despite the fact, moreover, that there were no significant numbers of either Jews or Freemasons in Spain in 1936, the main enemy was in fact identified in terms of political militancy. Race or ethnic group were not relevant in 1930s Spain, but anyone whose politics did not align with the ultra-nationalist, conservative, and Catholic mix that was to dominate Spanish life for 40 years would be branded and regarded as an enemy. And in effect this meant anyone with anything to do with left politics, especially anything that might question the strict hierarchy military men (for it was men) see as entirely natural and a fact of life both in the military and in any society  Spain as a country of masters and slaves, as an aristocrat notoriously put it at the time (here, referenced to above already).

And the final noteworthy factor I want to highlight from Sesmas book is the nature of the punishment meted out by the Francoist state on their perceived enemies. Manual Azana, the last president of the Spanish Republic (1936-39) could not have been more wrong when he envisioned a need for clemency and forgiveness to secure a lasting peace once the civil war; the aim should not be to exterminate your adversary, he wrote once the LRP was passed  but that was precisely what the nationalists had in store for their adversaries, for there was not to be another Abrazo de Vergara, as they put it.

Just consider the sheer numbers of the dead for a start: around 130-140,000 people were killed for political reasons by the regime, 50,000 of these just in the 1939-48 period; around 200,000 people died of hunger in Spain in the 1940s; and starting from 1940, the regime put together a welfare programme (Auxilio Social) to cater for the children of the executed, with 20,000 of such children either in especially-built prisons or under the guardianship of the state by 1943. And then consider the charges against their adversaries: the LRP did not incorporate a presumption of innocence, but the very opposite (the charged was a presente culpable), with charges as serious as military rebellion; and not only were those who faced such charges usually executed, many other punishments (financial sanctions, seizing of properties) were inherited by the families, with significant stigma attached.

The LRP was meant to cleanse the state of Francos enemies, and it was one tool among many others, all these together the result of a totalitarian impetus which was particularly strong in the 1940s. Thus, in 1938 the nationalists founded the Delegacion del Estado para la Recuperacion de Documentos (now the General Archive of the Spanish Civil War) with the objective to gather information on political actors who were opposed to the coup, whilst in 1940 the Tribunal Especial para la Represion de la Masoneria y el Comunismo (Special Tribunal for the Repression of Masonry and Communism) was set up to prosecute heterodox behaviours or beliefs, as clearly stated in its first article. Add to this the already-existing General Directorate of Security, in charge of keeping public order, soon to be the most notorious arm of Francoist repression, and the Spanish Africanist mindset was being translated to the structure of the state.[iv]

*****

It is a surprising fact that Francos Spain managed to escape the fate of other far-right European states from the 1920-40s, though the years 1943-47 is considered a critical period for Francos government. It passed, and part of its success afterwards was certainly due, in part, to the flexibility of the regime to adapt to changing international conditions, not least by riding the anti-communist wave efficiently. Later developments are harder to explain.

A year after Francos death in 1975, his only child created the Francisco Franco National Foundation, a charitable trust set up to disseminate Francos life and thought, unsurprisingly often with a revisionist bent  the 1936 coup detat is typically referred to as an armed referendum, for instance. A crude propagandistic enterprise, it is only now in 2025 that the government of Spain has been able to get things moving to strip the foundation of its status, and thanks to a recent piece of legislation which outlaws the apologia of Francoism.

This is of course unthinkable in Germany (but not quite so in Italy), so why the anomaly? Well, this is not the most notorious issue when it comes to dealing with the legacy of Francoism. Once the regime was all but done by 1976 and an Amnesty Law was passed in 1977 so there would be no prospect to judge any of its many crimes, there was a long wait until 2007, when a Ley de Memoria Historica (Historical Memory Law) was finally passed. Though of rather limited scope, it did however condemn the Francoist state, outlawed the worst cases of apologia of the regime, and established some provisions for victims.

Still, the legislation did not set up any truth commissions, as has been the case in many other countries, and it certainly did not sort out the greatest injustice, to my lights, in post-Franco Spain  the one aspect of Francos legacy that truly endures.

This is the fact that there are around 140,000 disappeared dead in Spain, all of them executed either during the civil war or during the dictatorship by the nationalists, most buried in unmarked graves, and to this day there is no national programme in Spain to identify the graves, exhume the remains, and bring some solace to families with a proper burial.

The 2007 Historical Memory Law did not provide for the exhumation of mass graves, though it did permit local administrations and private entities to undertake this work if possible. The law was recently superseded by the 2022 Ley de Memoria Democratica (Democratic Memory Law), which allows for the abolition of trusts such as the Francisco Franco Foundation and determines that searching for the disappeared falls under the purview of public administrations. What this means in effect is that whether this happens or not depends on the political outlook of local governments (those where right-wing parties rule dont want anything to do with it) but in the end there is no official, comprehensive investigation on the matter, and this is grave failing for a modern state.

Over 140,000 disappeared dead is a pretty dire legacy for anyone, and a terrible burden for victims to bear, but it does befit Francos overall outlook in life pretty well.[v]

[i] Roughly: to cries of Long live Spain! Long live the Legion! do the finest of our companies die at our feet, a general sentiment that is repeated frequently in Francos Diario.

[ii] Even the otherwise sane Brian Leiter overplays the fascism analogy these days, often to ridiculous extents (sample). I certainly dont envy future scholars trying to make sense of the nonsense.

[iii] In a previous post, I mentioned the work of Renzo De Felice, who used to emphasise the revolutionary pretentions of Fascism, for instance (especially the dream of creating a new Italy and new Italians), and he never regarded Francoism, conservative and ultra-Catholic as the regime always was, as being a species of Fascism in any way.

[iv] In his book, Sesma stresses the analogies between some of the state structures set up in Italy and Germany in the 1920-30s and those Franco established in Spain in the 1930-40s, some of which I have just described, and whilst Francoism was obviously influenced by Italian Fascism and Nazism, the differences are more pronounced than the similarities. As mentioned, traditional Spanish conservatism and a kind of ultra Catholicism were central to Francoism in a way that neither were central at all to Italian Fascism or Nazism, other than as political expediency for the most part. In addition, Francoism was a military movement that was closer in nature to prior military rule in Spain than it was to the militia-parties of Fascism or Nazism (as discussed in Part I, the Primo de Rivera dictatorship of 1923-30 was often the guiding light for Franco and his inner circle). Indeed, Fascism and Nazism seized power from within and then dismantled/reorganised the state, whilst Francoism came onto the scene with far more violence under its belt as the result of an actual war, which is an important differentiator. In this sense, it is quite spurious to claim, as Sesma repeatedly does in the book, that the internal repression in Spain was far worse than in Italy or Germany in terms of political enemies killed, on account of the war factor (the different timelines are also relevant). Sesma is equally wrong to claim that Franco gained power while Mussolini and Hitler were given it, which is a bizarre reading of actual historical events.

[v] Needless to say, some of the revisionism of Francos figure in the US, now and then, is beyond the pale, but this is not the place to discuss this issue.

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by Carol A Westbrook

Who can remember back to the first poets,

The greatest ones,so lofty and disdainful of renown

They left us not a name to know them by Howard Nemerov, The Makers

In this poem, Howard Nemerov, Poet Laureate from 1988-1990, reminds us that we have no idea when poetrythat is speechbegan. The origin of speech is lost in the depths of prehistory, but archaeologists are working hard to get a better understanding of how speech began, because it is one of the few things that makes us unique as human beings.

Social animals communicate in order to coordinate activities, share resources, and improve their chance of survival. There are many examples of animals communicatio: bees, for example, do an elaborate dance to tell others where they found food; whales and elephants also exchange information and coordinate activities. But humans are the only animals that communicate by speech.

At one time it was thought that closely related animals like the great apes, chimps and bonobos would be capable of speech if only they were raised like human babies. There were several attempts to do this by raising young chimps in human families and monitoring their acquisition of language. But while these chimps learned to understand some human speech, they fell far behind their human brothers and sisters in vocalizing more than a word or two. They never learned to speak properly more than a few words, and it soon became apparent that these apes must have been lacking certain anatomic features that were present only in humans.

Scientists have a fairly comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the human species, supported by the fossil record and DNA studies.

As seen on the picture on the right, our likely earliest ancestor is called Australopithecus, and is thought to have existed about 3.4 million years ago (mya).. The term Hominid (Family Hominidae) includes all great apes including humans (orangutans, gorillas, chimps, bonobos, and us) while hominim (Tribe Hominim) is a narrow group within hominids, referring specifically to modern humans, our extinct ancestors, and all species more closely related to us than the chimpanzees, after our evolutionary split from chimpanzees. After Australopithecus came homo habilis, the maker, who made and used stone tools. Next came homo erectus, who used fire; then came Neanderthal and Homo sapiens, two species who evolved from a common ancestor. At what point did speech arise?

At some point, the anatomy of some apes changed so that these pre-humans acquired the ability to make speech sounds, whereas the other apes did not. The change occurred in apes that left the trees and walked on flat land. The change was very subtleit involved a small bone called the hyoid. This is a horseshoe-shaped bone about 3 inches in length that is located below the tongue and above the larynx (the voice box), as shown in the picture on the left. You can feel this bone in your neck when you swallow This is the only bone in the human skeleton that is not attached to any other bones, but instead it is attached to the tongue and provides support for the tongue to move, to swallow, and to support vocalization. The hyoid bone in chimps, on the other hand, is bullate (blister-like) and contains a bulge to attach to laryngeal air sacs. These air sacs amplify sounds, increasing the volume of vocalization at the expense of producing a variety of sounds. To this day, the great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) hyoid bone has a cup-shaped extension called a hyoid bulla, which connects to laryngeal air sacs. These air sacs amplify the volume of ape vocalization.

Having a large, booming voice is an important survival skill for a tribe of tree-dwelling animals who occupy 3 dimensions. It makes it possible for a tribe member to locate his herd, to rejoin them, or warn them. Early hominims, like Australopithicus afarensis spent much of their time in trees as well as walking on ground. Their skeleton showed they had an upright posture as well as opposable toes. Evidence from a 3.4 million year old fossil of a juvenile A. afarensis Selam, shows an ape-like, bullate hyoid (with a bulge for air sacs) suggesting that these pre-humans (homonims) still vocalized more like chimps than like modern humans. To this day, the great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) have laryngeal air sacs, while humans do not.

An important breakthrough in understanding the origins of human speech came with the 1989 discovery of a complete Neanderthal hyoid bone In Kebara Cave, Israel. This hyoid bone was similar to that found in humans. At some point between Australopithecus and Neanderthals, the hyoid bone evolved to be more human-like. This would suggest that there was an evolutionary advantage for the voice of a tree-dwelling hominid to be loud, whereas land-based hominids had a quieter voiceas it would aid in the avoidance of predators  that would be capable of sound variety. This derived morphology, and the associated loss of large pharyngeal air sacs, is believed to be a key anatomical adaptation that facilitated the replacement of loud grunts and groans with complex articulated speech. Thus, the first step in the acquisition of speech, and subsequent intelligence required leaving the trees to walk on land.

What else changed in the anatomy? The shape of the vocal passages changed. In short, there is a horizontal portion (tongue and mouth) and a vertical portion\ (the throat down to the pharynx or voice box). In humans, these two parts are roughly the same size, allowing us to make 3 vowel sounds: A, E and I. Most languages have at least 3 vowels, usually these three. Also, the vocal passage and control of lips and tongue allow the production of consonants as well, while the configuration of the ear enabled the ability to hear these sounds. Thus, by the time of homo erectus, the hominims had all the necessary anatomy to vocalize and hear human speech . It is estimated that humans can produce over 400 distinct sounds; a typical language requires only about 40. Thus, the next step in the acquisition of speech was to lose the loud booming voice and replace it with a quiet, almost musical variety of sounds.

The use of these sounds to communicate may have progressed rapidly as language developed, and more sophistication appeared. Initially, the sounds may have represented nouns, things you could point to. For example Too-wit might indicate a certain type of bird that whose call sounded like too-wit. Later, words developed for the relationships of these nouns to each other: Too-wit is in the tree; or we hunt too-wit for meat; later abstract concepts developed, we like too-wit, In this way does language develop.

Concurrently, as the meaning of these 400 sounds developed, more brain power was needed and the size of the cranium increased.

The brain developed the ability to remember, understand and organize these speech sounds; gene such as Foxp2 evolved. Walking or siting on land instead of swinging through the trees made it possible to use ones hands concurrently with speaking; one could describe how to make a tool, for example, while illustrating it with his hands. Thus, culture developed and was transmitted from one generation to the next. This increase in knowledge required a larger brain capacity, and skull size increased along with it.

Acheulean toolmaking was a prehistoric stone tool industry, characterized by the production of standardized hand axesand cleavers, that emerged in Africa around 1.76 million years ago and lasted until about 100,000 years ago. Acheulean technology is best characterized by its distinctive stone handaxes. These handaxes are pear shaped, teardrop shaped, or rounded in outline, usually 1220 cm long and flaked over at least part of the surface of each side (bifacial). Associated with early humans like Homo erectus, this technology represented a significant cognitive leap, showing greater complexity and planning in tool production than previous industries. It is very possible that teaching this process using spoken language was the driving force in this cultural development.

It is my belief that the acquisition of speech led to increased human intelligence, rather than intelligence leading to language. This happened at about the time that homo erectus was evolving into homo sapiens.

How did they remember all these hundreds of new words and sounds? The best way to remember a story, or a lesson in making a flint tool, is to make the words rhyhme, to chant or sing them. For example, a simple childs rhyme to tell the edible birds from the inedible ones:

Too-witis a bird we hunt for meat

The bird is red and the meat is sweet.

Another bird thats often seen

Is called Ah-ha-la and it is green

And if you eat the one thats green,

Your stomach will be very mean.

Yes, these little children who struggled to learn the language and culture, they were the first poets.

***

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TPR is inviting the industry to respond to its consultation on a new-look CDC code of practice allowing for the introduction of multi-employer schemes from next summer. The revised code sets out the criteria for authorisation, TPRs expectations of multi-employer CDC schemes, and how it will use its powers to support this new innovation to market. Building on the existing code for single employer CDC, the consultation includes new expectations, including the: company or person that financially supports the schemeway the scheme is promoted or marketedfitness and propriety of key personnel associated with the scheme CDC schemes can provide a potentially higher retirement income than defined contribution schemes and members of such schemes do not have to make difficult decisions as they approach retirement. Until recently, legislation only allowed for single employer schemes. The new regulations and revised code will allow third-party propositions who can offer their scheme to multiple unconnected employers to come to market. They will need to apply to TPR for authorisation before they can take on business. Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell, said: "Collective defined contribution schemes are a hugely important tool for us improving the pensions landscape  giving savers, employers and providers more options as we seek to deliver better retirement. This consultation moves us closer to giving more workers access to lower risk, better outcome pensions, helping deliver a higher standard of living in retirement. TPRs Chief Executive, Nausicaa Delfas, said: Were determined to help turn a savings system into a pension system which provides a sustainable income through later life. CDC could play a role in this, and our consultation marks an exciting development in the journey to help make this innovation available to more people. Its important that new models provide security and value, and we welcome views on our consultation to make sure that balance is right. I also invite trustees and corporates considering multi-employer CDC to Were determined to help turn a savings system into a pension system which provides a sustainable income through later life. CDC could play a role in this, and our consultation marks an exciting development in the journey to help make this innovation available to more people. Its important that new models provide security and value, and we welcome views on our consultation to make sure that balance is right. I also invite trustees and corporates considering multi-employer CDC to speak with our innovations service as soon as they can, so they are well placed to apply to TPR for authorisation next summer. Todays consultation follows the government publishing multi-employer CDC regulations on 23 October. The regulations are expected to come into force at the end of July 2026, on the same day as TPRs revised code. TPR anticipates being able to accept applications from the beginning of August. Schemes could be operating in early 2027. TPR is currently able to authorise single employer schemes and is working with the DWP on the third stage of establishing a CDC market in the UK  retirement only CDC schemes. The consultation will close on Friday 13 February 2026. CDC schemes provide an innovative alternative to traditional defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes. In CDC schemes, member and employer contributions are pooled in a collective fund from which an aspired to pension income for life is drawn. The pooling of longevity and investment risks makes CDC schemes more resilient to market shocks. Unlike DB schemes, the pension benefits are not guaranteed in CDC schemes, so they provide employers with predictable costs. External modelling suggests that they can also provide, on average, better returns for members than traditional DC schemes. The Pension Schemes Act 2021 introduced an authorisation and supervision regime for CDC schemes. They must show they meet stringent criteria including that those who run the scheme meet fitness and propriety requirements, have the right systems and processes in place, can show the scheme is financially sustainable and have robust member communications. TPR has powers to intervene when necessary. Currently, CDC schemes can be set up by single employers, for that employer only, or for employers in the same group of companies.TPR is the regulator of work-based pension schemes in the UK. Its statutory objectives are to: protect members benefits reduce the risk of calls on the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) promote, and to improve understanding of, the good administration of work-based pension schemes maximise employer compliance with automatic enrolment duties minimise any adverse impact on the sustainable growth of an employer (in relation to the exercise of the regulators functions under Part 3 of the Pensions Act 2004 only)
China, Zimbabwe sign deal to upgrade irrigation facilities

Xinhua) 09:28, December 19, 2025

HARARE, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and Zimbabwe on Thursday signed letters of exchange on the upgrading and maintenance of the China-aid irrigation schemes project, aiming to strengthen Zimbabwe's agricultural productivity and climate change resilience.

The project will upgrade and renovate nine irrigation facilities in six provinces of Zimbabwe, according to the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe.

Responding to a question from Xinhua following the signing ceremony, Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the support from China will aid Zimbabwe's goal of increasing irrigated land and modernizing agriculture to boost productivity, particularly for rural farmers.

"This support from China will contribute to Zimbabwe's objectives and vision to increase irrigation coverage right across the country. It is also the bedrock of rural industrialization, because once you have water and there is agricultural output," said Ncube.

The irrigation project will also help climate-proof agriculture and ensure food security, as rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to climatic disturbances such as droughts and erratic rainfall, Ncube said.

"This is a resource that will be used for upgrading various irrigation schemes, and this is critical for climate-proofing Zimbabwe's agriculture. We have said this is the way to do it, whether it rains or not, we want to make sure that we can produce enough food for Zimbabweans, and irrigation is the key," said Ncube.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding said the project marks another milestone in the close partnership between China and Zimbabwe.

"It is designed to unlock greater productivity for smallholder farmers, catalyze agricultural modernization, and strengthen the nation's resilience to climate change," said Zhou, adding that China has been continuing to support Zimbabwe through various projects to improve local people's livelihoods.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Whilst we wade through the muck of lawfare, undocumented invasions, and transperversions, we must foremost guarantee that our elections are beyond reproach. Without trust in the electoral process, its Karen bar the door.

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It appears that no election will be held from now that doesnt feature accusations of fraud  unless we fix the system. Mass-mail, harvesting and stuffing, late counts, illegals voting, machine manipulation, printing and plumbing issues  the list seems endless with innovative shenanigans each cycle. It will be for Congress to debate and decide, but for some states to come to their senses it will take serious cajoling.

We can categorize the problems, and concentrate on the main issues. Call them The 4 Ps: Precinct, Process, Paper and Participation.

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Precinct

Each precinct provides a voting venue on a small and manageable scale and there is no reason that a local precinct cannot count and publish the precinct vote. Large, centralized ballot collection and counting facilities only incentivize stuffing, miscounting, and fraud.

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Precinct level vote counts limit the degree to which a precinct can cheat to 100% of their recorded registered voters. In precincts where few opposition observers are willing to volunteer, state-appointed monitors and 24/7 publicly accessible video, inside and outside of polling places, could alert election monitors of irregularities, violations, and voter intimidation.

The vote tally must be posted publicly on line for watchdog scrutiny in the process of adding up county and state totals, and posted for public surveillance. There can be no more mass collection or transport of ballots until post-election, and then only for regularly administered audits.

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Process

We must ban mail-in ballots. Period. Convenience is no excuse for permitting fraud  and there can be no use of the postal system to transport ballots. End of discussion. In the age of e-mail, if it requires privatizing the postal system and auctioning it off to private couriers, so be it.

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No more machine counts. Standardized round table tallies as displayed in the 2020 Arizona recount, at the precinct level would be prompt, simple, and manageable. Upon publishing the precinct vote, watchdog tabulators would verify counts that add to the state tally, and that they are within the limits of registered voter totals. Any precinct overages reported must be pulled from vote totals and held in a provisional status pending investigation.

Absentee voting should be, by nature rare, and strictly vetted for reasonable need. County registrations can be monitored so as not to exceed a sensible small percent of total registered voters to prevent fraud. Absentee voters in remote places, or their employers, must pay for courier service; just part of the decision made when accepting work assignments or retirement choices in remote and foreign locations. There can be no use of national or foreign postal systems for transmitting absentee ballots. Chain of custody is paramount.

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To accommodate the bedridden in nursing homes, registered election notaries should be available to facilitate voting by competent, but otherwise immobile citizens, arranging receipt and return by courier of each registered absentee ballot. Such a system must be devised to eliminate mass vote harvesting in nursing homes by political activists. Similarly, drop boxes and ballot harvesting in all forms must be banned. Period. Mass collection of ballots without a legitimate chain of custody only leads to political preference culling and ballot stuffing.

Modern day work schedules are too demanding to limit voting only on election day, and a short, early voting period to maximize participation should be allowed. Three-days prior to election day; Saturday, Sunday, and Monday would be sufficient for patriotic and civic-minded citizens to vote.

The absolute deadline to receive and count all ballots, in-person and absentee, must be Tuesday evening at 7:00 or 8:00 pm. All trailing votes must be disqualified. The risk of last-minute ballot stuffing is too great.

Finally, and to guarantee no dishonest citizens vote more than once, an index finger dipped in indelible purple ink on the way out of the polling place must be mandatory. Despite expected resistance from some, this process is a regular feature of elections in many countries  like ours, where trust is an issue. It should be viewed as a badge of civic honor, explicitly stating: I Voted.

Paper

The last few elections have shown Americans are wary of voting machines. The left is so paranoid about revealing their mechanized fraud theyve imprisoned Tina Peters, a septuagenarian county clerk Gold Star Mom for investigating their machinations. We must institute a tangible, verifiable, and infallible means of recording voter choice  on one of mankinds earlier technological innovations: paper.

States will conduct the election process, but we need a nationally standardized, durable cardstock paper ballot, suitable for repeated handling on counts and recounts, with standard size print and layout for easy viewing at a glance while rotating on a manual count turntable.

As much as pols, parties, and causes prefer confusion, we must be wary of nefarious intent with over-complicated choices. States and fringe candidates will bellyache, but in our current two-party system, we must limit candidates during primaries to the top three or four candidates polling in primaries beyond single digits  with the two leading candidates listed at the top of each elective position choice. Referendums must be short and succinct, and easy to decide on.

Along with ditching counting machines, screen selection machines printing to ballots must be banned. Trust comes from direct, manual selection by the voter filling in one pre-printed circle next to the candidate or issue of choice with a pen.

Participation

Finally, we must ask ourselves, why would any sovereign people relinquish the paramount choice of leadership to anyone without a stake in the success of our society? There is a clear distinction between makers and takers in our midst. The makers in society must maintain the guardrails in a community of free citizens with inalienable rights. The habitual takers will only take us to the cleaners.

Makers are defined by beneficial action; leading an honest and productive life, or retired from a lifetime of endeavor. Only stakeholder citizens contributing to national prosperity should decide our future.

Takers are defined by sucking. Obviously, illegals must be excluded from the vote but there are also some citizens who must be assessed for their contributions  or lack thereof.

Some citizens are by their detrimental inaction, demonstrably unable to make rational choices in the best interest of society. Habitual welfare dependents, the drug-addled, mentally ill, and persistent predators should be put in a separate category of citizenry and withheld from the franchise through passage of a social misfit amendment.

The inveterate indigent might earn eligibility by working 20 hours per week  like SNAP benefit requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents. The incurable others need to be institutionalized and kept apart from our peaceful, voting society.

States must constantly, under public scrutiny and with federal oversight, cull voter rolls upon the death of registered voters, and cross-reference registrations to eliminate multiple fraudulent domiciles.

The 4 Ps: Precinct, Process, Paper, and Participation may well determine the future viability of our Republic, if we can keep it. Its time to press the debate and end the fraud in our elections.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.
Theres nothing right-wing about defending the Bill of Rights.

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Being called right-wing or fascist is detestable. The label implies a preference for dictatorship, authoritarianism, and government supremacy over personal freedom. The exact opposite is true. I would describe myself as a supporter of autarchism in the sense that we should rule ourselves and not be ruled by others.

As someone who believes strongly in individual liberty, self-reliance, and self-government, I distrust all repositories of power -- whether such power resides in government, corporations, or social institutions. As Lord Acton advised: Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In my estimation, nothing in this physical world can be trusted with power for very long. Regrettably, all forms of power eventually become abusive.

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Nineteenth-century diplomat and political writer John OSullivan (the man who coined the phrase manifest destiny in 1845) helped to popularize a sentiment shared by other luminaries of his time such as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Mark Twain: The best government is that which governs least.

Government is Leviathan. It knows only how to grow its size and the number of its tentacles until it is capable of wrapping its predacious powers around everyone and everything.

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Emissaries of Big Government globalism speak of government as a benevolent friend and parent whose job is to protect and take care of the people. But government is none of those things. Government is coercion. It is force, including the threat of lethal force. It robs people of their labor in the form of taxes. It presumes to know what is best for everyone. It insists on telling people how to use their property and how to live their lives. It intrudes into family households and inserts itself between parents and children. Whereas a friend will fight beside you and a parent will sacrifice everything for your well-being, governments start wars recklessly, sacrifice citizens callously, and ignore the pleas of those suffering.

The German Nazis, Italian fascists, Soviet communists, and Chinese Maoists were all Big Government socialists who justified murdering their citizens for the good of the government. Government is not a friend or a parent. It is a homicidal maniac that society tries to keep somewhat restrained lest it indulge its basest instinct: to kill everyone in its path.

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Government does not protect people. It uses people to its advantage. Government does not take care of people. It bullies them, steals from them, and keeps them divided against each other. Anybody praising the virtues of Big Government is nothing more than a macabre salesman for institutional slavery, indemnified violence, and legalized theft.

Those of us who identify as liberty lovers and defenders of freedom harbor profound distrust of government. It is therefore galling when Big Government leftists, socialists, globalists, Marxists, and even outright communists (especially those exercising power as so-called journalists working for multinational corporate news organizations) call us right-wing.

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What is right-wing about wanting government bureaucrats to just leave us the hell alone? I try to put myself in the small wingtips of someone such as CNNs Brian Stelter. When I say, I want government out of my life, how does he hear, Right-wing fascism is overtaking America? Is Brian obtuse? Maliciously dishonest? Both?

I find it perplexing to hear Stelter, Jake Tapper, and their fellow ideological clones on cable news describe those of us who most ardently defend the Bill of Rights as somehow being threats to American freedom. Look around the universe of political writers today, and you will find that almost all of the staunchest advocates for free speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, and protections from warrantless government searches and mass surveillance are Americans whom Stelter, Tapper, and their cohorts would describe as right-wing.

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On the other hand, the very leftists and globalists whom CNN anchors adore are daily calling for mass censorship in the name of fighting disinformation and hate speech. Stelter has made an entire career out of playing a truth-telling hall monitor who believes he is empowered to tell social media companies what should be stricken from public debate. He has explicitly called for a harm reduction model of permissible speech by illogically claiming that reducing a liars reach is not the same as censoring freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is different than freedom of reach. He defends censorship in the name of freedom because he expects to be the corporate news umpire who gets to decide what is true or false.

Could there possibly be anything more authoritarian than CNN personalities claiming the authority to declare official truths?

Nonetheless, CNN ignores its own assaults on free speech and instead decries right-wingers who believe parents should have a say over whether elementary school libraries include books on transgenderism, abortion, sexual fetishes, and pornography. CNNs talking heads even call those of us who oppose drag queen story hour for kindergartners Christian nationalists -- as if trying to be a moral person, a faithful Christian, a protective parent, and a patriotic American were the hallmarks of fascism.

Effective communication between human beings is difficult even when people speak the same language, share the same culture, and enjoy similar beliefs. When politicians and journalists defame as fascists those of us who fight for expansive personal freedom and against government tyranny, they rob society of peaceful public discourse and light the fuse of future violence.

Those in the journalism business who use words to sell fear and provoke bloodshed know exactly what theyre doing. When you demonize your political enemies long enough, some eventually get murdered. Charlie Kirk wasnt the first, and he will not be the last. After all, there is an entire army of fascist Antifa terrorists who hunt right-wingers for sport. Or is that too much truth for Stelters harm reduction model to permit me to say out loud?

Image: Ivan Radic
On December 10, I attended the U.S. Naval Institutes Defense Forum 2025 in Washington, D.C. Its topic was Accelerating U.S. Shipbuilding to Pace the Threat. The threat is the Chinese navy which now outnumbers the U.S. Navy in number of ships, though not (yet) in total capabilities. The USN is weighted towards larger ships with more firepower and more advanced technology. We still have 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, with three more under construction compared to Chinas three smaller conventional carriers with one more under construction which may be nuclear. But Chinas smaller surface warships bristle with anti-ship missiles that put our carriers at risk. And they are building warships faster than we can.

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Beijing outnumbers us 66-53 in attack submarines, but ours are all nuclear powered whereas China has a mix of nuclear and diesel-powered subs. However, in the shallow waters of the First Island Chain the diesel subs are not to be dismissed. They are quiet and well-armed and do not need the range of American subs that operate globally. Indeed, because Beijings aggressive aims are nearby, their fleet is concentrated and has air and missile support from bases along its coast.

The contest for control of the Western Pacific and the security of the U.S.-led alliance system (Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia) is an arms race. As William Toti, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of War, told the Defense Forum, The mantra at the Pentagon every day is War Footing. It is 1938 again, proclaimed Toti, referencing when America launched its massive shipbuilding and rearmament program in the years leading up to World War II. The United States did not wait to mobilize until after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Due to the years it takes to build major warships, this was a buildup just in time to fight the war, but not soon enough to deter it. These warships surged into action in 1943, just in time to replace the USNs heavy losses in the first year of the war. Without them, had the isolationists who dominated public opinion (but fortunately not national leadership) prevailed instead, WW II would have been lost.

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Eighty-five years ago, the industrial strength of the United States was unmatched. Launching out of the Great Depression, the Arsenal of Democracy fielded the best-equipped military the world had ever seen on a global scale while still making significant contributions to the armament of our allies. And this effort was made without impoverishing the home front. There were, of course, shortages as factories shifted from cars and appliances to tanks and warplanes, but there was also a feeling of purpose and unity that empowered the Greatest Generation. Compare that to the hollow lost generations of today.

As historian Harry Veide has shown in Betting Against America: The Axis Powers Views of the United States, Japan and Germany were both aware of Americas economic superiority but still chose war because they did not believe soft, decadent Americans could muster the effort to generate real strength. While progressives and isolationists in the U.S. were attacking the merchants of death in the defense industry, citizens in Japan were voluntarily donating money beyond what they owed in taxes directly to purchase weapons. Hitler believed only the Jews in America were anti-Nazi, not that it mattered since a mixed race people could never unite to win a modern war. Hitler foolishly declared war only four days after Pearl Harbor because he had no respect for the American character.

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Today, there is again the image of a deeply divided America. Not just bitter partisan politics where party is so often placed above country. Foreign adversaries can recruit not only protesters but also terrorists to cripple U.S. security policies. Yet, Americans have rallied to great causes in the past, often overnight when pushed. The new problem is that decades of neglect have weakened our ability to respond by deindustrializing the economy and gutting the infrastructure and supply-chains of strategic sectors.

Ideas have consequences. The post-Cold War malaise did not just see the 600-ship fleet built by President Ronald Reagan decline to 284 warships today, but the loss of generations of shipyard workers, the contraction in production capacity and the stagnation of technology. The popular notions of globalization and the end to history meaning the end to Great Power competition and war swept away all concerns in economic policy about how strategic assets -- from factories to research labs to critical minerals and energy sources -- are distributed between nations. For three decades the West (but not its enemies) were crippled by a liberal ideology prevalent across the spectrum. The small wars on the periphery did not call forth rearmament. It was Russias invasion of Ukraine that reintroduced the world to major warfare for major stakes.

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President Trumps demand in his first term that NATO members commit 2% of GDP to defense has been raised to 5% in his second term, a goal even we are struggling to meet due to the bloated spending and debt run up in corrupt peacetime budgets. Last week NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte made a speech warning that conflict is at our door and that we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz compared Russian President Vladimir Putins strategy in Ukraine to Hitlers assault on Czechoslovakia in 1938. NATO economies have a 10-1 edge over Russia, enhanced with more advanced technology. They just need the time (and will) to convert that advantage into military strength to put Russia in its place.

The U.S. has a natural interest in European security, but its primary focus is China, whose threat is aimed directly at America. Fortunately, there is a bipartisan consensus that the threat must be met. This was evident in the nearly identical calls for action at the Defense Forum from Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), both of whom sponsor legislation to further expand shipbuilding. (There were grimaces from the audience after Kelly declared that partisanship harms national security given his dangerous stunt of pure partisanship in calling on the military to disobey illegal orders from President Donald Trump, meaning any order liberals do not like. It is a shame to see a man with such a splendid career as a Navy pilot and astronaut degenerate into a political hack.)

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President Xi Jinping has told his generals and admirals to be ready for war by 2027. It is doubtful he will attack Taiwan while a strong president who has shown a willingness to use force is in the White House. But in 2029 there will be a new, untried president. His willingness to act could be doubted, especially if the balance of military power has appeared to shift against the U.S.-led Asian alliance. It is far better to deter wars than fight them, but deterrence rests on the enemys belief that we can and will fight. Making it clear that we are on a war footing is essential to maintaining peace through strength.

It will not be easy or pretty. The message from the Defense Forum is that we will need help from our allies. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis suggestion that her country could respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan was welcomed as its small but powerful fleet of advanced warships would be crucial in a fight. South Korea, which can build warships in half the time of U.S. shipyards, is providing capital, technology, and training to Americans to boost our productivity. And Toti told the Defense Forum the idea of building U.S. Navy ships in Korean shipyards was not off the table. With a time horizon closer than the end of this decade, every option, every bit of energy, must be focused on getting the job done.

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According to the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, on December 29, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the future of Gaza and prospects for peace in Israeli-Syrian relations. These issues are undoubtedly crucial to implementing President Trumps plan for a new Middle East.

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However, the terrorist attack in Australia highlights another issue that is equally, if not more, in need of intervention from the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister. This is global antisemitic terrorism: open antisemitic (disguised as anti-Israel) demonstrations and pogroms in Europe, Canada, and even the U.S.; the severing of diplomatic relations between a number of countries and Israel; the ongoing anti-Israel (but in reality anti-Semitic) campaign in the global media; anti-Semitic terrorist attacks in Manchester and Australia, and even Icelands refusal to participate in the Eurovision simply because it would feature a song in Hebrew!

Look at a map. Where is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, and where is Iceland? If the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Southern Europe and Australia or the statements by Macron and Pedro Sanchez can be explained by the influx of Muslims into these countries, then why is there so much antisemitism in Iceland, which has only 1,500 Muslims and 300 Jews? Why, then, do Icelanders hate Jews so much that, when they came to Tel Aviv for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, they raised pro-Palestinian flags?

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Iceland, 5,000 km from the Middle East, can be used as a litmus test to determine the level of antisemitism in our entire civilization. Dont be fooled by Donald Trumps global plan for the Middle East. Ghazi Hamad, the leader of Hamas, declared, We will repeat the October 7 massacre until Israel is destroyed. Was he held accountable for this statement? In fact, in October 2025, as soon as it became clear that the IDF was going to occupy the Gaza Strip and finish off Hamas, the entire world rushed to its rescue.

Yes, an epidemic of antisemitism has once again engulfed the planet. Influential media outlets are justifying a repeat of the Holocaust by peaceful Palestinians. Online calls to kill the Jews and finish Hitlers work increased dramatically. International courts are accepting lawsuits that accuse Israel of committing genocide. European and Australian governments can no longer guarantee the safety of their Jewish citizens.

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The lasting importance of Israels war with Hamas lies in the way it has exposed the world's resurgence of a hostile obsession with Jews, wrote Matti Friedman in An Insiders Guide to the Most Important Story on Earth for Tablet Magazine. Also from Friedman:

The key to understanding this resurgence is  to be found among the  people who populate the international news industry Advertisement [snip] When  journalists  portray the Jews of Israel as the party obviously in the wrong, when they omit all possible justifications for the Jews actions and obscure the true face of their enemies, what they are saying to their readerswhether they intend to or notis that Jews are the worst people on earth. The Jews are a symbol of the evils. Advertisement

How is the global Jewish community reacting to the surge of antisemitism? I must admit, in no way! Having spent billions of dollars on the worlds best air defense systems, Israel is doing nothing to combat constant antisemitic slander. This includes a fake photograph of a Palestinian child emaciated to the bone, allegedly due to Israels fault. This fabrication has provoked a wave of global antisemitism and forced the governments of France, Great Britain, and 20 other countries to side with the enemy.

Mr. Prime Minister, I urge you to REVAMP your information warfare strategy from top to bottom, wrote Charlie Kirk, shortly before his death, to Benjamin Netanyahu, adding,

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Sometimes, the impression is given that Israel thinks everyone hates them so why care about winning over hearts and minds? If theres any truth to this impression, I urge you to consider that social media and podcasts are where you fight for the hearts and minds of the younger generation. [snip] Videos and visuals feed social media. Keep these edited clips short under 1 minute and post the best ones on the Israel Truth Network (ITN).

Because of two years of massive military spending and intra-partisan infighting, Israel has neither the resources nor the staff to create an Israel Truth Network, or a Jewish News Agency, or a World Jewish Broadcasting Company (WJBC)the name doesnt matter.

But why should Israel alone be responsible for curing the humanity of antisemitism? Today, the number of Jews living in the United States, Europe, and Australia is nearly equal to the number living in Israel. But the bloodlust gripping radical Islam will not be limited to Jewish blood. If two Islamic terrorists can force entire countries to cancel Christian New Years celebrations, how long will it take for Judeo-Christian civilization to collapse?

I havent heard the Pope call for an urgent Vatican summit of world leaders on this issue. Therefore, at Mar-a-Lago, the U.S. president and the Israeli prime minister should focus not so much on the Middle East problem, but rather on developing a program to save civilization from Islamic fanatics and antisemites. For starters, they should heed Charlie Kirks call to create ITN/WJBC (World Jewish Broadcasting Co.) to silence the BBC and other antisemitic media. A simple online broadcast showing the flow of food, water, electricity, and fuel that Israel supplies to Gaza despite the October 7 massacre could easily refute the medias slanderous claims of Israeli genocide.

At the request of Trump and Netanyahu, I have no doubt that the founders of Oracle, Google, Facebook, Dell, Nebius, and dozens of other Jewish-founded tech empires can create another GPT to combat antisemitic propaganda. They could also fund the World Jewish Broadcasting Co., which would have three divisions: 1) Israel Today: A multilingual internet TV channel staffed by young journalists who think in terms of clips. (95% of civilized humanity already gets its information from the internet.) The second division would be an AI-powered Stop the Slander! chatbot capable of instantly analyzing media coverage of Israel and debunking fake news. The third division would be a powerful legal department capable of suing hostile media outlets for slander and fake news. For example, the day after the New York Times and other major media outlets published a fake article about a starving boy in Gaza, Macron stopped selling arms to Israel, and 24 other countries decided to recognize a Palestinian state. Why didnt we sue the NYT and other media outlets for defamation? Even if we hadnt won, the lawsuit would have warned antisemitic media outlets.

I would be grateful if any readers could forward this article to Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Edward Topol is the author of international bestsellers Red Square, Red snow, Submarine U-137 and others.

Image: Public domain.
As the nation watches with increasing amazement and disbelief, the investigation into the recent shooting and murders at Brown University shows itself on a daily basis to be a slow-motion train wreck. Some are amazed at the utter incompetence of both the Brown University and Providence, RI police.

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I am not one of those. That lighthouse of modern America, the Babylon Bee, has a piece on Police Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons fame being chosen to find the killer. For those unaware, Chief Wiggum is the cartoon poster child for police incompetence and rank stupidity. Wikipedia notes his character is Gluttonous, irresponsible, and immature and often too lazy, cowardly, and corrupt to bother fighting crime.

But we dont need cartoon characters to make the point. Anyone who has ever had the need to visit a universitys health clinic and made it out alive knows that the best and brightest arent filling these slots. Just the way it is.

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And sadly, the police departments in most university towns are not much better. Sure, they are good at catching drunk college students but their expertise ends about there. Are you the unfortunate victim of a rape? Good luck to you. Stolen property? Give up.

Assault and murder? Please. That is like asking Chief Wiggum to lead the Secret Service -- although based on recent experience, perhaps a Wiggum-like character was running the Secret Service during the Biden years.

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Here in my neck of the woods we have very direct experience with university town cops and their incompetence. And that experience has a name, JonBenet Ramsey.

JonBenet was a six-year-old who was first reported missing from her home in Boulder, Colorado, with a kidnapping and ransom letter left behind. Seven hours later her body was found in the house where she had been bludgeoned and strangled to death. This was the day after Christmas in 1996. The case is still unsolved.

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The case got a great deal of media attention as she was a cute little six-year-old who also participated in childrens beauty pageants for years, so there were lots of photos and videos.

The Boulder police did damn near everything wrong in their feeble attempt at an investigation. But as a home-grown Colorado boy the one Ive never been able to get over was that there was a dusting of fresh snow that had fallen that evening and there were no footprints in the snow around the house!

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So how the hell did some supposed intruder gain access to the house to write the fake kidnapping letter and kill the innocent little girl while leaving no footprints -- either coming or going -- in the snow? One doesnt need to be Sherlock Holmes or a Colorado boy familiar with snow to notice this is an impossibility.

Yet the Boulder police, in their glorious incompetence, proceeded to destroy this vital piece of evidence as they stomped their way around the house looking for evidence. And the bright Colorado sun finished it off. Were there really no intruder footprints in the snow? Well never know.

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The police later determined that the mom, Patsy, had actually written the kidnapping letter and the body was thought to have been moved and staged by Patsy and the father. But not to worry, much like OJ Simpson, they are still looking for the murdering intruder and to date, no charges have been filed against anyone.

It would be funny if it werent so sad. The public is getting a fresh taste of this ineptitude of university town police as we watch Brown and Providence police seemingly try to show they can match Chief Wiggum.

Perhaps competent people can help save these fools from themselves and capture and punish the cowardly killer who did this to innocent Brown University students. But I wouldnt bet too much on that proposition. And for gods sake, stay out of university health clinics too.

Dont believe me? I ask readers who have direct experience on either of these points to leave a comment and see for yourself.

John Conlin is an expert in organizational design and change. He also holds a BS in Earth Sciences and an MBA and is the founder and President of E.I.C. Enterprises. He has been published in American Greatness, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, the Houston Chronicle, the Denver Post, and Public Square Magazine among others.

Image: Public Domain
The unspeakable tragedy that has been visited upon the family of Rob Reiner has likely left all parents in shock.

Given what has been available to read about Nick Reiner these past several days, since the murder of his parents, it has shed a little light on what that family has endured since their son Nick was eight years old, maybe even before that.

He was apparently a difficult child long before he became a drug user.

His parents tried to help him way back then after he disrupted their yoga sessions.

They hired their trainer to work specifically with Nick, thinking yoga would help him focus and reduce his obvious anxiety.

has asserted A Chair in the Air It did not work as Alana Zabel, that yoga teacher. With the Reiners permission, she wrote a childrens book about a child like Nick,. She began working with Nick when he was eight.

Clearly, Nick Riener came with, was perhaps born with, a condition that caused his behavioral problems long before drugs made his behavior worse.

If he suffered a birth injury, no matter how slight, he may have been self-medicating for some mysterious disorder he himself did not understand, and no one had officially diagnosed. Some mild brain damage? Was his birth normal or difficult? Did he suffer any lack of oxygen during birth?

These things happen and are often overlooked as the causes of later problems  everything from a child being on the autism spectrum to cerebral palsy. There may be something that explains Nick Reiners early disruptive acting out and persistent anger. I'm guessing the Reiners explored every possible cause and a solution and never found one.

That the Reiners opted to send their son to eighteen stints in rehab is the classic case of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

While their intentions were, of course, good, desperate, and born of love, they were likely very grateful that they could afford all those expensive rehabs; they somehow failed to admit  eighteen times  that their preferred solution was to park the boy in yet another rehab facility, even though he swore they were not helping.

Many of such rehabs are scams, especially those that cater to the uber-wealthy and their uber-privileged kids. They are places to send troublesome kids by well-meaning parents who can afford that particular luxury.

Do they succeed in curing young people of their addictions? Sometimes, but rarely. Why else would Nick Reiner be sent back eighteen times? That is an astonishing record of failure. And yet his parents kept sending him to rehab, again and again, expecting a different result.

Whatever his demons, his repeated failed sentences to rehab made him angrier and angrier at his parents for refusing to believe that was not the answer.

As his father admitted, they listened to people with diplomas on their walls and did not listen to their son. And, given the son's increasingly threatening behavior, why would they listen to him? They obviously lived in a circular nightmare. They were eventually afraid of their own child, whom they loved with every fiber of their being but could not save. The murders of his parents are an American tragedy of unspeakable proportions.

Is there a lesson for us all within this horrific familial catastrophe? Perhaps. As Tolstoy wrote long ago, All happy families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The Reiners so wanted to be a happy family and had all the talent and resources to make that happen, but they could not heal their unhappy boy.

Another truism is that you are only as happy as your unhappiest child. Perhaps Rob Reiner channeled his fury at being unable to save his son into his rage against Trump.

His antipathy for Trump, beginning in 2015, became his raison detre. He spent the last ten years doing everything in his power to destroy the man and his presidency. He used his well-earned stardom as a weapon in the most vicious ways imaginable.

Trumps tweet upon his death was crude, ill-considered, but understandable. Reiners ten years of political torture throughout the media probably left a few scars that impaired Trumps judgment upon his death.

Most of us who are parents have faced difficult problems and situations, short-term and/or long-term, that have tested us, made us question our parenting, exacerbated our fear for our childrens survival, and threatened the sanctity of our relationship with them. It all comes with the job. It is never easy, and our children are not clones of us but very different people who may or may not inculcate our values.

Most of us do not believe in bad seeds, especially when born to loving parents. Something within Nick Reiner, not of his making, tormented him, his family, and likely everyone who tried to help him over the years. There may never be a satisfactory explanation. Sometimes we must live without answers.

Image: Greg2600, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed
Once upon an empire, Britain learned a lesson about leaving too late. That line could have opened any number of post-colonial sermons. Instead it opens the ongoing fiasco over the Chagos Archipelago, a saga of legal opinions, grandstanding at the United Nations, and a British Labour government that seems more interested in performative virtue than Britains strategic and moral interests.

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The origins of this dispute stretch back to 1965, when the United Kingdom detached the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius on the eve of Mauritian independence and relocated the islanders to make way for a joint British-American military base on Diego Garcia. In 2017 the UN General Assembly, at the behest of Mauritius, asked the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the legality of that detachment; in 2019 the ICJ declared the separation unlawful and said the U.K. should end its administration as rapidly as possible. The Assembly followed with a resolution endorsing that position. Neither instrument was legally binding. Successive conservative governments maneuvered to maintain the status quo.

But Sir Keir Starmer has decided to treat them as moral cudgels against the U.K. Taking its cue from those non-binding pronouncements, the Labour government negotiated a treaty with Mauritius, signed on 22 May 2025, under which Mauritius becomes sovereign over the entire archipelago, including Diego Garcia, while nominally authorizing the U.K. to exercise the rights it needs to operate Diego Garcia. The deal, presented as a resolution of a decades-old dispute, still awaits domestic ratification in both London and Port Louis and is enmeshed in legislative scrutiny and political wrangling.

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The irony is that the UN bodies that called this whole exercise into existence are now urging caution. In early December 2025 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination warned that the U.K.-Mauritius agreement could perpetuate violations of Chagossians rights and called for a suspension of ratification. That critique focuses on the exclusion of the displaced Chagossian community from meaningful consultation and the absence of any guaranteed right of return to their homeland, especially Diego Garcia, whose cultural centrality cannot be papered over by diplomatic prose. This retreat from the UNs own earlier encouragement sits uneasily beside the 2019 ICJ advisory opinion that triggered Londons rush into what now looks like a hasty settlement.

Labours conduct throughout has been a study in political theatre. Starmers ministers trumpet the treaty as a triumph of decolonisation and legal compliance, yet the terms were hashed out without substantive engagement with the very people most affected. Parliamentary inquiries have found that displaced islanders were consistently sidelined in negotiations. The government even introduced domestic implementing legislation  the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill  before having ironed out how basic rights, migration and resettlement would be handled. On strategic grounds, tying Britains hands while the United States continues to rely on Diego Garcia as a vital hub for Indian Ocean operations should have demanded a more nuanced, interest-driven policy; instead the foreign policy of the current U.K. government resembles a succession of photo-ops before global forums.

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Amid this vacillation the Chagossian diaspora has taken matters into its own hands. In December 2025 an informal referendum of Chagossians worldwide produced overwhelming support for the creation of a Government-in-Exile, with an interim First Minister, Misley Mandarin, elected to represent their interests and press for a genuine settlement rather than a treaty that treats their homeland as a geopolitical bargaining chip. That self-declared governments existence highlights how badly London and New York misread the dynamics at play: when the supposed beneficiaries of international rulings feel compelled to form their own representative body, it is a testament to the failures of the institutions and governments that claim to act for them.

In the end, this episode shows how the United Nations, having instigated a legal detour with its advisory opinion, is now urging caution about the very settlement it helped catalyze, and how the Labour cabinet has turned strategic necessity into a virtue signal while alienating the people whose rights are at stake. The Chagos Archipelagos fate should not be decided in committee rooms in Geneva or Westminster but with respect for history, security, and the voices of those removed; anything less is a lesson in misplaced priorities. And in geopolitical affairs as in comedy, timing matters: too late, and all you have left is the punchline.

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Bepi Pezzulli is a Solicitor in England & Wales and an Avvocato in Italy. A foreign-policy scholar, he is a member of Advance UKs College as well as a councillor of the Great British PAC. He tweets at @bepipezzulli.

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Image generated by ChatGPT.
What a doozya California Democrat running for Congress recently featured a new endorsement for Texass Jasmine Crockett, but for the image to accompany the endorsement, someone on Esther Kim Varets team used a stock image of some random black woman:

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Esther Kim Varet, a Democrat running for office in California, received a new endorsement from Texas rep. Jasmine Crockett.



Except...this is obviously not Jasmine Crockett. pic.twitter.com/O6HFLbgomV  Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) December 19, 2025

(The picture has since been removed from Varets campaign website.)

There are only two possibilities, and neither is good. Either the person who used this photo actually thought that woman was Crockett, or, they couldnt be bothered to find a picture of Crockett and figured any ol black female would do because, in the Democrat world, blacks arent individuals with their own minds, but a collective group of political support. Democrats dont value blacks on an individual scaletheyre simply a segment of the population to be weaponized at the discretion of the self-styled political elites.

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I mean, does she think all blacks look alike? If so, isnt that a racist position, as Democrats love to remind us? Now, many blacks do look very similar: they largely share the same color and texture of hair, they almost all have brown eyes, and they have consistent facial features. Of course I wouldnt say that acknowledging that reality equates to racismracism means you hate a person because of their immutable racial traits, and I dont hate blacks as a whole at all, and, the ones Im not fond of is a preference formed entirely on their character and my experience with them as an individualbut Im also not a Democrat who laces all my speech with accusations of racism.

So, whoever did this is either shockingly dumb and cosmically out of touch as Crockett is one of the most recognized figures in the political worldnot a good sign for someone whos running for office and the team they decided to employor, theyre of the opinion that if youve seen one, youve seen em all!

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Now, according to a report at Fox News, Varet has a history of denigrating people based on their race: Varet, an American-born Korean, reportedly mocked the Republican incumbents born-in-Korea accent, calling her an ESL puppet of the Trump Administration. Then, she apparently came after Christian Martinez, who serves as the Hispanic press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), allegedly telling him to prove that he is a REAL Latino  implying that only real Latinos vote Democrat.

As someone astutely asked, Can the Democrats get anything right? The answer is a resounding no.

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Image: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
One of President Trumps first executive orders when he re-entered office was to state that he would take all steps possible to stop hospitals from mutilating children through surgeries and chemicals. Of course, these institutions dont call it child mutilationthey call it gender-affirming carebut it amounts to the same thing, and now, at long last, its possible that this reign of terror will end. Thats thanks to HHSs new regulatory proposals that will stop federal funds from flowing to hospitals that provide this Orwellian care to children under 18.

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We Normals know that there is no such thing as gender-affirming care because the whole concept is imaginary. One can be a feminine boy or a masculine girl, but changing ones sex is impossible.

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When hospitals cut off girls breasts or boys penises and testicles, fashion globs of skin into fake penises for girls, carve holes into boys bodies to create a vagina, or dump testosterone or estrogen into bodies that were never meant to handle those hormones, they are committing the worst sort of violence against children. Moreover, these are the same children who, in most states, cant get piercings or tattoos because society recognizes that theyre too mentally immature to understand the full ramifications of permanent body alterations.

Additionally, we have a growing body of evidence showing just what those body mutilating procedures are doing to people, whether young or old. Upper body surgery (breast removal or augmentation, facial reshaping, etc.) is cosmetic, although women who remove their healthy breasts will obviously never nurse a child.

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However, most lower-body surgery (aka bottom surgery) never heals properly. Constantly open wounds, infections, fecal and urinary incontinence, and painful fake vagina stretching are just some of the physical problems. In addition, almost all procedures result in the loss of normal sexual function and feeling. None of these are things a child, even an older teen, can fully comprehend.

Chemical mutilation is no better. Male and female bodies are not meant to have hormones that oppose their fundamental biology. Cancer, bone problems, heart problems, sexual dysfunction, emotional manipulation...all of these are associated with wrong-sex hormones. And while some issues go away if the person stops the hormones, other changes are permanent.

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Doing these procedures to a child is the opposite of the Hippocratic oath to first do no harm. Nevertheless, in hospitals across America, while some are true believers when it comes to gender madness, others are more likely to be true believers in profitable surgeries that come with equally profitable lifelong complications.

The latter groupthe ones who are in it for the moneyare in for an unpleasant surprise if proposed new HHS regulations go into effect. If hospitals insist on performing these procedures, they will lose Medicaid and Medicare funding. Nowadays, no hospital can survive without that money.

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From todays HHS press release:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will release a notice of proposed rulemaking to bar hospitals from performing sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18 as a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Nearly all U.S. hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid and this action is designed to ensure that the U.S. government will not be in business with organizations that intentionally or unintentionally inflict permanent harm on children. CMS is proposing this rulemaking pursuant to its longstanding authority in sections 1861(e)(9), 1871, and 1905(a) of the Social Security Act, which authorize the agency to establish standards necessary to protect patient health and safety in Medicare- and Medicaid-participating hospitals. CMS will release an additional notice of proposed rulemaking to prohibit federal Medicaid funding for sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18. The same prohibition would apply to federal Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for these procedures on individuals under age 19. Currently, 27 states do not provide Medicaid coverage of sex-rejecting procedures on children.

As a culture, we recoil in revulsion at the thought of the ancient Chinese practice of foot-binding or the modern Muslim practice of female genital mutilation. Therefore, its shocking and immoral that we have allowed even more heinous mutilation to take place in America and, worse, forced taxpayers to fund it. What HHS is proposing is wonderful, and I sincerely hope the regulations survive, not only the proposal period but also the inevitable lawsuits.
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. Spoken by Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyles The Adventure of The Cardboard Box.

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It is impossible to think of any quotation that more neatly sums up the leftist approach to science in recent years. Rather than following where the evidence leads, leftists come up with theories supporting their political worldview, and then fold, spindle, and mutilate facts until they can be forced to follow those theories.

We see this in leftist science around alleged anthropogenic climate change, so-called transgenderism, and the appropriate response to COVID (e.g., six feet of distancing, cloth masks, etc.). This is the antithesis, of course, of true science, where a hypothesis exists only so that it can be rigorously proven or, importantly, disproven through honest tests and observations.

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These flaws in this leftist approach revealed themselves once again when DNA definitively quashed the claim in a BBC program that a Roman-era womans skeleton, found at Beachy Head (near Britains famous white cliffs of Dover), was the first black Briton. That claim appeared in the BBCs 2016 television series, Black and British: A Forgotten History. The show is based on a book of the same name by David Olusoga.

Most of the show appears to focus on blacks in 20th-century Britain, when they began entering the country in large numbers from Britains former colonies. However, the show also addresses the occasional presence of blacks in Britains more distant past, including one of Henry VIIIs trumpeters, a Moorish legionnaire on Hadrians Wall...and the Beachy Head woman.

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Secure in the knowledge that they finally had evidence that Britain had long been home to Africans, making the white population merely one of many interlopers, the British government even erected a plaque in her honor on the site:

The remains of BEACHY HEAD WOMAN were found near this site. Advertisement Of African origin, she lived in East Sussex 2nd-3rd century AD.

However, by 2022, the plaque vanished when new evidence suggested that the woman may have come from Cyprus and that, rather than being black, she had a Mediterranean complexion.

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As the BBC was just forced to admit, however, even that theory was finally put to rest by a DNA analysis that showed that the woman was, in fact, a white Briton:

But scientists have now said they cannot find DNA evidence that indicates she had recent ancestry from Africa. They detailed in a paper published online on Wednesday that she actually had a strong genetic similarity to individuals from rural Britain. She likely had blue eyes, between pale and dark skin and light hair, scientists added.

If youre scientifically inclined, you can read the paper about the DNA analysis here.

Ultimately, Africa contributed little to Britains social and political development. That didnt mean, though, that they were unknown in Britain 2,000 odd years ago, or even long before then. The ancient world was interconnected (after all, humans have been sailing the worlds seas and oceans for millennia). Thus, Cornish tin was found 3,000 years ago as far away as the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.

Later, the Roman Empire, which conquered Britain in 43 A.D., extended across the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic. The empire touched upon most of Western Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Trade and warfare would ensure that slaves and citizens from one part of the empire reached all the others.

Theres a reason that, in this most modern of modern ages, science has fallen into disrepute. Leftist scientists have abandoned the scientific method and, in Sherlock Holmess immortal words, now theorize before having data, and deliberately or not, begun to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. In the case of the Beachy Head woman, its merely embarrassing, but their other unsupported theories (i.e., climate change, transgenderism, etc.) have very real and devastating consequences.
Here we go again.

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It's Groundhog Day for gun control which we see after every tragedy. The ghouls of the gun grabber lobby have come out of the woodwork.

Their repetitive calls for even more restrictions on our common-sense human right to own weapons are illegitimate and unconstitutional.

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It's the same playbook passed down from the brown Bolsheviks of the Third Reich that is being used by violent leftists today.

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As we said in the headline, the brutal truth about gun control is that it's never meant to work, and that there are several secondary issues that descend from this, starting with the fact that it's only to constrict freedom.

The stark reality is that if they could, the ghouls would have already grabbed our guns.

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Or forced us to turn them in, with the additional Orwellian twist in calling it a 'buyback' program, given that they would just be paying us with our own tax dollars, and they never owned our guns anyway.

If they were at all honest, the ghouls of the gun-grabber lobby would openly tell you that none of the old measures were going to work, and they would tell you that none of the new measures  whatever they happen to be  are going to work, either. Feelings and failure drive the system to get to its ultimate goal  gun confiscation eventually.

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The ugly truth comes from comparing how gun control is advertised and how it actually works.

Start with so-called "assault weapon" bans.

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To begin, there is no set definition for the term "assault weapon" compared to a pump-action shotgun or bolt-action rifle.

The latter have a specific definition as do many other items of modern technology.

Thus, this meaningless term could be applied to any object that could be used as a weapon to assault someone.

In fact, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of the word "weapon" is "something (such as a gun, knife, club, or bomb) that is used for fighting or attacking," exemplified by the phrase "assault with a deadly weapon."

Thus, it should be clear that the term could mean anything. The saying is that anything can be a weapon if you hold it correctly.

The real point of these purposefully undefined bans on "weapons" of any kind is first to demonize certain types of guns  and then expand this demonization. Gun-grabbing ghouls are trying to make guns unacceptable to the general public, starting with 'scary looking' black AR-15s with pistol grips, bayonet chainsaws, and the 'shoulder thing that goes up'.

The idea is to make these weapons, which are in common use, appear to be outside the mainstream of society and thus fall under a separate set of rules. Then the ghouls would add more to this category of unacceptable tools of self-defense.

Then there are what I like to call inter-galactic background checks, based on their scope.

Ghoul logic here is that while criminals flout the law in every other setting, they would unexpectedly have a change of heart and solemnly obey the law in this case, thereby preventing them from obtaining the tools of their 'trade.' And if you believe that, we have a bridge in Brooklyn we'd like to sell you.

The reality is that background checks merely close down the private sales avenue in the government's ongoing gun registration scheme. And in the words of that woman of brotherly love, Rep. Ilhan Omar, who accidentally admitted to wanting a gun registry for eventual 'compensated' gun confiscation: so-called "buybacks" making you an offer you can't refuse.

Another tactic of the gun-grabbers is so-called "high-capacity" magazine bans.

This is the younger brother (continuing with that Ilhan Omar theme) of "assault weapon" bans.

The stated emotional 'logic' here is to mitigate mass shootings  even though a mag change only takes a few seconds.

Note that, like its older brother, "high-capacity" is never defined, so they can demonize guns and reduce their inherent utility by simply reducing that number down to one or two.

Then there are safe storage rules.

This is one of the ghouls' more insidious little efforts, which combine 'feel-good' ideas, virtue-signalling, and registration schemes, all wrapped up in a nice, neat package.

Ostensibly, the idea is to keep people safe by keeping those ever-dangerous guns locked away where they can't be misused.

In reality, it's all part of the ghouls' attempts at making gun ownership difficult, expensive, and embarrassing while decreasing the advantages of owning them. As with the "assault weapon" bans, they can demonize guns while forcing people to buy extra equipment. It reduces the utility of guns, meaning they will be difficult to access if they are needed in an emergency, and this will cause some people not to take the risk of ownership.

But even better for the ghouls is that they can come up with all kinds of inspection schemes to check that your freedom tools are adequately secured, as defined by them. And if they happen to note serial numbers and other pertinent information at the same time, well, that's icing on the authoritarian cake.

It all leads up to unconstitutional 'red flag' of gun confiscation orders.

There was a time when the violent left tried to lie and claim that no one was talking about confiscating guns.

We put an end to that with this list.

But they've moved on to their new hotness: Unconstitutional 'red flag' gun confiscation orders, whereby anyone can be deprived of their rights for virtually no cause  such as buying a gun or ammunition in California and New York -- by almost anyone they know.

These unconstitutional abominations turn our Bill of Rights inside out and seem to be designed to try to violate as many Amendments as possible, from the First to the Fourteenth.

What the ghouls would really like to do: Formally demand everyone turn in their guns.

D. Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, former director of communications for a civil rights organization, and a long-time contributor to conservative websites. Find him on Substack.

Image: Gun control by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
If you are a sane person like me, youve probably been thinking to yourself, You know, I dont think there are enough abortions being shown on television lately.

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At least, thats what the fine folks at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research program at the University of California-San Francisco seemingly think, according to LifeSite News, citing NPR. On their website, they have a page on "the Positive Impact of Getting an Abortion" which flashes when you run your mouse over the page tab.

They produce an annual Abortion Onscreen report about abortion in television show content, the newest of which notes that, while there were 66 abortion storylines in 2024, there remains much work to do.

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To wit, NPRs Neda Ulaby sadly noted: But in the past few years, theres been a significant drop in the number of characters who actually went through with an abortion. 37% obtained an abortion in 2025, a 14% decline since 2023.

Dear God, a 14% drop in fictional characters abortions onscreen?! You can clearly see the heavy hand of bigoted Christian Nationalists at work in this country!

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A researcher named Steph Herold told the always utterly unbiased (and partially taxpayer-funded) NPR of onscreen abortions, I think there still is a lot of stigma, even in allegedly liberal Hollywood.

My God, in truth, Hollywood must be littered with MAGA types! How could anyone arbitrarily attach a stigma to unfettered and onscreen abortion?!

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The one bright spot when looking at the years onscreen abortion stories, according to Herold and parroted by NPR, is that a slight majority of characters in abortion plotlines are people of color.

Fantastic, because who wouldnt be pleased with people of color erasing themselves? Apparently not NPR.

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Herold also noted that Hollywood could do a better job of stigmatizing pro-life religious people and celebrating pro-abortion religious people.

Um, Steph, there are no truly religious pro-abortion people.

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Leftists never tire of pushing the envelope. Soon they will bemoan the lack of gang-rapes on television shows, a clear indication of a white, Christian bias in this country.

Not long after, they will indignantly ask why there are so few onscreen depictions of necrophilia and bestiality. You know, Hollywood could do a better job of stigmatizing the far-right anti-bestiality bigots, they will shout.

In truth, the rest of us should do a far better job of stigmatizing misplaced tolerance and the idea that diversity is always a good thing.

Image: Pexels // Pexels License
How bad was Minnesota's problem with fraudulently dispensed state funds?

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It was so bad it drew "fraud tourists," according to a CBS News report  eighteen billion dollars' worth.

Federal prosecutors announced new indictments Thursday in the widening Minnesota fraud scandal, this time involving two Philadelphia-based men accused of traveling to Minneapolis after a friend told them the taxpayer-funded programs there presented "a good opportunity to make money." Advertisement Anthony Waddel Jefferson and Lester Brown are accused of siphoning millions from federally funded programs administered by Minnesota officials that were meant to help people with disabilities and those suffering from addiction. Unlike many of the individuals previously caught up in the state's sprawling fraud scandal, they don't appear to have ties to Minnesota's large Somali-American community. Prosecutors say they don't appear to have ties to Minnesota at all. Advertisement "Minnesota has become a magnet for fraud, so much so that we have developed a fraud tourism industry  people coming to our state purely to exploit and defraud its programs," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, who brought the new charges. "This is a deeply unsettling reality that all Minnesotans should understand."

They defrauded Medicaid, others in this batch of busts defrauded a housing stabilization service for the homeless, still others defrauded child autism programs. They all found Minnesota a tourist's paradise, not for its lakes and scenery, but for every kind of fraud. That's because every agency on Gov. Tim Walz's watch apparently never said 'no' to anyone. Word got around about 'a good opportunity to make money' as one of the accused fraudsters put it, the cash went out like water through a sieve and now the busts are rolling in.

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But the money's gone. And Minnesota is probably going to need some federal supervision, like a fourth-world country that can't keep its spending under control and needs itself some IMF.

What a way to turn a state into a third-world country. Up until now, it's been thought that just the importation of third worlders from shady pirate cultures would do that, but it wasn't enough. To really make a state "third world" what's needed is a Democrat or a third-world satrap on the other end, dispensing the cash.

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That's where Tim Walz comes in, turning his state into an African dictatorship, in his own way, like Kurtz in the Heart of Darkness. A glimpse at the Wikipedia page, putting Walz in place of Kurtz, gives one the willies.

Kurtz is a fictional character in Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness. A European ivory trader in Central Africa and commander of a trading post, he monopolizes his position as a demigod among native Africans. Kurtz meets with the novella's protagonist, Charles Marlow, who returns him to the coast via steamboat. Kurtz, whose reputation precedes him, impresses Marlow strongly, and during the return journey, Marlow is witness to Kurtz's final moments. Advertisement Kurtz is an ivory trader, sent by a shadowy Belgian company into the heart of an unnamed place in Africa (generally regarded as the Congo Free State). With the help of his superior technology, Kurtz has turned himself into a charismatic demigod of all the tribes surrounding his station and gathered vast quantities of ivory in this way. As a result, his name is known throughout the region. Kurtz's general manager is envious of Kurtz and plots his downfall. Kurtz's mother was half English, his father was half French and thus "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz." As the reader finds out at the end, Kurtz is a multitalented manpainter, musician, writer, promising politician. He starts out, years before the novel begins, as an imperialist in the best tradition of the "white man's burden". The reader is introduced to a painting of Kurtz's, depicting a blindfolded woman bearing a torch against a nearly black background, and clearly symbolic of his former views. Kurtz's painting suggests that he saw himself as a civilizing force, aiming to educate and enlighten the African continent, which was then often referred to as the "dark continent" due to its perceived unknownness and perceived backwardness by European colonizers.[1] Kurtz is also the author of a pamphlet regarding the civilization of the natives. The presence of his admirer, the Russian "Harlequin", and what he reveals about Kurtz in his adulatory descriptions of him raises questions about Kurtz's actual beliefs and the sincerity of his progressive views.[2] However, over the course of his stay in Africa, Kurtz becomes corrupted. He takes his pamphlet and scribbles in, at the very end, the words "Exterminate all the brutes!" He induces the natives to worship him, setting up rituals and venerations worthy of a tyrant. By the time Marlow, the protagonist, sees Kurtz, he is ill with jungle fever and almost dead.

Maybe that's the future for Democrats' absurd obsession with importing nonproductive migrants, as well as their self-corrupting willingness to bankrupt the state for them and probably themselves, to the point that they have drawn "fraud tourists," like the great white rhino hunters of old.

Whatever this is, it's late-stage Democrat-ism, and it's not sustainable, not by a long shot. When it's too late, they will be yelling 'the horror.'

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
Natasha Walker can be certain that at least twice a year, someone will contact her claiming to be her missing sister, Katrice Lee.

Katrice vanished from a supermarket in Germany in 1981, when she was just two years old. In the decades since, her family has endured relentless abuse.

They are repeatedly targeted by impersonators, trolls and conspiracy theorists who, Natasha claims, really try and put the knife in.

When Natasha first began receiving messages from people claiming to be Katrice, she would question whether it might be her sister reaching out. She now just chooses to ignore them.

If you truly believe that youre someone who is missing, you go to the police and give them credible information as to why you think youre that missing person. You dont contact their sister and expect them to be able to deliver a DNA kit to you, Natasha said.

While The Independent and the Missing People charity aim to raise 165,000 to launch SafeCall, a service for the 70,000 children who go missing each year in the UK, we spoke to those who have had to suffer the additional torment of online abuse.

Donate here or text SAFE to 70577 to give 10 to Missing People  enough for one child to get help.

Since 2014, one woman has been jailed for harassing Katrices family, while another received an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, for malicious communications after using social media to impersonate the missing toddler. Natasha said abuse in general has become unrelenting and is now a grim routine in their lives.

This month alone, yet another person has contacted Natasha claiming to be her sister.

Natasha Walker says her family is repeatedly targeted by impersonators, trolls and conspiracy theorists (ITV)

Some people genuinely believe they are Katrice, while others act with malicious intent, Natasha said. At one point, she was dealing with two women claiming to be her sister at the same time, despite both having DNA tests that proved otherwise.

In the end, one was talking to the other. I was like, You two can crack on and argue it out then, because you both cant be Katrice, Natasha added.

In todays social media age, families of missing children must also contend with online trolls, armchair sleuths, malicious comments, imposter accounts, and even AI deepfakes.

For many with missing loved ones, this digital onslaught has become unavoidable. It can hinder investigations, create false hope, frighten families away from making public appeals, or even stop a missing person from coming home.

Amy-Kathleen Walker, the head of digital development at Missing People, has supported countless families exposed to harassment, including Katrices.

In her 14 years, she said she has seen all forms of hatred. When the missing person is a child, the judgement can often be harsher, she said.

The family of Katrice Lee, who went missing when she was just two, say they have been harassed by many following her disappearance (MOD)

It has now become standard to warn family members of the harassment they may face. She said: Youre already in the worst place. You are so worried and so scared for your loved one.

Can I now also warn you that the world is not necessarily very nice? And people are likely to be horrible to you on social media. What a horrible conversation to have with someone whos already in the darkest of moments.

Beyond cruel comments and messages, some families face far worse. Kevin Gosden, whose son, Andrew, went missing when he was 14 years old in 2007, has had to wake up to AI deepfake videos of him and his son.

He described it as a feeling of absolute powerlessness and helplessness in what feels like a hugely dystopian world.

Many families experience fake social media accounts set up in the names of their missing loved ones, sometimes made to impersonate that person, and other times, made just to be malicious.

Ms Walker said that in many cases, the person behind the account truly believes they are that missing child, especially if it is a child who went missing at a young age. Even when it is proven untrue, they dont often go quietly, turning to trolling to try to convince the family otherwise.

She added: I would love a chance to actually talk to someone and ask them, Why did you do this? What were you hoping to achieve? Were you trying to give closure to these people, or did you just want to be horrible?

Jay Slaters mother is calling for Jays Law to stop grieving families from being abused (Family Handout/LBT Global)

Other families are up against conspiracies and constant speculation around their loved ones disappearance. Sometimes, no harm is meant by it, but it can be really damaging for that missing person or their family, Ms Walker said.

It could also prevent people from coming back. Imagine if all of that is on the internet, all these conspiracy theories about you, and it never goes away, she added.

The mother of Jay Slater, who died after going missing in Tenerife last year, is calling for Jays Law to prevent people from facing the same abuse that she did.

Mr Slaters disappearance attracted a host of conspiracy theories, and Debbie Duncan, his mother, was accused of various things, including covering up a murder and setting up a fake GoFundMe page.

One content creator even said: How do you know its Jay that was in the coffin? He needs digging up, Ms Duncan told The Mirror. It hurts. They dont know our family or anything about us, but theyre allowed to say what they want.

Ms Walker said: Please remember before you hit send, before you upload that thing, that is someone's someone harm is not just bruises, harm is also words and intentions, so just be kind.

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
Target: Antoine Semenyo (Getty Images)

Antoine Semenyo is set to have his pick of several Premier League clubs should he leave Bournemouth in January, according to a new report.

The Ghanaian brought an end to his ten-match goal drought on Monday night as he helped Bournemouth battle for a well-earned point at Old Trafford, holding Manchester United to a 4-4 draw.

His second-half strike takes his season tally to seven goals and three assists in 15 Premier League appearances, and he is expected to be among the hottest properties on the transfer market come January.

Semenyo signed new terms in July, but his updated deal featured a release clause worth 65million, which will reportedly be valid until January 10.

On the ball: Antoine Semenyo could soon call Florian Wirtz his team-mate (Peter Byrne/PA)

That is according to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who adds that Manchester United and Man City are set to go toe-to-toe to win the wingers signature.

Liverpool are also in the mix, while Tottenham were understood to hold an interest last summer.

The final decision will fall to Semenyo to pick his next side, though.

Romano adds that Ruben Amorim is a big fan of Semenyo as a player, particularly due to his positional versatility.

The same is true of Pep Guardiola, though City are in less need of a new winger now Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki have clicked, though he could provide competition for the likes of Savinho and Jeremy Doku.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are still succession planning as they brace for the departure of Mohamed Salah, who has been tipped to leave the club after AFCON.

It was reported in November that Liverpool are seriously interested in making a move for Semenyo, who bagged a brace at Anfield in the first match of the Premier League season.

Liverpool invested heavily in forwards last summer, spending big on the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, and Florian Wirtz, but the clubs new-look front line is yet to hit its stride.
The Arctic just experienced its hottest year on record, a milestone that scientists said was already changing weather systems far beyond the polar circle.

Surface air temperatures across the Arctic between October 2024 and September 2025 were the highest since at least 1900, according to the Arctic Report Card 2025, released this week by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It shows the region is now warming at more than twice the global average, with its 10 warmest years all coming in the past decade.

The warning came after a Copernicus report said this year was set to be the second or third warmest on record, potentially surpassed only by the record-breaking heat of 2024.

The earth is on track to complete the first three-year period when the average global temperature exceeded 1.5C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period when people started burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale.

The Arctic is warming several times faster than Earth as a whole, reshaping the northern landscapes, ecosystems, and livelihoods of Arctic peoples, the reports executive summary said. Also transforming are the roles the Arctic plays in the global climate, economic, and societal systems.

The latest findings come as researchers document accelerating ice loss, record precipitation, warming oceans and widespread disruption to Arctic ecosystems  changes they warn are no longer confined to the far north.

Autumn 2024 was the warmest on record for the Arctic, according to the report, while winter 2025 ranked as the second warmest, driven by persistently high temperatures across much of the region. Precipitation between October 2024 and September 2025 reached a record high as well, with winter, spring and autumn each ranking among the five wettest since records began in 1950.

Surface air temperatures across the Arctic between October 2024 and September 2025 were the warmest recorded since 1900 (NOAA)

At sea, Arctic winter ice cover hit a new low. In March 2025, when sea ice would be expected to reach the annual maximum, the extent was the smallest in the 47-year satellite record. By September, summer sea ice had fallen to the 10th-lowest minimum ever observed, continuing a downward trend that scientists said was fundamentally altering the Arctic Ocean.

The oldest and thickest multi-year sea ice, once a defining feature of the Arctic, has declined by more than 95 per cent since the 1980s, with most remaining ice now confined to areas north of Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

In August, parts of the Arctic Oceans Atlantic sector recorded sea surface temperatures around 7C above the 19912020 average, an extreme anomaly that researchers linked to the growing influence of warmer Atlantic waters pushing northwards  a process known as Atlantification.

The report documents major biological changes linked to warmer, more open seas. Since 2003, phytoplankton productivity has increased by 80 per cent in the Eurasian Arctic, alongside significant rises in the Barents Sea and Hudson Bay. While increased productivity may sound positive, scientists warn it is reshaping food webs, altering fisheries and threatening Indigenous subsistence practices that depend on stable seasonal cycles.

On land, the impacts are equally stark. Glaciers in Arctic Scandinavia and Svalbard recorded their largest annual ice loss on record between 2023 and 2024.

The Greenland Ice Sheet lost an estimated 129 billion tonnes in 2025, continuing a long-term pattern that is contributing to global sea-level rise, even though the loss was below the longer-term annual average.

Photos show rapid loss of glaciers in the Arctic (Noaa)

Ongoing glacier loss contributes to steadily rising global sea levels, threatening Arctic communities' water supplies, driving destructive floods and increasing landslide and tsunami hazards that endanger people, infrastructure, and coastline," the report said.

One of the most visible and alarming new phenomena highlighted in the report is the emergence of so-called rusting rivers. Across more than 200 watersheds in Arctic Alaska, thawing permafrost has released iron and other metals into rivers and streams, turning once-clear waters orange and increasing acidity and toxic metal concentrations. Scientists say this degradation threatens drinking water supplies, fish stocks and aquatic biodiversity in remote communities.

Researchers stress that what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic. The loss of reflective ice exposes darker ocean surfaces that absorb more heat, reinforcing warming through a feedback loop known as Arctic amplification. At the same time, warming and freshening of Arctic waters can weaken major ocean circulation systems that influence weather patterns across Europe and North America.

Some scientists also link rapid Arctic warming to changes in atmospheric circulation that may allow cold air to spill southwards more frequently, contributing to extreme winter weather in parts of Europe, Asia and North America.

The Arctics hydrological cycle is intensifying as well. More precipitation is falling as rain rather than snow, while June snow cover across the Arctic is now around half of what it was six decades ago, reducing the regions ability to reflect solar radiation back into space.

The 2025 Arctic Report Card marks 20 years of continuous monitoring, offering what the US agency describes as an increasingly clear picture of a region undergoing rapid, systemic change. Scientists involved in the report emphasise that while not every year sets a new record, the long-term trajectory is unmistakable.

Despite improvements in observation networks, the agency warns that major gaps remain, particularly in remote areas, limiting scientists ability to track changes that affect water availability, infrastructure stability and food security.
Arne Slot feels Liverpool have moved on from the Mohamed Salah controversy and hopes the players Africa Cup of Nations involvement takes further heat out of the situation.

Salah sparked crisis at the club with an explosive interview a fortnight ago in which he, among other things, claimed he had been made a scapegoat for a poor run of form.

He was consequently dropped for a Champions League game at Inter Milan but, after talks with manager Slot, returned as a substitute in last weeks Premier League victory over Brighton.

The 33-year-old is now on international duty, for potentially up to another month, with Egypt.

Slot said: As I said last week, actions speak louder than words and we moved on. He was in the squad and he was the first substitution I made.

But now he is at the Afcon, playing big games for himself and the country, so I think it is fair to them, and also to us because we are going to play some important games, that all the focus is for him over there and there should not be any distraction from me saying things about his time at Liverpool.

We have moved on after the Leeds interview and he played against Brighton. Now he is there, so it is fair for his country, and for him and us, to talk about Tottenham and other games.

Liverpool will give a fitness test to Dominik Szoboszlai ahead of Saturdays trip to Spurs after the Hungarian suffered an ankle injury late in the Brighton game.

Dominik Szoboszlai is a fitness doubt for Liverpool (Peter Byrne/PA) (Peter Byrne)

Slot said: If the player feels comfortable to play and he did all the things he had to do, then he will start.

Dom has been a starter for me in the one-and-a-half years I have been here now and, for the performances hes brought in, he would be a starter tomorrow if he is completely fit.

Forward Cody Gakpo and defender Joe Gomez are both ruled out with muscular problems, but Jeremie Frimpong is in contention after almost two months on the sidelines and Conor Bradley returns from suspension.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions after their horror run of nine defeats in their previous 12.

Liverpool have won their last five matches in all competitions (Martin Rickett/PA) (Martin Rickett)

Slot hopes the corner has been turned and improved results will bring more confidence.

The Dutchman said: I think winning always gives a good feeling and good spirit for a team that had so many changes during the summer.

The league table  the first 12, 13, 14, 15 teams are so close to each other that winning or losing matters a lot, with one exception although (Manchester) City are coming closer and closer to Arsenal now, but Arsenal are quite far away from us.

I think the main thing for us is to build on what we have been building on in the last five games.
(Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash)

Im a massive lover of fantasy books. The chance to dive out of my humdrum life and into another world is one thats appealed every since I started reading Harry Potter and Percy Jackson as a kid; these days, I regularly haunt the (admittedly tiny) fantasy section of my local library for fresh additions to their shelves.

So what better way to round off 2025 than by ranking the books I enjoyed reading most this year?

My quest wasnt without pitfalls. My trusty, eight-year-old Kindle died halfway through, which meant I finally had the opportunity to upgrade to the new 11th Gen version. With a staggering six weeks of battery life under my belt, I managed to read my way through the rest of my twenty-book stack with ease.

Heres what stood out, from high fantasy to romantasy.

Empire of the Dawn, by Jay Kristoff

(Harper Collins)

How much you like Kristoffs Empire of Blood series depends on how much you like outrageous camp, horrendous descriptions of gory deaths and a rather convoluted framing device in which the main character dictates the events of the book to a horny vampire scholar. I do, so it was a treat to read the final book in the trilogy, which came out earlier in the year.

Were back in the neverending darkness of Elidean  a dark, quasi-French land ruled by vampires  and Gabriel and his group of Silversaints are determined to strike a fatal blow to Fabien Voss, the Forever King. Key to their victory is Dior, the Holy Grail in human form, whose blood is poison to vampires  only Gabriel thinks shes dead. What follows is a river of death and destruction, framed by moments of hope  and a few well-deserved plot twists.

Katabasis, by R.F. Kuang

(HarperCollins)

R.F. Kuang had a real moment in 2022 when her book Babel came out  and before that, her hit series The Poppy War  so it made sense that when Katabasis was released, it was to a fanfare of excitement. Make no mistake, though: this is much more akin to Babel than it is the Chinese-history inspired fantasy of Rin.

Once again, were returning to the world of academia, albeit a magical one where the University of Cambridge has a department for the arcane arts. Alice Law is an overworked student who accidentally causes her Professor, Jacob Grimes, to perish in a magical accident  a problem, as shes about to get her doctorate. What better way to finally get it, then, than by travelling to Hell to get her letter of recommendation?

Kuangs vision of Hell is a twisty beast  heavily academic, involving several complex philosophical theorems as well as a dollop of romance/ rivalry between Alice and her competitor, Peter Murdoch. The result, though, feels utterly unique; Ive not read anything else like it this year.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by V.E. Schwab

(Pan Macmillan)

Schwab made her name with the magical high-fantasy series Shades of Magic; now shes returned with a sapphic vampire gothic romance.

Which pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin. The story flicks between three different timelines, and three different women, navigating 16th century Spain, 1820s London and Boston 2019, but as vampires. Its a fascinating concept, because most vamps in pop fiction are men; what does power and immortality look like on women?

Turns out, while theyre likeable, they do make some shockingly poor decisions that does slightly mar the enjoyment of reading. But still, Schwab has a pleasingly elegant turn of phrase and the plot romps along.

A Drop of Corruption, by Robert Jackson Bennett

(Hodderscape)

The second book in the Shadow of Leviathan series is just as good as the first  and when something is described as a biopunk murder mystery thats not always a given. As in his excellent first book, The Tainted Cup, were back with supernatural investigator Ana Dolabra, and her magically enhanced (and very stressed) assistant Dinios Kol.

Ana is a kind of Sherlock Holmes figure, and here shes called upon to solve an impossible crime: a treasury officer disappearing into thin air, possibly killed by a person who can pass through doors like a ghost, as well as predict her every move.

If deep and complex fantasy worlds are your thing, this is where to go. Bennetts world of ludexii, politics and witty banter makes the pages fly by. Plus, his clear disdain for the well-worn fantasy trope of kings and authoritarianism is rather refreshing.

The Raven Scholar, by Antonia Hodgson

(Hodderscape)

Fantasy mystery is having a real moment, and one of the best of the bunch is The Raven Scholar. Its always fun having a slightly odd detective solve murders, and its no different here  our hero, Neema Kraa, is an advisor to the Emperor, who got her job by committing a monstrous act.

Shunned and odd, shes nevertheless put in charge when Bersun the Brusque, the emperor of Orrun, decides to step down and hand his crown to whichever of the seven contenders fighting to replace him, wins. When one of them is murdered, its down to Neema to investigate  and her quest for answers naturally leads her to some very dark places. The Raven Scholar flicks between points in time and points of view, but the multi-stranded mystery it weaves is utterly compelling stuff.

The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow

(Pan Macmillan)

American author Harrow is always a good bet for thoughtful, wildly imaginative fantasy books, and her latest is no different. In fact, its staggeringly good: a time-loop romance that also takes pot-shots at nationalism and the futility of tyranny? Sign me right up.

Our heroes are Una Everlasting and Owen Mallory, a knight and a historian trapped in a cycle of violence. Centuries ago, Una was a peasant girl who became a Joan of Arc-esque folk hero, but was struck down by the queen whose reign she helped cement. Now, shes doomed to die over and over in order to ensure the stability of the realm of Dominion  while Mallory is a historian tasked with documenting her death.

Its a sad book at times, but its superbly told and feels upsettingly relevant, too. Bravo.

Thief of Night, by Holly Black

(Cornerstone)

Holly Black is basically the queen of fantasy romance  see her Cruel Prince books  and this, the second in her Book of Night duology, serves up more of the same. Were back in the grungy, urban, modern-day world of Charlie Hall, aka a bartender who used to moonlight as a thief for shadow-wielding gloamists.

Now, Charlie has become the Hierophant  the person responsible for tracking down rogue, murderous shadows known as Blights  oh, and shes had her boyfriend, Vince (a Blight himself), stitched to her as a shadow. Blacks writing is propulsive, the worldbuilding is fantastic  shadows as weapons? Count me in  and the romance between her and Vince feels pleasingly complicated and real. A winner.

How I read them

As somebody who travels a lot, I didnt have the space to carry twelve or more books around on my travels (mores the pity). Instead, I went for a Kindle, and as mentioned above, it ended up being the 11th Gen version.

If youre anything like me, carrying something as lightweight as a Kindle around instead of a stack of books is a godsend. This ones brighter frontlight (miles better than my cranky old version) also made reading on planes and low-lit spaces a breeze  and did I mention the 6-week battery life? It was a hero, and its currently on offer for 104.99 here.
A municipal worker cleans the bust of former president of the Republic of China, Dr Sun Yat-sen, at the Republic of China Square in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in March 2023. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images (Photograph: AFP/Getty Images)

After weeks of technology failures, accusations of fraud and complaints about US President Donald Trumps interference, the outcome of Honduras 30 November election is yet to be called. But there is a clear winner beyond the Central American nations borders: Taiwan.

Both leading candidates say they will cut diplomatic ties with Beijing and re-establish relations with Taipei, reversing the March 2023 decision by the then president, Xiomara Castro, to sensationally end Honduras 82-year relationship with Taiwan.

At the time, Honduras was the ninth of 10 countries to sever ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing in the last decade, amid an intensifying pressure campaign by the Chinese government to isolate Taiwan and delegitimise its sovereignty, and boost Beijings claim that its a part of China.

But they seem to be having regrets.

Related: Taiwan plans extra $40bn in defence spending to counter Chinas intensifying threats

For Honduras there has been absolutely no benefit from [the relationship with China], says Salvador Nasralla, the Liberal partys candidate. We were 100 times better off with Taiwan, agrees his opponent Nasry Asfura, the former mayor of Tegucigalpa who received Trumps endorsement days before the vote.

Today, Taipei has just 12 diplomatic allies in the world, thanks to Beijings relentless campaign to force foreign governments to choose one or the other. Sometimes it sparks an unedifying bidding war of financial and other inducements, even alleged corruption. In the end most countries choose the worlds second-biggest economy.

Honduras was the fifth Central American and Caribbean nation (after Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua) to cut ties with them in the past decade. Since the beginning of the century, 21 nations have turned from Taipei to Beijing. Nauru has done it twice.

Those who resist face enormous pressure. During the pandemic Guatemala, Taiwans most populous remaining ally, was urged to recognise China in return for vaccine aid. Taiwan-based diplomats from its remaining allies have told the Guardian they have faced a gamut of tactics, from promises of major infrastructure investment to intimidating visits by Chinese officials to their UN offices, and sudden bans on lucrative Chinese tourism to their countries.

Now however, US pressure, broken Chinese promises and corruption scandals appear to have halted Taiwans seemingly inexorable slide into diplomatic irrelevance in the region. In November, a delegation of 10 Panamanian lawmakers and advisers made a trip to Taipei in search of business deals and parliamentary ties. Meanwhile Godwin Friday, the recently elected president of St Vincent and the Grenadines, dropped his partys longstanding promise to recognise China from his partys manifesto.

Officials in Taipei may be feeling vindicated. At the time Honduras cut ties, its foreign minister said Honduras was struggling financially and Taiwan hadnt answered a request to renegotiate $600m in debt or increase financial aid. Taiwan in turn accused Honduras of asking for more than $2bn and urged it not to quench your thirst with poison by siding with China.

The foreign ministries of Taiwan and China were contacted for comment.

US pressure and Chinas broken promises

The cost-benefit analysis of establishing relations with China have shifted, especially since Trumps re-election, according to Evan Ellis, a professor in the US Army War College in Pennsylvania.

In Honduras, shrimp exports collapsed when Chinese buyers didnt replace the 40% of exports absorbed by Taiwan, as promised. In Panama, major Chinese infrastructure projects, including ports and bridges have been chronically delayed or cancelled. Panama also wants to play a role in the re-shoring of the microchip industry to the western hemisphere, for which economic relations with Taiwan are crucial.

Public opinions of China have also been affected by revelations about some of the methods by which the switches were achieved. Messages from the phone of former Panamanian president Juan Carlos Varela suggested that his family-run business had benefited from multimillion-dollar orders from Chinese diplomats after recognition, allegations that Varela denies. In Paraguay, the head of the Chinese business association tasked with establishing political relations told undercover reporters for Al Jazeera well pay bribes.

But geopolitics are far from the thoughts of most Central American citizens. The issue of the net benefits of ties to China or Taiwan are of secondary importance compared with virtue signalling allegiance to US influence, according to Ellis. The US is pushing back against China in the region and countries choosing to stay with Taiwan is part of this, he says, The expectation is that they will be rewarded.

Honduras  where Trump endorsed one candidate and pardoned a former president for drug trafficking in the space of the week  is just the latest example of his often nakedly transactional foreign policy in the region.

Following Trumps threats to take back the Panama Canal from alleged Chinese control, Panama said it would not renew its membership of Chinas Belt & Road infrastructure scheme and lodged a legal case against two Chinese-run ports at either end of the waterway. US firms seem well placed to win a number of new port and energy projects in the country. When the Panamanian delegation to Taiwan received WhatsApp messages from the Chinese ambassador demanding that they cancel their trip, the US ambassador stepped in to reassure them of his support.

With the Trump administrations focus shifting to the Caribbean, where several warships float off the coast of Venezuela, governments such as that of St Vincents are unlikely to make diplomatic moves that would antagonise the US.

Its not the time for a small Caribbean island not too far from major US military operations to be flipping to the PRC [Peoples Republic of China], says Ellis.
Max Osterman, 18, died in 2021 after taking fentanyl-laced pills bought on Snapchat, and Avery Ping, 16, died in 2024 after purchasing what he believed was ecstasy on the app. Composite: Obtained by The Guardian (Composite: Obtained by The Guardian)

Max Osterman was 18 when he connected with a drug dealer on Snapchat who used the handle skyhigh.303. Max would message him whenever he wanted to buy Percocet, and they would meet. After about a year, and just days after their last exchange, Max collapsed. The pills he ordered had been laced with fentanyl. He died from the overdose in February 2021 at his home in Broomfield, Colorado.

The dealer continued selling prescription painkillers until 2023, when he was jailed on two drug distribution convictions. When handing down the sentence, the judge said he was responsible for four deaths, yet he never faced charges for supplying the pills that killed Max.

Snapchat never gave this critical evidence, never took action, never stopped the dealer who had been selling drugs on their platform for years before Maxs death and even after, said Kim Osterman, his mother. It took three separate requests from law enforcement for Snapchat to even respond, and when they did, they claimed there was no information.

A police report reviewed by the Guardian shows a delay in obtaining data from the dealers Snapchat account, which investigators said they needed to definitively link him to Maxs death. The report also states that Snapchat did not provide law enforcement with any content from Maxs account apart from his user information. When Colorado detectives first sent Snap Inc, the apps parent company, a production of records request for account information on skyhigh.3o3, it took more than two months to receive a reply. When the response did arrive, Snap said it would not comply, citing a grammar technicality in the order. The inclusion of a /, the company argued, made the request ambiguous, according to a field case report from the Broomfield police department. The company eventually sent detectives information on the drug dealers account, skyhigh.303, in response to several separate warrants law enforcement filed in the year after Maxs death. No content from Maxs Snapchat account was ever provided to law enforcement, the police report states.

The Guardian has reviewed four cases where Snap Inc and Meta have delayed or declined to comply with warrants and subpoenas requesting information related to serious crimes linked to their platforms. Eight law enforcement officers interviewed have said multiple cases reviewed by the Guardian are emblematic of a wider problem they face with the companies, which often delay or decline to comply with warrants and subpoenas requesting information related to serious crimes on their platforms. According to court records, police reports and interviews with law enforcement officials, these refusals and lags can derail investigations into crimes ranging from fentanyl deaths to child sexual exploitation.

A Snap Inc statement reads: Our deepest sympathies go out to the families who have suffered such heartbreaking loss. A critical part of our efforts to help keep our community safe includes our longstanding and crucial engagement with law enforcement to help bring criminals to justice for the harm they cause our community. In both instances, Snap responded to multiple legal requests relating to the cases, so the suggestion that we did not support these investigations is simply inaccurate.

Meta said in a statement: We strongly disagree with the assertions made in this story, and our fast cooperation with law enforcement led to arrests in the cases in question. Last year, we received over 9,000 emergency requests from US authorities and resolved them within an average of 67 minutes  and even more quickly for cases involving child safety and suicide. To protect user privacy, its important that we follow appropriate legal processes and request clarifications where necessary, but we work to support law enforcement as much as we can.

The spokesperson added that Meta produced data in 88% of the nearly 75,000 requests it received from US authorities between July and December last year.

In a statement, the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) called for clearer rules, faster processes and collaboration between law enforcement, lawyers and tech leaders reaching across the aisle.

Every day of delay puts a child at risk. It can exacerbate damage and even cost lives. We cant afford to let the delays continue, said Shawnna Hoffman, chief executive of ICMEC and a former legal technology expert witness. But the problems now are real, and if cooperation and alignment cant rapidly make these processes happen faster, then we would in principle support new regulations to force greater urgency.

Crime and no punishment

When platforms are not responsive, suspects can go unidentified and arrests can be postponed, giving perpetrators more opportunities to offend and putting the public at risk, said eight federal and state law enforcement officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

These suspects are often transient. They might be at college for a semester, or just crashing with a friend, and by the time we get the data, theyve already moved on, said one officer with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce, a national network of law enforcement agencies dedicated to combating online child exploitation. If wed had the information in time, they would have been arrested. Instead, we show up and hear, They moved out a few weeks ago.

For ICAC officers pursuing cases of online exploitation, two companies stand out for their lack of cooperation: Meta and Snap. Investigators say some refusals are based on minor technicalities. It can be something as minimal as a dash or comma, said another ICAC officer. It feels like theyre playing legal games. Weve had objections from companies over clerical details that delay cases for a while.

Such lags can be especially devastating in cases of online child sexual exploitation and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material, said members of law enforcement specializing in cases of crimes against children.

In June, a Boston court sentenced Charlese Horton, a registered sex offender, to at least 25 years in prison for kidnapping and assaulting a boy lured to meet them through Facebook. Investigators say solving the case was made more difficult when Meta did not fully comply with the subpoenas they sent as exigent requests for information they urgently needed to identify Horton.

It can be weeks or months when we send a search warrant for data before companies get back to us, said a current ICAC commanding officer. When we are finally able to knock on the door and find the child victim, we determine that there has been additional abuse since we were waiting on that search warrant return.

Tension between police, privacy and platforms

Subpoenas and warrants form the backbone of these investigations, allowing law enforcement to obtain evidence from social media profiles. Subpoenas can be issued by a court or government agency without needing a judges approval. With regards to social media, these legal orders can compel a company to provide basic account information such as a users name, email address or IP login records. They generally cannot access private communications. Warrants, which require judicial approval and a demonstration of probable cause, permit investigators to obtain sensitive material, such as private messages, photos and videos.

Part of the tension between police and tech platforms stems from the legal framework that governs digital privacy and access to communications in the United States.

The fourth amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, requires law enforcement officials to show probable cause and secure a judges approval before accessing private communications. In practice, that means investigators must obtain a search warrant before companies like Meta and Snap release sensitive material such as private messages.

Layered on top of that barrier is the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and its Stored Communications Act (SCA) provision, which set rules for how companies store and disclose user data. Advocates for digital privacy say this law serves as one of the only federal protections in a country that relies on a haphazard patchwork of statutes to govern online behavior.

Critics say the law is outdated, as it was written decades before social media or smartphones existed and includes ambiguities that tech companies use to slow-walk or reject requests.

They are looking for reasons not to give information, said a former commander of a state ICAC taskforce, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Big tech is going to protect their companies first. Their priority its not to share information. Its to protect themselves from any liability.

Officials say this resistance is unique to big tech. Law enforcement officials characterized the response of industries like banking as much quicker, a matter of days rather than weeks or months. While entities that refuse could theoretically be held in contempt, tech firms bank on low appetite from law enforcement to take them on, said law enforcement officials.

You send a grand jury subpoena to them, and they dont give anything back, said a lieutenant from ICAC. Or sometimes they say, We dont have anything for what you requested, or we cant find anything based on your request, and they wont tell you why.

Speeding up due process

In May, the Colorado governor, Jared Polis, vetoed a state bill on childrens online safety in the face of heavy lobbying from across industries. He cited the bills potential to erode privacy, freedom and innovation as the reason for his veto. The bill included a mandate for a 72-hour deadline for social media companies to respond to police requests, and to provide direct hotlines for law enforcement.

Testifying in support of the bill before the states senate judiciary committee in April, Brian Mason, the district attorney for Adams and Broomfield counties, where Max Osterman lived, stated that social media companies regularly failed to respond to legal documents they had been served in Colorado. Warrants, he said, often vanish into a black hole.

Theyre massive social media companies that dont seem to care when they get a valid warrant from a jurisdiction like mine in Colorado, said Mason.

In child sex-trafficking cases, limited access to digital records not only deepens the trauma for victims but also makes it harder to investigate crimes, members of law enforcement said.

Law enforcement officials note that when cases involve traumatized victims, their cooperation with investigations can be temporary. To avoid the investigation relying solely on the victims testimony, law enforcement focuses on building cases through digital evidence.

Even in emergency cases  when police have reasonable grounds to believe someone is in imminent danger and file what they dub an exigent request, which is a legal demand meant to trigger immediate compliance  tech companies often pick and choose which requests to honor, according to five members of law enforcement. Investigators say those decisions come at a cost to public safety.

Boston polices investigation into Charlese Horton began after a 14-year-old boy was kidnapped and assaulted at gunpoint in an alley in the citys Dorchester neighborhood. Four months later, the same boy was kidnapped again. He reported the attacks to police, and two more boys soon came forward with similar accounts. None of the victims knew each other, but all had been contacted through Facebook accounts tied to four aliases the attacker controlled, according to court documents.

Detectives subpoenaed Meta for data on four accounts. Meta refused to honor the exigency requests for two of the accounts being used, without explanation, said two members of law enforcement. That decision, investigators said, probably allowed additional victims to go undiscovered.

Meta shouldnt be the arbiter of what is and isnt exigent, said one member of law enforcement dealing with the case. This was the company making its own judgment about whether we had an exigency case.

A statement from Meta asserts the company fully cooperated with the Boston police investigation.

Meta scrutinizes every law enforcement request, as bad actors have been known to use social engineering to access government email accounts so they can request information from tech companies, a spokesperson said.

In a statement, Meta asserted that the two accounts it did not provide information on were actually duplicate requests. Law enforcement officers interviewed, however, dispute that characterization.

Law enforcement has no direct line to communicate with some companies to question decisions or press their case further. For Meta and Snap, requests are routed through a web portal that offers no phone number and no direct access to the employees deciding whether to release evidence, a point of frustration mentioned by almost all members of law enforcement who spoke to the Guardian.

We make it as easy as possible for law enforcement to submit legal requests via an online portal and provide regular training sessions to the FBI and US local law enforcement on how to send in valid requests, said a Meta spokesperson. Our dedicated law enforcement response team in the US is also in ongoing contact with law enforcement to support them on live cases as needed, and our legal teams are regularly in touch with prosecutors and investigators to help with legal issues.

Sextortion tragedy

When Michigan teen Jordan DeMay died by suicide after being targeted by Nigerian sextortion scammers on Instagram in 2022, Meta initially declined the Marquette county sheriffs detectives requests, filed as exigent, for the transcripts of DeMays direct messages on the platform. This meant his family had to wait 48 hours for crucial details about why he died, and the sextortionists were able to continue to target other victims.

Possibly it wasnt considered an emergency because Jordan was already dead, said John DeMay, Jordans father. It was only when the FBI got involved that the warrant was accepted.

DeMay, who now has a copy of the transcript of the conversation between Jordan and the sextortionists, said it was obvious from the dialogue how urgent the situation was.

They wrote to Jordan, Im gonna watch you die a miserable death. And, Jordan replies to say, Im killing myself. And they say, Good, do it now, said DeMay. After reading that transcript and knowing that the sextortionists account was still active, and somebody had already died, theres no reason that Meta should have not given that information. Theres zero reason for that.

In its statement, Meta noted that the justice department had publicly praised the company for cooperating with the FBI investigation into Jordans sextortionists. The company did not, however, address the early delays in the case, when the investigation was still being handled by local police.

Dire circumstances, unreadable files

Even when companies do comply with warrants, the information they provide can be of little use. On 19 December 2024, 16-year-old Avery Ping died in Olympia, Washington, of a drug overdose after buying what he thought was ecstasy over Snapchat. The pills turned out to be a lethal mix of fentanyl, amphetamine and methamphetamine.

Averys drug dealer had been under law enforcement surveillance since October 2024 in relation to other narcotics cases. Local police sent a warrant for the dealers Snapchat account data to Snap Inc on 5 November 2024 and waited 10 days. They did not receive a response from Snap until 25 November, when the company sent a file that law enforcement officials couldnt open, said Aaron Ping, Averys father.

The detective told me they needed specific software to open it, and Snap didnt give instructions on this, said Ping. Ultimately, law enforcement officials could not open the file until early December.

Snap impeded on a big investigation on the dealer before Avery died. This guy was a prolific dealer, and had surveillance on his house, and they just were waiting for the Snapchat records, said Ping. The guy should have been in jail. Avery should be alive.

Snap Inc did not provide a response to these allegations.

Every day of delay means children remain in danger who could have been rescued, and theres no legal consequence for dragging their feet, said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project. We need public visibility into how these companies perform. We need mandatory public reporting on response times and compliance rates. Self-regulation has failed  its time for lawmakers to act.
L-R: Phil, Ash and John Scott  three generations of Somerset farmers facing an uncertain future - William Sitwell

After days of relentless rain, with torrents of water flowing down the main street of our local town of Wiveliscombe, Somerset  the surrounding roads more like meandering pathways through swamps of mini lakes  the sun has emerged. From where I write I can see the green slopes of Willet Hill, at the top of which are views across to Exmoor, the Blackdowns to the south, the Quantocks to the east, and then beyond to the Bristol channel and the Welsh coast.

Right now I can spy the local farmer, John, a man born in this same valley, chuntering across the fields to check on his sheep (I dread to contemplate the state of their hooves as they roam this drenched land). As a young man, John walked those steep slopes to tend to his flock. Today he bombs about in a buggy. I say bombs as thats the style of the Scott family, and in the summer months youll spot his son, Phil, and grandson, Ash, roaring up the lanes like its the time of their lives, shirts off, sheepdogs at their side. Its why all three of them have occasional sojourns in the local hospital, having misjudged a corner.

On days like this, the urban dwellers, or indeed anyone confined to an office from nine to five, might look with envy at these people. And then when they see our farmers staging protests, as at the end of last month when they took to the streets of London, some might be tempted to wonder what all the fuss is about.

Well, it should now be glaringly obvious. The plight of the industry was exposed this week in a Government-commissioned review which concluded that food production is no longer profitable for the average English farm.

The plight of the farming industry should concern us all - Vuk Valcic/Sopa Images

Headed by Minette Batters, the former president of the National Farmers Union, the farm profitability review found that nearly a third of farms in Great Britain were in fact loss-making last year, with many unable to generate enough income to support a household.

It is news that should make you spit out your breakfast cereal as you contemplate it; that most working farmers across this country cannot, no matter the hours they put in, make enough money to get by.

Yet this Government appears to hold the view that farming is a luxury pursuit by those who relish the outdoors, get a thrill from living in wellies, have nothing but fun in tractors and are only ever grumpy because they have to get up early in the morning. Labour eye them like fat cats who have been dodging tax for too long, and as comic characters with thick, incomprehensible accents who are easier prey than the real tax-dodging, powerful villains of the likes of Google and Amazon.

Hence lobbying a grotesque levy at them, by way of removing the exemption on full inheritance tax on agricultural property.

It should be a given that this ancient craft, often engaged in by successive generations, should be protected and nurtured by our politicians. But this Labour administration, and its predecessors, has failed those who toil our green and pleasant fields.

As Batters concluded: In the past nine years, farming policy has undergone the greatest set of changes in living memory with no consistent political direction at a time when farming needed it most.

Indeed, British farming was already in a parlous state when Labour won last years general election, with younger generations already wondering how they could escape the peril of following in their parents footsteps.

Former NFU president Minette Batterss review found that food production is no longer profitable for the average English farm - Heathcliff O'Malley

But rather than administer a course of care for this wounded patient, Sir Keir Starmer and his team have inflicted a quite merciless policy of further torture.

As Batters put it, the scrapping of the 100 per cent inheritance tax relief for farmers left the sector bewildered and frightened of what might lie ahead.

All of which makes me question just how Labour have got this so badly wrong? Is it simply that its youthful advisors are just a bunch of vegan urbanites with no clue of the realities of food production. Or is this some blind socialist contempt, viewing farming as a sort of lifestyle hobby?

Responding to the report, the Government has said it is setting up a Farming and Food Partnership Board made up of leaders from farming, retail, finance and government. Yet this is par for a miserable course, as in hospitality Labour unleashes death taxes then makes a song and dance about convening a meaningless panel.

Whether it will implement the 57 recommendations (including simplifying agricultural support schemes and help farmers access private funding) made by the farm profitability review, which called for a new deal for profitable farming, remains to be seen.

The enchanting green slopes of Willet Hill, thankfully, appear to be going nowhere soon. Whether Ill still spot John and his offspring working on them in the years to come is another matter entirely.
Tickets for the new Lumo train will start from 33.10 between London and Glasgow (Getty)

A budget rail operator has launched a new direct rail link between London and Scotland  with tickets for less than 35 a seat.

Lumo, part of transport company FirstGroup plc, started the inaugural service linking Glasgow directly with Falkirk, Edinburgh, the northeast of England and London on Tuesday.

The routes first leg departed Glasgow Queen Street at 6.16pm, arriving at Londons Kings Cross one minute early.

Tickets for the new train will start from 33.10 between London and Glasgow, with seats for as little as 10.90 on journeys connecting Newcastle and Glasgow.

According to Lumo, dubbed the Ryanair of trains, the low fares combined with Lumos high-scoring onboard customer satisfaction results will make travelling between the destinations even more accessible.

Two northbound services will run each weekday, with one southbound.

The new Lumo connection is expected to attract more people to Glasgows Commonwealth Games in July 2026, said the rail operator.

Stuart Jones, managing director of First Rail Open Access, said: This is a landmark moment which will boost connectivity between Scotland and England, offering a sustainable travel option whilst also boosting economic growth.

It was a particular pleasure to celebrate the launch of our inaugural services in style with a brilliant range of guests from our dedicated team, as well as our partners from Scotland and across the border. Were proud to champion Scotland and look forward to providing the unique Lumo service to even more customers from this week.

Lumo is also set to launch a brand new route connecting Stirling with London Euston from May 2026.

The group plans to run five trains a day between London Euston and Stirling, stopping at 10 English and Scottish stations along the way.

The new open access service will compete with Avanti West Coast as well as other operators, including TransPennine Express and LNER.

Read more: Budget train operator proposes new cheap rail routes for UK
The UK competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the takeover of Hovis by Associated British Foods (ABF).

In August, ABF struck a deal to buy the 135-year-old business from US private equity owner Endless.

ABF said it would merge Hovis with its own Allied Bakeries business, which makes Kingsmill and Allinsons bread.

The deal will create a major player in the baking sector, to compete against Warburtons and supermarket own-label products.

It had been widely expected that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would look into the process as a result.

Were investigating the anticipated acquisition by Associated British Foods (ABF) of Hovis. Both companies provide pre-packaged bread and bakery products. Read more: https://t.co/9gYgfG3IYT pic.twitter.com/6QIHmge2ao  Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) December 19, 2025

On Friday, the regulator launched a formal phase one investigation into the deal.

It comes after the CMA called for parties linked to the deal to comment on the potential impact of the move on competition in the sector in September.

The watchdog said it will confirm whether the merger needs a more thorough phase two probe by February 19.

An ABF spokeswoman said: This formal step is an important milestone and follows ABF working constructively with the CMA to outline the challenges and changes taking place in the UKs bakery sector.

ABF will continue to work closely with the CMA to ensure this case is run as efficiently as possible and to demonstrate why this transaction will help to create a more sustainable competitor that is better able to invest, innovate and deliver for customers.

The Hovis deal comes after ABF launched a strategic review of the Allied Bakeries business, which has been loss-making in recent years because of cost pressures and changing consumer demand.

It said the merger would combine the production and distribution activities of the businesses and lead to significant costs synergies and efficiencies.
Comedian and childrens author David Walliams has denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour after being dropped by his publisher Harper Collins.

The TV star, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain, strongly denies any claims and was not informed about or party to an investigation by HarperCollins, his spokesperson said on Friday evening.

A spokesperson for HarperCollins told The Independent: After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams.

It comes after The Telegraph reported the publisher made the decision after he was accused of behaving inappropriately towards young women. A junior colleague is said to have complained about his conduct, leading to other staff members being interviewed.

Former employees alleged to The Telegraph that they were advised to work in pairs when meeting with him and not to visit his home.

David Walliams is one of the UKs most successful childrens authors, having sold about 60 million copies worldwide (Getty Images for MUBI)

A spokesperson for Harper Collins added: HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals, we do not comment on internal matters.

A spokesperson for Walliams said in a statement: David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.

Walliams, 54, rose to fame more than 20 years ago through the comedy series Little Britain, alongside Matt Lucas, and has since become one of the UKs most established and successful award-winning childrens authors, selling an estimated 60 million copies worldwide.

His books have been adapted for television by the BBC and are widely used in schools, with Harper Collins stating that they have been translated into 55 languages.

In recent years, Walliams has faced criticism after he was caught making obscene comments about contestants on Britains Got Talent.

In 2022, a leaked transcript revealed that he called one auditioning contestant a c*** and said of another: She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't.

The remarks were made during an audition at the London Palladium in early 2020 and leaked to The Guardian, with Walliams subsequently leaving his role.

At the time, Walliams said that he wanted to apologise for the disrespectful comments and that they were part of a private conversation which was never intended to be shared. His comments were picked up by the microphones on the desk and were seemingly not intended to be heard publicly  and he sued FremantleMedia, the production company that makes BGT, for the leaking of his private remarks. The matter was settled in November 2023.

He also sparked outcry after giving two Nazi salutes during a recording of BBC series Would I Lie To You?s Christmas special. He reportedly gave the offensive salutes while filming the episode with host Rob Brydon after an anecdote that was shared by Call the Midwife star Helen George.
Sir Keir Starmer with Angela Rayner, who championed the Employment Rights Bill - Jordan Pettitt/PA

The think tank that steered Sir Keir Starmer to power is exploring ways to scupper Angela Rayners flagship workers rights reforms.

Labour Together, formerly run by Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keirs Chief of Staff, is said to be canvassing support among Labour MPs for proposals to tear up the Employment Rights Act.

In an unpublished paper, seen by The Times, the think tank reportedly warns that the Act saps dynamism from the economy and will force the Government backwards.

The leaked paper is said to suggest the Government should scrap 80 per cent of the Act, which received Royal Assent this week.

Instead, it says Labour should introduce higher taxes on companies and employees to fund a new insurance scheme for people who have been sacked.

Labour Together insisted it was not calling for the Employment Rights Act to be scrapped.

Instead, it said the paper was a provocation for private discussion about future policies.

However, the divisive proposals, said to have been circulated among Labour MPs this week, threaten to deepen the rift with the Labour Left after Sir Keir watered down the employment reforms championed by his former deputy, who has been touted as a potential successor to Sir Keir.

Labour Together has previously asked party members for their views on top candidates to replace the Prime Minister, prompting a fresh wave of leadership rumours.

Ministers were forced to make concessions to get the workers rights plans through the Lords, including scrapping proposals to allow employees to sue for unfair dismissal after one day on the job. Instead, they will have to wait for six months.

The Act will also ban zero-hour contracts, bring in day-one rights to statutory sick pay, and give unions unprecedented rights to enter workplaces.

Businesses have argued fiercely against the laws, saying they would burden them with red tape. Even the Government has admitted the Act will cost firms 5bn.

The paper quoted by The Times says ministers should scrap 80 per cent of the Employment Rights Bill and build out unemployment insurance.

It adds: This could be funded by higher taxes on employers (cheaper than the compliance cost of ERB) and small contributions from workers.

It also makes the argument that easy firing means easy hiring, which benefits both firms and workers, warning that the Government is going backwards on labour market regulation with the Employment Rights Bill.

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Ms Rayner is writing a memoir about her rise to and fall from front-line politics, further fuelling speculation of a future Labour leadership run.

The former deputy prime minister, who resigned in September after The Telegraph revealed that she had avoided 40,000 in stamp duty, will release the book in the second half of next year.

It will be seen as an attempt by Ms Rayner to set out the story of her career before any contest to find a successor to Sir Keir.

The former deputy prime minister wanted it to inspire and encourage others to overcome adversity, the publisher said.

The reforms passed this week could also see employees entitled to a week off work to mourn the death of a distant family member.

A death within an employees chosen family would also qualify them for unpaid time off, under proposals being considered by ministers.

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The expansion of bereavement leave, which is currently only mandatory for the death of a child under 18, is one of several measures included in the Employment Rights Act.

The legislation states that all workers, from day one of their employment, will be able to claim a week of unpaid bereavement leave, which they can take at any time up to 56 days from the persons death.

Ministers have not decided which relatives would be covered under the rules and have published a list of options in a consultation document.

Under one option being considered, the nature of the family relationship would not matter, with eligibility for bereavement leave based on the importance that person played in their life.

A spokesman for Labour Together said: Labour Together totally supports this weeks Employment Rights Act.

This paper was a provocation for private discussion about how to build a political economy centred on technological change and innovation.

It looks beyond current policy, exploring ideas for spreading innovation and investment outside the South East and how to support workers through technological change with a bigger welfare state rather than regulation alone.

But given the welfare state we inherited from the Conservatives, that is far away. The Employment Rights Act is the best way to give workers much more security now.
A radical departure from traditional power politics is needed. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP (Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

It is good to see Jonathan Freedland calling out the thuggery of the Trump administration (Donald Trump is pursuing regime change  in Europe, 12 December). To safeguard its security and values, Europe must act swiftly to prepare for a postNato Europe. Most Europe-centric alternative proposals approach the issue from a traditional hard security perspective, not fully severing Nato ties but prioritising EU-led decision-making, often starting as a Nato-plus complement before evolving into a standalone entity.

Such thinking also generally proposes major increases in military spending, an EU-based command structure independent of the US, integrated European military capabilities, a shared European nuclear deterrent, and binding mutual defence commitments. However, recreating a European-led house of dynamite will simply compound existing insecurities. A radical departure from traditional power politics is needed, drawing inspiration from successful neutral states (Austria, Ireland and Switzerland) and human security frameworks pioneered by the UN and Nordic countries.

While challenging to implement, a compelling model for sustainable security without nuclear deterrence or offensive military capabilities could be developed. It would embrace a highly credible and transparent whole-society deterrence-by-denial and resilient-resistance approach, rather than a far less credible all-or-nothing threat of dominance and absolute mutual annihilation. This proposed European architecture is based upon ideas that human creativity, solidarity and moral courage can replace nuclear terror and offensive might. It is visionary, but not naive  grounded in proven concepts and successful neutral states. The question is: do European societies have the wisdom to choose long-term human security over short-term military superiority?

Dr Ian Davis

Director, Nato Watch

 Jonathan Freedland writes that the Trump administration is seeking to break up the EU by supporting ultra-rightwing parties in European nations. This view seems to be correct. He also states that Vladimir Putin has long wished to weaken, if not destroy, the EU. Is that view also correct? Russia objects strongly to Ukraine joining Nato, a military alliance directed against it, but far less if at all to Ukraine joining the EU.

There is a dissident view of the Ukraine conflict put forward by reputed international relations experts such as Profs John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs, which seems to be denied coverage in mainstream UK media. Their view is that the Ukraine war is largely the consequence of the US project from the end of the cold war in 1991 to incorporate Ukraine in Nato, thus pushing it to Russias border.

The EU continues to pursue this goal even though the US seems now to have lost interest in it. It would surely be to the advantage of both the EU and Russia to re-establish constructive relations with one another, for which acceptance of a neutral Ukraine is surely the precondition. Wouldnt it be a good idea for European governments to explore this possibility?

Prof Michael Rustin

University of East London

 Jonathan Freedlands article is a call to action that our government ignores at our national peril. The incompatibility of Keir Starmers position of sucking up to Donald Trump while also attempting to participate in a coalition of the willing that does not include the US is unsustainable, as is his position of continually talking of increasing defence expenditure in years time instead of now.

Parliament must put extreme pressure on Starmer to accept these realities and act on them now. It is essential that some sort of alliance of European nations prepared to support Ukraine and deal with Trump is formed. He should bargain his way into the European Defence Fund. Also, France and Germany are reintroducing forms of military service due to security concerns. We should be doing the same.

Jon Duke

Pocklington, York

 Have an opinion on anything youve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Nigel Farage on the campaign trail in Clacton last year - Steve Finn

Reform UK will not face an investigation by the elections watchdog into claims that it overspent on Nigel Farages campaign at the general election.

The Electoral Commission has decided against opening an inquiry into the allegations by a whistleblower, citing a lack of evidence of wrongdoing.

Its announcement came a day after Essex Police similarly announced that it was not going to pursue a criminal case against Reform or Mr Farage.

The decision effectively closes the case against Reform and its leader and means that neither face the prospect of an investigation.

In a letter to Charlton Edwards, the Reform treasurer, the Electoral Commission said it had reviewed the evidence provided and decided not to investigate.

We did not identify credible evidence of potential offences of electoral law. Therefore, our decision is to close our consideration of the matter following initial enquiries and take no further action, the watchdogs investigations team wrote.

In summary, we have not identified any omissions of expenditure that ought to have been declared in relation to Mr Farages return in Clacton.

Our decision is to close our consideration of the matter following initial enquiries and take no further action.

Richard Everett, a former member of Mr Farages campaign team, alleged that Reform wrongly reported spending in the constituency as national expenditure.

He claimed the party did not report around 9,000 of spending on leaflets, banners, rosettes and the refurbishment of an office bar, which would have taken Mr Farage over the 20,660 spending limit in Clacton last year.

Mr Everett reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police, which then passed it onto Essex Police as the local force to look into.

Mr Farages 2024 election spending has been under scrutiny - Jason Bye

Essex Police issued a statement on Thursday saying it could not investigate because the statute of limitations on any potential offence had expired.

The force said: We have assessed a report relating to an allegation around misreported expenditure by a political candidate in connection with the general election in July 2024.

This report was first formally made to policing on 5 December 2025 and subsequently transferred to Essex Police by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Having regard to the Representation of the People Act 1983, which states any prosecution for such an offence must commence within one year, it has been concluded that this report falls outside of the stated statutory time limit, and no investigation can take place.

Anna Turley, the Labour Party chair, had picked up on Mr Everetts claims and made a separate complaint to the Electoral Commission.

Reform had strenuously denied the allegations from the offset, describing Mr Everett as a disgruntled former councillor and claiming he was expelled from the party several months ago for alleged sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Mr Everett denies the claims.
Florida woman, 51, accused of shooting both of her ex-husbands as state seeks death penalty in case

A Florida woman could face the death penalty after allegedly killing one of her ex-husbands and shooting another in a single day.

Susan Avalon, 51, of Citrus County, has been charged with first-degree homicide for what officials say were planned attacks coordinated across multiple counties.

Authorities believe Avalon first killed her second ex-husband in Tampa on Wednesday. She then stopped at a Panera Bread, allegedly stole food, and drove to her first ex-husbands home in Bradenton, where she shot him.

Manatee County deputies initially became aware of her alleged crimes when they responded shortly before 3 p.m. to a home in Bradenton after reports that a 54-year-old man had been shot at three times, sustaining two gunshot wounds, including one to the abdomen.

"Shes got beef with both these ex-husbands," Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said, per FOX13.

Susan Avalon, 51, of Citrus County, Florida, could face the death penalty for allegedly killing one ex-husband and may face additional charges for shooting the other (Manatee County Sheriff's Office)

The victim, who survived, told investigators he believed the shooter was his ex-wife, identified as Avalon. Detectives said Avalon arrived at his home with food from Panera and immediately fired when he opened the door.

Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said Avalon and the Bradenton victim had been married for 11 years, and she owed him roughly $4,000 in child support.

The mans 15-year-old daughter was home during the shooting. She heard the gunshots but did not witness the attack, he said. She did, however, see a silver Honda Odyssey leaving the scene.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and confirmed that Avalon stopped at a nearby Panera, took food without paying, and then drove to Bradenton.

"It doesnt get any more brazen than this," Wells said, per FOX13. "This is a very active neighborhood. Its 3 oclock in the afternoon on Wednesday. Kids are coming home from school. A lot of activity as you can imagine. She didnt seem to care."

Deputies later went to Avalons Citrus County home, where she was allegedly seen cleaning her car with bleach and rags.

When questioned about her ex-husband, she asked, Which one? and accused him of molestation and being a child abuser, leaving detectives initially confused about which countys case she was referring to. Avalons live-in boyfriend also described her recent behaviour as out of character, when interviewed by police.

"She told him yesterday that in case something happens to her, she loves him and she just wanted him to know that, Well said. He said that was kind of out of character for her. We start to dig in to this second ex-husband that we know nothing about and we find that she was married again after she was married to our victim and this ex-husband lives in Tampa.

Once authorities realized she was referencing a second ex-husband living in Tampa, police performed a wellness check at his Hillsborough County residence.

The man did not respond, and Tampa officers discovered damage to the front door. He was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Wells said Avalon did not tell her live-in boyfriend what allegedly happened, but took a shower and attempted to remove evidence from her car. Her boyfriend reported that Avalon had recently discovered her second ex-husbands location.

Officials continue to investigate, and the motive for her actions remains unknown.

Avalon faces first-degree homicide charges in Manatee County and may also face additional charges in Hillsborough County, with prosecutors considering the death penalty.
Marco Botti has a shot at more international prize-money in mind for Giavellotto following his gallant run in the Hong Kong Vase.

Having won the race last season, he fell just short when bidding to retain his title, missing out by three-quarters of the length to Andre Fabres four-time Group One winner Sosie.

Botti was nevertheless thrilled with his stable flag bearer, who has become a model of consistency and clearly takes globetrotting in his stride.

I was delighted, I thought he ran a great race and he showed once again how brave he is, said the Newmarket-based Italian.

He always tries his best and I dont think we lost much in defeat, the winner is a very good horse and a younger horse.

The race itself went smoothly, Andrea (Atzeni) placed him in a nice spot and maybe the pace was a touch slow early on, but once they started quickening off the bend he had a clear run.

I just think he has probably been beaten by a better horse, theres no disgrace in being beaten by Sosie and there were good horses behind them both.

The Amir Trophy in Qatar will now come into focus for the six-year-old, another lucrative contest run over a mile and a half.

Botti added: He came back and went straight to his food, you would think he hadnt had a race.

The great thing about him is he really enjoys these trips abroad, he thrives when you put him on the plane and he goes overseas.

All being well we will go to Qatar for the Amir Trophy, its a race we didnt consider last year because we felt he had a long season and we wanted to try the Sheema Classic, but I would say now Qatar is the priority and thats the race well head to.
The water at Red Beach turned crimson this week

A dramatic natural spectacle unfolded on Iran's Hormuz Island this week, as heavy rainfall transformed the coastline of its renowned Red Beach.

Streams of vivid red soil, washed down from the island's iron oxide-rich cliffs, poured into the Persian Gulf, dyeing the normally blue waters a striking crimson.

The island's distinctive Red Beach is famed for its intensely coloured sand and cliffs, a result of high concentrations of iron oxide.

Beginning on Tuesday, the recent downpours triggered a captivating display, with the flowing red earth creating a stark, beautiful contrast against the sea.

This unique geological event consistently draws in tourists, photographers, and significant social media interest.

Beyond its visual appeal, the red soil  locally known as gelak  is exported in limited quantities and used in the production of cosmetics, pigments and some traditional products.

A woman walks along the beach on Hormuz Island (AFP via Getty Images)

Hormuz Island lies in the Strait of Hormuz, where the Persian Gulf meets the Gulf of Oman, about 1,080 kilometres (670 miles) south of Irans capital, Tehran.

Rainfall is relatively rare on the arid island, and happens mainly during the winter and early spring.

The island has become a popular destination with visitors drawn to its unusual landscapes.

"The island is a salt dome, a teardrop-shaped mound of rock salt, gypsum, anhydrite, and other evaporites that has risen upward through overlying layers of rock, Nasas Earth Observatory explained in a statement earlier this year.

Rock salt or halite is weak and buoyant, so it loses its brittleness and flows more like a liquid when under high pressure."

The islands soil is so rich in minerals it is used as a local spice, playing an important role in the regions food culture. The red soil is used in the preparation of a special local bread in Hormuz called tomshi.

Scientists warn against using the soil in cuisines due to its heavy metal content.
Sir Keir Starmers Lobby reforms are a naked attempt to control information - WPA Pool/Getty Images Europe

The task of the Westminster Lobby is to hold the Government to account, and it does so partly in the form of twice daily briefings.

Those who have served in the role of spokesman for the Prime Minister have spoken about how uncomfortable these encounters can be: Sir Christopher Meyer, who served in the role for Sir John Major, described his time as a kind of Rorkes Drift situation.

With Labour plummeting in the polls and his personal popularity at a nadir, it is perhaps unsurprising that Sir Keir Starmer appears to have flinched at the contents of these briefings.

The afternoon press briefing is to be scrapped; the morning briefing sometimes replaced by a press conference open to a wider selection of journalists and content creators. Briefings and press conferences are distinct events. The former has no limit on the number of questions asked, or on the topics covered.

Press conferences, in contrast, usually feature far greater control over who is permitted to ask questions, and the volume incoming. To replace one with the other is suggestive of a Government seeking to minimise its attack surface.

It is not particularly difficult to see the appeal of this move for the Prime Minister, and indeed he is far from the first Labour figure to attempt reforms of this sort.

In June 1975, Harold Wilson declared that the tradition of daily background briefings would come to a halt. If this was intended to alleviate the pressures of office, it failed: in 1976, exhausted, he resigned. Three years later, his party was swept aside in the general election by Margaret Thatchers Conservatives.

In 2002, a year after an election, Sir Tony Blairs government proposed precisely the same line of reforms: a single briefing in the mornings and wider access for journalists outside the lobby.

Here, however, the parallels end. At that point, Sir Tonys party was still riding high in the polls, enjoying the support of approximately 50 per cent of voters, and the mania for reform was short-lived.

For all its flaws, the Lobby system offers governments the opportunity to put forward its side of the story, and to track where public attention is directed. These reforms, should they be enacted, will have no positive effect on the publics perception of this Government.

They will continue to be dissatisfied about the obvious failures of the state unfolding around them. As with the decisions to postpone local elections in areas where Labour is likely to lose, hiding from scrutiny is a deferment rather than a solution, and one which likely makes the eventual reckoning with the public worse.
Honda to pause production in Japan and China as chip shortages persist

Honda Motor will temporarily shut production at several factories in Japan and China in late December and early January, as disruptions caused by a shortage of semiconductors continue to ripple through the global automotive industry.

The Japanese carmaker said operations at some domestic plants will be suspended on 5 and 6 January, without identifying the specific facilities affected.

In China, all three plants run by its joint venture, Guangqi Honda Automobile, will be taken offline for five days from 29 December to 2 January, reported the Japan Times.

Honda had earlier indicated that production was expected to normalise from late November. The latest stoppages suggest that supply chain bottlenecks remain unresolved, despite earlier efforts to stabilise output. When Japanese production resumes on 7 January, output will be scaled back for a further three days from originally planned levels.

The latest disruption follows a temporary halt at Honda plants in Mexico in October and November, also linked to semiconductor shortages.

Flags fly next to a logo of Nexperia at the facade of its factory amidst a shortage of chip supply caused by a diplomatic standoff between China and Netherlands over the company, in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China (Reuters)

Those shortages were triggered by a geopolitical dispute involving the Netherlands and China over oversight of a chipmaker, which in turn disrupted supplies to North America, forcing slowdowns in the United States and Canada.

The broader shortage has been exacerbated after Chinese authorities blocked Nexperia, a semiconductor manufacturer owned by China-based Wingtech Technology, from exporting chips produced at its local facilities. Nexperia supplies components used in vehicle control systems, including basic functions such as operating power windows and windscreen wipers.

Honda has already cut its global sales forecast to 3.34 million vehicles from an earlier estimate of 3.62 million, reported Bloomberg.

In its financial outlook for the year ending March 2026, released in November, the company said reduced output linked to chip shortages would cut operating profit by about 150bn (770m), warning that the impact could be larger. Honda shares fell 1.5 per cent in Tokyo following reports of the latest shutdowns.
A makeshift memorial for Mukhammad Aziz Amurzokov and Ella Cook near Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Monday. Photograph: Bing Guan/AFP/Getty Images (Photograph: Bing Guan/AFP/Getty Images)

Investigators turned on Friday to the search for a motive in the murders of two Brown University students and a physics professor in Massachusetts in separate but linked attacks, after the prime suspect was found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The body of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and formerly very briefly a student at Brown, was discovered in a New Hampshire storage facility on Thursday night after a five-day manhunt.

Authorities say he was responsible for last Saturdays mass shooting at the universitys engineering building on campus in Providence, Rhode Island, in which two people were killed and nine others wounded.

The suspect then drove 50 miles to Brookline, Massachusetts, and shot dead the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno FG Loureiro at his home on Monday night, the FBI said during a press conference that also revealed the existence of a tipster named John, who was key in leading investigators to Neves Valente.

Peter Neronha, attorney general of Rhode Island, said there were still a lot of unknowns regarding a motive. We dont know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom, he said, referring to the universitys Barus & Holley engineering building where the Brown students Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov were killed.

Neves Valente had no current affiliation with the university, Browns president, Christina Paxson, said, but he was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001 as a graduate student studying physics, before leaving.

An autopsy determined that Neves Valente had been dead for two days when his body was found, New Hampshires attorney generals office said Friday

At a later news conference on Thursday in Boston, Leah Foley, US attorney for Massachusetts, said Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program between 1995 and 2000 at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugals premier engineering university.

Related: Tipster hailed for helping authorities identify suspect in Brown shooting

Loureiro, who was head of MITs Plasma Science and Fusion Center, graduated from the physics program at the Lisbon facility in 2000, according to his biography. Neves Valente was terminated from a position at the university the same year, Foley said.

Further details of their connection came in an affidavit by special agent Bryce Ferrara of the FBIs Boston field office violent crimes taskforce. The five-page document revealed that Neves Valente, who became a US permanent resident in 2017, and whose last known address was in Miami, rented a gray Nissan Sentra car with a Florida tag at a Boston car rental agency on 1 December.

Images of the vehicle were captured on numerous surveillance cameras near the Brown campus on various dates between 1 and 12 December, the affidavit states, and it was photographed again on Monday close to Loureiros home with a false Maine license plate attached.

This was a highly dangerous individual capable of extreme violence, Tom Greco, special agent in charge for the Boston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), told the press conference.

Neves Valentes body was found in a storage unit he rented in Salem, New Hampshire, with a bag and two firearms, as well as evidence that matches exactly what we see at the scene here in Providence, Neronha said. There was also a bulletproof vest among the belongings.

The authorities said on Friday that Valente had been very strategic and avoided certain roads with vehicle license plate readers in the Providence area. However, license plate readers ultimately helped investigators find the suspect.

The discovery ended a stuttering five-day search for the killer, which analysts say was hampered by a premature assertion by the FBI director, Kash Patel, that the Brown case was solved following the detention of a person of interest on Sunday.

That person was quickly cleared and released, leading some observers to call for Patels resignation, and forcing authorities to deny accusations that the episode had held up the investigation. The authorities then asked the public for their help.

Police in Providence said several strange encounters between Neves Valente and the tipster called John before the Brown shooting helped investigators to identify the suspect, a development Neronha said blew this case wide open.

According to authorities, John posted to Reddit that he recognized Neves Valente from a photograph released by the FBI, and urged detectives to look at a gray Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. Until then authorities had not linked a vehicle to the shootings.

According to the Associated Press, John encountered Neves Valente in the bathroom of Browns engineering building hours before the attack, where John noted the suspects clothing was inappropriate and inadequate for the weather.

John also encountered Neves Valente outside, close to the building, where he watched Neves Valente suddenly turn from the Nissan, the news agency reported. A game of cat and mouse ensued, according to Johns testimony, in which the two would encounter each other and Neves Valente would run away.

Brett Smiley, mayor of Providence, said on Friday, in an interview with CNN, that everybody in Providence owes this individual a debt of gratitude.

There was a Reddit tip that had to do with the vehicle that turned out to be a central part of this investigation, Smiley said.

Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, announced on Thursday that the Trump administration was suspending the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente, who entered the US in 2000 on a student visa, to become a permanent resident 16 years later.

The Associated Press contributed reporting
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he will be taking his first break from TV in forty years.

The broadcaster, 65 - who is the star of Clarksons Farm and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? - has said hes genuinely frightened about taking a three month break from filming at the beginning of 2026.

Clarkson will be soon be on screens as the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? spin-off Millionaire Hot Seat.

But when that hits screens in early 2026, he wont be filming for any of his other shows.

Im genuinely frightened because until March, I wont be filming a TV show for the first time in 40 years, he said at the launch of the new show, according to the MailOnline.

Clarkson wont be filming Clarksons Farm or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the early part of next year (ITV)

That will be three months of s**t.

He added that he still gets nervous while filming for new series, adding he puts his heart and soul into presenting every show.

The new format Millionaire Hot Seat puts a spin on the classic game show as six contestants will rotate the hot seat, which only the contestant in the chair able to answer questions.

But if the quizzer in the hot seat gets the answer wrong, theyll be booted from the chair, and the prize money will drop.

And adding to the pressure, the prize money will only be won by one of the six.

This week, Clarkson hit back at a social media user who suggested a boycott of his Cotswolds pub The Farmers Dog.

Jeremy Clarkson has recently banned Labour MPs from his pub (PA Media)

He recently barred more than 400 Labour MPs from the establishment in protest at the government's tax raid on hospitality.

In response to his new policy, one user on X suggested people should stop drinking in his pub.

It's time for us all to get out of Jeremy Clarkson's pub and into somewhere more welcoming, they suggested on X.

The social media user's suggestion was promptly dismissed by many, and Clarkson responded in his typical humour.

"Okey doke. Off you go," he replied.

His post was welcomed by many fans, including one who wrote: If I ever end up back in England I plan on going to The Farmers Dog. Loved Top Gear and Love Clarksons Farm. I try not to make my dining decisions based on politics. Seems a pathetic way to live.
Actresses Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan have said this years Christmas episode of EastEnders is the biggest one for the Slater family.

Wallace, 54, and Ryan, 41, spoke about the upcoming festivities on Albert Square, as their characters  mother and daughter duo Kat and Zoe Slater  are at the centre of this years drama on the BBC soap.

Ryan and her on-screen mother, Wallace, agreed on this Christmas being the best year to film so far, saying: I cant really think of the Slaters being featured so much.

Ryan first appeared on the soap in 2000, and left the show in 2005  until her return in June this year (Ian West/PA Wire) (Ian West)

Wallace agreed: This is the biggest one.

It follows Ryans return to EastEnders in June after 20 years, which has put the spotlight on her on-screen family.

Her character has been involved in some of the shows best-known storylines, including one which saw her tell her mother you aint my mother, before finding out she was.

Zoe made her first appearance in the soap in September 2000 along with the rest of the Slater family, and last appeared on screen in June 2005, when she left Walford for Spain after revealing her part in Dens murder to mum, Kat.

Wallace has played Kat Slater on the soap on and off since her on-screen family arrived on Albert Square in 2000 (Ian West/PA Wire) (Ian West)

The duo recounted memories of their time on the long-running soap.

Wallace recalled the Christmas Day episode in 2003, during which her on-screen husband, Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) presented her with a snow machine outside the Queen Victoria pub  which she described as brilliant.

They both also listed drama as a key ingredient for an EastEnders Christmas special.

When asked about filming a Christmas dinner scene, Ryan said: This year, there is no Christmas meal for the Slaters. That just didnt happen.

Wallaces character is the current landlady of The Queen Vic pub  a set which she said is her favourite to film in at Christmas.

She joined the soap alongside Ryan in 2000 and has played the role of Kat on and off since.

Her character has been involved in a number of memorable and shocking storylines including the infamous baby swap incident with Ronnie Branning, played by Samantha Womack.
A federal judge overturned the conviction of a man who was found guilty of the 2002 murder of Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay on Friday.

Ruling that there wasn't enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill the hip-hop luminary, Karl Jordan Jr. was acquitted on the murder charges.

Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, the decision came from the same Brooklyn federal judge who presided over the trial.

An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the pioneering DJ  his own godfather  in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002. But Jordan's lawyers have long argued that the evidence didn't support prosecutors' claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, as revenge for a failed drug deal.

The funeral of Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell Jason was held at New Yorks Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in 2002 (Getty Images)

We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served, one of his attorneys, John Diaz, said in an email. Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.

A message seeking comment was sent to prosecutors.

Separately, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall denied co-defendant Ronald Washington's bid for an acquittal or a new trial.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, worked the turntables in Run-D.M.C. as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as Its Tricky and a fresh take on Aerosmiths Walk This Way.

His killing became one of the hip-hop worlds most elusive cases.
Kevin Spacey is set to make his first major television appearance since he was fired from Netflix over sexual misconduct allegations eight years ago.

The two-time Academy Award winner will appear in Minimarket, an Italian comedy series due to be released on state broadcaster RAIs streaming platform later this month, according to Variety.

It will be his first significant TV role since he was fired from House of Cards in 2017. Spacey has since been acquitted on all counts of alleged sexual misconduct by a UK court, as well as having allegations against him dismissed in the US.

Minimarket follows a young man called Manlio Vigano, played by Italian actor Filippo Lagana, who harbours ambitions of becoming an entertainer while working in a small convenience store in Rome.

Spacey plays himself as Viganos imaginary artistic conscience and unpredictable mentor with the relationship defined by bickering, misunderstandings and mutual teasing.

The 10-episode series sees a true friendship develop between the men  one with the experience of someone who has graced the worlds most important sets, the other with the recklessness of someone who doesnt realise he has an Oscar winner at his side.

Minimarket will be released on Raiplay on 26 December.

Spacey was exiled from mainstream Hollywood in 2017 after multiple men accused him of sexual misconduct, allegations that he consistently denied.

Actor Anthony Rapp was the first to accuse Spacey of sexually abusing him. He claimed the incident occurred in 1986 when Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14. Thereafter, more than a dozen men came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against the actor, all of which he either denied or insisted the encounters were consensual.

Rapps allegations were dismissed by a Manhattan court in 2022. The next year Spacey stood trial in the UK after four men alleged he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents between 2001 and 2013. He was again cleared of all nine offences.

Since his acquittal, Spacey has appeared in several small projects, including Italian director Massimo Paoluccis 2024 psychological thriller The Contract, in which he played the Devil.

He returned to acting in 2021 in Luomo che disegno Dio (The Man Who Drew God), a low-budget Italian drama directed by and starring Franco Nero in which he played a police detective.

In March last year, Spacey briefly returned to US cinemas with the indie thriller Peter Five Eight, co-starring Rebecca De Mornay, which received little critical attention.

Kevin Spacey in Michael Zaiko Halls independent thriller Peter Five Eight' (Invincible Films)

He has since appeared in the yet-to-be-released British action-thriller The Awakening and Dustin Fairbanks historical thriller 1780 and also directed the supernatural movie Holiguards.

Earlier this year, he was presented with the Maximo Award for Excellence at the Italian Global Series Festival, adding to his recent string of honours as he attempted to make a career comeback.

Spacey made headlines last month when he opened up about living in hotels in an interview with The Telegraph.

However, he later clarified he wasnt exactly homeless, and said that he had said he was basically living in hotels and Airbnbs and going where the work is.

And there are many people, as we all know, who are indeed actually living on the streets or in their cars or are in terrible financial situations  and my heart goes out to them, he said. But it is clear from the article itself that I am not one of them nor was I attempting to say that I was.
Hong Kong authorities have banned the public screening of Kiwi Chows Deadline, saying the film could be detrimental to national security.

Chow said on Facebook that the official body responsible for classifying films for public exhibition had notified him they would not be issuing a screening licence for the movie.

The filmmaker, 44, said the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administrations decision came after almost four months of censorship review of the film. The decision prevents it from being shown legally in cinemas or other public venues in Hong Kong.

In his statement, written in Chinese and translated online, Chow wrote that the ruling, based on the National Security Law passed in 2020, was absurd, excessive, crude, and unjust.

If he exhibited the movie without approval, Chow noted, he could face a fine of up to HK$1m (96,000) and even a jail term of up to three years.

The filmmaker said he had spoken to a lawyer about filing an appeal but was told that in an era of judicial collapse, suing the government holds little meaning.

If I were to lose the case, I could face the government seeking reimbursement for over a million dollars in legal fees, he said.

The National Security Law has brought disaster to Hong Kong and this is another case. Originally a commercial film, it has now been passively turned into a political event, and absurdly judged to be a film that is not conducive to national security. It is painful to accept the reality that the film cannot be screened in Hong Kong.

Chow vowed to continue making films and said he was looking forward to when his movie would be screened in Hong Kong, where he was born.

May justice come to Hong Kong. I believe God will not abandon the city, nor will I, he said.

Chow last month alleged unreasonable delays in the review of his after receiving no update on his application for three months. Stop imprisoning this film in the name of censorship or national security. Release Deadline! he had written.

The Hong Kong film office usually finishes a review within 14 days.

Deadline, filmed in Taiwan and starring veteran actor Anthony Wong Chau-sang, is set in a in a secondary school where a suicide note appears shortly before an examination and sparks a chain of events that exposes institutional pressure and moral breakdown within the education system.

According to The Hong Kong Free Press, the letter from the film office did not explain which elements of the film were detrimental to national security.

In a statement to The Independent, the office said it processed all applications in keeping with the law. The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA) has all along been processing film censorship applications in accordance with the law. OFNAA would not comment on individual applications, it said.

The Deadline restriction sits within a wider crackdown on film and cultural production following the introduction of the National Security Law.

In 2021, Hong Kong revised its Film Censorship Ordinance to allow authorities to deny or revoke screening licences if a film was considered harmful to national security, bringing cinema regulation in line with the security framework imposed by China.

Under the revised system, films can be banned outright rather than classified and approval can be withdrawn even after a licence is granted, significantly increasing uncertainty for filmmakers and exhibitors.

Chow told Reuters at the time that he had to find new inventors to complete his film, Say I Do To Me, a love story about an influencer who plans to marry herself. Investors had pulled around 80 per cent of his funding and his lead actor had also dropped out.

They think they have business with China, so even if there is little risk, they all find it unacceptable, not to mention that in their eyes, this is a very high risk, he said.

Hong Kong authorities ban public screening of Kiwi Chows Deadline on national security ground (AFP via Getty)

Chow is one of Hong Kongs most controversial filmmakers, having repeatedly tested the boundaries of political expression on screen.

He first attracted international attention in 2015 with Ten Years, an anthology film imagining a near-future Hong Kong under authoritarian rule. Authorities pulled the film from cinemas and described it as a virus of the mind, according to ABC News.

His 2021 documentary Revolution of Our Times, chronicling the citys pro-democracy protests, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won awards overseas but remains unofficially banned in Hong Kong, with no approval for public screening in the city.

The Independent has reached out to the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration for a comment.
Alexander Isak is on the bench for Liverpool against Tottenham (London Standard)

Liverpool have Dominik Szoboszlai fit to start against Tottenham this evening.

Szoboszlai had to be replaced late on during Liverpools 2-0 win over Brighton with an ankle issue, thus emerging as a serious doubt for the big game in north London.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW TOTTENHAM VS LIVERPOOL LIVE!

Speaking in the pre-match press conference on Friday, Slot delivered a positive update on the midfielder.

If the player feels comfortable to play and he did all the things he had to do, then he will start, the Dutchman said.

If he can fulfil the whole session or he fulfils it but he doesnt feel comfortable himself, we will have a discussion.

But Dom has been a starter for me in the one-and-a-half years I am here now and for the performances hes brought in, he would be a starter tomorrow if he is completely fit.

Fit to start: Dominik Szoboszlai (Getty Images)

As Szoboszlai has successfully passed a late fitness test, Slot has stuck with the same front four that started the win over Brighton, meaning Hugo Ekitike gets the nod over Alexander Isak.

Florian Wirtz continues on the left with Cody Gakpo still out injured. Mohamed Salah is unavailable having joined up with Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Slot has been forced into one change at the back as Joe Gomez has been ruled out with a muscular injury he sustained against the Seagulls last weekend.

Jeremie Frimpong returns to the squad after nearly two months out with a hamstring issue, though Conor Bradley starts at right-back after serving a one-match suspension.

Confirmed team news

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Ekitike.

Subs: Mamardashvili, Isak, Chiesa, Robertson, Frimpong, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha, Lucky.
A Los Angeles man is behind bars after police say he stole an airplane from a flight school before crashing it into a nearby hangar shortly after getting airborne.

Authorities identified the suspect as 37-year-old Ceffareno Michael Logan. He allegedly entered Van Nuys Airport Thursday morning around 5 am, reports ABC Los Angeles.

LAXPD immediately responded and took [the] subject into custody, police told ABC7 in a statement.

The plane was a Cessna 172, which is an American four-seat, single-engine, high-wing aircraft.

Police allege a man tried to steal the plane but crashed it in the hangar (ABC News7)

Owner of the L.A. Flight Academy, Anthony Nercessian, told KTLA that the suspect managed to get on the airport ground, broke into the hangar, started the aircrafts engine before it began to roll away in an attempt to fly.

Nercessian said the man managed to go about 50 to 60 feet before slamming into the hangar. This caused extensive damage to the plane, the hangar, and damaged a Porsche in the process.

He fled, but I heard he got caught, Nercessian said.

Logan was not injured and is not known to Nercessian. Police arrested the man and booked him on charges of burglary and theft of an aircraft.

Bail was set at $150,000.

Los Angeles Airport Police and the FBI continue to investigate the situation.

Earlier this year, also in California, a man found that someone had been stealing his plane and taking it for joyrides before returning it in the morning.

Jason Hong, 75, owns a 1958 Cessna Skyhawk and told The Los Angeles Times in August that he visited the plane on July 27 to find it was not in its hangar at Corona Municipal Airport, just east of Anaheim.

"I got confused," he told the paper. "I thought, did I park it somewhere else, did the airport manager move it? But I looked all over."

Hong eventually learned that, on at least two occasions, an unknown pilot had been flying it across Southern California, but neither he nor the police could figure out who stole the plane.
The Hjortspring boat is currently displayed at the National Museum of Denmark (Boel Bengtsson)

A newly discovered fingerprint could hold the key to unlock a 2,000-year-old mystery surrounding an ancient attack, scientists have said.

Historians have long been puzzled by the identities of a group of unknown attackers whose boats ambushed Als, an island off the coast of Denmark, during the 4th century BC.

The remains of one of their boats was first uncovered in the 1880s - but academics have struggled to understand who would have been on board and why.

Where these sea raiders might have come from, and why they attacked the island of Als has long been a mystery, said Mikael Fauvelle, archaeologist at Lund University.

The Hjortspring boat is currently displayed at the National Museum of Denmark (Boel Bengtsson)

New analysis has now identified a fingerprint in the tar which could lead to DNA evidence leading directly back to the assailants.

It is believed the mystery attackers were defeated before the victorious islanders sunk their foes weapons into a bog surrounding them.

The vessel, now known as the Hjortspring boat due to its discovery in the bog of Hjortspring Mose, was exceptionally well preserved thanks to its protection in the bog, allowing archaeologists to use a series of modern techniques to analyse it.

Teams were able to carbon date some of the lime bast cordage used on the boat, confirming it pre-dated the Roman Iron Age. They also used x-ray tomography to make high resolution scans of the caulking and cordage material found on the boat, including a digital 3D model of the fingerprint found in some of the tar.

Experts now hope analysis of the fingerprint will reveal clues as to the sailors origins.

Academics previously found it was waterproofed with pine pitch, leading them to believe the boat was built somewhere with abundant pine forests.

Several scholars had previously suggested that the boat and its crew came from the region around modern-day Hamburg in Germany. Instead, the researchers now believe they came from the Baltic Sea region.

Caulking fragments showing fingerprint on the left and high-resolution x-ray tomography scan of fingerprint region on the right (Photo: Erik Johansson, 3D model: Sahel Ganji)

If the boat came from the pine forest-rich coastal regions of the Baltic Sea, it means that the warriors who attacked the island of Als chose to launch a maritime raid over hundreds of kilometres of open sea, said Mr Fauvelle.

The boat is currently displayed at the National Museum of Denmark.

It comes after archaeologists uncovered over 30 graves from the Viking era near Aarhus, including a very rare coffin of an important woman who lived in the 10th century.

The graves contained teeth and bones of the dead as well as spectacular objects, like a box with pearls, indicating a connection to the Danish monarchy.
Noam Chomsky speaking with Jeffrey Epstein in an undated photo released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee Thursday - House Oversight Committee

The news cycle of late has offered little cause for pleasure, and much cause for screaming dismay. But very occasionally, something comes along that, if not uplifting, at least captures a sense of schadenfreude so perfect that you cannot but let rip a guffaw. Even if its 2am and youre in bed, tucked up with a cup of tea.

That, at least, was how I was when I saw the picture of Noam Chomsky, now 97, sitting next to Jeffrey Epstein on a private jet, in one of 68 pictures released this week by Democrats on the House oversight committee.

The late Epstein, of course, is by now a known monster, the scale and scope of whose crimes are still being detailed. Chomsky, an MIT linguist and a key architect of the modern post-colonial Palestine movement, is a different type of monster whose legacy will feed dark cultural currents for many years to come. Indeed, it would be hard to find a more evil list of ideologies than the ones to which Chomsky has devoted his life.

Chomsky, an America and Israel-hating anti-capitalist, is a long-professed anarcho-syndicalist and/or socialist libertarian. Anarcho-syndicalism, for those that havent yet troubled themselves to learn about it, is a form of anarchism that centres trade unions as a vehicle for conflict.

It is, in other words, a piece of Leftist theatre designed to showcase support  through direct action and sabotage  for the (inevitably violent) reign of the proletariat. Socialist libertarianism is also all about anti-capitalism. More specifically, Chomsky has devoted himself to condemning the elite corporatocracy and explains himself as duty-bound to use his privilege to support efforts to disrupt it, such as the Occupy movement.

All of which makes Chomskys smugly comfortable presence in the pale leather embrace of arch capitalist Epsteins private jet  a category of luxury good only made possible by the elite corporatocracy  hilarious. But only, of course, in a way that is familiar to observers of more than a century of clever Marxist bullyboys.

And so, aside from the literal criminality of Epstein, there is one key difference between Epstein and Chomsky. Epstein, as far as I know, didnt pretend to be a saint, or, more precisely, a feminist theorist, sex-work campaigner or womans right activist.

But Chomsky has thrown his every waking breath into proclaiming his own sainthood. For a man who has devoted his intellectual life to the destruction of the very possibility of a private jet at all, to look so darn at home riding on such a jet with such a man is just too good.

I hope this picture tarnishes Chomskys last days and, above all, his legacy. The damage he has done over his long life is immeasurable and inexcusable. It is not just through his writings, which include a litany of Israel and West-hating books such as On Palestine, The Myth of American Idealism, Occupy and Gaza in Crisis  but through every hipster and crank inspired by them.

Of course, its become rather hard to find a member of the great and good, from David E Brooks, the iconic New York Times columnist to Woody Allen, who hasnt been pictured in Epsteins embrace at one point or other. Some were simply lured, as Allen claims to have been, by the presence of college professors, scientists, Nobel laureates. But you feel that Chomsky, a man of intimate familiarity with such elite types, would not be so easily seduced. The conclusion has to be this: Chomsky liked Epstein. And he liked flying private even more.
Oliver Glasner insisted the only disappointment arising from Crystal Palaces 2-2 draw with KuPS is that Leeds now know his team for their Premier League showdown on Saturday.

Palace must qualify for the UEFA Conference League round of 16 through the play-offs in February after taking an early lead at Selhurst Park through Christantus Uche but then failing to finish further chances.

Piotr Parzyszek and Ibrahim Cisse hit back for the Finnish champions, who had Clinton Antwi sent off for a bruising tackle on Will Hughes, with Justin Devenny grabbing the equaliser in the 77th minute.

Glasner made 11 changes in anticipation of playing two matches in 48 hours, giving starts to academy teenagers Joel Drakes-Thomas, Dean Benamar and George King, and will rotate back to his senior side against Leeds.

The result is not what we wanted. Its a game we could easily have won. We calculated the risk of getting a draw, Glasner said.

Everything else worked as we planned it because we were able to rest a few players.

The only thing I dont like is that Leeds now know our starting line-up because there are only 11 players who didnt start and nobody will start both games.

We lost our structure for 10 minutes and were punished. Two mistakes and this can happen especially with many young players.

Credit to everyone, especially our academy players. All four of them showed up and played with confidence.

They gave good performances but we can see they are not used to playing at this level because they were cramping after 60 minutes.

Of course we only had one training session together we we cant expect everything to be perfect, but they showed they are big talents.

KuPS boss Jarkko Wiss insisted he felt no disrespect from the side selected by Glasner.

If youre picked by Palace, then youre a good player, he said.
Towers ranging up to 20 storeys tall could be built on a popular nightlife spot in south London.

Plans to redevelop two sites in Brixton have officially been submitted to the local council. One is currently home to the food market and bar mecca Pop Brixton.

Lambeth Council has partnered with developer London Square to build flats, some of which will be social housing, along with spaces for shops and market traders, a community hub and workspaces.

But some local traders at Pop Brixton recently told the Standard they feared the area was being gentrified by rising house prices.

The proposed scheme at 49 Brixton Station Road would replace shipping container market Pop Brixton. It would see two new tower blocks of homes built at 18 storeys and 20 storeys tall. Each flat will have a private balcony.

The proposed development in Brixton (Lambeth Council)

There will also be a six-storey building with a shared roof terrace for residents and a space for shops and workspaces.

Just around the corner International House at Canterbury Crescent has also been earmarked for development. Its currently used as office spaces, a rooftop restaurant and sauna run by 3space on a meanwhile use.

The existing office and rooftop venue will be refurbished and extended upwards by two storeys, creating 69 private homes on top of the building.

Overall, the scheme would deliver 288 new homes, 40 per cent of which will be affordable. London Square said it could boost Londons dwindling housing supply.

Architects' image of the tower at Brixton Station Road (London Square)

Ricardo Rossetti, Development Director at London Square, commented: We have spent many months listening to the community to understand their priorities and their views have helped shape the plans.

The development will provide a mix of new homes alongside workspaces and community space, as well as improvements to the streets and areas that local people will use every day.

The delivery of housing in London is at critically low point, so we are proud that our partnership with the Council will deliver much needed affordable homes in the heart of Brixton and help tackle housing pressures in Lambeth.

Councillor Danny Adilypour, Deputy Leader at Lambeth Council, said the scheme has listened to extensive engagement with the community.

View of two proposed towers in Brixton (London Square)

Cllr Adilypour said: This regeneration scheme is about delivering a stronger, fairer Brixton, one that provides much-needed genuinely affordable social rent homes, supports local businesses and celebrates our towns unique identity.

A decision will be made on the planning application in March 2026.

You can view the proposal in full here by searching 25/03722/RG4.
A homeless hero proved instrumental in helping track down the suspect in the Brown University shooting, who is also believed to have killed an MIT professor, after posting a tip on Reddit.

The suspect, identified as Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, on Thursday, Leah B. Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, told reporters. The 48-year-old Portuguese national died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found with a pair of firearms matching those used in the attack at Brown University, Foley said.

He blew this case right open, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said when discussing the tipster.

It was a Reddit user, referred to in documents as John, who said that they saw the car driven by Neves Valente getting into a grey Nissan sedan with a Florida license plate, steps away from the Barus and Holley building, where the Brown shooting took place.

I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental, the person posted on Tuesday. Officials later confirmed that the post was consistent with and corroborated by other surveillance footage.

Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national believed to have carried out the shooting at Brown University, has been found dead (Providence Police Department)

John spotted the suspected shooter between 1:45 pm and 2 pm on December 12, just two hours before Neves Valente would open fire at the university.

A source told Fox News on Thursday that he was a homeless man who slept in the Barus and Holley building.

The pair crossed paths in a campus restroom, with John noting that Neves Valente was wearing clothes that were unsuitable for the weather.

According to an arrest affidavit, they made eye contact shortly before the suspected shooter left the restroom.

John decided to follow the mysterious man, suspicious of his intentions because of his strange attire.

The Reddit post made by John that helped lead officials to Valente (Providence Police Department)

The redditor described the pursuit as a game of cat and mouse and revealed that he even confronted Neves Valente, police say.

Your car is back there, why are you circling the block? John asked.

Why are you harassing me? Neves Valente responded before storming away. The 48-year-old is believed to have carried out the shooting shortly after.

When police asked John about the vehicle that the stranger had used, they showed him a photograph of Neves Valentes car.

That might be it, John said, according to the affidavit. Cops said that was the breakthrough they needed to catch the killer.

On Thursday, the Reddit user whose post tipped off police posted a follow-up message, writing, This evening I spoke to Providence Police, the Rhode Island State Police and I imagine the FBI were listening in another room...I have said all I have to say on the matter to the right people.

The FBI has not said whether the Reddit tipster will be given the $50,000 reward offered by the bureau for information about the shooter. In a statement provided to CBS News on Friday, a spokesperson said the FBI "will not comment on whether reward money has been paid and to whom."

Neves Valente is believed to have also killed Professor Nuno F.G Loureiro (AP)

Meanwhile, new evidence shared by Brown University has revealed that Neves Valente had attended the Ivy League school during the fall of 2000, before taking a leave of absence in 2001. He later dropped out entirely in 2003.

Foley confirmed that Neves Valente was also a former classmate of murdered MIT physics professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, with the pair attending an academic course in Portugal from 1995 until 2000.

Neves Valente allegedly killed Loureiro at his home in Brookline, New Hampshire, three days after the Brown shooting, prosecutors say.

However, his reason for targeting his former classmate and his alma mater remains unknown.

Foley said authorities had located Neves Valente after obtaining video footage of his car, which they quickly traced to a dealership.

Upon obtaining the rental agreement for the vehicle, police were finally provided with Neves Valentes name. That allowed them to track him to New Hampshire, where authorities were investigating the murder of leading nuclear fusion scientist Loureiro.

There was security footage that captured him within a half mile of the professors residence in Brookline, Foley told reporters. And there is video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professors apartment.

He was seen about an hour later entering the storage unit, wearing the same clothes that he had been seen wearing right after the murder.

Conspiracy theories about the shooting have been rampant on the internet, as investigators continue to search for a motive (Reuters)

The internet has been awash with conspiracy theories about the killing, with sources telling The Jerusalem Post that Israeli officials are questioning whether Iranian agents played a role in his death.

Loureiro was one of the U.Ss leading nuclear scientists and had publicly spoken in support of Israel. However, The Jerusalem Post admitted that U.S. and Israeli authorities confirmed that no evidence has been found to substantiate the theory yet.

The shooting has led Donald Trump to axe the green card lottery program that Neves Valente used to re-enter the U.S in 2017.

The program offers 50,000 green cards per year and allows people from countries underrepresented in the US to obtain visas.

This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote on X. In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.

At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.

Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov were killed in the shooting on December 12 at Brown University (AP)

Neves Valentes alma mater is currently mourning two of its students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, whom he murdered after he opened fire on December 12.

Umurzokov, 18, was an aspiring neurosurgeon before being shot, whom his family described as their biggest role model in a GoFundMe campaign.

Cook, 19, had served as the vice president of the Brown University College Republicans before being killed by Neves Valente.
Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump is right to sue the BBC, Vladimir Putin has said.

The Russian president criticised the corporations inaccurate reporting adding that it was obvious Mr Trump was right to pursue legal action in response to a question from Steve Rosenberg, the BBCs Russia Editor.

Mr Trump filed a $10bn (7.4bn) lawsuit against the BBC on Monday, accusing the broadcaster of defamation, after The Telegraph revealed that Panorama had spliced together parts of an address given by him on Jan 6 2021, before some of his supporters attacked the US Capitol building. The edit omitted Mr Trumps calls for people to march peacefully.

Donald Trump is suing the BBC for $10bn over a doctored speech that made Mr Trump appear to encourage the Capitol Hill riot on 6 January 2021 - Michael Reynolds/Shutterstock

Speaking at his regular end-of-year press conference, Putin said: Questions involving the BBC are their own family business. I dont want to rub salt in the wound, he continued. Still, the problem exists  there is inaccurate reporting and bickering  its obvious, I think, Trump is right.

The US presidents legal filing claimed the doctored speech, broadcast a week before the 2024 election, was designed to interfere with the vote and is in keeping with the disgraced corporations Leftist political agenda.

The Kremlin had previously pounced on the BBC scandal to suggest that the British broadcaster had similarly distorted reports of Russian atrocities in Bucha and the coverage of an attempt to assassinate ex-spy Sergei Skripal in 2018 by means of a Novichok nerve agent.

The falsification of [what happened in] Bucha was similarly edited, or rather fabricated, precisely by the BBC, Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman, told state-run news agency Tass on Nov 10.

They also invented incredible stories about Russian fans ahead of the Sochi Olympics, fakes about Syria, inflated absurd rumours about the Skripals, and much more, she added.

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in London dubbed the BBC a propaganda and disinformation tool as well as a platform for Russophobia and extremism in a statement on Nov 11.

Its journalists select and manipulate facts, as well as censor information that does not align with their partisan editorial stance, Russias London outpost claimed at the time.

Tim Davie quit as BBC director-general in the wake of the Trump speech scandal - Andy Rain/Shutterstock

In his lengthy public statements on Friday, Putin also heaped praise on Mr Trump for his sincere and serious efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Addressing the hundreds of journalists who had convened for the marathon hybrid-format event on Friday  which concluded after around four hours  Putin struck a triumphalist note, suggesting that Moscow was on course for new military successes before the years end.

Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, he claimed, adding that military numbers remain strong, citing roughly 400,000 new army sign-ups this year. This figure could not be independently verified.

Seated before a mocked-up map of Russia that incorporated parts of Ukraines territory, Putin insisted that Moscow was ready and willing to end this conflict peacefully, based on the principles I outlined last June by addressing the root causes that led to this crisis.

The principles articulated last year amounted to a set of uncompromising and maximalist demands, most notably that the Ukrainian government withdraw from four regions partly occupied by Russia: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

On Friday, Putin depicted himself as open to talks, saying that Moscow had seen signs that Ukraine was ready for some kind of dialogue.

But he quickly qualified that stance, reiterating that Russia would not suspend hostilities until the root causes of the conflict had been eliminated and adding pointedly that the ball is entirely in the court of our opponents.

The Russian president also seized the moment to excoriate Europe over its frustrated attempts to channel frozen Russian assets into financial support for Kyiv, branding the idea robbery.

In the early hours of Friday, EU leaders opted instead to raise around 90 billion (79bn) in collective debt, abandoning plans to use Russian assets frozen on the continent.

Why cant they carry out this robbery? Because the consequences could be severe for the robbers, Putin said. No matter what they steal, or how they do it, sooner or later they will have to give it back.

As the Russian president spoke, critical and occasionally absurd questions submitted by the public flickered across screens in the venue.

When will we start living well and without deception?, one asked. Where is Stalins soul  in heaven or in hell? read another. Who will be the next president? queried another.
A train station north of London has been completely flooded, as Network Rail announces it will be closed until Christmas Eve.

The flooding at Rye House station is due to a burst Thames Water sewer pipe, which forced services to close on December 17.

This comes after days of wet weather for Londoners, which has made things even worse at Rye House station.

The extent of the flooding can be seen in shocking photos shared by the train companies.

The flooding is said to be due to a burst sewage pipe nearby, according to Network Rail (Network Rail)

In a joint statement, Network Rail and Greater Anglia announced that the flooding has forced them to suspend services between Broxbourne and Hertford East for the safety of passengers.

The companies said they have been working with engineers to assess the impact on the station, as well as with Thames Water to stop the flooding.

Once they have fixed the problem, they plan to carry out a thorough cleanup across both the station and the rail infrastructure.

The train companies have said that due to the complexity of the situation and the size of the flood, they do not expect train services to resume until 24 December at the earliest.

The station will be closed until at least December 24 (Network Rail)

Failing that, the line will remain closed until at least December 27, due to the general railway closures across the festive period.

Passengers who previously relied on the Rye House station have been advised that a limited replacement bus service will be running between Broxbourne and Hertford East.

However, due to the disruption, customers have been advised not to travel, and to look at alternative options were practical.

Passengers can also use their tickets on Great Northern services to and from Hertford North, and may want to consider using other West Anglia Main Line stations or local bus services.

Customers have been advised to check National Rail updates before travelling.

Network Rail and Greater Anglia have apologised for the inconvenience and reassured customers that they are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has been praying regularly outside a West Midlands abortion clinic for 20 years - Jacob King/PA Wire

Prayer is part of our popular culture. Aretha Franklin sang I Say A Little Prayer. The Band Aid Christmas song urged us all to say a prayer for victims of famine. And George Michael wrote White Light about his recovery from severe pneumonia and a coma, asking: Was it the science that saved me or the way that you prayed for me?. Yet this simple gesture  placing yourself or others before God  has now incurred the wrath of the law.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested earlier this year under a buffer zones law, introduced in October 2024, which prohibits people from using whats described as influence within 150 metres of an abortion clinic. Ms Vaughan-Spruce said she was praying silently and this week, after several months deliberation by prosecutors, they have decided that praying silently comes within the remit of the law and so have charged her.

Ms Vaughan-Spruce has been praying regularly outside a West Midlands abortion clinic for 20 years. As a devout Roman Catholic, she believes that abortion is fundamentally wrong  that it is not about a womans right to choose, as those who back abortion claim, but the ending of an innocent life. For someone like her, its entirely natural to pray when they believe something profoundly distressing  and wrong  is happening.

Buffer zones were first created outside clinics by local authorities and have now spread across Britain. When the buffer zone law came into force, Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said: We will not sit back and tolerate harassment, abuse and intimidation as people exercise their legal right to healthcare.

Before the zones came into force, some patients and abortion clinic staff said they were shouted at and even chased by protesters. But anti-abortion campaigners said they were focused on handing out leaflets, offering help. Now the law sees prayer as part of the problem too.

Its an issue which has led to some champions of freedom tying themselves in knots. The human rights organisation Liberty has said legislation should enable people to access services safely and interference with expressing religious belief kept to a minimum. Banning prayer is hardly a minimum.

No wonder JD Vance, the American vice-president, says buffer zones are an attack on the basic liberties of religious Britons. And many Christians will see it as part of the continuing denigration of their faiths influence on Britain.

But for me theres actually some consolation in what has happened. Buffer zones are backed by the Public Order Act 2023, which prohibits influencing peoples decision to access or provide abortions. Surely, if prosecutors and police see prayer as being about influence, then they have effectively admitted that prayer is a powerful thing  just as all those pop songs do, urging us to murmur a prayer?

Christianity is often described as being about both words and actions. But something has to distinguish faith from the cut and thrust of the words and actions of politics. If anything marks it out as different, it is prayer.

Now, in the run-up to Christmas, it has taken prosecutors, pointing at a woman standing silently with her head bowed, who have managed to remind us of the profound impact a prayer can have.
A 61-year-old man who stalked Myleene Klass by sending her an air pistol, handcuffs and raving letters is due in court for sentencing, two months after jurors rejected his defence of insanity.

Peter Windsor was found guilty in October of stalking the TV and radio star and her Classic FM colleague Katie Breathwick.

A trial at Birmingham Crown Court was told Windsor, who has a decades-long history of mental illness, caused both women alarm and distress by posting unwanted items between March 2020 and August 2024.

Klass told jurors she felt sheer terror after being sent items by Windsor, including a gun in a box with my name on it.

Peter Windsor (WMP)

Other items posted to Klass and Ms Breathwick at their central London studios between March 2020 and August 2024 included unhinged mail, a police uniform and details of a DIY will-writing kit.

In her evidence to the court, Breathwick said she was left terrified by Windsor, who also sent her numerous hand-written notes, binoculars, perfume and running shoes.

It emerged during the trial that Windsor was arrested but not prosecuted after sending a letter in October 2020 to then-Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon which he said had been signed in blood and which pledged his soul to Satan.

He told jurors the letter was just a joke and that he had sent parcels and letters to the radio presenters as a pretend weird acting performance.

Windsor, of Mary Road, Stechford, Birmingham, is due to be sentenced by a judge at Warwick Crown Court in Leamington Spa on Friday.

A firearm intercepted in the postal system (West Midlands Police/PA) (West Midlands Police)

Judge Tom Rochford has told Windsor, who has been on remand throughout his trial, that the options for his sentencing include a prison sentence or two types of hospital order.

Following the guilty verdicts, Klass criticised stalking laws in the UK as being outdated, with cases reaching a point of no return before being taken seriously.

Speaking to ITV News, Klass said: Were using a law that was written in the 1800s.

Tech has now since entered the chat, quite literally. We have stalkers who never leave their rooms.

Its almost like it has to come to some kind of fruition, has to escalate to a point of no return before people do take it seriously.
Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a former Brown student and Portuguese national, was found dead on Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Photograph: Providence Police/Reuters (Photograph: Providence Police/Reuters)

A man suspected of killing two and wounding nine others at Brown University, and then killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, has been found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility where he had rented a unit, officials said.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national and a former Brown student, was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said at a news conference. Perez said as far as investigators know, the suspect acted alone.

Leah Foley, the US attorney in Massachusetts, said at a separate news conference in Boston that Neves Valente also killed Nuno FG Loureiro, the MIT physics professor who was shot in his home on Monday, two days after the Brown attack.

He took his own life tonight, Perez said at a press conference, where he identified Valente and described the chain of events that had led law enforcement officers to the storage facility.

Peter Neronha, the attorney general of Rhode Island, said Valente was found dead with a bag and two firearms, as well as evidence in the car that matches exactly what we see at the scene here in Providence.

Neronha told reporters that a person with information about the suspected shooter played a key role in finding him. After officials released a photo of a person they wanted to talk to in the case about 24 hours ago, an individual came forward to two Providence police officers over on the east side and said he had information that he was that person and that he had information that could help this case.

He blew this case right open, Neronha said at a press conference. He blew it open.

The persons information led authorities to a vehicle that helped them find a name, which led us to the photographs of that individual renting the car, which matched the clothing of our shooter here in Providence, that matched the satchel, Neronha explained.

Neronha said the suspect tried to evade law enforcement by changing license plates.

This guy was changing plates was one of the reasons, he said. He knew what he was doing  we got a Maine plate and weve got a Florida plate on the same car.

The Brown University president, Christina Paxson, said Valente was enrolled at Brown from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001. He was admitted to the graduate school to study physics beginning in September 2000. He has no current affiliation with the university, she said.

Physics classes typically require access to special equipment, Paxson said, which was located in the building where the shooting took place.

Two people were killed and nine were wounded in the mass shooting on Saturday at Brown.

The investigation shifted on Thursday when authorities said they were looking into a connection between the Brown mass shooting and an attack two days later near Boston that killed 47-year-old Loureiro.

Ted Docks, FBI special agent in charge of Boston, told reporters that authorities thought the suspect attended the same university in Lisbon as the MIT professor.

Peter Neronha, the attorney general of Rhode Island, said the suspect obtained lawful permanent resident status in September 2017.

Confirmation of the suspected shooters death came hours after dozens of law enforcement agents convened on a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. Shortly before 8pm, journalist Eli Sherman reported: Multiple law enforcement officials carrying weapons and wearing full tactical gear entered the storage facility.

The manhunt for the shooter had started afresh on Monday morning after the states attorney general announced that a person of interest detained on Sunday had been released, a development that Providences mayor, Brett Smiley, conceded was likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community.

Smiley told CNN that while the release of the original person of interest had been a setback, that didnt mean that the other pieces of the investigation were stopped or in any way paused.

The FBI director, Kash Patel, faced criticism on Monday for rushing to social media to celebrate the bureaus work, only for the person arrested to be freed hours later.

The two students killed were identified by family as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Alabama, and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, an Uzbek national in his first year at Brown. Cook was vice-president of Browns College Republicans of America chapter; Umurzokov dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon.




The suspect in last week's mass shooting at Brown University has been found dead, police have confirmed.

Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was discovered on Thursday evening at a storage facility in New Hampshire where he had rented a unit.

The former Brown University student and Portuguese national is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Two people were killed and several others injured when a gunman opened fire at the Ivy League campus on December 13.

Providence police chief Oscar Perez said investigators were led to Valente through video footage and tips from the public, which traced him to a car rental location and confirmed him as their primary suspect.

Police officers gather near the site of a mass shooting reported by authorities at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island (Reuters)

Colonel Perez said police were unable to comment on how long Valente may have been in the storage unit.

Officials also believe Valente was responsible for killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days after the Brown University attack.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente was found dead with a satchel and two firearms. Evidence in a car nearby matched material recovered from the scene of the shooting at Brown University in Providence.

"Even though the suspect was found dead tonight our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered," FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said.

Around 500 agents have been deployed to assist local authorities in the investigation.

Brown University president Christina Paxson said Valente had been enrolled at the Ivy League institution from the autumn of 2000 to the spring of 2001, during which time he was studying for a PhD in physics.

She added that he had no current or active affiliation with the university.

The massacre at Brown University unfolded just after 4pm on Saturday in the Barus & Holley building, a seven-storey block home to the engineering school and physics department.

CCTV footage shows a stocky man in a black coat, trousers and hat walking away from the scene with what appears to be a limp. He swings his right arm as he walks along Hope and Waterman streets, at one point putting his hand in his pocket.

Ms Paxson struggled to contain her emotion as she addressed the tragedy.

"There are truly no words that can express the deep sorrow we are feeling for the victims of the shooting," she said.

"We lost two community members today who were fatal victims of the shooting, and at this point, we know there are at least eight additional victims who were transported to the hospital... our hearts are with their families."
Sam Thomas has two big darts to fire at the Coral Welsh Grand National as prepares to saddle both Jubilee Express and Shomen Uchi in a bid to bag his second win in the race after Iwilldoit.

Iwilldoit was strongly fancied when striking in 2021, just like Jubilee Express will be when he bids to go one better than last years second-placed run.

He returns to Chepstow having won the trial for the race at the same track and will be carrying a very low weight.

Thomas said: Hes one of those big, burly horses and takes so much work.

Theres definitely more to come, especially as hes now a bit more battle-hardened and has been in some bigger races; he knows what to expect.

I think that goes a long way when youre going into these big races, they are well prepared and know whats about to happen.

Stablemate Shomen Uchi is extremely lightly-raced for an eight-year-old with just the seven career starts, only two of which were over fences, and he made a pleasing seasonal comeback when fourth behind Top Of The Bill at Haydock.

Thomas added: Shomen Uchi is a very different horse, a little bit classier than Jubilee Express.

Hes always been held in high regard by all of us here. Hes been very fragile throughout the years, so he hasnt had much racing, but what weve seen of him on the track has been good, and he comes into the race with a completely different profile than Jubilee Express.

If he can align all the stars on the day, he could be a league above the other horse, but its a big unknown, having not had much racing.

Thomas trains just 30 miles from Chepstow and explained just what winning the race means to him and owner of both horses, Dai Walters.

He said: Were very proud Welshmen, being on the doorstep feels that bit more special. We love going to Chepstow and having runners; weve had a nice bit of success there over the years.

It (Iwilldoit) was very special for a few reasons. Stan Brown, the owner and breeder, gave me my first winner as a jockey. It was very special to be able to repay him and his family with such a success. He leased the horse to Diamond Racing, so on the day, they got to really experience the ownership feel of such a big race.

Stable jockey Dylan Johnston has still not made up his mind which of the two to ride.

Its a tricky one. You just have to go with your gut, and Ive just put off really thinking about it at the moment. Well take Sams input, and my agent will be sharp on form, he said.

Its a real tricky one, and I always think the real top lads never seem to get it wrong. I dont want to get it wrong too often, or Ill be down the pecking order.
Trump gives federal workers two new days off around Christmas after using Juneteenth to denounce nonworking holidays

President Donald Trump has given federal workers two additional days off around Christmas after he complained of too many non-working holidays on Juneteenth.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday that will see federal agencies close and employees excused from work on Christmas Eve and December 26, giving them three days off from Wednesday through Friday inclusive of Christmas Day.

The president noted in his order that some agency heads may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on the two additional days.

The move follows Trumps earlier criticism of Juneteenth, a federal holiday added by his predecessor Joe Biden in 2021, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were freed.

Trump chose June 19 to complain that there were too many non-working holidays in America.

President Donald Trump has given federal workers two additional holidays around Christmas after he complained of too many non-working holidays on Juneteenth earlier this year (AFP via Getty Images)

It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed, Trump wrote on Truth Social. The workers dont want it either! Soon well end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year.

With the addition of Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 there will be 13 federal holidays in total this year.

Trump designated Christmas Eve a federal holiday during his first term in 2019 and 2020. Former President Barack Obama did the same for Dec. 26.

Congress must pass legislation to establish a permanent federal holiday and the president must sign it into law.

The move follows Trumps earlier criticism of Juneteenth, a federal holiday added by his predecessor Joe Biden

Since his reelection, Trump has made the elimination of DEI programs a centerpiece of his administration, cracking down on diversity efforts in the federal government with a series of executive orders.

Earlier this month, the National Park Service announced it will offer free admission to U.S. residents on Trumps birthday next year, along with other federal holidays, but excluded the benefit from Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

The new free-admission policy takes effect Jan. 1 and was one of several changes announced by the Park Service late last month, including higher admission fees for international visitors.

The other days of free park admission in 2026 are Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelts birthday (Oct. 27) and the anniversary of the creation of the Park Service (Aug. 25).

The Associated Press contributed reporting.
Thousands of documents from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein have finally been released by President Donald Trumps administration after months of public pressure.

While an initial round of long-awaited documents includes a vast library of salacious images and photographs of high-profile figures, it remains unclear whether they shed any new light on Epsteins crimes and alleged connections to a sex trafficking ring implicating prominent officials accused of exploiting and abusing young girls.

Disclosures related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act include hundreds of undated photographs as well as heavily redacted images and case files, including 119 pages of grand jury testimony that have been totally blacked out.

Photographs submitted by law enforcement investigating Epsteins properties include sex toys and costumes, images of women exposing themselves, folders full of photographs of nearly naked women, and nude paintings and sculptures of womens breasts.

But Department of Justice officials acknowledged they are withholding documents and names of people inside them, and Fridays partial release is likely to continue fueling demands for the so-called Epstein files that the administration has fought for months to suppress.

The Department of Justice released thousands of Epstein files featuring heavy redactions and images of the sex offender and Ghislaine Maxwell with celebrities and young women (Department of Justice)

Epstein, a wealthy well-connected financier and convicted sex offender, is accused of trafficking women and girls as young as 14 years old. His death in jail awaiting trial on trafficking charges in 2019 was ruled a suicide.

Last month, after growing demands for a full public accounting of Epsteins alleged abuse, the president reluctantly signed legislation compelling the Department of Justice, FBI and U.S. attorneys offices to publish everything in their possession by December 19.

The Justice Department launched a public-facing website Friday afternoon. But officials acknowledged that not all of the materials required under law have been released, and government lawyers are scrambling to make redactions. More than 200 attorneys helped review the documents, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche wrote to members of Congress.

More than 1,200 names were identified as either victims or their relatives, according to Blanche. Those names are being redacted. Protecting victims is of the highest priority for the Trump administration, he wrote.

Epstein is pictured with Michael Jackson in an undated photograph (Department of Justice)

Another undated image shows Michael Jackson with Diana Ross and former president Bill Clinton (Department of Justice)

The final stages of review remain ongoing and will be completed within the next two weeks, he said.

Democrats have threatened legal action to force the full and immediate release of the files, which have consumed Trumps second term thus far as he faces renewed scrutiny into his years-long relationship to the sex offender.

Photos with celebrities and Bill Clinton

The latest batch of documents includes intimate photographs of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as photographs with the pair alongside Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson.

Former President Bill Clinton is captured in dozens of images, including in an undated photograph showing him lounging in a hot tub alongside someone whose face has been redacted, images that the White House immediately pounced on.

Several images in the first wave of documents show Clinton with Epstein, Maxwell and a woman whose face is redacted (Department of Justice)

Clinton also is pictured in a hot tub with Maxwell and a woman whose face is redacted (Department of Justice)

Clinton is also pictured on a private plane with a woman sitting on his lap. That womans face has also been redacted.

A painted portrait of Clinton in a blue dress, lounging in an armchair, also was photographed hanging in Epsteins New York apartment.

Another undated image shows Clinton with Mick Jagger and a woman whose face is redacted (Department of Justice)

A satirical portrait of Clinton in a blue dress was hanging in Epsteins New York apartment, according to photos taken by law enforcement (Department of Justice)

Clinton has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and the mere inclusion of someones name or images in files does not imply otherwise.

They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn't about Bill Clinton. Never has, never will be, Clintons deputy chief of staff Angel Urena said in a statement.

There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light, he added. The second group continued relationships with him after. We're in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.

Heavy redactions and failed search functions

Under the recently passed transparency law, the Justice Department was required to publish the documents on a website and make them downloadable and searchable.

But the search function did not turn up any results for Epstein, let along other prominent names that appeared throughout.

The files also include investigative materials and grand jury documents from several cases against Epstein and Maxwell, including what appear to be interviews with victims, though a substantial portion of those documents are redacted.

What appears to be a scrapbook-like card includes cut-up images of Epstein and a person whose face is redacted (Department of Justice)

The card appears in a scrapbook discovered in 2019 at Epsteins home in Little St. James (AP)

Those materials include what appear to be evidence folders featuring sex toys, pornography, underwear and rolls of film all collected as evidence by law enforcement in connection with criminal cases against Epstein.

Photographs feature topless and nude women whose faces are blacked out, as well as school portraits.

What appears to be a scrapbook-like anniversary card includes cut-up images of Epstein and a person whose face is redacted, with speech bubbles reading once upon a time... there was a clueless little girl.

Trump makes an appearance

Despite the administrations attempts to distance the president from Epstein, Trump appears in a handful of photographs that have already been made public, including images of the president with his wife Melania alongside Epstein and Maxwell.

In one image, which was taken inside a desk drawer, Trump appeared to be pictured alongside a group of smiling women in a grainy photograph. The women's identities are not redacted.

The White House has previously acknowledged that Trump appears in the documents, and his name appears dozens of times in emails released by members of Congress last month.

The president has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epsteins cases, and Trump has repeatedly claimed he cut ties with Epstein before he was under federal investigation.

Framed photographs of Donald Trump and Melania are included in files released by the Justice Department in connection with investigations into Jeffrey Epstein (Department of Justice)

White House defends partial release as Democrats demand the truth

Following the release of the documents, the White House claimed the Trump administration has done more for the victims than Democrats ever have.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the partial release, noting that the heavily redacted batch of documents reflects only a fraction of the whole body of evidence.

Senate Democrats are working to assess the documents that have been released to determine what actions must be taken to hold the Trump administration accountable, he said in a statement. We will pursue every option to make sure the truth comes out.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, among House Democrats who pushed for the release of the full files, suggested that he believes the administration is hiding things.

They have not been transparent, and thats why thats peoples biggest concern on this, that theyre hiding things, he said.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, among a small group of House Republicans who pushed for the release, said the Justice Department has grossly failed to comply with both the spirit and letter of the law Trump signed last month.

Khanna said House Democrats could hold impeachment hearings for Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche if it comes to that.

The files are heavily redacted, including more than 100 pages from a grand jury transcript that are completely blacked out (REUTERS)

Maria Farmer, the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Epstein, said in a statement that she has waited three decades, over half my life, for this moment.

When I was ignored and hung up on by the FBI in 1996, my world turned upside down and I felt frozen in time, she said. I faced death threats, ridicule and mockery by some of the most powerful people on earth.

She said she is hopeful she can pick up where I left off at age 26.

Farmers name is redacted, but a complaint from 1996 appears in the files released Friday, claiming that Epstein stole nude images of her and her sister, then ages 16 and 12.

The report also claims Epstein had her take pictures of young girls at swimming pools and threatened to burn her house down if she told anyone.

Farmer now hopes the release of the documents is an important step for many of the survivors and to hold the government accountable for their grotesque law enforcement failure, one of the largest in U.S. history.

A complaint submitted to the FBI in 1996, a decade before Epstein faced federal charges, alleges he stole nude images of two young girls and threatened to burn their house down (Department of Justice)

For more than a decade, Epstein and Maxwell worked together to recruit young girls and entice them to travel to Epsteins properties, according to federal prosecutors.

During a monthlong trial in 2021, survivors testified in Manhattan federal court that Maxwell had groomed them, taken their passports, and sexually abused them. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence for crimes associated with Epsteins decades-long scheme.

Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18 as part of controversial agreement to avoid a federal case in 2008. He was released after serving less than 13 months in state prison.

A decade later, in 2019, Epstein was found fead in his jail cell in Manhattan while awaiting trial on federal trafficking charges. He was 66 years old.
Trump refuses to rule out going to war with Venezuela and says Maduro knows what I want

Donald Trump has refused to rule out going to a war with Venezuela after ordering a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from the country.

I dont rule it out, no, he said when asked about possible military action by NBC News.

The Trump administration has led a hostile campaign against Nicolas Maduros government in Venezuela, with the US president demanding that Caracas return all the oil they previously stole from us.

Washington recently seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and for months has carried out air strikes on so-called drug boats which Mr Trump claims are transporting illegal narcotics to the US through the Caribbean Sea.

Donald Trump has refused to rule out war with Venezuela (AP)

More than 100 people have been killed in 28 strikes, including one double tap strike, which has been condemned by several members of Congress.

Asked whether there was a timeline for any future potential oil tanker seizures, Trump told the outlet: It depends. If theyre foolish enough to be sailing along, theyll be sailing along back into one of our harbours.

Mr Trump did not reveal whether ousting Mr Maduro was his goal, saying that the Venezuelan president knows exactly what I want, he knows better than anybody.

The US president is facing scrutiny over the huge buildup of military forces near Venezuela, after promising to be the President of Peace when he came to power. He was recently awarded the brand new  but widely discredited  Fifa Peace Prize.

It has been suggested that Trump is seeking to oust Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro (AFP/Getty)

Announcing the blockade earlier this week, Mr Trump said: Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before  Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.

He did not clarify what oil, land and assets the White House believes Venezuela has stolen from the US.

The unusually large force amassed in the Caribbean Sea includes 15,000 personnel operating with the US Southern Command, and 11 Navy warships  including Americas largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford  along with five destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, and two cruisers. Do

On board those ships are multiple fighter jet squadrons, a variety of Marine helicopters, Harrier jets and Osprey tilt rotor aircraft, with the capacity to transport large numbers of marines and to strike land and sea targets.

A US Navy submarine is also operating in the broader South America area, capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.
President Donald Trump is suspending the green card lottery program that allowed the man responsible for the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor to enter the country.

In a post to X, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the gunman, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, entered the U.S. in 2017.

This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, she wrote on X.

In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.

Police identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national (Providence Police via REUTERS)

At President Trumps direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.

Neves Valente, 48, shot two students and wounded nine others before killing MIT professor Nuno Loureiro. The pair had been classmates in their native Portugal, reports The New York Times.

Officials confirmed the suspect was found dead on Thursday with self-inflicted bullet wounds.

There are no outstanding suspects, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ted Docks said, adding that the agency had deployed about 500 agents to assist local authorities in the investigations.

Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered, he said.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem (Getty Images)

On Saturday, Neves Valente went to Browns Barus & Holley engineering building and fired at students who were sitting final exams.

Authorities confirmed Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, died after being shot.

Brown confirmed that Neves Valente was enrolled at the university from 2000 to spring 2001, studying for a PhD in physics, but had no affiliation with the school at the time of the attack.

On Monday, Neves Valente shot and killed Loureiro, 47, close to his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The diversity visa program that Neves Valente was on has up to 50,000 green cards available each year. People from countries underrepresented in the United States obtain visas through a lottery.

Many of the countries are in Africa, and in 2025, nearly 20 million people applied for the visa; more than 131,000 were selected, including spouses, as winners.

Trump has long opposed the visa and other forms of immigration to the country.

In November, an Afghan man was identified as the gunman in a fatal attack on National Guard members, prompting the Trump administration to impose rules against immigration from Afghanistan and other countries.
UK airports are bracing for their busiest Christmas season on record, as millions take to the skies over the festive break.

Regulators have urged passengers to plan ahead as airports including London Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester all expect their busiest Christmas to date.

Passengers queued on Friday at major air transport hubs, on what is expected to be the busiest day for travel over the entire festive period.

Travel trade organisation ABTA has estimated that over five million people will be heading abroad from Friday to 4 January, with 19 December set to be the busiest day for departures.

Heathrow airport said it is fully prepared for its busiest December on record (PA Archive)

Manchester airport said it is gearing up for its busiest Christmas yet, with more than 1.5m passengers due to pass through.

It said the busiest days will be 19 December and 28 December. with more than 100,000 passengers expected on those days.

Manchester airports managing director Chris Woodroofe reminded passengers to check in ahead of time and to pack properly, advising people not to take wrapped presents through security.

Likewise, Heathrow is expecting its busiest December and Christmas Day ever, while London Gatwick is expecting festive travel numbers to increase by 3 per cent compared with last year.

Selina Chadha, director of consumer and markets at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: Millions of people will be travelling to spend Christmas with loved ones this year, and a little preparation goes a long way.

By taking a moment to check what you pack and plan your journey in advance, you can help keep yourself safe. This festive season, remember: pack safe, fly safe.

Travel trade organisation ABTA has estimated that over five million people will be heading abroad from Friday to 4 January, with 19 December set to be the busiest day for departures (Getty/iStock)

Ms Chadha reminded passengers to check their route to the airport and their flight status before leaving home, know their baggage limits and to arrive in good time, particularly if travelling with children or extra winter items that may need further checks.

On Friday, passengers flying between Dubai and the UK were already facing issues after overnight thunderstorms led to diversions and delays.

Passengers who left Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle airports on Thursday afternoon found their flights diverted soon after midnight to Dubais second airport, World Central. Their planes sat on the ground for hours before flying on to the intended destination, Dubai International, just 28 miles away.

Flights later on Friday morning are operating typically 90 minutes behind schedule, jeopardising connections.

Under air passengers rights rules, travellers from the UK whose schedules are shredded are entitled to be flown to their final destination as soon as possible on any airline, and to be provided with meals and hotels until they get there.

The UKs roads are also expected to be the busiest on record this Christmas, with traffic expected to peak on Friday and around 24.4 million cars on the motorways.
US military kills more narco-terrorists in eastern Pacific, exceeding 100 total deaths in boat strikes

The U.S. military has carried out two more strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in the eastern Pacific, killing five people and bringing the total number of fatalities in the Trump administrations operation to over 100.

At least 104 people have now been killed in the series of strikes, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration, which began in September.

President Donald Trump has justified the aggressive action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States from what his administration claims are drug-trafficking boats in the Pacific and Caribbean.

On the order of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post Thursday evening that it conducted two strikes on two vessels it said were designated terrorist organizations on December 18.

Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations, the statement said. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel.

The U.S. military carried out two more strikes on alleged narco-terrorists in the eastern Pacific, killing five people on Dec. 18 (@Southcom/X)

The post was accompanied by a video of the strikes, which blasted the boats out of the water before they burst into flames.

Four others were killed the day prior as the Trump administration faces increasing scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike campaign.

The strikes also are part of an apparent pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, labeled a terrorist and cartel leader by the Trump administration.

Trump escalated tensions further this week by calling for a total and complete blockade of sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela and placing hundreds of American troops and ships near the South American nations coastline.

It follows pressure on Hegseth and the Trump administration after a controversial double-tap attack on a vessel on September 2 sparked allegations of war crimes.

But Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that he had seen no evidence of war crimes as the GOP signaled it was drawing the inquiry to a close.

Rep. Mike D. Rogers of Alabama, who leads the House Armed Services Committee, also said that he was satisfied that the operation had followed a lawful process.

The social media post by the U.S. Southern Command was accompanied by a video of the strikes, which blasted the boats out of the water (@Southcom/X)

On Sept. 2 the Trump administration targeted what it claimed was a Venezuelan narco vessel in the Caribbean.

After the first missile failed to kill everyone aboard, it later emerged that a second strike was ordered to kill the remaining two survivors.

Admiral Frank Mitch Bradley, a respected Navy SEAL officer who leads U.S. Special Operations Command, showed House and Senate members on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees footage of the lethal strikes and answered questions in a closed-door session on Dec. 4.

Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters the footage was one of the most troubling things Ive seen in my time in public service.

Despite mounting pressure, Hegseth said unedited footage of the Sept. 2 strikes would not be released.

Alex Woodward contributed reporting
This new charge, announced on Friday, is part of Rome's broader efforts to manage the significant tourist congestion in the area (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Tourists visiting Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain will soon face a new charge beyond the traditional coin toss.

From 1 February, the Eternal City is set to impose a 2 (1.75) fee for visitors seeking close-up access to the celebrated water feature, famously depicted in Federico Fellinis La Dolce Vita, during prime daylight hours.

This new charge, announced on Friday, is part of Rome's broader efforts to manage the significant tourist congestion in the area, enhance the overall visitor experience, and help fund the extensive maintenance required for its vast cultural heritage.

While approaching the late Baroque masterpiece will incur a charge, viewing it from the piazza above will remain free. Officials estimate this initiative could generate an additional 6.5 million (5.7m; $7.6m) for the city annually.

The fee, which has been discussed and debated for more than a year, follows a similar ticketing system at Romes Pantheon monument and the more complicated tourist day-tripper tax that the lagoon city of Venice imposed last year in a bid to ease overtourism and make the city more liveable for residents.

In such cases, city residents have been exempt from the fees. The same holds true at Trevi, while the tourist tax and new 5-euro (nearly $6) tourist ticket fee for some city museums is being rolled out in conjunction with a plan to broaden the number of museums that are free for registered Roman residents.

We believe that culture is a fundamental right of citizenship, Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri told a news conference. We think its correct and positive that the citizens of Rome can enjoy our museums free of charge.

This new charge, announced on Friday, is part of Rome's broader efforts to manage the significant tourist congestion (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

At the same time, he said, the new Trevi tourist fee is a minimal amount that shouldn't discourage visitors, but rather allow for a more organized visit. The city decided to impose it after seeing positive results already from a yearlong experiment to stagger and limit the number of visitors who can reach the front basin edge of the fountain by imposing lines and an entrance and exit pathway.

So far this year, around 9 million people have waited in line to get that close-up visit, with some days as many as 70,000 passing through, Gualtieri said. That system now becomes permanent from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., with the fee to be paid by nonresidents. Visitors can either pay in advance online, while waiting in line or by buying tickets at tourist locations around town.

After nightfall, access is open and free.

Pope Urban VIII initially commissioned the fountain in 1640. In 1730, Pope Clement XII revived the project and the current fountain corresponds to the original designs of Roman architect Nicola Salvi.

The towering fountain features at the Titan god flanked by falls cascading down the travertine rocks into a shallow turquoise pool, where Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg famously took their nighttime dip in La Dolce Vita.

While bathing is prohibited nowadays, legend has it that visitors who toss a coin over their shoulders and make a wish will return to Rome.
Credit: 63rd Mechanized Brigade

A Ukrainian front-line city has been smothered by a giant web of fibre optic cable from hundreds of drone battles in the skies.

Video footage of Lyman, Donetsk, shows entire rows of houses and a field draped in sheets of translucent wire left behind by the aircraft.

Fitted with a spool of barely visible cable that physically connects the drone to its pilot, the fibre optic drone has become popular as both sides try to avoid electronic warfare jammers.

Hundreds of enemy and our birds fly over here every day  and each one leaves its mark, said a spokesman for Ukraines 63rd Mechanised Brigade, which shared the footage.

Now, the intensity of combat operations can be determined not so much by the destroyed buildings, but by the amount of fibre optic cables.

After missions are flown, the wiring is left where it lies, coming at a cost to the environment.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory warned earlier this year that pollution from fibre optic drones could threaten wildlife for hundreds of years to come.

It said: Fibre optic cables are lightweight and extremely strong, and so discarded cable may pose a serious entanglement risk for wildlife, particularly birds, bats and ground-dwelling mammals.

Even where wildlife avoids entanglement, the cables can act as barriers to movement, effectively becoming fences in the sky, on the ground and in waterways.

As such, they represent a major threat to wildlife by reducing access to high-quality habitat or important resources, and in so doing reducing ecosystem functioning.

A Ukrainian drone pilot works in a lab in a military base - Eduardo Soteras/The Telegraph

Similar footage has been shared from the Russian region of Kursk, where fighting between Ukraine and Russia saw the first mass use of fibre optic drones.

Fields around Pokrovsk, the Donetsk region logistics hub at the centre of Vladimir Putins Donbas conquest, as well as forest surrounding Kupiansk, have also been heavily littered.

On Thursday, Ukraines elite Third Army Corps claimed it had eliminated an entire Russian regiment, which can stretch to 2,000 men, in a devastating counter-attack in the area.

Pokrovsk was recaptured by Ukraine in its Kharkiv counter offensive around September 2022, but has been subjected to a Russian assault in recent months.

As a result of coordinated efforts, the front line was straightened, and the tactical position of Ukrainian forces in the area improved, the unit said.
Car theft in the U.S. has undergone a high-tech transformation in recent years. Gone are the days of jimmying windows or hot-wiring an engine  instead, tech-savvy criminals are exploiting weak points in cars keyless entry systems.

Using inexpensive electronic devices, they can intercept or mimic a cars fob signal, unlocking and starting vehicles in seconds, often without leaving a trace.

The scale of the problem is growing even as car thefts nationwide decline.

From over a million vehicles stolen nationwide in 2023  the highest figure in over a decade  thefts have fallen steadily since, dropping by 17 per cent to approximately 850,000 vehicles in 2024, and then falling again by 23 per cent during the first six months of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024.

Nonetheless, keyless cars are the primary targets. Relay attacks and signal hijacking are increasingly used by criminals to commit thefts, particularly targeting popular models and luxury brands.

Unlocking trouble: The most-stolen car in the US is the keyless Hyundai Elantra (Getty Images)

Relay attacks account for over 80 per cent of keyless car thefts in the US. They work by tricking the car into artificially detecting that its key fob is nearby, when in actual fact, it isnt. Using two small signal amplification devices, one criminal stands close to the vehicle while another positions themselves near the owners key, often inside a house or pocket.

The first device captures the fobs signal and relays it to the second, which then transmits it to the car. The vehicle unlocks and starts as if the real key were present, allowing the thieves to drive away in seconds without ever touching the actual fob.

The tools used to hijack fob signals can be purchased cheaply online, and social media has played a significant role in spreading tutorials demonstrating the technique, including the emergence of a trend on TikTok dubbed the Kia Challenge.

The Kia Challenge was simple: steal cars made by Kia and Hyundai. One group even called themselves The Kia Boyz and documented their criminal exploits, posting them on TikTok and YouTube.

The challenge followed the discovery of the relative ease of stealing these companies' models. Still, the numerous thefts and resulting joyriding resulted in several deaths and millions of dollars in damages.

In mid-December, Hyundai and Kia agreed to provide a free hardware fix for millions of vehicles lacking industrystandard antitheft technology, following a settlement with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and 34 other attorneys general.

As part of the deal, the companies must now ensure that all future U.S. models are equipped with engine immobilizers to prevent theft, after facing numerous lawsuits for selling vehicles without this basic safety feature.

Meanwhile, US driving website Autoblog reported this year that Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are both susceptible to Bluetooth low energy (BLE) relay attacks, a tactic that allows thieves to unlock and drive away in seconds if advanced security features such as PIN-to-drive are not enabled.

While not among the top 10 most stolen cars by volume, Teslas vulnerability is notable because the attack exploits the convenience of phone-as-key and BLE fobs, similar to attacks on other brands using BLE for entry/start, they noted.

Gone in 60 seconds: the keyless Chevrolet Silverado is the fourth most-stolen car in the US (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved)

A similar pattern is emerging in the UK, with research this year showing that 58 per cent of vehicle thefts between April 2023 and March 2024 involved signal manipulation of remote locking devices  a fourfold increase from 20182019.

All models of the most-stolen vehicles in the US during the first half of 2025 were keyless, according to the U.S. National Insurance Crime Bureau. They are:

Hyundai Elantra Hyundai Sonata Honda Accord Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Honda Civic Kia Optima Ford F150 Toyota Camry Honda CR-V Kia Soul

How to keep your vulnerable keyless car safe

To keep a keyless car safe, experts recommend a combination of safety-conscious habits and judicious use of smart devices.

One of the most effective security steps is to put your key fob in a Faraday pouch or signalblocking box, which prevents thieves from intercepting its radio signal.

Parking in welllit areas or secure garages also reduces risk, while old-school visible deterrents like a steering wheel lock make your car a less attractive target.

Locking doors, rolling up windows, not leaving cars running when unoccupied, and always taking your keys are also recommended by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Turning off passive entry, if your vehicle allows it, adds an extra layer of protection by preventing the car from automatically unlocking when the fob is nearby.

Staying up to date with technological advances can also be helpful, if frustrating. Software updates from manufacturers may include security patches, so keeping your cars system current could be the difference between keeping it and losing it.

At home, experts advise avoiding leaving keys near doors or windows where signals can be easily captured, and consider installing surveillance cameras or motionsensor lighting around your driveway.

For extra peace of mind, GPS tracking devices can help locate a stolen vehicle quickly.

When taken together, these precautions make it much more difficult for criminals to get away with your wheels.
Campaigners challenging the controversial ban on XL bully dogs have seen their Court of Appeal bid dismissed, upholding the governments decision to add the breed to the Dangerous Dogs Act.

The group Dont Ban Me, Licence Me, and the groups director Sophie Coulthard launched legal action against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) after owning an XL bully dog without an exemption certificate became a criminal offence in England and Wales in February 2024.

The law change meant unregistered pets could be taken and owners possibly fined and prosecuted.

Anyone holding an exemption certificate must also comply with strict requirements, such as microchipping and neutering their pets.

Campaigners argued the ban was unlawful, citing unreliable material, a lack of proper impact analysis, and vague standards that risked individuals unknowingly committing an offence.

While Mrs Justice Lang largely dismissed their challenge, she did find the Government failed to comply with its public sector equality duty (PSED) during assessments in September and October 2023.

An XL bully wearing a muzzle (PA Wire)

However, she concluded the outcome would not have been substantially different as a correct assessment was later conducted in May 2024.

The campaign group subsequently appealed part of this ruling, but it was dismissed on Friday.

In a written judgment, Lord Justice Singh, sitting with Dame Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice Warby, clarified the legal position.

He said: The judge held that the Secretary of State had breached the PSED before the orders were made but she did not hold the orders were therefore unlawful. In fact she held the opposite, since she refused to quash the orders.

The consequence in law is that the orders are valid and were valid in the period between February and May 2024.

At least six out of 10 fatal dog attacks in the UK in 2022 involved an XL bully.

According to Bully Watch, a group set up by a group of dog owners to monitor the breed, XLs were responsible for 45 per cent of dog attacks on humans and other dogs in 2023 before the ban came into force.

American XL bullies are closely related to the pit bull terrier and have been cross-bred with other breeds such as English and American bulldogs.

The breed was the fifth type of dog prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act in the UK, alongside the pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo argentino and fila brasileiro.

It is against the law to own, breed or sell dogs on the list drawn up by Defra.
Sir Keir Starmer is due to visit China in January - Stefan Rousseau/WPA

Chinese hackers accessed confidential visa records held by the Foreign Office in a cyber attack.

A hacking gang known as Storm-1849 is said to have targeted government servers in October and accessed Home Office visa application records that were held by the Foreign Office.

The hack has fuelled warnings that China could have been targeting visa details of Hong Kong passport holders and dissidents who had fled the UK.

The cyber attack, which was not publicised at the time, is likely to stoke growing concerns about malign Chinese activity in Britain following the collapse of a spy trial and controversy over plans for a new superembassy in central London.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) blamed the Governments refusal to label China as a national security threat for the collapse of the trial of two suspected Chinese spies in September, a month before the hack.

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of prioritising economic ties with China despite warnings, including from MI5, of escalating state threats from Beijing.

A Government spokesman confirmed it was investigating the cyber incident, saying: We take the security of our systems and data extremely seriously.

Business minister Sir Chris Bryant confirmed there had been a hack but insisted the Government was very confident that in the investigation that weve done so far, that nobody, no individual will have been harmed or compromised by what has happened.

He added: Weve been engaged in an investigation since October, just as with [Jaguar Land Rover] and M&S, and the British Library and a whole series of other cyber attacks, it does take some time to get to the bottom of precisely what has happened.

The hack is the latest in a series of costly cyber attacks including a suspected Russian cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in August that halted the car giants production for five weeks at an estimated cost of 1.9bn.

Meanwhile, M&Ss profits were almost wiped out after it was hit by a cyber attack which left shoppers unable to buy online from the company for months.

Storm-1849, the China-linked espionage group thought to be behind the Foreign Office hack, was identified by Western agencies as part of Beijings state-aligned hacking apparatus.

The group has been accused of targeting politicians, parliamentary staff and organisations critical of the Chinese government, using phishing emails and cloud access to harvest sensitive political information.

Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, warned: Efforts to downplay or contain the fallout in order to avoid embarrassing Beijing only compound the damage and undermine public confidence.

If visa application data was among the material accessed, the implications are especially grave, given the potential risks to dissidents and others who rely on the UK for protection. We need urgent answers and some China realism from the UK leadership.

Storm-1849 was named publicly in March 2024 when the Government formally blamed China for cyber attacks on MPs and the Electoral Commission.

The UKs election watchdog said it took three years and 250,000 to recover from the hack, in which details of 40 million voters were accessed by Beijings spies.

MI5 director general Ken McCallum warned in October of escalating state threats against Parliament, universities and the UKs critical infrastructure including hacks and espionage by Beijing.

Sir Keir is due to make a historic visit to China in late January to strengthen economic ties with Beijing despite growing security concerns. He will be the first British prime minister to travel there since Theresa May in 2018.

Labour has come under criticism for its apparent failure to respond adequately to Chinas security threat by prioritising economic ties.

Ministers have been accused of cosying up to China with a series of visits. David Lammy travelled to Beijing and Shanghai in October last year as then Foreign Secretary, followed by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, in January to seek greater economic cooperation with the worlds second largest economy.

David Miliband, the Energy Secretary, visited China in March 2025 for climate and energy talks followed by Jonathan Powell, the Prime Ministers national security adviser, in July and November.

China is playing us for idiots

Earlier this week, the intelligence and security committee questioned whether security concerns were being overlooked in favour of economic considerations.

It said the National Security Act 2023 created a two-tier system for foreign powers which made it easier for Britain to counter threats from hostile states.

The second enhanced tier requires anyone working for states designated as a top-tier threat to declare to authorities their activities carried out on behalf of foreign powers. Failure to do so is punishable by up to five years in prison.

But so far, only Russia and Iran have been placed on the enhanced tier. The Government has delayed making a decision on whether to add China to the tier.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, accused the Government of trying to cover up the hack in an absurd attempt to maintain good relations with the Chinese before Sir Keirs planned trip to China.

They know very well who has done this. Its China. The reason they wont say is because they have this absurd nonsense of Keir Starmer going over to visit China next year, he said. China is playing us for idiots. We look foolish and pathetic that we cannot even call out a hack.

They are probably after dissidents or people who are fleeing. They want all the people who have made applications and they will track them down to where they are living.

Alicia Kearns, shadow home office minister, said: Labour arrogantly promised a new relationship with China. But all weve seen is UK exports fall, bounties put on the heads of Hong Kong democracy activists living in the UK, increased espionage against our own democracy, hacks of Government databases by Chinese agencies and the sham sentencing of British citizen Jimmy Lai.

Any self-respecting Government would take action to defend us against this blatant hostility. Deterrence requires action or else it is nothing but blind naivety.
In the Peloponnese, entire mountainsides of Greek fir are turning red and dying due to multiple effects linked to climate breakdown. Photograph: Ugo Mellone (Photograph: Ugo Mellone)

In the southern Peloponnese, the Greek fir is a towering presence. The deep green, slow-growing conifers have long defined the regions high-altitude forests, thriving in the mountains and rocky soils. For generations they have been one of the countrys hardier species, unusually capable of withstanding drought, insects and the wildfires that periodically sweep through Mediterranean ecosystems. These Greek forests have lived with fire for as long as anyone can remember.

So when Dimitrios Avtzis, a senior researcher at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) of Elgo-Dimitra, was dispatched to document the aftermath of a spring blaze in the region, nothing about the assignment seemed exceptional. He had walked into countless burnt landscapes, tracking the expected pockets of mortality, as well as the trees that survived their scorching.

This time, however, something felt wrong almost immediately. The scale was off. As Avtzis and his colleagues moved deeper into the trees, the familiar sights of a post-fire forest gave way to something far more unsettling.

The scale of the damage was profound Dimitrios Avtzis

There were hundreds upon hundreds of hectares worth of lost trees, he says  not just those lost in the fire itself, but large patches dead and dying among the green, where the flames had not reached them.

In the Peloponnese mountains, whole stretches of green forest are turning orange, as the long-lived fir trees dry up and die. The level of destruction was so far beyond what Avtzis had seen in previous years, it forced him to immediately contact the environment ministry and raise the alarm.

The scale of the damage was profound, he says.

Researchers across Greece and central Europe have warned for years that climate breakdown will push local ecosystems into unfamiliar territory. Wildfires are not new: according to data from the Global Forest Watch, between 2001 and 2024, Greece lost 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of trees to fires.

But fires are not the only thing killing trees, and the forces shaping wildfire aftermath have shifted dramatically in the past five years. What Avtzis saw was the result of multiple pressures stacking on top of one another, each amplified by the climate crisis.

The first is severe, prolonged drought, now a defining feature of Greeces climate. The dryness is compounded by a steady decline in winter snow. A study by the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development and the National Observatory of Athens found that between 1991 and 2020, Greece lost an average of 1.5 days of snow cover a year, eroding one of the countrys most important sources of slow-release moisture.

Then comes the biological fallout. Drought-degraded soils and shrinking groundwater leave fir trees weakened, creating an opening for insects. We know that severe drought weakens the trees, Avtzis says. But when we looked more closely at what was happening, we found bark beetles had taken advantage. They were attacking the trees.

Related: How an invasion of purple flowers made Iceland an Instagram paradise  and caused a biodiversity crisis

Bark beetles  particularly those in the Scolytinae subfamily  have emerged as a growing threat to Greeces already stressed forests over the past two years.

Their name is owed to the fact that the insects bore beneath the outer bark, cutting into the systems trees rely on to transport water and nutrients. Once they establish themselves inside drought-stressed firs, their numbers can rise rapidly. When a population reaches outbreak levels, Avtzis says, it becomes extremely difficult to bring it back under control.

The phenomenon is not confined to Greece. Bark beetle outbreaks have become a wider European concern, Avtzis says, mirroring patterns seen elsewhere on the continent. Southern Europe may be more vulnerable, he says, but were observing similar dynamics in countries like Spain.

The implication is concerning  indicating that the drivers behind the Peloponnese die-offs are not local anomalies, but symptoms of a broader ecological shift.

Yet amid the accelerating pressures of the climate crisis, there are cautious notes of optimism. Nikos Markos, a forest climatologist at FRI, points to the regenerative capacity of Mediterranean ecosystems. Post-fire regeneration can be quite satisfactory, he says, even in some areas of the Peloponnese.

Recovery, however, is slow and uneven. It is not something we can see in the first year, Markos adds. It may take four or five years.

Avtzis is pragmatic when he speaks about what it will take to protect Greeces highland forests. Im going to be realistic, he says. The government and the ministries have to take the initiative and mobilise the necessary funding to confront this problem.

Some steps, he notes, were already beginning by the time he had submitted his report on the Peloponnese. They contacted the major regional forest services and asked how much funding was needed, he says. What really matters now is whether those plans are actually put into action.

Asked whether Greeces shifting meteorological patterns are likely to keep accelerating, and whether that poses an existential risk for southern Europes forests, Avtzis pauses. There is no time to be pessimistic, he says. But we have a lot of work to do.

The tools, he says, already exist. We have the knowledge. We have the scientists. Now, we need to start going out and talking about this, he says. Because what were seeing now is only going to become more frequent and more intense.

Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
Lee Child, whose Jack Reacher novels have sold more than 100m copies worldwide, said school should encourage a reading habit. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian (Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian)

Too much of the literature taught in UK schools is putting children off reading and thrillers should become part of the curriculum, one of the worlds biggest selling authors has argued.

Lee Child, the British writer of Jack Reacher novels, which have sold more than 100m copies worldwide, said: I can totally understand why, if youre an English teacher and youve read all your life and you love this stuff and youve been to university, then you want to introduce the big, major masterpieces. But thats too much for kids.

He added it was even more of an issue because of social media: Now it is just so fragmented and so urgent and so breathless and so when do you get the time to sit and read?

He has also argued thrillers should be on the curriculum and in school libraries. He said: You should have whatever is compelling and whatever gets people into the habit of reading. Then you can have the fancy stuff later, of course, but dont start with it.

Related: How to foster a love of reading in boys

Child was speaking at HMP Doncaster, a category B prison, where he was having literacy sessions with inmates in what he said he hoped would become a national programme. Many had been put off reading at school, he said.

It was his third Doncaster visit and at the sessions the men were gripped. Each had been encouraged to write and Child listened to how it went and offered constructive feedback.

He told the men to write about themselves. My books are about Jack Reacher but theyre really about me, he said. Its what I want to be, what I want to do, how I would live if I could.

Speaking later, Child said the prisoners were often people outfaced by big works of literature during their formal education and that everyone stood to benefit from the sessions.

He added: Ideally, what we wanted to do was make everybodys day a little bit easier in the prison world. Anecdotally, what were hearing is that if theyre reading all day or theyve got a writing task to do, then the atmosphere is much calmer, is much more relaxed, everybody has a happier time.

Child said he believed increasing literacy skills would help to cut reoffending rates. Deep down, I think what every person in Britain wants is a safer community, he said. Wherever they are, theyd like less crime, more safety around them. That is what kicked this off. How do you do that?

Child, who relocated to the UK from the US after the re-election of Donald Trump, also stressed the project was not about being soft on crime. Im not a soft-hearted person, he said. Im not a do-gooder. Im a thoroughly practical person and this is a thoroughly practical thing.

John Butler, a prisoner taking part in the sessions, said he was enjoying them and had been writing off the back of them. As a young man he got into trouble because he was not learning at school, he said.

Child hatched the literacy sessions plan with the Labour MP for Colne Valley, Paul Davies. Together they pitched it directly to the prisons minister, James Timpson.

So far they have been to five prisons, with Davies also hosting democracy sessions. The proposal is to go to 20 and then establish a regional model, said Davies. Obviously Lee will be involved, but hell also be working with a lot of other key writers as well. The idea is that someone like Lee is a catalyst. He inspires people.

Child was joined at the sessions by Jake Richards, a justice minister with responsibility for sentencing. We sometimes forget, when were sitting in the MoJ [Ministry of Justice] and we look at prison numbers, that behind every single number there is a person who has committed an offence and is serving their time  and thats right but also has real vulnerabilities and a story, Richards said.

Seeing what we can do to ensure that those individuals when they leave here have the skills and the confidence to contribute and not return to a life of crime is a big challenge and weve got a lot more work to do.
Most UFO reports come from ordinary moments, such as looking up at the wrong or right time and noticing something that doesnt behave the way you expect. Over the years, these states have consistently appeared in UFO reports more than others.

Nevada

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Long stretches of empty land shape how sightings get noticed in Nevada. NUFORC reports from Nevada often come from highways and rural stretches rather than cities. Area 51 feeds the states reputation, but most reports come from ordinary drivers and residents.

Arizona

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Clear nights do most of the work here, as desert skies stay dark and visibility stretches for miles. According to NUFORC data, Arizona ranks high per capita for sightings, especially around Sedona and Phoenix. Lights that might go unnoticed in brighter cities stand out sharply against the open sky.

Colorado

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Being high up helps when it comes to noticing whats overhead. Clear mountain skies and long sightlines give people more chances to spot unusual movement, and the states busy military airspace has a hand in creating confusion. In 2023, staff at a Colorado concert venue even reported a disc-shaped object that hovered briefly before disappearing.

New York

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UFO reports in this area tend to surprise people, but the numbers support them. The National UFO Reporting Center has logged more than 6,000 sightings since the 1970s. Dense city areas contribute significantly, but places like the Hudson Valley also generate repeat reports. With rooftops, highways, and farmland all in play, sightings dont feel isolated for long.

Texas

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With wide open spaces, busy flight paths, and several military bases, theres a lot in the Texas sky at any given time. NUFORC has logged more than 6,000 sightings here since the 1970s. One cluster near Stephenville, reported by dozens of people at once in 2008, still gets referenced whenever new reports come in.

Pennsylvania

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This state tends to fly under the radar until you look at the totals. NUFORC has collected over 5,000 reports from Pennsylvania, ranging from rural farmland to busy highways. The Kecksburg incident of 1965 still remains a topic of discussion. Modern sightings are often logged by drivers or backyard observers who didnt expect anything unusual.

Oregon

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The states UFO reputation didnt come from one moment, but one photo helped. The McMinnville images from 1950 are still talked about, while people continue to report strange lights across forests, coastlines, and desert areas. The dark skies make a difference in spotting unusual activity.

Florida

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Spending evenings outside in Florida is just part of daily life, and that shows up in the data. NUFORC lists over 11,000 UFO reports from Florida, many clustered along the Gulf Coast. Military flights and frequent rocket launches already stretch expectations, so fast-moving lights over water tend to stand out quickly.

Washington

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Once the population is taken into account, this state climbs higher than most people expect. Sightings often occur in areas near Puget Sound or the foothills, where people spend time outdoors, and the skies remain active. Theres also a long history in the region, as a famous 1947 sighting near Mount Rainier is still mentioned whenever new reports surface.

California

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With more than 36,000 reports logged over the years, California sits at the top of the list. More sightings get reported here than anywhere else, largely because there are so many people and so much in the air. Commercial flights crisscross the state, military exercises happen offshore, and clear coastal skies make movement easier to spot.
Growing up just an hour from the Illinois-Indiana border, many memories of my childhood include weekend trips to Indiana. With its incredible lakefront and state parks, any trip to the Hoosier State was a treat. From waterfalls to sandy dunes and even views of Chicago, there are countless opportunities for adventure at your doorstep. As a result, I've collected many fantastic experiences seeing some of the best bucket-list views in Indiana. Below are just a few of my favorites.

1. Miller Woods Trail at Indiana Dunes National Park

The 3.4-mile Paul H. Douglas Trail, often referred to as the Miller Woods trail, offers a wide array of views in one short hike. Typically, the out-and-back trail takes hikers between 60 and 90 minutes to complete. Within that short time, adventurers will see wetlands, forests, sand dunes, Lake Michigan, and, on a good day, distant views of the Chicago skyline. This trail sits within Indiana Dunes National Park. As a Chicagoan myself, I love that I can access so many diverse views in one trail just an hour outside of the city.

2. Trail No. 3 at Turkey Run State Park

I have many core memories of hitting the road with my parents for a weekend visit to Turkey Run State Park in Marshall, Indiana. Opened in 1919, my folks often booked us a room at the Turkey Run Inn if we weren't setting up the old pop-up camper that weekend. Whether we were enjoying the luxuries of indoor plumbing or roughing it at the campground, Trail No. 3 at Turkey Run State Park remained a favorite spot to take in the best bucket list views in Indiana. The 1.9-mile loop trail is particularly popular for the canyons along the route. Additionally, hikers find beautifully dense forest and some fun rocky sections along the way. In my humble opinion, it's one of the best hikes in all of Indiana.

3. Clifty Falls, Hoffman Falls, Tunnel Falls Trails at Clifty Falls State Park

A 6-mile route in Clifty Falls State Park takes explorers through three natural wonders: Clifty Falls, Hoffman Falls, and Tunnel Falls. Slightly more challenging than the other two hikes in this list, you still certainly do not need to be any type of expert to enjoy these treks. Along the way, hikers enjoy views of waterfalls, cliffs, limestone, and forests. In a state often known for being relatively flat, you'll be impressed by the 83-foot Tunnel Falls. You'll also get the chance to see the 78-foot Hoffman Falls. This route in Madison, Indiana, generally takes 180 to 210 minutes to complete, and is a great way to spend an early morning.

Indiana offers some truly Instagram-worthy views across its national and state parks. Youll find everything from sandy beachfront dunes to impressive canyons and waterfalls. While this list just captures a handful of experiences, there are seemingly endless bucket-list views in Indiana that are just waiting to be explored. Feeling inspired? Try planning your own Indiana trip using Only In Your State's itinerary planner.
FILE PHOTO: People take photos of the central business district skyline in Singapore May 27, 2025. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo

By Xinghui Kok and Claire Fu

SINGAPORE, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A growing number of Chinese companies are looking to domicile in Singapore, betting a move to the trade-focused city-state would reduce risks their operations get disrupted by Sino-U.S. geopolitical tensions.

The trend, billed as "Singapore washing" by some analysts, started gaining traction near the end of U.S. President Donald Trump's first presidency and has since accelerated, spreading to various sectors from critical minerals to tech and biotechnology, analysts and experts said.

"Demand has always been rising...and the key thing right now is that it's probably going to accelerate at a more rapid pace," said KG Tan, CEO of InCorp Group, which helps companies relocate or expand in nine Asia-Pacific locations.

There is no official data on how many Chinese companies are domiciled in Singapore, but Tan said interest from Chinese firms is "very strong" with about 15-20% more inquiries now year-on-year.

Singapore-domiciled companies include optical products maker Terahop, backed by China-based Zhongji Innolight, which set up shop in the city in 2018.

More recent additions include data centre operator DayOne, spun off from GDS Holdings; Manus AI, an artificial intelligence agent from China's Butterfly Effect; and ChemLex, an AI-powered chemical synthesis company.

Neither Manus AI's nor Terahop's websites make reference to their Chinese backers. ChemLex CEO Sean Lin said he considers his Shanghai-founded startup a Singapore company.

DayOne CEO Jamie Khoo said in July that it always intended to split from its Chinese parent, as both companies operate under different regulatory regimes. Manus AI and Terahop did not respond to requests for comment.

SINGAPORE PROVIDES A STRATEGIC SWEET SPOT

Singapore offers an attractive base for firms looking to navigate U.S. tariffs and maintain access to key American technologies whose sales are restricted in China. Washington imposes tariffs of just 10% on goods from Singapore.

"The Singapore brand is trusted worldwide. Singapore is valued for its international flavour, neutrality, and is culturally easy for Chinese firms and their expats to adapt to," said Maybank China economist Erica Tay.

"With a whopping 28 free trade agreements, it is also a good base from which to grow markets outside China."

But that advantage has also left Singapore on a tightrope, as the U.S. steps up its scrutiny over Chinese firms and as some of those foreign entities have been involved in criminal activities.

Singapore-based data centre firm Megaspeed, which split from a Chinese gaming firm in 2023, faces a U.S. probe for allegedly diverting Nvidia chips used for AI.

The Asian country also had its biggest money laundering case involving foreigners of Chinese origin in 2023, and is investigating a conglomerate, owned by a Cambodian citizen of Chinese origins and accused of running vast scam centre operations.

The U.S. Department of Commerce and China's Ministry of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters has asked the Singapore government for comment.

TOO BIG TO HIDE

While a relocation in theory offers businesses more flexibility in managing tariffs, export controls and other protective trade policies, such moves do not guarantee firms freedom from political or regulatory heat.

Fast fashion firm Shein and short video platform TikTok, among the early movers to Singapore, notably failed to shield their operations from Western scrutiny.

Shein ran into political opposition in the U.S. and the UK over its efforts to go public there and also had to seek Beijing's nod for its listing plans, despite having moved its headquarters from Nanjing to Singapore.

It is now seeking China's blessing for a stock market debut in Hong Kong, and reportedly considering relocation back to China.

TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, saw its Singaporean CEO Chew Shou Zi repeatedly grilled over his links to the Chinese government at a Congressional hearing in Washington in 2024.

ByteDance, which is required to sell its U.S. operation to a consortium of American and global investors to meet national security requirements, signed off on the sale deal, TikTok said on Thursday.

A failed effort by Yuxiao Fund, a Singapore-registered Chinese investor, to boost its stake in Australian rare earths miner Northern Minerals in 2024 due to its China link also highlights the limits of being based in Singapore.

Experts argue the strategy mostly works for smaller firms but provides less wriggle room for big businesses.

"Its the low-profile entities like family offices and trading companies which tend to have an easier time avoiding attention," said Chong Ja Ian, political scientist at the National University of Singapore.

Some have already taken note of the growing scrutiny.

Dou Changlin, the chief operating officer of Shandong Boan Biotechnology, which provides clinical services for global drugmakers, said its Singapore subsidiary is used to fund the company's U.S. operations.

While the structure has helped it meet funding needs from Singapore, not from China which has stepped up scrutiny of capital flows, Dou cautions U.S. authorities could eventually draw a connection with its Chinese parent company.

"We are very small in the U.S., I don't think we're on the radar of the U.S. government yet," he said.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok and Claire Fu; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Sam Holmes)
U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, speaks with attendees at the Clark County Democratic Partys 2020 Kick Off to Caucus Gala in Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 15, 2020. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Cropped from Original

(The Center Square) - Federal legislation has been proposed to transfer 1,660 acres of public lands for a variety of local uses, including economic development.

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, this week announced she's introducing the Carson City Public Land Correction Act, which would transfer the federally owned lands to the city as it faces an affordable housing crisis.

Not all public land sales are evil, Shaaron Netherton, executive director of Friends of Nevada Wilderness, told The Center Square.

When done in a collaborative manner with local constituents, it can be very well done," the conservationist group official said. "This is one of those. It's kind of community-driven.

Rosen's legislation would give 1,300 acres of Bureau of Land Management-operated lands to Carson City for flood mitigation, recreation, water improvements, and a rifle range, according to Rosens office. The bill would also provide land to improve pedestrian safety and transportation infrastructure.

As Nevada continues to grow, we need to make sure that federal lands are being used in a way that best fits the needs of our growing local communities, Rosen said in a news release. Ive been working with Mayor Bagwell and local leaders to make sure this bill provides Carson City with additional land to build more housing and commercial buildings, improve infrastructure, and expand access to outdoor recreation, while also ensuring proceeds of land sales go toward much-needed local programs and conservation initiatives.

Nevada has an affordable housing need of roughly 70,000 units, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

The state's need for housing has grown largely due to decades of population growth, coupled with lagging housing construction, said Maurice Page, the executive director of the Nevada Housing Coalition.

While a complicated issue, Page told The Center Square that slow housing development was partially due to a series of economic shocks such as the 2008 financial crash.

Carson City, which is the capital of Nevada, is smaller than any of the state's counties at around 150 square miles of mostly urban space, with just over half of lands federally owned, according to a report by the Guinn Center. Across Nevada, roughly 80% of land is publicly owned, the highest portion of any state.

The Guinn Center report found that land restrictions posed by public land ownership were directly tied to the lack of affordable housing in the state. In Carson City, an average home cost under $300,000 in 2018 and over $475,000 in 2024  a 63.1% rise. Over that same time, the median household income only grew 12.6%.

The land transfer will make 360 acres available for economic development. Rosens office did not specify what this would be used for, but mentioned the need for affordable housing.

Sen. Rosen and her staff do really good work on this, said Netherton. My trust level on this is high.

By correcting land boundaries and enabling strategic conveyances, this bill will strengthen public safety, improve transportation connectivity, support flood mitigation and wildfire resilience, and give our community the tools it needs to plan responsibly for the future, Carson City Mayor Lori Bagwell said in a statement.

Bagwell and Rosen did not respond to The Center Square's request for additional comments.

The bill also included space for a rifle range, which Netherton said was to move an existing range located too close to a population center in Carson City.

They are [moving] an existing one that with community growth is too close to folks, Netherton told The Center Square. It looks [like it is] being moved further from homes and populated areas. These ranges are important to give people a safe place to use their firearms and not be shooting on public lands where people are recreating.

U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nevada, introduced similar legislation in the House for a Carson City land transfer.

Nevada has repeatedly been the target of major public land sales. Conservationist groups in Nevada widely opposed a federal sale proposed this summer that would have seen off up to 3.3 million in Western lands. The deal was partially intended to make up for government debts.

We object to using public lands as money to pay debt, said Netherton.
FILE - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro stands at the entrance of his home where he is under house arrest in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File)

SAO PAULO (AP)  Brazil's lower house speaker Hugo Motta decided on Thursday to remove two lawmakers close to former President Jair Bolsonaro from their seats in the latest blow to the far-right leader serving a 27-year jail sentence for leading a coup attempt.

One of Bolsonaro's sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, and the former head of Brazil's intelligence agency, Alexandre Ramagem, were stripped off their seats for different reasons. The decision was published in the journal of Brazil's lower house.

Since his move to Texas in February, Eduardo Bolsonaro has missed more than 80% of this year's lower house sessions, which violates its rules. The 41-year-old claims to be politically persecuted at home, and has lobbied members of the Trump administration to help his father reverse his conviction and put pressure on President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"As everybody knows, he is living abroad by his own decision," Motta told journalists after his decision was announced. He has not attended our house's sessions and it is impossible to serve one's term as a lawmaker if that person is not in our territory.

The removal of Ramagem, who recently fled to the U.S. to avoid serving his 16-year jail sentence in the same case that put Bolsonaro behind bars in November, had been ordered by Brazil's Supreme Court. Earlier this month, Motta, who has often sided with Bolsonaro allies, said he was going to put the decision to remove Ramagem from his seat to a full-house vote.

If Eduardo Bolsonaro returns to Brazil, he will face a trial on charges of obstructing justice in connection with his fathers attempted coup case. The former president's son was accused of using violence or serious threats to interfere with a legal proceeding. If convicted, he could face one to four years in prison and a fine.

Neither Eduardo Bolsonaro nor Alexandre Ramagem made comments about losing their seats.

Eduardo Bolsonaro has repeatedly said he influenced U.S. President Donald Trump's decision in July to order a 50% tariff hike on Brazilian imported goods. Trump has said the move was due to Bolsonaro's case, which he called a witch hunt.

Later, when Trump and Lula started speaking, most of those higher tariffs on Brazil were revoked.

___

Follow the APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
A federal seeking information poster displays images of a suspect wanted in connection with the Dec. 13, 2025, mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation / Public Domain

(The Center Square)  Rhode Island officials said the suspected gunman in the Brown University mass shooting has been found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, more than 50 miles away in a storage facility in southern New Hampshire.

The shooter was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Brown student and Portuguese national. Neves-Valente was found dead with a satchel containing two firearms inside in the storage facility, authorities said.

He took his own life tonight," Providence police chief Oscar Perez said at a press conference, noting that local, state and federal law officials spent days poring over video evidence, license plate data and hundreds of investigative tips in pursuit of the suspect.

Perez credited cooperation between federal state and local law enforcement officials, as well as the Providence community, which he said provided the video evidence needed to help authorities crack the case.

"The community stepped up," he said. "It was all about groundwork, public assistance, interviews with individuals, and good old fashioned policing."

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the "person of interest" identified by private videos contacted authorities on Wednesday and provided information that led to his whereabouts.

"He blew the case right open, blew it open," Neronha said. "That person led us to the car, which led us to the name, which led us to the photograph of that individual."

"And that's how these cases sometimes go," he said. "You can feel like you're not making a lot of progress. You can feel like you're chasing leaves and they don't work out. But the team keeps going."

The discovery of the suspect's body caps an intense six-day manhunt spanning several New England states, which put communities from Providence to southern New Hampshire on edge.

"We got him," FBI special agent in charge for Boston Ted Docks said at Thursday night's briefing. "Even though the suspect was found dead tonight our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered."

He said the FBI deployed around 500 agents to assist local authorities in the investigation, in addition to offering a $50,000 reward. He says that officials are still looking into the suspect's motive.

Two students were killed and nine others were injured in the Brown University shooting Saturday, which happened when an undetected gunman entered the Barus and Holley building on campus, where students were taking exams before the holiday break. Providence authorities briefly detained a person in the shooting earlier in the week, but then released them.

Investigators said they are also examining the possibility that the Brown case is connected to the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor in his hometown.

An unidentified gunman shot MIT professor Nuno Loureiro multiple times inside his home in Brookline, about 50 miles north of Providence, according to authorities. He died at a local hospital on Tuesday.

Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, was expected to hold a news briefing late Thursday night to discuss the connection with the MIT shooting.
By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has launched a review that could result in the first shipments to China of Nvidia's second-most powerful AI chips, five sources said, making good on his pledge to allow the controversial sales.

Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidia's H200 chips to China, with the U.S. government collecting a 25% fee, and that the sales would help keep U.S. firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese chips.

The move drew fire from China hawks across the U.S. political spectrum over concerns the chips would supercharge Beijing's military and erode the U.S. advantage in artificial intelligence.

But questions have remained about how quickly the U.S. might approve such sales and whether Beijing would allow Chinese firms to purchase the Nvidia chips.

The U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees export policy, has sent license applications for the chip sales to the State, Energy and Defense Departments for review, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the process is not public.

Those agencies have 30 days to weigh in, according to export regulations.

One of the sources, an administration official, emphasized the review would be thorough and "not some perfunctory box we are checking."

But under the regulations, the final decision rests with Trump.

The start of the inter-agency licensing review has not been reported previously. The Commerce Department and Nvidia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A White House spokesperson did not comment on the review, but said "the Trump administration is committed to ensuring the dominance of the American tech stack  without compromising on national security.

BIDEN HAD BANNED ADVANCED AI CHIP SALES TO CHINA

The Biden administration had imposed a raft of restrictions on advanced AI chip sales to China and countries it feared could become conduits for smuggling into the rival nation, citing national security fears.

Trump's move represents a departure from that policy and a dramatic reversal from his first term, when he drew international attention by cracking down on Chinese access to U.S. technology. Back then, he cited claims that Beijing steals American intellectual property and harnesses commercially obtained technology to bolster its military, which Beijing denies.

Exporting large numbers of the chips to China would be "a significant strategic mistake," said Chris McGuire, a former White House National Security Council official under President Joe Biden and senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.

McGuire described the chips as "the one thing holding China back in AI."

"I cannot possibly fathom how the departments of Commerce, State, Energy, and Defense could certify that exporting these chips to China is in the U.S. national security interest, he said.

Led by White House AI czar David Sacks, several members of the Trump administration now argue that shipping advanced AI chips to China discourages Chinese competitors like Huawei from redoubling efforts to catch up with Nvidia's and AMD's most-advanced chip designs.

Reuters reported last week that Nvidia was considering an increase in production of the H200, the immediate predecessor to its current flagship Blackwell chips, after initial orders from China outstripped the current capacity.

While the H200 chips are slower than Nvidia's Blackwell chips at many AI tasks, they remain in wide use in the industry and have never been allowed for sale in China.

Trump had previously opened the door to sales of a less-advanced version of Nvidia's Blackwell chips, its cutting-edge offering, but backed away from the move and approved sales of the H200 instead.

(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Additional reporting by Stephen Nellis and Karen Friefeld; Editing by Peter Henderson and Jamie Freed)
Power poles along U.S. Highway 93 near Golden, Colorado, are snapped in half during a strong windstorm on Wednesday. Outages are lingering in Colorado as a new windstorm hits. - RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post/Getty Images

Dangerous fire weather conditions were underway in Colorado and Wyomings foothills that had forecasters using the most dire language possible to characterize Fridays fire threat.

This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation that poses a significant threat to life and property in the event of a wildfire start, the so-called PDS red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, said.

Its the first-ever PDS red flag warning issued in Colorado. The rare warnings are in effect for parts of the states foothills, including parts of Boulder and Jefferson counties, and Wyomings Laramie County, until Friday night.

Residents are urged to assemble an emergency supply kit and know their evacuation routes, the warnings said. In some cases, safe and timely evacuation may not be possible should a fire approach.

The alerts warn of extreme and erratic wildfire behavior, including rapid wildfire spread, for any wildfires that start in a combination of very strong winds, extremely dry air and near-record warmth.

Winds are forecast to roar continuously at 45 to 55 mph with stronger gusts of 80 to 100 mph occurring well into the evening.

These dangerous winds began early Friday afternoon. Winds gusted over 70 mph in downtown Boulder, Colorado, while multiple gusts of 75 to 95 mph occurred in the nearby foothills. A gust of 106 mph was recorded near Gold Hill, less than 10 miles west of Boulder.

A public safety power shutoff went into effect Friday morning for Xcel Energy customers in Colorado over fears the destructive winds could down power lines and start fires. Some residents are still without power due to a public safety power shutoff on Wednesday during another extreme windstorm. More than 80,000 Xcel Energy customers were without power in total by early Friday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

The Storm Prediction Center also upgraded its fire weather forecast for the area to Level 3 of 3, extremely critical for Friday, the most severe level.

The extremely critical area is for more than 600,000 people, including those in Fort Collins and Boulder in Colorado and Cheyenne in Wyoming.

Winds will be weaker in a Level 2 of 3 critical fire weather zone that spans much of the Interstate 25 corridor and adjacent foothills of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska, but very dry air and dry fuels could still allow fires to spread here quickly.

Dry conditions could persist well into the evening, potentially extending the duration of dangerous fire weather conditions across the region.

CNNs Chelsea Bailey and CNN meteorologist Mary Gilbert contributed to this report.

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Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in Brown University shooting, at a car rental location in Boston. - Providence Police Department

Five days after an extensive manhunt began, law enforcement closed in on the Brown University shooting suspect after the emergence of apparent ties between the attack Saturday at the Providence, Rhode Island, school and the killing two days later of an MIT professor at his Massachusetts home.

As investigators began looking into the Monday shooting at the professors home, the FBI initially said there was no known connection between that crime and the mass shooting at the Ivy League institution about 50 miles away. But a rental car may have provided investigators with a potential link  a breakthrough that led to a search inside a New Hampshire storage facility, where authorities said Thursday night the suspect was found dead.

Tonight, our Providence neighbors can finally breathe a little easier, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said at a news conference late Thursday, where officials identified the suspect as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, a former Brown University student and a Portuguese national with no criminal record in the US. Authorities believe he acted alone, Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar L. Perez Jr. said.

Nuno Loureiro, the MIT professor fatally shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, was also a Portuguese national, and FBI Special Agent Ted Docks said Thursday night authorities believe the two men attended school in Lisbon at the same time.

At a separate news conference Thursday, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Leah Foley, said Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program in Portugal between 1995 and 2000.

Indeed, school records show the suspect attended the Instituto Superior Tecnico in Lisbon, Portugal, in the 1990s at the same time as Loureiro.

Investigators believe the suspect specifically targeted Loureiro, one law enforcement official told CNN. But they do not currently believe the two people killed at Brown  where the suspect was a student in the early 2000s  were direct targets. Police said they were still working to determine a motive for the university shooting, which came as students were busy studying for final exams.

Tips helped move the investigation forward

Court documents released Thursday revealed apparently ominous sightings of the suspect in the Barus & Holley building, where the shooting took place, multiple times in the weeks prior to the attack. A campus custodian noticed a person  wearing a surgical mask and whose clothing matched that of the individual seen in surveillance video released by police  at least twice since November 28, the affidavit said. The sightings happened between 3 p.m. and sunset, investigators said in the document.

Another tip came from someone who reported seeing an individual at a rental car outlet who the tipster believed matched the person seen in footage released by police on Wednesday, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Investigators visited the rental car company and obtained surveillance video showing a person renting the car who appeared to match the person seen in the footage released by police, including his distinctive gait, the official said.

Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in Brown University shooting, at a car rental office in Boston. - Providence Police Department

Investigators believe that after renting the car in Boston, Neves Valente then drove to Providence, where the vehicle was seen in the area of the Brown shooting, Foley said.

Investigators in their affidavit specifically pointed to a post on Reddit, in which a user described seeing a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental near the shooting scene. Police later interviewed the person who posted the information, and he told them he recognized the person seen in surveillance images released by police as the man he saw near the car shortly before the shooting.

The Reddit poster, identified in the affidavit only as John, said he first encountered the man inside a bathroom in the Barus & Holley building and noticed his clothing seemed inadequate for the cold weather.

Once the man left the building, John saw him approach the Nissan and appear to unlock it with a key fob before suddenly turning from the vehicle and walking in a different direction, the affidavit said.

John said he remained outside as the man kept circling back to the area before quickly changing directions every time he saw John, the document said.

At one point, John confronted the man, asking him why he kept circling the block, he told investigators, according to the affidavit. The man responded by asking, Why are you harassing me, the document said. John then kept walking down the street as the man walked toward the car and the two didnt have any further encounters, the affidavit said.

Within 24 hours of the shooting, Neves Valente returned to Massachusetts and put an unregistered license plate from Maine on the vehicle before killing the professor on Monday, Foley added.

The rental car was just one piece of data investigators used to link the Brown shooting suspect to the fatal shooting of the MIT professor. A financial probe, a storage unit and extensive security footage also helped police connect the dots in the 48 hours before his body was found, Foley said during the Massachusetts news conference.

There was security footage that captured him within a half mile of the professors residence in Brookline and there is video footage of him entering an apartment building in the location of the professors apartment, she said.

Around an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, wearing the same clothes hed been seen wearing right after the professor was shot, Foley said.

It was several days before investigators were able to connect the crimes because the suspect is believed to have used an untraceable phone and avoided credit cards in his own name, Foley said. Investigators think he used European SIM cards for cell service, making it difficult to track his location in real time.

On Thursday in Boston, the FBI had set up surveillance at the rental car return location at Logan Airport because the individual who rented the car was booked on an outgoing flight Thursday. Law enforcement agencies were also deployed in Florida as the search for the man began.

But by late Thursday, authorities were swarming the storage facility in Salem, some 30 miles north of Boston, after finding an abandoned car with a license plate that matched one of those believed to have been used by the suspect. A license plate reader flagged one of the license plates that matched the car the suspect was driving.

When officials found Neves Valente dead, they also found a satchel and two firearms, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said at Thursday nights news conference.

While investigators believe theyve identified the gunman in both cases, there are lingering questions to answer, like why he opened fire on students at a school he attended more than two decades ago and why a former classmate was apparently targeted nearly 30 years after they were in the same academic program.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Dakin Andone, Hanna Park, Laura Sharman, Emma Tucker and Taylor Romine contributed to this report.

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Jamaicas tourism industry has demonstrated remarkable resilience following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa. The third-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record struck the island as a Category 5 storm on October 28, 2025. According to information released by Jamaicas tourism officials, the Caribbean nation has already welcomed 300,000 visitors in the weeks since the disaster, including both stopover and cruise passengers. This milestone comes as major resort areas throughout Jamaica have successfully restored operations for the crucial winter tourism season.

Travel and Tour World reports that key destinations, including Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril, and Kingston, are now fully operational and ready to welcome international visitors. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett confirmed that Jamaica met its target of restoring tourism operations by December 15, marking an impressive turnaround just over six weeks after the catastrophic weather event. Minister Bartlett attributes this swift comeback to the remarkable recovery strategy that island leaders and travel industry stakeholders collectively implemented to restore the nations vital tourism sector.

Jamaica Is Rebounding Faster Than the Tourism Industry Predicted

Our recovery has exceeded expectations, Minister Bartlett declared, as reported by TravelPulse. Jamaica is not just back, we are stronger, more resilient, and more committed than ever to delivering the authentic Jamaican experience our visitors know and love. The dedication of our tourism workers, many of whom were personally affected by the hurricane, exemplifies the true spirit of Jamaica.

Following the hurricane, Jamaicas tourism industry and government leaders prioritized restoring operations as quickly as possible, recognizing that tourism is essential to the countrys economic stability. Tourism accounts for more than 30 percent of Jamaicas GDP. It supports approximately one-third of jobs across the island.

The swift resumption of tourism activities is therefore critical not only for economic recovery but also for thousands of Jamaican families whose livelihoods depend on visitor arrivals. Between December 11 and 14 alone, 20,800 tourists arrived in Jamaica, demonstrating strong momentum in the sectors recovery.

Infrastructure Recovery Advances Rapidly Across the Island

All major airports have resumed normal operations, including Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, and Ian Fleming International Airport in Ocho Rios. Major airlines have maintained regular flight schedules to the island, with some carriers even increasing service.

By the end of December, approximately 71 percent of hotels are expected to reopen their doors to guests, with projections indicating that number will rise significantly through early 2026. In addition, popular attractions throughout the island are also fully operational, allowing visitors to experience Jamaicas rich culture, vibrant music scene, and renowned hospitality in a safe environment.







The post Jamaica Surpasses Tourism Recovery Targets After Hurricane, Welcomes 300,000 Visitors appeared first on Travel Noire.
The North Carolina Capitol building stands under a blue sky in Raleigh. Photo: Alan Wooten / The Center Square

(The Center Square)  Jim Hunt, North Carolinas first multiple term governor and face of the states Democratic Party for decades, has died.

He was 88.

The Greensboro native who grew up in the Wilson County community of Rock Ridge won the governors race in 1976 and led the initiative to amend the state constitution allowing two terms. He then won in 1980 and returned for another back-to-back stint with election wins in 1992 and 1996.

In between, he lost a bruising U.S. Senate race to Republican incumbent Jesse Helms in 1984.

Hunt, at age 35, won the lieutenant governors office in 1972, an office his daughter Rachel now occupies.

He devoted his life to serving the people of North Carolina, guided by a belief that public service should expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and always put people first, she said in a release.

Hunts impact on education reform extended beyond North Carolina. Hes credited with creation of Smart Start and was among the first to advocate for teaching standards.

His hand in a second major constitutional amendment gave the states governor the opportunity to veto legislation. North Carolina in 1997 became the 50th to do so.

I can think of no one who shaped North Carolinas recent successes as much as Governor Jim Hunt, said first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein in a statement. Governor for 16 years, he was a visionary who founded Smart Start, raised teacher pay, protected air quality, and created the NC Biotech Center. On a personal level, he was a mentor and dear friend.

On social media, Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis wrote, Susan and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Governor Jim Hunt, who was one of the most consequential public servants in North Carolinas history. His commitment to public education and economic development made a profound impact on our state that continues to this day.

Hunt was instrumental in the successful campaigns of former Gov. Roy Cooper and former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, the last Democrat to represent the state in the upper chamber of Congress. Hunt campaigned for former President Barack Obama and 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

When Hunt was lieutenant governor, majorities in the state Senate and House of Representatives the first two years were 35-15 and 85-35. The next two were 49-1 and 111-9. And during that time, Hunt worked with Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser  one of just three from his party to hold the office since 1900  to make North Carolina the first state with full-day kindergarten in public schools.

Anderson Clayton, chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, in a release said in part, He showed everyone what it means to be a Democrat in the South. Not only did he believe in the promise and potential of every North Carolinian  he invested in them by being a visionary leader, transforming our public schools, elevating our community colleges, and building a foundation of opportunity that continues to benefit generations.

Hunt, born May 16, 1937, moved in 1941 with his family to the Rock Ridge community to a tobacco and dairy farm. He was valedictorian of the former Rock Ridge High School in 1955 and earned his undergrad and masters at N.C. State University. His law degree was earned at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and also included studies at George Washington University.

His political career overlapped North Carolina's economic strength changes in textiles, tobacco and high technology.

Hunt and his wife Carolyn, in addition Rachel, also raised daughters Rebecca and Elizabeth, and a son, James Baxter Hunt III.
A sign stands outside the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., June 22, 2025. Photo: Andrew Rice / The Center Square

(The Center Square)  The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for access to the state's voter rolls.

The Justice Department said information provided by Raffensperger's office did not include all of the information requested, including the voter's full name, date of birth, residential address, state drivers license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

Raffensperger said he shared the state's maintenance practices and public voter roll data with the Justice Department on Dec. 8.

"Georgia has the cleanest voter rolls in the country because we verify citizenship through the federal SAVE database, use SSA data to remove dead voters, and share data with other states to identify and remove voters who have moved," Raffensperger said in a statement. "We look forward to working together to eliminate the federal barriers that prevent even cleaner voter rolls. Hardworking Georgians can rest easy knowing this data was shared strictly in accordance with state law that protect voters privacy."

The Justice Department is asking a judge to cite Raffensperger under the Civil Rights Act and order him to provide the date with all the information within five days of any court order.

Last week, Fulton County Clerk of Court Che Alexander was also accused by the Justice Department of failing to produce voter rolls. The clerk's office said it is not at liberty to comment on pending legislation.

Trump has been at odds with Raffensperger after a 2021 phone call with President Donald Trump, in which the president told Raffensperger, "I just want to find 11,780 votes," referring to the number by which he was trailing former President Joe Biden in the race. Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election in Georgia.

The phone call between Trump and Raffensperger was part of an indictment against Trump and 18 others on election interference charges. The case was dismissed last month.

The District of Columbia, Illinois and Wisconsin were also sued on Thursday, bringing the number of states facing lawsuits over their voter rolls to 22.

The law is clear: states need to give us this information, so we can do our duty to protect American citizens from vote dilution, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said in a release. Todays filings show that regardless of which party is in charge of a particular state, the Department of Justice will firmly stand on the side of election integrity and transparency.

Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi voluntarily released their voter rolls, according to the Justice Department.

TCS was unsuccessful prior to publication getting confirmation from Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett's office.
Illinois state Rep. Jed Davis, R-Newark, speaks during an online video call. Photo: Greg Bishop / The Center Square

(The Center Square)  A state legislator is demanding the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services correct the record and apologize to families for the use of interns as investigators.

Months ago, state Rep. Jed Davis, R-Yorkville, brought the issue into the forefront after he said he found out an investigation leading to a family being separated from their child was led by an intern who didnt have the proper qualifications.

DCFS pushed back in August, saying Davis didnt have the facts or the law correct.

This week, Davis revealed public records of a Civil Service Commission official acknowledging making a mistake on intern classifications.

So I would want to provide an olive branch, I guess, to the department that maybe they were relying on an experts statements that turns out were incorrect, Davis told The Center Square. We got the legal evidence and were right, interns dont meet the experience requirements. They should not be doing it.

A spokesperson for the DCFS on Thursday maintained that Davis remains legally and factually incorrect and said continued debate on the issue wastes valuable agency resources from ensuring children are safe and well cared for.

As DCFS has stated on multiple prior occasions, Child Welfare Services Interns are entry-level investigators who are qualified and often experienced professionals who must complete investigator-specific training, pass an examination and receive an investigator-specific Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) in order to conduct an investigation, the statement said.

The statement further said that upon further review earlier this year, the Illinois Civil Service Commission confirmed that there was no merit to the claims that DCFS violated the Personnel code with the use of Child Welfare Services Interns.

Davis countered that.

With regard to supposed Civil Service Commission decision that DCFS is apparently referencing, this yet is another example where both the Civil Service Commission and DCFS are going to need to correct the record, Davis told The Center Square in a text.

Documents obtained by The Center Square show a Civil Service Commission administrative law judge stated the decision to dismiss an allegation of DCFS violating the personnel code was based upon a lack of jurisdiction over the rules as alleged in the appeal, and not that there were no merits.

Davis is calling for the record to be corrected, for an apology to families, and also for the agency to reinvestigate any cases where an interns report led to actions disrupting families.

Go back to the families that have been ones that were interns where the lead and reinvestigate them and just either substantiate it or maybe youll find out that there was some things missed, we owe that, Davis said.

Asked to review documents provided by Davis to The Center Square, the agency spokesperson said continued debate with Davis on the issue is a waste of valuable agency resources.

The Department has spent a significant amount of time attempting to help Representative Davis understand the regulations that apply to the DCFS child protection investigations unit and has provided documentation, including federal court records, clearly outlining the legality of this entry level investigator position.

Reacting to the latest statement from DCFS, Davis said: They clearly didnt read the release, or theyre intentionally avoiding the evidence it presents.

Im not sure which one is worse. One is laziness, the other is deliberate malfeasance, Davis told The Center Square in a follow up message.
PHOENIX - Candace Owens did not speak at the opening of Turning Points sold-out conference that kicked off Dec. 18 in Arizona, but that didnt stop people from talking about her.

The rightwing podcaster who has stoked conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirks murder was a major topic on the first night of AmericaFest, Turning Points annual conference at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Conservative commentators Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro clashed over issues animating the right such as Owens, controversial live-streamer and white supremacist Nick Fuentes; and Israel. Shapiro said the GOP is in serious danger and accused Carlson of going silent on Owens while she targets Turning Point on her show.

More: Trump faces a MAGA backlash over free speech amid Jimmy Kimmel controversy

Carlson, for his part, argued for free speech. Their debate illustrated the way the right has frayed without Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a Turning Point event on the Utah Valley University campus in September. Speakers lauded him as a unifying voice in the party.

To hear calls for like, de-platforming and denouncing people at a Charlie Kirk event, I'm like, what? This is hilarious, Carlson said. I kind of thought we reached the end of that, and as far as I'm concerned, we have, and I'm not going to play those rules.

Nearly every speech on Dec. 18 addressed Owens or made indirect reference to her and Fuentes, another divisive figure on the right.

More: Widow of slain activist Charlie Kirk endorses JD Vance for president

Owens, a former Turning Point contributor, has claimed without evidence on her podcast that top Turning Point staff and Israel may have been involved in Charlie Kirks murder. Owens, relying on unnamed sources, has alleged that Erika Kirk was being followed by Egyptian planes.

We as people with a microphone have a moral obligation to call that out by name. Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA never should have been put in a position to have to defend themselves against such specious and evil attacks, particularly at a time of mourning, Shapiro said.

Erika Kirk has called on Owens to stop and denied her allegations. She made several jokes about Owens during her speech opening the conference.

Shapiro previously employed Owens at the Daily Wire and fired her in 2024, after she began fiercely criticizing Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and was accused of antisemitism.

His remarks received a mixed reaction from the crowd, with cheers, jeers and a few boos. Owens said on X that Shapiro's remarks made her "more certain Israel is involved" in Charlie Kirk's murder.

Shapiro also knocked Carlson for hosting Fuentes on his show, saying that Charlie Kirk knew that Fuentes is an evil troll. Turning Point removed Fuentes, who is a Holocaust denier, from an event last year.

Carlson and others who took the stage disagreed with Shapiro. The former Fox News host compared Shapiros call to the political left.

Charlie stood firm in his often-stated and deeply held belief that people should be able to debate and if you have something valid to say, if you're telling the truth, you ought to be able to explain it calmly and in detail to people who don't agree with you, and that you shouldn't immediately resort to Shut up racist, Carlson said.

Comedian and actor Russell Brand also weighed in on the controversy during his speech.

"Ive spoken to Nick Fuentes. Ive spoken to Candace Owens. Theyre Christians like you and me. Theyre broken human beings like you and me," Brand said. He received applause from the crowd.

Podcaster Michael Knowles, who hosts a show affiliated with the Daily Wire, took another path. He said that some things are out of bounds on the political right.

Carlson addresses Israel

At several points in his remarks, Carlson also addressed Israel.

Earlier this year, he was accused of antisemitism in his remarks at Charlie Kirks public memorial at State Farm Stadium in September, when he compared the activists murder to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Carlson said at AmericaFest that he is not an antisemite because antisemitism is immoral in his Christian religion. He said he was also against hate against whites which he believes is every bit as bad as hate against Jews.

Carlson denounced the killing of innocent people in Gaza during Israels war with Hamas. The crowd applauded when he said its obviously not America First for politicians to take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, also known as AIPAC.

Attendees welcome debate

Attendees arrive during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the death of Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 18, 2025.

Conservatives who attended the conference were split over how to handle Owens, but many said they welcomed debate and disagreement.

I dont think its wrong for her to question at all. Question everything. But when there's a lot of evidence in one way, and you're trying to paint a narrative, but you don't have a lot of evidence, it just paints a bad story, said Nathaniel Pyenta, a 22-year-old college student from Texas. I think it's fine that she's questioning. I think that's great, but make sure that it's based in questions that actually are trying to solve something and not just stir up controversy.

Josiah Lazalde, an 18-year-old high school senior in Texas, said that he finds Owens theories outlandish and that its not the right time to target Erika Kirk while she is grieving her husbands murder.

However, Lazalde said he supports free speech.

I think Ben Shapiro calling her out was a good thing. I think the way he did it was not what we needed, Lazalde said.

Kris Wilhelm of San Diego, 58, is skeptical about the details officials have shared about Charlie Kirks killing, particularly the size of the bullet he was shot with.

If Charlie Kirk were my best friend and I had that kind of platform, and I saw that the narrative didn't make any sense, I would do the same thing, Wilhelm said.

Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her via email at stephanie.murray@gannett.com and on social media @stephanie_murr.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro clash over Candace Owens in Phoenix
An autopsy determined that the man suspected in last weekend's attack at Brown University and the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor days later had been dead for two days when his body was found, New Hampshire's attorney general's office said Friday

Authorities found Claudio Neves Valente, 48, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a New Hampshire storage facility on Thursday night, said Providences police chief, Col. Oscar Perez.

The autopsy determined that Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who had been living in the U.S., died on Tuesday, the same day that his countryman, MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro died at a hospital, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella's office said in a statement. It didn't note an exact time of death.

Authorities believe that after killing two students and wounding nine others last Saturday at Brown, where he was a graduate student studying physics during the 2000-01 school year, Neves Valente shot Loureiro at his Boston-area home on Monday night.

Investigators on Friday were still trying to sort out why Neves Valente allegedly opened fire on the campus decades after he dropped out and later killed Loureiro, whom he attended school with in Portugal in the 1990s.

Motive is still unclear

The discovery of Neves Valente's body at a New Hampshire storage facility ended the nearly weeklong hunt for the person who killed two students and wounded nine others in a Brown lecture hall last Saturday. Investigators believe the onetime Brown student killed Loureiro in his home in Brookline, a Boston suburb about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Providence, on Monday. Perez said as far as investigators know, Neves Valente acted alone.

Portugals foreign minister, Paulo Rangel, said Friday that the government was taken aback by revelations that a Portuguese man is the main suspect in the mass shooting at Brown and the killing of Loureiro.

Rangel said Portugal has provided very broad cooperation in the case. He said in comments to the national news agency Lusa that the investigation is far from over.

Brown University President Christina Paxson said while Neves Valente is a former Brown student, he has no current affiliation with the university.

Neves Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley said. Loureiro graduated from the physics program at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugals premier engineering school, in 2000, according to his MIT faculty page. That same year, Neves Valente was let go from his temporary student support and faculty liaison position at the Lisbon university, according to an archive of a termination notice from the schools president at the time.

Neves Valente, who was born in Torres Novas, Portugal, about 75 miles (121 kilometers) north of Lisbon, had come to Brown on a student visa. He eventually obtained legal permanent resident status in September 2017, Foley said. It wasn't immediately clear where he was between taking a leave of absence from the school in 2001 and getting the visa in 2017. His last known residence was in Miami.

After officials revealed the suspect's identity, President Donald Trump suspended the green card lottery program that allowed Neves Valente to stay in the United States.

There are still a lot of unknowns in regard to motive, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. We dont know why now, why Brown, why these students and why this classroom, he said.

Tip helps investigators connect the dots

The FBI previously said it knew of no links between the Rhode Island and Massachusetts shootings.

Police credited a person who had several encounters with Neves Valente for providing a crucial tip that led authorities to him.

After police shared security video of a person of interest, the witness  known only as John in a Providence police affidavit  recognized him and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit. Reddit users urged him to tell the FBI, and John said he did.

John said he encountered Neves Valente about two hours before the attack in a bathroom in the engineering building, where the shooting occurred, and noticed he was wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather, according to the affidavit. Still before the attack, he saw Neves Valente suddenly turn away from a Nissan sedan when he saw John.

When you do crack it, you crack it. And that person led us to the car, which led us to the name, Neronha said.

His tip pointed investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates. That enabled Providence police to tap into a street camera network operated in the city by surveillance company Flock Safety to track the vehicle.

After leaving Rhode Island, Providence officials said Neves Valente stuck a Maine license plate over his rental cars plate to help conceal his identity.

Investigators found footage of Neves Valente entering an apartment building near Loureiro's in a Boston suburb. About an hour later, Neves Valente was seen entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where he was found dead, Foley said. He had with him a satchel and two firearms, Neronha said.

Victims include renowned physicist, political organizer and aspiring doctor

Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, joined MIT in 2016 and was named last year to lead the schools Plasma Science and Fusion Center, one of its largest laboratories. The scientist from Viseu, Portugal, had been working to explain the physics behind astronomical phenomena such as solar flares.

The two Brown students killed during a study session for final exams were 19-year-old sophomore Ella Cook, who was vice presdient of the Brown College Republicans, and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, who aspired to be a doctor.

Six of those wounded were in stable condition and three had been discharged as of Thursday, officials said.

Although Brown officials say there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack happened in an older part of the engineering building that has few, if any, cameras. And investigators believe the shooter entered and left through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didnt capture footage of the person.

___

Associated Press reporters Barry Hatton and Helena Alves in Lisbon, Portugal, Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Matt O'Brien in Providence contributed.
Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2025 Invictus Games

The Gist

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a Christmas card every year since marrying in 2018.

This year was no exception, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their holiday card on December 19.

Unlike in previous years, their holiday card didn't feature a photo of their kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are spreading a little holiday cheer with the release of their familys Christmas card.

On December 19, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released their annual holiday card, which featured a photo of the couple holding hands at the Invictus Games in Canada. Unlike in years past, their 2025 card didn't feature their kids, but it's worth noting Harry and Meghan often send out two Christmas cards each yearone for public consumption and one for their family and close friends.

"On behalf of the office of Prince Harry & Meghan, Duke & Duchess of Sussex, and Archewell, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year," the message that accompanied the photo read.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2025 Christmas card. Credit: Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex

In 2024, Harry, Meghan, and their kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were featured in the family holiday card, with a photo taken of Archie and Lilibet from behind running into their parents arms. The card also featured five other photos of Harry and Meghan during their 2024 trips to Nigeria and Colombia.

Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats, a friend previously told People. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.

As a dad and a husband, Harry is determined to ensure that history doesnt repeat itself, the friend added, referring to his mother Princess Dianas death in a 1997 car accident while being pursued by paparazzi.

Meghan Markle/Instagram Meghan Markle with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in a photo shared to her Instagram

In addition to this card, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also sent a private Christmas card to close friends and family, which was inadvertently revealed during an Architectural Digest photoshoot of family friend Gloria Steinems New York City home. The Sussex familys private Christmas card could be seen on one of Steinems side tables and featured the family of four smiling while lying in the grass.

Meghan Markle/Instagram Prince Harry with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in a photo shared to Meghan Markle's Instagram

In 2023, Harry and Meghan chose a glamorous photo of themselves at the closing ceremony of that years Invictus Games in Germany, and in 2022, their Christmas card photo came from another night out, that time to the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City.

The year prior, in 2021, the couple released a landmark photothe first photo publicly shared of Lilibet, who was then six months old. This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world, the card read. Archie made us a Mama and a Papa, and Lili made us a family. The photo of the family of four was taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who also shot Harry and Meghans engagement photos in 2017.

In 2020, Harry and Meghan celebrated their first Christmas at home in Montecito, California, and their Christmas card was an illustration of a photo taken by Meghans mother Doria Ragland of Archie and the familys two dogs at the time, Pula and Guy. The card offered a glimpse into the Sussex familys backyard, including a playhouse for Archie.

Archie is really happy, and he has space to run free, a source told People. The house came with a play structure that hell be climbing in no time.

The year prior, 2019, was Archies first Christmas, and he was front and center in the family Christmas card photo, which was taken by Meghans friend, actress Janina Gavankar. For their first married Christmas card in 2018, a photo was shared from Harry and Meghans wedding reception, taken by Chris Allerton and depicting the couple watching fireworks on May 19, the day they said I do.

Meghan Markle/Instagram Meghan Markle picking flowers with Princess Lilibet

Of Christmas with her kids, Meghan told Marie Claire last year, Now were at the age where I just cant wait to see it through their lens every year.

Every single holiday is a new adventure, she added.

Read the original article on InStyle
Cash is given as a gift during the Christmas season. Photo: micheile henderson / Unsplash.

(The Center Square)  While parents in many states are seeing significant increases in Christmas spending, Michigan families are keeping holiday costs largely flat this year.

The new study from CouponBirds also found that Michigan parents will spend more per child than the national average.

Michigan parents will be spending $592 this year, Caitlyn Bishop, a spokesperson for CouponBirds, told The Center Square.

That is up just 0.68% from last years $588. This is significantly less than the average nationally, which was a 13% increase year-over-year. Nationally, the average parent is expected to spend $521 per child on gifts, up from $461 in 2024.

Even though Michigan parents saw minimal increases on spending, they still rank high nationally. In 2025, the state is the 16th-highest spending state.

Across the nation, New York is coming in at the most expensive at $732 and South Dakota is the cheapest at $266.

Parents in neighboring states to Michigan are spending significantly less than their Michigander counterparts. For example, Indianas average is $527 and Ohios is $516. Those states saw more significant increases in their spending year-over-year though.

This Christmas, debt will play a significant role for many parents with 58% of parents reporting they are anticipating going into debt to pay for gifts. That is up from 49% in 2024.

Most of those will use credit cards to pay for Christmas gifts, while 43% plan to use buy now, pay later services, which have skyrocketed in use over the past few years. That is more than double the just 21% of parents that expected to use those services last year.

This will just add to the growing credit card debit of Americans, with the average household credit card debt coming in at $7,321, up 5.8% from last year.

Only 32% of parents nationally plan to avoid holiday debt entirely, down from 46% last year.

The average parent expected to spend $521 per child on gifts, up from $461 in 2024. That is a 13% increase nationally.

Tariffs and a lack of Christmas savings are the factors having the biggest impacts on parents. Nearly two-thirds of parents (63%) report that tariffs have directly diminished their purchasing power, while only 46% of parents reported saving specifically for Christmas.

Not all states saw an increase in Christmas spending this year though. In fact, six states saw a decrease in spending from last year. Iowa parents led that charge, with the state reporting a 6% decrease in average spending.

Experts are anticipating nearly record overall spending on Christmas this year.

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers in the U.S. will spend an average of $890 on core holiday items including gifts, decorations, food and other holiday-related purchases this year. That is down 1.3% from last years holiday budget, which was the highest ever reported.

The NRF study also found that, while the majority of Americans shopping online for the holiday season, 42% also anticipated shopping at discount stores. That is down 3% from last year.
A pump jack operates near a gas turbine power plant in the Permian Basin oil field outside of Odessa, Texas, U.S. February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Eli Hartman

By Arathy Somasekhar

HOUSTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Oil prices settled marginally higher on Thursday as investors assessed the likelihood of further U.S. sanctions against Russia and the supply risks posed by a blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers.

Brent crude closed 14 cents, or 0.2%, higher at $59.82 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 21 cents, or 0.4%, at $56.15 per barrel.

"Crude futures are trying to find support from the Venezuelan oil export blockade, which if it continues will likely cause production in the area to be shut in with no destinations to ship out to," said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president of trading at BOK Financial.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he believes talks toward ending the war in Ukraine are "getting close to something" ahead of a U.S. meeting with Russian officials this weekend.

The U.S. is preparing another round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector in the event Moscow does not agree to a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. A White House official told Reuters that Trump had not made any decisions on Russian sanctions.

"If no Russia/Ukraine peace deal is reached, the attacks on Russia could escalate, quickly tightening supplies, and if you add in the blockade on Venezuelan oil, crude prices may very well be a bit underpriced here," Kissler said.

RISKS TO SUPPLY MOUNT

Further measures targeting Russian oil could pose a greater supply risk to the market than Trump's announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. would blockade tankers under sanctions entering and leaving Venezuela, ING analysts said in a note.

Britain imposed sanctions on 24 individuals and entities as part of its Russia sanctions regime, including on Russian oil companies Tatneft and Russneft, a government notice showed on Thursday.

The Venezuela blockade could affect 600,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil exports, mostly to China, but 160,000 bpd of exports to the U.S. would likely continue, ING said.

Chevron vessels were continuing to depart for the U.S. under a previous authorization from the U.S. government.

Venezuela on Thursday authorized two unsanctioned very large crude carriers to set sail for China, according to two sources familiar with Venezuela's oil export operations.

It was not clear how a U.S. blockade would be enforced. The U.S. Coast Guard last week took the unprecedented step of seizing a Venezuelan oil tanker, and sources said the U.S. was preparing for more such interdictions.

Venezuelan crude makes up around 1% of global supplies.

Analysts at Bank of America anticipate the lower price of oil will reduce the amount of supply. If WTI prices average $57 a barrel in 2026, in line with their projection, U.S. shale oil production could contract by 70,000 bpd.

(Reporting by Enes Tunagur, Stephanie Kelly and Colleen Howe; Editing by Barbara Lewis, Nia Williams and Paul Simao)
The Iowa State Capitol with its gold dome and surrounding towers stands in Des Moines. Photo: Pixabay

It may be hard to believe, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt once offered a blueprint for property tax reform that remains relevant to state policymakers trying to address property tax reform. Interestingly, this blueprint didnt come from his progressive New Deal agenda, but rather from a campaign speech he delivered 93 years ago during the 1932 presidential campaign.

At the time, thenNew York Gov. Roosevelt was not only criticizing President Herbert Hoover for the Great Depression, but also for what he perceived to be the fiscal recklessness of the Hoover administration. He condemned Hoovers excessive spending and mounting deficits  issues that were primarily the result of the economic downturn.

On September 29, 1932, speaking in Sioux City, Iowa, Roosevelt addressed agricultural policy and tariffs, but also made striking remarks about the size and inefficiency of government. Regarding the federal government, Roosevelt warned that it had grown too large and wasteful:

Later in this campaign I propose to analyze the enormous increase in the growth of what you and I call bureaucracy. We are not getting an adequate return for the money we are spending in Washington, or to put it another way, we are spending altogether too much money for Government services that are neither practical nor necessary. And then, in addition to that, we are attempting too many functions. We need to simplify what the Federal Government is giving to the people.

He also accused Hoover of leading the greatest spending Administration in peace times in all our history, charging that it had piled bureau on bureau, commission on commission, and failed to anticipate the declining earning power of ordinary Americans. Bureaus and bureaucrats, commissions and commissioners have been retained at the expense of the taxpayer, Roosevelt lamented.

But Roosevelts critique wasnt limited to the federal government, he extended his call for reform to local governments as well. Speaking to Iowans, he emphasized the importance of examining how public funds are distributed across various levels of government:

Half of what you and I pay for the support of Government  in other words, on the average in this country fifty cents out of every dollar  goes to local government, that is, cities, townships, counties and lots of other small units; and the other half, the other fifty cents, goes to the State and Nation. This fifty cents that goes to local government, therefore, points to the necessity for attention to local government.

Although he was running for federal office, Roosevelt urged local governments to adopt fiscally conservative principles:

As a broad proposition you and I know we are not using our present agencies of local government with real economy and efficiency. That means we must require our public servants to give a fuller measure of service for what they are paid. It means we must eliminate useless office holders. It means every public official; every employee of local government must determine that he owes it to the country to cooperate in the great purpose of saving the taxpayers money.

He also warned that we have too many tax layers, arguing that true relief could come only through resolute, courageous cutting. Even though he acknowledged he had no direct authority over local governments, Roosevelt said he felt a moral obligation to address the issue of government efficiency and taxpayer responsibility:

And I propose to use this position of high responsibility to discuss up and down the country, in all seasons and at all times, the duty of reducing taxes, of increasing the efficiency of Government, of cutting out the underbrush around our governmental structure, of getting the most public service for every dollar paid in taxation. That I pledge you, and nothing I have said in the campaign transcends in importance this covenant with the taxpayers of the United States.

Roosevelts message in Sioux City was one of fiscal conservatismcalling for spending restraint, streamlined government, and more efficient public service.

Coolidge regarded a good budget as among the most noblest monuments of virtue. Economy in the cost of government is inseparable from reduction in taxes. We cannot have the latter without the former. stated Coolidge.

Those same principles are urgently needed today as Iowa grapples with the challenge of rising property taxes.

State policymakers across the nation are trying to figure out a policy solution to rising property taxes. Government spending drives taxation and if tax relief is the objective, then policymakers must work to limit spending through conservative budgeting and reforming government.

Unfortunately, Roosevelts rhetoric in Sioux City did not match his policies under the New Deal. Nevertheless, 93 years ago in Sioux City, FDR, whether intentional or not, provided the framework to address property tax reform through limiting spending and reducing government.
Law enforcement officers search the area for the Brown University shooting suspect, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Salem, N.H.

The man authorities say carried out a mass shooting at Brown University  and who was later linked to the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor  has been found dead in New Hampshire.

The shooter was identified as Claudio Neves-Valente, 48, a former Brown University physics student, who was living in Miami.

 NEW  U.S. Attorney releases photo and complaint affidavit for suspect in Brown University and MIT professor shootings, Claudio Neves-Valente. READ CHARGING DOCUMENT HERE: https://t.co/YHYcatbj8Zpic.twitter.com/EsM14iGuXs  U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) December 19, 2025

Authorities said they were able to track Neves-Valente after speaking with a person who encountered him in Providence. They gave authorities a description of a vehicle, which was tracked to a Massachusetts rental car facility.

He blew this case right open," Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said during a Thursday night press conference.

MORE ON THE MANHUNT | New video gives clearest look yet at person of interest in Brown University shooting

Information from the rental car company led police to a storage unit in Salem, where Neves-Valente was found dead from what's believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It's unclear how long he had been dead. However, authorities revealed he was found with a satchel and two firearms in an otherwise empty storage unit.

Police say a 9 mm firearm was used to shoot and kill two people at Brown and injure nine others.

Two days later, it's believed Neves-Valente shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his apartment in Brookline, Massachusetts. Authorities said surveillance video showed Neves-Valente entering and exiting the building. Loureiro was pronounced dead at a hospital on Tuesday.

While investigators are still investigating their connection, they have confirmed that the two went to the same university in Portugal.

RELATED STORY | Brown University shooting victim from Virginia remembered as 'kind-hearted'
The makeshift memorial outside the Barus & Holley engineering building continues to grow as the manhunt continues for the gunman, following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Taylor Coester

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss, Nate Raymond and Brad Brooks

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Law enforcement officers are investigating a link between a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence that killed two people last weekend and the shooting death of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later near Boston, a person familiar with the matter said.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter, did not provide more details on why investigators think the two cases may be linked.

The new twist comes five days after the shooting at Brown University and during a manhunt for the shooter. The violence shook Rhode Island's capital city of Providence, and brought pressure on investigators to crack open the case.

The Brown shooting occurred on December 13 inside a classroom building, killing two students and wounding at least eight others.

Two days later, MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, was fatally shot in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts on Monday evening. Brookline is 49 miles north of Brown's campus.

Earlier this week, an FBI official said authorities did not believe there was any link between Saturday's shooting at Brown and the MIT's professor's murder. Loureiro was a member of the departments of nuclear science and engineering and physics as well as MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center.

SEEKING THE PUBLIC'S HELP

Investigators in Providence said the suspect in the Brown University shooting escaped on foot into nearby streets, prompting a search that relied heavily on residential security footage because of a lack of surveillance cameras in the classroom building and surrounding area.

Police released images and video of a masked man believed to be the shooter, based on survivor accounts, and have repeatedly asked for the public's help in identifying that man. The footage showed the suspect walking in a nearby neighborhood both before and immediately after the attack, including moments when police vehicles arrived with flashing lights.

He could be anywhere, Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said on Wednesday, adding that authorities did not initially know the suspects identity or motive.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said residents and students had grown restless and eager for an arrest as the search stretched into several days.

Police also circulated photos of another unidentified man seen near the area, saying they wanted to speak with him as a potential witness who may have relevant information.

Authorities initially announced a person was in custody a day after the shooting, but later released that individual after determining he was not involved.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond and Brad Brooks; additional reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Providence; editing by Donna Bryson and David Gregorio)
Michael Piepgras / Getty Images

Key Points

New data from MarginEdge shows that produce costs, not protein prices, drove the most significant restaurant cost swings in 2025, with items like cauliflower and lettuce experiencing extreme volatility.

Weather disruptions, concentrated growing regions, and import dependence created major supply constraints for vegetables and fruits, pushing prices up for months at a time.

While eggs spiked due to avian flu rather than climate issues, restaurants overall faced unpredictable, fast-moving cost changes that forced constant menu adjustments throughout the year.

Food prices have stayed high throughout 2025, but the biggest price changes restaurants faced did not come from where many expected. New pricing data shows that produce, not protein, accounted for the most dramatic shifts that menus and diners had to absorb.

Produce prices fluctuated roughly three times as much as protein costs over the last year, according to pricing data from MarginEdge, a restaurant management software company that tracks costs across more than 10,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada.

Take cauliflower, which shows just how quickly produce costs can move when supply gets disrupted. Prices fluctuated by roughly 230%, the largest shift of any ingredient tracked, according to MarginEdge data. Those spikes were largely driven by California freezes and heavy rains, which hampered harvests and created supply gaps that kept costs high long after the skies cleared.

Geography made those spikes nearly impossible to avoid. With up to 90% of cauliflower grown in California, disruptions in the primary production rippled quickly across the country, leaving restaurants with few realistic alternatives when supply tightens.

Similar volatility hit the salad greens market. Iceberg lettuce saw restaurant prices move by roughly 130% throughout the year, according to MarginEdge data. Unexpected cold snaps slowed early growth, followed by rain that delayed harvesting in other regions, per USDA Crop Progress reports.

Not every price jump followed the same pattern, however. Blueberry prices climbed roughly 100% in 2025 as weather disrupted early and peak harvests, based on USDA fruit reports. Because winter supply relies heavily on imported fruit, higher costs tied to shipping delays and tariffs kept prices elevated even as sourcing shifted, according to the USDA's Economic Research Service Fruit Outlook.

For asparagus, the problem wasn't just weather  it was import dependence. USDA data shows that over half the asparagus Americans eat is imported from Mexico and Peru. When shipments drop, or costs rise, American farms cannot scale up quickly enough to fill the gap, leaving restaurants with fewer options and higher bills.

Related: Arrivederci, Spaghetti? US Plans Massive 107% Tariff on Italian Pasta

The volatility we are seeing now actually took root before 2025 began. Concentrated growing regions and short harvest windows  compounded by the lingering effects of extreme weather in 2024  left several staple vegetables exposed to disruptions that many menus weren't built to absorb.

By August, the broader increase was no longer easy to write off as a few outliers. Fresh vegetable prices marked the fourth straight month of increases, according to the USDA's Food Price Outlook, reflecting how earlier weather disruptions continued to influence costs well into 2025. That staying power confirmed that the pressure was not limited to just a handful of problem crops.

Eggs tell a different story because the shortage was not caused by the weather. Restaurant prices jumped roughly 200% earlier this year as avian flu wiped out supply, dragging out a crisis that started long before 2025, according to the USDA's September Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook. Unlike produce, those costs were shaped by disease and recovery timelines rather than growing conditions.

This is where diners feel it most, even when the cause is not obvious. Independent restaurants are making pricing decisions in a year when guests are watching costs more closely, even as the reasons behind those changes remain hard to see.

Related: The Menu Items That Keep Getting More Expensive  and the Surprising One That Isnt

Bo Davis, CEO and co-founder of MarginEdge, puts the day-to-day challenge bluntly. For him, the issue is less about predicting disruptions than recognizing them quickly. "If you don't have real-time insight into whats changing  whats suddenly 30% more expensive, or where your prep habits are creating waste  youre making decisions in the dark," Davis says.

The harder part, going into 2026, is that these shifts do not always follow a clean seasonal rhythm. A normal week can turn quickly when weather, imports, or disease impact supply. Restaurants will keep adjusting in real time, and diners will keep noticing the results, even when the reason is not obvious from the menu.

The ingredients that saw the biggest price fluctuations in 2025

Cauliflower: ~230% swing

Eggs: ~200% swing

Iceberg lettuce: ~130% swing

Asparagus: ~110% swing

Blueberries: ~100% swing

Read the original article on Food & Wine
Secretary Rubio Meets With Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani At The State Department (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Qatar launched a diplomatic push with the Trump administration this week as senior officials from both nations met in Washington and Doha.

Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani traveled to the U.S. capital for back-to-back meetings with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and Thursday. Al-Thani and Vance discussed the strong, strategic bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the US, as well as the means to enhance them, Qatars foreign ministry said. The meeting also covered several topics of joint interest. (RELATED: Heres What Could Come Of Trumps Whirlwind Middle Eastern Tour)

The prime minister then sat down with Rubio to launch the seventh U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue. The two leaders reaffirmed their nations partnership and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation on economic and security goals, according to the State Department.

The Secretary expressed appreciation for Qatars role in supporting American objectives in the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere, and reiterated both countries desire for close collaboration on shared goals, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Qatars National Command Center, where Interior Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani hosted her for a tour.

Noem received briefings on command and control systems, advanced monitoring technologies, and the centers role in crisis management, Qatars interior ministry said. She also visited the Tournament Command Center, which handles security operations for major sporting events.

Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
Some of the longest bridges on Earth stretch so far that they disappear into the horizon, whether they cut through familiar hometown landscapes or span waterways on the other side of the world.

These projects can take years, demand massive workforces, and push engineering limits in ways most people never see. From daily commuters to long-haul freight, millions of people rely on these structures without ever thinking about whats holding them up.

Some cross lakes and bays battered by storms, others thread through dense cities or seismic zones. Each one reflects the technology, priorities, and challenges of its time, showing how bridge design has evolved to meet increasingly complex demands.

Below, were breaking them down from the shortest to the longest. Each bridge on this list holds its own length record, and together they offer a striking look at how modern engineering keeps the world moving.

#1 #12 Penang Second Bridge, Malaysia

The Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, widely known as the Penang Second Bridge, is Malaysias longest bridge, stretching 24 kilometers between Penang Island and the Malay Peninsula.



Built with advanced seismic engineering in mind, the structure uses high-damping rubber bearings and seismic expansion joints to reduce stress during earthquakes, a design choice highlighted by Mageba (per Mageba).



The bridge carries a dual carriageway with two vehicle lanes in each direction, plus dedicated motorcycle lanes on both sides to improve rider safety.



Completed in 2014, the cable-stayed structure cost RM4.585 billion, or roughly US $1.10 billion, and plays a key role in easing congestion while supporting economic movement across the region, as noted by regional infrastructure reports.

 Photo: Jordan Lye / Getty Images

#2 #7 Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, United States

Running nearly 38.4 kilometers across Lake Pontchartrain, this causeway connects the New Orleans area to Louisianas north shore and remains the longest continuous bridge over water anywhere in the world. The lake itself spans about 1,631 square kilometers, which once forced drivers to make long, indirect trips around its edges.



The first two-lane span opened in 1956 after just 14 months of construction, with a price tag of $46 million. The bridge is so long that land disappears from view for roughly eight miles, a stretch that has caused some drivers to panic mid-crossing and require police assistance to turn back (per Atlas Obscura).

 Photo: Marco / X

#3 #11 Donghai Bridge, China

Also called the East Sea Grand Bridge, the Donghai Bridge runs 32.5 kilometers between Shanghai and Yangshan Island, home to one of the worlds largest container ports.



It opened in December 2005 after nearly four years of construction, giving port traffic a direct, high-capacity link instead of relying on slower, indirect routes.



The bridges six-lane, S-shaped alignment was chosen better to handle the regions typhoons and heavy seas. The structure is split into three main stretches: 3.7 kilometers on land, roughly 25.3 kilometers over water, and another 3.5 kilometers out to Xiaoyangshan Island.



Its about 31.5 meters wide, with an 80 km/h speed limit designed to keep trucks and cargo moving steadily and safely (per Top China Travel).

 Photo: China Photos / Getty Images

#4 #1 Danyangkunshan Grand Bridge, China

Stretching an astonishing 164.8 kilometers across Jiangsu Province, the DanyangKunshan Grand Bridge holds the title of the longest bridge in the world.



The elevated rail structure links the cities of Danyang and Kunshan, forming a vital section of the Beijing Shanghai High-Speed Railway and carrying trains across rivers, canals, lakes, and low-lying farmland.



Construction took four years and required a workforce of roughly 10,000 people, with total costs estimated at $8.5 billion. History of Bridges reports that one of the bridges most striking sections is its 5.6-mile crossing of Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou.



That span alone rests on about 2,000 pillars and incorporates roughly 450,000 tons of steel, engineered to withstand typhoons, major earthquakes, and even potential impacts from large vessels.

 Photo: Nanu Rathore

#5 #2 Changhuakaohsiung Viaduct, Taiwan

Completed in 2007, the ChanghuaKaohsiung Viaduct stretches about 157.3 kilometers along Taiwans west coast, linking Baguashan in Changhua County with Zuoying in Kaohsiung.



The elevated rail line passes through a mix of rural farmland, waterways, and dense urban areas, creating a continuous high-speed corridor across the island.



The Collector notes the viaduct was engineered with seismic protections, a necessity in a region known for frequent earthquakes. Structural safeguards are designed to allow trains to slow or stop safely during seismic events, reducing risk to passengers and infrastructure, as the outlet notes.



With an estimated cost of $8.5 billion, the viaduct balances scale and safety while supporting Taiwans busiest high-speed rail routes.

 Photo: DwellScape

#6 #10 Hangzhou Bay Bridge, China

Stretching 36 kilometers across Hangzhou Bay, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge links Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province with Cixi in Ningbo, creating one of the longest sea-crossing highways in the world. Construction finished in 2007, with full operations beginning in 2009, and the project cost an estimated $1.5 billion.



The six-lane bridge was engineered to cope with some of the harshest conditions in the region, including powerful tides, strong winds, and frequent seismic activity.



Built to support more than 50,000 vehicles a day, the structure includes a central service platform with rest areas and observation decks, as well as cable-stayed navigation spans that allow ships to pass beneath it.



The route dramatically shortens travel time between Ningbo and Shanghai, strengthening economic ties across the Yangtze River Delta (per Express).

 Photo: shuige / Getty Images

#7 #9 Sheikh Jaber Alahmad Alsabah Causeway, Kuwait

Completed in 2019, the Sheikh Jaber AlAhmad AlSabah Causeway stretches 36.14 kilometers across Kuwait Bay, linking Kuwait City with the northern Subiyah region. The six-lane bridge dramatically shortens travel times between the countrys population centers and previously isolated northern developments.



Built on unstable marine soil, the causeway relies on more than 1,200 offshore piles to anchor the structure securely, a construction challenge outlined by Systra.



Engineers also relied on a dedicated saltwater system to manage materials efficiently during construction, a method that helped control costs on the roughly $3 billion project, as detailed by KB.



Beyond transportation, the bridge reshaped Kuwaits coastline, offering uninterrupted views of the city skyline while incorporating environmental safeguards to limit disruption to marine ecosystems.

 Photo: Mohammad J. Taqi / Getty Images

#8 #5 Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge, China

Running for nearly 80 kilometers across central China, the Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge forms a significant stretch of the Zhengzhou Xi'an High-Speed Railway.



The bridge crosses the Wei River twice and spans multiple smaller waterways, including the Ling, Luofu, Xi, and Shi Di rivers, creating a continuous elevated route through a flood-prone region.



WorldAtlas reports the bridge opened in 2008 and briefly held the title of the longest bridge in the world. Its completion dramatically shortened travel times between Zhengzhou and Xi'an by eliminating slow, ground-level rail segments and reducing interference from road crossings and seasonal flooding (per How Stuff Works).

 Photo: matcointernacional / Instagram

#9 #8 Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Skyway, Indonesia

Stretching 36.4 kilometers above one of Indonesias busiest transport corridors, the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Skyway runs parallel to the JakartaCikampek toll road in West Java.



The elevated structure was opened in December 2019 by President Joko Widodo and later renamed in 2021 to honor UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.



Built as a double-decker expressway, the skyway was explicitly designed to relieve chronic congestion in the Greater Jakarta area by separating long-distance traffic from local roads.



The project includes seven interchanges to keep vehicles moving smoothly, particularly during peak travel periods.



Construction began in early 2019, and phased openings allowed major sections to come online ahead of the 2025 Eid travel season, helping cut travel times between Jakarta and Cikampek (per Independent Observer).

 Photo: Mohd Zamzuri Printing / Facebook

#10 #4 Tianjin Grand Bridge, China

Running for about 113 kilometers between Langfang and Qingxian, the Tianjin Grand Bridge carries high-speed rail traffic through one of Chinas most densely populated corridors. It forms a significant segment of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, allowing trains to bypass crowded ground-level routes while maintaining consistent speeds.



The Collector reports the bridge opened in 2011 after roughly four years of construction. To manage the challenges of building at this scale near urban areas, engineers divided the structure into 32 massive sections, each weighing around 860 tons.



WeBuild notes that these segments were built and installed using different methods before being joined together, a process that helped keep construction moving quickly despite logistical constraints. When it was inaugurated in June 2011, the bridge briefly held a Guinness World Records title for length.

 Photo: Anadolu / Getty Images

#11 #3 Cangde Grand Bridge, China

Spanning roughly 116 kilometers through Hebei Province, the Cangde Grand Bridge forms a critical section of Chinas Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The elevated structure creates a direct, high-speed corridor between Beijing and Shanghai, cutting through flat agricultural land where ground-level rail would be slower and more disruptive.



The bridge was completed in 2010 and is supported by more than 3,000 concrete pillars. That dense support system helps distribute weight evenly while improving stability in a region known for seismic activity, allowing high-speed trains to pass safely and consistently over long distances (per The Collector).

 Photo: DwellScape

#12 #6 Beijing Grand Bridge, China

Stretching 48 kilometers just south of Beijing, the Beijing Grand Bridge is a critical segment of the Beijing Shanghai High-Speed Railway. Opened in 2011, the structure helps move trains efficiently through densely developed areas while maintaining the straight, stable alignment required for high-speed travel.



The bridge plays a significant role in linking the Yangtze River Delta with the Bohai Economic Rim. These two regions depend heavily on rail transport to move agricultural products, raw materials, and manufactured goods.



By elevating the rail line, the bridge reduces ground-level disruptions while supporting some of the busiest passenger and freight corridors in the country (per How Stuff Works).

 Photo: yenisafakenglish / Instagram
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds his end-of-year press conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

By Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday told reporters that the United States is not concerned about an escalation with Russia when it comes to Venezuela, as President Donald Trump builds up military forces in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration has sent thousands of troops to the region, along with an aircraft carrier, warships and fighter jets.

"We're not concerned about an escalation with Russia, with regards to Venezuela," Rubio told reporters.

"We've always expected them to provide rhetorical support for the Maduro regime... (but) it's not a factor in how we consider this whole thing," Rubio added.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it hoped that Trump's administration would not make a fatal mistake over Venezuela and said Moscow was concerned about U.S. decisions that threatened international shipping.

While Venezuela and Russia have close ties, a recent strategy document from Trump said the United States will reassert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere and argued that the U.S. should revive the 19th century Monroe Doctrine, which declared the Western Hemisphere to be Washington's zone of influence.

The Trump administration has also carried out strikes against suspected drug vessels in the region, seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, and declared a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

Trump has also repeatedly said that strikes on land in Venezuela are coming soon.

Democratic lawmakers have said that the Trump administration has provided limited information about the operations in the region.

"Nothing has happened that requires us to notify Congress or get congressional approval or cross the threshold into war," Rubio said.

He said there were strikes against suspected drug vessels that the administration did not go ahead with because it failed to meet their criteria.

"We know who's on those boats. We've been tracking them from the very beginning," said Rubio. "We know everything about them, okay? There are boat strikes we don't take because they don't meet the criteria, the legal criteria."

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil criticized Rubio's comments, accusing him of being an expert in regime change and pushing the U.S. down that path.

"All of his attacks and 'fake news' are aimed at plundering Venezuelas oil, land, minerals, and resources," he said in a post on Telegram.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis and Bhargav Acharya. Writing by Idrees Ali, editing by Deepa Babington and Diane Craft)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

MOSCOW (AP)  President Vladimir Putin emphasized Friday that Moscows troops were advancing across the battlefield in Ukraine and voiced confidence the Kremlin would achieve its goals militarily if Kyiv doesn't agree to Russia's conditions in peace talks.

Speaking at his tightly orchestrated annual news conference that lasted about 4 1/2 hours, Putin declared that Russian forces have fully seized strategic initiative and would make more gains by year's end.

In the early days of the conflict in 2022, Ukraine's forces thwarted an attempt by Russias larger, better-equipped army, to capture the capital of Kyiv. But the fighting soon settled into grinding battles, and Moscow's troops have made slow and steady progress over the years. Putin frequently touts this progress  even though it's not the lightning advance many expected.

Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors, Putin said at the live news conference, which is combined with a nationwide call-in show that offers Russians across the country the opportunity to ask questions of their leader.

Putin, 73, has ruled the country for 25 years and uses the event to cement his power and air his views on domestic and global affairs during a broadcast that mixes criticism of the West with promises of more social payments. Although he is sometimes asked about his personal life, he gives scant details.

This year, the news conference took place against the backdrop of a peace plan in Ukraine put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite the extensive diplomatic push, Washingtons efforts have run into sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

While the event has previously focused heavily on domestic questions  and has offered Putin a chance to expound on topics from the price of eggs to water cuts  Ukraine dominated it this year. Since it is highly choreographed, that could reflect the Kremlins desire to assuage the public after nearly four years of fighting.

Russian demands remain unchanged

Putin praised Trump's peace efforts and reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict, a reference to the Kremlins tough conditions for a deal. He said he has agreed to make certain compromises and uneasy decisions at the Alaska summit with Trump in August but didn't elaborate.

He wants all the areas in four key regions captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscows forces havent captured yet. Kyiv has publicly rejected all these demands.

The Kremlin has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and warned that it wouldn't accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance members and would view them as legitimate target.

Putin also has repeatedly said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language  demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed readiness to drop Ukraines bid to join NATO if the U.S. and other Western nations give Kyiv security guarantees similar to those offered to alliance members. But at the same time, he has emphasized that Ukraine believes NATO membership remains the best security guarantee.

The United States dont see us in NATO, for now," Zelenskyy said this week. Politicians change.

Commenting on Zelenskyy's statement that he was ready to call a presidential election if a ceasefire is established, Putin responded that Russia has held elections without demanding a truce. He said that Moscow was ready to consider the issue and could agree to halt attacks deep inside Ukraine on the election day, but noted that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia must have the right to vote. Ukraine introduced martial law banning elections, but Russia hasn't made such a move.

Putin rebuffed Western claims about purported Russian plans to attack European nations as sheer nonsense aimed at deflecting public attention from domestic problems.

He particularly singled out NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for his statements about the Kremlin's aggressive intentions, pointing out Trump's recently published national security strategy that doesnt name Russia as a direct adversary. How can you prepare NATO for a war with Russia if the main member of NATO doesn't consider us as an enemy? Putin said.

He alleged that European elites impudently backed Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and now hope the U.S. political landscape will change after the midterm elections to Congress, helping raise pressure on the White House.

Putin says seizing Russian assets will backfire

As it faces grinding Russian advances across the front line and relentless attacks on its energy facilities, Ukraine desperately cash infusions from its Western allies.

On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide a massive interest-free loan, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds.

The leaders tried to reassure Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held, that they would protect it from any retaliation from Moscow if it backed the plan, but the leaders eventually opted to borrow the money on capital markets.

Using Russian assets to help Kyiv would have amounted to robbery, Putin said, adding that the move would have spooked investors, dealing not only an image blow but undermining confidence in the eurozone.

Putin says troop numbers are strong

Putin said the flow of volunteer soldiers has remained strong, topping 400,000 this year. It was not possible to independently verify that claim since little is known about the recruitment effort.

But the government offers relatively high pay and extensive benefits that have helped swell troop ranks. The Kremlin says it exclusively relies on volunteers to fight in Ukraine, but some media reports and rights groups have said that military officers often coerce conscripts into signing military contracts.

Asked by a soldiers widow about slow pension payments, Putin apologized and vowed the issue would be quickly resolved  a typical exchange at the annual event, which he often uses to show his command of a wide array of subjects and his ability to solve problems.

The news conference featured questions from journalists in the Gostinny Dvor amphitheater as well as via video links from across Russia. A young man in a red bow tie who held a placard saying he wanted to get married used his question to Putin to propose to his girlfriend. Later, one of the anchors hosting the event reported that she had answered yes, and Putin joked about collecting money for the wedding.
Authorities announced Dec. 18 that Claudio Manuel Neves Valente is the man responsible for both the deadly Brown University assault and the shooting death of Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later. Valente later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit.

Neves Valente, 48, originally from Portugal, was a former Brown University PhD physics student, who knew Loureiro, authorities said at two separate news conferences on the night of Dec. 18.

Law enforcement in four states pieced the details together, said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley during a news conference in Boston. Collectively, she said, they believe "that we identified the person, and that person is dead, and that he was the person responsible, not only for the Brown shootings, but for the Brookline (MIT) shooting."

Neves Valente was "sophisticated in covering his tracks," including obscuring his cell phone so it couldn't be tracked, switching plates on his rental car and not using credit cards in his name, Foley said.

Investigators first identified Neves Valente on the afternoon of Dec. 17 and were able to connect him to both crime scenes through financial background information, including rental records for a car he drove to Providence and Massachusetts.

An affidavit signed by a Rhode Island district judge said police cracked the case after a tipster recognized a rental car circling the area. The tipster said police should be looking for a gray Nissan Altima and license plate, information the police hadn't previously released. Police then tracked down images of Neves Valente renting the car at an Alamo location in Boston.

Here's what to know about the shooter:

A still image of Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, the suspected Brown University shooter at an Alamo Car Rental facility in Boston on Nov. 17, 2025.

When did Claudio Manuel Neves Valente enter the U.S.?

Neves Valente entered the country in 2000 on a student F-1 visa. He was admitted as a lawful permanent resident in September 2017.

What are Neves Valente's links to Brown University?

He was a PhD student at the school between 2000-2001 before taking a leave of absence in April 2001, Brown President Christina Paxson confirmed during the Rhode Island news conference. He withdrew on July 31, 2003. His last known address was in Miami, according to police.

During his time at Brown, he took only physics classes, Paxson said. The majority of physics classes at Brown have always been held in the Barus and Holley classrooms, she said. The shootings at Brown, which left 2 dead and nine others injured, occurred in that building.

"I think it's safe to assume that this man, when he was a student, spent a great deal of time in that building for classes and other activities as a PhD student in physics," Paxson said, adding he had no current active affiliation with the university.

Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said investigators had evidence that the suspect was near the university hours before the shooting. Footage from neighborhood cameras shared by authorities showed the person in dark clothing and wearing a mask walking along streets a few blocks away from the campus on Dec. 13.

Investigators believe it was likely the person was "casing" the scene, according to Perez. "There's a lot of leads we have here that show that the person who committed this tragedy is the guy in this video," the police chief said.

Tipster in Brown shooting posts information to Reddit

The announcement comes after authorities urged the public to help with the widening investigation and dayslong search for the person suspected of carrying out the attack. Authorities had released enhanced images and video footage of the person investigators believe could be tied to the Brown shooting that killed two students and injured nine others.

The tipster took his information first to the social media site Reddit, posting: "I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental," John, whose last name is being withheld by authorities, wrote, according to the affidavit.

That description matched information authorities had not publicly released, the affidavit said. On videos captured in the area, police noticed the suspect was seen several times circling an area near the Barus and Holley building. One video showed him encountering an unknown person and then running away.

Providence Police released images of that unknown person interacting with the suspect on Dec. 17. The person approached police shortly after and identified himself as John, the individual in the video and the Reddit poster.

John told police he first encountered the suspect inside a bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus Holley building on Dec. 13. He described the man as having "weathered" skin, a "cinnamon color complexion," and chubby faced. John said he watched the suspect leave the building and, apparently because he was acting suspiciously, followed him.

He described seeing the suspect approach a gray or silver sedan with a Florida license plate, unlocking it with a key fob. But the suspect suddenly turned around and walked in the opposite direction, looking at John as if he knew him, according to the affidavit.

John observed the suspect looping back to the area, then switching directions every time they saw each other, which John described as "a game of cat and mouse." When they encountered each other on George Street, the suspect ran in the opposite direction, according to John, who described slowing to a speed-walk, walking past the suspect then turning around to confront him approximately two feet away.

"Your car is back there, why are you circling the block," John told authorities he asked the suspect. The suspect replied "I don't know you from nobody," and repeatedly asked John why he was harassing him, in what John thought appeared to be a Hispanic accent or cadence, according to the affidavit. From that point, John told police they had no other encounters. When police showed John photos of the suspect and his vehicle, the tipster recognized one of the images as the person he encountered.

A break in the case

The tipster's interview was the break investigators needed, Perez said.

A Brown University faculty member also reported seeing the suspicious vehicle driving unusually slow on the morning of Dec. 11. Cameras in the vicinity showed the Nissan with the Florida plate in the area 14 different times, starting on the evening of Dec. 1.

On the morning of Dec. 17, police were able to connect the car to a vehicle rented in downtown Boston by a driver who presented a Florida driver's license.

Authorities say Neves Valente linked to both Brown and MIT shootings

Once the car and Neves Valente were identified, authorities were able to link it to the shooting death of Loureiro, the 47-year-old MIT professor, and to hotels Neves Valente had rented, said Foley, the Massachusetts U.S. attorney.

On December 15th, "he murdered MIT professor Nuno Loureiro at Loureiro's home in Brookline, Massachusetts," she said. They found security footage of him within a half-mile Loureiro's apartment, and entering an apartment building in the location of the professor's apartment.

According to the FBI's legal attache in Lisbon, Loureiro and Neves Valente attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal during the same five-year period, between 1995 and 2000, a federal affidavit filed in Massachusetts stated.

Foley also said they have information of Neves Valente "being in New England throughout 2025."

"Once we get the information about why he came up here, what drove him to be up here, we will share that with the public," she said.

Authorities find Brown University gunman dead in New Hampshire Images of the shooter at Brown University, identified by authorities as Claudio Neves Valente, are displayed during a press conference as civic leaders and law enforcement announce Valente has been found dead, in Providence, RI on Dec. 18, 2025.

'Bright light' and 'role model.' Brown University victims remembered

The shooting occurred at Brown shortly before 4:05 p.m. local time on Dec. 13 in an engineering building with unlocked doors as final exams were underway. Authorities said the suspect opened fire with a 9mm gun inside a classroom and then fled.

Memorials placed at Brown University in aftermath of mass shooting People stop to leave flowers on the Hope St. side of Barus & Holley, Brownl's engineering and physics building. Aftermath of the Brown University shooting in Providence, RI on Dec 15, 2025.

The two students killed were identified as Ella Cook, a sophomore from Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, a freshman from Virginia who immigrated from Uzbekistan.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brown, MIT suspect found dead. What to know about Claudio Manuel Neves Valente
TikTok CEO Shou Chew told employees of the social media app Thursday that its owner, Chinas ByteDance, has signed binding agreements to create a joint venture for the app in the United States, as agreed to in a deal with the Trump administration.

That deal means the U.S. version of TikTok will become majority-owned by American investors, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

The investors include American tech giant Oracle, the California-based private equity fund Silver Lake and the United Arab Emirates investment firm MGX.

Silver Lake and MGX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the White House and the Treasury Department likewise did not reply to requests for comment on the deal.

Oracle declined to comment but shares of the company jumped more than 5% in after-hours trading.

An employee who received the memo said that the internal reaction to the news was generally positive among TikTok's American staff but that most of their colleagues in Asia and Europe had not yet seen the memo or had not yet weighed in on it if they had.

As part of the deal, TikTok U.S. will also be overseen by a new seven-member majority-American board of directors, Chew said.

"The U.S. joint venture will be responsible for U.S. data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance," Chew wrote in his memo. "It will also have the exclusive right and authority to provide assurances that content, software, and data for American users is secure."

In September, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng reached a "framework" deal to clear the way for American investors to take control of the U.S. version of the app.

TikTok's legal saga in the United States stems from concerns shared by members of Congress across parties and by the intelligence community that ByteDance's complicated relationship with the Chinese government poses a national security threat to the United States.

Millions of people in the U.S. post videos on TikTok every day, effectively giving the app and its owners access to much more information about people's daily lives than many users realize.

The concerns about the data TikTok collects and how it could be used were the chief drivers behind U.S. lawmakers' decision to take action to curb TikTok in 2024.

Under a bipartisan law passed by Congress, ByteDance was required to divest majority ownership of the U.S. version of the app or face a ban initially set to go into effect in January.

In January, as Donald Trump was preparing to return to office as president, the Supreme Court upheld the law. It rejected TikTok's argument that an outright ban would violate free speech protections.

On Jan. 18, TikTok went offline for U.S. users for about 24 hours, causing an uproar among its millions of loyal fans and influential content creators.

Then Trump announced that he would delay the ban through an executive order as soon as he was sworn in.

That assurance was enough to persuade TikTok to begin restoring service just a day before Trump's inauguration.

The Trump administration repeatedly delayed implementing the law, however, until it could hammer out the contours of an agreement with China. Trump ordered that "the Attorney General shall not take any action on behalf of the United States to enforce the Act for 120 days."

That latest timeline ends Jan. 23. In the memo Thursday, Chew said the agreement will close one day before the deadline.

Oracle, one of the largest investors in the joint venture, is controlled by tech billionaire Larry Ellison. His son, David, recently acquired Paramount Global with approval from the Trump administration. David Ellison is now seeking to buy Warner Bros. Discovery via a hostile bid for more than $108 billion.

Oracle has been a darling of the artificial intelligence boom, ballooning Larry Ellison's fortune to more than $230 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires.

The formally signed agreement is the latest sign of a slow thaw underway in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.

Initially, little progress was made despite multiple meetings between Bessent and his Chinese counterparts.

But after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in October, Beijing has resumed buying American soybeans and eased export controls on critical minerals.

Now, it appears, the TikTok deal will finally get over the finish line, as well.
TOKYO, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor said on Friday that it aims to begin selling its U.S.-made Camry sedan, Highlander SUV and Tundra pickup truck in Japan starting next year as it hopes to help improve JapanU.S. trade relations.

The world's largest automaker was studying the possibility of reverse imports, it said in October, as Tokyo tries to placate President Donald Trump over its vast trade surplus with the United States.

Toyota had also last month begun production at its $13.9 billion North Carolina battery plant as it ramps up hybrid production and confirmed plans to invest $10 billion over five years in U.S. manufacturing.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christopher Cushing)